Merry Christmask 2020 & Happy New Year 2021!

Ho Ho Holy Cow! What a year! Rest assured, I washed my hands before writing this letter!

We started out this year by going to see a movie on January 1st with dear friends. We watched “Jumanji: The Next Level” & little did we know that was just the beginning of our very own Jumanji 2020! Ha! However, with all the craziness of this year, I know we can all find our silver linings, for I am convinced nothing “bad” is allowed to happen but that blessings come from it too! I hope you have or are finding your “silver linings”!

Some of our silver linings this year are:

Emily (19): Graduated from Homeschool last December, (see photo finally taken in Feb!) Completed her 1st year of college through the Pathway Worldwide program & has been accepted at Brigham Young University-Idaho where she will attend this January as an Art major; Voted for the first time this year! Also had her first real car accident this year as well as her first “big breakup” (tough.) She enjoyed some brother/sister dates, painting a watercolor of the Teton Mountains for Jonathan’s birthday (photo); cuddled/walked/played/cuddle some more with her adorable dog, Honey; got in several shooting/target practice sessions; got a job at GAP but recently was offered a better job at a local DIY Pest & Weed Control store; spent special bff days (bff’s are the best!); helped Bob strip her carpet/install new flooring in her bedroom & painted the room; progressed in her art skills; donned the traditional Christmas tree skirt when we put up our tree as well as our tree-top angel donning our Mariachi hat ornament! (See pictures) She did miss being part of MCO choir this year, but life forced it.

 

 

 

Jonathan (26): Continues to live in his own apt. in Carrollton, Tx, (25 min drive from us); He also enjoyed his brother/sister dates with Emily; Also got some shooting/target practice in; continues to work for AmerisourceBergen in their IT department & enjoys his work though it’s been tough working from home in ‘quarantine’ with very few social outlets available - so, he bought a 1970 Ford truck as a fixer upper hobby; enjoyed a special visit by dear friends from his mission (the Lurkers) who came to Waco, so we just had to make the trip to meet them in person (what great people!); also helped with Emily’s new bedroom flooring a bit and will continue his online senior classes at Brigham Young University-Idaho where he will hopefully be graduating in the 2nd half of 2021 with a B.S. in CIT (Computer Information Technology) & *Debt-Free!* (So proud of him!)

 

Jessica (30): Wait! Did that just say she’s THIRTY?? Yup! I can’t believe it! How did that happen so fast!? She & Taylor continue to live in Richardson where they are raising Genna (4) & where Orli (7) spends half her time when she’s not at her father’s. Jessica continues to work for Chase Bank in their call center & Taylor is working at Whole Foods. We got to spend their birthdays & a couple other times with them (social distancing & all!) as well as face-timing "during covid." We can’t get over how fast Genna & Orli are growing. Orli lost her two front teeth this year! She’s looking older with those “big teeth” coming in! We love spending time with those grandkids!

 

 

Bob & Teri: Bob continues to work for AmerisourceBergen, too, as end-point manager & I’m grateful he enjoys his job & does so well at it! He has received several “blue stars” of commendation from several people in the organization for the incredible work he does. He is always Johnny-on-the-spot & people appreciate his expertise & kind/friendly/humorous/can-do attitude. We celebrated our 31st anniversary in Feb. & miss attending the temple since they closed over CV19; Bob learned how to install our new A/C, traveled a bit (one of the times was to his old Army-boot camp stomping grounds, Ft Knox, KY; lead us in holding “Church at home” & administering the Sacrament at home (so grateful for Priesthood Authority!); we traveled to Wichita Falls in May for my cousin, Spencer Rowley’s funeral and got to spend some quality-though-very-short time with cousin Sharlet/husband Joe/son Granger, met Spencer's sweet wife, Kimberley & her parents, & Bob was able to host a family Zoom for those not able to attend, a truly special time; we all gathered at cousin Chrissy (and Chris) Wilson’s home in July when cousin Kim & family came down to meet their new/first grandchild (so cute!) & we celebrated all the July birthday peeps; enjoyed going out to eat for each of our children’s birthdays at a restaurant of their choice; Bob learned how to make homemade yogurt from dear friend, Jim Midgley and has been eating that for breakfast the past few months; He realized installing new flooring takes a bigger toll on your body when you’re over 50 than when you’re 30; & helped throughout the year for church (and other’s) activities with sound/lighting, such as our Church’s socially-distanced “Christmas Outdoor Drive-In Movie” event! (See photo) That was fun! He also helps care for/walk Honey when Emily is not home to do so. We learned how to cook with an InstantPot, use Zoom for business, personal, & church meetings; oh! and Teri learned to use the Marco Polo app and loving it; Teri began lifting light weights & started walking for flexibility in January & has since tripled her time/distance! We finally “updated” our 31y/o Christmas Tree with ribbon instead of garland! (See photo / who said fake Christmas trees don't shed??) Bob continues as 1st Counselor in the Bishopric & Teri as Stake Social Media Specialist among other callings.

 

 

 

  

All installed! (more work to be done on doors and trim, but we got the big stuff in!

We love our Savior & we love you! Because of Him we are blessed & all things are possible, even amidst a “pandemic.” We’re SO thankful!

Yet still... We are pooped out by 2020! 

Merry Christmas Y’all!

 

 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like ThanksMas... AGAIN

 

 

Welp - I've been negleting this blog. No doubt. I do enjoy using it to post our family Christmas letters. 

AN IDEA

However, for several years now I've been thinking about starting a "Mama/Grandma" blog - to share my "A Word to The Wise" with my children and grandchildren - should they ever think they want to know "What would Grandma think? What would Mama think? I wish Mama was around to ask her about....." etc.

So - I made the decision that THIS blog continue to be my blog, more and more used for what would Mama/Grandma think, as well as a "hub" for my other ideas and recipes I want to share (click on the tabs).

I am a strong believer in natural healing and holistic medicine, as well as modern medicine. They both have their place, I think. And both have served my family and me very, very well. Thankful to God for both! (click on "Health" tab above. It's still a work in progress.)

I am a strong believer in home education for our children, especially since the past few years our government schools (they are not "public" as they should be, but rather run by the national government in one way or another) have gone crA-ZEEEEEEE. No thanks. The Lord entrusted parents, not teachers, not board members, not states, and not nations, with the education of their children. And when parents have minimal to now say in that education, and are even aggressively blocked from having access to that education and a say in it, then it's time to remove those kids from those schools and teach them at home (in the absence of "true educational principles" the Lord has given us (read Revealed Education Principles and The Public Schools by Jack Monnett HERE or HERE.) You can also click on my "Homeschooling" tab above.

I also

Review: The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution

 

The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution by W. Cleon Skousen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 STARS! I've read this book, several times as I taught my class on the Constitution. It's a hard book to beat!

This is definitely the second book anyone in America should ever read to understand the Constitution! (The first book being The 5,000 Year Leap by the same author.)

This book, I like to say, is the "dissection" of the U.S. Constitution. It was 40 yrs in the making by the author, traveling around the world and gathering mainly primary sources for all definitions, explanations, and expounding on all-things-Constitution and Founders' intent and understanding.

This book will teach the reader about every single "Provision" found in the Constitution. What is a "provision"? Well, you dissect the Constitution by Article, then Section, then Clause, normally. But if you dig deeper into each clause you find the provisions - or in other words, the sentences. Yes, sentence by sentence, this book dissects the Constitution, telling not only what that sentence meant in the eyes of the Founders, and how it has come to mean what it means today (sometimes those are the same, sometimes they are different meanings), but it also teaches the history and intent behind each provision, each clause, each section and article - why the Founders included it, and even why they did not include certain other "provisions" - making sense out of the entire Constitution and it's true meaning and application.

Something that stands out from reading this, is the understanding that the Founders did not create this Heaven-inspired document for an agrarian, antiquated society, but they wrote it with Human Nature in mind - something they knew very well never changes. They were looking down the corridors of history - past and future - when they created this document of all documents. Hence in their view the Constitution was not a "living" Constitution, in the manner we define that today; but rather it was a bolting-down of the formal governance of this republic so that the "whims of men" (aka: "fads", "feelings", etc.)  would not drag our nation from one end of the political spectrum (Anarchy on the rigth) to the other end (Tyranny on the left).  This Constitution is applicable to all people throughout all the ages of the world - indeed, it encapsulated the Lord's intent for all His children throughout the world.

Secondly, something that also stands out repeatedly is how this Constitution truly was written for a moral and religious people, just as John Adams stated and as Benjamin Franklin intimated, and it is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other. I think in 2019+ we are seeing the real application of that principle, as we see a society losing more and more of its morality and religious base, and as a consequence a society that is devolving and becoming more savage not only in its communication but in its manner of living and behavior as well.

A third important point is the definition of things such as "militia", "separation of church and state", and more such misinterpreted phrases that today are flung about as if they mean one thing, but in reality mean a completely opposite thing. This books lays out the history and background of each of these, as the student/reader proceeds through the pages.

In all, it is the most perfect book there is on the Constitution. I choose those words with preciseness and meaning.

Highly recommended for people ages 14+ (the reader must have a good grasp of the English language as many quotes are shared and principles explained in ways that people no longer seem to understand, since our government schools and lackadaisical grammar in today's authors have seemed to "dumb down" our population.)  A MUST READ.



View all my reviews

Merry Christmas 2019, Y'all!

"HO, HO, HO!"

We truly hope this finds you well & happy! Our family has had an eventful 2019 with the lowest of lows & the highest of highs - LOTS of growth & BIG changes for us. Our highlights:

EMILY (18): Broadway Musicals; TREK (Pioneer trek reenactment), Bought 1st cowboy hat/boots, Prom, High School Graduation, Started college online, Works at Chick-Fil-A, Huge church Regional Youth Conference, Took up Yoga, Especially for Youth Camp, Young Women’s Camp, Queen Rhapsody concert, Josh Turned Concert at Billy Bob’s Texas, Performed with Millennial Choirs & Orchestras in Carnegie Hall/Toured NYC, Colored her hair, Colored it again, Classical Art Class, Young Women’s High Adventure, Volunteer at Second Chances dog/cat rescue shelter, State Fair of Texas (it’s a thing!), Changed 1st flat tire on road, 1st Live Artist Sketch, Overcame huge obstacles and came out on top shinning like a Christmas Star! So very proud of her!

JONATHAN (25): Country Fan Fest Concert, Learned/Poured/Worked with A LOT of cement, Moved back to Texas, Blue October concert, Began first “real career job” at AmerisourceBergen, moved into his first “on his own’ apartment, Will be completing his last year of college online with hopeful graduation in Dec 2020. Loves to buy guns, rifles, and anything else that goes “Bang!” So very proud of the man he is, his integrity and work ethic, and for putting himself through college cash-on-the-barrel and graduating debt-free! Big boy is now officially his “own house-hold”. Sniff sniff.

JESSICA (29): Works at Chase Bank in telephone center in Claims Dept. She & Taylor continue to live in Richardson, where they are raising Genna (turns 3 in Dec). She shares custody of Orli (turned 6 in Jun) on the weekends. We try to spend time with them when all our schedules permit. LOVE those little girls! Being grandparents is all the fun part of being a parent, but none of the not-so-fun part of being a parent! Haha!

BOB & TERI (forever 49): 1” away from being Empty-nesters! Bob still Regional Director of End-point Support with AmerisourceBergen. Surprised when recognized by Golden Arrow District of Boy Scouts of America in Jan. for his 15+ yrs in scouting & awarded the District’s highest award: District Award of Merit (it’s like the Silver Beaver Award, only on  the District Level rather than the national level.) DJ/Light/Sound services for churches, companies, organizations, individuals. Provided sound for TREK, Traveled to ID several times on business, Visited Jonathan in ID & got to be part of their infamous Bonfire & Country Dance Night, Provided sound/Technology for Church’s Regional Youth Conference, NYC Touring with Emily, Provided Sounds/Light/Tech for Young Women’s Camp (Emily has loved having him at her camp each year!),
Bob was called earlier this year to be the 1st Counselor to the Bishop of our Ward (congregation), is still the Stake Assistant Clerk/Technology Specialist, Serves & ministers to others daily. TERI keeps busy keeping the home fires burning, being Stake Public Affairs Social Media Specialist (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and website - check it out at www.latterdaysaintsinplano.com), Assistant Ward Newsletter Editor, Relief Society (women’s organization) Ministering Sister and Secretary, Stake Center (church building) Building Scheduler, Admin for the Texas Dallas Missionary Moms and California Bakersfield Missionary Moms Facebook groups, running the Founder1787 Facebook and Instagram sites (in lieu of teaching the MOA class this year), and keeping the family and home organized and put-together, on top of surpassing my self-imposed reading challenge this year of reading a book per month (15 and counting so far! Check out my name on goodreads.com to connect, if you’re a reader too!) Bob and I celebrated our 30th ANNIVERSARY this year in February! Forever isn’t long enough with this great and honorable man! Love doing Life with him!

Remembering the Real Reason for the Season,
We Wish You A Very Merry Christmas & A Happy, Blessed New Year!

Bob receiving the Golden Arrow District's "District Award of Merit" for his over=15 years of superior dedicated service to BSA and his community

Emily at Carnegie Hall

Emily with her best friend, Kathryn, all decked-out at QUEEN concert

QUEEN concert Tshirt souvenir

Bob visiting Jonathan at BYU-ID

Emily and her date, Joshua, at Prom Spring 2019

Happy 30th Anniversary to us! Haven't change a bit! haha!

Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! Jonathan in one of his elements :)

Look who Jonathan ran into at the airport...

One of Jonathan's good friend and coworkers - working that cement!

Utah's County Fan Fest

Honey and the rest of us are Wishing Y'all a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!