Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.

I had great plans to have all my CHRISTMAS preparations done early this year. I even had my CHRISTMAS cards printed in September, just waiting to be addressed. But you know what they say. . . . . . . ."the best laid plans of mice and men." And so it went. All my plans for being ahead of the game went out the window, and I find myself behind.

Frank brought home our CHRISTMAS TREE last Saturday. I finally found time to get it decorated on Wednesday. So, as I was all alone, decorating the tree, and not even any CHRISTMAS music to help get me into the spirit of things, I found myself starting to think (and me with too much time to think, is not always a good thing).

As I Grinchily (yes, that's a word, I just made it up) decorated the CHRISTMAS TREE, I had to stop and wonder. Just exactly how did celebrating the birth of our Savior turn into this huge commercial extravaganza? How did the precious gift of our Savior turn into CHRISTMAS TREES, and Stockings hung by the chimney with care, and over indulgent gift giving and spending, and mass quantities of cookies and baking? How did the true spirit of CHRIST turn into feelings of stress and inadequacy, where was/is the Joy?

The truth is, sometimes you just have to look for it. And sometimes you have to look harder than other times. The spirit of CHRISTMAS is there if you choose to focus on it, and ignore the distractions. It's there in the beautiful strains of CHRISTMAS music sung by choirs of angels who might really just be little children, or Church Choirs, or even Choir Students. It's there in the faces of those who find ways to help someone in need, or maybe just share a smile instead of being annoyed at the long lines in the stores. And it is always there in the eyes of a child as they gaze in wonder at the lights on the CHRISTMAS TREE.

So, as we stress and fret and hurry about trying to prepare for CHRISTMAS, maybe we need to be a little less like Martha who was "cumbered about" as she cleaned and prepared food for the Savior, and more like Mary who chose "the better part" as she sat at His feet and learned of Him.

And just in case you have found yourself asking "Isn't there anyone who knows what CHRISTMAS is all about"? Here's a little reminder.





And, have yourself a Merry Little CHRISTMAS!

28 YEARS

28 YEARS ago today, Frank and I got married in the Los Angeles Temple. It's hard to believe it's been 28 YEARS, it's gone by so fast, and most of it seems like a blur. A few things have stayed the same, and a lot of things have changed.

We have lived in the same little five mile radius even though we have lived in three different houses.
Frank still owns and operates Lang Painting, but he no longer paints.
We have stayed active in the church, but our testimonies have grown immensely.
We never did get a dog, but now we have a "grand-dog".

In 28 YEARS we have had four children. Three of them have gotten married, and two of them have had children of their own. We have four grandchildren (and don't forget the "grand-dog") So our little family that started out as two 28 YEARS ago is now 13 (plus the dog).

In 28 YEARS Frank's hair has changed a little, and mine has changed at least 28 times or more.

But one thing will never change, our committment to and love for each other. (ok, I know that's mushy, but it's true)

I am grateful Frank said "yes" 28 Years ago, and am looking forward to the next 28 YEARS or more.

(See, we really haven't changed a bit!)

FAMILY Vacation

The last week in July we took the whole FAMILY to Show Low for a little High Country Vacation where we rented a beautiful Cabin in the community of Torreon.

It looked like this on the way there. There was a torrential downpour just outside of Heber. It was an amazing Storm.








And it looked like this on the way home. Again, just outside of Heber. The fog was so thick you couldn't really see anything in front of you, and it was hard to know which way to go without looking toward the person in front who had gone before.





But once there, we all had an amazing, wonderful FAMILY Vacation, eating, playing games, power walking, golfing, eating, enjoying each other's company, a little Zumba workout for the girls and did I mention eating?



Cousins got to know each other.







There was Horseback riding. . . . . . . .






And Horseback sliding . . . . . . . .







And wooden horse riding.

And Cheesy Grins

And I'm not sure what your family does on vacation. . . . . . . but we go to Walmart, and make cars out of boxes.

I loved cooling my heels on the back porch after a powerwalk on a bike trail near the golf course.




We went out to dinner at Charlie Clark's. .. . . . . .

(Frank must have just seen the bill)

And decorated Sugar Cookies for dessert eating.









All in all we all had an amazing FAMILY Vacation! My mother-in-law has a saying that "fish and relatives are the same, after three days they both start to stink". But as my daughter so aptly put it, "the fish never stank"! (Is stank even a word?) None of us were ready to go home, we wanted to stay for many more days. I am so blessed to have such an amazing FAMILY.




And because we chose to be married here,

This FAMILY is sealed together for Eternity.

And I hope that they all remember that sometimes there will be Storms you have to go through, and sometimes there may be Fog that obscures your path, and you might not know exactly which way to go, but if you look to those who have gone before and follow them, you will always find your way back home. And then our FAMILY will be on the most amazing Vacation ever!

TIME Marches On

Yes, I know it's been six months since I have posted something. And, you may recall an earlier post on TIME. And. . . . I could say something cliche like "Where has the TIME gone", but I know where it's gone, so there is no sense in asking. And since we are being so honest, I will admit that a lot of TIME has been spent on FaceBook (which was created by accident) and Twitter (which I only do for my business). So. . . . . . . . . . all I can do is try to catch up on all that has happened since the last TIME I posted.

Franklin & Somer got married on February 14, 2010 and are living their "Happily Ever After"

Samantha Rose McDowell was born on April 6th, 2010 to Dan & Kelli.

Ivy Mae Lang was born on May 20, 2010 to Geoff & Stacie.

So. . . . . . . . . . . Hopefully next TIME I post, there won't be so much TIME in between.

Post Note: Now I remember why I never could find the TIME to post, because it takes entirely too much TIME. I hate that what you type looks totally different than the preview which looks totally different than what gets posted. So you have to post it, then edit it, then post and edit, and post and edit again. And. . . . sometimes you can edit it 100 times and it always goes back to exactly the way it was before you edited it.

(I have spent the last 30 minutes trying to double space these last three paragraphs, with no luck, it always goes right back to the way it is now. I'm done.)

To Infinity and Beyond!

So you may recall a post about Somer and her day. Last November Franklin asked Somer to Marry Him. We are excited to have Somer join our family and become a Lang.

Also last November, the Lang Family took a trip to Disneyland. It was the first time for Somer, and for our darling little granddaughters. We were all excited to go to Disneyland, and talked about it often. One day, Somer was thinking about the temple, and trying to remember the phrase "Time and all Eternity", but all she could think of was "To Infinity and Beyond". We kind of like that thought. We are looking forward to February 13, 2010 when Somer will officially become a member of our family, and we are especially grateful that because of the Gospel, our family will be together " To Infinity and Beyond".

Two plus Two = Four

These are my TWO darling grandaughters. Tyler will be three in December, and Charlotte just turned one last month. Soon these TWO little ones will be joined by TWO more even littler ones. Yes! TWO more grandbabies are on the way to join our Family. TWO of my children are expecting children of their own. The TWOsome of Kelli and Dan will add baby #3 in April, and the TWOsome of Stacie and Geoff are expecting their very first child in May. We are so excited to soon have FOUR grandchildren in our Family. So, if TWO plus TWO equals FOUR, does that mean I am now TWO times older or FOUR times?

Macaroni Salad Memories

It's funny what the simple act of making MACARONI SALAD can do. This morning I was making MACARONI SALAD for a Family Barbeque later this afternoon. I hadn't made this particular SALAD for a really long time, so maybe that's why all the MEMORIES came flooding in.

As I was standing at the counter chopping tomatoes I realized I was standing like a Stork, on one leg. Something I do quite often when I'm in the kitchen. But everytime I do, I remember a family friend from childhood. We often did things with the Parker family, and thier oldest daughter always stood like that when we were in the kitchen making food. Thinking of her brought back so many MEMORIES of spending time with the Parker family. I used to stay at their home when my mom was in the hospital, and I remember countless pool parties in their backyard with the Bleazard Family. Thinking of them brings back vivid MEMORIES of walking in their Living Room and the sound it made, I can see the shag carpet, and the big ottoman on wheels that we used to push around. And I remember the time I had a loose tooth while I was staying with them. Dr. Parker was an Oral Surgeon, so of course he wanted to pull it out! I was not very happy about that, and I cried a lot! I loved the Parker family and have many fond MEMORIES of the fun times we had together.

My earliest MEMORY of MACARONI SALAD was when I was 7 or 8 and we had a big Tucker Family Reunion. I remember standing in the kitchen helping my Aunt LeVora make MACARONI SALAD. I don't remember ever having heard of it before then. I loved MACARONI, so I was really excited to taste it, and I wasn't dissappointed, it was delicious!

My Mom always made MACARONI SALAD after that. We ate it quite often. Whenever there were leftovers, they went in a Mason Jar. There have been many times when I have gone to visit Mom and Dad, and there is a Mason Jar with MACARONI SALAD sitting in the fridge. Then I know I am home.

I used to make MACARONI SALAD all the time for my kids. They loved the olives and the little pieces of cheese. As they got older and moved out of the house, the MACARONI SALAD turned into fancier Pasta Salads that they really didn't like as much.

My daughter, Kelli, makes MACARONI SALAD quite often for her family and anytime she needs to bring a salad to some function. We have a family BBQ today for Labor Day, and I asked her what kind of salad I should bring. She said "bring my (meaning hers) MACARONI SALAD. Funny how it has now become hers. I like that though. I'm glad I have passed down a little part of our heritage through a MACARONI SALAD recipe.

Mostly, MACARONI SALAD always just reminds of me of Summer. So it is fitting that we should have MACARONI SALAD on this day that officially means Summer is over. I hope all of you have a wonderful Labor Day enjoying time with your families, making MEMORIES and food that will someday spark MEMORIES in your children and theirs.