Football Fun

 The girls at the game.!

It was the 2nd coldest game I have ever been to. 30 degrees.

We were okay in the beginning.  But as time went by the temperature dropped and the wind came up a couple of times.  I layered okay, but my toes froze.  I wore my rain boots because the forecast predicted a chance for rain and snow, and it was snowing pretty good in Midway when we left for the game.  The vinyl wasn't very warm.

 Traditional 'Cougartail'.

A freshly baked maple bar that is loooonnng like a cougar's tail from the campus bakery.

Erik, Sarah, Christine.

Richard and Tyler were up for the weekend while Patti was at her quilting retreat.

They came up to the cabin for the afternoon before the game.

The dad's napped in each recliner with the Washington/USC game as their lullaby while the kids watched movies and played games in the game room.

At halftime, lots of people left because it was cold and we were winning by a lot, so Richard and Erik came down to sit with us.  The bun warmers and heater were on full blast for the drive home while we listened to the post-game show.  Our quarterback took some significant hits and broke some ribs which punctured his lung.  Heaps came back in and we won, but I'm nervous how he will do in the next couple of games while Riley is healing.

It was good times.

Just Because I Want To Remember

 Monday through Thursday I'd get to Natalie's at 8:15am, get John in the car seat and take her to work. Most of the time on the way home he and I stopped at Home Depot for all the little things you forget about when you move.

Cell phone pics.

He loved the car cart.

It was very hard to steer.  A kind employee gave me some tips and soon I was a pro at it.

He was very intrigued with the guy cutting the blinds for the bay kitchen window.

I didn't realize that you could get some pretty good blinds for a great price if you are a do-it-yourselfer.  Not that we are big do-it-yourselfers, but we try.

David put the brackets up and I got them cut to the right measurments and in they went.  What a difference!

11/11/11

You won't see this for quite some time again!

Where were we?

On interstate 15 just outside of St. George, Utah driving to the cabin.

Christine and Sarah had set their phone alarms and we all paused and made a wish at

 11:11am on 11-11-11.

Keeping my wish a secret for now!

Got here in really good time, and it seemed like it went by fast even though 10 hours is 10 hours.  The girls slept most of the trip, Duff drove the whole way and I crocheted burp cloths for the new baby coming.  Sarah introduced us to dark chocolate covered acai blueberries.  Yum!  It is COLD here.  Brrr.  We unloaded and then the girls and I went to town to get some groceries.  We have settled in for the night and are excited for tomorrow.  They say snow is coming.  Yes.

Also, a HUGE thank you to all the Veterans in our country who have fought and preserved our freedoms.  You are loved by us!

Hip Replacement

I hope I never have to have this surgery, but if I do, it's nice to know it can be done.

My mom had her 2 week post op appointment today.

The surgeon was thrilled with her progress.  He said she is recovering faster than he anticipated.  She can graduate to a cane now and put her walker away.  WOW!

She says the pain in her groin area is g o n e.  That has been bothering her for almost a year and she thought perhaps it was a hernia.  Nope.  Groin pain is a major indicator of a disintegrated hip joint.  It makes sense now to me, but at the time I thought hip pain would be up more by the top of the hip bone connected to the leg.

 The ball of her hip joint was disintegrated like in this picture.

They put in this new prosthetic joint piece.

She's been zipping around the kitchen.  Yeah.  Guess we were wrong thinking we could keep her out of there!  The doctor told her she'd be up cooking Thanksgiving dinner and feeling fine and looks like he was right.  Except that Thanksgiving dinner this year for them is at Linda and David's.

I got these pictures from the internet.

November 8, 9, 2011

For the last 3 days, I 've just been adjusting to be home again and getting ready to leave again.  I will have only been home 4 days and then gone again.  It's all good--really worthy--things.  The timing is just not ideal.  Kinda lousy actually.  The good thing I think though is that I knew it was going to be like this and I mentally prepared better for it and I'm not such a stress case as I thought I would be.

I have not done one bit of Christmas shopping yet.  This is terrible news for me.  For the last 5 years, I have almost been done at this point of the year.  I've just been gone so much I haven't had time to concentrate and do anything.  I have my ideas and kind of a plan.  I hope to get crackin' on this area soon.  Online shopping is my friend for Christmas.  The shipping costs make up for my time out looking and my gas running around.

Friday we leave for Utah and the football game and then Duff and I will stay for Brooke and Doug's wedding on Tuesday.

Build An Ark

I've always loved the story of Noah's Ark.  It was one of my favorites as a child.  I was enamored with Noah gathering all of the animals, the flood, his family, the people not listening to the prophet and repenting.  I couldn't figure out why the people didn't hear what he was saying.  It seemed so simple to me.  A child's faith, I suppose.  How did the world get so bad that God had to flood the whole earth?

Then the years go by and life happens.  Rain falls on all of us.  Sometimes a particular storm is more vicious than others.  Figurative floods rise up.  Are we safe?  Are we prepared?  As an adult now, I understand that if we aren't it can be easy to say as in the scriptures:  all is well in zion!  and be lulled into 'carnal security'. Or, I just need a time out for a while.

A ward Primary sang this song as part of their Sacrament Meeting Program. 

I was immediately captured by it.

It is a bright, fun tune with a powerful message.  This is one of those primary songs that the children will always remember!

I think every child should learn this song and let the message sink deep into their hearts. 

It is from The Friend magazine, September 2010.

I've been playing it on the piano everyday now. I love it!

Noah was a prophet,
A man who did not fear.
When he taught repentance the people would not hear.
So the Lord told him to build a boat
That could hold a ton and stay afloat.
Then Noah started building and said within his heart:
"I will build an ark before it starts to rain.
I will follow the Lord and do all things in His name.
I'll prepare every needful thing. 
I will walk in righteous ways.
When the rain starts to fall on me,
I'll be ready for that day."

I can be like Noah.
Yes, I can be prepared.
I can build my ark, and I'll find shelter there.
I can do the things I know are right.
I can learn and pray with all my might.
And when the storm clouds come, I'll be safe within my ark.
I will build my ark before it starts to rain.
I will follow the prophet, for he speaks in God's name.
I'll prepare every needful thing.
I will walk in righteous ways.
When the rain starts to fall on me
I'll be ready for that day.

I'm Home!

Dorothy was right.  There's no place like HOME!  The Wizard of Oz was on tv tonight and I watched and relished every bit of it.

I drove home today.  Made good time.  I'm glad I stayed yesterday.  I needed the rest.  I had rainy weather from Blythe on.  The cloud cover was nice.

Duff texted me:  where are you my super wife?  everyone's here for dinner tonight.  we have a roast in the oven.

I started crying.  Tired, emotional, and all of the above.  Just the thought of going home to my family overcame me.  It made me have conversations with myself.  I wonder if that's how it will be going home to heaven?  I think so.

Do Nothing Day.

It's rainy and cold here in AZ.  A dust storm blew in yesterday afternoon.  I thought it just looked cloudy, but when Natalie got home from work, she took me upstairs and showed me out the higher windows that it was indeed dust from blowing dirt off the desert.  We closed up the windows fast. 

I wanted to drive home today.  I just couldn't.  I'm tired.  Sore. Tired.  And need a day to recoup.  We pretty much did nothing.  I finished a baby blanket I've been working on.  Lisa made her recipe of cabbage soup which was delicious and hit the spot on an autumn day.  Cabbage, potatoes, onion, kielbasa, broth.  Good stuff.

We took some to mom and dad.  I needed to pick up Natalie's iron and take to them.  It was buried in a bunch of stuff in their garage.  Lisa and my dad and I were out looking for it and my mom came out, left her walker on the step and started moving boxes.  My dad went crazy.  She wasn't all that steady on her feet and if she would have taken a tumble it would undo all that hip surgery.  It is hard to keep her down.  She thinks she needs to be up doing things.  She stood at the kitchen sink and washed dishes yesterday.  She never has been one to sit and relax.  Some of that is probably generational and some of it is the German in her!

Thursday she broke out in a very bad rash.  It is terrible.  She can't get comfortable at all.  They don't know what it is from.  The home nurse thinks it could be from the tape and bandaging????

Hallelujah! Let's Save Thanksgiving!

Day of New Cars

With Natalie's new job, they needed a second car.

Josh and Meredith have been using one car and she relys on her mom mostly, and walking, or riding her bike to get to work or taking Josh all the way to work and then back to get him which with the back and forth ends up being about 100 miles a day.

With Mike and Duff being in the car business for so many years, they got wind of some BIG deals Honda is having.

 Natalie and Robert got a slate gray Civic.

Josh and Meredith got a CRV.

Mike was at the dealership negotiating with Josh and Mere and on the phone negotiating with the dealership in AZ for Nats and Rob.  The AZ dealership didn't even know about the promotion yet, that's how new the info was.  They got on the phone with headquarters and got on board!

It was a long night for everyone.

Natalie will be able to drive herself to work tomorrow!

Home Depot, Again--sigh.

I stay over at Lisa and Craig's.

I get to Natalie and Robert's around 8:15 each morning and drive her to work.  They only live 10 minutes away.  Then on the way home, John and I stop at Home Depot and pick up something or other that the kids need for the house.  Today is the 3rd day in a row.  At first he loved sitting and playing in the car cart.  Not so much today!

But the blinds are now cut to the right size and I put them in the kitchen bay window and entry.  Now they have some privacy.  They will keep up all the other window treatments and replace them one by one as they can.  It was pretty easy to put them in the brackets.  The brackets were the hard part since Robert doesn't have a power drill/screwdriver.  Guess that will go on his Christmas list!  David came over and put in all the brackets for them.  I have to say, Home Depot has a pretty good way to get blinds for a home if you can't afford custom. 

John learns more words every day.  He is starting to string small 2-4 word sentences together.  It is fun to spend the day with him.  We pick Nats up at 3:30 in the afternoon.  Nice hours for her.  She only misses him in the mornings.  Then he naps and she gets home when he wakes up.

John's Red Bench

My dad has always been good with his hands.

He can build.  He did all the additions on our Torrance house.  And they were good quality.  You couldn't tell they were additions.

He can draw and paint.  He is very artistic.  When I was growing up he did the art work on grocery store windows for all the holidays and to showcase the week's specials.

He decided he wanted to build John a bench.

He went to his friend's garage workshop and spent a couple of days doing it.  He drew up the plans and designed it himself.

It is the cutest thing ever.

He painted it red.

John loves it!