Highlights:
Spiritual
We had a great Sunday. Talks in Sacrament Meeting were all focused on choosing good friends, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the basics of the Gospel, and Heavenly Father's divine design at work in our lives. Ty Clark spoke before he leaves on his mission to the Korea Busan Mission. Elder Mark Frost of the Seventy was in our Sacrament and spoke as well. Sunday School was very good. I was looking forward to sitting and participating in Relief Society, but Primary came in asking me to help in a class, so I went there. Dad home taught his final family right after church. We had two conflicting meetings on Sunday night. I spoke at Great to Be 8 and Dad attended the Fireside on . Same building. Same time.
I received two letters from my inmate friend, Jessica. It is a gift to come home and see the copies of her letters in my email. (President Day, the branch president, receives all mailings. He sends us a scanned copy of the letter and must keep the original.) She is doing well. I found out that Sunday was her birthday, so I went in the next few days to find a card for her. I had no idea so better late than never.
For cubs, we had a good pack meeting this week. Dad and his young men met with the young women the same age at a leaders house to look at a video the boys created to earn a merit badge.
I did complete visiting teaching this month. A text to Linda. A quick visit to drop off zucchini bread and a couple of thoughts to Yvonne.
I have indexed 4055 records so far this year.
I am in 3 Nephi 18 in the Book of Mormon.
I received two letters from my inmate friend, Jessica. It is a gift to come home and see the copies of her letters in my email. (President Day, the branch president, receives all mailings. He sends us a scanned copy of the letter and must keep the original.) She is doing well. I found out that Sunday was her birthday, so I went in the next few days to find a card for her. I had no idea so better late than never.
For cubs, we had a good pack meeting this week. Dad and his young men met with the young women the same age at a leaders house to look at a video the boys created to earn a merit badge.
I did complete visiting teaching this month. A text to Linda. A quick visit to drop off zucchini bread and a couple of thoughts to Yvonne.
I have indexed 4055 records so far this year.
I am in 3 Nephi 18 in the Book of Mormon.
Family
The Wilkins Family
Sam had a good week with home preschool. It was C week, and he made a caterpillar and baked cookies. He is pretty good at all the letter sounds.
The Ethan Rice Family
Family is finally feeling better this week and is starting to catch up with work and house responsibilities. They shared these pics
The Doran Rice Family
Doran and family are doing very well. Dad and Doran talked hunting on the phone Friday night.
Morgan
Morgan
Morgan is busy at work.
Kayty
Kayty had her last two days at one job, an interview at another job, and scheduled another for the next week. Happy Birthday, Kayty, on Saturday. She headed up to her favorite zoo, Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde and had a wonderful day.
When she got home, we had her birthday dinner. After tasting some pretty awesome chicken basil meatballs at Costco when we were getting her birthday cake, she decided they would be her birthday dinner. I cooked down tomatoes all day Friday which became a pretty awesome tomato sauce for spaghetti with her meatballs for dinner. She also had her famous chocolate birthday cake from Costco.
The Nathan Rice Family
Nathan and Jessica had a good school week. Nathan did well on his Tuesday test, is interviewing for a position at Ruger by phone, and will attend a job fair in Provo next Thursday and Friday. School is very very busy but going well and the girls are doing great! I am so thankful for Sunday FaceTime calls where I can see them and talk to them. Anna is getting so big and talking so well, and Ellie is smiles all the time...until she is hungry, and then she lets you know!
Dad's Garden
Lots of peas, cabbage and turnips are being harvested. Tomato cages went on the tomato plants.
Year of the House Part 2
Tiling continued this week. We are slow but making progress.
Other highlights
I had the opportunity to drive my ward friend, Janet, out to Scottsdale for a doctors appointment at the Virginia Piper Cancer Center.
Janet spent all of 2015 being treated for breast cancer, and then months recovering from that. She had a pretty good 2016 after she was declared cured, and even traveled on a cruise. She struggled with vertigo due to the chemo, but was getting better. Then, late last year, she was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia, caused by the chemo for breast cancer. Her husband couldn't take her to the appointment so I was able to. We spent a few hours there, changing dressings, and seeing her doctor hoping the chemo she had a few weeks ago had destroyed the cancer so she would be able to have a bone marrow transplant. As I sat in the waiting room, I saw person after person walk in, some with masks on, some with stocking hats covering their heads, some covered with tattoos, of all walks of life and all ages. Yet, they would share with each other. One lady had fought the disease previously, spent a year in the hospital, and drives 5 hours down from the Indian Reservation for this check up and then drives back, every month. She looked totally normal. She was talking about her doctor wanting her to gain weight, but she takes 29 pills a day, so it's hard to feel hungry. I was absolutely humbled just listening as people shared their battle and their victories, no matter how small. The rest of us think chemotherapy is just it, and then one returns to normal life. I learned these valiant people must create a new "normal" and while they are fighting for their lives, they don't hesitate to ask how someone is, and to listen. Janet did come out, and set a new course for her treatment. She scheduled appointments for the next few days when her husband could be with her, and we headed home. I truly learned a lot.
Janet spent all of 2015 being treated for breast cancer, and then months recovering from that. She had a pretty good 2016 after she was declared cured, and even traveled on a cruise. She struggled with vertigo due to the chemo, but was getting better. Then, late last year, she was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia, caused by the chemo for breast cancer. Her husband couldn't take her to the appointment so I was able to. We spent a few hours there, changing dressings, and seeing her doctor hoping the chemo she had a few weeks ago had destroyed the cancer so she would be able to have a bone marrow transplant. As I sat in the waiting room, I saw person after person walk in, some with masks on, some with stocking hats covering their heads, some covered with tattoos, of all walks of life and all ages. Yet, they would share with each other. One lady had fought the disease previously, spent a year in the hospital, and drives 5 hours down from the Indian Reservation for this check up and then drives back, every month. She looked totally normal. She was talking about her doctor wanting her to gain weight, but she takes 29 pills a day, so it's hard to feel hungry. I was absolutely humbled just listening as people shared their battle and their victories, no matter how small. The rest of us think chemotherapy is just it, and then one returns to normal life. I learned these valiant people must create a new "normal" and while they are fighting for their lives, they don't hesitate to ask how someone is, and to listen. Janet did come out, and set a new course for her treatment. She scheduled appointments for the next few days when her husband could be with her, and we headed home. I truly learned a lot.
January 31, 2018 early morning - Super Blue Blood Moon lunar eclipse. Saw the beginnings as I jogged and walked, kept checking it out while I was indexing. Pretty amazing.
Not so highlights
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