Goal-Diggers, Plots and Planners

Last year, we were visiting Matt and Brit, and they showed us the exciting progress they had made on their goals. They created a chart that they posted in their bedroom of their financial progress, with space on the sides for their physical fitness goals and other achievements they wanted to accomplish during the year.

Well, it took us a while, but I'm pleased to report that I have become a "goal-digger." I dig this whole system! We drew a giant goal thermometer on a poster board and hung it over our door, so we can look at it any time we want. The thermometer contains our ginormous (to use Heather's word) financial goals, and we put little boxes to the side for our other goals.

In past years, I've gotten a little bit discouraged, because it seemed like every New Year I'd realize that I was rewriting the same old resolutions (could have saved the paper and just used it over and over). THIS year is slightly different: I have almost learned how to play two hymns on the piano (I keep track of the times I've practiced in my little boxes); we have driven to Pennsylvania and found grave sites of my ancestors, I have finished the ENTIRE Bible cover to cover, read Jesus the Christ, and the Book of Mormon.

I still have about 20 more boxes to check off with the workout section (which is cutting it pretty close), and I'm supposed to read books by C.S. Lewis and Emerson. I'm working on one with Adam Smith on the Wealth of Nations--not an easy read! But the big deal for me--what I really dig--is being able to keep track of making real progress.

On a side note, Stan's planner was lost while we were in Pokie. For us that's tantamount to disaster. Case in point: yesterday was Sunday. We came home from church pretty tired, and wanted to change out of our church clothes into jammies. Fortunately, the realtor had asked us to make the condo available for someone to come look at it, so we stayed in our suit and dress. I threw some pot pies from Costco into the oven for an easy dinner and we waited until the people came to see the house.

We were nonplussed when the doorbell rang a second time while the realtor and his group were here. It was a family coming for their son's patriarchal blessing! Yikes! They had made the appointment months ago--and it had been recorded in Stan's planner and forgotten. We remarked to each other afterward what a tender mercy it was to have the realtor bring some people by--or we would have been sitting in our jammies, eating pot pies, when they came.

Minding the Gap

This morning I read the text of a talk I heard in September about "Minding the Gap," by Barbara Thompson. It is a terrific reminder of many aspects of life, including our relationship with God as His daughters, and our relationship with each other--even our relationship with ourselves. This last concept particularly caught my attention as I thought about various areas of my life where I want to "mind"--pay attention to--the "gap"--the discrepancy between an objective and something else that distracts me from my objective.

Say for example, I wanted to "mind the gap" between what I know about health and how I choose to spend my time, eating healthy and exercising. Or "mind the gap" between wanting to be able to play the piano and how I choose to spend my time practicing (or not). You get the idea.

So I decided to make a short list of a few of the areas where I want to be more mindful of the gaps in my life. I could probably go on for pages, but it usually is most effective for me if I create a short and manageable list, so here goes:

I'm going to "mind the gap" more in these areas:
1. Ideas and Action
2. Budget and Unfrugal Expenditures (my spell check tells me "unfrugal" isn't a word. Tough).
3. Being Fully Present with People and Trying to Get the Most Done in the Least Amount of Time

Duh! It Only Took Five Years!

This has to be an admission of dumbness that very few people can boast about (and in my case, it's not boasting). I can't believe it took me five years to figure this out--and it all became obvious this morning. Here's the deal: for YEARS I have been faithfully writing in my journal every morning, sharing pithy little thoughts and meaningful stories, along with insights I've gained along my life journey thus far. My thought in the back of my head was that someday, when I'm gone, someone would discover this box of dusty old journals and study them profusely to gain all my knowledge. Duh.

What about technology (as they say in Napoleon Dynamite)? Here's what I wrote:

..."it occurred to me that by writing every day in my journal rather than in my blog, I am missing a lot of opportunities to share pictures and aspects of my life with family. I think I will continue to write in here [my journal] occasionally, but I'm also thinking that my words might be of benefit to people before someone finds my journals in some deep box somewhere after my life is over. Might be nice to share my experiences and what I've learned while I'm still here to explain myself."

So farewell, Journal writing. This is now my journal. Forget that you won't see it in my handwriting. If you want to see how I wrote...check out the dusty boxes in somebody's attic.

Contagiously Charismatic Christian

This past weekend, we celebrated a wonderful occasion with Joel and Heather and their family, when little Spencer Aaron Gardner was blessed. There will be more on that little guy later, but for now, I want to celebrate a very special little guy who is getting bigger all the time: Christian David Gardner! Christian makes me smile constantly. I don't know of a more good-natured child. He is always chuckling at something, and his sense of humor is... I don't know how to describe it... he just seems to get the subtle ironies of life, even at the ripe old age of three. He has a depth and wisdom far beyond his years.

On my cell phone, I keep a message that Christian sent me many months ago, when he could barely talk. I listen to it when I am discouraged or lonely. Joel dialed my number, and then Christian said, "Hi Gammie. Love you." Oh how I cherish that message! It makes me tear up just to write about it. It's amazing the lift that gestures like that can give, especially coming from someone as wonderful as Christian.

Christian is a terrific big brother. I asked him the name of his new baby, and he says it proudly: "Spensa Aawon." If you ask him if he loves his new baby, he will tell you yes, and he really does. He's so cute with the baby!
He's also wonderful playing with Camryn, who shepherds him around doing all kinds of crafts and games with him, and he loves to wrestle and laugh with JD. I love being around this adorable little family. They are a great source of joy to us, and we will miss them when they move to Pocatello.

Happy Birthday Christian! Love you!

Emmie and Me (or We)!

How do you describe a person whose life is a treasure? How do you describe an angel who loves little children, who is kind, who is beautiful inside and outside, who loves the Lord and her family (as well as pretty much all people in the world), who is constantly striving to be better, whose smile lights up the world around her? Those words describe our Emilie Anne Gardner. Emilie became a cherished member of our family after five sons had already joined us, and just before the blessed birth of her little sister Caitlin. She was a delight from the very beginning. The nurses decorated Stan's office with hundreds of pink ribbons and laces, and the hospital put two bows in her gorgeous dark hair. When she was about 5 months old and could sit up, I took her outside and set her on the ground while I planted some raspberry bushes. I turned around to see that she had picked up an earthworm and was licking it as it wriggled, held tight in her hand! She has always been fascinated with the world and its wonders.Emilie grew up with a love for music. She pretty much taught herself how to play the piano. We got her into voice lessons when she was about 10, and she took off with that talent as well. Before going to college, Emmie starred as Emma Smith in the musical theater production "Kirtland: City of Gathering and Glory," an absolutely thrilling experience for all of us. It was there that we discovered her amazing performing abilities. Her radiance seemed to embrace everyone in the audience. I am so excited that she has the opportunity to perform as a Young Performing Missionary in Nauvoo this summer. It will be yet another amazing blessing in her life. Emilie has been blessed with six terrific brothers and a wonderful sister, who all adore her. Her 5 big and 1 little-big (translate: younger but way taller) brothers have protected her and pretty much screened all would-be suitors, a role which Caitlin now fills as her roommate and best friend. I asked Stan for his input about Emilie for this blog entry, and he said, "talented, love of people, incredible teacher of children, knows a lot about the Gospel--a Gospel scholar, beautiful on the inside and the outside." (notice we BOTH said that) "She melts peoples' hearts with her voice and her piano playing." He added, "When she's on the Kajukenbo mat (a martial art), she really kicks _ _ _ _!" I could probably spend days expounding on how much we all love Emilie, but you can probably see for yourself, just looking at the pictures. Happy Happy Birthday, our beloved Emmie!

Marvellous Melodie :)

Oh how we all love this girl! Melodie is a joy to have in the family, and she does a terrific job as wife, mother, homemaker, teacher, violinist...the list goes on. I could come up with probably several hundred more roles that she performs with equanimity (my $5 word for the day). I think one of the most fun things about Melodie is that she really listens to her children's conversations. She makes note of what they say, and she always responds. I will be sitting in blissful unawareness, oblivious to the fact that one of the children has said something in undertones, and Melodie will immediately respond. I have never been able to master the transition from my thinking sphere (or you can call it escaping sphere) to listening, without making a conscious effort to leave the one behind and go for the other. But Melodie is able to cross over without any seeming difficulty at all. Her children know she hears them and appreciates them. She also shares their fun little insights with us, which makes it much more bearable to be so far away--when I know I'll get at least a fraction of their adorable remarks.

The way that Josh and Melodie met is remarkable as well. How Josh ended up as a Young Performing Missionary in Nauvoo is nothing short of miraculous--he did a crummy audition (or at least so he says), turned it in at the last possible moment, and wrote an illegible application form that the missionary in charge of selection had to call me to translate for him! Divine intervention, for sure. We went out to Nauvoo to watch Matt and him perform, and Melodie was the first Young Performing Missionary we met; we went to a fireside and she came around during the "get-acquainted" number. We loved her the instant we saw her. The more we got to know her, the more those feelings grew.

By the end of the summer, Josh had fallen in love, and she knew that she was supposed to marry him through some very choice experiences. He and Matt arrived home, and Josh brought Stan and me upstairs so he could tell us about this amazing sister missionary; that he was supposed to marry her, but he had no idea how to go about courting her. Well, unbeknownst to us, she was sharing pretty much the same information with HER family. Long story short, they got together for a date three days later--Josh drove from Montana to Salt Lake for their date--and they were basically engaged, almost before they called each other anything other than "Elder Gardner" or "Sister Larsen." Four beautiful children later, Josh and Melodie have established an adorable family. Melodie is the heart of their home.


Melodie is talented, gorgeous, fun-loving, kind, and interested in everything good. I love hearing her play the violin. We love watching for her when the Orchestra at Temple Square performs.

Melodie is a pure soul. She puts her whole self into everything she does. I have never heard her speak an unkind or judgmental word. She is a treasure. She is an inspiration. I am reminded of the scriptural passage in Proverbs 31:10-31 about a virtuous woman when I think of Melodie. Have a wonderful birthday Melodie! We all love you very much!

Jumping Jupiter! It's Jarom!

I'll never forget the delight I felt, seeing this bright-eyed, red-haired, clever little guy for the first time! Jarom is a treat to know; a wise soul who is entranced with the world around him. He is always thinking and always coming up with intelligent ideas.
This is Jarom with his Aunt Brit, who doubles as his cello teacher. Can you tell how much he loves her? At one point it was thought that maybe Jarom would be interested in a different instrument, but cello is very exciting and fun for him. How awesome is that, to have lessons from your aunt! Jarom has been entranced with all aspects of music. He loves learning about notes. Melodie wrote that one day he had arranged two oval rubber bands on the bathroom floor and said, "Look Mom, it's a an A and a G!" (I'm not sure if I remember the correct letters). She realized he had imagined a musical staff.
That gives you a clue as to the bright mind in this little guy.

Another thing that I love about Jarom is that he is so kind and helpful. I don't think I have ever seen him be unkind to his brothers or his sister. He is always very thoughtful and generous; always sharing. He surprised his mother Melodie by taking all of the wet laundry out of the washing machine and putting into the dryer, including a dryer sheet, at the ripe age of 3! When he had completed his task, he called for her to come see and was delighted at her enthusiastic appreciation of his work.

Jarom loves his dad and uncles too. He enjoyed being up in the air with Uncle Nathaniel, while Adam and Joshie were held up by Uncle Steve and Josh. Jarom likes to go up high.

I don't have a super large picture of Josh and Melodie and their family, so please forgive my blurry, swiped version from Facebook! They are a wonderful family, and Jarom is a wonderful part of it. Happy Birthday on February 10, Jarom! We love you!