Spirit of Elijah!

yesterday our lesson in young women's was about keeping personal records.  after reading several talks, articles, and quotes about the importance, joys, and other blessings associated with keeping personal records i felt inspired to do better.  i don't think scared would be the right word, but maybe more a sense of urgency.  as we talked about it yesterday, we discussed briefly that if you don't keep records during a part of your life, then you kinda missed it.  you certainly can look back and record memories, but it's very easy to forget specific thoughts, feelings, details, etc.

so in effort to remember and record a fairly normal weekend for us, here's a glimpse into our lives as a mid-twenties, no kids family...

friday at Monticello was my last day of EL (english learner) groups.  earlier in the week with my first graders we had read a story called "Melissa Hides the Popcorn." (i didn't write it, and i don't really love this program, but whatever).  before i knew it, i had said that maybe we could read it again friday (our last day) and have popcorn.  they were pretty excited.  well of course not only did they remember all week, but apparently they went home and talked about it - telling their moms, siblings, etc.  this includes lissette going home and telling gisselle about it.  lissette, though a second grader (in sdc), comes to the first grade group.  her sister gisselle is in my third grade group.  so gisselle comes in the  next day and says that lissette said they were having popcorn, could they too?  i said sure, why not?  so friday i took our air popper (thanks mom and dad howes!) and some popcorn.  we discussed it and made popcorn.  it was very fun to watch them, as most of them have never seen that before.  they loved watching it pop.  they especially liked how it got to be more and more, then slid down the ramp.  (mr. mcpooch comes down the ramp!  HAHA anyone remember that!? ..... and pathetically that just made me realize i missed my chance to watch arthur today, as it's on at 1:30... dang it).  anyway, friday was fun at school because of that.  the rest of my time there that day was spent administering more dibels tests.  at least we're done with first grade now (the longest test) except for absences and are now on to just second and fourth!!

after school i went to the end of a preschool meeting.  just for discussing end of year logistics, etc...

then i took the car back to tracy hyundai and FINALLY got it fixed so that the check engine light is off.  it felt like a miracle that it actually was "fixed" when i left and there should be no car place returns in my foreseeable future!!  i think we've been trying to get that all taken care of (it's own story) for about a month now.  huge blessing was that our new sensor and fuel pump were taken care of under warranty that we didn't think we had.  that warranty was/is good until the 24th of THIS month!  that's this thursday!  hallelujah!  telling us that we were, in fact, under warranty was about the only thing i appreciated about that place, unfortunately... our confidence and trust in car places has slipped... bummer...

i had eaten lunch at hyundai (packed it myself, of course : ) and after some reading and time wasting on my phone, called mom!!  she was running out the door so after i talked to her longer than she really had, i talked with greg some.  then the car was done.  i dropped by julie's on my way home to get some stuff for preschool to work on, then came home and called greg back.  i talked with him and dad for a little bit.  then i hung out trying to enjoy a little more time of "freedom"....

you see, after i picked will up from the 6:09 train, the plan was to give him a hair cut right away.  we like saving money, but honestly, neither of us really really loves sitting/standing on the  porch getting all itchy and hairy.  and sometimes will gets impatient... because i'm slow and worried that i've ruined his hair.  but every time, posterity, he assures me that it's fine.  and just about every time, posterity, it is fine... : )  sometimes it's just hard to tell until he's washed it.  i will say, though, that i was pretty pleased with how this one went.  thank goodness because we're going up to see family including grandparents this week!!!!! : )

we did the hair cut first so we could put the hairy clothes in the laundry.  so then, though someone was hungry and borderline cranky because of it, we still started the laundry... (yes, of course it was me.. : )  it was nice that we had pretty much the whole laundry room to ourselves.  not because we needed it all, but because you don't have to get lucky to get machines that way.

then we finally ate dinner.  i can't remember what it was, but by that point it was probably really good.  oh, no, i know... it was "open faced tomato and cheese sandwiches."  slices of tomato and cheddar on whole wheat bread - broiled.. : )

then, though we still had to switch the laundry (will is the champ at doing that for me : ), we enjoyed the first episode of this summer's season of Next Food Network Star.  we just like it, ok? : )  it's on on sundays, so we watch the episode off the website later in the week.  we realized this will be our fourth summer watching it.  is that embarrassing???  watching on the computer means watching in bed, and we had some tres leches in bed while watching.  because we can : )  it was excellent.

saturday morning we "slept in" until a little after 8.  then we ate breakfast and got ready to go to the temple.  yeah, at one point the plan was to run before that... oops?  we made it over to the oakland temple in time for the 11 am session.  it was saturday that i learned that there's at least one smaller endowment room there... i had no idea!  it was really hot and sweaty in the car on the way home.  we tried the "fan", but didn't want to have the windows down on the freeway (too noisy), and we're just to cheap to have the AC on too much - until we really need it.  we did break down and have the AC on for a little bit.... we had to!!!

after lunch at home we relaxed and took care of a few things around the house (apartment... we haven't graduated yet).  i think i also worked on reading some things for my lesson a little?  after a while we went over to the complex pool for a swim.  will thinks the adults we saw this time had no tattoos.... wow!  not 100% sure, but we can give the benefit of the doubt.. : )

then we went to cold stone!!  we used will's birthday coupon.  will got "sweet cream" with chocolate chips.  i got strawberry with oreos... delicious! (sorry bobby flay : )  after that we went to do our shopping at winco. since we're going out of town this week, eating out for will's birthday once, needed some birthday treat supplies, and didn't need a whole lot else, our cart looked especially unhealthy.. : )

dinner was our "new" chicken/bean soft taco/burritos!  the meal that keeps on giving!  we made it for the missionaries last sunday and have been enjoying leftovers for a while... (we finished them off for lunch yesterday).  of course that night we worked on our tres leches some more.  we spent our evening reading the family newsletter that had just arrived and other "family history" stories.  we were enjoying the Spirit of Elijah! : )  (and will read in his new economist some too...)  i think that evening we also talked about some plans/logistics for our trip.

sunday we slept in again - this time until probably 8:30!  will had a meeting at 10, then home teaching.  we went "early" for choir.... but we were still a little late for choir.. : )  church was nice.  there was some rearranging.  our bishopric's second counselor (rex brown) was released and called as a high councilor.  a counselor in the elder's quorum (nathan masters) was released and called as the new second counselor in the bishopric.  it's kinda fun and exciting to have some changes.  plus we like the masters a lot : )

my lesson went all right.  i always get more out of it than the girls do, i'm sure.  they talked me in to going outside for it.  i'm not sure we'll do it again, because neither of them liked sitting in the grass after a while.  it was itchy...

after church we made "Armenian" for dinner, then i went visiting teaching at joanne's at 6.  i guess i thought it might be a little shorter since it was sunday... no, i got home around/a little after 8... : )

then we talked to dad and greg a little more about food and logistics (mom was gone at a girls camp meeting).  we wrote an email to grandma about coming.  will and i talked about whatever it is we talk about sunday evenings (ok, this time it was mostly about the trip).  we finished off the last of the tres leches : )  we read scriptures, prayed, got ready for bed (why does it take soo long??!), and went to bed.

whew... it was an excellent weekend.  we felt productive and relaxed all at the same time.  we ate plenty of treats and enjoyed our family time.

this week we're looking forward to will's birthday (tomorrow)!!! and leaving on our trip!  we're excited to see family and get a break from tracy/bay area.

roundy roundy

i LOVE traditions!!! we grew up with lots of fun traditions that are now good memories. it's been fun to carry on some of them with will as well as begin some of our own new traditions. there are also some traditions that will and i don't really do, but if we're with my family, we do... or i do.... : ) ha

so i grew up eating "roundy roundy" at christmas time. it wasn't my all time favorite thing ever, but i liked it pretty well, and for goodness sake it was a tradition!! : ) it's not a tradition that will and i have continued, but if we're at my parents' around christmas, i'll have it.

in case you didn't grow up eating roundy roundy, or aren't sure what it is, it's just sweetened condensed milk over cheerios (or tastee o's... : )

as will and i made our (late for cinco de mayo) tres leches cake over the weekend, roundy roundy came up. will reminded me that he thinks it sounds NASTY. he's never tried it, so i was trying to explain that if he likes sweetened condensed milk, how could he not like roundy roundy??! i told him it's no worse than eating froot loops or any other sugary cereal, really. and it's like when people put sugar directly on their cereal ("didn't you say your grandparents had a sugar bowl on the table?" i asked him.) well he just couldn't get over it and reiterated that it just sounds plain nasty.

i decided we could just disagree... : ) i let him have his opinion, but i did make sure he knew that i grew up eating it, and it was a TRADITION started before my parents even (as far as i know). great grandma mcallister?? so though i didn't think it was the best thing ever, i just grew up eating it... ok? : )

i went on to explain that it's called roundy roundy because you don't take off the whole lid, you just poke the two holes so you can pour it. then you pour it over your cheerios in a circular motion (round and round and round... get it? : ) until you're satisfied. i also mentioned that you can pour it on before or after you put the milk on it, but my preference is definitely before so that the skim milk helps spread the sweetened condensed milk onto more of the cheerios and helps sweeten the skim.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............ he NEVER KNEW that you put regular milk in there too!!!!!!!!! hahaha : )

i said, what, you thought that we just poured sweetened condensed milk on cheerios and ate it just like that?!?!?! that IS nasty!!!


now we're on the same page : ) and now will is looking forward to trying roundy roundy next time we're in washington for christmas.... whenever that is... : )



also, i forgot just how good tres leches is... mmmmmm : )

1, 2 ..... 99, 100

i'm very grateful for my mom and i love her very much. i'm also very grateful for will's mom and i love her very much. two great examples in many ways that have been, and continue to be, wonderful blessings in our lives. otherwise, let's just skip sunday.......

raise your hand if....

kids have to be taught, among other things, how to raise their hand. this is, of course, something that is addressed frequently at preschool. most need plenty of reminders, but they've also come a long way. this doesn't bother me. i know they're still learning and working on it. most of the time they're just plain excited!

sometimes something will be passed out (like a treat - and we're talking a single m&m, skittle, etc). someone (varies) will call out, "raise your hand if you got _______!!!" (whichever color, etc they got) it doesn't matter if i let them choose and they just heard what everyone else chose, they still like to have their friends raise their hand if they got the same one. for some reason this DOES bother me!! ha. just a pet peeve and i can't tell you why. i've learned that it's pretty much inevitable and i just wait for it, endure it, and move on.

at preschool there are two "rooms" - the "learning loft" and the "craft room." the raise your hand if you got ______ happens much more often in the learning loft (just the way things are). but it's not like it never happens in the craft room...

so today when we're in the craft room in the middle of a project and i hear aida say, "raise your hand if...." i cringe a little on the inside wondering what she has to ask about, and wondering again to myself why it annoys me (all at the same time in that one brief moment).

BUT THEN

i hear her whole phrase and suddenly the phrase isn't so bad anymore.... : )

"raise your hand if you're awesome!"

all the kids (except for the one in his own little world at the moment - sucking his thumb most likely) shoot their hands up : ) i had to smile. luckily my cringing subsided and i was able to enjoy the moment.

they are awesome : ) even the thumb sucker... : )





in other news... now that we've gotten through some rain, hail, thunder, lightning, and cooler weather, i think we're just about ready to move on to some warmer weather! i guess that means more shaving and moving on from pants and cardigans... too bad this is the only way i know how to dress myself....

follow up

i thoroughly enjoyed General Conference this last weekend. it was nice to be filled and uplifted with a conference that seemed to have been prepared just for me : )

it always goes by so fast! i look forward to reading and rewatching/listening to the messages for the next six months and beyond. i hope you enjoyed General Conference just as much!

i love my family! i love my Savior and the gospel of Jesus Christ!

"Too often...

...we pray to have patience, but we want it right now!"

how did he know???!! : )

i watched this talk because i suddenly realized that General Conference being this weekend meant TOMORROW!!!! so i watched a good one from last fall to warm up. i also heard a couple on my run today... (including Pres. Uchtdorf's Forget Me Not talk : )

i'm grateful to know that we have prophets and apostles on the earth today who give us counsel to improve ourselves and become more like our Savior. as i listened to this talk i could feel the Holy Ghost testify to me of the truthfulness of Elder Hales' words. i also know that my Savior loves me and i am not alone. this gives me strength and courage to press on.

i look forward to watching conference this weekend and receiving personal revelation to help me in my life!

"On this Sabbath morning, I express gratitude that “in my Gethsemane” and yours, we are not alone. He that watches over us “shall neither slumber nor sleep.” His angels here and beyond the veil are “round about [us], to bear [us] up.” I bear my special witness that our Savior’s promise is true, for He says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” May we wait upon Him by pressing forward in faith, that we may say in our prayers, “Thy will be done,” and return to Him with honor. In the holy name of our Savior and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, amen."

teacher thing

i am SO proud of my 4th graders' writing they did today!! : ) they are making progress!!!

and i told them all that : )