School Daze - Part II

Tonight was the Lincolnway open house. It's always a fun night when the students get to show off the work they've done throughout the school year. Tonight was no exception. Brie had tons to show us... beginning with her classroom. We got to see several of the writing assignments Brie completed.


And of course there's the art projects.
Brie's self-portrait and lizfrogelflyon. I can see the likeness in the portrait, can you?




This is the covered bridge we made back in December for Brie's studies about the Eastern United States.
As you can see, we had a most exciting evening. When you see all the colors of learning and dreams being accomplished, you can't help but feel the pride of your student. It was a joy to see so many people at the school and all the work of so many of the students. Great job everyone. Keep up the good work! And.... FANTASTIC WORK BRIE. Em and I love you!!!

Happy Birthday Grace

This evening we went to Dave and Josie's house to help celebrate Grace's 3rd birthday. What fun we had. Mike, Angie and their boys, plus Andy, Jamie and their boys were also there. Everyone brought a dish to share for the bar-b-que.
Dave made this incredible Nemo pinata himself. I was truly impressed. He even made sure Nemo had his "lucky fin." How cool was that? The kids had a great time trying to break it open. Of course it was filled with candy and kazoos. Fortunately we had already eaten so no appetites were ruined by candy.
We enjoyed sitting by a small fire Dave and Andy kept going, and Grace enjoyed her presents.
We all had a terrific time together. It was fun watching all the kids playing together, as well as being able to sit and visit with friends. The true highlight of the evening was watching Dave and Grace doing the kitchen work. Another way cool thing Dave and Josie did for Grace. They made this themselves. A "custom built" kitchen made just for Grace. It was darling... just what every little girl needs.

Thanks for having us. We really had a great time. Let's do it again next year.

Alec Baldwin is a PIG

Was anyone besides me appalled with Alec's RANTING message to his daughter? How can a grown man (obviously I use that term loosely) do such a thing to his 11 year old daughter? Let me offer the following. Perhaps he should shift his efforts for PETA and PAWS to being a more loving, considerate and KIND father instead. SHAME ON HIM!! I don't care what his motives were. I don't care what his excuses are. I really don't care how much he feels he has been "pushed" (by his former wife) to the point of loosing his patience. There are NO excuses for doing that to his child. NONE!

As the adult child of divorced parents, I know what it's like to hear both parents trash talk the other. It happened a lot. It shouldn't have happened ever. I also state this as a divorced mother myself. I do not trash my former husband to my children. I have talked about him to the girls, but I focus on his good points rather than his weaknesses. Why? Because if I trash him it will only bring them pain. Why would I want to do that? What would it accomplish? Nothing. There are plenty of good things to share with them. I'd be a fool if I didn't admit that some of their talents are completely hard wired in them from him (like both of their math skills). We both have a responsibility to help them become the women they can become, although I have more hands on (since they live with me), he can still impact their lives in a positive way.

So back to Alec. Notice the strings in the picture? Maybe instead of portraying himself as a puppet controlled by everyone else, he should start acting like a man and take responsibility for his own actions. What a novel idea for such a "talented" Hollywood actor.

UGH!!!

You know how much you love having your car, right up until the point where you have to spend money repairing it? Well, that's how I feel right now. Our family is having our annual BLT Reunion at Virginia Beach starting April 27th. In preparation for that, as well as an upcoming safety inspection on my car, I took it in to have new tires put on. I knew the tires wouldn't pass this year, and if I knew that, I couldn't in good conscious drive a few hundred miles on tires that weren't safe, right? So I got some quotes and found what I thought would be the best deal. I took the car in and before long the manager came and asked me to come look at something. OH NO, here we go!!

So obviously there's a problem with my brakes. To be completely honest, I had known in the back of my mind they would find something because for the last month or two (or perhaps even three) I've felt a pretty serious vibration when I applied the brakes. Not all the time, but more often than not.

My brake pads were shot. My brake line was empty (I think that's what he said), and my something or other (maybe disk rotor) had warped which was the cause of the vibration. Lucky me. There was no doubt about it, I had to take care of it. Turns out one more problem was found. On the left rear brake, the caliper has two bolts, or at least it's supposed to, to hold it in place. Mine only had one. Since that work had been done at the dealership where I bought the car, I took it back there and they fixed it immediately, free of charge. Mighty nice of them considering it was their mistake in the first place.

When all was said and done, my little day out to the garage cost me.......
$609.... and some change... but who's counting at this point. YIPEE!! I was about as excited as could be. I wanted to come home and throw up but I didn't have enough time before I had to get to a client. Well one good way to look at this... I know we'll be safe from a tire and brake standpoint as we travel next week. AND....the car should pass the safety inspection with flying colors next month.

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

Today we had a combined meeting in the third hour with all Young Men and Young Women and their parents. President Knudson, from the Stake Presidency, led the meeting. We were each given a special copy of the March issue of the New Era. The entire issue was about missionary work. It was an inspiring meeting to attend, at least I thought so. One of the things I enjoyed most was the emphasis on young women serving missions, too. We heard from a sister missionary serving in our area. She was beautiful and her spirit was so strong. She explained that the average age of the sister missionaries in our mission is 24. She also told us that most of the sisters had college educations, had either already worked in good jobs, or had turned good offers down to come on missions, and several had broke off engagements to serve. Why is this information important? For a long time in the church, people have thought young women only serve missions if they haven't found a husband yet, or have nothing much else going on in their lives. That couldn't be further from the case, as evidenced by this sister we met today.Here is my hope. As a mother of two wonderful young ladies, I would love to see them serve a mission. It would be an honor to see "SISTER LOPEZ" on an official missionary name tag. It would bring me such happiness to see them serve their Heavenly Father in such an important way. What would be more rewarding than to bring people to the gospel? I know they would learn important lessons that would carry them throughout their life. I know they would develop a deep love for those whom they serve wherever they may be called.

I also hope and pray that my daughters will continue to develop a deep love for and faith in their Heavenly Father and elder brother, Jesus Christ. We live in a time when wickedness is everywhere. I see the pull it has on our young people and it frightens me. I see how Emile is trying so hard to make the right choices. I see how she is trying to be a good example to her friends. I also see when she stumbles and how hard it sometimes is to pick herself back up. I pray for her. I know others pray for her as well. How great that is to know. How great it is too that she has the examples of terrific women in our family and church community setting an example for both of the girls. With all the "outside" influences, it's helpful knowing they can look to Jamie, Anya, Sarah, Lindsey, Aunt Cindy and Aunt Teresa, as well as many, many other righteous women for guidence.


The work will go forth. The gospel will grow. The truth will be taught to "every nation, tongue, kindred and people." It will be wonderful to be a mother to two of the voices who spread the message of the restored gospel to those waiting to receive it. My daughters have the potential to bless the lives of people for an eternity. I pray they seize that opportunity. What more can I say?

Hershey Park Happy

I'm sure you can tell where we went today by the picture above. We had a terrific time and it didn't cost us a penny except for the gas to get there. How? It was Harley Davidson day. But you don't work for Harley, do you? Nope I sure don't, but it helps to have friends that do. Here's what happened. The other evening we got a call inviting Brie to go up with her friend Jenny. Her dad works at Harley and since Emile has gone the last several years, Jenny invited Brie this time. Emile agreed that that was fair and took not being invited very well. When I dropped Brie at Jenny's house last evening to sleep over, Tom (Jenny's dad) told me a co-worker of his gave him his 2 tickets and said to give them to someone who could use them. And there you have it. Our free trip to Hershey... including free parking and all the food you could eat at 2 catering locations from 11A to 4P. We couldn't have asked for a better deal.











Brie was brave enough to ride the Claw for the first time today. Emile went on Lightening Racer, Great Bear, and Wildcat today. Also a first. My girls are much braver than I. Even if I wanted to go on these rides I wouldn't be allowed to since the accident. It gives me an excuse to be a wimp. I'll let the bravery up to the girls, thank you very much.













The day was a blast. The weather was a little cool, but not too bad at all. The few lines we waited in moved very fast. The food was very good. The girls even played a game and worked together to win Brie a big stuffed bear. Everything was great. We'll go again later in the summer. There will be tons of people then, but it will still be fun. Who can go wrong when you're spending time watching those you love most having such a terrific time, right? Here's the reason it's referred to as "Hershey Park Happy!" Thanks so much Tom for offering to share in the fun today. We appreciate your generosity.

Happy Easter

Today was a lovely spring day! Yes, it was very cold; more like mid January than April, but beautiful nonetheless. How can Easter Sunday be anything less than beautiful? It started out with us getting ready for church. Our meetings start at 9AM this year so we were up early. This is one of the few Sunday's when it's not hard to get the girls up. For some reason they always seem to enjoy Easter Sunday more than most Sundays. And it's not because of an Easter basket... we didn't do one this year at all. After church we went to the Tibbs' for dinner. Since they meet at 1PM (as do Lesa and John), we met at 5. Dinner was great; ham, scalloped and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, deviled eggs, and sweet potato pie. We all sat around and visited while the kids played games.... we didn't leave until 9:30. It was a nice ending to a wonderful day.

On a spiritual note, on the way to church we were talking about the true meaning of Easter and how most churches focus on the cross and resurrection but not on the time Christ spent in Gethsemane atoning for our sins. Had that not happened, Christ's death would have just been the case of another man dying on a cross. It wouldn't have meant anything at all.
When I think of how much suffering my Saviour went through to atone for me, I'm humbled. Surprising as it may seem, I've just began to truly appreciate the full weight of His sacrifice. Oh I've always had the "dictionary" understanding of what the atonement was, but it was only in recent years that I really began to comprehend and appreciate that sacrifice. At the same time, I feel sorrow for the sins I commit which caused such suffering. The love which my Elder Brother, even Christ, had (has) for me is incomprehensible at times. To love us enough to die for us? How many of us would really be willing to do that for another human being; and only after suffering to a degree we can't begin to fathom? Makes you think, doesn't it?

I am thankful for my knowledge of the gospel. I'm thankful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm thankful for the blessings which I receive each and every day. I know my Saviour bled and died for me; that He rose from the tomb and because of that I will have eternal life.I'm thankful for a mother who taught me firm and sound gospel principles. I'm equally thankful for the example of my sisters... they have incredible faith and have always been a source of inspiration to me. I'm greatful as well for extended relatives. In the area of PA where we live, our extended family were some of the first converts to the church. They were the "pioneers" for this part of the vineyard. How great it is to have that type of footprint to follow in. Most importantly, I'm thankful for a loving and wise Heavenly Father, one who knew what would be needed to return to His presence. I'm thankful for His ever watchful eye... for the absolute knowledge I have of His love for me.. of His intimate knowledge of who I am, and His concern for me, as his daughter. This life would be horrible without having this understanding. I can't imagine how wonderful it will be to be in His presence again someday.

How May I Help You?

I'm beginning to think I should go to work for Wal*Mart. No, I don't think the wages are great. No, I don't think the employees have good health benefits. No, I'm not convinced management really cares about the employees. What I DO believe is.... Wal*Mart employees have TERRIFIC job security. How's that? Has anyone besides me noticed that everytime you go to a Wal*Mart the employees are always moving merchandise from one spot to another? I'm not talking about stocking new incoming merchandise.... no, I'm talking about up and rearranging... kinda like you do in your living room when you get bored!! It boggles my mind... which isn't necessarily hard to do. I do think it's a form of job security. I really do.

Case in point. Last night I was at Wal*Mart to buy some socks for Brie. I looked at a few shirts in the plus size women's section. Everything was nicely arranged, however, I decided not to purchase the item I was looking at. Today I went back... we're talking 14 hours later... and the plus size section was no where to be found. I looked in the area it had been last night.. gone. I looked on the other side of the rack, not there. Where oh where has my plus size department gone, oh where oh where could it be? Come on people, we're talking PLUS SIZE here! Finally I spotted 5 or 6 employees standing around. I had lost my temper at this point so I shouted "Could anyone tell me where the plus sizes are?" I was pointed to the area over toward the jewelry dept. (which by the way is where the clothes originally had been until last fall, when someone had a brain fart and decided to move it toward men's clothes... maybe because we're as big as men are... just kidding). I asked them if it would be possible to just leave things where they are instead of moving it around all the time. I was told they're just following instructions. Yeah, like when the store decided to rearrange the shoe dept. Give that a try if you want to end up having to duct tape your head back together after it explodes.

SOOOOOOO....... How May You Help Me?????

I BEG OF YOU, PLEASE STOP MOVING THE MERCHANDISE AROUND....

PLEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEE!!!!

Happy Anniversary

Well, it's nine years and counting!! Nine years ago today, I arrived from Utah to begin the "divorced single mom" phase of my life. It's hard for me to believe it's been so long already. At times it seems like it was just yesterday when I left, other times it feels like I've always lived this way.

I had a Dodge Spirit; a 16 month old and a 4 year old stapped in car seats in the back, a 14 ft. UHAUL truck with everything I'd need to start over, and two friends I could count on to help me drive cross country. We left Salt Lake at 3AM on a Sunday morning... just ahead of a major snowstorm that was heading for the Wasatch Front... then marching on into the plains. I knew we had to stay ahead of it. It was one of the saddest days of my life. I cried as I drove out of the valley.... knowing it was the last time I'd be seeing my beautiful home for many years to come. Because of the impending storm, the temps were mild and there was a breeze blowing. The air was so clear and you could see the valley perfectly. Although I still haven't been back, I KNOW my Heavenly Father blessed me with the inspiration to know where I was supposed to be going as I made the decision I did. He was, and is, aware of me and my family. I KNOW I was supposed to move here. This is now our home... and we truly love it here.

As we drove across I-80, we were able to see how incredible the United States is. Brie was too little to remember anything about the move, but at times Emile still asks questions. When she describes something, it's from a memory of the move, like the rock formations in Nebraska where she said it looked like indians were hiding behind. She also remembered snow blowing across Wyoming. We spent our first night in a Motel 6.
It only had a shower... no bathtub. I had both of the girls in with me. What a mess. Emile did ok, Brie on the other hand was a wiggling mass of wet in my arms. I nearly dropped her. We got through it though. That night all five of us stayed in the same room. Cindy and Laura Lee in one bed, me and Em in another, and Brie in a travel crib.

As we continued on the next day, it was becoming obvious that we were all getting more tired and the close quarters were wearing on us. Although we rotated turns through the car and UHAUL, it was easiest for me to be in the car with the girls.
We made many stops at McDonalds.... not for the food as much as for the playlands. The girls really did enjoy them. We were trying so hard to make it in those two days, but it wasn't meant to be. We were just east of Pittsburgh when everyone "melted down." The girls were done... so was I. We pulled off an exit where I saw a Comfort Inn sign. I practically stormed in and got two rooms. I needed to be alone with the girls. I also knew Cindy and Laura Lee needed to have some space too. It was the best thing I could have done. I had so much fun with Em and Brie that evening. We had a very nice room (and paid more than I could afford), there was even a bathtub. The girls had a blast splashing. Afterward we wrestled on the bed. We laughed and had a good time. To settle down, I read them a couple books.. then it was off to sleep. We slept much later the next morning, in fact, when I woke I was surprised how late it was. We dressed and had some of the continental breakfast in the lobby. It was quite good and most importantly... FREE.

We pulled in on April 1, 1998. When my sister told me it was April Fool's Day, I didn't believe her. I thought she was joking. She wasn't. Two thoughts went through my mind. First "what an omen" and second, "figures, the jokes on me." I was wrong on both counts. Remember the storm I mentioned earlier? We did stay ahead of it the entire time we were driving. When we stopped to eat or play, we always had enough time before it started getting close. We could see it coming... the clouds moving in, then we'd leave. More than once we heard severe storm warnings issued in the area we had just driven away from. When we stopped for the night, so did the storm. Now some people will say I'm nuts, but it happened. The Lord protected us. I KNOW this. We arrived here with mild temps (like in the upper 70's-low 80's). The next afternoon several men from the Elder's Quorum arrived to unload the truck. That night, it started to storm, the temps fell and we had "normal" spring type weather. I didn't imagine that.

I've never looked back. Our little family has had its share of ups and downs, just like everyone else does. We're not any better or worse off than the next family. And, make no mistake, we are a family too. We love and laugh, argue and cry, play and work. As I watch the girls grow I am ever thankful for the priviledge of being their mother. I pray for the inspiration to do the best for them... to be the kind of mother they need. It is my responsibility, as the head of our family, to make the most of the time we have together. It's a heavy responsibility. I don't take it lightly. I'm thankful for everything my Heavenly Father blesses us with. I'm grateful for the gospel and the guidance it gives. I'm thankful for my Saviour and his atoning sacrifice made on my behalf. I know I can do this. I know our family will continue go grow. I know we are loved. These are the most important gifts we have.... our families, the gospel, and love for one another.