Every boy needs a (neighbor's) dog

For the past several weeks, Andrew has had a job walking our neighbor's dog, Tucker. Nathan went with him the first time to show him the ropes. Since then, he's been on walks with the dog three times a week. Many times he is accompanied by a sister--one at a time.

Today it was my turn to go. We got Tucker, his ball, leash, and trash bag and walked to the park down the street. Andrew played fetch with him for a few minutes and then we went on a walk through the neighborhood. It was impressive to see how comfortable Andrew was with him. Tucker is a good dog, and didn't bark at a single dog or passerby. On our walk we saw the neighborhood fox--but he was running the other direction. I've loved this chance for Andrew to grow and help our neighbor, and to experience pet ownership without the responsibility of owning a dog ourselves.

While we were out, Andrew asked me if I wanted to hold the leash.
I declined, explaining that I was on the walk to see what it was like.
"Don't you want to hold it once? That's all the girls do when they come with me, is ask me for their turn to hold the leash," he said.
I smiled about how different it must seem to have me along instead.

Surprise

The first weekend of November was my brother's 40th birthday. His wife invited my parents, sisters, and me to fly out for a surprise birthday party. He didn't know we were coming, which was quite an amazing feat--prayers were answered and the stars aligned.  It was great fun--the best party of 2011.

Danny plays bass guitar in an Italian polka band.
One accordion, one percussionist, a buttonbox--ie small accordion, guitar, and bass guitar.
They are all family members who have practically adopted him into the family.
They were in on the surprise . . . they told him there was a gig playing for an anniversary party. He walked in, thinking he was going to set up, and he found a large group of friends and family waiting to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Although I've heard a lot about the band, I'd never seen them play, so it was great fun.
My favorite was: O Sole Mio, which you can hear by the Three Tenors if you click HERE.
And HERE if you prefer instrumental

Sarah, Danny's wife, is also a caterer. Along with the 100 cupcakes, also made a very funny fondant cake with Danny sitting in a wheelchair. He jokes that he wants to have one pot and a spoon--everything else is unnecessary fluff . . . hence the pot under him and the spoon in his hand.

My dad rewrote the lyrics to some well-known tunes to tease Danny about being 40. We had fun singing them with the guests. Here's a sample:

To the tune of "On Top of Old Smoky."
On top of old Danny,
once covered with hair,
The dome is now shiny,
the dome is now bare.

The party was on Friday night. We spent most of Saturday hanging out and went for a walk in the Ohio woods. Dinner was lasagna, a Daniel Parks tradition.

Sarah, Emily, Danny, Sam

It was suggested that our family (my siblings and parents) get together on each of our 40th birthdays . . .
time will tell.

Thank you Danny & Sarah for the great party!
And Nathan for being home so I could attend solita!

p.s. When my dad turned 40, my mom coordinated a surprise party for him. We borrowed a wheelchair for him to sit in and a good friend read his eulogy. At the time, Danny was 14 and teased my Dad for being old. I was 9 years old and helped make the invitation. I used the computer program 'The Print Shop" and spelled "Suprise" on all the invites.

Nancy's Homemade Noodles

Every month I ask for help deciding what's for dinner.
It's a win-win.
They win because they get to give input and we get to eat what they want for one dinner.
I win because I don't have to plan EVERYTHING.

This month, Nate picked chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles, which we ate tonight for dinner.
Some ate none, some ate all, someone went to great lengths to remove all the parsley.

to parsley or not to parsley, that is the question

Nancy's Noodle Recipe:
(yields 1/2 lb dry, 4 C cooked)

2/3 C flour
1 egg
1 TBSP. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil

Make a well in flour  and add other ingredients. Work with hands folding until it can be cleaned from hand. Cover, let sit for an hour.
Roll and fold 10 times, adding flour each time so it doesn't stick. Roll out to 1/4 or less, cut. Let sit 1/2 hour to dry. Add to boiling water or broth. Boil 5 minutes.

Notes: I use a mixer instead of kneading by hand, and I double because they are good. I think this recipe came from the Joy of Cooking, but is not the same as the version there now.

Nathan copied this years ago over the phone from his mom, on the back of a first year podiatry school schedule. He doesn't really have a favorite meal, but this comes close. He eats it served over mashed potatoes.

Nancy last made it for us when she and Steve came to visit in TX post-Edwin.

I love it because it's simple, good food. Hope you like it, too.

Heavy Laden

Wednesday we had our first snow of the year. Many of our leaves had not fallen, which trapped the wet snow in the trees, weighing down branches. I spent 10 or 15 minutes shaking the snow off this tree. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to reach high enough, and that branch snapped.

It was miraculous to watch the other tree respond to my efforts to remove the snow. Branches that had been hanging low to the ground rebounded into almost normal positions once their burdens were lightened. I wish I'd been able to save this one.

I don't know numbers that demonstrate the extent of the damage, but here is a link to the local newspaper with photos showing damage and cleanup. Parts of CSU were closed because of the damage to campus trees. We know a family whose tree falling broke through a window of the house. Loveland schools were closed because power was out. My hairdresser took the day off because of the school closure/power outage, and stayed home in her cold house all day.

I remembered a quote I wrote down in high school, "Learn to bend, it's easier than breaking."

Peace and Quiet

This weekend Nathan had a professional conference at a hotel/conference center about an hour away. My mom (and dad) came to watch my kids so I could go with him. I'm not sure if it's because I knew I was going away or not, but Thursday seemed extra crazy. The conference was 8 to 5 both Friday and Saturday. We drove early Friday morning. We took one wrong turn, but it turned out to be a happy accident. Thankfully, we had enough time to correct it before the meeting started. We chatted in the car about how much less stressful traffic seemed since we had planned extra time into the schedule.

The view out of our window

We were able to check into the hotel when we arrived.
It was delightful to be by myself and hear myself think.
First thing I did was a little shopping. It's more enjoyable when I'm alone.
Then, back to the hotel for lunch (which I had packed that morning), and time to study. I am taking another class for continuing Ed and just needed time to work on it. A little nap later, and it was time to meet Nathan. We stopped at a grocery store for a quick snack and then went to the temple.
We did sealings together.
Finally, at 9:00 p.m. we went to dinner. I chose the Cheesecake Factory, because an acquaintance from Texas works for them, and I'd never been there. Nathan ate a giant burrito, and I had chicken and biscuits. We shared a BLT salad.


This morning Nathan went for a run on the golf course (in the dark). Then, he left pretty early for the meetings, and I took my time getting moving. At 8:30 I went to the hotel's gym and lifted weights for 30 minutes. They had really nice weights--I was excited to use the leg press and hamstring machines. Then, I went on a three mile walk. I went back to where we'd made the wrong turn, so I could photograph this wall.

Every now and then I wish I had an excellent camera. Today was one of those days.

I love everything about the photo above--the colors, the reflection of the yellow tree and blue sky in the window.

It was a visual feast!
Maybe that turn wasn't so "wrong."
After cleaning myself up, I went to breakfast in the hotel, again by myself.
I ate oatmeal and a fried egg.
More reading, and then I checked out. I went to buy my lunch, but the restaurant I wanted to try is in the Tech district, and is only open M-FR, which I found out at their front door. I went to the mall, (which was PACKED), and wandered through my favorite stores to browse . . . Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrell, Pottery Barn. More visual loveliness.
Lunch was a Philly cheese-steak. I wondered how many others were like me--once in a blue moon mall eaters, and how many were there every Saturday. Even amidst all the noise, it was still a quiet meal for me.
I went back to the hotel to listen to Nathan's presentation. He did a great job and acknowledged my being there. He spoke about Diabetic foot screenings. After him there was one more presenter, so I slipped out to read a little more for my class. When he was done, we drove home. Because of another commitment my parents had, I needed a babysitter for the last couple of hours.

I like having time to be by myself. I need to study and I enjoyed a little more freedom to set my own schedule and choose activities I didn't have to convince anyone else to do with me. It was nice to be interrupted only by my own thoughts. I learned I enjoy cooking and eating by myself and with my family. It sometimes is stressful to cook dinner with the many other demands at that time of the day, but I like the process of preparing food. It is very quiet to eat alone. And yet, I enjoy that peaceful time. I will have to find another time to sneak it in again.

I remember a conversation I had with my dad shortly after staring my first job. I asked him how he was able to work so much, day in and day out. I can't remember word for word, but he told me that he just did it. "And there are breaks."
Nice to have a break.

Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation, 2011

"I Know the Scriptures are True"

The scriptures are the word of God

The scriptures are the word of God,

I read them every day.

To learn what he would have me do,

In all I do and say.

The scriptures are the word of God,

You should read them too,

To guide your acts, and words and thoughts,

To keep you safe and true.

A Messenger From God

Since Heavenly Father is not here now,

He sent us a prophet dear,

His message of peace, and joy and love,

He wants us all to hear.

I love to hear the prophet speak

And tell me stories, too.

He brings us guidance with his life,

An example of what to do.

First Principles and Ordinances

Faith is the first step

That leads to the door,

Repentance the second,

Forgiveness is sure.

Baptism by immersion,

Christ showed us the way,

Then the Holy Ghost is given

To guide us here, today.

My Body is a Temple of God

My body is a temple

And I can treat it so

In the way I dress and act,

The places I choose to go.

My body holds my spirit,

May I keep it habit free,

By choosing carefully the things

I watch, read, do, and see.

My body feels the Holy Ghost,

When I kneel to pray,

Or hike high in the mountains,

While I help, work, and obey.

My body is a gift from God,

It is able, and fit and trim,

I treasure its use each day,

May I return it clean to Him.

I wrote these poems while writing the Primary program for our ward this year.

I have two favorite parts of it: receiving promptings about who should say what, and watching the children from the audience. Both were inspiring. Since I was willing to do the first, the president let me do the second.

Four of my children participated in it this year. Andrew and Bryn in the back, and Diana on the front row. Next year, Andrew will be a deacon by the time we have it, but Ed will not be in yet, so we will be down to three.

Homecoming 5K 2011

(Or . . . . Running Circles around Me)

We did it!!! With the help of my parents, Nathan and I participated in five 5K races this summer. It's been great fun. We ended with the Homecoming 5K in perfect race weather. Caitlin decided to join in. She didn't have to walk until 2.5 miles. She stopped to walk a couple more times after that, but plugged ahead. We also ran into a friend from the ward, and Andrew's former 4th grade teacher. It is a large race--which makes it fun.

It was not my finest race, but I am happy to report I was able to run(jog) the whole way. Nathan hasn't run since his car accident. He stayed with Caitlin the whole time, so he was in a different pace group than he's used to. 
Our times were:
Caitlin:  36:37
Nathan: 36:39
Beth    37:51

My favorite part of the race was hearing the announcer read Nathan's name: "Here comes Dr. Nathan Hunt, crossing the finish line. And, his daughter, Caitlin. She's only 7 years old!"
I think that was happening about the same time this photo was snapped.

I knew they were ahead of me, but didn't know how far. I was excited to hear them mention their names--since I didn't get to see their finish.

And I learned that "pre-race" photos are better than "post race photos."

We've never taken pre-race photos before, but maybe that will change

Just under half a mile to go and still going strong!

It feels good to have completed our goal. We love the racing community. Last running season we did two races. This summer we planned five, one for each of our children. I would like to try a 10K next summer.