Memory Lane

This year we had Christmas dinner with Eli's sister Maria, her family, Grandma Escamilla & Uncle Dennis. It's been a while since we've seen some of Maria kids and their families, so it was a lot of fun...the boys even got to spend the night & "hang out" playing games with their cousins.

When I went to pick them up in the morning after their "sleepover" Maria and some of the kids started remembering when the boys were younger & we started reminiscing about days gone by...so when the boys and I arrived back home, I got out some old photos & sort of took a walk down Memory Lane. What fun to look back and "remember when..."

As I was looking through the old photos I got the "bright" idea to create a slideshow of the boys through the years.


It was a lot of fun putting together, but I noticed there are gaps in the photos, so I decided one of my New Year's resolutions will be to be better about taking pictures & getting the film developed that I have sitting in a drawer...no more gaps!

My first attempt at digital scrapbooking...

Tis the Season

I received a Christmas Edition of one of those "getting to know you" emails from my cousin Kerry the other day, but figured that instead of sending the answers out in an email I post them to my blog.
It was kind of fun filling in the answers.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real

3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Christmas...a few times after everyone leaves on Christmas day!

5. Do you like eggnog? Nope

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A Chrissy doll...you could push a button to make her hair long or short

7. Hardest person to buy for? Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? Eli & the boys

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes...I collect them

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I always buy them with good intentions, but don't always get them mailed...hopefully this year they go out tomorrow!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? An UGLY necklace from a guy I was dating at the time!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life

13. When do you start shopping? It doesn't matter...I'm still shopping on Christmas eve...even when I start early!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Well.......a lot of the creams & candles I got from students when I worked at Challenger made good last minute gifts!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? All the goodies...especially Fudge!

16. Lights on the tree? Definitely...as many as possible!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Christmas Island

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We always talk about going somewhere "next" year...but something usually happens to change our plans!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yes...Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzn & Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel...but not one of those ugly plastic ones with the lights under the skirt!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Only one on Christmas eve...funny how it always turns out to be new jammies!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Icy roads & stupid drivers...I love the shopping & the crowds!!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My mother gave Eli & I a beautiful "Our First Christmas" ornament for our first Christmas which started our tradition of adding a special ornament each year that represents the year for us...my favorites are the Surfing Santa from our California Christmas & the firetruck from the year of the fire!

24. Favorite at Christmas dinner? Mashed potatoes & homemade rolls

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new digital camera would be nice

So now for those of you with the time & inclination lets see your answers on your blogs...

I keep learning...

So, another birthday came & went...Mother Nature delivered a wonderful snowstorm to my door (and don't you like how I added it to my blog!), but birthdays as an adult aren't nearly as exciting as they were when I was younger. Now that I'm "almost" 50 I decided to take a little inventory & figure out what life has taught me...

1) Follow the 3 R’s:
Respect for self...Respect for others...Responsibility for ALL your actions

2) When you lose...don’t lose the lesson.

3) Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

4) Give the benefit of the doubt.

5) When you realize you’ve made a mistake...take immediate steps to correct it.

6) In disagreements, deal only with the current situation... don’t bring up the past.

7) Live a good honorable life...that way when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

8) Be open to change...but never give up your values.

9) Forgive quickly...you may be asking for mercy one day.

10) Think before you speak...words can never be undone.

Living in Utah...

Having lived in Utah for over 25 years now, I have worked really hard now to "pick up" Utah's accent...What's funny is people from Utah think they don't have an accent, but they do! The Utah accent is really hard to reproduce in print but it's kind of like a choppier version of a Valley Girl accent...Mountain = Mau-en, Clinton = Cli-en...and pillow, milk, crayon, and mirror = pellow, melk, cren, and meer. Every once in a while I catch myself saying something like "Oh my heck" and think "Oh no! It's happening" so I was quiet pleased when I took this survey & found that I don't have an accent!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Inland North
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I've got a question...

Why do people ask a question & then interrupt during the answer? If you already knew the answer...why did you ask the question?

I love this time of year!

Yesterday as I was running my Saturday errands I kept finding myself smiling…

Smiling at the kids getting out of the car next to me as they told their father that they knew exactly what the perfect gift for mom is… I love the excitement and energy that is in the air as people rush about buying gifts and goodies for friends and family.

Smiling as I past three different Christmas tree lots & wonder how Santa can be at all three lots!...I love what Santa symbolizes & the spirit of giving that abounds at this time of year.

Smiling as I was singing along with the radio… I love Christmas music…both the silly songs about dancing snowmen, flying reindeer and a jolly old man in a red suit, as well as the sacred hymns that tell the story of a baby born in manger on that sacred silent night in a little town called Bethlehem.

Smiling at the Christmas decorations appearing on the lawns and houses of friends and neighbors… I love seeing the colorful Christmas lights glowing as I drive around town at night.

Smiling at the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven…I love baking goodies on a cold winter day.

Smiling as I watch Connor (who got his pyromania from me!) build a very large fire in the fireplace… I love to relax in front of a nice warm crackling fire with a hot cup of cocoa and floating marshmallows.

Yep! This is truly a special time of year! Now…tell me…what makes you smile?

Ok...I'm ready for Christmas now!

Earlier in the month I was kinda bothered by all the stores skipping right over Thanksgiving & getting their Christmas stuff out, but the more I think about it we don't really need a special day to be Thankful...we are so blessed all year long!

We've experienced so many small miracles in our family recently , that I know Heavenly Father is aware of who we are and our individual needs! Why wait for Thanksgiving to say thanx!

Have you got your turkey yet?

My cousin sent this link to me in an email...test your skills at shooting your Thanksgiving turkey.



http://www.southbank-design.co.uk/turkeyshoot/index.htm


Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas already?!

Friday we had a Baked Potato & Chili Pot Luck at work for Halloween, so on my way to work I needed to stop & pick up a few things...when I walked in to WalMart I was greeted by a Christmas tree! What's up with that?!

They've been getting the Christmas stuff out for a few weeks already, but at least it wasn't at the front door yet...not only could they not wait until after Halloween but they skipped right over Thanksgiving! In fact, they were even already discounting "Fall" decorations...I guess maybe they figure people don't have much to be thankful for right now.

I personally have SO much to be thankful for!

• A great husband that not only works hard at his job, but then comes home & works on projects to improve our home.

• Two awesome boys! Connor & Tanner are such examples to me, Connor can bring humor to any situation & Tanner is always so thoughtful of others feelings.
  

• Good health! I have my problems, but I can't complain.
  

• A very caring sister. Suzy is a superstar in my book!
  

• A Heavenly Father that knows & loves me!

• Fantastic Friends.
  

• A warm home & comfortable bed.

• Two reliable cars.

• A job I love!

The list goes on & on.

Let's not forget to be thankful this year!

Thank You Officer...

Today Eli & Tanner had the day off from school, so I decided that I'd go home for lunch & spend some time with them. Living as close to work as we do, I can drive home for lunch every day & still not need to fill up my gas tank for two weeks...It's great!

So...I'm driving along, singing to the radio & thinking about what I'll make for lunch, when suddenly notice some flashing red & blue lights in my rear view mirror. I think to myself, "He's so far back, he can't possibly be pulling me over" but then I look at my speedometer & think "Yep! He's coming for me!" I was so busy thinking about other things that I hadn't noticed I was doing 47 in a 25...oops! I tried to be clever & polite in the hopes that he would let me go with a warning, but he still gave me a ticket. He did tell me that because I was wearing my seat belt he cut the amount I was over in 1/2 & only cited me for going 36. He then politely informed me that if I go to their traffic school the ticket won't go on my record.

Darn! It's been four years since I've gotten a ticket...I was pretty proud of myself for never getting pulled over in the two years I was driving to Draper every day.

I can't believe it...but after he had me sign his copy of the ticket, returned my driver's license & was walking away, I actually thanked him!

I love Fall...

When I first moved to Utah to go to school I fell in love with the Fall season...probably because in California the colors of the seasons are green or brown. I love to look up at the mountains and see the patchwork quilt of colors as the bright green fades from the trees and we begin to see bright yellows, oranges & reds.

"A fallen leaf is nothing more
than a summers wave good bye"

Well...except for having to rake leaves, I love Fall!

Are You My Mother...

As the boys get older I see personality traits of both Eli & I, but as far as who they look most like it kinda depends...sometimes I see me & other times I see Eli...sometimes I even see other family members like grandpa, grandma or cousins. When I saw this meter on a friends blog I decided to give it a try. No wonder I can't decide who they look most like...the look-alike-meter can't tell either!

Too busy to do the right thing...

It was “Ethics Awareness Week” at UVU this week, and on Wednesday the Excellence in Ethics Award was presented to Utah Supreme Court Justice Christine Durham. One of the Legal Studies faculty members was on the selection committee & invited the rest of us in the department to attend…so I “invited” Eli to come too.

Prior to receiving her award Justice Durham spoke on the topic of “Situational Ethics.” In her presentation she addressed the fact that even though you can teach someone the difference between right & wrong, sometimes because of the situation & circumstance a person is in wrong can begin to look a little right. She then told us about an experiment that had been inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Two psychologists reasoned that the priest and the Levite were probably preoccupied with religious thoughts as they traveled down the road, and further speculated that the Samaritan was probably thinking about more mundane matters at the moment of ethical decision and might not have had so demanding a schedule as those of the priest and the Levite.

In December of 1970, the two psychologists gathered a sample of 40 students from the Princeton Theological Seminary. Half of the students were given a copy of the Good Samaritan and were told they would be giving a sermon on the subject in a few minutes & the other half were told they would be speaking about employment opportunities for seminary students. All the students were told to report to another building to deliver their talk. Some were told to hurry because people were waiting for them, while others were lead to believe they had a little more time to get to the other building.

On their way to deliver their talks, each student passed by a poorly dressed person, slumped in a doorway, possibly in need of help. As each subject passed by, the man coughed twice & groaned.

Sixty percent of the seminary students walked past without offering assistance. The students thinking about the parable were no more likely to stop than the others. In fact several stepped right over the distressed man.

It seemed the deciding factor of whether to stop or not was time. The majority of the students that stopped to offer aid were the ones that had been lead to believe they had a little extra time.

The psychologists were drawn to conclude that as the speed of daily life increases, ethics becomes a luxury.

Her topic prompted me to think about how often I hurry past others without thought. I get so wrapped up in my own “to do” list that I forget to slow down & give thought to those around me. So for the past few days, as I rushed about my business, I’ve tried to be more aware of others. A friendly “hello” to strangers I pass in the hall, holding the door for someone loaded down with books, or not speeding up to beat the load of students that just got off the bus to the crosswalk, so I won’t have to wait forever!

I’m not sure that any of my actions actually equate to those of the Good Samaritan, but I had way less stress & felt much happier myself.

Something to Think About...

I heard this quoted at a meeting...
Life is 10% what happens & 90% how we react.

Life Is Good!

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so as I was trying to decide what to say in my post I realized nothing too eventful has been happening.

Eli is really enjoying teaching...I guess the fact that he has a passion for the subject really helps! I never realized how exciting the subject of printing & graphic art could be until one of our home teachers asked Eli a question about the history of the printing press...you could hear the love & passion in Eli's voice as he answered the question...who knew that printing & graphic art was something to get excited about. I guess he is passing that love on to his students...he gets little notes from them daily telling him it's their favorite class & he's their favorite teacher.

Tanner is also enjoying being a Monticello...and yes, Eli is his favorite teacher too! He has made several new friends & has some great teachers. He is even taking piano lessons from his music teacher after school once a week...very convenient!

Connor is doing well as a Junior. All A's so far...even in Biology! Hopefully the good study habits that he has started the year off with will continue.

And I still love my job! It's kinda crazy right now...we are finishing up the paperwork for our program to remain accredited by the American Bar Association & there's a lot to do, but I'd rather be busy than just sitting around!

Yep...Life is good for the Escamilla's right now. Except for a little cold that Eli is just getting over things are going very well at the moment...we are blessed!

Gratitude...

I've been trying to be more aware of the blessings around me lately & today as I was driving down the street & saw all the flags, that had been placed in yards by the Boy Scouts, waving in the wind I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. How lucky I am to live in a country where I can fly my flag whenever I want!

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

New beginnings...

Since Tanner was going to a new school where no one already knew him & he didn't have a reputation, Eli & I explained to him that this was a new beginning for him...people weren't already expecting him to act a certain way and he could control what people thought of him, by the way he presented himself . The teachers & kids at Monticello wouldn't know if Tanner had been the smartest, the wise-cracker, the class clown or the bully.

Eli told him that he could be whoever he wanted to be. When first presented with this idea, Tanner's response was "how can I be whoever I want to be...I'm Tanner" & Eli explaind that he could even go by a different name if he wanted to...he considered Riley (his middle name) or Tre (his initials) but decided he really liked being Tanner.

That's what I like about new beginnings...it's a chance to keep the parts you like & improve the things you'd like to change.

Go Forth & Serve...

So, my nephew Spencer went into the MTC today & I was lucky enough to go with my sister Suzy to "drop him off"...for lack of a better way to say it. What a wonderful spirit there is a the MTC...My mother-in-law has been a volunteer there for years & now I know why she loves it so much! To see all these young men & women so excited to serve our Heavenly Father and feel their spirit as they sang "Called to Serve" not only brought a tear to my eyes, but gave me goose-bumps! Spencer has such a great spirit & enthusiasm about the gospel I'm sure he will be a TANFASTIC missionary!

Where did summer go?

I can't believe it's already time for school to start...where did the summer go!

Connor started all but his math class last Tuesday...math starts Wednesday when UVU's Fall semester begins. Tanner & Eli start at their new school tomorrow.

As we were finishing up our back-to-school shopping this weekend, I realized summer is pretty much over. For going by as fast as it did, we actually got quite a bit accomplished...

How we spent our Summer Vacation:
Trips:
- 2 trips to California
- 1 trip to Lagoon
- Week-long rafting trip
- One week long camping trip & several overnighters
Movies:
- Ironman (more than once for Connor)
- Dark Knight
- Hell Boy II
- Prince Capsian
Projects:
- Built new balcony banister
- Painted the house
- Lots of yard work
- Connor helped Evan who is remodeling Norm's multiplex.
Visitors:
- Grandpa Thomas...stayed with us for 2 weeks

- Suzy...picked up Spencer @ BYU...coming back Wednesday to take him to the MTC
- David & Lisa...annual summer visit from Louisana

Maybe...

Last night was "Back-to-school Night" for Eli & Tanner...Their school starts Monday. Eli is going to be teaching 8th & 9th grade Graphic Arts at a Middle School up in West Valley & Tanner is going to be attending there also. Back-to-school was from 6-9, but Eli just stayed at the school, since he was required to be there from 8-3.

On the way there, as Tanner & I were driving in car, he asked if on the way home we could stop at Blockbuster to rent a video. My response was "Maybe" & Tanner said, "I know what maybe means"..."No."

His comment got me to thinking that actually for me "Maybe" means "probably not"...this time it actually meant "Yes" though!

You're Never Too Big for a Hug!

Connor has been down in Oceanside visiting his cousins since Friday & got home today while I was at work. When I walked in the front door, he came bouncing out of the kitchen saying "Hug!" Connor has always been a hugger...it's kind of his way of saying "I love you." It's funny...at that moment in my minds eye he was four years old again, greeting me with his ever popular "Hug!" It's good to know that even though he's a teenager and about 4 inches taller than me he hasn't outgrown his famous "Hugs!"

(Connor wouldn't let me take a pic, so I found one from his rafting trip last month)

There's hope...

We have had a lot of “projects” to do around the house and yard this summer, and the boys have really worked hard. Eli & I tried to make sure we also had opportunities for fun & adventure to make sure that summer wasn’t all work & no play. But when it’s time to work, the boys seem to forget about the goods times…with all the complaining & arguing it’s almost easier to do it without their help!

Eli & I have wondered many times if we are getting the points of being reliable & having a good work ethic across to Connor & Tanner…but we must be doing something right. On several different occasions this week I’ve had people mention how reliable & hardworking my boys are. It’s nice to know that even though they whine and complain about helping at home, when it comes to serving others they are willing to pitch in and work hard.

Can I complain...

In May I started working at Utah Valley University in the Legal Studies office, and I am SO tired of people calling because they have a legal problem & need a lawyer. When I politely tell them that although most of the professors are practicing attorneys they do not give legal advice, the person invariably will begin telling me what their problem is! UG! Did they not hear me...we don't give legal advice! And telling me your problems is not going to change the policy...it's just going to waste both of our time!

Okay...I'm done complaining!

Other than that, I LOVE my new job! I really enjoyed my job at Utah State Prison, but now not only do I enjoy my job...but it only takes 10 minutes to get there & I only have to fill my gas tank every other week! The tuition benefit is pretty nice too!

There's no place like home!

I've lived in Utah now for about 27 years & even though it's grown on me, it's still not home! We made a quick trip to California last weekend (sorry Kerry, I should have called you!) & it was so hard to come back! My nephew Spencer was going through the temple for the first time & his brother Brandon was being ordained a Priest, so Thursday the boys & I packed the car while Eli was at work & at 7:30 when he got home we hit the road.

Even though going "home" doesn't mean going to stay at the house I grew up in, in Santee...in fact I haven't been to Santee since Connor was two...just returning to the San Diego area is good enough for me!

Friday afternoon we went to the beach...oh how I miss the beach! Not so much the sand though. I miss the days when I used to go to the beach at least twice a week...now I'm lucky to make it twice a year! At Seven Peaks, a local water park, they have a wave pool that's fun...but it's no match for the beach on a boogie board!

Saturday we were going to go back to the beach, but received a surprise call from our old friend John Porter. He and his wife, Kathy (Stanger), another old friend, were in town & on their way over. What fun it was looking at old prom pictures and remembering the good ol' days!

Sunday & the ride back to Utah came way to fast! It's funny...as kids we used to joke on our way up to Utah for family reunions that we needed to set our watches back two years...now it's probably my nephews & nieces making the joke as they come to visit me!

I don't think I would have been a very good pioneer!

I've been thinking about this for a few days now. It all started Sunday when I was making mashed potatoes for dinner...my mixer was broke & I had to mash them by hand! I've been having some numbness in my right hand lately & was really missing my mixer. This got me to thinking about how easy we have it...at least I didn't have to grow the potatoes!

Then yesterday at work I needed to email an electronic copy of a signed document to a lawyer in Salt Lake...so I signed the document, scanned it into my computer, then attached it to an email & he had in in minutes!

And earlier this evening as I was paying some bills online & IM'ing Eli who is working 'til midnight tonight, I realized I haven't bought stamps in forever thanks to modern technology! Yep, I'm very grateful to be a modern woman...I'm sure as a pioneer I would have been a whiner!

Water's here...

I have a waterfall in my yard right now! Every seven days & eight hours we get irrigation water...technically, our neighbors get irrigation water...we are just lucky enough to be at the end of the canal & it has to go through our back yard to get to our neighbors lower yard. I love when the water comes...it can be a bit time consuming...actually it's REALLY time consuming! But it is good for my lawn, plants & flowers, and it's so cool to hear the water running down the waterfall! I love to sit here & listen to it...it's so calming!

Happy Birthday?

I realized yesterday that "Happy Birthday" means different things to different people. Yesterday was Eli's birthday...and the thing he wanted to do for his birthday was paint our house!

When we took our lunch break Tanner thought we were done & asked, "What are we gonna do now to celebrate dad's birthday?" I explained that we were already doing it...that's when I realized that having a "Happy Birthday" changes meaning as we grow up. As adults we don't need a big party with lots of friends & gifts in order to be happy...we just want to doing something we enjoy with those we love. Maybe it's because we don't want to be reminded of our age...or maybe because as we get older we realize people & relationships are more important than things.

Bloom where your planted...

As I was outside watering my flowers this evening I noticed it's about time to weed again...it seems like I just did! So now, not only do my flowers have to deal with the rocky hillside where they are trying to plant their roots, but now they have to fight the weeds too! Then I noticed the start of a walnut tree fighting to grow inside the birdhouse in my garden. Isn't gardening so much like life! There are always rocks, weeds & obstacles in our paths, but as we work to overcome them we become stronger! It's not easy to have a beautiful garden...it takes a lot of time, patience & hard work. Life too takes time patience & hard work...so often we spend our time worrying about what we don't have that we forget to enjoy what we do have & bloom where we're planted!

Have you ever noticed you have to spend money to save money...

Don't get me wrong...I love a bargain, but have you ever thought about the fact that to save money you have to spend money. Take the new counter top that we bought for our kitchen remodel...the one we haven't started yet!

When we bought this old house it bugged me that when you came in the front door you were standing in the kitchen...no hiding the dirty dishes! We temporarily fixed the problem by building a wall and creating a little entry way...very little. Creating the entry also shrunk the kitchen, and the kitchen was still connected to the living room, but that was okay because we plan to move the entire kitchen eventually. There are just a few other projects we had planned first.

The other day while surfing the internet Eli found a solid surface counter top with a built-in sink and an island, that perfectly fit our plans, for only $400. It was being sold by some people that just built a house & decided they wanted a lighter color. Eli im'd me at work with the link to "check it out" & he was right it was perfect...except we don't really need it right now! To further convince me it was the perfect deal & we should buy it, he picked me up for a lunch date & took me to Home Depot. We had the counter top sales lady give us a quote...she was actually having a sale & it was only going to cost us $2400!

Needless to say...we bought the counter top! But just think...we saved $2000!

Don't tell me I can't...

When we bought this old house of ours we had lots of changes planned...that was before we met our 88 year old neighbor, Paul, that helped to do a lot of the work. He is the best neighbor & we hated the thought of destroying something he created...but the wagon wheel banister on the balcony had seen better days & needed to be replaced.

Eli & I found some new ballisters we really liked at Home Depot, but they were going to cost more then we had budgeted. So being the resourceful handyman that he is, Eli suggested we go to Metal Mart to price out how much it would cost to purchase the materials & create it ourselves. When we got there Metal Mart also had the ballisters we liked, but they were even more then Home Depot. Eli asked the guy at the counter if they carried 10 feet lengths of 2" wide metal. The man asked Eli what he was going to use them for, and when Eli explained he was going to cut them to size then bend them to the shape we wanted, the salesman told Eli he didn't think he'd be able to bend the metal himself...but then he doesn't know Eli!

On the first trip we just bought one length & had Metal Mart cut it for us. Eli got started making a jig the shape we wanted to bend the metal to, then started shaping the metal lengths. Through trail and error Eli was able to create the ballisters we wanted...and after working with the metal, he also figured we could save $80 if he cut the lengths himself.

First he cut the old wagon wheels out of the existing banister...then he cut out the old ballisters...it was kinda fun seeing our neighbors drive by really slow as they were trying to see what we were up to. After cutting off the old handrail, Eli created a new one out of 2x6's & used 2x4's the bottom rail...they looked really good after he stained them.

Now it was time to cut & bend the metal we had purchased to create the ballisters. Eli & Connor took the 3 foot lengths & bent them to have what Eli was calling a belly. Then they would check them against the jig Eli made to be sure they were all the same. After they were bent & had holes drilled in them, I spray-painted them black...see I contributed too! Eli finished screwing the last few of them on tonight. The new banister is beautiful!

Everyone has a story...

One of our ward Enrichment groups is called Everyone Has A Story & it's to help those that attend write their life story. I have always wanted to write my life story, but I always thought writing your life story meant starting at the beginning & telling the story chronologically....Too big a challenge! Then this group started & I was going to attend, but always remembered the day after they met. So as one of my New Year's goals I began attending this group. Wow! Who new writing your life story could be easy & fun! We pick a topic each month for what to write about for the next meeting...topics like: my favorite childhood memory, my siblings, how my parents met or how I met my spouse and then organize the writings in a binder...It's been a lot of fun! This way it's not so overwhelming...just one page at a time...I can do this!

Then I got to thinking...I've had several friends, co-workers & family members invite me to view their blogs lately...what better way to have a record of our family history...as it's happening! No going back & trying to remember all the details of an event later...I've got it written now!