Beneath the Wraps

I did not get a picture of my non-Irish looking girl (she actually does have some Irish in her; though not confirmed by DNA but family history) when she dressed in green the first year she attended Vista Elementary School.  I did get her picture today - Happy birthday to my brother, Patrick and his grandson (my great nephew) born on the same day.

posted 12/10/2016           Our ward did something different for the Christmas celebration this year.  Instead of the traditional dinner that is normally done, we had a Christmas breakfast.  And the Relief Society wasn’t in charge of fixing any of it.  It was catered!           Last year, we had it in the Skyhawk room in Myrtle Creek – which seems to be a popular spot for annual events – and not just the cafeteria between the elementary and middle schools.  But this we had our breakfast at the Bible Christian Center in Riddle.  The inside of the facility definitely seems a lot bigger than the outside.  I was impressed.                     We had the option of scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage patties, muffins, fruit, and in addition to the drink choices of milk, cr...

          As I have mentioned in previous posts, my first calling in this ward was with teaching the sunbeams.  I have never seen a physical attendance roll in the entire time I've been here, but I believe there were four sunbeams in total.  I think the most I ever had in my class at one time was three.             My first experience in that class was a visitor named Dylan.  I live in an area where there are many members who are related to one another.  I think Dylan was a nephew of the former sunbeam teacher who had developed a comfort zone with teaching sunbeams. She seemed to hover just a bit to make sure I was doing the calling justice.  She had been newly called to Young Women's.  I had heard her give a talk just the week before and thought it was an awesome calling for the young women to have her on board.       ...

                It seems highly possible that we will be moving again within the next 2-3 years.   Roland wants to start a business, and we considered an adult day care in Myrtle Creek - we had even found the most perfect building and location - but the business will need to be open 6-8 months before we can get the benefits for Veteran and Medicare support.   It would be less costly just to take over someone else's business or become a sub company and partner with a business that already has a name; they would be our parent company, I suppose.           He has talked to a woman in Taggart who offers adult day care as well as residency.   We are just interested in doing the daycare portion at this time.   Or he is, rather. I have not made it a secret with how I feel about business.   I don't want to get into food.   I think Roland woul...

                The school held a hat day sometime last month.   Jenna couldn't find any of her fedoras and so she took the plastic tiara that she had received during a young women's lesson earlier that week.   Meanwhile she found a fedora but ended up taking the plastic crown anyway.                   Through the course of the day she would ask guys to try it on and take pictures.   On February 10 she posted pictures other friends on facebook.   At least nine guys proudly wore that crown.   One of them was Andrew.   She did not get one of Nick.   The last words she said to him was to ask him to put the tiara on his head.   The last words she had said to Andrew was to let him keep a pencil that he had borrowed.             ...

            Our local news comes from Eugene - located in Lane county which is north of Douglas.   The news stories usually start off with some criminal activity in Springfield or Eugene.   Sometimes human interest stories in Eugene.   Rarely is the focus ever on Douglas.   Except this morning.   And updates throughout the day.             Tri City recorded population is 3,931, but Myrtle Creek says 3,439.   I would guess both cities put together fall somewhere between the two numbers as we use the same zip code.   The city of Riddle lies just south west of us.   Their recorded population was 1185.   That number has gone down by four due to a tragic fire.             I first heard about it after Jenna returned home from school.   She reported that one of h...

          As I mentioned in my last post, I am up to two classes again. In one accounting class I am required to used QuickBooks online.   The other feels like a refresher course - though I think I'd get more out of it if I had the same instructor that I had for 101 and 102.               My payroll instructor wasn't exactly monotone, but his voice did seem unenthusiastic for the most part - as though he'd rather be sitting in a dentist chair getting his teeth drilled than having to teach a class.   One instructor that I have is at the other extreme - trying to compensate for the less-than-exciting material by being "overly" enthusiastic.   I almost feels like I am taking a class taught by my brother-in-law.             The instructor I like listening   to the most is the one I have for QuickBooks. ...

                My appreciation for art is so-so.   There are certain paintings that appeal to me for various reasons - and perhaps on a subconscious level, it is the lighting and balance and whatever other techniques are used by the artist.   Usually, it is the subject of the painting.   That is what I am focused on, not the colors, tones, hues or layers for example.   All the detail that is put into a professional painting seems overwhelming to me and actually seems to detract from the beauty that I had seen there initially.             In college, I once took an art appreciation class - just to force myself to understand and hopefully appreciate it more.   It backfired. I was so put out by the symbolic gestures and the history, it's a wonder I didn't drop the class.   I would struggle with these foreign concepts and tri...

          I had heard that a lawsuit had been brought against WEN® Hair Care Products,  although I hadn't known when or why.  I recently looked it up on line.  I don't know how many articles share this information as I read through only a few.  I personally haven't had a problem with the product itself.  If there was any hair loss, it went unnoticed.   I LOVED the product.  I immediately felt a tremendous difference with the texture of my hair and Jenna's hair.  I could actually attempt to style our hair without cringing.  I loved the feel of my hair and heard that it smelled great.  I wasn't happy with the "build-up" that seemed to be forming on my scalp - though I never blamed WEN.  As I have stated in several posts before, I have a LOT of hair.  Often the thickness gets in the way and my scalp doesn't always get a proper rinse.       ...

            When commercials come on, Roland will usually watch them and critique them.   Depending on the station, he will sometimes tire of them and start changing channels.   Recently during his channel hopping, he landed on a program focusing on individuals searching for   biological connection.   As the story unfolded, a connection was made due to a facebook post in which the biological mother wished her unknown daughter a happy birthday.   It matched the same birthday of the child who was seeking her mother.   It got me to wonder if the boys half sister on their mother's side might be looking for her biological past.                 About six months before Roland met his first wife, she had given birth to a part white/part Asian daughter.   She'd given her up for adoption and said that the adoptive...

          I'm actually quite impressed with Roland's phone skills.   I got rid of cable as we were paying outrageous amounts each month.   We have been able to pick up six stations with an antenna we purchased, but there was a day when I'm assuming the weather had interfered and we were only down to two.           As mentioned previously, Jenna and I could live without the TV or cable.    We watch it because it's there, but would not miss it if it wasn't.   But Roland likes having the TV and had called another company to see how much cable would run.           So our internet was with Charter.   We NEED the Internet.   Roland works from home online.   We both go to school online.   We need the Internet.   We do not need the cable.   Nevertheless, Roland found a great deal in whi...