21 Conclusion to a voice

Reading over my blog I can definitely hear a voice. It is pretty open, funny, and sometimes obnoxious voice. I have tried really hard to be sophisticated, but it is just not who I am. The patterns are very clear and that is that I am an open book. I will tell a complete stranger anything they want to know about my life even if they do not want to hear it. I feel like I am on a campaign right now called "Lets' get real." This is especially true with other moms who are in the same stage as life as me. I get tired of the same old fluffy talk and want to get to the nitty-gritty. I want to know what people really think and feel. I want to know their deepest sorrows and greatest joys! I have found 2 different kinds of people when it comes to handling my bold personality. They either can't stand me or want to share a true meaningful relationship with me. I use to think that speaking my mind about everything was really horrible and I still need to work on the appropriate timing and places, but I have had lots of people tell me it is refreshing because what you see is what you get!

20. Kids say the funniest things

I was reading my personal journal that I have kept since I was 13. I actually have 7 of them, but one of my favorite things to read is the funny things my kids have said. My Bria who is almost 7 still calls yogurt "ogret." One of my favorite moments happened one crazy morning. I was downstairs making bran muffins, Caleb had a question about his piano, and Bria was upstairs in the tub yelling at me to come wash her hair. I felt overwhelmed. While I was washing Bria's hair I took a deep sigh and said, "I wish there were 3 of me." She immediately smiled and said, "I would hug all 3 of you." I melted! Caleb is really charming and extremely intelligent. I knew we were in trouble when I caught him looking in the mirror saying, "hey gorgeous, how are you doing." He is a ladies man. My all time favorite ever is when Caleb was about 5 and he had just finished watching "Charlie and the Chocolate factory." He came running out of the bathroom screaming, "Mom my poo poo looks like an everlasting gobstopper."

19. Taking family pictures is an adventure

Here we are all smiling, looking so happy, like we never fight or complain. Little does anyone know what happens to get this picture taken at all. We had actually taken family pictures in the summer time on a beautiful warm day and after 1 hour and 500 pictures later we did not have a single family picture that was decent. So here we are in freezing cold weather, with short sleeves, and it was starting to rain or should I say sleet. My poor son had a fever and a cough, but he was a good sport and doesn't he look handsome. My 6 year old daughter Bria had been playing in the dirt, in her sweats with her hair in a hat 4 minutes before this picture was taken. Look at how beautiful she looks!! I had been cleaning all day and just threw on the first white shirt I saw. My husband looks handsome all the time and my little Greta lights up the picture with her smile.

18. I Found my Lost Marbles (personal narrative)

Taking care to tip toe past my mothers room while she was working on genealogy was always a good idea. If she heard me I would be trapped and have to listen to another long boring story about a dead person I am supposedly related too. I had things to do, living people to see, and it was important for my social life to go out with my friends. I could hear the printer printing out what I was sure was another pedigree chart that would sit on the stacks of papers she had everywhere. I had no idea how she even knew where anything was. My college money was being spent on ink cartridges and white paper.
I peaked in as I snuck by and saw the same scene. Her hair a mess and still in her pajamas sitting on a couple of pillows piled on an office chair. She was clicking away on her prized possession, the new computer my dad had begrudgingly bought her. Of course their was always the glass of diet coke half full on her desk. I had almost made it down the first two stairs when I hear, “Kat, come in and hear my good news!” It was to late and I was trapped. How long would my friends wait for me? I knew this would go faster if I acted interested and happy to hear all about it. One problem was remembering and keeping track of all the stories she had told me. If she sensed that I did not remember she might be tempted to repeat it all over again. When she saw me come in she had a glow of sheer joy and exclaimed, “I found my lost Marbles”. Oh no not the lost Marbles joke again. I could not even count how many family or neighborhood parties we had been to that my mom had told the story about her working on the Marble family line and joke about her “lost Marbles”. Then she would pierce our ears with her cackle of a laugh.
“Mom, that is great”, I said in as enthusiastic of a voice I could muster up. “Let me tell you how I found them” she went on. My eyes instantly glazed over and my body went limp. I heard something about a book falling off a shelf in front of her but got lost as I kept glancing at the clock. I really had to go! ‘Mom I am going out with my friends tonight and I am really late, maybe I could hear the rest later, see ya.”
Did I really just get a calling from the bishop asking me to plan a Trek for 85 people? Their is no question I love hanging out with the youth, and I am good at organizing things, but each person is suppose to represent a pioneer. How in the world am I going to know anything about pioneers? Then it happened very quickly; a feeling swelled up in my heart and I felt a great desire to learn more about my ancestors. I knew just who to call.
I was hesitant about going over to my moms to work on genealogy; not because I didn’t thirst for the stories, but because my mom had been very sick. Her mind was not the same as it use to be and she would get very confused. Her body was not being nice to her and it seemed she was in pain all the time. I also got very frustrated with her hearing problem and tired of repeating myself over and over again. I am sure she was sick of my hearing problem in the past and hopefully ready to repeat the stories she had told over and over again to a more willing ear.

 When we first sat down to start looking over the pedigree charts, I was really worried this was not going to go well. She looked very ill and could not even remember what she had eaten for breakfast. As soon as she opened her mouth to talk about her great great grandmother, the change was instant. Her countenance glowed like a light switch went on, her mind was going as quick as the computer that stored 40,000 pioneer names, and her body seemed like she had been resurrected. I sat there listening to story after story feasting on her words. My pen was scribbling down notes all over the charts to help feed the hunger I felt for knowledge about my ancestors. The dessert was when we had checked the names for temple ready and I was holding real peoples eternal destinies in my hands. Were they ready to be released from a spiritual prison? Even if they were not, I was ready to do there work and felt like I had been set free from my own blind confinement.
Rain drops were dripping down my bonnet, the mud was pasted to the bottom of my skirt, and I dreaded walking across the coming river. With these conditions my mind was still focused on the laminated story I had made into a necklace which was about my ancestor, Jena Bertelsen. It hung about my neck and flapped in the wind, but it kept me going. I could not believe she was only 10 years old, left her parents behind in Denmark, and had walked these plains all on her own. Had my spirit been there to help her push her handcart when she felt like she could not go on anymore? Was she pushing my handcarts of life when I felt discouraged or depressed? All I knew was that she felt more real and alive to me than all those silly friends I had in high school. Her life breathed air into my soul more than the fresh air of the Wyoming plains. I knew at this moment that no rubies, diamonds, or gold could replace the Marbles I had found.

17. humble humiliation

I absolutely love the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, in reflecting I have realized that my most embarrassing and humiliating situations have all happened in connection with the church. About 7 years ago during Christmas time when I was all dress up for church, the bishop was releasing me from a calling. He was calling for a vote of thanks and I heard my name and pop up out of my seat and looked around at people with a huge smile on my face. Steve was pulling on my dress for me to sit down but I ignored him and basked in the thanks on peoples faces. It was not until I sat down that I had realized that you do not stand up when they are releasing you from a calling but when you are called to the calling. I must have looked ridiculous in my velvet dress and might as well have been blowing kisses to everyone yelling,"Yes, I was wonderful wasn't I."

A couple of years later while attending the temple, I made a quick stop at the restroom and the two ties I have on my temple dress that tie in the back of the dress were accidentally dipped in the toilet. So what do you do at this point when everyone is waiting for you? You will have to use your imagination because I am not going to tell you what I did.

So why do I bring this up now? Because I was just called to be the primary chorister. Now I have no musical talent. I do not know how to play the piano and I do not know what those notes mean. If everyone is honest with each other I was called to be a clown for all the kids. Well humiliating myself is what I am good at. I used my talents very good today and added another Katism to my book as I stood up in front of the senior primary preparing to sing "I am like a star shining brightly". Well I told everyone to stand up and have "tinkle toes." The nine year old boys enjoyed that one, especially my son. So hopefully I will humbly make it to heaven!!

16. New Moon

I am writing in anticipation of seeing the movie "New Moon" tonight with a couple of friends. I feel like I am the only one who has not seen it. This was my least favorite book but I have heard the movie is a pleasant surprise. I really wish I would have read the book again recently to get a feel for it but I do not think I could finish in the next 4 hours. I am still putting away Thanksgiving decorations and putting up Christmas ones. My house is a mess. Maybe my husband will clean it while I am at the movies. He is truly amazing. Who needs Edward when I have Steve!!

15. Thankful Thanksgiving is over

I had a wonderful day today, but right now I am cuddled in my pajamas and ready to drop into bed from exhaustion. We double dipped our Thanksgiving today which means we ate with my family at 12:30 and Steve's family at 5:00. We hosted my family at our house this year and it was the first year my mom did not do the cooking. We divided our traditional meal up between my sister and I. My dad actually did the potatoes and I was so proud. I never realized how much work it takes to pull the whole thing together. I had to start on Wednesday afternoon. My favorite part is setting the table and making it look really special. My second favorite is my sister made my moms deviled egg recipe perfect, yummy!! My third is the generational pumpkin pie! The weather was very pleasant and I loved watching all the cousins play outside together on the tramp and make memories. All and all my goal was achieved of feeling peace and having all the food served on time and steaming hot. Mission accomplished and now I want to sleep for 24 hrs.