Beautiful Mother Nature

By Trisha

Jarom and I had a nice Saturday this past weekend. We drove up to the foothills of Amador County to Plymouth, stopping in Jackson. Jackson is a really cute town. It has a lot of its original old building-quit shops, antique shops, cafes, tea house, inn, bed and breakfasts-it looked like the All-American City. Couples and families were walking all up and down the main street. I wouldn't mind living there. We went to a the Charles Spinetta Winery and Vineyards to see some of the flowers that are part of thier flower project. All seven of the weineries on Steiner Road purchase bulbs from the Amador Flower Farm. They plant them along the roadside and in different areas on thier vineyards. Among various flowers in the spring and summer, some that bloom in the spring are: lilacs, daffodils (many different species), tulips, poppies anc crocuses. In the summer some of the blooming flowers are: various wildflowers, daisies, and poppies. All year round, they have trees all over-mostly oaks. It was beautiful.

Along the drive, we saw wild turkeys, horses, cows-many with calves, squirrels, chicken farm with so many chickens, goats and sheeps, some with thier lambs. It was refreshing. It started off a bit rainy but cleared up, it just didn't get very warm.

We started our trip off by having lunch at McDonald's in Roseville, then stopped in Rocklin for water, aspirin and stomach aids for me. We continued on our way. I loved the scenery of the hills and just being with Jarom. A little piece of the old me peeked out, too-grooving in my seat (car dancing). He unplugged my iPod and plugged in his. He had a few really great songs play on the way their and I just couldn't help my self. They were just those kind of songs. I think I was excited for the day and our adventure, too. I guess you would say I was giddy.

On the way home, we stopped in Jackson and drove home via CA-50, I-80, CA-99 and CA-70, the complete opposite of taking CA-65 on the way up. Once we got home, I fixed some dinner for us. After cleaning up and loading the dishwasher, Jarom worked on his John Wayne puzzle while I finished up my Sharing Time lesson. i knew what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it, but I needed to create my outline, pick the songs to sing, pull out GAK pictures and create the 3D chapel they would start but finish at home with thier families. My lesson was on reverence. It went very well in senior primary, but junior primary was rather difficult. They were very irreverent and just all over the place, but some Sundays are just that way sometimes. You win some and you lose some.

This weekend is conference weekend, and I'm tkaing the weekend off to go to Watsonville and enjoy the weekend with family. I am really looking forward to it. I'm going to take Gus with me. He is truly my little buddy, even though he is Jarom's dog; and Missi is Jarom's buddy, but she is my dog. Oh, well. I'm just looking forward to seeing everyone, even if we don't do anything or go anywhere we have fun. Jarom is staying here and going shooting with his co-workers. He plans to take Missi with him, too. She will stya in the car, of course, and watch everyone. Jarom said they would get pizza one night for dinner and she will get to sleep on the bed with Jarom while I'm gone. The only way Missi will come is if she is requested. I know that she has not been to Watsonville and Gus has many times, but I think he needs the extra attention. He will have a blast and spoiled like crazy!
The picture at the right, above, was taken at Wal-Mart. Yep, you guessed it, just before St. Patrick's Day. This is some of the kind of fun we have when we are together. We can always find way to entertain ourselves-talking and looking through magazines and cookbooks, scrapbooking, playing games, etc. This is Aunt Teresa and Me. Mom and Nicole were there too and we took 4 or 5 pictures but I'm still waiting for my dad to email them to me. When I get them, I will post them. Mom got some cute pictures of the dogs and cats too when she was here.
 

Letting Go and Moving On

By Trisha
Many of you know that, I have successful been pregnant twice, but miscarried both. I truly believe that it is one of the main reasons for my severe depression, and why I have fallen so deep into this dark hole...amongst other reasons.

Anyway, today my mom sent me an email and offered a great solution, well, maybe not a solutiong, but a form of release, letting go and moving on. She told me that I should write a letter to the baby, put it in a box, and bury it. I think it is a fantastic idea and will really help me to heal and move on. I think it will help both, Jarom and I, actually, and I’m going to ask him to do the same thing. There is a little angel or perhaps a couple little angels waiting up in heaven to join our family, and one day they will join us. I have fiath that they will. Even if I did lose faith at one point-my faith has returned.

So, that is what "Letting Go and Moving On" is all about.

"Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself." Richard Bach

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away." Anonymous

"Much as we may wish to make a new beginning, some part of us resists doing so as though we were making the first step toward disaster." William Bridges.

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge." Thomas Carlyle

"Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain." Helen Keller

"Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen." Foka Gomey

"Hope is a waking dream." Aristotle

"Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier." Anonymous

"Were it not for hope the heart would break." Socttish Proverb
 

Okay, so I didn't make it to church today...

By Trisha
...but Jarom is back home. He seemed to have a nice time, even if he did have to sleep on an uncomfortable couch. I think it was good for him to get away for a few day and have a break and visit with his parents, Grandma and her new husband. His Dad even let him have one of his Granddad's hunting rifles. I took the dogs with me to pick him up. We have the travel hammock in the backseat of the car-I bought it a year ago, and we are finally using it. It keeps the dog hair off the seats and clean, and helps protect the dogs from falling off the end of the seat should we have to suddenly stop. They were so happy to see their daddy.
Any who, I didn't make it to church, but I did get quite a bit done for primary. The April newsletter is half done, April birthday cards, next weeks assignments, new assignment tracker, April's Scripture and Theme for the bulletin board, and the inactive list that we are working on trying to help come back. In addition to that, I also got my Activity Days activities, games, worksheets, journal sheets, portfolio project report sheets and progress trackers all organized in my "Activity Days file box". I already have a quilting project in mind for them to work on, making baby quilts that we can donate to charity. I want to find a local charity for them to donate them too, for single moms, low-income families, etc. I'll have to do some research on that.
Finally, I got my DVR'd shows watched and a little reading in. Tomorrow, I have a few things to pick up at the store, a post office run, phone calls, laundry, a little yard work (maybe), some reading (scriptures and Emma), and finish the primary newsletter.
 

A Friendly Challenge of Talents

By Trisha
So, Joalea posed a challenged to share our talents as she is a Jack of All Trades and a Master of None. Kristi took the challenge and challenged those that know her to do the same....with that, I thought, oh what the heck, I'll give it a shot.

I'm a baker and a chef (I love to cook and try new recipes), scrapbooker, cross-stitcher/embroiderer, card maker, beader, crafter of all areas, really. A mama to two kitties and two doggies, a teacher, a student, a gardener (I have to really be in the mood), interior designer, animal lover, novelist/writer, bookworm, magazine-r, inspirational seeker, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a neice, a friend, an auntie (Guam friends), a leader, a follower, a housekeeper-of sorts, a dancer-Jarom gets really embarrassed when I do it in the car...like you Kristi, a singer-even if I am tone deaf, fire starter, computer geek-a geek period, a foodie, a colorist (I love to color), floorplan designer/drafter, photographer, a traveler, party planner, a dreamer, blogger, MySpacer, Sparker, Facebooker, a fighter (arguer), and a lover.

That is quite a list, I guess. Anyone else out there that may want to try this? I'd enjoy seeing your list of talents too. We can all learn something from each other, as well as teach each other.
 

Activity Days!!!

By Trisha
It was a fun night with lots of learning. Tonight's lesson was in cross-stitch. There was a lot of excitement and questions. They did very well listening and watching instructions. We had just enough time to review the cross stitch and the running stitch, get our materials, and do a few stitched before heading home.
I gave them their AofF flashcards and notebooks. The notebooks were "cool". I think those were the words out of thier mouths. They were pretty excited about thier Easter treats. It was just something small that had a journal in it, some Starbursts and Tootsie Rolls.
It was a successful night. I had seven girls here. Two were from an investigating family that came with Baylee, and Kiley Gray came this evening. It was exciting for me.
Just before the closing prayer, we talked about the possibility of having a sleepover to learn more about and work on our cross-stitching. I started them out on the plastic canvas with yard and big yarn needles. After that, we will graduate to a regular cross-stitch kit-just a small one-2inx2in, I think. They can choose from either a butterfly or a cute pair of girls jeans that reads "So Chic" underneath. Finally, after that one, I have a special kit that they will only work on here during Activity Days; for Mother's Day. It says, "Mothers are Special" with roses below the wording; also 2inx2in. They were all very excited...about all the projects. It was a successful night!
 

My New Look and Precious Moments

By Trisha



I have a picture of my new look. It is not a great or flattering picture by any means, but at least you can see the style. It doesn't do any justice for the highlights, either, but it wasn't taken in the greatest light, either. I will make sure we get some better pictures in the days or maybe the next few weeks to come and post better ones. I really do love it. The highlights are done in chunky strands, The cut is a bit longer in the front along my jawline and the back is a bit shorter. It is inspired by Katie Holmes hairstyle, but we added a bit of Heidi Klum's dimension so that it would fit my face better. if we just cut it like Katie's, it would make my face look even more round.

On another note, the dogs came along for the ride to Mike and Gina's last night. We thought it would be fun for Louie and Gus and Missi to play together. Louie loved Miss; so much that he followed her around all night...amongst trying other things. ;o) Louie didn't not like Gus, but he was intimidated by him. Afterall, they are about the same height, but Gus is all brawn. Gus, for the most part, stayed in the kitchen with Gina and me while Gina worked on my hair. However, he made a new friend in Trinity. She was so sweet and cute with him. Early in the evening, she was in a princess dress and sat on the floor with him. They just looked into each other's eyes and she petted him so sweetly. It so precious and a priceless moment. I wish I had my camera, but it just wasn't meant to to captured by anything other than the mind's eye. Later in the evening, Trinity layed on the floor and cuddled with Gus-this time we got a couple pictures. She was just so sweet and gentle with him and him with her. He is going to be so great if we are blessed with children. He is such a lover and to see Trinity with him, just reaffirmed it. it was too precious.
 

"You need to update your blog."

By Trisha




That is what Jarom told me last week, just after he created his own blog. It has been a couple weeks since I wrote anything, so I decided today that I should add a little something to the pot.


My mom came to visit and it was nice to have her here. I think seeing her helped a lot. I did more in that week she was here than I have in months. Our backyard looks great-mom weeded it and planted some seeds, too. We shopped and ran errands, but there were some rough days for me and I think she was a little bored those days. I am trying to set goals and accomplish at least one or two a day, and it is helping. Last week, I did a lot of primary and Activity Days work. I took the dogs with me when I took mom to the airport. Missi was so cute. She would pop her little head up and rest her chin between the two back seats and just look at us while we were saying goodbye. It was one of those times I wish I had the camera; she was so cute.


This weekend was a nice weekend. I got to spend the entire Saturday with my hubby. We looked at new cell phones, because we could get a free upgrade with a new contract. We went and did a little grocery shopping, too. We didn't need much, just milk, bread, and I got some WW meals to have while Jarom is in Arizona so that I don't have to cook everyday. We watched Tombstone that evening, while I got everything together for church and then headed to bed.


Yesterday, I went to Ward Council at 7:15am. That was sure an early morning, especially since I didn't fall asleep until about 5am.


Gina cut my hair last night and put highlights in it for me, too. I had her cut it pretty short. I really like Katie Holmes cut, but it would make my face look rounder than it already is, so when we turned the page of my Cosmo, we saw Heidi Klum's haircut and decided to model my cut after hers, with layers and a bit shorter...above the shoulders. I even have bangs again, but just a few. A very thin layer. I'm not too sure about them, but it will take time to get used to them; however I may grow tham back out. It is different to have it so short, but I like more everytime I look in the mirror. It is flat, even. Gina used a flat iron and I picked one up at Wal-Mart the other day, and the ends are curled under just a bit. The color looks really good too. Gina did such a great job! I have to figure out how to get the picture off my new phone and I can post my new look.


The got to meet Louie, too. He wasn't too sure of Gus, but he sure liked Missi. Gus spent most of the evening with Gina and me while she was doing my hair. She made a new friend-a boyfriend. It was cute to watch him just follow her around all night...among trying other things. Both Gus and Missi did sleep well last night. Miss was out shortly after leaving and Gus was out shortly after arriving home. They even slept on the bed with me. Both were snoring wuite loudly, too, even Miss. She has a snore, but hers is usually harder to hear over Gus's snore. Both are starting to sleep with thier tongues out too. Miss is starting to let her stick out just a bit all day long, and even moreso in when she sleeps. It is really cute.