I'm a fan of...

preservatives in my cosmetics! Check this out:



Eww!!

road bullies

What is up with road bullies? I am amazed when some guy or gal gets behind me, rides my bumper, and seems irritated that I don't want to go 10 miles over the speed limit! If these people are in crowded halls, do they just push their way through with their elbows?

Wednesday coming back from Portland, I came upon a line of 3 or 4 trucks, going a bit under the speed limit. I wanted to keep at 65, so I pulled into the left lane. Not in front of anyone. Gradually, I was making my way past them. Suddenly, up on my bumper comes this gal, determined to go through me, I guess. When I didn't speed up, she crept closer and closer. Finally, I did get past the truck, but wanted to wait to get back into the right lane until I could see both headlights of the truck in my rearview mirror. I was taught to do that because it is dangerous to pull right in front of a big semi. Well! Apparently that infuriated my tail-gater even more, because she came even closer, and as soon as she barely cleared the truck, she whipped into the right lane (right in front of the truck), laid on her horn, and (as I could see but thankfully not hear) began shouting "colorful language" as she drove past.

What is with these people? Who gave them the right to demand that I exceed the speed limit? Who gave them the right to demand that I endanger my life, my son's life, and the life of a truck-driver so that they can blast down the highway at any speed they want?

I am sick to death of road bullies.

the angel-mobile

Heather has a parakeet named Angel. She's a funny old bird. David and his friend Kyle made a Lego truck for her to ride around in. She seems to like it!

Wheeeee!

72-hour food kits

Several years ago, I found an idea for putting your 72-hour food kits into clean, un-used paint cans. You can pick up the cans for way cheap at any paint store. (Also get the little gizmo that opens the can. Tape it to the side.) The paint cans are nice because they have handles, so if you have to walk out, you can carry your food. You'll want a jug of water to go with it.

For about $10 per person, you can fill a can with survival food. (You CostCo gals can probably do it for even less.) Not great cuisine and not lots, but enough to survive. Here's what I bought today:


Notice that I've taped a piece of sand paper to the inside of the lid. That's for striking matches on. Also note that I've printed out the contents of the can and a daily menu. You can view those here.


It takes a little planning to get it all in. I start with the largest thing, the soup can. (Mine's a pop-top, btw.) Then place things around it.


For the next layer, I put in the cup, filled with crackers and matches, then the juice box. Then fill around those.


Lastly, drop in the menu and the list of contents.


Close the tops, label, and Voilà! 72-hour food kits, ready for storage!

I'm thankful for...

... Answered prayers!

Today, the sister missionaries asked me to go with them to an appointment, which I was glad to do. I got dressed, and with a few minutes to spare, I did some other things.

Then, when it was time to go...I couldn't find my keys! Panic! I knew they were in the house, because I went out earlier today and somehow made it home. I checked my purse, my coat pocket, my pants pocket, my dresser, my night-stand, my desk, the kitchen counter, the computer desk, even the ignition of the car. No luck. Time was getting short, and I needed to leave!

I dropped to my knees and explained my situation to the Lord. I wanted to help His missionaries. I told Him where I had searched. Please help! I stood up, with no clear answer. As I walked over to my purse, the thought came to me to check the side pocket of my purse where I usually keep my cell phone and my PDA. I never put my keys there. There they were! Thank you, Heavenly Father!

Lost keys? Cliché, I know. But true. It may have been a little thing, but I like to think that our Heavenly Father wanted me to be there for the sisters and the lady they were teaching.

I'm a fan of...

...Evaporation!

Ok, this will sound silly, but, think about it. Besides being essential to the water cycle on the earth, making life possible at all,
(can you say "besides" when you're talking about making life possible at all?)
it is so wonderful on a daily basis! And so easy to take for granted.

I can wash my dishes, stack them in a drainer, and come back in a few hours. Voila! My dishes are dry and ready to be put away! It just happens! I don't have to expend any energy at all. I can hang up a damp towel or shirt, come back later, and, voila again! It's dry! And all it took was time.

Think about it.

♫ "...and the other gold" ♫

old friends...

It's amazing how you can reconnect with old friends and it's like you were never apart--despite the years.

After leaving Idaho on my trip to take Heather to BYU-Idaho, I drove to Washington state to reconnect with a couple of old friends. I stayed the night in Baker City, then drove up through eastern Washington and over to the Seattle area.

(Let me tell you--Eastern Washington is a wasteland! Thank goodness the Lord didn't send the Mormon pioneers there! It made Utah look like a lush garden. I digress...)

Growing up, my best friend was Arlynn. We met in Primary when we were three years old, and we soon became inseparable. Salt and pepper. Mustard and ketchup. Kathy and Arlynn.

Doesn't she look like fun? She was. I could do a whole blog about our adventures together. Our birthdays are only a week apart, so we kinda felt like twins. Then we kinda grew apart during the teen years. But that tie from our childhood remained.




All by myself (thank you very much), I drove to her place. Seattle traffic is way scary. (I guess I didn't do it all by myself. The Lord definitely helped me.)

For two days we talked and laughed and reminisced. We're both older and life has happened. She's had some tough times. Now she's looking happy. Good husband. Two great boys.

Wayne, Arlynn, Patrick (her other son is married and lives in Rexburg)

Things I love about Arlynn: great sense of humor, tender soul, willingness to forgive, looks for the good in others, caring about others, creative sense of fun, desire to be a peacemaker, love of family, infectious laugh, makes me feel like I'm someone special.

After leaving Arlynn, I wanted to drive to my other friend's place, on Whidbey Island. That meant taking the ferry. I was nervous about getting on the ferry, but the ticket taker gave me some good advice: "Just go with the flow. Piece of cake." I kept repeating that to myself as I drove into the line and up into the boat. Here's my view from inside the ferry:


The guy was right--piece of cake.

Then off to find my friend Lilian. She was my greenie when I served my mission. Here she is in Cologne. (Can you figure out what this sign meant? We couldn't.)
Lilian was a fun companion. A native Cuban, her German had a bit of Spanish accent. She liked to count Cocker Spaniels; she sliced bananas into the bottom of her soup; she would buy a large chocolate bar and make it last all week. (I ate mine in a couple of seconds.) (Fun fact: Her last city was my first city. She got to see a lady baptized that I found by tracting.) After our missions, we roomed together at BYU for a year.

Many years have gone by since we'd seen each other, but, as with Arlynn, we picked up right where we'd left off. She showed me around the sights of Whidbey Island. Beautiful. We spent two days talking, reminiscing, and catching up. It was so good. She's been through a lot, too, including cancer. But she's well, now.

Lilian and I in beautiful Coupeville.

The view from Deception Pass Bridge.

The view from the hills above Deception Pass.

Things I love about Lilian: ENTHUSIASM!, great people skills, deep desire to please her Heavenly Father, sense of humor, great laugh, tender heart, insightful, makes me feel like I'm someone special.

After leaving Lilian, I drove the six-hour drive home. So, I was gone a total of two weeks. Saw family, friends. Reconnected in many ways. It was a trip that did my heart good.

♫ "Make new friends and keep the old. One is silver..." ♫

cemetery sleuthing

After leaving Heather at BYU-Idaho, I decided to drive around the countryside and go visit my grandparents' gravesites. Both my parents were raised not far from Rexburg. My mom's parents, Walter and Velma Siddoway lived on a farm just outside the village of Teton and were buried in the Teton Cemetery. This little cemetery is located away from the little town itself, out in the middle of farm land. Once I located the cemetery, I had to tromp around a bit to find "Grammie and Grandad." And suddenly, there they were. We had a nice chat.

My dad's parents (Davidsons) farmed on what is called Egin Bench. They were buried in nearby Parker. So, it was off to Parker, to find my Davidson grandparents. I was less sure how to get there, but found a sign:

Parker is literally a curve in the road with a grade school, a post office, and a cluster of houses.

The Parker cemetery is right next to the highway, near the elementary school and the post office. Parker people must want to be able to visit their kin more easily than do Teton people. The cemetery straddles a little hill. I remember standing there when we buried my grandfather--the wind was blowing as we gathered around and laid him to rest. My notion of what things were important made a major shift that day... On this day, I had to tromp around a long time to find "Grandma and Grandpa." Then suddenly, there they were. We had a nice chat, too.


My most interesting find of the day was a couple of headstones in Chinese! I wondered: Who were these people? How did they come to be here in Parker, Idaho? Do they still have family here? Does anyone know they were here?


Anyone read Chinese?