Too Much Time on my Hands?

Spring is officially here!

Ray has been out of town this week.  He left a few days ago and will return tonight.  This is not that unusual, as he has always had a busy career and over the years has spent many, many days traveling for work.   The difference is, that since Mitch left home last summer, I have pretty much accompanied him.  We quickly adjusted to this and found that we really enjoy our time on the road together.  This time I couldn’t go, and we’ve missed each other…a lot.  

So what’s a girl to do while her man is gone?  I indulged in one of my guilty pleasures and bought the just released Train album on iTunes, cranked up my iPod, and...cleaned.  Not just ordinary cleaning, but some serious spring cleaning.  I searched online, found a spring cleaning checklist, and went to town.  I cleaned things that may never have been cleaned before, inside and out.  Even though it won't stay that way for long, it feels really good to have a house that is so sparkling clean.

I am not sure what this says about my personality, but when I find myself home alone and there is no one to cater to, instead of kicking up my heels and doing something fun, I choose to go into a cleaning frenzy.  It’s a good thing he’s coming home tonight, because I’m exhausted!

Vertically Challenged/Blessed

A week or so ago Ray and I were invited to a Jazz vs Kings game. This game was kind of a big deal because Jimmer Fredette now plays for the Sacramento Kings and a lot of people in Utah have this thing for Jimmer. We were going to be in Salt Lake anyway, so we thought it would be fun to go. Our seats just happened to be in the section where the former players and the Jazz wives sit and right smack in the seat in front of me, somewhat obstructing my view of the game, was Mark Eaton.

Now Mark Eaton played for the Jazz in the days of Stockton and Malone and is 7 foot 4 inches tall!  I couldn't help but wonder how uncomfortable it must be for him to be crammed in that seat with his legs sticking way out in the aisle.

It is no secret that I, along with the rest of my immediate family, would have loved to have been a little taller. As a matter of fact, Ray, in his teenage years, would have pretty much given anything for a few of Mark Eaton's inches. I, not quite that desperate, just would have liked it if my legs were long enough to not have to hem all my pants.

It has taken a lot of years for both of us to come to terms with our stature, but seeing Mark Eaton opened that wound once again. We even had a conversation after the game rehashing all the disadvantages we've experience being short, but in the end came to the conclusion that like most things, it's all relative. It is a good or bad thing, depending entirely on the situation.

I have been envious of taller people for a variety of reasons, but I am sure there are occasionally times when being vertically blessed doesn't seem like such a blessing. Whenever I am seated on an airplane and don't have to twist my legs up, I remind myself of that. That may be the only time when those of us who are vertically challenged can smile and feel that being short might even be considered a blessing.

April Fools, I Meant Twenty not Two!

He tricked me. I was misled when Ray accepted a job at the hospital in Roosevelt. He told me it was temporary and we would stay two or three years at most. While I was excited about the opportunity for Ray, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about living in Roosevelt. I was somewhat embarrassed when I told my coworkers where we were moving, because after all, who dreams of moving to the Uintah Basin? So I had to convince myself we could be happy anywhere for just two years.


That was in April 1992! I was thinking about this the other day and I never ever would have believed that we’d stay here this long. At the time, had I known he meant 20 years, I am not sure I would have been so agreeable.


I will admit there are still things that I can hardly stand about Roosevelt: the bitter cold winters, the lack of good produce, and how far away our family is. But there are more things that I love: the people, nearby boating lakes, no traffic congestion, and being able to see the stars clearly at night.


We have found ourselves spending more and more time in downtown Salt Lake City recently and there is an energy there that I love, but there are just some really cool experiences that you can only have living in a small town.


Where else would you have a mail carrier who calls your house early in the morning telling you that a mission call arrived and would you like to come and pick it up at the post office instead of waiting to have it delivered? Where else can your daughter get pulled over by an officer on the way to early morning institute, only to have the officer scrape the frost off the windows for her? Where else can you go boating on the morning of the Fourth of July and have the entire lake to yourself for an hour or two?


While I sometimes wonder what we may have missed out on by not living in Salt Lake all these years, I really have no regrets. Roosevelt is a great place to raise a family, and that’s no joke!