New calling...

My Strong Silent Mysterious Man got a new calling at church last week. He was kind of sad to be leaving the older priest age boys including our son, but excited about the new challenge to get more boys prepared to enter their priesthood journey.

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I don't think he had a full grasp of how challenging until his first meeting on Wednesday!

Too funny, when I was asking him how it went his only comment was "they are really energetic", but it was his wide eyes that told me just how energetic he was feeling!

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I know he will be able to settle in and be inspired to teach and train them along their scouting path. And somehow, stay one step ahead of them... it just takes one step. And when he just can't be one step ahead, I am confident that is when they will be teaching him. Children are sometimes our best teachers!

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I love it when we are called to serve and we are challenged and our minds and abilities are tapped into in a way we never would imagine for ourselves.

Home sweet home...

Since I've been home, I have been...

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going through mail

catching up laundry

getting lots of puppy love (apparently they missed me too)

re-grouping with the teenager (well trying... he is reluctant to let me in)

having great talks with my strong silent mysterious man

missing my family in Seattle

most puppy hugs and kisses (they were really deprived while I was gone)

catching up with my clients

church meetings

work meetings

finding new dog food... uggg, bought one, one dog got sick ~ other dogs don't like it, bought another took it back unopened choking on how much it cost!, tried another yesterday so far so good... they LOVE it, nobody got sick, really good ingredients (most dog food distributors guarantee their food, if your dog gets sick or doesn't like it, you can return it even opened. whew!)

sorting through tax statements coming in the mail

cleaning house

more mail... it was piled up pretty high

more time out for the puppies (really really deprived, this trip was hardest on them)

grocery shopping

back on my wii fit!!! yeah!!!

eating healthy

re-connecting with some friends/neighbors

more laundry

wiping dirty dog feet (its wet and muddy here)

paying bills

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It feels good to get back into some routines, but somehow my brain is boggled. As I get older, I am not as quick as I used to be to switch gears. Almost everything I do seems weird somehow. I am still trying to reconnect with myself.

Didn't expect to have to transition... weird, but I am working through it.

I hope I feel normal soon... I don't like weird and out of place.

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Maybe I need more puppy hugs and kisses!

Sidetracked in Seattle...

Okay, back to blogging!

I got a little side tracked while I was in Seattle.

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It felt so good to be able to be there for my parents.

I worked with Mom to get her independent before I had to leave and come home, and she was able to change her own dressing and mostly remembered not to use her right arm for anything more than eating... following doctors orders.

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The night before I came home, Mom found an open wound on my Dad's foot (I won't post the pictures she took). He is diabetic and it was pretty big and really ugly looking. I couldn't imagine it didn't hurt like the dickens, but with the diabetes he has lost most of the feeling in his feet, and his eye sight isn't great, so he couldn't feel it or see it.

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Since he is not easily panicked into seeing doctors I just tried to be straight forward and convince him, he had to go get it seen about immediately! He wanted to wait and do it with some other appointments next Tuesday... but that just wasn't an option... this wound looked really bad to me... and that was saying allot after what I had been looking at with my Mom's surgery.

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I felt really uneasy leaving them limping along like this! Mom can't lift anything and Dad can't walk. They were going to have to work there strengths really well together to get by for another week. Not very settling.

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I talked to my Mom on Friday, and my Dad drove them to the doctors office (yes the near blind man that can't walk... drove... ahhhh, putting my head in my hands) and the doctor said he had a diabetic foot ulcer. The good news is the tissue looked healthy around it and he thought they could get it healed, the bad news is he would have to stay off of his feet as much as possible.

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I am confident everything will go fine, but in the meantime I pray... lots and lots of prayers!

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It is good to be home, my strong silent mysterious man seemed to really miss me, and he is being really kind and loving and giving me lots of attention. I love being missed. They get along fine without me, so it is so nice he missed just being with me!

Happy Birthday ~ Devin!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVIN!!

Devin is our nephew living in Arizona with his wife and daughter and have another baby on the way!

He is allot like his uncle, my strong silent mysterious man, and has the deep voice like his uncle and grandpa Leon... one of my favorite family traits... I hope my teenager gets that too.

He served in Iraq this past year and loves the outdoors and fishing, it was so fun to have him and Jeannie with us in Idaho a couple of summers ago. I hope we get to do that again soon.

Happy Birthday ~ Aunt Fay...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!

(sorry this is the only photo I could find since I was away from home)

Aunt Fay lives just a block or two from us, and we have vowed to get together more this year.

So we were making plans to have birthday dinner for her this week, to start off year on a good foot.

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Then after we pretty much had it set in stone and figured out, she and her husband had to make an emergency trip to Montana, and I had to leave and come to Seattle... so all our plans have been put on hold. But as soon as we are all settled and back home again, I am determined to get it all set back up again!

I can't wait to celebrate your birthday with you Aunt Fay!

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You love your puppies, just like me.

You are sweet and kind, but strong and built tough and determined, like a good ol' southern bell is supposed to be.

I love it when you laugh.

I thought you were so brave when you moved to Idaho after being in your home for so long.

I thought you were so brave when you cut off your hair short, after wearing it longer for such a long time... and I LOVE it short on you!!

You are artistic and crafty.

And quite possibly the most patient person I know!

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Happy Birthday Aunt Fay!!!

Dinner with Friends...

My Sis made this incredible dinner for her friends.

Enchilada ole' with banana bars (not pictured) and it was super healthy and sooo yummy.

It was funny helping her make it, she is just like me and anything over 3 ingredients is complicated. But she is always really adventurous and trying new things.

It turned out perfect and it was pretty too.
A good time was had by all...