Halloween Costumes 2021

 This year, like every year the kids start planning their Halloween costume early, like as soon as school started. Dude saved up his money to buy a reaper costume and Luca turned a large box into a vending machine. Despite requests to help her improve the machine, she was perfectly satisfied with it as is and I am always going to be in love with child-created costumes. She told anyone and everyone that she is going to be a vending machine for Halloween and that she made her costume all by herself.

But then we had to drive to the church for the trunk or treat and she became nervous about all of the logistics of it and decided to revert back to her hot dog costume from last year.

I have to say, there were a shocking number of hot dogs parading around the church parking lot tonight.

Poor Dude felt ill earlier during the day, a headache he let go on too long, and wasn't sure that he was feeling up to going. He was so sad to give up this event that he has been looking forward to since it was announced earlier this month. He finally let me administer some medicine to him and rested while Luca and I left with instructions for his sister to Trunk or Treat in his behalf. Thankfully he felt better once the meds kicked in and he and Matthew made it to the church before it was all over. Luca is certain that he got more candy than he should have, but I'm just happy Halloween wasn't completely ruined for this boy, especially after 2020. Happy Halloween.

Pumpkin Carving 2021

 This year's pumpkin carving, sadly happened over the course of a few days. The kids took the earliest opportunity to carve theirs (Tuesday) while Matthew was in a work meeting. He couldn't do his and I knew mine was going to take too much work than I had time just then so I elected to work on mine later with Matthew. The kids were disappointed that we didn't get them all done together, but I loved watching them work on theirs; especially since now they can do it all from start to finish.

Dude was especially proud of himself since he needed zero help. Luca just needed help cutting out the hole.

Luca had way too much fun playing with the guts and giving her little pumpkin puppy a tongue.

So glad Matthew and I waited to do ours since Dude happily volunteered to wash and gut ours for us. I love that boy of mine!

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, the four wards in West Salem did a Trunk or Treat at the Stake Center so here are our pumpkins in an attempt to add more decoration to our car. The goal was to light them but the candles were surprisingly difficult to keep lit even in mild condition. We had to wait until we could get the pumpkins into the security of our house to get the full effect.

But there you have our masterpieces. (From Left to Right, Luca, Matthew, mine, Zachary)

New Calling

I have a short attention span. It's probably why moving around as much as I did for the first 30+ years of my life didn't bother me. I remember being in Macungie and having a calling for two years and not being released; I thought the bishop had forgotten about me. I found out that serving for at least two years was normal and even expected. Until that point I had never lived anywhere in my adult life even two years - weren't callings for only a year?

I have taught seminary for three years here in Salem; by far the longest I've ever had a calling. Back in February I started having feelings that this was my last year. I'm pretty sure it was Heavenly Father's way of helping me focus on my sweet students instead of the impending burnout. It was a very special last semester and I am grateful for my students and experience with seminary this last year. I was stretched and made to grow in even more ways I never knew I always needed. 

About 7 months ago we found out that our divorced Relief Society President was getting remarried and moving to Colorado with her family. I was absolutely certain I would be called to replace her. Like, waking up in the middle of the night with counselors and thoughts on how I would lead the women in our ward. I even got asked to meet with the Bishop to discuss the possibility of that calling. And then a couple weeks later someone else got called and I'm not sure I was disappointed so much as confused.

A few weeks after the new President got called, I was released from seminary and almost immediately called as our new Young Women President. I haven't served in this organization for 10 years and have only served in Young Women for maybe a year total of my adult life. I have also not served as President of anything since high school. I was so nervous and so excited all at the same time.

The first class presidency meeting I attended, the young women were talking about their upcoming camping trip. At first I sat there thinking, oh how fun for you guys. But then I remembered my role and thought, it's not you guys are going camping, it's WE are going camping. It's definitely been an adjustment, but a fun one. I am constantly impressed by these young women in my care. I admire them as I watch them care for each other and lead their classes in righteousness and love.

Years ago I served as a temple worker in the Boston temple. I remember feeling struck by the pure Christlike love I was blessed with as I served the patrons. I have often gone back to those feelings as such a special gift I was given. But having served in other callings since then, I now realize I have been blessed with that same love for all of those in my stewardship, especially the children and youth.

I am grateful for this new calling. Grateful for a new adventure. Grateful to have such wonderful women with whom I serve. Grateful to witness the amazing future of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in these incredible Young Women.

Here's some pictures of our activities.

Matthew's New Job

Matthew has been searching for a new job for the last several years, passively for a while, but increasingly more active as the years progressed. In the last few months he has had more interviews than the last few years combined. We have fasted and prayed about a new job so many times we knew that when the time was right it would happen and not a moment sooner.

Well last week, while he was travelling for work he had three interviews for a job in Tualatin. He had his first interview last Tuesday and said that I wasn't allowed to continually ask him if he heard back from the company, that he would tell me as soon as they did. A few hours later they asked him to talk with someone else the next day. True to his word, I knew almost as soon as he did.

He proceeded to have another interview Wednesday, Thursday, and because he was travelling on Friday, another one on Monday. He loved everyone he met and felt really optimistic about the company and his prospects for getting an offer.

Today, he came home from another business trip (his last one to Long Beach, CA) and received the awaited job offer from Powin Energy. It's not really more money, though it's not really less either. What it is is an opportunity to work in a really exiting industry, doing something he finds interesting, with greater chances to advance without having to move to New Jersey or really anywhere at all.

P.S. He told his boss this morning (Friday) and the conversation was a lot more difficult than he anticipated though I'm not surprised. He has worked with this boss since he started 6.5 years ago. He likes him. He respects him, and if there were more room for growth at Covanta, no doubt he probably would have stayed. 

We went to the temple tonight and both of us felt so peaceful about this new job. I asked Matthew if the last few years of hard have been worth it or just hard. He said he thought they'd been worth it though he's still not sure he can articulate why. 

I'm grateful that he has learned to trust in God and learned to have more confidence in himself. I'm grateful he feels Heavenly Father's love, not only now, but in the past, when he wasn't so sure. He can now look back and recognize God's love all along the way. What a beautiful evening.

So now Matthew has two weeks until he gets to be done with this taxing chapter of his life that brought us to Oregon (for which we are so grateful), that allowed us to reach lofty financial goals, that triggered some mental health issues, and allowed him flexibility to be at home with me. We are grateful for everything Covanta meant to us but we are so excited for a new chapter to begin.

Pumpkin Patch 2021

We didn't have school today, so my Melissa and I took our kids (well one of hers) to a local pumpkin patch. I love this pumpkin patch. No cover charge, nothing to buy except pumpkins. They have a corn maze we went through a couple of times and then let the kids run wild in for at least 20 minutes until Melissa and I got too cold waiting for them and moved everyone to the exit. It's just too bad that we now have almost 3 weeks to wait until we can carve these suckers. It doesn't matter how many times we have the pumpkins rot if you carve them too early conversation with the kids, they still want to carve them as soon as we bring them home. But it didn't rain on us, we got some good exercise, and some much needed cousin/sister time.