Birthday Musings

I have to admit I have been feeling down in the dumps over the past few days. Besides the fact that I have been working the last 36 out of 48 hours, and that one of the premature babies that I was taking care of died during my shift last night, my brother Scott was deployed this last Tuesday. He will spend the next 2 months training in Fort Lewis, Washington, and then he will be deployed for a year to Afghanistan. This is a picture of Scott with his beautiful wife Kelly and their daughter Addie. Kelly is due to give birth to their son in April. Please remember these soldier are fighting for a worthy cause, and to keep them and their families in your prayers while they are making such a great sacrifice for us.

Today is my 31st birthday. I have spent the whole day lounging in bed and doing absolutely nothing- and I don't feel one bit guilty. In fact I didn't even bother to get dressed this morning after I got home from work. Kenn and I had big plans to go out tonight- we were going to go to the temple and then to dinner. But the Bountiful Temple is currently closed for cleaning and with the kids school obligations and such our plans fell through. Now we are debating what to feed the kids for dinner (our typical evening conversation)- it will probably end up being cereal or PB&J sandwiches. Nevertheless, I do have to admit this year's birthday is 1,000% better than last year when I was bed bound and recovering from elective surgery and an infection.
At least the snow is starting to melt and I can even see some green grass. Kenn and I are in the planning stages to tear down our old garage (which is really more like an oversize shed), and build a new 2 car garage with a room above it. So far we have just met one obstacle after another. What a headache!!! Maybe Kenn will just take my advice and move to a bigger nicer house that doesn't need any fixing up.

Treasure Hunt

Most of you who know me, know that I can be a bit of a perfectionist and a little obsessive about keeping things clean. That is why I was so surprise today when I went to place a pencil on my nightstand and it fell to the floor. There was literally no room left for something as small as a pencil on my messy nightstand. I thought to myself, what could I possibly have on there that is taking up so much space. I was so amazed at the things I found, I thought I should share them (I wish I took a picture, but I didn't think about it until I was half way done with cleaning).
It started out with my alarm clock, lamp, phone/answering machine, my scriptures, and a water bottle (the usual stuff). Then I found six church Ensigns, my Grandma Ballard's autobiography, 3 magazine articles on the pathophysiology of different liver diseases, Kenn's scriptures, Jake's Book of Mormon, my journal, three geneology pedigree charts, a couple pictures of the kids last summer, a herbal scented eyeshield for sleeping, two books on dog training, a Little House on the Prairie book, the remote for my TV, a remote for the DVD player, a remote for my laptop computer, folders containing my 2006 and 2007 taxes, a jar of vasoline (for my face), a bottle of scented lotion, a bottle of regular lotion, chapstick, a spoon?, three pens, a pencil, a necklace, three pairs of earrings, two rings, a watch, a hair brush, two hairbands, a coupon for a Spanky's sandwich (luckily it's not expired), and five cents.
Whew, I am exhausted after all of that. I guess I shouldn't nag Kenn and the kids so much about being pack rats and keeping everything they find. I feel much better now that I have removed about 50% of the junk from my nightstand, and I now have a coupon to go get a Spanky's sandwich and I am five cents richer (see there are great rewards to keeping things clean).

Friends

I have been thinking a lot about friends over the past week- both friends of the past who I don't associate with anymore, and my present friends.
This past week I found a college friend that I hadn't talked to for over 10 years. Christina and I were such good friends/roommates during our freshman year of college at BYU, and then life happened and somehow we lost contact with one another. We found each other through the wonders of the internet. When we talked to each other on the phone, I realized how much we missed out on each other's lives during the past 10 years, but I am excited to keep in touch with Christina, and hopefully see her sometime in the near future.
Today is also the 2nd anniversary of when I lost my best friend, Annelie Johnson. Her unexpected death was such a shock, that it took me a long time to cope with the loss. Annelie was such a great, unselfish, and loving person. She was my role model during high school and much of college. Life hasn't quite been the same without her. I still miss her phone calls and emails. Sometimes I get caught off guard with my emotions when I hear songs on the radio that Annelie and I use to listen to, or hear quotes that she use to say. Life goes on and I have also moved on, but I will always be grateful for the experiences we shared.




Most of all I have been thinking of my best friend (and husband) for the past 13 years- Kenn. We always have such a good time together. With my untraditional work schedule and Kenn being mostly a stay at home dad, we get to play and hang out a lot. Many times during the week I think how lucky we are that we can go shopping, or work out, or go out to lunch, or even take an afternoon nap when most wives are doing housework, and most husbands are slaving away in an office. I do want to thank Kenn for the beautiful roses he gave me and my girls on Valentine's Day, but I am especially grateful we were able to go to the temple later that evening (even though most of Davis county had the same idea).
Finally I do need to say happy birthday to my little brother Scott (even though his is much taller and stronger than me), who just turned 28. You will be in my prayers daily while you are fighting for people's freedom in Afghanistan.

Also happy birthday to my Grandpa Ballard (for his 94th birthday). We look forward to visiting you and Grandma in Oregon next month.

Once Upon A Mattress

Kenn just finished up the production of "Once Upon A Mattress" at Roger's Memorial Theatre as one of the knights (in case you can't see Kenn, he is on the top row at the left). He only had one line, but sang and danced throughout the show. It was an awesome play, and Kenn was spectacular. Even though I complained a lot about Kenn's time away from the family, I am very proud of him and the work he did. I do have to admit I am looking forward to Kenn and me being home at the same time (between my work schedule and his play, it feels like this hasn't happened for weeks).

Here's Kenn showing off some of his dance moves.

I liked this picture because it shows Kenn's sexy legs in tights!!

Gratitude for Our Prophet- President Hinckley

It has now been five days since the passing of our wonderful prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to his viewing at the conference center. What an awesome experience to feel the peace and serenity that was present from the moment we entered the building until after we passed the casket, pictures, and multitudes of flowers. I had a hard time saying good bye because he is my prophet. Like so many others have said, I felt like I personally knew him. President Hinckley has been around through my baptism, seminary years, marriage, and birth of my four children. I have come to love the gospel and I developed my testimony during his presidency. As I looked upon the face of this lovely man, I had tears running down my cheeks. Molly was very concerned that I was sad; later she made sure to ask me if I was happy again. It was a bitter sweet moment. I am so thankful for President Hinckley. I am thankful for his insight to bring us the many temples throughout the world, the perpetual education fund, the conference center, and the multiple of other miracles that God inspired him to do. I am grateful for his many years of service to bring us all closer to God and to make each of us a better person. I am happy for President Hinckley. Of course I will miss our wonderful prophet, but I am sure he is enjoying an unbelievable reunion with his beautiful wife Marjorie, his parents, and the many other family and friends that have passed before him. I know this experience will forever be embedded in my heart and I hope it will be something my children will also remember forever.