Nick and Bolones

I might just post a pretty fall pic every day.

I wish I had a pic of me, Nick and Dan's facetime today

because Nick was at the church eating bolones--his new favorite Ecuadorian food.

I was at home eating my salad.

And Dan was at the Dodgers game. 

Isn't technology amazing?

I was too afraid that if I tried to capture a screenshot, I'd lose the call.

So I'll just remember it in my head.

Bolones is a fist sized meatball made of pork, green bananas and cheese.

(I think they're probably plantains, but Nick said, no, they're green bananas.)

We're praying that two of his friends Yeremy and Renon will be able to go to church with him.

He loves all the children around town. They love trying to speak to the gringos.

Nick and his companion got swindled by a biker who was in his kit and seemed legit 

trying to ask them for help to hold his phone while he did a trick.

Then offered to teach his companion the trick. And hold his phone.

And Nick, try putting your phone on the stack too.

Seconds later the biker was cruising down the hill with both of their phones.

It was a pretty safe lesson for these missionaries to learn to be a bit more wary.

Nick is happy and settling into his new life in Ecuador.

I told him I pray every day that he'll find joy in serving.

Now I'll also pray for his new friends AND his safety.

He Will Be On Our Right Hand and On Our Left

On this very ordinary Sunday,

I felt full full full of the spirit and so much love for 

the gospel, my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the gift of this life.

It's been such a good week. I've felt so productive in organizing my home life

and also making progress on my book -- which I know Heavenly Father cares about because he cares about the things we care about.

I also am so grateful for the two weeks I've had at home and many more in front of me.

After church between the Cowboys game 

(well, when we turned off the game because they got a whoopin') 

and the Dodgers game,

we walked through the neighborhood then down the street behind us
and shortcutted home by crossing the river.

Fall is magical and shortcuts across the river make it even more so.

Our Relief Society lesson focused on President Nelson's conference talk and the temple.

He quoted the Bible saying, "Please listen to this promise of Jesus Christ to you: 

'I will be on your right hand and on your left, 

and my Spirit shall be in your hearts and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.'

There is no limit to the Savior's capacity to help you...

His infinite Atonement is for you!"

What struck me in this promise is that in heavenly/Godlike culture,

Christ sits on the right hand of God and no one on sits on the left. 

The left can sometimes have a negative connotation.

But sometimes we look away from God. We look left, so to speak.

And even then, Christ is there, on our left, keeping in our line of sight until

our eyes are opened and we see him guiding, comforting and loving us however we need.

 

 

Serape Treasured by Grandma Regan

Another ten hours at my kitchen table working on edits.

I took a little break to run this leather "plate" to the framing store

so they can continue working on Grandma Regan's serape I'm having framed.

My mom found it when cleaning out Marge's attic.

She said she and my Grandpa bought it on a trip to Mexico and it covered her hope chest with her prized possessions. My mom remembers moving it each time she opened the chest to look through her mom's treasures.

It's old and the framing is costing a fortune because the woman 

has to sew it to the mat with nearly invisible thread. And the serape is very fragile.

But I think it's worth it to preserve it. They're such beautiful colors!

Words and Pictures

We made the newest brochure!

I've been getting several texts about it. So funny.

Dan raced today and I'd planned to hike again.

But the painters wanted to come by in the morning

and I decided to have a pajama day and dedicate myself to book corrections.

I finished reading the printed version yesterday and made all my notes on the hard copy.

I made it through 200 pages finding better ways to say:

laughed. whispered. heart pounded. snorted. idiot. gazed. sweet. shrugged. 

colorful. glass. piece. adverbs like slowly and carefully. and many, many other filler words.

I can tell the chapters that I wrote for classes and those that weren't reviewed.

Because even though I've reviewed them and several beta readers.

they're still full of repeated words.

***

Gooooo Dodgers! On to the next round!

 

Taking Care of Business

I've had a very productive and busy week.

The best kind where you get lots done, but the schedule isn't overwhelming or stressful.

I love this stage of life!

I've loved all stages of life!

There's so much to love about each one. I would never choose one over the other.

I went back to the chiro and he was shocked over my bruising

and very apologetic. I'm just glad that we're making progress.

He said it was the most bruising and worst old injury he's seen

(and he's a chiro for the NBA). 

That made me feel so cool.

Fingers crossed we can fix my tennis elbow.

There is Beauty All Around

This morning I biked my regular loop listening to the most inspirational podcast with Communications expert, Matt Townsend, diving into the Savior coming to the Americas in 3rd Ne. 17 and how we can follow his example by reading signals to care for the people we love.

(One example: The Savior is teaching from Isaiah and then perceives the people are weak.

Think tired and overwhelmed from all the information and unable to take in more.

He's on his father's errand and has more he needs to teach.

But he doesn't force it on them. Instead he sees their exhaustion and says he'll come back the next day.

But they don't want him to leave. 

What does he do? He doesn't continue preaching, he starts ministering.

Healing their sick, allowing him to come to him one-by-one.

He makes time to love.)

Jenny, Carol and I went to the Taylorsville temple this afternoon

and I'm so loving the shorter endowment session.

Also, attending with friends that I love is the best.

A meeting with our designer, Jason,

and then finally a moment to breathe.

(And coordinate details for the carpenters and painters to finish repairing our sunroom ceiling.)

I got a surprise visit from Sheree this evening

when she came over to exchange a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her amazing cutting garden

for a fistful of a flowering plant she wanted from my yard that she can't find anywhere else.

I took her next door to visit the neighbor's cutting garden,

and it was so fun to be with Sheree because she knows all the color names and varieties,

how to care for them and really gets excited about it all.

We talked until after dark and I had to hold my flashlight so she could

shovel up her cutting that had such strong roots she had to manhandle 

the bush to get it to let go. She's so strong, I wasn't worried at all that she'd give up.

And the Dodgers won, taking the series to Game 5!

I'm pretty sure it's because I wore my Dodgers shirt today.

Desolation Overlook

Still needing time in the mountains immersed in fall colors

and happy that my friend, Kelly H. could join me on a hike to Desolation Overlook.

We had a good talks about our missionaries, remembering learning our own life lessons,

patience and grace and tithing.

Plus catching up on our grown kids.

I love how fast time goes when you're hiking up a mountain with a friend.

The colors followed us home. 

Can't wait to watch the changes in our yard over the coming weeks.

I spent time glorious time outside proofreading,

until these military jets started doing fly-bys. 

Which was exciting the first two circles and then got reeeeeally annoying

after thirty minutes because they're sooooo loud.

I was glad Dan made it home in time to hear them though. 

I had a baby shower tonight and loved visiting with Steph B. and Steph R., 

Mimi and Natalie.

I road the Vespa over so no one can accuse me of never using it.

To-Dos and Too Bad

I have a big to-do list this week,

including re-reading my entire book for the final proofreading round.

I've read it soooo many times cover to cover, cleaning up typos, eliminating filter words and adverbs and repeated words, clarifying scenes with description or deleting description for clarity.

And every time I think, ta-da! it's perfect! 

A few months go by and I read it again and I find so much more to improve.

I didn't make too much progress on my proofreading; however,

because I had a long list of other responsibilities.

Including going to the chiropractor to work on my tennis elbow and make 

potato corn chowder for the Bywater's Pumpkin carving party tonight.

At the chiro he discovered a tear in my bicep and a lot of scar tissue that 

he worked on with the scraper. It was painful. I am tough.

And because I can relax through a lot of discomfort,

He dug very deep and now I'm very bruised.

The Potato Corn and Sausage chowder was a big hit, like last year.

And if you don't have this kitchen device for dicing potatoes, get yourself one, stat!

Conference Weekend

We slept in again. 

I'm so excited to finally feel rested.

I've loved Conference Weekend.

I've been spiritually nourished and received answers for personal questions.

Plus getting outside with beautiful fall weather 

injected extra energy to both days.

Plus, we had Chris with us all day.

And I scratched his back like a typical Sacrament Meeting sitting next to him.

Drove up Millcreek Canyon between the sessions.

Some oranges and reds, but we almost missed the canyon colors this year.

 

Conference soup, of course.

And loved that Courtney also made Conference Soup for their friends that joined them to watch.

A Perfect Day

Early to bed and slept in late -- finally adjusting from European time.

Morning time on the deck.

Listened to the first session of conference on a long ride with Dan to Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Fall colors, challenging ride and spiritual inspiration.

Perfection.

Home errands checking off the to-do's. 

Then listened to the second conference session on a drive with the top down

up Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The oranges and reds are mostly gone, but the yellows are vibrant.

Finished the session while pruning the garden.

Found a bunch of hidden cucumbers.

We've still got lots of tomatoes on the vine, but I don't think they've got enough sun to redden.

We'll see. The zucchinis and squash are definitely done.

At 4:30 we went for a Chinese foot and body massage.

Then made wings and veggies for dinner and watched the Dodgers beat the Padres

in Game 1 of the first post season game.

Big Little Things

I'm so glad to have some time at home and get back on a regular exercise routine.
Walked out of my neighborhood and into the hill streets and happened

upon my favorite morning view. 

The sun lighting the mountains at the other end of the valley

was my view from my bedroom window when kneeling by my bed for my morning prayers.

The sun on the horizon will always symbolize for me the light of Christ

and his hand in my life.

When we moved, I told my mom I'll miss this view--my new bedroom doesn't have a big view.

She reminded me that it's nice to miss something.

It means you had something you really loved. 

And I'll find something about my new bedroom that I end up loving.

(The deck!)

***

I've watched this video a million times. 

She is the cutest! And I'm so glad we have videos!

Lucky kids whose parents go this big with the Halloween decorations.

I've sort of lost my decorating desire now that the kid are grown.

But we're having a Halloween party, so it gives me a good reason to get in the spirit.

I saw eucalyptus in the shower on Instagram and giving it a try.

Little Things

I have a new phone screensaver and it makes me so happy!

And reading scriptures and journaling underneath a blanket in the early morning

with a view of leaves just starting to change is my happy place.

I tried to go on a bike ride with the intent of heading up the canyon to see the leaves changing,

and when I rode around the corner, I discovered my electronic shifters needed to be charged

and I was stuck in the hardest gear.

Made a thirty minute loop on mostly flat ground instead.

Will have to try again on Saturday.

Good News

 What seems like another lifetime ago when we lived in Santa Monica, 
I had three little kids, and Rachel was only 21, going to nursing school and nannying for Susan,
Rachel was driving back to California from Utah with her friend, Jessica,
and they were basically pushed off the road by a semi and had a terrible crash.

Dan and Jason (Rachel's boyfriend, Jessica's brother), flew or drove,
I can't remember the details, to Las Vegas to gather them up and bring them home.

For the next few weeks whenever I was in the car alone, I cried and cried tears of gratitude thinking how things could have turned out so differently and how grateful I was that the two girls walked away unhurt.

Monday, Rachel had a 3 cm lump that removed from her breast.

She'd been waiting for the surgery for a few weeks.

Today the results came back that everything was clear. A fibroadenoma.

(Only Rachel, a nurse, would know what that meant without looking it up.)

I hadn't allowed myself to think anything differently than it would be benign. 
I couldn't even imagine it. I wouldn't.

Upon hearing the news, the same emotions of 22 years ago came flooding back.

She's okay. Everything's okay.

When I told Dan, he felt the same thing, and said,

"It makes me tear up hearing it's good news."

No Power, No Problem

Nick in Ecuador managing just fine without power.

😂

Gotta have his meat.

He said it actually cooked them really well!