Food and Family- a GREAT combination

I hate to post about our weekend without posting the pictures, but I can't figure out the downloading problem right now and I have time to write a new post. So we had a great Thanksgiving with beautiful weather, good food and lots of family and friends. Amy ordered a fried turkey from Popeye's to go with our traditional roasted one. We had all the rest of the goodies too including 6 different pies. We feasted! And then we played cards and stayed up late talking and laughing. Yes, we talked about all of you! We miss other family who couldn't be here. Then today, the girls went shopping and the guys went to the desert to shoot bb guns. We will now have a duplicate thanksgiving (leftovers) dinner and play some more cards. We are excited because Amy, Brandie and I found all 5 of our little girls (Mary Beth, Alainna, Isabel, Faith and Alisa) look a like dresses to take pictures in when they come for a visit in December. We got them at Bealles' Outlet for a steal and we hope they all fit. Amy and Brandie will get Cameron and Robert each a polo shirt to match. This is the best part of the holidays, having family around.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is an extra day off for me and the kids.It is nice to have the extra day to prepare for the big meal, even though for us that big meal isn't until Friday. But I am glad for the extra day anyway. We are planning a nice day in the desert with a borrowed quad for the guys and a fairly small familyThanksgiving feast in the evening with only Ray and Brandie's family and possibly some of Brandie's family from Blythe joining us. I'm pretty sure I invited the misssionaries to dinner too. But I am just cooking the traditional dinner, no plans for any experimentations this time. I am saving my creativeness for Christmas time. So I hope you all have a great day however you spend it and hope we can all just remember to be thankful for this beautiful country we live in and for our great families.

Almost perfect weekend

Some weekends are just okay and others turn out just great.We had our ward campout this weekend and the weather was perfect for it. Friday evening we had a chili cookoff and got to taste some really good chili and cornbread. We were then spoiled by the Reid family's yearly contribution of dutch oven cobblers. We had apple, peach, raspberry and chocolate raspberry- yum yum. Then the campfire with fun entertainment (including a lip sync performance of "I got you babe" by Sonny Ray and Cher Pat) and a scary story told by a real story teller just before the kids went to bed. Then we finished off the evening with more sugar, cuz what would a campfire be without s'mores? But the kids not being able to sleep was not my problem since I went home to my comfy bed and slept well then got up early to go back for the breakfast. Amy and her kids stayed and said it got cold but they slept well. Breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes was good and then my little cub scouts did their flag ceremony without a hitch. After a quick spiritual talk, the campout was officially over but really just began. There were several guys there with their desert toys and they took all kids for rides as long as they wanted to go. We had jeeps and rhinos and whatever else and the kids just went from one to another. I think there were at least 9 vehicles. And then one brother brought his rockets to set off and the kids loved chasing those when they came back to earth. This one event that we do annually is probably the funnest one we have. All kids can play freely and they all play together. There are no restrictions or limits to their play. We camp on a plateau over a small valley and the kids go up and down the hill and we can see them wherever they are.We all get filthy, but it is so much fun. The women sit on edge watching the guys in their toys and watching kids play and we have no responsibilities, just time to enjoy each other's company. There is always someone playing boccie ball or austrailian horeshoes or whatever. Even the babies seem to enjoy this event.

Once we finally decided to leave and come home, the cleanup begins. But after showers are done, laundry is caught up and cars unpacked, we all took small naps and woke up refreshed. I then took my car to a fundraiser carwash where it was detailed inside and out. Then I was able to fill it up for under $30 and that felt good too.

Amy, Faith and I then drove to Parker (45 min away) to see Twilight. Amy told me we should take my car since hers was still filthy from the campout (more about the clean car later) So in Parker there were no lines, no advance ticket sales, just walked right in. Yes, the theater was full of young teen girls and they were a little annoying during the film, but it was still worth it. Here is my take on the movie- GREAT! Yes, it followed the book very closely. And I loved Edward in the movie just like in the book. The other characters were pretty much as described in the book. Edward was the only one that looked way different than I had pictured him and I personally think this actor is not all that good looking, but the character is the same and I fell for him anyway. My problem was not remembering how much was going to happen in this movie since I read all 4 books at the same time and continuously, so I didn't remember what to expect in this movie( like where Twlight left off and where New Moon began) But, to my surprise and delight, this one left off leaving you wanting more, so I expect the sequels are coming. And Amy, who has not read the books, loved the movie and now wants to read the books. I was wondering if it was enough to just see the movie and to her it was. She is hooked. Faith went along just so she didn't have to stay home with the guys, and she thought it was good also, even though some of it got boring to her. But I think she wants to be able to say that she is a Twlight fan.

So the day was perfect so far... Well Amy was driving home and we had gone to a nice dinner prior to the movie, so she wanted to stop and get a shake for on the way home. But once she got to the drive thru, she saw rootbeer float on the menu and so she bought us all one. Faith was really tired and I knew she was going to sleep, so I didn't worry about her making a mess. She put hers in the cupholder and didn't really touch it. Amy and I each had part of ours on the way but had some left (melted) when we got home. As we were getting out of the car, Amy dropped her cup and the melted float went all over the front of the car. Oh well, after everything else had been so good, what could I say? except, of course, clean it up! Hope you all had a nice weekend too.

Cardiologist good news

Just a quick update- Ray saw a cardiologist today and the news was all good. Ray's heart is fine and he DID NOT have a heart attack. His heart and all arteries and valves and all look good. There was a slight trace of an ear infection, so he thinks it could have been the cause of the dizziness and weakness, and so forth. He is still going to give Ray a stress test in 2 weeks, just to make sure there isn't any other blockages anywhere else. So good news and a relief!

Families are the salt of the earth!

When I titled my blog "one day at a time", I was realizing that the only way I can make it, to endure to the end, is to take it one day at a time. Sometimes that means "hanging in there" and just getting by (pretty much what my job means until retirement). But there are other days that I think of it as just enjoying one day at a time. This last week has been one of those weeks. The littlest things seem to be my biggest pleasures. I watched my 6 year old grandson Robert play soccer and was so proud of his skills and wondered how he acquired them. But then I see his dad's interaction with him and knew where it comes from. So I started watching other relationships between my kids and their kids and felt so proud. Kids can be our biggest sense of pride (and also our biggest heartaches). Families are amazing. I love my husband and appreciate his patience and long-suffering with me over all these years. We are both different people than when we met so many, many years ago. We have evolved together and even though we have had some rough patches over the years ( especially teenagers and free agency...) we have endured together. Now we get to share the blessings of watching our kids and grandkids evolve. Life can be grand and I am so thankful for this time of my life. This time of the year is my favorite when family can get together and enjoy some time away from everyday life. I may not have my whole family together for the holidays, but I will be surrounded by some and I look forward to that. Our plan is for a WHOLE family reunion in July and I can't wait for that. I think it is so nice for cousins to be close also and I love to see them interact. I know that my kids were close to cousins growing up and it is nice that some still have a close bond even though they live so far apart. Families are such a blessing. If you are any part of my family, even extended family, I just want you to know that I love you and appreciate you. And to my kids and grandkids, let me just say "2 pieces" and hope to see you all soon. XOXOXOXOXO

Quick update

We meet with a cardiologist on Moday 11/17 but int he meantime, Ray is feeling fine and returned to work today.

Ray's hospital stay

I just want to clarify what happened this weekend. I was out of town visiting Ray & Brandie and taking Ryan to dental appt on Monday in Redlands I had Cam & Faith with me (we all had a 4 day weekend).Ray worked in the yard and around the house all day Sat. During the night Sat., he felt "weird" and said he was hot all night. When he got up Sunday to get ready for church, he felt extremely dizzy and weak. When he called me he said he he felt dizzy and that his legs felt heavy. Amy had just left for work, so he took himself to the ER. They hooked him up to the EKG and saw some peaks in the line, which meant there has definitely been some heart activity. They said they thought he had a mild heart attack but could not determine if it was just that morning or before that. (I mentioned in a previous post about one of these dizzy spells a few weeks ago) They determined that he should be admitted and monitored for at least 24 hours. He felt fine after that and the monitor showed normal activity. His regular doctor (Lucero) visited him yesterday afternoon and his determination is that it was not his heart but possibly his ear (middle ear infection?) He did not give him any medication and just told him to check back in 5 days. So, your guess is as good as ours as to what really happened. But Ray has decided to find another doctor out of town and go for a full physical. I will keep you posted with any news.

What type ballot did you use?

I cannot believe the different types of ballots we have had to use for voting. Last election (primaries in June?) we had electronic voting. Now that is the way to do it. Before that, we had a simple punch the card type of ballot. But this time, with the BIG ELECTION and with lots of measures and propositions to vote on, we got these HUGE paper ballots. I am talking about probably 12" x 16" cardstock ballots. And how did we have to mark them? One straight line connecting an arrow (front of arrow___________back of arrow) in black ink. I don't know what you were suppose to do if you made a mistake. And then they had the little booths set up and the ballot didn't even fit on the writing base. It was hard for it to be kept confidential.

So I am wondering if anyone else had that issue or did you get some simplier ballot to use?

I CONCEDE TOO

So the day after elections- how are you feeling? I will admit that I had some doubts with this election. I did vote McCain and am disappointed in the loss, but I do hold out some hope for Obama and some of his ideas. I do want to see the "change" happen as promised. I know his moral issues are not in line with mine, but it is the lawmakers, not necessarily the president, who can make those changes and I will continue to hope (and pray) for some divine inspiration to help keep our country in check. Other than that, I am happy to say that California has protected the marriage between man and woman and will not allow that to change. That was something close to my heart and I am glad to say that it passed (well, not 100% precincts have recorded yet but pretty sure we won). So how are you feeling after the results?

And just one more thing to my readers: AMY and JAMIE & AARON- you need to get writing, we want to hear more than just comments from you, get bloggin'