Till we meet again dear friend

 Early this morning my dear sister in-law passed away.






She had Beast Cancer. When they discovered it she was already in the final stages of the disease. She fought as hard as she could for her daughter Sedona. My sister April helped her unselfishly to the end.

Diana is an amazing person. She loved my children as her own family. She is family. She always encouraged every one to be the best at what ever it was you do. She took care of us with red beans and rice or trying to make Steve's back pain go away. She took us in when we needed it. She was always excited to hear the latest news. She gave and gave and gave..

The things that will always bring Diana to mind are bright colors, dreadlocks, IZ, "Oh Man" followed by the best laugh ever, red beans and rice, plantains, wall murals, Fox Street, Burning Sage, Raiki, painted rocks, Sedona the city and the beautiful little girl and so much more.

She leaves behind a life lived to the best of her ability. She always did what she thought was right. We love her and will miss her. I know we will see her in the next life. I know she is with Heavenly Father and that he is taking care of her now. We love you Diana!!!!!

Success

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
    and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
    and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
    whether by a healthy child,
    a garden patch
    or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier
    because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

AWESOME MOVIE.....

I love a good movie. You know the movie that you walk away from feeling so good and inspired by. We watched Invictus tonight. It was so so so good.

The poem that is quoted in the movie is pretty amazing too.
I love the last part "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my destiny"

Invictus

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I found an interpretation of this poem on Yahoo Answers;

Darkness is a metaphor for evil, and perhaps depression, "The Pit" is Hell. The writer, in thanking the Gods for his "unconquerable soul" is meaning that whatever bodily adversity he faces, his soul will remain unconquered.

The second verse repeats the theme, the body may be broken, but not the spirit (Fell = bad or evil)

The third verse talks about the "Place of wrath and tears" meaning the physical worls (Cf the Burial Service from the book of common prayer, refering to life as "this vale of tears" (Wrath = anger) and also the "Horror of the Shade" which is a poetic expression for Death (Shade = a ghost or spirit) and even faced with both of these the writer is unafraid.

"Strait the gate" is a biblical reference (Strait = narrow)
the last two lines repeat the main theme, that a person is responsible for their self, whatever happens in life.

The Author of the poem is 

William Ernest Henley. 1849–1903
At the age of 12, Henley fell victim to tuberculosis of the bone. A few years later, the disease progressed to his foot, and physicians announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate directly below the knee. It was amputated when he was 25. In 1867, he successfully passed the Oxford local examination as a senior student. In 1875, he wrote the "Invictus" poem from a hospital bed. Despite his disability, he survived with one foot intact and led an active life until his death at the age of 53.


I am always amazed at the way we as individuals are capable of so much and yet we hold our selves down by the choices we make. I have always said "I choose happiness" I also choose to be "the master of my fate and the captain of my soul". I think Heavenly Father intended this for us. We have the power to choose. Choose the right or the wrong. Choose to be happy or choose to be miserable. Let the negative bring me down or over come it. In my patriarchal blessing I was told that "my destiny is in my hands". It truly is.

Nothing....

My blog creativity has disappeared lately. I just can think of anything to blog about. A lot of stuff has happened but I just got nothing......... SIGH.......

Our beautiful flag

How to Display the American Flag It's a grand old flag. Here's how to display it with respect.

From a flagpole: Position the flag at the top of the pole, with the union (star area) adjacent to the staff. If the pole angles out from a wall or porch rail, make sure the flag does not touch the ground. On the house: You can suspend the flag vertically or horizontally against a flat surface such as a wall or window, indoors or outdoors. If it is hung vertically, make sure that the union is at the top and to the viewer's left. The 24-hour rule: It's customary to fly the flag between sunrise and sunset. However, it's permissible to display the flag at night if you illuminate it with a bright light. Unless you have an all-weather flag, don't leave it out in the rain or let it get wet.

So for fathers day I made Steve an Oreo pie since he LOVES Ores. It was really really good. And Rich. I found it on the CDkitchen web site. Here is the recipe.....

Oreo Pie

1 (9-inch) graham or Oreo crust
8 ounces cream cheese; softened
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces instant vanilla pudding
16 ounces cool whip
1 1/2 cup milk
20 Oreo cookies; crushed
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese and sugar together. In another bowl, beat pudding and milk until thick. Add cool whip and vanilla to pudding. Add cream cheese mixture to pudding mixture, stirring well. Layer the cookies crumbs and the pudding mixture into crust beginning with a layer of cookie crumbs and reserving enough cookie crumbs to cover the top.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Oreo Pie serves/makes 8

I'm gonna have to walk a lot to work a slice of this off. It was good though...

 

I miss my Sundays

I was able to make it to church for the last block. It felt so weird to walk in like that. This is why I didnt want to go back to retail. I really love going to church. I felt like a stranger already. When I was working at the Costco most of the ward members hardly knew me. They knew who I was but they didnt really know me. I didnt really feel like I was a part of the ward. Now that I feel like a part of the ward I have to start missing again. It is that rock and a hard place thing all over again. I know in the end it will all work out, it is just getting to that "end" that stinks. I know I am going to have to work for a long time. It is going to take years for us to get back to the place where I can stay home. I may never be able to stop working. It just seems to the the state of our situation. I need to find a job that will allow me the time to be in the places I love as much as possible. Keep on going......

Really Awesome movie

The Job

So I took the job with Pier 1. It is a lot of fun selling pretty things. I like helping people find the item that will fit in the space they need it to go into. Makes me feel respected in a weird way. Something I rarely felt at the Costco. The only down side so far is that I cant wear the shoes that my feet need on a hard surface like tile. I have something that will do for now but I am still looking for the perfect replacement for my comfortable Tennies. Any way it is fun and we will see how things work out. I gotta go get ready for work now. See ya...

Got the other one...

I got the job at Pier 1. This one wins! YAAAAAY! I am actually a little excited. It is retail but not the Costco kind of retail. I will miss some Sundays which is part of the business, but work is work.
I GOT THE JOB! I had another interview today with the temporary manager and she said the gal that interviewed me on Monday just raved about me. That made me feel so............good, worthy of the knowledge I possess. I don't know how to put it into words. Just feels good.... I can breathe now. Aaahhhh
Come see me! Pier 1 @ Arrowhead mall. Their merchandise is so nice and they have awesome prices and even awsomer  sales. Giggle