Sister vs. Elder

So Mike and I have this ongoing bet of whose missionary homecoming talk is better. (Until recently I thought we were going to have to wait until we got to heaven to resolve this.) We both claim to have 1. brought most of the congregation to tears 2. received many, many compliments from ward members and 3. were asked to give the talk numerous times afterwards to different wards in the stake. Mike said he used note card for his talk, so there is no text copy of it. I wrote mine out word for word, so we do have a text copy, but it doesn’t do the talk justice, you can’t hear the emotion or feel the power coming from me while I’m speaking, so we could never be quite sure whose talk was better. However, today while I was looking in my mom’s closet, I found a tape labeled Suzie’s Homecoming Talk. Boy was I excited. I’m going to play it for Mike, so we can once and for all put this to rest. When he hears this talk, he is not going to be able to argue anymore. It has spirituality, comedy, heart-wrenching stories about faith and love, poems, quotes by famous church members and so much more. It is going to be so awesome, oh I can’t wait to rub it in his face.

PS. As I said, a text copy doesn’t do the talk justice but for those of you who are dying to read it, I can send you a copy. :-)

Black Friday

I’ve always heard about this shopping day and thought the people who would get up in the middle of the night to save a few bucks on Christmas presents were crazy, not to mention that these same people have to fight it out amongst other crazy people to be the first in line to get all these great Christmas deals. Little did I know it was actually quite fun and I think I’ll do it again next year. My sister-in-law, Pam invited me to go with her and her sisters. (It’s a family tradition for them.) Pam told me they had studied all the ads and had the whole day planned out of where we would go to find the best deals. At first I was a little hesitant, anyone that knows me, knows I am not a morning person and the idea of waking up at 3:00am to go shopping at Wal-Mart of all places, almost made me pass on the adventure, but I thought what the heck I need to try it at least once. We arrived early so that we could scope out the place and plant ourselves in front of the item we wanted most for when the sale started at 5:00am. There was a big group of us, so we all stood at different items so that one person could grab the item from everybody. I was right next to the item I wanted (I can’t tell you what it was because it is a present for someone who reads this blog) so that when the clock struck 5:00am, I could reach forward and grab it. I only panicked slightly, right at 5:00am when the crowd surged forward and I felt like I was going to be crushed on the floor of Wal-Mart against a cardboard display (that is not how I would like to die) but all was well and I was able to grab a few of the items for myself and those in my party and get out safe and sound. Pam and her sisters have it down to a science, so while everyone was grabbing items another person made there way up to the front of the store to get in line to check out, so that we could rush to our next store. (This experience was all new to me, but for you regular Black Friday shoppers I am sure you are thinking, what an amateur. Don’t worry I’m a quick learner and was ready at the next store.) After Wal-Mart we made our way over to Target. Unlike Wal-Mart though, Target is not open 24 hours, so you had to wait outside in the cold, since I already had my big ticket item, I stayed in my warm car until the store opened. However, when it did I made a mad dash inside. It was crazy, people were jammed packed in the aisles and the toy section, well forget about it, it was insane. Lucky for me, I was headed for the sporting goods section which wasn’t too bad. From Target we went to Smith’s Marketplace where the big shopping item there was socks for 50% off. Surprisingly socks and tights were on my list of things to buy, so I went to town. By the time we checked out it was 8:00am and I was dead tired. I parted ways with Pam and her sisters to go home and take a nap. Next year, I'll have more stamina and join them for the whole day. They didn’t finish until 3:00pm. Some of the other stores they visited were; Bed Bath and Beyond, Sears, Bath and Bodyworks, Shopko, Linens and Things, and I don’t know how many more. I added up my savings and it was over $125.00 and I was only buying for two people. I will definitely be back again next year to join with all the crazy people who shop on Black Friday.


I had a good experience, I just thought this picture was funny.

I got a Job

After staying home for a month, I decided I had too much time on my hands and needed to get out and do something, so I got a job. (I know what you’re thinking and yeah, I probably am crazy.) Anyway, after I made my list of requirements; that it be part time, I get to choose my hours, it's NOT retail and the job site be within 10 miles of our house, I found one that fit the bill, well actually Mike did. The old adage is true; it's not what you know, but who you know, because Mike got me a job working for DSD. It is so much fun to be able to work with him again, though we don’t car pool (his hours aren’t as flexible as mine and really, who wants to start work at 8:00 in the morning, not me) we do get to go to lunch together and I get to give him smooches at his desk when no one is looking.

Dinner Group Dinner

Instead of bringing dinner to us on Tuesday, Cassie invited us and the Barnes Family to dinner at her house. It was a lot of fun to get together, plus she made a delicious dinner. It was also fun to get to know everyone better too. I mean we deliver dinner every week to each other, so it was nice to be able find out more about everybody's family.

Hacking Estate

In May my Grandpa Hacking passed away. My aunt has been diligently working with the attorney to get his estate settled and in mid-October she invited each of the children (I was the representative for the Marilyn H Beesley Family) to attend an estate meeting. We discussed a whole bunch of things and were able to get a lot of questions answered and issues cleared up. It was a great experience to be with my uncle and aunts and to be able to discuss the wonderful legacy my grandpa and grandma left behind. The part I enjoyed the most was dividing up the household items. My aunt is purchasing my grandpa’s house, so a lot of the items will be staying there for us to continue to use and enjoy on our visits out to Vernal, but I was also able to take a few items that I could have at my house. I spent many wonderful days of my life playing in the house and on the farm with my cousins and enjoying the time with my grandma and grandpa. I wanted to be able to have a few items that would always remind me of those special memories. Here are a few of the treasures I picked out.

A Swiss bell from my Grandpa's collection.


Dolls (My Grandma crocheted the dress on the blond doll.)


My Grandma's writing desk.