A Simple Woman's Daybook~August 4, 2013

Our lives pass swiftly by! I want to do something to remember

the everyday moments and my thoughts about them.  

That is what this Daybook is all about.

Focusing on the little things that become my life.

One entry at a time.

Just for today~Sunday, August 4, 2013

 

Outside my window...it is a brisk sunny morning in Utah.  I am in our condo and the computer desk is right near the front door so I have the door wide open and it is invigorating.  I have spent the week here in the condo and it has been really pleasant.  I haven't slept here except for one night in June for years.  Jen and Lowell own it and when they moved to their other house years ago, we bought in half so they could keep it.  Now they are living here again waiting for details on a work move.  So it is really their condo.  It is just fun to say "our" condo because half the time I forget we invested in it long ago.  Hmmm, off topic immediately not a good sign.  Utah mornings are so lovely.  The afternoons...hot.  Evening...beautiful sunsets.

I am thankful for....this wonderful week I have spent here with Jennifer and for the conference I have attended.  Jen stayed home from a family reunion that Lowell took all four girls to on Tuesday.  It is has been so strange not having everyone here but nice too when you can have one on one time with your daughter.  She left this morning for a little get away so it is just me and the hamster Mr. Boxer this morning.  I have never spent any time with a hamster...they are kind of cute really. 

From the learning room....Oh my, so much this week.  Four days of conference sessions from 8:00 to 5:00.  All I can say is there are some extremely brilliant people in this world and a lot of them were teaching this week at BYU.  My head is still spinning from all I learned.  There is just no end to it.   Family History is a lifetime pursuit.  It is fulfilling and fascinating and you learn so much about world history, geography, hardships and struggles of the human family, and also their amazing triumphs through the ages.  You learn about your own family which teaches you a lot about yourself.  And I have met some of my most favorite people on earth in the process.

I am reading...The nearly 600 page Syllabus from the conference.  Capturing presentations notes from the sessions I enjoyed most or needed most and transferring them to my Evernote files for easy access.  I have spent two hours on that this morning.  It feels good to extract what I need to have handy.  And to know I know exactly how to find it on Evernote.

From the kitchen...Haven't thought about the kitchen all week.  Now that is a vacation, right?  I will resume all that when I get home on Wednesday.  For now, out of sight out of mind.  In the meantime we have had some lovely meals out on the town, just Jen and me.

Some spiritual thoughts I have been having...I am just thankful for the restfulness of the Sabbath. I am glad it is Sunday and that in a little while our son, Christoper, will come and get me and then I will spend the remainder of my time here with them. He and Melissa have just returned from their vacation in Yellowstone so it has all worked out perfectly this week.  I love going to church with them.  They have a really fantastic ward and they are fun to visit.  They have wonderful teachers and I know we will come home edified after church and be ready for the new week.  It is wonderful to meet weekly with other Latter-day Saints.  They lift me so much and give a sense of community and fellowship that is very important in our spiritual lives.

I am hearing...The condo families leaving for church.  It is so unique to be in Utah in a neighborhood on a Sunday morning.  The people who live in this complex have church at 9:00.  So at ten to nine every door opens and out come all the families to jump in their cars and drive the five minutes to the church.  It is quite a sight really.  Dads and little boys in slacks and white shirts and ties and the moms dressed in their Sunday best along with the little girls in their pretty dresses.  Most have a baby in tow so slung over their shoulders are diaper bags.  Now it really is just me and the hamster.  Chris' ward meets at 11:00. 

One of my guilty pleasures...This week I'll have to say technology and how it has advanced all of our learning so much.  I was enthralled with all that is happening in my field in this area.  It is astonishing really and I love it.  The funny part of it is that if anyone had told me I'd be a computer geek today, twenty years ago I would have laughed out loud.  We just never know what the Lord has in store for us.  I love that about this life.

Pet Peeves...cats that try to run in the front door when there is no screen on it.  Every cat in the neighborhood has strolled by peered in at me and then had that look of... I think I'll just charge right in there and make myself at home.  LOL!  I am not chasing a cat around here in my church clothes so I have been watching them like a hawk.  Still I know if they do scamper up here I won't be able to catch them anyway.  Argh!  Then they have the option of running upstairs or downstairs to hide.  And they all know the floor plan here!  Funny, I think I'll close the door!

I am quoting... "The two most important days of your life are when you are born and when you figure out why." Author unknown

And the sharing of a sweet thought.  In the Polynesian culture when embracing another it is common to inhale deeply.  It is believed that in doing so you gather some of the essence of that beloved person to take with you when you part.

I am a hugger..I think this custom will stay with me.  I love the idea of it very much because it always seems like I am saying good-bye to someone that means something special to me.   The only consolation is in the process I am running towards someone else that means a lot. My wish is that we could all just live nearby.  But we make the best of it.  Life is good.

If I could change one thing it would be...That Jim had been with me here this week.  I have been missing him a lot.  We have been texting and phoning a lot.  He has had a productive week.  Looking forward to seeing him on Tuesday.  And another things I'd like to change..that Laura and Robert were completely moved into their new house and that was all behind them.  But they just spent their first night in their new house last night so that day is a little farther off yet. 

An enjoyable movie/ TV show we have watched lately...Haven't watched a thing this week.

I am curious about...so many things and I am thankful for that.  I will never be bored as long as I live.

Plans for the rest of the week...Church today with the family and a nice afternoon and evening together, tomorrow I am going to be in the BYU Library all day except for when I go to lunch with Chris.  Tuesday fly home and go straight to work until 9:00 pm.  Wednesday through next Sunday to be determined.
 

One of my favorite things...Evernote!

One thing that made me so happy this week...seeing our cousin and good friend, Steve, here at the conference.  I love that we had a little time to spend together as it has been two years since I have seen him.  He taught six classes at the conference.  He has mentored me in genealogy for almost three years.  I will always be so grateful for all his help.  He teaches in a language I can understand.

The most surprising thing this week...that is not unbearably hot here as it usually is in the summer.  And that even though my brain was fried I still felt so uplifted and energized by what happened here this week.  It was all I had hope for and more.

Some photos I am sharing this week...there are many family reunions in the summer and especially in Utah it seems.  Here is Lowell and little Hazie on a hike in southern Utah this week.  They will be home soon and tomorrow is Lowell's birthday.  Jen is such a great mom and wife.  Even though she will not be here because of her planned get away, she made him a beautiful cake and wrapped all the presents and invited Chris' family and me back over here tomorrow night for a little party. I just love that girl!  I hope she has a great time and a good rest on her little trip.

Happy Birthday 

to our wonderful son-in-law, Lowell. 

 Sure love this guy!

          Until we all return...happy day to you!

     ❤♡♥♡❤♡♥♡❤♡♥s, Bon