So, I guess Chris isn't going to write about his trip.  Lol.  I asked him to "write for my anniversary present" well, it's come and gone:)  He did have a wonderful time in Peru.  Come on over and you can see the hours of video and hundreds of pictures.  My favorite was how he got to be a missionary to two different people (taxi driver and guide).  We gave their names to the missionaries.  Makes you grateful for the gospel. He also met a missionary from the US there that had been in a bad car accident and was recovering.  He got the missionaries home phone number so that he could call his mother and let her know that he was recovering nicely and the missionary asked Chris to also please tell her that" he loved her" - I couldn't stop crying (as he was talking to the mother).  A mother's heart.  He and my dad had a great time, things worked out nicely.  Chris brought home a blow dart gun (from the Amazon) for Jacob - they were told not to shoot each other because of the point.  Ughhh, Tay only bleed a little:)  Katie a Peruvian dress and hat and some llama earrings:), Tay a chess set (he LOVED it), Rye a sweater from an alpaca and me a magnet to add to my collection.  He slept a lot after he came home but other wise did great.
It's been a busy month. Chris and I celebrated are 22nd wedding anniversary on FRIDAY, the 13th - always been a good day for us.  We've been off track so we did lots of activities and laying around.  I finished my last Literary committee meeting for the year - only had to read one book, and it was good:)  I also had an MRI for my arm.  I am verrryyyy claustrophobic so I got to have some valium.  Doctor thought that I had a pinched nerve in my neck.  Not so.  Now we are going to try physical therapy if that doesn't work then onto another test.  I had my ulnar nerve put back in place 7 years ago.  The doc says that if it's come out of place again it will be a much more difficult surgery and take longer to recover.  Ahhh.  Hoping physical therapy helps.  Chris made his grandma's "secret" recipe tamales for the ward Men's cook off.  He won most difficult to make.  He did a great job.  Tasted wonderful:)  Chris' mom and dad came and visited us.  Always fun having them around. :) Meg, has decided to run a marathon in China.  New goal - run a marathon on every continent:)  and she signed up to be a head teacher in Russia in January after she goes to BYU Provo for the fall (and gets a job so she can earn some money - hee, hee!!!!)  She loves China and is not wanting to come home:(  Tay, went on a scout campout that was wayyy to cold for me.  Can you believe school is almost over??!!  Soon I will have a junior in high school and an 8th grader!!! (Katie and Jacob still go to school until July 1- then I can start crying:) Jacob has a new 4th grade teacher, his other teacher decided to stay home with her new baby.  Speaking of Jacob...... he fell of the tramp on Monday (April 30th) onto his shoulder/back.  He was in tonsss of pain. We iced it, gave him medicine and babied him.  Tues, morning he could hardly move his arm.  I let him stay home from school because I knew he hadn't gotten much sleep and I didn't want to have him be in pain at school.  I left him with Chris so that I could go on a field trip with Katie.  Poor Chris was sooooo sick himself that I told Jacob he was going to have to take care of himself:(  While on the field trip I called the doctors office and made an appointment for Jacob to see him and get xrays.  They did a lot of xrays.  After three doctors looked at the film they decided that the arm is ok.  They were concerned about the scapula.  They say that it is verrryyyy bruised and will take weeks to heal. They gave him a sling for his arm.  Pooooor Jacob.  At least we know that he is going to be ok - in a while (lol).  Ibuprofen and ice/heat.  His big orchestra concert is next Monday.  Not sure how that is going to go.  He can't play right now (even after I yell at him, hee, hee).
This week we have a full schedule.  Scouts, CAP, Rye working, orchestra (maybe:), Chris has a basketball game (he's on a league team - I swear he's trying to kill me!!) Tay goes to the foot doctor (his skin is peeling off - gross), we meet Jacob's new teacher, it's teacher appreciation week, I've gotta get my hair colored - thanks to my family (lol), homework and a baptism to attend. . .  all good stuff. Glad to be busy again.  For three weeks while we were off track we rested now it's time to stress out - hee, hee.
Last week a good friend of mine lost her six year old son.  She is amazing.  I love her sooo much.  She is always thinking of are family.  We have had a lot of great times together - especially doing field day at the elementary school.  "Diet Coke snow cone" for her and Dr. Pepper snow cones for me.  I can't imagine her loss.  I pray that I can handle all of the things that she has had to do this week with as much strength and courage as she has.  I watched her thinking "this is how I want to be when Chris dies."  I'm borrowing a quote that she put on her face book page.  I love it:)  It's from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in a talk he gave (you can see it on mormon message). "Come What May and Love it" "The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss.  That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way.  While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundred fold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude."
Love, Ricki
P.S. Any errors I blame on the new blog format.  Don't they know I'm not to good with computers??!! Oh, and I don't like change!!!!!