Six Times Twelve and Friday the 13th

     Friday the 13th was a great day. We closed the office of employment at noon and all 10 of went to a Chilean buffet for lunch. We were having a "surprise" farewell for Brother Claudio Alfaro, who is taking another Church assignment on temple square. He knew all about the surprise, haha. After we finished eating, the head of the office gave a little speech about how we were going to miss Bro Alfaro (and we will). The he said, "We are here for another reason. It is also Sister Karren' birthday on Sunday." Then he said some things that I didnt understand, but everybody was smiling so I guess it wasnt too bad. Then, everybody started pulling out gifts. I received four very nice Chilean-style scarves. They are beautiful. I was overwhelmed by the love and tears ran down my cheeks.
     I have never had a birthday party, and have always felt hurt and unimportant. This was the best birthday ever. I found people who cared. We went back to the office and enjoyed a delicious Chilean cake. It had a kind of filo, or pie crust, layered with thin sheets of white cake, and a raspberry flavored whipped cream.
     It didnt end there. On Sunday, the Primary sang to me, and so did our Sunday School class. One of the senior missionary couples brought over dinner that evening.
     Tonight we are in charge of FHE and we are in charge of the lesson and refreshments. I made my favorite cookie: ginger snaps, because I dont like birthday cake. We will have soda floats, too. There is no rootbeer here, so we bought orange, lemon/lime, and pineapple soda.
     Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. It was the best birthday I have ever had.
;

Phase Three

     This is week three of being sick. I am so SICK of being SICK!!!! At least each phase is sick in a different way. This week it is my ear that feels raw on the inside. I slept with a hot water bottle on it and that helped. Today Jay went to the office alone and I am keeping my ear warm both externally and internally (hot water bottle and hot chocolate). Let this be a warning to all: Do NOT cough on anyone you love. Jay had the cold first and I was apprehensive and avoiding his germs as well as possible. One morning I caught the full brunt of his cough and I KNEW in my soul that I was now infected and would be getting sick. It was like a revelation feeling. And sick I got!!!
     So, as I watched Spanish-dubbed Dog Whisperer this morning, I got to thinking about dogs and why some are more appealing than others. Each of us has a unidentified set of criteria that makes a dog appealing. For me, a dog has to have a snout. That is the very beginning. If it has a snout, then I can go from there to further categorize it. Now I am wondering, what is your primary rule that makes a dog physically appealing?

Fun Memories

      I read an article about power memories and thought it would be fun to hear each other's stories about your favorite vacation. It could be a word or two, or a short story. It could remind us all of our own experiences with your story or introduce us to a side we arent familiar with. Will you do it? ANYthing goes. Any suggestions for where we should post them?

some shame? too tired?

     Sunday was Father's Day. Jay had his Skype on. He sat near the computer from the end of church to bed-time (11:00). He was called by ONE of his children. This one was surprised that no one had called. A call was sent to a few other of his children, and they wished him a Happy Father's Day. I am not happy about my children's behavior. Are they all near death in the hospital? Have they all had their hands and tongues amputated? Are they sick and keeping it from us?  Have they gone on vacation? How long does it take to type a message and press Send?
     When you "raise" your hand to support someone, that means communication, encouragement, and well-wishing. I hope you will resolve to be more responsible in the future.We are working hard and it really helps to hear from our children. Thanks to the family who e-mails regularly. Is this pay-back time, or forgiveness time?

Finally! I Can Share

     I googled "Chopin Scherzo in C Sharp minor". I chose Rubenstein's performance. I love it that he said that this Scherzo takes more out of him than any other. I wish the camera could have captured more of his hands than his face, because that is where the action is. This piece is 27 pages long. I know because as a young 17 year old girl, I mastered this Scherzo. I want to share it with you, just to show my shining glory. It took a lot out of me, too. Every time I performed it, I was covered in the "glow" of hard work. This was the pinacle of my piano performance. I played it for my senior recital, and I auditioned (successfully) for a full ride scholarship at University of Montana. It makes tears well up in my eyes every time I hear it. It is so beautiful, so full of emotion, so satisfying, both spiritually and physically. Please enjoy it.

Little Tender Mercies

     I guess if you look closely, there are little tender mercies that come along with trials. First of all, we arent torn apart about it all. In fact, we have to laugh that so many trials hit us so close together. We have good friends who have offered to help us with money, others who are feeding us, we get a brand NEW fridge. A missionary couple is packing to go home on Friday and they offered us first dibs on what they are leaving behind. Among the things being left behind are an electronic keyboard (that I can keep in  our apartment) and a piano student.
     I have three piano students now, and could have about ten more if I had the time. The carrot is that if the students show real interest and progress, they get to take an electronic keyboard home to practice, and if they show responsibility they get to KEEP the keyboard.
     The biting dog was at the bus stop again today. I was surprised to feel a little aprehensive around her. She was chasing people and barking, being quite aggressive. I have seen her chasing school kids (teens), but I thought they were playing with her. Now I know that she is defending her territory. My hand is beginning to heal. The tear is about 3/4 inch long, and for some reason, it doesnt hurt unless I accidentally put pressure on it.

Threes

     I've heard it said that accidents happen because a rule was broken. I've also heard that bad things happen in threes. Well, it's most likely true.
     Last week on our journey home from the office, the bus was rather crowded. Jay said there was a guy who kept bumping him, it seemed like he was having a hard time balancing. But what is new about that? The balancing act on a moving bus is having people bumping into you as the driver uses accelerator and brake at unpredictable intervals. I brag about how well I can balance on one foot now. When Jay got off the bus he said his pants "didnt fit right". He checked his front pants pocket and discovered that his wallet was missing. Yup! Pickpocketed by an "unbalanced" thief. We cancelled three credit cards, his Utah driver's license and temple recommend are gone, as well as about U$100 cash. The hardest thing about all this, besides feeling violated and foolish, is that we have no source of income till we get replacement cards in about three weeks. The rule is that you dont carry all that stuff around, and you keep your wallet in your suit jacket breast pocket and you dont open your wallet in public.
     One of our missionary sisters was visiting in our apartment and made a comment, "Boy, your refrigerator sure is noisy!" We hadn't paid attention to the noise, but had noticed that the stuff in the freezer was rather slushy. And it got slushier and slushier over the next two days. We had it looked at, and it has died from lack of compression. The missionaries in the apartment building next door offered to let us use their fridge and we are grateful. Most of the food, however, was already beyond salvaging. I'm not sure how we broke a rule here. Maybe listen to what your appliances are trying to tell you, or when your popsicles arent sicles anymore, there is something wrong.
     Today we took the bus home. At the second bus stop the usual dog who lives there was sitting by the bench. I reached down to pat her head and she bit me on the hand. I have a half-inch gash in my left hand just below the pointer finger on the soft pad of my palm. We went to the missionary doctor as soon as we reached Temple Square. He cleaned it, applied antibiotic cream and covered it with a bandaid. Then we started the rabies series. They dont hurt, and it is a series of four shots in the arm over a three week period. I broke the rule of never petting a strange dog.
     Now, for the bonus. Today someone came to inspect the gas in our apartment. He says the stove is bad because if you turn the knob the wrong way, the fire goes out, but the gas continues to run. I guess now we will get a new stove AND a new fridge.
     SOMEBODY TELL ME THIS IS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!  I didnt have to travel all the way to Chile to get a dog to bite me...