As always, April is filled with crazy weather in Cache Valley. This was April 3, when winter finally arrived. Yesterday was the most beautiful day since last summer. Today, it's snowing. Go figure.
Quayd is working graveyard shift and it's been quite an adjustment for us all. He enjoys that the work is less stressful than day shift but the hours are killer! Our time together is limited these days. We gather around our bed every night at 9:38 for prayer and other than that, there are days that we hardly are all four in the same room or even in the house together. Whenever it's Quayd's turn to pray, he always starts off with "We are thankful that we can spend this time together to pray." We do usually have a few minutes to catch-up and for a little silliness before Doug says, "Goodnight, Neverland!", which means Lights OUT!
Zulu makes us all laugh... "What Starburst?"
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Spring break was pretty casual around here. Quayd worked, Doug worked, so Zeej and I chilled a lot together. I was busy with visits and Relief Society, but we managed to squeeze in a few lunches, movies and some fun. The happiest moment for Zeej was when Will came home after a week in Chicago with his family.
The biggest moment of the month for Quayd was when President Dixon Facetimed late one evening. Quayd was absolutely beyond thrilled when he'd said hi to the Dixons and their boys, then Crystal, his favorite investigator, popped into the screen to announce that she'd just gotten baptized and that Quayd was the first person that she wanted to call and share the news! It was a pretty awesome moment! Lots of tears that night!
We celebrated our anniversary with a quiet day together with kids, family, extended family, ward members and friends... not in any celebrative way, just being together. It was a great day together. Zeej surprised us late that night while we were watching a DVD with these brownie Sundaes that she'd made from scratch. Oh my!
Zaylee came over after school one afternoon for dinner and to watch CoCo with Zeej and Quayd. We ordered pizza and had icecream. She was in heaven. She's growing up so much. Between Quayd working graveyard, Zeej dating Will, Doug and my callings and life, it is very rare that we are all home at once. This was a great few hours, and they never happen enough! We are looking forward to a little "grands and fams" gathering this summer!
I made a fun brunch for my "Silver Sisters" in the ward. There were eleven, plus me for brunch. I served a delicious ham and spinach strata, banana and lemon poppy seed breads, fresh fruit and grape juice. It was heavenly! But, the company was even better. We had table talk questions that brought wonderful stories of these lovely ladies' childhood, raising their families, their husbands and so many great experiences that they shared. I am so blessed to be able to enjoy their time.
There are days that I literally find myself in tears that I am getting to know and love them in their final years on the earth, when I wish so much that I could have known their amazing husbands and watched them parent and be friends and neighbors when they were in the prime of their lives. My friendship and getting to know them better is a bonus to my experience as a Relief Society President. This Silver Sisters group is not a Relief Society gathering. It's something that I've chosen to do on my own and will continue to do after I am released. When you hear the saying "Old friends are best friends", it has a different meaning to me. These wiser friends are just a gift in my life! I am already planning our next get together!
Two huge happenings this past few weeks....
First and foremost, we were able to witness an historical General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. President Russell M. Nelson was sustained as the Prophet and President of our Church, along with Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring, as his counselors. I will write more about this in another post.
Second, my Relief Society Presidency was changed. Because of Julie's cancer and health issues, I've been praying since December about what to do that would be best for her. I wanted her to continue but I also didn't want her secretary duties to cause her to feel overwhelmed or guilty because we wanted her focus to be on her health. The bishop and I have talked about this over and over for months. I have prayed and prayed about who to call to serve as a new secretary. BUT, truth be told, I didn't want a new secretary, I wanted Julie. In the meantime, my counselors and I have done what needed to be done, along with my assistant secretary, Jenn, who did most of the computer tasks. Gayle had picked up most of the slack with her amazing gift for detail. This was a difficult decision.
March was very hard on Julie's body. She was in the hospital for weeks. It was the awful, and frightening. I knew... that it was time... and I hated it. Oddly enough, over all these months, as I have prayed about it and went down my list of 132 sisters, over and over and over again, I could never come up with a name. I'd decide on someone, pray about it, go to sleep and literally couldn't even remember who it was that I'd considered the night before. This went on for weeks and weeks.
Finally, in the beginning of April, I went to visit a sister in the ward to get to know her a bit and that Sunday, she was substitute teaching in Relief Society. While Rachel was standing there teaching, I had the strongest impression, "Sophia, you haven't been able to come up with the name for a new secretary because you already know who your secretary is: it's Gayle. It's a counselor that you need and she is standing there teaching right now."
I prayed about it again, called the Bishop that same day. My presidency was released the next Sunday. McKell, my old second counselor is now my first counselor, Rachel was called as my second counselor and Gayle is now serving as my secretary with Jenn as my assistant secretary. We are a great team. Julie's new treatments have helped her gain some strength back and she is now taking nightly walks and able to eat and have more strength than she has had in months. The Lord truly does hear and answer prayers.
Other happenings in April...
- Doug lost another cousin a week after the first. A young mother of three beautiful young children, including a baby. Cancer claimed her life and we were devastated for her husband and children.
- I have been able to complete over 120 one on one visits with sisters in our ward. A few were lunch dates and other meetings, but most were in their homes. I have loved getting to know these sisters better immensely. I am blessed to serve them! We are losing thirteen families because of USU graduation and the many married students that are assigned to our ward from USU Housing. In August, we will get new families, who, if they are half the caliber that these wonderful families have been, we will be in good shape!
- Grace went to Arizona to spend a week with Liza. Her wedding is in the works for June. We are not really in the loop of it all, but she seems to be happy from what we hear. No comment.
- I have worn capris and flip-flops, snow boots, my rain coat, sweaters, sweatshirt, flannel jammies, short sleeves, long sleeves, hoodies, and my winter coat this month. CRAZY.
- We hosted our final YSA family home evening dinner for this USU school year. Following the dinner and message, several stuck around and we watched Greatest Showman. Buddy surprised me and downloaded it onto VUDU two weeks before it was released in DVD! Fun night, singing along with the kids! Tonight is the final YSA activity for the year and things will calm down a bit for Doug until mid-August again. He still loves serving in the YSA!
- We hosted a birthday dinner for Doug's mom... next post...
- Spring Break
- Third Sunday of every month... 7AM meeting for Doug, 9AM meeting for me, three different three hour blocks of church for Quayd, Doug and myself with Zee, a fast dinner, Doug and I teach the YSA Marriage class to the soon to be newlyweds and then the Bishops fireside for Zeej. That's our crazy Sunday each month, but also our favorite!
Life is good...never a dull moment, no time to slow down but very, very good.
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