Nerf wars, modeling, slush and blood

I always get to the end of the week and am reminded of how many pictures I didn't take.

On Martin Luther King day (Monday, January 21) the Nielsons invited us to pit our mad Nerf gun skills against theirs at the church.  With obstacles in place and teams formed we did our best to annihilate the competition.   I'm pretty sure out of the twenty or so games we played, I was only on the winning team twice.  Pretty sure I was a factor in my teams' ultimate demises.

 Ah, family togetherness.

Sorry it's sideways.

Megan did not make the Nerf war because she was attending a photo shoot with a photographer friend of ours (Marit Welker).  She spent most of the day at the shoot, but was the last to get photographed and it really didn't come together for her.  She did enjoy the company during the day though.

I hate to talk about the weather, but this January has been crazy.  It's been the coldest on record, and although we typically don't have snow that sticks around - we haven't been able to get rid of the snow so far.  It rained on the snow on Wednesday night leaving a thick coating of ice over everything:  cars, parking lots, roads, kids.  Oh course the buses were late and the kids left out in the cold too long, and (despite doing a snow dance) they held school anyway.  People were stranded on hills because their cars couldn't make it up the hills on the ice, and there were a fair number of accidents throughout the day.  Of course that day I planned to go to the temple, and thought twice about it, but in the end Scott accompanied me and all was well. 

I also gave blood this week.  Usually I hydrate really well, but forgot I had scheduled the donation.  I tried drinking some before I went, but it wasn't enough.  They had a tough time finding a vein and then proceeded to poke around in my arm every few minutes or so trying to get a better flow going.  They finally got enough, but my arm was sorer than usual when I was done.  I never get nauseous, but some poor lady was lying on the floor with her feet up when I got there.  I'm grateful for a strong constitution.  

The last few days we finally got above freezing and the snow has turned to slush.  The sidewalks are impossible to walk on, and the road is a mess.  Our cars are covered in muck and we have a large pool of water forming in front of our house that is an ice rink in the mornings; however, today the sky is blue and the sun is shinning and I am once again grateful and thankful the Lord sends us light to dispel the darkness.  

Megan's birthday, winning at Bunco, Antique Roadshow at the Welkers, and silliness at the Mortensen wedding reception.

It was deadline week for the newspaper, which makes everything a little more hectic around the house, but there were several things that made the week run smoother than I thought it would.  The first thing was taking time to plan a menu on Sunday, and get the shopping done on Monday.  Somehow having a plan for dinner with the ingredients on hand helps with my stress levels.

The second thing that helped was having a smaller newspaper this month, less content to come up with; however, I would really like more content because that would mean we had more advertising and could go with a larger paper.  That is what I will be concentrating on this year, increasing advertising and customer care and service.  We were really blessed this month with more advertising than planned.  Out of the blue I had at least three people call and place ads.  I am grateful that the Lord is working on selling advertising for us as well.  Those few extra ads may make the difference between profit and no profit this month.

Tuesday we celebrated Megan's 17th birthday.  Unfortunately, she didn't get much because we had given her a guitar for Christmas that was both Christmas and birthday present, but we did take her to Olive Garden for dinner.  Everyone loves the bread sticks at Olive Garden and I believe Kendra ended up eating six before we were done.  I also made BIG chocolate cupcakes which we stared with the Nielsons later that evening.  She also got two movie tickets for her and a friend - maybe she'll go tomorrow since they have off for Martin Luther King day, maybe she'll take a date . . . not likely.

Wednesday for mutual the girls had a combined activity called "My Sister's Closet".  They were supposed to bring clothes and accessories they were ready to get rid of to trade.  Megan and Kimber each come home with a bag of clothes they liked to add to their wardrobe.

Thursday I went early to the temple and was able to attend the 8 am session.  It has been bitter cold around here and that morning was no different - temperatures hovering around 0 degrees.  What was different was everything was frosted white . . . the trees, bushes, everything was sparkling in the sunshine.  That was different too - sunshine.  We have been grey for days and the blue sky, white frosty snow and sunshine was dazzling to see.  These pictures do not do it justice.

One Thursday a month I play Bunco with a group of ladies from the ward and neighborhood and ended up having a great night earning the most buncos and the highest points this Thursday.  We all bring something and get to take something home, and I had brought a super cute hat (not the one below).  Since I won and got to choose first, I chose my hat, although there were plenty of other nice prizes to choose from.  The downside to the whole night was walking into Bunco and slipping on the ice, smashing my knee into the sidewalk and breaking up some of the ice with my ninja kneecap move.  I also stayed late and watched a movie after Bunco and helped Cherie Winterstein make little paper mache roses for topiaries for the Mortensen wedding reception the next night.  Amy Daniels and Nicki Dille also stayed and helped, and since it was at Sarah Marsh's house - she helped too.

The hat I chose not to go with.

Friday, Megan had a speech tournament, but since it was early release from school due to finals they started the tournament early and she finished early.  This was fortunate as the Welkers invited us over for a game night.  We played mock Antique Roadshow.  Basically, two people got up, one picked an item, and the other acted as the appraiser.  The person told a story about their object, how they came to get it, and the history behind it, and the appraiser then finished the story and told how much it was worth, each one trying to make the other laugh.  There were some pretty funny stories.  Megan is always good for a funny story, and Dan Welker is quick to crack anyone up.

Saturday we were up by 7:30 am to clean the church building, then I had volleyball at 9:00 am.  I love playing with the ladies on our team (Whitney, Heather, Trittica, Sarah, Susan and me) and we had a great game, winning all three games.  The afternoon was spent getting the house spic and span and the evening at the Mortensen's daughter's wedding reception.  They had a photo booth which guests were asked to stop in at, then paste their photos in a book and write something to the couple.  Great idea!  I might have to do that for one of my kid's weddings (oh wait, I don't really want to think about that yet).  We also took a few spins on the dance floor and visited with friends.  Fun evening.  We topped it off playing dominoes (Mexican train) with Stephersons and Nielsons. I won, Scott was second.  I guess it was a pretty good game week for me.  I love being a winner!

"What a great time to be alive!  Today (Tuesday the 15th of January, 2013).  President Jeffery R. Holland spoke to the MTC.  The thing is he spoke at Thanksgiving as well.  The reason today was important was the dedication of three buildings (re-dedication).  He spoke so compellingly, but he always does.  Apparently, last time he spoke he talked of getting your act together, which was Thanksgiving.  Everyone said it was awesome, and made them a bit terrified.  This time he spoke about what a great time it is in the church, how we need to be better than the great prophets of old, and that we need to hasten the work.  Which is how it is now.  I am so happy to be alive and in the work at this time in my life. 

One thing he talked about is astonishing people.  While we don't want to knockem' out and have them be unconscious for three days like Alma, we do want them to have their own personal earthquake.  Astonish comes from the root tondra which means thunder.  Let's astonish people.  Let them see how great this work is so they know why it is important to them.

I know the Church is true, and God be with you till we meet again."

*Maybe this is why I never journaled before - I get tired just thinking about everything we do in a normal week.

On what I relearned in church today and being grateful

Things I relearned at church today (it's not new, but it's good to be reminded):

• Sundays are only a rest from our normal labors, not necessarily labor in general.  My Sundays always seem crazy busy.
• My children are sometimes busier than me. (Megan had five meetings today)
• We should remember that we are viewing life through our perspective and we should give others the same courtesy.  Before we judge someone harshly, we should take a moment and wonder how their life experience has brought them to believe the way they do.
• TTT (Things Take Time) - own it and love it, it's true!
• God works through small and simple things, confounding the wise and thwarting the wicked.
• It is imperative that we continue to educate ourselves.  Never stop learning.
• The spirit only works for us it we stop to listen.  The more we listen and acknowledge the spirit, the more we can rely on him and follow his guidance.
• I do like to sing in choir - even if I'm not always spot on. 

Being busy on a Sunday sometimes makes me grumpy, and if you asked my family they would 100% agree with that statement today.  I really think I had less patience because I didn't let myself eat any of the cookies Kimber and I made.  That being said, I decided to think on things I was grateful for.  

Maybe I should say how grateful I was for good meetings today, or an engaging Primary class, or the beautiful hymn we are singing in choir, or the way the sun shone on the sparkling snow, or the blue skies after weeks of grey, or being able to park the car in the garage again, or the opportunities I have to serve as our ward's women's v-ball coach, or the good friendships I have (girls who make me exercise for my own good, and make me laugh when I'm down), or the blessing of having a son on a mission (and the joy I get from receiving his letters), or my sweet girls who are always ready to kiss my cheeks and give me a hug, or my good husband who loves us and really is trying to make things better for us, or being able to refrain from not eating the cookies Kimber made for BYD. There are so many reasons to be thankful - did I mention a warm house when temperatures are in the single digits?

 A friend and I walk in the morning (5:55 am), in the dark and cold and snow. We feel a bit like pioneers except we only have to walk three miles, don't have to carry anything, or worry about anyone freezing or dying, have plenty to eat when we get home, and are warm the whole time we are walking. OK so I guess we're not really pioneers, but we still pat ourselves on the back for getting up early and I really do appreciate a warm home.

Since I'm trying to get better about pictures and memories, I've added a picture of our first real snow of the year (and since it's so cold - I guess it's staying).  Thanks Scott for shoveling!

2013 Here We Come

My motto for this year is going to be, "Live the rest of the year like it's the first week of the year."  I'm always a big New Year's resolution kind of person.  It just seems like a good time to reflect back on what I accomplished last year and where I want to go this next year.

Goals for me always begin with a dream like:  be financially free of debt, or be skinny, or have a successful business.  All very attainable dreams, but just need a lot of smaller steps to get there.  An article I read lately on staying motivated talked about the parable of the Tortoise and the Hare.  Both had similar objectives - get to the finish line, but both had very different ways of achieving their objectives.  

I picture the Hare as being pretty cocky and sure of himself.  Things have come easy to him in the past, he is going up against a much slower opponent, and this race doesn't seem to be a particular challenge.  It really isn't a challenge.  He could have finished the race long before the tortoise.  Maybe it was even more of a pride thing for him, how galling to be pitted against such an inferior contestant, what could the tortoise possible bring to the race that could in any way test the hare's abilities.

What courage the tortoise had to have to meet the hare on such an intimidating field.  I picture his mom saying to him/her before he/she left, "Win or lose, you do your best and know that in the end it was the courage to try something seemingly impossible that will make all the difference in the race."  Throughout the race he just kept plugging along, staying focused on the goal, and not letting life sidetrack him.

In the end we know the hare, so far out in front of the tortoise, stopped to take a nap.  The tortoise kept moving forward and finished the race the winner.  

Often at the beginning of the year, or whenever I begin a new goal, I am like the hare - quick to start, easily sidetracked, and ready to take a nap at the first bit of effort I must expend.  This year I would like to be more like the tortoise with my goals, taking slow steps, keeping my eye on the finish line, and knowing that God is in my corner telling me, "Win or lose, you do your best and know that in the end it was the courage to try something seemingly impossible that will make all the difference in the race."  To that end I have tried to be really realistic with my goals, schedule things out, and take those small steps instead of bounding down the lane as fast as I can.

Moving on to family matters, here's a quick update on everyone:

Scott is working diligently on his thesis and applying for jobs.  I am trying to get my books in order for end of the year accounting and taxes.  Sean is still in the Provo, MTC working on his Portuguese and hoping to get his visa to Brazil.  Megan is preparing for a drama competition and a couple of debate meets, and will turn 17 in just over a week.  Kimber is catching up on Psych episodes (one of her favorite shows) and working out with Megan doing Just Dance 4 on the Wii.  Brooke is pleading with me to put her back in gymnastics, and is flying through a book series call "The Warriors."  Kendra is loving her technology classroom, has been faithful in writing to her brother, is a wiz on the wii.

We have been renting out part of our house for the last couple of years in an effort to supplement our limited income.  Our first tenant was a Hispanic woman named Patricia, then it was Kristine Bingham and her two boys Francisco (14) and Christopher (7), and now we have Harrison and Layna Roark with their big Rottweiler Jedi.  The first time Molly met Jedi she piddled all over the floor, but it didn't take long before they were both tussling and chasing in the back yard.  I think Molly will like having a friend to play with.

Favorite scripture story of the week:  Ammon and the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's.  I love their devotion and their desire to no more do evil.  They buried their weapons of war (bad habits and evil intentions) and never looked back.  They were willing to forsake their sins for Christ and are such a great example of being joyful even in the midst of trials.

The quote for last week comes from Brooke's mouth:  "Megan how old were you when you were 5?"

Movie of the month:  Les Miserables (I am the only one who has seen it, but I should have taken a tissue or three . . . it was pretty emotional).