Friend Series: Anna Pectol

I knew Anna only a little in our ward in Cedar City, but she has become a wonderful friend through the great connecting powers of the internet. :)

How do you know Rae?  I know Rae several distant ways- we were introduced when we lived in the same neighborhood and in the same ward, but mostly I am a fan of Rae's blog.

What do you do for a living?   I try to be a homemaker.  HA!  I'm really not very good at it, but my living right now is taking care of my family- being here for my kids and keeping the house clean and homey.  That's the HA! part, I've never been a good housekeeper.

What do you want to be when you grow up? (Translation: What is your dream?)  My grandmother or, at least, just like her.  She has an immense amount of love she shares with all she knows, and her greatest love is the Gospel.   I was quite determined to name my baby girl after her, so she carries Phyllis as her middle name.  I want to be a missionary with my husband, visit my grandchildren, be available to help my kids, and maybe figure out gardening and genealogy.

Tell us about your family/the people you love.  Ah, I could go on all day but I'll start with the immediate for now.  I have a good husband, Jeff and four wonderful children.  Abby is almost 8, and challenges me every day to be a better person.  Harvey is 5 1/2 and a delightfully imaginative boy.  Willard just turned 3, he's my mellow child.  Sarah is the baby (for now at least), she loves to give loves to all of us.   They fill my heart with joy just thinking of them.  I'm the product of a very large family- 20 ish Aunts and Uncles and 50+ cousins- on each side. I absolutely love that part of my life.  My grandparents are my heroes.  I'm also blessed with good in-laws and am grateful for their friendship every day.

What interests you?  So many things!   A lot of them are mother related-  natural birth,  teaching my children, cooking (I love to cook!).  Beauty.    Yoga and pilates, running- whatever makes my body feel strong and healthy.  Reading has always been my passion, but I don't have much time for it lately.    People, I love learning about cultures, history, where people come from.

What five things make life sweet for you? What really makes you happy?   (See the above answer about my husband and kids)  That's five, but let's call it 1, just so I can list others.  2-Service.  In high school I discovered the joy of serving others, it's impossible to wallow in self-pity while serving others!    3-The Gospel/ Studying the scriptures.   Maybe it sounds cliche but it really does make me happy to know such good news and to be able to study it on my own.  4-Nature.  I'm so glad I live in Southern UT, being out in the beautiful outdoors seems to expand my whole heart to include it's beauty too.  5-  Being physically fit-  I love to  hike and play with my kids, and I dream of doing the St George Marathon someday.  But I have a goofy back  and right now tight muscles are causing a lot of pain.   I miss being fit and strong and am working on returning to the point where I felt physically well.

Do you have a phobia? Falling and suffocation.  I don't mind heights if I can't fall from them- give me a rail or an airplane and I love it.  Cliff edges are another story- it makes my love of hiking kind of interesting sometimes.  I also can NOT stand to have something tight around my throat or covering my face, it causes a sense of panic that I'm suffocating, even if I'm not.  Even as a very little girl, hair in my face gave me nightmares at night, and I can't wear turtlenecks unless it's really really freezing- they're torture.

Do you have a favorite book? Jane Eyre.  Her sense of integrity is incredible, and she is so strong and forgiving- a lot of good qualities I like.  I also <3 Anner of Green Gables and the Narnia books.  They have all inspired me to try and be a better person.  Maybe that's the other reason I've grown to love the scriptures as an adult too.


What is one technological advance you wish hadn't taken place?   That's a hard one, most advances are basically good,  but if I had to  pick--  Cell phones.  I know they are great for emergencies, and I like knowing that my family can reach me at any time they need to.  But I think the attitude that we should be able to reach anyone at any time, anywhere they may be has kind of contribute to a lack of manners in our general attitudes.   But then again, thank goodness I can reach you anytime, because it's hard enough for me to remember to make the first call!

Hypothetical question: You've been imprisoned in a 10x10 cement cell, a political prison for dissenters of the dystopian, futuristic culture where this hypothetical situation takes place. You are allowed exactly three things. What three things have you chosen to bring with you? Feel free to elaborate, or to just leave your answers as-is.   My scriptures.  I'm assuming there will be a source of light for me to read them by.  Family Picture.  One of the blankets my grandmother made so I'd have something soft to lay on, and the smell of home with me too.

If you ever imagine a utopian society, what is that society like? What kind of government (if any)? What sorts of houses, countries, etc?   When I imagined my perfect world as a child, my family all lived in the same neighborhood.  ALL of them.   Aunts, Uncles, cousins.  We all built houses on my Grandfather's farm.   Want someone to play with?  Pretty much guaranteed a load of buddies.  Need to learn a new skill?  One of them knows, we'll go sit down in their kitchen/living room/ garage and figure it out.  Not feeling well?  No worries, so and so is here, all is taken care of.  Of course playing outside is always safe, because your family loves and watches over you.  My mind never went past my little commune of family, lol.  But if the world were like that- what could go wrong?

What do you think is the most important thing a human being can contribute to this life?  Love.  Is that a cop-out answer?  There are many ways to contribute love, but if we haven't done so- what was the point of living??

What is your favorite memory with Rae?   A pilates class she substituted.  Not only was she a great teacher- she said I was a great student!!  Being relatively new at pilates, I didn't feel I was doing all that great, but I had been giving it my best effort and was grateful to know I had developed well!

What is your weirdest memory with Rae? Weirdest is hard, as we've never really hung out together.  I'm trying to think if I've ever had a bizarre dream that you popped into.  That happens sometimes. But... nope, you're of the hook for this, lol.

Why did you agree to do this interview?  Curiosity mostly.  I was curious as to what you'd be asking about.  I like a lot of the subjects you've shown an interest in (birth, homeschooling, marathon training, motherhood).  And I like your blog.  So I thought I'd take a chance to contribute and see what you'd ask ME.  Even though you don't know me well since I'm a blog SLACKER.  Kind of silly I guess, but oh well.
Anna is not a slacker, is a wonderful mother, friend, and Pilates student, and blogs HERE.

(P.S.-Anna, I read a wonderful book recently, These Is My Words, that is in the form of journal entries of a Western settler woman. As she has more kids, the journal entries get further and further apart, a little note of reality that I particularly appreciated. So no apologies for far-spaced blog posts. Nothing but love for you from this corner.)