Showing Up

October 2013

It has been a long week with many physical challenges.

When I went back to the gym, for the first time after the accident, everything hurt and I was so limited.  That day I met a lovely woman, her name is Sherilynn.  Sherilynn asked me if it was my first time at the gym?  I had to smile because, she had recognized how difficult movement was for me and although I had been practicing yoga for nearly 20 years, that day I was a beginner.  She was kind and shared with me some of the experiences and struggles she had been through.  I told her that I had noticed her before in class and in fact, as I struggled to decide I could go back to yoga even though I knew I would be severely limited, I remembered seeing her.  I remembered that sometimes she did her own thing and not what the class was doing, and that had given me the motivation to go to class knowing I would have to modify my level of activity.  Sherilynn said something I will never forget, "It's about showing up."  

So, for almost two months now I have been learning what "Showing Up," means to me.  Two weeks ago, I was so strong and feeling the best I had felt since the accident.  Then I began a different focus in Physical Therapy.  I am a beginner again, I am still stronger and I can rely on lessons I have learned over the last two months, but this has been a very painful week and I have more to learn.  I think before the accident back in June, this would have been the kind of week I would have hung the do not disturb sign on my bedroom door.  I am so blessed to have learned the powerful lesson of Showing UP, without it I would have missed out on lots of  joy and blessings this week.

Christmas Day in Pictures

I am in LOVE with the Retro Camera App.

I didn't have to do anything to these pictures and here they are just as fun as can be, like I took them 40 years ago.

Merry Christmas late.

I sure hope yours was as wonderful and full of LOVE 

as ours was.

We are truly blessed.

“We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends and what it will take [for] each of us to qualify personally to participate.”

Henry B. Eyring

 

Today I intend to ponder this beautiful hope filled promise from President Eyring all day long.  I want to take it in, I want it to become part of the fiber of my being.  I want to believe with all of my

heart that this is true.  I want a testimony of this promise.

 

I went to bed last night with such anticipation of how many things I could accomplish with a day all to myself with no distractions in the house today.  I woke up with such excruciating jaw pain that it had to take priority this morning.  I spent time with heat on it.  I did not even begin on my list of what I wanted to be important.  I prayed for relief.  I thought about how nice it would be to have my sister work her magic hands on my jaw and get it to loosen up.  Heavenly Father knows me and is aware of my struggles He cares for my needs.  Before noon there was a ring at my door and there she was, my sister, I had not called her but she had come by to get something she needed that I had and she had time to help me.  I am so very grateful.

 

 

A Small Sunday Visitor

Tonight our favorite grandson came over in his precious winter pj's for a sweet visit.

We finished clearing off the DVR of children's Christmas shows.  I think it is a very good thing that Johny has a bed big enough for two!

Happy Sunday.

Welcome to the first Full WEEK of 2011.

I can't wait..

teenagers go back to school tomorrow, YA HOO!

Going Home With Honor

Jared and his Five older Brothers as they lay their Father's mortal body to rest.  August 2010

I have so many things to say.

Only one seems important at this time.

I love you Dad Johnson,

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father let me be your daughter 

for almost 24 years of my mortal life.

That is over half of the time I have been alive.

I know that I will always be your Daughter.

This is a very tender thing for me.

Have fun there in Heaven.

I am soooo glad you finally got what you asked for

To Go Home.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Wimmer

Duane serving in the Army 1963-1964, stationed in Germany.

For my children, for my sweet niece, and anyone who reads this after you,

It is his birthday this week and I wanted to remember him here and record a few of my memories of him for myself and for you. Eleven years ago grandpa Wimmer returned home to that God who gave him life.  Eleven years is over half of your lives as his grandchildren.

Your grandpa, my dad, had the most charming smile.  I remember that more than anything else about him.  He could make me feel special with just a smile.

My daddy and me picking mom's beautiful flowers.  1967

Grandpa Wimmer was a very hard worker.  He left for work early before 7am.  We lived so close to where he worked at Arizona Public Service that he could leave close to when he had to be there and was home around 3:30 in the afternoon every day.  So, as kids we would get up when we heard him, wait for him to open the bathroom door for us and watch him shave every day.  (At least that is how it seemed.)

Dad shaves while Tricia and Kim watch.

After his job at APS grandpa would come home and begin a full days worth of chores at home.  There were pigs and cows to feed and when I was really young there was still the Wimmer Hatchery to help my Grandma and Grandpa with.  That means a whole lot of chickens.  Grandpa had gardens as far as the eye can see for a small child.  He and grandma worked very hard in those gardens and we had delicious food from them.  Grandpa had an alfalfa field which he harvested hay to feed our cows from.  There was also an apple orchard with what seemed like endless tasty red apples.  I think there was even a pear tree or two.

Grandpa and Uncle Darren on the tractor.

I remember that my dad could fix or make anything.  He was always repairing and building.  I remember that he took classes to improve his fixing skills, now remember that I was a little girl in the 70's, these classes meant circuits, technology, sodering  guns, and all manner of cool things to watch him do.


Your grandpa loved to go camping.  We had a Ford truck with a camper on it from the time they brought Aunt Tricia home from the valley.  I remember my parents went to Mesa to get me a sister and they also brought home a new truck with a camper on it.  He loved to cook camp food and enjoyed being outdoors very much.  He went to the Fathers and Sons outings with you boys when you were very little.

I know that it has been difficult for my children to understand why we weren't close to him for most of their growing up.  I know that it has been difficult for the the cousins to understand why everything had to be the way it was, and why we couldn't all be close.  I am not good at pretending or acting so our family did not participate in most of the extended family functions after Mollie was born. 

I want you all to know that I know this the way I know the Sun will rise and the Savior will come again,
 Things work out, They ALWAYS work out.
Someday you will understand.
Someday the Savior of us all will touch the 
Broken Places
in us all.
He is the great repairer of the
Breach.
His love is infinite and we are all 
Children of a Heavenly Father 
who Loves us and wants nothing more than for our family to be eternal.


Happy Birthday Dad.

Today, I made a wish with a little help from this very insightful human Amy Krouse Rosentehal.


I wished... to follow through.


She said my wish was granted, she is very powerful that way.


I am off to figure out what "follow Through" looks like to me.

Because some days you just have to eat cheerios right now at Goga's and her kitchen table may or may not be clean enough.

 

Dear Angie In Pink,

Dear Angie in Pink,

Because you inspire me on a regular basis

to celebrate the ordinary

to appreciate all that I have

to remember to learn the lesson

Because

YOU are YOU.

I did not have a blog when my children were little.

I was doing good to brush my hair when my children

were little.

Instead of getting jealous of your wonderful charming record I hereby, in honor of you and your inspiration, retroactively begin my own record.

I ♥ YOU Angie in Pink.

Mollie and Me

I remember this night like it was yesterday.  Check out those Pearls on her neck.  
Love,
Vicki in AZ

Isaac and the Couch

This week when Isaac was over for the day there was energy pulsing in the hot AZ air.

I was working on a project and Isaac was playing sweetly somewhere near.  Has it really been that long since I had a three year old "sweetly playing near"? 

I Found THIS...

 Yep, you would be right that is my leather couch and it has silver sharpie all over it, at least on that one cushion and arm.
I didn't scream, yell, or anything like it.  I remembered to breath, I remembered that I have never taught him that we don't draw on the couch.   We wiped it clean together, (as clean as you can get silver sharpie off a leather couch).  Did you know Goof-Off can get sharpie out of leather?  (mostly).  

Yes, we had a big long talk about how we don't ever color on the couch and we never ever use sharpies without permission.

Random Randomness and then Some Tunes

Here are some things about my life.

This is what Sunday looks like at my house.

Isaac licking the mixing bowl. Check out the magnifying glass he has there while he eats his waffle. ♥

Today was the last day of SCHOOL for the year. Yeah for summer! Yeah for Mollie and Christian.

My sweetheart gave me a swing for Mother's Day. I spend as much time as I can out there in my SECRET GARDEN. I even blog out there. ♥

This is my beautiful sister and my niece. They entered a look a like mom and daughter contest!

This is a common sight in my home, cats in baskets. ♥

Cow sorts the socks.



Lily naps in the mail basket.



Now here are some tunes I listen to. How to play along. Set your ipod on shuffle and record the first 10 songs, then leave a comment about your random tunes and I will come check it out. It can be fun to see what others are listening to. :)

1. Bach: Brandenberg Concerto #2 in F
2. Oveture to the musical "Secret Garden"
3. A Fine Frenzy: The Minnow & The Trout
4. Miss Saigon , London Cast Recording: Sun and Moon
5. Eva Cassidy: Songbird
6. Randy Kartchner: Peace
7. The Secret Garden, Original Broadway Cast: Wick
8. Clarinet Concerto No. In F-Minor Op. 73
9. Bach: Prelude, from Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major
10. Rob Gardner: Saints and Pioneers, We Must Sing

No Excuses

This post is not about excuses for such a long absence. This post is about me living my life, being in the moment, taking one thing at a time and enjoying as much of spring as I can here where I live in the desert. I have missed reading my blog friends and knowing what is going on in all of your lives, or at least the parts you write about ;).

I have done some decluttering, but mostly I have been remembering to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me right now, not just longing for a day in the future when I have accomplished future goals.

My family has kept me busy lately, I think it is good this way as long as I remember that I have needs too and take time for them. Temperatures are climbing and threatening to soar into the 100's soon here in sunny AZ, but last week we had two glorious days of lovely cooler weather and I spent as much of my time as I could when the teenagers were at school outside on my swing reading and just simply soaking up the last of our springish weather.

Have a glorious day and I will be by to comment and let you know I am thinking of you all, dear blog buddies!

"This strong, silent place interrupts confusion, rage, and depression, and just now I feel more at home with the landscape than with people."

~ Joan Anderson

A Year by the Sea

What will they say about me?

Yesterday my married kids came over in the afternoon.
This is a pretty regular Sunday activity.
A treasure.

My son was a little tweaked about what had happened in church that morning. With tact and tenderness I would like to share because it fits with a post I have been toying with for some time now. The original title was going to be What my kids will never say about me...

In my married kids Sunday meeting a family had been asked to give a presentation.
I am sure they are a lovely family with many gifts and great closeness. Unfortunately instead of having the desired effect of encouraging and lifting my kids to want more, they felt that uncomfortable feeling I have felt before. How do I explain it? Do you know the one? "Well look at them aren't they perfect?" Followed by a quick, "I can never be like that."

I listened I gave knowing nods I gave love, I know for sure I have had those kinds of experiences and I wanted my children to know I understood how that felt.

A few minutes later 2 of my sons got in a heated argument and my married son was trying to help them cool down. I looked at my daughter in law with what I hope she recognized as a twinkle in my eye and I said,
"I don't think they will be asking us to give one of those "How to be the perfect family " presentations in church.

There was so much love in our home yesterday as we all gathered
I wouldn't trade my family for anything in the whole world.

So here is the LIST

What my kids will never say about me...

1. I never heard my mom raise her voice to me in anger
2. My mom was always on time
3. My mom came to every game, every practice, and every performance
4. My mom had dinner on the table every night
5. I never heard my parents argue
6. My mom never said a negative thing about anyone, ever!
7. My mom made me practice my instrument and I am grateful for that now
8. My mom was always there for every thing I needed
9. My mom never complained or nagged
10. My mom always put our needs before her own
11. My mom was the best listener

I am sure I can add to this list many times over.

Here is what I want my kids to always be able to say about me.

My mom was honest. She really cared about my feelings and I always knew she loved me NO MATTER WHAT. My mom did not pretend life was always going to be fair or work out the way I wanted but she taught me that Things Work Out, They ALWAYS Work Out and I can trust myself. I can trust my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

My mom was real.

♥

Just Wondering

Do you think Jared will leave my homepage alone if I post on here?

He said, Vicki, What the heck, Jewel?
Is this the Jewel fan club blog?
He was sick of looking at her
(Sorry Jewel)

So he changed my homepage to Google
Without even asking or telling me!

The sad thing is I didn't even do anything about it.

I love my blog.
I love my blog friends.
Sorry I have been gone so long.

I'm coming home.

♥