Warts and All

I have had a wart on my finger for years and have been trying to remove it recently with this wart remover chemical burn stuff that is highly toxic to my olfactory nerves and would get me high with five good wiffs. Anyway there is something that I want to add to the family blog about warts.

I have lived away from the core Smylie family for well over half of my life, (no comments on how old I am please), but somehow I was always secure. I don’t know how Mum and Dad made us feel this way. I do not know what secret formula they came across and injected into our everyday life. But somehow they gave each of us (all 8 brothers and sisters) the confidence that we could do anything and go anywhere and be secure in being loved.

Well, perhaps that was it!

Perhaps just knowing that we are loved was the key.

We were taught not only that they loved us, but that the Lord loved us and that we should love life, love music, love books, love our ourselves and this good earth the Lord has given us, so that when we went out on our own that love would give us confidence that no matter who should see our warts (and we all have them in some form) we would know that we had tasted love and were okay having others see our faults.

I feel truly blessed to be a part of a wonderful family, warts and all.

Art show

bThe Smylie clan have produced some talented people during the years and this one is no different. This Smylie-Merrill is a very talented artist who loves to think outside the box. She is a very unpredictable artist and has done some stunning work.

The words that mythology have mythologic creatures throughout them. The painting in red is of Jimmy Page of Led Zeplin and she has been invited to enter that in another juried art show. The lion is lead-glass mosaic. The paper cut sculpture is a spider web over and over that she took hours to cut out. The "iron thing" is a winged figure (bird, person?) that is really expressive when you look closer at it. She wants to go to BYU and has been accepted for the summer classes and will go out to Utah for a few months to see if she likes that and then decide on long term schooling out there or closer to home.

Highlights in life

Well we have survived the ice storm and the very cold weather. During the ice storm they would not let you leave your house except to go to work if

you needed to and they will arrest you if you are just driving

around. There was great damage done to all the trees around
the town, large tall trees crashing down on cars and porches and house roofs. We sustained no damage thank goodness.

Of course nothing looks better in an ice storm than a beautiful girl with a red hat and red berries on frozen in time. Sariah is 18 and loving every minute of life. She has done some very impressive artwork and has been asked to be placed in the County Art Show, which is an honor. (This has been the hardest part of corresponding while living in America... spelling. Honour or honor depending on who is reading it I am a terrible speller when I actually do quite good in both languages, ha ha ha). The children just think it is hilarous that I don't know how to spell at my age.

OHIO POEM
It's winter in Ohio
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.
Oh, how I love Ohio
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Ohio
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!

Another Day in the Frozen North

Since this is a leep year, I thought I would just post a little note today since I cannot do so on this date for another four years. Winter continues to be long and cold here with ice and snow in every crevis. Our home is warm and we have food on our shelves so with ther Lord's help we will weather any storm ahead. Ariana continues to plan for her wedding with small lanterns made of canning jars and votive candles all tied up with wire and beads, really creative. She and Derick have put their wedding forward into June, so that Sariah can have her graduation over with before the wedding and thus their mother can attend both

Engaged Couple

I now know why they call this period of time engaged. This couple are truly engaged in planning, scheduling, running here and there checking. We have more silver at our home than any girl ever needs for one wedding, and candles, they are everywhere and wedding fru-fru. It is truly great though to watch them. They are so in love and right for each other. They are a joy to be around.

The Dan Merrill Family

This is Dan's latest picture of Janae born in May of 2007. She is going to be a holy terror when she is 16 and wants the car keys. Lilon and Dan are living in Utah and Dan is trying hard to finish his Bachelor of Science Degree and go on to another university to begin his Doctrate program in Physics. He is absolutely thrilled and excited about math and problem solving. Lilon finished her Masters Degree in July of 2007 in Food Science and one day will be able to work for a food company on quality control of their products or continue to just be able to tell if the milk is sour or not and what microbes are growing in it to make it sour :)