Richard was going to work a few hours from home today, and I just finished reading the book, Far From the Madding Crowd. I decided to watch the movie by myself on Vid Angel. He sat down to watch the first scene with me and immediately liked what he saw. Work was forgotten and we spent the afternoon watching this beautiful adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel together.
It’s good, good, good. It is certainly not as rich as the book, but the cinematography is as beautiful as Thomas Hardy’s descriptions. Most of the lead actors are just right, especially Gabriel Oak and Bathsheba Everdeen.
World Market is a new frontier for me. I go there to sniff the soaps, admire the vibrant colors on textiles, and handle pretty dishes that I do not need. This is my favorite soap which they sell there. I just keep it in my room for its scent.
My boys collect little things and want to display them. This shelf is a good compromise between Mark’s desire to have a long display over flat surfaces and my desire to put the collections in boxes under the bed.
For 25 years I have wanted pinking shears. I found these at Ikea in the fabric section and they are sturdy, sharp, and only cost about $8!
Mark and I had another Friday of wonder together. I love aquariums, so I can’t believe it took us this long to see the aquarium down the street. I found myself on the floor in my dress, trying to spy new creatures and I also inadvertently dipped my coat sleeve in the water in an attempt to touch a ray as it swam past me. How childish to forget my coat for such an opportunity. How fun.
Mark and I have been working on having adventures this year as part of our study of Utah. I never went to 4th grade, so I missed out on Utah studies. I’ve felt this loss of a proper Utah education every time someone mentions a county in Utah and I have no idea where it is. Well, we are fixing this, one field trip at a time. The past two weeks we have focused on things closer to home. However, we have traveled to some interesting places this year. Mark has a map that we populate with photos in the shapes of the counties he has visited in 4th grade. We have more pictures to put on the map, but you get the idea.
Sorry for the lyrics (don’t look them up) but this is brilliant. Confession: I dance in my kitchen. Somehow dancing like a crazy person is something that keeps me feeling sane.
We salvaged many tiles. In this picture, they hadn’t been cleaned yet, but my daisy tile is to the right of center.
Last year we stopped at my parents’ round cabin in Spring Lake to say goodbye to it before it was torn down. It was late afternoon, cool and overcast. The house, no longer locked, was just a frame and some windows. All of the drywall and wiring had been taken out and demolition of the shell would begin the next week.
The only light in the house came through the windows and we could see pieces of the original construction, long hidden by carpets, drywall, and paint. I spied some tile, probably from the 1920’s arranged in a circle on the floor around the central post of the house. An intricate fish bone pattern of wood surrounded the circular pattern of tiles. I leaned down and studied the designs on the floor, which had been covered by industrial carpeting all these years. Mixed into the tile pattern were some 2×2-inch navy blue tiles with a raised daisy in each center. Daisies had been in the floor beneath our feet! I knew right away that I wanted one of those daisy tiles as a souvenir.
I found a hammer and began to chisel around a tile, only to see it crumble with my efforts to pull it up. I saw that others had had tried to harvest daisy tiles, too, because many were chipped and broken.
I really wanted to salvage some of these tiles before the cabin was destroyed. But I needed to work carefully, slowly, and patiently to extract them from their long-held positions in the cement. Large force was the worst thing I could apply, and I learned that I wouldn’t be able to salvage many in the time I had. Finally, with careful effort, I was able to pull one tile from the pretty floor, mostly intact. It is special to me.
I keep my daisy tile in a frame to remind me of the cabin, but also to be patient with myself and others. It reminds me that love must accompany any kind of rescue, or patience will fail, harming the one being rescued. It’s a reminder to focus on the beauty of people, not the deep-seated habits or ideas which hold them down. And it reminds me that each person is precious and worth the effort.
How could I NOT take a picture? It’s not for me. I picked it up for Lisa who will be making a lot of chocolate dipped strawberries. The truth is, these bags are totally unappetizing to me. Maybe it’s too much of a good thing!
This is almost all I have to show for my day yesterday. The rain makes me feel so sluggish. Today I’m forcing myself to mop my floors and vacuum my basement. My joints are ready for more movement!
Simple games are sometimes best. Mark plays with these two hyper little toys every day lately. Standard equipment for bouncy ball games is a flashlight and long stick to retrieve the lost when they roll under the furniture and appliances. Sounds do not include shooting, lasers, zombie voices, or annoying music. Sounds do include heavy steps across the floor in frantic chase scenes and frenetic bounce rhythms until the balls hit some carpet and come to a rest.
It’s great exercise to chase a bouncy ball. It’s quite a thing to see. I don’t mind the clatter because it’s wholesome fun and he’s my baby.
20 years ago this phrase in the song from the Guys and Dolls musical greeted Richard and me as we walked into his parents’ house to tell them we were engaged. His brother was blasting it on the stereo. I always smile when I think of that funny song… Our song?
Some of the things that Richard brings to our marriage are humor, steadiness, adventure, and kindness. I didn’t know all of the facets of Richard’s character when we decided to marry. Some things have been a surprise (I had no idea how much of a thrill-seeker he is) and some things were there but have developed over time, such as his humor. He has always impressed me by his depth of understanding of the gospel and his ability to explain things simply.
It is the small gestures that have meant the most to me in our years of marriage. In 2000, when I was sick in the hospital, Richard stayed with me during the most difficult times. One day he sat down on the bed and read aloud to me. At each page turn, he kissed me on the cheek. I felt a greater measure of love and fulfillment through his kindness to me than from any exertion I had made seeking after my own needs.
During this and many other times he has been the only one who could make everything better. I’m grateful that I met him when I was only 18 years old. From the beginning, I admired him, and 22 years later I can say that I still do.
Photo by Matt Sanchez: Polar bear challenge at the Weber
I’m trying to compile pictures for 2014 and I’m relying on lots of sources to do it. There has been a big exchange of photos among my sisters, a brother, and friends. These are some of my favorite finds this month.
Photo by Susan Vaughn: Mark’s roomPhoto by Dean Brockbank: This was the most harrowing event of the year (more than rappelling and Angel’s Landing). Boys are sprung at each other in this human rubber band contraption.Photo by Dean Brockbank: Youth ConferenceTubing at youth conferencephoto by Andrea Donaldsen: Les Miserables at Jordan High (our kids are in the pit!)Photo by Sarah Hainsworth: Thanksgiving at Spring LakePhoto by Sarah Hainsworth: Thanksgiving at Spring Lake
