April...

The past week has been pretty busy.   I loved conference, duh! But during the Sunday sessions Rich started to notice that he was having some kind of discomfort in his chest.  It seemed intermittent and I wasn't worried too much.  By Monday it seemed to be a more constant presence and he tried to get an appointment with his cardiologist.  Suffice it to say, nothing was available and since the pain didn't feel like an actual heart attack, he made an appointment with Dr. May for Tuesday.  He just didn't seem to be on his game and so he went to his physical therapywe spent the day doing "stuff" that was around here and where we could be lazy.

Tuesday came and Rich received a message of that Dr. May was out sick, so she was canceling.  Rich asked to talk to Rita, her nurse, and explained what was happening and she was able to get him an appointment with Dr. Cuthbertson.  So - off we went.  I decided to sit in the car and wait rather than be a distraction.  However, it wasn't too long before I got a call to come into his office.  He explained that there needs to be two of three or four heart attack indicators to know if a heart attack is happening and because of the "branch bundle block" (a heart configuration that a very small number of people have), it makes reading an EKG very difficult, if not impossible, for heart attack symptoms.  And their lab doesn't have the ability to get a heart enzyme reading.  So he recommended that he call in an emergency crew and take him to the hospital via ambulance.  And we said, "ok!"  Since Rich's cardiologist works out of Parkwest, we went there.  After 4 hours, it was determined that the heart enzymes were normal, the X-Ray looked okay, the EKG hadn't changed, and the pain wasn't increasing (or diminishing for that matter), and a consultation with Dr. Blackey (his cardiologist), it was determined that we could go home as long as we made follow-up appointments with Dr. May and Dr. Blackey.

Wednesday he saw Dr. May.  She feels there must be something going on...maybe lungs...maybe heart...maybe gastro.  Who knows at this point?  But, since he has problems with all three, we'll start the investigation with Dr. Blackey since that is the more immediate concern.  We have an appointment with him tomorrow.  My guess is that we'll end up scheduling a stress test or a catherization to rule out the heart, one way or the other.  In the meantime, he is still presenting with pain and discomfort that doesn't seem to go away.  At times it is less pronounced...but still there.  I wish there was something I could do.  I suspect that the most difficult thing about this is the not knowing.  Isn't that the way it always is?  So, maybe more answers tomorrow...but probably not! 

The rest of the week I tried to get in some gardening and organ practice.  Our gardens in the front were really neglected last year due to all our health issues.  And it shows!   On Saturday, Julio came to help and he helped by mowing and weed-eating the yards.  I was working in the front house beds and I was sad that the pine "tree" on the left side of the house was impossible to get standing upright.  We've had problems with that tree for the entire time we've been here!  Close inspection showed that the root ball was coming up out of the ground and so Julio tried to dig a bigger hole for it.  However, the roots were just circling in a very tight little ball instead of branching out...there was nothing to keep it standing...like trying to balance a beach ball on top of a tennis ball.  I had him pull it out...and the tree on the other side too.  We want to put on a front veranda style porch in a couple of years so they would need to be pulled then anyway...just sad and glad it is now.  I worked at pulling weeds for a while, and digging up a space in the grass that has moss for grass instead if grass.  However, by about 4 pm I was hammered and I knew Rich was too.  We put things away and headed to Costco for a few things.  Came home and put stuff away and headed to the church so I could practice.   

Yesterday was pretty good for me...except the organ!  *sigh*!  I hadn't figured out what I was going to do for Primary music by Saturday night...just decided to sleep on it.  By Sunday morn I knew what I wanted but slept in...yikes!  So I tried to grab the things I needed to do music, only to find that the DVD that was sitting on my desk ISN'T!   Nor is it in any of my files!  I couldn't spend anymore time looking so just left.  My brain just kept churning and churning...that may have been why I had trouble with the organ! Lol. When I got to Primary I also discovered I had no pianist and no possibilities in sight!   So - everything that I had thought I would do wasn't going to work anyway, as the gal that came to fill in for me is great with some notice...but I was going to be throwing things at her cold...not a great combo.  So mid-stream I revamped and simplified.  I went to the library and got pics of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve and sheets of paper (one for each child).  I shared with them that many years ago, in Europe, when the King wanted to send out information for his subjects, he would send out a "crier".  I told them that often the crier would announce his coming with a few blows of fanfare from his trumpet and then he would deliver the very important message or proclamation.  Then I shared that the King of Kings (Jesus) had a very, very, very important message that he needed to send and he had done that through his criers, the Prophet and the the apostles.  I told them that the song we would be learning had taken some of its words right from this important message..."THE FAMILY - A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD".  

I reviewed the words of the song, "The Family is of God", and shared the words from the proclamation and had our pianist play through the melody.  Then, we made "trumpets" and blew our "fanfare" to announce the song.  The kids loved it!  Even my senior girls who are usually a little surly.  Then I told them that we would play "freeze" ... I would sway back and forth and call, "freeze!" occasionally and see if they were freezing like me.  Again, they loved it.  They sang their hearts out!  In the end I was able to bear testimony to the importance of this proclamation from The Lord and to encourage them to do everything they could to strengthen their families.

Afternoon Delight :)

► 2:57► 2:57

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz1ex78QeQI

Jun 21, 2010 - Uploaded by retroj25

Original promo video for "Afternoon Delight" from 1976. This was the only hit in Australia for ...

Currently there is a cute commercial out by Taco Bell that utilizes a #1 hit song of 1976 that I absolutely loved, Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight".  The commercial capitalizes on the catchy tune and suggestive lyrics to sell their wares.  And the tune IS catchy and it IS suggestive and just plain fun.

We had just returned to the States as this was riding its wave of popularity back in 1976 and of course the airwaves reverberated with this tune.  It was just a few weeks after our arrival in the states and we had a new baby, Joey, moved into our new home, and life was good.  We (Rich and I) still had opportunity now and then to find some afternoon delight, between naps, extended lunch hours, and the demands of work and two little children.  I still smile at those memories....

One day, I was with my Mom, and the song came on and I was surprised to find Mom singing with it.  I remember looking at her and wondering for just a brief moment, if she really knew or understood the lyrics lol!  It was obvious that she did! Lol. Of course she did!  And she caught my glance and we both started to laugh.  Then she shared that it was one of her favorite songs too.  It was one of those moments when you, as an adult, catch a glimpse of your parents as young and carefree, and also as the sexual and intimate partners they are instead of just your PARENTS!  Lol. Rich and I watch the commercial now and there is a couple that are older in it and we just have to chuckle as we remember Mom.   

April Conference 2014

The past few evenings, as I've prepared to blog, our internet has "gone down".   We've been experiencing power outages and had some terrific thunder storms...perhaps that is the the reason.  It occurs to me, at this moment, that perhaps I could have blogged the pages and posted later...but I don't really know if that works, but it's something I can investigate for future outages.  Again, it would be nice if I understood so much more about the computer. :)

Today was the first day of our annual General Conference.  It consists of a morning session, an afternoon session, and the Priesthood session for the men in the evening.  I always look forward to Conference and this year, the yearning for it seemed intense and l think I'm not the only one who feels this way.  It is not difficult to see, hear, and feel our secular society spiraling out of control...what is good is called bad and what is bad is called good and if you are trying to advocate for righteousness, it certainly feels like stones will soon be cast your way.  Still, there are many, many more who hold similar views and worries, even not of our faith...just too often we're bullied into silence by the other forces.

Conference seemed to address these growing concerns...how to live as a disciple of the Savior and yet also stand immoveable in the winds of our time.  The talks seemed perfectly prepared just for my aching soul.  I can't wait to be able to read them, although I have recorded them.  Today I am eager for the last two sessions...although I feel sad that they are the last two...too bad we can't have the three days of my youth.

Rich and I had gone to Sam's on Firiday, to pick up pies for the Priesthood session.  The men of our two wards usually gather together the hour previous to the session for pie and ice cream.   I had set our dvr to record all of the sessions earlier and had noted that the Priesthood session was going to be on BYUtv - a departure from previous conferences.  I recorded it too and told Rich about it.   Both of us were intrigued, and I was especially hoping it wasn't because of the insipid women who have been clamoring for their right to have the priesthood.  When Rich left for his session, I settled in to watch some hallmark tv and work on some cross stitch.  However, I was interested to know if the change had been addressed at his session.

When he got home, about 10:45 pm (we're on east coast daylight savings time), I asked Rich how his session had been and he was eager to share his thoughts...and about the fun he'd had with his guys with the pie and ice cream.  :)  I finished watching my hallmark movie (10 minutes) and then he wanted me to hear at least the first talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks so we turned to the dvr...and it was such a great session that we listened to the entire thing!  We didn't get to bed until nearly 1:30!  

There has been a movement from some women in the Church, over the last few years, who've been actively campaigning for the Priesthood.  They've even gone so far as to declare a certain Sunday as "wear slacks to Church day" and have tried to to promote and even encourage women throughout the Church to wear slacks on that Sunday as a push for solidarity.  Largely, I think, it has failed.  There have been a few women who've joined in, mostly because they have been persuaded by the argument but don't really see the dangers of this movement.  The blogs and social media within my circle of friends have mostly ignored this stupidity...somewhat like ignoring gnats.  However, there have been a couple who have been vocal advocates and some who've flirted with the ideas...perhaps in jest...maybe even sarcastically.  Needless to say my hackles go up, my irritation rises, and my alarm bells go off when I hear and read such nonsense because I so worry about those who may be caught in the snares of the adversary.  My life experience has taught me that as women go, we're usually mostly concerned about "micro" issues.  That isn't meant to be condescending or any such thing...it is a fact of life, I think.  We're made that way!  Our concerns are for our families, the here and now, the immediate, the things that affect and effect our lives on the "cellular" level.  We inherently know that "as the family goes, there goes society".  And it is within our sphere that we have any control!  Lol. Rightly, it is where we spend our time, energy, and capital.  It is for the nurturing, protecting, teaching, loving, and development of the most important and helpless among us...our children, our aging parents, and the poor and needy.  We live and work in that "micro-cosm" and that is where our concerns are most often focused.  It isn't to say that we aren't aware of the "macro" - indeed we are, and we see what is happening to the macro and how it is affecting us in the micro...just sometimes...and some would argue that it is most times :)...our advocacy and our urgency for the concerns we face sometimes overwhelms us and we connot see the forest for the trees...the immediacy of our concerns and our focus can cause us to be somewhat myopic, forgetting, not seeing, not understanding, or maybe not even valuing the "macro".  

My life experience has also taught me that men, most often, live and work in the "macro" - literally and figuratively!  Lol  They are also "compartmentalized" - a fact that so often, as women, we deride, minimize, and mock because we easily "multi-task" and mistakenly assume it is superior to the "compartmentalized" focus of men.  Last night, during the Priesthood Session, one of the speakers warned the brethren against "multi-tasking"!  I had to chuckle to myself, knowing that so often, we as sisters, get frustrated by the total focus of our "compartmentalized" men, and they get harassed by us because of it, and yet the irony is that their efforts to multi-task are the exact things that drive us nuts and the Elder was warning about!  Lol. When we're talking to them, we want their full focus and attention!  When we're on a date, we want their full attention!  When we're needing their help, we want and need their full attention!  Poor guys!!!  They can't win for losing!  And we, as sisters, need to appreciate their "compartmentalized" and "100% focused" talents and characteristics...we need to value them...and to recognize that they complete us, make us whole, make us perfect.  Having two "multi-taskers" or two "totally focused and compartmentalized" individuals at the head makes for a lopsided companionship....

As far a guys' macro interests...it seems they are often looking at the micro and seeking to find ways to make life better for all the micros by improving the macro.  A case in point...Brigham Young, when faced with the daunting task of moving thousands of saints to the west, was perfectly aware of his micro tasks, and the micro needs of not only his families, but also the families and individuals of all in his care.  It was those concerns that led him to appoint bishops, captains, etc. over groups so as to provide the leadership and stewardship for the people.  It was his understanding of the micro needs that caused him to create settlements in Mt. Pisgah and Garden Grove that would set up housing, plant crops, and become way stations for the weary travelers.  He also was able to recognize the need for bridges, ferries, water supplies, and trails that would lessen the wear and tear of man, beast, and equipment and devise ways to provide safe passage over prairies, mountains, streams, rivers, and desert.  Quite remarkable really.  And it goes without saying that without a wife caring and concerned for the welfare of the micro, he probably couldn't have focused as well or as easily on the macro.  What a team they made.  Isn't that what every team should be and do?  Each has responsibility, traits, talents, and characteristics that are best suited to get the job done.  I can readily recognize that we can certainly do the others' job, if necessary, but our real skills, aptitude, and interests tend to dictate where we're best suited.  Why is that so difficult for some?

Yes, I know Brigham Young was/is a prophet...obviously he was prompted, directed, and supported by The Lord, but I believe that also, by their very nature, with specific talents, traits, and characteristics suited for the tasks of working for and improving the lives of all in society...men are the builders of bridges, skyscrapers, airplanes, automobiles, trains, railroads, and dams.  They're the microbiologists, pharmacists, engineers, and accountants that's bless the lives of all.  They're the military who provide safety and freedom.  They're our husbands, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and sons!  They deserve our respect, admiration, appreciation, and support instead of our derision, anger, and jealousy.  In my experience they appreciate and value what we bring to the table and do everything within their power to support and help us achieve our goals.  Why is it that we don't do the same for them?  Why do some of us seem to think we need to be like them to be valued?  Perhaps it is because we don't value ourselves and the mission we have...not the other way around!  

At the Priesthood session, Elder Oaks taught magnificently about priesthood power, keys, and authority.  At the Women's session last week, they tried to impress upon us, as women and girls, our value and how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father.  However, I came away from that conference frustrated...of course we are love and valued.  Duh?!  I wanted to scream back, "why don't you encourage, inspire, and teach us to love, value, and support the priesthood and priesthood holders?"  That probably wasn't fair.  In retrospect, I believe that they understand that the lack of respect and competition that some in my gender feel is precisely because they don't value themselves or their roles, and they were trying to teach that.  But Elder Scott taught that so beautifully yesterday when he told about the power and influence to two women so important in his life - his mom and his wife...two women that understood what power their influence could have in the micro to affect the macro!  May all of my gender learn that and be grateful for their power and influence and seek to provide the love and support for our partners so deserve and need...without malice, anger, irritation, or mockery.  I pray that all of my daughters, daughters-in-law (really my daughters too...in my eyes...but I know they may not feel that way about me), and granddaughters will understand that their joy and happiness depend on their love and respect for their husbands and for their love, respect, and value of their own roles as daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers...we have true power and influence to inspire and promote the cause of righteousness if we are true to our very natures!

Turn! Turn! Turn!

http://youtu.be/pKP4cfU28vM

Hmmm...I don't know if I did this correctly...guess I'll find out in a few minutes!  Lol

In the '60's, the folk rock band, The Byrds, released a version of Turn! Turn! Turn!, written by Pete Seeger, and became a #1 hit.  The lyrics were taken from Ecclesiastes, reputedly penned by King Solomon.  I have always enjoyed these passages of scripture and even a folk rock interpretation.  Way back in the '60's, in my teens, with life at my feet, I tacitly acknowledged that growing older would happen...but I certainly didn't think it would happen to me!  Lol. But...sadly...when I look in the mirror...I clearly see that it has....

My Mom used to tell me to cherish the moments of my life.  She started to tell me that when I was just a little girl...and I always thought I was...but time really has continued to march onward and to turn, turn, turn...

Mom knew how important it was to set goals and plan for the future, but she also knew how easily we can get so busy living that we never, ever, really live.  Or...how we can be so excited to experience "someday" that we never, ever, really experience today.  I couldn't wait until I was 8 and could be baptized.  I couldn't wait until I was 10, 11, and 12, when I would be a "gaynote", "firelight", and "merrihand" (the Primary class names for girls when I was those ages).  I couldn't wait until I graduated from Primary (girls had to wait to advance to YW - they advanced as a class at the end of their "merrihand" year, unlike the boys).  I couldn't wait until I turned 14, when I could attend dances in Mutual.  I couldn't wait until I turned 16 and could date.  I couldn't wait until I could graduate and go to college.  I couldn't wait until I got married.  I couldn't wait until we had a baby.  I couldn't wait until the baby (Wanda) would sleep through the night.  I couldn't wait until....  

Mom's counsel was so "spot on".  I always felt like I was cherishing these "moments" but when I look back, I realize I was cherishing, but I was also wishing or hoping or waiting for the next milestone too.  Even in the difficult, tragic, or frustrating moments or times of life, there are blessings and significant things to learn.  How important it is to learn to live in the moment.  To appreciate and cherish what is happening right now.  And, I think that is one of the blessings of the counsel by our prophets, to keep a journal.  I so regret that I was not better in that endeavor, not as consistent as I could have been...should have been.  It seems to me that by journaling we are in essence giving thanks to our Father in Heaven for the blessing of that day and my inconsistency, my procrastination, forgetfulness, or rationalizations are evidence of treating my blessings lightly or not appreciating or recognizing and acknowledging my blessings.  I guess, the fact is, that our lives are gifts from our loving Heavenly Father, and these "turns" are also wonderful gifts.

I am profoundly grateful for our children and grandchildren.  I have no idea why I have been so blessed...but I'm so in love with each of them!  All 42!!!!  :)

I'm grateful for great medical care for both Rich and me.  That includes drs, nurses, physical therapists, lab technicians, acupuncturists, trainers and the fact that we live in a day and time when so much is known that allows them to provide the care we need.

And, I am so grateful for the gospel and the Savior, for living prophets, priesthood power, the scriptures, and for loving parents who loved me.