You Can't Take it With You!

Darin got talked into auditioning for the High School play by his friend Shawn Ferris. He auditioned and got the part of the dreaded IRS agent! He also got the understudy for one of the main parts!  I was so proud of him for trying something new. He really enjoyed being in the play and made some great new friends along the way. My dad and his wife Margie came all the way from Salt Lake City to support him along with his Aunt Kim and Uncle Darin and their kids. His dad also came to see him as well as Emma and I. Emma had a hard time sitting still, of course because the play lasted two hours. We had to leave a little early!  I got a babysitter for the folowing night so that I could actually enjoy it! The play was so great and the kids did a really good job. Way to go Darin. Here are some pictures.

Change..it's a Good Thing!!

I was looking through some old files and came across this article that my cousin sent me.  Happy reading!!

THE YEAR 1905
This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1905.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1905:
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
a dentist $2,500 per year,
a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and
a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education.
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." (Shocking!)
Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
It staggers the mind.

From terrible 2s to tiring 3s

OH YES!!!....the terrible 2s are finally over and we somehow survived by the skin of out teeth. There were days when I needed a truckload of Calgon (do they still make that stuff?) to "take me away". We celebrated Emmas birthday on March 5th which is the day she was born into the arms of a loving mother and father and a 14 year old brother. To say that Emma loves Mickey Mouse would be an undertatement....so I set out to make her a Mickey themed birthday cake that put a huge smile on her face. I have posted a few pictures of Emma being spoiled rotten! I love the age of 3 because they learn and grow so much and are finally able to communicate without me haivng to interpret the language that only mom can understand. I am looking forward to seeing her little personality shine!  Off we go!

                     Help...Emma is driving!

                                                                   Mickey...of course

                                          Baseball glove...who was more excited, Emma or Darin?

                                                                 Look out world

New Beginnings! WOW!!

Well, I've done it....I have dove into the world of blogging despite my inability to properly operate a computer!  "Computer Geek" is never a name that will be uttered when speaking of me, in fact, I had to have my sister Kim set up my blog for me because I miserably failed at the first attempt! So, where do I start when it comes to writing something interesting about my life?  Let me start by saying that the title of this entry really does describe where I am at right now. New Beginnings with a big capital WOW!! This past year, has been filled with laughter, tears, trials, fears, failures, wins, hope, faith, soul searching, and coming to the realization of how important God, family and friends are to ones survival.  In the past, when I would look at myself in the mirror  I would only see the surface of who I am which mostly consisted of a somewhat cute face and a bent out of shape body!!  But the events of the past year have forced me to look a little deeper and suddenly the mirror is reflecting back a changed person. My mirror now shows a face which reflects strength, a nose that smells the beauty of simple things, eyes that can see better into the soul of another and understand those who are struggling, ears that can hear the voices of my children a little clearer, a chin that is a bit firmer after being broken, lips that have spoken many prayers, and eyebrows that are lifted a little higher in the wonder of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and its healing power. I am sad to say the the bent out of shape body is still ever present, but that is a whole other entry! This is truly a year of New Beginnings that has given me a chance to make changes for the better and to take chances and risks that I never knew were possible. I am looking forward to my future and am waiting with anticipation at who I will see in the mirror at the end of this year.