February 7, 2010

Dear Children,

OK, I am really going to try and do this! It is so hard for me to go back and catch you up on the doings here in Beaverton when I get so far behind but I think it is important for our family to know what is happening at home. I think it has been about three weeks since I have written. During this time, Nate has come and gone. Morty has come and gone, and I have been away two of the weekends, so there has been much going on here!

I think I will go backwards to help my memory. We were able to have an early birthday celebration with Morty since he was here this weekend. Grandma came over and we had a birthday dinner this afternoon. I know that Morty is not a cake and ice cream man but a pie man. So, last week I made him an apple pie and put it in the freezer since I was going to be away on Friday and Saturday while he was here. That was really hard for me to leave after he got here.

My flight didn’t come into Portland until after sacrament meeting so I missed seeing Jack and Judy Hoagland at our ward. Jeff’s step son, Quien, was baptized on Saturday so they were in town. But it was nice that Morty was able to see and visit with them.

Morty had tickets to two Blazer games this trip. On Thursday evening we all went to the San Antonio game since he couldn’t sell his extra tickets. He bought tickets the moment they were released so he was able to buy the cheapest. I kind of like them; they are on the very top row so there is no one behind us! He reminded me that I fell asleep during the last Blazer game that he took me so he would be watching me! I think I have been redeemed since he did admit that the games that I do go with him are always exciting, last minute wins! Maybe I bring the Blazers luck. It is fun to see Katie and Morty dance all around when the game gets really exciting! Morty also had tickets to the Blazer-Los Angeles Lakers game on Saturday and disappointed Katie by taking a different friend (a mystery friend at that)!

While Morty was here, I dashed down to a seminar for my card business in San Jose. I went with three other women. I thought it would be much more fun but I went tired and wishing I was back home since Morty had just arrived the day before! I learned a lot more about the business, which was really great, and tried to get a better feeling about network marketing. My mind has previously been filled with such deep rooted fears and negative feelings surrounding them (with mine and Joe’s involvement with Amway) that it is a real struggle for me when I get a glimpse of those memories. And yet, if I just didn’t have that hurtful remembrance, I see very logical and positive benefits from the business side of this company plus the product is just so fantastic and just keeps getting better the more I learn about it and use it. I feel like an “old dog” trying to learn new tricks as I try to get over that block.

Katie has worked on her resume and it looks like she has been able to send some out. She made some DVD’s to go with her resume. Dad has been working this past week. It is our first job of the year; pretty good! He has been using SendOutCards to stay in touch with his bids and we believe that has set him apart as we express genuine feelings of gratitude and interest in our client’s needs, which is helping customers understand what our business stands for instead of a monetary figure on a bid. It is a good thing that he has been working out at 24 Hour Fitness so he can still be in shape to do that hard work. He said the most noticeable weakness was his hand grip strength around the tools.

Nate came for a visit a couple of weekends ago. It was fun to have some alone time with him. His friend, Wendy, came up from Los Angeles on Friday. They were meeting in Portland for a concert but filled their days with doing Portland area things; running in Forest Park, driving to Tillamook, shopping in the Hawthorne district, visiting ethnic restaurants, and of course, getting Nate’s fix at Mongolian Grill. After they left, I realized I didn’t get a single picture of their visit! A couple of days after he got home to Las Vegas, he had Lasik surgery done to his eyes. It sounds so awful but he was at work the next day reading his computer screen.

Scott had his first visit with Kyre. He said it was hard but wonderful. He is also especially happy since he now has permission to wear his wedding ring. As soon a he was sent permission from the prison, he contacted us. I was just so relieved that I could quickly find it in all of his things that I have tried to organize and file in the last couple of years! I feel like my organization skills are faltering and that I am drowning in papers and things-to-do lists!

In between all of these visits, I went to the beach with my old Young Women’s group. We go to the beach in January every year and it is something that we all look so forward to. It is pure fun and laughs as we just relax and play together. The only one who has moved away from the area is Angie Bleazard so she flies up from Sacramento for the weekend each time. When her husband is done with his military duty (he had his schooling paid for at USC to become a Radiologist) they will move back to the Northwest to some property they have in Washington.

With being gone and having visitors, my institute class attendance has been spotty the last few weeks. A note I wrote down from one of my classes is this thought while reading from Moses 4: “The fruit of the tree was not a problem for Eve until Satan caused her to be focused on it.” To me, that has many layers. It reminded me of this past conference talk by President Boyd K. Packer when speaking about prayer and promptings, he said, “One of the adversary’s sharpest tools is to convince us that we are no longer worthy to pray. No matter who you are or what you may have done, you can always pray. The Prophet Joseph Smith promised that ‘all beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.’ When temptation comes, you can invent a delete key in your mind—perhaps the words from a favorite hymn. Your mind is in charge; your body is the instrument of your mind. When some unworthy thought pushes into your mind, replace it with your delete key. Worthy music is powerful and can help you control your thoughts.”

I look forward to a fun week with Heidi and Bill and the girls. They will be here from Wednesday to Sunday. We will be able to celebrate an early 3^rd birthday with Jenna on Morty’s actual birthday this week! Bill will sit down with Dad to help him with branding our business so our different marketing efforts will all say the most important things about us. I am anxious that this will help our direction to get a website done.

I hope that you all have something enjoyable planned for Valentine’s Day. Our stake has always had a huge and fancy dance with a big band that hundreds of people have attended but this year it is a sock hop; what a change! I heard from a mom of single adults that Valentine’s Day is renamed Singles Awareness Day. I hope some of you are not feeling that way! If so, just consider it a day of appreciation for all relationships that help us be who we are (and bring happiness), not just romantic relationships.

I heard this from a conference talk on my iPod this week as I was walking, “We are all in the process of becoming who we will be one day. Let’s all help each other become the best!”

I love you! Love, Mom