What I learned from My Mom

This being Mother's Day, I've been thinking about my Mom. I am #4 of 6 children and just in case you're wondering... the fourth child is the best one. It's true.

My Mom was the original Kool Aid Mom. We lived in an amazing neighborhood in Idaho when I was young and with 6 kids in 10 years there were always inumerable kids at our house and My Mom was good at it.

Today I've been thinking about what I learned from her.

• Confidence: When I was little Mom said I could do anything... I believed her.
• Faith: Her faith is unquestionable. I never doubted her testimony or love for Jesus Christ.
• Fashion: I may not be as good at it as she is, but she always looks beautiful and takes good care of herself. I used to love it when she went on business trips with Dad because she came home with new clothes for herself. I loved when she took me shopping for new clothes. She is good at finding the right shoes and accessories for any outfit and loves having the sales people help us find stuff.
  
• Dedication: When she sets her mind on something, you better believe she'll follow through. She is queen of Wii Fit. I think she may be almost up to 300 hours and a loss of about 30 pounds.
  
• Gardening: Her flower gardens are a thing of beauty and elegance. Even the butterflies and hummingbirds can't stay away. She taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature.
• Self Respect: Every morning before breakfast, she was up and dressed. She fixed her hair and put on lipstick. I remember friends being embarrassed to be seen with their mother first thing in the morning... I didn't get that, my mom always looked nice.
  
• Good Nutrition: Mom made us breakfast everyday. While she made it, we read scriptures with Dad and then the whole family ate breakfast together.
• Skin Care: I loved sitting on the chair in my parents room and visiting with my mom as she got ready for bed. Her face cream sat on her night stand and the smell of Oil of Olay still takes me there.
  
• Love of Music: Mom loves music and often had music playing in our home. The Four Lads and Guy and Ralna hold special memories for me.
  
• Pizza.
• Leadership: She always held positions of leadership in church and taught me by example that serving in the church is a blessing in itself.
  
• Humility: I think she still doesn't realize what an amazing person she is. My parents always loved me even when I did dumb stuff.
• Every One needs to be included. I hate the thought of anybody ever being left out, and I try to do anything I can to keep it from happening.
• Compassion
  
• Fairness: This is really hard as a parent. Somehow she was able to make us believe things could be even. Christmas. Yup, everybody always got the same number of presents and you better believe even if I have to separate a pair of socks and wrap them separately I will so that each kid gets the same number of presents.
• Belief in myself: I still believe that I can accomplish anything I set my mind on. If my self worth is a little inflated. I blame Mom.

Thanks Mom for believing in me, for believing in yourself and for teaching me to believe in the Savior, His love and the reality of His atonement. I love you.

Broad Stripes and Bright Stars

When I was about 16 years old I got to participate in the retiring of an American Flag. If you have never seen this done, you may be surprised at the procedure. Click here to read specific directions on how this is to be done.

I was part of a group of young women ages 12-18 at a Church Girls Camp. Four of us each took a corner of the flag and held it ceremoniously over the camp fire. As it began to burn, we were to toss our corner into the flames. I didn't want to let go, it seemed so sacred and important.

The flag of the United States of America is an icon of peace to me. We may not live in perfection, wealth and constant comfort. But we live in a place where we can have an opinion about whatever we want to have an opinion on and we can voice that opinion. We can choose where our children go to school, how we dress and where we want to earn a living.

But most importantly, we can choose how we worship, what we worship and where we worship. America is built on principles of Faith and Trust in that God who created us. But, if a person chooses to not believe in God, to believe in something or someone else; in the USA, he has that privilege.

I love Old Glory, the flag of the United States of America. I love America.

We often sang this song at Lincoln Elementary School.

(Rexburg Idaho, 1970's)

This Land is Your Land
Woody Guthrie

This land is your land, This land is my land
From California to the New York Island

From the Redwood forest to the Gulf Stream Waters

This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway

I saw above me that endless skyway

I saw below me that golden valley

This land was made for you and me

Chorus

I roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps

To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts

And all around me a voice was sounding

This land was made for you and me

Chorus

When the sun came shining then I was strolling

And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling

A voice was chanting as the fog was lifting

This land was made for you and me

Chorus

These are a few (two) of my Favorite Things

When the dog

chases me down causing me to crash on my bike 
and break my shoulder  

Bites, 

When the bee 
flies into my helmet causing me to go insane  
Stings, 

When I'm feeling
anxious to get out on my bike but it just won't stop raining  
Sad...

I simply put on my red white and blue, star covered shoes  
Remember my favorite things... 

and then I
feel like a million dollars and I'm ready to conquer the world  
Don't feel soooo bad.

21 Years and Still Happy

When I was in college I met a guy named Mike. We became good friends and spent a lot of time together. When he came home with me for Thanksgiving, my Mom fell in love with him.

She had chosen her son in law but ...remember in The Lion King when Zazu tells Nala and Simba that they are betrothed and they say, " Oooh gross he's my friend." Well, I was beyond the cooty thing but what if all of the sudden I started crushing on Mike? What would happen to our friendship? That was my worry. For months.

But ...when I came back to school after Christmas, the first person I wanted to see was Mike. So I called his apartment. Lance said he was at Becky's.

JEALOUS.

What???

If I was jealous of Becky... could that mean that I. Liked. Mike?

Hmmm....

I started showing more interest. You know. Not friend interest.

He responded quite encouragingly.

About a year later he gave me a diamond.

Six months after that on May 7, 1988 I married my best friend.

I had big hair. He had a mullet.

I still wish big hair was in style. He wishes he had a mullet.

Since then we've gone to 2 Universities, and lived in 8 different residences in 5 different cities in 3 different states.

We have four kids, a dog, a mortgage, 2 cars, a yard, 8 bikes, and 21 years of marital bliss.

I think I'm a pretty lucky girl!

Distance Traveled, Lessons Learned

Thing 1, Cycle Guy and I are training to ride in the STP this July. Not the race car oil you might expect... this is an 204 mile organized bike ride from Seattle Washington to Portland Oregon. We plan to ride it in 2 days at 102 miles per day. In order to prepare and train for a ride of this magnitude (and trust me, it is magnitudinal!) much time must be spent in the saddle. We ride trainers at home frequently but there is nothing to compare to the lessons learned by actually riding a good distance to understand what needs to be worked on in order to be ready come July.Here are some things I already knew:
1. You MUST spend time in the saddle. (The sit bones really CAN get used to sitting on that tiny surface for multiple hours at a time.)

2. Doing squats and lunges makes your legs stronger for the uphill climbs as well as more speed on the straightaways.

3. Hydration is key.

4. Nutrition is another key.

5. CG's new bike is really fast.Things I learned on Friday:
1. You MUST spend time in the saddle. If you don't your sit bones hurt.

2. Doing squats and lunges makes your legs stronger for the uphill climbs as well as more speed on the straightaways. If you don't your legs hurt.

3. Hydration is key. That hydration contest was AWESOME. I felt energetic all day!

4. Nutrition is another key. Eating energy food every hour or so keeps you from getting weak and negative. I just couldn't stop smiling all day long!

5. CG's new bike is really fast. Wow, even when I put the camera away every now and then I had a hard time keeping up.Well, for those of you who didn't read Mike's blog yesterday, we rode 70 miles. The sun was out in all it's glory, the tulips were beautiful, we had some strong winds in our faces at times but luckily sometimes they were at our backs! All in all it was a glorious day!

More Cycling Love

Last Friday one of my dreams came true...So much better than Singin' in the Rain...

Riding through the Tulips!I fell in love with something else while we were out.
Edison.

Edison, Washington.This little town spoke to my heart. It took me back in time and I wanted to be Lisa Douglas Moving from the city with my husband Oliver to make our home in
Green Acres. The pictures were taken as I rode through town.
The guys... they just didn't want to stop every time I wanted to take a picture
so I'm getting pretty good at the guess aim and shoot.Can it get any better than this? Use your imagination
This...is the Breadfarm. Look at this house...Really, you need to see the sign in front of the house. I'm not a drinker but don't you think it might be a little precarious to have the
State Liquor store in your house?

I was slow girl on this trip because I had to take pictures.
Training Ride? Yes.
Touring Ride? Absolutely.

Take it all in, or better yet, come see it with me. Just be sure to bring your bike.

I'll buy the ice cream.

Can I get a "Yum"?

Guess how far we rode?

It was far enough to truly deserve these huge ice cream cones!

Nope. You'll have to wait til tomorrow, but I'd like to hear some guesses.

I think I'm in Love

With my Men, Thing 1 and Cycle Guy...My new helmet rear view mirror...

Adventures in Bicycling...

Tulip Fields and Old Barns...And... .ICE CREAM.