Surprise!!!

     I love, love, LOVE, surprises!!!  And I got the best one tonight about twenty minutes ago.  I haven't gone skiing with my dad since 2005.  2006 and 2007 found me in the blessed land of Texas, 2008 was my dad's heart attack recovery period, and the 2009 season looked questionable after my dad fractured his tibia in December.  However, the docs said that if my dad followed all the rules of his recovery from day one, he may be able to manage some spring skiing.  Well, that was the surprise tonight - the announcement that his docs gave him the go-ahead at his check up today for skiing.  So, we get to go at my nearest possible convenience.  WOO-HOO!  I guess I'm so excited because it's been such a long time since I've gotten to ski with my very best pal - Papa Irvine.  =)=)=)

Higher Ground

     Not much to say, except that I read this in a talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, and I love the reaction that followed in my mind and heart.  Can't wait for this weekend...

"In every age we are faced with a choice.  We can trust in our own strength, or we can journey to higher ground and come unto Christ.  Each choice has a consequence.  Each consequence, a destination."

Crossroads

If I were a poet, I'd come up with something brilliant on paper to describe the process of making decisions.  We make them all the time, some are made unconsciously, but others press on our minds frequently, requiring a little more attention and effort.  If you were to choose the five most important decisions you've made in your life thus far, I wonder what they would be.  I wonder which I would choose for myself.  Deciding to serve a mission?  It's most likely on the list.  Altering my dream of pursuing medicine to become an art historian instead?  Surprisingly enough, I think this makes the list as well.  There are hundreds to choose from - thousands even - that have carved out the path I find myself on.  I guess decisions have been on my mind lately.  It sure is interesting to think about the actual process of making a decision.  Obviously it's different for each person, which is fascinating to think about.  What and who influences their decision-making, and in what capacity?  So many questions!!!  Rarely does a decision affect only the decision-maker, which is why it's so interesting to observe this process in others.  Your decision today could affect mine tomorrow, and vice versa.  What a pleasantly complex world we live in!  Since I'm not a poet, I'll borrow the words of others, some of which highlight what I'm thinking/feeling/pursuing/wondering/considering/questioning/etc. and potentially influencing what I decide to do and how to do it:

"You are now at a crossroads.  This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make.  Forget your past.  Who are you now?  Who have you decided you really are now?  Don't think about who you have been.  Who are you now?  Who have you decided to become?  Make this decision consciously.  Make it carefully.  Make it powerfully."  --Anthony Robbins

"Unless your heart, your soul, and your whole being are behind every decision you make, the words from your mouth will be empty, and each action will be meaningless.  Truth and confidence are the roots of happiness."  --Anonymous

"I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude.  It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position.  Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress.  It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope.  When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."  --Charles R. Swindoll

"When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not.  Disagreement, at this stage, stimulates me.  But once a decision has been made, the debate ends.  From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own."  --Colin Powell

I like these quotes a lot.  One reason for that is coming to understand how much I appreciate and respect people who are decisive.  Once the solution is figured out, it is carried out.  I like that - a lot.  And the funny thing is, at least for me, I usually know from day one exactly what my decision will be.  Yet I still spin numerous options around and around seeing if anything else even comes close to what I know I'm going to do.  Not sure why that is, but I think it's getting easier to trust my initial instincts as I get to know myself better, and feel comfortable with who I really am.  I'm smiling inside as I'm writing this because circumstances are falling into place that prove the decisions I'm currently making have, in fact, already been made.  Now it's time to carry them out.

Year of the Ox

     Happy Chinese New Year!!!  Even though that event has come and gone for most people, the Irvines just barely decided to celebrate.  2009 is the year of the Ox, but each of us at the party had to figure out what animal we are and read the description.  I don't have the exact reading that Karen had, but here's what I found for the year of the Rat (1984).  "The Rat is respected, and considered a courageous, enterprising person.  People born in the Year of the Rat are clever, bright, sociable, and family-minded.  They have broad interests and strong ability in adapting to the environment and able to react adequately to any changes.  They are gifted in many ways and have an easy going manner.  They are active and pleasant, tactful and fantastic, and are able to grasp opportunities.  They seem to have interests in everything and hope to participate in doing it and usually do it very well."  Quite the flattering description, though I do remember in the one I read yesterday that Rat people like to gossip and are easily angered.  I guess we can't all be perfect, but thanks to Buddha, I know what I need to work on.  =)  I thought it was cool that the rat was the first of the twelve animals to show up to say farewell to Buddha before he departed for good, so the rat begins the twelve year sequence.  Since I know you're all dying to know the order, here it is: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and finally, the Boar.  We had at least one of every animal except for the dragon at the party.  Never a dull moment with the Irvine/Stevens/Mitchell crew!!!

Decorations are a must at these get-togethers.  Karen always goes above and beyond.

This is Paul (a Ram) - greatest uncle ever!

Introducing....Beth!  The Chinese version is just as adorable as the English version.  I'd like to claim her as my niece, but technically, she's my cousin Alison's daughter.

These are the Mitchell children - Michael, Beth, and Megan.  They keep the rest of us entertained at these parties.

Almost all of the grandkids - only Jarom and Kai are missing.

I have no idea why I am so enthralled by Michael, but this kid is sooooo ADORABLE and insanely HILARIOUS!!!  I'm just barely beginning to understand what he is saying when he talks.  He definitely speaks his own language, but he is all smiles, so it doesn't really matter what he is trying to say.

One reason why I hesitate to get my hair cut - when it's short I can't do cool things with flowers and sticks and other random accessories like I did for this party.  Happy I can finally do crazy things again - it's been awhile.

     That takes care of Sunday, but this whole weekend was full of adventures with the family.  Paul invited me, Stevie (his son-in-law), and Cindy (his daughter-in-law) to go skiing with him at Brighton on Friday.  We all had a blast in the freezing weather, but were happy to exchange the ski boots for normal shoes after five or six hours of skiing.  We found out while riding up the lift that all of us had tickets to go to the U of U gymnastics meet that night.  When I showed up at Hire's to meet my parents for dinner, lo and behold, the whole extended family was there too!  The meet was really fun (it didn't hurt that the U won), and we even snagged some life-size posters of Kristina Baskett (which we gave to Megan and Beth at the party).  We did a re-enactment of the picture below, and that's when Steve decided that a real person is much more fun than a mere representation.....

And besides, Kristen is a much better name than Kristina...

FCYD/Brighton Part II

As promised, here are some pictures from my adventures with FCYD at Brighton this past Friday.  I had the wonderful opportunity to accompany Lois (a counselor), Sam and Paydon.  Good times were had by all!  The pics speak for themselves...

Sam managed to trip over himself while waiting to get in line on Majestic.  This kid cracked me up the whole afternoon!

Paydon and I were both soooo happy when the sun decided to quit being bashful and come out for good after hiding behind the clouds all morning.

Sam and Lois, disembarking from the Majestic lift, donning the famous (or infamous in some instances) FCYD bandanas on their right legs.  Brighton ski patrol immediately knows what they're up against when they spot those bandanas in accidents and what not...

Sam liked to think that he won every race we had down the mountain.  Right.  He somehow managed to overlook the fact that I was usually waiting for him in order to capture some kodak moments.  Kids these days....  =)

You can't see their faces very well, but they're making faces in protest of the "Slow" sign.  Who likes to go slow when you're downhill skiing?!?!?!  Right after I took this picture, Sam managed to get tangled up as he tried to ski underneath the sign with little to no speed.  Hilarious.

The three of us after a great afternoon of skiing together

Another gorgeous view looking West.  Oh the beauty of the majestic Rocky Mountains...