Redirecting from polarizing politics to what matters most / Lloyd

Judy and I wrote "She Says, He Says" from 2008 to 2017 with the intention of passing on lessons learned to our children with their growing families. That effort ended with the 2016 election. We got sidetracked by politics, the pandemic, and war.

Now that our grandchildren are marrying and beginning their own families, we’ve decided to refocus our posts on this blog and on social media posts to family issues.

In that process I took time to read and consider the 334 posts that started in Oct 2008, when we began "She Says, He Says," and to a degree I relived our documented challenges and concerns. Although a lot has changed in our world, having children and raising them continues to have a recognizable structure.

For Judy and me family life takes center stage. Deciding when to have children (Have a Baby - posted 5 Apr 2015), what constitutes successful day-to-day life (Women Are Powerful -- We Create the Culture - posted 17 Oct 2016), and how to help little children take responsibility for their lives, beginning with issues like staying in bed and getting to sleep at night (Solving Bedtime Problems - posted 12 Jan 2016) is the nitty-gritty of developing families. It's what matters most right now.

So now Judy and I will restart "She Says, He Says", which has been sitting idle since January 2017). In our Facebook posts we will reference the longer posts in "She Says, He Says" because they are more appropriate to a blog.

It is true that this blog already has many past political posts, which are what sidetracked us from what matters most in the first place. But from here on our focus will be more on family life.

New House / Judy

MY LIFE IS CONSUMED WITH MOVING!

We moved out of the San Luis house on Fri., Oct. 7, but could only put our stuff in the garage at the new place because the guy who lived there wasn't completely out yet. We hoped to be able to close the following Friday, the 14th, so the weekend of the 8th and 9th we stayed with the Kleinmans.

On Monday we decided to get away from it all because this time is officially Lloyd's annual leave and we wanted some kind of real vacation. We went to Monterey and stayed at a bed and breakfast for two nights and visited Carmel and saw lots of galleries. It was great.

We came back on Wednesday evening and stayed the next three nights at a Motel 6 (a little different from the B & B). Turns out there was lots for us to do but we expected to close on Fri. the 14th, like I said, then we planned to move in on Saturday. HOWEVER (cue scary music), on Thursday we learned that we couldn't close until Mon or Tues. of next week. Meanwhile, we have to pay the owner $50/day in rent till the house is officially ours. Then we had the carpet cleaning man come and tell us the carpet was so saturated with dog urine that we'd have to trash that carpet and buy a new one. Then the flea treatment man came and said he could kill the current fleas, but more would probably come later. Then we saw that the whole backyard was covered in dog poop and nobody could walk back there. (sigh) Did I mention that the previous owner had two huge dobermans that evidently lived in the house and never went for walks anywhere but the back yard?

So we thought maybe we could still move some of our stuff into the house and use one of the small bedrooms that didn't seem to smell quite so bad. We tried on Saturday morning, but soon everybody had watering eyes and scratchy throats from the smell and we realized we couldn't even be in the house until we replaced the carpet. We tore it all out that afternoon, including the pad and you would not believe how stained the carpet looked underneath. Lloyd had to spray the concrete under it with a strong, even toxic deodorizer that night. Meanwhile Kristen's son Jacob, with a little help from Alec, spent most of Saturday cleaning up the yard. They ended up with several white trash bags full of the stuff.

Since we were going to have to wait till Thurs. or Friday before they could lay the new carpet, we decided to go ahead and paint the whole interior in colors we liked instead of just pure white everywhere. I feel like this is a sweet little house that has been abused and it's now up to us to nurture it back to health.

But in the meantime, here we are, homeless; thankfully Kristen and Nathan have taken us in. We may close Tues. or Weds., the painters should be finished on Weds. or Thurs. and the carpet may be down on Friday. And then maybe we can actually move in NEXT Saturday.

But I'm not holding my breath.

Life Goes On / Judy

Even though our lives are pretty much the same as always, taking care of Dad and all, I decided I wanted to blog about the rest of our lives. Dad/Grandpa is actually doing pretty well. He hasn't had a UTI for over two months, which makes life better for everyone. The reason, I think, is that one of the nurses who comes to see him, gave us a list of products that other people in his situation found useful. We got them for him and they are working. 

But on to some other aspects of our lives. We saw the movie "Super 8" and thought it was great! It takes place in 1979 and even the film looks like it's from then. It not only has exciting things happen in the story as well as explosions and everything, but it also has very good interpersonal relationships.

On Friday we went to a new restaurant in Morro Bay that we've been wanting to try for a while and loved it. It's called The Galley and it's right on the water. It's always crowded and you need a reservation which tells you it's good.

Last Sunday I spoke in church and I talked about patriotism. And what I found interesting was that among the people who congratulated me afterwards, were 4 immigrants from other countries. These were extremely shy women who hardly ever say a word to anyone and they each came and thanked me for talking about America and how right I was about the greatness of this country. Seems like it's those who have seen the contrast who know it most clearly.

Taking Care of Dad and Lloyd / Judy

Last Friday Lloyd had foot surgery. It was an outpatient procedure in which they removed a large lump on the top of his right foot. The podiatrist said he thought it was something called a rheumatoid cyst, since Lloyd does have rheumatoid arthritis. Anyway, he's doing very well now. We have pain pills on call, rented a pair of crutches, and of course have a wheelchair for use on occasion. In fact, I wish I could show you a picture of Dad and Lloyd side by side in their wheelchairs on Saturday. For the most part, though, Lloyd uses the crutches and gets around pretty well. He just has to be sure to keep his foot up as much as possible so he spends most of his time in the inclined lazy boy in front of the TV.

Weekends / Judy

Why is it that weekends are the only times worth blogging about? It's sure true in our case. So let me begin with Friday. Lloyd and I went to Avila's Fish and Farmer's Market and had great time. It was a beautiful day in Avila and the whole front street is the "market." Actually, there are only two or three actual farmers' booths and the only fish is sold in the restaurant booths.  And food booths of all kinds abound so it's hard to choose. A live band is playing and with the beach in the background, it is a sensual delight. We walked around with a a ripe, fresh mango-on-a-stick, then had other stuff for dinner.

Afterwards we came back to town and saw, "Inception." WOW. It blew me away. One of the reviewers said, "You will be confused and disoriented but trust the director. All will be explained." Very true and I would give that advice to anyone seeing it.

On Saturday we went to Paso to have lunch at the Odyssey Cafe because they have paintings for sale and we are looking for one to put on our wall (replacing the picture of the lighthouse). We didn't see any we loved, but we had a good lunch with Kristen anyway.

Sunday morning I picked up Marilyn at the airport and she will stay with us for a few days. Always a treat.
In Church Barbara led the music in Sacrament Meeting. She and Ben have been called as ward choristers and they will take turns. She went first because Ben was singing in church. He sang a Primary song called, "I Will" and I loved it.

I feel funny just "talking" with no pictures, but I do want to keep everyone updated. Just remember I'm older and not used to this new-fangled technology stuff. That excuse is as good as any.

Days Off / Judy

I love Lloyd's days off because then I also have permission to have time off. I already told about Friday so here goes about Saturday. As usual, Lloyd spent the morning at the prison with his support group of inmates. He gets home around 11:30 and we often go out to lunch. We went to Tahoe Joe's, which we like a lot, but it's a little pricey for dinner so lunch is the better option. Afterwards we spent some time in the library (one of our favorite things to do), then of course nap time.

While we were sleeping, Ben took a call from Lloyd's nephew, Matthew, who said his parents were coming to town to help him move back home. (He just graduated from Cal Poly's five-year architecture course and will be going home while he looks for a job.) So they invited us to go out to dinner with them: Matthew, Sidney and Mike. It was a VERY nice evening; we sat outside at a great Italian restaurant and had a wonderful visit. It was good to sort of have closure after looking out for Matthew while he was here. We really don't usually go out to eat twice in one day, but this was unexpected and a special occasion.

At night, we watched the old movie, "Marty" with Grandpa. I highly recommend it, although kids won't like it. It was made in 1955 and is in black and white, but it won four oscars and is a very simple, very touching story. They really don't make them like that any more. One thing I found interesting about it was how it showed what life was like in 1955.

Tonight Lloyd is at work, of course, and Ben is getting ready for tomorrow. He is going to be the director for Camp Melodrama for the next four weeks. It lasts from 8:30 till noon five days a week and there will be 53 kids ages 7-17 expecting great things. Ben is excited about doing this, but tonight is a little nervous.

Updates / Judy

I've decided I like other people's blogs so much that I want to contribute too. (Besides, I am disappointed when they don't update for long periods of time.) I think my life is pretty boring, but I'm sure other people feel the same way about their lives. However, I still want to hear about their lives so I'm assuming someone might feel the same about mine. One problem is that I probably won't have pictures very often--even though they are what make a blog especially interesting. In my case I'll have to rely on text.

Yesterday was Lloyd's day off. He spent it working on stuff for his volunteer position at the prison and I worked around the house (translation: I read most of the afternoon). Jonathan is painting the outside of our house (Christopher helps sometimes, but it's mostly Jonathan). We used one back wall to try three different colors of paint before we settled on one and I really like it. It looks gray when he puts it on next to the white primer, but when the whole wall is covered, it looks like a light blue.

Last night Lloyd and I went to the melodrama and thoroughly enjoyed it--it was classic melodrama and vaudeville. In fact, I think it was one of the better things they've done for a while. Ben is working there at the box office during the day, but he stayed and saw it with us last night. One of the things we always look forward to is the food there. We always get a polish sausage and potato salad and Lloyd said he started salivating for it as soon as we were inside the door.

My time in Utah

Last Monday I was with the Smalleys as they buried their little stillborn son, Joseph James, in the Kaysville Cemetery. When this first happened, the doctor told them they could bury him, or the hospital would take care of it for them; it was up to them. They really didn't know what to do, but in the blessing Emily received the night before she went in to deliver, she was told she would know clearly what was the best thing to do.

We went in to the hospital at 7:30 on Thursday, Aug. 21, and we were there all day as she labored, just like with all her other babies--IV in the hand and all. About noon the pain was getting very bad and she had to have an epidural. She was ready to deliver about 5:00 pm and had to push half a dozen times until the baby was born--unlike her other deliveries, it was a silent delivery room. It was some time during that awful day when it did become very clear that this too was one of her children and she needed to respect his little body and actually treat him as a full member of their family. And she knew they needed to bury him themselves and not just let the hospital "take care of it."Here is the tiny casket in the part of the cemetery for babies.When Troy called the mortuary, they said they would discount all their fees, including this little casket and they didn't charge them anything (although we saw a bill that had the usual fees of $4200 taken off).

Besides me and the Smalleys, also Joy and Don and their family came and Aaron and Marrisse and their family and Marrisse's mother and Troy's sister-in-law, Tifffany. We sang, "Families Can Be Together Forever," and Joy gave the opening prayer. Then Emily spoke and told why they decided to have this service and read this quote from Joseph Smith:

(At the funeral of 2-year-old Marian Lyon) "...in my leisure moments I have meditated upon the uncertainty of human life, and asked the question, why is it that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us? The strongest reasons that present themselves to my mind are these: This world is a very wicked world; and it...grows more wicked and corrupt...The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again...

"The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable, wicked world. Notwithstanding all this glory, we for a moment lose sight of it, and mourn the loss, but we do not mourn as those without hope.

"A question may be asked--Will mothers have their children in eternity? Yes! Yes! Mothers, you shall have your children; for they shall have eternal life, for their debt is paid."

After this quote, Emily showed the remembrance box that the ladies of SHARE brought to her in the hospital. This was a group of two women who had also lost babies during pregnancy and a female professional photographer that came and dressed the baby and took pictures and made up this box for her.

Inside are the receiving blanket he was wrapped in right after birth; the name card they usually put into the bassinet telling his weight (7 oz.), his length (6 1/2 inches), and his name, etc.; a hat they put on him (but was too big so they had to put on a littler one), a tiny teddy bear they wrapped up with him, a ring symbolizing eternity, and a pin showing the size of a tiny baby's feet.Here is the outside of the box. It looks like homemade paper and was very pretty.

After Emily's talk, we sang the first and fourth verses of "O My Father," then Troy dedicated the grave. We ended with "I Am a Child of God," and a closing prayer by Marrisse.

The next two pictures show the balloon launch. Emily gave all the children there (14 of them) a helium balloon and told them to fill it with their love and happy thoughts and let it go to send them all up to their brother and cousin, Joseph.

This is Andrew after the service, carrying the tiny casket back to the car that would take it to the funeral home overnight then bring it back for burial the next day.Afterwards, we all went back to the Smalley's house where the Relief Society had prepared this amazing dinner for us. Emily said, talk about feeling loved. She said she felt very good and glad they had this service; that it really seemed the right thing to do. It allowed the kids to participate and everybody to experience closure. It was a good thing she felt that way because that was also the day her milk came in and she's having to deal with that for the next few days.

As for me, I was SO grateful I could be there--for me as much as for them. As hard as it all was, the Spirit was very close during much of this time and it was very sweet.

We can get caught up in lots of distractions in this world, but something like this reminds us what is important and what really matters in this life.

Tomorrow's my Monday / Lloyd

Sunday's & Monday's are my days off, so tomorrow's my Monday.

Judy's been in Kaysville, Utah with Smalley's as they've worked through having a stillborn son. It's been quite a week for everyone. Tonight they had a private funeral service with local family members and dinner support from the Relief Society. Bless the sisters of the Relief Society.

Saturday I had scheduled time off to go to the Fresno Temple, but the hospital held me over. They've started mandatory overtimes again--partly because of California's furlough policy for state workers: 3 days a month without pay. And the hospital has been denying most worker requests for scheduled time off, so folks just call in sick--especially on weekends.

Fortunately a colleague came in to take my place at 2:15 am on Saturday--that was better than working until 7 am. It was late, so I just cleaned up, and drove straight to Fresno. About 90 minutes out I pulled into a rest stop to sleep because I couldn't keep my eyes open. But I arrived at 8:40 am. At one point during a session I must have dozed because a friend touched my arm, and I stood right up--the only patron in the room standing.

I did get to participate in three endowment sessions, including one in Spanish, and a sealing session. Mostly I was alert. Temple worship just seems to anchor my soul. This was especially important to me when I couldn't be with Smalley's.

This past week Ben's been getting himself ready for Cal Berkley. He did a great job sorting through things and leaving very few personal items at home. Today Jason, Ellen, and Anna convoyed with him in their red truck and were soooo helpful not only getting his stuff up there but also helping him process all the furniture decisions at IKEA. I cleaned up Ben's room. It's now ready for visitors--especially for Ben.

Tomorrow is my Monday with all its connotations. But Judy will also be home, and that'll be wonderful.

Happy Birthday, Marilyn / Judy

This is an email I just sent to my favorite sister, Marilyn (pictured above at Aspen Grove with her daughter, Teri and some of her family):

Marilyn, Hope you have a wonderful day! I sent you a card but you may not get it in time and let me tell you why. I meant to mail it last Saturday and went out to do a few errands, including stopping at the post office.

But Ben's car is in the shop and he's had to drive the red one the past few days. I was driving it that day and had to make sure I got back in time for him to leave for Santa Maria. Anyway, I noticed it only had about a quarter tank of gas and I thought I'd be nice for him and fill it up.

At the gas station the pump kept stopping and wouldn't work. I managed to put about 3 gallons in it and then I got so frustrated that I called out the service station attendant to come help me. He tried it and said, "Is the tank already full?" Because that was what the pump was acting like. "No," I assured him. But just in case, I turned on the motor to look at the gas gage again. Sure enough, just above quarter of a tank. He tried the pump some more and it still wouldn't work. Then, I noticed that I was looking at the TEMPERATURE gage and not the gas gage (which was on the other side of the steering wheel). Uh oh. How embarrassing!!

The attendant didn't even say anything; he just walked away. By that time I'd managed to cram $14 worth of gas into the already full tank. Also, by then I had no time left to mail your card because I had to get right back so Ben could take the car.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, and I'm sorry your card is late.

Love, Judy

(Am I the only one these kinds of things happen to?)

Ben's Hair / Judy

I'M BACK!!! Sweet Ellen and smart Jason are here helping me with putting up pictures and they will even tell me how to write between the images. Yayyy!!!

So away we go...here are some pictures that I took a couple weeks ago. They are Ben's before and after pictures with his haircut. He had to have long hair and muttonchops when he was in "Les Mis," but for "Music Man" he could have short hair and just side burns.

The first two are the "before" pix.

It was so long he could make a pony tail. And he hated his muttonchops.

And of course after the haircut.

And this is Ben being skeptical about my bag of water. When we were in Cambria, we saw many of the shops had these bags over their door and when I asked what they were for, the clerks said they kept the flies out. I don't know why it works, but I tried it since we don't have screens on the back door, and it really does work. We can leave these doors open for quite a while and not get flies. However, one day they were open all day and we did get a few then.

Mini Vacation / Judy

(Why can't I remember to put in the picture I want last first and vice versa? Also, still not able to write between the pictures.) Anyway, the top one is a little planter I bought while out and about with Marilyn while she was here. Now, I almost never buy stuff, but I just loved this cow and immediately put it on our table outside.

The next picture shows Marilyn and me at the bay. She came Sunday and left this morning and in between we went out every day. On Monday we stayed in town and did the usual stuff. Since Gottschalks's, the big department store, is closing, we spent a lot of time in there actually trying to buy somethings at 80-90% off but couldn't find much. Then Mon. night we went out for fish and chips with Lloyd. Tuesday we went to the south coast, including our favorite "road side stand", then that night we went down to Solvang to see Ben in "Les Mis." We ate at Anderson's Pea Soup, then saw the play. Marilyn had not seen it before and like the rest of us, she was thrilled with that production and its incredible music. Wednesday we went to the north coast, which is where this picture was taken.

I'm sorry to see her go because we always have a blast together and also now I have to get back to my usual life, which mainly consists of housework and cooking. Also, I have to work off the extra pounds that always seem to accumulate when Marilyn comes.

An Update / Judy

I would put up more pictures from Aspen Grove, but I can't find them; they're somewhere in the computer (sigh). But I did want to tell about my recent experience.

In January I had the kidney stones on my left side taken care of and it was awful and the whole thing lasted about three months. On Monday I had to do the stone in my right side and so far it hasn't been nearly so bad. Here is an excerpt from an email I sent out the family:

Well, I'm now on the other side of the ordeal and it really wasn't as bad as last time. In the first place, they did NOT put in stent...Yayy! and so far I haven't had the pain after coming home I did last time. Or maybe I know how to manage it better--I've been taking a pill every 4-6 hours all day to head it off before it starts. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am on Monday and the "surgery" was at 7:00 and we were home by 11:00. We would have been home an hour earlier, but I did have a big spasm that vicodin didn't help (and I threw it up), so they gave me some intravenous morphine and then I had to wait for an hour while I was mostly floating and sleeping.

When I was in the operating room, being moved from the gurney to the table, I said, "Wait, stop! I've changed my mind so let's not do this." You should have seen their faces! Everybody froze, and then said, "Really?" I had to laugh and then I said, "No, not really. But I actually don't want to do this." There was a sigh of relief and a couple nervous chuckles and next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. I think people who work there are never told no. They just assume everybody will go along with the program, no questions asked, which is reasonable of course.

I was awake in the recovery room and feeling well for about half an hour and they kept asking me how I felt, so I finally said, "I'm bored." At that point the nurse said maybe I could go back to my room then, where Lloyd waited for me. So here I am, a little out of it, but not too bad off, and hoping it stays like this. It's now Friday and I haven't taken any pain med since yesterday and even then it wasn't very much. As I said, “So far, so good.”

At Aspen Grove #2; Out And About / Judy

I've had fits trying to get these pictures on the blog, so I hope I'm on my way now. Of course I still can't write between the pictures so I'll just have to show them then say what they are. First one shows Peter at the end of a busy day. Next is Teri's daughter, Gracie I think, holding MaryRuth's Rachel,the newest cousin. Third is Jen and Uche with Grandpa. Fourth is Lloyd holding Luke, I think, talking to Tony. Fifth is a rare moment of leisure between activities. Then finally, Christopher and Jonathan riding things.

At Aspen Grove, #1 In The Dining Room / Judy

These are a few pictures from the dining room, where we were always able to see everyone three times a day and do a lot of visiting. First is Michael with Tony's family. Next is some of Ron's family, then the cousin's table and finally Jonathan holding Luke with Grandpa.

I can't express how wonderful it was at this beautiful place in the mountains to be with all of our extended family! Unlike the many stories you hear about families, ours all like each other and even get along. And it doesn't matter what the configuration is--we just enjoy spending time together.

Someone's Out To Get Us / Judy

I don't know if everyone is having the same problem we are about going to the reunion, but in this house, it's like "someone's out to get us." Grandpa has a cold which includes a bad headache and just doesn't feel well at all. Michael threw up and is hoping it's nothing that lasts. Lloyd also has a terrible cold, so bad that he didn't go to work  yesterday or today and sounds like a frog. Also, his arthritis is flaring up. Sadly, Ben can't come at all (they gave him a big one day off--Wednesday only--so it wasn't possible for him to even fly back and forth). 

So far, I'm ok but I hate to think I may have to drive our big RV all the way there by myself. But if I have to put everyone to bed in the back of the thing and soldier on alone, I will because we're coming no matter what. So there!

Memorial Day / Judy

We had a good day today. I put out our flag yesterday morning and I'm so glad we have one! It looks so cool as we drive into the culdesac. Actually, two other neighbors have theirs out too so our neighborhood looks especially nice.

This morning I hosted my writing group here, which is always kind of fun. I am editing Grandpa's book so it seemed appropriate to be reading some of his war stories for the group.

This afternoon Lloyd and I went to lunch, then saw the movie, "Night at the Museum 2." We liked it quite a bit, even better than the first one maybe. It wasn't really funny, but it was a fun adventure movie.

When we came home, Grandpa was soon up and Michael came from Santa Barbara so the four of us went out to the cemetery and put flowers on my mother's grave. This is something we were never able to do before because we always lived too far from anyone's grave. But since we've been here we go every year with Grandpa and it feels like a very nice thing to do. I meant to bring my camera but I'm afraid I forgot it so you'll just have to imagine how the place looked. There were little American flags on all the veterans' graves and they looked like they covered most of that cemetery. Michael was saying that during World War II there were 27 million people in uniform, most everybody that was able-bodied, and now these veterans are dying at the rate of 1,000 per day. 

I think it's important to think of their sacrifice at least once a year and be grateful and appreciative.

Day at the Temple / Judy

Yesterday Lloyd took the day off work and we both took the Stake bus down to the L.A. temple. What a great way to do it! We left at 6:00 am and also picked up people in Pismo and Santa Maria and we were there at 9:45. We did a session that had 70 people in it which must be pretty good for a Tuesday, then ate lunch in the cafeteria. Then we went through the 1:30 session as the witness couple (there were only about half the number of people as in the morning). We left at 4:00 and were home by 7:30 pm. It was wonderful.

When we were  milling around at the church in the morning before we left, there was one short elderly lady in a prim blouse and skirt, sensible shoes and her white hair in a bun. I assumed she was from another ward, but it turns out she was the bus driver! Lloyd asked her how long she'd been driving these huge busses and she said 25 years. She did a good job too, muscleing that behemoth around Los Angeles. 

All the way down in the morning we mostly slept (Lloyd slept almost the whole way) and then read or did other fun stuff like crosswords puzzles. So it was a fun day and we really enjoyed it both because we didn't have to drive ourselves and because it's been months since we were able to go to the temple.

Saturday / Judy

We had a fun Saturday because Lloyd was home from work and we took advantage of it. First, we went to a matinee of "Les Mis" after eating lunch at Red Lobster. The play was outstanding with costumes and all the main characters doing their parts. I've been haunted by that music ever since. 

Then we got home in time to greet Lani, above with Grandpa, who drove up from L.A. She's been staying with her sister Michiko and wanted to see Grandpa while she was fairly close. Michiko and Brandon couldn't come because they were sick so she drove up by herself. She just stayed the one night, then left the next morning to see her uncle and then drove back. She and Grandpa spent all night (till she went to bed) visiting and enjoying each other's company. They didn't even need us, so we left them to it.

Tonight we're doing something kind of fun. Ben wrote a play and they are going to do a reader's theater kind of thing with it tonight for an audience. He asked some of his acting friends from school to play the parts and they've had a couple rehearsals so it should be interesting. We're looking forward to seeing it since he's been working on it for months.

Les Mis And A Web Site / Judy

If you've seen Hilary's blog, you know several of us (me and Michael, Kristen. Nathan and Jonathan, Hilary and Dave, and Liberty) saw the understudy rehearsal of Les Mis because Ben is understudying Javert, the villain. It was truly amazing! I have purposely avoided seeing that play because I knew it would be very sad, I mean, just look at the title. Ben was wonderful, both in his acting and also in his singing. He has a beautiful, powerful baritone voice that filled the theater.

There were several moving moments that brought me to tears, even the suicide scene. Up to that point, you don't like Javert at all, but still that scene is heartbreaking. And the ending is so uplifting and inspirational...I had no idea.

On to another topic. In the the grocery store the other day I saw a cookbook I nearly bought called "200 recipes under 200 calories." But I decided I didn't need another cookbook, although I may relent and get it later. However, there was a web site attached to it that I went to and it also has lots of healthy, low-calorie recipes and I'd recommend it. It's Hungry-Girl.com.