Ahhh, Traditions!

When Steve and I were first married, we faced a dilemma when it came to Christmas and we learned early on to compromise and meld the two family traditions together to become our own:

Then: MY family always opened one present on the evening of Christmas Eve (a sacrilege in HIS family!) and made Swedish Pancakes on Christmas morning. HIS family always had a Christmas Eve program and then everyone slept over at the family home (when Steve was a little boy, that family home would have been his Gram's house.)

Now: We open one present, but it is always Christmas pajamas to help us sleep better. We have a Christmas program at Bam's house and when our kids were little we would sleep over at her house. Steve and I would put the kids to bed, then sneak back to our house for our own private "celebration." Now, we just come back to our house and our own beds and for years we would wake up early to have our own family Christmas and then head over to Bam's by 7 a.m. to be with all the cousins that were still sleeping over at Bam's. As our own kids get married, we'll have them sleep at OUR house with their new little families.

Also, I make Swedish Pancakes for Steve's family on Christmas morning. It took years and a lot of fortitude on my part, but this is now a well-established tradition in his family. I have even had his sisters call me for the recipe so they can make the pancakes!

Then: MY family had Christmas trees that were fat, full and round and freshly cut at the tree farm. HIS family had what we call a "Smith" tree, the kind that has branches that stick straight out and are a little more sparse (is that a Douglas Fir? A Blue Spruce? I don't really know my pine trees....) For years, our compromise was: one year a Van Horn tree, the next year a Smith tree. Until Steve got sick and tired of stringing the lights on and just went out and bought a pre-lit tree (it's a Van Horn tree...fat, full and round!)

Now: the tradition is to gather around the assembled tree and "fluff" it while we listen to Christmas music and decorate it with the angel ornaments that we have collected from our travels.

Over the years, Steve and I have developed some of our own family traditions, which include watching a version (or many) of "The Christmas Carol," driving around looking at the lights, Sub4Santa with the Mordues, eating dinner off of the Christmas plates, and Christmas stories at night (this is getting harder to do with busy teenagers).

This year, as we sat in the audience at Hale Centre Theater, I could hear Steve quoting many of the lines from "The Christmas Carol." It is his most favorite Christmas play, and I have grown to love it myself. "God Bless us, everyone!"

Shhhhh!

1 Bam and 1 Dandad,

4 mommies, 4 daddy's,

3 teenagers, 10 kiddies and 2 babies,

4 large pizza's, 2 picnic cakes, 1 freezer of homemade ice cream,

3 Suburban's

a pile of gifts,

one cold and wet Layla (you were so brave!)

and a

whole lot of giggles and LOVE!

These are the ingredients of this year's Mordue Sub4Santa.

Happy Birthday, Bam!

Merry Christmas!

HO! HO! HO!

A Very Romantic Evening

May 14, 2010 will mark the 23rd anniversary of the day that Steve and I knelt across the alter at the Salt Lake Temple and were sealed together as husband and wife for time and all eternity. It was one of the most profound moments of my life, one that to this day brings tears of joy to my eyes and a huge well of feelings to my heart to think on it. Since then, we have had many opportunities to perform this same ordinance by proxy for many others that have lived, loved and passed on with out being sealed to their beloved. We have had the sacred honor of bringing other families together for eternity so that they may continue their associations of love with one another.

This past Friday, Steve and I went to the Bountiful Temple together where we were privileged to perform the sealing ordinance for a number of couples and children to their parents. As I knelt across the alter from Steve and gazed into his eyes, I couldn't help but be in awe of the power of love that I felt for him and FROM him. How lucky and blessed am I to be able to hear over and over the very vows that bind Steve and I together forever. With each recitation of the sacred sealing ordinance, we were reminded of our own covenants with one another and our Father in Heaven--in essence, a renewal of our wedding vows. How romantic is that?

So Many Books, So Little Time!

I NEVER thought that I would ever think this, but right at this moment, I have TOO MANY books to read! Currently on my bedside table are the following books, many with bookmarks in them denoting my progress:

1. To the Scaffold--The Life of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erikson

2. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

3. Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland

4. 1776 by David McCullough

5. The Book of Mormon--always reading

6. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

7. Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley

8. Rapture of the Deep--a Bloody Jack adventure, by L.A. Meyer

9. Jacob I Have Loved, YA novel by Katherine Paterson

10. Seer of Shadows, YA novel by AVI

11. Mormon Women: Portraits and Conversations

I need a beach to sit on and no distractions!

The crazy thing is, I still love to troll the aisles of Barnes and Noble and I always have to peruse the offerings of the book table at Costco. A trip to Target is not complete without a quick swing by their book section.

It's a sickness.

an apology

As I was running around town yesterday, I heard Doug Wright talking about "sexting" on his radio talk show. As they described different aspects of what "sexting" entails, I realized something: I think I must have "sexted" everyone I sent that A&F model picture too! I am sorry!

I also realized something the other day. Without meaning to be rude, I found myself doing all the incredible rude things that we get upset with people for doing. These were all inadvertent acts of rudeness but, nevertheless, I did commit them: While TALKING ON A CELL PHONE I drove onto the freeway, using the CARPOOL LANE when I didn't have another passenger in the car. I realized too late what I was doing as I DROVE RIGHT PAST the line of cars waiting for the meter to turn green. Then I found myself walking through Pier One with a hot cocoa cup. As I was looking through some pillows I PUT THE CUP DOWN ON A DISPLAY TABLE AND THEN WALKED AWAY, forgetting about the cup. It wasn't until I was pulling away from the store that I realized that I had left my cup sitting randomly on a table in the store. At another store, I unloaded my purchases, then left without RETURNING THE CART to the cart stand (I usually always do this, I hate seeing orphan carts left in the parking lot, waiting to roll away and inflict damage on an innocent car). When I met some friends for lunch, I was running late and when I got to the restaurant I HURRIED IN THROUGH THE DOOR, right in front of someone, not realizing until it was too late that I should have allowed them through first. So what is it? Am I so distracted that all the good manners have flown out the window? Or do I just need to learn to be more understanding, more patient with others that do things that annoy me, knowing that, like me, they were just temporarily distracted?

I am so shallow!

I have had a personal boycott against Abercrombie & Fitch for years now, and my girls know not to even ask for anything from there because they know I will never get it for them. I have noticed that my boycott is working, at least in my family, because my girls won't even spend their own money there.

So how dedicated am I, really, when I couldn't even resist snapping this photo with my phone and sending it to my whole family (yes, even Steve) while on a birthday trip with Madi?

Aren't you glad that I figured out how to make the picture bigger? Otherwise, you'd have to look at him like this:

He really was quite spectacular to look at...Stop it! There I go again.

The rest of the St. George/Vegas trip with Madi was so much fun. She is so easy to be with and I actually like shopping with her. It feels like we are equals. Instead of being a glorified clothes hanger, Madi and I acutally helped each other pick out things to try on and we also looked at other things besides clothes. We looked out furniture, dishes, housewares, purses, jewelry, make-up, fine art, books....we had so much fun just meandering from store to store.

We went to Nordy's for lunch and shared a crepe for dinner. We tried the burgers at 5 Guys (first time for both of us) and we ate peppermint ice cream w/hot fudge back at the condo.

We saw the Blue Man Group and were blown away by the sights and sounds of the show, and the off beat humor. Madi had her birthday announced during the show via the moving text screen, and the whole audience wished her a Happy Birthday.

Sorry this picture is so tiny. We forgot our camera, so we had to take pictures with our phone. This is a picture hanging in the theater where we saw The Blue Man Group. The little men paddling the boat are The Blue Men and there is also one water skiing (to the left of the picuture). Madi and I thought that it was pretty funny.
On her actual birthday, we went out to dinner with both sets of grandparents, and then came back to the house for birthday cake and presents. We are missing Markelle and my parents from this picture:

That's my famous German Chocolate cake. It'll put you in a sugar coma. It takes a pound of butter, several cups of sugar, seven eggs, along with pecans, evaporated milk, lots of chocolate. It is quite amazing, especially the next day when it's had a chance to "ferment."