We're Going to be SEALED!

We got our letter saying that we can go to the temple and have our marriage made eternal! We don't know when we go yet, since we want all our kids to be there. We DO know where we will be "sealed" - the Columbia River Temple, in southeastern Washington.

It was built while we lived in that area. My son worked for the contractor who supplied materials for a while. We were able to get pebbles that would go into the foundation and write our name names on them. They, then, became part of this building's foundation. It was the first temple Tom ever got to go through a tour before it was dedicated. We sat in the celestial room and told each other that was where we wanted to be sealed. It was the first temple dedication that Tom got to attend.

72 Hour Emergency Kit - Update

My goal was it have it completed by conference but all I had at that time was the food and water. We ordered some MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) for the kit. I used individual sized water bottles simply because I had them on hand.

As of today, I have everything assembled and stacked together in the garage - except for medications. That will take some arranging, but I am still working on that. I need to get some more plastic boxes that allow you to set up a week at a time. What I have assembled isn't exactly the way I want it to be, but it IS all together.

I have a plastic trash can for the food, water and miscellaneous items. I used an old camera bag for our first aid comtainer, which worked out really well. I have on OLD suitcase (with wheels) for our change of clothes and toiletries. There are still things I would like to add. I think there are better containers. There are things we currently have in storage that I would prefer to have here. It's a work in process. But, if we had to leave the house in an emergency tomorrow, I think we would be okay - as long as I grab our medicines.

So - how are you guys doing?

Carrots

Remember me mentioning those monster carrots I found? And made carrot cake out of? Here are the last two and they were the smallest!
Eat your heart out, Bugs Bunny!

Movies Worth Watching

I discovered this movie company last year. I watched Facing the Giants and LOVED it. I am SO tired of Hollywood movies that don't represent MY standards, that promote violence, dishonesty and sex. This movie showed people who search the scriptures and prayed for answers when they are in trouble. People who put the Lord first and based their decisions on His word. Though this may offend some - this is important to me. Their lastest movie, Fireproof, was released last month in theaters all around the country. It was created to strenghen families and marriages. Their tenets are different than mine, but when Christ's values are promoted in such a public forum, I have to applaud. The goal of strenthening families against the assault currently underway is something that should be taken up by every Christian.

These three movies were made by a church in Albany, Georgia. Their mission statement?

"Sherwood Baptist Church exists to touch the whole world, with the whole Word, motivated by a passion for Christ and compassion for all people."

This is a clip about how they produce these movies:

"MEDIA VOLUNTEERS
The media ministry of Sherwood is blessed with many volunteers. These special people give their precious time and God-given talents to serve the Lord through the ministry of sound, lighting, camera operation, engineering and much more. Without the commitment of these people, there would be no media ministry at Sherwood."

Awesome.

Stake Conference

We had our leadership meeting last night in Corvallis. I don't usually go to night meetings that far away, but had been impressed that I should go last night. I always LOVED our stake conferences when we lived here before. They were SO powerful. David Blake was stake president then and he was amazing. (I understand that he and his wife are on a mission now) I was pleasantly surprised that Tom was willing to go too. Mom chose to stay home.

It was different than the ones back in 1999-2000, but good. There is such a palatable feeling when that many faithful saints come together. It's like taking a long, warm bath.

While driving there, I was enjoying the beautiful fall colors. We have had weeks of clear, cloudless skies. As the temperatures have dropped, we haven't had the cloud cover to give us our usual insulation. The temperatures have been lower than normal for this time of year, as a result. There wasn't been much wind, either. The result was bright reds, yellows and oranges - full trees on fire. The first wind storm will cover the roadways with this pallet of color, but right now they have a wonderful display.

I started thinking about the differences that have occurred in stake conferences since I joined the church in 1966. When I first joined, Stake conferences occurred more frequently. They used to have one every three months. And they had two sessions - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Both lasted two hours. Once a year, we would have a general authority come and speak at our conference. Those were the ones I liked the best at the time.

About the time I had my son (1979), things changed. There was another energy crisis, and resulting gas shortage. Prices rose. Gas stations shut down. The church changed it's meeting schedules.

Up until then, all the meetings were an hour to an hour and half long and spread throughout the week. Priesthood and Sunday school were held on Sunday mornings. Sacrament was held Sunday evening. Relief Society was held on Tuesday afternoon. The children had Primary and Mutual on Wednesday afternoons. That was a lot of traveling back and forth and required greater expense for heating and lighting at the meeting house. The schedule was designed to cut down on operating expenses for the meeting houses and time and provide relief for families in their commuting expenses. It put more responsibility on parents for maintaining their children's spiritual education.

They also cut stake conferences back to twice a year and a general authority would attend only every other year. This year we are having a regional satellite broadcast for our Sunday meeting. The theme for our conference was the same as many of the talks at general conference - Unity. Building strong families. "Flourishing" where you are planted. That's a subject for another posting...

Ericka - It's in Our Genes...

I decided to make a carrot cake yesterday. When I got groceries the day before, they had these gigantic carrots. They looked like you could sword fight with them! I bought five and it must have weighed two pounds! They barely fit in the crisper drawer.

So - I grated a couple of these monster orange rapiers, mixed the cake and got it in the oven. I unplugged the mixer - and Mom's mixer has a cord that totally disconnects. the little electric cord fell to the floor and hit one of my toes. What could it have weighted? Four to six ounces? It hurt so badly; I thought I had dropped a can of green beans on my toe! Evidently, it landed with edge of the metal plug prong on my toe. It CUT my toe! Unbelievable. I cut my toe on an electrical cord... Suddenly, cutting your hand on a chicken seems totally reasonable.

What Do I Do in the Fall?

Plan for SPRING!!

I planted about seven dozen bulbs today! Tulips, daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths. I filled about eight pots. Now I can look forward to having a yard full of color next spring. I tried some color combinations and am anxious to see how they come out. I got a strawberry planter - something like this one - only all the holes are at the same level, not staggered like this one...


I put crocus in the little pockets and placed the top with daffodils, hyacinths and the left-over crocus. I'm hoping for little pockets of purple on the sides and multi-colors on top.

I planted a big planter with pink tulips and assorted daffodils. It will be months before I know how they turned out, but I will post pictures in the spring. But I needed something to look forward to.

We got the big window in the living room replaced today. It was a double-paned one that had lost it's seal. It was all foggy and had moisture inside. I didn't realize what a difference it made in the view until they replaced it.

Today was amazingly beautiful. Cloudless blues skies. The ocean was little rowdy. DEEP blue with perfect full waves rolling in. The swells were large. When they broke, there were two crests - one of the water curling brilliant white in the sunshine, and a gauze-like halo crest of mist just above the white water. It was a wispy outline of where the water HAD been just seconds before.

I sat out on the deck (getting my vitamin D for the day) in the sun, planting my bulbs, using the table we brought from Tidewater. There was no wind. Just the sun warming my skin. I thought it would be a good activity for my mom and I, but it didn't work out that way. So Tom and I enjoyed the deck and the day together.

I was wrong.

I am now wisdom-tooth-less.

My dentist thought we might just as soon do all the work in one day. That could be because I had cancelled a couple appointments already, due to getting the bronchitis. Actually, the tooth pulling was the lesser of the ordeals. It was ready to come out and didn't give us any problems. I'm not even having that much pain tonight from that.

The two fillings were something else. They were in the middle of my right lower jaw. My dentist had to give me about five shots to deaden it. I guess my nerves run different than most folks. This has happened to me before. The shot sights are VERY sore tonight and that side of my face is a little swollen.

The good news? I am DONE for six months! All needed dental work done!

Vancouver British Columbia Temple

The exterior walls on the new Vancouver temple have reached their full height. They have added the entrance canopy and are working on the meetinghouse that is located near the new temple. Another reason to get our passports!

Am I Blue?

I think we are truly moving into the rainy season. We had a nice little squall blow through yesterday. I did some errands and bought some more yarn. (it's a sickness...) Also picked up some books. My boredom fearing quirk is functioning. I have another dental appointment today - just fillings this time. They are going to pull a my last wisdom tooth, but not today.

I'm in a funk:

1)"depression, ill-humor," 1743, probably originally Scottish and northern English, earlier as a verb, "panic, fail through panic," (1737), said to be 17c. Oxford University slang, perhaps from Flem. fonck "perturbation, agitation, distress," possibly related to O.Fr. funicle "wild, mad."

(American Psychological Association (APA):
funk. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved October 21, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/funk)

Maybe it is being exposed to the TV news all the time. I'm sick of all the negativity in this Presidential compaign. Our economic situation is depressing - especially for someone in my age range. Maybe it's that my body isn't up to speed yet. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's getting our house inspected and knowing all the things that need to be addressed. Maybe it's all those things rolled together.

I need to read my scriptures.

"Our families need the peace of God in their lives, and if we can’t or won’t invite the Lord into our lives, then our families become a reflection of our own turmoil. Women are asked to be nurturers to their families, but we must also be firm; we must be the hard rock footings on which our homes can stand. Our families need us to speak peace to them, just as the Lord speaks peace to us. Our homes need to be places where our families and friends want to be, where all who enter our homes can draw strength and courage to face the challenges of living in an increasingly wicked world. Our children need to hear us “talk of Christ, … rejoice in Christ, [and] preach of Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26) so that they may know to what source they can look for the peace that “passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

Remember, sisters, the Savior’s invitation is clear and direct, and importantly for us, it is constant: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden. … Take my yoke upon you, … for … my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). This is the Lord’s promise to me and to you.

My prayer for each of us is that we will remember when the Lord has spoken His peace to us and has encircled us in the arms of His love. And just as important, will you, if you haven’t felt that love for a while, seek to see it and feel it as you go about the ordinary tasks of your life. As you do this, over the days and months and years of your life, the memories of those interactions with the Lord will become sweet gifts to open a second time—or many times—to bolster you when life is difficult.

“Peace I give unto you,” the Lord promises, “not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (John 14:27). Peace. Strength. It is what we long for and what is possible. We only need to turn toward His reaching arms "

Kathleen H. Hughes, “Remembering the Lord’s Love,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 111–12

Scriptures vs Cell Phones

Don't you wonder what would happen if we treated our Scriptures
like we treat our Cell Phones?

What if we carried them around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get them if we forgot them?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we spent an hour or more using them every day?
What if we used them to receive messages from the "text"?
What if we treated them like we couldn't live without them?
What if we gave them to kids as gifts?
What if we used them as we traveled?
What if we used them in case of an emergency?
Oh, and a few more things - Unlike our cell phones, one Plan fits all.
Unlimited usage.
No roaming charges.
You always have reception.
No weak signals AND we don't ever have to worry about our Scriptures being disconnected, because our Savior already paid the bill!

Another Tag - My Elite Eight

My eight favorite TV shows:
1. Eli Stone
2. Lost
3. Medium
4. Ghost Whisperer
5. Without a Trace
6. CSI - New york
7. Law & Order
8. Cold Case

My eight favorite restaurants:
1. Lucky Thai - in Newport
2. Cafe Rio - in Utah
3. Applebees
4. Olive Garden
5. BJ's Pizza - in Portland
6. In & Out Burgers
7. Tidal Raves - in Depot Bay, OR
8. Matt's Breakfast - in Phoenix, AZ

Eight things that happened yesterday:
1. I weighed five pounds less than normal
2. I went to the hospital
3. We had a beautiful sunny day.
4. I was looking forward to solid food, but didn't get to have any.
5. I watched the presidental debate.
6. I talked to Ericka.
7. I talked to Matthew
8. I opened boxes from Matt that had parts for my new computer.

Eight things I am looking forward to:
1. Matt coming out to visit
2. Lost coming back on TV
3. Matt & Chrissy's visit at Christmas
4. Feeling energetic again
5. The days getting longer again.
6. Thanksgiving
7. Eating pizza tomorrow (sad, isn't it?)
8. Driving into the valley to see the leaves

Eight things I love about fall
1. The colors on the hills
2. The crisp cool nights
3. The chipmunks storing seeds for winter
4. Thanksgiving
5. Pumpkins
6. Family get-togethers
7. Watching the sun change position in the west
8. Halloween

Eight things on my wish list
1. That my mom didn't have Alzheimers
2. I was more positive
3. I could see into the future
4. I could go to Mesa again
5. I lived on a farm
6. Clare didn't hurt so much when she walks
7. All my family lived close enough to have Sunday dinners together
8. I had friends to do things with

I've Been Tagged - Quirks?

Okay, Ericka.
1. I don't like to wear anything that is "tight." My definition of tight is different than other people. I can't wear necklaces for more than a few hours. I can't wear wrist watches or bracelets or rings. Even clothes that "skim" drive me crazy. They have to really loose - almost baggy. I can't wear long sleeve tops very often, unless it is cold. If I do wear long sleeves, I stretch them out by pushing them up past my elbows during the day. I do that with thermals. It just drives me crazy. I don't know why.

2. I get sensory overloaded in some stores. Like Target. Like Ikea. Too much color, too much visual stimulation, too many choices. They aren't fun for me. I remember this one store in Victorville. It was a new Vons. It was when they first started doing the big "super" stores. Everything was on red risers. They were using the warehouse appeal. They had big mural type ads hanging over the aisles. I would get totally stressed out in there. I stopped shopping there.

3. This one is really weird. I used to do it a lot when I was a single mom. I just did it recently and surprised myself. I think I must have some kind of a shopping disorder. I go in a store and look around for as long as I want. I pick out the things that appeal to me; things I think I would like to buy. (I've only done it in stores that provide shopping carts) It's like impulse shopping - only I don't buy anything. I leave everything in the cart. I know anyone who works retail will hate me for leaving that stuff to be put away.

4. I am the messy one in my marriage. I leave piles of mail around. I don't hang up my clothes all the time, okay, most of the time. I can trash the inside of the car in a week. It looks like I live in it. Tom is so sweet in taking care of me and I am spoiled. I am trying to improve in that area. I don't like this in myself.

5. I hate to be bored. I carry things that I think I can use to entertain myself, which is part of the problem with my car. I carry my scriptures. I carry books. I carry yarn, Cd's, anything that I might be able to use. I am a compulsive crocheter. I always have something with me to work on. I have even carried a spare crochet hook in my glove box.

6. I have a thing for cheese graters. Mostly the flat, old-fashioned aluminum ones, with really large (1/2 inch) holes. They are wonderful for making homemade hash browns. If I see one in a second-hand store, I have to buy it. When Ericka wanted me to go see the new Ikea store in Portland, all she had to say was "They have some neat cheese graters..." I went. I bought. Ericka thinks I have more cheese graters than any one person would ever need. She may be right.

Rules:
Link to 6 people that follow your blog.
Mention on their blog that you've tagged them.
Tell 6 unsuspecting quirks about yourself and ask them to do the same.

I don't have six people who follow my blog. Ericka tagged the ones I might have chosen. So I will tag Arya and Cheryl and anyone else who thinks it might be fun to do. Just let me know you've completed it so I can check yours out.

Hell Freezes Over - Again

This isn't what Tom looks like this week.

Most of you know how MUCH Tom hates speaking in front of people. How he has sworn he will never give a talk in sacrament meetings. How nervous he gets. He told President Douglas when we moved in that if he was ever asked to speak, he would say no. Well, he didn't.

We are both giving talks next Sunday. The subject? Christ. I wish it were a little more defined.

Colonoscopy, or "Oh Say, Can You See..."

The worst part was the prep. Taking the pills and drinking this stuff was disgusting. The only good part was that it took my hunger away. I certainly wasn't interesting in eating after finishing all that! The procedure was nothing compared to that.

The staff at PCH were great to me and I couldn't have treated any better. I wasn't even groggy when I woke up. They found a couple polyps and took them out. We will get the results of the biopsy in a week or so. I have to be on a liquid diet for another 24 hours, just to give those spots a chance to heal over a little before we introduce food.

I have been craving saltines and white bread. Isn't that weird? Of all the stuff I might want to eat, that is what I miss. Tom planned on having pizza tonight, to celebrate and since I wouldn't be able to cook. I went upstairs while they cooked it and ate dinner. They saved me a couple pieces for tomorrow. I am feeling fine, just tired of drinking my meals.

Treasures for the Future

Ericka is a good mom. She makes memories for her kids. She thinks of things I never did and her kids will be grateful for the memories she has created for them. She tries to document fun times and all the special events. I admire that. That were so many things that went unrecorded in my kids lives as they were growing up.

She wanted to get pictures of Faith in her baptism dress at the Portland Temple. While we were there, I was touched. Maybe it's my age. It almost made me sad. I saw this lovely little girl ...

growing up so fast.

Today she is walking with her dad

Posing at the reflective pool, excited and giggly. Do either of them think about what tomorrow brings? The next time they will be taking pictures like this? To have these images to show at Faith's wedding? That is where I think Ericka is brilliant. And it shows what a good dad Jared is - taking the time, getting dressed up in his suit, praying the rain will stop - to make memories.

Can you imagine how much this picture will mean to them in the future? When all the sibling rivalry is over? When the toys on the floor are long gone? And the arguments are just echoes?
Families are forever. But little children are only little and young such a short time. It seems like forever when you are raising them, but looking back it seems to past lightning fast.

Such a treasure we are given. Spirits to love and train. To teach and learn from. Future mothers and fathers. Who knows what they will accomplish? To be part of their dreams and hopes and aspirations is the greatest gift.


The temple always puts things into perspective.

Families are forever, if we can just make it through today.
With love we can.

Autumn Signs

On my trip to Eugene, there were many signs of fall coming. The cooler nights bring changing leaf colors.

But more importantly - is the influx of the witch population:

They are everywhere!

Coming Back

I feel like I am climbing out of a deep hole.

They say you never really appreciate something until you loose it. So it is with health and energy. I got knocked down pretty hard by an upper respiratory infection. I guess coming on top of my already weakened system, it hit me hard.

My lack of entries isn't lack of desire, it was just lack of energy. It wasn't until I started feeling better that I realized HOW hard I had felt. For the first time in a week, I feel almost like myself.

I have several things to post, but won't be able to do so until later today. We have a baptism to go to this morning. There is a an older couple in our branch (congregation) who live part-time in Arizona and part-time here. (We call them snowbirds) They have been coming for several years. She is a member and he isn't, but he always comes with her. Well, he is getting baptism this morning. Such a NICE man, I'm really happy for them.

Will write more later today.

Antonio Tomas Galindo

My newest little grandson came into the world a little early, in Venezuela. He was born about five weeks early. He is still in the hospital, doing well. Just tiny.

He weighed 4.5 pounds and was 17 inches long at birth. The good news is that he may get to come home this Friday. Mom, Dad, and big brother are all doing well. No pictures as yet.

Welcome to Earth, little Antonio!

What is a Little Boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood we find a delightful creature called a boy. Boys come in assorted sizes, weights and colors, but all boys are the same. Boys are found everywhere -- on top of,

underneath, inside of,

climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to.
Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older brothers and sisters tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them.

A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.



When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly, or else he becomes a savage, sadistic jungle creature bent on destroying the world.



A boy is a composite -- he has the appetite of a horse, the digestion of a sword swallower, the energy of an atom bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator, the shyness of a violet and when he makes something, he has five thumbs on each hand.

A boy is a magical creature --

you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart. Might as well give up -- he is your captor, your jailer, your boss and your master -- a freckled face, pint size, cat chasing bundle of noise.

Happy Birthday, Cayden!!

I love you!

Clipped, Stitched and Burned

My dermatologist visit went well. I really like the PA I had. He should have his own TV series. He had me laughing most of the time I was there. They didn't leave me alone long enough to take pictures, like my dentist does. Too bad. I had my camera and I was ready. He also had a nice option there. He set up a little "store." There was a shelf stocked with tons of samples, with a plastic bags available. I was invited to "shop" and take any sample in which I was interested. Cool.

Background for my dermatogy parania: My Grandma Tooley (my mom's mom) died from melanoma. We are mostly Irish in genetic background - which brings light skin, freckles and moles. Lovely when you are young. Scary as you age. So - I wouldn't say I know every mole on my body by name, but... If a mole gives me a slightest doubt, it dies.

For almost a year I have had concerns about several things on my face. Other than the wrinkles. It's taken months to get an appointment that I could actually arrange to attend. They book appoints 6 weeks out. In six weeks, my whole life would turn upside down and it would be impossible to get there. This was my third appointment - and I wanted to address everything I possibly could. The doctor was awesome!

Only one of my concerns might have been pre-cancerous growth. He was willing to freeze it into oblivion. All the others, he said he would take care of "for fun" because I wanted them gone. One of the skin tags was on the very edge of my eyelid. It's always been there. I used to be able to cover it with eyeliner but as I aged, it became bigger. I stopped wearing eyemake up because of its presence.

My cute doctor warned that it was in a very sensitive spot. It didn't have to come off for health reasons, but was easy to do if I wanted it gone. I did. It would involve getting s shot in the eyelid to deaden it; then he could just snip it off.

I also had a cyst along my jaw line that I hated. It gave me an appearance (in my opinion) that I had a wad of chewing tobacco in my cheek. Maybe no one else noticed, but it bothered me. He excised it. I will have a scar there - a line. A line is better than a tabacco wad. I hope.

I had some skin tags that I hate. I think they are gross. They weren't noticable to anyone but my hubby and I - but I hated them. He said he could easily freeze them and they would flake off. Again, "for fun," if I wanted. I wanted.

The doctor had his assistant do the deadening and then he came in. He smiled charmingly and kind of winked. "Did you like how I deligated that off?" I agreed he had been very slick. "I"M not going to be the bad guy! I come in and make things better. SHE inflicts the pain..." Seconds later I was skin-tag-less!

The skin tags die a slow death. He shoots liquid nitrogen on them. It is so cold, it feels like a burn. It causes frostbite for small, selected areas. They die, and drop off as they heal. He warned that it would hurt. He said we have as much "fun" as I could stand. When I had "all the fun" I could stand, he would stop. It would be up to me. He said he would would go for the "best and brightest."

He started freezing the spots. The ones by my eyebrows were the most painful. As he progressed, he asked if I was doing okay. I said "No problem." He said, "You REALLY want these things gone, don't you?" "Yep."

If they die, it will be worth it.