Weekly Review January 16 '15

This post is coming to you for the first time from my new laptop.  I actually got the laptop in October, but all my files and such weren't moved from my old laptop to the new one until a few days ago.  My old laptop has been struggling along for quite a while (which is why we bought the new laptop in the first place) but this last week it started having alarming symptoms of imminent collapse, so Frank made the time to get all my files off of the old one onto the new one.  You know the old saying about doctor's wives dying young and shoemaker's wives going barefoot?  Same idea.  The IT guy's wife can't get her computer set up. :)  Not his fault, of course...he's just so busy fixing and setting up other people's computers that he doesn't have any time left to do his own family's.  And since all that work he's doing is paying for the new laptop in the first place, I can't complain much.  But anyway, the new computer is all set up now and I'm in business.

This week there was a little more going on than last week so maybe I'll have a little more to write about.  Our weekends have not been jam packed with activities, which has been nice.  On Saturday I got my hair cut and that evening I gave a ride to a sister in our ward and her three children...every Saturday they are able to visit her husband (he's in jail) but they don't have a working car & the mom can't drive anyway so they need help getting to their visit.  I took them once last month too.  Anyway, this time I decided to have Frank come with me so we could have our "date" while we waited for them.  We got some shopping done...got new vent covers for the main level, including the half bath so we have finally completely finished the bathroom redo!  

Sunday was our ward conference, and it was really good.  I actually got to sleep in a bit...our ward council meeting was later than usual and the stake presidency came to it.  One of the sisters I visit teach who rarely comes to church showed up and sat with us for Sacrament Meeting so I was happy about that.  Plus she was happy to be visited this week (I saw her yesterday) and she said she's coming to church again this Sunday.  She is really a lovely person and she's had a very hard life.  I would love to see her come to church more consistently because I know it would bless her.  The stake RS president taught RS and it was awesome.

It was a somewhat busy RS week although not overwhelming...dare I say out loud that RS has been somewhat calm for the last month or more?  I did a food order, started working on the lesson I'll be teaching in February, and we had our monthly evening meeting this week, plus the usual list of random things that doesn't go away.  Our meeting this month was really laid back...we played a bunch of games to get to know each other better.  It was fun, but we had a pretty small group.  Tanner and 3 of his friends took care of the nursery for us, which was very helpful.  The EQ in our ward are supposed to do that but they usually forget to take care of it...or they remember to ask for volunteers but then the volunteers forget to come...or back out at the last minute.  I was trying to think who we could ask to do it last minute when I remembered Tanner is home and not doing much!  He asked three of the other YSA guys in our ward if they could help and all three of them came!  I think it was kind of fun for all of them to do it together and it helped us out a lot so it was a win-win.  

Speaking of Tanner, though, he is going to be busier starting next week because he got a job!  Hooray!  He had an interview on Tuesday and when he found me afterwards (it was at the mall, so I was at the book store reading while I waited for him) and I asked him how it went, he said "Well, I got the job."  I was very surprised they made a decision on the spot like that, but I am not complaining.  This is actually the first job he interviewed for...I told him not to expect that to ever happen again!  Anyway, it's at a clothing store at the mall called Hollister, and I don't know much about it yet except that he is doing things like stocking and folding clothes and stuff like that (not sales).  One of his friends from high school worked there (she just left to go to college, though) and she is the one who told them they were hiring and it did probably help him that she referred him.  Also the lady that did the interview said a bunch of college students just left, so they really need new people.  Not sure yet what hours he will be working (he may even do some night work but that is actually ideal for Tanner--he has no problem staying up all night and sleeping all day!) but he is supposed to start next week.  

It will be nice for Tanner to have more to do...he is feeling pretty bored a lot of the time.  He did have several activities this week, though.  He went to a YSA movie night last Friday and then spent the night at a friend's house.  He went to a movie with a high school friend on Monday and to Institute last night.  

Jared has been busy too.  He went the theater class to see a play on Tuesday evening.  He was supposed to be home by 11:30 at the latest...didn't get home until 1:00 am!  Yes, we weren't very happy about that.  Apparently the play was excellent, though, and he did still get up for Seminary the next morning since that was the main stipulation we gave him for letting him go in the first place.  They were also having auditions for a play this week and he was helping with that so he stayed after school every day for several hours.  Well, every day except Monday because on Monday there wasn't any school.  

We had freezing rain that morning and first they put school on a 2 hour delay and then later they re-evaluated and decided to cancel school entirely.  By mid morning all the ice had melted, leaving everyone wondering what the point of cancelling school was...everyone called it a "rain day".  Well, rain or snow...we've had two "snow" days now and I hope we don't have any more. 

On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend.  We went to a new place called Pie Five Pizza, which is basically like Subway, only it's pizza instead of sandwiches.  You get a personal size pizza and you get to pick all your own toppings.  Which leaves me wondering...why didn't someone think up this idea a long time ago?!  I really liked it, probably because my taste in pizza toppings differs quite widely from the rest of the people in my family.  I also happen to be the visiting teacher of this friend, and since I also visit teach the sister I saw on Saturday (the one who needed a ride) that means I have visited all my sisters this month, and it is only the 16th!  Wow, that never happens.  

Wednesday was, of course, Frank's birthday also.  It started out a lot earlier than he would have liked (remember, we were up until 1:00 am waiting for Jared to get home) but I think in the end it turned out ok.  He got several cards and gifts, and I made him Oreo cheesecake too.  (The recipe turned out great, Mom...especially with the pre-made crust!)  A few pictures:        

Because I had RS meeting that night and Jared had YM and Tanner was helping with the nursery, and I also had a song practice (I'm singing in a small group this Sunday) we didn't have much time to celebrate.  So last night we continued celebrating by taking him out to dinner.  We went somewhere different...to a Japanese steak house, where they cook your food on a grill right there at the table, and make a little show of it by flipping eggs in the air, juggling utensils, making flames shoot up in the air, and throwing shrimp into the guest's mouths.  Frank and I had been there before (years ago) but the boys had never been to a place like that.  They enjoyed it although Seth was really nervous about the shooting flames part.  He saw that happening at other tables before they came to ours, and he was really anxious about it.  (Which I totally understood...when I was his age I would have been trying to leave the restaurant!)  When the guy did it at our table, he was scared but afterwards he said "that was totally terrifying!" but with a smile and a look of admiration on his face.

Today Frank and I are going to continue celebrating by running away. :)  Just for one night, and just down to Washington DC.  Should be fun, though.

And that's it for this week!