WHO’S WHO AND WHAT’S WHAT
Why we’re here:
“Cynics do not contribute; skeptics do not create; doubters do not achieve.” One of our heroes, Gordon B. Hinckley, quoted that phrase and we are intending to live by the opposites of all those things. We are a mother and daughter here to broaden our writing horizons and to share our joy.
Lynsie’s grandmother, Dottie’s mom, Samuella Hawkins, was one of the greatest examples of one who believed in and lived the power of positive thinking. All who knew her would agree. We’d like to think she rubbed off on us and we may quote her quite often. Happy Talk is just one endeavor to continue her legacy.
Who We Are:
With a 27 year gap between the two of us, we have our differences and that will be evident in our posts. This variance is why we are sharing a blog.
Lynsie — As the daughter of the team, I am blessed to be the wife of an angelic man who is a handyman, ballroom dancer, and soldier. I’m also honored to be a novice dance partner, homemaker, Massage Therapist, full time paper pusher/customer service guru for an insurance agency, and an aspirer to be “a great many things” such as a quoter of movies (can you guess what that quote is from?).
Dottie — I reside with my husband of 41 years in a small town in the high desert of Utah. I am the mother of six grown children and grandmother to 13. Those two roles share the main focus of my life. As a hobby, I work part time at the Emery County Archives preserving and sharing history. I love history. I love to travel. I love adventure, and kids, and baby talk, and Jane Eyre, and Jane Austen, and rainy days on the dessert, and I Love Lucy. My life is filled with comfort and joy, largely because of my husband, who is a grump by nature and an optimist by persuasion and practice; he makes me feel safe and loved.
Header Photograph:
The header photos will change at the beginning of a new month. They will primarily come courtesy of B. A. Grimes Photography (Dottie’s husband, Lynsie’s dad– see Other Goodies for link). If they’re not B. A.’s, they’ll be from other family members to show off their talent.
Blog Title:
After much deliberation and effort to find an original blog title, the URL address “happytalk.wordpress.com” was already taken so we went with “happytalking.wordpress.com”. But by then I just couldn’t let our original title go. I apologize for the confusion between the URL address and the title, but it’s staying that way. You’ll get used to it.
The title of our blog comes from the lyrics of the song of the same name from the musical South Pacific. Here is an excerpt.
“Happy talk, keep talkin’ happy talk,
Talk about things you’d like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?…If you don’t talk happy,
And you never have a dream,
Then you’ll never have a dream come true![Spoken]
It’s good idea, you like?”
RE: Original Photo as of Stehekin, Washington.
Great picture, Ben!! There is a serenity to it that complements who and what Dottie Lynsie are. I see so much of Aunt Sammy’s wisdom in Dottie’s description of her childhood – things Aunt Sammy shared with me in an hour of need: “Fake it until you make it”, “Pawing in the past is not productive,” and “Recycling regrets does not change reality.”
Sherry and I are excited for both of you in your literary pursuits and will look forward to further wonderful reading and enjoying.
Paul & Sherry Brown
Ben, where is the picture taken? Another piece in God’s hand. Beautiful. As for Dottie and Lynsie, good luck on your journey. I pray it will bring all of us to our knees and keep us there.
The photo was taken in Stehekin, Washington. It’s a beautiful little town that is only accessible by ferry, traveling through those mountains in the photo.
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!