Get Down With This

From time to time people ask me if they can buy a CD of David singing. We've never created a CD, but for the first time ever, his vocal music is available for download. We're very excited about this. If you would like to download his music, you can do so by following the links below. All songs are accompanied by the talented Catherine Shurtleff.

Tribute to a King (The Great I Am) - 99 cents - This is David's most requested song. It is his original composition, written to accompany a poem written by Denise Prado.

O Holy Night - free - This is a beautiful arrangement by Sally DeFord. Since she makes all of her music available free of charge, we didn't feel right about charging for this download.

Caro Mio Ben - 99 cents - Italian art song.

Feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested!

Dam Walking

I'm struggling with my 5K preparations because my hip hurts every time I run. I'm able to swim and walk without much trouble, so I'm just focusing on that. I don't plan on running again until the actual race. Today Jalen and I decided to walk the Lake Murray dam. It was a great walk and I don't know why we never did it before. It was a little noisy from traffic, but the early morning was a perfect 71 degrees.

We saw this cool crane.

The fence over the bridge is covered with love locks.

We didn't make it all the way across the bridge, but we made it a little more than half way. I was actually feeling great, but Jalen was getting tired.

We ended up walking two miles in 40 minutes. I think we'll make this a summer tradition.

And here's a bonus picture of Baylie just because she's so dang cute. It was hat day at school.

My Mom

My mom is the most selfless person I know. Everything she does is for her husband, kids or grandkids. Like any mother and daughter, we have had our moments of strife and misunderstanding, but I have never doubted that she was motivated by unconditional love for me.

My mom loves both of my kids, but she has a very special bond with my daughter, Baylie. I think that maybe it's because we were living with my parents when she was born. There is no one my daughter would rather see than her Grammy.

I love this picture, even if it does have a big 'U' in the middle of it.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom and Baylie.
It was taken in Germany.

One of the things for which I'm most grateful is that I have been able to travel the world with my mom. We have had such a great time together, meeting new people and discovering new places. My work friends from around the world always loved getting to know my mom. She's the kind of person you love instantly.

Bergamo, Italy

Cinque Terre, Italy

After so many years of hating Mother's Day, I am always humbled on this day as I think of the many miracles that resulted in my finally being a mother. And not only a mother, but mother to two of the most amazing children ever created. I feel so blessed that of all the children in the world, these are the two that were given to me.

I had to laugh today as my children presented me with the flowers they chose. The difference between the two matches their personalities to a 't.'

I am grateful to be a mother.

Mom's Day Off 2015

So apparently for a couple of my faithful readers (they may be my only faithful readers) this annual post is a favorite. It's the post where I write about what I did on my day off. This year, I really didn't have big plans. In fact, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to fill the time. I should have known better. The time flew by. It was low-key, but perfect. My favorite thing about this day each year is that I don't HAVE to be anywhere and I don't HAVE to do anything. That freedom is so rejuvenating.

I started the day by teaching seminary. After that, I came back home and went back to bed. Aaahhh! So nice. I read until I fell asleep and slept for a little over an hour. Then I headed to the temple. It had been too long since I was last there. It was wonderful to sit in the temple and just feel the peace that comes from being in God's house. I was able to take my time and just meditate. It was wonderful.

After that, I had planned to visit a nearby plantation - Wavering Place - and sit in the shade by the pond on the property and read a book. We had visited there as a family a couple of years ago and it is a beautiful home in a very peaceful setting. I remembered from a past thwarted visit that the plantation was only open on Thursdays, so I thought I'd be in luck. But when I was looking for the address, I learned that they had turned it into a bed and breakfast. I was excited to see what they had done with the place and was hoping to check out a room.

Unfortunately, the road to the plantation was closed. There was a caretaker there that had just arrived, but he wouldn't let me in. I was so disapointed!

Doctored Photo (I didn't take this...)

I decided to find another plantation that I hadn't seen yet - Kensington. To get there, I drove through the little town of Eastover. It was obvious that at one time it was a quaint little place, but it was also obvious that it had seen much better days. When I got to Kensington, it was closed too. But the gate was partly open, so I decided that it was easier to get forgiveness than permission and drove on through. I pretended not to see the private property signs. I was glad I did because it is a beautiful home and the land around it is pretty too. I didn't get out of the car because I didn't want to press my luck. The house was not in the greatest of shape and apparently there are some issues going on between the owners and the caretakers, so I didn't take any photos.

This is a doctored photo too (I didn't take this either).

Next I tried to find Laurelwood. It has been under renovation and I wanted to see if it was accessible yet. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the road. It had changed since I was last in the area and after driving by a couple of times, I gave up. Although the plantation visit ended up somewhat of a bust, the drive was lovely and I enjoyed myself.

My next stop (after vacuuming out David's car - I'm not sure it's been vacuumed since my last mom's day off) was the movies. Last year on my birthday I went to Divergent. I was the only person in the theater. This year, I went to Insurgent. And again, I had the whole place to myself. I love it when that happens! I also really enjoyed the movie. I had a gift card that my sweet friend Nichole gave us for Christmas, so I didn't have to pay anything. I really love it when that happens!

Following the movie, I went to Old Navy. I had a gift card from my sister, Tiffani, some money from my visiting teacher/friend, Cami, and there was a 50% off sale. Bonus! I bought a dress and a pair of shorts. It was great to shop without having to keep my kids out of the racks or having to hurry to pick someone up. I went to the dressing room three different times. (To my family, this will come as a great shock because I hate to shop.) It is pretty amazing for me to be able to go to Old Navy to buy clothes that fit. This is a new development for me and makes shopping so much fun.

I went to CVS next to buy some nail polish. I had planned on having a pedicure, but I used that money on clothes, so I decided to give myself a pedicure. I had a little money left on a Christmas gift card, so again, I didn't have to pay anything.

My last stop was Zoe's Kitchen. I hadn't eaten there yet, so I wanted to try it out. I ordered a side pasta salad and it was delicious! It was just the right size. I sat in the corner and finally got to read my book (The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson - I have become a Sanderson fanatic.)

I couldn't believe that the day was already over and it was getting dark. I decided to go home and watch a movie with David. David and I continued our Hunger Games marathon and I gave myself the pedicure.

When my nails were dry, David gave me a foot rub - one of my favorite things in the whole world!

Things around here have been so stressful lately. I really needed a day like today. It filled my soul and changed my perspective on many things. I have a good life. I have an amazing husband. And I have two beautiful kids that I miss terribly even when I just spend a day by myself. I am blessed.

Note: Amount spent - $59.79, out of pocket - 60 cents. Happy Birthday to me!

Superhero Day at Krispy Kreme

Wednesday was Super Hero day at Krispy Kreme. Plus it was buy a dozen, get a dozen free. It was a perfect day for Jalen because it involved two of his favorite things: donuts and his best friend, Ian.