Cast correction

Have to post a correction here. Cambry is on the crew as house manager, not on stage for Anne Frank. But Ms. Kate, the drama director, told Cambry that this play is filled with all her favorites. Then Ms. Kate wanted to know why Cambry waited until the second term of ninth grade to audition for a play. She moaned for all the fun Cambry missed! Cambry had friends that auditioned and didn't make this play, so she is still happy to be a part of a good production with especially good people.

Outstanding student of the week

I forgot the mention that this week Cambry received an honor one above student of the week, she got the Outstanding Student of the Week award. She was nominated by Mr. Halverson, her band teacher. In his letter that accompanied the award he told her that students like her make teaching such a rewarding profession. She is such a JOY. At parent/teacher conferences today she was lavashily praised by all. Riley's teachers love him too, they just want him to pay more attention to time and place with his behavior. I love my kids.

Shhhh! It's still a secret!

I'm bursting. Cambry made the exclusive "9th Grade Play" this morning. They are performing the play Anne Frank and she will be playing Meip Gies, a Dutch Christian woman who is an employee of Otto Frank, Anne's father. It is a small play this time with 5 boys and 5 girls in the cast. It will be showing the end of March. I'm so excited for her! The cast list will be posted Friday morning, so until then, smile to yourself!

Happy Birthday, Elise!

To close this busy week out, we celebrated Elise's seventh birthday. We had Grandma and Grandpa Parish over with Debbie and her kids for breakfast, on the spur. Yummy! Swedish pancakes taste good no matter how frequently we have them in birthday season.

I wanted to have some quiet time alone with Elise, so I took her out to lunch. She chose Super Sonic and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and a blue coconut slush. We ate outside in the sun so her tots got cold before she ate them all, so we got her an ice cream cone to fill in the cracks. She was in heaven. (Somewhere in this afternoon Riley had a different birthday party to attend and Cambry performed her matinee musical.)

Dave made the cake while I ran to the store again this time to get her present. I saw my cousin Mike and his wife at Target. As I hustled by I told them I remember my mom running after our birthday presents at the last minute and thinking I would never be this way. Now I just think she was amazing to get it all done!

My mom and dad came down in the afternoon and had dinner with us. Elise had chosen a chicken enchilada I'd made a few weeks ago. So I threw them into the freezer and reheated them for a shortcut. They were not nearly so good. Now I know!

But the cake that was falling apart all over the place ended up looking and tasting really nice. (Thanks to mom for the strawberry accent -- she comes in handy!).

Elise, for a family party, had requested ice skating. She also wanted Liesel to come along. Eric and I were spectators at the event.

Dave and Cambry along with the crutch try to help Aleah remain erect.

All in all, I think this was a great birthday for Elise.

Suessical the Musical

About Monday it became unwise to mention "the costume" to me. I was officially sick of this cotume business. I had finished the body of the beft, but I still had to create a neck.... this is just a bigger stretch for me than I was really comforable with. I think I have endured unnecessary pain on this project; I've felt anxiety about finishing it well enough. If Dave hadn't taken upon himself the head, I probably would have assumed the fetal position long ago! Well as you can see we did get done and it was amazing. (Dave added the tucks in the neck which gave it the final pizzaz it was wanting.)

When the show opened Thursday night, I was so impressed with all the work, all the costumes and set: far and away above my expectations for a junior high presentation! As I watch that ostrich head bob around on top of Cambry as she beamed her part out, I had a little labor miracle. Suddenly all the work and time seemed less severe, kind of like pregnancy and labor: it was suddenly insignificant and very worth it.

(Notice the body downstairs, waiting for finishing... Plus the laundry in the hall upstairs, waiting for me to finish the costume!)

I put this in to show the back of the costume. The pattern was a bee costume so it has this tail that sticks out in back. The pattern didn't have a sleeve, but Cambry's drama director wanted longer sleeves. I designed some and I was so grateful they just worked!

We took the whole family Thursday night to opening night, then Dave and I went with Debbie and her kids on Friday night again. The black light had gotten broken after the first night so I'm glad I saw it right the first night. Plus there were a lot of mic troubles Friday night. Still the evening came off very impressive! Now just three more performances: Monday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.

Parker's Arrow of Light Award

Thanks to some wonderful scout leaders (the Ramages who actually were Dave's scout leaders when he was younger) Parker earned his arrow of light award in cub scouts. He was also able to earn all 20 pins offered. He was selected to lead the flag ceremony for this pack meeting.

Practicing the flag ceremony with Brother Ramage.

Doyle Davis presenting Parker with his final webelos pins.

Parker was pretty disappointed that he didn't get the cool award cubs have gotten in years previous. Dave, who had made some fantasic arrow awards, is now commissioned to the task.

Will you be my Valentine?

For Valentine's day, I had bought two boxes of chocolates to share with the kids. It was a treat for me to watch them enjoying them -- oh don't get me wrong, I also ate some!

I opened the box when the big kids were over at grandma's playing with the Passey's. So Parker called over and Riley and DJ ran into the house all out of breath faster than you could spell C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E. When I asked where everyone else was DJ said, "Oh, I forgot to tell them." So he called back over to grandma's and soon enough a breathless Sammy came running over. When I asked him where John Marshall was, Sammy said, "Oh, I forgot to bring him." Life in the big city: every man for himself!

That night, between stake conference meetings, we met at Thai Chili Gardens with the Parishes so we could all have at least one night to visit with Dave and Debbie. It was a fun night.

Amazing Aleah

I usually don't write mid-week, but this was too good. Aleah contracted to stomach flu Elise had earlier. Aleah woke up last night crying because she'd thrown up in her bed and she was so concerned.

She vomitted again fairly close to that time and I went in to help her get cleaned up. I told her that I may not get up with her every time she threw up, so I would show her how to take care of it, but I don't think I really expected her to really follow through. I told her we lift both the seat and the lid off the toilet, dump the bowl there, rinse it in the sink, dump it back in the toilet, rinse out our mouth without drinking it (because it will make you throw up again) and lay back down. That was 1:26 am. The next time I knew she'd thrown up was at 6:00. She took perfect care of herself, better than Elise had done, and didn't cry or whimper once. She handles it so easily that tonight after eating crackers, she came to the table and announced, "I threw up again." And her bowl was wet inside.

Now that's amazing!

Dave’s Ward Messenger Entry, February 2009

Winter's Chill

I love gardening! I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but somewhere between my childhood and now, I fell in love with the soil. I never quite get over a sense of awe as I contemplate all that is contained within a small seed and how, with the proper care and conditions, one can reap many times over what is planted. I find great satisfaction in tilling, planting, and nurturing a sizable variety of fruits and vegetables on my small 5^th acre lot. It's not so much the work that fulfills me as it is the bountiful harvest that inevitably follows. Anticipating the fruits of my labors makes both the labor and fruits all the more worthwhile. I suppose this is one of the reasons I have always loved spring.

For me spring is a new beginning; a rebirth. The air is fresh and clean, birds are singing, buds are swelling, flowers blooming, and the earth is blanketed in new green life. But this splendor is merely a foreshadowing of better things to come: a hope and promise of satisfaction and joy in the fruits of my labors, simple abundance, and a bountiful harvest.

I'm not a great fan of the cold. I confess that I occasionally find myself murmuring over my winter woes. Perhaps I've even burdened a number of you with my less than silent protest. I just grow weary of shoveling, tires with no traction, dress shoes with less traction, worrying about ice damage to my home, shoveling; feeling the bite of too little insulation, cold feet, wet feet, shoveling; treacherous roads, scraping windshields, rain gutters overflowing with ice, spalling cement, shoveling; drafty windows, open doors, snow on the carpet, snow in the kitchen, boots, hats, mittens, coats, water and mud in the entry way, shoveling….

A few weeks ago when the daytime temperature plunged to single digits and my rain gutters filled with several hundred pounds of ice, I found myself checked in my complaining as the spirit brought to remembrance things which I already knew, but never fully appreciated. The very elements which afflicted me were also building our snow packs to feed our aquifers and replenish our reservoirs with the water essential for thirsty plants. Pure snow is virtually devoid of mineral nutrients but pulls these materials from the rocks and soil as it melts. The freezing and thawing cycles of winter facilitate the extraction of essential minerals and nutrients and help provide vital elements for plant growth. Most vivid in my mind was the importance of the winter chill. Many of the flowers, plants, and fruits I love actually require a period of cold before they will germinate, bud, and fruit. Indeed, the fruits I most love also require the most intensive labor and the longest period of winter chill. Were it not for the long hours of winter cold, many plants I enjoy simply would not grow or bear fruit in spite of my labors. How ironic that within the icy clutches of winter, when so much seems bleak, devoid of hope and life, the spark of new life is kindled; the hope and promise of satisfaction and joy in the fruits of my labors, simple abundance, and a bountiful harvest.

As we pass through this mortal existence we experience seasons of abundance and seasons of privation; seasons of joy and ones of sorrow; success and failure; ease and hardship; triumphant gains and heart breaking losses; enlightenment and stupor; good and evil. In the depths of adversity, it is easy to feel afflicted, singled out and forsaken. Some may even feel that their burdens are too great to bear.

However, were it not for opposition in all things, we are taught that "righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad; "and this would "destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purpose."
(see 2 Nephi 2:11-19)

"The Saints should always remember that God sees not as man sees; that he does not willingly afflict his children, and that if he requires them to endure present privation and trial, it is that they may escape greater tribulations which would otherwise inevitably overtake them. If He deprives them of any present blessing, it is that he may bestow upon them greater and more glorious ones by- and –by." Elder George Q. Cannon 1827-1901)

The scriptures are filled with accounts of faithful servants of God who endured extreme hardship. Jesus Christ was described as a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." (Isaiah 53:3) Joseph Smith suffered terribly but was told that his afflictions would give him experience and would be for his good.
(D&C 122: 6-9) This promise is extended to all who love God; all things will work to their good. (Rom 8:28). Our Heavenly father knows our needs and will provide them if we are not of little faith. (3 Nephi 13:28-33)
If we will keep all the commandments and covenants by which we are bound, He will cause the heavens to shake for our good. (D&C 35:24)

Where is our promise of a bountiful harvest? "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. "
(1 Cor 2:9) We can rest assured that during the bleak winter days of life, the cold winds of adversity are kindling the spark of new life; the hope and promise of simple abundance, and a bountiful harvest if we will place our trust in God.

Around the middle of January a brief warm spell quickly melted the ice and snow off the road and sidewalks within a few days. My overflowing frozen rain gutters once again channeled water efficiently off my roof and away from my foundation and the bare earth of my flowerbeds was exposed in numerous places. I was surprised to see crocus foliage already several inches high breaking free from its icy bed. It warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face as it seemed to say; "Just a little while longer. Spring is just around the corner; and with it, new life; a hope and promise of satisfaction and joy in the fruits of your labors, simple abundance, and a bountiful harvest."

I have always loved spring!

David Parish

Bishopric 2^nd Counselor

North and South

Marie had told me we needed to have a girls' night and watch a mini-series called North and South. At first I thought she was talking about a mini-series chronicaling the civil war. But of course that would never do for a chick-flick. We watched a four-hour "Jane Austin-ish" story of an off-synch romance set in England's industrial age.

We planned it for Saturday February 7 because Dave and Riley would be gone on the Klondike (a whole 'nother entry). I just didn't know that I would have a week like I did, or even and evening like I had going. But Marie just rolled with the commotion of my life, stopped the show so I could run kids this way and that, and stayed up with me until 1:00 to see how the characters finally end up together.

It was hard for me to set aside my work for the show with all that I was careful and troubled about (yes, I'm afraid I relapsed with the demands upon me), but landing in bed after 2:00 AM, I was smiling. I need to remember to take time for leisure... almost a foreign term.... every now and then. It truly is refreshing (and much more memorable than the chores).

A beft, a beft: is anything left?

Thanks to her long skinny legs, Cambry has landed the role of the beft (resembling an ostrich) in her Seussical play. We have been making her costume and it is NOT simple. She will be wearing a puppet-like head a few feet above her head. I am in charge of the body of the character, Dave is the puppet head and support. Trying to complete it for a deadline Saturday, Dave took work Thursday to paper-mache the form.

I had cut the pieces out for the body, but had not stitched one stitch this week. I woke Cambry early in the morning Saturday to help speed the process up by pinning the pieces together I would then sew. She was half asleep as we began and didn't really have enough experience to assemble the complicated pattern. When I put the striped back pieces on the front I could see we were in trouble. After unstitching nearly every seam and re-assembling the pieces, I was back to the point Saturday night that I thought I'd reached midday. Needless to say, it is not completed yet, but we are making progress. I think I'll do a happy jig for many reasons when I get to watch Cambry bring it to life on stage in a few weeks.

Can I go to work with you?

This week was far too busy. I kept thinking that once I got the birthdays done things would slow down, but they haven't! And before I even complete the jump over one hurdle the next is right in front of me!

Tuesday (which started at 6:00 making sugar cookies for an enrichment) was just running this way and that. I finally lighted at home just before Riley returned home from school. Still panting, I had to take care of some assignments for the business, so I took a breath and started logging onto my work computer remotely. Riley looked at me across the kitchen and said, "I have to accompany an adult to work soon. Can I go to work with you so I can stay home all day?" It was a good thing he was all the way across the kitchen so I couldn't follow the impulse to strike him.

Now I wish I'd come back with this: "Well, I don't know. I'd have to go to the store for more bon-bons. And you may not like the movies I watch or the books I read. I'd hate for you to be BORED!"

Then we could have both been funny.

Foreshadowing?

Cambry turned 15 the day after Aleah hit four. (Who's idea was that anyway?) Cambry's birthday was PACKED, but pleasant. Is this a foreshadowing of the new year to come? Her birthday can be divided into three sections:

THE BREAKFAST

We have weekend birthdays this year. (They fall two weeks, then three weeks, then one week apart.) It is so nice to not be rushing people through their most special breakfast of their year. (Or to have to get up too terribly early to get it on the table.)

THE BAPTISM

Since Cambry's birthday preceded fast Sunday, it was that natural stake baptism day, Liesel's baptism day. Aleah is helping Elise get buttoned up for the occassion. Too sweet of a shot to pass up, even in my rush.

Lestelle took this picture of Liesel and Eric on her special day, so wonderful. The Spirit was soooo strong at her baptism! Their stake lets each ward (and therefore I'm supposing often each child) have their own service in different rooms of the building. I said the prayer, Cambry led the music, Ben gave a talk on baptism. We all then witnessed Eric perform the ordinance. Following, Dad gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and we witnessed Eric confirming her. Marie had cooked up a storm and reserved the gym for a luncheon after the program. I was laughing at her because she seemed to plan the menu like I do, as though everything you provide is standing singulalry and needs sufficient quantity to satisfy the crowd. I only laughed a little, though because in a few hours, I was setting out my own abundant spread for....

THE PARTY

Cambry had decided to have a mixed party, though she had to consider it for a while. One of her "guy"friends encouraged her saying even if she wanted to watch a chick-flick, he was really good at being quiet at those parts. BTW - teenagers DON'T eat veggies off a veggie tray. They do eat all the brownies and chocolate chip cookies you can set out. Apples are consumed with caramel sauce, but after the cake, brownies, and cookies. They also eat rolls, if not sandwiches.

Cambry got her own digital camera, something she has really enjoyed this past week.

Dave was just going to show the kids Arnold Goose on the computer, but we convinced him to perform it for us. As soon as he came down the stairs in costume, Cambry's girlfriend Carmen ran over to her and said, "I wish my dad was like your dad!"

I was so impressed with Cambry's friends. They were good kids with a lot of excellent energy and I felt a lot of hope for the future. They ate, played games, giggled abundantly, ate more, and watched the Lake House. Seeing it from the viewpoint of a chaperone, I was disappointed. The language wasn't as clean as I remembered and I know these kids were sensitive to it. One boy, trying to figure the ending out, realizing that the female lead had been living with a male supporting role without being married reacted as all sweet, innocent boys should. Then I felt bad.

The day was so incredibly full, but rich and wonder-full!

Aleah's how old?

How did this happen? Aleah is now FOUR. I can hardly believe it myself, but here's the proof:

See the concentration to get that thumb down with the rest of the fingers raised? Adorable.

We had sister Geri Smith, who was Parker's primary teacher last year, over for dinner one December Sunday evening. While she was there Aleah asked her, "Grandma? You make a blanket for me?" Aleah uses a lot of different blankets she's gotten from grandmas and near- grandmas when she was born. So she figured Sister Smith must have made one for her and wanted to identify which one she should feel her warm love in. Well Sister Smith is amazing with quilting and said she would definately make a blanket for Aleah. Aleah got to claim her prize on her birthday. I took her over and she got to choose between a duck, duck, goose quilt and this purple heart blanket, the soft winner. Now every tuck-in this is the first blanket she wants on her, heart-side up, please.

The small round cake was brought over by Sister Warner who is Aleah's sunbeam teacher. Aleah's birthday was written up for the wrong date on the primary records, so we threw the gift in the freezer and pulled it out for the real thing. I also made a cake to make sure all the well-wishers could enjoy.
Aleah got the barbie she had been wanting for weeks. All in all, I think this was a very good day for her.

What goes around, comes around

Remember the everlasting hair cut I put on Aleah? Well one family home evening she spent the entire time brushing and "doing" my hair. See her creativity?Masterpiece!

Open your eyes!

We had another snow storm come through. It began as rain and left a heavy, wet snow that was as easy to shovel as spilled slurpies. Monday morning I had to drive the kids to school and I was thinking as I nearly go stuck leaving my driveway how ready I was to replace the white with green. Then I rounded the corner to the school and saw this:

The heavy snow had clung to even the smallest of branches, feathering the top of trees and shurbs in white while also darkening the trunk for the contrast. Here I was so intently wishing away the weather and nearly missed the beauty it provided.

When things are different than you want, wanting what you get is only a thought away!