What Good In The World Have You Done Today?

Service: 

"... we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”

President Thomas S. Monson

There are always events in our own life that can create uncomfortable circumstances. If you believe the media, the generation of today will sell what little integrity they have for 15 minutes of fleeting fame and then want the world to "help" lift them up again. So many want to be a "victim" in todays society and suffer from the "feel sorry for me" syndrome, never counting any of their blessings. Stuck on stupid is what I call it, but then I'm a bit too blunt for your average Mormon.

The majority of drama in your own life is self created. IT IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU!
The motto at Wildflower Manor is : 

There are NO victims. Just VOLUNTEERS!

of course this does not apply to kids

We have let go of plenty of "dead weight" holding us from living our best lives possible. It really is a WONDERFUL life we have and more boldly put, we deserve. The best way to feel your ultimate best when the world can try to invite you for a crazy ride, lose yourself in the service of others. That's how you STOP your life from being ridiculous. When you feel like the whole world should revolve around you and no one is paying attention, keep in my that there are REAL people in need of attention around the world. Often in your own community.

It's OFFICIAL! That's What's Up!

Nikia decided 2 years ago to go back to school for some kind of IT degree (Computer stuff I guess) because it has always been a passion of his, although a job promotion is a great incentive as well.. He was a FT student, FT government employee, a Military man and a hard working and dedicated husband and dad and it finally stopped being a headache when he graduated June 2010. He's taking a break for a bit and then he'll be pursuing more "wall decorations." Nikia is a good man and a better example of hard work and dedication.

s

Elder M. Nicholas Sete  
reported to the MTC August 4, 2010. He will be studying in Provo, Utah until the last week of September 2010 and then reporting to his mission assignment in Fresno, CA Spanish speaking. His current information and updates can be found on DearElder.com @
http://www.dearelder.com/ElderMNicholasSete

We are honored and humbled that our son has made a very wise life decision.

Elder Sete's current address is:

MTC Mailbox #295

2005 N 900 E

CA - FRE 1006

Provo, UT 84604

He can also be emailed at marley.sete@myldsmail.net, but he can't email back. So include your physical address if you want him to write you back.

Elder Ferron Misimoa Fruean 
will be reporting to the Provo MTC August 18, 2010 and will depart Sept. 7, 2010 reporting to his mission assignment  in Atlanta, GA. His current information and mission updates can be found on DearElder.com @ 
http://www.dearelder.com/ElderFMFruean

Elder  F. M. Fruean's current address is:

MTC Mailbox #137

GA - ATL Mission

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

He can also be emailed at ferron.fruean@myldsmail.net, but he can't write back., unless you include your physical address in your email.

Elder is going to be a fabulous missionary and is the first of his twelve siblings to serve a full time mission. What a great example he is to set the way for them as well as his two nephews.

Both these Elders are such good and worthy servants of Our Heavenly Father. Really, what more is there to say?? They make us so EXTREMELY proud! When the boys return from their missions, we will support them in their endeavors to graduate from college and accept nothing less than a girl worthy of a temple marriage.

Which last but not least leaves us to Miss Mina. She is still currently working on a way to get to college without picking up to many books ... ten year olds, whatcha' gonna do?? She is heavily involved in basketball, volleyball and other sports training. We are looking into some options to take her studies just as seriously.

Stay tuned as our Summer Adventures and our "Six Degrees of Separation" tales unfold because Currently On Tour is back live on the web. Deuces for now. 

Getting Over It

I do everything I can to avoid seeing the doctor and hanging out in hospitals. Failed in both my attempts this month. After some much needed rest and MORE evil meds, life can resume as somewhat normal again, if I don't mind the fact that I cannot hear out of my right ear anymore and am just starting to hear normal out of my left one again. Life puts you through the test sometimes doesn't it? I learned to be grateful for good friends, loving women and some of the kindest people in our ward. I am thankful for all the meals for my family, cards, emails, phone calls and prayers from so very many LOVING people I have in my life. I am often amazed by the THOUGHTFULNESS of people who include me and my family in their lives especially through prayer.   My family is surely blessed. Who knows how much love and compassion people have to offer until you are in your hour of need? People are good. There are a lot of miserable and "unhealthy" people in the world and I am thankful that my family prays to be surrounded by genuinely good souls. I am thankful for caring people who meet me "halfway."

Here are some updates at Wildflower Manor while I was down for the count ...
Mina had her 10th birthday celebration on Feb 15th. Her birthday is 2 days after her brother. I know, lucky me! She had a very fun and eventful day with 12 of her closest girlfriends from school. Exhausting for Nikia and I but I suppose we were around to chauffeur, chaperon and pay for her shin dig. It was on record, the LONGEST day of our life so far. It was literally an 8 hour birthday party and NO, we are NOT drinkers ... anymore = P

It started at 12:30 with a 2 hour kid's movie, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Two thumbs up. Lots of singing and screaming in the Econoline 15 passenger van with all the girls. A pizza buffet lunch and birthday cake at Cici's complete with $100 of quarters thrown away on arcade games,YIKES!

By now if you haven't guessed, Capt. Grumbles Nikia complains all the time but as a Dad, he definitely spoils his little girl on occasion. A trip back to the house to earn Mardi Gras beads and open birthday gifts and then we all volunteered at Feed My Starving Children. It was the first time most of the girls performed a service project and really got to see how fortunate their lives are. It was a very humbling experience for the girls and they bombarded the FMSC workers with questions of how they could sign their own families up to come back and help. The crowd sang Happy Birthday to Mina for the 2nd time and she got her free pink t shirt as a birthday gift. It was a perfect ending to a perfectly LONG day that ended at 8:30pm taking each party goer home.

Another basketball victory for our Hoosiers. I would post the scores, but that would not be nice.

On an LDS note: Marley and Nikia both got Patriarchal blessings last week and all I can say is, we are a family that is SINCERELY BLESSED. The biggest event this week happened last night. Nikia sat in on a meeting conducted by L. Tom Perry. Life changing experiences have come to us because we finally have the humility to show complete obedience in the plans Our Heavenly Father has for us. Life is so good when you want it to be!

Now maybe we can get some dance and song practices underway again for our ward Young Women.

The Best Gift

Happy 19th Birthday Marley!
This is what he got from his 9 year old sister Mina.
Frankie the Fish (from the McDonald's filet o fish commercial) singing the remix version.
She also got him a singing "Macho Man" card.

Minnesnowda

Front yard. Back yard. Who doesn't love a good snow storm?

Snow storm warning until tomorrow noon. Lots of road accidents. Think it's at 20 feet of snow. It's very pretty. Sledding in the back yard isn't so bad.

Happy Monday!

Who dat?

I am not even a fan of football but everyone else in Wildflower Manor is. I am a fan of big FUN get togethers.We will continue to cheer on the Saints from New Orleans, NawLins, if you want to say it like you're from Louisiana.
So why the Saints?

• There are so many fun memories for me about New Orleans and quite a few of them from Bourbon Street and a few Mardi Gras celebrations.

• Katrina, need I say any more about that whole fiasco.

• The food. If your food says anything about your city, then New Orleans is spicy, hot and feisty.

• The music. If you know anything about how the music is a huge part of the culture there, you know every tune is in celebration of life. I attended the funeral of a friend's wife in New Orleans and it literally turned into a party. With a band. At the cemetery. Jazz. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Lil Wayne.

• Outside of the Raiders jerseys, who has the best football jerseys? The Saints. Black is always fashionable for every occasion and slimming  = P

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were the last somewhat current artist to perform at the Superbowl halftime. I say somewhat because Janet was questionable at the time with her weak CD. Thanks to that "Nipplegate" scandal, we get to see dinosaurs entertain us. I can't even tell you who played in the Superbowl last year but I can tell you the entertainment has bit the dust. Here are the acts that I do actually like but talk about your history in action. What a yawn fest for anyone under 50 during half time: Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince (ok, he's still current, kinda'), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springstein and the E street Band and now The Who. For real though!

My 9 year old asked if they only let old people sing at the Superbowl. I said yeah, after some old lady who was trying to show her old naked self on tv messed it up for all the current singers.

On Sunday the chant at the Wildflower Manor will be: Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem saints? Who dat? Who dat? 

You gotta cheer on the underdog!

It's Getting Better

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. I spent it sorting clothes and ironing for about 8 hours. My darling husband Nikia spent about 5 of those hours, according to him, "slaving away" at cooking. He made a few pork chops and attempted to make pork adobo that no one has tried out yet. Our very brief celebration meal consisted of sharing a bowl of chicken wild rice soup, a small plate of coconut shrimp in red curry sauce and a shared a plate of banana caramel cobbler. Delish!

When Nikia and I married, it was spontaneous in the middle of the night in Anchorage, Alaska at the home of a Baptist preacher in athletic apparel and two of our kids were sick with the flu doped up on Benadryl. There was a serious sermon on the sanctity of marriage, dancing monkeys and a reception following immediately afterward in the drive thru of Taco Bell. We have never had an official honeymoon and have only taken one trip together without the kids since then. We have been tried and tested and had many happy moments and look forward to being continuously blessed in our many blissful years together. Divorce is seriously not an option and we have made a commitment to each other to see this marriage through to the end and if we don't want to stay married, we have promised to go out like they did on the movie, "The War of the Roses." We finished off our celebration by playing Rock Band with the kids. It was the BEST anniversary we have had so far.

We spent the majority of our anniversary day trying to gather up stuff for a family in our ward whose home burnt to the ground early Sunday morning. They made it out safely but lost about 99% of their worldly possessions. When the family made it out of the home and sat in the only car they could save, the person they thought to call at 4:00am was our Bishop. He sat there with the family and watched the home burn down. I am sure they know how much love they are surrounded by and are aware of the MANY people who love them to do all they can to help this family get through this very difficult period in their life.

I am thankful to my husband for so many things and on our anniversary, I was grateful that he chooses to spend our special day in service.