A Nice Day

One of the latest "tender mercies" was on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. We didn't have any special plans for a fun way to spend the day off, but Thad needed to open ballot boxes all over the county, so we decided to go with him. Emily invited her friend Lucy to come with her. It had been overcast for days here in the valley, but soon after we headed up river, the clouds parted, and the sun shone brightly in a blue sky. We stopped at the Cider Works, which I hadn't been to, and got their made to order ice cream, their hot, fresh donuts (amazing!), some apples and some of their awesome cider. That was yummy! Then we drove on up to the plateau. It was so beautiful to see the sunshine on the snow-covered fields. We went to several different towns. We ended up at Grand Coulee Dam, which I had never been to. It was pretty cool! It was almost warm enough to eat our picnic lunch outside--we did, at the visitor's center park. The wind picked up as the sun started to go down, so we had dessert in the car. We went through the visitor's center, took pictures of the dam, and headed toward home. We stopped at Dry Falls on the way, too. It was a really fun, relaxing day--a nice break!

Winter Mercies

I think the Lord has given us great tender mercies by tempering the weather for our holiday travel this year. We've had to go over the mountain passes a total of 4 times in December--more for Thad--and they've been bare each time, with no heavy snow or anything. It made the holiday so much more relaxing to not have that worry. And Rachel and Annie had no problems with their flights, which is another tender mercy in itself. We were able to have a perfect Christmas!
Love,
Mom

Love this Valley!

I've had to work at a local elementary school a few times lately, and I've had recess duty. Usually, I don't enjoy that much. I'm standing around in the cold, listening to tattle tales and children crying over nothing, not knowing what the rules are to enforce. This time, though, it wasn't so bad. Even though I was out for two 15-minute recesses and one 30-minute one, I never got too cold. I needed my coat and gloves, but it wasn't raining, and there wasn't a cold wind, so I never got an earache. (Tender mercy, there.) The sun was shining much of the time, and the landscape and skyscape were beautiful to see. (Tender mercy, there.) One day, I saw a large bird gliding in lazy circles above me, and something about the cut of its wings made me think it might have been an eagle. I watched it for a long time, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of a white head, until it rose on updrafts to high to watch anymore. (Tender mercy, there.) The other day I worked there, the first recess was early enough that there were still no clouds in the sky. (They came later.) The sky was such a brilliant blue above the hills and snowcapped mountains that I could hardly take my eyes off it. (Tender mercy, there.) I love living in this valley!
Mom

In Sync (not the band)

These past two weeks have been fun for me as I have worked with my sister to complete lyrics for the last song for our Easter pageant and to put the finishing touches on the script. I love working with her and wish it could always be in person, but the phone will do in a pinch. We very quickly came up with a song that we liked, and then as she discussed trouble spots in the script with me, the ideas flowed and solutions came, and we could feel when it was right. Maybe that's the Spirit, maybe our "muse," or something, but it just feels good. I can't wait to see the production in March! And I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful sister for my best friend and writing partner!
Mom

Can Life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

Haha I love how this is becoming my blog! You guys need to write stuff! Anyway, I just have to say that today has started off as an absolutely beautiful day! So it started off with walking to class at 6:40 am. There was a little breeze but it was perfect temperature. Light was coming through the clouds and let me just say it was gorgeous as I walked up the hill to campus and looked at Provo and the mountains! It was magnificent to take in all of the beauty. I am so grateful for a tender mercy that comes with wonderful nature! Then in my anatomy class everyone was in a good mood and there was laughter and I was so grateful for the comfort to be myself around people I don't know. And, I got 100% on my quiz! It was wonderful! I am so blessed and I don't understand why but hey I will not complain! Really, life is so incredible and I am so grateful for so many blessings! No joke, I am so happy that I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest because of my love for life and for my Father in Heaven!

I am a dork I know

I love how such simple things can make one happy. For instance, just now I went to our complex's laudromat. I was just minding my business, not planning on seeing anyone. Then this rather attractive young gentleman came to do his laundry at the same time. Instead of five minutes of awkward silence, we talked the whole time. Nothing too exciting and its not like I got a date out of it or anything, but he was really nice and cute, so it totally made my day! I love life! I know it's kind of sad how happy I get when I get attention from a cute guy, but hey, whatever makes me smile! Yay for random interactions with cute guys!

There is opposition in all things, but it does not last!

So, life is good. Everything really wonderful seems to be happening right now in my life. It's funny, because this week has been absolutely fantastic and I have been on the verge of being miserably sick. My roomates think I am crazy that I am so happy and yet so sick. Interesting fact is that I usually am sick 1-2 weeks and at the end of the first week I really get miserable. However, I have only been sick a few days, and I am already feeling so much better! How lucky I am to just have a cold that only lasts a few days! I feel so blessed that I am already feeling so much better!