Saturday, February 28, 2015

Well, Hello Old Friends!

You always make me smile!
Stumpy has claimed our bed. When I awake he is sleeping at my feet. By the time I leave for Seminary he has migrated to Keven's side of the bed. I don't have the heart to move him, so the bed remains unmade. When I return home he is still sleeping. When I leave for work or to run errands he is still sleeping. When I come home most afternoons he is in the same spot. I don't know if I lose brownie points for not making my bed until the afternoon on those days, or if I earn brownie points for letting him be so cozy.


I've missed running around with you
7+ weeks since I smashed my foot into a door jamb and broke the 4th toe on my right foot. 54 days of wearing the same pair of black flats. I am so very happy to be wearing shoes with heels again, and celebrated by taking a little run today in the afternoon warmth. It certainly felt good to be on the dirt again.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

I ♥ Valentine's Day

Especially when some of my favorite Valentines visit!

Highlights of last weekend when Sven & Hyuna and the boys drove all the way from Tulsa to share the love:


 The Flowers
 
Sven spoiled Hyuna and me with our own bouquets of beautiful flowers!
 

The Chocolate
Chocolate tray before the Tulsanians arrived


Chocolate tray after the Tulsanians arrived 
 .... there may or may not have been more chocolate

The Food
Seth came up with this idea for a vegetable tray while we were shopping and then prepared it all by himself!
 

 Everyone said "YES!" to shrimp with orzo

 Hyuna whipped up the most amazing apple crostada

Seth strikes again with some delicious and delightfully decorated pink velvet cupcakes
 



Gabe and Alex make sure they don't miss out!
(Grandpa, either!)

The Fun
 I loved seeing the boys just hanging out and relaxing

 A late afternoon trip to El Paso's beach with Maya and Jaedin to play Frisbee, dig in the sand and watch the shadows lengthen while the colors on the mountain deepen





It was a perfectly wonderful weekend, with the exception of Gabe's visit to the doctor's office thanks to a late-night asthma attack Sunday night :(
Thank goodness for modern medicine and a quick recovery.

We sure love having Tulsanians in the neighborhood!

My Forever Valentine

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Magic Square

In spite of the many late nights spent preparing lessons I absolutely love teaching Seminary. I love starting the day with a group of really great young people. I love the positive focus on gospel truths and principles that is such a great way to begin a new day. I love what I get to learn when I prepare, and know that I would never study and learn so much without this calling. I love that the longer I teach the more I realize I need to learn. And I love the wonderful ladies I teach with, who become dearer and dearer to me each year.

This is the third year I've been able to team-teach with LeAnn, which pretty much equates to being reunited with a twin separated at birth. She is so much fun, so honest and down-to-earth, and so easy to work with. 


And so talented. This is what she made for me and gave me for Christmas. 
I am still in total awe.




I think this is my favorite square.

Or maybe this 3-D flower....

....or this lacy delight.

But this one is sooooo gorgeous!

And then there's this one.

I just

really

can't

choose.

I love them all!

And what makes this afghan even more special is that her husband, who is the CES director (meaning our boss), chose the colors :)

And then to make it even more special, she made another one exactly like it for her daughter-in-law, who just happens to be one of the young women I came to love as she grew up in our stake, and then came to love even more after she married and lived in our ward for a few years.

I feel so loved!