2011 Memory Lane photo scan

2011 Lagoon

Service Timeline

I have been thinking about our family and the callings they have held in church. It gives us courage to know that we were not the first in our family to have the blessing to serve. Also I thought it would be nice to have a record of our own assignments. We are lucky to have support from both sides of our family in giving service. After all-- our time and everything we have is not our own, we owe all we have to God. I wish I knew or remembered more but here is what i recall right now.

Great Grandpa DeMille Bishop

One of the Riffles was a Reverend

I know there is more on Scott's side by not sure how to find this out

Grandpa Dixon in Bishopric Parleys ward

Grandma Dixon YW President ward and Stake YW Pres. Sugarhouse

Grandpa Scharrier Branch President New York

Lynda is an amazing worker for her church and community

Neal ushered at church

Marianne was in YW in the mission field, Relief Society Sec., Libraian

Ted was Secretary in Elders and High Priests, taught primary, library

Scott:

1st Counselor in YM

Home Teacher

1st Counselor in Sunday School

Gospel Principals teacher

Fast Offering Collector

1st Counselor in Elders Quorum

Bishop

Missy:

Relief Society Teacher (3 times- 3 wards:))

Visiting teacher

Secretary in Sunday School

Stake Women's Conference Committee

Ward YW President

Stake YW Secretary and the 2nd Counselor in Stake and then the 1st Counselor (no I did not off the others to take their places)

We both are now working on Youth Conference in addition to Eagle Court for Scott and my Relief Society teaching.

Accepting 30 feeling 90

I'm feel old. This year I have felt every year of my life. Working outside int he heat of the summer with little to no days off and the stress of going from working a few hours a month to 10 plus each day on top of all the health issues I had aged me. There were days I did not recognize my face. I have always fought the aging thing. But This year I gave in and admit I am in my 30s. I don't think others in 30's or 50s or 70s are old but I just felt old. Here are some photos of my face from this year. They are after I had quit full time and had about one month break. In 2010 I'm focusing on health for Scott and mines sake and I'll bet I'll be maybe even 29 again by Nov.

Turn Back Time?

This has been one of the most challenging years ever with Aunt Sue so ill and up and down and my working 12 hour days 6 days a week I have not gone on a single trip all year. Scott went without me and I kept the home fires burning. I came across these layouts and felt like I was there all over again. Can I please turn back time and relive this awesome trip? It was 100% pure magic. Being with Miranda and family, Lynda and Teri. I don't know why but it was the best ever. I know most moms never get to travel but I think I may be losing my mind. I have got to travel again.

The moral of the story...

This photo reminds me of how these plants multiply which made me think of all the blessings we have had multiplying in our lives. Scott used to head up the merchant service department for Bank One Utah. He became friends with Angela who at the time worked for US Bank. They would compare notes and refer business. When Angela heard Scott had been laid off she got Scott an interview with the VP for Wells Fargo where she is now the head hancho for Utah. Her boss is a great man who lives in Colorado. Scott had a phone interview and last week went to an in person interview in St. George where we would have been living. They loved Scott! Today they created a job for him to bring him aboard. It will be classified as a temp position but at the very latest Jan 2010 they will bring him on as permanent:) He will be working out of Salt Lake with several of the branches but we do not know yet which ones. They asked him when he would like to start and he decided either July 15 or 30th. That way he can get a backpacking trip in with his brother and nephews and help his wife get out form under some of the boxes that she is trapped under.

I know I am prejudice but I just ADORE this amazing man. He spoils all of us and is really the person I choose to be with 24/7 over anyone else. I love ow I feel about myself when I am with him and how safe I am around him. We are very different but the overlap areas are awesome and we have so much fun together. Plus he is my dreamboat hunk. His hair has gotten more blond and his skin tan from all the outside work he has been doing. It is really gross how much stuff we have collected over the last 15 years. EBay here we come. So with my cool new job and not having to pay rent and getting a salary we will be able to save all his income which is more than he was making at his last job. Which means we could pay cash for the new house.

The moral of this story is two fold. First of all, I need to trust God, all the time no matter what. He has never let me down and even when I think all is lost He always saves the better part for me. It does not happen the way I think it should or plan on it happening but it is always better. He has our best interests at heart. I have got to trust him better and not be so controlling. Pres. Hinckley always said that things always work out-- he is right. It is not a free from pain or toil road but it also is a path that you never have to be alone on.

The second moral is life on earth in business is all about WHO You KNOW. It is not about degrees or experience-- not that they are a bad thing. But both of the jobs we have are because of who we knew. I guess it also helps to have interviewing skills and to not burn bridges, my dad was always trying to teach me to not burn bridges. Wouldn't it be cool if I could learn these morals before I die and head on to the next chapter? We can only hope because what good are low hopes anyways:) Here is to Scott landing a job and me learning something sometime soon.

Happy Birthday to Me:) 2008

I love to celebrate my birthday. I love to celebrate most holidays. This year I had some very fun things to do. I wore a brand new sparkly set I had made with beads Scott got for me. My mom-in-law, sis-in-law, niece and hubby took me to Twilight and to lunch on my real birthday. We were in AZ. When I got home my adopted family had a family dinner for me and I got to choose what we ate and Marlene let me eat extra frosting! Her mom gave me the cutest
sign that reads "Every time a bell rings an angel gets it's wings". Paul and Lily even made me a cake:) I had many phone calls and cards and Hilary made me home made goodies that I did not want to share. Leah found this funny card and my mom and Anthony gave me really sweet cards. Salina finds me awesome Holly Hobby gifts. I am still planning on a few lunch appointments to celebrate-as I live by the motto... Celebrate the event, not the day. Celebrate often and for a really long time:) So if you are wanting to celebrate your birthday, my birthday or just being alive... call me. We will do lunch!

Flying the friendly skies

Guess What? I have flown a ton of times and I am still alive. It kind of makes my fear silly when I keep not dying in an airplane. I have a friend who tells me that it is more likely I will have a baby than crash in a plane. Since I do not have the right parts to carry a baby I laugh when she says this but I think she may be right. So I am starting to enjoy flying again! I like to look out the window and see the world below. I thrill to see Temples dot the land and love to see a new perspective. I prefer to fly during the day I think on clear days but the

clouds are so beautiful in the sunlight. I like to have several things to occupy my time with. 1. a current Ensign 2. My Book of Mormon 3. My I-Pod shuffle 4. A sudoku game 5. A pencil and paper to write my feelings down and keep track of how I am doing. 6. my blankie 7. my neck pillow 8. Scott 9. a window seat I am really proud of my overcoming this fear. It was changing my life and I was so unhappy and felt so sad. It is empowering and builds my faith in God that I have somewhat worked through this. I am starting to love to travel again:)

I LOVE to camp (kind of)

As a day or two has passed I am becoming scared at the thought I was so excited to be outside. I did really love it but now that I am back in the comfort of home once again I think-- was I nuts? The dirt, spiders, bugs, extreme temp, lack of shelter, scary toilet hole, no sink, no flush toilet, no shower, I think I must have been crazy to think I was so happy there. Or maybe I am losing my mind. Because I did love to make smores with Maddy who got them just right as they were extremely messy. I loved how she and Taylor waited for turns on my lap. How it was so quite before everyone else arrived and Scott and I just reveled in our alone quite time. Mason jumped in to the fire pit before the fire was roaring and got filthy and Sarah jumped into save him and then sat in the dirt and seemed just happy being totally dirty. Part of me thought good for her- dirt it up and the other part was thinking get this girl a hose and some soap. My parents forbid me to get dirty or even sweat as a child. Really it was more my mom who had the hang up about sweat and dirty. My dad just liked things clean and perfect. Our neighbors use to tease my mom incessantly about us sweating or getting dirty. I am not saying I had a bad childhood and that it ruined my love for dirt. I embarrassed my parents love for clean. One of the main reason I do not like to camp is hygiene or lack there of because usually it leads to illness and a trip to the hospital which I really do not like. OK why am I back pedaling? It could be that from Sat. morning I have been running a high fever with no reason to have a high fever. My best guess is maybe it is from the pesticides I lathered on or the heat from the fire or the freezing cold. I did not get bitten by anything. Maybe it is like I believed when I was young and I am allergic to the outside?? NO I think I had a good time. OH- at least I have some cute photos. You the weird part about my mom is that she grew up at a cabin every summer in Island Park. They must have had dirt and bugs up there back then right? Maybe she was just nervous because of my JRA and other health issues and the doctors scaring her? I need to ask her about all this. The kids all loved it. Backy had all these fun things to do like make bird feeders and giant bubbles. I think I really liked it. No I am sure I did I am just a littel freaked out by the fever.

2018

It seems to me that the year 2018 fits into some strange futuristic book. But it now means something to me:) I just got my passport in the mail!!! Not that at this moment I am planning to use it anywhere. In the past I would have loved filling it up with travel from all over but today I am thinking that America is really great and there are a ton of places I would like to visit in my own country. Too bad there is not a cool stamp for a USA passport from each state you visit. My cousin Kelly has been to every state, so his passport book could be all full, if we had the state book. I think it would be a big hit. There is just something really romantic to me about a passport. It is kind of like holding adventure in your hands. I wish I had a copy of my grandparents passports. I know my older brother had the Scharrier ones I need to get copies of them. I wonder where my dads is? I know he had one while he was younger. I don't think me mom ever had one. When I think of passports I imagine the old travel trunks covered in cool stickers and stamps from far off places. When I went to get mine I laughed at the local office. They had up out dated posters from all over the world. The nice worker had never left Utah. It did not seem to bother her. I don't think I would like working in a dusty office with photos of far off places that I would never see. Another cool thing about this passport is the electronic feature that speeds up verification. I am now set until 2018, well in 2017 I will apply for a renewal since most countries won't let you in within 6 months of expiration. The other challenge I had was who to put for emergency contact. I choose Marlene as they keep saying they are not moving ever. I did it in pencil just in case:)

Tagged- I'm it

Melissa tagged me and it took about 4 weeks to realize it... I can be a little slow and I get distracted looking at her cute 6 month old.

4 things I did 10 years ago in 1998:

1. Move to St. George (enjoyed being close to me dad while he was ill)

2. Non-stop productions with St. George Musical Theater, Mormon arts festival, and the Bumbleberry Theater (miss all the neat friends I made and being on stage)

3. Took out my endowments in the ST. George Temple (BEST DAY of my life hands down:))

4. Finally was able to be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, after waiting, and waiting and waiting-- was worth the wait:)

4 things I did 5 years ago in 2003:

1. Scott and I earned a brand new Mercedes with work

2. I served as YW President at our Riverbend ward, and thought I would not survive the heartache of the girls tragic lives, it was a very humbling time

3. Traveled like it was going out of style seriously non stop travel

4. Turned down a part in Oklahoma with Penny Skadlock, who moved shortly after:(- I'm still sad about that one

4 things I did last year in 2007:

1. Both coasts, Disneyland and Disneyworld

2. Broke my heart when my brother moved

3. Got a new calling in Stake YW & sustained my husband as the new Bishop of our ward

4. Had awesome family reunion in Park City then trip to Lake Powell (didn't like the bad burn)

4 things I did last week:

1. Spoke for Father's Day and did not spend the whole day crying, it only took 8 years to get to that point... hooray

2. Laughed and made friends on 2 1/2 hours of sleep each night

3. Shared my testimony of Christ, and felt others witness of the reality of a living God

4. Got lost in a parking garage with 3 of the most beautiful talented spiritual ladies I could ever hope to call friends.

4 shows I enjoy watching:

1. Fraggle Rock

2. Muppet Show

3. Most of the Masterpiece Theaters

4. Hart to Hart, Remington Steele, Murder She Wrote, and other 80's shows

4 things I enjoy doing:

1. reading

2. performing

3. spending time with Kelsie, Kaden, Kenna and "whats his name" and all the other darling kids in our lives that I wish lived closer than Texas and Arizona

4. looking into my Scott's eyes and having his undivided attention and hearing him laugh

So here you go if you want a trip down memory lane and to have a fun look back in a few years of the present- take the tag: April, Miranda, Stacey, Candice, Marlene, Brooke, Jamie, Michelle, Kristen, and Teri

Scott's feelings about the death our our first Pet (maybe our only Pet)

"I am not much of a blogger so I decided to write down some thoughts and have Missy post them on her blog. Today one of my best friends in life passed away, my cat Mungo. Words cannot explain the pain I feel inside. I have been crying all day long and can’t seem to talk to anyone about Mungo without tears streaming down my face. Mungo is truly the dog I always wanted, even though he was a cat. I can still see those beautiful big blue eyes looking at me with love. Mungo was very unique for a cat, he really was like a dog in that you could give him as much love as you wanted and it was never enough. Unlike other cats he always wanted to spend time with me and sit in my lap. It is very quiet here in the house right now and I expect when I come home, to have Mungo coming down the stairs or from the office to greet me. He loved to talk and lead you to his treats. He slept with Missy and I every night and often when I would be on my side he would walk down the ridgeline of my body to get to my head so he could sleep there. I loved to hear his little breath and snore when he was sleeping beside me. He had the softest fur and the greatest personality I have ever witnessed in a cat, he never would bite and always give kisses. Mungo used to always let me rub his soft belly and loved to pull himself along the carpet with his front paws when I was doing it. He was such a talker and I loved how he could communicate with Missy and I. I miss his little voice behind me when I work on the computer trying to get my attention so I would give him more treats. I can hardly stand the silence and feel like I am going crazy when I am here. Everything reminds me of him and makes me cry non-stop. I know its good to grieve and let it out but I really am going to miss him. I know I will get to see him again some day along with my other pets but it is always so hard for the ones left behind. I pray for my wife Missy that she and I can make it thru this hard time. I worry that if she has too much time here alone that she will go crazy with Mungo gone. When Missy’s father passed away she was working for Skywest Arlines at the time and so she began working all the time 60 hrs plus a week to deal with his loss. I love her so much and I know that we will all get to be a happy family again. I don’t know what I would do without my Missy, she has brought me so much joy in my life and is my best friend. I remember how people thought it was so strange that we spend nearly every waking moment together but I wouldn’t have it any different. It hurts to see my Missy cry and then I start to cry and Aunt Sue starts to cry. It’s no surprise that Mungo was such a loving Kitty and I am so glad that we were able to rescue him from the outside and bring him indoors and that we were able to have this time in our lives with him. I am going to miss him dearly!!!" - Scott Riffle 2008

Free dinner and laughs

I had so much fun tonight doing a play rehearsal with a bunch of people I love to be with. It was our first real rehearsal (we had some major glitches beyond anyones control) so we are way behind schedule but having a grand time. I laugh and think it is funny. I really do think it will be a great fun family show. I think everyone gets a free dinner too. I found out tonight in addition to my friends in it already that Sue will be playing my mom!!! Yipee!!! and my friend David is a genius at the piano and he will be our accompanist. Ben and Sarah were perfect and have major chemistry on stage even if their parts are not supposed to be in love. I was laughing hard from my tummy it felt so good after having a stiff neck for so long to feel pain free:) If you need a great Dr for neck pain let me know. The man playing the Phantom is so funny and he is in my ward too. I love his wife who I get lines with. I'm so happy to be doing a play:) I really really missed the stage it feels great to be on it once again. It was a little bit of a juggle as I tried to go back and forth between a Stake YW/YM pres. meeting. I got a work out dancing and running back and forth. Here are the dates for the play if you want to come... April 24, 25, or 26. that is a Thur. Fri. Sat. I think our Bishop will be proud of Riverbend in the Stake Play, since I am married to him I'll put in a good word for us:) We only have 4 or 5 rehearsals left so "break a leg".

PLEASE take the poll to the left

<--------------- And you can vote on Marlene's Blog for her poll which is on the on the right of hers:)

It is only a few days until we announce the grand opening of... stay tuned... and vote:)

Phantom of the Op'ry

I enjoy doing theater, Scott enjoys me not doing the theater. It takes up tons of time and usually it is at night and with strange people so I can see why he is not thrilled with my love of acting. Plus the last few shows I was in I had the romantic lead which involved stage kissing and hugging to which I would hear Scott gulp in the audience. I have not done a show for awhile and I heard they were having auditions for a Stake Musical so I thought it might be good as I surly won't have to kiss someone else and it will be a nice clean family show and not take up to much time. Scott was not sold, he thinks they say it will only be once per week rehearsals but in reality we will do it non stop.
I have been waiting for over a month to hear if I have a role. I think auditions were Feb 6th. They had ordered 4 scripts. 1 ended up being for children. 2 they had to get permission to change a few things due to us being a church group (which they declined us changing the swearing), and the other the script still hasn't shown up. They did not say what play it would be, just had us audition with a short song, reading and dance.

I just found out which play it was, here is a description:

Gaston Leroux's famous mystery restaged as a comedy spoof of outrageously funny characters. The star of this flacky Op'ry House is Carlotta Barracuda, who will stop at nothing to prevent the lovely Christine Swansong from singing. Enter the Phantom! Christine will replace Carlotta, or else! Lots of suspense and laughter! Tim Kelly’s version of the Phantom tale is an unapologetic melodrama. This is a first-rate spoof of Gaston Leroux’s novel, written by a playwright and lyricist who both have a quick wit and some very sharp knowledge regarding not only the Phantom story itself, but also the fandom that has grown up around it. Forget Broadway! Forget Paris! This musical restaging beats them all for laughs. The flaky Op'ry House is located in Skunk Creek, Nevada! There's fun aplenty as the phantom laughingly makes a star of "too good to be true" Christine Swansong, who dreams of a musical career. But star attraction Carlotta Barracuda will stop at nothing to see that she doesn't get it. However, the spooky phantom's goal is to see that Christine will replace Carlotta... or else! What is the phantom's dark secret? Will he strike again? Musical show stoppers add to the intensive spark of this show, including "I Enjoy Being a Ghoul," "Absent With Leave" and "Patrons of the Arts." Besides the great solo and ensemble songs and wonderful comedy dance opportunities, you'll love the outrageously entertaining characters. This is a proven, surefire show.

Imagine my shock when I walked in and heard "There is our lovely Christine". I knew I would get a part, I thought a funny part. It is funny part and not the original. Well, then the stress set in. I had thought they would cancel the show so I had purchased plane tickets to take Kelsie on a special 8 year old birthday trip to California. I had told Scott if he was totally against it I would not do it. Yet I really wanted to do it. So after some tears, Scott said of course I could do it!!! If any of you are in Sandy on April 23, 24 or 25 and like a musical melodrama I know of one:)

Birthday Gifts and more

I go in and out of phases of creating. I feel in the mood and I go to town, then I get bored and hang it up for awhile. One of these on again off again crafts is jewels. They are not expensive but it is fun to say jewels. Here is a few of my recent creations. Hope the birthday girls don't blog surf for a few more days until I give these to them. 1. cat ear rings for moms b-day 2. necklace and bracelet set for Salina b-day 3. brown net for mio. I was going to send back the brown beads I ordered for me because Scott did not like them at all. But I thought why not play a little and give it a try. I think it turned out nice. I have worn it with blue and with green. I wish I could capture the sparkle better. Sarah let me use her display which helps. Her daughter always wants tons of photos of her. Kids make me smile because there is not a whole not of grey or in between. it is DO NOT take my photo or LOOK AT ME, PHOTO PLEASE. I was able to tend these two and spent the time trying to get little brother to say "Missy" he refused and said uh u instead. Sarah said later that night that during prayers he said Missy- will he do it in front of me? Nope-- but I guess in prayer is the next best thing:) I am excited to get together with my friends Marlene, Jody, and Sarah and make some more creations while I am still in the mood. I love to get stuff form Fire Mountain Gems- thanks to Sarah who told me about them.

Lots to Learn

Over the last year or so a good number of the teenage girls I work with at church have grown out their tresses and then lopped them off for Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a company that makes hair for children who due to medical conditions can no longer grow hair on their own. From this company they are able to make real hair wigs for them. My friend Mindie was recently telling me a little more about it. They like to have 10 inch section of hair, clean and dry, braided or in a pony tail. You can not send it is if it has been bleached but it can have been colored. I have been growing mine out to donate. It has been a challenge because I have not had long long hair for a long time and it was driving Scott and I crazy. Mindie measured me on Wed. and I was a 7 inches if I had a little length in my front and chopped the back short. Mindie explained that they also accept smaller lengths which they use to make hair pieces and wigs to sell to raise money to off set the cost of the charity. I sat and weighed the options. I could go crazy for another 3 to 6 months headed toward Lady Godiva land or I could be brave and chop chop right then and there.
While Scott had his cut I sat and vacillated. The last time I had short hair was in 1997. I was thin then and everyone loved the cut. People would say "OH- that is your cut- super cute. After the hysterectomy and thyroid burn out the weight piled on and I think I grew my hair out kind of hiding, which did not work as when you gain around 30+ pounds per month people notice. People were in shock and would say really rude remarks unintentionally. "Missy, you are HUGE, what happened?" Often I would allow it to hurt my feelings and just cry. I was already heart broken at not having a child, and with immediate menopause it was an explosive emotional roller coaster. I finally would reply back with things like "Oh wow- you are right- I am really fat! I was thinking the dryer had shrunk everything but instead it is because I am a fatty, thanks for letting me know." The people would get uncomfortable and leave me alone with my "new" revelation. The weight finally stopped after almost 100 pounds. The weird thing is I would not trade it for anything. First- it was the heartbreak of the total hysterectomy that humbled me to allow God in my life. After that I was able to believe in Jesus as the Christ. Then my whole life changed forever and since I have been a happy person. Second- I have learned that appearances can be deceiving and are not the most important thing in the world. I used to be very self conscious and worried about how I looked. It would stop me from trying new things and generally take up lots of precious time as I fretted about before mirrors. Third- I didn't look at people from the outside as much. I started to listen to who they really were. I realized that we are all children of God with spirits and we each have a different vehicle to drive while here. Some are dump trucks, some are buses, and some are cooper minis, and that is OK. The world can be a hard place where judgments are harsh, nut I learned that it is a good ideas to cut some slack to people because you really never know what is in their hearts or the whys that propel them to make the choices they do. I'm glad Someone Else is the judge not me. Forth- I learned to not be tied to outward praises or other people opinions. I would place way to much emphasis on others comments and complements. Why not listen to the only one that matters God who loves each and everyone of us. We all have enormous worth in the eyes of God, and it can't be taken from us like sagging boobs and wrinkled faces can. Fifth- That the Star Belly Sneetches story is genius and why would we all want to look alike? Variety is the spice of life and if you quit trying to be someone else you can really shine as you. Sixth- To not flatter myself in to thinking the world revolved around me or that people were thinking constantly about me. As I listen to the teenagers in my life, I hear them worry about what so and so is thinking. However I have learned that so and so is caught up in worrying about themselves and not spending anytime thinking about little old me. Here is a test to prove my theory on this one. What was your neighbor wearing last Monday? What were you wearing? 9 times out of 10 no one can answer the first ? and less than 30 % can answer the second ?.
As I waited for my turn in the salon seat I decided to take the plunge now and chop it off. Many of the cute ladies at the salon encouraged me and Scott thinks it is adorable but most important I love it. I'm so glad I did it. It felt great to fill out the paper work for Locks of Love and think that some little person out there will benefit from the sale of my locks so they can have a little ground cover. If you have ever thought of donating hair I highly recommend it. The only advice I have is bring a camera. Scott only had his camera phone so the photos of that day are not the best but it was a spur of the moment cut. It is very short and stacked in theback which takes getting used to but it sure is a fun cut. Here to lots more love.

Miss Missy

I miss Missy. You know that cute girl that used to blog often? I have been thinking about life and wondering if I don't blog things down did they even really happen? I really love my blog. I have loved that Melissa set me up with one over a year ago and that I have a big huge journal now. So these last few months I have been so busy or sick I have not been doing my blogging and I missed me. I am definitely my own best friend. I have never wanted to be someone else I have way to much fun being me. Plus I love my family and friends so I do not want to switch places. SO much has been happening in our lives and I have not recorded any of it!!! I am going to blog up this week-- that is like catch up-- blog up. I love this photo of me when I was little playing with water I love water and I love pictures of me:) Can you imagine if I had my own kids, I would have spoiled them and they would have ended up loving themselves like I do. I wonder if I would have even loved the photos of them more than my own childhood photos? I'm sure glad my parent's took tons of me:) THANKS MOM AND DAD! That is one of the perks of being the oldest (of my moms). The younger kids never get as many photos-- really very tragic, especially if they are like me and love to look at photos of themselves.

Strep Throat, Big Changes and HighCotton

Thursday after my time doing PTA stuff at the school I went to the Temple. (It was wonderful and spontaneous. I have found if I plan in advance to go, something always pops up, so now I sneak. I wear a skirt, feel a little need to escape the world and voila. I love the peace and clarity I feel there. It is so freeing to walk in the door and leave the world behind.) When I got home my throat felt a little sore. The next day I had a fever and pain in my throat but when I looked with a flashlight it looked fine. This morning I looked with an old flash light- wow it was red. The new bulbs in the led flashlights cast a harsh white light that drown out all color. (I really miss the old days when we had the non energy efficient light bulbs. Those were the days. Scott has replaced all lights even my little reading lights with the artificial harsh florescent or led lights. I know it is better for the world and for cost purposes, but I love old real light bulbs. I love how I digress.) I decided to go into the doctor. I had not had my usual sinus pains I get with colds yet my throat was really hurting. I have strep. They came in the room in a few minutes after the test with some nasty elixir. I remember when it took days for them to see if you strep. I started on the meds but now my tummy hurts really bad. I wonder is it from the strep or am I allergic to the meds? I wish at times I had a good crystal ball, then I could avoid illness. Would it be too terrible to at least have a better way to know what to do in certain situations? I guess that is all part of the trials and errors necessary to experience growth. (update from when I typed this... I was allergic to the med so they switched me. I have now been on 2 antibiotics and it isn't helping- plus I got sicker. Scott and I are just very blessed right now with sickness and time to think of all our blessings while we wait in Dr. offices. He is improving- hooray, and I know I will too. His theory is we picked up some sort of strange virus. Because his saliva glands were dry and my throat is dry. I think he may be right as all his other tests have been negative so far. I just hope his goes totally away and mine clears up before the auditions for the Stake Play:)) I have a really busy day scheduled tomorrow with church meetings all day and now I'm thinking-- should I go anyway even if I am contagious? Then I think NO crazy, if people stayed home when sick things would not spread. (I stayed home by the way which wasn't even a choice I could make I was one sick girl. But I was able to go today:)) I am very happy- just a little bit of life going on is all. The biggest change in a long time is happening right now and with Scott so ill and everything else I'm amazed we are continuing on. We are truly surrounded by awesome family that has been praying and fasting I I know that is why Scott is on the mend. Scott has been thinking for a few years he would like a new challenge. Some of his friends who are attorneys would ask him to come work with them. He would laugh and feel great they thought enough of him to consider it. Then our company's founder sold our company. It was hard for us. There were many changes. Some were great others very different and difficult. The biggest impact was product changes and a ruffian who stalked us (he had nothing to do with our company just prayed on our success, luckily he is gone now). As a result I stepped back from the business and Scott took on the entire load himself. Part of what he had loved was working with me. He also loved the integrity of the leadership and was saddened to see it change hands. We also had a huge growth spurt which took our numbers from 35,000 to 1 million consultants. How can things stay small when you grow that big? We loved the small feeling. We still love it and the products, but Scott felt he needed something more. I will be taking over the business again and I'm really proud of what Scott has decided and who he has decided to work with. He is working for a family owned company out of Birmingham, AL. called High Cotton. They flew us out there in Dec and I was very impressed, we met the owner and his family and had a tour and met all the other employees and saw the whole operation. It was really cool and I loved everyone I met. The city was neat too. They loved Scott and made him a great offer, he was thrilled to accept. So now he will be working with his friends, selling and traveling and he is excited and himself again. If I had to lose him to another company it couldn't have been a better one. You can see the company website at highcottonusa.com. The term High Cotton means prosperity in the south- it is not a cotton company. We are excited about all the changes and having fun with 2008.

Lights, Letterman, cut

We never did decorate for Christmas. I guess now it is too late. Darn- I was really wanting to do that. I'm just now realizing the whole holiday season is over. My husband has been a little sneaky. I have been trying to make him have some better boundries so he can get well again. SO while I was at meetings last night Scott cut his hand open. He was cleaning up after a glass I had broken earlier. He decided the best thing to do was not tell me. So he didn't until I noticed the huge gash in his hand. Funny how he thought I wouldn't notice. It is from his palm to his wrist. It is not very deep but he has it wrapped up good. We are waiting to do a biopsy on his throat/ mouth to determine what the next step is there. The doctor is headed to some foreign country for a few weeks. If he never comes back I think we may see a different specialist- a second opinion never hurts. I have been busy with PTA/ YW/ Charity Crop, and avoiding house work. I have this thing where when I feel over whelmed I kind of shut down and stare straight ahead. My friend Melissa's boyfriend was on David Letterman and I spaced it. I hope my other friend recorded it. We are enjoying the freezing weather because it is keeping the yucky inversion away. It is breath taking to see this valley all clear and the gorgeous mountains covered in a blanket of glittering snow. I love these views. Also the snow pack is way up and since the draught has been bad we will take all we can get. I'd love to see it all melt come spring and fill up Lake Powell and Lake Mead. I have a long series of meetings last night and got very flustered. There is this pill who can be a little exasperating. I almost slugged him. He likes to tease my friend Beki and I. We don't like it. he can almost be a bully. I love the other ladies and men I serve with so that helps. I think to drown bully out of my thoughts I will listen to Christmas music out of season and plug in a strand of lights.