Swing of Things

Nick reported Day 3 of classes was a bit more interesting

and its been fun to get to know people in his district a little bit better.

(But when we ask details like where the one who had been in college for a year went,

Nick said he didn't ask. I guess those are mom questions.)

We always know when he has a short break in his block classes because 

we can hear him playing the harmonica.

Thanks for the suggestion, Miles!

His mission was recently divided and a West mission added.

This map is the Quito North area.

Nick and I had a little excursion today and he had to duck out of class 30 minutes early

to get his second rabies shot. Rabies! Glad there's a vaccination.

I'm a little worried about e.coli, Dengue and parasites.

I'm stocking him up on grapefruit extract capsules and probiotics. 

The rest is in the Lord's hands and modern medicine. And prayers.

This is a common sight in our house--

race clothes hanging dry in the mudroom.

Appreciating every ounce of Nick memories that I can.

 

Celebrating

I had a big errands day prepping for Nick's farewell--

creating a cute ribbon accent in Ecuador colors for the wreath on the front door,

(purchased at Knot & Spool, but I was much more involved in the process than I imagined I'd need to be, choosing what ribbons I liked, but I surprised myself by being good at it),

hanging the Ecuadorian flag,

fixing all things sprinklers--trouble-shooting why all the 

flowers in pots are so dry in spite of daily watering (by the sprinkler system)

(the sprays at the pots were twisted off 😡-- 

fortunately getting some water from drip lines so they weren't totally goners),

finding broken drip lines (I'm not a fan of drips where sprays could be used--they break often)

A Target run for mission/farewell/life stuff and ordered photos from Walgreens.

And for dinner, celebrating last meals at Ruth's Chris.

Check out the little Ecuadorian flag they put in his creme bulee!

After dinner, Nick had class again, Dan and I read on the patio until he was done.

When it got too dark to be outside, we came in to read some more and Nick worked on his farewell talk.

He's itching to get to the real MTC,

but I'm going to savor these days with the three of us at home together.

***

I can't tell you how many times I've watched this video!

(And shared it with my mom and sisters and "Grandma Ladies" text group!

Home MTC Day 1

What a fun sight to see 

as I walked down the hallway this afternoon!

Dan was up with Nick at 6:30 to workout together,

then they hit the links and I went hiking to the first river on Mt. Oly.

I haven't been hiking much in Utah this year and the first ten minutes were ROUGH.

I told myself I could turn around at 20 minutes.

But then, by 20, you guessed it, I was feeling better.

A great metaphor for missions and everything else in life that's hard.

Last night Nick printed out his schedule for the week and we made a plan to fit in 

his favorite meals, golf times, his second rabies shot, personal study and more.

I really like making a plan. 

Nick does too so this home MTC thing might end up being really fun for me.

OMBU Korean BBQ for dinner.

(The thirty-something guys behind us were talking all about their missions to Korea and somewhere in South America. I'm sure Nick's nametag sparked their discussion.)

Nick really likes his companion! Yay! 

He's from Montana And was very surprised how different Nick looked from his photo.

(Slicked back his hair to meet mission standards back in March!)

They're the only two in their district going to their mission.

Two others in their district are going to the West mission.

And the other eight are going to Peru.

While Nick had his second three-hour block of classes,

Dan and I went to sweet Soleil's 1-year-old birthday party at Sheree's home.

Soleil wasn't interested in eating her cake at all.

I loved how no one rushed her. Her parents were content to just let her figure it out.

And the rest of us just enjoyed being a part of it.

The whole large family and friend party all sat on the lawn for at least fifteen minutes watching her toddle around, eat the paper pompom on top of her party hat and not wanting anything to do with the strawberries or cake. It was so fun and entertaining!

No one gets tired of watching a baby. Especially surrounded by family in such a beautiful setting.

Sheree has planted so many beautiful flowers from seeds, 

"plugs" and tubers. She has a beautiful cutting garden spread throughout her yard!

Not to mention blackberries and raspberries, peaches, cherrys and more!

She even found sunflowers without the black centers in bright yellow and pale yellow.

So beautiful!

We got home when Nick's class ended at 9:00 p.m.

He worked on his music playlist with Dan some more and tweaking the setup

between the oooolllllldddd classic ipod (brick!) with tons of music

and transferring it to a memory card for his bluetooth speaker.

We ended the night with family prayer.

I thought about it on my hike, how we haven't had family prayer in a long time and wondered how something that was such a strong habit got forgotten.

Then I remembered that Nick has been at college for a year and we hadn't forgotten at all.

It's just been a while since one of our kids have lived at home.

We prayed together and it felt extra familiar.

Nick's a Missionary!

Nick was set apart as a missionary today after church!

Our closing hymn in Sacrament Meeting was "Carry On," which I love.

Funny thing, a few months prior to Courtney leaving to college,

the song by fun.,--with the same name--became my little anthem about her leaving.

By spring of 2013, when it her leaving started getting real, I ruminated on a particular thought:

Have I hugged her enough?!

 The song "Carry On" (by fun., not the hymn) always made me cry thinking of her journey to come.

If you're lost and alone, or you're sinkin' like a stone

Carry on...

May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground

Carry on...

So singing "Carry On" sacrament meeting was a little tender mercy.

For both my two bookends and also the two in between.

"O youth of the noble birthright, carry on, carry on, carry on!" 

***

Attending Nick's setting apart was Nick and Chris, me and Dan, our bishop and the stake president.

I opened with a prayer.

Our Stake President, Greg Hoole, is a longtime family friend 

and has known Nick since he was born. He started by giving great counsel.

Be yourself. Be obedient. Love the people, love your companions. 

Then Chris, me and Dan each took a turn sharing with Nick the strengths we saw in him,

words of wisdom, and our love.

Our bishop related the missionary experience to the caterpillar. It's got a pretty great life.

But if you embrace the transition, you will grow wings and become more beautiful than you ever imagined.

Finally, Nick got to share specific words of love to each of us.

Then President Hoole set Nick apart.

I was going to try to remember what he said,

but the only thing I can remember is blessed Nick with love for his companions and the people of Ecuador and also loyalty and patience.

We had a late lunch/early dinner before we all took Chris to the airport.

We were laughing that we all cried in the meeting saying "goodbye" to Nick,

but Nick is staying home for another 10 days and it's Chris who we sent on the plane.

Everyone, Everywhere

Christopher came home this morning and we went to Sharon's Cafe after I picked him up at the airport.

When he took off with friends, I spent the afternoon pitching three agents at an online conference

and between pitches, sending my query to four more. So that's 15 this weekend. 

One agent I prefaced our interview with "I know your bio says you're looking for Happy.

I'm worried my book might be too sad for you. I just want to, you know, give you a trigger warning!"

She said, she didn't mind books that explore grief. She just hates when a character dies at the end.

Good news! Mine dies at the beginning. So. 

(She was darling. It was a lot of fun meeting two of the three agents I talked to.)

***

Meanwhile, Dan, Nick and Corey were racing a WRL enduro in Atlanta.

Nick's team started at P19 and he passed 9 cars. 

Dan said it was the best he'd seen him drive and Nick said it was super fun passing so many.

Meanwhile, in Dan's double stint, the A/C got turned off and he overheated.

Not the car. Dan. Said he was feeling a little spacey for a few laps.

Someone caught a pic of him when he got out.

They finished P8.

A super aggressive jerk in a Mercedes passed Nick on a Full course yellow then later, heading into the pits, he cut across traffic and right in front of Nick slammed on his brakes, causing Nick to hit him and it took the car out. The guy got a two-lap penalty twice for both infractions. But still. Grrr.

So Nick's team wasn't able to finish.

***

Marty and Lizzie are at the ranch with the Rosen family this weekend.

Reports are they're having a great time!

***

I love this sign I saw on my walk today.

If I believed in yard signs, I'd get one for my yard.

Paris Olympics 2024

I have been BUSY today querying more agents, prepping for online pitching tomorrow

more reviews and edits of my manuscript (including spell check and grammar check),

and lots of research into self-publishing (cover design, interior formatting for ebook and print). 

I've had tabs for eight agents opened on my desktop since June. Or maybe March.

It felt reallllly good to close those babies.

Dan and Nick are in Atlanta so I'm home alone and the hours flew by. 

I just finished watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Paris,

thanks to a friend who texted a reminder to watch.

Loved the boat parade down the Seine! 

I got a little teary at the Olympians representing refugees. Wow.

Singing Imagine.

Also the oldest Olympian--cyclist--who helped light the final torch.

This and That

A plant is growing out of the irrigation grate. 

The buds look really big and I'm so curious what it will turn out to be...

(I saw a Meme making fun of boomers and ellipses and 

I'm not a boomer, but I do love ellipses!)

And how's this for getting the day off on the right foot?

I had my last BBL treatment today.

(Not to be confused with Brazilian Butt Lift which is another 

cosmetic procedure with the same acronym).

I was a little disappointed a week after my second round,

but after two weeks, I have to say my dark spots faded pretty significantly!

Even the day of treatment, my dark spots are fewer and so much lighter.

I'm happy I did it!

 

Demon Copperhead

And suddenly its quiet again.

Demon Copperhead is a tough read, diving deep into the nitty gritty like all of 

Barbara Kingsolver's novels. The title a play on David Copperfield

Glad I chose to listen and read. At the hands of he narrator, Demon was sympathetic, his boyishness brought to life in spite of the crappy deck of cards he was dealt. 

I felt so much anxiety, worried about what cliff would finally send Demon over the edge,

I was glad I could listen when everything was too tense to sit still and read.

Ready to switch it up with the easy breezy. Send recommendations my way.

Circle of LIfe

 Morning in the pool with Marty, Lizzie and Emi. 

Emi jumping off the diving board--no fear! (Wearing water wings, of course.)

Evening with Dan, me and the three of them,

bouncing on the trampoline (I can still do a backflip!),

duck, duck, goose with Emi,

then sending the little red boat down the "river" (irrigation ditch) again and again.

Teaching Lizzie some basic skills on the trampoline

and remembering what a workout just jumping is.

After Emi was in bed, we watched home videos of Marty when he was Emi's age--

his two-year-old birthday party with Sheree and Jared, a pinata, basketball cake and lots of presents

(of which he was only most interested in the first one).

More videos when he was almost four and Courtney almost six and Chris almost born.

Time, be gentle.

Tunnels and Boats

Marty introduced Emi to the tunnel today and he got the equivalent of a second Spartan race.

"More, more tunnel!"

Last Saturday, while the boys were at the Dodgers game,

and Lizzie was getting pedicures with her sisters,

I took Emi to the pool to swim. 

After we were done, we found a boat and floated it down the irrigation ditch,

watching it go into the bushes, then "run, run, running" around to the bridge to watch it appear,

then go under the bridge and nabbing it on the other side.

Or run, run, running to catch it before it floated into the neighbor's yard.

Oh, Emi loved the game! 

"More, more, little red boat!"

Lizzie brought home lunch and we ate by the pool and I got to enjoy time with her and her sisters which was so fun! They are a fun trio.

I went inside to "help" by listening for Emi when she woke up for her nap,

but really to take a nap myself and let the sisters have some time just the three of them.

Sisters are the best.

Marty's Super Spartan

Marty and friends ran the Snowbasin Spartan today. 

6.5 miles plus obstacles up and down the ski hills.

Lizzie, Emi, Me, Dan and Nick cheered for them at the finish.

Matt, Ethan, Marty and Aldo.

Marty just did a Sprint last month in Denver. Way to go, Marty!

We got to ride a school bus shuttle and Emi sang one of her favorite songs,

 Wheels on the Bus.

Back at home, we had a late lunch then Marty & Lizzie went to Jackie & Nate's

and Dan and I took Chris to the airport where another round of flight woes began.

His flight was delayed a couple of hours which was nice because we could relax after lunch for a bit.

But it wasn't until he'd gone through security that his flight was delayed another two hours.

And another two. And at 11:00 p.m, after sitting at the airport for five hours, it was cancelled.

He got back home at midnight and Dan, using the power of Delta 360*, was able to get him on a 8:00 a.m. flight the next morning. Poor Chris! What a fiasco!

Brothers Day

A few weeks ago when Nick was visiting Chris in Houston, they devised a plan...
one they knew they'd probably be able to talk Dan into...
 "Hey, you know that weekend Marty will be in town and Nick doesn't have any races?
Shall we all go to LA for one last Dodgers game before Nick leaves?"

So the plan was put into motion. A boys trip to the Dodgers vs Red Sox on a Saturday afternoon. 

Marty and Lizzie would come out Friday evening. Chris a late flight after work.

They'd all fly to California mid-morning and would be home before midnight.
Late, but not too late. Marty's Spartan race was Sunday morning. 

The plan was perfect.

Until the CrowdStrike incident. 

Where every company using Microsoft Windows lost all computer activity

and every Delta flight was delayed or cancelled.

Marty and Lizzie had a three-hour delay.
Chris' flight was cancelled. As was every other flight from Houston and surrounding areas. 

And by the time the flight was cancelled, every morning flight was booked.
Dan left no stone unturned searching for alternative options 

and found a flight from Houston to Las Vegas. 

Chris would spend the night on the strip and the boys would stop and get him on their way to California.

His flight was delayed hour after hour, but he finally boarded his flight at 11:00 p.m. 

And then after they boarded, the flight got cancelled because the pilots had timed out, 

and they had to deplane.

By midnight we arrived home with Marty, Lizzie and Emi and Dan desperately looked for other options, for Chris. But eventually had to admit they were out of luck. There were simply no flights to anywhere near Los Angeles or Salt Lake.

Chris was a good sport about missing out. What can you do in such a crazy situation?

But in a last minute Hail Mary, after the rest of us had gone to bed, 

Dan found a 5:00 a.m. flight from Austin to SLC.
And Chris caught an Uber for the 2 1/2 hour drive from Houston to Austin and a Delta

rep was confident the flight would depart.

Chris arrived home in SLC at 7:00 a.m. and was able to sleep for three hours before they left.

And the rest is history.

Eleven innings and a walk off, bases loaded win for the Dodgers.

Scripture Power

 While I was reading my scriptures last week, I came across one that I'd marked as

"Chris' fav scripture."

Yea I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; 

therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God,

for in his strength I can do all things;"

Alma 26:12

My Bible and Book of Mormon are highlighted in different colors 

depending how I want to remember individual verses.

Red for Doctrine. Yellow for Wisdom. Blue for History. Orange for Sanctification and Christ

 (something I'm always trying to understand better).

And most importantly: Green for words that are specific to Me.

I don't always keep up with this method, as often I only have a ball pointpen nearby,

but I love as I've re-read and re-read, how color-coded verses jump out at me and I especially love

 reading the notes I've made in the margins.

Last week, I came across a verse I'd marked "Dan's reunion in Argentina" 

because when we returned to Buenos Aires and Barriloche on vacation, 

we met old mission friends for dinner, thinking it would be fun to reconnect, 

but instead, their reunion was so joyful, these grown men who hadn't seen each other in 30 years, 

were moved to tears as they "rejoiced exceedingly that they were still brethren in the Lord,"

"...therefore, Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren;

and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord."

Alma 17:2

I newly marked this scripture which jumped out at me as attributes Nick has.

Alma 17:22

"Now Ammon, being wise, yet harmless..."

Happening upon these verses this week made me think about all the other scriptures

that have special meaning to my children and family. I flipped through my Book of Mormon

 to find more so I could remember and make another record of them here.

December 2016

"Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?"

Mormon 5:23

I read this just before Marty left on his mission, and they took on a special meaning

as I thought of him being looked after by God.

They became even more personally meaningful as I was strengthened by that knowledge

later that year when my Dad got sick and died.

June 2018

Just days after I returned from time with Courtney in New York, gushing the whole time

about how perfect her little one bedroom apartment was, 

she called crying because she'd just received a letter from her landlord that he wasn't renewing her lease.

The devestation!

I read this scripture that day and it just seemed to portend that everything would be okay.

(And it was!)

"Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."

2 Nephi 2:2

Family Home Evening 2012

And now my sons, remember remember, that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer,

who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation;

that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea,

when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you

to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo,

because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, 

a foundation whereon if men build, they cannot fall.

Helaman 5:12

I'll always hear Monet's low four-year-old voice reciting this from memory,

but all our family worked on memorizing this scripture in 2012,

with the reward of Baskin Robbins when we mastered it.

2020

While we were on vacation in Hawaii in 2020,

I threw out the idea of each family member sharing a scripture one day a week on GroupMe

It would be cool to share with Chris as well in our weekly letters.

Never did I imagine that just a few weeks later, a pandemic would start and church be cancelled.

My first Group Message says, "...I thought it would be a great tie to start [sharing scriptures] with church cancelled the next few weeks." (Little did we know it would be almost a year!)

This was Lizzies March 24, 2020

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise..."

Alma 37:6-7

"This is one of my favorite scriptures--I love how it says "small and simple things." On my mission I found that if investigators read the scriptures daily, prayed daily and came to church weekly, they would progress. After returning home, I found that this was the case in my own life too. It's nice that they aren't huge things...it's the small, simple, ordinary things that make the biggest difference.

Another 2020 Covid scripture:

Alma 34:38

"...and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in..."

Michael's scripture from March 26, 2020

"Often the conversation around 'the gift of tongues' leads to statements surrounding missionary work, 

that it can give you the ability to speak another language.

BUT what if it's not about the language in which you speak, but instead the CONTENT...

No matter the language, no matter the context, the Holy Ghost can inspire us to say what we need to say when we need to say it."

"Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ.

Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ, for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

2 Nephi 32:2-3

What a blessing to be able to feast upon the words of Christ.

My scriptures are a treasure because they not only hold Christ's words,

but my notes on how they've impacted me.