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I have a few letters and memorabilia from when my mother was married to my father.  Thankfully, my dad's mother, Margaret Parsons Apgar, saved everything that was sent to her, as well as carbon copying every letter she wrote back.  Both my mom and dad were prolific letter writers, so their words offer me a glimpse into their lives.  One of the cleverest things my mother did was send out a "BARB WIRE"--a play on her first name, and a telegram--which would update all on what was going on at the moment in her life.  Inevitably, the newsletter would turn to her take on the political goings-on at the time.  Even before I really knew who Richard Nixon was, I was hearing her rage about "Tricky Dick's" policies. I always feel a sense of pride that Ethan has taken my interest in politics (which ultimately came to me from my Granddad McMillin through my mom) and has run with it.  In fact, I do believe he will be building a career around it. Now that Inauguration D

I wasn't really thinking much about scheduling Hannie's farewell until she asked me the date.  Turns out, the Mechams wanted to come see her off, if possible, and they needed to buy plane tickets. I pause here again (as always) to comment on the amazing friends we have.  We have been so blessed as a family to have friends who care about our kids as if they are family.  It means so much to me especially. So, we set the date for January 22. Two weeks before the farewell, one of the members of the bishopric approached me about "all the friends and family we would have in attendance" and wondered if there was one of them that I wanted to speak.  I wasn't sure why I was asked (and not Hannah), and I thought farewells weren't really encouraged anymore--you know, the kind where the entire family of the missionary speaks.  Not to discourage my girl getting the attention I felt she deserved though, I asked Hannie who she would like, and she picked Aunt Beth. Th

This past week, Hannie and I went to see the movie, La La Land.  I had heard it was a musical, and in my mind I pictured Moulin Rouge.  However, it proved to be much more. La La Land began innocently enough.  A man and a woman, each with their own artistic goals. Golly, it could have been the Kennedy family up there on screen.  Auditions.  Belief in purity of art.  The angst of rejection.  It almost felt too real. It all came down to the question:  is the dream really worth it?  The auditions.  The nervousness.  The rejection.  The belief that someday I can make it big.  Is the mundane, tortuous life that accompanies chasing the dream...is it worth it all? Not too long into the movie and the meet-cute happens.  The aforementioned man and woman meet and fall in love. It was beautiful.  A little song, a little bit of dance, some stardust. It was the kind of moment that I think every woman dreams of.  A romantic scene with a soundtrack in the background and stars.  Lots of st

I have always admired Martha Stewart, the homemaking maven who showed us all how to make the world a more beautiful and tastier place. My mom first discovered Martha when I was a young mother.  She would order beautiful cookie cutters from Martha's website and give them to me as a gift.  Not only were the copper cookie cutters lovely to look at, but they were durable and packaged like gold. Then, my mother paid for a subscription to Martha Stewart Living, the monthly magazine that Martha publishes.  I loved reading the magazine, cover to cover, as soon as it came.  I truly believed that I could make my life as beautiful as Martha's.  And believe me, I tried. I actually learned all about bulbs from her.  I learned about tulips, daffodils, and lilies.  And how happy I was after planting them in the fall to discover that they did indeed come up in the spring. To this day, I tell John that we need to not cut our grass as short as the mower will allow, because it destroys th

This year in seminary, we are studying The New Testament.  I have said it before, and I'll say it again:  teaching seminary is such a blessing in my life, and in the life of my family.  I wish that we had been studying the scriptures together as a family when my kiddos were young like we are now, because it has brought us all closer.  There's nothing like discussing some gospel principle each day together.  Teaching Gospel Doctrine each week doesn't hurt either... It's been so interesting, reading the events leading up to the Atonement and the Crucifixion in Jesus' life during Christmastime.  Everything around the world is focused on his birth, but studying his death during this time has been very touching.  It's been a reminder to me of the purpose of his birth. The Agony in the Garden by Franz Schwartz Today, while stuck at home with the stomach flu (and unable to go to church), the girls and I read from Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22.  These cover t