Still Don't Know The Score...

I love Nate's school website, www.preptv.org. They have all the information about everything, calendars, teacher email links...everything! And, they post the pics their photographer takes of every game! Last Friday was an away game, though only in Chandler, but we didn't go. It was not a successful effort for the team, though I never have seen a final score, but I got to see the pics and they were fantastic. They lost, maybe, but it sure wasn't due to lack of desire!

Catching Up...

Last post...before Kayty...was my great anticipation for Fall's arrival. Seems kind of a moot point, being that it was 105 yesterday and is supposed to be 108 today. Summer just won't give up! Anyway, here are the updates:
Dee's van restoration is making great progress, thanks to little Doran's expert help. He has given so much time this weekend to help Dad. And now Dad seems much more encouraged. This van's problems are not a cost issue, but a tremendous work issue. There was more rust all over than originally seen. Ethan has kindly loaned us his welder for a LONG time, and Dee and Doran have cut out rust, cut and reformed replacement metal, and then painstakingly welded in the "graft". They also had time, while Nate had a football game, to remove the old rear window from the junk parts truck and put it in Nate's truck...looks good, and saved tons by doing it themselves.
Nate's football team had a hard week: half the team (and school) sick with a virus, three kids injured (one in hospital all week for a virus, one a concussion, and one broke his ankle and is out for the season). Nate had to play for the biggest offensive and defensive lineman...did great, but with so many fill in players (seemed to have a hard time remembering the plays) so the game vs. Tempe Prep was not a good one. I never heard the score, but it wasn't good. Sad Friday night, but the Jack cheeseburger and tacos seemed to heal the wounds!
While Nate was at his game, Ethan's ward softball team needed players. So I watched as Ethan, Doran, Morgan, and Dee (yes, Dad got to play) played on the same team. It was such fun to cheer for 4 batters in a row, though hard to figure out each one's position. Dee was the only person on the team who would play first and dare to catch a throw from Ethan (he is a FANTASTIC ball player!) It was a nice evening, too...a rarity for here.
And as for me: toothache gone, root canal so perfectly done that I actually fell asleep during the process, 19 0rnaments done,
30 more under construction...
hopefully all will be done by Halloween, and I even finished one of the stackers that my honey was cutting out in May when he nearly cut his thumb off...and he cut me sheet metal for my magnetic bulleting board, once I found the BEST frame at a yard sale yesterday for just a few cents! (Bad me, also got some wonderful dishes: 16 plates, 16 salad plates, 1 serving bowl, and buffet server - white with lovely violets, for 20 bucks!...I gotta stop buying these dishes, but they are such a deal!)
Week ahead will be getting a slave cylinder for Nate's rebuild, cutting and welding for Dad's rebuild, me driving Morgan to work from college, the normal STUFF. Nate's game is another Away one- in Camp Verde. Don't know if we can go or not. And....October 1 means Halloween Decorations go up!! Now, that Oompah Loompah solar water heater guy may be in deep trouble if I can't get my stuff out of the attic!!!

A First For Kayty

Our sweet Kayty is one hard worker: 18 credit hours at college, 3 choirs, private voice lessons, and a job that works her 32 hours per week. She pays for her own car, insurance, gas, and much of her food...she's a picky thing. Anyway, last night, thanks to Danyel giving us info., she was able to attend her first Broadway musical at Grady Gammage in Tempe...and it was one of her favorite shows: Legally Blonde! She had a hard time getting out there alone...first time driving herself all that way-even ended up in Guadalupe!...but once there, she had the best time! I'm so glad she used her hard earned money for something she will never forget. Go Kayty!

Less Than Four Hours To Wait!

It's gonna happen...at 2:18 p.m. today...Fall will be here: my most favorite time of year! Fall is my favorite for many reasons:
1. My favorite colors are Fall colors! I love the golds, the reds, the greens, the browns. They are so warm and beautiful.
2. My favorite smells are Fall smells. I love the smell of homemade applesauce cooking on the stove. I love the smell of pumpkin bread baking. I love cinnamon, and would just die to know how Michaels makes their store smell so doggone good!
3. My favorite weather is Fall weather. Here, it is just so nice, once we get Fall weather. The nights are cool, the days are pleasant. It is great to run in the morning when it is just a little cool. If I don't feel like waking up at 3am, I can hike later in the morning and it won't kill me! Fall weather in Arizona makes the Summer weather worth it.

4. My favorite foods are enjoyed in the fall: cauliflower, pumpkin, sweet potatoes,squash,turkey,my mom's turkey stuffing, my mother in law's cauliflower and cheese...the best Thanksgiving food ever...all in autumn.

There are so many reasons why I love Fall: the decorations, the football games, the beautiful leaves, the fact that I can put up my winter village on October 31 and begin to decorate for my favorite holiday: Christmas...during the Fall! Hooray for 2:18 p.m. Arizona time. Fall, I love you!

Sometimes It Is Just Hard...

Tonight, we are just having an evening at home...a precious evening at home. We are supposed to be at a fantastic church meeting, listening to a member of the Seventy. But, Dee has just been from cold to cold, and he is just wiped, and so am I, so I just hope we can have half as good a meeting tomorrow morning when we get to hear him at church Stake Conference. Dee had to take antibiotics months ago after his table saw injury, and they appear to have destroyed his immunity...so he has caught everything, and there is nothing worse than a cold when it is HOT outside!I am on antibiotics now to kill a surprise abscessed tooth infection before my unplanned root canal this Wednesday. I have had troubles, being sick last week and having some headaches...a few weeks apart, but still not me. I want to see my grandbabies...I want to be at Adam's primary program, but I just don't want to go near there with a pregnant daughter and two grandkids when I might bring something to them. So, I will stay away from my loves...I am getting a package of treasures together for them, so I hope they will forgive my absence for awhile. Yep, it's hard...but when I think of getting my sweet daughter sick near the end of a pregnancy...the choice is easy! Love you, my dear family so far away. Know that I love you!

We KNOW What 5A Means!

Last evening, through some awful coincidences: teams desiring to drop to 1A, teams being investigated for playing with 19 and 20 year olds, the North Pointe Falcons played against the Lake Havasu Knights for their homecoming game. Now, someone should have first informed those in charge that it is most desirable to play a team that might be a bit easier to beat for your homecoming game. I arrived early-working the snack shack again- and saw 50 of the biggest guys I had ever seen! As I walked by the police officer watching them all warm up, I commented on my son being one of the bigger players for the Falcons, and these guys making him look less that large, and he advised that I should tell my son to get a little hurt early in the game to get taken out, so he would not get hurt BIG during the game! Not a calming opinion! This team from Lake Havasu City had 50 players...we have 40. They have 20 players in the 200 pound range...we have 3. They have two that weigh 295, and one over 300!...we had none. It really does matter when you have a campus of thousands to pick your team from, vs. the 300 that Nathan's school has. There were no Freshman on their team...we have Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. Now, I will give great credit to the Falcons...they just never gave up! They worked the ball down the field, the offensive line did their job, the defensive line worked their tails off. The score of 40-something to 0 didn't reflect all that effort.
Surprisingly, Nathan was upbeat! He really did some great blocking and stayed in the game the whole time with these guys that were way bigger than him! Jesse got time to make many good passes, and they even got to work with our backup quarterback, towards the end.
It was just too bad that we couldn't have just forgot this week...made it a bye week. We paid for charter busses to bring these kids all the way here and then take them back. They were nice kids...and it was great there were only a couple of injuries on either side, and none severe. Homecoming could have been later...and then they would not have been so...disappointed!

Some Kids...

Being the mom of six wonderful kiddos, I have found many a bedtime companion hidden under the covers after they have gone to school. Some, it was a favorite stuffed animal, a favorite book...But, today, I have to admit, what I found literally topped them all. My son, preparing for his 2A school to play against a 5A school for homecoming game tomorrow night, was sleeping with a "play" crumpled by his pillows. I guess they had a new one and he had to memorize it! Now, I cannot show you a picture of said play...that would be revealing deep Falcon secrets...but it was the oddest thing! Oh, football...what changes you have wrought: the smells, the protein drinks, the odd injuries (Tesh ran into his jaw last year...almost broke it!) and now, visions of touchdowns are dancing in his head (or, rather, blocking the others so Jesse Rico can make a touchdown!)Go Falcons!! Falcon Fire!

Sicker Than I Ever Remember

I did not blog yesterday...it took me until today to check on my "Three Cheers For Babies" and a President Sorensen update. I have NEVER in my memory left my island counter unwiped...never, until yesterday. On top of an abscessed tooth that I am busy on antibiotics for, I came down with a whopper of a headache, complete with nausea and all the fun that accompanies that. I was in bed, or on the couch, the ENTIRE day. Thank you mom for prayers and just worrying about me, for my wonderful Dorrie who is driver in a flash, and to my sweet Dee and his miracle garlic and cup o noodles. And, aside from a little weakness and dull headache, I am up and sort of around today. I got the house cleaned, except for our room, laundry all caught up, and have salsa chicken in the outside oven for Kayty, and am ready to make stroganoff for the guys. So glad to feel better!

ATTENTION

These...

are not an effective pain killer for an absessed tooth...(but they sure do make the pain a whole lot more...well...Sweet!)

Something to Smile About From Preptv.org

It is VERY difficult to catch Nate with a smile on his face, and even more difficult to get a pic of him. North Pointe has a super sports photographer, and she did what very few have done before...and what do you think he was smiling about....

"The Falcons played what was arguably the best half in their short two year history as they overcame a first half, 14-10, deficit and defeated Bourgade Catholic 25-14. The victory and a 3-0 record has landed the Prep a #2 in the 2A power point rankings. "They played a great second half," said Defensive Coordinator Ken Seavers."

People Are Gonna Start Talkin!

I was a very neglectful mom...neglectful when it came time to care for MY teeth. Heck, with a hubby and six kids, and an ever changing dental plan, it was rough. So, needless to say, I am paying the price; both literally and figuratively now. I HAD caught up all the evident dental work these last three years, and even managed to complete a treatment plan in budget and schedule a cleaning for December. That was before last week, and, after a weekend of suffering terrible tooth pain, I learn that I have a tooth that is dying, leaking infection into my jaw. Hence the excruciating pain! I am on antibiotics now, and will get a root canal next week...and people may be wondering about my frequent rendevouz with Dr. Johnson!

A Little About Me for Today

One of my first duties of the day is to check my Google Reader for the fun things on my favorite blogs. One I follow, loveinthemommyhood, gave us this challenge, and so, I am going to take it...

Making : pasta for Nate's lunch and Christmas ornaments-first 6 of 90-some are nearing completion
Cooking :As I said, the pasta is cooked. Tonight, I will make tacos and Spanish rice for dinner...Quick and easy because we have to be at Nate's game at 6 p.m. to help.
Drinking : My favorite...water!
Reading: The Chronicles of Narnia...I am on the first book...hard to get into, but I am sticking with it.
Wanting: to paint my bedroom that wonderful green color...but I need to wait for cooler weather so that they can repair the ceiling first.
Looking: at the pool in the back yard. It is a hard time of year here...too warm for outside fun, but the pool is too cold at night, for me at least, to swim.
Playing: my mp3 player
Wasting: time...I need to get so much done before I pick up Nate at noon. I will limit myself to 20 minutes, for now.
Sewing: yuck...I hate to sew, but I am going to try to make something for Gracie...maybe even for Christmas.
Wishing: Dee could find the next step to take in his career. After the outsourcing is done at his company, so is his job.
Enjoying: the air conditioner!
Waiting: for my son to wake up, shower, and go to work so I can get my stuff done
Liking: the mushrooms that are waiting for me in my fridge...great dinner salad for me!
Wondering: what is really going on. Something with someone in my family is making me feel very uneasy.
Loving: that my daughter is expecting. It is so scary to bring number three into the world...but oh, what joy awaits!
Hoping: that we get some rain this weekend. We have had clouds tease,but no rain.
Marvelling: how big all my kids are getting...my youngest is a high school junior!
Needing: some new clothes
Smelling: well, it's not pretty, but a football player in Arizona stinks, and so do his shoulder pads...time for disinfecting spray!
Wearing: denim shorts and t-shirt
Following: the website about a dear leader at church who suffered a devastating arm injury while wakeboarding last week.
Noticing: the pure blue sky.
Knowing: that I really know nothing...all I thought I knew has gone out the window...I just trust and have faith.
Thinking: of how much work it is to work in the snack shack at a varsity football game. I get to do it tonight!
Bookmarking: my place in my old scriptures. My mother in law got me new ones-large print- for my birthday and I am transferring the markings from one to another
Giggling: not much so far this morning...
Feeling: sad that my head hurt this morning, so I exercised, but I didn't run. I was so afraid of getting a bad headache!

You do it too...great to think about so many unique things!

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

I had this all written for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop yesterday. However, I didn't save it to the file, for publishing while I was in line waiting for food club food, and I can't locate it on this darned, but wonderful, computer, so...I guess I will have to start afresh.

The prompt I chose: What does marriage mean to you?
My marriage means everything to me. From the time I was very young, I would imagine myself doing the things my mom did for my dad. That is all I wanted to be: a wife, and a mom! I have always felt that our marriage was literally made in heaven. From the first time I heard his voice, I KNEW there was something special. We were literally brought together. I have never, ever doubted the Lord's hand (along with 7 spirits on the other side of the veil doing their own brand of manipulating!) in bringing us together. Our marriage has always been based on the Lord, on our belief in Heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ, and in His plan for families to be together forever.

We were blessed to start our eternity in the Mesa Temple, and we have spent over 29 years building that marriage. Thus, marriage is a journey, not a destination, as I found out long ago. Marriage is learning to love the things he loves. It is catching grasshoppers for him so HE can fish, because he is always busy giving the ones he catches to the boys. It is helping him cut up, grind, and package an elk in your own kitchen. It is going from speaker store to speaker store with the Pink Floyd Album with the clocks on it and listening to speaker after speaker so he can get the ones that sound best. It is sitting in a recliner, with a manual typewriter on your lap, typing letters to schools advertising your dj business (you are in the recliner because you are preggo with baby #4 and he ends up being posterior-thus the tremendous pelvic pain you endure every day till this 9 pound baby delivers.) It is pushing on the brakes to bleed them, even when they just never feel right. It is helping him pick songs for a bride to dance to at her reception. It is spending the money he earns wisely, because he is working 14 hours a day at three jobs so you can be home to put your babies on the bus and listen to the wonders of fourth grade, third grade and second grade when they come home. It is listening to him chew his food, because he enjoys the things you make so much. It is praying for him when he takes his final exam for his business degree, and then taking your six kids to the school parking lot to decorate his car in celebration of his upcoming graduation. Marriage is holding his hand when he is sick, making his favorite garlic soup. It is setting his vitamins out and getting his lunch ready in the dark so you don't wake him when you go to the food bank. Marriage is getting frustrated at times. It is wishing you could just have him home when he is away. It is hiking just a bit slower so you can have someone to talk to. It is scratching his back, rubbing his sore hands, and carefully rubbing the place where he nearly cut his thumb off when he was cutting wood for a project of yours. Marriage is getting angry, and wanting to say things, and then shutting up, because you see it might be hurtful. It is hearing the angry words he may say, and realizing the exhaustion he must be feeling. Marriage is sending out one more resume while he stands in the entryway, looking at the tools he has always used, while he assures his six kids that he will get a job soon. Marriage is the comfort you get when you walk by the room and see him on his knees asking for guidance. Marriage is holding him when his dear grandpa dies. Marriage is eating things you would not eat normally, and finding you might even like them...except sushi! Marriage is the greatest adventure, the greatest inspiration, the greatest challenge...and above all, the greatest gift. Marriage between a man and a woman is central to our Creator's plan...His plan for us to be happy, now and through eternity. It can bring out our worst, and bring us up to be better than we ever, ever would have been on our own. Marriage is a gift, and I am so thankful I was blessed to receive this special, this wonderful, this trying, and this magical gift.

In Honor of 09-09-09

Wow...09-09-09...so easy to type! So, I thought I would honor this special day with nines of my own.

Nine Things I Will Do Today: Iron Dee's shirts; put the Creamy Italian Chicken in the Crockpot, vacuum the entire house; go to Fry's (case lot sale starts today) and get a case of tomato soup, sugar, broth, and ramen noodles; work on painting more Christmas ornaments; clean the kiddo's bathroom AFTER Morgan leaves for work; go to dollar store to see if I can find that jalapeno sauce Dee is loving right now; put my pics from Vegas on Snapfish and Walgreens; write a note to Elder Moore in the MTC.

Nine Favorite Things To Eat (now, I don't eat these, but oh how I would love to!) Tee Pee Restaurant Green Chili Chimichanga; Jack In The Box Tacos; Sees Nuts and Chews-especially the ones with the almond toffee dipped in Chocolate and the walnut dipped in chocolate; Red Devil Pepperoni Pizza; Debbie Blake's Dinner Rolls- I could eat these until I pop!; my lasagna; Dee's Szechuan Shrimp; chocolate pancakes with whipped cream and chocolate chips on top; candy corn

Nine Places I Would Like To Visit: Las Vegas (visiting my grandbabies never gets old!), Washington D.C.; The Christmas Window Displays in New York City (this will never happen because it is too cold there for me when the windows are a-displayin');The Smithsonian; Georgia-Dee served his church mission there many years ago and I would just love to see where he was; the ocean-we used to go there so much with the kids when they were little-it never gets old!; Nauvoo, Illinois; Ireland; Monterrey, California (loved it years ago...)

Nine things I love: The Savior; my family (Dee, Allison, Mike, Adam, Grace, Ethan, Cameo, Doran, Danyel, Morgan, Kayty, Nathan!); my church (I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints);containers with labels on them; cauliflower; sugar free banana popsicles; a day that I do nothing that someone can find fault with (maybe this should be in a dream category because this NEVER happens!); menu plans-and following them!; my mp3 player-great music for cleaning and hiking: thanks Kayty and Morgan!

Nine dislikes: okra; dishonesty - heck, I can take it...just tell me the truth!; a messy kitchen island (I have gone on about this!); Mesquite trees-they are one perpetual mess (leaves, pods, branches, they are dropping one thing or another all the time!); being hung up on; not planning, as much as possible; being found fault with all the time; black jelly beans; parallel parking.

Nine Things I Would Like To Finish: my bedroom (needs drywall repair on ceiling, that great green paint I found, French doors where the window is, new slate flooring, headboard, built in shelves); my bathroom (needs snail shower design and build, slate flooring, texture and paint-I removed that ol' wallpaper a year ago-, lighting; the pizza oven Dee is starting; Dee's 1960 Ford Panel Truck - not my project, but the stuff they get for cheap is all over the place...I sure would like it installed; Chronicles of Narnia - just haven't been reading that much; my Christmas ornaments; making plum jam- have tons of plums from food bank that I have been chopping up and freezing...just need to get off my duff and do something!; organizing/tiling the cake mix/spice/etc. shelf in the pantry; new grandbaby's Christmas stocking-when they decide the name of this sweet little boy to come, I will be able to finish it.

Nine Things I Would Like Do Before My Life is Over: hike the Grand Canyon; learn to paint an oil or watercolor painting; serve a church mission with Dee...and would love to go to India; work in a temple that is near my house (I hope they build the one less than a mile away, but the opposition is hiring an attorney. I don't know what the problem is...temples are beautiful and only make the area better!); find my passion and then pursue it; make up for the mess ups I did when I was a young mom-my kids have a list of my screw ups, and I hope I can make it up to them someday; be in the temple with ALL of my family; have family come home and NOT load up my island counter with junk; bake good cinnamon rolls.

Boy, this took forever!! Nine is hard!

Amazing Elk

Some dear people at church gave us their left over packages of elk meat when they moved away for a few months. This wonderful gift proved to be such a blessing to us! I have found that I can make anything from ground elk that I can with ground turkey (haven't really used ground beef in years, except to make burgers on the grill! Oh, and Grandma's famous meatloaf!) The other night, we had extra family at our house, helping Nathan prime his truck. I grabbed two pounds of ground elk from the freezer. I browned it...virtually no fat and very mild flavor...and mixed it with barbeque sauce (some I got on sale months ago...buck a bottle) and voila...elky joes! I used buns from the food bank, made potatoes and cheese in the crockpot (potatoes from food bank and cheese, again on sale for a buck), cole slaw (cabbage from food bank, dressing a sale item...you guessed it -- a buck and I have already used it for two meals) cantaloup from the food bank. And out came a great meal, for just a few dollars, and fed seven adults, plus made lunch for Dee today, and still leftovers for another meal.

Next, I found a recipe for an Italian ground beef stew...you guessed it....Elk Stew a la Italia!

Weekend In Vegas

We spent the weekend awhile back with our sweet daughter, son in law, and grandbabies. It was such a treasure to listen to Gracie talk...We asked her, when we arrived the day before her birthday, when her birthday was, and she would reply, "In two seconds!" She had some tummy troubles, but nothing kept her from enjoying her new birthday dress that Mommy had made, her witchy decorations, her yummy cupcakes, and her requested meatball dinner. She said over and over, "This is the best birthday EVER!" We got to have fun with Adam without uncles who play video games much better than we do. We were playing some driving game with Gotham in the title (Sorry, Adders....Grammy just doesn't remember what it was called!!!) I was actually figuring out how to drive the car in the right direction. I was almost at the end, and grandson was terribly excited, when, out of nowhere a car came pummeling at me, going the wrong way, I might add, and stopped my efforts. Thanks Papa!! :) Papa is a good guy...always looking for treasures for his kids and grandkids at yard sales. We found this desk calendar...a paper airplane a day...and Papa made at least 40 planes, each unique. (So sorry, sweet dear daughter, for turning your lovely home into a paper airplane airport!!!)We got to play games, do a puzzle, blow bubbles, pretend we were kitties and cows and birds, play soccer...And sweet son in law came home from a long hard day at work and barbequed chicken and ribs we had brought from home. The trip home was safe, but too soon...and we found our old bodies very, very tired from two trips: to Utah and Nevada...in the car in two weeks time. Someone asked me what we were doing for labor day, and I told them ANYTHING that did not involve sitting in the seat of a car and driving (though, of course, I had to drive Nate to and from football practice! North Pointe Football knows no vacation days!)

Football Friday Nite...Phoenix Christian Shut Out!

I will write about Nate's first game as a starter, and about our wonderful trip to Vegas soon, but we witnessed the result, tonight, of a year of work and sacrifice on the part of 40 boys and 5 coaches. Nate's school, North Pointe Prep, is a public charter school. You do choose to go there, but no one pays for your gas, etc. He plays in the Arizona 2A division, a division with many private Christian schools...schools that can recruit to get team members. Before tonight, North Pointe had never beaten a private Christian school. I said 'before tonight'. This great team worked and worked, and scored touchdown after touchdown...six in all. The scoreboard was turned off rather quickly, since we were the visitors. But North Pointe Varsity Football team won...42-0.
Hooray for the Falcon Football...and for #72 Nate the Great, and his super team!

Writer's Workshop

5.) Share your friendly advice for someone you think needs it (ie your mother-in-law, other drivers, cell phone users, etc.)
Watch out…
1)I had a wonderful bridal shower, over 29 years ago. One of the “games” they played was an advice game. Each person was given a nice, but small piece of memo paper and then told to write down a piece of household advice for me, the new bride. At the time, I didn’t even realize what a treasure of knowledge I was receiving, but I have used the advice from those wonderful ladies many times over the years! One piece that could help you is this: when you KNOW someone is coming, and you just cannot get everything clean, go to your front door, and look. Clean that first room that everyone sees. You will be amazed at how understanding others, and husbands, are with clutter elsewhere when the first view of your home is clean. Clean that front room, and make sure it stays that way!
2) Don’t assume that, because there are no small children in a home anymore, more mature ladies are just dying to take care of others children. I have raised six children, the youngest two being 16 and 18. I still have many things to do to get them where they need to be, when they need to be there, and with the things they need to have. When my children were younger, I was the one responsible to teach their Sunday school classes, be their homeroom parent, and their cub den leader. They were my children, as my wise elder friends told me. No special treatment…my time would come to rest. And, as I said, older children don’t have fewer needs, just older needs….and their laundry doesn’t fit in one or two loads!
3) Clean as you go. My wise hubby always makes the best Chinese food. However, not a morsel enters our mouths until the dinner prep dishes are washed, at least. Then, after dinner, some can put away while the rest are cared for. Makes after dinner a breeze! Besides, those hungry for delicious dinners often clean faster when dinner is waiting!
4) There are many people going through difficult times now. Lifelong careers are being outsourced. Life savings are now not sufficient to retire on. There are mortgages and doctor bills to pay. Many people cannot go out to lunch, or buy Christmas crafts, though they would really like to, because it is out of their budget. They sit in food bank lines, drive past restaurants on trips, would just die to be able to take their kids and grandkids to a meal when they visit them. They often don’t wear their heart on their sleeve. They just plod along. Don’t assume. Look to befriend everyone, not just the friend who does everything with you.
5) Many hands make light work. There are parents who give countless hours for your athlete’s benefit. And all they ask is that you give a little time: volunteer to help sell water. Hold a chain for the referees. First, you would be amazed at how fast the time goes when you are so busy! Second, you get to share yourself, and teach your children the value of helping out. And, it takes just a little time!
6) Do your job!
7) One should never pick on someone…anywhere, but especially at church! It is a wonderful blessing that you have a vehicle and the insurance paid for by your parents. Our situation is quite different, and the person you badger and berate spent his Summer practicing football for his school team, and laying block for many hours in Phoenix heat, just to earn money to purchase the parts needed for the vehicle he is rebuilding. Put yourself in other peoples’ shoes. No one should go to church and have the people in the group berate over the lack of money. Remember, it could happen to anyone.
8) On the roundabout, the car on the loop is the Boss!!

I don’t know how friendly this truly is, but it has been very therapeutic for me!!!