Ward Choir

My calling at church is as the Ward Choir Director.  I have to say, there are times I absolutely love this calling.  Today is one of those days.  Today, the choir sang, "I Heard Him Come," in Sacrament Meeting.  I remember singing this song in choir when I was a teenager!  I've always loved the song and thought that it was about time that we hear it again!

Though our choir is not very large, especially compared to the amount of talen in our ward, they are so great!  I am grateful for those who come each week and join in singing hymns of praise!

Right now, we are preparing our Thankgiving-themed song, "Anthem of Praise."  This is one tough number, but the choir is doing well.  At the same time, we are also preparing for our Christmas Program.  Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, we are having the program on Christmas Day.  Though it shouldn't make a difference, I am so nervous about this and am working hard to make sure that we really invite the Spirit to be there to inspire and teach!

I had no idea at the time but am learning very quickly that Ward Choir Director can be a very challenging calling!!

WHEEL. OF. FORTUNE!!

My mom sent me an e-mail telling me that Wheel of Fortune was holding tryouts in the Seattle area.  Really, how many times does an opportunity to try out come around??  So, I talked Ed into it and we trekked down to Tacoma after work to try out. 

I was impressed at how like clockwork things seemed to run.  We got there, finally found a parking place, and got in line.  We filled out a registration form each and proceeded into the showroom where the tryouts were being held.

Not everyone gets to try out - bummer.  They take all of the registration forms from that session and put them into a big drum.  Kind of like bingo, they draw five names at a time for the opportunity to go up and try out for the show. 

Unfortunately, neither of our forms were drawn :(  Oh well - it was a fun experience nonetheless.  They told us that if our names were not called tonight that there's still a chance that we'll be called if our forms are drawn after the fact.  So, who knows...maybe we'll get to spin the big wheel yet!

Oh, the fun times we have...

Early in the summer, we received a letter from the water district advising us of a possible leak.  We checked all of the faucets inside and out - no leaks.  There was not a huge increase in consumption reflected in our bill, so we disregarded the notice. 

We received another notice in August along with the meter reader knocking on our door telling us the "leak indicator" was moving.  Ok, so we checked the faucets again and chalked it up to an increase of water consumption from the pressure washing we had done recently.  Hmm, bigger than usual water bill...maybe we should call someone out to come inspect our water main.  Yep, the leak indicator was running.

Ugh - we just put on a new roof, now this?  Really, how many more expensive surprises are in store for us?  So we knew that we had to do something - asked the water district for a blueprint of where our water main is...they don't have those kinds of things on file though!!!  Great!  So, we just dig and hope we find it?  Exactly!

Well, the month got away from us with paying for the new roof, Samantha's birthday...then today, we got our new water bill (drum roll, please)..............$738.50!  No kidding!!!  Where does that money come from?!  After I picked my jaw up off the ground, I showed Ed who decided it was a good day to come home from work a bit early and start digging!!

Thankfully, our brother-in-law, Ryan, had the afternoon off as well and came over to help Ed dig.  Of course, they had to turn off the water at the street so they could dig and not have the trench fill up with water, so we were without water Friday afternoon/evening.  On the plus side though, Ed and Ryan pretty much got the trench dug by the end of the day.

"The Trench"

Sure hoping no permanent damage to that lilac tree... :)

Because of no water, we ended up staying at my mom's Friday night.  The next morning, Ed finished digging the trench.  My brother, Matt, a jack-of-all-trades handyman, came over to assess the situation and help us identify what we needed to buy to replace and install the new main.  So glad to have family close by :)

Finally, the water was turned back on by Saturday night!  Another crisis...managed!  Now to write to the water district and request an exception to their rule and for help in lowering the water bill!!!

See?  Don't we know how to have fun?!?!

Letting in the Light!

Getting a new roof is kind of like buying insurance, you don't really want to, it's not fun, it's expensive, but it's necessary!  So, since it was time to re-roof the house, we decided to take the opportunity to make a couple of other improvements.

Work commences by pulling off the old roof!

Look at all that money just sitting up there in the form of shingles!  Ugh!

Sky lights

Still not quite finished - but so great, nonetheless!

And roofing half of the back deck

Next step, add the gutters - so excited about this!

I am so amazed and pleased with the extra light in our house!  It's truly so much brighter in here and I believe it will have a positive impact on our utilities bill...well, maybe moreso next Spring :)

As for the back deck, this will enable us to use the grill more frequently during adverse weather conditions.  And...the cat likes it! :)

Who knew that, aside from the expense, getting a new roof could be so rewarding?!

Gardening

Weather wise, we have had a pretty crummy Spring thus far.  In fact, it wasn't until this last week that we got above 70 degrees for the first time since November!  Needless to say, this has severely hampered our ability to plant our vegetable garden this year!

Hallelujah - the sun came out in Seattle!  Fearing that we may not see the sun for yet several more weeks, Ed and I jumped on the opportunity to get outside and get some things planted in our back yard.  So far, we only have broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes planted, along with the perennial strawberries, apples, blueberries and raspberries that are beginning to blossom!


Of course, so much of the fun this year was that Samantha came out to garden with us!  She watched excitedly from her walker while we planted our vegetables. 

Mmmm...apple juice makes me happy!

Love, love, love the little sun hat on her!

Hey, what's this green stuff??

Afterward, we put her down in the grass to play - she wasn't quite sure what to think of grass... 

Aw, can't we stay out and play a little longer?

We also visited all of the flowering plants in the front and side yards.  She was particularly fond of the lilacs - not so much the smell, but she loved grabbing a handful of the flowers and was pretty interested in seeing what they tasted like.  Needless to say, she was thwarted at every turn by mom reminding her that flowers are for pretties and for smelling, not for eating.  I know, right?  Mean mommy! :)

Now that we know the sun is going to kinda sorta stick around for a little longer, we can get back out to the garden this week and finish our planting!

Peaches, peaches, and more peaches...

Summer time = fresh fruits and vegetables = making jam and canning.

Last year, we bought 50 lbs. of peaches and canned half of them, made freezer jam with the other half. This year we again bought 50 lbs. of peaches but canned them all. That's right, in a matter of 4 hours or less, I cleaned, blanched, peeled, sliced, pitted, and 'jarred' all of the peaches. I followed up that act by adding simple syrup to all jars, sterilizing the lids, and finished preparing all jars for sealing. Sealing the jars is not my favorite part...I left that for Eddie! :)

Finally, with a 97% success rate (one jar didn't seal, so it just went in our fridge and we ate those peaches :) we ended up with

30 quarts of peaches!!

The best part of all of this? A co-worker had given Missi some canning jars and since she doesn't do any canning, she gave them to me! There were almost 50 quart jars and several pint/jelly jars. Yay - means all I needed to buy were lids and some rings! Thanks, Missi!! :)

Next project, making lots and lots of raspberry and strawberry jam!
Oh, if only I had the time...maybe in a few weeks, you know, after Missi's wedding! ;)

One Crazy March

Here we are, it's March 18th, and this has to be one of the craziest months for our family! Why, you ask? Well, here's a taste of our month:

• 
  
  I got REALLY sick with the flu - sick enough that we contemplated the ER but settled for the walk-in clinic.
• 
  
  The temple opened back up after its two-week closure. This is a good thing, but means we're back to early mornings on Saturdays (you know, 3:30AM early...).
• 
  
  Eddie and I went to the 3A High School Basketball Championships in Tacoma for 4 days. Eddie was there more than I was because he needed to take photos. I was there for a few games and helped in uploading pictures and writing some of the stories. Check it out at http://www.nwsnews.com/.
• 
  
  This last Sunday was our friend, Kylie's birthday. After racking our brains on what to get her, we decided on pre-ordering New Moon for her. I helped Kylie's mom in getting her cake ready and was able to help just a bit in the dinner prep.
• 
  
  I've gotten back into Family History work building her family tree on Ancestry.com and even e-mailing a distant cousin on my dad's side who lives in OLYMPIA! That's huge! My dad was an only child so most of his family now consists of cousins I've never met because they live in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and North Carolina. Next step, mini-family reunion to meet this cousin!
• 
  
  Seminary - I love teaching, so when I was asked to substtute for a week, I jumped at the chance. However, it's only when the time actually arrives that I remember how early Seminary actually is...I have been dragging this whole week but again, I love teaching. Even took them some cinnamon rolls with green icing for St. Patrick's Day yesterday!
• 
  
  Speaking of yesterday - it was my birthday!!! Yup, I'm not to the point of hating/fearing my birthday (if age is all in the mind, I turned 40 YEARS ago) but I'm past the point of being giddy about it. Started the day with Seminary, went to work for a bit, then decided, "it's my birthday, I'm taking the afternoon off!!!" When I got home, the Relief Society President dropped by with a card and we visited for a while - she is so great! Then Eddie came home and brought me some beautiful flowers and presents! We went to a family dinner at The Cheesecake Factory - so happy, my aunt Lois came to dinner too! I ordered my favorite - the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps. They're technically an appetizer, but what the heck, they're so good. For appetizers though we did have pot stickers and corn fritters. Can you believe they don't serve honey-butter there? I had to ask for some honey, butter, and a little dish and just made my own. YUMMY!! My mom suggested that we each get a piece of cheesecake for my birthday dessert - a great idea. I got the Key Lime Cheesecake, but was so full from dinner that the cheesecake is still in my fridge...mmmm! I think I need to learn to make Key Lime Cheesecake. Ok, then we went to my mom's and I opened some presents from my family and headed home because again, Seminary comes pretty darn early in the morning!
• 
  
  This weekend, working in the temple and we get to attend a family sealing of some friends in our ward!
• 
  
  Immediately following the temple, I have Stamp Camp. Now, I'm sure to some people that sounds dorky. Not so - I love crafty things. The hardest part for me is coming up with the ideas, not the actual crafting process so to go somewhere, spend time with my sister and with friends, be able to create something so cute - that's a great day!
• 
  
  After Stamp Camp it's off to Kylie's birthday party. This will be so fun, we are going to the IMAX theatre in Seattle to see "Alice in Wonderland." What will Eddie do without me all day?
• 
  
  Sunday - hmmm, Mia Maid Presidency Meeting, BYC, Church (playing the organ AND teaching YW), choir, Girls Camp Meeting, YW Presidency Meeting - I thought this was supposed to be a day of rest?
• 
  
  Next week - I have a vocal adjudication. AGHHHH!! I don't have my pieces memorized yet! One is a huge aria from La Cenerentola, then there's a German piece (why do I have such a difficult time memorizing this language? Pronouncing it - not the issue), there's a French piece (opposite problem here; no worries memorizing but pronouncing the French? Ugh!), and an English piece - not my favorite.
• 
  
  Since Eddie and I are a photographer/reviewer team for high school drama performances, we get to attend the local high school performances for free with our press passes. Those pics and reviews get posted to http://www.nwtnews.org/ and the next show for us will be, "The Wedding Singer," at Lynnwood High School sometime next week :)
• 
  
  Then we get to go to General Conference at the end of the month - very exciting!
• 
  
  Did I mention how much follow up is required every time Eddie goes to a high school event to photograph? He spends hours touching up and posting photos! Add his job hunting and church calling to that and he's a busy guy!!

March - in like a lion, out like a lamb? I don't think so - it's like a big ferocious jungle in here!!! Can March be over yet? Sleep? Who needs sleep?

Just imagine our schedule/life when we have kids - yup, still trying to adopt! We welcome any/all prayers on our behalf for miracles! :)