Halfway Through a Week W/O Daddy

I love this picture because it embodies the experience of trying to take a picture with children.  Bekah didn't quite get the "come closer" part of the equation and Andrew -- Well, yeah.

Michael's in training for the week in St. Louis.  It's still crazy to me that we're only 6 hrs. away from the place. 

I'm doing alright.  I picked up a book today called "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" to read while the kids played outside this afternoon and had to stay up to finish it.  I'm not usually that much of a night owl.  It's captivating.  It's a true story about an 11 yr-old Japanese girl living in Korea right before the Americans bomb Hiroshima, etc.  The Koreans killed any Japs they found still living in North Korea so her family was split and had to flee.  They struggle through so many things as they try to get back to Japan where it is safe and make a home for themselves out of nothing.  I was moved.  The author eventually married an American and lives in the states.

I've had two very different experiences this evening that I wanted to share.  First was when a lady rang our doorbell and asked if our house (the rental we are in) was for rent.  .....No.....  She launched into a story that she was sure was a scam about how it was up on several sites as a rental for the last few days and suddenly disappeared today.  Here were the basics of her email interactions with the person using our landlord's name as a front:

1. They had suddenly and recently had to move to London.
2. Could not show the house because of a bad experience with their previous Realtor.
3. Rent would include utilities but would be $400 less than it should be without utilities.
4. Possible renter's would need to send a check to the address in London and then the keys would be overnighted to them via DHL.
5. The local number included in the email was disconnected.

Yeah, we decided it was a scam.  I called my landlord to let her know and we had a nice chat.  :)  I knew it wasn't her fault.  I just wanted to make her aware.  Then I had another lady come by an hour later asking the same thing!  I felt badly for these people.  But I reassured them that there really was a landlady by that name who actually did have a rental up for grabs around the corner.   I also told them that if they move into the neighborhood, to come by for a visit! 

Second experience of the night followed dinner.  The kids were donning their rollerblades (Patrick wears mine and they swallow his feet) and suddenly they ask: "Mommy, can we have Family Home Evening tonight?"  A bit dumbfounded, I replied, "Sure!  Let me find a story we can talk about and we'll have FHE.  Do you want a story about Benjamin because that's Patrick's middle name?  or do you want a story about Jesus?"  "JESUS!!"  So we had FHE twice this week.  It makes me happy inside.  I suppose the prophets wouldn't make these wonderful promises to us unless they really would come to pass.  I think my kids might be hooked.  I'd better brush up on my stories, 'cause tonight's was a tad shabby around the edges.  :) 

I'm going to bed. 
Oh!  don't let me forget to tell the bedbug story sometime.  They're real and not just a reference to fleas.  (I didn't know that).  And they're nasty.  Fortunately, we don't have them.  I hope we never do.