Week #42, SLC, Utah, May 7-13, 2018

Happy Mother's Day! We had a lovely day.  Mike and I got to sing in both of the missionary wards today.  It was so awesome singing in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Chapel.  I prayed and prayed to be able to sing without fear and my prayers were answered.  I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord in answering my prayers. Sometimes the answers come later than I'd like, but luckily today they were immediate!  I love singing with Mike.  We have been singing for 28 years and still loving it.  I have learned so much from him and appreciate his great musical talent. 

Eric, Hannah, Chase and Violet came to hear us sing.  It was fun to have a baby in the audience.  She made a couple of peeps during the sacrament and all the senior sister missionaries loved it!!  There are no kids in our ward so it is a treat to hear a baby squeak!!

After church, we had dinner at our apartment.  Steaks, potatoes, salad and a delicious strawberry shortcake cake. 

This is a pretty good sampling of our wonderful family and those who I am blessed to have call me Mom and Grandma, Nani Sue, Grammy, and more!  I love these people (and those not pictured) with all my heart and soul!  When I was young, I used to sing, "When I grow up, I want to be a mother and raise a family....one little, two little, three little babies of my own!"  Well I got six babies of my own and five other wonderful kids to share and it's everything thing I ever wanted and MOORE!!

This year my baby girl became a mother to little Violet Joy!  What a blessing it has been to be able to be close enough to be a part of her learning to be a mother.  She is truly a joy to me just as her baby is a joy to her!

I have learned over the years that the best I can do as a mother is to try to lead, guide and walk beside my children.  I can't force them or even suggest too much to them really!  I can love them unconditionally and I can pray for them which I do many times a day.  They really are my greatest blessings and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for letting me have this privilege and responsibility.  I know I have made a lot of mistakes and still do, but I think my kids, stepkids, and grandkids know I love them, that I am there for them and that I am proud of them!

Another good week behind us in the Family History Library!  I was able to help train a new sister as she took on the challenge of learning how our floor works.  She's going to be a great missionary and asset to the B-1 floor!  I got to present an inservice lesson to our group and that went surprisingly well.  Mike continues to help others and work on his own family history.  He has learned so much and continues to surprise himself with the things he can do on the computer!!

This was a short work week for us because we requested time off to attend my sweet friend since 7th grade, Cindi Ingersoll's, son Aaron's wedding to his sweetheart Kelsey Chamberlain. It was a beautiful day and we were so happy to be able to be there for it all.

We also had a wonderful day on Friday with Sophie, Tucker and Austin.  They are so much fun and we had a great time at the Family History Museum, the Dollar Store, and our neighborhood soda shop, Quench It!  Tyler and Jaimee went on a cruise for Monat so we helped out a little with the kids.

Eric was so sweet and came and got the kids and took them to Logan for the next stop with their Idaho grandma.

This week I had to go to see an ENT to have some earwax buildup removed from one of my ears.  It wasn't really that bad which I was pleased to hear.  I did learn something important.  Our ears are self-cleaning!  I always heard you shouldn't put anything in your ear but your elbow and I have tried to live by that.  Once in a while I use a Q-tip but the doc says that just pushes the wax in more.  So there you have it!  My medical advice for the week! (this is an internet picture of an ear, not mine!)

Yesterday, we got to help Joel and Erin unpack and set up their kitchen in their new home!  It was a lot of fun and we love their new place.  We think they and their pets are going to be very happy there!

We picked up some Chick-fil-a for them, us, and their movers and I have to say that restaurant rocks in the customer service department!  We had quite a bit of food in our order and they asked if they could help put it all in larger bags and if we would like help out to the car in the pouring rain!!  They are the best and we love Chick-fil-a!!  They are always helpful, cheerful, and they always say it's their pleasure to do anything and everything for their customers!

Life is good!  It's hard sometimes, but it is good and we are very blessed and grateful for all that we have and all that we get to experience in this life.  We are blessed to be missionaries.  I loved a comment on Instagram BofM 365 this week about the privilege we all have of being missionaries, "We are God's messengers.  We have insight on how God can turn a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, and a trial into a triumph!"