It's Fuzzy In Outer Space!

Last night I went to Kathyrn's 3rd Grade program "Vacation on Mars" where a family gets lost in Outer Space and the audience learns a lot about each planet.

It must be fuzzy in Outer Space as my photos will attest!

Kathryn had a speaking part as a "Guide."

 She was also in a "Soft Shoe" dance about the 16 moons of Jupiter:

(2nd from the left--why is the short one put behind the tall one?)

I even took a little video of the dance:

Great job, Kathryn!

Oxymoron: Reposing Exercise!

Everyone agrees it's important to stay in good shape!

But  how do you stay in good shape when you have to lay flat in a bed all day every day???

Resistance bands!

Here is Josh doing one of his exercises:

There is also a blue band behind his head that he pulls out with both hands and another blue band on the right that he unties and uses for a variety of exercises.  Finally, there is one on the end of his bed that he also uses to pull.  These exercises help him use all of the upper muscles that will allow him stay in shape!
So there is never an excuse not to exercise!

Need A Laugh?!

 Been going through some old stuff and found a fun game we played.  You take a famous person's name and add one letter to make it into another person.  Here are some our family came up with many years ago.  (Some signed their names but I couldn't tell the handwriting on others.)  

Fred Rogers: Add an I becomes Fried Rogers, the neighborly man who invented french fries!

 Kermit: Add an E becomes Kermite the muppet termite! (Amanda)

Ann Landers: Add an S becomes Ann Slanders, advice columnist for the National Enquirer!

Luke Skywalker: Add an F becomes Fluke Skywalker, he discovered his ability to fly by accident! (Josh)

 Raymond Burr: Add an N becomes Raymond Burrn, the hottest lawyer around! (Jeff)

Henry Ford: Add a J becomes Henry Fjord, the Norwegian car manufacturer! 

 Stan Musial: Add a C becomes Stan Musical the famous singing 1st baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals!

 Pee Wee Herman: Add an S becomes Pee Wee Sherman, the wimpy Civil War General!

Mickey Mouse: Add an S becomes Mickey Mousse, famous chocolate dessert at Disneyland!

Alexander Graham Bell: Add an I becomes Alexander Graham Belli, famous ATandT lawyer!

Donahue: Add an S becomes Donashue, America's talk show about how to put on shoes (don a shoe)!  (Josh)

Bo Jackson: Add a G become Bog Jackson, the swampiest player on the Raiders! (Jeff)

Beverly Cleary: Add an L becomes Beverly Clearly, the world's only transparent writer!

Vovo: Add an L become Volvo, car for Brazilian grandmothers! (Amanda)

Marty Haws: Add an S becomes Smarty Haws, BYU's smartest basketball player, just ask Dad! (Josh)

Esther: Add a P becomes Pesther, queen who always pesters the King! (Heidi)

Amos: Add an F becomes Famos, the well known Bible figure! (Josh)

Bob Telford, our former bishop: Add an O becomes Bobo Telford, the ward clown! (Josh)

 Bing Crosby: Add an O becomes Bingo Crosby, the world famous singing dog!

Christmas Gift Outing #2!

We had another fun outing for the month of February!

We went to Sunnyvale in the Bay Area to attend the Valentine's Day Anniversary party of my High School friend, Pat and her husband, Don Jocius. They have been married for 38 years and we were at their sealing in the Oakland Temple back on February 14, 1976!

The event was held at the ward building with lots of festive decorations.  Pat doesn't live in Sunnyvale anymore, but many of their Sunnyvale ward friends were there plus friends from their new ward in Boulder Creek, work friends, Historical Society friends, temple shift friends, cancer friends and some of us old high school friends!

This is Pat with her husband, Don.   She loves to dance!

Pat is fighting Stage 4 breast cancer which has metastasized to her lungs and brain.  She will be starting some last ditch heavy duty chemo later this week.  But doesn't she look great!    

That's my High School friend, Debby Aulmann Trevisan with her husband on the left, myself, and Pat Monahan Jocius and her husband on the right.  Actually we were all friends in Junior High as well!

Dan was there to support us all!

We were each asked to bring a scrapbook page of memories so here is what I put together.  Pat and I were actually college roommates for a couple of years as well.

It was really a lot of fun to walk down memory lane!  

The next morning Dan took me to the

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose.
It houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in western North America.
I have always wanted to go there.  I know I went as a child but don't remember that much--just that I saw my first real mummy!
The museum was renovated in 2004 and we took the 1 1/2 hour audio tour.

I have weird unique interests! I have always been fascinated by Egyptology and have read up on it quite a bit. 

This is the coffin of Usermontu.  He was a priest and Lord of Thebes from a powerful Egyptian family.

This is the mummy found inside.. .

They have a really cool replica of a tomb that you walk down steps and through passageways to see.  Here are some paintings on the wall in the main room...

This is a replica of the bust of Nefertiti, Akhenaten's queen...

We saw lots of other artifacts including this popular ancient Egyptian game, Senet...

 ...and these figurines buried with the deceased to help him on his way

It was a fun 2-day outing going back in history 30+ years and then going back in history 3,000+ years!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last night I did another presentation for a ward in our stake on Strengthening Your Marriage.   It was a lot of fun!

 In preparing I discovered a fun and creative website:

Here are some of their date night ideas:

Power Outage Date: Candlelight is romantic; using nothing but candles for light during dinner, games, and of course a romantic dessert.

Mexican Fiesta: Join me tonight for dinner, dessert and entertainment that will be Hot, Hot, Hot!  Salsa dancing and/or 

The Three Amigos!

People Watching Date Night: For this fun (and cheap!) date night, grab some ice cream or your favorite portable snack, then head to the mall, park, pool, or other local hotspot, sit back, and see what unfolds! Make up stories about the passersby’s you see – where they are going, who they will meet, where they grew up, what they are talking about now.  A creative and entertaining date night that requires zero prep work… have FUN!

But one of the best parts of the evening was that both Amanda and MaryAnn came and presented some thoughts and ideas!

They were fabulous!!!

Here are some of my favorite quotes that I use in the presentation:

Elder Oaks:  “Those who already have a temple marriage should do all they can to preserve it.”

 President Faust: “In the enriching of marriage, the big things are the little things.”

President Monson: We who are married in the house of the Lord do so for time and for all eternity, and then we must put forth the necessary effort to make it so."

Elder Clayton: "Marriage is a gift from God to us; the quality of our marriages is a gift from us to Him."

I taught everyone how to make their own scratch-off cards and here is the one I gave to Dan today.  He's enjoying it a lot!

Wishing you lots of love today!

Thought Provoking: The Other Prodigal Son

If you have an extra 6 minutes and 9 seconds, be sure to watch the Mormon Message: The Other Prodigal Son.

You can find it on lds.org and this is a link to it here

It will give you lots to think about!

Prayers Answered and Some Music!

February is off to a good start!

Here is our Folsom Lake a few weeks ago (picture on top) and the lake when it is normally full (picture on bottom)

We have been praying hard for rain since 2013 broke records for lack of rainfall.  And we had none in January until the 29th.

This weekend we have been having a good rainstorm!

Retirement dream: Take piano lessons and he has been practicing faithfully every day!

This was Josh before his surgery.  He is doing well and wishes he could be up using this machine!  More answers to prayers!