FOOD STORAGE

Every year sometime during January we take an inventory of our food storage. Luckily we have a room in our basement where we can put our long term food storage. I can predict almost verbatim what Brent may say: “There is no way we have enough food!” or “This wouldn’t last us a month!” or possibly “We need to make a trip to Costco right now!” Granted, he is a man, and we all know men tend to think through their stomachs. I’ll admit that when casting a casual glance over the room, it doesn’t seem like we have much there. However, we have been pretty faithful about following the counsel of our church leaders to accumulate one year’s supply of the basic food items and it is full of tubs, buckets and 10 lb. cans. We have the typical wheat, dry milk, rice, beans, sugars, oils, water, etc., etc. The Provident Living website by the Church is great for figuring out the recommended amounts.

After our inventory we realized we needed to replenish a few things such as sugar, flour, pasta and oatmeal. Also, it never hurts to stock up on other “necessities” like brownie mix, chocolate chips, spaghetti sauce and salad dressing. Now that we don’t have a house full of kids, the amount of food we actually need for just 2 is considerably less. In fact my challenge now is learning how to cook for only 2. I still buy and cook way too much—luckily we have no problem eating leftovers. Additionally, Brent reminds me that we are asked to be charitable and think of our neighbors and friends in times of possible crisis. We also realize that if it were necessary, we would somehow figure out a way to keep our children and grandchildren fed. This is actually his rationale for his snowmobiles and our boat—he claims that they are really just “fuel storage containers” and if we needed a bunch of fuel (he keeps them full) to drive emergency supplies to our kids we’re set! That logic wins the award for creative justification, don’t you think?

My philosophy on food storage is really twofold: (1) Food storage is kind of like insurance—you hope you don’t have to use it, but when it’s needed, it’s so well worth it, and (2) Food storage food is not regular food. Most of the items good for long term storage are not something that we choose to eat daily, and if/when it comes to having to live off of food storage, I'm pretty sure all of us will be considerably less picky. Yes, we keep frequently used canned goods and staples around as well, and I always buy our favorite things in multiples if they are on sale, but quite honestly, I hope to NEVER have to use that powdered milk we have. I’m also reminded of the time Brent went to the church cannery and came home with a dozen 10 lb. cans of chopped onions! Who on earth needs that many dried minced onions? We could feed the whole town on onion soup for a long time. If our food storage consisted of the things we eat almost daily, we would have a room full of cheese, crackers, bananas, Cheerios, Quaker Oat Squares, some type of a crispy cookie and diet soda!

The directive to be prepared, both spiritually and temporarily, is constant counsel from the Prophet. The simple fact that the Church has a whole website geared toward provident living and preparedness ought to tell us that this counsel isn’t casual. I’m glad that Brent is my “kick in the pants” to keep current with our temporal preparation. He does a great job as the Patriarch and Priesthood leader in our family and I appreciate that in him. So, when that time comes where we all will be “shopping” in our food storage, if you find yourself hungry and can figure out a way to Spokane, you’re welcome to drop by for a glass of dry milk and some onion soup!

RUSS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Today is Russ’ 27th birthday. Let me tell you about the birthday boy.

Russell John Lewis is the newest member of our family. He and Camille married on July 25, 2009 in the Draper, Utah Temple. Russ is my second son-in-law. While it can be bittersweet having your children grow up, when they marry you don’t really “lose” them but actually “gain” another family member. Being a mother-in-law is really quite fantastic when you have great sons-in-law like I do. Russ is quite simply a wonderful guy.

When you have daughters, and they grow up and start dating, you hope and pray (literally) that they will find someone who will cherish them as you do and be perfect for them. I really think that our prayers were answered twice. Russ is so kind, loving, thoughtful, and understanding of Camille. He treats her like a princess much of the time, but can also lovingly keep her grounded when she has a tendency to get a bit carried away. (If you know Camille, she can be passionate about things at times!) He is also smart, strikingly handsome, hard-working, adventuresome, and fun, and as a couple they enjoy doing so many crazy and cool things together. Most importantly, he is a worthy priesthood holder with a strong testimony and will make a great father some day. Russ and Camille definitely are a perfect match. We are so glad they found one another. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSS! -- WE LOVE YOU!

The Dot Man

When people ask me what my husband does for a living, I usually pause before answering. Unlike many who can say, “He’s a dentist,” or “He’s an attorney,” I have to decide just how much information this person really cares to know. You see, Brent is, quite literally, The Dot Man. If I were to fully detail/describe/divulge what he actually “does” I would have to kill you! (Just kidding, he’s not really a secret operative for the CIA. . . that’s just a lame joke on my part. . . or maybe a secret wish that he really was the next Jack Bauer!) I typically end up saying something like “He developed and manufactures a security and theft deterrent product.” This satisfies most, and I’m sure they then think he works in some sort of industry similar to ADT or other home security company.

The simple fact is, Brent really does produce dots. . . microscopic dots the size of a pepper flake which contain a 15 digit number for identifying purposes. I won’t attempt to explain all the details, as that would end up being the longest blog post in history, but suffice it to say that it’s quite interesting and innovative. We started this company approximately 20 years ago, and although many changes have transpired, Brent is still around making it work.

As I mentioned in my introductory blog, Brent is SWAMPED right now. He is developing several new machines for their manufacturing facilities overseas. He has a trip to Australia soon (where corporate headquarters are) and this project is coming down to the wire. Last night for FHE, we turned our kitchen into a production facility. I just couldn’t resist taking a few pictures of the “mad scientist” at work. Our kids will tell you that this scenario is not unique. All of them have had the “opportunity” of working at a punch machine (the machine that produces the dots)—it is a great way to reinforce the importance of higher education—assembly line jobs are SOOOO not fun. Many times when deadlines were looming, or emergency orders came in at inconvenient times, we pitched in. We have stories of the early days when several punch machines were in our basement and garage. We even have memories of punching dots and packaging orders one Christmas Eve! That being said, I’m so grateful for a smart, talented, ambitious and hard-working husband who amazes me all the time. I just don’t get how he can take all those wires and stuff and make it all work somehow. He really is THE BEST DOT MAN in the whole wide world! (And I don’t think too many people can say that:)

P.S. Go to www.datadotdna.com if you want to find out a little more about his company, DataDot USA. I realize that much of this can still be vague by just reading this post.

90% OFF and Bowling

Yesterday I walked into Walmart and ran into a sale advertising 90% off of all Christmas items.  There was one aisle of stuff left, a collection of various unwanted decorations and supplies.  I decided to take a quick pass through, just in case something caught my eye.  Well, guess what?  There in front of me was a sign, an affirmation of this new journaling adventure--an ANGEL (which I think kind of sort of looks like me, except I don't have a hat that looks like a Christmas tree or red-stripe socks) with my newly professed focus--JOY!!  It was a sign! (duh--Angela Joy!)  And even better, it was only $1.  It is now at home in my office.  Kind of cool.

While downloading the picture of this angel that I just took off my new camera (yea!) I found the few pictures I took in Midway with the family during our New Year's Vacation.  We had a great time skiing and snowshoeing in frigid temperatures.  On Saturday we decided to stay indoors and went bowling.  It was a hoot.  Notice the great form displayed by Camille and Brittney.  I'm proud to say I had the top score for the first game, but for our second game we played boys vs. girls, and the boys had the better combined score.  Don't they look so happy and proud in their after-the-game photo shoot?  (Actually, Stuart looks like he may have been up to something else. . .)  

WELCOME

Hello there! If you're reading this you are probably either one of my daughters or a reader of their blogs. They are my inspiration for foraging into the blogosphere. I vocalized several weeks ago that one of my resolutions was to once again journal. When I was a teenager I was pretty faithful at it, and have journals from about age 16 to my mid 20's. Once motherhood took over in earnest, I didn't write nearly as much, but I do have recorded some important events like each of my children's births. Sadly, one of the last entries I made was when Jace was born, and that was almost 21 years ago. In an effort to repent, and with the encouragement of these women, I am jumping in.

Here are some facts, disclaimers and thoughts I want to share:

• Camille kindly set up this blog for me. I appreciate her talents and creativity. As mentioned, both she and Brittney are my inspiration--they are witty and wise writers whom I admire. If you read their blogs, you may find some duplication. So much of life revolves around family, as it should.
• Yes, my name is really Angela Joy. When I was born, I was the first daughter, and my sweet Mom lovingly thought I was "An angel of joy." How precious! However, I am not a Christmas baby--my birthday is actually July 24th which is Pioneer Day in Utah where I was born. As I've grown older, I've come to understand what a wonderful word joy really is, as in the scriptural phrase "Joy and rejoicing in my posterity." Happiness and joy are doctrines of my faith that I strive to incorporate into my life. My hope is to have some joy in my life every day.
• As stated above, my main motivation for blogging is personal--a journal of memorable as well as mundane events and thoughts that I care to remember. If an entry is boring, I apologize beforehand. I won't feel bad if you don't continue reading. One thing about this whole blogging phenomenon is balance and the temptation of disclosing too much information. I have learned from many blog authors that writing can personally be very therapeutic and insightful. Perhaps that's the irony in all of this--we blog supposedly to share with others, when we are really just opening up to ourselves. Somehow writing something down just makes it so much more real. Kind of like the advice to always write down goals. . . otherwise they are just a wish.
• I promise not to make this blog a brag book. However, when one becomes a mother it is virtually impossible to not get caught bragging a bit. I, therefore, humbly state right here from the beginning that I will probably be just a wee tad prideful at times! In the coming weeks and months I'm sure there will be posts about our children and extended family. That said, one objective is for me to share just what goes on up here in the great northwest, and to document that life as a Mom of young adult children does indeed go on. (By the way, am I the only one who hates the word "empty nester?" I'm not a bird and my children are not chicks! Any suggestions?)
• While this blog is my adventure, it really is also vicariously Brent's. His life is on super speed right now, so it may be a while before he may actually write a post, so we'll see! He will probably just end up being the subject of many of my posts. My family knows that if I were to write a book in the future it would be entitled "Waiting For Brent." So much to say about him! I chose to include as my first post picture a shot from last winter when Brent and I went snowmobiling with some friends. If he had his way, we would be spending all our spare time on a snowy mountain. This picture is for him! Love you sweetheart!
• I'll also try to not post only travels and adventures. Those are great and fun to share, but sometimes the best learning/teaching/light bulb moments come at home doing housework on a Tuesday.
• This past Christmas I was surprised with a fancy DSLR camera! We also took advantage of the no sales tax in Montana and picked me up a new computer on our way home. That is part of the reason why I feel like I can finally join the blogging party. After all, if I have a good camera and a faster computer, I have no excuses anymore. Also, a few days ago, Brent and I had a date at the T-Mobile store and he convinced me to upgrade my phone to a smart phone (we couldn't pass on the buy-one-get-one-free deal.) You know Brent, "upgrade" is his middle name. So now I have the world at my fingertips. Let me tell you, for someone who was perfectly happy with my 7-year-old desktop, point and shoot camera, and basic Samsung phone, I feel very techie. Oh my! So much to learn. I'm coming kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
• Speaking of centuries, I turned 50 in July! I'm half a century old. . . put that way it sounds crazy, but I like to think of it as half a century young. I feel good and am grateful every day for good health. We have a kitschy sign in our bedroom which says, "Grow old with me, the best is yet to be."

Wow, I didn't think this first post would be so long! Maybe this blogging thing won't be too hard at all. Who knows I may be one of those annoying bloggers who write long meaningless posts daily. If I do, remember that I'm not easily offended and tell me to cool my heels! Stay tuned--more to come. Seeyouloveyoubye! (That was in honor of Jace. . . he signs all his letters from Japan that way.)