Took our missionary to lunch? So nice of them
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
One of my favorite events
with the family was our present shopping exchange. This year we went in pairs and bought gifts for the two people whose names we had. Here we were heading out the door on Christmas Eve for our shopping adventure.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
How lucky are we to
have two of our son-in-laws have the same birthday (even though they are 18 years apart). It makes it a date to celebrate.
We celebrated with Trent last Sunday.
We wish we could have celebrated today with Dan, but he was graced with our beautiful voices singing him Happy Birthday, and we did do a little partying with him while he was here for Christmas.
One thing I need to learn to make is an amazing banana cream pie. If I remember correctly, that is Dan's favorite pie and it is also Trent's. So far my attempts have not been too successful, but I have a little time to practice before we are all together again.
We love you Dan and Trent!
We celebrated with Trent last Sunday.
We wish we could have celebrated today with Dan, but he was graced with our beautiful voices singing him Happy Birthday, and we did do a little partying with him while he was here for Christmas.
One thing I need to learn to make is an amazing banana cream pie. If I remember correctly, that is Dan's favorite pie and it is also Trent's. So far my attempts have not been too successful, but I have a little time to practice before we are all together again.
We love you Dan and Trent!
Monday, January 11, 2016
Gary
Is well known in the family for his aversion to anything sticky. Yet he is willing to sacrifice that for wings. He's eating these in honor of Harrison who loves them.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
I'm not a particularly
chatty person. Nor do I look to strike up conversations with others along my way. But, there are many people who strike up conversations with others and make friends everywhere they go. Whatever the reason, whether it be that they are very interested in other people or that they have a need to share their thoughts, I realize that I need to be more approachable and open to that.
I'm thinking of this because of an experience I had yesterday. Gary had his yearly dermatology appointment for his psoriasis, so I went along and had him drop me off at a fabric store on the way. The appointment went longer than he thought, so when he picked me up he asked me what I had done the whole time. I told him of an interesting conversation I had been a part of. (By the way, I can happily spend a long time in a fabric store, but after awhile I just sat down to look at patterns)
A woman across from me immediately commented on my necklace, and we talked about jewelry and shops we liked. Then I asked her if she sewed a lot and I learned how she makes pajamas and skirts for her grandchildren and she shared a great tip about what she does to keep the elastic from rolling (I didn't really catch exactly what the tip was, though)
Another lady was nearby and approached us and inquired as to how she should mend a little hole in a dress. We discussed different ways, and in the conversation she disclosed to us that, because a son had died, she had put on a lot of weight and now just wore tent-like dresses like the one she was wearing. She said she hadn't done much sewing. She had taken sewing in Jr High, but someone had made fun of a skirt she had made, so she had never sewed again. We sympathized with her, and she also shared that she was in and out of foster homes and had not had a lot of support growing up.
The conversation ended with her having some simple ideas of how she could mend the hole and hopefully with the feeling that she was cared for and listened to. It was kind of startling that she would share so much about herself to total strangers. I have a hard time sharing too much of myself, even with those I am close to. That is really not an admirable thing and is in fact a pride issue for me.
This conversation along with the fact that I am reading "The Walk" series books, has had me thinking a lot about the influence we can have on those around us. Of how we may never know when a seemingly insignificant word or act on our part can influence someone else in either positive or negative ways.
I'm thinking of this because of an experience I had yesterday. Gary had his yearly dermatology appointment for his psoriasis, so I went along and had him drop me off at a fabric store on the way. The appointment went longer than he thought, so when he picked me up he asked me what I had done the whole time. I told him of an interesting conversation I had been a part of. (By the way, I can happily spend a long time in a fabric store, but after awhile I just sat down to look at patterns)
A woman across from me immediately commented on my necklace, and we talked about jewelry and shops we liked. Then I asked her if she sewed a lot and I learned how she makes pajamas and skirts for her grandchildren and she shared a great tip about what she does to keep the elastic from rolling (I didn't really catch exactly what the tip was, though)
Another lady was nearby and approached us and inquired as to how she should mend a little hole in a dress. We discussed different ways, and in the conversation she disclosed to us that, because a son had died, she had put on a lot of weight and now just wore tent-like dresses like the one she was wearing. She said she hadn't done much sewing. She had taken sewing in Jr High, but someone had made fun of a skirt she had made, so she had never sewed again. We sympathized with her, and she also shared that she was in and out of foster homes and had not had a lot of support growing up.
The conversation ended with her having some simple ideas of how she could mend the hole and hopefully with the feeling that she was cared for and listened to. It was kind of startling that she would share so much about herself to total strangers. I have a hard time sharing too much of myself, even with those I am close to. That is really not an admirable thing and is in fact a pride issue for me.
This conversation along with the fact that I am reading "The Walk" series books, has had me thinking a lot about the influence we can have on those around us. Of how we may never know when a seemingly insignificant word or act on our part can influence someone else in either positive or negative ways.
Monday, January 4, 2016
We had
A goodbye for Natalie's bird, TuTu, tonight. Natalie has had him for about 16 years, so it was a hard loss. I'm glad they have Aria to love.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Eliza turned
15 today!
They went home today, but I was able to interview her last night. I had her pose in the shirt she is wearing because her favorite band is Twenty One Pilots (which I had never heard of, but I liked the music she played for me).
Here is the summation of Eliza's interview:
Favorite:
If she could talk to someone who is no longer alive, who would it be? One of the Stripling Warriors from the Book of Mormon.
What would a perfect day (with no monetary or time distance restrictions)? Go on a shopping spree and buy whatever she wants. Then go with all her friends laser tagging. Then go to a Golden State Warrior's basketball game with court side seats. Then go to a Twenty One Pilots concert. Then go to a practice with the BYU Women's Basketball team. Then play board and dice games with friends and family and watch a movie at home. In between that she would to to Fogo de Chao Brazilian restaurant in California.
What do you think you will be doing in 5 years? Serving an LDS mission. Preferably somewhere that they speak English and have normal and good food.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? Probably have a job, be married (to a rich person, or she is rich) and in college.
How many children would you like to have? About 4, but want to adopt 2 or 3 and do humanitarian projects.
What do you appreciate most about your family? They are helpful and fun to be around.
Where or when do you feel most spiritual? EFY and girl's camp.
Best Friends? Kenall, Maya, Rachel, Gayna, Hunter, Nina, church friends and school friends.
Happy about? Played soccer on varsity team as a freshman this year. Going to try gold or softball this spring. Looking forward to summer (no school) and going to EFY or a basketball camp.
We feel so blessed to have Eliza as our granddaughter and that we were able to celebrate it with her.
They went home today, but I was able to interview her last night. I had her pose in the shirt she is wearing because her favorite band is Twenty One Pilots (which I had never heard of, but I liked the music she played for me).
Here is the summation of Eliza's interview:
Favorite:
- Breakfast: Eggs, toast and sausage; breakfast burritos with eggs, cheese, and fry sauce (that's what we made her for her sendoff this morning).
- Dinner: Mashed potatoes and medium rare steak.
- Class in school: English -- the teacher makes it fun. Example: They study things like Joseph Campbell's concept of a hero's journey. They watch movies and identify the hero's journey in the book and/or movie.
- Sport: Playing and watching basketball.
- Movie of the Year: "Inside Out"
- Book: All 7 Harry Potter books -- has read them 4 times.
If she could talk to someone who is no longer alive, who would it be? One of the Stripling Warriors from the Book of Mormon.
What would a perfect day (with no monetary or time distance restrictions)? Go on a shopping spree and buy whatever she wants. Then go with all her friends laser tagging. Then go to a Golden State Warrior's basketball game with court side seats. Then go to a Twenty One Pilots concert. Then go to a practice with the BYU Women's Basketball team. Then play board and dice games with friends and family and watch a movie at home. In between that she would to to Fogo de Chao Brazilian restaurant in California.
What do you think you will be doing in 5 years? Serving an LDS mission. Preferably somewhere that they speak English and have normal and good food.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? Probably have a job, be married (to a rich person, or she is rich) and in college.
How many children would you like to have? About 4, but want to adopt 2 or 3 and do humanitarian projects.
What do you appreciate most about your family? They are helpful and fun to be around.
Where or when do you feel most spiritual? EFY and girl's camp.
Best Friends? Kenall, Maya, Rachel, Gayna, Hunter, Nina, church friends and school friends.
Happy about? Played soccer on varsity team as a freshman this year. Going to try gold or softball this spring. Looking forward to summer (no school) and going to EFY or a basketball camp.
We feel so blessed to have Eliza as our granddaughter and that we were able to celebrate it with her.
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