Our Little Cabin in the Woods

We're on our way! Last Monday, April 20, Mike and I went over to the property to check out the melting and to unload some supplies. To our surprise, our well had been drilled. That was the beginning. A couple of weeks before, a neighbor had been over with his bull dozer and "pioneered" a road into our building site. He came back later to clear brush and dig a trench for the electric company. Mike laid the electric wires and is now learning how to put the meter box together so that Homer Electric can come out and get the power from the pole to our meter box.

The weather has been cooperative. Mike spent a little time each night last week at the property. I went out a couple of nights to help. I have learned what it means to put something on the 16s and what the little red numbers on a measuring tape are for. I've learned that hurricane straps aren't long straps that you put around things to hold them down when hurricanes hit, but are actually metal pieces that are hammered into place that hold the frame onto the base of something. I've learned that Mike actually has a stubborn streak and that it's ok to compromise on the size of windows (I'll win on the big house, though, never fear!).

My brother Bob came over on Saturday to help us out. He got pretty excited over the nail gun and put together our steps to the cabin. We like them so much that we may just leave them there permanently. Today Bob had put up the back wall by the time Mike arrived from work. Together, they were able to finish the framing of the main floor. Tomorrow will see them starting on the loft. Things are really coming along. Mike promised me that once it all started, it would go quickly. He's right.

The greatest part of all of this is getting to be outside. The days are very long now -- nearly 16 hours of daylight. Even now as I'm writing this, it is 9:30 and the sunset is still not for another 20 minutes and even when it does set, there is still light for nearly an hour afterward. The geese are back and nesting. Songbirds are singing and chasing the eagles when the eagles get too close to the nests. Clammers have hit the beaches for the first big clamming tide of the season. Trees are breaking out with little fuzzy blossoms. And the snow is nearly gone. Meghan is moving back to the Peninsula on Saturday. School will be out in just over three weeks. The dogs love being outside too. Life is good.

Can You Hear the Drums Beating?

In the shadows of a distant land lived a white woman who was on a mission to teach correct grammatical principles to the indigenous peoples. Little did she know that the mystic mountain which loomed at the end of the trail of her nearest relative would stir the locals into a fevered pitch of excitement. The distant drumming throbs into the night as darkness comes later and later into the evening. If she looks closely, she can just make out the skiffs of the head hunters skimming across the open water. She wonders how long it will be before the cauldron fires are lit.

Heaven is a Place on Earth

I love those revelatory moments in life that come in odd moments like folding laundry when you suddenly realize that you’re happy. Simple things like listening to the radio and dancing to the tune as you go about your chores can bring wonderful insights. It doesn’t even matter that it’s snowing outside. It doesn’t matter that you’re living in a house you hate. It doesn’t matter that your children and grandchildren are far away. All is right with the world. Smoking volcanoes, eagles cruising across the view, the smell of purple hyacinths, mustaches, a student telling me how beautiful I am, a random hug from a kindergartner, coloring lady bugs, laughter, sea otters, watching the tide rolling in and out, tears, warm fingers, snuggling with my dog, a text message from a beloved child asking about General Conference, living with a priesthood holder who honors his priesthood, celestial families, the Atonement – how truly great life is.

How funny to have the music on the radio echo my sentiments –
“Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
Well make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth”

Barbaraology

I thought this looked fun, so I decided to try it. I don't usually do these types of forwards, but I figured it didn't hurt anything. So, here goes.

You may try this also. Simpley re-post this as your name followed by "ology"

***********FOODOLOGY******

What is your salad dressing of choice? Homemade poppyseed

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Cafe Rio in Utah

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Spaghetti

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Tomatoes & artichokes

What do you like to put on your toast? Tomatoes or eggs & cheese

Chocolate or Vanilla? Definitely chocolate

***********TECHNOLOGY***************

How many televisions are in your house? One that we actually use. There are two more that are in storage in the house.

What color cell phone do you have? PURPLE

Do you have a laptop? Yes, my trusty MacBook

***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Wisdom teeth, 2 lumbar disks, and some other useless stuff

What is the last heavy item you lifted? Sadie

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Not that I can remember

************BULLCRAPOLOGY**************

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Maybe

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I don't want to change my name again; it's too big of a hassle. Oh, wait...no I don't want to change my name. I'm content with the first and last one.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Probably

************DUMBOLOGY******************

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Do Crocs count? If not, then none.

Last time you had a run-in with the cops? Ummm....yesterday in Soldotna.

Last person you talked to on the phone? Grant

Last person you hugged? Michael

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season? Spring/Summer

Holiday? Christmas

Day of the week? Sunday

Month? July, duh

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************

Missing someone? My children

Mood? Content and tired

What are you listening to? The heater

Watching? Nothing

Worrying about? Absolutely nothing. I gave it up. :)

***************RANDOMOLOGY****************

First place you went this morning? Church

Do you smile often? Yes. I try to smile as much as I can each day.

Sleeping alone tonight? Nope

Do you always answer your phone? Usually

It’s four in the morning and you get a text message... wrong number or drunken friend? Probably Meghan -- maybe a goofy student

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Don't go to Sonic

Do you own a digital camera? Yes

Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes, Bonnie & Clyde and my mom boiled them in the window

Favorite Christmas song(s)? O Holy Night

What's on your wish list for your birthday? A HOUSE!

Can you do push ups? What's a push up?

Can you do a chin up? I can lift my chin up. Does that count?

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited

Do you have any saved texts? Yes, good ones from my family that tell me that I'm loved or that I'm great

Ever been in a car wreck? 6 of them -- I was driving in two, asleep in two, and a little kid in two. How coincidental is that?

Do you have an accent? Not that I know of

Plans tonight? Head to bed after finishing this

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Several times in my life, but then I get up and shake it off, and keep plugging along.

Name 3 things you bought yesterday? I bought whipping cream yesterday. That's it.

Have you ever been given roses? Yes! Mike actually just gave me a hyacinth on Friday. It smells wonderfully.

Met someone who changed your life? Michael

How did you bring in the New Year? Hanging out with Mike & Meghan. I think we went to bed early.

Do you have any tattoos/piercings? Just my ears

Does anyone love you? Yep! And you know what, it's great to have that knowledge!

What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't unless I'm really feeling silly!

Ever had someone sing to you? Yes. Fiona & Mia sang to me a few days ago on the telephone.

Have you held hands with anyone today? Yes -- Mike at Home Depot

Who was the last person you took a picture of? Mike wearing a mask after ashfall

What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? Statler Brothers, Tom T. Hall, John Denver ... you know, the kind of stuff your parents listen to

Do you believe in staying close with your exes? No

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? Both. I'm still friends with those I left in Utah, and I'm making lots of new friends in Alaska.

Do you like pulpy orange juice? Yes

What is something your friends make fun of you for? Not my friends, but my children make fun of my haircut

Have you ever ridden an elephant? I vaguely seem to remember an elephant at the zoo but it could be a planted memory

Do you like to play Scrabble? Yes, but it has been a long time.

What are you saving your money up for right now? A HOUSE!

When is the last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? Probably a couple of months ago and it gave me indigestion.

Spring Break @ Deep Creek

On Saturday afternoon, Mike, Meghan, and I jumped into the truck with dogs and headed to the beach. Meg came from Anchorage on Friday to spend her Spring Break with us. Granted, 22 degrees in Alaska is not what most would consider the warmest spring break around, but it's still gorgeous! With Daylight Savings beginning on Sunday, we also have an extra hour of daylight in the evenings. Spring fever has really hit me! I want to be out in the garden! I want to ride my 4-wheeler! I want to break ground on my house! I'm ready to see some green. I think I'm beginning to understand why I've seen so many houses with house plants in the window. It helps! I think I'm going to paint my walls yellow! And green! And RED! Oh, wait, I already did that. The colors brighten my mood and lift my spirits when the winter blahs tend to grab at me.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the incredible beauty of Alaska. I'm constantly amazed that God created this incredible place. I wish that I could wrap the majesty of the place into the same space as the grandeur of the red rocks of southern Utah. Every day is a different view and a new experience. How blessed we are to live in such an incredible world. To quote one of my favorite people in the world, "What a nice Heavenly Father!"

Pondering

“Because I have been given much, I too must give…” I love that song! What a spiritually filling day today was. We heard so many wonderful testimonies, including and incredible group of Aaronic Priesthood holders who filled the back seats of the stand so that they could bear their testimonies. I couldn’t help but contrast these young men who shine with the light of the gospel in their lives with the boys that I teach. I have several young men who are great people but who lack the knowledge of the gospel. I wish that I could just stuff it into their heads, but I know that school isn’t the place for preaching. I just have to settle for setting the best example that I can.

Today’s Relief Society lesson was one that really struck a chord with me. It was based on President Uchtdorf’s talk at the General Relief Society meeting last fall. It’s titled “Happiness, Your Heritage” A couple of thoughts that I had as I listened to the lesson and again as I listened to President Uchtdorf’s talk as we drove home from church were how amazing it is when the right people are placed in the callings that they’re in, and that President Uchtdorf was definitely inspired as he prepared and delivered a talk that spoke to so many women who struggle with their own self-worth each day – me included.

President Uchtdorf spok of God’s happiness and how each of us can know it despite the trials that we’re asked to bear in our lives. He spoke of creating and being compassionate as two objectives which we should have in contributing to Heavenly Father’s perfect happiness. I know that the issue of creativity is something that a lot of people struggle with, especially those who think solely along the lines of a tangible object of art or music. So many people don’t realize that creating warmth in the home, friendships, joyful hearts, and strong family relationships are as important to God’s perfect happiness as those who are gifted with talents to produce tangible products. I love that President Uchtdorf emphasizes that each of us is given talents to create something – it’s just a matter of working to create where we are that is important for us to strive for. I thought about a comment that Meghan made once about not having any talents to put on display for a Young Women’s Evening of Excellence. Meg isn’t a crafty person, so her talents weren’t something tangible that she felt that she could display. Instead, she took a certificate that she was given in recognition of her work at the summit County Animal Shelter. She also took pictures of her with her nieces, showing how much she strives to create a relationship with them. I love President’s encouragement to start small in our creativity if we’re struggling to find ways to create and edify. “Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.”

I also think about my own talents. I know that I’ve been given a talent to write. I also know that I’ve not utilized to the best of my abilities. I love to write, but I often make excuses for why I don’t get any writing done. I look at my binder of writing, and I find myself saddened to know that there isn’t a lot of writing for the past 10 years. But then again, I also look at the writing I did do in the early 90s. A lot of it was frustrations which were coming out as a result of the problems in my previous marriage. My happiness in my marriage to Mike have promoted a lot of thoughts and opportunities to write. Mike encourages me to write constantly, but I make excuses. I’ve grown out of the habit of journaling regularly. I’ve lost the ability to think in terms of things that I can jot down. I woke one morning with the dream of a story in my head. I also had the distinct impression that if I didn’t write this particular story, I would lose my gift. I set a goal to write 5 pages a week on the story. I’m still waiting for myself to get in gear to get some writing done. I make excuses such as time or lack of knowledge about the Book of Mormon (the setting for the story), when what I should be doing instead is to just get things written and the worry about filling in details afterward. I’ve made a lot of excuses over the years about writing once the kids are out of the house or not being able to write because the tv is always on and I need quiet in order to concentrate. Excuses. I just need to do it.

Love

I was contemplating my day a little while ago. I guess the winter finally caught up with me. I'm not totally surprised that it happened, just that it took longer than usual and then when it did, it hit me hard. I found myself, however, realizing that I brighten up when I get to come home from work and when Mike is around. He is truly my best friend. I'm grateful that he's my husband. Grant started having us look at the miracles in our lives each day. One day recently when I'd had a really bad day at school, I came home to Mike's grin. It is really difficult to be sad when Mike gets going. Some of his corny jokes and his contagious grin are just not easy to ignore let alone maintain a frowny disposition. Anyone who has been around him knows what I'm talking about. I love Mike’s smile! It seems that no matter what has gone on during my day, when I look up and see Mike smile at me with all the love that he has for me in his eyes, my world is all right. I know that Mike’s smile for me is special – mine. I love his mustache and the way that it frames Mike’s mouth. Between the length of the mustache and the wideness of Mike’s grin, he always looks so jolly. I’m grateful that he loves me and shows me how much he loves me with his smile.

Tonight as I was putting dinner away, my eyes glanced over a quote by President Hinckley that I have on the fridge. It states, "I have since come to know that love is more than a paper heart. Love is of the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is more than the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arches across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich we are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, church, and neighbors."

We are indeed blessed to know love. Our greatest example of love comes from our Heavenly Father and our elder Brother, Jesus Christ. That love is what life is about and I'm grateful that I am able to experience the joy of love as a wife, a mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and teacher.