Transitions

I am transitioning this blog into my author website. I appreciate everyone who has followed and commented and supported me here, and I do hope you will visit me at the new website, karenjonesgowen.com. 

I'll continue blogging at Coming Down the Mountain about writing, editing and publishing issues, that won't change.

Thank you to everyone who voted on my picture, you'll see the one I chose at my new website! (P.S. To those who said #1 and #4 were the same-- you know who you are-- you were right.)

The Story of an Average Man

My youngest son is a huge soccer fan. When the Real soccer team here in Salt Lake offered free tickets and all you had to do was write an email he was on it. His email--

This is my story. 

 

I am just a man, my arms and legs are nothing special, I cannot run quickly or jump very high. I have an average job, with average pay, that gives me less than average satisfaction in life. I live in an average house, with average people. I have never lived in a castle, fought a dragon, or saved a princess.

 

Although...

 

I am going on a date with a very cute girl, who is like a princess. We are going to the game in the fortress, which is like a castle, playing the Philidelphia Union who is like a dragon.

 

For an average person, this is my dream, to get the field level tickets to the game on Saturday.

 

Sincerely, Forrest the average man

And guess what? He won!! Front row seats, right on the field, and a catered meal before the game-- he was in heaven. And I'm sure his date was very impressed too! Nothing average about this kid of mine LOL.

Family Lovin'

It's not a family photo but it's a family. At least a few of them *smile* and it illustrates why I generally try not to take the family pictures.

August Shenanigans

As August comes round the bend to its close, I am feeling very reflective about this summer. The month of August itself was monumental, with our second to youngest marrying the girl of his dreams. And what was really fun about the wedding/weekend was that all ten of our children were here, along with (not all) but many of their spouses and/or children.

It was just a delightful time. One of our daughters-in-law had a new camera that she was eager to use, so we got the added benefit of a lot of amazing photos, both informal and formal, of the events. I learned an important fact a decade ago when our oldest was married: Parents and siblings of the bride and groom must not be assigned as photographers because it just won't happen! There is so much else to concern them that pictures end up being the last thing on their minds. I've been fortunate to have daughters-in-law who take excellent pictures, or sisters who are right there to get the best shots, or in one case, a son-in-law who took nonstop video that is priceless.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary (August 13) two days after the wedding. It was such a nice day to just get away, the two of us, and do whatever we felt like. We took a drive in the mountains, we took pictures of each other, we went out to eat, we went to a movie: all the activities we enjoy, nothing really special or fantastic, just having fun together.

Now our youngest is preparing to leave on a two-year mission for our church to-- ta-da!-- Oregon. He is pretty excited. "I've always wanted to live in Oregon," he says. He leaves on September 28.

Another son and his wife are expecting a baby next spring. Life goes on, and it is wonderful. I enjoyed being a mom when my kids were all at home (despite what my journals say, yes I really did enjoy it), and I enjoy this phase as well. I only had two girls, but as my boys marry, I get wonderful daughters-in-law who are like daughters to me.

Besides these big events, this year saw us move from our home of 13 years, and there was my mom's passing on New Year's Day.  I should have known when that happened, that 2011 would be a momentous year.

Now I feel like things are winding down, just like the summer is, and that perhaps there will be a few restful weeks ahead before the holiday activities begin.

Impressed by Dogs

The other day a little girl at our house made a cute noise while jumping down the front stairs. A kind of wo-wo-wo- sound. From far away, across the park, came a returning sound, echoing this-- a dog barking in almost exact replica wo-wo-wo.

And then tonight there was another interesting experience involving dogs. My husband and I watched the movie "Babe" about the pig who thinks it's a sheep dog. The movie has Australian sheep dogs herding sheep, barking, and sounds of the sheep baa-ing. We finish the movie, and he opens the front door to look at the sprinklers going off in our yard. Guess what is standing right there on our front sidewalk, staring at our front door?

It is an Australian sheep dog, waiting expectantly. Presumably for sheep to herd? My husband is petting the dog when the owner comes by, looking for him. Someone had opened the door at their house, and the dog just ran out for no apparent reason.

From two blocks away, inside his house, this Australian sheep dog heard fellow sheep dogs barking and the sheep baaing on our TV, and as soon as he got a chance he escaped to come join the fun.

Now that's impressive.

It's Either Time or Money

Yesterday I had a conversation with a son who needed to get something and I was telling him a less-expensive place to purchase it. He said, "It's not the money, it's just finding the time to go make the purchase."

This got me to thinking about the excuses we all make. With some people, it's time, others it is money.

Larry H. Miller was one of the wealthiest businessmen in Salt Lake, owner of the Utah Jazz and numerous car dealerships. Yet a few years ago he died in his fifties of complications of diabetes. People who knew him said, "He never took the time to take care of himself." He had plenty of money for medical care, but neglected getting it due to being too busy. Diabetes is one of those illnesses where you MUST take proper care of yourself, with diet, exercise and regular medical care or it will kill you.

Think of all the joys in life we neglect because of "no time" or "no money." I have learned that those are nothing more than convenient excuses. There are ways and means to accomplish goals without an abundance of either. Sometimes it takes creative thinking, sometimes asking for help from others, sometimes just focus and determination.

Your comments on my last post about Simple Pleasures shared many ways to be happy, and most of them did not require much time or money. Anyone who thinks they don't have enough time or money for whatever should go back and read those comments.

Simple Pleasures

Today I am thinking about simple pleasures, those activities that aren't necessary to keep life functioning, but that are essential for daily happiness. When we moved from California to Utah 21 years ago, I missed the simple pleasures of taking my kids to the parks and to the beaches. People said, "Oh, the mountains are awesome." But it just didn't feel the same.

Now we have moved again (still in Utah but down the road a ways) and I am missing the simple pleasures of my life in our old neighborhood. Good friends, our backyard garden oasis, fruit trees, the sound of birds waking us up and putting us to sleep at night. On top of that, my mom died this year and I miss the simple pleasure of our weekly phone calls. My husband and I are on a strict diet essential for our health and I miss the joy of drinking massive quantities of diet Coke while I write. Silly, isn't it? I have everything I need, but I  am looking for some new simple pleasures to replace the ones that I've lost.

Got any ideas for me? What simple pleasures do you most enjoy?

Use it up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without

In my novel Uncut Diamonds, the main characters, Marcie and Shawn McGill, experience some rough times. It is the seventies, when the U.S. had one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. Marcie has to get resourceful to make ends meet, and she gets ideas and motivation from the writings of her grandmother, who was a farm wife in Nebraska during the Great Depression.

Many people talk about the poor economy right now, but believe me, it isn't anything like what we experienced in the seventies. *I sound so old when I say that*  Still, along with many currently trying to spend less is the recycle, reuse, going green-type mentality that brings back some of the frugal practices of days past.

Like this awesome dress my friend made out of two T-shirts:

She took a red and a blue T-shirt, cut and sewed and came up with a cute jersey dress to wear to our Fourth of July BBQ.

The T-shirts were given to her, she gets a lot of them from her job and so snip/snip voila!

Cute dress: Cost $00.00