Monday Afternoon

I'm still on this "cleaning out" kick.  Been doing that intermittently for the last couple years.  I want to pare down, clean out, get rid of, lighten our load.  Yeah. Sure.  I couldn't even reduce the clothes in my closet by much.  "I might want to wear that again." Yeah.  Sure.

We're going to have the garage floor refinished - it desperately needs some help so that we don't have to replace the concrete. (The driveway and patio will have to wait until spring.)  That means we'll have to move all the stuff from the garage into the shop.  The tricky part will be the (full) freezer,  the (full) water barrels, the (full) salt tank for the water softener and the washer and dryer.  The first part was deciding how much stuff we could trash or donate.  Done. I'll be dropping some stuff off at D.I tomorrow.   Our recycling bin is stuffed full with the cut up boxes - it took w-a-y too long to get that done.  I'm breathing just a teensy bit easier knowing we've at least started the hard work.

Park City, overlooking Main

After Saturday morning's exertion in the garage we needed a break.  Decided to go for a bit of a drive. Ended up in Park City.  Lovely day for a meander along Main Street.  Even stopped in for a late lunch of BBQ salmon, it was scrumptious. So glad we've learned to share a meal, just the right amount, for a more reasonable cost.

I'm married to a guy who has loathing and fear of being in a rut.  Thus, we rarely repeat our routes anywhere.  That philosophy held true on Saturday.  Didn't return from Park City the quick way.  Took the more scenic route up over Guardsman's Pass and down through Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Stunningly beautiful vistas.  Twisty, scary, drop-off-the-edge road.  One of the few instances where I was relaxed enough to actually look out the window we saw a coyote, not 8 feet from the car.  A truly enjoyable afternoon.

Yup, we ate it all.

My lesson yesterday in R.S. wasn't my best.  I'm still fussing in my head over what I could have (and should have) improved.  I loved the conference talk it was based on.  Didn't love my lack of creativity, engagement of the sisters.  I'm determined to do better next time.

Were invited in to talk to the Bishop.  I was convinced either 1) I was going to be released from teaching R.S. or 2) we were going to be asked to serve up at the temple.  I'm conflicted about both possibilities.  It was a really nice chat, he's a very kind man.  He wanted to know if we've thought about a service mission.  And there was no pressure at all.  I was grateful for that.  He knows he's planted the seed and we'll think about it, explore the options, consider our circumstances and then we'll put it in the hands of Heavenly Father and let Him tell us what is right.  We'll see what happens.  One step at a time.

And in the meantime, I'm enjoying the projects I've got going on. Some for gifts, some just because.  And I'm finding lots of good things to read, including articles like this one.

I Love Gratitude

And this marvelous Ted Talk

Celebrate What's Right With The World   This one was shared with us.  So very grateful for the 18 minutes that warmed my heart.  This article and video were just the right thing for my Monday.

I'm so grateful for others who share their vision of good in their lives, who promote gratitude and inspire improvement.