Sunday, September 16, 2018

OUTDOOR FUN & CALLED TO SERVE THE YSA

Two weeks ago, Scott and I were called to serve in the Louisville Young Single Adult (YSA) branch!  It's a huge change.  But we are up to the challenge.  I'm excited for the opportunity to love more people!  These young adults ROCK!  I  will definitely miss my Shelbyville ward and friends... but I know we'll still stay in the loop somehow... and in the meantime, we get to pretend we are young again with these awesome "kids!"
Gorgeous sunset
Amazing clouds
Look how beautiful Kentucky is!  I'm so lucky to live here!
I love this guy!
He's soooo cute!
And this girl is so funny!
She makes me smile!
This weekend we also spent some fun time with our DeThortenhausen family!  We went "camping."  Well... almost all of us did... Scott and I stayed for awhile and then retired to our own bed.  But I sure do love this crazy family of ours!
The Bettenhausen clan are some of
my all-time favorite people!!!
How cute are Apple Pie, Raisin and Jelly Bean?!
Yellow is my favorite color!
Thanks for the glow sticks, Katia!
Great man!
All of the kids loved the glow sticks...
If you look close, you can make out each Bettenhausen!
Jelly Bean thinks he's so cool!
And who can resist Raisin's great big grin?!
And even Karmel is adorable:
sporting her glow-stick necklace...
I also have read quite a few books the bast few weeks.
Graham Greene's The Third Man is a fun mystery/thriller set in post war Vienna.  I read the book because of our trip this summer to Vienna.  Greene was actually hired to write a screen play about post war Vienna, not a book.  But he wrote the novel too.  I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm looking forward to it, so I can see the places I've already seen in the movie.  I wish there was a bit more description throughout the book, but it was an easy, fun read.
This week I just finished reading The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan was an unusual and rewarding book about the lives of a small-town group of women as they deal with the trials of dealing with WWII on the home front in England.  The entire story is told through letters and diaries written by the women of Chilbury.  Tragedy: the war, bombings, food shortages, etc. befalls them, but Ryan depicts the strength and resolve of these women as they decide to determine the course of their lives, despite the thought that tomorrow may never come.  There is a comradery built up around the choir which pulls them together and gives them the courage to continue. I enjoyed the book.  There were parts that were frustrating.  But I loved the message of courage, growth, strength and building one another up that was prevalent in this great group of women.
Besides reading these two books, I've also finished re-reading the first 3 books in the Harry Potter book series again.  I sure love those iconic characters, stories and "magic!"  (Yes, I'm re-reading the entire series... so I've already started the 4th book too!)

Monday, September 3, 2018

O-H-I-O & BATS & PEARS & ELDER TYLER

Chris, Katia, Scott and I
chilling at a baseball game
Two weeks ago we got to go to a Bats Baseball game.  We went for the hot dogs and the sunshine.  I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I enjoyed reading in the stands and being with this crazy family of mine!
Mary shares her bounty with us!
Thanks!
Look how beautiful these apples are!
It's where the bees pollinated...
So pretty!
Mmmmmmmmmm!
Pear Jam
Amy and I picked pears (and apples) courtesy of Mary Nelson.  We got 4 huge buckets full.  The pears were hard and the skin was a bit rough and nasty.  But after a LOT of work, and burns, and stickiness, and processing... we got over 48 pints of pear jam.  It's delicious!
Chris, Katia, Scott and I
cheering on the Buckeyes!
So much fun!
Love this sweet daughter of mine!
Soaked....
Still wet at the end of the game...
And we won!
Bring on their bottomless fries!
Love this man of mine!
Scott took us all to the Ohio State Football game this weekend.  It was AWESOME!  The weather made it even more memorable: super hot for the first half and then a HUGE storm delayed the game for 45 minutes.  We were soaked!  I felt like a fish.  We had to purchase dry clothing just to drive home from Columbus, OH - and to eat dinner at Red Robin.
Goodbye for two years....
We love the Coolbears!
One of my all time favorite boys is leaving on his mission this week.  We will really miss Elder Tyler Coolbear!  But I KNOW he's going to be AMAZING!  Arizona is so lucky to have him!
Also... guess what?!  My husband is SUPER talented...  Look what he made from scratch:
For my western friends this game is called Corn Hole (pronounced: Karn Hall).