Four Hours With Sick Car: NOT The Greatest Souvenir

            Bill and Kayla had planned on spending spring break with Bill's parents who live in St. George.  Their house gets quite packed with visitors when the entire family comes to visit.  They have five children and I think at least 5X that amount in grandchildren.  Bill had planned on getting the family a trailer tent to add to their comfort of an overly squished house.  But, evidently, Bill's parents either forgot or found another opportunity and booked for a cruise - that same weekend!

          I don't know how long before spring break Kayla had contacted me to see if they could make their spring break getaway with us in Oregon.  What a fantastic birthday gift for Jenna!  I decided to keep it a secret - knowing they would have to leave before her actual birthday but would be spending time with us close enough (Jenna turns 14 today; the family had to leave yesterday)

          Before they come, I have always suggested site-seeing options and cost and so forth.  This time I mentioned the Wild Life Safari - about a ten-minute drive and Enchanted Forest which we had never been to ourselves but had seen signs during our travels.  About two and a half hours north of us.  Didn't think they'd be interested in more driving, but thought it might be fun.

          They did not wish to drive the distance - which turned out to be a huge blessing for all of us.  I don't know if Bill took a picture of their back window after it had blown out - not even the entire window - just a large hole giving the appearance that it had been broken into - which hadn't been the case.  None in the car understood what had happened, but the glass had shattered as they were driving less than ten-miles an hour.

This, of course, is only a rough crop combining to demonstrate

          There hadn't been room for all eight of us in the van, and so Roland and Kayla and I were in our car; all five of our children (Bill is included in that number. He is the only one of the five who can legally drive) were in the van.  I decided I should go to Roseburg with Bill and sent Jenna and Kayla's oldest two with Roland and Kayla and I went with Bill to Roseburg to see if we could get the glass repaired, but there was not the right size in stock and so an appointment had to be made for Monday morning.

          Yesterday was their last day, and I gave Jenna the option of staying home, but she did not wish to break her record of perfect attendance, plus I think she was getting frustrated with some of the behavior that the children had displayed over the last four days.  Maybe not . . . Roland had said she had wanted to participate in more sophisticated activities that had been above their social levels.

          So Jenna returned to school and Roland returned to work.  Jenna talked Bill into taking her to school and he learned his car battery had died.  Because the back window covered only by cardboard boxes flattened out registered the van door was open, the overhead light had remained on until the battery needed to be recharged.  By then Jenna had missed the bus and so Bill borrowed our car to take her and then got lost on his return.

          As Jenna was at school, I decided that we would have enough room in our car for 5 people and so  I had planned on keeping the level of noise down by taking Kayla and children to the park and library for story time and then another park for a picnic.  Bill would be spending his day at the auto glass and then the mechanics.  But he truly does have the most positive attitude when things go awry.  He took his cell phone to keep himself entertained and seemed to be okay with it.

          Kayla was cold.  It appeared to me that Anna felt cold also - though the playground was definitely more inviting and therefore more important than staying warm.  I took the three-year-old to the library where he not only put together a few puzzles but talked about each piece as he put it in.  I think he's really an old man in a little person's body.  Gosh, he is smart!

          After story time we left Myrtle Creek and I took them to the park in Riddle - which they really seemed to enjoy, but poor Kayla was still freezing and actually I was too.  We were out a shorter time than I had anticipated, but fortunately for Roland, he had done the majority of what work was required of him, but still had hours left on the clock.

          Bill had returned from the glass repair and visited with Roland a bit before going to our mechanic's to get a service - only temporary at that.  Once again, parts would have to be special ordered and would not arrive until this Thursday but the kids return to school on Wednesday.  So they are now driving on a temporary repair job.  They made it to Burns, Oregon last night but still have the longest leg of their trip ahead of them still.  I pray they arrive in Utah safe and sound and that their car's problems have been left behind in Oregon.

Spring Break is Near Its End

            Spring break is over for Jenna.  Her cousins don't need to return to school until Wednesday.  I gave Jenna the option of staying home today, but she doesn't wish to ruin her perfect attendance.  Plus I think she is wanting a break for the chaotic noise level that has been a part of our house for the last four-going-on-five days.  That's right, Bill and Kayla brought their three children for a spring break visit.  I didn't even tell Jenna - which I'm glad, as I had my dates wrong and had expected Kayla a lot sooner thinking her children had the same amount of spring break that Jenna did.

            Funny thing, Jenna had asked if I would take her to the library on Thursday - which actually happened to be a part of my agenda - thinking that her cousins would be here already - but they were actually due to arrive that very day.

            I drove Jenna to the library so that she could paint a flower pot and hoped that Bill and Kayla would be able to meet us there.  We pulled up to the library at exactly 12:34.  Upon seeing the numbers lined up in order, Jenna told me to make a wish.  I said I wished some family member could be with us.  Our wish came true after 3:00.  I have much to post about and seven titles saved in drafts.  Only one class this mod, so hopefully I will be able to make the time to add details to the titles and post them.

showing off her flower pot creation

seeing Kayla and family in our driveway

            Roland is now back at work.  Bill has to go to Roseburg for an unexpected expense involving the car (another post) and my plan is to take Kayla and the kids to the library for story time and then we will have a picnic and drive around.  I'm tired.  I need to get dressed.  See that Jenna gets off to school.  She has talked Bill into taking her.

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Just a Few Thoughts to tie Us Over until my Next Post

          There is no topic for

discussion this week. 

No assignment to turn in.  It is

the final week and all I

have to do is one assessment. 

Worked out great as Jenna

is off school this week for

spring break.  Her spring break is

twice as long as

any of her friends in Utah.

Yesterday, Jenna helped set

up for my primary class. 

Roland came in and insisted

the temperature felt nice.  Nice? 

It was too warm.  I could not

open the window and so

covered the vent with

hymn books (as they were

 all I could find) Later the

primary president

nearly praised me for

my clever act.

I went to the instructors'

class.  I don't remember ever

having laughed so much in

that class before.  It felt

nice to share that laughter with

those others who attended.

I haven't been sleeping well.  I

look like a football player with

dark marks under my eyes - though

they're not really that dark.  I guess

I look more like a ghoul. 

Roland still has his

stupid cough.  Be Gone Already!

I may take the assessment either

Wednesday or Thursday.  I

probably ought to study for

it, but first I am going to return

to my bed and take a nap.

Later.

Coincidence or By Divine Design - Relief Society

            When I'm teaching primary, I'm sitting down.  When I taught RS, I was standing up.  The sisters have decided to put themselves in a circle, which has its benefits.  I thought I might try walking around and pace myself back and forth as I've seen another instructor do - but my voice doesn't seem to carry as loud as hers nor did I have much of a voice on Sunday and so had to stand behind the microphone.

            NONE of the shoes that I wear on Sunday are very comfortable and so my feet hurt as I neared the end of my lesson and later on that night I was experiencing back pain.  I blame the shoes.  I think Roland would blame my weight.  Probably a combination of the two.

            There are posts on either my own or my brother's blog which provide several reference to everything I discussed in my lesson - well almost everything.  

Dear Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke of an occasion when President Thomas S. Monson said to him: “There is a guiding hand above all things. Often when things happen, it’s not by accident. One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren’t so coincidental after all.”

            After I had passed around the photos of my mom and dad found in this post, I shared an experience that Roland and I had while he was a realtor.  He had made appointments for showing clients houses that were still occupied by their owners.  The clients noticed a newly listed house across the street that hadn't been on Roland's agenda because  he hadn't known about it, but as it was also occupied, he might have to make arrangements for another appointment and return at a later date.  As it turned out, the owners were gone and we were able to go inside.

            The interior of the first house seemed to have dark walls in most of its rooms.  No photos on the wall.  Just a couple on a night stand.  I thought it seemed poorly lit. The house across the street was the same exact floor plan except in reverse.  And with brighter walls.  A great big picture of an LDS temple (though I forget which one; the picture was definitely the largest I have seen - exceeding the entire length on the couch) LOTS of photographs and "families are forever" themes. It was roughly 20,000 more than any other house they looked at.  But it's the one that they wanted.  Was it a coinsidence or divine design?

  

"But remember, He has always used ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things" - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017

            I'm sure that to most people my dad was as ordinary as they come.  He was a very quiet man which I have mentioned in a post I created  the year that I started my blog. Even though we lived in the same house for over 30 years, talking to dad was often like pulling teeth.  Most of what I had shared with the sisters was second or third hand information from sources other than my dad.  I shared a bit about my dad's upbringing and his not having a testimony of the gospel - or perhaps it was just the church itself that he had strayed from.

            He was quite studios and a very good student.  In 1955 he'd been offered a full scholarship to BYU but had turned it down in order to join the navy - which he loathed.  He had joined the navy choir and had enjoyed that.  The nation was between wars and so he was never involved in active duty.  I don't think he had even left the country, but I could be wrong. Overall he really did not appreciate his time in the service.  Since he didn't talk about it, we can only speculate about what we think it was.  I think he may have found the vulgar language and lack of ethics among many of the sailors to be upsetting.

            I think my dad used Church as an escape from the navy.  One fast and testimony meeting he remembers a girl of about ten years of age (this is one of the few sources I have directly from my dad's own mouth) bore her testimony and said she knew the church was true, and he thought  - "If she can know, I can know."  And he devoted more time into finding God and getting reacquainted with the LDS faith.

          One night he was given permission to go to a Church dance.  There he met my mother.  They were married 14 months later.  They were married in Los Angeles Temple and had their wedding reception in the Church in the photo I had passed around where my father had had his picture taken 12 years before.  I don't know if my dad made the connection.  Probably not. I don't remember having seen the photo until my brother Corey posted it.  Had this all come about by coincidence or by divine design?

"Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another—if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives" - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017

             

              I then asked the sisters:  "How many of you have ever made plans about where your life was headed?  You work so many years of your life to stay on that path toward your goal and all of the sudden there is that fork in the road.  God may nudge you to go one way or perhaps you believe you made that choice on your own.  And one day you look over to where you could have been and compare it to where you are on the road right now and think:  "Hey, wait a minute.  I'm supposed to be over there on that path.  I don't think I like where this path is taking me"

            I asked the sisters if any would like to share an example.  When nobody did, I continued. The next example I shared was about Diane Ellingson. I had breifly mentioned her remarkable triumphant found here.  You can also hear her life story in her own words in a two part video fournd here.

"Sometimes life is hard and seems unfair but you are only defeated when you stop trying." - Diane Ellington Smith

" Most often, our good works are known to only a few. They are, however, recorded in heaven. One day, we will stand as a witness of our whole-souled devotion to works of righteousness." - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017

            I also shared some examples about how often when we ask for blessings, God will send us the tools we need to acquire that blessing.  I used the example of Princess Merida from Disney/Pixar's "Brave"  here.

            I concluded with a poem Corey had written which could be used to desribe almost every "ordinary" person.  His poem can be found both here and here.

            Other references for my lesson include: 

Ronald A. Rasband

                                        talk found here

                my comments from talk found here

              

Mom &Dad

                                 great pictures here and here

                      dad's service in navy and awesome tribute by Corey/Cody here

               

Merida

                        trailer for Brave here       

St. Patrick's Grunge Pledges

                Our Saturdays are usually tied up with plans - most of the time it's been going to Roseburg to do shopping, though there are the occasional weekends our plans are attending various activities here in Myrtle Creek or surrounding areas.  Occasionally we actually have a free Saturday which is what I had supposed this last weekend, but Jenna reminded me that I said I would drive her over to the pool to watch the "Grunge Plunge". 

                Most of the pictures I share are cropped screenshots of live event video posted to South Umpqua Memorial Pool page on March 17, 2018

  

                On March 4 last year, South Umpqua Memorial Pool held its first ever "Grunge Plunge".  I didn't even know about it until after the fact - which is actually kind of weird as social media, namely facebook, seems to be this town's most important source of marketing. It appears that there were ten jumpers last year.

2017 Jumpers holding up awarded t-shirts saying:

I Survived South Umpqua Memorial Pool's 1st Grunge Plunge

          Those that had pledged help raise 2,600 and added a pooling carpet to the hurtful cement floors in the dressing rooms and spruced them up to look nice.  Their goal this year was to raise over that amount - which they did.

         The pool site was/is in need of a makeover and the Grunge Plunge provided the community with a unique fundraiser by making pledges for certain individuals to jump into the grungy (and I would imagine frigid) pool that, although covered by a tarp since September, has still had elements effect the conditions of what was once clean water.  

SUMP facebook page cover this month

            I think Jenna would like to do the jumping, but the jumpers have to be over sixteen years of age.  I like that as she had been sick last year and was barely getting over her cough this year.  Four teachers and principal challenged their students to raise at least 200 dollars.  They announced that each of them would jump for every 100 raised after that and if 600 was raised, all five would jump.  There was also call for a germ phobic who said she would go in if 1,000 was raised.  They also challenged South Umpqua High School.  I didn't notice a response.  

 

            This year they did not have to jump as individuals but could do so in groups.  They could also choose to jump from either side of the deep end (shallow end still covered in tarp) or they could go off the diving board.  There were 13 groups or individuals that were sponsored to jump.  We had representatives from Coffenberry, Myrtle Creek Fire Department, State Farm and the mayor among others.  

            Josh Norton was the emcee who passed out awards/trophies before anyone jumped in. Our mayor received one for his attire 

our mayor accepting his award

and the water treatment boys received one for the most money raised.   

2018 trophy

Toward the end, Josh challenged one of his lifeguards to jump as well.  He didn't seem happy about it but accepted the challenge.  Josh jumped in last and thanked the community for the amount of money that was raised: more than twice the amount as last year.

See the crowd all around the pool

calm waters before the jump

Before the jump

After the jump

water with jumpers

            It was a fun event.  Crowded.  I'm happy that it was recorded as It was easier to watch and identify some of the people on the video than it was from behind the fence.  Jenna had gone inside to stand with the crowd to cheer on the Coffenberry instructors.  I prefer standing away from the crowd - or next year - sitting in my pjs and watching the video.  Then I don't have to worry about parking either.  I LOVE living in a small community!