Hilary's hog

My sweet little Hilary decided to buy a motorcycle when she got back to Utah from Alaska this fall! She has been cruisin' Provo on her sweet ride! One problem. It got cold. Scott and I recently zoomed down to Provo to take Hilary something a wee bit warmer to drive for the next couple of months and before we loaded it into the truck, I took a couple of pictures of her on my phone camera. Isn't she adorable!!?!

Sweet Nothings

Sorry, no pictures for this post. I am feeling a wee bit pensive this morning. I am just finishing the third week of a 4 week walking program. I have been hitching Fitzwilliam up, plugging in the ear buds and heading out to walk for about 40 minutes three times a week. The off days are spent on core strengthening and abs and booty tightening exercises and cross training on Saturdays. It has been great! I don't think I have lost any weight, but I am happier. There is something absolutely wonderful about starting the day with exercise and uplifting music.

The music I listen to is a combination of "up" songs that my friend, Kary, made for me a few years ago. I was having a hard time with things in my life and she, with the help of her Dad, made me a couple of CD's to listen to when I needed a hug. The songs are awesome!

This morning the walk was 3 sets of 10 minutes of power walking (as fast as you can, like you are late for an appointment). I really feel empowered as the first week which was 6 sets of 3 minutes of power walking, just about killed me. Fitz and I just flew down the trail this morning! We were tired and Fitz's tongue was hanging out, but we felt good!

As we walked home; me trying to slow our pace down and Fitz pulling at the leash trying to assert his dominance, my heart was filled with a sense of peace. My eyes and senses were filled with the beauty of the morning. Streaks of the sunrise filtered through the leaves causing them to glow, their deep green sprinkled with yellow and orange. The dew kissed grass twinkled in the flickering sunlight. My eye caught the delicate pink of fully bloomed roses drooping from branches hanging over a fence and farther on, other branches hung over the fence weighed down by rose hips. Birds chirped their good mornings and l heard lazy dogs growl their warnings from behind fences. My heart swelled in gratitude for such a moment. What a precious gift life is! It is hard at times; there are challenges to be faced and the future is uncertain, but what IS certain is that we are beloved children of a Heavenly Father. He is mindful of us and he wants us to return to live with him. He gave us this beautiful world as evidence of that love!

60 years and counting

September 14th was my Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary. My brothers and sisters and I planned a simple family dinner which turned into a big family dinner with extended family members and wedding cake and a special quilt for Mom and Dad. We had the festivities above Paul's pharmacy in what used to be the the Odd Fellow's Hall. I thought that name fit our family perfectly, but some felt that it might be a bit nicer to call it the Falls Reception Center. It was a great place to meet with lots of room for everyone. Many thanks to Paul and Lora for the use of the hall!!
Esther made this beautiful cake and JoAnn provided the statuette of the anniversary couple. We draped the table in one of Mom's prized table cloths from days gone by. The quilt directly behind the cake table is one that I made for Mom and Dad's 50th wedding celebration. The large quilt next to it is the 60th Anniversary quilt that Jo, Esther and I made. The center block is a painting done by Allen of the Salt Lake Temple and Mom and Dad's clasping hands. That block is encircled by hand tracings of every member of the family appliqued onto blocks and embroidered blocks of different events in Mom and Dad's life
Here is Esther posing with her creation.

We thought it would be fun for Mom and Dad to cut the cake and feed it to each other. I had no idea that they never did that at their reception until I had them come up and do it.
Here is Dad waving to the crowd while Mom gets ready to cut the cake. It was really cute because Mom couldn't get the piece of cake to come up. We realized later that it was on two plates and she had the server between the plates.
Here is Dad fixing to feed Mom some cake. He really got into the spirit of things!

Roy and JoAnn standing in front of a few of the quilts that we hung around the room. They were welcoming everyone and explaining the different parts of the evening. Mom made each of us a quilt, a different one each year for 10 years. These are some of them.

Dad and Aunt Thelda are the only ones left of their family. Aunt Thelda is Dad's sister in law, married to his brother, Harl. We were all so excited that she came! Several of our Allen cousins came and it was so fun to get reconnected!
Here is Mom talking to her Aunt Gwen. She is Grandpa Pack's youngest sister and she is 90 years old. Her daughter and husband accompanied her. Aunt Gwen is the last living member of her family. Some of Mom's other cousins came and I think it really meant a lot to Mom to have them come.
Here is a close up of part of the quilt. Esther is sitting there with her hand on her block. It is a beautiful quilt!

It is pretty amazing that Mom and Dad have been married for so many years. Time certainly does fly by! It was fun to get together with our families and to have some of our extended family members there with us. It really is true that family is this earths most treasured gift!!

Look Mom, no braces!

Check out the Million Dollar smile! Well, the $6000.00 smile, anyway! Isn't Luke just the cutest thing??

Today he brought home his school pictures and I found them spread out on the table. Where are the days when he would run into the house clutching his prize and wait impatiently for me to scrutinize them; all the while waiting to hear me declare that he is the most handsome boy in the whole school?

Those days are gone, I am afraid. My little boy is truly a young man now. My nose tingles and my eyes fill up when I look at the picture and see the handsome young man he has become. It won't be long before he will join the ranks of his siblings and will sever the apron strings that tenuously hold him to me and strike out on his own.

Well, for now he is still mine. It will be a few years before he heads out to the Mission Field! Until then, I'll just enjoy that handsome smile and fun way of his!!

Jail Bird

I did it! I went to jail. I suffered for the cause. I'm sorry to say that I dreaded yesterday. I really don't enjoy putting myself into these unknown situations. The closer it got to 10:00, the more I felt my stomach tighten and wished that I had had the gumption to say no, when I was approached. I called my boss about a work matter shortly before leaving to turn myself in and my mindless chatter should have given me a clue to the stress underlying my calm demeanor. At one point I said, "I'm sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?" and she replied with, "Yes, you are!"

I walked into the jail and instantly I was seized upon by a spindly, wizened ole coot with his gray haired ponytail bouncing under his stetson. My eyes took in the shiny silver star on his chest just as his grip tightened on my arm and he lead me to the "Judge" who announced that the charges against me were "being AWOL from work." (Oh wouldn't someone tell him that I would much rather be there!) He set my bail at $500.00. Impossible!

Officer Earl, led me to a corner to have my mug shot taken and left me there with a kind woman who explained that I would need to sit in the jail and call anyone and everyone I knew and beg them to pledge money to earn my way out. I clutched my sponsor sheet which I had printed off the computer that morning and thought of the amount that I was short of the intended bail and allowed myself to be led to the bar-walled box and sat down at a table and gazed through the bars wondering how I got into this and how to get out.

I sat between two gentlemen who were vigorously dialing their cell phones. I couldn't help but listen as they called in favors. The man on my right had a stack of filled out pledge forms in front of him and I heard him say that he couldn't get a hold of the person he was speaking to earlier and so he called his or her father who ended up pledging $500.00. Wow! Then I heard the guy on my left tell his phone that he hadn't seen him or her for years, but hopefully he or she would remember him, and would he be interested in supporting the March of Dimes.

How could I compete with this dedication, or desperation to get out of jail. I wished for a 'get out of jail' card, but knew in my heart that I could do something; just a little bit more. By my calculations, I needed $110.00 dollars more. I could do that; I could humble myself enough to give it a go anyway. I swallowed my pride and fear and made a few calls and before long I had the 110 dollars. (Only one person declined to help me.) I scooped up my purse and papers and made my way to the cashier's table. I beamed as she totaled my contribution. My smile faded as she announced that I had raised not $500.00, but $400.00. What?? Then I looked at the totals and saw that I had erred when I totalled my initial pledges. My face flushed and I began to apologize when they whooped with excitement at my great effort! The judge accepted my abbreviated bail amount and I was set free. Old, homer the law man even offered to give me a ride back to my lonely office. Why did I ever prefer it's quiet to this virtual beehive of charitable energy? I reluctantly walked to my car, embarrassed by my idiotic error, but warmed by the fact that I had stepped out of my comfort zone and made a contribution to humanity.

The many faces of Levi!

Yesterday Levi returned from his awesome adventure in Alaska!! He has been working up there all summer in a tiny community near Tok. We have really missed him and were excited to have him come stay a day or two with us before he heads down to BYU for school.

Whenever Levi isn't in school, he doesn't shave. He has to during school so he just lets it grow wild when school's out so we were anxious to see how he did this summer. He actually looks pretty dang good!

I asked him to stand still so that I could take his picture and this is the result.

"I don't want to have my picture taken!" (Can you hear the foot stomp?)
This is a pretty good "deer in the headlights" look. "You want to do WHAT to me???"
Levi informed me that we needed less light so we moved to another area and got this pensive look.

OK, so about now I am starting to get frustrated and he said, "This is it, Mom. I won't do anything goofy."

"This is really it. I promise!"
"OK, Mom! I really promise. I'll be serious!"

This last one is one Levi took of himself. It is probably the best of the bunch. (Doesn't say much about my photography skills does it??) I LOVE having Levi around! He sure keeps life fun!!

What have I done???

Not long ago I was minding my own business working away when the phone rang and I spoke to a really peppy woman who let me know that someone had turned me in on some bogus charge and there was a Warrant for my arrest. (How stupid do I look??) (Or sound??) Anyway, she went on to tell me about the March of Dimes latest fund raising drive, the Jail and Bail program.

I really don't do these kind of things and my first thought was to hang up, but I thought of all the times I helped my Mother canvas the neighborhood as a child and how hard that seemed at the time. As the hyper woman droned on and on, I thought about my own very preemie babies, Hannah and Hilary and how research funded by the March of Dimes benefited them and I knew that I had to do what I could to help. So, I am scheduled to turn myself in or be arrested on September 9th. I am expected to raise my bail before then and to do this, I turn to my family and friends. You can go to a web site that has been set up and contribute right there! How easy is that??? No more little envelopes and counting money!!

So, everyone who can, please go to jailandbail.marchofdimes.com/ekstrommom and contribute whatever you can. Every penny adds up!!

Just in case you think that the March of Dimes doesn't do anything with the money they collect, here is an interesting list I was sent with the Warrant for my arrest:

Did you know that you have been touched by the March of Dimes if:

• You received a polio vaccine.


• You had a healthy baby due in part to good prenatal care.


• You are aware that alcohol, tobacco and drug use during pregnancy can result in poor birth outcomes.


• You are aware that women of childbearing age should take a multivitamin with folic acid to decrease the risk of neural tube defects.


• Your baby received newborn screening to test for dangerous but treatable condition.


• Your baby or a baby you now was treated in a neonatal intensive care unit--NICU


• Your baby or a baby your know suffered from respiratory distress syndrome and received lifesaving lung surfactant therapy.