New Enterprise

Wow! I am so excited to be venturing out of my confort zone as a manager of a vacation rental that our family owns in Laguna Beach! This is new territory for me. We have spend lots of time fixing things up for potential vacation renters! I love our little spot in Laguna Beach. We can walk to the beach, the Cottage Restaurant, the art museum, shops and restaurants, and take the trolley during the summer to the art festival. Anyway, if you or someone you know would enjoy some time in Laguna, let me know and we can work something out regarding our rental calendar.I hope to be posting more about our family and adventures in the near future! In the meantime, take a look at our vacation home if you haven't already....let your "snowbird" friends know that this is the place to come for a rest from the snow!
And those of us from Southern California always benefit from a
"stay-cation!
The site is www.VRBO.com and go to #384222.
My email is nancysmithctr@yahoo.com for more info.
Posted by Nancy Smith... at 8:35 AM

Friends

Today was a rough day for me.....Sandy leaves the safety of the MTC tomorrow for adventures unknown, and it has been busy in Relief Society and at work, and with other responsibilities I have, and so.....today, it just all seemed to be too much. You've all had days like that. But what made this a special day after all, was friends. Two dear friends of mine gave me just the support I needed. One gave me a "pep talk" over the phone, and the other one, just had the feeling that I was down today, and arrived on my doorstep this evening with a fresh loaf of home baked bread. Honestly, it was an answer to prayer. I felt cared about, loved, and listened to.....and I felt a whole lot better after the visits with my friends.

I hope that I can be in tune enough to help turn someone's day around like that. It truly made a difference, and I thank them for their love and support.

Change

So much has happened this summer which include a son who got married and a daughter who left on a mission. Lots of milestones. And now we are...empty nesters...at least for a time. Change is hard sometimes, and I have to baby step it much of the time. I am grateful for a supportive husband and family and the faith I have that we don't have to make this journey alone. We have a supportive and loving Heavenly Father to walk with us all the way, if we will but take His hand.

This picture was taken of our family the day before we took Sandy to Utah to enter the MTC.

(No one tells you how quickly your children grow up....before you know it they are adults and on their own!)

Philippines here she comes....

Exciting news, which most of you may know by now, is that Sandy has been called to serve in the Philippines, San Pablo mission. She will report to the mission training center in mid-July and she is thrilled to be able to serve on a mission.

San Pablo will never be the same!!!

Heaven on Earth

This has been an emotional, but wonderful couple of weeks. We were able to witness two weddings in the temple: First, our "adopted" daughter Allie and her husband, Michael. And then last Saturday, our niece Kacey and her husband J.J. Also, this month we were able to accompany Sandy as she went to the temple for the first time. It is not an easy thing to receive a temple recommend, and I am so proud of her hard work and diligence in working toward that goal. I was very honored to be her escort and to share that experience with her. Having so many recent opportunities to attend the temple gave me such peace and joy. My life has been very busy lately for a variety of reasons, and it has been so uplifting to spend some time in the quiet and beauty of the temple. The highlight of my temple experiences this month was the opportunity I had to see all of our children there at the same time. Sandy's brothers and sister and our daughter and son- in law were able to attend Sandy's endowment session. As they all stood there together, I had such a feeling of gratitude and I took a mental picture I hope to never forget.

We as parents, worked so hard to instill faith and love of the Lord in our kids, and it hasn't always been smooth sailing. But, somehow, those kids were able to hold on to a firm foundation, and find their faith for themselves, put their priorities in order, and follow the plan the Lord has for them. It is a work in progress, but I am so grateful to be their mom and mom-in-law, and to have been given the opportunity to nurture and love them. They bring me great joy, and I don't know of anything that I treasure more than family relationships.

P.S.

P.S. For pictures regarding Katie and the Special Olympics go to my daughter's post at ahulllotoffun.blogspot.com

From the Mouth of Babes

Just yesterday, our six-year-old granddaughter, Katie won second and third place in the special olympics wheelchair races. We were so proud of her. She really had her eye on the finish line. Katie was born with a neurological disorder called spina bifida. Although she struggles walking and has other issues that are difficult, it seems like Katie's glass is always "half full."
The other night, when I was at her house, I was sitting on her bed as she was getting ready to go to sleep, and she said: "Grandma, my teacher at school says that I have a can-do attitude." That statement by this young granddaughter just made my day. Here is a little girl who could feel sorry for herself and have a "poor me" attitude, and yet, her teacher recognizes that she is not afraid of challenges and has a positive attitude as she works at facing hard things.
I learned a lot from her that night. It made me think that having a "can-do" attitude allows us to face life with a lot more joy. It helps us to face life with a smile even when things are difficult. Instead of focusing on the negative, it allows us to turn things around and look at the positives.
I have been blessed with "glass half full" people all of my life. When our son, Scott was 14 and was struggling with cancer treatments, he made a note and stuck it on the refrigerator that said: "Focus on the Positives." That attitude helped him during a very difficult time in his life.
I am grateful for these young people in my life who taught, and continue to teach me positive concepts for more joyful living.

Call me the "R.A."

Some of you may have been away to college at a point in your life, and you may have had the experience of living in a dorm or apartment with a bunch of college kids. I did, and had such a great time with wonderful memories ....Well.....I am all grown up now, with 4 grown kids, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and 3 grandchildren, and guess what? I'm back living in a dorm......
Yes, we call our home the "Smith Dorm." Why, you say....? Well, here's who lives with us....Randy and I (the R.A.'s of sorts)...and then 5 kids ranging in age from 20 - 23 years old, either related or related by marriage, and one nice young man getting ready to leave on his mission. Most of these "Smith Dorm" residents are college students and working, except one who has already graduated. It is interesting having 7 adults living under one roof, and it is amazing to me how well everyone gets along. It becomes even more interesting when friends come to visit or spend the night, and when Sarah and her family come over to join in the fun.
One memory I will have of this time in my life as one of the "resident advisors" of this group is the fun we have. There is a lot of laughter, and that brightens any day. There are some challenges, like who get the upstairs shower, and the never-ending grocery store trips, but over all I have been amazed at how congenial everyone has been.
Don't get me wrong....this dormitory will be closing for business as soon as certain people move out to their own abodes, or leave on missions, etc.....and then it will be quite. And I have to say, that since I know that our "dorm mates" may be moving out close to the same time, I am trying to relish this fun "dormitory" time of our life before it comes to an end.

School's out.....Summer Fun!

I'll never forget the feeling when I was in college (as a young person, and then when I went back to get my R.N. degree a little over 10 years ago), right after all of my final exams were over at the end of each semester. I always had this feeling of great relief. I felt like a load was literally lifted from me, and I almost felt physically lighter. Well, I kind of get that same feeling each spring when my job as a RN Mentor at Nursing School comes to a close. I get the summers off! On my last day of work each May, I always walk down the health science division stairs and feel such a sense of freedom. It's not that I don't enjoy my job. It's actually a wonderful job and I truly enjoy assisting the nursing students through their rigorous program. However, I feel so fortunate to have the summers off , to catch up with things around the house, to spend more time with family and friends, and just to re-energize myself before the school year starts all over again.
Some of things I enjoy doing during the summer months are: beach bon fires making "smores," beach outings with the grandchildren, going to the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, family vacations, sitting on the lounge chair in the backyard in the sun and listening to the birds, backyard bar-b-ques, staying up late and watching movies, and sleepovers at Aster Street (my parent's little "beach house" in Laguna Beach). What are some things you enjoy doing during the summer? Do you have any fun summer memories?

Mother's Day Thoughts

How grateful I am to be a mother and a grandmother. Because of all that is required of a mother of what society these days considers a "large" family, I feel that I have, and continue to often walk through the "refiners" fire. There have been those late nights attempting to get a new baby back to sleep and late nights waiting up for a teenager who has passed her curfew.....There have been late nights sitting up and laughing with the kids and their friends and late nights holding a child who had a bad dream or was afraid of the lightening. There have been late nights sitting next to a hospitalized child who was reeling from the effects of chemotherapy or recovery from leg surgery....and then those miracle days when the news would arrive that the follow up tests were clear, and the cancer was gone.
I have sat through our kids numerous performances, sporting events, talks, graduations - sometimes with a mother's nervous stomach and wanting them to do their best, so that they would feel good about what they accomplished.
I have sat with a daughter who had just learned the news that her first born would come in to this world with challenges, and not knowing the extent of the problem, I have watched that same daughter put her faith in the Lord, and put her fear behind her. I have seen her step out in faith to nurture that little one....and in time two more.
I am grateful to have shared and to continue to share these experience as a mother, and as a trusted friend to our children and grandchildren. I have, and continue to learn patience, sacrifice, endurance, faith, humor, and hope.
Some people may wonder why I chose this path instead of picking a notable career or traveling the world. I would choose no other way. Because I chose to be a mother, and was allowed this great blessing to be one, my life is filled with so much richness of the heart.
And on this mother's day, I wish to share how grateful I am for this opportunity and wonderful blessing.

Our Grandson, Carter William Hull

First Grandson!

Yeah! Carter has arrived! Sarah is recovering and she and Bryant are thrilled with their new baby boy. Katie and Ella have visited the hospital and had the opportunity to hold their baby brother, and they are so cute with him. I know that Sarah's blog will soon be filled with the whole experience! (;
I am grateful for the opportunity I am having to enjoy this wonderful phase in life of grandparenting. I feel that it is indeed a blessing in my life. To watch your own child parent children is fascinating. When our children were really small, it seemed as if they would always be that size, and Randy and I sometimes felt that the work would never end. It is physically challenging to raise a large family when they are small. However, now that they are all grown, and some of them are"growing" their own families, I realize how quickly that time of their childhood went by. It seems like yesterday that they were just babies themselves. For any of you who may be reading this who have young ones, please know that the time will go swiftly by. There is nothing more precious than the time you have with those little ones as you guide and nurture them. I am just so grateful that even though they are grown, I can still be a part of their lives and we can continue to grow and progress in new and wonderful ways!

Family Traditions

As I was contemplating some of the traditions we have in our family, I realized how they truly do bind families together. It is that special something that makes each family unique. In our family, during a designated time on Christmas Eve, the cousins all run down my parents hallway and out the door to see if Santa has come They are joined by their parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who line the hallway banging pots and pans. This is tradition that was brought over by my German great-grandparents. We have done it every Christmas Eve that I remember.
On birthday's we used to hide the kids presents under our bed, and then when it was time to open them, everyone jumped up on our bed and the siblings would take turns bringing a presents out from under the bed. This is another tradition I adopted from my growing up years.
A tradition I started about 10 years ago is "dinner-in-a-pumpkin" on Halloween....Initially no one wanted to eat the yummy stew-like substance I cooked into a real pumpkin, but now if I say I'm not cooking dinner in a pumpkin on Halloween....I receive death threats! (J/K)
Anyway.....I was wondering if you guys have some traditions that you would like to share.
Or traditions that you have been thinking of starting.

Party Central

I hope that on my tombstone they put :"she loved a good party." It's funny how some people think you need alcohol and other stuff like that to have "fun." That is so not true. Give me some good old rock and roll, and some fun people, and it's a party for sure. I love it when fun people get together and laugh and share time together. The other night, for my birthday, the kids and grandkids were over, and we played pictionary. It was a simple game, but it was such a blast. It doesn't take much to have a fun time. Ella (almost 3 years), kept drawing in a circle for her turn at pictionary, and we kept guessing...what was funny about it was that she didn't know what she was drawing, but kept saying "no, no" to anything we guessed, until she finally liked what someone guessed she was supposed to be drawing. But in the meantime, she just kept drawing circles on the dry erase board. Simple fun!

Ups and Downs

Isn't it amazing how life throws curves at you? This week we received some very sad news and also some wonderful news. My husband is the Bishop in our ward, and his wonderful second counselor, Art Walker, passed away this week. Art was a man who would do anything to help those in need. He was so supportive of my husband and everyone in our ward. He will be greatly missed.

We also received great news that my nephew's wife will be baptized in April by my nephew, who has begun attending church again with his family. They have been studying the precepts of the Gospel together, and she has made the decision to be baptized. This is glorious news for our family.

So, I was contemplating these two situations, and reflecting about how varied our human emotions can be.....our family has been crying at the loss of dear Art Walker, and during the same week, we have been crying for joy at the decision of our niece and nephew and their family. It is amazing to me how life continues to hold new things for us to deal with, both sad and joyful...and how it is up to us as to how we will respond.

I guess what I am saying is that I am grateful to be a human being. I am grateful to feel emotions of all kinds, and to learn and grow from them; to grow closer to others as we share them with each other, and ultimately, to give thanks to the Lord for allowing me this varied and wonderful experience here on earth.

Menopause

Well, my daughter, Sarah, tells me that I need to update my very old blog. I will try to do that. I am still learning how to participate in these "new-fangled" computer treasures such as "blogging!" My next step will be to learn how to put pictures on my blog! Sarah had to help me with my first entry about good ol' Mitt. So sad about that...but I know that will not be the last we see of him! At least, I hope not. How fun would that be...five sons and all their families hangin' out in the White House for FHE!

At any rate. I need your help....I am in the throws of menopause...hot flashes, mood swings, etc. I would like to start a little home-based business of menopause baskets that assist women, such as myself, in relieving some of the annoying by-products of this lovely stage of our lives (as if labor is not bad enough...thank you very much.) Sooo....if there are any of you out there who may have a great idea of what I can put in my menopause basket and what to name my company, I'd love to hear from you! (Keep in mind that I can't put medication in the menopause basket......but there must be some fun, helpful things that will help to relieve some of our annoying symptoms.)
Looking forward to hearing from you!

Go Mitt!

Today Kathi and Akemi and I went to Fountain Valley to a Mitt Romney Rally. I feel that he is the man for the job based on his stand on the economy, health care, immigration, and the fact that he is an honest, family man with strong values.
The rally was so fun and it was great to cheer him on!