Out with the Crazies

So I didn't get up at 2am this year to go shopping like I did last year with my mom (Mom...we rocked!). The fam got up and left post by about ten after eight this morning and we went to the outlet mall in Barstow. We hit Old Navy, Gap and Children's Place and everyone came home with some new MUCH needed duds. Then we ventured to Wally World....MADNESS WITH THE CRAZIES! OK, Wal-Mart is scary enough on a normal day. In fact I can barely tolerate it then. But on the day after Thanksgiving at the Barstow Wal-Mart? It was a disgusting, creepy, picked-over, stickyslimey, smelly, shocking, annoying, unbelievable experience! We did find stuff there that we wanted/needed, but man...you think your Wal-Mart is bad...come visit the bustling metropolis of Barstow and it'll make you feel better. There were moments so creepy that I had to remind myself that everyone around me was a child of God and that I had no need to be afraid. I even forced myself to use the bathroom, but only out of sheer desperation because I knew there was no stopping once we headed home unless I wanted to crouch behind a tumbleweed on the side of the road.

I made my first Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and did mighty well if I do say so myself! The mishes came over, brand spankin' new to the area, and ate most of the food. I was glad though and I even had some leftovers to send home with them. They were a great couple of young men. One had only been on his mission for three days! The other had been out about 13 months but seemed years more confident than his companion. It was great to hear their simple but Spiritual message. It actually turned out to be a blurb from the Preach My Gospel manual talking about recognizing and acting on the promptings of the Spirit...the same exact paragraph used in Elder Godoy's talk from this past conference that I picked out to use as my VT message this month!

I'm thankful that we had such a great day yesterday. I'm thankful that our turkey didn't burn, that the mishes got full, that I have a wonderful family, that we have such amazing technology today, that I have a beautiful but stubborn daughter and a handsome but independent son, that I have a marvelous and caring husband (who's handsome as well!), that the Lord answers my prayers (even though I might not like the answer...see previous blog post), that there is Diet Coke in abundance at our commissary, that pumpkin pie was invented, that my dogs are naughty and playful but stinking cute, that we have a safe place to live, that our bills are paid on time and our fridge is full, that our vehicles run and our clothes don't have holes, that we have the Word of God in print in many different copies in my own living room, and most of all, that I'm an eternal family because of my Savior Jesus Christ and his sacrafice and our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation. Want to be thankful for that too? Go check out www.mormon.org and stop wondering what I'm always talking about!