The Back Door

I have been intending to return to the blog to post an update but you know the adage “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Well we have been having FUN! After we left the Top of the Mountains we headed to the High Desert and spent time with our Daughter, her Hubby and our grandson. They surprised us with the news any grandmother loves to hear. They’re expecting; our new grandbaby is due in February. I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have already started looking for flights. Asia to home will be expensive but the trip will be worth it.

We stayed for a week at Mom and Dad’s. The visit was wonderful. I had a great time just chitchatting with my mom and dad, and playing with my little Sweetie Pie. He was a laugh a minute. We loved buying toys and playing with cars and balls. We have decided he is a very talented baseball player with a switch pitcher and batter’s talent. He loves the futbol too. “Crazy Legs” will be his nickname if he makes pro soccer; he loves to do a little dance before he kicks it. The best was watching him make me laugh. One day he ran into the living room and tripped over nothing and it had me rolling on the floor laughing. He thought it was great so the next time he ran in, he fell (on purpose) just to watch me laugh again. This went on all evening with each trip into the living room ending by him hitting the floor. It was so funny; the best part came the next day. When we arrived he made his first trip into the living room and he started it again!!! He is too smart for his own good , he looked up to see if I would laugh again and you bet I did, followed by lots of kisses and tickling!

The next week we traveled to LA to visit my mother-by-love, my hubby’s mom. We were rewarded at our favorite hotel with a free upgrade to a two bedroom suite. Our youngest was very pleased since she had her own room and did not share her bathroom with us and she could recover from sofa bed springs etc. I had been complaining because we were flying to Asia in United Airlines instead of the world renowned best airline. This was finally compensated when we were able to invite daughter#1 and family to visit us for our last weekend and we spent two full days and two nights with our grandson one more time. We spent most of the days in the pool and the time with them can never be replaced! He has been asking to visit Nana’s house and swim at the pool. I wonder when he will ever be able to recognize our house. We have had three since he was born. We have told him he will visit us again after the baby comes but I don’t think he has grasped that idea yet.

We arrived Tuesday as our family likes to say “oh-dark-thirty.” For those not in the military that is 00:30, yes that is 12:30 a.m. in the middle of the night. We felt the humidity from the moment we left the air conditioning of the airplane and it has been a sauna ever since. I may have lost 10 pounds by now but you know what they say about water weight. I hope I can drop many more. We are walking miles every day and the pool is a tempting retreat as well as place to get some good exercise. We have Metro passes and have been to pick up the boxes we mailed. The Vonage phone hasn’t arrived so phone calls have been tough. We called home to say we were safe and sound but that is all.
The tourist sightseeing bus was fun yesterday.

We went to Sentosa to see the beach and visited the Butterfly Garden.

The Chinatown hawker center (outdoor food court) was pretty good.

Nice and cheap ($7 USD) which is great since sandwiches at Subway were $12.00 USD and we ate a national specialty Chicken Rice. This is the first time we tried something seen on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. You can watch it on You Tube HERE. The food was good; I don’t think we added enough sauces but for our first time I enjoyed it. The rice was much better than the hawker center we tried the next night, and cheaper too. I think location has something to do with that but I will be eating plenty of hawker food since it seems to be the best option on a budget. Remember, I am saving for the trip to see the grandbaby. We went to Clark Quay and ate at Cuba Libre, checked out the Tapas Restaurant and found out were the Salsa Club was; all in all a very successful first weekend.

I enjoyed church thoroughly today and thanks to Sister Tan we made it to the right ward (congregation). We walked in and they were singing “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go!” I knew we are where we are meant to be. (For the significance read the post Saying Goodbye.) I was also reminded of the video I saw this week on You Tube. A sweet sister taught the lesson using the conference talk by Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, “One among the Crowd.” In Elder Neuenschwander’s talk he recounts the scripture Luke 8:43-48 to illustrate his message “Let us quietly and resolutely press forward to the Savior, having faith that He cares about us and has the power to heal and save us.” The video dramatizes the scene of the woman healed by touching the Saviour’s clothing. I hope the message helps you this week. You can see it HERE.

Well you are now up to date. The Bishop will be here soon and so I want to get this posted and formatted before he arrives so we can be good hosts.

I hope to return soon to post again. I have a new quilt coming out in September in Cotton Spice. I’ll tell you more about it later.

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Tuesday:
The Top of the Mountains
Upon our arrival to The Top of the Mountains we were quickly transported via shuttle to our very nice hotel. Dinner was next on the schedule and an old friend called to say she would be able to come and see us in just 10 to 15 minutes. Our Cairo Daughter came with the best hugs. We had a delightful time catching up and it was so great to see her.

Wednesday:
Land’s End
After renting our car we headed to Land’s End to buy school uniforms. Sizes were tested, skort and short lengths approved; $140 dollars later we were on our way again. The sales staff was so helpful and the daughter was pleased with her new school clothes (as pleased as any 17 year-old can be in uniforms for the first time in her life). Next we headed to the city center and took a delightful tour that boosted our spirit and deepened our gratitude for our dear daughter. She truly is a special daughter of God. Upon arrival to Happy Valley we headed to our accommodations for the night. My sweet cousins greeted us with a lasagna dinner already prepared and with strawberry shortcake and milkshakes on the menu for dessert. After purchasing the new bed for the son’s apartment we returned to the dinner and wonderful company of family.

Thursday:
Extraction and Miracle Cleaner
After a delicious breakfast of waffles bacon, home canned peaches, and scrambled eggs it was an early morning picking up the son for his wisdom teeth extraction. My sweet cousin is really out doing herself; I told her I might not want to leave if she keeps it up. The breakfast strengthens me for a day of ice packs and cleaning supplies. How dirty do you think a bachelor apartment can be? It wasn’t quite “Mother Approved” so while he recuperated the daughter husband and I cleaned. Miracle cleaner in hand we tacked the grease and grim and had the kitchen and bathroom sparkling before the day was through. The bachelor roommate questioned the need for blue toilet water but seemed to understand when our son answered simply, “Mom.” Fireworks from “the bench” and patriotic music on the radio began our celebrations early.

Friday:
Independence Day
We woke early again to greet Independence Day with a smile. Breakfast was a simple fare of cereal and toast with the most delicious homemade strawberry jam. There was a monkey in the tree so our hostess had made a quick breakfast. At 81 years old my cousin aka “Monkey” still trims his 25 foot tree himself! As we said goodbye we thanked them for the wonderful hospitality. I can’t imagine myself such a gracious hostess, I hope to improve. We spent the day visiting at home in the bachelor pad. We will spend the next week here so the precious little we have available with our son is priceless. We are moving half-way-round the world so minutes spent together are cherished. Later the fairgrounds called our heart back to good-old’-times spent perusing the cars that have arrived for the cruise in. One of the largest in the nation we walk several rows before heading to Angie’s for dinner. Night falls and we sleep peacefully in the son’s new bed.

Saturday:
The Cruise in
The Cruise In will have is own page. Check back later and I’ll place the link here. I am still working on it.

Sunday:
Fast and Testimony Meeting
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we gather each first Sunday of the month to share our testimonies in the spirit of fasting in prayer. Most will have been fasting for two meals before attending. The Fast and Testimony meeting is my favorite of the month.
My little ones would complain “If this is fast Sunday why does it always seem so slow?” We taught them to fast once they were old enough to understand the reasons why. It is said that, Fasting without a purpose is just starving yourself,” so we would all start with a family or personal prayer. The day I fasted with my three little children for their father was a very special day. We prayed that my husband might know the truthfulness of the gospel and that he would want to join us in the church. He did and he was baptized less than a year later. Fasting is such a blessing. Whether answered with the desired blessing, or comfort in the face of trials not to be relieved, the blessings do come. Prayers are answered. Today I rejoice in the relief that has come after much fasting and prayer.
I wrote before of the health trials that my sweetheart has endured for the past two years. He suffered greatly while living in Mexico. We prayed for relief but only comfort was provided. His nightly battle with insomnia caused by Acute Mountain Sickness was finally cured by our descent. We have come home; home to “Happy Valley.” Our son lives here for now, he wants the big city life but, the cost of educations outweighs the desire for his own adventure. We hope to retire here someday; home to the Cruise In, The Bluebird, Angie’s, Le Beau’s and our temple. Much has changed; we now have Old Navy, Petsmart, and Olive Garden. Yet much has remained the same. Quiet streets, the smell of mountain air laced with trees and flowers, familiar vistas and smiles everywhere you go. “Home is where your heart is,” and “Home is where the Air Force sends you.” While we are in the career year’s home is wherever we are together. In our hearts we are at home wherever we are together. The ‘we’ is getting smaller now. Just three of us on the “Magic Quilt Ride” yet we are also at home when we come here. Even my big city girl (by her own definition) said that the place for her to go to university might be here in the “strength of the hills.” She said “I kinda like it here, it grows on you.” (Don’t tell her I told you, she wants to be a ‘from’ the world and it is a very small world here in the valley.)
Sunday was a dedicated prayer of gratitude. I am richly blessed to be home, with many of my family members and to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am deeply grateful that our family was protected even from death while in Mexico. I know we have been blessed by our experiences while living away from our home here and I am grateful to be back, even for just a visit. Today we will attend church in the congregation we left behind. Many have gone many are still here. I could hardly wait. I stood to bare my testimony in the meeting and to reintroduce myself to old friends. I do have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation and the restoration of His church to the earth in the latter days. A testimony is not a travelogue so I only briefly mentioned the journey we have traveled to return nine years later.
After church we had a delicious Sunday dinner with dear friends. Smoke pork loin, fresh vegetables from the garden, homemade rolls and my favorite rosemary red potatoes, YUM! The neighborhood chef is as good as he always was. There was a poem I remember from my years in the Girl Scouts as a Brownie. I remember it this way “Make new friends, but keep the old, The one is silver, the others are gold.” The message held true today. Each renewal of greeting exchanged strengthened our desire to return to Happy Valley after retirement. We noticed new condos being built in our old neighborhood. Maybe we’ll be back to stay someday.

Monday:
Today we head to the local Air Force Base for new identification cards and the official bill of “sale” for our car. The bachelor son is buying “Dorcus” the family’s green station wagon for $1.00, yes no zeros. I asked him if he will mind driving a 1996 family car; his reply, “its wheels Mom,” I guess the bicycle isn’t “wheels.”

Well our week in a nutshell is coming to an end. I hope to publish some of my creative writing later today, the cruise in pictures too. I hope you have not been bored to death. One quilting note; I ran into my quilting neighbor who first told me to start over on my quilt. I told her that I have finally finished it. The Nine Year Quilt is found here.
Here is the poem I wrote as the label in the border:
To learn to quilt,
A noble goal,
A gift for my true love to make.
Mystery shrouds its final beauty;
I think I have made a mistake.
Years of schooling as I repair the error,
Each stitch a lesson to learn.
With friendships and knowledge to treasure,
Made in Utah and Egypt and Spain.
The nine year quilt is finished now,
The satisfaction of creating earned.

Have a great day!!!!

I have updated the website for my quilting business. Notable news has been posted and on the “About Us” page a list of links takes you to my patterns available on the internet.

Enjoy

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