I'll go, I'll say, I'll be.

This past week(+) has been good.

We are still waiting on the police report in order to start any kind of resolution to the accident.

Hmmmm... that sure is taking a long time. Limboland is not my favorite place to be haha.

We found a car for Bill. We had gone back and forth on how much to spend, but kept finding cars a little bit cheaper than the last one we had looked at, finally purchasing a 2-owner (non-fleet/non-rental) Honda (our first) for the happy price of $5000. We took it to a nearby auto shop to have it looked over before purchasing (it got 2 thumbs up), and as we walked out, were pleasantly surprised to see this adorable scene:

There were actually 3 little fawns, but I couldn't get them all in a pic before they were startled and moving away from us. It was so random that I happened to snap the kissing picture... seriously the cutest thing ever. I think it was a sign that things are going to be okay {smiley face}.

And here's the car:

It's a tender mercy that we found a honey of a car that we could pay cash for.
Bill did, however, acquire a nice too-big-to-repair rock chip + crack on about his 3rd day driving it. I swear, he must still need some serious humbling hahaha.

My bannister is finally finished, just in time to have our friends, the Stewarts, over for dinner and FHE. Marci and I have been going to the temple together ever since BillBill was called as bishop. Her husband had been our bishop for about 9 months when our ward split. She is a bit lot younger than I, but she has been a huge blessing (= tender mercy) in my life. We all chuckled a bit when the boys, who had been out in our super amazing back yard (not), grilling some burgers, came into the kitchen to find Marci and I crying. That's what we do when we're together, we told them. Hahahaha. She had just been called as the Young Women President of her ward, and we were just sharing a few tears over her anxiousness and our knowledge that she would be magnified. Our cute daughters probably thought we were nuts.

We went to our favorite nearby park for a while (and, crazily, shivered from the cold), came back for dessert and a message (thanks, Mar, you're the best), then said our good-byes. It was a great night, although I snapped nary a picture. I've got to get better at that.

On Tuesday, I got to see Donny & Marie.

My friend Tiffany and her mom had purchased tickets a long time ago, and one of their friends who had planned to attend with them, became sick and couldn't go. Tiffany called Monday and asked if I wanted the ticket. OF COURSE. Seriously, the timing couldn't have been better.

The show was so fun, the evening was beautiful, and I was grateful for the opportunity to go. I had the chance to catch up with my dear friend, too, who has had her share of trials, some intensifying recently. She is such a great example of pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ. Truly, another tender mercy to have her give me a call.


I was finally called to be a visiting teacher. I have been praying for the opportunity to get to know some people in our area and ward, and this is just the ticket. I visited 2 of my 3 sisters this past week, and LOVE THEM. I am so glad for the chance to get to know them (and my partner, who couldn't go this month) and serve them.


On Friday we were finally having our shower door installed, and I was looking forward to using it... today. That is, until the installer {accidentally} shattered the glass.

 Ooops.
I felt bad for him... and for Bill and me. I think it's another 2 weeks before we can get another one.

We've taken more baths in the past couple of months than in the previous 15 years combined.


Bill and I signed up to help clean the temple - a first for us. We were assigned to empty garbage cans, which meant WE GOT TO GO INTO EVERY ROOM IN THE ENTIRE TEMPLE. It was like being able to go to the open house, except in a killer white too-large jumpsuit carrying a giant trash bag around with you haha. The sister over housekeeping told us that they had just replaced about 140 pieces of artwork throughout the temple, so we got to see all of it as we went from room to room. I have wondered why some of the art in the temples is not available for purchase (and had noticed that the newer temples I've been to have lots of artwork I've never seen before). She told us that the Church wants to have artwork that is for temples only. Pretty cool. Let it be known, the new artwork in the Denver Temple is beautiful. We also did some drop-cloth folding, vacuuming, and plant-moving. It was a blessing to be able to serve in the temple in a new way.

Just when I was feeling good and comfortable with all the crazy changes we've made the past 6 months, I was extended a calling yesterday. You know, something to make me spin and stress and possibly panic at random moments. Something to take me out of my comfort zone and require the commitment of a saint (which I'm not, but striving to be haha)... an early morning Seminary teacher.
Gulp.

We are heading out of town this week and I won't be back until the week school starts (Seminary starts the following week). I've already missed most of the in-person training that has been held over the summer. I'll be teaching at a building other than our own, to kids that go to a school other than Mauri's. All week I've had these words going through my head (also from the VT message this month)... and I know this is why.

I'll go where you want me to go,
I'll say what you want me to say,
I'll be what you want me to be.

The happy news is that I am a team teacher (our last Stake didn't do that, so happy this one does). I can't connect up with my co-teacher (a 4-year veteran) until I'm back because I didn't get sustained and set apart today (shhhhh... don't say anything... yet). It will make the next couple weeks... contemplative.

Needing some serious magnification.

Life is sweet.

I had to share a few quick favorite FB finds today

(yes, there are some really great benefits to occasionally perusing!)

This...

and this:

and this:

These two short clips are worth the time watching, I promise.

Have a beautiful day!

Keeping on.

A quick update today.

My parents called yesterday to make sure Bill was still doing okay and that we were doing okay overall. They had been worried and concerned for us, had offered prayers in our behalf, and had put our names in the temple. We have been surrounded by tender mercies, which I don't doubt are the result of such care.

It is a huge blessing that Bill is doing as well as he is. He is still sore around the right side of his torso where the seatbelt restrained him so well. Possibly a torn muscle or a bruised/cracked rib. He spent Saturday morning working in the yard, and gave an excellent talk in church yesterday, so hooray for being able to keep on keeping on. 

As we video chatted with our UT kids yesterday, he shared a few more details that I hadn't heard:

He was briefly in a state of shock immediately following the accident, and it took him a minute or two to grasp what was going on. Initially, he said, he didn't want to even move. The car was full of smoke and steam, and he was worried that it might start on fire, which finally got him going. It took concerted effort to open his door. Once he was out and had communicated with the other drivers, he realized he didn't have his glasses on. Upon a thorough search of his car, he finally found them in the back seat. I am grateful for 18-year-old airbags and seatbelts that still function properly, despite the fact that the airbag light has blinked incessantly at the driver since the first year we owned the car (2008) hahaha. (We had it checked over the years and were told the driver airbag was FOR SURE still in functioning order, but the passenger airbag may or may not be.)

This week I started in on a project for baby E, and found this uplifting thought on the edge of the fabric:

I can't help but think of this little proverb in terms of Jesus Christ.
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

I've also been blessed through my personal scripture reading. Here are a couple amazingly relatable scriptures I read today in Mosiah 29:

"...the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just." (v 12)

"But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him." (v 20)


I also felt that our lesson in Relief Society yesterday was a tender mercy. The teacher focused for a bit on President Hinckley's counsel to "stand a little taller," which led to a discussion about what happens when we do that... if we always had a stool to stand on to make us taller...? It gives us perspective. A better vantage point. It helps remove the daily worldly clutter we can get buried in and allows us to focus on the things that are most important. A sister made the comment about how, after driving around in her large SUV, she hates to drive her husband's smaller car because she can't see anything.  She doesn't know me, and no one in the ward knew about Bill's accident (which that exact circumstance played a part in). Coincidence? I think not. ("I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real, and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord's timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them." ~ Elder Bednar)

I know everything will be okay.


I've continued working on this little project... it's looking SO MUCH BETTER!

 On Wednesday I plan to start putting the finish coat on, and then hopefully start painting the balusters on Thursday. We've invited some friends to dinner and FHE next Monday night... always great motivation to complete projects hahaha. However, if I would have known how much joy and satisfaction just painting the railing would bring me, I would have done it much sooner {wink}.

And here's where the dogs love to hang out every morning:

I don't mind, except for when I need to go up and down the stairs. Ava will ALWAYS move the second she thinks you're heading her way. Jack, on the other hand, refuses to move a muscle, which means I have to carefully step in the small spaces around him. It's so funny how different those two are. I discovered today that the house directly behind us has two long-haired mini dachshunds, too... a brown and a black one. Coincidence? Who knows! The dog commonality has given us a good reason to go meet them, at least.


I love love love snaps of my favorite grandgirls...
they bring a smile to my face no matter what's going on.

Bill and I are doing some car shopping this week in the hopes we can secure another amazing used vehicle that will serve it's purpose as well as our dear departed '99 Maxima. He has classes W-F, so I guess we have... today and tomorrow. I'd better get hoppin'.

Burdens and patience.

Happy July 5th.

This morning as I was reading my scriptures, my phone kept ringing.
Bill's phone had literally kicked-the-bucket yesterday morning, and he had gone sans phone for a whole day, but had used my phone this morning to make a few work and business calls. He had left for work, telling me he needed to get to the office asap to... take care of business haha. I figured the calls I was receiving on my phone were follow-ups to his earlier calls that morning, and let most of them slide. I noticed a number that called, then immediately called again, so I decided to pick up to inform them that Bill would be in the office... momentarily.

It was Bill.
He was using {someone else's} phone to call, and he had been in a car wreck.
I asked if he was okay, and he said he thought he was for now, but could I please bring proof of insurance (haha... from the president of an insurance company) and a vehicle for him to use. I grabbed Mar, we hopped into two cars, and headed on our way. When we arrived at the scene of the accident, this is what we found:

 Our 1999 220,000+ miles Nissan Maxima... totaled.
(Believe it or not, a sad day at our house.)

 This white Mercedes SUV is what Bill crashed into.

This silver Lexus SUV is what the white Mercedes crashed into.

And this white Hyundai Santa Fe is what the silver Lexus crashed into.

Bill received the ticket.
Gulp.

I am livid. I am outraged. I am sick.
Let me plead the case, and please let me know your thoughts.

Bill said that the white car had signaled to get into his lane, he let her in, and she almost immediately slammed on her brakes. He had no time to react, thus hitting into her. (*Update: Bill said he never saw brake lights... I think he was using the phrase "slammed on her brakes" because she had come to an abrupt stop.)

According to the policeman who issued the ticket, that means that Bill hit into her so hard that it caused ALL THAT DAMAGE TO TWO SUVS PLUS MINOR DAMAGE TO ANOTHER.

He must have been hauling it, lemme tell ya, and those other people must have been at a dead stop, which is pretty much impossible, as he had just let the white SUV into his lane going his same speed (which had to be somewhere between 35-45 mph).

My theory:
The white SUV pulled into the lane (going, again, 35-45 mph), the driver may have been a bit distracted by... a phone? a child? (she had two little ones - one probably around 6 months old, one under 2 - luckily uninjured) looking away briefly? (or behind... checking rearview mirrors?) then realized the car in front of her was STOPPED, so slammed her brakes JUST AS SHE HIT INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER. There were no visible skid marks to show she hit her brakes before hitting into that car. That action STOPPED her dead in her tracks, which gave Bill no time to react, so he hit into her. (*Update: upon looking at the pictures - over and over - the biggest damage to her car was on the front right, and the biggest damage to the Lexus' rear was on the left. I have since surmised that she tried a last-second swerve to avoid crashing into the Lexus, and that it's likely she didn't even brake at all. There is no way that she was stopped directly behind the Lexus or the damage would be more even to the front of her car and the back of the Lexus.)

I believe SHE WAS AT FAULT.

Bill had absolutely NO distractions (no phone, no kids, no nothing).

Bill had to slow down to let her into the lane.

There is no way a small OLD Maxima could have caused 3 SUVs that much damage unless he was going freeway speeds and they were all completely stopped. Even then, I doubt it.

There is no way she could have been at a complete stop without hitting the cars in front of her in the amount of time between Bill letting her into the lane, and the crash.


Take another look at the damage on the vehicles... does my theory seem logical?

I am so angry at a policeman who quickly assesses, makes his own assumptions, and writes out one ticket in such a case, not even recognizing the possibility that more than one person could be at fault. (Oh, and he briefly interviewed drivers in reverse order: Hyundai, Lexus, Mercedes, then Bill... and all the front two drivers can possibly know is that they were hit from behind. Period. They have absolutely NO SAY in who they think caused the accident. The woman who caused the accident would OF COURSE claim that Bill hit into her rather than admitting she made some stupid error and caused the whole thing. And Bill couldn't see anything in front of the Mercedes once she was in his lane, so he could not possibly see a slow down/brake lights, etc... and he couldn't see if she had hit the other car first... I am making that deduction based on the damage to the other vehicles.)

This is Bill's windshield, which, btw, already had a full-window crack in it. I believe the airbag deployment is what probably cracked it more. I honestly can't believe that his vehicle only had the front hood damage, but that he crashed into other vehicles, much larger than his, and caused them to get such major damage.

Too much rehash?? haha. I would seriously appreciate opinions. I am not trying to blame someone not at fault, but don't want to PAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE (that's what it feels like) for someone else's mistake.


This is what I was reading right before the phone call:

"And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."
(Mosiah 24)

As shared in the quote I mentioned yesterday, I truly feel that the scriptures are God speaking to us and giving us direction and comfort about our current problems.  (So current that I was probably reading that at the moment Bill's crash happened haha.)


See? I told you. I'm trying to learn patience.
Trying to improve at learning patience cheerfully, too.

America the Beautiful.

I wanted to quickly post about our July 4th activities this morning, but was interrupted by a phone call from Bill. He had been in a car wreck. To keep thing chronological, I will share about that in a separate post next. That might also give me a few minutes to digest my thoughts and feelings about it.

On to the fourth.

We slept in {smiley face}.

We decided to take a hike that morning, and let Mar choose between Garden of the Gods and Palmer Lake. Mar's never been to either, and it would be a first for all of us to Palmer Lake. Some friends from our ward (yes, I do have ONE friend, who we happened to know from Parker years back, and who had moved to Castle Rock about 5 years ago -- she had invited us over for s'mores Sunday evening... so nice!! especially after my particularly rough bout of friendlessness I had been struggling with) had mentioned the Palmer Lake hike, and said it had shady spots and was a nice, moderate hike. From experience, Bill and I shared with Mar that Garden of the Gods was pretty much shadeless, but had lots of really cool rock formations. She thought the lake sounded nice, so we grabbed a few items, loaded up, and made the 30 minute drive to the trailhead.

The only backpack I could find was this nice pink one, which Bill said he had no problem carrying haha.

 We used to have an entire large bin of backpacks, but in The Great Purge most were discarded due to lack of use. I held on to this pink one because it was in the best condition, and thought that if Mar needed to use it for school, she'd be fine with pink. We've decided that we want to do more hikes, so for now, we'll make good use of this little pink baby.

It was a beautiful day, the air was full of a glorious pine scent, and, despite the fairly steep incline on a hot day, we found shady spots along the way to rest.

There were actually two reservoirs along the way... this was the little one.

And here's the bigger one.

We stopped and ate a little lunch of bagels and grapes...

...and we may have fed this little duck half of my very dry bagel (luckily Bill's and Mar's were better).

This hike is in Pike National Forest, which is the SAME national forest that Pike's Peak is in, which inspired the lyrics to America the Beautiful.
Feeling patriotic.

It was the perfect activity on the perfect day.

Afterwards, we came home and made some yummy {and patriotic} slushies to cool ourselves down,

 (I was the true patriot - on the right - with red raspberry, coconut, and blue raspberry - which turned into a little purple-mountains-majesty haha... plus a little snow-cap on top -- sooooooo yum!)

 and watched Forrest Gump for a bit. (Mar had seen it for the first time a few days earlier at a friend's house, and wanted to watch it again. We skipped the dog poopy parts.)

That evening we headed to our friends', the Leaks, home for dinner and a show. I am truly thankful for their friendship over the past 13+ years. Their entire family is always so gracious and welcoming and kind. We love you guys!!

 They had ALL their kids there (4 + 3 spouses), and ALL their grandchildren (9).
Made me a bit wistful.
The Sisters also joined us for the show, as they are currently living with the Leaks.

Bill, Mar, and I laid back on the grass, enjoying the sounds and smells of a proper 4th of July.

We watched the big shows that night from their deck in the back. We could see Castle Rock's fireworks - it looked like an awesome show - but Parker's started a bit late, and Mar and I may have taken a dozer in the middle somewhere.

It was a good celebration.
God bless America!

A little house catch up.

We've been collecting bids on finishing our basement, and whoa, doggy! those bids are HIGH.

AUUUUUGGGGHHH.

Just when you think you've achieve a worthwhile financial goal, shazaam!, another bite out of the budget.

We aren't even finishing ALL of the basement, thanks to the not-so-well-placed furnace and drain. Fortunately, I'm okay with half of the basement being unfinished storage (+ a treadmill and elliptical "workout" area). However, I had high hopes of a low-cost finish for the other half.  Bill and I are working through details (and waiting for a couple more adjusted bids) so we can make the best decision. We would both rather NOT do tons of the work ourselves (we are seriously sooooo tired), but if it saves a hefty chunk of change, we're willing able. More to come on that subject, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, I'll share a quick couple of pics I've remembered to snap of our house progress. They are a bit boring, but they help me feel that SOME progress is being made hahahaha.

The master bath mirrors are finally up.

 Can I hear a hallelujah?

This particular mirror/light combo is nice for my aging eyes, as the mirror is closer to me, and those lights let me see (sans contacts) all that hair on my face haha. Wowza. I had a lot. Thanks to the increased visibility, I should be able to keep it in check better. No granny beards, mustaches or uni-brows for me!

 Since snapping these pics, we have since moved that towel ring over... 

it was crowding the mirror a bit.

On to the master closet.

 (BTW, these wire shelves are NOT my favorite. It's going to take some adjusting to get used to them.)

I'm the first to admit I have a whole lotta crap stuff. I've sorted and purged several times, and will probably do it again in the next year or so, but for now, at least it's wrangled and labeled.

Bill and I went from each having our own walk-in closet to sharing one... but, again, after a few purge sessions, it works perfectly. And I haven't missed a single thing {so far}.

 Back in the old days, Bill coached the kids' rec soccer teams. Parker Rec gave him really nice plaques to thank him for his time, and I have always wanted to get them hung for him.

I finally did it.

Today I hope to start painting the bannister. If I don't start, it won't ever get finished, right?
Starting. Today.

I will just briefly mention that I'm still struggling a bit with the new neighborhood/ward/stake.
What the heck??
This happened last time I moved, too.

Yesterday during testimony meeting I almost had a meltdown as several ward members said things like, "As most of you know, this week has been a hard/devastating/challenging week for our family.... but we were so blessed by our amazing ward who brought in meals... took the kids... texted and called..." I know NOTHING. And I'm naturally a bit of an introvert, which makes it even trickier to be new. I'm okay that we've been here 6 weeks (ish?) and I don't have a calling. I've been away a lot and plan to be away more this year, so I really don't think that's where my struggle is (although I'd be totally happy to be a visiting teacher...). I think it's just not being able to walk into any ward meeting and KNOW people... being able to chat with them about what's going on in their lives... knowing they know you (and your quirky personality and your family and some details of your life) and they still like/love you.

I'm also at a new{ish} stage of life where I have no desire to sign up for the ward "mommy text list" they sent around in RS on Sunday. I'm not quite part of the old folks group, (retired, lots of hours to spend working at the temple, doing family history work, serving missions), but I'm definitely not part of the younger-children-at-home-let's-swap-child-care-and-have-play-dates group either.

I know this will pass... it just takes time (until I AM a part of the older group?? haha).


I have learned a few things, though, in this process:

Fixer-uppers are not my favorite, and if I can help it, I won't go that route again.

Moving is not my favorite. I hope to only do it once more in my life.

Having your husband released from a demanding calling doesn't necessarily mean he's at home a lot more. And in our current situation, when he's home, he's got a long list of projects to work on.

I am the least resilient in my family. I struggle the most with change every time.

Patience is a virtue I obviously need to work on.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Spiritual upliftment for the day:
"One of the most important things learned in reading the scriptures is how to hear the voice of the Lord to us. Instruction comes not only from reading the words; when we prayerfully ponder them, the Lord can speak to us 'between the lines.' In other words, he can speak to us about our current problems while we are reading the content of the scriptures. In fact, the very act of reading them (it almost doesn't matter where) seems to open the door to direction from the Lord if we approach our reading humbly. The scriptures are one of the greatest tools we have for communicating with the Lord." (Gene R. Cook)