I'm getting too old...

There was a long period of time in my life when late nights were not a problem for me.

Honestly, I blame my stint at BYU.  I could be gone all hours of the day or night, and have the energy to go to class the next day.  It was awesome.

AHHH  YOUTH!

It continued into my adult years.  After I moved back to Lincoln, my social hour was after the munchkins went to bed.  My friends would come over around 9pm, and we would sit and talk almost overnight.  The first time, we were all eating pie, out of the same tin, around 2am when the first husband called to make sure his wife was alive.  This continued, party after party.  It became an institution.  If your wife was out at all hours, and you hadn't heard from her, odds are good I had something to do with it.  The true highlight was the night there was no power in my house, and we still sat around and talked in the dark until 2am.

I digress....

Then I had a job where I wouldn't get off work until 11 pm at night, and then I was totally wired for hours.
Unfortunately, approaching 35 (there...  I said it....) has led me to believe that the nights of midnight showings, dancing and hanging out until all hours are pretty much ending.

And then...  ENTER THE TEENAGER.

I'm not gonna lie.  My kids are good.

However...

Imagine a dark bedroom.  The mother and father are sleeping (soundly.. as in snoring).  The red numbers on the alarm clock indicate 3AM...

And the mother wakes.

There has been a disturbance in her force.  She can feel it.

The father wakes also.  He sees the light.

They watch through their open bedroom door, waiting for the tell-tale sign of life in the lair of the teenager.

The big light in the room comes on.

The teenager is warned.

One word.

Her first name.

The light goes off.

The parents wait.  That was too easy.

Only moments later, a smaller, fainter light flickers, then dies quickly.

The mother waits a moment then steals out of her room.

She stands in the dark, right in the doorway of the teenager's room.

She waits...  watching with the patience of predatory cat...  knowing the mistake will come.

(Interruption...  This was a lot less entertaining last night.  Trust me...)


And then...  the lighted vibration of the cell phone illuminates the darkness.

The teenager reaches over the side of the bed.

"BUSTED!"  cries the mother, and the teenager jumps.

The 13 year old is texting.  In the middle of the night.

Can you believe it?


Of course, the phone is now mine for the undetermined future.

The other electronics in the room, books and "crafting" supplies are also being confiscated.

Where did she get this???

Oh wait..  that was me...  23 years ago, with my desk lamp and a book under my covers.

Once again.

I'm sorry mom.

Part of me thought about keeping her up all night, 36 hours straight, just to teach her.

Then I realized that I would have to stay up with her.

I am way too old for that...

Searching for Truth

This morning, I received an email from a very trusted source, quoting a man from 1944.


The quote was inaccurate - verified by two internet sources reputed for their truth.


When I contacted the individual who sent this quote to me, she apologized, stated she hadn't checked, and asked me to "reply to all" and site my sources.  I did, and we have moved on.


As many of you know, I have become involved in the Republican Party here in Lincoln, NE.  While still in my political infancy, it has become increasingly important to me to set a few habits.  It is my hope that these can be shared across all political, cultural and social lines.

1. Check your facts.  If you think someone said it, then make sure before sharing.  You don't want people lying about you, don't lie about them.
2. Find a common ground.  There is always something to bring people together.  Start there, and move forward.
3. Agree to disagree.  At some point, your views are going to diverge.  Let them.  Agree that this is something you can't agree on, and look for another commonality.
4. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  Thumper's dad had it right (from Disney's Bambi).  Sometimes the best thing to do is keep your mouth shut until you have something positive to say.

I'm not limiting this to lines between politics.  I personally had an incident with a member of the same group as myself.  It was horrible.  I am truly grateful for these guidelines, because they helped me respond to her in such a way that dignity remained intact.

As a woman, it is imperative that grace and dignity, integrity and righteousness stay my lofty goals.

Said President George Albert Smith: “I desire to impress on you daughters of God … that if this world is to endure, you must keep the faith. If this world is to be happy, you will have to set the pace for that happiness. … If we are to maintain our physical strength and mental power and spiritual joy, it will have to be on the Lord’s terms.” (Relief Society Magazine, Dec. 1945, p. 719.)

From Russell M. Nelson:  A worthy woman personifies the truly noble and worthwhile attributes of life. A faithful woman can become a devoted daughter of God—more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish, more anxious to exercise compassion than to exercise dominion, more committed to integrity than to notoriety. And she knows of her own infinite worth. (Ensign, Nov. 1989)

I am far from perfect, as anyone who truly knows me knows, but I do try to become better each day.  That truth, virtue and kindness will be markers of my life.

O' Henry!

Sunday evening I found myself the caretaker of a 90 pound golden retriever.  He isn't staying at  my house, I'm just petsitting until tomorrow night, but he has been the exact motivation I needed for my workouts.

To be honest, I just haven't felt up to walking/running much lately.  There are lots of reasons, just no excuses.

• The friends that were my motivators are definitely past my level, and I fell like I hold them up.  
• It's beautiful outside, so I don't want to work out in my trainer's basement.  
• I've been so busy that sneaking a walk in is just not working.  
• 5:30AM is just too early anymore. 

See???  Excuses!!

I am letting it get to me pretty heavily, literally.  My trainer has tried to motivate me, but I am resisting really badly.  I've started to feel sluggish, frumpy and waddley again.  (My one friend said, while I was walking regularly that I "didn't walk like a fat person anymore.")  Now that I have been back on the fat person bandwagon, I can totally feel the difference in the way that I move.  It's just harder to get around.

That being said, Henry being in my life has definitely improved my outlook.  I know how to take care of dogs.  My high school years were the years of Jake and Brandy, the two greatest dogs ever - beautiful white german shepherds.  Dogs have to be fed, watered, played with, walked and brushed.  They are a responsibility and need work.  That has been a motivating factor for me.

Each night, we (some combination of Hailey, Katie and I) have loaded up in the car to drive over and walk Henry.  The first two days came in at some really slow paces.  This morning, I walked him alone, and brought the time up 5 minutes.  I may push a little harder tonight when we go for our walk.  If it isn't raining, I may even walk for a whole hour.

Next week, I have a "girly"/diabetic checkup appointment with my doctor.  I'm hoping there are some changes on the scale, but we shall see!

In the meantime - Thanks, Henry for helping me get back off the fat person bandwagon!

Good Boy!