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Stepping it up

Last week in Relief Society the lesson was about Putting the Lord first.

Every topic mentioned, Fred and I suck at.

We don't have FHE.

We don't study the scriptures together.

We only pray at dinner time together.

We have gone to the temple here I think four times since we moved here.

How terrible is that?

Our friends in Bremerton would beat us.

We are LAZY when it comes to spiritual habits.

So now you can see why it totally depressed me.

For this lesson, the teacher passed out a handout with three questions.

 

1. What two things did you do this last week to put the Lord first?

I had to dig deep because at first I thought "I got nothing."

a. Made my VT appointments.

b. Read the introduction to the Ezra Taft Benson book as suggested.

(Yeah me)

 

2. What two things will you do this week to put the Lord first?

a. Read next weeks Sunday lessons.

b. Go to the Temple.

 

3. What will you give up or what will change when you put the Lord first?

a. I will watch less TV.

 

So this last week I was pretty depressed having basically been called to repentance AGAIN for the same sins of omission that I struggle with all the time. I find that I live more fully and faithfully when I serve in callings because they inspire me to live better. Since we have lived here I feel like a nobody so I am acting like a nobody. Feeling pretty much sorry for myself that for the rest of my life I will be insignificant and unused in our ward. It is about my pride. Having been needed and utilized all my days in our ward it is really hard to be invisible here. I find great comfort and reassurance in all the callings I have served in over the years. It's like I know that God is aware of me and it is His way of saying I am of value. "Here I need you in this calling."

 

So this last week was a bad one for me in every way. The first week since March that I felt I was eating out of control which was especially scary because I don't want to go back there. I wasn't sleeping well after I felt like I was getting back to sleeping better. Beginning to really feel depressed about Shannon & Brian and Scott & Jess moving so far away. Big amount of emptiness and what is my purpose now in life. I have nothing to do with my time. Back to that whole what to do with my life now with no kids. The house is empty and what do couples do when there are no children anymore.

 

So getting to the point of this post. This handout was very timely because Question number two actually challenged me. It was easy to read the Sunday lessons because I have so much time at work to read. Getting to the temple was the bigger challenge because we talk ourselves out of it so easily because I am just too tired ALL OF THE TIME. Fred and I talked about it and we said no matter what we would go on Saturday.

 

WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE!

I was sleepy during the session, but I did make it.

Fred and I set some basic goals because of this lesson. Thank you Hilary Ferguson for your lesson. You did good.



Family Pictures

When we knew everyone would be home for Christmas, I decided family pictures would be my first priority. Being in a new city and not knowing ward members who do photography well enough to ask, I went to google. I connected with Thumbtack. It's a site that you can type in your information. How much you want to pay, the dates, where you live, how far you will travel, what medium you want the photos to be made available and then Thumbtack sends it out to their "providers" and then you wait for someone to bid on your request. I received one response. I was fine with that. I looked at her website and liked what I saw and Haley was quick to respond to all my questions.

 

She asked if I wanted red rock or more green. I decided on red rock since we have a lifetime of green.

She mentioned a few of her favorite spots. Fred and I visited Dixie Rock on a Sunday afternoon and it was freezing. I began to be concerned about taking pictures outside overall. I decided to come off the mountainsides and into our Washington Fields and she said she would check on some spots.

 

The day of we connect to confirm our meeting place. Dixie Rock....hmmmm what happened to a closer place in the Washington Fields? I didn't say anything. I just went with it. Now I wish I would have said no I don't want to go up on the mountain where it will be cold. It wasn't really too cold, but it just means once she got my money, she quit making effort to follow through on my request for a new location.

 

Don't get me wrong. I am actually pleased with how our photos turned out...

EXCEPT they are washed out and many were out of focus.

 

After she would get us posed, she would click the camera and you could hear the camera clicking away automatically. We figure she must have gotten over 100 pictures of us.

She sent 30. Were we that terrible of subjects? I suppose with the number of people, it is hard to get everyone looking good at the same time. But the singles of Scott and Jess and Fred and I. Well, there were more than the single pose you see here. Part of me is kind of mad, but mostly I'm disappointed because this is it. I won't have my family back together for I don't know how long.

 Complain, complain, complain.

Kind of goes with the bumpy road we had over the holiday anyway.

Nothing is perfect. 

But doesn't everyone look so happy!

 Yes I think in this moment of time, we all were.

Our Family's Christmas 2014

This year we were able to have all of our children and their families come home during the Christmas Holiday season in waves. There would be about a 36 hour overlap where everyone would be home. The main events were to include opening presents, going to Sacrament meeting together, Sunday dinner and having family pictures taken up at Dixie Rock. Supporting activities generally are eating, watching movies after the grand kids are in bed, taking the kids to the neighborhood park to play with remote control cars, video games, transformers, legos, and generally hanging out at home. Our main day to spend together was Sunday so that certainly narrowed down our options for entertainment.

Shannon and Brian arrived first on Christmas Eve. Shannon and Mima were on the tailend recovery from rotovirus. Never heard of it, but googling it was not exactly reassuring. Fred and I were pretty much freaking out how we were going to keep everyone from being exposed during our time together? After they arrived, Shannon put our mind at ease about the whole thing. We took some precautions and felt that all would be well.

Shannon and Brian had left their home in Las Vegas all packed up in moving boxes so they could return on Monday to pack up the moving van. We had baby duty while they left the babies here until they returned on Tuesday night. This was their big move to Colorado to start a new chapter in their lives. Getting out of Vegas for better employment growth for Brian and better environment for their children. Otherwise, NOT HAPPY!

Next Scott and Jess arrived Saturday afternoon, Jess was not feeling well so instead of the two young couples going to the temple as they had wanted, we sent Shannon and Brian out on a date and made dinner at home for the rest of us.

Corinne's family arrived about 9 PM. House was full now! Let the event begin!!!! Unfortunately Jess was feeling worse by now and they decided it was time to go to the ER. Fred and Scott gave her a blessing and then they left. The bad news was she had a kidney infection, but the good news was she was able to come home with meds and rest here at home. This certainly was not what they had in mind for spending their Daly half of their Christmas Holiday.

On Sunday while Jess rested, we were able to leave Henry home with Scott and Jess for his nap while the rest of us went to Sacrament meeting. That was handy, but certainly we would have preferred everyone being there together. After church, we all ate some lunch and got ready to go for our photo shoot at Dixie Rock. Luckily by now, Jess was feeling good enough so she could join us for the rest of the day. There would have been no point to having family pictures taken without her in them.

Sunday was the best day for me. It was the only day that we all spent together. The weather for our photo shoot outside was a little nippy, but the sun was shining and beautiful. Opening presents is always a fun time. Our one and only family meal together turned out good with help from Corinne and Ben. The rest is kind of a blur......after the kids and babies were in bed we watched a movie.

I find that all of us take less pictures when we are together. I'm not sure why that is. I feel bad about that. The family pictures that the photographer took will be the best record of our time together.

So please enjoy the pictures that we did take.

 

I love that Brian loves to cook. I was happy to turn over turkey prep and gravy making.

Mima and Buddy sharing her new magnetic Hello Kitty toy.

 Buddy received a Craftsman tool set. Grandpa just happened to have a 2x4 with holes that fit just right.

 Baby high chair and booster seat row. 

Mima and Henry sharing his new toy.

Fred bought me jewelry from a store here in town that I told him he could go in with his eyes closed and pick anything and I would like it. In each of the five wrapped boxes along with the jewelry was a baggie containing York patties and dark chocolate kisses. 

 Mima's first "Barbie". She has no dolls and look how she instinctively knows she wants this.

 A great picture of the action.

I've been working on a book library for Mima. Looks like Brian is into it too!

 See the grass. See Buddy play. See Grandpa play.

See the fun toys that Grandpa keeps on hand.

 

The usual set up in our bedroom for the big boys to play the Wii and with the toys that Buddy is not quite big enough yet to play with.

Grandpa Fred introducing Buddy & Mima to Connect Four.

Here is Buddy buckled up in the Big Moving Van with his Daddy ready for the journey to Colorado. They arrived safely with absolutely no snow along the way on the roads or snowfall until they pulled in the valley according to Shannon, I don't know anything about Colorado, but I will soon.

So this Family Christmas did not go as smoothly as we expected and had hoped for. We are just glad that everyone made it here safely and returned home safely. 

A quick post

This is the only way I'm going to survive Shannon's family moving to Denver.

PICTURES!

 

I will be posting some pics from Christmas very soon.

Ok I am gonna gush

Fred and I went to my work Christmas Party last weekend.

I have been looking forward to it for over a year.

Last year I wasn't able to go because of my surgery that went wrong.

It was held at a Country Club and it was a dressy affair.

(Well for those that wanted too and I did)

I had to go shopping for something with a little "dazzle"

I didn't want to wear a church dress. I wear them all the time and none felt party and dazzle like.

So I hit Penneys and found a skirt and this top in the regular size department. Not the Woman's Department. Let me say that felt good.

I've lost 35 lbs. since March.

My top is "leather" and I bought the bulky necklace.

 

Are you ready for the gushing???

On the way to church on Sunday morning....

Fred said "You looked hot last night".



San Antonio Thanksgiving

Fred and I invited ourselves to Scott and Jess's in San Antonio for Thanksgiving this year. It is the only holiday that I get more than one day off at work so I wanted to take advantage of it. They were so nice about letting us spend their first Thanksgiving with them. We had such a wonderful time being with them.

I wanted to include the video that Scott put together, but I have not been successful in getting it to download so I have given up and settled for pictures only.

Thanksgiving's main event is the food and it was delicious and beautiful too!

Hors d'oeuvres

Cranberry Pomegranate Bruschetta & Deviled eggs

I would have to say that this Thanksgiving meal was probably the most flavorful one I have ever eaten. I would imagine that would have a lot to do with it being prepared by a Culinary Genius. I do recall a lot of butter although that was not the only part of the deliciousness.

 

There was cream cheese in these mashed potatoes.

 

I tried to eat slowly and not take seconds because we had four pies awaiting us for later.

Fred was picking at the bones at clean up time.

 

We had pumpkin, apple, triple chocolate cream & raspberry cream cheese.

Jess went into Kneaders to make our pies personally.

On Friday we went downtown to visit the Alamo. Here we are in line.

Here we are in front of the Alamo.

Scott and Jess got us tickets for San Antonio's River Walk Holiday River Parade & Lighting which "featured illuminated floats with celebrities, bands and lavishly-costumed participants."

We had reserved seats along the River Walk downtown. We had quite an adventure first just finding the place to pick up our tickets. Then it was an adventure finding our seats, but it was really a nice evening. The weather was perfect and the time spent with Scott and Jess wandering around downtown and seeing parts of where they live was great.

We also got a tour of USAA where Scott works.

It is a beautiful facility. HUGE!

We are so happy for Scott and proud of his accomplishments in his field of computer engineering. He has found a company that not only provides him with a good environment to work in, but good pay, benefits and gives back to the people and communities that it serves. He has had the chance to play his saxophone in a band at work and has been singing in a choir that has gone out to rest homes to sing for the residents for the holidays.

We got to attend church with them on Sunday. At the end of Sunday School, the person giving the closing prayer was a guy I went to high school with. He dated one of my best friends for a couple of years. We have been facebook friends luckily so it helped me connected quickly on his name and face. Otherwise, it might not have clicked. It was fun to visit for a few minutes and meet his wife and introduce Scott and Jess. What a small world.

The four of us met up with Cheryl and Larry Johnson for dinner. They had been very kind in offering Scott a place to stay when he first arrived to San Antonio even though he ended up not needing it. Larry did take him out one day to look for a place. It was a nice evening at BJ's for a great meal and catching up. It didn't feel like we had not been together for eight years.

 

We also went to the temple and did some sealing ordinances. It is a beautiful little temple. Beautiful stained glass windows everywhere. More colorful inside than I have ever seen.

It was a Perfect Holiday and we look forward to many more trips to San Antonio!