Gladys Knight

I just got a phone call from Gladys Knight's secretary asking me what kind of help we needed for music at our Women's Conference to be held January 22nd. I was specifically asking for sheet music arrangements for hymns when I blithely sent an email to her from her webpage.

I audaciously asked if Gladys would like to come and sing and was kindly turned down due to time constraints.

I further asked that she put our conference on Gladys' calendar and perhaps a miracle would happen and she would come.

Isn't that a hoot? I have a contact phone number for Gladys Knight.

1 Nephi 17:3

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them..."

See how simple that is?

PhD

I have finished my first class. It was a no credit, no grade class, just pass fail and I passed.

This was an orientation class to help you get used to the online community and learn to use the application.

"I done good."

Mother's Day

I've had 43 Mother's Days. This year just about wins the prize for the mother of all Mothers' Days.

Tarzan said, "Do you want to do something for Mother's Day?"

I said, "Not if I have to plan it."

Tarzan, "Oh."

End of conversation.

About two hours later he called me back and said, "We have a date at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Is it okay to celebrate Mother's Day a day early." "Sure." I say.

Then I start thinking about it, Saturday at 5:15 is the Laker's game, I bet we are going to a sports bar.

Maybe he is taking me to Circle K for hot dogs--but that is another story.

Hmmmmm, what could it be, I resist the temptation to ask.

Saturday morning we got up early and started working in the yard. Several times during the day he reminded me we had to leave before 5:00 p.m. Then I started wondering if someone was coming to the house and he was surprising me.

I still did not ask.

At 4:45 exactly, we were cleaned up and in the car. We started to drive and conversation ensued. Finally, I said something that made him casually say, "Oh, I'm taking you to that Puerto Rican restaurant I told you about."

Wow. What a night we had and to make it even more impressive, he was willing to completely miss the Laker's game to be with me (but because I am a good wife, I recorded it and we watched it when we came home--he was pleasantly surprised).

This place is in a guys home. He doesn't provide a menu, you just pay $15 a person and you eat what he and his wife cook. When they run out of food, they quit serving. You have to have a reservation.

We had an awesome authentic Puerto Rican meal. I would try to explain to you what it was, but I can't think of anything to compare it to so you would know what I'm talking about. One thing I can explain. There was something like a tamale, except it was not made with maza, the outside was mashed plantains. The stuffing was pork and it was to die for, then there was a rice dish -- oh yum. It was cooked in a banana leaf.

When we left, I had to take half of mine home, so he put it in a to go box and stapled the paper sack shut. When he handed it to me, he said, "I have put a little something in there for both of you."

Sunday morning, I opened the bag to finish my dinner for breakfast and he had put two breakfast rolls on top for our breakfast. When I opened the to go box, he had carefully wrapped everything back up in the banana leaf so it would stay moist.

We are going back on the 29th. We already made our reservation.

Then each of my children called me, each shared their love for me and each made me so happy to be a mother. I know I am blessed.

And you should see our yard!!!

Sitting in Safeway waiting for a Prescription

A man comes over--he smells like sweat. He sits down at the blood pressure machine. I speak to him. "Hi, how are you today." "Good. I have to take my blood pressure it is all over the place." He closes his eyes, takes several deep breaths and -- with his eyes still closed pushes the button to start the test.

"Did you pass?" I ask.

"134/72." He replies.

"Not bad." He smiles and goes off. The little cubby hole I'm in still smells of sweat.

Next, a little three-year-old boy comes up. He looks over the machine. "What dat?" He asks me. I explain what it is and he asks how it works. I explain about the buttons and he wants to push them.

"Don't push the buttons -- it's not a toy."

"Otay. If I put my fingow heeow, it pinch me?"

"No, it is made for a big boy. Your finger is too little."

"Oh. If i put my aaam in, it pinch me?"

"No, your arm isn't big enough."

He gets closer and casually puts his finger up to push the buttons.

"Please don't play with the machine, it isn't a toy."

"Otay." He backs off, then his Mom or sister, or aunt or whoever she was finishes her business with the Pharmacist and yells at him, "get over her, we need to go home."

Why do people do that? Why can we just speak to children the way we want to be spoken to? I bet if her boss talked to her that way she would quit her job.

Whoops--Monday Memory

So, I was sitting in Ward Council meeting (or as Tarzan calls it, the meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and I took a Wintergreen Ice Breaker mint out of my purse and popped it in my mouth...

Except...

I missed and it went down my blouse...

So, I naturally looked down there to see if I could get it out and it wasn't there...

Thinking no one was looking at me...

I put my hand down between my cleavage to see if I could find it...

I did not find it...

When I looked up, all the brethren in the room had averted their eyes...

I demurely smiled and acted like nothing happened, so did all of them...

When I stood up, it fell out from under my skirt onto the floor...

Once again, I demurely picked it up and put it in the trash.

Don't you wish I had pictures.

Recycling to pay for PhD--Thursday Thought

Since I have become aware of the monetary value of recycling, I have become more "green" conscious. There are many variables to figuring out what, in the environment, can be saved by recycling, but I found one source with calculations on paper alone.



SOME TYPICAL CALCULATIONS
· 1 ton of uncoated virgin (non-recycled) printing and office paper uses 24 trees
· 1 ton of 100% virgin (non-recycled) newsprint uses 12 trees
· A "pallet" of copier paper (20-lb. sheet weight, or 20#) contains 40 cartons and weighs 1 ton. Therefore,
· 1 carton (10 reams) of 100% virgin copier paper uses .6 trees
· 1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets
· 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree (and those add up quickly!)
· 1 ton of coated, higher-end virgin magazine paper (used for magazines like National Geographic and many others) uses a little more than 15 trees (15.36)
· 1 ton of coated, lower-end virgin magazine paper (used for newsmagazines and most catalogs) uses nearly 8 trees (7.68)




While there are tradeoffs for lowering your use of paper and raising your use of electronics, think about this—




Any time you do anything new, you have to learn it one step at a time. First, we figure out how to save our trees and then we figure out how to create less electronic junk, and move on to actually increasing our green print.

We have been here for 2,000 years without working to save our mother earth, who groans from her abuse:



1 Ne. 19: 12
And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature suffers


If you want to recycle you aluminum cans, plastics, paper, cardboard, electronics and car or boat batteries to help save our earth, let me know, I will pick them up weekly. You see, I am paying for my PhD by recycling.



Recycling is hard work and a large effort sometimes gives a small return, but my determination to pay cash for my PhD and not go into debt for it causes me to work, collect and even pick up cans and bottles I find in the parking lot.



I’m not dumpster diving – yet.
I don’t wear a stocking cap – yet.
I don’t have a shopping cart – yet.

But know this, to reach my goal, I’m game. Call me or email me if you want to contribute to my project.