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.

The Beauty that's Kanab

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to KANAB, Utah to visit my parents. I drove there all by myself, and I have to admit. . . . . . I kind of liked it. I loved the weather (73 degrees, thank you very much) and the BEAUTY in Flagstaff. Ok I know this is supposed to be about the BEAUTY of KANAB, but you have to pass through Flagstaff to get there. And this probably isn't the best picture of Flagstaff but. . . . . I was driving, remember.

The thing I love about my parent's house in KANAB is that there is a view out of every window. This is the view from the Kitchen.

One morning, Dad and I went for a walk, enjoyed the scenery and the BEAUTY of the people of KANAB. I met the woman who is running for Mayor, and a vietnam vet in a wheel chair who won the St. George marathon. OK, don't laugh too hard at my skinny ankles, it's quite obvious they are hereditary.

This is the BEAUTY you see as you walk through my parents neighborhood.

A few nights after I arrived, my brother and his wife drove up from Las Vegas and brought this little cutie with them, baby Maddox, isn't he adorable?

The next night my Mom's Doctor and his wife came for dinner. I wanted to try out this recipe from my "Barefoot Contessa" cookbook, Lemon Fusili Pasta with Arugala. Amazingly enough it looked just like the picture in the cookbook, and it was delicious, even if I do say so myself. We enjoyed good food, good company, and good conversation.

On Saturday we took a stroll through downtown KANAB. It was a little toasty outside, but we managed to find some shade, which made the perfect background for this cute little family picture.

I loved spending time getting to know my new sister-in-law better.

In KANAB, there is a wonderful care center called The Beehive House where they take wonderful care of my 96 year old Grandma. It was so great to be able to go visit Grandma several times while I was there.

I love the BEAUTY of Mothers and Daughters,

and, the BEAUTY of wisdom and age. . . . . . . .

reflected in the hands of three generations.

I am so very grateful that I had the opportunity to go to KANAB for a week and spend time with my parents and their friends, where I discovered that I truly love the BEAUTY that is KANAB.

Summer Days, The River, and Somer's Day

One of our favorite things to do during the SUMMER is to go to my brother-in-laws home on the Colorado RIVER. We especially enjoy going for the 4th of July.

Johnny loves it the most. I was shocked when I realized he was old enough to ride the jet ski by himself. He was just a baby when we first started going to the RIVER.

The brothers, Frank and Steve, love to hit Golf Balls. They have a contest to see who can hit the ball the farthest and/or over to the Island.

The girls love the time we spend together in the kitchen making wonderful gourmet SUMMER meals.

Like this amazing Wedge Salad with homemade blue cheese dressing and fresh blue cheese crumbles. Yum!!

I love SUMMER nights at the RIVER, sitting outside on the dock enjoying the reflection of the moon on the RIVER.

When we are there for the 4th, the boys put on an amazing fireworks show. This year Uncle Steve bought the big mortars, just like they shoot off at the public shows. Unfortunately, the cops didn't like the show as much as we did. The boys couldn't hear or see them because of the smoke and noise, so finally the cops got on their loud speaker and told them to "put your hands in the air". This concerned us just a bit, but luckily Uncle Steve saved the day and no one was arrested.

Later that evening we noticed a huge fire. We were not the cause of this fire, by the way. Luckily the fire was on the side of the RIVER where there were no houses. The next day in church a man spoke about a time when there was a fire very close to his home. He talked about the concern he had for his home and his family as he watched the fire creep closer, however, he could watch this fire with no concern since it was on the other side of the RIVER. He knew his family and home were protected by the RIVER. He compared the RIVER to the Savior and the Gospel. If we are on the right side of the RIVER, we will have no need to fear the evils of the world. Our home and our family can be protected.

Last Monday night, Franklin had the opportunity to help his friend SOMER come to the safe side of the RIVER.

We are so excited for SOMER and hope you are enjoying your SUMMER days as much as we are.

Hope

With the economy the way it is, and with loved ones and friends suffering with illnesses and financial issues, sometimes it is hard to have HOPE.

But then along comes something so beautiful it reminds you that
"there is HOPE smiling brightly before us".





And even though things sometimes look bleak, eventually things always improve.

I am grateful for a God in Heaven who sends little reminders that we are loved and that there is always reason for HOPE, even if you live in the deserts of Arizona. And I am grateful he sent us a Prophet to teach us that we can have HOPE because "your future is as bright as your faith".