What I Learned Today

Disclaimer: There has been a lot of press lately about "Mormon Mommy Blogs" and while I am a Mormon, I am ever so much older than those darling little "Mommies" who have the funnest, stylish, beautiful blogs, that I am also addicted to reading.

Yes, as Mormons we have been taught to keep Journals, and yes I used to try and keep a Journal, but after I got married and started having kids, it was hard to keep up with it. I would do an entry, and then six or seven months later the next entry would start out with something like "boy, it's been a long time since I last wrote". And, if you read my blog, you know that not much has changed as far as how often I post.

When I started this blog I thought I would be good about posting regularly, and making it cute and fun. But I've come to the conclusion that this blog really is "A Blog Of My Own", it's mostly for me. And I hope some day, when I'm gone, my grandchildren and their children will be able to read it and get a glimpse of who their Grandma was.


So, with that What I Learned Today or actually what I learned two days ago when I started this.

A few years ago my husband started a tradition. On Sunday nights before we have family prayer we go around the room and each person has to say what we Learned Today that would help our family. Even if we have guests, they have to take a turn as well. Since I was out of town this Sunday, I decided to blog about What I Learned Today.

I was reading a talk by Elder Christofferson given at a CES fireside. He spoke about the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Since they would not be able to provide food for themselves by planting and harvesting it, or by hunting animals, the Lord provided Manna from Heaven. Did you know Manna, in that ancient language means "what is it?" Can't you just see them looking at it and scratching their heads, and asking and wondering what the heck it was the first time they saw it? The Lord told them to only gather enough Manna to provide food for one day, nothing more. Yet some of the people didn't listen and tried to get extra, but the next day it would always be spoiled and rotten with worms. Yuk! But, on the sixth day they were told to gather enough for two days, so they could rest from their labors on the seventh day, and still have food to eat. Whenever they gathered food on the sixth day, even though they were gathering for two days instead of one, the food never spoiled. Interestingly enough, some of those people would still try to gather manna on the seventh day, they just couldn't resist "shopping".

So this is What I Learned. The Lord wants us to prepare for the sabbath, it's important to him that we rest that day, and take time to worship him. We can use the sixth day, and every other day of the week to prepare so that there is no need to shop on Sunday . Even back then, it was important to keep the sabbath day holy, and the Lord prepared a way for the children of Israel to be able to do that.

And even though I wasn't wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, I was traveling. I got to enjoy the beauty of the drive through the Gorge just outside of St. George, Utah.

And luckily, I didn't have to gather Manna from heaven to nourish my body. I got to eat this yummy granola bar, that I am now addicted to, and probably won't be able to find in Arizona. And, just in case you were wondering, I bought it on Friday.

And unfortunately, my drive didn't take me to the Land of Promise, but to the Land of Large and Spacious Buildings. Which could be a whole different post all by itself.

And luckily for me, when I arrived I was able to take refuge at my brother's house and eat his food so that I didn't have to go gather Manna on the Sabbath, or eat at a Fast Food Restaraunt.

I am grateful for my safe travels, and grateful to be back home again. Until next week when we travel to Mexico and we get to see the ruins and the lands where the people from the Book of Mormon lived. And most grateful for a Father in Heaven who prepares a way for us to keep all of his commandments. And grateful for What I Learned Today and hope that it helped you as well.

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?