Today's To Do List

1.   Fix/Delete Banner I added yesterday to blog that didn't work so well.
2.   Schedule Riley's dentist appointment for cleaning after 2 year mission.
3.   Confirm Parkers orthodontic appointment for Dec.
4.   Schedule my annual Dr. appt.
5.   Call Pediatric Orthopedic Dr to see if Parker can start putting more weight on left leg (he's tired of being a cripple he says and it doesn't hurt as much).
6.   Go to Auto Parts store and purchase headlight for van.  Have them install!
7.   Schedule visiting teaching for Nov. now!  (since I've been so bad about making an actual visit)
8.   Finish laundry.
9.   Clean hamster cage (with Macey).
10. Give dog a bath.

I have so wanted to blog.  There's always a million other things that I feel I should do before I allow myself or have earned the right to blog.  Somehow that never seems to happen - so alas, I fall behind on the many things I wish to have said and documented of life.  (That and sharing 1 computer with 3 adults in the evening when we all have something we want to do online).

To Albania and Beyond!

October 5, 2011!  What an amazing thing to see our son, Riley, in person after two years apart.

We were so fortunate to be able to spend a week with him in Albania and Kosovo.  I will never regret the decision we made to take this trip.  We would not have been able to fully appreciate his experiences without being able to experience it firsthand ourselves.  We were able to see some of the country and meet some amazing people. 

I took close to 1000 pictures.  How do I go about choosing only a handful of those to share that will convey all that we experienced and all that we felt.

It is hard to believe we have been home a week already.

A Widow's Might! Not As Strong As Mine!

Ooooo!  YUK!  Really?!  YES!!!  There is such a thing!
A Brown Widow.  In Florida!  Read this. Or this.

And we had (3) of them on our back lanai.  And who do you think took care of these awful creatures?  You are correct - ME!  (to give John credit, he offered to do it after work but I didn't want to wait until then)

Several weeks ago after mowing and edging the lawn I was sweeping the lanai.  I saw a couple of spider webs that had what I now know is the egg sack in the web.  I swept the webs down not thinking anything of it.

At our house in Pebblebrooke we always had spider webs at the top high corners of the pool lanai.  They were almost impossible to keep on top of.  They were the result of the 'golden silk banana spider.'  Spiders in Florida is not a new thing.

Well, Macey and her friend, Janiel had been collecting snails (since its been raining here so much lately).  They were creating a 'snail farm' in an old fish tank of ours.  They came bounding into the house with the announcement that we had BROWN WIDOW spider egg sacs on the lanai.

Now, how did these two smart girls know this, you might ask.  My friend Nicole (Janiel's mom) had told me about a month ago that she had killed several - one out front, two in the garage and one on their lanai.  Little did I know (but the girls did) that the distinctive egg sac is the tell-tell sign.  See it here.

The next day after talking to Nicole and deciding not to wait for John's help I headed out back armed with my trusty bug sprayer jug that has a 'pump  action' gun to spray a continuous stream of poison on its victim.

It didn't take long on the first web to determine that the spider was in the very corner of the deck box where the web was a little thicker.  You could just see parts of a couple legs sticking out beyond the cover.  I got ready and sprayed!  It stayed put at first and then it was on the move!  YIKES!  I just kept spraying and spraying and spraying and spraying.  It was a fighter.  Finally it lay on the ground in a puddle all done in.  Thank goodness.  YUK!  Did I say that already.

The 2nd one was even more hidden.  The web was from the top of the bucket the kids stash their swords, balls & stuff in outside and extended to the opening of a plastic watering can we have outside.

I started by spraying inside the opening of the watering can.  Then I noticed a spot where it connected to the bucket that was thicker.  I pumped the sprayer and aimed up under the edge of the bucket and started spraying (without getting too close, I wasn't going to stick my head down far enough to get a look under the edge).  It took a bit of spraying but sure enough - out came the spider!

After triumphing and sharing with my friend she told me they seemed to like the hinge area of the screen door.  I didn't check right away.  I remembered a couple of days later and when I went to check - there it was!  The 3rd one!

I saw the egg sac first and was having a hard time telling if the spider was there. Sure enough.  It was close to the same color as the dark color of the screen door.  I'm not sure if it was a darker Brown Widow Spider or if was indeed a Black Widow Spider.

I stood back and sprayed.  I was worried it would get away since it was up higher.  I was worried it would climb up and I was running out of juice in my trusty sprayer.  It eventually met it's demise and fell to the ground.  Can I say YUK one more time.

The phrase "the eensy, weensy spider went up the water spout" has a completely new creepy crawly eerie meaning now. 

Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel - Push Along

Tue, Jun 21, 2011

"Our week went really well, A lot of things happened really fast and we were able to see Joe and Paulette be baptized with two of the kids!  That was amazing, and I'm really sorry we didn't have time to go to our apartment so I can't send pictures.  The Daniels have investigated the Church for forever, and members of the ward even pitched in to but the three kids quads and Paulette and buy Joe the XLG print trio + bible, and I took a video of that on my camera.

Mon, Jun 27, 2011
This is the picture Elder Austin Smith wasn't able to send last week of the Daniel family's baptism.  The family had asked members of the ward to perform the baptism.

Wed, Jul 13, 2011
"It's a miracle to see what ward fellowship does to help our investigators progress towards baptism, it is VERY important."

Mon, Jul 18, 2011

We received this letter in the mail this afternoon and read it together during FHE.  Elder Austin Smith is so not about being in the spotlight.  He didn't even mention this in his weekly email. 

Instead this is part of what his letter said and in regards to his new 'greenie' companion -

"This week has been great!  We got twenty lessons, I don't know how.  My companion is very ambitious, we've been setting goals on how many Books of Mormon we're going to give away, and it's been going very well.  We're planning on going to a real estate office today to organize our area more, something I've been meaning to do for a while.  I guess we will see what happens - Elder Lopez sees opportunity in everything, it's really neat."

He also included,  "Caleb Daniels is getting baptized this Saturday."  (He is the son of the Daniel's family shown above that wasn't baptized last month at the same time as his dad, mom and other two siblings).

Doctrine & Covenants 133:37

Doctrine & Covenants 133:37 reads, "And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."

On May 30, 2011 - Elder Riley Smith wrote us:

"I forgot to mention that the area presidency has also received permission to send elders into Kosovo.  Elders Klein and Norris will be opening the country for proselyting this Wednesday.  It's interesting how things have worked out.  I'll forward you the letter that President sent us.  They will be sending a new missionary to Kosovo once every transfer (because the Church isn't recognized in Kosovo, missionaries can only stay as tourists for 90 days in a 180 day period).  Love, Elder Riley Smith"

Date: Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 3:59 AM
Subject: Re: Sunday, July 10, 2011

Good Morning!

Wow, it's a hot one.  Albania is just as hot and humid as Florida.  The other day it was supposedly 108.  The last two nights I've gone home and gotten in the shower because I feel disgusting.

This last week we had interviews with President Ford.  He really is a great guy and I'm positive that we'll see progress in our missionary efforts with his direction.  When he first came, he made a very true comment: "Each Mission President adds something."  It's really true.  He commented one some of the things that President Neil added to our mission culture.  It is obvious that he will also have an impact on that culture.

In interviews President told me that he would send me assistant with Elder Moyes if we weren't leaving at the same time.  He said he would do it anyway if he wasn't a new mission President.  He said that because he's a new mission President he needs the over lap between assistants so that they can help him more.  We had transfer calls on Friday.  I was interested to see where they'd send me. 

This will be my last Monday in Albania.  I'll be going to Kosovo.  I'll be the third missionary in Kosovo, and the first Branch President. It's a little intimidating.  I'm afraid of the language.  It's different that Albanian Albanian.  they have a different accent and use different words.  Elder Klein told me that it's not that bad.  I'm also afraid of being Branch President.  I'm not really sure what a Branch President does, but I imagine I've got a pretty good idea.  I got better at a couple of things while I was in the office.  One of those things is controlling and dealing with new situations.  

Last week was a good week.  I figured that I'd be leaving so we made visits to members and old investigators.  I took pictures of most of them.

Last Monday, there was a baptism.  It's the zone leaders responsibility to get everything ready for the baptism.  We weren't super happy about that, but in the end it worked out.  We had the Elders doing the baptism come spend some time watching the font (the heater doesn't work very well; it shuts off by itself sometimes).

President Apostolli is the second counselor in the district presidency.  He's a super awesome guy.  He's very good at handling teaching moments with tact so that people are willing to be taught.  He lives with his mother. She is 91 years old.  She's actually originally from Macedonia.  They're both amazing people.

We went out to the Lami family.  They're still awesome.  The dad just got a white shirt and tie.  He's so proud of himself.  I got to see the mom (Rajmonda) and son (Angelo) that just got baptized.  They weren't at Church this last Sunday, but she was busy. They're super poor and they don't have any source of income so she is taking a course to become a hair dresser.  They still have lots of faith.

On Sunday we went to see the Cara family with Elder and Sister Stacey.  The Cara's have to daughters (23 and 25) and we wanted the Stacey's to meet them.  The Stacey's are over the Center for Young Single Adults.  We had a really good lesson.  We invited them back to Church by telling them how much we need them.  They do everything that a member family should, except come to Church. They want to come back. And eventually they will.

So far this morning, we went and played frisbee and got haircuts.  We're going to go bowling as well.  Sorry, I didn't get the letters for Parker and Macey written, but they're coming.

This week during my personal study I've been reading the Book of Mormon.  I've also been reading "Marvelous Work and a Wonder".   At first the book didn't really do it for me, but over time some of the comments have really grown on me.  I've particularly liked this most recent part.  Legrand Richards talks about all the prophecies made in the scriptures and how many of those have been fulfilled.  It really is amazing to look at all those promises that the Lord has made and see them fulfilled in this, His Church.  The words in the scriptures really are the words of the prophets.  And those words will happen.  As those prophecies and words are fulfilled, their words really do stand as a witness for God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

With only three months left a lot of people start getting trunky.  I have thought about home quite a lot.  It's hard not to.  But, instead of becoming trunky in the last little bit, I've started feeling more like I did back in the MTC.  I feel more... energized to do missionary work.  And I have more hope of the possible outcomes of my efforts.  Don't worry too much about me.  I was built to work, and that's what I'll keep doing.  I don't know what I'd do with myself if I wasn't working.

Well, I have to go.  I love you all.  Have a great week.

Love,

Elder Riley Smith.

Permission Request!

I need someone to give me permission to spend an entire day doing nothing but updating the blog with the many simple events the last couple of months have been made up of.  I get up in the morning and think if I can just get this, this and this done then I'll LET myself blog a bit.  Somehow I never seem to get to that point.  Somehow today is already Thursday.

Monday - regroup from the weekend - laundry, job lists and more, appt with John and then lunch, hair-cut and hi-lite, friends for dinner, FHE and games.

Tuesday - Alli Gator to the groomer, cleaning, moved TV from garage to Parker's room all by ourselves, sewing project w/Macey and friend (skirt - so cute)(For Macey's bday - her friend, Janiel, gave here this fabric, a pattern for a skirt, matching thread & elastic and the promise to sew one with her.  Janiel's mom is a pro-sewer!  What a great gift! I would never have thought of that.), start replacement claim for missionary clothing items to missionary mall, pouring rain, scout physical for Parker, late dinner.

Wednesday- Made a short list of 'have-to-get-dones'!
1.  Missionary Mall Warranty claim for Austin on both pairs of shoes, charcoal suit pants, black suit pants and both pairs of washable black slacks -mmmm; 

2.  Set-up HP printer to print (call if necessary); 
3.  Check on flights to potential destinations - WA state, UT, Albania, NY (Hill Cumorah pageant), Washington, DC (Parker's dream vacation).
4.  Get box fans from girls camp back to Marji.
5.  Schedule eye appt for Parker. 

I did accomplish the first (4).  Along with making a run for groceries to Publix at 9am in my pj's before I launched into 'the list.'  Mainly because Parker & Macey were distraught that I didn't have anything they thought suitable for breakfast.  Once the cupboard was stocked with their favorite box of cereal - Parker, Cocoa Pebbles and Macey, Captain Crunch Berries; plenty of mac 'n cheese, a few cans of ravioli, along with some healthier choices - deli meat & cheese, lettuce, strawberries and blueberries, almonds, yogurt, granola bars, etc, the day could begin.

**Marji dropped off her son, Kyle to keep Parker entertained during my focus time.
**Nicole brought Janiel over for Macey to hang out with.
**Parker went to another friends mid-day to spend the night.
**I took the girls to the pool for an hour.  It poured down buckets & buckets of rain.
**They didn't let that stop them.  There wasn't any thunder or lightening so they got to really enjoy it!
**I finally took a shower and got dressed for the day at 6pm (don't tell anyone)!
**We dropped Janiel off on our way to YW movie night.
**We thought 'Legacy' was a good choice since most the girls had just been on TREK.
**They had made a bday cake for ME!  Thank goodness there were a limited number of candles.  I had a hard time blowing the few out!  We had such a good time hanging out with the girls - Macey & I didn't get home till after 9pm.

Thursday - Today!  It's 10:30am.  I've switched laundry, done some dishes, had Macey comb her hair, and *gasp* blogged a little!  It literally would take me all day to catch up a bit and that isn't on my 'to-do' list for today.  I will have to save that for another day.  At least I made a token attempt and had a little fun doing it!  Hope it continues to be a great day!

Kicking It To The Curb!

Kicking it to the curb - one garbage at a time. Thought I'd try my hand at getting some Spring Cleaning done.  I'm a little behind, but better late than never.  Got this one to the trash and have another large black garbage bag full to drop off at Goodwill.  This was (1) day and (1)bathroom and linen closet!  Why do I need sheets and such for a full bed when we don't even have a full bed anymore.  Yea for me!