Changes 2021

 Change is a constant! Some are gradual, some are sudden.  Some are unexpected, some are eagerly anticipated.  I hope at least some of mine are improvements. Here are some recent ones.

We had a new member sister from our ward that was able receive her endowments. This is such a big change, joining a new church and embracing a new culture.  I'm rather shocked at how often it happens. people really do need the gospel in their lives.   We were blessed because Rod got to go with her to attend the temple. We have missed attending with temples closed. I was invited too but....

We gave my spot to 'her' missionary.  We flew him down as a surprise to our Patti.

He brought his 'friend'....They sure make a cute couple. Ward members had a small party to celebrate!

When we went over to Keith's to decorate gingerbread houses, we got engaged in this project and made actual suede clothes for the doll and arranged for a leather outfit for miss Kenzie to wear for her school presentation.   It was a big success.

Todd and family invited us all over for dinner on Johnmass Day.  We had such fun! You can see some of those gradual changes...our grandkids are growing and progressing!  Such a joy!

One of our Malaga missionaries came and spent a few days.  When Elder Hooper left he gave me flowers.  

His thoughtfulness is rather a change because our guests seldom do more than say thanks.  I don't even  feel it's necessary but it was a fun change.  I loved how they looked in my vase.                                  

Another special change was our oldest and only Castillo surname grandson receiving the Aaronic priesthood and becoming a deacon.  We are so proud of him and delighted.  When the temples open, we will have a good sized group of grandkids going to do baptisms for the dead. That proud father was once my baby!  Talk about change.

Another change was in our transportation. Rod has been anticipating getting a new truck for quite a long time.  We went and looked on Labor day but they wanted more than Rod wanted to spend so we waited.  We were surprised to discover that we cared about the color.  Rod decided that he wanted the blue called Blue Jeans.  On Dec 30 we drove to Avondale and bought our new Blue Jeans truck. 

After we bought the truck we drove it to Prescott. Rod had spent a lot of time finding the BBQ grill he wanted but there weren't any left in the valley.  They had it in Prescott though, so we had a nice drive up, had lunch and bought the grill.  A fun maiden voyage.  

We hadn't used the old truck as down payment, and so were trying to decide what to do with it.  We thought about donating it to a ward member but were advised that  wouldn't be a good idea, so it sat in the parking lot of the church behind our house.    Rod decided to run an errand and took the old truck because he didn't want it to seem abandoned. On the way home he  was hit by a woman who run a red light.  His injuries were minor, a scrape, sore neck, ribs and leg, but the truck was totaled.  Talk about a sudden change.  It could have been permanent.  The car that hit him was going so fast that after hitting the front tire area, it bounced back and hit the side of the bed too.  We were so grateful there weren't serious injuries.

The first I knew of the accident was a message from a stranger's phone which he had t borrow to tell me about it. It was rather sad to see that truck go.  It has served us well and been part of some wonderful adventures.  This was the second time we've had an accident when we didn't have phones with us.  We are trying to make sure that doesn't happen again. I may be getting a bit superstitious.

Rod has been on a cleaning phase.  We both purged our closets.  Guess who has lost enough weight to almost fit in to his suit from our wedding!   That is an amazing good change and he's worked very hard for it! Wish I was making the same progress. We cleaned out the coat closet too.  Now for the garage!

Another big change occurred in January.  Rod was released as bishop of the Udall ward.  Bishop Legler is our new bishop.  He is the son of Ivan Legler who was one of the Rowdies, a group of friends I hung out with while attending ASU.  It was when Ivan left on his mission that Linda Stapley told me that she had found his replacement, a guy named Rod Castillo!  It's a small world! Rod is delighted that his prediction that he would serve 7 years as bishop was in error.  Many in the ward were sad to have him released though.

Perhaps the hardest change was my diagnosis with high grade endometrial cancer. It was very hard for Rod. His family has a serious history of cancer and he expected to be the one with that diagnosis so it was very upsetting that I was the one to get it.  The very hardest part was telling our children and family. I feel like I'm injuring people  that I love with this bad news.  Of course all the waiting and uncertainty is not easy.  I expect the surgery to be even harder.  Still, we can't grow in faith without experiences that require it, and those are often painful.  I was grateful we had planned a trip to Seattle.  It seemed especially important to spend time with our daughters and their families. It's been a year since we've seen these families in person.

The weather was snowy and cold, and driving was a challenge.  However we loved getting to see the remodeling of Geneva's house.  She is the general contractor.  We are so impressed!

Our grandchildren are growing up so fast.

Because we had to cancel our trip at Thanksgiving we didn't get make our usual Christmas gingerbread houses so we made Valentine gingerbread houses.

Getting up the hill to  Elena's house was a worry and a challenge but we made it.   We enjoyed watching the kids play in the snow.  The parents had built an amazing igloo and snowman. 

I was fascinated with the snow on these branches. Snow flocked trees are amazing.

We enjoyed Sunday dinner with the darling kids.

Poppop helped Penny practice drawing.

I can't resist this face.

Elena indulged us by making wonderful desserts including buttermilk bars and custard filled pastries.

She knows the way to her Dad's heart...er stomach.

We have another Spiderman

Another Valentine house.

I'm grateful for our beautiful family. Their love, faith and support are what strengthen me for the trials that are still to come.  I am likewise everlastingly thankful for the fasting and prayers of my extended family, ward members and friends.  There are so many.  I am truly humbled. Whatever comes, I know that Heavenly Father is in charge and His will is best.