2024- Week 21(May 20- May 26)

 Monday was our last DUP for the season. I was sworn in as the new captain. Georgia handed me a paper to read but I was so focused on my minutes that I set it down and then was so confused when she asked for it. It made me feel so dumb hopefully that is not an omen for how the year will go. I made Marilyn's éclair recipe and we had a potato bar for lunch. We put together a care package for Lisa Evenhuis one of our daughters that has breast cancer. I had asked everyone to write her an encouraging note and several of the ladies wouldn't do it. They said they didn't know what to say to someone they didn't know. It made me so shocked. I felt like they already knew everything they needed about her- that she was one of our daughters and she deserves our support. I couldn't understand how they couldn't just say something nice.

I'm done with my skinny jean era so I cut one of the pairs into shorts.

Field trip season is coming to a close.

I have been studying non stop to take my Ham Radio technician exam. I really wanted to get my license before my dad's birthday so I went ahead and scheduled my exam to give myself a deadline. I still have a few more sessions of the class I have been taking with James Bennett. KK7AVS. I took the test online on Friday. There were four other hams watching me take the test which was so nerve wracking. I passed! I only missed one question. Now I am studying for my General so that I will be able to talk to my dad in Kentucky. I was so excited to get my call sign KK7TOF and to send a picture of it to my dad for his birthday. He was shocked and so excited. Probably the best gift I have ever given him. 

I took Claudia and Ally to Garage Grill for Claudia's birthday.

For date night Jeff and I went to the Outlets to do some shopping for his birthday and then Jeff wanted to take me to celebrate passing my test to Leatherby's. 

We ran into Charlie and Kathy Bird from our old neighborhood.

The door to the entertainment center broke. Larry from Kitchen's and More made it and told me he would fix it.

Jeff is finally feeling better. He was sick all week. All the kids came home for Sunday. I love when they are home. Ashytn wrote a song on the piano and one of the lines hits me hard each time she sings it: "I want you to be mine and tell me all the time that I'm lovely but that scares me." She wrote it about the anxiety she gets from dating.

2024- Week 20(May 13- May 19)

We went to the Taylorsville Temple open house with Melinda's family, Kory and Jenna and the twins and mom. Bronson kept telling us how beautiful it was. He wanted me to take his photo by the flowers in lots of different poses ha ha. My mom's old neighbor John Hughes painted two of the paintings. Jeff and I both grew up in this area and it was fun to see this temple. Afterwards mom and Ethan and I went to Red Robin for dinner.

I love this quote so much

The local elementary put on the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Some of the kids in the ward were in it so I went to support them. It was FABULOUS! Cute Aidia Hall was Veruka and boy was she a perfect brat ha ha. 

I did my color analysis- What do you think?

Ethan is building his own computer.

Jeff was out of town this week for his annual golf trip. They went to Alabama this time. He had a blast but came home sick. I picked him, Mike Nance and Jon McGuire up from the airport and their flight was delayed so we didn't get home until 12:30 AM

Kim told me about a new bakery by her house called the Paris Baguette so of course I had to stop there on the way home. The ham and cheese croissant was amazing but this other cream filled thing was not.

Saturday night I went to the Lauren Daigle concert with Andrea Bengtzen, Candace Wagaman and Elizabeth Sims. It was amazing and so so loud ha ha. Andrea had to be in a wheel chair for her POTS so we got to park pretty close. Our seats were great. We all bought a tshirt. They all bought the same one, but I really wanted the one that had my favorite song Thank God I Do on it. I love this shirt. It was hard to hear as it was so very loud and it was vibrating my whole body which I didn't like but there was an amazing spirit. The crowd was great. She talked about how lonely people are but not when they think about others and focus outside of themselves. She told everyone to hug the people sitting by them. I hugged the man next to me. He was so cute and was singing so loud but so off key the whole 

night ha ha. 

2024- Week 19(May 6- May 12)

 It was not fun to work on Monday as it continued to snow. 

For young mens Jeff took the boys to visit the workplace of Glen Calhoun. He is a crane operator working on the SLC temple renovation.

I tried a new clear protein from Clean Simple Eats. I bought all four flavors and we held a tasting at work. I liked the orange variety the best.

I will miss the days that the kids fall asleep in our bed. I love that they feel safe in our room.

Sunday was Mother's Day. We had my family come to dinner. Bronson filled out a paper about Melinda at church and here are some of the funny things he said:

When asked how old his mom is "She is five- no wait I am five so she is 17."

When asked what he would buy for his mom " I can't go to the store by myself I'd get kidnapped. If my dad takes me I don't know what I would buy her because she wants things that I don't like."

Regarding YouTube "Sometimes she makes me watch boring stuff on PBS Kids." 

I gave everyone carnations like we use to do. White if your mother is passed, Red if you are an adult woman and Pink if you are a young girl

I only got a photo of Liz and Jenafae

2024- Week 18(Apr 29- May 5)

Julia is home now so I went to visit her. The PT came and she kept slapping his butt. Alzheimers has made her behave in a way that is so out of character. 

We sent Ashtyn flowers for her birthday and I was pleasantly surprised that they looked exactly like the picture.

Ashtyn is the very best! I can't believe she is 23. Here are 23 things we love about her:

1. She is so very intuitive.

2. She has the best style.

3. She has the kindest heart.

4. She values experiences as much as she values shopping.

5. She loves the temple.

6. She has the most beautiful hair.

7. She is a hard worker.

8. She loves to be the center of attention.

9. She is the biggest Swiftie.

10. She perseveres when things get hard. 

11. She cares a lot about her siblings.

12. She never lets anxiety stop her from doing the things she wants.

13. She loves to travel and try new things.

14. She is the most thoughtful gift giver.

15. She is a little prankster.

16. She is very patient with her overbearing parents- it's so hard to be the oldest.

17. She has the cutest nails and loves getting them done.

18. She values the finer things in life and knows quality when she sees it.

19. She sets social media limits for herself.

20. She doesn't mind letting the little nieces and nephews monopolize her time.

21. She loves a good true crime story.

22. She is non judgmental.

23. She is so creative.

She made us parents and we sometimes forget that she is a strong, capable and amazing woman that is killing it in life. We adore her!! I wish we were with her today.

Jeff and I have been listening to podcasts as we drive to work together and there was a great message about the natural man that I loved.

I hosted Inklings this week. We discussed Elder Gong's talk 

Paiges daughter Jillise took the MCAT recently and I sent her the poem Invictus and an encouraging note. It turned out that I had the wrong number. So I told the person that the message still applied to them and to replace MCAT with whatever they are pursuing right now. 

It snowed Sunday!!! WHAT!! That was a very unpleasant surprise.