For the past two days I have eaten lunch at the Church's employee cafeteria. This place is HUGE! There are a lot of food choices, including several main dishes as well as soup, a "build your own" sandwich bar, salads, desserts, and more. It's in the basement of the Church Office Building. It's normally only open to employees, but they give guest tickets at the Family History Library for the patrons, so we genealogy researchers mingle with those nicely suited and dressed Church employees.
I have never seen so many suits in one place at one time. There's obviously a dress code if you work for the Church, unless you are a custodian, groundskeeper, maintenance person, etc. Most of the men wear black or very dark suits, although there are a few lighter-toned suits, and some men in slacks, white shirts and ties. The women are very neatly dressed in dresses or skirts and sweaters. Since I have a hard time finding dresses I like back home, perhaps I should take in some shopping here in Salt Lake, because it's obvious these women are buying dresses here.
But back to the food! Yesterday I had a sloppy joe and some yummy potato salad for lunch. Great tasting food! Today I had burritos and seafood salad. I'll be going back tomorrow, but I don't know what's on the menu. The food is good, there are plenty of choices, including desserts and salads and beverages. They do know how to eat at the Church's employee cafeteria.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Sunday--On to Salt Lake
I left La Grande shortly after 8 a.m., weather was cloudy but the forecast was for rain. Fortunately it wasn't long but the sun came out, and I didn't experience any of the wet stuff. The drive was fairly uneventful. I stopped of course, every so often at a rest stop, and naturally had to stop for gas once as well. Made it to a few miles before Twin Falls when I decided I needed a bite to eat and so did the car. There wasn't much choice for food, so I ended up with a sub-par corn dog, my kickapoo joy juice (pepsi), and nibbling on Chex mix.
The trip wasn't bad at all. I arrived in Salt lake about 5 MDT (8 hour trip), and got out my directions to the hotel. They appeared to be pretty simple, but then I've been known to make simple pretty complicated. Needless to say, after a tour of the downtown area, including the capital building, I found the hotel. Checked in, unpacked, and crashed. On to Monday!
The trip wasn't bad at all. I arrived in Salt lake about 5 MDT (8 hour trip), and got out my directions to the hotel. They appeared to be pretty simple, but then I've been known to make simple pretty complicated. Needless to say, after a tour of the downtown area, including the capital building, I found the hotel. Checked in, unpacked, and crashed. On to Monday!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
My Kitchen Window
For years I have decorated my kitchen window for Christmas. Why not? I spend a lot of time there, I should have something nice and fun to look at it too. We usually decorate pretty heavily anyway, for Christmas, and the kitchen deserves its Christmas look as well. Right after Thanksgiving, when the rest of the Christmas decorations come out of storage, I find the multi-colored string of Christmas lights that I hang to frame my kitchen window. Out comes the snow made from batting, which is taped to the window sill (for obvious reasons). We find the ceramic (or whatever they're made from) village pieces that my daughters and I have painted through the years and arrange them on the "snow." Sometimes I can even find the Christmas-y window clings too. The Christmas dishes, glasses and mugs also come out at this time.
Last February or so, as I was getting ready to take down the kitchen window decorations (they weren't screaming CHRISTMAS so much as WINTER, and the snow on the window sill was pretty much all the snow we had seen that winter), I got the idea to decorate my kitchen window for all seasons. After all, I still spent a lot of time here all year round--not just at Christmas--and it would be nice to look at something pretty and fun all year round, not just at Christmas. So off I went to my "not-so-local" craft stores to look for things to decorate for Spring/St. Patricks day/Easter.
The multi-colored lights were replaced with white ones, only because I couldn't find pastel colored lights. The snow came off the window sill and I replaced it with pale green glass stones (I think they're used for flower arranging or something). I bought two smallish bouquets of spring flowers--daffodils and some kind of blue flowers that I can't remember the name of--and two bud vases to hold them, placing those on each side of the window. I have some baby animal small statues which I placed on the window sill, and added green top hats and coins for St. Patricks day and for Easter some little bunnies and other Easter-type statues.
For Summer/4th of July I still had to stick with the white lights, since no one was selling red or blue ones yet. The flowers were replaced with sprays of flags and shooting starts that I stuck into the vases. The pale stones were replaced by blue ones. I found a garland of stars to hang with the lights, to kind of give more color to the window than what the white lights afforded. I never did get around to the summer theme I wanted to do, which was a beach theme, with sea shells replacing the blue stones and some more summery flowers. I put the Spring flowers back in the vases, but we still looked pretty 4th of July-ish.
Today I decided it was time to decorate for Fall. Down came the white lights, the garland (not sure why I left that up), the flowers, the blue stones, and I was back to a bare window. Back to my "not-so-local" JoAnn Fabrics, this time I came home with almost everything I needed in one trip. Found orange sunflowers to go into the vases, although I should have bought another vase since one of them is pale blue. Found orange glass stones to replace the blue ones. Bought a scarecrow statue that sits on the window sill. And I found ORANGE lights to replace the white ones (yipee)! While there I noticed the Christmas decorations being put out, so I will be buying a string of both red AND blue lights soon.
Oh, and the piece de resistance? A sign to hang from the hook above the sink. It reads "The Witch Is In."
I put the baby animal statues back in the window for now, but I will be making a trip to the Dollar store soon for some other statues to add to the mix. Other than (hopefully) finding pastel lights and buying the red and blue ones I saw, I should be ready for the coming year.
Last February or so, as I was getting ready to take down the kitchen window decorations (they weren't screaming CHRISTMAS so much as WINTER, and the snow on the window sill was pretty much all the snow we had seen that winter), I got the idea to decorate my kitchen window for all seasons. After all, I still spent a lot of time here all year round--not just at Christmas--and it would be nice to look at something pretty and fun all year round, not just at Christmas. So off I went to my "not-so-local" craft stores to look for things to decorate for Spring/St. Patricks day/Easter.
The multi-colored lights were replaced with white ones, only because I couldn't find pastel colored lights. The snow came off the window sill and I replaced it with pale green glass stones (I think they're used for flower arranging or something). I bought two smallish bouquets of spring flowers--daffodils and some kind of blue flowers that I can't remember the name of--and two bud vases to hold them, placing those on each side of the window. I have some baby animal small statues which I placed on the window sill, and added green top hats and coins for St. Patricks day and for Easter some little bunnies and other Easter-type statues.
For Summer/4th of July I still had to stick with the white lights, since no one was selling red or blue ones yet. The flowers were replaced with sprays of flags and shooting starts that I stuck into the vases. The pale stones were replaced by blue ones. I found a garland of stars to hang with the lights, to kind of give more color to the window than what the white lights afforded. I never did get around to the summer theme I wanted to do, which was a beach theme, with sea shells replacing the blue stones and some more summery flowers. I put the Spring flowers back in the vases, but we still looked pretty 4th of July-ish.
Today I decided it was time to decorate for Fall. Down came the white lights, the garland (not sure why I left that up), the flowers, the blue stones, and I was back to a bare window. Back to my "not-so-local" JoAnn Fabrics, this time I came home with almost everything I needed in one trip. Found orange sunflowers to go into the vases, although I should have bought another vase since one of them is pale blue. Found orange glass stones to replace the blue ones. Bought a scarecrow statue that sits on the window sill. And I found ORANGE lights to replace the white ones (yipee)! While there I noticed the Christmas decorations being put out, so I will be buying a string of both red AND blue lights soon.
Oh, and the piece de resistance? A sign to hang from the hook above the sink. It reads "The Witch Is In."
I put the baby animal statues back in the window for now, but I will be making a trip to the Dollar store soon for some other statues to add to the mix. Other than (hopefully) finding pastel lights and buying the red and blue ones I saw, I should be ready for the coming year.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
If You Can't Say Something Nice......
I've recently experienced several instances of people using unkind words to belittle and otherwise make another person feel less than valued. It caused me to think about how our words can either lift another person up, or tear him down. These experiences were all while being online, in emails and in blogs. Some experiences were politically based, while enduring yet another election for the Advisory Board of the USGenWeb Project, the world's first Internet source for free genealogy records in the United States. Since I was elected to a two-year position on the Board last year, I didn't have to go through what some of the candidates did who were running for office this year. This year was a particularly nasty year for politics in the USGenWeb Project. The other instances are related to a friend's blog space, and comments left by well-meaning people who thought they were offering constructive criticism. I guess. In retrospect, I'm not sure what they thought they were doing. Maybe they were only being mean.
Sometimes even the most chicken-hearted of us will gather immense courage and tell others what we think of them, their thoughts, their lives and anything else we can think of--mostly non-complimentary--in an email or as a comment to a blog. Most of us would NEVER dream of saying these things to someone's face, but we will let fly with the most uncomplimentary and vicious commentary we can dream up when it's done in writing and on the 'web. Whether spoken or written, words can uplift, and words can hurt.
I seem to have been raised by two rules: The Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you), and Thumper's Rule: "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say nuthin' at all!" For those who have never seen Walt Disney's "Bambi"--don't walk--run to your nearest video store and rent it, especially if you are one who finds it difficult to hold your tongue. I try to treat other people in the same way I would like to be treated. I'm not perfect, but the important thing is that I am trying. Are you?
In our Church's April 2007 General Conference, one of my most well-remembered talks was by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who gave a talk entitled "The Tongue of Angels." For anyone reading this who is of the LDS faith, you can read this talk in the May 2007 Ensign or online (whether LDS or not) at LDS.org. Here are a few of thoughts from his talk that struck home with me:
"The voice that bears profound testimony, utters fervent prayer, and sings the hymns of Zion, can be the same voice that berates and criticizes, embarrasses and demeans, inflicts pain and destroys the spirit of oneself and of others in the process." Another quote, which I believe comes from James: "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing."
From Paul: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good...[and] edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God....Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you...And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
And finally, from Elder Holland: "Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christiam imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail."
I'm sure the people of whom I speak were either caught up in the heat of the moment, or had taken leave of their senses. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to have been spoken of the way these individuals were. A great deal of damage was probably done to these individuals' psyches. Many of us struggle with self-esteem issues at best, and to have to read emails and other messages that are not uplifting, does just the opposite. My advice--and I've lived long enough on this earth now that I am of the generation who can freely and without give advice--is pure and simple. There is no need to dash of a nasty comment to someone, whether in person or an email. Think before you speak or write. If what you have to say is uplifting and something that you would enjoy receiving in an email or whatever, then go ahead and say it or write it. BUT, if what you are about to say would be something that would be hurtful to you if you received it, then......
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT ................... OR SEW YOUR FINGERS TO YOUR PANTS!
Sometimes even the most chicken-hearted of us will gather immense courage and tell others what we think of them, their thoughts, their lives and anything else we can think of--mostly non-complimentary--in an email or as a comment to a blog. Most of us would NEVER dream of saying these things to someone's face, but we will let fly with the most uncomplimentary and vicious commentary we can dream up when it's done in writing and on the 'web. Whether spoken or written, words can uplift, and words can hurt.
I seem to have been raised by two rules: The Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you), and Thumper's Rule: "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say nuthin' at all!" For those who have never seen Walt Disney's "Bambi"--don't walk--run to your nearest video store and rent it, especially if you are one who finds it difficult to hold your tongue. I try to treat other people in the same way I would like to be treated. I'm not perfect, but the important thing is that I am trying. Are you?
In our Church's April 2007 General Conference, one of my most well-remembered talks was by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who gave a talk entitled "The Tongue of Angels." For anyone reading this who is of the LDS faith, you can read this talk in the May 2007 Ensign or online (whether LDS or not) at LDS.org. Here are a few of thoughts from his talk that struck home with me:
"The voice that bears profound testimony, utters fervent prayer, and sings the hymns of Zion, can be the same voice that berates and criticizes, embarrasses and demeans, inflicts pain and destroys the spirit of oneself and of others in the process." Another quote, which I believe comes from James: "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing."
From Paul: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good...[and] edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God....Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you...And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
And finally, from Elder Holland: "Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christiam imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail."
I'm sure the people of whom I speak were either caught up in the heat of the moment, or had taken leave of their senses. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to have been spoken of the way these individuals were. A great deal of damage was probably done to these individuals' psyches. Many of us struggle with self-esteem issues at best, and to have to read emails and other messages that are not uplifting, does just the opposite. My advice--and I've lived long enough on this earth now that I am of the generation who can freely and without give advice--is pure and simple. There is no need to dash of a nasty comment to someone, whether in person or an email. Think before you speak or write. If what you have to say is uplifting and something that you would enjoy receiving in an email or whatever, then go ahead and say it or write it. BUT, if what you are about to say would be something that would be hurtful to you if you received it, then......
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT ................... OR SEW YOUR FINGERS TO YOUR PANTS!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Family Reunion
A little over a week ago, dh & I went to a family reunion of sorts, at "Uncle Bill's" house. In an earlier post I talked about his death, and a bit about his life. This reunion was a gathering of Bill's friends and family, to talk about his life and reminisce for a while. All 5 of his children were there. It's been a long time since we've seen some of them. One of his sons distanced himself from his family many years ago, another one just has been too busy with his job as a truck driver to get away very often. Still, it was a good visit. We now have addresses and phone numbers for all our nieces and nephews, we know where they are, and hopefully we will keep in better touch over the next few years than we have in the past.
If nothing else, a Christmas card, or birthday cards if I can find all their birthdays.
If nothing else, a Christmas card, or birthday cards if I can find all their birthdays.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Uncle Bill
On Monday, we learned that dh's oldest brother, Bill, had passed away the day before. To our kids, he was simply "Uncle Bill." It had been years since we had done anything to speak of with "Uncle Bill." Our three younger children have probably only met him once or twice in their young lives. The three older ones may have some distant memories of him and his family. In our younger days, we used to do quite a bit with "Uncle Bill" and "Aunt Emmie." After our return from Seattle in 1985, our relationship was never quite the same.
To me, "Uncle Bill" was the epitome of the quote we've probably all seen that reads, "Some people's only purpose in life is to serve as a bad example." That would be Uncle Bill's life, in a nutshell. Born in 1940, the second child and oldest son of my in-law's, he had such potential. He was a talented mechanic who could fix anything with a motor. He loved gardening, and after he moved to a home with acreage, always planted a huge garden that was the envy of most of us. He shared his produce with us many times, and undoubtedly other friends and relatives as well. And he loved fishing, both from a boat as well as from land. With all these wonderful talents and qualities, why do I think of his life as just a bad example? Read on!
Uncle Bill had one vice that probably killed him--alcohol! Always a heavy drinker, this seemed to get worse after Aunt Emmie died in 1993. He would begin his drinking day first thing in the morning and didn't quit until bedtime. My dh learned that if he wanted a decent coversation with his oldest brother, he needed to call him early in the morning before the booze got too heavy a stranglehold on him and ruined him for the day. It was something that he just seemed to never be able to overcome. It cut short his life and made life miserable for those who knew and loved him. He was never able to reach his full potential because of this affliction.
Alcoholism runs in this family. Aunt Sandy (dh's sister) told me once that their Norwegian-born grandmother rushed out to the bars just as soon as she could following the birth of her first child. When I heard this story, I got the impression that this was the reason their grandfather deserted his family when my father-in-law was a small child. Raised a Quaker, "Grandpa Lester" probably didn't know how to deal with this except to leave. She also told us that "Uncle Ben," dh's uncle & father-in-law's younger brother, was an alcoholic as well. And the story my father-in-law told of meeting the LDS missionaries with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other, made me think that he may have been on his way down that path as well. When he embraced the gospel, he quit these bad habits.
We all have the opportunity to change. If we have bad habits or traints that are detrimental to our character, we can change them. This is one of the joys of life, and a great principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not locked into the things that are not good. I have seen examples of change in people around me, those I know only casually as well as those close to me. I am thankful for this principle.
As for Uncle Bill, I am sure he will be constantly reminded of the errors he made in this life. I found it interesting that as we told each of our older children of his passing, they all said, in essence, "I'll bet he's getting quite a lecture from Grandma Nora." I believe that we can still change in the next life. I hope so, because I know when I die I will still be far from perfect.
Uncle Bill, I am sure that when we meet you in the next life, you will be a better person. While I'm not ready for that life yet, I look forward to meeting you there, when the time comes.
To me, "Uncle Bill" was the epitome of the quote we've probably all seen that reads, "Some people's only purpose in life is to serve as a bad example." That would be Uncle Bill's life, in a nutshell. Born in 1940, the second child and oldest son of my in-law's, he had such potential. He was a talented mechanic who could fix anything with a motor. He loved gardening, and after he moved to a home with acreage, always planted a huge garden that was the envy of most of us. He shared his produce with us many times, and undoubtedly other friends and relatives as well. And he loved fishing, both from a boat as well as from land. With all these wonderful talents and qualities, why do I think of his life as just a bad example? Read on!
Uncle Bill had one vice that probably killed him--alcohol! Always a heavy drinker, this seemed to get worse after Aunt Emmie died in 1993. He would begin his drinking day first thing in the morning and didn't quit until bedtime. My dh learned that if he wanted a decent coversation with his oldest brother, he needed to call him early in the morning before the booze got too heavy a stranglehold on him and ruined him for the day. It was something that he just seemed to never be able to overcome. It cut short his life and made life miserable for those who knew and loved him. He was never able to reach his full potential because of this affliction.
Alcoholism runs in this family. Aunt Sandy (dh's sister) told me once that their Norwegian-born grandmother rushed out to the bars just as soon as she could following the birth of her first child. When I heard this story, I got the impression that this was the reason their grandfather deserted his family when my father-in-law was a small child. Raised a Quaker, "Grandpa Lester" probably didn't know how to deal with this except to leave. She also told us that "Uncle Ben," dh's uncle & father-in-law's younger brother, was an alcoholic as well. And the story my father-in-law told of meeting the LDS missionaries with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other, made me think that he may have been on his way down that path as well. When he embraced the gospel, he quit these bad habits.
We all have the opportunity to change. If we have bad habits or traints that are detrimental to our character, we can change them. This is one of the joys of life, and a great principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not locked into the things that are not good. I have seen examples of change in people around me, those I know only casually as well as those close to me. I am thankful for this principle.
As for Uncle Bill, I am sure he will be constantly reminded of the errors he made in this life. I found it interesting that as we told each of our older children of his passing, they all said, in essence, "I'll bet he's getting quite a lecture from Grandma Nora." I believe that we can still change in the next life. I hope so, because I know when I die I will still be far from perfect.
Uncle Bill, I am sure that when we meet you in the next life, you will be a better person. While I'm not ready for that life yet, I look forward to meeting you there, when the time comes.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Colorado Trip--Update
The best-laid plans of mice and men..................
I had fully intended to begin updating our Colorado trip last Friday, but as luck would have it, our WIFI connection at the motel was non-existant. Every time a big SUV parked in the spot next to ours, we'd lose the connection. So, my good intentions went down the drain.
We did make it home just fine, a nicer trip than the going one because we got smart and decided to spend the night in Ogden rather than drive straight home. So we got home around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night in much better shape than we would have otherwise.
And really, I will post more on the rest of the trip in the next few days.
I had fully intended to begin updating our Colorado trip last Friday, but as luck would have it, our WIFI connection at the motel was non-existant. Every time a big SUV parked in the spot next to ours, we'd lose the connection. So, my good intentions went down the drain.
We did make it home just fine, a nicer trip than the going one because we got smart and decided to spend the night in Ogden rather than drive straight home. So we got home around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night in much better shape than we would have otherwise.
And really, I will post more on the rest of the trip in the next few days.
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