out of area!

sunday was such a great day! i always love conference weekend and this one was no exception. we stayed home this year, unlike the usual trip to the cabin. we were glad we did because we got a lot done! i finished two quilts for the primary childrens hospital and found a home for all my canning that my aunt darla helped me do this year! yummo! between conference sessions on sunday we went to shirwood hills to enjoy the fall colors and get some family pictures with our neices and nephews. as soon as we pulled up it started to downpour! so despite our efforts we didn't get any pictures, just lots of playing in puddles and mud! (even better!!) we made it home in time to start cooking my mom's famous speghetti dinner for my brothers. i had been stressing about it all week because no one makes speghetti like my mom. and her breadsticks...well, let's just say they should have a copyright! i was about to attempt to master the meal in one clean sweep, and believe me the nerves where aboard!

while i was hovering over the bosch, my hands covered in dough, i got a phone call....great! (ugh) i tried to get some of the dough off my fingers and glanced at the caller id when i noticed it said "out of area" {a phrase that has since become my favorite!} i hesitated, then KNEW i should pick it up. sure enough a voice i'd recognize anywhere was on the other line!! i spent the next thirty minutes visiting with my mom and dad and finding out that they have made it safely to Africa. through many tears i was even able to talk some! (and get some last minute speghetti advice from mom!)

the meal turned out to be a hit! bowen even engulfed it and we had enough for everyone to take home leftovers!

today as i was driving home from errands in town i started thinking of my mom. how i miss her. when i pulled into the garage i could hear the phone ringing. i thought to myself, oh i'll just let it ring. but quickly had the feeling i shouldn't. so i set down all the grocery bags i had cleverly picked up and ran in the house only to find another "out of area" phone call! my mom, though thousands of miles away seems to always know when i need to talk to her. i was so excited to hear about their current living conditions, the food, the people, their job and anything else we could squeeze into our phone call. bowen even got to talk to ga-ma and tell her about our many adventures to see the horses since living here.

even though they are "out of area" to me, i'm so grateful they're just a phone-call or skype away cause today i miss them.