Today we celebrated the birth of Olen.

Here's the rundown:

1. Homemade almond chocolate cake. Candles. Smoke detector.

2. Dinner at Red Lobster. (It's "Shrimp Fest", yo!)

3. Cheering Uncle Big at the HA football game. Bootie was totally kicked.

4. Falling into bed happy and ready to conquer the next 30..something years.

Let's go fly a kite.

Good Word Wednesday!

Small.

Big.

Silly.

Serious.

Share your good news here.

Here's mine:

Tomorrow is Olen's birthday!!

Check back Friday to see the celebration.

Playdate at the park.

We get a whole week of having Porter home with no school, schedules or alarm clocks. I love having him home. London just follows Porter around and I get to have two-sided conversations without picking up the phone.

Today we slept in (hear that hallelujah chorus?) and then made pumpkin muffins and huevos rancheros for brunch. We kept the windows open as long as we could, but being the thin-blooded Arizonans that we are, got too cold and had to shut them down and bundle up.

After a quick trip to the local grocery for the usual stuff, we spent the rest of the afternoon either playing with a couple buddies, following Porter around, tackling the weekend laundry pile or working in the shop (aka the garage).

FHE this evening was shared with our ward planting the stake garden patch at the Little-Big Town Church Farm. Except that we didn't make it to help with the planting part. We did make it to help eating the root beer floats part. We'll be back when the weeds arrive.

Now it's bedtime and sounds like my lambs have officially arrived in dreamland. Time for my break to start which means cuddling with Olen and watching Alton Brown.

Ok. I know I'm his mom, but c'mon. Cute is cute people.

A couple Fridays a month I drop into Porter's class to teach a one hour art project. Yesterday we made these. Wouldn't they make the best Halloween-o-Grams? Have some good times with your little ones making them, then drop it off with homemade cookies on someone's door tonight! (If you happen to get one with a plate of Rocky Road cookies, please try to act surprised. Thanks.)

In a few weeks I'll be involved with the after school activities where I'll teach another little art class for first and second graders. Oh, the art we'll be having!

shining happy people holding hands

Let's go hunting and find joy together.

Introducing:

Good Word Wednesday

Here's a designated day to pause and think of your joy(s) and then brag, boast and shout from the roof tops all about it.

Who knows? Reading your Good Words just might be what someone needs to hear. Maybe it's you.

Here's how it goes. I'll start...

Even though Mr. Weather Man said it's suppose to heat up again later this week, the morning temperature couldn't have been better. We opened the windows and sipped on hot cocoa and savored the nearing Autumn. I think today is a good day to pull out our paper mache pumpkins from last year and pretend we live somewhere that the seasons change.

So what's the words?! Lay it on me...

For Family Home Evening tonight we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in the backyard fire pit. The Arizona weather has taken favor on us and decided to follow the trend of fall temperatures. I hope it stays this way.

We took turns discussing our favorite talks from General Conference. Porter's favorite was when President Monson shared the story about Jesus healing the ten lepers. Porter loved already knowing something that the Prophet was talking about.

My favorite was from Sunday's morning session; President Monson's message about "finding joy in the journey." I love the idea that joy is out there waiting to be found. I know that I don't always look hard enough to find it, and, I know that I sometimes look too hard when joy is staring me right in the face.

Olen's favorite talk was one from Saturday night's Priesthood Session. It was a message on taking time to enjoy life in the moment. Don't rush to get to the next phase of life because the same trials will always be there; so take it slow and serve and love where you're at for that moment.

So a new Family Resolution was formed : Slow Down. Find Joy In The Journey.

Already I've found loads of joy in my day just by looking for it: London took a wicked long nap and I was able to polish off the stack of papers on my desk, Porter finished his homework without being asked and Olen brought me home a bag of tootsie rolls, just because he knows they're my favorite. And that's just for starters. My whole day has been so blissful simply by redirecting my focus from things I wish I could change to things that are bringing me joy. Effortless joy.

What kind of world would we live in if everyone just slowed their roll and noticed the minute-by-minute joys around us? I will, from now on.

Here are some of our General Conference Joys:

Did you have a favorite speaker or message from General Conference? I would love to hear about it!

The ELM in SLC

The England London Mission reunion in Salt Lake City was a beautiful night. Fall was in the air and on the trees. I even got to wear a sweater. Joy! I love Salt Lake City; it's one of my favorite places to visit. I love visiting the church landmarks and how stores aren't open on Sundays, and getting lost and discovering hidden antique neighborhoods where the houses have front porches.

A Few Favorites:

*Getting to meet Olen's favorite mission companion (one of the four Elders in the accident with Olen), Jon Stones and his wife Emily. Thanks again for dinner!

*Meeting Sister Waterfall, who now lives only ten miles from us and we never knew.

*Hugging Olen's mission President, E. Doyle Robison and his wife Beth. My heart is so full of gratitude for these sweet people who love Olen so much.

*Eating candy from London.

* One hour flights from PHX to SLC and hotels with continental breakfasts.

*Hearing stories that started "You should have seen your husband! We used to..."

*Getting to see trees with yellow leaves because it's actualy fall and not because the trees have heat stroke.

*Being Olen's girl.

My Miracle Man

Tomorrow we leave for Olen's Fourteenth Mission Reunion in Salt Lake City. Sit back. Make yourself comfortable and allow me to tell you why my husband is a miracle.

(Well, one of the reasons, there are many...surviving swimming with alligators...bee attacks...ran over by a tractor...but let's stay focused.)

Olen served in the England, London mission from 1993 to 1994. On January 19th, 1994 the small, four-door car he was driving with three other Elders was hit head on by a semi-truck on a rainy, wet country road. Olen had to be cut out from the wreckage.

Upon impact the engine was thrust onto Olen's lap and face; braking all the bones in his face and causing the loss of his left eye. Olen was conscious but unable to breathe. A husband and wife were behind the semi driving home from their day's work as a paramedic and an ear, nose and throat nurse. They usually didn't take their equipment home with them, but they did that day. They were two angels sent to be there for Olen. They preformed a tracheotomy on the spot for Olen so he could breathe and then he and the other missionaries were transported to the hospital. All badly injured; but all survived.

Olen lay unconscious for seven days in the Norwich Hospital. Besides the bones in his face, both legs and his right arm were broken. He would need immediate reconstructive surgery on his face and eye, set all his broken bones and multiple skin grafts.

This is one of my favorite stories and I'll let Olen tell it in his own words: "When I woke up in this strange place I saw people wearing masks and funny hats. I thought I had been abducted by aliens. I told myself I was going to escape on the count of three. One. Two. Three. But I couldn't move my arms or legs. I could only turn my head. The people came rushing over to me and then everything went black. When I woke up the next time, I saw the face of an angel and I thought I was in Heaven. Then my eye focused and I saw that it was my Mother who was by my side and holding my hand."

Olen's mom, Arlyce, never left his side for the whole three months he was in the Norwich Hospital having surgery after surgery and recovering enough for the long flight home to Arizona on a stretcher.

Back home, in Olen's hometown the community had rallied together to support his family. Olen's sister, Arlissa, put her schooling at University of Arizona on hold to come home and help Olen's dad, Billy Ray (pictured above), manage the household and the four brothers at home while their mom was away caring for Olen.

Olen was finally stable enough to be transported back to the U.S. and then spent another two and a half months in the hospital. After the accident in London, the doctors told him that he would probably not be able to walk ever again. Olen knew that with his faith in the Lord he would walk. After spending a year in a body cast and wheel chair Olen took his first steps again.

Olen finished his mission in the Tucson, Arizona Mission giving firesides and speaking to the youth about his accident.

Even fourteen years later there are still daily aches and pains, and the semi-annual polishing of the glass eye. But Olen uses his scars as proof that we have a loving Heavenly Father, who knows us and will not forget us. Olen is eternally optimistic and teaches me that each day of life is a gift and we are all blessed people.

I am really looking forward to meeting some of the people that were with Olen on his mission in London. I want to give them a tight hug and tell them "Thank-you".