THIS IS HOW A BABY IS SUPPOSED TO BE BLESSED AND HOW HE BLESSES BACK...

I'm going to go ahead and blog on this...I mentioned this to Abby and Eli when I sent them the pics and since they haven't blogged on it, then YAY...I GET TO...and Nancy, I will send these to you if you want them :)

Regular readers may know that we recently had twins in the family. Abby and Eli actually possess the children, and to paraphrase Louis C.K., the kids have social security numbers now, so they're on the grid, everyone knows Eli and Abby have them and they're responsible for them now. But because of all the prenatal complications, bed rest, and all of the other issues that arose, friends and family rose to the occasion and fasted and prayed these children into the arms of their parents. Truly. With the benevolent nod of a loving Heavenly Father, Charlie and Olivia reside in an adorable little cottage, complete with a lamplight just outside the front porch, where they are hugged and smooched and nuzzled...endlessly....and sometimes referred to as "the moogies" by their dad....it's so adorable, I sometimes pee a little...

Recently, following their blessings, their other grammy hosted a beautiful reception in her downtown apartment...what fun! Even on broken toes, the hostess provided a lovely meal for family and friends in a beautiful and lovely environment. Best of all, we got to hang out with the "other side" of the family...Abby's lovely grandparent, Grandma and Grandpa Rankin. What beautiful people. And of course, Per, Nancy's wonderful husband who is probably the nicest, most soft-spoken man on the planet...really...

So, armed with my camera, I set about capturing the day (as always...how do people stand me?)...and what did I spy with my little eye?...just about the cutest moment of the entire weekend...I caught Charlie...held by his father, close to his heart, surrounded by his Grandfather Per and Great Grandfather Don Rankin. Each of these great men are holding Charlie and supporting him in the gentlest and loving-est way imaginable...and Charlie is making eye contact and smiling at his Great Grandpa Don. It was a singular moment that took my breath away.....I cropped it in various fashions to high light how beautiful the moment was at so many levels....
This is the full picture of all four...Charlie, his Dad, his Grandfather Per and his Great Grandfather Don...Look at how safe Charlie is...how close to his father's heart he is....
THAT is a happy daddy as well....Charlie and his sister are safe, home, blessed and on the records of the Church....Can we get an amen!
Look at the connection between Charlie and his Great Grandpa! Three months old and there is no mistaking the twinkle in that boy's eyes for his g-grandpa....moments like these are gifts..pure and simple....

This is Charlie...surrounded by the fathers in his life....held, loved, supported and safe. This is the birthright of all children, and especially our sons...to have strong, moral fathers to model for them how to love correctly...Charlie...how blessed you truly were that day...

PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR....IT JUST MEANS "BEING NICE"

In my Social Psychology class this week, we're discussing "prosocial behavior", which is a fancy word for compassion. There are typically five steps that an individual quickly goes through before rendering "prosocial behavior" to a stranger. I address them later in this post. We were asked to write about a time when we, or someone we knew, rendered "prosocial behavior" and then to enumerate the five steps. So, I did....thought I would share it here...

MAIN DISCUSSION POST: What follows is an example of prosocial behavior that occurred in Fallbrook, California in a back, winding road. A young mother with a child in a car seat were traveling down the road. The day was hot. The young mother had the air conditioning up so she and her daughter could be comfortable. At the side of the road, a man of about 60 years of age was walking. He appeared to be Hispanic. This is very common in this area of agriculture. His skin was very weathered. He was obviously tired, heated, and fatigued. The young woman pulled her car over, opened her door and leaned out (without actually stepping away from her car-given her daughter being in the back seat) and offered the gentleman a large bottle of unopened, chilled water. This young mother, who was fair-skinned, light-eyed and very blond, spoke fluent Spanish and addressed this man with great respect. He accepted the water gratefully and they each went on their separate ways.

To summarize the five steps and customize them to this particular situation:
1. This young woman noticed that something unusual was happening because an elderly gentleman was walking along the side of a busy road in a less-than-wise manner.
2. She correctly interpreted that there was a need-that perhaps he was dehydrated.
3. She discerned that no one else was going to/or was available to help him.
4. She also correctly discerned that she knew his language and that she had water available; therefore she could render the service that was immediately needed.
5. She therefore made the final decision to pull over and actually perform the necessary service.

P.S. I know about this because it was my daughter, Emily. This is not unusual for her. She perfected her Spanish when she served a full-time compassionate-service mission in Arizona for our Church when she was 21. The rest of the story is that she could tell from the man's appearance that he was of an age where others would be retiring...and he was still working far too hard for his body and his health to sustain him (from his appearance)....also, after she pulled away, her daughter in the back seat totally threw up over everything and she had NO WATER whatsoever...she laughed and cried all the way back to her house because she wouldn't have traded her situation for anything in the world-she was going home to a clean house with clean water and everything she needed to care for her child....she had perspective and sometimes that's the best gift of all.

HEY! THERE'S A NEW GIRL IN TOWN!

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Earlene has her own blog. She's flying out of the nest. It's cool. I'm okay with it. She's a big girl.

This leaves room for the other characters in my head to get air time. So, Earlene has her own place which leaves vacancies for the crazy bike girl on the East Coast to reappear (if she wants to), the angry divorcee (also from the eastern seaboard-just love those accents), and other assorted nuts, to have their say and day on the blog: agirlandhermac.blogspot.com.

I've noticed that as school gets more demanding, my attention goes more and more to the girls in my head...to me, this is enlightening, fascinating, and relatively frightening....I had no idea my fantasy life was still so active....I knew this as a child, but for it to resurface with such vengeance in my senior years...really? my senior years?...is as much a surprise to me as it is an annoyance to you....my inner child never took her nap, never grew up, never matured, never even outgrew her love for cherry flavored anything...if it's red, I'll eat it....

So, visit Earlene if you wish (dare), or any of the other nut jobs that may appear on the other blog...I'm not sure what I'll be when I grow up....I'm not at all certain I'm going to grow up....
neener neener....

CHOICE: BE A GOOD PARENT VS WEASELS EATING OUT MY EYES

There are times when it's just no fun to be a step-mom...when it would be more rewarding to have weasels eat out my eyes. This morning was one of those times.

Don't get me wrong. This kid is a great young man. He gets up every morning, walks our dogs, and goes to seminary before school...no easy feat for a 17-year-old who just wants to sleep 24/7. Here's where it got "difficult"...

His girlfriend is leaving for college in June. She is beautiful. And...we...the girlfriend included...are LDS...meaning "Mormon"....this means that she will be "fair game"...for any returned missionaries that are also going to college...and returned missionaries are notorious for wanting to get married...did I mention that this girl is beautiful?...available?...wealthy?...

Did I also mention that Eli is NOT going away to college? That Eli is staying here...going to a community college...planning to leave on his mission, which will take him away for TWO years...and that we are NOT wealthy?...

So....I took Eli to breakfast this morning and we sat in the car and we had the above conversation....

Did I mention that Eli is beautiful? That he is compassionate? That's he's funny and kind and has all kinds of wonderful gifts? and that he will be worthy to take one of Heavenly Father's finest daughters to the Temple for marriage AFTER he returns from his mission? And even after all of that, I had to look into those big brown eyes....

Where are those weasels...

ME AND THE NURSE PRACTITIONER-MY NEW BESTEST FRIEND!

So I just got back from my thrice a decade OB-GYN visit. That's about what it averages out at. I know it's supposed to be once a year, but really...why? When the equipment's not there, why pay to have it maintenanced? Am I being unreasonable? I think 3 times every ten or so years is okay...I mean...so far, so good. There. Today I learned I can take the "OB" out of the "GYN" part. Oops. Sorry. Okay. Yes, by all means, take the OB part out...no more obstetrics...I'm done procreating...the mantle has passed...actually, it passed 27 years ago this past March 16th...

This was the first visit, however, in my long and irregular (pun unintended) history of OB-GYN visits, that I met with a nurse practitioner...HALLELUJAH and STRIKE UP THE CHOIR....where has THIS been my whole life? This was a boat trip and two plane rides away from every other OB-GYN visit I've ever experienced. Really. I've always pretty much liked my doctors. You know, they were okay...no one I would want to hang out with at the mall on the weekend (my ultimate litmus test for a physician), but my Kaiser Permanente NP was spot on (again, pun unintended). Our dialogue was so conversational, so down-to-earth, so interspersed with medical/social/personal/fill-in-the-blank-with-what-makes-you-feel-comfy-term that I didn't want to leave. It felt as though lunch should be the next natural evolution in our "relationship". Really.
Here was a sampling of our "interview". Her name was "Chris", by the way, and we're roughly the same age. We love each other already because in this office we're surrounded by beautiful young, 20-somethings with posters of teddy-bears and kitty calendars on their desks.

CHRIS: Hey! What's that book, "Biopsychology"! Cool.
ME: Well, I'm in grad school. Just trying to catch up on the reading, which never ends, by the way.
CHRIS: Oh! That's so cool! It says here you had a bone density test, why was that?
ME: Well, I turned 50, so I just did it, along with the other "welcome to the 50's club tests".
CHRIST: *laughing* That's great, but I wouldn't worry about getting another one of those again till about ten years out of menopause. For real. When do you think that will be?
ME: Gosh. Don't even know. How 'bout we shoot for 2013. The PhD should be done by then and I'll celebrate it with a bone density test. *mutual laughter and high fives* (it's not even funny but we think we're clever)
***************the exam is performed and we're sitting around talking********************
CHRIS: So, is there anything else you wanted to talk about or ask me about?
ME: I'm certain there is but you know, me and this shrinking hippocampus, I can't remember anything. *again, peals of laughter-for no apparent reason other than we think we're hilarious*
CHRIS: Man, I love your glasses. I'm wearing these frameless suckers so no one will know I have eye wear and your all in-your-face with those horn ribs, that's really great.
ME: Well, it's not because of fashion sense-don't be fooled. They're men's frames and they were the cheapest and I like the wonky look.
CHRIS: Well, would you like to be screened for any sexually transmitted diseases?
ME: No, I think I'll pass this time around.
CHRIS: Okay, that's cool. Well, I'll see you next year. Unless something comes up. Here's my card with my number. Call me.
ME: Take care Chris. Great job.
CHRIS: Take care. Good luck with that brain stuff.

And so....I left Kaiser Permanente a relatively happier woman....until I picked up my $235.00 hormones....my husband had better be a relatively happier man.....

LITTLE ELI'S ROLE IN "CAROUSEL"....THE BOY CAN DANCE!!

Little Eli performed in the chorus and as the "Star keeper" in the musical "Carousel" last night at his high school. We were impressed with his dancing skills and we're seldom surprised with his acting...he appears to be a natural. Above, after the play, he met with his "adoring fans" and allowed one of them to rip off his mustache...lucky fan....
This is his girlfriend Cassie and behind her is Aaron, both friends from Church. It was a fun turn out. Good friends are valuable..
When Eli was performing his Star Keeper role, more than one person made mention of the fact that he resembled his father up there....hmmmmmm
This was Eli's reaction to that .......
And we snapped a shot of us together before we split. That is one proud papa and one happy son...look at them...they're both cute!....and Eli went on to his big social life and we went on to our...well...not big social life....

A FUNNY QUOTE FROM "THE OFFICE"

I love "The Office"....LOVE IT! It just kills me....even the uncomfortable moments...I love the characters, the writing, the acting, the whole she'bang. So I thought I would share a bit of dialogue from the show...it's about Michael (the boss) who is considering quitting and finding a new job. He has such an inflated image of his importance to the company (which I suppose is a protective factor for his ego, but is so NOT realistic)...anyway, I thought it was funny....

This conversation takes place between Pam (the receptionist), Michael, and Jim (a salesperson, who is dead-on funny) and my personal favorite, Dwight Schrute, an Amish-y beet farmer who is also a sales person (and a very good one, hence they don't get rid of him. Enjoy!

Pam Beesly: Do you have any leads on a job?

Michael Scott: Pam what you don't understand is at my level, you don't just look in the want ads for a job, you are headhunted!

Jim Halpert: Have you called any headhunters?

Michael Scott: Any good headhunter knows that I am available.

Dwight Schrute: Any really good headhunter will storm your village at sunset with overwhelming force and cut off your head with a ceremonial knife.

Jim Halpert: Right, because that's what we're talking about.

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