Home

I want to go home. What a blessing that I can.

I heard mom's voice for a moment on the phone today and was able to comprehend for a second the great gift the Lord gave me in giving me a place to truly call Home...a place where I belong, where I fit in - a place where I'm accepted, wanted, where I don't have to be understood and yet feel that I am more than anywhere else - a place of goodness, warmth, busy-ness, happiness, and where love is a work in progress...always improving and increasing.

How grateful I am to be able to go there, to return home. What a blessing that I can.

Yes...I even celebrate how much I love this family!

These are two of my favorite pictures of Ben and Emily's family this year. The bottom picture is earlier this last February at Em's sister's wedding, and the top picture was this last month when Ben and Em and company came to Utah to visit. Thanks for being such a

wonderful and beautiful family!

Visiting Rach and her little ones

Wow...so, this was quite a while ago...but I must blog about it as it was such a great trip and you must have the opportunity to see more pictures of Rachel's little gang. I love her family.

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Liz and I flew down to Rio Rico, AZ for Memorial Day weekend. Actually, it was because I was buying Rach's little car...now named the Lil' Digg...and that was the only way to get it...but Rio Rico was exactly where I wanted to be. Felt so spoiled...didn't think I would be able to visit Rach for quite a while after that trip in February.

Back to the trip :) It was wonderful to be with Rachel and her little family. Lena had grown a ton and it was heaven to be around all four Delaps. Man, if I can do that a few times a year for the rest of my life...how great life would be.

Enjoy these masterfully shot videos of us playing with Caleb and Lena.

Liz was so good with the kids...seriously, that girl has a gift for playing and teaching children; it was fun to see. Sorry for the back shot starter there Liz.

As you can tell, Caleb never got tired of Ring Around the Rosie...nope, he loves that game!

This one is so funny of Lena...she really wanted all 10 fingers in her mouth!

We both really enjoyed Caleb and Lena. Lena can smile so big you question if it's really that healthy to open one's mouth so wide :)

Caleb was very interested in everything he wanted to do. I love that picture of Dean and Caleb walking out in their back yard. It just seems like a Calvin and Hobbes picture.

Our friend Rick took Liz and I to Nogales and showed us the border fence, many of the posts, and the fine dinning Nogales has to offer visitors :) Lots of cheap shopping for cheap clothes, if you're down for the trip!

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With so much time existing between myself now and when I took that trip, I can't remember all I wanted to originally say. This one thing I will add...Rachel is such a good mom. She impresses me with the effort she puts into teaching and raising her children with love. Dean is so good too. Very patient with the ever-willing-to-challenge-anyone Caleb ;).

We also sang together, of course, and there isn't much that makes me feel like that does. Yep. Very grateful for the wonderful person and blessing she is.

Liz and I drove back in the Lil' Digg and it held up great! There's quite the lovely scenery between the Rio Rico and Salt Lake City :)...though we were missing the folks we'd left in Rio Rico.

To Radiate Light

Found this on my uncle Laird's kitchen fridge :) and really loved it:

There is no end to the good we can do, to the influence we can have with others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to assist others. Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the Spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us.

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Comes the Dawn

One of my Young Women's leaders gave this poem to me years and years ago. It's helped me breathe easier when going through relationship rough times. After discussing a situation one of my friends was going through recently, I remembered the poem and thought I'd share it on my blog for anyone to whom this might give comfort and perspective. Wish I knew the author but it said anonymous.

Comes the Dawn

After a while you learn the subtle difference

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning

And company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts

And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head held high and your eyes open.

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

You learn to build your roads

On today because tomorrow's ground

Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have

A way of falling down in mid-flight.

After awhile you learn that even sunshine

Burns if you get too much,

So you plant your own garden and decorate

Your own soul, instead of waiting

For someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure,

That you really are strong

And you really do have worth

And you learn and learn...and you learn

With every goodbye you learn.

Starting a new life...555

Last night, Liz and I had dinner with one of my favorite people on the planet!...I really want to emphasize my Beckiness by saying it like that :)...and mostly bug Joe because he loves it when I say such statements! Okay, okay. The truth is Adam is and has been one of my very best and closest friends while I've been here in Utah for the last several years. We've both worked at Thai Ruby together and he's impressed me so many times with how good he is to others and how loyal he is to his friends. He inspires me to be a better friend to others.

Adam was recently offered a job

in Hawaii working as a quality control specialist on fishing boats. He's all kinds of smart in micro-biology and he's excited about the opportunities and experience this job will provide him. We're sad he's leaving but happy for him...and Hawaii...man, how neat is that?!

In this first picture, I think Liz is overcome with sadness because Adam is leaving...which doesn't explain Adam's smile...oh, maybe that's because Adam thought he was being funny while Liz was washing all the dishes! Yes...that's it. And in the second shot, it really looks like Adam loves us...well, he does...he just doesn't always feel like smiling, especially when I tell him he should :)

We had dinner at the Briles family homestead :) Here we have Adam's family from the top left to the bottom right: Dad, Mom, Adam, Uncle Eric, Granny, sister Mares and her fiance Travis. This family is the coolest family - way down to earth and they do an incredible job of living off the land...using their resources efficiently. Don't know if that is the best way to put it - but they are quite the family and a ton of fun!

Think we had a bit too much fun with this last pic.

We'll miss you Adam. You're amazing!

JoeCool

Joe turned 28 today! Wow...how did that happen? He's posted a hilarious bit on his blog that you have to check out and comment on :). Here's the link to his blog if you don't already have it. It is also along the side of my blog in the list of others' blog addresses.

Joe is a master at words so me writing something about him will just not do him justice. All the same though, I do want to verbalize in the smallest of ways, why I absolutely love Joseph McCune Castleton. I think it started when he stole my ice cream, that first of a gazillion times...definitely didn't start any earlier...he was still screaming for the first few years of our lives...from screaming to stealing...what a great start Joe. He made us all laugh and could get away with anything on the planet because of that. Joe's always been good looking...he made best friends with all the girls in our junior high...and on the first day of school too, just because he was "so cute." Yes, you were definitely called cute.

With his gift of bringing us to laughter and sometimes to the point of tears too, Joe also had the gift of a beautiful singing voice, amazing piano ability and creativity, a steady and consistent approach to life, fast legs, great bowing on his cello, and awesome moves on the wrestling mat. It was fun growing up with him. Joe was a great listener and he also taught me quite a bit about what matters most.

From picking up trash on the freeway together, sharing the MTC, hair cuts on end, and long conversations talking about our funny dating experiences, I have always been so proud to call you my brother. Yes, you're right, it is I that is lucky to have you in my life!

Let's hear it for a great year for JoeCool!