California Dreamin'

"All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray" You know the rest of the words--something about going for a winter's walk and dreaming of warm California. Well, I am living the dream. I am in California visiting Audrey and her family and it is warm; the flowers and leaves are still green. I have been at the pool for swimming and feeling the sun almost every morning. As much as the warmth and beauty is wonderful, the most wonderful part of the visit is that I have been able to do four of my favorite things with a daughter that I am only able to see three or four times a year.

We had lunch at El Torito which serves some of the best table side guacamole and chips. There is never a question of where we will go for lunch, but just when we will go. Our next stop was at Chico's for our annual shopping trip together. There were some great sales and we found fabulous things. Yes, our sacks are full and yes, we bought some of the same outfits again!

And of course, we are spending time at the dining room table scrap booking. Even though we have gone digital, we set up our laptops and scrap side by side as usual. We have set goals of numbers of pages per day and reward ourselves when we meet these goals. (Lunch today was because we completed ten pages). And last, but not least, is the time that I am able to spend with my grandchildren. It is a pleasure to kiss them goodnight and tell them that I love them in person rather than through the phone. This visit is truly a dream--I am California Dreamin'.

My friends, My sisters

I had decided earlier in the week to press delete on my blog. It has been a very long time since I have made an entry. I am reminded everyday when I visit blogs because the length of time since my last entry is noted. I have even received emails asking me if I am okay because my blog hasn't been updated. The pressure was on. It is not that I haven't been doing things. For example, I have celebrated a fabulous birthday, traveled to Wichita, Kansas to drive a bucket truck home, sat on the grass to hear Will's band in concert, and had a most enjoyable visit with Jessica and her family. I had just lost the fire to blog. Until tonight.
Tonight was Relief Society Enrichment for our Spanish Branch. I had been asked to help by bringing paper supplies and to teach a class on making cards. It was a most rewarding experience and one that I will not forget for a long time. Yes, as we sat around the table we did make cards and for some it was a brand new experience. It was hard to believe that some did not know what a glue dot was and that you can tear paper for decorative purposes. But the most important part of the evening was that we became sisters and friends. We laughed, talked, and laughed some more TOGETHER. We looked at each others scrapbooks TOGETHER. We cleaned up and laughed some more TOGETHER. We hugged and kissed when the evening was over and we all left TOGETHER, wishing everyone a wonderful conference weekend and looking forward to our meetings in two weeks so that we could once again be TOGETHER.
I love my calling as a missionary - now that is something to blog about. We are blessed to be friends and family in the gospel TOGETHER.