Girls are much too clever...

From Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie:


Wendy: But where do you live mostly now?

Peter:  With the lost boys.

Wendy:  Who are they?

Peter:  They are the children who fall out of their perambulators when the nurse is looking the other way. If they are not claimed in 7 days they are sent far away to Neverland to defray expenses. I'm captain.

Wendy: What fun it must be!

Peter:  Yes, but we are rather lonely. You see we have no female companionship.

Wendy: Are none of the others girls?

Peter:  Oh, no: girls, you know, are much too clever to fall out of their prams.


I was reminded of these lines yesterday when our class was talking about gender differences.  It’s one of several great quotes from Peter Pan.  

Behind Every Good Man....

“I am so mad at the press, I could just strangle them.” - Ann Romney, quoted by National Review on how it was getting harder and harder to be cheerful.

Ann is such a trooper! We got to hear both she and Mitt speak last night at another Bay Area fundraising event and Ann is a big asset for the campaign.

I loved Ann’s comments about the 2008 campaign. After it all, she told Mitt they were never doing that again and Mitt reminded Ann that she said that after every pregnancy! And, they went on to have 5 sons!

So, as far as the election, Ann did relinquish and 4 years later they have to go through all the drama again. And, I’m pretty impressed that in spite how tawdry it can get during the media scrutiny, Ann is committed and articulate and a great spokesperson for the Romney campaign.

Ann is definitely Mitt’s biggest cheerleader, and 2 words she uses to describe him are character and competent. Obviously I agree with her assessment and I think Mitt is awfully fortunate to have such a classy wife! Go Ann! Go Mitt!

“Ann is also my best counselor. There is no issue that is important to me, political or personal, in terms of personnel type issues, that I don’t ask Ann’s advice.” -Mitt Romney

We Can Do It! ...Or Can We?

Sometimes, we can do it. And sometimes, we can’t. Do it all, that is.

Overzealous women like to think they can take on the world. And maybe some can. Personally, I’ve got my limits. And I’m learning through experience not to overextend myself beyond my capabilities.

I’ve given up any pretense to be a high achiever in every category. For me it’s pretty basic, there are tradeoffs. No one (especially not me) can be the consummate parent, wife, volunteer, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, etc.

When my plate gets too full or I’m juggling too many balls, I’m getting better at letting something go. Even though it’s hard for me to say no to good things. My ability to decline invitations I simply can’t fit into my life is improving.

So, what gives? Well, this year it is homemade Christmas cards. I’ve custom made our holiday cards for many years and while I enjoy it, it’s a time consuming project. This year, with the addition of school, I simply don't have time to create a unique card.

We’ll still send a Christmas card but this year I ordered them. I hated giving up ownership, but as it turns out, the cards look just as good (probably better) than my home made ones anyway.

The annual Relief Society General Broadcast..

Saturday night was the annual Relief Society General broadcast. It’s always the week before the October General Conference. Then in April it’s the Young Women’s General broadcast.

For a satellite broadcast, these are always pretty good meetings. And I’ve noticed that how much I get out of the meeting definitely depends on my mood. I suppose this is true not just for this meeting but church in general.

If I’m tired or feeling rushed or distracted the meeting never seems as inspiring but it’s likely just my own temperament. When I’m focused and enthused about any meeting or class (church or otherwise), I usually raving about the messages I hear.

Sister Julie B. Beck spoke about the patterns of discipleship and framed her talk around the theme: What I hope my granddaughters will know and understand about Relief Society. Sister Beck also introduced the new book getting distributed worldwide: “Daughters In My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society.”

Sister Silvia Allred talked about charity. While she was speaking we looked up her bio and I have to say that when I read that she has eight children, I was quite impressed. Then Sister Barbara Thompson talked about cleaving unto the covenants we have made. Keeping covenants brings happiness and joy.

President Uchtdorf’s talk was the usual home run. He is one of the best public speakers in the church! He noted the beauty of Forget-Me-Not flowers and then used the five petals to symbolize five things women should ‘forget not.'

The first thing we should 'forget not' is to be patient with ourselves. Heavenly Father is fully aware that we are not perfect. And he added: “God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.”

Next, we should 'forget not' that some sacrifices are better than others. Furthermore, a good sacrifice in some instances may not be a good sacrifice in another. President Uchtdorf said: “An acceptable sacrifice is when we give up something good for something of greater worth.”

The third thing we should 'forget not’ is to be happy now! He used the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket to illustrate how people get caught up waiting for their Golden Ticket and sometimes miss out on their life as it is happening.

The fourth 'forget not' is the “why” of the gospel. Sometimes we get sidetracked over the “whats” and the “hows” and forget the “why.”

Finally, the fifth is to 'forget not' that the Lord loves you! President Uchtdorf has a great style and has genuinely helped women collectively feel more pride in who they are and find less guilt over things they aren’t. He’s definitely one of my favorite speakers!

“My dear Relief Society sisters, you are closer to Heaven than you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine. Continue to increase in faith and personal righteousness.” -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Dining at the Ocean View Restaurant...

The blog hiatus since last Thursday was due to a fun cabin vacation with my darling high school girlfriends.

So, in honor of meeting up with longtime friends, below is something Julie Glenn shared with us that might only be appreciated by those who’ve started the lovely aging process (and all that it entails)!

The Restaurant

A group of 40 year old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because the waiters there had tight pants and nice buns.

10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because the food there was very good and the wine selection was good also.

10 years later, at 60 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because they could eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean.

10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because the restaurant was wheel chair accessible and they even had an elevator.

10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group once again discussed where they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because they had never been there before.