Joci's blessing/sealing dress

Lara asked me to make Jocelyn a dress for her sealing and blessing. Her adoption should be finalized soon so Lara has made a date for this special occasion in the Salt Lake Temple. Afterwards we will meet at a nice restaurant (probably the Joseph Smith Memorial Building) and that is where Joci will be blessed. I was reluctant to undertake such a project since I haven't sewn clothing in a long time. I used to love to make little dresses but this seemed like a big challenge now at my age. I told Lara she could purchase one for not much more than the fabric, etc. she would choose to have me make one. Lara insisted that no matter what the cost of materials it had to made by Joci's grandmother Hays. So with fear and trepidation I undertook this project. I really am rusty at sewing and because there were some modifications from the pattern I had to think, rethink, and then pray about how I would make them and make it all fit together. I had to unpick and redo a few parts, but I always did that even when I was younger.

Here is the final result. Oh yes, I had to make a hat too. Fortunately I found a pattern with a hat. My next hope and prayer is that she won't grow too big for it by December 12th.

Also, I am posting a picture of our new bathroom flooring we had installed yesterday. It is a fiberglass vinyl that is supposed to wear better than regular vinyl. I prefer the comfort of vinyl to tile so resisted having tile put in. I personally think carpet in a bathroom is just wrong and wish builders didn't do that. I'm sure they carpet because it costs less than either tile, laminate, or vinyl. So far I really like it. It is definitely warmer and softer than a tile floor would be. I realized tile is supposed to have a better resell value but since this is guaranteed for 20 years I'm not going to worry about it. Will I still be in this home 20 years from now?

We decided to save the money to pay the installer to remove and replace the toilets. Dave said he could move the toilets out by himself. Upon reinstalling them we ran into all kinds of problems. (leaks) After several attempts to stop the leaks, smashing his thumb to the point we had to heat up a paperclip and burn through his nail to releive the pressure (blood spurted out quite readily when we did that) Ray, our borther in law, came over to rescue Dave. We had been all day without a pot to pee in and we are thankful for Ray's help at a time Dave's back was about to give out.

Dave and I are back in Laie, Hawaii doing volunteer work for BYUH and also for the Ploynesian Cultural Center. We've served here three other summers, skipping last year for our Island Park camping trip. So this will be our 4th term here, ranging from 2 months to 4 months a visit.

At first we were scheduled to work during May and June. We found out in late April our reserved apartment for us service missionaries was no longer available to us and we were on our own to find outher housing. Because of the high cost of off campus housing we elected not to serve this year. Then we heard via the grapevine that a student here (and her family) needed to sublease her student housing apartment while she went to Micronesia for and internship for two months. We thought long and hard about it, and decided we should go and help out one more time while we are still healthy enough to do so.

We arrived on July 5th. While unpacking we came to realize the bug infestation in this apartment and my first reaction was to pack up my bags and fly home. Well, we have tried everything we can to get rid of the insects crawling about. So far we have gone through a gallon of Ortho home defense sparay. Being not very effective we bought another brand, Bayer, and it seems to be stronger. We've had housekeeping come in and seal up gaps in the screens and caulk around the bathtub. We spray and kill and clean and then they all must be resurrected because they are back again.

When I prepare our meals it is imperative that I hurray fast, replace lids immediately, wrap things up and guard the sandwich so the bugs don't crawl in it and become a part of it.

Enough about bugs. We enjoyed taking tickets at a Luau at the PCC. The couples who volunteer there dress in matching Aloha shirts and Muumuus which is a requirement. It is always fun to mingle with the visitors there. Afterwards we enjoyed a prime rib dinner at the Ambassador restaurant, the premier one at the PCC, where we eat for free when we volunteer our services.

Out work in the office, gathering MSD sheets and updating the books for the various shops at the university is going well. The hard part for me is to relearn how to use the excel program and now with a new computer I have to adjust to it as well.

We enjoy going to the beach and relaxing there, watching the surf and soaking in the sun. Sometimes we drive to Lanikea Beach where the Hawaiian Green turtles feed and come to shore to bask in the sun. You have to be careful while swimming and snorkeling there or they bump right into you. They are pretty big and when that happens I usually scream and try hard to move out of their way.

It is fun to be here but we miss our family and friends. We are looking forward to Lara's & Justin's visit here as well as the Spencers. I'm praying they will get on a flight because traveling standby can be so iffy and the flights are very full in the summertime.