What You Might Not Know About Me.....

A Little Bit of Random!
(I thought I might change gears a little and throw in something light after the past few weeks that have been so difficult....I am so grateful to each of you for your thoughts and prayers for our family.)

1- I love to think and wonder. Growing up, I had a "thinking chair" in our living room where I could just sit and think for hours and hours.

2- In college, when writing essays about our classmates in a Literature course, one student wrote about me, "Her hair BURNS like fire, in that it is red, of course." (exact wording! HA!HA!)...maybe I should start carrying an extinguisher around with me...just in case!!

3- I have a hole in my face. When I was nine years old, my sister chased me around the house, desperately wanting to "pop" what looked like a pimple on my cheek. She won the battle and I took the beating as a prompt doctor's visit indicated that "pimple" was actually a broken blood vessel that would now leave a permanent scar after being brutally mutilated by my sister.

4- My first kiss was with my neighbor, D.J. Sinclair when we were 5 years old...in a box.

5- It is my dream to one day open a dance studio for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing intermingled with Hearing children and adolescents.

6- I am a dreamer, just like my dad.

7- In 3rd grade, I ran outside in my birthday suit during a fire drill while I was in the bathroom changing into my Ronald McDonald Halloween costume. The fire alarm sounded and I bolted to the door, half dressed in my whitey-tighties with my arms across my chest. All I could think about was my teacher saying, "When you hear a fire alarm, you STOP wherever you are and walk immediately to our class line at the top of the hill." So there I was, eight years old, bare feet and topless, sporting my rainbow brite undies....what could be worse, right? Well, it happened to be snowing outside, however I was determined to obey my teacher's commands and so off I went, trudging across the parking lot and up the hill, only to be greeted by the entire third grade staff with their mouths wide open in absolute shock and disbelief.
The next morning I received a "Panther Pride" award from the principal. See?...it always pays off to be obedient!

8- Any time I see a Strawberry Shortcake character, the little girl in me leaps out and wants to indulge in every little delicious thing on the shelf! Keep in mind, however, I own very few of her merchandise, maybe two or three things. It's kind of a secret passion, and I would never want to become one of those older women who still collect Barbies or Beanie Babies. *sigh* I just love her, that's all!!

9- I get the biggest kick out of little kids. Sometimes I just love them so much I feel like my heart could just burst!

10- I love exclamation points and smiley faces! Wouldn't it just be wonderful if we punctuated all of our comments with exclamations and a big smile! :-)

Our Precious Kuni, Home at Last

Many of you may remember my post a few months ago when my family planted flowers for our precious little Kuni Jackson, our lifelong friend and my mother's "sister" (as we have called her for years!). On Thursday, sweet Kuni returned home to her Heavenly Father after several years battling with her failing health. My first memories of Kuni are when I was a very young girl and she would come over to our house as our little "Avon Lady", taking her shoes off at the door as a Japanese custom and then leaving Japanese treats on the doorknob for us to discover when we left the house.
A few years ago, we captured her sweet voice on tape as Jordan and I put together a Dahlquist family "Book of Mormon" on CD set with about 50 voices of close family and friends reading the entire Book of Mormon. We also had her read her verse in Japanese which was so special to our family. What a priceless treasure to be able to listen to that sweet, soft little voice of Kuni Jackson. She may be away from us for a time, but her flowers will always be in bloom as she will always be in our hearts!
We are forever blessed, Kuni, to have touched shoulders with you!

(Obituary written by my sweet mother)

KUNI HARADA JACKSON

Kuni Harada Jackson 1944 ~ 2008 Kuni passed away peacefully at her home, Thursday, June 19th, 2008, after a long but courageous struggle with illness.She was born, Nov. 4th, 1944, in Hiroshima, Japan, the daughter of Heiichi and Masa Harada. She grew up in Japan loving the beaches, oceans and mountain climbing. She won prizes in intellectual competitions. Kuni had teaching certificates in Japanese tea ceremony and flower arranging. She has had Haiku poetry published in a Japanese language newspaper in the United States. As a young woman, she loved working as a tour guide, sharing the beauty of her native Japan with others. In 1971, she met and married Brian Charles Jackson, who was serving in the armed forces there in Japan. They moved back to the Salt Lake area, where their son, Travis was born. Kuni had a deep love for her family, friends and neighbors, the Temple and the gospel of Jesus Christ. She served everyone-children, the sick, the lonely, the needy and the aged. She knew and lived the meaning of "Love One Another." In turn, her family would like to thank the many friends, neighbors, doctors and nurses who assisted her during her illness. Kuni is survived by the family that she treasured- her husband, Brian and son, Travis. She was preceded in death by parents, her sister, Nichiko and brother, Rikuich, all of Japan.

Kuni holding our Charly at the Hospital-Feb. 2007

Together Forever

"When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Ne. 1:20)."
“The Tender Mercies of the Lord”
Elder David A. Bednar
Liahona May 2005

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."- D&C 78:17-18

“The Gospel has been given to heal our pain, not to prevent it.”
Marie K. Hafen
“Celebrating Womanhood”
Ensign June 1992

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing, faith in His purposes as well as in His timing. We cannot fully accept Him while rejecting His schedule. We cannot worship Him but insist on our plans." -Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll have a lot of empty yesterdays today. Have we been guilty of declaring, “I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow”? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today. As the familiar hymn teaches:

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.

Let us ask ourselves the questions: “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?” What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace—to have inspired gratitude in another human being. Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.
President Monson
“Now Is The Time”
Liahona January 2002"

*In honor of David, Kelli, Kennedy, and Baby Wright*
*You are forever in our hearts*

Till We Meet Again

Yesterday we received the devastating news that our brother-in-law's brother, David Wright, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday evening. Dave and his wife, Kelli, have a little 3 year old girl and she is 10 weeks pregnant with their second child. We are extremely close to the Wright family and cannot even fathom what they must be going through right now. We are all still trying to grasp the reality of what has happened. It is through experiences like these that truly hit home that you realize how very fragile life is. How blessed we are to know for a surety that we will be together again. We never know when the Lord will be calling us home. I am realizing more and more the essentials in our lives that truly matter and those that don't. I want to embrace every moment in my life, never passing up the opportunity to blow bubbles with my little girl, even if it is for the 148th time that day. When my husband walks through the door, I want to throw my arms around him and tell him how much I love him, even on those crazy days when the laundry's piled a mile high and the spaghetti is boiling over on the stove. Life is too precious to put these moments on hold. So for today, hold your little ones for just a little longer, give a call to your loved ones and tell them just how much you love them, and remember to take the spaghetti off the stove. :-)



DAVID R. WRIGHT
David R. Wright 1979 ~ 2008 Our beloved husband, father, son, brother, and uncle, David R. Wright, returned home, suddenly, to his Heavenly Father on Wednesday, June 11, 2008.David was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 10, 1979 to Rex C. and Marilyn Jameson Wright. He married his best friend and sweetheart, Kelli Ann Bell, on August 8, 2001 in the Salt Lake Temple. He enjoyed seven years of Heaven on Earth with her and celebrated the day that his little angel, Kennedy, joined their family. David will be remembered for his fun-loving personality, unstoppable humor and quick wit. He was a man of great integrity, who honored his Priesthood and loved to have fun with his many friends. David graduated with straight A's from Alta High School, and enjoyed playing golf and basketball during his time as a Hawk. He was honored to be an Eagle Scout, and was awarded the Governor's High School Business Entrepreneur Award as a senior. David graduated from UVSC in Business, Finance, and was a distinguished partner of Wright Homes. From 1998 to 2000 he grew to love the people of Chile during his service as an LDS missionary in the Santiago North Mission. The joy of his life was his love, Kelli, and his princess, Kennedy. Golfing and hunting with his brothers and dad were favorite pastimes, as well as family gatherings and going to movies with Kelli. He continually strived to strengthen his relationship with his Savior. Dave surrounded himself with great people whom he admired and respected. David is survived by his beloved wife: Kelli Ann; daughter: Kennedy; parents: Rex C. and Marilyn Jameson Wright; siblings, Derek (Jill), Nicole (Ryan), Kris Ann (Sky) and Travis (Jenalyn); parents-in-law: Michael E. and Teresa Moser Bell; Tyler (Whitney), Courtney; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted in the name of Kelli and Kennedy at Zion's Bank, in the name of David R. Wright. Funeral services will be held Mon., June 16, 2008, 12:00 noon at the Herriman West Stake Center, 13768 South Rose Canyon Road (6400 W.). Family and friends may call Sunday from 7-8:30 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 E. 10600 So., and Monday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Stake Center. Online condolences at www.larkincares.com

"Cheer Up Charly"

Today marks the 6th day of Charly's ongoing croup. After a week straight of terrible coughing, throwing up, wheezing, runny nose and diarrhea, Charly's nose started to bleed uncontrollably just the past two days. I was going to let this nasty cold just run its course, but when her nose started bleeding, I knew there was more to it than this crummy croup. So, this morning I took her in to the doctor's and came out with the following diagnosis:
*Croup
*Bacterial Nasal Infection (never heard of that!)
*Sinus Infection
*Left Ear Infection
It took me nearly an hour to study the prescription instructions as each one requires various dose amounts and directions extremely specific to each one. Currently she is asleep on an incline with a cool-air humidifier that makes you feel like you've walked into a swamp. I've lathered Vicks Baby Rub all over her chest and am hoping my concoction of "at home" remedies along with prescription medicine will finally do the trick!

PS-A batch of cookies if you know where the title of this post is from! :-)

Memorial Day

For as long as I can remember, every year on Memorial Day, my family has gone to the Provo Cemetary to lay flowers and share stories of our many ancestors and family members we visit. Afterwards, in honor of our Great-Grandfather, Joseph Ahlander, who began the great tradition, we head out to the Chuck-a-Rama for lunch!...yep, it's been around a LONG time! Here are a few fun pics of our special day together.

The Dahlquist Cousins..ranging from 1 year old to 14 years old!







Derek and Tay- Like Father, Like Son!



Our good friends, the Christofferson's-Elder Christofferson is the newest Apostle of the Quorum of the Twelve