Learning

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to DANCE IN THE RAIN.

I love this picture of Shematite. This was our front yard in Panguitch (2001?)during a torrential August downpour. She went outside to dance in the rain like my girls always do. They are a great example to me. I came across the saying written above recently and really liked it.

It reminds me to relax in the effort, have fun in the adventure, feel the intensity and appreciate what the rain actually does.

What I did this weekend.

Friday~
Got up at 6:15
Did laundry.
Cleaned the bathroom.
Took Scout to meet and pick up her Dearest Friend from down south. Was ecstatically surprised when Shematite appeared also! DF's parents went to Cedar City (an hour out of their way) and picked her up and brought her and DF up for a weekend visit! Thank heavens for "deer day" in Southern Utah to lengthen their weekend a little bit.
Grocery shopped.
Fixed dinner.
Did dishes.
Watched Sense & Sensibility with Shematite.

Saturday~
Got up at 6:30
Did laundry.
@ 7:30 Played 5 games of volleyball with the women of the ward. Very fun workout!
Helped Mayflower make more sugar cookie dough.
5th cold, rainy Saturday in a row.
Soooo...
Took all 5 girls to the hot springs in Ogden Canyon in the rain.
Came home, cleaned up, and went Birthday shopping with Scout and Shematite with DF along as fashion consultant and confidante. Actually I think Scout and I were the fashion consultants for DF and Shematite on this trip. The Rock was a very gentlemanly chauffeur ;) The rain has turned to snow.
Got home and fixed dinner. Sent Scout to work.
Rock did dishes.
Shematite and I put Scout's new bedding and curtains (birthday wishes) in her room.
We then went to Mt. Ogden Middle School's production of MULAN to support "cousin" Keigh. He played Captain Shang. So Fun! Still precipitating - back to rain again.
10:00 p.m. Did more laundry and read through my Sunday lesson.
10:45 p.m. Scout drove home safe from work in the rain. I can go to bed now. After I put some clothes in the dryer...

SUNday~
6:30 a.m.
Got up and got ready for church. Beautiful blue sky, crisp air, golden leaves and the smell of wood smoke.
Started the dryer again 'cause the towels weren't dry yet.
9am Gave my lesson.
10- ish Choir practice to sing in church today.
10:40 Gave the closing prayer in Sunday School.
Choir sang in Sacrament meeting.
YW presidency mtg after church.
Got home and made frosting for the sugar cookies.
The Rock did the dishes.
Took all the girlies to MRR for a visit with Grandma and GRandpa (and roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, salad and carrots). Had brownies and ice cream for Scout's birthday, peach pie for Shematite's up-coming birthday and sugar cookies 'cause Mayflower made them. It is here that Shematite informs us that she will probably be back up in a couple of weeks to see Michex in the WHS play "BEAUTY and the BEAST". She's a cupcake. I just like saying that. She's a cupcake! Go ahead, see if you can say it without smiling.
5 pm. Hugged DF and Shematite good bye, kissed The Rock and watched them drive away to the meeting place in Nephi. Still sunny and crisp.
6:30 pm. Walked to the park to watch the sunset.
7:30 pm. Started blogging. Here's a picture of Ben Lomond from the park with my cell phone. Have a nice night. I'm kind of tired. One more load of laundry...

Way to Bee!

I got stung by a bee today. It was stuck inside my pant leg right at my sock line. My leg was kind of busy keeping my foot in the stirrups. I was not able to swat the bee away because my hands were busy holding the reins. I was holding onto the reins with a fairly decent grip while hoping that Wayfarer and I could avoid the wild bee's nest that Wildbound and Shrek (the horse) had just kicked up and walked through as we rode on the mountain near MRR. I heard the hum and felt the sting just as the bees were starting to swarm all around WB and Shrek. Shrek started to sidestep and buck. I didn't want to yell. WB was cool as a cucumber as she instructed me to get Wayfarer down to the trail quickly. He was starting to shimmy and shake also, so I was glad to get to the trail, get the bee out of my pants, check the horses for any stow-aways and jump back in the saddle and take off at a nice canter! Yea! Those big boys got us out of that "hornet's nest" quickly and efficiently. What a fun ride! Thank you Wayfarer and Shrek.
I needed a little adventure today. But most of all, I needed the invitation.
Thank you, Wildbound. Let's do it again.

Yummy Autumn

So. What does one do 3 rainy, yucky, snowy Saturdays in a row? Certainly an attempt was made to clean the house. And parts of it are cleaner. But to have all the house all clean all at once seems to be a goal that is slightly out of reach for a mom that can't yell to the kids to "come back". You all know what I mean. They go and do a job or put something away like you asked them to and then they don't come back. They disappear. Ah, but I digress. What did we do? BAKED! Mayflower made the dough all by herself, with only one slight measuring mishap, Michex and I made the frosting and we all had fun! Cousins Lemur and Rivulet got into the action last night, too. Making sugar cookies is a favorite memory I have with my Mom. Yum.

Spasmodic Dysphonia - What the !@$!?

I got a head cold that changed my voice and didn't "go away".
Talking on the phone is very difficult.
My voice varies week to week, day to day, hour by hour.
Talking in a higher pitch sounds better although it is more difficult.
I never know how my voice will sound when I speak. Sometimes it sounds just fine.
I can sing.
I can laugh.
I can talk quietly for a longer length of time.
Trying to talk over any kind of background noise is virtually impossible and very frustrating.
I don't want to talk at work or church any more than I have to.

After 3 months of therapy my speech therapist said, "Hmm. This might be spasmodic dysphonia (for which there is not a known medical cure). You should see the voice disorder doctor in Salt Lake. He treats this disorder with Botox injections in your vocal cords." (EW! Yuck! I have never heard of this neurological disorder, let alone the treatment.) I thought I might get his opinion anyway. Come to find out Dr. Smith is not a preferred provider on my insurance. So...
I am taking an anti-spasmodic herbal tincture with lobelia and other things in it. Yum. I am going to see my chiropractor this week. I am doing Yoga every morning along with some EFT and visualization techniques. I will keep you all posted (pun intended)!