Quiet Week

Cousins at Mary's play.

This week, for the most part, was a quiet week. Kaitlin came home for spring break, so that was nice. She submitted her mission papers last week so she is on pins and needles waiting for her call.  I put in a few extra hours at work.  Chuck didn't have any interviews, but he has two for this coming week.  I got my eyes checked and I tried out a new dentist. I also had book club, and went out to a movie with some friends, which was a rare treat.  Ruth is working hard at play practice. On Saturday we went and had a nice lunch at my brother's house and went to see my niece in her school play.  It was a good show and we had a good time visiting with family. 

Singing by the Choir

Yesterday I conducted our ward choir for our Stake Conference Saturday meeting. We had twice the numbers we usually do and the choir sang very well.  Afterwards something amazing happened.  As I stayed after to collect choir folders our visiting authority, Elder Doxey came down from the stand and sought me out.  There have only been a few times when I have spoken to presiding authorities of the church, and never has one sought me, to talk to me. He shook my hand firmly and was very generous with his praise of our choir. He told me that I had a "great talent."   Bazanga!

 Medical Fun!

Hospital fun!

Because of our severance package we still have a few more months of medical insurance. To best take advantage of this, a few weeks ago I made every medial appointment that I had procrastinated, dentist, doctor, orthodontist, and optometrist.   This week the kids visited the dentist (no cavities), I visited the orthodontist, and I also had the super exciting experience of having a colonoscopy.  Thanks to my brother's colon cancer my doctor has been on my case to get a colonoscopy for a couple years.  It was not a pleasant experience, but I'm happy to announce that my colon is healthy and great!  I can even show you pictures if you want to see.  And I lost 2 1/2 lbs of water weight in 2 days. That's something too.

Ruth's Got Talent

Ruth did a great job singing at our city talent show this week.  Her school performed the opening number, a song from Sussical that they have been practicing.  For only having rehearsed a few weeks it was really good.  It made me so excited for her show next month.   Ruth then played her song and did a great job. She got a good reaction from the audience as well.  You can watch Ruth singing on Youtube: https://youtu.be/bnPqx6IhPEw

After the talent show we took Ruth right over to the church dance, where she danced the night away with friends. She came home smiling and laughing and declared that it had been a "good day."

Spring Clean Out

For years now Saturday has been "Clean the Room Day" at our house.   The standards are not high, just general picking up and wiping down of the bathroom, but this week Jared decided that he didn't need a lot of the things in his room.   I told him to put whatever he didn't want out in the hallway, and when that became a fire hazard then we moved it all into the front room.  This is a kid that really doesn't get attached to material things.  I, on the other hand, have always agonized over "things".  If it weren't for Chuck, I'd be one of those hoarders on TV.   So now what to do with all the stuff? Some of it is obviously charity donations, but how about his favorite plush dog that he slept with for years and years, or his 1st grade scrap book, or that lego set that might be worth money? Not so easy now, is it?

Update!

We just got word that Ruth made it into the city talent show. The show is Saturday, March 14th at 7pm.

Updates

Most of you are probably wondering about our job hunt, so here is an update.  We are starting week six of our lay off.   Chuck works hard every day applying for jobs and sharpening his skills.  There are a lot of jobs in his field, it's just a matter of sifting through them and applying for the most promising ones.  He's had one or two interviews a week, and has two more set up for next week.  It just seems like the wheels of hiring turn very slowly.  In the mean time we still feel at peace about it, and know that the waiting game is part of the process.

Ruth auditioned for the city talent show this weekend.  She let me go into the audition where she sang and played the guitar.  She did really well and was very composed throughout the audition.  I just sat back and marveled that this confident, beautiful, talented young lady is the same girl that clung to my skirts and nearly cried when we took the stage of the Music Man together just 6 or 7 years ago. We'll find out if she made it in the town talent show on Monday.  If she does, the talent show will be this coming Saturday and is free. She's also busy rehearsing for the school musical, that will be held April 22-27th.  

Our church choir sang today for our Ward Conference.  The Stake President came up to me afterwards and asked if our choir would be willing to sing for Stake Conference (a meeting where seven local congregations meet together for one large service) in two weeks!  I only have about 12 choir members coming faithfully lately, so now I'm madly recruiting for this important meeting. A member of the seventy will be there and I'd like us to do well.

In my free time I've been crafting a cyberman suit. I just finished the head this week. If you want to see what a cyberman looks like you can see a picture HERE.

Kaitlin's Home

Kaitlin came home for the weekend to visit the dentist and get a break from roommate life.  To celebrate we got out from behind our respective screens to spend some time together.