Promptings

This post kind of reminds me of "be careful what you pray for"! Lately I have been praying to feel the Holy Ghost more in my life to listen to the promptings and then to take action. I think I've always been pretty good at this, obviously some periods of my life have been better than others, but I have been more focus on this recently and in giving service. So Sunday, as I was gathering up all my Gospel Doctrine Lesson stuff, and had Aileen in hand, and was heading out the door I walked by the piano and the thought came to me....."Carol Malone is out of town, I should take my simplified hymnbook just in case they need me to play in RS" so I added it to my bag and off to Sacrament meeting I went. Didn't really think anything of it, until Sacrament Meeting was starting 5 minutes late and not a soul was up on the stand playing music anywhere!!

Now our Wards is one of the few wards that only has 1 person who can play the organ, and only about 2 people who play the piano for Sacrament meeting when she is not there!! One is now away at college and the other must of been out of town. And of course as I said we knew Carol was out of town, because her son was getting married in Utah. Now, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Carol made arrangements.....but something happened to those arrangements and we might never know but the next thing I know I'm grabbing my simplified hymnbook and playing the piano for Sacrament meeting. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But I changed all the songs in the program to ones I felt comfortable playing, not because I had practiced mind you.....I should have gotten or listened to that prompting, lol, but because they were in a key I thought I could manage!!

Anyway, I'm sure my Mom was chuckling on the other side and saying "I told you, you should keep taking those piano lessons!!" But I also think she was there cheering me on!! Funny thing I saw about 2 other people in the audience who could play better than I could, but I guess for some reason I was suppose to!

Gospel Doctrine lesson was a breeze after that terror!! And then you guessed it, I ended up playing in Relief Society too! Funny thing that prompting!

Tytan turns 10!

Our nephew Tytan turned 10 and his Dad had a birthday party for him at a fun place called Jump Street Indoor Trampoline Park in Plano, TX. I had never been to a place like this but it was perfect for a bunch of 10 yr old boys, they have a foam pit, wall to wall trampolines, dodge ball, mazes, all kinds of things and they all had a blast!! Even Tytan's 16 yr old brother, Logan and his friend that he brought along, had fun!! Aileen enjoyed watching everyone jump and even laughed out loud while there!! Happy Birthday Tytan!! We love you!!

Busy Weekend!

Friday afternoon, Alan and I went to a matinee, to see the new Brad Pitt movie "Moneyball" it was really good and it was fun being together to do what I LOVE BEST, and that is going to movies!! This is a downloadable screensaver......just sayin!

Friday night, we had a wedding in our Ward. The couple was married at the Dallas Temple and then had a reception Friday night. I remembered when Allison was getting married and the worry of who would help in the kitchen -- even though you have food catered, you still have to have people keep things filled, and wash, and clean. My dear friend MaryAnn Stephens said to me, "When my daughters got married it was always such a worry to find people to help in the kitchen, so I want to do that for you" And she did along with 2 other of my dear friends, one of who is now my stepmother, bless her heart!! Who knew?? Anyway, I stuck this precious gift of service in the back of my mind knowing that the next wedding I would want to do this same kindness for another friend. So when my friend Lori Wagley found out that her daughter was engaged and when the wedding would be, I told her that I wanted to be in the kitchen helping with the reception......it was awesome, she was surprised and grateful and of course MaryAnn was there too.....she is still being that kind of friend and giving service to those she loves!! It was a fun night, exhausting, but indeed a joy!!

Friday night was also BYU's game against a team from Florida (UCF I think). I got a kick out of MaryAnn mentioning to me at the wedding reception that I was missing getting to see my son-in-law on T.V. But no, no, I did not because Alan recorded it for me and I watched the whole game so that I could see John on the sidelines doing his Athletic trainer thing!!! So fun now that we worry about watching the sidelines more than the players on the field.....priorities people!! Priorities!! Oh, yes, and they won!!

Saturday, I had a birthday party to attend for a Sister in our Ward from Conga, who is a recent convert, who doesn't really understand about birthday traditions in the USA, so it was fun to go to a luncheon and celebrate this happy day with her


The Fort Worth Symphony

Then Saturday night was the General Relief Society Broadcast, which I recorded and watched at 10:00 pm that night, because..........Alan and I were given Symphony tickets at Bass Hall! And it was an awesome night to get to go.......... it was a special concert called "Holst: The Planets" it was music written about the solar system and NASA through satellite photos, Hubble Telescope, etc.. were able to show actual pictures of the planets while the Orchestra played....it was awesome! And the whole time we were watching and listening and seeing all these incredible pictures of the planets, Alan and I were both thinking how much Dad Brown would have loved seeing it all!! It was a beautiful night. Thank you Carol and Chuck Malone for the gift of the tickets. And I hope that your Son's wedding in Utah was fabulous!!!

As always the General Relief Society broadcast was amazing and just what I need to get read for next weekend and General Conference. I Loved the 5 Forget-Me-Nots, especially the - I will not forget that I am a beloved daughter of God!!

Most exciting.....

I am thrilled, ecstatic, happy with how our family pictures turned out that Allison took of us when we were out in Utah and Idaho in August!! She had just broke her hand, you might remember and had never used a tripod to date, nor had she had to set up the shot, get everyone ready, and then have to run in and join the group and worry about what she looked like as well! I'd say that's talent!! And here are some of my favorites.


I love this picture of this man that I love so deeply! I think its the best picture we have ever had of him!!

My Boys...... gotta love that!


My girls, they joy of my life!!!

And this really is how happy they are!! It's so fun to watch them.

Love this, especially since Aileen initiated this pose and Anne Marie adored it and Allison was able to catch it on film!

I think this one is my favorite....but I need opinions from others so I know which one to frame.

This does represent the day beautifully!

Thanks Allison! Here is her website: http://allisonrexphotography.blogspot.com/

Weekend update

I know, I couldn't think of a name for this post, so sorry, its just a boring update!!

I loved calling Anne Marie on her birthday and getting to talk to Allison and John too because they were all together going out to celebrate! I love that they support each other since I am so far away! When I called later to find out how it all went, Anne Marie was very happy! It's hard to be a Mom that lives so far away!!

Saturday at 3:00 pm I was invited to my friend Ashley's little boys 2nd birthday party! I was thrilled to be invited and of course I'm always up for a party!! But I was worried because 1) I've never had a boy -- have no idea what 2 yr old boys like or want. 2) I'm so far removed from knowing what is popular for kids today since it has been so long since I've had little kids!! But I took on the challenge and was THRILLED (even though I shouldn't have been) when he loved my Tonka truck, trailer, 4 wheeler toy. It was the hit of the party!! You know how 2 yr olds are....you try to get them to help open presents but they kind of help and kind of don't, and they are kind of like, no big deal about what the presents are, but when he saw what was in my gift bag, he pulled it out....he tried to get it out of the box, he wouldn't look at anything else, they had to get it out of the box and then all he wanted to do was play with it....he wouldn't help his mom open any other presents!! I do feel bad about that, but I have to say I had the biggest smile on my face as he kept playing with that toy and wouldn't let anyone else play with it!! I just might make a pretty good grandma some day after all!! Happy Birthday Camden!

But Saturday night was hard to believe!! Who would have thought BYU would play so badly against Utah!! On facebook someone posted that it was so painful to watch and that he couldn't believe he watched the whole thing......to which I laughed and thought, yeah, why did I sit and watch the whole thing.....oh, yes, now I remember, my son-in-law John is an athletic trainer with the team so I wanted to watch to see him on the sidelines, which I did, so that was good. But it was a hard game to watch. I will say that Utah did deserve to win, they came to play!! But this is how Aileen looked watching the game, too funny!

My 1st great blessing is having a birthday!!

AnneMarie, my oldest, is turning 31 on Sunday!!! I don't look that old do I? O.k., I probably do! But oh what a joy and blessing she has been in my life! She has always made us (her parents) proud. She was our miracle baby, all the nurses said so, there is no way that she should have been able to breath on her own so quickly, being so small and so early, but she did! She was a perfect 2 yr old, who never touched things that she shouldn't, and as smart as a whip!! She is so very talented - voice, theatre, medicine! She gave us quite a scare this last year with the blood clots in her lungs, but we are thrilled to say she is well and seems to not be having anymore trouble with that (knock wood). And since then she has been trying to get healthier by going on nutrisystems and loosing weight and we are so proud of her! She has lost 26 lbs to date!! Yes, that's my girl!!! yay!

John likes to get the girls ire up by saying that Aileen likes him best......and Allison says but I was with her longest.......but I say, ah but Anne Marie was first!!! And she went through all the worry when we were finding out what Aileen being Autistic with other severe disabilities meant and she helped and supported like someone 3 times her age!!

She will tell it to you like it is.....and I prefer that frankly, and she is loyal as the day is long! She is a hard worker, she thinks the only grade that is acceptable in college is an A.

She finds humor in most things and can make us all laugh with a good story anytime!! She's a wicked "Shang-hi" card player. Most importantly, she is the 1st love of my life, other than her father!! That will always make her special to me!! and like Sandra Bullock says in the movie "Hope Floats" she is who makes me special! Happy Birthday Sweetie!! Dad & I Love you!!

"I Don't Know How She Does It"

Just got back from the late show seeing this movie Friday night!! Having worked when my children were little I could relate! Not that I had to fly everywhere all the time, but I did have to work long hard hours when my children were small and in grade school etc... so I laughed, I cried, I cheered, loved that it ended how it should.....loved it!! I was kind of gloomy today, it was just the pick me up I needed!! Thanks to shawna and Becky for going with me!

What does Uncle Alan, Anatomy, and Break-a-leg have in common?

Nothing, except they have something to do with things that have happened or are yet to happen this week.

Monday, Our nephew, Steve Brown came to Dallas for a job interview, so Uncle Alan went to meet him Monday afternoon to have dinner with him and take him to the airport! They had a great visit and it meant a lot to both of us that he would remember we lived here and wanted to see us. I had to work, but that's o.k. I'm glad Alan got to have some guy time!!

Tuesday, Anne Marie aced her anatomy test!! Yay, for being the smartest woman in the class!! And anyone who has taken anatomy knows that that is a big deal!!

Thursday, Allison as a Senior at BYU directs her cast in the theatre production of "Proof". So Break-a-leg sweetie! I'm sure your actors will come through with flying colors after all your great direction and everyone's hard work!!

So, there you go! That is what they have in common! Good week!

BYU vs Ole Miss and John Rex!!!

to watch the game go here on ESPN

Saturday, 9/3/11, BYU played its first game as an Independent!!! And everyone was anxious to see how they were going to do!! But in our home we were excited to watch the game for a whole other reason! Our Son-in-law John is in his Senior Year of the Athletic Trainer program at BYU and got to travel with the team to the Ole Miss game!!! So while everyone else was watching the players we were watching the sidelines to see John! And we did!! before the first 1/2 was over we had seen him working on the sidelines at least 5 times!! It was very exciting and we were very proud.....oh, and yes, it was an exciting nail biter game as well and BYU won! So it was a great game!

John is by the flag marker on the right side!! GOOOOO Cougars!!!

"No Doubt About It" I love Neal McCoy!!!

I was 35 yrs old when I joined my first Fan Club and it was for the Country Western Singer, Neal McCoy!! I saw him for the first time when I lived in Salt Lake and my sister, Ruth and I went to a Country Music Festival of some kind in Grand Junction Colorado!!! We were going because Sawyer Brown was the "big" name group and we loved them plus the Oak Ridge Boys, Suzy Bogus, and a couple other names that we liked were performing too. Neal McCoy was earlier in the day but I have to tell you he was so entertaining that everyone (Except for Sawyer Brown) after him paled by comparison. I started hearing his songs more on the Radio and then we moved to Kansas! My first year in Kansas he was singing at the State Fair, so I went, then for my birthday a year or so later my husband surprised me by bringing me to Fort Worth Stockyards for a Neal McCoy concert (this was before we lived here) after that I tried to see him wherever he was. It was then that I decided I should join his fan club and the next time he came to Wichita in Concert - because I was a fan I got to go to the "Meet and Greet" it was too exciting to get to meet him in person and when I told him what my favorite song was he even sang a little to me!!

I am no longer a Fan Club Member, I think I stopped that after we moved to Atlanta, Georgia. But I will always be a fan. I lost track of his career a little but this weekend, my sister gave me tickets so that my friends and I could go see Neal McCoy at the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma. She told me that she remembered how much I loved him and since she was no longer going to use the tickets she had bought, she would give them to me if I didn't mind driving the 2 hrs to get there and if I had some people to go with me!!! YES, I said, and called my best girls - Becky & MaryAnn and away we went. Becky had heard Neal McCoy in concert before and said that he was not the main group that they had gone to see, but that he was so entertaining and was better then the main group!! (Sounds just like my experience). MaryAnn is not a country western music fan, but loves Becky and Me, so she came along and really had a good time and loved him and said, "Wow, he can really sing!" Which of course is true!!!


Getting ready to leave for the Concert!!




At the concert waiting for it to start!!

Becky & MaryAnn bought me a T-shirt!!! "Ya Gotta Love that"!!

Neal McCoy fan website

He has a new Album coming out in October, that Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have produced. He sang 2 songs from that Album and I loved them.....can't wait until the radio starts playing them!!

It cost us only 1/2 tank of gas to get there an back, and our talking, laughing and catching up, made the trip go so fast that it seemed like no time at all!!!

It was a great way to spend Labor Day weekend. With good friends that I could talk about my mom with and celebrate her life!! She would have loved that we went as girlfriends and had a good time!!!