10 Year Reunion

Last night was my 10 year high school reunion. It was pretty fun. I got to see people I haven't seen in 10 years, and others that I haven't seen in the last year or so. We had questions on our achievements and whoever had accomplished the most won a prize. I won a duffel bag for having lived in more cities than anyone else (9). I don't think everyone was counting mission cities, which is probably why I won, but oh well.
One of the funny things that happened was 2 of my old boyfriends asked Karl if I still make great cookies. He said that I do occasionally, but usually I just buy the dough and bake it. I think I need to do more baking for him.
Since high school I've wondered if I had really influenced anyone and had no idea that I had. As I was getting ready to leave a girl ran up to me and started talking to me like we had been great friends in High School, which was interesting because I wouldn't have put us in the same group even though we knew each other. Maybe that means I influenced her in a positive way. It felt good.
I would have liked it if more of my friends were there, but some of them were and it was good to see them.
I think everyone has an idea of what their lives will be like when they graduate high school, mine hasn't really been what I planned. But I think I'm happier this way than I would have been if my plan had happened. I wouldn't change anything.

Happy Birthday Sisalee!!

Yesterday was my friend Sisalee's birthday. I was thinking about her and wanted to share how awesome she is. I first heard about Sisalee from my sister Della. I was preparing for my mission and she said she heard a girl from Hurricane had been called to go to Anaheim California on an ASL mission also. I thought that was cool and figured I might meet her. Little did I know what the next year and a half would bring.
I met Sisalee in the MTC, she was my first companion. We had some struggles, but they were mainly from the fact that we spoke in ASL all the time and didn't really have the vocabulary necessary to communicate well in that language. After a few weeks we worked out the kinks and got along wonderfully, (this was good because one of my main concerns about going on a mission was that I didn't know what kind of companions I would have.)
Sisalee was very patient with me and helped me learn ASL very well. She didn't even complain when I had arm problems and couldn't sign.
I was amazed at her strength throughout my time in the MTC. She had the relationship with Heavenly Father that I wanted, and since she was nearby all the time I was able to emulate her actions, which helped me to improve my relationship with him.
I was sad when our two months in the MTC were up, but I figured I would still see her occasionally in Anaheim. We flew to Anaheim together and got a surprise, we were still companions, although now we had a trainer as well. I stayed with the 2 of them for 1 week, and then was transferred English. The 2 months I spent in the English program were the hardest/least fullfilling months of the mission.
I was thrilled to get back to the deaf branch and a stable companion who made me happy. We were together for the remainder of the mission. Sisalee was patient with me through all my health problems, although she did get mad at me a few times for not letting her help me. It was amazing how well we worked together. She has the amazing ability to make everyone feel like the most important person in the world. She has so much love for everyone and is amazingly good at listening to the spirit and following what he tells her to do. Sisalee is also fun to be with. All the members loved her and the other missionaries all looked up to her. She was extremely obedient and I believe that obedience was part of our success on the mission.
Although the work was hard, I was doing it with a friend and we had the spirit, those 2 aspects made the whole thing easier, and more fun.
Sisalee can teach the gospel so that anyone can understand it, and she has the patience to answer questions that others may consider silly, (like: is the iron rod from Lehi's dream really a pipe that is watering the tree of life?)
The last day in the mission was one of the hardest in my life because I felt like I was loosing my best friend. Luckily we both got cell phones soon after we got home and talked on the phone whenever we missed each other. Sisalee married one of the best Elders from our mission and they were very evenly yoked. They matched each other perfectly and love each other intensely.
Unfortunately he died in a scuba diving accident and she was left with two sweet little boys, a lot of memories and a knowledge that she is sealed to Daniel for eternity. That knowledge has kept her going through all the hard times. I have never heard Sisalee complain. Sometimes she is frustrated and expresses it, but she never complains (there is a difference). She has stayed focused throughout all she has gone through, and her testimony is stronger than ever. I am amazed when I talk to her, every time she lifts me up.
I hope she knows how amazing she is and how much she is loved by many people.
Thanks for being my friend Sis!

Vacuum

A few weeks ago our vacuum stopped picking up stuff, which makes it rather hard to keep floors clean. Luckily we bought a warranty when we bought the vacuum and got to have it fixed for free. This is a picture of what was stuck in the vacuum that was stopping it from sucking:

Apparently our vacuum is strong enough to suck up a car, but not strong enough to get it into the dirt holder.

To buy or not to buy?

A couple of months ago I mentioned to Karl that someday I wanted to have a big screen TV. I was thinking in the far future after we had a house, but that part didn't get across to him. So he started looking at them and mentioning them when a good time arose. The main thing stopping him was the money factor.
On father's day I gave him $150 to go towards a TV. He started to get excited. Then we put some other money together and now have an account that is waiting to be spent on a TV.
Earlier this week we were discussing it and decided that a 32" is about $600, and a 37" is only a hundred or two more, and a 40" is only 2 or 3 hundred more, and a 50" is on sale for less than a 40", so if we're getting a big one, we might as well get a really big one.
We had decided to go today to buy one, but reason won. We decided that while a TV larger than what we have would be nice we really don't need one, so we're going to wait a little longer so we can put more into the TV and have the satisfaction of paying for it up-front. We also decided that a 32" is sufficient for our needs, we really don't need anything bigger, especially when you consider that our TV now is a 20".
Karl is a little disappointed, (I am too), but I'm glad we made a responsible choice. Maybe some day we'll buy a huge TV, but I think we'll save that for when we have a house to put it in...

Water

I found out today that Della has a similar goal to mine, to drink more water. I've been doing pretty good, I've drunk at least 1 bottle of water each day for the last week. Now I just need to push that to 2, wish me luck. This reminded me of some information that I got when I was seeing a dietition each week:

How can water help in weight loss?
• Studies show that when you think you’re hungry, often you’re actually thirsty, because dehydration is a major contributing factor in fatigue, which leads some people to seek food for energy.
• To keep your body functioning normally and to avoid dehydration, your body needs a continuous water supply.
• For weight management, water is often your best choice it is the most available fluid around and it contains no calories, fat, cholesterol, or caffeine!

Resources: Access to Health, 6th Edition, American College of Sports Medicine,
American Dietetic Association, United States Department of Agriculture, Dietary Guidelines

Busy Day

Lately I've had a lot of days where I really couldn't say I had accomplished a lot, even though I did stuff all day. Yesterday wasn't one of those days. This is what I did:
Walked in the children's parade with Kaleb, Von, Iris and Margaret, as well as some friends with their kids.
Paid my car payment.
Went to the children's craft fair with those mentioned above and helped with a bunch of crafts.
Went to the carnival with Kaleb, Von, and Margaret, watched Kaleb ride a bunch of rides (courtesy of Margaret).
Met up with Karl for lunch at the carnival.
Finished all of the sub-blocks for the quilt I'm working on.
Played a cars game with Kaleb.
Cleaned my van.
Cleaned the diaper bag.
Cleaned my church bag.
Helped Kaleb clean his room.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Attached a flag holder to my front porch.
Vacummed my house.
So that's most of what I did yesterday. I'll admit that part of the stuff I did was because I couldn't find the checkbook. I didn't have any luck finding it until this morning when I was putting a marble in Kaleb's jar, it was sitting on the top of the bookcase. I'm glad to find it and I'm glad my house looks nicer than it did yesterday morning.

Photo Friday

Recent Projects

Here are some recent projects that I've done and haven't had time to put on here yet.
This is a shirt that Emily got for her birthday. I helped her add a black insert at the neck so she wouldn't have to wear a camisole underneath to make it modest.


This is a blanket I crocheted around for my friend who just had a cute baby girl. Their nursery is purple so I finally got to make a purple blanket. I learned a new edge to put on it. I usually do a shell pattern, and this is called triangles and arches.



This is the cake I decorated for my upstairs neighbor. It was my first attempt at daisies. I learned that it works better to make flowers a day or so ahead of time. My neighbor's daughter stacked the layers which is why they are a little uneven.


This is a skirt I made this weekend. I decided I needed a new light skirt, but couldn't find one I liked. So I made one.

Beware of Identity Theft

Some Laughs

An eager young man entered his prospective boss' office for an interview,
Said the boss .One thing our company is very particular about is cleanliness. I hope you wiped your shoes on the doormat while coming in?
Yes, sir, the young man replied promptly.
Back came the rejoinder: One more thing we.re very particular about is honesty. There is no doormat outside!

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How's your husband,?. Mrs. Mathur asked her friend.
Pretty well, I think - he works so hard I see him for only about an hour each
day.
You poor thing,. said Mrs. Mathur.
Oh, It's all right, the hour soon passes..

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A salesman was dismissed because he was rude to a customer. A month later the sales manager spotted him walking about in a police uniform.
I see you've joined the force, Bhatnagar,. said the sales manager.
Yes, Sir. This is the job I've been looking for all my life. Here the customer is always wrong..

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A not-too-bright candidate for the police force failed in the written examination. Since he was the Chief.s nephew, the examiner decided to go easy on him with the oral test.
Who shot Abraham Lincoln?., asked the examiner.
The candidate pondered for a moment and then asked if he could have some time to come up with the answer. The examiner told him to come back the next morning.
When the would-be recruit went home, his wife asked, Well, how did it go? Did you get the job?
I think so, he replied. They have already got me working on a case..

Wordless Wednesday