Trusting Spiders

I was standing at the sink in my bathroom washing my face at the close of a seemingly uneventful Wednesday when a small movement on the wall to the right of me caught my attention. I turned my head and saw a small, brown spider taking a jaunt up the wall and in no time it was headed across the door frame and then back up the wall again towards the ceiling. Feeling generous, and perhaps a little over confident concerning the good nature I was positive this spider possessed, I decided to spare its life and let it proceed with whatever plans it had for the night.
I went on with my face washing and was right in the middle of wondering how many other people noticed my stray eyebrow before I did when . . . WHAT THE?! My spider decided to get a friend and pay me a visit by dropping vertically on their invisible webs at lightning speed! I instantly began an intense boxing match with myself in an effort to get my friend turned foe off of my shoulder, and, if nothing else, away from my face. I need this face!

I saw one spider fall to the floor and make a run for its life while the other fell into the sink and did a backstroke down the drain to what I hope was a watery grave.

This is the actual culprit... Looks friendly enough, right?

Oftentimes, seemingly small and harmless things creep into our lives. We are confident that these things. . . Weaknesses, temptations, will have no lasting effects on us and certainly lack the power to knock us down. Believe it or not, there are people who like spiders, but that doesn't make their bite any less poisonous to them than it would be for a person who despised them. Just because we like something, doesn't make it right or any less harmful.

There seems to be a confusion plaguing the entire world on whether or not there is a definite line between right and wrong or good and evil. What is right for some, others will certainly argue is wrong and vice-versa. The two sides will then proceed to fight aimlessly to protect their cause.

Here is an unpopular belief: The Lord Himself has drawn a sure line between good and evil, right and wrong. No matter how hard we try we cannot change the laws of God. As much as I would have liked for that spider in my bathroom to be friendly and non-aggressive, I couldn't change it!
2 Nephi 15:20 - "Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter."

This whole experience has caused me to reflect back about 24 years ago to a time when I saw this video. I would have been five or six years old, but I remember it and have recently found it. It's worth the time to watch!

- Mandie

Who is My Neighbor?

        One of my favorite subjects when I was in school was history. When we come to understand history, then we can also understand how we came to be where we are at today.

         In the history of the world it seems that there has always been a division among people. The division always stems from some sort of difference, whether it be political, religious, cultural or something else, the difference is always the root of the division.

         One of these great divisions took place during the time of Christ and was between the Jews and the Samaritans. Because of wars and religious differences the Jews had "no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus could have very easily used a Jew instead of a Samaritan as the person who came to the rescue of the Jewish man who had been robbed, beaten and left to die on the road, but perhaps, and I think certainly, the point of the parable was not to teach the importance of having love and compassion for those who share the same lifestyle and look the same as us, but to have that same love for all people despite our differences. (Luke 10:25-37)

        So, as I sit home on this day in commemoration of a man who lost his life trying to close the division that existed between people in our own country, I will not ask, "Who is my neighbor?", but will instead think of the words by Martin Luther King Jr: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?'"

-Mandie

Apply Yourself

I think I have always loved to write. When I graduated from High School and went off to college I met with my academic adviser who asked me what I was doing and why I was going to college. This was the moment I had been waiting for! I didn't have to draw a career out of a hat or just be assigned a community responsibility, the choice was mine and college was where it was all going to begin! I choose a major: English and Creative Writing and then somewhere between the beginning and what I would estimate to be around day 97 I found myself wishing that someone would have just assigned me a community responsibility! 

Needless to say, the English and Creative Writing degree fell by the wayside and writing became a hobby instead of a career. 

Fast forward from August 2004 to April 2013. . . The day that Mandie started a blog. Let me just say that I can see now that it's a good thing I am not counting on my "skills" as a writer to pay any bills, otherwise I would be living in the wild and wouldn't even be able to afford a pencil to write with! I have had this blog for about one year and six months and have managed to churn out a measly 32 posts! It's okay, I understand that I don't deserve a standing ovation or anything! 

As I have contemplated making a return, I have analyzed what the problem(s) could be that have caused such a minimal performance during my blogging career thus far. I am thinking way back to my Elementary days when I would get four report cards a year for six years. I'm pretty sure every single one of them said something to the effect of "Mandie is a good student, but needs to stop talking during class and apply herself more." That's right, I have a history of being a slacker! 

While I was away at college, I realized that the apartment I was living in had not had the floor mopped... EVER! Upon this realization, I decided to apply myself to a good cause and went forward with the decision to go buy a mop and to mop the floor. I made it home with the mop, filled the sink and dunked the new mop in to the fresh Pine Sol water. I soon found that I did not know how to squeeze the excess water from the mop and the slide feature that was supposed to fold the sponge and squeeze the water out seemed to be malfunctioning (or I just didn't know what I was doing). 

Here is the story in picture form:

Dunking the mop

 

Something is not working right

I'll just ride it like a broom instead

Or use it as a guitar

Or as a paddle

I obviously have a problem! The first step is admitting it, right?

I keep telling myself that I haven't blogged because I haven't had time, but believe me when I say I have found plenty of time to watch almost every single show on television, "friend" and stay up to date with all of the happenings for every person on Facebook in the world, make it to level 117 on Candy Crush AND make sure that my eyebrows are combed everyday before I leave the house. Yes, I have been busy! I came to the decision just today that I am going to make time in my super busy life to do something that I really do enjoy, and will be reintroducing myself to the four people who read my blog. I have tried a lot of new products, watched a lot of new movies and learned a lot of new lessons during my hiatus and I can't wait to share them. So be on the lookout! 

-Mandie

Disruptions Are For the Birds... Or Not

I looked out the window this morning and found a million blackbirds making themselves at home out in the yard. They were everywhere! I watched about 5 minutes of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" a couple of years ago, and that 5 minutes was enough for me to realize that movie and swarms of birds is not really my thing! I wasn't going to go outside, but I was happy to let Winston go out into the flock!
Some of you know Winston, some of you don't. Winston is the worlds biggest chicken among dogs. He is afraid of everything and had no idea what awaited him in the great outdoors this morning.

It started with just one little bird. 

Once Winston realized he had feathered strangers in his territory, he suddenly became the bravest dog in the world! He chased the bird, and then he chased a group of birds and then he found the flock, and the flock was not scared! 

Had Winston been a real dog, he could have easily sprung into action and one of the birds could have met a drool covered fate. However, today was the birds' lucky day, and they got the best of the "predator" in the grass. They are probably still laughing!

I learned a lot from the birds vs. Winston scenario. Most importantly I learned that as I sit atop my post in life, I need to be ready to react when acted upon. Winston was not very stealthy and surely the birds heard him coming, but the things that are sent to disrupt my life usually hit when I am least expecting them! They come quietly, but forcefully! I am learning that I cannot sit and just wait for the disruption to leave, that just doesn't happen! 

-Mandie 

   

I'm Still Here

For someone who doesn't like change much, I sure do love Fall! Fall is all about change! Today was the first day of Autumn and the air felt instantly cooler, the leaves looked brighter, the wind blew harder and I was happy... Not that I'm only happy one season out of the four, but this one is the best!

For some reason it is usually about this time of year that I get the hankering to go buy something, and I don't mean a candy bar or a new shirt (well, maybe a shirt), but I mean buy something like a new car! Every car I have ever bought was bought during September or October. I am, however, resisting the temptation this year and am saving up for something more reasonable, like a house!

The last few years of my life, I have made very few changes. About twelve years ago, I was a sophomore in High School. For one of my classes I was given the assignment to write a paper about what my life would be like in ten years. Those ten years have been here and gone and my sophomore ideas never came to fruition. Somewhere between the dream of living in a high rise in New York and having a pet fish to keep me company, I found myself clinging to dry, old, boring, uneventful Emery County. Pretty much everyone thinks I'm crazy for choosing to be here, but this is where almost everything is that I've found to be important to me. Where else would I be able to get dressed in the morning and find a scorpion on the pants I just put on!

Or order food and have it come home in a customized food box like this:

Or get my mail from a place like this:

This place has given me some of my greatest opportunities, learning moments and experiences that I would in no way have had somewhere else

These things and the people I find myself surrounded by everyday mean everything to me, and they make me believe that anything is possible, including flying pigs!

Change is absolutely necessary! If it weren't for change, we would all still be sitting around with diaper rash! (I don't know why I think to say some of these things). Sorry I don't have a picture to go with that last statement, so I will wrap this up with a lovely Clawson sunset!

Mandie was here, and she has never left!

-Mandie

Rust Is Beautiful

I once heard that people resemble their cars (and their dogs, but here's to hoping that's not true). I really like old cars. When I was younger, my dad had an old Dodge and I loved to ride in it! We never went too far; just around the Clawson Town blocks and occasionally down the highway for just a minute. When I opened the door and sat on the seat, I was joyful.

One Halloween, my mom and Vicki needed to get themselves to Ferron, so they fired up the ol' Dodge and before they reached their destination, it broke down leaving them stranded on the side of the highway looking like this:

The Dodge is gone now, but at least we have the dump truck:

I have only been on one cruise in this beaut. Hopefully someday, it will feel up to running some more!

And now, for the epitome of luxury in cars:

That there is the Biscayne! This car can go anywhere! One year, we loaded up the entire family and drove the Biscayne all the way up to the TV tower.

We could have easily squeezed a few more people in!

For those who don't know, the TV tower is up on the top of a mountain. The Biscayne handled those mountain roads with pure ease and smoothness. It was like gliding over the ocean waves in a canoe! So what if just before we reached the summit we blew a shock or some suspension or something and were sitting practically on the ground?  

A few years ago, my sisters were taking piano lessons and the night came for them to have their recital. You can imagine their thrill when we decided to load the family up once more and make our grand entrance at the piano recital driving the Biscayne! 

This car is loved by young and old alike. It has a minor muffler issue and sounds like a semi pulling into the yard ever since it backfired a couple of times downtown Clawson and blew a hole in the exhaust. We won't discuss how that happened! 

Looking back through the history of these fine collectible cars, it's clear to see that it doesn't take much to make my heart happy. I was just a kid when we had the Dodge, but I was a grown-up person for the other two. And if it's true that we resemble our cars, then I'm really hoping I can be the Biscayne. . . Pure class! 

This is me at the TV tower and that is the view from up there. This is so you can see that it really is on top of a mountain. 

-Mandie

Time Flies

I guess June is here and almost gone whether I like it or not. It's already the second day of Summer, I do like that because it means we are one day closer to Fall and Fall is my favorite! It could be Autumn all year long and I would be fine with that.

One year ago today, one of my favorite people left this Earth and she is hopefully up there reserving seats for all of the people who look forward to sitting with her again someday.

This is my grandma. I was lucky to have grown up just up the street from her. I spent a lot of time with her and learned a lot from her. We spent many hours playing house, and she was kind enough to be the kid and let me be the mom. We planted flowers, drank Pepsi, ate tomato sandwiches and talked. She would tell me stories about Clawson and about all of the people who ever lived there! She would tell me stories about herself and one of my favorites was when she was living up North with her friends and someone was trying to get into their apartment through the kitchen window. Her friends were all very scared (I'm sure she was to), but instead of running away like they did, she grabbed a frying pan and knocked the guy out of the window! What a woman!
Sometimes I would stay at her house long after the street lights came on. My grandpa, her and I would sit on the porch and wait for the first star to come out. We would wish on the star and then they would walk to the edge of the road and watch while I walked home to make sure I made it there alright.

Family is the greatest thing I have. I know we can't all live forever on this Earth, but I do know that we can all live together forever because that is the plan that our Heavenly Father created for us. What a loving Father! He knew that we would come to Earth and build these relationships with each other and he provided a way for us to be together again after leaving the Earth. I know that it takes work, but who wouldn't be willing to do whatever it takes to be able to be with these people who we love so much? I guess it's not really that hard considering the alternative!

-Mandie

Shoulder Angels

I am a person who doesn't like to make decisions. It doesn't matter if it's a big decision like, what should I do with the rest of my life? Or a little one like, Taco Time or Burger King? I don't want to be the person who decides! However, I have found my self in the decisioning role many times and have always wished for some little angels to sit atop my shoulders and talk me through it. The angels jobs would be easy; they would simply sit there and talk to me. They would give me my options and point out the pros and cons to each. They would make one of the options sound much more appealing than the other and then I would make the decision and it, of course, would always be right!

Well, a week ago, we were having a barbeque at my grandparents house. I was taking a picture of myself (because I'm cool like that) when I noticed some little angels sitting on my shoulders! It was so weird! I had to take several shots before I got one where the angels weren't acting up, but I finally got a little cooperation out of them. 

It's a really close shot of my face, which is

a little creepy, but don't those look like 

helpful angels!

And look at this one, he's sending a message 

right into my ear!

And this is to show how unruly the angels

can be sometimes.

The one on the right must be the angel

who tries to get me to do bad things! ;)

Anyway, I am grateful for the angels in my life. There are many of them, too many to name them all! They don't even know that they are my angels. These angels do play a role in the decisions I make, whether they know it or not! They don't even have to say anything, they just have to be the person they are and they sway the way I think and act. So, today I am sending a thank you out in to the universe for all of you angels! 

-Mandie

Memorial Day

I love Memorial Day! When I was a smaller kid than I am now, my grandma would take me to the cemetery and we would walk through looking at dates, names and stories. She would tell me her own stories about the people she knew and loved. She made it an enjoyable experience, she made wise cracks like "Ohh, it looks deadly in here!" And I learned that a cemetery is not a place to be afraid of. Even now, I sometimes drive through alone and look at the field of stones each standing for someone who has gone before, and I am grateful for a grandma who taught me and showed me that those stones are signifying a person who somebody loved. They were men, women, children, pioneers, hard workers and veterans.

 While I think every day of the people who I love who have already gone, Memorial Day gives me the opportunity to pay tribute to those memories and to those people. The American Legion Post 42 allows me the privilege to stand with them and honor our veterans. This is a unique experience because I get to stand in line with these men who have been willing to give everything. They are courageous, selfless and our service men and women who have gone before, our veterans who stand among us today and those who are actively involved in the fight for freedom deserve all the respect and honor that we have to give.
So, while for many Memorial Day is just a day off from work, I am happy to take some time on that day to walk through and stand up the flowers that have blown over and to bugle TAPS through the cemetery air for those who I owe my freedom to.

Photo by Jo Sansevero

-Mandie

Storms in the Garden

I have been learning some things while I have been away from my career as a full time blogger (full time being  around 32 minutes per week). Some of these things I have learned have been serious and thought provoking, some are a little funny and some were accidental. I think I'll start off the week with one of the more serious things.
I know you have all been on the edges of your seats hoping for an update on my luscious garden. I know what you're thinking: By now those little plants should be taller, greener, beautiful and well on their way to producing some of the finest produce in all of Clawson. Before I get to that, I would like to point out that I told you all up front that I am not a gardener.

And now, the sad reality that is my garden.

It's like the cup in the window, only much bigger! 

 Yes, that is a trench where my precious plants once harbored. Because I like things to be centered, I planted my plants right in the middle of the boxes without looking up and pondering on the consequences if, by chance, a rainstorm rolled through and the water ran off the house and into my garden. And that is exactly what happened. Within a matter of days after laboring tirelessly over the little plants, 3 days of rain fell upon our parched land. The house became a waterfall and the garden became a rolling river. I had given up hope and abandoned my crop. The dogs were happy with that choice and made the dirt pits their new playground and loved sinking their little paws into the soft sand, hence the holes! Finally, the day came that I had to go out and access the full spectrum of damage. The cracked dirt, the dog holes, the massive trench all led me to believe that there were no survivors, but then there it was. One little tomato plant with its leaves and stem encrusted into the sand. It was still green! And as I looked closer I found three more! Four of my tomatoes had the strength to withstand the storm!

Look closely, you'll see it! 

So, maybe I'm not a gardener, but my garden became a teacher and here is what I learned:

* We can't stay in the shelter forever. Eventually we have to leave our safe places and throw ourselves into life!

* Life is hard. It's supposed to be! If it weren't we would be feeble forever because we would have no need for strength if nothing ever tried our strength.

* The storms will hit when they are least expected. The purpose of the storm is to wash away the weak among us and let the strong prove how strong they really are. Don't let it wash you away. Even if you are beaten completely into the ground, don't give up!

* After the storm hits, there is still hope! Don't abandon everything just because you think there is no hope! Perhaps you are the survivor, or perhaps the survivors are waiting for you to rescue them from the trenches. Don't just turn away, run to help them! If you're the one in the trench, there is no shame in calling out for help! 

* Just because someone does not run to your aid instantly, doesn't mean they don't care.

* When we turn our backs on others or when we decide to give up, the dogs are waiting to take over and finish the job of destroying. 

* It is possible to beat the storm!

"Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage, and calms his child." 

- Mandie

It's About Time

Can you believe that this blog has been in existence for one week? I sure can't! It seems like it has only been five days since I published my first post, when in reality it has been seven! I am certainly not a mathematician, (they started me out in MAT 095 and by my calculations I think I barely passed!) but I'm pretty sure seven days are equal to 168 hours.

When I was in Junior High, my F.A.C.S teacher had a sign hanging in her classroom which you could only see when the door was closed. The sign said: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift that's why it's called the present." 

Each person on planet Earth has been given the same 168 hours to survive on each week. I'm amazed at how much some people can pack into those hours! I will tell you that as of right now, I am not a wise user of time. In the majority of cases, I'm not a user of time at all!

People my age have been married for years (this is a whole different post subject)! They are buying houses, working full-time jobs and being successful, and I'm just over here like, "Hmmm, should I have toast with jam, or toast with cinnamon?" 

Flattering, I know...

So, yes, 168 hours have ticked right on by, and I barely even noticed! I did spend 3 hours Monday - Friday deciding what kind of toast I should eat. I did spend four and a half hours driving to and from a job where I only worked for 21 hours, I did have plenty of time on Sunday to get to the Nursing Home where I would lead the small congregation as they sang their Sunday hymns, but I did procrastinate long enough that I had to break the law and speed to get there and walked in with only 5 minutes to spare! 

Time is constantly moving forward and, like clockwork, I am standing still! I can see that I have changes to make, luckily I have the gift of today to get started on that, but I'll probably wait until tomorrow because I'm doing this today. 

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin 

-Mandie

Green Thumbs

I'm not a gardener. I once planted some flower seeds in a cup and placed them, ever so carefully, on my bedroom window sill so I could look at them each day and watch them grow. A few months had went by when I decided to step back up to the window sill and peer into the little glass. I couldn't believe it! No plant! Not even a sign that a seed had ever been placed in the dirt! It was in that moment that I realized how needy one little seed can be. What? It expected me to water it?! It expected me to open up the blinds and let some sunshine in?! Talk about high maintenance. Instead, I chiseled the dry, cracked dirt out of the cup, flung it out in the yard and gave up on gardening forever. . .  Until now.

This winter I bought a garden kit which was comprised of lettuce, sweet peppers, cucumber and tomato seeds. I took it home from the store and was suddenly craving a salad, but that's a different story! I was anxious to plant my new seeds. . . So I did! I placed 15 of each seed in one small disposable pot thinking I would be lucky if even 1 seed would grow. Well, it turns out they all grew! And it was only March! My garden grew, and grew. You might as well just start calling me Mary! (Mary, Mary quite contrary. . .)

What a miracle! I planted the seeds, placed them in the window sill and never watered them and they still grew! (Thanks mom)

The garden outgrew the house and the time came for them to go out into the world. The following are pictures of the building of the planter boxes, placing of the dirt, planting of the plants and burning of the skin...

The true gardener and planter box builder. My dad!

No need to remove the weeds. Just put the dirt on top 

and pick the weeds when they grow through!

Shoveling dirt is for the birds! 

So is unshoveling! 

Little plants, home at last!

After all of that, it appears as though half of them croaked instantly upon hitting the ground. I have hope that they will snap out of it though! 

And before you start thinking that I actually have enough ambition to shovel 2 truckloads of dirt, here's this little beauty! 

(Thanks for the dirt scooping Jed)

If all of these plants grow, they should produce roughly 6 zillion tomatoes, 33 sweet peppers, 27 cucumbers, 4 large pumpkins, 12 watermelons, and 15 heads of lettuce! 

Happy eating!

-Mandie

I Started As A Baby

Contrary to popular belief, I was born. Not hatched! I'm guessing that because of this fact, you and I have something in common!

Today being "Flashback Friday" I would just like to share a few blurry images (because I'm not scanning them, I'm taking a picture of a picture...sorry) of my early days:

I was a baby in my early days. Here I am giving my toy baby the same look I get today, as a grown up person, from real babies and kids. They tend to just stare at me, unable to take their eyes off of me out of fear that I might pounce or something!

 This is where I gained my skill and became a true athlete. 

And also where I started my love for frosting. 

I have been taking classes so I can be certified as a Teacher's Aide. I have learned some interesting things in these classes, one of them being that children gain their self esteem in the first few years of their lives! That seemed crazy to me, but as I look back through pictures and see how happy I am in them, I can see how it is important for kids to start their lives out knowing that they are of worth. So, thanks to my mom and dad and my grandmas and grandpas for not just laying me on the floor and not talking to me. I'm sure you're the ones to blame for me feeling comfortable sticking things to my face, dancing behind Andrea's back while she plays  The Twilight Theme, practicing each day as a child so I could out burp anyone who might cross my path, and whatever else might come to my mind and out through my actions. You never criticized me and made me believe that I could do anything! 

Yes, of course I started out, literally as a baby, but I also started a lot of my habits and quirky ways as a baby. I tend to still act the same way today!

-Mandie

Leaving Marks

For as long as I can remember (which some days is not a long ways back) I have been leaving marks in places just to make sure people would know that I was there. Maybe it's because they weren't there at the same time I was and I want them to know that I was thinking about them, or maybe it's for the completely selfish reason that I want them to think of me, even when I'm not there. Either way, my grandma's bacon grease left to cool on the stove, Julie's unopened bags of frozen french fries, my mom's notepad by the phone and even undisturbed snow on a frozen mountain lake have all been forced to portray the message "Mandie Was Here" countless times over the years. 

As I think a little more about it, I'm sure that we are all leaving marks of our presence wherever we go. Whether we are with someone or even a group of people, we leave an impression on them, just like I left an impression in the snow or on the grease. We have either made them feel good or made them feel bad. I'm hoping that as I go about doing whatever it is I do, I'm leaving marks that bring smiles to the faces of the people who see them. Maybe someday I won't even have to write "Mandie Was Here" they will just know that I was there by the way I left the place, and hopefully that's a good thing! 

That's why I have chosen "Mandie Was Here" for the name of this blog. If this goes anything like my daily journal entries, you probably won't be hearing from me very often!

- Mandie