Adieu, Summer

 Oh, it is so hard to say good-bye to summer, but I am afraid it is time.  So goody-bye perfect summer days.   Cloudy days, buckets of rain, and lots of gray lie ahead for the Pacific Northwest.  Adieu, summer, adieu.

 If you haven't been to my back porch before, than you are missing out!  It is my own piece of heaven on earth and favorite place to hang out in the summer.  Be sure and come next summer!

Tribute to Grandpa

My Grandpa Fullmer (my Mom's Dad) died on July 30, 2011.   I heard the news just as I finished running the 4-mile Whale of a Run.    Our family had already planned on going to Utah for the wedding of Mike's sister on August 18, but we left a little earlier than planned.  I am so glad that I was able to attend the funeral to celebrate his life.   My mom and dad even flew in from their mission in Denmark to be there with family.  

It was great to see all six of my uncles plus my mom together.  I  so enjoyed  hearing each of them pay tribute to their father.  My Grandpa lived to be 83 years old and left behind a wonderful legacy in faith and family.    He was by no means a perfect man, but he cared deeply about his family, loved to tease and joke, enjoyed writing, and was the biggest BYU fan ever!  Hearing his life's sketch made me think that our time on earth is very short.  I found myself thinking, what mark will I leave on the world?  How will I be remembered?  

Well for one thing,  I can thank Gramps  for my writing skills, it must have come from somewhere, right? I still need to work on my teasing and jokes.  Grandpa Fullmer  might say that I take life a little too seriously.  I need to tease and joke more,  but I am strong willed and stubborn like him.  Just like Grandpa, I say family comes first.  Family is everything.  Perhaps the best thing about Grandpa IS his family, particulalry Grandma Fullmer.  Marrying her was the best choice he made on this earth. I'd like to think that I married my better half too.  I know Grandpa approves of my husband; he always seemed to have a special affection for Mike.  Maybe that is because Mike always pretended to understand Grandpa speak Spanish?   

So Grandpa Fullmer, I will always cherish the memories of Lake Powell, endless pranks, a labrador retriever named Sue, "Harry Hall" specials, terrible Spanish, and BYU sports. And I will always be grateful to you and Grandma for raising my Mom into an elect lady of the Lord.  Thank you for leading a wonderful and happy life.  We'll be sure to take care of Grandma! Until we meet again... 

Love, Jill 

The grandkids all chipped in and bought this blue and white BYU wreath for Grandpa.  Here I am with 3 of my siblings minus Jake.  He was stationed in Kuwait with the Air Force  at the time.  Go COUGS! 

My mom is the oldest of 6 brothers! I don't know how she survived.  

Let's Play!

Grace LOVES her doll house and incessantly begs for me to play with her.  Most of the time I gladly take on the role of playmate, but one day after countless play sessions, I could not even handle the thought of playing dolls AGAIN so I did what any busy mom would do:  I paid someone else! 

 "Jared," I said, "Will you play doll house with Grace for an hour if I pay you?"   Well, after we settled on a price, the two of them went off to play.  I'm not sure how long the fun actually lasted as Grace did not appreciate the way her big brother played dolls.  She didn't like it when the daddy jumped off the roof or when the monkeys ransacked the house.  After all, playing house is serious business.    

Even though I sometimes grow weary of playing the same old games with Grace day in and day out.  I treasure our time together.  Her days as a sweet, silly, and imaginative 3-year old are but brief.  Her cherubic little cheeks will soon melt into the rosy and robust countenance of a school girl.  She will no longer have time to slip into the imaginary world and play away her day.  Instead she will have homework, music lessons, sports, and video games.  

So for now I will enjoy playing dolls, putting together puzzles, finger painting, and Play-dough.  As a mother I have many roles.  Sometimes I get caught up in being a CAREGIVER...cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry.... and I forget to be a NURTURER.   When I take the time to sit down and play with Grace I recall how good it feels to NURTURE.  Then at the end of the day when the house is a mess and I feel like I have accomplished nothing, I have to remind myself that nurturing a child accounts for something!  

Much of the early motor development of the child depends on learning and refining such procedures, through play, imitation, trial and error, and incessant rehearsal. —Oliver Sacks, New Yorker, 24 Sept. 2007

New year, new focus

At the start of the new year, it is always nice to start fresh, to flip open a brand new calendar and think about the year ahead. This year I truly want to focus on my blessings, especially in the face of hardship and trial. I am foremost grateful for the gospel and for my family and friends, but I have many other blessings in my life. I resolve to foster gratitude this year by taking pleasure in even small moments. I will count my many blessings often. This will allow me to gain proper perspective and even realize the silver linings in the clouds. Gratitude will help me weather the storms of life that are certain to come in 2009. So a new year brings a new focus: GRATITUDE.