"The future is as bright as your faith"

It's Sunday and my mind, at least for part of the day, has been on spiritual matters.  One of the talks in Sacrament meeting centered around a talk by President Monson titled "Be Cheerful."  The talk was given in 2009 as people were beginning to realize the economy was not getting better anytime soon, us included.  It was a dynamic and hopeful talk and though I don't want to include the whole talk, this is what registered with me and felt relevant this morning:

"It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.

My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."

I find it easy to get worried about our uncertain future, but then I wonder why.  It's true that being fearful is not from God.  He wants us to do all we can and stop worrying about the rest.  The rest will sort itself out.  It may not be the way we imagine, or on our time schedule, but why be miserable while we wait.  I like that he has given us "power, love, and a sound mind."  I know we are striving to do the best we can, we are raising our children with faith and love, and keeping our covenants.  We are not perfect, but we are striving to have a perfect hope and looking forward with faith.

Other things that stood out to me today included:

• When we criticize ourselves, we are criticizing God's creation. 
• "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words."  Great quote!  This is most commonly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, but he didn't really say it.  He said something close to it, but nonetheless  it's still a great quote.
• Continuous effort is the key to reaching our potential.
• “There is no man living who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.” Henry Ford
• "Do not expect to become perfect at once. If you do, you will be disappointed. Be better today than you were yesterday, and be better tomorrow than you are today. The temptations that perhaps partially overcome us today, let them not overcome us so far tomorrow. Thus continue to be a little better day by day; and do not let your life wear away without accomplishing good to others as well as to ourselves.  Each last day or each last week should be the best that we have ever experienced, that is, we should advance ourselves a little every day, in knowledge and wisdom, and in the ability to accomplish good. As we grow older we should live nearer the Lord each following day." LORENZO SNOW

This last week we had some pretty great moments:

Scott defended his thesis on Wednesday.  Titled:  "TEMPERATURE STRAIN PHASE DIAGRAM OF FERROELECTRIC BaTiO3/SrTiO3 SUPERLATTICES" you can tell that it was a riveting presentation.  My part of the presentation was to show up with cookies to sweeten them up - it must have worked because he passed. 

Going into the defense I jinxed him by asking if he had a backup thesis power point in case something didn't work right. He did have a copy on his flash drive, but that didn't help when he couldn't get the school projector to work out.  After calling maintenance, they got a new projector and with cookies in from of them, the 10+ people that showed up settled back for a 45 minute explanation of Ferroelectric properties.  I followed along as best I could and clapped appropriately at the right time, but I'm afraid I really can't say I understood much.   

Following the presentation, the rest of us left Scott to begin the arduous task of his thesis defense to his committee.  He said it was a rough start, but it got better once they got to his research portion.  Now he needs to make some modifications, resubmit the thesis for approval and then submit it to the grad college for graduation.  Sooooo close:)

On a lighter note, Megan also had a great week.  Thursday and Friday she spent at BSU going to theater workshops.  I think her favorite class was stage combat where she learned how to look like she was beating someone up.  She also went to her first formal dance.

She asked a friend of hers, Joseph Koslowski (spelling?) to go with her, and had a great time.  Her group included her good friends Savannah and Kylie, their dates, and another couple. They spent the morning hiking Table Rock and then did pictures later, a Chinese dinner at our house, the dance, and finally games at Kylie's.  A pretty full day, but she said it was her best date ever!

Scott and Brooke took pictures (Scott about 50 and Brooke over 100).  Here are a few favorites.

Finally, I have to add some pictures of Kimber's great hair:

Enough said!

I do have to say it was a bit weird having St. Patrick's Day fall on Sunday. Wearing green to church for St. Patrick's Day felt a little sacrilegious.  I'm sure St. Patrick was a great guy, but was he really any better than the rest of us, just doing the best we can?  I always take a little exception to mortal men deciding whether someone has reached sainthood or not.  I guess from our perspective, it's all just for fun.

Kendra did set a Leprechaun trap in her room, but only caught some Lucky Charms.  There were a few chairs over set in the kitchen and Lucky Charms thrown about, but no major Leprechaun destruction.  We had sort-of green waffles for breakfast (more of a puce yellow) and corned beef is on the menu for tonight.  I guess it's not any worse than the other off-religion holidays we celebrate.   

"March"ing on

Monday we were hoping to get a call from Sean from the airport on his way to Brazil, but no such luck.  We did get an email mid morning letting us know his flight had been pushed back from 12:30 to 3:30, but he wasn't clear on the particulars.

We never heard from him, so Tuesday morning I called the Houston mission office just to make sure he actually left.  They were very kind and complementary of Sean and indicated they had had lunch with him and put him on the 3:30 flight.  He was scheduled to fly to Atlanta, then Sao Paulo, then onto Londrina.

Tuesday afternoon we received an email from him letting us know he had made it, had been fed (most important) and was beginning to revive after the plane ride.  Some of his luggage did not make it, but he was hoping to get the rest of it today (I forgot to warn him to take a change of clothes on the plane - just in case).  Oh well, can't think of everything.

He said it is hot, muggy, and beautiful (actually gorgeous was the term he used).  He sounded happy and glad to be there.  Elder Millet from Washington will be his companion and they will be opening a mission further into the interior.

Transitioning to Megan:  her play was fantastic and she of course was amazing.  She played the narrator in "Into the Woods" and was very poised and professional.  Most nights they had one or two glitches, but we went Thursday and everything seemed pretty smooth.  I think she's glad that bit is over because she's got a pretty intense April coming up.  She will be taking two AP tests and her SAT and ACT, she begins a new play, has district speech and maybe state speech.  Crazy.  I think she's trying not to think about April.

Kimber is getting ready for pace and seems to be on top of things.  She's also trying to get her personal progress done, but it may not be finished until the end of summer.  She'd get farther if she spent a little less time on Netflix when she got home.

Brooke is loving being back in gymnastics and is close to doing her back handsprings.  Kendra is loving being back in swimming.  I'm glad they both have sports they look forward to.  Too bad it's not the same sport at the same time and place.

Scott defends his thesis today at 1:30 pm.  He sounds ready.  He previewed his presentation for us during family home evening.  The girls were all very helpful with suggestions like:  don't pace, use a pointer, make it more lively, you're mumbling, and maybe try doing it in a New York accent.  Mostly he was glad they stayed awake, asked some questions, and payed attention.

I managed to get Megan's dress hemmed and the back fixed, we found her jewelry and shoes, and still need to figure out the corsage, but she's almost ready for her big dance.  Her dance is Saturday and they will be having dinner here.  I will be making Orange Chicken, rice, and egg rolls.  Hopefully, they like Chinese.  Thank goodness for Costco.

Next week we leave for San Diego to visit Scott's sister Denise and his parents on their mission.  It will be great to see them.  We haven't even met some of Denise's children.  I can't say I'm looking forward to the long drive, but getting there will be fun.

Is it: March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb?

March certainly stormed into our lives, having us up and running from the beginning.  Not that mother nature really had anything to do with our whirlwind of activity, just the nature of our busy schedules.

Wednesday, February 27th I did a quick interview with Eagle Landscape at 10am, met Ron at the Post office at 11am to get the newspaper out, picked up the Stephersons (Byron, Donna, Henry, and Jane) at 12:30 and ran them to the airport for their New York trip, delivered newspapers until 4:30pm, went to an Eagle Chamber of Commerce Ambassador's meeting, then went home and made dinner.  Typical day.

Kate and Sara Stepherson spent Wednesday through Sunday with us and I'm sure they thought we must run a crazy household.

Thursday, February 28th, Brooke's class did their pace presentation for parents at 11am, I went to stake humanitarian days to gather information for a story I'm doing, at 4:30pm I had a ribbon cutting ceremony in Eagle, 6pm I had a Star Chamber Mixer in Star, and at 7:30 I took Trittica with me to a play called "Painting Churches" that I had free tickets for.  See . . . typical day!

The play was in a little dive called the Stagecoach theater.  They have a new marketing director and she sent invitations to the media  for a free showing.  When I met her, before the play began, things became a bit awkward as we introduced ourselves and Trittica indicated I was her "better half."  Usually I reserve that term for my spouse and I'm sure the gal thought our relationship ran pretty deep (which it does, just in a platonic way).   Trittica didn't realize anything was amiss until I mentioned it to her 1/2 way through the play. Our heads together giggling, We had a good laugh at an ill-timed moment during the play.  All 8 people in the theater gave us a look, and I'm sure it just cemented the marketing director's perception of us.  Oh well.

Friday should have been a little more laid back, but I worked in the morning, went to the temple in the afternoon, threw dinner together and proceeded to drag the kids and Scott with me to First Friday events in Eagle.  We made glass pendents at Fusions Glass Studio in Eagle, attended an art showing at Finer Frames art gallery, walked through the Eagle Historical Museum, and then drove downtown and caught the last hour of the BSU gymnastics meet.  For good measure, Scott and I stayed up until 1pm watching a movie.

Saturday dawned too bright and too early, but my day was lifted when Sean called about 8:20am with news he had received his visa.  It was so great to speak to him and you could hear the smile in his voice.  We also visited with his trainer, Elder Chollet, who informed us Sean refused to believe he had gotten his visa (as Elder Chollet had pulled that one on him before), and after he listened to the message, Sean didn't stop smiling for 2 hours.  Sean will call us again Monday, March 11 from the airport as he starts his true mission to Brazil.

Volleyball was a bust that morning - we lost all three games, but that evening we attended Eagle High School's musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel.  Great show.  Amazing costumes.  Great singing.  Well worth the money, and well worth it to hear Megan's unbridled guffaws.  She doesn't hold back a good laugh.

To finish off the weekend, Megan decided she better get her date asked for the Priest/Laurel Multi-stake dance on March 16 (just two weeks away).  She put together a candy gram and she and Taylor Nielson doorbell ditched it on Joseph's front door.  This action also put into motion our desperate search for a dress. 

After spending hours on the computer and searching consignment stores I finally did what I should have done to start with - asked all my friends on Facebook.  Within minutes we had two viable dresses and a solid lead on where to buy one.  Kimber and I went Monday to look and found two beautiful dresses.  The blue one fit well, but will need a few minor adjustments, and the red one should be able to be altered to fit - or Megan can just do a few crunches.

Joseph answered Megan by tying up the front porch in caution tape and drawing the outline of a dead body that said, "I'm dying to go to the dance with you."  First she's got to get through four days of the spring musical and then she can think about the dance.

If the rest of March is anything like the beginning - I think we will all be exhausted by the time we are done.   

Snowmobiling in McCall

I'm always looking for an excuse to take a trip.  I'm not sure what I like most:  getting away from home, seeing someplace new, hanging out with great friends, or having new experiences.  Scott's 46 birthday was the perfect opportunity to plan a trip.  I tossed around the idea of a cruise.  We have frequent flyer miles to get us to a port, time to go, and friends to go with, but the timing just wasn't right.  It also was going to cost us more than I originally thought and the ports of call didn't look very warm, bright or tropical.

Plan B was a trip to McCall.  I decided to make the trip to McCall as close to a cruise experience (minus the water) as possible.  I found a great condo (three bedrooms, three baths) for a good price and invited Byron and Donna Stepherson, and Ben and Trittica Nielson.  After making sure things were in order at home (you wouldn't think two nights away would require that much planning, but after Taylor and Emiline Nielson had a grease fire a few weeks ago when their parents were gone, I wanted to make sure my kids were well equipped with microwaveable food) we hit the road with Stephersons at about 11:00 am.

The ride to McCall is always a bit of a stomach turner with its twists and turns (perfect for simulating sea sickness) and Byron wasn't feeling great by the time we got there.  Scott was just really hungry.  We stopped by the condo to make sure everything was in order and get the heat and water heater going, then we headed to McCall's famous Pancake House for lunch.

The best and worst things about the Pancake House are its extensive menu (including all breakfast items available anytime during the day) and its large portions.  I've only eaten there once or twice, but it's always far enough apart that I forget how much food they bring you.  An hour later and completely stuffed we rolled out of the restaurant and proceeded to tour the town.  Five minutes later, the tour over, we stopped by the lake to watch folks walking their dogs and sledding out on the ice.  Byron and Scott headed down to the lake and after about 10 steps into biting, bitterly cold wind, Donna and I made a beeline for the first tourist shop.

After feigning great interest in some local art and blown glass, we warmed up and the guys returned.  The rest of the afternoon was spent playing games and hanging out at the Condo.

Nielsons arrived in time for a delicious home cooked meal of salmon, garlic potatoes, salad, fruit, and red velvet cake.  Unfortunately, we were so full from lunch (we ate at 2:30 pm) that it wasn't quite as enjoyable as it could have been.  Just like being on a cruise - way too much food and you're eating all the time.

That night, aside from other games we played, we did a round of the Newly Wed game.  Apparently some of us still need to work on our communications skills and pay a little more attention to each other, and celebrated Byron's (Feb 7) and Scott's (Feb 8) birthdays.

Saturday, we were up at the crack of dawn for our off-shore excursion.  Trittica prepared a hearty sausage breakfast casserole and beautifully arranged fruit for breakfast and we headed out for a morning of snowmobiling.

Most of our snowmobiling experiences were limited.  I had driven my Uncle's and Dad's machines.  Uncle John's had heated hand warmers, comfy seats and power, Dad's had  . . . well, they most likely would get you to and from your destination (most likely).  Byron's experience was an ear-shatteringly noisy, jarringly uncomfortable machine that they spent most of the time digging out of the snow.  Also, at least four of us have back issues and made sure to top off breakfast with ibuprofen before we left.  I was looking forward to the excursion.

The backseat in our Expedition is really great for cuddling, not so great for room.

We rented double seater machines through Cheap Thrills rentals in McCall and after getting completely suited up (boots, gloves, helmets, goggles, and snowsuits), we headed out to the trail head. After a lengthy 40 minute demonstration on how to turn the machine on, change the belt (should you burn it out), how fast you should go, where you should and should not ride, how to tow a machine, and the crazy amount of money you would owe should you disable the machine through stupidity, we were sufficiently warned and scared to veer off the trail even a fraction of an inch.

Walking to our machines we looked like a slow motion scene from a space movie where the heroes are headed to their ships to save the galaxy.  Our big bulky suits made us walk slightly bowlegged, our boots forced us to take exaggerated steps, and our helmets looked sturdy enough to take the impact of any tree that might happen to get in our way.

We and the Stephersons had great machines with hand warmers and plenty of power.  Neilsons were not so lucky - no hand warmers, stinky machine, and limited power (they may never snowmobile again).  We rode out to a hot springs and looked longingly at the pool, then got back on our frigid machines and drove another twenty + miles to a ghost town.  The town could have been really cool, but since we were limited on time (had to have the machines back by 1:30 pm) we got off our bikes, looked around, took a picture, and mounted back up for a rushed 35 mile ride back to the trail head.

Scott was a decent fellow and let me drive quite a bit.  I stayed true to the trail, occasionally taking the machine over the suggested 25 MPF.  Scott, on the other hand, figured if the snowmobile's speedometer registered up to 110, we had better let her run a bit.  He still kept it about 50 mph and for the most part stayed on the trail.  If he occasionally veered I was sure to check his course by repeatedly banging on his helmet.  Good times!  I tell myself things would have been different had I my own machine.  I picture myself off trail in plenty of powder, heading cross county and answering to no one.  Yeah right!  I'm pretty sure that girl only exists in my dreams.

Ben, Byron, and Scott - ready to mount up!

Historic Gold mining town of Warren

Scott and I 

Really boring video of the ride.  Pretty much what we saw for 70+ miles.

We powered back in just in time, returned our snow gear and hit the Pancake House again for lunch.  The amount of food we ate and the early morning departure necessitated a nap when we returned to the condo, but pretty soon we were back to playing games and visiting.  Neilson's had to head back Saturday night to get Trittica home in time for an early shift Sunday morning, so we finished up our round of 6 person hand and food and wished them a safe journey.  The rest of us played a few more rounds of Ticket to Ride and called it a night.

Maybe we played too many games:)

Sunday morning we headed back to arrive in time for church.  It was a great weekend, and definitely something to do again!