As I looked at my February entries for 2012 in my journal, there wasn't anything outstanding that happened. It was just life. One thing I did enjoy re-reading though was about the times that I spent with Delainey and Sallie. Those two little girls have blessed my life in so many ways and I am so grateful that they live so close that I get to see them, play with them, read to them and enjoy them so often.
Valentine's Day 2012 was a little lonely. Donald was off to Mutual and I was home alone. I wrote in my journal that I was "feeling a little lonely". I've had more "lonely" nights since then, but sometimes lonely nights are a great time for reflection. I find that sometimes I want "me time", but then when I get it, I don't really know what to do with it. I guess that's part of life--learning to deal with whatever comes your way.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
January 2012
After more than a year away from blogging, I'm back!
I didn't take a break on purpose; I just got busy and didn't post and then it seemed like it would take so long to get caught up so I just kept putting it off. We had some great things happen to our family in 2012 and I wish they were written about here. I am going to add some highlights and pictures from 2012 and then try to move forward from there.
January 2012
On Sunday, January 8, Donald and I were called into the Stake President's office. Donald was called to be the Bishop of the Raleigh 1st ward at that time. It was an interesting experience. Back in December, the thought had come to me that Donald was going to be called to be the bishop. It was one of those thoughts that I kept pushing away but it kept coming back. I finally asked him if he had any thoughts on the matter. He was thinking the same thing. Of course we were unsure of the timing, but it was a time for the two of us to grow closer as we considered the change that was coming. When Donald met with President Harding, he was almost sure of who his counselors should be, but asked for a week to make sure that his feelings were on course. That week we went to the temple and his counselors were confirmed to him.
On Sunday, January 22, Donald was sustained as bishop during Ward Conference. All of our children were there except Darin who was still serving in El Salvador. It was a great day to be able to share with all of them. Donald's sister Ann and her husband, Terry, also came to the meeting.
One story that I don't want to forget: A week or two before Donald was made bishop, I was sitting in Primary and holding a little girl on my lap. She was looking at my wedding ring and then she looked up at me and asked if I was married. I told her that I was and she wanted to know where my husband was. I told her that he attended church at a different time. (Donald was on the High Council and rarely attended our ward.) She looked at me with a funny look and said, "I don't think so. I don't ever see you with him."
I do think that there were members in our ward that had no idea who Donald Gilreath was--or even that there were Gilreaths in the ward. I had been in Primary for almost two years and didn't know a lot of the new people. I'm grateful for the ward's willingness to sustain Donald--whether they knew him or not. I'm grateful for the many lessons and blessings that we will experience in the coming years.
I didn't take a break on purpose; I just got busy and didn't post and then it seemed like it would take so long to get caught up so I just kept putting it off. We had some great things happen to our family in 2012 and I wish they were written about here. I am going to add some highlights and pictures from 2012 and then try to move forward from there.
January 2012
On Sunday, January 8, Donald and I were called into the Stake President's office. Donald was called to be the Bishop of the Raleigh 1st ward at that time. It was an interesting experience. Back in December, the thought had come to me that Donald was going to be called to be the bishop. It was one of those thoughts that I kept pushing away but it kept coming back. I finally asked him if he had any thoughts on the matter. He was thinking the same thing. Of course we were unsure of the timing, but it was a time for the two of us to grow closer as we considered the change that was coming. When Donald met with President Harding, he was almost sure of who his counselors should be, but asked for a week to make sure that his feelings were on course. That week we went to the temple and his counselors were confirmed to him.
On Sunday, January 22, Donald was sustained as bishop during Ward Conference. All of our children were there except Darin who was still serving in El Salvador. It was a great day to be able to share with all of them. Donald's sister Ann and her husband, Terry, also came to the meeting.
One story that I don't want to forget: A week or two before Donald was made bishop, I was sitting in Primary and holding a little girl on my lap. She was looking at my wedding ring and then she looked up at me and asked if I was married. I told her that I was and she wanted to know where my husband was. I told her that he attended church at a different time. (Donald was on the High Council and rarely attended our ward.) She looked at me with a funny look and said, "I don't think so. I don't ever see you with him."
I do think that there were members in our ward that had no idea who Donald Gilreath was--or even that there were Gilreaths in the ward. I had been in Primary for almost two years and didn't know a lot of the new people. I'm grateful for the ward's willingness to sustain Donald--whether they knew him or not. I'm grateful for the many lessons and blessings that we will experience in the coming years.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Exercise
I exercised every day this week and it's amazing how good it feels! I went to the gym four times and walked around the lake the two other days. Two of the days I went to the gym, I had to go in the afternoon because of my morning commitments. I always struggle when I have to exercise in the afternoon--but I did it!! Already I feel more energetic and more ready to tackle all the other things in my life. Hopefully I'll remember the joy of this moment when those dark afternoons appear later this month (and year) and try to persuade me to not exercise....
Thursday, December 29, 2011
2012
It's been a very long time since I've posted and I hope to do a better job of posting in 2012. A friend had an interesting blog post the other day. (I would link to the post if I could--but I can't figure out how to do that...) She's picking a word as her goal for the year. I've pondered this for the last week and decided that my word for the year is going to be:
Simplify
As I try to organize my life, I will also try to simplify. As I try to choose the best things, I will simplify. As I try to decide how to use my time, I will look for simple additions that make my heart happy. I hope that at the end of 2012, I will have simplified my life and will have kept the very best of what I have and gotten rid of the rest. Hopefully that simplification will lead to more time with these people:
I love them all and they are part of the "best" that makes my heart happy. I can't wait until Darin joins us at the end of the summer. He's been missed.
I love them all and they are part of the "best" that makes my heart happy. I can't wait until Darin joins us at the end of the summer. He's been missed.Saturday, September 24, 2011
Dean!
One Sunday evening in August, Jenna and Erik turned up with a welcome guest: Dean Pixton. Dean and Darin grew up together, going to church and school together. They were great friends and, in fact, Darin broke his collar bone at Dean's house playing soccer in the 4th grade. They were also roommates their freshman year in college. Dean is like one of the family, but now that Darin is in El Salvador and Dean is at college we don't see him much.
While Dean was over, somehow it was brought up that one time Jenna carried Dean on her back. Dean is big--well over 6 feet tall. Well, she did it again!!
Thanks for coming over, Dean! It's always fun to see you!
While Dean was over, somehow it was brought up that one time Jenna carried Dean on her back. Dean is big--well over 6 feet tall. Well, she did it again!!
Thanks for coming over, Dean! It's always fun to see you!Delainey's Birthday
Our oldest grandchild, Delainey, turned 3 in July. What a special addition she has been to our family! We all adore her (as well as Sallie) and we love that she's so talkative and fun to be with. Nothing makes your day like a phone call from Delainey! Not only does she tell you interesting things on the phone, but she ends every phone call with: "I love you! Bye!" She is also one of the most polite 3-year-olds I have ever been around (and I have been around many 3-year-olds!). She rarely forgets to say "please" and "thank you". Devin and Sarah are doing a fabulous job of raising Delainey to be such a beautiful little girl--inside and out.Sarah did a "Fancy Nancy" party for Delainey and her friends and a family party. This is one of the pictures that was on the Fancy Nancy invitation. I love it!!
Here is the big girl herself at her family birthday party.
Devin found a great deal on a playset on Craigslist and he and Donald disassembled it, stored it in the garage and then put it back together with the help of Erik and Will. It was a big surprise on Delainey's birthday and has been played on constantly. Notice the change in Delainey's attire. She loves to dress up as a princess and I had found a bunch of princess dresses that I gave her on her birthday. She changed into one right after opening it. :-)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Amber and Alana
When Devin and Jamie were little, a family moved here that we met at church. They had two girls. Little did I know when I first met them, that the two girls and their mother would become like family to us. The oldest daughter, Amber, was in Devin's grade and the younger daughter, Alana, was just ahead of Jamie in school. Devin and Amber were in Joy School together. Both girls took piano lessons from me. Jamie and Alana played club volleyball together so many weekends I would get to drive the two of them to volleyball tournaments. The two girls went to BYU while my kids went to North Carolina schools. Amber married a local boy and lives here, but I rarely get to see her. Alana married, lived here for a couple of years, allowed me to have her oldest son in my preschool, and then moved to Utah last summer.
About two weeks ago, Alana was back in town. Jenna, Sarah and I met Alana and Amber at the local McDonald's for lunch and fun. Amber has 3 children and Alana has 3 children. The oldest is 5. If you count Delainey and Sallie, there were 8 children under 5 years old--7 of which were walking and playing on the playground along with other children. We weren't able to visit a lot as it was noisy and someone seemingly always needed something. But it was so fun to see these girls again. After lunch, we went outside to try and get a picture.
Amber’s three on the top—Owen, Riley, Scarlett
Amber’s three on the bottom—Gabe, David Mac—plus Delainey
Alana in the green shirt, Amber in the pink shirt, Nancy in front
me with some of my favorite people!!
Amber, Alana and Nancy will always have a special place in my heart and I will never forget how much fun it was to have them grow up with my kids. Come visit again soon, Alana!!
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