Who Talks More, Karen or Richard?

           When we first got together Richard was the most outgoing and quite social.  He seemed to have clammed up when we initially moved to Oregon – hermitizing behind his computer and not engage in social activities and I was the one out making friends along with Jaime.  We took an interest in our community while Richard seemed content to not be involved.  He has become more of social than when we first arrived. We take turns, I guess – depending on the company I guess.

The treasurer invited me to the get-together/party for the library volunteers.  I have been more actively involved with the library during these last four months than the four years prior – which really isn’t a lot.  I wasn’t even planning on attending except for Jaime wanted to go and ended up going to a gathering with her own friends. But Richard (who’d be driving me as I can’t see to drive myself) wanted to go and so we went last night.

There were only ten people at the party last night and I had only met half of them.  Richard was the talker last night.  He likes the attention and validation and I was in the blending-into-the-background kind of mood.  We don’t compete for attention.  It is usually one who will be outgoing while the other holds back.  It seems we have taken turns all throughout our marriage.

Light of the Ward

Yesterday was National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  I noticed the flags lined up and down the bridge as we made our way to the Ward Christmas party.  

We had a brunch this year.  A 10:00 morning meal is great for so many reasons.  Breakfast.  Everything is catered.  No setting up of tables, decorations and so forth just to take it all down again (at least not by the ward members) no responsibilities of signing up to bring a dish in addition to reminder calls and a hodgepodge assortment of food.  I think the greatest plus is that it is light enough to see where we are driving.  The light invites.  Driving in the dark often seems so dismal.

Roland had been asked to play Santa Claus who hasn’t been a part of any ward Christmas that we have been a part of in Oregon.  Roland had memorized a speech about how our focus needs to be on Christ rather than Santa – for Santa wants to worship Christmas in a righteous way and that is why he gives – to follow Christ’s example.  I don’t remember his word-for-word speech, but that was the gist of it.  On Saturday he had spent a good amount of time (not to mention money) looking for bells to announce his arrival.  But when we arrived at the center, he learned that the costume didn’t fit.  At the last minute someone else was given that position.

There were eggs, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes for breakfast.  There was also a program put on by the primary and young women of the ward.  Excellent food.  Excellent company.  Roland ended up driving Jenna and her friend back to the house without me and I ended up catching a ride from somebody else.  But I couldn’t just leave.  I had a friend drive up all the way from Medford.  There were things on her mind that she wanted to share.

At 2:00 there was a primary baptism.  One of the girls had been a sunbeam in my class when we had moved into the ward almost four and a half years ago.  What I thought was most awesome about the baptism was seeing two sisters stand as witnesses for the baptisms.  It is my first time seeing that since it was revealed (see here).  The sister next to me said she wished she could have taken a picture.  It was truly a sensational moment.

We were told that there were some paper hearts on a back table.  We (the congregation) were asked to write notes on hearts to give the girls so they will remember their baptism.  I don’t remember anything about my baptism and had desired to provide them both with as many details as I would like to have in regards to my own baptism.  The hearts were small and I had written tiny – perhaps too tiny.  They also have pictures that have been taken to commemorate the day.  Perhaps my notes will make more sense alongside the pictures.

I had a brain freeze as I wrote - thinking how awesome it was for one of the newly baptized to have both of her grandmothers stand in as witnesses for the baptism.  She is such a special spirit.  I love watching her sing.  She knows all the words and really puts her heart into it.  Her grandmothers witnessed the baptism for both girls.  What a treasure.  

Jenna and her friend had decorated the tree and were watching “A Muppet Christmas Carol” when I returned.

At 5:00 we were scouring for a table at Pizza Palace.  We told the missionaries that we would meet them there.  We had chosen believing that the light parade would be last night, but that will be next week.  Yesterday was the lighting of the Christmas tree.  I don’t know who conducted this year.  The event was supposed to start at 4:00.  It has been cold and wet outside ever since.  Jenna had wanted to go but decided that she would rather eat pizza with the elders.  She really enjoys their company – especially one that she dubbed Elder Connecticut, but he told her not to call him that.  I told him that she preferred it as it has more syllables than his last name – which he understood.  They both feel that long words are more fun to say.  She asked if she could call him “Elder Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia” which he agreed to. 

We parted ways before 7:00 as they had another appointment and we had to get Jenna’s friend back to his house.  I listened to the rain fall as I typed this so I could post it this morning.

It IS a Big Deal

            Our class size varies at the pool.  We have had as many class members as 15 (our instructor had brought four members of her family to participate in our class on Tuesday) and as few as one or two (I did not attend on Wednesday but had heard that there were only two students to show) Yesterday there were seven students plus our instructor.

            After our class ended, Jenna and I stopped by Millsite Park to look for the FMCL booth for the Myrtle Creek Festival as we had been assigned to man it during a shift yesterday.  It hadn't been set up yet.  We decided to return home for some breakfast and I texted Serena to see if she needed help with the booth.

            Roland fixed French toast for Jenna and me before we returned to the park to help set up.  We were there for just over an hour before we left again.  Jenna had wanted to go to Riddle for their Pre-Solar Eclipse Party. 

It was the end of their summer reading program for the small kids - teens will go until mid-August, I guess.  There is no teen program for Myrtle Creek.  

            I had posted pictures of the Riddle Library grounds before -just over two years ago not long after we had moved to Oregon.  The teen activities usually take place in the pavilion in the park right next to the library.  I thought we would go to the pavilion for the party, but we didn't end up at the pavilion at all.

            First thing on the agenda was to walk from the back door of the library to the door to city hall. Aside from the pictures, I think the Riddle City Hall looks very much like the Myrtle Creek City Hall. 

The librarian had set up a display of the planets moving around the sun.  She explained a bit about sky activity and the solar eclipse.  We then went out into the courtyard to first, use our special glasses to look at the sun, and then several of the children made slime.

            When the slime was done, children packed their treasures in plastic containers and returned to the library for prizes.  It was announced that the total summer reading had included 16,230 hours but then was upped to 18,465.  Prices were awarded to all the children who participated.

            The finale ended just outside the library doors for all participants to enjoy vanilla ice cream floating in the beverage of their choice (Lemon-Lime, Orange, Strawberry or Root Beer).  Jenna left with a book called "Prankster Magic" which she is quite proud of.

            One of the perks I enjoy about small town living is how the community pulls together.  The last weekend in July is reserved for Myrtle Creek Festival.  Some people will check out of their businesses early or may not even open at all.  Time is spent into setting up booths before noon on Thursday.  The booths open at 4:00 p.m. and close at 11:00 pm.

            Jenna had saved her money for this event, and it is still in a storage unit somewhere in Winston.  The thought of it had made her cry, but Roland said we would lend her the money and she can pay us back if/when she should ever get her room (belongings) back.  I don't think she realized how much of her time would be utilized for the sake of the library.

            Our booth offered paint n play . . . $3.00 to paint a rock and play a game.  Most of our consumers were either/or.  We may not have had any customers at all if it wasn't for Jenna - plugging every patron who walked by.  The first day is Not the busiest day.  I think the majority of people come on Saturday.  But there were a few wanderers yesterday.  I believe that Jenna was able to get half to invest in painting a rock or playing the game.

            We were able to leave before the end of our shift, but as Jenna forgot her bag, we returned for it.  Serena and Sheila recruited Jenna to finish out the night and have said that if she will work all of them, they will feed her.  (Evidently, they don't know that she eats like a teenage boy) and so she was left to "sell" the booth's activities until Sheila brought her home. 

            We have an earlier shift today, but I may be dropping Jenna off earlier and she may stay all day; her rewards will be even greater than what she had saved up for. Roland and I both believe this is good for her.  I'm actually excited to see how much she's involved.

IT’S GOING TO BE UP TO YOU FROM NOW ON

           

            Ever since Roland was called to the bishopric, he has asked our brother-in-law Bill to photographs various parties – namely Halloween and Christmas.  And every year there has been a line and a lot of names and email addresses and descriptions of those in the photo.  Roland has made it my responsibility to email each of those and every year I get frustrated with email addresses that don’t work or have been written down incorrectly and every year I have been stuck with pictures of people I don’t even know and have sent oodles over to our Relief Society president asking for assistance.  But she hasn’t always known either.

            So this year I decided to make it the responsibly of those having their pictures – though I sensed a problem in the beginning as there were children and no parents accompanying them.  I knew the first four children, but then there was a child I had never seen.  I handed him a card but had my doubts that it would make it to his parents.

            The instructions were/are simple.  Email provided number to provided email address. Perhaps a brief description of how the child was dressed, hair color, etc.  I told those I knew by sight that all I would need is their names, but for those I don’t know, a description is definitely needed.

Bill suggested I do it the way he does – facebook everybody on ward page.  But not everybody’s on facebook.  Not everybody is on the ward page. And not all those who sat on Santa’s lap are even members of the Church.

I hope it all goes smoother this time around.  I suppose we’ll learn in time. 

The Haunted Maze that Ruined Halloween

          The church was across the street from our first house.  The members used to do a Halloween party every year.  There would be a dinner, costumes and activities.

          People would gather in the multipurpose room to begin with.  And there were 4-6 rooms off to the side where the children could go and participate in various crafts, games and stories. 

          One Halloween my family was asked to host a room.  We found one that did not have windows.  We set up a large cardboard box in the middle of the room.  Roland and the boys worked from inside the box. 

          On the outside we had painted pictures of tombstones, skeletons, ghosts and maybe leaned toward the scary icons of Halloween and not the cute pumpkins and such.

          Our room was rather simple.  We turned out the lights and invited people to “walk through the maze” which was just a trip around the box.  We had placed “scary creatures” in three of the four corners of the room.  The first encounter was with a motion censored skeleton – as someone would approach, the eyes would glow and the skeleton would dance to the tune of “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out . . . “

          In one corner was a homemade monster.  We had hanging eyeballs and had blown up a ton of balloons to be walked on.  Plus one of my four guys would operate a rat moving back and forth as he would push and pull out a fuzzy ball tied to the end of a broom stick.

          In our final corner was a button that read “DO NOT PUSH”.  Those who did got to hear the sounds of an obnoxious horn while having confetti thrown at them. 

          Our “haunted maze” was a big hit with the teenagers – but too frightening for the majority of children under eight maybe ten.  I think that was actually the last year that a Halloween party was held in the Church building.  They did (and still do) a trunk or treat out in the parking lot – but I don’t think they do the parties anymore.

I really think that was the last one. I can’t help but think our maze was the reason that the inside parties were done away with.  Maybe it’s just a coincidence. But it gives one something to think about.