Temporary Empty Nest - Getting us Prepared

I don't think it has hit me until today how quiet it is with just two of us home! Not as much dinner conversation, not as much food to prepare, no one to help take out the trash (ha, ha), not enough people to give Mina, our cat, all the feline attention she requires, no one to remind to pick up their rooms or move their laundry along.... But the positive side is the phone calls, emails, twitters, blog posts, etc. from these young adults showing us that life is going well, or struggles will be overcome. Mike shared Friday night with me some empty nest questions for thought he found online. I don't know that it made me feel better but good things to think about for the future when we are really empty nesters. Life will be great, just different. On to our next adventures!

Temple Trip

The Primary theme this month is "Temple blessings unite families." I was so delighted to be able to share a picture I took last week at the Rexburg Temple and the Oquirrh Mountain temple with the children. I looked through our digital pictures and printed up some of our vacation trip temple pictures. The children loved the story of all the lizards all over the Orlando Florida temple and of Brent trying to catch a lizard. I shared the story of Brent all dressed up in his Sunday best as a three year old to attend the San Diego Temple Open House. They loved hearing how this wiggly little boy was so touched by the spirit in the temple that he was reverent and awed and how he peeked over the beautiful wooden circular staircase below. Then he accidentally dropped his temple brochure and looked so devastated to lose this valued brochure, but a gentle breeze blew the brochure back through the stair slats and it landed at his feet. I'll never forget the look in his eyes as he realized the gift given back - his own little temple miracle. I shared how Chelsea who was only 18 months, would point only at the pictures in the temple with Jesus in them and say His name. And I shared about the wonderful sealing ordinances that take place in the temple and of Grandpa's conversion story. What a reverent and delightful time to share the spirit with these Primary children!

A Gesture of Appreciation

Look what arrived this afternoon for me! It came with a note of appreciation for my work at a SNF I've been consulting for over the last 9 years. It is beautiful, delicious and too much fruit for just the two of us home. Wish everyone were here to enjoy it with us!!! We'll have to share it with friends and family.

The facility has just recently hired a full time R.D. to take my place as well as the diet tech's full time job in an effort to save money. Business is business, but I'm sad to leave a great group of nurses, CNA's, speech therapists, occupational therapists, dietary staff and food service director as well as other terrific employees. I will continue on for a few more weeks in training and helping out. Their gift of appreciation is a generous and kind gesture.

Out the Door

I always feel better when I see where it is my children are living. Somehow, knowing their home layout just helps me picture them there. So, it was good to see Chelsea settled into her new dorm apartment in Rexburg. Great roommates, empty but beautiful campus buildings, college life, classes, student ward, 2008 Rexburg temple, grocery shopping, new friends...all lead to a new adventure for her. Have a great summer term Chelsea!

Use a Cement Mixer

Several of us really enjoyed the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on the cruise. So I googled the recipe and found several "Official" recipes. Here's a good one:

Recipe from Carnival Cruiseship Legend (August 2007)

Melting Chocolate Cake
Portions: 1000
Ingredients:
70 lb semisweet chocolate
70 lb butter
700 eggs
18 lb sugar
25 lb flour

Method:
Melt chocolate and butter. Mix half egg and sugar, add flour, add remainder egg. Mix egg mixture with chocolate mixture. Pour into ramekins. Bake 15-20 min at 200 Celcius. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Someone reviewed this recipe and suggested using a cement mixer to mix the ingredients! Can you imagine cracking 700 eggs! I'll post on the recipe blog the version for serving 10 after I try out a few of the "official recipes."

Cruising

What fun we had on our cruise to Avalon, Catalina Island and to Ensenada, Mexico this week! We actually got tired of eating! We ate each night in the dining room with elegant appetizers (one favorite was strawberry bisque), entrees (lobster and prime rib...) and desserts (mmm, chocolate melting cake). (Mother's and Eileen's picture didn't turn out because of backlight from sunny window!) And a few of us made it up late one night for the Mexican buffet.

Some of us enjoyed workouts in the gym or running/jogging around the track (burn up a few of the 1000s of kcals consumed). While I was on the treadmill at the bow of the ship, I was treated to the leaping and swimming of many dolphins.

We enjoyed a "high tea" onboard with finger sandwiches and yummy little desserts and herbal tea.

Some of us were more adept at towel folding (like Chelsea), but we had fun making a dog, an elephant and a bunny.

We watched a crew member carve an ice carving. He was fast! I guess you have to work fast when you are on deck and not in a walk in refrigerator!

And of course we had lots of fun visiting and playing games (5 crowns). Oh yes, and doing some napping too!

Anniversary

Today is our anniversary. Aren't these beautiful flowers! Mike brought them home for me last week and they are still fresh and fragrant. The stargazers have opened and are huge and beautiful. The carnations smell so good! The flowers have brightened up our home!

We both took the day off from work and started out with a leisurely breakfast at Mimi's. Then it turned quickly into a work day of shopping and cleaning and getting ready for Chelsea's graduation on Friday. By 9 pm we had finished our list of "have to do" and felt it was just too late to go out for dinner. So we settled for a hot fudge sundae at a local restaurant and reminisced about other anniversaries. Like the one right before Andrea was born and they almost refused to serve us at Black Angus-they were afraid I'd go into labor in the restaurant! And the anniversary we splurged for a trip to Catalina Island and I took dramamine to prevent sea sickness. I slept all the way over, and slept at every bench we sat down on, and during the tours (I can remember the glass bottom boat however), and then took another tablet to go back to Long Beach. I slept the entire day! Then there was the anniversary we celebrated during the middle of the High School choir and band concert. We heard Tamara's choir and then snuck out for dinner and returned after the band performance in time to hear the last choir numbers. We've also enjoyed anniversaries in San Diego, La Jolla and Hawaii. Mike works hard to make each anniversary special for us, no matter the agenda and each anniversary sings to me our favorite song, "Perhaps Love," recorded by Placido Domingo and John Denver.

I am fortunate to be married to my best friend and my sweetheart!