HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY THIS WEEK TO JI-CHAN! 
  What a great life he created for us while serving so faithfully in the Air Force. We have so many memories of all of the adventures, the new places we lived, and so many friends we made around the world.  Thank you, Kevin!  You gave us the opportunities to learn, grow, and be strengthened as a family in so many ways❤

One of my favorite videos of Blythe when she was in an elementary school performance for Veterans' Day 😁. (She's in the second row)

 We have had the most wonderful Fall weather this week! I   think we had sun every day and temperatures warm enough that a light sweater was all that was needed.  It was perfect for walking Sendai, and getting the last of the leaves picked up.  Yesterday, when we were walking, I heard someone call Sendai's name, and she looked up and saw our mailman delivering mail across the street at the apartments.  She made a beeline for him and he got down and loved on her for a few minutes. (she does love the mailman)

However, as nice as it was for us, it was not so nice for the Elk hunters in the family. 

With our weather warmer than usual, the Elk were happy to stay hidden in the higher areas, so no one got to bring any meat home.  I think they still had a great time though, and I'm sure they will try again next year.

 AND, speaking of hunting 😁 . . . We got to have Jake on Friday because the teachers at his school had a workday, and he was telling us that for his birthday in January, he gets to take the hunter safety course.  AND then he was telling me about the gun he was going to get, so I asked him what kind of big game he was going hunting for.  AND then he said he was going to hunt for squirrels. I asked him what he planned to do with the squirrels once he shot one.  He said, "Grammie, you have to eat what you shoot".  So I asked if he had ever eaten squirrel before because it didn't sound too good to me.  He said that squirrel meat

Poor squirrel

tastes like chewy chicken . . . so just in case you were wondering . . .😂

LOVE OUR FAMILY!

 Chris and Grant got to visit the United Nations building while they were in Geneva.  Chris said they had a good trip, and it was so nice that Grant could go with him.  Glad they're home, safe and sound. 

 

Jonathan was in Colorado for a couple of days this week - at UNC (Greely) for work.  So close, but not close enough that we got to see him 😞. Kate was home, busy with her art show and keeping up with Sayre.   She said one of his favorite meals now is mini penne pasta with alfredo sauce and chicken.  I love when their palate starts to evolve from chicken nuggets 😄

Kim made a quick trip to Iowa this weekend to enlist Kate's expertise and know-how with Photoshop.  Yay!  Kate to the rescue!  I have used her for some of my school assignments also. 😊

I think they had some fun girl-time, but alas, no shopping 💕

 Our "soccer girl", Lily was in Las Vegas for a soccer tournament this weekend.  I haven't heard the results yet, but I am sure she was amazing. 

 

That reminds me . . . Did you know that BYU's girls soccer team came in 1st at the BIG 12 soccer tournament?  

Dad and I had a busy week.  We started on Monday with a visit to Shannon, who seemed to be in good spirits.  She ate well and even responded when someone waved to her while we were taking a walk. 

Dad's shoulder has really been bothering him, so he was able to get an appointment for him to see the PA who assisted in his surgery.  They took X-rays, and he said that the shoulder replacement looks great, but it's possible that the deltoid muscle has slipped and is out of place.  We're not sure what that quite means, but it may involve a minor surgery to put it back in place.  He has an appointment with his doctor next Monday, so hopefully we will find out what they can do for him.

On Wednesday, we had missionaries for dinner, and on Friday, we got Jake because he didn't have school.  The first thing he said when he came in the house was that he wanted to take us out to breakfast.  We went to Cracker Barrel and then drove up to Scheels so he could look for goalkeeper gloves.  They didn't have what he wanted there, so we came back home, dropped off Ji-Chan, and Jake and I went to Dicks, hoping to find something there.  He finally found some, and in the process, also found an RC car store that had several tracks - I think they call it crawling -

 The gentleman who helped us said they usually require the kids to be 12 years old, but they weren't busy, so he told Jake that if he could do the course without crashing, he could move around to some of the other courses.  Jake did great, and I had fun watching him.  

 When we got back to the house, we worked in the yard - Jake mowed up our remaining leaves and I raked up the pine needles.  Jake also trimmed and watered all of my plants - he is such a hard worker and so much fun to spend time with! 

Today was our Stake Conference.  We always love going and visiting with friends we don't get to see very often.  We had two visiting authorities, Elder Teixeira and his wife from Portugal, and Elder Magswatogotha from Botswana.  They were both wonderful speakers with faith-inspiring stories that certainly gave us something to come home and think about.  I think it is so meaningful to get a glimpse into the lives of others who come from different countries with different gospel experiences. 

  This week I have thought a lot about Elder Kearon's talk, Welcome to the Church of    Joy! 

  We are so blessed, shouldn't we feel joy every day?  Elder Kearon said, "Because of the loving plan of our Heavenly Father for each of His children, and because of the redeeming life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can - and should - be the most joyful people on earth! Even as the storms of life in an often-troubled world pound upon us, we can cultivate a growing and abiding sense of joy and inner peace because of our hope in Christ and our understanding of our own place in the beautiful plan of happiness.  

PLEASE, PLEASE, HAVE A JOYFUL WEEK, AND REMEMBER HOW MUCH YOU ARE LOVED!!!
 Some of my favorite photos of JOY!

 Even though we are in the second week of November, I think I'm still living in September. This year has just gone by way too fast for me.  Our cooler days bring me back to reality, though, and I hate to think that snow is just around the corner.  However, we have had lots of sun, so I can't complain 😊

 It has been a busy week for our family.  I substituted at the District 20 Human  Resource office on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.  I always have a hard time saying "no", and I really should have this week with lots of school work to get done. It was a good wake-up call, and I know I have to do better at managing my time and commitments. 

Dad had a successful visit to the physical therapist, though he came home with some sore muscles that have lingered all week.  He was able to take the cardown to the dealer for an oil change, and took my place at the beauty salon for a haircut. 

 Eilis stopped by one day to show us the guitar she got for her birthday - a gift from her friend Jacob. 

It's a really nice base guitar and she loves it!

 

Also got to see Emma on the same day ❤ Love these girls!!! (and Sendai does too!)

Adam and Paul left this week for the annual hunting adventure with the Riggs clan.  Paul is coming back for school, but Adam will remain a threat to the Elk population until early next week.  

 (I think he's sticking his tongue out at you, Adam)😀

Yesterday, Dad and I went to Lily's last league soccer game for the season. She'll do indoor soccer until the league soccer starts up again in early spring.  Here's my funny "grammie" story about this . . . When we got there, I asked Cory the number and color of Lily's jersey.  My mind heard, white 39.  So for the whole game, I kept trying to follow "white 39", but it didn't look like Lily. I got so confused, and I asked Cory a couple of times where Lily was, and Cory would point her out and say she was the shortest one on the field, and so I just kept my eye on White 39. (I'm sure Cory was having her doubts about me 😳). It wasn't until we were leaving the game, and I saw Lily with a red jersey on, that reality struck, and I realized she was Red 39, and I had been following and cheering for the wrong person the whole time!  I actually was relieved, because White 39 did not look like Lily!  So much for getting OLD 😁

Look who got cute school pictures this week! 

Looks like these were taken before he lost his two front teeth ❤

 

Sayre has grown up so much.  It seems like just yesterday he was able to come home from the hospital, and  Jonathan and I were taking turns with his middle-of-the-night feedings.   

 These two handsome fellows are in London tonight - just in time for Remembrance Day in the UK (similar to our Veterans Day).  Chris has meetings in Geneva this week and took Grant along with him. They went early so they could spend a couple of days in London.  

  Hmmm . . . let's see - London and Geneva vs. elk hunting in Colorado . . . sorry, Adam, I pick London and Geneva (although I wasn't invited to either 😁)

    

Kim and Blythe are home "holding down the fort".  Thanks, Kim, for the Sunday Selfie! 

 Kim and I were comparing notes today about the stress we had felt this week. Kim's class this term is an art class that is all about Photoshop. She says it is hard, and I will add to that saying she works all day, and then comes home and takes care of her family - dinner, laundry, chauffeur, etc.  I don't work all day, except when I don't say "no" to a sub job, and sometimes still find it stressful to get all of the work done for my assignments and get them turned in on time.  

I know some stress is good for you. Remember the video I've posted a couple of times about the health benefits of stress?  Well, this week I didn't feel like my stress was helping my health.  

  *My solution for a stress-free week?  I am going to be in bed by 10pm (no eye rolling).  I am going to set aside three hours every day to work on school (no distractions allowed). The remainder of my time I will spend doing things that make me feel good - spending time with dad, and sometimes that can mean cleaning and organizing, shopping, reading, etc.  

 This week, I am so very thankful for 13 BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING grandchildren.  You are all special, and you are all my favorites! You fill my heart with love and always make me smile!  THANK YOU! 😍

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK ❤

  HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY TO EILIS TODAY!

  Always so kind and thoughtful, we love it when Eilis stops by to visit. She has moved up to a management position at Cane's, so we are not the only ones who recognize her exceptional leadership qualities, her integrity, and her ability to make everyone feel at ease.  She is a light in our lives!  Have a happy birthday week! We love you, Eilis!!❤ 

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I am struggling to understand how the month of November could already be here.  The Bishop brought our Priests over yesterday, and they raked up 5 huge bags of leaves in our backyard.  We have a few leaves and pine needles left in the front to clean up, and hopefully that will be the end of yardwork for a while.  

  What is everyone doing for Thanksgiving this year??? It has come upon so fast that I haven't had much time to think about it.   Cory's sister, Kelly, and her family are coming to Colorado this year, so Adam and Cory are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at their house.  This has always been one of my favorite holidays, and it makes me sad that as soon as Halloween is over, the stores altogether skip over Thanksgiving and move directly to Christmas advertising, gifts, gadgets, the Grinch, and Santa, among other things.  Maybe, because life gets busy and I get busy, but I don't think I share my appreciation enough for even the small things I am thankful for - things that often get overlooked.  

*This week I am so thankful that I live in a time and place where we have easy access to washers and dryers. ❤ 

Can you imagine trying to get clothes clean, washing them in a river that is often filled with debris or mud? We are so blessed!

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween Night! Dad and I had some Halloween pizza, and watched Arsenic and Old Lace (our favorite Halloween movie).  Sendai let us know when trick-or-treaters were at the door, though this year there didn't seem to be as many kids out as usual.  Kate sent me photos of Sayre (he's the dinosaur) and his friend Jackson.

 "Scary" Ben came up and went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood for about 30 minutes and then decided he was tired and had enough candy. 

 . . . and it looks like Max had a great evening also (though I worry about some of his friends 😂)  

 Jake didn't have school on Halloween, so Adam dropped him off on the way to work, and we got to spend the day with this cutie!  He suggested we carve a pumpkin, and surprisingly, we had a difficult time finding one.  We finally got lucky at King Soopers (or King Snoopers as Blythe calls it) and found one that was the perfect size. We drew a face on it, and after I cleaned it out (because he couldn't tolerate the smell), he carved it all by himself.  I think he did a great job, and we put it out on the front porch before the trick-or-treaters came. 

Speaking of Jake . . . Adam is getting ready for the BIG elk hunt this week, and he and Chris took the boys down near Canon City to sight their guns.  To say that Jake was in a little bit of heaven
is probably an understatement - (Oh, and Jake will not be going Elk hunting - even though he wants to 😊)

  7-year-olds are just too cute!

 One got glasses

And the other lost his two front teeth!

I don't know how we ever got such amazing grandchildren! Actually, yes, I do - they have the most amazing parents ❤

I don't know why it is but on Sunday evenings, when I look at my calendar for the coming week more often than not, it shows maybe one of two things scheduled and I always think it's going to be a nice slow week, and I can get lots of school work, and housework, and maybe even get reaquainted with my sewing machine.  But it seems we always get a surprise or two - This week, we were asked to substitute for the Addiction Recovery Class.  I have such a testimony of the program, but I really didn't want to go out that night. We did, and as always, it was amazing.  Dennis is an older gentleman who is one of the most humble people I have ever met, and so faithful in coming.  He had started to come just before we were released.  He was the only one there, and then about halfway through the meeting, Ian came.  He is young and just recently graduated from nursing school.  It was the first time he had come to an Addiction Recovery class. He is on a 13-week contract with a young adult correctional facility, and then will be going back to Utah.  He is just another amazing young man who is doing his best to help others. The spirit was so strong, and I came away from that meeting inspired and so thankful that we were asked to help out. 

Also, this week, my friend, Susan, came over and taught me how to make biscotti.  It was easy and so fun! (and there is not much sugar in it, so I don't feel too guilty indulging.  This batch had cranberries and the mini chocolate chips that we added. Next time I'm going to try and make lemon ones. 

Sunday Selfies!

 So nice to have Josh with us this afternoon, and our weather today was perfect for sitting outside 🌞

  I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Remember your many blessings and be Thankful!❤