Los llanos

I was able to attend a little branch today at los Llanos and only when I go to places like that is when I feel a little overwhelmed at so much need. There is nothing in that little town of los Llanos. absolutely nothing to do.

Corn fest!

It was a corn fest at our ward activity today. Wonderful recipes and great company.

Seminar and temple

Today was one those super special days. I got a chance to attend a seminar for lawyers and later on we went to the temple. It was wonderful. Daniel did a presentation and answered questions about temporal affairs and later he also spoke at the assembly room in the temple. The first for us.

Dinner with the lawyers

The day has arrived where Daniel and I have been invited to attend a very important dinner with some very special lawyers in the Dominican Republic. Elder Cornish gave the devotional and explained how the Church is organized. He also had a question and answer part afterwards.

Evil is real

Today I was astonished at some very despicable acts of some women who should know better. This is what I found on my news feeds this morning.


KEARNS, Utah (AP) — A newborn baby girl was expected to remain in critical condition for several days after Utah police say her mother dumped her in a neighbor’s trash can in a Salt Lake City suburb.


The 2-day-old girl was still on a ventilator and fighting for her life in a hospital, Unified Police Detective Jared Richardson said Wednesday. The girl’s mother, 23-year-old Alicia Marie Englert, was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of attempted murder.


Englert told authorities that she hid the pregnancy from her parents and hoped the newborn girl would die in the trash and solve her problems, according to a probable cause statement. The mother told police the baby had been in the trash for about an hour before she was found. The baby had not received any medical care or food, police said.


Jail records show Englert was still in the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday. It was unclear if she had an attorney.


A neighbor in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns discovered the baby Tuesday morning when she mistook her cries for a kitten meowing in the trash bin, police said. The baby girl was airlifted to a hospital.


Police have learned where Englert gave birth to the girl but are not releasing the location yet, citing the ongoing investigation, Richardson said Wednesday.


Police hoped to forward the case to local prosecutors within two days so charges could be filed, Richardson said.


He had no information about the child’s father or the woman’s family.


On Tuesday, Utah officials held a news conference to remind residents that the state allows mothers to drop off newborns at hospitals without consequences.


A handful of infants are dropped off at Utah hospitals under the safe haven law every year, said Al Romeo with the Utah Department of Health. Romeo said there have been a handful of cases over the past decade where Utah mothers abandoned babies in unsafe places.


Romeo cited the discovery in April of seven dead newborn babies in the garage of a home in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Police believe the mother killed six of the infants after giving birth to them over a decade. A seventh baby is believed to have been stillborn.


(Copyright 2014, The Associated Press ,All rights reserved.)

A woman who police say left her 5-year-old son unattended outside a club while she went in to have a drink faces charges Tuesday.

Barbara Jeanette Orchard, 29, was charged in 3rd District Court with child abuse, a class A misdemeanor; escape, a third-degree felony; assault on a police officer, a class A misdemeanor; and interfering with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor.

On Aug. 21, Murray police were called to the Highlander Club, 6194 S. Highland Drive, to check on a small child standing alone outside the club, according to charging documents. When officers questioned the boy, he said he "was waiting outside of the bar while his mom had a drink and he could not go inside," court records state.

The bartender told investigators that Orchard entered the bar about 9:15 p.m., ordered one beer and one shot, "downed 'em," paid and left, according to the charges. The time on her receipt was 9:32 p.m.

Another club patron told officers she talked to the boy before entering the club.

"The child told her that his mom went inside for a drink. When she asked him how long she had been inside, the child responded, 'She said it would be a minute, but it had been forever,'" according to court records.

Orchard was placed under arrest, handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car. As this was happening, Orchard's mother showed up and police talked to her. When they were done, the officer returned to his patrol car to see if Orchard wanted to say anything else, according to court documents. She declined. But as the officer was attempting to close the door, Orchard — who had moved her cuffed hands from her back to her front — jumped out of the vehicle, the charges state.

She pushed against the officer trying to escape, according to the charges. Several officers restrained Orchard on the ground and placed her back into custody.

On Monday, Orchard was convicted of providing false information to law enforcement in another case in Murray Justice Court, a class B misdemeanor, and sentenced to 12 days in jail, according to court records. In 2013 she took a plea in abeyance to interfering with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor, and in 2012 she was convicted of attempted burglary, according to court records.

 This is the evil world we live in. This is when I question how is it possible that these women are allowed to have children when there are so many other wonderful ladies who were not given that privilege. Wonderful women who are true daughters of God like my Bianca and Liliana B.and Sonia T. and Elaine H.and Ines W.and Emily L.who want so much to hold a baby of their own in their arms. This is when I think life is so unfair. This is the one and only time I get depressed. This is when I do also get mad. This is what I don't understand and never will.

Organizing the nest

There is such a good feeling that comes when all those old papers are filed, all bills are paid and the clutter is gone from a big pile to nothing.  I got so much mail to go through today that I have been putting away into a box for months, mostly junk mail but today I want to put it all away or throw it away and if I find some treasures, I will start my new scrapbook.


 I have learned that if I need to accomplish something, I need to write it down so my plan for today is to have a clean and organized home and I will start with clearing out the office but I know my ADD will kick in and who knows where I'll end up. LOL


It all started when Daniel came home and asked me for the black case that has our wedding pictures in. I knew where I had seen them on a shelf by some books last so I went to look for them but it wasn't there. I looked in every shelf and nothing. I went to all the logical places and nothing so I decided to say a little prayer and asked my Heavenly Father to guide me of where I should look for this cd with all those pictures. I must have put it somewhere in the house but where? and almost in an instant a thought came to me to look in the little storage closet inside a black box where I keep old prints and as I opened the box there it was. Found it! I said another prayer of thank you to my Heavenly Father for prompting me of where to look.

Moving out is part of growing up

 

 This fall many kids left home for good to start the amazing college life. Today was the first day of school for so many kids. I love learning and how exciting it is to see two of my girls completing their College education. Mandy is attending the University of Utah and Bianca went back to school in Idaho to get her Masters. And for those parents I can only say I understand your pain to see your kids go OUCH!  Life will never be quite the same again…..when you become Empty Nesters…..I am one of them.

On one hand it will break your heart…on the other hand, keep telling yourself that this is supposed to be a good thing for them….after all, you accomplished what you were supposed to – It helps me to think how my husband and I both raised ten amazing children who are not only brilliant but have incredible values and great hearts and who are going to be awesome contributors to society and the world around them wherever they are. In a down economy they were offered and promoted to better jobs. To think of it, all have amazing jobs. Andres was promoted to be vice-president for DMBA the youngest vice-president ever. Gabriel has receive awards from his employer Accenture and has moved to Ireland. Pablo was promoted to be the manager for Cintas in Omaha Nebraska. Alejandro is freelancer investor and entrepreneur in Miami. Analia is doing very well as a Physical Therapist in Nebraska. Hernan was hired by Exxon and has moved to Houston. Valentina moved to Dallas to work for Inspire and has had many promotions in her short time with them. Cristi decided to leave her practice to be a full time mother, no better job on this world for her than to be with her two boys. Bianca left New York to work on her Masters and Mandy is still attending the University of Utah. They all have remained faithful in the Church and have so much integrity with incredible character, they are smart and fun and happy and loving and kind and they are all hard workers and the list goes on and on. I can’t think of better children for us.

So to all those sad parents out there, the only thing that is going to get you through this is to continually remind yourself that this is a GREAT thing for them!  I have to remind myself that this is what I wanted for them!  This is what the last 30 plus years of raising them has all been for – to have them become independent adults and see them build lives of their own.  I think I will have to tell that to myself over and over again and for always and next as they move out just to keep myself from falling apart emotionally. Anytime we get separated from loved ones is hard. I remember leaving my mom when I was only 11 to come to live with my aunt Dina in Utah so I could learn English. Leaving the nest is also hard.  I figure that many of you out there reading this have either been through this very situation before or are facing it right now, so hopefully you can understand the emotions I am trying to describe. It is sad for both the child and the parent.

There is no two ways about it, leaving home for our kids as well as going through your kids leaving home is ROUGH!  But it is also a blessing beyond belief and a wonderful thing for our kids.  And they are about to face the most exciting and fun time of their entire lives. It is a fact of life. We all have to move someday. Moving away is part of growing up.

Teaching twice

I was asked to teach the Relief Society class today as well as the usual Primary class and found out how much I love teaching. It is truly what makes me the happiest. I love learning and the person who learns the most is usually the person who teaches.
My Primary class is made up of five American children who need to be taught in English. The lesson was about the story in the bible of David and Goliath. The purpose or objective of reviewing this story was to understand how obstacles can either make us stronger or weaker and how we need to trust the Lord the way David trusted in Him.
My Relief Society lesson was from a talk given by Elder Hales on April Conference 2014, if ye love me, keep my commandments. He based all of his talk in 21 scriptures so everything he said was backed up by the word of God. Among some of the scriptures were: John 14: 15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."Jesus was obedient found on Moses 4:2 and Hebrews 5:8 He suffered temptations D&C 20:22 He asked his disciples to leave everything and follow him Luke 18:22 to be obedient to the end of our lives Mosiah 5:8 " Let this cup pass from me..Thy will be done" Matthew 26: 39,42,44 "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased" Matthew 3:17 Moses 5:13 followers of Satan D&C 59:6 thou shall not kill or do anything like unto it. He was very specific about no killing even the unborn child... And he ended with one of my favorite scriptures found in Alma 7: 22-23 " and now...I might awaken you to a sense of our duty God that ye may walk blameless before him that ye may walk after the holy order of God... I would that ye should be humble and be submissive and gentle easy to be entreated full of patience and long suffering being temperate in all things being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times asking for whatever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal, always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive." I loved his talk and one I would always remember.

My turn is up

It is our turn to clean the chapel today. But of course Daniel is out of town so I'll go myself. In our ward the bishop puts a calendar together for the whole year and you supposed to know when is your turn to do anything like a talk or your turn to give a prayer and even your turn to clean so if it wasn't for the fact that I looked into this calendar and wrote it down on my day planner I would not have the slidest idea because no one calls us to reminds us.


 I have always wonder if this is a good policy to have or not. I like that things are organized in advance but I also think that people generally need a reminder. However it forces you to be accountable and that is the point of just having it posted a year in advance. I like a combination of both, I like that things are organized far in advance but I like to get a friendly reminder via email. or text message or voice mail so that we feel like someone is actually in charge. If is not ever communicated it probably won't happen like cleaning the chapel. I wonder how many do remember to do it each Saturday.

My dream is to teach!

Today we went to talk to a woman who is the Human Resources Manager at Carol Morgan. She was busy on the phone talking to a fellow and I could tell that she is not shy to ask someone how much he was getting paid in his old job. They pay there for substitute teachers depends if you have a teaching certificate from the US or not. It doubles if you do. Mary wants to work once in a while to get out of the house. She needs to feel productive and getting a job is one way to feel productive. I am also going to join in and apply also and anytime they need me to come, I will come. I think that one of the things I do good and have a special talent is to teach. I love it, it is something I do miss. You don't get pay too well but it is so rewarding in many other ways. Teaching is what I love to do and it's a talent I posses. Today I will do another vision board to develop those talents, now that I got the time. A blogger I follow had this post on setting goals and this is what she wrote:

There is something amazingly powerful when a person takes their God given talents and puts them to use in a big way. Every one of us came into this life having our own unique talents. Some are obvious talents such as music, or dance, or writing, while others have less visual talents such as the ability to appreciate others or a sensitivity to others feelings or the ability to recognize talents in others. Whether your talents are publicly obvious or not, the talents you have can become very powerful in your life if you recognize them, develop them, and appreciate them.

A few days ago I posted a blog about the Magic of the Goal Poster. I am hoping all of you were able to read it, and if you were not I would strongly suggest you take the time to read it over. It is probably the most important tip for success I could ever share with you, because making your Goal Poster is one of the most impactful things you can do for your life. I really hope everyone will decide to make one.

One suggestion I have as you prepare to make your poster is to sit down and make a list of each of the God given talents you see in yourself. Don’t be shy about it; you are the only one who will see this list so make sure you don’t hold back in listing your talents. Think hard about it. Make sure you remember to list every one of your talents, even the ones that are not as obvious or visual. Once you have completed your list of talents make sure that some of your goals you set on your poster tap into those special talents you have. I truly believe that people will have the greatest personal and financial success in their life when they put their talents to work. I believe there is always a reason that God gave you the individual talents you have. I don’t believe for a second that there were any mistakes made in determining what talents each of us would possess. I also believe that when we tap into the special talents we have and use them to their fullest that it makes us amazingly AWESOME!

Keep that in mind as you set your goals and make sure you aren’t ignoring those things that will naturally make you a huge success in your life. And remember that God gave you the talents, but what you do with them is all on you. It is our job to make the most of them. Love this quote:

I want to remember that no one is going to make my drams come true for me... it is my job to get up every day and work toward the things that are deepest in my heart... and to enjoy every step of the journey rather than wishing I was already where I want to end up."

President Monson is 87

Today is President Monson's 87 birthday. I can't believe all of what  President Monson does at his advanced age. I almost feel that past age 80 every year is truly a gift form the Lord. Most people don't make it to reach 90. There are a few people I know over 90 but their quality of life is not great. I hope that if I get to get that old that I will have a sharp mind and healthy body.

Birthday girl

Today Bianca turns 29 and what a fun party she will have celebrating with Cristi and family, Mari, Manu, and my mom. I will never forget how quick she came. It as a 30 minute labor and was your textbook delivery. I was thinking today that each birth is completely different like fingerprints, no birth is the same to another. I had gone that morning to see my doctor who said I needed to wait another couple of days at home because I was not even close to delivering this baby but my gut feeling told me different and that same night I went to the Hospital to get checked and low and behold, she was born 20 minutes later. She was beautiful from that first day I saw her face.

Saying good bye is hard to do

Today I went to a farewell for a cute missionary couple. They have been working in the office doing the humanitarian work in the Caribbean area. I am so impressed on all what gets done for the people in this part of the world. I learned they had brought clean water to many of the rural villages.

Dog bites are scary

I remember going to my friend Linda Miguel's  home only to be welcomes by a German Shepard that bit me on my thy. Another time I was at the farm in San Antonio Abad when some mutt came and bit me behind my leg and one time as I was walking to take the bus to go to school right in from of our house when the neighbors little dog came barking right at me and I must have looked scared because he bit me too. I remember going to clinics to make sure I would be fine.


But today the last thing I had on my mind when Mandy called me crying was to think that a mean dog bit her at work. She is so good with dogs and I never thought that could happen to my sweet Mandy. I was worried she had gotten into a car accident by the tone of her voice but when she told me of a dog biting her, it brought all those unpleasant memories as a child.


She then proceeded in telling me that when she asked her supervisor if she should see a doctor she told her no. Maybe she has seen  this before and knows she would be ok but  why not give her some comfort to at least have a doctor take a look at it. She tells her dad who is upset at this point and asks her to go to an Instacare clinic but there, they want her to do some extended paperwork for workers compensation and she leaves crying which is when she called me.


I told her, honey no one has the right to tell you if you need to see a doctor or not. (If I were her I would have said, is up to you and simply wash my hands) I told her: You are an adult and this is your body. If your gut feeling tells you to see a doctor, do it! You should probably be fine but that is why there are doctors, they are the experts and they would know. I told her that I think is time to quit that job if they are going to treat her like that. This would be the perfect timing to give her two week notice. She is scared of burning bridges and that she could never use them as a reference but I would be more afraid of Mandy filing a complaint and would do anything to mend any negligence.

Missing my honey=my book

Daniel had to go to Haiti today. I woke up early to say goodbye around 4:00 am this morning and went back to bed. I then realized how lonely it feels to be without him. I guess there is a difference between being home alone and lonely. Home alone is the absence of people around you, lonely is when you miss someone.


I miss my honey. I wish him well tomorrow as he goes to all his meetings. How wonderful it is to have a husband that is such a hard worker and loves his work compare to one who is a hard worker but who hates his job. How wonderful it is to know that a big part of our life which is your work is spent knowing that you are doing your very best because you love what you do. Daniel has that.


How grateful I am for also for this time in my life when I can just be a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a teacher, a sister, an aunt, a friend. I am thankful to have the time to cook and spend most of my day writing in my many blogs, journals and what I want to someday be my book to publish.


Sister Martinez is in town encouraging me to step it up and get it done! And I should do that starting today because if I say starting tomorrow it will never happen. So to cure my loneliness I will star my book today and will continue until it is all done.

After 12 years it's time to let go!

It was August 16 2002 for Vanessa's and Alejandro's wedding. What an incredible wedding that was. I remember all the preparations and the big fiesta! A wedding Mexican style. As I think of this memorable day, I can't help to think of how our lives have all changed in only twelve years. The first and most significant to me is how my marriage and my husbands marriage took a turn for the worst ending in divorce.


My life change for the better From October 16 2009 to today.  There have been amazing happy moments too many to count and I will do my best to mention a few in future posts. This is sort of a timeline of events and I now I wonder what would the next dozen years bring? What will August 2026 be like? Will my mother and Daniel's mother be still alive? That would put my mom at age 86 and Daniel's mom at age 96 so is possible. Are we going to be retired and where would we live? That would put him at age 71 and me at age 66 How many grandchildren would be born by then and how many would be in College or married? Wow, time does fly so fast and I am so exited for our future!! I can't wait to see all the miracles that will take place!




The past is now forever gone and I am so glad for that! After Vane's wedding at the end of 2002 was nothing like the end of 2003 a year I would love to forget! The only tender mercy of that year was the wedding of Cristi and Brooks on December 19th that year. The next significant thing was Bianca's wedding on August 19 2005 a happy day for all our family but a cruel reminder of how her father was no longer active in the Church and didn't get to see her baby's sealing in the temple.



 Next hardship was my father's death in 2006 a very akward moment for the whole Flores Henriquez family but what I do remember is that somehow we survived it. The next significant life changing event was Maricela's and Andre's wedding in February 2007 short lived but Mari gave it her best shot. She has had to endure so much pain that is it better to live a bad situation in hopes that someday she will find true happiness. She has Manuelito who feels her life with so much joy.

On August 20 2008 my divorce was finalized. Is one of those dates most people forget unlike your wedding date but unfortunately that happened on Bianca's birthday. I was once again blessed with a wonderful husband the way it had been told it would happen on a blessing I received and there I was once again saying yes to marrying Daniel Almeida on October 16 2009 and that was the start of our happy life together but even when I feel so happy at times I forget to let go of all the hurt I experienced.

All of us have been through being hurt in life. All of us have had someone offend us or hurt our feelings. And all of us can find reasons to be angry or bitter toward someone else. And I am quite certain that all of us are justified for being hurt.  By the same token I am sure that each of us have done things to hurt someone else, perhaps intentionally or perhaps unintentionally, but none of us are perfect so chances are we have been at fault at least once or twice…

As we  are about to enter in a few weeks leading up to Christmas, what better gift to give ourselves and others than to simply Let It Go?  Let go of the anger and hurt and bitterness. Let go of needing to have been right. Let go of feeling sad or isolated. Let go of feeling justified for your feelings. Just let it all go.

Now in saying to let it go I am not suggesting that every situation warrants welcoming someone back into your life who has damaged it. Heaven knows there are some situations where you should forgive but keep someone out of your life, especially if there has been past abuse or mistreatment. Only you will know if someone should be allowed back in to your life or not, so trust your own heart.

For those situations that didn’t involve abuse, which is hopefully the majority of the situations, it might very well make sense to invite someone back into your life. I think this especially applies to siblings or parents or friends where both of you have allowed little things to become big stumbling blocks between you. When I think back on these situations I am usually amazed at how we can let a lot of small things grow so out of control and they end up having so much hurt attached. People get their feelings hurt and then they pull away from each other and then time sets in and after a while it becomes easier to stay away than to try and fix things, or so it seems. But think of the positive things that could be if you let it go, think of the good memories that can still be created and think of the friendships and relationships that could exist if everyone would just agree to Let it Go, and start loving each other again.

I now have a large family of 10 kids and anytime you have 10 kids with very different personalities and then each of them get married to people from other families with a whole other set of personalities, you are bound to have differences and difficulties between people now and then. But I constantly try to remind myself that God placed me into the Almeida family because he wanted me to have those children too. He wanted us to learn from each other and grow together and support each other.  That alone warrants letting a whole lot of things go.

We have to remember that when we leave this life someday one of the few things we get to take with us is our relationships with others.  By holding on to negative feelings we are forcing our relationships to stay in the past, whereas, by letting go of our negative feelings we allow them to have a future.  Letting it go doesn’t have to be difficult. It is just a decision to do it. And letting it go only has to happen in your own heart and mind, it doesn’t have to be a big production by any means. It is just a decision to truly forgive and let go.

Feeling under the weather

One of the things I hate and I guess everyone in the world hates is to get a cold. One illness that has to be endured because there is nothing out there to combat it. One just have to suffer through it. This is how it has been for a couple of days for me and I am glad I can stayed home in bed and not have to give my devotional scheduled for today since it is a holiday in the DR.

Yesterday I was counting all the holidays for this year at Daniel's work and there are 15 of them. Between December and January there are 7 holidays and those are the days I looked mostly forward. Days to spend time with Daniel but too bad that today was a sick day for me.

Love of cooking

I have discovered a new passion. A love cooking. Today for example I started making a sweet potato dish and continue with a vegetable dish and some chicken and pico de gallo, cheese and crackers and yuca mash and potato salad fruit etc. etc. when I finished preparing it all including homemade lemonade the table was full of yummy dishes. 

There were two fellow from work here at the house working on our computer so I invited them to eat also. There was enough food for an army. Interesting enough each time they have eaten at our home, I have a lot of food prepared. We were all hungry and like usual we all stuff our faces. Now I have to walk for at least two hours. 

Secretariat

Today I watched a Disney show about a horse. A true story of a woman who was determined to get her horse to win races. At first I thought how it made sense for the family to sell the horse to get out of debt but she took a chance and that horse made history. Those are my kind of movies and one I will want to watch several times with some other classics like Babe. I remember watching that movie with my dad and how much he loved it even when he didn't understand English it was easy to understand the plot. I do hate action movies or scary ones. My taste for movies are the ones that are made with a good message in mind or a happy ending.

Dead Poet Society

 I remember watching this movie with actor Robin Williams and today when I will be watching it again I would be thinking about what makes a person want to take his or her life? How sad it is to know there are people with such dark feelings and how can someone get help? When Daniel told me about his death today due to suicide my heart went to this man. How I wished more people become more aware those around us. no one deserves to feel this lonely.

Stress=Sick days

I don't like to get sick and don't like to see other people sick either especially if it is my family. Daniel came home with a fever yesterday. He has no appetite and feels week. I have asked the children and my sisters to pray for him. We will find out today if he gets better or continues ill.

later in  the day: We found out that his illness is more serious than predicted and has to take antibiotics for 30 days rather than just 5 :( the only consolation is that he will be getting better and better a little at a time. I have never seen him this sick before. Never in five years he had to miss work for illness and I think that goes for his entire time he has worked because he always has managed to work even at time when he had cancer.




 When I looked on line to see what causes this illness, the answer in most cases is stress. No joke, stress causes a lot of illnesses and the question is: How does one avoid stress?

That is what friends are for

Today I was looking at some posts on facebook where people wrote of all the fun they were having with their friends going to a Paul McCarney concert. I know I would have gone with Daniel for sure if we had been in Salt Lake but I don't think I would have invited anyone to go with us. We went to Wicked for example and didn't ask anyone if they wanted to come along.


  Could it be that we are not as social as some other people? Those people attending that concert were my neighbors, each Sunday we went to church together for sixteen years, saw each other every Sunday and shared many experiences together but we never went out as couples, they were exclusively our  "ward friends" They had children the same age as us but never were that close.


 I have learned that perhaps my best friend is my husband and how thankful I am to have him in my life. Next come those extended family members like my cousins and last those who I have connected over the years, like my friend Chachis. She is one who I feel is my friend for sure but Daniel does not know her and that is where it gets tricky. He also has his good friends I don't know too well.


At times like this is when I think a second marriage and moving around so much leads to not having close friends, because friends do come and go depending on where you are and what you are doing.  They are part of your life for a time and very few stay your friends forever. I have come to realize that the only forever friends is truly our own family.

Piano, anyone?

Today I spoke with a woman, someone I do care about because she has suffered so much since I have known her over the years since Mandy. As I spoke with her, it broke my heart when I heard of how lonely she must feel. Ever since I have know her she has had a hard life.  She hasn't had a break for so long. She is by herself, no husband, her children are also away, she almost died and has been ill with high medical bills.  She has virtually no income because she is out of work. She could end up homeless if it wasn't for her Bishop. She needs to find a job with benefits and most of all, she needs friends.


She is the best piano teacher I know and she has been going to every student to teach piano but has suffered a heart attack and is no longer able to travel to each home so she is asking her students to come to her for piano lessons. It turns out that only 1 out of 40 students sign up to come to her. She is one I will take piano as soon as I move back to Utah.


Playing piano like she does is something I wished I had learned from all the teachers I had growing up but I was a spoiled brat and never practiced. I used to tell the maids to tell my teacher that I wasn't home and my poor mother used to pay for the lesson whether I took it or not. What a waste!

Mudslides in North Salt Lake

Wow, this is a bit of news I was not expecting. You buy a beautiful home because you want it to be new and to have the best view possible so you build as high on the mountain of course thinking is going to be a place of refuge and that the developers and the City had done their job building where is safe but apparently in this case in North Salt Lake it didn't happen.


 I would be curious as to what really happened here since we own a home in that neighborhood. It's in Bountiful very close to North Salt Lake so it's technically in North Salt Lake. I am not an expert but apparently these homes were built on a hill of gravel and sand, who would ever think that was safe?

I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

Today I wanted to start my diet but first we went out to eat lunch at antojitos Bonao and then we had some refreshments in Santiago and then at Cornishes for a dinner to welcome the Martinez to the area so that included even more delicious food so I learn a secret, if you get on a diet don't be anywhere near where there is yummy food.

New season has started

Today I have entered a new season or new year, it is not the new calendar year but a new year after a very nice summer vacation. It looks like this is the time that vacation is over for many and a new school year has began. In this new school year from August 2014 to June 2015 I will teach an Institute class every Tuesday and I couldn't be more excited. It is going to be wonderful. On Tuesdays I will also help out the PEF program to make calls or do whatever they need me to do.


 I will still be involved in teaching primary if they have not found a teacher for the English speakers and I would still be having the faith in God activities. I will plan two a month one for girls and one for boys because the group is too big to have them all. It will be in Spanish only because all kids understand Spanish.


Next new thing I will do is become a temple worker. I live next door to the temple so on Wednesday I will take the morning time while Daniel goes to his Wednesday meetings. The hours are from 8:00 in the morning to Noon. Not bad at all. On Wednesdays afternoons I will work on Family History or scrapbooking.


I brought Rosetta Stone to learn French and haven't done too much with that but I plan to do that on Mondays and Fridays as well as practicing piano and writing my book.


Every day I will remember to read the scriptures and to eat well and exercise at least one hour every day and last but not least, I will keep up with my One day at a time blog.


I have accomplished a lot of traveling so far this year so for the next little while we will be homebound. Except the first week of September for Christopher's blessing and in October for General Conference.


We plan to spend Christmas, New Years and my birthday in the DR and so far this has been an amazing year going to Chile, El Salvador, Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, Idaho, New York and Miami. In some cases more than once. How grateful I am for all those opportunities I had to be with family and even visited those graves of people who have passed on. This year so far I got to visit baby Jose Ignacio's grave, Mama Hilda's grave. along with several other people buried with her and those were the highlights of those trips.

Attending church at a little branch

Today I went to visit a small branch about 20 minutes from where we live. I am always amazed of how beautiful our buildings are kept surrounded by un kept neighborhoods. Inside this small rented home I felt safe from the elements. As soon as we came in it started to rain very hard and stopped as soon as we went out. We were so lucky not to get wet. I could feel the spirit as people bore their testimonies even when a noisy Colmado is next door and one in front of them with the loud music. I loved visiting with the people but mostly with the missionaries. They are so sweet. In this particular unit they got 3 pairs or six girl missionaries serving.

Finding flghts

I want to help Mari, Manu and my mom find flights to Boise from Miami using miles and they are so hard to book unless you go Business class. I wanted for them to go on the 14 and by the time I booked two of them and went to the other screen to book one more passenger they are gone. Frustrating! I have had a better chance around the 13th so I am staying with that one date and have done multiple holds and want to issue those tickets as soon as I confirm with them and can talk to Cristi or Brooks to let them know they are coming.


 I am at a point that I can't relax or do anything else until I have booked those flights. I never knew that whenever you get into a screen to book a flight and want to return to add someone, the seats are gone. The availability changes within minutes if not seconds and sometimes what was not available a minute ago, is available now so whenever you find something at a good price, take it or it will soon disappear literally in thin air. After talking to Mari, I discovered that she prefers to go after the 15the when she has turned the key over to the tenants and that she can stay for a couple of days with Alejandro and Lexi, Eric Allred or some friends from their ward who would keep them in their home until they get ready to go to the airport so I am now holding those tickets for them to go on August 18th to give Mari enough time to do anything she needs to get done. In my own experience anytime I go anywhere I always wished I had stayed longer because there is always something I didn't find time to do so I hope staying those extra days will help.

As You Travel Through Life

I have been thinking about my sister who is getting ready to take a big step this month. She and her son are moving northwest from the southeast part of the country leaving behind many memories and dear friends in hopes for a better life. So here is a poem I am dedicating to her as she gets ready to move on mentally as well as physically.


As You Travel Through Life

As you travel through life there are always those times

When decisions just have to be made,

When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,

And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do

Is simply let go and move on,

Gather your courage and choose a direction

That carries you toward a new dawn.

 

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward

The process of change can be tough,

But think about all the excitement ahead

There might be adventures you never imagined

Just waiting around the next bend,

And wishes and dreams just about to come true

In ways you can’t yet comprehend!

 

Perhaps you’ll find friendships that spring from new things

As you challenge your status quo,

And learn there are so many options in life,

Perhaps you’ll go places you never expected

And see things that you’ve never seen,

Or travel to fabulous, faraway worlds

And wonderful spots in between!

 

Perhaps you’ll find warmth and affection and caring

And somebody special who’s there

To help you stay cantered and listen with interest

To stories and feelings you share.

 

Perhaps you’ll find comfort in knowing your friends

Are supportive of all that you do,

And believe that whatever decisions you make,

They’ll be the right choices for you.

 

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,

And taking your life day by day…

There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road -

Don’t look back! You’re not going that way!

-author unknown


I am confident she will find new friends and make that new home as special or more than her last one.