Life Is Full Of Surprises

Life is often full of surprises and most of the time they are good ones. Last weekend Markus and I drove to California to see Jaana, Paul and Jake, mainly to get a few things for Jake's new apartment (which by the say looks wonderful!) and help welcome him to his new home. It was such a fun thing to do and support Jake in his new adventure and step into adulthood! He surprises me - just a year ago he had very different ideas about life and now having been around his sister and brogher-in-law, he has mustered a lot of courage and hope for his future. Thanks Jaana and Paul for being there for Jake and helping him move forward. And thanks for putting us up again in your beautiful home. All the improvements you have made look amazing!

While in California, I had a chance to enjoy dinner together with Paul's parents and his sister and it was fun to catch up with them. I had not seen Paul's dad since Jaana and Paul got married so it was a good little "reunion". It always is interesting to visit Barkev and Sonya since they have so much to share about their heritage and homeland. I always learn something new when I am around them. Another pleasant surprise!

Monday I hit the road running to get ready for all the upcoming seminars at work and it seems I have not had a chance to take a breath all week. However, I still had a chance to do some special baking staying up late both on Tuesday and Wednesday nights working on my kitchen creations. I baked some Finnish Rye bread for a friend of ours, Beaver, who has decided he wants to learn to bake it. I also made my very first New York Cheese Cake on Wednesday to give to our Computer Guy at work. Vin has helped us on several occasions with our home computer without pay so I found out he likes cheese cake and... Surprise - New York Cheese Cake takes five packages of cream cheese (8oz. each)!! I had no idea, and being on a diet I didn't get to taste it. Vin says it was good, but he could just be nice. (?)

Krista and Jorel came home on Tuesday from Indiana and another surprise - JOREL IS WALKING already! He had sort of started a week ago, but now he waddles around everywhere. He reminds me of ET, but is working hard to keep his balance and smoothing out his step! Such a fun surprise!

All these little things happening around me are helping me as I create memories and legacy of who I am. As I remember to seize the day and remember that every moment has something to offer, I am finding myself happier and more content. Even at work. (Another surprise!)

This is just wrong!

This year I have been working on my health and habits to live a longer life. That includes losing some extra pounds and continuing to excersice daily. Since April of this year I actually have dropped 15 lbs, but I have literally worked my butt off to get there. Ron on the other hand has not been on any kind of diet or excersice program at all. However, we both started a special VERY LOW calorie diet last week and guess what! He lost 14 lbs the first week. I lost five. NOW THAT IS JUST WRONG!!

What is it with us women that we first grow up taking care of our little brothers, then we go through monthly misery, then carry and deliver babies, take care of them and see that they all get a decent start on life, and to top it off - we can't lose weight in any easy manner?!? God must have had something special in mind when he created woman. I realize the world could not go around without us, but couldn't it be a little easier and less work to look good?

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate my life, my health and my family. Everything else really is secondary. I, however, got my vane gene from my Mom Ritva. She at 75 still looks amazing and has a great positive outlook on life. I want to be just like her when I am 75. So I better just keep on working so I will get there and be proud and confident in who I am - no matter what the outer core may look like!

Happy Memories

What a wonderful few days I had at our first annual Immediate Family Reunion! The last time the children were together was at their grandfather's 90th Birthday last July. It was such a joy to have them here at our house and visit and visit and visit till wee hours of night every night. Mika and Jessie and Luke arrived Wednesday morning after having driven 22 hours straight. They were surprisingly chipper and excited to be here even after such a long road trip. They all look SO GOOD! That evening we went out to dinner at TED and ALLEN's here at Hurricane and pulled out photo albums of my Finnish family. Jessie pointed out Mika didn't know much about my family and she wanted to see what they all look like and where I really came from. It was nice to talk about my family - I have not done that in a long time.

Jaana, ,Paul and Jake arrived Wednesday early evening and we all just visited and needed to catch up with each other. Pizza was good and we all needed a little sleep to get ready for the next day. Sand Hollow Reservoir is a beautiful place to hang out on Thursday. We had lots of floaties and inner tubes to float on the water, and Mika found a little area to go fishing with Markus. Jorel was so cute and loved the water! After looking like prunes we went to get ready for a dinner that Ron and I provided at Wildcat Willies in Springdale. Food was great and I think everyone had a wonderful time.

Friday we all went for a ride to Price Canyon - what a breathtaking place that is! Even though I have seen it a few times it never stops amazing me. It truly looks like Disney was there and put it all together. Hard to believe it is all real and natural! We had fun and Mika and Jessie got me a beautiful bracelett as a momento from the park. Jaana and Paul took a lot of pictures - I will include some of them in this blog. Friday night we experiemented with Reese's Pieces smores - yummy over the bond fire at the back yard. I decided to go to bed by 12:30am but I think the kids stayed till past three am.

All in all this was the best time I have had with all the children in forever. I have never been very good at just having fun, because I was always taught that work comes before play. Hardly ever have I made time to just play! So this was good for me as well as for the rest of the family I think.

I also had a chance to have a talk with Jaana, my oldest daughter. Actually she initiated it and I love her for that. She is a great daughter and she has a lot of courage - more than I do. We got some things discussed that needed to be aired out and I have learned a whole lot on how my actions and choices have affected not only Jaana but the rest of the children as well. It is not easy to stand accountable for my choices and the affect they have had on others. I am grateful that I have another day to perhaps fix some things I screwed up earlier and get clear on what I was feeling and thinking surrounding the kids' dad and the divorce. It has not been talked about really, and now I realize I should have conitinued to just say what was and what is now. Thanks daughter - you are awesome!

Can't wait to do this again - hoping we will get together next year and have a chance to just spend time together. I suppose the older I get the more important family relationships become for what else is there really? This is where it really counts to carpe diem or seize the day!

Great Minds Think Alike

The last few weeks I have been thinking about my very good friend Debbie Motz in Idaho. She has been my friend for almost 20 years now and it is amazing how we still are so much on the same page on everything - even when to call each other even though the last time I talked to her was almost a year ago. I called her Saturday because I was missing her and our talks. When she answered the phone she almost fell over on her chair because she was dialing my number as I called her! I told her that great minds think alike! It was so good to hear her voice! And this is even more exciting: In October she will come out and see us here in Utah. Then her and I will take a girls' road trip to Colorado and New Mexico to see the hot air balloon festival. I CAN'T WAIT! I have not taken a vacation like that in years. The last time was when I went to Idaho to see her 12 years ago. It is about time!

I look forward to having Debbie around - she always has been such a supportive friend as well as someone I can totally trust. It is hard to find friends like that! I am blessed!

Seize the Day

I have enjoyed reading everyone else's blogs so I decided it is about time for me to join the throngs of modern day communicators. Perhaps my life has now landed in a place where it is worth sharing about!

One of my favorite quotes is "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day". It could be translated as "Live in the Moment" or "Pluck the day when it is ripe" etc. I sometimes spend my time regretting some past choices or hope for a brighter future, and forget to truly enjoy and capture today. There is no reason for me not to love living today - human nature I guess that puts me in a different frame of mind at times.

The first time I used this fraze of Carpe Diem was 12 years ago at Cross Creek where I work. I was a case manager for 48 girls and had Norm Thiboult as the therapist. I loved working with him, and we had a lot of great times and impactful moments in group therapy. The motto for the group was "Seize the Day" and I have carried it with me ever since. Living it is a different thing! It's like complaining about the 106 degree weather again today - we need some cooler days, right? In a few months I will be complainig because it is too cold, so never happy! I could give myself feedback and say GET OVER IT! ENJOY THE DAY! ENJOY YOUR LIFE!
BE HAPPY!

If Norm was here, he would jab me in the ribs and remind me that I have it all. I have five beautiful children, two great step children, 11 grandchildren, happy marriage, great place to live and last but not least a health and prosberity (even if in small amounts!)

Life is Good. I wish for all those who read this, more positive life's experiences and less troubles. And formost a bright outlook on today, because it only comes around once!