Expensive...But Worth It

Last night I got my best Christmas present - I got to talk to Jeffrey on his mission in Mexico. It was wonderful to talk to him, but also extremely expensive. For various reasons, we haven’t been able to get a landline here in Italy. We only have cell phones. We have a Magic Jack, which is a phone system we use with our computer which lets us call the United States for free. I know there’s a way to make international calls with the Magic Jack, but whenever I clicked on their link to set it up, it said their server was down. Whether their server was really down, or whether our internet was too slow and crappy to handle their server is unknown. Skype was out of the question because Jeffrey didn’t have access to a computer yesterday. So we decided to use our cell phones. We knew it would be expensive, but it was our only option.

Cell phones in Italy are different. You don’t sign up for a plan. You put a certain amount of money on your phone and replenish it as needed. We all had money on our phones, but we decided to add more. Robert put an additional 50 euros on his phone (so he probably had over 75 euros on it) and 25 euros on my phone (so I probably had 50 euros).

Christmas night we called Jeffrey. We tried to put the cell phone on speaker, but we could barely hear him, so we gave up on that idea. I talked to him for a little while, then passed the phone to Brian, who passed the phone to Scott when he was done. About 20 minutes into the phone call, Scott said there was a beep and then the phone went dead. We then got a message saying we had less than 1 euro left on the phone! We went through over 75 euros in 20 minutes! We next called him on my phone. Scott finished up his call, and handed the phone to Kimberly. She talked to him a while then gave the phone to Robert. After about 15 minutes, my phone went dead too. It was out of money. We couldn’t even get Scott’s phone to work - he may have been too low on money. Robert quickly raced over to the bank and put 50 more euros on his phone (you do that at the ATM). I called and talked to him another 15 minutes and then the phone went dead. Our Christmas conversation with Jeffrey was over.

We did get to talk to him for about 50 minutes, but we spent at least 175 euros to do it! With the exchange rate, that’s almost $230.00!

But you know what? It was worth it. Every cent of it. It was money well spent to talk to Jeffrey and hear that he is doing well and loving his mission.

My Christmas was complete.

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

As I've mentioned before, Relief Society is in Italian in our ward. Occasionally we have a sister who will translate for us, but yesterday was not one of those days. So we, two of the American sisters, were excited when the teacher started playing a video of one of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talks, delivered in his very American voice.

And then the teacher, who had apparently printed out a copy of the talk in Italian, started reading the talk in Italian. Reading right along with Elder Holland. Reading louder than Elder Holland. Making it very hard for us to hear Elder Holland giving his talk in the original English.

All we could do was look at each other and just laugh. That's church in Italy for you.

A Serious Question

Scott has a week off school in February. Someone told me it's so people can go skiing. That's not what we're doing, though. Back in early September I found tickets to Houston for a really good price, so he and I are going home for a week.

I would really like to stay longer - maybe three weeks total. Having been home a few weeks ago, I know a week is not going to be long enough to do anything. Scott can't stay longer, since he needs to be in school.

Here's my question. Should I send Scott home by himself and stay in Houston longer? Sending him home alone means he would fly from Houston to Frankfurt, Germany alone. There he would spend four hours negotiating his way through the large Frankfurt airport, going through Security again, getting his passport stamped, and waiting for his connecting flight to Milan. Milan would be easy because it's a small airport and is easily negotiable.

Scott has flown from Frankfurt to Houston alone and gone through Customs there. But he's never negotiated the Frankfurt airport alone. He's fine with it. He's confident he can maneuver his way through the airport just fine. Robert also thinks he will be fine.

Part of me says, he's 17, he's a smart kid, he'll be fine with this. But the mom part of me says, he may be 17, but he's my baby. I can't send him around the world alone.

That's my dilemma. Please tell me what you think.

Cross Stitching

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I had picked up some cross stitch patterns to work on here in Italy. I thought I would post a picture of one of my completed projects. This is actually the second project I completed, the first being a very cute Thanksgiving bird. Sadly, he's back home in Richmond, so I can't post a picture of him.

But here's my second project, Merry Christmas:

I think it turned out pretty cute. The garland on the tree and in the corner are thicker, so they stand out from the picture. I didn't do a great job with the framing. I will redo it before I put it out next year. But I wanted to get it out as soon as possible since our apartment here in Milan is lacking in Christmas decorations.

I will probably post pictures of all my completed projects, although the rest of the ones I complete here in Milan will not be framed.

Scott

I'm so impressed with Scott's willingness to try things while we are here in Milan.

On Sunday, he blessed the Sacrament in Italian. He worked very hard with the Young Men President to learn how to pronounce all of the words correctly. He has really wanted to participate in blessing the Sacrament, and he persevered until he could.

Today he left to go on a three day stake youth temple trip to the Bern Switzerland Temple. He may very well be the only English speaker on the trip. The two girls from our ward who speak English are out of town (these three days are a holiday). There is another English speaking family who lives in our stake, but we're not sure if they were going. We told him he didn't have to go, but he wanted to. He really wants to be involved, even if it's difficult.

And yesterday I found out that while I was gone, he bore his testimony in Fast and Testimony Meeting - in Italian! Basic Italian, but I'm so impressed that he wanted to share his testimony and had the courage to do so.

He is much more willing to try new experiences than I would have been at his age. I'm proud of him.

Heat

We live in an older apartment in San Donato (outside of Milan). It has radiators. I've never lived in a place with radiators before.

But the radiators aren't the problem. The problem is that in older apartments, the temperature of the whole building is determined by the apartment complex. We don't have a thermostat in our apartment. The heat is turned on on October 15th, and since we didn't need it then, we turned off the radiators. When we did need heat (which happened while I was gone), Robert turned the radiators back on. That's when we discovered that it's much more reliable to have your own thermostat in your own apartment. Here, I'm either cold and wrapped up in a blanket, or hot and throwing blankets off of me!

I do not like being at the mercy of an apartment building!

"Aha" Moment in Seminary

As most of you know, Scott and I are doing daily Seminary at home because it's in Italian over here. I never went to Seminary, having joined the church during my freshman year at college. I have never claimed to be a doctrinal expert. Today something we talked about really struck me.

We were talking about the importance of agency. How important it is that we all have the freedom to make our own choices, but then we must enjoy the blessings or suffer the consequences of those choices.

A quotation from the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Student Guide is what caught my eye. Talking about the War in Heaven we read about how important agency is to our Heavenly Father. It says, "Rather than violate their agency, He [Heavenly Father] allowed one-third of His children, led by the devil, to rebel".

That really hit me. I know Heavenly Father loves us. Can you imagine how much it must have hurt Him to allow one-third of His Spirit Children to make such a terrible choice? A choice that would take away their chance to come to earth and gain a physical body? A choice that would take away their chance for eternal salvation? A choice that would essentially seal their fate.

How very important agency must be. How much more faithful I need to be about the choices I make.

I love "aha" moments like that. Although something simple, that all of you have probably thought about many times, it really resonated with me today.

Maybe that's why I'm in Italy this year - to see what I can learn from teaching Seminary to Scott.

Sigh

While I could have done without the washing machine catastrophe that brought me home, I have truly enjoyed the 5 weeks I've been here.

And I don't want to go back on Saturday.

Sigh.

I've decided that some people are well suited for living overseas and some people are not. I fall into the "not" category. I would happily choose the comfort and security of my home in Richmond over the adventure of living in a foreign country.

Once I arrive back in Milan, I will begin my countdown to February 18th, when Scott and I come home for a week.

How to Run Up the Electric Bill

The electric bill I got in October was $133.00.

Yesterday I got my November bill.

It was $266.00

Four of those days we had 26 pretty big fans and 6 large dehumidifiers running nonstop in our house.

I'm thinking that's what caused the spike in our electric bill. What do you think?

Phone Call

Brian is not big on phone calls. He never has been. I hear from him rarely, and usually by text. So it always worries me a little when he calls.

Fortunately, he is okay, but he did call and tell me he was in a bike collision with another bicyclist. Whenever I hear the words "bike" and "collision" now, my thoughts always turn to Gary and his terrible bike/bus collision. Brian's collision was nowhere near that bad, thank goodness. In fact, he and his bike are fine. The other guy, whose fault it technically was, may have broken his collarbone. They had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

I feel bad for him, but I have to say, I'm glad it wasn't Brian who was injured!

It Never Fails

Today, as I was driving down 359, I noticed a Needlework shop that I hadn't been in. I have done counted cross stitch before, and thought it might be fun to pick up some projects to take back to Italy.

I went in and discovered a treasure trove of patterns! Cross stitch has come a long way since I did it years ago! I especially love the tiny patterns they now have, patterns that are really cute and should stitch up quickly.

I bought a number of patterns. One set of three for Halloween, one for Thanksgiving, a sampler for Christmas, and a sampler about the joys of reading. I decided to buy the materials to make the Thanksgiving pattern.

First off, the fabrics they now have are incredible! I remember shopping at craft stores years ago and finding white and cream and the occasional red, green, or black. The fabrics now are linen and come in amazing colors. I will be stitching my Thanksgiving pattern on Summer Khaki.

My pattern uses nine different colors of thread. Even the threads are better than they used to be. The saleswoman was showing me how many of the threads are slightly variegated, which gives a more interesting look to the finished product. I was persuaded to buy four new threads for the larger areas, so I will get the variegated look. The other five threads cover smaller areas, so I decided to go home and looks through my large stash of DMC thread to see if I had those colors.

Okay, so if you're not keeping up with the math, my pattern needed nine different colors of thread. I bought four colors, which means I needed five more. I came home and looked through my DMC thread - all 243 colors which I own. Guess how many of the thread colors I don't have? Two. Out of my 243 colors, I could only come up with three of the five colors I needed!

If any of you have done cross stitch, you will understand why I titled my post "it never fails". I don't think I have ever done a project and had all of the threads I needed.

On the plus side, I get to go back to that fun store now...

Enjoying the Quiet

On Saturday the workmen ripped out the laminate wood floors in the dining room, game room, and family room. Then, to make sure the slabs were completely dry, they brought in 5 large fans and a dehumidifier. This is actually the second time we've had the fans and dehumidifiers in the house. The first time was right after the water leak happened, and a lot more fans were used.

But it seemed louder in the house this time. Probably because there's no furniture in those rooms, and no flooring, so everything just echoes. We've literally had to yell at each other to have conversations!

The workmen just left with the fans. I am enjoying the blessed quiet.

Until the flooring guys show up to start installing the laminate...

Flooring Update

As you know, I'm back in Richmond dealing with the aftermath of a washing machine flood. It's amazing how much damage one tub of water from a washing machine can do!

Right now, there are packers in my house. They are packing up all of the stuff in the dining room, game room, and family room. Once the stuff is packed, it will be moved into their storage facility. Then those three laminate wood floors will be taken up. Beginning on Monday, they will be replaced with the same flooring that we just put in the family room in June. My one consolation is that now all three of the floors will match! After the flooring is replaced, the movers will bring back all of our belongings and unpack them. Awesome!!

We had thought that would be all we had done. The carpets in the four bedrooms got wet (mostly in the doorways) but they weren't damaged. The padding in those areas was cut away and the plan was for the flooring people to just replace the parts that were cut away. However, when the flooring guy cut out a piece of the old padding, he said it was so "substandard" that he couldn't even replace it (gotta love the quality materials builders use). He said it would be way too uneven, so he was going to have to replace all the padding in the bedrooms. Since our insurance would be paying for the padding, the labor to remove and re-lay the old carpet, and moving all of our belongings out of the four bedrooms, Robert and I decided that now would be a good time to get new carpet. So that's what we're doing. We're getting nice, new, good quality Stainmaster carpet. I think this will be the first time we've lived in a place with better than builder's grade carpet! I'm very excited, although I won't get to enjoy it for more than a few days before I head back to Italy. That's a bummer.

Some of Robert's family is meeting at our house for Christmas (although we will be in Italy). Would it be wrong of me to tell them they're not allowed in the bedrooms?

What a Mess!

On Wednesday, Kimberly's washer and dryer were swapped for ours. It seemed wise, since my Maytag washer is almost 18 years old! Unfortunately, the movers didn't put the drainage tube in securely. And, also unfortunately, my mother-in-law didn't realize it until water had flooded much of the flooring.

According to the "water extraction team" we will need to replace at least the floors in the dining room, game room, and family room. And yes, the family room floors were just replaced in June. We may have to replace some tile and carpeting too. I'm not sure about that yet.

So, on Monday I'm flying home for three weeks. This is one of those issues that I need to deal with. It can't be passed on to someone else.

I have conflicting emotions. I'm so excited to come home. SOOOO excited. But I wish it were under better circumstances.

We're going to have to have a special GNO while I'm there.

Exciting Time for Italian Mormons!

In October of 2008, the Church announced that a temple was to be built in Rome. It's been two years, and so far nothing has been done.

Yesterday at church, it was announced that the groundbreaking is to be held in two weeks. That means that construction will begin soon, and the Saints in Italy can look forward to having a temple of their own. There are no pictures or drawings of any sort on the Church website, or else I would post one.

We will be gone by the time the temple is dedicated, but I'm excited for the Saints who live in Italy. What a blessing the temple will be to this country.

A Boy and His Boots

I have already posted about this on FaceBook, but I decided to post about it on my blog also, since it's my online journal.

Last March, after we knew for sure we were moving overseas, Scott decided he needed a pair of cowboy boots to take with him. Robert was home visiting then and thought that was a great idea. So he and Scott went to Cavender's Boot City and Scott picked out a pair of boots.

Fast forward to last Wednesday when our shipment of stuff came from home. Scott was happy to see his cowboy boots, and proudly wore them to school on Thursday. When he got home from school I asked if anyone had said anything about them and received a resounding yes! Besides getting comments from people, he had to get up in front of two of his classes and model them! The kids and even the teachers really enjoyed seeing his boots, and it really cemented in their minds that he was the kid from Texas!

Here he is in his boots. Note that he also wore his state of Texas t-shirt!

Here's a close up of the "detailing" on his boots.
As they say, "You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy".

What I Miss Most

I was reading a book today by Elizabeth Lynn Casey, and came across the following paragraph:

"Her great-grandmother had always said the best medicine for any ailment a woman had was time with true friends. Time spent in good-natured gossip, occasional male-bashing, and shared tears. But most of all, she said time with other women was for laughing from deep within your soul."

That's what I miss most about being here in Milan. Time spent with my good friends, my sister, Chris, and my daughter, Kimberly.

Aggies vs. Longhorns? Italians Know!

Today the American School held another event for newcomers. This one was a workshop about the Italian culture. We talked about beliefs, values, communication, and the way different cultures react to different things. It was pretty interesting.

There was a lady there from Austin. She said that she had been told that a certain hand symbol should not be used in Italy. The symbol is one commonly used by people who are fans of that inferior school in Austin. She made the longhorn symbol and was quickly told by the Italians that were there that she should never make that symbol while she was in Italy.

We all asked why the longhorn symbol was unacceptable over here, and were told that to them it meant a man who had horns because he was having an affair!

We asked if the thumbs up Gig 'Em, Aggies sign was okay to make, and were assured it was fine.

So it looks like as far as Italy is concerned, Aggies rule!

Our Italian Apartment

We have been in our apartment for a week. I had hoped to post pictures of it, but we are using a remote internet key for now, and it only allows 5 hours of internet a day. Plus doing stuff with pictures somehow uses up your time faster, so they will have to wait.

Our apartment is in a nondescript 4 story building. It’s in a very quiet area of San Donato (outside of Milan), and is surrounded by many large trees. It’s a nice area. Our apartment is on the 2nd floor, as far as Italy is concerned. Here, what you could consider the first floor in the U.S., is called Terra (ground), what you would consider the 2nd floor is the first floor, and what you would consider the 3rd floor is the 2nd floor. So in Italy we live on the 2nd floor. If we were in the U.S. we would live on the 3rd floor. Got it?

We have a one car garage, which is very nice, since I hate street parking. It doesn’t have an automatic garage door opener though, which is a pain. I’m really going to miss it when it rains!

We have a key that lets us into our little lobby. There are 6 apartments that use the same entrance, so I feel pretty safe. This key isn’t quite as exciting as the one I posted about earlier, but it is different from American keys.

We have an elevator which is not much bigger than 3 feet by 3 feet. Seriously. Scott won’t even use the elevator - it scares him a little with the clunking noises it makes! And it never lines up even with the floor when it stops. You always have to watch your step!

Once you step into the apartment, you see a small entry area and then a large living/dining area. It’s much bigger than any of the other apartments we saw. We don’t all feel like we’re on top of each other. There’s even a little nook with a desk for my computer. It has wood floors, which I like. It came furnished. We have 2 yellow sofas, which I actually like. Plus a nice TV and plenty of shelves for our DVDs and such. There’s also a dining room table and chairs. Basic stuff, but all we need.

We have a balcony, except our landlord enclosed it in glass, so it’s more like a sunroom. I kind of wish it were still a balcony.

The kitchen is fairly small, but functional. There’s a table in there, but it’s up against the wall. The cabinets are blue metal. Kind of interesting looking. But there’s not a lot of them, and there is almost no counter space. We have a very nice cooktop - 5 burners with gas. That’s the only thing I’ve seen that‘s nicer than what I have at home. The oven is tiny. No room for even a small turkey, and I’m pretty sure my cookie sheets aren’t going to fit in it. We have a dishwasher, but I’m kind of afraid to use it. There are lots of buttons, and I’m not sure what any of them mean! There’s only one sink, which will take some getting used to. The cabinet above the sink has built in drying racks in it. You put your dishes into it and they drain into the sink. Pretty ingenious, but I think I would have preferred an extra cabinet.

Right off the kitchen is the laundry room. Very tiny. For some reason, our microwave is in there. This microwave is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Another one of those appliances I’m kind of afraid to use! Right now, we also have a washing machine in there. The landlord has ordered a combination washer/dryer, but until it comes, I’m hanging up the clothes to dry. May I just say how much I hate that? There are things like underwear, socks, and garments that just need to be thrown into a dryer! I can’t wait until the new machine shows up. Also, the machines here are tiny. I can wash 3 pair of pants at one time. That’s it. And I don’t understand why it takes 1-1/2 hours to wash a load of clothes. If all front loaders are that slow, I’m never buying one!

We have 3 bedrooms. The guest bedroom has a twin bed with a trundle, a desk, and a wardrobe. There are no closets in the apartment. Just big wardrobes. But there’s room for guests, and we’d love to have anyone come visit.

Scott’s bedroom also has a twin bed with a trundle, a desk, and a wardrobe. It’s smaller than his room at home, but he doesn’t have much stuff to put in it, so it’s fine.

There’s a hall bathroom, which has a shower/tub, a sink with lots of storage space, a toilet, and a bidet. Yes, a bidet. All of the apartments here have them. I don’t anticipate any us ever using them, but we’ve got them!

The master bedroom is small. There’s a bed - close to queen size, but not quite that big, a dresser, 2 nightstands, and a wardrobe. With all of that furniture, there’s not a lot of extra room.

We do have an on suite master bathroom, which is a rarity. I think Robert only saw one other apartment with an on suite master bathroom. It is very tiny, though. It has a stand up shower, a sink with very little storage room, a toilet, and a bidet. The hall bathroom is actually much nicer than our bathroom.

Well, that’s our apartment. It’s very nice, as far as Italian apartments go. It makes me miss so many things about my house in Texas, though. I will never take the amenities I have back home for granted again!

Banking in Milan

Today we went to the bank so I could get added to Robert's account and get a debit card. Actually, Robert and I, along with one of the secretaries at work, went. She was there to translate for us. My impressions of banking in Milan (San Donato, actually):

1. To get in the bank you have to step one at a time into a tube. The door opens, you step in, the door closes, if nothing makes them nervous inside, the door into the bank opens, you step into the bank. There are little lockers outside in case you think you might have something that makes them nervous!

2. I signed my name at least 20 times in order to get added to Robert's account! That's crazy! I felt like I was buying a house. And lets hope the lady from Robert's work was really telling us what the papers said, since we would have no idea!

3. There is a charge to have more than one debit card. It's not much, but still.

4. We wanted to make a deposit. The lady at the bank told us that was fine, the first deposit is free. What? If we make more than one deposit a month at the bank, they charge us 3 euros (close to $4.00) for every deposit. What bank charges people to put money into their bank??

5. The ATM machines aren't like the ones at home that give you a choice of languages. Oh no, that would be too helpful. Your only choice here is Italian. Who knows what I might end up doing at an ATM machine here!

I am constantly amazed at how different Italy is from the United States. And I am constantly glad I get to return to the United States to live at some point.

Positively Medieval

We finally got an apartment! We will officially be moving out of the hotel on Saturday. It will be nice to be in a place of our own, although I have no idea how long it will take us to get the internet hooked up. I may go crazy while I wait for that.

Yesterday afternoon Robert and I met with the realtor (because apartments here are rented through realtors) and picked up the apartment keys. We were given about 5 keys. All of them were kind of old fashioned looking, but we were most intrigued by this one:

I didn't even know anyone still used keys like this - except in a castle or old cemetery. But this is a pretty typical apartment key in this area.

I didn't have a ruler with inches, but I measured it in centimeters and converted the length. The key is 4-1/2 inches long! Craziness!

You sure don't want to carry these keys in your pocket!

The Duomo - Part 2

After seeing what the Duomo had to offer from the ground, we decided to venture up to the roof. There were 2 ways to the roof - 165 stairs or an elevator. Robert and I chose the elevator, while Scott chose the stairs. As it was, the elevator only took us close to the roof, we still had to walk another 80 steps to get to the roof. And that was enough stairs for me!

There were a lot of interesting statues on the roof, or actually hanging off the roof. I really liked this one, which looks like a winged dog. I'm not sure why he would be on the Duomo, but he was intriguing.

This view is from the lower roof, looking through the spires. You can see that all of the spires have a figure on the top of them. In fact, the very highest spire has a gold figure on top. I thought that was interesting.
Here's a view from the highest part of the roof we were allowed access to. You can just barely see mountains in the distance. I'm not sure what mountains they are, so don't ask!
There you have it. Our first touristy experience in Milan!

The Duomo - Part 1

I was hoping to write one post about the Duomo. But apparently the internet at the hotel is opposed to uploading more than 2 or 3 pictures at a time. So here is part 1.

The Duomo is a cathedral in the center of Milan. Actually, it is the center of Milan, and the city goes out from there. It's a gigantic cathedral - the 4th largest church in the world. Building began in 1387, and took 5 centuries to complete. That's a long time to build a church! There's a large plaza in front of the Duomo, but on the other 3 sides buildings are no more than 100 feet away. We thought they should have left more room on all 4 sides. It is a beautiful building.

This is an example of the scenes carved all around the base of the building. I'm not sure what they depicted, but the detail was amazing.
We also went inside the Duomo. Cameras weren't allowed. There were still many people taking pictures, but it is a working church, and that didn't seem right to me. It was beautiful inside. Giant marble columns. Gorgeous stained glass windows.

That's the Duomo from the ground. Part 2 - the Duomo from above.

11th Grade "Bonding" Trip

Today Scott went on a field trip. Excuse me - I mean he went on a "bonding" trip. The whole 11th grade was invited. Bear in mind, the whole 11th grade consists of about 40 kids. That's right - 40. About 25 of them chose to go. And where did they go?

White water rafting.

That's right. Scott went white water rafting for a field trip. I guess they figured that trying to keep your raft from capsizing would be a good way to bond with your fellow classmates.

Scott loved it! They made them all jump in the water, and he did say that it was freezing. The cold that takes your breath away when you jump in. But he had a great time. They rafted through some rapids, which he thought was great.

I'm not sure any field trip in an American school can compare with this one.

Glad We're Not Paying

Scott started school on Wednesday. He is attending the American School of Milan. It seems like a good school, and will definitely be a different experience for him.

All I have to say is that I'm glad Robert's company is paying and not us.

Here's the cost:

Registration - 1200 euros

Admission - 4500 euros

Tuition - 16890 euros

Building fund - 2000 euros

Bus transportation - 1950 euros

Technology fund - 1900 euros

Grand total for a year at the school - 28440 euros!

Bear in mind, that is the price in euros. Using today's exchange rate, the price in US dollars would be $36657.89!

As I said before, I'm glad we're not paying!

Church in Milan

Sorry there have been no posts this week. Scott and I have been stuck at the hotel all week long, so there has been nothing to blog about. Hopefully we will find an apartment soon, and also trade in our rental car with standard transmission for one with automatic transmission that I can drive. No, I can't drive a standard. I've never had any need to learn, and I don't intend to start in Milan with their crazy drivers and roundabouts. All of that resulted in a pretty boring week for the two of us.

Today, though, we went to church. We didn't go last week, having slept through our alarm. For those of you who remember my first Milan post, we also went to McDonald's last Sunday. It was a bad day all around! But today we made it to church.

My impressions, again in list form:

1. The church is the 2nd floor of an office/apartment building. It's nice, but not your typical LDS chapel. There's no A/C, which wasn't bad today since I think it was only in the 70's in the morning. It did get warmer inside than it did outside. But the weather should start cooling off here soon, and I'm assuming we have heat during the winter!

2. They do things backwards - Relief Society/Priesthood, then Sunday School, then Sacrament Meeting. I've been in wards where it's been done like that, and I don't really like it. I'll have to get used to it.

3. Since it was a 5th Sunday, we all met together for Relief Society/Priesthood. Except the Aaronic Priesthood and Young Women also met with us. And we kind of thought they would have been better served with their own lesson.

4. I am going to have to get used to a translation device. We had them for Relief Society/Priesthood and Sacrament Meeting. I'm glad I can hear the services in English, but it's weird wearing an earpiece and listening to a missionary translate. Plus, I know there were times he didn't translate anything at all! But, as I said, I'm grateful the missionaries are there to translate. I think we have the only ward in Milan with translation devices.

5. We went to an English speaking Gospel Doctrine class. There were only about a dozen of us. Some Americans, some other nationalities. It was nice to hear everything in English.

6. The Young Men President went to Scott's Sunday School class with him and translated. I thought that was really nice. Apparently though, that class (which includes all of the youth) has had a sub while their teacher has been on holiday, and the sub can't control them. Scott said the kids talked and texted and listened to music during the whole class. Hopefully that will get better when the regular teacher returns.

7. Scott passed the Sacrament today. It was nice to see him up there. He looked very pale compared to the other boys! He wants to work on learning the Sacrament prayers in Italian, since they really need Priests to bless the Sacrament.

8. Today when we sang the hymns, we just sang along using our English hymnals. Next week I think I'll trying using an Italian hymnbook. I'm sure I'll butcher the words, but it will be good practice.

9. We met some very nice English speaking people today. Some Americans and some other nationalities. As Scott said, it was nice to hear English! I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

10. The church is about 15 minutes away. That's a real bummer considering I lived 3 minutes from church back in Richmond! I miss that! And I miss our pretty stake center!

11. It was very different from what I'm used to, but there were also many similarities. We had a 5th Sunday lesson, just like you will back home. We had a Gospel Doctrine lesson from the same manual that's used back home. And, most importantly, the Sacrament was prepared, blessed, and passed by the Priesthood, just like back home. And that's what's important.

There you have it - our first Sunday of church in Milan.

Milan - First Impressions

Actually, I should have titled it "San Donato - First Impressions". We are actually in San Donato, a suburb of Milan. The airport is right near where we are staying, so I haven't actually been into Milan. And I don't think Robert has been into Milan yet, so who knows when we'll go.

My first impressions, in list form:

1. While on the ride from the airport and driving other places, I noticed a lot of graffiti. Robert said they say it's just a way for teenagers to express themselves. I guess I don't look at it that way. It makes the area look more run down, and not as safe. Not that I feel unsafe, that's just the impression graffiti gives.

2. There are a lot of big trees around where we are. The kind that shade the streets. I love that.

3. Italian grocery stores are strange. You have to pay a Euro for a cart, which you get back when you return it. We just picked up some staples, but they don't look like our staples! I'm going to have to get used to that. We bought some beef labeled "American beef". Maybe it will taste like meat back home. We found something that looked like saltine crackers, we'll see what they taste like! We did get a very yummy looking loaf of bread. And some tasty chocolate.

4. McDonalds french fries taste like our fries. But their Coke Zero doesn't taste the same. Plus they give you barely any ice. I like my soda cold, thanks! And in case you're wondering why we were at McDonalds, we were breaking the sabbath, and it was the only restaurant open.

5. Gelatarias are awesome. I tried limone (lemon, for those who couldn't figure that out), and I think it may have been more of an Italian ice. It was very tart and refreshing. Scott got a chocolate gelato, and he thought it was a little too thick. He did like my limone, though. That could become a dangerous addiction!

6. Driving is crazy! I haven't driven anywhere, but I've ridden with Robert. They have roundabouts everywhere! Whoever thought those were a good idea was out of their mind! Plus lots of the roads don't have lines, so it's hard to know if there is one lane or two! I'm not looking forward to driving here!

7. Milan, or rather San Donato, does not look like what I picture an Italian city to look like. I've heard it's more modern looking. We'll have to drive somewhere and see what we can find that looks like what I'm expecting.

That's my first report from Milan. No pictures yet. I haven't really seen anything I wanted to take pictures of. Hopefully I will soon.

Ciao!

Eagle!!

Scott passed his Eagle Board of Review last night! Woo hoo! All three of our boys are now Eagle Scouts!

If you had told me a few weeks ago that Scott would be an Eagle Scout before we left for Italy, I would have said "no way". By that time, I was confident he could have his project done, but I didn't think we could get the paperwork done in time for an Eagle Board of Review. I thought he'd have to have his Board next summer when we came to visit.

But Stacy, our fearless Eagle mentor, had other plans. She pushed for Scott's recommendation letters - getting them back quicker than I think anyone has ever gotten them back! Then she set up the Board. I'm really grateful to her for everything she did.

Because of her I got to take this picture of Scott after his Board:

And this picture of Scott with the District Advancement Chair:
Congratulations, Scott! I'm proud of you!

Tuesday - A Hard Day

Tuesday was a hard day. It was the day we took our 14-year-old beagle, Bailey, to the vet and had her put to sleep.

Once I knew for sure we were moving, I thought long and hard about what would be best for Bailey. She was getting old. She was getting arthritis and and wasn't moving around as well. If we weren't moving, she would have been fine for a while longer. But, plain and simply, Bailey was my dog. She was attached to me. She would follow me from room to room. I was afraid it would be too hard on her if I were suddenly gone for a long period of time. Also, she would be left alone for long periods of time, and that would have made her miserable. I talked it over with my vet a couple of weeks ago, and we both agreed her happiness was what was important.

But knowing it was the best thing to do didn't make it any easier.

I took a last picture of her on Tuesday. She loved to lay on the back of the couch, and could still get up there, even though it took her a few tries! The one ear back is classic Bailey!

The time at the vet's office was hard, but I'm glad we stayed with her. The vet explained what would happen. It was all very quick and peaceful, and Bailey was gone in less than 10 seconds.

They sent us home with this clay paw print so we could always remember Bailey. Not that we could ever forget her.
Bailey was a great dog. I will miss her very much.

School Supplies Project

As part of Scott's Eagle Scout Project we had a fundraiser to earn money, and raised $510.00. We then took that money and bought school supplies for the kids at the Fort Bend County Women's Center. Do you know how many school supplies you can buy for $510.00? I'll tell you:

6 backpacks

4 TI-30XIIS calculators

4 1 GB flash drives

48 packs of 24 count crayons

12 one inch binders

24 folders with prongs

12 composition notebooks

10 packs of 100 count paper

10 packs of 150 count paper

60 spiral notebooks

10 graph paper spiral notebooks

10 pencil boxes

10 packs of 5 count highlighters

30 packs of 10 count pencils

10 packs of 12 count black pens

5 packs of 10 count black pens

3 packs of 10 count red pens

10 packs of 6 count glue sticks

15 packs of 8 count washable markers

5 pair of pointed scissors

5 pair of blunt scissors

10 rulers

2 protractors

13 pencil bags

30 packs of 24 count colored pencils

3 packs of 6 pink erasers

5 packs of 15 cap erasers

6 pencil sharpeners

14 bottles of glue

7 packs of ruled index cards

20 book covers

Here's our table full of the 413 items we bought:

That's a lot of supplies!

Tomorrow we deliver! And then Scott's Eagle Scout Project will be complete!

Finally...Almost

As many of you know, I have been hassling with our high school here since the end of May. I have been trying to get Scott accepted to the American School of Milan, and that requires having his school records from here sent. Does that seem difficult to you? Well apparently it was difficult for Scott's counselor. I can't tell you how many times I called her (and usually talked to her machine) or went down to the school to see her (although she often wasn't there). Last week, after not being able to talk to her yet again, I went in and talked to the principal. I decided it was time to pull out the big guns.

And it apparently worked! I found out today Scott was conditionally accepted to the American School of Milan!

Conditionally? That's where the "almost" comes in. Apparently, ASM has still not recieved Scott's Math and English Admittance tests. The tests the high school administered to him on June 22nd. But didn't bother to send with the rest of his records...

Sigh. Time to call Scott's counselor again. Hopefully for the last time.

It's Official!

We now have plane tickets! We are officially leaving Houston on Friday, August 20th at 7:00p.m.

Milan, here we come!

It's Almost August!

Tomorrow is August 1st. That means in less than 3 weeks I will be moving to Milan, Italy!

Three years ago we were supposed to move to Singapore, but plans changed 5 weeks before we were supposed to go, and we ended up staying in Houston. I think part of me keeps expecting that to happen again. And part of me keeps hoping that will happen again.

You know what? I don't think it's going to happen. I think Robert, Scott, and I are really going to be living in Italy for the next two years.

I've still got a lot to do to get ready to go.

Oh, and just to let you know how art illiterate I am - I didn't know that DaVinci's Last Supper had been painted as a mural on a wall of a monastary in Milan. The city I will be living in. Maybe a year or two in Europe will do me good...

Lois the Corpse Flower

For those of you not in Houston, wondering at my title, let me explain. A corpse flower is a rare flower found only in Sumatra. There are a number of them owned in the United States, but there have only been 29 reported bloomings. The plant only blooms after it's at least seven years old. It's a rather large flower, standing anywhere from 6 to 10 feet tall. The name comes from the fact that when the flower blooms it smells like rotting flesh. This is to attract flesh eating beetles, which help it pollinate. Sounds enticing, doesn't it?

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is fortunate enough to own a corpse flower, which has been named Lois. We have been waiting anxiously for Lois to bloom, a feat that has taken her a couple of weeks longer than it was supposed to. Finally on Wednesday she began to bloom. Kimberly and a friend went to see Lois during the day on Friday, and Kimberly said she was very pretty. We decided we should go see her, but to avoid the crowds, we (meaning Kimberly, Scott, and I, along with James S.) went at 4:15 early Saturday morning. Which is very early. But traffic was nonexistent, we were able to find fairly close parking, and the lines to see Lois were much shorter.

Was it worth it? Judge for yourself:

I think she's beautiful and very unique.

Here's a picture of the Stink-O-Meter:
She was only at a 5. I didn't think she smelled that bad.

I'm glad we went. It was a fun adventure in the middle of the night. And who knows if I'll ever get the chance to see a corpse flower bloom again!

Over the Hill!

It's official! I'm now 50 years old. I am over the hill!

Last Day

Today is my last day in my 40's.

I shall now go sit in a corner and get older.

Bummed

It's been 5 years since I had my eyes checked. 5 years since I've gotten new glasses. I didn't realize it had been that long until I called my eye doctor to make an appointment. Luckily for me he had a cancellation, so even though I just called yesterday I was able to get in today. If they hadn't had a cancellation it would have been mid-August before I could get an appointment.

I went to Eyemasters to get my glasses. Since we're moving to Milan, I wanted to bring 2 pair, and they always seem to have a "buy one, get one free" special going on. So I picked out some frames - trendier than what I have, so that will be fun.

Here's where the bummed part comes in. I have really bad vision. REALLY bad. I need to get expensive lenses so they can be as thin as possible. I don't feel like wearing pop bottle lenses. On top of that, I wear bifocals (which will be much stronger with my new prescription, so I will hopefully be able to read with them). What all this means is that my lenses aren't stocked in the store. They have to be special ordered. Which will take about 10 days.

I am not a patient person. I have picked out new glasses, and I want them NOW! So I'm bummed that I have to wait. I guess I will survive. But it may be trying.

How Did They Know?

Today Shelley, my sister, and I drove James, Scott, and my nephew, Steven, to San Antonio so they could attend EFY (Especially for Youth).

We were driving down I-10 when a mini-van full of girls drove by and held up a sign that said "EFY". We gave them the thumbs up to let them know that's where we were headed also.

My sister then made a sign which said "3 boys". When we drove by them again I held up the sign, and the girls clapped and waved.

A few minutes later they drove by us, and one of the girls held up a sign that said "6 girls". We clapped and whooped for that - the boys definitely liked those odds!

That was the last exchange, but who knows, maybe they'll meet those girls at EFY and recognize each other!

Our only question is how did they know we were heading to EFY? Shelley has nothing on her car that would lead anyone to think it belonged to Mormons. Maybe 3 moms and 3 boys in a car together screams EFY. I guess we'll never know!

If the car ride is any indication, it's shaping up to be a good week for the boys!

Am I Feeling Benevolent?

I'm still trying to decide if I should be a nice mom, or if I should play a doozy of a trick on Scott. Here's the back story:

Three years ago our family was supposed to move to Singapore for a year. It just so happened that while Jeffrey and Scott were at Scout Camp, things changed and we ended up not moving. When the boys got back from Scout Camp we told them we weren't moving. Jeffrey was elated, but Scott was disappointed. He was ready and anxious to spend his 8th grade year in Singapore.

Fast forward to now. In August Scott and I will be joining Robert in Milan, Italy. We will be living there the next two years. Scott has spent the last two weeks at Philmont Scout Ranch. Before he left he told me, "I'd better not come back from Philmont and find out we're not moving".

Scott gets back tonight. Robert is coming for a week beginning on Friday.

Do I:

A. Tell Scott Dad is coming to visit for a week.

or

B. Tell Scott Dad is coming home on Friday, and nothing more.

What to do, what to do.

What would you do?

Happy Independence Day!

I hope we will all take the time today to give thanks for our great country, and the freedoms we enjoy.

What could be more fitting than a video of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner:

That's the way our national anthem should be sung!

Happy Fourth of July!

Solitude

When I first realized I would be home alone for a couple of weeks, I was kind of excited. It seemed like it would be fun to have the whole house to myself for a while.

Now, more than a week into my alone time I'm -

Not enjoying it quite so much.

Getting a little bored with my own company.

Annoying even the dogs and cats with my talking. Yes, I do talk to them and to myself. Want to make something of it?

I'll be glad when I'm not alone.

Bonus Phone Call!

Jeffrey was supposed to leave the MTC this coming Monday, heading for Mexico. Unfortunately the Mexican government is a little slow about giving visas, so he wasn't sure he would actually be leaving on Monday. I got an e-mail from him today saying he and 15 other elders were leaving the MTC on Friday - heading for the Salt Lake City South Mission! They are being temporarily assigned there until their visas come in. I know he would rather be headed to Mexico but he is very excited to be going somewhere!

His e-mail also said he would be calling me tonight. I had to be up at the church to make sure Scott had all of his stuff for Philmont, so I left a strange message on our answering machine. I bascially told Jeffrey to call my cell phone if no one answered the phone.

My message worked! My cell phone rang at a little before 8:00, and it was Jeffrey! We only got to talk for 5 minutes, but it was wonderful to hear from him. He told me he's loving his mission, and he's so excited to be sent out to the field. He's hopeful that his time in Salt Lake will be short and he will be sent to Mexico soon.

Things don't always run smoothly, but the work continues to go forth. I'm happy my son is so positve about this situation and anxious to go serve somewhere!

Flag Day

I love our country. I love all things patriotic. I love our flag. In honor of Flag Day, a picture and a poem.

Flag of the Free

Walter Taylor Field

Look at the flag as it floats on high,

Streaming aloft in the clear, blue sky,

Rippling, leaping, tugging away,

Gay as the sunshine, bright as the day,

Throbbing with life, where the world may see -

Flag of our country, flag of the free!

What do we see in the flag on high,

That we bare our heads as it passes by,

That we thrill with pride, our hearts beat fast,

And we cheer and cheer as the flag goes past -

The flag that waves for you and me -

Flag of our country, flag of the free?

We see in the flag a nation's might.
The pledge of a safeguard day and night,
Of a watchful eye and a powerful arm
That guard the nation's homes from harm.
Of a strong defense on land and sea -
Flag of our country, flag of the free!
We see in the flag a union grand,
A brotherhood of heart and hand,
A pledge of love and a stirring call
To live our lives for the good of us all -
Helpful and just and true to thee,
Flag of our country, flag of the free!

Flutter, dear flag, o'er the lands and seas!

Fling out your stars and your stripes to the breeze,

Righting all wrongs, dispelling all fear,

Guarding the land that we cherish so dear,

And the God of our fathers, abiding with thee,

Will bless you and trust you, O flag of the free!

Happy Flag Day. Long may it wave!

A Blast From My Past

On Memorial Day Kimberly and I went to Best Buy. We were perusing the television shows when I saw this:

Oh, how I loved that show! It started in 1975, when I was 15. Just the perfect age to develop a HUGE crush on Paul Michael Glaser, also known as Starsky. (And for those of you not in the know, Starsky is the dark haired, more attractive one - no offense Hutch. At least in the TV show Starsky was more attractive. I'm not sure I can say the same about the movie.)

Since Kimberly still owed me half a Mother's Day present, and since I was salivating over the DVD, she bought it for me. She's such a good daughter! I've now watched the first 4 episodes, and you know what? I still love it! It's a bit dated, and some of the characters are over the top caricutures, but I don't care! It's Starsky! And his awesome Gran Torino!

I still have 19 more episodes to watch on Season 1. Then I will probably head to Best Buy to get Season 2. Then Season 3. Then Season 4.

It's going to be a fun TV summer!

Doing Better

One handed typing is for the birds, which means this post won't be long. So I apologize to those of you who don't know the whole story.

I went to the Orthopedic doctor today, and he does not believe my elbow is broken! Just badly bruised. I tend to agree, since it's not painful to the touch, and I can already move it more than I could move it on Saturday. So, no more nasty, uncomfortable splint for me! He put my arm in a sling, but told me to start using it lightly. I'm just glad that my idiotic fall did not cost me a broken elbow!

Scott Must Have a Double

Scott was absent from school today. All day. I just got a message from the school informing me that Scott was absent from 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th periods today. I guess his doppelganger was there for 1st and 7th periods!

True Faith

Jeffrey's Mission President and wife (the ones he will have when he actually gets to Mexico), have a blog. Today I read a story that was so uplifting, I had to share it. It was shared by a sister missionary and translated by the Mission President. Here it is:

Last week was very beautiful. Hermana Vergara and I forced ourselves even more. I want to tell you about Hermana Araceli who was baptized 2 weeks ago. During that week she told us that her work is that she sold bread and took home only 20 pesos [that is about 15 cents]. She wanted to make tamales so that she can make more money, but she needed a steamer. We told her that we would look around with her and try to find a cheap steamer.

She wanted to pay her tithing and asked us for an envelope. I gave her one. This Sunday we were surprised. She came late and and was not able to take the sacrament. She wept about that. So, she waited for the next ward to start and stayed for the first 15 minutes so that she could receive the sacrament. While she was waiting, a member approached us and said that he wanted to give Araceli a ride home. When she got there, she received a new steamer from the ward, money to make tamales and other things. (This is a very good result of an excellent ward council in which we presented her case.)

We could see Araceli's sincere desire to pay her tithing of 2 pesos and then receive much more that the 10%. SHE RECEIVED MUCH MORE!!!!!!! She will remember this experience all her life. It is a beautiful testimony that the Lord knows our needs and helps us to grow according to the desires of our hearts. Araceli is a true convert. This is the Lord's perfect church and He works among those who have faith.

How I wish I could have the faith of Sister Araceli.

Feeling a Little Gypped

Moms of missionaries look especially forward to four days (not including the day their sons come home) - each of the two Mother's Days and each of the two Christmases. On those four days, we get to talk to our sons.

I remember how excited I would get when Brian was on his mission and one of those days was approaching. I couldn't wait to hear his voice and hear about his mission. I didn't really care what else happened those days - Brian's phone calls were what I was waiting for!

Well, today is Mother's Day, and I have another son on a mission. But I won't be getting a phone call from Jeffrey. He's in the MTC, and there is no way, logistically, for all the missionaries in the MTC to get to call home.

I realize I just dropped him off a week and a half ago, but I still feel a little sad. I mean, lets face it, with just me and Scott at home, it's not like this is going to be a very exciting Mother's Day anyway. A phone call from Jeffrey would have made the day much better.

I have heard he should get to call me from the airport when he flies from the MTC to Mexico at the end of June. I guess I will just have to wait for that.

Travel Tip

At the Salt Lake City Airport we made our mandatory trip through Security. I noticed that the guard manning the x-ray machine was spending a fair amount of time looking at my black tote bag. I didn't know why, since it contained the same items that had been in it on the way from Houston to Salt Lake City, with the addition of two ceramic tiles. I didn't think those would send any danger signals. She let my bag go through, but said she wanted to send it back through again. The second time through, she looked some more, then called another guard over to manually search my bag.

I was led over to a table, where the guard proceeded to swab the inside of my bag and run it through a machine to test for drugs. He then started taking things out of my bag - books, the tiles, and my makeup bag (which he also went through). He then pulled out the root of all the trouble. The item which had looked suspicious on the x-ray machine. This:

What is it, you ask? Well, it's a device you hook to your suitcase so you can weigh it and make sure it weighs less than 50 pounds. It's really quite a handy device.

The problem? When going through the x-ray machine it looks suspiciously like a Taser. And, as we all know, tasers are forbidden in your carry on luggage.

I assured the guard that from now on I would put the device in my suitcase when I was through with it. No more possible tasers in my carry on bags!

I wasn't bothered at all by the encounter. I'm glad the guard manning the x-ray machine was on the ball enough to have noticed the device in my luggage. Better safe than sorry! I'm just wondering why the guard in Houston didn't catch it...

MTC Day!

Wednesday was the big day! The day Jeffrey entered the MTC! We (Jeffrey, my sister, and I) drove from Salt Lake City down to Provo. When we got to Provo, we went to eat at IHOP. On Wednesdays guys entering the MTC eat for free (up to $10.99). Jeffrey took full advantage of that by ordering the Big Country Breakfast - a small chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and pancakes! And he finished almost all of it! Here he is anxiously waiting for his food to come.

It was fun going to IHOP because there were other families there, and we were all excited to talk to one another. We actually met another guy going to Jeffrey's mission! That was nice.

After IHOP, and a quick stop at the Missonary Mall to buy Jeffrey a sweater (it was cold in Utah), we headed to the MTC. Here is Jeffrey standing across the street from the MTC (or at least one of the buildings). It's a surprisingly large place.
After taking a few pictures, we drove over to the MTC. They have changed the way missionaries are dropped off. You used to go in for a meeting, but now you just drop them at the curb. When I first heard that, I was disappointed. I wanted to go in for a meeting, like we got to do with Brian. But now that I have done both ways, I think I prefer this way. It's less emotional. And it's kind of cool, because as you drive along, there are missionaries lining the road, ready to greet the incoming missionaries and help them with their bags. That was a lot of fun.

After being told to pull over to the curb, we got Jeffrey's bags out of the trunk, gave him more hugs, and then he left. Here he is, walking off with his helper/guide.
My sister and I then got back in the car and drove out of the MTC, waving at all of the missionaries as we drove along. Leaving Jeffrey behind to begin his mission.

So far I'm doing okay. I'm not sure it has really sunk in yet. It will probably hit me next week. It's a good thing GNO is coming up.

Promised Pictures!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we were fortunate enough to meet President Uchtdorf on the day before Jeffrey went in the MTC. I'm now posting the pictures I took when we met him.

Here he is by himself. He was talking to another family, and I was able to snap a picture of him. I realize he's an Apostle of the Lord, but I have to say, he's a very distinguished looking man!

Here he is with my sister and I. I, of course, hate how I look in the picture, but I will treasure it always anyway.
And my favorite picture. President Uchtdorf and Jeffrey. What better way for my son to start his mission then to be told by an Apostle to work hard and always do what his CTR ring says.
I will be sending Jeffrey a copy of this picture in a few days. It will be nice for him to have on his mission.

There will also be a copy on my hall table full of pictures.

No Access to Post a Picture Yet, But...

We met President Uchtdorf today!! That's right, President Uchtdorf.

We were walking on Temple Square on our way to the Lion House for lunch. Suddenly my sister spotted a distinguished looking silver haired gentleman in front of the old Church Office Building. Sure enough, it was President Uchtdorf. He spoke to us briefly, and told Jeffrey to work hard on his mission. Then he took one picture with Jeffrey, and one picture with me, my sister, and her friend. Sadly, I forgot my cords, so I can't post the pictures. But I will post them when I get back!

Tomorrow is the big day! Jeffrey is so excited and ready. I know he's going to be a great missionary.

Elder Clutter

It's 1:36 A.M. and I am still up. I have been busy. I've been doing last minute laundry, washing dishes, hemming pants, and packing. Getting organized for tomorrow.

Tomorrow. The day Jeffrey and I leave for Salt Lake City. Only he's not just Jeffrey anymore. Now he's Elder Clutter, having been set apart as a full-time missionary by our Stake President. Having been set apart to serve for 24 months. That's one of the things that has to be said during the blessing. 24 months. 2 years. That's a long time.

I'd been doing all right. Then we went over and listened to the end of the Youth Conference testimony meeting so he could be set apart once it was over. For the closing song we sang "The EFY Medley". If you've never heard it, it's a great song. It's sung in Women's and Men's parts. The men sing the song "We'll Bring the World His Truth". This is part of what they sing: "We are as the army of Helaman. We have been taught in our youth. And we will be the Lord's missionaries to bring the world His truth." I looked at Shelley and Kristie, who were both crying, as was I. I could hear Jeffrey singing, and it was all so real. He has now been set apart as one of the Lord's missonaries, and he will be leaving soon to begin his mission.

I know he's ready to serve. So ready. I will let him go willingly, but I'm sure going to miss him. This would be a lot easier if Robert were here.

It's now 1:55 A.M. I'm sitting here crying. Sometimes it's hard to be a mom - even when you know your son is making the right choice.

Finally Recovered!

Jeffrey wanted an Open House before he left on his mission. Because of Youth Conference and other things we ended up doing it this past Sunday. There were a lot of people he wanted to invite, so we did. We didn't know how many of them would actually show up. We discovered that a lot of them would. A lot of them. How many, you ask?

Well, including the four of us, 111 people showed up! Who knew we could fit 111 people in our home? I realize they all weren't there at the same time, but I bet 50 to 60 were there at the busiest times. It was literally Standing Room Only! Jeffrey was thrilled. I think most people had a good time seeing friends from other wards (there were 3 wards involved). And my house survived intact!

Thanks to all who came! It was great to see you. Thanks to all who brought food or helped out in any way! We couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for showing Jeffrey your love and support! As his Mom, I really appreciate it.

The countdown continues. Six more days until we leave for Utah! Eight more days until he enters the MTC!

Such Consideration!

As I was driving down Hwy. 99 today, I noticed that the mowers had been out. The grass was newly shorn and looking good. Except in the spots where the wildflowers were growing. Those had been left unmowed so we, the driving public, could continue to enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers. I appreciate such consideration from TXDOT (or whatever group it is that coordinates the mowing). Good work, guys!!

R.I.P. Clarissa (the Guinea Pig)

We have had two guinea pigs for a long time. We've had one of them, Clarissa, a few weeks shy of 7 years. When we bought the guinea pigs we didn't anticipate them living for more than 2 or 3 years. I will be the first to admit that we had grown tired of them. They were kind of smelly, and very noisy and demanding. But we kept on taking good care of them, while murmuring under our breath.

This morning, Jeffrey went to feed the girls, and discovered that Clarissa had died. I think we were both surprised at how sad we felt. Much sadder than we thought we would feel. I can't really say that we will miss her, but it was sad to find her gone.

Here's a picture of Clarissa shortly after we got her. Bailey was fascinated with her, although she never tried to hurt her. She just liked to look at her.

I'm a little worried about our remaining guinea pig, Charley. She is actually Clarissa's daughter, having been born in November of 2003 (which is another story in and of itself), and has never been without her Mom. I'm not sure how she is going to do by herself.

R.I.P. Clarissa. As guinea pigs go, you were a good one.

Another Sign It's Closer!

Tonight I got a phone call. The caller ID said "Out of Area", so I didn't know who it was. When I answered, the woman on the line asked if this was Sister Clutter. I replied that it was. She then said, "This is Sister Hansen, from the Veracruz Mission". I realized then that I was talking to the Mission President's wife! She was calling to let me know how excited they were about Jeffrey coming to serve as a missionary there. She also asked me if I had any questions, which I did, and which she answered. She seems very nice and accessible. She said they expect obedience from their missionaries, which I'm glad to hear. I don't worry about Jeffrey - I know he wants to do what's right. It's nice to know it's expected of him.

After speaking to me for a little while, she asked to speak to Jeffrey, and they spoke for a few minutes. I'm so glad she called. It's not something that all Mission President's wives do, and it made me feel good about sending Jeffrey to serve under their care.

Minutes after our phone call ended, she sent me an e-mail, letting me know I was free to ask her questions any time I wanted. She seems like a wonderful woman!

And as if all that weren't enough, I loved reading this sentence in her e-mail, "We look forward to meeting your son in person…we love him already!" There's nothing that can make a Mom feel better than reading words like that!

17 days, and counting down!