Joy, peace, happiness, merriment, families, love, smiles, twinkling lights, games; this is what I think of when I think of Christmas. But I also think all those things when I think of our family. (except maybe for the twinkling lights).
Words, at least my simple words, cannot express the joy I have in my heart being a mother to each one of you! And that includes you all! I smile when I think of you. I smile when I think of each grandchild.
It is a blessing to have such a family.
There is a song that goes, "let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me..."
It does begin with me. I want to express that to you today, because I don't know if we will get around tuit during our visit together, that I have peace in my heart.
This gospel we live was a gift to me, the greatest gift I have ever been given. It does bring me joy, even great joy. And seeing you guys live the Gospel increases that joy.
I know that Christ was not born in December, but seeing so many people take the time to celebrate Him and worship Him brings me great happiness.
He has blessed me, healed me, saved me, comforted me, and continues to do so daily. I have seen miracles, both large and small.
I have felt that peace He promised us. It is most precious.
It seems impossible to bear a testimony in words over a computer. How can the spirit accompany what I am trying to say and what I feel?
My Christmas wish for all you is peace in your heart, even that most precious gift of love from the Savior Himself. I hope you feel it. I hope you live it. I pray for each of you daily, and I can feel His help and watchfulness over you. I love to see and hear that you do your callings and ask the Lord for guidance and fast and pray oft.
Each time we receive inspiration, the Lord has more confidence in us that we believed enough to seek it, and then acted on it. We can then be given more and more. It is amazing!
Between all our fun and presents and food and excitement, I know we will feel the beautiful spirit that abounds in our family and homes.
Merry Christmas from mom!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Sunday, December 06, 2009
The Outsiders
I had never read this popular book, or saw the movie. Dad had to read it in high school. It was chosen as our book club book this month, so I was glad to finally read it. The girl wrote it while still in high school, so the writing itself could have been improved, but I loved the concept, and the characters. I had 'greasers' in my high school, and dated several. One time, Mark came over to wash and dry his flannel shirt after it got blood on it during a fight. Fun days.
So we Netflixed the movie, and watched it last night. Boy! The stars in it! Now you all know dad and I know little of actors names and what movies they are in. This short movie was made in 1983. It had a very young Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, the young kid star from Karate kid, Diane Lane, and Patrick Swazy. If they redid the movie today, it would be better, as they never quite captured the relationships and feelings of the book. It also did a poor job of developing the theme of labels and reputations.
We enjoyed it, and I even cried. I recommend both.
So we Netflixed the movie, and watched it last night. Boy! The stars in it! Now you all know dad and I know little of actors names and what movies they are in. This short movie was made in 1983. It had a very young Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, the young kid star from Karate kid, Diane Lane, and Patrick Swazy. If they redid the movie today, it would be better, as they never quite captured the relationships and feelings of the book. It also did a poor job of developing the theme of labels and reputations.
We enjoyed it, and I even cried. I recommend both.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving, Neti Pots, Fish
We had a fun Thanksgiving weekend. Early Thursday morning we headed up to Show Low to spend time with the Webbs. The plans had originally been to have dinner at Tevia's parents' house - then it turned to lunch (thus the early morning leaving) - and then it turned to lunch at the fire station. I admittedly was a little dubious in my expectations as my experience has been that if we do not have dinner with immediate family or friends, then the dinner can turn out to be lacking. I recall years ago a dinner where I didn't even get any rolls or mashed potatoes. But we were there at noon ready to go; but nobody else was. We finally started eating at around 2 PM. I did enjoy three dished that were there: Tevia's salad, Tevia's mom's sweet potatoes, and Tevia's dad's stuffing. Unfortunately not much else was good. The mashed potatoes weren't all that good, the turkey dry and tasteless, and there was no corn! After the meal I told Tevia that I have enacted a new Thanksgiving rule: we will only do Thanksgiving with immediate family or friends (the rule does not stand outside the US). This may seem mean, but I really like Thanksgiving. Whenever we entrust the meal to be prepared by people we don't know, we tend to be disappointed. We'll see how well we follow our rule. Unfortunately, later that night we had to go out and get some dinner at the only place open in Show Low on Thanksgiving: McDonalds.
Though the meal was less-than-fabulous, it was nice to be up with family. We played many games and had fun together. A few of us were still a little sick with stuffed noses and coughs. A year or so ago I had read about neti pots online and had wanted to try them. A tradition that began with yoga, these pots have saline water poured through your nasal passages (think: in one nostril, out the other). Tevia was on board, but we never bought one. Upon arriving in Show Low we found Tevia's mother had one - though she had never used it. Her best friend had convinced her to buy one and attested to the effectiveness of it. With my nose being quite stuffy I was eager to try it. So I did! And boy, did I like it. And it worked even better than I imagined. After that my sinuses were clear and I could breathe like a charm. One thing I HATE about have having a stuffy nose (either from colds or allergies) is that I can not sleep breathing through my mouth. So if I am stuffed, I don't get much sleep. The neti pot relieved this issue for me, at least this week. I did it three times over the few days and loved it. Tevia and Risa followed suit and did it as well - and both loved it, too. In fact, we eventually stole the neti pot and brought it home. I haven't needed it since, but look forward to seeing how effective it is during allergy season. I'd much rather use a neti pot than a decongestant as it is natural and doesn't contain drugs. But for a first time trial, I would say it works great.
On the way back from Show Low I decided to stop at the fishing hatchery we always pass on the way home. I've wanted to stop for years, and last time we visited I vowed next time we would stop. And so we did. It was a pretty 4 mile drive off the highway up some pretty canyon. Upon arriving we found a fun pond full of HUGE trout that you could feed. Some of these trout were amazingly big. And they had all kinds: rainbow, brook, and even apache (only in Arizona). Afterwards we headed up to the pools that had the hatching trout. They had different kinds and different sizes. It was fun to stick your fingers in the water and they would jump out of the water and bite your finger and go crazy. Tevia pointed out that there were many signs stating NOT to put your hands in the water, but eventually she let the boys do it, too. They laughed and had fun. There were thousands of fish. It was so cool. I absolutely loved it. The water was very cold - nearly freezing according to some of the signs (some trout need water very cold). It was a fun 30 minute stop on the way back - and definitely we will stop again some day. Maybe next time on one of the hot drives home to cool off. Too bad we couldn't catch them! It made me want to get back into fishing. Maybe next year I'll focus on that with the boys.
Though the meal was less-than-fabulous, it was nice to be up with family. We played many games and had fun together. A few of us were still a little sick with stuffed noses and coughs. A year or so ago I had read about neti pots online and had wanted to try them. A tradition that began with yoga, these pots have saline water poured through your nasal passages (think: in one nostril, out the other). Tevia was on board, but we never bought one. Upon arriving in Show Low we found Tevia's mother had one - though she had never used it. Her best friend had convinced her to buy one and attested to the effectiveness of it. With my nose being quite stuffy I was eager to try it. So I did! And boy, did I like it. And it worked even better than I imagined. After that my sinuses were clear and I could breathe like a charm. One thing I HATE about have having a stuffy nose (either from colds or allergies) is that I can not sleep breathing through my mouth. So if I am stuffed, I don't get much sleep. The neti pot relieved this issue for me, at least this week. I did it three times over the few days and loved it. Tevia and Risa followed suit and did it as well - and both loved it, too. In fact, we eventually stole the neti pot and brought it home. I haven't needed it since, but look forward to seeing how effective it is during allergy season. I'd much rather use a neti pot than a decongestant as it is natural and doesn't contain drugs. But for a first time trial, I would say it works great.
On the way back from Show Low I decided to stop at the fishing hatchery we always pass on the way home. I've wanted to stop for years, and last time we visited I vowed next time we would stop. And so we did. It was a pretty 4 mile drive off the highway up some pretty canyon. Upon arriving we found a fun pond full of HUGE trout that you could feed. Some of these trout were amazingly big. And they had all kinds: rainbow, brook, and even apache (only in Arizona). Afterwards we headed up to the pools that had the hatching trout. They had different kinds and different sizes. It was fun to stick your fingers in the water and they would jump out of the water and bite your finger and go crazy. Tevia pointed out that there were many signs stating NOT to put your hands in the water, but eventually she let the boys do it, too. They laughed and had fun. There were thousands of fish. It was so cool. I absolutely loved it. The water was very cold - nearly freezing according to some of the signs (some trout need water very cold). It was a fun 30 minute stop on the way back - and definitely we will stop again some day. Maybe next time on one of the hot drives home to cool off. Too bad we couldn't catch them! It made me want to get back into fishing. Maybe next year I'll focus on that with the boys.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
What is this?
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Pics
I forgot to add some of the pictures.
The tree at Rockefeller center, not lit yet, a bird from the zoo, much prettier in person, and good old sponge bob!
The tree at Rockefeller center, not lit yet, a bird from the zoo, much prettier in person, and good old sponge bob!
Thanksgiving
I felt like we were all so separated and kind of doing our own thing this year. I hope we can fix that next year!
Dad & I enjoyed the day, although no matter what, I missed all of you.
The train ride down to the city was beautiful! That first made me miss Tevia, as I could see her snapping pics the whole way down. The morning mist was just rising, the sun coming through, and the water of the Hudson shone blue and still, reflecting every mountain, every bridge, every scene, like you see in a calendar or a puzzle photo. Gorgeous!
Then I wished the boys were on the train with me. I hope we can take them this summer down to the city to see some sites and just ride the train and enjoy NY.
Our plan to watch the parade from Central Park was thwarted, as we decided to get off one stop too early to allow me not to have to walk as far. Ha ha. That backfired. The police had every road blocked off so you could not cross, so we had to walk and walk, trying to get around Columbus circle, which never happened. So we sat on a wall and watched the top of the parade. Dad said we were about 80 yds away. It was still fun and exciting, until the few of us that had climbed this wall got kicked off by a hotel staff guy. So we moved on...
We decided to go see the Central Park zoo. We had been there years before, and knew it was small, but we love zoos, and it was such a nice day outside.
We took the subway back down and under the streets that the parade was on, so we finally ended up on the other side of Central Park. It was $10, and usually we would have said that was not worth it for the few animals you see compared to a real zoo, but we loved it. As they fed the seals, they had them do tricks, like wave and bark and jump and dive, etc. THAT reminded me of, "It was feeding time at the zoo...." Anybody remember those lines? Bret? Ah yes, Sammy the Seal, which we must have read 1,000 times. So then I missed Bret, especially as we walked through the tropical house, filled with all colors of birds, snakes, etc. My camera does not do well, but I tried.
Then we heard a mob roar, and went to see the lemurs, and thought of Kathy, and her wish that there were pink lemurs when we were up at the tiny zoo in Millbrook.
We walked past dozens of hot nut stands, and at most, they were roasting chestnuts, literally, on an open fire. Cool. We didn't buy any, but we thought of Tevia.
We walked all the way from Central Park down 5th ave to Times Square. By then it was noon, we were hungry, tired, and dad was going low. We had wanted something interesting and fun to eat for lunch, and had predecided not to get pizza, chinese, or deli, as we get that often. Well, that is all we saw! We must be bad at knowing where to look, as I am sure this city must have some other places. We saw 3 TGIFs, and didn't want that, so we headed toward the Olive Garden in Times Square. It was closed and rented out to a private party. So, we got Deli, which made me think of Tom, as that is his favorite place to eat. Even right before he left for his mission, and we told him we would take him wherever he wanted to eat dinner, he chose a deli in NY.
We passed Wicked and wished J & Cari with there with us.
We saw hundreds of Yankee and Giant stuff being sold on the sidewalks, and thought of Jimmy.
It is wonderful to have such great memories of all you kids. I am very grateful for my family!
Dad & I enjoyed the day, although no matter what, I missed all of you.
The train ride down to the city was beautiful! That first made me miss Tevia, as I could see her snapping pics the whole way down. The morning mist was just rising, the sun coming through, and the water of the Hudson shone blue and still, reflecting every mountain, every bridge, every scene, like you see in a calendar or a puzzle photo. Gorgeous!
Then I wished the boys were on the train with me. I hope we can take them this summer down to the city to see some sites and just ride the train and enjoy NY.
Our plan to watch the parade from Central Park was thwarted, as we decided to get off one stop too early to allow me not to have to walk as far. Ha ha. That backfired. The police had every road blocked off so you could not cross, so we had to walk and walk, trying to get around Columbus circle, which never happened. So we sat on a wall and watched the top of the parade. Dad said we were about 80 yds away. It was still fun and exciting, until the few of us that had climbed this wall got kicked off by a hotel staff guy. So we moved on...
We decided to go see the Central Park zoo. We had been there years before, and knew it was small, but we love zoos, and it was such a nice day outside.
We took the subway back down and under the streets that the parade was on, so we finally ended up on the other side of Central Park. It was $10, and usually we would have said that was not worth it for the few animals you see compared to a real zoo, but we loved it. As they fed the seals, they had them do tricks, like wave and bark and jump and dive, etc. THAT reminded me of, "It was feeding time at the zoo...." Anybody remember those lines? Bret? Ah yes, Sammy the Seal, which we must have read 1,000 times. So then I missed Bret, especially as we walked through the tropical house, filled with all colors of birds, snakes, etc. My camera does not do well, but I tried.
Then we heard a mob roar, and went to see the lemurs, and thought of Kathy, and her wish that there were pink lemurs when we were up at the tiny zoo in Millbrook.
We walked past dozens of hot nut stands, and at most, they were roasting chestnuts, literally, on an open fire. Cool. We didn't buy any, but we thought of Tevia.
We walked all the way from Central Park down 5th ave to Times Square. By then it was noon, we were hungry, tired, and dad was going low. We had wanted something interesting and fun to eat for lunch, and had predecided not to get pizza, chinese, or deli, as we get that often. Well, that is all we saw! We must be bad at knowing where to look, as I am sure this city must have some other places. We saw 3 TGIFs, and didn't want that, so we headed toward the Olive Garden in Times Square. It was closed and rented out to a private party. So, we got Deli, which made me think of Tom, as that is his favorite place to eat. Even right before he left for his mission, and we told him we would take him wherever he wanted to eat dinner, he chose a deli in NY.
We passed Wicked and wished J & Cari with there with us.
We saw hundreds of Yankee and Giant stuff being sold on the sidewalks, and thought of Jimmy.
It is wonderful to have such great memories of all you kids. I am very grateful for my family!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
New Moon
We actually liked it a lot better than the first one. The main girl is not a very good actress, and I would rather marry a werewolf than a vampire, but, oh well.
I had heard how hot all these guys running around without shirts on was from my young women. I totally disagree with that. They really could have chosen some cuter guys.
In the end, it was refreshing watching this with no sex or swear words at all, especially after having watched parts of the American Music awards. I wanted to see Adam what's his name sing, and Kings of Leon, and Janet Jackson. Big mistake. I had to switch channels as soon as Lambert started his sex song. Disgusting. I think he just threw his career in the toilet. Sad.
I had heard how hot all these guys running around without shirts on was from my young women. I totally disagree with that. They really could have chosen some cuter guys.
In the end, it was refreshing watching this with no sex or swear words at all, especially after having watched parts of the American Music awards. I wanted to see Adam what's his name sing, and Kings of Leon, and Janet Jackson. Big mistake. I had to switch channels as soon as Lambert started his sex song. Disgusting. I think he just threw his career in the toilet. Sad.
The Decision - Gifts
The final decision for 2009 is we pick names - as siblings. The names are below. Each person gets a present for the person they have selected. This year I was not random - but did boys for boys, etc. Next year we can use the LHC to determine randomness. I did not pick a name for Tommy or the parents. I did not include kids (e.g. mine or Heather, er, Hazel). Maybe after a few more are born we can, but for now my kids would get the lucky advantage. That doesn't mean we can't buy for any of these people. I didn't include Jacob Webb and family as we already have picked names for them on the other side of the family. If anyone finds this unfair, it probably is. If people would like "ideas" on what the person they have would like, please feel free to elicit in comments or via private email/chat.
Kathy to buy for: Tevia
Tevia to buy for: Cari
Cari to buy for: Kathy
Bret to buy for: Jimmy
Jacob to buy for: Bret
Jimmy to buy for: Jacob
Kathy to buy for: Tevia
Tevia to buy for: Cari
Cari to buy for: Kathy
Bret to buy for: Jimmy
Jacob to buy for: Bret
Jimmy to buy for: Jacob
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Gifts
K so this might sound stupid but over here in Hawaii we were wondering what will be expected of us in AZ for Christmas this year. Are we all giving each other gifts this year? or just to our favorites =) hehe. either way it's fine for us. We would just like to know. Also if we are getting everyone a gift I would like some ideas so we are not aimlessly buying junk =) k well let us know! Can't wait till Dec!
D.N. #2
I am supposed to be working on kindness as a quality mothers should have. I started 11/9, and although it has been 2 weeks, I think I need another week. I didn't do very well on this one.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Dubai
I was asked a little over a week ago to go to Dubai to meet with a client. I had already been asked to go to Dubai in December, so this was a very short notice and surprising request. I checked with Tevia and she was okay with it, so I booked my tickets and left on Sunday.
Dubai was one of the top 5 cities I wanted to visit in my life, so it was exciting to be able to go. Unfortunately it is very far away (longer than even flying to Hong Kong), so I was not looking forward to the long flights - especially in economy class.
I traveled through Houston to Doha in Qatar. In the Doha airport it was fun to see such a different culture. One of the cool things I saw was a man in his robes with a hooded hawk sitting on his forearm - in the middle of the airport. I didn't have a lot of time to wait and then got on my flight to Dubai. I arrived in Dubai fairly late (around 11 PM). As I went through customs/immigration, they did not like my passport. My passport was washed in the washing machine a few years ago - and so it is wrinkled and tattered. When I asked to get a new one, I was told that I didn't need one and to just use it until it expires. Well, Dubai did not like it and the agent gave me a piece of paper and told me to go to some office. I arrived in the office and gave a man behind a counter my passport and the paper. He indicated to me to sit down and then left with my passport. I wasn't too nervous until the woman sitting next to me started freaking out, saying she had been in the room for 5 hours and had no idea what was going on. I imagined a scenario where I was going to be stuck in this room for hours and eventually sent home. But fortunately about 20 minutes later the guy returned and gave me back my passport and told me to proceed.
I grabbed a taxi to the hotel and checked in. The guy at the counter told me it was my lucky day as the room that had been booked for me was full and they were going to have to upgrade me. Indeed I was lucky! The room was a two bedroom suite - and it was nearly the size of my house! It was so cool. It was by far the nicest room I have ever stayed in. It had the two bedrooms, two walk-in closets, three bathrooms, a living room, three big TVs, etc.
My business meetings in Dubai went well. There were several things I was excited to see in Dubai. The world's tallest building - Burj Dubai. The Palm Jumeirah. And the Burj Al Arab - the world's first 7 star hotel. I didn't have much time there, so I didn't think I would have a chance to see them all. But the first night for dinner the client took us to a wonderful Lebanese restaurant right below the Burj Dubai. This building is magnificent. It is so cool. It is twice the size of the Empire State Building and the tallest structure ever built on earth (except maybe the tower of babel?). Next to our restaurant was the fountains that were built by the same company that did the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It was a perfect setting. And the food was awesome.
The second day our meetings ended early so I asked a couple of my colleagues if they wanted to go out and see a few things. They agreed, so we packed into a taxi (which were fairly inexpensive) and for the first stop went to Jumeirah beach to see if we could see the Burj al Arab. We couldn't get into the hotel as it is restricted, but we were able to see it and go to the beach nearby. The beach was very nice - and the water surprisingly clear. We then got another taxi and went to the Palm Jumeirah to drive over it and go to the Atlantis resort at the top. There is another Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, and this one is very similar. Driving over the Palm was so cool as I have for years wanted to visit this marvel and have seen so many satellite pictures. It was cool to think that I was actually there. The Atlantis was nice - but the best part was a huge aquarium they have with thousands of fish. It was even bigger than the one in Hong Kong (Ocean Park). And the best part? They had a live whale shark! It was very cool.
That evening we went to another resort/hotel that had canals spread throughout the property (imagine Venice) and we ate at a nice restaurant along the canals. This place was full of rich people and celebrities, as we saw several professional golfers (though I didn't recognize them) as the Dubai open was happening this week.
The next morning I woke up early and after more than 24 hours arrived back in Phoenix safe and sound.
I absolutely loved Dubai. And though I was there for a very short period, it definitely is one of the favorite places I have ever visited. It reminded me of Singapore but with a more modern feel and then the middle eastern style. The most impressive thing was how NEW and BIG everything was. The weather was similar to Phoenix. In fact, since it is on the sea it reminded me a lot of Rocky Point in Mexico with desert flora and sand. I am hoping I do get to go back again in December, and definitely it is a place I want to take Tevia one day.
I never felt unsafe there. I know a few people had worried about the location (near Iran/Iraq/Saudi Arabia). But this is a very global city - and westernized. The city is comprised of 80% foreigners (mostly from India - they are the ones building everything - making a wage of 10 USD per day). There were many Europeans, Americans, Asians, etc. Even in Qatar I didn't feel any more out of place than I would in China or France. It was a neat experience.
Monday, November 16, 2009
It's the Best News Ever
After dropping Hazel off to "party" at Ellery's house this morning (those are Ellery's words), Jacob and I headed off to the doctor to get the update on my...ahem...delicate situation.
Long story short, after waiting an exorbiant length of time and trying to not laugh when I was shown the plastic Dixie cup this office takes urine samples in, we finally saw the doctor and had a nice talk. He told me how he thought this delivery should go better since it's my second one (they had me fill out a page with notes about my first pregnancy and I completely overflowed the box they left open for "Complications"). Then he told us that if the ultrasound looked good, then I could start to ease off on my restrictions and start doing some light exercise. (Insert small cheer here.)
We walked over to the next building (where the ultrasound machine is) and got to see a very good view of our tiny little baby. He (we're using the male pronouns out of Jacob's strong belief that this one HAS to be a boy and my moderate belief that it probably is but we'll see) gave us a good wave and several good jumps that were completely adorable. Then we got the BEST NEWS EVER: the bleed/blood clot/big serious worry for the last 2 months is completely gone! Not a trace of it was left! So the ultrasound nurse (who I LOVE) said she whole-heartedly agreed with the doctor that I could resume normal activity but to obviously be smart about it and ease back into it (which I was already planning on). So we are very, very excited that I can start getting back to normal and (hopefully) keep from gaining a ridiculous amount of weight.
For those who want the particulars, baby is measuring about 6.5 centimeters from head to rump and his heartrate is 165 bpm. We're very happy with this news and I can't wait to go walk the mall later tonight and to do some WiiFit Plus, etc. Thank you for all the prayers - they certainly worked!
Long story short, after waiting an exorbiant length of time and trying to not laugh when I was shown the plastic Dixie cup this office takes urine samples in, we finally saw the doctor and had a nice talk. He told me how he thought this delivery should go better since it's my second one (they had me fill out a page with notes about my first pregnancy and I completely overflowed the box they left open for "Complications"). Then he told us that if the ultrasound looked good, then I could start to ease off on my restrictions and start doing some light exercise. (Insert small cheer here.)
We walked over to the next building (where the ultrasound machine is) and got to see a very good view of our tiny little baby. He (we're using the male pronouns out of Jacob's strong belief that this one HAS to be a boy and my moderate belief that it probably is but we'll see) gave us a good wave and several good jumps that were completely adorable. Then we got the BEST NEWS EVER: the bleed/blood clot/big serious worry for the last 2 months is completely gone! Not a trace of it was left! So the ultrasound nurse (who I LOVE) said she whole-heartedly agreed with the doctor that I could resume normal activity but to obviously be smart about it and ease back into it (which I was already planning on). So we are very, very excited that I can start getting back to normal and (hopefully) keep from gaining a ridiculous amount of weight.
For those who want the particulars, baby is measuring about 6.5 centimeters from head to rump and his heartrate is 165 bpm. We're very happy with this news and I can't wait to go walk the mall later tonight and to do some WiiFit Plus, etc. Thank you for all the prayers - they certainly worked!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Technical SS
All went well! Everyone pulled through, not one person called in sick, and Aaron Ricks, who was doing Rock Band, did call Saturday afternoon to say he couldn't do it, but he found a replacement. Very responsible! Tim Cotter did it for him. The chapel at 6pm had 30ish people in it, and I was worried, but, we had ordered pizza for 120, and dad was on the ball. By 6:20, he called and added 2 more pizzas, and I never even got a piece! We had some guys take more than one, of course, even with all our planning and serving, but I was just glad we had that many people! The parents were not interested in some of the website areas we had demonstrations for, but all in all, I think the talks were great, informative, and maybe, oh just maybe, we helped one or two youth from climbing down the road of gaming addiction or porn. We had several parents say they think their sons were addicted to gaming, always WOW. We had several men say they think their wives were addicted to games on facebook. :) hilarious.
Dad thinks his talks stunk, like usual, but he did great. I am thrilled with the results of about 4 weeks of hard work. I can now relax, as we have no SS for December.
Dad thinks his talks stunk, like usual, but he did great. I am thrilled with the results of about 4 weeks of hard work. I can now relax, as we have no SS for December.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Halloween, November
Halloween was a lot of fun. Tevia's costumes were fantastic. So I was excited to go to work in my costume on Friday (one of the few fun things we are still able to do at work). Afterwards we had our ward party, which I think went well. I say "I think" because I was stuck in the YM room manning the bean bag throw and was in there the entire time and never had a chance to leave and see the other rooms. At the same time I had a crying blue pikmin sitting in the corner refusing to participate (Malik can be quite stubborn). But it was fun and Tevia did a great job on the activity.
Saturday was Halloween so we got dressed again and went out with the boys while Risa gave out candy. We met up with the neighbors down the street and went with them. This is where I became frustrated. Year after year we have seen a reduction in the amount of people that participate in Halloween. This year the amount of homes that actually gave out candy was easily less than 25%. How sad is that! I was so disappointed in our neighborhood and wished I had some eggs to throw at some of the homes. Even more frustrating were the amount of homes that had all their lights on (many turn off all their lights including their porch lights in order to signal they are not home) and STILL did not answer the door to give out candy. This means that after an hour of trick-or-treating the kids really only have a few pieces of candy.
Why is it that so many people don't participate? I can only guess a few reasons. One is that our neighborhoods are no longer communities where we care for each other. There are a few scattered here and there, but for the most part our neighbors don't really know us and don't care about our kids, etc. Another reason is that for some reason there are more and more people who are convinced Halloween is evil (including our own local church leaders!) and don't want to contribute to the growing of this holiday. Ironically they don't see that the holiday is suffering and now limits the one holiday we really had left where we consistently visited our neighbors.
Whatever the reason is (or are), it made me very sad and disappointed. The kids still had fun and had little idea of how different it was when we were kids. But it still was frustrating to see so many people wouldn't participate.
After Halloween November has been great in terms of weather, but difficult in terms of my company. Nearly three months ago they approached me with this opportunity to go to the UK and until now nothing has been offered to me. However, I am doing the job. This means I have been working two jobs for nearly 3 months - AND been stressed about how to make plans for the next year or so. At this point I am about at my breaking point and am tempted to just send a letter to senior management to say forget it and start looking for another job. How inconsiderate these companies can be by leaving a family in the dark for so long, unable to make commitments or decisions as they strung along. And by working two jobs I have put in way more hours than usual - which I hate to do. I don't mind doing it from time to time when necessary, but to do it for a job besides the one I have and not even know if I will continue in that job makes it worse. And frustrating, as the client I work with continually asks why I haven't moved to London yet.
Thank goodness for a wife who tries to be patient. But it is time for a change. I will give my company one more week - and if this thing doesn't pan out, I will seriously begin looking for other work. And yes, I realize that this is perhaps the worst time since I have been in the workforce to look for a job.
Saturday was Halloween so we got dressed again and went out with the boys while Risa gave out candy. We met up with the neighbors down the street and went with them. This is where I became frustrated. Year after year we have seen a reduction in the amount of people that participate in Halloween. This year the amount of homes that actually gave out candy was easily less than 25%. How sad is that! I was so disappointed in our neighborhood and wished I had some eggs to throw at some of the homes. Even more frustrating were the amount of homes that had all their lights on (many turn off all their lights including their porch lights in order to signal they are not home) and STILL did not answer the door to give out candy. This means that after an hour of trick-or-treating the kids really only have a few pieces of candy.
Why is it that so many people don't participate? I can only guess a few reasons. One is that our neighborhoods are no longer communities where we care for each other. There are a few scattered here and there, but for the most part our neighbors don't really know us and don't care about our kids, etc. Another reason is that for some reason there are more and more people who are convinced Halloween is evil (including our own local church leaders!) and don't want to contribute to the growing of this holiday. Ironically they don't see that the holiday is suffering and now limits the one holiday we really had left where we consistently visited our neighbors.
Whatever the reason is (or are), it made me very sad and disappointed. The kids still had fun and had little idea of how different it was when we were kids. But it still was frustrating to see so many people wouldn't participate.
After Halloween November has been great in terms of weather, but difficult in terms of my company. Nearly three months ago they approached me with this opportunity to go to the UK and until now nothing has been offered to me. However, I am doing the job. This means I have been working two jobs for nearly 3 months - AND been stressed about how to make plans for the next year or so. At this point I am about at my breaking point and am tempted to just send a letter to senior management to say forget it and start looking for another job. How inconsiderate these companies can be by leaving a family in the dark for so long, unable to make commitments or decisions as they strung along. And by working two jobs I have put in way more hours than usual - which I hate to do. I don't mind doing it from time to time when necessary, but to do it for a job besides the one I have and not even know if I will continue in that job makes it worse. And frustrating, as the client I work with continually asks why I haven't moved to London yet.
Thank goodness for a wife who tries to be patient. But it is time for a change. I will give my company one more week - and if this thing doesn't pan out, I will seriously begin looking for other work. And yes, I realize that this is perhaps the worst time since I have been in the workforce to look for a job.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
The Lego project
I love to organize! So I found the perfect thing to do while watching the Yankees kick butt.
I have went through the house, gathering, and then organizing Lego. I emptied out the lego table, and did a basic sorting to see what we have. I think it is less than we thought we had. It looks like less when it is in nice, neat containers.
I have sorted it by color, then, I made a box of wheels and tires, windows and door, weird blue and yellow shield-type things, (clear colored plastic shapes).
Then, I have two containers of small tiny parts, and one container of people and body parts.
I also have a 3 sectioned container of bigger specialty pieces, like airplane tails and rocket type things.
There are 2 containers that were already sorted that hold Technique, I think.
There are 9 pads, which I am actually washing. They are old and not in too good of shape, and dirty and even sticky. Weird. Who knows what sticky substance is on them!
I had fun, but I have no idea how to divide it up between all of you. I know Jacob wants some.
Any ideas? I guess I can divide up the colors, and make 4 separate boxes of mixed colors.
Then, how would I divide up all the cute little people and parts?
I am open for suggestions.
I am guessing dad will take apart the lego table. Boy, we really are in a downsizing mode!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Empty nesting
Well, here goes. Dad & I have been doing a lot of talking lately. We are in the down-sizing mode. We love our life. We know these years should be some of the best years of our lives. We have our health, some money, and our freedom, except for.... a dog.
As much as I love Daisy, it has come to the point where we really feel like she is tying us down. There are many times that we want to be gone longer, or stay in the city, etc. and we can't.
We also feel that she would really be better off with a family with kids. I hardly have time to walk her anymore. She is pretty bored with life around here.
We do not feel that any of you are at a point where you can take her. We do not want any of you to feel like you have to. We are going to put a notice in our vet's office, and also sign her up for the Beagle adoption agency. She will be wanted and loved.
I can't do this secretly. I feel I need to at least tell you all that we have pondered this over and over, and this is our decision.
I don't think Tom will mind; he will only be here a few weeks and then leave again.
Cari, I feel the worst for you. But, with a baby on the way, and another little one, the timing is just not right. You guys can always get another good-natured cute beagle or dog someday and train her with your kids when they are the right age.
Kathy, I know you and Jimmy will get our own dog.
I don't think Bret & Tevs really will care much.
So, we are sorry, but we are pretty sure about this.
Don't shoot us, love to all. Mom
As much as I love Daisy, it has come to the point where we really feel like she is tying us down. There are many times that we want to be gone longer, or stay in the city, etc. and we can't.
We also feel that she would really be better off with a family with kids. I hardly have time to walk her anymore. She is pretty bored with life around here.
We do not feel that any of you are at a point where you can take her. We do not want any of you to feel like you have to. We are going to put a notice in our vet's office, and also sign her up for the Beagle adoption agency. She will be wanted and loved.
I can't do this secretly. I feel I need to at least tell you all that we have pondered this over and over, and this is our decision.
I don't think Tom will mind; he will only be here a few weeks and then leave again.
Cari, I feel the worst for you. But, with a baby on the way, and another little one, the timing is just not right. You guys can always get another good-natured cute beagle or dog someday and train her with your kids when they are the right age.
Kathy, I know you and Jimmy will get our own dog.
I don't think Bret & Tevs really will care much.
So, we are sorry, but we are pretty sure about this.
Don't shoot us, love to all. Mom
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Hazel's Halloween
Here are some pics of Hazel in her Halloween costume. We celebrated a day early in order to attend my office trick-or-treating that they do every year. We're not going to go real trick-or-treating since Hazel couldn't master the phrase in time. I'm sure she'll be excited to go next year.
Jacob and I sewed her whole costume ourselves, which was easily my biggest sewing project to date. It was a lot of fun, at least for me. Hazel didn't really like her costume until people started handing her candy. Then she got a lot more excited. In case anyone cares, I dressed up as a Sneetch and Jacob dressed up as a beach bum. We're going to spend tonight with some friends, but not in costume.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Frustration
I am in charge of this huge Super Saturday in November based on technology, and it is for parents of youth and youth 12 -18. I had to fight my way through the Stake leaders to get this, and I have had no support, as Jim Rawlings always gone now, looking for a job, and will probably be gone by then. Dad was his counselor, and he has been released and is too busy with his new calling, and the other YM counselor is in Middletown.
Anyways, we had 3 top speakers lined up for the main talks, and now all 3 have cancelled, (well, Br. Dalton says he has to go to London that day, but when he saw my face, he said maybe he can give the talk and take the redeye out).
So here I am, frustrated. I have looked for a guy who could give a technical talk about how to use parental controls on a comp, protect against porn, etc. NO one seems to know or want to give this talk. I have called over 15 people.
I wish I could afford to bring Bret or Prof Knudson or Jake out here!
egh.
Anyways, we had 3 top speakers lined up for the main talks, and now all 3 have cancelled, (well, Br. Dalton says he has to go to London that day, but when he saw my face, he said maybe he can give the talk and take the redeye out).
So here I am, frustrated. I have looked for a guy who could give a technical talk about how to use parental controls on a comp, protect against porn, etc. NO one seems to know or want to give this talk. I have called over 15 people.
I wish I could afford to bring Bret or Prof Knudson or Jake out here!
egh.
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