This is SO powerful! Hope you enjoy it!!
February 23, 2012
February 15, 2012
Slow down??? HOW?!?!
For some reason I thought our lives would slow down a bit with the children all going so many different ways. Well, we're still waiting!!
This past weekend I had Piano Evaluations for all of my students. Everything went very well and I was happy with all of my students' preparations.
Then Monday night (13th) we had our two recitals (to accommodate 34 students).
Dad and Nat were BIG helps, videoing each student's performance and getting individual pictures of each as well. All I had to do was run the recitals, hand out trophies and awards, and be nervous for each of the kids performing!
Dad and I had an early Valentine's breakfast before my students started arriving. After teaching, Nat and I started making Valentine cookies and delivered to friends and VTing ladies. (I also took some to the middle school and had them delivered to Jeonghoon. He really liked that!) I got home just in time to see Nat open the front door to the florist...Dad had sent some beautiful roses for me. I loved them!!
But the most fun part was taking the balloons and glass heart, filled with chocolate hearts, into Dad's classroom. He was in the middle of a power point presentation with the lights off and his microphone on when I walked in. I excused myself, apologized to the students for what they would be subjected to next, and then put my arms around my husband and started to sing "I Love You, A Bushel and A Peck" - I sang the whole song to him (luckily he moved the mic out of the way) and then kissed him. He was embarrassed, but he liked it, too! (He told me later that several students told him they liked it as well!) I am so grateful for a wonderful husband!!
I got to have lunch with Nancy Allred, and then dashed home to help Nat get our Valentine's dinner ready before I started teaching. Thanks to Natalee we pulled off a fun dinner with some of our friends (Julie Schram, Ryan Reeves, Gary and MaryAnn Zabriskie, Kjersten LaFontaine, and Jeonghoon Son...as well as Nat, Dad and I). Fun times!
This past weekend I had Piano Evaluations for all of my students. Everything went very well and I was happy with all of my students' preparations.
Then Monday night (13th) we had our two recitals (to accommodate 34 students).
Dad and Nat were BIG helps, videoing each student's performance and getting individual pictures of each as well. All I had to do was run the recitals, hand out trophies and awards, and be nervous for each of the kids performing!
And Valentine's Day was the very next day. Sheesh! I've got to plan better!!
Dad and I had an early Valentine's breakfast before my students started arriving. After teaching, Nat and I started making Valentine cookies and delivered to friends and VTing ladies. (I also took some to the middle school and had them delivered to Jeonghoon. He really liked that!) I got home just in time to see Nat open the front door to the florist...Dad had sent some beautiful roses for me. I loved them!!
But the most fun part was taking the balloons and glass heart, filled with chocolate hearts, into Dad's classroom. He was in the middle of a power point presentation with the lights off and his microphone on when I walked in. I excused myself, apologized to the students for what they would be subjected to next, and then put my arms around my husband and started to sing "I Love You, A Bushel and A Peck" - I sang the whole song to him (luckily he moved the mic out of the way) and then kissed him. He was embarrassed, but he liked it, too! (He told me later that several students told him they liked it as well!) I am so grateful for a wonderful husband!!
I got to have lunch with Nancy Allred, and then dashed home to help Nat get our Valentine's dinner ready before I started teaching. Thanks to Natalee we pulled off a fun dinner with some of our friends (Julie Schram, Ryan Reeves, Gary and MaryAnn Zabriskie, Kjersten LaFontaine, and Jeonghoon Son...as well as Nat, Dad and I). Fun times!
February 12, 2012
Adversity and Change...
As I was getting ready for Church this morning I listened to Music and The Spoken Word. I LOVED the message and wish I could repeat it verbatim. But my shortened version will have to do.
In the early 1900's the boll weevil was attacking cotton crops in the south, causing farmers to lose entire crops. It was a desperate time. However, the adversity this insect caused many people in Enterprise, Alabama also became a catalyst for change. Farmers took a risk and ventured into a different crop: PEANUTS! The first year was such a success they were able to pay off their debts. They sold their crops to other farmers also wanting to make a change. The farmers learned to diversify their crops and were able to eventually grow cotton again. It was a difficult time, but they faced the adversity well and learned from it.
A few short years after the devastating invasion, the farmers had adapted and were thriving. As a tribute to this great lesson of adversity and change, a monument was constructed and dedicated on December 11th, 1919, placed in the heart of the town's business district.
The marker reads: "In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama."It would be kind of interesting to have "monuments" marking certain crossroads in our lives where we worked our way through very difficult and trying circumstances of the moment and forged ahead into greater light and understanding...
February 7, 2012
Valentine's Day - Hunt Family Style...
What do we do when nearly all of the kids are up north and we ALWAYS have a special family Valentine's Dinner? Well, the dinner (and the southern crew) went up north!!
Saturday morning we made a quick stop in Provo to see Tracy Whelchel and her first grandbaby!! (It was also nice to see James and Courtney!)
While I was at my board meetings (UMTA) in SLC, Dad, Kristy, Nat, RJ, and Jeonghoon walked around Temple Square, Energy Solutions, and a couple of museums so Jeonghoon could experience more of Utah...not just the southern part. Dallin and Erika picked me up from my meetings when they were over and we drove up to South Weber.
Tannya and Amelia did a great job of decorating (at Brandon's and Tannya's home) for the dinner, and there was lots of help getting everything ready.
Everyone helped get dinner ready and it was as enjoyable as ever!! It was especially nice to have Denzel and Anna there, as well as Tann's parents (Gary & Annette Hoopes) and her brother (Brett) and girlfriend Heidi there. (We missed Jaimi, Mike, Ben and Kristen, and Bridger.)
Dad and I, Nat and Jeonghoon, traveled to Mapleton, where we spent the night at Dan's and Janet's. Dallin and Erika came over, too, and had fun playing Dance Central. Jeonghoon loved doing it every time there was another round. We also played Non-Christmas, Post New Years Greek Orthodox gift game BINGO! Lots of FUN!!
Saturday morning we made a quick stop in Provo to see Tracy Whelchel and her first grandbaby!! (It was also nice to see James and Courtney!)
While I was at my board meetings (UMTA) in SLC, Dad, Kristy, Nat, RJ, and Jeonghoon walked around Temple Square, Energy Solutions, and a couple of museums so Jeonghoon could experience more of Utah...not just the southern part. Dallin and Erika picked me up from my meetings when they were over and we drove up to South Weber.
Tannya and Amelia did a great job of decorating (at Brandon's and Tannya's home) for the dinner, and there was lots of help getting everything ready. 
Before dinner we took a bunch of family pictures, but only a few of them turned out okay!!
Good food, good company, fun games (the boys finally managed to win the first round!) --
another memorable get together!
January 26, 2012
Behavior Modification. . .
A new "SUPER PAIN PILL" is scheduled to hit the local pharmacy in the near future, and the news coverage is talking about how devastating this can be to already addiction-prone people.
I've thought about it a lot. What is the answer? Governmental control? Vigilante watchdog groups? Obsessive (dedicated?) parents on the look-out?
And then I thought of a quote from Elder Boyd K. Packer several years ago:
"Doctrine can change behavior quicker than talking about behavior will."
If we will LIVE THE GOSPEL PRINCIPLES (doctrine), we will be more able to resist the temptations of the world.
If we keep the Word of Wisdom, we won't have any problem with drug addiction, alcoholism, tobacco addiction, etc.
This may seem rather simplistic, but ultimately the gospel of Jesus Christ IS simple!! And it is much easier to live IT, than to live without it...in MY humble opinion!! ^_^
January 23, 2012
DEDICATED???
The 5 minute "RUSH" paint job before piano lessons started. . .
. . . And this would be the CORRECTED version!!
January 22, 2012
Why Go To Church?
Sometimes people "just don't feel like going" to Church. Maybe it's easier to stay in bed; maybe there's something "more fun" to do, etc.
Well, I agree with Aunt Sue: "Be where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there." Whether it's attending our church meetings, being in class, going to work, etc., we should be where we're supposed to be when we're supposed to be there.
This is especially true with church. We won't get fired or fined if we don't go, but we do miss out on some very important guidance, instruction, and revelation that we would have received had we been where we were supposed to be when we were supposed to be there.
For instance, Nate Staheli was one of the speakers in our Sacrament Meeting today. The things he shared had a big impact on me and were great reminders.
Remember the brother of Jared at the time of the tower of Babel, and how his language was not confounded along with Jared and their family and friends? They were commanded to leave the land they had known all their lives, there was much preparation of food, animals, seeds, and other supplies. And then they were instructed to build several barges, in which they were to travel with all the things they had prepared. They were even given the means to have light in their barges.
Once all the preparations were made and everything was loaded within the "tight like a dish" vessels, they boarded their barges, set forth into the sea, "commending themselves unto the Lord their God."
The very next verse is interesting: "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters..."
I wonder how many of the people in those barges got seasick, how many were scared to death, how many questioned their sanity at undertaking this "adventure." The brother of Jared knew what he had been commanded to do; hopefully others sought and received their own witness of what the Lord was telling them to do. Once the "furious winds" started to blow, there must have been some extremely difficult times...and it lasted nearly a YEAR...yep, three hundred and forty-four days!!
Another interesting point is brought up as the sentence is finished: "...caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters towards the promised land;"
Was it difficult for them to envision a "promised land" as waves crashed around them and they were tossed about, not for just a day or two, but a LONG TIME! In fact, the scriptures say, "And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind." Sheesh!! I can't even imagine how tough that must have been!
Now, my question is this: Have we ever started on a "journey" that we were spiritually guided to, and then found ourselves saying in so many words: "What is going on?! I thought You told me to do this...but nothing is going right!! This is STUPID! Why should I even try if all I'm going to get is a bunch of TRIALS!?!?"
Perhaps we need to take a deep breath, (also known as "suck it up!") and endure our trials well as we are "blown towards the promised land." It might take a LONG TIME, but then, again, it might not!
BE where we're supposed to be when we're supposed to be there; LEARN what we're supposed to learn; DO what we're supposed to do, and we truly will arrive (maybe 'tossed and somewhat battered) in the "promised land."
(Ether 1:33, parts of Ether 2, and Ether 3)
Well, I agree with Aunt Sue: "Be where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there." Whether it's attending our church meetings, being in class, going to work, etc., we should be where we're supposed to be when we're supposed to be there.
This is especially true with church. We won't get fired or fined if we don't go, but we do miss out on some very important guidance, instruction, and revelation that we would have received had we been where we were supposed to be when we were supposed to be there.
For instance, Nate Staheli was one of the speakers in our Sacrament Meeting today. The things he shared had a big impact on me and were great reminders.
Remember the brother of Jared at the time of the tower of Babel, and how his language was not confounded along with Jared and their family and friends? They were commanded to leave the land they had known all their lives, there was much preparation of food, animals, seeds, and other supplies. And then they were instructed to build several barges, in which they were to travel with all the things they had prepared. They were even given the means to have light in their barges.
Once all the preparations were made and everything was loaded within the "tight like a dish" vessels, they boarded their barges, set forth into the sea, "commending themselves unto the Lord their God."
The very next verse is interesting: "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters..."
I wonder how many of the people in those barges got seasick, how many were scared to death, how many questioned their sanity at undertaking this "adventure." The brother of Jared knew what he had been commanded to do; hopefully others sought and received their own witness of what the Lord was telling them to do. Once the "furious winds" started to blow, there must have been some extremely difficult times...and it lasted nearly a YEAR...yep, three hundred and forty-four days!!
Another interesting point is brought up as the sentence is finished: "...caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters towards the promised land;"
Was it difficult for them to envision a "promised land" as waves crashed around them and they were tossed about, not for just a day or two, but a LONG TIME! In fact, the scriptures say, "And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind." Sheesh!! I can't even imagine how tough that must have been!
Now, my question is this: Have we ever started on a "journey" that we were spiritually guided to, and then found ourselves saying in so many words: "What is going on?! I thought You told me to do this...but nothing is going right!! This is STUPID! Why should I even try if all I'm going to get is a bunch of TRIALS!?!?"
Perhaps we need to take a deep breath, (also known as "suck it up!") and endure our trials well as we are "blown towards the promised land." It might take a LONG TIME, but then, again, it might not!
BE where we're supposed to be when we're supposed to be there; LEARN what we're supposed to learn; DO what we're supposed to do, and we truly will arrive (maybe 'tossed and somewhat battered) in the "promised land."
(Ether 1:33, parts of Ether 2, and Ether 3)
January 20, 2012
Great Quote, Nat!
I saw this posted on Natalee's Facebook page and HAD to re-quote it here:
Forgiving does not erase the bitter past.
A healed memory is not a deleted memory.
Forgiving what we cannot forget creates a
new way to remember.
We change the memory of our past
into a hope for our future.
January 15, 2012
Dad's 56th Birthday
It sure is different having birthdays without kids at home...but it was fun anyway. Dad woke me up when the alarm went off, but I told him I was going to sleep a little longer. He went in and built a fire, then got in the shower. That's when I LEAPT into action: I went into the kitchen and made the fastest treasure hunt of my life...the clues were pretty bad, but at least they were clues! I quickly put them in their spots: under Dad's chair, in the dryer, in the camping equipment, and the "treasure" was in the piano closet.
After the clues were hidden, I got the potatoes washed, grated, and in the pan to cook; then I made a small sign to hang up on the french doors. I got the table set with the red plates and glass, then fried some eggs, made toast, and poured the oj. When Dad came out he was VERY surprised! Hooray for fast multi-tasking wives!!
After an early breakfast, my piano students began to arrive, and Dad left for school. As soon as Dad left, I painted the front window in big letters, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. HUNT!" Dad knew I must have put something on the window because so many students wished him a happy birthday.
Between students, I threw 3 boxes of brownie mix together and got them cooking so they were done when I finished teaching. MaryAnn Zabriskie, Julie Schram and I went on a bike ride, then MaryAnn and I took the brownies to Dad's class, helped his class sing Happy Birthday, and then we dished up brownies for all of his students...of course it was his LARGEST class with 33 students! But we had plenty, with some left over! It was great and Dad was very gracious about it all.
For dinner we had burrito supremes and German Chocolate cake*. Hans and Amelia came over to celebrate with us, along with Jeonghoon. It was fun, but I can't believe I didn't get any pictures!! I know I took some, but they didn't show up on the camera...weird!!
* I forgot to make the cake until a few minutes before my afternoon piano students were to start arriving, so I didn't have time to run to the store and buy the German chocolate cake mix Dad likes. Instead, I took a Devils food cake mix and a white cake mix, used half from each, mixed according to the directions, and threw it in the oven. Made the coconut frosting after lessons and everything turned out well. When we ate the cake it was really good...still not German Chocolate, but not too chocolatey, either!
All-in-all, a nice birthday, with everything coming together very well. I am SOOOOO thankful for my wonderful husband and sweetheart!
After the clues were hidden, I got the potatoes washed, grated, and in the pan to cook; then I made a small sign to hang up on the french doors. I got the table set with the red plates and glass, then fried some eggs, made toast, and poured the oj. When Dad came out he was VERY surprised! Hooray for fast multi-tasking wives!!
After an early breakfast, my piano students began to arrive, and Dad left for school. As soon as Dad left, I painted the front window in big letters, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. HUNT!" Dad knew I must have put something on the window because so many students wished him a happy birthday.
Between students, I threw 3 boxes of brownie mix together and got them cooking so they were done when I finished teaching. MaryAnn Zabriskie, Julie Schram and I went on a bike ride, then MaryAnn and I took the brownies to Dad's class, helped his class sing Happy Birthday, and then we dished up brownies for all of his students...of course it was his LARGEST class with 33 students! But we had plenty, with some left over! It was great and Dad was very gracious about it all.
For dinner we had burrito supremes and German Chocolate cake*. Hans and Amelia came over to celebrate with us, along with Jeonghoon. It was fun, but I can't believe I didn't get any pictures!! I know I took some, but they didn't show up on the camera...weird!!
* I forgot to make the cake until a few minutes before my afternoon piano students were to start arriving, so I didn't have time to run to the store and buy the German chocolate cake mix Dad likes. Instead, I took a Devils food cake mix and a white cake mix, used half from each, mixed according to the directions, and threw it in the oven. Made the coconut frosting after lessons and everything turned out well. When we ate the cake it was really good...still not German Chocolate, but not too chocolatey, either!
All-in-all, a nice birthday, with everything coming together very well. I am SOOOOO thankful for my wonderful husband and sweetheart!
January 8, 2012
CHANGE. . .
Well, it was LOTS of fun having most of the kids here during the holidays!! It was fun meeting Erika at Christmas Around The World, and having her spend a few days with us before Christmas.
Taking down the lights and decorations with Dal's and Nat's help went really well, and it felt SO good to have everything taken care of so quickly. But it was VERY SAD to see Dallin leave after having him here for two weeks. We kind of got spoiled! 
Kristy was here for a "blink" before she headed back to SLC. Nikki got most of her time!Brandon, Tannya and Nikki were here for 10 days and now we're having "Nikki withdrawals!" The other night she called us and would say a few things, and then she would say, "Talk...Grandpa!" So I would hand the phone to Dad. Then, a few minutes later she would say, "Talk...Grandma!" so he would hand it back. Then it was "Talk...Melia" and then back to "grandpa"! We were laughing so hard!!
Natalee left this evening (Sunday) for Ephraim. She's not sure WHAT her plans are. She might be moving back here...she might be looking for a different job in Ephraim...we'll see what happens...it has been fun having her here. We've definitely done more riding!
And, we've enjoyed having Millie and Hans over fairly often! We're definitely spoiled on that count! One day last week, Mil had a really ROUGH day due to a migraine and throwing up. The next day she was doing better and came over to the house to re-cooperate. I made her some good food, we watched a movie together and even ate a candy bar, sharing one square every 10 minutes...it was really nice!! (Yes, that is a sippy cup!)
Jeonghoon Son is living with us for the next two months. He has a good sense of humor and fits in well. He wasn't impressed at all when Hank attacked him the first night Jeonghoon came into our house! But he DOES love horseback riding!!
Dad and I are working on our "bucket list" for 2012. I won't put "Doing a puzzle" on MY list! Our possibilities so far: go to Texas in March; go camping at Palisade State Park early June; stay in town the end of June; travel the California coast up to the Redwood forest the end of July; run the Swiss Days 5K; go somewhere for Thanksgiving and go somewhere for Christmas! (notice, these are POSSIBILITIES!) Any suggestions are welcome!We will be up for Dallin's rugby scrimmage on January 21st. It would be fun to get together for dinner afterwards with everyone that can be there!! He's not sure what time the game is, but probably late morning to early afternoon. I'll keep you posted!
Love,
Mom
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