Some fun in between painting...

David's class did a wax museum. Walter and I went to check it out. Such a fun idea! They pick a person and dress up like them and make a poster to go along with it. Then when you come to them, they have a speech prepared that they tell you about "themselves." He did a great job! It was so fun to see all the different people. I mean Wax Figures...

Then our favorite Hale Center Theater put on Newsies.  We HAD to go to that! It was very good as we knew it would be. A little different from the movie so that was fun too. They all did a great job and I think all the kids loved it! I love sharing culture with my grands!

Home Depot take my money...

Painting and more painting! We should have stock in Home Depot. Can't count how many times we have been there already! We decided on a dark grey for the bottom portion and a light grey from the upper portion and the kitchen, dining room and hall. When you paint in the evening, someone has to hold a flashlight so you can see the roof line (since the hall light hasn't been replaced yet...the fixture they left isn't even the right one!). Walter loves to help vacuum and he loves to make ice cream cones! We have a lot of fun with that little set! Nate and Amanda gifted us (housewarming!) a new kitchen faucet! The old one wouldn't even turn! It was little and horrible. This new fixture is beautiful and we love it! Nate installed it and we are very grateful for all the handyman work he does for us! 

Painting continues...

We met a neighbor this week. Debbie Maughn. She came over with a little gift of kitchen towels. She was very sweet! She lives across the street in a cute house with a stunning yard. She is very into her yard and flowers! She is divorced and has one daughter living at home with her and her other daughter is married with children. She let us know how "Tank" was doing, the boy who fell in church the first time we were there. I should be able to remember her name as I just left Debbie Lee in the Lindon ward. And the Relief Society President came by to meet us. Her name is Allison, so I will probably remember that too!  She seemed very nice and friendly. We are finishing up the master closet painting so we can finally unpack all our clothes and shoes! We have the bathroom put together and most of the kitchen. It is coming along nicely! We are trying to decide what colors to paint the living room. This whole house is painted that pale tan color. That chair rail on the wall begs for two different colors, so that is what we are going for! Grey colors of course. Poor Walter...he chooses to sit on the rolled up carpet to watch Mickey Mouse instead of in a little chair. He is the cutest. And he loves to swing on the closet bars. We are picking colors for those bedrooms too, but the insides of the closets are done! They were so yellow! I think 25  year old white paint turns a faded yellow. Every closet has been like that. Some I had to paint using a light in them! They look so much better! When the carpet layers put the carpet on the window seat in the master bedroom, they cracked the window! The biggest window in the house! Naturally. So now we get to get that replaced but of course they are paying for it. And we got more snow this week. We were surprised when Dave left for work and it was coming right up the door frame! I like the snow though and am not complaining. I have a lot of inside work to do before I even THINK about doing any yard work. So spring can take it's time!!

New Carpet!

We got all the carpet removed (I say We, but it was all Dave) and Dave went around and shot in screws everywhere he could find the floors creaking! That was a BIG job! We shoved the couches into the dining room and moved our bed down into the family room (wooden floor in there) and filled the hall bathroom and our bathroom with dressers and other things in preparation for carpet installation. We were ready! We had Walter for the weekend because Nate and Amanda went on a little vacay to San Diego. Well, guess what happened...why can these things never go smooth!? The carpet installation had to get bumped back a day because the job they were on was too big and they couldn't get to us until Saturday! We were fortunate enough to be able to go sleep at Amanda's house and Walter got to sleep in his own bed that night! I don't know what we would have done otherwise. We were not happy about being put off like that. Thankfully Saturday came and so did the installers. There were three of them and they got the whole job done in a few hours. We ordered grey carpet but it sure looked brown to us! We just kept looking at it and thinking it looks too brown! Dave went to the store and got the samples we had picked from just so we could know for sure we got what we ordered! Apparently we did. We were sure happy to get our bed put back and our living room put back (wish we would have had time to get it painted before the carpet, oh well...baby steps). New carpet smells so good! I still think it looks more brown! Sunday we did not go to church because Walter had the sniffles and I was catching his cold. We just stayed in and waited for Amanda and Nate to get back Sunday evening. Still like having our own house...it is a fun feeling! Even if the carpet doesn't look the right color. ha. 

Move in day...(s)

Moving day finally arrived! Here is our "Fixer Upper" house...all ours! 

We knew closing day was coming up, so we were packing up our apt. and cleaning, and getting ready for the BIG move. We were signing papers on Thursday, the 28th and planning on the keys either that evening or the 1st of March - Friday. Our wonderful elder's quorum president (Ray Tuckett) was going to be out of town but promised us the man in charge of "moves"  had it all in hand. The plan was to fill a small Uhaul on Thursday night with everything but our bed, leaving room for it. Also, Dave brought a truck from work that we could fill up too.Oh, back track on the Uhaul story...a cute couple in our ward run the storage units where our stuff is stored and they rent uhauls.  I reserved a 20 foot Uhaul for Saturday to empty our two storage units. Then we decided to get a smaller one to do the apt and so I reserved that (they only had a 10 ft available so I booked it). Come to find out, sweet Marissa thought that meant I wanted to CANCEL my 20 ft on Saturday! Yikes! She had to do some searching to find me a big one for that day, and turns out she found one at the place right by our new house where we would be staying Friday night and could pick it up Saturday morning. So it all worked out, but boy was I stressed for a bit!!! Anyway, we signed papers Thursday morning and when it came time to load the small uhaul and work truck Thursday night, the guy in charge of "moves" and his daughter were the only ones who came to help!!!! Are you kidding??? thankfully two neighbors saw us and came to help. And Joel and Kristen came too. Joel and Kristen have been amazing through this whole ordeal. So Friday morning- the 1st..Dave had taken the day off to prep for moving in. I still had Walter and he played pretty well in the empty apartment while I finished up some cleaning. Dave and Joel loaded up our bed (and a friend of Joel's - they came straight from class before he had to head to work) and loaded any last minute things. We filled up both our cars with TV's, computers and a few breakable things and things I didn't want the men man-handling ha ha.  We had 4 vehicles and 2 drivers to get everything over to the house, so we asked our neighbor if he would follow Dave out with the Uhaul so he could park it at the new house (until we had word we could get the keys) and then bring Dave back so he could drive the work truck over when it was time. We waited on pins and needles all during the day for "the word!" Well, when Dave went out to drop off the Uhaul, the sellers were STILL MOVING OUT!! What?  We closed on the 28th! By the way, we could have closed on the 21st as that is the day THEY closed on the house they bought, but no, they needed an extra week to get their house ready!!! They new we were supposed to be out of our apartment on the 28th and they pushed it back until then. Thankfully our landlords are super sweet and their son waiting to move in had a few more days before they closed on their house. It all worked out, but I was upset that they got to push it back like that. ANYWAY, yes, they were still moving out.  We would get texts through the day, "paperwork all in" "everything approved" and finally, "FUNDING WENT THROUGH" it was 2 p.m. and we now had official owner rights! Well, Amanda is supposed to get out of school at 2:45 on Fridays so the plan was that as soon as she got Walter we would head to the house. I had carpet guys coming at 2 to measure, but we bumped it back to 4 as the day went on and we weren't getting notice yet. Well, Amanda had FIVE students stay after to take a test!!!  She didn't get there until almost 3:30! I was really panicking.  But I jumped in my loaded up car  to get out there and meet the carpet guys. Imagine my surprise when the sellers were STILL there!!!  "Waiting for the piano movers." I said we were there to measure for carpets and they said, come on in, you owned it as of 2 o'clock. AWKWARD. So he's measuring and I'm telling him this and that and the lady is in the kitchen on the phone and her friend who was helping her clean was just leaving. She hadn't gotten any food out of the fridge or freezer and still had a freezer in the garage to unload. And still wait for the piano movers. OH. MY. GOSH. It was the most awkward thing. She would tell me this and that about the house, things they left for whatever, how to work the remote for the family room light, just STUFF. And of course the piano movers got stuck in traffic and didn't get there until almost 5. Amanda and the kids had shown up so she started washing out the fridge for me, while the other lady was apologizing that it didn't get done. Me and David started sweeping out the garage so the guys could start unloading boxes. And of course they apologized that it wasn't done already. Whatever. Oh, and the kids were so excited because a basketball hoop came with the house...David comes running in and says, Grandma, there's no basketball hoop! So the lady says, oh, we gave that to the neighbors (it was in the front yard next door) and I said, the listing said it came with the house. So she called her husband. She said the 2 little boys next door always come over to play so they just gave it to them, but would it be okay if they still came over to play?  I said sure. In the meantime, the nice neighbor moved his car so the kids could play in his driveway. It got moved back thankfully and I can see the kids out there playing instead of worrying about them running out into the street after balls. 

The Laings lived just through the block! We are so excited about that! Not in the same ward as us, but the same stake. Well, they came over to help us unload the little UHaul and the work truck - oh, it was snowing/raining while we did that! Joel and Kristen as well. Amanda and the kids were here helping with what they could and Amanda got Papa Murphy's pizza for us for dinner. We turned on our oven and it started smoking from the cleaner stuff they used on it (NOT CLEAN by the way) so that was fun. The kitchen is a dirty, greasy mess and the cupboards, oooh, I don't even like touching them! And the pantry is so dirty, I will NOT be putting any food in it until it gets painted! So that is the story of moving day ONE. The previous owners FINALLY left but promised to come back tomorrow to get their clunker car that was parked on the side of the house. And they will stop by occasionally to get their mail because they didn't have it forwarded yet. ??? Our first night was spent listening to the master toilet run. When we set up our utilities with the City of Lehi, they said, oh, there seems to be a leak. So our realtor had called the seller's realtor and they said it was the master toilet and that they had the part for it but hadn't fixed it yet. Also, the hall light fixture was broken but they had bought a new one so it can be fixed too. Thanks I guess. 

Saturday morning our ward (Lindon ward) was planning to meet at our storage units to help load the large Uhaul. Again, snowing/raining. YAY. Every time we move! Dave went to get the uhaul and they actually had a 26 footer which was great! And Nate had his trailer too. And with the work truck, we emptied both units in one day! Joel and Kristen were there and they had rounded up several friends and a set of missionaries!  The number of people from our ward was 4 men and a few boys.  More than Friday's crew, but we would have been terribly short handed if Joel's group hadn't been there.  I again loaded my car as much as I could at the storage unit and then I went back to the house to start cleaning while they loaded the Uhaul. A sweet lady who was at the storage with her husband (RaeMi Stanworth) said she would come help me clean. So she did for a bit. That was fun. But oh so gross. The kitchen cupboard just had me ill. I had asked our new ward for help unloading the truck around 11:30. I have never had luck asking our new wards to help us move in, it just never works. It worked a LITTLE this time. Three men came. And Joel and Kristen and a couple of the guys from our Lindon ward followed us out from the storage units to help unload.  That was awesome! We are so grateful! Now my garage is stuffed to the brim and it will take me months to get everything gone through and put away. Everything we own is here now. Dave and I sat on the couch and just listened. So quiet! We have a house! It's just us! It was an amazing feeling! That night (our second night here) it was crazy windy! We thought our roof was coming off! There was banging in the rafters, windows whistling, we just could not believe it! I told Kelly Laing I couldn't believe that wind and she said, oh yeah, it gets real windy here. WHAT? What have we done? ha ha.

Sunday, we were nervous about going to our new ward because everyone would know whose house we had moved into and they might be sad that those people left! I was not having very good feelings about those people because of their not willing to bend a little on closing. And then being here for so long while we were trying to move in.  But we did go to church. We sat about 3 rows back in the overflow and only 1 or 2 people in front of us, enough of a view that I saw the usher by the door fall stiff as a board, flat on his face.  Out cold. The Sacrament was just about over when it happened. And of course people ran right over to help and someone called 911. The boys finished up their duties and the man conducting asked us all to just sit reverently and wait until the emergency personnel came and got him. Then he started testimony meeting and no one went up for a bit.  It was a tense situation I think. But finally some people did and it got going.  After the closing prayer the bishopric member stood up and said he had word that the boy was okay (I think they called him Tank) but he'd damaged some teeth. He must have hit with his chin. I was sure it was his forehead and that he'd have a concussion or something.  He was out cold. I think he was awake by the time they wheeled him out.  But he hit hard. Then we went to Sunday School. They asked if anyone was new or visiting so we stood up and said who we were and where we moved to.  Only ONE man came over and talked to us afterwards. That was it. So we came home and a sister pulled right up with a plate of cookies.  She had come by Saturday but we weren't there.  She lives on the corner. That was our welcome. 

Monday I had Walter here and then picked up the big kids at school for early out. It was still snowy but the boys still wanted to play basketball outside! I was still inside unpacking the kitchen, still cleaning the cupboards and painting the pantry so we could put food away. I made good progress I think. Slow and steady for this new project of fixing up a house and moving in. I need to paint closets so we could unpack clothes etc, and then we need to rip up the old carpet by Friday when our new carpet will be arriving! Can't wait for that! 25 year old carpet is pretty ugly and disgusting...I didn't even take pictures. Ick. But here's some pictures of the cupboards and pantry etc...also the Asphalt Zipper truck parked outside Saturday night after unloading everything. It was the last thing we unloaded.

Time to move!

Time to pack up our little apartment and move to our NEW HOUSE!!! Here are some carpet samples we are considering and Walter was so considerate to lay them out for us to look at. He also loved looking in the empty cupboards and on the day we moved out our bedroom, he loved rolling the tape all over that room. It kept him entertained for a long time! The homeowners would not get out by the 28 of February so we couldn't move in until March 2nd. Thankfully the Hansens were able to let us stay an extra couple of days. We tried to tell the previous homeowners that we had to be out by the 28th but they needed "time" to get their new place ready. Yes, we needed time too, but alas, we didn't get it. But the apartment is emptied and we are moving in!! The story gets even better....stay tuned!

Stake Relief Society Women's Conference

This Stake Women's Conference has been in the planning for quite some time. It was a pleasure to be a part of it. One year I was on the decorating committee for this meeting, now one of the sisters on that committee with me is the Stake Relief Society President! Susan Hoyt. How I have loved serving with her, Karen Cox, and Patti Gillie. Karen was the counselor over me when I was in the Relief Society Presidency in the ward. I knew going in to this evening was my last official duty as I would be released this evening. Anyway, it was a beautiful event, the decorating committee did fabulous, the food was wonderful and our guest speaker was amazing. Her name is Christel Foreman, a WWII survivor. She told her story of how her family was saved by obeying the prophet. They stored food (in jars, buried in the yard) and all they went through to get safely to America. Her father was killed in the war, they were German and he HAD to be in the army. I can't remember what happened to her brother, but their story is incredible. I got to sit by her as we ate dinner and I told her she needed to get her story in a book and I would be first in line to buy it!  She said her husband was helping her get it going, but then he passed away. She was so spunky and we all just loved her! She wouldn't sit in the chair on the stage, she liked to walk back and forth. We were so nervous she would fall off the stage! It was truly an inspiring evening and I am so glad I got to be a part of it. Next to the two weeks I served on the Relief Society Committee before being put in the Relief Society presidency (I was in that calling for about 4 or 5 months), this is my shortest calling. About 3 and a half months. I told Susan I just couldn't understand why I was put in this calling for such a short time and she said it was because I got them all organized for the new year! I don't know about that, but I truly did love the time that I served. It has been about my favorite calling to date! I will miss it. If you ever see a book by Christel Foreman, buy it! I do hope she will get her story down in print. This article about her came out in a community magazine. It was so fun to see it and know that I met her! You probably can't read from the picture but at least you can see what she looks like. She had a great handout of seed packets and a thought about faith. What an amazing woman and an amazing story!

A Special Experience...

Today we (stake relief society presidency) visited the Spring Gardens (care center) for their Sacrament meeting and branch conference. It is our last conference, making 11 in all. It was a sweet experience to be among these seniors. From the sweet little lady in the wheelchair who stood up to conduct the hymns, to the sweet old men who blessed and passed the Sacrament. How beautiful to hear them bless the Sacrament from their hearts, with such great reverence and emphasis. And the tall, white haired, slightly bent over man who passed it so tenderly. The man behind the Sacrament table was in a wheelchair and couldn't reach the tray to hand to the man who was passing, (the tall, white haired, slightly bent over man) so he handed the tray to the man in the wheelchair to hand back to him to pass. I don't know if I am explaining it right but it was so sweet to witness. President Jones gave his wonderful talk on how the Savior loves each of us individually. He told the story of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment as he walked by in the throng of people. How HE knew THE ONE. It really brought tears to my eyes at his touching, emotional, rendering of the story. He also told a story of when he was a bishop and a husband of a dying woman asked him to come and help give his wife the Sacrament. She knew she would soon be gone and she wanted to take the Sacrament one more time. He told of how he saw the ONE piece of bread and the ONE cup of water, how he knew that the Lord knew this one woman, and how important this was to her. It really made me think about when we take the Sacrament....it is PERSONAL. And the Lord knows us individually. 

After that meeting, we went down the hall to the memory care wing and had Sacrament with them.  What an experience! It was sweet also. One sister was very vocal and didn't like it when they turned the TV off!  ha ha.  But when he said it was time for Sacrament she was okay with it. Then they passed out some hymn books and she was excited to know what page to turn to. She spoke very loudly and was happy about the singing. I sat by a sister in a wheelchair and she helped hold the book but just hummed.  She said she couldn't sing the words but she could hum. A gentleman stretched out in a recliner had his eyes closed but as someone was talking to him before we started they asked him if he wanted to sing today and he shook his head softly but firmly, no. Then they asked him if he wanted to take the Sacrament today and he nodded, softly and firmly, yes. One sister took the bread but she declined the water and the sister next to her said, "You don't want to take the water?" and she responded, "No, I did that last year." So cute. One cute lady wiped her hand on her pants carefully before taking the bread and again when taking the water. It was a sweet gesture that she wanted to be clean. President Jensen gave a few remarks and then a gentleman gave a special thought after the and then I got to say the closing prayer. It was such a special experience to be there today and feel the sweet spirit of these people who are in "God's waiting room" and don't really know much about what is going on around them, but their spirits totally understand the Sacrament and the hymns and "church."  The bishop says when he gives them temple recommend interviews, they come out of "their world" and are totally coherent for their interview. Their spirit knows...and when it is over, they go back to "their world." What beautiful people are serving there and helping with these people. In the hall they had a "Wall of Fame" and there were framed pictures of all of them who had served in the military, their THEN and NOW pictures. It was beautiful. They truly were the best generation of people! 

Then we went to lunch with the branch. I sat at a table with three cute sisters.  Ivie, Dee, and Jo Ella. We enjoyed our food and our visiting. We met the grandpa of Napoleon Dynamite, a gentleman who was on Normandy (WOW!) and many other sweet and wonderful people. Ivie had 4 pregnancies but only 1 daughter.  She had a son, then a stillborn, then a daughter and son. One son was killed in a car accident at 23. The daughter had 4 blood transfusions in the womb! But all was well. I can't remember what happened to the other son, but she just has one daughter now. And a daughter-in-law that she still claims as family who remarried after the son was killed in the accident. Jo Ella has one daughter that doesn't talk to her (so sad!) but a niece and a cousin that visit her. She reminded me a little bit of Dave's Aunt Ramona. Both in looks and the way she speaks. Dee is from Oklahoma and still has that cute accent!  I didn't realize she was 96! I thought she was early 80's. She has a son that lives here and 10 grandchildren!  She had two sons but one was killed in Vietnam. The other son had enough kids for both of them. ha ha.  10 kids! She used to live in Page where her dad worked on the dam. "He had a dam job!" I enjoyed my visit with these 3 sisters so much!

We have our Stake Relief Society Women's Conference this week and then stake conference next Sunday. I knew I would be getting released since we are moving on March 1st. But the president (Susan Hoyt) told me today that she turned in a name for a secretary (knowing that it takes a bit of time to get approved and called) and the very next day the sister called her and told her how excited she was to be working with her! It happened so fast!  Susan couldn't believe it and didn't think it would happen that quick, but they want to set her apart on Wednesday, the day before our conference!  That must made me so sad. Susan said she will never forget how my name jumped off the page when she was picking her secretary and how much she has loved working with me. She knew it would only be a short while, but she says I got them organized! Susan Hoyt, president, Karen Cox 1st Counselor and Patti Gille 2nd Counselor.  I have loved working with these ladies and am sad to be leaving. (But very excited to get my own house!). I worked with Susan 2 years ago when she was on MY committee to decorate for the Stake Women's Conference. I have been a little sad today knowing that my time is up.  Shortest calling I have ever had! Except for that one time they put me on the RS committee and I went to one planning meeting and the next week the bishop came and called me to be in the RS presidency. I guess THAT was the shortest calling! I was in the RS presidency for 3 months and the presidency was reorganized. Then I was put in primary with Dave and we were there for 3 months until this calling. This one has just been a little over 2 months. I wonder what will happen in our new ward! 

One last thought on this special experience...we went last week to the other branch at the Osmond Care Center and it was sweet too. A much smaller crowd, but sweet to visit with. Yvette Anderson (from our old 16th ward) is the RS president and it was fun to see her in action and visit with her at lunch. She does a great job! We also visited with a sweet lady named Catina. Each of the wards in the stake take turns coming there to pass the Sacrament and it was sweet to see the young men being so sweet and gentle with the older people as they took the Sacrament. We stayed for Relief Society that day and really enjoyed their comments and participation. These care centers were both wonderful, special, and sacred experiences that I will hold in my heart for a long time.