Beneath the Wraps

As a child I thought that going to our doctor was an okay deal.   Dr. Spring kept a treasure chest full of toys for his patients to choose from after their visits.   I don’t remember being afraid or not wanting to go to the doctors.   Going to the doctor’s also meant going downtown.   As a kid I thought downtown outings were way cool.   And so was riding on the freeway (my perspective has changed A LOT) I would much rather go to the doctor any day than to go to the dentist (even as an adult) Jenna is a lot like me in so many ways – but not when it comes to doctor/dentist preference.   Jenna LOVES to go to the dentist (seriously) and squirms at the very mention of the doctor.   I like Jenna’s doctor.   I think she’s nice.   But Jenna’s big hang up is with getting shots.   She used to be so brave when she was a baby. I don’t know why she is so squeamish about shots but has no problem with having tools in her mouth. Before Je...

I had given her the nickname Hitler because of the way she was barking – trying to keep children in line.   Okay.   I understand a little bit – from personal experience I do know that not ALL children listen.   And sometimes it is necessary to bark to be heard.   But when she barked at me, I was offended.           I was wearing the visitor name tag – only she hadn’t seen it as it was beneath my coat.   Perhaps she was just having an off day – or maybe I was.   But she didn’t make a good first impression (and maybe neither did I)   Still it was wretched of me to use a same wicked nickname on her that I do for Roland’s ex.   NO ONE deserves that!           I have repented of my ways.   I no longer refer to her as Hitler.   I think her name is Sarah – or perhaps Sarah is the tot she pushes in the stroller.   Though the Tot was not with h...

My dentist was a good man.   I have always known that.   But the very idea of his profession made me cringe.   He would do his very best to keep gentle.   But no matter how he tried, it was always a painful experience for me.   The word “dentist” to me means “torture of the mouth” There were two dentists at that particular location.   Mom had picked the location due to convenience of short distance – she could walk there really.   The two dentists were father and son who shared the same receptionist.   When my mom said she was there to see Dr. Rigdon, the receptionist asked which one. Now here’s a unique way for selecting your dentist – both had uncommon first names – neither of which mom cared for – but chose the name she liked better of the two.   He actually turned out to be the better pick of the two – but not because he had a better name.   He was the son who used the latest in modern equipment, while the father seemed to...

          I once had a Sunday School teacher who related the following:           He and his buddy had gone to Hawaii one summer to earn some money picking pineapples.  The two were assigned to two different groups.  Rex was the only LDS member of his group.  Because his fellow pineapple pickers had never met anyone else from the Mormon Church, they looked at Rex to represent all members. Rex just happened to hate onions.  There was nothing religious about it.  It was a personal preference.  He just didn’t like the way they tasted or smelled.  Many in his group believed that it was a religious thing as they had nothing else (or no one) to compare it to. One day the two groups got together for lunch.  Some fast food place that served hamburgers.  Rex ordered his food with the added instructions, “No onions” Rex’s buddy than placed his...

Earlier in this school year I went to Mrs. Cavanaugh’s with the 2 nd graders.  It was great.  Here are 5 things I learned: 1.     Seven days without chocolate makes one weak 2.     The chocolates started out – not as a business but rather a fund raiser in North Dakota – for the LDS Church 3.     Wheat is for men (D&C 89) Chocolate is for women (M&M 27:3) 4.     It was confirmed to me that I have been right all along.  Chocolate REQUIRES cacoa – therefore (all you blind believers) White chocolate really ISN’T 5.     Jenna seemed a little bummed that their class had missed out on a Harmon’s (grocery store) taste testing – but I quite enjoyed the samples that were given out at Mrs. Cavanaugh’s And here are two things that Jenna learned: 1.     Chocolate that has sugar comes in brown paper candy cups; sugarless chocolates come in white ...

Theodor Geisel starting penning his name “Seuss” in Dartmouth College humor magazine, the Jack-O-Lantern.   Seuss was the maiden name of his mother and had been given to him as his middle name (I did the same thing with my Jenna – used my maiden name for her middle)           He did advertisements for Sinclair Oil, political cartoons and army training movies before Viking Press offered him a contract to illustrate a collection of children's sayings called Boners . Although the book was not a commercial success, the illustrations received great reviews, providing Ted with his first "big break" into children's literature. Ted credited his mother with both his ability and desire to create the rhymes for which he became so well known.            There are some people who are not aware of the political statements that Dr. Seuss has made in his books.   Accepting differences (the Sneetches) building bomb...

          I have been blessed with thick hair.   It hasn’t always been thick – in fact it started out quite fine.   But instead of ever getting long, it grew thick.   And though one might not guess just how thick it really is – my hairdresser knows.           I usually pull it back with pins, barrettes and/or scunchies – just to keep it off my neck.   Some days I will work hard on it, other days I will just brush it back.    Last week I felt like I had hippy hair – no matter what I did to it, my hair just seemed to get bigger.           If I somehow forget to put my hair up and I walk into a mall (which is NEVER intentional) I am a walking target for all hair demonstrators who coax me to have a seat while they demonstrate to me how fast and wonderful their flat iron or hair straightener or wave accessories ...

          When I was little, I used to spin around until I got dizzy and then spin some more.   Especially when I had pleats on.   My skirt or dress would twirl with me.   I thought that was major cool.           I don’t know how old I was when I lost my balance or perhaps I had just spun into the end table.   Either way, I was bleeding from a gash just above my right eye.   I had to have stitches.   As a result I have a small indentation just above my right eye.   Sort of like a dimple.   Small though.   Not actually noticed by many.           I have had some people notice that my right eye does look smaller than my left.   Not a noticeable difference to most people – but those who study my face harder have wondered about it.           In Decemb...

          I am familiar with the word “Hullabaloo” – I have used it before.   Not often.   It’s barely in my vocabulary.   I don’t recall ever saying that word around Jenna.   But she picked it up from somewhere.           She and I classmate were sitting behind me in the car and were talking about “eating the flag”.   What?   She explained that the class had made American flags out of graham crackers, blue and white frosting, red licorice, and chocolate chips.             “Oh, sorry,” she says. “WHITE chocolate chips.”           She then turns to her classmate and says, “Some people in this car don’t believe that white chocolate is really chocolate.   She thinks white chocolate is really just a bunch of hullabaloo”       ...

I had read Corey’s beautiful testimony which he posted on his blog .  Still not allowed to share it in Church – which is really too bad.  It is so powerful and does give insight into acceptance. There were some comments made by a few whose names I hadn’t recognized.  They’d been following Corey’s blog for quite some time but had never made comment until Corey once again mentioned that he might stop blogging. I had told him time and time again that he needed to continue – or needs to rather.  It’s not just my selfish desire to read his eloquent words – he has been making a difference for over six years now.  Followers have seen him struggle and grow and give advice – though he doesn’t mean it that way.  His words just come out so naturally that a reader can’t help but feel some sense of awe. Until Corey’s blog had been pointed out to me – I hadn’t done much research on homosexuality – or same sex attraction rather.  Just because one has SSA...

I may have mentioned before that even though I hadn’t officially started Blogging until the beginning of this year, I had ideas of what I would post – and sometimes I would complete my thoughts and mark it as ready-to-share while others still remain in the undeveloped idea mode. I keep a list on file stored and tucked away until I can find the right words. Sometimes I will be inspired to visit one of my ideas and will add to it or change it around or combine it with another idea that I had.   And some I wonder if I will end up posting at all. Some I’ve actually deleted. Most of the time I have posted, I have used the copy and paste method.   There were two times I posted directly.   From my perspective the direct post always seems to come out in microscopic form .   I prefer the font I have used with Microsoft word which I can read without trying to blow up the font size (as I often do with lengthy emails that I’ve received) I sent one of my ideas ...

          Since we were children, mom has made it a tradition to take each us out for lunch or dinner on his or her birthday.   I don’t know how old we were when the tradition started.   We used to go out as an entire family and gradually just the birthday child.           This continued for the grandchildren after Patrick and his wife started having children.   I remember going out with the oldest two with the entire family – which gradually turned into just Patrick’s family and then just the grandchild.             I know my youngest nephew was four when my mom took him out.   His mom and I just happened to be with them.   I don’t know where we went to eat (probably somewhere exciting – like McDonald’s) but I do remember him choosing a pair of green overall shorts that probably only fit him just that one day. ...