Update by Felycia

So, I told Mom she needed to update the blog and she told me I could do it. Being at college, I don't know quite as much of what is going on but I can give you the gist.

Well, Dad is still the bishop.  He is staying plenty busy between work and church stuff.  It is a rare week night that he does not have some sort of meeting.  I don't know what he is going to do with all of his time when he gets released.

Mom is still working at Mirabelli.  She is meeting all sorts of people and enjoying herself in the process.  She is also a family history consultant in her ward.  She likes helping other people find their family and working a little on her own in the process.

Deric is working at Stupak and using his Spanish everyday there.  He has the same job description as Mom but he is considered part time and Mom is hourly.  I am not sure how that works but it is the City of Las Vegas so I guess I don't need to say anything else about that.  Deric will be graduating with an associates degree in pre-engineering this December and one in Spanish after next semester.

I am finishing up college.  I will graduate with a bachelor's degree in elementary education this December!  I am really excited but I am not quite sure what to do with myself after graduation.  I have already turned in all of my assignments and am just waiting for the grades to be posted.  It will be strange to go home for Thanksgiving and not have homework to do.  I am currently on the Temple and Family History Council in my ward and a Relief Society teacher.  I guess somethings don't change even when you change wards.  I don't mind because I love what I do.

I think that is all for now.  I will try to make sure to post at least once a month if Mom doesn't beat me to it.

Las Vegas Update

We've had lots of fun this past few months. Both kids are home again for the summer. We are looking forward to the annual family reunion at the cabin in Little Creek. We'll be going to Tuacahn in the fall for Aladdin and Hairspray. We are trying to decide what to do for our graduation celebration in December. It will be a cruise from Galveston or Christmas in Ohio. We haven't been able to make a decision.

Felycia is working at Mirabelli teaching gymnastics this summer. She's also picked up a couple of side jobs babysitting and doing private gymnastics lessons. She's making enough money to get through the fall semester without a job.

Deric starts his new job today. He will be a customer service rep for the City of Las Vegas. He will be at the Stupak Community Center. He is excited to get started because it means lots more money and great hours.

Conrad and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this past week. It was girls' camp in our Stake up at Mt. Charleston so we stayed a couple of nights at the Mt. Charleston hotel and spent our days at camp. It was quite fun.

We have been trying to come up with a fun thing to make for the dinner we are in charge of for our reunion. We tried grilled pizza. We spent lots of time laughing and ended up at Burger King for dinner that night. We'll try again and keep looking for more ideas.

April

We've had a very busy last few weeks. Felycia was home for Spring Break one week. Deric had Spring Break the next week. Two weeks later was the school district Spring Break. It sure would have been nice if at least two of them had lined up together. Poor Deric had one week off from school and a different week off from work. Conrad and I didn't get any breaks. Except that Conrad has built up so much vacation time that he has to use it or lose it before the end of June. As a result, he is off every Thursday until July 1. Now he has a 3 day work week and a 4 day weekend. Wouldn't it be nice? I work more days a week than he does. We are getting ready to move Felycia back home for the summer. She finishes finals next week and has to be out of her apartment Thursday afternoon. It will be a busy week. She still has two more weeks of work so she will have to go up to St. George for that. This her first time moving home for an extended period of time since she started college. This fall will be her student teaching. She finishes her degree in December. Deric got a promotion at work. He is now a site leader at a different school. That means a little bit more money, more hours, and some benefits. He decided to take the position just to get started with a retirement plan. We convinced him that it was worth it to start putting money away now while he is young. The sooner you start, the more you can end up with. To give Felycia her room back, I've had to move all my sewing stuff out. I've been going through and sorting fabric. I've discovered that I have a lot of scraps so I'm cutting squares and going to make a scrap quilt this summer. I've been going to the quilting class in our ward. I learned some paper piecing techniques. I love it. I think visiting with the other ladies is as much fun as learning new things. We've spent our fair share of time in doctor's offices in the last month and a half. Conrad was diagnosed with anemia and sent to a blood specialist. He has undergone iron infusions hoping to raise his iron level back to where it should be. He's also gone in for an EGD (scope down the throat) and a specialized CAT Scan to check for changes in his Crohn's Disease. Nothing unusual on the EGD. Nothing new on the CAT Scan. That's a lot of money wasted. It just verified what we already knew. More bloodwork this week to see if the iron count is better. We spent General Conference weekend up in St. George with Felycia. On Palm Sunday, the St. George Young Adult Wards put on a musical fireside at the St. George Tabernacle. What a great way to end conference weekend and start the week heading up to Easter!!! This is the second year we've gone. We really enjoyed it. Felycia performs in the choir and the Young Adults do a wonderful job. Summer is coming fast here in Las Vegas. The weather has been all over the place. It's hot, then cold, then rainy, then windy, then hot again... It goes on and on. One day it's 95 degrees and two days later it's only 65. You don't know whether to put on a sweater or shorts. I'm ready for summer to get here so my allergies will settle down and I love the heat. I heard a great quote. It was during the Master's Golf Tournament. Phil Mickelson had just made a really bad shot and the announcer said, "He's had lots of experience with that. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." I love this quote. A man in my ward calls challenges "opportunities for growth and development." If I think of challenges in this way, it's easier to get through them.

March

Sometimes, it's really hard to enjoy computers. I had a nice long post all ready to publish and then blogger sent me to the sign in page and I lost the whole post. I'll see if I can remember the highlights because I don't want to re-do the whole thing.

Deric will be 22 next week. How did I get to have such an old kid?

Felycia is ready to come home for a week. She gets tired of sharing a room because she never had to growing up.

Both kids have spring break this month...different weeks...and Deric still works SafeKey because CCSD has their break next month.

Last month, we got a phone call from one of our scouting officials to let Conrad know that he had been nominated for the District Award of Merit and he was chosen to receive the award at the Annual District Dinner which is next week. We are kind of excited about it. It's nice to have the time and effort you put into something recognized unexpectedly. They needed to have a photo of Conrad in his scout uniform so we went over the the church one night and here is what I came up with.


I have completed 2 baby quilts for a friend whose niece is having twins. I've also made a matching pillow and bag to go with them. It's been fun. I especially enjoy hand quiliting because I can cover my lap with the quilt while I sew. I stay warm and get the job done. Now, I just have to finish the afghan for the baby shower next week. Ashley might get an unfinished project in a bag. I hope not.

Felycia and I went to the Family History Expo in St. George last weekend. We attended the LDS Consultants classes. I learned something new. There is an app for iPhone, iPad, and Android to do indexing. I downloaded it as soon as I got home. I love being able to index on my phone whenever I have a few minutes. It's really easy. Anyone can do it.

Well, this month's post is done and it's only the first. I'm sure there will be more, though.

Resolutions

Well, I set myself up for failure. I know I'm really bad about updating my blog. I shouldn't have promised monthly updates.

Here is what's up with us. It's not much. We are pretty boring at our house.

Conrad has been studying for the last month to re-do his SANS computer security certification. Our house has been really quiet as he has gone through all the information at least 3 times. Now, he just has to schedule the big 6 hour test.

Annalee is working and playing. I love my job at Mirabelli. I get to be creative, talk to lots of different people every day, and spend time with my friends. I have my hands into a few little craft projects right now. I am making baby quilts for a friend to give to her niece who is having twin girls. The quilts are adorable. I went to St. George on February 1st to teach the YA girls how to make a simple fabric bag. I put the kits together and they got to sew them that night. I've made 3 bags myself now. I'm thinking about making some more so I have one to match any color scheme and every holiday. I've also been making felt flowers to wear as pins on a scarf or as a barrette. They are lots of fun. I am in the middle of an afghan for a friend's new grandbaby. It keeps me busy and out of trouble. I enjoy creative things because I have a great sense of satisfaction in seeing a finished project. One day, I might make something to keep. I seem to end up giving everything I make to someone else.

Deric is working and going to school. He plans to have 2 associate degrees in December. He is at CSN and has just done a project that included a presentation at the Planetarium. The college had some grant money from NASA to use models of the machines of Da Vinci to explain simple physics. It was open to all student who have completed a specific engineering class. Deric built a model of a paddleboat and then borrowed equipment from the physics lab to demonstrate how a spring works. He also had to create a brochure about his project and the physics involved. For his efforts, he gets a check for $100 from NASA. Deric works for the City of Las Vegas as a SafeKey cashier. He is spending every morning and most afternoons at O'Roarke Elementary School. It's hard to get up in the mornings, but a regular paycheck and some job experience is great for him.

Felycia will graduate from Dixie State College with her bachelors' in Elementary Education in December. She is working hard in her classes and her practicum teaching. She also works on Friday afternoons teaching tumbling and cheer classes at a dance studio. She usually loves it, but working with children is always a challenge. I think right now, she is having lots more trouble dealing with roommates, though. She is totally ready to be in her own bedroom with space she can call her own. It's getting harder and harder to do her school stuff because she really needs to spread it out to work on it and there isn't any space to do it in a small apartment. I just keep telling her that she can do it until May.

We are planning a trip to Ohio sometime this fall or winter. I think my parents want the whole family together for Thanksgiving, but I don't think we can swing it. All four of us will be working on Wednesday and then back on Monday. Three days isn't worth the cost of the trip. I think we will try for at least a week at Christmas instead.

It seems that I just repeat myself in every post. Not a whole lot changes. We just keep plugging along and doing the best we can.