Sweet 16!!!!!

Tomorrow is the big day!  We are so excited to help Rhiannon celebrate this milestone birthday.  We have a few things up our sleeves (sorry, no car, haha!) that we know she'll love and enjoy!

This little baby's birth was scary, too early, and 100% crazy, but since that fateful day she has brought us nothing but happiness and peace.  So grateful she is a part of our family!  So excited for what awaits!

Facebook does have redeeming qualities

Wade has been reading up a storm lately.  He read all the Harry Potter books recently and an adult non-fiction book about the World Fair in Chicago called Devil in the White City.  I was having a hard time keeping up with him, so I asked for book suggestions on Facebook.  The response was quick and overwhelming!  This list I made needs updated already because I am STILL getting suggestions from people!  Sometimes, Facebook does have redeeming qualities, haha!

Saturday with the boy

Saturday was a nice day.  Rhiannon had a total blast on a special field trip to the California Science Center with a group from school, and Jason was golfing on the base in a tournament with friends.

So Wade and I were at home most of the day by ourselves.  We both slept in, which was heavenly.  Ah, sleep, how I love thee, haha!  I slept in until 8:15 and let Wade sleep another hour after that.  Not a usual thing for us, but it sure was great!

I gave Wade 30 minutes to chill and eat breakfast, and then we went to work.  We did all kinds of chores, worked on Boy Scout merit badge stuff, and mowed the lawn together.  Then we got Taco Bell for lunch and watched Guardians of the Galaxy together after that.  It was a fun day that flew by!

2016 Youth Conference--Choose the Harder Right, Not the Easier Wrong

Well, it happened!  And it was a great success!  The night youth conference ended, I had the very best sleep I've had in a long time.  I guess the secret to a good night's sleep is utter exhaustion, haha!   Seriously, though, I had a remarkable experience helping to carry out my first youth conference as a stake adult leader, and I learned a LOT from it.

Here are a few notes from the weekend:

Theme was from a quote President Monson shared in April's Conference--"Choose the harder right, not the easier wrong."  Using this we decorated with lots of traffic signs, traffic cones, and caution tape.  Easy and fun.

The stake Young Men president, a couple of my presidency, and I showed up the Thursday night before the dance to hang lights and put up tables/chairs.

Following afternoon, the day of the dance, stake youth committee made signs for decorations and helped decorate the gym and entry way at the church.

Stake dance Friday night was well-attended, close to 50 which is very good for us, and almost 25% of those attending were guests that youth had invited.  I kept myself busy keeping water pitchers full and handing out ice cream sandwiches and ice pops!   There were many other adults there to help, which was great, too.

Saturday morning we gathered again to go on service projects available through the local DART organization. The former stake YW president helped set these up through the JustServe website, and it was awesome!  The organization we were serving gave supplies, water, instructions, and lots of help to us.  I was impressed by how much was accomplished by 30-40 kids in 2 hours.  One group worked at a preschool (the same one Rhiannon attended when she was little!) painting and doing yard work.  One large group of girls spray painted donated chairs, and then the third group had (I think the hardest) job of sorting through donations at the local thrift store.  It was eye-opening during training for that--gloves and face masks were handed out, and we were told we'd be trashing EIGHTY PERCENT of the items donated--wow!!!

After two hours we went back to the stake center for a delicious lunch spread of pizza, fried chicken, mac n cheese, apples, salad, and orange drink.  One of my counselors, my secretary, and two former stake YW ladies took care of that entire meal while the rest of us were scurrying around at the service projects.  It was a huge relief to not have to give a single thought to that meal--they did an amazing, fantastic job with it!!!

Just after lunch there was a little time to kill, which COULD have been a major problem, but instead we asked all the youth there to help clean up after the lunch, take down decorations, and put tables away.  It made for a VERY quick exit for the rest of us when everyone went home afterwards!  I was also grateful to Brother Wonnacott, a bishopric member from one of the wards, who did some impromptu games with the youth, too.

In the afternoon we had 3 rotations or classes.  One was a "movie room" where the youth watched several inspiring Mormon Messages and Church website videos around the theme of choices.  Then I took a room, and my high council representative Kevin Evans took another.  We read "Choose Your Own Adventure" type scripts to the youth that we had written, and let them choose which option to take at different decision points.  It went really well!  I wrote the following quote really big on the chalkboard in my room:  "DECISIONS DETERMINE DESTINY," which is also a wonderful talk by President Monson!  Then I showed a picture of me taken on my 16th birthday and shared my feelings that I would be forever grateful for the choices that 16-year-old girl made at that time that blessed my life immensely in the future.

Finally, we had a short testimony meeting.  It was wonderful to hear their thoughts--these youth are amazing, spiritually strong, and obedient!

Rhiannon and I were home 30 minutes after the activity ended, tired and happy!

Happy 19th Anniversary to us!

Jason and I celebrated a quiet 19th wedding anniversary on Monday, with plans to go out to a fancy dinner tomorrow night.  I made some Hungarian-inspired cabbage rolls for dinner that turned out pretty yummy!  And Jason gave me an iPad, his old one, haha! I don't know what to do with all these electronic devices he keeps giving me, but I am grateful!

Next year will be our big 20th.  It will be fun to see what we do.  I doubt we'll recreate our once-in-a-lifetime central Europe trip that we did for our 10th, but I know we'll do something cool!

When I was 12 or 13, I wrote on a little index card a list of all the things I was looking for in a future husband. Hard-working, handsome, "good with kids," faithful, kind, and many other qualities made the list. It was a pretty thorough list, haha!! A few years after Jason and I were married, I came across the card while I was going through boxes and smiled--he met every. single. item. I love this man so much--every year gets better!!!

Happy 19th Anniversary, babe!  I love you!

2016 BHS Spring Band Concert

Last night our family went to Rhiannon's spring band concert at the high school.  It was a long night, but well worth our time!  Those high schoolers are remarkable!!!  Rhiannon is standing, I think second from the left.  I didn't have enough room on my phone to record it all, but here are a couple:

Wade's spring band concert!

We are so proud of Wade's accomplishments in concert band this semester.  He got moved up from beginning band in the middle of the year to join the 7th and 8th graders, and he has done well!  Check out his awesome solo at the very end of the last video, too.  So fun!

Piano Piano Piano!

The past two Saturdays we went to two piano recitals!  Rhiannon played in an honors recital in April, and yesterday both Rhiannon and Wade performed at their piano teacher's Spring recital.  We are proud of these kids and their efforts to learn and "grow" their talents!

Every year gets better

Mother's Day was spectacular this weekend.  I feel so happy and relaxed and GRATEFUL for all that Jason and the kids did to make me feel loved.  Every year I say, "Wow, this Mother's Day will never be topped!" and then the next Mother's Day rolls around and it's just amazing.

This year we celebrated for two days, haha!  Last night Jason treated us all to a family movie experience watching Captain America: Civil War (which was AWESOME!), and then we went to the local Olvera's Mexican restaurant for dinner.  Half the fun was watching the kids try something new besides Taco Bell.

Then this morning I slept in and then read wonderful Mother's Day posts on Facebook on my laptop (still in bed, what a luxury, haha!).  Rhiannon and Wade made a delicious breakfast, did all the dishes, and gave me lots of hugs and kisses.  Jason helped the kids with dinner--hamburgers, fries, salad, apple slices, and a chocolate cream pie for dessert--delish!

At church we got to hear Wade give his first talk in sacrament meeting, on gratitude, and he did a wonderful job with that!  Ward members served ice cream after church, too, to make the day extra special.

This day can be up and down for so many women.  Sometimes women feel only guilt, or sadness about life circumstances that are out of their control.  Today I'm grateful for the divine nature of women--that innate, ennobling power to "mother" others, whether we have children or not.  I know our family has been guided, supported, and loved by many wonderful women.  Happy to set aside a day to honor them and let them know they are appreciated!

A much-needed update

Let's start with the dogs, shall we?

Samson:  needs a haircut.  Won't stay out of the kitchen.  Still the best nap companion anyone could wish for.  Lives for walks and dances in circles when he's fed.

Oscar:  needs a haircut.  Won't stay out of the kitchen.  Gets very confused and doesn't know what to do when there isn't a space on the couch for him.  Lives for walks and FETCH!  (He kinda goes berserk for it).

Cushing pool:  will be opened soon.  We wanted to open it yesterday, but instead we got some rain and wind.  Right now Jason is draining off the big puddle from the top of the cover.  

Family garden:  is doing pretty well so far!  We have eaten spinach and cilantro from it, and one teeny tiny strawberry.  The kale, lettuce, radishes, peppers, roma tomatoes, and zucchini are giving it a go!  We'll see what happens when it starts to get very hot.  And I am ECSTATIC by all the apricots on the trees!

Jason went to:  an Orioles game this week during his work trip on the east coast.  He didn't eat great that week, nothing memorable (I like to ask), but he DID get to watch the Orioles in a luxury suite!  Fun!!!

Wade: finished his History project early (Hurray!).  He aged paper, painted some rolling pins bright red, and then taped the paper to the rolling pins to make a scroll of sorts.  Then he wrote fake journal entries on it from the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.  It turned out great, and his mom hardly laid a finger on it.  You can't say that for a lot of the history/science projects that kids hand in nowadays.

Wade: also went on a fun Boy Scout campout Friday night up to Kennedy Meadows.  There are 9 boys in his group and 7 were able to go, with 4 adults.  I had to laugh when I pulled up to the church parking lot--I've never seen so many bags of chips, Doritos, and treats, haha!  They are having a good time in Scouts and learning a lot.  

Rhiannon: can go on a date in 30 days.  She is pretty excited about that.  (So is Mom; Dad is not. Boys are evil.) She's still plugging along on her drivers ed course online, so, no, she won't be driving on her birthday, but she's working on it.  We were SUPER proud of her efforts in school this past quarter--so far she has all A's and a B. 

Rhiannon also: ROCKED at yesterday's piano recital.  So happy for her!  Months and months and months of practice time into that performance, and she did a fantastic job.  (Video coming soon).

(Coolest blogging pause ever:  Just picked up a FaceTime call from Logan and Amy and their family in HUNGARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Technology is the coolest thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Just for fun:  Rhiannon, Wade, and I went to the Cerro Coso Community College band concert on Thursday night to see some friends in it.  It was SO GOOD!!!  

A week in: and I'm very, very, very slowly learning the ins and outs and ups and downs of my new calling at church as stake Young Women president.  Pray for me with youth conference happening in less than 2 weeks.  Nothing like jumping right in, I guess!  My composure varies by the day--sometimes I'm cool and easy-breezy; other times I am completely, utterly overwhelmed.

Life is good.  We are happy and healthy and hanging in there!