Yes, I stayed up! Yes, I stood in line. And Yes, it was AWESOME!

I loved "Eclipse"! It is by far the best movie of the 3 to date! Last night one of my best gal pals and a few other friends went to see "Eclipse" at midnight!!!!! So glad I did and I wasn't too tired when I had to get up and be to work at 7:30 am this morning! lol! I can't wait to go see it again!

Here we are waiting for the movie to start!

Father's Day 2010

Allison and John were here for Father's Day and I know that my hubby would say that was the best gift.....but they did bring a gift from all the girls to him. My girls have been blessed with a great Dad and they know how lucky they are which makes it extra sweet! And I know that Alan loves being a father-in-law and having a son to now talk about guy stuff with! It was a great weekend. Barbara had a breakfast for all of us in town for the wedding, so that we would be able to celebrate the day with our Dad, even though it was the day after their wedding! It was nice to get to spend time with him as so many were having to fly back that day or the next.

My Dad's wedding - A great way to spend Father's day weekend

Well, the wedding was beautiful! I'm so happy for my Dad and Barbara and hope that they know how much they are loved! It was a great way to spend Father's day Weekend!

John & Allison were here in Texas - YAY!

This last weekend was my Dad's wedding! John and Allison were able to come and it was fantastic having them here! We were extremely sad that Anne Marie could not take any more time off of work at the Hospital, with Allison's Wedding, Mom's Funeral, and this all in the same year......yeah, the Hospital didn't seem to understand.....well, that is a lot of time off for 1 yr! But we talked to Anne Marie and thought about her all the time and even went shopping for her to send gifts home...... so you were with us in spirit Anne Marie! We love you so very much!

So, now to the crazy things that happened before the wedding and before the kids came! Thursday was the day that we moved out the very few things that my Dad was taking with him to Barbara's. Then we scheduled the carpet cleaners to come at 9:30 am that morning after his bedroom stuff was gone so they could clean that carpet and by the afternoon have the carpets dry enough to move our bedroom furniture into the Master Bedroom (Thanks Chem-dry). And then move some of our stuff out of storage and other places upstairs so there would be a guest room for Allison and John to sleep in while they were here!

There was also the taking all the utilities and dishnet etc... out of my Dad's name and putting them in our names and the switching of beds in 3 different houses and the swapping out of a refrigerator! Plus all the cleaning and I mean deep cleaning that goes along with that. As if that wasn't enough to worry about....... We have bees inside the siding on the back of the house where the air conditioner unit is hooked up into the house. We had arranged for the bee keeper to come before the wedding but had to have a contractor there to take the siding off the house when the bee keeper comes to do this. Well, our Contractor couldn't come before the wedding because of Boy Scout Camp, so we had planned it for the next Tuesday, which was a couple of days after the wedding.......and since we really only saw a couple of bees inside the house every once and awhile that should have been fine.

The Dish Network guys came to hook up our new stuff and had a great fear of the bees and sprayed 3 cans of wasp spray into the hole that the air conditioner wire goes into the house (inside the siding) and this did nothing to get the bees out of their way....but totally made the bees so made that we had hundreds of bees in our home -- and I do not exaggerate when I say hundreds (I can't believe I didn't take a picture)and they still couldn't hook us up until they got someone that wasn't afraid of bees and that person just went up the ladder and threaded whatever wiring needed to be threaded and slick as a whistle hooked us up and the bees never bothered him a minute....

Here I am the night before John and Allison are suppose to come and not only am I trying to move furniture and my father and deep clean....but now I have bees all over and every morning when we woke up hundreds of dead bees everywhere! I was stung, Alan was stung, and my nephew Jimmie who is staying with us right now got stung! And I really wanted this time that my son-in-law came to be a normal visit....ha-ha!

Luckily the night that the kids came and stayed upstairs in the guest room, we only had 50 bees on the floor in the morning and Allison and John didn't see any upstairs! It was just us in the master bedroom that had that joy!!!!

Then the day before they came the washing machine broke down. And the truck was already gone so we couldn't get ours out of the storage and Alan didn't really want to be moving the washer and dryer out of the room when that was the room that all of the bees were coming in from so I have been going to the Laundromat or doing without the whole wedding weekend and with company to boot!

So Tuesday morning the contractor and the bee keeper came to take care of the bees and siding etc... and they cut through our air conditioner Freon line - REALLY? are you kidding me? And our phone with our new phone number was suppose to be all set up with our Internet on Friday the 18th, but because of them not being able to move my Dad's phone number because Barb's lines are too old and a big dog in the neighbors yard where the telephone poll is - they didn't move my Dad's number and we didn't get our phone and Internet service until yesterday.... whew!

But it was a great weekend. John and Allison are good sports.....we just had to laugh at all the craziness and John told me "I always have a great time when I come to visit" So I guess that is good even though he has never seen me "normal" and our life in "normal mode" we always seem to have some kind of craziness going on.

The passing of an elect lady.....

In our ward we have a women who is 92 that passed away on Thursday, June 17, 2010! She was an amazing women who was the mother of 6 or 7 children and 40 grandchildren and great grandchildren and a Branch President's wife several times a Bishop's wife 4 times, and a Stake President's wife let alone the callings that she served in. Everyone who spoke about her at the funeral today said that she never had an unkind thing to say about anyone! And that is so very true! Her husband died 13 yrs ago so I know there is a happy reunion going on - on the other side of the veil!

But the main reason I tell this story is -- last night at 8:00 pm I was asked to sing a song for the funeral that I have never even heard let alone, sung! The daughters were going to try to sing it, but decided there was no way that they could have. And I know that having just had my mother's funeral, we didn't have as many musical numbers as I thought we would have had, because there was no way any of us were going to be singing at that event!

So, I plunked out the melody and practiced the song last night....."That Wonderful Mother of Mine" and I had Alan give me a Priesthood Blessing, so I could make it through the song, since I could hardly sing this song thinking of my own mother! And I practiced at the church this morning with the granddaughter of Sis. Leithead, that was going to play - once, and then sang for the funeral.

I did make one booboo in the middle, more because I did get a little emotional singing about a wonderful mother..... and it was not a familiar song to me.....but I believe it went well and I hope they were happy with how it went.....It was Sis. Leithead's favorite song! And since I couldn't sing at my own mother's funeral, it was an honor to do so for the Leithead family! I almost insisted that we go through it again to practice with the accompaniment, but it went so smoothly and perfectly in the 1st practice - no one thought it was necessary.....but it is a little unnerving to get up in front of a crowd, and sing something you have really only sung once before and only that morning right before. But my prayer is that it was good enough! I know it wasn't perfect -- and perfect is what I usually like to do when performing, but I do feel that I did this service with a great deal of love - even though it was completely out of my comfort zone to perform a number I haven't even heard and just given to me the night before.

Then we had the family meal to get ready and serve and it was really a special moment when 2 past RS Presidents came in the kitchen and made sure that we had everything we needed and went right to work helping to get things ready....this was our first funeral as a Presidency and we had forgotten a few things, but they all got taken care of and the family never knew and it was a wonderful dinner for them on this special day thanks to all the sisters in the Ward who helped and provided food. But I loved that those who know what it is like, having been RS Presidents before, made sure all was well, and volunteered to do many things to make the worry and work a lighter load!

It was a beautiful day!

I'm back online......

So, how do people live without the Internet? I'm telling you, I was about to go crazy! Not just because of blogging and FB, I really can live without that, I don't like it but I can live without it. But, I couldn't check my bank account, I couldn't map quest, I couldn't email important things about Relief Society....it was really quite frankly scary how much we depend on the Internet these days just with normal life.....I can now see the reason for getting an iPhone etc.... maybe there is one in my future.....

But I would like to thank my Home Teacher SB, who answered my call and came right over to get me all hooked up so that I am back online!!!! Thank you so very much! A week is just too long!

Someone had a birthday.....yes, it was me!

I am now proudly 51 yrs old. I had a great birthday this year and it started on Friday! First, I received my b-day card from my mother-in-law with the awesome customary check.....which now that we are empty-nesters, I get to spend on myself! Then the Doctor and his wife that I work for gave me Ugg slippers, that are the most comfortable things I have ever had on my feet, I love them! And those are something I would never buy for myself! So cool gift.

Then Friday night my Visiting Teaching partner, and two of the gals we visit teach, who are quite frankly some of the best friends to have, took me out to the Movie Friday night to see "Alice In Wonderland".

aren't they cute telling everyone how old I am!

They were sweet and got me candy and diet coke, and the new Twilight book about Bree the "New" vampire, a Border's gift card, jewelry and an awesome frame for me to put a picture of the 4 of us in!

Saturday morning, actual birthday, we went to a Baptism, which is a awesome way to celebrate your birthday. Then Alan took me car shopping as my car is falling apart! Sweet surprise! And all my kiddo's called to wish me a happy birthday, really nothing greater!

That night the family that is in Texas came to dinner at Chili's to celebrate my special day! Thanks Dad for the dinner! Elizabeth brought me Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls because I have been craving them and haven't been able to find them! Barbara gave me an orange tote with my name embroidered on it. As my favorite color is orange and right now it matches my toes and my favorite clothes that I seem to be wearing all the time....it was perfect! And Alan and the girls gave me "Burn Notice" season 3!

Dad and Barbara

Me, Aileen, and Alan

Logan's friend, my nephew, Logan, and my brother, George!

My sister, Elizabeth, and my nephew, Jimmy!

Even though I have spent this post telling you all the fun things I got for my birthday.....its really not what mattered the most!

To me what mattered the most is that everyone wanted to celebrate my day and the fun we had being together! Special friends, and family that I love, what more could you ask for........

well, maybe my children that live in Utah here, but really not much else! Thanks everyone!

Last night at Relief Society......

We had a great time!!! Everyone talking, laughing, sharing and also making their Proclamation's! It was really fun to walk around and see everyone's pictures. So fun to see their families younger, or their children as babies instead of teenagers or Wedding photos from years ago - really fun, and have you ever known a mother not to be thrilled to show pictures and talk about their families - I don't think so!

We had a sister making one with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren....isn't that amazing! And we had a young woman who made one of pictures with her and her boyfriend for the future they hope to have together! We had sisters with large families and small families. We had pictures of families outside of temples from when their adopted children were sealed to them. It really was an incredible night of memories and sharing.

We are all women at different stages of our life in so many different circumstances! But what unites us and makes us sisters is our love of the Gospel, our Savior, and that we know who we are - daughters of a Heavenly Father - just doing the best we can to get back to our Heavenly Home!

Most women were able to go home with their project all finished. Some ladies, didn't have enough of, or the kind of pictures they wanted to finish it off....but they went home with only needing 1 or two photos to finish and I feel confident that they will because they just looked so great!

Aren't families of all types wonderful.....especially my sisters in the Gospel!

Aileen's check-up

Today was Aileen's yearly check-up with the Doctor. She is doing great. She was so grown up and accepting of all the tests they did today. It was unusual but really nice! She didn't fight the blood pressure cuff or the taking of blood or the thermometer in her mouth.....she usually makes it hard for any of those things to happen. But not today! So it was a great Doctors visit and she seemed happy and ready to go to Day-Hab when we were done! Amazing! And so far everything was normal and in good health! We will get the test results in a few days.

The Family - A Proclamation

This Thursday for a RS meeting we are going to be making the Proclamation of the family with pictures of family around it. Last December for our Qtrly Activity we put pictures of the Savior around "The Living Christ" document and everyone has been asking ever since if we were going to do the family one! So, by popular demand, this Thursday is it. I really like how mine turned out. I couldn't decide whether to do black and white or color photos, but I'm happy with color and I think it will look better next to the other one as the Savior photos are in color too!

Memorial Weekend.....

So this was a fun weekend.....really enjoyed the 3 days in a row with no work! But really enjoyed more the reason we celebrate Memorial Day....but could not believe that I forgot to go put anything on my mothers grave! How did that Happen???? When Allison called me Monday night and said so what did you do at Grandma's grave I about died myself....because I had not even thought of it! I don't know if it was because we had just done something big for mother's day and her birthday just a few weeks earlier, or what, but it was a little upsetting! But then I wondered, maybe it really dosen't matter because I know she is not there, but even before my mom died we would take the girls to relative's graves and put flowers for Memorial day because we were teaching our kids the real reason for the Holiday.....so of course Allison would assume we would have gone! I'm not sure what I am feeling about this (forgetting) as you can see.

We had a great Saturday, with Barbara's family. This was a planned day for us to have both families come together and meet for the first time before the wedding! And her Sister does have the house to entertain and have a great time at......so of course we did! I wasn't sure if they were really going to have swimming etc...so I forgot to bring swimsuits for Aileen and me, so we went swimming anyway! It was such a hot day, it did not take long to dry out! The food was great, the company awesome, and the fun was fantastic! Barbara has a wonderful family.