My Least Favorite Month

 January is not my favorite month of the year.   It's cold.  It's dark.  The holidays are over.  Spencer was diagnosed with leukemia in January, so there's a bit of PTSD I still deal with every year.  And, in general, I experience all sorts of restless feelings this time each year.  So I donate blood every January.  It's definitely become an annual tradition now and it gives me a sense of purpose/giving back in amongst all the angsty feelings.  

I also try to stay very busy.  That also helps.

All in one week in January,  I cleaned out the pantry, put away the Christmas stuff, hosted book group, donated blood, cleaned the house, made a menu, and started going ham on creating the Come Follow Me activity sheets for the upcoming year.  Staying busy is good for my mental state.  

I also finally got all the Christmas Eve pajama photos compiled into one collage, which made me super happy.   When you've got kids all over the country, these kinds of things can take a while!   

So I mentioned above that   I've started creating the Come, Follow Me activity sheets again for this upcoming year.  I discovered the use of AI for creating coloring sheets and it's been a fun resource for me. I'd been using CHATGPT for creating them and they would turn out like this.   Pretty good.   Sometimes with some weird stuff in it, because it's AI, but not terrible in my opinion.   

Then Spencer told me about a new AI platform that he'd heard was really good.  I decided to test it out and I put in the exact same prompt that I'd used on Chat to create the above coloring sheet of Abraham and Sarah from the bible.  This is what it came up with.... 

HAHAHA!  We may have laughed for a very long time about this.   I looked it up and apparently Claude is better for words than images and  I'd have to say that is a massive understatement.  Ha! 

January has also been quite the adventure for getting to know the new members of our BYU ward.   It's a little harder than we expected, because while it was only a fraction of the people than it was in September, it seems like the expectation is higher to learn the names more quickly.  I am still working hard to get there, but  I'm realizing that my brain still needs to meet people a few times before names/faces are really stuck in my brain well!  

And how did we finish my least favorite month off?   

WITH A TRIP TO RHODE ISLAND TO VISIT SOME OF  MY FAVORITE PEEPS!!!! 

Stay tuned for that blogpost coming soon....

A Little Peek...

Here is a little peek into my life since I left Alabama.  It has included... 

A dog who is  simultaneously ecstatic that I'm home, but also watches me longingly anytime I dare to do anything that doesn't involve giving her my undivided attention. 

Me eagerly waiting for any photo or story from my Alabama peeps...

And even better than texts....FACETIMES...even when little Lucie is feeling a little under the weather and wants nothing more than for me to read her books and sing her songs for an hour.

A trek to Taco Bell to honor and remember our friend, Andrew, on what would have been his 31st birthday.

Me being glued to my phone all day on Tuesday, so I did not miss any texts or calls from Adam.  He was recently transferred after spending 6 months in the same area, and he was feeling a little down that day. 

Me going through closets, the garage, and other long-lost places in our house to find things to donate, sell, or toss.   Even if we didn't end up moving, this will be a good exercise in decluttering the house!  I've been visiting DI regularly lately and these are books I'm trying to sell on Amazon.

In the meantime, I'm also listening to "Far from the Madding Crowd" on double speed.   I read it several years ago, but we are discussing it for book group (at our house) tonight and I felt like I needed to reread it.   To be totally honest, I've had a hard time getting into it--hence my need to listen to it on double-speed.   I love the writing, but am struggling with some frustrating aspects of the plot, which I already vaguely know, because I've read it before! 

Me deciding that I have not made enough pies the last few years (since kids moved out and I discovered I'm highly sensitive to gluten), so Pi(e) Day and book group made for the perfect excuse!  

 Oh, and I also bought tickets for Cami, Lucie, and Oliver to come visit next month. 😆  I was feeling deprived of my sweet grandbabies and also really wanted Ellie to meet Oliver before she heads off to her next semester of school that begins in April.  I am so stinking excited! 

Speaking of Ellie...she's off on a grand adventure right now and I am missing her (and praying for her) like crazy.  This trip was a bit outside of my comfort zone, but I am glad she gets this experience! 

Well, off I go to make a lemon meringue pie while I finish listening to my book!   Have a great weekend! 

PS. The lemon meringue pie was delicious and the crust was the best gluten free crust I’ve ever made!   😋 

A Weekend in March

My life with my kids all grown up is decidedly not very exciting, however I feel like it's still fun to look back at the happenings of our lives, whatever stage we happened to be in.   Here's a look at the first weekend in March at our house along with a little life update at the end....

FRIDAY:  I very much look forward to Facetiming with Lucie and Cami as often as they have time for it.   Lucie is very interactive on the phone and it makes me incredibly happy to be able to have conversations with her and feel a connection, despite living across the country from each other.  This screenshot was from a silly moment when  Lucie and I were showing off our sunglasses to each other.   

SATURDAY:  We took a 5 mile hike into Provo Canyon, while Ellie and Emma spent the morning together in Provo.  There was a strong headwind, which made it verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry cold!   Denali hurt her foot and had to be carried for a few minutes, then we let her off leash and she had no trouble the rest of the way back to the car.  She is definitely a bit of a diva!

SATURDAY:   I'm getting more and more done with winter by the day, so I put up my spring decor, so at least I can pretend spring is almost here when I'm inside the house.   

A glimpse of my new Easter wreath, which I will keep indoors for another couple weeks in hopes that it doesn't get snowed on...

SATURDAY:  Made and printed a flier for the RS Birthday celebration this week.  At the point of writing this post (before it happens), I am feeling quite stressed about it! 

UPDATE:  It was the activity that has taken the most time and effort and is the one that the fewest people have attended.  Execution went smoothly, but it still sort of feels like a bust. 

Got half-way through a book before realizing that I read it several years ago.  That rating on Goodreads was my rating from 15-years ago and I didn't like it any better this time around.   It was the 8th book I've read in 2023. 

Also....Ellie, Emma, and Glen met at a theater to watch the new AntMan.   I opted to stay home and get some things crossed off my list. 

Also...Spencer is in Virginia visiting old friends for a few days, so we are on triple dog duty, which means I have had a triple shadow following me around all weekend!   Kiwi will be very very happy when he gets home.  

SUNDAY:    Glen smoked chicken for dinner and I may have gotten a little carried away with the sides.... #fastsundayproblems

Besides the smoked chicken, we had lemon brussels sprouts, kale salad, mashed cauliflower, and a low-carb zucchini/cheese bread.  Ellie made some flourless peanut butter cookies made with coconut sugar.  It was exceedingly delicious! 

ALSO SUNDAY:  Got a text from a good friend (Jen B.), who said she'd just gotten this text from her friend in Oregon, where Adam and his companion had just had dinner.  It made me smile! 

MONDAY MORNING:   It's not really the weekend anymore, but I couldn't resist throwing on one more picture from our morning walk, which  left me with snow on my nose and eyelashes.  I literally cried  a few minutes after this picture was taken when I saw a friend's post about the  cherry blossoms in Virginia.  #notoneofmyfavoritethings

  I'll be honest, my perspective on life has been pretty down and discouraged lately.  I am quite tired of the winter, I still haven't found closure with the stressful incident that happened with my calling (ie she still won't talk to me), I'm worried about being in transition again with Glen's job, and I haven't felt like I've fit in somewhere for a very long time (basically since leaving Virginia).  I know my life is very blessed and I really am trying to embrace the good, but I miss feeling known/liked/wanted.   

Here's rooting for brighter {and warmer} days ahead!  

The Most Boring Letter in the Universe {Written to our Missionary}

9/26/21

Hola Girlie Girl {aka my favorite missionary in the universe}!

How's life? Guess what?! I'm actually starting this email before 9pm, which means that you can be prepared for the most amazing, profound, awesomely awesome email ever. Or perhaps just the normal random boringness.

😀😁😂😃😄😌😒😑😐😏😛😝😞😠😘

Keep reading and I guess you'll find out which one wins.

So, I taught the RS lesson today. It was fine. It wasn't the most amazing lesson I've ever taught and it wasn't the worst. We were discussing Elder Christofferson's, "Why the Covenant Path," and I was pleased that we did get a good discussion going. I appreciate lessons with good discussions, so that was a positive. Also, no one threw tomatoes at me, so that was also a plus.

The two main concepts I wanted to emphasize in my lesson were:
1. Following the covenant path is a personal journey that has to do with our relationship with Christ. We can't force others to follow or accompany us on the covenant path
2. Perfection is not only not necessary, but can be a hindrance to our following the covenant path. Remember ME + CHRIST = MORE (not ME + MORE = ANYTHING). We can never be enough MORE, without Christ.

“Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us, make us cynical about the truths of the gospel, the truthfulness of the Church, our hope for our future, or the possibility of godliness. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection.” Jeffrey R. Holland

Ellie also taught today. She taught her YW class about the keys of the priesthood. There was a big miscommunication about who was supposed to teach, so one leader {who was out of town} asked Ellie to teach and another leader, unbeknownst to the first leader, asked another girl to teach. Thankfully "other" girl flaked out and the "other" leader {who was in town} was pleasantly surprised that Ellie had a lesson prepared. I hear it was the most amazing lesson ever taught.

So, are you feeling ready for General Conference this week? Adam is having a bunch of friends over to watch in our theater room. Apparently good food is expected too. Next conference, you can invite a bunch of friends over too. Don't worry though, we'll only let dad run the skunk machine and tell embarrassing dad jokes between sessions. 😆

WOOHOO!!!! We are getting super excited that it's not seeming all that far away that you'll be here for us to hug and kiss and embarrass you every chance we can get. I am planning on wearing a sequined dinosaur ballet outfit when we pick you up from your mission. Probably right from the mission home, right? I'll be brushing up on my opera singing too.

What else is going on here in Alpine? My dad's surgery on his bladder has been canceled due to COVID--not that any of us have COVID, but that the hospital is canceling all non-urgent surgeries because there are too many COVID cases. Apparently my Dad's bladder issues are considered unimportant {although my mom would beg to differ} and he gets to suffer with bladder drama for an additional couple months...at least. Also, I forgot if I mentioned it, but his lymphoma diagnosis was as good as it could be, in that it's considered slow-moving and not aggressive. So basically, if you're going to get lymphoma, it's the type to get.

Your dad is having his colonoscopy on Wednesday. He's about as excited about his as I was about mine. yay

Okay, okay. Are you sleeping yet? I guess I need to step up my game here in the pre-9:00 email department (despite the fact that it's now 10:00pm exactly) and get some amazing profundity spewing out of the internet your way.

Raspberries grow in our backyard. They're freaking amazing and I love them almost as much as being done with colonoscopies for the next 10 years.



Here is a random picture of your brother, sister, and dog-sister. They miss you.




Your Uncle Nate came to visit for 2 weeks and I was shocked to discover that he's still taller than me. He's also still 13 months younger than me. What's he up to these days? He's living in an income tax free state (Tennessee) and is eagerly planning a trip to country #76. $100 billion if you can guess where he wants to go next? {Hint: He doesn't like when siblings beat him to countries}



It's your sister and her hubby bubby. They're cute and I can't wait to meet their cute baby. You're cute too and will have cute babies, but I can wait to meet them until you're home from your mission and married.




I broke a blood vessel in my eye (how? I have no earthly idea) and I look like a freakazoid. It looks bad but apparently it's no big deal at all {according to Doctor Google and Doctor Cami}. Thankfully it doesn't hurt a bit, though I do make small children and sensitive adults cry.


I decorated for Halloween and I think it looks amazing.



 There used to be another pine cone here, but Kiwi ate it. Literally.



This meme made me giggle. hard. And I don't even like cats.



Hmmmm...here's a random picture from the photo roll. Don't know her name or anything about her (so she could be a nun from Nebraska for all I know)....but she's cute and chilling with Adam long enough to take a picture with him, so here you go....


We went on an awesome hike on Saturday. It was in Kaysville/Layton and it was absolutely lovely. The leaves were just starting to turn and it was just the kind of challenge level I like--hard, but not knock-your-socks-off-hard. It was called Adam's Falls and we didn't see Adam the entire time, nor did we hear of any random falls he had, so that was kind of a bust.





We sang, "There is Sunshine in My Soul," today in sacrament meeting and we all sang it at the top of our lungs...opera style. It was amazing. And AnnaLisa heard us from my parents' house and started crying. She threatened to disown us and to spike all our cookies with gluten forevermore, but we set her up on a date with David Archuleta and all is forgiven.



I am 1000% enraptured by the view coming down from our Horsetail Falls hike. We hike up to the trailhead from our house (exactly 2 miles). It's all uphill on the way there and all downhill on the way home. In a few months, you can join us for it, though the wildflowers will likely be covered with 12 feet of snow by then!

Alright....I guess this email wasn't that great.



Sorry for being super boring again. Maybe next time I'll try and throw in a few more interesting tidbits.

In the meantime,

WE FREAKING LOVE YOUR GUTS!!!!!!


Have an awesome week!
Love,
Your very boring mother

April 2021 UPDATES!

Here's a glimpse at April 2021 for our family!   It was a busy month!  

1--We finished our Spring Break trip to the northeast  with our first ever trek to Martha's Vineyard!

The Gingerbread Cottage Village on Martha's Vineyard totally stole my heart.  CUTEST HOUSES EVER!!! 

This pink one was our favorite! 

We also visited an Alpaca Farm, which was an absolutely delightful way to spend an afternoon!

And what's a trip to an island in the Northeast, without a trek to a lighthouse or two?   

2--Glen got a job....in Utah.   Actually I think he officially was offered it back at the end of March, but he started working remotely this month.   We are excited to be closer to most of our kids, but we have very mixed feelings about moving to Utah.  

3--We got out-of-town visitors!   Pete / Mika and family and Kristina and family came for Easter and brought lots of energy, laughter, and fun to our house!   We loved taking them to see the sites and introducing them to Pennsylvania (even if it was right before we moved)!  It was an absolutely delightful trip and we LOVED this glimpse of normalcy amongst all the craziness the last year has brought. 

4--We babysat regularly for our sweet neighbors, the Richards,  while their mom and dad got ready for their impending move to Utah (a few weeks before ours). We absolutely loved the giggles and happy conversations they brought into our home during the time we were neighbors.  I 100% feel that they were one of the reasons we needed to live in Pennsylvania.  

5--Glen went on a big fishing trip to North Carolina with his friend, Ryan.  It was planned for LAST April, but COVID canceled it and he was thrilled to make it happen this year.  They deemed it a successful trip (as you can see by the pictures)!  

6--We got vaccinated!    I'll be the first to admit that we were a little hesitant about getting the COVID vaccine at first.  It seemed too rushed and I wasn't keen on being a living science experiment, but ultimately we felt like it was the right thing to do for our family.   All of us except one of our adult children (who shall remain unnamed here on the blog) ended up getting it.   I have no regrets.   

7--We found out that we're going to be grandparents in December!!!  We are so incredibly excited for Cami and Garrett! 

8--We went on a house hunting trip to Utah and bought a house!  (this is the view off our back porch)

More excitement to come...