General Conference October 2013

This is more of a personal post for me, since these are things I would like to keep and treasure as the years go by.  This year for General Conference, we tried something new and each of us wrote something that we learned or felt an impression about with each talk.  We each had different color sticky notes and then would add them to the picture.  We have left them up nearly a month now as a reminder and to share with A, since she was with her Mom during General Conference.  Although I love the kids learning more about the prophets and apostles, including V, it is time for these full-size pictures to come down.  They will have to use the little ones for a bit.

But, before I did that, I wanted to keep pictures of not only what they said, but their handwriting and how they said it. (I guess there is a little pack-rat in me.  I will throw the stickies away and save the pictures for April, but there is a sentimental part of me that would cherish keeping these notes.  I am glad the organized and clean part of me is overruling!)

President Monson (three different talks):

• CK:  "Show increased kindness and do the work of the Lord."  "Meet challenges head on and know that others have passed the same way, endured, and overcame."  "The Lord will help us in our missionary efforts if we act in faith."
• Me:  "Frequently heavenly virtue of patience is required (through trials)."  "NOW is the time to work together to bring souls to Christ."  "We have been spiritually fed this conference."
• K:  "Now is the time!  We must act in faith."  "Patience is a heavenly virtue.  We should be grateful for all our blessings."
• C:  "Trials make you better."  "He is always with us.  We always need Him."  "  Missionary work growing.  Help with missionary fund."
• J:  "We have 15,000,00 members of the church."

 President Eyring:

• CK:  "To have happiness in the family - Enjoy forgiveness, - Accept and magnify callings, - Follow the Spirit, - Show love."
• Me:  "Serving others always produces miracles."
• K:  "There is not one of that He does not care for.  There is joy guaranteed for the faithful."
• C:  "Accept calls from the Lord."
• J:  "Happiness is to live happy, love things of God and things that are good." (as I interpreted from his writing....he is in first grade...sometimes I am not sure what he meant)

 

President Uchtdorf:

• CK:  "The blessings of the gospel far outweigh the sacrifices.  The Lord's way is perfect, but he uses imperfect people to run His church."
• Me:  "Respect others making their own decisions regarding membership in the church."
• K:  "The righteous avoid many of the trials of life.  Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.  The Church is designed to nourish the imperfect."
• C:  "There is a place for everyone in our church."
• J:  "Be good so .(neither of us could figure this one out!)...the judgement."

 

President Packer:

• CK:  "A gospel-centered home is a safe place to raise a family.  The scriptures hold the keys to peace and spiritual protection."
• Me:  "Safe place to raise families = gospel centered home."
• K:  "Make scripture reading a part of your routine.  All scripture is written by revelation and inspiration from God.  Be not afraid, only believe."
• C:  "Righteousness is more powerful than wickedness.  'You are late.'  'Yes, but I am clean.'"
• J:  "Look and you will receive."

Elder Perry spoke in the Priesthood session, so we didn't take notes as a family.  This was a sad day for J, as he loves Elder Perry. 

 Elder Nelson:

• CK:  "Make wise decisions in the way we use our bodies.  Be master over our emotions."
• Me:  "Each day brings opportunity for decisions for eternity."
• K:  "You are never too old to change or too young to learn."
• C:  "Decisions determine destiny."
• J:  "I love it!"

 Elder Oaks:

• CK:  "Have NO other Gods before me.  God's plan is for all His children.  Courage not compromise."
• Me:  "Ultimate treasure = Children and posterity."
• K:  "Serving God should be our first priority.  Our doctrines never change."
• C:  "Choose your priorities:  Family, high standards, obey God's laws, be courageous."
• J:  "The 10 commandments."

Elder Ballard:

• CK:  "Make the decision to do missionary work as Christ asked us.  It's impossible to fail when we do our best.  The key is love."
• Me:  "Key of missionary work is to be inspired of the Lord."
• K:  "Make the decision to do what we've been asked to do."
• C:  "Pray for missionary work."
• J:  "Lose yourself.  Pray for missionary opportunities."

Elder Scott:

• CK:  "Learn to recognize the power of the Atonement.  We all need it.  Fill your life with service."
• Me:  "Important to fortify weak areas to create strength."
• K:  "Breaking a covenant with the Lord is NEVER justified."
• C:  "We can use the Atonement to help us block satan out."
• J:  "Be strong."

Elder Hales:

• CK:  "Through the General Conference talks, the Spirit can tell me what I should be focusing on.  We can be taught what areas we need to perfect.  Then we need to go to work!"
• Me:  "To Youth:  Promises-if you listen, the Lord will tell you what He wants you to do in your life."
• K:  "Have patience and faith."  " 'Prepare your minds for the Morrow.' "
• C:  "General Conference is very good and helpful."
• J:  "I tell you young men if you are obedient, the Spirit will ...(crayon on sticky note!  Can't read the rest!)"

Elder Holland:

• CK:  "Be hopeful and strong in the face of adversity and depression.  Hold on in the love of God.  Be compassionate."
• Me:  "Be merciful and not judgemental to those that suffer from any type of mental illness."
• K:  "His love is there for you whether you deserve it or not."  and "Patiently enduring is part of our mortal education."
• C:  "Believe in miracles.  Hope is never lost.  Happier days ahead." and "Be grateful for small victories.  Be patient."
• J:  His was a little silly, what he remembered from the talk, "Not like a bad hair day"....meaning that depression/mental illness is deeper than a bad hair day.

Elder Bednar:

• CK:  "Blessings from tithing are significant, but subtle.  The Lord's way is simple."
• Me:  "Tithing brings significant, but subtle blessings."
• K:  "We can be blessed with confidence and conviction.  We shouldn't procrastinate the day of our repentance."
• C:  "Tithes/offerings bring important blessings that are significant yet subtle.:
• J:  "Significant."

Elder Cook:

• CK:  "Bondage can take many forms.  Avoid them at all costs."
• Me:  "We must work to improve the moral culture that surrounds us."
• K:  "The righteous must help the Lord establish His church.  Righteous living is a prerequisite to assisting the Lord."
• C:  "Stay away from things that will hold you in bondage."
• J:  His was a picture....I cannot tell what it was.

Elder Christofferson:

• CK:  "Women play a vital role in the church and in the family.  Don't take them for granted."
• Me:  "Mothers can exert influence unequal on her children."
• K:  "There is no superior career than parenthood.  Take care that your language is clean, not coarse."
• C:  "Women are important."
• J:  "I've been..(not sure what this word says).... by beautiful women"

Elder Anderson:

• CK:  "The power of the Priesthood is available to all."
• Me:  "Keep covenants = Receive the power of the Priesthood."
• K:  "Worthiness is central to receiving Priesthood blessings."
• C:  "The Priesthood is everywhere in the church."
• J:  "Baptism"

This really was such a wonderful idea.  I am so grateful that someone thought of it and shared it so I could find it.  I love the focus it gives as we watch and I love the Spirit it brings even months after (I am finally finishing this in December!).  I love noticing what each of us took from the exact same talk.  Sometimes it was the same, sometimes very different.  Either way, it shows how we each received our own promptings from the Spirit regarding our personal needs.  So cool.

While CK and I did not do this, each of the kids sometimes wrote a few things down when other General Authorities were speaking.  I do not have each talk correlated with what they wrote (Although K wrote down who spoke), but in the interest of keeping this history complete, I want to write them down:

• K:  (Ulisses Soares):  "It is our duty to try to be perfect.  It is possible for us to leave our weaknesses behind."
• K:  (Sister Stephens):  "Blessings are made possible through the Atonement."
• C:  "1.  !!!!  2.  Call Missionaries.  3.  Invite friend to activity."
• C:  "Dedication, perseverance, self-discipline."
• J:  "Faith always is pointing forward."
• J:  "We are memorizing the Proclamation."
• J:  "Memorizing is not bad, but good."
• J: "I love it!"
• J:  "!"  (If you happened to have watched/listened to/read General Conference, you know exactly which talk he was referring to!)

A is here!!!!

It is such a great weekend for us! A is here! Our family is so complete now. I always say I have five children, but I don't usually say 1/5 of my heart is in St. Louis. My heart is complete now.  All five children are under one roof for a short time.  I will take it and treasure it.  I have cleared out my schedule so I can just be Mom to all of them, including (and especially) A.

























It is Thursday, which has become my eat lunch with J day.  So, A came too.  They were so very excited to be together.  Each asked if I could just take J home.  He is in first grade.  His teacher said they weren't learning anything new this afternoon.  He can miss.  I took him home.  He and A have been playing and playing together - time they wouldn't have gotten due to school and J going to his dad's this weekend.

There is a tender mercy this weekend that makes my heart so full.  XDH and I sometimes have things come up and we help each other out by making sure the kids are with us even if by the decree it is not "our turn."  This Friday, XDH had something come up and so we get to have a night together as a family - one that we were not expecting (He will still take them all day Saturday, but we will take whatever is offered!).  With Stake Conference this weekend, as well as 3/5 of our kids going to their dad, and school nights, we didn't expect that we would have an evening together.  SURPRISE and TENDER MERCY!!!  We do....so, we will do a "Family Party" with the entire family.  Such a blessing.

The invitation:

“Check it out!”....You are invited to another Family Party. 

Don't be too slow...we won't take any “Putt-Putting” around!

After the fun, we will enjoy yummy food together on “An 

Underground Train”

Hope you are ready! We want YOU there!!

I am so very blessed.  My life still isn't what I had planned....but in so very many ways it is even better.  I just couldn't see the full picture.

Answers....Draft from January 2010

I was just rereading a part of my blog. I used to wonder if I would ever stop crying or get over the divorce. I asked all my divorce friends to help me along. Now, I am here. Yep. Not crying anymore. Yep. So happy now. I didn't realize how beautiful the future could be. It is hard to be a divorcee when you are so adamant against divorce, but, for me, this divorce has actually been so good for me. I couldn't see it at the time, but now, looking back, I see that I am actually better off now. I am so excited about the present. I am so excited about the future. I get to be who I want to be and I love that person.

(Found this in "Drafts," written 1/10/2010....I already published the 2010
blog book, but I wanted to save this moment of joy and remember all the tender mercies.....so I will include it now...more than 3 years later and rejoice in all the blessings I have received.)

Finally Fall!!!

It is so beautiful.  Finally highs in the low 60's, although later in the week it will get as high as 76.  It has been months and months, however since I have not seen at least one temp over 80 degrees in the 10 day forecast.

To my Canadian, Coloradan, Utahn, Idahoan, and other colder climate friends, my warm-blooded kids would absolutely crack you up.  K has been "freezing" for a couple of days (she was the last couple of weeks too).  She is bemoaning the fact that we don't live in a warm climate!!  Ha Ha!

I love it.  Fall has always been my favorite season, but it doesn't feel like fall when the weather is in the 90's.  It just doesn't.  The one bad thing this Fall/Winter is that I have never been pregnant in the colder months....I don't have long pants or long sleeves in maternity styles and it is difficult for me to buy some knowing that this baby is likely my last and that I can only wear maternity close for a little less than four months.  It just doesn't seem like a good use of my budget.

One good thing about warmer weather is that watching C's football games has been very pleasant (sometimes too hot, though!).  It might not feel like football season without the cooler weather, but it is nice when you have a baby for sure.

In other news, V has decided to assert her independence....and this usually means refusing to eat.  I don't know if her appetite is also down or she is just enjoying being able to refuse food.  She also lets us know what she wants and throws a fit when we don't give it to her.  My sweet girl has a not-so-sweet side sometimes.

J is such a good reader now.  He still doesn't love to read (Is he my child?), unless the books are about animals, then he can read for quite a while.  I am glad he has found something that interests him!  On the bus a couple of weeks ago, he had a substitute bus driver and he became nervous that he'd missed his stop.  He told me that he couldn't remember all the words, but he kept singing "The Lord is my light, I shall not fear..." over and over to help him be calm.  So cool.  What faith!!!  Love it.

As for A, she is loving 4th grade. She tried out for choir and made it. Woo hoo!!! She is such a trouper....going from 0 siblings to 6 siblings within two years' time. And she is great....she is a great big sister. She is a great little sister. She is amazing! We only wish we could see her more.

C is one busy kid. He does football, band, scouts, YM. He is at school by 6:30 most days to have football practice. He comes home late many days for one reason or another. For the most part, he handles it all in stride. Sometimes it is overwhelming, but with the amount on his plate....that is to be expected.

K is finding high school is not middle school. She is doing very well in all her classes, but she has noticed a definite difference in the standards most high schoolers keep. It has been a struggle. She is amazing though. She is a light in our home. I cannot express how proud of her I am. She makes her own choices, even when she has to stand alone.

Baby Boy is growing and growing.  My belly has gotten bigger quickly enough that I frequently don't leave enough space for me to get by a table or counter and end up bumping into it.  I am happy for him to come to our family.  I also have bittersweet feelings about him probably being our last.  I am so ready to never be pregnant again, but I am also so sad that this stage in my life is probably over.  Mostly, though, I am ready to move on and enjoy the new phases of life ahead of me.  We already have challenges with babies - high school and kids that go back and forth from one parent to the other.  All of this make scheduling incredibly difficult.  

So, this is us.  It is Fall and it feels so good.  I love my family.  I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I feel so very blessed beyond measure.  I truly (as my blog title states) have a good life!  :)

Time Out for Women 2013

This past weekend, K and I got to attend Time Out for Women and Girls.  It was awesome.  I am so glad that we went.  I have gone to Time Out for Women many times and I highly recommend it.  It has never failed to uplift my heart and touch my soul.  I try to make it a weekend away, even if it happens to be close to home.

We were lucky that the conference was a mere 30-45 minutes away, but K and I did get a hotel room to relax from the rest of our lives and spend time together.

I knew a LOT of people that were there, my old ward, my new ward, my sister and her ward, other friends, etc.  Friday night, we got to sit with this wonderful group of women from my current ward.  I love them all.  I would love to get to know them better even.  

 This is K and I before leaving our hotel.   How I love this girl!  She is amazing and I am so glad that she is my daughter.

 We drove over with friends.  This is the other girl, M.  I am glad that she and K were able to get to know each other better.  Their family recently moved into our ward and we think they are pretty special. 

 They had some fun props with which to take silly pictures, so we did:  M, K, me, and G.  We put them down and did a serious one too.  :)

On Saturday, I got to sit with one of my best friends in the world, J.  I just love her so much.  As we sat together and some of the talks focused on the deep trials of life, I couldn't help but remember J and her support of me before, during, and after the divorce.  She has been there for me every single step of the way.   She has cried tears of heartache with me, she has given me sound advice on the days that I did not think I could go on, and she has rejoiced in my joys as my life has now been turned around.    She is one of my angels that went through it all with me.  I am so blessed. 

I learned a lot of things from the conference.  I have pages of notes to review and help me as I try to better my life.  One thing that I noticed was just the immense peace and joy and comfort of the Spirit as I sat there with so many women of faith that all want to be better just like I want to improve.  The Spirit was tangible.

As mentioned before, we also hosted a farewell party for good friends after the Time Out conference.  Thank goodness for CK.  He cleaned/tidied/prepared our home while I was away.  When I got home, all I had to do was decorate.  The chairs were up.  The couches were moved.  The floor was vacuumed.  He is amazing.  We could not have hosted it without him.  I am so glad we did.  It was last minute and I know many could not make it, but this was the only time to have Bishop S be there too.  I love this family.  And, it is obvious that others do too....for they came.  They came straight from the airport.   They came from Time Out.  They came with kids that were tired.  They came to wish this good family lots of love and best wishes for the future.  They came.  Speaking of tangible, the love that was present in our home was tangible.  I was blessed to be a witness to this event.

And, speaking of being blessed, I must have a nap every day to make it through Seminary and pregnancy and life.  I didn't get a nap Thursday due to dentist appointments.  I didn't get a nap Friday due to leaving for Time Out.  We were up late Friday.  We awoke relatively early Saturday.  I did not get a nap Saturday either.  And I drove and came straight home to be hostess at the farewell party.  YET....I truly believe in miracles.  I was not overly tired.  I was not worn out.  I was not exhausted.  I know that the Lord made it possible for me to do with little sleep.  I could not have physically handled yesterday on my own.  He made it up.  It is another evidence to me of two things:  the Lord also loves the S family and wants them to know, and the Lord also loves me and showed it by taking care of me.  I believe in miracles. 

Not-So Crazy Week???

This week has been not as crazy.  That is good, but the funny thing is not as crazy means, among other things, a choir concert on Monday, a football game on Tuesday, Dentist appointments on Thursday, Time Out for Women on Friday and Saturday, and so forth.  It is a really crazy life I lead when all this seems like a "not-so-crazy" week.

K had her first high school choir concert on Monday evening.  V had a fever and so CK stayed home with her.  He was sad to miss it.  It was very well done too.  I guess because I have only seen her perform in elementary and middle school choirs, I was shocked just at the decorum of the students.  All the songs were beautiful.  The transitioning from one choir to the next was well done and silent.  I was very impressed.  One thing that K loves about her choir teacher is that he always explains to them what the songs are about and their backgrounds as they practice.  He did this also in the program as well.  I appreciated it also.  It just meant more to understand what the songs were about.

 K had told me to be able to see her to sit on the right side.  I did.  I guess I chose the wrong part of the right side....I rarely could see her since there was another young lady right in front of her.  I have a couple of shots where the young lady moved and I could see K a little.  She is on the very right, fourth row up if you count the floor.  I can see her face a little in this picture.  Her choir sang "Beneath the African Sky" and "Was Ever a Dream a Drum?"  Both were beautiful.

 Then Tuesday was C's football game.  It is one of my favorite parts of the week.  I love to watch him play and he absolutely loves it.  He is #21.  He plays almost exclusively offense as a running back.  He is pretty good.  He is getting better at blocking to let others run as well now and that is making him more well-rounded.

 I love V with the sun on her back.  She is such a cutie.

 C is out there on one side of the quarter back.  I am not sure if he ended up running the ball in this play or not.  I actually think it was him that was the ball carrier.  I don't think I will ever get tired of hearing his name over the loud speaker.  It thrills me every time.

 And the game is over....another victory.  They are undefeated this year.  This is the first game where they even allowed the other team to score any points.  Makes for one happy kid.  I am sure their first loss will be devastating.

This weekend has turned a little more crazy.  K and I are going to Time Out for Women.  I am excited.  I have some good friends that are going and we are leaving Friday about 3:00 and staying there overnight (Thank you hotel points!), not to return until 5-5:30 Saturday.  The event goes late Friday and begins early Saturday....still so worth it, especially time with K.

BUT....I didn't know I would busy myself Saturday night as well.  I have a very good friend who is moving away.  :(  She has been my friend for a long time.  Her husband was my Bishop for years, including beginning at the time of our divorce mediation, going through the divorce, being my spiritual adviser throughout my single days, and witnessing my marriage to CK.  So, both of them have meant a lot to me.  Some of their kids are similar ages to mine and we have spent hours swimming together and talking.  I cannot express how much their family means to me.

Well, when I discovered that no one was throwing this amazing family a farewell party, I was stunned.  Their move has come up quickly and Bishop S is not home often so coordinating was tough.  The only night that worked.....you guessed it....Saturday night.  It will be crazy to get home about 5:30 and open my doors for an open house beginning at 7:00, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  It means that much to me. 

Finally, I found a picture that I had never used on memory card.  I love it.  I have to use it now.

This was back on the first day of school.  We did our traditional going to eat frozen yogurt as a first day of school treat.  This was the picture we got....K with 9 fingers up (9th grade), J with 1, and C with 7.  It turned out to be a cute picture.  I just had to add it to this post. 

And..... notice... another blog post done in less than a week.  WoooHooo!!!!!  Not easy for me these days!

General Conference

I am a Mormon.  I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I love it.  I feel so much gratitude that I have the blessing of the direction of living prophets in my life.  If you don't know what I am talking about, please visit Mormon.org to learn more.....Or just ask me.  :)

Anyway, this last weekend was General Conference.  It was amazing.  I love the Spirit.  I love the direction.  I love that we can listen/watch in our own home.  I love that the kids love it.  They are attentive, take notes, and really listen to what they are being taught.  What a blessing in a world that has very different values from our family.

This year, we did something new.  Before the last conference, I had read somewhere (Pinterest, I am guessing) about a great idea.  We did it and we absolutely love it.  It will be done again and again.  In April, I purchased pictures of each of the apostles and prophets.  Friday night, I posted them all around the room.  I was impressed with the Spirit that came, just hanging them up.  It was almost tangible. 

I had purchased a cube of sticky notes that allowed each of us to have a different color.  While every Apostle spoke, we each wrote a sentence or two about what the talk was about, what we learned, or an inspiring quote from the talk.  It was amazing to see everyone....even J...concentrating on the talks and sharing with the family what they learned.

These are the pictures I took this morning before the two sessions today.

 President Monson is now covered after two more talks.  Only his face is visible.

This one is so cool to me.  It is just coincidence, but still so cool.  I put all the pictures face down in a big pile.  I decided where I wanted to hang a picture, then put my hand in and randomly pulled out a picture to hang.  Guess what?  The entire First Presidency ended up on our front wall, right by the TV (President Eyring is on the other side of our TV).  So cool. 

I am so grateful for my faith and my knowledge of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  He has made my life amazing.  I need Him.  I am grateful for a husband and children that love Him as well.  I am so blessed.  So very blessed indeed!

Happy Birthday to J!

A week ago (last Sunday), J turned 7!  What a great kid he is.  I sure love him.  I have been so blessed to be his Mama.  I think he was sent to our family intentionally at the time he was to A) try and save our family and B) when our family ended up going through the divorce, he was sent to save me by giving me something to concentrate on beside my heartache.

J's birthday began on Friday.  Here he is singing with his teacher and his school class.  I got to bring in brownies and he was so excited about it.  He is a funny kid since he is so very crazy (even in front of a large crowd) and such a ham so much of the time, but sooooooo shy when he gets up in front of a group. It is one of the strangest things.

This meant that standing in front of his class was a little uncomfortable.

The next day was Saturday and the day before his birthday.  As part of his birthday celebration, J, CK, V, and I went to the zoo.  J loves, loves, loves animals (particularly penguins).  The only way we get him to read (although he is a great reader) is to get animal books and then he can read for hours.  Since he loves the animals, the zoo is the perfect place for him.  I wouldn't be surprised if he someday worked at a zoo, taking care of the animals and designing habitats.  I have dozens of pictures of animals that he took that day.  Here are some...usually ones I took with him (He is cuter to me than all those animals after all). 

 J got to choose where we went except Mom got to choose to go see the baby elephants.  I am glad we went.  They are so cute!

 Then, as we were leaving the elephants, an elderly one jumped in the water and started taking a bath?  It stayed under water for a very long time.  I don't know how long elephants can hold their breaths, but it was quite a while!

 Here is J feeding the birds.  He was nervous when they got close to him.  We actually ended up giving his food stick to a family coming in that hadn't purchased one.

 V just melts my heart.  She is so super cute and she was such a good sport about being pushed around in the stroller all morning in the hot, humid weather.  At least, it wasn't sunny!

 J loves V too!

 And, the penguins.  Our zoo has a very small penguin exhibit compared to many.  Perhaps it is because we live in such a warm climate.  But, nonetheless, J was sooooooooooooooo excited. 

 He took many more pictures of the penguins.  Maybe someday it will be him that makes the penguins a larger exhibit.

 If you look closely, behind J is a coyote, which is the mascot of our local middle school (where K went and where C currently attends).

And, as we were leaving the zoo, we took a Mommy-Son picture.  We had to document that I was there, right?

 This is what J wanted me to put on his cake.  I am glad he colored it for me.  That helps.  Down below, you will see how close I could come.

 84 months old!  Crazy!

 I do have other pictures of him opening presents, but this is the present from CK and I.  He hasn't really ever had a bike.  He is 7 and doesn't know how to ride.  A few years ago I bought him one at a yard sale, but it ended up not working well, so he really doesn't know how to ride.  I was super nervous about giving him this as our only gift....it was NOT something he asked for.  I didn't know if he would like it.

 But, he did.  He has been out almost every day practicing riding.  He loves it.  I am so glad.

Finally, a tradition that has come down from my side of the family from who knows how far back is allowing the birthday kid to cut and serve his cake to his family.  I don't think I have remembered every time to ask the kids if they want to serve, but most of the time they don't want to if I ask.  J wanted to serve and it was interesting indeed to watch him cut pieces right in the middle of his cake.  He did quite well on the sizes, though, although C felt he was gypped. 

And...even though he had a Sunday birthday, I think it was a great day for him.  He was worried that a Sunday birthday would be too busy, but it worked out.  He did get his crepes for breakfast and his steak, plantains, and black beans for his after church meal.  They sang to him in Primary.  He got to see his dad for a little bit in the evening.  A good day for sure.

Happy, Happy Birthday, J Dear!  I love you!