A full week in Texas and it’s not a transfer week or zone conferences. After great meetings at church, we went to the Morton’s for the Stake Missionary Preparation dinner. The dinner is held for the missionaries leaving for their missions the following month. Three missionaries will be leaving from the Houston South Stake in June. Two elders are going to Boise, Idaho and a sister to the San Diego, California Mandarin Chinese speaking mission. They shared their testimonies along with the bishops, Aaron and the Stake President. The Morton’s put on a big spread of grilled steak, chicken and sausage, green salad, fruit salad with homemade whipped cream, cheesy potatoes and Blue Bell ice cream to go with all the cookies and brownies people bring. A lot of people attend these dinners. It is a great service the Morton’s provide to these outgoing missionaries.
The boys helped with flags for Memorial Day bright and early. They also helped a new family in the ward move into their house. The highlight was the huskie puppies the family has. I’m already hearing pleas for a puppy. Uuuugh we don’t need a puppy at this time! So using this as leverage to have the kids pay more attention to Izzy, Jessie, Aaron and I took Izzy to the dog park for some social interaction. She could care less about the other dogs or being there but it was a good for the adults to get out. Jessie then went swimming with a friend at the community pool. After the boys rounded up the flags we had a little bbq in the back yard with Robby Nielsen and his dad. A very low key Memorial Day for us. We are grateful for those that serve and have served to protect our freedoms.
Trying to use my time proactively, I had an order to pick-up from Walmart before Jessie’s award ceremony. I made it back just in time. Last year, the classroom had voted each kid to receive an award for a quality that helped make it a great year. It was cute and sweet. I guess there is no cute and sweet in 4th grade. They gave them each a Tiger award, honors and reading awards if they qualified and like that, the ceremony was over. The bonus for Jessie was that they could be checked out afterwards so she was home by 10:10. I told her no TV if she came home. She kept herself busy helping me put groceries award, art projects, reading a book she got at the book fair with her own money and then went to a companionship study with me. I told her about the investigator I was studying for, her challenges and some of the things I had studied. She had no fear sharing ideas she had and gave some great insights during the study. They loved having her participate. Later that evening our own missionaries came over to share a message and invitation. It was a great day with no TV. ;)
I attended two district council meeting in the Richmond Stake on Wednesday morning. I tried to catch up on my blog post, laundry and managing the ups and downs that continue with the ongoing construction from the remodel of the master bath. It is taking longer than expected due to some unforeseen set-backs but we have learned to just rolled with it. Oh and on Monday, Veronica’s (my home helper) husband reached out to me to tell me she had surgery to remove her appendix. Well today I got a text from her daughter explaining more details of her situation. Veronica’s appendix had ruptured causing major complications. She would be hospitalized at least until Saturday or Sunday. We are praying for Veronica and hope she has a speedy recovery.
I went out with the sister’s in our area to meet with an investigator Thursday morning. She was to have prayed about the Restoration but as we talked with her she hadn’t. Our lesson changed to prayer; why it would be important to pray and what prayer could do for her in her life. Today was the last day of school for the kids. It’s tradition to spray the elementary kids with silly string but the rain came about an hour before getting dismissed at noon. With a rainy dismissal, parents are supposed to pick up the kids in the cars making it a very long process since they are not release out of the building until there number is called. I decided to avoid the lines and walk in the rain to get Jessie. The rain came down like buckets of water as we returned to go to the car that was parked about two blocks away. Even with an umbrella we were drenched to the bone. I then had to go pick up Bode as well due to rainy dismissal. I attempted three different ways before I could actually get to the school. The roads were all flooded and could not be crossed or they would flood the car. It took me an hour and 15 minutes to pick up Bode. What a way to end the school year?!?!
I did another companionship study while the kids slept in for the first day of summer. I hope to have plans in place so that doesn’t happen to frequently this summer. ;) Jessie had to friends’ birthday parties this weekend that she was thrilled to go to and had a lot of fun being with friends outside of school. Saturday morning, Jessie and I went to the local farmers’ market. We got to try some interesting organic products some of our favorites we purchased. A great salsa verde and granola. We had a fun time together.
Allie started her job this week up at Pineview for the summer. Long days for her thus far. She also had a cyst in her earlobe removed. She has had it for years. We tried to have it drained with no luck and was recommended to a dermatologist that then referred her to a plastic surgeon. He removed what Allie described to me as a small red bouncy ball with blood vessels all over it. He commented that it was difficult to remove because it was attached at the front and back of her lobe so Allie left with stitches from the front to the back of her ear. She will also need to get her ear re-pierced. There is no longer a hole to put an earring in. ;)
We are staying busy as ever and enjoying each day we have. :)