Birthday celebrations

*Sarah turned 18 and Dave turned 47.  I can't believe that I have 3 adult children and a husband approaching one-half century.  I have been quite reflective as of late pondering the passage of time.  Time seems to move so quickly.  I hope that I can continue to enjoy and appreciate the small events of life and the numerous blessings that have come into my life.

I appreciated a message taught in Sacrament Meeting. The message was of obedience and that it always will be a continual action, one that can be improved upon daily.  I wish that I had copied some of the quotes delivered.  They seemed to help with my current thoughts.

Our home teacher told of an experience on his mission in Venezuela.  It was quite lengthy but to summarize, Bro Downs was sent out of the country with several other missionaries because the government had ordered them to leave.  To solve the problem, Bro. Downs was sent back into Venezuela to work out the difficulties and to then make his way to the mission home in Caracas.  Bro. Downs spoke no Spanish and didn't really understand much about the country so he was alone in finding his way back.   He had rode the bus system, the subway system and then after getting back on the bus had fallen asleep.  Waking up in the night, he stepped off the bus in Caracas, Venezuela, alone and lost, praying for guidance in finding his destination.  He had been praying throughout the day for help in finding his way.   Within a short amount of time, he found himself on the doorstep of the mission home.  A true miracle in his life.  He testified that the Lord knows us individually and He will answer our prayers if we seek Him.

For Sarah's 18th birthday, she spent her time studying for a Calculus test.  Her efforts paid off with the return of a 90% on the test.  Yea for Sarah!  She and 4 other friends finished presenting their senior Social Studies assignment called Project Citizen. This assignment involves the students isolating a problem and then making every effort to present it in a convincing manner. Her group chose the problem of too little parking in Rexburg.  Their group did a good job.  Sarah's passion for the chosen subject was missing a little, but she could do little to change the direction of her project because the other members of the group were set on presenting the parking dilemma.

Two years ago when Kirsten presented her project, she became increasingly interested in the challenges facing education.  There focus was finding funds to increase teacher pay.  Since then, she has become deeply concerned about the state of our economy and how to make major improvements in education,  One concern is that school districts have the ability to attract the best of teachers; for these young students are our future.  A great teacher can make all the difference.  So throughout her Project Citizen experience, Kirsten wanted mostly to convince our state legislature to become advocates of teachers in Idaho rather than enemies.

Other interesting updates:
*Catherine received her driver's permit.  She is so excited to be have the Driver's Ed class in her past.  *Kirsten attended an event in her BYU ward, hosted by the elders, and celebrating the Relief Society women.  She dressed up in her high school commencement dress and looked quite lovely.
*Spencer practiced 900 minutes on the cello this semester.  400 points more than he was required.  He now can participate in a pizza party.
*Sarah received an invitation to the Commencement dance from her good friend Christopher Bressler as a birthday present.
*As part of Dave's birthday gifts, we updated our home phones.  Most of you would look at our phone situation in disbelief.  We have been very much behind the times for several years.  First off, the 2 phones in our home were all corded phones.  So we couldn't travel beyond 5 feet when chatting.  Next, no caller ID (which I am quite happy not to have.)  And then the phones we did own were purchased for just $5.00 so they had been used to full capacity.  We were mixing a lot of static with our phone conversations.  We now have 2 cordless phones and one new inexpensive phone.  I have really enjoyed roaming the house as I converse.  It doesn't take much to improve our quality of life, just a long time.
*I accompanied 3 violinists for a Masterclass at BYU-I taught by members of a New York Quartet.  It is very enjoyable to use the talents I worked hard over the years to develop.  We played Chacone by Vitali, Sonata mvt. 2 by C. Frank and Sonata No. 1 mvt. 2 by J. Brahms.
*Matthew and other members of our family played Battleship, Book of Mormon matching game and a Disney matching game this evening.  Lots of fun
*Camille had her first experience doing a Clinical rotation in the EIRMC Emergency Room.

All of us are healthy and generally happy.