One Fine Morning...

In response to your requests (thanks for asking!) here's the bread recipe. It comes straight from the my sister Trish. I do not know where she got it from. For those of us who miss her blogging, I'm just going to put in the whole recipe in Trish's own words. She will be my unofficial guest blogger for the day. I need a guest blogger today because in a couple of hours I have to go back to Dr. Jolly's for some oral surgery (that's his first name. I spent half the morning think about naming a child Jolly. It's unusual, sure, but how can you go wrong when your name is Jolly? You're probably feeling very Jolly all the time, right?) . Here's a quick story: 15 years ago I had my wisdom teeth out. Except they only pulled three of them. The fourth one stayed inside where it grew into my face bone and nerve (I just found that lovely news out this morning). It is causing some havoc in my mouth. The offending tooth has got to be removed. Actually, I learned about th...

My sister Trish (you miss her, don't you? and you miss her blog, don't you? I know, we all do) has recently given me two things: 1. An amazing bread recipe with a passion to cook for my family in healthier ways. 2. A poem by Carol Lynn Pearson that perfectly articulates the power of doing so. This is for you, my precious sister. Thank you. B a k i n g B r e a d There seemed more accusation Than admiration in Vivian's voice When she said, "Well, I wish I had time To bake bread!" And so sometimes when The loaves were in the oven And Vivian was at the door Louise mumbled something about Another bake sale again And never even tried to explain Her near-religious ritual: How the flour on her fingers Was the sun and the rain And the earth How the thump of her palms On the dough Was the dance of women On the ancient threshing floor How the smell of baking Leavened her And left her believing that We rise, we rise And How the cutting Of the first warm slice For the first ch...

A little less than 10 years ago, Trent took a trip to Europe with some friends. It was, in Trent's own words, the greatest adventure of his single life. One day, while a ferry from Portsmouth to Cannes, Trent and his friends met Marie Helene. Marie was in her seventies at the time, and was very interested in the young Americans who had struck out to see the world for themselves. Trent and his friends did not speak much French but Marie spoke excellent English; hence, a lengthy conversation ensued as the ferry passed into France. Upon their arrival, Marie helped them find their way to Evreux. From ferry to train, a friendship was born. Every year for the past decade, Marie and Trent have exchanged letters. She'd send a letter for Christmas or a note for his birthday; Trent always responded in kind. I saw one or two of the letters when we were dating. When we were engaged, Trent sent an invitation to Marie Helene. It was then I heard of the delightful lady who lived in France and...

36 years ago today... It was 1974. Nixon was President Carson hosted The Tonight Show and no one had cell phones. This is the year I came into the world. Thirty One Years ago I was in kindergarten. I was tested and they discovered voila! this child is gifted! So they sent me to first grade. I thought you might like to see the face of a gifted child: After being sent to the first grade, they found me hiding underneath the merry-go-round outside. I was too scared to go in and face those first graders. I was sent back to kindergarten. This ended the era of Liz the gifted child. Approximately 25 years ago my family moved to Provo. I hung out at Bridal Veil Falls where I was prone to think deep thoughts, wear super cute jeans, and not do my hair. Thank you for taking this trip down memory lane with me. I'm 36 years old today. 36 years of awesomeness, I like to say. Here's to 36 more.

When we were growing up, my best friend Steffani loved Anne Murray songs. I know this because she sang them a lot and always knew the words. I had never heard of Anne Murray before meeting Steffani, but after hearing a few of her songs, I decided I liked her, too. The only thing that is curious about this story is that Anne Murray's heyday was about 15-20 years before our time. Steffani loved Anne Murray because her Mom loves Anne Murray. She grew up listening to "Can I have this Dance for the Rest of my life" and "You Needed Me" and the like. Come to think of it, lots of Steff's favorites could play like a "Best of the 60s and 70s CD." Wait, just when is the decade that Johnny Mathis was crooning his love songs? It was when I was living with Steffani and her family that I realized the powerful impact of music on a family environment. Steff's mom, it seemed, was constantly humming something as she cooked in the kitchen or worked on the compute...