The beginnings of sisterhood in my life - but not the familial kind

This is a photo from Horne Hall, December 1963. We all got up at 5:00 a.m. to exchange gifts before we headed home for the holidays. My roomies in order: Joy, Judy, Marlene, me, Pat, and Janet.

I was thinking about the gifts that Pat gave each of us. I certainly don't remember what I gave people on that occasion, but I have never forgotten how Pat had gotten little, tiny glass figurines that represented each one of us - and then she wrote a poem about each one of us. I don't have the figurine anymore - but I think maybe the poem is somewhere in my "stuff." But I remember the first line,

"Here's Barb, with her chic new "double-bubble,"

Marlene wore her hair in a "double-bubble" which means she teased the bottom into a bubble. Then she teased the top into another bubble on top of it. It was indeed chic. And for someone who'd spent the last several years looking like Mary Martin in Peter Pan, it was quite a change for me to adopt the hair style.

Pat was a wonderful roommate - she was a couple of years older than us - she was a junior in fact - and she was hard-working and serious and so kind and helpful. And she washed her hair with Tide. (I tried it a couple of times, but it was pretty harsh, so I gave it up.) And she is the reason I was an English major.

Pat: What is your major?
Me: I don't know, maybe math?
Pat: Math is hard.
Me: Maybe French?
Pat: Language majors take more time.
Me: Maybe English?
Pat: Good choice.

As I think about the role of sisterhood in the lives of LDS women, I realize that I came to love other women the way I loved my sisters as I lived with these girls for two years at BYU. I was really learning about the sisterhood that is Relief Society, but I didn't know that then. And I'm not sure that the church or BYU even realized the role this played in shaping our future interactions in the church.

Women can be each other's best friends - or worst enemies. And Relief Society provides a divine forum for learning to become one another's best friends.

I will always be grateful for those college years of living, loving, and learning to grow together as women. It was a good training ground!

I felt that our Women's Conference today was a beautiful testimony of growing and learning together as women of God. And it all started way back when!!

Thinking about "Little Women"

We went to Centre Stage Friday night and saw their performance of Little Women. I had seen it at the Pantages a few years ago, and their performance was really just as good - and we had better seats!!


When Annika was born, Ara came to me and said, "Grandma, now we are our own Little Women."


When Harry and I went to Boston one year for the marathon, we went to Concord and visited Orchard House - Louisa May Alcott's home. It was everything I expected it to be. In fact, I kept waiting for Jo to come bounding down the stairs!



And I often think of my 4 lovely daughters as a great group of Little Women.


(I have 5 sisters, so we don't exactly fit the mold, but we like to think that we are a group of Little Women too!!)

So when I came across this photo of the wonderful Burdick sisters, from Eliza's wedding reception, I thought that they certainly qualify as a bona fide Little Women group!!

(And they always look so fashionable and well put together!! They probably don't scorch their party dresses and have to carry one soiled glove all scrunched up!!)

(And that's Desirae McKendrick Badger in the middle!!)

Do we sense a theme here?? I have several aprons to sew by next Saturday - I think I will watch Little Women while I sew!!

"The Way We Were"

All this talk about decades makes me realize that I don't really think in decades. People talk about clothes and music and hairdos and movies and TV shows and frankly, it all kind of blurs for me. I navigate decades the way I navigate period - with landmarks.

For me, clothing is a landmark, not a description of how people dressed. For example, I found this old, rather bad photo in a box of other photos. It has no real markers as to where it was taken. Dad said, "Well, those were my first glasses. That's why they are so big and shiny. And that would be Centerville."

And the salmon-colored dress is one I made at Margaret's School of Custom Dressmaking - also in Centerville. I loved that dress. I loved making it. I loved wearing it. I loved how it made me feel. And I have no idea what I did with it when it quit fitting me - or when I quit wearing it. I was pretty thin until I got pregnant with Eliza. But all my memories of wearing this dress are from Centerville.

And that would be the 70's.

And I usually didn't wear it with this jacket. I had made a lovely floral quilted vest that I usually wore with it. And I don't know what happened to that vest either. What I do know is that I loved how that vest looked so much that I keep trying out wearing vests. Even though they really don't "work" for me anymore.

All this info from one rather bad photo.

The power of the visual!

Food for thought

The photo has little to do with the post - I just like to use photos I haven't used before. This is Christmas time - Eliza could probably tell you the year!!

And since it's a shot of her before her violin recital, it may have something to do with the post.

I googled "Karen Lamb" after Anna May quoted her in the daily "Need to Know," and apparently she dispenses quotes!!

No matter - I like what she said - if indeed she's a woman - she could be a corporation!!

"A year from now you may wish you had started today."

Pretty compelling thought, yes?

"Turn around and you're a young wife . . ."

I come across random photos from the Young Women days. I get very nostalgic. Maybe it's just me, but I remember those years as a wonderful time.

Especially on the heels of having seen some of these same young women - now wives and mothers and returned missionaries - and I hope the work we did with them helped them become the wonderful women they are today.

I know the whereabouts of all of them except Crystal.

A little something to live by:

I continue with my random photo syndrome - but when I found this photo - of our ever-insightful Calvin in August of 2007 - I also found this quote I'd copied down.

"Remember, you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
Christopher Robin

Happy Belated Greetings to Richard!!

I don't think I am ever on time wishing Richard a happy birthday!! But then, when your birthday is on a holiday, I guess that is what happens. This is a photo of how the family looked when Richard was the "baby" of the crew. I remember his birth. I remember sitting out on the curb waiting for Dad to come home and tell us about the new baby!!

This is the one and only time I ever went fishing - we went with Richard and Julie - must be '75 or so.

Ah, the famous beach shots from Oxnard!!

This was Dad's funeral in 2000.

And this is the shop - a rite of passage for Clayton males!! (I actually worked there too at times - doing filing, but I didn't get a swell apron!!)

And this is Richard's baby picture. Mom says he was the best baby she had - easygoing and didn't fuss a lot.

Even though the greetings are tardy, they are nonetheless sincere - hope it was a great day - and that the year ahead is the best!!

Random memories

This photo is from April of 1973. We had driven from Provo to Arizona for Charlie and Jeanette's wedding. Then on to California for the reception.

We stopped in South Pasadena to visit the Linebacks - Kay and I went to Grenoble together and taught together at BYU.

And then a few years later, there we were practically neighbors - how delightful.

And then Steve joined the Navy as a chaplain and they've been traveling over the world ever since!!

Just a random memory triggered when I found this photo at the bottom of a box!!

New Year's Resolutions

Karl is here staying with us - amid all the chaos - doesn't seem to bother him though. In fact, he's pretty good with the kidlettes - he must be vying for favorite uncle status!! Anyway, he asked me if I'd made any New Year's resolutions. I told him I pretty much make resolutions every day - and then the next day need to make them over again.

Browsing through my photos, I came across this one-year old photo of Ara - who will be 13 years old next month!! This idea staggered me for a moment. While we were bowling today, the topic of being a teenager came up - well, it came up when Eve brought it up - she said, "I'll be a teenager soon. Well, in a few years."

I so vividly remember awaiting Ara's birth, watching her grow, watching the bevy of beautiful grandkids grow too.

Maybe I will get more serious about some resolutions so that I can thoroughly enjoy the wonderful blessing that is grandchildren.

35 years ago

I was just thinking how much I love the SoCal winter experience. I lived in snow country for 17 years - and thought I didn't mind it. But when we came back here in '79, one winter passed and I realized I didn't miss the snow and cold at all.

Bonny and Harry at the Rock House - winter 1974.

I enjoy pictures of folks enjoying the snow - more than I enjoy snow!

42 years ago!!

42 years ago we came home from our honeymoon - and visited both of our families. When we got to GH, someone, Leslie or Donna I think, ran out of the house shouting, "There are millions of presents under the tree - and they are all for YOU!!!

You need to understand a couple of things. First, a flocked tree was an absolute luxury that our family had never indulged in. And a flocked tree with "themed" decor was also unheard of in our household. So my siblings were duly impressed when the tree from the reception came to the house for its last hurrah.

And secondly, gifts weren't usually under the tree. On Christmas Eve, you picked a spot and one of Dad's work socks. And you pinned said sock, with your name pinned to it also, on the chair or section of the couch you were claiming. When Santa came, he deposited gifts on your spot - and then covered them with a piece of tissue paper. Apparently that tradition did not last much past my childhood - but I remember it well. And many years later, when I was up late on Christmas Eve, wrapping what seemed like far too many gifts, I was thinking that I wished we had started the tissue paper tradition ourselves!!

Just a little day-after-Christmas memory for your perusal!!

This is to let all of you out there know that we do get inclement weather now and again. It blew like crazy yesterday. Some places it was up to 80 mph. This shot is taken in Sierra Madre.

And also to let you know that we have some mighty fierce sunsets. It can be glorious driving west on Hillcrest.

And keeping with the time-honored Terrill tradition of getting the tree up at the last possible moment - ta da - it's up and ready for festivities!!

I shopped for it, picked it out myself, got Harry F. to deliver it in his truck - and did a pretty good job. Who needs Home Depot?? (Not us apparently - they were fresh out when Dad went on Saturday. So I ended up contributing to the Youth Ministry at IC!!)

O, tannenbaum!!

"Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!!"

Is that what a baby says in a Santa sleeper? Not likely. Found this photo in the box of pics Mom gave me to sort through.

It's obviously December of 1970 - we drove down in a little VW bug - had a carbed for Bonny on our laps as we sat in the back seat. Kinda scrunched up we were!!

It was a long trip. But worth it just to see the look of pure joy on Leslie's face when she pulled back the blanket to see Bonny for the first time!

And I remember Dad "walking the floor" with Bonny when she was fussy, assuring us all that he was a pro at this. And indeed he was!

Christmas and good memories do seem to go together!!

Happy Holidays to You!!

If nothing else, this is certainly good for a smile!!

Season's Best to one and all!!

And to all a good night!

Fashionistas Extraordinaire

The setting: Bonny and Bruce's unfinished house.

The year: 1996

The object: Take a fashion foto!!

The result: A couple of cute teens bring a smile to their old mom's face whenever she runs across said fotographias!!

And then there were 5

This is 2002 - when there were 5 grandchildren - and I was thinking, "Wow, we are growing by leaps and bounds."

I'm getting excited for the holiday season and all that it entails - meaning being with everyone!!

And school is out!!

Getting Into the Holiday Spirit

Getting into the holiday spirit with the Terrills involves weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays - as well as Christmas and New Year's Eve.

This shot from Eliza and Matt's reception of Esme with Bruce certainly makes me smile!!

Have a great Thursday!

The New Yorker has nothing on us!!

The New Yorker has a back page feature with a cartoon without a caption - and they invite readers to submit captions.

"So, do you think they know what they're doing, Harry?"

What do you suggest??

A lovely Christmas tribute -

A businessman in Maine has been donating 5,000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery since 1992. I think it's a really lovely tribute.

No author was mentioned, but the photo had this caption,

"Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.

Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.

Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held . . .

Peace, peace and farewell . . ."

Dad and I commented how much we have enjoyed seeing more of our nation's capitol - I find myself feeling more and more like it is part of my heritage too. I think everyone ought to have a chance to feel that way.

Why I love being Granny Babs!

There is just nothing quite like a new little baby!

And our lovely Miss Isla is not disappointing us at all. She is a sweetheart.

Guess I'll go over tomorrow and take some more photos!!

"I sigh that kiss you, for I must own, that I shall miss you when you have grown."