Connecting with others sure takes up a lot of time.

Thirty years ago the most cost effective and consistent means of keeping in touch with friends and family who lived miles apart was utilizing a postage stamp and some paper. I have fond memories of receiving letters and cards from my grandparents when I was very ill with Hepatitis. When I was a young teen my cousin Kathy and I wrote letters between California and Utah all the time. Some of the best were ones we called 'joke letters'. We would write amazing but believable happenings and then at the end of the letter declare it all a joke.
At some point the cost of a long distance phone call became affordable...say 15 to 20 cents a minute. Still the pen was cheaper. But it was fun to actually hear a persons voice and a phone call became more time efficient. Then cell phones and voice mail became a normal way of communication. Life and it's tasks left little time for even a person to person quick phone call. E-mailing took on a new role. That still meant you had to type out your words. For someone who didn't take typing until college and failed it on top of that- e-mail isn't all that quick. Yes the recipient receives it quickly, but it takes me a loooooooong time to spit the words out. But, you know, I sure receive a lot more e-mails than I ever received old fashioned letters. This system must be working well for a lot of people.
Now on to the topic I was originally intent on mentioning...
So now we are into an age of blogging. I think it is way cool. People write to whomever and I get to peek in on it. I get to know and understand about people who are important to me but who would think it silly to sit down and WRITE a letter to ME. I do not go to the mailbox at the end of my sidewalk to find letters addressed to Aunt Karen, Gramma Decker, co-worker or neighbor. I wouldn't normally take the time to call or write to friends from high school whom I have forgotten about, or to a friend of my child. But I do find it heart warming to click onto a blog written by these people and I get to see a glimpse into their lives. I get to know what they had for dinner, how the most recent exam went, what creepy things are crawling or growing in their homes. How work went, what the score is, and who they are or are not voting for. And sometimes I get to see them at their best and at their worst.
I love the clever words, the expressions of thoughts and convictions. I enjoy seeing the wonderful talents and abilities of others. I love seeing the good that is happening in the lives of people I love and care about. I love seeing families being families. I love seeing parents working at doing their best to teach and love little children. I am warmed when I hear truths being expressed and shared.
When I look at the clock and see how much time transpires as I read blogs and slowly type out my comments and replys I think "OMG, what am I doing with my time?" .
It does take a lot of time. But in actuality it is time well spent.
Thanks for taking the time to write YOUR thoughts, share your feelings, tell me of the mundane and post the pictures. I love it all.

This is our cat, Puma. He loves being outside where he can enjoy the beauties and wonders of the earth. Then he comes back in to tells us all about it.

One of the features I love about our home is the walnut trees lining our front yard. Cleaning up the nuts and the leaves keeps Bruce busy in the fall. But that is also one of the times of year when the trees are most enjoyable. For a short time the yellow leaves on the branches are very vivid and bright. It lights up the yard in radiant yellow hues. Then the pointy leaves flutter to the ground, where combined, they make a beautiful yellow carpet on the still green grass.

I took these pictures Wednesday morning. Today- one day later, the green on the lawn is barely visible as the leaves have had plenty of time to create their magical quilt to warm the earth.

4-wheeling with Bryce

Amanda's friend Bryce took her 4-wheeling with their family Thursday, Oct. 16th. The two of them together... cute. & no, Amanda doesn't 'like' Bryce.


The skinny thing with the big head on the right...

yeah that's Amanda :P

Amanda being cool and DRIVING! sweet huh?

ps. Dad still doesn't know... shhhh ;)

OHS MB 2008

Yes- that is Amanda center in the black outfit. We were NOT going to do color guard this year. Less than two weeks ago Amanda was asked to learn parts of the show to fill in where one girl had to drop out. Amanda is the 'Angel of Death'.
She does not know the whole show yet, but it is still fun to watch her perform.

Here is the whole color guard group.
Look at those eyes!

Just a cool part of the show that I was actually able to catch on the camera without a lot of blurr.
Amanda on the field.
This was the Mountain View Competition
Saturday October 11th

I just happened to have the day off work for something else so I was able to watch.

It is FREEZING!

When you live in Utah during the winter and your home windows are single panes of glass - you can feel the low temperatures from outside. Burrrr!
Our furnace is acting up. Every once-in-awhile it doesn't cycle on again and we have to manually turn on and off the breaker switch to re-start it. At least I do have a home, and a furnace and a breaker box. I am very grateful.

Jayden's and Dorian's B-day party

The birthday kids- Dorian and Jayden. Happy birthday kids.
Jayden dancing on the lawn for me. Her feet eventually got cold and she came out with a paper and a washcloth to stand on while she danced.
What's a party without a bubble machine?
The wild boys!

OK. This proves I am not proficient in blogging quite yet. The pictures are out of order. And they will be until Andi fixes this problem for me. Yay for Andi!

Opening the BIG presents.
Carefully cutting the cake. It's big enough to feed 110 people, or 18 hungry teenage boys. Neither of which were there that night.
Party! Party! Party!
Lighting the castle. By the way Dorian did get a dragon, a big orange one, which could have swooped in at about this time to light the candles with his fire breath. But it wasn't unwrapped yet.
Posing for pictures. Dorian and Derek.

This is where it really bugs me that the pictures are not in order. I have a story to tell here.

The 'pink' team working on their big wheel.
Getting help with the fairy barbie. Getting her out of the packaging can be traumatic. Then there are the wings to deal with. OMG!
The 'pink' team hard at work.
The 'blue' team.
It is going to be a photo finish so we had better have recording by the judges.

The 'blue' team may be faster, but the 'pink' team does it prettier.
How long will this take? I am obviously on the wrong team.
Calling in the pros from Harley.
The race is on! Look who is ahead. Yay for the 'blue' team!
The 'pink' team is still at it.

Anxious to be done.
Yay! Jayden on her new ride.
The mastermind of the 'pink' team.
Playing with toys.

Dorian's new ride.

I'm sure glad I was invited. What a wild party! And the best ever party guests.

I love being surrounded by my favorites!

My favorite people that is.

Just yesterday I realized that I have over 100 pictures of people displayed in my frontroom alone. Approx. 22 in my bedroom, 43 on my metal kitchen cabinets, thousands in scrapbooks, and gazillion waiting to be posted in scrapbooks or tucked into albums, and a bazillion in electronic files.

The ones in my frontroom are mostly matted and framed. The oldest photo is an 11 x14 five generation picture (with the fourth generation missing) and I am the baby. The newest one is of Jim and Becky taken at 10,000 feet altittude during a drive to Aspen Alley in Wyoming.

There is a beautiful photoghraph of President Hinkley. It is on my wish list to display a picture of the new church Presidency. I have a specific photo in mind. There are at least three different depictions of Christ. Those are not actual 'photos' so I did not include those in my picture count.

My all-time favorites include those with beaches in the background, musical instruments, rifles or sabers, teenagers dressed up, little kids, people hugging each other, families, innocent eyes, or temples in the background. They are ALL my favorites! That is why I display them.

I enjoy the warmth and adoration I feel each time my eyes rest on one of these pictures. I love the memories and the hope I feel for the future surrounded by these people I love.

They are my world. They are my favorites.