Donny? Really??

So you're probably wondering why there's a link entitled "donny.com" at the beginning of my blog. And even if you aren't wondering, I'm going to elaborate on it anyway.

Yes, it IS a link to Donny Osmond's website. And NO, I'm not ashamed in any way, shape or form to have it here on my blog. Why? Because I happen to deeply respect Donny and am grateful for what he - and his family - have done for me. I have been an Osmond fan since the days of Andy Williams. For those of you who are young and don't know, the Osmond Brothers, and eventually sister Marie, began their long career on the Andy Williams show back in the late 60's. Which is where I first fell in "love" with them. When they hit it big with "One Bad Apple" I became enamored with them, falling for one of the brothers - no, NOT Donny - and dreaming of one day becoming "Mrs. Osmond". Okay, so it's lame. But remember, I was just a young 'un then and didn't know any better. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!). I read everything I could get my hands on that had to do with them, had pics on all my bedroom walls, and had every record they ever made. Luckily in those articles, the LDS Church was mentioned and little snippets about their beliefs were right there in black and white. The summer I graduated from high school I began searching for a church that held the religious truths that I believed in. My first idea was to become an Atheist....don't ask me why as this was totally opposite of anything that I personally believed. It didn't last long. So then I went back to the religion I was raised in. But I didn't believe any of that doctrine either. But since it was all I knew, I stuck with it for a couple months. Until one night I was staying at a friends house. As we were getting ready for bed she announced that the LDS Missionaries were coming the next day for a lesson...and that she had already had a lesson with them. She pulled out a Book of Mormon and we read a little. Now mind you, she was one of 2 of my closest friends at the time and she had said nothing before this night about having any contact with the church. So the missionaries came and taught us. And it was exactly what I had believed in my heart, what I had been searching for. I was baptized 3 months later and have been active ever since. And all because she was an Osmond fan too.

Years later, I moved to Utah, Provo to be exact. Yes, because I wanted to be near the Osmonds. I admit it. Not proud of it, but, yes, I admit it. Well, I happened to move in with roommates who just happened to slightly know the Osmonds. (Heavenly Father sure has a way of making some dreams come true). So I got to know them a little too. And I grew to love them even more.

Now, I must say that Donny was NOT my fave Osmond. Especially when he was going through his stage of being rude to some of his fans. (yes, he did). But as I've watched him over the years and seen him grow socially and spiritually, I've grown to admire and respect the person that he has become.

I am forever indebted to the Osmonds for their fine examples that led me to investigate the true Gospel. I only wish I would have told them so during my brief interaction with them in Utah.

So, no, I am not ashamed to have a link to Donny's website here for everyone who reads this blog to see. I do sincerely love the Osmond's and always will. And hopefully someday I'll get to tell them in person, "Thank You".

Musings of a first time blogger

I've been wanting to do this for some time now but have put it off thinking that no one would actually want to read anything that I have to write. I have always felt and still have the feeling that I have nothing to say that would make a difference in anyone's life. But after reading some of my friends posts, I've decided that even though I may write about the mundane everyday things in life, someone may read it and actually relate to it and if that happens then I may have formed a bond with that person, shared an intimate moment no matter how short-lived or miniscule that bond may be. So here goes.

My mom passed last February and consequently the house that I live in, the house that I grew up in, is now mine. Over the years I've told myself - and others - that when this happened it would be so nice to "get rid" of some things of my parents and truly make the house "mine". That happened in a big way on Friday when a local auction house came and took away the dining room, living room, and bedroom furniture to be auctioned off next month. And silly as this may sound, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The furniture was beautiful in it's own right, but just not my "style". And how many dining tables does one house need anyway? I have a huge kitchen table (thank you Rebecca!) and really didn't need another huge dining table taking up space. So off it went along with the hutch, and corner and end tables. The real shocker was how much room there actually is now in the space that used to be occupied by the dining table and hutch. I'd really forgotten how big the living/dining area is - even with my huge sectional, my monster of an upright piano, my drum set, and my organ. But the real kicker was when I was walking through that area today and it all of a sudden hit me that the house feels like mine now. It feels like MY home. I've never felt that before, even tho I grew up here. Maybe because it's all MY furniture, MY things occupying the space. And again, as silly as this sounds, no matter how much I don't like the layout of the house (I've always hated it), it's so comforting to feel at home in my own home. It's about time.