tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31614192074775984792024-03-13T12:59:57.793-04:00OH-IOAdventures of a buckeye.Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-82897144309343017832023-04-02T23:17:00.001-04:002023-04-02T23:17:09.024-04:00Old records from my lifetime bin<p> I found some papers that I didn't want to save, but wanted the information.</p><p>1998 Dances - there are professional dance pictures to go with each of these events.</p><p>1. Sweethearts Sophomore year<br />Brandon Reid Greaves was my date. We went with Lacee Morgan and David Goldthorpe, Jen Hacking and Luke Haws, Sarita Kessler and John Patton, Elizabeth Mefford and Kirk Juhas. We took our dates to breakfast at 5:00am at Shari's (Jen and I). We played board games and "Do you love your neighbor?" at Lacee's and ate Belgian waffles with strawberry topping. We also all got ready at Lacee's. (Boys downstairs, girls upstairs). We went to the dance anad had a great time. Afterward we went to my house (3731 Daisy Way) and had pie. I was up until 2:00am. How I asked him: Made a ransom note that said, "If you ever want to see your pillow again, you have to pay $100,000 or steal my heart and go with me to sweethearts." I took his body pillow and left a ton of candy hearts on his bed. How he answered: toilet papered my car and put balloons inside with hearts that said, "yes" on them.</p><p>2. Homecoming junior year 1998</p><p>Zachary Carey was my date. We went with Carl Holloway and Tara Brokaw, Travis Long and Amanda something. We watched "Cutting Edge" at Carl's at 8:00 and went to Macaroni Grill and ate. We went to the dance and then went home at 11:30<br />How he asked: Had his sister drop off dried corn ears that said, "Christina, will you go to homecoming with me? Zach."<br />How I answered: Bought a bunch of candy and streamers and "redecorated" his room.</p><p>3. Harvest Junior year 1998</p><p>Trent James Field was my date. We went with Bret Mitchell and Megan Bell, Jen Hacking and Mike Mitchell, Kristin Jannuzzi and Jake Pollard, Denise Paxton and Jason Smith.<br />We sent them on a treasure hunt at stores. Then we had lunch at Shari Lewis' house and watched "Sphere" on her in-home theater. We had dinner at Kristin's where her parents prepred a coded menu. Then we went to the dance. We had pie at Denise's afterwards. <br />How we all asked the boys: We carved a million pumpkins that said, "______ will you go to Har-Vest with me? (One word for every pumpkin. This took 4 hours. Then we delivered them to each house. That was fun!<br />How he answered: he left a scarecrow and an ugly straw in my locker with a paper that said something about how he's be scared not to go.</p><p>4. Sweethearts - Junior Year 1999</p><p>Charles Spencer was my date. We went with Cassie Moore and Josh Roice, Megan Bell and Jason Smith. We took them out to breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe. Then we went to dinner at Cazba's - It was bad. We were not used to that kind of food and it was weird, although, I would probably like it now - 24 years later. Then we went to the dance, which was a blast. Afterwards, we went to Megan's for pie. We began to watch "Dumb and Dumber" but most of us fell asleep. We got home at 1:30ish.<br />How I asked him: thought up new words to the song from Jungle Book: "I want to walk with you, talk with you... and took it over and sang it to him after a Wednesday night activity.<br />How he answered: He bought a cake that said, "Happy Birthday, Love, Charles." And the flaming candles said, "Yes." They dropped it off at my house on Presidential Rd. with a giant snail balloon.</p><p>5. Prom Junior Year Meridian High</p><p>Jason Smith was my date (I asked him to take me.) We went with Joni Roderick and James Croft, Denise Paxton and Andrew something.<br />I asked him the day of prom so that night we went downtown to get pictures. Then we went back to Overland and we had Moxie's (hot chocolates). Then we went to the church where a group had had food catered (Jason and I were late,) Then we went to the dance, where I danced with all the other girls' dates - long story, but it was fun. Then we went to Shari's and had dessert and got home at 1:30am.</p><p>6. Prom Junior Year 1999</p><p>Jeff Webb was my date. We went with Casey K. and Maura, and Erin and someone.<br />We went to Pojos and played there for a little while. Then we went to Angel's (or the Grove-downtown Boise) for dinner. Yummy! We went to the dance, which was alright. Then we went to Erin's house. Then we went to the Sub at BSU (bowling) but it was closing. We went to Shari's and had pie and then I went home. He asked me on the phone. I worked at Hastings with Jeff. He went to Borah, I think.</p><p>7. Homecoming - Centennial High Senior Year 1999</p><p>Dallin Allred was my date. We went with a bunch of people I don't know. At 12:00, he picked me up along with 4 others. We got lunch at Blimpie's and played at Camel's Back Park. I got the impression that he wanted to hold my hand and maybe be more than friends, but cunning me pretended not to notice his hand being held out. At 5:00 he came to get me. I was running late, as usual, so I held everyone up. But we finally left after Melissa gave Dallin her new shoes to put on her, and got the other group of guys. We went to the school to get early pictures taken. Then we went downtown to Richard's (a fancy restaurant). The food was great! The only thing that was bad was when the check came. It was all on one bill and came to $350. I wish I didn't know that. They practically laughed at it, which made us girls feel awkward. Later on Dallin complained to me that he had to pa $70 while someone else paid $30. I felt bad, but I didn't like hearing how much it cost because I felt bad for eating! <br />Then we went to the dance, where I saw my old buddies from last year. Centennial did a great job. Their theme was "A night at the Oscars" and they had free valet parking and red carpet leading to the gym. The long hallway was lined with movie posters and there was a crowd of moms clapping as you went into the door. They had a fountain for getting water - and they had brownies and other stuff. It was wonderful! Afterwards, we went to someone's house to change clothes. Then we went to the corn maze and then home. <br />He asked me by having his mom come over and left a lucky charms box on my bed while I was at school. The box had a poem on it and his name was inside the cereal.</p><p>8. Homecoming - Meridian High Senior Year 1999</p><p>Mike Mitchell asked me by leaving a note on my desk with scriptural references for clues on what he was saying. Then there was a math equation to find a locker number and combo. Inside there was a cup with money (pennies and stuff) and on one penny was his name. I answered by taping a homemade puzzle to candy to five him in all his classes. <br />For lunch we went to Pizza Hut with Bret Mitchell , Jake Pollard, Brandon and etc. Then we went to Pojo's where Mike got me a stuffed "Thumper!" Then we ran to Zuka Juice and I ran home to get my hair done. At 7:00 he picked me up and we got Jill and Travis and went to dinner at Lock, Stock and Barrel. It was a restaurant that kind of felt like a dungeon - midevil times - and they served us metal plates and goblets to drink out of. Then we went to the dance. That was great fun. We got pictures and danced. Afterwards, we went to Mike's house and watched "US Marshals" and ate apple crisp that his mom made. Then we went home. Good times!</p><p>9. Harvest - Meridian High School Senior year Nov 6, 1999</p><p>I asked Jeff Ebert. I didn't know him well, but he was cute. We went with Denise Paxton, Trent Field, Jennifer Hacking, and Mike Mitchell. I asked him by doing a search through the yearbook which ended at my picture. (Give me a break, I had to do it fast.) We began the day by meeting at Denise's at 9:00 (9:40 for me). We went to the Maverick and got food to eat, then headed out for Idaho City. We talked and listened to music on the way there. We arrived there at 10:00. The pool opens at noon, so we walked around "downtown" Idaho City for a while. Then we went to Patty's. (RJ and Brandon have grown up so much and gotten so hot!). We explored her house for 10 minutes and then left. We swam for an hour in the hot springs pool. Then we went to Gold Mine for pizza. (Sandwich for me and some weird crap for Mike.) It was a strange little restaurant.<br />Afterwards, we headed to Denise's. We took the boys home for 45 minutes - to shower and stuff. Then we picked them up and met back at my house. We left for downtown. First we went to Ceramica (a cute little painting store where you pick some object and paint it.) Jeff is an artist and his looked great! We had fun painting and singing to the music (which reminds me, I think that a karaoke bar would be a fin place to take Mike Mitchell.) Then, since I left the camera at home, Jen and Denise ran off to get cameras from who knows where. They hadn't returned for a long time and we were late for our reservations at Aladdins. (It was an Egyptian restaurant that has belly dancers, and we were going to tell them it was Mike's birthday and have them embarrass him.) We walked down to the restaurant only to see that it was tiny and didn't look like a "cozy and friendly" place to eat, so we walked back to Ceramica to find Jen and Denise, but we ran into them as we were walking back. (I have to admit that I was a little upset by this because I wasn't feeling real well. It was cold and it just made me mad that they ditched us and we had no idea where they were. Anyway, we told them about Aladdins' and decided to walk to the Galaxy for dinner. I had french toast. Jeff had fries and a milkshake. Mike, Jen, and Trent all had ice creamy things. After that, we walked back to the parking garage and headed to Goody's ice cream store. Only Jeff and I had ice cream. Then we went to the dance. We had pictures taken and then went into the dance. It was so cute because Jeff doesn't seem to like to dance or at least he didn't want to dance with me. But when he would move, it was so cute. We left the dance at 11:00 and went back to my house to eat pies. We ate and then played Nintendo 64. The three guys and I played until 2:00am (Jen and Denise fell asleep on the couches.) Then my mom basically said, "Go home." We woke the girls up and everyone took their dates home. After I dropped Jeff off and was traveling home, a cat ran across the road and hit the side of my car. It hit the side of my car. I turned around only to watch it slowly die. This made me so sad. <br />He answered me by giving me a bear with a note to Jamie Z. to give to me.<br />The note said, "I'd go ape to.. oh wait, it's a bear. When you asked me to Harvest, it made me beary happy. Yes, of course I will go with you." Overall impressions: I wouldn't change much (except for the cat thing) because the dance was fun. I got to know a lot about Jeff and fell in love. What an awesome guy! He had an awesome build, cute face, great body, awesome personality, and awesome sense of humor. He is not afraid to tell the truth! I love that. He would tell me whether or not if we liked the song we were listening to, and he was just awesome.</p><p><br /></p><p>This one is a bit later and I was in trouble, Not a dance.<br />Well, I have figured out how to describe the condition of myself today - "J'e suit morte et bette." I am dead and dumb. Last Friday I met a guy named Jeremy Miller. he called me Saturday afternoon and Curtis Hardy, Jeremy and I went out. They stayed and watched a movie until 1:30. Jeremy came over Sunday night at 10:00 to see me. He came into my work at Hastings on Monday night. I left with him and Curtis. We watched a movie and snuggled (seriously) until 2:00 in the morning. My mother, who had waited up for me, was extremely unhappy. We agreed I wouldn't do anything like this again. Tuesday he called me at 11:30 and we talked until 1:00 in the morning. I also had Jen and Denise spend the night because Wednesday was formal day. Wednesday he came into Hastings and we went to Olive Garden during my break. When he left, he took home the wrong leftovers, so I took him the right ones and went home. Thursday he came into work (his friends too) and asked if I wanted to go to a movie. I said no. So he waited for me to get finished with work so I could give him a ride home. I went back to his house and stayed until 12:30. (without telling my mother.) My dad is in Austin for the week.) She waited until 12:00 Needless to say, she is going to tell my dad because he comes home today. Yesterday I had gotten today and tomorrow off with Jeremy, however, I have a feeling I will be doing my correspondence homework. I'm so dead. If I had just called, or had him come to my house, things would have been okay. I am so stupid. I even have plans! I am probably going to be grounded for a month or two. <br />Yet again, another sucky crappy birthday. I know that it is my fault. I wish I wasn't so apathetic towards school and such. I have been contemplating moving out, but it truly scares me due to the huge responsibility I would be taking on.</p><p>Letter from Jen 2/2/99</p><p>I would like to preference this by saying that my teenage years were very tumultuous and Jen was a safe person. I resented that she hung out with Denise so much, because it was like Denise had stepped into my old life and taken our home and friends and neighborhood, while I was forced to work as a slave for a new house that we were building or watch my new sister. It was a rough time and I am certain there is great credibility to what she is saying here. I appreciate the love and compassion that she offered me here. I didn't deserve it.</p><p>Dear Christy, <br />Well first, I would like to wish you a happy birthday. I hope that it goes well. As you have probably noticed, I haven't been calling, oddly enough it is because I have a few things that I would like to talk to you about. <br />The day we went to breakfast and you got mad at me was kind of like the last straw. I understand that there are things stressing you out, but it is not fair for you to always take the brunt of your moods. It makes me feel like you are always looking for a reason to be mad at me. Even if you weren't meaning to, you made it difficult for me to share my life with you. If I were to tell you something I did, you would be mad at me for doing without you, or you wouldn't approve of it. If I invite you somewhere, you are busy and act disappointed in me. When you left Meridian, it hurt that you left on such a bad note. The feeling that you gave me was that you no longer wanted me around. The fact that you have been so cliche with Meg doesn't help that feeling. I don't know if I did anything to cause you to leave and I am sorry if I did. I don't want to push you away. You are one of the closest people to my heart and I want to apologize for being somewhat guarded with my feelings. My whole life I have only had 1 person not let me down and I learned that letting people get close hurts. If you get nothing else out of this, know that I love you and don't want to hurt you.</p><p>All my Love, </p><p>Jen Hacking</p><p>Journal entry from my dad:</p><p>The history of Christina Ann Yearsley</p><p>Christina Ann Yearsley was born Feb 9, 1982 at 4:09 am in Pocatello, Bannock County Idaho. She weighed 6 pounds and 3.5 ounces. She was the first child of Gyle and Maryann Giacomantonio Yearsley. She was 19.5 inches long. She had black hair, blue eyes. She was delivered by Dr. John M. Lackey. At the Bannock Memorial hospital. She had several people awaiting her arrival. They were Maryann and Gyle, of course. And Fanny Giacomantonio, grandmother. Gay Yearsley, grandmother. James Yearsley, uncle. Colleen and Randy Roderick, Aunt and Uncle. They had stayed up until 4:00am to see her arrival. She was born on a Tuesday. One day after her Aunt Janette Yearsley's birthday. Her mother wrote of her in the hospital: I am excited we have such a cite, precious little girl. I am so excited to take care of her. Words can't even begin to explain my excitement. I live Christina and I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing our lives with her. I am excited for the day she is blessed in the church. She sure is precious to us. She was blessed on March 7, 1982 by her father at the Pocatello, Idaho East Stake in the 39th ward. Many relatives were in attendance. including her grandmother and grandfather Yearsley. her Aunt and Uncle, Colleen and Randy Roderick, David and Melody Yearsley, her uncles Steven and James Yearsley, and her aunt Janette Yearsley. Also her cousin, Joni Roderick. and Carolyn and Wayne Roderick were also in attendance. </p><p>When Christina was 6 months old, she and her mom went to visit Grandmother and Grandfather Giacomantonio in Detroit, Michigan. They flew on a plane out of Salt Lake City, Utah, to their destination. They stayed there from Aug 23, 1982, to September 18, 1982. There, she met her uncle and aunt, Alex and Teresa. Grandmother Giacomantonio had a wonderful time with Christina. </p><p>She took her first steps on January 24, 1983, from her daddy to her mommy. She had a birthday party on her birthday with all of the Yearsley family and the Rodericks. She was soon to be joined by a sister, Amy Marie Yearsley. Amy was born on April 25, 1983. Christina had to move from the crib to the twin bed when her sister arrived. This was an easy transition for Christina. She was always very quick at learning new things. She also traveled to Michigan again the year that Amy was born. Mommy, Daddy, Christina, and Amy all packed up in a little Ford Escort and travelled to Michigan. They traveled straight through to get there. They were in the car for 36 hours. While stopped for gas in Iowa, Christina had gotten out to go to the bathroom with her mom while her dad was paying for the gas. As mom and dad turned to leave, Christina was sitting there on the edge of the sidewalk at the gas station. She had had enough of riding in the car and was perfectly willing to let us go on without her.</p><p>After a little persuasion, we got her back into the car and continued with our trip. When we arrived there, Christina met her cousin Stephanie, for the first time. A week later, her father returned home in the car. She was later to return with her sister and mother by plane in August. Christina had a fun summer with grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousin.</p>Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-68129103350050151052022-10-27T12:52:00.000-04:002022-10-27T12:52:03.961-04:00Lost Boys - A Talk on Belonging<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQ5NDlQo6e9BsAWt-sWTCi6sE5AQcjHEI0FjWxav4GZE52-uhTw7auyc4jze5-1dX_GdWj3c0VLHCTIsgpoC2e0rFbPQoZnGraF-RyhpdsN6GqQT2xEZv9RLArHyiExBfEitqHlXlYvYo8Pfp9y7zss4TRV9pR9zHv7xlfF1NUfBSO41_oVkUztcw/s2992/Peter%20Pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQ5NDlQo6e9BsAWt-sWTCi6sE5AQcjHEI0FjWxav4GZE52-uhTw7auyc4jze5-1dX_GdWj3c0VLHCTIsgpoC2e0rFbPQoZnGraF-RyhpdsN6GqQT2xEZv9RLArHyiExBfEitqHlXlYvYo8Pfp9y7zss4TRV9pR9zHv7xlfF1NUfBSO41_oVkUztcw/s320/Peter%20Pan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIAdZxpLBCKdp9aRZy_VhhuF2hVNiOe_R8iyuRFYWZZIzLqCcAWO04QcrgDliKTJDPFz6vtibzsvJC7HANo2yHPkQMtqgqn9Yw9Zc_y9ovvSHA1M0NC5eYMM8P9eCU6v9jrJ8UNN4y9NQZYcLuU9bijGqfQNWz_LXdkQQxv56EEuN3T6o1swGfgfR/s4160/Skunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIAdZxpLBCKdp9aRZy_VhhuF2hVNiOe_R8iyuRFYWZZIzLqCcAWO04QcrgDliKTJDPFz6vtibzsvJC7HANo2yHPkQMtqgqn9Yw9Zc_y9ovvSHA1M0NC5eYMM8P9eCU6v9jrJ8UNN4y9NQZYcLuU9bijGqfQNWz_LXdkQQxv56EEuN3T6o1swGfgfR/s320/Skunk.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last weekend I was able to go on a girl’s trip to see
a friend who had moved to Vegas. Two of our other friends met there as well.
One of the activities that we did for the weekend was to go to a Trunk or Treat
all dressed up as the whole gang from the Disney cartoon Peter Pan. We arrived
at the activity that evening but we did not have any food to contribute, and my
friend’s husband hadn’t purchased any candy for the Trunk or Treat. One friend
and I decided to head to the store to at least get some candy. My friend and I
were the Lost Boys of the group, so she was dressed as a raccoon and I, dressed
as a skunk, hurry into Smith’s to get candy and get out as quickly as possible.
At the check out counter, the cashier asked if I had a Smith’s card. I told
her, “No. We aren’t from here.” She asked where we were from and I couldn’t
help myself in saying, “Never Never Land, of course.” I’m sure the cashier rolled
her eyes as we walked out the door. But it got me thinking about how my friend
and I were “Lost Boys.” Could people tell that we were more than just a skunk
and raccoon? We weren’t with our main group so they couldn’t see Peter Pan,
Captain Hook, Wendy, and Smee waiting for us at the church – we were really
just “Lost Boys” and yet, we had a whole group that we belonged to. As I tried
to find a conference talk to share with you, I admit that “The Doctrine of
Belonging” caught my eye. I have moved and visited many places and have met
people of all kinds and cultures, so, I wanted to use Elder Christofferson’s
talk today to share some of his thoughts and mine on what it means to belong.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are three parts to this. The first is “The Role
of belonging in gathering the Lord’s covenant people” <br />
2. The importance of service and sacrifice in belonging, and <br />
3, how Jesus Christ is central to belonging.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Elder Christofferson points out that the church began
with a small group of white North American and Northern European saints with a
handful of Native Americans, African Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Almost
200 years later those numbers have increased and include people from outside
the United States than inside. I have seen this myself as we have traveled
throughout the world. People from all countries and ethnicities attend church
meetings that are just the same as the one that we will have today. Youth are
taught to have high moral characters, values, and standards. Adults are taught
to love God and to love their families. Children are welcomed into primaries
all over the world and are taught songs of praise that will stay with them
their whole life. There is no exception to who is welcome at our church. If you
have ever watched “The Chosen,” which tries its best to document in video form
the life of Jesus Christ as we know it from Bible sources, you might notice
that Jesus is surrounded by, “the weirdos”, those who are shunned from society
and feel as if they are outcasts. The Savior welcomes them into his fold and
loves them unconditionally. He encourages them to become better and to seek for
higher things, but He accepts them as they are. I recall a man in our ward in
Ohio. Every Sunday he would attend wearing his hoodie that said, “The Devil has
a restraining order against me.” He belonged. In Texas, a dear friend in my YW
presidency struggles with alcoholism. She belongs. My friend, who is a Bishop’s
wife, hates doing service. She still belongs. Those who aren’t their best
selves, don’t do crafts, yell at their children, crash their cars, succumb to
weaknesses and addictions, have many doubts – all these still belong. The
Savior is seeking these “Lost Boys” because He is for everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">A few years ago, as people started to leave the
church in large numbers, I was pondering on why this was happening. What makes
someone decide to become a Lost boy? I know that this is a sensitive subject
with a plethora of reasons, but I have some general thoughts on the matter and the
inspiration that has come to me as I have studied this. Many people who leave the
church still love the Savior, but they may not feel that they can measure up to
certain standards. People leave because they are offended by another or by
church policy or material found on the church website. People leave because church
is boring, and they find that there are other things that fill them
spiritually. These are all real and valid reasons. We have this one short life
to live and if something loses meaning then we forsake it. However, there is only
one place to get the covenants and the Priesthood. God has only authorized one
prophet and a set of apostles to facilitate the organization of His church.
These men aren’t perfect, and we should not expect them to be. They speak truth
and give us guidance for our life. They are a lighthouse on a stormy sea as we
try to navigate what is right and wrong in this upside down world. I can’t
pretend to say that all the things that the church does are things that I agree
with, but what I do know is that by choosing to belong, I am allowing the
ordinances and covenants that I made guide me for what I need in my life. I
choose to belong because there are promises and powers made to those who stay. There
is no requirement that you must understand and agree with all the things you
hear from pulpits or in church articles. No requirement to be free from sin and
addiction. No expectation that you have to love the temple or Relief Society or
nursery. The only thing you have to desire is to love the Savior and then want
to be better. <br />
In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul declares that all who are
baptized into the Church are one in the body of Christ:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798554" id="p9" style="--height: 75.5625px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“For as the body is one, and hath
many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body:
so also is Christ.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798558" id="p10" style="--height: 75.5625px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. …</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798562" id="p11" style="--height: 50.375px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“That there should be no schism in
the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798566" id="p12" style="--height: 75.5625px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“And whether one member suffer,
all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice
with it.”<a data-scroll-id="note5" href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/28christofferson?lang=eng#note5" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--text-link, var(--info40));"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">5</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Almost 14 years ago, from this very pulpit, I spoke
at my sister’s funeral. She was a “lost boy” and felt like she didn’t belong.
Her life was tumultuous and difficult and ended far too soon. Ironically, her
funeral was attended by so many people, many of them being people who she felt
judged by or excluded from. I have thought about her life often and wondered how
things could have been different. I have no good insights on that, though. Her difficult
choices taught me many lessons that I have referenced as I have interacted with
others in my callings and friendships. Our Savior’s gospel of belonging has to
mean that even the people who are difficult to love are still included in His
fold. Why would we do temple work for people we have never met or know anything
about? If we fulfill the temple ordinances for our ancestors who may have been
very wicked people, then is there not hope for all of us when we meet the
Savior? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>First Samuel 16:7 says, The
Lord doesn’t see as man sees. Men look on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looketh on the heart.”</u></span> He cares about our desires and longings
and what we are <i>becoming</i>. He doesn’t measure us based on our <u>church
attendance</u>, <u>car we drive</u>, or <u>money in the bank</u>. My sister had
a good heart. It is just that sometimes her methods were questionable. I can’t
even begin to speculate how the Lord would judge her and I try to remember that
as I encounter His other Lost Boys. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">So many of you deal with very difficult things. Let me
ask you some rhetorical questions - What keeps you coming back to the Savior?
How do you prevent yourself from becoming lost? Elder Christofferson quotes, “The
Savior invites us to come unto Him-no matter our circumstances.” Becoming like
Him only makes us better.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">A second facet of belonging is what <i><u>you bring</u></i>
to the table. Elder Christofferson says, “<u>Although we rarely think about it,
much of our belonging comes from our service and the sacrifices we make for
others and for the Lord. Excessive focus on our personal needs or our own
comfort can frustrate that sense of belonging</u>.</span>” Even the Savior –
the greatest of us all – did not come to be ministered to, but to minister to
others. I have 2 friends who claim that they hate doing service. This was interesting
to me because it is something most people don’t vocally confess and I happen to
like doing service, so I had to think about this for a while. What we actually
figured out was that they do service that brings them joy – one of them loves
to bake for her friends, super fancy things. She is also someone who enjoys
spending hours at the gym. She served myself and others by teaching what all
the equipment does at the gym. The other friend loves to make pretty things and
cook fun meals for her family. Is this not a form of service? <u>Service isn’t doing
things that you loathe but feel obligated to do</u>. Service is whatever you
make of it. Taking time to think of someone other than yourself is all the Lord
asks. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Elder Christofferson shares a story, “Today,
unfortunately, consecrating oneself to a cause or sacrificing anything for
anyone else is becoming countercultural. In a piece for <i>Deseret
Magazine</i> last year, author Rod Dreher recounted a conversation with a
young mother in Budapest:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798648" id="p32" style="--height: 176.313px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“I am on a Budapest tram with a …
friend in her early 30s—let’s call her Kristina—while we are on the way to
interview an older [Christian] woman who, with her late husband, withstood
persecution by the communist state. As we bump along the city’s streets,
Kristina talks about how hard it is to be honest with friends her age about the
struggles she faces as a wife and mother of young children.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798653" id="p33" style="--height: 176.313px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Kristina’s difficulties are
completely ordinary for a young woman learning how to be a mom and a wife—yet
the prevailing attitude among her generation is that life’s difficulties are a
threat to one’s well-being and should be refused. Do she and her husband argue
at times? Then she should leave him, they say. Are her children annoying her?
Then she should send them to day care.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798657" id="p34" style="--height: 100.75px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Kristina worries that her friends
don’t grasp that trials, and even suffering, are a normal part of life—and
maybe even part of a good life, if that suffering teaches us how to be patient,
kind and loving. …</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798662" id="p35" style="--height: 100.75px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“… University of Notre Dame
sociologist of religion Christian Smith found in his study of adults [ages] 18
to 23 that most of them believe society is nothing more than ‘a collection of
autonomous individuals out to enjoy life.’”<a data-scroll-id="note13" href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/28christofferson?lang=eng#note13" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--text-link, var(--info40));"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">13</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p data-aid="152798668" id="p45" style="--height: 50.375px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">By this philosophy, anything that
one finds difficult “is a form of oppression.”<br />
<br />
What does that make you think of? Are there things in your life where you are
thinking too much about yourself and how difficult things are? This will only weigh
you down and provide no uplift to your life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who have served missions, or spent countless
hours in callings, jobs, or assignments have usually seen the person that they have
become as <u>better</u> because of that service and sacrifice. Parents who
struggle through raising children, especially difficult ones, may find great
rewards later… and some even after this life. Shying away from doing hard things
will not produce growth that you may need in order to become the person that
you wanted to become. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Lastly, we prevent ourselves from becoming a lost boy
in this church by remembering that we are here to become closer to Jesus. As
amazing as the fellowship and friendships can be, if you are not here for your
relationship with the Savior, then it won’t be enough to sustain you. He is
everything. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">A while back, I was listening to a lady talk about
the culture of the church. My mom is a convert from Detroit, Michigan so I wasn’t
raised with a lot of the culture that my friends would talk about – other than
Donny Osmond. I had to research to figure out what was culture and what was
doctrine. My prayers to Heavenly Father on this quest led me to a book called “Doctrines
of the Gospel.” It is actually a manual in the Gospel Library that just teaches
the Doctrines. It goes through all the basic principles and pieces of knowledge
that bring us closer to Christ. There is nothing of the culture in it <u>and it
is glorious</u>. I came to understand how sometimes people get caught up in the
culture of the church – wearing the trendiest ties and socks, or fancy dresses
with all the right jewelry. Having a <u>nice boat</u>, <u>house at the lake</u>,
<u>being a world traveler</u>. Some people believe that <b>material wealth is
tied to righteousness</b>. <b><u>It is not</u></b>. The church is about helping
you become closer to your Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. His
doctrine is pure and lacks many of things that we may consume our time with. Taking
the time to study this, helped me understand the real reasons why the Gospel is
perfect – notice that I said “The Gospel” and not the church. They are 2
separate things. The gospel and the doctrines should be why you stay. The
church is like a jewelry box that holds the pearl that is the gospel. There may
be times when the church leaves you feeling like a Lost Boy, but the Gospel is
all-inclusive. Our Savior desires all to come unto Him and to partake in his
covenants and ordinances. Our job is to be kind and loving to those who are
trying to do that even if their methods are different than ours.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In closing, there may be times when we find ourselves
in Never never land and struggling to make progress and grow up. If you find
yourself at that crossroad, yoke yourself with the Savior. As Elder
Christofferson teaches - <u>Remember your covenants</u>. <u>Find some way that
you enjoy serving others</u>. <u>Prepare to sacrifice comforts in an attempt to
become better and kinder</u>. Some of the coolest people I know have gone
through the hardest of trials. And lastly, if you love your Savior or at least
want to learn more about Him, then you belong. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that my
Savior lives. He came to this earth, suffered for not only our sins but He also
chose to suffer for all the hard things that we would experience. He understood
that He wouldn’t know how to succor us if he hadn’t felt these same feelings
and pains himself. He knows you, your trials, your heartaches and joys. I know
that He knows mine. I am grateful for all the things that being a member of
this church provides me. It may not be perfect, but I love the people and
programs in their attempts to make our lives better and to make us better
people. I hope that some words from my family’s talks have touched your heart today
and remind you of God’s love for you. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.65pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.</span><o:p></o:p></p>Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-84917495276578995352020-07-24T11:17:00.002-04:002020-07-24T11:18:48.522-04:00Financial advice?Have you ever asked yourself these questions:<br />
<br />
1. Why do I have to decide if I am going to donate my organs when I am getting my license? Do those 2 things have a correlation?<br />
<br />
2. How much Social Security will I get when I retire?<br />
<br />
3. If I get injured fighting off a bear at my door because someone left some banana bread out there, what kind of disability insurance should I have?<br />
<br />
4. What happens to my spouse's pension when they die? Do I still get it?<br />
<br />
5. I need my kids to go to college so I can live off their income. How can I make that happen?<br />
<br />
6. What can I invest in so that I can build a mansion and sit on my hoarded coins like Scrooge McDuck?<br />
<br />
7. Is my life insurance through my work enough?<br />
<br />
8. How can I make sure that my retirement funds last as long as I do?<br />
<br />
9. I don't like my kids. Can I afford boarding school?<br />
<br />
10. How can I pay as little of taxes as possible?<br />
<br />
If you have found yourself pondering any of these things, I have the answers! Except for #1 - I still don't know why you don't decide that at the doctor's office or somewhere where that would be a logical conversation.<br />
<br />
I have been practicing finance for many years now. I do taxes for people, I have taught personal finances classes and lessons. I have probably seemed a little nosy at times because I ask about all things finance for my friends - I assure you, it is only to see if I can help with finances, not to blackmail you. So I am really excited and feel like Heavenly Father has led me to this point in my life where I am making a career out of it. I am going to be a financial planner with New York Life Company. I have written a more detailed blog about how I have come to this decision but I hope that God will bring people to me who need my help. I love to help people and I am really good at finances so please please send people to me who can use help with anything finance related. It's totally free to talk and it can bring a lot of peace to your life - especially if you want to send those kids off to boarding school. I still need a bit of training but think about it and let me know if this is something that you might want to talk about. I assure you, I am a really fun and smart person. The conversation won't be dull and you could be a zoom meeting away from feeling like you are prepared for whatever comes in this crazy world.<br />
<br />
If you want to read the more detailed story go here: <a href="https://christinaannmiller.blogspot.com/2020/07/my-lifes-calling.html" target="_blank">My Life's Calling</a>Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-24358456530083500042020-07-24T10:50:00.001-04:002020-07-24T10:50:34.659-04:00My life's callingI woke up this morning at 4:30 just excited because I finally have had all the pieces click together to get to this moment. I lay awake thinking of clever, creative ways to announce my new focus and career path. I finally just got out of bed and decided to write. But when I got to my computer and wrote it all down it wasn't as funny or clever. It was just like a testimony, essentially. I wrote a second version and it was pretty much the same. So if you are reading this blog post it is probably because you like to read or you just like me. I have an idea for how to write the clever one, though, so if you are looking for more lighthearted, then check that one out. Either way, I hope that you are excited for me as I take on a new world.<br />
<br />
Blog post #1<br />
<br />
Ever since the housing market crash of 2008 - which we fully participated in by owning 3 fancy houses that we lost - I have tried to become more educated on finances. Prior to that time we were chasing easy money and wanted to be wealthy like our friends who seemed to be making plenty to spare. As always, our timing was wrong and we only ended up with debt that was like, I don't know, 20 times the amount of our annual income. If you aren't a numbers person, just know that this is bad. Very very bad. I'm still grateful we didn't end up in prison. In fact, we belonged in debtor's prison, however England ended that in 1869. But "debtor's prison" is a real place for many people.<br />
Anyway, this hard-knocks education really turned me around into wanting to learn more about finances. I wanted to help people not be us - dumb and totally broke - maybe even less than broke.<br />
<br />
Since that time, I have gotten my Bachelor's degree in Consumer and Family Finance, I have facilitated 6 or 7 Personal Finance Self Reliance courses (and 2 How to Start a Business courses) through our church and have gone into homes to try to help people set up a budget and become financially stable. In the meantime I have worked at random jobs - substitute teaching, admin work, accounting stuff, etc. but they are always temporary and not really fulfilling. Since we move so often it has been hard to find something that would fit my talents and let me relocate regularly. I have prayed for the last 3 years to find a career and not just a job.<br />
<br />
I've asked God to just tell me what He wants me to do and I would do it. He doesn't do that apparently. He said something about it being my choice. Ugh! So I have searched and pondered and tried to figure out what my talents are - I like neatly organized spreadsheets, talking to people, and reading, - you know - really boring stuff to most people.<br />
<br />
So now we have arrived in Texas. We move here during Covid, we have only made a few friends, my grandfather passes away, and my husband gets a last minute deployment assignment. The Lord and I have had some interesting conversations as of late. And I am still trying to find my place in the world. So I start networking, playing on LinkedIn, having zoom meetings with people I don't know, telling my kids not to bother me most of the day - My kids are thinking, "I don't think my mom works but she is on meetings as much as my dad, so I don't know..."<br />
<br />
Anyway, after chasing one thing after another, I get connected with a financial advisor. I have a great meeting with him. Then someone tells me to connect with another financial advisor. And another. And soon I have met with a bunch of financial advisors and I come to realize that everything they are saying is what I want. I have spent the last 3 years educating people on finances, asking personal questions and trying to help them know what to do. This all borders on just being nosy because I have no official credentials and I usually say, "I'm a finance person" because I don't know how to describe my randomness of abilities.<br />
<br />
So fast forward a bit. I have been flirting with 3 different companies. I have listened to their spiel, talked about it, thought about it, and prayed - of course. But today, after weeks and months and years of trying to find the "right" thing for me, I have finally found a home. I am going to be a financial advisor with New York Life! I know, I know, that is the most boring announcement that I could have made but I am actually so excited. I have a talent for talking to people, making them feel valued, understanding their needs and desires - financially, and honestly money doesn't motivate me so I just want to help people to not be us back in '08. I want to help people make better decisions, know what the plan is if someone passes away, and have someone to call when that kind of craziness happens, or if you have tax questions, or investment questions, etc. I want to be that person who you can go to for those things. I am smart. I am good at it. And my integrity is everything to me. I would never want to take advantage or put my friends into a situation that benefits me more than them.<br />
<br />
I've asked Heavenly Father to help me with this. I hope that He will lead people to me who want or need my help. It sounds like because of Covid, this job is now something I can do because no one is meeting face to face so the industry has come to accept that tele-meetings are acceptable. This means that I can help anyone, anywhere. If I move, it won't matter because my people are still accessible via the internet. I really couldn't be more excited. I believe that God will lead people to me and that we will all benefit from this.<br />
<br />
So I haven't even been hired by New York Life yet but I feel a great peace and excitement when I think about the knowledge I will learn and the people I will get to help. I don't want to be someone who nags my friends all the time so I hope that after I get the word out there, I might have people who know and trust me bring those who are seeking help my way. Obviously we have the military as our main job so this is just something I want to do. I want to help people and I want to use the same wisdom and guidance that I have been taught through my college classes, the church's curriculum on finances, and from my own experiences - which have been many.<br />
<br />
So this isn't my typical post. It is more like a journal entry, but I am happy and finally feel like I might have this hobby of mine move into a career. So if you have read this not-very-funny blog post to this point, I hope that you will send people my way who want to have a good conversation, become educated on their own finances, and get to visit with a really fun person!<br />
<br />
Blog post #2<br />
<br />
So I found my life's purpose this week!<br />
You weren't expecting that, were you?<br />
I call myself a finance person but I haven't had official training in that capacity. So basically, I am just a nosy do-gooder who wants to help people in the financial arena. I do taxes for people, I create budget and teach classes, and will gladly engage in a conversation about all the dumb things we have done to not be wealthy. I have spent a lot of time trying to find the right fit for this obsession and interest but it has always seemed to elude me as we move so often and have to start over every other year or so.<br />
Now that we have come to Texas and the world is upside down and Jeremy left on a deployment I have really struggled to figure out a purpose for myself and something that I can do with these strange talents I have. I have prayed and fasted and pondered and discussed and kept coming back to one thing. I am a finance person and I love serving others. I guess that's 2 things. But what can I do with that?<br />
<br />
Back when I was facilitating some personal finance classes there came a point in the lessons where I was supposed to invite a financial advisor to come and be a guest speaker. Almost all of my classes would sit and brainstorm to see if we knew anyone who could come and speak. Only once did we get someone and he didn't even practice being an advisor anymore. This has stuck with me because I<br />
know the value of having a financial advisor.<br />
<br />
...I'm sure you can see where this is leading....<br />
<br />
I've had a few life experiences that have led me into the finance industry.<br />
So you've probably heard me talk about my sister. She died in a plane crash in 2009. This was a rough time, to say the least. She was totally broke, eating ramen noodles to live off of, and just struggling to survive, however, she had a life insurance policy that cost her less than $5 a month that she hadn't cancelled. When she died, our family had a little $25,000 policy that enabled us to take care of all the craziness and logistics of a funeral and all that comes with this kind of sudden death. If you knew the peace and assurance that came from having that money... oh my goodness.<br />
<br />
Before we joined the military, we sat down with a financial advisor and talked about all things finances. We could hardly afford anything but we were able to make a plan and we knew what our long term goals were. Having a financial advisor enabled us to think and talk about things that you don't normally bring up while watching your favorite Netflix shows - "Honey, what is our plan if you don't make it back from the grocery store?" or "What can we do to make sure our kids can afford college?" These are all things you can openly discuss. It's like getting a check up from the doctor. If I was a health professional, I would probably try to diagnose all your ailments too. I just love to help people. I love to teach. I seek wisdom and learning all the time.<br />
<br />
So I'm sure you have figured it out. I have decided to become a financial advisor. (I know you were hoping for something more exciting - we got Seaworld passes - Yay! Does that help?)<br />
The funny thing is, I have not actually been hired on yet as I am being really picky about where I throw my hat in. If I am going to ask my friends if I can help them, then I want to stay with a good company that won't get bought out and I don't want to be forced to sell things my people don't need or want. In the end, I have chosen New York Life as the company I want to work for. They are the number one in life insurance in the industry. They are totally stable. I don't charge people to sit and talk to them. I get all the training I could possibly want. I have access to lawyers, accountants, and investment officers and can fully service anyone who God directs my way. I think that has been what has stuck with me as I have finally come to this conclusion - Heavenly Father has almost forced me this direction. There are easy jobs that I should have gotten by now - even temporary ones - but it's like those offers have been blocked by some spiritual phone filter. I think that He is trying to make this path clear because there are people He needs me to help.<br />
<br />
I am actually really excited about this - which is surprising because it is kind of a marketing/sales job. But I believe that Heavenly Father has people who need what I can offer. I don't care about the money and I won't push things on people. My integrity matters more to me than almost anything and I feel like I am a good and honorable person. So I am hoping my friends and family will feel the same way. I will be able to offer anything financially - if you need help writing a budget, if you need to know if your spouse gets your pension when you die, if you want to invest but aren't sure how, if you want to talk about life insurance or kids college funds, I want to be your person. I am really excited about this although this might be my most boring blog post. But I hope that my friends and family will see me as a resource and will give me a shout when they are ready to have these conversations.<br />
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Please email, call write, text - even if I wasn't going to do this professionally, you could contact me and I would help - but now I will have knowledge! Knowledge! I'm so excited!<br />
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<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-77306506600512980712020-07-21T17:28:00.000-04:002020-07-21T17:28:15.295-04:00A Practical Gift GiverBefore I begin this story, I need to tell another story - I am a practical gift giver. I can't handle giving gifts that have no functional use. There was a party I attended where we were told to bring an item that tells about ourselves for a gift exchange. While other ladies brought candles and lotion and nail polish, I brought a package of sugar. I like to bake, I like sweet treats, and you know that anyone can use a package of sugar.<br />
I can still see the look on the girl's face who got my gift. It said, "Thanks for being weird." You're welcome.<br />
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So with that I will tell this story...<br />
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I recently had a conundrum that I feel others can relate to. We've had a lot of houses sold on our street and I have wanted to welcome these new neighbors to our little corner of San Antonio. I made some banana bread and wanted to take it over to a neighbor but then I was swarmed by all these concerns of why this might not be well received. As I let these thoughts fester I came to the conclusion that there might be 15 reasons why a person might not take baked goods to the neighbor anymore. Here they are:<br />
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1. Maybe they won't like what I made.<br />
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2. Maybe they are on the Keto diet.<br />
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3. Maybe they are gluten-free.<br />
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4. Maybe they are worried that someone spit on this food item.<br />
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5. Maybe they want me to wear a mask when I bring it over.<br />
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6. Maybe they will think my mask is ugly.<br />
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7. Maybe they think I have Covid.<br />
<br />8. Maybe <i>I</i> have Covid.<br />
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9. Maybe <i>they </i>have Covid.<br />
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10. Maybe they distrust all strangers.<br />
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11. Maybe their doorbell doesn't work and when I leave it on the porch a bear comes to eat it and he is waiting out there for them the next time they open the door.<br />
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12. Maybe they are vegetarians.<br />
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13. Maybe they don't eat food.<br />
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14. Maybe they wonder if I have an unsanitary kitchen.<br />
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15. Maybe they wonder if it is the 1960's again - when people bring over baked goods to welcome them to the neighborhood.<br />
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So when all these reasons caused some serious self doubt about the delivery of baked goods, I decided to move forward with providing a welcome gift anyway. What do you think I did?<br />
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...wait...before I tell you, I want you to think about how wise this gift is. It's a hot commodity and it's incredibly useful. Just keep that in mind.<br />
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So what did I do?<br />
We ate the banana bread and I brought them a pack of toilet paper as a house warming gift.<br />
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Welcome to Texas!<br />
<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-80146021420126040032020-07-08T00:20:00.001-04:002020-07-08T00:22:17.391-04:00Kid Swap?To my dearest friend who has entrusted me to watch your daughter:<br />
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We had an incident tonight that I feel obligated to tell you about. First I would like to give you some background information on how we ended up in this situation. It all started with a Zoom conference with a friend that went a little longer than we expected. We hadn't had dinner and it was after 8:00 pm. I had promised the girls that we would take them to Chinese. We headed out to a Chinese restaurant that was 10 miles away and was closing in about as many minutes. To add insult to injury our car informed us that we had 10 miles until our gasoline would be empty.<br />
We are valiantly following Google Maps as it leads us on the most convoluted journey through freeway entrances and exits, down frontage roads, and across mile-high overpasses as if tempting fate to allow the night to get really ugly. Being hangry wasn't quite enough of a price to pay, we are watching the miles on the car gauge drop to 4 and the miles to the destination increase. There was a slight amount of yelling involved where one of us was saying that we need gasoline and the other saying that we need food.<br />
After a quick stop for gas, we scurried over to the Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, it closed early to deep clean. No go.<br />
Our second option, another Chinese restaurant close by, was also closing. It also would not let us sit down so we headed out that door too.<br />
At that point, we looked around and decided to find anything that was open - and just ahead of us was a glowing neon green sign. There were cars all around it which indicated human life and a place for people to sit and eat. It was a winner.<br />
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We park and hurry to the door. I look inside and see many bar-like tables with young lively people enjoying their time indoors. I walk in and go to the desk to make sure that we can bring children in. I was assured that we could. I then begin to process what I am looking at. For some reason I can see a lot of cleavage. I take another step back and realize that I can see many things on this girl's body - and we aren't at the beach. She leads us to the table where another girl attends us who is wearing - or not wearing - the same thing. As we sit there it occurs to me why there would be a lot of cars outside a restaurant at 9:00 on a Tuesday night - especially when there is a virus running around.<br />
It was only when I head to the bathroom and I had to choose between "Sit-2-P" and "Stand-2-P" that I realize that I am not the right clientele for this establishment. I have brought these cute 13 year old girls into a modern day Hooters and it was too late to leave.<br />
As Jeremy and I were leaving, we discussed how we ended up at this place. A faint memory of someone telling us about this restaurant's name "Twin Peaks" came to mind. As I recall the friend's comment, "the name does not mean 2 mountain tops" I realize that we aren't in Kansas anymore. Consider yourself warned.<br />
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So to end our night we got to discuss with our two 13 year old girls why this is an appealing business for some girls - lots of drunk men and tips - and why the food wasn't good - because the menfolk don't care - and that it might be good to set some goals for your life, and maybe make better plans so that you don't end up taking your kids places they might be seen as prey.<br />
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My dearest friend, I am sorry for our ignorance and lack of planning. I am very sure that we will all remember this night and not repeat it. I do recognize the disparity in our level of responsible-ness as you feed my son snacks and watch wholesome shows on Netflix and I have taken your daughter out to a place that is one pole shy of a strip club. If you don't want to kid swap again, I will understand.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Irresponsible momChristina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-62753247619765221792020-06-10T23:56:00.000-04:002020-06-11T00:04:22.882-04:00Tribute to my grandfather<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Robert South, an English
clergyman said, “If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does,
it must be by what he gives.” Using both of those standards, my grandfather must
need the longest measuring tape available to understand his greatness.</span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This humble man was born in Malad, Idaho on
July 30, 1933. Things were tough for their family as his father was unable to
work due to an inherited medical condition. His mother, the rock of their
family, carried the burden of providing for their family and she worked so hard
to ensure that they survived. Lyle even said that one summer, they survived on
eggs. There was no shortage of sacrifice and tough times for Lyle’s family
during his youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Some tidbits about him during his younger
years are that he thought that his friend Lowell Davis was telling him a tale
when Lowell explained a new invention called the television. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">At the age of 12 he worked all summer. This
enabled him to buy a bicycle for $35. He didn’t know how to ride it, but it
wouldn’t take him long to learn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He milked the cows, fed the pigs, and tended
to the farm each day. This great man knew how to work! (Even my sister Amy
explained in her journal at the age of 14, that Grampie had us moving 25 pound
pipes around his yard when we were 5. My memories are a little different than
hers, but we have learned that legacy of the benefits of work.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I think that this tough beginning set Lyle off
on a path to do and be better so that his future family wouldn’t suffer. This
seemed to be so important to him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I happened to find his patriarchal blessing in
his room. I took that as consent to read it because he left it where I could
find it. I would like to quote from it to show that the Lord knew who Lyle was
and that he had a purpose and many talents that would be of use during his sojourn
on the earth. It says, “If it is your desire the privilege, as the years come
and go, will come to you to receive the blessings that are bestowed upon the
faithful saints in the house of the Lord, and you will rejoice in the blessings,
satisfaction, <u>the peace of home and loved ones</u>, and <u>you shall not
want for the necessary blessings and comforts of life</u>, for the <u>labors of
your hands shall be prospered</u>.” He received this blessing when he was 17.
Our Lord knew his son, Lyle. And Lyle fulfilled all that was required of him. I
can see how these blessings were fulfilled, especially when contrasted against the
younger years of his life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Heavenly Father blessed him with a large
family. He felt that it was his duty and obligation to see that they were
provided for. He often worked 2 jobs to ensure that his kids had the things
that they needed – and maybe even some wants. He built his house, shed, and
later his garage – even being featured in the newspaper. (This was a proud
moment for him and he has several copies of that newspaper article in his room.
I think he even made the front page.) His children had space to run, play, eat,
sleep, and work. This was because of the great efforts of their father and
mother as they raised 6 successful children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As I spent time interviewing
him about his life, I came to discover that he is so proud of his children and
later his grandchildren and later his great grand-children. Every single one of
them. His wall of frames is filled with all those pictures of these treasured
people. He may not have been able to show affection in the ways of the world,
but he spent time – using the talents bestowed upon him – fixing things, doing
household repairs, tending the cows, watering the field, planting the garden,
and creating and building useful items for each child, grandchild, in-law, great-grandchild,
and even the neighbors and friends. Truly his efforts were magnified and his
hands prospered. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lyle loved praise, orange crush, cinnamon rolls with pink
frosting, and being fed by a good cook, which he was lucky enough to have twice
in his life – his mother and his wife. He loved to whistle while he worked and
was a happy, quiet man who loved to work, loved life, his faith, and especially
his family. The last part of his blessing states, “[you] will live to thank
your Heavenly Father for your many blessings for his protecting care and for
your accomplishments in life and you shall live to be a comfort to your parents
and will be held in remembrance by your associates for the kindness of your
heart, and your many acts of assistance to those in need of comfort and a kind
word.” This blessing has been fulfilled completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I look at all that he has left for us – all these
things that we will remember him by – our step stools, our cedar chests, and
nightstands, the cabin, the shed, his house, the kayaks and the many other
things that he has created with those hands! How many times I have used these
items and remember that my grandfather loved me.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How can I really measure this grandfather of mine? What he
did and what he gave are priceless examples to me of a great heritage that he
has left behind. We are all recipients of his greatness. The potential to be as
great as he is flows in our family’s bloodlines. I hope that we will all live
up to our family name and that when we meet our father and grandfather and
friend again on the other side of the veil, he will be able to say, along with
our Savior and Redeemer, “Job well done.” I love you Grampie!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-86034942931379600772020-03-05T21:47:00.002-05:002020-03-10T19:43:40.675-04:00Around the world in FebruaryI received the coolest little email from Google - well, it is cool if you don't worry about things like Big Brother and the government knowing all your secrets - but it was an email that showed me everywhere I have been in the month. According to Google's <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">program of constant </span>oversight in all aspects of my life, I have traveled 48% around the world. I feel like that is a gross over-exaggeration but then again, I am no geography wiz. February was full of new places, though.<br />
My parents took my family to Hawaii in February. My sister, Amy, passed away in February so we are trying to make new memories instead of that sadness. This was a great trip and I have a lot of pictures I guess I could share but I really want someone else to do that because it seems like it is a lot of work. I will say that this was my favorite place:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAG1kaTaCaiWox9yk5-Ufrz6V6O9rNA-36hof7dDdf_aLl7AWgDYBQFi4_Bp97pppNCU78VSqMoyJZHpF7Szm3SE793HUKrdY5d2fe_UgqESFTMydAqmOS7TS21Smkq55e7ycamcsBXpo/s1600/20200211_113206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAG1kaTaCaiWox9yk5-Ufrz6V6O9rNA-36hof7dDdf_aLl7AWgDYBQFi4_Bp97pppNCU78VSqMoyJZHpF7Szm3SE793HUKrdY5d2fe_UgqESFTMydAqmOS7TS21Smkq55e7ycamcsBXpo/s320/20200211_113206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Every day I would walk to the beach hut, pay for some lounge chairs and show the well-tanned caddy, who must not own a shirt, where to put the thing. I would just walk over there and be like, "you know the drill. Oh, and throw in a paddle board so I can watch these fools try to get on it." Then I would sit and try to read. Every day. I didn't read much because I am a people watcher and I was constantly interrupted because everyone wanted me to play with them. I think they forget that I am not that fun to play with. I just look like I could be fun.</div>
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Anyway, after coming home from the tropical island it was time to prepare for our next military move. I am sad to leave my friends here. We have been in Ohio for 5 years (3 years in Columbus and 2 years in Dayton). However, I am not sorry to say goodbye to "my tomb" also known as my tiny base house. Seriously, I don't understand the "tiny house" craze. This box has stripped me of my ability to entertain, has stolen my husband and made him a miserable ogre as he completed his thesis, and then took all my neighbors away after the tornado came through. The sun doesn't live in Ohio either so add a vitamin D deficiency to the mix and you might understand my harsh review on this state of affairs. </div>
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San Antonio, Texas seems to be where the Lord wants us next. He has obviously heard my cries and sent me somewhere equivalent to hell - in temperature and humidity, at least. The houses are a lot bigger too so I know that He is making sure to counter balance all my complaints about Ohio. So Texas - I went there by myself last weekend to find a house for us to move in. It is really tough to move your kids when the school year is almost over. Unlike when you move in the summer, you have to be ready to hit the ground running on getting them into school and transferred over. It has been on my mind quite a bit.</div>
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So I took a flight to this Lone Star State and tried to be very frugal - staying at a La Quinta Motel, getting a cheap rental car, and only eating twice a day. (Honestly, I really wasn't hungry). Anyway, when I reserved my motel room I requested a king sized bed. I figured that I didn't have my kids or Jeremy with me - this would be a great opportunity to live it up a little. </div>
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As I got into my room, I noticed that the bed was low to the ground. Weird, I thought. Then I went in the bathroom and saw that there was no tub - it had a walk in shower with a chair... and then there was a handicapped parking spot right <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">out </span>in front of my door.</div>
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Lightbulb - I am in a handicapped room. Oh man! I am not sure how to feel about this. It was late so I just went to bed and carried on with the trip.</div>
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I went to look at houses the next day and found one that I liked but there were still more to see so I went out again on Saturday and found the most amazing house. I was so excited about it. My realtor convinced me to look at other houses just in case I didn't get that one, so I looked at a few more but by then I couldn't keep them straight and I knew what I wanted. I prayed about it and felt like the Lord said that either house (the one I liked on Friday or the one I loved on Saturday) would be fine. So I decided to sit on it and go check out the wards (church units) to see which one I liked best. Either one was fine. They have so many youth. One ward had 60 and the other had 40. My current ward in Ohio has maybe 16. I think my kids might be able to find a friend here - maybe...</div>
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So I just kept thinking about it.</div>
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Saturday night back at the La Quinta, I am lounging in my low-rider king sized bed when suddenly a party strikes up in the room next to me. It is one of those adjoining rooms where we have a door that we can both open. Now I love a good party, but this one was more like a drunken bachelor rave with music, banging on the walls, a guy screaming as if he was being tortured (later yelling, "OMG that was the worst wedgie I've ever had." with some expletives added in there.) Since that didn't seem to be slowing down as the night progressed I decided to request a room change. I knew I couldn't sleep like that. I walked to the front desk and requested a new room, which they were happy to give me until they realized that they didn't have any more handicapped rooms available. I assured them that I was able to take any room as long as it was away from that craziness. She handed me the keys to my new room and I grabbed my stuff to transfer it over. As I walked into the room, I was disappointed to find 2 full size beds at full height. They also had removed the fridge and microwave from the room. The shower was a normal tub with just one shower head (am I in America or have I somehow transferred to a 3rd world country). And there were no extra power outlets next to the bed. As I looked around I came to realize that I was at a disadvantage in being an able-bodied person. Where is my big bed? I don't have anywhere to put my leftover food, and am I really going to have to step over the tub rail to get in the shower? Dang that wedgie guy. I want my room back.</div>
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Finally, it was late Sunday night. I was thinking through my options and decided to move forward with applying for the house I loved. I filled out the application which requested everything - including my life history as well as a picture of our cat. Not sure if the urine sample comes later...</div>
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First thing Monday morning I called the rental company with my chipper, "Hey, I just applied for this house I love and..." which was met with, "Lady, we had 6 people submit rental applications for this house over the weekend. It is first come, first served."</div>
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I wanted to cry. What had I done? I think I was the first one to see it on Saturday and then I just sat on it. I was so sad. I had to call Jeremy and tell him that I didn't apply soon enough so we didn't get it.</div>
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I really felt like the Lord told me that I could have either one and that it would be okay. I was so bummed. Our next step was to apply for the Friday house that I liked. I submitted the application for that and then had to begin my travels home. This gave me ample time to think about my foolishness. As if air travel wasn't bad enough.</div>
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As I was waiting to leave San Antonio I got an email from the house I loved. They said that they were reviewing my application. I didn't understand because I had to be at least the 6th person to apply. It wasn't even 12 hours ago that I had finished. I responded to her asking for clarification;</div>
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her emailed response said the magic words - "we take the first *complete* application."</div>
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Huh. I guess the other people forgot to send a picture of their cat.</div>
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So this is my new address starting in April: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/12114-Carson-Cv-San-Antonio-TX-78253/83980310_zpid/</div>
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I had a layover in Atlanta and found myself walking around in the basement, as usual. I noticed a guy who looked confused and - being the happy helper I am - asked what was wrong. He looked frazzled and said, "How do I get out of here?" Without even a pause, I told him, "Just go up." He was so grateful - called me sweetie, and walked away. But as I walked away, I realized that I wasn't where I thought I was. He needed to go upstairs but not until one more terminal north. I immediately turned around to try to find him but I couldn't. He could still be wandering around the basement of the Atlanta airport. This still haunts me.</div>
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As my husband points out, this story is so typical me - wanting to help others but usually being wrong. Consider yourself warned.</div>
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Whew! That was a roller coaster of a weekend.</div>
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I was anxious to get back to Ohio, though. We only have a month left and I have a lot of great friends here and a whole month of fun plans. One of those things is a daily routine of going to the gym with my friend, Claire. She is amazing and has been teaching me all her gym moves. She can do at least double the weight of everything I do, but it used to be that she could do 3 times more than me, so I am improving. I want you to know that I can bench press 45 pounds. This might sound extraordinary if you haven't frequented the gym in a while, but I will tell you it is only the bar without any weights. I am pretty happy about it, though.</div>
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I can also do bicep curls with 15 pound weights. For those of you who work out, this might cause some raised eyebrows - it is impressive I know, but please hold your applause. My most humbling move, though, is this thing we do where you put a bar across your hips and raise your hips up as high as you can. Until recently, I would have to have her place the bar on my hips and then come get it off me because I couldn't lift it myself. These are proud moments for me but I am trying something new and getting stronger each day. </div>
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So that was my February. I'm pretty happy it is over, though. What is going on in your life?</div>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-91002961560911532442019-12-23T08:59:00.000-05:002019-12-24T14:20:13.617-05:00"Choose to be Found" talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NhrtiRk0sRzKpxdswUO7jfq2FOcCLZ1dw5_QFuYSbMzipXd55DQDlrM7pT3nwUUTRwhzi_tXsf7nXLJv4BiaQNIo5yj1BTuC3soqBD-tu6bhtseqjkRZkzXPFjgqULdXR5SShlQ832E/s1600/1577055251389654-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NhrtiRk0sRzKpxdswUO7jfq2FOcCLZ1dw5_QFuYSbMzipXd55DQDlrM7pT3nwUUTRwhzi_tXsf7nXLJv4BiaQNIo5yj1BTuC3soqBD-tu6bhtseqjkRZkzXPFjgqULdXR5SShlQ832E/s320/1577055251389654-1.png" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aeoKyhb3tsrNIeE7sV82BRaDySDwTAIuMSIOTw5vDrT6bovzFtX7ZxQC4sn_TV8i1aZ9pMlqJFF1fvzGmydf7tM2QaNwTMKr4laOLhXcbK2xVpz2bpmgfMHEOGFh_Cre8l54QCAg7Qk/s1600/1577055254851551-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aeoKyhb3tsrNIeE7sV82BRaDySDwTAIuMSIOTw5vDrT6bovzFtX7ZxQC4sn_TV8i1aZ9pMlqJFF1fvzGmydf7tM2QaNwTMKr4laOLhXcbK2xVpz2bpmgfMHEOGFh_Cre8l54QCAg7Qk/s320/1577055254851551-0.png" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is our tree - Tiny Tim. He is as wide as our 3 windows. Normally I would be annoyed about something like this because we are already limited on space, but Tiny Tim makes me chuckle when I see him. It was one of those things where you don't know what you are getting into until it is too late. </div>
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Here is a talk that I gave yesterday for our Christmas services. Don't worry, it was only about 6 minutes long. :) Merry Christmas!</div>
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With Wondering Awe was the song I was asked to talk about.</div>
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When was the last time that you found yourself wondering?</div>
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When was the last
time you stood in awe?</div>
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These are the things that stuck out to me in this song:</div>
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I picture standing outside, looking up at the plethora of stars.</div>
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I see a beautiful
painting;</div>
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I witness a kind gesture;</div>
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I look at my huge Christmas tree,
appropriately named “Tiny Tim”.</div>
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I feel warm water coming from my faucets;</div>
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I witness
lights come on with the flick of a switch;</div>
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I hear a child perfectly play the piano
piece that they have been practicing;</div>
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I see a stranger let me go in front of
them in a busy traffic scene;</div>
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I see a loving mother holding a crying baby.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Are
these not all things to sit in wonder at when we live in a world where we can
let the natural man of blaring horns, angry rhetoric, lies, deceit, theft, and
cruelty rule the day?</div>
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<u>So, what do you wonder at?</u> <u>When do you stand in
awe?</u></div>
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I hope that you will stand in quiet places and ponder on the blessings
in your life, that you might be filled with wonder and awe. </div>
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</div>
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I recently read a story from an
author named David Butler. He said, “When my oldest boys were little, I took
them to an amusement park because I’m such a rocking dad. During lunch, while
we were all standing in line for a million-dollar hamburger, I looked down to
where my son Jack had been standing right next to me. He wasn’t there.</div>
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</div>
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I was sort of bugged to lose my
spot in line, but I figured he had wandered back to the rest of our crew who
were saving a table, so I left the line to check at the table only to find them
Jack-less. No sign of him. I started to worry a little. I stayed cool for about
six seconds as we started to spread out around the restaurant but worry quickly
escalated to panic. </div>
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</div>
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Looking back, I don’t think it was that long, but in that
moment, each second felt like an hour. I was flustered and afraid out of my
mind.” </div>
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</div>
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He continues, “Finally, I spotted him through a window! He
had left the restaurant and was about 50 yards away in a gift shop having a
little toddler conversation with a stuffed robot car. I cannot tell you the
explosion of emotion I had. Gratitude he was found. Anger that he had wandered
off. Stupidity for losing him. And a little bit of relief when I remembered that
Mary and Joseph lost Jesus once. For three days. I didn’t feel as bad. The
whole range of emotions surged through my veins, and my eyes watered with tears
of every kind.” </div>
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Have you had something similar happen to you before? Have you lost something
that couldn’t be located? Or maybe you were the one who was lost. What relief
and gratitude you feel when whatever was missing is found?</div>
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Sometimes in life, you might consider
yourself lost, just as the author’s child was. He says, “We are all seconds
away from getting lost and are prone to falling, failing, and forgetting. It’s
kind of what we do best. This is probably one of the reasons why the scriptures
compare us to sheep more than 300 times.”</div>
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Sheep are prone to wander, are directionless, defenseless, an
easy target for predators and will follow just about anything. The Savior talks
about “His sheep” because we are a perfect parallel between actual sheep and our
natural man mentality. How many times do we hear Christ speak of lost sheep? In
fact, the first parable in the New Testament was of the lost sheep. So if you
know that you are prone to be a lost sheep, what can you do about it? How can you
be a better sheep, a better follower of your Savior? </div>
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</div>
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The Christmas season is a time when
we focus on being a little more like Christ. We lovingly give to others and try
really hard to be kind. But what if we tried to be like Christ all year round?
What if for the next year you… chose to be found?</div>
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Could you honor our Savior
this Christmas season and the <u>new decade</u> we are about to begin by choosing to
be found? </div>
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Choose
to be found reading your scriptures. </div>
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Choose to be found being kinder to your spouse. </div>
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Choose to be found playing with your children or saying meaningful prayers. </div>
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Choose to be found forgiving those who have wronged you. </div>
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Choose to be found
setting goals. </div>
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Choose to be found singing uplifting songs, dancing, serving
friends, writing letters, smiling, using your talents, reading, laughing, eating
chocolate… </div>
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And choose to be found standing in awe and wonder.</div>
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</div>
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The entire purpose of Christ’s mission on Earth was for all
of us “sheep” to find joy, love, peace, forgiveness, and wisdom. </div>
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He came so
that we could learn to love and be loved. </div>
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He came so that we can live with God
again in a perfect body. </div>
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He came so that we can be with those we love so much. </div>
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He
came because of His Father’s perfect plan and to be perfectly obedient. </div>
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Can we choose
to give something back to our “Good Shepherd” in return? </div>
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</div>
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Brothers and sisters, I pray that throughout the coming year
we will honor and worship this loving Savior sent only for the purpose of
saving us, his wandering children. I pray that we will choose to be found.</div>
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</div>
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In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.</div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.ldsliving.com/David-Butler-on-How-We-Have-More-in-Common-with-Wandering-Sheep-than-We-Realize/s/92082</span></div>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-14384364830233910802019-10-21T07:30:00.001-04:002019-10-21T07:30:12.111-04:00Notes from the area conferenceThere was a broadcast on 10.20.19 from Boston, Massachusetts directed toward all people in the North America Northeast region. Elder Christofferson and Elder Ballard were the main speakers.<br />
These are very brief notes from the regional conference:<br />
<br />
Our Savior didn't focused on how hard and painful the atonement was. He focused on joy to get him through it. We, too, should focus on joy in our own lives and not how hard things might feel.<br />
<br />
We need to pray daily for opportunities to invite others to learn - invite to church, invite to eat, invite to attend an event, invite to anything. Make friends. Be friends. The local leadership brother spoke about how his daughter moved to a new state and the first thing that happened was a neighbor brought over freshly baked cookies and asked her if she had a church to go to. They thought this man surely must be the ward mission leader. He actually was from another church. We need to be comfortable asking people to join us in the things that we are doing, just as this man and others in his daughters new community are.<br />
<br />
Daily prayer keeps us centered on Heavenly Father. We need get away from out "Type-A" personalities of thinking that we need to do a certain number of chapters each day. We should set an amount of time for scriptures and allow for time to ponder in order to receive answers and promptings.<br />
He recommended reading "Deep and Lasting Conversion" by Elder Cook <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ffO-5yh7YQ">Cook's talk</a><br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ffO-5yh7YQ<br />
<br />
and<br />
"Try, Try, Try" by Elder Eyring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aSsN2vru1A">Eyring's talk</a><br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aSsN2vru1A<br />
<br />
As well as a lesser known article by Clay Christensen, who is a professor at Harvard. Each year on the last day of class, he would give a lecture on how to incorporate what you learn into who you become. Elder Christofferson explained that Clay Christensen spent an hour each night meditating and pondering on the purpose of his life, rather than spending that hour studying [insert some heavy college subject here]. This proved to be more beneficial to him than anything else he could have done with his time and then he gives the lecture on what he learned. It became so popular that Harvard Business Review published it. I found the book, "How will you Measure your Life?" by Clay Christensen and a Ted Talk: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvos4nORf_Y&t=8s">Christensen's talk</a><br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvos4nORf_Y&t=8s<br />
His book is also available on Audible.<br />
<br />
Don't forget to thank your God for all the things he has given you. We need more thankfulness and to verbally acknowledge those specific things.<br />
<br />
And lastly, President Ballard spoke about the time he has spent in the New England area looking at all the sites that our founding fathers lived, worked, and died. He talked about the battles that were fought, the prayers that were said, and the miracles that proceeded because of the faith of these brave men who suffered greatly in trying to free us from the British. He spoke of one battle on Christmas (probably the Battle of Trenton) where God provided miracles via a drastic change in the weather (river turned to ice, allowing troops to cross; clear skies turned to fog and snow, allowing troops to go unseen by their enemies) all provided by the Hand of God. These men had fasted and prayed for help. We, too, need to fast and pray for our country. We have forgotten how much was sacrificed, and what God has done to allow us these freedoms. We need to pray for this country. We need to pray for our leaders, our people, our protection. We need a movement via social media and we need to invite everyone, everywhere to participate.<br />
<br />
He also spoke of one of the men on the Mayflower who had fallen off and almost drown but through God's miracles, he survived. He and his wife had 10 children and a great posterity including many significant people in positions to change history (presidents, leaders, etc.).<br />
<br />
God's hand is in our life and we need to stop chalking it up to "coincidence" and acknowledge that a loving God in heaven is protecting and guiding us. Look for His hand in your life. It is there.<br />
<br />
Please share anything else you learned from this broadcast or any facts I got wrong. :)<br />
<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-34708461579641183912019-10-08T22:16:00.002-04:002019-10-08T22:16:54.055-04:00Fundraisers are a scamThe hardest thing I did yesterday was get this Spring Rolls package open. Seriously. It was ridiculously hard to do. After that, I tried to fry the spring rolls so they would look like the golden brown things on the package. This was a fail. But you know what? I fed it to my family anyway. (Along with all the ice cream they wanted to make up for this offense to my cooking street cred.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctkpczy7FOiwhdUsWlkth-f182kG7ZM4xObU2okzZKTdi7sNTj-JaMN7_tR6dM8Y_PBnRN5ai-G9dvfJkv-HflX1xVBmtdKaGwHcsZ_pKEXNxGvkX1R9HTdOgFxoIR6UFfecozqSWDik/s1600/20191008_174428.jpg" imageanchor="1"><br /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctkpczy7FOiwhdUsWlkth-f182kG7ZM4xObU2okzZKTdi7sNTj-JaMN7_tR6dM8Y_PBnRN5ai-G9dvfJkv-HflX1xVBmtdKaGwHcsZ_pKEXNxGvkX1R9HTdOgFxoIR6UFfecozqSWDik/s1600/20191008_174428.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrQxPuqkn8MBErI2HmHPwLLUrpwsw2-u4-mGeXrrBzrgv66hDob4aLfxMjCNwonx_6uHncDeGGsazfK4_PEJsAnUQdJpYZD_oTGYhdsAFimJCYWun7GCi9xYei323CQyLxlilepoGsRA/s1600/20191008_182323.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrQxPuqkn8MBErI2HmHPwLLUrpwsw2-u4-mGeXrrBzrgv66hDob4aLfxMjCNwonx_6uHncDeGGsazfK4_PEJsAnUQdJpYZD_oTGYhdsAFimJCYWun7GCi9xYei323CQyLxlilepoGsRA/s320/20191008_182323.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctkpczy7FOiwhdUsWlkth-f182kG7ZM4xObU2okzZKTdi7sNTj-JaMN7_tR6dM8Y_PBnRN5ai-G9dvfJkv-HflX1xVBmtdKaGwHcsZ_pKEXNxGvkX1R9HTdOgFxoIR6UFfecozqSWDik/s1600/20191008_174428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctkpczy7FOiwhdUsWlkth-f182kG7ZM4xObU2okzZKTdi7sNTj-JaMN7_tR6dM8Y_PBnRN5ai-G9dvfJkv-HflX1xVBmtdKaGwHcsZ_pKEXNxGvkX1R9HTdOgFxoIR6UFfecozqSWDik/s320/20191008_174428.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<br />
I recently started a job that I am not in love with. It is a parody of "The Office" every day - if "The Office" was filmed at an African American college. Naturally, I stand out a bit there, among other oddities that I have found.<br />
My boss is kind of eccentric. She is a combination of Michael Scott and Stanley from Accounting. Ironically, we are the accounting department and are pretty much hated by the rest of the college, but I have come to conclude that everyone hates the gatekeepers of the money. It just comes with the job. I work on travel expenses and I get to explain why employees can't expense a $70 meal, that we aren't going to pay for your wife and child to travel with you for your business trip, or that the policy says that you have to get a compact rental car for you and your football coaches even if you are all 6' 5" tall and travelling together... Maybe it is a little obvious why we are hated...<br />
<br />
Anyway, each day is a new adventure including the fact that: the HVAC is out, there are huge windows with indications that they once held blinds, and the water cooler hasn't been filled since 1996. Don't get me started on the fridge. Anyway, I have toyed with quitting but it really isn't that bad. My biggest complaint is that for the first month no one talked to me. This was the first time that I realized that my chosen profession - accounting - employs a bundle of introverts! I was a wilting flower with each passing day. I would hope to get fired but wasn't willing to just quit. It was a terrible conundrum. I wasn't sure if I was just having a hard time because going back to work at a real job after years of volunteering is just hard. Or maybe it was the people I work with. Or maybe it was because no one has dusted in 20 years. I don't know, but recently things have started changing. I got assigned to a specific type of account. I started having people ask me if I wanted supplies (this is a big deal in an office). I had a brand new comfy chair show up - which caused some hostility with the other employees. Then I got a new computer. Then I was asked if I would like to move into my own private office. This has been awkward because I am the newest employee and no one else is getting these favors. I turned the office down because: it doesn't have a window, I would be isolated, and no one would be forced to talk to me when they walk by. It is a strange problem to have but I can't handle people not talking to me. I eavesdrop on every conversation so that I can feel a part of it. Seriously. I am an extreme extrovert and probably have some disorder but it seems to be working at this place.<br />
<br />
So I just keep showing up like it's the most important thing I do each day. "You're going to pay the college back for that nightcap, Professor."<br />
<br />
This leads me to the next complaint in my life - I am fundamentally opposed to fundraisers as I feel that they are a scam. They scam you into paying triple the cost of some mediocre cookie dough. They entice children to hassle all their friend's parents, grandparents, and neighbors that they never talk to, and then you run the risk of all those people sending their kids to you when they have a fundraiser. The cost of sending your child out to do a fundraiser could reach bankruptcy levels when the favor is returned in kind. It is a scam.<br />
<br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">My child brought home a fundraiser. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">My kids tend to lack ambition, particularly this one, but for some reason one of the prizes has got this child on a mission to sell 20 items. 20 ITEMS! I don't even have 20 friends here who we can ask. We talked long and hard about this because despite all my bells and whistles going off, I have to let this kid explore something that they are finally interested in. However, I told said child that they will have to do the work for it. The prize is that you get to leave school and go to lunch with a group of other kids who scammed 20 people out of their money. I told said child that I will just buy a lunch at that restaurant - to no avail. I had to let this one play out.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The kid wants to sell them at church. Hard no. Then wants me to sell them at work. Um, no. For one thing, I don't want to start that at the office; for another thing, I don't want to be stuck working until the fundraiser items come in, if I should choose that I have had enough with Michael Scott and the crew. So now we are hitting up all the friends. I apologize in advance for those who are stuck in the scam. Said child has tried to be respectful in the way that they have asked, and is learning some good life lessons, but I couldn't have been more surprised that a Ponzi scheme would motivate this kid. Being a parent stinks sometimes. Being an employee also stinks.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">So here we are, counting down our last 6 months in Ohio. Our plan is to move to San Antonio at the beginning of April but until then, we will all be struggling to survive, but hopefully not eating failed attempts at cooking spring rolls. Happy Fall!</span><br />
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<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-34878220529816434142019-09-05T19:19:00.001-04:002019-09-05T22:42:30.969-04:00City Slickers and Crazy People<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
We decided to go camping this weekend, as it is Labor day weekend and is a very American thing to do. So naturally, we planned it on Friday, the day the weekend began. I got home from work and we loaded up the car to head to the hills of Ohio. (There are no mountains here.) </div>
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On our late drive to Lake Alma (yes, Alma actually lived there. It's in the Book of Mormon) we stopped at a tiny town's tiny shop that advertises donuts and is open 24 hours. Who doesn't need a donut at 4:00 am, 2:15pm or 8:30 at night? Guess what? They were out of donuts. Ok... we'll take 4 ice cream cones, please.</div>
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So we travel on and arrive to a very crowded Lake Alma where every camp site is taken except for the tiny camp spot that we reserved online. It is a good thing we only have one tent because it was tight. All our large RV neighbors watched as us city slickers arrive and set up our primitive tents that we have had for 20 years. I am sure that they were impressed as I set up the tents sporting my spanx, work clothes, and later, my yoga pants. Guys, we did not fit in. These people are there to live...for at least 4 days. I was hoping to get through one night.</div>
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We had some tasty hot dogs and "mountain pies" which are pizza pockets cooked in small cast iron <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rome-Industries-Round-Pie-Iron-Cast-Iron/21970451?athcpid=21970451&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=66be3b89-a5e-16ce9af68f12db&athena=true">cookers</a>. (you can click the link and see what I am talking about).</div>
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Anyway, despite the wet ground, the night went pretty well. I have found a new friend to take camping with me - Advil PM. It resolves all the weird night sounds, neighbors who are loud or snoring, children who want you - everything. We are BFF's.</div>
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The next morning, I have an altercation with my teenager. She keeps playing on her phone, which we have discouraged since we are there to enjoy "the wild" so I end up taking the phone away. A few seconds after it was in my hands, I am abruptly hit by an object from said teenager. I look down at the water bottle that has just caressed my arm. </div>
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Now, we are in full view of all the outdoor enthusiasts who have come to enjoy nature from their enclosed and furnished vehicles, so I am trying not to make a scene, but this child does. not. care. She has confronted me in a manner that should not be ignored. But I don't care for crazy people so I am trying to walk away from her, but to no avail. I finally have to stop and calmly tell her to get out of my face. </div>
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She, of course, refuses. </div>
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At this point, my normally levelheaded and nurturing manner is screaming for justice to be served. I cannot refrain from calmly explaining that my foot is about to accost her person if she doesn't remove herself from my area. I rationally explain that I am counting to 3 - the magic amount of time that all children should be allowed to evaluate their options - and then I am going to forcibly remove her from my path. </div>
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When she does not move, I swing wide so as not to really hit her, but to send a strong signal that I am tired of this game. To this, she finally gives up and begins to walk away while exclaiming, "That's child abuse!"</div>
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That's... child... abuse? Are you freaking kidding me? No, child, that is parent abuse. I am incredulous and I turn to see that Jeremy, who has decided not to engage in this tango, is laughing at the irony of the whole thing. We are both aware that you have to laugh at crazy people or you might end up like them, but this made me mad. However, due to all the sets of eyes on our little rendezvous with crazy, I had to turn the other cheek and walk away. </div>
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This might be a sign that we don't belong in the great outdoors, or that we just don't belong with a teenager. So we packed up our car full of "necessities" and we city slickers headed back to town where we can beat our children privately in the comfort of our own home.</div>
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Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-70518161737133457342019-06-25T15:08:00.004-04:002019-06-25T17:16:43.628-04:00The "cost" of travelMany people dream of travel and of beaches, and oceans and of far off locations where you are in awe of God's beautiful earth. Who doesn't want to see all that the world has to offer? But in order to get to those magical destinations, you have to travel. Traveling can be fun, exciting, and adventurous, but it can also be stressful. Whether you are on an extensive road trip, sailing the ocean, or taking a train - things can get a little crazy, as I will describe to you in detail...<br />
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Yesterday, my cousins and I had to end our magical vacation in Cancun. It was time to go home and face our different challenges in life. We began this by getting into our private driver's black SUV to take us to the airport. It was glorious and air conditioned and comfy. We arrived at the Cancun airport still on the high of all that an all-inclusive resort has to offer - where every thirst, hunger, and desire are promptly attended to. Our driver parked the car, got the door and our bags for us and with smiles on our faces and a gleam in our eye, we said 'goodbye'.<br />
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We turn around and enter the sliding glass doors and... WHABAM! We are in Mexico. Real Mexico. Not the "fake" Mexico where we just spent our days sleeping, eating, swimming, repeating. There are people everywhere, babies crying, and chaos. We head upstairs to the security checkpoint because we have no bags to check. More long lines. We get in one and watch a lady complain that her plane is about to board and her security line hasn't moved in the last hour. Thankfully, we got there 3 hours early.<br />
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As we finally approach the security scanners, we see that there are a lot of people who have gone through the security point and are coming back through the line to empty out their bags of all liquids. Every kind of liquid. Toothpaste, hair gel, shampoo, sunscreen, shaving cream, deodorant, everything - even if it less than 3 ounces. We see the exasperation on their face and quickly learn from their frustration that we need to be proactive and pull everything out of our bags. I watched as a young man in front of me begs the agent not to throw away his $50 hair gel. She tells him that he would have to go back into the chaos downstairs and check his bag if he wants to keep it. He resigns his fate to the tyrant and walks away - likely with a tear in his eye.<br />
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When the security agent gets our bucket, we are ready for her at the end of the aisle. She pulls every single item out and scrutinizes it with disdain. She rejects my cousin's toothpaste and then moves on to my bag where she takes away my nice hair conditioner, my contact solution, and then my expensive face wash. I want to scream, "No! Not the face wash!" and I remember the young man in front of me. We feel the same pain and I know that I have to walk away. Curse you, Mexican security agent.<br />
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After this gross injustice I go buy overly expensive water and souvenirs that I will likely throw away when we move next year, but I feel obligated because I left my family and I think that somewhere it is written that you must take chintzy junk back to the people you have abandoned to go on vacation. This takes me about an hour to find just the right kind of junk.<br />
One of these items is what I believe to be caramel sauce. I try to ask a lady if that is what it is. She doesn't speak English and turns to find another lady. The second lady also must not speak English well but knows enough to pull out her phone and google translate the name on it. The result? "Goat's milk".<br />
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Hmmm. Well, okay. I will buy it anyway.<br />
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We board our plane and head back to amazing America.<br />
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Now we have done some international travel before, but I must have blocked this out of my memory. When you come back into America, you have to go through security again, just as if you were trying to get on a domestic flight. If you have liquids more than 3 oz, you need to check your bags, etc. So we get back into another security line where I gulp down another bottle of water because it cost me $4 at the overpriced Mexican airport. I throw my bags on the conveyor belt and go through the metal detector and wait. Both cousin's bags make it through with no issue but they pull my bag to the side for inspection. Seriously? Ugh! So I wait my turn for an inspection. I watch as the American security agent goes through people's bags and makes them also get rid of stuff. What the heck? The only place all of us passengers have been is an airport and you can only buy souvenirs there. He opens my bag and rifles through my underwear, essentially (because I have packed almost nothing) and finds the "goat's milk." He pulls it out and says, "If you want this, you will have to check the bag."<br />
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By this point, I am tired. I am slightly irrational and I just can't handle them taking any more things from me. I stand up to my full 5'1" height and say, "Then I will check my bag."<br />
This is not what people normally say so he asks me to repeat myself.<br />
"I. will. check. the. bag."<br />
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We can both see that this "goat's milk" cost me $8.00. Both he and I are contemplating how important this small bottle of brown goo is but I can't bring myself to let him throw it away. Whatever hassles, and security, and fight that will be required in order to keep the Cajeta, I will do it. I am its savior and I will not let them have it. I have lost too much today.<br />
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He looks at me suspiciously, closes down his line, and walks me and my bag back through the other side of security. People are looking at me like I have drugs in my suitcase. The other security guard tries to yell at me that I can't go back through but then sees that I am escorted by this gatekeeper and stops mid-sentence. He deposits me on the other side and says, "have a good day, ma'am."<br />
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Oh, I will have a good day. I walk right over to the desk agent and tell her that I need to check my bag. She asks what I have in it, because she can see that I am not the typical passenger. I pull out the plastic bottle. She looks at it and says, "How about this... I will put it into a box and send it through the checked baggage system. You can keep your bags and just pick this up at your final airport." She walks over to the boxing area, finds a goldfish box and says that I will see it in Dayton.<br />
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I get back in the lengthy security line and feel vindicated for my efforts. I pass with no issues and walk to my patiently waiting cousins - one of them has a flight to catch rather soon, despite my rebellious efforts to save the caramel. I am certain that they both thought I was nuts. I walk right up to them with the same luggage that I had before all this happened and they are looking at me like, "How the hell do you still have your bag?"<br />
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I explain to them that I met Mother Teresa on the other side of security and she is sending my "goat's milk" in its own private box to my airport. We hurry off to get some food and I say goodbye to them both and wait for my flight, which does not leave for another 4 hours.<br />
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I finally arrive at my airport after midnight and go to the checked bag area. Guess what is waiting for me. My goldfish box.<br />
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Theoretically traveling to far places sounds amazing and dreamy, and really, it is. But until I can teleport to these fabulous destinations, I will continue to pay a high cost for travel - my sanity.<br />
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<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-90061085048857191582019-03-15T15:38:00.001-04:002019-03-15T16:00:28.267-04:00A trip to Rome?<p dir="ltr">Our flight was supposed to leave Chicago at 5pm on Thursday March 14th. We boarded it around 715pm. On the way into Chicago, this particular plane was struck by lightning so they had extra checks to do on it, plus it was delayed getting in. I guess if I got stuck by lightning I might be delayed too.</p>
<p dir="ltr">While my 300+ passenger "friends" and I waited outside the gate many continued to drink...and drink...and drink. It is St. Patrick's day weekend, after all, and we are headed to Dublin first. Many of my passenger friends were quite hammered after food vouchers and 2-4 hours of uninterrupted drinking. By the time we boarded many could not walk a straight line down the jetway. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We all got seated. As we were about to pull back from the gate one young spring-break passenger decided to attempt a bathroom trip. He staggered up to the restroom, which we conveniently were sitting right next to, and struggled to get the door open. Once he pried it open enough to squeeze through,  he fell inside of it and it slammed closed. After crashing around inside for a moment he was met by an unexpected knock from an agitated flight attendant in green, who pleaded with him to go sit down. He claimed he couldn't hear her. "I'll be out in a minute. Can't I have a moment to pee?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">She actually said,  "No. Not really."<br>
He banged around trying to get the door open and once he figured the door out, he was met by an angry flight crew. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The flight attendant said, "Sir, are you prepared to sit down? We need you to get to your seat and we will serve you no alcohol. Are you prepared to do that?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">Any rational human being would say yes immediately and find their seat. We, however,  were past rational. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"Why you all up in my business?" Was his reply.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The flight attendant repeated her statement. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"Why are you harassing me? I just had to pee." </p>
<p dir="ltr">The woman in green stood to her full 5'3" height and said,  "Sir, you struggled to open the door,  fell into the bathroom, and missed the toilet. Are you going to go back to your seat,  sit down and go to sleep and we will serve you no alcohol? Do you agree to that?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">This ennobled youth decried this injustice and decided to fight for his liberties. </p>
<p dir="ltr">To which he was met by an invitation to go to the front of the plane just as a child headed to the principal's office. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What happened next was a mystery, really.  Was he kicked off the plane? I'm honestly not sure.  He went to the front, made his way back to the rear of the plane and then...</p>
<p dir="ltr">They decided to cancel the flight... for everyone. <br>
3 reasons were listed: <br>
1. The plane was delayed because of the lightning strike. <br>
2. Captain said, "there was a brief incident with an inebriated passenger." And<br>
3. Because of these things we were not able to pull away from the gate in time and now we are over our flight crew's legally mandated hours for breaks. <br>
"Stay in your seats, folks, we don't know <u>what</u> to do with all 300+ of you."</p>
<p dir="ltr">The rest if the evening was interesting. All 300 of my friends and I were led as cattle back to the front of the Chicago, Illinois airport to get our luggage and a hotel voucher. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We paid $80 for a 20 minute cab ride to the hotel - pretty sure that was a scam - but we shared a cab with a guy and he was going to pay $65 for just himself to go to the same hotel. Now that we jumped in, we all owed $40 each. Do the math on that one. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It would be wasteful to send back this plane back without all 300+ of us so after we all had a break from each other,  my 300+ friends and I are all hanging out together at Chicago O'Hare hoping to leave 22 hours later than we had scheduled. Same plane. Same seats. Same friends. Same flight crew. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The question on everyone's mind is: where is our drunken friend? </p>
<p dir="ltr">There is a possibility that he is still stuck in the front of the airport as they decided to manually re-do everyone's tickets and connections starting at 930am this morning with only 4 workers. Everyone who got past the 4 workers literally received cheers and clapping from the 300 others waiting in line. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What adventures await us today? </p>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-86754295142507858792019-01-11T13:41:00.000-05:002019-01-11T13:41:01.964-05:00A TMI lunchtime storySo I am still taking my tax class and I decided to bring cookies to share, cause that's kind of my thing. It makes people like you, or at least remember your name. It's kind of a networking tool.<br />
Anyway, yesterday I decided to get some lunch from the cafeteria. This was my first day of doing this and I explored all my options finally deciding on the turkey wrap. They made it in front of me, like at a Subway counter, and I took it, sat down and ate it while I visited with the other tax trainees.<br />
Lunch time got over and we head back to the classroom and got started.<br />
Not quite 10 minutes later I feel this rumble inside me.<br />
It starts at the top of what has to be my large intestine and serpentines its way down my stomach area. I sit there for a second hoping that this is the end of it but after a moment I know where this is going and I am not sure what to do. We just had an hour long break. I can't just get up and walk out and, of course, I'm at the front of the room. How much time do I have anyway? If I walk to the back it could happen at anytime. So what do I do?<br />
<br />
I decide to stay sitting in my seat. There is no other course of action that seems as safe. Within seconds, however, I silently relinquish the pressure and hope that this is the end. A few moments later, though, OMGosh, the stink was palpable. I literally looked down to make sure it wasn't seeping out in visual form. I swear that I could feel it... you know, like Pigpen on Charlie Brown.<br />
Now I really don't know what to do. I can walk out but it is going to follow me and I would have to walk by almost everyone in the class. So my next best option is to stay at ground zero and just twist around in my office chair. I consider doing a full circle just to try to make it dissipate a little more but that would really be unprofessional.<br />
<br />
It is just this terrible terrible situation but eventually the smell integrated with the rest of the air and we moved on.... until 5 more minutes and then I am at DEFCON 1.<br />
I just left. I didn't wait for the break. I didn't care who was talking. I just walked out and headed directly to the restroom.<br />
<br />
What did I have for lunch? A torpedo. That is what I had.<br />
<br />
I do not have food allergies and I rarely ever deal with this which makes it funny. For those of you who have food allergies and deal with this more often, it probably isn't as funny and you might consider having a public service warning near you. I don't know what is wrong with the wrap but it should have a radioactive sign on it. Thank goodness I only ate half of it. Can you imagine if I had eaten the whole thing?<br />
<br />
After a bit, I had to go back in. My backpack was in there and a long absence would surely be noticed. I was able to grab a cookie on my way back in, though, as I was certain that I was completely cleaned out of everything that I had eaten over the last 3 days so why not start off with a cookie? The day finally ended and I was able to get home before any more damage could be done but whatever was in that thing has messed up my digestive system. So now I have a half of a turkey wrap left. Anyone need a colon cleanse?<br />
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<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-87013452473939549232019-01-09T22:38:00.001-05:002019-01-09T22:38:53.214-05:00Taxes<p dir="ltr">I lost my car today. <br>
I'm not usually one of "those" types of people but it could not be found. <br>
It was also freezing. The wind chill... oh my gosh. I seriously could have died from exposure as I wandered around the student parking lot. I believe that I was in the blistering wind for 7 excruciating minutes before I found it in the staff parking lot. I was honestly beginning to wonder if this is what it feels like when your car gets stolen, where you just wander around looking for it like it is your lost cell phone. What was I thinking this morning? </p>
<p dir="ltr">I have been taking a required class so that I can do taxes for free. It's been a little boring even for me, and I love taxes. The class has a lot of retired military men in it and despite their service and retirement from the military and all of those types of stories they could tell,  they talk about the odd or complicated taxes they have done.<br>
"Back in '94 I had a couple come in to do their taxes only to find out later that their w2 was from 1991." And of course it's a one-upping game, "Oh yeah? I had a guy walk in with a sticky note from his employer instead of a 1099 form!" And then they argue about minute details in the tax law and have all the forms memorized. <br>
"In Pub 4012 it says that you should print all 1040's in yellow." <br>
"Well, John, that directly conflicts with pub 17 that says they should be green."<br>
"Well back in '72 they hadn't even invented the color green!"</p>
<p dir="ltr">Even if you don't know anything about taxes, you can see there is a lot of pride in the room. It's like hearing war stories - only about paperwork. These old men are cute, though, and I love that they are still serving their fellow citizens by reconciling their paychecks to the government. Although one guy keeps having his cell phone go off. Someone needs to teach him how to shut that down. "Back in '64 they hadn't even invented the internet or cell phones yet!" </p>
<p dir="ltr">In the meantime, I'm at the AP table trying to get my test done so I can go wander around the parking lot looking for my lost car. I'll be glad when this training is over. I haven't had to wake up at 6am for 5 consecutive days since last May. Whew! This "working" thing is for the birds. </p>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-59502498738629052382018-12-30T16:21:00.001-05:002018-12-30T16:21:31.201-05:00Ireland Instruction manual<div style="text-align: center;">
Many people have asked how our trip to Ireland was. I feel that it would be best presented in a the format of an instruction manual. I think you will get the gist of the trip in this manner.</div>
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RENTAL CAR<br />
When traveling to Ireland, you will likely need to rent a car. This is a country where you will drive on the left side of the road, and have your steering wheel on the right side of the car so this is something that you will need to adjust to. If you are frugal, you will also be checking out the cheapest rental car there is, which means it has no air conditioning and it is a manual, or stick shift car. It is also called a Ford Fiesta, which will make you wonder what kind of fiesta you might have in it. An intimate one, to be sure, as it is a tiny car. You will also need a GPS or SAT/NAV system because you will be lost and could potentially not be found. This is worth the extra expense. The phones you have from the United States will work in Ireland but you will be "roaming" so it is best to just get the GPS. You will name her "mappy." Your car insurance does not transfer overseas so you will need to have some kind of insurance on the car. You will also try to "frugal" your way to paying for the least expensive insurance. The rental car agent will try to convince you to get the full insurance. You will insist on getting the lesser insurance but when he tries to put a $1600 deposit on your credit card and it gets rejected, you realize that you will need to cut your losses and just take the full insurance even if it doubles the price of the car rental.<br />
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You will finally arrive at said Ford Fiesta and be grateful you only have one suitcase. You will try to get into the car but realize that you are on the wrong side. You will walk to the opposite side of the car. You will do this "dance" every time you go to get in the car. EVERY TIME.<br />
Once inside, you will start to wonder about the last time your husband drove a stick shift with his left hand. You will be certain that it wasn't this decade.<br />
You realize that the GPS cannot find the place that you need to go. You don't want to use your US phone because it will cost extra money each day to use it. You decide to do the best you can with the information you have and start your trip.<br />
You begin the three hour drive to your friend's house. You aren't on the road long before you realize that you will likely die in the Ford Fiesta. You realize that this road trip will cause more gray hairs to escape your tense brain. You comprehend that this road trip will be the culprit of much contention and fighting as you and your spouse equally hate each other's driving habits, compounded with new roads, new types of traffic, and a new cockpit in the car. Driving on the left hand side of the road is not that hard to adjust to, it is the things that you naturally do when you come to a stop light that make it confusing. You will want to make a right handed turn but suddenly it isn't protected. You will have to sit at the stop light and really think through what is about to happen. "I am making a right hand turn; I am in the left lane; I will have to watch for cars on both sides of the street because I have to cross all lanes to get to the left lane; I will also have to remember to change the clutch back to first gear so that I don't kill the car." You will feel those gray hairs start to poke through your skull because you are stuck in the passenger seat and can't control every step in the process. You will try to suppress the words that you are thinking but you just aren't that good of a wife. You will both exhaust each other with tension by the end of the day in this tiny party car.<br />
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<br />
ARRIVAL<br />
You will make it to your friend's house 5 hours later with a few miracles tacked on to the trip. You start to realize that Ireland is beautiful and green and pastoral, but it is not America. You will want to stop for lunch but you only find one McDonald's on the side of the road next to a horse that is tied to the guardrail. It will be made known to you later that you cannot just stop anywhere and grab a bite to eat. There are many areas of the country that have no services and you will want to ensure that you have enough gas and food in case you end up in one of these areas for a bit of time. In fact, if you don't realize that you are almost out of gas and it is after 10:00 pm, you could be in a pickle, as many gas stations shut down at 10:00 pm. There may have been one night where you were certain that you were going to have to sleep in your Ford Fiesta until the gas station opened at 7:00 am the next morning. This is where your prayers become more fervent and answered in the eleventh hour - literally.<br />
<br />
THINGS TO DO<br />
You will see many things in Ireland... sheep, green fields, more sheep. You also will see some castles, kiss the Blarney Stone (maybe), and take your kids to a pub. There will be few places to park so most of your pictures are from your car as you whiz by.<br />
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Irish Pub. My kids were not a fan of the food.</div>
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You might notice that the road signs list the location that is farthest away from you at the top.<br />
You will go eat dinner in a castle and visit with a "cheeky" Irish woman named Helen. She and your husband will be very chatty while you sit across the table trying to understand the English that she is speaking. This is confusing to you because you don't usually have a problem understanding accents and yet you can't comprehend when she uses words like "cutlery" instead of "silverware" in her heavy dialect. Also, everyone will want to ask you about Trump. But then they will stop you before you can say anything and give an excuse for why you don't need to answer them.<br />
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Bunratty Castle</div>
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Dinner in the Bunratty castle.<br />
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Jeremy's cheeky friend Helen, with her friend.</div>
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You will want to try yule log. You will like yule log and eat more of it than you need because you are on vacation in a foreign country. </div>
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You will want to try Christmas pudding, black pudding, and white pudding. None of these are particularly good nor are they an actual pudding.</div>
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You will get to the Blarney Castle in hopes of kissing the Blarney Stone, which up until this point you thought was something like a green emerald or some type of gem. Instead you will learn that it is a piece of rock that looks like every other piece of rock used to build this castle. You will make it to the top of the castle and kiss the Blarney Stone hoping for more eloquence in your speaking but then think about the ridiculousness of this superstitious act, especially when you have to risk your life to do it. You notice that since you have done this act, your ability to speak has actually diminished and you hope and pray that it is the jet lag from too much traveling.</div>
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In order to kiss the stone, you have to bend backwards over the wall, hold on to the metal braces and reach as far as you can upside down to kiss a rock. There are actually 2 guys who sit up there all day to assist people coming to kiss the rock. In America, this would probably be a government job.</div>
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Blarney Castle</div>
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Blarney Castle</div>
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Downtown Cork, Ireland has cool architecture.</div>
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Intermission from this lengthy instruction manual. I have never been into a unisex bathroom before, as far as I can recall. I have been in a unisex bathroom where there is only one stall and you lock the door, but never one where you walk into the same bathroom followed by your husband, or any other man needing to use it. This was a weird experience. We don't even follow each other into the bathroom at home. When I came out of the stall and saw my husband, I thought, "What are you doing in here?"... Oh, right.</div>
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These are the Cliffs of Insanity, from the Princess Bride. They are locally known as the Cliffs Of Moher. (Pronounced like the American word 'more')</div>
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See, I was there.</div>
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While in Ireland you will attend a child's Christmas Program. This will be the first of its kind for you because although the kids are dressed in their Christmas sweaters, they are preforming a gymnastics routine to 80's music. There is nothing that says "Christmas" more than songs by Queen or Michael Jackson's "Beat it." </div>
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(They did sing some Christmas songs at the end.)</div>
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You will want to go to the Guinness factory so that you can refuse any alcohol that they offer you and everyone wonders why you are there, but it is closed for the day.</div>
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There are many Irish Crosses around. We went on a walk around the back country roads sporting our "mandatory" neon safety vests. (That is a joke. My friend insisted that we wear them in order to go on the walk. One neighbor commented on how we couldn't be missed.)</div>
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You should look for Fairy Doors while on walks. They are hidden in the trees. You can also order them online. http://www.theirishfairydoorcompany.com/</div>
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They are super cute.</div>
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You will also get to see glass blown at the Waterford Crystal Factory. It will be the last tour of the year. Your husband will break a piece of glass there. Luckily, it was one that was already broken.<br />
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And lastly, you will return your party car, thank it for the memories, and head to the airport. You will get a double screening at the airport when you leave a Snack Pack of butterscotch pudding in your backpack and the over-tired security agent will be thrilled that you have ventured out today. </div>
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You will board your plane where you will have individual TV time where you can watch movies or play games for the entire 8 hours on the flight. And you will, because you paid for this. Besides, if you sleep then you might miss the food they bring you every 2 hours, which you have also paid for. This might be the only time you wish for delay in traveling. When you arrive back in America, your brain will hurt but you can head to a fast food restaurant where you can drown yourself in a large soda and hamburger the size of your face. Unfortunately, they don't take the Euro's that you forgot to spend so now you are stuck with money you can't use - at least not until you head to Rome in March.</div>
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Ireland was peaceful, beautifully green, and surprisingly warm, but I love America. </div>
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Happy Christmas!</div>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-23619068819692388382018-12-11T00:19:00.001-05:002018-12-11T10:11:23.589-05:00Emoji'sI feel like emoji's have a lot of power. They can take a statement from being rude to being passive aggressive just by adding a smilie face at the end. ie. "You have done so well for someone with your education level. :)" The person reading isn't sure whether to smile or cry. Or maybe you can use them because you just don't have words to say, like using a thumbs up. This could be because you want to be done with the conversation but are still in a friendly mood. There is power in an emoji. However, I feel like there aren't enough emojis. Here are some experiences I have had this week that need emojis that just don't seem to be available.<br />
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First off, my weight has slowly been creeping up on me. I blame my tomb (the hotel room that I live in) but it also could be our new lifestyle. Either way, I am just keeping an eye on it and getting more and more annoyed so I considered taking up smoking. Really, chain smokers are like the skinniest people; but then I thought about how antisocial that "sport" is so I decided to approach my friend who is a nutritionist. Her assignment to me (among other things) was to pay attention to my body and ignore natural meal times. She said, "Try eating when you feel hungry."<br />
Now I have a new "sport" which involves constantly asking myself if I am hungry yet. I think the emoji that would fit this is like a person looking at their belly in kind of a shrug pose. "You hungry yet?" I need a red and green light. Maybe even a yellow to indicate if I am really hungry. It feels like a Seinfeld episode, "You hungry yet?" "I don't know. Do you know, Elaine?"<br />
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The next thing that happened was one of "those" days. I needed multiple emojis on that day. My sister was visiting me and I wanted to take her to Hot Yoga. However, hot yoga is 30 minutes away and I had a kid to get to dance, the weather was bad, and it just didn't happen. Instead, we dropped the kid off to the friend who carpools with us and I took my sister to the mall (which is really close to the dance place. I should have just dropped them off.) We got pedis and looked at puppies and I texted my husband to ask him to start dinner because we were starving. (It was taco night. I love taco night.) We got done a earlier than I expected from pedis so we had to go wait to pick up the girls from dance. We go sit inside the dance place for 30 minutes. During that time, my husband asks basically, "where are the tomatoes and lettuce?" In fact, here is the conversation:<br />
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The emoji that would go to this conversation would be called, "incredulous." It would look like a tired and flabbergasted wife with her eyes wide open and speechless.<br />
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So since we suddenly don't have the lettuce that I was counting on, I text my neighbors to ask if they have lettuce and tomatoes. I got some tomatoes but no lettuce. I text some other neighbors. There is a lettuce famine in my neighborhood.<br />
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I resign myself to having to pick up lettuce at the ghetto Kroger on the way home and hope the roads aren't icy.<br />
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Ironically, while my sister and I sit in the dance studio wishing we could go home, my carpool mom friend is sitting outside in the parking lot waiting to pick up the same kids I am. When it finally got over, we walked outside and see her. That would be the "what are you doing here?" emoji. It would look like a game of telephone where there was no connection.<br />
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I stop at ghetto Kroger, spend $7 and head home. When I arrive, dinner is on the table and you know what else is on the table? That freaking head of lettuce that he said he threw away.<br />
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The emoji that would have prevented this situation is the "sarcastic" emoji. I don't know why that one hasn't been invented yet. It would look like a backward smilie face so you couldn't tell anyway because that takes the fun out of being sarcastic. But seriously. I could not even believe that there was that lettuce on the table. The emoji I was felling was "exasperation". It would look something like, "I want to hit you with this plate of lettuce, you fool. Do you know what I have been through to get you this dumb lettuce?" That is exactly what it would look like.<br />
Even more irritating was the fact that I actually needed more lettuce for the next day's meal so I had to go to the grocery store again for another $7 worth of lettuce. (And I had been to Meijer that very morning to get milk!) In less than 24 hours, I had been to 3 different grocery stores and spent about $7 at each of them. This emoji would look "wasted" as in someone ripping up dollar bills because of the wasted time, gas, and energy from not planning well. Ugh! I hate days like that.<br />
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So let's move on to the Elf on the Shelf problems. I know that my daughter "knows" about Christmas but I am still not sure about my 10 year old son. I don't really have a problem moving the elf on the shelf even if they both "know". What I am not sure about is if I have to jump out of bed in the middle of the night to move her because the 10 year old doesn't "know". The emoji for this is called "check" (like in chess) and involves a stare down between 2 people, neither one can say what they are really thinking without giving too much away. So my sister was going to ask the 10 year old if he was excited for Santa to come but he offered this up instead, "I'm so glad that I have a summer birthday so that I can get summer presents and Santa can bring me winter presents."<br />
Well played, kid. Well played.<br />
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But this is not good for us. First of all, we are going to Ireland for Christmas so we told the kids they would be getting no gifts. However, now I have to have Santa gifts. He is already confused because he left this note for our Elf:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN1YQI87_sozex0GG0CECF8CDP-fTSYnuRmw8f2pvhL1nc9Qc8J-aUcn-X-uYPXDbKSsznFk9guyC_VtItemwa7RiXLneqSJXvEd1P3K7OC7APgFA7B1KPShSDD92dl4uOSy5iEivEW0/s1600/20181205_114659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN1YQI87_sozex0GG0CECF8CDP-fTSYnuRmw8f2pvhL1nc9Qc8J-aUcn-X-uYPXDbKSsznFk9guyC_VtItemwa7RiXLneqSJXvEd1P3K7OC7APgFA7B1KPShSDD92dl4uOSy5iEivEW0/s320/20181205_114659.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It says: "We are going to ireland for christmas will you come? Answer yes or no"</div>
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For some reason my husband circled yes but then said, "Santa says I have to stay here."</div>
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The 10 year old asks me, "Well, what does that mean?"</div>
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Well buddy, it means your dad can't read.</div>
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So I guess we might be taking Rosie, our elf, to Ireland. This is the "you shouldn't lie to your children" emoji. It looks like a woman doing something she hates because she started a lie and can't stop now. I feel like it might be time to tell him but I will wait until summer. Everything seems less devastating in the summer.</div>
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The other Elf problem involves my feisty 12 year old. One day Rosie the elf did not move from the previous day's location. My daughter is very much related to my mother who is a full blooded Italian woman and has ties to the Mafia. (Seriously, you should see my Uncle Frankie.) This 12 year old corners me in the laundry room and essentially threatens me - "You need to move Rosie." </div>
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I look at her innocently and say, "She must have liked where she was yesterday and wanted to stay there."</div>
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She gets a little more upset about it and I am thinking that I should have pulled out the "Move her yourself" emoji. But despite the fact that she "knows", she still respects the fact that she can't touch her. It is so bizarre.</div>
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She stood there staring me down and I finally said, "I'm not moving her until tomorrow." So the next day both kids woke up to find Rosie holding the TV remote and sitting on their tablets. Their faces - first laughter and then the realization hits that they can't play with them because no one can touch the elf. Pull out maniacally laughing emoji.</div>
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Now I am curious, What emojis do you need in your life?</div>
<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-7780472325809108882018-10-11T15:19:00.000-04:002018-10-11T15:19:16.469-04:00Survival InstinctsI had an incident this week that I am not proud of. In #GeneralConference we have been encouraged to listen to the Holy Ghost. I thought I was doing that but apparently not well.<br />
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I had made dinner for a neighbor who just had a baby. I also was trying to prepare our portion of it while I took the meal to the neighbor. In a pot on my stove I had some water and a double-boiler steaming pan on top. I had placed my broccoli in it and checked the water level just before walking out the door.<br />
The Holy Ghost said, "The water level is not high enough. You need more water."<br />
I said, "Hmmm... but I'll only be gone for a minute. I'm sure it will be okay."<br />
I'm certain the Holy Ghost looked at me with disappointment on His face as I confidently walked out the door with a divine meal in my hands.<br />
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My husband and I went to my neighbor's house, held her baby, told her what church we went to (using the full name); we talked about children and how we can know what to do for them through the power of the Holy Ghost, and headed back home.<br />
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I hadn't even gotten to my front door before I knew that I had sinned. The smell... oh my goodness, the smell. I sprinted inside - I think I had pot holders in my hands, I don't know where they went - and went directly to where I knew the source of my transgression was - the stove.<br />
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My pan is charred. My broccoli is black. And we were likely minutes away from a fire. My house smells like a chain-smoker lives here and I know that I only have myself to blame.<br />
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Meanwhile, my children, who have been home the <i>entire time</i> this was happening, are still sitting on the couch glued to their tablets. I imagine that their conversation went something like this:<br />
"C, do you smell that?"<br />
"Yes, K. I wonder what mom is making for dinner."<br />
"Whatever that is, I don't want it."<br />
"Well, I have 5 more minutes of watching someone else play Minecraft on YouTube, K. Besides, it's your turn."<br />
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And of course, they could have died!!! Where are their survival instincts? Why isn't there something internally that says, "Danger! Danger! Something must be wrong. I'll check it out."<br />
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So I called them to the kitchen. "Guys, didn't you notice anything? I could have been dead in here!"<br />
K, the preteen with an attitude: "How could you just be dead in here? You can't die from a bad smell."<br />
Me: "Actually, you can; but mom's sometimes die for no reason. You really should be more aware of what is going on here!"<br />
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Since they have not been born with survival instincts, we are all taking the prophet's challenge and fasting from technology for 10 days, and they have lost the privilege of being home alone. "Guys, I have a female doctor appointment, I hope you enjoy the waiting room." and "Guys, get in the car, we have a presidency meeting." "Kids, we are going to wander around Walmart and look for Tesla owners." You're welcome. K was recently complaining that I never spend time with her -as if I hadn't given up my life and hobbies to spend all-day every-day staying here to homeschool her. Now she and I can be buddies -wherever I go, she goes! In my mind, this feels like revenge so I like it, but really I'm just suffocating myself by spending all of my time with 2 preteens.<br />
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Homeschool just got real here. Survival skills are next on the agenda.<br />
<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-67911609195163133002018-10-05T23:14:00.000-04:002018-10-05T23:34:31.623-04:00Tesla cars don't belong at WalmartI had a race, of sorts, with a Tesla on the main strip in Dayton, Ohio. I had a fighting chance because there is nowhere to go here. What good is a car like that in a town with many stoplights and traffic? If I was going to buy a Tesla, it would be when I lived out west. It just makes more sense.<br>
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As I was pondering this, imagine my surprise when the Mr. Tesla pulls into Walmart. WALMART! Look buddy, you can't drive a Tesla to Walmart. I think there are laws against that. You want to own a car that costs $100,000, you forfeit your right to shop at Walmart. Ridiculous.</div>
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You may recall a blog post about a certain Christus that I received earlier this year. See: http://christinaannmiller.blogspot.com/2018/03/cursed.html</div>
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So my husband and I decided to consign said Christus, hoping that it would go to someone else to love and cherish it and so that we don't have to look at it and recall its"history." I left it at the consignment shop for a while and went back at the end of the contract. It was still there. I was told that I had to take it home but I could bring it back in and try again later. I just sighed and packed it back in it's box. I think this thing is just stuck with me.</div>
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You should be warned I am crabby with life in general. This whole post will likely sound whiny. At least I have a reason for it. Here is why:</div>
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We got the cutest kitty for Kaitlynn's birthday in July. Granted, this little guy has cost me a small fortune, messes with my kid's toys, and climbs my curtains (I'm not sure I like those curtains anyway). He also likes to sit on my chest, like almost right in my face. It's his favorite. </div>
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<br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRAZZlt7KSuG5R-6nnt20xUNruXiVxcyCoWX-vz7XjrV0O407oZRCutQzvLnRRhp0vm5JjoBxgHkyw3IYNBNLUUUvtjhpzxLX1xYuveIQAXe5uq1X47LIMR8zmhJLwYGjto56w3x10z8/s1600/Screenshot_20181001-224919_Video+Player.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="779" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRAZZlt7KSuG5R-6nnt20xUNruXiVxcyCoWX-vz7XjrV0O407oZRCutQzvLnRRhp0vm5JjoBxgHkyw3IYNBNLUUUvtjhpzxLX1xYuveIQAXe5uq1X47LIMR8zmhJLwYGjto56w3x10z8/s320/Screenshot_20181001-224919_Video+Player.jpg" width="155"></a></div>
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I texted this picture to my husband to tell him that his cat needed him. Once he got older he stopped doing this, thank goodness. </div>
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So on Monday I took him to the vet (again) to get neutered. And 2 hours later I got a call. They basically told me... that they murdered him. The vet was crying before she even got the words out so I knew that something had gone wrong. Guys, I have been so sad about this. I know it is ridiculous. I dislike most animals, but this little guy was a ball of sunshine. He played fetch like a dog, cuddled with us on the couch, acted like an annoying younger sibling to my kids and their toys, which was the funniest thing to listen to. He also had a problem with his vocal cords so he couldn't really Meow, it was just a cute little sound that he would make so he didn't annoy me... He was just the best. </div>
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The vet isn't sure what happened. They gave him the anesthetic and then his heart stopped. They gave him CPR and all the things you do for a little kitty but in the end, he didn't make it. They told me that they let their corporate office know, they took pictures, and were investigating it the best that they could, etc. but that won't bring my kitty back. I seriously cry every day about it. </div>
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So today they called to tell me that they had his kitty remains and I could come get them. They wanted to pay for the cremation and any other expenses for him. So I go and pick his remains up and they give me this:</div>
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They spared no expense for this. They also had cards from the staff and a little gold half-broken heart (because the other half is in the urn). Although this was more than generous of them, it makes me wonder how guilty they are. They said this has never happened in their clinic and they were all distraught about it.</div>
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So as I wipe away my tears and try to be rational, I'm thinking, what in the world am I going to do with this urn? I thought we would get his ashes and we could spread them somewhere but this thing is a little coffin that is screwed shut. </div>
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I don't even want to keep the statue of Jesus, I can't possibly justify keeping my cat's ashes in my house.</div>
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This whole thing is a mess. WAAAH. I just want my kitty back.</div>
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Recently we went to Niagara Falls and this time my husband insisted that we go to the Canada side to go under the waterfalls. So we walked through the border and...I don't know...7 miles we got to get under the waterfalls. While we were there, I bought my kids Canadian ice cream cones. They are cool because they are from Canada. As we are walking along, I asked my son if I could have some of his. He said that I could but that I better not drop it.</div>
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My kid might be a prophet someday. I don't know what happened guys. That was the saddest ball of ice cream I have ever seen sitting on the ground. My son saw me take this over-aggressive lick and silently watched is his foolish mother let it fall on the ground. People sitting nearby were laughing. I'm just standing there looking around at what to do as my son walked to his dad to tell him about this treachery. It was just terrible. We are studying poems in homeschool. I feel like they are a lost art. So I will end my sad stories with a poem about this incident.</div>
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The Canadian Ice Cream Cone</div>
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There once was a pink little ball</div>
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And it did bring joy to all </div>
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T'was eaten in the mall</div>
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Why did it have to fall?</div>
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Kicked right off of her throne</div>
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The sphere used to sit on her cone.</div>
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Somehow the boy must have known</div>
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She certainly didn't get thrown.</div>
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Strawberry was her smooth flavor</div>
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The boy just wanted to savor</div>
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His mother had offered a favor</div>
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In the end, she just couldn't save her.</div>
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<br>Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-11562502340411151502018-08-06T15:51:00.000-04:002018-08-06T22:31:07.696-04:00Summer Dayz<p dir="ltr">Weird stuff has happened, guys.<br>
1. We sold our house and got to go to closing with the people who bought our house. Like, we were all in the same room signing papers together. Sure enough, they were millennials. The childless couple was in their mid 20's, spent more than it was worth, and they were so excited to buy a 5 bedroom 3000 sq. foot house. They were cute, though. Since I had them in the same room, I begin to subtly ask questions. Keep in mind, they wanted to close on the house 20 days after they made the offer, which meant that we had to work non-stop to get ourselves packed (because that is not enough time for the military to schedule a move), find a new place, get out, patch holes, paint, clean, etc.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Me: So when are you moving in? Tomorrow (June 2)?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Them: No, we have a townhouse that we have a lease on. So we will move in slowly because we have the lease until the end of July.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I looked at Jeremy who was maintaining his stone cold but emotionless face, thank goodness, because I knew that he was imagining strangling them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Who pays double rent for 2 months? Millenials with too much money.</p>
<p dir="ltr">2. We moved in to our new, smaller house. I can handle smaller, believe me. My problem is that my kitchen is tiny and my dining room can't even handle having my table expanded. The largest room in my house... the master bedroom. I actually had a dream that I had a dinner party in my bedroom. It was really nice, just so you know. I have had to accept that because there is nowhere else to store anything, my abnormally large bedroom doubles as a storage room. It's romantic.</p>
<p dir="ltr">To go along with the sizing problem of this house (it is a rental, so we are making do), we have had a few other issues. Our first day I discovered that the garbage disposal maybe had a piece of glass in it; however, we couldn't find it so it just sounded like you were grinding glass when it would run. We avoided the sink for a few days while we waited for the maintenance people to come. To make sure that they would stay busy while they were here, I also called in that the dishwasher wouldn't work at all. Come to find out, there is a light switch for it. A LIGHT SWITCH! What engineer designed a light switch to control a dishwasher? The maintenance guy might have thought I was a fool, but really, the housing company just paid him to come and tell me that, so joke's on them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">And my last house issue, and my personal favorite, is that my bedroom door pretends to lock but it really doesn't. We learned this in the worst way possible. My daughter just comes barging in while we are...um...busy. I did not know what to do so I just played dead. Jeremy yelled at her to get out at least 3 times because she was not to be deterred. It was just a terrible, child-damaging, favorite memory of ours now. Later on at the store she mentioned something about it... "Mom, I thought you said that you were going in to talk to daddy."<br>
"Yes, I do remember saying that. Look over here at these cute clothes." Luckily she has ADD so this tactic worked, as far as I know, but she has probably told all her friends about this incident because I am sure I would have done the same thing as a 12 year old know-it-all girl.<br>
Now we put a heavy thing in front of the door to try to prevent any more mishaps.</p>
<p dir="ltr">3. Everyone at our new location home schools. Now, having just left the public school system as a substitute teacher, I do not question their reasons for doing this. However, I was not sure I wanted to drink the same water. Homeschooling is almost like going back to the baby stage where the kids are not only home with you all day but now you are responsible for teaching them more than just numbers and letters. I mentioned to a homeschooling mom that I would be willing to pay her to homeschool my kids. She thought I was joking so I just played it off as if I was.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Over the summer I have thought a lot about it and decided to try it out. Today was day one. I feel kind of bad because it is Cody's birthday. However, I just got all my workbooks that I ordered and there is only one week until public school starts. If this feels like hell, I have one week to figure that out and get them enrolled.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This is how it went:<br>
Both kids were excited yesterday (and all summer hoping that I would agree to it) but then when they got up this morning and saw the to-do list, their hearts failed them and wailing and gnashing of teeth occurred.<br>
Kaitlynn's new math book wouldn't lat flat because...it's new. She is in full panic/fit mode.<br>
K: "My book won't lay down!!!"<br>
Me: "What? I don't know what that means."<br>
K: (she is trying to ram the left side into the table) "My book isn't flat."<br>
Me: "It's new. We are at the beginning of the book, it will get flatter as we use it more."<br>
K: "AHHHH. I need something to put under the cover to make it level."<br>
Me: "Did you act like this in school?"<br>
K: "I did in my head."<br>
Me: "Well, can we try that here?"</p>
<p dir="ltr">K: "Why is C's math book at a higher level than mine?"<br>
Me: "I gave you that pre-test so that I knew which level to put you at."<br>
K: (under her breath) "I guess I should have tried harder."</p>
<p dir="ltr">C: (reading the task list) "Language arts?!? I don't want to learn a new language."<br>
Me: "It's not a new language. It is reading and answering questions." He is trying  not to cry and holding his head in his hands.<br>
K: (angrily looking at the language arts book) "What is this? It's like reading and social studies in one."<br>
Me: "It is. And this is a dictionary. If we don't know what a word means then we will look it up. Let's look up 'proportion'."<br>
C:  "I know how to use a dictionary, mom." He says as he is reading every word on the wrong page.<br>
C: (looking at the task list) "Oh, we get recess?"<br>
Me: "Yep. We are mowing the lawn today."</p>
<p dir="ltr">I really thought it would be me who was wanting them to go back to public school. I think they are considering it themselves.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We will see how tomorrow goes.</p>
<p dir="ltr">4. We got a kitten from a farm. I wouldn't recommend doing that. He is cute and all but when you get a pet from the pound, they already have them neutered/spayed, vaccines are done, and no fleas. When you bring in one that you found they treat it like it is a leper and charge you a fortune to get everything it needs. The one we got happens to have been sick. He can't get his vaccines until he is well so I have paid over $200 to try to get his vaccines so far and he has been "too sick" to get them. It has gotten to the point where I have considered dropping him off at the pound, letting them fix him up, and then checking back to see if he is available to adopt.<br>
Honestly, he was too sick at first. He was so congested that he could hardly breathe. And he would sneeze green goo all over you. I'm not heartless but that is just disgusting. Remember the Nickelodeon show where you weren't sure if you were going to get slimed? That is what holding or being near this kitten was like. On your arm. In your face. On my floor. It was just gross. After 3 weeks and 2 trips to the vet, we are getting past that. The second time I took him in, though, he wasn't very sick but had some gunk in his eye so she wouldn't give him vaccines. I think it is a gimmick to get your money.* If I liked animals, I would consider being a vet. But take a tip from me, get your next pet from the pound.</p>
<p dir="ltr">*I say this slightly in jest. If you are a pet lover or a vet, no offense is intended.</p>
<p dir="ltr">These are the stories from our new chapter of life in Dayton, Ohio. Tomorrow is C's birthday party. I hate kid's birthday parties. I swear that they think that something magical will happen, like they will get a car and a drivers license for their 10th birthday. Someone will end up in tears or they didn't get what they want and I will yell at them for being ungrateful. It is just a terrible time. Wish me luck. This might be the first year we have done actual birthday parties. It should also be the last.</p>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-79607522192671764242018-05-30T12:59:00.001-04:002018-06-03T13:14:57.577-04:00Nuances of moving<div dir="ltr">
We have secured a place to live! I forgot to take a picture of it but it is a rental in the housing complex near the base. They are all cookie cutter houses but it came with a new free washer and dryer, which I happened to need, so we signed on the line and do not have to move into a POD. Just a Uhaul for a day.</div>
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Last week's problems:</div>
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I started my Wednesday of last week off by running after the garbage truck. 635am. No shoes. Basketball shorts and a T-shirt. (Thank goodness I don't sleep in anything attractive or flattering, although maybe that would have helped this one time?) I had scheduled him to come to pick up a mattress but because of the rain, we didn't leave it out the night before. </div>
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I didn't catch him. </div>
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Now I have had an extra king sized mattress and box spring in my living room for another week on top of all the other stuff that we actually want to keep.</div>
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I also scheduled the mail forwarding to start on May 31, but they promptly began forwarding it anyway. After 3 days of no mail and one Amazon order that didn't arrive I started to clue in that we had a problem. </div>
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We had traveled down to get the keys for the new place and on the way back, this happened. We hit someone's muffler or something that they carelessly left for us in the road. Jeremy got the tire changed, and we headed to the tire place to get a new one where they said it is time to replace them all. 4 new tires, please. </div>
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And Saturday some a guy hit my car just after the light had changed. I found this ironic because I called to change my address for my insurance and the lady told me, "Living in Dayton will save you $200 a year on insurance because it is a safer place to drive." You don't say.</div>
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This week's problems:</div>
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We have run out of milk, most food items, and plastic knives. Thankfully, I have 300 plastic forks that can pick up the slack for the lack of knives. You can even use the other end to pick up something that falls out of the banana and nutella sandwich. It's kind of like a spork concept. Maybe we don't need knives anymore anyway.</div>
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My family room looks like this. That is a 55" TV back there. You can't even tell.</div>
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The mattress is still here. It will have to sit outside tonight, though. We don't need a repeat of last week.</div>
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And I think I am losing my patience and mind. My daughter, who has no spatial awareness, walked in front of me and then flung her leg backward and kicked me in the shin. Of course I did what any rational parent would do. I swore at her and then shoved her just like a 2 year old would. Yes, I am very proud of how I handled that.</div>
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And my last thought for the day is that when we were trying to negotiate a closing date, we had asked our realtor if we could close on the 23rd of May (like they wanted) and then pay them to rent the house back for 2 weeks. He said that this was not a good idea... something about how mortgage lenders don't like to see it turned into a rental, etc. Instead he suggested that we close on the June 1st and then just live there (maintain occupancy) for another week. This is something that you do not have to pay rent for.</div>
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You know, I always thought that buying and selling houses was a capitalist venture. Apparently the welfare program has infiltrated this industry too. We will take option B, then. Can I get free cable since we are on the new owner's dime, then? No? Oh, okay.</div>
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I have to get back to packing now, guys. Tomorrow is the big day!</div>
Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-3284341003026744362018-05-08T16:57:00.000-04:002018-05-08T17:05:21.800-04:00Life update<div dir="ltr">
When cleaning a house to try to sell it, am I the only one who feels like Maleficent at the top of the stairs? "I dare you to touch anything, kids." I say as I am holding Benadryl. "Don't make me give this to you and your friends."</div>
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I'm sure you are all wondering what kind of plans we are making when we sell our house in 2 hours. I know I am. </div>
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This has been and continues to be a complete walk of faith. We have been praying for a while that we would get a good offer on our house. We and mostly Jeremy have worked so hard on this beast over the last 3 years. Check out the basement pictures. That was 98% him. </div>
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<a href="https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/420-Lilyfield-Ln-Galloway-OH-43119/80901119_zpid/">https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/420-Lilyfield-Ln-Galloway-OH-43119/80901119_zpid/</a></div>
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So here is what happened and how prayers are answered. </div>
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I felt like we needed to list it for sale the first week of May. We were told to plan on 45 days to closing plus whatever time it would take to get an offer. We are not the biggest house in our neighborhood but we priced it the highest. Since we had planned on showings that day, we went to Cedar Point Amusement Park.</div>
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Our first showing was at 4:30. At 6:20, our realtor called. I'm thinking, "Oh great. The sump pump is broken and the basement is flooding." Or something equivalent.</div>
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He said that we won't believe it. It was an offer on the house that was more than full price, more than appraisal (if necessary), and they offered $1500 more than any other offer we might receive. They don't even want us to fix anything on the inspection (if anything comes back.) Their only request... "Get out"...in 20 days. </div>
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Where do people like that come from? And why do they want my house? :)</div>
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We sheepishly countered and asked if we could have until June since my kids are still in school. I doubt they would walk away with that kind of offer but holy moly. I think they like my house more than I do. </div>
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Anyway, our plans so far... a pod.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhB9Qvbx2GMXUcoQk2nLrasAFfjTj6kqaHuJ-AK8SyRVdlv7sPVlfXMIs-yoWIa8Pn6xGWHu7OXr8_ZzWJHVVSbfZrD5_naMxqY7ZLD41I1TJiSCJTep3Qy7-ANvR2ArF99aXTIGa-UsA/s1600/pods1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="528" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhB9Qvbx2GMXUcoQk2nLrasAFfjTj6kqaHuJ-AK8SyRVdlv7sPVlfXMIs-yoWIa8Pn6xGWHu7OXr8_ZzWJHVVSbfZrD5_naMxqY7ZLD41I1TJiSCJTep3Qy7-ANvR2ArF99aXTIGa-UsA/s320/pods1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yes, we have secured a pod to live in. We are looking for houses to buy, rent, borrow... I don't even know. We will only be in Dayton for 18 months. We don't even have orders from the military (which are the magic papers that let you order a moving company on the military's dollar).</div>
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Insanely, I feel completely at peace right now. I have no specific plan, I'm not sure if we are going to pack and move ourselves, I'm not sure where we would move to anyway, and I'm just sitting here substituting for a first grade class. (The kids are at art class. I'm not that bad of a teacher. ) I wonder if this is how people who are admitted to an asylum feel? Maybe they feel this great too.</div>
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So that is where we are at currently. The Lord got us into this mess so I'm waiting to see what we need to do to clean it up. (We will be heading out to Idaho after we load that pod. I just don't know if we will have somewhere to come back to.)</div>
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Now for some other drama in our life... let me preface this by saying that what you are about to see might seem shocking but maybe some of you live with preteens, or mental health patients and are used to this kind of thing. This is funny to my family. </div>
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Our daughter was specifically sent to our family because we could handle her and laugh her "craziness" off.</div>
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We keep finding all our technology devices in her room each morning even though they weren't there when we went to bed. To counter this, we put passwords on all the devices without telling her. This is what we found:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SpdjbsqgklZzQL-95OxNfeMllYgb564v9RSRFLY6oqGF72JdVR4RN4I6C5X99FUMtPPFm56CkBQqXqIK9qr0qF1FhmQEd1CZh-X1V-ETgbrVoHnzrZfzeSkNKF0iN3LS3ty66ELKzDw/s1600/Ks+room.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="779" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SpdjbsqgklZzQL-95OxNfeMllYgb564v9RSRFLY6oqGF72JdVR4RN4I6C5X99FUMtPPFm56CkBQqXqIK9qr0qF1FhmQEd1CZh-X1V-ETgbrVoHnzrZfzeSkNKF0iN3LS3ty66ELKzDw/s640/Ks+room.jpeg" width="308" /></a></div>
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In case you can't read this "poem," it says:</div>
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I Know Why You Don't TrusT ME.</div>
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It is Because you HATE ME so sence you HATE Me, </div>
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I HATE YOU!!</div>
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You Never Loved me!!</div>
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The deductive reasoning on this message is Spot. On.</div>
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I need to teach her how to spell "since," though. I wasn't sure it would be appropriate to correct that on the board.</div>
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So that is our life for now. Here are some funny first grade comments from today:</div>
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They are supposed to be writing about whatever they want.</div>
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"Mrs. Miller, can you spell "went?"</div>
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I spell it for him.</div>
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"Mrs. Miller, you are supposed to use it in a sentence."</div>
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Me: Actually, I think that you are. Can you write the sentence you were thinking about?</div>
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Kid: "Can you just write all these words on a sticky note, then: "went down the slide?"</div>
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Meanwhile the entire first grade class is out of control and this kid wants me to write his paper for him.</div>
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Another kid is just drawing pictures. I say, "I need you to write a story for me, not just color a picture, silly."</div>
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Kid: "I don't know how to write so I get to just draw pictures."</div>
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Now, I am not sure if this is an excuse or a real issue but since he is only drawing pictures I am thinking that this is not an excuse. This is one of those things where it feels like you need to call for backup. "Clean up on aisle 4." This is more than I can tackle in an afternoon. Color on, my friend. Color on.</div>
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And another little girl keeps giving me hugs, goes to art, comes back, and tries to give me her mother's day picture she made. I would feel bad but I am pretty sure that my own daughter would give away something she made at school that was meant for me, so it's fair, right?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBrpb2XsBmUuUYPsTxSbweNz328IEZRfXSnkiClFj_b804JLB1q6Z31_MmDcZFK531gqk9NRHSEsJ8kB_mDx8G5Mjc_RkYtmwIZOjUqThpsjfJmxMbTlcSBzr2anoVIgu2HxroCflfuU/s1600/roller+coaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBrpb2XsBmUuUYPsTxSbweNz328IEZRfXSnkiClFj_b804JLB1q6Z31_MmDcZFK531gqk9NRHSEsJ8kB_mDx8G5Mjc_RkYtmwIZOjUqThpsjfJmxMbTlcSBzr2anoVIgu2HxroCflfuU/s640/roller+coaster.jpg" width="640" /></a>PS. This is how I feel about roller coasters: Constipated, apparently. You can see from this picture how we each handle roller coasters. I found myself on this dumb thing as I got stuck in the line after excitedly explaining to Jeremy about the offer on the house. These black ladies in line were like, "You can handle it, Boo. You got this." Yeah, I got this, alright.</div>
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Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-87904265593948259152018-04-23T08:40:00.000-04:002018-04-23T08:40:00.078-04:00The Holy Ghost talk<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was asked to speak in church yesterday. After my talk, I have received many compliments, as people always do, but I was particularly honored when someone told me that this was equivalent to a conference talk. If you aren't religious then maybe you will enjoy the stories anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><u>The Holy Ghost</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When was the last time the Holy Ghost helped you?<br />
Was it today? Yesterday? Last week? Or maybe you don’t remember.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My talk has two purposes today. The first is to help
you recognize the Holy Ghost in your own life and the second is to point out
some ways that the Holy Ghost helps you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Going back to what I first asked you – When was the
last time the Holy Ghost helped you? – If you cannot answer that you receive
promptings at least daily, I want to teach you how you can change that around.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “Men ought (and I’m sure he meant women too) –
above all things in this world – to seek for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing as important as having the companionship of the Holy Ghost…There
is no price to high, no labor to onerous, no struggle too severe, no sacrifice
too great, if out of it all we receive and enjoy the Gift of the Holy Ghost.” This
is how important it is. Our prophets in our recent conferences are pleading
with us to learn this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How to Recognize the Holy Ghost<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To start, we must have faith that He will speak to us.
If you are lacking in this area, you must do those things that are required.
Start by reading a verse out of the Book of Mormon and saying a prayer. Each
day as you do this you will see a change in your life and Heavenly Father will
recognize your efforts as you are seeking Him out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some may already be doing this, so the next step is
that we must learn to listen with our hearts. President Boyd K. Packer has said
that “The spirit is a still small voice – a voice that is felt rather than
heard. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought put into
your heart. We are also taught that this happens in quiet, peaceful settings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you are just starting out trying to learn how this
works, you can practice by placing yourselves in a quiet place and just…thinking.
I like to do this in the mornings. Well, what I like to do is lie in bed and think
(for a long time). Because this is a quiet place and my thoughts are fresh, I am
inviting the Holy Ghost to speak to me as I ponder how my day will go, or whatever
other thoughts come to my mind. It is a quiet place for me and is the perfect
setting for allowing the Holy Ghost to speak. You might consider trying this
yourself. Pay attention to and/or write down any thoughts that come to your
mind. All good thoughts are from our Heavenly Father and should be acted upon.
Maybe lying in bed isn’t feasible for you. You can try other ways, like driving
in the car without music or other distractions, going on a walk, or some other
idea that you come up with. Place yourself in a setting that shows Heavenly
Father you would like to learn how to listen to the Holy Ghost. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Many prophets, including President Monson tell us that
learning how the Holy Ghost speaks to us is one of those things that starts
small. Learn to listen - and then choose to act. You will not receive an
overabundance of promptings right away. He said, “We watch. We wait. We listen
for that still, small voice. When it speaks, wise men and women obey.
Promptings of the Spirit are not to be postponed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Savior himself said, “He that receiveth light, and
continueth in God, receiveth more light , and that light growth brighter and
brighter until the perfect day.” (D&C 50:24) “For unto him that recieveth,
I will give more.” (2 Nephi 28:30) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So basically, listening and acting in small
ways leads to greater light. These are the three steps to start with when trying
to learn to listen for promptings from the Holy Ghost. The first is: Have faith
and show the Lord that you have faith by doing those things He has asked us to
do. The second is: Place yourself in a quiet place so that you are in an
environment to listen. The third is to Act on those promptings. Over time, when
using this pattern, you will see that your ability to hear the Holy Ghost will
improve dramatically and you will recognize that promptings occur more often
than you think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“How the Holy Ghost Helps You”<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So now that we have talked about how to receive the Holy
Ghost’s promptings, I want to share with you “How the Holy Ghost helps you” not
only from a talk given by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the twelve
apostles but I would also like to add my own testimony of these things alongside
Elder Stevenson’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Elder Stevenson was struck by the question “How does
the Holy Ghost help you?” and he goes on to describe how the Holy Ghost warns,
The Holy Ghost comforts, and the Holy Ghost testifies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before we get into that, we will take a moment to
review what we know about the Holy Ghost. You might remember that Sister Nye (last
week) and Sis. Lawrence (today) explained that the Holy Ghost is the 3<sup>rd</sup>
member of the Godhead, He is a personage of Spirit, and he comes by the laying
on of hands, which most of us have had the opportunity to receive when we were baptized.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, if you have been baptized, you already have your “drivers
license”, if you will, to be able to use Him and have him work in your life.
But just like a driver’s license, it can be ineffective if you don’t know how
to drive a car. If you don’t know how to recognize the Holy Ghost, then you won’t
feel the promptings that He gives you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I, personally, have come to conclude 2 things about
the Holy Ghost’s promptings in my life. 1. If it is a thought to do something
good and I don’t want to do it – it’s the Holy Ghost. And 2. If my thought is a
good thought - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but illogical - then it
is also the Holy Ghost. I will show you what I mean going forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He Warns<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Elder Stevenson tells of a time when the Holy Ghost
warns. He shares the story of President Reid Tateoka of the Japan Sendai
mission. President Tateoka was planning on calling a normal meeting for
missionary leaders in the southern part of Japan but he felt an impression (or
a feeling in his heart) to invite <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i>
missionaries to the meeting. This was illogical and other leaders reminded the
president of this. However, President Tateoka insisted that this is what needed
to be done. While all the missionaries were gathered there in March of 2011 a
9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan and destroyed many areas including places
where the missionaries would have been if he hadn’t called them all to this
inland meeting. The Holy Ghost warns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is true for my family as well. We have lived in
Ohio for 3 years. In that time my daughter has been invited to 1 birthday party.
This may seem trivial to you, but it has bothered me as I have felt that getting
invited to birthday parties is a very normal part of childhood. So, imagine my
joy when last month she was invited to a birthday party from a friend at school.
As the day approached my daughter told me that she felt like she shouldn’t go
to it. I was disappointed and thought that maybe this was because she was nervous
about going but as we approached the day of the party, she insisted that she felt
like she shouldn’t go. I still bought the girl a present just in case “we”
changed our mind but in the end, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>she
didn’t go. Sometimes we don’t know why we are prompted to do things… but this
time we do. We were told later of some bad things that happened there. How
grateful I was that the Holy Ghost warned an 11-year-old girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He Comforts<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Holy Ghost comforts. Elder Stevenson tells of a
young man who moved from Los Angeles, California to a small town. Because of
this move, he was able to socialize with many members of the church. This lead
to his baptism. He later married his high school sweetheart but before having
their first baby, his wife and unborn daughter were killed in a car accident.
This was quite devastating to everyone but as deep as was his pain, “so too was
the depth of contrasting peace and comfort that distilled upon them almost immediately.”
The Holy Ghost comforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have felt this as well. In 2009, my family received
a phone call from a member of the coast guard saying that they were searching
for a plane that my sister had been traveling on. They said it had disappeared.
This was quite a shock to our family and we were on pins and needles throughout
that day as we waited for any news. At this time, I felt an overwhelming amount
of peace; So much so that I thought that they were all mistaken and that this
was a big misunderstanding. I mean, wouldn’t I be able to feel it if there was
something bad that had happened? However, it turned out that I was the one who
was illogical because as the day went on it became more apparent that this was not
the case. She had passed away the day before we even knew about it. Throughout
this time, the Holy Ghost filled me with peace and comfort. This is something
that the Holy Ghost does – he comforts for the big things and He comforts for
the small, private things that no one else knows. The Holy Ghost comforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He Testifies<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The last thing Elder Stevenson tells us that the Holy
Ghost testifies. He tells more of the story about the young man who lost his
wife and baby. He tells about how his parents, who weren’t members, could not
be consoled and they “found no comfort or peace” and they couldn’t understand
the peace that their son and his in-laws felt. This allowed this man to bear
testimony to his family about the source of his peace. The Holy Ghost testified
to his parents of the truthfulness of the Gospel and eventually his whole
family was baptized. The Holy Ghost Testifies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have found that the Holy Ghost testifies to me as
well, again, usually illogically. Just before moving to Ohio, we had one of my
young women living with us. We had guardianship of her and were doing our best
to raise a teenager who had been neglected. She was causing a lot of problems
for us and we were trying to figure out what to do about many issues that we
were dealing with. As the tension between my young woman and I heightened, I pleaded
for help from Heavenly Father. It was just 2 days before we had to fly away from
the island when I woke up and felt an answer to all my prayers. It was like the
sun was shining again and my mind was clear. I knew what needed to be done and
I felt so much peace. The answer for us was that we had to leave her there and
that she couldn’t come with us. Despite this huge life-changing decision, I
knew that this was what the Lord wanted. It was so clear in my mind and brought
me so much peace. My heart ached for this concluding verdict, but I couldn’t
deny that the Lord had testified this truth to my mind. The Holy Ghost
testifies of many things great and small. He testifies of all the small and
finer points that apply only to our lives. We will understand this as we practice
listening and acting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To summarize, I have told you of the ways you can
start today to begin receiving revelation: Have faith, put yourself in quiet
places, and then act. I have also given you a second witness to all that Elder
Stevenson has told us. We have both told you of a time when we were able to see
that the Holy Ghost Warns, Comforts, and Testifies. We know that the Holy Ghost
can do many other things and I would encourage you to figure out how the Holy
Ghost speaks to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This last conference was filled with Apostles and President
Nelson pleading with us saints to listen to the Holy Ghost. You can always ask
Heavenly Father to help you know when the Holy Ghost is speaking to you. This
is so important for us in these last days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Brothers and Sisters, I know the Holy Ghost is a real
and accessible part of the Godhead for all who have been baptized and live
righteously. He can warn, comfort, and testify in all aspects of your life as
he has done in mine. I challenge you to pay attention and notice at least one
time this week when you know the Holy Ghost has spoken to you. I know that he
will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Jesus’ name, Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3161419207477598479.post-1848910793793445962018-04-18T06:21:00.001-04:002018-04-18T12:01:42.158-04:00The Train - A Spring Break StorySince we have moved to Ohio we have tried to take a cool spring break trip every year. The first year was to Nashville, TN and the second was to Washington D.C. In Nashville, you take a car everywhere - just like you do in every normal American city, but in D.C. you take...the train.<br />
<br />
Last year we had gone to D.C. and stayed with some very good friends who helped us explore this great city even though their kids were not on spring break and it was kind of a pain for them. One of the days, my friend had taken us to the heart of the city and then had to go back to get her kids so I excitedly declared that we would take the train back to the stop near her house and we would be there around 5pm. I explained to her, and my children, that this would be so fun. "I love the train." I remember saying that. So what happened next was quite a treachery between me and said train. I had professed my love and the train did not reciprocate.<br />
<br />
As our day was ending we headed to the station. We knew we would only ride it once so we loaded one train card with $20 so that we could all use it and get us back home - just like we did in the Japanese train system. Guys, America is not like Japan.<br />
<br />
Our first problem came when we tried to scan our one $20 train card, pass it back to the next person and... BUZZ - red light - Nope.<br />
<br />
What in the... So we had to find a train assistant who sits in a booth and looks down on all American's who can't figure out how to use the card.<br />
<br />
"Um, hello. We just put $20 on this card and it won't let us all use it."<br />
<br />
"You each need a card."<br />
<br />
"Oh, but I just put $20 on here and we are never going to use this again. Is there a way to pull it off?"<br />
<br />
He looks at our pathetic selves and says, "Here, let me give you vouchers. This should get you to your stop."<br />
<br />
I tried to explain that in Japan we only needed one card and could just use it until the money was gone but he just looked at us like we were fools. I guess we don't look Japanese.<br />
<br />
So we get past the gatekeeper and go down the stairs to the train. Miraculously, the exact train we needed was just sitting there waiting for us. We didn't see it come in but there it was. We made our way down to the platform and my family members boarded the crowded train. I don't know how to describe what happened next because getting on and off of a train should be pretty seamless.<br />
<br />
So I was following my son onto the train and the doors closed right in front of me. Like, I didn't even see it coming. My family is on the train and I am not. I panic and try to pry the doors open. My husband and the guy next to him also see the panic and try to pry the doors open from the inside. I am able to get my leg in the door because for a brief second the doors look like they will reopen. However, this is folly. The train is mocking me. It opened enough so that I could get my leg back out and then closed again. I have to accept my fate as I take a step back and realize that I am not going to be joining my family. My kids are screaming my name. Everyone on the train is looking at me. Everyone on the platform is whispering about me. I can see it in their faces and can feel the concern in this underground dungeon... and the train drives away.<br />
<br />
I cannot even think of what to do. I am looking at the ceiling because I think that helps the tears not well up in my eyes. I don't even have the presence of mind to make a joke or yell "STELLA....." as the train drives away. I don't have the train card or the vouchers. I don't even know how to work the train system. The train has defeated me.<br />
<br />
After a moment I could hear my ringtone.<br />
Guys, cell phones even work in underground dungeons.<br />
The voice of reason on the other end tells me to just get on the next train and to get off at the next station. Oh, right. Thank goodness I hadn't almost started crying or started to panic. That would have been silly, I thought, as I am wiping away a tear.<br />
<br />
I arrive at the next station into the arms of my family - and especially my children, who have now been traumatized. All is well again. Or is it? Apparently, our troubles are not over. The train we need to take is not showing up. Train after train comes and the blue line is not coming. They make an announcement that the blue line is never going to come so "find a new way home", basically.<br />
Train -2, Millers- 0.<br />
<br />
Jeremy studies the routes and we get on the yellow line. When we arrive at the Reagan International airport, the train declares that this is the end of the line and we all need to get off.<br />
<br />
Our friends don't live near the airport.<br />
We are all getting tired of this game as the train's score is now 3-0.<br />
<br />
We get off as it is starting to snow and the temperature is getting colder. Miraculously, another train shows up and we get on it. It takes us somewhere far from where we should be and our friend comes to get us in New Mexico, essentially.<br />
<br />
We are driven to our home away from home - in a car. I hope that the train knows that it was a car that saved the day.<br />
<br />
So this year for spring break we talked about going to New York. Then we realized that New York might also have trains that chew us up and spit us out.<br />
<br />
Did you guys know that Columbus, Ohio has a lot of great things to do on spring break?<br />
<br />
I know that with Jeremy's career we may end up in Washington D.C. at some point. I accept this as a challenge from the public transportation system in D.C. When that time comes I will be ready; but until then, the train remains undefeated.<br />
<br />
<br />Christina and Jeremyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315495811556078425noreply@blogger.com0