Flashback Friday

I started this flashback last week but ran out of time.  I spent last Friday at the temple with 3 other women from my ward.  A trip to the DC temple is almost a whole-day affair.  It was a great day!

I had to laugh at this journal jar question:  "Describe a trip downtown as a youngster."

This could rightly say . . . . "a trip to town."  Delta is a typical Mormon town, that is divided into square blocks and numbered in a grid system.  The main street is very wide and is appropriately called "Main Street."   It is 1 mile long and if you blink your eyes you might miss it!  It is very lonely, brown, country.  I didn't realize how brown it was until I lived here a few years and then returned to it.

Most of my life the entire town didn't even have a stop light.  In fact my first stoplight I ever drove through was in a town called Nephi, which was 60 miles away from our town.  I stopped at the red light, looked for a clear spot and went through it!  My friends about had a cow!  When I moved to Salt Lake City to go to college, my biggest concern was how to navigate the stop lights.  It wasn't leaving home, it wasn't being on my own for the first time . . . . . it was the stop lights!

Here are Delta's highlights (what I remember and how I remember as a kid, there have been some changes)

~an indoor movie theatre which upgraded to a twin theatre in my teen years
~a drive-in movie theatre (at times it was the only theatre in town)
~a very small grocery store that through the years became two adequate medium size stores (one with a bakery!)
~2 drug stores (gotta have those drugs, prescription of course!)
~1 hospital which was also upgraded to a modern hospital (very small, but thank heavens for it)
~2 doctors (there were years where there was no ob/gyn care)
~a handful of diners, cafes, drive-ins and wannabe fine dining places
~a Taco Time
~1 high school (8th through 12th grade)
~1 middle school (5th through 7th grade.  It was new to me, I only went to the 7th grade there)
~1 elementary school (K through 6th when I attended)
~2 or three all-purpose stores that carried about everything
~farm supply stores
~and of course, one stop light

There were various and sundry other places, but if you really needed to shop, say school shopping, you needed to take a trip to Provo, which was 1 1/2 hours away.   In those days the drive seemed endless.  To my poor husband today, it is just a regular commute!!!

See the wide streets?  Officially this is US HWY 50 & 6.  In the middle left of this picture is the infamous overpass that leads to our house, which I believe was about 12 miles away (the road to our house was marked by a sign that said "This is not US HWY 50 & 6")  Someday I want to travel HWY 50 all the way across the country, beginning in Ocean City, Maryland and ending in Sacramento, CA. 

This is going the other direction.  You can see the stop light in this picture!!!

After all this, I realize I haven't even answered the journal jar question.  I've described the town, not a trip to town.  I guess this is what I get from following politics too much.  I've perfected the fine art of NOT directly answering a question :)

My name is Tina and I'm a Mormon

I promised myself that I was going to cut down on all the "girl's night outs" that I've been going to. Seriously, my ward has something going on every week, sometimes twice a week and it just can't continue.  I'm feeling like I'm leaving just as my family is coming home.  So I'm down to only 3 a month :)  (try as I might, I've only been able to cut out 2 activities!!)

Last night, however, I decided to go to something because both Lincoln and McKay would be gone to scouts and I'd be home alone anyway.  THIS ladies night was with a group of non-mormon friends.  Really I only knew 2 of them, but I need to expand my horizons!!!!!

The first thing that greeted me at the door was offers of tea, coffee, red wine, white wine, flavored wine, heated wine, and tepid wine!!!  (I think the last one was a joke!)  It all smelled sooooo yummy.  I quietly reminded my friend that I was a Mormon.  OH YES! she said . . . . . AND we have pink lemonade!!!!  So PINK was my drink of the evening.  Why do they serve regular drinks in regular glasses and wine in festive glasses???  (just wondering)

Then she went on to tell me she thought I was a more "lax" Mormon . . .  . . . . .WHA?????  What gave her this idea?????  ME?????   LAX??????  She reminded me of a conversation we had had about chocolate and cola.  I guess because I ate chocolate and would have a cola if in a pinch she thought wine and other stuff would be okeee dokee with me . . . . . . . . I didn't even try to explain.  I think I may have just dug myself a deeper hole.

I guess I'm officially a "jack" Mormon in her eyes.  (According to definition: A Jack Mormon is somebody raised in Mormonism who still identifies with the Mormon culture to some extent, but not the belief system or the church.)

How easy it is to fall from grace!!!!!  Hopefully I redeemed part of myself last night!

Some Pretties

Valentine's Day can be fun . . . . .  can be, when you are remembered, that is!  This year I decided to get myself flowers (the tulips) and while I was teaching piano lessons a box from Pro Flowers came.  I immediately decided that they were from Lincoln.  As soon as lessons were over, I rushed over to the High School to pick up McKay from swim practice, swung by the local chinese take-out shop to get our dinner and came home to open the box, cut the stems and get the flowers in water.  The whole time I thought they were from Lincoln.  As an after thought, I decided to look at the note.  WHAT????  Not from Lincoln?  They were from my Dad.  THANKS DAD!!!  What a lovely surprise!  Love you!

Lincoln did get me a card and a box of candies, lest you think he had forgotten me, but he was out-of-town and I wondered why in the world he would send me flowers !?!. . . . . .maybe he was feeling extra guilty for not being around to take me out to dinner . . . . . . ha!  This goes to prove that you can't make assumptions about a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g!!!!!!  Which is a lesson I need to learn, over and over and over again!

Have a bLeSsEd dAy . . . . . . .  as Marylanders like to say!  (I'm finally talking like a native, NOT)  :)

Our Weekend

We really had a good weekend.  It started out on Friday night with a birthday party that we put together for my dad.  Family get togethers are the BEST.  We ate, talked, played games, and laughed so hard that we had tears streaming down our faces several times.  Dad got to pick the menu which included 2 types of wings, mashed potatoes, pasta salad, and of course cake!  I made Grandma Young's infamous yellow cake with homemade chocolate frosting.  It's not as sweet as today's cakes, and I think I need to undercook it like she did to make it taste like hers!

I was hoping my dad would see the humor in this candle, and he did!  Whew!!!!!



Our Happy Birthday song didn't quite sound the same without dad harmonizing.

Happy Birthday!


On Saturday we went to SMAC (Southern Maryland Athletic Championships).  This picture isn't at SMAC.  I didn't take my camera.  McKay is a freshman this year and has been getting used to the longer races.  Up til now he has swam on the summer swim team.  This was his first year to swim for the high school and all the races are double the meters that he is used to swimming.  This year he swam the 200 IM (IM includes the butterfly, backstroke, breast, and freestyle), the 100 breast, and freestyle and breast in the relays.  McKay didn't place in SMAC, but it'll be interesting to see how he improves through the next 3 years.

This is an IM he swam earlier in the year.  Sorry for the horrible photography, I was trying to watch it as well as record it!  He's got one more week of swimming . . . . . .regionals . . . . . . and then he is very happy to be DONE!

On Saturday our ward had a Valentine's Dinner/Dance put on by the High Priests of which Lincoln is the group leader.  I got to put together the music for the dance.  It was a nice event and we had a great time!  Since Lincoln and I met at a dance it was kind-of a "flashback" for us of when we met.

HaPpY VaLeNtInEs DaY!!!!!! 

Flashback Friday

Warning:  There are two posts today, so keep scrolling after this one.  You get double duty today, because two people (yes two) told me they checked my blog several times for a "flashback" last week and they were disappointed!  COOL!  (not the disappointed part, but the being missed part :)

Journal jar question:  "What was one of your favorite treats as a child?"

I can't let this one go by with just one answer.  One of my favorite treats as a child was peanut butter and honey sandwiches.  Usually with just one slice of bread, folded over so your first bite could be right in the middle of fold.  Oooooooey-Goooooey-Dribblely goodness!!! I don't know why I don't eat more of them. 

Another of my favorite treats was my mother's homemade eggnog.  When I think back on them I wonder what I liked because they had chunks of snotty-raw-egglike-substances throughout them but love them I did.  She made them for us kids when were sick.  Sickness = homemade eggnog!

Another treat was my grandmother's cookie jar.  It was always, a.l.w.a.y.s. filled with cookies.  We'd all try to snatch a cookie lifting the lid oh, so, carefully and then we'd try to replace the lid without making a chinking noise.  We were seldom successful in our covert actions.  I don't know why we tried to hide the fact we were getting cookies.  I'm sure the cookie jar was filled with just us in mind ;)

What were your favorite treats as a child?

Mission accomplished

And on the second day . . . . . there was snow!  Which in "Maryland speak," means that . . . . . there was a two-hour delay for the schools . . . . . and no seminary.  I have to say I was bummed.

On the third day . . . . . . . I'm glad there was snow yesterday, because I needed more material to fill up the 50 minutes of class time allotted in seminary.  God works in mysterious ways.

I'm glad to report that the DVD was recovered from the DVD player, my pan has made it's way home, tables and chairs, scriptures and other materials were put away . . .  making way for Sunday activities.  Upon my exit from the church the lights were turned out, my purse was slung on my shoulder and the door was securely locked. 

It was a good day . . . . and it's only 8:20 in the morning!

hApPy bIrThDaY dAd!!!!!!!!! Hope you have a good one, and see you and mom and the gang tonight!

600th POST!!!

I was trying to think of a name for this post and as I was signing on, I realized I had reached a milestone.  600th post!  WOW!



This week I was asked to substitute in seminary.  I haven't ever done this before and was very nervous about how it would go.  I've studied for H.O.U.R.S to get ready and today the day arrived that I was to do my duty.  First, I need to tell you that I had a hard time sleeping last night.  I kept looking at my watch thinking, isn't it morning yet???  I really was pretty excited to teach.  I love teaching, and giving talks.  Weird, I know, I know.

It all went pretty well and has left me in a good mood.  (no surprises there, I guess)  The young men and young women I taught were very engaged, laughed at my dry wit, and seemed to get the message I was trying to put across to them.  Wonderful!  I'm hoping tomorrow goes as well.  It was a blast.


What was funny was how the day ended (even though it was only 6:50 in the morning!).  McKay and I got the A/V equipment put away, boards erased, materials gathered up and the room made ready for scouts tonight.  We got out into the car and were driving away when I realized I hadn't locked up the church!  I went back and realized not only had I not locked up, but the lights were on in the halls and in the restrooms.  MAN!  what an airhead I can be! 



I felt like a Whirling Dervish



I hopped back in the car, drove off, and as we were approaching the main road, McKay said, "Mom, I need lunch money."  I asked him to reach behind me and get my purse so I could write him a check on the way to school.  "Mom, there isn't a purse behind you."   GOOD GRIEF!   I should have made a 3 point turn, but in my hurry, tried to do it in 2 points and just about got us stuck in the mud.  Ran back to the church, unlocked the building, got my purse, locked the building and we were on our way.  Finally!

Even through all this . . . . . . it was a good morning and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

P.S.  It took me only a couple of minutes after writing this to realize that I left a DVD in the DVD player at church.  Maybe I should run back and pick it up . . . .  . . along with the pan I left at Relief Society meeting last Thursday.  Does this give any of you a peek into my personality :)  (OH DEAR!)

Let them eat cake

I know you all will think I'm weird, but one of the highlights of my day yesterday was when I heard that a Federal Judge had declared the healthcare bill "unconstitutional."  Yipee! 26 states are in the process of suing the Federal government over this issue.  Of course, Maryland is not one of them!!  Now this will go to the supreme court, it'll be interesting to see what happens there.  Our Mr. President probably is on their "naughty list" after he gave them a dig at last year's State of the Union address.

As a response to this (in an article I read yesterday but can't find today) President Obama said that the court had overextended it's judicial power.  If this weren't so funny, I'd cry.  But laugh I did!!!!  Back at you Mr. President!  The court and a large percentage of the United States thinks that you and our congress overextended their powers.

Another example of over extended powers is the long, well toned arm of Mrs. Obama.  Can you believe that with one swoop, she extended her arm and attacked the potato?  She believes that the potato (my most favorite food, in all it's forms) is one of the main causes of childhood obesity.  She has managed to make the potato the only vegetable that a person on W.I.C. (a federally funded women, infants, children food program) cannot buy with their coupons.  She has also been able to ban federal money from being used to purchase potatoes for the federally subsidized school lunch program.  She feels that people should eat more green leafy vegetables and fruit.  

I don't know about you, but when we were a struggling young family, I'd buy 25 pounds of potatoes for the cost of 3 oranges.  What would you choose?  We didn't get fat on potatoes, we stayed alive on potatoes instead of going to sign up for the W.I.C. program.

Mrs. Obama, you remind me of Marie Antoinette when her starving subjects couldn't find enough bread to eat and her response was "Let them eat cake."  Above that, does she realize she could destroy the entire state of Idaho's economy???  My response is, keep your well-toned arm out of our decision making process and out of my kitchen, thank you very much! 

Ahhhhh, it feels good to rant!