Football, Football, and More Football

I guess football is what I get for living with all boys. This past week we have had our fill of it. Though I must admit that in the middle of it all they came with me to see New Moon. I can't say that I loved the movie, however it was much better than the first one. It was my birthday date. Kourtney came with us and we ate at Tucano's (gotta love coupons!) then off to the movie! It was a fun birthday and we had a great time!
The day before we went to go see the football movie Blindside! It was amazing. We all loved it. I love it when the movie is a true story...it makes it even better.
Then it was the week of Thanksgiving. I hate to say it, but I have no pictures of my birthday or of our friends or family where we spent a wonderful day. It is such a blessing to have wonderful friends and to spend the holidays with them. It was a treat. The first time in 5 years that I haven't been the host for the big dinner with all my family (this year everyone did their own thing). It was nice and so stress free!
And of course, there was football! The annual Turkey Bowl in the morning at our ward. The boys had a blast! Robert even made a touchdown. I guess he still has it in him (maybe!).



Then as I mentioned we went to some friends home for the day and there was football there too. They played mini football in the backyard and at one point even their dog was in on it!



Then on Friday night Robert and a bunch of his buddies from high school played in a tournament. Three games in one night! Gio and I went to watch, end froze for 3 hours, but it was so much fun to watch and the boys had a great time! We sure love them all and it was great to see them back together again!


Then of course, there was the University of Utah Vs. BYU game on Saturday! What a game. Our house is divided...We all use to be Utah fans until Max Hall moved in a few doors down, then Brian went to the dark side (dark blue that is!). It has been a fun year watching all the games and I can honestly say that even though we love the Ute's we cheered for the Y all year long because of Max. That game on Saturday was amazing. We were all our seats until the last play of the game. I have to be honest and admit that it was much more exciting then all the other ball games that had been played over the past few days. I guess I too am football junkie (but only for certain teams-I like to watch the Colts too because Austin Collie lived across the street until this last spring.)
Needless to say after the game there were some things said that maybe should or shouldn't have been said, and I'm not really going to go there. But I am going to touch on what it made me think about.
In my life I have let so many things from the past control me and how I feel. I have had a hard time to let things go, and somethings, maybe I never will be able to forget completely, I suppose that is part of being human. But I have realized that wee all need to be aware and careful of the things we say and do, because even though we mean one thing, someone else might take it another way. My mission president told me once to never do or say anything I would regret at the end of my mission. I think that is the same for life.
Our home teacher came last night and we talked about service and doing things for others, and the pay it forward process....I suppose at this time of year we think even more about ways that we can serve...but I think we need to remember that service can be done all year long. Giovanni made the comment that we also need to be in tune with the spirit so that when the opportunity comes to serve that we will hear the promptings of the spirit, then act. How true!
I think both of these go hand in hand...if we are so full of anger or animosity towards someone, we may not hear the still small voice of the spirit when we need to. Just some food for thought, more for me than for anyone else.
We have the Christmas tree up, the lights are outside, the house is decorated, and now I need to start on the shopping.
This year Brian only wants a few small things. I should take that as a blessing! So hopefully his shopping will be easy, and then Robert, well....it will all be mission stuff!
Talking about mission...we received a phone call from our Bishop last night saying that he looked on line and it looks like Robert's papers have been processed and sent, so any day now...We are very excited. We bought a book today on mission preparation and organization. I guess I'll need to start reading!
My next post will have all the details about his mission!
Where do you think he will go?????

I HOPE THEY CALL ME ON A MISSION

Well....it is finally official. Robert received an email from our stake president this morning and his papers are in SLC! Then this afternoon we received a phone call from the doctor up in SLC who goes over all the paper work for the missionaries and he just had a few questions about a medication that Robert is on right now, but said that everything looked fine and wished Robert the best of luck on his call!
Wow! Finally we are to this point of waiting!!! It is exciting, scary, and fun thinking of all the fun places that he might go to. But I must say that Gio and I feel the same...we really don't think that he will go to Italy. It would be great if he did, but....Gio has dreamt of Ghana, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Robert says Idaho, Colorado, or Canada. I haven't had any dreams..but of course I would love Italy. Though I do know that where ever it is, that is the place where he is suppose to be.
We are very proud of Robert. He is such a good example to Brian and such a good big brother! Brian is also excited to find out where Robert will be serving and when he'll be leaving. I think that he wants Robert's room and bed....I guess for two years he can have them!
Today Gio and I went to the genealogical library in SLC. It was our first time there. As we looked through microfilm I found his father's birth registration. I got chills all over and remembered what my mother told me about doing this work, and today I understood a bit better. Then I looked through another roll of microfilm and found the birth records for Giovanni's great great grandfather and the names of his parents. It was amazing. I had been looking for two other rolls and they weren't there so I grabbed two others that we thought might have information on them. We weren't really sure of the exact year of his birth, but had a 3 year period and the first roll I looked through we found him. I think my mother was smiling down on Gio and I today and proud of us that we are slowly getting the desire to do this work.
It made me think of how important it is when we go to the temple and the work that we are doing there as well. It will be a special day when we will go and do the work for Giovanni's family.
I told Robert that he would be helping the living to accept Christ and we would be doing the work for the dead. We will all be missionaries at the same time.
We really are blessed!

Calogon...take me away!

Can I just say that life has been a bit stressful the past few weeks.
There has been homework, parent teacher conferences at school, work, church, callings, and for the past few days I have had to go into Salt Lake for training for work. We are getting a new computer system so.. that means bed no later than 9 PM or so and up at 3:30 AM to be there by 5:30 AM and be closed up in a class until 11:30 AM..only 7 more days, I can do it.
In between there has been dinner with friends, movies with family, and laundry, house cleaning, etc...you know, all those things that come with life.
Then there is the fact of Robert's mission papers. We ran into a few problems a long the way with paperwork, etc, but now they have been with the Stake Pres for over a week and we don't really know when they will go in. We told Robert to go talk with him and see what is going on. I think the poor guy has just been busy..hopefully this week....we need to also do paper work to defer Robert's scholarship, etc...so like I said earlier....stress...
I might be showing my age here, but there was a commercial one time showing a lady who was very stressed, and she yells..."Calgon, take me away" and the next screen she is soaking in the bathtub with bubbles and relaxing. That is how I feel! I am so glad that next week we have a holiday. We will be spending it with some dear friends and their family. I really lucked out, my assignment is bread, and it is ordered and all I will need to do is remember to pick it up. Let's hope I do!!!
I am looking forward to Wednesday. I'm going to see a friend of mine that I haven't seen for 25 years. Well, actually we saw each other at the Fremont reunion a month or so ago, but didn't have the chance to really visit. I am looking forward to the afternoon. It will be nice to catch up. We were really good friends back in the day. Oh there I go...aging myself again...oh well. I'm like wine, I get better with age, it least I hope so. But, not good enough yet.....
Hope you all are well!

What I Have Learned This Week

I have told my children many times that I am a parent for the first time. I've never had other kids to raise or practice on, so they are the unlucky ones, because they get all my mistakes. And can I just say that there are plenty of them...everyday!
As most of you know we have been working on Robert's mission papers for the past 2 months. I never knew that it could take so long! We seemed to continually run into problems. First we had to wait because it was to far until his birthday, then we had extra doctor's appointments and physical therapy appointments because of his hand and the scooter accident. The doctor's office didn't label his blood with his name and tests had to be redone. We needed to get vaccination records from the health department. Then when we were finally done with everything the Bishop was busy with work and changed Robert's appointment it least 3 times. Then they met and it took another week to then meet with the Stake President, then come to find out that there were a few things that the Bishop overlooked (remember...Robert is his first missionary to send out so this is all new to him as well). Then...the Bishop goes out of town for a week...he has a life too, right???? So then he has to meet with the Stake President about something on the papers, and finally this past Thursday night all of the Bishop's stuff is done..yahoo! Until this morning I get a text saying that I need to call him...he needs some insurance info.. and me being me..I have no idea where it is, so I call Gio, he tells me, I make copies and Robert takes it to him! Yahoo, we are done...not yet! The paper work that shows that Robert is also an Italian citizen isn't very clear. Giovanni comes home from work and scans and faxes everything to the Bishop! Yahoo!! We really are done. In the morning the Stake President should go over everything and send it in. I'm going to call the Missionary Dept on Monday just to make sure! I don't want to bother anyone if I don't have to.
Now you ask...what does this have to being a parent? Well...in the middle of all of this I have lost patience several times with different people a long the way. I have been critical and not supportive and I have shown my feelings in front of Robert. He is already feeling frustration on his own, but I haven't helped matters any. And as a parent I am the one who is suppose to help him during tough times and instead it is him who has taught me. He has said, "yes, I am frustrated, but saying something won't make it any better..so patience". I don't have patience. I think that is what I needed to learn during this whole process. That things are done on the Lord's time.
I am sure that it has all happened the way it has for a reason, but...my baby is leaving home and will be gone for 2 years!!! I want to know when he will be leaving (or how much time I have left with him) and where he is going...(do I need to worry or not?). And for any of you that know me well...I like to have my life and my families lives planned out. One of my OCD issues.
Robert and I have had the chance to have some amazing talks about serving a mission and the joys that it can bring into his life, like it did mine. The blessings that he will receive, and that our family will receive, but most of all the blessings that those that he teaches will receive. I have told him about the importance of a testimony and that through bearing his testimony that the spirit will touch the hearts of those that he is teaching. The spirit converts. but the missionary has the possibility to bring in that spirit.
We have talked about the ups and downs of mission life, of the MTC, learning discussions, languages, etc. He mentioned that he wasn't going to count days or months, but P-Days. He said that he would have 104 of them and that time would go by faster that way. I told him to not count anything but to enjoy everyday out in the mission field. That his attitude and feelings would make or break him as a missionary. As we spoke I felt the spirit. I felt blessed to be having that conversation with my son. To express to him that it doesn't matter where he goes, Canada, Idaho, Fiji, Italy, etc...that where ever he will go the work will be the same and what he is doing is just as important as any other missionary that it doesn't matter where he does it. Where ever he will be called to serve that is where HE is suppose to be!
As Robert was growing up he use to ask me..."Mom if I get a scholarship for college, do I put off a mission or not go so that I can go to school with a scholarship? What do you want me to do?" I always told him that it was his choice and to do what he knew what right. Well, he got the scholarships, went to college, but now he is doing what he knows and feels is right.
I only hope that I have been a good enough teacher for him. I know I've made mistakes and haven't taught him enough. We will work on cooking, laundry, etc when school is done in December, and those are things that he can learn. But what I really hope is that I have helped him to feel the spirit. To know that his Father in Heaven loves him and that we love him. I hope that he knows he is a child of God. I hope that he knows that I have a testimony of the gospel. Those are the things that I hope he will always remember.
When I go to bed at night and pray for him I hope that he knows I'm praying for him and always will be. Just like I do for Brian.
I love my boys and there is no other place that I would want to be or calling that I would want to have then to be there mother.

TRicK or TrEaT

Daylight Savings time was last night. I can't believe that it was pitch black tonight at 6 PM. Fall and Winter are upon us. I am so glad that it was still light enough last night for the kids to trick or treat without it being too dark to early.
The week started out with Brian finally getting his WeBeLos Badge and 9 activity badges and his Arrow of Light! We are so proud of him. He has waited a long time. For some reason our camera wasn't working very good that night (maybe the photographer-Robert) but we were able to get a couple of pictures of him!


Congrats Brian we are proud of you! Have a great time being a BoY ScoUt...now he can start working on his EaGlE!
On Friday Brian had his school HaLLoweeN party. Giovanni and I went down to take a couple of pictures of Brian and the other kids at school. It was fun to see the great costumes!




Then on Friday night Gio and I went to a party at our friends, the Basile's home. It was an Italian Halloween party and we had a fun time.



Then last night we had Trunk or Treat at the church. There were a few really amazing costumes.



We've had a fun week and now it is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. I can't believe that the end of the year is here. Where did the time go?
This year we will be celebrating a little different then we have in the past...we will be going to our friends, the Tubbs home. Thank goodness for wonderful friends.
Happy Fall to everyone!!!