Donna's Journey

“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.” Leo Tostoy

“Any fool can have a trophy wife, it takes a real man to have a trophy marriage.” by Diane Sollee

Summer is approaching too fast.My husband heard the weather reports for the heat wave and on Saturday kindly prepped the down draft cooler for the coming heat.

Julia and I walked 3 miles this morning. It is wonderful to walk with her.

While out on our walk my visiting teaching companion came out of her home, she had just been called by the Relief Society President. Apparently, the daughter of one of the ladies I teach, on the way back to college last night, decided to take a Sunday afternoon drive in the mountains. They got their jeep stuck in the mud, tried to climb a steep hill to use a almost dead cellphone, to call for help. They were able to reach family about 230 in the morning. Search and rescue found them around
5:30 am. However, because of the steepness of the terrain flight to life could not get them. The girl in sandals and a skirt was frost bitten and could not walk. They were able to finally get them off the mountain just before noon.

Well, I stopped by my friend’s home and spoke with her. Then I completed my walk. No sooner had I arrived home then a workman came to my door. You see, a few water couplers broken and caused damage in the neighborhood. To spare future damage the city decided to tear up every street in my neighborhood and replace all the couplers, that couple homes to the main line. Anyway, they broke a water main and were going to turn off the water. I had time to fill two gallons with cold water for drinking, and take a submarine shower. When everyone woke up, I took them to Target with me, to buy produce and make sure they had a potty stop.

I got home in time to hear two tele-orals of other graduate students. Mine is tomorrow. Yikes. I am brain dead. I did send, today, a 3 page list of the books, lectures, writings, media, galleries, seminars, class taught, etc. of my journey since January.

Water is back on and my friend is finally able to head to the hospital, where they took their daughter.

It is noon and time to study!

I woke early and looked at my tired red eyes in the mirror. I reset my alarm and went back to bed until 7:00, then they were only pink;) I sat down at the computer and typed for an hour, a list of lectures, galleries, books, etc. that I did for learning this semester. I can now use it as a check off list to make sure needed essays are typed, book chapters are done, and Princess Academy materials get completed.

This morning I attended the sealing of Melissa Tanner to David Eggertsen, performed by Joseph F. McConkie. It was a wonderful sealing ceremony.

After we got home, Julia and I went to BYU to pick up a specific book and order Jennifer the book she needs for YFA. They did not have the book on Lincoln that Jen needed. I picked up a copy of Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of all Ages by Harold Bloom. The book is normally 27.50, but was on the bargin shelf and with the Graduation sale I got it for 8.10.
I also picked up a book called Einstein’s Heros: Imagining the World Through the Language of Mathematics by Robyn Arianrhod. Normally a 28.00 book that I bought with discounts for 6.39.

I still have much studying to do with my graduate work, but Julia needs a skirt for the gala and we spent the afternoon looking for it. We searched until 6:00. We did stop in at Barnes and Noble to see if they had Jennifer’s book. They did not, so we ordered it. Lincoln: The Man Behind the Myth by Oates. Then I saw a book and it interested me: The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words Edited by Bill Adler. The book included a fifty minute DVD from A&E Biography normally 24.95, but it is educator discount week through 6 May, and i bought it for 4.75.

We got home, changed, picked up children and headed to the reception. We picked up Julia’s roomate and her luggage, she had come to the reception with other classmates and brought her belongings, as she is heading back east on Monday.

We got home and could not resist, we had to watch the DVD. No worries, I will get my studies done, and typed, then read this and add it to the the list.

Good Night

I studied Democracy in America today.

I also went to Vineyard Gardens and bought some sugar snap peas to plant (and put them in the fridge to prepare for planting), as well as rosemary to give the ladies I visit teach, a long with a recipe of my Honey Lemon Rosemary Chicken.

I went to a wedding reception with my daughter and my husband. While at the reception we spoke with two friends whose daughters just got engaged and will marry in June and July.

It was a girl in our ward that was about 20. I came home and prepared dinner, and burnt my baby toe preparing dinner. No I was not stirring the pot with my feet. I was cooking in bare feet and as I was pouring steamed red potatoes into the serving dish, one, missed the bowl and splat, hit the floor and exploded. A piece landed on my toe. As I shook it, it would not come off. Then Jewels grabbed a bottle of mustard and squirted it on the wound. She said, “I learned this on my mission, it has vinegar and will help heal the burn.” Oh my, it did hurt for about 5 minutes, and then all the pain was gone. I told her that her mother was a real hot dog, she winked and said, but not on the slopes!

I slipped a bandaide on that sore pinkie of a toe, and headed out with my husband for a brisk walk. we only got a third of a mile in, as Roger did not want to aggravate my burn.

I received this quote today from a friend that I have known for 24 years. A sweet hungarian woman that we used to live across the street from in Littleton.

Spring Cleaning

by Rev. David Ault

S - Sweep – Sweep up and throw away your excuses as to why you can’t or won’t do something. Stop being the one who merely comments on what is wrong and start being the one who offers solutions.

P – Polish – Polish your heart with all its unwavering and steadfast passion and allow it to lead you to unlimited ways of creatively expressing who you are and what you love.

R - Rinse – Rinse away all of the self-doubt that has long coated your motivation and become willing to reacquaint yourself with a shiny, untarnished and larger sense of self.

I – Increase – Increase your circle of influence with those who see the glass half full – brimming with possibility and who champion you to do the same.

N – Neaten – Neaten your environment and create a sanctuary that is pleasing to the eye. You’ll feel the difference both physically and emotionally.

G – Groom – Groom your mind just as you would groom your physical self. Everyday look into the mirror of your being and adjust your thoughts, brush away the negativity and begin to consciously apply the law of attraction for your good.

C - Clear – Clear out the clutter. Take out what you haven’t used or worn in the last year and donate it to a charity. By clearing out the old, the new can finally come in.

L – Lighten – Lighten up and stop taking yourself and your situation so seriously. If joy is our birthright, then allow that quality of being to help lead you down the path of rediscovering sustaining happiness.

E – Empty – Empty out your bag of regrets and know that this now moment is the beginning of creating whatever life you desire. What you choose to focus on today colors and creates your tomorrows.

A – Arrange – Arrange your time so that you have equal parts work and play. Understand that one isn’t more important than the other. Both play vital and necessary roles in developing an optimum lifestyle.

N – Number – Number your goals and keep them in sight, referring to them often. When one is accomplished, replace it with another, always raising the stakes to see just how much good you can embody.

I – Inhabit – Inhabit your days with acts of unconditional love. Make it your intention to cherish and champion the good of others without expecting anything in return.

N – Nail – Nail up and complete any wobbly communication and unfinished business and if it simply isn’t possible to take immediate care of it, then create a plan to do so.

G – Gather – Gather up your friends and family and let them know how much you appreciate them. Praise their goals, their dreams, their lives.

I recieved a phone call this morning and to my great joy it was the tech calling to say he would be here around noon. He arived early and operated on my laptop. He was like a surgeon in a medical theater, all my little computer geeks gathered around, and watched as he completely took apart my laptop. Kids were captivated and we all watched and asked questions. Kindly he explained everything he did and what its purpose was. He had to remove my mother board, Then he worked in reverse, connecting all connectors, and replace a multitude of screws. I am back in business~!! Yes joy does come in the morning.

We had Princess Academy this afternoon, discussed Queen Victoria and Julia did a vignette on Dolley Madison. Then Julia and Jennifer taught cake decorating. What an enjoyable afternoon!

I am typing this from my husband’s business computer. My laptop was flickering every time I had it on AC to recharge it, so I called Dell, it is still under warranty, YEAH!!! They will come to my home and fix it, in 3-5 business days. Meantime, they said turn it off and unplug it. Good thing I had my son back up my files to disk before I called, as all of my graduate work is on the laptop. SO I took the disk down stairs to type annotations for Democracy in America. I turned on my PC. Nothing happened. It appears that either the power supply or mother board went. So I am stuck with no computer.

My husband launched his business last week, so he is busy with his computer, and I cannot use it if he is. Besides, I am having difficulty switching to his key board, the spacing is different than I am used to.

What are the odds that both computers would go, the same day, and at the height of my graduate studies are winding up? Good thing I have a hard copy of Democracy in America and can underline and transfer annotations when my laptop is up and running. I feel like a bumper car. Can’t go that way, bump, can’t go that way, bump, wow I have found another way.

Follow up Report on Thursday:
It was the power supply and may also be something else. We will see. I get to do the tests, traps, and trials thing this week. DO I sound over joyed? Tis life.

Goodnight!

I finished The Return of the King today. I am watching the long version of the movie tonight. I am two chapters into Democracy in America. I found it on line, so I can read, highlight, and annotate on my computer. I plan to have that done by Friday then do the Odyssey and be done with this semester’s reading. Then it is type, type, type.

The Gala is quickly approaching. I started thinking of all the possible places in the SW that the new George Wythe Campus could be built. How ironic would it be if they chose to build in someplace like Monticello, Utah, named after Jefferson’s home. Then it could become the Monticello of the West. Blanding does not do it for me. Neither does Cortez. Nor does Moab. Enterprise was not a bad place name, not far from where they are. However, I vote for the link to Jefferson’s home. We will sure find out soon though. Of course, I am in no inner ring or anything, just an educated guess. Cedar City is a nice spot too. My daughter is an ambassador for the school, and they have not told her yet, either that or she is not telling me. She said I have to wait until next week when they tell everyone at the Gala. I like the suspense. It is like guessing where someone’s mission call will be to. You pick up the clues, you connect the dots, and you make a daring guess! Voila!

So will they change the name from George Wythe, to match the town? So many questions. I will not be able to attend the Gala this year but hope to be able to attend next year. So I will have to wait until my daughter gets home from the event for all the details.

SO, I will call it guessing not speculating.

The lilacs usually bloom in time for my birthday. This year, they are several weeks early. All the trees have leafed except the Mulberry tree, and it appears loaded with fruit this year.

I have put a Filipino dish, Chicken Adobo, in the oven, it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare for the oven.

There is no escape to Refuge Haven for a week. This time I am here, weaving my day between my own needs and the needs of my family. Grateful for their cooperation and willingness to take my duties and add to theirs, so I can complete all the reading and writing I need to do between now and the 14th of May. I love my family. I am so thankful for the fruits of family work.

I have been working so hard, I neglected to note that the college calendar for grad school even mentioned a written final as well as, orals. After picking myself up (yes, I went into thermal meltdown, complete with real tears!), my daughter, Jen, brought me the phone, my college daughter was on the other end. She spoke sense to my heart and soothed my mind, and I was able to regain composure and then formulate how to deal with this revelation and not flipout. I quickly contacted the school and made arrangements for my written final, which is to not take more than 33 hours;)

Back to work! It is not work when I am enjoying the journey. I really do want to finish this read.

I told my husband that after a good night’s sleep I cannot seem to go 10 pages without a struggle to stay awake. He said,”ah, you have discovered Aristotle is a cure for insomnia!” Plato did not have this effect on me, nor has Homer, Sophocles, or Virgil. But Aristotle is doing it. He is not difficult to understand, but his words swirl. Yet, I will push through, and forward. After many days of this my brain is mush. He multiplies many words!!!