my roller coaster week...........

This week has been a real roller-coaster ride! AGH!!!!! Started out ordinary enough--the buyer of the old cars came to get them; we received new cars and went to pick them up.........then I hit the bottom. Getting out of the car to drive it to the office I dropped my iPod and the screen broke!!! I cried!! I have loved this iPod! Our children gave it to me for Christmas. I have read conference talks, Ensign(s) and Relief Society lessons on it........it's been through thick and thin over the past four years (I think that's about how long I've had it). And then, through my carelessness it is broken! .......well, just the glass.......everything else worked just fine. I so hoped Apple could just replace the glass. No. They don't do that. I could pay $150 to get it replaced and they would take the "broken" one, refurbish it and resell it. Or! I could pay $50 and get an iPhone. Soooooo...........I have now entered the ranks of the "smart phone people" AND I'M STRUGGLING WITH THAT!!!!!! It's a constant reminder that my phone is smarter than I am!!!!! I'm s.l.o.w.l.y learning and getting things put back together. Apparently there is no way to just plug my "devices" into each other and transfer the information........and I had to have the phone numbers off my old phone. For a while I was getting texts from "numbers"--and had to guess who! Crazy!! But now that is "fixed". I'm still heartsick every time I look at my shattered iPod. It connotes carelessness (as I said before), wastefulness, love of children (and I didn't take care of their great gift), all the things I've learned reading from it and the witness of the Spirit I have felt over and over. AND!!!! I have to make a change!!! AGH!!!!!! Roger has been so loving and supportive.......he helped me decide to go to an iPhone, thus reducing the number of things to keep track of and hold........which is a good thing........but still!!!! I'm sure I can move on. It's just one of those things for me............I resist change.........

We also had cause to drive out east of Birmingham--out toward Talladega on I-20. I finally had a chance to document something I've wanted to share with you many times. This guy has billboards all over the state!!! And they're thick!! not just one here and there. I'm not kidding!! There is one at the bottom of our street and about six more before you get to the freeway...........well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration........but truly!!! I have never seen such a concentration of billboard advertising anywhere in any way shape or form!!!!! Either he had a ton of money he had to use for something.............or the opposite............a dismal practice that needed resuscitation............ this is just a poor sampling..........and un-editted......

I wanted to get one of the "double" ones.........two billboards, one above the other, and somehow he split the picture and spread it over both!!! I don't know if it's lack of confidence, a floundering practice or an inflated ego!! Truly............it's something I have never seen the like of!!

The day was also a beautiful Alabama day............We had 3-4 days of real cold........well, down around 30 degrees--not real cold, but somehow, it feels really cold--that was Sunday night. It was even cold enough outside that we had condensation on the inside of our window!!!

Here are the ones I took on the road back to Birmingham.............lovely.............sorry for the reflection on the window.......but after my shattering (pun recognized) experience with my iPod, I was not going to take any additional chances!!!!

I love the clouds......... 

The sunset was spectacular.......but I missed the opportunity of being on the overpass where there were no trees and I was high enough.......so this one has blurry trees. I thought about deleting it, but then it reminded me of a Monet painting (pretty good company, I'd say) and the colors are so beautiful........and, again, I love the clouds in the one below.........the colors were so soft.......somehow, that comforts me in this out-of-control world. There is only One who can control the color and shape of the clouds.......and they speak peace to my soul............

And then........of course, there was Thanksgiving.......... We had a great time. Yes. We missed family. But we were with a wonderful group of people. President and Sister Hanks invited us to the mission home along with the other senior couple missionaries. I have some pictures........but I'm having a hard time getting them to where I need them............we had a wonderful day. Such good food!! When we left--the mission home is in an area you would never guess is five minutes from "the city". It was kind of like leaving the temple and having to come back to the real world...........I kind of forgot that for a time. It was kind of hard to leave............ But then we were able to skype with the children at home.........I'm so thankful for the blessing and opportunity to do that!!! It was so good to "see" everyone!! (I'll try to get the pictures on.........we are off on an "outing".......)