Sum sum summertime

Well, today is the last day I have with Lucy all to myself, or more importantly the last day to run errands with only one in tow. Tomorrow is the Last Day of School for my two older girls (I believe their school district prides themselves in being the absolute last to give in to summer) and they'll be home by noon.

So I tried to take advantage of these precious hours- checked the local VOA for a dresser (nothing good...but somehow left with a Barney tape and an Ab tape), hit JoAnn's to utilize that coupon, Lowe's for Pergo samples for the dining room project (we have icky carpet in our dining room....come on, who in their right mind carpets a dining room?), and the local garden store to try to diagnose a dying Japanese Holly bush I planted last year (I'll be wearing black soon). Would have done more, but Lucy was at the end of her rope, and I was out of animal crackers.

My goal for the summer is to do something memorable with them each week (that should give me lots of options, right?) and have tons of fun. Dinnertime at the Davis home has been extra jumpy and silly this week, and I have to stop and remember just how exciting the prospect of the Last Day of School was for me, and the promise of a wonderful Summertime. So to try to capture the feeling around here, I've found an old friend on the Internet- I'll try to put the picture here......here's hoping your own Summertime is this fun/crazy/silly/memorable as I hope mine will be!!

To mourn with those that mourn

Today my husband attends the funeral service for a 44 year old cousin who tragically and unexpectedly left this world, leaving behind three children, a fiancee, two brothers, his parents, many aunts, uncles, and countless cousins and friends. All are affected by this loss. All are touched by the ripples of tragedy. My prayers are with them, having faith that peace and understanding will come with time. I hope that this experience leads to tighter, brighter relationships within families as we all learn that our time here with each other is precious, with no guarantees of longevity. I know that families can be together forever. Families are a precious gift- we will one day answer for how we treated our gift. May we all utilize losses like this to gather our own family closer together with more love and compassion.

"We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, "Blessed are they that mourn."" (C.S.Lewis)

"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain." (C.S.Lewis)

"When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place." (C.S.Lewis)

Make Today Count!

Okay, I'm totally stealing this from my sis-in-law's blog, but I think it's terrific. I'm hoping to get comments about these, as well as encourage you all to evaluate your own life and what you could do to enrich it today, this week, this summer, or this year. Make each day count, right? I'll put the "Have's" in bold....

200 Have and Have nots! 1. Touched an iceberg 2. Slept under the stars 3. Been a part of a hockey fight 4. Changed a baby's diaper 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Swam with wild dolphins 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a tarantula 10. Said "I love you" and meant it 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise 15. Seen the Northern Lights 16. Gone to a huge sports game 17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (Yum) 19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Bet on a winning horse 23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Taken an ice cold bath 28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Ridden a roller coaster 31. Hit a home run 32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 33. Adopted an accent for fun 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment 36. Loved your job 90% of the time 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Watched wild whales 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach 41. Gone sky diving 42. Visited Ireland 43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited India 45. Bench-pressed your own weight 46. Milked a cow 47. Alphabetized your personal files 48. Ever worn a superhero costume 49. Sung karaoke 50. Lounged around in bed all day 51. Gone scuba diving 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Done something you should regret, but don't 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Been in a movie 60. Gone without food for 3 days 61. Made cookies from scratch 62. Won first prize in a costume contest 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Been in a combat zone 65. Spoken more than one language fluently 66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone 67. Bounced a check(Isn't that what college is for :-) ) 68. Read - and understood - your credit report 69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy 70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did 71. Called or written your Congress person 72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 74. Helped an animal give birth 75. Been fired or laid off from a job 76. Won money 77. Broken a bone 78. Ridden a motorcycle 79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph(ridden in, yes, driven, no) 80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing 82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 83. Eaten sushi 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read The Bible cover to cover 86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about 87. Gotten someone fired for their actions 88. Gone back to school 89. Changed your name 90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands 91. Eaten fried green tomatoes 92. Read The Iliad 93. Taught yourself an art from scratch 94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt 96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 97. Been elected to public office 98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 101. Had a booth at a street fair 102. Dyed your hair 103. Been a DJ 104. Rocked a baby to sleep 105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four 106. Raked your carpet 107. Brought out the best in people 108. Brought out the worst in people (depends on who you ask)109. Worn a mood ring 110. Ridden a horse 111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap 112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe 113. Buried a child 114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play 115. Been inside the pyramids 116. Shot a basketball into a basket 117. Danced at a disco 118. Played in a band 119. Shot a bird 120. Gone to an arboretum 121. Tutored someone 122. Ridden a train 123. Brought an old fad back into style 124. Eaten caviar 125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need 126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant 127. Published a book 128. Pieced a quilt 129. Lived in an historic place (does Rochester count?)130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage 131. Asked for a raise 132. Made a hole-in-one (put put) 133. Gone deep sea fishing 134. Gone roller skating 135. Run a marathon 136. Learned to surf 137. Invented something 138. Flown first class 139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite 140. Flown in a helicopter 141. Visited Africa 142. Sang a solo 143. Gone spelunking 144. Learned how to take a compliment 145. Written a love-story 146. Seen Michelangelo’s David 147. Had your portrait painted 148. Written a fan letter 149. Spent the night in something haunted 150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane 151. Ran away 152. Learned to juggle 153. Been a boss 154. Sat on a jury 155. Lied about your weight 156. Gone on a diet 157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget 158. Written a poem 159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox 160. Gotten food poisoning 161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission 162. Hiked the Grand Canyon 163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks 164. Gone to the opera 165. Gotten a letter from someone famous 166. Worn knickers 167. Ridden in a limousine 168. Attended the Olympics 169. Can hula or waltz 170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books 171. Been stuck in an elevator 172. Had a revelatory dream 173. Thought you might crash in an airplane 174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert 175. Saved someone’s life 176. Eaten raw whale 177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint 178. Laughed till your side hurt 179. Straddled the equator 180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing 181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival 182. Sent a message in a bottle 183. Spent the night in a hostel 184. Been a cashier 185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 186. Joined a union 187. Donated blood or plasma 188. Built a campfire 189. Kept a blog 190. Had hives 191. Worn custom made shoes or boots 192. Made a PowerPoint presentation 193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course 194. Served at a soup kitchen 195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube 196. Know CPR 197. Ridden in or owned a convertible 198. Found a long lost friend 199. Helped solve a crime 200. Responded to a NJP newsletter(if you can count this)

Congratulations! You made it! Did you think of your own life? Did anything make it to your "I need to do this" list? Whew, now to go make today count....

Go take a walk!

Matt biked around Webster recently, and wanted to bring the girls to North Ponds Park. We finally found a nice (and HOT) evening to do it. There is a nice paved path around the perimeter of the ponds and several exercise stations, which the girls HAD to try out, even Lucy. We saw families of ducks, two Great Blue Herons, butterflies, flowers, some geese and almost grown goslings, and lots of geese poop- which we tried to avoid.

I was so pleased to see the herons- they are one of my favorite birds. I love spotting them, wonderfully camouflaged like a sentinel at the water's edge or gracefully flying overhead with that giant wing span. The bigger of the two we spotted landed behind us and started walking toward the pond- I think this was the only time I've seen one walk on dry land!

Tribute to DH

As Father's Day approaches, and I drive across town to retrieve the "perfect gift" for DH (a rotisserie for his grill, if you need an idea of your own....and I can tell you, because DH'd never be interested in reading this blog), I am thinking of how to pay tribute to Matthew.....perhaps I'll force him to read this come Sunday....

Matt and I met in college- MCC- in a racquetball class.....he wore these adorable red converse high tops.....anyway, we were married in 1996. Matt is not afraid of trying fix-it projects (wallpapering is not his thing, but he's quite adept at drywalling, plumbing, car repairs, tiling floors, and installing doors). He's also a go-getter...meaning that for a brief 6 years in the early years of our marriage, he changed jobs 5 times, always finding a better one, until he landed Xerox, which will give him, with any luck, enough work until he retires.

And then comes the running. Matt discovered running after being challenged to do the Corporate Challenge four years ago. For some reason, running agrees with him, and he's run almost 5 days a week ever since, completing 5Ks, 10Ks and eight marathons- the most recent was the Boston Marathon, his running piece de resistance. We made a family trip of it this past April and had a wonderful time cheering him on and on and on.

Matt's next venture will be a small triathlon- swimming, biking and running. If all goes well, he'll be quite content and can hang up his "bigger and better notions".....yeah, right. I'll keep you posted.

In short, Matt is a wonderful guy, great husband, and focused runner who is always looking to improve. The girls simply adore him, and he loves them immensely. DH, we love you!

Hot Reading

We've had near-record high temperatures around here for several days, and the vegetation is beginning to complain. I got a bit of gardening done this morning, but by 9am it was almost 90 degrees.....too hot to weed! In fact, quoting a very good friend of mine....

"It was so hot today I saw a funeral procession pull into a Dairy Queen.
It was so hot today I saw an Amish guy buying an air conditioner.
Birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
Trees are whistling for dogs.
You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl. "

So, my advice is to find some a/c, and when you've finished your "must do's", pick up a good book. My book club just finished The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak. I'm curious to hear any feedback on that one- I enjoyed it. And this month we'll read Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg. So feel free to read that one, and we can share thoughts.....and let me know if you have any current favorites, too!

Enjoy your day, drink plenty of fluids, and smile at a stranger (but not one that looks like he's going to stalk you).

Thankful thoughts

Okay, today I was musing over a conversation yesterday with a faraway friend. We were best friends in college and during my hiatus (that's a story for another day). We now live on opposite sides of the country, and sadly, we are both pretty bad at keeping in touch with each other as often as we should. So yesterday, she calls me and we chatted for a long time, and it was just as though we had talked everyday. I still know that if I needed her, she'd "be there" for me, and I think she knows the same of me.

So as I was adding music to this blog, it got me thinking of how wonderful friendship is- what a blessing it is to have friends, and know that at any time, we can cultivate more. Most of the music I've chosen has a specific time-memory attached, and most involve friends and close family. You may even know what songs are playing "for you"- so feel free to guess which is yours. And if I've forgotten any great ones, just let me know. Stacy, yours is If I Had a Million Dollars (you know why).

Also, music can add so much to family relationships- this morning Lucy and I were dancing to Save the Last Dance for Me- it's one of her favorites!

So today's Thankful Thought is for good friends who are always there, and for good music- especially that helps us remember great moments in our lives. Thank you, my friends!

An Informal Introduction

Today I thought it might be nice to learn a bit about me. After all, books start out with an intro, right? And you never know when Harry Connick Jr. might just be browsing....

Some of my favorite things (that help make Jan Jan) are:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (grounding my beliefs through most of my life with a strong emphasis on family). There is a great website at www.lds.org.

Silpada Designs (my get-out-among-adults opportunity with definite "bling" benefits). If you need more bling in your life, feel free to check out www.mysilpada.com/janet.davis.

Most things creative- I like to do cross-stitch to relax....here's one I did for Marleah. They take forever to complete, but I enjoy the process.

I also like good artwork- subjective, I know, but one of my fav artists was a professor of mine at BYU way back when....here's a glimpse of his style....his name is James C. Christensen and he's very talented with a flair for detail and humor.

I like to make things, like the tile gifts I did for Christmas last year.....Hope, Faith and Grace are the middle names of my girls. Not a bad mantra, eh?

And I better mention books- I love reading, and book club is another nice evening out once a month.....you can see some of my fav reads on www.shelfari.com if you're searching for some good read time. My current quasi-fanatical interest is the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. The 4th book of the series comes out in early August- I can't wait! If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them- even my little sister (who is not a reader) is hooked!

Okay, enough of that. I promise more interesting content soon!

Last night Marleah and Jillian had their piano recital. This is Marleah's second year playing, and Jill's first. Both did great! Grandma and Grandpa D came and gave them carnation bouquets.
A weird note- their piano teacher turned out to be my old music teacher from about third-fifth grade! Small world!

AAaaaarrgghhhhh! Attack of the ginormous self portrait!! My brothers would be so ashamed of my ineptability (is that a real word?)....

Still floundering around the site set-ups....really, Chris, where are you?

Day One, the launching.

Welcome to Janstuff! It's my own little leap of faith into the world of technology. Anyone who knows me knows that I got shafted in the technical talent department- it all went to my siblings. My talents lie elsewhere, and hopefully someday I'll discover a couple more.

So this blog thing- my sis-in-law said it's validating, and a friend said it eases the guilt of not journaling, so here I am. I hope you enjoy your stay!