A Few Things that Have Been Making Me Happy

Life has felt extra stressful lately.   In between the normal busyness of life, Glen is in process of transitioning to a new job (again!), things are heating up with the extended family drama I'm helping with, we are trying to spend more time with my elderly aunt who is in the crosshairs of the family drama, I had TWO unexpected trips out of town (one to OKC for my Nana's funeral and one to Dallas to help Heather with her injury), we are worried about my Mom and are trying to get a referral to get her tested for some things (a process that is proving to be much harder than it should be), and we still spend 3-5 days down in Provo most weeks for our callings.   

All this means I've had very little free time to relax or to pursue my hobbies, but, don't fret, life is not all business!   Here are a few things that have been making me happy lately: 

1.  Time with old friends.   I recently got lunch with some of my dear friends from Virginia, most of whom have moved to Utah in the last few years.  We also watched Bella M. as Juliet in BYU's production of Romeo and Juliet and Logan N. performing in BYU's Young Ambassador's show.  It is incredibly meaningful for me to be able to spend time with people who know my kids, my story, and love me anyway.    It's a feeling that is very fleeting since moving to Utah, so I embrace it whenever I can!   

2.  It was our ward's turn to help with preparing and serving dinner at stake institute for 300-500 people, and it was so fun to be able to gather and serve together in that way!  

3.  Speaking of service, I love Christy and Alicia, two of the women I serve with at church...

4.  Entertaining isn't necessarily my forte, but I do love having our ward members to our home once a month.   It usually ends up right about 30 people and it's fun to give them a home-cooked meal and to find a good excuse to send some postcards afterwards.   

5.  I also love our ward temple nights.  There's something special about gathering together in the temple and I wish our home ward did this occasionally too.   

6.  I also love finding photos like this in our camera roll.    Adam recently ran a race with his friends...

 7.  And Emma had her own Branch Temple night in Boston...

Here they are gathering to watch the worldwide RS broadcast...

8.  I loved logging onto Facebook and finding this adorable picture of our missionary who comes home about THREE MONTHS!!!!!     

Speaking of our missionary, I totally look forward to our family phone calls every p-day.  The ability to be able to communicate weekly was the best rule change the church has ever made!  

9.  Adam and his roommates came up to our house for Glen to smoke them some steak!  I completely neglected to take pictures of them, but here's a glimpse of our delicious lunch that day! 

10.  These cuties are coming to visit soon and I can hardly wait!!! 

So, that's a glimpse of some happy stuff, though  I also need to be better about taking pictures.   Some happy things not pictured were book group at our house.  The discussion of "The Billion Dollar Spy"  was excellent, the turn-out decent (around 10 people), and all in all a great night.   We've also been lucky enough to spend a little more time with a special  friend of Adam's that I definitely need to take more pictures of. 

Will life continue to be stressful for a while?   Absolutely.   But I'm trying hard to look for the rays of light in the midst of it all!   

Have a beautiful day! 

************************************     

A Gathering Place

One of the best parts about living in Utah is that it seems like we are living at a crossroads for lots of our friends and family.   People are always coming and going from here to attend weddings, drop kids off at college, and visit family.  Most of the time, people are busy when they come here and have a million other people to visit, but on those times when people do have time for a visit, we LOVE it!   We also love that we have the accommodations to host people  more comfortably now, so when they do visit, we can set them up well!  

Having said all that though....this post is not about any long-lost friends coming to visit...it's about living 5 minutes away from my Mom and the family we get to see more frequently as a result of that proximity!  

In early October,  Nate came to stay with Mom for a couple weeks while Heather was out of town.  Nate is only 13-months younger than me, so we have a lot of shared history in the family and it was fun to be able to spend some time with him.   He lives in Tennessee and we do not see him as often as we'd like and I loved the conversations we were able to have!   Note:  You can also see that my darn eye issue (still ongoing) was in full swing back then!

Then Kristina and family came to visit from California during that same time.  

We always love having K's family around and I extra loved that this trip Jesus seemed like he was craving some one-on-one time, so he'd stay here with us while everyone else left for Mom's house.  We read lots of books together and he doted on Denali as much as possible.  It was absolutely delightful and  it felt a little sad when they left for home. 

My niece, Madeline, had some friends over one night and, as per usual, lots and lots of Legos and cars were played with while the K boys were here! 

One night while everyone was still here, Emma, Adam, McKenzie (my niece who is a BYU freshman), and Eva (McKenzie's roommate and one of my Thailand peeps) came over for dinner and a rousing game of Super Edited Family Version of Cards Against Humanity.   I might need to do a whole post on that game sometime.  lol

It was quite fun and I think it's so fun that Eva and McKenzie are now friends!  Eva is from Kentucky and this was the first time Ellie and I had seen her since Thailand.  

So, in summary, and to remind myself about why living in Utah is good: 

1.  We live close to our college kids (and my college age nieces) and get to see them regularly
2.  We get to spend lots of  time with my Mom and sister 
3.  We get to enjoy the relatives who come to visit my Mom
4.  We get to (sometimes) see long-lost friends that make their way through here
5.   We have this view out our back window. 

Fall Traditions: Hiking and Fishing

Fall is my favorite season.   There's just something about the mild weather and the vibrant colors that makes me incredibly happy.  I love Spring too, but sometimes it gets too wrapped up in the winter for my taste and, given the choice, I'd choose the fall anytime!  My idea of a perfect autumn day is a long hike on a lovely day, followed by some great food.  The other Saturday, Glen was busy, the weather was gorgeous, and I decided to pack a bag with food and water and just walk along the Murdock Trail without a distance in mind.   I made it 10 miles and loved every minute of it!   Then I went home, ate some good food, worked on the program, and I decided that it  was *almost* a perfect day.  The only thing that would have made it better is if Glen had been able to come along too.   :)

So, that's MY idea of a perfect autumn day, and now here's a glimpse of what Glen's ideal day would be.    For the past six autumns, Glen has taken a Saturday away from home and rented a boat to embark on a day long fishing excursion on Strawberry Reservoir.   No, your math isn't off...this tradition actually began before we even lived in Utah, but was embraced with even more enthusiasm once we did!    Usually Adam and/or Spence join the adventure, along with his brother, Alex, and a couple of his boys, but this year, after several turned down invitations, it ended up only being Glen and Adam.    One of the downfalls of only having the two of them there, meant that it was sometimes difficult to manage the boat and fishing at the same, but together they still managed   to catch about 20 fish.   It was a beautiful day and they both came home feeling like it had been a successful day on the water. 

They brought home a few fish to eat and later that evening, Glen cleaned them up before storing them until we were ready to cook them.    As you probably know, cleaning a fish is not a pretty sight.  It involves chopping off the head and tail, splitting the fish in half, and cleaning out the guts.   I don't even like watching, but my little 6-year-old nephew, Jesus, was FASCINATED.  At first, I tried to keep him away, so as not to disturb him, but after a while I realized that he was very much viewing the whole process like a little scientist and I opted to just let him observe and ask all the questions he wanted.  It was very cute to see how inquisitive (and very much not disturbed) he was. 

In a few more years, Glen may even have a new fishing buddy to join him on his autumn excursions! 
 
****************************

General Conference Weekend with the College Kids!

One of my favorite parts about living in Utah is that we are close to our college kids, which not only means seeing them far more often than if we lived across the country still, but also that we get to meet their friends!    It's been a while since we'd hosted anyone other than family and I was excited when Adam asked if he and some friends could come chill here for General Conference weekend (October 5-6).   

I weirdly didn't actually take a lot of photos while they were here, but here was the planning note Adam sent me to help me with logistics: 

 

 

And here is the menu I came up with...

 

 We tried to keep the menu pretty simple using mixes and store bought when possible, but I'll be honest, Glen and I spent most of the weekend watching/listening to Conference while working in the kitchen.  This was a glimpse of our Sunday morning breakfast...the only food photo I took the whole weekend.    Emma showed up Sunday morning and was the one who made the cinnamon rolls. 

Speaking of photos, this one with terrible lighting was literally the only picture I took of Adam's friends while they were here and it did not even include everyone.   The boys are Adam's roommates (minus the one who had left and plus the honorary roomie that actually attends BYU-Idaho, but comes to visit regularly).  The girls are in an apartment in their ward.  Emma was also there, but didn't join the picture. 

(from left to right:  Conner J, Adam, Zach C, Garet C, Garrett L., Ty L., Marcy, Savannah, and Renee)

 

 

All in all, it was a great weekend with lots of good food, great company, and being inspired  by the words of modern-day prophets!  

PS.  One random cool thing: One of the speakers in GC,  Karl Hirst,  was actually Glen's mission companion in the England London South Mission back in the day (approximately 32 years ago)!  You can read his talk here! 

 

 

 

Alpine Poppy Fields

 Shortly after arriving back home from our trip to Ecuador (an entire day later than we expected), we spontaneously decided to visit the famous Alpine Poppy Fields!  

They aren't far from our home, but this was our first time and we just happened across them as we were trekking through Lambert Park and decided to follow the hordes of people. 

Apparently the original owners of Lambert Park (a family by the name of Lambert) planted these in the early 1900's and they still blossom every year. 

 I can see why people come from near and far to see them.

I don't actually know how far people come from, but we met several people from nearby towns at least...

My favorite view was the poppies with the mountains as the backdrop.  

Now that I know where they are, I've already ventured back on a morning walk and they may be a regular stop until they're done blooming. 

We sure do live in a beautiful place. 

In and Out of My Comfort Zone

 So I did a thing way outside my comfort zone.  

A good friend of Glen's is a professor at USU.  Glen's given presentations for him before when he worked at a university out east, but, for whatever reason, this time the professor friend asked ME to give a presentation as well.   Me, the stay at home mom without any kids at home, who's never done anything of note.    It was total craziness at the time he asked (having my nephews here, going to the eclipse, getting ready for the grandkids to come visit (on the same night as the presentation), and Denali getting attacked and needing stitches and extra care)....so I was inclined to say, "No," and to sign me up for next time with a bit more notice.   

But after a lot of persuading from Glen, I agreed.  It's not often when Glen pushes something that I'm hesitant about, but this whole thing clearly meant a lot to him. 

It was mindbending for me to prepare a presentation that was  not gospel related and I've never given my first draft of anything before, but it's what I had time for and I had to trust that that would be enough.     It, overall, was a good experience and definitely  was a good challenge for me to get outside my comfort zone.   This was the outfit I wore, which is pretty much my only photo from the whole day.

We got home to Cami, Lucie, and Oliver at our house and I was squarely back into my comfort zone again.  

We read lots of books, baked lots of treats, went on some outings...

It may look like I took a gazillion pictures, but I actually missed a HUGE photo op of getting a photo of all my girls together, and I'm quite sad about it. 

The reason I missed the opportunity was because a few days into Cam's visit, I brought Ellie back up to Rexburg for Spring semester.   It was a long, exhausting day of driving by myself, but I think Ellie was happy to be back in her element.  Cami enjoyed spending the day with her friends. 

After that, it was back home with more book reading, visits with Auntie Heather and Grandma Rosy-nanna (and cats). Glen went down to Saint George, came back for the weekend, then left again.  

We visited Nana, who lives at an assisted living center nearby.   It's not often that people get to meet their great-great grandkids, and I think the visit meant as much to Nana as it did to Cam. 

We stayed pretty busy, but did have some time to just chill at home as well. 

Lucie is spunky and adorable as always and I LOVED my sweet and hilarious conversations with her.  Some funny Lucie-isms from this trip:   I read her a book called, "Bedhead," which I think was just  a little over her head plot-wise, but she loved it anyway and called it the "Silly Book" and requested I read it every day to her.   She loves talking on the phone and just recently got Alexa to be able to understand her.   She wears dresses 90% of the time and has names for most of them, including an Emma dress (that reminds her of a sweater of Emma's), a "disonaur" dress (her favorite), her Easter dress (the yellow one), her flower dress from Rosy-Nanna (in collage below), and colorful dress (tie-dyed one shown in some of the pictures).    She also liked to carry Bear Friend around in her "wrapper" ( a blanket wrapped around her like a baby carrier).   She likes to test limits (she is 2 after all), but I love love love her and find her antics mostly quite adorable.  

One day I read Lucie this beautiful book, after which Lucie developed a keen interest in Glen's rock collection.  I thought it was hilarious and cute how interested in them she was and how she carried them around in a (pretty heavy) bag with her around the house. 

Oliver really liked sitting with me at church that Sunday apparently.   I love that first picture!   :) I also love that Lucie loves sharing my daily smoothie with me!  

One of the days  I was exhausted and feeling hormonal (I'm guessing PMS time, though I can never be sure anymore) and looked a lot like this most of the day.   Some Oliver snuggles and Lucie conversations have definitely helped the cause.  Things are fine; I just need more sleep.   I  am not a fan of perimenopause, which I am well in the throes of.   

It was a great visit, but definitely too short.   I really enjoy being a Gigi and I don't love how far away they live from us.    Next trip planned is in August (after Adam is home from his mission) and I can hardly wait for the whole family to all be back together again!   Then I will be back in my true comfort zone again! 

Visiting with Old Friends!

Moving across the country in middle age is not for the faint of heart!   The part I miss most about living in Virginia is people knowing us and our story.  I feel like I will always be a  stranger in this land where  3/4 of our ward grew up in Utah County, many of those in the same neighborhood we live in. While I admit that it was nice to have had a fresh start, I was not mentally prepared for the anonymity that comes with being the newbies in a place where outsiders are such a rarity.  I think I had this naive notion that our outsider status would somehow make us more interesting (like it often does in other parts of the country), but when you're  boring introverts at heart, there's just not that much pull for people to leave their comfort zones to really get to know us. 

BUT...all is not hard about living in Utah!   There are some parts about Utah that we love (other than the scenery)!  For example, I love, love, love being close to my college kids.  It's been fun to meet their roommates and friends and feel like our connection is stronger with them once they leave the house.   I also love being able  to stay connected with old friends.  Utah is such a crossroads for so many members of the church and, although it's less frequent than I'd like,  I really enjoy being able to keep in touch with others that have also moved here, are going to school here, or are passing through here. 

One of those opportunities came up this past week. 

  Elena is Emma's oldest friend.  Their birthdays are a week apart and we met her and her family back in 2002 and love them all.  If you look back through the archives of this blog, you'll find a lot of posts with Elena and Emma together over the years.  

A few weeks ago, Elena and her husband, Harlan (also from Virginia), had a baby.   I loved being able to see and catch up with both of their parents, as well as being able, along with Emma,  to meet and hold their new baby.   Elena was in YW almost the entire five years I served as YW president, so in addition to feeling connected to her as one of my daughter's best friends, I also got to watch her grow in the YW program.  

It does make me feel a bit old to realize that someone who is only a week younger than my THIRD child is already married and has a baby (even after both of them served missions), but I am a grandma and have a full head of gray hair under all the dye, so I guess I should just embrace that I actually am old! 

It really is moments like these that make living in Utah worth it to me. 💖

A Saturday in the Life

     Between my trip to Virginia, my trip to Alabama, then Glen working in Saint George, we've had a crazy few weeks where Glen and I have hardly seen each other.   This past Saturday, our house guests were heading home, Glen was back home, Ellie was still at YW camp, and we had this wide open Saturday right before Glen's birthday to spend together.   So what did we do? 

After waking up at 5:00am to drive Kristina and kids to the airport, we decided to go on a hike together.   And not just any hike...we wanted a long hike! 

So a long hike we did....

We were informed that embarking on that kind of hike after that crazy of week might be a little weird, but, hey, we enjoyed it, so I guess we're embracing the weirdness!    Kristina's family was flying out of the Provo Airport, so we took advantage of being in Provo and decided to hike from Utah Lake to Provo Canyon.    Don't mind how exhausted I look!   It really had been a long, somewhat chaotic week with 5 kids in the house (including Lucie who was waking up at 5:30am every day). 

The hike, though scenic in sections....

  ended up being a lot more of a roundabout adventure than we'd hoped, because there were sections of the trail closed for construction...

And other sections closed for high water...

Other sections were very very close to being underwater, but sandbags and walls kept the water mostly on the right side.

All in all, it's not a hike I'd do again anytime soon, but it was exactly the kind of time together we were craving.    Then we went out for brunch at TruReligion Pancake and Steak House in Orem. The huevos rancheros I got was out of this world good (and naturally gluten free) and Glen's biscuit was a sight to behold (and rather tasty I'm told).      I highly recommend a stop here if you're ever in town. 

Then we finished off our grand adventure at Walmart to {finally} buy some seedlings and dirt for the garden!  

A long hike, good food, and a step toward productivity....sounds like a perfect Saturday to me!