Flam-beau at Fourteen...

***If you read this previously, the misspelling have now been fixed. (I think) LOL!

Kids these days!

Around these parts, there are very few 5 star restaurants.
One of the few would be...

Let me ask you...
How many times have you been there?

Me?
I've been there ONCE.
It was in 2009, Christmas time.
Yes, a mere 2 months ago.
I am almost 40.
(Hey, don't tell anyone my age!)

Now let me ask you...
How many times do you think
Dillon's been there?
Once.
It was Monday.
He is merely 14.

Kids these days!

La Caille actually comes to the school to teach etiquette. Didn't anyone care about etiquette when we were 14 or did we already have good etiquette so we didn't need a class?
Hummmmm, you decide.
(I'm thinking the latter.)

So, once you've been in the class you have the opportunity to actually go to La Caille for a private lunch.
Dill jumped on board.
So did I.
(Because La Caille really is DELICIOUS!)

The meal began with
Escargot
(or in my words ... SNAILS)
The kids had been taught how to remove the urchin from it's shell and they were all very excited to try it.
All in all, they liked it.

Did I like it, you ask?
Hey, I'm to old to eat things I don't want.
(Remember our secret, I'm almost 40.)
The kid across the table ate mine.
(That was probably poor etiquette.)

The escargot was followed by sorbet to
"Cleanse the Palate"
(In other words, rinse that garlicky snail taste from
your mouth ... that comment was definitely poor etiquette).

Then a delicious salad.
Accompanied with delicious bread.

Followed by the entree'...
chicken or salmon.
(Are you surprised most of the kids ordered the salmon? Salmon at 14? I find this generation ODD!)

Dill and I stuck with the chepper chicken.
(Why did that "Father of the Bride" line just come out? The chicken was definitely not any "chepper" than the salmon. WOW, I'm so easily distracted.)

Next was the event they'd all been waiting for...
Bananas 99
In case you didn't know,
it's a dessert that is
lit on FIRE!

The kids could hardly contain themselves!


Each glass was individually lit.
Each glass indeed caught fire.
(And a few tablecloths. I'm not kidding.)

Now on to the TAUNTING, by the
"well educated in etiquette"
14 year olds.

I had been warned to NOT let my glass be lit because it ruins the dessert. Therefore, I kindly asked for sauce without alcohol.
(Did you hear that Facebook friends? WithOUT alcohol. I've been misunderstood.)

The 14 year olds all called me a "Poor Sport".
I explained to them ONCE AGAIN (as I had with the escargot) that I was to old to eat things I didn't want.
They repeated I was a
"Poor Sport".
(Are they deaf?)

Then THEY took one bite of their LIT ON FIRE
dessert and exclaimed...
"Mrs. Hutchins you are so SMART!"

Yes, 14 years olds,
Yes I am.

Then I slurped up my delicious dessert
while they all gagged.

I smiled.
(I'm thinking you can envision that.)



It was a Glorious day.
Glorious weather.
Glorious food.
Glorious company.



On the drive home I thanked Dillon for inviting me.
His reply?
"Well, you really invited yourself."

Geez-Louise!! Where's the love??

Kids these days!

FYI:
flam·beau (flām'bō')
-noun pl. flam·beaux (-bōz') or flam·beaus
1. A lighted torch.

You know, for the Bananas 99.
(bahahahahahahaha ... That's my evil laugh!)

Perfectly NOTHING.

Today was one of "THOSE DAYS"

It began with a whopper of a headache...

a very sad crying baby
was in there too...

but don't get me wrong, it was...

PERFECT

I got to see one of my favorite men.

We talked.

I was boring.

So was Oprah.

Housekeeping was interesting.

But alas, he dosed off.

Later we ate grapes.

I got to chat with one of my favorite ladies.

We laughed.

We cried.

We confided.

It was not boring.

I needed it so very much.

We did it all afternoon.

There was no singing or dancing or even SHOPPING!

Just an afternoon full of a whole lot of NOTHING...

PERFECT!

I can hardly wait for tomorrow.

We'll do it all again plus

I get to see one of these...

I'll let you know if

anyone gets eaten!

Puberty VS. Pants (on the ground)

Awe, PUBERTY!
We've all been there, done that.
Some of us still have lingering trauma.
(Oh, sorry ... this post is not about me!)

Awe, PUBERTY!
You can't get around it, no matter how hard you try.


I know, for I tried to keep Tyson from entering
but alas, he did.
The voice changed...
The face changed...
It all changed!
And now he thinks he's an adult.
(Don't believe him if he tells you he is.)

Awe, PUBERTY!

Now it's trying to get a hold of my Little One.
How do I know?
Well mainly, it's the... PANTS!
I cannot keep him in them.
I buy them one week, the next week they're to short. I buy new ones, the next week they're to short. So I buy ... you get the idea.

Awe, PUBERTY!

Last Friday I had the great opportunity to spend the morning at the Jr. High (where Dill spends his days).
It was fun as I got to look at all the 8th graders and their...
PANTS!


I soon found myself tapping my toe's to the tune of

"Pants on the ground. Pants on the ground.
Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground."

At first I smiled. Then I outright giggled.

The reason being, there were NO pants on the ground!
Most were to the top of the shoe...
Many were to the ankle, showing off the sock...
A few hit the bottom of the shoe...
And NONE were hangin' on the ground.

Awe, PUBERTY!
.................................................................

While we're at it, might as well tap our toe's and smile!
Sing it with me, you know you want to!

"Pants on the ground. Pants on the ground.
Lookin' like a ... "

It Made Him ...

There is a place over 3500 miles away

where my husband turned into a

MAN



It was a long time ago.
He didn't know what to expect.
He was homesick.
He was afraid.



But he hung in there.
He learned patience.
He learned service.
He learned to rely on the Lord.



Then he grew to love it there.
His faith grew.
His testimony grew.
He grew into a ...

MAN.

Jeff is taking an unexpected flight today.
He's going to be cold
but he's going to be happy.

He's flying to...
ALASKA!




I'm thrilled he gets to go alone.

Alone time allows us
to think...
to ponder...
to give thanks...
for the decisions that shaped our lives.

What decision or event shaped your life?
What happened that made you who you are today?

That's an easy one for me.

It was the day I chose to

walk this path
with the boy who became a
MAN
3500 miles away.

Father, I got the message...

Thanks.

..........................................................................

I will admit it, I'm a bit of a control freak.

Well, not a bit ... ALOT.

As of late, I've been worried, frustrated, even a little ticked off because there are things I can not

Dictate, Fix or Control
and I don't like it.

Then a 15 year old boy helped me as he posted this for his status yesterday.

"If you have faith enough in yourself to move a mountain, grab a shovel ... if you have faith enough in the lord to move a mountain, get out of the way".

He didn't know it, but the Lord had him write it just for me.

Then I set my ipod this morning to play a certain song. When I hit play a totally different one played.

I knew it was the Lord.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Then fast and testimony meeting.

Pres. Nelson was there.

I knew Heavenly Father had sent him.

So, I wanted Father in Heaven to know

I got the message He sent.

The message that...

I've never really been in control,

even though I thought I was.

He's the one in control.

I just need to have enough

FAITH

to get out of the way and

watch Him move the mountain.

He will.

I'm excited to see it.

The things you learn when...

you FOCUS!

Since Christmas I've had a hard time focusing.

Everyone has told me it's the weather.

However, my family doesn't care about the weather.

They just want to stop going to school naked and

having to gnaw on the furniture to avoid starvation!
(OK, so I exaggerated! But you get the idea)

In light of that,
my only focus today was to...

I was surprised with all the things
I learned...

White clothes love hot water.






If you stop to help someone, the Lord gives you more time.







It was a dang woman who brought on the demise of the Jaredites. (Ether 8:17)







Always look closely in the mirror before leaving the house.





Hildi's is closed today because Hildi went to the Trade Show.






I should drop by my dad's office more often.





The Dry Cleaner knows my name but I don't know hers.








You can purchase an empty honey bear.








Everyone in the world fills their prescriptions where I do.





Everyone in the world seems to have a prescription to fill.







May favorite treat is still available to purchase.







Everything is smaller but, oddly, more expensive.








It is fun to chat with someone who obviously knows you, but whom you have no idea who they are.





Candy by the cash register is punishment for everyone.





People who've been in love for over 50 years are the sweetest to each other.





The shopping cart corrals are few and far between.






Wild and scary animals live in the fields next to the road.








Mom likes it when I call.







Teenagers aren't interested if you didn't look in the mirror and went shopping with
no make-up on.







Church basketball is the most violent sport ever played.

So, my FOCUS experiment turned out.
The whites are white.
The children are fed.
The deep fryer is returned to it's deep, dark hiding place.
***Note: Leaving the deep fryer on the counter for 5 days

does NOT lead to a healthy heart or smaller pants!

I'll leave you with
the most beautiful thing I learned while
"Focusing on Focusing "
...............
Sunshine is good

for the Soul!!