Whew

What a crazy last few days we have had! I feel like we were run over by a truck. It was a nice truck for the most part.

Thursday before I went to pick up DiAnn from the airport I noticed some water flooding our basement. My theory was that the washer was broken. But since I was on a very strict schedule I tried not to think much about it. It would be fine if I didn't use the washer again. So, I picked up DiAnn, we picked up Brigham and packed, we picked up Elias and headed on our way to Vernal.

The viewing for Grandpa Jack was really nice. Getting to know relatives again, being able to ask questions about Mom and Grandma Edith. Oh, and it's always nice to be able to see Dad and Donna. I also loved going to JB's with only B and other family. It was such a treat that it deserves mention in the blog.

Friday a dream came true when I got up early with Di and went to the Vernal temple. That is where Dad and many grandparents went to church, now it is a beautiful temple. The people we talked to and those who helped us were down home good people. Sometimes I forget what that is like. DiAnn also had some very nice inspiration about staying true to our covenants and shooting out tendrils that will help gather family. Instead of judging others, we can live our best and love, that is the way to help...

The funeral was nice and I am glad he got buried in Dry Fork. I have a lot of fun memories of going to Dry Fork... Friday, however, was shockingly cold. When I die, I will try to make sure and pass away when it is warmer. Not that I blame Grandpa Jack at all. I just couldn't imagine how they even found where his grave was supposed to be under all of that snow, and how they dug in the ice cold dirt. Amazing.

The dinner was fun. I really want to keep making an effort to keep family close, and make sure that our kids are friends with all of their cousins. Keep family close for generations.

So, we drove home Friday. My kids ate cold cereal for dinner... and to bed. It was nice having DiAnn. I wish all of my sisters lived next door!

Saturday I took DiAnn to the airport... but by then we knew that the sewer was backing up into our basement. I called the city and they came out to make sure their lines were clear. The smell of human feces put E over the edge. He was crazy for the next 24 hours. He borrowed a shop vac and cleaned up the grossness. I called a plumber and they told me it would be $600! to clean out the main line, but even though they didn't have payment plans they accepted credit cards. Thankfully the city guys recommended a different plumber that apologetically charged $140 because it was a Saturday. What a nice blessing. They snaked the main line and cleared the problem right up. We will never know what the mystery clog was, but hallelujah it is gone!

Lester came by and invited us to eat hamburgers at his house. So we went over and ate and watched a movie. Yanira, the wife, is making me crazy because she believes that typical American food is hamburgers and pizza... and so that is all we eat. She thinks that I cook those for dinner all of the time! Making me crazy, but I survived.

I had to make the invites for our Visiting Teaching Conference. They turned out great for midnight work... I chose the theme, "...And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things. 1 Nephi 16:29"

Sunday church... the RS Pres. asked me if all was well with the VT conference. I told her it would be great and she just needed to show up. She has been a little nervous because she hasn't been in on any of the planning and is just leaving it all to me. Imagine my surprise when she stood up and said that she had been looking in the Conference issue for something about VT and she found a talk entitled, "By Small Means." She then proceeded to read something very similar to the theme I had chosen for the conference. That is proof that the Lord is guiding us if we let Him. He inspired both of us at different times, in different places to choose the exact same thing! What a nice testimony building experience.

Sunday night it started snowing before we went to bed. Monday morning at 2:30 a.m. Elias was called into work to fix snow plows. We were being dumped on again. He worked for 11 hours straight! He could have stayed there all night, but I kept calling to tell him he needed to come home, he needed to eat, etc. Two other mechanics came in and stayed while he came home.

Last night, or rather this morning, they called him in again at 5 a.m. He is still hard at work. This snow is really wearing us down! I shoveled yesterday, at least 8 or 9 inches. What a great workout. Our driveway seems so huge in the winter and living on the corner doubles the sidewalkidge. The sad news is that another storm is coming on Thursday. We might go crazy before then.

Congrats to all for making it this far in the blog... I just wanted you to get a taste of the exhaustion here in our home. Reading this huge blog has made you a little exhausted. Matchy, matchy.

Love ya!