Benefits of education

Jena has been to her theater class three times so far.  We took her with us and Gary's mom to the Hale Theater on Thursday to see "The Importance of Being Earnest".  As we sat down before the show, Jena turned to me and said, "The set designer did a good job making the floor."  The floor of the stage had been painted to look like a marble floor with a rug.  I tried hard to not laugh.  It surprised me that she would comment about it that way.  The value of a mainstreamed education...................

Funny how things work out......

A couple of weeks ago, Gary and I decided to invite a couple of couples over on a Friday night to play some of our new Christmas games.  We invited two couples that are good friends but our lives are busy and we rarely get to talk or visit anymore.  Then on Friday morning, Jessica called to see if we wanted to go to dinner and the movie with her that night.  We explained that we had plans so we had to pass.  After weeks of no plans, we had two things to do.  Then within a few hours, both of our friends called to say that they had things that came up that they had forgotten and couldn't come that night, and it was too late to go with Jessica.  We ended up staying home, but we were able to get a variety of things done that we hadn't planned on...which was good for me because I ended up getting a couple of migraines the following week, and it was good that I had things done.  So it kinds of worked out  (even though we still want to play games with our friends, of course.)

Then for yesterday, we had tried to put together a Cub Scout Committee Meeting/dinner/game night to finish our plans for the Blue and Gold Banquet next month.  Mid-week, it turned out that more than half of the people couldn't attend so we moved it to a Sunday after Church meeting instead.  Later that same night, Jena got invited to go to a Jazz game on Friday (with one parent) with her Special Olympics team.  He was glad that our Scout meeting had been cancelled and they had a great time.  I decided to join our Families Supporting Adoption Chapter at a temple session at the Ogden Temple.  It was very nice and as it happened, my mother-in-law got asked to sub in the temple that night and she was able to come home with me after the session instead of waiting for her ride.  So even though our plans didn't work, other good things happened for us anyway.

Simple I know...but sometimes I need to remind myself that living in the present and enjoying things is the best way to live.

Scripture for the post:  I was reading in the D&C at the temple and reread this favorite scripture in section 64:33-34:

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.  And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind: and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days."

Important advice to busy me..............................

Around the "Halls" in 60 seconds....

During the week, I thought off and on of different things to write about, but now that I have time, I am not really sure what to write.  I will do an up-date first.

Gary and I got to help with the Rain Gutter Regatta this week.  Our Pack decided to do the "Soda bottle" boats this year.  Each scout and family member who wanted to race brought a sail with them to pack meeting.  Then they tape their sail on to a stick that was in a soda bottle (which contained a bit of sand as ballast).  Then the races begun.  Gary, being the clever one that he is, was in charge of setting the heats (we had six rain gutter race tracks.  He used an excell program and posted the times of each heat and randomally shuffled for the different heats.  It turned out great (and only one boy cried because he couldn't keep his boat moving fast enough).  Boys are such fun at this age (and other ages as well, of course.)  In a few minutes, I have to leave for the "Great To Be Eight" program.  We will have 14 new boys becoming Cub Scouts this year.  Fun times ahead........

Jessica continues with working at Head Start.  She has been seeing lots of movies lately and helps us figure out what movies we might want to see.  She and friends went to "Tooth Fairy" yesterday but we haven't heard the review yet.

Scott is not in school this semester.  All of the classes he needs required a math class so he is working on that only this semester and will be back in school full-time this summer.  He, Tosha, and Chantel are enjoying the scuba class (turned out Jessica couldn't take it because of some medication she is taking.  She and I will do it later.).  They will be swimming in "The Crater" in Midway, Utah, this week.  It will be their first real dive.

Ben is hangng in there.  He is working about 2 1/2 hours a day five days a week.  He spends a lot of time on the computer, buying and selling computer games.

Tosha is dealing with a cold this weekend.  She reported that she swam 80 laps on Friday.  That would send me to bed for days with sore muscles if I did that.

Jena is getting excited to get the wires out of her mouth in a couple of weeks.  I hope that everything is okay so that we can do it on Feb. 12.  We will found out on Feb. 2nd when she is x-rayed.

I am reading a biography of Thomas Jefferson.  It is very interesting expecially after just reading John Adams.  They were both brilliant men with totally different views of life.  It is amazing what was accomplished to establish our nation.  I have already gotten a book about Ben Franklin and one about George Washington.  (Great things about a Kindle...books at your finger tips.)

That is the summary of our lives at the moment. 

Hope you have a great week.

Jena's accomplishment

Since this is my blog and I have never read the rules of blogging and no one has ever stepped in and told me I can't do something, I am going to announce a great achievment by our own....Jena Hall!

We have been letting Jena stay home alone when we will be gone under 45 minutes or so, mostly during the day and if we are near by.  She has done well, followed our rules, only answered the phone when we call, no cooking, etc.  She appreciates the experiences "because she is a teenager and not a baby any more.".  Of course, I can think of a million things that could go wrong....but they didn't with the older children.  They had actually more trouble if they were together rather than one of them alone.....except for the story about Scott and the TV watching when he was grounded, but that is a story for another day.  Back to Jena's story.

Tonight was Pack Meeting--Rain Gutter Regada--which involved both Gary and I for set up and running the show.  Dinner was not quite ready when we left, so the plan was for her to stay with Ben and eat dinner.  I was to go pick her up before it started at 6:30 (and before Ben left for work).  As these things happen occassionaly (hopefully not just in my life) I forgot to go pick her up.  Ben headed off to work as planned and Jena waited for me to come and get her. 

After 7:00, I received a call from home.  I called back and Jena answered.  Of course, as soon as I saw a call from home, I remembered and started heading out the door  (during Gary's awesome pirate skit for the arrow of light--hopefully pictures will follow of that outfit),  Jena was just wondering if I could pick her up.  I didn't know that she could call my cell number.  We probably have not practised actually dialing my number for over a year.  She had remember that I posted the numbers inside the pantry door and had looked it up and called me when she knew I was late.  Isn't she amazing!  (And yes, Jessica, Scott, Ben, and Tosha, it was amazing when you first learned to call me, but you were 5 or so and I didn't blog then.)  I am so grateful that Jena was able to work this skill out when she needed it.

By the way, she realized a fourth place ribbon in the area meets and just missed out the last seat for the State Tournments.  Again we are not sure of the scoring system...she was in the only group of five--four from her own team and she bowled better in the scores than two of the other bowlers--it has someting to do with their past averages.  She is okay with it, as are we.  She doesn't like to miss school!

Winter Feeding Time

For those of you who don't live in areas with winter snow, I thought we would send some pictures from our dining room window this morning.  We have four feeders that we keep filled at this time of you. As you see, our usual visitors are finches.

We are all doing well and keeping warm and dry.  With Jena's surgery, we can't do much winter sports because we are to avoid things that might hurt her jaw or face.  Tubing or sheding fall into that catagory.                                                                                                           

"Life is beautiful"

My sister sent me the actual quote from her kitchen (refer to the blog before this)

"Life is beautiful"

Then the quote under it says "It's not that unusual when everything is beautiful. It's just another ordinary miracle today."

A Perfect Day

On Monday, I apparently woke up with a bit more energy that I usually have in the morning and I cooked a "real" breakfast (not for dinner, a holiday, or when we are out of milk) but for no good reason...that always makes me feel "like a good wife". We then read the scriptures without feeling rushed as it seems we often feel. Then my day proceeded smoothly...I exercised, put a dinner in the crock pot, no disruptions, no reason to have a negative thought...At mid-morning the thought occurred to me that this had been a "perfect day"...and then the thought quickly followed that I better head to bed before I messed it up. However, it did turn out to be a simply nice day, peaceful, nothing major accomplished--just the daily things of my life (that were on my planner) and of my children's lives. Presidency meeting, errands, watching the older kids at their first scuba diving lesson. Just simply nice. I guess that I have enough of the busy, hectic, non-peaceful days that this struck me as such a perfect day. I hope that you have a simply nice day too.

My sister has a quote in her kitchen that applies, but she is not currently home to tell me what it is exactly. It goes something like: "Life is beautiful....just a ordinary miracle." So it is.

Have a great simply nice day too.

More pictures..just to try posting a smilebox

You can ignore if you want or I already sent the smilebox to you directly.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Scuba Diving 101--First Class

Tonight Gary, Jena and I had a fun evening (buying a kitchen table) AND watching Jessica, Scott, and Tosha  (and Scott's friend Chantel) take their first scuba diving lesson.  It was great to listen to their instructor teach them the basics of scuba and to just remember the amazing experiences we have had.  Even more than the beautiful places and wonderful sea life, it was remembering our good friends that we shared those times with over the years.  We are so grateful for all those memories  (remember "night diving" from the boat in the Lagoon at El Nido!--that's for Brad and James...we laughed so hard that our sides ached the next day.)

Here is a few shots of Dive Utah:           Learning hand signals

Going under the first time                                    Going from 5 ft. down to 12 ft.

Swimming at 12 ft. under

We left as they were getting out so we haven't gotten a full report but there were big smiles as they came up so that is a good sign.  The teacher asked Jena if she wanted to try, but she wasn't sure about that.  We will have to see if she can learn to snorkle first.

More up-dates later.

Jena's fun and great weekend

Hi, this is Jena.  I am doing good.

Yesterday I went bowling with my Special Olympic Team, the Comets.  I am learning a new style of bowling.  I scored a 50 and a new high of 82.  Then I went bowling last night with my dad and sister Tosha.  I got only a 28.  My dad said I was too busy watching Miley Cyrus music videos on the big screen at the bowling alley.  I also watch Demi Labato music videos, too.  It was fun.  Dad and Tosha are going to play on a league on Tuesday nights with my uncle Allan.

I like school.  I am almost done with my semester.  I have been taking art and Utah Studies (my favorite classes.  I will get new classes next semester.

Today in Young Womens we talked about Personal Progress.  I like working on my goals.

Picture taken in the fall before surgery

And I still needed to edit...

....but for historical accuracy, I will let the previous 2 blogs remain as is with their errors and all.  Despite reviewing and editing them both in the wee hours that I wrote them, I still found mistakes this afternoon.  That is good...that means that I am really getting better and clear from my recent bout with migraines.  I read an interesting book by Andrew Levy who suffers from migraines that sound similar in style to mine.  It was very interesting and painful to read in writing what I can feel during my migraines.  He commented that migraines seem like a waste because they are a severe pain which serves no apparent purpose--no warning of pending heart or kidney failure, no unpending doom for the brain, just pain....and nausea...and all of the other symtoms that occur with it.

Jena and Gary returned from bowling this morning.  She got a 50 and a new high score of 82.  She has recently changed her bowling style (it is a carbon copy of Gary's swing) and she has increased her consistence greatly.  Gary is so proud.

Looking forward to getting a "few" things done today.

While I was away (in my bedroom)....

Dad was doing the Mrs. Mom things which included driving carpool for the past two days, getting Ben where he needed to go, and worked sometimes late into the night.  Today he spend with Tosha, Ben and Jena playing different kinds of WII games.  That is one of the best games we ever got.  We are into WII resort at the moment.  The nice thing about today is the Ben actually join in and played wth Gary and Tosha which we haven't seen too mucn of for years.  He usually will only play alone or with Jena.  He played a few hours before going to work and immediately joined in upon his return.  Perhaps his new medication is helping his anxiety a bit.  That would be nice.  I won't hold by breathe.

I better head to bed,  After such a complex migraine, I know I need to be cautious with light, sound, and busyiness for the next few days.  Sharing time on Sunday may be quieter than  I had orginally thought.

Still on migraine brain...I had to reedit these a couple of times to correct words and spelling.

Ramblings from a migraine mind

I am awake and feeling back to the life of the living after a two day-two migraines over past days. It has been the worse one that I have had for over a couple of years--not sure it it due to trying a new medication at the suggesting of the insurance company or just bad luck.  My treatment medication that I took before is jumping to top tier from the bottom tier in cost. Inbetween the head and the stomach pain, I try to mange the variety of possible medication options to reduce and conquer the pain and nausea and move back in to word of light and sound.

Anyway, I was nibbling on some saltines crackers asnd the cheap McDonalds hamburgers and sprite that i I use for these occassions along with some sprite.  Tosha was commented on my choices but these are the things that I have use for years during these times,  There is probaby a study that plain saltine crackers are the worse things to eat during a migraine *that is the way it is for me,,,what I like or do is almost always bad or unhelpful it seems....so my mind went on a little ramble about things I like that are not good for you--hambergers, pizza, peanut M&M,,,then I thought why don't I crave salmon or carrots (foods I actually like in the same way.)  Then the rambling that occurred  "We will always have the right to CHOOSE good,  We are not compelled to choose good because that is not the plan from our Heavenly Father,  Therefore, although we can get blessings for good choice, we will not develop addictions in the classic sense.  We choose good and through the choosing of good we become better at choosing good,  The choose is always there---to choose."

And there you have it----spoke through a recovering migraine brain.

An example of a Monday.....

This is a journal type entry, but I haven't mastered that yet so I am putting it here.  (Nothing of note for current readers, but perhaps of some interest in a 100 years.  After all, your day was much the same as mine....if you are a mom of five kids.....):

Woke up at 6:00 because an alarm was ringing.  I finally figured out that it was my new work phone which for some reason thought it was supposed to go off on Monday at 6:00 am.   Went back to sleep.

Woke up at 7:15 a.m. instead of my planned time of 6:55 am. Apparently I turned off my real alarm during the mad dash to turn off the other alarm.  Of course, it is the morning that I drove the carpool for junior high at 7:45 and I had a home visit at 8:15 (in a dress, of course, for work).  A quick shower, breakfast, dressed and out the door for both Jena and I (no scriptures read this morning, of course).

Did the home visit which happened to be two streets away from the first house that Gary and I had built.

Went home for a quick few minutes to change clothes, eat some breakfast for real, and then to head out for a (10:30) doctor's appointment (new insurance and changes needed for some of my migraine medication).  Straight from the doctor to (11:00) Presidency meeting--15 minutes late and I had the spiritual thought  (see "To Acquire Spritual Guidance" by Elder Scott, p6, Nov. Ensign).  They did know I would be late.

Presidency Meeting was going on and I was in the middle of my spiritual thought when Gary called.  I picked up because will not call during Presidency meetings unless he has a good reason.  The school had called and Jena had started her period.  (11:30) Off I went to take care of that with clean clothes, etc.

Back to Presidency meeting where we planned the upcoming quarterly activity (Winter Quarters) and other Primary business  (1:00 done).  Walked outside and the Primary President and I began to continue our conversation about spiritual guidance and sat in her car in the driveway of the 2nd Counselor for an hour.

(2:15)  Got home and grabbed lunch and changed back into a dress.  Ben and I headed out to take him to a meeting in Kaysville.   On the way we stopped to mail some packages and ran into three sisters from out ward.  Fun conversations while Ben mailed his stuff.

(3:00)  Droppped Ben off and headed back to Layton to work.  I met with a birth mother and then headed back to get Ben at his meeting. (5:10) and then headed up.

(5:30)  Started dinner (nothing fancy) but got it done in time for Ben to eat with us before he left for work at 6:30.

Spend the evening watching the "TCU play Boise State" with visits from Scott with his roomate and then later Jessica with her roomate.  (8:30) Had a long phone call helping someone with social security questions.  Then (9:30)another longer phone call with Scott talking about life , love, and all the important topics.  Inbetween Jena worked on homework, watched the game with us, and watched Disney.

Bed at 11:00 after saying good night to Gary who actually had watch the whole bowl game. 

That is a day in my life...busier than some, but not that unusual.  Enjoy your days too.....

Resolutions.....

Have you set your New Year resolutions? I haven't yet but I recently read a list I made for last year and I didn't do so well.  I had intended to read the Doctrine and Covenants along with the Sunday School...but that got a bit harder when I got called into the Primary in May....(can you hear the excuses...I am sure if I thought hard enough I could think of an excuse for each one of my undone resolutions.)  It kinds of discourages me from making a list again.  It all goes back to change---change is hard.

However, when I look back over last year, I do feel like things are different than last year.  My house is a bit more organized (having extra bedrooms helps a lot), I have studied new things and learned more from the scriptures, conference talks, and non-fiction books I read.  I have tried some new recipes (some better, some not so good).  I have tried to do a little better as a visiting teacher.  I have tried to go to bed earlier.

How does change really occur?....for me, in tiny, mini steps in a new direction without fanfare and lights!  A desire to do better at something and when a choice is place in front of me, I try to choose that new direction over the old direction.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but I want to keep trying the "new way" instead of the old way.

Someone shared their "blueprint for 2010" which included a list of things that they intend to do in the upcoming year.  Some were things that you do and then mark off, others were more related to a change in behavior.  "Blueprint" is a nice term.  I can state that I will plan a family vacation to Moab and then when it is over, I can mark it off.  My calendar is filling up with plans(or a blueprint) for the upcoming year. 

I guess whatever happens in the upcoming year, I wanted to handle it a bit better than last year.  I want to learn more about lots of things, and I want to listen better---to those around me and most of all to the promptings that surround me and then to go and do the things that I only can do.  I think that is my resolution.....................................................................................(and to exercise 3-4 times a week, either walking or on our new elliptical, now in working order.  According to the newspaper, exericise is one of the number one resolutions for Americans, so I am now part of the majority!)

Good luck with your resolutions.

Happy New Year 2010

For some reason Gary decided to point out that we will never have a "single digit" year again............not really something that I have ever thought about.  However, I do think it is safe to say that neither of us will live until year 2100.  In fact, it seems unlikely that our kids would make it until then either.  It is weird to think that grandchildren and great grandchildren will be on the earth.  Will they know who am I or what I liked and did every day?  Their lives will be so different than ours are today, just as our lives are so different from our grandparents and great-grandparents.  These are the things to think about while you clean your house on New Year Day!

May the lessons of last year help you (and me) with this coming year and may your wishes (and resolutions) come true!