6/20/11-6/26/11

Monday, June 20, 2011
Aren't kids supposed to sleep in?  The three youngest kids all got up at 6:00 this morning so that they could go to the gym with Chris and myself.  Cole goes everyday and NEVER sleeps in but, the girls usually sleep a lot longer.  They enjoyed watching t.v. and running around while the rest of us tried to work out!  Morgan didn't even know that we had left!
I took Morgan driving around the neighborhood today.  It brought back so many memories of getting yelled at!  It was hilarious hearing my parents voices in my head when I was saying the exact things to Morgan that they had said to me.  "Stop....STop....STOp.....STOP!!!!"

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
My friend, Sully, made us dinner tonight.  It was empinadas (I have no idea what they're called or how to spell it!)  and doughnuts.  I was able to give her the blanket I had made for her, as well as give her kids their piano lesson.

Spencer, Natali, Sully, Morgan, Cole, Alysa, Laina

I was also able to give a few blankets to my friends, Sesi and Paola, at choir tonight.  When we moved here, Paola was pregnant with her first child.  Her baby shower was the first one that I went to.  I had no idea what people did for showers here, and I hadn't been able to make any baby blankets yet, so her little girl didn't get one.

Paola's little girl. 

She is now pregnant with her second, so I gave her a blanket for each of her kids.  Sesi is her sister and isn't married yet, so I told her she would have to save the blanket when she got married and had a baby......or use it to snuggle on the couch and watch t.v.!

Josue is the cousin of Paola and Sesi.  I told him he'd have to share with them!!

Sesi and Paola

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Today was the ward temple trip, so I didn't have any piano lessons.  It was a good thing because I was up with a sick Laina during the night.  I was exhausted and was so happy that she would snuggle with me and take a nap!!   Lately she's been saying, "What is a Sunday with out snuggling with Daddy and watching football?"  She sure knows how to get her Daddy wrapped around her little finger!

Half the sky was gray storm clouds, and the other side was blue skies.  Chris took this picture while at work with the sun shining on the temple.

Thursday, June 23, 2011
We are working on using up all our food.  We still have a bunch of wheat, so we are eating wheat everything!  Crepes, pancakes, waffles, bread, pretzels, muffins, biscuits, etc.  The kids are actually enjoying it!!
Morgan was sick and in bed all day!!  We seem to have a little bug that we are passing around.  Hopefully it'll all pass before we leave!!

Friday, June 24, 2011
We have a new missionary in our ward that just happens to be from our old ward in Vegas!!  She actually moved out of our ward right after we moved in so I didn't know her, but I knew her grandmother.  I met Hermana Bunting earlier in her mission, but she is now in our ward!!  We have 4 of 6 gringas serving in our ward now!!  Hermana Bunting and her companion came over to visit us (we haven't had missionaries over in forever!!).   Hermana Bunting goes home the 1st of September, and her companion goes home the 20th of July, so we made each other very trunky!!
I think we're going to have to have a 4th of July BBQ with all of them since it is on a p-day!

Chris went up to Guatemala City to take people back to the airport.  He is staying overnight so he can go golfing in the morning and to have a possible buyer look at his car.  I was so excited to put the kids to bed, snuggle up on the couch with my pillows and blanket, and watch a chick flick all by myself.  I haven't done that for a long time!  I even saved a brownie for the special occasion!

Saturday, June 25, 2011
Chris had an enjoyable morning of golf with his co-worker, Tom before he left to go back to SLC.  They were invited to go with one of the ITSA (the local contractor on the temple job) owners.  He seemed much happier afterwards.  I think it will be very nice for him to get back to the states so he can have some hobbies again!!

Tom, Jose Jorge, Chris

The kids are getting very creative with things to keep busy, and to finish up the stuff that we have in the house.  Today they were making puppets out of old socks and scrap fabric.  Afterwards, they put on a play for each other.  It was great!

Sunday, June 26, 2011
Three weeks to go!!  It is coming up so fast!  We have only one more day of church here!  Next weekend we will be in El Salvador to go to the temple open house there.  We thought it would be good for the kids to see what a temple is like after all of the furnishings are put in.
I have decided that my kids are abnormal.....in a good way!  Every Sunday they all get up early and get completely ready for church before Chris and I even wake up!  They even help each other with their breakfast and hair!!  They are usually sitting downstairs reading a book with their scripture bags next to them all ready to go.  It sure makes a big difference when we aren't have to fight them to get ready!

After church we gave away three more baby blankets to some of the sisters in the ward.  We also went to visit 3 family's homes in the afternoon.  

Maggie is the new FIG leader at church.  She's also in the choir with me.  

The Almazan and Whitney families. (Luis, Spencer, Sully, Luisito, Natali)

Emiliana, Lilian, and Alex Beletzuay.  Emiliana was my first visiting teacher  and is also in the choir.  She has always been a great friend to me and always patient.

Emiliana shared some of her peaches and cherries that she grew and canned.

The Sac's: Sammy, Alfredo, Blanca, and Kenet.  Alfredo helps fix everything at our house.  Kenet is one of my piano students, and they all sing in the choir.

The Hernandez family.  Vilma is my visiting teaching companion and doesn't let me get out of it either!!  

6/13/11-6/19/11

Monday, June 13, 2011
I really wasn't too excited about home schooling the kids when we got here.  I have to say that it has been a great experience though.  It has been wonderful to get to spend the time with the kids and to learn what they are learning, and to watch them grow.  Today, Morgan was studying thunderstorms....... while we were having a thunderstorm at the same time.  It is so fun to be able to apply the things that we are learning!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Nothing too new today.  We packed another bag and finished more school work!
The kids and I had fun wandering around taking pictures.  Here are a few.

This is the warmest place in the house so it is where I always sit for school time.  Morgan is outside taking a pictures.  It's kind of trippy seeing her body and mine at the same time.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The kids have been playing in the rain a lot.  They love it.  I was teaching piano lessons today and Alysa and Laina road their bikes the whole time.
We are getting so excited to go back to the states.  We are also getting excited that school is almost done.  The kids are counting down the number of lessons that they have left.
We are also working to use up the food storage that we have.  It's going to be pretty boring eating for the next while!!  It'll make us enjoy the restaurants in the states even more!!

The little yellow bird that has been hanging out next to my window lately.

Thursday, June 16, 2011
The kids have been begging to go roller skating for ever!  I finally gave in and agreed to take them roller skating, after they went to the fabric store with me!  I have been working on making quilts for all of our friends that we have made here.  I have a few more to finish up, but needed to get some more material.  The kids were great helpers at the store.  We stopped at Subway (where one of the employees introduced me to another employee as Chris's wife.  I guess he eats there a lot!!)  for lunch.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed their two hours of skating.  There were a few wipe outs, a few tears, but mostly smiles!  Laina was even trying to do it on her own a little.  I was very happy to see Cole trying to help Alysa and Laina.  Afterwards, they were all exhausted.

Cole and Laina.  Morgan was too fast to get a picture of!

Alysa was doing much better than last time!

The kids spent the rest of the afternoon watching t.v., while I quilted and listened to the rain.

Friday, June 17, 2011
The kids were bad influences on me today.  They kept asking to pack stuff, throw stuff away, take pictures off the wall.  I don't know what we are going to do during our last couple of weeks here!!
For school, we had blue day.  Everybody dressed in blue.  It was supposed to be crazy hair day, but Cole is still trying to recover from his last hair cut (we couldn't remember what number of guard to put on and used the wrong one!!).

Saturday, June 18, 2011
Chris forgot to put on his sunblock yesterday and is soooooo sunburned.  He wasn't really wanting to do much of anything.   Morgan help me organize the quilts to give away to our friends.  I still have a few to finish up!  The kids helped clean, do inventory of the things we have to give back to the job, pack another suitecase, etc.  To top of a productive day, we ate dinner at Giuseppies!!  Alysa wanted to try our Mexican pizza so I told Chris we'd have to order two of them!!  Yeah, leftovers tomorrow!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011 (4 weeks to go)
I can't believe that we are only going to be here for two more Sundays.  Wow!  We started to make visits to some of our friends to get pictures and to deliver quilts.  The Orellanas were the only ones that were home though.  We also took bags of caramel popcorn and Father's Day cards to all of the gringos that are here without their families.

Giving Lily Orellana her quilt.

6/6/11-6/12/11

Monday, June 6, 2011
We celebrated Morgan's 12th birthday today.  The day began with crepes.  Followed by reviews, tests, and throwing out old schoolwork.
We didn't want to get her a bunch of stuff that we'd have to pack back to the states, so she got some "coupons" to get the things that she is wanting in the states.  She also chose to have calzones for dinner, and banana splits instead of a cake.  She also got to go on a special date with dad to lunch.  I think she was a happy kid.

Soda and candy....what more could a kid want?

Making banana splits.  The kids all overdid it and said they'd had enough desert for a week!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011
We finished up all of the tests today.  We only have 4 more weeks of lessons, and another set of reviews and tests.  It is getting close to the end!!  We went through all the workbooks and tore out everything that was already finished.  The kids want to have a big fire with all of their finished work.  We "consolidated" all the remaining work.  I have been consolidating a lot of stuff lately.  I got in trouble for consolidating two bags of tortilla chips into one!  Cole told me that his toothpaste was almost gone and everybody said that I can't consolidate the toothpaste.  I really wasn't going to go that extreme!
The choir has been practicing a song for about 5 months now.  We will be playing it for the ward conference in July.  Tonight was the first time that I was able to play it right.  I was so happy!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Today consisted of piano, working on my talk, and keeping busy with school.  The kids enjoyed playing outside in the rain.

Laina attempting to clean out the garbage can.

Thursday, June 9, 2011
Morgan and Chris went to TacoContento for lunch on Monday.  Morgan raved about it, so all the kids wanted to go.  We had to go to the grocery store, so we met up with Chris for lunch.  It was a fun little restaurant.  I am shocked that we've never been there before!

Friday,  June 10, 2011
I have been fighting getting sick for too long now.  It hit hard today and I spent the second half of the day on the couch while the kids entertained themselves.  Thank goodness for a good husband that brings home pizza!

Saturday, June 11, 2011
I still wasn't feeling very well this morning, but I really wanted to go to the temple to see the newest updates. I wasn't disappointed.  The oxen are being put in, the decorative painting is being done, as well as glass and more tile.  It is really starting to look like a temple!!

Stained glass entrance doors.

The fencing is being put in.

The cabinets are all being installed in the distribution center.

Outside lighting, plants, and drive way are coming together.

The oxen in the baptismal font.

Morgan is getting way too tall!

Our friend, DeLoy, working on tile.

Paul Bottema, his brother Mark, and DeLoy's cousin, Lindsey.

Glass looking into the baptismal area.

My goal is to make a quilt out of this stained glass pattern......before I die!

The decorative painters working in the Bride's Room.

Decorative painting.

Sunday, June 12, 2011 (5 weeks to go)
So many emotions going on right now.  We are so excited, yet sad to leave.  (At least I am!!)  I am going to miss our ward so much!  I gave my talk today and just kept looking out at all of the amazing people that have surrounded us for the last 2 1/2 years!!
They should never make a person play the piano the same week they are giving a talk.  I didn't have a program, and I thought I was supposed to talk before the intermediate hymn.  Oops!  I tried to go up to do my talk instead of playing the piano!  The girl that was translating for me didn't get up, and she whispered that it was the song.  So, I am shaking like crazy, about to give my talk, but instead I had to play!  UGH!  It was the worst singing I have experienced here.  I think I heard maybe 2 people!  I thought it was a fairly well known song but apparently it isn't here!  Oh, well.  Immediately after that, I got to do my talk.  The mission president's daughter (also the girlfriend of our bishop's son) came to our ward to translate for me.   For me, one of the hardest things about giving talks is that I get so emotional, and I always end up crying.  I kept with tradition!  The talk went fairly well.  I enjoyed having the translator because it made me slow down and I had time to think about what was going on.  I could look at the audience.  I could calm myself down a little.  I even had a couple seconds where the thoughts went through my head of, "Hey, I can do this!  It's not as bad as I thought!"
My favorite part was when I made a comment about the missionaries being crazy.  Before the translator could interpret it, the entire congregation was laughing.  At the end, I opted to bare my testimony in Spanish.  I had the translator stay with me to help if I needed it. but I did it all on my own except for the pronunciation of one word.  I doubt that anybody understood it between my horrible Spanish, and my plentiful tears.  I did make the mistake of saying that we are leaving in 5 weeks.  We were bombarded the rest of the day.  Poor Sully was in tears, which of coursed made me break down again!  I am really dreading our last Sunday.  It is going to be very emotional and I have to play a bunch of extra pieces for our ward conference.  I hope that I'll be able to read the music!
As much as I despise giving talks, I am grateful to have been pushed (even further) out of my comfort zone.  This whole experience here in Guatemala has been a huge testimony builder.  It has been one thing after another.  I really do feel like our entire family has grown (not just physically!!) while we have been here.

5/30/11-6/5/11

Monday, May 30, 2011
7 more weeks until we go back to the states!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011
This afternoon, the missionaries sent me a message to see if I would be available to play the piano for a  baptism this Friday.  I don't have other plans, so I agreed.  I didn't realize that they were wanting to me accompany them for a special musical number!  At choir they brought me the music.  Five pages of hard music to a song I've never heard of!!  And they want me to be ready in 3 days!!  What were they thinking???
I also got to spend some time helping Sully think of some menu ideas for the temple open house and dedication.  If anybody has any good ideas for nice meals to serve to 40-60 people for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner, please let me know!!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011
We are all a little "trunky", to say the least.  We are all ready to head back to the states, but I fear that the next while is going to miserable if we don't come up with some ways to stay busy.  So, a few weeks ago, we decided to have special activities on Fridays.  This week we are having Greek Mythology Day.  The kids are all so excited.  Today they started working on making their costumes.  Cole is going to be Poseidon, Morgan is Athena, Alysa is a centaur, and Laina is Artemis.  My costume will not be unveiled to the kids until Friday.  It is driving them crazy!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011
I spent as much time practicing the new song as I could today.  I keep crossing out notes that aren't as important and I'm only focusing on the ones that I really need!!  Call it the lazy way. I call it the only way!!
We are so close to the end of the school year that we can just taste it!  Next week we have a review day and then tests.  After that we have 4 more weeks, another review day and the last test!  So close, yet so far away!!
Morgan had an interview with the bishop tonight.  Her birthday is next week and she will be moving up to Young Women's.  She was hoping to meet with one of the counselors that speaks some English.  The bishop wanted to be the one to interview her, so she was pretty nervous.  She did the entire interview in Spanish and understood what was going on.  She was all smiles afterwards, and was very excited to show us her very first temple recommend.  She wants to go on the next youth trip to Guatemala City.
While Morgan was in her interview, I practiced the piano with the missionaries.  I was so nervous, but the sisters kept reminding me that they were praying for me and that they had faith that I would be fine, and that people would be able to feel the spirit.  How could I argue with that?

Friday, June 3, 2011
Today was mythology day.  After lunch, we all put on our costumes.  The kids had some mock battles outside.  We also tried to play a game of capture the flag but it didn't work out too well!  Afterwards, the kids decorated brown lunch bags with Greek stuff.  They filled them with popcorn to eat while they watched Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief.  Everybody had a great time.  They want to do Harry Potter Day next.  I think I need a week or two for my creativity to be replenished!

Our centaur.  1/2 horse, 1/2 human

Poseidon - God of the Seas

A disappointing attempt at Medusa, the snake hair lady.

Artemis - Goddess of the Hunt

Athena - Goddess of wisdom

Our crazy kids.

 

I went early to the baptism to practice.  The missionaries asked if we could start our practice with a prayer.  Sis. Keller is so in tune with the spirit.  She has really helped me remember some simple principles that I don't always think about!  She asked that the Lord would be with us, to be calm and comforted and that everybody would be able to feel the spirit.  She didn't pray that we would play the song and not mess up.  How often do I worry more about messing up rather than inviting the spirit?!  It was a good testimony building experience.  Too bad Sis. Keller is going home next week!!  She will be missed.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

The president of Jacobsen came to visit today.  Chris was able to visit with him and walk the job site.   

Sunday, June 5, 2011

What an emotional day!  Fast Sundays always make me extra emotional!  It was also the last Sunday for 3 of the 6 sister missionaries in our ward.  The other three don't know if they will be transferred or not.  I was also feeling sick.  The rest of the family has had colds.  I think it finally hit me today.  Then to make things even worse, I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting next week.  UGH!!  Don't I do enough outside of my comfort zone here??

Cole gave a talk today in Spanish in primary and did an excellent job.  We also had a really good "Whitney" primary and were able to share some feelings, experiences, and testimonies.