I Can Sing My Testimony

I have had the amazing blessing of serving as the Primary Chorister for the last two years.  As happens in the church with regularity, callings change, and now I have been called to serve as Relief Society President.  I am so sad to leave the dear children of my ward.  It is THE BEST CALLING in the whole church.  It has been a joy and I will miss it terribly.  As my farewell to the children, I put together this little poster to give them.  The thing I hope they will remember from my time with them is that when they sing they are bearing and building their testimonies.  Songs touch my heart and soul and uplift my spirit.  Music has given me comfort and strength and answered my prayers when the words to a song flow into my mind.  I Can Sing My Testimony.

Mother's Day

Here is a contemplative post in honor of Mother's Day.  It has really made me think.  Maybe it's because I just sent a missionary off.  Maybe it's because I'm preparing my youngest to enter Kindergarten soon.  Maybe it's because I'm feeling guilt over needing to work away from home.

We sang this song for Mother's Day - one I have never heard before.  It turns out it was an award winner in a church music contest.  You can find the music here.  I love the words and wanted to share them.  Time slips away so fast.  Please Lord let me enjoy the little moments with my little flock - - -

"Keeping Sheep"

I have a little flock of sheep,

And they are mine to tend and keep,

And I must guard them ev’ry day,

For little lambs, when left alone, will lose their way.

So many voices say to me,

“A sheep-fold is no place to be.

Your time in there is dull and slow,

And lambs leave very little room for you to grow.”

Oh, If I ever start to stray,

Deceived by thoughts of greener pastures,

Remind me Lord, that keeping sheep

Will lead to happier ever-afters.

Oh surely there will come a day

When all the lambs have left my side,

And I am free to roam about,

And go exploring other meadows green and wide.

Yet something whispers in my heart

That when my sheep have left this pen

I’ll long to stroke their little heads,

To draw them close to me and have them young again.

So, if I ever start to stray,

Deceived by thoughts of greener pastures.

Remind me Lord, that keeping sheep

Will lead to happier ever-afters.

So while they still are in my care,

I pray that I will clearly see

These little lambs within my fold

Are tender gifts a loving Father has given me.

Text:  Lynne Perry Christofferson

Music:  Lynne Perry Christofferson

Missionary Update

So I've neglected our blog a bit.  Since I last posted, so much has happened.  We moved into our new home at the beginning of February.  Wesley did receive his mission call to Milwaukee Wisconsin.  I took pictures of our prediction map and of him opening his call.  Tragically, we had a problem with the iPad and we had to do a restore and the pictures disappeared.  I have been rather depressed about several things that were lost, but the loss of these pictures was the saddest.  But, it really is my own fault for not posting sooner and for not backing up the iPad like I should.

Time has flown by by so fast, and this week, on May 1, Wesley entered the MTC.  As tears flowed freely, and Quinton was concerned, I told him, "these are happy tears".  He replied, "they don't look like happy tears, Mom."  But truly, they were tears of joy.  We are so proud of our boy.  Here are the last couple of pictures we took before he was whisked away from the car and off for the next two years.  A great big thanks to family and friends who supported us at his "farewell" and have generously given suppot to wish him well.

Mission Predictions

Our bishop just let us know that according to the computerized mission tracking system (not sure if that is what it's really called), Wesley's mission call has been issued.  We should receive it in the mail on Wednesday.  For family night we read this story:  The Envelope in the Sept 2010 Friend

Then, we all made our predictions for where he will be called to serve - we'd love to add your predictions to our list.

Update

Here is the big reveal - well at least the plastic is down - still some work to be done, but it's getting close.  The color of the stucco came out a bit lighter and slightly more yellowish than the samples we chose - the painter said that is really hard to get a good color match with stucco.  Apparently you should choose a shade darker than you want because it will always appear lighter. It looks ok though and we are just glad it didn't end up looking pink.  Picking colors has really been the hardest thing for me.  Any suggestions for a color on that front door?  We are wondering if we should keep it natural, or go darker to match the garage door which will be brown.

The work inside is proceeding.  The paint is finished and the wood (well laminate) flooring was installed.  They also finished the closets - and I'm loving the amount of space in my pantry.  

Here is how the tile looks for the bathrooms - the tile work is the only thing that hasn't been what I expected.  I don't quite understand how the edges look and how the border just ends.  I thought they would finish the edges with edging tiles, but they just used the squares so you see the edges of the tiles instead of a rounded over look.  To me it appears unfinished.  But looking on the bright side - it is soooo much better than many of the existing homes we were looking at, so I shouldn't complain.  It's just we paid a hefty upgrade for this and I was expecting more.

This week they've been installing the cabinets. Apparently they wait 'til the very last to put the doors on so they don't get damaged.

We are supposed to be closing in about 10 days - I think the holidays slowed us down a bit.  There is still so much left to do:  final electrical and installation of light fixtures, the finish plumbing (faucets and toilets) and water heater installation, carpet, attic insulation, counter tops, appliances, mirrors and shower surround, and the most worrisome - the driveway.  It's hard to imagine they will be able to get it all done in time.  The concrete is what could hold us up the most though - it has to be above freezing to pour, so we are praying for a good warmer day at the end of next week. 

All in all, we are VERY happy with our builder.  They have been very attentive to details and have gone above and beyond what is necessary to build a very quality home - customized the way we wanted.  Of course we had to make some sacrifices because we couldn't afford EVERYTHING we would have ideally wanted, but we are going to have an awesome kitchen and great room - which is where our priority was.

Merry Christmas

We have not sent out Christmas cards this year. It is strange to just be in a temporary situation - and know this will not be our permanent address.  But, we do want to do a brief update.

Of course we moved from Tooele this year and are building a home in north Orem.  It should be finished in late January.  Though we are NOT looking forward to the process of moving again, we are really looking forward to moving into our new home and actually unpacking.  We only unpacked the necessities here, but inevitably, we are down in the basement or garage searching for the box that has ... (fill in the blank)  When we move in, we'll send out cards to share our new address.

The kids are adjusting to their new schools, and so far we are happy with the programs and teachers and new friends they are making.  Heather is in two choirs and loving it.  She also made the Pro-Start chef team and will be competing in February.  Haylee is in the advanced choir and in band.  She also enjoyed ball room dance this term too.  They do have real classes too (Heather has 2 AP classes and they both have honors core classes), but they love the arts and the opportunities they have had here.

Quinton is ANXIOUS to move so he will have friends nearby.  Right now, there are no small children to play with, but there are about a dozen in his Primary class in the new ward.  He is doing online preschool called "Upstart" through the Waterford Institute.  He is learning a ton and can read at a mid Kindergarten level.  I have been impressed with the quality of the academics of the program (this coming from a 15 year preschool teacher).  It is very developmentally appropriate (even if it is a bit repetitive), entertaining, and engaging.  A lot of music is incorporated to reinforce skills.  We have been supplementing it a bit and participating in the amazing library story times here.  He misses his friends, but has adapted to all the changes remarkably well.

Amanda reached a major milestone and has completed her degree from USU.  She was blessed with a great internship for the last six months as a technical writer and intellectual property specialist for the church.  Now she is looking for a new job in the "real world".

Wes started his Freshman year at BYU and has LOVED it.  He is studying mechanical engineering, but is contemplating other majors too (this one is HARD).  He has his mission papers completed and will submit them this week.  He hopes to leave early in the summer after he finishes winter term.  We'll update you all when he gets his call - feel free to leave your best predictions/guesses of where he'll be sent in the comments below.

Troy is still working hard at UDOT, and missing his calling as Gospel Doctrine Teacher.  I (Pam) enthusiastically accepted a call in our new ward as the Primary Chorister (a calling she held for a only couple of months before we moved.)  It feels like a tender mercy from the Lord as this is absolutely the BEST calling in all of the church.  It has been strange to not teach preschool this year and I do miss it more than I thought I would.  I have been teaching computer classes at the Provo Senior Center, and just got hired at Sylvan Learning.  I also just completed all of the points I need to renew my teaching certification and am in the process of getting my license.

We do miss running in to people we know and still feel a bit insecure with all the changes of this year and those still to come.  But, we know change is the way we grow.  We are grateful for the support and love of our friends and family.

The Beginning of the Finish Work

On to some of the finish work - the carpenter has been installing doors and moldings and the stone work is progressing.  I love how the door trims are turning out.