Journal Entry

This picture is just for the heck of it. I found it on the Internet and it made me think of Minnesota! Well it has been quite awhile since I last time wrote on this thingy,so I thought I would get out of my quiet hole and write something with no required length!! Big step for me!! Not much has been going on cuz it has been the same ole same ole....busy as a bumble bee! This last month I finished off some Christmas gifts, worked and then happily visited my family in MN. As I have always said I still have a job that I can be grateful for in this economy. I have been on vacation the last two weeks and sadly it is coming to an end. I have to go back to work on New Years Day, so the partying will be cut short! I really enjoyed my time with my family. It was so wonderful to see EVERYONE!! I was able to actually leave the stresses of life here in TN and for a while time stood still while I soaked up every minute with them. We left at 11am..ish and didn't get there until 7am...ish. We were just about able to get around the storm by traveling up to Kansas City on 35 before arriving in Mn. Caleb laughed at me because we went in a circle 3 times on 169 in Rogers/Anoka. At one point we were going S169 instead of North. What can I say after 17 hours on straight driving. This mistake was snow storm we hit and were trying to avoid, but thankfully it was just the last hour. It was frightfully cold the first couple of days we were there, but then it warmed up to like around 17 degrees. Don't count me accurate with the weather cuz to me it was just plain cold, but the last couple days of our time there my dad said that it was about 30 degrees, so we went sledding on Sunday of course. When we picked up my sister we went to the Mall of America before meeting my dad at Psycho Suzie's for pizza. Tuesday I finished our Christmas shopping at good ole Milaca Unclaimed Freight, in which my family calls Milaca Walmart! It is basically the same thing, but it just looks different. :) This day Caleb got sick from a lingering bug in the air. He was better on Wednesday night which was the night I got sick. Merry Christmas too us! We loaded ourselves with Tylenol and spent the rest of the day in bed. Whatever we did worked cuz it didn't last long for us.....well Bethany got sick again on Friday which lasted through Sunday and then we found out that Andrina (emma's kiddo) was sick Sunday. Hence the reason why I call it the lingering bug. On Tuesday night Caleb missed the famous Enchiladas and Chimney Chungas while I missed out on a killer Christmas Dinner. Oh the woes of being sick! Its okay cuz my dad gave me one of his Pumpkin Beers to take home to cook my turkey in and I still have to get the recipe for his Brandy Sweet Potatoes. Christmas was really fun. There were soo many gifts under my parents tree, but it also for 14 people. Both of our families did so much for us and we are really grateful for them. Friday was Kevin's birthday so the whole family went to Buffalo Bills for lunch and then we went to see the movie YES MAN with Jim Carey. It was a typical funny hollywood movie that didn't need a couple scenes. Then Saturday we all got ready for some nice family pictures taken by none other than the Gross Co. When we got home Caleb made his favorite meal of Cajun Chicken Pasta! Everybody loved it and it was a good thing because we had tonz of leftovers. We skipped church on Sunday and went sledding in the afternoon before having the famous Braman meal known as Chicken Curry and then Monday we went home about 9am. We went a different way home that I probably couldn't repeat, but somehow we ended up in Nauvoo to see temple lit at night. I was really glad that we didn't get married there cuz in the long run the promises you make in the temple are the same everywhere. So we got home at exactly 2:30 in the morning to find our final Christmas present. It was a gift I will always cherish and think of every time I walk in my front door or look at my wonderful inlaws. Caleb's parents remodelled our living and dining room. They fixed the electric outlets, replaced the trim and sponged painted by hand both rooms. It looks absolutely wonderful! I was very emotional about it and I plan on having pictures up soon..so stay tuned!! This vacation really has made me so grateful for family. I cherish every minute with them on each side of our families and on both sides of the veil. I tell ya it is really nice to see any family member, but it is even harder to say goodbye. The older I get the more emotional I become about them. I guess it is Gods way of softening me and reminding me how blessed I am. I have to admit that I was bit teary eyed when we pulled out of the driveway, so I said a prayer in hopes to learn why we felt the pain of separation for both sides of the veil. The spirit told me that the we feel it to get a glimpse of the pain our Heavenly Father felt for us when we left His presence. It is comforting that families can be together forever if we live righteously and I only pray that we do. With that spiritual note I will finally end this entry and sign it like I always do in my journal
Love, Heidi