Winter in March

Our first bonafide snowstorm of 2009 occured in the night of March first. It was heavy enough to make our neighborhood look like a winter greeting card.

We enjoyed it as school was canceled Monday and there was a two hour delay on Tuesday. Luckily the roads cleared off well but the snow still lingers heavy in the yard.

If they weren't so busy with school and work I imagine Kevin would be out there making a snow fort and Grant would be making a huge snowman. Here's to the beauty of winter snow (as long as you don't have to go outside!)

A Night with the King of the Lions

Saturday July 26, 2008. Kelly and I have been waiting since Valentine's Day when our husbands presented us with tickets to The Lion King


We are at the Kennedy Center to see a fabulous production of "The Lion King"
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Here is Grant "popping a wheelie" with the wheelchair while I am still in it!






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We ate at Maggiano's. It was, as usual a glorious spread.

My life before June 24, 2008

Last spring I was privileged to line dance with the "Happy Hoofers" and tap dance with the "Step Sisters" (red costume) in a talent show at the Senior Center where I practice with these two groups of outstanding women.




I generally "hide" on the back row.

More of my life before Trip to Portland

Made a trip to Portland visiting Carl and Steff's families. Went out for ice Cream as a specail treat for Hyrum. Saw Steve coaching Brooke's Basbetball practice
Celebrated Sara's birthday at her "puppy Party' and traditional trip to Red Robin.


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Fun with Richard, Kevin et al

We went camping over Father's day weekend with Kevin, Kelly, Richard, Nancy and the kids. There is something about camping with Nancy that brings out the rain (so far 100% of the time), but it was still fun. We had a great huge group camp with our own tent sites. We spent a lot of time playing in a stream of water that had slimy rocks to slip and fall on. Kevin built a pool by removing huge boulders so he and Richard could do cannon balls much to Asher's delight when he would get splashed. And when it rained we went for long rides in the car. We look forward to more camping trips in Virginia-rain or shine.

Review- In April Karen returned from her mission in Chile in April

Step Sisters

I recently read an article which lead me to believe that I am doing something right anyway.

10 Ways to Build Self-Confidence

1. Focus on the Positive
2. Look in the Mirror & Smile
3. Exercise & Eat Healthy
4. Transform Jealousy into a Desire to Achieve
5. On Bad Days, Focus on What's Good About You
6. Don't Be Afraid to Push Yourself
7. DANCE!!!
8. Learn from Mistakes & Let Go!
9. Surround Yourself with Positive, Loving Friends
10. Don't Confuse What You Have With Who You Are!

The above photo is proof that I have positive loving friends with whom I DANCE!

I started tapping with the Step Sisters in the middle of November. Thanks to special tutoring from Stacy Worth (while I was visiting in Oregon). I was able to be included in their first preformance in January-hence this photo. We will dance to the music All That Jazz (from Chicago) in a talent show in April.

Let's hear it for buiding self confidence one STEP at a time.

Have you tried doing it all lately?

It's been so long since I have posted on the blog I almost forgot how.



No photos today...just a poem in the style of Dr. Seuss by Vickie Gunther of Redlands , California. David B. Marsh used it at Women's Conference, and Vickie has given permission to share it. Enjoy!


THE IN A WHIRL GIRL by 'Dr. Sue' (a.k. a.. Vickie Gunther)


Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.
I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!
I memorize names of the General Authorities;
I focus on things to be done by priorities.
I play the piano! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance!
Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! never late!)
I'm taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all,

I track my bad habits 'til each is abolished;
Our t-shirts are ironed! My toenails are polished!
Our family home evenings are always delightful;
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.
I do genealogy faithfully, too.
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of each youth in my stake!
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
It's the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.)
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I seek each "lost lamb" on my Primary roll.
I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all,

I write in my journal! I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write "thank you's" to those I admire.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids get straight A's! And their bedrooms are clean!
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I go to the temple at least once a week;
I change the car's tires! I fix the sink's leak!
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
I make sure I rotate our two-years' supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
These things are not hard; 'tis good if you do them;
You can if you try! Just set goals and pursue them!
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!
It's easy!" she said and then she dropped dead .

Gold, Circumstance and Mud

The following is a story told by a young father who was babysitting his four small children.

"Babysitting to me means reading the paper while the kids mess up the house. Only that day I wasn't reading. I was fuming. On every page of the paper gifts glittered and reindeer pranced and I was told there were three days left in which to buy things I couldn't afford and nobody needed.

"What" I asked myself did the glitter and the rush have to do with the birth of Christ?

"Daddy, we have a play to put on. Do you want to see it?

"I didn't. But I had fatherly responsibilities so I entered the living room. Right away I knew it was a Christmas play when I saw a lighted flashlight wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a shoe box .

"Rex (age 6) came in wearing my bathrobe and carrying a mop handle. He sat on a stool, looking at the flashlight.

"Nancy (age 10) draped a sheet over her head, stood behind Rex and stated 'I'm Mary and this boy is Joseph. Usually Joseph stands up and Mary sits down. But Mary sitting down is taller than Joseph standing up so we thought it looked better this way.'

"In came Trudy (age 4) at a full run. She has never learned to walk. There were pillow cases over her arms. She spread them wide and said only 'I'm an angel'.

"Then came Anne (age 8). I knew she represented a wise man. (She moved like she was riding a camel-she had on her mother's high heels.) She had on all the jewelry available and carried three items on a pillow, undoubtedly--gold, frankincense and myrrh.

"She undulated across the room, bowed to the flashlight, to Mary, to Joseph, to the angel and to me and announced: 'I am all three wise men. I bring precious gifts--gold, circumstance and mud.'

"That was all. The play was over. I didn't laugh. I prayed.

"How near the truth Anne was! We come at Christmas burdened down with gold--with the showy gift and the tinsely tree. Under the circumstances we can do no other, circumstances of our time and place and custom. And it seems a bit like 'mud' when we think of it.

"But I looked at the shinning faces of my children, as their audience of one applauded them, and remembered that a Child showed us how these things can be transformed.

"I remembered that this Child came into a material world and in doing so eternally blessed the material.

"He accepted the circumstances, imperfect and frustrating, into which He was born, and thereby infused them with the divine.

"And as for 'mud'--to you and me it may be something to sweep off the rug, but to all children it is something to build with.

"Children see so surely through the tinsel and the habit and the earthly, to the love which, in them all, strains for expression."

Author unknown

Forty Percent off Christmas

I was researching some Christmas stories, "Name that Christmas Carol " games and what not when I happened on an articles by Tom Miller written in 1999.

It seems applicable even now and so I felt to share it --Enjoy!

Forty Percent Off Christmas
by Tom Miller

40 % OFF CHRISTMAS the sign said. I paused for a moment. It caught me by surprise. 40% off Christmas?It caught her by surprise too,I think,when I stopped to ask,"Which 40% of Christmas are you taking off?"
Of course, it was an after Christmas sale.There was 40% off Christmas decorations, and the like. But the sign just said,"40% off Christmas." I never got around to telling her, but I kind of liked the sign.
You see, I'd like to take about 40% off Christmas too. Not in an after Christmas sale, mind you. But in the before Christmas time--
What if we'd take about 40% off the time that we have to endure the pre-Christmas, ads, sales, and marketing campaign? Maybe we could enjoy the season a bit more, and not be so fed up with it all by mid-December.
What if we'd diminish our expectations of what makes a "Merry Christmas" by about 40%? Maybe we could not be so depressed when it is all over. Or maybe, just maybe, we could relate a bit better to those for whom Christmas isn't very "merry" at all--the grieving, the sick, those who are alone, the poor.
Or what if, we'd spend about 40% less on gifts, parties, clothes, and dinners? Maybe we would still give, enjoy, and share in ways that brought true glory to the God who gave the first gift--the gift of Jesus Christ.
Maybe we ought to take off about 40% of the things we do, the lights we put up, the pageants we go to, the time we run to shop for that one last gift. Such a discount might make way for us to give more time for focus on what really matters in Christmas. I, for one, happen to think that Christmas has gotten way out of hand. Too much, too early for way too long. Time, money, energy, and all the rest.
I, for one, happen to think that a 40% discount isn't a bad idea at all. Stripping away 40% would leave 60%.
40% off Christmas leaves CHRIST--And that's what this Day, (not the 2 months before) are all about anyway--The Christ,God's gift of salvation. It's about how God first gave, so we could serve God, and bring glory to our Creator, by giving for each other.
So, let's do it!! 40% off Christmas. Then CHRIST will be left and we can celebrate the real reason for the season.
by Tom O. Miller
Bloomfield, NE December 28, 1999

Take a look back

I was afraid this would happen but did not know how to rectify it so you will just have to bear with me. I started a post the day after Thanksgiving showing the costumed photo-shoots that we had such fun with on Thanksgiving day. I finished that post Monday Dec 3rd. Granted it took me awhile, but at least I finished it and one with more football shots. However, if you only read the posts on the Worth's blog page you will probably never see them as they appear in chronological order from when they were started and a lot has been posted since then. You can see these fabulous photos of many interesting people on "Look who's here" and "More Football." If you read these posts on my very own page-no problem. Or you can scroll down a zillion pages. I did not want you to miss them as some of them are of you and all of them are worth viewing. I think, but then I'm prejudiced. Enjoy!

Look who's here!

We had some real famous celebrities attend our Thanksgiving dinner. There were Princesses, a pirate from the Caribbean and his infant son, a candied M&M, three Stripling warriors and a Rock star. Look for them next on "Dancing With the Stars"

99 yard touchdown?

Thanksgiving Day
Virginia Turkey Bowl
Players include Bryan, Reed, Kyle, Roc, Dustin, Emily, Aiden, Roger, Richard and Kevin Worth.

Meet Asher, the League President

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They're after her again!!

Grandma refereeing per the league president's

instruction

Here we see owner (Asher) joking with his players.

A good time was had by all!!

More Football

I found in my files more really good photos that Grant (AKA Dad and Grandpa) had taken of the Turkey bowl that I decided to publish them as well. It is so fun seeing someone getting away from others chasing them. There were at least three 99 yard touchdowns during that game. (According to some of the players). Emily pursued by Reed and Kyle
Kyle running to catch a pass from Kevin. Dustin, Emily pursuing. Roger just standing there? (JK, Rog).
Aiden enjoying getting out of the reach of Kevin and Kyle.
Everyone, including Dustin, Aiden and Bryan watched to see if Kyle could complete that interception. Wow did he try!
Beautiful pass by Kyle. Look at that form!

Kyle and Aiden, looks more like Line Dancing than football, do ya think?

Richard, Kyle , Roger and Dustin getting ready for the 1, 2, 3, HUUT! Bryan, Roc Reed and Kevin getting ready for the defense? (Is that what you call it?)

A great time was had by all, if you missed it then we MISSED YOU!!!!

Friends, glorius friends.

It is time for you to meet my new friends and see the guys I "hang out with" during the week. Here you will meet Donna, Barbara and Susan. Then I'll post pics of one of my swim classes and the group I line dance with.

Donna is the one on the right. She is the one responsible for me starting to line and tap dance. Donna and I also attend the same yoga class.

This is Barbara (she is known as the Lady With the Hat-she never goes anywhere without one). I met Barbara when I first started swimming. She and I go to a non-denominational Bible Class together.

This is Susan, I also met her in swim class and we line dance together. She and Donna are old friends from way back, but they lost track of each other until one day they both came to our swim class. It was a happy reunion believe me. Susan also line dances with us. She is always this happy.

Just about a year ago one of my Visiting Teachers encouraged me to go to the University's gym known as the Freedom Center to get in some exercising. I have made some wonderful friends in one class in particular and will share some pics below. I have also added Yoga (actually gentle yoga) to my repertoire. No pics of people in that class, I don't even know any of them-because it is so serious, we never say a word. In swimming it is just the opposite, sometimes the conversations over power the teacher's instructions, but that is why we have such a good time
The group pictured here is a very friendly group; we even go out to breakfast together once a month (after we have sufficiently exercised of course).

This was taken the day the lady in front had her birthday.

This is the group I line dance with. They call themselves the "Happy Hoofers". There is a lady in the group who started dancing at the inception of the group 25 years ago and she is now 95. That means when she first started she was already 70 years old!!! They perform about 6 or 8 times (with different routines and costumes) each month. So when we attend their practices they are reviewing the dances they will perform that month and starting to re-introduce the dances with which they are already familar for use the next month. We work on at least 6 dances each practice. Whew! Since it is solely review to them they never really give us instruction, we just join in the back line and try to copy what they are doing. It works fine until a step turns us half a turn around and then the back line becomes the front line and we don't know what to do because we have no one to look at. It is great fun!!!

No pictures of the tap class, there is nothing really to see (6 people in a room with one wall that is all mirror and that is about it.) If there was sound with the blogs, that would be something to share. I love the sound of taps!!!