Sundays and Stake Conference

i'm not sure, but how long can a person live with their heart pounding so hard it feels like you can see it through their chest? my whole body was pounding. i asked jon if he could feel it from his seat. what a trip!

today was our second opportunity to speak at a stake conference. last week, in ukiah, they were broadcasting it to a few of their other buildings, because their members live quite long distances from the stake center. that made for a nice cozy group in the chapel when we spoke. i guess i felt pretty comfortable.

today, jon had an interview an hour before conference began, so i stayed in the car for awhile, tried to get warm (he freezes me out with the a/c in the mornings) read my talk over, and then enjoyed the ensign. (great article, by the way, from president uchdorf about the great influence of righteous women) anyway, i made my way into the building, greeted some of our wonderful missionaries, and then started looking around for my good husband. he was m.i.a. shortly after, a member of the stake presidency grabbed my arm and escorted me to prayer meeting. they let me know i would be the first speaker (yikes!) and then they teased me that if the president didn't show up, they were sure i could cover the 15 minutes allotted to the two of us. funny! haha! we finished with the prayer and we went up to the stand.

jon trotted up to the stand as the president stood to start the meeting. little rascal. things were all good. i still didn't feel really nervous or anything. jon leaned over and asked where we were on the program. i said, "first." he said, "really!" we sang the opening hymn, and then it started. the pounding started. my heart pounded and pounded and pounded. lots of announcements and sustaining, and priesthood ordinations to announce, and my heart kept pounding away. a really beautiful musical number by a youth choir felt like it calmed me a little, but i wondered if i would stand up and promptly pass out from all of the over zealous blood pumping, but i survived.

it wasn't really a nervous feeling, just that feeling you get when you know you need to bear your testimony, and it gets you up out of your seat and on the stand. it was strange for me to feel this way, when i had something prepared and i already was on the stand. i kept thinking maybe the spirit wanted me to say something different than i had prepared. unfortunately, when i stand up with that sensation going on in me, i tend to forget a lot about what i think i would like to say, and who knows what actually comes out. i just pray that no matter what i actually say, the spirit is able to communicate to the hearts of others what it is they need to hear. that is my prayer. that is my expectation. i hope i didn't let my Savior down.

it was a great meeting! a strong spirit. solid talks and testimonies. beautiful music. i was blessed to be there. i can't say i am excited for september though. we get to speak on the 13th, 20th and 27th. pray for me! if you are wondering about hailey...she stayed here today and went to our ward. it sounded like a great block of meetings too! she gets to speak with us on the 13th, at a ward here in santa rosa. we are all stretching a little in the mission field :). ALL IS WELL!

deja-vu

last sunday, hailey came running around the corner to go to the bathroom, and somehow jammed her toes and tripped and went flying and couldn't get up. she couldn't talk either. finally, when i went over to her to see how she was, she had some tears and said, "it really hurts!"

a few minutes later the huge bump appeared and we started icing her foot. it reminded me of sadie's foot a couple of years ago. i was so grateful hailey wasn't a week away from her senior dance recital, and that we had time to let it heal without too much stress. (for hailey the stress was needing a doctor's note for p.e.) luckily, each day it has gotten a little better, it still looks nasty, but she is walking pretty good. MIRACLE!




she decided to make some cinnamon rolls when we got home from church. she hurt her toes while the dough was rising. this was the first time she has made them solo. jen was a fantastic teacher. they were de-lish! everyone has enjoyed them, the fattening little devils, even a few elders :). thanks hailey for making such a great treat, and for finishing them even though you were injured!

this is how our week has gone:
hailey starts her day at 6:50 for seminary, school at 8, and then she is out of school at 2:15 on monday, and 3:05 the rest of the week. she is pretty busy with homework, but we have had a chance to get her room organized and a few other projects done.


this is hailey and emily hardester. they are going to their school dance tonight. i'm hoping they have a great time :).

susan cooked dinner four days consecutively. MIRACLE!

jon has interviewed many missionaries in far away places. i feel like such a slacker not being with him, but maybe next month. he is wasted. interviewing takes a lot out of him.

last thing to report, the landscape is changing. it is only august 28th. i was thinking this would start happening on september 28th but i was wrong! i'm thinking this will be a beautiful fall!





do leaves turn colors while beautiful flowers are still in bloom?

JTB is TWO FIVE today!

My baby boy is turning twenty five years old today. Holy cow! Am I old enough to have a twenty five year old? HA!

I wish I could be with him tonight...give him a big, huge hug, sit next to him, tickle his hands and his back for awhile, listen to him talk so I could laugh at the things he says and the way he says them, just bask in the glow of the man that is my son.

But since I am here and not there, I will share some pictures of him. Some old ones and some more recent ones. Just know how much we love you Tod! And how grateful we are to be a part of you forever and ever! HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!


one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!




My heart is all about the missionaries! He looks like such a baby here!



The babies LOVE him!



I LOVE MY BOY!

will it ever get any easier?

saying good-bye. will it ever get any easier? i am hoping so.

we had a great week with sadie, megan and hailey. it was so nice to see their faces and laugh at their jokes and just hang out with them. they are happy. they were easy going. they were not demanding. does this mean they have grown up?

some of the things we did together:

1- went to zone conference. the deal was...they would like to come if they didn't have to say or do anything. (they were willing to help me get lunch set out though) guess what happened? jon had them each bear their testimony. i'm sure you guessed that :). it was a great conference and i know they each enjoyed being with the missionaries and feeling of their spirits and testimonies!



2- went to the beach at bodega bay. still chilly even in august. i don't imagine one would ever wear a swim suit at that beach. but hailey thinks flying a kite would be fun. so, that is what we will do when lauren and beau get here!



so totally megan!


3- went to the oakland temple. it is beautiful. the grounds are beautiful. i think it would be ok if someone or two or three were to get married there over the next few years. (i had a very sweet feeling come over me as jon and i drove home from the airport after picking up our new missionaries, and i looked up on the hill and saw the temple. all will be well!)









4- rode bart over to san francisco and walked to fisherman's wharf.

5- took a tour of maria carrillo high school. home of the puma's.

6-had the missionaries over for dinner and a lesson for family home evening. a highlight for some of us :).

7- took megan to the sonoma county airport. it is definately smaller than idaho falls, BY A LOT. you will have to come, or you will never understand. it is hard to let her make this move without being by her side to get her all set up. i know she is in good hands though. gave a long, long hug. shed some tears.




8- enjoyed the back porch.



9- played tennis.


10- took sadie to the sonoma county airport. notice the baggage claim and security. shed some more tears. gave another BIG hug.




maybe if i didn't like my family so much it would be easier. i think i'd rather like my family though and cry when we say good-bye.

ps- would someone call carole...the girl who does (did) my hair...and tell her i am in some serious need of help? jon had to help me color my roots (a story all on its own), and sadie had to trim my bangs last night. my hair really could use a good cut. i have tried.
believe. me.
HELP!

she will survive...

hailey has had a BIG first week here in santa rosa. i would say overall, she is trying really hard to be positive. she has had a couple of small melt downs, but who can blame her? it is an adjustment, to put it mildly.

wednesday, we went to her school orientation. the ac was not working in the gym. of course, it was one of the hottest days of the year here, so we melted in the 110 degree gym for a couple of hours, standing in lines, taking pictures, looking around. (i made the big mistake of staying in my dress and heels, BAD IDEA!)


saturday night she and megan went to a stake dance in rohnert park with shane hardisty (valerie's son) and some of his friends. it was so sweet of valerie and shane to invite them and have everyone gather at their home for root beer floats, so hailey could meet a few people. i think she had a good time! at least she has some new facebook friends and a crazy memory with her sister.

sunday at church was an emotional experience. (for awhile) but she met some very nice girls, who are very excited to have her in the ward. her new yw leaders are pretty sweet too! there are actually two other new girls (sisters), that got to town about the same day as hailey. alyssa is from the salt lake area, a sixteen year old, and a junior in high school. i think it is nice for them to have each other :). that evening we all went over to the school to figure out where her classes were located. i have a really good feeling about her new school. i think she does too.


monday was her first day of school. of high school. you know how the first day always is...a little boring, a little overwhelming. she survived.


tuesday when we picked her up, she was a little down. i think she wishes it was a little easier finding and making new friends...but she is grateful for what she has :).


today, she got in the car with a smile on her face, and quite a lot of positive talk. she really likes her english and humanities classes. they are both at the end of the day. that is good!

it was hard on her when megan left on tuesday and i know it will be hard on her when sadie leaves tomorrow. but, i am sure she will survive. she is a warrior, a good soul, a trooper, a sweet daughter and a better tennis player than sadie. since we have a tennis court next door i think we need to get working on that skill!



thank you hailey! for being a survivor and for making the best of a life change you did not choose. we love you! and we are so glad to have you here, with us!

a real cowgirl!

is this not the sweetest thing you have ever seen? tod sent me this little clip. he wrote, "we teach them young." at first it made me cry. now i watch it and it makes me smile!

the gardineer's are coming the first wednesday in september. i am counting the days! beau has teeth, is climbing up to everything, i know he has changed a ton. i'm pretty sure he has no recollection of me :(. lauren is terribly confused about moving into our house...but i think she is enjoying her stuff that i left there.

i still love being a grandma, even from a distance! thanks tod, for sending a little piece of them to me!

MY GIRLS ARE COMING!

OK. Driving home today for an hour and a half, after talking to Sadie, seeing where they were and how long they had been driving, I hung up the phone and started to cry. Then I got so excited. Then I started to cry again. Then I got all excited again. My girls are actually on their way! I can't believe it! I can hardly contain myself!

Just letting you know!

PS- Kristen and Tod, some day, when you are on your way, I will feel this way all over again! I can't wait to see ALL of you!

MUAHH!

worried for nothing

i have been nervous about august 3rd and 4th since we received our call in december. the former mission president's wife sort of freaked me out about this big lunch and dinner i needed to provide for the incoming and departing missionaries. why did it freak me out? well, i've never really cooked any thing for more than eight people, for starters. i don't have a great reputation for my cooking, for seconds. and i usually have someone to help me if i get in a bind, for thirds.

monday was our first lunch. i got every thing prepared on saturday and sunday, put the baked beans in the oven as we left for the airport, prayed the self starter would actually work while we were gone, and left to meet our new missionaries. they are wonderful! they are ready to take on the mission! they want to share the gospel with every one they can! the mtc is really a wonderful training center.


lunch was a breeze. i had way too much food (yes, i took notes for september). five of our seven missionaries were sisters and they were very helpful in getting things set on the table. after lunch they left for an orientation at the mission office and i had planned to start cooking the sixteen potatoes for tuesdays dinner while they were gone. didn't work. but i still was ok. thought i'd take care of it after they left. when they returned we got pictures taken, post cards written, information gathered, and interviews conducted with the president. we had a little power point/slide show presentation, a testimony meeting and a little pumping up by president bunker, and then it was time for their trainers to come and pick them up! lots of excitement in the air as introductions were made, and current missionaries met the new-bees. then as president announced who would be serving with whom, it was quite fun to see everyone's reactions. as they left, jon looked at me and said, "they have no idea what they are about to face! they are used to cleanliness, fellow members pretending to be their investigators, a perfect atmosphere in the mtc. they are in for a shock!"

no one has called to tell us they are leaving...yet. i'm keeping my fingers crossed and my prayers continuous!

as soon as they left, the doorbell rang and a few of the departing elders were there for their exit interviews. as it turned out, president had arranged for them all to come over monday night, so he wouldn't have to interview them in the rush of tuesday's schedule. surprise, susan! i put my sixteen potatoes on to boil and then i started visiting with all of these fun elders and sister that were exiting. elder earl kind of cornered me and asked me tons of questions to which i was happily answering and jabbering on and on to. all of a sudden, i remembered my potatoes...well, well done. they went in the trash, and all of my plans for getting to the store that evening were blowing up as well. i was completely exhausted!!! before the last of them left, i came into my bedroom, closed the door behind me and hid. how does jon do it?

i set my alarm for bright and early tuesday morning. didn't quite roll out as early as i had planned, but left my house to get the last needed groceries before i started my day of cooking. i decided i might need a little extra help, so i stopped by mcdonald's for a little (a large) diet coke. i seriously wondered if it would be enough to get me through the day. it was perfect! it is only the second one i have had since i arrived. i was in heaven sipping on that straw!


i was done cooking and setting the tables and all by 3. out of the shower and ready by 4. did a little laundry. started the tri-tip around 5:15, and we were eating right around 6. it was smooth. no big deal. why was i worried? i would like to be able to go to the temple with them though, so i am trying to figure out a way to get a meal ready while i'm in traffic and in the temple. any ideas? order pizza? :)

these are a few of the faces from the evening...

elder hullinger. still studying the night before he departs.


the dobberfuhls. a wonderfully, helpful senior couple. they can do anything, even dishes :).


the prez. thinking he is a chef. thanks for the help!


elder singleton. a heck of a nice guy and a powerful missionary.


elder lythgoe. a professional chef (seriously! and yes i was more nervous because he was coming. silly) and a great photographer.


elder earl. my new best friend. he is the reason for the burned potatoes :).


elder mcqueen. isn't he cute? his visa expires six days before the next group goes home, so he actually has five weeks left, but we wanted him to enjoy a departing dinner before he left!


sister mcmillian. a sweet angel.


elder brandt. returning a little early to get home to college. a great missionary.


the whole group!



after dinner we had another power point/slide show and testimony meeting. it was very sweet. i was quite emotional. as you could probably tell, i had a little melt down sunday. unfortunately for everyone, i was sitting at my computer when it happened. it was small. i am really doing well. i just think it was time.

listening to their testimonies really lifted me! you know how it is to listen to a return missionary. imagine that times seven. i gained so much strength and desire as i felt of their testimonies and their absolute love of God and their Savior, and how much being able to serve meant to them. i want to have grown-up like they have when i come home. i have some work to do :).

i don't think i will stress so much in six weeks when we do this all over again. besides, i will have hailey close by if i need her help. hallelujah!!!