December 14th and before

This blog is going to be mostly pictures with the explanation of some of the things that went on in the last two weeks.  I have got so behind it would be impossible to remember everything and they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

 Nathan flew in on Dec. 3 about 1:30 p.m.  It was good to have him back.  He was tired but he was not as tired as when he rode the bus.

Maggie dancing in front if the stage before the program.

 December 5th we had the kids for the weekend.  That night on Friday the Woodlake Ward had their Christmas Party.  It was really well planned and we had a lot of fun.  David wanted to go to a school dance while we were there.

On the 6th of December we gave Maggie her presents even though her birthday was not until the 8th.  That gave her a chance to play with them before they had to go back to Sara's.  Nathan had bought her a My little Pony beauty parlor that she can comb the mane and tail of the pony.  She had got a sweatshirt with a pony on it when we went shopping for clothes and so he got the same pony to match it.  Larry and I had ordered a dress like Elsa wore in Frozen for Maggie.  When she first opened it she threw it down like she did not like it because she was more interested in the pony but we finally were able to get her to open the dress and then she didn't want to take it off.  Maggie is a born dancer and she had so much fun dancing around the places we had to go and at church when she wore it that it was fun to watch.

Add caption

All of the primary children singing a song for the program.  Maggie and Isaac are on the end furthest away.

Nathan and Sammy playing on Nathan's phone

Some of the Priesthood singing their song.  Larry in the middle Bishop Alonzo to his right facing the picture.

Members performing the program.

Santa was there with an elf for pictures.  Isaac, Maggie and Sammy on Santa's lap

Maggie playing with her pony with Isaac

Maggie with her pony and her Elsa Dress

 

Maggie dancing in her Elsa Dress

 On Monday night Maggie's birthday Nathan got her and the boys from 6-8 p.m.  We went to Ihop because Maggie wanted to eat pancakes and bacon.  We really had a good time.  The kids normally do not eat half of the food Nathan buys for them but Isaac and Sammy ate all their chicken strips and fries and wanted more.  So Nathan ordered them more. 

Maggie had chosen a dinner with Belgian waffles and scrambled eggs and bacon. She ate all the eggs and the bacon and said that she was full but when the boys were getting seconds she wanted seconds of the eggs.  I told her that the boys got seconds because they ate their whole meal.  Her eyes lighted up and she started to eat her Belgian waffle.  We had told them it was her birthday so they said that they would bring her a Sundae for her birthday.  After she finished her meal I asked her if she wanted the sundae like they had promised her or some more scrambled eggs.  She said the eggs.  They brought her a big plate of eggs.  Probably 4 or more eggs.  I didn't think that she would finish them but she did.  It was amazing how the kids ate there so we may be going there again with the kids.  Nathan was really pleased with the night and how well it went.

Maggie showing off the picture she colored at the restaurant.  David to the side

Isaac and Sammy with their pictures

Maggie with her second plate of eggs.

Sammy showing Nathan his picture he colored

our waiter bringing drinks.  He was so good.

Our birthday party Grandpa Larry, Nathan, Sammy, Isaac, David and Maggie

Brother and Sister Williams, Sister Aly Davis, Sister and Brother Presser

Same as above with Sister Jackson added in the center.

Our Christmas stockings

Our pitiful little tree and poinsetta

On the first week of December I had MLC to prepare for.  That is where I get all the supplies ready to send out to the different zones according to the things they order.  It takes two or three full days to get ready.  Then after that the next week we have had transfer week.  When it is transfer week we are busy everyday with something that needs to be done besides the regular office work.  I always get behind on Baptisms needing recorded on that week and I am still trying to get caught up.  Sister Aly Davis was one of my favorite missionaires that went home this time.  She has Rhumatoid Arthritis but she never let it slow her down.  She was always smiling and working hard for the work.  She has a very strong testimony of the word.  She came in and gave us all cards and so we took pictures of her with us and then one with her companion in one also.

Maggie and Nathan at Bingo night

Nathan, David and Isaac at Bingo

The twelfth of December we had Bingo night again with the kids and so we went and had a good time.  Again the kids ate fairly well but it was Pizza night so they always like Pizza but maybe they are growing now too.  They have the Wounded Warrior Family support Center decorated to the hilt.  They also gave all the kids and Nathan a christmas stocking so we actually have some Christmas Decoration.  We haven't bothered to put up much because we are going to Hawaii this week to see BJ graduated and Nathan is going to Utah to spend Christmas with Marcy and her family. Nathan did talk us into getting a small tree and the ward gave us a Poinsetta after the Christmas Party to take home.

What kind of catepiller?

My grandchildren think that the caterpillar that I took a picture of is highly poisonous.  I have a hard time thinking that the apartment management would let them be crawling around if they are as poisonous as they say.  They call them pus caterpillars.  If anyone know what they are I would appreciate a comment.

November 30th and before

The driveway to John and Judy's, Pleasure Hill Drive

We are on our way home from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with John and Judy Trolinger.  We definitely had a weekend of R&R.

This morning we went to church at the Kerrville Ward with John and Judy.  They had some good speakers.  The Youth Speaker talked about the importance of Family Home Evening.  She gave examples from and article in the Ensign that showed how different families have implemented FHE to fit their needs and pointed out that most of the families were families with special circumstances. 

Friday was a beautiful day on Pleasure Hill Road

The Guadalupe River near John and Judy's

The first speaker was a woman that was originally lived in Texas growing up and then followed her husband to Australia where they had 10 children and then after all that he left her for someone else.  She has come to Texas to help her sick Mother with her three youngest children.  She talked about an article that I cannot remember but she bore a strong testimony of how the atonement of Christ had helped her to overcome her broken heart and move on in life. 

Larry at the Guadalupe River

 The last speaker was an older man who had been a Sergeant Major in the Army.  He worked in a hospital and he told of experiences working with people in the army.  He reminded me of John when he is telling us about his military experiences.  His talk was based on a talk by the President of the Romania mission, Craig Hansen that was given in 2003. I was hoping to find it to link here but I am not finding it with google or the search on lds.org.

We went to lunch after church and after we were talking for a while and Larry was quite tired and he finally announced that he was going to go lay down for a while.  That kind of broke up the discussion for a while and after looking at the “He is the gift” website at Christmas.mormon.org I decided to go and join him.  We slept until about 5:00 p.m. and then we decided to get up and get going.  I was worrying about driving in the dark but Larry says that did not bother him.  So we are driving home in the dark after wishing John and Judy goodbye and packing the car.

Nathan in Las Vegas on the strip

Marcy's family at her sister's vow renewal being funny

Nathan and Marcy with her sister and her husband

Nathan just called and it was good to talk to him.  He was excited about seeing 5 of his brothers and sisters this weekend in Utah and having a party with them on Friday night.  Most of them he has not seen since the stroke.  He also got to go to see his cousins Marcus Hadlock and Carin Fausett .  They also went to see Grandma Jenkins in Lehi.   Most of the time he is riding in a car there and has to get out and walk into the houses so it is good therapy for him.  He called to say that he was going to go to Utah for Christmas also.  They spent Thanksgiving with Marcy’s family and also went to Las Vegas on Monday for her sisters vow renewal.  He looks so good in the pictures that they have sent I think this trip has been good for him.  I am thrilled with this new circumstance.

This week was a short week at the Mission Office.  Larry had a number of accidents over the weekend that he had to work on and I had plenty of my work to catch up on.  We went to Weight Watchers to weigh in before we went there because the Assistants are always using the computers.  It was a good week for Larry but not for me.  I gained back the two pounds that I lost last week.  Larry lost 4 pounds. After that we went to the office and were there until about 6:00 p.m.

There was a fairly violent storm on Saturday night the weekend before and on Sunday our TV had quit working.  We called AT&T and after resetting several things the TV was working again.  So we relaxed together and watched TV for Family Home Evening.  Not the best idea but it was relaxing and fun to do together

Unique soda machine at Torchy's Tacos

.

Tuesday we to another zone training at the Oak Hills zone meeting at the chapel at Convict Hill.  We did not take time to sight see but we did go to a Torchy's Tacos.  They had the most creative tacos I have ever seen.  And they even had their own brand of soft drinks.  It was a really fun experience.

Allison and Mike caught unawares

Wednesday we went early to pickup the pies that the young women in Woodlake ward were selling for a fundraiser.  It was a huge relief not to have to make pies this year and I had tasted a sample and they were good.  Then we went to the office to finish up what we could before we left for the day.  We had thought about getting away at about 2:00 p.m. but we were a little later than that.  Fortunately I was able to get all the referrals in for the day.  We went home and packed and finally were able to leave.

John, Judy in background, Kyler and Allison

Of course there was a traffic jam on I-10 so Larry went off on some of the frontage road.  All of the freeways in Texas have frontage roads on either side that follow along and provide turn a rounds.  We have come to really like that feature most of the time. We learned in the process that the famous barbecue place around here, Rudy’s, started in Leon Springs.

Larry and I at the Guadalupe River Club on the shore of the Guadalupe River

We got to John and Judy’s about 6:00 p.m.  We talked for a while and then we went to dinner at a local restaurant that we like called Billy Gene’s.  We stayed up talking for a while and then we went to bed.

Thursday we slept in.  It felt so good. John and Judy said that this could be our R & R  place for the weekend and we took them up on it.  I am finishing this up almost two weeks later so I cannot remember what we did in the morning and early afternoon but we did work on the dinner some, Judy had all the traditional Thanksgiving food and I had brought the pies.  It was a very good dinner and of course I ate too much pie.  I was really impressed with the pies that the young women had made.  And I do not impress easily when it comes to pie.  We had also ordered two quiches and had those for breakfast.

The view of the river from the deck

John and Judy(caught Judy with her mouth full!)

Michelle, Erick, Kirsten, Maren and Nathan

Judy had invited all their family to come but David and Jane did not show up and texted that they would not be coming at the last minute so that put a small damper on things at first but Mike came with his kids and that was fun to see them again.  We had a great talk with them.  It was interesting that Mike’s daughter Allison who is 17 did not remember that we have been there for other times in her life.  She only remembered that she had met us in the summer when we met them for lunch.  It was fun talking to her.  She is a very articulate teen and carries on a good conversation with adults.  She has joined the Navy and is attending classes right now to get her ready for when she graduates.  As John spent his major portion of his career in the Navy that is good but he is really concerned for the job she has chosen because she is so small and she could get hurt easily.  Mike’s son Kyler is 12 and was quieter but he did not spend all his time trying to avoid us either.  As always it is fun to talk to Mike as he is a police officer for the San Antonio police department.  But he isn’t just any officer.  He flies helicopter patrol for them most of the time.

Michelle and Dan, Heather and Erick, Kirsten, Maren and Landon, Nathan and Marcy

Friday and Saturday we spent with John and Judy going to restaurants that they recommended and riding around Kerrville.  They showed us the VA hospital and we drove out to find a road that we have been trying to find a referral on.  We spent a lot of time talking and learning from each other.

In Utah 5 of our 8 children got together at Heather's dads house on Friday night after Thanksgiving and had a party.  They sent pictures of all of them and it was so good to see so many of our children together again.  I think they had a good time from the looks on their faces.  We also had a lot of grandchildren there.  Everyone seemed to like Marcy very much.

Our Grandchildren at the Party

Well hope this finds you all well.  It seems like we have covered the week.

Nov. 23 and before

Larry and I are back to being empty nesters for the next 2 weeks. Nathan went to Utah to visit Marcy last Monday and will be there until Dec. 3.  It has really been quiet in our apartment this week.

Today was Church and because it is Thanksgiving this week they talked about Gratitude and Thanksgiving.  Brother Smith (that I have been helping with Family History on Wednesday) and his family were the speakers. His daughter Raeanne talked about the fact that we need to be grateful for our life knowing that we chose it in the premortal existance.  She also pointed out that trials can be a way of learning gratitude.  We are teachers of how to show gratitude by the way we act.  The way we handle things can change others.  His wife talked about how they had experienced many trials in the last two years and that she felt that with all they were going through the Lord had a great blessing for them if they endured it well.  When her husband was baptized after about 28 years of marriage she could see the blessing.  As we cultivate a grateful attitude we are more likely to be happy.  We should thank our Heavenly Father and others for their help.  Brother Smith talked about things we can do to be grateful.  He mentioned that we should be grateful everyday not just on Thanksgiving.  We should honor our Father and Mother and Counsel with the Lord in all our doings.  He pointed out that all we have to do is to be thankful to God and to keep the 10 commandments and God will bless us.  As a detention counselor he gave examples of people that had not been blessed with good parents and said that we should be grateful for our parents and pointed out that we could have worse parents.  Bishop Alonzo also told about how when he was a teen he had a dream that everything was confused and he couldn't find his family.  He looked and then he started to run and he couldn't find them at all.  It had a profound effect on him and that changed his appreciation for his family and he started to listen more both in school and in church.  He admonished us to stay focused and think about the Lord during Thanksgiving.

During Sunday School we talked about the importance of family and how to make our family eternal.  We talked about how to have successful families and focused on theses steps from the Gospel Principles Chapter 36  All of us want to have happy, successful families. The following things will help us achieve this:

1. Have family prayer every night and morning (see 3 Nephi 18:21). Pray together as husband and wife.
   
2. Teach children the gospel every week in family home evening.
   
3. Study the scriptures regularly as a family.
   
4. Do things together as a family, such as work projects, outings, and decision making.
   
5. Learn to be kind, patient, long-suffering, and charitable (see Moroni 7:45–48).
   
6. Attend Church meetings regularly (see D&C 59:9–10).
   
7. Follow the counsel of the Lord in D&C 88:119: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.”
   
8. Keep a family history, perform temple work together, and receive the sealing ordinances of the temple
   
   
   In Relief Society we talked about President Uchdorf's talk, "Grateful in Any Circumstances" And determined that being grateful has a lot to do with your perspective.

This after noon we took a nap and then we Skyped with Jake and Nikki and their children for Myles's birthday.  Myles had a cute workbench with a motorized screwdriver and a dump truck and a helicopter that he could tell us the names of.  We had a good time talking with each of the kids and Jacob and Nikki.  Lexie is in early morning Seminary and has to go to that at 5:00 a.m.  She has been called as a Family History Consultant in her ward.  She was also in a play this fall at school.  She is in High School this year, her freshman year.  Ashton is doing so well in school that even though he is in the third grade he scores in the sixth grade on every section of the STAR test.  Abbie has completed her My Family book that we sent her.  They had the idea to put the extra pictures that I sent in the blank page at the back of the book.  Jacob is working outage and working nights from 5:30 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.  He is such a hard worker for his family.  Nikki is busy holding it all together.  She is a good mother. I appreciate all they do.  I wish we could be closer.

This week has been very different.  Monday I woke up with a request from Sara to come and tend Maggie because she was throwing up but when I responded she said that she had already got a sub for the day.  We went to Weight Watchers in the morning and I was excited to have lost 2 lbs but Larry had gained.  We went to the office in the afternoon to work on the usual things but we also had to prepare for more Zone trainings this week.  Monday evening we helped Nathan prepare for his trip to Utah this week.  Nathan also had two appointments at the VA that day so he was pretty busy that day.

Nathan in Las Vegas with Drayk

Nathan getting off the plane in Vernal

Tuesday morning we took Nathan to the airport to fly to Vernal.  I was a little apprehensive about him flying alone but after he checked in and someone went with him to the gate I felt like maybe he would be taken care of.

We went home and packed because we decided to go to the Round Rock training and then stay overnight at Austin for their training rather than having to drive the hour and a half home and back the next day.  We had just got on the road and Nathan texted us that his plane had been cancelled and he had to be rebooked on a later flight but it was at noon so he thought he would be okay at the airport until then.

Wagon ruts carved in the stone in 1850

Larry and June at the Round Rock in background

We got to Round Rock and completed our training.  We had a half day and so we went out to eat for lunch and then we asked if there was something interesting in Round Rock that would be interesting to see in an afternoon.  They told us there was a round rock down the road a ways in a park that was the rock that the city got its name from so we decided to go look for it.

The round rock is the cylindrical rock

Kathrine with her son Landers

Larry in Memorial Park

We went to a Memorial Park.  Some people told us that the rock was at the end of a path that we were at the trail head.  We started out and then met a lady that was there with her 5 year old son.  She asked us if we were LDS because we had our missionary tags on.  We told her yes and she said that she was LDS also and that they had just moved here from Saratoga Springs, Utah.  She walked along with us and told us she had just come from the rock and would show us where it was.  We went along and talked together about the church and family and then she showed us the rock.  I felt like she was a blessing because I don't think I would have known what rock they were talking about.  Also she took some pictures of us together with the rock and we took some pictures of her.  Her name was Kathrine and her little boy was Landers.  After we saw the rock she said that she would show us where they made the world famous Round Rock donuts.  Apparently they have an orange glaze on them.  So we went to the donut shop with her and had a donut and took some more pictures and had a good time there. The donuts were yummy. Finally we took off for Austin to find a motel.

At the "world famous" Round Rock Donuts

Kathrine bought one of the king size donuts

We found a motel close to the Rutherford Lane chapel where the Austin training would be held and then rested for a while and then went to Olive Garden for a dinner that was so fun.  It was a fun afternoon and evening. When we tried to go back to the hotel however we learned that there are three Motel 6's along Highway 35 in Austin.  We put Motel 6 in google maps and thought we were going to the right place but when we got there it was like Twilight Zone because it looked like the road we had been on but the Motel 6 was not the same building and we finally went in and asked if there was another Motel 6 along the road.  He called and found out the address of the one we were at and we were able to put that in and get back to the right motel.

At about 11:00 p.m. we got word from Marcy that Nathan had finally made it to Vernal.  They flew today to Las Vegas for her sister's vow renewal with her husband.
 

Kilor, Drayk, Korbin Vogler and Nathan

Wednesday morning we were able to sleep in a little and then get some supplies for the training and breakfast and then went to the training.  It was so fun to see the missionaries.  I love the trainings they are so good and listen so politely.

We returned to San Antonio after the training.  We went past the apartment and ate and then went to the office.  We had several things waiting for us to work on and it was good to see the Williams's.  We worked in the office until 5:00 p.m. and then we went to pick up Issac and Sammy from their school and then went to get Maggie.  We did this because we decided if we got the boys and Maggie then we could get Isaac to his cub scouts on time at 6:30 p.m. while Sara got David and then we would meet at the church.  We decided that we would have to go earlier next time because traffic was bad and we barely made it to pick up the boys before the 6:00 p.m. cut off.  Isaac ended up not having cub scouts because it was pack meeting Friday so it worked out but at least we are working on the problem of getting him there on time.  Also Brother Smith was not able to make it so we ended up waiting for David to do Mutual and doing our own family history, and then taking him home.  We got home about 9:30 p.m.

Thursday we had a training at Bulverde with the Hill Country Zone.  That is only about 25 minutes from the office so we were able to go up and back by about 1:00 p.m. We had agreed with Sara that we would not get the kids on Thursday because there would be the Raingutter Regatta on Friday and we would see the kids then. So after working on things for a little later than usual we went home and enjoyed an evening to ourselves.

Our cute stockings notice the tie and necklace on them

Friday we woke up to a text message from Sara that Isaac was sick so there would be no Raingutter Regatta for him.  We were sad because he had worked so good on his boat and Sara said he was sad also but that throw up stuff really makes people sick and we did not want him there sick and giving it to others.  She said that she had to take him with her to school.

When we got the mail at the office on Friday there was a package for us from the Relief Society President in the Kaysville 22nd ward.  It turned out to be a Christmas Stocking for each of us filled with small presents with a scriptural phrase attached that applied to each gift.  They were so cute and a fun present to receive.

I worked diligently on Thursday to get my supply order in and then on Friday we worked to get other things done at the office.  Larry was a little discouraged because he has had 12 accidents in the last two weeks and that is frustrating in and of itself but then there is all the followup with the insurance and claims and estimates that he has to deal with and he is constantly on the go.  He has been showing a safety video for the training that he is hoping will help them but we are dealing with 18 and 19 year olds.

Friday we Skyped with Kirsten and Taylor and Kyle for Taylor's birthday that was on Wednesday.  It was good to talk to them.  Kirsten is working hard to maintain her apartment and keep things going for the family.  She planned a party for Taylor on Saturday.  Taylor had fun showing us her presents from us and the family.  She is really taking on a little girl look rather than a toddler look.  Kyle is doing well in school this year.  He is still going to Nuames Charter School.  It was fun talking to him.  We are praying that he will get a testimony that will help him want to go on a mission as this is his senior year.

Because we couldn't go to the Raingutter Regatta on Friday we had a nice dinner at home and then watched a marathon Bones for a while.  It was a fun relaxing night and we had a good time being indoors because it was raining and there was a flash flood warning out.

Saturday we slept in again.  We went to the office for a while because I had mistakenly left my church phone there and needed to get it.  While we were there I took Larry to get a truck that he had taken to Benson Motors for repair and then we came home bay way of Wal-mart.  In the afternoon we watched Bones while working on our bills and budget and finally found out how Bones and Booth got pregnant and had their baby.  Saturday it rained again and so we were happy to be indoors as well on that evening as there were two different flash flood warnings that night and a lot of thunder and lightning.  But there was a lot of water with the storm which is needed.

Nathan at Applebee's

The week before on the 10th of November started out busy also. Nathan always schedules his therapy on Mondays or Fridays and I think he had a therapy that day.

 On Veteran's Day we worked but then went to counseling with Nathan.  After counseling we went to Applebee's for the free dinner they were offering the Veterans.  Nathan was somewhat mad at me as we went in but he seemed to soften as we ate dinner and it was a fun night for all of us. 

Larry at Applebee's

Zone trainings started on the 13th and so we were supposed to go to that but Nathan had an appointment with the lawyer and so I told him I would take him.  He had been up and down all week about whether he was mad at me or not and it got cold that week and so I asked him if he needed a jacket to take.  I couldn't hear what he said so I asked him again and he said he wanted a hoodie.  There was one on the floor in his room so I asked him if he wanted that one and he got mad.  He seems to get upset if I ask him something more than once to clarify it.  I didn't leave him then because he needed to go to the lawyer but when we got there he said that I could not go in because he was still mad.  I had been told in counseling that I needed to let him know when he crossed the line so I thought about if for a few minutes and determined that I would leave him there to find his own way home-which he can do.  So I told him that I would be leaving then if I could not come in.  I took the van back to the apartment and texted him that he would have to find his own way home and called Larry and went to the zone training for San Antonio East Zone that went well despite the quick turn of events.  Nathan rode home in his wheelchair, even thought there were other ways he could have got home, just to prove to me how stubborn he could be and he finally got home 4 hours later.  I told him I was proud of him and that I loved him and did not mention him being mad or get defensive.  I was nice and he talked to me in a civil tone for the rest of the week.

Thursday we had another zone training.  This one was at San Antonio North Zone so it was only about 20 minutes away at the Stone Oak Chapel which is close to the temples here.  Larry showed a video of Elder Holland stressing the importance of Safety in cars and on the bicycles and then he showed them a video about a boy that was injured on a bike when a car hit him.  He suffered severe spinal cord injuries and head injuries  and had to recover from that much the same as Nathan has.  I talked to them on the importance of updating referrals in the system and passed out handouts on the referrals they had in their area in the system that were not updated and we also talked about how to fill out the Baptism and Confirmation Certificates as we have several mistakes that are made each week.  We finished there and then came home and got lunch for Nathan.

After lunch we took Nathan to the office and then went to Isaac's school that evening for a special program for the Veterans that Isaac's class put on.  I taped the whole thing and will try to upload it but the file may be too large.  Isaac had a part in it and did a good job.  We ate several snacks at the program that the school was selling as a fund raiser and then after the program we took the kids to dinner at the Jack in the Box around the corner from the school.  It was still cold outside and they had something broken on their air conditioning system and it was so cold in there I thought I was going to freeze and break even with my winter coat on.  I was so glad to get out of there and I called and registered a complaint to the management.

Friday we were supposed to go to Kyle Zone but I had a hair appointment and Larry had some people coming to the office wanting to buy one of the cars so we sent the information with the Assistants to the President.

I went in thinking that I needed a perm in my hair again but the lady I have do my hair, Mary George convinced me that the curl in my hair is natural and that it is just curlier in San Antonio so I didn't get my permanent but I did get it cut and my eyebrows waxed.  I don't know what she did but she slightly burned my eye lids by the brow so it was stinging for a few days.

Saturday we did not have kids so I slept in until about 9:00 a.m. and then I just watched bones all day while I put in referrals on the computer and worked on the bills.  It was a much needed day.  Larry was a little more ambitious than me.  He went grocery shopping and took Nathan somewhere.

Sunday was church and then we started all over again.