Meet Data

One of our Christmas surprises for the kids was our new puppy, Data. For those who don't know me or my children well, he's named in honor of one our favorite Star Trek characters, Lieutenant Commander Data. The character was killed off in the last Star Trek: Nemesis movie as he saved the lives of his captain and fellow shipmates. (Our friends, Jim and Melanie, will remember me sobbing as his 'life' ended on screen). Anyway, Data is a wonderful puppy. Very quiet and snuggly and is potty training well - thank goodness. It's like having a new baby in the house sans the diapers and bottles!!

One of my favorite gifts was receiving a phone call at 6PM Christmas Night from Dalon in Hong Kong. He sounded wonderful! He's being very positive and appreciates any progress he makes as far as the language is concerned. His trainer has been transferred and his new comp is coming from an area of Hong Kong that has a large english speaking population, so the new comp is a little rusty in his own Cantonese. This is really a blessing for Dalon, because it means he has to speak more on his own and rely less on his comp. His trainer was great, but it's the right time for Dalon to strengthen his own skills.

As we made our family phone calls, I just realized how blessed we are to have technology to communicate and stay close. I love to email Dalon and receive his in return, but to hear his voice and to hear the sincerity as he expressed what a wonderful experience he's having was precious. To hear my brother's and sister's and our parents voices was wonderful and we were so far away!! What a miracle this technology is in our day.

One more thing that is miraculous! The completion of our garage. Arlen is a miracle worker with a hammer and nails. We are excited that it's done and now on to the next project - building a sewing room/guest bedroom! Yea! We're excited to have Arlen's brother, Paul with us to start that project off on the right foot!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from Waco

We received a wonderful invite to attend an Eagle Court of Honor for one of Arlen's former scouts in Waco. The timing was right due to Thanksgiving holidays so we thought we'd make a quick trip to Waco/Robinson area on Saturday, attend church and return on Sunday evening in time to prepare for school and seminary the next day. We had such a terrific time visiting with our friends there. The time was too short, but it was just the drink of water we needed after being away for a year and a half. (I love the blogs, but nothing can beat a one on one conversation!) Anyway, we attended church on Sunday and started on our way home. The weather was a bit dreary. It rained consistently from the time we left Waco until we reached Wichita Falls. The cooler weather required us to use our defroster to keep the windshield clear. A little info here - our air conditioning compressor had gone bad during the summer and we'd been told it needed to be replaced. We decided we would wait to replace it in the spring. Guess what? The defroster requires the compressor as well. HMMM....

Well, as we were driving through WF I asked Arlen were we going to stop? I was calculating hours we'd been in the car and the bladder size of each of my children as well as my own needs. Arlen was in the "Let's go as far as we can and not stop until there is a dire 'Daddy, I have to go now!' moment" mode. I understood that thought process as I've had those thoughts myself when traveling alone with the kids. For some reason, though, I felt that we should stop sooner rather than later and so requested that we do so in Iowa Park just outside WF so I could use the restroom. As we pulled off the highway into the gas station we could hear the engine making a terrible racket. The sound had been previously masked by the highway noise and the rain coming down. The rain had now turned to snow and we knew the engine was not in good shape. A quick phone call to Arlen's dad, who is a car engine whiz, and he confirmed that the engine was not in good shape and that it sounded like a bearing was about to fail. Arlen decided that rather than risk the car completely breaking down in the snow, in the Panhandle wilderness, at night, with his family, we would get a hotel and find a place the next day to fix the van. This discovery prior to a major breakdown in the middle of nowhere is blessing #1.

Blessing #2 - The Holiday Inn in WF sent a van to come get us and take us back to the hotel. I'm going to overlook the fact that the ride back to the hotel was the scariest part of the trip, because the defroster was not working, the windshield was fogged over, the roads were now snowy and icy and the van was swaying like it was top heavy. And the driver looked a little worse for the wear.

Blessing #3 - The hotel gave us a discount for our stay.

Blessing #4 - We called the Bishop in Wichita Falls to ask if there might be someone who could take Arlen back out to the car the next day and if he might recommend a mechanic in the area. The Bishop turned out to be a mechanic who specialized in car airconditioning/heating. Hmmm....

Blessing #5 - The next day the hotel took Arlen back to our car in Iowa Park so we did not have to worry about finding a ride. Just for reference this is about 15 miles one way from the hotel.

Blessing #6 - A mechanic in Iowa Park confirmed that the air conditioning clutch was frozen and that the bearing was burning out. Arlen drove the van to Bishop Scoggins garage. They had all the parts needed to replace our compressor and expansion valve - a newly discovered problem.

Blessing #7 - The final cost was much less than we'd been quoted previously for just the compressor.

We are so amazed at how our Heavenly Father watches over us. My dad reminded me of the blessings that come from having a son on a mission as well. Whatever the reason, we were blessed and protected and know that we are loved.

Seminary Stars

These are most of my seminary stars. There were a few missing on this particular day, so I'm hopeful I'll get another picture when the others are present. As you can see, they are enjoying their "Friday Food" which is served after our scripture mastery activity has been completed.

I've so enjoyed getting to know these youth and hearing them share their testimonies, knowledge and discoveries as we've spent time together so early in the mornings. I was thinking about it, and so far this school year, I've spent about 48 hours of instructive and fun time with these kids. What a privilege that is to be entrusted with this responsibility. Thank goodness it's the Spirit that really teaches! I've finally stopped trying to put all the load on myself and realized that this is a team effort. I do my part, the youth do their part, and the Spirit does his part. I still look for great ways to introduce the principles of the gospel to them, so anyone with ideas PLEASE share!! I love a great object lesson or readiness activity. The Old Testament is chock full of symbols, sacrifice, commandments, obedience, types and shadows of Christ. The challenge is to present it in a way that the youth will start wondering and questioning and searching on their own. It's a terrific challenge and one that I've taken to heart, but I love to learn from others what experiences and valuable teaching methods have worked for them so that I can improve and, hopefully, be a better instrument in the Lord's hands where these Canyon Ward youth are concerned!

Happy Halloween

Carston wanted to be Mr. Darcy for Halloween. From Pride and Prejudice, of course. I thought he looked rather dashing. He said he had his picture taken 3 times at school, the girls all identified who he was, and the teachers remarked how handsome he looked. Several kids even said he looked like Joseph Smith. How do a bunch of non-LDS kids know this? Guess what they are studying in US History at this moment? They were nice about it, however. Two of his friends dressed up as Mormon missionaries complete with white shirts, ties and bicycle helmets. They did ask Carston if he would be offended if they did this - and he admonished them to be on their best behavior while they were dressed that way. Amazing!



Landon was Mr. Bingley. Bowen was Luke Skywalker. Lauren wanted to be a bunny.
We tried to talk her out of it, because we had better costumes, but she was thoroughly happy and I guess that's all that matters!!

Timely Wisdom

I also really enjoyed General Conference this year. I always end up feeling like they were speaking directly to me. It seemed to me that there were a lot of General Authorities who mentioned their mothers and their gratitude for them. And, it also seemed that there were several talks about mothers this time and their righteous influence. It's been timely for me to hear these loving things directed toward mothers. Sometimes you just need a boost, a pat on the back and some reassurance that you are doing the right things. My favorite talk was Sister Beck's. She said, "Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power." This is such a challenge in this day and age, but she put it so Beautifully! I love going to others blogs and reading about the happening in your lives and feeling of your spirits since I cannot be with you physically. At times like these I really miss your sisterhood!! (And brotherhood, as the case may be.)

The MOM Song

You have got to see this!!! It's so fun to be a mom! How amazing to have the life of a mom summed up in 2 minutes and 54 seconds!! Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

Familiar Faces

Dalon recently told us that he had run into Josh Flynn who used to live in Waco when we lived in Robinson. They live in the same building at the MTC and see each other often. Elder Flynn is going to the Indepence Missouri Spanish speaking mission. Dalon was so thrilled to have a familiar face nearby. He tells us that others from the Killeen Stake have joined him at the MTC as well. Carl? Jones, I believe, and Daniel Jackson. These names may be familiar to our Waco Friends. Dalon writes that the Cantonese language is coming slowly for him, but that he has not given up hope. He loves being able to hear the General Authorities speak each week and is trying hard to learn to teach the gospel with the Spirit. This week they have to teach only in Cantonese, so it will be a big challenge for him. He also enjoys attending the temple and loves the nearby scenery and the views of the mountains. Lastly, he says he's getting pretty good at volleyball. He plays almost every day and was very excited to share that he was spiking and blocking better than ever.