A New To Do List

Elder Aaron emailing from the church in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Elder Aaron emails us each week. I almost always get a fairly long email and he often sends an email to the immediate family.  This week John and I both got very short emails of a couple of sentences, but Marianne and Evan both received long emails.  Evan asked his big brother for advice about what to do in his spare time.  Aaron replied with a long list of ideas.

I thought I would share it with you in hopes it might spark an idea for you or for a family member. Sometimes we just need a little inspiration to get started on a project!

1. Learn how to operate ham radio and talk to people over the radio. 
2. Write in your journal about meaningful experiences in your life. Write about your goals, what you want to accomplish, and who you want to become. Take a video logs of yourself answering these questions. 
3. Play the piano. 3.5 Take voice lessons 
4. Find a service that lets you video chat with deaf people and practice ASL with a native speaker. Or find deaf people in Poway and practice with them. There has to be a deaf group somewhere in Poway. They would probably be impressed that you're striving to learn their language. [Marianne & Evan are taking an ASL class at the community college.] Don't worry if you can't communicate very well just practice. 
5. Interview Grandpa about his life and record the interview by video and/or audio. Have him record stories from his life. How did he join the church? How did he meet grandma? What were his pastimes as a teenager? What are his memories of his parents? 
6. Learn about computer hardware and build a computer. 
7. Work out at Brother Killen's house. [A friend with weights and equipment we can use for free.]
8. Seriously research universities. Why would you want to go there? What do you want to study there? What do you want to do when you graduate? Will you go to graduate school? 
9. Start taking a picture of yourself every day. By the time you're 25 you'll have a photographic history of growing up. That would be awesome! 
10. Have Dad teach you about financial stuff and develop a financial plan for your life. 
11. Play with Lavender or plant a garden with Evan. 
12. Build a password scheme for your different accounts. 
13. Make your passwords stronger than they are now. 
14. Check out the original papyrus for facsimile no.1 in the Book of Abraham on josephsmithpapers.org. 
15. Plan a Family home evening and carry it out. 
16. Work on your Eagle Scout project. (This one doesn't apply to Marianne directly. Maybe it can be "Help Evan with his Eagle project")
17. Convince Mom and Dad to take the family to a Jewish worship service on a Saturday. Find a good synagogue that would be happy to have you. Study a little about Judaism before you go. It would be a good cultural experience. 
18. Take principles from chapter 3 in Preach My Gospel and learn what other faiths believe about those principles. If possible, ask a real person. Write a paper about it. Do Roman Catholics believe in a premortal life? What do orthodox Jews think about baptism? How does the Islamic perception of God differ from your beliefs? 
19. Take pictures.

Did you know Elder Aaron will be home in 15 days?!  The kids told him we can visit a Jewish synagogue together after he gets home.

Can't wait to see him in two weeks!

Gifts from my children (besides the grey hair and stretch marks)

I'm not a big fan of Mother's Day, but I do love poetry and funny stuff.  This video combines the best of all three.  Take a look. It is only three minutes long.

Having three sons, I can really relate to it.  I have received more than my fair share of lanyards.  I even have a basket full of pebbles and stones in my bathroom.  Most of them were collected by my children and the basket was made by Ryan when he earned the basketry merit badge at scout camp.  Hundreds of homemade coupons have come my way.  Some were cheerfully redeemed, while other times the giver seemed surprised or even resentful that I actually wanted the car washed or the bathroom cleaned.  One year I received some from a tricky son with an expiration date that had already passed. Marianne, on the other hand, made a lovely collection of coupons that hung on a ribbon.  They were so cute that I left them hanging on my mirror for several years.  Last week Evan detailed my incredibly filthy van.  He worked for hours scrubbing, removing spots and making everything shine.  It was a professional quality job, and it wasn't even Mother's Day!  One of my favorite Mother's Day gifts was a homemade card from my 12 year old Aaron that included the word "didactic," which I had to look up in the dictionary.  My children have given me many gifts, including an expanded vocabulary.

Summer Highlights

What was the best part of our summer?
Well, that depends on who you ask!

One of the top contenders for "summer best" would be our trip to Utah for the 4th of July.  We spent some time with John's wonderful family, visited with my grandma and my Aunt Muff's family and headed to Wyoming for John's class reunion.  Several of John's classmates commented that he hasn't changed much since high school.  He took off his hat to show that he does have a little less on top these days, when one of his friends said, "Oh that doesn't make any difference.  John always wore a baseball cap back then too.  We couldn't see his hair anyway!"

Here is John in his baseball cap with his Aunt Ruth. Our niece Holly is in back.

Ruth is keeping a tight reign on the matches.

She actually called both the mayor and the police chief before letting the boys set off fireworks!

John with his sister Susan (left) and his cousin Connie (middle).

My kids favorite part of Wyoming can be summed up by this photo:

Fireworks and more fireworks!!

Here are a few more of our summer highlights.  These are from my point of view, so my kids may totally disagree.  (Kids, feel free to leave a comment with YOUR highlights.)

Aaron
Receiving his mission call
Taking lots of photos and creating amazing panoramic views
Going to the temple for the first time

Marianne
EFY at BYU Provo
Her 15th Birthday
Watching all of the Harry Potter movies
Spending time with the world's cutest and smartest baby

Brianne!

Evan
Scout Camp at Lake Arrowhead
A visit from his cousin Josh at the end of July
Watching lots of Doctor Who on Netflix
Making tons of amazing origami creations

Josh and Evan lighting smoke bombs

Whew!  That was a long post.  Aren't you glad I only shared the highlights?

Time for an Update

Aaron got to hear Condoleezza Rice speak at BYU last week. He even skipped his Book of Mormon class to stay for the Q & A session. Was it wrong of me to say, "Great choice son!"? Can you spot him in the crowd?

Maybe it's just my eyes, but I can't find him!
UPDATE: Take a look at the comments for this post!

Marianne has been taking lots of fantastic photographs. Have you seen her picture a day site? Take a look! Just click HERE.

Evan has spent the last 3 1/2 weeks playing with these non-stop. They really are cool!
As a bonus, you get a glimpse of the stool he built for the carpentry merit badge. It works well as a building/staging area for the magnets as long as you stay clear of the screws.


Brianne (in addition to being the world's cutest child prodigy) has learned to crawl! Ryan and Molly are busy working, swimming, teaching Primary and keeping up with her.



John is fully embracing his role as "Papa John" and was recently seen flying his granddaughter around the cemetery while chasing cousins.


Me? Well, I am embarrassed to admit that I have succumbed to product placement marketing. I actually bought a book that says "as seen in the film Despicable ME" on the cover. Yes, I've even been playing with the little kitten puppets. But hey, it was on sale! Who could resist? Apparently, not me.

Time to Celebrate!

As a little girl, I thought I could do anything.
This was mainly due to my father.

I knew he really believed in me.
Over the past weeks, I have heard my Dad brag about me
and although I was slightly embarrassed, it was good to know
that he is still my biggest fan!

This weekend we got to celebrate Dad on his birthday.
We started off with balloons, one for every year of his life!

I made two of Dad's favorites for dinner, so we feasted on meatloaf and spaghetti!

My parents met when Dad was just 14 years old, so this
was his first birthday in many years without his sweetheart.
Of course we missed Mom terribly, but Dad was sure to include
her by telling some of our favorite stories about her.

My parents were married in the St. George temple in 1962
and had receptions in Las Vegas and Salt Lake.
Then they honeymooned by driving to their new home in Minnesota.
My Dad had wonderful memories of a Boy Scout camping trip to Yellowstone,
so he thought it would be fun (and cheap) to camp by Old Faithful.
My Mom was proud to be making dinner for her new husband
and had just gotten out their pork chops when she was rudely interrupted
by a couple of bears. The bears wanted the meat and Mom was scared,
but she wasn't sacrificing their dinner!
She ran away from the bears and finally climbed up
on the picnic table and yelled at them.
Worst of all, several men in a nearby campsite were enjoying the performance.
They sat laughing for several minutes before finally coming over to scare away the bears
by banging on some trash can lids.

The pork chops were safe and dinner was served,
but Mom never recommended camping on your honeymoon!

~~~~~~~~
After plenty of stories and gifts, it was time for birthday cake.
The boys made sure that Grandpa had a huge flame to blow out!

Evan was impressed (and a little disappointed) that Grandpa
blew out the candles so quickly!


Dad reminded us all that he is getting a little older.
He says he is celebrating his 54th birthday this year.
And I must apologize for my mistake.
I guess I need to work on my math skills.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Dad!

Our Second Eagle Scout

Today we celebrated Aaron's accomplishments in Scouting!

We set up a table highlighting a few of his talents:
singing, Shakespearean acting, studying the classics and nature photography.
We recalled the service he has given to our community.
We watched a slide show of his life that made us cry.

We rejoiced in the growth we see in our family.

We shared our joy with our family and many friends.

Aaron's Eagle Scout Award was presented by his Boy Scout mentor, his grandpa Bob.
Thanks to my dad, all of his sons are Eagle Scouts.
Now he is helping his grandsons on the trail to Eagle!

We are grateful for everyone who has helped Aaron grow and progress as a Scout.
It is an important step on the path to becoming a man of God.

Gratitude

Over the years, my children have been blessed to have many great leaders at church. Evan's current leaders are continuing this wonderful tradition!

Evan's scoutmaster faithfully plans a monthly camping trip (the boys need 20 nights of camping with their scout troop for the camping merit badge!) and he bought each of the boys a pocket sized Book of Mormon so that they can read together during their campouts.

Evan's deacon's quorum advisor is a faithful teacher who inspires the boys with his great stories. He challenged them to prepare for their missions by memorizing D & C 4. They recite it in class each week. Every boy who memorizes it receives a gift from Deseret Book. Here is the book Evan got on Sunday. He has been carrying it around and reading us quotes.

I am so grateful for my son's Young Men leaders!
What are you grateful for today?

You're Invited to . . .

An Eagle Scout
Court of Honor

for
Aaron


and a couple of his buddies
Josh and Mark

Sunday, May 30th
5:00 PM
Pomerado Building

Happy May!

May is always a busy month for us. This year we even missed May Day, but maybe we can play catchup for Family Home Evening tonight. Here are a few of the exciting events coming up this month:

• May 13 - Aaron turns 18
• May 19 - Our granddaughter is scheduled to arrive!

• May 21 & 22 - Performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It. I'm directing and Marianne is "Celia".
  
• May 30 - Aaron's Eagle Court of Honor & our 23rd wedding anniversary
  

Worth Waiting For!

This post has been awhile in the making.

You might say I've been working on it since Monday . . .

or I guess you could say it's taken a whole year . . .

but really I've needed almost 22 years to prepare for this moment.

Because this is the time for me to wish my great husband

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This birthday wish has been in the making . . .

Since Monday,

Because his birthday was actually on Monday. Unfortunately, I spent most of this week sick in bed. I was so sick that he didn't get a present or even a card from me. But he's such a low-maintenance kind of guy that he didn't mind a bit. Fortunately, Evan got up early to make his Dad a special breakfast and Marianne made some of her wonderful cupcakes for him. I still need to make it up to him. I am planning to take him shopping tonight!

For a year,

Because I've had my blog for just over a year. One of my first posts was about John's birthday last year. This is actually my 100th post and it's only fitting that it is about the most important person in my life!

For almost 22 years,

Because that's how long we've been married. He was a great guy when I married him. Everyone thought so! In fact, John worked in Atlanta during a summer internship. He was in the same ward with one of my roommates who was home for the summer. Her parents fell in love with John and were very disappointed that their daughter didn't feel the same way. They held out hope that they could snag him for a son-in-law one way or another. When my roommate got back to BYU, they insisted that she introduce John to her older sister. It was a very awkward meeting which I got to witness because she brought me along for moral support! Even after we got married, my friend's parents continued to lament over the great catch that got away!

I am pleased to report that John is even more wonderful that he was 22 years ago. Now besides being a great husband he is also a fabulous father and a superb son-in-law.

If you need proof, here are a couple of pictures I love of John. They both show what a hard worker he is!

Here he is working with my Dad on Aaron's Eagle Scout Project. My Dad has such love and respect for John that he often gets teary while talking about him.

This is another picture that shows John smiling, laughing and having a good time while he works. He usually has such a positive, outgoing attitude and he is a great example to our sons and to all the young men he has worked with over the years.

I am very grateful to have such a wonderful, patient husband!

Questions from Mom

Ryan was called to be a gospel doctrine teacher in his BYU-I ward.

Do you think it would be over the top to send a thank you note to his Bishop?

******************

Aaron finished his Eagle Scout project. He's been planning it for almost a year.

Do you think the write up will take another year?

*****************

Marianne has been making & photographing all kinds of yummy things.
(See her blog for more details.)

Do you think she'll load the dishwasher too?

**************

Evan went on this great fieldtrip organized by his devoted mother.

Do you think he'll practice the piano when I ask him to?

************

My children are now taking very unflattering photos of me.

Do you think they like this post?

I'm back!

Busyness seems to be epidemic today! If you ask someone how they're doing, most of the time they reply, "I'm so busy." I have even heard teens and kids competing in the "I'm busier than you are contest."

So at the risk of sounding like a whiner, I have to tell you how busy I've been!!

Maybe you've noticed that I haven't spent much time online. (If you didn't notice, just pretend that you missed me. It will make me feel better.)

No, I didn't drop off the face of the earth, nor did I give up blogging. I have just had an incredibly busy summer. In fact, I was only at home 8 days in the month of July. For a homebody like me that is a big change!

I have lots to post about our summer, but I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of getting caught up on all those back posts. So I decided I'll start with today and then work to get caught up a little bit at a time.

It has been great to be home this week. Here are a few of the things we've been up to:

Marianne has been busy with creative endeavors such as:

Taking great pictures of her little brother

and making really cute cards. Here is a sample of some she made for her Grandma, who requested a set of "thank you" cards.

Evan has been busy playing hard.
This picture cracks me up. He had two friends over to play and here is how I found them. All three sitting there playing DS. In their defense , they did spend quite a bit of time outside too. Evan has also been busy with swim and golf lessons this week. John is thrilled that one of his children has finally taken an interest in his favorite sport!

Aaron has been busy studying and spending time in the great outdoors. Here he is with an onion he helped Evan grow.

Aaron is also working on his Eagle Scout project. Here's a close-up of one of the park benches he'll be replacing.

Ryan is busy working and getting ready for BYU Idaho. I helped him order towels and bedding online from WalMart. Then we'll pick them up in September in Rexburg. I laughed when he told me that he wished they had laundry soap in little tablets like they do for the dishwashed. I was very proud of myself when I found these online. You can read all about them here.

Ryan was happy about the laundry supplies, but for some reason he is a little more excited about the new laptop we're going to order next week. He doesn't really want one of course, but he HAS to get one because BYU-I has a Laptop Initiative and is requiring all students to have a laptop this fall.

I'm wishing our family had a laptop requirement, because I could really use one. Maybe I wouldn't be so busy if a had a laptop. Whatdya think?! Unfortunately, the laundry dropps fit in better with our budget now that we have a college student.

My Mountain Men

John & Aaron had a great adventure in June. They went to Yosemite with the Young Men in our ward. The trip started out kind of rough when the group got off the trail and spent many hours struggling to get back on track. John lost his sleeping bag along the way and spent the night beside the fire trying to stay warm.

Fortunately things got better! Another hiker found the sleeping bag and the climb up half dome was amazing. I think that Aaron's favorite part was bringing home those "over the edge" pictures that make me sick to my stomach.






I

Ryan's Court of Honor

Ryan's Eagle Scout Court of Honor will be held
Sunday, July 20th at 5:30 PM
at the Pomerado building

Some of these boys have been waiting a very long time for their buddies to finish up. It will be exciting to see them all honored on the same evening.

Back row: Trevor, Nathan, Brian, Blake
Front row: Nick & Ryan

Our Part in a Miracle

Ryan and Aaron were asked to be part of an LDS Scout Choir that sang at the National BSA Convention that was held in San Diego. They had an amazing director for this huge undertaking! To give you an idea, she was given 7 weeks notice to gather the young men and rehearse for this event. She was asked by the Young Mens' General Presidency to provide a "Tabernacle Choir quality" performance. They had to learn & memorize 6 songs with only 5 rehearsals. Their director, Sister Abernathy said, "This is impossible short of a miracle, so I'm planning on a miracle."

It truly was a miracle to see these young men perform. Their first performance was at at Duty to God breakfast with about 2,000 Scout leaders from around the country. As they came on stage, everyone was busy eating and chatting. Once they began to sing, a hush came over the room. A wonderful spirit filled that huge ballroom. When they finished, they received a standing ovation.

The next day, the choir sang at an LDS fireside that was part of the convention. I also had the opportunity to meet the General Primary & YM Presidency. They were so gracious.

I am so grateful that my sons had the opportunity to sing in this choir. They had to miss other activities to be at all the rehearsals. They had to get up at 4:30 AM for their morning performance. They had to meet very stringent rules about dress and grooming. They actually inspected the boys' haircuts and they were required to be in full scout uniform including socks!

But in the end, Ryan and Aaron said it was definitely worth it. They helped bring the spirit to this convention and they had personal spiritual experiences. General Young Men's President, Elder Dahlquist, promised the boys that they would be blessed for their diligence and he told them that they would have angels singing with them as they performed.

Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the choir and Ryan had to leave for work immediately after the performance, but here is Aaron. Don't you think he looks handsome?!