Mission Birthday

One of our missionaries celebrates a birthday today:

Elder Gale turns 19!

Here he is with his current companion and a young man they recently

prepared for baptism:

And here they are at the Los Angeles Temple last week: 

These two remind me of Elder Kessler and Elder Green 

from Saturday's Warrior...

In his email this week, he told us about a new exhibit at the visitor's center

there at the LA Temple. It is all about missionary work and they

have all the name tags of the missionaries currently serving in the area.

Here is an experience he shared this week as well:

"We got  a phone call from Julio saying that he was taking us out to eat, and that he was there! We got ready super fast and went out to Pollo Inka with him, a Peruvian restaurant. It was such a cool dinner. Julio was telling us about how he heard stories of missionaries who would go to poor members' homes in Guatemala (where he's from) and give everything they had to the missionaries and not eat themselves. He said that he always wanted to give his all like that, and that even though he always gave us the same stuff to eat whenever we came over to his house, that today was a special day because we were eating good food in a restaurant and that he was finally sharing his best with the missionaries. I seriously just looked at him and his wife across the able and cried. I am so blessed to know as good a man as Julio. He is such an example to me of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As we were walking out of the restaurant, the sun was starting to set and it was raining, and there was a beautiful rainbow across the whole sky, and we all looked up at it in amazement, it was seriously incredible...

We got home and grabbed our bikes and went to visit the Reyes' family since we couldn't last week. We watched "The Restoration" with Juan and at the end he looked at us and said "now I finally understand who Joseph Smith was, he was just an honest man looking for truth from God" and it was awesome. He said he was learning slowly, but that little by little he's beginning to understand our message. We answered a lot of his questions and he's coming along! He also said to me "What part of Argentina are you from? You're from Argentina, right?" Always an awesome compliment to get when you're trying to learn someone else's language! "

It makes my Mother Heart happy to know that my son is serving among such amazing, loving people there--and that he is learning and growing in that service. 

I still can't believe how fast time flies--I'm pretty sure our little Sammy was 

picnicking in the park with his sister just yesterday:

A Semi-Annual Update

Well, how have you been? I've been caught up in the day-to-day of life. Moving, then not moving. Packing like a mad woman and then not packing like a mad woman. Enjoying new grandchildren--joy and rejoicing and all of the good stuff. Serving in my calling, feeling the love and partaking of the wisdom of amazing Relief Society women. Allowing for the mourning process of leaving this place I have come to love. I think I am an East Coaster somewhere deep down, even though I am born and bred of Pocatello, Idaho and parts thereabout. I have sent some sobbing prayers to heaven asking why I had to come to love the people and the history and beauty here and now I have to leave. But you know I also sent sobbing prayers to heaven when I had to leave Washington and then again California so I'm starting to get the idea that I am supposed to be learning something here. Perhaps that there are amazing people yet to meet and love and vistas ahead to appreciate and more history to be learned.

Luckily, I am an (annoying) optimist so I am looking on the bright side.

Which is a little easier with the bone-chilling arctic weather we have been 

enduring here as of late. 

California sunshine, here I come.

Eventually.

In the meantime, we have two offers on the house and we are just waiting for the paperwork and etc. to work their way through the various bureaucracies. We'll see which one comes out on top.

While we are waiting, I offer a pictorial timeline for your viewing pleasure:

I started taking pictures of the places I love around here so I can hold them

in my heart and see them in my picture file too.

This is the unique, historical building that is home to our

local paper: The Newtown Bee.

The bee on the roof and the bee on the door...just... too awesome.

Christmas came and went....Shane and I felt the need to have a

real tree this year. Christmas Spirit was in short supply with 

everyone spread out across the country.

 We brought home a beautiful, fresh tree and

the amazing pine smell was magical.

We spent actual Christmas in the Golden State. Here you see our

Christmas Eve dinner. Andy saved the day by finding a beautiful spot on the 

beach right next to this awesome diner. So we enjoyed our yummy

food as we watched the sun go down over the ocean.

A perfect California Christmas...

...was made even better with some family time talking with

our missionaries. Sister Gale serving in the Illinois, Chicago West Mission

and

Elder Gale serving in the California, Los Angeles Mission. We were able to get

everyone on our Google Hangout and I loved listening to the family banter and the

grandchildren chiming in. Sam gave us a sampling of his Spanish and they both

shared experiences and testimonies. 

A few days after Christmas, we got to see family and friends in our

old ward in Ramona, California. We were there for the very special

occasion of the Blessing of our precious Mabel.

Look how adorable she is in the dress her Mama wore.

We enjoyed our time there and the Horton family hosted us

for dinner and entertainment. 

They are always fun to hang out with.

A few weeks after Christmas,

I zipped down to North Carolina for some daughter/grandbaby time. 

I love that we get to be friends now. 

One of the many rewards of mothering awesome kids.

Cuteness Alert! 

...and then this

Sam in a Sombrero 

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Remember when I used to keep a blog? 

Yeah....

 I begin posts

of questionable importance and then I get interrupted 

and they are left to hang out in the archives gathering dust...

Here's one:

We went to Disney World.

This was a long over-due promise kept.

When Shane and Sam were wee young-uns, we planned a family vacation to Disney World.

A few months before, we were at the Oregon coast on a very busy holiday week-end at a very crowded beach and Sam decided to find his own way to the restroom. 

(We had been momentarily distracted by Seth on a beach bike, running

 into a poor, defenseless elderly lady.) 

Sam, being the independent three-year-old that he was, didn't feel any need to ask for adult supervision to negotiate the crowd and made his way alone to the bathrooms far, far away.

Just as I was in full hysteria and Andy had recruited the life-guard to help us look for him, Sam came sauntering nonchalantly across the sand..

That was the moment I realized I could not handle eight children in a crowded amusement park.

But six seemed doable.

So, for their safety and my sanity, we got an awesome babysitter to spend the week with the little boys. And we  promised  we would take them when they were a little older. 

So, fifteen years later, promise fulfilled.

Whew! 

Anywho, we tagged along with Scott, Nicole and those adorable little granddaughters.

We enjoyed all of the Disney fun in varying groups and worked the Fastpass system with

great precision thanks to the Gale Force Logic Team.

The little girls did the Princess Tour

I think my princesses are pretty sweet!

It was a real Princess Palooza! 

Their Daddy was cast in the role of Palace Guard during

 the theatrical performance of

Enchanted Tales With Belle--

he was a good sport and quite the actor:

And Bailey had a starring role as Belle's father.

She gave a stunning performance--shivering in prison.

Sam and Shane's childhood Dream-come-true

(If you wish upon a star...makes no difference who you are!)

Getting a hug from Tigger!

And we conclude this post with a cute picture of the ever-adorable

June.

Sitting in a Dinosaur Restaurant.

In Disney World.

With a dinosaur hat on her head.

Good times.

Here We Go Again

The Gale Academy of Classical Education is on hiatus for the week so here is an opportunity to do some catching up. 

A list of recent happenings:

We found out that we have a couple of more Gale grandbabies on the way. 

Always joyous news! The Seth and Taylor Gale family have officially announced. That sweet little blessing is due in September. 

That is all I am authorized to say. 

Sam is almost finished with his freshman year at BYU. We got this notice in the mail:

He was invited into BYU's honor society due to his

"...early academic achievement at Brigham Young University"

He joins Siara who also earned that prestigious honor. 

He received his mission call to the California, Los Angeles (Spanish speaking) Mission. He reports to the Mexico City MTC June 11th. 

Spencer will be graduating from BYU next week.

 We are heading out to Utah for graduation and during our whirlwind trip, Andy will ordain Sam an Elder and we will all go to the temple with him to receive his endowment. So, overlapping happy family milestones! 

Spencer has earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and he and Adrianna will be heading out to Wisconsin to begin gainful employment right after graduation. Well done! Graduation and a real job! 

Also, this happened:

General Conference with CONFERENCE BINGO!

They ate all the Skittles right away so coloring was a fun way to fill in the squares.

Scott and Nicole and fam were here for Conference livening

things up for us.

I got to spend a week with these two princesses.

There was a lot of Frozen going on around here--

including some fun braided hairstyles.

Norah made the crown and dubbed herself

"Queen Norah"

She also planned a party. When she read the announcement and invitation she was

so cute, Shane and I laughed. She became quite indignant 

and decreed:

"No laughing at Norah! No laughing at the party!"

It was hard not to defy her Royal Decree!

This was the creative party favor she came up with.

These two loved sleeping in the "Big pretty bed" and were

merciful on their old Nana and slept really well. Bailey had some

growing pains the last night so I moved Norah to another room and laid down beside Bailey to rub her feet and her leg. At one point she was crying and I felt so

bad for her. I asked her if she wanted to say a prayer and she wailed,

"Nana, I can only do one thing at a time and I am crying right now!"

And, in conclusion,  you may already know that this is also going on around here:

Another move...

Clear back across the continent to

California.

Deja vu. 

Another job lured Andy away and he started there last Monday. 

Shane and I shall hold down the fort here until someone buys the fort.

I am in denial--the first step in the mourning process. 

Although I have done a lot of packing in spite of my delusional thinking.

I will let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, we have  been blessed beyond measure in so many ways I am going to trust that we will be where we need to be and our family will continue to grow and progress in all the ways we need to.

Mom's Magical, Mystical Tour: An even longer over-due update

I seem to be falling behind here in Blogland.  I looked through my archives and found some unfinished posts from the somewhat recent past. This is from last August and it is way too long--usually I edit and pare down before I post. I don't like to bore you with my EVERY thought--just a select few thoughts. I tried to tie this together with all of the happy little lucky things that happened on this trip but I think I got carried away...


Gentle Reader,
I just returned from Utah where I settled our seventh child into his new life as a college student. I know you get this a lot here, but WHERE DID THE TIME GO?! It doesn't help that Sam skipped his last year at home and jumped into college a year early. Good preparation for mission and life and all but not enough time for Mom to take in the reality of another fledgling leaving the nest. I have a firm grip on the reality that my job is to work myself out of a job. I want my kids to learn and grow into upstanding, independent, hard-working, mature, useful adults so I can't complain when that is what they actually do. But I can complain that it happens too fast.

I took Sam out to Utah a few days early so we could take in Education Week. It has been a dream of mine for lo these many years to go to Education Week but it never seemed to work out with the constant scheduling complications of a big family, not to mention the moves from one state to the next--and one coast to the other. So, this year all of the planets aligned and even my frequent flier miles added up to allow the luxury of some Mom-time basking in the hallowed halls of learning at BYU. 

You may have gathered from my blog that I am a bit of a Pollyanna--an annoying optimist--but even I was surprised at the many ways this trip seemed especially blessed. It started when I checked in for our flight. I saw that we were seated in first class. Of course this had to be a mistake! I had paid with frequent flier miles and I was lucky to get a flight that was coming and going at the time I needed to come and go.Usually there are so many restrictions I'm lucky to leave within a month of my hoped for travel. I worried that I had clicked on an upgrade and would be charged an arm and a leg for my mistake. I checked my account and saw that I had only been charged the $5.00 fee per flight as expected--I would get to keep my arms and my legs. I printed off the receipt just in case there was any doubt about Sam and I having a seat on the plane--let alone a seat in first class! I have flown first class before but that was back in the days of Andy's premiere, business, special super duper traveler status. 

So then, as I was packing. I pulled down a bin of summer clothes I hadn't looked at for a few years. I pulled out a pair of capris and tried them on and felt something in the pocket. I knew it was money and figured it was a couple of bucks. But when I pulled it out, I was pretty happy to see two twenties. I'm thrilled if I find a quarter so I was feeling a little giddy--although I had to wonder how I had managed to pocket 40 bucks and forget about it--that's a concern all of its own! 

We got up the morning of our trip well before the crack of dawn to  beat the morning commute traffic to JFK. Sam had packed everything he owns into our biggest suitcase and we didn't have time to weigh it. According to my serendipitous first class accommodations, we each got two free checked bags. But that would only be IF those cushy accommodations were ours for real. And there was still a weight limit of 70 pounds. Even if you are fancy enough to travel first class, they still have some limitations on the pounds of belongings you can haul on your trip with you.So, you know, maybe you can only take five gold bars instead of ten.  We got to the airport an hour early and got in the special line for awesome first class people. 

I was  holding my breath hoping that my first class tickets would be legit. As we stepped up to the counter, I handed our boarding passes to the airline employee. She glanced at them and told Sam to put his suitcase on the scale. 76.6. Oops....too heavy. She looked at the flashing number and said, "This is way over. I don't have time to deal with it. Just go." So we went. We got to the gate just as they were boarding first class so we found our comfy accommodations and settled in for the flight. Sam fell asleep immediately. It was nice that he had room to stretch out his long legs and get some real sleep. I could have used some shut-eye myself but I didn't want to miss a thing: Juice in real glasses. A delicious breakfast served on real dishes with real silverware--we were even entrusted with a butter knife! Seriously! The omelet and biscuit were tasty and the fruit was ripe and sweet. Then, the warm towel. Such a civilized way to travel. 

After landing in Salt Lake City, we were fortunate to have Spencer and Adrianna there to pick us up. We enjoyed the drive to Provo visiting with them. After a quick stop for lunch, we drove to Siara and Tyler's house--our hosts for the week. Just as we were turning onto Siara's street, the car began to sputter and gave out right in front their house. Don't worry-- they were able to get it going again later--but thankfully it didn't sputter out on the freeway. Imagine hauling Sam's 76.6 pound suitcase down the road, hitching a ride.

One of my all-time favorite authors is H.Wallace Goddard. He is an author of some very helpful books and he writes for Meridian Magazine. I was pretty thrilled to see that he was speaking at Education Week. One more unexpected blessing this week! After our long day of travel across the country and in spite of the time change and jet-lag, I marched up to campus that evening and attended his class. I have given his book "Drawing Heaven Into Your Marriage" to each of our children when they got married. They may not realize it is the best gift they got until that nice mixer wears out and the pretty towels are threadbare. About that time marriage begins to require some soul refining and humility and charity. And about that time, this book will be waiting.  But I digress, the man knows what he is talking about and he brought the Spirit and I was scribbling notes as quickly as possible to keep from missing any of his pearls of wisdom. 'Twas a beautiful beginning to a wonderful week of learning.

A few days before I left for Utah I got an email from my FAVORITE Institute teachers from our California days. Becky Davies and Lesley Meacham. They were a last minute addition to the Education Week schedule. So glad I am still on the mailing list for the Poway Institute! Another bonus: I got to bask in the glory of their amazing insight into the scriptures and enjoy a reunion with many dear friends from our old Poway Stake. It was heavenly. Sam even rolled out of bed and joined me for their classes. 

One of the many insights they taught on symbolism in the scriptures.

Then, I happened to find my favorite ice cream in the little kiosk at the Cougareat one day after lunch (Cherry Vanilla, thanks for asking). And as I was strolling through the Wilkinson Center enjoying that, I ran into these guys:

I just wanted a quick picture of them to prove that I actually saw them,

but they insisted that I get in the picture. So there I am awkwardly

trying to shrink down so as not to tower over Stacy and Mallory and also

keep a grip on my ice cream and my book bag. 

And the guy taking the picture insisted on his expertise at phone photography and

they all endorsed him--but the picture is blurry!

But, you know, it's still Studio C so hey!

And, as if that weren't enough, one day while I was on campus, I came across an exhibit in the Joseph Fielding Smith building. It was all about the history of BYU as well as education in the church.

I read every plaque and soaked up all of the pictures and artifacts. So much of what I was learning about the

importance of education and the importance of learning by study and also by faith, fit my personal philosophy as a mom teaching and guiding learners in our home for so many years. 

A much needed reminder of why I do what I do. 

And why it matters. 

This has turned into a novel--let me find a conclusion here somewhere...

Sunday Dinner at Siara and Tyler's

She is the hostess with the mostest!

The main serendipity was family time with Seth and Taylor, Spencer and Adrianna, Siara and Tyler.

 With Sam there now, half of our children are in Utah Valley!

Since they are all gainfully employed and/or going to school,

we were somewhat limited in times that we

could all be at the same place at the same time.

But we did our best.

It's always fun to catch up with all of them. 

Did I take pictures of all of us together? 

No...I tend to be in the moment when we are all together.

I did take this one of Siara cutting her little brother's hair:

And Sam and Wolfie cat-napping

Is this post ever going to end?

Yes.

It Doesn't Get Any Easier

Oh hi! 

Let's pretend I haven't been a total blog slacker.

 Alrighty then. 

Sam at Philmont Scout Ranch--taking a higher view

I have been working on the "Getting Sam Off to College" post since I got back from Utah...oh you know.... last August. I titled it "Mom's Magical, Mystical Tour" because of all the serendipitous things that happened with that trip. I may still get that one out just for fun. In the meantime I have been doing some online Leadership Education Mentor training and my assignments have been taking up my spare time.

So, in the process of writing papers and etc., I came across the little piece I wrote for our

 Stake Senior Recognition last June.

 I think it sums up some of my thoughts and feelings 

as I sent Sam out into the big wide world by way of BYU:

Our Sam.

Yorktown, NY Stake Senior recognition June 9, 2013

Sam was born 7^th in our family—and second to the last.

He didn't  get the memo that he was supposed to take the bossing of older siblings—he had a mind of his own and was often the one leading out in group plans and projects at home. By the time #7 came along, the rotation for turns to be voice for the family prayers was a little long. Sam wasn't happy with this arrangement. When he was two years old, he felt that he should get to say the prayer every time. Even if it was someone else's turn, he would pray along with them. I indulged him and didn't stop him--figuring it was a good thing that he wanted to pray. Well, this was fine as long as we were at home--but then there was church.
 I literally had to hold onto him to keep him from bolting to the front while yelling "My turn for prayer! I want to say it!" His determination to pray was definitely admirable.

 He’s had an uncommon common sense all through what can be difficult growing up years. He has been an influence for good for those around him—his natural leadership ability and easy-going friendliness have helped him to get along in a variety of situations including being uprooted twice in a short period of time. Sam has found success in anything he tries—because he is willing to try and humble enough to pay the price to learn. He didn't love playing the piano but he stuck with it and paid the price in practice to improve and turn it into something he now enjoys. He’s not afraid to take on challenges and has had some amazing adventures in the great outdoors through Scouting--always leading the way and cheerfully encouraging those who wanted to give up.  Sam has stayed true to himself and has paid the price to know for himself that the gospel is true. He is starting BYU this fall a year early because of his hard work and study. He made the decision so he would have a year on his own and religion classes to help him prepare for his mission when he is 18 next year. He has been  fulfilling the requirements for Duty to God from the time he was a Deacon and will now speed up his efforts to finish the last of the Priest requirements a year ahead of schedule to accomplish this last act of obedience as a youth. We truly feel blessed to have Sam in our family and he has been a joy to raise—which makes it harder to let him go. But we know he goes with faith and a strong testimony. And hopefully in my efforts to teach him to take turns and be reverent, I didn't squelch his desire to pray—because that determination will serve him well all of his life. We love you Sam!

So, off he goes to conquer new heights

We do love you Sam--don't forget to say your prayers.