Here is a letter I just wrote to Brandon and Kaber. I think it has a funny story in it so I will post it.

May 13, 2008

Dear Brandon and Kaber,

I have been having a hard time getting letters written so I thought I would try getting a letter out to both of you. Apparently you have both been transferred recently to new areas. It is always fun getting to know a new area and new people… but sometimes it is a little frustrating as well. Trying to remember where the streets are or not knowing which members will help you. I think sometimes it is nice for the members, too. They get to meet a better missionary in both of your cases (wink, wink) and they get a clean slate. Maybe before they weren’t that great at helping the elders or maybe they weren’t really active. But now they are on equal footing. I also think it is great for members to be asked to help, even if they don’t say yes. That way they are given an opportunity to choose to serve the Lord… or, you know, the other guy.

I was thinking about how excited I was for Kaber helping the couple get married and then baptizing the father in Spanish. Yippee! Then I remembered one of my funniest baptisms. When I arrived in Satelite they already had an investigator named Raul Ulizar. He was an older gentleman, about 84 if I remember correctly. His friend, in his twenties, maybe a relative, had been baptized in a different area and was so excited about the gospel. The friend sent the missionaries to Raul and he started receiving the discussions. Raul progressed really well and we set a baptism date. His only request was that his friend would baptize him, which we thought was great. Raul would always have a connection with his friend, his baptism and the church.
The baptism day came and we were set. The interviews were done, the pila (font) was full, we had told the Branch President and our Mission Leader, Raul had come to church, members were involved in the talks and the music etc. The baptism was going well and Raul and his friend entered the font. The friend was so nervous but he said the prayer very well. Right after saying, “…in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen,” the friend crossed himself before he “dunked” Raul. A cross like the Catholics do!

You can imagine the gasp that spread throughout the room. Everyone was looking around, whispering, in shock, wondering which church they were in. The Branch President and our Mission Leader were beside themselves. They kept asking where we had found this friend that did the baptizing and how do we know if he is worthy? Good point! We hadn’t even thought of asking the friend to bring a “recommend” from his Bishop. Ooops. Silly us.

Anywho, they decided to let the baptism stand and hopefully the records of Raul are entered in the heavens. That was embarrassing… Don’t let just anyone baptize, ya hear. I tell you, what they say is really true, “The gospel has to be true, if not missionaries would have ruined it long ago.” I made some pretty crazy mistakes. But now they are just fun memories. I am pretty sure we didn't do any lasting damage, I hope.

Well, we love you so much! Your parents both told me how fantastic it was to talk to you on Mother’s Day. We are so proud of you and pray for you many times a day. If we don’t mention you in our prayers, Brigham really gets after us. : )

Love ya tons!

WIC...

Today was the dreaded WIC visit. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get out the door. If you get there late you must reschedule and the end result is you lose milk and cheese and juice. So, we were only a couple minutes late.

There was the nicest lady there waiting for her appointment. She was put together nicely, pretty and pleasantly smiling. I kept watching her and wondering about what happened to my smile? So, I paid attention and I mostly smile when I am alone. Now I am practising smiling even when I am busy with all of my monsters and their fits.

We got a pretty feisty lady to check our income, address, names, etc. She had a couple of little stuffed teddy bears sitting by a plant. S touched a bear and feisty lady snapped at her, "Don't touch that."

Then L & R joined the party looking at the bears. Another lady walked by and threw out, "Don't play." Crazy women... why on earth would they think that toys were going to call the attention of kids? Of course the children should stay away from toys.

I ended up holding a crying L and keeping R & S away from the toys by blocking them out, using my old basketball skills. I also must admit that I said, "Those aren't for kids. Sorry, they thought they were toys."

The only other travesty was that L didn't gain enough weight so we have to add an additional visit. I am not sure if you can recall that this happens every single time. Last time L didn't gain one pound in six months... so we had to return in two months and she had gained two and a half pounds! I believe that was an error in record keeping or something, I mean come on. Well, this time since she weighed 25 1/2 pounds last time and today she weighed 26.4... they are making her come back! She is supposed to gain one pound, not 0.9 of a pound. I have serious issues with their data collection and lack of accuracy. But, thank you for the milk.... that is me trying to be positive.






Last Saturday E and I got a babysitter from the Spanish Branch and headed off to SL. We met Alina and friends at the Bombay House for dinner. Wow, she is fun to be around. Also part of the party were Reno and Star, Alina's brother and his wife; Brian, husband; Emily and Judy, FoA (Friends of Alina) and Aaron, a cousin. They were all spectacular company and it was refreshing to remember that there are many normal, funny people out in the real world. Oh, and the food! Delicious! I think Susan would like it. : ) Ana told me that it is one of her favorite places to eat as well. Small, small world.

The photo is thanks to Alina... did I mention we saw the Sultan? Jasmine's father?

Oh.. and did I mention that my husband is hot....

Death

A friend's daughter died from complications from childbirth this week. It was a lady I taught with in Brigham, she was always so wrapped up with her kids, their lives very intertwined. At the time I couldn't believe that she was so involved with her children's lives, having recently been dropped off in Brigham and finding myself walking to work and to the grocery store. I had a car quickly after the first snow storm. Thank you Janett and Alma, I am still grateful for that loan!

Yesterday I found myself aching for closer ties with my family. The funeral was so beautiful. Her parents talked and her sisters spoke. They took turns talking about qualities they loved about Candace, sharing funny stories and making promises to Candace, now that she can't take care of her kids and her husband. They will step in as a family and wrap them in love. The thing is that they really will. They get together a couple times a month as a family... we fight about getting together once a year. It has really left me a little melancholy. That coupled with the price of gas, cutting traveling plans to shreds, has me in a very somber place.

Candace's mother, my friend Susan, said, "If I could have bottled up your giggles and the little hand prints you left on the windows and walls, I would take them out now and scatter them around the house." It really hit home to me how much we need to appreciate each day. I am determined to focus more on the happy moments than the crazy, vexing moments. My kids do really cute and funny things... but often all I can remember at the end of the day is the messes they made or when they didn't obey. From this day forward, I will document something positive they have done everyday. Sometimes on the blog, sometimes in their journals and other times, more importantly, talking to E and telling the kids personally. Asi sera. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Right now R is moving the rocking chair back and forth while L is hanging half way off. Fun is had by all.

Have I mentioned that S can spell her name. You may be thinking, "Who couldn't spell their name if it was 'S'?" But I was very proud and a little teary eyed when she surprised me by spelling out her name.

One last note on death. A lady in our ward went in to wake her husband up yesterday... and found him dead. Very sad. The funeral is on Monday and as RS we are in charge of the luncheon. Wish us luck!

May none of my loved ones die today.

With love,

Julie

R's Surgery

R had to had some dental work done and so they put her out completely at the surgical center. It was horrible. The anesthesiologist was a very quiet thin man that hunched forward to talk and to listen. He was very soft spoken and kind. After he had explained everything then we "laid" R down on the table. She was fighting and scared, trying to cling on to me. Then they started giving her laughing gas and she wouldn't calm down. All of a sudden she went limp and they sighed like it was a relief and we were done. Then she started curling her arms and legs in weird ways... and it was freaking me out. The anesthesiologist just started pumping the gas more quickly and I was sure she was going to die or have brain damage. The other guy said, "She is still really fighting this." That is when I felt the splatters of my tears bouncing off the table. It was horrid.

She finally stopped contorting herself, and then I had to leave her. I tried to hold back the sobbing as the dentist told me he would hurry so I don't have to worry about her too long. Then I stumbled into the bathroom and had myself a good cry. When I was calm enough, I tried to call E to give him an update... but I found that I really didn't have it together yet.

Eventually they called for me about on hour later and R was just waking up.... mad as could be. I tried to hold her but she was a little psychotic about the IV. She kept yanking on the tube anytime her hands escaped. Trauma. The nurse did come back soon and took out the IV. Then R moved on to the name bands she had on her ankles. She was screaming and kicking, "Off! Off!" I tried to distract her by singing, showing her things, "Look at that curtain," didn't go over so well. Funny, but the thing that did the trick was explaining that as soon as I had some scissors I would cut them off. She calmed right down.

She was pretty clingy for the next couple of hours, but really she did great. This all happened last Wednesday. I had a hard time talking about it, so I couldn't blog it until now. I still cried remembering. It was the weird muscle movements that threw me over the edge. The only thing that is freaking me out now is the follow up calls to see if she is doing OK. The Surgical Center called twice and her dentist just called this morning. Is that normal?

Any who, everybody go brush your teeth right now. I will go brush R's teeth now as well.

Poor E

My poor dear husband. He is a blessing in so many lives, but does he have a life of his own? I think I will share his day with you.

He woke up and went directly to the gym. He doesn't love the gym, only signed up so I could get the huge discount. His membership is free if he goes eight times a month. Yes, yes, it sounds like a blessing... but he really hates being the skinniest thing in the gym. Just as much as I hate being the fattest thing in the gym. Any who, he went to the gym.

Then he took care of the monsters while I went to the gym, which I have grown to love. He also spent some time online studying the make-up of a Ford Focus. There is a guy from Spanish Branch that had E look at his car. He has worked on it every weekend for the last couple of months. E will find something wrong, fix it... and then Milla will call saying that the engine light turned on AGAIN! So, Milla called a couple of times today and E spent about an hour on that car. He's going to have to take it to work and hook it up to the mega-diagnostic computer.

I also went out to lunch with a bunch of Relief Society sisters. It is called the "lunch bunch" and once a month they meet at different restaurants just for fun. Since I'm in charge of activities now I thought I'd better go at least once. So, E fed the kids lunch while I was out spending money on food for me. At least I brought him half of my dinner, right?

When I got home I wanted to go to the Dinosaur Park with all the monsters. E went with us and fun was had by all. On our way home we stopped at Smith's to buy milk. E stayed in the car while I "ran" in... but who knew they were having such a great sale! You had to buy discounted products in tens to get five dollars back... so I found four sets of ten. Took me awhile... oops. E was just as patient as could be sitting in the car.

Right before we left for the Dinosaur Park a family had come over with a car they had just purchased in the auction. As they were driving home the "Trac Off" light had come on, it over heated... and the tires stopped turning, in other words it wouldn't drive. They left it at our house and E went to check it out when we got home. It turns out that it was low on antifreeze so it over heated and the car just turned itself off. It also has some misfiring with cylinder 2 but they can still drive it. I looked out the window about 15 minutes after we had arrived home and the owner of the car was here with his son. Under pressure.

I had also complained about him not fixing our stuff. So today he fixed our computer table and the van window that wouldn't roll down. The computer table required some searching for hardware and serious screwdriver work. He had to take the van door completely apart and blah, blah, blah.

While E was fixing the van door, a little old man brought his car by. You can't say no to a little old man who had cancer but didn't die. So, off they went to buy parts and fix something, I didn't even bother to ask.

E went back to the van door but I rudely called him away to help me with the monsters and dinner. R was having a breakdown and I was getting close to one myself. He came in and took over for a few minutes and all was well. Then back to the van which now has a window that can roll down.

Later, I was calling for the visiting teaching report and a lady asked if her husband could talk to E... to ask him when he could work on his car. Poor E.

One little tidbit I forgot. His brother called to talk about NASCAR while we were driving to the Dinosaur Park. When we got there and were trying to get the kids out I snapped at him a little asking why he didn't hang up. Not very nice, eh? But maybe if you knew that the same brother called two or three times yesterday, (the last one being at 10:30 p.m.) to talk NASCAR ... maybe you could understand a little of my annoyance.

So, E is now watching NASCAR. He can maybe relax and not think for a minute. He is a good man. Service is his middle name. No, he didn't get paid for anything he did today... they were all just "could you look at my car" stops. Oh well. NASCAR will be his balm.

Ana's Visit

Ana came and stayed at my house for almost four days! I was in heaven. She was so good and patient with our crazy comings and goings. I'm glad that I got to see her pregnant and so happy to be pregnant. She seems to be doing really well. I miss her more than I would miss chocolate, if I ever stopped eating chocolate. One thing I have learned is that kindred spirits are sometimes hard to find, so we should hang on to them as much as we can.



The Spanish Branch planned a surprise baby shower for Ana while she was here. It was very fun. Much laughter, loud talking, games, story telling, eating. At one point the husband of our friend Jessica walked in and Hna. Ninataype said, "Ya llego el bailarin." Which means, "The dancer has arrived." I laughed a little then looked at the husband and thought about it a little... then I couldn't stop laughing.

Those ladies really are fun to be around. It was also funny to watch Hna. Milla forcing the Branch President to speak and the Relief Society President to speak. A tender moment was when Ana was thanking everyone and said that if she was a good parent, it would be because of the examples she had seen. Then Hna. Milla told Ana that the party, the gifts, the love... Ana was only harvesting what she had sown. It was truly a love fest!

It did make me think about how I treat others. Just being a little pleasant instead of stand-offish can make such a big difference. I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right you see. So, I say to myself, remember this... kindness begins with me. Deep isn't it. I just made that up right now!

Thank you Ana!

Awareness Test

This was on Alex's blog...and I loved it. So, I wanted to share it with you.



I had to watch it twice!

Easter

Easter is so much fun! I have been "horning" in on Richard's family for many, many a year. There is nothing better than an Esplin Easter in Orderville. Thank you Esplins! (Alex... I don't think I've seen you for years! No fair to try and use school as an excuse.)

We traveled down on Friday... and stopped at Janett's. Jesse was kind enough to saddle up his horse and give our kids rides. Nothing but fun at Jan's, I tell you what.









The big Easter Egg-stravaganza begins with the dying of eggs. Thanks to WIC I was able to store up seven dozen eggs... but I cracked quite a few. Susan threw in three dozen boiled eggs and a dozen raw eggs and we colored them all. I love being around Sue's boys because they are so much help. Jacob, Logan and Isaac were pretty much in charge of the dying of the eggs and I felt like I could just sit back and relax. Nice... Then we must fill the too many plastic eggs with the two much candy. Susan and I always go way overboard. But, there were plenty of eggs and plenty of candy for the others who just show up at Grandma's expecting there to be candy and eggs... and there was.... and all was well. When all is ready the little kids (six or seven and younger) find the eggs down at Grandma's house. B thought he was too old for this, so he helped R find eggs... she had more eggs than she needed! The older kids go on a treasure hunt. Daniel did a great job with the treasure hunt and it is fun to watch the kids run all around. The treasure is their Easter baskets. Good times, good times.



Next comes the pot luck lunch. Yummy baked beans and salads, fresh rolls and brownies. Always scrumptious. Just when you think it is time for a nap... we hear that everyone has already left to go to the sand dunes. We load up the shovels, eggs, blow dart guns and all of the kids to head out. The ramp is elaborate and a work of art. Jumps, diverting paths, tunnels... it is all there. We had fun rolling dozen after dozen of eggs down the super speed way.



Once the eggs are all broken the egg war breaks out. Generally the war stays away form the women folk. This year it came dangerously close. I blame that on the youngest couples who still think hitting your true love with an egg shows how much you adore her. Last but not least comes the blow dart war. The participants line up from tallest to shortest, then every other one steps forward to make teams for the first round. After everyone gets shot, they play again, and again, and again. Pretty much until all of the little, little kids are crying and screaming. S wet her pants, R was crying because she couldn't get all of the sand off... It just makes it easier to go home. : ) When we got back to Susan's house we ran right to the shower. Wow, I am grateful for running water! Then we get to chat and eat leftovers all night long. Sunday they monsters were all dressed up and we went to our favorite ward in Orderville (don't tell the other ward).



Our monsters are all so very handsome. Thank you Susan. We had such a great time. I do hope the Esplins never hold a meeting to figure out how to reclaim their own family holiday. We love the Esplin Easter! When I explained the festivities to Ana, she was amazed. I would like to dedicate this tunnel to Ana. It was built by Logan and help... The eggs would spin once or twice before they went on through. It was sweet.

Reading

My neighbor Bonnie told me the other day that she thinks I use reading as an escape. I have been pondering that, and I am afraid she is right. I have read at least 12 books during the month of March (see link to "Books I've Read" over on the left). Being so busy with my little monsters I am afraid that is baaad. I shouldn't be spending so much time reading. It is like an addiction... and I do want to escape, a little. It has been a long, hard winter. That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Any advice out there? I am trying to use the advice that DiAnn gave me, through Isaac Newton... "An object in motion stays in motion"... also true is "An object at rest stays at rest until acted upon by an outside force." So, if you are sitting on the couch it is going to take an extra amount of force to get you up and going. However, if you are busy... it is easier to stay busy. The laws of Newton help me remember to get busy, sometimes.

Humillacion

In Spanish the word humillar means both to humble and to humiliate. I have had some pretty humiliating experiences lately and I have been hoping that they at least serve to make me a more humble person. I will share mine, then you must share yours... so be thinking.

The other day we were invited to a birthday party by a family with three boys. We bought a gift for the oldest boy, Lester, and went to their house for the big she-bang. I was asked to give the prayer and I blessed the food but also had to throw in what a great boy Lester was and please bless him as he grows... blah, blah, blah. As soon as I said "Amen," Lester pipes up and tells me it is not his birthday, it's Ryan's birthday. That would explain Ryan's name on the other gift I saw... and the cake. Synapses firing a little slow there?

E got home from the NASCAR races all fired up and more a Jeff Gordon fan than ever before. He purchased a #24 flag that hooks to the window and proudly hung it off of the window on his Durango. The only problem is that I drive the Durango to the gym. I didn't really notice the flag until I was on my way and it was pretty embarrassing, but it was still a little dark so I didn't think about it too much. On the way home was a different story. I could see the shadow of the flag flapping in wind, mocking me. I am sure that everyone around me noticed the NASCAR flag flying proudly, and I was ashamed.

Here is an experience that Ana had in her ward in California. She was in the hall at church on a weekday (she is the YW president don't you know) and saw the sister missionaries. She noticed that one of the sisters was new to the area and she was on crutches. Ana, the kind soul that she is said, "Oh, what happened?" Then she looked down, down, down and noticed that there was only one leg sticking out of the dress. Horrified she hears the sister missionary start into the story of how she had lost her leg because of cancer.... .... Funny? I got a kick out of it.

Citizenship

He did it! HE DID IT! We have almost jumped through every hoop and filled out every form necessary for E to become a citizen. He passed his test. Hurray!

Preparing for the interview was by far the worst part. He has been studying for a couple of months at least. We also had to take in the following documents:

• his green card
• his ID/drivers license
  
• his passport
• my birth certificate
• our marriage certificate
• proof of residence and our union
• birth certificates of all our children
• a copy of our taxes from the last three years.

We took everything in and they only looked at the first two.

Getting ready in the morning, he decided to wear a suit. He said that if they deported him at least he would arrive in Honduras in something nice. All of these jokes about getting deported were kind of getting to me. One would like to think they wouldn't deport him, or would they. They can actually do anything they like. So it was funny, but not really.

We took the whole family and I think our kids served their purpose. The interviewer saw them and maybe he recognized how much they needed their dad.

They quizzed E on his name, my name, our children's names and he did well. Then they had him read sentences and write sentences to prove that he speaks English. Last but not least they asked him 10 questions about our history/government.

1. What do the stripes on the flag represent? (The first 13 states.)
   
2. Who was the first president of the United States? (George Washington.)
   
3. Who elects the President of the United States? (The electoral college.)
4. How many Senators are there in Congress? (100, two from each state.)
5. Who is the head of the Executive Branch of the U. S. Government? (The President.)
6. What were the original 13 states? (Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia.)
7. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death"? (Patrick Henry.)
   
8. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists? (Thanksgiving.)
9. Who is the Commander-in-Chief of the United States military? (The President.)
10. How many times may a Senator or Congressman be re-elected? (There is no limit.)

All of the questions he answered appropriately and the guy told him he passed. Then he had to sign a paper saying that he would go to war for the U.S. if he was called up. And that was it. When he walked out he just said, "Piece of cake." All that is left is the oath ceremony. They said they will send us a letter three weeks before the ceremony, so who knows when that will be. Not within the next three weeks at least. I think I need to throw a party when it is all done. You are all invited!

We celebrated by eating at Chuck-a-Rama and going to the zoo. We do love the zoo.

Painted Ladies

The goosies got into mama's makeup. They actually impressed me with their skill. They got the lipstick on the lips, the mascara on the eyes and the eye shadow close to the eye lids.

Science!

What a great day. I started off the day at the gym reading my brand new book, The Mormon Scientist by Henry J. Eyring who I believe is the son of Henry B. Eyring. I just got through the acknowledgements, the introduction, the overview and a smidgen of the first chapter. It is so amazing! I came home so happy and uplifted.

Then I took B to set up his very first science fair project. I was feeling really lame because we did it just this last week... but it looked nice and I think it was great for a Kindergartner. He won a blue ribbon in his category and a bronze medal out of the 1st and 2nd graders. He was the only one from Kinder. Weird, eh, can't figure that one out.



We, as a family, are so very proud... look at Sarah hugging him. Here is a video of B explaining his project. The volume is really low, so hopefully you can hear it.



I'm so proud my buttons are bursting, and not because of all of the Easter candy either. May I just add that I love Reeses (both Di and the peanut butter/chocolate specialists).

Another bit of great news that Ticee shared with me is that Friday Night Lights will be back! On the same happy note Ana is having her ultra-sound tomorrow. What do you think, boy or girl?

Photographer

My kids are so adorable. You should have seen them Sunday, all dressed up. I found some $7 dresses on Walmart.com that are to die for. I really want to document how adorable they are, but I do not have any luck or skills in that area. I couldn't get my monsters to hold still at the same time... or to look at me. S was determined to hold up the picture she had made in Primary. R and L thought she looked cool so they held their arms out. B loves his stuffed animal so much he thinks it should be in every picture. I don't know why that tiger drives me looney. B makes little noises and tells me what the tiger says. He also rubs the tigers paws up against me. Grrrr...

Anywho, I took about thirty pictures and not one of them is great. I just want a picture of all of my monsters, in all of their glory... at the same time.

Here are the answers to the citizenship test. You tell me, but I think #93 is a little manipulative... and weird.

ANSWER SHEET
1. Red, white, and blue
2. One for each state
3. There are 50 stars on our flag.
4. The stars on our flag are white.
5. There are 13 stripes on our flag.
6. The first 13 states
7. The stripes on the flag are red and white.
8. 50 states
9. Independence Day
10. Independence from Great Britain
11. We fought Great Britain in the Revolutionary War.
12. George Washington
13. George W. Bush
14. Dick Cheney
15. The Electoral College
16. The Vice President
17. The supreme law of the land
18. Amendments
19. Twenty-seven amendments
20. Executive, Judicial, and Legislative
21. Congress
22. The Senate and the House of Representatives
23. Congress
24. The citizens of the United States
25. There are 100 Senators in Congress, 2 from each state.
26. 6 years
27. The answer to this question depends on where you live.
28. There are 435 voting members in the House of Representatives.
29. For 2 years
30. The President
31. The President is elected for 4 years.
32. The Supreme Court
33. To interpret and explain the laws
34. The Constitution
35. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution
36. The answer to this question depends on the state where you reside. To learn the capital of your state, go to http://www.firstgov.gov and select the state government link.
37. The answer to this question depends on where you live. To learn the name of the Governor of your state, go to http://www.firstgov.gov and select the state government link.
38. The Speaker of the House
39. John G. Roberts, Jr.
40. Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia
41. Patrick Henry
42. Germany, Italy, and Japan
43. Alaska
44. Two full terms
45. A civil rights leader
46. A candidate for President must
• be a native-born, not naturalized, citizen,
• be at least 35 years old, and
• have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
47. Each state elects 2 Senators.
48. The President nominates judges for the Supreme Court.
49. There are 9 Supreme Court Justices.
50. To gain religious freedom
51. The Governor
52. The Mayor
53. Thanksgiving
54. Thomas Jefferson
55. July 4, 1776
56. That all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
57. The Star-Spangled Banner
58. Francis Scott Key
59. 18 is the minimum voting age.
60. The President
61. The Supreme Court
62. Abraham Lincoln
63. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves.
64. The Cabinet advises the President.
65. George Washington
66. George Washington
67. Hawaii
68. The American Indians/Native Americans
69. The Mayflower
70. Colonies
71. Congress has the power to declare war.
72. The 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th amendments
73. The Constitution was written in 1787.
74. The Bill of Rights
75. All people living in the United States
76. The Preamble
77. Congress
78. The White House
79. Washington, DC
80. The rights of freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, of assembly, and to petition the Government
81. The President
82. November
83. January
84. There is no limit.
85. The Democratic and Republican parties
86. The President, the Cabinet, and departments under the cabinet members
87. The Bill of Rights
88. Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization)
89. A Republic
90. For countries to discuss and try to resolve world problems or to provide economic aid to many countries
91. To obtain Federal government jobs, to travel with a U.S. passport, or to petition for close relatives to come to the United States to live
92. Yes, the Constitution can be changed.
93. The right to vote
94. The President’s official home
95. The place where Congress meets
96. There are 3 branches

Utah State Legislature

I have started emailing the legislature everyday. I am so upset about the immigration legislation that they are trying to pass through. Legislators keep coming on the news talking about how they just believe in the law and obeying the law... well, duh. They also say they believe in legal immigration but I would bet my entire tax return that they have no idea what is involved in legal immigration. Our experience with immigration has been horrendous! Everyone out there thinks that if someone from another country marries a US citizen, they automatically become a citizen themselves. Far from true. We have spent hours (4 hours, 3 hours, 1.5 hours... the farther along we get in the process, the less our wait has been) in that dirty waiting room in the INS offices in Salt Lake. At least now they let you have access to a bathroom. Things are really improving (sarcasm, my friends).

Immigration is so inflexible and puts so many obstacles in your way, for example, they have extreme requirements for pictures. A certain percentage of white space needs to show in the background and your face had to be at a 45% angle. You need a physical from their list of doctors that wouldn't accept our insurance. Always three years of taxes, birth certificates from the entire family, housing documents etc... and you have to take them every time. We have had to submit all of the crazy list of documents four different times. E has been fingerprinted at least five times since we have been married.

Now after over fifteen hundred dollars, eight years, interviews, documents, INS raids (at my in-laws while E was there visiting), picture taking and lots of waiting... it is now time for the citizenship test! His appointment is March 11th... we would love everyone's prayers, fasting, quizing E everytime you talk to him... anything you can do would be appreciated.

Just for fun, here are the citizenship test questions... I will post the answers later alligator, but if you can't wait the link will take you to the questions and the answers.

The following are sample U.S. History and Government
Questions that may be asked during the Naturalization Exam.

1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. What do the stars on the flag mean?
3. How many stars are there on our flag?
4. What color are the stars on our flag?
5. How many stripes are there on our flag?
6. What do the stripes on the flag represent?
7. What colors are the stripes on the flag?
8. How many states are there in the Union (the United States)?
9. What do we celebrate on the 4th of July?
10. Independence Day celebrates independence from whom?
11. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
12. Who was the first president of the United States?
13. Who is the President of the United States today?
14. Who is the Vice President of the United States today?
15. Who elects the President of the United States?
16. Who becomes President if the President dies?
17. What is the Constitution?
18. What do we call changes to the Constitution?
19. How many changes, or amendments, are there to the Constitution?
20. What are the three branches of our government?
21. What is the legislative branch of our Government?
22. What makes up Congress?
23. Who makes the Federal laws in the United States?
24. Who elects Congress?
25. How many Senators are there in Congress?
26. For how long do we elect each Senator?
27. Name two Senators from your state.
28. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?
29. For how long do we elect each member of the House of Representatives?
30. Who is the head of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government?
31. For how long is the President elected?
32. What is the highest part of the Judiciary Branch of our Government?
33. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
34. What is the supreme law of the United States?
35. What is the Bill of Rights?
36. What is the capital of the state you live in?
37. Who is the current Governor of the state you live in?
38. Who becomes President if both the President and Vice President die?
39. Who is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
40. What were the original 13 states?
41. Who said, “Give me liberty or give me death”?
42. Name some countries that were our enemies during World War II.
43. What was the 49th state added to our Union (the United States)?
44. How many full terms can a President serve?
45. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
46. What are some of the requirements to be eligible to become President?
47. Why are there 100 Senators in the United States Senate?
48. Who nominates judges for the Supreme Court?
49. How many Supreme Court Justices are there?
50. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
51. What is the executive of a state government called?
52. What is the head executive of a city government called?
53. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists?
54. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
55. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
56. What are some of the basic beliefs of the Declaration of Independence?
57. What is the national anthem of the United States?
58. Who wrote The Star-Spangled Banner?
59. What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
60. Who signs bills into law?
61. What is the highest court in the United States?
62. Who was President during the Civil War?
63. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
64. What special group advises the President?
65. Which President is called the “Father of our Country”?
66. Which President was the first Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army and Navy?
67. What was the 50th state to be added to our Union (the United States)?
68. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
69. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
70. What were the 13 original states of the United States called before they were states?
71. What group has the power to declare war?
72. Name the amendments that guarantee or address voting rights.
73. In what year was the Constitution written?
74. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
75. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
76. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
77. Who meets in the U.S. Capitol building?
78. What is the name of the President’s official home?
79. Where is the White House located?
80. Name one right or freedom guaranteed by the first amendment.
81. Who is Commander-in-Chief of the United States military?
82. In what month do we vote for the President?
83. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
84. How many times may a Senator or Congressman be re-elected?
85. What are the two major political parties in the United States today?
86. What is the executive branch of our government?
87. Where does freedom of speech come from?
88. What U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services form is used to apply for naturalized citizenship?
89. What kind of government does the United States have?
90. Name one of the purposes of the United Nations.
91. Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States.
92. Can the Constitution be changed?
93. What is the most important right granted to United States citizens?
94. What is the White House?
95. What is the United States Capitol?
96. How many branches are there in the United States government?

As you can see, some of the questions are easy... but some are pretty challenging. They don't ask every question, but you have to know all of the information because you aren't sure what they will ask.

I think I have them all down except for the one that asks which amendments deal with voter rights. I just keep forgetting.

Anywho, the illegals who have risked their lives to get here and work here... they didn't do enter our country legally because they wouldn't be able to. They don't just give out visas (permission to enter our country) to anyone who applies. The illegals are here illegally because that is their only option. Most support their entire family from what they make here. If we tell people to just fill out the paper work and pay the hundreds/thousands of dollars to apply... they will be denied.

That is why I believe so strongly in a work permit program. And the application process for visas and citizenship needs a complete overhaul! But, back to my original point, the state can't fix those problems, they are federal problems. The state just wants to do something... but their ideas are inhumane. Part of Senate Bill 81 would make it illegal to rent a home or apartment to an illegal. We rent to murderers, rapists, drug users... but heaven forbid we rent to a good LDS family with little babies.

They also want to give police the ability to arrest someone for being illegal. Once the police have someone in custody, their immigration status can be checked. The new bill would allow police to arrest on the suspicion of illegality. They could arrest E and lock him up until I took in proof of legality. Please, he can't carry his green card. Do you know how often he looses things, if you lose it... you are out of luck. Also, the credit cards he carries get so dirty that the magnetic strip doesn't work. We can't risk ruining the green card, that I like to call the golden card, the card to rule all cards. It is beautiful and shiny with many holograms of USA-ish things... My precious, we worked so hard to get it!

Can you tell I am a little passionate about this issue? If you would like to write to the legislators let me know. It took me forever to get all 90 or so addresses into the email. But now that its done, I could just forward it to you.

God Bless the USA. We are lucky to live in such a choice land. Thank your lucky stars that you weren't born south of the border... you just might be losing your chance to go to college or drive or rent a place to live with your family. Just imagine...

Happy Birthday E

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

He met the requirements on my list I made in YW for the kind of husband I wanted: honors his priesthood, a hard worker, honest, great father, returned missionary, ...

He loved me fat. Someday when I am super fit and thin I will still be just as grateful that he loved me when I was fat. He can see my good hidden behind all of the craziness.

He is so handsome. You should see him with his "long hair." It is really long but you can't tell because it is so curly and delicious. And I always was more partial to brown men.

He is so mellow and easy going.

He dedicates his life, his entire being to his family.

He's a great mechanic and keeps all of our vehicles clean and running smoothly.

He has been a blessing in the lives of many other people. The service he has done is note worthy.

He is funny and can make me laugh.

He has silently put up with racism and prejudice without lashing out or letting it make him bitter. That reminds me of the Savior, "y no abrio su boca," something like, " He did not open His mouth." He just keeps improving himself and working towards his goals. That is my manly man.

Happy Birthday Amor.

My Favorite Things

• Primary teachers and presidency who love your kids and magnify their callings. We had a primary activity today where the kids filled out little books about themselves. Then they decorated a frame that we put their picture on one side and right next to it a big heart that says "I am a child of God." It was so well organized. I really appreciated all the work they put into making the activity great.
• S singing all the time, today she was making up a song about a pirate. I just caught the line, "...and the pirate died, the pirate died."
• R and L playing together with their "dolly house." They take turns role playing with all of the family members and pets that live in their little house.
• B's love for his "building" toys including transformers, bionicles, legos... I see it as a sign of genius. : )
• Receiving two emails from missionaries I served with in Guatemala! I heard from Hna. Allred and Elder Cordero this week. What a great season of my life the mission was.
• Hearing that a chocolate factory is going to open in my very own town!
• The Complete Jane Austen on Masterpiece, PBS.
• R's love for puppies, Diego, Woody, and especially her papa.
• L's love for kitties and any princess will do.
• B reading out loud to me.
• L's scrawny little legs climbing up to the counter top in the bathroom to wash her hands after she goes potty.
• Curly hair.
• My girls all decked out in a princess gown, crowns, gloves, slippers, and jewels. Especially when I didn't have to help them!
• S and B on the computer at the PBS kids site. They can do everything without my help. Technology and young minds, amazing.
• My children gaining their own testimonies and learning about their divine worth. Tomorrow we will be singing as a family in sacrament meeting. I Am a Child of God in English and Spanish, then I will throw in a verse in Navajo. Yes, we are crazy... but its the church, what can you do? Just sing I guess, just sing. I am positive that our kids are cute enough to take all attention off of the talent, or lack thereof.
• Watching my cats get so much joy from turning circles, counting, getting dressed by themselves, coloring, going potty, dancing ...

Happy Birthday Brigham!

Our lovey lovey boy just turned six. He was so excited for his B-day that he woke up at 5 a.m.! I decorated his room with hearts and he had to come in to tell me about it. Then he saw his unwrapped gift and E told him to go ahead and open it. He woke S up to share in the joy and he had plenty of time to play with his Transformer before he went to school. He also had time to burst into tears because he couldn't transform it and give the gift back to his sleeping mother. The Transformer layed by me for a while but B came back to give it another try... all before I ever got out of bed.

B has had a big year. He learned to write his long firt name back in the beginning of his sixth year, before he turned six he also mastered his enormous last name. B started Kindergarten and learned to read! This week he read to me the following out of Night Creatures: "Some animals are awake at night, and they sleep during the day. Owls and bats are awake at night. Crocodiles, foxes, and jaguars are awake at night, too!" I am very impressed by my smarty pants.

We had a simple dinner of heart shaped sandwiches, heart shaped cheese and apple slices. On his cake we put two transformers fighting and called it good.

Friday Night Lights

If you know me, you know I love Friday Night Lights. It is one of the only TV shows with a real relationship between a husband and a wife. Coach Taylor and Mrs. T are the worlds cutest couple and the greatest parents ever! I am so sad that we are losing great TV shows to reality TV. Must stop the madness!

I've no idea who has taken the time to set up this web site, more power to them. I wouldn't want my children to have made this website. However, here are my favorite things from the site Save Friday Night Lights.

My favorite troubled teen:


LIGHTS ON: Send Light Bulbs To NBC To Save Friday Night Lights
The Official Motto of the Dillon Panthers Booster Club is Keep The Lights On, and what better way to get that point across to NBC than by taking a moment to send them a light bulb as a reminder that it’s a “good idea” to keep great shows on their network. NBC-Universal is owned by General Electric anyway, so these light bulbs will also be like little bribes, putting our whole campaign in a more financial context these studio types will be able to better understand. Light bulbs are cheap, easy to come by, and if they break during shipping, the shattered glass might even seem vaguely threatening when NBC opens the package. Sort of like, “You try to take away our Panthers, and we might just cut you.” So grab a bulb, write “Lights On” on the side of it, and send it to NBC honcho Ben Silverman at:


Ben Silverman
c/o NBC Studios
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA. 91523


Go to the Booster Club, sign the petition, and send FNL-related tips to info@bwe.tv. Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose is something they yell before their games and to get pumped up. Coach Taylor is a great man and I hope that my children get great coaches as they go through sports... not crazy mad swearing coaches. I repeat, I love Friday Night Lights.

B Playing in the Snow

Shopping with Little Monsters

Yesterday after B's school we went to the Dollar store to look for B-day party supplies. I parked by a cart with thoughts of trapping kids inside the cart for less touching within the store. As I was unloading the van, a man came up on his bike and asked for money. He had come down for a job interview on the bus and he forgot to bring return busfare. All he needed was $0.75... As he was blah, blah, blah, I was putting L into the little seat in the front of the cart. Then the search began for money. The wallet was empty of bills, and I could only find some dimes, nickels and pennies.

Then, crash, boom, screaming and crying. I look over to see the flimsy shopping cart with L still iln the seat laying on its side with R under it. Poor little R was just laying on her back, unable to move with the weight of the cart on her. Apparently R and S had both climbed onto the same side and caused the crash. S escaped injury but R has a big bruise on her cheek and L has a huge bump/scrape on her forehead. The worst was the money guy just rode off on his bike without saying anything. I was so frustrated with him I yelled out after him, "Don't you want your money?"

When I told E the story he said, "He was white wasn't he?" (And he was.) "I don't understand how someone who was born here, they have papers, a social security number... There are many job openings out there, how can they not have any sort of job. Yet, they are very comfortable asking for money." I must admit that I see his point. I have been hit up for money at least ten times in parking lots in the last few months.

That was just the beginning of the horror. The kids were tired, whiny, begging, fighting, peeing, touching, grabbing, almost breaking and very embarrassing as we went from the Dollar Store to Zurchers to Target. I am that mother wtih all of the rotten kids in public. I know it isn't all their fault for being tired and dragged around... but....what's a girl to do?

I forgot my favorite part of the piercing... her earings are titanium! I love titanium. It is such an amazing metal, one of my favorite elements. When my doctor told me that my tubaligation included titanium clamps my heart lept with joy. I am so proud to have a little Ti inside of me.

The best part is that the 14 K gold or white gold earings were $35 and the Ti earings were $16!

To Pierce or Not to Pierce

I feel that I must explain our decision to open holes in our 3 year old's ears. I spent plenty of time thinking about it. E thought we would just do it when they were born. I was adamantly against it, but I didn't know why. I, myself, had to wait until I was 12 to get my ears pierced, but then I was nervous about it. We didn't have anywhere to get them pierced, really. No mall, we didn't have a beautician... It just never happened. Then Mom died and that was that. At fourteen I finally got them pierced in a mall in Provo with Donna at my side.

Why did we have to wait till we were twelve? No idea. So, when S kept saying she wanted earings, I kept telling her to wait until she was older. "Like a big mama?" Exactly, like a big mama. Then she would see girls of all ages with earings and ask me why she couldn't. I really didn't have a reason. I decided that we would get her ears pierced while I was still alive. So, we did.

I wanted to prepare her to make sure she wanted this. I pinched her ear and said it would hurt a little... "do you still want this?" She did. While she sat in the enormous chair, waiting for the piercing, she was so quiet. Two girls did the piercing so both ears could be done at the same time. I was ready for one of the big crying/screaming fits. Worried... 3, 2, 1... pierced. Silence. S just looked around, no crying, no "Ouch!" She was a little surprised, but so brave. She is still very pleased with her lovely earings.

And I am still alive.

Sarah and Mama's Saturday

More - Much, Much, More SNOW!

So first on Friday we woke up to about 10 inches of snow. E kindly shoveled before I left in the morning. I was amazed at his speed and snow shoveling skill. He made the mountains so compact and solid and he cleaned right to the pavement. Amazing. Saturday was a sometimes sunny day, cloudy for a while, snowed for a couple of minutes... but all in all it was a nice day. I anxiously watched the news for word on the next big storm. We were told that we would get about 4-9 inches but the worst of it would be in the central and southern part of the state. Imagine our shock when we woke up to at least a foot of snow on the driveway. E shoveled again before church and we frantically loaded up to get to church on time. I zoomed right out of the driveway and felt pretty confident... then when I had to turn at the light the van gave out on me. The tires were just spinning and the light changed from red to green to yellow and again to red before I inched my way around the corner. It was a horrifying drive to church... but we made it. They actually cancelled Sunday School and Relief Society, so after sacrament we came back home. B had fun climbing around in the snow, but the girls were too cold. It is still snowing even now. Thank goodness for our neighbors. We had three neighbors snowblowing our sidewalks while we were at church. That is so appreciated. Neighbors have been so good to us!! May they be repayed in double the kindness that they have shown us.

President Hinckley

I have just spent the last little while watching tributes to President Hinckley on YouTube. It is fun to think of the people putting them together and wanting to do something to honor a prophet they love so much. I love President Hinckley for his optimism, humor, vision and like President Eyring said... his ability to make people want to do better and make them feel like they actually can be better people. I almost forgot about "Stand a Little Taller," and "Ways to Be." Lets not forget the Proclamation on the Family and The Living Christ. Wow... I want to make sure I don't forget what he taught us.

I also learned that the best place to get information about the church is the church. The following is from www.lds.org (the newsroom). You can also watch his funeral tomorrow on line... or maybe at your stake center. Technology is great.



President Thomas S. Monson:

“It was my privilege to know and love President Hinckley long before either of us was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency. Through the years I have sat next to him, have served with him and have learned from him. I am a witness to his prophetic calling.

“President Hinckley was prodigious in his work ethic and was totally dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a friend to one and all and a leader who inspired spirituality. His outreach on an international scale was unprecedented. He was truly a prophet for our time. Like the Master, he devoted his life to doing good, and God was surely with him. His life was a gift to the world.”

President Henry B. Eyring:

“President Hinckley had the gift to make people want to do better and to feel that they could. Last Tuesday I sat in a meeting with him as he considered and then decided matters of great importance, some about individuals and some affecting the entire Church. He was pleasant, incisive, and clearly inspired. For me, he raised the standard of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, giving all.”

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles express our heartfelt love and admiration for President Gordon B. Hinckley and the singular life of service he lived. He was our prophet, our leader, our brother and our friend. We feel a deep, personal loss at his passing. He unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose witness he was at home and abroad.

“We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love. However, we cannot but rejoice in his reunion with his beloved Marjorie, with his parents and other family members who have gone before, and with the prophets of God, both ancient and modern, among whose eternal ranks he now stands. As the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles we echo the voice of the Master, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of thy Lord.’ ”

I will keep striving to be a little better each day. That will be my tribute to a prophet that I love so much.

The Many Faces of Rachy

Snow

On Shoveling Snow

Monday found me shoveling about four inches of snow. The tragedy was that I had already gone out and back for the day (see WIC), leaving car tracks in the driveway. It is so hard to shovel once the snow has been driven on or walked on. I really doubles the work. The blessing was that my neighbor bought a new snowblower and he cleaned our front sidewalk. Let's not forget that we live on a corner and I must shovel the other side as well.

Last night it snowed all night and after the gym I shoveld another six inches or more this morning. My forearms ache. I think I have discovered why I haven't thrown my back out. I throw the snow from the sidewalk up and over the fence. Instead of twisting with my back I have to do more lifting with my arms. The driveway snow must be thrown over the mountains of snow in the yard. Up, up, up... That's the secret, don't you think?

I don't know how much more of this any of us can take. I do feel for the city. The old water main broke because of the cold and old age. They are spending thousands of dollars on maintaining snow plows... parts, overtime for employees, gas, salt/sand etc. Yucky. It has been quite the year.

The Dreaded WIC!

So... L and S didn't gain one pound in six months, therefore a follow up visit within two months was required. The date was set for January 28th (Happy Birthday Melissa Richmond... a friend from High School, I wish I knew where she was) and the hour was set for 9:30 a.m. A very early hour for me to have everyone ready. After getting B off to school, getting home from the gym, getting E off to work (like he needs a lot of help)... we jumped into the shower. A girl must be clean if she is to be weighed.



I forced the girls into their cute red sweaters I gave them for Christmas. For some reason they hate the sweaters... but I paid for them, they are cute and they must be worn. After much screaming, sweating (me) and many tears they were all dressed, socked and shoe-ed. Then the coats, and they must be zipped... and out to the van. Must buckle every girl in, climb into the back, don't forget Sarah. So many tinies! I was exhausted but we were going to get there on time!

Imagine my horror when I push the button on the door and it doesn't close. I have been here before. Sometimes E leaves the keys in the ignition and leaves the van on! Glancing up to see if the worst could be true, I see the keys in the ignition. The battery is dead, dead, dead.

I tried to call E but he didn't answer his phone. Every ring just got him deeper and deeper into trouble. Then I spotted a random battery just sitting in our garage. I hauled it over to the van, hooked up jumper cables and tried to fire up the van. Nothing but a wierd clicking noise. I tried calling E again but to no avail, so I went into the house to find WIC's number. Once inside I could hear E's phone ringing. Huh.

WIC didn't answer, I was on hold for at least ten minutes. When the lady did answer I was trying the van again and miraculously it started!! I was so excited I explained to the lady I would be right there... but she wanted to look up my file, see what type of appointment it was... blah, blah, blah. Then she said that I would have to reschedule because I probably couldn't get there in five minutes. I assured her I could, I was on my way. "Now you only have three minutes. That just regulations." Grrr... So, I had to reschedle for 1:30 p.m. that afternoon.

I decided to drive somewhere and charge the battery. I went to Target and found a $12 dress that is beautiful in black and white. I also bought some $1.74 shirts for R, L, and S. When they say 75% off they mean it.

At the WIC office later S had to go potty and B had to go stinkies. Annoying. Not very punishable. They called while we were in the bathroom and I went out front as quick as possible looking around for the ghost voice. Everyone was too busy to talk to me so we just stood there for about five minutes. Then I just went back and looked in every office asking them if they had called my name. Then all the cats fought over the magnet toy, just like they always do. Yelling, crying, pushing, hitting... all while the nutritionist is trying to talk to me. Fun.

Yet, I am thankful for the help. Thank you US government.

Oh, and I must add that both L and S had gained two pounds each. What? As a scientist, I feel that something is going wrong with the data collection.

Is it wrong to rent "Dora Undercover" and just let the kids watch it over and over? Hmmm....

Crush

I just picked up B from school. As I walked in Mikaela said, "Guess what Brigham's mom. Brigham has a crush on me."

My response was, "Does he even know what crush means?" When she nodded I asked, "Who taught him? Did you teach him what a crush is?" She just giggled.

When I later asked B if he liked Mikaela he said yes with his eyes all aglow. What the? His friend told him he should kiss her. That is going a too far. I have extracted from him a promise that he will never kiss girls, "except for you mom." Much better.

Ode to Grandpa Jack

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!

Fidelity

Well, I got asked out this morning at the gym. When I told E that I got asked out for the first time since we've been married he said, "That's something at least."

A couple of weeks ago I was on the tread mill and this guy made eye contact, I smiled and nodded, and he came right over to the machine next to me. It made me a little nervous and I carefully ignored him. When I had 2 minutes left to go he started yelling, "Katrina! Katrina!" He was trying to get my attention. I gave him a couple of minutes of attention, trying not to be rude but making it obvious that I needed to go... and I made a quick escape.

A couple of days later, I saw him change from the eliptical to the bikes when he saw me... but I was already done. He just had time to say hello before I took off.

Today I saw him again as I was walking out. He asked if I was going to teach, if I were a teacher. Spooky... I told him I was going home to take care of my kids. After asking if I were married he said, "Wow, your husband must have a good job." Yes, yes... Then he followed up with, "When are you going to go out to lunch with me?" Duh...

He assured me that it would just be as friends and I assured him that I didn't need any friends. I have all the male companionship I need in my husband.

As I was running away, he said he would be there tomorrow. Sweet... kidding.

Thank goodness I can't go tomorrow because E has to work early so we can head out for Vernal.

I kept thinking I should let Aunt Alice (Grandpa Walker's sister) and Glade Nelson (Mom's cousin) know that Grandpa Lent had passed away. Finally last night I got up the nerve. I was prodded on by the letter I received from Aunt Alice yesterday. How was that for a sign. So, armed with my high speed internet I was able to find phone numbers (and ages oddly enough) and I gave them a call. They were both so grateful that I had called. Aunt Alice said that she is sure she wouldn't have known otherwise... Glade said that he had already heard and was looking forward to seeing us all at the funeral.

I am not sure why sometimes I fight against listening to the Spirit. I guess it is because I'm just never sure. Instead of questioning everything maybe I should just plow ahead.

Tonight I have book club with a bunch of ladies as different from me as beans are from apples. What fun.

Oh, and hurrah for Ticee! She finally broke down and became friends with Bella, Edward and Jacob (I choose Jacob!).

Cute family

IT IS STILL SNOWING!

SNOW!

We are getting so much snow this year and right this minute. E is working on two cars right now so we don't get to park in the garage. The good thing is I will be so grateful when we get our garage back. The bad thing is we had a foot of snow on our cars this morning... Actually a little more because the snow from last week hasn't melted.

I went out and shoveled the foot of snow from our sidewalks. What a great time. Everything is so hushed and big snowflakes are falling all around. What quiet beauty. Also it is so rewarding to see the clear spaces where you have been. I love shoveling snow... until I hurt my back or something. But that hasn't happened yet. : ) The snow hasn't stopped and all of the walks and driveway are inches deep again.

My neighbor across the street was trying to get out of her driveway and got stuck. She was home alone so she got out of the car and tried to push it out into the street herself. I luckily saw her out the window and ran out to help. We budged it a little, then a hero pulled over to help push, so she could get in and drive it out.

I was worried about getting out of my driveway but I had to pick up Brigham from school. Right as I was loading my little monsters, along came Brother Wilcock in a little tractor. He cleaned my entrance to the driveway from the street, when I pulled out he cleaned our driveway. What a blessing. That is one good reason for switching to English church. : )

May you all be safe and warm...

Love,

Julie

Money... Who needs it?

This morning when I got home from the gym (oh yeah, I work out...) I noticed that I didn't warm up when I came into the house. To make a long story short, the ignitor in our furnace cracked and some grumpy, uneducated guy (he wasn't too bad) came and fixed it... $130!! It took him just a few minutes, grrr... but who can ignore the situation and not fix their furnace with four littles that don't want to just bundle up in more clothes even though it is sixty degrees in the house.

He also informed me that our builder never installed a filter on the furnace. Shouldn't that be against code or something? So rude! The blower and coil will need to be pulled out and cleaned and a filter installed. "That'll run ya about $700 bucks." Nice.

Now, on to nicer thoughts. This new computer and internet service is dreamy. It is like a whole new world has been opened up for me. Love it!

New Year's Eve was so much fun. Bonnie invited us over so we went for a couple of hours. The kids had so much fun playing with toys that don't belong to them. We had fun talking to adults. Then, Presidente Carrillo called to invite us to the Spanich branches dance/party. We left Bonnie's at 9:30ish with the plan to just stop by at the church and say hello to everyone then go home and hit the sack. We ended up having so much fun at the dance that we stayed till midnight. Hispanics really do just let go and have so much more fun than gringos. It was like being with a bunch of really close friends, which they are. So easy to love them from afar. I loved not worrying about table cloths or food, clean-up or paper cups. We had a blast.





Hopefully our Slade family get together can become at least a biannual event. I must apologize to Richard for making him take care of my kids while we went to copy the circle journal pages. And thank you to Janett and Ticee for all the help with the circle journals. I know it was torture, especially for Susan, but I can't wait for the finished product!

May I also say how much I enjoyed being a rock star, playing the drums and the guitar or singing. I kept saying how much fun it was and Jaren couldn't tell if I was being sarcastic or not... because I really was quite bad at it. I can see the importance of playing video games constantly to get better and better. One of these days I will be as good as Jaren on the guitar, watch out.



I didn't take any pics of Di's family since they escaped so early from Janett's. Luckily they stopped by to sleep a couple of hours at my house before heading home. May I just say that I love feeding them. They acted like they liked it! And luckily I got some "my spaceish" photos.

I have been without the internet since November 29th... but I am back! We had no idea how much we depended on the internet. I couldn't remember how to pay my bills, find telephone numbers, comunicate with people... craziness. Thanks to Susan, we are now back up and running wild.

So many things to say, yet I must cook dinner! Happy New Year to all... may it bring many new joys and successes and very few disapointments.

Ciao....