4 January 2015

PLEASE NOTE--some of you have mentioned that your email has changed, or that I have the wrong email for you so you aren't getting the newsletter.  I just copied and pasted the list my mom had.  If your info is wrong, or has changed, please let me know at bakerzoo@verizon.net.  Thanks!

New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change. Sarah Ban Breathnach 

Let our New Year's resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word. Goran Persson  

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.  Helen Keller

My New Year's Resolution List usually starts with the desire to lose between ten and three thousand pounds. Nia Vardalos  

Events

4 Lindsey Smith

5 Barry Webber

9 Stan Griswald

15 Carson Mordecai-Smith

15 Keyton Campbell

17 Alysia Smith

19 Mikela Ouimette

20 Clark and Patti Timmins anniversary

Missionary updates

Kieren in Brazil-This week another wonderful Christmas present- Fernanda came to church! After we called her Sunday morning, she walked all the way to our street and then we walked together to church, which is like a half-hour walk! She and her family are so dear and special. We are helping them to plan their wedding woohoo! In the closing prayer the other day, Eduardo, the husband, prayed that they would be finally able to "realize their dream of matrimony." The lesson in Gospel Principles was about temples and it was perfect! I drew a bunch of happy families and temples on the board and I think she got pretty excited. We have been praying to be able to help more people get to church, and Fernanda and her sacrifice were and answer to our prayers

Pres Castro gave some council about how prayer, fasting, patience, and courage will help us to be happy and fulfill our potential. Courage is something that I think we overlook sometimes, but we need it in missionary work, and in standing strong in what we know, which is basically missionary work. Remember Esther´s story- what an example of courage. By living what she knew and standing up for her beliefs, she was both a missionary and a means to saving her people. 

Thanskgiving

Cameron in California--  We got to be involved with the stakes nativity festival. It was quite the event. We spent 2 days building it, from about 10 to 2, and then got to usher one of the nights that it was running and it was a lot of fun.  We did good contacting, as well talking to lots of people. Attitude is really an interesting thing. We tripled how many people we talked to when I just

decided to have a good attitude about it and do it. 

So this was a good week. We got to sing in the Christmas choir on Sunday and

we had over 100 contacts, which was really good.

We had a youth fireside on Monday that we put together on Friday. Our mission president came and it was good. We also got to go to an all you can eat buffet on an Indian Reservation in a casino, so that was different, but fun. I hope all is well and that you will all have a merry Christmas.

having fun

Gavin in Mexico--On the 22nd, my bday, we started it out like any other preparation day. We went to the meetinghouse and had our zone and district meetings then we celebrated a bit. First we did a gift exchange. I got Hermana Blackmore who wanted a necklace so I bought a box of fruit loops and strung them up. and got an actual necklace too. I got a bamboo plant from Elder Cly which is probably one of the best things ever so thats awesome. I named [the plant] Rogelio. To celebrate my birthday and Christmas, I bought and filled a piñata. I filled it with the normal, peanuts, candy, fruit and then my companion threw in some other treasures like spaghetti, toiletpaper, an old shirt... ya. But it was super fun. Then mexican pizza (pizza topped with ham, jalepeños, chorizo, other goodness). About this point I noticed that I had broken out in a pretty much full body rash. I had been waking up with wicked headaches and such the past few days as well so we decide ehhh best that we go to the clinic eh? so we do that. Turns out I have Dengue. but dont worry its not too bad. but beyond that I thoroughly enjoyed everything, and hey what's foreign travel without a little illness am I right? 

Other family news--

BIG NEWS OF THE MONTH--New additions --

Rockwell Marston Smith - 28 Dec. 2014, 8 lbs 6 oz., 19½"  (Davis & Asialene)

Shiloh Dena Ricks - 1 January 2015, 7 lbs 5 oz., 21¼"   (Janae & Samuel)

Dan Smith- I just found that Dan has a blog.  I think it is primarily to keep in contact with his kids, spread throughout the world, and as a journal.  But I am amazed at what I learn about my siblings when I read their blogs!  Here is a snippit from his...... Then I saw that Spencer's were looking for a plumber referral.  I had to check so I called him.  Turns out the water heater went bad the day after Christmas.  Not such an exciting thing to spend money on.  I finally talked them into letting me help replace it.  So I helped them shop, then I removed the old and put in the new.  It had a power vent system so that caused a bit more issues since the new and old were not exactly the same.  Like always!  But after a few hours we got it back in, gas, venting, and plumbing lines back up and going.  We only had to move the plumbing and vent lines.  But the next morning there was a drip.  It was not there when we checked it all that night.  At least they had hot water again.  So I ran over, we emptied the pressure, and I was able to add solder to the one joint and get it to seal up again.  Now it is all great.  I saved them about $4-600 based on quotes they had gotten.  I was happy to finally be able to help them in a meaningful way.  (Carol's note--what a good guy Dan is!)

Mom's birthday was great.  I had worked with Aunt Carol (s) and in the end Carol Baker helped me get a new sewing machine from her shop she works at.  This was an investment in "tools" for mom.   She LOVES it and has just begun to learn how to use all the features.  It automatically threads the needle!  Tons of stitches including decorative ones, and it will do lettering also.  I hope this is the last one she will need.  I think it will be.  More reliable, better quality, just a good machine to last a lifetime.

Update on Stuart's treatments--Been a while so I thought I'd shoot out a quick update.

WARNING - may be too much information for some.

31 radiation treatments down and 14 to go.   Going smoothly.   No pain, not really any discomfort.   I meet with the oncologist weekly and he is a bit puzzled that I haven't got the typical side effects yet.  Diarrhea and fatigue.  I have lots of reasons I can come up with, but ....

My life - eating and bathroom - are highly regimented :)   which I will be very glad to be done with.

Example - before radiation treatments, bowels have to be empty but bladder should be full.  Have fun with that !

Bladder control is not like it used to be.  4 hours between is a good spell.   And when I have to go, baby, I have to go !    No more taking care of it in 5 minutes when I have a break.

Katie Baker McKeown-Family Christmas picture-

At the children's museum, there was a lady doing a science show with different chemicals and things like that.  She asked for volunteers, and Emmeline raised her hand and got picked.  So she got to go up and help put a styrofoam cup in acetone (where it basically dissolved into a little pile of liquid styrofoam).  She was so happy to get picked to help.

We got a lovely family bout of the stomach flu this month. Connor started feeling sick on a Saturday night, and by the next morning, he hadn’t puked, but he felt really icky and stayed home from church. Emmeline and I felt fine and so went to church. Then during the last 15 minutes of church, I got pulled out of my class by one of the primary leaders letting me know that Emmeline had just thrown up in class. Oh, I guess she was sick too. Ha. So I went and cleaned up her puke all over the classroom carpet and chair while my amazingly loyal friend Amanda cleaned up Emmeline and her Christmas dress. Then we went home, and Emmeline and Connor had a lay-around-and-watch-a-movie afternoon. Emmeline really felt fine the rest of the day, so her illness was pretty short-lived. By Monday morning, Connor felt mostly better. I never really got it except feeling a little ill Sunday night, but Connor and I just went to bed at 7:30 (literally) and then felt fine the next morning.  

We had a little New Year's Eve kids party with a couple of friends.  I wanted to celebrate the new year (countdown, noisemakers, etc.) at 6 pm for Emmeline before bed, and I figured if I was going to buy some stuff for that, I might as well buy a little more and invite some friends.  It was super low-key but fun.

Molly Baker--I thought I would send this amazing photo that she sent to me.  She made a couple of apple pies the other day.  I never have made anything this beautiful--especially while in college.   She is an amazing cook.

I'm sure everyone had a great Christmas.  I would love to get updates and pictures from your family time.  Please send me updates!

Work hard, study hard, pray hard,

Carol