My New Fridge

I love new appliances! Just as new shoes make you run faster and jump higher, I think new appliances make your whole life easier--and they're pretty.

I don't even mind appliances for gifts, not even for a birthday or anniversary (well, as long as it's not too often). I love new vacuums--when I get a new vacuum I actually use it!

I just got a huge new appliance. A new refrigerator! This doesn't happen very often. When Chris and I were first married, the condo we lived in came with a fridge. When we moved to California, one of my sister's gave us an old(er) fridge she had in her garage. That brown refrigerator served us well until we moved to a different apartment and didn't realize that refrigerators had to stay upright while being moved or else they wouldn't work.

So, in 1990 we bought our very first fridge. I loved that new fridge. When it came Chris took a picture of me hugging it. (I couldn't find the picture.) In twenty years of owning that fridge, I only had to make one repair call, and that was within the first year. After that, it ran beautifully.

Twenty years later, I decided that with our new kitchen....almost ready....we needed a new fridge. Our twenty year old fridge was completely energy inefficient, almond colored, and I knew it wasn't going to last much longer. I now have a new pretty fridge--with ice and water in the door. Will it help me cook better? Will it help my food last longer? Probably not, but it's pretty.

2010

I was kind of dreading 2010. I remember on New Year's Eve thinking that 2010 was probably going to be a crappy year--not a normal New Year's Eve thought, but nonetheless, it was my thought. I knew 2010 would be full of changes and transisitions--things I don't like.

First of all, Chris's dad had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the middle of December, and we knew that he wouldn't make it through the year. Secondly, Kelsie was going to turn 18 in 2010 and graduate from high school and probably leave home for college is some far away cold place. (Although that's not necessarily bad--it's still a change.)

I didn't expect for the changes to happen quite as quickly as they did. Chris's dad passed away on January 11th. Kelsie turned 18 on January 16th. In fact, John's funeral was on Kelsie's 18th birthday. So, I got through a lot of my apprehensions about 2010 over with in the first couple of weeks of 2010.

I don't think Kelsie will ever forget her 18th birthday spent at a funeral in Maryland, but she was a pretty good trooper. Between meeting unknown relatives and working on an English essay in the hotel, her birthday wasn't anything what she expected, but it was kind of a good reminder to all of us that we don't always have as much control in life as we think we do--or wish we did.

Here's to a better eleven months of 2010!

Donor Truck

After sitting in our current garage for 17+ years, Chris is finally going to restore his '66 Chevy half ton, four wheel drive, short box, step side pick up truck.  He has always wanted to fix it up, but he didn't have any time...we didn't have any money...there was always some reason for it to just sit in our garages as we towed it from one city to the next.  With Trevor getting to drive soon, coincidentally, he decided now was the time to fix the truck.

Chris found a "donor truck" on Craig's list which has most of the parts that he needs to get his truck running.  The donor truck even has a gun rack, but I'm vetoing that donation.  They donor truck even ran--until Darryl and Darren stopped to fill up with gas and get something to eat when someone stole the battery out of it---in Compton!  Darryl and Darren, twins from Texas, towed the truck to our house on Saturday. Apparently, they have a bunch of old trucks, truck parts, etc., but they've decided they need to start getting rid of them so that they can each "get themselves a wife." 

My favorite thing about the donor truck is the bird's nest that resides in one of the headlights.  Classic.

I now have these two old trucks sitting in my driveway.   I feel like white trash.  Trevor says we look Mexican.  Surprisingly to me, most of the neighbors come over and look at them and think they're pretty cool.  (Or maybe they're just being supportive and are in shock to see the truck FINALLY out of the garage.)

Tomorrow Chris is towing them to Ojai where he found a guy who will fix it up for us.  The sad thing is I'm pretty sure the truck will be up and running before my kitchen will be up and running.

Happy Halloween

Our ward has a trunk or treat activity every year, but this year Kelsie had a choir concert the same night, and Trevor had volleyball practice, so I only had one costume to worry about.  On halloween night, Kelsie and Trevor took off with some friends to go to Fright Fest at Magic Mountain, so I had one lone trick or treater.  Branden (aka Spock) quickly covered the neighborhood and scored a whole bunch of candy.  It was really weird only having one child going trick or treating, but it was nice to only have one costume to deal with.

One little hole...

It was just one little hole in one little pipe which happened to leak a little water under my kitchen floor.

Of course, the insurance company found asbestos in the damp drywall and so my kitchen is now being "abated" of all hazardous materials.

The cabinets were removed from two walls.  Drywall was removed.  The granite countertops which we spent many evenings and Saturdays tiling was destroyed in less than three hours.   My kitchen sink and dishwasher are sitting on my dining room floor.  I don't know where my oven is.

Through all the mess, though, I am living one of my lifelong dreams--eating out breakfast, lunch, and dinner and having someone else pay for it!  You wont catch me complaining.

Kings of Narnia

When I heard that Trevor's band would be playing a song that Trevor had written,  I must say I felt a little proud.  When I heard the name of the song was "Shut Up and Die" I was a little concerned.  It didn't sound like the type of song I would even want him to listen to, let alone compose.  I must say, when I heard his friend Matt sing the song I thought it was pretty good.

Way to go Kings of Narnia.

My New BFF

Last weekend our stake was involved in a 21 stake women's auxiliary training meeting.  Our stake happened to be the "host" stake which meant that the meetings were held in the Simi stake center and that the church leaders visiting were staying overnight in Simi and had a few hours to spend in Simi before their meetings.  Apparently they had spent the prior two days visiting other areas in southern California so that all of the stake leaders in southern california had been trained in a matter of three days. 

Before their meetings, the church leaders wanted to make one one one visits to people "who could benefit" from their visits.  As a young women's presidency we prayed about young women who could benefit from a visit from Sister Elaine Dalton, the YW General President, in their home.  Some young women didn't want a visit, some young women never answerd their phones, some young women never called back, but the day before we finally had three names.

I begged my way into accompanying our stake YW president and Sister Dalton on their visits. (Actually, I earned my spot, since I found one of the YW to visit.)

I was first impressed with Sister Dalton because she came out of the hotel with just a small purse and her scriptures.  We picked her up at four and I knew she wasn't going back to the hotel room until about 10:00, but that's all she needed.  As we started going to the first home it was really cute because Sis. Dalton wasn't sure what was going on.  She had been so busy the past two days she wasn't sure if she was going to do focus groups, one on one visits, or what time her next meeting started.  She was searching through her purse when we told her we were doing one on one visits, she was looking for something to give to the girls.  She felt bad she didn't have anything, and she felt a little flustered  as she asked us to say a prayer together before the first house.

When we started with our first visit, she just talked with the young woman we were visiting, trying to get to know her, and just kept telling her how remarkable she was and was impressed with everything this girl was doing in her life.  The spirit was very strong as Sis. Dalton told her she didn't have anything to leave her with except for the most important thing that she had, her testimony.  Sis. Dalton bore her testimony and asked the young woman to bear her testimony.  Then she asked the mom to bear her testimony.  I was getting a little stressed because we were on a pretty tight schedule and we were spending way too long at the first house, but after we left Sis. Dalton said "we couldn't leave that house until the mother bore her testimony and said what she needed to say."  

The second house was a totally different experience.  It turned out that in the second house the dad needed the visit more than the young woman.  Sis. Dalton listened to the spirit and reached out to the father.   It was amazing to see the spirit work and to see someone so in tune with the spirit to know exactly how to direct her words so that he was reached.  She invited the family to come and visit her if they're ever in Salt Lake. How cool!

The third house she called her "joyous" visit.   She met a beautiful family with three generations of women.  Turns out that everyone in the family heard and learned something different from her visit, especially the less active grandmother who just happened to fly in that morning. The grandmother said she had never felt the spirit so strong in her whole life as she did during that visit.

I learned how important it is to stay close to the spirit so that we can hear the Lord tell us what to do, and how to do it. I learned that true teaching and learning comes from ministering one on one.  It was an amazing experience, and I'm so grateful for the chance I had to spend with Sis. Dalton (my new BFF).  It has changed me.