Monday, March 25, 2024

Waiting

I was wide awake in the middle of the night for an hour.
I think I couldn't sleep because I'm excited for Nick's mission call.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Blessings and Missions

Nick received his Patriarchal Blessing this morning.
Words can't describe the emotion of your hearing our Heavenly Father's words,
through the Patriarch, meant especially for your child. 

The veil was thin as we were reminded that as much as we love our son,
God loves him even more. He has a plan for his life and has blessed him 
with spiritual gifts, talents and unique characteristics that will bring him joy and peace 
throughout his life.


What an important reminder to both Dan and I that as much as we'll miss him
while he's on his mission, this is an important step in his spiritual growth
and will bless both Nick and the people he serves.

***

As a continuation of this amazing day,
Nick, Camille and Christopher came to church with us and stayed for dinner so 
Chris could share stories give advice to Camillie about serving in the Hermosillo, Mexico mission.

We had so much fun going through photos and enjoying Chris' memories and
laughing at some of his antics. As we flipped through photos, we were moved at his love for the individual people he met and served, some who were baptized. In particular, we came to a photo of Umberto and Chris got serious. "My first day we knocked on Humberto's door. 
He opened and we introduced ourselves as missionaries with a message about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Umberto eagerly welcomed us in and said, 
'I've just prayed that God would send me an angel to help me.'"

Umberto was caught up in a gang and wanted to turn his life around.
His parents were strong Catholics, but they fell in love with the missionaries,
defending them and their message to cynical friends,
as they saw their son turn his life around, get back in school, find a job 
and start progressing toward a more hopeful future.

"This is what a mission is all about," Chris testified.
"We laugh, we have a good time. You work hard, you stay positive. 
You miss your family but you also, with time, get into a routine you love.
You grow closer to Christ.
But that's all secondary. 
Being led to someone who is praying for help to change and desiring to come unto Christ,
and you being an instrument in God's hand, that's your whole purpose."


Saturday, March 23, 2024

The Temple Together

 Dan and I had a wide open Saturday at home together, 
something that's been pretty uncommon for the last year.

As I made plans for the day, I felt a quiet prompting to consider going to the temple.
I only had to think about it for a minute before I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do today.

I asked if Dan wanted to go with me. 
(Is it ever fun after you've imagined a whole day with oodles of time to do whatever you want,
to have your spouse suggest, out of the blue, if you'd like to get dressed up and spend a few hours at the temple? Rarely.)

But Dan agreed. Especially with Nick's Patriarchal blessing tomorrow
and his mission call coming Tuesday (!), we wanted to be in a place where we would 
feel an abundance of God's peace and love.

In a prayer when missionaries were mentioned, I wept.
In the Celestial Room, Dan and I talked about Nick's mission again
 which made me start crying again and Dan said, "Don't look at me or I'll start to cry."
So I looked away and we both laughed at ourselves,
so happy our son is planning to serve a mission,
and so sad we have to say goodbye to him for two years.

Friday, March 22, 2024

Hidden Creatures

SIX!


We also had dinner with a group of friends at Rigby's home and it was so fun.
They had a girls table and a boys table and it was perfect.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Art Project

We're getting a custom painting for our family room and I've narrowed it down to two photos.
The artist, Colby Sanford, came by so we could meet and he could see the space 
and he was absolutely darling and so talented.
This is what he sketched from my two sample photos:


For this one we would take out Lexie and add Nick.


And this one he'd use the kids above and add to the path down below, removing Miles.


I have to decide by this weekend which picture we want to go with,
and unfortunately, I preferred the river and Dan prefers the path from Box Canyon.
But I could get on board with it.
I think I like the river because the kids are the main subjects with lots of movement.
And with the mountains, the vista is the focus.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Warm Weather

Welcome Spring! 
It's been so nice this week, I wanted to put out the patio furniture.
When I look at the calendar I realize it's too soon.
But it really feels like summer is around the corner.



Tuesday, March 19, 2024

RS Service Activity

We had such a fun service night for the Relief Society birthday celebration.
I have the best committee and here's the key:
When we meet we figure out the jobs (decorations, food, invitations, paper goods etc.)
and then everyone chooses a responsibility they feel good about.
Someone called it delegating. But it's not. I don't have to tell people what to do.
They choose what they'd prefer. It's so great.

We've got a couple people who are super confident with decorations. 
And some of us who dread decorations assignments.
A couple who are happy to cook.
One who says she's a horrible cook (and her sister on the committee confirms).
Most of us are happy to walk the neighborhood delivering invites,
and one who knows herself well enough that she'll never get around to it.
A few of us don't have young children so are happy to come early and stay late.
We tell those with littles whose husbands are traveling or working late to go home,
we've got clean-up covered.

As the committee chair, I'm the organizer, which is perfect for me.
And as someone without littles at home, I'm happy to take extra jobs to pull everything together. 
The RS Presidency member over the committee is darling but has three young children,
so I try to not let her do anything extra because she has so many other responsibilities.
(She always takes one of the assignments, which is much appreciated.)
BUT she's very organized and I can always bounce ideas off of her to help 
ease my mind when I start to stress about final details!

I've got wonderful feedback about the activities, 
but honestly it's the committee working together and the epitome of many hands make light work.

The Relief Society Presidency wanted us to do a service project,
which quite frankly, I wasn't that excited about at first because, you know, extra work.
But within minutes, I knew it was the right thing to do.

For starters, we'd have more people come because an evening together in the church 
is more enjoyable doing something for someone else.

(And we already have the summer party in someone's backyard 
and the Christmas party at someone's home which we just gather and visit.)

And, once I started researching projects, I got excited about the opportunities to serve.
My rule was no quilts, no sandwiches and no hygiene kits.
We needed something new.

We made journals and quilted felt hearts for Hearts Knit Together,
an organization that donates kits to families arriving in shelters, escaping either abuse or violence or refugees. They support all the shelters in Utah.
I thought this was a wonderful opportunity, perfect for the "Relief Society"
to ease the burdens of our unknown sisters.

The projects were simple, so could be done easily (even the sewing) while visiting with 
the people working around you.
Hearts Knit Together gives out 7,000 hearts and journals a year.
(This was the project I blogged about a few Sundays ago that I cut hundreds pieces of scrapbook paper down to size to cover the composition books.
We made 30 hearts and 100 journals.



I volunteered to bring the birthday cakes.
Last Christmas at our neighborhood ladies party, someone brought an olive oil cake 
from Tulie Bakery and though the name is off-putting, it was the 2nd best cake I've ever had.
(Still remembering the one in Los Angeles at Margie's baby shower.)

I really wanted an excuse to have another piece of that cake!
Good thing I saved myself a slice because by the end of the activity they'd been devoured.


At 8:00 I snuck away to join Camille's Instagram Live for her mission call opening.
I nearly fell off my chair when she got called to Hermosillo, Mexico!


We're getting together for Sunday dinner and Chris is going to tell her
everything she needs to know!