He is mindful of me

So, Tyson left for work up to Barrow on Monday.  He had come home for a long weekend so that Rachel could be baptized and that we could redo our roof.  The roof was bad and needed to be done, but we just didn't have the time or money earlier in the year to do it.  We still didn't, but it needed it regardless.  We had already scheduled his parents tickets to come up that weekend, so we had him come down for the weekend as well. 

Got lots done, but snow kept Saturday from being as productive as we would have liked.  We had lots of good family and friends that came and helped us.  I am so grateful to all of them. 

Anyway, before Tyson leaves to go to work far away, I like to ask him for a blessing.  The kids hear me ask, and they like to ask as well.  But in my blessing this time, he was inspired to tell me that things at our home would work properly.  Things just seem to break down when he is gone.  I don't know why, they just do.  We were without a working oven for several months at the beginning of the year.  A few hours before this blessing, I had put some clothes in the dryer so they could be ready for him to take.  There was a terrible grinding, screeching noise that came from the dryer.  All I could think was- "Oh no, something else that we have to fix or replace!"  Tyson said it was probably just metal shavings that had gotten behind the drum and the dryer was just worn out and would need replaced.  We didn't have time to deal with it them.  So tonight decided that I needed to see if it would work, because I needed to do some laundry.  I ran it, and again the noise.  I stopped it and manually spun the drum.  First one way, and then the other.  Then all of a sudden, a metal thunk!  A huge screw dropped out of the drum and into the body of the dryer!  I spun it again, and no more noise.  My first thought was- "Heavenly Father is mindful of me.  Thank you so much!"  My second was that I needed to write it down in my journal.  My sister-in-law has suggested I can use this blog as kind of a journal, or a family scrapbook and print it off each year.  I think that is a great idea and decided I should start doing it!  So here I am .

I have also felt that He is mindful of me in so many lost things as of late.  I have lost keys twice, and other things around the house (all our social security cards, Rachel's book report book and papers) and after saying prayers, He has helped me find them.  I don't just pray and then wait for them to fall in my lap, but I sincerely share with my Heavenly Father how much I need these items.  Then I do my best to look and look and look.  Often, after I have done my part to look, I will be struck with a thought about a new place to look, or a place that I have already looked in one more time.  It has usually been there, in that place I was inspired to look in.  I know some could say it is just my mind working and I would come up with it eventually, but I know I had divine help. 

So to my Father in Heaven, thank you so much for helping me when I need it and being mindful of me always.

Trying out Wordle

Trying out Wordle and seeing if it works.  What do you think?

10th Anniversary- Trip down memory lane!

This was our 10 year wedding anniversary. Tyson knew he was going to have to work on our actual anniversary without any time off (7 nights a week, 12 hour nights), so he surprised me the end of February and told me he had a couple of days off so we could celebrate.  So I had just a little bit of time to plan, but this is what I came up with.  Thursday was a day to enjoy together (with Joyce) and then Friday was a trip down memory lane.  

Thursday:  Tyson and I both got pedicures with a gift card I had.  I think next time, Tyson will get the massage instead, but he got the pedicure so he could be with me.  Awwww.  Then we went out to Dami, a Japanese restaurant.  Then it was time to pick up the kids from school and Nana and Papa's house. 

Waiting to get our pedicures

Joyce all packed up and ready to go home

My pretty toes.  Tyson didn't get any color on his, but he did get them all scrubbed, cleaned, and massaged.

Sushi rolls are such a work of art.  These were delicious!

Top view.  I can't remember what they were, only that I liked them!

They were kind of a mouthful!

Don't worry, I got it in without too much of a mess!

 

Okay, a little mess!

Friday, we tried to start out making a new memory.  Tyson had heard of a restaurant that looked kind of scary on the outside, but had delicious food, so we tried it.  Yes it did look scary on the outside, but we also discovered they don't serve lunch!  So we will have to go back and have dinner sometime!  We were also going to go to the Fairgrounds, the site of our first date, but it was really in the other direction than everything else, and we did have to be done by about 5 so we could pick up the kids from my parents, so just imagine some empty fairgrounds for our first date.  Then imagine the red rock in St. George, Utah because that is where Tyson proposed to me.  Then you can imagine the St. George Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints- that is where we were married.  We did go by the Anchorage Temple to remind us of that here, but weren't able to get down to Utah!  I gave Tyson hints and then he had to guess where we were going.  He was pretty good at guessing.  He's smart that way!

The restaurant that only serves dinner

Looks kind of scary and run down, but the food is supposedly great

This is where we had lunch instead.  We had eaten here once before, so we decided to give it another go.

Tyson's yummy shake

My yummy shake

We have spent many a trips passing this sign.  Welcome to Ted Stevens International Airport.  With Tyson working on the slope and flying in and out of the airport, the kids thought this was where he worked.  Then he went and got a job working for the Airport Police and Fire Department for under a year, and he really did work there! 

This was where we would park and wait for Tyson as he was coming home from the Slope.  He flew on the Conocco Phillips-BP airline.

When we were first married, Tyson was working for Bryce and AA Electric.  Most of the places were not ones I could visit him very much (military bases, Valley, residential homes, Cordova), so this was a tangible spot that Bryce owned and they worked on that I could visit or meet up for lunch.

Us outside of the Temple.  It was closed this time of day.

More of a closeup so you can actually see us.

In case you thought were were in Hawaii or somewhere, here is the name of this temple.

The company Tyson has been working for for the last year or so.  The Udelhoven Fab Shop.  They build those prefabricated buildings that get sent up to the slope all assembled and ready to go in those big white tents.

Tyson's first Slope company.  This is the ASRC Fab Shop, just down the street from the Udelhoven one.

The sign outside the Udelhoven Annex site- in case they need extra room.  This is where the last mod (or little building) he worked on was at.

The place where all 4 of our children were born. 

The valet parking.  But only if you get there before they close for the night and after they open for the morning.  And we all know babies don't always cooperate with business hours!

The condo Tyson moved into just after we met.  He was living with a kid whose family were military and they transferred out of state, but since he was a senior in high school, he stayed here so he could graduate here.  Tyson sort of kept an eye on him.

Tyson and his condo out the window.

This is where I was living, with Amber.  You used to could see this from Bragaw, but times have changed and several building have been put up between this building and the road!  One of the first times Tyson and I did anything together, he and our friend, Greg, helped me move from my parents home in Eagle River, to this place in Anchorage.  When I decided that something wasn't right and I wasn't supposed to go to grad school at the University of Hawaii, and should stay and work for a year and then go the next year, I knew I couldn't live at home.  Not because of my parents, but because my siblings didn't understand that I had grown up and I didn't need to live by the same rules that they did.  So I moved in with Amber and Tyson and I started dating, and I found out why I wasn't supposed to go to Hawaii!

Eagle River Orthodontics.  This is where I was working for the first several years of our marriage.  I still fill in on rare occasions- usually when they want to get paid and my mom is not around to do it!

Our first apartment.  Heritage Court.  the only covered parking in the Court at the time.  Robert and Bethany lived across the circle for about a month or two.

Our parking spot.

The first home we bought!  Crested Butte.  It didn't have any red on it when we lived there, but the patch over the garage was fading so they probably opted to paint that and some accents instead of the whole house.  Keith was born while we lived here. 

Our home now.  Stillwater Drive.  We bought this house from my parents and moved in the summer before Rachel was born.  More house than we need, but the kids love having the room to run around.  And somehow, we have filled it- something I didn't think possible when we first moved in!

Joyce was our witness to our trip down memory lane (since she doesn't do too well being away from mommy for too long and hasn't quite decided she wants to take a bottle yet!)

She is getting to be such a big girl!  Such a good sitter!

Family Bowling and Random

The kids got some bowling certificates for meeting reading goals at school, so we all went out one day bowling.  We all had fun.  Tyson and I bowled on one lane, and the 3 kids on the other.  I took bowling in college and really enjoyed it, but can tell I need to practice if I am going to get even close to the scores I was bowling back then!  Just wish it wasn't so expensive!

Keith ready to release.

Joyce cheering everyone on.  She was so good and cooperative.  Sat in her chair the whole time!

Side view of Keith.

Lining up.

Look at that concentration

Thomas danced after every throw.  And since it took awhile for his ball to get to the end of the alley, he could dance for a long time!  I think he was even saying, "Go Thomas, Go Thomas, Go Thomas!"

This is him setting up his shot.  His pants waistband was loose and kept falling down.  So we got a nice view of his backwards underwear every time he bowled.  Cute at 3, not so cute a few years later.

And Rachel shooting it down the lane.  She did pretty well- and those gutter guards came in handy.

After dropping the kids off at school on day, Thomas and I took some pictures of these eagles.  There were tons out.  More than I had ever seen.  But I guess that is why it is called Eagle River!

More eagles.  About 15 minutes earlier, there were about 7-10 more in the tree too!

Pretty girl!

Me and Joyce- self portrait