THE NAUVOO CHRONICLES

days 4 & 5- it's all one big blur

dudes, so much is happening in such a short amount of time that i don't quite have it all straight in my brain... so this entry is just going to have to be the shortened version of the past two days.

yesterday i got to see my dad in the brick yard and he let us make our very own bricks! my aunt pam and her boyfriend vince also came down yesterday and they went with us to see my cute parents in the show-- RENDEZVOUS. they did such a great job and the show is surprisingly funny. it's fun to see my parents up there and it makes me misty watching them talk about these amazing stories of the saints.

today was really full. it being my parents p-day (day off), we all drove the hour and a half to visit with my uncle ted and his wife sonni. they are two of the greatest people and sonni has the kind of faith that i aspire for every day. it was good to catch up with them and share stories and see pictures.

then on the way back we stopped in carthage. how humbling to be in the same room where the prophet JOSEPH SMITH and his brother HYRUM were murdered for having and sharing a belief different from others. i can't imagine anyone hating someone so much for being different that they would want to kill them... and yet, it happened. it was a powerful experience.

when we got back we met up with pam and vince and took elder bendall (a church service missionary here) out to dinner and had us some real midwestern steak.. yee haw baby!

now i am dead to the world. and yet i need to stay up just a little longer... i'm speaking at my church this sunday on the topic of repentance and i am totally overwhelmed by the task. i feel so inadequate to be speaking on such a large and reverent topic. wish me luck and say a pray for me!

funny how when i got here, i didn't want to go back to boston ever. things have been so overwhelming and hard for me there lately. i kind of just wanted to run away and forget everything and everyone out there. i know it sounds a little melodramatic and maybe it is... but it's true. however, having this peace and quiet and time with my family and time to readjust my thinking and perspective has really helped me to put a few things in order and hopefully go back home with a better outlook on my future and life.

tomorrow is another busy one. i'm off to visit with friends in iowa city!

THE NAUVOO CHRONICLES

day 3- merry christmas everyone

merry christmas from nauvoo y'all!

can anyone guess what santa brought me this year??? no... not a man! duh. but he didn't disappoint by any stretch....

i got a DIGITAL CAMERA!!! YAY FOR ME!!! i really, really wanted one and santa kind of felt bad about not being able to deliver on the whole man thing... so he gave me the next best thing.

i am so happy... so now i will be able to capture those beautiful kodak moments of my very own.

christmas was good to all of us this year. mom and dad got the day off and therefore got to spend the whole day with us. then at 2:30 we ate dinner with 250 other missionaries and their families! then on to the christmas performance.

to be honest with you, judging by all of the "precious chRistmas sweaters" i saw-- adorned with poinsettias, holly berries, robins and such, i wasn't expecting much from our little christmas show. but oh my stars and garters... these old folks really know how to have a good time. i nearly peed my pants at some of the little skits and songs they had prepared... it wasn't a bunch of old nearly-deads trying to celebrate the season... it was a bunch of kids up there in old, rickety bodies having a good time and making some awesome memories.

then it was home to call family and watch old home movies and make fun of amy jo's annie hair cut.

i love my family. i am so grateful to be here with mom and dad... to see them with their missionary tags is one of the coolest experiences to date. this trip has also been good for me and amy jo... and a chance to get to know brad... who really is a hoot. i miss the family in utard... i miss those squishy babies of mine. i feel blessed this year. i feel so lucky right now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE NAUVOO CHRONICLES

day 2- christmas eve

my sister amy and her husband brad arrived last night and we had a mini birthday party for her! then it was to bed for all of us... they had driven from UT and mom, dad and i were running on low fumes.

church was at 8 am- yeesh. but we suffered through! :o) actually the temple president, president wirthlin, and his wife spoke and the missionary choir sang. it may not have been the most beautiful sound you've ever heard but the spirit was so strong as i looked at all the faces of these dedicated men and women who have sacrificed christmas with their families to come and share their testimonies of this sacred place.

then we stood in a line as ALL of the missionaries came to meet us and tell us how wonderful our parents were.... it kind of felt like we should have had a bride and groom at the end of our "reception line." but it was fun to meet everyone and hear how great our parents are!

after a short car tour of the entire place (real tours will happen later this week) we went to the visitor center to watch the new JOSEPH SMITH movie. what an amazing experience to watch that movie here. to see the suffering that he and his family and the saints endured is extremely humbling. it made all of my own issues feel so little. and then to walk out of the building and have the temple right in front of me was quite a moment.

turkey dinner. yummy! all the fixin's that i love and it was great to be there with my family.

at 6:30 we all donned our bonnets (the ones my dad made us), and drove up to the temple to sing christmas carols with the rest of the mission on the steps. we made quite a scene all decked out in our old-english apparel and of course all of the grandmas there gushed over how adorable we were.

then home to watch white christmas with hot cocoa. a family tradition. i saw up to the part where they got to vermont and woke up as they were singing white christmas... typical!

merry christmas everyone... time to go to bed before santa comes!

p.s.- i can't get the stinkin' pics to download... so they will have to come later!

THE NAUVOO CHRONICLES

day 1- a whole new world

so i'm here in NAUVOO... it's a world in an of itself. it's beautiful. it's peaceful. it's simple.



my plane arrived (late) at 12:30ish and then the parents and i had the long 3 hour car ride to their little home. 3 am and everything is so dark i can't see anything. the first thing my daddy did when we got in was get my hat box out. i opened it and there before me was the most beautiful red velvet bonnet ever. i tried it on... my mom put hers on too. please bless that it snows so that my mom and i can have our sleigh ride with our bonnets on!!!


i've slept a lot of the day away. but i woke up to my dad cooking me eggs, bacon, bratwurst and toast! ahhh... it's good to be "home." i went to the local grocery store (it leaves a lot to be desired) and bought the essential goodies. now i'm off to go see my mom in the bakery and my dad at the gun shoppe.


walking around here all by myself is like Heavenly Father's Christmas present to me. i love the peace. i love the stillness. i love the temple on the hill.

i don't have any pics of my own right now... so i stole some from my dad's computer... just so you could see the world my parents live in every day. they are too stinkin cute!

mom in the mansion house

dad in the blacksmith

the apartment above the apothecary

dad leads the mormon battalion

THREE KIDS WITH THE STOMACH FLU

blessing or curse???

curse: i have to be in "the zone" all day today, to keep my own gag reflexes from having a party

blessing: the HUGE play date that the kids were supposed to have today, that i am way too tired for, isn't happening

curse: standing by the bathroom door as each child takes his/her turn AND trying to remain encouraging

blessing: i have time to clean out my car

curse: that last minute christmas shopping that i was going to make russell do with me while the older kids were at camp, will just have to be even more last minute

blessing: this slows the day down. scrabble, tv, reading... ahhh nice and relaxing!

curse: what to do with russ, who even though he is sick, still has an enormous amount of energy

blessing: granny is bringing over treats for all of us!

curse: i have about a 90% chance that i too will get this little bug... and with a day and half left before i have to get on a plane... it doesn't look good!

blessing: making sugar cookies all by myself-- MORE FOR ME!

curse: making sugar cookies and all of a sudden anna starts puking in the kitchen sink. blhahlkjk!

blessing: i feel grateful for my health... this could be so much worse if I too got this little bug today!

curse: cleaning up 8 spilled cups of water that jamie's foot seemed to find... no matter where i put it.

blessing: they should all be feeling better by christmas

curse: it's the stomach flu-- need i say more???

I'M TURNING INTO MY MOM


mom is a crier. a cute crier. but a crier nonetheless. she cries at the end of cheesy movies, commercials, when people say sentimental things. we can always tell it's coming. get this-- she is so totally cute... first, the nostrils flare, then the red eyes, then the tears and then that cute smile she gives when we "catch" her being a baby... then she giggles... i love it!

favorite memories of mom crying:

every time that folger's christmas commerical plays-- you remember the one... jimmy comes home and little sis sees him first and he motions for her to stay quiet while he wakes everyone up with the beautiful, loving aroma of folgery goodness... then jimmy's mom comes down stairs and sees him there-- cue cheesy jingle bells and christmas-y version of the folgers theme song-- cue my mom in tears-- cue us laughing at her and then she giggles.

there's also the hallmark hall of fame made for tv movies. my mom loves them... and they love her. i have fond memories of going down to my parents room and snuggling up on the bed with my mom as we watch great hallmark classics like "mrs. harris goes to paris" or "sarah, plain and tall." without a doubt she would cry at EVERY hallmark commercial that was shown during each and every commercial break... then at the end of each of these movies-- mom's got her box of tissues ready to go.

however... as much as i LOVE to tease my mom about her sappy ways, i have to say, i can no longer tease her of said offence. because i too am becoming a cry baby. i am becoming my mother!

case in point #1
it being the christmas season, i got out my holiday dvd's to show the kids. one night, while babysitting, i made russell watch MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL with me. totally love it. there we were, laughing away... when all of a sudden scrooge has to go and bring mickey and his beloved family a sac full of toys and tiny tim hobbles over to him and BOOM-- i'm crying-- what? at mickey's christmas carol??? you've got to be kidding me!

case in point #2
same night... we now have moved on to cartoon number two. small one. a story about a boy who goes to sell his rickety old donkey in town, but no one will buy him. then at the last minute, when we've all given up hope of small one finding a loving home, who comes to purchase small one... but a man looking for a donkey to carry his pregnant wife to bethlehem... again... tears!


case in point #3
yule fest. the kids' school puts on this show every year. it highlights each religion and their ways of celebrating the season.. complete with songs from around the world and a reading from the native americans and the koran. i was really impressed. so much so that i was CRYING DURING EACH PERFOMANCE!!! that one was really hard to hide from all of the parents with their cameras and recorders.


case in point #4
today at church. our annual christmas service... and there i was... balling like a baby at each reading of scripture and every song we sang. at one point christy parry looked over at me and said "you're a mess" then she lovingly handed me a tissue and gave me a squeeze. us babies need that every now and then.

for real dude. it's either killer hormones or i'm really and truly turning into my mom. not that it's a bad thing per say... she's adorable. but if i'm like this and i haven't even had kids, i shudder to think what i will look like later on.

awww cute-- i just pictured my cute little kids-- someone go get me a huge box of tissue, this is going to take a while!

BLOGGY HOW I'VE MISSED YOU


i realize that it hasn't been THAT long since i've taken "pen to paper" and written something... but it feels like forever. so much has happened this week. so many things. so many busy nothings. so many busy somethings. even all my "down time" has been filled to the brim with schtuff!

i take for granted the cathardic help this little blog world is for me. just imagine all of the poor people in my life that have to sit and listen to me talk and yap and mutter and spew... then imagine how ridiculously verbose i become when i haven't word vomitted in any other way... yeesh... no wonder all of my friends seem to "have to wash their hair" when i call!

at this time i will not talk about the CRAPTACULAR, as i am going to save those joyous stories for the day after the finale... meaning problee sundee... maybe even mondee. but i will say this: it's been really, really fun!

life is good. i miss you bloggy mcbloggerson.

p.s.-- i just spell checked this entry and somehow my little computer friend doesn't seem to find the word "craptacular" incorrect in any way-- should i be worried???

CAUSE I'M TOO STINKIN' LAZY TO POST MYSELF

my brother john has a myspace page... which y'all can view by clicking his, "john's blog" link off to the right there.

the other day he posted this hilarious story which reminded me of "how the grinch stole christmas"-- the jim carrey version. you'll see what i'm talking about when you click on the name of the story and you will be wisked away to johnblogland!

IF SCROOGE WERE CHARLIE BROWN

enjoy and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

CHRISTMAS FAVORITES

the homestead hotel in heber... and going on the sleigh ride




taking a drive in provo canyon when it's just snowed... amazing




seeing the lights at temple square when it's cold. especially the big red tree.




national lampoon's christmas vacation




christmas lights on peoples' houses... even the tacky ones


turning off all the lights, except for the christmas tree lights while listening to "perry como's christmas"





hot chocolate on christmas eve with my family




singing "sisters" with whitney




the smell of a fire burning somewhere




"a christmas carol" at hale centre theatre




christmas music on the speakers at every shopping center




easy for you... easy for you... STETSON... makes it easy.... for you.




mom's decorating... the house, the trees, the dinner table... perfection




watching mr. kreuger's christmas at temple square




skiing at alta




heidi martell's christmas cookies




when the local weather reporter tracks santa's movements on christmas eve




catching a snowflake on your tongue




the big, bulbous orange and apple that "santa" would leave in the toe of our stockings




chewing peppermint gum while going for a walk on a clear, cold night




singing christmas carols




the nutcracker




all of the kid shows on tv




memories of the "christmas eve" sleepover with the 5 deming brats




the sterling singers concerts




THE CHRISTMAS CRAPTACULAR!

THE CHRISTMAS CABARET... CRAPTACULAR... WHATEVER

check out this AWESOME poster our friends SETH and TIM did for us! they spent HOURS making it look this great!!! thanks again you guys! and come one... come all... check us out!

TRAFFIC JAM



CAR NUMERO UNO (that's ONE in spanish)
one morning, i was driving to work and i was headed up this very narrow, (who am i kidding, all of the streets in somerville are narrow) two-way street that has cars parked on both sides and coming down that street, headed in the opposite direction was a big boat of a car... and they WERE TAKING UP THE WHOLE ROAD. as i got closer and closer to this big, beastly contraption i started to get worried because they were SO in the middle of this tiny street... and i had nowhere to go! my body clinched up as i prepared for the sides of our cars to scrape into each other. by this time, i was angry at the person... i began to complain, out loud, that this jerk was not giving me enough room... HOW SELFISH. i mean, i could clearly see that they had at least 3 feet of room they could be using and they weren't! as they finally got close enough i panicked and looked to my right to see where i could go to avoid the inevitable collision and noticed something that took me by surprise.

i too had quite a bit of room. focusing on the ACTUAL distance between the parked cars and my car i saw that most assuradly, i had room to move over myself. and for all i knew, that woman in the tug-boat was looking at me and wondering why i hadn't yet moved over so that she would have more room to scoot by.


CAR NUMBER DOS (two... spanish)
another car story happened yesterday, when i was pulling into a dunken donuts (love me those munchkins). the parking lot of this particular establishment is rather precarious in nature and has all sorts of awkward parking spaces to give anyone an ulcer. the lot was full, but not to worry, these D&D people know their business and get people through the line rather swiftly. needless to say, i was not waiting very long for someone to pull out. there he was, blue van man... he began slowly manuvering his work-van backward. WITH PLENTY OF ROOM TO MOVE... he stopped abruptly, put his car back in drive and moved forward so that he could readjust his steering and try again. i hate to admit that i was a little bugged that he did that, because he had so much room. but that did not compare to the amount of anger i began feeling as he did this 5 times... 5! i was getting so frustrated with him... i mean for real dude, i know the lot is a bit scary... but dude, you have so much more room than you think!!!

but that's when my thoughts took me back to tug-boat lady and i realized... one more time... that i wasn't being fair!

SURE, it's easy for me to sit back and judge blue-van man and tug-boat lady because i can clearly see their faults... i can see where they are off a little, or are missing the mark. i could EASILY see that blue van man had SO much room to get himself out but i can't guarantee that if i were the one behind the wheel of the big blue van, it wouldn't look the EXACT same to me, as it did to blue van man.

same with tug-boat lady... there i was, judging her ever so quickly for what she wasn't doing, in the meantime, i was doing exactly what i was berating her for doing... isn't that interesting???

so now, it begs the question, how to change? how does one stop themselves in the process of unfairly judging, take a step back and see where they need to change or try to look at the situation through the other persons' eyes?

just like the scripture in Matthew 7: 3-5 it reads:
"And why beholdest thou the a mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye."

yeah, i don't have the answers. that is what i am still searching for. i know i have the capability to change, guess it just feels like i'm a long way off. it's a practice that we are required to make perfect because Chtist-centered love is required of all of us. i just wonder if there is a short cut to being better at this... or if i will have to suffer through the proveribal traffic jam that is me! if anyone has any great insight... i would really appreciate it.

TOP 10 SIGNS THAT YOU NEED A NEW CAR


10- the front driver's side looks like someone hit it with a baseball bat, the paint is old and faded and it's missing two hub-caps


9- it takes 3 quarts of oil, every two weeks


8- every time the kids you take care of get in, they yell out "this car is ugly"


7- you can see the words "listen and win me" on the hood, really well now... day or night


6- when your sister comes into town to visit, she asks several times if we can rent a car


5- the suspension is bad and will freeze up in the winter, so every time you drive over a small bump it sounds like a cannon going off


4- the headlights need a "toothbrushing" (with your roomies toothpaste)


3- it gets 1 mile to the gallon


2- the interior light is permanently broken so you can't see anything when it's dark



AND THE #1 SIGN THAT YOU NEED A NEW CAR IS....



1- when you get in your car on a very cold morning (like this morning for example) and you shut the door and it pops back open every time you try so the only way to get it to stay closed is to close it as best you can and lock the door as fast as you can. then when you drive along and turn a corner, you hold fast to the doors' handle and pray to the car gods that it won't fly open and spew you forth onto the ground. then when you get to your destination, it takes you 10 years to climb out of the passenger side door.

yeah, i think that's a good sign... wouldn't you say?

literary contribution: thorndike kids

BOYS WILL BE BOYS


REGARDING EMOTIONS
ex 1- russell was two years old when one day his father came home early to take care of a few things, before jet-setting back to work. russ was ecstatic to see him and begged him to read him his bed-time stories for nap. his father agreed and then after two great books ran off to his place of employment. after waking up from his nap and going outside to play he saw that his father's car was no longer parked in front of the house anymore and began to cry. i, attempting to be sensitive to his feelings yet encouraging to talk about what he was feeling, asked him if he was sad about his father leaving. his response was immediate and firm "this isn't about daddy peggy."

ex 2- when russell or jamie have done something wrong, and they have to be scolded they get this defiant look on thier face that tells the one reprimanding them "i don't care if i'm in trouble right now." then they walk away to another room and begin to cry.

ex 3- russ hates pain with all of his heart, he freaks at the slightest sliver in his finger or spot of blood from a scrape... but the minute you try to help him or console him... he pushes you away and insists that he is OK and walks it off as if nothing happened to him.

OBSERVATION: for whatever reason, whether it's innate or a learned behavior, boys are not always true to their real feelings. they will not show what is really going on internally, because they are built to be tough! emotions should be kept "in check" at all times and to let someone in to help is a HUGE thing to ask them to do.



REGARDING COMPETITION
ex 1- jamie refuses to play ANYTHING unless it has an element of competition to it. if you ask him to color a picture (which is rare he would say "yes" to anyway) he has to make it a coloring contest. when we were in bar harbor, ME on our 17 mile bike ride, jamie always had to be first and it was a competition as to who would get to the top of each peak. it couldn't just be that we were enjoying the exercise and the scenery... he was out for BLOOD!

ex 2- i taught russell how to play the game WAR. yeah it's not that hard, you cut a deck of cards in half, and you each turn a card over, whichever is the highest card, wins both... and so on until someone dominates! russell has already become good at the art of trash talking! he's four and he's become annoying to play games with... the kid won't shut up! and it doesn't help that he has this bizarre LUCK and seems to end up with all of the ACE's at the beginning. he says stuff like "peggy, i'm sorry that you are getting lost" (translation: you are losing) OR "you won't have any cards soon, cause i am taking all of them." and on and on he goes... til he wins! then he gloats! i hate playing this game now.

OBSERVATION
boys are stinking too competitive!!! not everything has to be a competition and you don't have to RUB IT IN when you are winning. (no i'm not bitter about the fact that i keep losing to a 4 year old... i'm not... shut up)



REGARDING SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
ex 1- jamie would KILL me if he knew i was telling you this! but every thursday we take russell to the country club for his tennis lessons. jamie and anna go with and they do their homework while we wait for russ. there are these two bullies that are jamie's age and that just so happen to be friends and they have tennis the same time russell does. by the way i HATE these kids. every thursday, they come up with a new way of luring jamie so they can "pants" him in front of everyone. jamie hates it, and we have come up with game plans on how to counter-act what they are doing.

ex 2- russell HATES it when i make jokes with his friends. he get embarrassed if i sing in public places (not that i do it a ton... but occasionally). i am not allowed to stand out in anyway or to be nice. i must assume the dead, bored out of my mind facial expression and everything will be okay!

OBSERVATION
a mother (or in my case a nanny) is not allowed to be anything other than a person that picks them up from school and takes them home... according to how their friends view us.

AND

i could make the situation for jamie and the brat boys SO much worse if i were to meddle and so it takes EVERY ounce of self-control i have not to pick both of those slimy, snotty brats by their hair and kick them in the stomach for continuing to make jamie (the kid that is nice to everyone in his grade) look foolish in front of anyone. too bad their parents are some of the richest people i the country and probably have lawyers from hell!


REGARDING AFFECTION
ex 1- jamie is pretty tough and would never give off that he REALLY likes to snuggle. every once in a while, he will sidle up to me and before i know it, he's put my arm around his shoulders. he doesn't say anything, he just does it. and whenever i babysit for them at night and get on the couch to read a book... he's first in line to sprawl all over me and snuggle under the blanket.

ex 2- russell is a little bit more open about his physical attentions... as long as no one else is around. today, he and i were sitting on the couch talking and laughing and then he came and sat on my lap and i gave him a ton of "kissies" then we heard a door shut and he pulled away and said "peggy, someones going to see!" (there are a ton of workers here at the new house, finishing up all of the remodeling) i nearly fell over laughing.

OBSERVATION
all human beings LOVE physical attention... but boys... don't want anyone to know how much they love it! and most boys, won't do it when other people can see it! gotta maintain that manly exterior at all times!