Azalea Adventure

North Carolina puts on quite a show in the spring—one beautiful thing after another.  And the big finale most definitely occurs when the azaleas bloom.  In that moment they morph from mild-mannered bushes to floral monuments, each bush covered from top to bottom with vividly colored blooms.

This year I was determined to take a good azalea picture.  For some reason azaleas are hard for me to photograph.  I think it’s because the flowers grow in groups, and that makes it hard to get a picture with any meaning to it.  But this reason I was determined.

I practiced my techniques while were were at my grandparents’ farm.

 
Then when I had a little time to myself on Friday I picked some flowers from my yard and brought them inside for a little photo shoot.

It was much harder than I expected.  The azaleas didn’t cooperate with me like the daisies did at Valentines.  It will be interesting to print some of the pictures and see what they look like then.  But in the end I thought I got some interesting pictures…

The Selling Point

I'm sure you remember that last year Russ made these terrific caterpillar cages for all three little kids.  The only thing they lack, is, well, a lid.

So when Jenna brought home a caterpillar from the ward cookout on Saturday evening and left it overnight in the caterpillar cage with no lid, it was gone by morning.  Last night Jenna brought home a caterpillar from Abby's house (where we were treated to a delicious dinner) and left it uncovered overnight on the deck.  Apparently it is also gone this morning, because I just heard this conversation outside my bedroom door.

Rachel: I think we need a cage like Abby has for her caterpillars.  [Abby has a terrarium.]

Jenna: But Rachel, Dad's cages have a built in climbing wall.  And what caterpillar wouldn't want a built in climbing wall???


That indeed is a question for the ages...

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

In the book "Stones into Schools," Greg Mortensen tells about the terrible earthquake that occurred in the fall of 2005 in Pakistan.  Many of the remote villages were totally decimated.  Most of the schools collapsed, killing many of the students.  It was a crisis of enormous proportions.  Very much like what just happened in Haiti, except that instead of it being in the tropics it was in the fall in a country with brutal winters.  Here is an excerpt from the book that tells about what happened...

"By the end of October, Sarfarz also startied to notice an odd gap between what was being delivered and what people actually needed.  A number of outdoor manufacturers from the United States, for example, had donated impressive quantities of high-tech mountaineering tents made with synthetic fabrics that are highly flammable.  As the weather turned cold, these tents became crammed with families who relied on candles and kerosene lanterns for illumination and who prepared their meals on cooking fires directly outside the front flap.  Many of these tents ended up catching fire, resulting in horrific burns and several deaths, especially among children.


A notable exception to this trend were the 'home-rebuilding kits' donated by the Turkish government after significant consultation with refugees on the ground.  The kits...consisted of hammers, nails, shovels, saws, wire, corrugated sheet metal, and other essential building items so that people could fashion temporary shelters in their own villages..."

Isn't this just like our lives?  So often we have a pretty good idea of how we think things should go.  We think we know what would make things work better or make us happier.  We might think that what we really need is a high tech tent.  (Or a new car, a great vacation, a raise, perfect heath, etc.)

Heavenly Father, though, sees so much more clearly than we ever could.  He knows that sometimes our real needs; the things that will enable us to learn and grow and become the people we really want to be, are far more rudimentary and less glamorous than we might like.  He can see when the high-tech tent might even be a dangerous option. 

I'm so glad that in life there is never a gap between what is delivered and what is actually needed...

...know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience,               and shall be for thy good… 

Book Review: Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into School

Last weeks I read two wonderful and amazing books, "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones into Schools."  (A huge thanks to Jenny for the recommendation!)  The first book, "Three Cups of Tea" started auspiciously, with a description of the author's attempt to climb K2, the second highest mountains in the world.  I figured any book that included mountain climbing must be worth reading.

After getting lost coming down K2 the author wanders into a remote village in Pakistan, where he is cared for and nursed back to health.  As he is convalescing he notices that each day the children of the village gather and sit outside, scratching in the dirt with sticks.  He is told that they have no school, and have a teacher only a few days every week, so on the other days the children sit and practice their schoolwork in the dirt.  When he left the village, he promised that he would return to build them a school.

The rest of the book tells of his incredible change from mountain climbing bum to full time philanthropist, building relationships and working with people in the remotest parts of the world to build schools.  The second book tells of his expansion into the remote areas of Afghanistan, and is equally compelling.

I can't imagine being this man, who has ended up devoting his life to the cause of providing education to the children of these countries.  And I think we will have to donate to his cause...

We Must Be Really Old

because today we're celebrating our 23rd anniversary!

When we came back to Utah the week after our wedding and moved into our apartment in Wymount, the Relief Society presidency came to visit me.  One of the women had been married for four months.  I was so impressed.  And one of the women had been married for one year.  One Year!  I couldn't even conceive of being married for one whole year.

And yet here I am.  Here we are.  What seems like just a hop, skip, and a jump later.  (And a child or six.)  Twenty-three years filled with more happiness that I ever could have imagined.

It is certainly worth celebrating...

PS--being the kind, thoughtful, and considerate wife that I am I gave Russ the german version of Ticket to Ride for our anniversary.  It was just what he wanted! ;)

Perspective

Some might call it a little ocd....

I call it beautiful!

Bad Mom, Good Mom

We spent a lovely couple of hours at the park Monday afternoon.  I enjoyed visiting with the adults, and the kids spent the entire time happily collecting caterpillars.  (If you'll recall, caterpillars are a source of much joy every year.)

When it was time to go the kids came running, caterpillars in hand.

 (This is Katie's cute son Brigham.)

My kids were crushed when I told them that they couldn't take the caterpillars home.  We had no containers in the van, and I wasn't about to invite small creatures in if there was a (good) chance that they could become permanently lost somewhere in my car.

I assumed that our yard would also be filled with caterpillars, and I was wrong.  We have yet to see one of the crawly creatures here, and I am really hoping that it is because we seem to be at a slightly higher elevation and therefore a few days behind whatever's happening in Durham.  (truly)

------

Later in the week we went to the mall to do a little shopping at the Children's Place sale.  Generally I do all of the shopping by myself, but Jared is in between sizes right now so I wanted him to try on shorts before I bought them.  They were all cooperative and delighted to be the recipients of new clothes.

As we walked in to the mall, we passed the lovely fountain.  The kids, of course, asked if they could play in the water.  One day last summer we came with swimsuits and towels and they played to their hearts content.

I told them that this day they could play in the fountain a little, but that they couldn't get all the way wet.  They were so sad.  I guess partially wet is just not satisfying.

Then I told Jared that he could jump over the fountain when it was really small.

Except that it was right at that moment that it got tall again!

And then I thought for a minute.  My reasons for not wanting them to get all the way wet weren't that important.  Sure, it is only April.  Well, 80 degrees is 80 degrees.  Sure, I didn't have any towels to dry them off.  Fortunately I'd just bought a bunch of new clothes.  I decided that if they were willing to change in the car than they could get as wet as they wanted.

Which was thoroughly.

I wonder what my kids will remember about me when they're grown.  I know that there are far too many days that I am busy with the minutiae of running a very full home; cleaning and cooking and napping.  I know that there are more times than they'd like when my answer to their requests is no; no caterpillars in the car, no dessert tonight, no playing with friends.

I hope that they also remember that sometimes I did say yes.  That we took crazy vacations with exhausting hikes, that we spent days flying kites and playing bocci at the beach, and that sometimes I let them play in the fountains even when we didn't have towels...