In Other News:

At the beginning of September we got new cell phones.  Yay!
Then the next week our computer crashed - boo!
We've spent almost a month trying to retrieve the data - double boo!
And it's going to cost us a small fortune - triple boo!
But having my vacation pictures back and all my documents for PTO, WCM and random stuff is double yay!

The York Fair

As a child, I thought this was about the coolest place ever.  It is America's First Fair, just in case you didn't know.  It will be 250 years old next year.  There are rides, games, food and exhibits and sadly an admittance fee.  So when I was younger my parents would take us once usually each year.

Each year, I hear about the York Fair, even though I live almost an hour away.  This year I decided to take my kids.  Well there is still an entrance fee and so $50ish later we were all in and had done nothing.  We looked at exhibits, walked around, the kids had brought some of their own money to spend how they chose. 

I finally realized why my parents weren't that big of fans.  It wasn't that great as an adult.  Everything was exorbitantly priced, some of the people there were a little less than savory, and I can only enjoy walking around spending oodles of money on crap for so long.  But I'm glad my kids got to go.

The stuff I did like though was the candy display, the model exhibits and the butter sculpture and I guess the small zoo - I mean there is nothing like getting a picture with a zebra's butt.

Mantra Maven

I love a good mantra, a motto, a catchphrase - what have you.

I believe in the power of positive messages and self fulfilling prophecies.  So it is with beliefs that I have spent my adult like coming up with them for myself, for my family, whatever.  When our children were younger we made family ones.  They have changed over the years based on our needs but the two that remain through all the years have been...

1.  Whitings can do hard things.
2.  We don't say can't, we say what can I do?

Then as my kids got older and I decided to reclaim some of my time and body, I returned to my love of sports and working out.  I was frustrated to see that some of my previous inherent talent and abilities had decreased or diminished.  As I started working out again and was faced with something tough, my mind would ring with the words "you are a tough beast, you've got this".  Today I like to think I am in pretty good shape. 

As the years have gone by I have adopted new ones to suit my current needs or goals.  Just this past month, I created a new one.  The older I get the more involved I become in activities of my children, of my church, and in my community.  I interact with all different kinds of people.  I have felt frustrated to see they are so different from me, usually not in ways I like.  I have always respected and admired how patient my husband is.  So after careful thought, I have come up with...

1.  I am a tolerant, patient and kind person.

Whenever I think an uncharitable thought, feel myself becoming frustrated or overwhelmed, I say these words to myself.  Depending on my level of angst, they can be said many times and sometimes audibly.  Travis has laughed as he has seen me a time or two muttering these words to myself.  But that's okay, because it's worked every other time.  I feel confident it will work this time again.  So coming soon to a neighborhood near you, please welcome Mary, a tolerant, patient and kind person.

My Heart Breaks...

Today I ran into an old friend whom I hadn't seen in a bit.  She hugged me, told me I looked great, asked how I was.  I likewise turned around and inquired the same.  I knew she had recently had a job change and I inquired about that.  She said, "Oh - you haven't heard."  Well she told me the story.  It was that she had an affair, had gotten caught, lost her husband, her home, her life.  Add to that she had cheated with a coworker's husband.  Needless to say the job change was needed.  After she quickly asked, "Please don't judge me.  I respect you too much and hope you still think you can like me."  I replied of course I still could like her.  And I wouldn't judge harshly, as I had done innumerable things I regret and wished I hadn't.  Her remorse was overwhelming and all I felt was a deep sadness and a little despair. 

This is a lovely person.  And I know nothing about the events that led up to this event or about the inner minds of those involved.  I do know the coworker also and my heart broke for her too, because even though she didn't tell me - I'm sure her heart is broken and she feels shame and/or embarrassment too about the whole situation.  As I left, I couldn't help but worry about every person involved.

Next my mind turned to the many couples who I know who are currently struggling in their marriages.  Two friends of Travis and mine are separating or want to.  I don't know what to tell them, how to help them.  I wonder if I should be worrying about my own marriage.  It seems like all around my the collapse of relationships and families are occurring.  And as I hear about or see these things, words from The Family: A Proclamation to the World come to my mind.  The family really is the fundamental unit of society.  With its destruction, our societies corrode and values and morals become harder to teach. 

I hope my husband and I have done enough and are doing enough.  I hope the base of open communication will allow us to express problems to one another early on that we can work to overcome.  I hope that our commitment to one another and to our own morals will help prevent us from possibly falling into these types of traps.  I hope, I hope, I hope for everyone, everywhere...that as they face these types of decisions in their lives and their marriages that they are guided and inspired on how to act and what to do and that they follow those good inspirations.

I love the family, my family.  More so this year as we study the Proclamation in Primary.  They are an eternal unit.  This concept has been foreordained by a loving Father in Heaven to help us succeed here on Earth, because he loves us.  So if you are reading this, think of the good things.  Think of the positive, tell your spouses how much you appreciate them, love on your children, reconnect with those in your family you have become estranged from.  I implore you, because my heart doesn't like to fell this kind of useless hurting.