Blue and Gold Breakfast

Boaz has been excited about today for about a month. 

He is getting his Bear two months early most of his friends got theirs just as they turned 10. Boaz doesn't turn 10 until May and he is getting it now. 

Craig came home a bit early to be sure to be able to attend. 

We were a bit unconventional with the breakfast. But it was very good. We had scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage and bacon. Basically I had bacon for breakfast. So good. I also had orange juice and a bit of apple juice.

They did a good job decorating. 

Alternating blue and "gold" table cloths and balloons in the appropriate colors. 

We sat across from our good friends. They are contemplating a move to Sitka, Alaska. We talked through breakfast about the blessings of meeting good people and then how hard it is to leave them on our way to meet other wonderful people. 

My tablet doesn't have a zoom, so the pictures are not sharp, but they are what I have.

Craig came home just a bit early to make sure he would be here for Boaz's big moment. Boaz is getting so big. He can't wait until he is taller than me. He is getting close. 

A group hug to celebrate the new Bear. 

The cheer this month was our best evil laugh to celebrate the mad scientist in all of us. Craig and I both decided to cackle evilly into Boaz's ear. We freaked him out a bit. 

Him making sure it was still us. Brother Bowen is cracking up. 

We were both pretty pleased with the results. 

The straw and masking tape invention.  Carson and Boaz worked on it, but I missed the two of them. Carson is half in this picture, I should have centered it better. 

Spring schizophrenia

Yesterday I wore my favorite pair of capris. I wore my summer sanders. I had run for the second day in a row. 

I was smack in the middle of Spring fever. 

I was looking for any sign of Spring bulbs peeking out of the thawed ground. 

Today I woke up to a snow storm. 

I should have taken a picture of the flakes coming down. We were getting ready for Boaz's Blue and Gold Banquet (breakfast).  He earned his Bear two months early. He is really happy about it. 

Here is a picture of the back yard. 

New hair

The shortest I have ever gone. 

I didn't take a picture of the back, but I like the cut. It's short around the ears. That is a good thing because it curls forward and crazy there. 

Personal Liahonah

Thea has been studying about patriarcal blessings. She received hers today. Simply amazing. 

She was making sure she understood what the Liahonah was. It was a ball with two pointers. There were messages written on it for the Lehites. I agreed that was all correct. I was happy she knew what it was. Then she said, Heavenly Father was texting them. It was the first text message. 

That she can make analogies like at is awesome to me. 

The whole family went and we had a great talk about what the blessings are. 

Craig was driving, so of course we were twenty minutes early. We stayed out in the car and shared what we remembered from our blessings. Josh shared from his, Craig shared from his and I shared from mine. 

Coming home we talked about what we remembered from the blessing. We all remembered some different things. But what was most apparent was how The Lord knew Thea as a person. She was told what her strengths were and encouraged to stay faithful. Like all blessings, but what make it individual was truly geared just for her. 

Asking the right question.

Thea went to a meeting where Elder Bednar spoke. She has told Craig about it and he told me a bit. 

He started out saying it was not "Stump the Apostle" but they could ask questions. I laughed. Craig said Thea enjoyed the interactive meeting. 

I was getting ready and started thinking what questions would I have for a member of The Twelve. I have been in a similar meeting, but have always been to quiet to ask. And honestly, have never really thought about a question that would be worthy to ask. No attempt to stump him, just a question worthy of his time.  One that I could not find in my own study. 

I had a question on my mission. I asked to speak with a member of the temple presidency and he gave me a very good answer. My question was - with a dad that had not been active my whole childhood and a mother who had left the Church, where did I belong? Did I have a choice which family I would be with forever?  My parents were, and are, divorced. His answer was that Jesus was smart enough and loved us all enough to make the call. I just had to trust in Him. 

That has been my answer for most of my tough questions. If I didn't know it, He did and I could trust Him. 

Then in a round about way and one I could not retrace, because I tend to think in dizzying circles, I came up with a question where that is not the answer. 

How do I forgive someone I don't really want to forgive?

I have read somewhere that forgiveness is a gift bestowed by Heaven. How do I pray for something I don't really want?  

And I was given the very simple answer.  I don't pray for something I don't want, I pray for something I do want. 

I want to be obedient.

I want to follow the commandments. 

I want to return to Him. 

So, today my prayer became, help me follow Christ and find forgiveness for those I am having a hard time forgiving. 

Forgiveness isn't about them or me. It is all about Him. 

Maybe I am growing up, finally. 

Winter blues

I've read a few blogs about winter blues. Winters are all about  surviving until the sun decides to come back. Growing up in Utah, I always thought that February was the coldest, hardest month. Even with it only being 28 days, still it drags by. 

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years have come and gone. Although I like Valentine's Day, it just isn't enough to push the doldrums away for long. That and many times Valenine's Day is a day of loneliness for those who haven't found that special someone. 

This year Craig is one the road. His goal is to make it home in time to take me to a crab dinner. The map app tells him it is 12 hours and 28 minutes to get home. 

I am not working today. I have the sheets in the wash. The kids are at school. I have holes in the walls to fill, a quilt to start, shopping to do. 

I think about running, but it started to snow and the wind is hard to run in. I have lost the lungs a bit from when I was running daily. 

Yesterday I painted my toes. 

Today I have a hair appointment. I am thinking about going just a bit shorter, especially around the ears. The natural curl there tends to curl forward giving me a weird cowlick at ear level. 

Today taking Boaz to the bus today, and for the last week or so, it has been light enough to read the spelling words to quiz him. 

The sun is returning. 

The ground is thawing. 

It is warm and then snows again.

We need the moisture. 

Badly. 

My soul yearns for the sun and its warmth. 

I want to see life return to the earth: flowers, green grass, leaves budding on the trees. 

The promise of Spring teases me the month of February - all 28 days long. 

And I remember the promise of Spring, with its renewal of life, is a symbol of the promise of the return of the Son and the Life He offers. 

I must remember to yearn for Him as I long for Spring. 

Thea's Christmas present to the boys

Thea played Santa, big time his past Christmas. She got concert tickets for the boys to Imagine Dragons. 

At the time, I didn't know anything about the group, but Josh did. And because Josh did, Boaz did too. They were very excited. 

Saturday, the big day came. They braved the snowy roads to Boise.  Thea got her friend, David, to go to drive. That made me feel better about driving the roads. 

She sent me some pictures of their day. 

First stop was Red Robin. They got the monster milk shakes. I was told today thT Boaz was concerned that I wouldn't want them to have that big of milk shakes. Thea told him it didn't matter what I would want, just enjoy the milk shake. Josh finished his, and ended up finishing Boaz's as well. It must have a very big milk shake. :)

Next stop, the aquarium. 

They got to pet sting rays and sharks. They were a small shark variety, but still very cool. 

Boaz and David as Ursula. 

This is the picture from the concert. 

Josh texted me that it was the best concert ever. It made me smile, because it is his first concert ever. 

Favorite songs were: Radioactive, Demons and Monsters.  Josh also just added Tiptoe to the list. They were familiar songs because they got the CD for Christmas too. 

They got home at 3:00 in the morning. It is a good thing we have Church at 1:00. The only good thing about late Church. 

I was lonely all day and cleaned. Then I got a call that the inter-library loan book was in and I read. I didn't get any quilting done,