HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

 Hoping everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Spring Break Week -   Enjoying some time off of work and school, lounging in the sun, reading a good book, and especially, spending time with family.

 Blythe and her friends (and her friend's parents) spent the week in Cancun, and by all accounts had a very fun time.  She got back on Friday, tanned, and ready to conquer the last two months of High School.

Adam, Cory, and the kids also spent the week down south on a cruise that took them to Mexico and Honduras.  By the look of it, the food was delicious (Paul got addicted to Granda's Cake), and the adventures, non-stop.  I also think they relaxed in the sun while the kids made new friends.  

 Yep, that's Paul with 6 pieces of cake 😀 👉

👈 Ready for the zip line

Jake with his monkey friends

Lily with her lizard friends

 Samantha, just being cute! 

They should be getting home tomorrow, and they may or may not get Milo back.  He makes us laugh every day!

Nothing is better than a birthday celebration over Spring Break

Ben turned 8 on Tuesday and spent the day having some family fun.

 

 He went miniature golfing and got to help pick out his new bike. He wanted pizza and brownies for his birthday party, and was so excited to open his presents.  

Kim and Chris decided to stay home this year. They did some house "things", and Kim worked on school assignments.  They also went to the Temple and did sealings for our family. Kim said one of the people they were doing sealings for had been baptized 100 years ago, and had waited that long to be sealed to her family.   We are crossing our fingers that Kim is finishing up the last of her required classes and may be able to graduate in April.   Hang in there, WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS!

Dad and I also stayed home, and we also did some house "things", and school work, and we went to the Temple Thursday morning.  It was such a nice day! 

I stayed with Helma one afternoon while her daughter had an appointment with the eye doctor, and we also spent some time with a sister in our Ward who we minister to.  

This is the last week for my class, the last week I will have to do a worksheet, YAY!!!  This week, our focus is on President Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis that happened in 1962.  I was in 5th grade, and I can remember so well the reports on the news, and how panicked people were - there was a lot of talk about home bomb shelters, and people were clearing out the grocery stores.  I am guessing that I am probably the only one in my class who was alive during this time.  It was an interesting time, and if you like history but are unfamiliar with the story, you might enjoy reading about it.  

Kate, Jonathan, and Sayre enjoyed their Spring Break last week.  Kate was at a conference in Atlanta, and Jonathan and Sayre spent some fun time together - including a night in a hotel.

Last week it was official, but this week it is officially official!!!

 

Max and Amelia have set the date and have a reservation to be sealed in the Provo City Center Temple on August 7th.  We are so excited for them and so happy to welcome Amelia to the family ❤

Sunday Selfies ~

                

I love this Easter Week, and remembering all the events that led up to the resurrection of our Savior.  I am so thankful for Him, and for His Plan of Happiness, to know that we are eternal families, that the bonds of death cannot be broken.  I love that when I am in the Temple, I often think of my Mom and Dad and can feel them nearby.  I love the Gospel, and can bear witness of our Savior's love for each one of you.  Think of Him this week! ❤

 

  CONGRATULATIONS        MAX & AMELIA ❤

  We are so happy for Max and Amelia, who are officially engaged and planning for an August 7th wedding in Provo ~

They are perfect for each other, they make life fun, and I am excited to have another beautiful granddaughter to love 😀

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO . . . 

Kim, our first baby girl, who turned *#$&% yesterday!  What a gift she has been to our family. She is light in our lives, a friend to everyone, an amazing wife, mother, and sister (and dog Mom), and a beautiful daughter of our Heavenly Father.  She is a fabulous cook/baker - everything she makes is delicious, and an awesome partner in crime (oh, the laughs and fun we have had)😈, 

  Love you so much!!!

AND TO BEN . . . 

Who turns 8 this Tuesday! 

 

Our youngest grandchild, who is incredibly loved by his family, doted upon and continuously teased (Eilis) by his three sisters, and is just one of the happiest kids I know.  He says the funniest things in the funniest ways, and is amazingly smart. He loves trains, Legos, brownies, and pizza (my kind of guy).  He is thoughtful and kind, and we love it when he comes to visit. 

Happy Birthday, Ben!❤  

🌻🌷🌻🌷HAPPY SPRING BREAK🌻🌷🌻🌷
I am so happy to have this week to spend at home with Kevin, Sendai, and Milo. We are going to work downstairs and get everything put back together - Yes, I forgot to mention, the new carpeting is all in!  We are going to order the tile for our bathroom, and other than that, my only plan is to soak up as much sun as I can.  It has been so warm here that on Friday, I took the laptop outside, and did a lot of homework - it was the best!

I have my notebook, my In-N-Out drink, a cup of popcorn, and the sun - my day couldn't have been any better 😁

KATE spent her Spring Break Week in Atlanta at a conference for her work -

 She was able to go to the Atlanta Temple, visit the World of Coca Cola Museum, and also managed to run into a Gelato store - Wow!  (so glad tonight is ice cream night😋

While Kate was away, Jonathan and Sayre spent a night in Des Moines and visited some very cool places 😎

ADAM, CORY, SAMANTHA, PAUL, LILY, and JAKE

are spending their Spring Break Week on a cruise, enjoying the warmer weather of Mexico. 🚢🌞

All I can say is it didn't take Adam and Paul long to find a lounge chair

and a pina colada 😃

DAD and I got a head start on our Spring Break, and on Thursday went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Buell Theatre in Denver!  It was amazing!!! I love the music, the orchestra was incredible, as well as the singing.  Thanks so much for the fun day!                                              ❤ ❤ ❤ 

AND, thanks so much to EILIS, who stopped by to spend some time with Sendai before she had to go to work. She is always so willing to give us a hand - Love you, Eilis!

BLYTHE is headed off to Mexico tomorrow, with friends (and friends' parents) 

 ALSO - She found out this week that she was accepted at George Washington  - that is so amazing!  However, I think her heart is set on warmer weather and the University of Tampa.  

  WAY TO GO, BLYTHE!

I was talking with Kim on the phone one day this week when Blythe joined in, and suddenly we found we were in an intervention. She wanted us to tell her one good thing we liked about ourselves, and that was hard. 

She went on to tell us that we all have good things about ourselves, whether it is physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, etc.  We should recognize the good in ourselves - the worth we have as human beings, as children of our Heavenly Father.  If we can do that, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.  We will never find true happiness if we try to adapt how we live and who we are to what our friends or the world thinks we should be.  We need to identify the attributes we like about ourselves, expand on them, and use them to do good things.   We have to love ourselves, before we can love others ❤

I hope everyone has a wonderful week - rest, have fun, get some exercise, eat good food, and send me lots of photos!

LOVE YOU ALL!

 

   I don't know about your neck of the woods, but it has been so windy here this week!  Yesterday, Dad and I went to Denver for a meeting, and coming home, we realized the car was low on gas.  By that time, our only option was to take the Briargate Parkway exit, and we prayed ourselves to the Maverick on Research, where we literally drove in on fumes. 😳 Driving all the way home into a super strong headwind on the freeway really made a difference in our gas usage. Lesson learned. 😁  AND that wasn't the only exciting thing that happened yesterday . . . I decided to take Sendai for a walk before we left for Denver, so I got her leash, she was waiting by the door so excited to go, we walked outside together, down the steps, when we both realized at the same time that I still had her harness and leash in my hand, so of course, she took one look back at me and then trotted off down the street.  

Just as I was yelling for her, our mailman drove up and saw her down on the corner, so he continued to drive down to where she was (he usually does a U turn in front of our house to put the mail in the boxes), and got out of his van and enticed her over until she was close enough he could hold onto her collar.  Sendai LOVES our mailman, and every time we are out walking, and she sees a white van, she always has to pull me over just in case it might be him.  Yay, for the mailman!  He saved the day!

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A COO IS?  

Well, I didn't until this past Wednesday, when Emma picked up Ben and brought him over after school.  Angella had to go to Longmont for work, and Hollie had to go to work after school, so we got to have Ben for a couple of hours.  He played with the trains downstairs for a while, and then came upstairs and wanted some paper and a pencil so he could draw a coo.  He tried to explain it to me, but I wasn't getting it, so we finally looked it up on my phone and found that a coo is a Scottish cow

 He spent over an hour focused on copying this picture of a coo, and his finished product was amazing. I think we have a budding artist in the family. Oh, and also, he brought me some flowers ❤

 

Thanks, Ben! 😘

IT WAS A FASHION SHOW!

  Monday afternoon, Paul and Samantha stopped by. They had been shopping, actually, I think Sammi had been shoping and Paul was the Fashion Advisor. He is such a good sport and an amazing brother.  Sammi found some really cute things to take on their cruise over Spring Break - 

She found this outfit at Target, and some really nice shorts (not too short), and a couple of dresses from Altered States.  

SPEAKING OF PAUL  . . .  

He defied all of MY logic and took himself on a camping trip to Zion's National Park, leaving last Thursday. It was a long drive, and I worried that he was going alone, but he sent some photos back and reported to his Mom and Dad that he was having a great time.

 I am so happy he had fun, climbed, and hiked some trails that were new to him,  and visited a national park he had never been to before.  (I'm not too sure about the camping part, because I did hear rumors that there was Panda Express for dinner one night😁) 

IT'S THE FLU BUG. . .

We really hit the jackpot this week because we got to see so many of the grandchildren. Thursday and Friday, we got to have Jake with us because he had a case of the flu with a pretty persistent cough.  He was miserable on Thursday, but on Friday, he had perked up a little and thought that maybe some ice cream would feel good on his throat.  

ABSOLUTELY!  Because Ice Cream Cures Everything!!!

OFF TO PROVO TO MEET THE PARENTS . . .

Kim and Chris traveled to Provo this weekend to meet Amelia's parents.  Ameila works at Great Harvest Bread Company and Chris sent me this photo of their lunch one day - 

  If you look closely, you can see that their sandwiches are made with green bread - a little nod to St Patrick's Day.😃🍀

 It was a short trip for them, I think they were getting home today-

IT WAS A SPA WEEKEND . . .  for Kate 

For the last couple of years, Kate and her friend, Amanda, have spent a long weekend in a spa on Lake Genevea  (Wisconsin) to celebrate Amanda's birthday.  

 Kate looks so stress-free - I'm wondering how that might feel???

She is home for just a couple of days and then off to Atlanta for a conference. I'll be anxious to hear her tales of TSA and the government shutdown, and how that affected her travel.  Sure hope it won't be too bad!❤

AND, thank you for the Sunday Selfie!

FOLLOW HIM -

During the week or over the weekends, Dad and I really enjoy the Follow Him podcast, because they always have the best guests.  This week it was our friend, Brad Wilcox, and I love how he gets so passionate (sometimes dramatic) when trying to make a point. 

We listened to this yesterday on the way to Denver and I wanted to share a few thoughts from his talk about Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers, and cast into prison, but regardless of his circumstances, he always tried to what he knew would be right in the sight of the Lord. 

"One of the trials of this life is that we do not usually receive immediately the full blessing for righteousness or the full cursing for wickedness. That it will come, it is certain. But ofttimes, there is a waiting period that occurs, as was the case with Job and with Joseph. He said, He’s doing the right thing knowing that eventually he’ll be blessed, but it wasn’t right away. I think that too, he had to rely on, I know who I am. I know what I’m supposed to be. I’m in prison unjustly, but maybe knowing his identity helped him through that.

Notice that when Joseph is in prison, he interprets dreams for those who are there. I mean, nobody comes to him and says, “Hey, the Pharaoh wants to see you. ” He’s just serving the people around him, trying to do what he can to help them. Sometimes all of us are waiting for some, like we said at the beginning of this program, some calling, some assignment so that we can stand up and do something. Remember, I said since I’ve been released, I found out that callings end, but covenants don’t end. And he’s there in the prison keeping his covenants. Of course, God is guiding him. Of course, God is inspiring him. Not just when he’s talking to Pharaoh, but when he’s talking to a butler, when he’s talking to a baker, when he’s talking to men who are there with hope or without hope. He is serving where he is, keeping his covenants, even when it’s not in a very visual and important way."

"I love that both Moses and Enoch had this objection to being called, but I’m slow of speech, whatever that means. And the Lord doesn’t say, “You’re the best, you’re awesome.” He just says, “I’ll be with you.” Here we are again, the same promise. I will be right there. Then there we are at the sacrament table getting that same promise. We can always have him to be with us."

"When Debbie and I had the chance to be mission leaders 20 years ago, it was when Elder Holland was overseeing the work in Chile. We got to spend part of our mission working directly with him, and it was amazing to watch how he dealt with some really serious problems, some real serious issues and a lot of real serious pain. He was able to do that so well and with so much love and with so much compassion. One time he came and he spoke to our mission, he did a little Q&A. I’ll never forget when one of the missionaries who was going through some hard times, I knew about the hard times because I was his mission president. I knew about the hurt that he was feeling because family members were making choices that were breaking his heart. I knew about some of the personal challenges that he was facing."

" I knew about some of the rejection he’d faced and some of the things that people had said about him behind his back that weren’t true. I knew all of the pain that he was expressing in his question to Elder Holland, and he said, Why does it have to be so hard? I can’t even get one foot in front of the other. I can’t even deal with one issue before another one knocks me down. I can’t even share the gospel with one person before he rejects it. Why does it have to be so hard? Elder Holland said to him something that he said later when he spoke to missionaries in the MTC, but I heard him say it to my missionary. He said, How can we expect it to be easy for us when it was never easy for Christ?"

"Talk about undeserved suffering. How can we expect to be his disciples? How can we expect to claim to represent him if we haven’t taken a few steps toward Gethsemane. If we haven’t taken a few steps toward Calvary, if we haven’t wept at a tomb, how can we expect it to be easy for us when it was never easy for him? Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Yeah, sometimes he’s not gonna lead us through the green pastures. Sometimes he’s not gonna take us to still waters because green pastures and still waters are not always going to be the thing that can teach us and help us the most, but he will be with us. And if he can do what was so hard and so unfair, then he can help us do it too. Where he leads us, we can safely go."

LOVE YOU! ❤