Busy, busy, busy

It's been a busy week!!! I finally got desparate and got a perm!!! Thus all the gray hair I've been talking about. Haven't done anything since we left Utah so it was past time. Altho I about choked at the bill!!! Have any of you paid $90 for a cut and perm?? Not including gratuity......but I will say she did a good job and I will get colored next week so I'll be young again. I had rotator cuff surgery last July and it was fine but as we started driving across country the same shoulder started feeling icky again but in a different place!!! By now, if I do something that stretches that shoulder the least little bit, it HURTS!!! And it's getting harder to use the curling iron all the way around in some spots. Otherwise, I'd do it myself!!! But I'm sure I could make a humongous mess. And I figure if I'm to have any respect around here, I have to look decent!!! So I guess $90 every six months is OK. I decided I'd save money and let my nails grow out and just take care of them myself. Now that was stupid. After 15 years (ooooohhhhh, don't tell the hospital)of having them done, they still crack, peel, and tear and they about fold in half if I do get any length. So that idea went out the window and there's a nice little shop up the road run by Vietnamese gals that do a great job for less that I'd been paying and they're fast!! Only 45 minutes and I'm out. The hands and the head have to be in good shape for our work!!!

On Thursday we went to New Haven, Conn. to make a presentation to the Stake Welfare Committe (all the bishops, RS Presidency, High Council). Connecticut is just now begining to feel the layoff problem and we actually discovered anywhere from 11-17 people in each of those wards are unemployed. That makes a lot of people. We're working to get in and train the priesthood quorums and relief society's to be coaches to the unemployed. And of course we are always available to come and run any of the workshops. It was a 150 mile trip down and on the way back there was an unexpected snow storm which was delightful. Fortunately we beat the worst part and it only took us 3 hours to get home. But I hate driving at night in a snowstorm on dark roads that have black ice!!!! Oh, BTW, Yale University is in New Haven. I've heard of all these preppy schools but never really paid much attention to where they are. UCONN is in Hartford, where we've been a few times already.

Today (Saturday) was our Senior Missionary Training meeting. Actually, it's more of a social and during the winter when we have to be inside, we go to the Belmont Chapel which seems to be a gathering spot. It's a block from the Temple so there's always activity at that chapel. Wards plan Temple trips and some people babysit the kids at the church while others go to the Temple. Today was our day to sponsor and plan. So we had a "Red, White and Blue----Getting to Know You". Now, is that cheesy or what????
But since it was around Presidents Day all the food was red, white and blue. I made all the chicken enchiladas (only 67) and Spanish Rice, we got blue and red Hawaiian punch, I assigned red, white, and blue salads, salsa with cream cheese, red and blue chips, red, white and blue tableclothes and eating stuff and we had cherry pie and vanilla ice cream with a few blueberries on the side for dessert!!
Sister Gwilliam, Johnson, Rognons, Jones, Sister Durphey
It was a yummy feast!!
Then we did a thing from our career workshops. Seems that every time we have one of these events we only get to talk to a few people and we never get to know anything about everyone. So we had them do the shields where you have to fill in about yourself, education, family, hobbies, work, then in 60 seconds you tell the group about yourself.


That way we learned some more things about everyone. Didn't have time for the whole group. We have couples on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod and the island people have to leave and catch the last ferry of the day back or they're stuck here. So a good time was had by all. We even had enough food to feed those poor souls that were doing the babysitting!! You might expect I would have more than enough food???!!!! My family knows that!

Sister Hilton and Durphey

And if you're in charge......you're on clean up!!

But I have to leave you with this picture. Close to New Haven, we found this little store!!