NEXT YEAR....

So....just for the record.....I have decided that buying Christmas presents is a pain and I don't want to do it anymore so we are going back to Disneyland next year! We were there last year and it ROCKED! Good thing my kids are all old enough to be on board with MY PLAN! (not that they get a choice anyway)

There is my ranting for the day!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MISSING MOM

I have been thinking of my Mom a lot lately. I think Thanksgiving will always be a little sad for me. Mom loved Christmas but everything about Thanksgiving is her. I think I have done a pretty good job keeping my tears in check the past several months but this past week they seem to be flowing. Yesterday I was at the grocery store and I forgot to bring the recipe for the stuffing with me. I am pretty sure I have it memorized but wanted to double check that I had not forgotten anything. I tried each of my sisters and got no answers and then began to cry. I just wanted to call Mom. I wanted her to be here making the turkey and stuffing so I did not have to worry that I would make it wrong. I want to ask her if she liked the pineapple and walnuts in the jello or not. She did it different every year and the recipe says "optional" What is her preference? I am mad today! Mad she is gone!

TODAY'S FIVE

1. My calling. I teach the 4th Sunday RS lesson and really enjoy it. I love reading conference and getting to teach the talks!

2. Books. I love reading and love being able to relax with a good book....especially Mary Higgins Clark

3. Warm fuzzy socks. My feet get so darn cold!

4. Hot Water. Have you ever been without your water heater for a day or two? I have and it was awful!

5. Computers. This is a love hate thing. I hate how testy electronic equipment is but you can't live without them!

MY FIVE

My sisters are all posting 5 things they are grateful for each day until Thanksgiving. What an awesome idea! So here is my 5 for the day.......


Today I am grateful to live so close to several temples! Dave and I decided on Tuesday that we were going to go to the temple on Wed. I changed Brandon's vision therapy apt. so we could attend a session that would get us home in time to put the kids to bed. We arrived at the AF temple about 4:30 PM. As we came around the corner Dave said, "We pick a good day. It does not look crowded." We then realized that there was not a single car there and it must be closed. We decided that we said we were going to do a session so we would just drive to another temple and off to Draper we headed. We arrived at the desk at exactly 5 PM. We found out that that temple does sessions on the hour so we would probably have to wait until 6 PM. We decided to just do sealings. One of the workers then came running to us and said they are holding the session and we needed to get dressed fast. We asked where the clothing rental was since we each needed one item. Only to find out that this temple did not rent clothing. At this point we decide that this is not working out for us and we would have to come another day but then another temple worker said, "NO, we will find you what you need. We want you to stay." Almost 20 min late, we walked into the session and I realize I REALLY need to use the bathroom. I was in such a hurry, knowing that people were waiting on us, that I forgot to go. NOT GOOD! I have the smallest bladder known to man! I say a prayer and the session begins. We must have really needed to be there because we faced several obstacles and each time a solution was found. We had a wonderful experience!

I am grateful for Dave's job. So many people are without work and we are hanging in there for now! I feel very blessed.

I am grateful for Carnation instant breakfast. I am not a big breakfast eater but know I should so I drink this every morning. It is so YUMMY!

I am grateful for Dr Price, Brandon's eye doctor. Many of you know he has 2 disorders that make reading and comprehending very very difficult for him. This is something that neither glasses or surgery would fix. He needed vision therapy. After 4 months of the program, I cannot even begin to explain how much better he is doing! He likes school for the first time and is actually doing well. This program is very expensive and our insurance would not cover it but once again, the Lord provided a way for Brandon to receive the help he needed. I will forever be grateful for this man....he gave Brandon a future!!!

I am grateful for my 5 sisters. I really love them all so much and cannot imagine going even one day with talking to one of them! I guess that makes me pretty grateful for phones too!

PHOTO SESSION

Can I just tell you that taking family photos is NOT a bonding experience! By the time I figured out what we were going to wear and made it to the Riverwoods, I was already cranky! My sister Kim took the pictures and the poor girl got to see my snippy side! It only happens once in a while but that was the day! Thank goodness we only take these once a year! It doesn't help when the boys in the family hate to smile.....you'd think they had a miserable life! (well, they probably DID think that at the moment) I am pretty happy with how good many of them turned out! I think this one on the bridge is the best.

ONE YEAR DOWN!

Well, this is very late but hey....that was my Mom's way of doing things anyway! October 11th was the one year anniversary of my Mom's death. The anticipation of the day was far worse then the actual day and for that I am grateful! The 11th was a Sunday but Mom actually died on Saturday so the 1oth was a pretty hard day for me. Ashlee had a soccer game that morning and I did not go. I just could not go sit on the same field I was the moment I found at she died at the very same time I found she died. It was just too much! Sorry Ashlee!!! Later that afternoon we went to the temple. I was very excited that my friend was getting sealed to her husband and 3 kids that day. It was a REALLY good day for me to go to the temple. I made it through the sealing fine but lost it as I walked out of the room. I am not sure why, at that very moment, the emotions suddenly hit me, but after a good 15 min of hard crying I actually felt much better, very peacful. I think it was almost cleansing. Sunday the 11th was actually a pretty good day. We decided to make the day a celebration. All the family which included my 5 sisters and their husbands, all the grandkids, my Dad, and Uncle Paul met at 5 PM....no matter where we were! Some were in Idaho Falls and went to the cemetery and those of us that lived in different states went to a park or outside in their yard. We all wrote letters to Grandma, put them in balloons and sent them up to heaven...at the exact same time.... for Grandma to read. We were all on speaker phone together. I could hear Kim and everyone in Idaho and Katie in Georgia at the very same time. It almost felt like we were together. The decision to make the day fun and more like a celebration of Mom's life really helped!!! Here a few photos of us at the park waiting for everyone to be ready to launch our balloons.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY....

"Common sense is not so "common" these days!"
-Oprah

Isn't it the sad truth?!?!