Families can Be Together Forever

This picture is of the Seattle LDS temple. I wanted to share it's beauty with all of my readers, but especially those of you who are not of my faith. I want each of you to know that the thing I treasure most in this world is my temple marriage to Dan. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that by attending the temple and being sealed together there for time and all eternity that we will be able to remain together not only in this life but in the next. Our children also...and their children and so on. I am extending an invitation to anyone who wants to learn more about how you can be with your family together forever to contact me. No pressure involved, I just want to share what I know. I love you!

Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Festival

Our weekend trip to Leavenworth was great! Every year our high school band participates in the Autumn Leaf Festival parade in Leavenworth. Last year we went and watched both Sami and David play in the parade and stayed for the year. This year we decided to stay over the weekend. The number of people that came was amazing...the shops were very full. We've decided that we will go back for the day again this summer to enjoy the shopping without so many people! The band won first place for AAA schools. YEA River Ridge High School!

Finally, our Utah Trip!

We weren't sure we would have time to go to Temple Square - I am SO glad we managed to get there! We had a whirlwind tour of the temple grounds, the church office building, and the visitors center and we pretty much ran through most of it. It was so beautiful!
It took us a few trips to various stores, but we finally were successful in getting Sami's room put together. We did buy some things ahead of time and had them shipped to our friend's house...but it was amazing the number of times we still had to go to the store. And I would not have believed this if you had sworn on a stack of bibles, but most things WERE cheaper at the bookstore!

David spent most of the trip "trying to have patience!" The one thing he wanted was to buy a special CTR ring...and they didn't have the one he wanted in his size. We did order it when we got home - so not all was lost. It was very hard to leave her there - but we all knew it was the right thing. We are so excited that she is coming home for Thanksgiving!

Only in Utah

I will definitely post pictures soon, but since SOME of you think I am stingy in my posting, I will do this for now until I can unbury work desk!

We just got back from taking Sami to BYU. For those of you who don't know, it is in Provo, Utah. We noted a few things there that you would only find in a heavily populated Mormon place....
1. A store devoted entirely to TIES. Millions of them. I had to drag David away..
2. A store just for missionary preparation...anything and everything you may NEED on a mission.
3. Beggars with signs that said "Jesus loves you" and "Love your neighbor, please give".
4. A chapel on nearly every street corner.
5. A ward for every three streets, and a stake almost as often!
6. Someone sitting behind us on the plane to Utah testifying of his knowledge of the savior and the gospel.
7. Food storage - huge food storage - for sale in Walmart!

The Coolest thing EVER

Well, if you are not a fan of genealogy, this may not be the coolest to you. This last week I contacted someone that entered in info on my family line into Family Search. After a couple of days I was disappointed because they didn't email me right back - very patient, I am. Then I received an email today. We really couldn't prove, yet, that my ancestor is her ancestor, BUT, she had me go to this website: http://pilot.familysearch.org. I did, and found the coolest, most wonderful site ever! If I am the very last one to discover this site please don't laugh. I was able to pull up my ancestor's name and with the name it had a copy of the ACTUAL register where the ancestor and his new wife's names were written! It is amazing! Go - go now and look for yourself! It is SO COOL!

Boys of Summer

This is not happy post, nor a funny one. I have been agonizing all day over some news that I received. I believe this happened Sunday...Four boys that were on the varsity baseball team at my children's high school were involved in an accident. A preventable accident. This entry is not to place blame, or stand in judgement - it is just one mother's view of a terrible, awful happening. These boys were at the height of their lives. 18 - newly graduated seniors with their whole lives ahead of them. They decided to drink and drive. Now one of them is dead, one is critically injured, one is in jail facing dire consequences of being the driver, and one walked away with no physical injuries, but probably enough emotional injuries to last a lifetime. I've seen these boys - I saw them all get awards at the baseball award banquet. I believe they all signed my daughter's yearbook. What a waste. I feel deeply for their parents and the anguish they must feel. I feel for the boys themselves, and the awful realization of the consequences they must now face. How I wish they could be boys of summer one more time.

106 Degrees.....One Hot Cat

Does this need any explanation?? It IS HOT!

Everyone is Dripping....

Do you hear it? The constant drip, drip, drip...no it is not a leaky faucet, but all of us SWEATING! I am SO ready for fall! And yes, I am whining, I live in Washington! The temperate state...not too cold, not too hot. But it IS too hot!

High School Graduate...part 2

Sami graduated with honors (a 3.5 or higher) and was a WASL achiever...this means that she passed the state mandated testing that graduates MUST pass in order to graduated, the first time she took the test. We are very, very proud of her...she is now college bound!

A High School Graduate

I am still not proficient at adding pictures to my posts....so I'll do the best I can to share this most wonderous event with everyone. The top picture is of the impromptu manicure and pedicure that Sami and I gave her before her Graduation Party. They are our school colors of Navy & Silver! Then the next pix is of her with the cake we bought. We had family and friends over to grandma's house to celebrate the completion of her high school education.

Prom Princess 2009

Well we lived through getting ready for our last prom. Sam has been preparing for weeks now for this event and at this moment she is dancing the night away. We always start formal dance preparation the same way...shopping for the dress. It has to be perfect, and she always knows when it is the "one". We found it right away this year, however we shopped for days afterwards to be sure. Then come the shoes, the nails, the hair...Isn't she beautiful?

More Spring Break fun!

Sam decided she didn't want to weed...so I gave her the chore of cleaning the inside. She said

she'd clean the whole house and she did! She took pictures so she'd have proof of her hard work. She kept saying - I did the whole thing! She did a great job - this is what our kitchen looks like (occasionally, at least!)

I have a pad of paper on my refrigerator that has a list on it that young son here wrote. It is a list of chores and the title of it is "Mean Lady's Chores". Well during spring break for one day we did some work...this is my son weeding and turning over our garden so we can plant this year. I put these pics on here backwards...the top pic is when he finished!

This Great, Wonderful, College bound young woman just won her first scholarship! If you see Sami, tell her "congratulations!"

Faith and Fear

While awaiting the final session of General Conference, a thought continues to run through my mind. I think this will be the first time in many years that I have seen all sessions of conference. I have enjoyed it, probably partly because I am in my jammies and I can eat breakfast while listening to the choir sing! I also enjoyed the messages and can tell you that some hit very close to home. One phrase that has been repeated in this conference, and many times in my own circumstances in the last year, is "Faith and Fear cannot coexist". It is so easy (believe me, I know) to rely on fear as our rudder instead of faith. How often do our minds shoot off into "what if" scenarios? There are so many things to fear. I would like to challenge all of us, including me, to rely on our faith instead. Crowd the fear out. Replace our "what if" thinking with "as long as I do what I know to be right, things will work out". Don't give room to the fear, and the faith will grow. All it needs is a little space, a little nurishment, and Heavenly Father will do the rest.

I've been Tagged!

Not so sure how this works, but I'm going to try! Crazy 8's....

8 Favorite TV Shows
1. House
2. Friends (yeah, I KNOW they are reruns)
3. Giada on the Food Channel
Couldn't come up with 8 - I don't watch that much TV!

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Doctors Appt.
2. Finished the book "The Shopaholic & Manhattan (LOVED IT!)
3. Worked on Scholarships with Sami (hours...)
4. Worked at my home job (medical billing)
5. Took David to the batting cages
6. Sneezed 140 billion times (winter cold...ew)
7. Bought Sudafed - did you know you have to sign for it?
8. Went to dinner with friends (after the sudafed, of course)

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Sun sun sun - 75 degrees
2. Regaining my girly figure
3. Finishing helping Sami with scholarships
4. Leavenworth this fall!
5. Spring cleaning (yes, I am weird)
6. Having a few less pets
7. Retirement (yes, I know that is YEARS off)
8. Going to the temple

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Casa Mia
2. Olive Garden
3. Taco Bell
4. Applebees
5. the Thai restaurant in the mall - the sit down one, not the food court one
6. El Sarape on the westside
7. Big Toms
8. Anywhere where I don't have to cook!

8 Things I Wish For
1. Two healthy, happy, confident kids
2. To be a good mom for my kids and wife to my husband
3. For all of us to be healthy
4. To finish the kids' scrapbooks
5. Dan to enjoy his job
6. To pay off our bills
7. For my family to say "oh mom, dinner looks great!....oh, mom dinner tastes great!
8. Vacation

8 People I Tag
1. Vicki
2. Anyone else who reads my blog! let me know who you are!

Accepted!

Sami has been accepted to BYU Provo! There were a lot of people that said she wouldn't make it in as she didn't have a 4.0 and she didn't take enough AP classes....but they were WRONG, and she did make it!! We are very excited for her...now please pray she gets some scholarships! We've spent a lot of time applying for them. I know now why they say it is like a parttime job when you apply for scholarships. It is amazing the work it entails. She went to a baptism this morning and was home by noon. She worked from noon to 5:15 - solidly. She must have typed over 1000 words in the different essays she needed to write. I was her editor...and her writer's block breaker...and her cheerleader. I love you Sami! I know you'll do great!

Mapleine

I never thought I would ever do this....I purchased my own bottle of MAPLEINE! For those of you not "in the know" Mapleine is the genuine imitation maple flavoring ingredient in grandma's special maple syrup! (which, I believe has enough butter to harden your arteries, as David reports, and lots of mapleine, sugar, and water) Grandma (according to my children) makes the BEST PANCAKES and MAPLE SYRUP in the WORLD! No matter how often I make them, they never compare to grandma's. I am glad grandma has this distinction - because when it comes time to have them for dinner (Sami's suggestion) I won't be making them! Sami has agreed to take on the next generation of pancake making in our family. WOO HOO Sami!

Bowling is NOT a spectator sport

My daughter decided this fall to join her school's bowling team. Of course she wanted us all to come watch her bowl. So off we went, twice a week, to area bowling alleys to watch her. She did very well - advanced from the C team to Varsity! I've decided that bowling is not a spectator sport, however. First of all, there are at most 3 chairs to sit in that are even remotely close to the alley you want to watch. The other 2 chairs that are nearby are filled with both team's gear - including everything they took to school that day (backpacks, cell phones, shoes, coats, etc). The day that you arrive early (or you THINK you are early) they decide to start even earlier, so you shouldn't even try. Today was culmination of the year - the district competition. Fortunately it was held in a bowling alley with more room than I've ever seen, however we had to drive an hour and a half to get there! There were so many fans, you had to really jockey for a position to see - well you could see if you stood on one foot and closed one eye and tilted your head to look around the tall man in front of you! We ended up getting brave and asking if we could sit with other teams - and were lucky to find a seat now and again. All in all it is fun cheering your child on in a sport. She did well today and ended this season on a happy note.

Life's Lessons

After teaching a lesson on Sunday at church I was struck by the number of women who think their offerings as mothers, wives, sisters, aunts, are not acceptable. That somehow, after all the laundry, dirty toilets, running about for this child or that, they should have the extra time to be sure there are no dust bunnies ANYWHERE, and they are calm, cool, and collected ALL THE TIME. I do not think I am perfect by any stretch, and often have trouble accepting that any part of my offering to my family, workplace, friends, world is acceptable. However, it has become my goal to help myself and as many others as I can reach to understand that we are expected to try our best - and the Lord picks up the rest. We are not expected to be perfect in any way...just to try our best. So next time you are tempted to punish yourself because the laundry is growing (why don't we ever have more to wear if the laundry GROWS?), or the flower beds are weeded, remember, we are acceptable as we are in the sight of God.

I'm Back!!!

Well, at the urging of some good friends, I am attempting once again to blog. I love reading other's blogs, so maybe now I can find those extra minutes to blog some of my own. It was suggested to me that this is a good way to journal - and needing help in that department thought that was a good idea.