The other day I realized that Joy is our gift to God. When we feel joy, we give God joy, too. The scriptures say that Jesus feels all our sorrows and our pains. He knows what we go through so he can be the best judge possible, and also he took all our pains and sorrows and afflictions on us through the atonement. So, if we choose misery, crankiness, unhappiness-- Jesus takes those sorrows on himself. Then, if we choose to feel joy, we DON'T give him the sorrow. We lighten his burden.
Also, I think, Gratitude is a gift to God. How much happiness do we feel when others appreciate us? Are we not made in Heavenly Father's image? I expect he feels joy with our gratitude, too. And, of course, we are commanded to be thankful in all things. I used to feel it was to help us remember our dependence on God, and I'm sure that's true. But I like to feel that my Thanks helps to make God a little happier, too.
We've been told that all things belong to God. They are His gift to us. And I appreciate that. The only thing we have that is truly ours, is our WILL. I always thought that meant that when we give our will to God, we are choosing to be obedient. We are choosing to want the things God wants for us. I've decided Joy and Gratitude are sub-heading of "our will." God does want us to be Grateful and to have Joy. I just never thought of it this way before. And I thought I'd share.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Windy Week-
We have had such odd weather. The beginning part of the week was nippy and chilly! It felt like winter and we bundled up. We even had to cover the tomatoes and beans as Wednesday it was to get down close to freezing. Didn't. Fortunately I was lazy and didn't uncover the plants because Thursday night-- that was supposed to be 35-- ended up with frost on the ground. The few uncovered tomato and bean leaves shriveled in the chill. It started warming Friday with the highest temperatures at about 8pm... and continued warming today. It's sunny, breezy and delightful out today-- like a lovely summer day. I'm enjoying it, though! I had to warm in front of a fire for a few nights.
What have we done this week? I have no idea. Monday night we had the "empty nesters" Family Home Evening at our house. We have a possibility of 15-16 couples... too many to fit comfortably in our house. Fortunately we had 9 couples come and it was nice. I spent all day cleaning and fixing refreshments. I made the cheesecake I love from She Cooks By Ear cookbook. It serves like 16 or so, so I can't make it just for us. We'd be Blimps. We have one sister who's allergic to sugar so I tried to come up with some things she could eat-- apple slices, grapes, cheese cubes, as well as veggies. Did you know there's sugar in onion soup mix? And I couldn't find an un-sugared recipe on line. We also had crackers, Harry and David dip... and of course, chocolate brownies. (Tom is famous for his Chocolate Tooth.)
Tom seldom sits still. He's been doing odd jobs with the rentals this week. We have one house that just seems to invite being a jungle. You hack it back and it soon charges forth with new growth. So this was the week for the hacking. The electrician got the upgraded service to the new Main St. house and power should come back on Monday so next week the heat and Air will go in there and the contractor will start some things. We've been going back and forth with Sue and Steve and Fannie Mae about this little Church St. house. We came to an agreement only $500 more than our low offer. As Susie says, "You could buy this house with a credit card!" We had a 2.5 inches of rain the first part of the week and went to check the water stains on the ceiling there. Still dry! Good news! That means the problems have been fixed. We checked over the house again. I'm very pleased. It's a snug little thing.
Thursday was a Rich Day seminar that I viewed online. I like listening to him as I learn things and it motivates me to move forward. I don't agree with everything he says, and I suppose time will tell which of us is right. I continue to work on my copywriting. I'm about through my first course and will begin working on the second. I just have to finish my last homework project. Here's the hard thing. As I learn something new, I get excited and say, Hey! I can do that. Here are ideas that could work! And then I learn another aspect of copywriting and I go off thinking about that tangent. Sometimes it means I need to learn more before I can move forward. Sometimes I just need to take the time to do it. And, I think I need to get started, even if it's not perfect... it's started.
We had a new family move into the ward-- a mom and two teenagers. They seem very nice. We had them over for dinner Friday night. They moved here in an RV and are living in it while they look for a house to buy. However, they don't have laundry facilities and the shower is lacking. So they showered and did laundry while they were here, too. The mom has a couple of patents and so we saw her website. Adam, you'd appreciate this. It's a root extractor-- if a root of a tooth breaks off during an extraction, typically they have to take a pick down the side and try to leverage it out. The pressure on the jaw can damage the nerves or the bone. This device screws into the root like a screwdriver in a cork and just pops it out. It saves dentists hours of struggling with it, and the patient lots of pain. I was impressed.
We have a ward member who bought an old house to remodel. The more they got into it-- the worse it was! I can't believe it. By the time he's done, everything will be replaced-- floor joists, floors, inside walls, second floor walls, joists, floors, entire new roof including rafters and trusses. We stopped by on our way to Stake conference. It was bare from the top of the first floor on up. Tom went over on Saturday to help put up the second floor joists and flooring. Next comes walls and trusses. Mostly it's just these two good ol' boys working on the house. The are both named David, so Tom calls them "Dave squared."
Saturday was an outreach into the community. The Ward planned a Thanksgiving dinner and invited the widows, the poor, and those in our three homeless shelters. This is the first year the dinner has not been for ward members (except those above). I drove two widows there and they enjoyed a great meal. There were enough leftovers, most of the church "help" got to eat, too.
Today is fast Sunday. Right now it seems to be going pretty slow. Church was good and my primary class went well. Some of them give the sweetest prayers!
I'm looking out the window at our green pasture splashed with sunlight and the russet leaves shimmering in the wind and am glad to be here.
What have we done this week? I have no idea. Monday night we had the "empty nesters" Family Home Evening at our house. We have a possibility of 15-16 couples... too many to fit comfortably in our house. Fortunately we had 9 couples come and it was nice. I spent all day cleaning and fixing refreshments. I made the cheesecake I love from She Cooks By Ear cookbook. It serves like 16 or so, so I can't make it just for us. We'd be Blimps. We have one sister who's allergic to sugar so I tried to come up with some things she could eat-- apple slices, grapes, cheese cubes, as well as veggies. Did you know there's sugar in onion soup mix? And I couldn't find an un-sugared recipe on line. We also had crackers, Harry and David dip... and of course, chocolate brownies. (Tom is famous for his Chocolate Tooth.)
Tom seldom sits still. He's been doing odd jobs with the rentals this week. We have one house that just seems to invite being a jungle. You hack it back and it soon charges forth with new growth. So this was the week for the hacking. The electrician got the upgraded service to the new Main St. house and power should come back on Monday so next week the heat and Air will go in there and the contractor will start some things. We've been going back and forth with Sue and Steve and Fannie Mae about this little Church St. house. We came to an agreement only $500 more than our low offer. As Susie says, "You could buy this house with a credit card!" We had a 2.5 inches of rain the first part of the week and went to check the water stains on the ceiling there. Still dry! Good news! That means the problems have been fixed. We checked over the house again. I'm very pleased. It's a snug little thing.
Thursday was a Rich Day seminar that I viewed online. I like listening to him as I learn things and it motivates me to move forward. I don't agree with everything he says, and I suppose time will tell which of us is right. I continue to work on my copywriting. I'm about through my first course and will begin working on the second. I just have to finish my last homework project. Here's the hard thing. As I learn something new, I get excited and say, Hey! I can do that. Here are ideas that could work! And then I learn another aspect of copywriting and I go off thinking about that tangent. Sometimes it means I need to learn more before I can move forward. Sometimes I just need to take the time to do it. And, I think I need to get started, even if it's not perfect... it's started.
We had a new family move into the ward-- a mom and two teenagers. They seem very nice. We had them over for dinner Friday night. They moved here in an RV and are living in it while they look for a house to buy. However, they don't have laundry facilities and the shower is lacking. So they showered and did laundry while they were here, too. The mom has a couple of patents and so we saw her website. Adam, you'd appreciate this. It's a root extractor-- if a root of a tooth breaks off during an extraction, typically they have to take a pick down the side and try to leverage it out. The pressure on the jaw can damage the nerves or the bone. This device screws into the root like a screwdriver in a cork and just pops it out. It saves dentists hours of struggling with it, and the patient lots of pain. I was impressed.
We have a ward member who bought an old house to remodel. The more they got into it-- the worse it was! I can't believe it. By the time he's done, everything will be replaced-- floor joists, floors, inside walls, second floor walls, joists, floors, entire new roof including rafters and trusses. We stopped by on our way to Stake conference. It was bare from the top of the first floor on up. Tom went over on Saturday to help put up the second floor joists and flooring. Next comes walls and trusses. Mostly it's just these two good ol' boys working on the house. The are both named David, so Tom calls them "Dave squared."
Saturday was an outreach into the community. The Ward planned a Thanksgiving dinner and invited the widows, the poor, and those in our three homeless shelters. This is the first year the dinner has not been for ward members (except those above). I drove two widows there and they enjoyed a great meal. There were enough leftovers, most of the church "help" got to eat, too.
Today is fast Sunday. Right now it seems to be going pretty slow. Church was good and my primary class went well. Some of them give the sweetest prayers!
I'm looking out the window at our green pasture splashed with sunlight and the russet leaves shimmering in the wind and am glad to be here.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
A Temple Wedding
Here’s a bit of background.
Tom and I have worked with some twins in our ward for about 14 years—as seminary
teachers, Young Women leaders, institute teachers, etc. They had oxygen deprivation at birth and so
their social skills were lacking and the family seemed to have an unusual way
of functioning. However, through the years we saw growth and maturity. One twin went away for a few years, had
friends who guided her and helped her learn social skills,and she found someone
to love. They prepared to go to the
temple.
The other twin and best friend had wanted to go to the
temple. Now they had a goal. They wanted to be qualified to go to the
temple sealing. So a few weeks ago, they
went to the temple and took out their own endowments. On Monday Tom and I drove to Miranda and Dan’s. Tuesday we went to the Oklahoma City Temple
for a session and a lovely wedding!
Wednesday we returned home.
Thursday we also closed on Tom’s house on Main Street. It’s the one that needs a lot of work. The day before, we learned our contractor had
fallen and cracked some ribs. So the
rehab will likely be pushed back a bit.
I guess that makes it less painful that our electrician, who was
supposed to begin on Thursday called to say we needed to changed the electric
into our name before they’d disconnect at the power pole (to upgrade the
service.) Of course, since it’s Entergy,
it takes 3 days to disconnect, and another 3 days to reconnect. So essentially, there’s a week to recuperate
built in. But I’m thinking…. Duh…. Didn’t
you know that, electrician? Ah well.
Funny thing, Sue and Steve and I are also offering on a
little two bedroom one bath. It had been
on the market a little bit. We
coordinated back and forth for a bit, and we finally put in the offer on
Friday. As our realtor was handing over
a lowball offer, the selling agent said, “I think they just lowered the price.” They had!!
To just about our offering price.
WOW! But of course, we had to
then lower OUR offer. Isn’t it Aunt Ruth’s
mantra, “Never Pay Full Price!”? So I
actually think we might GET this house!
So then I had to transfer funds to my Roth IRA and figure out how I
could come up with the earnest money they wanted as soon as they asked for
it.
And with my new calling as Stake Seminary Supervisor, I was
supposed to collect figures for the month of October by the 3rd of
November. So that meant emails and phone
calls… and more phone calls. And we
were having an in-service meeting on Saturday afternoon just before Stake
Conference. I needed to make some refreshments
for that—although thankfully, I didn’t have to do the lesson. I made a new recipe of pumpkin muffins with
raisins and nuts that was delicious, and Tom made the great chocolate chip
muffins. I had also been asked to speak at the Saturday evening session of
Stake Conference on serving a mission and encouraging others to serve a
mission. The problem was it could ONLY
be 10 minutes long! I would write and
prune… and prune some more and reshape and revise. It took much longer than I thought.
Saturday morning I spend a lot of time finishing the report
and working on my talk, and a little bit of time packing—as we were spending
the night in Springfield. Then we went
to the Ring Ceremony/reception of the new bride and groom. This was important as Tom was officiating at
the ring ceremony. It was
unconventional and absolutely lovely! The bride and groom both spoke of the
romance, the love they felt for each other and the joy of wedding in the
temple. The best man and maid of honor
both spoke of the strengths of the bride and groom. I think all of us in the room were in tears
by the end. Our hearts pray for many
years of happiness for them both.
We had time to grab a plate of reception food before driving
to Springfield. The scenery was
splendid! The fall colors were out in
their vibrant reds, oranges, russets, and browns. The sun reflected off the hillsides and
forests in spectacular color. It was a blustery day and leaves skittered across
the roads. That evening was daylight
savings turn back. Now it gets dark so
early, it seems like winter is here!
Tom and I both had meetings at 4pm. Then his went until nearly 7pm—when the
evening session of Stake Conference began.
It was mostly about missionary work.
I ended up eliminating more of my talk for time’s sake… but it seemed to
be well received. I hope it does help
people to decide to go on a mission. It’s
such a great experience!
We spent the night with the Petersen’s. He was our former stake president and they
are warm, generous people. They had two
sons and their families over after conference and we sat around a wood burning
stove for the next couple hours—mostly talking about gospel topics. Today—Sunday—we had another good session of
conference with the Temple President and matron addressing us and many of the
speakers talking about the blessings of the temple. It’s always fun to look around and see
familiar faces.
I’m just really bad with names. I decided to take pictures of my Seminary
teachers so I can attach a face to a name.
We had an uneventful drive home.
Now I’m writing this and Tom is out visiting people. We hope you all have a great week.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Home
Monday night Cynthia and Jim came to dinner. It's always so nice to visit with them. They had plans for the rest of the week, so that was the last day I saw them.
I had such a nice visit with Mom, I hated to come home. She spoiled me and pampered me and I loved it! Tuesday we went to lunch at a very nice new restaurant... and only got turned around once (poor directions on their part.) But we made it and enjoyed some great Italian food.
We watched the nightly news. We talked. We took walks in the mornings. Sometimes we just worked parallel things. I worked on my copywriting course. I certainly know a lot more than I did a few months ago. And, I'm good at this stuff! Mom painted-- here you see the flamingo she's working on. She's good, too!
Mom drove me to the plane on Thursday about noon. I had uneventful flights and go a lot of reading done. Tom picked me up in St. Louis at 10:30 pm. Late for him as he'd had a busy week and had to drive the 4.5 hours that day. But not so late for me since it was only 8:30 California time. Tom sanded the hardwood floors in Deborah's house, finished the painting and the trim work, and it looks lovely. We drove out to see it together on Saturday.
We spent Thursday night in St. Louis and joined our ward family at the temple on Friday. I went from balmy to blustery, but it was good to see fall. The leaves were spectacular! It was great to be in the temple with so many friends. I think there were about 57 members of our ward there--- plus one deacon who helped out tremendously in the baptistery. We returned home just about dark and our chickens were fine and all was well.
Saturday I settled in a bit and Tom along with other priesthood brothers helped an elderly sister move. While we heard the "Trunk or Treat" night at the church was a rousing success, we opted for a quiet night at home.
Today was church. I really enjoy the little ones in primary. They are so cute! And sometimes.... sometimes they listen, and learn, and absorb truths! It's delightful to see their minds at work! Tom took in the computer and used the last hour to show how to access all the information on lds.org-- the ward calender, changing your personal information or uploading your picture, the ward list of members. Finding a church near you. the scriptures and scripture notebook, the general conference talks and Ensign, New Era, and Friend magazines, church music, ldsyouth.org with videos just for them and a place to sign in and personalize their Duty to God or Young Women Personal Progress programs. Until we were researching on Saturday, I didn't know you could find the other ward members on a map and get directions to their house. I didn't know you could keep a scripture journal and transfer to it scriptures, parts of talks or articles, and also make notes. There are so many ways it assists one. I had a substitute for my primary class last week, and so didn't have my manual. I just downloaded the lesson from the lds.org.
And now we head into another busy week. Will it slow down to normal? Note likely. This IS the new normal!
I had such a nice visit with Mom, I hated to come home. She spoiled me and pampered me and I loved it! Tuesday we went to lunch at a very nice new restaurant... and only got turned around once (poor directions on their part.) But we made it and enjoyed some great Italian food.
We watched the nightly news. We talked. We took walks in the mornings. Sometimes we just worked parallel things. I worked on my copywriting course. I certainly know a lot more than I did a few months ago. And, I'm good at this stuff! Mom painted-- here you see the flamingo she's working on. She's good, too!
Mom drove me to the plane on Thursday about noon. I had uneventful flights and go a lot of reading done. Tom picked me up in St. Louis at 10:30 pm. Late for him as he'd had a busy week and had to drive the 4.5 hours that day. But not so late for me since it was only 8:30 California time. Tom sanded the hardwood floors in Deborah's house, finished the painting and the trim work, and it looks lovely. We drove out to see it together on Saturday.
Saturday I settled in a bit and Tom along with other priesthood brothers helped an elderly sister move. While we heard the "Trunk or Treat" night at the church was a rousing success, we opted for a quiet night at home.
Today was church. I really enjoy the little ones in primary. They are so cute! And sometimes.... sometimes they listen, and learn, and absorb truths! It's delightful to see their minds at work! Tom took in the computer and used the last hour to show how to access all the information on lds.org-- the ward calender, changing your personal information or uploading your picture, the ward list of members. Finding a church near you. the scriptures and scripture notebook, the general conference talks and Ensign, New Era, and Friend magazines, church music, ldsyouth.org with videos just for them and a place to sign in and personalize their Duty to God or Young Women Personal Progress programs. Until we were researching on Saturday, I didn't know you could find the other ward members on a map and get directions to their house. I didn't know you could keep a scripture journal and transfer to it scriptures, parts of talks or articles, and also make notes. There are so many ways it assists one. I had a substitute for my primary class last week, and so didn't have my manual. I just downloaded the lesson from the lds.org.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday!
I've been having a great time with Mom. Friday Mom had a balance class. She went to her class and I walked up the hill from Polly's to gate 10 and back. Good exercise. We looked at a few shops. I visited Salvation Army. Mom got a lovely fall table cloth and napkins to decorate her dining room for Thanksgiving. We came home to a late lunch and had Olive Garden leftovers for dinner.
Saturday Mom and I took a walk in the morning. The trees here are so lovely. I am in awe at the variety of tree bark. We have eucalyptus trees with a molting beige bark and some that peal layer upon layer of bark so it almost looks as if the tree will shed its entire skin. We have black craggy bark of pine trees and gray fissioned bark of some kind of weepy tree with seed nodes along each small branch. There is something to be said for the eternal summer here. Agapanthis and lantana spread their colors. Roses bloom red and yellow. We pass a thicket where enthusiastic seeds of pines and some small leafed trees have been allowed to flourish. If not checked the whole hillside will become forest. The mornings bring fog. I've been waking up early--5:30-6 and so have a chance to see daylight ease through the thick gray mass that drapes over and hides the hills, the houses and the fence line that's mere feet from the house. Gradually the dark lightens to brighter gray, and about mid-morning the sun breaks through and shreds the last wisps of fog.
Saturday Mom spent time painting. I spent time cleaning up my inbox on the computer and organizing files. It's been leisurely and delightful. In the evening we went to Cynthia and Jim's for dinner. My sister and husband, Sally and Steve, joined us and my cousin, Sherrill and Aunt Ruth also came. We had lively conversations. We even amiably covered politics and religion-- quite a feat since we have many divergent views. We had a chance to catch up on how others were spending time, jobs, and children. It is awesome to have good family!
I did plan to take pictures of family... and even tree bark... so the blogs would not be so visually boring. But #1. I forgot to take pictures. #2. I forgot to bring the cord to transfer pictures from camera to computer. Sorry.
Today we picked up a friend of Mom's and went to her Bible study. Had a good discussion of John 15. Had a chance to visit with Cynthia and Jim and then had service from 11-12. As always, the music is delightful. A children's choir sang and I was reminded of when we lived in San Diego-- I was likely between 4 and 7. I think all of us kids sang in the children's choir. We had choir robes. Oh, I was so proud to wear that robe and sing with a big group in front of the church. Although I think I was glad to be one of many. I think that was when I first began singing.
After church we had lunch with Cynthia and Jim. Then came home and rested. Hope your Sabbath was delightful, too.
Saturday Mom and I took a walk in the morning. The trees here are so lovely. I am in awe at the variety of tree bark. We have eucalyptus trees with a molting beige bark and some that peal layer upon layer of bark so it almost looks as if the tree will shed its entire skin. We have black craggy bark of pine trees and gray fissioned bark of some kind of weepy tree with seed nodes along each small branch. There is something to be said for the eternal summer here. Agapanthis and lantana spread their colors. Roses bloom red and yellow. We pass a thicket where enthusiastic seeds of pines and some small leafed trees have been allowed to flourish. If not checked the whole hillside will become forest. The mornings bring fog. I've been waking up early--5:30-6 and so have a chance to see daylight ease through the thick gray mass that drapes over and hides the hills, the houses and the fence line that's mere feet from the house. Gradually the dark lightens to brighter gray, and about mid-morning the sun breaks through and shreds the last wisps of fog.
Saturday Mom spent time painting. I spent time cleaning up my inbox on the computer and organizing files. It's been leisurely and delightful. In the evening we went to Cynthia and Jim's for dinner. My sister and husband, Sally and Steve, joined us and my cousin, Sherrill and Aunt Ruth also came. We had lively conversations. We even amiably covered politics and religion-- quite a feat since we have many divergent views. We had a chance to catch up on how others were spending time, jobs, and children. It is awesome to have good family!
I did plan to take pictures of family... and even tree bark... so the blogs would not be so visually boring. But #1. I forgot to take pictures. #2. I forgot to bring the cord to transfer pictures from camera to computer. Sorry.
Today we picked up a friend of Mom's and went to her Bible study. Had a good discussion of John 15. Had a chance to visit with Cynthia and Jim and then had service from 11-12. As always, the music is delightful. A children's choir sang and I was reminded of when we lived in San Diego-- I was likely between 4 and 7. I think all of us kids sang in the children's choir. We had choir robes. Oh, I was so proud to wear that robe and sing with a big group in front of the church. Although I think I was glad to be one of many. I think that was when I first began singing.
After church we had lunch with Cynthia and Jim. Then came home and rested. Hope your Sabbath was delightful, too.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Visiting Mom
Monday November 17 Tom and I drove to St. Louis. We visited our property manager there and looked at possible places to purchase houses. I love the houses in St. Louis! It was cold and rainy-- the kind of day to snuggle inside... and we finally went to a hotel and did so.
I wanted to print off my boarding pass, but didn't have a computer. So we went looking for a Kinkos... but didn't find it. At last we found a UPS store, just minutes before it closed. The nice manager let me print off my pass at his computer. Kudos for UPS! He didn't even charge me.
Tuesday morning we went to the temple. It's always great to go there! Then Tom took me to the airport and he headed back home. I had an uneventful flight to Orange County and Cynthia and Jim picked me up. Mom and I have had a great time visiting. She's doing well.
Wednesday we went to her Presbyterian Women's luncheon. She had a meeting ahead of that, so I took material to read and ended up chatting with a Messianic Jew who is joining their congregation. It was a Hat Day, so many of the women wore hats. One was from Thailand and quite intricate. Another was worn by a 104 year old Scottish woman, complete with crown. She'd made it for the Daughters of the British Empire gathering to celebrate the royal wedding. While the food was delicious, the most exciting event of the meeting was that Mom was awarded Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women! They said wonderfully nice things about her.... all of it true!
Thursday I drove with Cynthia up to Downtown LA. We left at 6:30 (ugh!) but we had an enjoyable time chatting all the way up and back! And we didn't miss turns or exits... came close...but made them. We had a little breakfast and then Cynthia parked me at the Biltmore Hotel lobby-- a gorgeous place-- while she went into the Jewelry district to work on her case. I spent time working on my copywriting and information marketing courses. Lots of good stuff there. My head is overflowing with ideas! Now to implement them.
About lunch time, we headed to Sally's and met her for lunch. Ate at a little Mexican place. I know it was authentic because almost everything was in Spanish! And the food was delicious. Of course the conversation was the most satisfying. Then we went to visit Cousin Walt. He is not happy in the Rehab Center. He hurts. He can't do the rehab. People don't take care of him properly. It's a difficult place for him right now. But it was fun to see him perk up when we got talking about copywriting and he recalled the fun he'd had writing about the moon landing and revising a book for some doctors. I think the love of learning and sharing what one learns must come through the genes.
That night Mom and I went to Olive Garden with Pat. Pat's health is not so good, but she was happy we dragged her out of her house and to dinner.... well, we encouraged her. She did her own shuffling.
The weather has been cooler here. I expected a little warmer. It IS warmer mid-day... but the rest of the time, I'm grateful for long sleeves and sometimes a jacket. I don't think the capris I brought will see the light of day. It's nice to be here with Mom.
I wanted to print off my boarding pass, but didn't have a computer. So we went looking for a Kinkos... but didn't find it. At last we found a UPS store, just minutes before it closed. The nice manager let me print off my pass at his computer. Kudos for UPS! He didn't even charge me.
Tuesday morning we went to the temple. It's always great to go there! Then Tom took me to the airport and he headed back home. I had an uneventful flight to Orange County and Cynthia and Jim picked me up. Mom and I have had a great time visiting. She's doing well.
Wednesday we went to her Presbyterian Women's luncheon. She had a meeting ahead of that, so I took material to read and ended up chatting with a Messianic Jew who is joining their congregation. It was a Hat Day, so many of the women wore hats. One was from Thailand and quite intricate. Another was worn by a 104 year old Scottish woman, complete with crown. She'd made it for the Daughters of the British Empire gathering to celebrate the royal wedding. While the food was delicious, the most exciting event of the meeting was that Mom was awarded Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women! They said wonderfully nice things about her.... all of it true!
Thursday I drove with Cynthia up to Downtown LA. We left at 6:30 (ugh!) but we had an enjoyable time chatting all the way up and back! And we didn't miss turns or exits... came close...but made them. We had a little breakfast and then Cynthia parked me at the Biltmore Hotel lobby-- a gorgeous place-- while she went into the Jewelry district to work on her case. I spent time working on my copywriting and information marketing courses. Lots of good stuff there. My head is overflowing with ideas! Now to implement them.
About lunch time, we headed to Sally's and met her for lunch. Ate at a little Mexican place. I know it was authentic because almost everything was in Spanish! And the food was delicious. Of course the conversation was the most satisfying. Then we went to visit Cousin Walt. He is not happy in the Rehab Center. He hurts. He can't do the rehab. People don't take care of him properly. It's a difficult place for him right now. But it was fun to see him perk up when we got talking about copywriting and he recalled the fun he'd had writing about the moon landing and revising a book for some doctors. I think the love of learning and sharing what one learns must come through the genes.
That night Mom and I went to Olive Garden with Pat. Pat's health is not so good, but she was happy we dragged her out of her house and to dinner.... well, we encouraged her. She did her own shuffling.
The weather has been cooler here. I expected a little warmer. It IS warmer mid-day... but the rest of the time, I'm grateful for long sleeves and sometimes a jacket. I don't think the capris I brought will see the light of day. It's nice to be here with Mom.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Still Alive
I'm so sorry I've been slothful about blogging. It is true that our life is much less exciting now. However, if you miss African excitement, I suggest you read some of the missionary blogs that are linked below. It always makes me nostalgic to read them.
We came back from the Young Living convention with lots of ideas.. and then promptly got caught up in all the stuff to do here. Rebecca's and Deborah's houses became empty and there was "deferred maintenance" to be done on them. Tom is disgusted at how they treated the carpets. They needed to be changed out in both houses. A new carpet guy in town has some carpet guaranteed not to stain. We're going to try that. But in Deborah's house, there's hardwood floor, so Tom will refinish that next week. There was also painting, new screens, drywall to fix, yards to clean up and other stuff. The good news is the the property management called to say, "Are you done with Rebecca's house?.." "Well, er, mostly... okay, yes." "Good! Someone wants to move in tomorrow." Tom hopes to be done with Deborah's house by the end of next week.
A few things have slowed down the repairs. On Saturday October 1 we went to Branson. Tom had wanted to do some clothes shopping since he left many of his clothes back in Kenya. Saturday and Sunday we watched General Conference, but there was still plenty of time to shop on Monday and Tuesday. We rejected an "Owner update" (read sales pitch). Tom said, why flagellate myself? But we agreed to a 15 minute survey-(read 45 minute mini sales pitch) at the timeshare. We'd actually decided we like the points idea, but we don't like the big maintenance fees. So we went to the office where we purchased our re-sale time share, and traded our Diamond Resort floating week for points at Whyndham. It's not a lot of points, but I hope it will be enough to do as we want. We do enjoy being pampered at the time shares.
General Conference was fantastic! I loved listening to the talks. Here are a few of the insights I got.
* Consistently read the Book of Mormon for an added measure of the spirit.
* Scriptures can help with both physical and spiritual healing.
* Seek for wisdom, not power, and you will have all the power you are wise enough to use.
* If you listen to and follow the Holy Ghost you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary. You will be remarkably blessed!
* The Lord uses a scale different from the wold to weigh the worth of souls.
* We need to use time wisely. The Lord will want an accounting. Use your time to match your goals-- master time. Poor use of time is close cousin to idleness.
I need to continue reviewing my notes for more things I need to remember.
I have been working pretty diligently on my copywriting course. It's really like a college course and I'm learning a lot. I'm trying to stay focused, but there are SO MANY applications! I'm learning about web sites and blogs and how to monetize them and how to help clients find and keep customers using them and other social media. I'm learning persuasive writing and some of the steps to turning features into benefits and writing headlines that are useful, unique, urgent, and ultra-specific. I'm learning that people decide things on an emotional level and then use reason to rationalize the decision. They are very clear about not taking on a client if you don't believe in their business. You need to be real and honest.
I went to visit a boutique shop. I'd sat next to the woman who owned it at the web seminar I went to. I knew she wanted to go on the web, but was overwhelmed and afraid to do so. So I visited her and presented the idea for a blog that promoted products from her boutique. I think I will end up doing that for her. But that also means setting up a domain name for her and a hosting site and importing WordPress and learning to run it..and...and.... And so I have been reading up a lot on that, too. I need to for the web sites I'd like to run as well. I also am focusing on the infomercial side as they have a great need for copywriting. I could have applied for a freelance blogging job taking a dog and going to dog friendly places around the country and writing about it. Sounded fun... but I guess I shouldn't leave my husband for a dog for 3 months.
And I went to look at a cheap little house that could be fixed up and be profitable. I wanted to buy it, but didn't have enough money in my IRA. So I tried to get a loan, but no bank wants to loan just a little amount and it has to be a "non-recourse" loan. So I'm looking now for someone who wants to buy half a house for under $20,000. Should return 8-10%. Of course, it's likely they'd reject my low offer anyway. But I never say die until the last stone is turned over.
Our chickens are laying enough eggs to feed us. Our garden finally is producing tomatoes and lettuce. And the beans and peas are flowering. I think the beets are growing too, but those are harder to see. We've had lows of 45-55 and highs mostly in the 70's. The trees are turning color and it's beautiful here now. We had much needed rain and all the plants are happy. The mums are blooming-- and even our roses are enjoying the cooler weather. It is a good time to be alive.
We came back from the Young Living convention with lots of ideas.. and then promptly got caught up in all the stuff to do here. Rebecca's and Deborah's houses became empty and there was "deferred maintenance" to be done on them. Tom is disgusted at how they treated the carpets. They needed to be changed out in both houses. A new carpet guy in town has some carpet guaranteed not to stain. We're going to try that. But in Deborah's house, there's hardwood floor, so Tom will refinish that next week. There was also painting, new screens, drywall to fix, yards to clean up and other stuff. The good news is the the property management called to say, "Are you done with Rebecca's house?.." "Well, er, mostly... okay, yes." "Good! Someone wants to move in tomorrow." Tom hopes to be done with Deborah's house by the end of next week.
A few things have slowed down the repairs. On Saturday October 1 we went to Branson. Tom had wanted to do some clothes shopping since he left many of his clothes back in Kenya. Saturday and Sunday we watched General Conference, but there was still plenty of time to shop on Monday and Tuesday. We rejected an "Owner update" (read sales pitch). Tom said, why flagellate myself? But we agreed to a 15 minute survey-(read 45 minute mini sales pitch) at the timeshare. We'd actually decided we like the points idea, but we don't like the big maintenance fees. So we went to the office where we purchased our re-sale time share, and traded our Diamond Resort floating week for points at Whyndham. It's not a lot of points, but I hope it will be enough to do as we want. We do enjoy being pampered at the time shares.
General Conference was fantastic! I loved listening to the talks. Here are a few of the insights I got.
* Consistently read the Book of Mormon for an added measure of the spirit.
* Scriptures can help with both physical and spiritual healing.
* Seek for wisdom, not power, and you will have all the power you are wise enough to use.
* If you listen to and follow the Holy Ghost you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary. You will be remarkably blessed!
* The Lord uses a scale different from the wold to weigh the worth of souls.
* We need to use time wisely. The Lord will want an accounting. Use your time to match your goals-- master time. Poor use of time is close cousin to idleness.
I need to continue reviewing my notes for more things I need to remember.
I have been working pretty diligently on my copywriting course. It's really like a college course and I'm learning a lot. I'm trying to stay focused, but there are SO MANY applications! I'm learning about web sites and blogs and how to monetize them and how to help clients find and keep customers using them and other social media. I'm learning persuasive writing and some of the steps to turning features into benefits and writing headlines that are useful, unique, urgent, and ultra-specific. I'm learning that people decide things on an emotional level and then use reason to rationalize the decision. They are very clear about not taking on a client if you don't believe in their business. You need to be real and honest.
I went to visit a boutique shop. I'd sat next to the woman who owned it at the web seminar I went to. I knew she wanted to go on the web, but was overwhelmed and afraid to do so. So I visited her and presented the idea for a blog that promoted products from her boutique. I think I will end up doing that for her. But that also means setting up a domain name for her and a hosting site and importing WordPress and learning to run it..and...and.... And so I have been reading up a lot on that, too. I need to for the web sites I'd like to run as well. I also am focusing on the infomercial side as they have a great need for copywriting. I could have applied for a freelance blogging job taking a dog and going to dog friendly places around the country and writing about it. Sounded fun... but I guess I shouldn't leave my husband for a dog for 3 months.
And I went to look at a cheap little house that could be fixed up and be profitable. I wanted to buy it, but didn't have enough money in my IRA. So I tried to get a loan, but no bank wants to loan just a little amount and it has to be a "non-recourse" loan. So I'm looking now for someone who wants to buy half a house for under $20,000. Should return 8-10%. Of course, it's likely they'd reject my low offer anyway. But I never say die until the last stone is turned over.
Our chickens are laying enough eggs to feed us. Our garden finally is producing tomatoes and lettuce. And the beans and peas are flowering. I think the beets are growing too, but those are harder to see. We've had lows of 45-55 and highs mostly in the 70's. The trees are turning color and it's beautiful here now. We had much needed rain and all the plants are happy. The mums are blooming-- and even our roses are enjoying the cooler weather. It is a good time to be alive.
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