Space: The Final Frontier

Everyday after school as we're waiting for Laine to get out of class, I ask Johnny how his day was. There's usually one of two responses..."okay" or "good." I always ask him if anything exciting happened at school today and here again, he has a standard response..."no."

Today as he was getting in the car, I asked him how his day was, and he said, "Good." Then before I could ask him the next question, he said, "Actually it was awesome!"

I asked what was awesome about it, and he said they had science lab today. I thought, wow, they must have done a really cool experiment or something. "No, actually all we did was write on a paper."

"Well, what was so awesome then?"

Words poured out of his mouth...did you know the sun can't blow up? It can only keep expanding until it reaches it's limit, then it will collapse in on itself and become a dwarf. (insert digression about how dwarfs are awesome) First it will be a white dwarf then a black dwarf. But before the sun expands and completely burns up the inner four planets (Earth included) all the water will be evaporated off of Earth because it will get so hot. Then he told me not to worry because it's going to happen "way far" in the future.

And so on. And so on. And so on. He told me how anyone who hates scientists is stupid because scientists are the ones who are going to figure out how to colonize other planets and how to save us. He says he wants to be a scientist who studies space as well as be an explorer/adventurer. I asked if he wanted to be an astronaut, and he gives me his "duh, mom" look and asks me, "Don't you think it's a bit risky to be an astronaut?"

Hahahaha! Clearly his pre-teenage hormones haven't kicked in yet if he's evaluating the risk level of an occupation rationally. And clearly he views being an explorer/adventurer as a perfectly safe occupation.

He says space is his favorite area of science. Funny, that was mine when I was young, too. Except I WANTED to be an astronaut. I might have done it, too, if it weren't for discovering I needed glasses because one eye was (is) legally blind without corrective lenses. I followed shuttle launches and homecomings avidly...still do, truth be told. It never gets old to me. I jokingly say that when I was young, getting as far away from the insanity of my life on planet earth was what appealed to me. However, what really hooked me was the thought of being able to look at the earth from space and seeing it's beauty from afar. When I read what the astronauts said about the experience, I could easily envision myself having those experiences, too. I still can!

I'm reeling from all the spontaneous communication that took place today. Usually trying to get Johnny to engage in conversation about school can be tricky. It was so much fun to see him so animated and full of trivia!

Fare Thee Well

My friends Scott and Saundra are leaving on a new adventure! Saundra received a promotion and will be beginning her new career in Salt Lake area. Tonight there was a going away party for them, and there were lots of people there to wish them a fond farewell.

I'm so proud of her. I know how hard she has worked. In many ways, she has been a role model for me. Her tenacity in finishing her education helped to inspire me to take the leap myself. I have watched her grow from her early days in the church into an even better person than she already was. And when I was in the midst of turmoil in my private life, I attended the temple once a week at 5:30 in the morning, and nearly every week, she would be there, too. I came to count on her presence, her smile and her hug.

My kids have loved them like part of our family. We have been over to their house for family home evening on several occasions, where we've listened to music, eaten delicious food, and on more than one occasion, we've had root beer floats. Scott ordained Joe to the priesthood.  They've cheered on my children and spoken words of encouragement and positivity. They've gone out of their way to fix ties, compliment a new suit, and tell my girls that they are beautiful. When our family has needed help urgently, Scott was always among the first to show up, tools in hand and dragging a few volunteers.

I have watched these two struggle through health challenges and personal trials with grace and tremendous faith. I have seen them reach out to help others, to love them, and to inspire them. In fact, when I think of Christlike service, I think of these two fine friends. They are anchors for me in my life, and I will miss their personal influence and their hugs greatly.

Fill it up

I ventured to the store today (dragging the boys with me) to get the finish for the boys' bookshelf (replacing the short little nightstand that my grandfather made me many years ago when I was young, a piece woefully insufficient for the needs of the boys), then to the feed store for chicken food, then to JC Penney's, where I was able to get a suit jacket and pants for Joe for a great and heavily discounted price. Even then I hesitated, since that would eat up our clothing budget for the month, but it's worth it. Knowing I wasn't feeling my best, (not to mention my abhorrence for shopping) I prayed before hand that our trip in and out would be easy, and in less than 15 minutes, we had found the suit, purchased it, and were heading out of the store. We've been looking at the thrift stores for weeks on end without success, and I just couldn't bear another Sunday with Joe passing the sacrament without a suit jacket on. It's a little big on him, but gives him room to "fill it up" as he continues to grow.

The boys over the last few days have been clearing up their room of miscellaneous stuff. I told them I wouldn't finish their book shelf until their room was tidy, and they have made significant progress.  So our little trash can that we are so proud of not filling up completely week after week is completely bulging and overflowing. The boys drug out several bags of junk from their room that we will bid a happy farewell to when the trash truck comes on Monday.

All in all, despite spending quite a bit of the day in bed, I still managed to get a few things done. Now when will I find time to finish the bookshelf??

That time again

It's time to read the Letters of Inquiry again for the Foundation. 66 this time, of which I need to select 25 that I'd like to review full proposals for. The ones who get the most votes move on to the final round.

I've been feeling miserable all day, sick and completely immobile. Even opening my eyes is a challenge. I don't think I'll get much reading done.

Erin and Nick headed off to Erin's mother's house today, so things are a bit quieter. The kids have been taking full advantage of my illness, playing on the computers all day and watching episodes of Star Trek and Roswell on Netflix. They've also been feeding on leftovers...Joe has come in at least three separate times to day to tell me how good the sweet potato casserole is. Thank goodness I don't have to cook today...Fridays are pizza night at our house, and Papa Murphy's is on speed dial. Gourmet vegetarian for me, pepperoni for the kids.

Thankfully

I think I've said before that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love having a holiday dedicated to counting our blessings! I feel so blessed, and this year I have felt especially aware of the kindnesses of others as well as the tender mercies of my Father in Heaven. He knows me and provides things in his wisdom that he knows I need. This month, I have felt that he has answered my prayers very specifically in several regards. I have confidence that I can trust him. My heart has been touched several times in just the last week.

Some specific gratitude:
--First, that Erin and Nick made the drive safely from Davis, arriving at 4 a.m.
--Second, that all of my children are safe at home with me and all together for Thanksgiving for the first time in several years.
--For the men who fixed my heater yesterday, and for the friend who arranged it. An unexpected blessing!
--For the friends who shared our meal...Keith Levery, JoAnn, and Keith's roommate (and our new friend) Darrel. (JoAnn will be invited every year since she LIKES doing dishes! Ahh---I'm just teasing. I invite her every year because she's great company!)
--For good health and healthy bodies for my children.
--Last week, I was having such a tough time keeping it together and my good friend Keith Lawniczak brought by a fabulous lasagna dinner, salad and yummy bread that kept my family fed for more than two days.
--I'm so grateful for our home and the land around it!
--I'm thankful for education and the opportunities it will give me and my children.
--I'm so glad for our pets, who are an extension of our family.
--I'm thankful for my faith and all of the richness it provides in my life.
--Most importantly, I'm grateful for my Savior and his loving example of all that I should strive to be. It will probably take me an eternity of striving to become anything like him, but I refuse to give up.
--I'm grateful for this week of service at the storehouse and for one of the most special experiences I have had at the Bishop's storehouse on Wednesday.
--On a personal note, I'm thankful for the privilege of knowing and loving the Scoffield family.
--For men like David DeButts and Bill Scoffield, who teach my young men about being men of God, and teach my young ladies about the qualities that are most important in a future spouse.
--For the scriptures, especially 2 Nephi 4:15-35.
--I feel so blessed to be able to see and experience the beautiful earth and all it's glories! I can't wait to see the world when it has been restored to its perfect form...it's already more beautiful than my heart can take sometimes.
--What would I do without the internet and the ability to stay connected with friends and family around the world?
--We are blessed every day by the leadership in our church at all levels!
--We are thankful for the men and women who serve in the armed forces, and their families for giving up so much so that the rest of us can have so many freedoms and blessings.
--We are so blessed to live in the USA!
--For my friend Tom, who I've loved since high school, and who always pops back into my life (over the phone) at just the perfect moments with encouragement, friendship and joy.
--I have wonderful friends!

My list could go on forever. Gratitude is what keeps my heart turning back to the Lord. I hope each of you have a blessed and tender Thanksgiving!

Terrific Tuesday!

Well, we had a terrific morning at the Bishop's Storehouse today. We helped package up fruits and vegetables, and after those were done, spent the bulk of the morning bagging nuts. There were a ton of people helping, and it was amazing to see everyone working so hard. All of our favorites were there, and some new people, too! I so much appreciate Brother Scoffield for his example of service, love and hard work for my boys, who are slowly coming around to the idea that life is hard and it's time to get over it and get to work.

At home, the kids spent some time enjoying some computer time while I worked on homework. More good news: Fortunately a friend of mine arranged for a heating "specialist" to come and look at our heater tomorrow, so hopefully our home will be able to get over 53 degrees during the day if they are able to fix it. If not, the kids are preparing firewood to keep us warm during the rainy weather ahead.

I also finally went shopping for food items today, and there are happy tummies in the Cavanaugh home.

We finished off the day with a wonderful trip to the temple for baptisms. It was the first time I was able to go with Laine. Kelly was unable to go because she was ill. It was so special to me to have Laine and Joe both there. (Someday soon, I hope to have all five of the children there at once with me!) We enjoyed our quiet evening at the temple. The spirit was strong, the smiles were big, and the joy was tangible!!

Vacation Week!

The kids are glad to start their week off for Thanksgiving vacation. Each of them have projects they are supposed to be working on this week for school. The girls still have piano lessons and Johnny has to get ready for his first concert performance coming up in early December. Then there's the dreaded holiday homework.

I myself have class today and tomorrow (though tomorrow's classes are online at my leisure and I won't have to go anywhere!). I have a ton of homework and quizzes that I intend to do ahead of time so that I can start getting ready for finals. I also have a lot of reading to do for the national foundation I sit on the board of. Our conference call is happening a week from Tuesday.

Kelly has a date today. Can I just say, "Yikes!" Her second one with the same boy since she turned 16. Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll be working at the Bishop's storehouse. The kids have been looking forward to it.

We'll probably stay on a bit of a routine...not let the kids sleep in too late and keep them off of the computer for most of the day. We have a ton of projects to work on at home, too...not the least of which is restoring order to the boys' room. I'd like to paint their bathroom this week and investigate how to put tile backsplash up behind their sink in the bathroom. I also need to finish the unfinished bookshelf I purchased and move things around in their bedroom so that it will be easier in the future for them to keep things orderly.

And as the leaves are beginning to fall from the trees, we'll be busy working on yard work as well. We have mowing, edging, and weeding to do. The chicken coop needs a good cleaning (no more eggs till spring because my chickens are too old.). I'm debating about whether or not to eat the chickens...or rather, let others eat them since my kids probably wouldn't.

For thanksgiving, we invited our good friend Keith and his roommate and several others who might not have a place to go for the holiday. We'll be eating early so that Erin and Nick can join us if they would like. I haven't had the kids at my house for Thanksgiving in about 5 years, so it feels a little weird to be celebrating ON thanksgiving. I've been the person without a place to go on Thanksgiving for several years, though last year my friends Kelly and Dave invited me to their family's home in Visalia.

I'm sure we won't get to do everything we planned. And I'm hoping that there will be lots of unplanned moments of joy!

Gifts

Today after church, my phone rang, and when I answered it, it turned out to be a young lady from primary. Her family is fairly new to the church, and she has told me a number of times that she has a lot of trouble coming to church because she hasn't felt like she had a testimony. She had a dream that she didn't understand, and had been praying about this dream, trying out God, so to speak, to see if she could get an answer about this question of faith. Her phone call today was wonderful. The first words out of her mouth were, "Guess what happened, Sister Cavanaugh? I got a testimony!!" My heart was full of joy for her! I told her that when we pray and ask God for help, he answers and gives us inspiration, and that now, she needed to make sure her testimony remained strong by continuing to pray and read the scriptures.

I was also really touched during primary. I was assigned to give the lesson, what's called sharing time. My lesson was on reverence and feeling the Holy Ghost. I just love the things the children come up with when invited to participate, and I consider their smiles and affection to be tremendous blessings of working in primary. I'm so grateful for my calling...I'm grateful for children and their closeness to God. I'm grateful that I get to be witness to moments like hearing a young lady begin to grow her testimony. The biggest joy of all is feeling the love that our Father in Heaven has for these sweet spirits.

Electric Blanket Club

Since our heater is broken again, the kids all drug out their electric blankets. (The only one without an electric blanket is me.) This is nice for me because it's the one time when the kids voluntarily and without being asked (or tickle-tortured) will make their own beds, all nice and snuggly for the winter time. They brought me their sheets and comforters and asked me to wash them. Yes, even the boys...without being asked. Then they reassembled everything in a nice, orderly and appealing manner.

They've threatened to spend all day Sunday under their electric blankies. Do you think I could get that in writing?

Remember

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.