The News of Today

My mother had e-mailed me and told me he wasn't doing well. I didn't think much more about it until I received an e-mail from Kristi today. Jim Duchane passed away.

Sitting in my windowless office I found my eyes misting with tears. I had work to do, but memories and thoughts were going through my mind. There were least four feet of snow on the ground in Concord, New Hamshire where I saw him last. He talked of the expense of heating his house with kerosene. It seems homeowners in New Hampshire always talk about the expense of heating their homes in the winter, just as Californians always seem to talk about money. I had asked him, as I often ask people, how he had met his wife.

Brother Duchane had fallen in love with a spunky, red-headed, Mormon woman many years ago. She was a security guard and he said she could beat the tar out of anyone. He was smitten. Even years later I could see that he was so taken by this woman who could beat up anyone.

I met Brother Duchene at church as a child. His two girls who were still children when I left for college. The summer after my mission, I visited a small branch in Northern New Hampshire where Branch President Duchene and his family are now attending. His oldest daughter is now soon leaving to attend college and wants to study forensics, and there was MG, his wife. My eyes are now misting as I think about MG.

MG was my primary teacher when I was a child. She loved being in Primary because her energy level matched ours. She never belonged in Relief Society, she belonged with us. She gave us homemade pies if we attended her class with perfect attendance each month. Month after month she delivered my pie to my home.

I remember the first time I came to know of this person called MG. I went with my mother to the Mother-Daughter Homemaking meeting. It seemed everyone would talk about this woman MG, old women, young women, everyone seemed to adore her. The first time I saw her she hugged an old woman. She is the spunky red-headed security guard who could beat anyone up, the woman who made Brother Duchane's eyes glow with the memory of first meeting her. How she must be missing him.

An hour or so later I am distracted by my phone signaling that I have a text. It is Deborah, my beautiful trainer from my mission, announcing the birth of her third child. I text back a quick congratulations and letting her know how proud I am of her accomplishment in bringing this child into the world. How happy she must be for her new daughter.

French Music and Human Dominoes

Coeur de Pirate

Coeur de Pirate || Comme des enfants from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

Oh The Places You'll Go

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visited 33 states (66%)
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Stud of the Month - May 2010

This is my little brother Vince; I call him Vinchenzo for short. This fuzzy little picture above is one of my favorite pictures of us, and clearly not for its aesthetic qualities. When I was living in Salt Lake Vince told me there were some girls from his mission coming to visit and wanted to meet up with them for dinner. When I introduced myself as Vince's sister, they excitedly exclaimed, "Oh, YOU are Vince's sister!!" and seemed overjoyed to finally meet me. I was a little bewildered. They proceeded to explain, in their lovely Belgian accents, that on Vince's mission he would always talk about his sister who was on a mission too. Finally became a running joke in their branch about about his sister. His sister this, his sister that. This is the picture they took to prove my actual existence to their branch back home.



Needless to say, it made my night to know that my brother loves me, not that I ever had much room to question. Vince was always an exeptionally helpful sibling. He is two years younger than me, so he left on his mission a few months before I did. We were both called French speaking, he was called to Belgium, and I was called to France. He was already attending the Missionary Training Center when I arrived. He caught me unaware with his camera in hand my first day at the MTC. He got the prized picture of me with a dork dot, and gave me a big hug. Our classrooms were right next to one another. Our schedules matched, so we would go running together and practice our French on our breaks, and eat our meals together. He left me little notes on post-its in my books. Every holiday that he could call home, he would get permission to speak to me. I was always impressed by his thoughtfulness. Once, he even sent me a package.

I got home before him and found him housing at BYU. We used to go running every morning together. He recently got married to a beautiful bride.



She couldn't be more lucky, and she knows it. I was talking to my grandmother about how lucky she is, and how helpful he has always been to me. Grandma piped right in, "That is true. When we needed help done who always came over, Vince." Vince is the guy who made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when I was running out the door in high school. Vince is the guy who always made time for me in college and after. Vince is the guy who helped me clean my car after long road trips.



Not only that, but he is smart. I forget this sometimes, but when he came to my graduation we took time to talk...it had been a long time. He isn't quite the phone conversationalist that my sisters are. What a refreshing reminder that he is so fascinating to talk to, and such a good person; it emanates from him. I love you Vince!! And congratulations on getting married.

Some Articles for Thought....

The Science of Commitment

- Conclusion, marry someone who expands your horizons

Attractiveness and Crime

- My theory is that the correlation boils down to the need to feel loved. People who feel less loved have a higher propensity towards crime.

Things I Fell In Love With Today

And other cute ideas from here.


Cup Cakes in a Jar (I've been in love with these for a while.)

I've always loved these things...so random. And I've been to Antwerp!!


I just recently fell in love with this blog Fondly Seen. Isn't this greenhouse charming?

Quote of the day:

Have a time and place for everything, and do everything in its time and place, and you will not only accomplish more, but have far more leisure than those who are always hurrying.

~Tryon Edwards:

There were so many other things I fell in love with today...but there isn't time enough to share them all.

Nighty night.