40 Most Influential People

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Image from Etsy by Janet Hill

I turn 40 in less than a month. I threw myself a birthday party when I turned 30 and invited everyone in town. I wanted to do the same thing for my 40th. I’ve juggled all kinds of fabulous plans. Then I saw a photograph of some of my friends dressed in 1940’s costumes at an outdoor party with twinkle lights and movie posters from the 40’s. Yes, someone had come up with the perfect 40th birthday party in my neighborhood, just 2 months before my own. I haven’t had the heart to think about other ideas since.

This week I decided that I will celebrate my 40th birthday by writing letters over the next few weeks to 40 of the most influential people in my life. I am writing this on my blog so I will be accountable. I haven’t decided if I will publish my list, but I’ve begun writing. I think it’s the best celebration I could come up with, even though it doesn’t include costumes and big band music.

 

Two Baseball Players

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Two baseball players made 4 baseball games a week plus a practices this fall. Richard and I have divided and conquered since the games fell on the same nights. I was Mark’s cheerleader, and Richard was Timothy’s assistant coach. It’s been a good season for each boy. Sitting outside looking up at the mountains changing color during the games make it seem like an ideal activity. Evenings where it was cold enough to huddle in blankets were rare this year.

A Reunion of Friends

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I joined some of our friends from our early years in Texas for lunch this weekend. (Richard couldn’t come because he was on the elk hunt with his dad.) Our oldest children were babies together, and now they are all grown up. We became friends at an exciting time in our lives, far from our home states. These and other couples became our family.

My Grandma Stewart encouraged me to find friends during our newlywed years. She and Grandpa made lasting friendships during their early years of marriage. Richard and I have moved around quite a bit so our friendships have not been so constant as my grandmother’s. However, gathering together on Saturday, I can see why I called them friends all those years ago and that we really haven’t changed much. There are lots of sweet memories. We share a common history and that is not easily forgotten. It’s only when we talk about our children dating, driving, and going to college that we begin to feel our age.

Grandma’s Birthday

My mom and I decided to surprise my grandmother in Nevada for her birthday last weekend. Here are a few pictures from the party.

1-IMG_20140928_141616 1-IMG_20140928_143029 1-IMG_20140928_160737She allowed us to pamper her for a few days. My grandfather told me over and over how much he loved her. She takes good care of him.

She is quite the decorator. Isn’t her living room lovely?

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My Aunt Jeanne
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Uncle David
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David, my grandfather, my cousin Elizabeth, and her new husband Ivano

My grandmother asked me to play the violin at her party. My grandfather wouldn’t let me stop. I played and played and he asked for more after the guests left, his face beaming because he loves music.

Somehow I missed taking a picture of my mom. It’s an all-day drive to my grandmother’s house and we talked the whole way there and back again, my voice becoming hoarse. My mom and I could probably call driving together “cheap therapy.” Years ago, we got talking so intently that I accidentally drove 30 miles into Wyoming instead of to the cabin where we were headed.

I learned things about my grandmother on this trip without my children. I saw her marriage, her personality, and her interests in a new way. I’m thankful for the women in my family. I’m thankful for my grandfather, who can’t remember many things, but remembers how much he loves his wife and children.

 

O Magnum Mysterium and an Old Friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKGBuwISjCg

(Play this while you read this post.)

I had a pen pal for a couple of years in high school. I met Karl at a music camp and he played the trombone. I can’t remember details about our meeting or what started our conversation that lasted so many years. He lived in Washington and we saw each other at summer music camps and during a few visits he made to family in the area. There were long walks and sad goodbyes, one at a train station where his sister placed coins on the tracks for a keepsake to give to me. The bulk of our friendship was built with ink, paper and stamps. We wrote long letters, but eventually I stopped writing. He came to BYU and we met several times during our years there.

Karl is an accomplished musician and has been a member of the President’s Own Marine Band for 14 years. The band came on tour to our high school last week and I was able to talk to him for a while during intermission. This is the song they played right after we talked, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the bright light I felt about my youth and this friendship I made through music. I am grateful for this friend who was a real gentleman to me.

I hope my children find (and be) good and decent people like this to fill their memories in their high school years. No one seems to write letters anymore, which is a shame. Some of my favorite relationships have been held together by writing.

Do you want to see a picture?

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Richard surprised me and took this picture after I left the concert. Thankfully he had Daniel pose beside Karl because that would just be awkward to see a selfie of my husband and my old high school crush posing together. 😀

 

 

The Homecoming Dance and Dress

 

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I went out of town for the weekend to visit my grandmother and I missed seeing Paige’s homecoming date. Richard took pictures for me. The dress looks so much pinker in natural light. In the store and in the house, it is a lot more muted in tone.

Paige and I found the dress on a clearance rack after shopping at 10 stores. It was only 12 or 14 sizes too big and it lacked sleeves, but it was the right length and the beads were gorgeous!

IMG_20140922_172927It had pockets, too, and I knew we could make some cap sleeves with these.
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IMG_20140925_090958It was a very nice dress and fully lined, which meant I had a lot of reconstruction and hand sewing to do. The finished dress had about 8 inches less fabric around the waist and the cap sleeves went on very easily, thanks to an online tutorial. I watched episodes of The Paradise while I hand stitched the lining back into place. I probably ate chocolate while doing all of this, so really, it was pretty fun, although time consuming.

Daniel’s Day

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Daniel joined our family in the early evening, a perfect baby after a difficult pregnancy which included major abdominal surgery. I was ecstatic that my little Daniel had made it through the lion’s den of my health issues. Prayer, faith, and a priesthood blessing were important elements in that miracle. (You can read about that here.)

He has always been resilient and strong. It’s a blessing that I don’t have much to worry about with Daniel. His independence, height, resourcefulness, and encyclopedic memory set him apart. He is great company in the car because he always has something interesting on his mind. You could come and hear him play a piano concerto on October 17th if you are in town.

Today we celebrate with homemade pizza, cheesecake, and presents, but the best celebrations are in my heart for a son who constantly amazes me. How thankful we are for Daniel.