ADILF (Awesome Daughter-in-law Forever) and ADF (Awesome Daughter Forever)

I have to say that my DIL, Karla was just AWESOME this weekend. She went above and beyond the call of duty to organize and cook for our whole family reunion. We had Hawaiian haystacks, a great tasting fruit salad, yummy brownies, peanut butter bars to die for, and several kinds of cookies.

I didn't even think to offer any help carrying everything from her car to the picnic tables. We weren't there yet when she was doing all this to get ready for the reunion. But when we were cleaning up I realized that she had carried three large drink containers,two large coolers and about 15 other containers of food and groceries from her car to the tables just to get ready to make the meal.

All this and she isn't one of the original members of the family we were holding the reunion for. If it hadn't been for her we wouldn't have had a reunion this year. She is just this wonderful person who likes to organize and cook, anyway, so she offered to do it for the Spendlove family this year. I am so grateful for her. I hope you know we love and appreciate you, Karla.

To add to the fun, our daughter and her husband organized the "First Annual Spendlove Not So Special Olympic" games for the reunion. They did this for our immediate family for the 4th of July and it was so fun I asked them to do it for the reunion.

It was fantastic! Emilee and Daniel had gone to the trouble of making a very large (5' X 8'), permanent banner to record all the winners of the events. We will be able to use it every year.

Daniel, her husband, brought a HUGE blow up slippery slide to use for the obstacle course as part of the Olympics. Besides that, they had all the props to do a three legged race, a wheel barrow race and several other games where we all competed. It was just the MOST fun reunion we have ever had!

Thanks Karla, Emilee and Daniel for all you did to make this day so fun!

Scary! What can we do?

I was listening to Glenn Beck today and am absolutely scared silly by what Obama is doing to our country. When he said "change" he meant changing our nation from a Republic to a Socialist or even Communist government. He is surrounding himself with avowed Marxists and his mentors and friends as he was growing up were Communists. Some of the people he is naming to head up different "agencies" are Revolutionary Communists (which means they want to overthrow the established government.) The "agencies" mean more bureaucrats making law that we are bound by, even though they are not legitimate lawmakers.

He says to listen to his show tomorrow (Friday) to find out what we can do to stop this travesty of justice. I feel so helpless. I hope there is SOMETHING I can do to take a stand.

I'm sure you've all heard the often quoted saying "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." If we all take a stand, it might not be too late. If we don't, our children will live in a world vastly different than the one we grew up in.

Listen to his show at three o'clock on Fox. I think it's channel 360 or 364 (it's right around there) I would encourage you to listen and see if there's something you can do.

Makin' Progress

(Is anybody out there? No one commented on my previous post) :(

So.... the progress report. Up at 5:00 a.m. is going well. That is if you don't count the extreme tiredness that hits about 7:30 a.m. Bro. Wright said that we would go through "withdrawel" sleepiness for about 3 weeks. It would go away eventually. I'm persevering, >yawn<. Somebody up there is giving me some hints on what He'd like me to do.

Good news. I am actually typing up my notes from Ed. Week. All kinds of good things happen in the first two or three weeks after Ed Week. Maybe, with help from above, I can stretch that out a little longer this year. I know all my kids are smiling. They all hated the first few weeks after Ed. Week. I'd come home with big plans and get everyone to do all these new "wonderful" ideas
(that they hated) Fortunately for them (they thought) I was never able to keep up the changes. I wish I had had more self-discipline and been able to follow through. I think the kids would have appreciated the changes when they got older.

I wish I knew how to get these posts into a journal. It seems this is the only way I keep writing every few days or so. My actual journal gets written in every few months or so. :(

Happy day everyone!

Education Week!!!

It's been a great three days, Tomorrow is the last day and it's a good thing. My brain has absorbed just about as much as it can take. I've got about 5 new books to read and have made a commitment to get up at 5:00 am every day. If that's the only change I make this year it will be good. I do want to start making my 100 goals list. That's supposed to take several weeks to a few months to do. The list needs to be done seeking to know what Heavenly Father wants you to do. I am supposed to put down every thing that comes to my mind no matter how random. One man felt impressed to put down "restoring a 56 Chevy". Turns out that doing that goal helped his teenage son get his priorities straight by spending time helping his dad. Who knew....

More later (maybe)

I Love Dancers

As the man said this is... COOL. You've GOT to see this. Click on "I'v Been boo-mooed" on my blog page here and watch one of the neatest dance scenes I've seen in a long time.

Even taking my ambein I can'tsleep

I have to get up at 7:00 tomorrow. no zzzzzzzzzzzz's for me. So,I decided to write some of my talk for all those of you who couldn't come. So here goes.....

(ALERT, ALERT, ALERT!!!! - This could get long.

First I introduced out family. Then I said how we have the almost unheard of blessing of having all our children settling in Utah valley

Bod Monson, Second Counselor, asked us to speak on;how we raised our children to be so close and so supportive of us. He also remarked how our sons all come and pitch in getting all the big jobs in the yard done. And they do it fast. He said if they had been building the Redwood road construction it would be done by now :)

(I am so tired I can hardly stand it.)

I am not even going to go into any detail now. I'll have to do that later when I'm more awake.

First I spoke about how pivotal home schooling our six youngest kids.

Next I spoke about Janice learning to make sacrifices and the effect it had on the rest of the kids to be nicer to their Bro. and Sisters.

The third thing was making family traditions. I went into detail about our traditions of Thanksgiving, The Christmas pageant, breakfast Christmas morning for all 37 of us. Also Easter, cookouts in the summer the 4th of July with our Annual Southern Not So Special Olympics and fireworks on the driveway/street.

The forth thing was when Janice and I went toe to toe about having family birthday parties on the Sabbath.

Last is kind of two in one. IT IS WHEN WE STARTED HAVING FAMILY DEVOTIONALS (Oops, sorry for the caps - I'm too tired to go back and change it) and the commitment we had of going to church EVERY Sunday and take all the kid unless one of us was sick when the sick ones stayed home and everyone else went. It was a hassle to get nine kids ready for church especially during those years we every Sunday, invariably, some one's shoe was lost and we had a frantic search for it.

Then I made the disclaimer that our children weren't perfect and our home wasn't well run but we always had a deep love for our children and held on to them because of our love even through the problems that came up.

Then I bore my testimony.

That was it. It was 12 minutes long so that gives an idea of what I said when I embellished it.

Now I think I am sufficiently Dead tired so maybe I'll sleep now.

Sleep tight everyone,

{{{hugs}}}

Mither

Who is Gibbs?

Ok, it's 11:05 and I am getting up at 6:00 to go to the MTC so this is going to be short.

Gibbs is a character on NCIS that your Dad and I like to watch on tv and I don't agree with his statement that "saying you're sorry is a sign of weakness" either. That was actually meant for Michelle who also watches the program, as well.... I don't even remember the context so this post is for those of you who got a little backed up at my writing it.

I'm glad Emilee and Stacey are willing to call me on it.

Love to you all

You, too, Dave

Sure Wish I Could sleep

I woke up twice last night and I don't even have a baby to blame it on.

There was so much I was going to blog about last time but now I can't remember what is was I was going to say. Sorry, like I said on one of Michelle's last posts, All my wisdom is draining out of my ears. btw I think the ditsy fish was DORE not Dora. See.... senior moment.

Huh. It doesn't LOOK like the italics button is on.. Now it does and its not printing in italics. Dang computer.... Dang writer. Another senior moment.

Well I could write about my mission call. It finally came and I was set apart a week ago Sunday. It was back dated to June 6th, the day I actually started. My mission assignment is to go through an ENDLESS stack for files and write the name on the right side of the paper (on the edge.) BORING!!! I wish I were back at the MTC. Oh well. I DID say I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord.

I have got to change my music. It is getting so old it's even bugging me. Sorry again, everyone. ( I should never say I'm sorry. Gibbs says it's a sign of weakness. Oh well....)

Steve and Joe cleaned the carpets last night. The white one in the big dinning room still doesn't look good along the edge. :(

Can't think of anymore news.

O yeah. We spoke in Church last Sunday. Joe did a good job. I read mine. I know, BORING!!! But I don't trust my mind to remember what I wanted to say.

Bye all,

and Lubs-Lubs ( that's how Emma says love-loves in case you didn't know)

short post

There is so much I want to blog about but I can't do it right now. Still, I do want to wish Karla a belated happy birthday. I loved Stacey's post about you Karla. I have seen all those good character traits in you as well. I love the way you express them to everyone. You are so good hearted. You are a blessing to our family. I love you. Thanks for being you.