Faces

It's a shame she doesn't have any personality.

Reflections on a Semi-Rural Existence

We live sort of in the middle of nowhere. Although some aspects of living way out here are a little annoying sometimes (i.e. my nearest grocery store is 13.1 miles away and takes 20 minutes to drive to), there are a few little joys that I do love.

We have to drive about a half an hour to get to the nearest library, so the library comes to us once a month.

This little guy took up residence in our front yard for a few weeks. We only hope the tarantula that was crawling down the wall outside my front door the other night didn't eat him. (Okay, okay, I know tarantulas don't eat bunnies. They only eat people.)

Apple orchards and the joy of picking our own are not too far away.

We save a little money on entertainment...

The little girls are WAY cuter out here.

Growing our own basil, parsley and chives can be very rewarding.

Examining poo specimens really can be educational.

Getting into the game is a great way to let loose.

Another advantage to living in a fairly rural area? Peace and quiet.

And then our little angel screams - again - just to hear her own voice or because she's not getting her own way.

Sigh.

If she wasn't so cute...

When It Rains...

...your air conditioning makes a horrid noise and costs you $375 to fix.

And then you have to pay the termite people $777 for a full treatment.

And your husband is out of town, leaving you to deal with all of this plus maintain some sense of order and happiness in your home.

And then your car breaks down with you and your two young children in it while your husband is on a scout campout.

All of this happened THIS WEEK.

You know, I just finished re-reading the April 2011 general conference talk by Paul V. Johnson wherein he says, "We must be careful that we don’t resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature."

Sigh.

Apparently, I need a LOT of help putting on the divine nature.

Retrospect

In APRIL, we:

watched the Mesa Easter Pageant for the first time ever

smiled and giggled a lot because Grandma loves us

turned 4 years old

pet a prize-winning cow at the fair

got into a traffic jam

found evidence that the Easter Bunny really does exist

loaded up on candy

made messes...on purpose

celebrated the fact that families can be together forever

saw a rainbow of choices

dyed Easter eggs.

In MAY, we:

had our first birthday party with friends

worked on the car with Dad

saw baseball history

sat in the original seats at Fenway Park

located Paul Revere's home

walked in the paths great men once trod

waited for the signal: "One if by land, two if by sea"

went back East for the first time

stayed in a swanky hotel, ate great food...and paid for none of it

rested assured that our children were in good hands while we were away

rejoiced in alone time with Grandma and Grandpa

wore sunglasses only because Grandpa does

graduated from Joy School - Year 1

caught some rays

In JUNE, we:

got more comfortable in the water

made a run for it

got frustrated because our super hero mask wouldn't stay on

rode horseback

In JULY, we:

discovered games on the iPhone

avoided incredibly dangerous streams of water

modeled

learned what the "great" in "Grandma Great" means

made Grandpa Great smile

smiled for the camera

refused to smile for the camera

took photos with Ollie

hammed it up

quietly contemplated

stared at Ollie, and...

couldn't...

stop...

taking his photo

In August, we:

drummed up some entertainment

held hands

wondered

found joy

examined local wildlife

got serious

waited for the bomb

pondered the mysteries of life

 

said "cheese!"

bonded

tried a new look

 

fished for crawdads

indulged our sweet teeth

hung out

posed

behaved ourselves at church

couldn't wait to sit with Grandpa

had a duel with water balloons

wanted to be a part of the water balloon duel

tried to get a good picture in our new outfits for Grandma

*******

Sometimes looking back helps us move forward.