Church Service, Family, Travel

January 2017

Dear Beloved Family,

My has the fall season gone by fast!! There is so much that has transpired these past

few months. I continue to learn and grow from the most daunting church assignment I

have ever had in my entire life......ward choir director. With heaJanuary 2017

Dear Beloved Family,

My has the fall season gone by fast!! There is so much that has transpired these past few months. I continue to learn and grow from the most daunting church assignment I have ever had in my entire life......ward choir director. With hearing and vision challenges I've had to do quite a bit of adapting as well as depend on the choir to provide clues for good harmony. Glad the choir members have been so understanding. For the rest, I encourage everyone to listen to and follow the spirit.

The longer Lee and I are married, the more collective we are becoming which to me, is an absolute joy! As we take care of two boys ages 6 & 9, it is wonderful to see us working as a team to help these young boys hopefully learn respect and dignity vs. entitlement, which is the message society sends. The single mother is great to work with us in implementing plans for success to this end and I reap the blessings of practicing parenting skills with a man who feels the same way I do about children.

In October Lee and I had the opportunity to attend a baby blessing in Twin Falls, ID for a daughter of a friend whom I've known since she was 7. On the way down we spent some time with Tammy enjoying a simple lunch and playing with the kids. It was wonderful to hear Eli, my grandson who is 7, talk up a storm about things that interest him. The visit was insightful.

Twin Falls was wonderful as well. We checked into a Motel 6 for one night, attending the blessing the next morning with pictures following outside the church. After a quick lunch with our friends' family at their daughter's duplex we headed straight home. The only downer was the poor quality of the Motel 6 from cold showers to ineffective heating system. This surprised us because 96% of the motel 6's we have used have been very nice, clean and in superb working order.

November was a real treat. Thanks to the generosity of Susan for the $40 I was short, I was able to spend a few days with my sisters at Aunt Ruth's home. This was my first time visit at Ruth's home. She is a delightful host. Meals were excellent. We even had a bread making contest with all kinds of creative flavors. Robert and I were a team and our bread with onion/garlic won the contest. Saturday was the highlight of the trip for me as I celebrated the birthdays of all my siblings with creative crowns, a memory book compilation guessing game, sincere expressions of love for them and the like.

The only challenge was getting the party started as I was so anxious to show and express my deep love for my siblings.....a true test in patience! For two days I expressed how excited I was looking forward to this event. While everyone was on a short hike behind Uncle Robert's house, I put all the wrapped presents I had brought into several size boxes until everything ended up in one HUGE wrapped box. Aunt Susan told me later she liked how everyone had a turn opening a part of the present, culminating in everyone doing their best to put together the memory book for each of them of matching picture quotes and scriptures with guidance and direction.

Towards the end of November we had an interesting surprise visitor in our house. A friend discovered it while visiting which we are sure grateful for because this visitor was leaving deposits smaller than what Lee/I could see with our vision limits. When our friend told us she found lots of mouse droppings in the guest bedroom and the garage, needless to say we were shocked! How and where were the mice getting access to our house? As far as the guest room our friend finally found the culprit while helping me take the room apart. It was in the closet where the baseboards meet.....a definitive hole. We immediately called Home Depot to alert them of the problem, asking what should be done. They told us the best way to deter any future mice from gaining access was to fill the area with steel wool then nail an aluminum mesh over the area. In the garage our pest control tech told us to do the same thing after finding a hole as the access point just inside the garage door against the wall base. Hmmm......

Christmas was so wonderful! I survived leading two choir numbers, opened presents with dear friends, had dinner with our friends and just hung out enjoying each other's company. Tammy sent a puzzle picture of all her kids for Christmas that amounted to 250 pieces! Oh boy!!! The family we hung out with jumped on the opportunity to help Lee/I put the puzzle together. I plan to frame it. It was also fun to hold Hudson whom we had attended the baby blessing for and see how much he is growing and learning. He is such a sweet baby.

Well, 2017 is almost here so we need to get ready for the new year. I start childcare and tutoring again next Wednesday 01/04. The break was good so we could catch up on our own stuff. Life is truly a blessing. Our little Christmas trees, nativity sets, cards, Christmas letters and the likes were enjoyed immensely, but are now carefully and gently stored away for another year. To one and all may you remain firm in the gospel, anxious to serve and willing to endure to the end (gets harder to do as one ages!) so your joy can be full when meeting our Heavenly Parents once again.

Love, (Uncle) Lee & (Aunt) Ann