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Time and Season

11/3/2013

1 Comment

 
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There is a time and season for all things.  Fall is the season.  [There was a skiff of snow on the ground this morning.]  The times are listed below.

6:00 a.m. Saturday, 2 November 2013
Teresa:  “Tanah, what time do you need to get up to be to the debate tournament on time?”
Tanah:  “Just a minute.   Let me count my toes.”
Teresa:  “What?”
Tanah:   “Let me count my toes.”
Teresa:  “Did you just say ‘Let me count my toes’?”
Tanah:  “Yes.”
Teresa:  “I don’t think you are awake because that did not make sense.”
…..long pause…..
Tanah:  “You are right.”

Tanah and her ten toes (I assume there are 10; I don’t think they were ever officially counted…) did eventually get out of bed in time to get to the debate tournament.  She did not do so well at the tournament but she did make it home with all her toes.

1:34 p.m. Sunday, 3 November 2013
Tanah is 16 years old.   (This has been officially counted.)

God is good even when I am not.   For over a year Tanah has daydreamed about and fantasy planned her 16th birthday party.   It was to be a huge princess party.  She and her friends would rent “The Barn”, decorate it like a castle, dress up like royalty, and spend an enchanted evening dancing, laughing, eating, and celebrating.     Like a castle in the air, the party never materialized.   Tanah has been too busy with homework and debate to plan it and I have been too busy with home work and Havasupai to pick up the slack.  So………nothing.   No friends, no food, no fun.   Nothing.  She was devastated; I was guilt-ridden.

I asked Heavenly Father what to do and was told to give her flowers….or rather He told me to buy flowers and give them to others to give them to her.   Yesterday I bought 24 yellow roses and 24 cards.   Last night I contacted 24 people all of whom agreed to participate.  This morning Lance and I delivered roses and cards to the 24 participants.   This afternoon 24 people delivered a rose and a card to Tanah.   The house was full of people who love Tanah and Tanah was filled by the love of those who filled the house.    It was awesome.

 BTW:  Thank you to all of you who gave Tanah a flower.    And thanks to all of you who would have given her a flower if Ihad given one to you.  And a zillion apologies to Aunt Linda and Uncle Don for failing to give  them a flower.   It was an
unfortunate mistake, not an intentional oversight.

8:15 p.m. Thursday, 31 October 2013 (Halloween)
I was in bed asleep which, for me, is the PERFECT place to be on the night of Halloween.   My darling husband took the kids on our trick-or-treating route so I was able to go to bed early.   I turned off the light at 8:14 p.m. and I am completely confident that I was fully asleep at 8:15.   Love it!!!!

4:32 p.m. Wednesday, 30 October 2013
I returned from teaching to find strawberry tops randomly left all over the kitchen.  Lots on the counter, some on the table, a few on the shoe cubby, several on the stove, one in the mail basket; there they sat, green, leafy tops rimmed by strawberry
remnants.   The strawberry eaters had consumed the fruit and carelessly dropped the stems wherever they happened to be when they took the final bite.    Really?  [Sadly, yes.] Hasn’t their mother taught them to put trash in the garbage can?  [Sadly, no.]

 
6:46 p.m. Sunday, 27 October 2013
Kevin Mayes asked “When are you going to expand your repertoire?”
"What?” I asked
“When are you going to expand your repertoire?” he repeated.
“My repertoire?” I echoed, puzzled.
“Yes,” said he. “When are you going to expand from hiking and go rock climbing?”
“The second someone invites me to go rock climbing,” I responded immediately and emphatically.

2:37 p.m. Saturday, 2 November 2013
We (Kevin Mayes, Josh Johnston, Miles, Grace, Chick, and I, Randee Mayes joined us later) left Roy, rock bound.   Within the hour I was roped in and gingerly climbing a cliff face. OH MY LANDS!!!   What an experience!

Compelled by the need to present a confident example, I volunteered to go first.   I was just a few feet off the ground when the experience became very scary.   Where in the world was a hand hold?   And how could I possibly hold on to a sliver of rock long enough to raise my foot to the next toe spot?   After what seeme  like a LONG time spent clinging to the rock face, I decided that going rock climbing was a huge mistake, that I was too old and too weak and that I would never be able to do it.    However, having decided that there was NO WAY I could do it, I could not decide how to get back down without giving up….and giving up was not something I wanted to do in front of Kevin and it certainly was not something I wanted to model for my children so I didn’t; I didn’t give up, I did go up.    
 
“There is always a way” is one of my oft used mantras.   I gave myself the “There Is Always a Way” lecture and began earnestly looking for a way.  Before I knew it, I was two-thirds the way up, way too far along to back down and way too engaged to want to turn back.    I did not do it quickly, I did not do it  gracefully, but I did do it.   I made it to the top and I cannot wait to do it again!  It was hard, it was scary, it was challenging, it was almost impossible, and it was AWESOME!

Grace wiggled, weaseled, and writhed her way up two different pitches.  Miles fell (and swung) on his first attempt, swore he would NEVER do it again, made a second (successful) attempt, and cannot wait to do it again.

Kevin and Randee invited us go rock climbing again this Saturday.  We let them convince us that they enjoy climbing with novices and graciously accepted their invitation.   WHAAA-WHOOO!

The season is still fall [though the skiff of snow is gone] but the time has changed.  Now it is time to go to bed.   Good night!

Love,
Teresa


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This is a stretch....in more ways than one!
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Chick long arms it up the cliff.
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Grace has much more determination than skill.
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Rock climbing pictures are butt pictures.
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Chick strong arms it up the cliff.
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Determination takes a person a long ways. In this case, it took Grace to the top.....twice!
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Randee does it with grace.
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Going up is fun.
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Kevin does it with strength.
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Coming down is more fun.
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This is NOT a Halloween costume.
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Holly made this cake for Tanah's birthday.
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Brittiny made these Dr. Who shoes for Tanah's birthday.
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Tanah made this smile for her birthday.
1 Comment
McKenzie Garner
11/11/2013 02:16:18 am

I hope Tanah had a fantastic birthday. Rock climbing looks like a blast.

Reply



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