Saturday, April 2, 2016

186th Annual General Conference

I love General Conference weekend!  James and I watched together at our home in Vernon.  Here are some highlights:

What a privilege to be able to sustain our

General Authorities!

Sister Oscarson is the Young Women

General President.  This was one

of James's favorite talks.

 President Uchtdorf never disappoints.

The talk he gave in the General Priesthood session

and the one he gave on Sunday were two of my favorites!

Another one of my favorites.  Elder Renlund's

voice is very soothing to me. 

 Elder Ballard's talk was on family councils.

 President Monson's talk in the 

General Priesthood session.

Sister Esplin was released today, so this was 

probably her last talk in General Conference.

I love this chart that someone posted on Facebook!

A new Primary General Presidency was called and sustained:

Joy D. Jones as president, Jean B. Bingham as 1st counselor, and

Bonnie H. Cordon as 2nd counselor.

I love that they are dressed in the Primary colors.

I couldn't resist the Power Ranger picture.

 Probably the most exciting thing to happen today was

to hear President Uchtdorf call President Raymond S. Heyman

as an area Seventy.  Now we will call him Elder Heyman.

Congratulations!

Elder Heyman was our bishop and stake president and he also served as a mission president in Argentina.

Diane and I served together in the Young Women's when we were in the same ward.  I was her counselor.

James watched the General Priesthood session here at home and I watched with him.  Afterwards we watched a movie together.

 

Friday, April 1, 2016

TGIF!

This was a post on Facebook today.  At first I thought it was real and began reading it to James.  When they started talking about Elder Youknowwho from the third quorum of the Seventy I knew it was an April Fool's joke.

April Fool's! 

I am grateful for these two posts by Christina Tibbetts Hoose today.

Their family is really a wonderful example of how a family should be.

 Brent is of course, Christina's dad.

 Brent and Rebecca's youngest, Nathan returning 

from his mission in France.

James and I went into town today.  Before going I read the letter I sent to Michael to James.  He thought it was great, which made me feel pretty good about it. 

In town we stopped at Grumpy Jake's for lunch.  I had a cheeseburger and James had a quarter rack of ribs.  I ordered a salad along with my cheeseburger.  I could only eat half the burger.  James ate the rest.  

I went to Walmart to pick up a few things while James went to CVS to get a prescription Dr. Memon called in for him.  He has been having chest pains lately and I ask him to please go see the doctor.

On the way home I read from our Sarah Eden short stories book.  At home we watched a Hallmark movie together called "The Edge of the Garden."

 Brian Connor buys an abandoned house in the country, and begins

to communicate with the spirit of a woman who lived there

years earlier.

We both really liked this story.

 

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Bettylea Strickland Maxwell

September 13, 1930 - March 31, 1999

Today is the 17th anniversary of my mother's death.  I still miss her and wish we could spend more time together.  I am grateful for the gospel and the resurrection which helps me to know that I will see her again.

I have one person in my family who never forgets to tell me she is thinking of me on this day.  Can you guess who it is?

James is pouring concrete today at Fountain Hills.  If everything goes as planned he will be coming home tonight.  I look forward to seeing him.

It felt so good to be home that I am afraid that I was a little lazy.  

I watched DWTS again, Chopped, and a Hallmark movie.  I did try to go visiting teaching this afternoon and I mailed a letter to Michael encouraging him to serve a mission.  

I tried to visit Claire Mercado but she said she wasn't feeling well.  I prepared her a handout to go with the lesson and I left it on her door step.

 The lesson was on being created in the image of God.

I was also going to leave this jar of Rollos but since Claire

was sick I decided not to.

James got home in time for us to watch this week's episode of "When Calls the Heart."  I had Pero for the first time in a week!

Great to have my honey home!

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Havasu Creek, Arizona

Today I had lunch with Jean Howard, one of the sisters that I visit teach.  It just so happens that she and her husband have a house in Chandler just a few miles from Cathi and Terry's.  I picked her up and we went to The Good Egg on Chandler Heights and Alma School.  It was her choice.  I guess it is one of her favorite restaurants.  

I was just about to give up on being Jean's visiting teacher because I have had such a hard time contacting her.  I have only been to visit her once in the past six months but I try every month.  Jean is 75 years old and is not in very good health.  A few years ago she was in a horrible accident where the car she was traveling in was hit from behind by a semi-truck.  Her car went through the guard rail and rolled over six times going down a hill.  Jean had to have her back completely rebuilt and now has 40 rods and 80 pens in her back.  As she was recovering from this accident she was walking in a parking lot and a car backed up and hit her.  She is in constant pain and it is very difficult for her to sit for more than a little while.

Jean's favorite item at The Good Egg is Berry Breakfast Blintz which includes: 2 crepes filled with mixed berries, raspberry Greek yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, warm blueberry compote, whipped cream, powdered sugar, caramelized pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg.  It looked something like this:

It was delicious, but more like a dessert than

a lunch.

I thought it would look like this.

Jean had bananas in hers because she needs to gain weight.  Obviously I don't have that problem.  

 

I am so glad I got to know Jean a little better and now I will loo forward to our monthly visits.

 

As soon as I returned to Cathi's I loaded up the car and headed for home.  I was right behind James who had to make a trip back out to Fountain Hills.

 

I got home around 5 pm.  It was cold in Vernon but there wasn't any snow on the ground like there was on top of the rim between Payson and Heber.  I unloaded the car and sat down to enjoy some television.  I watched a couple of movies before going to bed.  

 

I sure do miss James when I am here by myself.

 

 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Family Portrait probably around 1983-84.

One of the reasons I needed to go home to Vernon was to finish up my visiting teaching.  I called Jean Howard and found out that she is here in Chandler and so we arranged to go to lunch together tomorrow.  I guess I will be staying and go home tomorrow afternoon.  James also keeps promising to take me out to eat.  He knows the way to my heart.  My diet has gone by the wayside.

Today being taco Tuesday, we went to Serrano's for lunch.  James had the fajitas and I had a chicken enchilada and a beef taco.  We also enjoyed chips, bean dip, and salsa.  It was a tasty meal.

I could only eat part of my enchilada.  I took the rest home.

This afternoon I went to Kim's to watch "DWTS" with her.  She has scouts this evening and needed some pocket knives.  Terry gave her three that George had given him.

I loved Wanya and Lindsey on "DWTS".  They were awesome!

 Tonight was Latin night and they did the Salsa.

 

Monday, March 28, 2016

Happy 88th Birthday to my Aunt Gene,

my dad's only sibling.  I love her!

I was going to go home today to get my visiting teaching done, but James talked me in to staying. While he was at work I drove to Dr. Allen's on Baseline and Power Rd. to pick up my thyroid pills.
I also went to visit Trina and Lola.  Trina took me to see the house they are buying.  It is near Ray and Signal Butte in the new Eastmark subdivision. 

The subdivision is amazing with five parks and other recreational facilities and two schools.  Darrel and Trina have a nice view of the Superstition Mountain out the upstairs window.

Trina is very excited about the house.  It should close either on the 30th or 31st of this month.

 Trina and Lola

Lola trying out the new carpet.

Even though it sounds like it is a long ways out, the 202 goes right to it.  It only took me about 20 minutes to get back to Cathi and Terry's.  

James was home waiting for me to go to lunch.  We were going to use our gift card and go to Black Angus but it isn't open for lunch so we went to Firebirds.  James and I both got appetizers for our entree's.  He had the crab cakes with tortilla slaw and mango habernero chutney and I had coconut shrimp with tortill slaw and mango habernero chutney.  I got five shrimp and he only got two crab cakes.

Coconut shrimp

We also had two small loaves of their sourdough bread.  It is so delicious!  Firebirds is one of my favorite places to have lunch.

After lunch we went home to take a nap. 

Joshua got a haircut today.  Doesn't he look handsome?

He looks alot like Dallin.

Cathi and Terry got home a little late this evening because they went to pick Colin up.  Colin was very happy when he got here.  He came in and said hello to both James and I and then went to eat his chocolate donut with sprinkles.  

This evening James and I went to Black Angus for dinner to use the gift card Kim and Brian got us for Christmas.  We both had the six ounce filet mignon and it was delicious!  I had a salad and mashed potatoes for my sides and James had steak soup and green beans.  We certainly ate well today!

When we returned to Cathi and Terry's, Dave and Laura were there visiting.  We joined them, the six of us sitting around the dining room table.  Colin preferred sitting on the couch, although he wanted Cathi to be with him.  

We told Laura about project Ethiopia.  She came up with the suggestion that James should make it his Eagle Project.  I thought that was a great idea so I told Jared.  He liked it too.  

I didn't get to watch "DWTS" tonight.  Sheri and Kim both had FHE first.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

He is Risen,

the message of Easter!

 It was nice to go to Church with Jared, Cathi, Terry, Dave, Laura, Sheri, Ian, Alex, Ben, Max, and Evan.  Ben helped bless the sacrament.  The Reyna's spoke in sacrament meeting.  We had their little boy, Isaiah, in our Primary class. 

I am so grateful for the Savior and the 

opportunity I had today to renew my covenants with 

Him through the Sacrament.

Our Sunday school class was taught by a man born in Puerto Rico and who grew up in Hawaii.  He taught seminary for 15 years and was a great teacher.  I will have to ask Cathi what his name was.  

Sister Johns taught Relief Society, her son Malachi was also in our Primary class.  The lesson was on Elder Hales conference address.

After church I came home and made scalloped potatoes.  This time I didn't forget the cheese!  I warmed up the ham and the five of us, James, Jared, Cathi, Terry, and I sat down to a nice Easter dinner.  We had ham, potatoes, beans, cranberry celebration, and croissants.  Cathi and I already had our dessert.  We have been eating Kim's sugar cookies since yesterday when I brought them home.  It was nice to be able to provide a small meal for Cathi & Terry after all they have done for us.  

Nap time!  After our nap James and I were going to go visit his mom and Dawn.  We wanted to stay and visit with Jared so James called his mom and spoke with her for awhile instead of going for a visit.

 Jared went to the temple visitors center to wait for Melanie who is in Mesa having dinner with her husband's family. Melanie's husband passed away two years ago.  He had Valley Fever which caused congestive heart failure.  She has three girls, 19, 15, and 5.
 She and Jared came by later this evening so we could meet her.  She seems very nice.  She and Jared are going to Ethiopia in September to bring glasses to people down there who need them.  Cathi gave Jared several pair of old glasses.  Melanie belongs to a group who goes down every year.  Jared is excited to go and wants to take James Hayden with him.

This evening Cathi, Terry, James and I watched the movie "The Cokeville Miracle".  It is a true story about a couple who took a bomb into the Cokeville Elementary school and held the school hostage.  Miracles happened and everyone came out alive except the perpetrators.  This happened in the 80's.  Our friend Trudy Lamb is from Cokeville, Wyoming.