.....Chuck. I was looking through some old photos of last summer thinking it might help me remember what summer was like and I found my little friend that I hadn't thought of for some time. We met last summer in Yellowstone. He actually didn't have much to say, but was quite cooperative for the camera! He was awfully cute as if he knew the drill - posing - eating - too cute!
Chuck showing me how he eats a seed. Thanks Chuck...
Chuck in his boldest pose: "I am the mighty Chuck! I have the eyes of the eagle.....the ears of the white tail....the reflexes of the diamond back....don't mess with me...you may not live to tell the tale......rrrrrrrr......."Well, he tried to look tough anyway.
One of things I love about having a digital camera is all the pictures I can keep without having to pay for them to be printed. I love going back and looking through pictures of happy family celebrations, laughing at all the silly faces of my grand children, staring at my kids and wondering how they turned out so well in spite of having a "dork" for a mom, and remembering fun places we've been to. 
I can hear the water thundering down the rocks, feel the mist on my face, shiver from the warmth of the sun in spite of the coolness of the air, and smell the pine trees that surrounded me as I snapped this pictures in Yellowstone. If I close my eyes........I'm there......
My fingers were flying over the keys as I typed, not because I am a fast typist mind you, only because I have to search for the right keys!! :-) I was helping a friend author a brief article for the newspaper ( I know, ironic, huh?!) when a most delightful sound wafted in through the windows from a neighboring yard. The soothing drone of a nearby lawn mower! Aaaaahhhh the sounds of summer........ there's hope!
My bed was made and I was on to folding laundry so I could follow up with cleaning the carpets when I heard it. The TV was on. Not because I wanted to watch anything, I just like the "background noise" sometimes. "Live With Regis and Kelly" was on and they were discussing the flooding in North Dakota. Which, by the way, includes some family members of friends of ours, so any prayers on their behalf would be appreciated. Anyway, they were commenting on how the community in one small town had pulled together and the schools were even closed so everyone that could was out bagging sand. Then she said it, Kelly, "You really see what a community is made of when they are faced with adversity." Hmmmm, I pondered, that's true with individuals too, which launched my mind on an inventory of all the truths I have been blessed to learn and experience about adversity. Amazing how the Lord continues to bless us and teach us.....even from the oddest places......I love it when that happens...those unexpected golden moments...one of my favorite things!! Thankfully my "lesson" carried me right through my chores and I was finished before I knew it.
My Doodlebug had quite the exciting past week or so. Last Saturday (3.7.09) she went to see High School Musical on Ice. Chantile won four tickets from a local radio station! Lucky Bug!! So Chatile, Omah (Chantile's mom), Jasmine and a friend went and had a good afternoon despite the colds they all had. Then at school, Doodlebug had two fun accomplishments. First, she was Student of the Week in her class - yea Jasmine!! And she won this Cat in the Hat doll for having the best Who-ville costume. She was pretty excited about that! We also had a fun evening together on Saturday (3.14.09) when Matt took Chantile out for the evening and Jazy stayed with us. The highlight for her was seeing the kids at prom. Park City is a very small school. The graduating class size is usually around 30 or so. Prom is held in the gym and for the first half hour anyone who wants to come is allowed to come and sit in the stands as the kids are introduced and they walk down the "red carpet" in the center of the gym. Then the Prom King and Queen are announced and they have a dance and then all the "non-prom attendees" are kicked out. I thought it was pretty cute. Jasmine was so excited to see all the dresses and was designing her dress in her mind the whole time - Get ready to sew Amber, she has lots of big ideas!!
I haven't forgotten about the blog! I am still here. This weekend I realized how grateful I am for our bathroom. I am getting over a touch of food poisoning or a really nasty stomach bug. I am pretty sure it was some left overs I had that I can thank for the hours of wonderful fun. Things have calmed down and now I just feel like a truck ran over me. Anyway, George took really good care of me. The boys had an activity in Red Lodge and he took them there, drove all the way home to check on me and then all the back to pick them up. He's such an awesome guy. He and the missionaries gave me a blessing and I know I would still be locked in my "tower" without that! On a happier note, Amber has a birthday coming this week ( on Thursday the 12th) so next Sunday we will have a family birthday dinner.....pictures to follow! Hope all is well with everyone out there!
