What We've Been Up To...Continued

Nothing says Nebraska like "Runza", just like Artic Circle is "so Idaho".  Evus and I were  amazed when we got here that anyone would name a fast food chain "Runza"...like it would give you the "Runza"--Nasty!!!

But everyone has told us its really good and so we finally decided to try it out:

 The concensus: Pretty dang good for fast food...my only complaint is the lack of "fresh ingredients"..."like a salad"  I would have liked a tomato and lettuce on my burger, is what I'm trying to say by quoting Nacho.

 In our neck of the woods they celebrate Nebraskaland Days, which is a pretty big deal, with lots of events...but its basically a great big drinking fest and we don't drink...so not so eventful for us.  But we decided to go have a picnic at the park and check out the parade

 The parade was complete with the "One Armed Bandit" and "Buffalo Bill", the boys loved the tractors, horses and candy the most.  We picked an interesting location (bleachers set up for the local liquor store...we didn't know that at the time), but we had some interesting company and were glad to leave when it was over (it was a two hour parade) and most people around  us weren't drinking lemonade...

 After two hours of parade the boys were ready to be done too!  They fell asleep in their carrying packs on the way back to the car.  Willard didn't even wake up when we got him down and into the car.

 That afternoon we had a pretty good storm and a lovely rainbow...

And it looks like the pot of gold is in the UNL work shed...and I thought it was full of seeds and pesticides...

This is the tail-end of the storm and I have never seen a sky like this.  I took three pictures and stuck them together to show the full view.  Evus and I both ran out into the corn field to check it out.

 While we were out in the corn, our boys escaped outside too and we found them out back.  Willard decided to borrow some of daddy's shoes.

We had a lot of fun celebrating Father's Day.  We made a tie for daddy to wear to church that said "#1 BEST Daddy!" and the boys painted a rock for daddy to put on his desk at work that says "Our Daddy Rocks!"  I made Evus lasagna:

 And Willard and Porky helped me make Chocolate Cake for daddy and they did a great job!  The boys had a lot of fun eating cake and blowing bubbles in their milk...how could I stop them, it looked like so much fun!

 Even daddy got in on the action!  Happy Father's Day Honey!  I love you!

What We've Been Up To...

Wow, I am behind on blogging.  Mostly because I've been sick for the past month.  But despite sickness we have been able to do some fun things.  Evus took a trip to the Winter Quarters Temple a few weekends ago with the youth, and while he was gone we went to the local park and spent some of the money great grandpa gave the kiddos while we were in Idaho.  They LOVED the Choo Choo and had fun on the Horsie Ride.

 Most of the past month we have spent at home.  I love my home!!!  I love that I have a shady front porch and lots of land for the boys to run on. The pictures below show some of our favorite past times. 

The boys love having lunch out on the porch, especially since Grandma G and Mommy found them a little Tupperware Tea Set--I seriously almost sobbed when I found this set at a thrift store for a couple bucks.  I had this exact same set when I was a little girl and I LOVED it!!!  And they are boy colors so its completely cool for them to use them :) 

 The added bonus: my kids have a hard time drinking water, they always want milk or juice.  I only let them use water in their tea set and consequently they will drink a ton of it as long as they get to use their little cups.

 The latest source of amusement is the kiddy pool (They call it the blue bath)!  They love it and I love watching them.  They love to water the trees and flowers with their buckets.

 The other day I had the boys help me weed some flower beds on the side and back of the house.  They were very good helpers for most of it, but after while they lost interest and dissappeared to the front of the house.  It was really silent after awhile and I decided I had better go see what mischief they were into...I found them like this:

 They were just chilling in their lawn chairs watching the tractors go by...I guess I wore them out :) 

As for me, I have enjoyed working on my yard when I've felt up to it.  It helps me feel better when I get discouraged and I always think of my grandma when I go change the sprinklers or just stand with my arms behind my back and inspect my flowers.  I love it!

By the way, I haven't heard the corn growing yet...but it is growing!

We got to meet our family from Nebraska this month for lunch!  We are excited to live closer to them this fall so we can get to know them better.  Isn't family great!

When The Roses Grew Wild...

I've been thinking a lot lately about an excerpt from one of my most favorite books, I cry every time I read it because it speaks to me and inspires me to enjoy where I am at. 

Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

(In this scene, the main character, a thirty-something confused first-time mother, discovers a handmade notebook left on the table by her grandmother)

The next page was blank except for dots of ink that had bled through from the page after. Turning the page, I found writing that quivered like Grandma’s hands.

"Time For Tending Roses," I whispered the title and thought of the beautiful rose garden that bloomed on the lawn in summertime. It had been there as long as I could remember, carefully manicured, with every bloom perfect-- just as perfect and neat as everything else in Grandma’s household.

Time For Tending Roses

I read the title again, then dove into the story with a strange hunger for the words.

When I was a young woman, I seldom owned anything of which to be proud. When I was old enough to work in a shop in St. Louis and live on my own, most of my wage was sent home to provide for my younger brothers and sisters, for my parents had not even their health by this time. When I was married, I came to my husband’s farm with all that I owned packed in a single crate. Everything I saw, or tasted, or touched around me belonged to my husband. I felt as the air in that big house, needed and used, but not seen.

God sent an answer to me in worship that spring, when an old woman told me she wanted the gardens cleaned around her house, and if I would do the work, I might have flower bulbs and starts of roses as my pay. My husband pretended to think the idea rather foolish, as I was needed on the farm, but he was patient with me as I worked through the early spring cleaning gardens and moving starts to a newly-tilled bed by our farm house. He was older than I, and I think he understood that I needed something of my own.

Those roses were the finest things I had been given in my life, and I tended them carefully all spring. As the days lengthened, they grew well and blossomed in the summer heat, as did I. Coming in and out of the house, I would look at them-- something that belonged to me, growing in soil that belonged to him.

Even passing folk admired my roses, for my work made the blooms large and full. Once, a poor hired lady came with a bouquet of roses and wildflowers clasped in her hands. She told me that her children had sneaked into my garden and picked them for her, and that they would be punished. I bade her not to scold the children, for I was proud to give them this gift. She smiled, and thanked me, and told me that, with so many children, she had no time for tending roses.

I did not understand her words until my own children were born. When the first was a babe, I took her outside and let her play in an empty wash barrel so I could have time for tending my roses. I was often cross with her cries while I was at my work. As she grew, and as my second child was born, I understood what the hired lady had told me-- that motherhood leaves no time for selfish pleasures. Only time for tending others.

My roses grew wild and died as I busied myself with feeding and diapering, nursery rhymes and sick beds. I missed those bright blooms that had been mine and felt it unfair that I must leave my hard work there to die. But I did not think of it overmuch. My mind and heart were occupied with the sorrows and joys of motherhood.

The day came, it seemed in no time, when my children were grown and gone, and I again found time to tend the roses. I could labor over them dawn until dusk with no children to feed, no husband needing meals, and few passers by on the old road. My flowers have come thick and full and beautiful again. From time to time, I see neighbor children come to pick them when I am silent in my house. I close my eyes and listen to their laughter, and think that the best times of my life, the times that passed by me the most quickly, were the times when the roses grew wild.The sense of sadness in those last words was overwhelming. For a moment, I glimpsed my own future-- considered a day when I would sit alone in a quiet house trying to fill my time-- at the end of things rather than at the beginning. The beginning of a journey is always uncertain, but with uncertainty comes hope. Never had I appreciated the value of that. Through all of my adult life, I had wanted to know exactly where I was going and what path to take to get there. I had never considered the beauty of where I was. Sitting there in Grandma’s kitchen, holding her book, I thought of her as a young woman not able to see that something wonderful was passing-- not missing the noise until she was surrounded by silence.

For the first time in my life, I was very glad just to be where I was.

Don't Be Afraid To Be Transplanted!

As I’ve already explained in previous posts, we are in the process of cleaning up our yard and planting all our flower beds.  Yesterday I had what I would call a “Hugh B. Brown Moment” and it reinforced some things I have been learning in the past few weeks.  I decided to share some of my feelings on this blog because there are so many of our friends who are in similar situations to ours and I hope that maybe some of my feelings might mean something to some of you.  Maybe you could even add to it!

We found a treasure under a small tree at the edge of our property.  Bulbs!  Hidden in the tall quack grass and shaded by the branches of the tree were dozens of iris and daffodil bulbs!  I suppose at one time it was probably a smaller tree and at one point it may have been cleaned out and the irises and daffodils probably were healthy and bloomed beautifully.  However, we found them overgrown, choked by the surrounding grass and undergrowth and shaded from the sun by overlying branches.

We set to work—cleaning out our flower beds and preparing spots for our new bulbs.  We dug up many bulbs from under that tree and transplanted them into new fertile soil with plenty of water for them to grow and bloom. 

Yesterday as we were transplanting the daffodils into a bed I thought for a moment of the shock and pain that a plant experiences being uprooted.  Roots are so sensitive to UV rays and I imagined the shock the plant experienced when we brought those roots out into the sunlight.  “What are you doing to me?” “I was comfortable and secure where I was?” “I had a great little home under that shade tree…” (You get the idea).  But we love those daffodil bulbs, we prepared a wonderful spot for them where the soil was rich and fertilized and there was plenty of sun and shade.  Just a perfect spot!  We planted them in their new homes and gave them water and “nutrients” (Nacho)…and I wonder if they understand any better now that they don’t need to be afraid of being transplanted.  They still are laying out there limp and it will take time for them to really prosper, but we know that in their new homes they WILL prosper in a way they never could have before. 

The Point? In testimony meeting in our ward a couple weeks ago, the Bishop’s wife bore her testimony.  In her testimony she mentioned that a while back the Stake President had asked the stake members to pray for students from BYU-Idaho and BYU-Provo to come to Nebraska to strengthen their stake.  They seem to think that people who graduate from those institutions have skills and strength in the gospel that can help their wards and branches.  That statement had a profound effect on me and my husband for obvious reasons.  We have both felt that the Lord blessed us greatly by sending us here to a great school and great community.  It was humbling to realize that he didn’t just send us here to bless US, we were prayed here.  Do we live up to the hope they have for our family?  Will we serve diligently in our callings?  Will we be constant in Visiting and Home Teaching?  Do we seek missionary experiences?  Most importantly, do we have testimonies of Christ and his restored gospel and can we serve him as his disciples here?  Will we live what was taught to us at BYU-Idaho?  That is a humbling thing to ponder.  To our friends at BYU-Idaho: we miss you!  I think about people from our old ward every day.  Your examples still strengthen me…know that there are people out in the world praying that you will come to their community.  Take advantage of the special opportunities you have in your wards and classes there to prepare you to strengthen the Lord’s stakes across the globe, and don’t be afraid to be transplanted.  It helped me so much to write out my feelings; I’m trying to have courage in our current “transplant”.  Hopefully, we will be able to bloom here in ways we couldn’t before.  I can already feel ways the Lord has strengthened me.  I hope I can bloom where I have been planted! 

Project Clean Up

The home we are in this summer has quite a bit of land around it and we found (much to our delight) that there are some already established flower beds around the house.  However, when we arrived they were fuller than full with weeds and one out in the yard was absolutely filled with quack grass.  So we went to our new favorite store (Menards) and bought a shovel and rake and we went to work...here is some of our progress:

 I wish I would have taken before and after pictures for all of the flower beds but alas I did not.  This next one was full of quack grass and old tree roots.  Evus is holding up one of the larger roots we dug out.

Willard wanted to model in the next couple pictures.  Notice we have now planted some flowers in the beds.  I got some lily starts from a Relief Society activity and we found some Irises out under a tree in an overgrown mess...we couldn't resist.  We have also planted a bunch of little seeds in there--please grow little seeds!

 The side of the house is really ugly right now.  We decided to create a bed along the house to make it look a little more attractive.

 This is a raised bed behind our house.  We planted herbs, veggies and some strawberries I got from the RS activity.  Oh I hope they grow!

 The boys love being outside and helping out around the yard.  While helping me pull weeds Willard fell down.  He got up and said "Oh, I fell down...I need to be careful, I need to be careful with my body!"  I asked him where he learned that he needed to be careful with his body.  He answered, "I learned it in church".  Thank you nursery leaders!  So cute!

 I asked Porky to say "cheese" in the picture below, but I think he thought I said Jesus because he began to say "Jesus, where are you?"

 My little Tigger

 Our weed pile!  Its hard to truly appreciate it in a picture but there it is in all its glory.

 The big trees in front of our house...I am glad we will have shade in the summer heat, but they scare me in a wind storm.

Welcome Ta Braska!

 This is our lovely Nebraska "summer home".  We will be residing here in the summers for the next couple years (and possibly some winter time as well).  It is a wonderful little home with lots of area around it for the boys to explore.  Everyone keeps telling us that it hasn't been lived in "for a long time"...haven't been able to get a straight answer as far as how long "a long time" really is.  I can say though that there are two couples in our ward who have lived in this house before too when they were grad students.  One couple has a very large family now and the other couple have grandchildren so its been around for a while.

 This would be the remnant drifts from the blizzard we had the day after arriving...FUN!  We brought Idaho weather to Nebraska.

 This would be the main pipe that exploded the second night we were there (also the night of the blizzard)...when we drained the bath tub we heard a waterfall coming from downstairs...yup.  Thats a lovely crack isn't it...but we're all better now.

 The boys were a lot of help when it came time to make Willard's birthday cake.  I can't believe he is three! 

 We had fun celebrating Willard's birthday with cake, icecream and the birthday fish named Bob.  We took Willard to Wal-mart and let him pick out his own fish.  Thanks to his Aunt Jessis he had all he needed at home to give it a good home (thanks sis!).  Before he got out of the car he was determined that it would be a BLUE fish.  Once we pulled the best looking blue fish we could find down off the shelf, we told him he needed a name.  Without hestation he said "BOB!"  That may be because that same afternoon the maintenance man came to check up on us and he is named Bob...it also may be because of a book his Auntie Em gave him where all the animals are named Bob (including the fish) but either way he is now Bob the Blue Beta from Braska and we love him.    Every time the boys enter the living room/kitchen area they great him (Hi Bob!) and when we leave they make sure to say bye. 

 Last but not least--who needs a pink flamingo in your yard when you have a herd of deer...or as Willard calls them "reindeer" or as Porky calls them "cows".  Either way they make for hours of entertainment for the boys...and Evus and I have fun too.  Don't know how I'm going to grow anything in our yard with these guys around but I'm still going to try.

Saying Goodbye to Idaho

 There we are, infront of our Uhaul after packing up Tuesday night.  Don't we look excited! (actually I think all of us were absolutely exhausted and we hadn't even traveled yet).  Mostly I was just emotionally exhausted.  Its so hard saying goodbye to people that you love and we love a lot of people in Idaho.  I'm grateful we got to spend a week with each of our parents in their homes before we left.  It was hard being unsettled that long before we moved but we made some great memories with our families.

We also got to have some fun with friends before we left.  Our bestest pals the G family came out to my folks' home the weekend before we left and got some hands on experience feeding baby cows!  My mom and dad have become quite the farmers.

To all the people in Idaho--WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU!!!

We're Moving On...

 Evus finally made it!  At last he was able to receive his diploma cover...and we're hoping that soon he can fill it with that much sought after college diploma.  We are all so proud of him for working so hard and for all that is ahead of us too.  It was such a great day celebrating his graduation.  Evus' dad works at the university we have been at these past four years and he received permission to be give Evus his diploma (cover), that made the whole experience even more special. 

P.S.  Do you recognize the dress?...yes I wore it, the cardigan covered the major mistakes. Yeah for making your own clothes!