I know I usually have thoughts to end with, but today I want to start with a quote that we have discussed in my class assignments this week, and that we were able to merge with our lesson on humility in our Addiction Recovery class.  

 In his talk regarding the slope and the intercept, Elder Clark Gilbert said, "We all have different intercepts in life - we start in different places with different life endowments.  Some are born with high intercepts, full of opportunity.  Others face beginning circumstances that are challenging and seem unfair.  We then progress along a slope of personal progress.  Our future will be determined far less by our starting point and much more by our slope.  Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start.

He saw it in the beggar, the sinner, and the infirm.  He saw it in the fisherman, the tax collector, and even the zealot.  No matter where we start, Christ considers what we do with what we are given.  While the world focuses on our intercept, God focuses on our slope. In the Lord's calculus, He will do everything He can to help us turn our slopes toward heaven." 

   What a beautiful warm(er), sunny weekend we have had!  This afternoon I took Sendai for a long walk and it was wonderful.  I am sure we will still see some snow and cold temperatures before  end of March, but at least for this week it is supposed to stay warm and sunny and that makes me happy ~

 I had a busy week with school assignments and a big test.  We have a paper that has to be completed every week and submitted before our group Zoom meeting, and because my group meets on Wednesday mornings, I spend a lot of time on Mondays and Tuesdays completing the reading assignments so I can finish the paper and get it turned in.  This week I did some extra studying for my test and it went well, and then I took Wednesday afternoon and spent some time with Helma while her daughter, Donna, ran a few errands.  Helma is frail and often not cognizant of what is going on around her but in spite of that, she always seems to know who we are.  

 A BIG thank-you to Josh this week, who saved me from total disaster (maybe I am being just a little dramatic - or maybe not 😊)  The person in my Wednesday morning group who always starts our Zoom meetings was having technical problems this week, so I volunteered to start it at the last minute.  In my haste to get it going, I didn't realize that my Zoom had reverted back to my personal account so when I hit the record button, it recorded to my computer instead of the cloud.  This made the file too large to post on our discussion board.  This year I have learned a lot about being patient with technology.  I have learned not to give up, that there is always a way to find what I need so I can complete the assignments that need to be done.  That being said, I tried for hours to find a way to get my recording to post to the discussion board, without any luck.  SO, I asked Josh for help and he was amazing.  He was able to take the file and make it smaller, so I was finally able to insert it into the discussion to complete the assignment.

 I was so happy to see these cute faces in my house
this week!

Thanks for coming by ❤

AND, Kim and Blythe were in Target this week - looking at (or buying) facial products, clothes, and I'm sure smelling everything along the way.  Love these ladies ~ 

Kate and Jonathan have had their fill of snow and super cold weather over the last month!   This is such a great video of Sayre and Clementine 😁

And I love their Sunday Selfie 😎

I am not sure if any of you have ever watched these programs done by Albert Lin but they are fascinating.  Albert Lin is a scientist, engineer, but I think mostly explorer and he does these amazing while exploring past historical events in the world.  You can find him on Disney +.  Jonathan sent us a short excerpt from one tonight and I tried to download it and add it to the blog, but couldn't make it work (sound familiar?)  The episode we were looking at is called Lost Cities: Revealed, Season 1, Episode 1.  

I love that some of his findings we can relate to our Temples.

STILL Decluttering 😳

 We started cleaning out our office yesterday.  I threw out all of my notebooks from classes I have taken over the last three years (that was a big step) and Dad sorted through books - some going to Goodwill, and others downstairs.  

Obviously, there is a lot left to do, but it feels so good to be working on it. 

HAVE A REALLY GREAT WEEK!

  

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!  AND HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL WEEK ❤
  We had a really nice Iowa visit with Kate, Jonathan, and Sayre, but left a day early on Tuesday to miss an incoming snowstorm.   However, SURPRISE to us, it was snowing in Denver so we ended up with a delayed flight anyway 😀.  It was all worth it  - playtime with Sayre, walks with Clementine, shopping and decluttering with Kate 😊, put together a kitchen shelf (I supervised, Kate did all the work), cards with Kate and Jonathan, yummy food, a manicure by Kate, finished my first book of the year (the Nightengale - so good), and got through a couple of more episodes of Call the Midwife, not to mention some school work - whew!!!

I love this series so much! It begins in the early 1950's and one of the midwives looks a lot like my Mom.  

Kevin kept busy in Iowa with a "to-do" list from Kate.  He put in new toilet paper holder in the bathroom on the main floor, re-caulked the kitchen sink, and most importantly, repaired Papa's duck.

  Remember the duck with the "flappy" feet? Papa's friend, George made it for him.  

 Such fun memories! 

Wednesday, we had a wonderful surprise visit from Emma.  She is contemplating a change in employment and wanted to know what I thought.  I love that she wanted my opinion, that she is weighing all of her options before making a decision.  I don't get to see her too often, but what a treat!!!

She will be amazing at whatever she decides to do ❤

 Shortly after Emma left, this cute girl showed up!  (in case you couldn't tell, Sendai is trying to steal the scene from Sammi)

 We love these girls so much and especially love when they stop by for a visit.  Sammi did a great job of taking care of Sendai while we were gone, we didn't worry once about the good care she was getting.  AND thanks to Eilis who also stopped by to check on Sendai and play with her before she had to go to work.  

Friday, we met Lily and Sammi at Panera for lunch.  

If you notice Samantha has on "floaties".  It is part of the "Senior Assassin" game that Seniors at her school participate in.  I don't know all of the rules, but I just know that Sammi was safe from getting shot by a water gun because she had the floaties on. 😁  It's all new to me!

 

Also, Samantha left early, early Saturday morning for a quick trip to Salt Lake City.  She was meeting Aunt Kelly and her cousin Hailey, who is getting married in May.  Sammi went over to help shop for wedding dresses.  

 

I wonder if it will be like "Say Yes to the Dress"?

Lily had a road trip to Phoenix last weekend for a soccer tournament.  She traveled with a teammate and her family by car - for two days - can anyone relate?  I may be in my own handcart, but I do love road trips.  Lily said the tournament was great and she even scored!  Way to go Lily!  I love that she has loved soccer from the time she was little and she just keeps getting better. 

Chris spent a few days last week in Huntington Beach for a work conference. How lucky to get some California sunshine. 

 However, I will say that any day the sun is out and the skies are blue - it's a great day!!!

Kim and Blythe went to visit their little friend, Miles, who suffered a skull fracture this week.  He is their Bishop's son, and of course, it happened as they were planning to leave for a Florida vacation.

I vaguely remember a time when Dad and I were planning a short weekend trip and Adam got hairspray in his eye and we spent hours in the emergency room with him - I think he was about 2 years-old - just old enough to tell the doctors to stop putting water in his eye. 😢

 

 We are excited to see Hollie and Ben this week. They don't have school so they are going to come spend a couple of days with us.  Hollie helps me clean and she is such a great cook!  AND maybe, we might have to do some shopping 😁

Thursday Kevin and I were released from our callings in the Addiction Recovery Program.  We were invited to share our testimonies in the High Council Meeting that evening.  It was so nice to see people in our Stake that we don't get to see very often and answer the many questions they had about ARP.   The Bishop asked us today if we could help for the next month to teach the Temple Prep classes in our Ward. We are excited for something new and for our ward members who are getting ready to go to the Temple.

 Saturday, we had a great day at the Temple. It was snowy most of the day and when we came out everything was so beautiful.  I was helping a young sister who just received her mission call to Brazil, and when her family joined her in the Endowment Room, we recognized that she was a niece to Kim and Chris' good friends the Pulsiphers.  The more I go to the Temple I realize how much strength and power I receive that helps me through the craziness that can happen during the rest of the week. 

 I realize I don't say enough how grateful I am for Kevin (Dad, and JiChan) - 

He is my rock! He supports me in the time it takes for me to complete my school work and prepare for my primary lessons.  He makes the bed, does the laundry, washes dishes, cooks, and is patient with me when I am at my worst. 

Thank you, Kevin!  You are amazing and I am excited for whatever adventures we will have this week. Love you! ❤

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SAYRE!

Sayre turned 7 years-old on Friday, February 7th.  I well remember the day (or I should say early morning) he was born.  I think I got to the hospital the evening before so Kate (and Jonathan) had a very long and painful wait before he finally arrived.  But definitely worth the wait!

 He had a Sneaky Sasquatch party yesterday with five of his good friends. They had pizza, lemonade, and Kate made this really cute Sneaky Sasquatch cake and cupcakes.

Sayre loves Harry Potter, sports, Sneaky Sasquatch, reading, swimming, crafts, legos and playing with his friends 💖
 

 Kevin and I had a really nice flight over.  I had to make a change in our tickets after I realized I had mistakenly booked us on a flight that would have made Dad late for his Institute class on Thursday.  When I called United to make the change, the gentleman I talked to not only changed our flight but also upgraded our seats.  Thank you Mr. United!

Then Chris came to my rescue when we looked at our boarding passes the night before we left and saw that I didn't have TSA pre-check.  I had put the incorrect ID number in so Chris repaired that mistake for me.  I am so thankful to each and everyone of you who take such good care of us! 😳

Samantha has been so kind to take care of Sendai for us this week. She even let Milo have a sleep-over and I know Sendai was in heaven because not only does she love Sammi, but she really loves it when Milo comes to visit.  Though Sammi said sleeping does get a little tight when both dogs try to get on the bed, and Sendai wants to stretch out.  You really have to claim your own foot territory. 😁  Thanks also to Eilis who stopped by on her way to work one day to check on Sendai - it's so nice to not have to worry about our girl!

Lily is in Arizona this weekend at a soccer tournament.

 Rumor has it she is advancing to a new team. 

Max had friends over to help set up a new computer, and then looks like a New Year's celebration - Vietnamese style 

So happy Max is enjoying BYU and doing well in his classes!  

Kate has the day off tomorrow so we are going to unclutter the kitchen and to to Scheels so I can get a new Hawkeyes hoodie 

Speaking of uncluttering - this is what I accomplished this week - 

AFTER

BEFORE

I also got part of the linen/medicine/game closet cleaned out on Monday in between school work. It just feels so good and I'm embarrassed to say how many bottles of over-the-counter drugs were past their expiration date.  😲

If you missed reading the blog last week I added a form that Kate sent me to give you a head-start on spring cleaning/decluttering. It is really great and the best thing is you can go at your own speed - 

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK - 

In my class this week we have been reading about Positive Psychology which is a change in psychology from a preoccupation with only repairing the worst things in life to building the best qualities in life. Their premise is that strengthen our weaknesses may be less useful to lasting change than knowing and building upon our strengths. They also suggests that preoccupation with our problems or wallowing around in the muck of our lives is not the key to good mental health or happiness. We must build from our strengths and use this focus to solve life's problems.

Then today in our Relief Society lesson we talked about how unfair life can be sometimes.  Brother Hales related a story about his mother - 

My mother did not have an easy journey through mortality. She received no accolades or worldly honors and did not have educational opportunities beyond high school. She contracted polio as a child, resulting in a lifetime of pain and discomfort in her left leg. As an adult, she experienced many difficult and challenging physical and financial circumstances but was faithful to her covenants and loved the Lord.

When my mother was 55, my next older sister passed away, leaving an eight-month-old baby daughter, my niece, motherless. For various reasons, Mom ended up largely raising my niece for the next 17 years, often under very trying circumstances. Yet, notwithstanding these experiences, she happily and willingly served her family, neighbors, and ward members and served as an ordinance worker in the temple for many years. During the last several years of her life, Mom suffered from a form of dementia, was often confused, and was confined to a nursing facility. Regrettably, she was alone when she passed away unexpectedly.

Some might say that is lady lived a life with so many challenges that it just didn't seem fair - and maybe you feel the same way or know others who have unimaginable losses in their live that it just doesn't seem right. 

Chris sent me a quote this afternoon that I loved so much and really pointed out how much Heavenly Father loves us. It comes from a talk by Elder Renlund ~

In unfair situations, one of our tasks is to trust that "all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ."  Jesus Christ overcame the world and "absorbed"all unfairness. Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.

I challenge you that in the face of all of your challenges this week, you will remain positive and will remember and acknowledge all of your many blessings.  Life is Good ❤