Mall of America

I just read on my Mother's Facebook status that she is on her way to

Albert Lea Minnesota.....and I think that is where our rendezvous point is:

I am flying into the St. Paul, Minnesota airport on Friday

And someone is going to be at the airport to pick me up

And Mom and I are going to shop at the Mall of America

And Dad and I are going to eat fresh crab out of the shell

And the three of us are going to be in the same motor home using a phone, iPod, Kindle and laptop in the same room at the same time

And then I am going to fly home and start counting the days until

my parents will be home for the holidays

My Family Tree

I have finally finished my Family Tree (a Mothers Day gift from my amazing children). As you know there has been many changes to in the last few years. Some branches removed, others just trimmed, some branches show strong signs of growth, others small signs of new life.

In an ever changing landscape, here is my Family Tree, captured in time for just a minute perfect and complete and you know what? I am very happy with the way it looks.

Golden Days: A Celebration of Life

Guess what! President Monson invited me (and about 21,000 others) to his birthday celebration at the Conference Center last night. And better than the invitation was floor tickets which allowed an excellent view of the performances.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Symphony preformed with other very well known featured vocalists. My eyes became a little weepy when Cub Scouts carrying American flags paraded down the aisles and onto the stage filling the expanse with marked patriotism, but my favorite number (post Cedar City road trip) was Bring Him Home from Les Miserables preformed by Claude Michel Schonberg. Following the performance an evening stroll through te temple gardens rounded out a wonderful summer evening in downtown Salt Lake.

A letter of Discontent

Dear Spoons and Spice:

I am not a happy consumer today.

Last week I searched several department stores looking for a thermometer for the vaccine refrigerator at work....on my way back from an eye appointment in Draper I wandered into Spoons and Spice in Sandy, after-all what better place to find one but a kitchen supply store. I paid cash for a $14.99 thermometer and considered myself lucky to have found something that would work.

As I was walking into work yesterday I ran into my boss who informed me that the store had some extra thermometers in the storeroom I may want to consider, and you guessed it, I found a thermometer that would work. I consider a return of merchandise and remembered that the contacts I ordered were ready for pickup today so stopping at Spoon and Spice for a refund on the way home would be very convenient.

I returned the thermometer in the original, unopened package, within a week of purchase with the receipt and was told the store policy was: NO CASH REFUNDS. So I told the employee I would happily take a credit on my cash card, and was told that I could exchange it for another $14.99 product or accept a store credit. I could not think of anything I needed and chose the store credit.

I was given a 5 X 7 hand written form that I was instructed to bring back when I wanted to redeem. I was sternly warned that if I lost the form, I would receive nothing, and I couldn't help but wonder how many times the store associates gave this bad news to previous customers. I also couldn't help but wonder how a business can expect to survive in this very fierce economy with policies so adverse to its customers. Ever hear of a gift card??? I, for one, will not be patronizing this business in the future.

ULCER 2012

I love turning the calendar as I leave July and seeing that August has arrived! My favorite month always starts out the same way....with MY birthday cake August 1st followed by a oodles of activities, after all, summer is finally in full swing!

So far this month My Morning Jacket preformed at the Twilight Concert Series with 4 more concerts scheduled for Thursday nights. The Park City Arts Festival was amazing (as always) and offered my soul a chance to relish the talents of others. Finally, Donnielle and I met early this week for lunch and to commit to the ULCER Century bike ride on Saturday.

We made a pact to finish all 100 miles, regardless of the weather, our own personal discomfort, or any other excuse or justifications that may come up along the route. We decided to skip the first rest stop, break only for 5 minute at the remaining 5 stops and to minimize the amount of time we spent at lunch. I rented a high end Roubaix road bike and Donnielle invested in shoes and pedal clips to increase her productivity. Finally, we decided to start an hour earlier this year (6:30 am) in hopes of getting off the course before hot August sun settled in along the west side of Utah Lake.

I loved the first 40 miles of the race, the course through Lehi, American Fork, and Provo in the predawn light, winding through neighborhoods and following the lake edge was magical and my bike seemed to have wings. I skipped the first rest stop and waited 5 minutes at the second one before texting Donnielle that I pushed forward. I was on the bike just a few minutes when I felt my phone vibrate and I knew she was not far behind me.

Lunch arrive faster than I had expected and it was not long before Donnielle found me resting under a tree, awaiting her arrival. We headed out in good spirits and with some iTunes but somewhere along the way I developed a foul mood....the ride did not seem fun any longer and as the chipper volunteer at the first post lunch stop announced "just think you have 63 miles behind you" my only thought was that I better get back on the bike before I start swearing. Unfortunately the next 7 miles for me were equally challenging and this time when I stopped I made a purposeful effort not to say one word to anyone - I felt I had had enough.

The afternoon heat became a real challenge but eventually the route past the west desert shooting range and into Saratoga Springs became familiar and although I was out of physical strength, my mental fortitude began to kick in. The rest area 7 miles from the finish was perhaps my favorite stop. I listened as Donnielle talked of her struggles early in the course between miles 30 and 50, and I recalled my own struggles between miles 60 and 80 and realized that each of us, in our own way, had pushed through obstacles this day.

We made it back to Thanksgiving Point at 2:30 pm which means our 8 hour bike ride was 1 and 1/2 hour faster than last year, which meant the cheering crowds at the finish line and a post ride plate of Fizoli spaghetti were still available for us to enjoy. Here I am basking in the joy of a silver medal around my neck!

A birthday, again?

After a week of trying to coordinate communication with Nicolas, I woke up with a Skype text message telling me to open my laptop for a Skype phone call! It was nice to hear that my son is in such good spirits and to hear first hand of his like in K. The test messages and phone calls from other family and friends throughout the day helped make the day extra special.

Russ helped load my birthday present into my SUV....unfortunately he was not at the house when I needed to unload it and maneuver it 3 flights of stairs.

Posing in front of an Oreo and chocolate ice cream cake and lemon sponge cake with lemon cream cheese frosting make by Ashelyn for the birthdays is Jake (happy 13th birthday) Vanasa's two children and Joseph and Jessica's two children.