WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON HERE

Kyle came to spend some time with us. (I hope he doesn't get too bored!) Thursday we drove to Las Vegas. We had decided to get tickets to some of the Mountain Conference Basketball Tournament games. BYU was playing. We saw them play Thursday night and they won. We stayed in Vegas Thursday night and saw them play again Friday night. BYU was unable to pull off a win in a close game. We were glad we went and had good time. I was feeling pretty good. We even had time for a little shopping. We were unable to get a place to stay Friday so had to drove home after the game.

I think Brian told you he has a little garden plot. Here he is getting the water pipes in. We figure it will cost us plenty to see if we can actually grow something. But, it is a project for Brian to see if he can revive his farmer skills from his youth.

Saturday was quite the day here. A nasty storm blew in, and it was really something. I have never seen the wind blow that hard. There was a little rain, but it was the wind that really took over. It was so loud blowing around the house. The wind knocked out our satellite so we lost our TV, phone and internet. There was some sad faces around here as there was plenty of basketball action that the guys missed on TV. We sent Kyle up on the roof today to see if he could reposition the dish. We did get the internet back on, but no TV. They will come tomorrow, hopefully. This is what we have been up to.

UNEXPECTED KINDNESS

I Have had several unexpected surprises in the last few weeks.

First, visits from good friends. Steve and Dorene were here, and it was nice to see them. Dorene, her twin sister and I had lunch one day at Cafe Rio. And guess, what they went with me to get my ear pierced. I decided I needed something new.

Second, on Sunday afternoon we had a visit from Joyce and Farrell. It was good to laugh and share a afternoon with them.

Third, our neighbor, Danette, brought over a nice bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup and bread, plus dessert was cream puffs. Very nice. It is always good to eat someone's cooking.

Fourth, yesterday arriving home from my 3rd chemo session, there was a big box of Hawaiian flowers waiting for me. Denny and Diane (Shannon's parents) are in Hawaii, and it was so sweet of them to send the flowers. As you can see they are quite lovely. They are two of the most thoughtful people anywhere. But, I have been the recipient of lots of kindnesses lately.

HAVING A SENSE OF HUMOUR HELPS

Here are some benefits only chemo patients can enjoy!

No more spending money on expensive shampoo, conditioner, hair spray and other hair products.

Don't need to buy hair color.

I save time by not having to do any of the above.

I can take a 2 1/2 minute shower.

I save additional time not having to blow dry or style my hair.

I don't have to shave anywhere.

I have a good excuse to take a nap every afternoon.

I receive more cards, letters, packages and phone calls than anyone I know.

Brian buys me whatever I ask for. Last night he stood in a line for 45 minutes so I could have a frozen custard.

I can be quite a trendsetter wearing my hats and scarves because no one else does.

(Does that make me a trendsetter or a nerd?)

I don't cook unless I feel like it.

Brian can no longer "get in my hair!"

But is it worth it?

IT'S YOUR DAY, SHAREEN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAVE A GREAT DAY. KNOW YOU ARE LOVED AND THOUGHT ABOUT TODAY. I'M SO GRATEFUL YOU ARE OUR DAUGHTER.

HAVE YOUR READ YOUR ENSIGN?

I was impressed when I read President Monson's article in the Ensign. He suggested we ask ourselves these questions.

Am I what I want to be?

Am I closer to the Savior today than I was yesterday?

Will I be closer yet tomorrow?

Do I have the courage to change for the better?

I had to stop and ponder those questions. I wish I could always answer, yes.

WHAT'S IN YOUR FREEZER?

We decided to take inventory of the freezer and eat all the contents before we bought more food other than dairy products. This may take a few weeks!

Listed below is what we found:

Salmon fillets - already consumed

3 creamies - consumed by Brian

1 lb of lean ground beaf - made into a delicious stew for last evening - enough for several more meals

Chicken nuggets

Walnuts

1 boca burger

Chicken strips

4 cheese raveolis

2 loaves of bread

1 bag of sandwich rolls

Honey wheat sandwich thins

12 bagel pizza bites

2 chicken cordon blue

1 chicken burrito

1.5 packages of hot dogs

4 ice cream treats

Meat balls

Corn dogs

Frozen turkey

Chicken

Sweet and sour pork

5 frozen juices

4 pack of pizza - Brian's favorite!

1 single pizza

Frozen veggies

2 zucchini squash

3 bags of strawberries

Parmesan cheese

Frozen peaches and blueberries

English muffins

Turkey chilli bread bowls

Garlic chicken dinner with pasta and veggies

Frozen spinach

1 package clam chowder soup

2 hamburger patties

2 packages of tortillinis

1 package pork sausage

1 deep dish single pizza

What's in your freezer?

There are additional posts for you to check out!

MORE HAPPY SURPRISES

TODAY IS WHAT YOU WOULD CALL A BONUS DAY AT THE MAIL BOX. IT WAS FULL OF WONDERFUL SURPRISES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY. I HAD ALREADY SHOWED YOU THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS JULIA SENT, BUT NOW JUST LOOK AT THE GOODIES WE RECEIVED. KRISTIE SENT A NEW FAMILY PICTURE, A CD SHE HAD MADE AND THE CUTE WILLOW TREE FIGURE,. SHAREEN HAS MADE TWO CD'S OF FAMILY PICTURES, PLUS A CUTE HOMEMADE VALENTINE FROM ANYA, SHANNON MADE US A WONDEFUL LITTLE ALBUM OF FAMILY PICTURES AND TO TOP IT OFF, WE RECEIVED AN ENVELOPE OF HOMEMADE VALENTINE'S FROM THE KIDS IN GRAFENWOEHR. WE DO FEEL LOVED! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I LOVE YOU.