MESS!

Cavin and Ella have a very cute way of saying MESS! when they need their hands washed or their faces cleaned or the toys need to be picked up or there is any type of major disorganization. And that is about the only word to describe the house right now but I am ok with that. The floors are mostly installed and I think I am going to really like the way they function and look. I am excited about the possibilities of a cleaner and more orderly home!

2010

Happy New Year to all. I struggle with Christmas but love New Year's! Crazy huh. It was great to have the kids home and the other kids around except for Chris. We missed him and his cute family. I really have the greatest kids and they have the greatest spouses who are marvelously supportive of them and us and (we) all have the most darling and adorable children/grandchildren. I will never cease to be amazed at how delightful they are and how much I adore them. I am grateful for the blessings of the past year. It had some difficulties but there was very clear evidence of the hand of the Lord helping through the challenge. Miracles were granted and progression was made. Progression always comes with struggle if we allow for it. There were good things that happened that maybe shouldn't have happened or certainly came through the grace of God and I have had a tremendous sense of gratitude for His willingness to help my family with what they need. There were some prayers that were not answered in the way that we would have wanted them to be answered but I am certain that they were heard and that He will attend. We went to watch Lisa run her half marathon this morning. It is very inspiring. She did great. Then we took Missa and Ethan to the airport. Sorry to see them go. Loved having them. (Thanks for coming!) They are going home to move to Rexburg tomorrow! I hope that all goes well. Chris and Chira went down to see the White House Christmas Tree.....Caden says it's COLD! Corey getting ready to head out to interview some more this coming week. The kids start school again on Monday. Natalie not having to work very much. Kind of nice. Kerry out churching some this evening. He is trying to support the new ward creation on Sunday. They have to have calls issued by then. I am watching football and working on the computer. Fun (if Miss didn't have to go) and low key day. Steph made some great chimichangas for lunch. They were wonderful. Stopped by Lumber Liguidators on the way home. Narrowing our search for hardwood flooring. Time to do maintenance on and update some features of the house! All in all I am hoping that the new year will be a happy and healthy one. I am so grateful for so many tender mercies.

Hustle and Bustled

This is a photo from our trek to Israel a few years ago...we were going down the steps into the area in a cathedral in Bethlehem where they feel that the Savior was born. It is a site whereon several churches have built cathedrals and shrines to the Christ Child...it has become very non-manger-ish and non-stable-ish as they have guilded and adorned and encrusted the site with much that the world values but with nothing the Child would have valued...it was crowded and hustle-y and bustle-y and very much NOT a peaceful place where you could make a connect to the sacred event that is said to have transpired there. Hmmmmmmmm......there is a pattern there that I am picking up on...a holiday(site) meant to celebrate the Savior but with little real semblance of anything that actually does celebrate the Savior.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Hustle and bustle is the name of the season but my hussle is bustle-d! I told Kerry that I think I have too many 'windows' open on my 'screen' and the hard drive is bogging down! So I may need to be re-booted and see if I can get some forward progress going again! I hope that you are finding all well this season and getting a few of the things that you want to have done.......done!
My mom is home from her hip replacement surgery and we find that to be a miracle..I guess 'tis the season. Kerry's step Aunt Ruth passed away on Tuesday in Vernal. Mabel has done a magnificent job of assisting her during these last years of her life. I hope Ruth is able to understand that now. She would not have been able to before due to her mental alertness and assessment skills. But no matter, the guy that really counts knows. Nan is beside herself with anticipation. She loves the holidays. Corey is all over the place interviewing for transition year programs and resident programs. That process will continue into the new year. Chris is working hard in VA and they are awaiting the arrival of their new little one in January. Lisa and Rags are in the throws of the Rockets basketball season and Marisa will be here on Monday. We are happy she and Ethan are coming home! Our grandchildren are delightful and wonderful.......and growing. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and the happiest of new years.

Merciful

Mom had scheduled hip replacement surgery for today with much consternation and concern on the part of her family. But she has made it through the surgery and is doing well and we are hoping that she will do as well with the rehab. The resident's comments to mom before the surgery were that this was high risk and her test results were less than favorable; the dr's comment after the surgery was that the hip was a real mess. Contradiction seems to be mom's watch-cry. Don't really need evidence of His willingness to bless us but I am always in awe of that willingness...His blessings are abundant and usually undeserved but abundant none the less.

Monday

Trying to make a weekly post...we will see how long that lasts. Kerry home today which is a fairly rare event. Kind of fun to have him around. He helped me with a bit of Christmas shopping. Something tells me the holidays are going to come crashing in this year. Then he spent two hours on a conference call with President Rawson and Kunz. Nan and I went and finished a bit more shopping while he was otherwise engaged!
Marisa called and said that the ultrasound for the baby went well and that they can hear a heartbeat. That is exciting news! She has 'morning sickness' medicine now and so we hope that will help. Babies are wonderful. Nan working and getting excited about holidays as only she can. Corey about done with this year's rotations! That will be a great day. Chris is sick tonight with a headache. Bless his heart. They have been dumped on by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in Virginia. Allen Johnson came for a visit last night. He is Kerry's high school buddy/college roomate and the kid that helped him take the discussions and join the church. He comes to visit his daugher and grandaughters in Houston once a year. Fun to have him. A very interesting guy. And totally blown away by the whole Stake Presidency counselor thing/call! He knew Kerry when he was a total knucklehead! Makes me smile.

I will post a fun picture[s] that will once again be highly random! So the first photo is of a Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall (otherwise known as the Wailing Wall) and the second one is a statue at the {Greek} Orthodox? Church that was built very near the Garden of Gethsemane...in fact, on the grounds of the garden...a little blast from the past of two autumns ago! Have a great week!

I'll Huff and I'll Puff

I really have days when it would be OK if the big bad wolf showed up at the front door and huffed and puffed and blew my house down. I would at least feel like it came from an outside source as opposed to the slow painful demise that currently is at work here. The roof people replaced the roof after a hail storm a few years ago (not a hurricane mind you, a hail storm) then we had air conditioning and ceiling leaking problems that seemed un-related but now have proven to be connected. So the ceiling had to be repaired on two levels of the house and the air conditioning continues to function below minimal levels and now the plumber is here trying to resolve a back up in the system that seems to have been the source of the air conditioning overflow problem which caused the ceiling issues.AHHHHHH!!! And my floors ans walls are getting beat up in the process and the house is in serious need of some cosmetic and routine maintenance work and all in all, as hard as I try to keep it maintained, it has outpaced me! Just a fun Monday.
In other news, Kerry was released as Bishop yesterday and promptly flew out to Mexico City this morning (those are un-related events as well unless he doesn't come back!) He will feel a void in his life from the hole that the Bishop thing will leave in his heart and schedule but he won't have much time to worry about it. He has plenty of other items that will require his attention. Nan is having work scheduling issues......Corey and Stephani are fielding responses to his application(s) for transition programs and residencies. He has a one year transition program that is required in his field of endeavor and then the residency begins after that for four? years?. So twice the applications and twice the interviews. And twice the expense of flying to interviews. Bless his heart. Chris and Chira are heading to Utah for Thanksgiving. Lisa and Ragnar are in the throws of beginning season NBA basketball. Marisa is counting down her student teaching and very excited to be able to announce an impending birth to their family. Ran to Killeen to watch Jon play football and see Jana and the kids...then a week later that horrific assault occurred. Some are calling it a terrorist act.
Halloween was fun.....last week I took Nan to Mary Poppins and that was fun. Lots happening at church......and the holidays are coming on! So I'll huff and I'll puff and keep going along!

Sunday

Sundays can be one of my more energy sapping days. It is all good in that I really don't worry about a single thing that is related to home management or property management. That is a delight. But just for instance, today was choir then church with an opportunity to sit with a 2 year old whose mother leads the music in sacrament meeting and whose dad works on Sunday...so Sacrament Meeting was busy but fun (is it supposed to be fun?) with Daxton and the Children's Sacrament Meeting Program. Then Gospel Doctrine that was condensed to 20 minutes which is fine but the prep is what it is whether it is five or forty five minutes. Then I subbed in Primary with a little lesson so the Priamry teachers could have a break after rangling children for an hour and a half in Sacrament Meeting. Then home to get ready for a Bishop's Fireside that we were having here at the house. Now don't get me wrong, I have plenty of time and resources for this stuff...and I am not complaining....and with frozen pizza for dinner and cocoa puff for breakfast...the lagging commodity here is energy! Hooray for Sunday!