Two Dozen.

Happy Birthday, Little Mama!

In honor of this special day, I thought it would be fun to do some side-by-sides.

 Baby carriers circa 1991 v 2014

Eyewear circa 1991 v 2014 

Mamas lovin' their baby girls... 

I'm so proud of the wonderful woman you've become.

I hope this is a wonderful year!

My birthday advice for you:

(source)

Love you, baby!

Resistance Is Futile.

I couldn't resist a shout out to my main man on this special occasion of our 27th Anniversary.

And I can't resist sharing one of our my favorite stories from very early on in our journey of marital bliss.

Bill had kindly shared the journals-from-his-youth with me, and let me tell you, he was a record-keeper in his teen years (great for a good belly laugh every now and then). In one of his entries he detailed how he had memorized the words to Lionel Richie's song Hello for his high school heart-throb, hoping to sing it to her in a tender, romantic moment (which, so unfortunately, never happened). 

I've teased him for the past 27 years that I'm waiting to hear it. 

And I've been waiting for a long, long time.

And since I've been encompassed about in wedding invites and wedding day details lately, I couldn't resist posting {for memory's sake} our beautiful wedding invitation.

Note the perfect big hair (on both of us), the detailed "torn" edge, and the gold trim.

(Gold is coming back, you know. Lex's wedding will have a lot o' gold accents. So on trend. I'm STILL waiting for those 80's bangs to make their way back around.)

May I add What were we thinking? to that 8am temple time?

Thankfully Lex has selected a more reasonable hour to seal the deal.

The morning of March 12, 1988, we were up bright and early.

I did my own make-up, hair, and nails, and felt happy of myself (can't resist that phrase) that it was a great hair day. I donned my snappy green suit, and Bill arrived in his skinny red tie. We may have looked a tad Christmas-y as we popped a stick of gum in our mouths, climbed into Bill's sporty red Ford Tempo, and sped away to the temple. 

Note to Lex and all future brides: skip the gum.

As depicted in our shoulder-propped camcorder-recorded VHS video so kindly produced by my BIL Stan, a nervous anxious excited bride-to-be may possibly look very much like a cud-chewing cow as she chomps away on that little stick of gum walking into the temple. Thankfully I tossed it before the ceremony.

There is absolutely no resisting the mention of the white tuxedo.

 Just in case you were wondering who the groom was that day...

I've had enough fun.

I feel privileged, blessed, and honored, Bill, to have you as my eternal companion.

You are the best.

(Bill's attempt at reenacting Mauri's pose in her amazing self-portrait.)

I love your irresistible wit, eyes (so alluring), easy smile, compassion, kindness, and diligence.

I think I'll memorize this thought to recite to you, my beloved, in a tender, romantic moment:

(source)

Or I could sing Hello to you. You choose.

Happy Anniversary!

Earnest Endeavor.

The other super exciting news around here is that this girl

is going to serve a mission 

for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

She has put so, so much time into the weighty decisions of life over the past few months. She has read and re-read her Patriarchal Blessing. She has earnestly sought answers through prayer. She thought she had it figured out (she had applied to the Aveda Beauty School in Provo), but recently received a clear answer to serve a mission.

I'm excited because she's so darn excited.

We are trying to fast-track the application process because she would like to get her call before the semester is over, and we'd like her to get it in time to go through the temple before Lex's BIG day. 

A mom can dream, can't she?

Cheyenne has decided to serve a mission, too!

You know these girls are going to give 'em Heaven.

They will both be phenomenal missionaries... they have had years of practice!

Love you guys!

Showered.

I helped out with a bridal shower this past weekend. 

This cute girl is marrying a farm boy, so we had fun with the theme.

I was not the creative genius behind this fun display, but thought it was adorable.

I was, however, in charge of the refreshments.

I'll have to admit I was pretty brain dead and couldn't for the life of me come up with something I felt was "doable" for me, so after polling every friend I talked to for two weeks, my friend and neighbor Misty had the winning idea: Italian sodas (I had most of the stuff for those already) + Copycat Swig drinks (my addition). Since every sweet drink needs something salty and/or crunchy, I decided on a popcorn bar to accompany the sodas.

I told these two ladies that I had some pretty good blackmail photos of them from years ago...

Of course I'm gonna post them here.

It's definitely wedding season around these parts!

We are counting down to Lexee's festivities.

That day she's been dreaming of since 1997...

It's all so exciting!!

I have more exciting news to share in my next post... stay tuned!

Tears.

After work yesterday, I came home to pay bills.

It had been a pretty good day at the salon until my last two appointments.

The second-to-last went long; the last came, waited for 15 minutes, then left.

I finished with the first client 2 minutes later.

Since I had scheduled the last appointment past my self-determined end-time (so I can be home for Mar when she gets home from school), I tried to brush it off. I quickly sent an apology text, offered several times to reschedule, cleaned up, and headed home.

A friend of mine had stopped by the salon earlier in the day to bring me a belated birthday gift: a caramel filled dark chocolate cupcake with whipped cream topping. It looked amazing and was such a sweet, thoughtful thing for her to do. I brought it home and gifted it to Mauri. Mar asked, "Are you sure you don't want any?" "No," I answered, "I just want someone to give me Hi-Chews."

As I pulled out the bills, some still unopened from the weeks before, I was frustrated to get a fairly large doctor bill that I wasn't expecting. In order to find a solution to why I feel 47-turning-80 (+ a broken toe... which I swear is STILL swollen, discolored, and broken), I have had a myriad of appointments with various doctors of one kind or another. In the past three months of specialists (rheumatologist, ophthalmologist, podiatrist) and several new medications (one of which requires constant blood testing to make sure it doesn't damage the... liver? I think), I do not feel any different than when I started. As I was trying to calmly manage my frustration, Lex texted me that she had finally, finally got her implant capped. She has waited such a long time and I could tell she was happy to fill the gap in her teeth, BUT... it was not a great color match. And this was the second try for the dentist's office. I felt somewhat irritated that a DENTIST, who specializes in TEETH, and who charges a BOATLOAD for a simple cap/crown, cannot simply match (at least somewhat closely) the color of Lex's natural teeth. She said she planned to whiten before the wedding anyway, and was content to leave it be.

In between all this, my newly-updated computer, which has an apparent aversion to being updated, kept randomly shutting down. Exasperated, I decided to go pick up a few things because the home teachers were coming over later that evening.

I was feeling pretty down and said a quick prayer for patience and endurance as I reminded myself what we've been discussing in my Sunday School class. Life is full of challenges and bad days - it's our job to use our agency wisely, have faith in the plan, and endure to the end.

I went to grab a box that was sitting by the front door. I had assumed it was something Bill had ordered for the ward. When I picked it up, I saw MY name on it.

From Taylor and Lynnea.

When I opened it I could not stop crying. Even now I am teary eyed just thinking about what a sweet, tender mercy it was to receive such a surprise gift. Which included a Costco-size bag of Hi-Chews. And the sweetest note ever.

I just had to capture the memory so I can cherish it forever.

I have the best family.

I love you guys!

It Is Better To Look Up.

I love this thought I ran across some time ago: "Talking about our problems [stresses, anxieties, failures] is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys."

I'll break out of my recent habit of posting about the things that are causing me anxiety, and post today about a few awesome things that have been woven in between the stress.

Last Saturday morning, there was glitter in the sky. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. In reality, it was light, fluffy snowflakes, gently floating and sparkling in the sunlight. I tried to capture it on the point-and-shoot... this was the best I could do.

Later that same day, we attended a Going Home Celebration for a baby in our ward.

The service was beautiful.

I was so amazed at the family of this sweet little boy. They are true examples of faith in our Heavenly Father's plan. I hope I can be like them in the face of seemingly unbearable challenges.

(The color-copied re-edited programs turned out BEA-U-TI-FUL. Much better than my lowly printer could do. It was a tender mercy. Things I've learned: color copies at Office Depot are awesome, and their customer service is so, so much better than Staples. I'll be using them again, for sure.)

I had a birthday. I'm not big on a BIG celebration... not because I'm concerned about getting older, I just don't love being the focus of attention. As I was scrolling quickly through facebook before I rolled out of bed that morning, I came across a totally over-the-top 10-picture post by my beloved in honor of the special day. I jumped out of bed and headed downstairs to the office where he still sat at the computer. I told him I truly appreciated his sentiment, and I knew his intentions were good, but would he mind removing the post? He took no visible offense, and quickly deleted it. 

Things went up from there.

Yes, I feel loved and appreciated. I have amazing family, friends, and neighbors.

I thought it was hilarious that Bill called Britt to correct her age typo on this cute Instagram. He had missed our family video chat the evening before, where I had told my kids I was going to start telling people I was 57... so I can hear "You look so young!" more frequently. Hah!

I spent a lot o' time on the phone with family, and chatted with several friends in person and via text.

Bill and Mar took me out for dinner.
(I was talking to Lynnea and Tay as Bill snapped this pic.)

Note: I had NOT taken a moment to even check my hair before heading out to dinner. I had been lounging on the sofa talking on the phone for a good hour prior to leaving, and had spent the morning at the salon {working}. I realized that I probably looked pretty disheveled when at one point in the evening I touched my hair and felt a big pouf of looseness/craziness in the back. Oh well.

Since my recent eye exam, my need for granny glasses has increased exponentially. If I want better vision for distance, my near vision (with my contacts) is horrendous. So I HAD to have Mar snap a granny (and poppy) pic.

After our delish dinner, Bill took Mar and I to Lush to pick out a bath bomb.

I couldn't resist choosing GRANNY TAKES A DIP.

Bill had also brought me some beautiful flowers. Love him.

I also love this quote:

"Experience has taught me that if we... exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy. We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance - and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction." (Elder Carl B. Cook)

Goals accomplished: 

Invitations in the mail!

Ward History delivered!

woot! woot!

I think I'll go take a bath now.