Thursday, June 1, 2023: Up @ 5, Happy 55th Anniversary, James fixes me brkfst and writes me the sweetest letter, Nap together, Red Devil, new book, puzzle

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

136th operating temple

Dedicated: 11 Dec 2011

By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ, Trials of

Luke 22:67

Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:

Book of Mormon

Alma 10:1-16

Come Follow Me

John 13:1-17 The Savior is our example of humbly serving others.

Jesus' Name

Servant/Deliverer

Word

Anoint

Phrase

My blood, shed for many, for the remission of sins.

Affirmation

I embrace the opportunity to renew my covenants and draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. With a humble heart, I commit to always remember Him and strive to emulate His example of compassion, forgiveness and selflessness.

AprGenCon

The Greatest Easter Story Ever Told

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright suggested:

"We should be taking steps to celebrate Easter in creative new ways: in art, literature, children's games, poetry, music, dance, festivals, bells, special concerts....This is our greatest festival. Take Christmas away, and in biblical terms you lose two chapters at the front of Matthew and Luke, nothing else. Take Easter away, and you don't have a New Testament; you don't have a Christianity."

I woke up right at five o'clock and I got up. I want to have my scriptures and prayers early because today is my anniversary.

James and I have been married for 55 years. We started going together in 1965 so we have actually been together 58 years. 

James got up early too. He fixed us breakfast and wrote me a letter. 

The letter was so sweet and I will treasure it forever, putting it in my personal scrapbook. 

We read from the Book of Mormon together and Come Follow Me. Come Follow Me was about the Last Supper, the first sacrament and the ordinance of the washing of feet. 

I listened to Susan and Tanna on Inklings talk about "Finding Personal Peace" by President Eyring. I wish this would have been the talk last week as I could have used some of the ideas in my lesson. Emily is in Israel again leading her last tour. Yes, even with a broken leg.

James found some wild kittens on our deck. He wanted to feed them. I went inside and opened a can of tuna. When James took it outside there was only one kitten. The other was gone. James watched the doings of this kitten and got enjoyment from this activity. She had to go to the bathroom. She dug a hole, did her business, and then proceeded to cover it up. When she finished she went over and smelled the spot and threw some more dirt upon it. James says they do this to cover up their smell so other animals won't find them. 

She sniffed at the tuna on the lid James had put it on and then began to throw dirt upon it. James decided she didn't like it that well and came back inside to get some cream. As we were walking around in the kitchen I looked out the front window and saw what I assumed to be the mama cat, a tabby. I called James over just about the time the kitten James had been feeding came into view. She literally hopped over to her mama and they went off together towards the Cranes.

James and I took an early nap together. When I woke up I went in to get ready to go to town. We are going out to eat and then doing some shopping at Walmart. When James woke up he said, "Wow, I needed that nap." He does need to relax more. 

Armando called with a problem at work. James had asked not to be called today but this was kind of an emergency. James gave some advice and somehow the problem got solved. In the meantime James kept saying, "I should be there." 

I forgot to mention that earlier in the day James had texted Samantha regarding getting paid the April payment for the job. He told her that if he didn't receive payment he would have to stop work on the job.

Hopefully they will at least send half of what they owe us, which is way overdue. (Don't want to think about this on our anniversary).

My friend Tamara had said how good the food was at The Pasta House in Pinetop. I MapQuested it and found out it doesn't open until 5. It was around 3 and we were starving since we had not eaten since breakfast. There were two other Italian restaurants in Pinetop. I chose Red Devil and that is where we ate.

It was by no means fancy. It seemed as if they specialized in pizza but they had other entrees too. I ordered jumbo cheese ravioli with marinara sauce. James ordered the chicken marsala with a side of pasta. We each got a warm sourdough roll and I ordered a small dinner salad with balsamic vinaigrette. 

The sauce on James's chicken was rather watery, nothing like the sauce he gets when he orders chicken marsala at Olive Garden. I asked him how it tasted. He said it was okay but he made haste in eating every bite. 

I'm not sure how I feel about jumbo ravioli, but the creamy cheese inside and the marinara sauce was delicious. I could only eat two of the three ravioli so I asked for a "to go" box. 

Our next stop was Walmart where I did some shopping and James went back to the auto center to make an appointment for new front tires. He made the appointment for 9 a.m. tomorrow morning which means I will be taking it in since James will be going back to the valley.

When we got home James put on his work clothes and went over to Barbara's. This morning he had met with Loran Ellsworth, a brother in our ward who is a general contractor. Barbara wants a ramp built for her son's home as he is handicapped. James does not have time to do it so he asked Brother Ellsworth because he built a ramp for Sue Hubble's daughter who is in a wheelchair.

Brother Ellsworth said he would "work in" this project. He actually is a general contractor and teaches construction skills to men had the addiction recovery center that Brother Applegate runs. Brother Ellsworth asked James if he would level the ground where the ramp is to be built so he could start on it tomorrow. This was the only time James could go and I understood. He said when he returned we would watch a movie and work on the puzzle. We did work on the puzzle but did not have time to watch a movie as James has to get up early to go to the valley in the morning. 

Although we didn't get to do everything we wanted, it was a nice day for me and I hope for James. We spent time together and expressed our love for each other. We will continue celebrating next week when we go out to eat and go to the temple.

I believe this picture was taken at the Lambson

family reunion. I wonder if everyone thought

I was blind. 

Prescribed burn

I hate them!

Latest puzzle

My mom, Colby and Kaytlynn who are

now in there late 20's

Emily at the Jesus Trail

Milk for the kitty

Jumbo Ravioli

Grrrrrr...

 

Wednesday, May 31, 2023: Pres. Eyring's 90th bday, "Declare My Word", JA's rent, Sheri's flat tire, Chuck takes garbage to dump, Pay bills, Emmy's and Pam's cards mailed on Monday

 

San Salvador, El Salvador

135th operating temple

Dedicated: 21 Aug 2011

By: Henry B. Eyring

Jesus Christ, Trials of

Luke 18:32

For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted upon.

Book of Mormon

Alma 9:7-18

Come Follow Me

Matthew 26:20-22; Mark 14:17-19 "Lord, is it I?"

Jesus' Name

Deliverer/Servant

Word

Anoint

Phrase

My blood, shed for many, for the remission of sins.

Affirmation

I embrace the opportunity to renew my covenants and draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. With a humble heart, I commit to always remember Him and strive to emulate His example of compassion, forgiveness and selflessness.

AprGenCon

The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ

President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

One week from today is Easter Sunday. It is the most important religious observance for followers of Jesus Christ. The main reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Easter. The Come, Follow Me lesson this week will prompt you to study the Savior's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. His cleansing of the temple, His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His Crucifixion, His glorious Resurrection, and His subsequent appearance to His followers.

I have been praying for conversion experiences for my grandchildren who no longer go to church. That through life experiences they will be humbled and turn to the Lord and want to change. I feel like my prayers for Jared Ammon are being answered. He has been as lost as anyone can be for the past 10 years or so. 

Jared Ammon is worried about paying his rent for the next two months before going in to rehab. He has no money and needs help. He had decided the only way he could get enough money to pay rent was to go back to work at the bar. Stacy contacted her bishop and he asked her to contact family. Before she did, I gave her some money to help with rent. She then contacted family and her siblings and Paul's sent money. It was heartwarming to see people want to help. He now has enough to pay June's rent and part of July's. 

Sheri posted on Instagram that she had a flat tire this morning. I told her about my flat tire and how dad had patched it and then filled the tire with air. She said the last time she asked Ian he didn't help but that was okay because his mom bought Triple A for her. She now has to buy four new tires. We are buying two.

This afternoon I got a call from Chuck Crane. He asked if I had any garbage to take to the dump. He said he knew that James wasn't home. I told him I did. I gave Chuck several bags of garbage and asked if I could give him some money. He said no. He had a masked on and I asked him if he was feeling better. He said he was but that he still has a bit of a cough.

I paid bills today. My credit card, our mortgage, tithing and our electric bill. It seems like most of our bills are due at the first of the month.

I wanted to mention on her, so I have a record of it, that we mailed Pam Giles's birthday card and Emmy's on Monday even though it was a holiday. Pam's is late and hopefully Emmy will get hers on time. Her birthday is June 4th.

I cleaned out the refrigerator today. Now I have room to buy more food. I also did some sweeping and some vacuuming. Our house gets so dusty. We have been leaving the lights on at night to keep the bats away. So far I think it's working as we have not seen any sign of bats.

James got home around 9 p.m. He said Trina fed him dinner so he didn't have to stop anywhere. That was nice of her. He took a shower and then we went to bed. He was exhausted.

Ian & Emily

Strawberry banana milkshake cake

Tuesday, May 30, 2023: James left @ 4:30 am, home alone, puzzle, blog, walk, TV, J.A. ongoing, Talk to Sheri, Kim about temple next week,

 

Kiev, Ukraine

134th operating temple

Dedicated: 29 Aug 2010

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Trials of

Mark 15:17

And they clothed him with purple, and plaited a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

Book of Mormon

Alma 8:18-9:6

Come Follow Me

Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9 "She is come . . . to anoint my body to the burying."

Jesus' Name

Servant/Deliverer

Word

Anoint

Phrase

My blood, shed for many for the remission of sins.

Affirmation

I embrace the opportunity to renew my covenants and draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior; Jesus Christ. With a humble heart, I commit to always remember Him and strive to emulate His example of compassion, forgiveness, and selflessness.

AprGenCon

"Abide In Me, And I In You; 

Therefore Walk With Me"

Elder David A. Bednar

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance....

"Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; there walk with me."

James left around 4:45 this morning after getting me up so I could say a family prayer before he left. He told me to be sure and pray that he would get their safely, which I did, and then I went back to bed. I am officially home alone.

I felt well today and tried to keep busy. I studied the Book of Mormon and Come Follow Me. I worked on my puzzle and walked. I spent time texting back and forth with Kim and Sheri, arranging a trip to the Gilbert temple next Tuesday. James said we could get a hotel room Monday night. 

I spoke with Stacy about Jared Ammon. She found a treatment center for alcoholism and depression. Paul took a two week leave of absence from work so he could be of help. 

James made it to the valley safely. He worked at the Glendale Airport cleaning up and then went to the 51st Avenue job. He has still not received the last two payments from Advantage Medical. 

This evening when he arrived at Darrel and Trina's he called me. He was walking to Safeway in order to get something for breakfast. We had a nice visit. I wished we would have thought to had prayer together.

I listened to Elder Corbitt and Elder Bednar's conference addresses and Brother Halverson on Unshaken Saints and to my book, "Where the Stars Meet the Sea." I also remembered to feed Luna her dinner. As soon as I walk outside she whinnies and starts pawing the ground. She is such a diva.

Ashley Umphress and her girls:

Bailey, Abby and Gracie

A fire in Taylor

Biscoff Brownie Cake

How I do a puzzle

Love these Albanese gummi bears

Monday, May 29, 2023: Happy Memorial Day, Taco Bell lunch, James getting ready to go to valley, J.A. news, Finish book w/ James, puzzle, Marvin & Mary, Kathy Crane

 

Cebu City, Philippines

133rd operating temple

Dedicated: 13 June 2010

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Trials of

Mark 15:2

And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? and he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.

Book of Mormon

Alma 8:1-17

Come Follow Me

Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13 "In Remembrance"

Jesus' Name

Deliverer

Word

Anoint

Phrase

My blood, shed for many, for the remission of sins.

Affirmation

I embrace the opportunity to renew my covenants and draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. With a humble heart, I commit to always remember Him and strive to emulate His example of compassion, forgiveness, and selflessness.

AprGenCon

Do You Know Why I As A Christian Believe in Christ?

Ahmad S. Corbitt

Of the Seventy

I informed my new friend that we have a spirit in addition to a body and that God is the Father of our spirits. I told her we lived with our Heavenly Father before our births into this mortal world. Because He loves her and all His children, He made a plan for us to receive a body in the image of His glorified body, be part of a family, and return to His loving presence to enjoy eternal life with our families like He does with His. But, I said, we would face two main obstacles in this necessarily fallen world: (1) physical death - the separation of our bodies from our spirits. Of course, she knew we would all die. And (2) spiritual death - our separation from God because our sins, mistakes, and flaws as mortals distance us from His holy presence. She related to this too.

Today is Memorial Day. The day we honor those who fought and died for the freedoms we love so dearly. I am grateful for those who fought so that I might live in freedom and peace.

We had an interesting discussion today about our Come Follow Me lesson for this week. There are three different accounts of a woman anointing Jesus with spikenard from an alabaster box, which makes the account a little confusing because all of the accounts are different. To add to the confusion in Luke 7:36-50, earlier in Jesus' ministry a woman came into the home of Simon the Pharisee where Jesus was with an alabaster box and anointed his feet with spikenard. It says this woman was a sinner and the focus of the story because of her worship of Jesus her sins were forgiven. 

John identifies this woman in Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; and John 12:1-8 as Mary, sister to Martha and Lazarus. This took place in Simon the lepers house in Bethany. 

Here are some things I learned from the account: 

In Matthews account is says she anointed His head. In the other accounts it says His feet. By anointing Jesus while He was still alive, the woman, Mary, acknowledged His impending death and burial. The ointment was very expensive, worth more than 300 denari or a years wages for a common laborer. Mary stands out as the first disciple to understand and openly accept the Savior's teaching that He must suffer and die.

James went to town earlier to buy a new connection for the trailer. The lights work and one of the brakes works, but the brake on the right does not. I was very concerned but he says he has driven before with the same situation and it was fine. What can I say?

In order to spend some time together and for James to look for a sink for the job on 51st Avenue, we drove into town around noon. We stopped for lunch at Taco Bell where I got a taco and a bean burrito and James got a taco and a Burrito Supreme. We do a lot of mixing business and pleasure and eating in the car. 

Stacy called me this afternoon. I think she needed someone to talk to because she is dealing with a lot of stress. She said Jared Ammon showed up Saturday night and right now he is detoxing on her couch. He has hit rock bottom and has a humble attitude and is asking for help.  

Jared can make $300 in a nights work but he has no money. His arms are covered in tatoos. He has a room mate and the rent is due on June 1st. Jared's share is $1,000. He does not want to go back to the bar to work. Not only is he an alcoholic but he is bipolar. 

Stacy is also worried about Joshua who has a non-member girlfriend and is spending a lot of time with her. She is also trying to contact Tara about Trisha's son that Jared & Kacey want. All of this plus the fact that she is to stay off of her foot for another three weeks. She feels overwhelmed. Oh yes, Paul's going through a rough patch at work and there is that to worry about. I told her she needed to go to Heavenly Father and talk to Him about all of her problems. 

Marvin and Mary came over this evening and Marvin gave J.A. a blessing. Mary gave him $500 to help with rent. Mary is having a partial masectomy on Friday and Stacy didn't want to ask her for money but Paul didn't mind. 

This afternoon I texted Kathy Crane and asked her who told her that I was making the cake for Barbara's wedding. She said that Stefani and Alicia had told her. Stefani is my ministering sister and she and her partner Donna Peeler came over early in May for a visit. I had asked about Barbara's cake and Stefani said she wanted a carrot cake. I made the comment that I had a great recipe for a carrot cake as I had made one for Cammy Grapp in 2021. That was all that was said.

Kathy sent me this text:

I guess Sister Gilbert was in charge of the food. I guess she was the one who should have gotten in touch with you. Everyone assumed you were making the cake. It was just a communication problem. There were plenty of cupcakes. Stefani asked me to decorate the food table in different layers. I had the food table set up in my layers and decorations. It looked quite pretty. When I showed up on Saturday, I guess Sister Finnell and Stefani, who went along with her, wanted it to look more like Sis Finnell's decor, so they took my decorations down and used Lynda's. All the years I have been decorating, never had that happen. I guess during the Saturday may 13 dinner at Ruth and George Wallace's these sisters sat down with Barbara and decided who would do stuff.

Me: I am sorry that happened to you Kathy. Also, I would have been happy to make the cake if I had been asked.

Kathy: I know you would Karen.

This evening James was determined that we were going to finish our book and we stayed up an hour longer than he wanted to so we could. I also finished my book. 

James's truck, trailer and Cat

Look at Evan this time last year

and compare it with this year.