Ode to my lovely sisters

Ha! I have been so excited to share the beauty...

And elegance ...

and absolute joy of my sisters first thing in the morning.

So sweet ... so darling ...

Any man would be lucky to wake up to any of these sirens in the morning!

We were invited over for a Memorial Day breakfast with my family, and the first glorious words to come out of Lauren's mouth (after we were locked out and Natalie and Emily simply stared at us like were roadkill) to greet us were: "You're late."

Oh lovely, nurturing sisters! What would I do without you?

Congratulations, Graduate

Benjamin M. Wilson, Utah State University, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture.

Way to go Ben! It was a crazy rainy day on Saturday with graduation and moving to SLC. But we were so happy to have family come to Ben's graduation at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.



Grandma and Grandpa Stapley came from the bottom of the state all the way to the top! It felt like we hadn't seen them in a LONG time so we were so thrilled they came!



Lauren and Jeffy. Poor Jeff became my slave while we were moving. He was just always around when I needed someone to do something, and he was so willing to help that I just kept telling him to do everything! Thanks Jeff!

This picture is about perfect! Dad, Mom, Emily (the one with the deer-in-the-headlights face) and Natalie doing something to her eye.

Well, we are done with Logan. Maybe forever! And that is REALLY weird. All my life I never had one thought about Logan, and then I up and moved there right after getting married. We spent three years there going to school -- the school opposite of my dream school, the U. USU's campus is small, surrounded by cows, and nestled in a small little "bowl" bordered by exquisite mountain ranges that are often shrouded with mist and snow. People there kiss random strangers on an "A" statue, sing songs about sage brush and ride couches with skis attached to the bottoms down the very steep Old Main Hill. The Aggie Ice Cream is like nothing you will ever taste, and even when the temperatures are below 0 and the snow has soaked your pant legs and froze your toes, you will still want the Aggie Ice Cream.

And this is the place where we basically started our marriage. We were on our own, away from our families, and learned a lot. Ben taught me the basics of cooking and a lot of things about common sense. I don't think I have taught him anything besides the fact that some women are very crazy. But, hopefully we've grown!

I can't imagine life without school. Even though I've been done with school for a year, Ben's still been doing it. And I've worked for USU, so school has still very much been there. But, not anymore! I wonder if I'll miss it? I think I already feel a strange void. I will miss those pleasant Sunday afternoons of sitting on a blanket at the top of Old Main Hill with Ben overlooking the lovely Cache Valley. It really adds to the pretty view if you block the image of the traffic-jammed Main Street from your mind. Hopefully, someday, at least one of us can go back to school to pursue higher degrees.

I'm proud of you Ben!

Here is Diane (Ben's mom) and Raegan (our niece who spent the night before graduation with us!)

I just may have a new "dream school," because this is the place that Ben and I really began.

Edit to previous post

I just found out that in the video I posted in my last post, David Archuleta is singing at the West Ridge Academy (http://www.westridgeacademy.com/), which offers help and hope to troubled teens.

He is in the chapel where the young women meet. My father-in-law was made the LDS Branch President over the young women just after David sang there! Ben and I have been there and Ben recognized the picture behind the pulpit of Christ teaching young women, and that is how we figured out where David was singing!

Be Still My Soul

I don't know if I know how to post You Tube vidoes, so here's my best try. I hope it works!

This is so beaufiful --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAQOgzKgxXM

Ever had your face smashed by a bus?

Sometimes I think I may miss this job when we move out of Logan forever in less than two weeks. That's right, we're moving out after Ben graduates. Where to? No idea. Oh, what job offer did Ben get? Does my Dad's offer to let Ben help finish his basement bathroom count? Where is you new apartment? We don't have one. But, yep, we're moving because there is really nothing here in Logan for us anymore. And also, my head began aching slightly, and, as time presses forward, the pain gets more and more raging, keeping me up at night. That is all I'm going to say about that.

Yes, sometimes my stalking people research brings me some big laughs, that actually relieve the aching head for a few amazing moments. Today I came across another Hard News Cafe article that had me just about crying!!

You just have to read this. If you are hurting in some way, laughter can be a very effective medicine, even if it is only for a few magnificient, breathless, tear-inducing moments. Oh, and have you ever tried standing on your head when you have a headache? You should. Trust me. Here's the link for the bus-smashing-face experience:

http://www.hardnewscafe.usu.edu/archive/nov2008/111108_badday.html

Mormons should study other religions to be better Mormons

I wrote another article for the Deseret News. However, my writing skills (if I ever really had any to begin with) are going down hill since I'm not writing as much anymore. It was hard to write this one, and the editors cut it down quite a bit and made many things sound MUCH better than I had them. Oh, I'm sad about that. But very grateful they take my work at all!

This article is a feature on Professor Philip Barlow at USU and the one-of-a-kind university Religous Studies program that he helped start. He has some extremely interesting and deep insights on the study of religon and why it is essential for humankind in order to become absolutely "liberally educated" and competant citizens. I have to admit, he sparked my interest and made me sure that, if I ever went back to school, I would really want to pursue this kind of degree!

Here is the direct link to the article: http://www.mormontimes.com/people_news/education/?id=7348

Airport conversations ... oh, the intrigue

Okay, okay, (yes, I spelled it out instead of going with the AP style "OK") I know I just barely blogged about (my hopefully, someday brother-in-law -- go Natalie!) David Archuleta, but I stumbled upon this student column in USU's online newspaper the Hard News Cafe (http://www.hardnewscafe.usu.edu/) about a woman flashing herself while waiting for her flight in the Denver airport and had to share!

She didn't even get in trouble either. That's not the topic of the column, however. I was just glancing over it, looking for info on USU students (I feel like a stalker) and by the end of the first paragraph, I was hooked and ancored-down, I had to read the rest of the story.

It is amazing what this student was able to capture while sitting in an airport terminal! This is what I love most about writing -- when authors can capture everyday life moments and somehow portray these in a way that captivates the reader and makes them think, "Ah, life," while learning something new and committing to become more observant and appreciative of their normal, seemingly boring circumstances. Great job to the student who wrote this -- I would love to read more of his stuff!

Please read this, it is amazing:

http://www.hardnewscafe.usu.edu/archive/oct2008/101408_airporttalks.html

Quote from Mark Twain (1835-1910) (whose writing I've come to love over the past couple years): "I don't know anything that mars good literature so completely as too much truth."