Why this blog...

I am the mother of the three most talented, intelligent and beautiful children ever to live on this earth. I am also privileged to be married to the most wonderful man! He has added three additional talented, intelligent and beautiful children to our family! I have a job that I mostly love, a wonderful education, a beautiful home, marvelous family, and I have the privilege of belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have been greatly blessed in my life, but I sometimes forget that. So, I decided to create this blog as a way to remind myself of all the many blessings and miracles that surround me. (I'm also terrible at keeping a journal- so this will be something for my kids to enjoy as well.)

I hope you enjoy what you read. I would love to hear what you think!

Deanne

Sunday, December 30, 2012

My Daughter, My Friend!

Happy birthday to the most wonderful daughter I could ever wish to have!!!


As my great sis-in-law says, "she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside"! So true! Charly is so talented, so beautiful, so generous, so kind, so loving and just plain the best at always being there for everyone around her!

I am so blessed to have her as my daughter... and am so proud of the woman she has become!

Happy birthday little girl!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Future In-Laws...

I am so excited about my future in-laws!!!

In my previous marriage, everything was strained at the end- but my relationship with my in-laws was strained from the beginning. It was never something I could thoroughly enjoy, never a situation where I could say that I truly loved them (at least, I tried very hard to show them love, etc., but it never came naturally).

But no more! Already I can say that I truly love Anson and Dee! They are such wonderful people, and I am so blessed to feel like I 'fit' into their family!

Dee and my mom actually went to the same high school together! But more than that, Dee is so loving and giving of her time and energy... I feel like I could talk to her about any problem I may have. I know she would patiently listen and help when she could too!

Anson, well he reminds me of so many good things about my own dad! He will lovingly tell a person exactly how it is!- And yet, he has allowed me inside the blunt exterior on several occasions, amazing even his own children with his actions towards me. In short, he has completely treated me like part of his family, and I am so very grateful for that!

I can say that I honestly LOVE these two and am so very blessed to (shortly, I hope!) be becoming part of their family!


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Best Gift that I Ever Got...

My dad used to play this song by Barbara Streisand at Christmastime as I was falling asleep when I was very young. I loved it!

Little did I know how very meaningful it would become in my life!

Here are the lyrics:
"The best gift that I ever got
Didn't really weigh a lot.
It didn't have a ribbon 'round
And it sometimes made a terrible sound.
The best of all it seems to me
It wasn't neath the Christmas tree.
And yet, I guess I'd have to say
That it made all the other presents twice as gay.
The best gift that I've ever known
I'd always wanted most to own.
Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice
I never thought it could be so nice.
The best gift that I ever get
was sometimes dry and sometimes wet.
Was usually pink but oftentimes red
As it lay so innocently in its bed.
The best gift of the year to me
The one I hold most dear to me
A gift that simply drove me wild
Was a tiny, newborn child."

Happy birthday to my Christmas baby!

I love you, Eric!!!




Saturday, December 15, 2012

Pictures!

So now there are pictures... and what a great photographer!! Ginger Thompson was so easy to work with!










Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Week Full Of Wonderful!

The past week has had many downs, but it has also had so very many ups!

TWICE- in one week!- I experienced the perfect class!!! Now if you have never taught special education you cannot truly appreciate this statement... but twice last week, I had a full class period where all of us were on top of the learning! As I worked my way around the room, every single student was talking about the math! They were all working together in their groups, all discussing/debating the merits of their own work, all coming together to create a nearly perfect learning environment!!! It was euphoric for me!

And then this weekend:

Charly, my 'little' girl, received her endowment (a VERY special gift from our Heavenly Father in the LDS faith). It was such an amazing evening with her and with my family... and I even stayed up past midnight without turning into a pumpkin! Thanks to my sister, brother, their spouses and my kiddos talking me into a very late (for me and apparently most of the restaurants in Jordan Landing as most were closed!) dinner. It was so, so fun!

Then Saturday... engagement pics (big sigh here- I do NOT enjoy looking at my own pictures!- so hoping at least a few are tolerable to my very picky self- although I am sure the photographer did an amazing job!). And I even got a few of my kids!

Then lunch with all my kids, and of course Luke! Then, bless their hearts, Eric and Alison spent hours shopping with me (and let Luke duck out of it) until we found the perfect wedding outfit for me and tie for Luke- so glad Eric picked that one out!

This is how Eric chose to 'carry' our spoils... all around Temple Square!

Then we met up with Luke again and had a wonderful remainder of the evening! What a great weekend!!!

With company like this and a view like that, I can truly say that I am blessed!


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Most Unexpected & Utterly Amazing Gift!

Just seven months ago, I would have said that this 'gift' would never be possible for me to receive...

The only person, besides me, who has any idea of how truly horrible my marriage was in so many ways was my mother. I was able to talk to her about most of it... But there were some things even she did not know. My Father in Heaven knows... The word horrible or bad or destructive or- well, there are many specifics in my life's experiences that are best left to the past. But the one thing I can say with utmost certainty is that my marriage destroyed my ability to totally trust anyone besides my parents, my children, and my Father in Heaven. Even my closest friends, though mostly trusted, were not immune to my doubts at times. 

This is something about myself that I have not liked... But it was reinforced as an essential survival skill in my life each time I dated anyone... Every one of the men I associated with over all the years betrayed my trust in one way or another. And please don't even get me started on the multitude of men I met but wouldn't date... Very much untrustworthy!

And then tonight, while talking to Luke, I realized that he has given me the most amazing gift just by virtue of the man that he is... I TOTALLY TRUST HIM IN EVERY WAY! I know that he will never intentionally hurt me. In fact, He has gone out of his comfort zone to make sure that some things are better for me. And this will not stop after we are married or in a few months or even in many years. I know I will always trust him because he will always earn that trust!

For some this may seem a small thing, but for me and my experiences in life, this is an amazing gift and a great miracle!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Kayden the Great!

Kayden is great at chess- understatement of the year!!! But he is also a great nephew in that he is a great young man to talk with, a great young man to hang out with, and a great example of what a young man should strive to become!


This shot of his closet says it all... trophies from chess, scout shirt, wooden sword- you know I've got to love that he loves sci-fi and sci-fi fantasy- and a pic of the temple- that's our Kayden! 



But always one GREAT KAYDEN!!!

Monday, November 26, 2012

North Carolina, Charlotte!

My little girl is going on a mission! Such an unexpected but welcome happening... And even though she wishes she could be leaving sooner than April 3rd, I have the strongest impression that there is a very good reason for her delay (and not just for my wedding either. Of that, I am sure.) 

Perhaps time will answer this question but perhaps not... Either way, my little girl is going on a mission!


Thursday, November 15, 2012

"My Jonny Lies Over the Ocean, My Jonny Lies Over the Sea..."

When your Mom sings that to you as a little boy, it's amazing you turned out so well!

And he has, turned out so very well indeed!!!
Happy birthday to my no longer little boy! Even though you are now an official adult, you will always be my little buddy! And check out the 'glasses' he used to wear around the house!


And check out his real glasses now...


The more he changes, the more he stays the same! And I am so very glad of that!!!

I am so blessed to have a son like Jonathan! I think I will go enjoy a little more time with my 'child' before he turns into that adult tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Win Some/Lose Some: But Sometimes Losing IS Winning!


Winning: Thanks to a good friend, I was able to purchase a year old washing machine to replace the one another good friend gave me in my need! And for a great price! It was a winning situation all the way around- gotta love that!

Losing: I thought I had sold this necklace... finally. I had a 'buyer' from Indiana who was willing to put money in my PayPal account... But the email I received 'confirming' the transaction turned out to be a fake- and a convincing looking one at that! It's a good thing I have had so much experience with con men- I was smart enough to talk to Paypal and check my actual balance BEFORE mailing the necklace! So, I guess this is really winning- I didn't fall for the con!

And
this little monkey holding my cell phone (which she took out of my purse!)
also 'freed' my camera and took some winning photos (because of the people in them!)
 

Jason (my baby brother) and Camilla- all the way from CA! Loved the visit!


And, of course, my personal favorite! It includes Luke!!!

There are so very many hard things in life right now... but I win because I know that I am so blessed!


Monday, November 5, 2012

And so it begins...

Charly hasn't yet received her call, but I can already feel the missionary curse- that is, when things begin to break- and sometimes for no reason. Two things:
1st (and this had a reason) the newly repaired dryer is spewing blue lint! every load, for many loads! after being vacuumed out! 
It's a very good thing that I love Jon so much! He, in his defense, was trying to be helpful by putting the freshly laundered clothes into the dryer. But you should NEVER put chenille blankets in a dryer- we now have two see through 'blankets' and loads and loads of blue fluff in the the lint trap!

Big sigh here...

2nd: The router quit! No wireless internet at this house.... so is it the power cord or the expensive router?!

You know, I never did get that ice maker repaired from the time of Eric's missionary curse...

But I am sure proud of my Charly! and so blessed to have her for my daughter! Holding our breath for Wednesday- and hopefully her mission call!

and still loving this!!!
Yes, I am very blessed!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Strange Humor...

One of the things I truly love about Luke is that he gets me- he understands my weird references and jokes without explanation! Example:

He asked if he could call me 'Gorgeous' instead of 'Beautiful'- as he put it, it's easier... after all, it only has 2 syllables as opposed to 3!

My reply: 'Unless you are from the south, that is!'

And he laughed! Right away!

You see, I know this due to my wonderful college roommate from Virginia who could call me nothing shorter than 'Dee-Ann-Ann'. Her dialect just wouldn't allow her to say 'Deanne'... spent the funniest hour listening to her try, though- I think all of us laughed so hard we cried!

And I get him too! Must be the perfect combination of nerd-iness! Our poor friends and family in a few years!

This reminds me of one thing I love about my Adilynne and Makayla: one used to call me 'Aunt Dee' (I miss that!) and the other still calls me 'Aunt DeeDandy'! I will miss it when she grows up!

But I love it now and what a blessing!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Everyday Excitement!

I am so very busy! Yet feel like I still have so much to do! Life gets that way very often around here...
So I need to stop and remember that life is exciting and fun!

This is what I received last week from Chevron- Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I had written a grant requesting graphing calculators for my classroom, and Chevron funded my grant- second year in a row that this company has helped me out... yes, I am VERY EXCITED- even though it means many hours of lesson prep to help my students figure these out. They will definitely make my class better! Now if someone would like to purchase 5 more, I will have a complete set... maybe next year.

 And here is a small part of this year's juice. I had thought I had dodged the canning duty when I discovered my own grapes had been found by the birds... (I thought, 'yeah' but then 'darn!') Then my father called: 'You know, Lee has a lot of concord grapes at his house...' (I thought, 'darn! but then 'Yeah!') Imagine my surprise when the kiddos didn't want to help pick grapes! (But of course, they both have school and a job- Char has three jobs actually) So many hours later between my teaching school and my other various smaller jobs and of course, being mom, we have grape juice (and a broken juicer- but my sis came to the rescue on that score- Thank you, Ardis!)... and yes, I hate to open the bottles after all that work!

And: 
had a party/get together with my kids, my parents, and many from my soon-to-be family! Great reason to make Challah bread- Yum! I am so grateful to soon be a part of such a wonderful family and, of course, for my kiddos and parents! 

I may be busy and over scheduled- but I am so blessed!

And did I mention?! JON AND LUKE FIXED MY DRYER!!! I can complete more than one load in the same day!!- I didn't appreciate that sentiment until the last 2 1/2 months without a dryer...

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Life = Wow!

Life is always changing, but this past few weeks, life has been changing so fast!

Luke is the absolute best thing to happen to me in so very long! But not just because everything is wonderful... There are so many challenges awaiting this new adventure, and so many challenges that are already here... But that is what makes life so grand, correct?!

And Jon hopes to leave on his mission in June... Almost six months earlier than I had planned. I am so proud of him, but I will so miss him!

And then there is my Char! 

Soon-to-be-Sister Troff! Yes, she will be turning in her mission papers within the month, if not the week! Just the thought of saying goodbye to her makes me weep! And yet, I AM SO PROUD OF THIS GIRL!!!

Now just waiting to see what the Lord's timing will be...

If you haven't watched the following video, you really should! Reminds me so much of sitting on the floor with Luke and Baby Charlie this week- and of playing in the rain with my kiddos!


Monday, October 1, 2012

Sing with Me Here: 'One of These 'Things' is Not Like The Others...!

One of these 'things' just doesn't belong!













Can you tell which 'thing' is not like the others
By the time I finish this song?'
(Don't you just LOVE Sesame Street?!)






Matt: "It's pretty strange when I'm the non-normal one!" Ha, ha, ha!!! Jeans and a t-shirt being not-the-norm in my family... who knew. right? Guess we need to get Matt some orange glasses for the family parties!

Monday, September 24, 2012

"The Story"

The 'moment' started when we loaded the dog run into the back of the truck...


OK- so everything really started LONG, LONG ago... but the end of this last March was the season of the turkeys! (all the con-men and unemployed or 'divorced' men I kept meeting online and Tracy repeatedly telling me to stop already with the bad Internet experiences...) And then on April fourth, I wrote this in a blog post: Big sigh here...considering joining a dating site that will cost a bit more- maybe all these creepy guys will be too cheap to stalk there!
I had at that point been feeling prompted to join eHarmony, but I had hesitated because it cost quite a bit (at least for me!) and didn't have a really great picture of myself... But after General Conference, I knew I had to give it a try! And 2 days later... Luke.

First mention in my blog? April 19th: 'Me as Dear Abby'

First frustration recorded on my blog? April 22nd: My Don Quixote feelings! I have been divorced for many years and had so many experiences, but Luke has not had those experiences or very long... so he didn't want to date just me- all these years of being taught to be patient and guess who couldn't be patient!?

But I survived... and by May decided that 'Life is like The Spooky Old Tree', meaning that yes, I dared to continue dating Luke despite his reservations, despite having to wait it out, despite my own insecurities...

'I survived!' all of the drama that comes with dating, getting to know each other, getting to know each other's families (and the camping!)

So, we loaded the dog run in the back of the truck and then took the most amazing trip up Butterfield Canyon! It is gorgeous right now!!!
And then went on to the Copper Pit overlook (first time for me). These pictures do not do it justice, but my camera did the best it could!





You can't see in these pics, but I could see the temples in Salt Lake County.

And also see Tooele County!
Luke living in Tooele and me in West Jordan... we could see both places here! 

Then he simply took my hands and asked, 'Will you marry me?'

If I remember correctly, I said yes!

And we didn't eat at Taco Bell after dropping off the dog run at his sis' house... we had a great time at Kneaders- because Luke and I can talk about things and because he listens to what is important to me!

I am so blessed to have such a great guy in my life!!!

But I may just have to change the name of my blog!


Saturday, September 8, 2012

Wonderfully Weird & Weirdly Wonderful!

In just five short months, it's weird but the best dates have been:

1. Old person off-roading... Older car, NOT going fast, but you should have seen the ruts! Some were more than two feet deep! So much fun! And we never did really get to where we were going- actually had to turn around!

2. A date to the dump! He had helped cut down a tree and borrowed his dad's truck... What made it fun was the great conversation on the way, of course! But then again, how many girls can say they have had a date to the city dump?!

3. Cleaning the church- twice! (two different buildings on two different dates, that is!) it was actually great to help out and to do it together! 

4. And the BEST dates by far? The temple dates! Who would have guessed that spending most of the time apart could be the most wonderful of all!

Life is wonderful when this type of date is great!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Eternity Includes the HERE and NOW!


And after spending time with a face like this, I say, 'YEAH!'

Such a good life I have and such the great weekend!

Started with these faces:
It was so much fun watching them play with my iPad! They are so creative and full of joy!

Then time with Luke's family on Sunday and a day at the beach!
with jet skis! Thanks so very much, Sue!!!

Of course, Charly had her own idea of 'fun' at the beach...

Ha, Ha!!!

Life/work still has lots of stress, and my desk already looks like this:
My desk! AKA: the organized mess!
But life is also full of joy! 
And there's even more where that came from!!!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

May I just say...

I TOTALLY LOVE MY JOB!!!!

So weird because I was so stressed this last week: I have all of my classes just about at capacity (which is 5 more students than I can comfortably help during class time for each and every class period)- which for special ed is a disaster or 200 waiting to happen... I have 42 students on my caseload as of this afternoon- 30 is ideal and 35 is doable- meaning this year: 
  • I have 42 hour-ish IEP meetings (with parents, administrator and gen ed teachers- plus the hour or so to arrange the meeting and do the paperwork for EACH ONE!
  • I have 42 kids to first learn about their gen ed accommodations and then communicate to each of their separate gen ed teachers what those accommodations may be- EACH SEMESTER!
  • I have 42 kids to track on grades and attendance, ideally each week, but may be more like once or twice a quarter- yikes and not so good
  • I have 42 kids to listen to, help when I can, and to just make myself available to when possible
  • And about 1/3 of those 42 kids will be up for their 3 year re-eval, meaning an additional 5-6 hours of work time for that process for EACH RE-EVAL!
  • I could continue this list, but you get the idea... I just need to never leave HHS and never sleep. Then it will be a piece of cake! And then I will be able to prep for my actual classes and do the 'less important' business of actually teaching, grading, and providing the services on all those IEP's...
So why do I totally love my job?

All of those kids!!! They are the best part of teaching. Yes, it's still that 'honeymoon' period...

SO HERE'S TO THE HONEYMOON LASTING ALL YEAR!!!! 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

And so it begins...

First official day back to school/work today... I sat in meetings all day, so how can I be tired?! 
I must say that it was so good to see all of my good friends and to have a few minutes to catch up on all of the happenings! I REALLY love my job! I don't know why HF thought I needed to apply for a different one and to go out of my comfort zone earlier this spring- but if nothing else, that whole experience made me realize some things:
1. I work with fabulous people who love me!
2. I am good at what I do! I hadn't even realized how much I had been influenced to doubt that over the past  while until sometime last year... it's amazing how when you subtract the political machinations of the workplace, I suddenly feel valued every day!
3. I love Herriman High School! It is by far the best place I have worked. The faculty, administration, the students, the parents... they are the best!
4. I love my job! I cannot wait to establish and re-establish those links with the students that will allow me to just be there for them. If I have to have a job away from my own kids (and I do have to have a job away from my own kids!) I am so grateful to have one in which I can make a positive difference in someone's life!


And by later tonight....
This will no longer reside in my garage!!! Yes, sad news to all of you who so wanted to own an engine/transmission that was once owned by yours truly. :(
But did I mention that just over a year since the disaster that was 'the great car project', I will no longer own any of the pieces?! Yes, and I have never been so excited to have lost money on a sale in my entire life!!!
But seriously, the money lost was not as bad as it could have been, Charly was not injured in the original accident, and my home has some wonderful new deadbolts on all the doors... Life will always work out! 


Monday, August 20, 2012

What if we only had today what we thanked HF for yesterday?


This got me thinking about so much in my life, but most of all, it started me thinking: What if I only had in my life today the people I thanked HF for yesterday?

So I want to just review A FEW of the MANY people I am thankful for today and why (in small part) I am thankful for them in the hopes that they will be around for MANY tomorrows!

Tracy and Shauna Smith: Two of the most fabulous friends and neighbors ever! Not only do they share and validate my (and my kids') obsession with all things Doctor Who, but they have become a part of our family- from the heartbreaks to the exhilaration of life!

My kids: Eric & Alison are ALWAYS smiling! They brighten my day. Charly and her fabulous writing skills are a complete joy! Check out this sample: http://allsortsofdancer.blogspot.com/2012/08/who-am-i.html Jon has become the best handyman a mother could ever wish to have! Just today, he finished 'repairing' the deck... and his chicken coop will look fabulous! (pics to come)

My extended family: They are phenomenal! My older brother and his family (including grandkids), my parents, my sister and her family- all took time out of their busy Friday night schedules to come to Charly's book event!!! (and my little bros would have if they could have given their job/living situations). So awesome when I consider that they all see Charly at least once a month and could have congratulated her any time... they are the best!


Luke: (Yes, I know this may embarrass him, but I just have to tell it!) He is such a VERY GOOD man!!! 'Down to the core', as Charly so correctly puts it. 
Luke has enjoyed his hobby of riding his unicycle- and enjoys it for exercise as well. In fact, his talent for an upcoming no-talent show was riding said unicycle. Well, recently, Luke's nephew (age 12, I believe) moved from Utah and away from all of his friends and extended family to North Dakota. This nephew also enjoys riding the unicycle.
Last Saturday, as Luke's brother-in-law (father of nephew now in ND) stopped on his way back to ND for a 5 minute visit, Luke discovered that his nephew no longer (through no fault of his own) had a unicycle. Knowing how much his nephew loved riding and knowing how much his nephew was missing friends and family... well, Luke, being the man he is, promptly gave away his prized unicycle! Yep, Luke's unicycle now resides in ND with, I would imagine, a VERY HAPPY young nephew!
I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THIS VERY GOOD MAN IN MY LIFE!!!

There are many more people I could mention here; however, I would like to end with this thought from Betsy Hart's OpEd piece (cited above):
"But as I ponder the question about only having today what we were thankful for yesterday, I see another facet to it. And that is the chance to shape our lives to live more purposefully. In other words, it reminds me to spend time thanking God for my children, my home, my fiancee and his children, my church and so on. But if I'm not willing to take time to thank God for, say, reality television or a Facebook page, maybe that's a pretty good indication those aren't things that should be taking up much time in my life.
Now that is something to ponder. And I think that realization is something to be thankful for each day — in the hope it will be with me every tomorrow."
I ABSOLUTELY am thankful for coming across these questions and remarks this week!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Last Days of Summer

Another school year is set to begin.... which is terrific! except that it also means this wonderful summer is coming to an end...

 It hasn't even been all play time either! Jon has been called back to work, and while that is a great blessing for his budget, it means he and I missed out on climbing Timp and our annual Downtown Day! So I spent some of that time making plum jelly... Yum!

Last Tuesday was attending the temple and spending the afternoon with my friends, Michele and Jayel. Love these ladies so much!!! We are going on 30 years of friendship -and we're all only 29 years old! ;)
Last Wednesday was lunch with Luke's extraordinary mother! What a wonderful and caring lady!
And Charly, Sue and I finally saw 'Wicked' on Thursday evening!!!
After waiting for more than a year, it was so much fun to spend an evening with these ladies!

Last weekend was one event after another.
What a beautiful wedding early Saturday morning at the Logan Temple! My cousin Michelle's oldest son, Cameron, had a perfect day!
And Jim Margetts, a very talented friend of mine from high school days, performed in concert on Temple Square. I love listening to him play! His talent is such a blessing in my life!
And after a 'quick' round trip to Tooele for church, I was able to spend a little time with family celebrating the life of a truly great man, my dad, for his birthday!

So I was supposed to spend this week taking care of last minute doctor appointments and going to work...
Here's what I did yesterday instead:


My girls!!!


Pickles and Pizza- what a combination!!

Brynndi and Abish


So much more fun!!! I am so blessed!!!