Nudged into the 21st Century

Once upon a time, there was a woman who was not convinced that she needed a cell phone.

"Why should I own a cell phone? I'm ALWAYS home! And when I'm not home, I prefer to not be on the phone."

Yes, she was teased by others. But, she was happy with her cell phone free life.

Then one day, tragedy struck! Her trusty white van (may it rest in peace) broke down on a busy street in Stockton. It barely had enough momentum to pull into a parking lot. There it sat.

It was a hot August day. Said woman was on her way to UOP to pick up darling daughter #3 from her lovely job working as a custodian. Darling Daughter #3 owned a cell phone. She was very 21st century.

"Hmmm," thought the woman. "I need to call daughter and let her know I will be late. I need to call husband and ask him to rescue daughter and then rescue me."

She proceeded to look for a pay phone. She went to one place of business.

No pay phone.

She went to another place of business.

No pay phone.

She went to a third place of business.

Still no pay phone.

Mustering her courage, she approached the owner of the third business and asked if he knew where a pay phone was at--her car was broken down in his very parking lot and it was a very hot August afternoon.

Business owner took pity on her. He offered his business phone. She called husband. She explained her predicament. Because daughter #3 had a Utah phone number on her cell phone, she asked husband to call daughter because she did not want to add a long distance charge to nice business man's bill.

Then she went back to her hot van and waited to be rescued. She waited. And waited. And waited. Two things were realized during that very hot wait.

1. She needed a new car.

2. She needed to break down and buy a cell phone.

Tomorrow: Part II of this very fascinating story. I bet you can't wait!

Ch Ch Ch Chia Pet!

You know Christmas is coming when you see the Chia Pet commercials on TV.

Did you know that this year, you can get a Chia Pet and show your patriotism at the same time?

You can get a George Washington Chia Head!

You can get an Abraham Lincoln Chia Head!

You can get the Statue of Liberty Chia Head!

And you can get an President Obama Chia Head which symbolizes according to the commercial "prosperity and hope."


Do you feel particularly prosperous and hopeful?



Who said that Christmas, patriotism, and Chia Pets didn't go together!

Ron-The Card Shark

Family Home Evening follows a predictable pattern in our home.

The person conducting ALWAYS says,

Welcome to Family Home Evening. It's so NICE to see your bright and shining faces.

If we aren't smiling when they say that line, they repeat it until we are ALL smiling.

Aren't families great?

Then we have an:

Opening Song.

Opening Prayer.

Family business.

We always sing a special song for family business. I admit it. I made the song up. It's so catchy that you might want to try it in your home.

(Sung to Hallelujah Chorus.)

Family Business!
Family Business!
(sung slightly faster) Family Business, Family Business
(sung much slower) Family Buuuuisnessss!

After a lengthy discussion on "family business" it's time to move onto the scripture. Following the scripture is the lesson. Usually a pretty short lesson. You would think we had a short attention span or something.

Then it's time to

Sing the closing song.

Say the closing prayer.

Have the activity.

Eat a treat.

For it wouldn't be family home evening without the treat!

Tonight, our family home evening went pretty much to pattern. Long family business. Short lesson.

Then, it was time to play Phase 10.

Let me tell you. We are COMPETITIVE in this family! Of course, it doesn't compare to my ruthless brother-in-law Dan and his game of Monopoly. I haven't played Dan in a game of Monopoly in over 21 years! That's how competitive he is.

Back to Phase 10. Ron deals the cards. He ALWAYS deals the cards. That is how Emily and I prefer it. I am not very good at shuffling. You can ask my daughters. They will agree with me.

I think, just between you and me, that Ron would make a great card shark! I think he keeps extra WILDS and SKIPS up his sleeve. It seems like he has a plethora of WILDS when I barely get any. Do I sound bitter? Perhaps. Just a little.

Tonight, during the first "phase" Ron SKIPPED me. He really did. I had not done ONE mean thing to him. I had not skipped him. I did not have a plethora of WILD cards. Yet he skipped me. You know what this means?

Yes, I threatened him with sleeping on the couch.

Five or six minutes and a couple of phases later, he SKIPPED Emily.

She was not pleased.

She threatened to take away the pillow and blanket he would be using on the couch.

Ron was scared. But did it stop him from skipping us? No, it did not!

Emily soon threatened him with sleeping outside. If we had a doghouse, he would be in it.

The game ended. Ron won. Not that Emily or I are bitter or anything.

He made up for his card shark ways with a delicious bowl of ice cream.

All is forgiven.

There is "beauty all around" once again because Phase 10 is over for a few more weeks and once again, there is "Love at Home."

Thanksgiving Makeover--2010 Edition

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. It wasn't what we planned on. It wasn't what we hoped for. But it ended up being a wonderful day.

We were hoping to drive to Utah. The plans were to drive part way on Tuesday and finish the drive on Wednesday. However, a major winter storm that dumped snow over the Sierra changed our plans. We were very sad and very disappointed.

After calling my sister and letting her know we weren't coming, Ron and I had the sad task of calling our Utah daughters--Christie, Heather, and Jennifer and sharing the sad news with them. They understood why we weren't coming but it didn't make it any easier.

Then I called up my Mom and spoke to Jack. "We're not going to Utah for Thanksgiving. May we spend Thanksgiving with you?"

(How's that for inviting yourself to a big event?)

"Of course!" he replied.

It's great having family.

Over 40 people showed up at the church for the annual Thanksgiving Breakfast. We enjoyed a delicious egg-bacon-hash brown breakfast casserole, sweet rolls, fruit cocktail, and orange juice. After breakfast many of the grandchildren put on a talent show. We had piano players. We had a trumpet player. We had poetry recitations. We had our annual play put on by the younger children--a play this year that featured two little girls stuck in an Alice in Wonderland scenario with fairies and other magical creatures that were trying to help them get back home.

But, one of the highlights of the talent show for ME was when my brother Daniel and Emily performed a talent together.

They twirled their hair.

Who says I don't have a talented daughter?

Or a brother who is a very good sport?

Before Thanksgiving dinner, we called the Utah family. Carol and I talked to our Utah sisters and then we talked to Christie and Tim, Heather and Dustin, Jennifer and Jacob. It was great! It was fun! It was almost like being in Utah.

Almost. But not quite.

But, even though we were apart from the Utah family, it was wonderful spending time with the California family. It was wonderful to laugh and talk and work together making a wonderful feast and then working together cleaning up the mess.

It was wonderful to visit and catch up. It was then wonderful to go home and sleep in my own bed, not worrying about how we were going to get home from Utah because another winter storm this weekend is supposed to dump even more snow.

Yes, our Thanksgiving was not what we hoped for. But, it ended up being very, very nice.

My Name is Loralee...and I'm a Christmas Music Addict

When we moved 3 1/2 months ago, we knew it would be the PERFECT opportunity to streamline our home. We got rid of furniture, appliances, books, DVD's, videos, kitchen "stuff" clothes, linens, and oodles and oodles of things stored in the garage. It was amazing how much we accumulated and how much we got rid of. It felt good.

But, there was one thing that was "hands-off." That was our CD collection--especially my collection of Christmas music. Every year I purchase at least one or two or sometimes (shifts eyes furtively) three Christmas CD's. Because I LOVE Christmas music soooo much! You may remember http://mamoomsmoments.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-dilemma.html for the serious dilemma I had LAST year!

But, if I HAD to pare down my collection, what would I keep?

In no particular order, here are my top 10 favorite Christmas CD's.

1. Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas. This is the Christmas album I grew up with! There is something about Bing's soothing vocals paired up with the sparkling voices of the Andrew Sisters that puts me in the Christmas Spirit. "Mele Kalikimaka" is the bonus touch.

2. Johnny Mathis For Christmas. Who could not love Johnny's vocals? "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is my favorite on this album.

3. For something a little more contemporary, but still in the old crooner style I like Harry Connick, Jr.'s first Christmas album When My Heart Finds Christmas. I love the energy of this album!

4. I own several Mo Tab Christmas CD's. But one of my favorites is Spirit of the Season with Sissel. "Spirit of the Season" from the Polar Express movie makes me smile EVERY single time!

5. The other Mo Tab Christmas CD I really like is Ring Christmas Bells with Brian Stokes Mitchell. "The Friendly Beasts" is worth downloading if you don't want the entire CD.

6. Donny Osmond's Christmas at Home is one of my favorites. I know what you are thinking--Donny Osmond? His rendition of "Mary Did you Know" and "Come to the Manger" are beautiful!

7. Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song is another vintage CD--but c'mon--it's Nat King Cole singing "The Christmas Song!"

8. Josh Groban's Noel may be this generations version of Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, and Bing Crosby wrapped up in one. There is not one bad song on this CD. Not one.

9. Hilary Weeks' Christmas Once Again brings the spirit into my home. Her song "Is There Room" helps put Christmas into perspective for me.

10. Celtic Woman A Christmas Celebration is probably the most listened to Christmas CD in my rotation. "Ding Dong Merrily on High" is worth listening to over and over again!

Honorable Mention: Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. Their version of "Silent Night" accompanied at least two Joy School Christmas productions in my own family history.

So, do you have any CD's you would recommend that I add to my collection? I'm always looking for one or two or (shifts eyes furtively) three every year!

Men Are That They Might Have Joy!

When Ron was told that his job was coming to an end about 1 1/2 years ago, we began attending the temple on a weekly basis. It was the highlight of our week because for a few hours we were able to forget the pressing problems that weighed so heavily upon us. "How would we meet our financial obligations? When would a new job open up?" We always felt great peace as we walked through the temple doors and were able to put our problems behind us. We also felt a tangible feeling of Heavenly Father's great love for us. No wonder we enjoyed going to the temple every week!

One particular temple session stands out from the rest. We had been attending the temple for a few months when one of the officiators said something that I will never forget. He was giving the prayer and he said, "We ask that those attending the temple will feel joy."

This was an emotion I had not felt in months! Peace, yes. Love from our Heavenly Father--yes. Joy? No. Soon after entering the Celestial Room, I sat in a comfortable arm chair and began praying once again. Praying for our family. Praying for Ron in his search for employment. Praying that I might have greater faith. Suddenly, I was filled with such an overwhelming feeling of joy--it was indescribable! I don't know if I have ever felt such great joy in my entire life. It surpassed even the feelings on my wedding day and the birth of my children. It was joy that was felt in ever fiber of my being and brought tears of gratitude to my eyes. As I soaked up those nearly forgotten feeling of joy, I thanked Heavenly Father that the prayer of a humble temple worker was answered. I felt like that particular prayer was given for me--that I could have joy even during the trials and tribulations of life. That feeling of joy stayed with me for the remainder of the day. How grateful I am for the reminder that in this life, we can have joy and experience peace, even when our lives seem to be falling apart.

Early Morning Seminary--Part 2

I taught the Freshman class for the third time this week. Last week, one of the young men suggested that the class teach seminary. The regular seminary teacher agreed that they could each do a mini-lesson on a subject of their choosing. She called to let me know that Wednesday was the day.

Hurray! I didn't have to prepare a lesson! (Of course, I did have a back-up plan in case we finished early.)

On Monday I reminded the class about their mini-teaching assignment. Some of the students looked at me blankly. This did not look promising.

On Tuesday, I gave each student a handout with suggestions on how to prepare a mini-lesson. It read:

Topic:

Scripture or quote from General Authority:

Personal Experience or Story:

Conclusion (may include your testimony):

There was much moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth when they realized they would REALLY HAVE TO TEACH!

As the students left the class, I reminded them once again that I was looking forward to their mini-lessons the next day.

One young man said, "I'm going to talk about pornography."

Another young man said, "I am going to talk about pornography, too."

A third and a fourth young man said, "That's what I want to talk about, also."

I sweetly smiled. (I knew they were looking for a reaction and I was NOT going to give them one.) "That's fine. But remember, you must use a scripture or a quote from a General Authority, share a story or a personal experience, and have a conclusion." They looked slightly chagrined.

Today, two young men (not four) did talk about pornography. They shared either a quote from President Hinckley or read from "For the Strength of Youth." They each shared a personal experience where they were at a friend's house and either saw an inappropriate web site or an inappropriate movie. They each shared a conclusion and one shared his testimony.

Even though they chose this topic as an attention getter, I am proud of them for doing so well! And if reading the counsel from a prophet of God strengthens them or members of the class, I would say that it was a success!

Smoke Gets in My Eyes

When Christie and Heather were very young, we had a neighbor who became our "Stockton Grandma." Sister Holsworth lived a couple of houses down the street. She had a cat named "Baby Girl" and a dog whose name I don't remember. We didn't have pets yet and Christie absolutely loved visiting Sister Holsworth's home and playing with her pets. There were a couple of mornings when the doorbell would ring--very early in the morning I might add--and there was Sister Holworth standing on the doorstep with Christie beside her. Sometimes Christie would still be wearing her nightgown, her bare little feet curled from touching the cold concrete. She had slipped out of the house to visit her special friends. I would thank Sister Holsworth for bringing her back home and try to help Christie understand that we didn't visit people before breakfast. I'm sure Sister Holsworth wondered what kind of parent I was at times.

We had Sister Holsworth over for dinner occasionally. We sat near her at church. At least twice we had her over for our Christmas Eve festivities--a special dinner and acting out the nativity. We were not only neighbors, but became good friends.

When Heather was about a year old and Christie was about five, Sister Holsworth asked me to drive her to the Sacramento airport. She said we could take her car. I'm sure she suspected that we didn't have a lot of money to pay for an extra tank of gas. I was a little nervous about driving to Sacramento with two little girls--the trip up wouldn't be so bad but returning home without an extra adult was going to be a little trickier. Yet, Sister Holsworth was my friend and I was happy to help out.

The appointed day came. Her car was unusual. It looked like a car but it had only one long bench seat with a covered cab in back. It was a mixture of a car and a truck. There were only three seat belts in the car and four passengers. This was before the very strict seat belt laws so I sat in the driver's seat, Heather was strapped into her car seat which was in the middle, and Sister Holsworth held Christie on her lap.

Soon after I entered Highway 5 I noticed the car seemed sluggish. I pushed down on the accelerator. Nothing happened. In fact, we started going even slower.

"Something's wrong, " I said. "We are losing power." I carefully pulled over to the shoulder of the road. As soon as I stopped, thick, dark smoke filled the cab. I literally could not see the other passengers in the car! Flames were shooting out of the hood. The car was on fire!

Sister Holsworth opened her door and pushed Christie off her lap. She fell in a heap on the ground and began crying. Meanwhile, I was trying to unbuckle Heather from her car seat. I was struggling to undo the latch as we were breathing in smoke. Sister Holsworth was finally able to free Heather and I grabbed her and exited the other door. Before our eyes her car was in flames. A truck driver going the opposite direction on Highway 5 stopped, ran across all the lanes of the freeway with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put the fire out. It was too late. The car was a total loss.

After the CHP arrived, he placed us safely in his car and then called Ron at work to come and pick us up. Sister Holsworth never did make it to the airport that day. I don't know if she ever found out why her car suddenly caught on fire either. The situation caused a few nightmares, but I was extremely grateful that we were all safe. I was also very grateful that Sister Holsworth--with her arthritic hands was able to get Heather out of her car seat when my own nerves made it practically impossible.

And so in the Spirit of Thanksgiving--thank you, Sister Holsworth. Wherever you are.

White Hair is Not a Requirement

Last Friday morning I woke up at 3:20 am because I wanted to--not because I had insomnia. After getting ready for the day I was out the door by 4:35 am. I met up with my mom and Jack and we then got in their car to drive to the Oakland Temple. It was my first day of being a set apart temple volunteer and I was excited!

After the short, but interesting preparation meeting, I was given a short orientation and then my assignment began. My main duty is to help welcome men and women to the temple and answer any questions they might have. I actually had quite a few questions asked. I hope I answered them all correctly!

I have always enjoyed attending the temple and one reason is how friendly and kind everyone is. Now I am one of those temple workers! I am following in the footsteps of my mother, my mother-in-law, and my aunt. I am so glad I have this opportunity to serve in the temple.

P.S. White hair is not a requirement!

A Tale of Early Morning Seminary

Tuesday night I was in the church kitchen cleaning up after our ward's Young Women Evening in Excellence. It had been a wonderful father-daughter night of "fine dining," dancing, and a very entertaining skit but I was tired and ready to go home.

Suddenly, two young men burst through the kitchen doors. They were probably in search of "free food." They saw me and their eyes lit up.

"We hear you are going to teach our seminary class next week!" one of them said.

"Yes, I am. I get to teach your class four times next week!" I replied.

"Cool! We're so excited!" the other one replied.

I just grinned ear to ear. That made me feel so good! As the "new kid on the block" in this ward, I am trying so hard to get to know the adults and the youth. I'm glad that I've made a favorable impression on at least a couple of kids.

Now, let's back up a few weeks to see how this all started....

Sunday, October 17

We had Daniel, Shauna and their two daughters over for dinner. The phone was ringing off the hook that evening--an unusual occurrence in our home right now. The phone rang again. It was for me. A Brother Dickson from the High Counsel wanted to meet with me that evening. I had just been called to serve as the ward Young Women secretary a week earlier so I wondered what it could be about. Since Daniel is on the High Counsel, I asked him what Brother Dickson's assignment was .

He answered, "There are two Brother Dickson's on the High Counsel. One is over Facilities and one is over Seminary. It's highly unlikely that you are going to be called to work in Facilities."

I was shocked. The school and seminary year had already started. Why would they need a new seminary teacher?

About two hours later, Ron and I sat across the table from Brother Dickson as he called me to serve as an "on-call substitute teacher." I could end up subbing for any of the four classes in our building. Of course I said, "Yes." I was excited, but a little nervous, too. He asked me to call the seminary principal the next day and let her know I accepted.

The following day I called a very nice woman and she told me how grateful she was that I said "yes." Then she asked me to substitute for her on Election Day because she is a poll worker and four more days in November when she and her husband would be going out of town.

She then told me, "I have a very challenging class. But, maybe they'll be OK for you."

Great. She has a challenging class. I don't know many of the youth. How would they treat an unknown person? Now I was really nervous.

I spoke to the Mia Maid Counselor in my ward and asked about the young woman this age.

"Oh," she said. "You have some real challenges in this age group."

Now, I was really scared!

I carefully prepared my lesson, said a lot of prayers, and hoped for the best.

Tuesday, November 2.

I tossed and turned all night--dreading the morning. I woke up at 1:00 am but was finally able to go back to sleep. When I woke up at 2:00 am, I laid awake until it was time to get out of bed at 5:00. My stomach was churning. I really, really wondered how it was going to go.

Before leaving for church, I read a chapter in the Book of Mormon to help put me in the right spirit and said my prayers. Then, it was time to face this "challenging class."

As each student arrived, I greeted them, asked them their name and which high school and ward they attended. We started a little late because of the late drifters. After the devotional, I opened up with a story about Lucy Mack Smith praying with a group of saints that the ice would break so they could travel on a barge down a frozen canal from New York to Ohio. If there is one thing I am good at, it's telling a story. They listened to me.

The rest of the morning flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for the closing prayer. As they filed out they said things like "We learned something today!" "Thanks for being our teacher!"

It was the positive reinforcement I needed.

But the cherry on the top was definitely a week later when two freshman boys told me they were excited about me teaching seminary the following week. I hope I don't let them down! And I am so grateful that prayers were answered and I was given divine help.

Traditions! Traditions!

What does it mean when you take a corn dog..


and add French Fries....
Add a tossed Green Salad....
And a lovely Green Jell-O salad....


And a delicious dessert?


It adds up to Emily's traditional Birthday Dinner.

Emily has chosen this SAME birthday dinner since she was three. She could choose anything she wants and she always chooses corn dogs, french fries, green salad, AND Green Jell-O.

Yum! Yum!

Oh...It's THAT Card!

Yesterday I was dashing around like a mad woman trying to finish the preparations for Emily's birthday. She was very specific in what she wanted for her birthday dinner and I was not able to find a couple common ingredients at the first store I went to. Or at Costco. In fact I went to THREE grocery stores to find a chocolate pie crust. In the amount of time it took to drive to those three stores, I could have bought Oreo cookies and made my own pie crust...

At the last grocery store, I was beyond the point of exhaustion. It had been a marathon errand day. Post office. Music store. Library. Kohls. Grocery Store 1. Costco. Grocery Store 2. Another store to pick up a final gift. Finally I stopped at Safeway.

I only picked up two things at Safeway--Fuji apples which were on sale and the Oreo pie crust. The lines were long. I thought, "I will do the self checkout."

Would you believe I needed assistance THREE times for two items?

The first time I needed assistance was really not my fault. The woman in front of me canceled her transaction and a friendly Safeway employee had to clear the scanning machine.

I scanned the Oreo pie crust. It was on sale if I used my club card. The machine asked me to scan my card. Obediently I did so. I like a sale!

I then placed the Fuji apples on the checkout scanner. There was no bar code so I had to find the correct produce and choose that option on the touchscreen. The apples were on sale for 78 cents a pound. Yet, the machine showed that they were $1.98. I called the friendly Safeway employee over and pointed out the error.

"Look," she said pointing at the screen, "They deducted part of the price reflecting the sale price because you used your Safeway Club Card."

Oh. I felt a little embarrassed. Because I was flustered, I placed the apples on the shelf next to the bag instead of IN the bag. I didn't think it mattered. Apparently it mattered.

"Unauthorized item on shelf. Please make sure you scan item."

Or something to that affect.

I quickly put my apples in the bag. I then told the machine I was done and needed to pay for my purchases. The machine gave me several options for payment. I pushed the debit/credit option. It told me to slide my card. I did. It told me to type in my pin. I did.

"Unauthorized transaction," the machine said. "Please see employee for assistance."

"That's strange," I thought. I KNOW I have money in my account. "Maybe I pushed the wrong button."

So, I tried it again.

I pushed the debit/credit button, swiped my card, typed in my pin.

"Unauthorized transaction. Please see employee for assistance."

"What?" I motioned to the friendly Safeway employee for the third time and then I looked down at my card. I was swiping my Safeway Club Card instead of my debit card! Quickly, I changed the card before the friendly Safeway employee came over. She walked me through the transaction and Voila! It worked.

It's amazing what using the right card will do!

911...What's Your Emergency?

I've only had to call 911 three times in my life. The first time was when I was 18 years old and working at a grocery store. We had a "situation" and because I had a phone in the bakery department that was out of sight of the "bad guy" one of my co-workers urgently asked me to call 911. I remember having a very hard time not breaking down as I asked for police help. The 911 Operator was very professional and helped keep me calm until the police arrived and arrested our unwanted visitor.

The second time I called 911 was when my daughters were young. We were pre-heating the oven to bake some cookies--some luscious chocolate chip cookies. Suddenly, we noticed that there was a fire in the oven. No, the cookies were not on fire. There were NO cookies in the oven yet. It was an electric fire where the element was having "issues." I quickly called 911. (I can't say I was any calmer this time than I was the first as I envisioned my house burning down.) I then ran into my bedroom closet and shut off the circuit to the oven. A few minutes later, the fire engine's loud sirens grew closer and closer. Three burly firemen, one with an AX came running into my house. I envisioned them knocking holes in my walls.

"It's a LITTLE fire," I yelled. "Right now it's just in the oven."

Slowly, the fireman lowered his ax. They checked out the oven. They made sure I had correctly turned off the correct circuit. The fire was put out and they advised me to buy a new heating element for the oven.

I thanked them profusely and I was very grateful that there were no new "openings" in my walls.

The third time I called 911 was a few years ago. We had installed a carbon monoxide detector. It suddenly went off.

"Great," I thought. "We are going to die or suffer brain damage!"

"Great," was my second thought, "Emily is going to be late for school."

I grabbed the cordless phone and went outside and called 911. I was a little calmer this time. No bad guys. No fire. Just an odorless gas trying to KILL us! Within a few minutes, the very loud sound of fire engines grew closer and closer. Neighbors came outside to see what the fuss was all about. I waved, a little embarrassed. Three burly firemen rushed into my house and began checking for carbon monoxide. They found no evidence of a problem, but did say that one of my smoke detectors was so old that is was basically useless. They replaced the smoke detector and were on their way. I could not figure out WHY the detector had gone off in the first place. A few days later, I figured it out. Whenever someone in the house used hair spray, the carbon monoxide detector went off. After this happened several times, I threw the detector away. How good could it be if it thought HAIR SPRAY was a deadly gas. A stinky gas, yes? A deadly gas? I hope not!

And those are my experiences calling 911. I'm very happy for the service but I hope I don't have to use it again in a very, very long time!

Plates of Food = Plates of Love

When my oldest daughter Christie was in High School, she was part of the newspaper staff. A few times a month, the editors would stay late working on the layout of the newspaper. I began bringing her a plate of dinner to the newspaper classroom. While other kids would forage for food at the vending machines or go out for fast food, she had a warm, hopefully balanced and nutritious meal for dinner. It was a way I could support her in her endeavors and show my love for her.

As Heather and Jennifer later joined the newspaper class, they soon were staying late for layouts. A tradition had started and plates of warm food were delivered a few times a month at the high school classroom for at least seven years.

This past week, Emily has had a very busy, stressful week. She leaves for Seminary at 5:40 am. She gets out of school at 3:05 pm. She then rehearses for her school play until 5:30 pm. Three nights this week she has immediately left school and gotten together with a group to work on their English project and has not returned home until 7:00 pm or later. That's a very long day.

It's been a few years since I brought a plate of food to school. But, I knew it was time to start the tradition again. Instead of the newspaper classroom, I have delivered homemade chili, cheese-stuffed ravioli, and orange chicken to the theater. The other students have been shocked. Some have told Emily that they wish their parents would bring them food. I am just happy that I could keep the tradition alive for another year. I really, really like being a Mom!

"Honey, I Shrunk Your Past"

It is strange moving back to a place where you spent so many of your growing up years. Many things are the same and many things have changed....

For example, several weeks ago I attended Emily's "Back-to-school" night. She is attending the SAME high school I attended. As I walked toward the gym, the school looked the same, but it also looked a little different. There is a new theater and one quad has been recently redone, but the layout of the school is basically the same. As I walked into the gym, it brought back memories of rallies, assemblies, and the occasional basketball game. It also brought back painful memories of P.E. classes and being chosen last for a team. As I settled into my bleacher seat I thought, "When did the gym become so small?"

Last Saturday, Ron, Emily, and I went to Eastridge Mall. I hadn't been to this particular mall in probably 20 to 25 years. I spent many hours happily shopping in this mall. I spent many hours feasting on "Hot Fudge Nutty-Nutties" at Farrell's Restaurant--either celebrating good grades at the end of the school year with my family or heading there after a stake dance with friends. Eastridge was "THE MALL" growing up! It was the first indoor mall in the Bay Area and I am not exaggerating when I say, it was a big deal! However, I have been told that it's gone downhill in recent years. I've been told that it's not as safe as it used to be. So, as we pulled up to the mall on a Saturday night I told Ron and Emily that we needed to stick together because this mall is in (shudder) East San Jose and is (shudder) probably infested with gang activity.

"Mom," Emily said with exasperation, "We're from Stockton. We can handle East San Jose."

Oh yeah. Reality check.

After visiting one department store and not finding the thing we were looking for, we discussed whether we should drive to the "other end of the mall" to go to another department store or if it would be just as fast to walk to the other end.

"I remember this mall being HUGE," I said. "It will take us FOREVER to walk to the other end."

Ron and Emily convinced me that we should walk. And we did.

We got to the other end in just a couple of minutes. When did this mall get to be so small?

So even though many things stay the same, it seems like I've changed. I see my old high school and my old favorite mall with different eyes. They were bigger and brighter in my younger years. I'm a little sad that they are smaller than I remember.