Snow . . . . .

Snow is falling on the ground
On the rooftop, all around. . .

I don't think I can properly express just how tired I am of winter.  It has been a harsh winter here this year.  Lots of snow and ice.  I so long to see beautiful flowers pushing up through the ground......

School is going fantastic.  We just finished up bones in A&P.  Now I get two weeks to learn all about muscles.  I just wish that the names were easier to say and more importantly for my tests, spell.  In Microcomputers, I am learning so much.  I have always loved working on the computer, but learning even more about word, excell, and powerpoint is tons of fun.  Sometimes I forget that it really is a class.  HIT is going well.  I am calling this semester so far "Alphabet Soup."  So named because of all of the acronyms for the various government agencies, programs, and tests that health providers use.  Funny thing about HIT stuff though--it is as if someone is just reminding me of things I always have known--like a door opening in the brain.  Mandy says that I am hardwired for HIT--Josh just says I am becoming a HIT MOM.  I think he is going to dress up as a Mob Boss for my graduation--sometime in the "I can't see it yet" future.  It makes me smile.

Snow + Boots x Walking = Pain

It is a fact, that I haven't really left the house much in the past few winters.  I have had my hands full taking care of Ethel and being sick.  So when it snowed, I thought "no problem, I have boots--really good ones too."  Feeling confident in having proper outdoor walking equipment--(I have special gripper spikes that go on my boots if it is too icy, as well as my boots) I went to school. 
College students study
as they walk and walk and walk,
College students think
as they walk and walk and walk. . .
Anyway, after 3 days of criss crossing the campus, wearing my super, duper, 5 pounds each, boots--didn't need the spikes--well I have a lot of pain in my tookus, and my legs, and my lower back and my lower abs. . .Guess what?  On Monday I will put those boots on again.  Dad said no pain, no gain.  I don't think he meant from walking in boots!  Wait!?!  Could this be a new exercise program hidden by the boots?  Someone pass the naproxen please.

And So It Begins. . .

I went to my school email address yesterday.  No real reason, just curious to see if anything important might be happening.  There it was sitting in my inbox--an email from one of my professors.  Yep I have a test on the first day of class.  Time to study.

Dear Knitting,

My have we been productive during this break.  You and I have made 3 scarves, 1 hat and 1 1/2 mittens.  Oh how nice it has been to have the yarn run through my fingers and knit up into pretty things. Knitting has been such a joy, however we have a problem. . .

So here is the plan
1.  We are going to donate some of the yarn to a worthy project that our friend is doing.
2.  We are going keep an ongoing project in the the little knitting bags that our Bill got us for Christmas that fit in my school book bags. (the elevator incident wouldn't have been so bad if you had been there with me)
3.  Knitting between classes is a good study break--I know I need to do that--and won't make me miss you so much. 

Hopefully this will help to build up stock, use up yarn and keep me sane.

Lots of Love.

The Gate Of The Year

A friend had this poem, I felt I had to post it.  To all of you who are like me, standing at the gate of the unknown, move forward standing steadfast and our Father in Heaven will guide us all. 

~ THE GATE OF THE YEAR ~

by Minnie Louise Harkins

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year

'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied,

'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God

Trod gladly into the night

He led me towards the hills

And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!

What need our human life to know

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things

Both high and low,

God hideth his intention."

May 2011 be filled with many blessings for all of us, dear friends, as we remember that Heavenly Father sees the entire plan, while we only see a small part. 

POD Children

I am pretty sure that aliens have come and replaced my three younger children with POD look alikes.  Either that or they have contracted some weird "I am doing my chores without being asked" virus.  For the past few days, Jessica, Josh and Daniel have been getting up, fixing me breakfast in bed and then doing all of their chores first thing in the morning.  Anybody who has teens, knows this is so not normal behavior.  Even though my teens are pretty much more helpful than most teens, this is not normal behavior even for them.  Now the conundrum--wish for my teens back, or keep the POD children?  I must think this through carefully!

Christmas Time--Family Traditions

We have been blessed with a wonderous Christmas Season this year.  Along with the normal hussel and bussel of getting everything in place for Christmas Day, we had the anticipation of the long awaited phone call with Missionary Matt or Elder Helm.  Oh my how I counted the hours until his call.  In some ways having him on a mission have been much better than I expected, however not being able to talk to him is so much harder than I thought it would be.  Today he sent us a picture of the baptism that they had last week.  The gentleman being baptised is named Ryan.

There have been several other baptisms, however he has not sent the pictures on to us.  I get really too emotional talking of Matt's phone call--so I will only say, it was wonderous!

On Christmas Eve we had a large gathering for our traditional feast.  The tradition behind this feast is in honor of Bill's grandmother, May Nelson, as it is her birthday as well as to have a big meal so that we don't have to cook on Christmas Day.  So we went and brought Ethel home for the celebration and invited a few friends who have become like family for us.  We had Sister Noma Aikins, a little spitfire who used to drive 18 wheel trucks for a living--she is now retired.  The Boston family,  Dacia, John and little Anthony, along with Dacia's sister Jessica Foster, were there as well.  We have come to really love this family.  We also had the missionaries as that is as close to having Matt with us as we can get.  Last we invited our next door neighbors, Karen and her two grandsons Phillip and Cory.  Phillip and Cory's mom won't be home until New Years Day so they had postponed their Christmas celebration to wait for her.  We thought they should come and celebrate with us.  We had to move the couch out of the front room and add an 8 foot banquet table onto the end of our table.  It was quite a crowd. 

We used disposable products to make clean up faster.  After dinner Bill read a Cajun Night Before Christmas, the missionaries gave a message and Bill ended the evening with the story of our Saviors birth from the Book of Mormon and New Testiment.  It was a remarkable evening.  

Christmas morning came bright and early with Rachel and Marcus calling before the other children woke us up.  It was fun being woken up by Rachel for a change.  We opened gifts, ate and waited for Matt's call.  After Matt's phone call we went and took Ethel's Christmas presents to her.  After that things got a little crazy.  It was time for the MADD (Marshmellow Assult Delivery Device)war.  We knew that Phillip and Cory would have a hard time not opening presents when the rest of the world was ripping paper off as fast as they could.  They are only 5 and 7 and while the knew they were waiting for momma, it is hard to see presents there and not be able to open them.  So Jessica, Joshua, Daniel and Mandy taught them to make thier very own MADD and the war was on.

We finished off the day with our Forgotten Carol tradition.  Bill reads and we add the music where it is appropriate.  This year the Boston's, Jessica Foster, and Noma Aikins joined us as they had never even heard of the Forgotten Carols before.  Our Jessica added to the experience by giving us ornaments that she had made that goes with the story.  These ornaments are amazing.  I can't believe that is what she has been doing for the past couple months in her room.  Now the cuts on her hands make sence. 

She hand carved the flute, and the pen really writes when dipped in ink, all the ornaments fit in a plastic canvas suit case.  I was speechless when I opened this gift. I don't know how many times she must have read the book and listened to the music to get the details correct.  I am just really thankful for her gift of crafting.  It really added to the day.

All in all a very wonderful Christmas Day.  A day of peace.  A day of family.  A day of Love.