Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Here are some sights from my morning walk.

Can you find the bunny in this picture?

I love the wildflowers.

Birds on a wire.  Lots of them.  Sorry you can't seen them very well.

They usually fly when I walk under them.

An indication that James feels better.  

Hurry Honey, the clouds are coming.

Evan, Sheri's 5 year old, he will be six in November, is obsessed with cowboys right now.  He drew this picture of some of his obsessions: apple trees, cowboys, and Batman.

I love this picture!

Ruby's First Day of Preschool

Her Dad (Darrel) helped her get ready to go.

Jeanna Griffin Dilts's baby girl Amelia

Born August 20, 2012.

James and I watched the movie The Hunger Games for the first time this evening.  We read all of the books.  I was a little apprehensive about watching it.  Kim said she had to leave the theater because she got dizzy because the filming was so bad.  I didn't get sick or dizzy.  I really liked the girl who played Katniss Everdeen.(By the way I rather like this name).   James really liked the movie.

 

Monday, August 20, 2012

Somewhere in the last 3 months I read  about a father who did interviews with his children before they turn 8 and are baptized.  I went through every book I have been reading more than once and could not find it.  I prayed to Heavenly Father that I could find it so I could email it to Darrel because I thought it might be something he would like to do with Addy.  When I left for my walk I was feeling frustrated yet hopeful that Heavenly Father would hear my prayer and help me..  I put in my earplugs and began listening to Sister Cheryl A. Esplin's talk from the last General Conference entitled "Teaching Our Children to Understand."  Here was my simple little story.  I almost cried.  I came home and sent the idea to Trina and Darrel.  Trina said she loved the idea and thanked me for it. Here is the idea:

"About two months before his children turned eight years old, one father would set aside time each week to prepare them for baptism.  His daughter said that when it was her turn, he gave hear a journal and they sat together, just the two of them, and discussed and shared feelings about gospel principles.  He had her draw a visual aid as they went along .  It showed the premortal existence, this earth, life, and each step she needed to take to return to live with Heavenly Father.  He bore his testimony about each step of the plan of salvation as he taught it to her.
When he daughter recalled this experience after she was grown, she said: 'I will never forget the love I felt from my dad as he spent that time with me....I believe that this experience was a major reason I had a testimony of the gospel when I was baptized."  My prayers were answered.

My friend Paula Casto and her daughter Tanae are coming to visit this weekend.  I am excited to have them come and they are excited to come.  There is only one drawback.  Tanae has a new calling in the singles ward so they have to either go back Saturday evening or early Monday morning.  Tanae is the assistant to the Sunday social meals in the singles ward and talks her calling very seriously.

While James and I were outside on the deck reading this morning four Apache helicopters flew overhead.  Darn!  I was hoping they didn't know where we were.  We thought we were well hidden.

James and I have a goal to plant grass around our home.  Before we can even begin to think about planting we have so many rocks to remove.  I didn't realize how many until this morning when I actually began the removal process.  There are large ones and small ones and every size in between. It will be a long time before we are ready to plant.  Hopefully sometime next year.

James and I went on a short Ranger ride this morning.  Short because there was no gas.  I am grateful James is feeling a little better and beginning to act like himself.  Still waiting to here from Dr. Memon.

For FHE I made an apple pie shake and James and I watched President Monson's 85th birthday party.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Happy Birthday to me!  My birthday gift to myself is the losing of 5 lbs.  I am very excited!  But the next time I go to the valley I am getting this treat:

I got up at 4am to finish my handouts for today's Young Women's lesson.  (See Saturday for pictures of handouts).  Around 5:30 I noticed a herd of cows in our backyard.  I decided to chase them away on the Ranger.  Goodbye cows, get your breakfast somewhere else.

We sat by the Crane's during sacrament meeting.  I told James his birthday gift to me was to stay for all of the block, and he did.  Afterwards he was glad he did because he said priesthood meeting was very spiritual.  

After our meetings James gave me another birthday present.  This wonderfully delicious addictive grilled honey lime chicken.

James and I ate this entire plate of chicken. 

It was better than birthday cake.

I got several phone calls, Facebook messages and Vox's today.  I talked to Dennis, Harold, Vickie, Lois, Darrel, and Stacy on the phone.  Kim and Brian, Laura,Darrel & Trina and several friends Facebooked me.  Jared and his family Skyped me.  I went to a fireside this afternoon and the young men and young women sang happy birthday to me.  It was a great birthday.  Jared told me that his kids fasted for Grandpa James last week.  They told Emmy because she wasn't 8 yet she didn't need to fast, but she did anyone.  We are so grateful for our dear sweet children and grandchildren!  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

James's last gift to me was to take me on a Sunday drive.  

It was a great birthday.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

James and I read the book of Omni in the Book of Mormon or our scripture study this morning.  One of my favorite Book of Mormon scriptures is found in Omni 1:26 where it says:
 "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.  Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."
Our Marie Antionette story is getting quite sad.  Marie has four children that she loves dearly and two of them die.  Also, the people of France are turning against her and troubled times are ahead.
I saw a funny thing on the way in to Show Low today,  There was a wedding at the fire station.  Yes you heard me right.  Just after seeing the wedding, I looked on the left side of the road and said to James: "On look at that paint horse."  His reply was: "That's not a paint horse, it's an apaloosa mule."  The sights you see in a small town.
We had lunch at LaCasita.  I love their green chili burros but the sopapillas are not as good as El Rancho's.
I got some supplies at Walmart and the Book Barn and came home and spent the rest of the evening preparing for Young Women's.  Here's what I made:

The front of the scripture journal says: 

"Be Enthusiastic About Reading Scriptures"

The bookmark says: 

"The scriptures are the KEYS to our salvation & happiness."

The little candy scriptures are from 2 Nephi 4:15:

"For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them."

This was inside the front cover of the scripture journal:

 

This was inside the back cover:

 Different scenarios where you can find answers in the scriptures

to life's problems.

 

Friday, August 17, 2012

I am trying desperately to get back on my old schedule where I get up at 4am and study a couple of hours or so and then go for a walk.  I hate using an alarm and can normally just rely on my instincts to get up.  Today I got up, studied until what I thought was 6:00 and then got ready and went out for my walk.  When I returned I checked my phone for the time and it said 5:59.  What?  It's suppose to be 7am.  That means I got up at 3am instead of 4.  Oh well, I took a shower and laid back down for another 30 minutes. 
While I was spraying the mud off our driveway James went in to the post office and to get a burn permit from the fire department.  He is finally burning the big pile of brush in our back yard.  It looked like this:

The Burning Bush.

Fire in the Rain.

I worked on the Young Women lesson which is on Scripture Study. I found lots of fun ideas on Sugardoodle.net for handouts that I want to use.  

Kim got the results of her biopsy back.  No cancer.  Thank goodness.  

James and I watched The Finder finale, The Mentalist, and Chopped on TV this evening.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

We are down to the top ten on So You Think You Can Dance and I am glad to say that both of my Utah girls, Witney and Lindsey made it.  This week was Mia Michaels week.  It was fun to be reminded of all the cool dances Mia has choreographed but I am not sure I like remakes.  Napoleon and Tabitha had a baby boy since the last session.  They named him London.  I wonder if that was because he was born during the London Olympics. 
Instead of listening to music during my walk this morning I decided to listen to General Conference talks.  I feel like I am multitasking and enjoyed the spiritual upliftment.
I started using the shakes I got from Drea Monday night.  I have one in the morning, and one at night in place of breakfast and dinner.  So far I have lost 3 lbs.  My goal is 30 lbs. by Thanksgiving.

We had to make another trip to town today.  This time we deposited some money from our National Bank account into the Lambson Construction account. While I was picking up some things at Walmart I got a call from our Young Women's President.  We were scheduled to have a presidency meeting at 3pm but she cancelled.  She said she had a tooth pulled on Monday and it was still bothering her.  She also said she would be gone on Sunday and asked if I would give the lesson.  I was actually excited because the lesson is on scripture study, one of my favorite topics.

So far I have had the orange julius shake and the snickerdoodle.  They are both very tasty.  I watched Project Runway while James did something in the bedroom.  Raoul went home again.  I am so glad.  He cannot sew or design and he looks like Eddie Munster.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I am trying to get back in to my routine of early morning gospel study and then a walk.  This week my walk's are about 45 minutes long.  The weather is so nice in the mornings and I get to watch the sun come up. 

We have a bit of a doctor dilemma.  The pain management specialist has James's MRI and referral but when I went to schedule an appointment the first question was if he was on blood thinners.  James has been on blood thinners since his stint was put in.  We have to get permission from Dr. Memon for him to be off the blood thinners for at least 10 days.  The problem is that Dr. Memon is very difficult to get a hold of.  Finally Pam his assistant told me he would be in the office next Tuesday and would give us an answer then.   Vickie thinks he should go to a chiropractor and I agree,  but James refuses.  Denise says they may not let him go off the blood thinners until it has been at least six months since his stint was put in.  In the meantime he is almost out of pain killers.  The waiting is so difficult when he is in so much pain. 

Today we went in to town.  We had lunch at El Rancho.  It was packed and I wondered why in the middle of the week, and then I saw the sign for 99cent tacos on Wednesday's. We were probably the only ones in the restaurant who didn't order 99cent tacos.  We also went to Walmart, Walgreen's to pick up 3 of my prescriptions, Splash & Dash to wash my car, Chase, and the post office in Vernon.  These trips to town usually wear James out and he comes home and takes a nap. 

How's that for a rain storm!

Tonite was a combined activity for Mutual with the Young Men in charge.  We are going target practicing with guns.  We all met at the church at 6pm.  Again, I was the only Young Women's leader in attendance.  We had 8 girls who came: Jordyn, Shelly, Kilee, Leann, McKenzie, Trenda, Mary, and our visitor from Georgia, Journey.  There were 9 boys and 5 adults to round out the group.  I tried to take some pictures but of course I was behind the kids when they were shooting.

That's Kilee with the gun. She's one of my Beehives who spent the night at my house.  She likes my car and our house, and loves to do hair and nails. She and her cousins, Leann and McKenzie help their dads pour cand finish concrete.  I hope that guns not loaded or she shouldn't be off the firing line.

Brother Applegate and his daughter Jordyn on by the back of the truck. Jordyn just turned 16 and became a Laurel.  She is quiet and sweet and loves to draw.  She wants to work in an animation studio.  Glenso Swift is the boy shooting in the blue shirt and that's Kilee's father, Sean Hunsaker in the blue hat.

 

The young man in the white shirt is Daniel.  I have never seen him before.  That's Trey Campagna in the blue.  He's nice looking but the Hunsaker girls don't like him very well..  Shelly Applegate is shooting her BB gun.  Shelly is full of life.  She was the only one of the girls who accepted my 5 day service challenge so I am very proud of her.  She is also gung ho about Personal Progress.  I tease her because she didn't know who Mitt Romney was.

McKenzie Hunsaker is the girl shooting her Dad's 45 pistol.  It was loud.  She is such a cute girl and wants to be a firefighter.  That's her boyfriend in the camo sleeveless shirt, Cory McNeil, who is just recently reactivated.  He comes to McKenzie's on Sundays and she reads to him from the Ensign. We have such awesome young women in this ward!

 I think the other boy in the stripped shirt is Aaron Windsor.

I will name the people in this picture that I know:  Brother Steve Allen, the young men's president is holding the gun on the left.  He let me shoot his shotgun 3x and swears that I hit the first clay pigeon he threw.  I think Trey, who was shooting the same time I was actually hit it.  Trenda Wilhelm is the girl in the white shirt with the ponytail.  Trenda is a beautiful girl with lots of spirituality but is also very fun loving.  She is an all around great person.  She wants to marry the country singer Hunter Hayes.  I can see why.  He is so cute and he can sing.  The girl in the orange with the flower on her hat is my cute Leann Hunsaker.  She is the Beehive class president.  Leann is artistic and such a sweetie.  I think she would be a nice match for Ben.

That's Mary Swift sitting on the truck.  She is native American and the only girl who wouldn't shoot a gun.  Mary is our Laurel class president and a senior at Show Low high school.  She loves to play basketball! Mary has the greatest laugh!

Brother Wes Smith is on; the left loading Brother Allen's gun for Journey who is waiting there beside him.

Journey has never shot a gun before but she loved Brother Allen's shotgun.  It's the same gun I shot.

Journey loves animals and was excited that she got to help the Miller's brand cattle while she was here.  She has the cutest southern accent and the girls loved getting to know her.

 

 

There is Trenda shooting Brother Allen's gun.  She said she once shot an elk at 450 yards.  

This girl can do anything but she is not conceited.  She is a sweetheart.