A Twist and An Update

Alright, I know I posted a little life update earlier this week, but we've had a big twist and this week didn't quite turn out the way we expected... 

Here's update #2 (written by an officially old lady)! 

 1. In a last minute twist (at 10pm on Monday night), Ellie got asked to prom here in Utah and she opted not to go to Mormon Prom in Virginia.    Ever since she found out that the Virginia prom was the same weekend as her school prom here in Utah, she told  me that she'd prefer to go to the local prom if given the chance.   We held off making any plans in Virginia (other than buying the tickets) until last week and then went full-steam ahead when she hadn't been asked yet.   Haha!  I should have known!   Thankfully our airline tickets were on Southwest, so we were able to change without penalty and now were are scheduled for a visit after graduation next month. 

2.  Getting asked to prom here meant that we had to return the dress it took 126 hours to pick out and trade it in for something with sleeves.  That was another 3-1/2 hours at the dress store!   I was excited about the addition of sleeves to her dress and the money we saved, since most of the prom dresses had gone on clearance since purchasing the other one, but I was not excited about spending yet another afternoon shopping.   It's done now though and I hope to never do it again! 

The final choice:  

3. I had that "Perfect Date" cookie party on my birthday and it was a smashing success!  We estimate that over 50 people came and it seemed like everyone had a great time.  We had samples of 5 different gluten free cookies (2 homemade, 3 bakery bought).  A few people knew it was my birthday, which meant that most people knew by the end of the night, but I really enjoyed celebrating without  it  being an official "birthday party"!

  4.  Glen is having a hay-day in Alabama doting on Lucie.   He is enjoying every second of taking Lucie to the library, to the zoo, out on walks, etc.   It's very cute to see the photos and Facetimes of them interacting together.   Lucie learned how to say, "Papa,"  right as he got there, a fact which made him an extra proud "papa"!    I only wish I were there with them! 

5. Other than the skiff of snow on the morning of my birthday, winter seems to be gone....hopefully for good!  I am basking in the warmer weather and the brief window of time when we don't seem to need the heat during the daytime at least.   I very definitely have S.A.D. and this winter was not good for my mental health.   I hadn't experienced a winter like that since my teen years in Minnesota and I am shocked and amazed at how instantly my state of mind improved with the onset of of warmer and longer days.  I'm going to have to get some light therapy lamps or something for next year.  I don't think I can do another winter feeling like that again. 

Ramblings of an {Almost} Old Lady

Guess what?!    This is the last blogpost I'll ever write as a 49-year-old.    

Next week, I'll probably have dentures, hearing aides, white hair, a cane..and be calling everyone "Sonny".   Don't remind me that I already have the white hair part taken care of.  

So, if anyone happens to see my grandbaby Lucie anytime soon, I have a super important assignment for you...   You need to ask Lucie what an elephant says.   Then ask to see her belly button.    And then ask her where her eyebrows are.  And then ask to meet her Bear Friend.  The synapses in her brain have been connecting like crazy lately and she is a hoot!    She's learned how to say "eyebrow" and "happy" while I've been on the phone with her in the last week.   I'm pretty sure she is the smartest AND cutest baby in the universe.   Or at least equally cute/smart as  all my kids were!  

I am a little jealous that Glen gets to spend a week babysitting Lucie next week.   I will be heading on a long-planned trip to Virginia to give Ellie the Mormon Prom experience, but I wish I could go straight to Alabama afterward instead of coming home.  But school.  Ellie still has a few weeks left, so we probably shouldn't keep her out too too long.    As it is, she is missing 3 days for our Virginia trip. 

Speaking of Virginia trips....it only took about 12 hours and 50+ dress try-ons before Ellie FINALLY found the prom dress she wanted. 

It got so bad at the end, that I was ready to walk out of the store insisting that she wear the dress she wore to Sweethearts' Dance.  But apparently that would have been a mean-mom move.  I mean what kind of mom makes their daughter wear the same expensive dress twice?!  It's not like anyone in Virginia has seen it before.🙄     

One thing is for certain....I'm very happy to be done with the prom dress stage of life.  Have I mentioned lately how much I hate shopping?  

On a totally different note....guess how I am celebrating my 50th birthday?!  I went out to lunch with a couple friends this past week {one of whom knew it was my birthday, one who didn't} and I've got some fun things planned with my family, but, for the most part,   I don't want anyone to know it's my birthday.  It has nothing to do with not wanting to acknowledge my increasing age, but  I think I've figured out that I have an intense fear of insincerity, so not advertising my birthday on social media means that anyone who wishes me happy birthday actually knows me enough to make a note of my birthday....or reads my blog, which means  you are officially awesome.

In any case, I'm throwing a "perfect date" cookie party instead and absolutely not mentioning that it's my birthday.  

I sent this invitation along with a link to the "perfect date" clip on Youtube.  Yeah, yeah.  I'm so hilarious and I'm sure I'll get even more hilarious once I'm officially old (in a few short hours).  

Are you in town?  Come.  This old lady would love to see you.   And we'll have cookies. 

Your Mom is Weird

Letter written to our missionary:  4/17/23

************************
Hello dear missionary of mine!  
How's life in  the land of Ports and Dams?   How fun that I still get to make  Dam jokes with you even in your new area.   You probably thought you would get to escape those eventually, but...NOT YET! 

I'm fully aware that my obsession with beavers/dams probably puts me squarely in the "weird category", but I'm okay with that.  At least I'm not also obsessed with sending stupid little 4x6 pieces of thick paper in the mail, because that would be truly weird.  

Oh wait.  Never mind.

I do also send doughnuts to your cousins who have birthdays...

Maybe that makes me slightly more normal...

I also seem to have an issue with dogs following me home...

For approximately the 5th time since moving to Utah, we met a loose dog on our morning walk and had it follow us all the way home.     He had no tag/collar on, so we posted on the community FB page and pretty quickly found the owner to Maverick.  He was a pretty sweet guy, but we laughed that this never once happened while we lived in VA or PA, but somehow it happens on a semi-regular basis here in UT!   Maybe we smell extra meaty or something now.  

I also can't stop looking for "matching" pictures to show Cami after she sends me a  picture of Lucie.  She sent me this one to show how Lucie was wiping her hands in her hair like a napkin, so I found one of Cami doing the same thing...then found one of me doing the same thing.  In other words, apparently messy eating runs in the family!  

I guess it might be  slightly weird that I've started looking for "wishing rocks" to show your little cousins after I read them a cute picture book during Spring Break about different types of rocks you can find.   It gave me Adam vibes to be walking along the trail with a pocket full of rocks...and to now have a pile of rocks on my windowsill for whatever future date we might see the King Boys again. 

On Sunday, we decided to channel our inner Adam even further and took an afternoon drive to Bear River Bird Refuge.   It was a lovely day and I had fun using the Merlin App (an amazing discovery) to help us identify some of  the different birds. 

We saw American avocets...

A snowy egret (we didn't need the app for this one)...

An American coot...

A yellow-headed blackbird...

 American white pelicans...

A white faced ibis...

And some hungry Gooldicus Birdicus... {there were too many bugs to eat our picnic outside}.  We definitely need to take you there when you get home.  You would love this place!  

Also, on a different, but related note...Spring is kind of here and I've stopped crying every morning when I see the weather forecast...I also am enjoying post-dinner walks a few times a week.   {PS  I only joined BeReal to be friends with your sisters and the three of them are literally the ONLY friends I have on there (not that they post very often or anything).   Someone else tries to add me and they are instantly and cruelly denied! I will probably let you be my friend in 15ish months or so though, so don't worry.}

In case you're wondering why I only said Spring was "kind-of here"...

There are still way too many cold days in the mix for my taste...not that I'm complaining too much.  I am definitely reveling in the sunshine and not having to wear my woolen outerwear every day for now, but, heaven help me,  if it snows on my birthday, there won't  be enough beavers in the world to justify the  torrent of dams that will flow forth from my mouth. 

Sorry. 

I guess I better go read my scriptures  or something {I'M ON MORONI 9, SO ONE MORE DAY!!!}.   Or maybe send a few postcards.  Or think of a spiritual thought to end with...

Here's a quote in President Nelson's GC talk that stood out to me:  

"The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers."

It made me think of you and the other missionaries out there making the world a better place and it made me thoughtful about what I could do to be a better peacemaker.  

I hope you have an amazing week!  We can't wait to talk with you tomorrow! 

LOVE YOU!!!!
Love,
Mom

 




 

Terrific Tuesday!

Yay!   It's Tuesday!  

 Yes, I'm aware that  it's still 3 more full days until the weekend, but gone are the days of the weekends being my favorite part of the week...for the time being it's Tuesdays!  

Why Tuesdays, you ask?  

Because it's our day to talk with our missionary and it's literally the only day our family can be "all together" right now.  Of course we're not all together in person, but Facetime is the only way and Tuesday is the only day we can see this cute missionary's face right now, so we will happily take what we can get...😀

Adam has been serving in Portland for about 8 months now and seems very engaged and happy.  He's serving in his 3rd area and is enjoying the challenge of serving in an inner city ward currently.  It sounds like it has been quite the adventure and he's meeting and teaching very interesting people.  

I love that his mission values temple attendance and encourages the missionaries to attend twice a transfer.   Neither Cami or Emma had the opportunity to attend much on their missions.  Cami because there was no temple in her mission boundaries (Lyon, France) and Emma (SLC-West) because she was a COVID missionary and didn't even get to attend the temple before she left on her mission! 

I also love that we live in a day and a time where we can talk to our missionary weekly!  Cami's mission took place before the communication change and I deeply deeply missed hearing her voice and connecting with her real-time.  It's been such a blessing to our family to be able to connect with Emma and Adam in this way while they were/are away from home.  

So in honor of celebrating Tuesday, being able to talk with my missionary, and family togetherness...here are a bunch of screenshots from our Tuesday afternoon family Facetimes over the last several weeks!  

Have a totally tubular and tremendous Tuesday and make sure to give all your peeps a hug or a call today!  💗💗💗

Our Last Spring Break!

Spring Breaks around our house over the years have generally been pretty low-key affairs.   The dates  tended to sneak up on us (probably because they're different every year) and we often would start Spring Break week with zero plans. Over the course of the week, we'd usually manage a few little daytrips here and there, but historically most of our Spring Breaks have been spent pretty close to home.   I'd like to blame this lapse in planning meaningful Spring Break treks to the fact that we homeschooled and weren't as focused on school schedules as most people, but honestly it was no different before we started homeschooling as well!  

This year {the last Spring Break I'll ever have with any kids still in school}, I actually thought of it a few months beforehand and  made plans!   {Yes, I'm proud of myself for remembering this year.}  I coordinated with my sister, Kristina, and together  planned a trip to Sedona, Arizona with her.    At the time, I assumed it would just be Ellie and I joining in with the adventures, but Glen's work situation made it possible for him to join us as well. 

Here's a little glimpse at how our week went.   You should definitely be impressed about how we kept it low-stress and fun, but still had meaningful activities planned.       

  First off, I brought a big basket of kids' books and games from home, so I could read to the littles.   I read to them as often as they would let me and while we didn't play many games, we did get in a very rousing round of Cards Against Humanity (family version) that got everyone laughing!   

 Their favorite books included, "Officer Buckle and Gloria,"  "Slip the Otter," "Edward the Emu," and "The Adventures of Salt and Soap."    

Glen also bought some mini "lego" kits to do with the boys, but that ended up a bit of a fiasco.   They had teeny tiny pieces, which made the kits very tedious to put together and way too hard for the boys to help with.   And then after he had spent hours putting them together while they watched, they immediately started pulling them apart to play with them.  It was still kind of a bonding experience, but not quite as interactive as Glen had hoped.  

The boys were obsessed with Ellie and she often had three little shadows following her around.  

We also went on a couple really cool hikes....   

One was to one of the world famous "vortexes" of Sedona.   There's A LOT of hoo-woo stuff around Sedona and vortexes are one of them.   Apparently some "spiritualist" had a vision one time that there were special places where the earth's energy vortexes upward  and Sedona is full of them.   They're {mostly} unmarked, so you have to know where you're going.  We hiked to Cathedral Rock and found one up and around the corner from the marked "end of the trail".

  It was actually really cool, because it was a gorgeous vista AND people were quiet and treating it with reverence.   I didn't feel any surges of energy, but honestly it was a nice quiet place to reflect and to feel the spirit.    

I say most vortexes are unmarked, but we did find this one with a sign hanging over a random bench.  I'm pretty sure it is a joke, but it did make us laugh!   😂

Glen and I went on a 5-miler by ourselves and saw some pretty spectacular scenery along the way...

One day we took a back-country hummer ride with a tour guide who was as hoo-woo as hoo-woo gets.  We are pretty certain that of the "facts" he told us during the tour, approximately two of them had any basis in reality.  

What were some of the facts he told us?   That Washington DC wasn't part of the US and that you needed a passport to get there.   That Johnny Legend tried to live in Sedona, but was spiritually incompatible and his house burned down by the forces that be (yet somehow it's not in any news' sources).   That the earth floods every 27,000 years as a cleansing ritual.   That DC, Sedona, and Jerusalem are all on the 33rd parallel, which gives them a spiritual connection (none of the 3 cities are actually on the 33rd parallel).  Etc.   

I guess you could say that the hummer ride was fun, but the tour was a bit weird, albeit authentically Sedonan.    Any local we talked to would mention when they were "called" to come there and there are shops for aura readings, fortune telling, and crystals on every corner.     

On a more normal note, we  got ice cream a couple times...

I sent a few postcards (surprise surprise!)...

We enjoyed lots of beautiful scenery...

We visited Montezuma Castle National Monument, which was an old Indian dwelling built right into the cliffside...

And right as we were getting loaded into the cars to go home, I snapped this quick selfie which Kristina dubbed "The Miracle Photo".   Apparently it is an exceedingly rare occurrence to have a picture with every member of her family smiling and somehow I managed it in this quick selfie on the way out the door.    Just call me a miracle worker.  Haha!   

We got back home on Saturday evening, then went full-speed ahead getting ready for Easter dinner, which included shopping at very overcrowded stores and trying to figure out what we were going to make {for our dinner and for Emma's  } along the way.   Don't ask about why we were cooking Emma's dinner too....it's a long story!    In the end, we ended up smoking 5 chickens...

And a whole bunch of other food too.   Here is  a picture of our dinner....

Emma came home for approximately 30 minutes...

and her dinner looked pretty much the same as ours, except  it was at her apartment  with a bunch of her friends.  

Cami and Garrett both had to work on Easter Sunday, but it looks like Lucie and Annie had a pretty good Easter!  :)

After our dinner we stopped by my Dad's grave and found it completely obliterated.  The temporary plaque was in pieces and all the decor was crushed.   It was clear to see that they'd plowed through it to access a new gravesite, but it was very shocking to see and we {especially my mom} were pretty upset by it.   We've already contacted the cemetery and they are going to replace the plaque.   And the mayor of Alpine hand delivered some flowers to my Mom to apologize, so that was nice. 

  

This picture has nothing to do with Easter or Spring Break, but here's a cute shot of Lucie toting around the little backpack we got her in Portugal.  😍

So that's it.      It took be 25ish years or so to figure it out how to plan a Spring Break-- just in time for my last kid to graduate and for Spring Break to be a complete nonissue in my life evermore.   Oh well. It was fun while it lasted!   :)