Full of Thanks

It was a great weekend to spend with my family in Montana.  My heart is full of things to be thankful for, but I don't want to post them because when I start making out lists, they sound trite and meaningless.  Just know that I have such a good, happy life.  I may complain sometimes, but mostly I am leading the only life that I want, and have so much more than I need.  I am grateful for the chance to relax and enjoy being with loved ones this weekend.  My family and the gospel are my two great treasures. 

Proud of my Kids

We have recently changed our family prayer habits a bit.  Before praying, we discuss any particular needs that each member has, then we try to address those needs in our prayers.  My kids have had specific areas that they each wanted to improve in, and have asked that  we pray for them.  I have been amazed at the good changes I have seen in the areas they chose.  I know that prayers are answered by Heavenly Father, but I also think that by focusing our energy and attention on specific areas, we can be very instrumental in making that change happen.  I am glad that my kids have goals and are always trying to learn and become better. 

Run Away

Tony and I ran away for 24 hours.... for my birthday he whisked me away from all my cares and concerns.  It was the gift I needed most!  After I finished classes on Friday we left our kids home and headed to Salt Lake City.  We ate dinner at the Texas Roadhouse, where I got Yeee-Hawed by everyone, then spent the night at his Aunt Julene's home.  After eating a hearty breakfast, we went to the Salt Lake Temple and did some sealings, and enjoyed some quiet time in the magnificent Celestial room.  We ate lunch at the Lion House (YUM), then spent a few hours wandering around the new City Creek mall area.  After a trip to IKEA for some Christmas shopping, we headed home.  It was a great present, and I feel so much better.  Thank you my best friend!!!!!

Quite a Day

I'm so tired.... today has been so very busy.  Tonight was our combined YW/Relief Society activity.  We have been working on it for months.  I'll write more about it later, but it was a big success, and I am pleased.  Emily had a band concert at the same time as the activity, and I was sad to miss it, but I know she played her clarinet beautifully.  I also went to the doctor today for a rash around my mouth and was put on antibiotics for the next 2 months.  It is called peri-oral dermatitis. (means rash around the mouth)

When I got home tonight, Tony met  me and told me that Pepper (our cat) had passed away.  We knew it was coming, and even prayed for it to happen.  Pepper has not been healthy for a long time now, and we knew he was not going to get better.  It is a bittersweet thing.  We are so glad that he is not hurting any more, but we will sure miss him.... He was a sweet pet and we loved him. 

Thanksgiving Delight?

How about this for our holiday feast????  I am amazed!  I don't even know what more to say!

School Stress

We are experiencing high stress levels in my house this week in relation to school.  Erik and Em have finals this week, along with some big projects that are due.  Jacob and I are getting toward the end of our semester and have lots of group projects and papers due.  Part of the problem is that procrastination has been going on, and part of it is just that so much is due at the same time.  My kids have not learned the value of working ahead and getting things done early (yet), and they don't have the stamina to stick with their assignments,  they get distracted easily.  So, hopefully some lessons are being learned and we won't have to go through all of this again at the end of the next semester/trimester!

Veterans Day

Yesterday was Veterans Day, and I am so grateful for those who serve in the armed forces for our country.  As I grew up, I didn't really know anyone who was in the military... it wasn't until I was older that I realized that both of my grandpa's had spent time in the service.  I didn't really understand the sacrifices that our soldiers have to go through.  Now as I look at my husband and sons, I am so grateful that they have the choice of whether or not to join the military.  This choice would not be possible if not for the men and women who protect us from domination and destruction.  I love my country and want it to be strong and free.  I choke up when I sing the national anthem, or when I see the flag go by in a parade.  Now I know what a blessing it is to be an American.  I pray for our leaders, and for the protection and safety of those who sacrifice in order to keep us free. 

Tonight we went to the high school play of Beauty and the Beast.  They did a good job and it was very entertaining.  It reminded of the first time that Tony went to Montana to meet my family.  The Disney version of Beauty and the Beast had just come out and we all went to see it together.  All of our tickets said "beauty" along one edge and "beast" on the opposite.  As we entered the theater they tore our tickets in half and handed one half back to us.  Each person in the family had the end that said "beauty", and Tony was given the end that said "beast".  I though it was hilarious!  Luckily he turned out to be a prince, just like in the movie!  

Internship Secured (mostly)

My internship interview went really well today and they want me to coordinate the first autism support group meeting on the 28th!  Now I just have to pass my background check :) and get the whole thing approved through the college.  There is some paperwork and a lot of preparation still to do, but it looks good.  I'm pretty excited and a bit nervous.  Unfortunately this is not a paid job, but I will be able to graduate in April! 
Another good thing today was that I got all the annual flowers pulled, and all the perennials clipped and ready for winter.  I'm glad to have that done because it's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow, and now I feel more prepared. 
I also spent quite a few hours working on my senior thesis paper.  I am getting really tired of studying research on how religious commitment affect health.  I have to find 20 more peer-reviewed articles and incorporate them into my paper, along with writing a research methods section that explains how my data was collected.  I am learning that writing research papers is not something I enjoy a lot!

Internship Interview

Tomorrow morning I have an interview for an internship.  I wanted to set up an autism support group in the community for my internship, then saw that a group called Madison Cares is in the process of starting one!  I contacted them to see if maybe they could use my help in exchange for signing off on my internship.  I don't really know how it all works, and neither do they, but we are meeting to talk about options and possibilities.  Wish me luck because this is something I would really like to do and I can do a great deal of it from home, which is necessary for me at this point in time.  I can graduate in the spring if I complete one final class and get my internship done!

I was disappointed with the election results, but am ready to support my country and do the best I can to be a good citizen.  It was fun taking Jacob to the polls for his first voting experience!  I hope and pray that our country will be protected and watched over because I am afraid of the direction we have been going. 

Hold down

Yesterday I accidentally added a dash of pepper to my morning oatmeal, instead of my usual dash of salt.  It wasn't very good but I ate it anyway, not wanting to waste my breakfast.  My stomach was kind of upset all morning.  I don't think I will put pepper in my oatmeal again.

In the afternoon I went on a field trip to the Juvenile Corrections Center in St. Anthony and spent about 4 hours touring the facilities and learning about the program they use.  It was really interesting.  Here is a picture of a few of my classmates learning how to do a restraining hold.  We also got to experience some "necessary use of force" moves and my shoulders and back did not like it!  It made me sad to see how so many youth have lost so many of their choices because of the things they got themselves into.  They are now learning how to act appropriately and take responsibility for their actions so that they can have the privilege of re-joining society.

Stake Conference

We have been busy the past couple of days attending Stake Conference meetings.  We had 2 General Authorities visiting, and our Stake Presidency was reorganized.  Elder Choi, from Korea, was presiding and he was so much fun to listen to!  Emily was even talking about him this evening and how much she liked his talks.

Because of conference we were done with church at noon today, so we had the whole long afternoon to ourselves.  We went on a drive out to the sand dunes and out to Dubois and Spencer before heading home.  It was really nice! 

I really don't like Daylight Savings time.... it messes with my system!  I was glad to get the extra hour of sleep, but don't like that it gets dark so early in the evening.  I really messes up my kids, and I hate the week after the time change because I can't get anyone to go to sleep or wake up at their usual times!