The Prankster

Scott got called to be the ward mission leader last Sunday. I was very excited about his new calling. I love having the missionaries over and it is always so much fun getting to know them. We are going to feed them breakfast on Sunday mornings before their meetings. That will be nice.

Well, I was quite the prankster when I was a young woman....and the target of my pranks most often was the missionaries. My friend Leanne and I liked to pull as many stunts as possible. Some of our more famous ones were sneaking in their place while they were gone and soaking down their p-day clothes and putting them in the freezer. There was the time we saran wrapped their car and then tied it up with a beautiful bow. I think our best stunt was when the elders moved they had a basement apartment and you had to go down a stairwell to get to it. A bunch of us girls saved newspapers for a month and we completely filled the stairwell with crumpled up newspaper. It was glorious. It took them quite a while to be able to reach their apartment.

Now.....don't think all of this went unpunished. They retaliated several times. I had my letterman's jacket stolen in the dead of winter and was walking home from school with my jacket that wasn't near as warm when the missionaires drove by.....and Elder Armstrong was wearing my coat!!! UGH! Then there was the time that my dad looked out the window as we were headed to bed and saw that the car had been turned around in the carport. So, we went out and after about 30 minutes of careful manuvering we were able to get it back in the right place. When we woke up the next morning the car was sideways again. My dad thought it was some of my friends. Nope......zone conference in town and 8 elders just picked up the car and turned it around. They sat and giggled in the bushes across the street as we manuvered back in place. Those turkeys.

So, with Scott's new calling all sorts of possibilities cropped up in my mind. Well, it hasn't been a week yet.....and I've already started. This one was just to easy.

Elder Farnsworth called yesterday and I said "What have you done?" He said "I broke my bike." "How did you manage that Elder?" "Well, Sis. Jackson....when you are riding really fast and you hit the curb sometimes it can bend your back wheel." After inquiring to make sure he was okay I asked what I could do to help him. He told me that he had borrowed a bike from the Bakers but it was Anne's or Jills. He wondered if we had a bike to borrow. Now, I know I should have been sympathetic and compassionate.....but seriously.....this was going to be to easy. "Is the bike pink elder?" He answered in a quiet voice "Kind of purple....but it is a girls bike Sis. Jackson." I told him that it was a good thing he goes home in a month so he will only have to suffer humiliation for a few more weeks. He could tell that I wasn't to concerned about his problem.

Well, lastnight they stopped by and it was dark when it was time to head home so they left their bikes here for the night. Now come on! You should never make it that easy! So, when Elder Farnsworth arrived this morning to retrieve his bike it had pretty purple streamers hanging from the handlebars and a pretty decoration in his spokes. If he is going to have a girls bike it might as well be really pretty!

Weekly Events

What a week. I have literally spent the entire week in bed. Whatever this bug was that I got it knocked me on my butt. I am about to go stir crazy though.



Kevin got a promotion with the campus police department. He is the new shift manager. He gets a raise. So, that makes the wife and the mom very happy. Way to go Kev!



Chris decided on BYU Idaho and will now start looking at classes. Now he is just hoping that his buddy Tyler can get his tract changed so they can be roommates. Tyler ended up with the winter/spring tract....but it really doesn't work well for his mission so they are trying to work with him.


Scott is being released after serving three full years on the highcouncil. I know he had mixed feelings. He really liked it. I am very happy though. With Chris leaving, it will be nice to have him to sit with in church again. I've missed him.

Carolyn has been doing some school stuff at a junior high and is working with kids with behavior issues. She has really enjoyed it and is excited again about her major.

Scott took a picture of us after church and when we looked at it Chris said "Mom, look how much taller I am than you." I thought of the line from the song in Fiddler on the Roof.

"When did he grow to be so tall? Wasn't it yesterday when he was small?"

I love getting kisses from my boy!

Happy Valentines Day.

Happy Valentines Day Babe! It has been great being married to such a wonderful man. He has been much more than a husband. He is my friend, my hero, and a wonderful father to our children. We are about to start a new phase of our life together. Scott, will you be my valentine?

Sweetest Husband

After a long day in the dental chair and a root canal I came home to these beautiful roses. There was a note on them that said "There is warm soup on the counter wrapped in towels to keep it warm. I wish I could have taken your place today." There were two different types of deli soup. He wasn't sure which soup I would like....so he got two. I picked the creamy potato and bacon. It was delicious. I was in so much pain....and it was just what I needed. Scott is so amazing. I love him dearly. He is always doing such thoughtful things. Thanks babe!

Happy Birthday Buddy Roo

As I was sitting in the dentist's chair yesterday I said that I was old. The dentist said "Oh no you're not." I replied that my baby was turning 18. His response...."Wow....you're right. You are old."

Scott and I were in the card aisle at Walmart looking for a birthday card for Chris. I found some funny ones and then Scott handed me a sentimental one. My eyes filled with tears. I found another one and tears started to roll down my face. I think Scott thought it was kind of funny. I found the last card and read it and really cried. I handed it to Scott and he read it and said "Put it in the cart." Then he turned and went around the corner. When I caught up to him he had tears in his eyes too. Guess it just kind of slapped us in the face right there in the card aisle. Our kids are all grown up. It was pathetic. We could have been a Hallmark card commercial.

Here is the card that had us both in tears smack dab in the middle of Walmart.

"Every once in a while

In your running everywhere childhood,

I'd see you in a moment of quiet

and catch a glimpse of the man

you'd one day be....

I knew you'd be a good, loving man.

I knew I'd be proud of you...

I just never could have guessed how much."

You must have been a beautiful baby.....cause baby....look at you now!

Happy 18th birthday Chris! I love you!

Ten reasons why I love Chris so much.

1. He makes me laugh. (He can turn any situation into humor.) He was only seven when my dad passed away and we had just returned from the funeral home. I asked him if he had any questions. He thought for a moment and said "Yes. What is 55x55?" We all started laughing...and it was just what we needed.

2. He doesn't judge people.....and he hates gossip.

3. He is really good with the elderly.

4. Chris is a very hard worker. (He has had summer baseball since he was ten, but he still works during the summer.)

5. He is a very good example to those around him.

6. He will be a great missionary. He likes sharing the gospel.

7. Chris plays baseball with his whole heart. He puts everything out there on the mound.

8. He serves others. (I am very proud that he is a volunteer fire fighter.)

9. Chris has a deep spiritual side. (He read the Book of Mormon five times last year....and I never knew it....I thought he was going to sleep when he'd go to bed at night.)

10. He absolutely loves life....and lives it to the fullest.

Happy Birthday Carolyn

I don't know how to change the post date. I wrote this a couple of days ago. Today is actually Groundhog's day.....and Carolyn's 21st birthday. I'm mad at the groundhog though.....6 more weeks of winter.

My little girl is all grown up.

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY BUG!

Ten Reasons why I love Carolyn so much.

1. She LOVES to laugh.

2. She is awesome with little kids. They adore her. (World's best babysitter)

3. She is a very loyal friend. (I really admire her for that)

4. She likes to think outside the box. (I think she got that from her mommy)

5. She fell in love with Brent. (We love having him in our family)

6. She gives Christlike service. (100 hours helping the special olympics program. Giving up her summer to go to Canada and take care of my cousins children while Erynn was going through chemo.)

7. She's a hard worker. (Have to be to survive the pea fields)

8. She is a beautiful dancer. (And she totally lives by the saying "Dance as if no one is watching.")

9. She has a very strong testimony.

10. She is my one and only little girl. (Not so little anymore....she is all grown up now.)