*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear monday, oh it was cold!  So cold that I opted out of a run outside and ran on the Devil's Sidewalk instead.  I made it five miles but only because I finished watching The Martian that Sky had downloaded on my iPad.  That really helps but that last mile and half was brutal.  Good movie though.  Especially when the astronauts are running on the treadmill.  Yes, that made it seem a bit easier knowing others are suffering along with me. :)

Bryce took off to Idaho for the day to work.  Dave was on call and so he was off until 4:00.  We got some things done around the house together and then I made dinner and chatted with Sky about his trip to Boston until it was time to head to Taylor's game.  They won again.  They haven't lost yet.  

Proof we were at the game (inside joke) :)

After the game we chatted with Allie and her cute mom Stephanie.  I haven't talked to her for ages.  It was good to catch up a bit.  They are seriously such great people.  Allie looks so good and she is just as sweet as ever.  I am glad that her and Taylor are still friends and even though things didn't work out how I hoped between them, I will always love that girl to pieces. Such an amazingly talented girl. She really is one of the nicest, kindest, and most genuine people I know.  I told Stephanie that we need to go play Pickleball together.  That would be so fun even though I'm horrible at it! She told me she reads my blog.  I have no idea why because I am sure it is so boring to anyone else besides me.  And truly sometimes it's even boring to me!  hah  I honestly didn't think anyone read my blog much anymore other than a few of my other blogging friends.  So if you are out there and you do, leave me a comment and say hi once in a while! :) 
 
I have really changed the way I blog over the years.  Right now my blog has become more of a journal of sorts instead of a place to just write posts on random things.  I really don't blog for others like I used to when I first started.  Now I really just blog for my own personal record.  Sometimes I forget the world has access to it.  I am sure I share way more info than I should.  Just ask Dave.  haha  But I feel like I am supposed to be doing it and so I will keep on trudging along until I am not able to.  Sometimes I think I will just quit and go back to only writing about random things (which I plan on doing more of in the future), but then I feel an urgency at times to do the journaling posts.  Maybe someday I will figure out why.  And maybe the why is just that I was born with a need to write about memories.  I truly believe I was born with some abnormal record keeping gene.  I mean a lot of people keep journals, but not many record their children's lives each and every day in a one inch square on a calendar EVERY SINGLE DAY of their life until they are able to keep their own journal.  No, I am sure that is not normal.  haha  I often wonder if it was time wasted.  But, deep down I feel that even if no one ever reads it (pretty sure my boys never will), just the act of writing was reason enough.  Maybe when I am old and gray and can't do anything else, I will have time to read them all and it will bring back joyful memories to me.  I better have some extra good glasses (magnifying glasses) because the writing is so minuscule!  Anyway, I guess I could be watching mindless TV instead of doing this when I am just too tired to do anything else but sit and chill. That is when I usually blog. Dang, I'm getting geriatric!

dear mr. cat, Bryce got this awesome shot of you checking out the deer.  Cool picture.

I also got this one of you and your Master. 

I took this one of you backing away from the fierce cold air again and this one of you sound asleep on the printer. 

Yep!  I definitely take WAY too many pictures of you!  I am going to have to go rent some grandkids!

Ahh...

dear winter, I am ready for you to hit the road.  I just can't seem to get warm!  Thank goodness for Hot Cocoa.  Otherwise I would be moving south!

dear hair cut, I had my hair appointment on Tuesday morning and I was there for two hours because I got a color as well.  I held this cute cat on my lap for nearly the entire time.  It is Catherine's cat Sweetie and she loves to be held and petted.  I love to oblige. 

dear ami favors for board meeting, Diane asked me if I would do the favors for this month's AMI State Board meeting.  Of course, I said yes because I don't think it's possible to tell Diane no.  I would do anything for her.  She wanted a mother love heart theme.  After much thought, I decided I would make my Valentine's Day lace cookies and put a thought with them. 

That is royal icing that I "flooded" on the cookies and let dry before I decorated them.

They are a bit time consuming, but I enjoyed doing it and I thought they turned out nice.

A few close ups of the different designs....

I only did a few simple designs this time.  No quilting because I didn't have enough time.

It was my mom's birthday and so I made her a special birthday one.

 I wrapped them and added a quote and cute ribbon and called it good.

 This is the quote:

dear american mothers state board meeting, our meeting was at Maddox.  I am always SO grateful when they hold it there because it's so convenient.  They do it often because it's more of a middle ground for the Cache Valley and Provo (Utah County) peeps.   The Provo peeps disagree a bit, but I never do!  :)

As per Diane, it was decorated so cute!  That woman has more creativity in her little finger than most peeps do in their entire family history four times back. She is amazing!  She loved the favors I made, as did the board.  I was happy I did them. Deanne, who is a former national AMI President, was there and she also does cake decorating. She was so cute and gave me a thumbs up and told me she sometimes does cookies and charges $5-6 a cookie.  Hmm... I would be willing to do that!  haha

Diane gave me one of these cute little centerpieces too!  I love it!

She made this cute jar for Marilou who is going on a medical mission with her husband.

dear mom's birthday, after the board meeting, I headed to Ogden to make a few returns and to go visit my mom for her birthday.  I told her she doesn't get her present until we celebrate with everyone but I did take her a cookie and some Mrs. Cavanaugh's dark orange cremes.  Her fave!  I visited with her and my Pa for a bit and then had to rush back for the Stake YW basketball games.

dear new calling, I have a new calling. A stake one.  I still haven't been released from my other two ward ones yet.  Maybe I won't be.  Not sure.  I am the Stake Young Women's Sports Assistant.  I was thinking it sounds like a really easy calling that won't take much time or effort, but after the first night of games, I learned that I was possibly wrong.  BUT... I DO think I am going to love it!  The director is Ayako and she is so sweet.  I also get to work with my dear friend Valerie. I love both of them and I love all the young women and so it should be fun!  Ayako asked me to come up with some kind of idea for a Sportsmanship award and so I made some candy bar medals.  We chose one girl per team to give them to. 

It was a lot of fun watching the girls.  Especially Jaida!  She is in the picture ↓ but it was blurry!  Oh well. 

Our job was to keep score and then to choose which girls to give the Sportsmanship award to.  It sounds much easier than it was.  Holy cow, it was tough to keep track of each person and how many points, fouls, etc. they each had.  But we were laughing the whole time and so it was fun.  I'm sure by the end of the season we will have it mastered.  I hope!  I look forward to Thursday nights now!

dear outdoor run, the first day I ran outside this week was on Friday.  I ran the rest of the days on the dreadmill (aka DS- Devil's Sidewalk) because we have had pretty much non stop snow all week.  I don't mind running in the snow, but the icy roads concern me.  And the temps were in the teens.  On Friday I wore my snow tires (aka Yaktrax) and so it wasn't too bad.  It is so much easier to run outside than on the DS.  I am not exactly sure why, but it is!

I'm sporting my new hat.  I also found this GIANT bag of M&M's being eaten by a bunch of crows!  Smart birds!  Not sure where the term bird brain came from because those are some intelligent birds!  :)

TRUTH!

dear lunch with russian missionary parents, after my long run (I only got in 8 miles due to weather and time) I got ready and headed to Seagull Book to meet McKay's companion's mom and another mom whose son is serving in the same mission.  We drove down together to Riverdale to Ruby River to meet some other parents who also have boys in the Vlad mission.  It was SO awesome to meet them!  I think Elder De Sandre's mom and I felt an instant bond knowing our sons were serving together in Russia, not to mention Siberia in the winter! McKay is her son Zach's trainer.  

She is adorable.  And very spiritual.  We shared experiences and learned a lot from each other about our boys!  Of course!  She was so complimentary of McKay and so grateful that he is her son's trainer.  She said she worried so much who his trainer would be knowing that could make or break him and she expressed how happy she is that he is always so positive and upbeat and that she prays for him each day.  She said that Zach loves and respects him so much.  It was so sweet to hear.

This is McKay's very first companion's Elder Brower's mom Melanie.  She is absolutely amazing and sent those boys so many fun things while they were in the MTC.  She made it so fun for them. She lives close to the MTC and so she sent them things ALL the time.

This is the group that came.  There were many others that wanted to come but couldn't.  We plan on doing this a few more times.  As soon as we all sat down we were all just focused on each other and sharing stories.  The waitresses had to keep coming back hoping we would stop for a minute so they could take our orders!  We were all so excited to be among fellow Russian missionary parents who "got it".  I can't believe how awesome it was!  I learned so much!  The least of which was that a couple of the Elder's ended up in jail for teaching English!  A news crew came when they were arrested and put it on the news.  Crazy!  I'm sure it won't be the last time we hear of that.  

We talked about how great these boys all are and how they have to be to be able to survive that cold and that country.  One of them shared some very tender stories of talking to a man who works in the missionary dept and when she told them that her son was in Russia, he told her that her son must be a very special young man.  She laughed and said that yes he indeed was.  He then stopped and said, "No I mean he is a very special young man because he was called to Russia."  Without going into too much detail he assured her that she didn't need to worry about him because the First Presidency prays very hard for the Russian missionaries because of the unrest in the country and because they worry about their safety.  I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or worse.  hah  There were many tears when she was telling us about this. 

We were either laughing, crying, or just soaking it all in.  One mom talked about how she had a bunch of former missionaries over for dinner that served in Vlad.  They told her all about it but they mostly said that it was a very hard mission with the cold and dark and the people who aren't always the most cheerful.  But they all said they loved it so much as well.  They told her that they all had times that they just wanted to come home so bad but they had to force themselves to be happy and to stick it out.  She said they told her to tell her son to just be happy no matter what or how hard it gets.  I am happy that McKay is such a happy and upbeat kid.  I know that is one of the reasons why he was called there because he will make the best of it and be able to handle all the hard stuff.  We all had stories to tell and it was over way before I was ready to leave.  I could have talked to them all day.  I am grateful for the FB page we all share.  And for the blogs many of them keep of their son's letter so I can read those.  I am not sure how to describe this experience but it has been so different than the ones with my other missionaries.  The bond we all share has been amazing.  I think it is because it is so hard to send a child to Russia for two years.  Any parent that has done this, will understand.  If you haven't, it's hard to grasp.  The mission is so unique and we all are so in need of learning from each other.  We all reach out to each other for assurance and for the peace we seek in this journey.  I am so grateful for technology so we can stay in touch with each other.  What a blessing!

A couple of their sons.  McKay is not in this picture but I am going to post a lot of pictures of him next week.

This is the week's temperatures for where he is.  Oh my!  -37!  And this is in Fahrenheit!  You have to be a very brrrrrrrrrrrr...ave soul to serve in Siberia in the winter!  Why people actually live there, I have no idea!  HOW they live there, I have no idea!  I would be in tears!

dear random, Sky went to Boston this week to meet a girl he met online.  He had a free ticket and so decided to use it to see how things go.  Boston in the winter would almost be like Siberia in the winter.  No thank you.  

It snowed so much this week!  On Friday I wasn't feeling too great and so I went upstairs to lay down for a bit and turned on an old movie as I watched it snow.  Watching that old movie and watching the snow fall was one of those moments of life that don't come often enough. Pure bliss. 

Taylor and Bryce's snapchat posts.  They both went snowboarding this week and apparently it was great powder!

We have been getting a lot of visits from these guys this winter.  It's either them, deer, pheasant or cats.

I made these for Sky because he loves them.  Don't you just love those plates? :)

I love this quote that is hanging in my basement.  I am about to re-do everything down there and so I wanted to remember the quote.

dear relief society lesson, I was asked to teach this week's lesson in RS.  I don't mind teaching really.  I know that when I teach I always learn the most.  The lesson was on My Peace I Give Unto You.  I studied and prepared and felt like I was ready.  It's nice because you basically have to follow the manual. I did add an object lesson and brought in some stories, but other than that, it was the manual.  I asked Robyn M. to sing Where Can I Turn For Peace at the end and she did an amazing job!  There were many tears.  I felt like it went okay and I was happy with it.  I had a lot of participation from the sisters and I hope they felt they learned something.  I know I did.

I love this story of Peter walking on water and then losing faith and as he is sinking the Savior saves him.  Just like He does with us when we are sinking in the storms of our lives.  He is always there and willing to help us, but we need to call out for Him and ask for His help. We need to keep our focus on the Savior so we can keep the faith and not become fearful of the things around us that do not bring us peace.

Only when we choose to focus our attention on other things does fear and turmoil seep into our lives.

We are always going to be in tumultuous seas... there is always going to be problems in our lives.  We might have respite here and there - and every once in awhile we get to hang out in the harbor, but for the most part we are in the rough seas.  But..... as we focus on the Savior as our anchor, we are lifted up and we can get through those storms intact.  We can be carried by Him.  Don't expect calm seas.  Don't expect it.  There will be times of trouble and calm but we are out in the ocean and so that's just the way it is.  Not because we are being punished - just because it's life.  That's why we are here.

 These things are not going to go away.  Impossible to get peace from without. Only comes from within.  

Love this!

I enjoyed teaching and I felt much better about it than the online journaling class I taught two weeks ago.  This one went much better.  I shared how when I was running this week my music died and so I was forced to be in my head.  lol  I told how I became focused on a difficult thing and before I knew it, I had a whole list of difficult things in my life and was in the middle of a pity party.  I realized I needed to stop and turn it around and list the things that that were good and focus on gratitude instead.  That helped some but I still wasn't feeling peace.  So I decided to pray over those things and turn them over to the Lord because I had no control over them anyway and once I did that, I finally felt peace.  Prayer is the pathway to peace.  I really wish I could sing like Robyn.  I would much rather teach through music! :)

I love this quote and I ended with it:

Many today feel troubled and distressed; many feel that, at any moment, the ships of their lives could capsize or sink. It is to you who are looking for a safe harbor that I wish to speak today, you whose hearts are breaking, you who are worried or afraid, you who bear grief or the burdens of sin, you who feel no one is listening to your cries, you whose hearts are pleading, 'Master, carest thou not that I perish?' To you I offer a few words of comfort and of counsel. "Be assured that there is a safe harbor. You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you. Your Heavenly Father--who knows when even a sparrow falls--knows of your heartache and suffering. He loves you and wants the best for you. Never doubt this. While He allows all of us to make choices that may not always be for our own or even others' well-being, and while He does not always intervene in the course of events, He has promised the faithful peace even in their trials and tribulations." -Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Finding a Safe Harbor," Ensign, May 2000, 59


dear running miles last year, I should've posted this two weeks ago but I forgot.  

I posted this on FB: 

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting a lot on my past year as far as running goes. Running has been good to me this year. I have ran a lot of miles this year...my goal was 1500 miles for 2015 and I finished the year with 1564 and somehow made it through with only a couple injuries through all those miles (a miracle in itself!). Those miles were ran in the pouring rain, scorching heat, hail, wind, sleet, snow, and beautiful spring days. They were ran with some of my dearest friends who inspire me daily to reach higher and push myself more than I thought I could. They were ran dodging distracted drivers, rocky trails, protruding sidewalks (didn't dodge all of those...ouch!), stray dogs, evil snakes, and curious skunks. Those miles taught me many life lessons that I apply every single day to things totally unrelated to running. They made me appreciate a body that is able to push itself beyond what I thought was possible even at my geriatric age ;). They taught me that even when it was hard and I wanted to quit, I can do hard things and I can reach my goals even when I want to throw in the towel. They showed me that it was possible to achieve something I only thought was a pipe dream as I achieved my dream of qualifying to run the Boston Marathon in 2017. Running has taught me so many things since I took it up eight years ago, but the most important thing it has taught me is that we are capable of doing much more than we think we are and that no matter the obstacles in life, there is always a way to overcome them. Running has given so much more to me than I have to it. Now to stay injury free until April 2017!

dear throwback, it was my dear friend JB's bday this week and I dug these out and posted them on FB.  I had to share on here. 

These were taken when we were in London in December of 1981 in front of Big Ben.  I think we were pretending to listen to the chimes?

Wow!  What a throwback!  We were performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Weber State Marching Band.  We were on the rifle squad and took 1st place internationally!  It was a huge honor!  I was also the majorette as you can see my purple sequins peeking out from under the white shirt.  I had to do the rifle routine and then rip off that costume and do my baton routine.  It was an experience of a lifetime.  We had so much fun!

I also found this oldie but goody.  This was taken on the set of Good Things Utah with the Utah Homemakers. No idea what year.  But probably about 8 or so years ago.

 dear quotes, I have a lot of good quotes this week!

I used this in my RS lesson this week. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Oh yes please!

Enough said!

Amen and amen!

Hehehehe

And with five...it's five times stronger

This is me and my friends....  Very easily entertained by US.

Takes some thought, but this is really profound.

Yep...

Cherish each day...

So me!

Good reminder...

Own it!

Love this!