Thankful Me

  A blue statue spells out "BYU" while the white Y is visible on the mountains behind I've spent the past week at BYU Education Week , which is an event I love attending whenever it works in my schedule. John and I have some upcoming travel plans, so going to Education Week took away from travel prep time, but it was worth it. However, it is crunch time now, so I'm going to jump right into my list: 1. I'm thankful for presenters. Hundreds of qualified people take time out of their busy schedules to teach at BYU Education Week. 2. I'm thankful for walking. By parking in the stadium lot (which was convenient driving-wise), I could definitely get in some built-in activity every day. 3. I'm thankful for connection. I was able to chat with other attendees. I also had opportunities to socialize with friends and family members outside of Ed Week this week. 4. I'm thankful for opportunities to serve, inside and out of Ed Week. Isn't it wonderful that doing...

Steamboat Geyser at Yellowstone just letting off some steam I missed last weekend's Ten Things of Thankful blog hop because I was camping in Yellowstone National Park and didn't have internet connection nor cell phone coverage. (And, to be honest, even if I had had the ability to post, I was enjoying being disconnected from technology and reconnected with what was going on "in real life." And boy howdy, were there ever things going on around us! My husband and I drove up to Yellowstone for a week, hoping to see Steamboat Geyser erupt. It has been 125 days (as of today) since it last erupted. According to geysertimes.org , that is the longest interval between eruptions in the last 100 eruptions, so we were really hoping it would decide to erupt while we were there. No such luck, but what we missed in geysers, we more than made up for in wildlife sightings! (We didn't completely strike out in the geyser front, either. Of course we saw Old Faithful erupt, but also Sa...

  Drexel the yellow Labrador retriever looks at the camera. His tail is a blur because he is wagging it so quickly. If your household is comprised of at least one pet and multiple humans, you probably already know the importance of communication, particularly: "Did you feed _______(insert pet's name here)?" Or, as we like to ask in our home, "Is Drexel telling the truth?" Drexel is a Labrador retriever, and imbedded deep within his DNA is the notion that if one breakfast is good, two has got to be better. He has a certain way of greeting us if he is wanting a meal: he has pep in his step and an intense stare, as if he is trying to telepathically tell us, "FOOD...FOOD...FOOD." Normally, I can figure out when he's trying to trick me into giving him an extra meal, but this week, he got elevensies at about 7 a.m.  1. Drexel is thankful for food! (And I am thankful for Drexel, even when he tricks me.) Now that we have what Drexel undoubtedly considers t...

  A variety of red and yellow wildflowers bloom in a meadow near Steens Mountain in Oregon Back in April of 2003, Thomas S. Monson gave a talk in General Conference in which he advised: " Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present. " Participating in the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop affords me the chance to look back with gratitude, look forward with optimism, and find satisfaction with the present. Won't you join me in my reflections over the past couple of weeks? The last time I blogged, I was surrounded by apricots from our very productive tree. Thanks  to friends and neighbors who took the excess off my hands, and to various preservation methods, the work of the harvest is over. I needed to be done with apricots because we traveled to Oregon for a family reunion. Although in the past we would do the drive in one day, we are learning the joy of slower travel and decided to take two days to complete the journey. Going at a slower pace allowed u...

  An apricot tree, loaded with ripe fruit I've missed the past couple of weeks of the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, due to having grandchildren come visit and choosing to spend my free time sleeping. Having so much fun wears this grandma out, but I'm always so happy when the grandkids are here! I'm not sure I'm less busy now that they have gone back, but it's a different, not-interrupted type of busy, and it is easier to sit down to compose a post. A batch of apricot pie filling is currently in the water bath canner, and I'm taking this 40-minute time to write.  1. I'm thankful for fruit trees. They are time-consuming when the fruit ripens, but it is also nice to have bottles of home-canned fruit throughout the year.  2. I'm thankful for a working blend door actuator. At least I think that is the thing I am thankful for. On the way to California to pick up the grandchildren, I noticed that the air conditioning was blowing hot on the front passenger si...

  The blue Silver Lake sits among trees in the mountains This past week has been packed with summer fun. My good friend came on Monday and left for her home on Friday. During the time she was here, we walked, hiked, shopped, dined, had dinner with a group of friends, played board games, attended the temple, drove by several other temples that are under construction or in the midst of renovations, went to a rodeo, and talked, talked, talked. I had so much fun!  Scaffolding surrounds the Salt Lake Temple, which is undergoing seismic retrofitting and other renovations A lighted strawberry on the mountainside looks over the arena of the Strawberry Days Rodeo This upcoming week, John and I will continue the summer fun by having our grandchildren come to stay with us for a couple of weeks. If I don't get a Ten Things of Thankful post written next week, it will be because I will be collapsing at the end of every fun-filled day. 😊 No numerical list today, but lots of thanks for frien...

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...

  a photo of me tipping sideways, with my arms out, framed by a big piece of driftwood on the beach The last time I posted, I was in Oregon helping my parents after my mom's fall. I'm back home in Utah now, via Alaska. John and I went on an Alaskan cruise we had booked months ago (with the original intent that my parents would join us, but obviously that didn't work). The day we left on the cruise, my sister arrived at my parents' house to take my place. When we got done with the cruise, we returned to Oregon, stayed with my parents for one night (and got to see my sister!), then drove to the Oregon coast for two nights, then drove home to Utah. Did you know it takes three times through the top 100 Beatles songs countdown on the Beatles satellite radio station to drive from the Oregon coast to my house? I didn't, but now I do. Hence, the "Here, There, and Everywhere" in the title of this post.  The cruise ship had an amazing Beatles tribute band-- BeatleSt...

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...

  Visitor Center sign in Zion National Park My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: Zion National Park in Utah.  Zion is a bit of a shibboleth. People from outside of Utah (or those who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) tend to pronounce Zion as "ZIE-on." Locals (or tourists who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) use more of a schwa sound, pronouncing Zion to rhyme with lion. However you choose to pronounce it, it is an amazing, beautiful national park and has some amazing hikes. The last time my husband and I visited Zion National Park, we entered from the east, and traveled through the mile-long Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. It is an engineering marvel, completed in the 1920s. Before we passed through the tunnel, though, we spotted a group of bighorn sheep, including some babies...

  A lone bison grazes while Castle Geyser erupts in the background My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is my husband's Disneyland--his happiest place on Earth. The diversity of wildlife, the numerous geothermal features, and the stunning landscapes all combine to make visiting Yellowstone a bucket-list experience. It's no wonder it was the nation's (and even world's, according to Wikipedia) first national park! A baby bison grazing with its mother a large elk lies down in a field a muskrat swims in a lake Heart Spring, a heart shaped geothermal feature Beehive Geyser erupts under a partially cloudy sky Morning Glory pool displays many colors, from blue in the center to orange and brown at the edges the very clear Fish Lake, with the mountains in reflection the white travertine terraces of...