Costa Rica 2014

It has been a crazy few weeks.  I was just in Ireland and then this last week was in Costa Rica.  I had to go down for business as my client has a large office down there and we work with quite a few people there.  I took a couple of our employees down to do some training and meet the team.  From a business perspective the trip was great.

But at the same time we were in Costa Rica.  So I decided to stay and extra couple of days and take advantage.  First impressions were that the people there are very friendly.  It reminded me of Brazil.  Everyone says hello, people driving are nice (not necessarily true in Brazil while I was there) and lots of hugs and kisses.  It felt more like Mexico than Brazil from a weather and city perspective.  Maybe that is because people were speaking Spanish, but my memories of Brazil (particularly southern Brazil) seem more related to Europe than Mexico.  The weather was great.  Highs around 80 every day and this was the dry season (of course it was!  I was there!).  The humidity and flora reminded me of our trips down to Playa (sans beach of course, as the city - San Jose - is in the middle of the country).

The hotel we stayed at was nice.  It was the Doubletree in Cariari near the airport and our client's office.  Upon arrival I got excited as there were signs welcoming the national football teams for 4 nations: Japan, Venezuela, Spain and Italy.  Come to find out the World Cup for under-17 women was being held this week.  Oddly enough, these four teams were in the semi-finals with Japan winning in the Final on Friday night.  It was fun to see all the girls in their kits (that is what people outside the US usually call soccer uniforms) and enjoying their time in Costa Rica.  I had hoped Japan would win and watched the game and was happy to see them win.

The food was also great.  For lunch one day we went to this amazing place that had all sorts of great food.  In typical latin-style our hosts pampered us and made us try everything.  So I ate ceviche (awesome), some cheese things that were great, pork, ribs, beef, chicken, yucca (which I love), plantains, etc.  Afterwards we had some unique ice cream (they called it "helado  de sorbeta" or something like that which means ice cream sorbet) that was amazing.  It was fun to practice my Spanish, too.  One evening I ordered some chorrizo tacos only to realize that chorrizo in Costa Rica is not the same as in Mexico.  It was still good, but disappointing at the same time.

Saturday I woke up to get my rental car to travel up to the Arenal region, which is where there is a large volcano that up until a couple of years ago was fairly active and thus draws a lot of attention.  I had a choice between this and a beach and as much as I love the beach, since Tevia wasn't with me I thought I'd try the rain forest.  In typical fashion it took me over an hour to get my rental car, but then headed on the two hour plus drive up into the mountains.  I didn't have GPS but was given a small map and told there are signs to follow.  I saw this as an adventure so didn't stress (I usually like to be very prepared for trips).  An interesting side note, they don't really use addresses in Costa Rica.  They use "points of reference" and then you find what you are looking for from there.  So the hotel I stayed at didn't really have an address to put in Google Maps (though you can put in the latitude/longitude).  I found that interesting, as this was true even in the city.

I arrived at my hotel with no issues and got myself some lunch from a place across the street.

You can see the volcano in the background.  It is almost never totally visible as the clouds shroud it from the convergence of winds from the Pacific and Caribbean.  The hotel was great and the owners very nice.  After lunch I wanted to hike to a waterfall down the road.  So I took off and enjoyed the short hike and swim at the waterfall.  It is about 200 feet high and was pretty cool.  

After that I relaxed a bit by the pool and watched the birds and read my book.  There are hundreds of bird species in Costa Rica so I enjoyed seeing so many of them.  Many are beautiful.  I saw a green macaw, some parakeets, a bunch of birds I don't know what they are, hummingbirds, and even a couple of toucans.  For dinner I went to the same place across the street as they were very nice and the food was awesome.  I also walked into town (about 1.5 miles from my hotel) to see the town.

The next day I wanted to do the Cerro Chato hike.  This is noted as being a tough hike to the top of a dormant volcano where there is now a green lagoon in the crater.  I read quite a bit about this hike and was a little worried as some people said it took 5 hours to go up and down.  I had to check out by noon, so I left early to start hiking by 7.  I will say the hike, though only about 2 or 3 miles up, was quite tough.  But I was at the lagoon by 8:30 even with having to stop a few times while going through the rain forest.  The rain forest was all I imagined it to be.  This day it was shrouded in clouds and was perpetually wet even though it was dry season.  There were times it was almost dark.  There were several times I thought, 'what if I tripped and fell off this cliff, would anybody even know?' as I was hiking alone and nobody else was on the trail.  

Upon arriving at the lagoon it was cool to see the fog come in.  Though it would have been cool to see it on a clear day (rare), this was what it usually looks like.  I took the time to swim in it by myself and enjoy some downtime.  Only upon leaving the lagoon did I finally see another person (who was also by himself).  Here are some pics along with a pic from the web to show what it looks like when clear.

On the hike back down several groups were starting their ascent.  Several looked pooped out already.  I knew the feeling.  Hiking in such humidity was interesting as my shirt and shorts were both literally soaked by the time I got to the lagoon.  And my white Adidas were basically ruined with mud.  But it was worth it.  

The views were beautiful and I took a 'panoramic' shot on the hike down.

I made it back to the hotel with plenty of time to rest and then check out and drive back down to San Jose.  I had rented a stick shift as I like to do that to practice.  Not so fun to drive going down steep windy roads after your legs are sore from hiking.  The best was when I first got the car I turned it on without using the clutch and the car lurched forward and stalled.  Then I tried to put it in reverse without using the clutch (to no success).  Funny how habits work.

That evening was my last.  I hadn't eaten all day and was dehydrated and hungry.  The only place close to my hotel near the airport was --- Denny's.  Crazy, huh?  But I ate there anyway, knowing they would have shakes and a milkshake sounded mighty nice.  

My plane left early the next morning so I took the car back to the rental place (an adventure itself) and had plenty of time to board.  The airport had crazy expensive food which I refused to pay for, plus they didn't allow drinks on the plane.  So by the time I got to Phoenix 5 hours later I was ready for that homemade pizza Tevia had made the night before.  

Though I enjoyed the trip, I will admit I was very lonely over the weekend.  For me, it just isn't as fun as sharing the experience with someone else.  Each hike, each adventure, each meal I would just think how much better it would have been if Tevia or someone else were with me.  But I never like to be alone.  It is just who I am.  Overall the country was beautiful.  But for the money, if I were going to pick, I'd stick to Mexico.

Ireland 2014

Last week I had to meet up with a client in Dublin, Ireland for some meetings.  I headed out late Friday evening on a flight to London and then caught a flight to Dublin to arrive late Saturday night.  I wanted to give myself at least one day to get over the jetlag, which was good since I only slept about 2 hours that night.

So Sunday I decided the best thing to do was take a long bus tour.  I rarely do these touristy type things as I would rather just explore on my own in a car or something, but I knew I would be tired and could sleep on the bus if needed.  And it was needed!  I picked to do the Cliffs of Moher tour.  We stopped at King John's castle and then eventually arrived on the west coast of Ireland to see the cliffs.  They were magnificent.

 These cliffs are 750 feet high and you can walk right up to the edge.  It was awesome.  We were able to stay there for nearly 2 hours.  Afterwards we stopped at a small pub in a small town to eat lunch.  The tour guide suggested something local like "Irish Stew" which I did.  Basically it is the same as stew here in the USA.  But it was good.  We also stopped at a cool monastery that was built in the 1100s.

The drive through Ireland was beautiful.  It is indeed very green and there are a lot of sheep.  We got back in Dublin about 7 PM and I then headed up to the hotel by my client which was outside of Dublin.  It was gorgeous on a huge lot of land surrounded by open pastures and two gold courses.  

I then had meetings the next couple of days.  The one evening our client took us into Dublin for a walking tour downtown to see Dublin Castle and talk about some of the history.  We then once again headed to a pub for dinner and drinks.  I got some odd looks when I said I didn't drink - especially when they really wanted me to try the Guinness.  But it was fun.

Wednesday I flew back to London to head to my company's office which is outside of London in a town called Swindon.  That evening I didn't have any plans so decided to go see Captain America: Winter's Soldier.  It came out earlier in the UK than in the USA (still not showing here).  I figured out the way to walk there and had a fun evening seeing the movie.  This was similar to the last time I was in London when I was able to see the Avengers before it came out in the USA.  So maybe this is a patter and I'll be there next for Avenger's 2!  

Thursday I spent the day in our office doing training for our team there and meeting them in person.  It was nice.  My hotel in Swindon wasn't the greatest, but it was convenient.  No iron in the room the sink only had one hot faucet and one cold faucet (not mixed).  At this point I was ready to go home and Friday I went back to London to get on the plane back to Phoenix.  I got in late Friday evening.  Tevia and Jarek weren't home as they were in California.  Jacob Webb picked me up at the airport and I was able to collect my other two boys and sleep at home in my wonderful bed again; though alone!  

Saturday I went golfing with Jake and Jake and then we headed to the AZ Game and Fish expo, which was quite fun.  Here are a few pics from that adventure.  Next stop: Costa Rica.

2014 has been awesome!

I am working hard to make the year I turn 40 a great one.  And so far it has been awesome.  I know I am doing a poor job of documenting what I have been doing.  So to catch up I will just bullet point some things that have been great.

- Luke Air Force Air Show: We attended this a few years ago and I was excited to go this year hoping to see an F-35.  It didn't start out great as it took almost 3 hours to get there (it is 20 miles from our house!), but in the end I loved seeing the planes and jets and spending time with our family and Jake and Cari and their family.  And we got a bonus of tasting some awesome spicy ketchup.

- Trip to Napa Valley.  My company's annual conference was last week in Napa Valley and it was great.  Though I don't drink wine (this is wine country) I still had a wonderful time.  I was one of our company's presenters and had a great time with my client.  One night we went to Francis Ford Coppolla's vinyard/home.  He even came out to say hi (though I didn't see him).  We were able to sign up for an activity (like a wine tour or massage) and I signed up for the service project. We went to a school and helped out.  It was probably my favorite part of the trip.  I mostly played and reffed soccer for the kids.

- Attended several concerts for both Jarek and Malik.  They are both so talented.  Must have got that from their mom.

- Malik received the priesthood.  Malik turned 12 and we had family and friends over after the Gilbert Temple Dedication to give him the priesthood and celebrate.  The next week it was awesome to see both Malik and Jarek pass the sacrament on Sunday.

- Golfing.  With Jacob Webb moving down to AZ he has motivated us to golf some more.  I have gone more this year than the last 3 years combined!  It has been fun golfing with him, Brandt and Jacob Wall.  Brandt kicks our butts, but I am finally starting to play a little better.

Next up are trips to Ireland, Costa Rica and New York.  I am excited.  Work is going great.  Loving the new job.

Gratitude Sunday

I wanted to take some time to thank all of you for making me feel so comfortable, at home, wanted, and happy while I visited.  I know I can be forgetful and silly and easily brought to tears, but you all treat me with respect and love. I honestly can't believe you still want me to be around so much.  It makes me feel good, and loved.
Thank you all for overlooking my faults, and accepting me, and allowing me to play a part in your family's lives.
I also want to tell you all how proud I am of how you serve in your callings.  I see your strong examples to each other and your children.  It is fantastic.  We don't serve to get blessings, but they come, surely and steadily.
I see your faith, and feel your testimonies.  It is an honor to be your mother, and mother-in-law, and grandmother.
I want to make an even greater effort to be a part of your children's lives until we can move closer.  Let me know if ever you come up with an idea that I can help with, or a gift I could give, or something I can make or do.  I will try to write each child more, and to Skype more.
I am so blessed to have children who just call me when they are walking home, or at an airport, or to just talk, or for advice, or to share things with.
I am looking forward to 2 baby blessings and a baptism this year. I am proud of Malik choosing the priesthood, and Bret being worthy to ordain him.  Speed loved hearing his name mentioned as Bret read the line of authority, and I felt the Spirit so strongly.
I love how we love each other, even though, of course, we have our differences.  I know each one of us would do whatever it took to help each other if needed.  I know you are there for me.
I look back and see the fun and love and story of our family, and I clearly see how blessed we are.
The sun is shining to day, and though alone, I feel so loved and blessed.  I love Sundays!

Losing

It sucks to lose.

2/13/14 will most certainly be the worst day of 2014 (unless sickness, sin etc i.e. real problems)

Last night while trying to recover from a most awful day I decided to at least document the low.  As I sing the song "Everything is Awful" instead of awesome, here is the list of the baddies.

5%    I lose 3 important games in DOTA worth $500 prize money

5%    I lose my Elder's Quorum basketball game

10%  Fraud is bad, the government doesn't care about losing billions to criminals.  I guess taxes are basically fraud anyway.  So, Tax Hawk is in a war versus criminals to avoid charge-backs and damage control with the credit card companies.  Cari's work has been frustrating and scheduled as a result.

15%  BYU loses to another sub-par team and is out of March Madness

15%  My favorite company of all time takes a giant step toward going out of business.  NPD reports came in and the Wii U is dead.  Also, the 3DS sold the worst in 5 years.  Nintendo is embracing micro-transactions in their upcoming games and restructuring their company.  It's the end of an era.

50%  We knew it was coming and that the horror stories from our friends were true, but our insurance was dropped and replaced with the only insurance legal under king obama...  Our rate is now 1,500 a month which does not include our HSA money.  $19,000 pre tithing a year just for the premiums!  Haha, you can't get anymore asinine than that. Tax Hawk is trying to find solutions but atm, they are all illegal.  Obviously we will drop all all coverage after Cari has Thor and go cash only.  Great job obama!


The optimist in me looks at the calendar and grins because its Friday!
Now for the good looking things on the horizon!
Thor or Hermione!
Powell
Fishing with Dad and Bret and Webb
Cross country trip to hell(Tennessee) with Alex and Nicole

My early testimony of tithing, letter dated 10/15.80

I have scanned a letter I wrote to my sister right after I moved to SLC.  I know my words may be hard to read, and some are misspelled, but I wanted to share this.
(For those who don't know, Bill was my sister's nickname for years)
I would also love it if you shared it with your kids during a special spiritual time like FHE. (the older ones)
I am grateful I wrote this down.

My Patriarchal Blessing

I suggested that we each read our blessings as we start out the new year.  I finally have gotten around to it.
I am awed and amazed.
I was given my blessing on April 23, 1978.  It was short, much shorter than each of my children's, and very to the point. There were no super exciting dramatic things like I oft heard people share. It was basically, be good- get blessed.
That is what I thought for most of my early years in the church.
Now, I see it quite differently.
Here are  2 paragraphs I would like to share:
"Karen, I bless you that you may have a hunger and thirst for righteousness, a desire to know and search the scriptures, to become intimately acquainted with your Father in heave and the Lord, Jesus Christ.  I bless you that your mind might be keen and your intellect enlightened, that you may be able to comprehend the scriptures.  As you are diligent and faithful in seeking knowledge, the Lord will touch you that you will understand the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I bless you that you will come to know and understand that the principles of the gospel are eternal truths, the same truths by which the earth and the universe were created and are operated, and these same truths you may use in your life to judge the truth of all things. Hold fast to those things which measure up to these eternal truths, for they will bring true joy and happiness into your life as you are obedient to them.
I bless you that as a mother... that you might teach these truths to your children..."

How blessed I feel this cold Sunday morning when the warmth of the Gospel shines so clearly in my life.  I end my class every single Wednesday night challenging the students to keep seeking, ever seeking, the truth of all things.  I continue to seek knowledge and truth.  It does bring me great joy when I hear a truth and the Spirit speaks to me of its truth.
Just this morning I watched a BYU discussion on Alma 40- 42.  ( I need to teach that this week) Never before have these doctrines felt so clear and obvious to me.  How awesome has been my growth in this Gospel!  (Of course, I know I have much more to learn)
Study, pray, and prepare.  Read your Patriarchal blessings if you have not done so already.

A dream about Tom

I had extra time today, so I was going through some paperwork.
I found this scribbled on the bottom of a notebook I use for General Conference talks.

8/22/09
" On the night of Tom's birthday, the Lord gave me a special gift.  I had a dream:  I was working in a hospital, and I had a locker.  As I was looking in my locker, I heard  and saw some missionaries come in the room.
I heard Tommy's  voice.  Someone tole me not to look because it was Tommy, and he was still on his mission.  As they walked away, I looked up and saw him and heard his voice!  It was wonderful!  It was as clear as a bell.  Thank you Heavenly Father!"

I am grateful today that I wrote that down. I have had many great spiritual dreams, some I have never even told anyone about.  Some have to do with genealogy.

I want my boys to know how much I missed them when they were on their missions.  Bret was the hardest, because he was so far, and contact was slower and different than now.  I knew they would be blessed and watched over, but I will admit some days were hard.

I am grateful for all of you choosing righteousness and keeping your covenants.

Bret's best of 2013

2013 was awesome.  I got a new job, had some great trips, and enjoyed health.  Here are some top things from 2013.

Favorite songs.  It was hard to narrow down my top 10, but in the end, here they are.  Yep, Miley has not one, but TWO of my fav songs of the year.  

Red Hands by Walk Off the Earth

Naked Kids by Grouplove 

We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus

Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus

Sweater Weather by Neighborhood

We Own It by 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa

Come & Get It by Selena Gomez

My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark by Fall Out Boy

Just Give Me A Reason by Pink and Nate Ruess

Pacific Rim by Ramin Djawadi

I wanted to embed this, but I can't from the chromebook and I'm too lazy to go to the other computer.  So here is a link to listen to the songs.

https://play.spotify.com/user/darevco27/playlist/4Bu6Ns1gLRLOJjpiSzBXsP

Favorite Book I read in 2013: Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders 3)

Favorite Movie in 2013: Fast & Furious 6

Favorite New TV Show I watched: Arrow

Most Addictive Game I played: Candy Crush Saga

Favorite Sports Moment: Attending the BYU bowl game (even though we lost)

Here's to a great 2014.  Happy New Year everyone.

Addition to Thanksgiving

I forgot (cuz my pictures to remember were on my phone, not my camera) that we got to finally eat at the cute little diner in Cottonwood with Bret's parents. We ate dinner there after everyone split up from being in Sedona. The food was pretty good, and the the atmosphere was fun! I think the kids enjoyed eating there too. I got some onion rings and they were hands down, the best onion rings I have had in a long time. Delicious! Bret was happy to finally eat at this cute little place.

San Francisco Trip - 2013

For years I have been told that San Francisco is a great place and I should visit.  So when BYU made the deal to have the bowl game there this year I decided it was a good time to go to our first BYU bowl game.  Tevia seemed on board and eventually Jake and Cari also decided to go for it.  Tevia and I decided to use the trip as a getaway and like a Christmas present.  I bought our tickets the first week they were available and we have counted down to the trip ever since.

The day after Christmas Tevia and I drove down from Lakeside where we had spent Christmas and went to the airport to fly out.  We didn't arrive until late that night.  We took the subway to the hotel and pretty much went to bed shortly after arriving.  First impressions to me were it reminded me a lot of Asia; Hong Kong in particular.  This was probably due to the hills and many of the Asia stores found in Hong Kong (like UNIQLO).

Friday we decided to do breakfast at a place down the street called Sears Fine Food.  Jacob and Cari came with us.  There was a line, but we had no deadlines, so we waited in line for some time before being seated.  I ordered the Eggs Benedict.  I have to admit that this meal was fantastic.  I loved it.  In fact, we loved it so much we returned two days later before leaving SF.  We then took a taxi to the fisherman's wharf (Pier 39 to be exact) and spent some time wandering that area.  This was also fun.  I loved seeing the sea lions.  While watching the sea lions we also happened to notice Dave McCann from BYUTV.  He hosts TrueBlue and does many of the sports shows.  We love this guy.  Oddly enough, he eventually came and stood by Jake and I began talking to us.  So we said hello and talked about the game and team and it was kinda fun.

After our celebrity encounter, we visited the aquarium which I also enjoyed.  We then wanted some seafood and even though the place was very crowded, since we weren't in a hurry we waited at a place there on Pier 39.  We had some scallops with a great jalapeno sauce and fish and chips and chowder.  The best was a non-alcoholic raspberry mojito, which was good enough that Tevia and I went back for another at the bar on our last day, too.

We then headed up towards Lombard Street (famous "crooked" street) which was fun walking up the hill and then down the street.  We could see the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz.  We grabbed a cable car and headed over to China Town.  We had fun looking at the shops and food and eventually stopped where Jake wanted to try some egg custards (egg tarts) that they eat a lot in China.  The bakery also had sesame balls which I was quick to order one.  Jake tried the egg custard and liked it so much he bought the rest.

At this point it was about time to head to the game.  We went back to our hotel and bundled up a bit and realized that the game was over a mile away and we weren't sure we wanted to walk that (after walking a lot that afternoon).  We were thinking of getting a taxi when a guy approached us and offered to drive us over in his limo/suburban.  We decided to go for it and I'm glad we did.  This was the craziest taxi ride I have ever been in (and I've been in a lot of taxis).  He drove this Suburban like it was a motorcycle and I couldn't believe we didn't hit more than a few cars.  He got us there in record time and we headed into the stadium sporting our Cougar gear and looking forward to our first bowl game.

When I purchased the tickets they didn't provide seats but instead would provide them later.  But you could pay extra to try and get better seats or do some other tricks to get better seats.  I didn't do any of those things but did put a funny note in the note section.  When I got the tickets in the mail I immediately looked online and put in the seat numbers and they looked pretty good, but not as low as I would have liked.  So when we arrived at the stadium and looked for our seats, we couldn't find them in the lower section so I was disappointed and thought we had to go up a level.  But when we went up there they said our seats were down in the lower level.  So we went back down and asked where our seats were.  They guy said these were down by the field and we had to go through a tunnel to get to them.  Wow!  Crazy.  So we went through the tunnel and at the door we had to enter to get to our seats was a line of people.  We asked what they were lining up for and they said the team was going to go by.  So we stayed in the small line and got to see the team come out of the locker room.  Then we went to our seats... which were ... front .. row ..SEATs!  It was awesome.

The game was a blast.  We lost; so that sucked.  But it was fun and the experience was amazing.  We stayed after for quite some time to cheer the sad players on as they entered the locker room.  Many of them (especially the seniors) were in tears.  It looked like Bronco was, too.  We then walked home for a great ending to our day.

The next day J&C went home, so it was just Tevia and I.  I told Tevia to pick what she wanted to do.  We started off going to breakfast (early lunch) getting a Banh Mi at a small Vietnamese place.  We then packed them and took a taxi to Golden Gate park.  The sandwiches were amazing.  Then we walked through the gorgeous park (think the size of Central Park) and went to the Japanese Gardens and some of the lakes.  We eventually ended up on the beach at the end of the park and were amazed to see such a huge beach.  There were surfers even though it was cold.  This park was also the first time I've seen someone wearing Google Glass.  From the beach we hiked up to the baths which was cool area where a guy had built swimming pools long ago.  There was also a tunnel in the mountain.  It was fun hiking and viewing right along the ocean.  From there we took a bus to Ghirardelli Square and waited in an amazingly long line for some ice cream.  We then walked the wharf again and walked back to our hotel.  We rested again before heading out for dinner.  Neither of us were starving so we just walked around and eventually settled on a little Italian joint that had gnocchi (I'm a sucker for gnocchi) and enjoyed a fun meal.  After that we were exhausted (at least i was) and went to bed.

Our last day we had breakfast at Sears again (I ordered the same thing).  We then packed up our stuff and checked out and left our baggage at the hotel.  We then took a cable car ride again and Tevia was excited because we were able to hang out the side.  The driver was very fun and we went to the wharf again to visit one pier Tevia wanted to see.  We eventually made our way back to Pier 39 where we got our mojitos again and then some awesome tiny donuts.  We then took the streetcar back to Union Square where we sat in the sun for some time before gathering our stuff and heading back to PHX.

It was a great trip and I had a lot of fun.

What I am learning from my calling

I received my first Christmas gift last night. It was sweet, thoughtful, something I can actually use, and probably from the dollar store.  It was heartfelt and sincere, and I was humbled by it.

A few hours earlier, a young man was posting hourly on our YSA FB page, "who is coming to Institute tonight?"
Time went by, and no one answered.  By 2 pm, I was worried it would end up being just him and I.
I also posted, requesting others to let us know if they were coming or not.
If no one else answered by 3:00, I would cancel.  Dad & I started thinking we could end up going to a movie.

There are two sweet girls in Pok 2 ward that are special needs of some sort. They are roommates, and one joined the church this past year, and one when she was 17. One has a 5 yr old child who lives with the father's mother.  Neither work, nor drive,  and I know they live in some kind of government assisted housing.
They immediately answered and said if they could get a ride, they would come.  They love coming. They called around their whole ward until they  found a ride.  Kevin would bring them, and I would bring them home.  They live in the center of the city of Poughkeepsie.
And so it was. There were now 3 'for sure'.
The young man, finding out it would now just be him and these 2 girls, wrote, and I quote, "well, since basically no one else is going, I probably won't come now."  I was floored.  These girls are not invisible. They deserve to be included, and feel the Spirit.
Jen, one of the girls, did not even notice the dis, and continued texting and calling others, hoping some of the local boys were home from college and could come.
I geared up my lesson for just them, (they both know very little about the Book of Momon or the Gospel)
Last week  I spent 1/2 hour with just them and we had  a great lesson about angels.
So, I get lazy, and it is super cold and snowy, and I ask dad, "since it is only a few people coming, do you think I can just wear jeans and boots and my warm sweater I had on?  Now, dad is over me, speaking in church language, and he gave me permission.
I head out the door with 10 wrapped, flavored chap sticks, lots of Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and a good attitude, thinking how I will bless these 2 girls lives.
ha ha. and then The Lord says, Karen needs to learn something here.
I get to church, and there is Eric, a returned missionary from Brazil, and 2 new missionaries from the 2nd ward, sitting in the front row, ready for a deep, well-taught Institute lesson.  I sneak in, embarrassed to be in jeans, and my mind starts racing. I had to do some rearranging of my lesson, and quick.
The girls come, and, low and behold, so does this young man.
So I had 6, and we had a great class, and the Lord blessed me with some semblance of sanity, and we had a great discussion.

1. I will never wear jeans again
2. I will never cancel Institute due to how many respond on FB
3. I will always do  my best on my lesson, no matter who is attending
4. I will continue to learn real Christlike love for all, even the guy who faked me out and I judged him out and then he came through in the end
5. people are wonderful, and all have something to give 

The gift was from Jen and Nicole, along with a card that said they loved me.  And they really do. Not because I am a good teacher, or because I help them, but because they know how to really truly love people. And it is I who learn from them.  

Kathy Marie Wall Cox

Kathy came into the world as expected, on November 4th, 1987,  quite different than the first two birth experiences.   We knew it would be a C-section, and we chose the day.  It was so easy; pack, wake up, and go to the appointment.  No pain.  No worries.  Bret & Jacob spent the day with grandma Wall. 
We also had the name chosen for years.  If I had 2 girls, one would be Kathy,  named after my sister and best friend.  The other would be Alexa, named after my other best friend from grade school all the way to high school.  I loved her name, and she was the only Alexa I knew.  (My sister also loved the name, hence, Sarah's daughter is Alexa)   I am glad we now have a Lexi.
Kathy was expensive.  We had no health insurance at that point, but knew we would probably have a c-section, and just saved money for it.  
Because we lived in Salt Lake, we had plenty of help from Grandma Wall, other family members, and the ward brought in meals for 5 nights.  Dad & I fondly remember having 3 nights of chicken soup, but all totally different tasting.  We had some great cooks in our ward.
She cried a lot, and by her 2 week check up, she already had an ear infection, which explained why she was so fussy.  However she continued to be a fussy, colicky baby until she was six months old, when she learned to such her finger.  She also did not sleep through the night until then. 
It had taken us 4 years to be blessed with a girl after having Jacob.  We wanted more children, and prayed and fasted.  Two miscarriages came and went, sadly, and I found myself longing for another child.  We finally decided to try to adopt.  We started going through the paperwork.  It was at my physical for the adoption that the doctor told me I was pregnant. 
Before she was born, Kathy was reaching out to me.  I had two amazing spiritual experiences with her.  One was in the temple, after I knew I was expecting.  I was told as clear as day that I was having a little blond girl.  I could almost see her.  It was surreal.
I had another visit from her in our home, before she was born, that is too tender and special to blog about, but I also can remember it very clearly and how I felt.
Bret was so happy when Jacob was born, and he wanted even more siblings; so this was thrilling to him. He held  her and watched over her and of course became our babysitter. He was great with babies and children.  
We felt so blessed with 3 children.  Dad was at the end of his PhD, and life was awesome!  Because I had had so much trouble getting pregnant, we didn't know if we would be blessed with more children or not.   Right before Kathy turned 1, we moved to start our new life with IBM in NY, and dad bought our first brand new car, a Ford Escort.  (which, didn't fit a family of six!)   Our 4th blessing, Tom, came soon after, and we were complete!   

Bronx Zoo

We actually did something spur-of-the-moment!  Kind of...  Dad & I have wanted to visit the Bronx zoo on a Wednesday for several months. (Wednesdays are free, sort of).   It has been hard for him to get a day off of work, or, the weather did not cooperate.
With his new boss, they now have daily meetings, and he has been leery of missing them.
Yesterday, he woke up, noticed a meeting had been cancelled, rearranged his whole schedule, and asked me to go to the zoo.
 Well, another hard thing about Wednesdays is that I set that day aside to work on my lesson.  This week was Jacob 5, and the class voted to delve into it deeply.  Yikes.  Hard stuff for me.  I always read that chapter with an attitude: too many who is grafting who in where questions for me.
Until this week. I studied and studied.  So, I thought I had it mostly down, and accepted the date.
We had so much fun!  It is not a kid-friendly zoo.  The animals are far apart. There is a lot of walking.
I thought I found directions to the best parking lot- fail on my part, so we had to walk even farther to most of the exhibits.
Although it was free, there are at least 6 separate exhibitions that cost additional money. I have never paid the extra $5. to see the gorillas there, and have always wanted to.  I find them fascinating, ever since I was a child.  We had a favorite gorilla in the Cleveland zoo we new by name, and he loved whenever my sister came in.
So dad decided to pay the money and get an all-included pass to everything, since the entrance was free.
Total - 15 parking, 15 more each for this pass=  45 for a free day at the zoo.  Classic.
The $3 butterfly house was a disappointment to dad. I had seen it before, but with the cool weather, there were only about 20 butterflies flying around, and only 3 species visible.  He was sad.
We took a ride on the Asian monorail, which was a lovely ride in the beautiful fall trees, with few and far between animals; mostly different kinds of deer, one elephant, and a huge bengal tiger.  We enjoyed it, but again, if we had little ones, they may have found it long and boring.  ($5 each a ride)
The gorillas were fun.  The baboons super active.  We enjoyed an overpriced sandwich and soda, and walked some more.
This zoo does an amazing job of scenery and showcasing the animals. There are just not many animals.
Neither of us had a favorite.  We really just loved being together, taking a day off, and walking along in the cool beauty of the fall here in NY.
The last time I went was with Kathy's grade school class. They stopped all city field trips since 9/11.
Side note: 2 of the paid exhibits are dinosaur themed.  What is that about?  They aren't real animals.
The zoo has a lot of space, but evidently not enough money for more animals. The one worker told us that the 22 yr old polar bear was going to die in the next year or two, and they would not replace him.  He claims they don't do well in zoos.
PS- my class stunk, I was lost and just did a terrible job, but, it was all worth it.

Fun day!  Thanks dad!

Because I'm just a tad bored tonight...

Wordless Wednesday!!!

You're welcome.

Google thinks I'm Indian

I have used Google for years and love the company.  How silly of me not to invest a few thousand dollars in it when it first went public, but c'est la vie.  I also find it funny how companies use data to try and figure out how best to advertise to you and share things with you that might interest you.

Recently Google Plus (G+) has been doing a better job at trying to figure out what I might be interested in in my "What's Hot?" feed.  It is about 85% on in terms of what it shows me.  It knows I like BYU.  It recognizes I like science.  It assumes I like Star Wars and Mortal Kombat and Android and Google and many other things.

But starting about 2 months ago or so I started to notice some peculiar things popping up.  I now get a lot of posts about Indian (the country) holidays, Indian food (which I do love!), Indian leaders.  Then I started getting more on Hindu proverbs or other religious things and Indian celebrities (as much as I love Bollywood, I admit I can't name one Bollywood star).

So my only guess is that Google thinks I am Indian.  I thought maybe it knows many of my friends are Indian, but that would be tough since honestly very few of them are in my circles.  So it must assume that based on searches and behavior online that I am Indian.  I find this fascinating as I wonder what 'attributes' lead it to that conclusion.  So if you ever want to know what holiday it is in India or any cool Hindu proverbs, I probably got you covered.

Even more interesting, in just the last two weeks I am now getting a bunch of Muslim posts.  Now, there are quite a few Muslims in India so it might be related to that.  So maybe based on my online behavior it assumes I am an Indian Muslim.  Which might not be too far of a stretch.  Obviously it probably assumes I don't drink or use "creative" language (I assume Google knows everything I type).  It probably knows I have a wife named Tevia (could be Indian, right?) and am monogamous (rare these days).  But the algorithm hasn't seemed to be able to close the gap that I am Mormon (it sends me BYU stuff, so this would be a simple assumption by Google).

I guess I am peculiar enough to not fit the standard profiles.  Which, I think, is probably a good thing.

Disney / Mexico 2013

As fall break quickly approached, along with cooler nights in Phoenix, we decided to take a couple of short vacations with the family.  The first was a couple of days in Disneyland with my brother and his family.  I hadn't been to Disneyland in a few years, so I was excited to see the new attractions (Cars land) and enjoy the time in the magic kingdom.

The drive to LA wasn't as bad as usual and our hotel was great.  We had gotten a suite together with Jake's family and it was a lot of fun.  We had dinner at some place near the hotel and watched my Rams get killed by the 49ers and then played some basketball with Enok.

The next morning we set off for adventure.

We spent a couple of days at the park.  I really enjoyed the new Cars ride and area and the color/water show they have in California adventure.  I did my best to eat as poorly as I could knowing that Tevia and I were going to be good after our trips, so I enjoyed ice cream, the pineapple whips, a churro, a corn dog and even a yummy monte cristo sandwich near Pirates (love that dish!).

Our favorite ride was Star Tours (hard to believe, I know).  Jarek actually went on it 5 times while the rest of us did 4 rides and got quite a bit of the variations.  That was fun.  The weather was ideal with warm days and not-too-cool nights.  It was a great trip and a lot of fun.  

We came back for a few days and then headed off to Rocky Point in Mexico with Tevia's parents.  This is our annual trip we love to take to visit the beach, eat some awesome Mexican food and just chill.  The drive down was quick and the first night we headed to Pollo Lucas for our favorite chicken.  It was as good as always and a great start to the trip.

The next day we spent at the beach.  It was pretty empty and a little windy, but the temperature was awesome.  We spent the whole day on the beach, bought some great burros on the beach, and headed to our fav taco place for dinner.  It was even better than last year.  

We spent one morning in the Cholla Bay looking for clams and the low tide this year was super low.  The last day at the beach there were no waves, which was weird for an ocean.  But it made for some awesome snorkeling along the reef.  Enok got his first taste of snorkeling with me and Jarek spent a lot of the afternoon doing it, too.  

The sunsets were gorgeous as usual.  We even finally ate in Rocky Point on the wharf watching the sun set.  They even made me an awesome scallop dish that wasn't on the menu that had the greatest garlic sauce I've ever had (just ask Tevia!).  It was the perfect fall break trip to wind down and get ready to go back to work and school.  We just spent hours on the beach, bringing our lunches and snacks, reading, sleeping, buying local things, and enjoying the sand.  Nobody even got burned.  It was hard to come back and we can't wait to head back again soon.  Next time we'll try to bring a few more people as we did miss having more company.  

Start of our bucket list

Start of our bucket list, October 15, 2013

• ·         Love train rides
• ·         Manti temple
• ·         See a whale
• ·         Grand Canyon
• ·         Live near grandchildren
• ·         Me- spend time with sister
• ·         Me- have grandchildren visit NY individually
• ·         Dad- climb Mt McKinly
• ·         Dad- run a marathon
• ·         A cruise
• ·         Maybe Rome temple and Italy

Not in any particular order.  That’s it so far.  

Mixed Feelings

Monday morning,  I woke up nervous.
I was heading to the radiology dept. to get a 3rd look at 3 spots on my right breast.  This would be the second ultrasound, and although I really didn't think I had cancer, I still had anxiety.  We had a prayer that the doctor would do his best to find out if I needed a biopsy or not.
Conference talks the two days  before left me happy and joyful, full of renewed strength and direction. I still had much to do in this life.
Getting perspective- 
The phone rang. It was my good friend, Kathy Lombardo. Her daughter-in-law, Dan's wife, was expecting, and the ultrasound had showed several problems with the unborn baby:  some heart defects, and only one kidney.  This past Saturday, she went into labor and delivered James. He was 5 1/2 months old, 12 " long, and breathing on his own.
The family went in on Saturday evening and celebrated.  No one spoke of any disabilities.
At midnight, the doctors put James on a breathing tube.  At 2 am, they told the parents they would probably have to make the decision to take him off.  He was in pain, and probably not going to make it.  At 4 am, the Lord in His tender mercies, saved them from making the decision.  He moved on.
Kathy called me in tears on Monday morning, her heart broken for Dan and Jenifer. They had tried so long to have a second child.
The sadness I felt was surreal, yet, after I let her cry for a bit, her testimony of how the Lord is in charge came shining through. She knows it was best, and that He blessed them.  Dan had also left the Catholic church, and did not believe in infant baptism anymore.  They did not baptize their first child.  Dan called his mom early Monday morning and said, "mom, we baptized him right before he passed away."  Now, she doesn't know if Dan did it himself, or a chaplain from the hospital came, but her joy was great that Dan, after all he has said to them, believes in a God. So touching.
Juxtapose
I am helping at a funeral today of a lady I never knew. She has been inactive for many years.  She had throat cancer.  Suzanne and several RS sisters had been going to the hospital to visit her the last 2 weeks. The doctor had given her 6 months to live.  She couldn't talk, but in the end, wanted the visits and love of the Sisters.  I was supposed to go this week with Diane.  She is in her 70's, and very alone.  Again, the Lord was tender, and took her earlier than they thought. She too was in much pain.

Death is intriguing.  I have no fear of dying whatsoever.  My children all are happy and live righteous lives.  We are sealed together, and when my turn comes, I will go willingly.
My news was good, 2 spots have not grown at all, and they could not find the third.  They said it is probably nothing, and to just come in next year for my regular mammogram.
In one hour on an early Monday morning, feelings and emotions were mixed as I felt people grieving and yet understanding the basic plan of God.   He is all-knowing, and all-loving.  and I love Him deeply. And, although I can get hit by a car today or tomorrow, I feel a renewed license to go forth and serve, and build His kingdom, and spread His joy.

Update on grandma, trip to Cleveland

I was really grateful that dad was willing to spend some of his furlough time off work to drive me to see my mom and family.  He had hoped to be able to stain the decks, but of course, it rained Monday and Tuesday.  We did get the pool closed.
On Wed we left about noon and just drove to Youngstown to make it a shorter drive on my back, 6 1/2, and relaxed at a cheap Best Western.  It was quiet and nice.  We walked over to a Mexican place for dinner.  Dad ordered his usual, cheese enchiladas, but didn't like them at all.  I don't know if the place was authentic Mexican, or just weird, but everything tasted different. It was crowded, and a real hit to this little trucker-oriented town.  I had a bean burrito and guacamole salad, and enjoyed both.
On Thursday, dad met Frank and Mike and played 18 holes of golf, while I took the car and told mom I would take her anywhere she wanted to go.  She chose her favorite clothing store, Col Water Creek, and McDonald's for lunch.   She was happy and cheerful and even funny.  She said she surely missed just being able to go grab a hamburger and  a milkshake when she wanted one.  
We didn't find anything at the store there, so we went into Macy's and Dressbarn, where we found a cute tweed sweater vest.  She bought me one and herself one.
She was worried about money the whole time.  She must have looked into her little purse 15 times to see what was in there.  
She is given 2- $50 Visa gift cards, and that is all.  Most places take them.  She has a little cash.  Well, Mike brought over her real Visa credit card and a Macy's card, and explained to me to watch if she used them so she didn't leave them on the counter.  She was careful, but very confused as to which card to use and why.  She told me she had tried to use the Visa gift card at Walmart on her Wed bus trip from her assisted living place, and they wouldn't take it.  So she asked me to use one of them at McDonald's to see if they took it and how much money was left on it.  They took it, no problem, and she had 32 left on it. She then asked me to use the other one at the salad place I bought my lunch at, and it had a balance on it as well. We used the balance on both up at DressBarn, so both were zero. She seemed happy to be able to use it up!  Mike will get her new ones.  He was quick to take the real Visa back, because on Friday when we went shopping, she didn't have it anymore.  
There is a Dairy Queen right down the street.  Again, she mentioned how hard it was to know it is there, actually almost in walking distance, and not be able to just go get a cone when she wanted one.  That must be hard to lose that freedom.
Because she didn't have her cards, I bought us DQ.
She had $100. bill Milan had given her if we all went out to dinner.  She wanted to keep that.  We ate dinner at Carol's both nights.  I knew mom would want to go out, but Milan had fallen in Mike and Marsha's bathroom just that previous Monday when they brought them there for Labor Day.  He has no balance, and falls asleep sometimes right on the pot.  So we didn't want to take him to a restaurant, or exclude him; plus, Carol had insisted on cooking...
Then mom and I took a short walk around her little lake, which she calls a  park, and then got free soda and ice from her place and took it out back to a little patio and chatted for an hour.  
Mike and Dad went golfing again.  Dad's back got pretty sore from golfing 18 holes in 2 days and not being used to that.  
The one incident I wanted to get down in writing was that even after being with mom all day Thursday, and telling her I would be over at 12:30 the next day, (after she got her hair done), she told me that when I walked in, she could  not remember if I was coming that day or my sister Kathy.  She said she knows her mind is slipping away.  It almost broke my heart.  
My back was really sore all the way home, even though I kept changing positions.  Still sore today.  But it was worth it. 
Mike told us some very spiritual stories.  Frank and Mike were together again.  Frank sincerely thanked Don for taking such good care of me!  wow.  Carol took us to dad's grave and she cried there.  She says he cries still all the time.  There is evident tension between Mike and Carol.  Sad to see.  
I am grateful to dad to drive me there, because I am pretty sure I can't do that drive alone anymore, unless I finally get this back fixed.  Chiro tomorrow, Pain specialist Thursday.  Colonoscopy Friday.  Egh.  
Please try to think of things to help grandma have fun, cute experiences these final years. I think you for sending photos. She loves them.  Maybe have the kids write her, or color a picture for her. Music is a great Christmas gift. Also, Carol can use spiritual boosts. She can receive emails with photos attached, and loves little sayings and the such.  I even think she would like one of those little Mormon messages attached to an email.   We told her at the cemetery that she would be with dad again.  I don't know if she believes it or not.