Old Friends and a Few In-Between Things

 Have you noticed that it's been pretty nonstop around here for the last couple months?  Yeah, me too.  With kids at home, my life used to be pretty nonstop all the time, but as the kids have left the house one by one, the pace has slowed down a bit.  There have even been times in the last few years when I worry that I'm missing something, because life is so NOT busy.   I've thought long and hard about finding a job, but just haven't felt like that was the right thing yet, so I am sometimes floundering a little as I search for the most effective/meaningful way to spend my time.   But then I have periods of time like the last couple months have been and I am grateful a million times over that I have the incredible privilege of choosing to stay unemployed at this stage of my life, because I can't imagine one more thing to do on my already long list.  Plus I really, really love being flexible enough to be available for the grandkids' calls and visits and I think our new BYU callings would be very challenging if I worked full-time too.  

So, I finally have a few minutes and, here I am, blogging about a couple of the in-between things that I missed mentioning here on the blog, because they happened amongst the myriad of other "bigger" things (like  our busy new callings, Emma's graduation, the work conference in Saint George,  our trip to Alabama, and Emma's injury/surgery).  

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I am not convinced that Utah will ever truly feel like home  to me, but I'm coming around to the idea that it's certainly not a bad place to live.  Besides the epic scenery, I love that old friends actually come to visit (or move here too).    If we moved away from our community here in Utah tomorrow, I am 99.99% convinced that not a single person we've met here in Utah would ever come visit us, no matter where we lived (even if it were a mile away), so the fact that I have friends that  call when they come to visit sometimes, makes me incredibly happy!   

  Heather and Kelly are two of those good friends.  Heather recently moved nearby and is now a part of my book group, which I love.  Kelly is so good at keeping in touch, something I'm not the greatest at, so I extra appreciate her efforts and I loved seeing her, along with Heather, when she came to town for her daughter's recent graduation from BYU.  

Speaking of graduation, when we were out celebrating Emma's, I  randomly ran into this cousin of my sister-in-law, Karey,  who recognized me from my blog.  Haha!  I am fully aware that she was a regular blog reader from way back when I actually attempted humor and had a lot more funny stories to share, but it did make me feel cool to be recognized all these years later!   If you ever meet / see me in the real world, please come talk to me and make my day!   

The day after all the excitement from Emma's graduation, we celebrated my 52nd birthday!   Emma made an AMAZING cake (gluten free of course)...

which was as delicious as it was cool looking!  

I'll do a catch-up post for every member of the family soon, since there's a lot happening in most of their lives, but I think I'll finish this blogpost up with a few more pictures of some Virginia friends that recently came to town.  Kim's son was performing in a BYU production of High School Musical, which provided the perfect, last minute excuse for a trek to Provo to gather with old friends!  

All of these women are dear friends, but, besides running RAGNAR together nearly 14 years ago (see photo below), I feel like I have a special connection with each of them.    Amy is a fellow grandma to Lucie and Oliver, Kim is the mom of one of Adam's best friends growing up, and Heather is a fellow Minnesotan with whom I have a lot of shared experiences.    Finding  this old picture of us was a blast from the past and brought back a lot of carefree memories from the couple of months right before Spencer was diagnosed with leukemia and our world was forever rocked!   These women were right by my side during that challenging time!  

RAGNAR, September 2011 {l-r:  Cat, Me, Amy, Kim, Paige, Heather}

 We had to get a photo with just us and the B family, since we're practically related now that our kids have been married to each other for 7 years!    

It made my whole week to see them all again...💗

And now I need to get back to my long list of things to do again.  Thanks for tuning in today and stay tuned for more updates coming soon!   

A Piece of My Heart

   My days in Alabama were slow and filled with dreamy newborn snuggles and entertaining toddler conversations that often left us giggling!  I didn't sleep great and my exercise was definitely lacking in intensity and regularity while I was there, but I wouldn't have traded those two weeks for anything.   I think it's safe to say that grandma-hood is right up my alley!    Sometimes I wonder if I'd feel differently if they didn't live across the country from us, but I don't think I would.   I really liked the parenting toddler/baby stage of life and I find that 18ish years later, that still rings true for me...and it's even better as a grandparent, because I don't have to be the rule enforcer! 

 So, here's a little glimpse of the rest of our time there in Alabama.  Glen arrived on Wednesday, as did Garrett's parents,  and they blessed little Oliver Glen on Friday morning. Friday morning may be an unusual day to bless a baby, but the life of a 2nd year medical resident is not super glamorous and Friday morning was the day Garrett had off, so that's when they did it! 

Glen, Garrett, Travis (Garrett's Dad), and Graham (Garrett's brother) were in the circle to bless him.   Amy (Garrett's Mom), Cami, Lucie, and I were there to watch.   I found Oliver's blessing outfit at a cute boutique here in Utah and everyone else was dressed on the casual side.   Oliver is a pretty easy-going baby, mostly just crying when he needs something.   It was a special day and we were glad to be a part of it!  

Some other highlights of our time there, included helping Lucie perfect her potty-training skills.   Honestly, she's doing awesome and mostly just needed a little help getting to the potty in a timely manner or helping empty the potty after she goes.  There were a few messes here and there, but,  after potty-training five kids, I'd definitely say that she fell on the easy-going side of things.  

Glen and I enjoyed taking Lucie on outings and listening to what crazy thing would come out of her mouth next.   She is VERY verbal for her age (2 years and 3 months) and she is a delightful conversationalist.  She randomly quotes parts of books, she breaks into song, she asks to see our nipples, she tells us what sounds animals make, she tries to get Alexa to play certain songs, and just, in general, makes sure there's never a dull moment.    Lucie is quite fond of her "Baby Brudder" and it was fun to see how she dotes on him.

One of my tasks most days while I was there was to get Lucie out of bed, so Cami could keep sleeping.  It was a task I looked forward to for a few reasons.  First to hear what she'd say first (often quoting parts of "Caps for Sale" and telling me that the monkeys had stolen her cap or to request that we make breakfast together), but also to see what crazy bedhead she'd awakened to that morning.   

Glen's favorite task was to be the official Oliver snuggler.   He'd always loved snuggling sleeping babies back in the day when our kids were babes, so it looked really natural and invoked a bit of nostalgia to see him with Oliver snuggled into his chest for hours.   The two of us also enjoyed getting Lucie out of the house for a bit each day (with a quick errand, a trip to the zoo, or short walks around the hallways or outside).   I love how Lucie likes bringing her special "Bear Friend" with her on outings a lot of the time.  

The beautiful blanket you see Oliver wrapped in below is one that Emma knitted for him. I have done a bit of crocheting in my time, but never learned how to knit, so that is definitely a skill she learned from her Grandma Sandy!  

Glen left for home on Monday and I had two more days before it was time for me to say goodbye as well.   It was honestly one of the hardest goodbyes we'd had.   After two weeks, I felt like my bond with Lucie was stronger than it had ever been and it was so hard when she started telling everyone she was coming home on the airplane with me (as she's done before). I love that girl.   I also really enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Cami and Garrett, and of course snuggle Oliver as well.   All in all, it was a delightful visit and I hope I was at least somewhat helpful to them along the way. 

Though, I know they were good and ready to have their own space back when I left, I still am really missing them and definitely feel like I'm suffering from withdrawal pains.  It didn't help that I was coming home to a to-do list about nine miles long and a very quiet house with Glen in Saint George.  I've decided that the only way to ease these pains is to get another trip on the books as soon as possible.  Google flights...here I come! 

 

Gigi Life (letter written to our missionary)

LETTER WRITTEN TO OUR MISSIONARY    12/19/21

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HOLA and FELIZ NAVIDAD, HERMANA!!!
I am writing this email from balmy Austin, Texas. It's only in the 50's here, but compared to Utah lately, it feels balmy! I'm here with Dad, Adam, and Ellie and we are just here for a super quick trip. Spence wanted to come too, but ticket prices jumped quickly after we made our plans, so it didn't work for him to come on this trip. He is hoping to join you on a visit sometime in January. :)

This was the original trip we planned for everyone to come meet Lucie briefly before Christmas (since it's not our turn to spend Christmas with C&G). I am very much enjoying my Gigi time!

It's been knocking my socks off to travel TWICE at Christmastime, but not actually FOR Christmas. I got our Christmas cards sent off (because that's one of my favorite parts of the season), but that's pretty much the only thing I feel pretty confident about and otherwise I feel pretty scattered. I'm hoping that I don't forget anything significant and that I'll start to feel a little more put back together by the time you get home. Hopefully. 😐

Speaking of Christmas cards....aren't ours AWESOME this year!? I'm quite enamored with how it all turned out and they're going to be extra hard to create next year, because this year's turned out so well. Can you spot ours in the mix?

So, I don't think this was the original plan, but Cami and Garrett ended up blessing Lucie today. I think they decided to do it because we were in town and because it wasn't too hard for Amy and Travis to come up spontaneously. They just did the blessing low-key at Patrick and Aleisha's house (Garrett's aunt and uncle). We were so happy to be here for it. Lucie wore the same dress that Cami wore for her blessing day.






Of course, Lucie May's blessing was the highlight of the week, but here's another glimpse at our happenings over the last week:

Monday--was pretty boring and normal. I ended up running a lot of errands and trying to recuperate from traveling the week before!

Tuesday--I have no idea what specifically I did that day, but I know I stayed busy. I did go to a RS dinner at the church that night in our new ward. I know it doesn't sound that exciting, but it was the first RS activity I'd been to in over two years and I was absolutely thrilled to be in a ward that actually has them. It was so nice to just have the opportunity to chat and be social! Yay for being in another new ward! It snowed a thick heavy wet snow overnight.

Wednesday--Dad had a big presentation at work and Adam finished his first semester finals! They were both happy to be done afterward! Adam also saw the new Spiderman movie a day early and got us all excited to watch it too. We also shoveled A LOT! It was only about 4-inches, but that snow was heavy and wet!





Thursday--I hosted a 'goodie exchange' at our house! It was the first official meeting for book group and I think it went super well. I think it's going to be a great group and I'm looking forward to it. Here are the goodies we got....



And here's a closer look at my Rocky Road fudge, which I think I *finally* got to a good texture and sweetness level...YUM!


Friday--Dad fixed the chicken coop (that partially collapsed with all the heavy snow), we packed our bags, and left for Austin

Saturday--it was our 28th wedding anniversary and we spent a rainy day in Austin, baking with Cami and snuggling with Lucie as much as possible.

Sunday (today)--we watched church with Cami and Garrett from home and headed to Patrick and Aleisha's for the blessing. This was the goody plate we brought! Rocky Road fudge by me, dipped Oreos by Ellie, gingersnaps by Cami, and peppermint frosted brownie cookies by Cami. There was a gluten free version of everything for me. YAY!!!!

And just because, she's so darn adorable....here's some good Lucie spam for you




Kristina made this ornament for Lucie....


Fresh out of the bath....


More adorableness....


Blessing day....









And in other adorableness....Denali will be a permanent resident in our home as of Wednesday!



I can't wait for you to meet her too!

Well, I hope you've had an awesome week! I love and miss you like crazy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Love,
Mom

Reunited!

Temples for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints closed very early in the COVID pandemic. We very much missed being able to serve there ourselves, but were most sad that Emma's appointment to be endowed before her mission (scheduled for the end of the March) had to be postponed indefinitely.  We heard of temples starting to reopen around the time Emma started the MTC, so we held out hope that perhaps some temple within 3-4 hours of us might reopen before she finished her training.  Unfortunately that didn't happen and it wasn't until the day we dropped Emma off at the airport to take off for her mission, that the Philadelphia Temple announced that they were reopening soon for individuals to receive their own endowments.   We  were disappointed that the timing ended up so close for her, but sent her on her way knowing that she would likely go through the temple on her mission without us.   

She'd only been in the field for a week or two, when she announced to us that her mission was scheduling endowment dates for all of the missionaries who were unendowed and that we were invited!   Never mind that we live on the other side of the country and travelling isn't really encouraged right now....we didn't hesitate for a second and bought our tickets to Utah ASAP!   

Over the next couple of weeks, we realized that Spence's summer job was ending the week before we arrived, so he was going to be back in Utah too.    Then, by a stroke of luck, Cami and Garrett serendipitously bought tickets to Utah the same weekend for a completely different reason, not even realizing that that was when Emma's temple appointment was then.  

Some may call that luck....I call it a tender mercy!  It is a rare occasion these days when we can be all together!    And thus the impromptu reunion of 2020 was born.   Here are some highlights: 

One of the first things Glen did after the dates of our trip were finalized, was plan a fishing trip with his brother, Alex.   It's become somewhat of a tradition for them now.  Glen rents a boat and the Goold boys all go on a fishing adventure together on the Strawberry Reservoir.   The weather was beautiful and many fish were caught....so it was definitely a success!  

Meanwhile, Ellie and I got together with the Goold girls and went to a cute fall craft boutique together.   It was great to see them and fun to pick out some unique fall decorations for our home.   

Later on that day, Heather took us to the orchard right around the corner from our parents' house and introduced to their fresh peach ice cream.   Yum!  

The next day we realized that we were all wearing ripped jeans and had to pose for a picture...

This was also the day that we got to see Cami and Garrett!   We actually met them at the Bourne cabin and got to spend time with Garrett's family too.   It was great to see them again and I love that our families are connected by marriage now, so we get a good excuse to keep their friendship closer, though we live far away now.   Here's the group shot with Amy in it....

And the one with me in it...

Here's a glimpse of the drive up to the Bourne cabin...  😍

Ellie  loved having a sister around again and wouldn't leave Cami's side!  

The next day we got up bright and early and headed to the temple to meet Emma!  Unfortunately there was a gap in communication somewhere along the way from the temple, to the mission, to Emma, to us, because on our 20 minute drive there we got a desperate phone call from the temple wondering where we were.  All we had known was the time of the session and had NO idea we were supposed to be there an hour early.   😕

So we missed the initiatory and other early stuff, but we made it in plenty of time for the session!   Sadly, because of COVID, they wouldn't let Cami and Garrett join us, but Glen and I were certainly thrilled to be there.  We had my sister, Heather, meet us there afterward to take pictures for us.   Gotta take advantage of the whole family being all together!   

AS you can see (and probably expected), we took a gazillion pictures...

And then afterward, we got to take Emma and her companions out for brunch....

 Sisters McKinlay and Skinner were delightful to meet and we felt privileged to be able to get to spend some time with them all.    It was also fun to take them out for their weekly shopping and let them get a few fun splurges.  

After that, we headed back to my parents' house and spent some time with Nana....

and Heather....

We also got to spend some time with Alex's family.  It was fun to get these cute girl cousins together.  

Then Cami and Garrett took off back to Austin....

Stay tuned for a recap on the rest of our trip coming soon.....