My Conversion Story

My sweet son Caleb mentioned to me a while back that I had never told him my conversion story. Hmmm I thought all my kids had it memorized but just in case here goes a long post.
My family and I were living in Eagle Rock California (1223 Yosemite Dr ) in the house my parents bought so they could be close to my dads father (Fred Smith) who had bone cancer.
In the summer I saw a banner up the street for vacation bible school. When I asked my mom about it she thought it was a wonderful idea. The young woman who taught was named Joyce and she used a flannel board. I was mesmerized with the stories of Moses in the bulrushes, and the baby Jesus, and Samson and Delila and others. I loved going and I loved that we got cookies at the end. When it was over Joyce gave me a black bible with her name in it that I had for years and years (who knows it may still be here somewhere). I loved bible school and so when my school offered "release time" for students who wanted to go to a church youth group I was all in. However, this was put on by the Episcopal Church and I just didn't have the same feeling. Finally, the lady across the street, (Richards Mom - if you don't know who Richard is you are on the wrong blog) mentioned Primary to me. It was held on Wednesdays and one of the girls at my school was LDS and explained it to me. Her name was Chio Story (pronounced Chee-O) So I went and loved it from the start. Everyone was kind, and they gave me a bandelo and told me I was a Homebuilder. We learned things and sang songs. I learned to knit in Primary. And I knew I had found what was missing in my life - even at that young age. I went all through Primary then started Mutual but switched to the Glendale East Ward because that is where all my school friends went. I went through Mutual with everyone in the ward thought I was a member. Then, the end of my Junior year in High School I decided again (Mother s

I remember when we didn't need the fire dept just to have birthday cake

Gale isn't like me in that his birthday is not a big deal to him. However we do celebrate it in some form. This year Minon, Mason, and Matthew came over for birthday cake in between meetings and appointments. It took three packages of candles to get to 67. It took three of us lighting candles as fast as we could to get them all going before the first ones were melted to nothing. This year he chose chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and he loved every bite. The little square without frosting was for Matthew who doesn't like cream cheese frosting. What gifts did he get? Well, I'd have to look at my visa bill to see what he bought himself starting in January. He is smart that way. He doesn't just wait and hope for his desired gift he just buys it himself and he always gets what he wants

A song came on the radio tonight, well it was actually a CD that Minon had given Gale for Fathers Day and it took me back to a time when our children were all little and Gale and I and Mellonee sang " A Childs Prayer" in Sacrament meeting.  Now, I don't sing.  Not to say I don't sing, but I am not a singer.  The desire is there but that is where it all stops. So, when I'm home alone I sing my heart out and there is no one there to grimace.  I wish I could sing, I feel the music and love the rhythm but what comes out is less than satisfactory.  Anyway back in the day I thought that I might possibly be able to sing just a little and we did sing in church.  That song still makes me feel the way I did then making an offering before the Lord in Sacrament meeting.  And I don't think it was too bad.  But time has made my meager voice less and less melodic so that time is special because as I stood before the congregation I was an angel singing for the Lord.  Whenever I go to the "Forgotten Carols" I totally identify with the little angel who wanted so much to be in the Heavenly Choir that ushered in the Savior but wasn't choosen.  I feel his pain.  But I still love and appreciate music because nothing can bring back a flood of memories like a song.  Sometimes I'm 16 at the beach. Sometimes I'm at a dance.  Sometimes I'm walking on the campus of BYU holding hands with the man I love.  Music is emotion and it stirs the soul. I'm grateful I have ears to hear GOOD music.

Called to Serve

Our journey has been so long and at times discouraging but our call finally arrived.  We have been called to the Lisbon Portugal Mission. We will be working with the Stake Single Adults.  So excited. We loved the single adults when we worked with them here in our stake andso to be able to do that is such a sweet blessing.  I had planned to have my local children here to be with us when we opened our envelope but I told them when it came and they started textingback and forth entreating me to open it and let them know where we were going.  I told them that I was going to wait.  Well, Minon didn't want to come because they had planned to go to the rodeo and Caleb couldn't come because he had to go out of town for training for his electrical stuff.  So Mitchell was the only one who could come.  He was working on his shed at home but was coming but when I told Gale The reaction of all the kids he said just open it.  He was coming home from snowboarding at the time so I put him on speaker phone and opened it.  He was so excited he had to pull his car over. And I had to read the letter to him again.  I then went over to tell Lois, stopped at Rick and Nancys and told them then texted all the kids. I think they were as excited as we were but there is a bit of bittersweetness to as they realize some of their children will have a hard time remembering us after 18 mos. Hopefully we can skype or use facebook to keep in touch. I am still reeling.  I get to go to church and say "yes, we did get our mission call. We're going to Portugal." Wow. I will miss Genevives daily facetime calls. and talking to Breea nearly daily but I know this was meant to be. I get to serve the Lord full time. I hope I come back like Lois.  The best version of my self.

Waiting for a call!

Gale andI have spent a long long time waiting for a mission call.  We spent a year waiting for the I.R.S. to clear our business of any wrong doing in the disollution of the ESOP ( we actually had to buy back our company) so we could sell the business to Caleb and when we got done with that and started our papers I found out I had to have my knee replacement re done.  I scheduled it for January 3 2014,but got the flu and had to postpone.  The quickest they could get us in was March 3.  I had the surgery and had a great recovery until I hit aboutr 4 months out.  Then, I began to have lots of inflamation and pain.  I was exercising and walking but the pain kept getting worse.  The doctor didn't know what to do so I have just lived with it.  Sometimes it is better and sometimes it is worse. Meanwhile I was having my physical and getting everything in order.  I had a lump in my breast so had a mamogram,  cat scan and visited a surgeon.  All three cleared me bu;t when I sent my papers in they came back on me and I had to have a letter from the surgeon and another mamogram.  Meanwhile, my knee surgeon suggested that I have my foot looked at as it might be causing some misalignment.  I had previously had my foot xrayed and it showed nothing but the new surgeon did a standing xray and found an xtra bone in my foot he thinks was congenital (or I had it from birth) so after crying alot I scheduled the surgery.  It was supposed to be a 4 week recovery but ended up being 9 weeks.  Minon thinks I exagerrated my lack of pain and she could be right bu;t he finally cleared me and said the remaining pain would just take time so it might as well take the time while we are on our mission as waithng to go so we started getting ready in ernest in the fall of 2013.  We turned in our completed papers July of 2014.  We re-turned in our papers in February of 2015 and are now waiting for our assignment.  The Stake President told us that we are on the docket with the First Presidency for this Thursday, the 26 th of February.  So we should finally get our call the following week or the week after that.  Gale says all this waiting has taught him patience. I just wish he had learned it faster

Older is wiser

While in Denver Breea gave me a jar of questions to answer so that she could know her mother better and it made me think about all of the things that I have learned along the way. Mellonee said it best when she told us that she didn't mind being older "cause she knew stuff" Like when your kids call to ask some normal question and because of your worldly experience you happen to know the answer. It helps to teach me that though we grow old on the outside we are given so much in return; Knowledge, Faith, Strength of Character etc. Gale and I were talking the other night and he said the most important thing we have to know is forgiveness. That means that we have to forgive people and not judge. We have such a tendency (and I am talking about myself) to look at someone that is doing something differently than we do it and think their stupid. The funny thing is studies come and studies go so don't base too much on this study or that report. When we had Mellonee we were told not to ever have her in our room. Then later there was a big hoo haa about the "family bed" so lots of people had there kids sleep with them for years. When I was a kid the popular belief was that a divorce was ok as long as it was amicable and now we know haw wrong that was. And so things change. So I am going to try not to judge others ways of doing things and to forgive all past hurts or slights and what I am really going to do is forgive quicker. And also not to always think my way is right and argue the point. I have lots to work on

Birthdays are important!

Bryan asked us about a month and a half ago to come to Denver for Breeas Birthday. We thought it was a surprise but later talking to Breea we found out that she knew. Anyway we have been celebrating, kind of all week. Yesterday I made a BIG lemon cake and Breea made the most amazing frosting. Today she and I went shopping for a bit then we had Birthday cake for lunch and tonight our farewell will be dinner out without the kids. It has been a fun casual week. I love the way my daughters look forward to their birthdays and sometimes and some of them celebrate for a week or a month. They are all so funny that way. Good happy wonderful daughters are such a blessing in my life. When we get home I will have a whirlwind week with Sydnee, Mitch's kids (jewelry convention - Young Mens camping trip) and Abby said she might drop in too. I love July! but sometime in this business I have to get Magic Rocks and crafts ready for the cabin. It'll all work out - it always does.