The Love Box

IT COULDN'T BE DONE

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't" but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face.  If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting and quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it!

There are thousands to tell  you it cannot be done.
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it:
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.
Edgar A. Guest-


My sister Michelle and her family put together a box for Jason.  When it arrived, I must admit I was humbled.  I was expecting a few treats and notes.  What he is receiving is a "Love Box."  It's filled it treats, small toys and quotes of encouragement.  So much love and thoughtfulness was put in to this box.  The box actually lifted my spirits, too!

The above poem was so appropriate for what Jason is going through.  A big thanks to the Jones family!  You made a tough week a little brighter!
Queen Mother

Multiply by 50

I remember when my kids were young, people would tell me horror stories about their kids.  I remember thinking "My boys would never do that."  I thought if I raised them right, got them involved in sports, lived in good neighborhoods, had a close relationship, I would get through it.  I was so wrong.

A nice man recently told me "If your kids are messing around with drugs, take what you know and multiply it by 10."  He was being nice.  Take what they admit to then multiply it by 50.

The signs were there.  His appearance changed, stomach aches, missed school, scratchy throat, mood swings, missing money, missing clothes (that's a new one to me), theft and strange odors in the basement.  I thought it was just pot and I could steer him in the right direction.  We saw counselors, changed schools, started hobbies, hockey, you name it.  For 2 years I was fooled.

Thank God for tough love.  I finally managed to toughen up.  But I was not prepared for what I was about to experience.  My son is addicted to drugs.  Take what they admit to and multiply it by 50.

 Detox- don't think LDS Hospital or Psychiatrists are there to help.  They took a kid who went in for detox and loaded him up on legal drugs.  After 7 days in detox, I was given back a zombie.  The staff informed him on a regular basis, that he was an adult and didn't need to have me involved in his care.  So he left with 7 prescriptions.  1 of them was very addictive.  He also met several new "good" friends.  Thank goodness a pharmacist gave us the "OHMYHELL" look and confirmed our concerns about his drugs.

Select Med thinks 4-5 hours, 4 days a week of out-patient rehab will do the trick.  He must fail twice at out-patient care before they will pay for in-patient help.  After several days of research we found a rehab we were comfortable with.  I'm trusting that the professionals will do their job.  My son's problems are much bigger than me.

I saw a text message from one of his friends that said "If you give me a ride, I'll give you a Xanax."  Ahhhh it's nice to have good friends.

Stay in touch...this should be a fun ride!
Queen Mother

Bumps in the Road

As soon as I started my "Happiness Project," I was hit with some family issues that made it really hard to stay positive and cheerful. It seems I can't escape all the little bumps in the road that drain my energy.

One thing that has been brought to my attention (once again) is - I'm quite the enabler. This momma chick doesn't know how to cut the apron strings. This past week, I decided to let the little chick get out of his own shell. Easter Sunday, I was blessed with the news that our little chick had decided it was time for a change. We dropped all the Easter plans and headed for another IHC Hotel.

I'm sure we will have many more bumpy roads ahead. But today, I'm celebrating victory. I'm so blessed to have family that rally together when things get tough. I'm proud of our little chick who decided family bonds are worth the fight.

Happy Easter!

#12 There Is Only Love

The Happiness Project's 12th commandment is "There is Only Love." This topic is what I've decided to work on in March. Gretchin points out the research that shows happiness is marriage dramatically drops after the first child arrives. Children and teenagers put so much pressure on marriages. Although Harold and I haven't had children together, lately our children have required a lot of energy.

Chapter Topics:

Quit nagging

Don't expect praise or appreciation

Fight right

No dumping

Give proofs of love

Harold and I never fight. Obviously, I'll should work on my nagging. The topic that did catch my attention was "Give proofs of love." When I read the quote by Pierre Reverdy: "There is no love; there are only proofs of love" I appreciated Gretchin's comments "Whatever I might feel in my heart, others will see only in my actions."

It may sound corny, but there is nothing Harold and I can't tackle together. 9 children - no problem! I don't ever want to take for granted that Harold knows how much I love him. I'm going to work harder to give proofs of my love. So it's time to stop typing and take my sweetie some coffee!

Queen Mother

New Zealand

There is really no way to describe the beauty of New Zealand. Some places reminded us of Alaska and other parts Montana. It was all about the scenery, serenity and sheep.

Fjord land National Park

We were lucky and had our cabin on the back of the ship, which gave us great views!

Napier, New Zealand was by far the most fun. This is where I applied a "Happiness Project" rule - Be Karen. We took a very LONG, bumpy bus ride to the river and went on a jet boat ride. These boats are very fast and turn on a dime. The boats only need 4" of water to operate. Our driver was a riot! He would head straight for a huge rock and turn at the very last second. He would do 360's, which I thought would be no big deal, but OHMYHELL!!! I haven't been that scared in a long time, but I laughed the entire way!

"Crazy"

Shot of the other boat doing a 360

This sign cracked me up. I thought he was exaggerating the "hold handles" rule! I tried to take pictures and not hold on to the handles. I ended up with video of the boat floor.

On the rocks you can see red paint, where the boats got a little too close!

2 V8 engines, water jet propelled

People were bungee jumping off the bridge

The Mud House Winery

Wellington, New Zealand

River rafting

Rolling hills and farmland everywhere!

My favorite time of day...sunset

Sunset on the balcony

View leaving Auckland, New Zealand

The rain forest at The Bay of Islands

The Adventure Down Under

During rough seas, I picked up my book "The Happiness Project." This book has been compared to "Julie & Julia" and "Eat, Pray, Love" and I can see why. I love both of those books, so I really enjoyed reading T.H.P. The book explores Gretchen Rubin's journey of spending a year trying to explore happiness and have more fun. She created Gretchin's 10 commandments, which she originally started to be resolutions. Her #1 commandment is "Be Gretchin." In a nutshell, it's to do things you like to do, not what other people claim to be important or fun.

During our trip, I tried to apply some of her tips. I'll point them out as I blog.

Day #1 Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Opera House

View from our back balcony on the ship

Street Performers (the music makes you want to go fight a crocodile)

View of the coast as we were headed out to sea

OHMYHELL the best oysters we've ever had!

Harold showing the tree who's boss!

Hello from Down Under!

It's day 3 of our Aussie/New Zealand adventure. We flew in to Syndey on Thursday. Australia is a place I've wanted to go since I was a teenager. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Everyone reminded me so much of my nephews. It made me wish we had flown to Perth instead! Harold and I enjoyed touring the Opera House and ate the best oysters we've ever had!

On to the ship...leaving Syndey Harbor we hit very rough water. We've spent 2 days trying to keep our balance! After trying to run on the treadmill, I finally broke down and took sea sick pills, which wiped me out! IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

Funny thing:
Try passing Australians in the halls of the ship. They drive on the left side of the road and pass on the left side of the hall!

Tomorrow we arrive in The Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The sea has finally calmed down! We had lamb for dinner..."when in Rome." We love and miss you all!

Bingo Betty