Prayers and Querying

Today was my self-imposed deadline to finish edits and submit my first query.

It turned into an actual deadline when the agent I hoped to submit to said she was closing for queries on March 1! 

I read my scriptures and wrote in my journal and while I said my prayers, I said the words, 

"Please inspire me to find the right words and see areas that need improvements."

I didn't think of those words ahead of time and I think it was a manifestation of the scripture:

"...and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray..."

3 Nephi 19:24

I decided to put off exercising and get right to work on submitting the query,

which included submitting my first ten pages, so of course I wanted to read through them one more time.

And because I had so much I wanted to get done on my book,

I spent the first five minutes combining two ketchups so there was only one bottle in the fridge.

I think its my need when I'm a little bit stressed to self-soothe by organizing.

Regardless, I did feel better afterward.

And then I got to work, still in my pj's, because those are the most productive days.

As I read through the first ten pages, I saw with such clarity sentences to fix and how to make them sound better. I used the thesaurus, yes, but I found the right words.

It was an amazing feeling and I'm so grateful that I was inspired about what to pray for

and that God cares about the things that are important to me!

I've had this experience many times over the years, especially when I've considered what to pray for my children--two especially come to mind because after the prompting, this was part of my prayers for years:

"Bless them to know who they are and who they can become."

"Bless them to make good decisions and have the courage to repent when they don't."

Also when Kay had her terrible car accident.

I edited my pages, I cleaned up my query, I read a blog to double-checked my genre and remember best word limits for bios and cut the fat.

The hours SPED by! Four hours seemed like minutes and at 1:00, I was ready to submit.

And just the I remembered I had a PT appointment for my tennis elbow at 1:20!

And I did it!

I changed from pj's to real clothes with only a spit shower and a quick brush of my hair 

and was only five minutes late.

And I got to experience dry needling.

The needles are much bigger than a shot needle. And they go ALL THE WAY TO THE BONE!

The inserting doesn't hurt, it's the prodding at the bone and twising to tighten that

 definitely makes you sit up and take notice

And then they battery cabled the pins to an electrode machine, turn it up until your uncomfortable but not excruciating, then leave you with a bell to ring in case you can't take it any longer.

Fortunately I had my headphones and could listen to my book and survived.

It may help heal my tennis elbow in a few days! Fingers crossed.

After I got home, Lizzie and Emi came for a surprise visit!

(The days got away from me and I totally forgot they were in town.)

Later in the evening I submitted a second query.

Here we go.

This "n That

Dan plucked a hair from his nose that he said had been bugging him for forever.

It was as thick and as sharp as a wire! 

He said I shouldn't post about it,

but weird body things are so fascinating and sooo satisfying when you finally 

figure out whats going on--especially when you can hold it in your hand and scratch your spouse with it.

And this is Nick, holding his payout for 9th place in his race last month.

He's officially a pro.

Sister Day

Last month Sheree sent a meme to The Sisters about

wishing for a friend to be with for--Target runs, folding laundry, dropping off taxes, watching old TV shows, scrolling phones or eating leftovers. (BrettNeustrom on Instagram, if you want to watch it--

But sorry, I don't know how to find a Reel because it doesn't have the date.

...that's for my mom who I know is going to ask! Remind us to show you sometime!)

Anyway, Sheree said, her friend would be us. 

And then we all sent messages about how we wish we lived closer and could just hang out.

But the thing is, Sheree and I do live close! 

So I suggested we set up a date once a month, switching off at each other's houses 

and just do every day stuff together like running errands or babysitting Soleil or 

even doing chores together, because its fun when you're helping your sister.

Today was our day and we were going to hike and maybe watch the baby.

And then, ta-da! Michelle happened to be in town to help her father-in-law!

We met at my house for brunch (yummy acai bowls and oatmeal/cottage cheese/blueberry pancakes),

and talked and talked about our kids but nothing about ourselves,

which goes to show, we need to do this waaaaayyyyy more often.

Pretty soon Michelle needed to get back to the hospital to pick up her father-in-law

and Sheree was babysitting Soleil.

I spent the rest of the afternoon setting up appointments for fixing the dryer, and unclogging the almost-clogged sink and more cutting words from my manuscript.

Good Work

I had a horrible night's sleep and by 4:30 was wide awake because I was hot, 

my stomach hurt and Dan was snoring.

I tried to sleep on the couch, but couldn't get comfortable,

so got up, made my ginger tea, read my scriptures and did my gentle stretching

and tennis elbow exercises. I also took down the Christmas cards.

By then it was 7:00 and I tried going back to sleep on the couch but 

every time I drifted off, Chris came in or out.

Finally at 8:00 I went to my own bed and had it to myself because Dan was getting up.

I was so cozy but had terrible dreams of a dirty, messy family room with a ton of people and no time to clean it before the designers came and then I was at a yoga studio with the wrong clothes and having a baby shower and then driving in mud on a sheer cliff and falling off.

It wasn't restful at all.

I threw on clothes for a 10:00 meeting with the designers and a rep from out of town to fix our new couch that was made incorrectly. (Yay for good service.)

And then I got to work. I spent 10 hours today reading my book and cutting words.

I mean, I was really into it!

I got through 160 pages--between 10 and 15 pages an hour--and cut 900 words. 

I really wanted to make it to under 96,000, but its 11:00, my computer battery is almost dead 

and my brain battery is almost dead.

I also found a problem with some dates so I need to be fresher to figure that out.

But Go Me!

Not Even March

Every year when the crocus bloom I'm surprised and delighted all over again.

Isn't it wonderful that even tiny consistencies are thrilling?

Life is beautiful. 

 

Saturday Hike

Getting outside on a beautiful sunny day, feels so good,

and hiking in the snow makes you feel like you're one of the cool kids.

(There was a group of 60-somethings sledding down and they were REALLY cool!)

Desolation Overlook

2 hours roundtrip.

2.6 miles to the overlook;

2.3 miles down if you take the Thaynes Canyon shortcut.

Kershaw was also happy to get a hike.

Healthier Choices

 I went to Physical Therapy for my tennis elbow yesterday and added the stretches to my goal app so I wouldn't forget to to them each day. Next week they're going to do dry needling, which I'm excited to try!

I also added "no sugar" to the app so I could be incentivized to make healthier snack choices. At my hair appointment today she had a bowl of peppermint patties--which I love. (So did Clara. It was a staple on her weekly grocery list. In the last couple of years she didn't make a list anymore, but I knew what she wanted and she was always so happy to have her treats and her chocolate milk. And toilet paper.)

Back to my hair studio--I almost reached for a treat, and then I remembered if I ate one I wouldn't get to mark my chart. And that was all the motivation I needed. I'm open to having dessert, but I want it to be a conscious choice, and not me simply snacking on peppermint patties and chocolate chips because I was in a mood. Or shall we say, not in the mood to go through the extra effort to make something healthy.

Dented Cans and Other Fears

It was with much trepidation, and also curiousity, that I ate the pears from this very dented can. Would I die instantly--instantly!-- of botulism? 

I considered leaving a note, letting my family know I loved them... but clearly not enough to toss the 5 halves of pears from this can and just eat from a non-dented, non-contaminated can. I'm sure the total cost of one can from the Costco pack was at least 88 cents, and I hated to waste it.

They sell dented cans at the grocery store, I reasoned. The risk can't be that great. But, the botulism fear instilled during multiple elementary school health units, is real. They scared us real good. (Also why I can't sleep with the bedroom door open. The fire movie of the little boy almost dying because he didn't shut his door and had smoke inhalation really spoke to me. It was such an easy adjustment to make.)

Also thinking of grandma warning us real good with stories of a relative whose finger was chopped off while she slept by a burgler who wanted to steal her wedding ring. I take off my rings every night. EVERY. NIGHT. I won't even go into her stories that created the deep-seeded fear I had of Ted Bundy.

Reader, I did not die of botulism. I am here to tell the tale and the pears tasted just fine. 

Baldy Eagle

We recently rediscovered this video and can't stop watching.

The cutest, catchiest song featuring 

Nick as Baldy Eagle in Kindergarten.

 

Last Day in Maui

Every day since the kids got here, we've had strong winds.

Fortunately, near Marty's room is protected and is warm, wind-free 

and comfortable to read, relax and lay out. But it's been kind of a bummer to have the wind chopping up the ocean.

However, this morning was perfectly still and the ocean was like a lake.

Dan and I took our walk to Makena this morning,

then Marty and Lizzie went kayaking while we watched Emi and packed up.

They got to see lots of whales!

After lunch, Emi took her longest nap ever--over two hours

so all the rest of us napped too and I got just what I wanted for my last day--

read, sun, sleep, repeat.

We all went down to the beach after she woke up for a final hurrah

and she got to play in the waves. Although she didn't love it as much as just putting her feet in.

The sunset at the airport was one to remember.

It's been the most perfect trip. So good that I'm actually ready to go home.

But we're already planning for next year!

Island Star and Goodbyes

We love our Island Star whale watching and snorkeling excursions.

But, Emi has to wear a life jacket the whole time and she was not happy about it.

We're thinking we might make it an every other year thing. 

Or take turns on another type of whale tour so poor Emi isn't miserable. 

We went to a new place to snorkel: the turtle cleaning station,

and saw so many turtles. 

We saw a lot of close-up whale action, but mostly their backs and tails.

It's been a long time since we've had a big breech near us.

As Courtney said, "We'll always have Alaska."

Would you believe we ate a late lunch at Coconuts again? 

Courtney and Michael had to pack and leave to the airport as soon as we got back.

On the car ride home, Emi started calling Michael "Mimi" and Courtney "Nor-Nor."

Chris and Nick had a few more hours until their flight, so we played on the beach

in the evening and enjoyed one more sunset.

They got dinner with Marty & Lizzie while Dan & I watched Emi.

Tonight's word was "Gonk" -- trying to copy me saying "Honk" when I honked my nose.

Another cute thing on this trip is Chris "getting her nose." It's kept her entertained for a long time

and when we say "point to your nose" when Chris "has" it, she points to his thumb. It's so cute.

She also loves doing "cheers" with her drink to Chris's.

Tonight we saw turtle sculptures and stuffed animals and she learned to say "turtle."

She's so smart and at the age where she tries to copy what we say! It's so fun.

Everyone has doted on her this trip and loved playing with her. 

Pickleball and BBQ

This was supposed to be our church and Twin Falls day.

But we switched the schedule around and tried out Pickleball instead.

Before the trip everyone was suggesting a pickleball day and honestly,

I thought, are you sure we won't want to relax another morning?

So we played it by ear, and everyone was excited to go and courts were available.

And we had the best time! 

Some of us are getting really good and I'm even serving pretty well.

Although I was doing it wrong, so I need to practice underhand.

We watched televised church which I hope never goes away,

tried to find lunch but the resort was CROWDED and we were thwarted in all the restaurants and poolside.

But we finally ate got takeout and were just fine.

We made an afternoon excursion to Ululani's Shave Ice on the far side of Kihei, but it had the longest line!

We decided to try a new place, Da Kine's, which is on the southside of Kihei near the ABC Market, 

much closer to us, and it was so good! We also discovered a market in the mall that we've never seen before and for years we've driven all the way into Kihei for food. GAME CHANGER!

We had a little beach time at sunset.

Then watched the sunset back at the Villa while Dan grilled steaks and veggies.

One of our highlights of our Hawaii trip is Sunday night when Dan grills,

and we feast at the outdoor table.

Emi went to bed in a pak 'n play in the villa so we could all play games together tonight.

We played Ransom Notes and then Among Us. 

Good times were had by all. 😜 

 

Surf Lessons, Golf and Ta-Da!

Dan and I volunteered to watch Emi while the kids had surf lessons.

Courtney coordinated and we realized the beach was farther away than the Kihei beach we've surfed at before. As it turned out, it was only another 15 minutes, but they liked the surf better and the waves were much less crowded. Also it was a better beach for Dan, Emi and I to play in the sand.

The best part was the whale action right behind where they were surfing.

Whale spouting right behind Nick!

More whale action behind Nick!

Emi is so observant! She could see a backpack at a picnic table quite a ways off and knew it was her dad's.

"Daddy!" She said and made a beeline for it. Then pointed out her dad's shoes and her mom's shoes and even Nick's shoes. 

She loved playing in the sand and filling the bucket and sand toys to make shapes.

She learned to say "ta-da!" when we flipped the sand-filled bucket, crab and apple molds upside-down 

and made designs. "Ta-da!"

She really liked getting her feet wet and laughed and laughed.

We also filled the watering can but a couple of times she dropped it and it got sucked into the waves.

We called "Papa" to come help and rescue it. Our hero!

Emi has started calling Dan "Papa." 

Over Christmas we called him Grandpa, because he said Papa was the Grandpa name for his dad.

But Emi has the final word, and Papa it is! 

She definitely knows who he is and what his name is.

If she finds his hat or sunglasses, she picks them up, says, "Papa," and takes them to him!

After surf lessons we had breakfast at Kihei Caffe,

then pool and beach time back at the hotel.

This afternoon the boys went golfing. The girls relaxed and Emi had a nap.

When she and Lizzie came over after she'd woken up, she was happy one minute and crying the next.

Lizzie took her back to their room and Emi slept for another 45 minutes!

They're all troopers adjusting to this schedule with a baby!

We met the boys right at sunset in town.

And ate dinner at Paia Fish Market