Caribbean Cruise

We recently spent an entire week in the Caribbean on a Cruise with my mom’s whole family.  There were 19 of us altogether and it was a blast.  There was more food than we could possible eat, even for Deric.  We played in the on board water park complete with water slides.  There was always something to be doing.  I enjoyed chilling on the deck with a book.  We stopped in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Island, and Cozumel, Mexico.

In Jamaica we did a lot of shopping.  It was fun to drive through the city.  They drive on the left there and our driver said that to remember which side to drive on, just think, the left side is the right side and the right side is suicide.  We passed a KFC and he said that instead of Kentucky Fried Chicken they call it Keep the Fat Coming.

In Grand Cayman we went to a sea turtle farm.  We saw hundreds of turtles.  Some were over 300 pounds and others were much smaller.  We got to hold the yearlings.  They don’t feel anything like you would expect.  After the turtle farm, Dad and I went snuba diving and Mom and Deric went shopping.  Snuba was so cool.  We got to see a ship wreck and thousands of fish.  Some were 3 feet long and others were smaller than my little finger and everything in between.

In Cozumel we had a brief flashback to Honduras because it poured rain for a while.  We went snorkeling when the rain let up.  We got to see sea cucumbers, sea horses, and lots of other fish.  After we were done with that we ate lunch at a restaurant on the pier.  The food was delicious.  Then we did even more shopping.  It is a good thing I like shopping because we did a lot of it everywhere we went and even some on board.

That’s it for now.  Pictures will be coming soon.

Substitute Teaching

Felycia had her first experience with substitute teaching.  She taught 7th grade reading and language arts.  My first thought was, "I hope you didn't have to do a spelling test, because she is not good at spelling."  She had quite a funny thing happen, though.  The boys flirted with her all day and kept asking her how old she was.  Since she is only 21 and doesn't even look that old, they kept telling her that she looked so young and she had to be in her 20's and not any older.  She just kept asking them if it mattered.  She doesn't want to sub in middle school very often, but she'll take what she can get at this point.

Positions for next fall opened today.  Felycia has been working on her resume and the application.  Everything has to be turned in by next Monday.  If she makes it to an interview, she will know by March 8th and then the actual interview will be on March 25th.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  We already have plans to go shopping for a new 'interview outfit' while she is home for spring break.  Her long term position starts on April 8th if not sooner.  The school has already put in the request with the sub service and Felycia has accepted it.

Deric is still going to UNLV and taking an online class at CSN.  He is still working and staying busy with church callings and hanging out with friends.

Conrad's iPad disappeared during Mutual a few weeks ago.  He is trying to see how long he can go without it.  I have told him he is welcome to take mine for meetings and church, but he is okay using pen and paper for now.  If he can wait until April, we are all eligible for new phones, too, and we will make the trip to St. George to make our purchases.  The store is nicer, the people are more helpful, and the sales tax is much less.

I have been working on uncluttering the house.  I just take a small place in the house and clean it each day.  The dining room looks better, and I've started in my bathroom.  One drawer or cupboard at a time.  It's a long process, but it is nice to see something completely done in very little time.  I've also been getting rid of craft supplies and half done projects.  While I was sick, I couldn't concentrate long enough to do a big project, so I started using up yarn making granny squares.  I have a cute little afghan just waiting for its final border.  That will be done this week.  The girls at work have asked about scarves and crochet flowers so I've gathered up my completed stuff and taken it to work.  I made $45 last week and I'm taking more stuff tomorrow.  This is just stuff that is already done and just in boxes and bags in the garage.  I'm glad to get rid of it and if I can make some money in the process, all the better.

I have a second blog called Food, Fabric, and Fibers.  I post recipes we love and crafting stuff I've had fun making.  Most of my craft projects lately are coming from Pinterest.  I have to admit, I am totally addicted.  I have to limit myself in how much time I can spend in one sitting or I lose track of hours in the day.  I've found and tried some great recipes, too.  Check out my other blog for more info.

February Update

March is fast approaching so it is time for an update about what is going on in our family.

I haven't been up to much over the last two months.  I am finally going to start substitute teaching this week.  I would have started sooner but I couldn't start until after orientation and it was postponed a couple of times.  I am really looking forward to getting back into a daily schedule where there is actually stuff to do.  For anyone who thinks it would be great to sit around with nothing to do day in and day out, it is not nearly as nice as it seems.  You will start to go crazy after a little while.

Things in Vegas are still a lot like they have been.  Mom, Deric, and Dad work.  Deric goes to school and hangs out with friends, Dad is busy with church stuff and Mom has plenty to do with all the projects she has going.

Last Sunday Dad recieved a special scouting award.  As a descendant of a member of the Mormon Batallion, he should have been eligible for this award when he got his eagle but they didn't know about the award at the time.  The rules for recieving this award have changed making both him and Uncle Reid eligible.  They now have the cool buffalo skull slide that is much too nice to actually wear.  It is even nicer than the ones Deric and Isaiah got when they got their eagles.

I think that is it for now.  I will be sure to update again next month.

More from Ohio



Carson

Here are some more photos from Ohio.  When we got there on Tuesday, we went straight to a benefit show for a teacher who had been in an ATV accident and ended up with a serious brain injury.  Carson, Hillary, and Logan all performed.  Carson started off the evening by singing the Star Spangled Banner.  Logan played the piano.  Hillary sang in a small group and with Madrigals.  They did a silent auction and had all kinds of goodies to eat and some yummy hot chocolate to keep us warm.  It was a nice program.

Hillary (2nd from Left)



Logan












On Christmas Eve (early afternoon) the fog started to settle in around my parents house. It got dense enough that we couldn't see across the street to my sister's house. It was pretty cool.

 

My dad has chickens.  They get about 18 eggs every day.  Every time someone was ready to eat, my mom said, "Do you want an egg?"  It kind of got to be a joke.  It was funny when my nieces would just drop by and say, "We forgot to get eggs.  Can I get some from your fridge?"  Hillary made something like 25 Pumpkin Rolls that she had taken orders for.  She used quite a few eggs for that project.  We benefitted because she brought a few to us to eat.  Great bedtime snack with a mug of hot cocoa.  Thanks, Hillary.

I learned something new with my camera.  I think I finally understand aperature and how to use it.  This was just a test shot to see how it works.  It allows me to focus on something up close and blur the background.  It seems to work well.

 This is what we woke up to our last morning in Ohio. Nearly 6 inches of snow and it was still coming down pretty good. The first photo is my parents backyard. I lucked out that a flock of birds flew right through my shot.




 I love the second picture of the red barn. It's across the main road from my parents house. Dad says that in the summer you can't even see it because the trees are covered with leaves.


The last picture is Lake White. It's hard to believe that I actually took this shot from a moving car with the window up on our way to the airport.


 

I had visions of a great family picture in the snow during our trip.  It never snowed enough until the last day so I didn't get the photo shoot I wanted.  This is right before we got in the car to head to Columbus to the airport.  Thanks to my mom for taking the picture.  It shows how much it snowed overnight.

We had a great time spending time with family.  We have decided that it is more fun to be at our own house on Christmas morning so if we do this kind of trip at the holidays again, it will be before or after Christmas.

Photos from Ohio

Felycia promised photos from Ohio when she posted last week.  I've been sick all week and this is the first day I have even turned on the computer.  The couch and television have been my friends because I haven't had energy to even eat.  I'm feeling much better now so I'll post what I have already taken off of Felycia's camera and then more when I upload all of the photos from my camera.

This was the view outside my parents' back door after the first snow we saw.  The cardinals are so pretty in the snow.  Their red feathers stand out so well.  Deric took these pictures through the window.  It was sooooo cold there.  I think we have brought the cold back with us because it's freeezzzing in Las Vegas now.
More photos later.

Ohio

Okay, so I failed.  Things were so crazy last month that I didn't get around to writing a post.  Between finishing my student teaching, moving out, and going to Ohio, there wasn't a lot of extra time.

We spent Christmas in Ohio.  We left on the 18th and got back on the 29th.  It was strange not to be at home Christmas morning.  It was also a lot of work.  Everything had to be ready for Christmas before we left.  Then we had to decide what would go with us to Ohio and what would stay in Las Vegas.  In the end, most of the gifts went with us.  After that, we had to make sure they would all fit in the suitcase and not weigh too much.  We all enjoyed spending Christmas with family but I don't think we will spend Christmas away from home again.

While we were in Ohio it snowed three different times.  The only time it stuck enough to play in was the morning we left to come back to Las Vegas.  We learned that it is best to stay home in a snow storm when we were in a car accident the first time it snowed.  No one was hurt but it was really inconvenient and cold.

We took quite a few pictures while we were in Ohio but my mom has all of those.  Since I am back in St. George, I can't post any of them.  Maybe she will get around to doing it eventually.

Now, an update about what is going on in our family.  Not much is new with Dad.  He just got two new counselors in the bishopric so he will be spending time get them up to speed.  Mom has a new blog she is working on.  It is call Food, Fabric, and Fibers.  I bet you can't guess what it is about.  She is posting recipes and finished sewing, quilting, and crocheting projects.  She is having a lot of fun share things she has made.  You can find her new blog at www.foodfabricandfibers.blogspot.com if you are interested.  Deric will be attending UNLV this semester.  He will also be taking a Spanish class at CSN to finish up his Associates Degree.  As for me, I moved in to my new house this afternoon and am still looking for a "big girl" job, as my parents call it.  The school district has a couple of full time positions open that I am applying for.  Hopefully, I will have a job soon.

That is all for now.

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.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The year is coming to a close and it is a time for an update.

Felycia will graduate from Dixie State College in 1 year with a bachelors' degree in elementary education. She found out earlier this month that she passed the PRAXIS test. She has to pass in order to get a teaching license. Not only did she pass, but she scored in the top 15% of all people who have taken the test. That got her an extra certificate to go in her portfolio. I don't sound like a proud mom, do I?
Deric plans to graduate with 2 associates' degrees from College of Southern Nevada at the same time. (Pre-engineering and Spanish) He works as a SafeKey cashier at O'Roarke Elementary School. He tries to use his Spanish sometimes, but Latinos don't understand Spanish from a gringo, even if it is perfect Spanish. Funny how that works.
Conrad is plugging along as the bishop of our ward. For now, his job is fairly secure and quite hectic. He has good days and bad days as far as his health is concerned. More good than bad, though. The last colonoscopy came back ok but he is much lighter than he was a year ago. He and Deric wear almost the same size pants. Not a good thing for Deric.
I have a new calling. I was released from YW and called to be a Family History Consultant. I am still working part-time at the front desk at Mirabelli and staying busy with my yarn and fabric.

We have enjoyed being together as a family this past week. We enjoyed church meetings and family time on Christmas. Then, we packed up the car and headed to Long Beach, California for a few days to just get away and relax. What fun!! We got a new book on CD to listen to. It was a sequel so we had to listen to Part 1 on the way down and then the new one on the way home.

We had a great time shopping at Shoreline Village. We took a drive to the LA Temple Visitors' Center one evening. We spent most of one day at the Aquarium of the Pacific. I highly recommend this one. We had a ball and we don't even have little kids to take with us. We were there for about 6 hours. They have shows and exhibits and shopping. It was quite crowded by the time we left because all the kids are out of school. We would like to go back sometime when there might not be so many people.

We walked around the waterfront area and up to the lighthouse to take pictures of the QueenMary and the surrounding sights. It was almost sunset when we got back to the car so we drove up to the top of the parking garage to get some cool shots before heading back to the hotel for a rest before dinner.

One of the coolest things we did in Long Beach is that we went to the grocery store downtown and the parking was up on the roof. I think this is the first time I have ever had to take an elevator down to shop for food. Another interesting thing is that plastic grocery bags are a no-no in Long Beach. You have to have your own bags or pay for paper ones at the checkout. Luckily, we had some bags in the trunk of the car. Not that we needed one for our two bags of Hostess Donettes.

We enjoyed the BYU football game today. At least the last 2 minutes of it. I think that was the only exciting part. I love this time of year because it is non-stop sports. Basketball...football...soccer...I love it all. Now, if I could just have no interruptions and the house all to myself to watch.

Time for a New Year's Resolution: I will update my blog at least once a month in 2012. That will be easier to keep than the standard diet and exercise resolutions. Well, it's written down now so I have to keep it. And all my friends and family know about it so it's ok to bug me if I'm not keeping it.

Happy New Year!!!

Update

Felycia constantly reminds me that I haven't updated for way too long. Just a quick note of what we are doing.

Felycia has 3 semesters left until she has her degree. She is working more hours now at the dance studio. She is starting a program that requires 300 hours of community service in a K-5 setting during the next year. That will definitely keep her busy. She is also busy with church. She is still a Relief Society teacher. She loves that calling. At the beginning of the summer, she was called to be the Chairman of the Temple and Family History Committee. She has been working had to arrange temple trips for baptism and endowment sessions. They have family history classes on Thursday nights where she has been teaching everyone to do the indexing for FamilySearch.

Deric is enrolled at CSN this semester. He is working on a Pre-Engineering Associate Degree. He should have that done in May and then he will look at transferring to a 4-year college for a Mechanical Engineering degree. Deric got a job as a cashier for the Safekey program at O'Rourke Elementary School. His boss, Louise, is the sister of my boss, Linda. Louise happened to come to Mirabelli one day when Deric was there just helping. Linda told Louise that she should hire Deric until there is a place for him at Mirabelli. Within a week, Deric had a job. So far, he likes it. He works 7-9am, 3 days a week and 4-6:30pm, 5 days a week. Today was his first time attending the singles' ward. He enjoyed it so much that he stayed after to go to choir practice.

I am working 19 hours a week at Mirabelli. I love being there. I have so much fun with the people I work with. I am still in YW. One of the girls told me that I need to stay in YW until she graduates. She has just started her JR year. I told her that might be ok if I don't have to go to Girls' Camp and sleep in a tent.

Conrad is staying busy as the Bishop. He works long hours besides spending lots of time at the church. His health is pretty much how it has been for a few years. He has good days and bad days. We do try to make time for relaxing and having fun with our family. That helps.

We've had a great summer as a family.

Our trip to Honduras was great. I will work on posting photos and telling some fun stories of the things we did.

We have spent lots of time with everyone home. We've been to Family Reunions. We have been to see "The Little Mermaid" and "Grease" at Tuacahn. Great shows! We took friends and family with us both nights.

Felycia got her wisdom teeth pulled at the beginning of August. With all the horror stories you hear about pain and swelling, I was worried about her. She didn't have any problems at all. I kept telling her to take her pain meds and she finally said, "Mom - It doesn't hurt. Leave me alone." Her jaw was a little puffy from one tooth that was impacted but she drove home to St. George and went to work 3 days later.

Now that school has started back up and we are getting into a routine, maybe we will be able to keep the blog up to date.

Summer, 2011

Well, lots have happened since my last post. I went to girls' camp, we took a trip to Honduras to get Deric, and life is continuing at break-neck speed.

First, girls' camp... I worked with Level I. What a fun group of girls! We did lots of eating and working and goofing around together. On the last day, I even did the zip line. That was my "out of comfort zone" experience for the year. Conrad said he would need proof to believe it, so Crystal made sure I got in the video.

Bishops' Night was great. They put on a 'pageant' of sorts with the bishops all competing. They had to answer a question that had something to do with their wives and then a talent. Conrad was last for the talent part of the night. All of the other bishops had done goofy things that weren't really talents at all, so everyone was surprised when Conrad got up and did yo-yo tricks for his talent. His question was "What pick up line did you use on your wife?" His answer, "Who's your friend?"

It didn't end there. When we got to our ward campfire, Conrad spoke about how our life is like a yo-yo and there are ups and downs. He said that if we are the yo-yo going up and down, then our Heavenly Father is the one holding the string. He said that there is always a way back no matter what we do. Brother Jackson then observed that the Savior would be the string because he is the only way back to Heavenly Father. All of the girls got their own yo-yo and we had Rice Krispie Treats and donuts for dessert. It was a great evening.

Two days after I got home from camp, we headed to Honduras. Our flight left Las Vegas at 1am and we got to Honduras at about noon. We had a layover in Houston for a few hours so we got to know the international terminal quite well even though we just wanted to sleep. I kept a pretty good journal while we were in Honduras so I will post my daily journal entries separately with pictures.

We are enjoying having Deric home with us. Felycia was able to stay for about 10 days before she had to head back to work and church responsibilities. I really got used to my empty nest. I'm not sure I'm ready to give it up. Deric wants his room back. I kind of took it over with my sewing and craft stuff. I had a great set up and now I need a new place for everything. I'll have to see if I can take over Felycia's room next.

Our next few weeks are going to be taken up with a family reunion and lots of doctor, eye doctor, and dentist appointments. School will be here before we know it. I'm actually looking forward to getting into the routine of everyone having things to do every day.

Allyssa's Talent Show

Allyssa was in her school talent show with her cousin, Tyler, on Wednesday. They did a really cute dance routine. They came out all dressed up and began waltzing to the music.



Suddenly, the music stopped. They looked at each other like something was wrong.

Then the music (hip hop style) started back up. They lost the dressy clothes and did a hip hop routine. It was great.

Family Stuff

Isaiah is an Eagle Scout. His court of honor will be on Sunday, June 12. Congratulations, Isaiah!


Sierrah graduated from Kindergarten. We gave her a box of fruit roll-ups, fruit by the foot, and gushers. It was exactly what she would expect from Aunt Annalee.

Spring Storms

The weather has been crazy in the desert southwest. As we went to St. George last weekend, the skies were clear and bright. The air was warm and dry. It was a beautiful day. As we got closer to St. George, the skies got darker and darker. Here are some pictures.

Pine Mountain got plenty of snow, too.

Felycia's Dance Recital

On Saturday, May 21, Felycia's dance studio did their recital. Felycia's two tumbling classes participated. Conrad and I were able to drive up to St. George and attend the stage rehearsal. I took a few photos.

This is the younger class. They looked ok in rehearsal. Felycia said they did a great job in the show that night.


This is the older class. Felycia had me talk to them after their rehearsal. I told them that it didn't matter if they messed up. They just needed to look like they were having fun. Smiles are important in performing. They did better than ever that night.

Really Busy Week

This last week has been sooooo busy. It seems like we had something different every day.
On Monday, I went in to work late because we thought we were going to talk to our missionary on Monday morning.
Tuesday, I worked my regular shift and then Felycia and I had to take her car in for the brakes to be checked. Then we had errands to run. She had already been to the dentist while I was at work.
Wednesday, Felycia got her hair done while I was at work. When I got home, we gathered her things, she did her grocery shopping in our store room, we packed her car and off she went. Wednesday night is Mutual. The Laurels and Priests both had presidency meeting before, so we didn't eat dinner until 9pm that day.
Thursday, I had visiting teaching appointments, I took Conrad's car to have the tires looked at, and I went to a play for my niece Allyssa while Conrad was at Scout Roundtable. Allyssa was an injured acrobat in the circus. I thought it was funny that she was the injured one because she actually can do gymnastics. The other kids weren't that great.


On Friday, we went to breakfast at The Original Pancake House. Yummy!! Then, we were off to run errands. As we headed down I-15 to go to the scout office, a taxi ran us off the ramp. No injuries or damage to the van besides a scuff on the passenger side where we hit a construction barrel. We were both so flustered, that we got off at the wrong exit and ended up going the long way to the scout office. We did some shopping at one of our favorite stores (Fry's Electronics) and finally headed back home. The Mirabelli Maniakz Cheer Squad had the end of the season awards banquet. I was asked to be there as the photographer. The food was great, the turnout was more than anyone expected, and the girls were surprised by the gift they got from their coaches. National Champions usually get white jackets when they win, but the national organization didn't give them out this year. The coaches did.

The best part of the night was when some of the dads did their own cheer routine. It could have been part of the clown act in a circus. The kids didn't know anything about what was going on. Some of the girls were a little embarassed by their dads. Go figure...


On Saturday, we did some shopping in the morning and then headed to Breanna's soccer game. Her team was in the State Cup Tournament. If not for two awesome saves by the other keeper, we would have played for the championship. I got lucky with my camera and caught the saves on film. I know Deric can appreciate these shots.


Breanna played her heart out. She was so tired at the end of the game, but it went into overtime (two 10-minute halves). The other team scored right off the bat so we were playing catchup and just couldn't quite get the ball into the back of the net.


Saturday evening, we took Conrad's parents out to dinner to celebrate Mom's birthday. We went to Centroamerica. It's a little restaurant and bar that serves authentic Central American food. We've been there one other time and loved it so we went back. The pupusas and baliadas are great. We love the cheeses. Everything is great. If that's what the food is really like in Honduras, I don't have to worry about going hungry. After dinner, we went to a wedding reception for Lindsey Worthen. I've known her since she was just little. My parents used to live in the same cul-de-sac with her family. It was a nice wedding and we saw people we don't always get to see.
Today was a typical Sunday. Church, teaching, choir practice, home teachers, meetings...
I wonder what next week will bring... Hopefully, some time to rest and relax.

Missionary Phone Call

As we were just sitting in the family room this evening, Conrad's cell phone rang. He answered and heard, "Dad, turn on a computer." It was Deric calling from Honduras to tell us that he could Skype today. We quickly booted up the computer and waited for him to be online. He called and we were able to visit for about an hour. Deric had used the zone leader's phone to make the call and they were at a member's home in Choluma to use the internet. There is no internet in Deric's area.

First of all, about 3 weeks ago, Deric e-mailed to say that he had left his Driver's License, personal ATM card, temple recommend, and a copy of his passport on the bus. I was notified within 30 minutes of it happening so it wasn't really a problem. I cancelled the ATM card and got to work on the replacement driver's license. Well, today, I was showing Deric the new license that came on Friday. It doesn't have a picture, it says "Signature on File," and it says "Valid Without Photo." It is a cool license. Deric held something up to the camera. It was the driver's license that had been lost. I asked how he found it and he told us that it found him. This last week, he and his companion were walking on the highway when a bus passed them and pulled over to wait for them to pass. As they passed, the driver stuck his head out of the window and showed them the cards and asked if it was one of their companions (that's what non-members call all missionaries). Deric looked at the stuff and said, "That's me." What a tender mercy from our Heavenly Father. However, the ATM card won't work and the new one isn't there yet. Oh, well. As stingy as that kid is, I'm sure he still has cash he took to Honduras with him about 21 months ago.

We were able to talk about some of the things we all want to do while we are there. Felycia wants to go to Copan (ruins from the Mayans). I told Deric I want to go to the beach. I just want to dip my feet in the water to say I've been in the Caribbean. There is a waterfall south of San Pedro Sula that we are planning to visit. We asked Deric about going to church while we are there. He said that we would probably like to go someplace with air conditioning. That might be nice. The temperature is generally in the 90's with 80% humidity. I just might die while we are there. We also want to do plenty of shopping. I told Deric about a handicraft mall I've read about. As I was telling him about it, he looked like he knew what I was talking about. He said that he knows a man who has a shop there. He's going to try to find out exactly where his shop is so we can be sure to visit. We want to support those members who are trying to support their families.

Deric would like to visit some of his areas. He told us that as of now, the furthest area from San Pedro Sula is about 3 hours in the car. That won't be too bad. Deric was worried that going to Copan will be too expensive. He said that it costs $25 to get into the ruins and then tours and stuff are extra cost. We told him that we were looking at a tour that includes transportation from our hotel, a bi-lingual guide, bottled water, lunch, entrance to the ruins and some other sites for $100 per person. I don't think anyone there spends that much money for a single thing. I could tell by Deric's face that $100 is a whole lot of money. He will be in shock when he gets home and sees how much gas costs.

Felycia and I just kept laughing as Deric spoke. He has an accent now that I haven't noticed before. His English is still good, but it's different. A young man in our ward returned from his mission in El Salvador about 1 1/2 years ago. Deric sounds just like him. He said it is probably because he is teaching English classes now and has to speak a lot slower for the natives to understand.

It was fun to visit with our missionary today so we can still e-mail with him tomorrow afternoon. We can hardly wait to see him in just a few weeks.