I Kicked Him Out!!

After that last depressing post, I thought I should update on Mr. Pain.

He is packing his bags as of right now.
He's "hittin the road, Jack".
And I hope he don't come back "No more, no more, no more, no more!"
I regress.


On Wednesday I went into a pain specialist and they administered some injections right into the muscles of my back.
Voila!! (That's french for, "ahh-ha!".)
Each day has gotten better since then.
So, Mr. Pain has been evicted.
It never felt so good to be so mean!

So, bring on the soccer games, the cross-country meets, the housework, the hikes and picnics. I am ready to go for it all again!!

(These pictures have nothing to do with this post.
I just found them and thought they were cool.)

Mr. Pain

I have not been really well acquainted with Pain.
Until recently.

Yes, I capitalize Pain because it can become a major presence in your life. Like a mean spiteful person always lurking behind you. I have had some experience with Pain, but it has always been fleeting, rarely lasting for more than a day or two (or three if you count surgeries). But this year.... and most especially the last 3 weeks, Pain has become an unwelcome companion who keeps visiting me for extended stays. He wasn't invited.
And he's been loathe to go away. But.... Since he has been so persistent, I decided that perhaps there was something I could learn from him.

Here is what I've learned so far:
*Your health is important but your spiritual health is REALLY important. *You can smile even when it hurts.
*You can smile when you are crying.
*People care and people make each day worth it.
*You have a choice when things don't go your way. You can be PRO-active or RE-active. It's your choice.
*Pain is not gain necessarily, but it teaches us humility.
and last but never least,
*I understand my fellow human beings better.

I am sure there is more to learn.
I hope I can be a teachable pupil.

And p.s.: I am feeling better each day now. Yay!

Stone Sundays

I love Sundays.
It's a day to contemplate, to worship and to renew.
I love that deep, deep feeling of knowing that God is real, that the Savior is real, and that They are aware of me, They know me and my struggles,
and that They love me in spite of all my shortcomings.
I love the chance to escape from the craziness of the world and focus on the things that really matter: my God, my faith, and my family.

I also love the family time.
Time to talk, to pop popcorn and snack while talking, and time to hang
out on Mom's bed while talking.
I love the smiles from my almost grown-up kids here at home.
I love the phone calls I get from my "live-away-from-home" kids.
I love it when Dan comes home from meetings and he tells me
everything that's on his mind.
I love the back rubs he gives me.
I love that Dan always cooks the Sunday dinner.
I love the peace and quiet of Sundays.
As I walked through the house yesterday before dinner,
this is what I caught everyone doing.



Yep, I was doing something very similar before I took their pictures!
I love a good book and a comfy spot!!

In a Nutshell....(part 2)

Continuing on with our last few weeks....

Loren and his Grandma Stone

So, after Danny had to go back to Phoenix to be a doctor (come ON! Couldn't he just stay and play with us forever??) we got down to the business of telling Loren what he should do with his life. Not really, but sort of.
The kids took Loren shopping for clothes, helped him work up a resume for finding a job or two, and trying to sway him on which college he should apply to.
I felt like I was cooking for an army all week.
By Friday, we were gearing up for more guests and Loren's homecoming Sunday talk in church. A friend of Amelia's arrived Friday afternoon and then
Grandma Stone and Aunt Jane came in late that same night.
We also were committed to an NACD yard sale on Saturday - just to complicate things a bit! So, while Grandma & Jane went visiting friends, the kids helped us at the yard sale until noon. After that, the kids went tubing in Zion while us adults recuperated and got ready for Sunday.

Sunday was great.
Loren wore his sulu to church - and he had one for his Dad to wear too!
So many good friends came to wish Loren well and visit with him.
My amazing visiting teachers and some dear friends helped me out by making some salads and treats to be brought over for the visitors on Sunday. I couldn't have fed everyone without them, as I had injured my back and wasn't in very good shape for cooking and baking.
So, they came, they visited, they ate, then they all went home.
Love them all!!
And now there's just the 6 of us left at home. *Sigh!*

In a Nutshell....(part 1)

So much to say - and so much room to say it!! But, in consideration for any of you current or future readers out there - I'll keep it brief.

After returning home from my travels, I buckled down to work, work, work! I cleaned the house from top to bottom, moved furniture, threw loads of stuff away, gave a bunch of stuff to charity, made room for Loren and created a new guest room - all in 2 weeks!! Yep, quite a feat for me, I know.

Amelia & Jon arrived home from their vacation in Costa Rica the day before Loren was due to arrive.

Waitng at the airport....
THEN the BIG DAY!! Loren came home from his mission to Fiji at 11:30 pm on July 29, 2010!! YAY! It was so great to see him. We talked and talked and talked. He shared gifts with us and his amazing spirit and enthusiasm for what he's been doing for the past 2 years.
He's here!!
2 days later, his older brother Danny arrived from Phoenix. And for a wonderful 25 hours, I had EVERY ONE of my children home - under the same roof again - for the first time in almost 4 years!! YIPPEE!!

So, of course, we took family pictures! Here are a few:
Didn't have time to edit any of these, but it is what it is!
I am just so thrilled to have some new family pictures -
and some without the kids making crazy faces!!