Week of January 21 - 27, 2018

Highlights:

Spiritual

It was a very busy Sunday. We had a great Sacrament Meeting, with talks focused on Self Reliance in preparation for a fireside at church next Sunday evening. I helped again in the primary class my cubs are in. They are learning the most beautiful song in sharing time to sing in Sacrament Meeting in March. The words are:

Teach Me About the Temple (From the album “Lift Your Mind Higher”)

Words and music by Lynne Perry Christofferson

I see the light of the temple at night.

As it shines, it reminds me
I must prepare if I hope to go there,
but I need someone to guide me.

(Chorus)

Please teach me about the temple.
Please show me how to prepare.
Then all of my life I will try
to be worthy to enter there.
Please teach me about the temple.
I want to know so that someday I may go.

I see the light of the temple at night,
and its glow is a symbol
helping me think of the safety and peace
that come from the holy temple.
(Repeat chorus)

I want to claim the blessings that lie in store.
I want to go beyond the door.

(Repeat chorus)

It was the perfect thing to share with my prison sister, Jessica, so I found the sheet music and also the story about why it was written. I felt very blessed since I don't get much information while I help in Primary to send to her, and this was like a gift. I had a meeting to help train the two new Webelo leaders soon after church. Dad had Young Men's Leadership Meeting after that. I had choir after that. Dad went home teaching after that. We just ate when we could.

My Wednesday cub scout meeting went pretty well...only three boys there and it was easier to keep them on task. Dad had a great boy scout planning meeting.

I have indexed 3235 records so far this year.

I am in 3 Nephi  6 in the Book of Mormon.

Family

The Wilkins Family

Wilkins had a great Sunday! Sam love being in Primary and he has the best teacher: Sister Cable!! He loves to sing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" and "I Am A Child of God". Grace gave a wonderful talk in primary on The Plan of Salvation and is so excited to enter Young Women's Program in September when she is 12. She already has her first activity marked on her calendar. Her room is painted and looks amazing, and Allison got her the most adorable octopus to hang her bags on. She has a great cork board already hung.

The Ethan Rice Family

Illness hit Kaylee and Wade this week. Fevers, doctor visits, rest, lots of fluids and lots of snuggles filled the days. They seemed a bit better on Friday evening and I was blessed to be able to FaceTime with Ethan, Kaylee and Wade. Kaylee was snuggling with Ethan while Wade was climbing on cars and throwing or kicking an orange. He still has a 102 fever that comes down with Tylenol but Kaylee's fever seemed to be over. 

The Doran Rice Family

Doran, Amber and family are busy but well.

Morgan

We saw Morgan on Monday. He and Kyle came by to borrow the engine hoist so Kyle's truck could have an engine and they could have transportation, since Kyle's vehicle was totaled in the accident that was not their fault. He got the engine in on Thursday and brought the hoist back on Friday evening.

Kayty

Kayty found out on Wednesday that her job would end in a week. Kind of disappointed in such short notice. She has been applying for jobs over the last weeks since we knew her job would end soon, but we were thinking end of February. 

The Nathan Rice Family

Nathan spends many hours at school. The electronics class he needs to take, well, the school changed it up prior to the semester. Much more challenging and really tough math that is keeping him studying at school very very late. I did get to FaceTime on Saturday with Anna and Ellie. Ellie had her immunizations the day before as well as a check up. She is doing well and is the happiest little girl. She only seems to give up that adorable smile when she is hungry, and boy does she talk when she is hungry. She is getting around the house now. Anna is a great helper every Saturday as it is Nate and Jessica's church calling to make sure the church building is clean. Both Nate and Jess are very busy with school, but are learning a lot!

Dad's Garden

Peas still being harvested every other day. Dad's peppers are doing well and he is slicing, dehydrating, and powdering. 

Year of the House Part 2

Boy did we work this week. We started putting up tile in the shower. It is still a learning process in all ways, but we are getting the hang of it.

Other highlights
Great jogs, walks and hikes this week. On our Friday hike, we met a nice couple who are visiting out here from Ohio for a week. Dad told them how to drive the Apache Trail and they were so nice. I was glad Dad said hi as we walked.

Nano shopping included a big WalMart shop and then some bill paying for her.

Not so highlights

On Monday, Dad brought in a huge, dirty Napa Cabbage from the garden and left it on the counter, saying he would cut it up later. I waited an hour, and after finding dirt near my clean dishes, I angrily cut the darn thing up, hauled the inedible parts out to the chickens, made him a cabbage salad for snack, and set out to soak the silly white beans he wanted for dinner. (I had taco salad on the menu and that is what Kayty was getting). I had to dig through the pantry to find the can of navy beans, and the can was stuck in a sea of thick honey. I was disgusted! I was just going to ignore, but my crazy clean heart couldn't, so I set out to remove every item till I discovered where the honey was coming from. We have some honey we purchased very early in our marriage, or maybe even Dad got before we were married. It's been stored in gallon glass or plastic jars there forever. Well, I enlisted some help from dad since the jars were firmly stuck in the sticky, thick stuff. I heated wet rags and then we would apply and soak a bit, and he would get the jars off. Turns out, since honey lasts forever, it was good, but it had turned to sugar, and that process caused the honey to expand and leak out of the jars all over. He took some out of each jar once we got the lids off, and then we replaced. I cleaned the shelves, reorganized things, and it is now, after a few hours of work, much much nicer. I wasn't thrilled when I first saw the mess, but it just took some work. Dad's beans came out to his liking, along with the corn bread with corn meal from his garden. 

Week of January 14 - 20, 2018

Highlights:

Spiritual

We had a good morning at Church on Sunday. Talks in Sacrament Meeting including a new couple who moved from California into our ward. They have two sons; one married and one on a mission so we have another missionary serving now. They said they came over the hill, saw the temple, and knew they had to be here. They are the new nursery leaders and she is a cello teacher. I subbed for my friend, Jody, in Primary...the class with my cubs in it. I will sub for the other teacher next week. After church, Dad had deacon's quorum presidency meeting and we hurried home so I could get to my cub scout committee meeting. Looks like Second Sunday will be a two car Sunday from now on. Meeting was informative, and I got home, stayed for a bit, and then headed out to choir and dad headed out to home teach one family. Evening was full of fun Marco Polo and FaceTime visits with Las Vegas and Rexburg.

We both sat on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 9:00 am and watched as our new prophet, Russell M. Nelson, his counselors, Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring were introduced to the church membership. They told of the meeting held with all these men in the Salt Lake Temple on Sunday (January 14th...Nathan's 25th birthday) Morning. President Nelson was ordained at the hand of Dallin H. Oaks and the other apostles. Then, he was inspired as to the two counselors he should select and they were set apart. Then, Dallin H. Oaks was set apart as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, and M. Russell Ballard set apart as Acting President. I had witness as I sat there that Russell M. Nelson is a true prophet. It was as Heavenly Father has set forth always to be done. Joanna, my visiting teacher, came by to visit before the broadcast (Emily is my other visiting teacher but she was hospitalized over the weekend with a problem pregnancy and ended up losing their baby.) After the church broadcast, but before the Media Broadcast, I went to the temple for a session. It was wonderful. Dad attended a Saturday evening session.

Scouts was a challenge this week. My co leader, Sister Day, was ill, so Dad came to assist. When I finally got inside the church building, someone else from another ward was in my reserved assigned room. I ended up crammed into the next room with two adults, six boys and barely room to open the door. I couldn't be set up before the boys arrived and that gave the boys more distractions. I ended up accomplishing what I planned but it was such a mess. Our primary president continues to work to get rooms reserved and others to recognize that. Dad's boy scouts played laser tag in one of the leaders back yard.

I have indexed 2350 records so far this year. I have reviewed some too. I am not sure how this web indexing works but so far I have been faring ok.

I am in Helaman 7 in my Book of Mormon reading.

Family

The Wilkins Family

Monday was a no school day. Grace woke up and was talking with me via Marco Polo. Her first project was to make a treat: Cheerios Breakfast Bars. I bet they were yummy. They had a busy week, and were excited to get pizza for dinner on Friday. Saturday was spent de junking and working on Grace's bedroom. Still painting and it's looking great. I saw the kids do some great trampoline tricks on Marco Polo, and Sam was over the moon excited at the birthday card and money he received from Great Granny Dorrie in the mail. Money went right into his wallet and into his purse that Grace found for him.

The Ethan Rice Family

This week brought snow, sledding, and snowmen to our Georgia family. They were even colder than Rexburg Idaho at times. Two snow days made for wonderful fun!

And the next day, they had some fun with friends...

The Doran Rice Family

This family struggled this week with illness. Mom getting better, but kids got sick. They are just hanging in there.

Morgan

No news from Morgan this week.

Kayty

Kayty had a pretty good week at work. She is applying for jobs since her job will be ending soon. 

The Nathan Rice Family

Happy Birthday, Nathan on Sunday. There was a yummy dinner and birthday pie to celebrate. Nathan and Jessica spent their day off school Monday catching up on tons of homework. Annalee helped cook on Tuesday...made the spaghetti sauce and stirred it on the stove. Nathan is very busy working on projects to improve a school business with a team as well as improve storage and efficiencies around their house. 

Dad's Garden

Snow peas are doing very well, and tomato plants are growing. Citrus this year has been a bit disappointing. We just never got really cold so nothing is very sweet. We do get may eggs from the hens every week. 

Year of the House Part 2

We have a level line and found good tile that dad is cutting. We just run out of time with working hours and our church callings.

Other highlights

Still two houses with Christmas lights up on Monday walk...and one tree lit in another that I could see. Gonna miss them when they get taken down. 

Nano Shop Thursday included WalMart, a blood test at a lab, picking up a prescription, and getting cash at the automated teller to pay the cleaning lady. 

Not so highlights
Sad for illness in the family. 

Week of January 7-13, 2018

Highlights:

Spiritual

We now attend church in the morning, from 9 am to noon. This day was very hard for me in that I nor dad could attend Ellie's Blessing in Idaho. I was so sad, but I felt the Lord sent me some comfort with the things that happened in our ward. Though my heart was in Idaho, I could feel the Spirit and be taught and comforted here. This the first Sunday of the year is Fast and Testimony meeting, and I had also prayed that I would hear something that I could share with my inmate sister, Jessica, in a letter this week. That prayer was truly answered over and over. Among the many testimonies shared (including Dee's) was blessings of reading the Book of Mormon daily as counseled by President Monson and obedience, we were blessed to hear from Alan Dibb, who is the grandson of our beloved prophet who passed away on January 2nd. This is what he shared as Dad and I wrote down from memory after church:

Brother Alan Dibb and his family had spent the Christmas holidays in Utah. Their visit was nearing it’s end, so they spent some time at Sister Dibb’s parents house. While there, Alan slipped out and went to his Grandfather, President Thomas S. Monson’s apartment. He just sat there, visiting off and on, for a couple of hours. Alan said that he felt content that he had a good visit, and that if something happened before their next trip to Utah, he was at peace.

The next day, the Dibb family was preparing to pack up and head back to Phoenix. Alan received a call from his mother, suggesting that he go again to see his grandfather and give him a blessing. Alan told her that he felt at peace with his last visit and that it would be good till the next trip to Utah. Later that same day, he felt like he should do as his mom had suggested. He took his wife, Lindsay and the four children: Amelia, Thomas, Miriam and William, for a visit. They had a good visit and Alan gave his grandfather, the prophet, a priesthood blessing.  

The Dibb family began their trip back to Phoenix later than expected, and arrived home about 2:30 am on January 2^nd. He awoke a few hours later and went to work. Later that same day, his mother called and told him that President Monson was not doing well, and asked if he could get there right away. He was exhausted with only a few hours of sleep, and felt he couldn’t drive, but was able to miraculously find a flight and arrived there late that night. He was able to get an Uber driver to take him to his grandfather’s apartment. As he walked in, there were a few family members there, and two nurses were attending to him as he laid in his bed. Alan slipped into his grandfather’s closet, stood among his suits and called his wife Lindsay (who is an anesthesiologist), answered questions as to his medical condition, and then slipped back to his side. Family was just sweetly, quietly visiting when one looked and asked, “Is he breathing?” President Thomas S. Monson had slipped away, no more than 15 minutes since Alan had arrived. Alan said that he could just imagine his grandmother, Francis, on the other side of the veil saying to her beloved husband who would soon join her, “Now just wait. Alan isn’t there yet.”

The family had time together, and each alone, to spend with President Monson. Then, they made plans for his services. Alan said the passing of his grandfather was a “sweet” moment.

Our Sunday School classes for this year are studying The Old Testament and our teacher, again Brother Dibb, led a wonderful discussion on living with Heavenly Father again and how He provides a way for us to all become like Him.

Our Relief Society meeting began a new era of a changed format. We walked into the room to our chairs in a circle and were able to begin to counsel as a group to help solve problems and meet the needs around us, both with ward members and those not of our faith. It was the beginning, an introduction, and people often had suggestions on how we could discern and work on needs around us. It was a great chance to step into a future of service and not just sitting and being taught.

Scouts for me went well on Wednesday. We have a new smaller room, and three boys were missing so it was easier to keep the chatting down to a minimum. Dad's Scouts didn't go as well. There is still a lot of confusion, a new leader, and a scoutmaster that doesn't share too much information. It will work out soon.

I am in Alma 57 in the Book of Mormon.

I have indexed 1584 records so far this year.

Family

The Wilkins Family

The Wilkins family started a new church year on Sunday, and Sam graduated from Nursery and went to Primary.

They had a busy week back to school. Mike worked in Grace's room and painted one wall a beautiful darker pink.  It was a special day for Sam on Saturday. Happy Birthday, Sam!!

We were able to see him on Marco Polo. He got some wonderful gifts, ate Café Rio dinner, and had those candles blown out and off the cookie cake before the Happy Birthday song was over.

The Ethan Rice Family

Happy Birthday, Cameo on Sunday!

Here are some pics from the fantastic birthday party for both Kaylee (5) and Wade (1)

They called on FaceTime on Tuesday night and we had a great visit. I love talking to them. Kaylee showed me her clean room and all her birthday gifts. She enjoyed being back at school. On Saturday, she and Cameo had a girls trip out for some pampering. 

A neighbor gave this to Kaylee, but it seems Wade has other ideas...

The Doran Rice Family

This family was back to school and regular schedules this week too. Amber struggled with illness so we had Kooper's birthday celebration here on Saturday.

Morgan

Morgan has improved healthwise after the accident. However, Goldberg and Osborn after sending him to chiropractors decided that, since the driver at fault had no insurance, they dropped the case. Thus, Kyle his friend has no car and only $400 from the junk yard, and Morgan has all the bills. Note to all: Don't Call Goldberg and Osborne.

Kayty

Kayty has struggled with a cough all week, but was able to go to work. She stayed home pretty much all week after work. Nothing exciting other than after a couple of saves last week, she only had one near save.

The Nathan Rice Family

Nathan gave Elisabeth May Rice a name and a father's blessing on Sunday, January 7, 2018. Monday started school for Nate and Jess. Lots of hours, and homework, but they are hanging in there. Poor Ellie had allergy testing on Monday.

Poor baby girl! And poor momma! We are thankful though that she was blessed to have no food allergies. She did forgive mom and ate squash that night. Loved it. I got to see her when they FaceTimed on Tuesday and both girls looked great. Jessica was making homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum! They still are spending their Saturdays at the Laundromat, but that should change when they get a new washer and dryer.

School is hard, as it usually is for the last year students, and it's even harder when Annalee has so enjoyed having Daddy and Mommy home these last few weeks. She will adjust, but until then, its a struggle.

Jessica's Dad and Brother were in a horrible car accident in Tucson.
This is what he said:

Went on a trip to Tucson with Joshua my son Thursday morning. The trip was for a tour at the UofA Medical School. It was an awesome tour led by some outstanding med students.
After that meeting we were heading home. We took the Oracle rd route which runs along the bases of Catalina Mountain range. A nice drive to say the least. Very scenic and a little off the beaten path.
We were heading Northbound. All of the sudden a Ford truck heading Southbound crosses the medium, clips a car and veers into our lane. We were traveling at 55mph. Hit the brakes about the time of impact.
We ended up back at UofA Medical Center this time via Ambulance. Guess you could say we have the complete tour now.
We are both home. Beaten up a bit but ok. Seatbelts, airbags and the grace of God are the only reason we are still on this side of the grass. Stay safe and buckle up.
The Camery on the other hand, not so much!
Impact from my end 50-55 mph.

We are so thankful all are doing fine now.

Dad's Garden

Year of the House Part 2

Work on shower tile continues. We are trying to get a level line around the shower to start with. This has proven very challenging around the entire shower.

Other highlights

We had our first rain since August on Tuesday. It was wonderful!!

I took Nano shopping on Wednesday this week.

I spent Friday beginning a sewing project and watching the funeral of President Monson. It was 

Doran wanted to check out that hive of bees in the side yard. He and Morgan investigated and found it under a piece of wood and within a tire. They worked and worked...

And Doran even ran when he felt stinging was involved

They retrieved part of the hive

 Dad ended up with 20.5 ounces out of the hive they retrieved and more is still in the tire.

Not so highlights

It was a pretty good week.