Making New Memories While Enjoying Old Memories...

Monday, March 16th, saw me a bit tired as Sunday night sleep was not happening. I spent my time awake relistening to the Relief Society Birthday Devotional talks and highlighting them. I want to use quote as part of the Relief Society newsletter for April. Good use of the time when one can't sleep.

I had a very productive time at my laptop. I finished my Blog for the previous week and got all pictures labeled and put in their appropriate files. I ordered Nissa and Paul's birthday gifts through Amazon. I placed a hold our our mail as we would be traveling the rest of the week. I updated my contact/password list. And, I was able to update the April Relief Society draft newsletter with the Relief Society Devotional activity. 

In the midst of all this, I was able to hurl two times. Where does this come from? Then I packed for our trip and rested for the remainder of the day. Ugh!

Just to keep life interesting, we had a few snow showers during the day. Oh My. Winter wanted to make at least one more little statement before shutting down.

Tuesday, March 17th, was our Andie's birthday. I posted this on our family Facebook page: "Well, I went thru my phone pictures and cropped these of Andean Christensen Marx to share. Why? Because today is her Birthday! Join me in wishing Andie Christensen Marx the happiest birthday ever! We love ya bunches!!"

Claude read that Broadway Dallas was having the play "The Neil diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise". We love Neil Diamond. We have been blessed to see him a couple of times in live concerts. Amazing performer. I checked it out, we talked about best options and determined a road trip was the way to go. Several people were surprised we didn't fly down. Well, when you are retired and can put some days together, driving sometimes makes a lot more sense. Besides, we love time driving like this. No expensive plane tickets, no rental car, we would have 4 nights in hotels. Road trip was our choice. 

We began our little road trip at about 9am with a quick drive-thru Bojangles. As we left Frankfort, Kentucky area, the snow started to come down. It was cold enough for a coat. We were really looking forward to the 70's and 80's that Dallas weather was promising. 

When we got to Lawrenceburg, there was a long back-up of traffic due to a wreck on the slick roads. The road we were on was the by-pass around Lawrenceburg. We got off that and drove through Lawrenceburg to when it joins back with Hwy 127. Alas, there was a wreck on that road as well. A big truck with a long trailer had slid off the highway and had to be pulled back onto the road. Then we were off again. However, while stopped for this to happen, we spied Big Foot in a field! He is real!!

As we got further south, we enjoyed the red bud trees starting to bloom along the road. So pretty. 

Another thing I love is listening to music we both enjoy. Every now and then, I peek over and see Claude strumming his air guitar. That is how we roll on a road trip. You know Claude is enjoying a particular piece of music is he does this. 

We stopped in Tennessee at a Pilot to refuel the car and to fuel us. They had an Arby's. After how big slow down in Lawrenceburg, we decided the service at this particular Arby's on this particular day was the Lawrenceburg of fast food. The food was good. The people were cheerful and friendly, just really slow. 

Claude and I had a discussion about the possibility of renting a cabin for a month somewhere. I checked out some places but need to do more research. That is always easier for me on my laptop. 

We made it to one of my favorite hotels. This was in Memphis and it is fronts on the Mississippi River. We checked into our room and then decided to walk to someplace for a light dinner. We walked around to the back of the block the hotel is on and found a Subway. We had not eaten at a Subway in a very long time. We enjoyed our sandwiches very much. 

Across the street from Subway was a historic marker for Piggly Wiggly. These are all over Memphis. This one caught my eye as my mother shopped at Piggly Wiggly when I was a tiny child in DeRidder, Louisiana. Fun to know its history is from Memphis. 

We walked back to our hotel and curled up to enjoy our room for the remainder of the evening. 

Wednesday, March 18th, we would drive from Memphis to Mesquite, Texas. Mesquite is on the outskirts of Dallas. I had our hotel there for an easy get on the road on Friday.

I titled these pictures Over the River...And Through the Woods to Dallas we must go! This is the Hernando de Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River between Memphis and Arkansas. 

I found these signs amusing in Arkansas. Look at that phone number. There was another firm that had the number 888-8888. Never have seen that before. 

While driving this day, I was able to crochet a border around another burp pad. I did one on Tuesday also. I also read a Come, Follow Me lesson. While doing this, I found some scriptures to share with Drew. Drew is our grandson-in-law. He would be ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood on Sunday. I saved the scriptures and would write Drew a letter from Claude and me latter. 

We found our hotel located near I-30 and checked in. The front desk clerk pointed me to the area where many restaurants were located. We drove there. Claude was wanting Mexican. We found this local restaurant and enjoyed a very good meal. They gave us these tiny little candies with our check. They were lime, peach or strawberry flavored. Really tasty little things. 

Back to our hotel or the evening. I purchased Mexican Street Corn flavored almonds for a treat. Claude enjoyed them in the evening. I tried two and they were pretty good. 

Thursday, March 19th, this was a down day. Claude was able to take a really good nap while I crocheted a border on another burp pad. 

When it was time to go out for the evening, we decided to try Whataburger. I had not had one of these hamburgers in years. Claude recently read an article about the best value for a hamburger meal. Whataburger came in at the top of the list. This we proven true for us. We both really, really enjoyed our burgers. Too bad there isn't a Whataburger in Kentucky!

We found our way to The Music Hall at Fair Park where the play would be. We were told in the eMail's I had been getting to be there an hour and a half early as it was very crowded. We were there that early and it was not crowded. We found a shady place to park and sat in the car to wait. 

I received an Facebook post from Aubrey about Nelson's play. These pictures were included. How fun he participated in the production. He is so flippin' cute!

The venue provided a tram to drive you from the parking lot to the Music Hall but Claude and I opted to walk. I had my Ticketmaster app open in the car. By the time I got to the front door of The Music Hall, my app had closed and wanted me to login again. Ugh. The nice lady helped me by finding my ticket on her tablet and sending me a link to my text messages. My cellphone was not opening the Ticketmaster app. It was not recognizing there was internet even when we logged onto The Music Hall internet. We got in and all was fine. 

The Music Hall is enormous. It was celebrating 100 years. Clearly it has been renovated many times. There are 3,420 seats in this hall. We always opt for the balcony. We really like that view in most any theater setting. 

No photos or videos were allowed. I took these pictures of the Playbill. I was particularly struck by the "Letter from Neil". Neil Diamond was a part of preparing this play and has watched and approved it. This made it all the more interesting. 

We both enjoyed the play very much. We agreed the two day drive down and back were worth this effort. The young man that played Neil Diamond as a young performer had a voice that was very, very close to Neil Diamond's voice. So many talented performers. I especially liked a scene at the end where the old Neil Diamond and the young Neil Diamond face each other and sing. Very touching. The story is based on Neil's years of therapy. It is excellent and Claude and I would recommend it to others. 

Friday, March 20th, it was time to point the Buick toward home. However, we decided to take a sentimental side-trip journey to Shreveport, Louisiana. This is where I grew up. This is where Claude and I met and dated. We were on a quick mission to have one more Muffuletta. 

Fertitta's was a happening place when I was in my teens. I went to school with Agatha Fertitta. She was one year older than me. During that time, Fertitta's was surround by other homes like the one their restaurant was located in. There was hardly a place to park. Now, there are lots of freeways in Shreveport and they have cut up this part of town. The only thing that keeps Fertitta's standing is it's historic status. It is literally the only building left. We were very happy to get there and each enjoy one more Muffy. As we checked out, Agatha was the person who checked us out. 

Then we found our way back north toward Memphis. I noted a storage unit rental place. They also had a section to rent work sheds. I never saw such a thing. Little metal individual sheds for work. 

We arrived in Memphis and checked into that hotel I enjoy so much. We were in room 1112 with a full view of the Hernando de Soto Bridge. At night, they have a light show for 10 minutes every half hour between sunset and 10:30pm. I totally enjoy this light show. 

Saturday, March 21st, we left Memphis and headed back to Georgetown. Somehow, that last leg of the drive seems to take forever. We did have several backed up traffic spots to wait through. But part of it is that you are just ready to be home again. We stopped at Fazoli's in Frankfort for dinner and th.en on to our home. We unpacked and curled up in our recliners to watch Castle for the rest of our evening. We had a great trip.

Sunday, March 22nd, was a delightful Sabbath Day. It was our Ward Conference. Bishop Bart Barber and Pres. Rex Holt were the speakers. Excellent talks that addressed how we treat others, not to be judgmental but love as the Savior would, charity, the pure love of Christ. Leave the judging to Christ. 

Colton and Jenna Thacker blessed their two little ones. They had lots of family in from Arizona. The Thackers have been married quite a while and could never have children. Jenna could get pregnant but couldn't carry the baby to term. They are wonderful people. This year they learned they could adopt a newborn baby boy. They were so very happy about this. Then, one month later, they learned Jenna was pregnant. She ended up having to spend a lot of time in the hospital and on complete bedrest. She delivered early. By the end of last year, this good couple now had two sons about 6-7 months different in age. Wow!! We were all so excited for them. Their family kept someone here with them to help them through all of the medical and care of this newly adopted son. Sunday, both boys were given a name and a blessing by their father, Colton. Very touching. 

I was asked to play the piano for Primary. This is always a treat. After church, our Stake Relief Society Presidency met with us for a quick catch-up and training. Then Claude drove us through Panera for a salad for lunch. Claude got his nap and I deleted a ton of things that accumulated on our DVR while we were gone. Then I started the Blog. In the evening, we had a Zoom training for the Communications Council. By the end of that, we were both ready to hit those recliners and take it easy for a couple of hours before bedtime.

In Michigan, Drew Roper, our grand son-in-law, was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Wish we could have been there. I sent Drew the letter on Saturday with the scriptures. Katelyn sent back to us that Drew has started listening to all the General Conference talks that are on the Gospel Library app. He will listen to one each day. So happy for this little family. 

It was a full, fun week. Made some new memories. Enjoyed some old memories. Now we are off to a new week.

Jeep, Temple, Spring in the Air, Broken Bones, Weight, Crocheting, Relief Society Birthday...

Monday, March 9th, well, it finally happened. We never thought it would, but it did. The Jeep had to go in for service. This is such a sturdy vehicle. Claude deduced there was a brake issue by the way it was acting. Seemed to stick on one wheel sometimes but not all the time. Sometimes if sounded and felt like something was falling out of the car. Claude called the local tire dealer we use and they could get him in that morning. Yippee!! Claude drove the Jeep over and left it to be fixed. I followed and he took us to Chick-filA for a biscuit breakfast. After that, we went to Kroger to buy some groceries. 

When we got home, I noticed our front flower bed was full of purple crocus. We sent from brutally cold to unusually warm. The world is sure it is spring and trees are blossoming and little flowers are making their appearance. I love these little purple flowers. They were planted by the previous owner and they come up every year without me doing a thing. 

Once home I set to work finishing my weekly Blog and getting pictures labeled and put in their proper files. I was also able to get the Relief Society newsletter format done for the next three months and to update the conducting form for Relief Society. 

We opted for dinner at Chipotle's before picking up the Jeep. After I dropped Claude off, I went back to Walmart to find more yarn to finish Kennedi's afghan for her Christmas present this year. I had to search but I did find one skein at the very back, on the bottom shelf. Walmart used to have an okay selection of yarn. Not so much anymore. 

As I was leaving Walmart, I looked up and saw Spencer and Dusty Hanson watching me. I said hi. Spencer, who is Down's Syndrome, looked at me and said, "You are beautiful." I thanked him profusely. What a nice thing to say. Really lifted my spirits. 

We received a message from Katelyn that she broke her wrist playing hockey on Sunday afternoon. Drew played in an amateur hocky league. He has since he was a little boy. He loves hockey. They were short a man on their team. Katelyn said she would give it a try. She has been playing for weeks now. This time, she didn't fair so well. Here is her description of what happened:

"It was the third period and I lined up at center ice on the wing for the faceoff. Our center took the draw and we pushed the puck down the ice. We got a shot on net that was saved, and I chased the rebound. I took a shot that missed, rest and tried again on the next rebound but couldn't get it to go. The puck cleared and they started heading back down the ice toward Drew's end. I knew I had to help stop the rush before they go there. I stepping in to stop the puck, caught an edge, and went down hard on my wrist. Turns out I broke it, but at least it happened going full effort in the third period."

On Monday, she went to the surgeon. He has put her in a plastic cast and told her to be perfectly obedient and NOT use that wrist. If this doesn't work, surgery will be needed. They will have a grand adventure with four children, an exchange student, Katelyn working, activities for the kids, Drew working nights, church callings, and the list goes on. Prayers for Katelyn and their family.

Tuesday, March 10th, we would go to the Louisville Temple. We usually go in the evening. They have added two shifts for endowments in the morning. We opted to sign up for the 11:30am shift. We had to be at the temple at 11am. We found we really like this timing. It is after rush hour so the drive was not bad. We were finished and on the way home before evening rush hour so the drive was not bad. We usually have dinner on the way to the temple when going in the evening. This time, we decided to find somewhere for lunch. Claude pulled off the Snyder onto Route 60. There are a lot of restaurants in the shopping center there. We found Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe. The food was delicious. I had a falafel gyro with rice and Claude had a lamb gyro with pasta salad. I love a good falafel and this was a great falafel. The rice was some kind of long grain rice but it was delicate and light with lime juice on it. Yummy! We got one tiny baklava wedge to share for dessert. Yum again!! We think we have found our new temple routine. Go in the middle of the day and have lunch on the way home at Taziki's! Yes!

Wednesday, March 11th, was a nice day at home to leisurely get through things. I figured out what Strategic Wealth Design wanted. I sent a not to Lori Duffy regarding the passing of her mother, Linda Speakes. I ordered Andie's birthday gift and set up the gifts for Nissa, Paul and Todd. Then I crocheted for a long time on Kennedi's afghan for her Christmas present. I also made an appointment for me to see Dr. Lyon. It was a full day but at my pace...which is much slower nowadays.

Thursday, March 12th, found me home alone a good bit. Claude had the Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Frankfort. The alarm went off at 5:45am. Ugh! I tried to go back to sleep but that just did not work. I got up and read in the Come, Follow Me manual. Then I set to work crocheting. Claude came home and then went out again to get his new diabetic shoes and other things. It was really a quiet kind of day.

Friday, March 13th, please note the date. Friday the 13th. 

I had an appointment at 10:30am with Dr. Lyon. I have gained more weight than I have ever weighed in my life. It really wanted help losing it. My approach has not worked at all. I was actually considering one of the weight loss medications. When I spoke with my sister, Junie, she lost 50 pounds and is feeling great. She has been using a weight loss medication. Dr. Lyon is such a good doctor. He always uses a measured approach rather than jumping off the deep end. He suggested I try and intermittent fasting diet. Basically, you eat no breakfast, you eat a light lunch and a full dinner. Then nothing to eat until the next day at lunch time. I may drink water all evening but nothing else. I asked about my sodas. He said not to drink them. Especially since I don't drink diet soda. If this does not work, we can discuss the alternative use of medications. However, they are expensive and get more so as the dosage increases. They might start at $150/month and go to $600/month. You continue using them for the remainder of your life. If you go off, you will probably gain all the weight back. They can be hair loss and other side effects with digestion. I will give the intermittent fasting a really go try. Dr. Lyon has had patients lose 40 pounds in a few months. I will continue with walking my treadmill for exercise. Soon it will be yardwork time and that will also be exercise we don't get in the winter. So, here I go.

After finishing with Dr. Lyon, I went to CVS to pick up my Timolol drops for my eyes. While there I also got some more Alpha Lipoic Acid for my feet. It was buy one, get one free. They only had on bottle on the shelf. The nice lady at the counter said she could do a raincheck so I could pick up the free bottle later. When she was filling out the rain check form, she realized it was Friday the 13th. I assured her it was a good day. She agreed. I asked her if she knew why it was such a feared day. She thought it was the elevators in hotels. I was able to share about the Knights Templar being executed on that day. She had never heard of the Knights Templar. I was amazed. 

When home, I finished off Kennedi's afghan for Christmas. 

I also ordered gift cards for three fast food places to help the Ropers with food while Katelyn is handicapped! I sent a copy of the order form and explained what we were up to. She was very happy for this little bit of help.

Claude had a hankering for 5 Guys. We headed there for our dinner/ On the way we saw this funny sign off to the side of the road. It was an exceptionally windy day. Claude said it looked like the sign was saying, "Me! Me! Me!" So funny.

Saturday, March 14th, was a stay at home and be productive day. Laundry was done. Treadmill was walked. Bathrooms were wiped down. Plants were watered. A start was made to this Blog. And I enjoyed a Northern Disclosure while starting my 'crochet around the burp pad' project. These are gifts from the Relief Society to mothers with new babies.

Sunday, March 15th, was an absolutely wonderful Sabbath Day. 

Sacrament Meeting had three speakers and they were all excellent. Gabe Lyman is 14 years old and he spoke on the sacrament. Whitney Garret spoke on agency. Her husband, Brenden, spoke on the Holy Ghost. Such a good doctrine filled sacrament meeting.

Claude leaned over to me during the opening hymn and pointed to his ears. He forgot his hearing aid. That means all he was hearing was the wah-wah-wah like you hear on Charlie Brown. Ugh! I had a few things to deliver and check on with people after Sacrament Meeting, then we left to go to Arby's for our meal-o-the-day. 

Claude took a wonderful Sunday nap. I worked on Relief Society birthday cards for the rest of March and all of April. Then I pulled together all I had for the April newsletter. I also gave Rita Thorn, our new 1st counselor in Relief Society, access to all out Google shared documents. 

In the evening, I went to the Relief Society Birthday Devotional. I picked up Kitty Lloyd and we drove to Rita Thorn's and then she drove us to Versailles where the meeting was held at Cheryl White's home. We gathered at 6:30pm. The broadcast of the Devotional from Salt Lake started about 7pm followed by a testimony meeting. It was an excellent broadcast. Camille Johnson, the General Relief Society president gave the best quote "You can do your hard alone. Or, you can do your hard with Jesus." The sisters enjoyed great refreshments and visiting. Such a good evening.

Claude made a McDonald's run and got a bag of little burgers. He came home and curled up to watch Gettysburg. Excellent movie but I don't like watching it. Love the music. Claude had a great guy night. 

I asked Claude is he thought I was a holy woman. During Sis. Johnson's talk she kept referring to our doing hard things makes us holy, it makes our efforts holy. I like myself. I think I am a good person. But I don't think I have ever called myself holy. The idea stuck with me and I wanted to know what Claude thought. He thinks I am. He said he likes that I am naturally good. It is not contrived goodness. I was happy to have that conversation with my hubby.

A Quiet Week & Family Pictures...

Monday, March 2nd, this week would be particularly quiet in our home. Each day I would accomplish a few things. This day I was awake during the previous night and spent that time reading one of the Come, Follow Me lessons. It feels good to use this restless time being a bit productive.

During the day, I finished my weekly Blog and updated all picture files. I watched another episode of Northern Disclosure and crocheted while I watched it. I also walked on the treadmill. 

Tuesday, March 3rd, I was able to set up hotels for our trip to Nashville in July. I also got the Relief Society announcements posted. I walked the treadmill again 

Claude was working on the taxes. We decided to get dinner from a drive-thru. We opted for Taco Bell this time. 

Katelyn posted this sweet picture of Raelyn reading to her cat. 

Wednesday, March 4th, was the busiest day of the week. I had a dental cleaning at 10am. Before that, I drove to Velvett Bossio's to leave her the cookie kits. After the dentist, I went to Walmart. I needed fabric to make some more burp pads for gifts for new babies from the Relief Society. Then I hurried home to change into a t-shirt. 

Claude and I drove to CVS to get a Covid vaccine and a shingles vaccine. I got the covid vaccine in my left arm and the shingles vaccine in my right arm. Then the nurse went to do Claude's she did his Covid vaccine in his left arm. When she tried to give him the shingles vaccine in his right arm, the needles would not go in. She tried multiple times. I asked her if he could simply have both vaccines in the same arm. She said that was fine. She tried to put the shingles vaccine in his right arm. The needle would no go into his arm. She called her supervisor and he told her to get another needle. She got another needle and was able to quickly give Claude his singles vaccine in his left arm. Ugh!!

We had neither had breakfast. I don't like to eat before going to the dentist. We went to Bojangles and had a biscuit breakfast...well, lunch. Then we headed home, took Tylenol for the aches in our arms that was coming. 

I was able to walk the treadmill and use the Pilates ring Claude bought. Then I was down for the count. The covid vaccine makes me really tired. 

Thursday, March 5th, we both woke up feeling really wiped out and our shoulders were sore. I had a large red welt on my right arm where the shingles vaccine was given and a smaller red welt on the left arm where the Covid vaccine was given. These would become very itchy. Claude and I would take Tylenol in the morning, afternoon and before going to bed. We didn't get much done this day but rest and recuperate.

Junie, my sister, did call in the late afternoon and we had a nice chat.

Friday, March 6th, I had another restless night. I read another chapter in the Come, Follow Me material. Then I slept in Friday morning to make up for not sleeping at night. 

I spent my afternoon in Sandiland. I ordered Aubrey's birthday present, wrote a note to Betsy Nevi, wrote a thank you to Raina Dunford, cleared my eMail's and cut out burp pads. I also walked the treadmill. Much more movement and purpose that Thursday. 

In the evening, we opted to go to Fat Katz for pizza. They make absolutely delicious pizza. Claude brought home wings for a snack in the evening. After Fat Katz, Claude wanted an ice cream. Dairy Queen had just the right thing. We ordered our ice cream at the drive-thru and then pulled into a parking space, rolled down the windows (it was 80 degrees outside!) and sat and talked. It was great fun watching the cars trying to get to Tropical Cafe. Across the street from Dairy Queen is Taco Bell. Right after the turn-in for Taco Bell is another road that is actually the road to get to Tropical Cafe. It was amazing and amusing to see all the cars that pull into Taco Bell thinking that will take them behind Taco Bell to Tropical Cafe. Not so. That only takes you the wrong way into the Taco Bell drive-thru. Most cars realize this and make a big U-turn, go out of Taco Bell's parking lot and make another U-turn to the road behind Taco Bell that will take you to the strip shopping where Tropical Cafe is. We did see one car actually make it to Taco Bell's drive-thru before backing out and turning around. Very amusing. 

In the evening we learned our friend and motorcycle buddy, Bill Zortman died. We also learned that Claude's brother, Cordell, was being moved from the hospital to a skilled care facility in Orem, Utah. 

Saturday, March 7th, I started my day on the treadmill. Then I went to Sandiland to work on posting Relief Society announcements through eMail and Facebook. Next I enjoyed another Northern Disclosure while crocheting. After that, I worked up starting my weekly Blog post. Then I cutout and sewed together seven burp pads. I put them together in a tote to work on them during our next road trip. I then crocheted for several more hours. In the evening, I messaged with Paul.

Sunday, March 8th, we gad a great Relief Society lesson about Primary Music. Elizabeth Christensen was the teacher and she is always superb. I was able to ask one more sister to provide me the information for a Spotlight in an upcoming Relief Society newsletter. 

Claude and I had Jimmy John's from lunch. They now have a Greek Gyro. Claude got one of those in addition to our usual Italian. He ate it and pronounced it worthy of having again. 

Claude took a nap and I curled up in my recliner for the remainder of the day. I totally enjoyed some documentaries. When Claude woke up, we watch Music and the Spoken Word. Then Claude wanted to watch Hidalgo.

This was a weird day in that we had the Daylight Savings Time change during then night. We opted to stay awake till midnight and then try to sleep through all night. We made it!! Yeah us!

Katelyn posted these pictures of their family having the missionaries over for dinner on Sunday. She is always happy when the missionaries come for a visit.

Andie posted to my eMail three Google Picture files of Hayden's work as a director at DePaul University. Hayden is a senior this year. The first two picture are from April 22, 20 and are his project titled Momento Mori. It was a MicroShort Film by Hayden.

The next three pictures are from February 19, 2026 and are Hayden's Detective Orion, Pilot.

This last set of pictures were from this February are are Hayden's senior project titled Murphy's Law.

Way to go Hayden. He has worked really hard and seems to really be enjoying what he is doing. It takes a lot for him to pull these shoots off. He has to write, round up actors and support staff, provide food, schedule the use of the school's filming equipment, etc. So proud of him for earnestly doing all of this and making the most of his college opportunity.

Our grandson, Paul, had a court date Monday the 2nd. He had to relinquish custody of his daughter to his ex-wife. This was excruciating for him. I sent him this picture with this explanation Sunday evening to, hopefully, help him deal with all of this.

        "Do you know about Japanese  Kintsugi? It is taking a broken bowl or vase and mending it with a mixture that contains cold.  Kintsugi teaches us that in life we can turn adversity into something that is beautiful and resilient. Kintsugi shows us that in time, we can heal from our wounds, embrace our imperfections, and become stronger. Kintsugi reminds us that no matter our difficulties, we can find a way to reframe and find meaning in life.

        "Today you feel like that broken bowl or vase. Maybe knowing this practice of Kintsugi will help you find hope at the end of your day. Every day we get a chance to try again. To apply what we learned and make our lives better. I hope and pray you can find this place to be in your life."

Snow, Awards, a Play, Dental Visits, Cookie Decorating, Church Cleaning,

Monday, February 23rd, we awoke to a bit of snow on the ground again. Ugh. Fortunately, it was not a lot and the driveway and sidewalks cleared on their own. Yippee!!

I love turtles. That is one of my favorite words and therefore became a fascination that led to collections of turtles. This showed up on Facebook and it truly spoke to where Claude and I are physically. Still chuckling.

Our daughter, Andie, teaches at Camden Elementary School in Crestwood, Kentucky. The schools are each allowed to select one teacher to receive the "Ignite Passion Award" for their outstanding efforts as a teacher. Andie was chosen for Camden Elementary and received the award at the Oldham County School Board meeting. Andie shared a Facebook post of a letter a parent sent to Camden Elementary praising Andie for all her efforts with her child in school. I believe our daughter has found her niche in the work world. What a blessing for all the kids that she teaches. She told us to check out the school board meeting on YouTube. We did and were able to watch her get this award from our living room. I videoed and took pictures as we watched the proceedings. Congratulations, Andie! 

Tuesday, February 24th, I was very productive this day. I hunkered down in Sandiland and worked on Relief Society things. This included getting the March newsletter in order. A few more things to add after our activity that would happen on Thursday. I also made the spreadsheet for our lessons for the next six months. We won't choose them until after General Conference. But the spreadsheet is ready to insert the lessons and links. I also found the next six months of council questions for our Relief Society meetings and then updated the conducting form on the Google Drive. It felt really good to get a handle on these things. 

We have a motorcycle friend who has liver cancer. I wanted to send a note to him and his wife. I searched through our GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders Association) pictures to see if I could find one of them for our biking days. I did not find one picture of them. I had to write the note without including a picture. However, as I searched through the pictures, I did find this one and sent it to Jake. We had our International Rally in Billings, Montana in 1997. Jake came to join us and sang the National Anthem for Canada and the United States at our opening ceremonies. This is Jake with the Canadian Royal Mounted Police that were in attendance. Lots of fun biking memories. 

I also came across this fun picture on Facebook. We have been to Iceland and did not see these. I think this is a great idea. Power lines like giants walking across the land. Love this.

In the evening, we watched "Christmas with C.S. Lewis". We attended this one-man play in Louisville in December 2025. We were given a link to watch the play again at home. I have saved that eMail with the link. We were going to see "The Screwtape Letters", a play based on the book by C.S. Lewis on Wednesday evening. This would make a great prelude to that outing. This is an excellent play and we would recommend it to others. 

Wednesday, February 25th, during the day I walked the treadmill, crocheted and read another Come, Follow Me lesson. 

Claude had a dental visit that was epic. He is getting an implant on a back tooth. He is working with a dentist in Lexington to put the base for the post in his gum and has watched to be sure it was healed and ready to receive the post and then crown on top. He declared it ready and sent Claude back to our regular dentist who was to install the post and make the molds for the crown to be made to go on top of the post. Claude arrived at the dentist off and was waiting in the lobby. They came out and told everyone they had to clear the building. There was a odor that might be something bad and the fire department was on their way to check thing out. All the patients went to their cars to wait. The firetrucks came, the firemen checked all the offices in the building and declared it safe. Back inside all the patients went. They made partial molds for the crown. However, they did not have the right size post to put in the base. Dr. Hollen thought Dr. Morrow was sending the right post with Claude. Dr. Morrow thought Dr. Hollen already has the right post. Claude ended up rescheduling for Thursday morning so they could get the right size post. Ugh!

In the evening, we had dinner at Firehouse Subs and went to the Lexington Opera House to watch the one-man play based on C.S. Lewis' book "The Screwtape Letters". It is a series of letter written by Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. They are both Tempters (think followers of Satan trying to steer mortals into a life that follows Satan. I read the book years ago when Russ Evens lived with us one summer. He loaned it to Claude and me and we both read it then. I purchased the book for my Kindle after I purchased tickets to this play. I was able to reread it. It takes some effort for me as I am used to reading a book for the point of view of the good overturning evil. This is a series of letter with Screwtape counseling his nephew, Wormwood, in how to undermine the faith of a man he is assigned to bring down. C.S. Lewis is masterful at explaining the thinking process of mortals and how to twist it to Satan's advantage. It is a very interesting read. The play was 1 1/2 hours. If you read the book it would take around six hours. They followed the storyline of the book very well. Claude and I both enjoyed this play. A little different but very enjoyable.

Thursday, February 26th, Claude was back at Dr. Hollin's office. The post was installed and the rest of the molds for the crown were done. Now he waits for the crown to be sent to Dr. Hollin and then they can complete this installation of his implant. Poor guy!

I was able to watch a Northern Disclosure. I also had a nice chat with Katelyn. She and Drew and planning an August 15th trip to Detroit to go through the temple. So happy for these two and their little family.

In the evening, I went to the Relief Society Activity. It was Cookie Decorating. The ladies all had fun. The extra kits went home to be given to sisters who couldn't attend. I loved the smiles on these ladies faces as we enjoyed this activity. 

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Friday, February 27th, we started our day by cleaning in the church. The congregation is divided into teams. There were three other couples on our team. Claude and I went before the others and he cleaned the chapel. I did the bathrooms. Together we emptied all the trashcans from the classrooms. When we finished, we were both completely undone. We went home and sat down with a cold soda for a bit of a break.

I was able to get the Relief Society announcements ready and eMail to Jennifer Barber for the bulletin. I finished the draft of the Relief Society newsletter and sent it to Jenessa Dymock for approval.

Claude and I figured cleaning the church was close to doing yardwork. That meant a burger was in order for dinner. Burger King was where we went followed by Dairy Queen for a little dessert. Yum!

Saturday, February 28th, was a productive day at home. Laundry was done, treadmill was walked, Relief Society newsletter was disbursed and filed, Claude hair was cut, and a start was made on this week's Blog.

Sunday, February 29th, was a good Sabbath Day. I bore my testimony in Sacrament Meeting. I passed the calendar to feed the missionaries during Sunday School. Claude and I went to Arby's for lunch and I totally enjoyed my BLT on Market Fresh Bread and Apple Turnover. Yum! Then home for Claude to get a nap and me to clear the DVR. I don't nap but I do pause and rest while clearing the DVR. In the evening, I had a Google Meets Relief Society meeting that was very productive. I spent the rest of my evening messaging with Paul. He would have a court date on Monday and was very, very anxious about it. So grateful for ways to communicate with my family.