A Fair Is a Veritable Smorgasbord

Mmmm-hmmmm! Shane, Brianna, and I might agree with Templeton on that. But we didn't pig-out (or rat-out) too badly when we paid the $7 admission fee and entered the western Idaho state fair last week. I mean, we limited ourselves to 3 food purchases and two drinks shared amongst the three of us during our 5-1/2 hours in the hot Idaho sunshine. One powdered sugar-coated funnel cake, one Idaho ice cream baked potato (no potato involved, it's all ice cream and toppings), one order of sweet potato fries, a lemonade and a rootbeer sufficiently tickled our fancy and our tastebuds, making us virtually oblivious to all the corndog, cotton candy, and barbecued this-and-that aromas that wafted through the fair air. We rode a disappointingly slugish ferris wheel and the satisfyingly terrifying Evolution, or what's called the washing machine in China. I tell you what, if it had lasted much longer I think we might have needed that washing machine!

Next came the shows. A CSI mad science show, and the African acrobats were both fairly good...well, it was the fair, after all. We ambled through the exhibitions for awhile, just trying to kill time until the hypnottist's show. Feeling a little bored, I suggested we take a vote to see if we should wait it out, or just call it a day and go on home. Two votes for leaving, one vote for staying. So, of course, we stayed. Even though Shane and Brianna wer out-voted, they ended up being glad because the show was so crazy funny. And, no, we didn't permit ourselves to be hypnotized, we just laughed at those who did...a whole lot.

We also had the pleasure of having Iris, and her children, Lydia, Matthew, and Michael, spend a few nights with us on their way down and back from taking Lydia to begin her adventures at BYU. We really enjoyed the visit, and wish Lydia well! After looking at the fossils they brought home with them from Blaine's stash, a trip to Utah looks pretty appealing to us as well. Fossils or pine nuts, what will it take to budge Dan!

Shane and I, and Sage, went to the Twin Falls temple dedication broadcast on Sunday, at our stake center. President Monson quoted Jacob Marley from Dickens's "Christmas Carol" in his remarks. I am hunting for the quote right now so that I can close on an inspiring note. And, ta-dda, here it is! Shane found it for me.

“It is required of every man, that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. It is doomed to wander through the world—oh, woe is me!—and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!”

I love President Monson, but right now, I'm not especially loving this quote. I think I like this one better, actually, but of course, not for the temple dedication.

"I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!”

Thirty-five Years Ago Today

Dan and I were married in the Salt Lake temple! The photos are fading, but the commitment isn't! Has it been what we expected? Probably not. Would we change a few things if we could have a re-do? Probably so. We confess to being imperfect, but we keep improving!

Hurray for us! Hurray for bright and hopeful young love that becomes secure and accepting mature love. Hurray for marriage, for family, for our beloved sons, their wives, and for adorable grandchildren!

If You Love Us, or Even Just Like Us

Then join the party, and post a comment once in a while, won't you? It tickles our innards, makes us giggle, helps us study harder, stay on our diets, exercise longer, lowers our blood pressure, and causes us to be better neighbors, making the world a far, far better place!

If you want to do even more for mankind, please remove the visual verification requirement for posters on your blog! I've tried to comment on several blogs today to no avail. That visual verification thing gets me every ttime, and that listen-and-type-what-you-hhear thing does not work! If no one's around to lend me an eye, well, I'm just stumped. Stumped and silenced.

I'll sign off sending bushels of love to all, and thanking you in advance for your understanding. I love you and your blogs, thoughts, comments, just everything! And remember, yea verily, there is a law irrevocably decreed that whosoever giveth comments, receiveth comments.

P.S. Brianna, the blog guru, adjusted our settings, or whatever it is, so that it's now easier to post comments. Please try again!

The Precocious Pumpkin

Jack was picked on August 18th, 2008. Two months premature, but perfectly healthy, he weighed in at 21 pounds. Jack is a very special pumpkin.

We hand picked him, and pedaled him straight home.

Praise be, Jack has arrived!

Say cheese, Jackie boy. Isn't he cute?

Story time with big brother shane.

We interrupt this story for a short nap.

Shane and Jack have some bonding time watching the Olympics.

Unbelievable! Jack is such a big boy!

peekaboo. I see you.

No sibling rivalry here, Shane and Jack play very well together.

Could somebody be hungry??

It looks like Jack is bushed. Bedtime.

Rub-a-dub-dub. First time in the tub.

Be still now. We're almost done.

No more tangles.

Brush up, brush down,

Brush thoes teeth round and round.

"Now I lay me down to sleep..."

Ya-hoo! We like to call it fun.

Ooh, all tuckered out.

Sweet Dreams, baby Jack.

It's Always Fun When Grandkids Come

Ethan and Misy and girls arrived the same day we returned home from our little campout.I'm glad they've visited enough to know how to settle in, kic back, and make themselves at home,, because I was pretty tired from not-sleeping on the ground, and very preoccupied with putting the finishing touches on the RS lesson I'd be teaching the next morning.Thankfully, the lesson on doing our part to purify ourselves for the building up of Zion went well, and thanks to Brianna, there was a tasty meal of sweet and sour chicken just about ready for us when we got home.

The highlights of the visit for me were having Brooklyn and Lilly close at hand, watching them so that Ethan and Missy could go to the temple together, then getting up early the next morning and going to the temple with Missy while everyone was still sleeping, and later, spending some very quiet and special moments remembering and speaking of Jordan, also praying, in the cemetery with Ethan. Our hearts are still so tender as we think of him, and I don't expect that to ever change. I know it would be the same way if we had to say goodbye for awhile to any one of our precious sons. So please, Father in heaven, let me go first, years and years before anyone else is called home!

Oh, and sure we like doughnuts, but don't get the wrong-headed idea that they were one of the highlights. They're a mere morsel of sweetness, entirely insignificant.Upon further reflection however, it's looking like our family may be genetically predisposed to a fondness for the Krispy Kreme franchise. Kaden, in AZ, was the first to unabashedly display this interest, and now it's spread to Brooklyn and Lilly.Where will it end? I know not, I only know that in honor of the airy rings of gold, I found one of my favorite childhood songs today. Quite fittingly, it's called "The Doughnut Song." Everybody, please feel free to whistle, sing, or dance along with the music, glazed with a sweet little moral all its own.


(Note to my siblings: Yes, I did take the record that had this and other Burl Ives songs on it, and yes, I did lose said recording. I am so so sorry!)

Trekkin' and Campin'

We're blessed to live in a strong stake, the Boise West, and ward, Victory View. Our family has just benefited from two special events sponsored by each. Shane, everybody's favorite 17-year-old Washburn manchild, took part in the stake's 30-mile pioneer trek from Horseshoe Bend to Placerville, ID, July 30-August 2nd. Despite his resistance to taking some of the items on the recommended list, such as sunscreen, foot powder, insect repellent, and a second pair of pants, he fared well, avoiding bites and blisters, sporting only a minor case of sunburn, after all was said and done. Unbeknownst to the tired and grimy trekkers, their parents were invited to assemble in the Placerville park to cheer them on to the finish line, and to enjoy a great lunch of pulled pork, baked beans, salad, and pie together. I'm so happy that Shane was able to be pleased and surprised to see Dan and me there to give hugs and take pictures of him! Yay, Shane! A seventh son, second to none!

Next up, the annual ward family camp out,held in Ponderosa state park, on the banks of Payette lake, near McCall, ID. Shane's had the good fortune of attending before, but I hadn't, and of course Brianna, new to the U.S., hadn't either. The Hobson family, namely Cindy, invited the three of us to camp with them. They set up a spacious 14-ft dome tent for us, and supplied other amenities for our comfort and enjoyment... like food! Both the Washburns and Hobsons hoped Sage would come along too, and he did, adding to the good times. I mean, who'd have been the drummer in our Surfin' USA number if not for Sage? Yes, Bonnie and the Beachcombers made our debut performance at the Frriday night talent sshow! I'd like to thank Rachel, Cindy, & Dave Hobson, and Sage Taylor, Amanda Coltrin, and the highly reluctant and shy Shanester for joining me in making fools of ourselves before our ward. Photography provided by our very own internationally acllaimed publicist, Brianna.

Um, and not to brag, just stickin' with the facts, my strawberry butter created somewhat of a sensation served on Cindy's yummy scones Friday morning. Just cream a cup of softened butter with about a halff cup of strawberry jam, add a little powdered sugar and beat again, and voila! you've got a winner every time! Honey butter doesn't hold a candle to this spreadable pink perfection!

A Marvelous Work

Wednesday is a red-letter day for us. It's the day Colin's letter comes in! He's serving in the Washington DC North mission, presently exercising his faith and wits in a town called California, Maryland. Last week's letter contained the following description of what he and his companion, two twenty-year-olds, are up against there.

"My prediction has come true. I said we'd be doing a lot of tracting and I was darn tootin' right! We tracted like crazy this past week. We set a record of lessons taught to people in this area that goes back for at least 3 years since there aren't any records older than that in our area book. We knocked on hundreds of doors.We have about 5 new people from that who said we could come back. Sometimes when they ask us to come back they don't keep appointments and such, so we'll see how these people are, but we have high hopes. One lady we tracted into saw us and said, "Mormons!Can I see your underwear?" She was pretty crazy and she told us we were going to hell etc. She was asking us about our belief in Jesus Christ but wouldn't believe us and when we tried to read her scriptures from the Book of Mormon to prove that we believe in Him, she would interrupt and refuse to hear anything from it. She thought it was evil. But we bore our testimony to her and did our best and I guess that's all we can do."

Several family members and friends fasted for them to be able to find people with willing minds and humble hearts to teach. This is a little bit of today's eagerly received letter.

"Out of the ton of tracting we did, none of the people have really turned out to be good investigators so far. But we have some we haven't met with yet, so we'll have to wait and see. We're hoping to have someone good to teach because we're starting to get a little burned out on tracting nonstop, especially when it isn't very fruitful. I appreciate your fast and I am positive that something good will come of it. :) Whether it be goodness for me or for a missionary and others down the line, I care not, so long as good is had."

While Colin is about our Father's business in MD, another set of faithful elders brought unexpected, long--praydd-for blessings to me last Friday, Aug. 1, 2008, a day I'll never forget! I have been weighed down with much sorrow since my darling Jordan died in May. I still can't believe I'm typing those words.It seems so foreign. I thought as a mother I had some idea of what it'd feel like to lose a child. But I didn't! It has been far, far worse than I ever imagined. Instead of comfort, my time spent with the scriptures often increased my questions, confusion, fear and pain. I simply did not know how to break free of the prison of emotion that held me fast. Then, after weeks of agony, the doorbell rang, and within a matter of minutes I was free! Not free of missing the dear sound of Jordan's calm, inteligent voice that usually held a hint of a smile,, his fun-loving, unique personality, and his enjoyable presence, but free of other deep and mysterious concerns.

Elder Beheshti of Arkansas, and Elder Canold of California, came armed with the Holy Spirit, the scriptures, and an amazing blessing for me that has restored me to happiness. I am eternally grateful to them for coming, and to the Lord (and perhaps to my Jordan too) for sending them to me. I know that my prayers are being heard, and answered, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior, who has saved us from spiritual death, and who has saved me from lingering, seemingly unshakable despair. Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. May all His messengers, the missionaries, bring the world His truth. Amen and amen!

An Afternoon Out

Five of us set out to visit the Twin Falls temple open house last Tuesday, Dan and I, Shane and the friend he baptized in May, Sage, and Brianna. It must have been beautiful to them, although no one has really said much about it. I know it felt peaceful and holy to me, with tears (not the typical sad ones) near the surface as I quietly walked with the group through each room. We met the three sister missionaries who've been in our home this year, first teaching Brianna, then Sage. I loved it in a quiet and simple, undramatic way. I hope the others did too, but they are wont to keep their thoughts and feelings pretty much to themselves on such matters.

On hearing we were going to the open house, a friend told us about nearby Shoshone Falls, so we went there as well. Everyone seemed to gaze upon them appreciatively, and I read that they attract over 350,000 visitors a year, so they must be worth the view. We took a few pictures, and to get a detailed description of anything, I usually have to email them to my sister, Julie. She expresses herself so well that I almost feel as if I am seeing whatever she's describing for myself. That's really quite a gift to me! Her words put me in mind of a poem I'd read four decades ago while I was in high school. Here it is, for our shared enjoyment.

The Cataract of Lodore

"How does the water
Come down at Lodore?"
My little boy asked me
Thus, once on a time;
And moreover he tasked me
To tell him in rhyme.
Anon, at the word,
There first came one daughter,
And then came another,
To second and third
The request of their brother,
And to hear how the water
Comes down at Lodore,
With its rush and its roar,
As many a time
They had seen it before.
So I told them in rhyme,
For of rhymes I had store;
And 'twas in my vocation
For their recreation
That so I should sing;
Because I was Laureate
To them and the King.

From its sources which well
In the tarn on the fell;
From its fountains
In the mountains,
Its rills and its gills;
Through moss and through brake,
It runs and it creeps
For a while, till it sleeps
In its own little lake.
And thence at departing,
Awakening and starting,
It runs through the reeds,
And away it proceeds,
Through meadow and glade,
In sun and in shade,
And through the wood-shelter,
Among crags in its flurry,
Helter-skelter,
Hurry-skurry.
Here it comes sparkling,
And there it lies darkling;
Now smoking and frothing
Its tumult and wrath in,
Till, in this rapid race
On which it is bent,
It reaches the place
Of its steep descent.

The cataract strong
Then plunges along,
Striking and raging

As if a war raging
Its caverns and rocks among;
Rising and leaping,
Sinking and creeping,
Swelling and sweeping,
Showering and springing,
Flying and flinging,
Writhing and ringing,
Eddying and whisking,
Spouting and frisking,
Turning and twisting,
Around and around
With endless rebound:
Smiting and fighting,
A sight to delight in;
Confounding, astounding,
Dizzying and deafening the ear with its sound.

Collecting, projecting,
Receding and speeding,
And shocking and rocking,
And darting and parting,
And threading and spreading,
And whizzing and hissing,
And dripping and skipping,
And hitting and splitting,
And shining and twining,
And rattling and battling,
And shaking and quaking,
And pouring and roaring,
And waving and raving,
And tossing and crossing,
And flowing and going,
And running and stunning,
And foaming and roaming,
And dinning and spinning,
And dropping and hopping,
And working and jerking,
And guggling and struggling,
And heaving and cleaving,
And moaning and groaning;

And glittering and frittering,
And gathering and feathering,
And whitening and brightening,
And quivering and shivering,
And hurrying and skurrying,
And thundering and floundering;

Dividing and gliding and sliding,
And falling and brawling and sprawling,
And driving and riving and striving,
And sprinkling and twinkling and wrinkling,
And sounding and bounding and rounding,
And bubbling and troubling and doubling,
And grumbling and rumbling and tumbling,
And clattering and battering and shattering;

Retreating and beating and meeting and sheeting,
Delaying and straying and playing and spraying,
Advancing and prancing and glancing and dancing,
Recoiling, turmoiling and toiling and boiling,
And gleaming and streaming and steaming and beaming,
And rushing and flushing and brushing and gushing,
And flapping and rapping and clapping and slapping,
And curling and whirling and purling and twirling,
And thumping and plumping and bumping and jumping,
And dashing and flashing and splashing and clashing;
And so never ending, but always descending,
Sounds and motions for ever and ever are blending
All at once and all o'er, with a mighty uproar, -
And this way the water comes down at Lodore.

by Robert Southey (1774 - 1843)