Baptisms

Some of our service activities for this month include:

Serving at the Good Samaritan House, Sub-for-Santa for two families, handing out sandwiches to homeless (like last year) and doing Baptisms for the Dead.

The Take a Name app has helped get family names for baptisms a lot easier. In fact, it's made it easy. You just press "find" on the app and it searches through thousands of names until it makes a match with your family members and lists who needs work done. We click on the men or women who need baptisms and print the temple sheets right at home. Couldn't have been easier.

Tuesday night we had an early appointment to do baptisms at the Salt Lake Temple with our family and Diane and Luke, Sam and Max. We picked up the boys right after school. I'm glad they're such good sports to not mind riding in the very back of my car (which is getting pretty tight as all these boys are getting so tall) because it's more fun to all go together.

I love handing my boys their towels as they come out of the font and getting to wrap it around them and give them a squeeze at the same time. I'm also grateful I got to do baptisms as well -- not just watch.

After we were finished we topped off the evening with dinner at Crown Burger. 

Lights at Temple Square

Thanks, Erin, for taking photos! 

Courtney and Nick didn't recognize this symbol. Marty and Chris did.

Shaeffer Thanksgiving

It's kind of weird that I don't have any photos of Marty and Erin or EC and Marty while they were here! But Thanksgiving highlights include:
* Courtney coming home!
* A delicious dinner by Kelly and his boys at Jo Ellen's on Tuesday.
* Flying Marty's new drone -- a Christmas gift from Dan (given early)
* All of us at the Jazz game Wednesday night
* Feasting on Thursday
* Watching "Lucky Logan" movie on Thursday on the big new couch
* Shopping with Erin on Friday -- Amaryllis for neighbor gifts at Home Depot and cutesy stuff at cutesy stores as well.
* Erin baking peanut butter with Kisses cookies and Anise cookies while I baked soup for the Weaver party.
* Reconnecting with all the Weaver cousins Friday night
* Lights at Temple Square
* A final hurrah meal at CousCous near Jo Ellen's on Saturday
* Marty and EC coming home with us for the weekend
* JeniBee market with Marty & EC

Look at the beautiful presentation of Jacob's Thanksgiving meal! Picture perfect!

We remembered to use the pig!

Courtney and Kershaw

Ha ha ha! Shopping with Erin.

Nicholas prepping for an airsoft war!

Sub For Santa and Christmas Prep

We started Christmas shopping for our two sub-for-santa families. 

On their lists were soccer balls, Adidas sweatshirts, shoes and jackets so there were lots of items Chris and Nick had fun helping to pick out.

We were happy they had such a great attitude.

Christina and Catherine came today to start decorating the Christmas Tree and Entry Garland. 

They played Christmas music as they worked which made the house feel so festive!

While they worked on Christmas, I shopped and prepped to have the Shaeffers come in town for Thanksgiving! We are looking forward to having Marty and Erin stay with us and all getting together!

Missionary Photos

Cutest Missionary!

Personal Garden Center

All the plants that couldn't be planted yet have a temporary home in the side yard. Looks like a little nursery.

 And the orchid the Rigby's gave me when my Dad died as started to rebloom! 

Has about 14 buds! 

Doorbells

Why it's hard to Get Anything Done

My doorbell rings all freaking day and wherever I am, I have to run downstairs as fast as I can to answer the doorbell! I need to be an advertisement for RING.

Literally the last three days in a row the doorbell has rung the minute I step out of the shower. I've had to try to throw clothes on soaking wet and run downstairs. Even today, I had the guy scheduled to come at 9:00 and was on track to be dried-off and clothed, but he was 6 minutes early! Give me a second people!

8:54 -- Chris, the cabinet fixer
9:00 -- Christmas Light installers can't get power in exterior outlets
Jason (christmas light Jason) and I walk around perimeter testing outlets and checking GFI's
Call Jason (Electrician Jason) to get answers.
9:45 -- Shelli arrives to discuss window treatments
10:15 -- Tim Window washer
11:00 -- Fed Ex just dropping off
12:00 -- New electrician here to install fixtures and fix interior issues
12:30 -- Garbage truck hit the mailbox. Sanitation supervisor wants to discuss replacement options.
1:00 -- Christmas Lights supervisor wants to make sure I'm happy with install.
1:15 -- AV-kid, Will, to install TV in guest room (he's not really a kid -- he's 23 -- but he looks SO young!)

It's almost comical.

The day ended pretty great though going to Amy Grant down at UVU with the Rigbys. Fun to be with friends that we love so much. Fun to sing along to Amy Grant. Fun to get a jumpstart on Christmas!

Spirit Week

This happy boy can't wait for his first Spirit Week. He didn't have many (any?) celebratory weeks at Waterford so it's very new and exciting to have them in Jr. High.

He grabbed his paper and wanted to read through the daily activities and dress-up days with me and talk about ideas for what he could wear.

I just love his contented happy look.

So Many Opportunities to Serve

Today during church the head of the Good Samaritan House texted me that tonight's shift workers cancelled. I told her we would go.

First though, we had a few things to do in our own family. Nick is working on his Family Life merit badge which requires him to supervise our family in a project that we all work together on and will benefit the whole family.

For Marty's project we sanded, restained and repaired an outdoor table that had become very weathered. We were able to make the table look like new and enjoy it for several more years. For Chris' project we all planted ground cover between the back pergola and the sport court which created a greenspace instead of muddy area that was also walkable. We also worked together to reinstall doorknobs that had been removed during our remodel and never replaced.

For Nick's we all worked together to install the holds for our climbing wall! Nick and a friend had worked hard the first week we received them. But there are a lot, and he had gotten burned out. It went a lot quicker when we all worked together! And it was pretty fun. (Except I kept dropping my allen wrench and almost hitting Chris below so he didn't like that very well.)

Also, our gas grill was finally installed and hooked up this week! We've been so missing Dan's amazing grilled foods -- generally steak or salmon! So we had a delicious steak dinner and then Dan, Marge and I all headed to the Good Samaritan House. The boys didn't want to go again today since they went yesterday and we committed to going again on a Friday in December. That's ok, they only need 2 or 3 at night anyway.

Tonight was much different than Saturday morning. The sandwiches and lunch sacks were already made (from the morning shift). So they were loaded in a refrigerator ready for us to hand out. It was just the 3 of us and it was a pretty steady stream of customers. Marge sat on a chair and portioned cookies (opening a package and putting a serving into a sandwich bag. Then adding a bag of chips and bag of cookies to a lunch sack. These were then set aside ready to receive fresh sandwiches in the morning.)

Many people came by and it was a delight to be able to give them food and some of the necessities they asked for. They were all very grateful. We also had toiletries and clothes from donations. Many people were hoping for hats, sweatshirts or shoes. Also razors -- which we didn't have any! We had a few pairs of socks and those were readily taken as well. Kimmy, the co-organizer said what they need most are warm socks. We are going to organize a warm sock drive along with the food drive that Cottonwood Res already does. I think I'll carry socks in my car to help people in need on the streets. Diane said that was something she and my Dad did and I think it's a good idea.

It was non-stop people coming by, but interestingly we had a lull for about 20 min. at 7:00 -- just enough time for Dan and I to write letters to Marty. And then the people started up again!

After we dropped Marge off and got home, the boys speedily watched the Cowboys football game. They got creamed. But Nick's popcorn tasted delicious! And then we read scriptures and everyone went to bed.

Tomorrow for FHE we are going to use the Take-A-Name app to find family members for baptisms that we are doing after Thanksgiving.

#JustServe

After last year's FHE where we delivered sandwiches to the homeless, I wanted to do it again this year. But I wanted to build on it as well. We do so many fun activities, I thought it would make this holiday season more meaningful it we did more service projects.

Coincidentally, we had a Sunday School a few weeks ago describing the Just Serve app and website created by the Church. The Church used their resources to create it, but it's non-denominational and open to any charitable organizations to add descriptions and links for service opportunities. The Church has also called couples in each area to oversee the submissions, make sure they fit criteria (501-c, charitable. They don't have to adhere to LDS standards) and add them to the website. It creates an easy way for anyone looking for ways to serve to find opportunities. And it's open to everyone.

The app looks like Pinterest highlighting and as you scroll through, you can "heart" the opportunities that appeal to you for easy finding later. You can choose to register, but you don't have to. Opportunities range from food, clothing and toy donations; assisting the elderly or veterans; making blankets for babies, hospice patients or refugees; working at food pantries; playing music at rest homes or hospitals; handyman services etc. So there's something for everyone to share their talents in ways that help those in need.

Monday night Chris, Nick, Dan and I all got on the app on our own phones and scrolled through to find things we would enjoy doing. We wanted activities that required our help, not just donations. We chose helping at a Food Pantry, making sandwiches at The Good Samaritan House and choosing a family for Sub-for-Santa.

The sites gave e-mails or phones to text and immediately I got responses from The Good Samaritan House and Sub-for-Santa. We were going to help on Mondays, but The Good Samaritan House took newcomers on Saturdays. We recruited Diane, Luke, Sam and Max to help as well -- because family always makes everything more fun!

The Good Samaritan House gives over 600 lunches a day to anyone who comes and asks. They are a Catholic Charity but receive donations from the LDS Church, the SL Food Pantry, Even Stevens sandwich shop among others.

Saturday morning we worked from 10-11:30. We made 500 sandwiches in that time! They have an amazingly organized system. We ripped open bags of bread and lined up 242 (we counted) slices on a large table. Then each of us squirted the mayo/mustard combo from squeeze bottles on each slice. Next added a slice of cheese -- dealt on like a deck of cards -- and then 3 pieces of meat, which someone had previously stacked in large containers. Then another squeeze of mayo/mustard and then topped with another piece of bread. We then stacked the sandwiches in the middle of the table and followed the very strict procedure wrap them in saran wrap. (When I say strict, it was all in the name of SPEED!) We wrapped the sandwiches up, loaded them on trays and then carried the large trays to the other room where other volunteers were placing them in bags with portioned chips and cookies and then refrigerated. (Another family with young children were portioning the large bags of chips into sandwich bags.) Finally, a couple people were working at the front door as door hosts handing out lunches and water, coffee or hot chocolate to those who asked.

When we finished the first batch of sandwiches, we did the whole thing over again! About 500 sandwiches in 1 1/2 hours! It was incredible. We had a good time working together and the time flew by. Afterwards we went to lunch all together. There was such a happy spirit working at the Good Samaritan House and it felt so good all being together spending a couple of hours doing something meaningful for people who needed it. #JustServe

Tailgate

Today the landscapers had a BBQ in the yard.

They forgot salt so they asked if they could borrow some.

In return, they offered me a taco when they were done grilling.

Planting the new Japanese maple. It's huge and was kind of a big deal to get positioned just right.

At lunch they knocked on the door and didn't give me just a taco, but a full meal with meat seasoned two different ways and chorizo as well. It was delicious and I was hungry and thrilled to enjoy such a fantastic meal fresh-grilled!

Here it Comes!

The skies looked blue, but it was definitely snowing! 

Grandma Regan 1909 - 2000

Today in Relief Society we sang "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today." I whispered to Marge that this was the song we sang at Grandma Regan's funeral. Marge whispered back that today is her death day.

How perfect. When we chose songs for her funeral, my mom and I went through the Hymnal and looked for songs that described Grandma. We chose "There is Sunshine..." and "Have I Done Any Good." What a wonderful legacy to leave!

An Extra Hour

World Series Game 7

Game 6 was super exciting and when it started feeling like Dodgers were going to Game 7, 

Dan bought tickets. Here's the cool thing: If you buy tickets to Game 7 but it doesn't 

go to Game 7, you get a refund. 

It felt like he had nothing to lose...

Wednesday morning Dan and I flew to LA. 

We had a THE BEST lunch at "2 cents" in Fairfax--

authentic, healthy southern food. It was SO GOOD!

We made a stop at The Grove Barnes & Noble to get a book for Dan so we could get to the parking lot early to avoid traffic and just read in the car.

We avoided traffic, but were only an hour early, so we just went into the park.

Within the first 2 innings, the Astros got 5 runs. The Dodgers fans turned on Darvish real quick.

He got pulled and Kershaw pitched a few great innings as did Jansen. But the Dodgers were out of luck. They kept stranding runners each inning. Lots of chances to make plays, but couldn't pull it off. 

By the 6th inning, it was clear we were barreling toward the end of the game with no great offense.

In a blink, the game was over and Dodgers had lost the World Series. What a bummer. 

There were lots of ticked fans but a few guys were shouting, "we had a great season! Dodgers are still awesome!" I appreciated those guys. 

Early the next morning on the shuttle to the airport, the driver saw my Dodger shirt and said, 

"It's ok girl, we'll get 'em next year!" Loved her too.