Our Christmas Letter

The following is what was sent out with our Christmas cards this year that has been updated for accuracy. In a day or two I will take the time to post pictures of our Christmas activities.

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This is the photo I sent out this year. As you can guess, Hannah wasn't totally happy with the choice...but why make faces when someone is taking a picture of you and then be surprised that others get to see the photo? I love the photo (other than the fact that I'm not wearing make-up...so I'm not really picking on Hannah since I don't look my best either...)







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Dear Family and Friends,

Let’s jump right in with the highlights of 2010 for our family.

ANDREW turned 20 in April and has been really enjoying his service as a missionary for our church. He is currently serving in Ames, IA in an Iowa State University Young Single Adult student ward. Since everyone is currently gone due to the Christmas break, he says it's really "dead" there right now...not much to keep the missionaries busy. He has just over 6 months left of his 2 year mission. Boy, has time flown. He should be home about July 1st. Later in the summer we will drive out to see his mission area and some Church historical sites like Nauvoo.

ERIC just turned 19 last month and we are currently working on submitting the paperwork for him to serve a mission.  We are told, however,  that due to his Asperger’s Syndrome, he will be honorably released from serving a proselyting  mission.  We are hoping that he will be able to later go on a church service mission instead.  If that occurs, we will share more about it in next year’s letter. Eric earned his Eagle in Boy Scouts last February…but he is waiting for his brother to do the same so they can share the Eagle Court of Honor ceremony. This spring Eric directed the comedy Cash on Delivery with his cousin Alicia.  Eric graduated from high school in June and just finished up his first semester as a college student at Western Nevada College, our local community college.  He was in the WNC musical production of Cinderella in November where he played the butcher and a villager (click on the Cinderella link to see the pictures of Eric from the play).  He’s a great singer, dancer and actor.  Besides theatre, he also had math, English, and a psychology class this past semester. We are working on his schedule for the spring.

RYAN is 16 and a junior in high school. He’s always loved math and science and says he is now leaning towards being a physics teacher. He was on the swim team last spring and hopes to do so again this next season. He’s been our first child to participate in school sports and it was quite fun to go to the meets and watch him. Ryan got “drafted” to be the Student School Board Representative for all the students in the school district. At the beginning of each School Board meeting (about twice a month), he reports on the happenings of our five local elementary schools, the junior high, and the high school. It’s not his favorite thing to do [as a matter of fact, he dreads it], but it’s great to see him get up in front of people and talk (remember, he’s my one child who takes after me and would rather be in the wings rather than on the stage). To earn his Eagle scout rank, Ryan has finished all his required merit badges and project, but he has one last requirement to do (write up his personal statement of his life ambitions and past achievements). Once that requirement is done, he has to finish up his paper work and pass his Eagle Board of Review.  We are hoping that soon he and Eric will have that double Eagle Scout ceremony.

HANNAH just turned 15 and is a freshman. She became our second child to play school sports when she tried out and made the tennis team.  Now that tennis is over, she signed up to join the track team with the same friend who got her involved in tennis.  She is currently in her dad’s advanced theatre class, along with her cousin Michael. They were both just in Anne of Avonlea a few weeks ago. Hannah was also in Anne of Green Gables the previous weekend. It is so fun to have them on stage together.  She is an excellent student and keeps a very busy social life.

ALEX is 10 and in the 4th grade. We switched him to a new school this year and at first he was sad about leaving his old friends behind, but he has since made new friends and is doing great. His MAP math scores place him at the benchmark they want the 10th graders to be at, so he’s doing quite well. His favorite thing to do still is to play with his cousins--since they live across the street this thankfully happens quite often. Alex is a Webelo in the Cub Scout program and enjoys all their activities.

I (BETH) could probably use almost any of the things I’ve written about myself for the last 3 Christmases and it would still hold true.  I still substitute teach (mainly at the high school and junior high), I stamp, I read, I wish I could keep my house clean and de-cluttered, I went to BYU Ed Week with my sister, I work on my family history from time to time, and I work with the children at church.

GLEN’s general activities haven’t really changed either: church, boy scouts, school plays (this is Glen‘s 22nd year at CCHS), family history, and volunteer county museum bookkeeper. Some of the specifics have changed, however. Some of the plays this year: Room Service, No Body to Murder, Exit the Body, Here Comes the Brides, Cash on Delivery, Twelve Angry Women, Cinderella, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea.  The theatre is really kept busy.  In May the Swing Dance Club recruited Glen to dance in Fallon’s version of Dancing with the Stars.  He danced the tango to The Assassin’s Tango heard in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith (you can find the piece on my playlist below).  Receiving three scores of 9, he came in second place by only a half a point. In scouting, Glen was one of the men in charge of the BSA Centennial Jamboree for the Nevada Area Council held in Fallon in August. It was quite the major deal. Glen again (for the fourth year) participated in the museum’s annual ghost walk in October, this year as a local character named Cye Cox.

We are healthy and happy and are grateful for the many blessings we have in our lives.  We’ve had a great year and look forward to the new one…especially since we get to have Andrew home again…for about a month before he leaves us to go back to college.    We hope this post finds you and yours safe and sound. We hope you had a Merry Christmas and will have a wonderful new year!

Andrew Update

There was an email yesterday from a member in Andrew's Dubuque ward, Sister Holt. He and his companion, Elder Sheffer, were supposed to have spent Christmas with her and her husband. This is what she said in the first email:

Hello, Sister Perazzo....Elder Sheffer just called me to see if I could email you quickly to ask that you send anything for your son to the mission home rather than his address here in Dubuque. I am *so* disappointed, but he will be leaving Dubuque this afternoon because another elder somewhere else needs an emergency transfer. I will miss him so much and was looking forward to spending Christmas with both he and his companion. We do still have Elder Sheffer here, but missions aren't for our convenience. Your son is incredible and wherever he goes will be greatly blessed to have him. I do hope we can see each other in the future and perhaps meet you and thank you again for the great work he has done here. 

I sent Andrew's package last week and it should arrive on Wednesday or Thursday...and he won't be there to get it. It's a good thing his grandparents were on the ball and mailed something early so he will have stuff to open on Christmas day. I have a small package to mail to him today. Don't know if it'll get there in time.

I emailed her back and asked if she knew where Andrew was going. This was her reply:

I told the elders that I would take care of forwarding the package to your son when it arrives. If we work quick, who knows? It *might* arrive before Christmas. We will do our best. 

I know President wouldn't have transferred him if it wasn't necessary. Elder Perazzo told me he is going to be in Ames in the Young Single Adult ward there. In Elder Sheffer's words, "Some missionaries were stupid. It didn't have anything to do with us." Which of course it wouldn't. These guys were perfect! 

So we now have Andrew's address. See the side bar. How'd we get it? Here's the chain of thoughts/events that led to that:

We can mail a package to the mission home today and maybe it will get to Andrew on Christmas (Ames is about 30 miles from Des Moines)...let's find out who the Bishop is and mail it to him so he can get it right to Andrew...look up phone number on lds.org...call Branch President who says the Elders just moved so he doesn't have their new address with him but here's the phone number...Glen calls hoping Andrew's companion will answer...Andrew answers and Glen says I hear there was a recent change in the Elders there...Andrew says yes Mr. Perazzo, there was...Glen says well I was wondering if I could get the address...Andrew asks his companion for the address and then gives it to Glen who then says talk to you on Christmas and they hang up.

Well, we know Andrew arrived safely. Silly thing is, why didn't I just think to phone the mission office and get the new address in the first place? But that thought never entered my mind until after Glen was done talking on the phone. So, feeling a little guilty and stupid. But looking forward to speaking to Andrew on Saturday.

Hannah's birthday 12-1

 Hannah opening a gift on her birthday.

She also had ice cream for breakfast.

And she had several friends who share the same birthday, so those gifts you see on the table are actually things she got for her friends and not hers.

It was an unusual day. We did not eat the cake or light the candle until the next morning, so I don't have pictures of that.

There was a beautiful sunset that evening.




















Hannah played the role of Jane in last weekend's "Anne of Green Gables." This weekend she will play the same role in "Anne of Avonlea." Hope to get photos of her all dressed up. She did a great job, as always.

picture of Ryan and his prom date Hayley

Cinderella clip on Channel 2 News

Click HERE to see a 2 minute segment from channel 2 news that was filmed on Thursday. Instead of 15 minutes of fame, my men got about 1-2 seconds each (or less).

At around 27 seconds into the clip you will find Ryan dressed in black in the far upper left of the screen.

At around 49 seconds in you will see Eric's face in his gold and maroon cap appear in just about the same spot Ryan was...far left.

At around 1:04 Glen's face appears second from the right.

Can you find them? It's like a Where's Waldo game.

November 20, 2010 in pictures (Eric's birthday, first snow, potter, prom, and play)

The day started off with me waking up at dawn and realizing it sounded like it was raining...only it turned out to be lightly snowing. Glen was already in the hot tub, so I snapped a photo (dark, of course, since the sky was just starting to lighten) and then I joined him in the hot tub to enjoy the experience of being snowed upon while yet remaining warm...I love that...

The cast and crew (and friends and families) of "Cinderella" were given a special 9 am showing of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." Hannah wasn't home, Ryan was participating in Scouting for Food, and Alex didn't want to go (thank goodness...it's a scary movie), so it was just Glen, Eric, and me (and an audience full of HP fans). I really enjoyed the movie.

Ryan getting ready for his prom date

Cousin Michael and Ryan (who is acting like Andrew) are ready to go

Alex enjoying (???) the snow

Alex climbing into the hot tub

We celebrated Eric's 19th birthday before the play

Eric in front of his butcher shop

Glen and Eric

Eric dressed for his role as a dancer

Ryan was a backstage hand, so his prom date sat in the audience while he worked

Glen (set builder) and Scott (set painter) had fun little roles in the play

Glen and Scott in their costumes from a different scene

Glen was particularly pleased with the chandelier they built for the play

Just a reminder. Last Saturday:

This Saturday:

creamy vegetable soup recipe

My sister's church ward has a great cookbook that they've put out called "Recipes and Remembrances Tried and True Recipes The Lynbrook Ward." Last night I tried a new recipe (on p 21) called Creamy Vegetable Soup. Loved it, so I'm posting it here:

Creamy Vegetable Soup

1 large cauliflower
broccoli as desired  (I used 1 bag of frozen "winter blend"...cauliflower and broccoli mix)
2 cups grated carrot (I threw in a handful of dehydrated carrots)
2 cups chopped onion (I threw in a handful of dehydrated onions)
4 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cans and added a little extra water)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme (couldn't find mine, so didn't add any)
1 teaspoon salt (I added 1 tsp garlic salt)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cube real butter (I used Smart Balance)
3/4 cup flour (I used 1 cup)
1 quart half and half (I used regular milk)
8 oz cream cheese

Cut vegetables. Put them in a large pan. Cover with broth, add bouillon and spices. Cook on medium until tender. DO NOT DRAIN. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.

While the veggies are cooking, melt the butter in a pan. Stir in flour, then slowly add the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add to the vegetables. Use an  immersion blender if you want a smoother texture. Serve.

Hannah-- tennis, track team, and real Christmas trees

Hannah has decided to be on the track team. She says she doesn't like track, but is excited to get involved. Her best friend and "twin", Becky Conner, and Becky's older sister, Joycelyn, are signing up for the team too... They all just got their "F" block letters on Monday night for being on the tennis team...

During the tennis season, Hannah had played just one regular game with Joycelyn as her doubles partner. She had played some exhibition games for experience, but they don't count in the tally. She and Joycelyn had played against the #1 seeded pair on the other team, and actually won a few games, but lost the match.

Since Hannah only played once (and she always said she didn't want us there to watch), I don't have any pictures of her playing, but here are 2 of her next to the courts. The first one shows the back of her tennis t-shirt she made. The second is of her watching a game (I forget why she was wearing a tie...was it Blues Brothers day???). 

So, now Hannah's joining the track team and first item up for business is fund raising. They are selling real Christmas trees. It is $25 for a douglas fir and $45 for a noble fir. Wreaths are $25.  

If you are interested or have questions, please let us know.

Veterans in the family

My dad and my father-in-law were in the military. They served in the army about the same time in Germany around 1957-59. Here is a photo of my dad that I love:

The back is labeled in dad's handwriting:
1957-58
in front of Bamberg snack bar












[After posting this I got an update from my dad on his service (which I should have asked about before posting in the first place):

I was inducted into the army on Nov 13th 1957. I took basic training at Fort Binning GA and

was sent to Bamberg Germany in May of 1958. I returned to the states in September 1959 and

was discharged at Fort Dix New Jersey on October 14th 1959. "Happy Birthday Charlie"

October 14th is my dad's birthday, in case you hadn't figured that out.]

Dad's brother, Uncle Joel, was also in the military. He was a P-51 pilot at the tail end of World War II. He also piloted the last American transport plane out of Saigon during the 1975 airlifts.

Here are 2 photos of my grandpa Ted Mominee. He also served in World War II (and apparently was in Oklahoma at some point):

 

Ted's grandfather Gideon Vincent, a French Canadian who immigrated to the US, served in the Civil War in the 1st Vermont Calvary and was at Appomattox when Lee surrendered to Grant. He was injured in the war, received a pension, and his farm was in payment for his service.

 

My ancestor that served in the Revolutionary War was my 5th great grandfather Peter Kolb. He was born 1732 in Pennsylvania and later settled in South Carolina. He served as a Private in 1782 in Colonel Lemuel Benton's regiment, South Carolina troops.

And my 3rd great grandfather Joel Jervis fought in the War of 1812.

Glen also has some military ancestors. Besides his Dad, his Uncle Wayne (his mom's brother) was in the army. 

Glen's 5th great grandfather, William Butler, served in the Revolutionary War for over 7 years and was in the camp of George Washington at Valley Forge that miserable winter of 1777-78. Later on, he was a sentinel guarding General Washington's tent. He was wounded twice during his years of service.

We remember our friends and family who have recently served and who currently serve our country. They are in our daily prayers...prayers for their safety and for the well-being of their families. We acknowledge your sacrifice and courage. May God bless you for all that you do and for all that you have given up to defend the cause of freedom.

Pictures of Andrew and 2 of his companions

Here Andrew is with Elder Dummer. They transferred together from Waterloo to Dubuque back in September.

Doesn't this really remind you of Andrew's personality? Seems to me he often made faces...

Just recently Elder Dummer was transferred and Elder Sheffer became his companion. Elder Sheffer is from a little town near Vernal, Utah.

For Halloween, Andrew and Elder Sheffer went over to the Holt's for dinner and they played Apples to Apples...funny thing is, we played Apples to Apples here on Halloween, too. (Sister Holt is the kind sender of the photos).

I didn't do so well (Elections and Eric)

Of the 28 real votes I cast yesterday (unreal being those races with no opponents), what's my success rate?

13 of my votes went to winners.
15 of my votes went to losers.

I wonder what my results have been in previous elections. I've never looked into that before. BTW, Eric voted for the first time yesterday.

I haven't done so well with Eric, either.

He had his second test for his on-line college math class yesterday (pre-calc). He didn't do so well. I'm sort of blaming myself.

Math has never been his strong suit. He's capable, but it might be his least favorite subject and it takes him a long time to do his work. When he started off the semester I checked to make sure he was doing the homework according to the outline...it isn't due until test-taking day, however. He had waited until the final night to take the 1st test...and he made a 20% on it and since it was so close to midnight, he didn't have time to retake the test and try for a better grade. I thought one of the reasons why he did so poorly was that for some of the material it had been so long since he had done the homework, he had forgotten the material.

Why didn't I pay closer attention to his math after his first test??? Last night was test 2. He did most of the homework on Monday and Tuesday morning, so I thought it'd be fresher in his mind, but he made a 30%. Then I realized that I should have been giving him lessons all along instead of having him just go through the book by himself. I learned while he was doing the homework on Monday that if he doesn't understand something, he doesn't ask for help.

After his 30%, I grabbed his book and started going over it and explaining the concepts to him. I'm on the 2nd page and he's already going "Oh!" Like, now he gets it. Thing is, he had play practice and didn't get home till 9:30, so there wasn't time to completely cover the chapter before he took a retest.

He retook the test and says he make about a 50-59%. I was in bed fast asleep by the time he was done. I think he's going to have to retake the class, but for now I know I need to help him with all his homework. I still wonder why I was so slow to realize he needed more help. I'll pay closer attention next time.

I survived and I hope the students did too (Adventures in Subbing in Mr. DePierre's class)

I was asked to sub for a few days this week for Mr. DePierre's math class at the high school. He taught the first few weeks this year, but has been out ill ever since and won't be able to come back. Due to the fact that it wasn't official until now, the school's hands were tied in how they could replace him and so just had a regular sub in there (though she knows her math). But it seems that hurdle has been jumped and Mr D. can now truly be replaced. The long term sub got fed up and "quit" last week (there have been a few problems in the classes), and so they needed someone to fill the gap. Mr. Lords, the principal, came in today and filled the kids in on the situation. As soon as the State does whatever is needed, Ryan Sorensen is coming in. I hear he's excellent. I hope the State moves quickly.

Mr. D's schedule is 3 classes pre-calc (no problem), 2 classes app. geometry (no problem), and the 1 AP Stats class (big problem as I've never had stats before). I go to the other sub last Friday and get the 3 textbooks so I can brush up on things for today. I was told section 2.2 for pre-calc, 4-4 for geometry, and starting chapter 6 for stats.

Over the weekend I read the first 6 chapters in the stats book (it was actually quite interesting) and I looked at the 2.2 and 4-4 sections and knew the stuff, so I didn't spend too much time on that.

I get to class today and there were no lesson plans. Frustration occurs when expectations go unmet. Can I say I was frustrated? I expected more guidance. Maybe I'm sensitive, but I felt like I was being set up to fail. The other sub probably was just so fed up, she just didn't care any more...or thought I'd deal with it since I came in for the books?

I don't know that it really mattered in pre-calc. The students told me they had just been hopping around in the book, but 2.2 had not been done yet. We just started going over the section and then I assigned part of the exercises as homework and they started working on it in class.

Geometry was a different matter. They said they had already done 4-4 (vertical angles) and there was a disagreement on whether they had finished the chapter or not. They said they hadn't really been given chapter tests. It finally looked like they hadn't done 4-5 (perpendicular angles), so we started there...but none of them have textbooks at home, so I couldn't assign any homework. If I have time tonight I might make up a worksheet for them to take home tomorrow.

A little frustrating, but since we actually did "real" stuff in those classes, it was OK.

AP Stats. The previous sub was in there inputting grades from last week on the computer, so I had an extra audience for my belly flop. I guess I will get over it soon enough, but I was very stressed about it at the time.

The chapter is a lot of straight reading (though I do have to say I love the fun style it's written in). And it looked like you couldn't really do the problems in the back of the chapter until the chapter had been fully read. So I read out loud and bored the poor things in there (they were so good about it)...I read it because for some reason I really didn't want to tell them to just sit there and read it silently. There were 3 problems at the end of certain sections, so then we started going over those.

Really. Those poor students. Really. That poor substitute (me!). Of course after they left I realized that I should have told them to finish reading the chapter at home so we could start working on the problems. Still not sure what I'm going to do in there tomorrow.

I had been expecting some lesson plans...like "read this many pages and do exercises 1-4, then read these pages and do 5-8"...nope. One girl suggested they just bring food and have a party tomorrow and they would turn it into a math lesson by counting how many percentages of the cookies were in this category or that. I didn't agree, but if they bring cookies they certainly deserve to be able to eat them after listening to me today.

The students in all classes really behaved well today and that had been one of my major concerns as they have had a rough go of it so far this year. So, that part was OK. I just hate feeling like Stats was a waste of time.

So, I have lesson plans to work on, a key to make up for the 50 problems on the "Complete the Square" worksheet that they turned in today, then I need to correct the worksheets for the 3 classes. I do enjoy completing the square (more than most, I would imagine), but it is Monday night and we have Family Home Evening...plus I still have to make some plans for class tomorrow. So you are probably shaking your head at me, because here I sit at the computer instead of doing some real work. I can procrastinate with the best of the students.

So, just because now I feel I know what's happening, we should have a better time of it tomorrow. And then if I wind up still subbing on Wed. and Thurs, at least they are 1/2 days due to parent/teacher conferences and they should pass quickly.

Time for an Andrew update

Got a letter from Iowa on Saturday. Nope, it wasn't from Andrew, but from a Sister Holt who is in the ward in which he is serving in Dubuque.

It reads, in part:

"Your son, Elder Perazzo, has been very instrumental in helping in the baptism of a friend that has been 'in the works' for about a year. I wanted to write to you and thank you for raising such a fine son and missionary [in my reply, which I emailed, I told her I take no credit...he came that way]. He has been a blessing ever since arriving in Dubuque several weeks ago."

Sister Holt then goes on to talk about her friend Carole, who is 65, and that she became interested in the gospel when Sister Holt's son left on his mission and Carole went to his farewell talk in church. Elder Holt is currently serving in the Las Vegas Mission...we live in the Las Vegas West mission, so we won't get to meet him.

Andrew, due to leadership training in Des Moines, was actually not at Carole's baptism, which was a bit sad, but he really loved his 4 day training meeting.

Sister Holt then goes on:

"They [Andrew and his companion Elder Dummer] have had tremendous patience and shown great love to Carole. I can't help but be fond of them for their charity."

Sister Holt then talks of how she is so fond of Andrew for another reason, too--he reminds her of her missionary son. They both walk slightly stooped, they both love BYU and BYU football, and they have very similar hand gestures.


Anyway, she printed 2 photos of Andrew onto her letter paper. Here is one of them:

Elder Dummer, Carole, and Elder Perazzo 

It was a fun surprise to get that letter. Andrew has only sent home photos twice...and it's been a very long time since the second batch.  I'm just glad he emails every week like he's supposed to.

This was transfer week, therefore, his email came today instead of on Monday. His companion had taken the phone call from the mission office on Saturday and then told Andrew that they were staying together as companions, but Andrew was being demoted and was not going to be the District Leader any more. Turns out he was just pulling Andrew's leg.

Andrew is staying in Dubuque, but he is getting a new companion tomorrow (Thursday Oct 21st).  His district is increasing by 2 elders fresh from the MTC, though Andrew's is not one of the new ones. So now it will have 6 elders--(including Andrew and his companion) and 2 sisters.

Andrew says, "Hey, that means that next transfer will be my:

Eighth transfer in a row as District Leader, and my Tenth transfer in a row of having Sister Missionaries in my District. Which means that 2/3 of my mission will be as a District Leader, and 5/6 of my mission will be with Sister Missionaries in my District.  It doesn't get any weirder than that."

I'm not sure why that's weird, although once Andrew said something about his district having sisters in it and he guessed that means the Mission President trusted him (or something like that).  There are a lot more Elders than sisters, so not all districts have sisters in them.

He currently has 3 investigators with baptismal dates set.  So, he's keeping busy and loving it.

He ended the email this week with:

"I love you all, and I give you my support in whatever righteous undertaking you are trying to accomplish, whether it be getting a driver's license or a driver's permit or any other such worthy goals, the best of luck to them.  And speaking of worthy goals, did Eric ever defeat the Metriod Prime?

Love, Elder Andrew Perazzo"

Yes, he's a missionary...and a 20 year old. He thinks defeating Metroid Prime is a worthy goal. Hmm. 

So,  I can't wait to hear who Andrew's new companion is and where he's from. It's really fun being a missionary's mom.

PS Eric says he has not defeated Metroid Prime due to a glitch on the game. We'll let Andrew know next week. 

Alex turned 10 on 10-10-10

Alex is now in the double-digits. He had a party that lasted most of the day on Saturday with his 2 cousins, Ben and Thomas, as his guests. They had a blast.

Bobbing for apples is something Alex always chooses to do for his birthday.

Even Glen tried.















Alex and Glen made this piñata.

 The piñata kept falling out of the tree and had to be rehung many times before it finally busted open.

Thanks Jennifer for lending me the musical candle!

 Blasting off rockets was also on the agenda.

It was a great day.

a story for my sister

The following excerpt--with emphasis being mine-- is from a BYU-Idaho Devotional Speech given by Susan A. Bednar in 2002. The title of the talk is "To Look" and the whole text can be found at:

http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/transcripts/devotionals/2002_09_10_bednars.htm

Sister Bednar:

Do we sometimes harden our hearts and underestimate the value of incorporating simple gospel principles in our lives because we feel they won't assist or heal us? Please allow me to share with you an incident from my life where I refused for a time to look.

When I was not much older than many of you, my husband was enrolled in a demanding doctoral program at Purdue University far away from our families and familiar surroundings. We had two small children, very little money, limited time to spend together as a family, and we were having difficulty balancing the rigors of graduate school, family responsibilities, and church assignments. Does this situation sound familiar? Well, this daunting task began to take its toll, and I found myself feeling very overwhelmed with my responsibilities as a wife and a "stay-at-home mother." The feelings I felt were not necessarily unique to me or my circumstances. Many of you may experience some of these same challenges and emotions while you are here at BYU–Idaho.

After considerable contemplation, I remember asking my husband for a priesthood blessing. In this blessing I was promised that I could begin to better cope with my difficulties if I would exercise consistently, get more sleep, eat properly, have meaningful prayer night and morning, and engage in daily scripture study. The reason I remember so vividly the instruction I received is because I thought afterwards: "This is going to solve my problems? These are standard 'Sunday School' answers. Besides, I'm already doing some of these things." Does this attitude sound a bit hard-hearted? Maybe if the message had been to take a vacation to the beach, or sign up for an art class, or have my nails done, I would have been more receptive to the counsel. I guess I was searching for different solutions, and I balked at the banality of what I had been counseled to do.

I pondered the blessing, and over a period of time I came to know and understand that these inspired admonitions were plain and simple, yet profound. As I moved from casual observance to a more steadfast and heartfelt implementation of these principles in my life, I discovered a sense of emotional peace, a feeling of physical well-being, and a spiritual confidence that brought tremendous blessings to my life. Like those in Moses' day, all I had to do was to "look!"

I invite you to ponder how you can make these gospel principles a part of your daily life. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why you can't exercise regularly, go to bed at a reasonable hour, eat a balanced diet, pray morning and night, or study your scriptures daily, please consider the emotional, physical, and spiritual blessings that will come if you do apply these teachings with full purpose of heart and real intent. Don't be blinded by the seeming simplicity or easiness of the way. You, too, can be assisted in your challenges and have the strength to accept the vicissitudes of life with assurance. All you have to do is "look!"

***

The reason I titled this post "A story for my sister" is because we recently had a conversation and Deni told me that she has essentially been doing these things lately (since Ed Week when she got inspired) and she is the happiest she's been in a long time. Denise, like Sister Bednar, had been doing some of those things for a long time, but especially the exercise and getting enough sleep were new to her routine and she can really tell a difference.

So, when we're struggling with life, we need to check the list (exercise consistently, sleep enough, eat right, pray, and scripture study) and see what we need to improve upon and not be like Naaman the Leper who almost wasn't healed because he didn't think what the prophet told him to do would make a difference. These things will make a difference. Just ask my sister.

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia video

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=158348990848143

This video is 16 minutes long and is Gianni giving a talk in Australia about her life. I love her words to the men in the room (and women) and I love her testimony of God and Jesus. Very inspiring.

Ed Week Notes, part 3

Last batch of quotes from my notes:

28-*How close people felt in their neighborhoods is the factor in neighborhood crime rates, not their economics.

28-*Testimony--the story of your experience with the Savior.

29-*We have a tendency to get hung up on food--focus should be on the Savior. Be zealous about kindness, charity and not the food you eat.

29-*Elder Boyd K. Packer said, "Learn to use moderation and common sense in matters of health and nutrition, and particularly in medication."

30-*Elder Neil L. Andersen said, "For most, repentance is more a journey than a one-time event. It is not easy. To change is difficult. It requires running into the wind, swimming upstream. Jesus said, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.' Repentance is turning away from some things, such as dishonesty, pride, anger, and impure thoughts, and turning toward other things, such as kindness, unselfishness, patience, and spirituality. It is 're-turning' toward God. "

31-*You are less likely to have an allergy to white wheat (25%) than red (55%).

31-*Have a 72 hour emergency kit at your workplace as well as at home.

32-*Avoidance slowly eats away at your self-esteem. Push yourself to be vulnerable. This allows you to learn that you can handle whatever happens and that even the most difficult emotions can't destroy you.

32-*Challenge perfectionism--striving for the process rather than the product.

33-*Children don't want to play as much as they want to create.

33-*All work should be slightly fun. Work = creativity time.

34-*Two things you need to know. 1-Some things are dangerous. 2-Speaking in church isn't one of them.

34-*Your attitude is the aroma of your heart. If your attitude stinks it means your heart is not right.

35-*Whenever you compromise, evil always wins.

35-*We can't dabble in sin without becoming overrun by it.

35-*Don't want to just be delighted to hear [the words of General Conference], but must be delighted to do.

35-*Pres. Howard W. Hunter said, "If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. On the other hand, if our lives are not centered on the Savior and his teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right.”

36-*Elder James E. Faust said, "We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat."

36-*Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "Spiritual power over the influence of Satan comes to us by keeping the commandments of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Because He loves you and wants you to come home to Him, our Father in Heaven has given you a conscience that tells your spirit when you are keeping the Lord’s commandments and when you are not."

39-*For emergency preparedness reasons, never let your vehicles get below a 1/2 tank of gas.

40-*One study comparing men to women: Took a math test. Then tried on swim suits and took a math test. Men's test scores were no different in both groups. Women did worse on the test after they tried on the swim suits.

40-*Intuitive eating-eat when hungry, stop when full.

40-*Think of your body as a tool/instrument and not an ornament.

40-*More women suffer from bulimia and anorexia  than have cancer.

40-*Our focus should be on our health, not our weight or size.

And there you have it. Highlights from Ed Week. It really was fabulous. I don't know how many new things I learned this year, but the things I heard, whether old or new, strengthened me and renewed my spirit. Now the challenge is to hold on to that...and General Conference being next weekend is just the booster shot I need. Can't wait!

Ed Week Notes, part 2

(the numbers in front of the quotes and thoughts is the lecture number)

15*Revelation happens when we are pondering in a state of readiness.

16*Spiritual healing takes place in Sacrament Meeting--mostly during the administration of the sacrament.

17*Elder Scott said, "When you encourage students to raise their hand to respond to a question, while they may not realize it, they signify to the Holy Ghost their willingness to learn."

17*Elder Neal A Maxwell said, "The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well."

17*When it comes to things like seminary over swimming--you don't give kids choice when it deals with spiritual matters.

17*Pres. Ezra Taft Benson said, "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives."

18*Feeling the Spirit should be like sitting on a tack--it should make you jump up and do something.

19*Elder Neal A Maxwell said, "The gross size of our talent inventories is less important than the net use of our talents."

21*Parents are not judged as parents by what their children do. We are judged by what we do and what we become as parents (ie growing closer to Heavenly Father). Children have agency. Just have influence and seek the Spirit as best we can.

21*We don't get stronger when we sin and repent. Repenting just gets us back in the "weight room." Resisting temptation gives us spiritual strength--that's why Christ is a spiritual giant.

22*Make covenants when in your strength and they help to sustain you when you are weak.

22*President Thomas S. Monson said, "How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you’ve left it for others to help, feeling that “oh, surely someone will take care of that need.”

"We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the “thick of thin things.” In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes."

22*President Thomas S. Monson said, "I may have walked where Jesus once walked, but what is more important to me is that today, I can walk where Jesus would walk if He were still with us.  I can listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and minister to those the Savior would minister to today."

22*Jerry Johnston of the Deseret News wrote an article about Pres. Hinckley. He said something like, "President Hinckley longs to be where I am now. I can live out Pres. Hinckley's fantasy...I have no clue what I'd do if I were in his shoes, but I do know what he'd be doing if he were in my shoes." (out among the people serving)

24*Urgent tasks are those which call for haste, immediate action, or application of pressure. Vital tasks are those which have great meaning, significance, worth, consequence, influence, or value. They deal with preparation, prevention, planning, relationship building, and personal growth. We feel great, we feel the Spirit, and we feel contentment when our day is spent on vital tasks and not urgent ones. The urgent will diminish as we pay attention to the vital....You feel fulfilled as you schedule the vital into your week.

26*If you fear, you don't act, and that's what faith is--acting.

27*Elder Boyd K. Packer said, "Things of the Spirit need not—indeed, should not—require our uninterrupted time and attention. Ordinary work-a-day things occupy most of our attention. And that is as it should be. We are mortal beings living in this physical world. Spiritual things are like leavening. By measure they may be very small, but by influence they affect all that we do."


OK, we're 2/3rds of the way done. Lectures 28-41 will be posted in the near future.

Finally getting around to some Ed Week notes

Semi-random chunks of stuff (sounds appetizing, doesn't it?) (the numbers refer to the lecture number):

1*We follow someone because we want to go where they are going...we follow Christ.

2*Clutter is emotional noise and it screams at you and you can't hear the Spirit.

2*If you are afraid to get rid of something just ask yourself, "What's the worse thing that could happen if I get rid of this?"

3*For internet safety: teach children how to log off immediately if anything questionable appears.  Don't stay up past your spouse (and vice versa). You may need to make rules about friends' phones in the bedrooms.

4*Many are making it financially hard to serve missions by doing things like buying large homes with big mortgages at retirement so their families can have a "gathering place."

4*Wilford Woodruff said that he lives every day as if tomorrow is the end and he's still planting cherry trees.

4*Richard L. Evans said that one of the greatest calamities in the world would be the calamity of sitting around waiting for calalmities.

7*Father in Heaven doesn't bless us for the arrival. He blesses us for the trip.

8* Our level of progress and perfection equals the degree to which we can be tested.

8*Our tests are often things which make no sense and may seem contradictory (otherwise it's not much of a test--ie a non-smoker with lung cancer).

8*Without tests our faith would turn to apathy. The tendency is to become complacent and lose our faith if we aren't tested.

8*George Q. Cannon said, "If there is a point in our character that is weak and tender, you may depend upon it that the Lord will reach after that, and we will be tried at that spot, for the Lord will test us to the utmost before we can get through and receive that glory and exaltation which He has in store for us as a people."

8*John Taylor quoting Joseph Smith said, "You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God."

9*Elder Snow in the Devotional said: The Lord expects us to learn and progress here even from the mundane things. Show up-work hard-pay attention....We are not simply to be acted upon (we must act)....Teach one another--expanding our own knowledge isn't enough....We won't always be with our kids, but Heavenly Father will ....Be a participant in church lessons--read lessons beforehand so the Holy Ghost can act upon those in attendance. You get more of the Spirit when class comes prepared to act and not just be acted upon.


10*The level of misery in any relationship is equal to the amount of distance between expectations and reality.


11*The major vehicle of influence you have with your children is your relationship with them. It's not your talent or your skill, though it is better to be talented and skilled than not....Our knowledge and our skills also enhance our influence when first, our hearts are right.


11*Since we are not perfect, we rely upon repentance to qualify us for our work. This means that to worry about being imperfect, or being guilty, or being incompetent is (with few exceptions) a waste of time!

11*It is more productive to ask, "What now?" rather than, "What if only...?" or "Why me?"


11*You can only teach what people are willing to receive....We can never decide what others will do; we can only decide what we will do.


11*Having a broken heart is like breaking a horse--it follows anything the Master asks.


12*The Savior's in the journey, not just in the end.


12*Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Lord has probably spoken enough such comforting words to supply the whole universe, it would seem, and yet we see all around us unhappy Latter-day Saints, worried Latter-day Saints, and gloomy Latter-day Saints into whose troubled hearts not one of these innumerable consoling words seems to be allowed to enter. In fact, I think some of us must have that remnant of Puritan heritage still with us that says it is somehow wrong to be comforted or helped, that we are supposed to be miserable about something.
Consider, for example, the Savior’s benediction upon his disciples even as he moved toward the pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary. On that very night, the night of the greatest suffering that has ever taken place in the world or that ever will take place, the Savior said, 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid' (John 14:27)."

13*Julie B. Beck, "The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."

13*What stops us from turning our will and life over to the care of Jesus Christ and God? Perhaps it is because we don't trust them. We are afraid that if we do what He asks, He might ask us to do something out of our comfort zone.


Well, that's enough for now. Only 28 more lectures to look through.

Andrew's being transferred to Dubuque tomorrow!

From Andrew's letter today (white-washing means that both missionaries are new to an area):

Both Elder Dummer and I are both being transferred on Thursday...

 

Brother Crouse is taking us down to Iowa City tomorrow morning so that we can be there at 10 am.  Okay, and now to the totally crazy part which never happens-Elder Dummer and I are also both staying together and are both white-washing into an area, Dubuque.  The way President Jergensen explained it, we were doing so well together that he wanted to keep us together for another transfer, maybe two.  And I guess he also needed a new District Leader up there in Dubuque as well.  It was a combination of events that lead to this decision.  Anyway, so now we know if I'm getting transferred, where I'm getting transferred, and who my new companion will be.

 

Interesting thing...Waterloo, Iowa City and Dubuque form a triangle...if they didn't have to travel to Iowa City first, the distance of their journey tomorrow would be cut in half.

Dubuque is very near where Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa meet up...it used to be part of the Illinois Peoria Mission before they changed the boundaries last July. 

Some facts from Wikipedia:

Dubuque IPA: /dəˈbjuːk/ is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2008 its population was estimated at 57,222, making it the eighth-largest city in the state and the county's population was estimated at 92,724....


It is one of the few large cities in Iowa with hills, and is home to a large tourist industry, driven by the city's unique architecture, and river location. Also, it is home to five institutions of higher education, making it a center for culture and learning....

Dubuque has received a number of special designations. In March 2007, the city was recognized as one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" by the America's Promise Youth Foundation. In April 2007, the city was voted 15th in the "Best Small Places For Business and Careers" ranking by Forbes Magazine, climbing 60 spots from 2006. In 2006, Money Magazine named Dubuque as having the shortest commute time all U.S cities at only 11.8 minutes. In June 2007, Dubuque won the All-America City Award, one of 10 cities nationally to do so. In June 2008, Dubuque was named as the "Most Livable" Small City by the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). In 2009, Dubuque was named the 8th best small metro area to launch a small business by CNNMoney.com.

So, sounds like a nice place. Hope Andrew and Elder Dummer like it there and are successful.

labor day parade and pressure canning

Glen, Ryan, and Hannah were in the Labor Day parade, so though it wasn't high on my list of "want to dos," I went...and had a nice time. Turns out I got to sit in-between my sister-in-law Kathy and my friends Jennifer and DonNell. The day wasn't too hot and I got to eat a few tootsie rolls that were thrown from the floats. Here are some photos:

Alex grabbing some goodies.

Ryan (black shirt, black hat, far right) walked with a few others passing out fliers advertising Glen's theatre:

Glen walked the parade pulling his gorilla cart which advertised "Anne of Green Gables" on one side and "Anne of Avonlea" on the other--his 2 main plays this fall. Hannah will be in both plays as it's the theatre 2, 3, and 4 class that is putting it on.

Cousin Ben and Alex watching the parade go by.

The Young Republicans' float...can you spot Hannah?

Here's a close up--Cousin Michael (on the left) and Hannah(half-hidden behind the sign and the elbow because she was on the opposite side of her float than from our vantage point)











Now, for my new pressure canner. I used it for the first time last night...my first time ever using one. I had a bunch of ground beef I had bought on sale in the freezer, so I browned it, bottled it, and with some trepidation, pressure canned it. I now have a batch of meat on my shelf. This morning, I used my canner to bottle up some zucchini. I had a lot of dried beans and I think that will be my next project. Or perhaps I'll try bottling some of my banana peppers. It's really kind of fun,,,

the last 2 weeks

Arrived home from Ed Week on Saturday the 21st. On Sunday the 22nd, MacAfee downloaded an update...and after that this computer refused to work any more.

Glen brought it in to the Tech Club at the high school and Shiva was able to fix the irreconcilable differences in the programing and after 10 days of using dial-up on our old computer which uses old versions of everything (therefore limiting its usefulness to not much more than checking email), we are thrilled to have our computer back.

We were fine with using the old computer for the most part...it was the fact that Eric started his 3 online classes on Monday that was really making life a little difficult. But, all is well, at least for now.

So, I had a great time at Ed Week. I guess I'll post of few notes at a different time.

The kids seem to be off to a great start to the new school year.

As I mentioned, ERIC is taking 3 online classes: pre-calculus (which it turns out his cousin Megan is enrolled in it, too), English 101, and Psychology 102-psychology of personal and social adjustment. He is also in the WNC production of "Cinderella" where he is cast as a butcher and some other part like a villager. His cousin Michael is cast as the baker.

RYAN is taking French 4 (don't ask me why...since he has only had French I and II, but since the  French teacher retired at the end of last year, she is only coming back for this one class to let those who started French finish it...in the past she has taught a French 3/4 combined...why they don't call this class French 3/4 puzzles me, but that's OK and really of no import...just makes me wonder...). He also is a TA for Mr. Holt's Algebra 1B math class. He then has statistical elements, modern physics, English, and psychology (which is something he has been gaining a big interest in over the past many months).

HANNAH starts off her day with a heavy load: English honors followed by Geometry honors followed by Modern Biology honors. She then gets to relax a little in Glen's Theatre II class. Then it's Health, Volleyball PE, and Spanish I. And, since she made the tennis team, she has practice or games everyday after school until 5. Their first match of the year was on Tuesday, however, she didn't play in it. Today they will be in Reno at Galena. Don't know if she'll be playing or not.

ALEX is settling in to his new school, EC Best, but isn't 100% happy...he misses his old friends from Numa. But his teacher is fantastic and he seems to be really enthused about the class work. He did come home from school the first day and said that he had 2 new friends...so as he develops friendships we hope he will feel happier about the change.

GLEN is getting used to the new schedule (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays he sees all his classes for about 45 minutes each; on Thursdays it's a block schedule and each block lasts almost 90 minutes and he has his 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th period classes; on Fridays it's a block schedule and he has 5th, 6th, and 7th classes with school being over early). He starts off at the HS M-Th teaching Intro to Theatre, Stagecraft 2 & 3 (set building), stagecraft 1, and Theatre 2, 3, and 4. Then he has his prep and then he ends his day at the Junior High teaching 2 theatre classes (with his nephew Joseph being one of his students). So Fridays he has his prep, then his 2 JH classes.

My paragraph for me is not going to be about school, but about our book that we read for book club this month. It was The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. WOW. What a book. It's been on my "want to read" list for years, but I tend to shy away from books that I'm afraid will be emotionally hard to take--so I've been putting it off.  I will admit that I cried like a fool towards the end...so much so I almost couldn't see the words on the page, but it was so worth it.

I'm so glad I finally read it. What an uplifting book. How inspiring she and her family are. The way they relied on the Lord, tried to listen to His Spirit, served others, and were just plain good. So, I highly recommend it. Makes you think how you'd react if such a thing were to happen today. I believe that reading that book has made it so that if that were to happen today, I'd react better and be a better person that if I hadn't read it. And that makes for a book worth reading.

P.S. It was pointed out to me that I neglected to mention ANDREW in my post. Other than to say he's doing well and might be transferred next week, I don't really have any news on him. We think of him often and pray for him daily and enjoy his weekly emails. He has 10 months left to serve. It's amazing how quickly his mission is passing by...