Here are the highlights of this past weekend, beginning with Friday. 

Friday morning after our walk, I we dropped this patio furniture off at the thrift store.  It feels good to get rid of more things we aren't using.  I had it listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, but didn't have any interest, so we donated it. 

Friday, I finally heard back about a new job I was hoping to get. The job is still in the same school district where I have been teaching, with the same pay and benefits, but I will be working directly under HR as a long-term contract sub. Basically, I will go in and take over a class when a teacher has to leave the job suddenly due to illness or anything else.  I am really hoping that this turns out to be a less stressful job for my last school year of teaching.  At least I should have less grading and fewer lesson plans to deal with, and like my husband said, "a change is a good as a rest." I hope so.  Last school year was very stressful, so I am grateful not to be going back to the same school. Because of this change, I was told I didn't have to attend summer training meetings, so I got an extended summer break!  That's always a good thing.  Now, the question I am grappling with is, do I retire at the first of the calendar year (January 2026) or the end of the school year (May 2026). The jury is still out, and I am waiting to see how the new job goes. Either way, I have just a few more months left!

Saturday, we went to Utah County to go to some open houses of some homes that looked interesting to us.  I think it's always fun and interesting to go to open houses. We didn't find any homes we really liked, so our search for the perfect retirement home in the perfect place continues. 

When we got back home, we ordered take-out Chinese food for dinner.  I almost always get Mongolian Beef, which is my favorite. Charly usually gets General Tso's Chicken. 

The temperatures on Saturday were cooler than they have been for a while, so after dinner, I went out for a walk around the neighborhood.  A good friend of mine was just coming back to her house after being gone, so we stopped and chatted for a while before I continued my walk. 

Sunday morning, I was up about 6 a.m..  I ate a little breakfast (oatmeal and fruit), read scriptures, and got ready for church.  Our main church service starts at 10:30 a.m. with Sunday School following, but starting next week Sunday School will start at 10:10 a.m. and our worship service will be at 11:10 a.m..

When we got home from church, I put the Slower Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles I was making for dinner in the crock pot. 

Sunday was a beautiful day.  It was warm, but cooler than it has been.  There was a breeze blowing and I felt just a hint of the coming fall in the air.  I spent a little time out in my backyard garden and took this picture.  The flowers were all so vibrant and beautiful, and there were a lot of little butterflies flitting around the blossoms. 

Before dinner, I went for a walk around the neighborhood.  This was the first day in some time that it wasn't too hot to walk before evening.   I listened to an excellent Christian podcast about parenting and the importance of fathers as I walked. 

Our Sunday dinner was Slow Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles.  We had French bread and green salad with grape tomatoes from our garden.  It was all very good.  The recipe for the Beef Ramen Noodles is here. 

As the new week begins, I am still reading The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe.  I am about halfway through and really like this excellent historical novel.   I plan to read some more of it tonight after I post this. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.

Weekend Gratitude:

• Being offered the new teaching position for this school year. 
• Having five extra days of summer vacation due to the new job.
• Traveling safely to Utah County on Saturday. 
• Having good conversations about retirement plans with Charly. 
• Enjoying fresh vegetables from our garden.
• Listening to and learning from a good message at church. 
• Watching and learning from some excellent Christian podcasts and YouTube videos.

Praying For:

• Help and success in my new position. 
• Job transfer to daytime schedule for Josh.
• Good and successful school years for my grandchildren.
• Our Nation.

That's all for now.  I hope you have had a good weekend and that the coming week is a good one for us all. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

The Weekend at the End of June

Our weekend was hot, busy, and good.  Here are some of the highlights. 

We started our Friday morning by going grocery shopping.  I continue to be appalled by the price of groceries.  Our bill was over $200, but I think we have enough food to last us for at least a week - hopefully two. 

We met up with friends for lunch.  We went to a place called Crown Burger. Charly had a patty melt and I got a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, but it was not nearly as good as the Philly Cheesesteaks you can get in Philadelphia.  We enjoyed the food and a nice visit with our friends. 

We went to the rec. center and walked the track later in the afternoon.  We prefer to walk in the morning when I am out of school, but better late than never. 

Saturday morning, we were up early and went to the mall to walk before the stores opened.  Later, we went to look at an apartment with Josh.   He found a basement apartment he really likes, but thinks he may want to stay home for a while longer and save money. 

Later in the afternoon, I had the unsettling experience of being pulled over by a police officer.  Turns out, both Charly and I had completely forgotten to renew the registration on our 2024 Honda CRV.  It was embarrassing. In the past, our state has sent out reminders to renew registration every year, but apparently, that has changed.  Fortunately, the police officer who stopped me was very nice and polite, but I did get a $50 ticket.  (Ugh).  I drove immediately to our mechanic who fortunately had enough time to take care of my registration renewal on the spot.  My car's registration is now good for another year.  I just have to make sure to remember to renew it next year, because the state probably won't send me a reminder. 

Saturday evening, Charly and I went to a worship service at the temple shown in the picture.  A reader of my blog recently asked if temple worship is different from regular Sunday services in our church.  The answer is yes.  Temple worship is voluntary - something we do on our own, whenever we want to, and only if we want to. All temple worship includes sacred ordinances and making covenants with God.  Temple worship can be done any time during the day, from about 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Temple worship is more individual and contemplative, but the purpose is to deepen our relationship with and love for Jesus Christ. Weddings take place in the temple and they are joyous and sacred, covenant-making events. Our Sunday services are also meant to help us learn and deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ. Sunday worship is to help participants increase their faith and come to Jesus Christ.  We have the sacrament or "communion" during our Sunday services but not during temple worship.  Our Sunday services are more community-oriented, with music and messages playing a big role.  We also have scripture study classes on Sunday after our main worship service.  Prayer is a big part of both temple and Sunday worship services. I love to go to the temple because of the peace and inspiration I feel there. Charly and I try to make it to the temple at least once a month, but we attend Sunday services every week, except when we are sick or out of town.  

Sunday morning was a clear, sunny, and hot day.  At church, we had a homecoming service for a young woman who had been serving as a missionary.  It was a very good service and I enjoyed hearing about the young woman's mission experiences. 

After church, both Charly and I were tired, so we took naps on the reclining sofa in our family room.  You can see that I covered myself with a light blanket.  I always tend to get cold when I nap, so I always cover myself with a blanket. Also, our air conditioning works really, really well, so our house stays very cool in the summer, even when we don't have the thermostat turned down very low. 

Our Sunday dinner was such a good summertime meal - oven-baked tacos, Mexican corn, and summer fruit.  We all enjoyed eating and talking.  After dinner,  Josh went to a Sunday night fireside at church. Charly and I had a quiet and relaxing Sunday evening at home.  

Weekend Gratitude:

• Meeting up with friends for lunch.
• Looking at another apartment with Josh.
• Walking and getting some exercise. 
• Worshipping at the temple.
• Worshipping in our regular Sunday service. 
• Finding a good apartment for Josh, if he decided to move right away.
• Being able to get our car registered quickly and not getting too big a ticket. 

Praying for:

• Josh to find a good apartment to move into when the time is right.
• Our grandson, who is also looking for an apartment to move into.
• Safe travels for upcoming road trips. 
• Rain because our state is very dry and our governor has ask us all to pray for rain. 
• Inspiration about retirement, and moving out of and selling the house we currently live in.
• Resolution to a work issue that will be key to helping me decide when to retire. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖