Still Catching My Breath!

We had a great time at General Council. I spent most of my time at the Fine Arts Festival. It was fantastic. There were over 200 solos in the Sign Language category. There was a total of over 400 kids performing in groups and solos. I was really impressed with their creativity. We made contacts with SO many students.

The best part of the week was to see the teens in the services. They were so excited for God. They entered into worship and for the most part were some really awesome kids. There was a good number of Deaf kids involved too. They were awesome. I can't wait until some of them become students at NCU. I had the most fun of all being with those kids and getting to know them. It was a full week! We stayed at a friends' home and commuted to the council so that the two college students I brought could stay at my hotel room. They did an awesome job and despite being tired they continued to recruit and build relationships with the kids. By the third day the kids were seeking them out for advice on their performances. I feel like I made friends with judges and students and can't wait to see them again next year.

One of the judges is also becoming a student at NCU! We are going to have an amazing year! It's very exciting. I talked with one Deaf person last night for a while who is thinking of coming into the program this year even. I'm so excited about that. It was because we were there and talked to them about it.

Mazen is having a hard time with all the many things going on in our lives. I am a bit worried about her. Dawn is staying with us for the week, along with Connor who is going to hockey camp all week, and Logan who is running her own "play with Mazen camp" all week. I called home earlier today and got Dawn and found out that Mazen is doing great today. She's been really clingy and emotional. Throwing up a lot and wanting to be held and just cranky in general. We think she might be getting a tooth. I think she doesn't really understand that we are in a new house. I think she thinks we are traveling still and will go home later. Her schedule is not normal. Michael and I are going to spend some time with her the next few days giving her a lot of attention to see if she starts to feel a little more secure. She requires a lot of touch and a lot of attention and then seems to be better.

We LOVE the new house! Every time I go home I love it even more. It's still hard to really feel like you are home because things are still unsettled (in boxes) and it's still new for us. We were only in it 6 days or so before leaving for General Council. The great room is so big I'm still trying to figure out how to arrange it. :) What a great problem to have! We moved the dining room table and chairs to a different place and opened up part of the room to make it more roomy. We are having so much fun with this house!

And I LOVE my new washer and dryer. I keep looking for laundry to do! ha The best part is the Maytag Drying Center! I hang dry a lot of my clothes and have for years. This thing lets you hang dry things and blows warm air around the compartment and stuff that takes 24 to 48 hours to dry is drying in about 2 to 4 hours now! It's amazing! I'm still in awe of it. I just LOVE the thing! I wish EVERYONE who hangs dry could have one! It was the same price as the matching dryer to the front loader and I really wanted the center so we got it. It's awesome!

Last night one of our neighbors came to say hello. It was really nice of them. Michael was so excited to meet them that we invited them in and Michael spent the next 30 minutes telling them all about The Gathering Place and inviting them over. It was really neat. That's the first time ever that I've had a neighbor come introduce themselves! Really nice people. I can't wait to meet the people in our neighborhood. We just love where we are living. God is so good to us. In so many ways we are SO blessed. With family, friends, people, babies, our home... so much. Lord, help us to be good and wise stewards with all you have given us. Let us always be ready to give to those who have less than us (and those who have more). Thank you for all your blessings!