Significant Subtlety

I walked in the door this morning after dropping kids off at school. My husband greeted me with a smile and a loving demand to give him a kiss. I leaned in and as he wrapped me in his arms he whispered, "Happy Anniversary".

*Gasp*

Now it's not that I forgot about the signifigance of this day. Just last week I was chatting with a friend and the topic of marriage came up (as it often does). I casually mentioned that we'd be celebrating our 14th anniversary at the baseball field. My main squeeze would be coaching our 6 year old's team and this old ball and chain would be at an adjacent field, in the stands cheering on our 8 year old.

We had a great day despite the lack of a formal celebration. He worked, repaired, bargained, loaded, did some bids, sweat, drove, coached, diapered and provided. I cleaned, organized, laundered, answered phones, scheduled jobs, taxied kids around, cooked, helped with homework, cheered, diapered, and nurtured. But this is just the life we live. We are happily wrapped up in each other. Always.

There was no exchange of gifts. We stole kisses and hugs from one another a few times more than we usually do in a day. I left the game I was watching to take him a cold drink from the snack bar. He cleaned up the kitchen after a picnic-style dinner of buffalo wings and veggie sticks. (Not too romantic, but homemade none-the-less.)

Today we "celebrated" 14 blissful years of marriage in our minds and in our hearts. We pondered on the last 14 years in the quiet moments of the day. Our journey together has afforded us opportunities to witness miracles both big and small... 4 of those miracles bring us both frustrations and joy on a daily basis. (I'm not counting the dogs. They mainly bring frustrations. Well, for me, anyway.)

I am a lucky girl to have this man as my eternal companion. It's cliche but he really is my best friend. We laugh often. I think it's one of our favorite things to do together. We have our inside jokes. We kiss and hug in front of the kids. We date. We text love notes to eachother.

It's true that this blog post might be the most attention that's been paid to our 14th Anniversary. I grabbed the camera and had one of my miracles snap a picture of us real quick before going up to bed. The day might have passed without much fanfare. But that doesn't mean it didn't hold any less emotion, appreciation, love or excitement at the prospects of eternity than some of our past years have.

We're just 14 short years into forever. And I can't wait for what's to come.

Just Can't Get Enough

Of these eyes...

Of this (sticky) mouth...

Of these little hands...

Of these cheeks...

Of this baby boy...

Thank you, Sir. May I have another?

If you've never heard of the Ragnar Relay Series then go here . Last weekend I had the opportunity to be part of a running team in the first ever Napa Valley Ragnar. San Francisco to Calistoga. 186 miles!! I absolutely loved it.

Highlights from the race.....

Sharing Van 1 with these people

(Caroline, Arnell, Me, Melinda, Mark, "Sanchez")


Finishing the race together as a team of 12

Running into friends on another team and getting to visit with them throughout the race.

No picture of Debbie but had fun texting with her and sharing hugs at every exchange!!

Running through beautiful areas



Having a "slumber party" in the hotel room.

(I forgot my camera but would have loved a picture of Brandon sleeping on the window seat and "Sanchez" sleeping under a table.)

One of the slogans of the Ragnar Series is "Run. Drive. Rest? Repeat"

RUN

I was lucky runner #1 which means I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, 2 of my 3 runs were early, early in the morning. Downside? Having to run with a reflective vest, headlamp, and "taillight". Upside? Only having to run one of my legs in the heat of the day!

DRIVE

Decorating your ride is a must in Ragnar. Our team name was "Thrill of Victory... Agony of Da' Feet". It was fun to see how creative peoople got with their team names and their vans.

REST

Don't be fooled by our casual cuddling. Rest was a hard thing to do. I personally found this part harder than the running.

REPEAT

Yes, I will definitely repeat!! Call me crazy, but I think I'm addicted!!

"I Am"

Keeping in the homework assignment theme, this is an assignment that Beau did a few years ago in 2nd grade. I loved it so much I have had it hanging inside the pantry door. It's obvious what he loves to do, what a sweetheart he his, and what he dreams about.

I Am

I am Beau

I see books

I hear dirt bikes

I touch dirt bikes

I taste chocolate

I smell 2 stroke gas

I am helpful

I wonder how my family feels

I hope my family is happy

I wish I get first place trophy

I know we have fun

I love my family

I am Beau

In a million words or less....

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. If I don't hurry up I'll have a year's worth of pictures and events to post about all at once. (yikes). Thank goodness for a friend who urged me to do this post. Hopefully it will get me back into blogging mode. I've definitely missed it.

So.

It's been almost 15 years since I've been assigned homework by a teacher. Who would have thought that sending my daughter off to 7th grade would change that? Her Language Arts teacher sent home an assignment for the parents to tell her about your child in "a million words or less". So... for posterity's sake, here it is. (I can neither confirm nor deny whether Brandon got teary eyed and choked up when I read it to him. I'm just sayin'.)

Million Word Assignment

My daughter, Mercedes Sowards, is an amazing young woman and I feel lucky to have her as my oldest child. She is a very responsible person and not only is she fun to be around but she is very helpful here at home with her three younger brothers. I feel very envious of her teachers who get to spend the day with her. I miss her when she’s gone but I know that when she is away she is learning lessons both academically and socially that will shape her into the woman she will someday be.
Mercedes has enjoyed school ever since she was in Kindergarten. She always received above satisfactory marks as well as great compliments from every one of her teachers. Once she started earning letter grades in 4th grade she came to realize how much fun it was to receive A’s on her report card. She made the decision to strive for straight A’s all through school and thus far she has been able to accomplish that. She’s even gone as far as to tell her 5th grade teacher at the beginning of the school year what her intentions were, grade-wise, and challenged him to teach her well so she could study the material and “ace” her tests so as to complete her first goal of earning Principles List for all of her elementary school years. Mercedes becomes discouraged if she earns a B on a test or assignment but takes that as her cue to regroup and plow ahead in order to make up for it.
Mercedes is an avid reader. She loves most books but as of late has found it hard to sit through any type of fairy tale or mythical material of any kind. She is currently reading the Hunger Games series for the fourth or fifth time, I’ve lost track. She started reading the Harry Potter books when she was in 3rd or 4th grade but although she loves the movies she’s lost interest in the books. Some would say she is quite sheltered as we have not allowed her to read the Twilight series or see the movies yet. Mercedes once asked me why that was. True to her naturally obedient form she has never once questioned my parental judgment on the matter again.
Mercedes is quite the “girly tomboy”. She loves clothes, makeup, shopping, dancing, and has even had a few crushes. But she also owns a dirt bike, loves to surf with her dad and brothers, wakeboards, skates and feels immense pride when she beats any of the boys at running. She was quite disappointed that sports have been cut from Rancho. She ran Cross Country as a 6th grader and was ready to join the Track and Field team.
Mercedes is a friend in every sense of the word. She has her close friends that seem to be attached at the hip but she is very aware of those around her who might need a friend. When courage to extend herself to these lonely ones fails her she is at least good for a friendly smile and a shy “hello”. She is very loyal and even when she has been hurt or has felt left out she is very quick to forgive as well as forget.
My word count at the end of this sentence will be 556. Trust me; I could fill volumes with praises and outspoken love and adoration for my only daughter. But I know that there are many other wonderful students you still are waiting to read about. I hope my “Million Word Assignment”, though much less than a million words, has given you some insight to my daughter and what a great girl and student she is. She is very loved here at home and I am confident that you will soon know why. Take good care of her, please. She’s worth more than a million. A million dollars, a million words … a million anything.

Civic Duties

Remember how the early bird caught the worm? That poor worm got up early, too and what good did it do him? What an ironic end to what probably started out as a beautiful, Spring day. I think it'd be fair to say that his early rise turned out to be quite an inconvenience. Well so is jury duty!!!

I'm baffled at some of my fellow citizens and their excuses as to why they can't serve.

"I'm highly claustrophobic and get anxious in enclosed spaces. I even have a hard time in the back seat of a car." (Lucky me.... this guy is Juror #4)

"I have health issues and sitting down for long periods of time makes my ankles swell and it's not good for my arthritis either." (Seriously? Judging from the way you walked in here, Ms. Cankles I'm sure sitting down for long periods of time is EXACTLY what you do all day....probably tuned in to The People's Court anyway. Why not stay awhile and experience the real thing? No? Okay, dismissed.)

"I got a problem wit' authority." (Buh-bye. Dang. That was too easy. Why didn't I think of that one?)

"I have two daughters. One is only a year and she's used to being around me all day. I just don't think I could leave her." (Hello. Meet my 10 month old son who is also used to being around his mommy all day. Sorry he's not very friendly at the moment. He's been riding around in a truck all day with his daddy so that his mother could be a responsible citizen.)

"I pretty much have a strong animosity toward Distric Attorneys. Why? Oh, because of my previous experience going to trial for narcotic abuse, narcotic posessions & narcotic sales. I think the DA likes to make things up to sound more interesting. But I guess I could be impartial and fair." (Really? What would make you think that? Oh... the narcotics. Right.)

"I really want to serve on this jury. I've been a juror before and it was a great experience. But is there any way that we could start tomorrow around 1 pm so that I can get in touch with all of my clients first?" (Sure. Because of course the Defendant and the DA and the rest of us jurors all agree that the world revolves around you. NOT! But welcome back to jury duty, Juror #11!)

"Sorry, I donta speaka English." (Unless you say something like, "Okay. This is a unique instance. I understand your situation. You're excused from this responsibility." ....I understand that phrase muy bien!!)


So I guess I'll be dropping off the social grid for a few days. I'll be missing my babies, my hubby, my laundry, my Scouts, my vacuum, my errands, my mop, my friends, my music, my business calls... to name a few. But I'll do my best and look forward to the promise of 365 days without a Jury Summons popping up in the mail. What a sarcastic "reward", this Jury Duty service. But it's one of the things that makes our country great.



Proud to be an (inconvenienced) American,
Juror #6

To Mercedes

Long before the time you can remember
Our Father held you in His arms so tender.
Those loving arms released you as He sent you here to Earth.
He said, "My child, I love you. Don't forget your great worth."

Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God.
Be strong, please remember who you are.
Try to understand, you're part of His great plan.
He's closer than you know. Reach up, He'll take your hand.

It wasn't the first time I cried while singing that song. But this time it was different. You were sitting right next to me. You. My 12 year old daughter. My only daughter. It made me think of how I used to tenderly hold you in my own arms. Could it really have been that long ago? The time is flying at me and I'm really not prepared. Is it possible to look forward to tomorrow and all that it has in store for you while at the same time long for the yesterdays?

You are a daughter. You are my daughter. But more importantly you are His daughter. A daughter of God. You are part of an eternal plan. You are part of an eternal family. My eternal family. Everything you've been taught thus far and all of the lessons to come are teaching you to walk tall. And you've been a good 'student'. But you know what? You've been an even better teacher.

My teacher.

We Gave Thanks

Over Thanskgiving Break we spent 10 days with people, in places, and with things that we are indeed greatful for....






We gave thanks for connections made (and connections kept) with mission companions. For the memories relived. The abundant laughter. Of our children's acceptance of one another.

We gave thanks for friendship. The oldest kind imaginable. Where there was never a time without that bond. Where generations before us had already created memories of their own together and then watched as we did the same. For the sharing of mothers and grandmothers. The second home (that was just 2 doors down). For the ease of reunion as if time and distance had never made it's interruption. For the promise to make more time in the future. For "Sister Friends".

We gave thanks for weather. A different kind of weather that is found about 6,000 feet above our very comfortable climate here at sea level. The kind of weather that offers four seasons. The smell of static in the air and the shock of it on my fingertips as they brush a child's cheek or grasp a door handle. Struggling to catch leaves mid fall. Praying to stay on icy roads. My children's fascination at holding frozen water in their hands. Capturing the token of a promise made long ago.

We gave thanks for family. Cousins. Aunts. Uncles. Grandparents. Great-Grandparents. Siblings. Nephews. Nieces. Parents.

We gave thanks for delicious food. For sharing our thoughts and shedding some tears over heaping plates. For mass quantities of soda (100 oz to be precise). For having enough and for having excess.

We gave thanks for temples. For forever families. For covenants. For
Freedom to worship the way we believe. The way we know. To stand in holy places. For scriptures. For missionaries. For those who stayed faithful despite persecution at it's worst.

We gave thanks for all this and more. For sharing childhood places, people, and memories with my children. For the visit back home. Not home as a location; one made of wood, stucco, and cement or a valley nestled in the mountains. But home as in people. Special beings that we've shared pieces of time with, having gleaned something (many things) from each of them that have shaped us into who we are today. We huddled closely with these people, this home, and together... We Gave Thanks.