Opening David's Mission Call

My son, David, will be serving a 2 year, volunteer, Vietnamese speaking mission teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Cambodia.  We recorded him opening his letter so those who were not able to join us in person could experience this special time with us.  That video is at the bottom of this post.

His letter arrived Thursday, May 3, which was also his Eagle Scout Court of Honor.  We waiting until Friday morning, so we could open it with family and friends (the family joined us via skype and telephone).

My Birthday

Boy, am I getting old!  My birthday was quite a busy day with Mormon Helping Hands, AJ attending a friend's birthday party, and Michael's fundraiser for Scout camp.  When we got home, John surprised me with some flowers, a cake, and a gift.  (Earlier, David also gave me a gift.)  It was a great day!  Thanks to my dear husband and kids for making me feel special.

Mormon Helping Hands, 2012

Our family loves volunteering for the annual Mormon Helping Hands service projects in southern California.  This year, we painted a huge fence around the local aquatic complex.  I forgot to take pictures during the project, but here are a couple I took just after we finished painting.

Neon Day at School

AJ's school has several fun "spirit days" at school where the kids can dress up.  Last month they had a "neon day."  AJ decided to make a Tron shirt with neon duct tape.  Here are the results.

David's Job at the Helaman Creamery

David got a job his second semester at BYU to earn money for his mission.  He worked at the BYU Creamery at Helaman Halls.  He made burgers, fries, and ice cream desserts for customers.

Michael's Swim Competition

Michael joined the swim team this year.  Here's a video of one of his first events.  Sorry it's turned sideways.  I forget that I can't rotate videos after I record them.  So tilt your head to the left.  :)

No "Real" Basements in California

I miss having a basement.  In California, there aren't many houses with basements, and the basements some homes have are not the same as the basements I grew up enjoying.  East coast basements allow you to put all your junk away where no one can see it.  You can actually use your garage as a garage. Most California garages have stuff in them.  A few have cars, but most of my neighbors use at least one of the car stalls for stuff.

I have attempted to clean our garage several times since we moved into this house two years ago.  Each time, I feel I have done well and that it looks a lot better.  Yet, we have NEVER parked a car in the garage of this house.

A couple of months ago, some friends of ours at church were giving away an air hockey table.  I jumped at the opportunity, but that also meant I needed to REALLY clean our garage.  Not for a car, but for the air hockey table.  Thankfully, all my previous attempts paid off.  The kids and I cleaned the garage and made some space.  We put down one of our area rugs from the old house, then John and I picked up the table.

We LOVE it!  The kids play it regularly, and our garage is now used most days.  It was totally worth it.