Faith of our Fathers

This is an email I sent to Grandma Minson

This week it was confirmed that she has stage 4 lung cancer. She is an amazing woman, she has already overcome 2 cancers. She is an intergral part of my life. In many ways I am like her and I am grateful for that.

I am grateful that my grandparents are living across the street from my parents and for the blessing it is to have been so close to my grandparents growing up.

I trully have been blessed by their faith and example. I love you grandma.

I thought you would like to know that my Rachel (3) loves me to read from the book of Mormon to her every night. Not story books, scriptures. She gets very upset if we miss a night. Abby (6) and Rachel share a room and it delights me to read to them nightly. I am so grateful for a love of the scriptures and want to pass that hunger on to my children. Grandma, last night I was remembering many fond memories of being in your home, the Woodland Hills home, where I can remember playing in the fort, getting Red cups out of the cupboard, eating sprouts, going into the converted garage room. I even remember having Christmas eve in the front room. And then there was the house in Thousand Oaks. The big beautiful mirror at the bottom of the stairs. (you know you're a Minson, if you have a mirror in every room, I DO!) Being introduced to Jack Weyland books, loving them, bawling my eyes out in the upstairs room. Listening to Lynette do her monologue in your bedroom. Walking through your garden (the smell of tomato plants always reminds me of you.) Swimming in the pool. Running into the screen door, OOPS! The room above the garage. Going shopping together and buying LA Gear shoes. Listening to books on tape. Playing computer in the office. Learning songs on your piano. Eating your homemade granola in Yosemite. Being invited into your trailer. Eating in the kitchen. I always loved that you would buy the half gallon size of milk. I love to buy them still, they remind me of you. Then the house in Gilbert. Staying overnight during high school. You made me fried tomatoes. YUM! More reading. Playing games, making copies on your copy machine. I even remember when you moved in and helping unpack and put things away in the kitchen. I loved emailing you while I was in college and you were on your first mission. I remember going to the Tomato Shack when you first got back and you met my Jacob, just a tiny baby. Then your second mission and I was pregnant with Abby. I would email grandpa late at night when neither of us could sleep. All the camping trips and trips to the beach, Oh the beach house in Carlsbad, that was so fun. The weekend at Christine's. What a fabulous weekend all of us girls, enjoying one another and loving every minute. Making quilts, eating at Taco Bell, The Fish place, reading The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. Laying by the pool and getting TAN. Walking on the beach. I remember standing in the airport a rather "sophisticated" woman scoffing at our book choice. And you, you just loved her, and I was so impressed. I've always been so impressed with how much good you see in people. And it's so sincere. Oh there are thousands of memories. You so often share your testimony and your desire for your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren to have a love for the gospel. What a marvelous example you are. We are praying for you. Obviously there are some tough times ahead. I know you are strong. I know you are amazing. I am so proud to be your granddaughter. I am so grateful for your example. I am so thankful for your teachings, both in word and by example. You have sacrificed much for your family. You diligently serve. You glorify your Father in Heaven with your good works. As I am writing this I am listening to the BYU instrumental radio. And the song playing is I Know That My Redeemer Lives. And trully He Does! How grateful I am to know this and to have been strengthened by your testimony. I treasure the time you will have left here with us. Whether that is for an extended period (which is my hope!!) or just a short while. I have faith that the Lord can heal you, but like Shadrack, Meeshack, and Abednigo (SP?), "but if not, we will still have faith."
I love you so much!
Love
Melissa

Remember When

Remember 10 years ago when we first started dating.
Remember all the trials we faced and breaking up right after Thanksgiving
Remember Christmas time and missing eachother terribly
Remember when we decided we would date again. All the time you knew I was the one for you.
Remember when you asked me to be yours for eternity
Remember going thru the temple
Remember the joy of knowing we could be together forever.
Remember finding out we were pregnant with our first baby.
Remember when I went on bedrest and had to live 3 hours away from you so I could be next to the hospital.
Remember knowing I never wanted to be away from you again.
Remember the joy of having a precious miracle from me and you.
Remember the three that followed
Remember riding on the plane from St. Louis and being totally exhausted, but so happy to be together
Remember going to the zoo in Kansas City
Remember when we changed a trailer tire in the pouring RAIN!
Remember when we decided to move and knowing that big changes were happening.
Remember when you bought me yellow roses and hid them in the Toyota for me to find between classes.
Remember when we took the drive up on Escudilla and enjoyed that beautiful meadow with the kids.
Remember when we took endless drives from Texas to NM to AZ
Remember when we danced to OUR SONG
Remember holding your hand and knowing, you're the only one who could ever love me so completely.
10 years...just a drop in the bucket. You are amazing Winslow. I am so grateful you hung in there and won my heart forever.
I LOVE YOU. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.

Why I Run

This is my second post for the day.
So. You might ask the question "why do you run?"
Sadly my answer is pretty superficial but it's what keeps me running when my lungs are burning, I get a cramp, or I just plain think ... this is so stupid.
I run because

• my hubby bought me really cool shoes "high dollar" (say it with a chineese accent)
• all the cute Nike running gear my hubby bought for me
• calf muscles...love em
• the thrill of running down the road and knowing that of course everyone who sees me wishes they could be a runner like me (please note that I still run very slow, so this thought is hilarious to me, even though it really is what I am thinking, my consious mind says back, hello you are so kidding yourself)
• i get jealous to the point of motivation when I read other people's blogs about how they are runners
• I look way good in a pair of tight jeans
• as a runner i feel like a member of an elite club...(club, what club, I run by myself, but somehow I feel connected to all the other cool runners.)

So that's it. That's what urges me out of bed at 6am in the cold (hey people it's still at the freezing mark when I head out the door) I told you it's superficial. But the truth is I don't really love running. Yet. Last week I hated it. Thought I would puke my guts out running. This week I can see improvement. And so when the mental battle says "just walk" I think, "no, I want people to see me run, and wish they were me." So I keep on running. Hoping that one day I will come to my senses!

Discovery

David is now crawling and everywhere!!! He has an inchworn like crawl. He is so cute.

Wood cutting season officially started yesterday for our family. We drove thru the mountains in the truck, only almost getting stuck once. HOLY COW I have WHIPLASH from Winslow flooring it thru the snow bank so we didn't get stuck. It was the bumpiest ride I think I have ever had. We filled the truck with wood and I am so SORE!

As we were getting ready to go wood cutting (earlier in the day) I needed to switch David's car seat from the van to the truck. In order to do this, I moved Rachel's booster to the drivers seat. Rachel followed me out to the truck. As I was in the back seat fussing with the carseat Rachel pointed to the front seat and asked,
"Who's going to sit there?"
me " Your dad"
"Daddy is going to sit in my booster seat?"
me "no sweetie, you are going to sit in the booster seat"
and then her eyes lit up and she exclaimed
"I get to DRIVE!"

It was soo cute and I laughed so hard. Then I explained that I simply put her booster in the front while I put David's car seat in. she was okay with that too.

Random Thoughts

Today Rachel told Winslow
" I put the kitty in his Glitter Box."

Ever wonder when buying in bulk might not be a good thing?
How about when your two year old decided to eat out of a huge jar of Peanut Butter With the DOG! (Jacob and Willy)
How about when the same two culprits decide to get into a 3 lb container of Sour Cream.
Or When the girls decide to use the ENTIRE bottle of Shampoo to make a BIG bubble Bath.

Yeah.

Thank Heavens for Indoor Plumbing

So On thursday I was doing massive amounts of laundry. I was washing all bedding, towels, rags, and then just everyday laundry. I was getting into a great groove when Jacob said to me
"Mom, you have to come see this!" In the front yard where our sewer clean out is, there was a puddle of water! OH NO!! and of course we were supposed to be going out of town saturday. I called Winslow right about the time my bath tub started filling with Gray water. UGH! at least it wasn't Brown water!
"It's not a big deal" (he is always so calm. sometimes I wish he would just say, oh man that is terrible, but I will fix it. Instead he just tells me it's not a big deal, Don't say that to a stressed out momma who can no longer do dishes, flush toilets, do laundry, take SHOWERS!!!!)
Any way, thankfully I showered at the Gym, but I began to have severe anxiety over our plumbing issues. So we headed off to Grandma's house early so we could take advantage of her shower. THANKYOU LISA!!! We spent some fun time with cousins and got to go to Albuquerque to witness Winslow's baby brother and his wife be sealed in the Temple. And then we got some shopping done. However, all the while I was increasing in anxiety!! We stopped at a Target to shop and I just kept walking thru the store. (I was craving order, and certainly knew I would not find it at home!!!) We drove back to Winslow's parents home and picked up their industrial plumbing snake. Sunday before church Winslow spent time snaking the sewer line. Then he was back at it again after church. Thankfully we were able to clear the clog and my plumbing was restored. HURRAY! So of course I did dishes and laundry. Monday morning was spent talking to Mary...who gave me tons of fabulous advice, and cleaning my house. I scrubbed the bathrooms, and did laundry and more dishes, and finally got to the point where I felt my house was clean again.