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HI EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!
I have no pictures to share yet, but i wanted to wish everyone ....

a SUPER MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love you all and hope this day (and yesterday) has been amazing and full of love. I'm so glad you are all my wonderful amazing family, and I'm excited to see everyone!! (i'm sorry i won't see you joe, but i hope you have a quick recovery, and i STILL love you!) =D

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND I LOVE YOU!!!!

get the message? :)

Holliday Christmas Cheer that split my stapled stomach!

How to beat the wrap

BY DAVE BARRY

(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Dec. 9, 2001.)

This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas, when the three Wise Men -- Gaspar, Balthasar and Herb -- went to see the baby Jesus, and, according to the Book of Matthew, ``presented unto Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.''

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often-overlooked, theological fact: There is no mention of wrapping paper. If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so: ``And lo, the gifts WERE inside 600 square cubits of paper.

``And the paper WAS festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman.

``And Joseph WAS going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, `Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!'

``And Joseph DID rolleth his eyeballs.

``And the baby Jesus WAS more interested in the paper than, for example, the frankincense.''

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics:

1. They were wise.

2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can tear it off. This is not just my opinion; this is a scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I know. One is my son, Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a gift is, quote, ''if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be there when the person opens it.'' The other is my friend Gene Weingarten, who told me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never takes more than 15 seconds per gift.

''No one ever had to wonder which presents Daddy wrapped at Christmas,'' Gene said. ``They were the ones that looked like enormous spitballs.''

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor skills, I can never COMPLETELY wrap them. I can take a gift the size of a deck of cards and put it in the exact center of a piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I camouflage this sector with a marking pen.) If I had been an ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife, like many women, actually LIKES wrapping things. If she gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills -- like having babies -- that come more naturally to women than to men. That is why today I am presenting:

GIFT-WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN

-- Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If, when the recipient opens the gift, neither of you recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

-- The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must be smoking crack.

-- If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?

YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!

YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.

YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!

YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.

YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt.

Hospital Birthday

Monday was Heather and Chloe (and Dad's) birthdays.  Sadly, Joe was in the hospital...so we took the party there!  It was an emotional ordeal, but a beautiful sight for onlookers.  It was an adventure to be at Heather's, poopy pants, hospital visits, broken fingers, cologne in the eyes, car repairs, snow removal, frozen pipes...you name it, it happened!  

What is Liz doing?

What is Liz doing  you ask?  I don't feel like I really know what I'm doing.  I think I've just been busy with end of term grading, entertaining guests, cleaning up after guests go home, supporting James through end of term and interviewing and everything else that goes along with being a mom.  In addition I planned and pulled off a Pack Meeting between runs to the airport--and I still feel like I know nothing about Cub Scouts.  I've also been working on prepping things for Christmas as well as the family reunion.  I'm planning for a fun time, so I hope you all come ready to have some fun.  But after all of that I think I need to relax a little so plan for a fun but relaxing visit!  Hope to see you all soon!

oh yeah! pictures!

oh i forgot it was friday!!!! I'm on break now!!! woohoooo!!!! I ended up NOT having play practice today, and I don't have to go to the mandatory 6 hour rehearsal on the 4th (sunday!)! yay me!!! :D
Then tonight I went bowling, shopping, (christmas presents! yay me again!!!), and to an awards ceremony for a writing contest for my friend! (you probably don't care, but it was lots of greatness!) i'm updating... :D

and tomorrow we are going caroling with the youth and the primary.

and monday we are going to Missouri.

ah! and I think my accent is getting worse. but I think it'll be better when i'm around all you who don't talk like they do here... :D hehehe

and I'm SO glad joe's surgery went well! you are crazy.... 10 inches of extra intestine? did i hear correctly? :D

and we have some major fog tonight! i had to drive home in it, and I got to test out that..."why you don't turn your brights on in fog". I'm glad I get that now! :D I never really understood.

and here are some photos! i had fun playing with them this week! love you all!!! I'm excited to see everyone!!!!

Happy Photo Friday

Everyone is so busy today. Marquie is at school until 6:30, Dad is doing employee reviews, Heather and Joe are doing surgery, Justin and Jodi are driving (since 8:30 last night), Michelle is frustrated cause Bryce has to work Christmas Eve, (but grateful he has work to do.), James did his big interviewing yesterday and Liz is....., I am trying to get ready for 15 guests for a party tonight. I just thought I would let Heather know that other people are involved in the blogging...but she's right, we need more blogs!

It's been amazing to watch the weather all around the country the last two days. Everyone is getting snow!--except for us, of course. We are supposed to have a high of 48 and rain. I miss the excitement of the snow. But, when everything here shuts down with rain, I guess we don't need snow!

Looking forward to next week!

Holy snow

Yep, there is tons of it. I don't have a total, but surrounding cities range from 6-10". Soooo much snow. I was driving in it last night at 12 a.m. What, why 12 a.m.? Causse I went to see Jersey Boys with Katey McGregor. No cost but the train ticket. She was supposed to go with her boyfriend, but he was deported. Yes, really. So, she called me. Yeah for me! It was so much fun and the music was amazing. I must definitely get the soundtrack. I'm also pretty sure I am going to have to take Joe!

Joe just went into surgery about 20 minutes ago. They had an emergency and we were delayed two hours. GGrrrrr. What do you do? I will try to get on tonight and let everyone know it went well. He was told he would be getting an epidural and just about died. Men are such babies! Don't worry, we still love you. Hope you all are well, cause nobody is blogging. I just have to kind of guess you are all o.k.

Since it is freezing here, i thought this to be an appropriate picture. Think warm thoughts.

Fondue?

Yep, crazy us, we had a fondue party last night. We hit a crazy going out of business sale at Linens N Things and bought a fondue pot for $8. This was all Joes doing. So, the kids and I went to work yesterday to celebrate his graduation. First, we went out for supplies and presents. Now this was quite a feet, considering the below zero windchill. Ummmm brrrrrr! We then strung crepe paper all over the living room and accompanied it with hordes of balloons. Then we set to work on the food. We had a cheese fondue, which we hated, so I took cheese powder and mixed it. That was super. We dipped little smokies, pepperoni, teriyaki chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, foccacia bread, french bread, and roasted potatoes. We finished with angel food cake. Yes, we had a lot left over. The best part, Joe was shocked. He had no idea. It was lots of work, but so much fun. I do believe we are having left overs tonight. Mmmmmm!

YIPPPEEEEEE!

Woohoo, Woohoo, Woohoo! We are done!!!!! Yes, Joe officially graduated tonight with an MBA. He totally rocks. He also completed his capstone course with an A . Yep, he is pretty much brilliant. I think I am embarasing him at this point. Love you all and see you soon!!!! Joe is cool! Joe is done! We are happy, happy, happy.

Years Ago

Happy Saturday Morning Family. I know that I missed Photo Phriday but hope you will enjoy this picture from a few years ago. Mom and I graduated from High School in June of 1974. After graduation I went with my mom and dad to San Antonio, Texas to visit Calvin and his family. It was sort of a graduation present for me. Over my years growing up I had the chance to take many trips with mom and dad, you know, being the only one at home. The last one I took was in August of 1974. Dad had meetings in Portland, Oregon. I remember doing all I could to get out of the trip. Just didn't want to deal with it.

Looking back, I am very grateful that I went with them. Dad made arrangements for us to take a fishing trip with Brother Hugey, a man he worked with in SCS. We went Salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River. It was fun, we caught several salmon and enjoyed them for months to come. In fact, the last one we ate the day of my mission farewell. Here are the proud fishermen.

A few more pictures from our Chicago trip

I know I posted photos yesterday, but thought I would search Marquie's folder for some more fun pictures. Congratulations to all you end of semesterers. I assume, now just finals to go. All you involved in "public school"--James, Liz, Joe, Bryce, Justin, Jodi and of course, Marquie (who is not to the end of the semester until the middle of January), lots of you are almost to the end of your education journey. Some of you are just beginning, and then there are those of you in the middle. Anyway, all that meandering behind us--CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! And, also a congratulations to Michelle and Bryce on the near completion of their home--send pictures! And, to Heather who is very much "back in the saddle" again.

Wow, we have so much to be thankful for!

Skyline High School had a two hour delay today. It rained. Enough said.

May I recommend some good reading to you all who have a little time on your hands. I have been studying Elder Bednar's talks on prayer from the last two conferences for our young women's lesson on Sunday. It has been a marvelous experience. I highly recommend these talks for your perusal (I really have no idea how to spell that word, but I know what it means.) I was especially inspired by his counsel on the connection between our morning and evening prayers. Let me know what yout think.

I guessed I've mother meandered long enough. Have a wonderful Friday!

It's FRIDAY!

This is the dawn of the last day of my first semester as a college professor.  I made it through the classes, teaching, conducting, most of the grading, and more than enough, "will there be extra credit?"

I'm going to take a well-deserved nap . . .

sometime next week after finals are over and graded!

April's Baptism

I keep waiting to get a post on the beautiful experience last weekend with April. But, since I haven't seen anything from the Petersen's, I thought I might just make a little post. It was a beautiful, spiritual experience. When Vickie gave her talk on the Holy Ghost, she told the story about the pearl of great price, then presented April with a beautiful pearl necklace, made from a necklace her mother had given her when she was 16. It was such a tender experience.

April was beautiful in her white clothes and the baptism and confirmation were incredible experiences, just ask the Grandpa's.

We were so grateful to be able to attend and be a part of this very special experience.

country christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards



we had so much fun with jj's, i had to try this....mwahahahahahahahahahaha! :D

Beautiful Blog!

James, the blog is beautiful and festive. I approve!

Long time no see!

Our lives have been all but calm, but I'm sure not any less than any of yours.  We made it to the end of the last week before the last week of school, which seems to bring way more stress than the thought of finals week.  So much to do, and so little time!  But we did find a few minutes amidst the chaos to attend our ward Christmas party, even taking Michelle and the kids along (Bryce was in Vernal all week).  Prior to the party we had a chance to take these lovely pictures, and we thought you would like another peak at the ever-getting-bigger Julia :)

Jodi is getting more and more excited for Christmas.  I don't know if that is because it is Christmas, because she gets to drive 3000 miles, doesn't have to work, or because she gets to spend time with all of you.  Take your pick.  We are gearing up, and leaving just as soon as I finish my first semester of Flagship courses with a final presentation that I have been researching all semester and frantically putting together the last two weeks.  I have learned a lot of lessons to benefit me next semester, which is good because I will be increasing my school load from 15 credits (which seemed to fill my plate plenty) to 18 credits.  Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, except that I have seven additional hours every week meeting one-on-one with various tutors and teachers.  And then there is my beloved job at the MTC.  Another 20+ hours.  "Welcome to adulthood/real life", eh Dad?  Love you all!  So excited to see you in a few weeks!

Okay, I wrote and post, saved as a draft, added pictures, and it disappeared. Sorry.

I FOUND IT FOR YOU! Photo Friday

Already it's Friday again. The weeks zoom by. Thank goodness we have lots to do to keep the weeks from dragging. We are heading to Chicago in an hour so we can attend April's baptism, yeah!
Getting there shouldn't be an issue, but coming home.....depends on Chicago weather tomorrow.

We have our tree up and have pretty much finished our Christmas decorating. Our home looks nice. And the extra decorating has made it feel more like home to me. We have an artificial tree this year for the first time in our married lives. I tell you, I think it is wonderful. Snap it together and plug it in, add our special decorations and wah..lah...instant Christmas. And, we don't have to worry about watering it.

Marquie downloaded her camera yesterday, so I should be able to find some fun pictures. It will be a surprise!

Hello

Took me long enough, I know. I am feeling pretty good. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and he seemed impressed. He said the pathology report confirmed what Joe and I told him, the kidney was a piece of crap! I am still tired and not exactly running a marathon, but in time.... I am super excited for the reunion and am hoping it will me warmer there. We have a whopping high of 20 today. It is currently 10 degrees, but it says it feels like -2. Thank heavens for heaters. Our Young Women in Excellence was canceled last night due to snow. It didn't need to be, the roads were fine. Now we have to try to reschedule it in the next two weeks. Uh huh.... I sent all the treats I made to work with Joe so I wouldn't eat them. Yeah me! Except the bread, I froze that. I'm off to the store to pick up cake mixes for a giant baptism cake! Two more days. Yesterday was supposed to be April's first Activity Days. She was pretty bummed. I'm kinda starting to feel old. Could be worse, my granddaughter could be old enough to be baptized.
He He! Love you all. BLOG!! I almost forgot... We made service advent calendars for F.H.E. this week. I just made them out of paper. Each day, you check your calendar and do a secret service for the person listed. It has been really fun and I think it is a good way to keep the Christmas spirit. O.K., that's it. Bye!

Christmas Exchange

As a disclaimer, I used only the immediate Hutchings names to simplify this little chart considerably.  We love you all unconditionally.  We are doing single exchange from one family to another, with no separate system for the children.  How you choose to do that is up to you—single family gift, individual gifts for all, mostly adult gift—whatever.  Your business, and we'll never spill the love.

So here we go.  Due to unforeseen complications and the desire to avoid them in the future, we are doing the following:

2008

James➙Michelle

Heather➙James

Michelle➙Justin

Justin➙Marquie

Marquie➙Heather

We will then RESET to the following  (no complaining.  EVER.  You'll thank me later.)  Each year, you'll move up the birth chain, so everyone will move from Marquie to Justin to Michelle to Heather to James to Marquie, all starting in a different place.  Clean.  Simple.  Effective.  Here's the breakdown, in case my verbosity spawned incertitude:

2009

James➙Justin

Heather➙Marquie

Michelle➙James

Justin➙Heather

Marquie➙Michelle

2010

James➙Michelle

Heather➙Justin

Michelle➙Marquie

Justin➙James

Marquie➙Heather

2011

James➙Heather

Heather➙Michelle

Michelle➙Justin

Justin➙Marquie

Marquie➙James

At this point, the natural rotation would leave us all gifting ourselves this year, so it will cycle up an extra person this year for a four year total rotation.

2012

James➙Marquie

Heather➙James

Michelle➙Heather

Justin➙Michelle

Marquie➙Justin

Then we start over . . .

2013

James➙Justin

Heather➙Marquie

Michelle➙James

Justin➙Heather

Marquie➙Michelle

etc.

Any questions?

Traditions

OK, I am still browsing pictures being nostalgic. I have been filled with joy as many memories from over the years have been rekindled. Here is one that spans four generations. It started with my grandpa Palmer. I was told that it came about in the spring when the family was working in the fields and grandma Palmer would bring the younger children and lunch to the fields for those working there. To get out of the wind they would go into the canal, which did not have water flowing yet, and have their lunch. A fire was built and hot dogs were roasted.

Throughout my growing up years this tradition was kept alive. I tried to find picture of those times but must not have them scanned yet. I have good memories of this tradition.

I am very grateful we took the opportunity to share that tradition with you, our children. You see, with all of the homes and subdivisions, the canal is never without water as it is the drainage for the area. Perhaps there could be a time you could pass on to the next generation if you could find a time when the canal did not have water in it. Or, when you won't get in trouble for having a fire!

Thanksgiving Fun Facts and Memories

Good Morning Family and all others who may be reading. It is a gorgeous Thanksgiving morning in Front Royal, Virginia. We have started the day slowly, having breakfast wrapped up at 11:00! It was delicious, omelets, juice and hash browns. We are planning for dinner around 4:00 PM. It is very different to have only the three of us together but we have a great deal of love in our family and that is something to really cherish even through we are celebrating in four different places today.

OK, Fun Fact --

You may have read that President Bush pardoned the National Turkey this morning in a tradition that goes back to President Trumanan. What you may not know is that this pardoned bird is rushed off to Washington Dulles International Airport for a non-stop trip on United Airlines to the west coast, first class. Yes, that is passenger first class. I have been advised that by the time the plane arrives in Los Angeles the passengers are more than happy to get off the plane. I am grateful my assignments do not include bird sitting!

Memories --
I was browsing through pictures to try and find some from Thanksgiving celebrations from when mom and I were children. I struck out on that but found some from 1991 when we lived on Tower Road. Marquie, you were part of the family, but were still in the hospital for this holiday. Hope you enjoy the pictures and also that your holiday today is fill with the joy of creating your own family memories. Love Dad

got far wood?

howdy y'all!
we jist wan'ed ta post a lil' note frum our fareastern-suthen region. we-all-r tarred after our rousin' church meetins. we hope y'all're havin' a stupENDous day now. y'all don' even know how cold it is here. we got this huge house all over here, and our daddy won't let us heat it now. so we're freezin' our lil nuggies off. we got this here a nice lil far place, an' it's keepin' us some cozy warm and all, though here now in are office.
alrighty now, we luv y'all soooo much!
love,
mom n' marquie

*you might jist wanna read this outloud to yerself now y'all.* It's jus' much better that way. =D

Under 30

As I wrote the name of my blog because it made me laugh. . .  one of the running jokes in our house is that James says I'm still in my mid twenties.  While this is no longer true I am still under 30.  :)

But that is not what I wanted to blog.  Instead I was basking in the current low fuel prices.  I filled my tank (over 18 gallons) for under $30.  Yes, I have no small tank and had accepted the fact that every time I went to put fuel in I was going to be spending about $70.   Outrageous!  But $30 a fill-up I can handle.  The sad things is that I did all of my traveling for $70 a tank and now that it is much less I have nowhere to go because everyone is coming to visit me.  So, I hope you all enjoy the low prices and can't wait to see you here in Columbia, MO!

Cold In Virginia

We are really glad to have mom home and are even more grateful she was able to spend time with Heather. As parent of this incredible family we feel greatly blessed. We did however turn up the hear when mom came home. Marquie is happy for that and our house is a bit warmer. It is still cool here. About 30 degrees below normal for this time of year. We do want it to get back to normal.

Here are a couple of picture just to remind you of who we are for PHOTO FRIDAY, HINT, HINT!!!

Love Dad

it's....FRIDAY!!!!!

Well hello everyone!!!!!
First of all....
YAY HEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy you are doing so well. I love you SOOO much! (and thanks for letting mom come home...(she could've stayed, though)) :D

mmkay..
now...
it's FRIDAY!!! i forgot last week. my goodness. i'm so sorry. :( so here is today's!
this picture is cuz i thought it looked cold, and it's perty cold, so, i don't know. here it is. =D
and then this one is halloween...



















and this one is my beautimous guitar!

Heather Is Home

Heather is home. She is very tired and sleeping, but she is home. She was a little queasy when she got up to come home and has a bowl next to her bed, but it is still empty. She was so excited to come home and sleep in her own bed.

She made such great improvement over night. The change in medications did wonders for her!

I'm sure you'll hear and see more on her adventures soon.

I'm heading home tomorrow morning. I know this is really Heather's place, but I want you all to know how much I appreciate your fasting and prayers. It's instances like this that really help us see what you all have become and makes a Mom so proud!

Heather's comming HOME!

TODAY! THIS AFTERNOON!! PROBABLY BY 2:00!!!

Heather Update

Heather's surgery went fine. The kidney was worse than what the doctor originally thought. He expects her recovery to be exceptionally fast. Exciting!!! Feel free to call me this evening for more info @ 847-878-2546 -Joe Cell

I'm sorry this is so late but,

Happy Birthday, Justin!!!!!

Hope you had a great day!

中文...

中文. Chinese.  It is kicking my...

Today I am applying to take the HSK, a Chinese proficiency test similar in nature and purpose to the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).  I take it on 06 December.  I have already taken two proficiency tests with the Flagship program, one to apply, and an Oral Proficiency Interview via phone.  There are many yet to come.  It has no bearing on my ability to continue in the program, but each test is recorded in my permanent portfolio, a portfolio that I hope will someday assist me in persuading an employer to hire me.  The photograph is from my wedding, but I cropped it to put into my HSK application.  I can't figure out why they want two passport-size photos...I just want to take the test.  Today is the last day to apply.  Also, I wanted to post this picture because I look really good.  That is not the point, though.  The other day, whilst shopping in Wal-Mart, I was stopped by someone I did not recognize, but recognized me by relation to someone else.  "Are you James' brother?"  "You look just like him!"  James, that is for you.  

In My Father's Footsteps

The above saying has been in my mind for several days now. As I prepared for my trip to Dubai, I did some map searching and realized that Dubai is very close to Pakistan. As I traveled to Dubai and contemplated the events of 50 years ago I was filled with wonder and awe.

I have traveled throughout the world, a "Traveling Salesman" so to speak. My father traveled throughout the western United States as a "traveling scientist" and on one occasion 50 years ago traveled to far away Pakistan as a representative of the United States Government. He was gone for four weeks and it took him a great deal longer to get to and from than it took me. So, how do I related to walking in my father's footsteps? Well, here are the points --

1- I do travel or have traveled greatly for a living. In fact, at times I have done exactly what my father did in leaving on Sunday or Monday and returning on Friday. I remember running to give him a hug as he pulled into the yard and I have wonderful memories of my children giving me hugs on my return from trips.
2- I have extended on the travels of my father just as he did of his father. My dad took only one international trip in his life, that being Pakistan. I have gone throughout the world.
3- This week I was close to Pakistan and I felt close to my father. I thought of him many times and wondered what awe he must have felt those long years ago seeing things so foreign to his "sheltered" life in Utah and the western US and the awe that I have felt in the many places I have been that are so different from my sheltered youth in Utah.
4- The impact my father had on people throughout the world because of his journeys was truly great. Whether it was in his Church service or his profession or just being a friend. Then I wondered what kind of an influence I have had because of my travels and who I am.
5- Where will my children journey in their lives and what will be their influence on mankind, either through Church service or professional service?

Well, I feel blessed to have such footsteps to follow and do hope the footsteps I am leaving will be a benefit and blessing to our family for years to come.

The picture is from a customer event that United hosted at the Air and Space Museum. I thought it fitting for this message as I remember many times my father speaking in public. Marquie, thanks for being the photographer.

Women

I hear this quote this evening at Stake Conference and figured that it had to be shared immediately.

The Reverend Desmond Tutu from Africa was quoted as saying.....

Any woman who seeks to be equal with men...lacks ambition!

I laughed so very hard. Ha. Ha.

it's....FRIDAY!!!

and that means PICTURES!!! I didn't see anyone else's.... hmm...???
These are a few i took when the leaves were changin! :D

lil' more

it's quick. don' even worry!
I just wanted to add that there were 297 auditioners for district. yeppo. 3 perfects. me one of them. done now. :D

Prayer--My New Best Friend

I've decided that prayer is something I have taken for granted.  Recently I have decided to not let this great opportunity to go to waste and I have been greatly blessed in return.  After our trip to VA I realized that Jacob learned something very wrong.  He learned that he was supposed to go poopy in his panties, take them to the toilet, clean them out and flush the toilet.  James had some fun fishing for panties in the toilet and I had plenty of cleaning to do.  At the end of my rope I asked James what to do but he had no better answers except to pray about it.  I've always known that I can ask and get an answer but I don't always show the faith to do it.  But this time I decided to take the plunge.  I prayed and begged to know what to do and then listed.  I received a very strange answer--throw the panties away.  It was not what I was expecting but I just envisioned myself dramatically throwing away poopy panties into the garbage can.  So, I tried it and within a couple of days we saw great progress.  Between that and fruit snacks I think we're almost done toilet training.  

Since then prayer has become my new best friend.  Every night before bed I pray that Jacob will stay in bed through the night.  I forgot the other night and it was a nightmare.  Well, I don't think I'll be forgetting again . . . I haven't seen him in the night since.  Needless to say I will never give James a dirty look again when he tells me to pray about something.  :)

perfect score!!!

Yep! that's right! I got a perfect 200/200 score on my district chorus auditions yesterday!!! 3 people got perfects, and I was one of them!
Heather might've killed me if i didn't blog. She wanted me to do it yesterday, but i was waiting until i got my stuff back! :D
Also, today, Mr. Bowen, my choral teacher, gave me application/information for governor's school in virginia during the summer. apparently it's REALLy good, and they always send someone, but they've never gotten in. I don't really understand it, but I guess i'll figure it out. He told me to seriously consider and look over the information.
AAAANNNDD.
I got a part in the school play! woohoo!!! We are doing the Crucible, and I'm Susanna Walcott. Not exactly the part i wanted, but i'd say it's a perty gosh darn great part for not doing anything here before! wootwoot!
okay, well, that's all! love you!

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hello, Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, from Virginia!!! Goodbye.

Happy Hallowween

This is just awesome. Follow the simple instructions.

Spider Game

Saturday with Julia

Yep, that's right, I get to have Julia all to myself this Saturday morning.  Bryce and Michelle are at the temple and Justin is at work.  We've been chillin' as newly acquainted aunt and niece.  It's been fun, and we've been working out our differences as they come up :)

Love the hair Marquie!

I thought this was cool.

yay or nay?

HELLO EVERYONE!!!! I MISS YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH!!!!
These are pictures of a new do? What do you think?



Now: (Before)Later: (after)
hehe. i love you guys!
all of your pictures are so much fun!

There's a reason

I'm convinced that our slower than normal blog is a testament to lives of crazy, hectic joy!  Things here continue to be amazing, and we are every day grateful for our blessings and the wonder of the gospel and our family.

Let's update:

1. We enjoyed a nice trip to see Mom and Dad.  Liz spent a week and I headed for a long weekend at the end and drove back with them.  The trip itself was exhausting, and at times a little annoying as we wandered through DC, dealt with the new pooper, and generally ate more than anyone should.  Yummy.  The great part of the trip was seeing Mom, Dad and Marquie in the same house again and experiencing with them their new home, the area, and everything in their new life.  Marquie even got an afternoon off school so she could visit the caverns with us.  We also had a chance to catch up with Sarah and Andy Mueller, old friends of ours who joined us at the zoo.  For those that are not familiar, Sarah is Sarah Johnson Mueller (of the Rand and Orianna Johnsons—say it in a snooty voice, it's so fun!  Try it with your own name, and you'll smile.  Guaranteed.) and the saint that passed my mission address to Liz.  The Lord has a hand in all things.
2. Liz is the new Cub Scout Den Leader in our ward.  She loves it.  I hate it.  We have the meetings here, and she dominates my cooking space, while displacing dinner and expecting me to take care of the ever-restless two year old while cooking dinner around her.  I manage, and she has the time of her life with the boys.  They teach her a lot, and she them.  It's a good relationship!
3. School for me is absolutely taxing.  I'm in the throes of preparing my first concert, and there's a lot of hype surrounding it that I definitely did not create.  It makes me nervous, but I'm excited for it overall.  I think the success of the concert will have a heavy bearing on my employment for the next few years.  Perhaps I'm wrong, but that would be a rare occasion indeed.
4. We got approval for South Africa.  Now we're exploring the many possibilities for raising the money to get ourselves there.  It would be nice if we weren't on such a tight schedule, but we're working on a finite time frame, and that's how it is.  Any prayers you have to spare would be greatly appreciated.  I know, none of you have actual issues in your lives, so you can spread your faith thin on my professional dilemmas.
5. Photos?  You ask so much.  I'll try to come up with some.

Who else has an update?

Use is up, wear it out, make it do or do without

This phrase is one we have all heard many times but I have never really applied very well in my life.  So, I am turning over a new leaf.  Michael's shoes broke this week, so we glued them back together instead of running out and getting him new ones.  We'll see how it works!

Photo Phriday

It's a crisp fall day here in our part of the country. Dad is on his way to rainy, but warm Orlando, Florida. Marquie is expecting big things for her birthday this weekend. Notice, not just one day--the whole weekend. She even gets Monday off school! I googled the mall in Winchester (where the stake center is--about 20 miles). I'm thinking we'll pay it a visit tomorrow.

Anyway, here's a pretty fall picture Marquie took, of course. Hope to see lots more Photo's!

I'm with Heather! BLOG PEOPLE!!!!

Schedule

I think my picture sums it up for us all....

If you don't already know, my surgery is scheduled for November 18 at 9:30a.m. If all goes well, I should be home Friday. I can leave as soon as I can eat and survive on oral pain meds. The surgery takes about 3 hours and will be in Harvard. That is pretty much it. Love you all!

BLOG PEOPLE!!!

Relief!

The results are in... My left kidney is functioning at only 15%. The doctor seemed surprised by this. I however, am very relieved. I will be meeting with him this week to go over surgery stuff and schedule. I am planning to schedule the surgery the second week of November. Thanks to all for your prayers. Feel free to call with any questions.

My Gospel Study

Today, I began my study prep for teaching my young women class next Sunday (that's because last week it got to be Saturday before I even remembered I teach the young women on Sunday). Our lesson is on preparing for change. So, in my scripture study this afternoon I looked up the words "change" and "prepare" in the Triple Index. I came up with some interesting insights I would like to share with you.

First of all, "change". Mortality is all about change: change of heart, changed from a fallen state, changed from mortal to immortal. Also, God cannot change: "I change not", if God changed he would cease to be God. I thought it interesting that in order to reach the state of Godhood, our lives must involve change, but once we get there, we can change no more. I tried to recall if there has ever been change in my life that has not resulted in growth and development. I really couldn't recall anytime change has not greatly blessed my life, even if that change was difficult.

Now, "prepare". I noticed, as I read through the index on this one, that most of it involves God preparing a way: He prepares lands, gives commandments and prepares a way, prepares the atonement, prepares men's minds and hearts, and prepares the way for all men. Prophets and leaders also prepare: the way for the Lord. The Elders prepare the saints for judgment. Even angels get involved by crying prepare ye, prepare ye!

The few things that involve us preparing are: we must be stripped of our pride, labor diligently, bear afflictions that humble us and prepare us to hear the word. We must prepare our minds for the morrow, stand with our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel, gird up our loins, not fear (if we are prepared), accomplish the things which the Lord has commanded (which He of course, prepares the way for), bind up our testimony, pay our tithing and receive and obey instruction.

Thus we see that "this life became probationary state, a preparatory state, time to prepare to meet God."

The most profound thing, to me, as I studied, however, was to realize that the biggest part of preparation and change comes from the Lord. Change is mandatory for our exaltation and the Lord is there all the time preparing the way for us that we might accomplish that change.

Give the index a shot. See what you come up with!

Belated photo friday

I had the opportunity to visit a lighting seminar at Cantingy Park in Wheaton, IL. Pronounced CAN-TEE-NEE. Cantingy is a city in France of great importance during World War II. This park had the most amazing war museum that I have ever seen. This had walk through, life sized dioramas of various locations and battles of the multiple wars of this country. They also have a tank parade containing about 50 old tanks. I would recommend this to visit should any of you come out to visit. Here are some of the pictures I took. The darker ones aren't that great. You just have to be there.