Thoughts for my Journal part 2

          Sometimes the chickens behind us will fly to various branches of the cherry tree.  They will roost there for a while.  Bonnie will often climb the hill to watch them in hopes at least one will fall into our yard.  I don’t know if they were in the tree of Friday night, but evidently the storm knocked at least one into our yard.  

    She’d been clucking all night.  I guess she was scared and wished to return to her own yard.  I would have not anything about it except for Jai and I left the house on Saturday via the back yard – and there was a white chicken near the door.  Thankfully, Bonnie was not behind us or the white chicken would now be a corpse in my yard.

         Jaime and I had used the back door in order to dodge Bonnie.  I took Jai to the hair salon.  We also went to the store to get some clips for her hair. 

I was concerned about the weather, but the rain did cease long enough for prom night to end.  Jai always looks beautiful, but that night she looked stunning. 

         She and her friends met at the Grand Victorian and took a limo to Roseburg.  They initially went to Red Robins – which is always so crowded but ended up at Denny’s which was not.  When they returned to the Grand, the limo driver pulled into the lot so others could see just who was getting out of the limo.  Jaime thought it was hilarious as she dubbed those getting out as "the school nerds". She said it was really fun. 

              Last week the bishopric secretary stopped by Richard’s classroom to tell me that I was needed.  I was to talk with a member of the bishopric and was told that the Relief Society presidency was being released and as I was part of that presidency, I would be released.  I was told I had been chosen to accept the calling of ward RS secretary.  Relieved that I had wasn’t or hadn’t been called as president I accepted the position of secretary. The counselor told me the name of the new president and swore me to secrecy that I would not tell anybody else.  I didn’t.

         Instead of our usual Tuesday 10:00 meeting we had decided to do lunch as a last hoorah.  Our former president was ecstatic to released.  The second counselor seemed to have mixed feelings and was the only one kept in the dark as to any hint of the new presidency.  Apparently the former secretary had the names of each member of the new presidency. We ended up trading positions in presidency.  She blabbed out of excitement I suppose.

         The change of presidency was announced in yesterday’s sacrament meeting and we were set apart before Relief Society started.  It was kind of a cool way to start off the meeting.  We were very low in number.  I counted 15 sisters seated aside from the presidency. 

         The Elders had prepared a nice mother’s day treat for us.  They had set up tables adorned with tablecloths and a marigold for each chair circled in the center of the table along with this thought.

 

         I don’t remember having had mother’s day fall so early in the month before – but yet I had three reminders pop into my feed along with this reminder that happened on a Friday.  Rochelle had sent me a link for the opportunity to attend their ward so I could hear the kids singing in their program.  Only it turns out our wards take place at the very same time and did not get the link until after the fact.  Tony called and Emma and Eliza sang over the phone.  That was nice.

         Hope that all my readers enjoyed mother’s day as well.

What Goes Around Comes Around . . or so it seems

          Last week Richard took Jai and her friend prom shopping.  I had planned to go with them but was feeling dizzy and nauseous and thought it might be better just to stay home – not that it was a huge sacrifice on my part NOT to go shopping.  Anyone who has read my blog from the beginning or just certain posts KNOWS that I am not a shopper by any means.  Jai’s not much of a shopper either or girly, although she has been interested in dressing up for prom in something frilly.

          Jaime had chosen a tiered pink dress that really did not seem to fit her taste.  I don’t know if she really liked it or just felt pressure from Richard and Ruth.  I know she got the shoes just to shut them up, but was not comfortable wearing them. When she modeled the items for me, I noticed that the back did not zip all the way.  She was hoping for alterations but the fabric seemed to sheer to really work with.

          Ruth had also chosen a dress and shoes.  Richard paid for Ruth's dress and shoes with the expectations that she would pay him back – although neither one of us see that happening.  I think her own dad purchased a second hand car for her to drive.  We don’t know how she is able to afford gas.

          I had her try on my green dress – which she looks really good in by the way.  She said she liked it but not as a prom dress.  Understandable.  But the more she thought about it, the more she had talked herself into it.  Meanwhile we had purchased two more dresses as options.  One we brought home and she tried on yesterday – and although she liked the look of it, she is not thrilled with the feel.  The other is set to arrive on Monday (so much for wearing that on Easter)

          And now a member of our ward has also ordered a dress and has offered to take Jaime shopping.  This sister has had a lot of difficulties come up in her life and has conquered them in a variety of ways.  Sometimes it seems to me that she tackles her problems in much different ways than I myself would.  From my observation she sometimes seems to create mountain out of molehills.  But I could be wrong.  I know she’s much more aggressive than I am.

          She really didn’t have to do that – especially as I don’t think her financial situation is the greatest.  But I could be wrong about that, too.  She said she considers Jaime one of her girls and really wants to do this for her.  Perhaps she felt inspired. Who am I to deprive her of blessings?  Thank you.

Among the Missing

I did have a few photos of me at various dances such as my high school Junior Prom.  It was held at the capitol building and I had asked a guy that I worked with.  I thought it would be cool to attend the junior prom in my junior year but was not popular enough to be asked out.  Thus I had asked someone who went to another high school and school district. We both felt like outcast in this luxurious room full of students that neither of us shared commonalities.  We left and went to Snelgroves (the ice cream parlor where both of us worked) and had some ice cream.  Afterwards we decided to go to a disco scene called The Front Page.  We were serverly overdressed – but had a lot more fun at the Front Page than at the capitol building.

 There was another dance I had attended when I had gone to at Ricks College – I don’t even remember the theme or dance name.  I remember my date making pom-pom figures to match what we were wearing.  I think we may have had one other date and that was it.  I don’t think I would even have thought about my missing photos except for Jai’s senior prom is coming up.

Jai’s Senior prom is scheduled to be held at the Grand Victorian where she has played parts in theatre productions.  Originally she had wanted to make a garbage dress similar to the one that Cruella wears in this scene 

Only instead of using newspaper, she was planning on every homework assignment.  Only she hasn’t figured out how to fix it off herself and transfer back onto herself.  Richard wants to take her shopping for an actual prom dress – which I really don’t mind but I loathe shopping and I loathe spending money on an item that may only be worn just once.  I enjoyed wearing dresses when I was her age but she hates wearing dresses probably more than I hate shopping.  (Shopping online isn’t all that bad – but she really should be trying the dress on . . . .

So here are the photos I do have:

This is the dress I wore to the prom; this photo was taken 
the following year when I ran for Miss Teen Midvale

I don't know what possessed me to think that jacket might look good
with a recycled choir dress.  The dress that my mom is wearing is the
same one I am wearing in my wedding picture. Made for good use, I thought.

3 generations of '80's music

I graduated from high school in 1980- the same year that Rupert Holmes released his recording of “Him”.  I think think it must have been at college or perhaps it was at an institute dance when a live band played that Rupert Holmes song.  Many of us listened intently wondering how they would incorporate the lyrics “Over by the window is a pack of cigarettes” and laughed when they sang “a pack of Wrigley’s gum”

                I thought it an odd song to play as the theme implies that his wife is having an affair, but I still liked the song.  Many times we listen without understanding the meaning but may find it has a great rhythm or melody or what have you.  The ‘80’s seemed to spin out a wide variety of popular music that continues to be played at Chruch dances.

                I remember when Jenna was born, I was feeling out a baby book and one of the questions was what are some of the popular songs the year you are born.  I didn’t have a clue.  I asked the boys and they gave me titles such as Survivor’s: “Eye of the Tiger” or some hit from Journey. 

                “No, these songs are older than you.  Those were the songs played when I went to college” but that’s all they knew – songs of the 80’s. 

                Though Jenna and her brothers are technically all of the same generations, there are 15 plus years between her and them.  And, as she likes to remind us, she was born in a different century.   

                Last month we took her to her first dance.  The ad was featured as a “Mormon Prom”.  It was in Eugene, which I thought was a long way to go.  We spent hours looking for a dress before settling on one that fit her personality but didn’t look like your typical prom dress.  But it was a church dance with a strict dress code – or so I thought.  Turns out Eugene is a lot more lax than Salt Lake.  A LOT more.

                We went to Roseburg to pick up Manuel and took the two of them to Eugene.  Roland and I had a dinner date while the two of them stayed at the church eating food and making comments about what others were wearing and if they thought it looked appropriate for church or not. 

                We finished our dinner before the dance had ended and chose to wait in the foyer and do some crossword puzzles while we waited.  I could hear some songs from the ‘80’s and smiled knowing that Jenna was listening to the same tunes that I had listened to in College and her brothers had listened to just before and after she was born.  She will sing along with Journey, Cyndi Lauper and Cultural Club.  I am so impressed!

1980’s produced some fun music.  I’m so happy to hear that it hasn’t retired.