a time to wonder

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Layne habla espanol...

Our good friends The Powells were here for a quick (too quick) visit recently. Their son Truman brought a library book that he loves, which was in Espanol so they had Layne read it to him. Layne read each sentence in English and then in Spanish. It was funny to see how much expression Layne read with ~ I think he read with more enthusiasm than he does just reading books in plain, old English! And everyone ~ kids and grownups alike ~ were intrigued by the story when he read it that way!

...Anyway, I just have to say that I L-0-V-e it when Layne speaks Spanish. When we went to Puerto Rico a couple of years ago he was speaking Spanish all over the place and it just gave me the warm fuzzies. I am glad he went to a Spanish Speaking country for his mission and that he has kept up his fluency. Mi gusta mucho!

Layne - tu eres la luz de mi vida - te amo!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Disney Princess I Am Most Like, Apparently...

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Monday, July 14, 2008

Weeds

I hate weeds. I have weeds. Lots of them. That is essentially what makes up most of our property in the back. But, we have our garden back there too, which I really like. However, I have those pesky weeds to deal with but I am trying to keep up with them. I have decided though that I can't do it myself and that the kids are just going to have to pitch in. You might be wondering why they haven't been helping with this so far. It's because I have been too lazy to put up with what I know will be the initial complaining, whining, etc. stemming forth from my children. However, it hit me today that that is how it always is when I teach them how to do a new chore. It's never fun for anyone at first, but then they get used to it and stop complaining and just do it.

And now for my philisophical thought on weeds... :)

A couple of days ago I was weeding out front...way less imposing weeds out there, yet still weeds...ugh! I went out and worked and got them all up and am glad I did. Today I had a thought about weeds. I went out to water the plants and flowers where I had weeded, and it was so nice looking. So clean and fresh and tidy. It made me think about the weeds in our lives, whatever they may be for each of us. I procrastinated taking care of the weed problem, but when I did get to it, it wasn't all that bad. I felt good about cleaning out the weeds. And now I so enjoy looking at my flowerbed. I realize that as long as I do the work to keep it maintained, it is not such a problem and I am so much happier. That it how it is in life.

So keep weeding wherever you need to (I'm gonna)..it's worth the effort!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

I believe...

I Believe...That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I Believe...That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe....That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
I Believe... That you can do something in an instant that will cause you heartache for life.
I Believe...That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...That just because two people argue,it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe... That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I Believe...That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I Believe...That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others; you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life Forever.
I Believe...Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I Believe...That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

~ This was taken from one of those go-around-the-world e-mails, but I loved it

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Funny thing said by Layne's 90-year old Grandma

At the family reunion, Grandma Pearl was reading a poem she wrote which she reads to her family at each reunion. It is a sweet poem about how she and Grandpa John met and their life together. Well, she got to a verse that said something like: "John was a terrific husband and a great lover..." and of course her rowdy kids and grandkids started hootin' and hollerin'. She stopped, looked up, and said "Well, if you don't believe me, just look at all this posterity!"

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July!

Time for a fun, small town, Fourth of July!

We went to the parade and the kids got so much candy thrown to them from the floats that it seemed more like Halloween. We saw Delaney and the other cheerleaders 'floatin by' and they looked so cute. This was "the best parade ever" according to the local paper ~ and I agree, although it's only the 2nd one I've been to here. The kids went 'diving for dollars' at the pool ~ Cooper made out the best in our family with a little over $3.00 in coins. We enjoyed funnel cakes, soda pop, and other treats. Delaney was in a play (which we'll have to catch the 2nd performance of tomorrow) but she said had fun doing it. We saw family and friends and we'll be off to see the fireworks soon. It's been a great day!

The colorguard starts off the parade

Brody and Cooper salute the flag

They shot this cannon off during the parade - I jumped every time!

Every time the sirens went off a startled Everett would say "Whaz that noiz?"

Patriotic Nash wavin' his flag

Layne and the boys on the parade route

Cooper shows his patriotism

Brody & me (photo taken by Nash)

Cool Statue of Liberty float

I loved this little Napa Auto Parts car - that's a kid driving with just a huge hat!

Layne and Ev~buddies enjoying the parade

Brody waves his flag

A great float by the college

San Juan High Bronco Cheerleaders - that's Delaney wavin' in the back

Brody took this picture of Nash - I love it!

Cooper and the loot he got "diving for dollars"

Happy Independence Day!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

A Great Family Reunion

This past weekend was the Lewis Family Reunion. (That is Layne's Mom's side of the family.) Grandma Pearl and Grandpa John Lewis have held the reunion every other year for many, many years. Although John passed away a few years ago, Pearl still keeps the tradition going. The reunion is held outside of Monticello up at the Blue Mountain Guest Ranch where everyone can camp out. There are six brothers and sisters in her family, all of whom have their own families and so on and so on! It's always lots of fun. It starts on Friday evening. On Saturday there are always fun activities for the kids - this year they made and launched little rockets - and there are always games of volleyball, kickball, touch football, basketball, etc. going on. Plus this year the creek was running so that was instant entertainment for the kids right there. There are great meals put together by the different families and on the 2nd night there was a program with skits by each sibling's families based on happenings from Pearls' life ~always funny! It is Pearl's 90th b-day this year, so we all wrote notes and letters to her and they were put in a book and presented to her on Saturday night. She was very touched and had great things to say about her loving family. After that there was the traditional 'fairy hike' which is always a highlight. Everyone follows the trails of fairies hanging in the trees to a meadow where a story is told then it's back to the pavilion where everyone finds some candy waiting for them. Then on Sunday everyone gets up, eats, cleans the camp area, says their goodbyes or 'so long - see ya around town' and heads home! It's always great fun and I love getting to know more of Layne's extended family.

Layne and his mom, Glenice