stop this train

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that nearly three weeks have passed since Charlotte's wedding day. We planned, shopped, cooked, and sewed--anticipating the event for so long (well, six months)--and suddenly it's over.

I loved every minute of Wedding Week. There is very little, if anything, I would change or do differently. Thanks in large measure to the generosity and kindness of so many good friends and dear family members, my daughter's wedding was everything I had dreamed it would be. And Charlotte herself was the most easy-going, easy-to-please bride you could ever hope to meet. The entire experience was everything a wedding should be, and for that I am grateful.

I felt initially overwhelmed at the thought of blogging about it all. But now that both Charlotte and Michelle have done such fantastic jobs of summarizing the event, I'll just link to their blogs and you'll get a great overall feel for the occasion. I'll use my blog to try to record my feelings as a first-time MoB.

First off, I simply must state the obvious and somewhat trite sentiment (though so, so real): it just doesn't seem that long ago that Charlotte was the little girl in this picture, dressed to match her younger sister Emily.

Wood family, circa 1995 (Photos by Karen Rubin)

Thankfully, we did change somewhat after this first official Wood family portrait taken in the early '90's. Denim shirt buttoned all the way to the top--fuchsia striped jumpsuit buttoned all the way up? What was I thinking?!

Wood family, circa 1992 (photo by Karen Rubin)

Somehow, you think that--once you have all your kids--it's like, Ta-dum! This is my family--this is how it will always be. Wood family, circa 1998 (Photo by Barbie Jarvis)

And for a while, it is. School milestones, birthdays, holidays and the like come and go in a rather comfortable, cyclical sort of way.

Wood family, circa 2000 (Photo by Paula Woellhaf)

Yes, hairstyles and clothing trends change along the way, but this is our family: four kids--three girls and a boy. My family will always be this way.

Wood family, circa 2004 (Photo by Paula Woellhaf)

And then, before you're even aware of what is happening, the milestones start getting bigger--graduation from high school, acceptance into college, graduation from college. And before you know it, your little girl in the plaid taffeta jumper is wearing high heels and falling in love.

And here's the thing: I wouldn't want it any other way. She has done everything in the right order--she has a fantastically bright future ahead with limitless possibilities. It's what I really want for her, and yet--just for a moment--I wish I could "Stop This Train, I want to get off and go home again."

Wood family, redefined, October 22, 2010 (photo by Michelle Olivier)

I guess it really is all about defining a new "normal." And, as John Mayer so aptly states, "Don't stop this train, don't for a minute change the place you're in." I wouldn't change a thing.

Happy Birthday CJP!

Today is my mother's birthday. She would have been 84. It's hard for me to believe that six months have already passed since her death. This is the first time in twenty-one years that I have celebrated her birthday without her (that's how long we've lived in Denver). But I decided that today should be a day of celebration, and not one of sadness.

My dad and I went to Sam's Club first thing this morning and bought a beautiful bouquet of Fall flowers. We picked up my sister Karen and her husband Daniel and drove to the cemetery to decorate Mother's grave. The day is bright and sunny, with just a hint of Fall crispness in the air.

After taking a few photos at the graveside we went to a favorite place to have breakfast: the Sunrise Sunset Cafe, a mom-and-pop establishment that serves tasty home-cooked goodness. We enjoyed being together and we like to think that Mom would have liked the excursion as well.

Now I'm home for the afternoon and plan to bake a cake in her honor, an idea Emily and I had separately and simultaneously. I still haven't decided what kind for sure, but I'm leaning toward the family favorite of Chocolate Cake with White Mountain Frosting.

This photo was taken one year ago, on her 83rd birthday. I was trying to remember what I gave her for her birthday last year and can't seem to recall. What I have come to realize, however, is that even in death my mother continues to give gifts to me--the gift of her enduring wisdom, wit, and expertise--and most importantly, the gift of her faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ.

Thanks, Mom. I love you and miss you, and am so grateful to know that you're not that far away.

cake walk

"You can't judge a recipe's success based on how it turns out during Funeral Week."

These were Emily's words of encouragement to me as I faced this week--a somewhat daunting week which included four major baking assignments, one of which was to make Triple Caramel Cake, pictured above in our first post-Mother attempt.

The first task, cookies for Sarah's softball team, was a no-brainer. I can make chocolate chip cookies in my sleep. That was the first project to get crossed off the list, and one I did at about 11:30 Monday night, hoping that since I had already brushed my teeth, perhaps I wouldn't eat the dough. (I also had the good sense to mark the finished bag of cookies as off-limits to the rest of the family.)

The second was Emily's birthday cake--chocolate with White Mountain frosting. Though I can't yet make this one in my sleep, it's still a no-brainer, as it has been a family favorite for years and I've been making it since I was a young teenager. I made this one Tuesday afternoon and was pleased with the result (the cake, that is--no so much the decorative embellishments). Whew! Another one crossed off the list.

I knew I had to start the final two baking projects on Wednesday night if I was going to have them ready in time for a party I was invited to Thursday night. I am not as familiar with either of these recipes, as my mom had been the one to discover and make them in recent years. I would always frost them for her, but had never actually made the cakes myself. I started missing my mom again.

"If we're lucky, the world will end soon!" said Emily in another attempt to reassure me. In response to my questioning look, she clarified, "So we'll be able to see Grandma again and get cake-making tips." With this bit of encouragement, I pressed on and began caramelizing the sugar for the Triple Caramel Cake, and melting the chocolate for the Giant Ding Dong cake. There was no turning back now. (Yes, Miranda--I unabashedly took some Baker's Joy from my mom's stash.)

I finished baking both cakes and took the Ding Dong layers to my Dad's freezer for safe keeping and freshness protection overnight. After work on Thursday I frosted both cakes and was quite pleased with the results.

After some creative maneuvers to figure out how to transport the cakes safely to the party (which included the use of duct tape and a ceramic flower pot, held in place at Emily's feet) we arrived with everything intact!


It looks like I can bake cakes by myself after all.

man of the hour

Poor Mark often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to birthday celebrations. He turned 48 today, and in completely uncharacteristic Wood family fashion, we did little more than eat take-out Mexican food from our favorite local dive in the basement tonight to honor the occasion. No cake. No pie. No singing. No gifts. No photographs.

I could bore you with my detailed excuses and promised plans to make it all up to him, but instead I want to share what I had planned to say about him at the birthday dinner table. (Have I ever mentioned our birthday tradition of going around the dinner table and saying something you like, admire, or remember about the birthday honoree?)

I can never narrow my comments to just one thing, so here a few things I love about Mark on his 48th birthday:

• He drives John to early-morning seminary at 6 a.m. Monday - Friday--as in, EVERY day, not taking turns with me, no matter the weather or the amount (or lack thereof) of sleep he has received the night before. He also picks up another seminary student in our ward on the way. Did I mention that I have NEVER driven to seminary this year?
• I have absolute and complete trust in his fidelity and faithfulness to me. I have never doubted it.
  
• He never makes me feel guilty for doing the things I like to do, whether it's scrapbooking with my friends into the wee hours of the morning, singing and performing, going to Philadelphia for a week to work with my sister, or the insane costuming gig I take on every spring. This is not to say that he loves me doing all of these things, or that he doesn't secretly roll his eyes when I complain about being tired and over-booked, but he nevertheless allows me the freedom of creative expression and supports me in doing so.
• He saves the last bite of chocolate pie for me when it's left in the refrigerator after a Sunday dinner.
• He loves my dog quite possibly as much as I do and secretly does things to spoil her.
• He does dishes, cleans bathrooms, and vacuums.
• Though he likes to keep it quiet, he's a closet Jane Austen fan.

Happy birthday Mark! One of these days I'll make all of those lost December birthdays up to you.

a little bit of heaven

Sometimes I can't believe I live in such a beautiful place. Granted, I don't actually live in the mountains, but this amazing part of God's creation is only a short drive from my home.

We went for a walk this evening and these photos don't even begin to capture what we saw. I think tomorrow I'll try to go when there's a little more sunlight left. The deciduous trees are just starting to leaf and that, in combination with the lush stands of evergreens, provide more shades of green than even I could name.

It's amazing to me that in the Spring you can find everything from daffodils to pine cones.

You can't really tell how large these trees are until you see us standing by them. I was going to post said photo, but my camera's battery just died. I sure hope I remembered to bring the charger.

Until tomorrow then--I just wish I could post a scratch-and-sniff button so you could take a deep breath of this cool mountain air.

packaging with punch

I have never noticed this inspiring little tag line on my bulk package of yeast before:

Maybe it's just my new Relief Society mentality, but what a great thought--we rise up and do the job we're supposed to do, enabling others to shine. I like it.

Conference Weekend highlights

For those of you who don't know what Conference Weekend is, it's The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints semi-annual broadcast from Salt Lake City, always held on the first weekends in April and October. There are five sessions total on Saturday and Sunday, two hours each, where our church leaders speak about everything from repentance to personal finance. I look forward to these two weekends each year as a time of personal revelation and growth, as well as a time of family tradition and togetherness. I always come away feeling motivated to be better than I am today, and feel an increased love and appreciation for my Savior Jesus Christ.

I also love the feeling of connected-ness (made up word?) I feel with the other 13 million members of my church, including my loved ones watching in faraway places. I love knowing that we're all hearing the same messages at the same time, having the Holy Spirit bear witness to us of the divinity of Jesus Christ and His love for us.

I can't wait to download the talks to my iPod. I didn't take notes because I was working on Easter sewing projects for Sarah and me (to be documented later). Going from memory--which at 46 isn't what it used to be--the messages that spoke to my heart are, in no particular order:

• Start where you are right now to become a better person. Start now.
• Worshipping in the temple with greater frequency and sincerity will bless me immeasurably.
• Learn to say, "We can't afford it."
• We are so blessed to have a living Prophet of God on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson.
• Don't be afraid of changes in life. Embrace them and work through them with the Savior at your side.
• Fear is the opposite of faith.
• We needn't fear the current climate of economic uncertainty. Hold steadfast to the truth, learn to live providently, and we'll get through it.
  
• Gospel principles remain constant and unchanging in a changing world. Standing firm by them is our sure hope for safety, peace, and happiness.
• It's always fair when you get to choose.
  

We had our traditional Donut Night on Saturday night, after the men's Priesthood session. I love seeing the men I love in their white shirts and ties. John changed out of his Sunday clothes before I could get his picture, and for some reason I didn't think to have him pose with his Dad and Grandpa for this post-Priesthood session shot. I love and appreciate the honorable Priesthood holders in my family and do not take for granted having this power in my home.

Mom decided that she felt well enough to help me make donuts at her house (she's the glazer, you know, but has been sick this past week). Since she's still coughing quite a bit, we didn't invite our usual crowd of friends.

If I do say so myself, it was one of our better batches!

We watched the Sunday afternoon session with my Mom and Dad at their house and had dinner together afterwards.

This photo is for Bella. Sorry honey, but we don't want "another dog." Even Grandpa has a soft spot for Moosey!

Until October, then.

I was born of goodly parents

Today is my parents' 65th wedding anniversary.

We didn't have a big party or a fancy cake. We did what we always do--and enjoy doing on Sunday--attend church and have dinner together.

One of our Sacrament Meeting speakers talked about the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and the strength that comes from doing so. I experienced such a wave of gratitude for my parents, for their steadfastness, for their teaching me correct principles. I am so grateful that I have never doubted their commitment to the Savior or the depth and strength of their testimonies. They have provided for me such a sure foundation of faith, one which has been a strength to me my entire life.

I have never doubted their love for me. The strength of their love makes me feel safe and secure, even as an adult. I feel so blessed to be a part of their everyday lives now and try not to take that blessing for granted.

This picture was actually taken a couple of weeks ago on my Dad's 89th birthday. I love to see the love they have and express for each other. It is such a blessing to grow up in a home where love is freely expressed and shared.

Thanks, Mom and Dad. Thank you for staying married through good times and bad. Thank you for standing by me through good times and bad. Thank you for showing the world that two people can stay faithfully and happily married for 65 years. I love you both.

2009 word of the year

Of the many fun and relaxing things we did together during the Christmas holiday, one of our favorites was looking at family scrapbooks together. I started scrapbooking in 1995, and although I haven't always kept up-to-date with my albums, I have compiled about a dozen or more books through the years. We loved looking through the collection, marveling at how much younger everyone was (myself included), how cute the kids were as babies and young children, and reminiscing about various celebrations, friends, houses, and projects that have been a part of our family life.

Inspired by many of your New Year's resolutions, I had been thinking about choosing a word of the year, as many of my blogger friends do. After some thought and consideration, I have chosen remember as my word for 2009. Though a fairly mundane word at first glance, I have come to find many layers of meaning for me. As I was reading my scriptures last night, here are a few things I thought about:

• Remember to recognize and do the most important things first.
• Remember the happy times and be rejuvenated by them.
• Remember and learn from mistakes and hard times.
• Remember to look at the "big picture" when working toward long-term goals.
• Remember the things I need to take with me each day before I go out the door.
• Remember to think of others--and let them know that I am.
• Remember and reflect upon my baptismal and temple covenants.
• Remember and give honor to my ancestors.
• Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
• Remember to reflect upon and acknowledge how I "have seen the hand of God reaching out to touch [me] or [my] family [each] day." (President Henry B. Eyring, Oct. '07 General Conference, "O Remember, Remember")
  
• Remember who I serve--my Savior, Jesus Christ.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman 5: 12

My goal for 2009: Remember.

time in a bottle: Christmas Eve

It's hard to believe that one week ago it was Christmas Eve. What is it about time that makes it seem to go both super fast and surrealistically slow at the same time? How is this possible? In some ways it seems like Christmas Eve--the baking, entertaining, anticipating--was forever ago, but at the same time I feel the days slipping away far too quickly with Real Life nipping dangerously at my heels.

Before the moment is too far gone, however, I want to recap our Christmas celebrations in the hope that by capturing a few moments of "time in a bottle" I can convince myself that it wasn't just a dream.

We had our traditional Christmas Eve buffet of smoked turkey and salmon, beef tenderloin, crabbed-stuffed twice-baked potatoes, three different salads, homemade rolls, and cooked carrots (the mother in me always hopes that, since my kids won't eat the spinach salad, they'll meet their vegetable quota another way).

We seated eleven for dinner; our friend Melissa and the missionaries came. Later, our friends the Namiaches stopped by with their two children (one of whom is Sarah's good friend) for dessert. They arrived just in time for our annual Christmas Eve program of music and stories, which Sarah organized this year.

I love watching the kids perform together. Though you can't see it in this photo, Emily was accompanying Charlotte and Sarah.

My mom and I have sung Pinecones and Hollyberries/It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas together every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. We didn't have accompaniment this year, so it was a little rocky, but I will always treasure this memory.

Sarah invited her friend Danielle to read How the Grinch Stole Christmas with her. They read with such expression!

We had invited the missionaries to contribute to our program. Elder Welch brought his guitar and he and Elder Hixon sang a couple of Christmas carols. They did a nice job!

No matter how old the kids get, they still look forward to opening their *surprise!* pajamas on Christmas Eve. Here they are modeling their new sleep/lounge wear.

When the kids were ready for bed and the cookies and milk had been left out for Santa, they gathered in the girls' room for a game of electronic Life. The kids' tradition of playing a Christmas Eve game together in one of their bedrooms started a few years ago, and as one of Santa's helpers, I am a fan.

By midnight or so, not a creature was stirring and we slept undisturbed until 7:45 a.m. Christmas morning, when Sarah and John came downstairs to wake us.

'tis the season!

Wow. Two weeks ago I was just getting home from PA and it was Mark's birthday. Fourteen days, three programs, two parties, one concert, our first big snow storm, and eight rolls of wrapping paper later, it's four days before Christmas and all I've posted about is my one very lovely and long-awaited nap.

So, lest I neglect to document the events of the season, here's a not-so-brief synopsis:

• December 10th: Relief Society Christmas party. Martissa, April, and I put together a program of stories and songs--about 50 minutes worth--that we performed for our ward's sisters. I love singing with these two because they can both read music and hold their own parts. It's so much fun to sing harmony!

Three divas, with our accompanist Julia.

• December 11th: Sarah's Fourth Grade Holiday Program. I bought Sarah a pretty Christmas dress that I found at Macy's in Pennsylvania, but it was too big. We squeezed in a trip to the local Macy's in the afternoon to exchange it. Even though we couldn't find the identical dress, we found another that we liked and Sarah wore it to her elementary school program that night. With her hair done in hot rollers and in her new dress, she was definitely the cutest one in the recorder ensemble! I enjoyed her program, even though the gym was full and I had to stand the entire time.

• December 12th: John's high school choir concert. This was a delightful evening--the best concert at WRHS since my favorite choir teacher left seven or eight years ago.
  

You know, I just don't get tired of seeing that boy in a tux! (Shown here with his friend Devin.)

• December 13th: Ward Christmas Party. I was on the committee for this one, so it took up large part of my day. We had a chili supper and program which I was again a part of (due to the fact that my mother was also on the planning committee). No photos of this event, which is just as well, as the program is best left a memory.

• December 14th: Major snow storm blows into town! (Thankfully, after my car was unloaded from the previous night's party.) I talked Sarah and John into shoveling the driveway and walk after church--not their favorite task, to say the least.
  

• December 15th-20th: Power shopping to the max! My feet are eternally grateful for early Christmas present of new Dansko clogs. Lots of late-night wrapping.

• December 16th: After an early-morning stop at my parents' house to help my Dad upload the Christmas card photo I took the day before, I find that my car won't start. Will. Not. Start. Bad start to a long day. Their photo turned out cute, though.

• December 18th: Charlotte and Emily catch an early flight from SLC! Home for 2+ weeks!

• December 20th: BYU bowl game. Our friends, the Buehler's came over to watch (sad outcome for Cougar fans). We had enchiladas for dinner, and we all enjoyed playing with their darling one-year-old baby girl.

• December 21st: Christmas Sunday. I love the Sunday before Christmas! Today's Sacrament Meeting was especially meaningful to me because my parents were the speakers and Charlotte and Emily played a beautiful violin/piano duet. I was reminded that the real reason we celebrate Christmas has very little--if anything--to do with concerts, parties, shopping, or wrapping. I am so grateful for the birth of the Savior and for His love for me. I feel more motivated to reach out to others, to be more loving at home, and to drop the stress that so often accompanies the holiday season.

And I even managed to get our neighbor Nick to get this family photo before everyone changed out of their Sunday clothes!

Life is good.