Friday, Saturday & Sunday

We have had lots and lots and lots of weekend nights with a houseful of teenagers. They are cute teenagers, but they do require some supervision. So Friday night we stayed home again. But this time Dan suggested we do something different and something he knew I'd love. Play Rummikub. I love Rummikub and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. Dan beat me twice. Which was good, because I've learned--as I've matured--that no one wants to play with you if you win all the time. And I'd rather play than win. See how mature I'm getting?

While we snuck out to get a treat, I texted my friend, Debbie who knows all the good TV shows. We do watch The Mindy Project, but it's kind of boring this season. And Dan doesn't want to watch Call the Midwife and I don't want to watch Blacklist.  Debbie suggested "The Good Wife," so we watched the Pilot that night and love it.

Saturday was leaf-raking day in the ward for the elderly neighbors. While the boys raked, I grabbed one more bike ride. It was still crisp and clear and no snow until I hit the canyon, but I wore shoe covers and they made a little difference in keeping my toes warm. 

This photo just can't capture how pretty it is to be riding with a dusting of snow and the light!

Dan made a little project of sanding down our HORRIBLE concrete kitchen table from Restoration Hardware. Even a water cup leaves a permanent ring. A family dinner leaves it covered in stains. We HATE this table. In addition, it weighs 10,000 pounds so can't be moved. We are dying to get rid of this stained behemoth. Every week I try a new solution to try to get the stains out. So Dan thought he'd give it a try by sanding it down. It was an impressive effort for sure. But no luck.

That night we had been invited by our cleaning lady, Nancy, to her mother's home for dinner. They served us a true Mexican feast -- posole soup, tamales, sweet tamales, and chocolate. It was so delicious! What a treat to get to know her mother and see their home after all these years and when she knows us so well from our home.

She insists we do it again when Courtney is home from college!

Sunday was my final push to finish the Book of Mormon. It took me exactly 2 weeks. I loved reading it whenever I could and as much as I could -- like I would a good book. It brought the characters more to life for me. I've always been aware of Nephi and Enos. Alma, Ammon, Mosiah & Moroni. But reading it all at once made me so much more aware of the heartbreak when righteous people would begin to forget how good the Lord had been to them and turn away. And over the 1000 years of the Nephites and Lamanites, it happens again and again and again. I've always thought it was sad, but it was so much more poignant because the characters felt so much more close to me and I cared about them more as I read their stories quicker.

I was also much more aware of how similar their joys and sorrows were to ours. And how similar human behavior is. I don't think it ever changes.