Call me the "R.A."

Some of you may have been away to college at a point in your life, and you may have had the experience of living in a dorm or apartment with a bunch of college kids. I did, and had such a great time with wonderful memories ....Well.....I am all grown up now, with 4 grown kids, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and 3 grandchildren, and guess what? I'm back living in a dorm......
Yes, we call our home the "Smith Dorm." Why, you say....? Well, here's who lives with us....Randy and I (the R.A.'s of sorts)...and then 5 kids ranging in age from 20 - 23 years old, either related or related by marriage, and one nice young man getting ready to leave on his mission. Most of these "Smith Dorm" residents are college students and working, except one who has already graduated. It is interesting having 7 adults living under one roof, and it is amazing to me how well everyone gets along. It becomes even more interesting when friends come to visit or spend the night, and when Sarah and her family come over to join in the fun.
One memory I will have of this time in my life as one of the "resident advisors" of this group is the fun we have. There is a lot of laughter, and that brightens any day. There are some challenges, like who get the upstairs shower, and the never-ending grocery store trips, but over all I have been amazed at how congenial everyone has been.
Don't get me wrong....this dormitory will be closing for business as soon as certain people move out to their own abodes, or leave on missions, etc.....and then it will be quite. And I have to say, that since I know that our "dorm mates" may be moving out close to the same time, I am trying to relish this fun "dormitory" time of our life before it comes to an end.

School's out.....Summer Fun!

I'll never forget the feeling when I was in college (as a young person, and then when I went back to get my R.N. degree a little over 10 years ago), right after all of my final exams were over at the end of each semester. I always had this feeling of great relief. I felt like a load was literally lifted from me, and I almost felt physically lighter. Well, I kind of get that same feeling each spring when my job as a RN Mentor at Nursing School comes to a close. I get the summers off! On my last day of work each May, I always walk down the health science division stairs and feel such a sense of freedom. It's not that I don't enjoy my job. It's actually a wonderful job and I truly enjoy assisting the nursing students through their rigorous program. However, I feel so fortunate to have the summers off , to catch up with things around the house, to spend more time with family and friends, and just to re-energize myself before the school year starts all over again.
Some of things I enjoy doing during the summer months are: beach bon fires making "smores," beach outings with the grandchildren, going to the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, family vacations, sitting on the lounge chair in the backyard in the sun and listening to the birds, backyard bar-b-ques, staying up late and watching movies, and sleepovers at Aster Street (my parent's little "beach house" in Laguna Beach). What are some things you enjoy doing during the summer? Do you have any fun summer memories?

Mother's Day Thoughts

How grateful I am to be a mother and a grandmother. Because of all that is required of a mother of what society these days considers a "large" family, I feel that I have, and continue to often walk through the "refiners" fire. There have been those late nights attempting to get a new baby back to sleep and late nights waiting up for a teenager who has passed her curfew.....There have been late nights sitting up and laughing with the kids and their friends and late nights holding a child who had a bad dream or was afraid of the lightening. There have been late nights sitting next to a hospitalized child who was reeling from the effects of chemotherapy or recovery from leg surgery....and then those miracle days when the news would arrive that the follow up tests were clear, and the cancer was gone.
I have sat through our kids numerous performances, sporting events, talks, graduations - sometimes with a mother's nervous stomach and wanting them to do their best, so that they would feel good about what they accomplished.
I have sat with a daughter who had just learned the news that her first born would come in to this world with challenges, and not knowing the extent of the problem, I have watched that same daughter put her faith in the Lord, and put her fear behind her. I have seen her step out in faith to nurture that little one....and in time two more.
I am grateful to have shared and to continue to share these experience as a mother, and as a trusted friend to our children and grandchildren. I have, and continue to learn patience, sacrifice, endurance, faith, humor, and hope.
Some people may wonder why I chose this path instead of picking a notable career or traveling the world. I would choose no other way. Because I chose to be a mother, and was allowed this great blessing to be one, my life is filled with so much richness of the heart.
And on this mother's day, I wish to share how grateful I am for this opportunity and wonderful blessing.

Our Grandson, Carter William Hull

First Grandson!

Yeah! Carter has arrived! Sarah is recovering and she and Bryant are thrilled with their new baby boy. Katie and Ella have visited the hospital and had the opportunity to hold their baby brother, and they are so cute with him. I know that Sarah's blog will soon be filled with the whole experience! (;
I am grateful for the opportunity I am having to enjoy this wonderful phase in life of grandparenting. I feel that it is indeed a blessing in my life. To watch your own child parent children is fascinating. When our children were really small, it seemed as if they would always be that size, and Randy and I sometimes felt that the work would never end. It is physically challenging to raise a large family when they are small. However, now that they are all grown, and some of them are"growing" their own families, I realize how quickly that time of their childhood went by. It seems like yesterday that they were just babies themselves. For any of you who may be reading this who have young ones, please know that the time will go swiftly by. There is nothing more precious than the time you have with those little ones as you guide and nurture them. I am just so grateful that even though they are grown, I can still be a part of their lives and we can continue to grow and progress in new and wonderful ways!

Family Traditions

As I was contemplating some of the traditions we have in our family, I realized how they truly do bind families together. It is that special something that makes each family unique. In our family, during a designated time on Christmas Eve, the cousins all run down my parents hallway and out the door to see if Santa has come They are joined by their parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who line the hallway banging pots and pans. This is tradition that was brought over by my German great-grandparents. We have done it every Christmas Eve that I remember.
On birthday's we used to hide the kids presents under our bed, and then when it was time to open them, everyone jumped up on our bed and the siblings would take turns bringing a presents out from under the bed. This is another tradition I adopted from my growing up years.
A tradition I started about 10 years ago is "dinner-in-a-pumpkin" on Halloween....Initially no one wanted to eat the yummy stew-like substance I cooked into a real pumpkin, but now if I say I'm not cooking dinner in a pumpkin on Halloween....I receive death threats! (J/K)
Anyway.....I was wondering if you guys have some traditions that you would like to share.
Or traditions that you have been thinking of starting.

Party Central

I hope that on my tombstone they put :"she loved a good party." It's funny how some people think you need alcohol and other stuff like that to have "fun." That is so not true. Give me some good old rock and roll, and some fun people, and it's a party for sure. I love it when fun people get together and laugh and share time together. The other night, for my birthday, the kids and grandkids were over, and we played pictionary. It was a simple game, but it was such a blast. It doesn't take much to have a fun time. Ella (almost 3 years), kept drawing in a circle for her turn at pictionary, and we kept guessing...what was funny about it was that she didn't know what she was drawing, but kept saying "no, no" to anything we guessed, until she finally liked what someone guessed she was supposed to be drawing. But in the meantime, she just kept drawing circles on the dry erase board. Simple fun!