keeping busy!

How did it get to be Wednesday already?!  This week is flying by and so much is going on. 

Tuesday, Quayd and I spent a few hours finalizing the last details of his missionary application.  There were several phone calls involved and a few last "blanks" to fill in.  The last big thing to do was for me to take his photograph for his application.  Yes, I cried.  He wanted to bet me $1000 that I couldn't get through the afternoon without crying but we both knew that he'd win that one!  It was a sweet experience and as he saw his photograph uploaded on the application, it was, literally, the first time that it really hit him, "Mom!  I'm really doing this!"  More tears.  Here's a few pix from the afternoon....

reviewing the final page

 clicking "submit"

and this one is the one!  I am tearing up again just looking at it!

His next step is a final interview with our Bishop, then with our Stake President and then the Stake President hits "Submit" to the Missionary Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the rest is up to them and the Lord!  We should know where Quayd will be serving his two year mission at within less than a month!  Then, it's just wait.  Wait until he graduates and his departure date.  His availability date is shortly after graduation, so we'll have a few months to buy him new suits and shoes and luggage and and and all sorts of things, depending on where he will be serving.

Quayd says that he doesn't care where he serves, as long as he serves!  If I were choosing, I'd love to see him serving in North Carolina or the deep south.  His cheerful disposition would fit right in down in the south!  We'll see!  Time will tell!  He's excited!  Last night, he showed me ten of his facebook friends from school that already have their calls to go within a few months from their graduation.  Exciting times!

In the meantime, Grace is enjoying some down time!  She's worked hard at Bella Voce all year and, now that she's done, she loved being able to go to the mall with Zee after school and just chill!  Today was Eric's birthday.  She bought him this fun shirt and to celebrate his big day, they went to his home and made cookies together, watched a movie and then brought cookies home to us. They've been dating a month now. He's a good boy and is also in the beginning steps of his own mission preparation.  Grace talks about his mission a lot.  She also talks about how good it is to date a boy who has high standards.  We feel blessed to have our kids have good friends!

And then there is the birthday girl, who I'm still trying to pin down for a birthday interview.  She's painted the bottom of her longboard with the help of her dad, between his naps and sickness.  She's so dang cute and fun.  And what a wonderful helper she is!  Tonight, the YSA girls were having their Relief Society Birthday Social making tin foil dinners up the canyon at 7. (It's dark by then!  AND COLD!)  I read a post on Facebook and noticed out our window that it was snowing, so I texted the leader and offered our den and my oven for their party!  She texted back a bit later that this was an answer to her prayers.  We ended up with them all coming over and preparing their food, then baking it while the Stake Relief Society President gave a sweet message and they all visited.  ZJ helped me get ready for their visit, dropping all that she had going on.  She's awesome like that!!!  Always willing to help me with anything I need!  She's my girl!

Zee has taped Halla (Which she knows is spelled Holla, but she prefers the A... that's her, being her!) and now she will paint it black over top of the tape and peel.  This board is something she has wanted for years.  Since Lydia has one, she's so excited to be able to do it together.

I only took two pictures of the gals tonight.  The tinfoil dinners were fab, especially baked in my convection oven! (it only took 35 minutes for them all!)  But, even tastier was the dessert, which I'd never heard of...  We each sliced an unpeeled whole banana lengthwise and then opened the "slit" a bit.  Then, everyone "stuffed" their banana with chocolate covered orange and raspberry sticks, milk chocolate chips and marshmallows.  We wrapped them in tinfoil and popped them in the oven for ten minutes or so until they were melted and gooey.  OH MY!  (Sadness for Doug... he spent the entire night in quarentine and never saw a single person!)

Our Stake Relief Society President came and gave a sweet message.  She commented on how much she loves the girls in our YSA ward because she feels such a love and bond between them all and sees how willing they are to serve each other.  She's so right!  These gals are incredible.  They cleaned every little thing up before they left and were all so gracious for being able to come on the spur of the moment.  It was my pleasure to have them here!  And when I don't have to lift a finger, who could not want them here!  They cooked dinner and cleaned up!  MY pleasure!

Life is good!  Busy, fun, wonderful and gooooooood!