Doesn't it seem like everyone in the world is sick right now?

I have been fighting with a dreadful cold the last few days, and I have only two thoughts:

1. If you have a hacking cough, do NOT watch Finding Neverland. Now every time I start to cough, Tim looks at me like I'm going to die a la Kate Winslet.

2. Terrible cold = lots of fluids = going to the bathroom every hour and a half. If this is what it's like to be pregnant, I'll pass.

She's married!!!

My sister got married yesterday! And in spite of the rain and wind (which conveniently died down when we took pictures), it was a beautiful day. It was so incredibly special to see my little sister in her temple clothes in the sealing room with her sweet husband, and to have my little brother sitting next to me during the ceremony. I felt so proud and privileged to be there, and I'm not ashamed to admit, I was very tearful, especially when I hugged my newly married sister.

The rest of the day went well, too. Rachel was absolutely gorgeous (is anyone surprised?) and she and Jase looked so happy. I wish I had some pictures to post, but my camera is broken and so I'll have to borrow some and post them later. Rachel just wanted a luncheon following the ceremony (no reception), so set up and clean up weren't too bad, and the decorations turned out to be really lovely. I think the most fun part was the photo booth that Jase's family set up. Rachel and Jase put together a bunch of silly costume items so we all dressed up and did silly pictures. And the coolest part of the day? Jase surprised Rachel with a limo to take them to Park City after the luncheon!

We were done cleaning up by about 4:00 and back to my parents' house and in pajamas less than an hour later. It was lovely, but so strange to be done with a wedding so early! It felt like a separate day altogether. That might be why I still don't know what to think about Rachel being married--it doesn't seem real. Jase has been a part of our family for a while, so it doesn't really feel like anything's changed. We're a family of seven now, adding people here and there. It feels right to add these boys to our family, though. And I'm excited to have life get a little less crazy and stressful, especially for Rachel.

Jase and Rachel are so perfect together, and I'm absolutely thrilled for them. Hooray for weddings and temple marriages and beautiful days!

A post about my husband, whom I love

Maybe it's because my sister is getting married and I've been remembering my own wedding, but I wanted to write something about how amazingly sweet my husband is. I probably won't tell him I wrote this, because he would be soooo embarrassed, but it's all true.

Tim was sick today. I overzealously checked in on him every hour or so, just a quick "You okay? Need anything?" He usually sent back something like, "No, but thanks," and I was satisfied. During one of our exchanges, my phone buzzed an extra time and I looked down to read, "Do you need anything?" And I just melted. That little phrase made me feel so cared for.

Later, I got home later than I said I would and Tim came out to meet me. He got to the car before I'd even opened my door. "I didn't know where you were" was all he said to explain the anxious crease between his eyes. I felt bad that I had worried him, but again, I suddenly felt so...precious to him.

Tim is amazingly good at making me feel loved. I have never, ever doubted how he feels about me, not even when we very first starting dating. He was never shy in expressing himself, even though I was. When we were dating and engaged, we spent most of our time thousands of miles apart and so when we were together, we tended to overcompensate for the separated months. This garnered us some relentless teasing and ridicule, and though we deserved some of it, it made me afraid to express myself. Tim got the worst of the teasing, but I marveled at his ability to brush most of it off. He didn't care if we were doing things "right," like I did. He just cared about me and making me sure I knew it.

Now that we don't have to rely on Skype to see each other every day, we're more relaxed about our time together and can spend time apart. But I think the fear and pain of separation have left an indelible mark on both of us. We're still affectionate and cutesy and yes, probably a little nauseating. And you know what? I love it.

I love that we're cute and cuddly and silly. I love that we say "I love you" a hundred times a day. I love that I fall asleep every night with Tim's arm around me and that we spend ten minutes cuddling in bed every morning. I love that the first thing I do when I get home from work is hug and kiss my husband. I love that nothing calms me more than Tim's hands cradling my face. I just love my husband, and I want to make sure he feels that as often as I feel his love for me.

P.S. I changed my mind. I am going to show this to Tim. He will absolutely be embarrassed, but I think that he will also like it.

And it was a glorious day

Today, I got a small glimpse of what heaven will be like, and oh, it will be glorious. I was surrounded by family, but instead of the laughter and chattering of frequent family gatherings, there were tears and open arms and smiles. We were very aware of who was missing, but we were brought closer because of that. We waited anxiously until everyone was together, watching to see who would walk through the door. My heart was full as I embraced my sweet brother and sister, my almost brother-in-law, my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, my husband. I'm sure it was overwhelming for Rachel and Ethan (that first time through the temple usually is) but I hope they felt the spirit that was there.

We had so many people come that the little Draper temple couldn't quite fit all of us and the other temple patrons into one session, so they split up the groups and my family got to have our own session. It was incredible, knowing that every person in that room was connected to each other in some way. Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's a slice of what heaven will be like.

While we waited in the chapel before the session started, it struck me very forcefully that the whole point of temples and temple work was sitting in the chapel with with me. The power that binds families together in a temple is the same power that guarantees that my cousin Nigel is still part of our family and we'll see him again. And that made the work being done for Nigel by his father a reality, not an abstract.

I could see Nigel very clearly in my mind--dressed in white temple clothes, standing respectfully, his hair curly again as it if had grown out from when he buzzed it before being sent to Afghanistan. I'd never seen Nigel in the temple while he was still alive, so I know it wasn't just a memory. I think it was my heart's way of reminding me that he was there with us.

I know that I'm lucky--a lot of families never get the opportunity to be all together in the temple, for one reason for another. I hope I get to relive that moment many more times. So many things became clear to me in a way they never had before. How much I love my crazy, wonderful family, for one. How incredibly blessed we are to have a promise that we'll be a family forever. And how family relationships are the strongest, most valuable ties we can hope to have in this life. I can't wait to have my own children and to introduce them to this web of loving people that I call my family, because really, I don't think it gets much better than this.

"They seek him here, they seek him there..."

Monday night, Tim and I sat entranced at the Hale Center Theater while The Scarlet Pimpernel unfolded around us. It was enchanting. It was wonderful. It was breathtaking--literally. There were several times that I realized I had been holding my breath during the songs. If you've never seen this play, please do. Soon, if possible. It's easily one of my top three favorite musicals of all time. It's got everything--daring adventures, passionate romance, hilarious disguises, life and death, and the most incredibly awesome costumes you've ever seen. Seriously. I would considering doing something illegal to obtain just one of those dresses--just one, mind you!

The Scarlet Pimpernel has been a favorite story of mine for many years now. I can't remember if I saw the movie first (probable) or read the book first (less likely), but I fell in love with it. I distinctly remember sitting in the car somewhere in Salt Lake, oblivious to my family around me, barely breathing as I raced through the novel completely enraptured. I finished what I still consider to be one of the most romantic chapters in all literature, put the book down, and sighed with my whole heart all aflutter. If you've never read this book, read it. Have patience with the descriptive paragraphs and enjoy being surprised by the original story.

I'll put in a plug for the movie too. The 1982 adaptation starring Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn, as she is better known), and Ian McKellen (Gandalf in his much younger years) is the best version, so far as I'm concerned. I haven't seen it in a long time, but I could still probably quote the better part of the movie to you right now. ("Oh, the English and their stupid sense of fair play...")

I absolutely love this play/movie/book. And I love sharing things I love with the people I love. (It's very lucky for Tim that he enjoyed the play almost as much as I did, because we ARE going to see it a second time.) So go ahead. Pick up the book. Listen to the music. See the play. Rent the movie. You're gonna love it, I promise.

You know those days...

...when the one load of unfolded laundry somehow multiplies into four? When the rubber band breaks just as you try to put it over the cheese (which, by the way, is moldy on the bottom) and your fingers get snapped? When the dishes in the sink are starting to smell as the milk in one of the stacked bowls starts to curdle? When you wonder if the pile of clothes on the floor of your bedroom is clean or dirty because you can't remember and you're pretty sure that they're dirty and wait, those are the jeans you've been looking for and keep meaning to wash so you have something to wear for work, and just as you are calculating how long the pile can stay on the floor before the spiders will consider it fair game and infest, you remember that you were making a grilled cheese sandwich for your husband, who doesn't feel well, and by the time you rescue the sandwich it's pretty well blackened on one side?

Yeah, I do too.

I love laughing at those days.

Not because crying isn't an option...because it is...and a good, frequently used one, too...but because really, what else can you do with those days? I tell my 1st and 2nd graders that they always have a choice with how they react. We are in control of ourselves. And so, on days like those days, I choose to ignore the dishes, scrape the black off the sandwich, push the four loads of laundry off my bed (joining the pile of dirty clothes), let Tim deal with the spiders, and go to bed. I will tackle it all another day. As my favorite Anne says, "Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes in it."

That's all. Good night.

It's the small (and not so small) things in life that make living so grand

Yesterday, as I left work right around sunset at 6:30, I walked out into a wall of cool, crisp, delicious air. The rain had stopped for the moment, and though I was chilly, I was instantly refreshed. The red leaves were vibrant on Cascade Mountain as some sunlight found a secret way through the clouds to illuminate the mountains in stripes and spots. It was a simple moment, but it was a gorgeous reminder that autumn is here.

I told Tim recently that we needed to find something to be excited about. It feels like we're always in survival mode, just "making it through" the week of homework, tests, and work, and we needed something to look forward to. Yesterday's peace-infusing sunset was a sweet reminder that while dream vacations are fun to plan, there are little things everyday to enjoy. And then, as I got thinking about it, there are somewhat big things going on as well. Life, life-changing things.

My sister is getting married in fifteen days (two weeks from Saturday).

My brother is leaving to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in thirty-three days (four weeks from next Wednesday.

My cousin was killed in Afghanistan seven months ago last Monday.

Together, all of us are going to the temple.

My sister and brother are going through the temple for the first time next week, and my aunt and uncle got permission to take my cousin's name through at the same time. My family and extended family and soon-to-be-in-laws (of Rachel's) will make up at least half of the session. Just thinking about the spirit that will be there when we are all together in the Draper Temple gives me chills. And tears. (But those just come whenever they feel like it anyway.) It's going to be a very special experience, and I can't wait for it to come.

Then of course, a wedding, and a mission farewell, and family pictures...Oh yes. There are a lot of things to look forward to.

Some other things I'm looking forward to/am happy about/feel the need to share on this blog:

I am going to see The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Hale Center Theater on Monday. SO. FREAKING. EXCITED.

My mom has been in St. George at the Senior World Olympics this week and has been swimming quite well. Quite well, as in nine gold medals for nine races, and several new records set. I am constantly amazed at how cool my mom is.

And last but definitely not least, my sweet husband got a 92 on his math test!!! It was exactly the kind of victory he (and I) needed where school is concerned. Unless you have ever watched your spouse struggle through semester after semester of defeating assignments and failed tests, you won't know what it means when he (or she) finally gets that elusive good grade and some of the weight of your stress is beautifully lifted. To our dear friend (and practically a relative...we're some kind of in-laws, I think...) and math tutor Alli, we are so so so grateful.

Today, I'm grateful that it's Friday. I'm grateful for a 92 on a math test. I'm grateful for temples. I'm grateful for family. I'm grateful for the rain and the autumn season. And I'm grateful for all the small (and not so small) things that make this life so grand indeed.

The Problem with My Solution to My Problem

I remembered why I'm not usually crafty: I have no patience for it.

If I can throw something together and have it look great, awesome. I'm all about efficiency, not quality. It's a sad fact, but it's true. So if I don't have the tools readily available that I need to make something amazing, I will settle for something less-stellar without hesitation. Should I work on changing this? Possibly...but probably not anytime soon.

Ah well. I will still make some awesomely crafty things...I just won't take much time to do so once I start...

Word(s) of the Day, Part 2

I included my own sentences to help clarify the meanings. And to give you an idea of how such intelligent language can be used in everyday conversations...heh.

fossick \FOS-ik\, verb:
1. To search for any object by which to make gain.
2. Mining. To undermine another's digging; search for waste gold in relinquished workings, washing places, etc.
3. To hunt; seek; ferret out.
For example, I watched him fossick for his phone for an hour before telling him it was in his front pocket.

rigmorole \RIG-muh-rohl\, noun:
1. An elaborate or complicated procedure.
2. Confused, incoherent, foolish, or meaningless talk.
There was quite a bit of rigmorole surrounding the rigmorole of asking his date to the Prom.

hobbledehoy \HOB-uhl-dee-hoy\, noun:
An awkward, gawky young fellow.
If I get asked out by one more hobbledehoy, I'm joining a convent.

diaphanous \dy-AF-uh-nuhs\, adjective:
1. Of such fine texture as to allow light to pass through; translucent or transparent.
2. Vague; insubstantial.
Well, that's a diaphanous argument if I ever heard one.

soupcon \soop-SAWN\, noun:
A slight trace, as of a particular taste or flavor.
The party had a soupcon of inebriety although no alcohol was consumed (must have been a Mormon party).

kenspeckle \KEN-spek-uhl\, adjective:
Conspicuous; easily seen or recognized.
I'd know that kenspeckled red hair anywhere.

cachinnate \KAK-uh-neyt\, verb:
To laugh loudly or immoderately
I can never stop myself from cachinnating at the most inopportune times.

anacoluthia \an-uh-kuh-LOO-thee-uh\, noun:
Lack of grammatical sequence or coherence, esp. in a sentence.
I spoke with a--well, what I mean to say is--there anacoluthia is the--but not very often--though I never did say that.

beek \BEEK\, verb:
1. To bask or warm in the sunshine or before a fire.
2. (Of wood) to season by exposure to heat.
Beek is related to the same Middle English root that results in bake. So it would be entirely appropriate to say to someone, Go beek yourself by the fire.

foudroyant \foo-DROI-uhnt\, adjective:
1. Overwhelming and sudden in effect.
2. Pathology. (Of disease) beginning in a sudden and severe form.
3. Striking as with lightning.
I could only take his foudroyant personality in small doses.
-or-
If I am around him too long, my negative reactions are likely to be foudroyant.

incunabulum \in-kyoo-NAB-yuh-luhm\, noun:
1. The earliest stages or first traces of anything.
2. Extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.
The incunabulum of this list is but a distant memory...