Still in Party Mode!

Will wonders never cease!?!?!  Honestly, I'm so amazed at the kindness of comments, expressions of love and generosity on so many levels that I'm nearly speechless.  Okay.  That is not true.  I'm never very close to being nearly speechless!!  It is all so unexpected and sincere and thus so joyous to me!

Basking in the warmth of those friends I love, whatever the means of communication was just tender and touching all the way around.

Yesterday was filled with wonder of Temple and then surprises in abundance AND it continued today.  This afternoon two friends wanted to take me to lunch.  We'd last gone on Jan. 10th, Myra Faye's birthday, so it was a sentimental journey and one that sounded fun.  The surprise was it ended up with 7 amazing women, sharing time/food/love, with me.  Is this what happens when you turn 75?  Do people start thinking...We better play now because who knows how long she'll be around?  Whatever the thinking it was just stupendous!!  Did I tell you I love my friends and that of course includes you!!!  xoxoxox

I kept that Temple counsel prompt/prod to not run from pictures and to post them.  well, at least some of them!!  Going from absolutely no pictures to wearing a hat and flower in my hair, for a picture, was a long stretch BUT I did do it.  AND then to post it!!!  Me being brave!

Ageless Party Girls!!!

Gang of 4 Rowdies!!

adorable!!!  Sweeties!

MyBeautifulMaryLynne.... Looking healthy and gorgeous!!!

Strong and powerful and beautiful and loved friends!!!!  Welcome Maddie!

am I brave or cuckoo?  okay.  I agree.  Both!!!

On the restaurant table when we walked in.  That Carol!!  such a talent!!!

So my sister, Dixie called and wanted to know about the lunch and most especially wanted to know if I wore my pen.  No.  I wore my denim jacket. She then told me that the trend (at least in Eagle ID and other more sophisticated places) was to wear pens on everything.  to even put them on purses etc.  I promised to wear it when I go to the high school play next week.

Remember my sister loves to shop, is fashionable and has a real fashion flair about her.  She became that way when rhinestones were on everything and the rage when we were teen girls.  She collects jewelery.  Not just any old jewelery but regal creations and the more bling the happier she is.  I am the recipient of bling on my birthday and Christmas.  She will have purchased two, of the same pin design in the past, and then at some point I will receive a sparkly Swarovski Crystal or something suitable for the red carpet.

75 years old.  She thought that was a milestone as did I.  Deserving of a Nolan Miller rose.  Nolan Miller designed all of the clothes on the long ago hit show Dynasty.  Breathtaking detail on all of his jewels.  He designed for all sorts of movie stars and politicians wives like Nancy Reagan.  So here is my show-stopper rose.  look for it on my denim jacket!  It just may blind the actors on stage during Willie Wonka show!!

each petal individually made.  the stem is stunning!

and then the red box!!!! jam packed with pearls.  Now I have to admit that Dixie found these but my precious husband bought them for me!  They are gorgeous!!  They are in a red lined metal box and from the same company, Camrose & Kross, that made faux pearls the way Jacqueline Kennedy liked them and other wealthy socialites.  They are glass based and hand decorated to a gorgeous pearl lustre.  A bit more name dropping...Coco Channel designed these and the Presidents wife had a necklace exactly like this one.  You can take the bottom strand and drop it over the top strand and that was the Chanel look.  This was the last of the Jacqueline Kennedy replica jewelery and they destroyed the, testing equipment, right on the TV show (yes. It's QVC.  My sister adores QVC!) and they will not do the Kennedy collection again.  the pearls are all individually hand tied and I really think it's a royal looking necklace. made all the more special because Terry really wanted me to have it.  Sigh.  That is romantic!  Maybe I'll wear them every Sunday???  I want you to see them so please check them out.  (I'll bring rubber gloves for you to wear when you touch them!!!)

Love my purty pearly whites!!!!

So I worked some on the green trunk.  jam packed with assorted letters and printed stuff.  Found a program from 1992 at a Selah event and wondered why I had it with my goodies.  opened it and read it and found I gave a workshop presentation at a conference for single adults.  I wasn't single but was an adult and it says I was there!  Have no remembrance of doing it!!  age 75 can be brutal, huh?

The Green Trunk....

topped with 56 year old blue corduroy baby shoes.  worn by all 4 sons.

Oh, my this is going to take me until I'm 80!!!  A trunk to sort!!  

I'm on such a birthday high that maybe I'll just float right through it!!!  (uh-huh. sure! of course!)

Focus on the things I can do that others can't.  this fits the bill!

Oh, I just remembered....Today, Friday, is the day I started my blog.  I'm going to keep doing it.  3 years ago or was it 4?  anyhow.  I know it was today.  onward.  to another 3 or 4 yers.  Oh, right....I mean one more year!!  May 2015!

Highway directions....

Several of my birthdays have come and gone but there have been many that have just sort of passed by, like flipping a calendar page.  A signature few I've anticipated...50, 60, 65, not 70 but oh, my I've been waiting for 75!  So curious to feel it.  So filled with wondering if it will be any different from yesterday when I was a mere 74.  Yes!  it is different!  To think I've lived 3/4 a century on this earth!!  That I'm only 25 years from being 100 years old!  I marvel at all I've seen...the progression in so many things like all devices... the gospel advances and advanced changes in so many areas in organizing and teaching...to see the flip side of so much good with so much evil abounding and disasters and God being taken out of everything including Christmas.  Mortality is just an amazing incredible journey.

Today on the freeway when I turned at a certain place the normal highway markings turned to small squares--exit only the road print read--you must exit.  then no blocks and just a solid yellow line.  Like a hospital monitor flat-line.  Analogy for life.  Right on the highway!  There comes an exit time.

Exit Lane Living.  My new stage of life.

So I started out going to map out my next 30 years and put the sheen on it at the Temple.  Receive some confirmation along with some revelation as to what I need to do.

I'm so glad that I went!  One thing for sure...I'll go to the Temple on each of my allotted birthdays!  It was bliss!  Loved it!  Great way to start the day and what a wonderful day it has been.

First of all when I got into my Temple bag, I noticed the snow white lace on my packet that had the CR Temple embroidered along with my full name.  I remember being surprised when Myra Faye gifted me with that soon after the Temple was open.  It was so unexpected and I've enjoyed and appreciated it.  Today when I looked at it, I thought to myself...wonder how many times she will suddenly be brought to my mind. Today she certainly was.

I thought of the fact that she was only 4 months older than me and she is gone.  It made me really desire to figure out what is the best thing I can do with my time allotment.

Several things came to mind and I will act on them.  I was concerned as to how was I going to possibly get all the things done that I wanted to do.  As you know I've been trying for 2 years to organize etc and between Terry's stroke, his recovery, residual effects of that, then pneumonia and all sorts of gall bladder stuff that became an ordeal...I just felt myself falling further and further behind as far as I could see.

I'd made a list and knew which way I was headed and I was making headway until the pneumonia/gallbladder episodes.  When I'd made the list of house things, I'd also made a secondary list of things to do when that first list was done.  All sorts of things like organize the green trunk filled with old letters, organize and write about an interview I did with my mother and tell about the pictures we used, organize all photos and label them, and all sorts of stuff like that.

I ended up feeling that my intents were good and yes, the house needed to be sorted etc. but my ladder, so to speak, was propped up against the wrong wall!  I needed to reverse the lists and have the 1st list be 2nd and vice versa.  My energies needed to be spent doing things that others wouldn't know what to do with it.  To do things that only I knew what needed to be done.  IF I sped off the exit lane then someone else could bring a trash can in and a small shovel and just toss everything cluttery but they wouldn't know what those letters were about, or who the people were/the place and time of pictures.  I really like that idea...spend your major time on things that only you can do.  To write.  Do Family Search.  all sorts of things. My tasks!

One other direction...to take my Patriarchal Blessing and see how I am really doing on bringing those blessings into my life.  Compare my progress on that challenge with the last blessing Greg gave me when he was here. 

A really strange idea but nonetheless I will do it, is to allow pictures of me to be taken.  I know.  I know.  but I am not a lover of having my picture taken much less shared in any form BUT I will heed that counsel as it certainly was not my idea!!

I left my list in the car but I'll keep you posted on my new set of projects...starting with the green trunk.  I'm excited.  I really understood the message and embraced it...do those things that only you can do.  I understand.  I will heed.

Then a bit of practicality.  I've always wanted to live to 105 BUT today I felt that is fine to think that would be exciting and interesting to live and see all that will transpire with the Lord surely coming somewhere long before that BUT I was told to focus one year at a time, from birthday to birthday.  So I will!

Truly love the Temple and totally know the Lord will help us and reveal to us personal things to help us along.

Have now propped my ladder against the correct wall.  Switched list A and B.  Ready to go.

In the meantime... What a fantastic birthday I had!!!  Thanks for phone calls, emails, notes on my daughters FB, flowers and candy and cookies and cake and cards and bushels of best wishes and love.  I am so blessed!  xoxoxoxo

Unreal!!!!

Will explain another time!

Really!  How prompt was that nudging accomplished?  Me.  75.  uh-huh.

Seeking the Source

good morning! 

So...I'm headed to the Temple.  Today is my birthday and I need to go Temple visiting in order to deal with being 75 years old!!  I guess I need to own it!  75!!  oh, Wow!!  that is 3/4 of a century old!!

So... I'm closer to leaving earth-life than arriving--

 So... I'm going there fully expecting direction as to what would be most appropriate/beneficial/best use of time for the next 30 years.  Terry doesn't want to live that long but I've always felt that 105 years was a good number to achieve.  With stipulations of being able to care for myself, of course.

So... I'm heading out to receive some revelatory guidelines, for exit lane living, as I totally believe that the Temple is a place of personal revelation and I'm going to go get some!! 

So... I seem to have no compunction to keep anything to myself since I started my blog, that being said--I'll share my life direction heading into the last 30 years of my mortal experience after I go to the Temple.