Surprises - the GOOD Kind

Breakfast time...

Everyone is milling around, little kids playing, noise, confusion, etc.

Door knocking...

Who COULD that be on the day after Thanksgiving?

Jenni and Brent were standing there after telling us they couldn't come.

What a happy, happy surprise.

Then, we learned that Kristi is getting married!

Oh, happy surprises indeed.

No One Getting Hurt

We did something yesterday that I would not have imagined in 100 years in our family.

We went shooting.

As in GUNS....

as in 2 pistols, a Glock (whatever that is!), a rifle, and an

AR (assault rifle).

I was terrified, BUT everyone had a great time, and no one got hurt.

So, I am very grateful.

Family Sacrifices

For many of them, it's a very LONG drive, flight, ordeal.

But, they came.

And, I am so very grateful.

There is nothing like family.

And, I am grateful for that also.

Thanksgiving

I hope it doesn't take a holiday to make me grateful.

But, I am very grateful for this holiday that does remind me to be

GRATEFUL

for so many things;

RAH,
family,
friends,
home,
car,
eyesight,
mobility,
health,
heat,
water,
food,
income,
rich heritage,
opportunities,
church calling,


Oh, yes, so  many things.

And, I am grateful

Feeling Good

Health is a blessing.

I've had a little cold; I'm still fighting it a little,

but, in general, I feel good.

And, I am VERY grateful.

Lori, Dave, Ryan...

These are the other people in the nursery.

They are pleasant, helpful, and good to the children.

It's a pleasure to work with them each Sunday.

And, I am grateful

Photographs

Seeing pictures from the past, helps me remember events that I otherwise might forget.

I have hundreds of photos stored in albums, on the computer, loose in boxes.

And, I am grateful.

This is a classic picture from our family files; it is in a motel room in Nauvoo, Ohio for Matt and Lisa Gee's wedding.  My brother, Kaey, told Allen that every night he would jump up on the end of the bed for his exercise.  So, Allen tried it.  Jenni, my dad, and I witnessed this amazing, memorable event.

Knowing the Keyboard and How to Type

It is such a blessing to know how to type.

I took a summer typing course in Pocatello, Idaho.

Then, I took typing in high school.  I'm not the best, but certainly to the worst, but I do know how to put my fingers along the home key row.

When we served our first two missions at the family history center, we met so many senior citizens who had not had the opportunity to learn to type - it wasn't so important to everyone many years ago.

At any rate, my father encouraged me to learn to type,

And, I am grateful I know how...it has served me well over the years.

Restaurants

Sometimes I think about the pioneers...

walking all day...

exhausted when they finally camped.

But, there was no take-out pizza, no Golden Arches, no Subway for a quick sandwich.

I love eating out; no mess, no preparation, no thinking, and most of all; no clean-up.

Yes, I am very grateful for a place to eat out.

A Place to Call Home

I'm thinking about the terrible destruction in the Phillipines.

Imagine having ONLY THE CLOTHES ON YOUR BACK......

No food, no water, no change of clothes, no toothbrush, no pictures, no money.

It's impossible to quantify and think about.

So, I am very grateful for All these THINGS:

Home,
food,
water,
clothes,
money,
electricity,
pictures,
phone,
couch,
bed,
chair,
table,
pencil,
pen,
paper,
eye glasses,
television,
books,
mementos,
family,
streets,

Oh, I am so very very grateful.

A New Day

Rough evening...

A new day brings new:

hope,
start,
possibilities,
chances,
opportunities.

And, I am grateful.

Our Home Teacher

We've had LOTS of home teachers over the years.

They have all been willing to help.

But, we haven't really ever availed ourselves of that help.

Until Brother Olson.

Man, he's awesome.

And helpful.

He got a gun fixed for Allen.

And, yesterday, he installed a new kitchen faucet for us.  Allen, who is very independent and would have tried to do it, could not have done it.  He doesn't have the right tools.

But Brother Olsen showed up, fixed it, and now it's working.

And, I am grateful.

My Church Calling

It's fun to be in the nursery...

Adorable kids,

Marvelous caring parents,

Awesome people to serve with: Dave, Lori, Ryan.

And, I am grateful.

Grandson Missionaries

I'm so proud of Landon and Stockton.

Landon is serving in the Argentine mission

Stockton is in the Chile mission

They are such good, good young men.

And, I am grateful.

Audio Books for FREE!

I am listening to a book right now by Maya Angelou; it is fantastic.  She is also the reader.

It is the story of her life which is just incredible.

I am totally enjoying it, although she has hard things happen to her.

It is FREE.

I listen as I exercise or drive around running errands.

And, I am grateful.

People!

There are so many good, good people in my life.

Neighbors,

Learning about how to make your own trades on trade....too complicated for me, but these great ward members are listening....Tom and Susie Ericcson; Jerri and Mark Jorgensen; Ron Olsen; Jim Dupras, and Bishop Shakespeare.

Friends,

Family,

And, I am grateful.

food food food

Seeing all the devastation in the Phillipines, and hearing their cries for

FOOD,

reminds me how blessed we are to have easy access to food.

And, I am grateful.

Laughter

I love a good story, joke, anecdote.

I just love to laugh.

I need to do it more often.

Laughter, it feels so good.

And, I am grateful.

Available Food and Water

Terrible, terrible typhoon in the Phillipines....

THE WORST STORM IN RECORDED HISTORY.

In the wretched aftermath, people are starving and thirsty, with no electricity or shelter.

And, I sit in my little corner of the world; safe, warm, and with plenty to eat.

Oh, how I am so very grateful.

Beautiful Weather....

...without the threat of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquake, fire.

Just beautiful, sunny days.

What a great blessing.

And, I am grateful.

Neighbors!

We have such great neighbors; all around, we have good, good people.

And, I am grateful.

Water!

Man, it's so easy to walk over to a spigot and turn on the

WATER.

And, I am grateful.

HEALTH...

the recurring theme...

My cousin has cancer that has now gone into his Bones....

totally terrible.

Right now, Allen and I are doing fine.

And, I am so very very grateful.

Machines...

like

Washing Machines...

Ours just went out.  So, rather than revert to washing laundry in the sink or bathtub, we bought a new one.

And, for that, I am grateful.

Mornings!

I get a lot done in the mornings.

It is when I am the most productive, for sure;

laundry,
exercise,
cleaning,
bills,

I just love productive MORNINGS.

And, I am grateful.

So Many THINGS...

RAH,
car,
washing machine,
toilet,
home,
heaters,
money,
eyesight,
mobility,
income,
computers,
phones,
stove,
refrigerator,
bed,
sunshine,
sleep,
food,
shoes,
clothes,
time,
scriptures,


Oh, yes, I am very grateful for all this and much more.

Crossword Puzzles

I love a good crossword puzzle.

I can't always figure out the clues, so I use one across.com (Thanks, Linda, for the tip.)

It's so fun to try to figure out, to ponder, and then to solve it!

I love the challenge of a crossword puzzle,

and I am grateful.

My Mini Tablet

Sitting in front of me before church started one day, I noticed Todd with the new-fangled thing called an IPad.

I asked if I could just hold and look at it.

I was hooked!

A few days later, when I mentioned to Allen that I thought we should get one, he was ANGRY!  We had just purchased two new Toshiba Laptops to take to China, and he could not see ANY reason whatsoever to get an IPad.  (Well, he was probably right about that.)

Later that week, we happened to be in Best Buy for something we needed to take to China, and Allen saw the displays.  He went over, looked at it, played with it a little, and said to the salesman, "We'll take one, in fact, do we need two?"

While in China, I also bought an IPod Touch in the spring of 2011, which I have absolutely loved having...I use it almost every day when I head to the gym to either read a book or listen to an audio book on it.

So, when a new version of an IPad came out in 2012, I wanted- nay convinced myself that I NEEDED one.  Allen was again upset - we already had one, why would we need another one.  But, I used some money from my father's inheritance and bought the most expensive, highest memory IPad.  I have loved it.  Allen uses the old one, I used the new one.

Fast forward to 2013, the mini IPad came out.

You guessed it, I convinced myself that I MUST HAVE A MINI!  Because, you see, the original was not conducive to holding just for reading...it was great, but just too big for holding in the hand to read.

So, I bought one at Wal*Mart for $125.00....(actually, I bought a mini IPad, but never unboxed it because it was over $400 and I didn't need the expensive IPad since I had an IPhone and IPad.)

Oh, yes, I love it.  I use it every day.  I read on it, watch Netflix on it, play a few games on it.

And, I am grateful.

Moments of Happiness

Last night,
Jared,
Janessa,
Sean
came for dinner...they were here so briefly because they were headed out for fun.

But, it reminded me how much I love my family; my dear grandchildren, and how I wish I lived closer to the rest.

Being together made me so happy.

And, I am grateful.

Extended Family

I love my family.

Both close and near-related.

They are awesome and I'm enormously proud of them.

They are good, good, good people.

And, I am grateful.