To Brown or not to Brown

The latest thing I'm working on is a spray tanning machine. Julie and I think it would be a great addition for these old bodies. If we just use it ourselves we could have it paid for in 3 months or less as spray tanning here is $25.00 a time. Plus we might offer it to others for $10.00 a time and pay ourselves back. In case you all think I am getting to worldly. I am still visiting the sick, attending the temple, and trying hard to do what is right. I just want to look good doing it. I think it is a cheap fountain of youth. Anyway let me know what you think.

Where I have Been

A lot has happened since my last blog. I just want to catch everyone up on my life as well as remind myself of what I have been doing.
We sold the store. It's amazing. We sold our business to an employee who has worked for us for at least eight years. She loves to scrapbook and has four daughters who do it with her. How perfect. She knows all about the store and has extra skills to make this business work. We are grateful to have a business we spent 11 years of our life with go to someone who can only improve upon it.
Shortly after the sale of our store Howard's mother passed away. Though we will miss her, we are relieved that she is no longer suffering. We had a wonderful celebration of her life. All of our children and grandchildren were together for a week. It was great to interact together and with all of the aunts, uncles and cousins who were home for grandma's funeral. We had a chance to plan future get togethers and young little cousins could get acquainted.
Two weeks later Howard and I found ourselves in New York City with Josh, Sarah, Olivia and Brody. What an incredible week. We really loved this City and especially because we had a fantastic tour guide in Sarah. We can see why she really wanted us to come and share this week with her. It was a fantastic experience. We learned so much, visited many wonderful sites and enjoyed seeing it all with Josh, Sarah, Livie and Brody.
So the long and short of it is that even though I am not working, I have been so busy I haven't noticed much free time.
As soon as I get copies of pictures from Sarah, I will post further blogs with more information about our wonderful trip to New York.

How much fun can this be? 6 inches of snow, 1 inch of ice underneath, and church cancelled. It's great to enjoy the day without guilt. I am certain the pioneers would have made it the three blocks to church. But I am going to assume that Latter Day Saints are not built the same as the older models in the 1800's. You know how it is. Older, sturdier, less plastic, solid, etc. Anyway this has been a great day. I promise not to make a habit of missing church, but I'm going to enjoy the this fun guilt-free day.

Today, Howard woke up and said "It is going to be a great day," I ask him how he knew that, and he replied that any day where you wake up, your family is safe and well and you can accomplish something is a great day. I obviously need to borrow from his optimism and enthusiasm. But in the eternal scheme of things isn't that the most important. Family, friends, the gospel, health and hope. All the other things we worry about are really insignificant. I am reminded of that when there is a disaster or something. It's to bad that is what it takes to make me appreciate the small things. So I must say it's going to be a great day. I have a great family, choice friends, the gospel, health and lots of hope.

Living our lives can be like running a business

In the process of trying to sell my business, I have been amazed at the lessons I have learned and sometimes I cannot believe how much like real, life running a business is. It seems to me no matter what decision we make, good or bad, it has an impact on someone else around us. We make mistakes, and as we try to recover from those mistakes, we learn to reassess our wants, our priorities, and our needs.
I really need to sell my business, however, as I pray for that outcome, I always remind Heavenly Father that I really want healthy happy children, and grandchildren. I really would prefer that my children stay active in the church and are blessed with strong testimonies. I really want to be able to serve and find the joy in giving to others. So however things turn out with my business, it seems less crucial than the other things that take priority for eternity. So I am not certain Heavenly Father can answer my prayer of selling my business when he knows my priorities. Someone else could argue that he can grant all of these blessings and that we don't have to prioritize. That could also be true, however, my insecurities cause me to list in order the things that I need him to bless me with the most.
The bottom line right now is that I know all will be well in the end. Sometimes enduring to the end is the answer, though difficult, it is the best for us. We may liquidate and have less money, but we can learn to swallow our pride and face the challenges head on. And as Grandma Moon always says, "The scriptures tell us , it came to pass, not it came to stay."

This is the last day in Tallahassee. Though I am so homesick for Howard and cannot wait to see him I will miss this wonderful family and beautiful children. We look so forward to the day when they are back in the west and closer for us to visit.
I attached a new picture of Brody that Josh calls his Chairman Mao uniform. He actually looks like he is a comrade
He is a delightful sweet and gently baby. Olivia is gradually warming up to him and is approaching slowly. She will be an awesome big sister as she is not aggressive and demanding.
This as been a fun ten days. We will see Josh and Sarah in March as we visit New York together and what fun to see how little Brody has changed.