The moon and Venus

A New Year's Eve gift from the heavens. This is the crescent moon and Venus, giving us a lovely show this evening.

Happy New Year!

The good, the bad and the ugly

The ugly: I helped out at yet another fire yesterday; this one caused by a candle. Two families are homeless. Monroe County Fire Wire has posted some pictures here.

The bad: The dog died in the fire. A fireman carried him out to his owner.

The good: When I got home, I found these presents under our tree. Larry had taken his mother grocery shopping and saw these marked down 75% in the Christmas clearance aisle. He knows I love Santas, and he thought the ornaments were so pretty. He said they reminded him of ornaments his grandmother used to have. That Larry. I am blessed.

Teaching in the dark

Whenever a weather front comes through with temperature changes, wind usually comes with it. Well a front came through yesterday so there was this big wind storm here in Rochester. The winds were so strong that trees and power lines came down. So there we were in Sacrament meeting, having a lovely program by the youth when the lights went out! So we continued on as we normally would but with the curtains opened in the chapel to give a little more light. It was quite nice!

 But then it was Sunday School time. Some of the classrooms don't have windows which meant they were pitch dark. So they combined classes. And what ended up happening was that I had about DOUBLE the people in my class, in the dark, teaching by the light of the windows! For adults, we are a rowdy bunch so we had a blast ( a reverent blast!) as we finished up The Book of Mormon.

Our power at home was out for four hours.

Quite the day.

One stoned cat

So the cat got this cool pillow like thing from Grandma Locke for Christmas. It has catnip in it. 

Well.

All I can tell you is that the cat needed therapy after that play session. She could barely move. It was hilarious. She drooled all over the thing and hugged it and then finally used it as a pillow. We'll probably get arrested for giving drugs to a minor.

Here is the Un-mailed Christmas Card

To all of you,

If we were on the ball and you were getting a Christmas card this year, it would look like this:


and it would say:

"Thank you all for being part of our lives. Have a lovely Christmas season and a very Happy New Year 2009!"

It would also tell you about Larry's new friend, the neighbor dog named Harley.

Larry and Harley are best pals and spend lots of time together playing in the leaves and now romping in the snow. I would not forget to say that Larry is serving as the Hill Cumorah Pageant secretary and the ward employment specialist, and is still working from home for ThermoFisher Scientific.

I would mention my great calling as Gospel Doctrine teacher, fun trips to see family in NYC, seeing a Yankees game with them which was the highlight of the year,



and then about my cruise to Alaska

which actually ties for my highlight of the year. Then I would tell you about my shoulder surgery which went extremely well with more surgery coming up on the 12th of February. There goes my Valentine's Day dinner.....

We would send our love and best wishes and tell you of the love and gratitude we have for our Savior Jesus Christ.

It would be just the best Christmas card ever.

But since we're NOT on the ball, forget it.

We send our love anyway.

Mary Ann and Larry

Greatest cake place in Rochester

Our anniversary cake came from Premier Pastry and you can go here to see the best, most beautiful cakes you ever saw!

Bad day at work

There was a fatal fire yesterday, and a resident of the high rise fire on Sunday perished on Monday. I am stressed beyond words with all the fires going on and the sadness that people are experiencing. I don't know why there are so many fires but we've been hit hard lately. Please, all of you, be careful. NEVER leave a candle or a space heater unattended. Have fire extinguishers on all floors of your home and especially, make sure your smoke detectors work. Thank you. I love you. 

This week has been crazy

Monday - met my friend for lunch and then went to physical therapy for the shoulder

Tuesday - met another friend for an afternoon of Christmas shopping and then came home to have the sister missionaries over for dinner, then Larry and I went to Lowes to look for new lights and bulbs

Wednesday - took my mother-in-law grocery shopping, then made cookies for the cookie exchange that night which was WAY fun

Thursday - went to the temple and church bookstore, then met with a new doula client in the evening

Friday (today) - worked at Red Cross. Now I'm baking two cakes for the ward Christmas party tomorrow night and doing laundry. Larry is at the ward helping to set up for the party. I also need to finish my Gospel Doctrine lesson for Sunday

Tomorrow we have to go back to Lowes to return fluorescent light bulbs which were TERRIBLE. Then I have to iron. And go to the Christmas party.

It's a fun time and our Christmas tree looks Be you te ful!

Just for fun, I will pretend I was tagged by Carol. Here are the rules:

1. Choose the 4th picture folder on your computer

2. Choose the 4th picture

3. Explain the picture

4. Choose 4 people to do the same

My 4th folder was our anniversary party. The 4th picture is our cake which was so lovely I cried. And it was the most delicious thing ever. The top was peach melba and the bottom was chocolate raspberry. I just think it is so pretty.

Let's see, who shall I tag........

1. Amberly

2. Debbie

3. Joy

4. Crystal

Have fun!

Tagged by Crystal!

Favorite Person (outside of family?)  -  Neil Diamond, no question. :)

Favorite Food? -  That's a tough one. Probably bread.

Quirks about me? - I can write backwards and forwards with a pen in each hand.

Any regrets? - Are you kidding? Every day.

Favorite Charity/Cause? - Other the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it's both the American Red Cross and the Humane Society.

Favorite blog recently? - http://blog.cjanerun.com/

Something I can't get enough of? - Neil Diamond concerts, baseball games and cruises

Worst job I've ever had? - Store detective

What job would I pay not to have? -  Those famous guards who have to stand at attention all day and not smile or talk or look at anybody.

Guilty pleasure? - Baklava

Got any confessions? - If I had the money and the time I would go to every Neil Diamond concert and every Rochester Red Wings game. 

If I had $1000 to spend on myself, how would I spend it? - Just for me? I would redecorate the family room. Or clothes.

Favorite thing about our house? - Our dining room curtains

Least favorite thing about our house? - The family room carpet

One thing I am bad at? - Sports. I am all clumsy.

One thing I am good at? - Listening

If I could change one thing about my circumstances, what would it be? - I would LOVE it if Larry wanted to travel.

Who would I like to meet someday? - My grandfather Cardella. He died when I was three months old. To the day.

What makes me feel sexy? - Feeling pretty

Who is my real life hero? - My grandmother Cardella. She was the best example of unconditional love and was loved by all.

What is the hardest part of my job? - Which job? 

1. Homemaker and wife? Finding time to do it all. 

2. Doula? Dealing with stupid medical staff. 

3. Red Cross? Working with an atheist. She drives me out of my mind.

When am I most relaxed? - When the house is spotless and I am reading an excellent book. Or when I'm on a cruise ship watching the water.

What can I not live without? - Other than Larry, food, clothing and shelter, it would have to be books and music.

Are blogs authored by narcissists? - WHAT? Well, maybe......

Why do I blog? - It's a great way for me to keep a journal!

Turkey etc....

Since I was so mad that Thanksgiving dinner didn't turn out so great, I made another batch of dressing, cranberry sauce and then threw some turkey thighs in the oven. MUCH, MUCH better. I am happy again.

Achy shoulder

Today it's very achy. I think I did too much or something. Ibuprofen to the rescue!

Yesterday was the MRI for the other shoulder, then I find out Dec. 19 if I will have surgery on that one. After the scan, I asked the VERY CUTE technician whether or not the pictures were any good. He said they were great and that I was the first person all day that hadn't moved during the procedure. It was 4:30PM!!! Imagine. I just closed my eyes and fell asleep amid all the noise and banging that is the MRI, with earplugs thankfully.

What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?

A stick.

Birdies

Yesterday I took this cool picture of the sparrows hanging out in the tree. It's kind of neat how stark it looks. It looks better enlarged. What do you all think? Is it cool or just bo-wing?

Everything else, well,

The good -

The turkey was not dry.

The mashed potatoes were good.

The pumpkin pie was great.

The bad - 

The gravy tasted very weird.

The turkey was done almost an hour before I anticipated.

The dressing was definitely not my best.

The squash was watery.

The cranberry sauce had too much grated orange peel.

The ugly - 

My mood right now. I hate it when my favorite meal of the year is not the best. Larry and his mother thought everything was fine, but I know when things aren't right. Why should it matter this much?????  AARRGGGHHHHH.

Ah roma

The turkey smells SO GOOD!

Craziness and Contentment

Today I went for my post-op appointment and I'm doing great. He says I can do whatever I want. The only limitation is pain. Awesome! The craziness comes in because I'm getting another MRI, this time for the left shoulder. We are figuring to just get them both repaired close together and be done with it. As Trisha would say, "WhatEVer." I feel like I'm nuts. Scared. You name it. I DO NOT want to be sick again, or have that awful rash.

The contentment comes in because of this afternoon. Larry and I worked together in the kitchen. We cooked up the butternut squash from the garden for Thanksgiving dinner. He grated the orange peels and squeezed the juice so I could make the cranberry sauce. Cooking those cranberries and smelling those oranges was just the best thing in the world. I LOVE the smell of oranges. Then the windows steamed up which is the epitome of contentment for me. It means that it's cold outside and warm inside. It means that someone is cooking in my kitchen, probably me! I wanted to just plop down on the floor an enjoy the JOY!

Here are the cranberries all cooked up in the bowl my mother-in-law gave me. It was one of her wedding presents in 1945 and it's just the perfect bowl for cranberry sauce.

We went out to lunch today, at that little place I went to last week with Lisa and Robbie. I had tripe again! Here is Larry looking over all the delicious Italian desserts.

This is my bowl of tripe, along with some little bread with the best olive oil I ever had, and an arincini that was better than the one I had in Rome. Larry had a roast beef sandwich that had cranberries and blue cheese on it. He loved it.

Our plates are clean!

ISS

The International Space Station is making a series of evening flybys over North America over the next few days and it is so very cool to see! Even Larry was impressed. It appears right near where Venus and Jupiter are converging.

We went outside tonight at 5:30 and could see it quite clearly for about two minutes as it raced across the sky, up, up and finally AWAY!

If you go here, and put in your zip code, it will tell you exactly what days and time to look for it. You just may feel awe-struck.

Ramblings

The weather is a funny thing. Last week was so nice, kind of warm and still pretty. THEN bingo, it changed and there's snow and cold and wind and traffic accidents and limited visibility. What in the world. I'm freezing my buns off. But, no wait. I'm not freezing. The pioneers? THEY froze. Literally. 

Two more days of prednisone. The rash is gone. The itch is mostly gone.

My shoulder is amazingly good. I worried and stewed and fretted over nuthin'.  It just couldn't have been that extensive to feel this good after a week. Monday I go for my post-op appointment, then apparently, physical therapy. 

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

FROSTBITE!!!

Then Thanksgiving!  One of my favorite days of the year. I made the dressing last week before the surgery. Larry will have to grate the orange peel and squeeze the oranges for juice but I can finish making the cranberry orange relish after he does that. He'll probably have to peel the potatoes too, and put the turkey in the oven but he's a good sport and won't mind. He says he would eat white hots if it were up to him. That Larry. He knows this is my favorite meal so he humors me.

God Bless America.

Gratitude

What would we do without the Savior? Most days I can't begin to understand how much he loves us. But he does. I am grateful. I see his goodness and his creations and his care for us every day. It makes me feel small and great at the same time.

With friends like this.....

...how can I not feel better!

She makes me laugh, my friend since 1976. I have just the best friends a girl could ask for. You all know who you are and I am grateful every day for you.

Today the shoulder hurts a little more than it has. Really, I haven't taken any ibuprofen since Sunday but today it hurts. I probably did too much or something.

Do I have enough nerve to get the other shoulder repaired????

Could it be as easy as this one has been?

And the doctor says....

"take Prednisone for five days and the rash should be better." He was duly impressed by the extent and severity of it.

But really, this shoulder is getting better so fast. I have better range of motion every day and it only hurts if I overuse it or touch it. And NO MORE SLING!! Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Now, as you can see by the pictures, winter has arrived. Larry had to shovel today, although he really didn't have to because it all melted anyway. He just gets all worried.

And Pam, my best and eternal friend in all the world (and her family) sent this Edible Arrangement full of just the loveliest and yummiest fruit ever! Thank you my friend!

Rash

Now I have a rash. I feel fine but there is this RASH on my neck and down my arm. The itching is driving me stir crazy. It can't be from the IV medicine, can it? It would seem too long ago to be affecting me now. Calamine lotion, Bactine, nothing works for long!!!! Tonight I am taking a Benadryl and will see what happens. At the very least, it will knock me out and I will sleep!

The shoulder is doing GREAT.

Resting and reading with Celeste

My friend Sonnia sent me this little angel bear today. Her name is Celeste because she is a heavenly bear. What a happy surprise!

So the story goes like this:

We arrive at Unity Park Ridge Hospital Thursday morning at 8:15. They give Larry  a pager (!) and tell him to wait while they get me ready. I get asked a bunch of questions, change my clothes, get an icky IV, and wait. The nurse and I talk about birth. Larry comes back in and we wait together. And wait. Finally, the doctor comes in, marks my right shoulder as the one to do, shows me his own scar from the same surgery he had and told me he would do a better job than his doctor did! The anesthesiologist comes in, gives me "something to relax" and off we go to the operating room. The very last thing I remember is climbing from the wheely table to the operating table. The next thing I know, another nurse is saying, "Mary Ann, wake up. Your surgery is over."

WHAT??

She asks me on a scale of one to ten with ten being the worse pain I can imagine, how I would rate my pain. I said, "one." She said she never hears that. What was ten times worse than pain was feeling so dang sick. Curses on you Vicodin (which I think the nurse put in the IV but I don't know) and anesthesia.

Then Larry comes in. And we wait some more until I feel like I can get up and move like a human being. But of course, I throw up.

The doctor comes in and says he was able to do arthroscopic surgery and not slice me open. There are three or four small holes and I don't think there are any stitches. Just steri-strips. He says he shaved off some thickened clavicle bone, and repaired a rotator cuff tear.

Finally....

I do feel semi-human and get to go home.

But that was just the beginning of several hours of feeling like dog do-do.  About 10pm all the junk seems to be out of my system and I sleep in the chair. Larry sleeps on the couch. The night is a little fitful, but really no pain until about 6am and it's still only about a one or two. I have no idea if my pain tolerance is amazing or if it really doesn't hurt much.

Larry says what he remembers most about Thursday was that he never saw me throw up so much. Great......

So I slept Friday on and off, ate a little bit and read "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons. I give it a 9.

Last night I slept in bed with no problem until the cat stepped on my shoulder this morning at 6:30!

After a mini shower this morning with Larry's help, I finally feel semi-clean. He washed my hair, too. That Larry, what a guy. He also went and bought me a carrot birthday cake and a lemon roll and a chocolate roll. Tomorrow I am going to eat cake!!!

Today is okay. I have almost no pain. It's achy, but nothing like I thought it would be. Ibubrofen has done it for me.  I felt just a little sick today and lots tired but definitely getting better. My shoulder itches and twitches. 

Updates to follow but I promise not to mention the barf bucket again. Man.

The end.

Back from the land of the dead

Before surgery, all happy and ready to get it DONE!

AFTER surgery, at home, throwing up all evening. The barf basin was my friend.

Actually, I'm feeling pretty good today. I'll write more tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the day

Thank you, dear friends for all your kind words of encouragement! I have to be at the hospital at 8:15am and surgery is scheduled for 9:45am. We'll try to chronicle the day with pictures!

I'm not too worried.

Just a little worried.

Well maybe a little more than "a little."

But I had a blessing and I will be just fine!

Be back as soon as I can!!!

A blessing awaits (and update)

For some reason, I really like this picture. It was election night. It is so Larry. He's standing with his hands on his hips, surveying his garden and lawn, it's dusk, and he's enjoying the solitude. He was trying to figure out a better way to anchor the bench so the wind doesn't blow it down again. The garden looks kind of sad. The frost nailed it.

Later on today, I will get a blessing from him and our home teacher in preparation for my surgery. I'm a little nervous. Really though, surgery doesn't bother me. The whole hospital thing is okay. It's the recovery that I am dreading. Not being able to drive for several weeks will be AWFUL!

10:32pm - my blessing was beautiful. Larry was voice. He said although the doctor wouldn't know it, he would be guided by the Lord as he did the surgery. He said that it would not be too invasive and that I would recover quicker than expected. I love the priesthood.

Trying to ignore the news

Maybe I shouldn't be ignoring the news but the more I watch the election coverage, the angrier I get. At 8pm when the polls closed in Pennsylvania, NBC was projecting that Democrat to win with 0% of the precincts reporting. What kind of nonsense is that?

So instead of throwing my shoe at the television, I will tell you about the books I picked up so far at the library:

1. Ava's Man by Rick Bragg

2. All Over But the Shouting by Rick Bragg

3. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Polok

4. Shopoholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Let's see how good they are. Joy, would you believe I have not read even one of the books you thought I did?? They are now on my list. 

Good suggestions, because I....

...already have read These is My Words along with the sequels and Poisonwood Bible, too. Loved them all.  Maybe I'll read The Grapes of Wrath again. Actually, I grabbed Walden and Civil Disobedience by Thoreau out of the library but haven't tackled them yet. What other suggestions do you all have? 

Christmas in November??

The big question is: How am I supposed to decorate the house for Christmas with my arm in a sling? So my dear husband says, "Let's put the tree up before your surgery!" See, he doesn't really want the responsibility of doing it when we normally do, which is after Thanksgiving and frankly, I don't relish the idea of just directing the whole procedure anyway. So that leaves us putting up the tree and lights and ornaments next weekend. So that I can do it! And he doesn't have to! Imagine that!

Actually, I think we might. I don't want to do all the decorating we usually do, but at least if the tree is up, it will seem like Christmas. Am I out of my ever lovin' mind?

P.S.  I need a GREAT book to read; something I can really sink my teeth into and not want to put down.  Something like The Kite Runner or East of Eden. A BIG book. Help.

STOP, don't watch the movie!!

Huge disappointment. This movie went so far away from the book that the ending lost all it's punch. Man, were we disappointed. The movie seemed so shallow, which to me just demonstrates the brilliance of Edith Wharton's writing.

Frosty morning

Brrrr. Clear, cold nights bring frosty mornings. It is so pretty, even though we know it means winter is coming.

More on time...

Larry and I have been researching this and we just read someone's opinion that even though all things have an opposite, time isn't a thing. That's just dumb to me. Larry is of the opinion that maybe if all things stayed the same, there would be no time because there would be no passage. But thank goodness, Joseph Smith said in D&C 121:30-31 that all the time stuff would be revealed in this dispensation.  That makes me feel better. I need to understand things.

What do we know about time?

Okay folks, I'm having an issue here. The concept of eternity has freaked me out since I was a child. It still does. So this is what I know. The measurement of time is man made. Apparently time with God doesn't exist. It's all together. The closest I ever came to understanding it came when I was flying cross country one night. I looked out the window to the ground behind me, saw the lights of a small town we had passed over and thought, "OHHH. I am witnessing their present time but it's in the past to me." Then I looked ahead to what we would be flying over in a few minutes and thought, "Okay I'm seeing the future." It was like I was seeing time all at once. It was very cool. Does any of that make SENSE? Do any of you have any thoughts on this? I don't want to lay awake any more nights and get dust in my eyes over this. Tick tock.

Classics

Today is Stake Conference, so I have a little time this morning - not having to rush around. ANYway, I just a few minutes ago finished Ethan Frome and am just floored by it. Have any of you read it? It's quite short but jam packed with some powerful writing and a tragedy that sets you reeling. I need to rent the DVD.

Mary Ann's bucket list

or, things I want to do before I'm dead -

Larry and I want to go on a mission but HE wants a desk job and I want humanitarian. So we'll probably never get to go because we can't agree! How about letting the Lord decide? Hmmm, imagine that.

- skydive

- go storm chasing and see a tornado

- go to a Nascar Saturday night race

- tour Boston

- go to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons

- go to Hawaii

- go to Nauvoo

- go back to Sicily

- go to Italy again, including Siena, Pisa, Bologna and Assisi, places I didn't see the first time

- get my hair cut in Florence

- buy a leather purse in Florence

- go to a major golf tournament like the Masters

- eat at a five star restaurant

- go back to Alaska

- go to Ellis Island

- take a Canadian cruise with Larry

- see in concert: Coldplay, Sting, U2, Hall and Oates, Paul McCartney and of course, Neil Diamond for many more times

I will update periodically. Anyone want to get tagged?

Fire at 4am

So there I was, sound asleep, when the phone rang and it's my boss from the chapter. There was a three alarm fire at an apartment complex here in Greece. There were a lot of people displaced and they needed some immediate assistance. We needed extra hands to get them all sheltered and fed, plus we offered food and beverages to the firefighters. I got home about 8am. So I guess the cat was feeling "sympathy fatigue" at 3pm; although she sleeps half the day away anyway. At least she opened her eyes to acknowledge the fact that I was home and safe. Good thing she is so cute.

Lookit these cool pumpkins...

...all lined up in front of Wegmans. It makes such a warm welcome.

Not too much....

My cousin's funeral was very sad. Her son is a border patrol officer at the Buffalo/Canada border, so his colleagues were there at the funeral, as well as an Erie County Sheriff. It was a tender moment when then met up with each other.

My Sunday School class went well. I love teaching! Katrina, I think of you every week and hope you are not so terrified anymore.

The Buffalo Bills are 4 and 0!!! The Yankees bombed out and are not in the playoffs. The agony and the ecstasy.

Work today was organized chaos.

Fall is in the air and I love it!

My cousin Joyce

She died this evening. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November. I hope she was peaceful at the end. She had not been happy with God about this illness.

We were almost exactly the same age; she was about six weeks older than me. I am so sad. She was a good kid. I was in their wedding in 1973. She was such a pretty bride with long dark hair. That's me on the right, in green. The short one with glasses.

Shoulder SURGERY!!

Try saying THAT three times. Well the MRI gave the orthopedist the information he needed about the rotator cuff.  He believes there is a small tear which will only get worse. Surgery is the best option since the physical therapy didn't work and the cortisone shot didn't work, either. Hopefully he can do it without slicing me open too badly. I won't be able to drive or lift my arm over my head for SIX WEEKS! Right now, it's scheduled for November 13, but it may get moved up if there is a cancellation. Or I may move it to December depending on a possible client. Needless to say, I am a little apprehensive. It's my right arm, too. 

It will put a lot on Larry. I need a mother! I need a sister! I need a daughter! I have a cat.

...continuing the story

Wednesday - 

5am - wake up.

9:30am - while talking to pregnant friend/client, her water breaks, she promises to keep me posted.

10:30am - call from Red Cross to see if I am available to go to Strong Memorial Hospital to interview fire clients from the night before. It was the fire where those three little kids were hurt. I interview the family and provide assistance.

2pm - to the chapter to drop off the interview paperwork - have not eaten yet but someone saved me a plate of food from a meeting. Grateful.

3:30pm - rush back to Greece for my hair appointment, hoping beyond hope that pregnant friend/client does not call me to come when I have my head full of highlight solution.

5:30pm - made it! Head for home to have some dinner and wait for baby to come.

6:30pm - friend/client calls for me to come to the hospital, off I go.

8:30pm - we decide that I would leave because nothing is happening yet. They promise to call when labor kicks in.

8:45pm - I'm not even out the door of their hospital room when my cell phone rings. It's the 911 dispatcher saying there are two fires at once and wonders if I am available to respond. Off I go again, back to the chapter to get the team and head to the fire.

12:30am Thursday - back home from the fire after assisting lovely family who lost almost everything.

12:45am - just about to get into bed when phone rings. Labor has started and they would like me to come. Get dressed, go back to Highland.

3:43am - baby boy is born weighing in at 9lbs.5oz. Awesome labor and birth, one of the best.

5:30am - back at home, sink into bed and sleep for the first time in 24 hours!

No one would believe this week

It has been a long week:

Monday morning - went to a fire in Webster where two people died. When we got there, the fire chief said we didn't have to stay because the people were still inside the burning home. It was a murder suicide.

Monday evening - meeting of the Doula Cooperative

Tuesday - had an MRI for one the bad shoulders. The MRI wasn't so bad, just loud. Good thing they gave me earplugs!

Wednesday was nuts. I am so tired that I will have to finish this tomorrow.....

Just a great day

It was one of those cool, late summer days, with a beautiful blue sky, puffy white clouds and just enough chill in the air to want long sleeves. I spent the day with Pam, my best and eternal friend in all the world. Her little girls were in school all day, but they have a new puppy that needs constant attention right now, so we just stayed at her house and enjoyed the day together.

This is Isa, their West Highland Terrier. Is that the cutest face ever? She is 10 weeks old and just a sweet little girl. Isa is Norwegian for "ice."

Pam's husband brings in caterpillars for the girls to put in a bowl with milkweed. They wait for the caterpillar to spin its cocoon and then anxiously wait again for the butterfly to emerge. Today was the day! Oh and p.s. - Pam's wearing the bracelet I made for her!

Sleep is a beautiful thing -

- especially when you haven't had much of it in the past few days. I have had a hard time sleeping lately. But you moms know all about that. I don't know how you all do it. I am a complete mess without sleep. I do very well with catnaps though, which helps so much when I'm with a mom during a long labor. But I need a good 6 -7 hours to feel like myself and not look like an old hag. Makeup is a beautiful thing, too!

Speaking of makeup, I've discovered Bare Minerals. We have this cool store here called Ulta and boy do they have some great products, including this Bare Minerals stuff. I need a little more coverage as I get older and this stuff actually makes me look good! Braces and all. Speaking of the braces. I am tired of them already. It's only 8 months! I asked the orthodontist again if she thought it would really take a whole 2 years to finish this teeth project. She said absolutely not. Amen.

Thanks, Susan!

This is fun. It has some really lovely pictures, too. Apparently, I am an Optimist!

HBPS - The Optimist

You perceive the world with particular attention to humanity. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on humanity, you tend to seek out other people and get energized by being around others. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test 

Labor Day baseball

Is there anything better than a warm summer afternoon spent at a ball game? Okay well maybe some things are better, like a Neil Diamond concert, but this is pretty great. 

Rochester Red Wings!

Some of the players running sprints before the game. The guy wearing #50 won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a homerun blast!

I always enjoyed watching the grounds crew wet down the infield. I like this shot.

Update on the sugar thing

Okay so I made this goal for myself way back in March to quit eating desserts and stay away from sugar and sugar substitutes.  Here is the progress report -

It's working!!!

It's been easier than I thought. Once I made the commitment, it was almost like when we joined the church. No more coffee? Fine. No alcohol? No problem. So I looked at sweets as just something I don't do anymore. But the cruise to Alaska posed a problem for me. Was I going to look at it like I was an addict and not eat anything sweet? Or was I going to let myself have a treat occasionally? So as I fussed and stewed over it, Larry one day said to me, "Why don't you just eat?" OH! Imagine that.

So the vacation - I found it was hard to resist my favorite dessert on the ship. But a little bit was enough. Also one day at the pool I was really wanting some ice cream. So I got a small cone and was happy. Unfortunately, it was easy to let go and eat the sweets though, once I got started. Much harder to eat wisely....

The good news is that once I got home, it was easy again to get back on track. I did have some ice cream the other night, but had WAAAAY too much and my stomach rebelled. I felt sick for a few hours.

One thing I learned from all this is that if the food doesn't taste good enough, I don't want it. For instance, Hershey kisses are fine, but not good enough. If I'm going to eat chocolate, give me Lindt or Dove or Cadbury. Something I REALLY like.

So that's the report. I feel successful!

August 23 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY!!

I love Larry. EVERYBODY loves Larry. He is funny and witty. But I love him because he cares about my happiness. He sacrifices a lot to make me happy, like going places he may not want to go or sending me on my grand adventures with his blessing. And a priesthood blessing, too.

He is an incredibly good neighbor. He is friendly, with the ability to make conversation with just about anyone. He was an excellent branch president. The people loved him.

We read together, listen to music together and work well together. He helps me with my lessons. He is loyal. He is tolerant of my craziness.

And like I've said before, my father was right. He said Larry was a good man.

So happy birthday, hon! Let's go have a great day!