Meet My...

...Father-In-Law...

Duane Hiatt

Interesting Fact #1: Duane and his wife Diane brought 15 hilarious and thoughtful people into the world.  After Diane passed away from ovarian cancer, Duane and his 15 kids relied on their faith that the family is central to the Lord's plan and that He had a plan for each one of them.  A year later an equally faith-filled woman named Sharon came into their lives and together the 17 of them continued onward into the world.  Now, nearly 25 years later 17 has grown to 87 with 15 spouses, 54 grandchildren, and the oldest grandchild's fiance joining the family this year.

Interesting Fact #2:  There is a fairly short song every LDS Primary child knows called, "Follow the Prophet," (9 verses is short for a kid's song, right?).  Asked to write the song only weeks after Diane had passed away, the song holds special meaning to our family and Duane continues to share the message portrayed in the song whenever he has the opportunity.   

Interesting Fact #3  Duane is the only rock star I know.  Really!  In the days of Elvis and the Beetles he performed in a band called  "The Three D's." Touring across the United States, Canada, and Asia in a time when the face of music was changing, they found increasing success by keeping a clean image and entertaining without lowering their moral standards.  Their music is particularly refreshing today when #1 hits too often are denigrating and evocatively offensive.  Covering both religious and secular subjects and songs, each album has distinct character.  My personal favorite album is Rhyme, Rhythm, and Reason-Great Poetry Set to Music.

My father-in-law has lived a full life and earned the right to sit and rest, but that's not who he is.  He continues guiding the people around him with big ideas and entertaining delivery.  The Three D's message is as essential and applicable as it was when three young family men first took it out on the road and that is the reason I'm sharing this part of my life with you!

For your last chance at an early entry in my A Blogtastic Extravaganza giveaway, leave a comment here telling me something from this post that has peaked your curiosity!

In My Heart On Thursday

-Lisa Jan South,  Ensign, Febrary 2011

Bring On Spring

 A few weeks ago I broke my resolve to save money by suppressing all travel desires.  With 24-hour's notice and an invitation from family to join them in the Grand Canyon, I hastily packed my bags, loaded bewildered kids in the car, and hit the open road.  It was the perfect way to welcome spring and summer adventure back from hibernation.

Apparently a little too perfect because now my imagination has gotten the best of me.  With extended family trips already scheduled to San Diego in the summer and Iowa in the winter most people's vacation budget would be full.  I guess it's all in your priorities.  My home is humble and my kids wear hand-me-down clothes and that's fine for me.  Its what makes the going possible.

So what else is on the itinerary?  Well....

~An unexpected additional trip to Iowa and Kansas next week.  Fact is, I miss my family.  And my boys miss playing with grandpa's antique toy trucks. So we're going.  Simple as that.

A July wedding in the Washington D.C. LDS temple that I'd love to go to, but probably will be the first item on the chopping block when reality sets in. 

Relaxing weekends at a "secret" beach-side camping spot

~Hiking in the Utah  mountain canyons.

~Lots of sun and fun at our local waterpark

~Parades and city festivals until we can't bear to take one more piece of free candy or cheap advertisement

~Meeting my sister half-way between here and there for a random weekend meet-up (hint, hint, Beth)

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with side trips to

 White Sands National Monument

and the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

   And if I'm lucky, an incomprehensible number of things I haven't dreamed up yet!

What have you dared to dream into your summer travel adventures?

In My Heart On Thursday

Dreams Come True

I saved and I planned and my $100 dream day finally came.  Here's a timeline of the whole event:

March 25th-Ben and I pulled out his ridiculously busy calendar and penciled in the only day he had free for the rest of ever.  April 7 was my only option.

April 6th, 2:00pm-Ben calls to ask how I would feel about pushing the day back a couple weeks.  He decided to call at the last minute instead of texting to hear the truth in voice when I tell him it's fine.  Smart guy.

April 6th, 6:00pm-Ben gets home and knows it's not fine.  Tries to cancel his work meeting but I won't let him.  He finds a baby-sitter so I won't make his next few weeks miserable.

April 7th-SHOPPING DAY!
     8:30 Pack the kids off with dad and on my way to Salt Lake City
     9:00 Pull into my first store-Sugarhouse-and discover the store doesn't open until 10AM.  Apparently nothing in Sugarhouse opens before 10AM...except Old Navy...so that's where I went.  And I spend my first $8.00 of the day...at Old Navy, not a DI...on a pair of earrings and bracelet.  It was nice to start my day of thrifting with something brand new.

      9:55 Back at DI I come upon the oddest phenomenon: DI groupies.  The doors opened two minutes early and the throngs swarmed into the store like hungry mice.

     11:00AM On to the downtown store.  Feeling a little nostalgic now.  I lived in Salt Lake briefly in 2002 and bought my first couch at this store.  Fast forward nine years and I discover that DI clerks can actually be friendly.  I seriously thought it was part of the training to be grumpy and unsociable.  The young return missionary put a smile on my face.

     1:00PM The Welfare Square store.  How can you not feel inspired here?  With the granary, cannery, bakery, bishop's storehouse, and dairy facilities surrounding the shared parking lot it's hard not to be amazed at the humanitarian aid efforts taking place at this very spot.  

Oh, and I almost passed out here.  Who knew a full day of shopping would require remembering to stop and eat lunch?

     2:30PM-Eat McDonald's in the parking lot of the Murray DI while it starts to rain...then snow...then thunder...then snow some more.

     4:00PM-Hear a news story on the radio that makes me laugh.  As I'm pulling into the Redwood Road store I call Ben to tell him about it.  After such a great day and relaxing without the kids the two of us are laughing on the phone like we haven't for along time.  When I realize I'm sitting in the car shivering we hang up and I run inside.

    

     5:15PM-Finish at the Redwood Road store, reach into my purse for my keys, and distinctly remember being distracted on the phone and leaving them in the ignition.  Yep, all four car doors locked and the keys just hanging there taunting me.  Ben tries to unlock it by clicking his key faub, sending the signal through our phones, and into the door.  It doesn't work.  He loads up the kids and heads to Salt Lake in the snow.

     5:20PM-I re-enter the Redwood Road store, find a book to read and make my self conspicuously comfortable on a sofa.

     6:00PM-Ben pulls in and unlocks the car without even getting out of his vehicle.  Some lady tries to make small talk like she has no idea I'm at the end of a DI shopping spree and have just foolishly locked my keys in my car.  Ben insists I go to my last store even though I feel stupid he had to come rescue me and know I should just follow him home in embarrassed submission.  Yet, the shopping high is still in my blood somewhere and I really do want to go to the last store...so I do.

    6:30PM-Last store of my day is in Sandy.  Maybe I should have gone on down to American Fork.  The location of this store scares me a little, even during the day...

  

    6:35PM-Now I know I should have skipped this location.  The clerk, much more the expected norm for a DI clerk, was sneakily shining a laser pointer at customers as they passed through the aisles.  He creeped me out.  I skipped half the racks and moved to the opposite side of the store.

     9:00 Home again, home again, jiggety jig.  Exhausted, but happy, and with $6.00 to put back in the bank for the next off-the-wall dream I decide to dream. 

In My Heart On Thursday

                          "Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live."

                                                                                            -Margaret Fuller

The Final Days

A few weeks ago I mentioned a blogging grant I'd applied for.  At the time it was a bit of a pipe-dream.  Since then an opportunity has opened up to take my little dream and make it into something big.  To say I'm excited would be A ridiculous understatement. 

The dream is going forward. This grant would be the icing on the cake.  Will you help by voting and sharing the link with your friends?  Voting ends April 15 and you can vote daily.  

EXPLORING OUT MY FRONT DOOR 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held their annual General Conference this weekend.  Available almost immediately world-wide via internet streaming and radio broadcast, I still appreciate the blessing of living in Utah and being able to watch it live on network tv.  This year I tried to keep my boys interested with coloring pages and crafts that taught the names of the leaders who were speaking.  For the first time in many years I was able to enjoy all four sessions without too many child distractions.  

So many of the messages spoke directly to troubles or worries I have in my life, but the talk I can't get out of my head today was by Elder Lynn G. Robbins.

The difference between "doing" and "being."  I asked my husband last night what he needs from me-how I can be a better wife and make his life more enjoyable.  I was expecting a long list of chores like "put away the laundry instead of leaving it folded in the clothes basket for a week" and "have all the toys put away when I get home from work at the end of the day."  Instead he poured out his heart with his desires for me to remember the beautiful person I was when we were first together.  He didn't have a big gold star to award me when I finished a checklist of household duties.  Instead he shared the pain he feels as he sees me pulling away from him and our kids, and his fear that one day I will wake up not able to remember what it means to be happy.

Now, there's no need to rush out and put me into therapy.  I have spent a lot of time lately very introverted and selfishly looking only at me.  There's a slippery slope in that and I've allowed myself to start down it.  Not too far down, though and to see that today is very refreshing.

The reason it matters to me so much all of a sudden?  A great opportunity to fulfill a dream has opened up unexpectedly.  It's the right time and will be incredibly successful, but I don't have my cards in order.  Quite a few other messages given this weekend stressed the importance of being ready for the blessings of eternity when they become available to you.  Obviously I'm already married and have two beautiful little boys; what I've neglected to work on is my time management and putting them at the center of my life.  It's hard to convince them that starting a huge new endeavour won't leave them even more in the peripheral of my eye.

And so, that is what I am starting on today.  Rededicating myself to the small and simple things-daily prayer and scripture study, listening and praising, putting away the laundry and maybe even helping wash the dishes.  The other project is going to move forward and that's exciting as well as scary.  Hopefully re-creating the strength of love for my family, myself, and my relationship with my Heavenly Father will be the piece of the puzzle that makes this upcoming venture attainable.