NOCHE DE HOGAR

I LOVE PROVO SUMMER AGAIN:
BECAUSE OF OUTSIDE EVENINGS WITH FAMILY
special no thanks to the mosquitos for my first bite of the year!

it reminded me of summers past:
kicking around a soccer ball; playing tag (or 'touched-ya-last' as we call it);
teasing; getting yelled at for not helping; water sprays and sprinklers...
ben is even in some of those memories. except now he doesn't have to leave. i really thought about this as we drove away. i remembered the melancholy i'd have when ben had to leave a wonderful family moment. the night would end and ben had to go home. now ben is my home! my family was still wonderful of course, but ben was gone.

ben's not gone anymore. neither is my family. all is well.

MY DOWNTOWN DAILY WALK

So, as mentioned above/below... I basically live across the street from work. I walk home almost every day for lunch. I pass each lots of big downtown buildings: The County Courthouse, The State Offices Building (is there a more official title for it, Papá?), Provo Tabernacle, The State Health Building--which houses a tiny Utah County "Visitors Center".

Last week was National Tourism & Travel Week (?) or something?

They were giving out free popcorn to celebrate. I also got to ask them about their new little Promo piece. A few years ago they did a "Utah County Passport" and I LOVED it. Not only was it designed well, (by Stephen Hales Creative, I think?) but it was so full of the BEST of my homeland. :) I hope you read that outloud in a cheesy formal voice... This little passport became QUITE dear to me while away from Provo and the USA. I loved to carry around the little booklet to remind other missionaries of our home, or to show the Dominicanos my home. Well, they've decided to switch a lot of it to online/web promo stuff now, but I got their latest little 'map', and I enjoyed it with my popcorn in my bedroom on my lunch break.

And that's why I like working across the street.

Happy May 14th

Today I am lamenting that I could just not remember at the right times of the day to call the birthday peeps on their birthdays: so here's a shout-out to some awesome blossoms: (the first of which bloomed just 6/7 weeks after me):

Kristen Kate Siguenza Hogan was born on 12 May 1985. We were bosom buddies from the beginning. Oh, how I cried when she moved out of the country. But oh, the memories of our road trip to Guatemala to see her. I love my memories with her. Even the memories I have forgotten that somehow involve me getting her into trouble? I still think she might be making that up. Not to mention countless nights sleeping in bed together. And talking til I started saying weird things in the middle of my story. She would laugh up a storm. I still love memories we make together. I still love her laugh. She won't let me sleep in her same bed anymore, but I think I'll forgive her. I love you Kristen!

The second awesome blossom bloomed on Friday-the-13th of May (1935?). But Grandpa Robert Malcom Ord has brought no such bad luck. But all the good. I love his hugs and kisses and meals with him at Wendy's. (When I was little, it used to be McDonald's. We could get anything we wanted! A child's prayer.) I also love Grandpa's laugh--I mean when he laughs so hard that his eyes shrink and water. I loved seeing this as he watched our reactions to an odd old postcard he included with a batch of photos for our family. It was a silly little 60's cartoon I think--50's? - an image of kids playing with pigs and a mother chasing after them with a broom (?) we finally looked up at him for an explanation after we couldn't figure it out and he was just dying with tears of laughter! Precious. Precious Grandpa moment I will savor forever.

Today a friend wished me a "Happy May 14th". It wasn't bad at all.

It was warmer today than yesterday.

Ben got home from work and then had to leave again to the 'new work's building' to help install insulation. He is still gone and it is late. :(

I played a scrimmage soccer game with my own intramural co-ed team because the other team didn't show up. My mini-team lost, but I enjoyed the exercise.

I drove with the windows down up to Oak Lane to deliver something and then back down Center Street to my house and then across the tracks to my family's home. I smelled the memories of Provo Summers past in those 3 neighborhoods and I am so excited to be here.

I went home to use some of Papa's salsa in making some of his signature chilmol as part of my assignment for the Nu Skin activity tomorrow. It's some quarterly meeting that also turns to an activity. Last quarter was a pinewood derby I guess. This time it's an Iron Chef competition. We feast tomorrow. What a hard job.

Speaking of paid internship, I know it's socially unacceptable to publicize financial stuff, but can I just share my excitement about payday today? In one week, I earned more than what I did in one month last semester. Oh, the quaint sense of security I feel today. :)

Mom gave me a belated 'souvenir' while I was home. For Spring break, they ventured to an SLC hotel to vacation with the kids. They got to spend some good time at Barnes & Noble (a favorite Juarez family pasttime), where she found a gift for me. I loved it. Perhaps one of the gifts I've been most excited for in a while. It was one of my favorite childhood books, A Bargain For Frances. Oh, how I love it. I love the whole Frances series, but this one might be my favorite. (It's between this one and Bread & Jam for Frances). If you have not read these, or even if you have, everyone should read this. Or come to my house & I'll read it to you. I love reading outloud.

Good night.

ASHTON IS AMAZINGLY AWESOMELY NINE

ASHTON MALCOM JUAREZ
This is the last known photo of Ashton when he was still 8.
It is a blurry snapshot - but kind of captures a classic Ashton expression!

Today he is nine!

I am so glad Ashton was born.
In fact, his birth was an answer to prayer.
After 3 little sisters I remember saying "it's just been so long since I've had a baby brother!"
He has been an excellent brother to have in our family.
He AMAZES me.
He speaks Spanish, he's got skating skills (see here), he spins without getting dizzy, he knows more about WWII fighter jets and planes than any kid I know, he has an excellent singing voice and an incredible memorizing brain.
(Perhaps soon I can post his 3-year-old reciting of
The Polar Express--one of my favorite Ashton classics).

But for now, I will charm you with his birthday gift to me--
a book he illustrated and bound himself!

These are just a few detail shots:

I LOVE YOU ASHTON!

I HEART PROVO

Well now the (blog title) name rings true. I heart Provo over NYC. For this summer. (Well, I kind of felt Provo over NYC, even though I wanted NYC over Provo, but now I'm happy with PROVO. Sorry, NYC...)

And now I get a Provo summer with a 'big-city internship feel': at the tallest building in Downtown P-Town: Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.

I'm loving it. I flash my ID card in front of the elevator so it will let me up. I flash my ID card at local business and they give me a discount. The team took us out to lunch for Cinco-de-Mayo, and Camille from Zellerbach is apparently taking us to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch today.

When my lunch isn't bought for me, I walk across the street to... MY HOUSE, and heat up some leftovers and brush my teeth right there.

In just three days, I've worked on special typesetting and edits for standard labels, and designed a draft for the Freedom Festival back cover ad.

I love the Freedom Festival.
I love Provo.
I love summers in Provo.
Thanks, Nu Skin.

BORN IN THE 50'S, NOW 50!

Happy 50th to

Donna CHERIE Ord Juárez
A perfect subject for my 2nd tribute, don't you think?

Maybe it was her Cinco-de-Mayo birth
that gave her such lively flare & kick.
I've grown up with it being normal to hear the words constantly,
"I love your mom!"
-- from my friends, to neighbors, to family, to strangers.

People LOVE her.

I became aware of this as a young girl when my hobby was to read through her high school yearbooks. I read half-page-long signings all similarly expressing sincere gratitude for my Mom and the positive effect she had on them with her shining personality. Even her teenage peers took notice of her unique and contagious happiness.

It wasn't until MY teenage years that I realized those long, sincere yearbook letters were NOT the standard. ;) At least not for me. It became more apparent that
my mom was something special.

It wasn't until my college years that I was able to really enjoy that special-ness. And not only her special-ness, but a special-ness in our connection. I'd like to think that at that point we became supports to each other. We were often on the same page/wavelenght about MANY different subjects. We weren't living together, so phone calls became much more frequent. OFTEN, I'd run into a decision, call her for advice, and she'd say "Well what do you want to do and I'll talk you out of the other choice."

To this day, it is that way. I think we understand each other almost completely.
Just last month, I called her in tears
just to hear her talk it out, say "I'm sorry" and "it's ok".
The next morning I got to give the comfort
when she called me in tears.

I KNOW I'm blessed to have her as a mother. She is stupendous.

(Because who else has a mom that loves video games more than you do?):

MR. POTTS

My Ben plants pots. --Er, he plants plants in the planting pots. He just goes to the nursery on Saturday and comes back and opens the big soil bags with his new fancy knife and then we have pretty planter pots.

Some with herbs.

Some with flowers and foliage.

Some with struggling banana trees.

Some with old Clivia that aren't used to being outside.