"You are down by ONE, Boy!" ~ The Genie from the movie Aladdin

We are down a kid. The ward had a campout tonight and we did go, but we didn't stay to camp. We thought about it and were planning on it, but this week got all crazy. Ryan's car had problems and was out of commission for a couple of days, which took extra time to fix and now Ryan feels like he's behind on the weekend even though it's barely started. Plus, he never had time to get the camping stuff out and we hadn't figured out what to do with the dog... so, we just went for the evening festivities, had fun, stayed late, and then came home. It's local though, on a ward member's property, and it was a lot of fun while we were there! I hope we do it again next year because I think everyone had a great time. We would even stay next time. lol

Acadia did stay, however. Our neighbors invited her to stay with them in their tent trailer. It's the perfect night to camp - cool enough that you want to have a campfire and get all snug in your sleeping bag, but not so cold that it's unpleasant. After a couple of days with cloudy/rainy weather, today was clear and the night sky was mostly clear so you could see some stars. I'm sure she'll have fun staying up late, roasting more marshmallows, and giggling with her friends. I'll enjoy sleeping in my comfy bed. :)

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!!!

I love living in the Pacific North West!!!

Last night as I was heading to bed early, I heard the most welcome sound - raindrops! I love the sound of rain and I especially love the sound of rain at night when I'm going to bed. It is calming and peaceful. It makes me feel safe to lay in my comfy bed while listening to the rain on the roof.

It's been too long. We haven't had any rain for a long time - at least a month. The last real good rain I remember was on the day of Cadi's b-day party in June. I'm sure it's rained since then, I just don't remember it.

We will have the rain with us for just a couple of days and then we'll go back to our normal summer weather - 80s and maybe even 90s by next week! This little break is most welcome. :)

Coming soon... My new deck!!!

Dare I hope this could be true? Might I have a completed deck in less than a month?!?!

Typically, home projects are slow going at our house... very. slow. going. Example: Remember the shed that Ryan started building Spring of 2008? Yeah, it still does not have a door. It's functioning in part; the loft is storing lots of storage, but it is not "finished". I have no clue when it will be.

Whenever we've really needed to complete a project, we've called in the big guns: Ryan's step-father. Farl is very handy, he has more experience with these kinds of things and is a good worker that keeps Ryan motivated to keep going. And that is exactly what I'm hoping will do the job this time.

We've always known we would need/want to replace the deck. We love it, but it's old and worn. Then a couple of years ago, when we reroofed, the awning had to be torn down because it had been attached to the house improperly and we couldn't do the roofing with it on. That was okay because Ryan promised me it would be replaced before the next summer. Yeah, that was a couple of years ago... you do the math. ;)

A couple of weeks ago, it go super hot here and we were sorely missing the shade the old deck awning used to provide our house. We resorted to rigging up a tarp to minimize the sun's direct hit on the house... but it just does not compare to a real awning... and it looks SO WHITE TRASH!!!

So now Ryan has arranged for a week off and I just booked Farl's flight up here... Which means, the first week of September is going to bring me a new deck!! We are rebuilding the current deck (adding back the awning) and extending a portion out that will be uncovered, too.

Yay!!!

Rori Cuteness

When we sat down for dinner last night, Ryan asked Rori to say the prayer. He asked her if she wanted him to help her, she said no. He asked her if she wanted Mommy to help her, she said no. "Rori, who do you want to have help you?"

She said... "Jesus."

Just a few notes...

Between the leadership meeting Saturday morning and the high council speakers yesterday, I had an awesome, uplifting, spiritual weekend! Here are just a few of the notes I took:

•It takes a pretty good meeting to make it better than no meeting at all. (And this was a pretty good meeting. :) )

•It is better to carry out a plan that is "not as wise" if you are united, than to try to carry out a better plan when you are divided.

•The top two things on President Monson's mind: 1) "It is time to rescue 'the lost battalion'." And, 2) Simplify.

•When a member complained about all the problems they were having with their building, one of the apostles turned to him and said, "In Africa, we hold our meetings under a Mango tree. You'll be fine."

•If we focus on the proclaiming and redeeming, the perfecting will take care of itself.

•Teach the doctrine, not habits, and then people will understand and have a desire to do the habit themself.

•The pioneers didn't know what they were capable of when they were first called either.

•We live on the highway of life and there are blindspots along the way, we need to be careful and look for them.

•Being kind has to do with how you think and how you act; it is a matter of choice.

•Don't justify mean-spirited humor.

•We can control our body, including our tongues.

•If we want to change the world, we need to change ourselves. Act with kindness.

•We don't need to be called far from home or to hold certain positions in the church in order to build the kingdom.

•What role/responsibility do we have in building up the kingdom? Are we spectators or participants? The Lord needs participants.

•What are we doing with our talents?

•Church leaders are not super heroes. They are just honest people who are willing to exercise and develop their talents.

•Align our actions with our conscience. Are we focused on what matters most? What is distracting us from our duties?

Impressed

There may have been some moaning and groaning when we heard about our 8am meeting on a Saturday morning, but when it came down to it, we were there. (All of the members of ward councils from 6 stakes. Some had to drive as much as an hour and a half to get here!) I was surprised that when I arrived 15 minutes early that the parking lot was already more than half full and the chapel was full. (I guess I expected it to be nearly empty until just before it was time to start.) By the time the meeting started, the cultural hall was filled as well, with people sitting on the stage.

At 8am on a Saturday morning.

My testimony was strengthened.

I am grateful for the men and women who hold leadership positions and are the kind of people that would get up that early on their "day off", just because we were asked to. Like Elder James Perry (from one of the quorums of the Seventy) told us, those in ward councils know that Saturday mornings are precious. lol He repeated what President Packer has said: It takes a really good meeting to be better than no meeting at all.

And it was; it was a really good meeting. :)

Rule of life #26

Rori has learned another "rule of life" recently:

Car CD players are not juke boxes, even if they do play music. And if you put money in them, they stop working and your mom and dad might get very mad.