February 2012

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.

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.

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....

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.

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!

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. :-)

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!!

Sallie's First Birthday

Sallie turned one on June 28 and I wanted to do a little sewing so I made her a little-tiered skirt. Now I can sew, but I almost always use a pattern. I decided to do this one without and it turned out. (There's a couple of things I would do differently--but Delainey's birthday is right around the corner so I'll get to see what I've actually learned.)

(Sallie's skirt)

Sallie was SO cute--not sure about the presents or the cake to begin with, but happy and fun. She's been such a sweet addition to Devin and Sarah's family--and to all of our families as well. We can't imagine life with Sallie and I cannot wait for Darin to see her in another year!!

Now we're counting down the days until this little one turns 3!!

Where does the time go???

Lesson learned

Note to self: Breakfast in bed isn't nearly as much fun when you have cereal and milk and forget that milk can slosh right over the edge of the bowl and onto your shirt....

My Mother’s Day Card

This year I got a video mother’s day card from Delainey.  I watched it again the other day and decided I would share it with you as well.  I love that girl!! 

Busch Gardens

On Tuesday, June 14, I headed out to Busch Gardens (an amusement park) with my good friend, Tracy and her daughter Abigail and a friend, Alisa. It was my first time at this park even though it's only about 3 1/2 hours from here. Jamie, Jenna, Erik and Darin went more than a year ago and had a great time.

The park is set up like different countries. It's pretty cool. The rides are different, the music is different, even the food is a little different.

We go there before the "gates" opened so we could start off with a bang. And I really started off with a bang!! As we were walking in, the girls were running to get to the roller coaster. Tracy and I were walking fast. I was intrigued by the facade of the buildings and just looking around. I looked up and realized that Tracy was getting ahead of me and that I wasn't sure where the roller coaster was. I remember thinking--I need to walk faster! I was wearing tennis shoes and before you know it, I felt myself falling. Unluckily, there wasn't anything to grab on to (or luckily for those around me). The next thing I knew I was on the ground. Only some minor bumps and bruises. (Although my knees still hurt when I kneel and it's been two weeks.) Tracy hurried back and helped me up, but I was surprised that no one else even asked if I was okay. I was just like a rock in the stream and they all just flowed around me.

Being a rock in the stream has really got me to thinking over the past two weeks. How many times do I just flow around people in need (ok--I wasn't really in need--but you get what I mean) because I'm so busy with my own life and making sure I get where I need/want to be? My guess is that I do that more than I know. And sadly, sometimes I know I'm passing by someone that could use my help, but I'm too busy or I don't know them or I feel that they don't really want my help. I'm going to work harder to stop and help and listen as the spirit directs me to those in need.

A side note--my arms were so sore the next day--and not from the fall--from the roller coasters!! I hung on so tight to the restraints that I used muscles that I hadn't for a while. Now that's a fun workout!! :-)

Family Reunion

On Saturday, May 21, Donald, Jamie, Will, Jenna, Erik and I headed up to Vashti, North Carolina, for a Gilreath family reunion. Donald's dad, William Frank Gilreath, died in 1994 and we've only been to a couple of reunions since then. This was a good opportunity to go back and to also take our sons-in-law so that they could see where Frank grew up and meet some of the extended family.

We had a potluck lunch at the Vashti Fire Department. Look how welcoming they are:

Lunch was delicious and we enjoyed talking to extended family.

Here's a couple of pictures:From left:
Larry (Frank's youngest brother), Carolyn (Larry's wife),
Carol (Frank's youngest sister), Archie (Carol's husband),
Peg (Frank's oldest sister), JC (Peg's husband),
Loretta (wife of Frank's older brother, Jim)

the cousins who attended that day

After lunch we went to the home that Donald's grandparents built in the 1940's. This is the home that Donald would come to when visiting his grandparents. His Aunt Carol lives there now and generously gave us a tour.

What would a family reunion be without a visit to the cemetery?

The grave marker of Frank's parents

It was a long day, but a fun day. We're all glad we went.

Mother's Day Fun!

Just before Mother's Day, Devin and Donald took me here:We were on a quest to find some Salvadorean food and taste something similar to what Darin is eating. I especially wanted to try a "papusa". Darin lived on papusas in one of his first areas. So for Mother's Day, I got to head out with four of my favorite people in the world.

Delainey wasn't feeling great so she sat close to me and often had her hand on me. I loved every minute of it! (Well, I didn't love that she didn't feel good--I just loved that she wanted to be close to me.) Sallie was loving the food (as usual) and was happy as long as someone was feeding her!

(notice Sweet Delainey's hand on my arm....love it!)

Here is a papusa:
(on the left)(not sure if Darin gets to have the cabbage/sauce stuff on the right...)


I had the sampler platter. I don't remember everything that was on it. I do remember that it had a papusa, a tamale and fried plantains.

Devin had the tilapia

Donald had more 'Mexican" fare
Thanks for a fun Mother's Day outing!

Delainey's Dance Recital

We got back from the beach and that Saturday was Delainey's Dance Recital. I had been able to attend one of Delainey's dance classes and the teacher was amazing--so kind and patient with a whole gaggle of little girls that really just wanted to twirl and run around. Delainey's dance recital was held in Chapel Hill and Jenna, Jamie and Erik drove over with us.

The recital was SO cute!! I had forgotten how adorable little dancers are! My girls both took dance and both had recitals and I remember now how much fun it was (for me at least!) and how cute they were.

Here's some pictures from the recital. I can't get my video of the recital to load. Maybe later....

Spring Break

This year, as most years, we all had different spring breaks. I moved my preschool days to span most of the time off and our family headed off to the beach. Donald and I went down to Topsail on Wednesday. Devin, Sarah and the girls came down on Friday morning and Jamie, Will, Jenna and Erik came down Friday night. Sunday night Devin, Will, Erik and Jamie went back to Raleigh. Sarah and the girls headed back on Tuesday afternoon. Jenna, Donald and I went back on Wednesday. It was a great week--I love having my family together!! It was hard for me to go on Wednesday knowing that one of Darin's favorite places is the beach and that he was the only member of the family to not be with us that week--and his birthday was that Sunday as well. I'm already looking forward to Summer 2012 when ALL of us get to go to the beach!

I thought I took pictures--but they weren't on my camera card so I guess I didn't. This is the only picture I had:

I brought some Disney Princess Polly Pocket-type dolls and Delainey loved to dress them. Sometimes we would find a princess in an odd spot. It always made me smile.

It was a great week and I only wish we could do it more often. I also learned my lesson: next time--more pictures and blog about it sooner!!

Family dinner

We had a fun family dinner in March that included Donald's sister and her husband as well. The best part was sweet Sallie and her pretzel-eating...Of course we played some cards--Sallie is learning early that if you're going to fit in at family dinners, you've got to play some cards....

Trip to New Bern

I've wanted to go to Tryon Palace since we first moved to North Carolina and I heard about it. I love history and love seeing the places people lived and their furnishings and hearing about their lives. Finally, in March, Donald and I took a Saturday and went to New Bern to see Tryon Palace and the other homes that you can tour in the area.

We parked and walked along the river to get to the Visitor's Center.

It was a beautiful sunny day and it was just felt so good to be outside and near water...

No pictures were allowed in any of the homes, but here is the front of Tryon Palace....
(just after stepping through the gates)
(the kitchens are to your left and the stables to your right)

and the back....
Donald and I commented on how fun it would be to have a backyard like this for the kids to play on. Can you imagine the soccer and football games that could be held?
(the view from the back of the palace to the water)

No pictures were allowed inside--but it was a great tour. We had about 10 people in our group and a costumed docent took us through the entire palace telling us about each room and life in the 1700's. It was so much fun! The gardens outside were amazing! I took a lot of pictures, but I'll just share a few of my favorites....

We toured three other historic homes--one from the 1770's, one from the early 1800's and one from the 1850's. Again, no pictures were allowed...

From Tryon Palace, we headed down the street to "downtown" New Bern. We went to the birthplace of Pepsi and had the best Pepsi I have ever had.

After our Pepsi, we headed back to the visitor's center to go to more of their exhibits. They were wonderful. At the end we took some fun pictures...
(Donald liked this one because he thinks he looks like Ben Franklin!)

We then meandered through the town before heading back to Raleigh. It was a great day trip!

Next Adventure: Mount Vernon!!
Anyone want to come with us???