I’M BACK!

My posts here have been few and far between here lately.
My time has been [well] spent elsewhere…
as I have focused on serving in my Church,
keeping up my missionary’s blog,
and playing with my youngest daughter
[after she moved back home to finish her studies at the U].

Yesterday in church, our Young Single Adult Stake
launched it’s digital mission / blog and I resolved to
reconnect with my own blog more frequently.
I have very few followers, but that is OK.
I can share my life, my beliefs, and my testimony
here for them, and for my posterity.

Today is Labor Day.
It has been tradition for me to host a gathering here at our home.
In fact, I have hosted many holidays here it the past.
My absence has extended itself into that arena as well.
Our backyard is a neglected mess, my children have been gone,
and I lost my desire and will. With the summer ending,
I find myself missing these events.
I made a promise to myself… it won’t happen again.

Conference weekend

Sunday, 4 o'clock pm.
We enjoyed two wonderful days of being spiritually fed,
and I was just pulling dinner out of the oven.
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
My parents just arrived when  I noticed the sound of running water.
I mentioned it to my husband.
Something must have struck a chord with him because he
made a mad dash toward the master bedroom.
He yelled something from the back, but I was focused on the Prime Rib Roast.
Then my daughter yelled from the basement.
It soon became very clear that we had a flood on our hands.

Inches of water in the master bathroom were
cascading into pools of water in the furnace room downstairs.
Towels were flying all over the house.
Our feet were soaking wet.
Water was dripping on our heads.
The sound of a wet/dry vac hummed along with the chaos.

We sopped up as much as we could (for the time being)
and decided to settle down for a lukewarm dinner.
We breathed, we enjoyed, we visited.
We said goodbye to my parents and went back to reassess.

The basement was finally drying up
(thank goodness for required floor drains)
but the carpet padding seemed to be soaking up water from nowhere.
We decided the best course of action would be to pull the carpet and pad.
I guess the idea of remodeling may become a reality
a year or two sooner than planned.

So…this is what we did after the last session on Sunday…

How was your conference weekend?

Christmas joys

1. Shopping online and avoiding the lines. (Not so joyous, the 2 shipments that are yet to be received.)
2. San Diego with the family. ( Evan wanted to go to the Poinsettia Bowl and bribed his girls with Disneyland if we tag along.
3. Disneyland at Christmas time. (We avoided the lines at the mall, but found them here…. 10 fold!)
4. Disney food, treats, holiday lights, music and snow. (Painful knees and hips to boot.)
5. Home in time for Christmas Eve Dinner, Sister In-Law as the great hostess. (A family tradition we refused to miss. We all got up at 4:30 AM to make an early flight home.)
6. Candlelight dinner. Remembering the Savior, highlighting the past year. (More traditions we look forward too!)
7. Home to prepare for Christmas day. (Traditional breakfast, another must.)
8. Sleeping until 9, waking up the family. (Lets get this party started!)
9. Family prayer before opening our gifts. (Chester finds joy in shredding the discarded wrapping paper.)
10. Christmas music in the background. (Hardly noticeable with the excitement of a few surprises.)
11. Family arrivals for dinner. (We moved the location from my parents home to our home for the first time this year. I still let mom do most of the work, I just put out the paper dishes and set a table or two.)
12. Gag gifts for nieces. (This time we threw Rachel and Becca in the mix with their Uncle Ev.)

What a blizzard taught me

Last night, our daughter announced that she was going to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival and spend time at a friends cabin afterwards.

Immediately, Evan counseled her and warned her of the incoming storm system and the dangers it brings.
He was concerned for her safety, and only wanted what he knew was best for her. He wanted to keep her safe.
He advised her to change her plans, but reminded her that ultimately, it was here decision… she was an adult.

She continued with her plans and left, and we let her.

The text messages started at 3AM. It started with Evan suddenly waking up. He sent her a text to check in.
She and her friends just started on their way home.
It was snowing and very windy. There was concern.

We were relieved to know that prayers were offered and the most confident driver was at the wheel.
At the next check in, we decided it was important to get an idea as to where they were on the road.
This check point was to serve two purposes: 1] to know were they last were, just in case. 2] to know where they were so we could determine what they were heading into.
As soon as the first mile marker was seen and reported, we logged onto Commuter Link so that we could tap into the cameras that were posted as various points along the highway.
We were able to have a clear view as to what was ahead of them, and report back with calm reassurances.

We continued with our checkpoints until we all knew that they were fine and on a clear path home.
She arrived home safely, a little after 4 AM.

As I was returning back to sleep, what I realized was a testimony builder.
Just as Evan and I counseled our daughter, our loving Heavenly Father counsels us.
He provides us with His words from a living prophet.
He gives us commandments. To protect us, and to make us happy.
He is concerned for us and only wants what he knows is best for us.
He wants to keeps us safe from the dangers of mortal life’s storms.

He gives us our free agency and we are given the power to choose. And, if we choose wrong, he lets us.

It does not matter what choice we make, how deep in danger we are, we can communicate with our Father in Heaven, at ANY TIME. He will always listen, and he will always help… every step of the way. He is aware of what is on the path we are on and he will do all that He can to lead us back to safety. He wants us safely home.

spontaneity

A couple of days ago, Evan and I made a spontaneous decision.
We called Taylor to see what she thought… she LOVED the idea!
Her last item of school business was Friday evening… singing with the University Choir.
The though of sleeping one more night, and alone, in her apartment was more than she could stand.
So, it was settled.

I left work a little early on Friday and Evan and I drove up to Idaho.
We let ourselves into the (mostly) empty apartment and we packed, cleaned and loaded.
When Taylor was done on campus, everything was ready to go.
All that was left was turning in her key and grabbing a quick bite to eat.

Evan led the convoy home, alone with his talk radio.
Taylor and I jammed to tunes and busted moves as we followed.
Everyone was happy and home by midnight.
It was an extra treat to walk into the house and finding Kylee there too.

Everyone is home, where we love to be.
Surrounded by my three best friends. How lucky is that?

Annually

It is not quite a tradition, YET.

For the 2nd year in a row, we have picked out pumpkins and carved them together as a family.
This year, however, we had a guest carver.
Kylee’s friend Luke joined us in the apples with dip, chili with cheese and humans with knives event.
Evan opted out of the carving…BYU was playing and he was stair climbing between parties.

To cap off the evening, Luke shared some mission pictures.
It was inspiring to see such an amazing response to the Gospel in Kenya.

Also a tradition… lighting up the pumpkins for photos.

As an interesting side note to the evening….
My daughter brought home a boy that I felt it was important for me to impress.
I found myself reverting back to my awkward adolescence.

I am sure I said stupid things. I know I said things that I shouldn’t have.
I think I should have done something different with my hair. (Yeah, right!)
There were times when I should have said something, but didn’t.
The house could have been cleaner.

I guess, we can always find something to be insecure about.
My hope is, that everyone else’s insecurities makes them blind to most of mine…
I usually don’t see theirs!

A way to display…

This week I found myself the proud owner of updated photos
of some of my nieces and nephews!
A new school year and updated photos seem to go hand in hand.

Too often, these photos remain in their protective envelope,
waiting for the day I climb on a stool, pull the frames off the wall,
take apart the frame, exchange photos, replace the back of the frame,
hang it all back on the wall.

Seems easy enough.

I finally had enough and decided to put a new plan in action.
What I needed was a better way to display!
Better, in the sense that it is quick and easy to get each updated photo up
immediately!!

After a quick Google search for some ideas,
and a little gratitude for creative minds that are not afraid to share,
this is what I ended up with…

(the jury is still out on which display I like more.)