Happy New Year!

For many years we would set the same goals over and over and never acheive them. I started dreading the New Year's celebration. I was so discouraged and depressed. Nothing ever changed...not my weight (except to go up), not Tom's employment situation, not our finances...

During this time I was called to serve in the Primary presidency and the Bishop promised me an amazing blessing when he set me apart. He told me that if I fulfilled my calling my desires of a home and land would be filled. I did my best at that calling, and ultimately we moved to Boise a couple years later, on my birthday in 2000.

When we moved here I held on to that promise the Bishop gave me, and we finally bought our first home six years ago. Tom's employment has been steadier. We set goals of paying off overdue bills from our time in Salt Lake City, our school loans, our van and the credit cards, respectfully. Over a period of seven years we were able to finally pay off all consumer debt. My weight has even been coming down. It's been one of the hardest experiences of my life to overcome the issues that were the very reasons I gained weight in the first place.

Every year I spend the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas counting my blessings, enjoying the time with my family, and planning for the next year. That's when I set my goals and do all the normal New Year's things. Between this habit and the discouragement I was feeling for many years New Year's has been a wasted holiday in my mind. Right next to Halloween on my list of least liked holidays.

This year has been different. Everything has been the same as usual except I have been so excited. I set my goals and couldn't wait to start them...so I didn't...lol! This year is going to be a great year! To quote something Tom told me over and over during the hard years, "Something great is just around the corner."

Fun Tag

Bold the items you have done...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band --flute, piccalo, clarinet, bass clarinet, contra bass clarinet
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower—and “Hale bop”…that’s what James called Haley’s comet
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland--My second year of college with the BYU band
8. Climbed a mountain--Mount Timpanogus twice...with Tom
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch--learned enough to know I'm not the greatest artist.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
20. Slept on a train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person--2006 vacation
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors--only USA sites, towns, not actual homes
35. Seen an Amish community-- 2006 vacation
36. Taught yourself a new language -- I started Portugese while my sister was serving her mission.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied--I don't have my retirement figured out yet.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke--only at home, in the shower
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt--And Castle geyser and River geyser
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud--One day John, Tim and I had a mud fight. What fun!!!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie--been on the news
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business --didn't finish it, though.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check--accidentally, of course.
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt--lots. I've actually quilted them, too.
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a Bone--a toe and my foot
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle --Speeding is relative. I thought it was speeding.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person--our honeymoon
80. Published a book --I've got one in mind.
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car--not worth the depreciation
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper--Does the BYU annual calendar count?
85. Read the entire Bible -- Not the Old Testament yet. Working on it.
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury--I was considered once
91. Met someone famous--I never recognize them...lol.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee --on the big toe
100. Visited Italy

I also:
River rafted
Went to Honduras
Fell into a four foot hole
Repaired the car all by myself
Taught myself to swim
Rode in a hot air balloon

I tag anyone who dares! Be bold!

Letter from John on December 30, 2008

he did an awesome job on that clock!!
this week wasnt too shabby for a week containing a major like christmas. im really enjoying it here in martinsville, i dont know how long ill stay but we'll see what the Lord wants.
yesterday in district meeting was asked by sister Perry (not related to the perrys we know, i checked already) why i hadnt hooped and hollered and bragged about the baptism when i called them for district calls saturday night. i replied at the time simply "you didnt ask". she was totally dumbfounded haha. but i got to thinking about it. baptisms dont really excite me as much anymore. im happy for Chris, Stacey, Randy, the Blairs and so forth and i understand the magnitude of the change and the step it is for the individual but its not a crazy rush for me anymore. i discovered that there were a couple reasons for this as i continued to ponder. first i suppose is i now recognize that isnt the finishing point. baptism is the first step so when someone is baptized yes ill celebrate with them (Chris is planning a "Mills isnt going to hell" party) but then immediately ive already moved on to start thinking about whats next, i start to working out in my head how i can help them get to the next step. i also realized that after Crossroads i almost expect baptisms. like ive gained some kind of stronger faith that if i do what im supposed to do miracles WILL happen, because thats what the Lord has promised will happen. Hearts like Chris's open up because i and Elder Adaoag are out fulfilling out purpose as missionaries so we get led to places where miracles will happen. i dunno if you followed all that but it makes sense to me.
i hope james is keeping his nose clean. hes always had a testimony but hes always tried to hide it. or maybe he doesnt know that he knows. if theres one thing ive learned its that each of our lives are specifically built for us to have the best possible chance back to our heavenly father. some may have to tread a thornier path, but eventually it will lead us to the point when we can accept it. maybe there was something to learn for Charles Hayden and the countless people he killed or Chris and the drugs hes been in and out of, or me and the stagnant way i have lead my way in the past. and who knows who these experiences will touch. so maybe james has a few more things he has to learn before he can make a good missionary.
hope you both have a great week!
i love ya
john

(Note: John is serving in an area of the world where the average baptisms during a two year mission is 2 per year. I think he has learned very well to trust in the Lord, do the work and expect miracles. I don't know how many baptisms he has had, but those he mentioned make at least 5 in the last 6 months. We are very proud of the growth he has made. We're even a little jealous that he has learned some of these things this early in life. I've just been learning some of them myself since he left.)

Bah, humbug!

I am officially tired of snow now. It’s been snowing all day long. The only time I remember it staying this cold and snowing this much in Boise was our first winter here. Back when we were used to snow and cold for 4-6 months of the year. Before I went to Honduras I couldn’t imagine a Christmas without snow. After Honduras I prefer them without snow. I’m getting spring fever already…aaarrrggghhh!

Of course, January 5 will be bright and clear and the roads will be perfect for going to work so there will be no snow days.

Oh, and we set up a timer on the hose to water the garden last summer. It was a miserable failure because the kids would unhook it and play in the hose then “forget” to reconnect everything when they were done. Except they remembered the last time because last night I couldn’t figure out why it sounded like there was water running. I finally found it. The water had frozen inside the timer and was now gushing out the huge crack in the side of the timer. At least it didn’t freeze the pipe! We just haven’t gotten enough snow or cold to remember those kinds of things.

Ok, I’m done. There’s still sugar in the house…

And I don’t want to eat it. Not even tempted.

12 Days of Christmas and the BIG day

Day 10...we watched another Christmas movie..."It's a Wonderful Life"...and the kids "camped out" in the family room.

Day 11...we were supposed to read stories, but just hung out playing games together, etc. James Cluff came to stay with us for a couple days so we spent time visiting with him.

Day 12...We finished the Christmas Advent Book, watched "Mr. Kruegar's Christmas" and snacked. The kids opened one gift each and a gift for the family. That one was Cranium for Families...much easier than the other one. We all gathered around and played a game of Cranium together.

THE BIG DAY

We had a wonderful time. On Dec 23 Big James arrived and stayed with us until yesterday evening. It was great to have him here with us. He will be in Japan for the next three years. John hasn’t seen him for 1 ½ years and then the next 3. Here’s Big James in his uniform. James told us not to buy him any presents, but we couldn’t do that. We couldn’t expect him to leave while we did things without him either. After all, he is one of the family.



All month we have been reading a scripture, story and singing a song at night which has kept our minds on the real meaning of Christmas. The kids have looked forward to it every day and often asked, “Mom, when are we doing SSSP?” The “p” was for prayer.

Hannah was sick all Christmas eve. I don’t know what she ate or what kind of bug she had. Fortunately, she felt better in the evening and was feeling wonderful on Christmas day. This is a picture of her with her friend from the fourth grade. Maleigh moved to Oregon a couple years ago, but was in town for visiting.

Yesterday morning started out in the traditional Jenson way. Tom got up at 8 am and put the breakfast casserole in the oven. Then we started getting through the shower…first Tom and then me. We finally sat down to breakfast at 9:30 am, and read 3 Nephi 11 as we finished eating.

Then we opened gifts. Each person has one small gift in their stocking which they investigate first. All the gifts under the tree have only numbers on them. One person starts by choosing a present and giving it to the person it belongs to. I have the master list. The only rule is they can’t choose one of their own and if they do I tell them that one has to wait. Then each person unwraps their gift and chooses the next one.

I made new quilts for James and Hannah this year. Hannah is showing hers off and James has his wrapped around him.

Here is Tom in the duct tape tie Tim made for him.

Big James is opening one of his gifts. We gave him a card with a photo of all of us (including him) that was taken before he left for basic training. We also gave him a rubic’s cube key chain and a wallet to put his picture in. I told him we wouldn’t be offended if he couldn’t use the gifts, but he enjoyed them and appreciated them.





This was one of the family gifts. The kids like to unwrap those ones all together.

This was the first “broken” toy…the basketball kept getting stuck in the hoop because it was frozen.

Of course, one of the best parts was talking to John on the phone. He is doing great and having a very successful mission. They are teaching a young man who will be baptized tomorrow. John said they found a three piece suit in their apartment that must have belonged to a previous missionary. They took it to this young man and it fit perfectly, so now he has a suit to wear to church. John gets to call 4 times…on Christmas and Mother's day both years. He has only one call left...next Mother's day and then he will be home! Can't believe how fast it has gone.

This is John’s girlfriend. As soon as John called Big James called Jess to let her know and she was here in seconds it seemed like.



Our driveway is wide enough for two cars, but there is quite a drop from the driveway to the street. So we like to let the snow and ice build up in the base of the driveway so it will be smooth for once. Right now it isn’t packed down very well and when Big James’ friend came to get him she got stuck in our driveway. Tom, Big James, Tim and James went out to get her unstuck. Then we said our goodbyes. Big James calls me “Third mom.” He told Tim to stop growing or he’d be taller than him. Tim just smiled and said, “That would be cool.”

These photos are of our back yard. Tom thought the snow on the trees and bushes looked so pretty in the sunlight.

The two best gifts I received...

I love gifts because they make me feel loved, but I really enjoy giving them because I can show my love through them.

My sister Nancy gave me a belt pack thing with a pedometer on the buckle so I can carry my mp3 player while I’m exercising or walking.


The best gift was from Tom. My grandpa Housley (mom’s dad) used to make beautiful clocks out of wood cross cut off the stump of trees. He would varnish them until they were glossy and smooth, and then attach a clock face and works. I always wanted one of those clocks and years ago I got a couple cuts of wood from my aunt. I’ve had the clock works for ages, but never got around to doing it. I needed someone to help me drill the holes I needed in the wood. So, Tom snuck my pieces of wood to someone (I haven’t asked who yet) and had a clock made for me. He gave the man the other piece of wood for his labor. Here it is:

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

More Twelve Days of Christmas

Day 7...

We dipped all the candy centers.



Day 8...

We made the gingerbread houses.



Starting out.



Linda



James



Tom, Hannah and Tim

***************

Here are the finished products.

Tom's

Hannah's

James'

Linda's

Mine

Tim's

If you look closely you will see a fish theme. Tom put a Swedish fish over his door. James' gingerbread man has a fishing pole and they talked me into putting a couple fish on the barby. LOL...it's better than the year I bought chocolate covered bananas and raisins. It didn't take long for our kids to decide the bananas and raisins were reindeer droppings that year. I've never bought them again.

Day 9...

Was supposed to be caroling, but only one other family came and we decided that since the kids were enjoying the snow so much we'd stay inside, chat and play a game.

On the fourth, fifth and sixth days of Christmas...

Day 4...

We watched a movie. Ok, it wasn't actually a full length movie. The boys went to the church to play dodgeball and returned home around 9 pm. So we watched the 25 minute film of "The Other Wise Man."

Day 5...

The kids all went to YM/YW, and I made candy with a friend. We put in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Horton Hears a Who" (the old cartoon versions) for her kids and we chatted and cooked up a storm. We made one batch of caramels, one batch of mint patties and one batch of coconut bars. We'll be dipping them for Day 7.

Day 6...

We're supposed to play games tonight, but Tom is at a meeting. Tim is playing computer games. I'm updating the blog, checking emails, sending cards...lol. James is laying around and Hannah is reading. I think I'll find a game we can play quickly now it's 9:30 pm and then send them to bed.

Here's to hoping for a snow day tomorrow!

Dear Mom and Dad, December 16, 2008

this week was a great one! Chris is continuing to progress wonderfully. he's read into Alma. he quit smoking for good. and hes still facing the very jaws of hell gaping its mouth wide trying to swallow him whole. but i have faith he'll pull through it.
the final transfer meeting falls on the 15 of july. so unless something crazy happens to the transfer cycle that should be it. i dunno what time ill call on Christmas just yet im hoping we'll receive some guidance on what Christmas will look like in our transfer meeting/zone conference tomorrow. ill let you know for sure soon. but tentatively i suppose we can say about 3pm my time 1pm yours.
i bet it was a neat experience to be Santa for a little bit. it must be like being a missionary. when youre santa you get to talk about the things santa would talk about and feel the warmth and spirit of the little ones faith. i imagine thats why the savior liked being surrounded by little ones so often. and as a missionary i get to go and talk about the gospel Jesus brought to the earth and feel the spirit and power of that message.
well i love ya and hope you have a great week, john

i suppose ill have to write a general epistle to the ward this year. i think that'd be a good thing to do. haha maybe i can title it the epistle of john and someone can read it over the pulpit =p
well i dunno how long it'll take to show you indiana. i suppose no more than a week but probably 3 or 4 days. it kinda depends on how often im transfered from here on out haha. if they leave me here i imagine we'll have to come visit for a bit. franklin is deffinitly on the list of places to stop. crossroads. and i guess we'll have to drive through dunkirk and see president Shrak for dad. hopefully by then ill be able to gather all the addresses etc.
sounds like the christmas party went pretty well. as you described it it reminded me of theater kinda. ill never forget the night Geri taught me one of the lessons thats really stuck with me since. he walked up, looked at me and James moments before 'flaming idiots' started and said calm as a summers day,"sh** happens", he stated and gently added, "its all about how you deal with it" and then he walked off.
Chris is doing really well! i updated a bit more elaborately in dads email but hes definitely doing really good. he has a baptisimal date scheduled for the 27th this month. we sat down to talk with him about word of wisdom and baptism and before we could start he started asking all sorts of questions. then he said "so you guys said that this all includes baptism right?". yup. "ok so when can that happen?" ... i paused... ive never had to answer that question. we taught him the word of wisdom and then told him he'd need to quit smoking and be done for 2 weeks before he could be baptized. then he said "ok so in two weeks ill be baptized". HOLY COW. hes rad.
haha maybe you did end up with more elaborate details. maybe i should just write one big email to both of you.
well i hope you have a great week. i plan on it. love ya, john


I love it when I catch him online and we can have a "conversation."

Me: That's so cool about Chris. I'll put more details in next week...lol.

John: btw, neither of us are getting transfered

Me: That's good to know. I figured you'd tell us if you were. Did you get the warm socks yet? I think I mailed them on Friday so if not they should be getting there. Do you need anything else?

John: ohh yeah! i was gonna thank you for those socks. theyre really good!! and they couldnt have shown up at a better time. yesterday dropped down to like 20 degrees. im doin pretty good right now. thanks again though.

On the first, second, third days of Christmas...

This tradition is a carry over from things we did while I was growing up. I've changed some of the activities (since going to see the lights as Temple Square is kind of hard to do when you live in Boise).

Here's what we've done so far...

On the first day of Christmas...

We made gingerbread for the houses we'll make later on.

Cutting out the gingerbread after it's baked.

Now they get to age for a week...They need at least a few days to be easier to work with.

The kids' best part...the scraps.

John's girlfriend does a house from a kit and then brings it to us. This is the second year she's done it.

On the second day of Christmas...

We made the kids' ornaments.

Our first Christmas a tree was given to us and we decorated it with popcorn and a borrowed strand of lights and a sheet as the tree skirt. Then I started making ornaments for our tree and soon I started making one ornament for each child each year. By the time I am done they will have more than 24 ornaments for their first trees. I hope their spouses will appreciate the ornaments and that they will use them at least during the lean years in the beginning.

James gluing.

Hannah gluing. James holding an ornament up.

Here's John's collection so far. I have six more days of Christmas to complete the set and I'll do one for his mission. Then his will be done.

On the third day of Christmas...

We attended Hannah's orchestra concert.

She loves playing the cello.

It looked like she was doing very well.

I'll post about more as the days go by.

Five Favorite Things

I was tagged by Brianna.

Five Favorite Things:
1. Tom
2. Getting emails from Johnathan, our missionary
3. Having teenagers...weird, I know and I never thought I'd enjoy them so much.
4. Having best friends
5. Chocolate

I tag any 5 who want to do it. I dare you!