* Grandma and Grandpa Carlson brought Ben back home on July 3rd. He had been gone since May 19th and we really missed him! They were able to stay with us for 10 days and left to return home on July 13th. We had all sorts of fun with them - shopping, menu planning and cooking, rocking on the front porch, mornings at the track, attended the Temple, listened to family history stories and of course, hit some thrift stores!
* Celebrated the 4th of July with a yummy BBQ and then headed into Laurel for their AMAZING Fireworks show!! It seriously cannot be beat and we were not disappointed! Grandpa and Grandma were impressed and couldn't believe how spectacular it was!
* Ben left for High Adventure Scout camp for a week
* Dad made a couple of trips to both Gillette and Cody, Wyoming
* The day after grandma and grandpa Carlson left, mom's best friend - Stephanie Perry - and 5 of her kids came to visit (they arrived late Friday night and left Monday morning). We had such a fun time together. We took all of the kids swimming, attempted a BBQ (but ran out of propane- so just used the stovetop!), took Brandon's Senior Pictures down at the River, Had a girls night out to Red Robin and also stopped by for a quick picture in front of the Temple. It really brought joy to my heart to have her come all the way out here to spend some time with me!
* Had a quick visit from the Clark Family (from Minot) as they drove through Billings on their way home
* Finally got the Van back after 4 weeks in the shop!!
* Mom Planned and executed the Ward Pioneer Day
August in Nebraska...
* Continuing on in his studies
* spent the 10 days (that grandma and grandpa were in Montana) playing video games with cousin Joseph and cleaning up on the water that kept seeping into the basement(he had to suck up the water every 3-4 hours to keep on top of it)
* Celebrated the 4th of July with Joseph - they had a BBQ and then set off some fireworks
* Went on a road trip with Jacob Goss to Chicago for the worldwide Pokemon Go Fest!
Seth Spotlight...
* Has had 4 more baptisms
* Got a new companion - Elder Garcia from Honduras
* Had a multi zone conference in Esteli and got to see some former companions and friends
* He said that they still don't have a cooking person (no one available) and so they usually eat out for most meals (usually tacos or enchiladas) and he thinks they've found someone to be their laundry person - so no more handwashing in that old basin!
* Got attacked by a drunk person with a machete - what!? but he was safe and deflected the machete swings
* Still raining every day. It has rained every single day for the past 75+ days! The positive side is that they are tapering off and aren't torrential downpours anymore. But he is tired of being constantly wet
* Having a great time, keeping in good spirit sand staying positive!
Spiritually Speaking...
As was mentioned earlier - I was put in charge of the Ward Pioneer Activity.Originally I felt stressed and overwhelm by the idea, but with dad's help, I put a plan together that was approved by the Bishop. After that, something miraculous occurred - I wasn't stressed about it another moment! I made out the assignments, ordered the food, worked on the games and decorations and even on the day of - I felt totally calm and like I was just going to enjoy the event (not be in charge of it!)! I kept waiting for that "feeling" of stress and anxiety to hit me but it never did! I have NEVER put on something where I didn't overly stress about it! That night as I was saying my nightly prayers, I expressed my gratitude to Heavenly Father for helping me feel completely calm and non-stressed. That's when a very distinct thought came into my mind about how that was a direct blessing from having Seth serve a Mission! My heart was so touched by that and it made me want to be more mindful and on the look-out for the blessings that are (and will be) given to us because of his sacrifice and service!
Another thing we have seen the Lords hand in - is our house!! The tenants were having a very hard time finding a new rental to move into. Our property manager was helping them and even asked me to write a letter of recommendation to help them in their quest. I was also feeling anxious to have them hurry and get out so we could get our house on the market before the end of the summer! So on Fast Sunday (July 2nd), we fasted that they would be able to find a new home and quickly move out. The following day we received their full month rental payment for July, and new they still hadn't found a place - but we still kept praying! Well... 7 short days later, I got a message from our Property Manager saying that they had found a place and would be turning over keys the following week on July 17th!! We felt soooo grateful that our prayers had been answered so quickly! Now the plan is to have it totally repainted , and spruced up by the end of the month so we can have it on the market! And the next set of prayers will be that it moves quickly and at a great price!!
No comments:
Post a Comment