Saturday, August 31, 2013

When I got up this morning I see all four of Sheri's boys asleep on the couches.  Ben, Max, and Evan were in the family room and Alex in the living room.  All of the adults slept in.

I love the sunflowers!

 

James and I take the Razr and go into town to mail my prescription payment to Humana.  Evan comes with us.  It's a beautiful morning for a ride.  We see Sheri on her morning run on the way back.

When Sheri returned home, and after her shower, we went into town to get a few groceries.  We invited Kim to go with us but she said she would be going with Brian a little later.  After doing our shopping at Walmart I tried to order some green burros from LaCasita, bt could never get through.  Sheri stopped at Little Caeser's to get some pizza.  I got some wings for James and I.  We saw Bishop Hall and Lane.  I congratuledted bishop on being the Dad of a soon to be missionary.  Kendall got his mission call to Salta, Argentina.

James enjoyed the wings for lunch.  I didn't think they were that great.

Sheri took this picture today.  A walker standing outside by itself is never a good sign.  He must be on the Razr.

 

Kim tells us about how the teacher she has been teaching with quit because she was being harrassed by the curriculum director and the owner of Bright Beginnings.  Even though she had some issues Kim says she was a nice person and the kids loved her.  The acting principal of the school, Jennifer Jackman, is going to fill in until they find someone to hire.

James, Kim and I took a ride to see the falls near Buckelew Springs.  Sheri was sleeping upstairs so she missed the fun.

About 3 miles from our house

Brian fixed hamburgers for dinner and Sheri and I fixed pancakes and ham.  Ben was disappointed because they weren't my homemade pancakes.  I told him that the next time he came up I would fix them for him.  

After dinner we played Five Crowns and after Kim went to bed Sheri, James, and I watched Cedar Cove.

Dark skies and green go together.

Friday, August 30, 2013

More rain.

  I wash my car because I have a visiting teaching appointment with Linda Diewald this morning.  I get it all washed and then she calls and says her daughter and her family came in unexpectedly so she is going to have to cancel.  Oh well, at least I have a clean car.

We were expecting to receive money from Zaki this week but it didn't happen.  James needs to talk to Tiffany Gonzales at Johnson Bank regarding Zaki's funds but he has not been able to reach her, so he wrote her a letter.  Zaki said that Ariana is filing for divorce and for that reason the funds for the house may be frozen.  Let's hope not. Thank goodness Jeff from National Turf said our check for Desert Highlands went out!!

 We went in to town to mail the letter James wrote to Tiffany and of course when we returned my car was covered with mud.  The mud was so packed on the tires and in the wheel wells I thought I better wash it off before it dried, so I washed my car for the second time today. 

I finished cleaning upstairs and also cleaned the kitchen, the frig and mopped the floor. Sheri, Ian, Kim and Brian are all coming up this evening.  Sheri and Ian came the Globe way and Kim and Brian of course went through Payson.  We are so excited to have them visit!!

In other news, Trina posted this picture of Ruby and Kreed today on Facebook.

Best friends!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

We were up at 4am and leave a little after 5 for James's doctor's appointment in Scottsdale.  We stop for breakfast at the Jack in the Box in Payson.  Their croissant breakfast sandwiches are delicious!

Our first stop was at SMILE Imaging where James had his X-rays taken.  His X-rays are fascinating because you can see all of the hardware in his leg.  Now he can put 10 lbs of pressure on his leg and we will be back in six weeks on October 8th.

Next we went to Greg Hatch's dental office where James had a short meeting with him and the architect on the Chandler Airport hanger job.  President Hatch now says he wants James not only to do the concrete but to be the general contractor on this job.  That's exciting!

We went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch where I used the gift card Darrel & Trina gave me for my birthday.  James and I both ordered chicken stuffed tortillas which is our favorite item on the menu.  I couldn't eat all of mine but I did make room for some cheesecake with fresh strawberries.  Yummy!!

Had a short visit with Joshua.  He showed me the dragon he got for his birthday.  (It's the same one Rowan got.)

 

After lunch we went to the Target Greatland behind the Chandler mall.  James sat at the snack bar with the computer while I went shopping for Lalaloopsy dolls for Addy for her birthday. (See picture posted on August 28th). 

Trina dropped her kids off at Sheri's before going to work so we got to see them for a few minutes before we left for home.  Sheri is a little stressed right now because they just found out they have termites. 

It was around 6pm when we left for home.  When we got home it was raining hard and the electricity was off so we couldn't open the garage door.  I had to walk around to open the back door.  Thank goodness for the flashlight app on my phone!  When we got inside we lit our kerosene lantern and our gas fireplace.

Cozy scene.  The fireplace is gas.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Today is Addy's 9th birthday.  I called and talked to her and she wants a big Lalaloopsy baby doll.  Here is what she got.

Addy and her Lalaloopsy's

Alicia and MaKenzi Hunsaker came by to visit teah me today.  Makenzi has decided not to go to the valley where she was going to go to school.  I think she is staying here to be with her boyfriend.  She's going to take some fire and EMT classes in Round Valley.

I got a text from Kaeil Nicoll this afternoon.  She worked a 9 1/2 hour shift today and wants to know if I could take the Beehives tonight.  I told her I would.  I text Diana and we decide that all the girls will meet together, with Shelly Applegate being in charge.

Shelly talked to the girls about Divine Nature value experience #3 and asked them to read D&C 118 when they get home.  Shelly played a Leroy Dunn tape on the game of life.  The girls listened and it was quite entertaining and spiritual at times but Diana and I were concerned because the girls didn't really do anything to accomplish the value experience.  Jordyn brought her sketch pad and was working on her picture of Satin, the white bat.  Maddie brought her little sister Arizona (Zonie) with her.  Her mom came home from the hospital yesterday with the new baby.  I found out Trenda is going to be the Cougar mascot this year and her first home game is this Friday.  I want to go!

I did a Book of Mormon tally and was surprised to find that Kelly and Hope are still in 1st Nephi.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Today we had a date with Dennis and Denise for my birthday.  We met them at Persnikkity's at 11 am where they bought us lunch.  The food was yummy!  james had a portobello mushroom sandwich on a whole wheat bun with a side of potato salad.  I had the strawberry walnut salad with honey poppy seed dressing.  After lunch we drove to the theatre in Lakeside to see the movie "The Butler."  It's a movie about racism in the south and a black man who was a butler at the White House for six presidents: Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, Johnson, Ford and Reagan.  It was based on a true story.  A little rough in spots but we enjoyed it and we especially enjoyed Dennis and Denise's company.

It was raining in Show Low when I went in to Desert Title to get the registration on my car renewed.  It was 61 when we left Show Low but 72 in Vernon where it hadn't rained.

This afternoon James worked on putting the mud flaps on the Razr and I worked on cleaning the mud out of the driveway.  The drain is so clogged with mud that it doesn't work.  I took some of the grates oof to clean it out but James is going to have to do the rest.

 Tonight's sunset.

For dinner James made a fresh veggie medley again.  We watched The Walton's which was about Erin and Ashley Longworth, Jr.

After dark it started to rain and I could hear thunder.  I got up to look at Mars, or the double moon, but all I saw was a half moon.

Monday, August 26, 2013

The Book of Mormon isn't simply something to be read and studied, it is to be lived.  I love the Bible, the D&C, and the Pearl of Great Price, but the Book of Mormon is different.  More than any other book it is Christ-centered and gospel centered.  It leads us to the Lord and motivates us to do good.  Within the reach of those who become serious students of it's pages and precepts is an interpretive key that open hidden treasures of knowledge.  The Book of Mormon speaks directly to us because it was written for us.  I love the Book of Mormon!!!

There are cloud bursts all around us but not much rain here, a few sprinkles.  I decided it was a good time to wash my car while James attempted to put the mud flaps on the Razr.  He got one on today.  I helped.

I went out on our property today and picked some sunflowers.

 

Kathy Crane gave us some veggies from her garden today.  We got cauliflower, broccoli, flower squash, zucchini, cabbage and green beans.  We made a vegetable medley for dinner and it was delicious!  In other news from our neighbors the Crane's:  While they were sitting on their patio they saw a small bobcat on the rocks just behind their yard. 

Tonight's Sunset

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Today we said goodbye to our friends Wes and Teresa Smith.  They are leaving to serve a mission in Kansas.  Not only did Wes shave his beard and mustache but he has a real suit with a real tie and real shoes instead of cowboy boots.

Today was also Taylor Wanlass's farewell in Chandler.  He is leaving for the MTC in Mexico City and will be serving in the Texas San Antonio mission.  Here is a picture of Taylor with his dad and his brothers.

Wendy Dewitt taught our Sunday School class today in Brother Mel Wilhelm's absence.  The lesson was on eternal marriage and Wendy did an excellent job.  In Young Women Sandra Wilhelm gave a lesson on dating standards.

I finally gave Kaeli Nicoll her baby gift.  Little Natalie Jo is due in September.  We have several new babies in our ward right now.  There's Hyrum Miller, Matthew Pope, and Alexandria Carroll.  Alexandria is Maddie's little sister.  She had pneumonia but is doing much better.

The weather was gorgeous today.  It was 65 degrees with some rain.

I love these views!

I helped James do his home teaching today.  First we visited with Lorraine Vaught after church.  After church we went to visit the Sean Hunsaker's family.  The lesson was on gratitude and on keeping a journal of blessings.  The Hunsaker's shared some of their chocolate no-bake cookies with us.  After our visit with the Hunsaker's we went for a ride to see the fields of sunflowers.

Even James had to admit they were beautiful!

We came home and I wrote on my blog.  We sat down to watch The Walton's and as we were watching a bat flew by.  Oh great!  We aren't rid of them yet.

James is off pain killers and has very little pain in his leg right now.  We are grateful.