Rain, Rain Go Away

South Florida in the winter is considered their "dry season". But this winter has been unusually wet. It has rained for several weeks, sometimes every day. About a month ago, I was driving one of my Achievement girls home and it was raining so hard I could hardly see the road! Thank goodness Mark was waiting for me at home with an umbrella, otherwise I would have been drenched! I'm not sure anyone really minds, but sometimes it gets a bit dreary. The older scouts had a camp out and hike this past week in the Everglades and it rained pretty hard on them. Mark was with the younger boys on Friday. Luckily they didn't get the rain. Girl's Camp here is during Spring Break which was last week. I asked one of the leaders why they don't do their camp in the summer and she said, "Because it's too rainy, buggy and hot." I understand in the summer it rains every single day around 3:00-sometimes a real "gully washer" as someone succinctly put it. We've been here for almost three months now which is amazing. The temple is coming along. The temple site will have two lakes on the property. The contractors use the material that comes out of the lakes they dig to build up the foundation of the temple. It's a lime rock. The water table here is so high that the foundation must be built up. I continue to enjoy the whole South Florida experience. I am so grateful to be here.

Things To Do

With Mark working and me staying at home cleaning, taking two BYU classes and all the other things I can find to do, it becomes very easy for me to just stay locked up in our apartment, not going anywhere. I think for awhile it worried Mark to find me here day after day. He encouraged me to get out and find things to do. I knew that I didn't want to become so involved that I wasn't getting my studying done. That really has to be my first priority. So I went to the Broward County Library in Weston and volunteered. I had to fill out quite a detailed form which they then send to the police for a background check. The supervisor told me it usually takes a couple of weeks, but it didn't take that long--(I'm pretty squeeky clean) So now I volunteer on Friday afternoons for a couple of hours usually sorting books or DVDs and putting things away. It's only once a week, so it's not bad at all. I worked at the library in Mapleton and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a nice library and, like Salt Lake County, items can be ordered from other branches if one branch doesn't have something. I've wanted for a long time to learn to knit well. Mark and I were out one evening and he drove me to the yarn shop here in Weston. When I went inside to look around I found out there was a free class being offered to teach different knitting techniques. It consists of 12 squares, one each month that teaches a new technique each time. When completed, they are sewn together to make an afgan. I signed up! At Stake Conference, Mark and I met President and Sister Anderson. He is the mission president here in South Florida. On the first Monday of each month they meet with the Senior Missionaries for a dinner and Home Evening message. Since we are here working on the temple, we were invited along with the missionary couple working at the temple site. Last month was our first time. The mission home is beautiful--it is the mission president's home. Surprisingly, it is in a neighborhood near the stake center, so it was easy to find. Anyway, I enjoyed going and visiting with everyone. President and Sister Anderson are very friendly and gracious. I think the DeGraffenreids enjoyed visiting with the other senior couples. Everyone brought something to share. The food was good. It was a lovely evening. We go again tomorrow. Again, it was nice of them to include us.

Bunko

Okay, I freely admit that when I got invited to play Bunko with a group of ladies, I was not sure I wanted to. I had played the game a couple of times before and I really didn't enjoy it that much. But one thing I have really appreciated living here is being included in the different activities, such as Ladies Lunch Bunch, dinner after Stake Conference, and other things like that. It has helped me feel accepted and loved. When we move into a new area Mark and I love to jump in with both feet and get involved as soon as possible. Getting invited to outside activities like Lunch Bunch has been icing on the cake. So when I got invited to Bunko, I was unsure of how I would like it, but decided to try it at least once. One of the ladies who has been in charge in the past belongs to the country club here and has arranged for us to play in the dressing room at the club house. Each person takes a turn being in charge for the month and provides a light meal and snacks. I think there ended up being 13 of us, so one person sat out and we rotated. For anyone who doesn't know what Bunko is, it's a game where four people sit around a table. You are partners with the person sitting across from you. Each person rolls three dice and points are added or taken away, depending on the play. When the head table reaches say, 21 points, they ring a bell and the couple who got the most points at each table move to the next table. I don't know that many details yet. Anyway, I have to say I had a good time. I don't know what was different about it. It was nice in the club house, but it was a relaxed evening with everyone talking and laughing and just enjoying themselves. Oh, some really get into the game and there's some yelling occasionally, but for the most part it was just a nice evening. So...I guess I'll keep going. It's only once a month and I'm enjoying the company. Thanks, guys, for thinking of me and including me. I really appreciate it.