December 2009- Part 1

In November, I was asked to be in charge of decorations for our Ward Christmas Party.  I was told the person who recommended me thought I was good at these kinds of things, after all, I have 5 daughters.  LOL!  That is funny, huh?  (I am not crafty at all and I am convinced that Heavenly Father sent me all these daughters because they could help me in areas such as this, but not quite yet.)  For me, it was a very overwhelming task and I wanted to say NO!  After all, I felt that I had enough reasons to justify that-- I already have a calling every week (Primary Chorister), 5 young children (who I homeschool), I am a perfectionist who tends to try to kill myself completely tasks such as these, and it wasn't really a calling anyway, right?  My first thoughts were big and perfect and just the thought was quite overwhelming.  When I talked to the Bishopric member who recommended me, for ideas, he said, You know, just bring in a few Christmas trees and decorate them and then make a bunch of wreaths.  Make a bunch of wreaths??  Umm... yeah!  That was overwhelming too!  Well, I decided to pray about what to do.  Then I talked to my Mom (have I mentioned I love that woman!!!), she suggested doing "A Sweet Night" or "Candyland" or something, with candy jars in the middle of the tables, that people could guess and win.  How perfect!  Simple and yet fun!  I found candy decorations at Party City and really cute candy jars at the dollar store.  It was awesome.  And it turned out to be a very busy day for me!  The few members of the activities committee, who were putting on the dinner and program, helped me decorate, that morning.  (That helped a lot!  But I really had to let go because things weren't exactly how I would've done them.  I appreciated the help so much though, because I would've been there for days!)  In the afternoon, I went back to finish the final touches, then ran to a singing engagement I had at 5:00.  Then rushed over to my sister-in-law, Jolie's, baby shower for her and my little brother, Danny's, first baby.  I left early from that to rush back to the Ward Christmas Party (which Grant had brought the girls to by himself!) so that I could see our girls sit on Santa's Lap.  I was able to do everything and I survived... barely!!  It was a very good feeling to know that I had accomplished a task (doing the decorations) that had, at first, seemed so impossible for me.  I feel that it really helped me grow.

At the end of November, my Mom called me, in tears, to tell me that my Uncle Wayne/her brother (who had to have heart surgery) wasn't coming out of it, and so we had an extended family fast and then he was okay!  I remember thinking what a miracle that was and immediately felt impressed that I needed to write him and my Aunt a letter to tell them what a positive influence they have been on my life.  Well, I am so sad that I didn't take the opportunity because two weeks later, he died unexpectedly.  We had the opportunity to go to his funeral and it was the most incredible funeral I have ever been to!  So many things were said about just what an amazing man he was and the wonderful life that he led.  At one point his brother said (something like) that Wayne would be more comfortable in heaven than anyone he knew.  I totally agree!  He was such an example of just how a man should be- how to treat your wife, what kind of a father to be, the perfect uncle, exactly how to react to trials (and he had more then his fair share of those), etc.  I was also so impressed that day with my Aunt Julie.  She comforted each person, as they met with her, and told them how Wayne loved them so much and something else unique to them.  She told me how he was so proud of me and all the decisions that I have made in my life, especially the good man that I chose to marry.  She is one incredible woman!!  My Uncle Wayne and my Aunt Julie are such good examples to me and they make me want to be a better person!

I have such fond memories of spending a week each summer with my Uncle Wayne, Aunt Julie, and their seven children (one of which was my cousin Teresa, who is closer in age to me then any of my girl cousins on either side.)  My memories include them reading scriptures as a family every single day, having family prayer, having Family Home Evening, working hard as a family including the early morning paper routes, how hard my Uncle worked each day to provide for the needs of his family, the happiness and love that was present at all times, my Aunt singing beautifully everywhere she went, my Aunt and Uncle being so willing to pick Teresa and I up (after we begged to walk to 7-11 and promised that this time we would walk home ourselves- LOL!), and my Uncle's testimony, passion, and love for the gospel of Jesus Christ that he shared each Family Reunion (especially the last one, which was right after he and my aunt returned home from their mission).  My Uncle has had such an impact on my life and I will really miss seeing him each year, at our Family Reunion.  I know he will be greatly missed by his wife, his 7 children, his 25+ grandchildren, his Mom, his sisters and brothers, (I could go on and on) and pretty much everyone he came across in his life.  He was truly a great man!      

Pictures- 1) Frozen waterfalls on the way over, 2) My uncle was buried in the same cementary as my Dad's parents and my Mom's dad, so we visited my Grandparent's gravesites as well.  The first picture is of my Mom, my Dad, me, my two sisters, my cousin (on my Dad's side) Stephanie, and my older brother and the second is us viewing one of the gravesites,  3) My cousin, Teresa, and I, 4) Aurora, 5) Teresa's daughter, Esther, and Karina became quite good pals- so fun!, 6) Gathering at the cemetary, 7-10) We were blessed with safety for the journey, even though we had to drive through quite a bit of freezing rain.  Scary!

One more thing I want to remember, is the incredible kindness and generosity that the wards in Pasco showed to Wayne's extended family.  1) Several members volunteered to let his extended family stay with them.  The incredible family that let us stay with them, was my Grandma's bishop, Bishop Moon.  Bishop Moon and his wife and 3 daughters were so kind and generous!  (They also had a son on a mission.)  2) Several members came and babysat the young kids of the whole extended family, so that we could enjoy the funeral and mourn without interupptions from our young children.  What a thoughtful and wonderful thing to do!  I hope to be able to do that someday for someone else because it was such a blessing!  (Tierra, Karina, and Aurora were too young to really understand much and they didn't really know Wayne that well.  Riana and Sariah had a lot of questions and also cried.  We were able to have some important discussions with them.)  3) The wards also provided a huge and unexpected luncheon for our entire, HUGE extended family!!  Their generosity was so selfless and incredible, that it brought me to tears!    

We had the treat of having Grant's brother, Brian, and his wife, Shannon, stay with us for a few days, before Christmas.  Our girls absolutely adore them and were so excited to have them stay with us for a few days!  It worked out that we were able to go get our Christmas Tree with them.  We all had a great time!  It was a fun memory!

We had a big birthday bash for my Dad's 60th Birthday Party in December.  We had some fun decorations, a deluxe Potato Bar for dinner, some songs sung by the grandkids (a special request from Grandpa), played several games surrounding his life, interviewed him about his life, opened presents and cards, played Beatles Rockband since he loves the Beatles so much, and ate blueberry desserts.  All of his children, in-law children, grandchildren, love of his life, and even one of his best friends, Christopher, (the only one we invited, who is really more like an uncle) were all able to come.  It was a fun night and I think my Dad felt loved and special.

I realized the big birthday party I was wanting to give Karina never happened and decided to give her a little one at home, a late one.  She opened Grandma and Grandpa's present, which was some really awesome, magnetic paper dolls, which have provided hours of entertainment for all of the girls.  We had yummy brownies, with M & M's in them and she opened the presents from us (one was the Barbie & the 3 Musketeers Barbie that all of her sisters wanted- she was very excited because she rarely gets to play with/be the best barbies). 

Over Christmas break, I was able to visit with several friends from my past.  Growing up, we had a really huge group of Mormon youth and we had lots of fun hanging out together.  We have a blog and most of us have Facebook, and have been able to keep in touch through those.  Technology is a blessing sometimes.  We also try to have a little get-together every couple of years.  It was so fun visiting with everyone!!  Pictured- Back, L to R- Kyle, Autumn, Chris, Chanda & Kiana, Mark, Carolyn & Rose, Jacob, Evelyn, Shad, and Jessica, Front, L to R- Todd, Angela (me), Elizabeth, Derek, and Sterling.  Also, Elizabeth and I were able to go out to dinner with our friend, Gloria, who we haven't seen in about 15 years.  We chose McDonalds, so the 8 kids, we have between Liz and I (our husband's were on a hike together), would be entertained and we could just visit with Gloria.  It was a really nice visit!  (I just love how genuine she is!)  I told her that we would probably have another 18 kids next time she saw us.  LOL!  ;)