Friday Five: Keep Calm and. . . . .

Revkjarla brings yesterday's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

1.  First, how are you doing? What's going on with you?

This is the fourth day on our vacation. We are in Salt Lake City visiting our youngest daughter MJ and are staying at the wonderful University Guest House, which has easy and speedy internet connections, plus a MAC to write on in the lobby. That is such a nice contrast to the hotel we stayed at in Las Vegas for two days, which said they had wifi, but it never worked for us anywhere in the hotel.

2.  Is there anything you need to Keep Calm and Cowgirl Up for?

I want to keep calm about some recent family disruptions, but can easily get riled up again.

3.  If you were going to make a "Keep Calm and __________" logo for a t-shirt, what would it be?

"Keep Calm and Pray" or "Keep Calm and Breathe"

4.  What are you looking forward to in the next week or so?

Chuck and I will be in Salt Lake City until Monday morning. This is such a clean city that it is a joy to be here after all the smoking, drinking and gambling we saw in most places in Las Vegas. Plus, it's nice to be with MJ and eat out at the great restaurants she is taking us to.

Next week we are spending four days in Oregon with dear friends Terry and Dennis. They are God parents to daughter AE and have been friends for decades. It will be fun to travel with them and see parts of Oregon we once frequented when Chuck went to grad school at Oregon State University way back in the 1970's.

5.  Use the following words in a sentence:     cape, river, dancing, paws, glory

As their capes flapped in the breeze, the dogs waved their paws while dancing in the glory of the sun rising over the river.

Nov. 5, 2012

MJ's 23rd birthday with me in Salt Lake City.

Backwards or Forwards?

That's a rhyme to play with small children, but it describes how I probably look like to you readers of my blog:

I have scarcely been blogging lately because of all my reading of mysteries, but am now planning to put forth future postings while we are gone on our vacation. It is funny/odd that while I am home, there are absences but while I am away, there will be daily posts. It all goes back to intentionality.

Now today is my husband's birthday. For the first time in our married life (of 40 years) I did not bake him a cake! Instead, he agreed that he would like hot fudge sauce over vanilla ice cream. Way back in 2009, I posted the recipe for hot fudge sauce. It is the best recipe I have ever found for chocolate sauce. We really enjoyed that tonight.

Today MJ came home from college, leaving friends and her beloved chemistry professor behind. She has the hefty task of going through her belongings to decide what she should take to Salt Lake City where she will be going to graduate school at the University of Utah. In two days she must choose and pack up her car.

On Monday she and her dad will leave on the long drive to Salt Lake City in MJ's small car (Jetta). They will leave the car at her new apartment in Salt Lake City and then on Friday will fly to Seattle where I already will be--visiting MJ's older sister AE and friends.

I am also leaving on Monday, but on planes to Dallas and then to Seattle. That is why I am blogging ahead of time for all the days that we'll be in Washington State. While Margaret cleans and sorts this weekend, I'll be blogging!

Mother or GRANDMOTHER?

 Okay, here's a question: Do I look like my daughter's GRANDMOTHER??

The saleslady at Sears asked if I was her grandmother when MJ bought a bed from her in Salt Lake City.  Somehow that was a deflating remark, but I've recovered from the shock of it now. I'm glad to be Avery's grandmother, but not MJ's!!

This is MJ and me in Park City, Utah last Sunday for their new market day called "Park Silly."

And I guess I could be her grandmother if I'd had her mother when I was 20 years old and then MJ was born when her mother was 20.

Salt Lake City Library

Salt Lake City Library to the right; City County Building in the center.

This past Sunday MJ and I visited the Salt Lake Library, a six-story building surrounded by gardens with some statues.  I particularly liked the children reading on the lawn. Go here to read more about this amazing library. Part of its description: "Salt Lake City's Main Library, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, embodies the idea that a library is more than a repository of books and computers; it reflects and engages the city's imagination and aspirations. The building, which opened in February 2003, is double the previous space with 240,000 square feet for more than 500,000 books and other materials, and room for the collection to grow. The six-story curving, walkable wall embraces the public plaza, with shops and services at ground level, reading galleries above, and a 300-seat auditorium. A multi-level reading area along the glass lens at the southern facade of the building looks out onto the plaza with stunning views of the city and Wasatch Mountains beyond. A roof-top garden, accessible by walking the crescent wall or the elevators, offers a 360 degree view of the Salt Lake Valley. Spiraling fireplaces on four floors resemble a column of flame from the vantage of 200 East and 400 South. The Urban Room between the library and the crescent wall is a space for all seasons, generously endowed with daylight and open to magnificent views."

Interior of Salt Lake City Library

The books are on the left. To the right on the bottom floor are shops and above right on each floor are meeting or reading rooms.

 

MJ and I walked up all the flights of stairs to the rooftop where we could walk around seeing beautiful views of Salt Lake City. You can see the elevators on the left for those who do not want to walk.

Old card catalog holding greeting cards in the Library Shop

And you who know me, know that I bought cards in this shop. There were wonderful ones related to reading! I will visit here whenever I get to travel to Salt Lake City again.

Salt Lake City

University of Utah in Salt Lake City

Tomorrow (Thursday) MJ and I are flying to Salt Lake City to find her a place to live for graduate school. In the fall she will be at the University of Utah, starting to work towards a PhD. in organic chemistry, just like her father earned long ago at Oregon State University.

I am looking forward to being with MJ and to seeing what Salt Lake City is like. I've never been to Salt Lake City before. MJ visited there some months ago when she was deciding which graduate school to attend.

There is a direct flight to Salt Lake City from San Antonio, so that is how we will be flying to and from SLC. Since MJ is already in San Antonio, I am the one who will drive there tomorrow for our flight departure.

We return on Monday evening. I hope the plane will arrive in time, because I will drive back to Corpus Christi that evening and would like to get home earlier rather than later. It takes more than two hours to drive between the two cities.

Salt Lake City, here we come!