I've been told before by parents of teens how critical it is to talk when THEY want to talk. OK, tallman isn't quite a teen yet, he's only 12, but he's 5'11" so I'm counting him. :-) The other day when he was really struggling about the snake, really grieving, I kept going to him and asking him if he needed anything, if he wanted to talk, or what. He never did! But I suppose because I was extra-sensitive towards him that day, because I was thinking of him a lot, I really noticed how he'd show up behind me at odd times--while I was folding laundry, fixing dinner, on the computer. I'm grateful that because I was more aware of him that day, I put down what I was doing and listened, for those are the times he communicated, and I'd have missed it. It makes me wonder what I might have missed previously when I wasn't as focused on him. New resolution-try to be aware of this in the future!
Calandria is trying to get us all moved to a compound near Charlottesville VA. Sounds great! My "previous dream" is Lawrence, KS. I grew up not too far away and it's always been in my mind a mecca of culture, while still on the prairie. Although the joke is that there's ONE mountain in Kansas, and they build the University of Kansas on it--then put all the parking at the bottom. LOL Plus there's the basketball team (GO JAYHAWKS!!!!!!!) See here for pictures of downtown Lawrence. I used to drive in to Lawrence in the early 80's and stock up on foods that the grocery store in my hometown would not carry--like yogurt and bagels. LOL
But Charlottesville could work too. I'll be posting lots of pictures of Virginia, I'm sure, after I return from the LDS-EHE conference.