Funny Moments With Kessler (And Weird Joan-isms)

The other day I needed to do some sewing repairs on a few items of clothing. Kessler sat next to me at the dining table in the downstairs family room where I always set up my sewing machine. He, basically, spent his time there playing with my pin cushions and spools of thread. At one point, I became very frustrated because the thread kept breaking and I would have to try to rethread the needle. I can't see the hole in the needle very well without some magnification like my reading glasses and I had forgotten to take them with me to the basement. I became very frustrated about having such a difficult time trying to thread the needle, and mentioned a few times that I wish I had my reading glasses. Finally, Kessler started a great conversation with me.

Kessler: Grandma, why don't you just ask me to go get your glasses for you?

Me: would you?" 

Kessler: how do you ask me nicely?" 

Me: Kessler, would you please go get my glasses for me? 

Kessler: with what on top?" 

Me: with a cherry on top

Kessler: no, with sugar on top.

Me: Kessler, would you pretty please go get my glasses for me with sugar on top?

He then jumped up from his chair and ran upstairs to fetch my glasses from the end table next to my bed. What a great guy! He taught me the same manners I've been trying to teach him while his family has been living with us for the past six months.

What a fun guy to have around!

JOAN-ISMS

I have a few words or sayings that I've created over several years that sometimes slip out that most people don't know about. Here's an example:

While I was sewing (after Kessler brought me my glasses), the thread broke again and I got very frustrated so I said "shoot a pig and eat it too". I don't know how I came up with that phrase. I don't use curse words, so I guess this is a replacement for that. After I said that phrase, Kessler looked at me and said "Grandma, what did you say?" Cheryl had entered the room right before I said that and she and I started busting up. I repeated the phrase and Kessler kept repeating it over and over again, but sometimes he would change it to say "shoot a pig and eat it toot". Kessler is in the phase of life where potty talk is funny to him and he uses it often. Well, I guess I never should have said that phrase in front of him. Hopefully over time, he will forget I ever said it.

Other Joan-isms and their definitions:

Goober hands - when my hands are too dirty to do something for them, I tell them that I have goober hands and can't do it.

Snitzelfritz - I use this term as a term of endearment. When someone is being silly or being a little naughty, I call them a Snitzelfritz.

Bevis - I use this term when I'm frustrated and want to swear, but don't want to use a swear word.

Stupidity on steroids - My frustration and judgementalism is alive and well when I use this phrase. When I see others do something very dumb (especially while driving) I will use this phrase. I wonder what phrases others use regarding my driving that I'm not aware of.

There you have it. I know I'm a little strange, but that's ok. We all have our idiosyncrasies, right?

Happy, But Complicated News!

 Jared and Catherine are still here visiting us after our reunion last weekend. A couple of days ago, they pulled Alan and I into the family room to share some news with us.

They are expecting a baby in March. Yay! It was a very emotional moment. It's very early in the pregnancy, but they wanted to tell us in person rather than waiting, so they shared the news while here visiting. They literally took the pregnancy test the night before they told us, so the news was new to them as well.

Jared and Catherine have been dating for about 15 months. She lives in Colombia, so that really complicates the situation. Catherine's Visa expires before the baby is born. They are trying to decide where she should have the baby. Lots of pros and cons each way, but they need to eventually settle in America where Jared can be the breadwinner. Catherine will submit papers to renew her Visa once she reaches Colombia. She has a return flight to Colombia on July 28th, but she has decided to stay longer. They plan to maybe get married during Jared's Fall Break from teaching in October. The wedding may take place here in Utah, but no definite plans yet.

We are thrilled to be getting another grandchild, and we love Catherine and know that she will be a great addition to our family, a great wife to Jared, and wonderful mother to baby Stott. Life is good!

A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 There is a children's book entitled "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." 

Well, our family had that kind of day last Friday. I will do my best to explain what happened.

First of all, Friday was already going to be a very busy day, but certain events made it an even busier day than any of us ever wanted. It was busy because our Stott family reunion was to begin on Saturday, so most of the preparations were to take place on Friday.

Things started off good that morning. It was Kessler's 5th birthday and he got to open gifts, etc. then Cheryl received a call that she needed to go to her Alpine home to meet with the cabinet guy to show him the exact location she wanted the kitchen island installed.  Parker was out of town, so Alan went with her. Because both of them left, I was in charge of watching Kessler, Wesley, and Lainey. That delayed my plan to run to Costco to buy food for our reunion. 

While Alan and Cheryl were at the house, they discovered that the guys who installed the stair railing had done a horrible job. It was VERY shoddy work - nothing that a finished carpenter would approve of. The slats were not up to code and the whole railing easily moved back and forth, making it way too unstable for children, and it wasn't even made out of the Oak wood they had ordered. They used Ash wood instead, which can't be stained, only painted. That's not going to work! They now have a different carpenter doing that job.

Another problem Cheryl and Parker are having with the house is that the cabinet company painted the laundry room cabinets white instead of the pretty green that Cheryl had ordered. That problem is being solved, but it was a source of disappointment at the time. So many things have gone wrong in their remodel that it's just crazy, but I guess that's a story for another time.

After they got back from Alpine, Alan ate a quick lunch and then he and I were finally able to go to Costco. However, after finishing our shopping, Alan had to go back to Alpine to meet with the contractor to show him how bad the railing was made. The reason Alan had to go is because Cheryl needed to go to Draper with Kessler and Wesley for a Stronk swim party for Kessler's birthday. I stayed home with Lainey while she took her nap and then I drove her to the Draper Recreation Center where the swim party was. 

The plan was for me to leave Lainey with Cheryl and then drive to the Provo Airport to pick up Kyle and the kids for the reunion. [Alan couldn't do it because he had to pick up Keith and Barbara (using their car) from the Salt Lake City Airport.] 

In the meantime, plans to pick up Kyle from the airport changed with a phone call from him. Evidently, when Kyle got to the airport in Mesa, the parking lot was full so he had to drive to a different lot and take a shuttle back to the airport. Allegiant Airlines has a policy that you need to check in all bags 45 minutes before the flight is scheduled to leave. Because of his needing to change parking lots, Kyle was 5 minutes too late to check in his bag. He called me to explain what was happening about 25 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave. I thought he wasn't going to be able to catch a flight and he and the kids would need to miss the whole reunion. He decided to try to quickly get back to the car and throw whatever essentials would fit into their backpacks and not check in luggage. That would have worked because they were able to catch the shuttle right away, but when it was time to lock the car, Kyle couldn't find his keys. He hunted and hunted and finally found then under a seat. By now, the shuttle had already left the area and it would take too long to wait for another one and get back in time to board the plane. Therefore, they missed the flight. Now, on to plan two. He found out that there was a later flight that would arrive at 10:15 pm, which they caught.

Back to Cheryl at the pool. She started feeling pretty sick with one of her headaches that leads to nausea and vomiting. Cheryl just wanted to go home, but the Stronk's were going to meet for pizza at Sarah's house for the rest of Kessler's party. Cheryl didn't want Kessler to miss it, so the new plan was for me to take Kessler and Wesley to the party since I didn't have to pick up Kyle from the airport.

As we headed to the parking lot, Cheryl felt even more sick and threw up. I had Lainey in my car and she had Kessler and Wesley in her car. After throwing up, she said she felt better and decided to go to the party, so Lainey and I followed them to Sarah's house. Once at Sarah's house she started feeling sick again and went upstairs to lie down while I joined the Stronk birthday party. I was under a stringent time constraint because I needed to get back to our house with the Van so Alan could use it to pick up the trailer with the water toys (peddle boat, paddle boards, and kayaks) we were renting for the reunion. After throwing up again, Cheryl decided to drive my van back home so she could rest and then I would drive her 3 kids back to our house in her van after the party was over.

By the time the party was over, it was past Lainey's bed time so she was crying most of the way home, which is not fun to listen to. Cheryl was able to feed Lainey, but it fell upon me to get Kessler and Wesley bathed and in bed. Fortunately, just after I got them out of the tub, Alan arrived home and could help me get their teeth brushed and in bed. Phew! What a night!

Alan volunteered to pick Kyle's family up from the airport. By that time, I was beat and ready for a good night's rest.

In the mean time, Jared and Catherine, who were driving here for the reunion from Coeur d'Alene, ID got a later start than they anticipated. Jared had to work until about 1:30 p.m. It's about a 10 hour drive to Riverton from there. Such a late night for them. They arrived about 2 a.m. because they stopped to rest for a short period of time.

Alan got into bed about midnight and slept until about 3 a.m. and then proceeded to pack the car for the reunion. So much work!

Can you see why I am calling it a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day? What a crazy day! I was glad when it was over with. I never want another day like that to ever happen again.

Bearing One Another's Burdens

 When Jane and I were both single, we decided to attend a 2-day backpacking trip into the Uintah mountains with our Stake Young Adult group back in 1975. Jane recently found this picture of us on that day and it tells quite a story.

As you can see, I am tasked with carrying a very heavy load on my back. I can't remember how long we hiked like that, but from my face, I was not having very much fun. Jane, on the other hand, is pictured behind me with a smile on her face looking cool and collected. I think she has a very small backpack and she's carrying a foam sleeping pad - not a heavy load at all. Fortunately for her, she was dating Ken, who later became her husband. He was in our Stake YSA group and he volunteered to carry most of her load for her since he wasn't planning to spend the night and didn't have much to carry.

I don't remember Jane ever asking if my load was too heavy or volunteering to carry some of my load. Even if she had asked, it is possible that my pride would have set in and I would have told her that I'm fine and that I can do it on my own.

Jane shared this picture and these circumstances in a 5th Sunday presentation in her ward last week and spoke about bearing one another's burdens and quoted Mosiah 18:8.

This scripture is a reminder that we are commissioned by Jesus Christ as part of His fold to bear one another's burdens. I am not the best at sharing my burdens nor bearing the loads of others. I try to be compassionate and caring, but I'm sure that I often fall short of what God wants me to be.

Regarding the picture of the two of us, Jane asked her ward members to determine which sister better represents them. She asked "are you the one carrying a light load oblivious to people right around you that are heavy burdened? Are you the one who is carrying a heavy burden but doesn't want to burden others with your trials or ask for help? Is it a combination depending on your own situation? Are you always looking for others to serve?"

These are valid questions. I know that, personally, I often feel as though I can carry my own burdens and don't need to bother others with them. However, after my knee surgery, I was in so much pain that I often asked the Lord to lighten my load and carry it for me. The pain was at unprecedented levels and I didn't know how long I could carry that load by myself. The pain meds helped, but I don't like pain meds because of how they make me feel. God didn't take away my pain, but I believe it was lightened and somehow I was able to tolerate it and begin the healing process. I kept thinking "the Lord knows my pain. He suffered that pain and all the other pains and ailments possible for mankind to experience while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane." I so appreciate Him for that. I can't even imagine the pain and agony he had to endure, and he did it willingly. So amazing! By yoking ourselves to the Savior, he can make our burdens light.

Elder David. A. Bednar said "Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness." He also said "We are not and never need be alone. We CAN press forward in our daily lives with heavenly help. And "the Son of God perfectly knows and understands how we feel, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens."

Growing up as a twin, I felt like people were always comparing us. Who walked first or said the first word, who is prettier, who got better grades, who is better at sports, etc. The funny thing is that I also compare myself to Jane and I'm pretty hard on myself. I always seem to fall short when I compare myself to her. I mentioned that to her in a text today and she said "comparison is the thief of joy." That's true. I don't want to rob myself of joy. I need to accept myself for who I am and not dwell on how much better I think another person might be than me. I am me and there is no other me! I can't be compared to anyone else nor should anyone else be compared to me.

Makeup Or No Makeup?

 For Mother's Day my wonderful children gave me gift cards to get a facial and two back massages at the Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Salon. I finally took advantage of the gift last Monday. I felt very pampered.

When someone gets a facial, they need to go to the salon with no makeup on. I always feel naked without makeup, but I resisted the temptation to put a little on before going for my facial. Kessler noticed immediately that I had no makeup on when I exited my room that morning. He asked me why I wasn't wearing makeup so I explained the situation to him.

This got me thinking....do I really look that different without makeup? I wanted to know, so I took a picture of me without makeup and then a picture of me with makeup. You can decide for yourself, but I think I definitely look better with makeup. At least you can see my eyebrows when I do my makeup.

Now I just need to figure out a way to get rid of my baggy eyes and wrinkles. Sadly, makeup doesn't help with that.