30 Days: Day 3

A Picture of You and a Friend

This is my friend Lori. We became friends about 24 years ago when we were young mothers living in the same apartment complex in Scotts Valley, California. My oldest kids came to know her as Aunt Lori. Even though we haven't lived near each other for 20 years now, we keep in touch and see each other as opportunity allows. She came out for Lisa's wedding and it was wonderful to spend a little time together. We are hoping to take a trip to Reno to see her this year.

30 Days: Day 2

Short Term Goals for this Month and Why

It seems rather appropriate to put this one right near the first of the month. There is so much I want to get done or that really needs to be done. I am having a mental battle as to whether it is better to be practical and set goals for the amount of things I really feel I could get done or to make a goal of the many things I'd like to get done this month and if I were super woman, or Bonnie, I might could get them done. Hummmmmmmm.......

1. Get my bedroom cleaned out and organized. While getting ready for Christmas, all the presents and all the junk from the house ended up getting put in our room to the point that it is difficult to even walk to my side of the bed. I know it will make me a lot happier when all the junk is cleared out and all the Christmas gifts find a place. At the moment we also have 4 suitcases in our room. I really think 2 should be sufficient bedroom decor.

2. Clean the basement. That is a two part job. The part that really needs to be done has been on the "to do list" for several months but it was a lot easier to ignore before. I need to clean out the food storage room. We once again have a can of pineapple something oozing black stuff all down the shelves. It is a sticky icky mess. Also, with all the shopping for the holidays, we have just taken a lot of stuff down and left it on the floor in bags. I'm sure I will find some of the party food I thought I had bought but couldn't find when I go through the bags. The second part of that job is the holiday boxes and holiday storage room. I think I have just one last arm full to take down, so now I just need to finish packing everything up and get them put away. I will have to remember to save a space for all the outside garlands and lights since they are frozen in place.

3. Clean up the sewing room. I sewed quite a few different things for Christmas and didn't get done till the night of the 23rd. It's nice to have a room where things can just stay where I left them till I get back to them but it is a mess right now and needs to be cleaned up. This will be the one I want to do first but I will have to save it till last. When I go in there, I will want to do the projects that are set out and waiting to be done.

4. Figure out which blog publisher to use and get my blogs for the last two year printed. I started looking at this last year but it got a little to overwhelming for me so I gave up. If I get those two done and it isn't too bad, I would like to get a book done of our Holland experience. I also started to look into that but didn't find one that could handle the volume/length that I wanted. Suggestions or advise would be very much appreciated for this one!

5. Start an exercise program. I already walk every morning, but I need some flexibility and strength work. Can I do it on my own or do I need to go to a gym? Can studying all the options count as exercise?

6. Go a month without drinking a caffeinated drink. That will be a hard one. Me and Dr. Pepper have a thing going, not an everyday thing, but at least 4-5 days a week. Alyna challenged me to give it up but during the holidays didn't seem like a very good time to do that. I may have to come home from work now and take a nap.

6. All the usual - be better/more regular at personal prayers, scripture study, teeth brushing, saying more positive things, etc.

30 Day Blog - Day 1

Last month, some of my kids did a 30 day blog challenge. I really enjoyed reading and seeing how they answered the blog heading and there were some topics that I have pondered how I would respond to them. Since I was impatient to see what the kids would write about next, I Googled "30 day blogs" and found lots of different lists. Some of them I didn't like at all but there were quite a few that I liked some but not all the topics. So I am combining several lists so that the things that I get to think about each day is something that is interesting to me or I think might be interesting to someone else. So here it goes:

Day 1: a Recent Picture and 15 Interesting Things about Me

1. I’m the oldest child in my family which may explain some of by bossy tendencies.

2. I’d rather sew – especially quilts but I enjoy other creative types of sewing - than cook dinner.

3. I love flowers!! Probably more to come on that subject.

4. I have traveled to places I never would have thought I would go.

5. I enjoy looking at all the different architecture of the places I visit even though I don’t know all the technical terms for what I am seeing.

6. I learned to love listening to audio books when I was a teenager and my family was able to get “books” from the Center for the Blind.

7. I love watching football games and the Olympics. Otherwise, I rarely watch any sporting events.

8. I hate taking care of things that might cause people pain – like removing slivers, pulling out wiggly teeth, cleaning out wounds,etc. Good thing I have a wonderful sister-in-law who takes care of my kids for me.

9. When I grow up, I want to be like my Grandma Merrill. She was an amazing woman. She was very patient, loving and talented.

10. I have an incredible husband who is always encouraging me to learn new things.

11. I live in an old home that I love even though it has very limited closet space and a roof that always leaks.

12. I like to decorate for every holiday and season. It’s always nice to have something new to look at.

13. I have tried several times to learn to knit and have yet to even make a washcloth.

14. I have always had bad eyes (got my first pair of glasses in 1^st grade and had to have the lenses changed every 6 months till I finally got contact lenses at the end of 4^th grade) and bad teeth (I think the most cavities I had in one check-up was fourteen.)

15. I have amazing children, at least they amaze me. They are so smart and talented. I need them to all live close to me so that they can keep teaching me.

The Pace's Came to Town

Lisa had to work at Marriot in Park City during the holidays to get her maternity leave so 5 days before Christmas we picked them up at the airport. It was so fun to see Benjamin. He has grown so much and is such a cute baby. Jessica, Alyna and I stayed at the hotel with them and while Lisa went to work, the rest of us went Christmas shopping and out to lunch.

Benjamin wasn't so sure he liked the snow falling on his face.

That evening, we all met at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a yummy dinner and a gift exchange. Benjamin got lots of hugs and kisses from all the grown-ups.

Benjamin was the best show in town........

.....or maybe not.

Hatch/Hunt Family Christmas Party

Last Friday, we held our annual family Christmas party. The date and place had been chosen for a couple of months but as the date got closer it became more challenging to figure out what should be done. The week before the party, Dad ended up in the hospital again with a bad infection in the leg where his vein had been harvested. They thought he would be in for a day or two and ended up not getting out till Thursday. We had been hoping that even though he may not be able to come to the whole party, we were hoping he could come for a little bit. The week of party, we had to decide whether to postpone the party or hold it without dad. It was decided that we should go ahead.

I was in charge this year. Since we knew that dad wouldn't be able to come up to our house, we scheduled the Relief Society room in the church near their house. This is the first year we've ever done it at a church. We still wanted it to be festive and like Christmas so Mom, Martha and I set up a Christmas tree and decorated the room. It looked really nice - well as nice as a RS room can.

Alyna and Dennis enjoying dinner

Andrew and Lindsay were so happy to have their picture taken.

Now that we have a bunch of little great-grandsons in the family, we are having to take into account their needs for earlier bedtimes and foods that are edible for all. We had everyone help bring finger foods and we had a lovely dinner.

Rachelle with her new baby. The boys did a little coloring while the adults finished eating.

Ryan and Maryann's little guys came dressed as Santa's little helpers.

Hunt and Van Natter families.

We played a Christmas carol pictionary game and exchanged gifts. The little ones provided plenty of entertainment and excitement. It was a nice evening but it was sad not to have Dad there. We stopped by the house before heading home. It was good to have Andrew and Lindsay, Alyna and Dennis get a chance to visit with dad for a little bit.

We know that life is full of surprises and always changing, which can be good. My Christmas wish is that our parents live many more years and are healthy and able to enjoy watching their grandchildren marry and become parents.

What a Year it Has Been

A year ago yesterday, Dennis and I had all our belongings in Holland packed up and loaded on a truck. That began our exodus back to our home and family. It has been a busy year since then.

I've been writing a review of the year and am amazed at all the work we've gotten done and all the fun experiences we've had, as well as some challenges. Here are the things that have come to mind:

We worked hard and remodeled the 3rd apartment and moved the sewing room upstairs

Got all new furniture for the living room. I love it!

Our shipment from Europe arrived safely and we got all our furniture and belongings put in place

Mindy came to visit for a week and got all our old family photos scanned and saved. She makes us laugh and do crazy things. It was so fun.

I went back to work at Nibley Elementary, with very mixed feelings.

Dennis officially became President of Wescor. Wayne and Paul retired.

We got new windows. Yeah!! What a big improvement.

Dad Briscoe burns a large portion of his back in a accident while working in the yard.

Our friend, Lydia, came from Holland. We went to Women's Conference, Yellowstone, & Las Vegas.

My good friend, Carol, is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She has 2 surgeries and starts chemo. We make a care quilt for her with squares from 100 friends.

Cameron graduated from BYU. He decides to continue his education at Univ. of Indiana

Alyna graduated from Mountain Crest. Gets a scholarship to USU.

Jessica drove to Virginia (with some help from Dennis) to work for the summer.

Dennis and I went to Europe separately and then met in Holland and traveled to Spain.

The whole family went to Lake Powell for a memorable vacation with the Pace family.

Mindy had her thyroid removed and was treated for thyroid cancer.

Andrew got a lot of amazing work around the house and yard this summer.

Marga and Suzanna came from Holland. We traveled to California and Yellowstone.

Our first grandchild was born. Benjamin Ralph Pace has been a fun addition to the family.

Lisa, Cameron and Benjamin moved to Indiana.

Dennis and I vacationed for a week in Hawaii.

My dad had open heart surgery and has had lots of challenges in recovering since then.

Dennis made it to the Delta airline Diamond Medallion status. That means he's traveled A LOT this year! He mostly went to Europe but also finally made it to South America - Columbia.

Mandy and Dan had baby Kara.

Zeke leaves to serve a mission in Oklahoma.

There are several more fun things we are looking forward to before the year is over: family get-togethers, the Pace family coming for the holidays and Kara will be here for Christmas.

Things I'm Thankful For

Here are a few of the things I am thankful for:

My wonderful husband. We celebrated our 29th anniversary yesterday.

Having my Dad making a good recovery from open heart surgery and

feeling good enough to enjoy a family get-together.

An amazing Mom who is a great example to me and a wonderful grandmother to my children. She is a dedicated care giver and accomplishes more in a day than I can.

Watching my children develop their talents.

Wonderful in-laws!

A new grandbaby and the opportunity to play grandma, finally!

Sisters!

A nice warm home with lots of charm and personality.

A beautiful area to live in.

Beautiful places to travel to and enjoy.

Good health

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Financial security

Living in the USA

Just to name a few!