November, half over!

I cannot believe that November is already half over! One day it's never going to get here, and then it's half over! Not much went on this week. Derrek FINALLY answered the poor girl who asked him to Sadie's. Seriously I cannot get it into that boy's head that he needs to answer the girl within the same week that she asks him, no matter if she knows the answer is yes or not! She asked him three weeks ago and Sadie's was yesterday. He answered her on TUESDAY! He got a puzzle with a Star Wars picture on it and wrote "Yes" on the back of it. Then he wrapped every piece of the puzzle (48 pieces) in foil and then baked them into a brownie. He got her second hour teacher, who Derrek knows well, to give it to her. At the end of class, she was looking sick and the teacher was laughing. Anyway, they had fun, and to my surprise, actually went to the dance for an hour. I think that is the first time they have gone to any of the dances. During the day (they do "day dates"), they went to Olive Garden for lunch (Derrek was so excited about that) and then they went shopping at Deseret Industries for some old clothes and then the girls and their moms made all this food and they had a food fight! Here is a picture of Derrek after Mica dropped him off to shower and get ready for the rest of the evening. He said that they had jell-o, mashed potatoes, spaghetti noodles, macaroni & cheese and foods like that. Someone just came up to him and smeared a pile of mashed potatoes across his face and then dumped some down his pants! Gross!!! Then after they were all cleaned up, they went to Kaley's house for dinner. Then they went to the dance and then just hung out for the rest of the night. There were four couples. The girls had made sweat shirts to go along with the theme and Derrek loves it.

Calvin and Alec had a campout and the leader said he thinks it was the coldest one they have ever been on (including the klondike campouts). They were good eggs and went, even though they really didn't want to. I told them that their leader didn't want to go, either, and that they needed to help him. I think that helped take their focus off themselves and put their energy toward helping him. They really love and respect him.

Scott and I went with Jose to get his Patriarchal Blessing today. It is just amazing to me how much the Lord truly knows and loves us. It is crazy to me that here is this person who doesn't know Jose personally, but is able to give him a personal blessing that speaks about his personality and his strengths and his weaknesses and gives him promises and blessings according to his faith. We pray that it will give him the strength and guidance that he needs in his life. I know mine has.

Scott was able to do a small cabinet job to help us out (thank you!). We are just very grateful and feel watched over and blessed. It won't solve everything, but it has taken the sting out of not having a job and gives a little time to be able to find our next path.

Our microwave broke this last week. Can I just tell you that a week without a microwave is pretty much torture for my kids! They have been going through more eggs and cereal because they feel that is all they can cook quickly. They could cook other things, but it isn't in a quick amount of time because they are HUNGRY! Alec went to make cookies and "soften the butter" and realized that he couldn't do it in the microwave. It eventually got softened, but it wasn't quickly. I have found that I have to prepare for dinner even further in advanced so that I can have the meat thawed for the meal. This may even need to happen the night before! I am never that on top of things. For tonight, I do have some chicken thawed and so we are having something with chicken in it!

Scott was able to attend a LifeStar training with his brother, Mike. LifeStar is for Pornography Addiction, specifically, and they even have a teen program which seriously is an amazing program for both the addict and parents or spouse to heal from the damage that pornography has on all of us. My brother Geoff is a LifeStar trained therapist here in St. George and so we really know and love this program. Pornography seriously is a plague. Last weekend, Scott and I attended a UCAP convention where they had speakers (my brother Geoff was one of them) about Pornography and how to fight the fight. It's the Utah Coalition Against Pornography. With having all boys, I truly feel that this fight is personal. It's me against Satan and he messed with the wrong mama bear! Of course, it is definitely my sons' choice whether or not they give into the temptation and how far it goes, but they will have me (and Scott) fighting for their lives. I'm grateful the program is out there. Anyway, Scott had a really great weekend. They were able to see their Grandma Bowler, in Logan, and love her carisma and personality. She is over 90 and just is amazing with how much she does still.