Of Being Married to a Perfect Man

You know, I have to say, I'm pretty certain I am married to the best guy in the world. I was visiting with my friend Karen the other morning on the phone, and we were talking about some problems we have, and she said; "Well, everyone has faults." My reply was, "Yeah, everyone except for Curtis!" Then we got to talking about how amazing Curtis is, and we both agreed, he is a pretty special guy with a gift for truly loving people. How blessed I am to be married to him!

Of Maile Ready to Help Shovel

Here is Maile, ready for winter!

Of Cherstin and Arden in Masks

Cherstin came over and showed us the beautiful mask she had made for the town masquerade ball. Arden ran and got his mask too!

Of Snow and NO SNOWBLOWERS!

Here is Alli trying to shovel her way out of our driveway so she can get to work!



Here is Curtis with the kids, shoveling off our deck.

So, I have been trying not to be too negative about the weather, but I have to vent a little...PLEASE, POWERS THAT BE, NO MORE SNOW! I know I shouldn't complain too much because we really could use the moisture, but I am so sick of shoveling. The snowplow comes down our street and leaves a huge pile of snow in front of our driveway and mailbox, every single time he comes (which has been every day the last two weeks!). Friday Alli couldn't get to work on time because in three hours of shoveling, we only had a small pathway through the pile. Thank goodness for our wonderful neighbor, Brady Gardner, who came and dug us out with his snowblower.

Speaking of snowblowers, Curtis and I decided that a snowblower was no longer a want, but a necessity. Unfortunately, I think everyone else in the nation thinks the same, as no one seems to have any available. Anywhere... We will have to get one earlier in the season next year, I think!

Of Christmas and Presents

Well...Christmas is over...it was absolutely delightful! I had invited over several folks from the rest home in town for Christmas Eve, but since none of them could make it, we went over to our neighbors, the Rammell's, and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve with them. We also inducted them into the wonderful world of Settler's of Catan. Their girls are pretty competitive, and I don't know that I have ever played such an intense game of Settlers before! Anyway...fun, fun!
Then, Christmas was perfect. I noticed last year that there seems to be a sweet spot for the kids in regards to presents--once they get a certain amount of gifts, they seem to start getting greedy instead of thankful. So we scaled back this year, and it was fantastic. Everyone was happy, and it was just very relaxing.



The only disappointing thing about the season was that Ben, Kayla, Char, and Dave didn't come up on the 26th as planned, because the weather has been pretty rotton. We were looking forward to that, but I'd rather they be safe! It's all good though...Curtis has been getting a lot of work done in our basement, which will be nice to have off our minds!

Of Flat Tires And and my Father

I have recently had a couple of experiences where I have really felt my Heavenly Father's love, very much as my Father. Just one...when I was in Provo on my way to pick up Curtis from the airport, I got a very flat tire. I pulled into a parking lot and tried to call my two brothers who were in town. Neither of them were available to come help me change it, so I realized I was pretty much on my own. Now, I am ashamed to say it, but I have never actually changed a tire, though I know how to do it in theory. So, I got out my trusty car owners manuel, and proceeded to begin, and this guy walked up and asked if he could help me out. I very gratefully accepted his offer, knowing it would have taken me about two hours to change the tire (sad, I know!), and I had both the kids with me. He said he was from St. Louis, and he was there to inspect the store I was at. When I asked him what I could pay him, he refused payment, saying he figured God had put him there for a reason. Wow! This may seem like a little thing to most people, but as I drove off, I got tears in my eyes, knowing that Heavenly Father is always there for me, even in the little things, and I felt He had taken care of me since my own Dad was out of town and my brothers not around. What a comforting knowledge that is, and how grateful I am for angels like this man, who are answers to other people's prayers.

Of Toys and Welfare

So, among other things, I have been thinking a lot today about Christmas toy distribution to the needy. Call me a Scrooge, but I have decided I am against it. I don't mind "needs" being taken care of, but toys....no. The reason I say this is because I ran into someone who is a student at the moment with a couple of kids at home, and she was lamenting the fact that she couldn't give her kids the bikes they want for Christmas. This lady was actually quite whiny about it, and it really irritated me. I just kept thinking to myself, "Explain to your kids that one's education is worth sacrificing for, and then make it a really special "homemade" Christmas, and focus on service and the Savior." I hear of so many stories where people did just that, and it ended up being the most memorable Christmas they had ever had. However, I just think so many people in our society focus on giving gifts as an expression of their love, and not many of them have been taught to be creative with their giving...they have been taught to rely on charity and the government if they are in hard circumstances. I was thinking the other day how I would revamp the government's welfare programs if I were in charge, and I think...well, let's just say I think a lot of the people now on welfare would hate me. BUT--they would thank me in the long run! It's all about teaching a better way..

Oh Happiness and Joy

Alright--back in the summer I started making a list of things that make me happy, so I figured it's about time I write them down in my blog. (These aren't in any particular order, and I will add to it as I come up with more things!)

*Rexburg summers *new underwear and socks *photographs *trips *a good novel and a free afternoon to read it in *going out to eat *greeting Curtis when he arrives home from a trip *playing my piano *relatives *woodworking *beautiful music *jamming out in my living room *swimming in warm water (especially in the rain--only done that once, and loved it!) *fixing things *creating beautiful things *watching Stargate in bed with Curtis *my Japanese blanket from Toshi *getting letters *the Reader's Digest *being in a warm house when it's snowing *our beautiful Christmas tree *sitting by the fireplace *when my kids come in our room in the morning and snuggle by me *teaching people the gospel *crafts with my kids

Of Travel and Babies

Well, we just got back last night from being in Provo for the past 10 days, so I have a bit to update.

Jason and Danica and their four kids came up to visit from Colorado for several days before Thanksgiving. It was so nice to see them--it has been a long time. It was fun to play games with Jason and Danica after the kids were in bed, and it was fun to see how the kids have grown over the last little while. They are good kids, but I commented to Curtis that I can see why people only have one kid at a time!

The only bad thing that happened during the visit was that my nephew, Mosiah, took a sharp edged magnet to my stainless steel fridge and scribbled all over it. Aaarrgggh! I was so irritated, especially since the kid is seven, SEVEN, and should know better, and unfortunately, I am not yet the Christlike person that thinks; "Oh, I am so grateful for the scratches on my fridge, because they remind me that people are more important the things..." Grrr.....Anyway, enough about that.

Anyway, the reason we have been in Provo for the last week and a half is because Dad and Mom went on a 10 day cruise to South America and Jamaica with Uncle Parr and Aunt Kathy. Yeah for them! They have never done anything like this before, but they deserve it more then anyone I know. Dad was so cute about it--he and Mom are always so frugal and hardworking, and it was obvious that he was embarrassed to tell people he was taking an exotic vacation! Anyway, so Curtis and I went down to help watch things at the house. It was a lot of fun--we went to a living nativity, went laser tagging, built a big gingerbread castle, looked at Christmas light, and best of all, saw our newest addition to the family. Yup, brother Dan and his wife, VY, just had their first baby--a little girl they named Amari. She is so cute, and I was excited we could be in town when she was born.