Thursday, April 30, 2009

This Little Piggy Went Wee, Wee, Wee All The Way Home

Okay, swine flu freak out number two. We are going to the *temple this weekend in San Antonio. You know...a lot of people from Texas and MEXICO(!) gathered in a small confined space, breathing each other's small particles of possible swine flu. Then we are going to stay in a hotel. In a room where other people have stayed who may or may not have been exposed to the swine flu and left the small particles of germs in the room! So I emailed my concerns to my non-worrying husband.

Gary, We will be blessed for going to the temple. Right?!? Is swine flu allowed in the temple? Will it be flowing through the air conditioning vents and contaminating us all? Just a thought. You know how my imagination is. Yes, I know, you are tired of hearing about it. You don't worry though, so I need to do extra so we get our worry quota for the family. Shanon
Shanon, The scriptures say to stand in Holy places. It doesn’t get more holy than the Temple so I am sure swine flu has a BIG keep out sign ;-) Love, Gary
Gary, What about the hotel? Is it holy too? Do you think they will let us stay the night in the temple? Shanon
Shanon, Of course, it is a Marriot! Mormon owned. Love, Gary

See...a non-worrier. It sure is a burden to have to do all the worrying for this family. I hope we survive!

Well, if you are going to the temple this Friday, I'll see you there. I'll be the one with the mask on.

*you can learn more about temples at mormon.org.

What Did You Say?!?

My least favorite time of day is 3:30 pm. That is when I load up 2 children in the car and go to the middle school to pick up 2 more children. I think car line is the new form of torture. Forget waterboarding...I'll tell you anything you want to know if you will just get me out of this car line!!! Then to top it off, I have a 12 year old that loves to hear his brother and sisters scream. If he can get them to all scream at once, even better. Pure bliss, I tell ya!

So anyway, Monday - Friday, I am trapped...um, I mean joyfully riding in a car with 3 screaming and one smirking children. So what does any self-respecting mom do? I turn up the music in the car and, like the starfish in "Finding Nemo", repeat over and over "Find a happy place, find a happy place."

Yesterday the music playing in the car was Randy Travis. Please don't judge me because I like country music. The song playing was called Three Wooden Crosses. Like I said, I was in my happy place not really paying attention to the words when my 12 year old says "what is a blood-stained bible?" Then my 13 year old says "it's not blood-stained, it's butt-stained!" Well, that brought me out of la-la land. Butt-stained? What does that even mean? Most moms would drop it at that, but I had to ask. Then she explained that she thought someone had sat on the bible and left a bottom impression. Then she said, "well when I say it out loud it doesn't make much sense, but in my head it did." Ha! I told her it really said blood-stained.

Conversation over, right? Wrong! Then my 12 year old went back to his original question, so I explained the song. Four people were in a car accident, everyone died but the hooker. The preacher gave the hooker a bible and she read it to her son. Who became a preacher. Nice song, right? Even a happy ending. Then my 10 year old says, "what's a hooker?" Yes, she went there. Okay! What do you say to that? I told her it was someone who did bad things with their body. My 12 year old chimes in "for money". Then my 13 year old says "isn't that a prostitute?" Yes it is...is the song over yet? I just want to go back to my happy place!

So, moral of the story? Remember, country music is bad. Only Mormon Tab from here on out. Darn kids who listen to the lyrics. I never even paid attention to the lyrics when I was a kid. Just was content to sing the song without knowing what it meant. What happened to all the naive children?

I told my husband the story. He looked horrified. He read extra scriptures to the kids last night. Hopefully, he can save them from the bad influence of their mom. Problem is...they like the country better than the MoTab. Sorry hubs...that country music is powerful stuff! Don't worry though, while this conversation is going on my 6 year old with special needs is in the back singing "I Love To See The Temple." Maybe there's hope for us yet!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

This Little Piggy Went To Market

My name is Shanon and I am a worry wart. I started worrying about things when I was about 18 months old and never looked back. It's a gift...okay maybe not. My husband does not worry. When I start to worry he quotes this scripture. "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." He even posted it up on our bathroom mirror once. It was there for over a year. It's very annoying. I have to do all the worrying in our family. Let's just say I do not have a sound mind.

Last week while I was in Florida I heard about the swine flu in Mexico. Do you know how close Mexico is to Texas? Right next door!! I decided it is time to get our 1 month supply of food so I tried to make a list of what we eat for dinner. My mind went blank. I could only think of about 14 days. Then it dawned on me that we eat breakfast and lunch too...and snacks. I have to come up with 1 month of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks?!? Then I remembered the water. One month supply of water. Where am I going to put that much water?

So yeah. I am starting to freak out a bit. I have been obsessively checking the internet to see where it has spread. Yes, it is now here in Texas. It's time to take action. I think we will hunker down, lock our windows and doors, stay home from school and work, wear our masks...oh no, we don't have masks either. My husband's office still expects him to be at work and the school district has not cancelled school yet! Don't they know we are in the middle of a pandemic?!?

Yeah, I'm starting to freak out alot. I think maybe I'll just go back to bed. If I ignore it maybe it will go away. I'll just comfort myself with chocolate. Oh yes! I am prepared! I always have a year's supply of chocolate. My stake president will be so proud!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Fly Away Kentucky Babe

Singing around the piano has always been a part of my life. It's something I remember doing as a kid at my grandparents home. My grandma would play the piano and my grandpa would lead everyone in singing. My grandparents grew up in the south so it would be the old southern hymns or the war songs. Then my grandparents passed away, but the singing didn't stop. During my time in Young Women my mom was the YW president. The youth would come to our house every Sunday night and we would sing around the piano. My sister Beth, would play the piano while the rest of us would harmonize and my dad would lead us in singing. Beth left home and got married, but we still sang. We had to find a new piano player, but singing was a part of us. We all eventually got married and left home, but every time we would get together we would sing around the piano.

So, anyway, last night I couldn't sleep. I had this song running thru my head...over and over again:

The lines that kept running thru my head were "fly away, fly away Kentucky Babe, fly away to rest...You is mighty lucky, Babe of Old Kentucky, close your eyes in sleep." I was tired and I wanted to just sleep, but that song was stuck there. I haven't heard the song since Christmas when we were all together and sang that song around the piano.

This morning I got a call from my mom. My sister, Lori, went into respiratory arrest last night. They did a cat scan this morning and there is no brain activity. My little sister lost her battle with breast cancer. I guess she came to sing me to sleep just like we did when we were little. We would lay in our bunk beds and sing each other to sleep. I wish I had been more grateful and enjoyed her beautiful voice longer.

I guess I'm a little selfish too. I wanted her to stay here with us. I wanted her to have the miraculous healing talked about in the scriptures. I wanted her to get better, to raise her two children, to tell me funny stories and to go shopping with me. I can't believe my little sister is not here to sing to us anymore.

I keep thinking that she was also trying to tell me she was flying away. Flying away from all the pain and uncertainty of the last few years. She has been thru so much. I hated to see her lose the ability to do the things she loved. I am glad she is no longer in pain.

I like to think she is singing around the piano with all her loved ones. Maybe she will be in the heavenly choir. My grandpa is probably trying to lead.

I love you Lori. Fly away and rest.