I have lost feeling in my left eye...

I am still a little numb (literally my left eye is numb?? so weird) from the news of the teenagers mission call on Thursday night, it's just so surreal.

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But I spent the day in the Temple on Friday, and felt the peace and comfort available there.  My strong silent mysterious man joined me after work and there is just no better place to be together.

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This weekend is our Stake Conference and we attended the adult session tonight, and since the teenager is officially an adult, he went too.  I guess I will have to finally come up with a new endearing reference for him other than "the teenager"... seems like "the missionary" will fit for a while.  Our dear stake president throughout his remarks tonight asked several different members in our stake to come up and share their testimony... there were some tender circumstances surrounding their lives recently that seemed to prompt his request.  And "the missionary" was included in that invitation.  It is a blessing like no other to hear my son bear his testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He was asked to share why he is going to serve a mission and included in his testimony... "because I love my Heavenly Father".  There just isn't enough tissue to catch a mothers tears when she hears these words from her son.  I feel gratitude and love, along with much anxiety and then peace comes in waves when the pressure in my chest is about to burst.  I haven't slept for two days, and I was hoping tonight would be the night.  But after the events of the evening, now I wonder?

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We came home and found a nice distraction.... 

these adorable "carrot" bags with kettle corn for Easter and "the missionaries" Temple Preparation Book to study for his classes that will start next week.  Our home teacher is going to teach the classes, and we have gotten to know him really well.  He has a missionary coming home from Huston Texas May 18th and has helped "the missionary" along the way on his path to serve a mission with stories, and advice and much wisdom as he has served our family.  And his lovely wife has been of great comfort to me as a sounding board to know I am not a crazy Mom experiencing so many thoughts and feelings and emotions along this journey.  It was just so perfect that he was called to teach this class at this time.  And it is looking like Jacob will be his only student, so he will get one on one instruction, this does a mothers heart good too.

Slurpee Haven...

My Sister sent me this picture.

1. I am so proud that she has her camera ready to shoot... definitely a bloggers Sis.

2. Wow, I am really glad I don't drive in ALL that traffic.

3.  You would have to live in a place with all that traffic, to wear that slurpee suit on the sidewalk.

4. I was thinking she was going to make a comment about a job for "the teenager".

5.  But NO, she was thinking a job for me.

6. I think I want to be a slurpee when I grow up.

The Birthday boy's perfect day...

It was my strong silent mysterious mans birthday on Saturday.  He came home from work on Friday boasting that he was going to do his very favorite thing every on his birthday this year!

I guessed a few favorite things, hunting, shooting, archery... and then he told me he was going out arrowhead hunting.  Well the weather was supposed to be 50% rain on his birthday, but I guess we could all bundle up and go in the rain.  You know for the sake of being together, okay I am in.... that could be fun!  

He was sure the teenager would NOT want to go, but much to our surprise he really wanted to be together with the family as well.  I convinced them to let Rudy and Morgan go too... they LOVE to go, but because they leave large amounts of annoying dog hair, and Morgan whines in the car... they get left behind if it is a super long drive allot.   But I agreed to clean out the truck afterwards, so they got to go too!

Morgan did sooo good.  She didn't even whine in the car until we got off onto dirt road.

  

 My Strong Silent Man could not be happier! 

 Everyone else was being good sports about it and cherishing the family together time!!

We drove sooooo far... I began to worry when I saw this sign.

Rome??

We were only in Oregon, but after being couped up with the seat pushed all the way to the dash because I had a hundred foot teeager behind me, it felt like we might have driven to Europe.  I am sure it wasn't much better for him, even with the seat all the way up, his knees were in the seat, and he had both dogs and all their dog breath to enhale.

 And well, Taylor, she is kind of clingy!

But after driving for hours... we finally made it to the biggest wide open space I have seen in a long time.

(The term "Middle of KNOW WHERE" comes to mind)

We got out and the dogs were so happy to stretch their legs and run, and we and walked and hunted in all different directions with not particular plan for a while.  Then after an hour or so we discovered that it was better to stay within talking distance of each other.  Even though it was flat, you couldn't go very far and not see each other... that was so weird.  I guess there were some valleys that would disappear in the landscape.  The dogs would try to run and keep tabs on all of us and getting worn out running from one to another.  Plus, it was really fun if you found something worth picking up to share the excitement with everyone.

It is such a weird thing for me to wrap my mind around thinking about the Indians being out there for hundreds of years chipping out an arrow out of rock to hunt with.  But when you walk along looking at the ground for hours and then see one laying right on top of the dirt that has probably been there untouched all those years, it just boggles my mind.  But that is exactly how it happens... I didn't find any myself, only chards of obsidian that might have been chipped from making them.  But the boys both found several really nice  partials and broken ones.

 We found a watering hole and Morgan went flying in to try it out!

Taylor jumped in right after her, but after sinking completely to the bottom over her head on the first leap, she ran up the bank and watched the rest of the time, only getting her feet wet in the creek after that.

Morgan was happy to swim, and swim and keep on swimming!

But for the serious hunter, play time ended quickly and we were off hunting again. 

 And he couldn't get too far, until the puppies were right on his heels again!

It was a really good day.  It was so nice to get out in nature and think of the history and the past from this beautiful area where we live.  Often, city life takes over buries the past and we think nothing more about it.  But today I thought allot about it, it was nice to have quiet time to think.  Although it was quiet from car and city noise, the dessert has it's own noise.  The birds could not be seen, hiding amongst the sage bushes, but they were very loud and squawking... and the howl of the wind was a different kind of distraction.

I did learn that I would have probably made a terrible Indian princess... because I am pretty sure Pocahantas never asked

 "are we there yet"?

Happy Birthday to My Strong Silent Mysterious Man!

To him there is nothing better than walking around in the dessert...  with no concrete in sight, and the rush of channeling an Indian warrior and finding traces where might have camped and hunted, for some birthday fun!  I bet he would have stayed out there all weekend if he didn't have such a "motley crew" tagging along.  But we are happy he likes to come back home with us to our concrete jungle, and puts up with us and our high maintenance ways of living.