Should I Retire?

Deciding when I should retire seems to be occupying a lot of my time these days.  I had decided at the beginning of the school year that this would be my last year.  I met with a counseling service representative from PERS (Public Employees' Retirement System) a few weeks back.  I received an estimate of my retirement salary and a percentage based on how many years I will have worked by the end of this school year.  It appears that if I retire on August 31, 2013, I will retire with 71.864% of my present yearly income. The cap is 75%.  So, if I work one more year, I will be at 74.5% which is as close as I can get to the 75% cap without going over.  The dilemma is whether I should go for that extra year.  It will mean $165 more a month until I am no more.  Can I face another year?  I wish I could look into a crystal ball and know the answer.  For now, I continue to ponder.  The paper work to retire is staggering.  Looking at it makes me think I don't want to fill it all out.  Maybe another year wouldn't be so bad.

School

I always enjoy my drive to work in the early morning hours of the day.  This morning I saw another pretty sky.  I'm not sure what made the unusual colors, but I certainly thought it was unusual and worthy of a picture.

I'm on Warm Springs driving west almost
to my turn to go to Sierra Vista High School.
Is that a rainbow?

The school buses reminded me of Kyra and Skye.
When we were in St. Louis this last time, we met
the girls a few times as they arrived home on the bus.
Today I smiled when I saw familiar-looking
yellow buses in Las Vegas.

This is Kyra and Skye the first afternoon
of our most recent trip to St. Louis.  They
were all smiles and so were we!  It's always fun
to travel to Missouri.

November Fun

I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the last day of November.  It feels like this month just started, and here it is practically over.  Besides school and church work taking most of my time, I have managed to have a little bit of fun here and there.  Below are some of the things that kept me busy in my spare time.

We celebrated Steve and Thomas' birthday and
Thanksgiving altogether one Saturday night
early in November.

Thomas turned 30 and Steve
turned 65.  The years keep rolling by.

One Saturday in November Steve and I went
over to Julie's school.  She was there trying to
catch up.  Steve hadn't been there before,
so lots of show and tell going on.

Julie is an excellent teacher; we are very proud of her.

Another view of Julie's classroom

After being at Julie's school for an hour or so
we met Natalie and her kids at Cafe Rio
and then off to a show at
Boulder Station.

The show apparently wore the twins out.

Another Saturday in November Julie and
Heather Jones ran in a race called the Turkey Trot.
This was the same one that Melanie did a
few years back.  It was held by the Las Vegas
Outlet Shopping Mall located on the
south end of The Strip.

Julie and Heather Jones
Best of friends forever and ever

On Thanksgiving morning Natalie, Julie, and Jeri
ran a half marathon on the east side of town
near the temple.

Taking a quick picture before beginning the
 13-mile run

When we first arrived, it was very dark.  By the
time the race actually started, the sun had come
up.  It was a beautiful day.  It was hard to believe
in some parts of the country it was snowing.

Here's Natalie with one of her friends from her ward.
They stayed together for most of the race.

Jeri is unbelievable.  She beat both Julie and Natalie.
Julie said, "I hope I can run like her when I grow up."
It was so funny; we all laughed.

Thomas and the kids made signs
to cheer everyone on.

I loved this sign.  It said, "You're the
bomb, Mom."

Natalie is evidently feeling quite
exhausted after running 13 miles.

Julie was cheered on as she crossed the
finish line by Natalie's kids as well as some
of the Ellsworth's cousins.  It was fun to be out and
about on Thanksgiving Day.  Later that afternoon
Julie, Steve and I went to Mimi's Cafe for
Thanksgiving dinner.

School Pictures

While we were in St. Louis a few weeks back, I was able to get Kyra and Skye's new school pictures.  The girls are growing up so quickly.  It's hard for me to believe that Kyra is nine, and Skye is six years old. They are beautiful, sweet girls inside and out.  I am blessed to be their grandma.

Kyra, Fourth Grade

Skye, First Grade

Celebrating Steve's 65th Birthday in Missouri

Heather said she wanted to celebrate Dad's birthday while we were in Missouri; we didn't complain!  She made a wonderful Chinese dinner which, of course, is Dad's favorite.  After dinner the kids had a fashion show, and we had one of Dad's favorite desserts which is Texas Cake.  Dad received a very nice gray, silky jacket with an orange-lined hood.  It was a perfect party.

Time for birthday dinner

Skye was the narrator for the fashion show.

Their house has a perfect stage for all
types of creative kid productions!

Dane is quite the dancer

Kyra, Skye, and Dane seem to have
unlimited energy!

Birthday cake with 6 candles to represent
six decades and five other candles to
represent 5 years; put it together and you've
got 65!

That's one big stuffed animal!

St. Louis Zoo and Arch

Steve and I decided one afternoon while the kids were all in school to take a few hours and drive into downtown St. Louis to visit the zoo and the arch. Although we've been to both places before, it was fun to do a little sightseeing before heading back home.

Our zoo adventure began

The zoo was decorated with tons of
pumpkins and Halloween decorations.

Steve wanted to see the giraffes, monkeys, and big cats.
He got his wish!

The arch is surrounded with beautiful trees.
Although it was a clear day, it was cool.

My hoodie definitely felt good!

The arch is very, very tall.

Of course, the arch faces the Mississippi River.
Steve and I have laughed over the years.  Every time
we book a dinner cruise, it gets cancelled due to
flooding.  We didn't book this time, and wouldn't you
know it, the river wasn't flooded!

Halloween Fun in Missouri

Our trip to Missouri this year included a number of Halloween activities.  Friday night was the trunk or treating at the school.  Saturday night was a ward party which included dinner, games, and trunk treating.  Finally, on October 31st, our activities included trick or treating around the neighborhood. The fun never stopped!

A baby giraffe, Cleopatra, and a Power Ranger

The kids were very excited and
happy with their costumes and all the
Halloween activities they were invited to.

Kyra as Cleopatra

Skye as a Tango Dancer

Dane as a Power Ranger

I'm definitely a proud grandma.

Trey Matthew DeBauch

Steve and I just returned from St. Louis after spending a week there with Heather and her family.  The main purpose in our visit was to get acquainted with our newest grandson who was born on September 26, 2012.  Trey was blessed during Sacrament Meeting on October 28th.  When we came home from church, we had a family baby shower.  It was lots of fun!

Time to leave for church
and the baby blessing

Dressed and ready to go

Dane, Chad, Heather, Trey, Kyra, and Skye

The cool weather didn't stop us from
having a spectacular day.

Trey sleeps most of the time!

Proud Mommy
and contented baby

Home for church and ready
for the baby shower to begin
"THE ROYAL ENTRANCE"

Kyra, Skye, Steve, and I planned and prepared
for the baby shower on Saturday.  We're ready
for the festivities which included tacos
for lunch.

All of us got a candy bar that said
"IT'S A BOY."

What's a baby shower without
games and gifts?

Steve, Kyra and I made a diaper cake for the centerpiece.
It turned out very, very cute!
Kyra requested lemon cupcakes; total hit!