Drew started working the night shift at Walmart. McKay has moved here from Katy to work the same shift ($12.50 an hour). Drew has had his first two shifts. He said he fell asleep sweeping the first night.
This morning, Danica, Kevin, McKay and I ran 10 miles in preparation for a half marathon. Due to the Corona virus, the Blue Bell Fun Run was cancelled, but we will put together a race on Saturday so that Danica can run it still. Danica ran the whole thing and wasn't even winded, about a 10 minute per mile pace. The rest of us weren't quite so fast. McKay hadn't even trained at all. He ran out of steam the last mile, but was remarkable that he could go so far without training. He called himself a Kenyan. I have a toenail on each foot that I will lose from all the running.
It has been fun having McKay here. We put him in the guest room. We anticipate he will be here until July, at least.
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Friday, April 10, 2020
Corona Virus Update; Sheltering in Place
We have been under shelter in place orders for a couple of weeks now, since March 24th. We don't go out at all except to exercise or grocery shop. So Danica wants to come with me anytime I leave the house. We were down to about ten rolls of toilet paper in the house. It's never on the shelves when I check. A month ago I bought two cases, only to discover a few days ago that I had actually bought paper towels instead. So this morning, Danica and I went to Costco right when it opened to fight the crowds and get toilet paper. There was a stream of people in masks all pushing their carts to the back of the store to get their rationed tp, which was put into our carts by an employee who was overseeing the distribution. We were super happy to get ours. People are getting used to the social distancing requirements. There are tape lines on the floor at stores to help us all stay 6 feet away from each other. Seeing people in masks and gloves, or even bandannas is common place. Used to be if you saw someone wearing a bandanna over his face you'd be worried the store was about to be robbed. Not so in the Corona Virus world. Most stores have signs posted at their entrances, either that they are closed or about what they are doing to minimize the spread of the disease.
Seminary the past two weeks has been study at home with a conference call on Fridays. Dave has worked from home for two weeks. That has been interesting. School has been online for two weeks as well. The fact that there's nowhere to go, not even school has made the past few weeks family-centric. I have loved having my family together. Yesterday we participated in a world wide fast which president Nelson called for to ease the Pandemic. It was widely accepted by many not of our faith as well.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Closing out 2019 with Aggressive Zebras
Sunday 29
It was nice to have Abbie with us again. We started the Book of Mormon for Come Follow Me and discussed the title page, intro, and witnesses. I love this new program and the discussions we have as a family as we follow it. We had a birthday party for Julianna since she turns 21 on Monday. We are so grateful to have her in our family! We had waffles with strawberries. She opened gifts and had a layered ice cream dessert. We played Telestrations and Pandemic. In the evening we took a family walk over through the commons. Abbie put together a Kahoot! with questions about herself. I was the winner with Dayton coming in a close second. It has been so much fun to have her here and getting to know her.
Monday 30
We got the Christmas decorations taken down today. As nice as it is to have the Christmas decorations up, it always feels good to get our house stripped down and back to normal. Dallin and Julianna came over to play games. Abbie left early this morning.
Tuesday 31
This is my very last entry to complete my goal of recording at least some small thing about each day of 2019. I have loved being able to look back on the year and catch a glimpse of each day. We took Danica and Devin to Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio this morning. It was such a fun safari style activity. We drove through and fed them from our car. Our favorite were the zebras. They came right up to the car and opened their mouths expecting to have food dumped in. They weren’t shy and Danica didn’t appreciate how one zebra stuck it’s head right in her window looking for food. We saw some incredibly beautiful animals, some that were near extinction. I let an Addax eat out of my hand. It was a beautiful and gentle antelope that is extinct in the wild. We also enjoyed getting up close to giraffes. They have mouths like camels that move a lot when they eat. Jon and Meghan came in the afternoon to ring in the new year. We played games, watched football, worked on a puzzle, cracked pecans with Logan and Daphne, jumped on the trampoline together, and took a walk at 11:30pm to see the fireworks that our neighbors shot off. Dallin and Julianna had long days at work and work tomorrow morning, so they didn’t come over. Dayton played soccer and hung out with us a bit. Danica went to bed about 9:30. Devin was super excited to play with Will. They had tons of fun together and stayed up after the rest of us went to sleep after 1:00. We had sparkling Martinelli’s drink in goblets at midnight, thanks to Dave who did a late night run to Walmart. Hard to believe that tomorrow starts a new decade. I’ll be 55 by the end of it, a grandmother and empty nester, and have no mortgage. This past year has certainly been eventful for our family. Dallin got married, Dayton got home from his mission and engaged, Drew graduated from high school and left for his mission to Chihuahua. Devin started middle school. Danica stopped eating sugar and now spends hours cooking and preparing healthy foods. She also learned to love the piano. Today she commented, “I need to get home or I’ll only have an hour to practice the piano”. She has sure matured a lot this year. For me, I’ve grown a lot in my study of the gospel. My testimony and understanding of the Savior has deepened as I’ve studied Jesus the Christ and the New Testament.
It was nice to have Abbie with us again. We started the Book of Mormon for Come Follow Me and discussed the title page, intro, and witnesses. I love this new program and the discussions we have as a family as we follow it. We had a birthday party for Julianna since she turns 21 on Monday. We are so grateful to have her in our family! We had waffles with strawberries. She opened gifts and had a layered ice cream dessert. We played Telestrations and Pandemic. In the evening we took a family walk over through the commons. Abbie put together a Kahoot! with questions about herself. I was the winner with Dayton coming in a close second. It has been so much fun to have her here and getting to know her.
Monday 30
We got the Christmas decorations taken down today. As nice as it is to have the Christmas decorations up, it always feels good to get our house stripped down and back to normal. Dallin and Julianna came over to play games. Abbie left early this morning.
Tuesday 31
This is my very last entry to complete my goal of recording at least some small thing about each day of 2019. I have loved being able to look back on the year and catch a glimpse of each day. We took Danica and Devin to Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio this morning. It was such a fun safari style activity. We drove through and fed them from our car. Our favorite were the zebras. They came right up to the car and opened their mouths expecting to have food dumped in. They weren’t shy and Danica didn’t appreciate how one zebra stuck it’s head right in her window looking for food. We saw some incredibly beautiful animals, some that were near extinction. I let an Addax eat out of my hand. It was a beautiful and gentle antelope that is extinct in the wild. We also enjoyed getting up close to giraffes. They have mouths like camels that move a lot when they eat. Jon and Meghan came in the afternoon to ring in the new year. We played games, watched football, worked on a puzzle, cracked pecans with Logan and Daphne, jumped on the trampoline together, and took a walk at 11:30pm to see the fireworks that our neighbors shot off. Dallin and Julianna had long days at work and work tomorrow morning, so they didn’t come over. Dayton played soccer and hung out with us a bit. Danica went to bed about 9:30. Devin was super excited to play with Will. They had tons of fun together and stayed up after the rest of us went to sleep after 1:00. We had sparkling Martinelli’s drink in goblets at midnight, thanks to Dave who did a late night run to Walmart. Hard to believe that tomorrow starts a new decade. I’ll be 55 by the end of it, a grandmother and empty nester, and have no mortgage. This past year has certainly been eventful for our family. Dallin got married, Dayton got home from his mission and engaged, Drew graduated from high school and left for his mission to Chihuahua. Devin started middle school. Danica stopped eating sugar and now spends hours cooking and preparing healthy foods. She also learned to love the piano. Today she commented, “I need to get home or I’ll only have an hour to practice the piano”. She has sure matured a lot this year. For me, I’ve grown a lot in my study of the gospel. My testimony and understanding of the Savior has deepened as I’ve studied Jesus the Christ and the New Testament.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Engagement Photos
Thursday 26
Dayton and Abbie got their engagement pictures taken today at a park in Austin. We went hiking at riverplace trail. Dayton and Abbie thought it was too hot (65 degrees) so we walked back to the car along the sidewalk instead of back on the trail. They have gotten soft and can’t handle any heat at all :) We played Telestrations as a big group and had some great laughs. Danica’s key lime pie morphed into granny apple pie, old lady walking, then finally moon landing. We played Dallin's pandemic game. He and Julianna get intense over it and it’s fun to see them get to excited. We had Papa Murphy’s pizza for dinner. David finished the puzzle he started when school got out. It was a scene from Italy.
Friday 27
We started the day off at 8 with breakfast and games. Kevin, Dallin and Julianna came over to join us. We played the Farming Game, Avalon, and splendor. We did some online dress shopping for the wedding with Abbie. Liam came over to play with Devin. They jumped on the trampoline with water balloons with Dayton. We watched October Sky in the evening.
Saturday 28
We had a nice slow morning. It was nice to study my scriptures in a quiet house. I’m trying to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. We had Navajo tacos for lunch. Paxton and Liam joined us then stuck around to jump on the trampoline. In the evening we went to the fireside presented by the Austin Alumni association by brother Baron. He did an amazing job, shared good stories, and kept us all entertained while sharing a powerful message. We played Splendor and watched the Clemson bowl game afterwards. Dayton and Abbie went to Andy’s for ice cream.
Dayton and Abbie got their engagement pictures taken today at a park in Austin. We went hiking at riverplace trail. Dayton and Abbie thought it was too hot (65 degrees) so we walked back to the car along the sidewalk instead of back on the trail. They have gotten soft and can’t handle any heat at all :) We played Telestrations as a big group and had some great laughs. Danica’s key lime pie morphed into granny apple pie, old lady walking, then finally moon landing. We played Dallin's pandemic game. He and Julianna get intense over it and it’s fun to see them get to excited. We had Papa Murphy’s pizza for dinner. David finished the puzzle he started when school got out. It was a scene from Italy.
Friday 27
We started the day off at 8 with breakfast and games. Kevin, Dallin and Julianna came over to join us. We played the Farming Game, Avalon, and splendor. We did some online dress shopping for the wedding with Abbie. Liam came over to play with Devin. They jumped on the trampoline with water balloons with Dayton. We watched October Sky in the evening.
Saturday 28
We had a nice slow morning. It was nice to study my scriptures in a quiet house. I’m trying to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. We had Navajo tacos for lunch. Paxton and Liam joined us then stuck around to jump on the trampoline. In the evening we went to the fireside presented by the Austin Alumni association by brother Baron. He did an amazing job, shared good stories, and kept us all entertained while sharing a powerful message. We played Splendor and watched the Clemson bowl game afterwards. Dayton and Abbie went to Andy’s for ice cream.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Christmas Memories
Wednesday 25
What a nice Christmas Day. Devin came barging in at 5:58 to let us know it was almost time to open presents. Danica was up at 5 am to play games with him and they were ready to open presents. Dallin and Julianna showed up a little after 6, so we gathered everyone and they lined up on the stairs for the traditional picture. The girls had matching pjs, a fun first for our family. We had fun opening gifts. The kids liked the bow and arrow sets we bought. The neighbors had discarded a couple of hay bales several weeks ago that we curbside rescued which made great targets. The kids shot and shot. Dave and the girls put together the new trampoline. It got the approval from the kids for bounciness. Dallin, Dayton, and Devin took apart the old one. We spent several hours playing The Farming Game we bought for Abbie, which was a lot of fun. I won both games. Devin liked his Star Wars Fallen Jedi Xbox game and played for hours. Danica got clothes, a Fitbit, a frozen fruit smoothie maker, and lots of books. I got serving spoons, several jackets, October Sky, a Hugh Nibley book, glass earrings from Venice and Nike slides. David appreciated his Michelangelo pieta statue replica; it was a memento from our trip to Florence. Dallin got a few games, including Pandemic Legacy which he's super excited to play. We played laser tag with our new guns once it got dark outside. Such a fun, memorable day!
What a nice Christmas Day. Devin came barging in at 5:58 to let us know it was almost time to open presents. Danica was up at 5 am to play games with him and they were ready to open presents. Dallin and Julianna showed up a little after 6, so we gathered everyone and they lined up on the stairs for the traditional picture. The girls had matching pjs, a fun first for our family. We had fun opening gifts. The kids liked the bow and arrow sets we bought. The neighbors had discarded a couple of hay bales several weeks ago that we curbside rescued which made great targets. The kids shot and shot. Dave and the girls put together the new trampoline. It got the approval from the kids for bounciness. Dallin, Dayton, and Devin took apart the old one. We spent several hours playing The Farming Game we bought for Abbie, which was a lot of fun. I won both games. Devin liked his Star Wars Fallen Jedi Xbox game and played for hours. Danica got clothes, a Fitbit, a frozen fruit smoothie maker, and lots of books. I got serving spoons, several jackets, October Sky, a Hugh Nibley book, glass earrings from Venice and Nike slides. David appreciated his Michelangelo pieta statue replica; it was a memento from our trip to Florence. Dallin got a few games, including Pandemic Legacy which he's super excited to play. We played laser tag with our new guns once it got dark outside. Such a fun, memorable day!
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