The End… which is just the beginning.by Angie

Mon
15 Sep 2008
1:09 pm
1

I have tried  with all my might to come up with an appropriate conclusion to the intended three-part saga of my Prince’s new calling, but my creative juices have been diverted of late and have left my writing skills high and dry.  I’ve decided that I shall finish the story in modern-day prose, with an anecdote that happened yesterday:

We were introduced to a wonderful woman named Andrea (pronounced “ahn-DRAY-uh”) a few weeks ago by the Elders who were teaching her the gospel.  She came to our home for a lesson and dessert, and I liked her immediately.  She is from Bolivia (I think), and has a darling accent.  She works at a hospital, so her schedule is pretty hectic and prevents her from attending church every week.  Yesterday, she didn’t get home until late into the afternoon, so she missed the meetings, but she called the Elders and asked them if they would come over – and to please bring the Hoffmans, if they could come!  So the four of us went to see her and had a great talk about the Godhead and the importance of having a living prophet in our day to help us better understand the nature of God.  Jim, of course, had his scriptures out and brought up several points that were specifically based on verses from the Old and New Testament.  He is such a wonderful teacher – I love listening to him!

Well, apparently, Andrea felt the same way.  She suddenly sat straight up on the couch and said (referring to Jim and myself), “You know what – he is like FIRE!  She is so sweet and quiet and teaches nice, but he is like PAUL:  he is so strong, and has a testimony like fire!”

And she is right.  This is a wonderful calling for my amazing husband, and it’s only just begun!

No Room at the Beachby Angie

Sun
10 Aug 2008
12:08 pm
1

We were invited to go to Ocean Beach for a bonfire near the the waves last nigh with Jon, Michelle, and some of their friends from the Tri-Valley ward, but things didn’t turn out exactly as planned.  It’s a good thing that’s not always a bad thing…  🙂

When we arrived about 8pm, we realized that the beach was pretty crowded already.  Jim, Jon, and Michelle scouted south while Niki Theobald (whose family is in our ward) and Troy and Aaron wandered around nearby, hoping to find a group that was packing up to head home soon.  I stayed up at the parking lot with Matt Nielsen (whose family is in the fourth ward), to keep an eye on our gear.  All the scouts returned with the same news: there was no room on the beach for us.

Luckily, Troy’s parents (who live in San Ramon) have a fire pit in their backyard and it was agreed that we would re-convene out there for our delayed bonfire.  It was nearly 10pm by the time we got there, but we ate delicious s’mores, and had a wonderful time talking and poking the fire until after midnight!  I’m so glad we were able to go!

Thanksgiving Feastby Angie

Fri
23 Nov 2007
10:11 pm
1

What a Thanksgiving Feast we had today! We wanted to eat at about 1pm, so we all started pitching in this morning. Kelly already had the turkey brined, Kathy woke up early to start deviled eggs, and while I started toasting bread for stuffing, my sweet husband made me scrambled eggs for breakfast. He also looked up napkin-folding online and directed the folding of the cloth napkins to help make the table look lovely. We all spent the next few hours cooking, cleaning, chasing children, and asking Kelly for directions about her kitchen. We had additional guests over for dinner: Joseph & Kelly’s Bishop and his wife joined us and stayed into the evening for pie and treats.

After dinner, we shared things we were grateful for and all helped in cleaning up. Kathy, Jim, Jon, and I made a run to the store to pick up more firewood and some marshmallows, which we brought home and put to immediate use. We talked, played games, ate some more, and cleaned some more, until we were all plum tuckered out… which brings me to now. It’s only 10pm, but it’s been a long day, so I think I’ll say goodnight. Here’s hoping everyone had a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving!

Portlandby Angie

Thu
22 Nov 2007
7:11 pm
0

Here we are in Portland, visiting Joseph & Kelly (Jim’s brother and sister-in-law) for Thanksgiving. It’s a big Hoffman family gathering, since Jim’s parents and brother, Jon, are all here to celebrate with us. Jim and I left at about 7am, and were met at the Portland Airport by Jon and Roger, who had just flown in from Utah as well. Here at Joseph and Kelly’s house, we spent the afternoon cooking, chatting, and taking turns with the little boys (Isaac and baby Eli). As Kelly and I were making dinner, we sent the men out to gather firewood, so this evening we could enjoy a fire in their old-fashioned wood-burning stove.

Dinner was… Jambalaya! Ok, I’m teasing. Well, we did have jambalaya for dinner, but that’s because we’re going to have our traditional Thanksgiving feast (read: “turkey”) tomorrow, when we’ll have the whole day together to prepare it. Now that we’ve eaten and cleaned up dinner, Jim and Jon are working on our cozy fire.

Despite our delayed feast, I’d like to end my Thanksgiving Day post with some of my most precious blessings: I am so grateful for my wonderful husband, my amazing family (on both sides!), and for the gospel that has blessed every day of my life. We’ve been so blessed, in this new phase of our lives, to have a job and a fair amount of security, and a wonderful ward and new friends to help us along.

Happy Thanksgiving!