Spring Break Part 1

For Spring Break this year me, Pat, Brandon and Savannah went to San Luis Obispo and Solvang.  Sooo fun.  We stayed at the Madonna Inn in SLO and it was so over the top that it was amazing.  We stayed in the Italy Room.  It was pretty cool but the main dining hall and restaurant and bathrooms were so amazing that we were walking around with our eyes bugging out of our heads and our jaws on the floor.  Everything is decorated to the max and is so tacky that it looks cool.  The ladies bathroom was so beautiful that we couldn't imagine what the men's bathroom would look like so we had Beer stand lookout and we went in and took pictures.  It was even cooler than the ladies'! I have spent most of my adult life taking vacations only to where my family was so it was really fun to just do something totally out of the ordinary and explore someplace new.  We had a great time. 

I'm Gonna Be O.K:)

I think I've turned a corner.  With the Lord's help I'm pretty sure I'm going to be allright.  It's been a few weeks now that I haven't woken up with a depressed feeling.  I've moved on to my new role in life and it doesn't feel bad at all.  A couple more of my sons are moving in the next few weeks and I'm not suicidal about it.  I will miss my grandchildren terribly but I will live.  I realize that this is just what I did as a young mother was move away from my family and we all lived through it just fine.  I'm so relieved to feel this way after many many prayers.  I love my Heavenly Father and I know that He loves me.  I'm throwing myself into my callings, appreciating my beautiful daughter and wonderful husband and life is good:) 

Potty Trained!!

I can't believe it but my little Bubs is potty trained!  Already!  He's only 2 1/2!  None of my kids did it this young.  I'm so amazed and so happy for his parents.  It was super easy and I have no idea why.  Maybe it's because he's a brilliant, wonderful, adorable child who loves his "Money" and she loves him.  Yeah, that's it:)

Chubby Bunny

I love my little ball of delight otherwise known as Sienna.  She is a non-stop eater!  She loves food.  While we were visiting them a few days ago she managed to get 4 breakfasts.  I fed her first, then Pat got some breakfast and she helped him eat it, then Tanner came downstairs and tried to eat his while she was begging for more and finally, Flan came down and ended up sharing her breakfast too.  So funny.  Love her:)

Been Busy This Month

I've had a pretty good month so far.  Pat and I went to Solvang, which, for those of you who don't know, is a little Dutch town in California that has a bakery about every 50 feet and all the shops and houses look like little swiss chalets.  Soooo cute.  We ate ourselves sick and stayed in a darling little cottage looking room.  Then we went up to Oakland to see Talana and the girls.  Tanner was getting his "white coat" symbolizing the start of the "hands on" part of his schooling to be a podiatrist.  I was so proud and might have even teared up a little.  A few times.  We also got to go to our temple in Oakland.  That's where Pat and I got married.  Tanner had a basketball game in the gym right on the temple grounds.  It brought me waaayyy back to the days when I would watch Pat play basketball on our ward team.  I can't believe Tanner has children to watch him play.  Then, we talked Talana into coming back home with us for spring break (his, not ours).  They stayed all week and we had a great time with them.  My niece, Sarah, and her husband came to stay with us also.  SARAH IS PREGNANT!!!!  I'm so happy.  So we will have babies in August (Aubrie), September (Sarah) and October (Flan).  We had a full house for the first time in awhile and that's just the way I like it:)

What a Morning!!

My morning could have been a comedy show script.  Every other Monday I deliver Meals on Wheels.  Today was my day.  I have acute laryngitis, as in, I can't make a sound above a whisper.  I've been delivering Meals on Wheels for a little over 11 years and I don't think I've ever had laryngitis during my route.  I didn't think it would be any big deal since I just deliver the meals and don't really have to chat with the clients much.  Right when I got my binder telling me who I would be delivering to I saw a note that said to call the office.  Great.  They aren't going to hear me when I call them.  I called and whispered as loud as I could and my supervisor informed me that all of my San Marcos clients needed to know that the mayor of San Marcos would be delivering their meal on Wednesday and wanted to know if they would consent to a photo op.  If they consented, they would need to sign a waiver form.  About half of my clients are deaf and one of them is blind.  How in the world was I going to tell them about this without a voice and have the blind one sign the form?  Luckily, I go right by my house on my route so I stopped there and wrote a note that the deaf ones could read.  Also luckily, the blind lady is married to a deaf guy (and a mute is delivering their meals to them today) so I had him read the paper and sign it for them.  One more kink happened when I went to a retirement home that has been open every time I have gone there to deliver except today when I had to call the client to open the door and she is deaf.  I had a moment of panic but just as I dialed and tried to whisper/yell "Meals on Wheels" another resident came up and yelled it for me so she could hear.  I had no idea how valuable a voice is and how helpless you can feel without one.  Some of the instructions on my deliveries say to knock on the door, announce Meals on Wheels and then go in.  How do you whisper through a door?  After each panicky moment I would think, Jay Leno would have a heyday with my morning.  I really hope my voice comes back soon.  Maybe I'll sell my experience to Hollywood and make some dough:)

Long Lost Relatives

On Friday my niece, Macela, and her family came by our house on their way home from Disneyland.  It was so wonderful to see them.  Landon had a blast with their daughters, Kennedy and Madison.  Macela hasn't been over here since she was a little girl and her family has never been here.  She got to meet Michelle and Landon and Chloe and Aleigh.  I hope they come more often.  They live up near Sacramento but luckily they love Disneyland.  That's the beauty of living so close to Disneyland.  We are only an hour away from anyone who goes there:)