A quick trip to San Diego

Preston, Eddie and Hans headed out for San Diego on Tuesday at around 9:00 a.m. hoping to arrive sometime Tuesday evening.

Well, that didn't happen - the car broke down just outside of Vegas - they were stranded. What to do? Well we called Melinda to get a hold of Cory - hoping that he was still at work. He wasn't but "bless his heart" he got a trailer and went to rescue them. About 3 hours later he had them in Las Vegas getting a rental car.

They headed for Barstow - arriving at about 1:00 a.m. MST - checked into a Super 8 - spent the night - got up early and made it to San Diego at around 10:30 a.m. Preston says the weather is great - they hope to do a little sight seeing before the game - and then they get to head back tomorrow about 6:00 a.m. to catch a flight in Vegas to SLC (the rental car couldn't be returned in Utah - and to rent another was about the same as catching a flight home).

Cory hauled the car to Overton - we get to go get it this weekend!

Are we all frustrated - YES - but no one was physically hurt - and that's the most important thing!

Hopefully the 'U' won't lose - that would really suck!!!

Christmas Card Dilemma.....

My Christmas card tradition is to send a picture of my family. I do this because I send to friends and family who don't see my family on a regular basis. Unfortunately, my immediate family (who does see us on a regular basis) also receives the card - which I don't know if they like it or not - but oh well.

I have also been known from time to time to send a family update - a recap of the year - whatever you want to call it. I remember one of the first ones I sent was pretty detailed - others have been very brief - and I don't always send this part of the card to my immediate family becuase they pretty know what has been going on with us and I don't want to bore them or make them think we are really special.

So the dilemma is what to do this year.....do I send just the family photo.....include a long recap of the year....or just some of the highlights.......

Yesterday we received two contrasting cards. The first I opened was from a friend I went to the 'U' with. We had every accounting class together. I went to his wedding....he came to mine....we have seen each other at CPA functions....etc. So his card this year came with pictures of his kids....and a recap of their year. As Meranda was reading it out loud, it made us all laugh at how detailed it was....from talking about their daughter's excellent soccer and friendship bracelet making skills....to their son's hope to compete in Lacrosse his senior year without injury (torn ACL) or illness (mono)....and finally to their oldest son's battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and his spiritual awakening!!! It was entertaining but a little too much information.....

On the other hand, the other card was from Geniel.....cute card....cute picture of Emily....and the family update "2009 Family Highlights....I can't remember....."

I wonder.....both were entertaining.....which method will I choose???.

Kids are Great!

Meranda is helping her cousin Annie by watching the Double T's (Elliott and Wyatt) while she is working.

Elliott is 2 going on 22 and on Tuesday asked, "Meranda, how was your weekend?"

He cracks us up!!!!

Yes - I am a Diet Coke Expert!!

Every morning I stop at "Stephs's" Holiday station on 3200 West and 35th South for a Diet Coke. I guess you could say I'm a regular.

So this morning as I am filling up my 32 ounce cup, and I notice that the Diet Coke coming out does not look like Diet Coke. It is "light and foamy" - more like a REAL Coke. So I taste it and decide that this is NOT Diet Coke. I taste the real Coke and it tastes the same as the Diet Coke. BIG PROBLEM for me!!!

I ask Steph to check her tanks and sure enough there was Coke syrup hooked up to the Diet Coke dispenser. She changes it, but because it takes a while for the BAD Coke Syrup to filter out, I am stuck with choosing Diet Dr. Pepper this morning!

The good thing is that Steph paid for my drink this morning. The bad thing is that it was Diet Dr. Pepper!!!!

Editorial Comment

I was going to write a "Letter to the Editor" but have decided to write a blog post instead.

So if you read my last post, one of my comments was "Max Hall bugs me". That is now an understatement - Max Hall REALLY bugs me!

What happened to "We won the game. It was hard fought, but we won and I'm really happy about that". But Max couldn't do that - it would be too easy. He personallly attacked thousands of people with connections to the University of Utah. He offended me, my husband, and about 20 other immediate family members. As my sister Jackie pointed out, it's nothing new - those attending the U have been looked down on forever because we went to the "evil" University of Utah. Apparently if you go to the school down south, you have a stronger testimony and you get a better education. NOT!!!!

The stupid comments didn't start with Max Hall and they won't end with him. I guarantee that someone will continue the "rich BYU tradition" of making comments that put down other people and try to make themselves out to be the more worthy/blessed/deserving, etc.

Oh and one other thing - what's up with the "Beer got thrown on me/my family" folklore/myth. How many times do we have to hear that? Beer is not sold in Rice Eccles stadium and for the few that "smuggle" it in - I guess if they want to waste it on BYU fans that's their choice, as we all have agency to choose! Likewise, many a Utah fan has had things thrown on them by BYU fans - like tuna fish sandwiches, tortillias or twinkie's...but I guess that's better than "beer" - WHATEVER!!!!!

There, now I feel a little bit better.......

Random stuff

Yes - Donny won "Dancing" - I gave out a shout......


Parker and I went to McDonalds after the ortho on Tuesday, order totalled $4.94, drove up to the window to pay, handed the women my debit card and she said "From a five???" Must have been a long day!


Going to the WC (Wayne County) for Thanksgiving - cutting down Christmas tree - debating on whether to take the 4-wheeler - might be a bit too cold for that.....

Evan's birthday this weekend - a big one......

I hope the 'U' wins the football game.....Max Hall bugs me......

Meranda has the "Bruin Challenge" next week....she's the reigning bench press champ...she hopes to retain her title....

Preston has been home from the mish for 6 months...he has been out teaching with the missionaries this week and enjoyed it very much.....

Great Examples

This week I've reflected on the "true grit" of my parents. Neither one of them have the best of health, but they try to make the best of it!

They want their independence. They would like to be more mobile. They don't really like asking for help and they do more than would be humanly possible for most people in their situation.

This week they made the trek to Summit/Cedar City to Grandpa Stapley's funeral. It was a long ride but they made it - thanks to Judy for tagging along. When I talked to them Tuesday night, they were giddy - they were out of the valley - they didn't have to make their beds or cook their food.

They were exhausted when they got home on Wednesday but it was a "different" exhausted. They are great examples to me.

I hope I can have that same determination/grit when I need to get through difficult times!!!!

We Saw the LIGHT!!!!!!

Here is the Redneck version of Tuesday around midnight ---

"There we were, driving along I-15, minding our own business, when FLASH - we saw the blinding light!!! Holy cow - what was that? Had Tooele army depot just been blown up or was it a gigantic UFO?"

We were on our way home from Grandpa Stapley's viewing in Summit - we had just driven into the valley around midnight when the sky lit up like it was the middle of the day. Evan saw a red streak - and I had a little bit of a panic attack. Then we remembered about the meteor shower - it was so cool!!

DWTS - Donny style.....

I spent alot of time in the 80's watching the Donny & Marie show on Friday night.....I loved everything about Donny - his good looks, his great voice, his patience with Marie and of course his purple socks.

I bet most every single "mormon girl" had dreams of marrying an Osmond - weird but true!
For my birthday one year, Evan bought me tickets to see him perform in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"- it was awesome!

Now I'm watching Donny on "Dancing with the Stars". He definitely has a following and is consistantly an audience favorite - probably because of those girls that are now "women" and are voting him on each and every week. Last night he danced to one of his hits "One Bad Apple" - I've been singing it to myself all day.......My kids think I'm weird....Oh well.....

The Challenge of Sunday School

I have always struggled to go to Sunday School. I don't really know why. I've had some great teachers over time - Audrey Ikola (very serious) - Bobby Nicholson (not serious at all) - and my Dad - who still teaches Sunday School at 80 years old.

Maybe it's because I got out of the habit while serving in Primary or Young Womens - or maybe it's because I like going home for that Diet Coke break during the second hour.

In any event, I have tried really hard over the last few months to go to Sunday School class - which is a lot easier because of Ben Millet - a great teacher! He actually works for the Desert Star dinner theatre - he is very knowledgeable and entertaining. Some people in the ward don't like the entertainment factor - but I do!

He has helped me get back in the Sunday School habit!!!

Holy Cow - it's been a week.....

So much for my joining the professional blog posters of the world - it's been harder than I ever thought it would. So I have failed.......but I have done more than last November.

So today is the big game for the Hunter Wolverines. They have battled and continue to win when they aren't supposed to. Preston says he is more nervous as a coach than he ever was as a player and he is loving every minute of it. He literally eats, drinks and sleeps Hunter Football. He loves the kids - says they are the best kids ever on a HHS football team - and he played on great teams. His record his three years at HHS was 30-6 - that is incredible.

This week the team will be without their starting running back - with a torn ACL - he wears #4 - the same number as Matt Asiata - is it something to do with the #4???? They will also be without one of the starting lineman - kicked out last week. And then there is the Quarterback - Brett Lunceford - who broke his leg in the Lone Peak game - played through it and plans on playing today.

This is a story that movies are made of.

How does "Remember the Wolverines" sound?!?!?!?!?

I Missed a Day...

I thought it would be easy to post once a day - but it's harder than I thought it would be.

It seems that my life is pretty "consistent" from day to day - notice I did not use the word "boring".

Not much changes - which is not a bad thing. I have a great family, a good job, a nice home and good health. I do have my challenges like dieting and drinking too much Diet Coke. I basically have grey hair and I have to wear reading glasses to see anything up close.

There are a lot of things I should be doing on a more regular basis - like mopping my kitchen floor or vacuuming, but I would rather go to a ball game or shopping or a swim meet - or basically anything else than clean.

So even though my life is somewhat "consistent", it's a good consistency!

Was it a mistake - or a subliminal message....

Sign on 4100 South and Redwood Road

"CRAPBOOKING"

We laughed all the way to the doctor's office......

Flu Shot Frenzy

Have you joined the Flu Shot Frenzy? We have.....

Cindy and Meranda were the first to get "innoculated" at Walgreens. Parker couldn't get one there because he was under 13 years old, so he was put on the waiting list at his doctors office.
Next was Evan on Monday, November 2nd and today Parker is getting his.

Preston chose not to get one - hope he doesn't catch it.....

Excitement at the Swim Meet!!!

So I'm taking the challenge - posting throughout the month of November -but I missed the first day - will try to do better.

Parker had a swim meet Friday/Saturday at the Skyline Seagulls pool....it's a crappy pool....slow water....no deck space....but we went anway....no sense going to practice every day and not swimming in the meets.

It did get a bit exciting when Parker decided to enter the pool when he wasn't supposed too.....Evan looked up....saw fear and terror and flailing arms....as Parker fell into Lane #6...together with his towel and flip flops. Luckily no one was swimming in that Lane!!!

A precious moment we will always remember!!!!!

Happy Grooming Appointment

We were at G&G Huber's last night when Parker decided to check her calendar to see if Grandma had his birthday marked on it.

In his usual dramatic fashion - he let Grandma know that she didn't have his birthday marked. To which she replied, "Of course I do". Parker looked again - on his birthday - October 23rd - it was in fact marked with a sticker that said "Grooming Appointment".

Apparently not enough "Happy Birthday" stickers came with the calendar. Judy's on the 18th had "Dr. Appointment" and Johnny's on the 31st was marked "Vacation".

Grandma Huber is definitely a one of a kind - and we love her very much!

I wish I could make everything better......

I have always been a working Mom. Not easy - but I have always tried to make the best of it, finding them a home and environment that would provide them love and care while I was away. Arranging for transportation to and from their different activities and always trying to have a "sit down" dinner at the end of the day so we could unwind all together.

When they were small, it was easy to get them up, feed them, dress them and wisk them off to the "sitter".

As they got older, not so easy...
They had feelings and opinions, and my choice of a care provider was not always their choice.

They wondered why I couldn't be home with them when they had a day off of school.

They wondered why they couldn't let friends in the house when I wasn't home

But somehow we made it through those crazy times.

So now they are older - not any easier being a Mom - I just don't have to find a day care provider. We still have that "sit down" dinner to try to unwind and talk about everyone's day!

But - It's hard to not make their decisions for them. It's hard not being able to be there for them when they need someone to protect them and stand up for them and make everything better.......but somehow we will make it!

Back to School

Getting ready for school is the funnest part of going back. When I was growing up, my Mom made a big event out of school shopping. She would take a couple of her daughters at a time and we would get dressed up and go downtown to shop. We would head to Auerbach's department store and then walk up the street to The Paris, and sometimes would even walk all the way to ZCMI. We picked out three outfits and a new pair of shoes. The best part of the shopping trip for me was lunch in Auerbach's basement. A great hamburger, fries and of course a Cherry Limeade.....it was the best.

I've tried to make the back to school shopping a "special" experience for my own kids - but there is no dressing up and no Auerbach's lunch. I put the amount of money they can spend in an envelope and when it's gone - they're through shopping.

This year Parker and I ventured out a couple of weeks ago. He is a "one stop" shopping kind of person - got everything he wanted at JC Penney's and then we went to the Olive Garden for lunch......

Meranda and I have gone a couple of times - I bought some things for her - she bought herself some things. I haven't taken Preston yet for school - we did some shopping after he got home from his mission - but he did ask for a new pair of shoes the other day. Last Friday we went to Lunch at Litza's - I guess we can count that.....

Today all three of them are officially "Back to School"....it's great!!!!!

Long time - no post.....

The summer has flown by - only 2 weeks until school starts - we've been busy.....

June
. Meranda and Parker went to Washington D.C. with some of the family - 14 in all - they had a great time.
. Parker was named to the Hunter-Cyprus Baseball All-Star team - great experience - good baseball player.
. Evan was asked to help coach the All-Star team - he is a good coach and a good role model for the kids.
. Preston got a job at UPS - on the night crew - hard work - but pays for school.

July

. Parker went on his first week long scout camp - earning 5 merit badges - and then earned another two after camp. Way to go Parker!!!
. Evan survived the scout camp - which was a Stake event this year - glad to check that one off the list.
. Meranda and Parker started working at "Shavy Jones" - arghhhhh - they are earning the big bucks.
. Preston started coaching football at Hunter High (volunteer basis - no pay) - loving every minute of it - great "internship" to see if he really wants to be a coach.
. Meranda was named NJCAA Academic All-American and NJCAA Distinguished Academic All-American - the difference is the GPA - 3.5-3.7 for the first and 3.8-4.0 for the second - her GPA is 3.9. Way to go Meranda!!!!

It's great to be busy. Busy people are happy people!!!!

Apply medication then grab a brown paper bag!!

Saturday night we had a major meltdown by Parker (and yes he gave me permission to post about it). You see earlier in the week he was hit in the mouth by a baseball at practice, which caused a huge blister on the outside of his lip and a huge canker on the inside of his lip. He has been miserable all week. So on Saturday, we were at Meranda's softball tournament and Aunt Jackie and Uncle John came up to watch. She asked what I was doing to help Parker's lip feel better to which my answer was "not much". She suggested getting an OTC medication called "campophenique" (not sure of the spelling) that you apply to the sore and it numbs it and takes the pain away.

Well - we bought, we applied - and then Parker read the warnings on the box - BIG MISTAKE!!! "If swallowed, call poison control". Because it was applied to his lip - yes it got in his mouth and yes he thought he was going to DYE!!!!!!!!! No guarantees by Mom, Dad, Meranda made him feel any better and he started to hyperventilate - so I grabbed a brown paper bag, demonstrated how to use it, and gave in to his begging to call poison control. The questions they asked and I answered were

What is your son's name?

How old is your son?

How much does he weigh?

What is the medication expiration date and lot code on the box?

All the while - Parker was sitting there with panic on his face.

The nice lady at poison control was very calm and told me to tell Parker that...

He would be okay....

He would have to swallow a "large" amount of the medication for it to harm him...

Try get his mind on something else....

PHEW - that was a close one - he did live - but he woke up Sunday morning with a very large "swollen" lip - I guess from the medication. I told him movie stars pay thousands of dollars to have their lips look like that - He didn't laugh.....

Happy Birthday Meranda Kay...

I didn't forget Meranda's birthday - just forgot to update the blog.

Meranda Kay Wood turned 19 on Saturday, June 20th. She was supposed to be born on June 10th, but her strong will prevailed even before she was born, and she arrived 10 days late. It was a HOT summer day and she was born at 2:00 p.m. - just after General Hospital was over (that's when I use to watch the Soaps).

She was born in the old Holy Cross Hospital (run by the Catholics) and I was a little bit concerned about that. My room was in the non-smoking section - and the smoking section was the room next door.

I was so happy that our little "cabbage patch" was born healthy and strong. The miracle of birth never ceases to amaze me!

I am so blessed to have Meranda for a daughter! She is smart, funny, pretty, patient, loving, helpful, athletic, spiritual, honest, self-motivated, fiesty, humble, etc., etc., etc. SHE'S THE BEST!!!!!!

Upward and Onward

Happy 6th Grade Graduation to Parker! He survived the year with Mrs. Shepherd - barely!!!!

I knew teachers like her existed. She didn't seem to like Parker from the first day - maybe it was his good looks, his quick wit, his popularity, or that he always did the "butload" of homework she assigned - in any event here comes 7th Grade!!!!

Way to go Parker!

Tommorow is the day....

PRESTON WILL BE HOME.....I CAN'T WAIT.....I'M AN EMOTIONAL WRECK...I PLAN ON BEING AT THE AIRPORT AN HOUR EARLY.....

NEW SHEETS....NEW PILLOWS...HIS ROOM IS READY....

I HOPE WE HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT (LOL - HA HA HA)

ONE WEEK LEFT.....

Until Elder Wood returns home. YEAH!!!!!

On to Nationals

The SLCC Bruins finished a great season winning the Region 18 Conference Tournament which sends them to the NJCAA World Series. Their overall record was 47-7 and they are ranked 3rd in the Nation. First game is Thursday.......

A memorable trip.....

Last weekend we went to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to watch Meranda play softball. Her team split with NIC (North Idaho College) winning 2 and losing 2. They had not lost a game since February 13th. They had already taken first place in their conference - the SWAC - and will be hosting the conference tournament this week. If they win they - on to Nationals in St. George May 14-16.

The memorable part of the trip was how we got there. We ended up being flown on a "six seater" one propeller plane by a client of Evan's - Rob Brady - who says he is a pilot that happens to be an engineer. We met him at the Million Air airport Thursday afternoon and boarded the plane bound for Coeur d'Alene.

Not long after takeoff, Parker started getting air sick - hadn't even thought about that happening. Well - there were no barf bags to be found so I emptied one of our "treat bags" and put it to good use. Parker was green and watned to get off the plane. I told him that it was just like riding the "Tower of Terror" at Disneyland - only longer. We made a stop in Twin Falls so that he could "get his feet under him". We found the barf bags and after the pit stop, the ride was much better and we arrived in Coeur d'Alene about 10:00 p.m. - much quicker than the 10+ hour drive home.

It was a trip to remember......

Cupcake vs. Muffin

We have been having a discussion about the difference between a cupcake and a muffin.

I actually googled this - the consensus seemed to be that a cupcake has frosting and a muffin doesn't.

So we started to think of other differences -
A muffin has "things" in it - blueberries, bananas, poppy seeds, etc.
You eat a cupcake for dessert and a muffin for breakfast.
A muffin seems "heavier" than a cupcake
A muffin will sometimes have a "muffin top" hanging over - a cupcake doesn't

Any other ideas?

Happy Birthday Preston

Preston was born on April 29, 1988. It was a beautiful spring day and then two days later we came home from the hospital in a BLIZZARD!!!

Some things you may or may not know about Preston.....

He was born sucking his thumb.

He would put himself to sleep with his thumb and his "birdy blankie".

He was always "early to bed".

He loves sports - no surprise.

He was on a "Comp" soccer team.

He played baseball, football, volleyball, basketball and wrestled.

He loves Smothered burritos from La Frontera.

He was known as "Steadfast & Immovable Man".

He doesn't really like roast beef or spam.

He plays the clarinet and the saxophone - but not the piano.

He loves John Wayne movies.

He was in a Dance Recital his Senior year.

He is a wonderful son, brother, nephew, grandson and cousin.

He has been a great missionary. We are excited to have him come home!

5 weeks, 35 days, 840 hours, 50,400 minutes...

Until Preston gets home...but who's counting!!!

Raffle ticket payoff.....

So since Preston was 9 years old and started playing baseball, we have bought raffle tickets to support Hunter/Cyprus Baseball. I know my boys should go door to door to sell them - but it's been easier to just buy most of them myself.

The first person I knew that won anything was Haley. She won a dried flower picture that she gave to me because she didn't have any place to hang it. Haley - do you want it back?

Last year, we won a Hunter-Cyprus Baseball pullover "slicker" type thing that Evan wears.

Well this year - the big prize - we actually one a 32" LCD TV.

Can you believe it!

I don't normally complain - but.....

TEN COMPLAINTS - TODAY - April 3, 2009

Complaint #1 - I'm tired of the snow - it can stop at any time
Complaint #2 - I continue to exercise and diet and still don't lose any pounds
Complaint #3 - 6th grade school teachers drive me (and my 6th grader) crazy
Complaint #4 - 6th grade math - particularly FRACTIONS!!!!!
Complaint #5 - I'm tired of "waiting" for attorneys (and others) at work
Complaint #6 - I can't seem to go to bed before 11:00 p.m.
Complaint #7 - Grocery shopping
Complaint #8 - Folding socks
Complaint #9 - Dusting
Complaint #10 - Trying to get a credit card/money/anything to Preston in Argentina - and yes I will elaborate. So the debit card was stolen on February 22nd and nothing has been easy since. We decided to get him a credit card. We went to the bank, requested the card, chose a design - the design was not available - chose another one - card came with wrong name on it (Evan James Wood - not Preston James Wood). Called the bank - requested another card - finally came with the correct name - but now 2 1/2 weeks had gone by. Go to the post office - send the card express mail - not cheap - guaranteed 5-7 day delivery - return receipt requested. Two days after mailing - find out mission offices had moved - the package was delivered to old address - but not picked up by the office elders -package was sent to the Central Post office - again no one went to pick up - finally office elders went on Tuesday March 31st - found out the package had been returned - package received in WVC on April 2nd. Called Mission Dept in SLC - asked if they knew how we could get money to Elder Wood - they are of no help! Call Wells Fargo - they are of no help! Decide to send Preston $$ via Western Union - send money on April 1st so he could get it on April 2nd - guess what it was a Holiday in Argentina (Sovereignty Day) - no Western Union offices opened. Today I still haven't heard if he has picked up the money yet......

Do I feel better - not really!!!!!

SLCC Softball update....

Can I say that MK's softball team is ON FIRE!!!!!
Ranked 7th in the Nation
On a 20 game winning streak
Overall record 32-5; Conference record 28-3
MKW is doing great with the opportunities she is given. Here is a blurb from last weekend's games -
Game 2 - Saturday - "Offensively the Bruins were led by designed player Meranda Wood, Weese, McDonald, and first baseman Hayley Atiyeh. Wood finished 2-4 with one homerun her second of the season, two hits and two RBI’s."
Game 2 Friday - "Meranda Wood came off the bench to hit a pinch hit solo home run in the sixth inning.

I'm not sure what a "designed" player is (it should be designated player) and she has actually hit 3 homeruns this year.......

Yes - I am proud of my daughter.......

63 days.....

Preston will be home in 63 days! It will be great to have him home - but - I'm getting a little nervous about it at the same time.

He has been on cloud 9 - literally - working 24/7 for the man upstairs - rising early - studying the scriptures - teaching the gospel - working with Pte Argyle on a daily basis - traveling and teaching other elders - WOW!!! In his email this week, he kind of went off on a tangent about member missionary work - and then said "anyways, now you all have seen a little bit of what you are all gonna have to deal with when i get home"

Again I'm excited that he is coming home - but I know that it will be at least a couple of days before the Preston we sent off two years ago is really back.......

Experiences in the life of a ward organist....

Part 1: I am one of two organists in our ward and have had some "interesting" experiences in the last couple of weeks. The organist that I share time with is what you might call "challenged" and we get a kick out of her playing every week. Well, March is my month to play, and I think she has rubbed off on me. I started playing the opening hymn, and it seemed completely different than the one I had practiced - and guess what - it was. The chorister turned to me and said - "Page 230" - I looked at my hymn book and I was on Page 229!!!! I quickly turned the page, started over and we went on. I was so embarrassed - couldn't believe what I had done. Even after that, people told me how much they enjoyed my playing - WHAT? Meranda said that's pretty impressive that I can screw up and people tell me that they enjoy my playing!!!!

Part 2: So - I was asked to play the organ for the Adult session of Stake Conference on Saturday. I was supposed to start playing at 6:45 p.m. - so I arrived a little before that. I go up to the organ - and guess what - it was a brand new organ and completely different than any organ I have ever played. It had more stops, more pedals, more everything. I couldn't even find the on switch. Needless to say, it wasn't my best organist performance (again). I finally figured things out by the last song....Evan was cracking up and the chorister pulled a few interesting facial expressions. Oh well - they probably won't ask me again.

Can't wait to see what my encore is going to be this Sunday......

The saga appears to be over!!!

The story of the stolen debit card is finally brought to a conclusion, but not without multiple phone calls and emails. I've become good friends with Elder Whitmer in the mission home and he now knows how to make an international collect phone call.

Even though I am a joint account holder with Preston, the bank had to talk to him because it was his card that was stolen. Everytime I called the bank, of course, I got a different person and had to explain the situation over and over.

So today, Elder Whitmer had Preston come to the mission home office and they were going to make the call to the bank. Of course surprise, surprise, the number didn't work. I get a call from Elder Whitmer, give him another number. Which they try and it doesn't work. I'm not in my office so I tell them to give me 20 minutes to get there so I can call the bank. While I am on the phone with the bank, Elder Whitmer calls me (again) on my cell phone, so we proceed to have a conversation between me and the bank and Elder Whitmer. They give us a number to call collect - which Elder Whitmer doesn't know how to do, and which Christine the bank person doesn't know how to do - go figure! Anyway, we all hang up and hope that they can figure out how to make the collect call.

About 10 minutes later another call from Elder Whitmer, they did make the call, Preston talked to the bank and everything seems to be settled. They have put the money back into the account and reversed the bank charges of about $125.00! While I have Elder Whitmer on the cell phone, Evan calls on my work phone - so another 3 way call.

I ask Elder Whitmer if Elder Wood is there. "Yes" I ask him to tell Preston that I love him - long pause - "Elder Wood your mom loves you". I hear Preston laughing in the background. I ask Elder Whitmer if Preston's face is turning red. He replies "His face is always red". Again, I hear Preston laughing in the background. I ask him to tell Preston that his Dad loves him. "Elder Wood your dad loves you." Again laughter in the background and this time I hear Preston say "I love you too".

I guess in a way I got to talk to Preston today in Argentina! It was crazy - but fun!!!!!

This is Sister Argyle in Argentina......

The words made my heart sink as I answered the phone Sunday afternoon. First I thought someone was playing a practical joke - sounded like a person in our ward - but it was in fact Sister Argyle calling. She assured me Elder Wood was fine but that he had a problem with his ATM card. He tried to use it but it was "eaten" by the machine and he thought something was fishy. She was calling to have me check his account, close the card, etc........

Elder Wood was correct....about $520 taken from his account. I cancelled the card and reported the problem to the bank and transferred the remaining balance out of his account. I hope we will recover the $520 but it could have been worse.

I can't wait to hear the rest of the story - maybe he was at the ATM when a "fish" attacked him - or maybe a guy with a knife - or maybe he had to fight off "robbers" - or maybe......I hope to hear the details in this week's letter.

Wait - I just got an email from Elder Whitmer from the financial office of the mission and he want's to talk to me about the card. CAN'T THEY JUST HAVE PRESTON CALL ME!!!!!!!!!

Okay - Elder Whitmer just called me....on my cell phone....he called Elder Wood to see if he could give me a number to get a hold of me....and of course....Preston remembered my cell phone!!! What a stud.....

So the story from Elder Whitmer is that Preston had just finished meetings with President Argyle on Sunday evening and needed $$ to get back to his apartment. He stopped at a "sketchy ATM" machine and his card wouldn't work. So some guy came up to him and asked him was was going on and then told Preston that he needed to do this...and this...and this... But his card never came out. Well - the "helpful person" was probably the thief!!!!! I asked Elder Whitmer why they just didn't have Elder Wood call me - laughter was the response......

We have decided (Evan and me) which I confirmed with Elder Whitmer - that we will get a new card - CREDIT - not DEBIT from a totally different account. This way the THIEF won't be able to use his account to steal more $$$$$!!!!!!

WHEW - I'm stressed out right now!!!!!

By the way - Elder Whitmer is from Yuma, AZ and has been out about 18 months. He said Elder Wood is a great example to the mission!!!!!

Another one bites the dust....

Yeah - another Science Fair Project is in the History Books! We have actually gotten quite proficient - and have "recycled" many great ideas - always remembering the KISS theory (Keep It Simple Stupid). I found one of the first ones that Preston did - and we didn't know what we were doing - poor kid. I saw some similar Projects at the school this morning. One was titled "Can Lemons Conduct Electricity?" The only thing on the board was a list of items used for his experiment and a picture of a lemon. Another one was on Molecules or Atoms and had a bunch of styrofoam balls glued to the board - didn't really know what they were trying to do. One kid was upset because he had "written" on his board and someone told him he couldn't - I told him it was okay to write on the board. There were boards of all sizes, shapes and colors.

Parker's project was titled "What Makes Ice Melt the Fastest?" This is a picture of the beginning of his experiment. We followed the Scientific process - question - hypothesis - experiment - results - conclusion - charts-graphs-pictures and of course the "Project Data Book". It was displayed nicely with background colors of Red, Green and Blue. We found out several projects ago - to staple everything to the board - much easier/faster than glue sticks or tape.

Can't wait to do another one next year.......

Get ready for softball.....

Meranda's softball career as a "Bruin" starts this weekend.

She is off to Las Vegas on Friday for 5 games - then on to St. George for another 8 and finally back home.

She will be gone 10 days - and will be missed by all of us - especially her "little brother" (who won't be little for long).

Her 53 game season includes trips to exotic locations such as Ephraim, Utah; Carson City, Nevada; Rangely, Colorado; and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

She is excited for the new challenge - loves her coaches and teammates.

HOPE - just when we need it......

So my lesson in RS this week is on the "Infinite Power of Hope" based on a talk given by the "handsome" President Dieter Uchtdorf in October general conference.

It's amazing how often people use the word "Hope". Barrack Obama used it today in his inauguration address "We have chosen HOPE over fear".

George Washington used it (as quoted by Obama) "...when nothing but HOPE and virtue could survive...."

Mark Shurtleff (Utah Attorney General) used it in a radio interview "I HOPE everybody in Utah will remember him (Obama) in their prayers. He will need it."

On CBS Sunday Morning this past Sunday, an artist named Shepard Fairey, talked about designing an Obama poster. I'm sure you have all seen it - a picture of Obama - originally with the word "Progress" across the bottom. It was requested he change that word to "HOPE".

Happy New Year.....

2009 promises to be another busy, crazy, eventful year in the lives of the Wood Family....

Preston's release date is May 20th - but he probably won't be in Utah until May 21st. He is having a lot of success in Villa Ballestar. Did you know that the church "discourages" parents from picking up their missionary in the mission field? We received a very detailed letter about this adivising us that if we do come - we should dress like a missionary - we shouldn't expect to pick up our missionary until 6:30 p.m. on May 20th - we shouldn't rent a car (rather we should probably hire a driver) - we should be aware that there are demonstrations, strikes and other dangers of a big city. Makes me feel really good about Preston being there!!!!!

Meranda starts her 50+ game softball season on January 30th in Las Vegas. She is on the road for the first month between Las Vegas and St. George. She plays at least 4 games every weekend and she says she is way excited. In case you didn't know, SHE LOVES SOFTBALL. Oh and she loves school too. First semester she got a 3.88 GPA - how great is that!! Did you know that she isn't cutting her hair until Preston gets home??????

Parker will end his elementary school career at Carl Sandburg Elementary. Hopefully he will survive Mrs. Shepherd who as she says "loves to torture students". At Parent Teacher conference she said that Parker will probably be a SBO in high school - I would agree with her! He is busy with swim, scouts and will start baseball in the spring. He is such a great kid - always happy and loud.

Evan starts his new church calling - Stake Young Men's President - major FACE TIME. He is excited for the new calling. He will continue to try to get to Lyman at least once a month to check up on his parents, the cows, the farm, etc. AND - in his spare time - he will try and get the last "unfinished" room in the basement "finished".

For me, I am just going to try to keep up with everyone and everything. I'm going to try to be a good wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt. I hope to continue to do my laundry, fold the socks only when necessary, clean the toilets at least once a week and be at as many swim meets, softball games, and baseball games as possible.

WOW - that was a long post........

Party #5, 6, 7, 8, 9.....(just kidding)

Party #5 - Christmas Eve at Grandma & Grandpa Hubers. Turkey dinner - including a new microwave version of mashed potatoes. Didn't save any time - but they would be great for a couple of people.

Party #6 - CHRISTMAS!!!! Presents - yes Parker got is WII (he is in Heaven)!!!! Meranda got her down comforter and feather bed (she is in Heaven too). Call to Preston (took 3 times to finally get a hold of him). More Presents at Grandma/Grandpa Huber's. Visit with the Whitby's. Ended at Jackie's for more food...

Party #7 - New Years Eve - not really a party - but I guess it counts becuase the family all watched a complete movie together - Ironman - it was great! Then some major Guitar Hero in the basement. Stayed up until after midnight - didn't bang any pans or make much noise - but was a pretty good time.

On to 2009 - great things in store - Preston has 134 days until he has been out two years - no official release date - could end up being longer or shorter. Meranda starts softball on January 30th - yes on the road in Las Vegas, St. George, Las Vegas - her season ends in May. Parker enters the last half of elementary school - YEAH - on to Hunter Jr. High in 2009!!! Lot's of great things in store - we are truly blessed!!!!!