alex the author...

I totally love this kid. I really, really do. He is so funny. He is SO talented. I know I boast about him a lot, but he makes me very proud. I see unlimited potential in him. He is an artist through and through. Not just with a sketch pad and pencil, but with words. He starts a LOT of stories. They grip me, then he moves onto another one. When I read this, I told him he HAD to finish. What do you think?

Chapter 1

The Silver Birch Woods

It was as cold as ice outside. Snow coated every rock, every stone.  The pines had long icicles hanging from their branches like jagged teeth threatening to bite whatever touched them.  The only real thing that kept me going was the sight of the twinkling lights at the foot of the silhouettes of mountains in the distance.  The cold bit at my cheeks and nose as the ice pelted me in the face.

           In the Silver Birch Woods the trees were dark.  These woods hid many secrets, dark secrets.  And as I stared at the dark green trees, devilish sounds echoed around me.  The Silver Birch Woods were a place of dismay.  They were an intimidating massive piece of land once owned by an eccentric Indian millionaire whom was murdered inside of them.
           
           As what goes along with murder stories, the woods were said to be haunted by his spirit and the many people who’ve gotten lost in the colossal evergreen forest.  This is why I came here.  It would be the very last place one would look for me. 

#25...

 

Once again, I am grateful for my dad and for his willingness to listen to promptings of the spirit. I have been feeling particularly low today. Burdened. Sad. I walked into the kitchen and this was on the counter. I had just gotten a letter 2 days ago, so had no reason to expect another one today. But I needed it. I really, really needed it. Right then. Dave and I cried together in the kitchen while I read it out loud. My dad is so tender with me. He knew somehow that today would be rock bottom for his daughter. He knew before I did that I would need his council. The kind of council that only a loving father can give. Today's letter is one of the most beautiful I have ever received from him. I have already read it several times. I will treasure it forever. You might too.

#24...

Today, and every day, I am thankful that this woman is my mother. MaryJane Temple. I love her so much. She is the essence of goodness. She is warm and thoughtful and tender. She is loving and kind. She is one of the most beautiful people I know. Happy birthday to my dear mom.

#23...

I am thankful for this fiesty little girl. I think she is a lot like me when I was her age. Very headstrong. Very passionate. Very moody. In addition to that though, she is bright, tender, giving, funny, confident. I feel so fortunate to have her as a daughter. We learn a lot from each other. The Lord knew I would need some of the lessons only my Molly could teach me.

#22...

DC. Diet Coke. Black Death. Nectar of the Gods. Whatever you want to call it...I am thankful for it. I've never really been a soda girl. I guess you could have called me a part-timer. A fair weathered drinker. Non-committal. I'm still not hooked, but I wouldn't mind one every day. I don't necessarily even need to seek them out. I have friends who do it for me. I know, I am so lucky. Some days, a friend will show up at my house with a nice cold one, and I'll think to myself, "I didn't even know how much I needed this today." I used to be the kind of girl who had one at the movies and on airplanes. That was it. Now, I know they will make nearly every activity just a little more enjoyable. I don't NEED one every day, but I sure am happy to know Walker's is just a stone's throw away if I'm feeling in the mood.

#21...

I am thankful for my husband. He loves me. He loves our kids. He loves the Lord. He loves to cook, laugh, watch trash TV. I'm not sure what more a woman could ever want?

#20...

I'm thankful for quiet afternoons with my family. We ate dinner pretty early today, so by 5pm, it was all cleaned up and we sat down to watch Polar Express together. It was dark and cold outside, but cozy and warm on the couches. I loved looking over at Margie and Lizzy, snuggled on the love seat, Margaret completely mesmerized by the movie. I loved that the other 3 all wanted to sit by me. It made me feel good. So good, that I dozed off halfway through the movie. I love days where the kids all get along, there is very little noise, they are happy and enjoying being together. It causes me to count my blessings. My many, many blessings.

#19...

Chapstick. I am thankful for chapstick. What would I do without it??? I used to be a Bonne Bell girl, now I just go for the straight stuff. I forgot to take some on my run today. I panicked a little. Luckily Tara had a substitute. If I were to go on Survivor, and could take only one luxury item, it would be chapstick...or maybe some nail clippers.

#18...

I am thankful for this face. It seems to always be crusty. It smiles an awful lot though. It lisps too. And it likes to give kisses to it's mommy. How did I ever live without my Margaret?

#17...

I am thankful for an all knowing, loving Heavenly Father. Today, I feel like I got a small glimpse of eternity. A complete understanding of the Lord's plan. For an hour or so, my mind was filled with truths about heaven, eternal families, the Savior. Nothing was able to interrupt those thoughts. I could just FEEL and be reminded of things I know, but allow to get pushed aside for the here and now. I heard some things that made such perfect sense to me. The spirit testified that I was hearing absolute truth. If we are righteous, we will see the Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father again. We will. There is happiness after this life. Death is not the end. There is joy, there is family, there is peace after this. Separation when a loved one dies is only for a time. It is temporary. If we make and keep sacred temple covenants, those who have gone before are OURS...forever.

One of the things I heard really resonated with me. Those who have gone before, those who we have loved so dearly, who are no longer here, they can be with us. They can watch over us. At times, we may even be able to feel them. They are our angles. There was a time in my life when I was really, really struggling with some things. I was told in a blessing by my Bishop, that I had angels rooting for me. Children of my own, not yet born, who were watching over me. That is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. Ever. The gospel is good news. It is the best news.    

#16...

Food. I'm thankful for good food. "Good" is very subjective too. I have no problem eating at Golden Corral, McDonalds, Panda Express. But I also love fine food. My dad has a very sophisticated taste. He will eat anything, but loves the really fancy stuff. We have eaten at some of the finest places the east coast has to offer. I love ethnic food like Thai, Indian, Mexican. I also love really good american food. Give me a cheesesteak any day...I'll eat it. Just ate one yesterday in fact. Food makes me happy, which is why I have to run like a fool every day. I can PUT IT DOWN.

#15...

Guess what my mom got today. Yup, our beachhouse for next year. Fenwick Island, Delaware 2012!!! The particular house we are renting is called Little's Point. It is amazing. We used the same one 4 years ago. I'm excited to enjoy it with Miss Margaret this time. No, we don't all fit in one house. They actually have to rent 2, right down the street from eachother. Both are bayside, just across the highway from the ocean. Little's Point is a dream. We are right on the canal. The kids can crab, jellyfish hunt, play on the deck anjoying the gorgeous view.

Today I am thankful for my parents and the fact that they are willing to do this for their children/grandchildren every other year. My Dad doesn't even like the beach, but he loves US. It is not cheap. 35 of us have a place to stay, food to eat, games to play...and we don't have to worry about how to pay for it. I feel so fortunate that my dad CAN do it and that he loves to. The countdown begins to July 2012. YAY!

#14...

It's possible that this may look like a pile of junk to you. To me, it is a pile of treasures. Today I am thankful that my mom saved so many amazingly precious, invaluable things. It's funny, I love to watch Antiques Roadshow. LOVE it. I am always blown away at how some things, hundreds of years old, are only worth a few hundred dollars. I think "old" things are tangible history. I love to be able to touch and feel something that has been around for a century or more. I don't really understand how there can be a pricetag attached.

When those items are from my family, my own personal history, I treasure them. My mom has saved a LOT of stuff. Her family and my dad's are both rooted in the east (Pennsylvania and West Virginia), so their stuff has been around for awhile. My mom's house is filled with history. Every nook and cranny has something wonderful. Furniture from generations ago. Toys, watches, pictures, decor. Every Christmas, my mom gives us one of her treasures. I gasp every time I open one. Some I recognize, others need an explanation. I have a necklace made of my Grandmother's china. A camera that belonged to my mom's uncle.

The teddy bear in this picture is made from my Grandmother's mink. You can even see the D and the L on it's feet. Did (Elizabeth) Lilley. The Pinnichio doll was my dad's when he was a tiny boy. Same with the 3 pigs. I remember seeing them displayed in my parent's house years ago and mentioning how much I love them. That Christmas, they were in a beautifully wrapped box under my tree. The bride and groom were my mom's dolls when she was a little girl. The pitcher is full of spoons from many generations. Baby spoons. One of them is from my Great Grandmother. Can you believe my mom saved all of this? Isn't it wonderful. I love it so much. The tin behind the bride and groom dolls was my Grandmother's. It used to contain mints, then she used it to hold her sewing supplies. Now I do the same. I have all my embroidery floss and buttons in there, complete with Grandy's scissors and red pin cushion. I feel so, so lucky that my mother thought to save these things. That she took such good care of them. And that she is willing to part with such treasures to give them to her children.

#13...

I am being hopeful by saying that today I am thankful for a good night's sleep. I haven't had one for several weeks and I miss them. I don't know what is going on, but I am so darn tired. I'll sort it out. Maybe it will just fix itself. All I know is that I could use a good 8 hours right now.

# 12...

Today I am thankful for The Comforter. Someone I love very much had a horribly sad day yesterday. Actually, a sad few weeks that culminated yesterday. She is in so much pain, yet at the same time is receiving so much comfort. It's amazing to me that even in the deepest turmoil, there can be a sense of calm. A conviction that the Lord is watching. That He is aware of everything. That He loves us immensely. That He will send the Holy Spirit to sustain us in those overwhelmingly sad minutes, hours, days. Our spirits want to believe and trust the truths that are whispered to us. At the same time, the natural part of us wants to doubt and question. Today I am thankful that the spirit is stronger.

#11...

Today, I am most thankful for veterans. For the men and women of the armed forces who have served and are serving our country. It is because of them that I enjoy the freedoms I do. The girls and I just got back from the Veteran's Day assembly at the elementary school. I go to an awful lot of assemblies over there. This one is my favorite. It is such a beautiful way to start this day of remembering. Children sit in the front with veterans from their families. Mostly grandpas. Some fathers. Some in uniforms. Some limping with canes. The children tell where their loved one served and in which branch of the military. Then the audience claps, and I cry. These men and women are proud of their country. They are proud of their service. I can't imagine any of them wanted to leave their families and loved ones to serve and fight. But they did it. They felt a responsibility. They felt a need to defend our freedoms. Oh my gosh, I love them for it. I watched them while we sang the Star Spangled Banner and I was completely overwhelmed with emotions. Pride. Gratitude. Really intense feelings.

My nephew Adam is on his way to Washington where he will be stationed for the next 3 years. He and his dad Tony (who just retired from the United States Air Force) were able to stop here for the night. There was a time when I wished Adam had chosen another path for his life. That he had chosen to do other things instead of the military. I feel a little different now. He feels it is a duty to serve. He has felt that way since he was little. He doesn't want to serve forever, but he wants to do it and he wants to do it now. I am realizing that people like Adam are who this country needs. People who want to help and protect. I am grateful for them and their sacrifices...and boy, do they sacrifice. It is so easy to forget what they do. To get caught up in our own lives and forget those who are struggling and giving up years of their lives to defend this amazing country. I forget. I need to change that.

#10...

Today, similar to the same time last year, I am grateful for music. My nephew was in town last night on his way to Washington. We spent quite a bit of time by my computer with him sharing loads of beautiful music with me. Soundtracks. Swelling, moving, amazing music. First of all, I never knew he was into such orchestral stuff. I was overcome with emotion a few times. Some of the songs he played for me filled me right up then made my eyes overflow. Right now I am listening to David Tolk. I realize that his sound may not be for everyone. Maybe he is too "mormon". His sound is for me. For Margaret too. As she is sitting here on my lap, she is relaxed and calm. Every time I start a new song, she leans back into me, looks up at my face, and cups it in her hands.

Music invites the spirit. It's that simple. It can slow my racing, anxious heart. It makes me feel. Sometimes my life is too darn busy and loud to FEEL. People who are able to create such amazing scores are inspired. I love the music that makes me remember fun, happy times, memories with my family, experiences. I love the music that makes me run faster or makes me dance. Mostly though, I love the music that calms me. That makes me think of things that are of most importance to me.

9th day of gratitude...

Today I am thankful for a washing machine. Let me take you through what got me to this today. I came home from a run, outside, in 20 degree frostiness, longing for a soak in the tub. The HOT tub. As I was trying to enjoy the lukewarm water, since all the hot was taken by Alex and Dave and their showers, I thought of Caroline Ingalls. Dave asked me if I wanted him to boil some water. I realized that every time they needed a bath,  to wash clothes, to clean dishes...she had to boil water. No tap with warm water coming out.

I don't know how well I would have done in those days. I could certainly never go there after being here. I guess they never knew what they were missing. I just can't imagine trying to line dry clothes in the dead of winter. I can't imagine having to scrub every article of clothing on a washboard. I really can't. I complain about the massive amounts of laundry around here a lot. The thing is...I have a machine that does most of it. I have a healthy family to wash clothes FOR. I just need to accept the fact that 7 people make a lot of dirty clothes. There will always be a pile. A big one. And all I have to do is open a lid, push a button, and throw them in. 

the 8th...

Today I am thankful for my Garmin. My parents got it for me for Christmas last year. I am not really sure how I ever survived without it. Oh yeah, I'd run with a stopwatch, then head out in my car to measure my run with the odometer. Phooey on that. It was never really that accurate and who knows how much money I spent on gas driving all over the place. Think of all that extra cash we could have had sitting around.

I love my Garmin so much. Through a GPS, it will keep track of my distance, elapsed time, pace, calories, time of day, avg. pace, best pace. It beeps at me for my mile splits. I am pretty darn obsessive about pausing it. If I stop for a quick drink or to tie my shoe, I stop the watch. If I get to the end of my street after a run and the numbers haven't rolled over to an even x:00 miles, I keep running until they do. I think it has made me a faster, more efficient runner. My friend Kami bought me a shirt 6 months early for Christmas. It says, "If you see me collapse...pause my Garmin." Amen.

day 7...

I am a junkie. I won't apologize for it either. I know some of you think TV is ridiculous or a waste of time or mindless. Maybe it's all three of those things but I love it. I have very little time in my day to be mindless. To zone out. To veg. Evenings by the TV are my time. I'm thankful for a husband who will watch all of this with me. Thankful too that I have stuff to look forward to every night. Don't worry, I'd give up a show (tivo'ed of course) to hang out with any of you. Better yet, trash television WITH you. Dave and I have a good time laughing together every night. It just works for us.

*Bonus points if you know what all these shows are. :)

day 6...

Today I am thankful for my ward sisters. My Relief Society sisters. My friends in my neighborhood and across the country. I am grateful for their testimonies. They strengthen me. They may not even know how much. The Lord blessed me to have amazing women in my life. Women He knew I would need. Women He knew I could learn from. Women who would teach me, uplift me, support me. Each was given to me for a different reason. A unique purpose. A special lesson to be learned. I treasure each of them so much. They enrich my life.

day 5...

I am thankful for the relationships my children have with baby Margaret. She's 2 1/2, so she isn't really a baby any more, I guess. I'm thinking that usually by this point, the novelty of a new little sister has worn off. Somehow it still hasn't. My kids LOVE this little girl. They love to play with her. They want to be the one that gets her up from a nap. They teach her things. They include her when quite frankly, I wouldn't really want to. Yesterday, Emily and Elizabeth had a friend over. They were limited on time since I had to get her home. They were playing in the living room when Margaret woke up from her nap. I got her out of her crib and she wandered into the front room looking for the girls. She could hear them and wanted them. The big girls were talking, but when they saw her come in, everything stopped. Their eyes lit up. They ran to her and loved her. She played with them until Eliza left. The whole time. I KNOW she notices things like that. She just has to. These older kids of mine will help Dave and I shape her into a confident, secure, happy girl. 

november 4th...

Today I am thankful for Hi Chews. Thankful that all those months ago, I decided to pick up a pack at Macey's and give them a whirl. Aside from some chocolately favorites, my candy of choice. I love getting other people hooked on them too. Now they can alert me when they see them on sale. I'm thankful Harmon's marked them down to 69 cents from 89. Not thankful that Macey's only marks them down a penny. I'm serious. A penny. With a sign right by them telling the customer that they can save one cent. I think these may be an acquired taste. There is a gummy, chewy texture that you have to get past. Once you do though, you'll never look back.

day 3...

I am thankul for my cameras (and a dad who enjoys buying them for me). He has always loved photography. He is amazing. I don't think you will EVER find more amazing pictures than the ones he took of his kids when we were all little. He captured the every day better than I can ever dream of doing. I've inherited that passion. I am SO thankful that photoshoots are able to supplement our income. I always seem to be busiest when we need the money the most. What a blessing. Don't you just love my niece Charlotte in her neighborhood overlooking the Puget Sound?

2...

I am thankful for the plan of salvation. A knowledge that this life is not IT. There is more, with our families and loved ones. I am 100% confident that families can be eternal. I know it. I have known it for a long time. I remember attending my Grandmother's funeral when I was much younger. I also remember not crying enough at that funeral. At least I didn't feel like it was enough. I cry a lot. The tears just weren't coming that day. In my little girl heart and mind, I KNEW that Grandmother was once again with Pop. He had died a few years earlier. I knew they were together and that brought me peace, not sadness.

I have no doubt. I know.

what am I thankful for?

Today I am thankful that this beauty is on it's way to our house. Our kitchen aid died on Sunday...and a part of me died with it. We have had it for at least 10 years, and it was finished. We used our mixer all the time. Many times a week, at least. I loved it. I thought it was pretty. Not quite sure if this one is a little TOO green, but we will just make it work. Dave gets oodles of rewards points as the purchasing manager for his work. He works hard so that I can get things like this without spending a red cent. I am thankful for THAT.

Also thankful for a little girl named Molly who handed me 6 small boxes of DOTS and 5 mini Almond Joy bars after trick-or-treating. I told her I just couldn't take them. They were HERS. She told me that she walked up to each house just hoping they would have DOTS and Almond Joys so she could get them for me. Who knew she loved me so much?