Here's to a Happy Marriage!

Last Tuesday Seth and I marked 32 years of marriage. It wasn't until we were both up, dressed, fed, and heading out the door that we realized it was our wedding anniversary. A quick hug and kiss and we were off in separate directions to accomplish the work of the day.

Later, Seth came home early and suggested that I accompany him on a drive up the canyon "for our anniversary". He arranged for Jason and Sarah to cover the motel and we took off in his big truck (as opposed to my little truck). He suggested that while we were up there "we might as well look for my lost back pack." (Look at the post of May 24, "Seth's Spring Adventure" for details on how it was lost.) So we both put on hiking shoes, threw in the chains so we could drive across the still swollen river, sprayed on the bug spray and headed out.

The hour's drive up the Smith's Fork road was beautiful. The recent rains made the area green and the rivers full. It was a delightful trip. We chained up, put the truck in 4-wheel drive and crossed the river, traversed a pretty muddy road, parked the truck and went for a "little walk" along the river. The water was still very muddy and high and rushing fast. We followed a trail to where Seth took his dive and lost the kayak. He showed me where he finally got out of the water and where the boat came to rest down stream in a natural dam of debris. We saw a rope still hanging from a branch where he and Jason had left it when they recovered the boat.

I went up high, looking down on the river for color in the water (the pack had been wrapped in a bright yellow tarp before it was strapped to the kayak). Seth walked along the river searching for any sign. After a bit, Seth saw what appeared to be a strap and managed to carefully maneuver himself closer to take a look. There, well below the surface, not far from where the kayak had lodged, was his pack. HE FOUND IT!! Of course, it had been in the river for a whole month and was filled with muddy water. But, otherwise, it was completely intact with his boots and fishing pole (well, part of the fishing pole) still attached to the outside. The yellow tarp and rope were long gone.

It took every possible effort to pull the pack to the surface of the water and roll it over the branches to the bank. Seth unstrapped the pole and boots, rinsed out the boots and emptied them of all the water and most of the mud. I carried them up the hill to the trail. Everything inside had to be wrung out before the pack could be lifted to his back. We hiked back to the truck, still marveling at our little miracle. We found it! The drive back home was jubilant after such a remarkable conclusion to our search.

(Just a note in case you're curious. Much of the content of the pack is still usable. The stove, knives, clothes and pack itself are good as new now that they are clean. We even have hope for the binoculars and video camera. The camera and cell phone are total losses. But Seth came home alive and what was lost is found.)

Two years ago Seth and I went to Hawaii to celebrate our anniversary--the trip of a lifetime. Last year we had dinner at the Flying J down the street. This year we "went for a drive" and ate cold cereal when we got home. It may sound to some people like things are headed down hill in the romance department. In actuality, it's quite the opposite. We honeymooned in the mountains and have happily celebrated several anniversaries backpacking in the same high Wind Rivers, enjoying the beautiful quiet and solitude. The giddy high that we enjoyed together this year, upon unexpectedly finding what was lost, was remarkably similar to those early days of our marriage. This anniversary will still be remembered and discussed thirty years from now when we celebrate 62 years!

So here's to happy marriage. We are so blessed to have each other.

Today is Father's Day.

Traditionally on Father's Day we tend to think of our own fathers and, of course, I do with fond appreciation. But this Father's Day I wanted to comment on the fathers that are also my sons.

My oldest son, Ben, has four children (3 daughters and one son). Recently I spent a few minutes with his family as they dropped him at Grandma Sally's before the rest of them headed to Nana's for the night. It was brief, only a few minutes really, but in those few minutes I saw the father he has become. He cheerfully greeted Mom and I, shuttled the girls to the bathroom, calmed the baby with a binky, settled on the schedule for the next day with Heidi, redirected two year old Creed from something off limits, reloaded everyone into the car and waved them off, still smiling when he came back inside. Not more than five minutes later, their van pulled back up to the house because someone did not get a chance to say goodbye. He lovingly complied with hugs and kisses all around. While we headed off to bed (and in spite of the fact that he had few hours ahead for sleep), he waited patiently for them to call and report their safe arrival before he slept.

"A good father is a little bit of a mother." (Lee Salk)

Jason has a daughter just turned one year old. Both he and Aubrey dote on Mikayla shamelessly. Like Ben, Jason takes his turn at diaper duty, feeding, clothing, etc. and he enjoys "daddy duty". Through it all, though, it is his obvious affection for his wife that stands out. Together they will live and love and parent their children.

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." (Theodore Hesburgh)

Jon and Brock, our sons-in-law, have their own styles of fathering. Jon spends lots of time with his boys, playing and working and riding bikes and going places. Brock wrestles and boxes with his boys, listens well to his teenage daughter, and welcomes a new foster daughter with open arms (even though he said he was "done with babies").
They've both taken fatherhood in stride and are helping their children learn life's lessons.

"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." (George Herbert)

I am thankful today for all the fathers in my life, for my father and my father in law, for Seth--the father of my children, and for these wonderful fathers who are also my sons. I am especially grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who gave us families and opportunity to learn together to be more like him.

One last thought:

"What a father says to his children is not heard by the world; but it will be heard by posterity." (Jean Paul Richter)

Food, Glorious Food

I woke up this morning to the smell of a roast cooking in the crock pot. It filled the house with a delicious invitation to get up the enjoy the day.

There is nothing quite like food--the smells and tastes and textures, the comfortable feeling of having enough, the renewed energy, the shared experience of eating together. Luciano Pavarotti said, "One of the nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." I agree.

"Whatever will satisfy hunger is good food," says a Chinese proverb. I agree with that, too. It can be something as simple as a few strawberries or carrots. It can be a bowl of oats with a bit of honey. It can be warm, fresh bread right from the oven. It can be a spoonful of peanut butter or a crispy apple or peas picked and eaten right in the garden. It doesn't take much.

Occasionally it is nice to create a meal of more diverse options. Family gatherings often call for a little more thought and preparation. Together we gather, mix and make favorites sure to please every palate. It can be sensory delight and tasty comfort. Days, even years, later we recall the feelings from such a meal when we taste or smell the food eaten then.

Many are "salty" or "sweet" or "spicy" fans. Some don't do fish or "green things" or red meat or squash or sushi or sugar. Some only do whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. Some only do things proportioned and packaged and easily available on the go...."some like it hot and some like it cold."

Now, personally, I'll eat almost anything. In a world where so many go without, it's almost a crime not to. Leftovers will store for another day. Several things can be combined to make something new. Remember "waste not, want not." While I enjoy a feast as much as the next person, I don't require much to be happy.

Mark Twain said, "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not." Gene Brown commented, "As with liberty, the price of leanness is eternal vigilance." While these may both speak truth, I prefer to dwell on Thomas Jefferson's idea, "We never repent of having eaten too little." And I always hold to the wisdom of Miss Piggy, "Never eat more than you can lift!"

Mariah's Summer Ahead

Today I will drive across the great state of Wyoming to take Mariah to Univerity of Wyoming's High School Summer Institute in Laramie....five hours over and five hours back! While I have really enjoyed living in Wyoming and find MANY beautiful places here, I-80, across the sage brush of the south end of the state, is not one of them. At least I will have good company on the way over and some great tunes on the way back.

This is a summer of new experiences for Mariah. She turned 16 in May. Her first week as a licensed driver involved daily trips to Montpelier, Idaho (60 miles round trip) for EFY (Especially for Youth, a BYU regional program for teenagers). Because of a variety of other conflicts, Mariah was the only Cokeville teen to attend the conference, so there was no one to help car pool. She got along great, even figuring out an optional route one night when an accident blocked the road and taking care of some grocery shopping for me. Seth was a little concerned about all the driving, but I knew she would manage well (having done 99% of her learners driving with her).

The next three weeks she'll be in Laramie for HSI. This is an opportunity to get a feel for college life, meet students from all over the state, visit lots of Wyoming places, and try out some interesting humanities and science classes. Again, Mariah is the only Cokeville student attending. But it promises to be a grand adventure. She'll make new friends, expand her mind, see new things and, perhaps, miss home a bit. I know we'll be missing her.

Then comes girls camp in the Idaho mountains, cheer camp in Ogden, a trip to Tennessee, and back home again for Pioneer Day. Somewhere before school starts again we will fit in trips to the dentist and school shopping, some motel housekeeping, family reunions, and time to kick back at home.

I can't help but think of those days, not so long ago, when Mariah spent her summers lounging in the tree with a book or wading in the creek or arranging movie parties in the afternoons or walking to the store for a treat and the library for more books, sleeping late, singing silly songs, and somehow avoiding many chores. Her long blond hair is now dark, with carefully added highlights. Her voice and shape are now a woman's. She has matured into an interesting, capable, helpful, adventurous person.

I'm glad she can have this summer's experiences. But Seth and I will both miss her. We're not "empty nesters" yet, but this will be a small taste of things to come.

Go out there and have a blast, Mariah. We love you.

Note: I just got back and I owe Wyoming an apology. That drive across 1-80 was absolutely beautiful today! Everything is so green. There is so much open space with high plains, hills, valleys and mountains, grass and sage brush, rivers and wild game. There wasn't much in the way of traffic and very little road construction. It was a long drive, but perfectly delightful after all.