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Saturday night, we had another game night with Paul and Aundrea, Carol and Madi.  Carol and I went grocery shopping in the early morning and hit Sonic before the day really began.  I came home and spent the afternoon doing a little studying and then getting ready for game night.  Grace worked all day and Quayd had the day off, which is rare!  ZJ is always glad to have either or both of them home with her!

We made sandwiches and relish tray and tons of munchies.  Andrea made the most amazing cookies!  She brought the dough and baked them here, so right out of the oven, OH MY!  I've asked for her recipe.  WOWSERS!

After a few rounds of Fruit Salad, we played a few other games. Carol brought a new game called Zero.  We all loved it! After just one round, I had it ordered and on it's way from Amazon.  We also played Like Minds.  Carol's had the ingenious idea to use dollar store white boards and dry erase markers instead of using paper and pencils.  What a great way to play games!  I'll be buying some for our game box this week!  So much quicker and easier!  Doug and I were partners.  Oh, this is more than funny.  Like Minds is a game where you try to answer the same as you think your partner will.  After thirty-eight years, you'd think that we could answer alike.  However, anyone that knows Doug and I, we are soooo different!  And Doug and games are just an excuse for him to be silly.  Example:  The question was "Things you put in a purse."  I said "wallet".  Doug's answer was "A Chainsaw".  Yep, that's what it's like to play with Doug.    Yagottaluvhim.  I do!

 

Paul won EVERY game!  He is a hoot!

We weren't as late as last game night because of Paul and Andrea's kids.  Their little boy was throwing up as they walked out the door from their parents, who were tending.  So, we ended the evening by 9:30, which left Doug and I lots of time for hottubbing! No complaints from me there!

Sunday morning, we were able to sleep in a bit before I made pancakes and blueberry syrup for breakfast. I had blueberries that needed to be used.  Doug made the comment, "We are so blessed to live in a day where we have these kind of luxuries in life."  In discussing it, yes, blueberries are a luxury.  So is fresh salsa that we enjoyed last night in mid-January.  So is having a microwave and the internet and Temperpedic mattresses and furnaces and all of the things we are blessed with in this day and age!  I'm glad that I wasn't a pioneer!  I really and truly are!

Doug left for his meetings and I spent a little time reading and I'm still working on my 2016 goals.  It's been so busy that I've not had very much alone time to really ponder what I want this year to be for me, personally, and our family.  One thing is for sure, the little scare from the mammogram has made me look at things a bit differently.

I try to have a "word" for each year.  This year, I finally decided, my word is "More".  That sounds like a strange word.  I'm not thinking "more" in the lines of "I need more" of anything because I have so much more than I could ever need.  But, I need to do more and to be more.  More focused, more determined, more dedicated, more of a lot of things...  Ironically, when I attended the second half of the YSA Sacrament Meeting, after attending our ward with the kids, the closing hymn was "More Holiness Give Me", which is probably one of my most favorite hymns.  And I knew that I had chosen the correct word for this year!  Happiness!

Here's the words to they hymn.  So beautiful!

More holiness give me,
More strivings within,
More patience in suff'ring,
More sorrow for sin,
More faith in my Savior,
More sense of his care,
More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.

 More gratitude give me,
More trust in the Lord,
More pride in his glory,
More hope in his word,
More tears for his sorrows,
More pain at his grief,
More meekness in trial,
More praise for relief.

 More purity give me,
More strength to o'ercome,
More freedom from earth-stains,
More longing for home.
More fit for the kingdom,
More used would I be,

More blessed and holy--
More, Savior, like thee.

I am more than blessed!  Life is more than good!