Catching up on November

I am typing this blog post from my new MacBook computer, which makes me a very happy girl! 

I have so much floating in my brain that hasn't been recorded.  There's no way I can remember it all, but I will fill in some of the gaps.

On Monday, November 18th I had an appointment to take Bella to the vet.  As we drove out of the neighborhood, I realized the van was driving strange and pulling to the right.  Then I heard a loud sound and suddenly hit a concrete drainage area on the side of the road.  I was stunned and didn't have any idea what had just occurred.  As I got out to assess the damage, a neighbor ran up to make sure I was alright.  When he asked what happened, all I could say was, "Uh, I have no idea.  I was driving and then my van fell apart."  He helped me look over the van where we discovered a tire had blown, causing me to hit the drainage area.  I called Christine since Ryan was unavailable, then waited for a tow truck.  The tow driver told me the van would be totaled.  Well played, Monday.

On Tuesday, November 19th (yes, the very next day), I got up before the sun to drive the oldest kids to school in Ryan's truck (since the van was no longer functioning).  As I pulled out of the dark garage, I worried that the mirrors might hit a side of the garage, so I turned sharply when the truck was half-way out.  Bad move on my part.  The truck crushed into the garage, leaving its mark on both the garage and the truck.  Brevan started laughing (NOT funny) and I started crying.  I ran back inside to tell Ryan I had now crashed our only remaining vehicle.  16 hours after totaling the van.  He was upset for just a moment, but then realized I was angry enough at myself for the both of us.  He handled it remarkably well considering the truck is his Baby!

With my parents coming in town that week, we decided to get right on the car shopping.  Luckily, we knew what vehicle we wanted to purchase because we had been planning to buy it fairly soon anyway.  I had put off car shopping for a couple years because I hate it so badly, but now we were in a situation where we didn't have a choice.  I love my new vehicle, but I hate having to make quick decisions!  We bought a 2013 black Toyota Sequoia that has 4WD.  It has so many fun gadgets that I'm still figuring out.  My favorite things about the SUV are the after-factory leather seats we had installed, the heated seats, the back-up camera, the hands-free access that lets me make phone calls and text by just talking out loud, the bluetooth that allows me to listen to anything (such as scriptures, music or Conference talks), the tinted windows we had installed (that make me look like a CIA agent) and the way it handles on bad roads.  I feel prideful when I love a material item, but I must admit that the hours I spend driving kids around just got a little bit more fun.

We drove to the collision shop to say goodbye to the silver van that had been in our family for almost 10 years.  This van had been with us since I got pregnant with Lindsey.  It came with us to Missouri 8 years ago and has driven us all over the country on many road trips.  It reliably drove my kids back and forth to a million different places, and bounced back after being wrecked in 2007.  Goodbye, Sienna.  We will remember you fondly.

My parents came into town on Monday, the 25th of November and stayed for 8 days!  It was wonderful to spend so much time with them! Although we did some fun activities with them, much of the time was spent helping with the Kearney Family Foundation.  I also had to find time for my homework, because BYU-I didn't think we should have a break over Thanksgiving week.  Some of the activities we did with the kids that week are seeing a movie in the theater, going to The Night Before Christmas play at Union Station (although we got there late), and shopping.  My Dad spent a lot of the time installing our TV on the family room wall, which was not an easy project considering the media plug is on the other side of the room.  He drilled holes in walls and took off the baseboards (revealing a newly dead mouse . . .ewww).  I love the new placement of the TV on the wall, and now I can finish decorating the family room.  Both of my parents spent many hours at Kim's house with me while we fulfilled any KFF needs.  It was a busy time, and my awesome parents jumped right in to help out wherever needed.  My Dad even drove Brevan to early-morning seminary one day so I could sleep in an extra hour.  Now that's true love!

Along with the stress of the car situation, our oven stopped working that same week.  My Mom and I researched and tried to quickly buy an oven before our 20+ guests arrived for Thanksgiving dinner, but none of the stores carried wall ovens like the one we needed.  As it turned out, we had a memorable Thanksgiving without an oven.  We borrowed a roasting pan for one of the turkeys, had a friend smoke the other turkey, and used a neighbors oven right before our celebration began.  The Simmons and Napiers joined us, as well as a sweet girl that Ryan home-teaches.  It was loud and chaotic, which is just the way I like it.  Now we have a beautiful new oven installed in the kitchen.

We hardly took any pictures that week.  In fact, I can only find these two.  Mom, do you have any others?  These pictures were taken at our favorite Mexican dive.  It's a store/butcher shop/restaurant located in the Latin section of Kansas City.  The tacos are delicious and cheap.

These are a few photos I took while at Kim's house in the days leading up to "Shop, Wrap, Deliver Day."  The organization is amazing and I have a hard time expressing my appreciation for the opportunity to help without getting overly emotional.  The system they have created is very impressive, and this year about 115 families were helped with all their clothing needs, food, household supplies and Christmas gifts.  I can't say enough how proud I am to be a part of this community organization.  On Delivery Day (and the evening before, which is Teacher Shop Night) I was stationed at Walmart to help all the Foundation shoppers.

These first few photos show the number grid that keeps everything organized.  The next few pictures show just a fraction of the packages ready to be delivered.  The Thorne's entire house (all three levels) was packed top to bottom with black bags full of wrapped presents.

One Sunday I walked out of my bedroom after a nice nap to see Bella napping on the couch.  She had found a pillow and tucked herself into a blanket.  A little spoiled, are we?  The kids all take turns having her sleep with them in their bed.  She's become an important member of our family over the past couple months.