A Mormon Meme

This Mormon meme made me laugh out loud.

I love the humor of the Nephites using the Liahona which is run by a global positioning system!

The Grammy Tour - 1700 Miles and a Reflection

I am home! And I did it - I drove 1700 miles all by myself, and through mountains to boot. (Bonus props for that!)

I was nervous, but I knew that I had to do it - Craig could not go, and really, fear of heights and panic attacks in traffic keeping me from seeing my family? That just had to stop. So I prayed, I got blessings from Craig and from Cole, and I made it.

1700 miles later and I am grateful:

 -  that things went so well,

-  that I could meet Julie and Cambria, and help their parents out,

- that I did not have car trouble,

- that the dicey moments were very few and far between,

- that I could stay awake despite driving eight and nine hours at a time,

- and so much more!

One thing I noticed that was different from past trips, trips when Craig came along and we shared the driving - I didn't hurt this trip.

Normally when we travelled, my knees would ache and be painful, and I would need frequent breaks to get out and stretch them. When I'd leave the car, I would be stiff and limp for a while, and then getting back into the car would hurt. I'd be restless in the car, shifting positions, trying to get comfortable.

This time? No pain.

NONE.

No stiffness.

NONE.

No limping, no taking a double dose of Celebrex with extra strength Tylenol added in. Nothing.

Add to that grateful list above that I am thankful for the miracle of having joint replacement surgery and the effects that that surgery has on the quality of my life.

A Minion Perspective on Teaching

Lisa found this and posted it on my Facebook page. It made me smile, so I am including it here.

There's a bit of truth in it, that's for sure!

The Grammy Tour - a Nursery Ring Cycle

As I wrap up the Grammy Tour (part one; part two is next weekend when I go to Florida and meet little Whitney) I wanted to write down the songs I have been singing to Julie and Cambria this week. They're songs from Primary, and I sang them to my own babies when they were newly born. Funny how those same songs just popped out of my mouth as soon as I had a baby in my arms.

There are three of them, and I have usually sung them in this order (sort of like an opera ring cycle, although I certainly am not using my operatic voice to sing to the babies!)

The first song is simple but rich in meaning, and is a favorite world-wide among church members.

Sadly, copyrights prevent the Church from publishing the sheet music for the second song, but here are the lyrics.

God is Watching Over All

by Nellie Poorman

God has numbered in the sky, 

All the stars that shine on high,

Worlds so great and sparrows small,

God is watching over all.

And the third song in my nursery ring cycle is one of the first songs I learned when I joined the church.

Softly sung while rocking in a rocker, the nursery ring cycle is guaranteed to soothe fussy babies and give worn out mommies and daddies a break.

It also gives this grandmother a moment in time to cuddle her babies' babies and reflect back to when the nursery ring cycle was sung to her own little ones.

Reunion with an Old Friend

(The irony of reuniting with an old friend while learning of the death of another longtime dear friend the same day is not lost on me.)

The Whitehursts moved into Urbana in the mid to late 1980s so that Alan could attend the University of Illinois. Our families became very good friends, and our kids loved to get together and play. (Ask any of them, Whitehursts or Isenbargers, about the game Arrow of Darkness that they played in our basement. My children still talk about it whenever we get together, and Michelle was reminiscing fondly about it today.)

Alan is a professor at Southern Virginia University and that is only an hour away from Lynchburg. Plus, the Whitehursts are also in the same stake as Andrew and Jessica, and so they see each other frequently. (In fact, Bonnie Colleen had them over for  Christmas dinner!)

So, when she learned that I was coming to help Jessica with Cambria, Bonnie Colleen asked if we could get together sometime while I was in Lynchburg. Today was the day.

 Bonnie Colleen and me.

Michelle, Bonnie Colleen's oldest daughter, came, too. She is Lisa's age and they remain good friends.

 Michelle, Cambria, Bonnie Colleen, and Jessica.

We're older and a little more careworn than we were all those years ago, but we picked right up as though the years had not passed and talked for three hours straight.

The loss of a friend I've known since kindergarten, and a reunion with one I've known for thirty years. Such a whirlwind of emotions.

Looking at little Cambria, it comes home to me that life pushes on, regardless of the tugs and sways, the losses and the gains.

Life goes on.

The Loss of My Kindergarten Best Friend

Brenda Stern was my first best friend. We met in kindergarten and have remained in contact over the ensuing fifty years. Born with cystic fibrosis,  she beat the odds, living fifty-seven years.  Brenda married her college sweetheart, Mike Bussell, and had a daughter, Beth. (Her goal, she said to me after Beth's birth, was to live long enough to see Beth graduate from high school. Brenda met that goal and passed it - living to see Beth happily married several years ago.)

Rest in peace, Frito Brendito. Your friend Ducky will miss you.

 Brenda and Mike at Beth's wedding.

 Beth, Mike and Brenda several years ago.

Mother and daughter. 

Obituary for Brenda K. Bussell
Brenda K. Bussell, 57, of Pekin, IL passed away at 8:17 PM Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at Unity Point Methodist in Peoria, IL.
Brenda was born on December 14, 1956 in Aberdeen, MD to Bob and Peggy Jo (Mann) Stern. She married Michael S. Bussell on May 19, 1979 in Lafayette, IN.
Preceding in death is her father. Surviving is: her husband, Mike of Pekin; one daughter, Beth (Ryan) Gannaway of Bloomington, IL; her mother, Peggy Jo Stern of Haines City, FL; one brother, Doug (Pat) Stern of Haines City, FL; one sister, Debby Morris of Lake Whales, FL.

Brenda graduated from Indiana University in 1982. She had worked at First Investors Inc., Bee Windows and Staples in Jacksonville, IL and Pekin, IL retiring in 2010. 

Memorial services will be at 2:00 PM Sunday, February 23, 2014 at Henderson Funeral Home & Crematory 2131 Velde Dr. Pekin with Rev. Judy Doyle officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Sunday at the funeral home. 

Memorial contributions may be made to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Greater Illinois Chapter, 150 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1550, Chicago, IL 61601 or TAPS 100 Taps Lane, Pekin, L 61554.

The Grammy Tour - What's Wrong with this Picture?

Check this out - see any problems?

Neither did I. Until I went to change Cambria.

It's set up for a left handed mama, not a right handed Grammy.

I can now say that I can change a diaper ambidextrously!