What is going on in life?

For Relief Society today we have been urged to write our personal history. Most of my life history is in various digital forms and isn’t organized.
I will have to think just how I would want my continuous story organized...without out going on and on....but give interesting facts......uh interesting is so subjective...

I think I will write about last week.

I arrived in San Diego and met up with the Stewarts. It was so good to see them again and enjoy the ocean.

We went for a long walk on the pier and got caught up on our lives a little. Dr. and Sister Stewart have an ongoing relationship with the mission department as they work to help the incoming missionaries with dental problems. Right now they are concerned with missionaries from the South Pacific islands.

On the way down the freeway, we stopped in Old Town San Diego and had a fresh tortilla right off the grill:

Old Town San Diego

Ladies making fresh tortillas in the restaurant - delicious!

Two mornings Sister Stewart and I walked down the sidewalk next to the beach, while Dr. Stewart and his son David went surfing. The weather was fantastic!

Pipe beach in Encinitas
  

Sister Stewart told me she had dedicated the next 72 hours to make sure I had a good time. Wow! Is that a normal thing to do when a friend visits? I have never visited a friend before just to visit. Usually, I visit in conjunction with an errand, event, or something else. I definitely will have to keep that in mind when I have a friend over. I sure loved the little tray with water, kleenex, chocolate candy. That was a great touch!

We went to see the flower fields and just enjoyed the nursery

I told Sister Stewart that I like nature and watching animals. She studied up on what was around in that area and off we went to visit a butterfly farm, aquarium, flower farm and walks on the beach. She had lots of ideas and we went with plan A, then B, then C depending on traffic and just what we decided to do.   She told me we could go on kayaks on the ocean but I'll have to save that for another visit.  I had a slight headache and just wanted to take it easy.  So I'd just enjoy her balcony for a few hours every day, reading and putting a picture book together and then going out on little adventures.

Visiting a butterfly farm

The aquarium was so cool and the seahorses were amazing. This seahorse floats around looking like leaves.

We went out to eat almost every meal. I enjoyed it all but especially the Vietnamese Spring Rolls!! I almost didn't get a picture because they were so delicious and eaten fast.

Rice wrapped with lettuce, a thin slice of roast beef (?), three shrimp on top and clear rice sheet wrapping it all together. It is the peanut sauce that makes it fantastic!

When we went to a Vietnamese restaurant in the Philippines together, Sister Stewart told me that the Pho bowls were better in America. Ever since I had wanted to know why because they were wonderful trying them for the first time in the Philippines. Now I can't wait to find a Vietnamese restaurant here in Concord. This food is really, really good!

I really had a wonderful time relaxing and just reaching a zen feeling. We talked about our different buckets - #1 is the things that have to be done for survival and each bucket represents what comes after survival. Sister Stewart said she wanted me to reach for the fourth bucket level. I'm wondering what is in that bucket?

Cousins

Two cousins

"Go give Caleb a hug", Makynlee was told. So she did. It was so fun to watch these cousins who haven't see each other for months interact.

One of those momma moments

Last weekend I found myself on the last night of our time together watching a lot of my family sitting in couches sharing ideas and feelings. It was one of those rewarding, fulfilling, life-is-okay kind of times. They come every few years. Momma moments.

A big one I remember was a Christmas that Rachel was either 12 or 13 and all the older children had come back from different universities and away. It was late at night on Christmas Eve and I was so tired from all the prep work and airport runs. I came down the stairs to find the children (actually they were mostly adults) laughing around the computer, "You've got to see this!" I realized they would be up for hours and who cared as it was the holiday. As I stood there wondering what to say, Rebekah comes up and pats me on the back and said, "It's okay you don't have to wait for everyone to go to bed and put out the stockings, we are going to have a really great Christmas morning." So I went to bed with gratitude in my heart for my loving children who get along so well with each other and could also interpret my feelings.

Another moment came at Pajaro Dunes also when Jayson was just a baby and not walking. The 'children' were gathered around the long table laughing and playing a game and it struck me that there hadn't been any contention or disagreements the whole time, just a feeling of sharing and warmth. The effort, prayers and hard work paid off in a really nice vacation.

Debbie is holding James in the foreground and behind me is Lilly, but the other four are on Rachel's bench

This weekend was different. Briona and Andrew organized everyone, paid for all the condos and invited everyone to bring food and come meet. Each family took charge of different aspects of the vacation. Everyone was sharing their ideas, talents, and watching other's children. My "moment" was the whole weekend. Julia flew eight hours with a baby who didn't sleep much and then drove with her mom in heavy traffic. She made sure she stopped in Pajaro Dunes to see us and get a picture with all of us. When she arrived some of the babies weren't awake, so she and her mother talked and waited around till it was time. The meals were really awesome. Rebekah's Mike had made three different kinds of enchiladas so the food allergies would be okay. Debbie had recommended a book for us to read and exchange ideas on. Kelsi cheerfully took extra kids to the beach, and Rachel, of course, has favorite aunt status as all the grands love her. It was hilarious walking into the church and all the children zeroed onto Rachel and her bench. Jeffrey drove two to four hours every day so he could be with us and still take care of his responsibilities.

So when I found myself watching the family in a devotional on the last night sharing many feelings and ideas from totally different points of view. Because my back aches if I sit on the couches, I was in a hard chair just outside of the circle. It was an advantage point and seeing everyone interact, respond, and share. A very big momma moment filled with gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to be part of this wonderful family!