Valentines, A Birthday, and a Love Story

Once upon a time there was a girl . . . . . . .

She had just graduated from High School in Las Vegas and was heading off to college.  It was the late 70's, and she was rockin' the Farah Fawcett big hair!  In those days, you graduated from High School, went to BYU and found a Husband.  Most girls were married by the time they were 19 or  20.  If you were 22 and still not married you were considered an "Old Maid", and most people would ever so kindly suggest that maybe you should go on a mission since you had such a "sweet spirit".   So, the girl went off to college with visions of Returned Missionaries dancing in her head.  But the first boy she met, was not an RM, and her Mom and Dad were not pleased, so lucky for her, that didn't work out.  She went back off to school the next year, hoping she would meet "the one",  she dated a few boys, but it didn't happen that year either.  And she went back a third time, and still had no luck getting her "MRS. Degree".  

While she was actively engaged in finding a mate, the boy was actively and faithfully serving a mission.  (can you guess where he went?)

After coming home the third time with no husband, and rapidly approaching "Old Maid" status, the girl was becoming discouraged. She would sit on the floor and put her head in her mother's lap and cry that she just wanted to be married, and have a family.  She was sad. 

Then the girl found out her younger cousin was getting married, and she was even more sad and discouraged.  She wondered what was wrong with her.  But, she made up her mind that she was going to go to her cousin's wedding and be happy for her.  As she hung out with family and cousins that weekend, she made a big decision in her life. (no, she did not decide to take her "sweet spirit" and go on a mission.)  She decided that she was going to stop wasting time worrying about whether or not she was going to get married.  She was going to live and enjoy being single, go on trips with friends and just have fun.  She even made the decision to move to Arizona and go to MCC with her cousins that fall.  And she was excited and happy about what the future would hold.  That night at her cousin's reception she caught the wedding bouquet . . . . . . . . . . . 

Two weeks later, on Memorial day Weekend, she and some friends decided to go to California to a Young Adult activity.  She spent the day at the Beach and met a boy.  That night she went to the Dance looking for the boy.  She thought she spotted him, but decided that probably wasn't him.  Then she decided to go up to that boy anyway just to see.  It wasn't the boy she met at the beach, but this boy was really good looking, and had long eyelashes, and she said yes when he asked her to dance.  They danced the whole rest of the night, and he took her out to eat when the dance was over.  As she left the dance that night, she saw a friend and whispered to that friend that she was going to marry this boy.  When she got back home to Las Vegas she told her parents she had met the boy she was going to marry.  They tried to comfort her, and they said "now don't get your hopes up, this might not work out.  We don't want to see you get hurt again".  But the girl was not worried, she was happy.  She knew he was the one. It took the boy a whole week before he figured that out.

So they dated long distance, and only saw each other on the weekends.  She would fly to California or he would drive to Vegas. He asked her to go with his family and some of their friends to Lake Powell for a week during the 4th of July.  On the way home, the boy asked her to marry him.  She said YES!  And they started making plans for a fall wedding.  On her birthday a few days later, they became officially engaged. . . . . . . . . . . . . 

and the boy and the girl had their first major "discussion".  The girl wanted to get married in the St. George Temple because that was her Temple.  It was the place she had dreamed of getting married. The boy thought it made more sense to get married in the Los Angeles Temple since every one would be coming out of town for the reception there anyway.  He didn't think it made sense for everyone to drive to Vegas, then two hours to St. George for the wedding, then two hours back to Vegas for the reception.  So the girl learned about compromise.  The girl loved the boy and wanted to make him happy, so she agreed to get married in the Los Angeles Temple.  On September 25, 1982 the girl and the boy were married, and the girl was the happiest she had ever been.

The girl and the boy moved to Mesa, Arizona because of a job offer. The girl was excited because she had lots of family in Mesa, and the boy had a sister in Tempe.  They were happy to be around extended family, but it was good for them to be away from parents and friends and to rely upon each other and grow together.  The first year was hard.  There were lots of "discussions" and more compromising.  But the girl loved the boy and wanted to make him happy, and the boy and the girl had made a commitment  and even though things weren't always easy, they never gave up.  They were committed to make their marriage work and to learn from each other. 

Then the girl found out she was pregnant, and she was so excited! And the boy realized that he was going to be a father and have a family.  He decided he better figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up, so he started his own business and Lang Painting was born right before their first daughter was born.  

And then there were three. . . . . . . . 

and the boy grew a mustache.  Two years and 5 days later a little boy joined the family and then there were four  . . . . . . . .  

and the girl now rocked a mullet, because that was the style, and the girl always wanted to be in style.  Three years and one month later another little boy joined the family, and now there were five . . . . .

the boy shaved his mustache off, and the girl went for the Pat Benatar hair and stone washed jeans, cause you know, it was the style.  Five years later one more little boy joined the family, and now there were six . . . . . . . . . 

and they totally rocked the denim look, and this time the baby had a mullet (and red hair)!   There were three boys and only one girl, and the girl really wanted to have another baby, she was hoping for one more girl.  The boy thought that four was plenty to take care of, and wasn't so sure.  But the girl begged and pleaded, and begged some more, and the boy gave in because the boy loved the girl, and the boy wanted to make the girl happy.  So then there were 6 1/2 . . . . . . .  

Then the girl found out that the baby she wanted so badly would not be joining their family.  And the girl was MAD and the girl was ANGRY, and the girl would cry in the shower so that nobody knew how sad she was.  And the boy didn't know how to help the girl, and he didn't understand what she was going through.  So the boy just loved the girl.  And sometimes he wondered what happened to the girl he married and if she would ever come back.  But he continued to love the girl, and she loved him because he loved her,  and she pretended to be happy most of the time . . . . . . . . . .

and the girl's hair grew really long, and the boy's hair . . . . . . . . . . didn't.  And the little kids got a little bigger. . . . . . . 

and the girl chopped off her hair, and the boy's hair, well . . . . . . . . it got shorter too,  kind of.  Some of the kids became teenagers, and the girl turned 40 . . . . . . . . . 

and the girl bleached her hair blonde, and the boy LOVED the girl because now he was married to a blonde!  And even though the boy loved the girl and she loved him, she was still sad sometimes because she really wanted another baby.  She always thought that somehow some miracle would happen and they would have that baby that she was missing so much.  And the boy just continued to love the girl even though he sometimes wondered if the girl would ever be happy. But time went on, and the kids got older, and the oldest girl met a boy, and fell in love . . . . . . 

and they got married and then there were seven.  The oldest boy left on a mission, and then there were only four at home.  And one day the oldest girl came to visit on Mother's Day and she announced that she was going to have a baby.  And the girl cried.  She wasn't sure how she felt about being a grandma, and she finally had to admit that there was never going to be another baby for her,  she was too old, and she was going to be a grandma.  So she got used to the idea. And the boy loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved her, and the boy started to feel like the girl he married was coming back.  The oldest boy came home from his mission, and then there were eight . . . . . . . . 

and the girl's hair was long again, and the boy's?  Well, it kept getting shorter, kind of.  And the girl was a grandma now, and grandma's go through "changes", and once again the poor boy wondered what happened to the girl he married.  He was never quite sure who he was going to come home to.  But the boy loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved her, no matter who she was. 

Then the second boy fell in love and got married, and the oldest girl had another baby, and then there were ten . . . . . . . 

and the girl cut her hair again, and the boy??  Well, you get the idea. He was so handsome! And the boy still loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved the girl.  And the oldest boy met a girl, and he baptized her into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and they fell in love and got married.  And then there were eleven. . . . . . . 

and two more babies were on the their way to join the family.  Two more little girls.  And then there were thirteen . . . . . . . . . 

And the next year another little girl joined the family, and there were fourteen . . . . . .

and the girl's hair was short again.  And the boy still loved the girl, and the girl loved the boy because he loved the girl.   And the girl was still a little sad that she had never had just one more baby girl, but the Lord had made up for it by blessing her with five darling little granddaughters. 

And the next year there was one more darling granddaughter who joined the family, and then there were fifteen . . . . . . . 

and the girl loved having SIX darling little grandbabies!

But sometimes she wondered how it had all happened so fast, and how her four little babies were now adults with babies of their own. Well, three out of four had babies, one was still her baby even though he was almost six feet tall. . . . . . . . . 

but that little baby boy turned 19, and left to serve a mission.  And then there were only the boy and the girl at home again. . . . . . . . . . 

but that wasn't so bad, and the boy loved the girl and the girl loved the boy, and the girl was happy that she had gone to that dance over 30 years before and met the boy.  And the girl knew she would never be exactly the same girl that the boy had married, but she was happy that the boy still loved her anyway.   Mostly the girl felt extremely blessed to be loved by such an amazing boy.  And the girl and the boy felt blessed that their children and their grandchildren were all walking in the right direction . . . . . . . . . . 

and the girl and the boy are happy that they will be with their family for Eternity, and that is definitely a

Happily Ever After!!

Happy Valentines Day and Happy Birthday 

to the Boy 

the Girl loves 

with all her heart! 

  

Valentine Birthday LOVE from Cancun

Happy BIRTHDAY to my favorite VALENTINE!

There are certain perks when your spouse's birthday is on VALENTINE's Day. Like the time his mom gave him a diamond heart necklace for his BIRTHDAY so he could give it to me for VALENTINE's Day. Score! Or like this year when he decided he wanted to go away for his BIRTHDAY,

. . . . . . . . .so we came to CANCUN!

So Happy BIRTHDAY, and enjoy your day in CANCUN! I LOVE You.

That is all. Time to hit the beach while you are across the street golfing, have fun!

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!