Welcome Home, Sister Rietz

L - R -  Grandma and Grandpa Rietz, myself, Kristin, John, Amber, Grandma Sollenbarger and 1/2 of Trevor. (Sorry Trev)    And do you see the pink poster?  The Utah clan sent their good wishes!!  And yes, we left MANY sparkles in the airport. Luckily, we got out of there before anyone really noticed!! :)

There is a LOT to catch up on here on my blog, (nothing new there).   There is a trip to Scotland and England to report on, our Thanksgiving holiday in Utah, a shingles breakout, a broken wrist, and who knows what else. Despite being behind, I had to do a quick post about our newly returned sister missionary!!

Monday, the 30th of November, 7:40ish pm, Amber's plane (finally) came in to our little airport!  We got there early, (I demanded it!  What would be worse than getting home from your mission and not having anyone at the airport to meet you??), and of course, her plane was late!  But finally, it came, she was one of the first ones off the plane, and she's here!

She loved her mission in the California Rancho Cucamonga Mission.  She cried when she was released.  She is getting used to not having a schedule, praying for investigators and less-actives, and wearing regular clothes.  She misses her companions.  Although she hasn't said as much, I'm guessing she would love to be back in California, planning the day, spending her time sharing the gospel, and testifying of the Savior and His atonement.

But as all good things do, her time as a missionary came to an end, and its time to move on to bigger (maybe not better) things.  BYU-I is just around the corner.  Classes, dates and other social activities will soon replace the things she has been doing for the past 18 months.  It will all be good.  For now, she is enjoying spending time with her family, decorating for Christmas and catching up with all the happenings from the past 18 months that we forgot to write her about!!

We're so happy to welcome home our returned missionary!!

Over Half-way Through

Truly, I can't believe I am typing this, but Sister Rietz is over 1/2-way finished with her mission!  Wow!  That time has FLOWN by!!  She loves it, she is growing, she is maturing, it has been a great experience for her.  She has only been in two areas, and has fallen in love with both of them.  She has been involved in several baptisms, and has taught a lot of people, done a lot of service, and made life-long friends with her companions.  

I am a rookie missionary mom* and didn't know I was "supposed" to send her a 1/2-way package.  I only know this because I ran into another missionary mom and after I told her how long Amber has been out, she asked me if I sent the above mentioned package.  Well, of course I didn't!  She gave Pinterest all the credit for the box she sent her son - 1/2 a package of cookies, etc.  I'm just feeling a little bad that I missed the boat on that one!  I'll have to make it up to her in May with a 1-year package.  Luckily, Amber hasn't mentioned anything in her emails, so hopefully she doesn't feel too slighted, and will continue on working hard and loving missionary life. 

Rookie mom or not, I am still her mom, and can honestly say I wouldn't want her to be anywhere else.  She is so happy, and although she is learning that life can be hard, and that things don't always go the way you expect, she is also learning that the Lord listens to her prayers, and that the Holy Ghost will be with her if she is worthy, and will help her say the things her investigator needs to hear.  A small accident left her with stitches in her lower leg, and eventually a big scar, but that hasn't deterred her and in her own little humorous way said it was just a matter of time before she had to use the mission insurance!  (I second that.  It was an inevitable thing.)  She has a strong testimony of the Priesthood as she has had to exercise her faith in it through several bouts of illness.  And she knows the importance of OWE - Obedience with Exactness, something her dad reminds her of each week - and the blessings that can come from obedience.

So here's to the next nine months.  November will be here before we know it, but for now I am so happy to be a missionary mom and support my favorite missionary!  Keep up the good work, Sister Rietz!!

Proof that she is no sissy!  A souvenier from a district soccer game.

With Gideon-Moroni, her trusty bike.  She loves it, and wants to ship it home at the end of her mission.  

Showing a little attitude with Sister T.  (Both of them are from Idaho!)

Amber just got to speak at the baptism of these cute girls.  They are from her first area, but they wanted her to speak, so she got to go back.

*and just to cement my "Missionary Mom of the Year" award, it has really been over a week since her 1/2 point.  I am just getting around to getting this post written.  Sigh.  (I may just be hopeless at this.)

Sister Rietz - 5 months out!!

Clearly I am a rookie missionary mom, because this day marks Amber's 5 month mark, and I only thought it had been 4.  Maybe I'm not so much a rookie, as just a bad time tracker.  At any rate, it has been 5 months since she entered the MTC and almost 5 months since she got to California.

Amber and 2 other missionaries in her area had birthdays in the same week.  Here she shows her talent at Pin the tag on the Elder Game.  (I cannot get this picture to move.  Pretend it is further down the page)

Here is a brief summary of her mission, including a few pictures.

Amber has been in Hesperia, California since she left the MTC.  The town is on the edge of the Mojave Desert, and if you are paying attention, it has occurred to you that she has been there all summer.  And yes, her only transportation, aside from a few rare exceptions, has been her trusty bike.  I believe she calls it Gideon -Moroni, or something along those lines.  She and her companion put on about 40-50 miles a week.

I haven't heard much about them lately, but Amber did not have much appreciation of the famed "Joshua Trees" which the area is known for.  We can safely assume this is not a hug of affection.

I find it ironic that she loves riding her bike so much.  (Which she does.  She feels like she can eat dessert when she puts so many miles on it each week.  :)  I tried a few times to ride with her before she left and after the 2nd ride, she was done!  I guess I was the wrong bike riding companion!

The only injury, so far, is from her bike.  It required stitches.  Sis. Moon got to put one in, which they both thought was pretty noteworthy.  Sadly, the stitches fell out early, the wound didn't heal well, and she'll have a trophy scar to show for it.  You may see at the very left of the picture another scar.  That was before her mission, but as you can see, this leg has had a hard life.  As Amber said, it was only a matter of time until she had to use the mission insurance. :)

Until a few weeks ago, Amber's companion was Sis. Moon.  She was an ideal biking companion. They have many things in common, and were a good companionship.  They worked hard, and had a lot of fun on the side.

Service is a huge part of being a missionary.  They

Our Sister Rietz loves animals, but this armoured guy full out charged her, and did not make a very good first impression!:) 

 

If she looks older in this picture, its because she is.  Our sister missionary is now a 20-year old!  How did that happen?  She was sick on her birthday, and members of the ward brought her these supplies to help her feel better and "more at home".  She had a very hard time resting while she was sick.  Her missionary zeal made it hard.

Amber is a hard-workin', rule-keepin', fun-lovin' missionary.  We are so proud of her. The growth we have seen, and her love of the gospel and the people they teach is wonderful.  She only has 13 months to go!  That is hard to believe!!!

It seems that I am not capable of much more than a photo re-cap these days, but here we go again.  A few photos that are a little slice of life these days...

We are sad to see the Papworth's move to Rexburg.  They have been in our ward for about 10 years, and we love them.  Bro. Papworth gave Ashley, Chelsie and Allison their Patriarchial Blessings.  Moving is the best thing for them, so their parting is bittersweet.

This is the label on the back of my shower gel.  If  a person has issues with Gluten, does it really matter if something you put on the outside of your body is Gluten Free?  After I was done scratching my head on that one, I had to just chuckle.

I was cleaning out a box the other day and I ran across this postcard.  Yes, it is an actual postcard, addressed and mailed to someone.  (See below) As a child, seeing the "DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW" tag caused me some serious worry.  What if it accidentally fell off my pillow while I was sleeping, or came off the mattress while I was putting on the fitted sheet?  Well, now I know what would have happened!  :)  I'm glad I never had to receive a postcard like this one!  This will make me smile for a very long time!!!
(Note - I think I must have been a young adult before I read the tag really carefully and realized what it was saying.)

The other side of the above postcard.  Check out that postmark!!  1969??  Crazy. The recipient was my in-laws' neighbor until about 5 years ago.  How in the heck did it end up in a box in our house with children's board books in it?  A great mystery!!

Kristin's "award" from camp.  Amber would be proud to know Kristin received this.

Speaking of Sister Rietz, she ended up getting about 3 stitches in her leg after slicing it open on the sprocket of her bike.  She was thrilled that Sister Moon got to put in one of the stitches.  Apparently, it is the only one that stayed in.  The wound ended up getting infected, and warrented another visit to the Dr.  She loves her mission, and loves Hesperia, the area she is serving in!!!

Kristin and I went to Spokane for one night last week while the boys were at Scout Camp.  All along the way, the wheat fields were either being harvested, or very close to being ready to harvest.  John spent his summer, 30 years ago, in a combine (not a John Deere, but a Gleaner).  He loved doing it.  In fact, he did it the following 2 summers as well.  How do I remember it was 30 years ago?  It was 1984, the summer we got married.  How has it been 30 years???

We took a little detour home, and found Trader Joes!!  Just walking in that store is a happy experience.  Although I really don't know why that is.  We just love that store.  Maybe its because we know we'll walk back out with these tasty little Pretzel Slims in our grocery bag!  :)  Not pictured is some really chewy Pugliese bread that called to us when we walked through the bakery department.

This was a fortune I got about 1 1/2 years ago.  I was amazed to pull it out of my fortune cookie , because I was just starting a pretty overwhelming project involving organizing my digital photographs, and I didn't feel any of the things that I was supposed to prove!  I taped it to my sewing machine so I am reminded of my potential, because, in all seriousness, its good to be reminded of such things.  This fortune has been on my mind lately because I used it as a jumping off point for my Relief Society lesson yesterday.


And finally, two quotes that have been rattling around in my head because I also used them in my lesson.
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
– Lao-Tzu

"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."  - Voltaire

Sister Rietz

Tomorrow is the big day.  Amber leaves the security of the MTC and heads out to the mission field bright and early!!  She will be able to give us a quick call before she boards the plane.  She is excited and ready to serve.  Today she had me post to her blog, Adventures of Sister Rietz.  She also got to send us pictures of her time learning how to be a missionary.  

I wasn't sure how the MTC would be for her.  A person hears so many different things - some missionaries cry themselves to sleep for the first while, some feel overwhelmed, some love the MTC and don't want to leave.  I think I have heard the full gamut.  From what we can glean, via a couple of emails and one snail mail letter home, she has loved her time there, even the long days in the classroom, but is ready to start sharing the Gospel.  Her letters sound upbeat, and you can see from the pictures that she looks pretty happy.

I include a few pictures from her emails.  Enjoy!

With one of her first investigators, Kitty.

I can't be sure, but I would guess this is in front of the Provo Temple.

I love this double greeting to little Carter from his Aunt Amber and Uncle Johnny who happened to be in the MTC at the same time!

Apparently everyone was on the same page for their color scheme that day.  These are the sister missionaries in Amber's district.

Sister Rietz with her companion, Sister Prows.

 We are super excited for Amber as she starts the next part of her mission.  I can't tell you how many times I checked my email today.  Last week her email came in the morning, so I figured that would be the same today.  Nope, not until mid afternoon today.  I had to be a patient Mama.  It was worth the wait, I assure you!  These pictures are worth a thousand words.

Home and 32 and counting (down)

The other night I was coming down the hill and caught a glimpse of our house.  Amber's shade was up and I could see her California State flag lit up by the twinkle lights she hung around it.  I smiled when I saw it.  The mission countdown is dwindling and just hovering over 30 days.  She got her itinerary to fly to Salt Lake this week!  So exciting!!  We started making skirts, and haven't had great success yet, but it is close.  Hopefully today there will be two finished and hanging in her closet.  And she got her booster Tdap so she is protected should she encounter a rusty nail or myriad other things that could give her tetanus, or be exposed to the rapidly returning Whooping Cough!  Immunize your kids for heaven's sake, and the rest of us, as well. (Stepping off soapbox now)

Its getting exciting, and scary and somedays I'm sure it can't get here fast enough.  So, so exciting!!!

But that is not what I sat down to blog about.

It's home that I want to wax poetic about.  When I came down the hill and saw the house with lit windows, I was glad to be heading there.  Not because I was eager to leave our RS Activity, where I had been.  It was a great evening where about 15 of us spent an hour and a half sewing comfort bags for elderly people.  I love getting together with my friends from church.  Laughing, sewing, eating, sharing - its all good.  So that wasn't why I was glad to see those windows iilluminated from inside.  It was knowing my family was inside that house, and although they don't come running to the door to greet me anymore (they are teenagers), I knew they wouldn't be sorry I was home, and thus in a roundabout way, I knew they were glad I was home.

I am not a homebody.  I love to travel.  In fact, John is in Utah right now to celebrate his mom's birthday, and I am very sad I couldn't go.  He gets to spend time with Alli and Ryan, his sisters and their families, and also he's done a little exploring of the art museum at BYU.  I would love to be there.

I love to go see our kids and their families, I love to go new places, I really hope the Australia trip comes to pass (Ashley says we just have to rip off the band-aid and go for it. :) I did fill out my passport application on-line and print it out.  John's is next.)  I have a list of places I would love to see - Italy, not only the picture from the puzzle, but maybe the area where my relatives come from; the French provincial countryside, and Paris of course; Arches and Zions National Parks - I have seen some incredible pictures; I'm told Mt. Ranier shouldn't be missed; and did I mention Australia??

I loved the historic sights, and pretzels, in Philly; could go back to New York in a heartbeat and see everything I missed the first time; and have fallen in love with downtown Seattle.  Portland is still one of my favorite places to go, as well as the Oregon Coast.

But at the end of it all, there is always home.  The place where our family story has taken place for the past 22+ years.  Three of our children were brought home as newborns to this house.  We have held two wedding celebrations, 6 baptism celebrations, 4 graduation parties, 22 Christmases, and I'm not sure how many Thanksgivings and hosted 3 General Authorities.  Again at the end of it all, there is home.

Home is where you hang your hat.
Home is where your story begins.
Home is where your heart is.
Home sweet home.

So no matter if I'm coming home from a trip or coming home from the grocery store, like Dorothy, I'm always glad to get back home, because there truly is no place like home.

A Springtime Post

 Spring has finally sprung, and that means a few things.  

 1 - It means Amber is done with her Freshman year.  I headed to Rexburg to pick her up on Thursday.  It was a pretty uneventful drive and I made it there safely and in good time.  One thing I was looking forward to was stopping at Lolo Pass.  Several years back when Chelsie was in High School, I took her to Idaho Falls to play in a soccer tournament.  I remember we stopped at the summit and there was stuff about Lewis and Clark and a monument to Stephen E. Ambrose, who wrote "Undaunted Courage" about the Corps of Discovery.  When I got there Tuesday, I was disappointed to find so much snow (see below), that I just used the bathroom and headed on my way.  No pausing to look at anything.  (Not that I could have found it in the snow anyway!!)

My courage was "daunted" and I didn't stay long.

One great thing about going to Rexburg is getting to visit with Dick and Lynnette.  They used to live here, and have relocated so they can live closer to family.  I can totally understand why they would want to live closer, especially after having just driven 1055 miles in two days, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss them.  They are wonderful people, the kind who make you feel like you are their favorite person out of all the people they know.  (Of course, they make all their friends feel that way!  :)  but that's just the kind of people they are!  Rexburg won big when they moved down there.  They hosted me for the night, and I repaid their hospitality by making them pose with me for a selfie!!

I had Amber give me some pointers on taking selfies after I saw this!  Clearly I need some coaching!!

Although the drive from Lolo to Lewiston seems like it will take forever - probably due to the 50 mph speed limit for much of it - a view like this is worth the trip!  The bugs on the windshield detract from the river and canyon.  You'll just have to take my word that it is truly beautiful.  There are signs all along the road for hiking trailheads.  I'm going to do a little investigating and see about getting out there this summer for a family hike.

2 - Spring also means its time for prom, tonight!  There was a near Prom Dress Disaster (well not really a disaster, more like a snafoo, but disaster sounds better).  We ordered Kristin's dress from a website based in China.  The delivery date was anywhere from the 8th to the 14th of April.  I told Kristin she needed to come up with a Plan B if the dress didn't come.  Yesterday, we checked the tracking and it was still in Federal Way, Washington. I thought there was a chance it could come today, but when I checked tracking again this morning, it still showed the same status.  Time for Plan B.  She found a dress among our dresses from dances past, and all was well.  Fast forward to this afternoon when I checked the mail.  I couldn't believe it, but there was the dress, just as pretty as you please.  And it it VERY pretty.  After she saw it, she kept saying it was so much prettier than she expected.  YES!!  There was a little modification needed to spiff up the modesty, but I finished it by 5:00.  No worries, Cody wasn't coming until 5:15!! :)  The modification was one of those things I prayed would work out, not knowing exactly what I was doing until I was done!  Whew!! It worked out!!

Kristin and Cody posing for the requisite pictures.

The prom group, a very nice group, if I may say.

3- Spring also means yardwork. We spent most of today doing just that.  I was clearing out leaves from under a bush, when I saw something that looked like a hornet's nest.  I'm so glad I looked again, because look what I found!!!  The smallest nest with the smallest eggs.  (They are about the size of small malted milk Easter eggs.) So tiny and sweet.  The mama bird did not take kindly to me peeking at her soon-to-be-babies and showing everyone else my find.  She swooped out several times while we were walking by her nest.  Sorry, mama!!

And speaking of birds, here is a shot of one of the baby pheasants.  It is less than a week old in this picture and already its are feathers growing.  The past few days, the feathers have grown more, and the chicks try jumping and flying, especially if the door to the brooder is open.  Soon they will be put outdoors and able to use the caged run.  They are growing very fast.  

A quick rundown

2014 has flown by for me!  What is the deal??  I feel like I am still back in January, but my calendar says it is March, so I guess I better catch up.  Here is a quick rundown of what is going on around here the last little while...

Trevor and John have been working like mad men getting this ready.  (If you have no idea what it is, just know I wouldn't either if it weren't for the fact that they are working on it in our shop.)  This is the pheasant brooder that Trev will use when he raises pheasant chicks.  He has been working with some men from the Idaho Wilderness Foundation (don't quote me on that organization, it's something along that line) to get ready for the little chicks to arrive.  After they have grown a little, he will take them across the draw and release them into the wild.  At this point, I have no idea how many he will get, but we'll soon find out as they will be here next week.  This isn't just something to keep Trevor busy, he is doing it for his Eagle Scout project.  

So far, the hardest part of the project has been getting a hold of the man who could give his okay to the whole thing.  That hurdle was crossed Saturday, and it is full-steam ahead.  I'll keep you posted on things... 

Tennis season is in full-swing (corny pun intended)  for Kristin.  She has played girls doubles once, but the rest of her matches have been girls singles.  This past weekend was the Lewiston Invite and she played some great tennis.  The first day she won 2 matches and lost one, which put her into the winner's bracket for the next day.  She won the first match Saturday and knew she was in for a workout her second match.  Her opponent was a Freshman from Ferris High School.  Kristin lost 2-6, 1-6, but...she set a goal for herself to get 3 games on the girl, and that is exactly what she did.  She was very pleased with things, and as an observer, I am here to tell you that she got inside that girl's head.  Kristin remained calm and cool, yet her opponent was visibly flustered when she got behind!  Way to go, girl!  Today, she played a Sr. from Sandpoint and beat her 6-3, 6-3.  (Just a sidenote on the above picture.  This is from the first match Kristin played in Friday.  The girl she beat had a huge red bow in her hair.  My friend and I decided that if you are going to sport something like a big red bow, you better back it up with some stellar tennis!  :) and see that blue sky?  It was beautiful tennis weather, and I have the rosy nose to prove it!!  Keep on a comin', Spring!!)

 Recognize the girl in the black pants?  I know you can't see her face, but it is our own Amber!  She showed up on our driveway Friday afternoon!  What a great surprise.  She was the beneficiary of a friend's parents generosity, and we enjoyed every minute she was home.  It, of course, went much too fast, and this is sadly the only picture I took to prove she was home, but it was wonderful to have her here if only for a few days.  Speaking of days, just in case you are keeping track, there are less than 60 until her big day!!  It will go by much too quickly, I already know!!

 Finally, two books that have captured my attention lately.  The Happines Project is a record of what the author did for one year to increase her happiness.  It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it was a good nudge to examine my life and see where I could step things up a little and increase my own happiness. I wonder if the author saw this article which I rambled on about a few months ago.  It is interesting to think about your own happiness, and also to know that being LDS gives me the inside scoop on "The Great Plan of Happiness".  The author has a blog, that interestingly enough, came out of her year-long quest.  I have enjoyed reading it, especially the quotes she posts every Saturday.  I am always happy to find a new quote to embrace.
I heard about The Power of Habit on two different podcasts in the last few months, so my interest was piqued and I had it sent to our library and have been reading it whenever I can.  In fact, I'm a little annoyed that I had to try to get the book for book club read (the meeting is tomorrow, and no I'm not going to get the book read) and couldn't keep moving forward with this one.  There is a lot of research that is referenced in this book, but it is interesting and easy to follow, so in this case, makes for compelling reading.  (Knowing how Starbucks trains their employees makes me glad I support them occasionally with a hot chocolate.)    We'll see if any of it sticks and I change some of my more annoying habits!!

There and back again...(but I am not a Hobbit)

The big trip is over, I am back home, Amber is in her new "home", and its time to adjust to 4 people living in our home (Kristin tried to set the table with 5 plates tonight :(   But of course, its all good, and here is a quick summary of our BYU-I adventure...

I loved walking around the campus.  It reminded me a lot of BYU-Provo.  One of my favorite things is the conference center that holds 15,000 people.  It is amazing!!!

Unpacking!!!
 (I wonder if they ever consider making the closets just a little bigger in the girls' apartments??)

Dinner at Jimmie John's Sandwich shop.  Yummy bread!!!
Allison, Ryan, Amber and Andriana (Amber's roommate)

I was very happy the BYU-Utah game wasn't this week, as I'm certain Allison and Ryan wouldn't have been able to come see us!!  :)  But the game is next week, and they came, and it was great to have our newlyweds hanging out with us for the day!!  (Note - Students are not allowed to wear capris on BYU-I campus.  I knew this, but totally forgot, and the only pants I packed were capris!  Oops!!)

The beautiful Rexburg LDS Temple.  I got to attend twice - once with my friends, the Youngs, who put me up for the weekend, and once with Allison and Ryan!  There are stained glass windows on all every side and they have gold, green, and blue glass.  There is a wheat motif throughout the whole temple.  Really lovely!
Notice the "R" on the hill behind the temple...Amber said people hike that and its on her list of things to do.  I didn't even know there was an "R"!!

I loved this little bit of whimsy in front of the architecture building.

Amber and her roommie!! (You can just see the corner of her bed behind her.  This comforter wasn't her first choice, but as that one was sold out, she got this one (which wouldn't have happened without her Aunt Dawn!  Thank you, Aunt Dawn!!!).  She really loves this one though, and it looks very cute on her bed.

One final note - I wish so badly I had taken a picture of my friends, the Youngs.  I didn't think about it until this morning and I was pretty sure Lynnette didn't want me to take a picture of her in her robe, so I didn't even ask.  Shoot!! They lived in Lewiston for years, and moved to Rexburg about 4 years ago to be closer to family.  Of course, they love being close to family, but I know many people here really miss them, including our family!!  They were so good to me this weekend, and I loved spending time with them!!  

Off on an adventure...

It is finally here...the day to take amber to BYU-Idaho...tomorrow...it couldn't have been a day longer...
As it usually is before a trip, it has been a chaotic night, and its time to hit the hay, and get up bright and early and head out because as you may or may not know, Rexburg is quite a drive from our little hamlet.  In case you are wondering, there are 3 different routes to get there, and not one is preferred over the other.  I took an unofficial poll. It wasn't much help!
It will be pretty unlikely for me to blog while I am gone, so I will have to play catch up when I get back.  Just know that it will be a great adventure, and I may have a story or two to tell when I get back.
See ya!

GBE Day 6 - Young Womenhood Recognition

Amber and Co. with their medallions and certificates of completion.

This group of girls received their YW Recognition all together.  For Amber, this was a great achievement.  There were times she declared she was done with Personal Progress, there were times when she'd get geared back up, and then times she would wane again.  But in the end, she persevered and earned her medallion.  We couldn't be prouder of her.  

As you may or may not know, the girls have to complete eight 10-hour projects as part of the process.  Some of the projects Amber did were reading the Book of Mormon (mandatory for the Virtue value project), planning and preparing meals for 2 weeks, participating on the High School Tennis Team, and probably her least favorite, making a quilt.  Her favorite was her Faith Project in which she studied the Preach My Gospel book during Mission Prep.  (There is a potential blog post in and of itself).  You can see that it is a very cute quilt, but she didn't enjoy the process beyond picking out the pattern and the fabric.  Again, she finished, although, not without a lot of, shall we say, encouragement from me. :)

The very cute quilt, made by a girl who loves wearing rain boots.

The important thing in all of this is that she completed the program, and did it because she wanted to, and because of that it will bring blessings into her life.  

Good job, Amber!!!