Table for Eight

Yes, my eyes are GIGANTIC. But it's kinda my signature feature. Well, that and my Jay Leno/Grandma Dotty underbite. But my point! See ... I'm still here! I know most university students dread Finals Week, but I guarantee you their teachers LOVE Finals Week. Why? Because while our students are studying and taking exams, we have a tiny reprieve from classroom teaching. AND it's the one time in our lives when we can justifiably lock ourselves in our offices--without interruption--and read student papers. It's AWESOME. I really REALLY love Finals Week. (And my students at BYU. I feel really fortunate to teach there.) Now, about blogging ... It's been a few months since I've posted consistently, but I am still in that "meh" mode when it comes to sitting down to blog each day. BUT I'm trying to accept this phase and just remember, "sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't." This is just a time in my life when i...

We are super excited that it's Christmas Eve and we're about to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus! We are also super excited because we get to have a phone call tomorrow from Elder Meehan--one of two phone calls during the year (Mother's Day is the other one.). It's hard to believe that we haven't heard his voice in months. Months! Wow. As I sit here typing this early morning, all of our kids are sleeping. It's a pretty rare occasion; usually one or two are awake by this time. And since I have a few solo minutes, I thought I would share a few of the thoughts I have about how much Christmas means to me: --I love Christmas because it's a holiday that seems to impact all people for good. The Christmas season brings out the best in all of us. It's the time when we really get to feel what it would be like if we chose love, generosity, and selflessness every day of our lives. I love that. It kinda makes me feel more connected to all people (my own f...