and lets face it . . . . guys look cool in flight suits
right girls?
I love Ili because he is a man of integrity, who lives what he believes
and because he loves Brittany so much
and they always have fun adventures together.
Ili is funny and verrry smart
and verrry ambitious
and cooks great Chinese food for us!
I can't imagine our family without him.
Happy Birthday Ili !
I love you!
******
April 14, 2010
Tomorrow is April 15th
Your income tax return is due.
and it is my last day of work.
Yaaaaay.
What will I do
this lady of leisure I shall become?
#1
Replant my devastated yard.
last year had four months of drought followed by 4 months of freeze
and we lost most of our plants.
ALL of the grass.
5 year old trees, bouganvilla, passion vine, agapanthas.... all gone
I am very sad. I love my yard
and dread the hard work and expense (ugh) it will take to restore it.
#2
Brittany is expecting Wyatt to be born April 26th.
Ili will deploy a week or so after that.
Steve and I are driving up to OK to get Brit and baby
and they will come to live with us for the next 4 months.
It will be very sweet
#3
Zach and Chrissy's lease is up April 30th
and they are in limbo for awhile as Zach pursues the next step in his career.
So they will be moving in with us too.
#4
Party time
. . . . . and you were worried I would have nothing to do after April 15th.
pish posh
April 12, 2010
thank you brittany, chrissy, and cheryl
I owe you.
this thursday night,
steve and I will attend chloe's induction into
the National Junior Honor Society.
chloe read your comments on my blog and spoke with you too.
you helped her see
how her choices today will affect her future.
the application was lengthy;
we put it off until the last day.
her classmate, we'll call sally, said,
"you probably won't get accepted, because you rushed through the application".
sally didn't get accepted.
I'm just sayin' . . .
******
chloe wrote the essay entirely by herself
When I wake up the first thing I think about is me, what I’m going to do, where I’m going to go, how my things are going to get done. Normally, that is how everyone is. I know when I’m doing things for my self it may feel good for a little while but it probably won’t last very long. I also know from experience that when you help other people it makes you feel good and proud of yourself for the rest of your life! Not only does it make them feel good, but it makes me feel 10 times better that I know I helped!!!
One thing to really consider is that when you do service you are helping others. I know when I help others, and I see their smiles, I did a good job. I don’t think anyone could like it more than the person you did the service for. In Kerrville, there is a community thrift store for the battered women’s shelter. When I went down to help out, I knew we were in a different part of town. People where cherishing little toys with missing eyes and a set of tea cups with broken handles and chipping paint. When I was helping them carry their loads and loads of things, I would call trash but they called treasures, I knew that I was really helping out these people and changing their lives without doing hardly anything!
Another thing to ponder is how GOOD you feel after you help or do service! The best thing, in my opinion, is helping because it is definitely a win-win situation! They get helped and you get the great, warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you help! I still feel great about doing what service I did and it is something I would definitely recommend to my friends and family!!!
You may think that taking time out of your life and spending more of it for others, you could lose something, but actually you gain much much more! The more you give the more you get! Service is one of those things that you get addicted to, in a good way.
I love her because we share heart to heart conversations
and I feel safe to be 100 percent myself with her
and because she never forgets to bring me a pound of our favorite treat
but mostly, I love her because
she gets me
. . . . . . . and that is priceless.
Me, Chrissy, Jenny, Mom, Brittany in Carmel, CA
Jenny always attends my special occasions
and I love to attend hers
she has a sweet husband,
and 3 great kids.
Happy, happy Birthday, dear Jenny
I love you!
******
April 7, 2010
This runner is named Perron.
His agonizing crawl over the finish line
placed him 144th in a race with 146 runners.
All that matters is . . . . .
he finished.
. . . . and I am inspired to do the same.
one week of taxes to go.
April 5, 2010
Chrissy and Zach joined us
for Easter Brunch
China: courtesy of Lois Freeman
Silver pieces: courtesy of my dear mother
Wild flowers: courtesy of the Texas Hill Country
Easter Brunch Menu:
Eggs Benedict
Raspberry Blintzes
Fried Potatoes
After brunch, we feasted on General Conference
Favorite moments from Saturday's session:
#1
I am so thankful for William Tindale, who, in the 16th Century, gave his life to translate the Bible into English. And to many after him, who, at risk of life and liberty, gave their precious savings to purchase Bibles, which then, were legal only in the hands of Catholic Church leaders. These courageous and faithful followers of Christ, opened the door for my religious freedom and they would be gratified to see bibles easily available today in drawers of hotel rooms. (talk by Elder Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)
#2
The sincere testimony born by Brother Koichi Aoyagi of the Quorum of the Seventy touched my heart.
#3
Perhaps my favorite speaker of all time is Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I have taught many lessons in my life, in Relief Society, Young Women's, and Primary. When citing quotes to make an important point, the speaker I most often use is Brother Holland. He gives it to us straight, gets to the point, doesn't mince words and does it all with great humility. He speaks to my heart, and his closing remarks on the the Saturday session did not shrink from doing just that. In my opinion, this talk was the most pertinent and powerful message of the day.
Sunday, being Easter, was appropriately spent honoring the life, ministry, and most importantly, the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I feel a profound renewal of gratitude and debt toward my brother, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days' prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered, man is free
Christ has won the victory.
In my entire life, I have rarely watched General Conference from beginning to end. Usually, I watch one full session per day. After two hours, I get antsy and tell myself I'll read the rest of that day's talks in the Ensign next month, which, in most cases, I do. I am different these days; I have watched the last two Conferences from beginning to end, and I hunger for more. I am not sure what to attribute it to. . . .
maturity,
a deepening need for Christ,
more time, and a keener sense of how to best spend it,
or all of the above.
Whatever it is, I really hated to see Conference end. I didn't want other media on afterwards, so I could bask in the light of the sweet messages for awhile longer. Rather than overloaded, I feel invigorated by the hours of counsel. Encouraged. Committed anew.
Lastly I want to mention something that was a complete revelation to me. The final talk of the conference was given by Neil L. Andersen. He expressed concerns, as the final speaker, that much of his material may have already been spoken by others before he would get to the podium. He said that none of the speakers are assigned subjects and the entire course of the conference is left to the direction of the Lord. Fortunately, or as divine intervention would have it, no other speaker had repeated his, or any other speaker's, material.
As a lifetime member of the LDS Church, who has heard and given innumerable Sacrament talks, all of which were on assigned subjects, I assumed that General Conference talks were carefully selected and assigned by the First Presidency. This revelation, that subjects are not assigned, makes Conference an even more meaningful and an amazing experience. Elder Andersen described it perfectly as a "spiritual symphony full of revelation and power . . . repeated themes, principle building upon principle, prophetic warnings, uplifting promises - the divine harmony is a miracle. In this conference, we have heard the mind and will of the Lord"
I married my high school sweetheart 34 years ago in the LDS Temple. I have 4 children (3 married, and a 14 year old) and 6 grandchildren. I lived my entire life in California, until 6 years ago. I now reside in San Antonio, Texas. The most important thing to me is my family; I have invested the most in them and it has paid great dividends. I love doing anything creative that beautifies my surroundings and I love nature. I minored in Art and majored in Interior Design at BYU, yet, my profession is a Tax Preparer.
