Leaving

One of our missionaries is being transferred. He came here brand-spankin' new. A deer caught in the headlights. We will miss Elder Ahlander. He has grown so much and is such a wonderful young man.

Appreciate My Healthy Children

Substituting as a para has really helped me appreciate my healthy children and also appreciate the parents and teachers of kids who are not quite "normal."

Vikings

Kelly got to go to the Minnesota Vikings practice arena on Friday. He got his picture taken in front of Brett Favre's locker and got to throw their official practice balls around. There were two speakers who were really good. One of them is a member of our church. He also works for the Vikings. The other is another coach. Totally Awesome!!

Our weather is very Octoberish. Love it!!! But because it has warmed up we have box elder bugs and japanese beetles everywhere. They are attempting to come in the house and take over. It is like a scary movie.

My friend who tried to commit suicide is doing okay. She got to go home on Friday from her safe house. I just hope her daughter recovers from this.

Friend

A friend of mine apparently tried to commit suicide over the weekend. Her 11 year old daughter found her passed out on the bathroom floor. I am angry at her, glad she is alive, worried. It is like having another child to worry about, except she is an adult. I am a bundle of confusion about how I feel. But she is back on her medication. We shall see how things go. It sucks to be her.

I substituted at the middle school today. I was manhandled by a little girl with Down's syndrome, yelled at by a very large 7th grader who was made about a hockey game in gym, and told by a 6th grader that I was his arch enemy. What a really fun day.

And my laundry is still on the floor in baskets NOT FOLDED.

The Office

Wonderful Women

I have two groups of wonderful women in my life. One is my church group. The other is my Women of Today group. Amazing moms, friends and caregivers who are funny, spiritual and surviving moment by moment through love, prayer and friendship. We are all volunteering our way through life.

I have heard that my sister's husband is not talking to my parents because when my parents were here to visit, Kelly made the most wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. My Brother-In-Law is really jealous. I think it was truly the best Thanksgiving dinner I have ever had in my life. The turkey was so tender, the cranberries made fresh, rolls, mashed potatoes that had the perfect amount of creamy and lumpy together. MMMMMMM. So good.

Sometimes I am stoopid. But I try to apologize when I am stoopid. I think I am losing my mind and memory and it is all because of peri-menopause.

This is what peri-menopause feels like sometimes:


Then sometimes it is like this:


So much fun. Hot then cold, Night Sweats, Cold Feet, Everyone else is fine, I am wanting to run screaming from a room because it is so hot, Angry for no reason except that I want to squish your head like a grape. Then I am fine. But it starts all over again.

I just have to share: I have a friend from Church whose husband works for the Vikings. They had Brett Favre and his wife over for dinner last night. Such a strange thing to post.

My parents came to Waconia to visit for the first time. It was great to have them here. They arrived, finally, Thursday night. They were kept in the air for two hours above Minneapolis because VP Biden was in town. What? Can't land planes when a VIP is in town? Whatever.

We took them to the Mall of America and saw the indoor amusement park and went to the Underwater World Adventure. We also went into the American Doll store. Dara had some birthday money left over and wanted a little something that she saw in the catalog.

After about 5 minutes, Brannon, who was in a teenage angst mood that was soooo ugly, turned and said to me, "I feel SO GAY!!!" I told him that I did too. It was the creepiest store I have ever been in. They even have a salon with tiny salon chairs that they do the doll's hair in. Creepy!!!

We took my parents to help us pick out our Christmas tree and also picked apples. We still miss them. They need to come again.

Kelly and Dara were out walking and found this cute little guy being tormented by some women. Actually, they were trying to get him to cross the street by poking him with a stick.






This a picture of my 8 foot tall sunflower. It must have found it's happy place.

It snowed and snowed and snowed and then it melted. Weird. Kind of like Utah weather.

My parents are coming for a visit on Thursday. We are so excited. Actually Dara is upset that they are not staying for weeks. 3 full days is just not enough for her.

The Elders in our basement are surviving us. We forced them to play games with us last night. We also forced them to eat dinner with us. I think we are pretty awful landlords.

I have been substituting a lot. Last week was at the middle school. I had to (I mean, I GOT to) play a game of Yu-gi-oh with Spongebob Uno cards. I knew I wasn't going to even get close to winning because I did not understand any of the Yu-gi-oh rules that I really think he was just making up. So....I started making up my own rules. He still won.

Our Women of Today group turned one year. We had a party. It was great. We held it at a deli around the corner from my house called The Green Olive. We actually signed a new member that night. We laughed, we got roses, we ate, we bonded. We are starting to plan our really big yearly event... a Waconia Relay for Life, a cancer walk. Hoo Boy! Lots to plan.

At this point I like my kids. They are doing well. When they argue, I start singing "Love At Home" in the worst possible voice. It helps me not to yell at them. It is all fun and games until the flying monkeys show up.