And the Beat Goes On

 Monday I got in a good day’s work.  I completed my 401k auto responders package and sent it off.  I also got the documentation for my checkbook IRA and spend dizzying hours reading all the legal print. Argh Matie!  It’s enough to send you over the brink!

Our favorite property manager in St. Louis has left for greener pastures.  Clay was a really good guy.  He went out of his way to help both the tenants and the landlords.  We will seriously miss him.  We had already decided to put one property up for sale. It was in a “transitional” neighborhood when we bought it, but things shifted… unfortunately for us… the wrong way.  Now we’re thinking we may just sell them both.  I love the architecture of the area, but not the upkeep.

The lovely weather has pulled us outside. I’m trying to be a better gardener than in the past.  I’ve weeded and watered.  I’ve sprayed the roses suffering from black spot and fed them. I should have started the spraying schedule weeks earlier… but.  Tom tackled the fire blight on our young pear tree and he’s been faithfully watering all the new trees.  I need to deal with the caterpillars on the grape leaves and nip in the bud the crawlers on the broccoli.  The warmer weather has induced many of our plants to grow.  I’ve been able to pluck lettuce, spinach, onions, and we feasted on asparagus earlier in the year.  The peach and pear trees have a few infant fruits and the grapes and blackberries are festooned with blooms and new berries.

Thursday I went in the van to the St. Louis temple.  It was a great trip.  I will miss that temple as we transition to the Kansas City temple. It’s always fun to ride with others and chat on the way up and back. And the sessions were peaceful.  I’ve decided I need to do a better job of arranging to take my own family names.  There is a sweet spirit when you do that.

While I have more copywriting work coming, I decided it was time for me to venture out. I’ve been learning about joint ventures or affiliate marketing.  So I approached two people.  One to add value to my TeenStyleU website and another to promote Thieves as mold remediation for my Young Living business.  I had contacted the Thieves people last year with no response.  This time, I decided to write the letter like sales copy—what are the benefits to them.  I got a response within a day!  It was guarded, but a starting point.  I think we will be able to work together.  It was empowering to have both respond and both seeing the value to them of working with me.  I LIKE this stuff!

I have been working on Seminary graduation.  I have to plan speakers, music, walking in, refreshments, and printed programs.  Eeek.  This has never been my strong point.  Today one of the speakers canceled with the excuse he’s moving to Arizona before graduation. Hmm. I guess it’s valid.  As I was thinking this morning, I know the church is true.  A lot of things can go wrong and get messed up and everything still works out okay.  I hope I can avoid the messing up part… and get the “working out okay” part.

Kathy and Steve came to visit for the weekend!  We are so delighted to see them.  It’s just nice to be able to relax and visit.  I did inherit a nice family.

Our youth have been working for months learning dances for the Cultural Celebration to take place Saturday night before the Sunday dedication of the Kansas City Temple.  It’s involved a lot of work and a tremendous amount of coordination!  Tom has been close to much of it.  Toward the end, the kids and leaders were all tired.  They went up Friday night for a fireside and spent all day Saturday rehearsing before the evening performance. We went to the ward building to see the Cultural Celebration.  Wow!  A grand production.  You could tell a lot of work had gone into the theme, the dances, and the singing and musical performances.  Getting 3000 youth together in one arena is amazing.  I loved the prophet’s blessing on them.  I enjoyed the toe-tapping music.

Today was the temple dedication.  What a spiritual event.  It was a reminder of the full circle of the church in this area—from being driven out, to being welcomed back.  Both the Kansas and Missouri governors toured the temple and presented declarations of commendation to the church for the lovely temple.  I’m grateful we were able to attend—even from a distance.

And that’s our week and I’m sticking to it.