Happenings

• I'm getting real live prescription glasses because my eyes are just bad enough to need them but, get this, the drugstore readers are TOO strong for the time being (not for long the dr. said). That's why they weren't working. I asked the doctor if I am just a wimp and she said no, she sees this all the time at the beginning stages of age-related vision failure. (!?) Yeah, that was the phrase she tossed off with casual abandon. Apparently the only way to go from here is downhill. Plus I am both near and farsighted so yep, I'm getting bifocals. Yay 43!
• The new iMac is on the way. The shipping announcement came yesterday. I'm pretty excited, but not nearly as excited as a certain blonde-headed kid that I know. He has taken it upon himself to track the package and remind me to put out the pre-signing authorization each day in case I'm not home when it comes.
• Soccer and Cross-Country are done but wrestling starts tomorrow. Sam is so excited, which makes me happy. I decided to talk to him about letting me help him get his weight down. I am going to supervise him going on the Slim Fast diet so I can monitor his carbs, vitamins and minerals and try to keep him losing weight without going into ketosis. I don't know why I didn't think of this 4 years ago because he was actually happy for the help and relieved that it wasn't going to be a big fight and cause of stress this year. What a doh! moment! Instead of him cutting weight and coping with it by himself and me constantly worrying about it and nagging him as well, now we're working together to get where he wants to be to wrestle his best. How's that for a different way of looking at things? So much time wasted that I could have been helping him and making him feel supported and that I was actually his ally instead of his enemy. Sometimes parenting is just plain hard and I'm just stupid about it, but I'm glad that we always get the chance to try again.
• First quarter of school is over and everyone survived. Sara is still not completely convinced that the current meds are helping her ADD, but I have noticed some very positive changes. Some of those changes have been in my own self, but overall, her loveliness is just dazzling right now. She's really doing well. She took an online photography class during the beginning of the school year since she ended up not playing volleyball, and I just loved the images she got; and those just for practice. She has a marvelous eye-fearless and creative. Sam is deep into college apps, focusing mainly on two schools, one a Service Academy. He's got his Congressional Nomination Applications done and submitted, so now we wait to hear on those. He'll apply for early decision at his second choice school by December 1st. Evan is relieved to find out that a science project he's been working on for a year is no longer required for a grade in his GT program, so now he can relax and do the experiment just for curiosity and fun. Ironically, he has suddenly become much more enthusiastic about it.
• Eric is super-busy this week with both work and church. He's had clients in town from Korea (his firm does huge amounts of work for LG) and has been in meetings a lot. For church, our congregational boundaries are being changed this Sunday, and he as Bishop has to begin assessing how our congregation will change. It is always a good thing when this happens because it means that there is growth in the church, which hopefully means that more people are living in the light of Christ and feeling the peace that comes therefrom. On the other hand, because church is a social as well as a spiritual community, many people are anxious about the changes due to the fact that interaction with dear friends will decrease if they are moved to another congregation. We attend church according to geographical boundary and by assignment, not by choice. As an act of faith, the members will accept these changes and move on to the new situation, by and large without public complaint or attempt to appeal the decision. It is actually a beautiful thing to see. I have seen congregations of other faiths ripped apart and even destroyed by a change of pastor or by merging with another congregation. I have never seen anything like that among members of my church.This will be a mostly peaceful, orderly change, with nearly everyone pitching in to do their part while things settle down. I know that I'll keep in touch with friends, and this way, the circle of friendship grows ever larger, rather than staying all comfy cozy and never including anyone new. There is a consistency and simplicity to the way we are organized that to me is an evidence that what I believe comes from God and not Man.
• My older boys both continue to thrive in their respective situations. Down in Chile, Johnathan has moved inland from the coast and is seeing both a different side of the country and exploring new horizons of his own abilities. He is now a senior companion to an elder who has only been out for 2 months and is overseeing the opening up an area that has been closed to missionary work for a while. This is actually a huge responsibility, which means that the President trusts him. That makes me happy. He is past his year mark, so we are now counting down months till he comes home next September or so. He's so happy though, so I hesitate to even think that way lest I rob him of a single moment of his own glorious experience. Jeff is out in beautiful downtown Provo, working hard and playing hard and looking so very forward to ski season. I asked him if he wanted to go see any of my many relatives that live in the West during the Thanksgiving break and he sort of sheepishly said that really, he'd rather stay in town for the opening weekend at the resorts. Yay Jeff! He'll find a friendly table somewhere to eat a little turkey if he wants. Or he'll stop for burgers to and from his first exhilarating day on the mountain. I think for him, it's a win-win situation. That seems to be his modus operandi, which means that instead of worrying about him, I can just smile and enjoy his excited report about the weekend.

So, that's what's going on here in my little corner. Look for me in my new glasses. I haven't made my final choice yet, but since this is a one-shot deal, not changeable eye jewelry like the cute readers, I'm keeping more on the classic side of things. I did try on the Harry Potter circles, but am not sure I can pull it off. Some nice, clean Ray-Ban black blocky ones are the ones I keep coming back to. I do really like the red or tortoiseshell Wayfarers, but man, that is a bold statement to have on my face all the time. Since contacts aren't an option and she wants me to wear them all the time, it's sort of a big decision. Let's hope that I, like Indiana Jones, choose wisely.