Congrats!!

This is my brother Quinn's family (minus Quinn). Jamie just had their fifth child yesturday. They are still deciding on how to spell Savannah Gray's name. Correct spelling or not, everyone seems glad she is here. Well, except Alena (the youngest). At least in other pictures I saw, Alena seems unsure. Congratulations Alena, Jamie, Amber, Tanner, Jaden and Quinn!!

Pink Christmas

"We Had A Pi....nk Christma...s Without You........"This is what Christmas morning looked like at our house. The little girls Santa gifts dominated the floor. And they were very excited at what they saw. Keddi is a Disney Princess girl and this year she got a bedspread and sheets for her birthday that set a monster in motion. I never thought I'd do it, but the little girls room is now being dominated with not just pink, but princesses to go with it!

Along with the table and kitchen, they got a set of Lincoln Logs which they had really enjoyed at their cousins over Thanksgiving. To top things off, Couisn Garron had Shinara's name this year and he thought a set would be the best gift for her. Thank heaven he sent that set too because it just wouldn't have been enough for several of us to build things all at once!!!

Our reader, Mardi, received the whole set of some books she had started reading and was very excited to get started on the second book of the series. She has been out of school and misses the library time she gets each week. Tersa was thoughful enough to bring her a book from her school to keep her occupied for a while.

Tersa got an i-pod. Her CD player stopped working some time ago and really went through batteries quickly. Both of the older girls wanted a Nintendo DS (they aren't little girls anymore) but books and i-pod were desired and appreciated too.

Tersa and Joel made our traditional (as of three or four years ago) french toast Christmas breakfast. They cut the bread diagonally and then stack the triangles on each other to make them look like a tree. Bacon serves as the trunk and an orange in a top corner, as a sun. The tree is then sprinkled with a little bit of green sprinkles followed by some powdered sugar. They are too cute!

We enjoyed having Uncle Mitchel with us for Christmas and were grateful for the gifts that were sent to him so that he could be included. Thank you to everyone that sent gifts. We hope ours got to you! And thanks to those who sent cards. We enjoyed hearing about your year and your families. But we are especially grateful to have been thought of by you!

Bowling

The little girls got to go bowling for the second time in their lives (I believe) on Monday. (The lights are what we did Sunday night. Not for FHE.) Joel was home for the day and we went bowling and then to In-N-Out Burger for lunch. Shinara and Keddi are getting big enough to haul their own balls. They enjoyed it. Mardi bowled a great game and Joel was able to pull it out in the end. But the rest of us need more than one game so that the first one is a warm up game!!

Christmas Lights

For Family Night this week we drove around some of the neighborhoods around ours to see the Christmas lights that people have displayed. Wow, some people go all out! We only drove around for about 20 minutes or so and at the end of those 20 min. we came out of a neighborhood that stopped at a street that runs along the gate to our neighborhood. You have to turn left or right and there are no houses along the street. As Joel came to a stop Shinara sighed and said "Well, that's it for tonight!" We busted out laughing!! Was the four year old tired of sitting in the car and wanted to go home? Were the lights just not entertaining enough? Or did she observe that there were no more houses and we must be done? Joel's youngest brother Mitchel is with us (has been since Sat. morning) and Shinara can't get enough of him. Perhaps she was done for the night because she couldn't hang on his arm, request to be picked up or sit in his lap. She is going to love him to death I tell ya and by the time he leaves on Jan. 2nd, he will have had enough of us!
We hope everyones Christmas was fabulous!!!! I will catch you up on ours over the next few days!

Christmas Concert

Tersa played viola in her first ever concert on the 19th. Of course I took pictures.....from the bleachers.....in the gym. The flourescent lighting just wasn't enough and the two pictures I took were very blurry. (You can imagine my frustration at not thinking that may be a problem and getting some pictures before the performance.) She has enjoyed learning the viola and her teacher had nothing but nice things to say about her when we met him earlier in the school year. But in true Tersa style, I don't think she will continue next year. She wants to help in the Deans office next year. Tersa likes to try new things all the time.

Duck Park

We have visited this park before but a few things were different this visit so I decided to post these pictures anyway. For one thing, Tersa didn't came because she is still in school. Jr. High and High School are not on tracks and they don't get off until today. (Oh we went to the park this past Monday morning.) Also, we have a dog and decided to take her. She had a blast running around and dragging Mardi along with her. Mardi got a work out for sure. Angie only showed mild interest in the fowl and because she wanted to run around, it made it difficult for Mardi to be able to feed the ducks and geese.

Which brings me to the other thing that made this visit different than our first one. We took bread. Shinara and Keddi were thouroughly entertained and loved every minute of it. But we also learned a life lesson. Rather, Shinara learned one.

As you can see in this picture, some of the larger birds necks would come way up the wall and the girls would put the bread right in thier mouths. One goose took the bread right from Shinara's hand and if you'd heard the sound she made after it did, you'd have thought the bird took a finger too. It did get her finger, but didn't do any damage. Evidently the hard beak coming down on an unsuspecting four year old finger was a shock. She felt betrayed and howled about how the bird had bit her. I explained that the bird was just getting the bread and had no idea it hurt her. She needed to be careful and drop the bread from a safer distance but the whole thing had been an accident. She believed me and returned to the activity she had found so enjoyable up to that point and we had no more incidents!! We headed over to the playground for a while before heading home.

Fall

It was fall today. The leaves on the trees have been yellowing for the last month or so and today we had wind that blew them off. We have started wearing our jackets when we leave the house (well o.k. the kids have to be reminded that it's "winter" now and are sent back in for their jackets most of the time.) And today we enjoyed a beautiful 60 degrees and the wind was on the warmer side. My sister-in-law posted pictures of her family in the 10 inches of snow they got at their house in Michigan. I've decided that is the way I like to enjoy the snow......pictures!!

PAAARRRTTYYY!!!

Scott Flinders, Joel, Justin Wilson, Mandy Wilson, Sue Barney, Matt Barney and Jen Flinders (ducking). For several years now the Flinders have invited us for a Christmas party at their house. The Wilsons are in their ward as are the Barneys and most of the party guests this year. Jen also invited a woman she met through soccer and her husband to join us. Jen invited more people than other years and it was fun to have new blood. We had food galore and the conversation was so loud and animated sometimes that you probably would have had a hard time choosing Joel and I & the other couple as "outsiders." Everyone was very friendly and we have always counted ourselves blessed to have participated in this event for so many years! Thanks Flinders for another great party!

Wilson F.H.E.

Some of you may have been taken back at first by the boys in the picture. Connor and Braeden Wilson now have a baby sister but she was in her car seat snoozing when we took this.
We had our annual Barber/Wilson Christmas Family Home Evening this last Monday. We exchanged gifts and spent 3 hours together. Time goes so fast when we get together! We love them like family and are so grateful to have them as friends. The children get along great and remind us when we haven't spent time together in a while. The boys went bowling recently and loved it. Mandy said that they suggested that we need to have a bowling F.H.E together because that would be so fun!!

Christmas Boxes addendum

Some wanted to know what was in the boxes. This year there were shortbread cookies, salt water taffy-peppermint, a candy assortment, chocolate covered graham crackers (so good), chocolate covered cherries, chocolate mint truffles (also so very yummy), peanut butter pretzels (which we haven't gotten to) and our favorite goodie that we discovered only through having these boxes.....Chocolate moose munch. This year we got dark and milk chocolate. It's carmel corn and cashews mixed with some of each that is covered in chocolate. Fabulous

Christmas Boxes

For the last few years, Joel has come home with a set of four gift boxes from Harry and David which were sent to him by a client. It occurred to him that his job change would mean no boxes this year. I shrugged my shoulders and moved on but Joel wanted to continue this tradition. I thought he was out of his mind, knowing how expensive those boxes can be. But he thought the girls would miss it and especially after I told him that Tersa realized there would be no boxes this year, he was determined. As luck would have it, there is a Harry and David at the outlet mall and while we were there doing some shopping, we bought a set. The girls enjoyed unwrapping their box and sharing the contents for another year.

Christmas Fiesta

Our Ward party was on Sat. night and was a "fiesta", which just means that we had enchiladas, tamales and nachos for dinner with churros for dessert. We socialized and the Activity girls did a skit (which only entailed them reading some lines and scriptures and singing "Samuel tells of baby Jesus.") Then the rest of the primary children sang the "Nativity Song" from the children's handbook. The song mentions aspects of the nativity one by one...the star, the angel, the stable, etc.... As each line was sung, the children (who were dressed up) would file out in front of the stable "set" and with each line we "built" a nativity. Keddi was an angel, Shinara a shepherd and Mardi got to be Mary. They sang beautifully and brought the spirit into our Christmas party. I didn't get any pictures because I was behind the children directing them when to go to their places and helping them remember the words. I wish Joel had thought to get some pictures, but to get close enough to make them any good would probably have been distracting.

Christmas Spirit

We believe in having Christmas Spirit, but Wow..... Joel thinks Shinara went a bit too far.
I just don't have the right camera for taking low light pictures of children! They move too quickly.

Anyway, here are some of my Christmas decorations around my new mantel! Joel got it done for me to be able to decorate on. It needs some touch-up but is sufficient for now.

We hope everyone else is getting ready for and feeling the excitement of the Christmas season. Our weather will cool again this weekend and will feel a little more like winter. Have a safe weekend. We love you!

Thanksgiving concluded

On the Sat. of our vacation we went to a nearby school and played on the equipment for a while. The kids rode bikes and scooters and Randall brought a remote controlled helicopter. On the blacktop was a huge game of Chutes and Ladders which Lindsay brought dice for and we played with the younger kids. They had enough fun that we played twice and Keddi and I played one more time.


This tree was in the front yard and these kids were in it all the time!! Shinara and Mathias (the four year olds) got the older kids to help them into it a few times, but the ones who could get up there by themselves were there quite often. We so enjoyed the fact that there was a back yard to play in too and Keddi spent a large amount of time entertaining herself out there!

We had so much fun that the kids have talked of moving one family or the other nearer. Sorry guys, but California is too expensive, you'll have to come to Vegas! We had so much fun and are really enjoying the tradition of spending Thanksgiving with you. (And any other excuse that can be made for getting together!)

Happy Birthday Joel

14 years ago I met the man this baby had become. Quite a change in stature I know! But also changes in spirit and personality. I never knew this boy, but there are some things that evidently haven't changed.
Joel is still very intelligent and it is still easy for him to aquire and retain knowledge. He is still analytical and contemplative. He has a quick mind and wit. His humor is not ment to hurt, but simply to entertain himself. If others find it funny...bonus! Joel is driven to do a job well and does so in many aspects of his life. He is loyal and good.

Some things have changed.

Joel's ambitions for his career changed with the birth of his first born. He better understands the love of a father for his children. He is patient and kind toward them; a friend that they turn to. He has learned to live with a woman, one with all the stereotypes of being a woman, and does so with humor (sometimes ill-timed) and gentleness.
Whatever you know about this boy or man, know this... He is someone that is very loved and looked up to. He is dependable and quick to be of service. He knows God and leads his family the best he knows how. He loves his family and his friends and recognizes the blessing you are in his life.

San Fransisco

We went into San Fran the day after Thanksgiving. We packed a picnic lunch and sat on these hard steps. The beautiful grass all around us was a bit wet, which didn't stop the kids from rolling down a hill opposite where we were sitting! The seagulls joined us for lunch and one even got away with a bag of chips. I think Garron chased it down and got the bag away from it.

After eating we checked out the water and a guy who was stacking the rocks on the beach. Evidently he does this for a living of sorts. Randy said he is famous on the internet. People pay him. It was rather amazing to see how he stacked the rocks and how patient he was about getting them just right so they would stay.

We were practically under the Golden Gate Bridge when we walked to an old fort nearby. We got there a little too late to actually tour it or even get a real good look around but it was cool anyway. Then we drove up onto the bridge and walked across some of it. The moon came out way before it got dark and I thought it was cool right over Alchatraz. On the way back from the fort, a sailboat added to the scenery and with the new colors I decided I needed another picture.

Thanksgiving Day

We had our Thanksgiving dinner with the Hahns at a nearby Stake Center. Ronny and Jen were in town with their kids, Sarah and Carrie were in from school at BYU Idaho (Randy's family) and Mitchel came from the base he is stationed at in Southern California. We had visitors stop in too.



The food was excellent and surprisingly, the kids entertained themselves and each other with only a few things. Most of their time was spent on the stage and they organized a play for us. (That was done in Lake Tahoe too and is now a bit of a tradition I guess.) The adults sat and talked, called other family members and played in the gym with the kids occasionally. It is wonderful to get together with people that you are loosely related to in this life and find that you enjoy their company and appreciate their spirits, making being away from family you know a bit more bearable. Thanks Hahns for including us in your family holiday!


Sarah is Randy's baby sister, but the only reason she is sitting at the kids table with my girls is because they asked her to. She and Carrie were so sweet to the children and played with them. Uncle Mitchel provided many shoulder rides and climbing (on him) experiences. And a friend of Lindsays brought the girls a bag of "girl goodies". I am grateful for people, family or not, who love my children and show it through the way they treat them.

We're back

The fifth graders have to do a report every year and to present it to family and friends they have a "Wax Museum" where they set up the poster boards and dress up as the person they did their report about. Mardi did Pocahontas. She got almost 100% on the report and we will find out her grade on the presentation after returning to school at the begining of the year. Our big let down was that I was sure the paper we got said the presentations would last from 5:30-6:30 and I arrived with the other girls just after six. (Joel was still trying to get there.) There were far too many parking spaces available and just after I parked, Tersa said that Mardi was there. They finished at 6:00 and we had missed it! I felt so badly for her and angry at the same time. She was sure the paper we'd gotten had said 6:30 also and she was crying. A friends mom stopped to talk in the parking lot and complimented her on her poses for the "wax" part which I thought was very sweet of her. She knew Mardi was upset.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I will have lots to catch up on next week when we return from California. We get to spend Thanksgiving with Joel's sister Lindsay and her family, Joel's brother Mitchell is coming and we are actually having Thanksgiving dinner at the Hahn's (Lindsay's in-laws.) We can't wait! We had such fun with them when we went to Lake Tahoe. But, for those who know me, you know the 9-10 hour drive is gonna about kill me!!! At least we aren't going through snow!

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Harvest Festival

We had our ward harvest festival this last friday. Another thing that I am glad to have over. (This one we got to plan without a second counselor to bear some of the burden.)

We made wanted posters and used them as part of our decoration. We had a desert scene on one wall with a hitching post, old saddles and straw where people were able to get pictures with their families.

Food consisted of shredded beef sandwiches, baked beans, cole slaw, green and fruit salads, dutch oven potatoes and apple cobbler with ice cream. Yum!!

It was a bit stressful since some people didn't follow through on the assignments they agreed to take on and several people did not show up with the food they offered to bring. To top it off, we planned for 120 people and many more showed up. But we had activities for the children and lots of people said they had a great time. Mission accomplished.

The other side of the Barbers

Keddi wanted to be Jasmine this year and for some reason switched to this. But we are back to wanting to be one of the princesses next year. We shall see. Gone are the pretty costumes days for this girl I think!

School Halloween parties

Shinara's preschool is held at a High School and most of the "teachers" in there are students. They took the kids to several classrooms around the school to Trick-or-Treat. The teachers got a kick out of seeing the different costumes, but most of the kids in the classes seemed bored about the whole thing. (Perhaps they didn't have time to get out of the stupor they'd been in while their teacher was talking.) Anyway, Shinara enjoyed the comments she got occasionaly about how cute she looked and when we returned to class there were plenty of goodies to choose from for snack. She actually wasn't that interested in food. She wanted to do preschool stuff. So she went off to play.

Thank heaven that Shinara's party was held on Tuesday because Keddi's was on Wednesday and that day was already packed with things for me to do! Shinara came with me to Keddi's class and was included in the activities they had for the children. They decorated cookies first, went to a different table to eat them and have some juice, then played some Halloween Bingo and finished off with making tootsie pop ghosts. The elementary school kids had not been allowed to wear their costumes and were encouraged to wear black and orange instead. Mardi's class only had doughnuts at one point to celebrate. Tersa elected not to go to school in costume and she was not allowed to attend the dance after school which was their way of celebrating. We told her that the church allows dance attendance after the age of 14. But she may be allowed to go next year because the acitvity was more like a carnival than a dance!

We weren't familiar with Halloween goings on at school because we have always been on our track break. This year we will be missing Christmas stuff, much to Keddi's dissappointment.

Happy Halloween

This year was a bit different for us because Tersa went Trick-or-treating with a friend this year, in another neighborhood! I wasn't going to let her go. I'm shocked at how many teenage kids go after their early teens. But she went and had fun. I think we will be hosting parties when the girls get too old to go from house to house. (And when we have the room to host them!) Anyway, here are their costumes. Keddi lost all the love for her character after I painted her face. She thought she couldn't move the muscles in her face. We got her over that so that she could cackle and then she found it frustrating to ride her broom, keep her hat on and keep up with Shinara and Mardi.

Shinara began the night with gusto, running from house to house and telling people to have a good night, commenting to them about their decorations and trying to show me what she'd been given at each house. After just two streets she slowed down on her own and by the time we got to the back of the neighborhood she was done! I had to carry her bucket between houses on the last two streets and all the way home because it had gotten so full. But they enjoyed themselves and are stocked for the next several months! Not many people came by the house so we are stocked too. (Not good.) And there is talk of what we will be on the next halloween...then the second...and the third.

The passing of Tiny

Five years ago at a ward Harvest Festival, one of the carnival games prizes was goldfish. Between that harvest festival and one at the school, we ended up with 8 fish. So we bought a tank, rock, food, etc.. and we finally had pets. (Mardi had waited so long.) They began dying almost immediately. But several lived for a good long time. Tiny outlived them all and has been living alone for probably two years or so now. (He's the one at the top of this picture.) He began to act weird a couple of days ago and Mardi was very emotional. Yesturday he died and last night Joel conducted a burial in the bathroom with Mardi, Keddi and Shinara looking on. Shinara began to bawl. She had told me several times over the last two days that she prayed for Tiny. After the second time of telling me I decided we needed to talk about death. (An emotional time in which we had to pull out pictures of my grandma who died a couple of years ago.) Well, she was inconsolable as she looked at Tiny in the toilet. I asked what was the matter and she said "I don't want Tiny to be gross!" We pointed out that Tiny was the only thing in the toilet at the time and that fish like the water and needed to be flushed. After a few minutes the sobs subsided and with tears, she and Keddi flushed tiny. (Mardi decided to leave before the deed was done. Shinara's outburst caused her to be very emotional again.) Mardi unplugged the tank and will need to get it cleaned out since we won't be replacing the fish.

Last night (after the funeral) we got a call from Joel's sister Lindsay. They had a pretty good earthquake (they live south of San Fransisco) yesturday and phone lines were down. They are fine and from what she told us, the boys thought it was quite fun as the house shook. I imagine there will be lessons about earthquakes and earthquake safety in the near future at their house! We are glad y'all are alright!!!

SUSHI

Several weeks ago we convinced some friends to go to a new sushi place we frequent because we love the sushi rolls. We had talked about it with them before and Scott was excited but Jen wasn't. She said "Oh now, I don't know. I'm southern...food should be cooked!" She was a good sport though and she tried what we gave her. But a piece of our favorite roll went in her mouth and came right back out again. It had raw salmon on top and she just couldn't do it. But there were others that she tried and actually liked. (The cooked ones.) Anyway, I tell you this to preface the following picture. I didn't get a picture of Jen but this captures both Jen's and Shinara's feelings about sushi rolls!

The older girls like sushi rolls and Joel has been wanting to take them. I fed the little girls pasta before we went so that if they didn't like it, they wouldn't be hungry. It looks like we will need to wait a few years and try again, but, like Jen, the little girls were great sports and tried everything that we asked them to.

Primary Program

Thank heaven it's over! I'm going to vent for just a moment. I was called as 1st counselor in the primary presidency in March. The president put me over music, nursery, sunbeams and writing the primary program. Here's the problem. Since February of this year we have been without a chorister. For most of the year we have been without a pianist. A fabulous lady in our ward offered to sub as the chorister until one got called. That was 5 months ago. Then last month, our third or fourth pianist for the year up and moved. Sis. Martin (the permanent sub) plays the piano. So, she moved to playing and I found myself leading the music every week trying to prepare the children for the program. The children didn't know the songs that well because of the lack of having an actual chorister that the children identified with as the chorister. It makes a huge difference to children when they can identify who the teacher is. They listen and learn better. To add to that, we only had 20-25 children participate. (We have a way too small primary!)

The children pulled off a fabulous program. Unfortunately because the microphone is "testy" alot of the talks and parts were lost on a lot of people, but the spirit was strong. There are a few little girls that sing their little hearts out and two of them belong to me. Keddi and her friend Sage always sing at the top of their lungs, which might normally be a bit irreverent, but if they didn't, no one would know what the children were singing about!! But yesturday, they were a bit subdued and it was Shinara that would sing out the words she knew best. And from what I understand, she added some dancing and bench climbing too. I use alot of hand signals to remind the children of the words and she acted many of them out right along with me. What are ya gonna do? Yes I was standing out in front of them but did not see most of Shinara's performance because I had to concentrate on leading and bringing in certain parts....

Anyway, I'm exhausted and glad to have it over. But I still have no chorister, and now they want the children to do a program in the ward christmas party. I'm going to turn them down for a song in sacrament if I don't get someone called soon though! I now have two pianists, who already have callings, and Sis. Martin is one of them. I guess I will still have to lead the music . Oy!

School Harvest Festival

Why Supergirl?
Ya got me! While looking at costumes in Party City, Shinara spotted super girl...for $30.
NO WAY!
I explained that it was just too much money and my sweet girl, (like her sisters who have heard that before) said "o.k. Mama" and hung her head, just slightly, in rejection. I went home and scanned the internet in search of a supergirl that wasn't quite so much. To no avail.
Meanwhile... Mardi was able to choose Pochahontas for a school project which they have to dress up for. She decided that's what she would be for Halloween too. So I went to Wal-Mart and looked in everyone of their costumes isles, from front to back, for an indian costume. With only five rows left, I came across a Supergirl costume that was size 4-6. She had decided she could be superman or batman?!?!? if need be and here lay the only Supergirl costume in the store....in her size. I almost put it back amongst the costumes where I'd found it. But as the youngest of four, she will have to "do with" alot of hand-me-downs. She doesn't ask for much and how often can you do something that brings utter joy to someone else? I called to her and showed her the costume. I was not dissappointed. Elation spread over her little face as I asked if she'd like to be Supergirl for Halloween. (It was still more than I like to spend but the others' costumes were not costing much this year as Tersa is wearing something she'd worn before and Keddi is also wearing something from my costume box.) Anyway, as you can see, she loves it!
The Harvest Festival at the elemenatry school took place Fri. night. Neither Tersa (Diva) or Mardi (puppy- same as last year) are dressed as they will be for halloween and Keddi didn't have her green face because I didn't realize we'd thrown away our face paint. (Wicked Witch of the West. Quite a change for her not to be something glittery and pretty!) The festival didn't have the variety of things to do this year which was a bit dissappointing, but both Shinara and Tersa won cakes (oh goody!) and the girls enjoyed themselves. We were there far longer than Joel cared to be but we like it when he comes with us.

In case you're wondering.

The site I got my last background from has had to quit. She was unwittingly using copy-written pages for the backgrounds that she had the right to use for her own blog but not to use in creating backgrounds and letting others use. Bummer.

No big deal

My 37th birthday came and went and I am no worse for the wear. (It is increasingly difficult to rise at 6:15 in the morning with everything working right as soon as I wake.)
In my family we always ask what you did for your birthday, as though it is occasion to do things that only happen on this one day a year. Well, that may be the case sometimes, but not this year. The girls made me a card before going to school. I did laundry and running around, found this beautiful arrangement at the door when I got home, did homework when the girls got home and when I went to prepare dinner I realized I hadn't gotten the fixings out of the freezer. So I decided that Joel and I were going out for sushi. That didn't take long and we stopped by Cold Stone for an ice cream cake and headed home to let the girls share with us before going to bed. That's it. There wasn't even anything I specifically wanted this year. (Hence the flowers.)
I get birthday excitement at least four times a year with the girls birthdays and since I don't take charge for my birthday..... (Of course, I'm 37. At some point I suppose you outgrow Princess themed parties. Although I wonder what the reaction would be if I threw myself a party and had a theme like that. Ooooo, something to think about.)
Birthdays are important. They are the one time a year that I have the opportunity to acknowledge and remember someone individually instead of lumped with other people on my Christmas list, or in prayers at Thanksgiving. Thanks to Pops and CC for their card, to Lolly and Lee for their e-card, Mom for the phone call, Cami and Britnee for their e-mails, Mandy for her phone call and the gift of a night out with her, a visit from our Relief Society presidency this past Sunday, Happy Birthday wishes from friends that I ran into or talked to on the phone yesturday, the girls for my card and to Joel for the flowers.