Sexy Sistas Love to Celebrate Halloween

Jess and I workout with this awesome group of women.  Our silly little group is called 'The Sexy Sistas."  We aren't very good at what we do, but we are having fun and we are seeing results, so I think that is what counts.

We had so much fun celebrating Halloween.  We enjoyed a week of Halloween themed music (think Phantom of the Opera, Ghostbusters, Thriller, etc.), worked out to very dim lighting and enjoyed fun costumes.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have joined the group if Jessie didn't enjoy it so much.  I am glad that we did.  It is awkward and embarrassing.  If you know me then you know that I hate awkward and embarrassing... but it is so much fun!  I love my Sexy Sistas!

Sweet Girls

Last week was our annual Young Women in Excellence.  These girls looked so beautiful and royal in their crowns that they wore to remind them that they are daughters of a king.

They are so fun, sweet and special and I love working with them each Wednesday and Sunday.  I receive so many blessings from my calling and I am so happy to be back in the Young Women's program.

A Doctor Who Halloween

Halloween is around the corner and Jessie is getting ready!  It is one of her favorite holidays.  Here is a sneak peek at what she has been doing.  She carved a pumpkin for a contest at her school.  The pumpkin is carved to look like a Dalek (something from her current obsession, Doctor Who).  And, she and MaMaw worked very hard on her costume.  She will be dressed like the TARDIS (also from Doctor Who).  Get ready, Garstka's.  We're heading your way for Halloween!  Jessie can't wait! (Is she 7 or 17?)

Week of Education

We have spent our week on the run, which is not unusual.  It seems like it has been a week of education.  Jess and I workout together and we received a little bit of additional education in class on Monday.  Tuesday was a Relief Society activity at church where we learned about The 5 Love Languages.  Wednesday brought Living Better, Eating Better education at work.  Then on Thursday, Jonathan and I received some education.  Jonathan went to a “Teen Talk” social skills group for kids on the Autism spectrum and I went to a parent education class.  I think Jonathan enjoyed his group quite a bit. 

The parent education class that I went to was on Behavior Management – I don’t remember what they specifically called it and the speakers were the ladies that train teachers and behavior specialists in the school district.  There were some portions of the seminar that were excellent.  There was a portion of the seminar that was missing.  It was so blatantly missing that this girl that doesn’t like to speak in front of strangers had to raise her hand and ask the question!  They had completely left out coping skills.  If we aren’t teaching our children/students to use coping skills to learn how to manage their stress then of course teachers and parents have to step in!  Just listening to this training, it made me so thankful that Jess is in a therapeutic school where I know all of the administrators and teachers are so wonderfully trained.  Not only do they remind her to use her coping skills daily, but they know which ones work best for her.  They have a working knowledge meds and treatment plans.  They completely understand her and how she works.  (And, that is the end of my soap box.)

We have a busy Friday night with lots of places to be and then we are hoping for a quiet weekend!

I’m not sure what it says about me that I was given so many learning opportunities this week. I’m sure they were all necessary for my continued growth!

“Education is not a posture, stance, or recognition.  It is, in fact, a continuing process.  When learning is applied properly, it can become power.  Wisdom and integrity must become an integral part of truly educated person.  Education is not an arrival achievement.  It is a journey.”  -Marvin J. Ashton

Little Miss Gracie

My sweet Gracie is 16 years old.  I took her to vet on Saturday and found out that she now weighs 6 pounds.  That is no good for a little Shihtzu that once weighed 12 pounds in her heftiest days.  It is so sad watching your family friend get old.  I always thought I would know when it was time to put her down.  Sadly, I don’t think I will.  Fred and Jessie keep telling me it is time.  Jonathan and I, we are in denial.  We believe her quality of life is ok.  We’ve changed her food and we’re trying medicine.  And, we’re cleaning up lots of accidents.  The saddest of all is holding her in my arms, because you can feel bones – lots and lots of bones. 

You know I love this dog, because I’ve switched her to canned dog food.  This food is expensive, but that is not where the love comes in.  I swore I would never feed one my animals canned food, because it is so disgusting.  It stinks… it makes my house stink… it makes them stink… worst of all, it makes Gracie’s poop stink (she has fecal incontinence).  I just go around spraying Febreze Apple and Spice room spray.

She has been eating better and that is what counts.  So, hopefully, little Miss Gracie can be happy for a little while longer.   

Miracle Whip Vs. Mayo

I grew up on Miracle Whip, but many years ago I compromised and switched to mayo.  I wanted family harmony and chose to switch to mayo, so that Fred would be happy, or so I thought. 

The other day we were at the grocery store and we went to grab a container of mayonnaise and Fred grumbled, “I really like Miracle Whip, but I know you prefer mayo.”  Confused, I let him know that I had been raised on Miracle Whip and had switched long before the kids had been born to make him happy.  Fred countered that he was the one raised on Miracle Whip and was the one that had switched to make ME happy.  We stood arguing in the grocery store about this miscommunication.  Probably what happened was that we grabbed mayo just one time for something different and then each of us got it all twisted in our head that the other preferred mayo. 

So, we looked at each other, and with great excitement, Fred bought a bottle Miracle Whip.  It was probably our first container of Miracle Whip in almost 19 years.  I don’t eat a lot of mayonnaise, so it wasn’t a huge deal to me – once I got used to the taste of mayo verses Miracle Whip. 

So, what do you think happened?  Jonathan came home that first day after school and said, “There was something wrong with my sandwich.  It didn’t taste right.  I think the mayonnaise was spoiled.”  With great sadness, Fred had to give up his beloved Miracle Whip and start buying mayo again. 

Who knew two people could have such poor communication skills?

Spreading Sunshine

Kerstin and Jessica

This beautiful girl, Kerstin, is such a sweet and righteous daughter of God.  I love spending time with her.  She just spreads sunshine wherever she goes and makes people smile.  The best thing about Kerstin is her laugh.  She has the best laugh.  There are two people in this world that brighten the room with their laugh – Kerstin and Fred.  Their laughs are very different.  Fred’s is more of a cackle and Kerstin’s is a loud infectious laugh that has probably gotten her in a lot of trouble at school.  I have only spent a short time with her age group in church.  I have always served younger ages.  I love teaching Kerstin.  She brings her fluffy pink journal to class and sits on the edge of her chair ready to take notes and participate in class.  I always tell her she looks like Elle Woods (from Legally Blonde) with her cute little pen and journal taking notes.  She squealed in delight. 

On what I think was probably Kerstin’s last Sunday in Young Women’s, she bore her testimony in church.  It was a simple and beautiful testimony and I was moved to tears.  I told Kerstin that I loved her testimony so much that I cried.  Kerstin’s reply was, “Everything makes you cry, Sister Fortenberry.”  I acted like I was completely offended and I have taken every opportunity to point it out when I see Kerstin teary-eyed.

Last night was our annual Young Women’s in Excellence program. I was excited to see Kerstin, since she has moved up to the ranks of Relief Society. Jessica and I sat next to her. One of the sweet girls that I had worked with back when I was 2nd Counselor talked about why Personal Progress was special to her and I started crying like a big baby. I just remembered all the work she had put in to the program as a Beehive and all the times she texted me about her projects. Afterwards, she came over to talk to me and I cried some more. Kerstin didn’t know any of this. She had started crying over the closing song that the girls sang. Kerstin comes up to me with tears running down her face and squeals, “Hey, Sister Fortenberry, I’m just like you.” I turn to her and I have tears running down my face and we hug. I think we are kindred spirits, Kerstin and I.

I am so excited for Kerstin.   I know that whatever she chooses to do with her life she is going to be great.  However, I know that without a doubt she is going to be an amazing missionary whether it is in the mission field or in her home town of Frisco. 

I love you, Kerstin.  Thank you for being such a great example to me and my family.

Happy 41st Birthday to Fred

 

We are celebrating Fred's 41st birthday today.  Nothing fancy.  Just a cake.  I don't even know what we are doing for dinner yet.  It will just be our family.  I need to plan something bigger, since we never got to celebrate his 40th last year.  It is so hard to celebrate with him, because he is such a busy man.  He just got home from camping with his Boy Scouts and he will be doing Scout training next weekend.  Looks like it will be the following weekend. 

I am so proud and excited for Fred.  He went to the temple for the first time (a very big deal in our church) on September 21st.  I am so glad that he did that before his birthday.  I don't know why, because age doesn't really matter, but it was a very happy day for our family.  We still have a big milestone to hit in the upcoming month or so, but that was one hurdle accomplished.  I am so thankful to all those men that have touched Fred's life and inspired him to come so far.  We are truly blessed (cheesy but true).

Happy Birthday, Fred!  We love you.

A Whole Bunch of Nothing

Hello Friends,

I typed a post last week, but never posted it.  It was a "poor me" post that no on would ever want to read.

Instead of whining about it - I will just tell you that it has been a wild, crazy and exhausting couple of weeks.  Fred has been feeling under the weather, so I think that has added to my melancholy mood.  Sympathy illness, maybe? 

It just felt like nothing could go right.  I think it started with a leaky rough (while my husband was out of town) and ended with a poor sweet lady backing into my car.  Thankfully, I can't remember the other things that went wrong.  However, if you had asked me last week, I would have given you an earful. By Thursday, I was feeling so much better.

We received quite the surprise Friday night.  My sister-in-law was stuck at the airport and needed us to come save her.  We picked her up at the airport at about 10:30 p.m. and brought her back to our house where MaMaw and Grady were waiting to take them back home with them.  It was great to see her for a few minutes.  My kids missed it, because they were asleep by the time we made it home with Aunt Emma. 

This is our church's General Conference weekend, which certainly helps you put your life into perspective.  You can't be in a bad mood while watching conference.  Getting my family excited about conference has always been a challenge. However, we managed to enjoy the Sunday morning session together. There were edible incentives and that seemed to make all the difference in the world.

I apologize for this post, because it has been a rambling one that is all over the place.  I hope you all have a great week.