08 Conference Weekend

I can't believe it's been a full year since I started my blog. If Di and Carol hadn't shown me I would have no written history for my posterity. They would not know or understand my life. So much of it is not printable at least at the present time. However, I believe the pictures express my time spent on this earth well.

Tonight/day, like most days, I wait for Ian to come home only then can I go to bed. I've done laundry most of the day and cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed. Gone to the library and retuned Redbox videos. Picked up shirt laundry. Gone to Girl Missionary Mall & distribution center & the Bank. I did listen to all conference talks and was truly uplifted. I like male speakers better than female speakers, they don't lay as much guilt on. Kent, Ian and Sean went to General Priesthood and then out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I took Conor to Village Inn where he consumed a full breakfast and 3 pancakes. Wow.

It rained steadily last night and all today until 9pm. That was nice but my shoulder and hip are acting up. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I will hear more uplifting talks.

Thanks for listening. Good Night.

Cruzin' Heaven

We appreciate all who helped make this dream come true.

Cousins Blast

Trey and Conor logged on some serious bonding time just before the 4th of July. They just about burned up Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood with the help of Bruce's other kids (and Bruce). Serious Fireworks. Everyone had their own lighter, it was a BLAST !!!

Deer Valley Weekend

My sisters and I spent the weekend in a nice Deer Valley Condo and did the Park City Art's Festival. Conor bonded with sweet Gavin.

History of Suz Book Decade

Starting in 1997 I became more aware of our Library, perhaps because of the boyz. About that time my mother, Afton, gave me a list of the 100 Greatest Books ever written which was how I began my reading & listening list. During the time of Conor’s first diagnosis around 2000, I had read non-fiction only for several years, and I am sketchy about most of those titles since the self-help section of the library didn’t help me much. Duh. So, mostly for my benefit and that of my children, I have listened to the books on CD & read only 1 in 5 books. A large quantity have been recommended to me by friends and others were "found" at the Library. Many I listened to during my night shift at the Hospital-especially during my 12 hr shifts with just one ear pod in. Others while in the car or when walking, others while I tended to the endless errands, gardening, housework and laundry folding. These have been some of the best times for staying sane during some of the ruffer years this past decade. The list is as follows to the best of my recollection.

The Book of Mormon ***
Hound of the Baskervilles Conan Doyle**
Old Man and the Sea Hemmingway**
Great Expectations Dickenson***
The Holy Bible***
Jane Eyre Bronte, C***
The Jungle Books Kipling**
Gift from the Sea Lindberg**
Of Mice and Men Steinbeck**
Pride and Prejudice Austen***
The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne***
20,000 Leagues under the Sea Verne**
Wuthering Heights Bronte, E***
Life Lessons Kubler-Ross***
The Wheel of Life Kubler-Ross**
Eating and Artichoke Echo Fitch**
Eclipse, New Moon, Twilight, Breaking Dawn S Meyers***
The Historian E Kostavo***
The Circle Trilogy N Roberts**
Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling R King***
Will in the World S Greenbelt**
Kitchen Privileges M Higgins-Clark***
Nanny Diaries E Mclauglin**
The Lovely Bones A Sebold**
On Writing Stephen King***
Sweetwater Creek A River-Siddons**
Pompeii R Harris**
Sins out of School J Dams**
Ines of my Soul I Allende****
Portrait in Sepia I Allende***
The Di Vinci Code D Brown***
Angels and Demons D Brown****
Jackdaws K Follet***
Night over Water K Follet*
White Oleander Janet Finch****
White Teeth Zaidee Smith*

The Apprentice T Gerritsen**
The Surgeon T Gerritsen**
The Bone Garden T Gerritsen*
Body Double T Gerritsen*
Southern Cross P Cornwell**
Blow Fly P Cornwell**
Body of Evidence P Cornwell**
Black Notice P Cornwell***
Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper P Cornwell***
Louder Than Words: Healing Autism Jenny Mccarthy****
The Taking D Koontz***
The Face D Koontz***
Watchers D Koontz**
Girl with a Pearl Earring T Chevalier**
The Pilot’s Wife F Shreve***
Gap Creek R Morgan*
Jewel Bret Lott**
Year of Wonders Geraldine Brooks***
Judge & Jury J Patterson**
The 6th Target J Patterson***
The Book Thief Marcus Zusak****
Shakespeare’s Wife Germaine Greer**
In Mozart’s Shadow: His Sister’s Story C Meyer**
The Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites 1-5 C Heimerdinger****
Stephanie Plum Mystery Series 1-10 J Evanovich**
The River G Paulson**
Hatchet G Paulson**
Brian’s Hunt & Brian’s Winter G Paulson**
Woodsong & Dogsong G Paulson****
Deception of the Emerald Ring L Willig**
Masque of the Black Tulip L Willig**
History of the Pink Carnation L Willig**
I Stand all Amazed Elaine Durham
The Double Helix James Watson
The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland*** Hugh Thomson
Where the Red Fern Grows W Rawls***
The Cay T Taylor**
Number the Stars L Lowry***
Innocent Man J Grisham***
The Testament J Grisham***
The Partner J Grisham**
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency 1 + 2 M Smith***
Notes from a Small Island B Bryson**
Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank*****
Enchanted A Hepburn***
23 Minutes in Hell Bill Wise*
The Stargazey M Grimes**
There are a few more which I may add as I remember them from time to time.
New after Sept 1 2008
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant***
French Women Don't Get Fat by Mirielle Guiliano***
The Man Who Made Lists Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Rogert's Thesaurus by Joshua Kendall**
Cleopatra Last Queen of Egypt by Joyce Tyldesley**
40 Ways to Look at Brigham Young A New Approach to a Remarkable Man by Chad Orton***
101 Powerful Promises from the Book of Mormon by Wayne E Brickey*****
The Answer is Simple...Lolve Yourself, Live Your Spirit! by Sonia Choquette**
6 Events by Stephen Covey***
Jacques Cousteau: A Life Under the Sea By Kathleen Olmstead***
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne*
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd***
Love Child by Allegra Huston

2008 Graduation of Sir Ian

Our Summer started with a fabulous graduating senior of Happy Valley High in Provo, Utah. Sir Ian Bandley, first son and honorable man (check out the tassel). We spent a memorable evening at The McKay Events Center with The Grandparents Stevens. Seriously the only hard thing about getting him to graduate was the mornings when it seemed Ian could sleep forever. Usually, he was up and gone without much help from me. However, I did on many occassions drag his rump out of bed. Yep, they've got to show up to get the degree.

He has been accepted to the U and to UVU, and Dixie, that school in Manti; whatever and Weber. Probably fall will find him at UVU, and we are proud of this choice as we are not yet ready to have him leaving the nest. He has chosen the Pharm D pathway and we support his decision. He will FINALLY turn just 18 on July 26, he seems so much older, anyway, more to come.

Adeiu, Red Dirt Mom

Check out my Slide Show!

Sony Show in Vegas

Arches National Park in Full Bloom

Boy's 4 Wheelin' it in Moab

Ian & Sean have fun with Cousins.

Celestial Seasonings Wisdom

Emily Dickinson said, "The sweetest way I think of you is when the day is done." This quote captures my feelings for my men as I check on them sleeping. The question comes to mind "how could I feel anything but sweetness for my four guys?" Well, if you lived at 951 Grand you might have feelings of a different sort from time to time. Nuff said... I'm drinking Sleepytime Tea while reading inside the C.S. box the following poem...realizing that I'm needing to do and think outside of the box more often.

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less,
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I would be firm less and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.

---Diane Loomans

If I had to do it all over again, I'd like a staff of helpers SO that I could enjoy the sweet life! I've been working way too hard. Joyfully lovingly raising my family shouldn't have so much serious work involved, or should it?

January has presented some unique challenges which I will not go into except to say that I am PH testing my water now, using supplements especially trace minerals and calcium, cleansing the gut of candida, and adding serious fiber to all meals. Informants have inspired me to cleanse from the inside out in hopes of pure spontaneous good behaviors from my entire family. If this cleansing does not work then the gluten free/lactose free/sugar free lifestyle will begin to emerge at 951 Grand.

It's Ian's senior year at Provo High and he is finishing up his pharmacy tech training, engines, snowboarding and dating. We are rarely gifted with his presence. Sean is a sophomore at Utah County Academy of Science where he just received 10 university credits. Homework, homework as I am his slave. Between school and snowboarding we seldom see him. And Conor...is always hopeful of finding a good friend to play with after school. He loves the library, scouts, basketball, soccer, Calvin and Hobbs, Gary Paulson books and the cat, Lazarus. He is willing to do ANYTHING to get better (this is the part I will not go into). We go to Grandma and Grandpa Stevens house on the weekends. So.....We hardly ever see Kent who is always working and wanting good hot food, a clean house, bills paid, smiling faces, peace and quiet with no problems to sort out. Thus...I really need a personal assistant, chef, Pilate's trainer, Stacy and Clint from What Not to Wear, cleaners, cleaners, laundry help, shopping help, teen advisor, txt message dictionary and time to read, enjoy life, read scripture and serve more diligently as I raise my family in the gospel.

Interesting to me that I have not mentioned anything about hair. I have the very best clients on the planet. I am grateful to each of them daily. In addition to filling my coffers with extra money or just the money, they give me the best advise on learning, books, food, gospel issues, health and wellness, gardening, teaching, doctoring and they listen, I have bent many an ear over the years. I have needed to he heard. They too have needed to be heard. Without them I wouldn't be me. We are sisters in some sort of mildly genteel cheerful vain way. Kind of like super cool visiting teachers, on a six week to ninety day schedule who don't live in my neighborhood.

Lazarus is obnoxious. Going on four this April. He visits my sleeping body each night and starts scratching my new bed skirt (on Kent's side) sometime around 4 a.m. I sleep so deeply that Kent yells yes yells, "Sue, your cat wants out!" I, of course, am not offended since our standard communication is done in yelling style (science has not yet proven which of us is really the most deaf) and as I have not yet laid down my "weapons of war" (yells) I simply drag my body out of bed, pick up that darn cat and walk him down the hall tripping on stuff and stubbing my toes on what-nots all the way to the front door where I have to put him down because it takes both my hands to turn the deadbolt door lock. It's seriously warped. Open the door, then gently boot him out into the frigid air with my foot. The first person to open the door in the morning receives purrs, slide-bys and good morning and hallelujah to ya's all the way to the food bowl. I can't imagine life without him but Kent feels differently. Lazarus is always attacking Kent's bare ankles with his claws, must be sort of a territorial war thing. A very hairy Hombre thing. A thing so primal a woman couldn't possibly wrap logic around. Hum...

I think Celestial Seasonings has done its magic. Time to sleep. Until 4 a.m. anyway.