I loved the video of Ellyn on the beach at Carmel that Mike put on Facebook. Her attraction to water and wind is one of my chief young memories of her. When Brooke was in Germany with Mike, I took the girls down to the beach and she just reveled in the wind and watching the waves. I wasn't as brave as Mike, however, in letting her actually get in the waves...of course, she was younger then too! Happy Birthday, Ellyn. You are getting so big!! And have made so much progress in the last year!

I am up in a motel room in Olympia while Dad works here training the general dentists. This is a smaller room but okay. I bring my sewing machine and quilting stuff so I can get a few things done. I also have a lot of RS stuff to get organized but I'm not motivated to attack that today. I have figured out how to sync my TODO application between my Iphone, Ipad and computer. I have done 1/2 hour on the treadmill since it is raining today...I hate treadmills...only followed by my hate of stationary bikes. Hotel fitness rooms are the pits! I am hoping the weather is good enough to run outside tomorrow. I am going to look on Map My Run to see any good routes around us. Lately, running and exercising has seemed harder but I am plugging through, hoping that it will get more enjoyable again. I don't know whether it is because it is getting to be not such a new thing but I know I need to persist because otherwise I will really lose control of my weight.

I have been mainly busy at home with Relief Society stuff. It is sort of like seminary in that you can spend infinite amount of times on it...not all of which really improve anything. My latest other project is the study but Marnie has insisted that I have to thin out the paper in my study before we can proceed to remodel it...which may take forever. Not really, I just have to discipline myself to spend an hour each day shredding and tossing paperwork. I am a real hoarder...and so is Dad..."Maybe someday I'll want to look at this" mentality. Marnie is right in that it is not worth it to put new things in and then fill it up with all of the old junk. I'm planning on getting a wood floor put in, painting it and replacing the large desks with two floor to ceiling bookcases on each side and then a low desk in the middle with a reading chair next to it and only one file cabinet. If anyone wants the old desks or file cabinets, give me a holler. I also will have two rolling plastic 2 drawer file cabinets when we get done to get rid of. It will probably be April before I'll be doing all this stuff as I'll be out of town for a lot of March! We are going to Las Vegas the last weekend of February for an anesthesia course for Dad. We'll be coming home just in time for church on Sunday and then the Oscar Party. That Friday (3/4) we will be taking off for our Western Caribbean cruise with the Krouts. Then Dad is up to Seattle and I'll be company for Marnie again!! At least for the next week.

I wanted all of you to know how much I love you...children, in-laws and grandchildren. I feel so blessed to have you all in my life. You are each so unique and special in your own way. Marnie and Kim keep teasing me to get me to compare and then interpret any comment as some kind of rating system. As you have children, you realize that the capacity for love is infinite to many people...and to many times in your life. Whenever Valentine's Day rolls around, I also think of Mother and Daddy who had such a lasting love and joy for one another. What a great example they have been to both Dad and me...and to those of you who knew and loved them! They would be so overjoyed to see all of you and the growth that has occurred...all the new members of the family. Well, actually, I imagine they may be able to look in from time to time.

Love you all....have a great day today!

Mom