What really matters...

You know how when something bad happens, all the unimportant stuff in life seems to just melt away?

 

 And you remember that the only things that REALLY matter aren't things at all.  

In the end, it's all about people.

And love, of course.

The Beatles were right about that one.

 I've been thinking... 

There are a lot of things that I love about my sweetheart, and I don't think I've told him lately.  

So...

I thought I'd make a list:

E-

• You are the perfect left-brained compliment to my right-brain-ness. 
• You like ice cream and so do I.
• You pay our bills faithfully and on time, avoiding the late payment notices that would probably fill our mailbox if I were in charge of that task.
• You fix stuff.
• Especially stuff that involves keyboards and cords and anything electronic.
• You allow me to decorate our bedroom with flowers, pastels, and ruffles.
• You have great taste in cars and bathroom faucets.
• You make difficult phone calls that make me sweat if I have to make them.
• You take our kids to the beach to skim board and body surf with them, even though moving the next day may take an act of Congress.
• You tolerate my stopping at every flower-stand we pass to drool and take a picture. ( See below.)

• You are good at not getting lost in strange countries.
• You appreciate art, and I appreciate that you appreciate it too.
• You give our children blessings when they are sick or scared.
• You forgive and ask for forgiveness quickly.
• You don't hold grudges.
• You think that I'm beautiful first thing in the morning when I haven't showered, brushed my teeth, or put make-up on.
• You keep an excellently groomed lawn when we have one.
• You dazzle me with your eloquence when speaking in front of a group, whether it be your Gospel Doctrine class or a city council meeting.
• You take me to the temple.
• You take me to other beautiful places.  (See below.)

• You pretend not to notice when I buy yet another purse.
• You take me to Barnes and Noble late at night on our dates to inhale the delicious smell of coffee and books.
• You aren't mad that I haven't "taken" to golf like I know you would like me to.  
• You love my parents as much as I do.  (And I yours.)
• You know how to build pretty much anything.
• You never think I'm fat, even when I'm pregnant and I've just eaten my way through a box of powdered donuts.
• You like my girlfriends ALMOST as much as I do.
• You're not embarrassed when pictures like this show up of me on the internet.  (See below.)

• You know how to work hard and play hard.
• You cry when you bear your testimony.
• You plow out our driveway all day on Christmas day so my family can come visit, even though I know you would rather be inside taking a nap.
• You're not embarrassed to tell strangers that you're the janitor when you're fixing the toilets in the building that you own.
• You're generous to a fault when somebody we know needs help.
• You're funny and you just get funnier when you're on a roll.  (See below.)

• You have some of the world's sexiest legs.
• You still call me your "Girlfriend" even though we've been married for fifteen years.
• You willingly move me and our children to a tropical island because you knew how tired I was of being cold.
• You fly overnight every month, staying awake for nearly 40 hours in a stretch, and work hard in both places we live in order to feed our family.
• You REALLY DO like romantic walks on the beach.
• You like to take me places alone--without short little demanding people around.
• You trust my judgement when it comes to educating our offspring, even when there's utter chaos in the living room as a result.
• You like to shop in The Body Shoppe right along side of me.
• You are curious about all kinds of things.
• You are smart--where did you learn everything you know?
• In short, YOU ARE AWESOME...

I know you've had a bummer week, with big, bad things happening.  I agree with Aristotle:

"The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears

with composure one heavy mischance after another,

not because he does not feel them,

but because he is a man of high and heroic temper."

You are my hero.

Who says all French men are rude?

I'm sorry. 

 I can't help myself any longer.  I simply MUST share a few of my favorite photos of France with you.  

 Eric and I have discovered the perfect antidote for guests that stay too long:

  a slide show of our trip to Europe. 

 We learned this after having unintentionally run off or put to sleep a number of close friends and relatives.  Lucky for you, I'm only going to share a few at a time.  I'll bore you to death in small doses.

  Kind of me, no?       

I had this thing for flower shops in Paris.  

London too.

Oh yeah, and in Switzerland.

Alright, alright.  In ALL of Europe. 

 I have more pictures of flowers than I do of my children growing up.  

(Forgive me kids.)

Sweet Sixteen in front of one of her favorite finds in Paris. 

 Look at the light fixtures in the window.  They're tutu's!  Have you ever seen anything more adorable?

 

 And take a closer look at the rows and rows of pointe shoes in the cubbies in the store.  Dreamy colors of pink and peach and ivory. 

One word.

 Yummy. 

 The French have such incredible style.  So many storefronts looked like they came right out of a photo-shoot.

Can I be French?

Please? 

That's me on the left.  Fat, dumb, and happy.  Silly grin on my face.  Content to just soak it all in.

That's my girl on the right.  Studiously and seriously getting down to the business of making art in the city of light.  Doing what truly creative people do when surrounded by hundreds of years of art and architecture and culture.  

Who's happiest?

We're still arguing that point.

How can I not include a picture of the Eiffel Tower in our little tour of France?

And just in case you're wondering, there really is only one bathroom in the huge park surrounding this famous landmark.  And yes, they do shut it down to clean it for about an hour each day.  

The French are not really big on public facilities, if you know what I mean.

  

Not only do they possess incredible style, but they have the largest bladders on the planet.

 

Living proof that not all French men are rude.  

(Or short and fat and smelling of garlic, Marty!)

This guy was VERY friendly.

He was our waiter at a cute little cafe near Notre Dame.

I seriously contemplated having Christmas cards made up of this one.

 But I decided against it.

Far too much explaining to do later.

Sharks, wolves, and bears, oh my!

My little tribe loves the ocean.  They love it so much, they have been known to frequent the ocean all times of day and night.  Occasionally the thought crosses my mind, 'Hey, there are sharks in them thar waters.'  Sharks who like to eat.  Eat at like, dusk and dawn.  Just when my kids are in the water.  Yikes.  Okay, maybe I'm paranoid, but just the thought of providing the local sharks with a tasty little snack in the form of my offspring makes me shiver. 

 Mind you, I'm no baby when it comes to wild animals.  For instance, during our annual "Sariah and Michelle Plus our 9 kids and their friends" camping trip to Alturas Lake that we take every summer, I--me, just little ol' me--traipse through through the woods to go the bathroom. 

 Alone.

At night. 

 A looong, stinkin' way from the cabins.

 Usually without a flashlight.

(I can't find anything in a cabin with 15 people in it.)

While Sariah, my dear sweet Sariah, requires company to go the loo.  In the form of moi, yours truly.  Or whomever else she can con into walking in the dark with her.  You see, Sariah's afraid of bears.  And wolves.  Anything with claws and teeth, really.  But this year, Sariah's got it all figured out.  Get this.  Sariah is the proud new owner of a old-fashioned chamber pot.  Thanks to her thoughtful grandma.  Yessirree.  No more scary walks in the dark for us.  We're not proud.   Just watch out for the full moon(s) in August.           

Back to my shark issue.  I think I've got that one figured out too.  Skim boarding has become one of my kids favorite water activities.  Notice how shallow the water is.  No self-respecting shark would dare venture there, so... dusk-time skim boarding it is!   (At least for this tasty little family.) 

The local sharkbait.

(They really are happier than they look here.)

Mmm...hmm...that's my man...

Hey there handsome...

I know you rarely visit blogland (you don't know what you're missing darlin'), but in honor of our 15th anniversary, I thought I'd just say...

Dang,

 you're hot.

Maui Textures 1

I can't seem to get enough of the beautiful textures here on the island...or find words to describe them, so here's a visual taste.

Maui Textures 2

Maui Textures 3