She's Home

Dirty, covered in bug bites but happy. Sage had a great time!  Let the stories begin. 

Celebrating Change

I am amazed as I watch my children grow.  It's exciting to see all they have accomplished, to listen to their goals and dreams of the future.  I am grateful for them.

The last couple of weeks has been a lot of celebrating life changes for Teal.  She graduated from high school.  Her best friend came out from Texas to spend time with her and to be here for her graduation…and what's a visit with the Z-clan if you don't visit Disney!

I think a great time was had by all, it is wonderful to see these mile stones and to celebrate change.

Teal-18 & graduated

Teal's Blessing Day

Bekka & Teal

Dad, Teal, & Mom

Graduation "ears"

I know that I've heard it before, but it is amazing to me how very quickly time passes and suddenly they are not your baby any longer.  It doesn't seem possibly that this same sweet china doll is now a college student!  My baby girl is growing up and moving on with life.  I am so proud of the young woman that she has become.   I love you baby girl… I take it back, you will always be my baby!

Today I'm Grateful

Today my heart is full.  I just spent the weekend watching the 184th semi annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I think most all my friends know I am a Mormon.

This makes me happy.  I love my Savior Jesus Christ, He lives!  I love the gospel.  I am profoundly grateful for it.  I am grateful to know that the heavens are not closed.  That God is near, He loves us and He still speaks to us today.  We have prophets and apostles on the earth.


I am grateful for my family.  They are special and amazing.  I think they enjoyed conference as much if not more than me this weekend.  I've been sick all weekend and you know what my kids did?  They made dinner tonight!  Swedish Meatballs with cranberry!!

Just like Ikea!  Don't you want to go shopping now?  I got a huge plate which I couldn't finish, so I have leftovers tomorrow.  I am grateful for leftovers!

I am grateful for my son Carson.  He turns 16 this week.  I can't believe my baby boy is growing up so fast!

This was back in 2003 and I was getting them ready for church.  Look how cute they are!  And that little boy is now going to be 16.







I am grateful for Disney. This week we are going up to not only celebrate Carson's birthday, but my good friend Rhonda is down in Florida and we are going to go to Disney World with her!!  I am grateful for my friends!  This was when we met up with her a few years ago at WDW!

I am grateful that in just a couple more weeks my beloved husband Scott will be coming home for a whole week!  I can't wait to see him.  It's been too long!  I am so grateful for him!!  This is a picture of us from a couple years ago....but I think we look basically the same.

So what are you grateful for?  Leave a comment and let me know!  I'd be ever so grateful....

Holes in the wall-and I'm happy about it!

                                    

Yes, there are holes in my walls and I am grateful for it!  

The day Scott left to return back to work (and the day I came down with a stomach virus) was the day a pipe broke under the slab of the house. It was a hot water line. At least I could shut off the hot water line and still have running cold water-for which I'm truly grateful!

The options where to a) start jack hammering through the floor or b) re-pipe the whole house through the attic and down through the walls. Option B was much more appealing, a more perminate fix (meaning I don't have to worry about another old pipe failing) and a better cost option.

After a tedious (meaning I won't bore you with the details) search for a reputable plumber we found one, signed the contract and Ta-Da! Hole in the walls! BUT I now have hot water again plus I have better water pressure, it takes less time for the hot water to reach its destination, and I have new fixtures in the showers.

So, yes I have dry wall repairing in my future, (I hope there are some good YouTube videos) but I have hot water once again and THIS makes me smile with gratitude!

Happy 2B Home

 Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am to be home?  I am.  I am so blessed to love where I live.  I love that it is January and I am sleeping with my windows open.  Let's face it, I'm a flip-flops kind of girl.

 I love the water and the beach.  I love the big, puffy clouds so close you can almost touch them, a sky so blue it dazzles you and the beautiful blues and greens of the water.  I love that I can often see dolphins swimming when I drive across the bridge.  I love that I can sit on the sandy beach and always find a sharks tooth.  And I love, love, love, the warm weather.  I know a lot of people complain in the summer…but I love it!!!  I love the heat on my skin, the breath of a breeze, jumping into the pool or floating in the Gulf.  I love sand between my toes and the sound of the waves on the shore.  I love to laugh at the tourists who thought it would be a good idea to feed the Sea Gulls, or that they didn't need sunscreen, but I always tell them about wonderful aloe.

I am grateful for my family and I am especially grateful for my wonderful husband Scott.  He is my best friend!  He works so hard and does so much for us……for me.  I love you babe! <3

I am home!

Wow, it has been a crazy few months!  We got moved, although I still have boxes everywhere, but I'm not under pressure or stress to get them unpacked.  I've got the basics so we are living comfortably.  We arrived at the end of August and just a few days later Scott was back in California.  He will be here for Christmas….four months is too long!  I miss him so much!  I know that later this time apart will feel like a blink of an eye, but right now, some days it is just so hard.  He is my bestest friend!!

Carson & Teal both have jobs.  Carson is doing yard care and Teal is working at the movie theatre.  The fringe benefits for me are great.  My yard is taken care of for free, and Teal can take me to the movies for free!  I like free!

Sage and Rafe are doing well also.  They are happy to be home, enjoying the pool, time with grandpa and a less stressed Mommie.  They are very much looking forward to Christmas, as are Teal and Carson.

I'm teaching seminary (a religious studies class for high school kids) online again this year.  This is my fourth year.  This year we are studying the Book of Mormon.  I love the scriptures!  I have had so much fun teaching D&C, Old Testament and New Testament…and I'm loving teaching the Book of Mormon!  I am so grateful for the knowledge that the Lord has restored His church on the Earth again, just as in the time of Christ.  We have a living prophet on the Earth!  How cool is that!?!  The heavens are not sealed….how arrogant of man to say that God has finished speaking.  Who are we to make such a proclamation?  I have such an amazing life, with so many blessings……and I can trace them all back to a loving Heavenly Father.  Even with all the uncertainty with all that is going on around us I feel at peace and I have hope and I have a sure knowledge that my Father in Heaven loves me, that is Son, Jesus is the Christ.  He is watching over me and my family.  All will be well.  My friend's daughter is currently serving a mission in the Philippines,  in the Tacloban Mission.  They just had a huge typhoon and there is so much devastation but she and all the missionaries are alive and accounted for.  Some of their experiences are now being told.  What a hard experience, but such faith!  These young men and young women are so amazing and valiant and they love the Lord!  Now, the need for help is so great as the Filipino people begin to rebuild their lives, their homes.  If you want to help, but worry about which charity to donate to, let me share a link to my church's humanitarian web site.  100% of your donation goes to aid.

Humanitarian Aid Fund



I just want all my friends to know that I do have gratitude.  I try so hard to make it part of my everyday life.  Sometime we don't always get what we want, things get tough, stuff breaks, our feelings get hurt.  But don't focus on that!  It brings you down.  It's not good for you.  Focus on the positive!  It really, truly makes life easier, it makes us a better person to be around and it just makes you feel better when your not in a bad mood or 'down in the dumps'.  "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  John F. Kennedy

No, there is too much.......let me sum up

Girls Camp: fabulous!  Teal & Sage had a fantastic time.

Cub Scout Camp: Rafe had a great time, earning several new badges including archery and BB Gun.

EFY:  Teal attended at BYU again this year and like last year it was a HUGE spiritual uplift.

Boy Scout Camp: Carson thrives for this stuff. Wilderness survival, boating, shooting.  He does it all.

My sister Liz and I went to visit our Uncle Tom.  It was his 80th birthday this week. He is suffering from Alzheimer's.  It has been a huge stress on his wife and children, but their love and care of him is so obvious and he still has a twinkle in his eye.  It was great to see them all.  It has been too long since we were all together.

Liz, Me & Carolyn

Happy Birthday Uncle Tom

Big changes are coming.  We are moving back to Florida. Sometime this month, but I don't have an official date yet. Very excited to be going home.  We have all missed Florida.  The sun, the warmth, the beach, the pool.

Yesterday we had a cool opportunity to meet up with a family friend from our ward in Florida who is serving a mission.  She is scheduled to go to Brazil, but is waiting on her visa, so for now she has been assigned to the Sacramento Mission!  How exciting it was to get to visit with her and her companion.  She is just glowing!

Teal, Sister Morrill, Me, Sister Hale

So, a busy few weeks are in store for the family.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.