Friday Five

1. A couple of weeks ago, my Grandma Walker contracted a severe eye infection and was hospitalized. Lydia and I went to visit her in the hospital. She was still so sweet and happy that we came, even though you could tell that she was in a lot of pain. I have so many thoughts about this whole experience: My grandpa, a rough-and-tough cowboy, was there by her side 24/7 even though there wasn't much he could do. There was no couch/bed in the room, and my grandpa was sleeping in the chair by my Grandma. My dad suggested that he come to my parents house to sleep, but my Grandpa brushed the suggestion aside with the simple statement "She's more comfortable if I'm here with her." That simple statement is full of such love to me. I'm grateful for my grandparents example of love and marriage. Also, I brought a simple flower to leave for my Grandma - and after she was released from the hospital she wrote me the most beautiful thank you note. I didn't expect a thank you note at all, but it was so thoughtful and kind of her to take the time to express her gratitude and show her love. It makes me want to be better about writing Thank You notes. I've often told myself that I want to be the kind of person who write thank you notes, and I often think about doing it, but often I get distracted - or talk myself out of it. My grandma is so gracious, and I'm determined to be more like her. I'm happy to say that I've since seen my grandma and grandpa again and she seems to be completely recovered from her infection. I couldn't believe that it has only been a week and she looked like a completely different person. Modern medicine is an amazing thing and I am grateful for all of the doctors and nurses who took such good care of her. We love these two, and are grateful for their influence in our lives.

2. I missed my first Sunday since being called to the Primary. Matthew had his homecoming talk on this last Sunday, and so we went to Morgan to listen to that and help with the luncheon afterwards. (My mom was in Idaho Falls with Jenna and baby Camille, so my dad was going to host by himself. I think that he was glad we were able to be there to help.) I was so filled with gratitude for the Gospel as I sat in in Sacrament Meeting. I listened while Jacob blessed the sacrament, and as Matthew spoke about the blessings of the priesthood. I am so proud of my brothers and their efforts and desire to serve the Lord. The luncheon afterwards was really nice; I  love visiting with my extended family who always do SO much to support us. Missing Primary was, well, a lot of prep-work to make sure everything was ready. But I think that they survived without me. I will say that I probably won't be missing Primary again anytime soon. It was definitely worth it though, worth it to be there to support Matthew.

3. Lydia, David, and I have been sickies this week. We've been passing the same sore-throat stuffy nose thing back and forth, and none of us can seem to get over it. Lydia and I have been spending a lot of time watching Daniel Tiger, because neither of us have the energy to do much else. I've been enjoying the snuggles, because Lydia isn't usually a big snuggler. Obviously, we still limit TV watching, but we've watched more than usual. Cuddled up under a blanket with a book in one hand and the other wrapped around Lydia who is sitting on my lap. Life doesn't get much better.

4. Funny story. Melissa needed some alterations on her wedding dress - and asked if I would come with her to her fitting with a seamstress. I tried not to be too intrusive, but some of the things that the seamstress was doing didn't really fit with the way that I thought they should be done. So although I had originally told Melissa that she should probably find a professional to alter her wedding dress, we actually left the fitting session with the dress and I brought it home to do the alterations myself. Once I got home, I asked myself "What in the world did I just get myself into?" But I was confident in my ability to do what needed to be done in a more effective and better looking way than what was going to be done otherwise. I'm almost done (today I cut out and added the sleeves, all that's left is fixing the buttons down the back) - and I am so excited. It's really come together, and will hopefully be the perfect length and perfect fit for her. One of my favorite parts is the beaded sash that I'm making. It's really going to be perfect when it comes together. (Melissa showed up this afternoon for a last-minute fitting and I'm in love with the way it looks! It's amazing how removing the cap sleeve and adding the elbow sleeve can make such an incredible difference.)

5. David and I are on the verge of breaking up with Netflix. They've gotten really bad about adding new seasons of our favorite shows in a timely manner - and if it wasn't for Daniel Tiger, they'd be getting the boot. We've recently circumvented the system (is that a saying?) and have watched the first half of Doctor Who season seven on Amazon Prime (complements of my mom's login), the Christmas Special on Hulu Plus (complements of a free week membership), and we are going to try to finish the last half of season seven on Xfinity-online (complements of David's parent's log-in). We have been getting desperate! We are looking forward to a nice night playing with Lydia, reading her truck book, eating a yummy dinner, putting her to bed, and cuddling up on the couch to watch some BBC tv. (Any Netflix lovers still out there? We are in need of a new show to watch in the evenings.)

Happy Friday!