Table for Eight

Sorry I haven't posted more. To be honest, it's been a really fun/long summer and I just don't have my writing routine down like I usually do. At any rate, it's SUMMER--and you don't want to spend time reading a blog anyway. Tee hee. But I do appreciate you checking in and hope to be back to writing full-time later in the month. 8) ********* Summer 2012 in Utah The sunset last night. Our son Jay took this picture. My new love for root vegetables. It's insane--where have roasted beets been my whole life? Our kiddos. (Zu and Lu, two peas in a lawnchair.)

This summer has been anything but normal. And that's a good thing, really. I mean, after all, who wants to be normal ? And with that small intro, here's a sampling of our  not-so-normal lives this summer: We've been to the movies (to see Brave). (Psst: photo taken just before the "turn cellphones off" warning. Promise.) Our 5 youngest kiddos rescued this little lady from an intersection on Tuesday. She stayed with us overnight--just long enough for the kids to start asking if we could keep her. But guess what? Animal Control found her owner. Woo hoo! We've planted not one, not two, but 29 pumpkins (and named them all). We've gone to a summer church activity (it's a Bike Wash, PS). We've picked vegetables ... from someone else's garden. (We went to a U-Pick garden because somehow we m issed the whole planting season this year.  W ell, not entirely; we do have pumpkins planted.) And f...

My thoughts are all over the place today: --The news of the shootings at the movie premiere in Denver. --My insomnia. (Up at 2:38am today.) --The Olympics in London. --Our son's new job with The Color Run. --Big Brother 14. --Short hair or long hair? Blonde or brown? --Our daughter's missing retainer. --etc., etc., etc. What does it all mean? Well, I'm not sure exactly. But here's what I'm thinking: No matter who you are OR what you do, one of the most important qualities we as humans can develop (and hopefully inspire in our children) is bravery . Because truthfully, life requires extreme bravery. It just does. Don't you agree?  And, do you consider yourself to be brave?  If so, tell me about it at dawn_meehan@byu.edu--I'd love to hear from you. ***** PS: I'll be posting a recipe tomorrow in the Recipe of the Week section. Woo hoo! This one's inspired by some pizza I had in Hong Kong this summer. Homemade...

See ... you can stuff marshmallows BEFORE you roast them. I know.  It's not like you need to be spending MORE time on the internet.  BUT, I'm telling you every time I go on Pinterest, I learn something that changes my life for the better. For reals. First, it was putting brownie mix on my waffle iron to make a brownie waffle. Then, it was how to do a really cool braid on our daughter's hair. And then THIS: stuffing your marshmallows with chocolate BEFORE you roast them for s'mores! What the what? I swear Pinterest-Time is time well spent.  It's like I am drafting off of other people's life lessons;  I love it! **** Have a beautiful day. You're making s'mores tonight, right? (We are.) PS: Tune-in tomorrow when I'll be talking about how to get the s'mores I ate OFF of my thighs.

(c) Sassafras Cafe, 2012. It's taken me a year to get the recipe (literally).  But here it is:  Chef Simon's  Survivor South Pacific  Ponderosa Caramel Banana Pancakes Ingredients Equal quantities of:  Soft fine dark brown sugar Unsalted Butter Full cream Sliced bananas (say bah-nah-na w/ an Australian accent please) Hot pancakes  Directions 1. Combine butter and sugar together over low heat,  2. Add cream stir with wooden spoon till combined  3. Add sliced bananas. 4. Slowly heat; don't boil. 5. Add to hot pancakes and e njoy ! Me, at Survivor South Pacific's Ponderosa, 2011. (Ponderosa is the location where players stay once they leave the game.)

Youth Conference, 2012. Youth Conference, 2012. Ever since I playing Survivor a year ago, our family has tried to charge through life with one motto in mind: "Why Not?" --Why not learn to do a backhandspring? --Why not run a ragnar race? --Why not climb a wall? --Why not roadtrip with 6 kids ... for 20 hours to see our favorite cousins on a whim? And more .... And as I write today, on the tail of a major blog hiatus, I realize that this one change in philosophy has made an incredible impact on our family. We have learned things-- GROWN --in ways we never would have grown if it weren't for this "can do" spirit or attitude. Now, I'm not saying we have succeeded at all of the things we've tried. Far from it. Sometimes we land flat on our face (literally and figuratively). But most of the time ... And I mean 99.9% of the time, we land in a place that reminds us that life truly is a gift AND that we (as human beings) hav...

I'm back home after an incredible summer vacation.  So ...  I'll be back to blogging Monday! Woo hoo!

Bam, age 15. Jay, age 17. Jr., age 12. Papaya, age 13. Lu and Zu, ages 8 and 9. (Eating Spaghetti Tacos.) A little over 18 years ago, Dave and I "turned in" papers to apply for the adoption program with our church. You see, w e weren't able to have kids, and we just wanted SO badly to have the chance to be parents--t o share a family and grow together over the years. During that first year of waiting, I can remember asking The Universe to "please just let me be a mom to one sweet baby." Just one. I promised I'd never ask for another favor. Just. This. One:  Please help me be a mom to one sweet baby. I'm thinking now that God has a pretty good sense of humor because Dave and I have not one, not two, not three ... but six children.  It's incredible when I think about it. Sincerely, I look at each one of our kids and think, "When did all of this happen? How did all of these babies get here?" (PS: Th...

Lately, I've felt like life is moving at Sonic-Speed.  So, I thought it would be a good week to slow things down. --No unnecessary shopping. --No speaking engagements. --No telling the kids "hold on a few minutes." --Less time indoors on the computer and TV. --Fewer phone calls, emails, and texts. --And more time to j ust BE. I. Can't. Wait. It's a Mother's Day Staycation. Woo Hoo! (PS: I'll be back to blogging Friday, May 11th--in time to pay tribute to my mom, Dave's mom, our g-mas, and the other special moms in our lives!) Jr. and Zu at the lake near our home.

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. If you thought Kat was SHOCKED last night as she left Tribal Council, you should take a look at her Ponderosa clip. Oh my! I nearly cried watching it: there's so much raw emotion there. http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/2230126736/survivor-one-world-kat-arrives-at-ponderosa Did you watch last night? Here are some of my thoughts about last night's episode: 1. The women left in the game are so S-T-R-O-N-G. This is such a tough physical and mental game--and all of the remaining women seem so strong! They each really do seem great for Day 30ish in the game (they are thin, I know). I'm impressed as I watch them make decisions and participate in challenges. It's inspiring to see strong women play Survivor. I love it. 2. I love Kat. Kat is hilarious. She does remind me a little of Fabio (as others have said). At times, I don't get her AT ALL (crawling to her cousin?), but overall, I love her. She's endearing, sh...

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. Tonight's Survivor is going to be a good one.  Not only are we going to learn if the original Salani alliance was able to stay SOLID from Day 1 (by voting out the last male--Tarzan), BUT we also get to see the remaining players' loved ones visit the island! This is always one of my favorite episodes; I feel like you learn more about the players when you see/meet the person they chose to visit them in the game. I mentioned this before, but on our season Whitney, Cochran, and myself had family members fly out to the game for this visit--because at the time the families needed to travel, we were still in the game. BUT shortly after our loved ones landed in Samoa, we were each booted. So, sadly, we weren't able to see our loved ones. (Being on the jury includes being sequestered from outsiders--so no family visits. That ensures there isn't outside influence in your final million-dollar decision.) So, my point! I love that fam...

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. My posts have been a little hit and miss as of late. Sorry! I've had a cold for the last 10 days and it's just literally knocked me out. But, I think I've turned the metaphorical corner: I woke up today feeling better, not worse !  Yup! I can actually hear out of my right ear this morning, AND I'm only coughing every 20 minutes, instead of every 10. That's progress, I tell ya. Now, what else is going on in the world? I feel like Rip Van Winkle. Let's see ... 1. It's May Day! And lemme tell you, I've been waiting for this holiday ever since Savaii circled that May Pole last summer! (PS: After I post this, I'm going to Google "May Day" because I no longer remember what it represents.) 2. Survivor One World is tomorrow night. I can't wait to see if Tarzan eeeks through another Tribal Council. Will the women really stay solid until the end? I'm not so sure. I think they...

I just read a novel where the central character, Ginny, creates a book of newspaper clippings from "Dear Abby" advice columns in an effort to help her understand/define normal human behavior.   She's worried she isn't normal, and these columns give her some sense of other peoples' normal (or abnormal). Ironically, the one thing Ginny learns throughout this process is this: there's no such thing as normal. That's kind of deep. Don't you think? I've spent a lot of time thinking about this myself--because one thing I tend to do as a parent/adult is COMPARE myself, our parenting, and our kids' to others in an effort to determine whether we are NORMAL. As if "being normal" is some indicator or validation that I'm "good." Ha! How ridonkulous is that--looking for validation of your "goodness" in others' behavior? Seriously! Life is what it is--and that means there is no normal. It's u...

Happy Birthday Kindra!  I hope it's a great day! *** PS: What did you think about Survivor last night? Here are a few of my random thoughts: 1. Kim is playing a near-perfect game. Not only is Kim a strong physical player, but she's an incredible social player. The way she managed Kat after NOT picking her (Kat) for the reward challenge ... that was amazin. I mean, Kim managed to make Kat feel sorry for her/Kim! One question I keep asking myself is, where do Sabrina and Alicia fit in here?--because they both seem like strong women--women who may/could challenge Kim's domination (socially) in game (yet they aren't doing that). I guess time will tell. (PS: I love that there are so many strong women playing this game. It's one tough game. ) 2. Troyzan played his heart out. I think when you have a Day 1 alliance dominate post-merge, there's NOTHING you outsiders can do but pray and play for individual immunity. Simply put: Tro...

Sunday night I spoke at a church meeting for college students in Provo.  And on my way into the church building, I noticed a flyer for one of their upcoming socials. In big NACHO-COLORED font it read: "Wa wa wa wa wa wah ... NACHO FOUNTAIN !" And that my friends, was all it took:  I could barely focus my thoughts from that point on. What in the what? Could there be anything BETTER than a social with a nacho fountain? I think not. The End. *** PS:  Survivor tonight! We're down to 8 players remaining in the game.  Who do you think is heading home next?  Me?  I'm trying to imagine how I'd vote if I were playing and not emotionally attached to anyone. And if that were the case, I'd vote out Troy. He's too big a threat to keep in the game much longer.

I'm in the middle of a grading-frenzy! (BYU grades are "due" tomorrow at noon.) Be be back soon. Hope you are out having fun, enjoying SPRING! *** (c), CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. PS: Survivor tomorrow night. Woo hoo!

LuLu and Jr.--three years ago. Three years ago today, LuLu and Jr. joined our family. They were 5 and 9 at the time--and staying in temporary care ( The Christmas Box House ) for children waiting to be matched with a foster family. We were a family of 6 (Dave, me and our 4 kiddos) who'd recently certified as a foster family. At the time, Jay was 14, Bam was 12, Papaya was 9, and ZuZu was 5. PS: Dave and I were over 35. Ha! Looking back now, I realize none of us knew what we were doing that day when this all began. We didn't know how long we'd be together. We didn't know how well we'd get along. And we honestly didn't know if "we could do it." (Well, do it well. Yanno?) For Jr. and LuLu, it was SO much to ask:  -- separate from loved ones (and grieve) -- join a new family, a new community -- change schools -- accept new siblings -- and adjust to a life where your long-term decisions are not in your own hands (they're in t...