Random Things I'm Grateful For

I've been thinking about some of the daily things in my life that I am so grateful for. In no particular order:


I love it when my house it tidy and the kitchen is clean and the laundry in some state of having been started. I can put off dealing with dust and dog hair on the wood floor and less than sparkling bathrooms if I feel like the kitchen and laundry are where they should be.

I love being home alone. After twenty years with a preschooler by my side, even though my baby is sixteen and now drives himself to school, I'm still not used to being alone and I love it! I have long said that being a mother means that the only way to be "off duty" is to be alone. I love my peeps, but I also love being alone, especially in my very own home.

I love puttering, which is related to being home alone. Puttering while alone is optimal, but it can be done quite well on a Saturday when others are home, if they also are puttering and not requiring your attention. Puttering may consist of the following, but of course, is not limited to: entering receipts into Quicken and balancing the checkbook - which generally leads to checking email and blogs, changing light bulbs that you have noticed were out, same for battery-operated devices, manicure and pedicures and face masks and tweezing eyebrows, any general grooming acts are fair game for puttering. There's also cleaning out the pantry, doing a little laundry, but not taking it too seriously - ironing may also be involved, but not those week-high piles, just a few items! Cleaning out your wallet, purse, and playing with your planner are always welcome putterings. You can do any or all of these while enjoying episodes of "Clean Sweep," "Take Home Handyman" or "What Not To Wear" episodes on TLC. Yeah for Saturday mornings!

Last, but definitely not least for this post is the fact that my husband cooks his own breakfast everyday (Korean Ramen noodles with added veggies) and as part of this ritual of his, he empties/loads the dishwasher and tidies up the kitchen. Did you know that an empty dishwasher is an aphrodisiac!

Note: I had four more things with pictures, no less, then when I hit publish I somehow lost them!#@? - so frustrating. I'll try again later

Snowshoeing

Today I went up to Sundance to go cross-country skiing - it's been 10 days and I was in withdrawal - but unfortunately, the snow was icy and I realized part way up the trail that it just wasn't going to be fun (or safe) so I took my skis off and walked back to the yurt and rented snowshoes. Kathy (my skiing buddy) was snowshoeing because she skied yesterday, so I joined her on the snowshoeing trails. I didn't expect to love it, but I did! It's great to have another option for being outside when the snow isn't good for skiing. It's just amazing and beautiful to be outside in the winter landscape. It's a beautiful world!

From My Valentine

Look at these beautiful roses that were delivered to me today. See what I mean - loving, kind and generous! Thanks, Valentine!

To My Valentine

My first Valentine's Day with Richard Rife was 32 years ago. He gave me a pink wallet. I was quite disappointed, for you see I was expecting a diamond ring. Silly me. But a week later he did ask me to marry him and the rest is history - a history of life with a kind, generous and loving man who has made my life happier and better than I could ever have imagined. Thank you for 32 years of love and laughter and memories.

Thanks to Dan Fogelberg for writing these lyrics that express my feelings about My Valentine.
To Rich:


Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than thereve been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you.

Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you.

I'll bring fires in the winters
You'll send showers in the springs
We'll fly through the falls and summers
With love on our wings.

Through the years as the fire starts to mellow
Burning lines in the book of our lives
Though the binding cracks and the pages start to yellow
I'll be in love with you.

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you
I am in love with you..
Happy Valentine's Day! I love you.

My Baptism Day

I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on this day 42 years ago in Oslo, Norway by my father. I wore a white dress that my mother made me that had a little red velvet jacket to wear over it on Sunday when I got confirmed. I'm grateful for parents who taught me the gospel and baptized me when I was eight years old. It is a great blessing in my life to be a member of the Church and especially to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost in my life.

You may wonder why I wasn't baptized until February when my birthday is December 31st - three days before my eighth birthday I fell on my new ice skates that Santa brought me and broke my right arm. So I had to wait six weeks until the cast came off to be baptized. My baptism day is also Abraham Lincoln's birthday, so it's appropriate that I grew up to marry a man who loves and admires Abraham Lincoln. It's all good.

Cross Country Skiing

I love cross country skiing! I think I mentioned this before, but I thought I'd post a picture of me in my gear. Of course, I have my skiis, boots and poles, but please note my headphones attached to the ipod in my pants pocket, my GPS watch which tells me how far, how fast and how long I ski, my special SWIX ski pants and jacket which are wind/water resistant on the front and breathable microfiber on the back, and my fanny camel back pack which holds water as well as my phone and keys. And the best part is it's all matching my color theme of blue and gray! I love cross country skiing!

Nanajan's Toys

One great thing about being a grandmother is that it's a good excuse to buy toys - supposedly for your grandchildren. But honestly, I just love Fisher-Price little people and now I've added the Loving Family Doll House. It's just too fun to set it up and arrange the furniture! It's an interior designer's dream. It's so cute; I just love it. And the gkiddies can play, too. On my wish list is the bathroom and the SUV - complete with carseats for the twin babies.