Another Must-Read!

I just finished this book entitled Island of Saints and it is an amazing story you must read! It is by Andy Andrews, it was published by Nelson Books in 2005. It is listed under self-help/personal growth/success. You will learn a bit of history you might not have been aware of, and you will enjoy a story that portrays "the one principle that frees the human spirit."

It wasn't available at the Eugene library, so if you have trouble getting a copy, let me know and I will buy one and send it to you! (I won't by everyone a copy, I will just buy one copy and then you can all take turns reading it.) Let me know what you think!

The Buck Stops Here

I got a great picture of one of the bucks who are starting to go though our yard again. This one still has velvety antlers, but another one had already rubbed the velvet off his and was ready for a fight (or whatever they do after they rub the velvet off)!

Rollin' on the River!

On Saturday I went rafting down the Willamette River with a bunch of Relief Society Women! (I am in the boat in the forefront of the picture, and I am behind the lady with the hat on, on the left side of the picture.) This trip was particularly significant for me because I have a healthy fear of my head going underwater, and so I had crossed off "rafting down a river" as something I would ever do. For some reason I decided I needed to go, to get out of my comfort zone and conquer my fears and all that kind of stuff. I was reassured that the possibility of falling in was pretty slim, and when I realized some of us were 70 and 80 years old..... Hey, if an 80 year-old can go rafting, then I can go rafting! I just want you all to know that I did survive, we had a great time (we stopped along the way to pick wild blackberries and have lunch), and I just might go again next year!

Focus

I teach seminary for the local high school students. It starts at 6:30am every school day. It is now time for me to start preparing for the upcoming year. I have been battling with myself a bit lately. The battle goes something like this: I am excited we get to study the Old Testament this year! I learned so very very much when I taught it before! I am excited that I can draw on my previous lessons and experience and make our study even better! I love expanding my understanding and appreciation of the Gospel. I love the students - they are wonderful! I LOVE feeling the Spirit each day as I prepare lessons and as I teach! BUT how did I ever get up at 4:30am every morning?! How did I prepare 5 lessons each week that would interest high school students? I'm going to have to go to bed early again. I won't be able to sleep til 6:30am and enjoy surveying the valley out front and my hill in back every morning. I am going to have to spend 20-plus hours a week on this. It's hard for me to teach, and I bet I'm not a very good teacher. I wonder if they wish there could be a new seminary teacher. Why did I tell them I will teach again this year? It is so hard to teach seminary!

Then this morning the Spirit said to me: "Just focus on all the good. Forget the hard stuff. You know I will help you each day as I have in the past. Have fun and enjoy it!"

Now, why didn't I think of that? (That's what I always think when the Spirit points out the simple but profound to me.) I am not only going to apply to seminary, I am going to apply that to anything I have to do that is hard. You can use it too if you want.......!

Rain, Rain, Go Away?

This morning I happened to look out the window, and it was raining. Rain wasn't forecast, so I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised, that is! I thought, "Oh good, its raining!" Then I thought, "What am I thinking? I'm glad that its raining?" Is that what happens to you when you live in the Northwest? Or is that why you live in the Northwest?

When I was shopping later in the day, I asked a couple of women, "What did you think of the rain today?" They promptly replied, "Wonderful!" "It was great!" I guess we Northwesterners are all alike. Lucky we don't live in Arizona!

Wonderful Weekend!

I'm happy to report our weekend with Abbi and Chad was the greatest! We managed to fit in everything we had planned and it all went like clockwork. We discovered that the very large group of sea lions on the coast spend their August in the water, not in the famous Sea Lion cave. Luckily we saw a pretty good group of them sunning on a ledge, so we were able to get our money's worth. We endured the cold, cutting wind on our walk on the beach and discovered why the Oregon beaches are not world-famous for summer vacations. We laughed at Abbi's delight at ordering a plain chocolate chip ice cream cone and at being able to fit in all her letters in our speed-Scrabble game. We visited the beautiful new Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend, and our old home and the elementary school Abbi attended. We had a leisurely lunch on the Willamette River and took in all the sights of the famous Eugene Saturday market. One of the most interesting items there was a very bright and colorful tie-dyed toilet paper. We wondered if that was supposed to be functional or purely decorative........ (Do any of you want to order that for your upcoming Christmas present?) We had a great Sunday and enjoyed dinner with Abbi's friends Laura and Ben who came down from Portland. Abbi got a haircut and chose the pattern she liked for their wedding quilt. We watched all four hours of the movie "Gandhi" in our media room (it was great - we would highly recommend it to you!) And then we laughed some more. The only negative was seeing them off at the airport on Monday. We are thankful for planes that make these mini-vacations possible! And we plan to do it again real soon, with Abbi and Chad and with all our kiddos and grandkiddos! Does anyone want to schedule their next Eugene visit now? We hope so!

We Can't Wait!

Abbi and Chad are on a plane headed for Eugene at this very moment! We can't wait til they get here and we start our wonderful weekend together!! Hopefully Abbi will remember her camera (mine is getting repaired), and I will report on all our fun on my next blog. I'm headed for the airport to pick up our VIP's!