Good for you!

Yesterday and today I'm attending a literacy conference in downtown Salt Lake City.

I got a name tag with my super phonetic name that should be really easy to spell (especially for people that specialize in...literacy) but constantly trips people up, spelled wrong.  I texted a picture to my people.

Emma answered with this:

Emma giving me my comeuppance:  story of my life.

The conference actually started Wednesday night I guess (where is Emma to correct my first sentence of this post?) and while I was waiting for the session to start I was reading my book because you have to bring a book, that is just personal safety.

A man asked me what I was reading (it was a Newbery) and we chatted a little and I told him about my Read All The Newberys goal and he told me that he's on the committee to select the 2019 Newbery.

That is when I thought:  the people at this conference?  These people get me.

I've loved loved loved everything so far.  I took notes as fast as my little hand would go.  It makes me enthusiastic and excited about the day when I will be a teacher.

In every session, the instructors have us turn to our neighbors often (they're teachers after all) and discuss.  Without exception, when I had the little get-to-know-you chat with each of the other people, they told me where they are teaching school and I told them I am working toward relicensure, they all said (in a slightly patronizing way), "Good for you!"

Like it was about time I did something with my life?  I don't know.  I am not really bothered by it though, because you know what?  It is good for me!  I decided when I was in first grade and thought my teacher Mrs. Jund was the be all end all that I wanted to be a teacher.  I have not looked back.

I don't regret one second of the time I wasn't a teacher in favor of being a mom.  Not even the seconds that were pure torture (here's looking at you grocery shopping with screaming babies).  But I am excited for the next chapter too.

Good for me, because I am going to love this.

A little window into my world

There's a parent meeting for driver's ed that neither Adam or I can make.  So I texted our big kids.

These are the people I'm trusting to represent us to the public?  Wang Fire and his wife, Sapphire Fire?

Another milestone

As Mark has been studying up on driving, he's developed that (annoying) habit his other siblings did at the same age of criticizing my driving.  As in, "You know you're speeding, right Mom?"

I do my best.  I think maybe my foot is heavier than other people's though.

Mark is the proud owner of a learner permit.  And also at the DMV, the guy wrote lerner permit and it was a little painful for me to watch.

Before taking the test, they took Mark's picture.  They wanted him to take off his glasses, rendering him sightless.  They told him to smile so he smiled a big smile.  Then they said, "If you want." and I guess he decided he didn't want but then they snapped the picture and he was between expressions.

But even though he didn't love his picture, he passed the test!

So I texted a picture, like you do.

Braeden shot back this, zoomed in on the picture (of course he did):

I don't know.  I think he looks cute.  (But I always do.)

Braeden also texted this:

Although Mark being able to drive himself is appealing, I'm a little nervous too.

Adam and Mark went out for a drive and afterward Mark said that every muscle in his body was tense and an hour later he said he was still "shook."

Adam said he thought teaching Mark would be easier than the other kids.  He said maybe he's more relaxed.

Mark likes and knows about cars but like his Grandma Geri said on the phone, he's going to have to pay attention to driving instead of looking at all the other cars now.  He responded to her, "Yeah I didn't even see that Mitsubishi Eclipse when I was driving up the street."

Ummmm...

Sometimes I think about people that have a whole fleet of children (like 10!) and I'm just amazed that they have the fortitude to teach 10 children how to drive.

I don't even have the fortitude to teach three children (Adam is mostly in charge of that.)  My job is to just gasp dramatically when I ride with them and make them feel more nervous.

What can I say?  We all make our contributions.

A town motto

When we lived in Pittsburg, CA (not to be confused with Pittsburgh, PA--the h is the big differentiating factor) there was a town motto of sorts.  It was on those flags towns sometimes fly on their main streets.  The motto:  Recycle your motor oil.

Sort of inspiring.

And that was Pittsburg for you.

Saturday we came up with a motto for Pleasant Grove (in case anyone in the city government is reading this you are welcome to have it made up on flags to fly on Main Street.)  The motto:  30 Minutes from Awesome.

We love and adore being 30 minutes from BYU.

We went to a concert at BYU, featuring Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus, that was for families of small children.  Braeden and Mark are small-ish?  There were a whole lot of toddlers in the audience.  It wasn't the regular staid concert going house but we still enjoyed it.

After that and lunch with our favorite songbird we took Mark back to the Museum of Art to see the exhibit we had liked so much the day before (Braeden had an afternoon baseball game date).  The exhibit is Nina Katchadourian:  Curiouser.  We love it.  We also saw the Tiffany Glass exhibition.

It captured my imagination.  Now in addition to a Cape Cod style house on...Cape Cod and a Spanish style house (with shiny red tile floors) near Balboa Park in San Diego (or can I just live in Balboa Park?), I want a Craftsman style house on a leafy tree-lined street with a deep front porch and Tiffany glass.

In the meantime, I'm happy with my house perched on the side of a mountain in good old Pleasant Grove:  30 Minutes from Awesome.

We have too many houseplants (depends on who you ask) and not enough humidity but especially when all our kids are here, there's nowhere I'd rather be.  This place is the venue for shows like "World's Worst Magician" that Mark and Adam treated us to on Sunday (a.k.a. The Gingician and his Apprentice).

I have no words, but come over and they'll perform it for you.  There's a soundtrack.  And it may be one of the best things that has ever happened on a Sunday afternoon, 30 minutes from awesome.

As birthdays go...

...it was pretty great.

Adam and I had the day stretched in front of us and even though we'd batted around a few "what should we do?" and "I don't know, what do you want to do?" conversations, we didn't have a plan.

We had breakfast with our two oldest, we saw a great exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art, we went to A Wrinkle in Time and had popcorn and Dr. Pepper for lunch.  (As Tabor said, the popcorn is a vegetable and there was dairy from the butter.  Dr. Pepper makes up the rest of the food groups.  I call it a balanced meal.)

After the movie we took a drive into the canyon because it was sunny.

We took naps (is there anything more luxurious than an afternoon nap?) and then went to the world's largest Costco.  I've been wanting to go ever since I heard about it and we finally did.  We didn't have a list and weren't really planning to buy anything (except quarter sheet pans which they didn't have) but we left with a full cart.

Like you do.

The Costco was pretty amazing.  Adam said, "Imagine if this was the only Costco you'd ever been to. You'd be disappointed at every other Costco for the rest of your life."

It just kept going and going.

Here was the dairy refrigerated section.

Big enough that you are freezing by the time you are done browsing all the cheese.

This freaked me out a little.  Lamb and goat carcasses just hanging there.  Over on the left in those boxes were halal goat cubes.  Goat cubes?!?  I was glad Horace wasn't there to see that.

Also, just pick up a whole roasting pig, no big deal....

We only went as far as Salt Lake City, but it was a cultural experience.

I love spending the day with Adam.  It was a wonderful day, really great.  We didn't have any exciting plans and I looked slightly crazed all day because it has been more humid than usual and my hair reacts to that like a kid who never gets sugar and suddenly drinks several energy drinks.  The nap didn't help the hair situation.

Adam and I have a good time no matter what though.  Being together is the thing.

We also got phone calls, texts, facebook messages, friends stopping by with gifts, gifts that arrived from Amazon, birthday cards in the mail, and sweet gifts from our kids.  It all added up to feeling loved.

There's nothing more I could ask for.

Grateful Friday

I'm grateful for life today.  I'm grateful for all the wonderful opportunities I've been given and the things that felt like raw deals but that taught me important lessons.

I'm grateful for my parents and siblings and friends.  I'm grateful for my mother-in-law and father-in-law and sisters and brothers-in-law and all they've added to my like.  And I'm grateful for life shared with my good husband.

Today Adam and I are 45.  Sheesh.  Some birthdays just seem a lot older and that is one of them.  It didn't help the whole 45-feels-a-lot-older thing when Mark asked me how long until I get social security.  He said, "Is that when you get to cut lines too?"

Sometimes I wonder about Mark's worldview.

But we're 45.  We met 27 years ago.  That's a lot of years ago.

I'm not going to write 45 things I love about Adam because I don't have the time.  He took the day off and we're going to spend it together.  I love sharing a birthday with him!

I just want you to know that I could write 45 things I love about him.  There are plenty of things to choose from.

Transitions

I am no good at transitions.  They keep me up at night and then I remember that some people have actual problems, but then I still can't sleep.

Being a mother full time has filled me up.  I love it.  It's what I always wanted to do and it's felt important and the best possible use of my time.

Thinking about being a teacher excites me.  I love it.  It's what I've always wanted to do and it feels important and like a good use of my time.

Transitioning between the two makes me anxious.

Mark.  He is big and sturdy and capable.  On the one hand he is on the cusp of gaining the independence of a driver's license and he really doesn't need me too much on most days.

On the other hand Adam and I have both had dreams this week about Mark as a little boy.

It's hard to let him grow up.

It's hard to balance everything--or at least feel balanced myself.  I think it's a lot less about what I am doing and a lot more that I feel conflicted about it all.

Next week, I'm going to attend a literary conference that I'm looking forward to.  Next week I also have to choose between a handful of parenting and preparing-to-teach-school-again things that are happening at the same time.

And then there's Easter to prepare for.  And when am I going to make the Finnish sour dough rye bread that is a multi-day process and one of our general conference traditions?

It felt overwhelming at 3:00 AM but later in the morning, when the sun was up, I told Adam that I am a planner.  This is what I've trained for.

I've got this.

(But transitions are still hard.)

How Mark feels about English

Mark has been working on an essay.  Yesterday I asked him how it was going.  He said, "I finished the outline and now I'm going to start writing.  And I'm dead inside."

Family Home Evening

Last night the sun was shining and Adam must be able to recognize when my vitamin D stores are depleting because he suggested a walk.  We met Braeden and Emma in Orem and took a little turn around a park.  Then we went to Zaxby's for dinner.

I ordered a sandwich.  I asked, "Can I get coleslaw instead of fries?"

"No," the girl behind the counter said flatly.  "The meal only comes with fries."

"I can't substitute coleslaw?" I asked.

"No."

I was looking at her and she was looking at me and Adam said, "Can she get just the sandwich?"

"Yes."

"OK," I said, starting again.  "Can I get the sandwich and a drink and a side order of coleslaw?"

She said yes.

Out of curiosity, Adam checked the receipt and the price of those three items was the exact price of the combo meal.

When the food arrived, there were fries alongside my sandwich.  There was also a side of coleslaw on the tray.

Adam said it was a Zaxby hack.  A way to get extra food.

"A Zax hack," said Mark.

"A haxby," said Emma.

I took a bite of the coleslaw and it wasn't good.  "I don't want that," I said, placing it in front of Adam.

"Now that's ironic," said Braeden.

Adam tried it and deemed it not good, as in, it had turned.  He returned with it to the counter and came back with celery sticks.

I'm not sure if it was still a Zax hack or even a haxby, but I like celery sticks so I went with it.

Emma told us about the medieval stained glass in the Chartes cathedral and Braeden talked about Aristotle and property rights.  Having kids in college elevates the conversation, until it doesn't.  Because things usually deteriorate.

Braeden said something to Mark while Mark was drinking and Mark nearly spewed and nearly choked but held it together.

Later, Mark said something to me and I had just taken a sip of ginger ale.  I almost died (which would have been a downside of the whole evening).  I was able to swallow before I laughed until I cried.

All three kids talked about how satisfying it is to make Adam or me laugh that hard.

I just hope they don't kill me in the process.

The BYU kids needed to leave to get back to their family home evenings on campus.  Braeden was skipping his regular FHE to meet instead with his French class.  "Why are you having family home evening with your French class?"  I asked.

"Because we like each other."  That's as good a reason as any.

We parted ways and hugged our big kids and we read more in The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox on the drive home.  We have a surprising amount of nontraditional family home evenings with just Mark here.

Family is an evolving revolving door.  I never imagined ten years ago that this would be my reality.  I do like it though.

A weekend

I could just describe how I was a little cranky all weekend because my eyes hurt and I was cold (the mild winter we had lulled me into thinking it was spring soon and it's been cold/windy/snowy).

Despite my crankiness, the weekend had its moments though.

BYU had spring break on Friday.  And by spring break, they meant one day off (which was more than I got as a BYU student).

Braeden and a group of his friends went to Moab.

He sent me pictures that made me wish I were there too.

And he sent some pictures that made me glad I wasn't there.  And also, don't tell anyone you're related to me.

Emma sent this about noon:

I told her never mind.  Time to wake up.

Friday night Adam was refereeing regional church basketball games--the teams across the region travel less distance to play each other than my nieces and nephews travel to play in their own church building.  While he was doing that, Mark and I went to the Cannon Center and had dinner with Emma.

Mark brought a plate of chicken and vegetables that had had the life boiled out of them to the table and said, "This does not look like a gyro to me."

Emma said, "Mark, you got that from the Euro station.  E-U-R-O and gyro is spelled G-Y-R-O."

So Emma and I laughed at Mark and he drowned his sorrows in about five more plates of food.  All you can eat is a spectacular deal for Mark.

The three of us went to The Little Mermaid at the Hale Theatre.  I am always blown away by the shows they put on in that tiny space.  The sets and costumes were fabulous and the actors were talented and I love live theater.  The End.

Saturday both Braeden and Emma (and Braeden's roommate, Scott) spent the afternoon and evening here.  They did homework and Emma sat at the piano and sang (which is wonderful) and the boys played Heroscape which Mark had painstakingly set up and I combed Emma's hair while Adam and I watched Darkest Hour.

Yesterday in addition to church and a nap I worked a little on family history for a friend that I'm helping.  Her family is from England.  I know it's a small island, but they only have like four names in the entire country it seems.

Which one of these is the one she's related to?

They were born in the same year, in the same quarter, in the same county, in the same registration district and they have the same name--just different mothers.  It makes me a little crazy.

Also, I wonder if the reason Utahns stereotypically give their children wacky names is because they've done enough family history to know that there is value in a unique name....

Emma and Braeden came for dinner.  They told me they'd passed Grandma and Grandpa on the way.

We had dinner (which wasn't that good, the dinner, not the company), I gave them a survey of meals they like most because I'm going to have a list of 15 meals and just rotate through.  I'm tired of coming up with what's for dinner.  Mark was assigned to sing in church next Sunday so he got his siblings to sing with him.  They picked a song and practiced a little and hearing our children sing together fills my soul.  (I'm going to play the piano for them and that fills me in a different way.  Terror.)

Emma left early because she had choir practice and Braeden stayed a little later.

Adam and Braeden played this game that Adam invented.

The person up above drops a pillow on the person on the floor and the person on the floor tries not to flinch.

Then they throw the pillow back up.  During that part, I say threatening things about them hitting something and breaking it.

Does Milton Bradley know about these guys?

Grateful Friday

Sometimes it is just the small occurrences in my life that delight me.

I like the mini lectures my extroverted sisters gave me in the comments in response to a recent blog post.  Those girls may lecture me but in every way important or small, they have my back.  They always have and they always will.

I appreciate that when I'm not feeling well (like earlier this week) Adam takes care of me in little and big ways.  He goes out of his way and then tells me he didn't go out of his way.  (But I know his way and he went out of it.)

I love that when Braeden came home to borrow a cooler for his weekend escapades, he quickly emptied the dishwasher before he left.

I love this text exchange he shared with me:

I don't know who the person is who got a new phone.  I don't know if Braeden ever told them it was him or maybe they were a good enough friend that they figured it out based on the response.

I love Emma's texts too which are often succinct.

I love when she responds with things like:

or

I feel good when I'm relatable to Emma and when she gives me 10/10?  Well, that's like winning the lottery.

I love the ways that I can rely on Mark, currently my one and only child at home.  He puts things away on the top shelf, shows me how to do things like extend the mop handle (it was impossible until he showed me and then it wasn't) and this morning when we were watching CNN 10 and they were talking about submarines, I paused the iPad so I could ask Mark about submarines and how they're able to be stealthy.  He explained the downside of pinging with sonar and then told me about rubber hulls which they use for insulation.  Then I started up the video again and they talked about rubber hulls.

All my kids know more than I do and I'm glad they share their knowledge.

I loved this text from Adam:

I loved when I was working with a first grader the other day.  I had him write words on sticky notes (which it turns out is way more fun than writing on regular paper).  He would decorate the words with smiley faces and check marks if he got them correct and he would write a big X if he got the word wrong.  At the end of our session, he looked at the sticky notes fondly and said, "You can keep those," like he was bestowing me with a great gift.  Delightful.

And then there was yesterday on the drive home from school when Mark told me he was "shook" in his geography class.  They had talked about the student protest and his teacher had basically said what I had said the day before.  When I had said it, Mark had said, "Yeah, yeah," like I was a verbal mosquito buzzing around his head.

When the inestimable Mrs. Braithwaite had told him the same thing, he was shook.

I said, "That's pretty much what I had told you, right?"

He said, and not even ironically, "Yes, Mom.  You are really smart.  You are one of the smartest people in the world."

I turned the car around and went to find a notary public so we could have that statement put in legal writing.

(OK, not really, but I was tempted.)

Learning

I love that when you're in a family, you learn along with each other.  You become familiar with each others' passions and hear about things you would never know otherwise.

For example:  Fane Lozman.  Because Adam follows the Supreme Court like some people follow a sports team (or like how Adam follows the Mariners), I know all about the crazy antics of Fane Lozman and the city council in Florida that had him arrested and sunk his house boat.  You can't make this stuff up.

Braeden, the political science major, texts me articles to read from the NYTimes.

Emma, the humanities major, texts me pictures like this one of a Celtic knot design:

Yesterday morning, Mark said, "Do you hear that Mom?  That's the lambo."

Our neighbor down the street has a Lamborghini which Mark, the car lover, is impressed with.  We can't drive anywhere without Mark pointing to cars I would never notice and telling me interesting things about them.

As for me?  I guess I bring weather to the lifelong learning table.  I pay attention to it.  I want to understand what is happening and why.  (I don't always understand what is happening and why, because science, but I'm still interested.)

And we're having some weather around here this week.

Scenes from the moffice

It started as a school room.  It was a cozy little nest where Mark and I met for his (and my) last year of homeschooling.

It will always have a fond place in my heart for that reason alone.

Then Mark went to school and I transformed it into a room for my use.  What's the female equivalent of a man cave?  I decided a Gal Grotto.

And that is what it was for awhile.  It was usually a big mess.  It was the repository of all the in between stuff.  The Christmas presents waiting to be wrapped, the stuff I needed for some upcoming YW activity, the overflowing box of stuff we were donating to DI...it all languished in the Gal Grotto.  Also I had a really comfortable bright red recliner which I loved.  I would curl up there to read or write or even work on Family History.

Then it broke.

(It actually broke years ago on Braeden's birthday when one of his friends threw a different friend into the chair but that's another story.)

This time it broke beyond repair.  (I even had my dad look at it and tell me his opinion.)

So I moved this chair in.

It's tolerably comfortable but not that comfortable.

Besides, I had a desk across the room and if I only had a better chair, I was pretty sure the desk would be a better work space.  (Desks usually are better than balancing a bunch of stuff on your knees.)

So I got a new desk chair.

you can see I still have a lot of vestiges of home schooling around the room...I'm in no hurry to part with them

This is no Gal Grotto I thought, this is a bona fide office.

Adam has an office already so I decided this is the moffice.  The mom office.

Our kids said they want it to still be the Gal Grotto.

It still will answer to that.  I just like having a moffice.

Two other things making me happy:

Travyon is coming back to life!

He likes the moffice too and has two new fronds of leaves since I moved him here.  Also, I run a humidifier all day which helps him.

Also, a few years ago, my sister Olivia gave me a start of a plant she is taking care of for our Aunt Olivia while Aunt Olivia is serving a mission.

The plant used to belong to our great grandma Olivia.

It's an Olivia plant.

And it's about to bloom.

Small talk

I recently read an article that spoke to my soul.  From the article:

The Definitive (& Very Brief) List Of When Small Talk Is Appropriate: 

• When you’re on a first date and can’t tell if you actually want to let your guard down.
• 
  
• When you’ve met a new coworker and can’t tell if you actually want to let your guard down.
• 
  
• When you’ve met a potential friend and need a second to test the waters.
• 
  
• When you’re at a party where you know no one else, and an absolute saint has decided to indulge you in 10 minutes of conversation about local public transit.
• 
  
• When you’re at a party and want to be an absolute saint to someone who knows no one there.
• 
  
• When you run into your landlord.
• 
  
• When you are a phlebotomist and are trying to distract someone who hates having their blood drawn.
• 
  
• When you’re at a wedding and you do not know why you were placed at a table full of strangers the bride attended engineering school with, but this is your life for the next few hours, so you’re rolling with it.

There. That is all of them. If your situation does not fall into one of those categories where small talk serves as a form of distraction or an initial step on the road to actual connection, and yet you are still trying to push a small talk situation, I’d like to ask you to reconsider.

I completely agree.  Especially for store clerks.  Stop asking me if I have plans for the weekend.  Please.  Stop.

Unless, of course...weather.  Do you want to talk about the weather?  I mean really talk about the weather?  Because if you do, I'm all ears.

It's possible I read a few blogs written by college meteorology professors.  It's possible this makes me kind of weird and if I talked to a stranger about the weather they would slowly back away.

Anyway.

When we were cleaning the garage and Adam was analyzing seasonal gear, he asked, "Are we done with snow then?"

I said, "I have no idea."  (high desert = unpredictable spring)

"What do you mean?  Aren't there patterns?  Things like El Nino and La Nina?  (It's possible Adam has been involuntarily subjected to weather lectures by his wife.)

I said, "Not here.  Those patterns don't predicatbly apply here.  We're kind of between grass and hay."

Adam said, "I've never heard that idiom."

Adam knows about Boeing planes because of where he grew up and I apparently have vaguely agricultural idioms lurking in my brain that I'm only bringing up now after nearly 23 years of marriage because of where I grew up.

So life is interesting...but not enough to engage in small talk.

Saturdays are for the boys

Saturday we didn't go to the temple that is 10 minutes from our house but drove to Provo to pick up Braeden to go to the temple with him.  We drove toward the Provo temple, seeing lots of young BYU students dressed up and heading that way as well.

Braeden said, "The Provo temple will be really busy today, the City Center temple will too."  So we changed our minds and drove to the Payson temple, which is Braeden's favorite temple anyway, and less than a half hour from Provo.

All of this is to say that the ridiculous wealth of available temples is not lost on me and I'm grateful for all of them and for how busy they are.

Mark was along to do baptisms and when we were leaving Payson, he and Braeden decided to go see The Black Panther together that night.  Then, Braeden said, "Maybe I'll just go home with you and stay the night.  Can we just swing by my apartment for some things?"

The answer is always yes to Braeden coming home.

I said, "That's perfect because we are going to clean the garage this afternoon and you can help."

Braeden said, "Oh, well...never mind."  But he was joking because ever since that kid came home from his mission he's eager to help in any way he can and it's almost eerie.

Mark said, "I try to tell them Saturdays are for the boys but they don't understand."

"You don't even know what it's like to be a kid that has a lot of work to do," I said (because I'm the type of mother that likes to annoy her children).

Mark said, "All of my friends know Saturdays are for the boys.  None of them--"

Braeden interrupted him.  "Don't even try it, Mark.  With these two, it won't end well."

We fed them at 5 Star BBQ which I recommend if you're ever in Provo (I don't recommend the one on Geneva Road because I carry a grudge).

Before Adam ordered, Braeden asked him if they had Carolina BBQ.  Then when Adam asked him what side he wanted, Braeden said, "Hushpuppies."

I reminded Braeden that he is in Utah now.  So he got fries.  He did concede that Western cornbread is better than Southern cornbread and I have to agree, because sweeter is always better.

Cleaning the garage was quick work.  It's what happens when you have big boys.  They put stuff on top shelves and fixed bikes and Mark used the snow shovel as a dustpan for the dirt Adam was sweeping.

Then, Adam and I did some errands together.  Saturday errands with Adam is my happy place.

That night they went to the movie and Adam and I stayed home and watched an episode of Victoria.  We finally started early enough that I could last a whole episode.

Also while they were gone, we proved we really do know how to party and by party I mean change all the clocks.

I whined about it though.

For one thing, springing forward is the worst and for another thing, we have a lot of clocks and for another thing, Adam has PEC at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning.

"How many clocks do we even have?" I complained.  (And really, it is no one's fault but my own that we have so many clocks.)

Adam took pictures of the clocks as a way to count them:

Some of them were the wrong time leftover from Christmas which is a long story but they're all the same now.

Sunday morning the rest of us were walking around like zombies and when I walked by the bathroom where Braeden was showering, I heard him enthusiastically singing what sounded like opera in a high falsetto.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is our first born.

Emma came for dinner and we got caught up on her week.  We showed each other funny videos and decided which Winnie the Pooh character each of us were.  (I don't want you to think we're wasting our time over here.)  We took a walk and laughed a lot and played a few rounds of golf (the card game) which I lost decidedly.  I would have lost if it were the kind with grass and golf clubs too.

We sent Braeden and Emma back to BYU with hugs and food.

Saturdays may or may not be for the boys but sometimes I feel like weekends are tailor-made for Thelma.

Grateful Friday

Today I am grateful for education in all its forms.

I'm grateful for the times when Braeden calls Adam or texts him and says, "We have to talk about this!"  It's usually some foreign policy or idea or social construct or Supreme Court case that Braeden and Adam have opinions on.  I'm grateful Braeden's mind is being stimulated in so many interesting ways.  (I'm grateful he wants to discuss all that stuff with Adam instead of me.  My contribution on most of those topics is something like, "Um....")

I'm grateful for the times when Emma texts me things like this:

What's not to love about my girl discovery things and analyzing them herself?  It's wonderful to see her match the things she reads to her own beliefs and values.

She also, excited to plan next year, texted me this:

It makes me excited just looking at all she's going to learn.

I'm grateful for the things Mark comes home from school with, eager to tell me.  The other day he regaled me with what he'd learned about Athens and Sparta.  He told me all the ways mothers and women were more honored and revered in Sparta.  He said, "So you think that would be better, but...."  Then he told me all the rough parts of being a Spartan.

When Stella was here, she and I were watching an episode of Africa's Great Civilizations (which is fun to do with Stella because she's been to most of the places they talk about).  Mark walked through when they were talking about Mansa Musa.  I said, "Mark, I taught you about this!  Do you remember?"

He said, "Yeah, isn't he the guy that gave away all the gold?"

I love that he remembered that.

Teaching and learning and thinking and applying and remembering and analyzing.  It's all so wonderful!

In the English class that I'm teaching Mark, I am having him write a literary essay.  If you could line up everything Mark is interested in doing, writing a literary essay would be near the bottom.  I showed him the list of topics and said he could pick the one he liked most.  Because I know Mark, I said, "If you don't like any of them, pick the one you hate the least."

He said, "I don't like any of them."

I said, "Pick the one you hate the least."

Not my first rodeo.

He sunk low in his chair and lay his head on the table and said, "I hate all the English in the world."

I patted his shoulder and told him to get to work.

Because education!  I love it!

Lately, I've started volunteering at an elementary school.  It is really fun.  They are the cutest kids!  First graders who struggle with reading are my love language.  Some of them are chatty and some of them are scared to death and some of them are stoic.  OK, let's get this over with.  Some of them hate reading and by extension hate me because I'm working with.  (It doesn't phase me though because teaching my boys uniquely prepared me for that.  I know a simple truth:  they don't have to like it, they just have to do it.)  All of them perk up when I tell them they are smart.  Also, if I try to trick them and don't succeed?  Even the most morose cracks a smile then.

What a wonderful world!  I'm grateful for education.

Books I read in February 2018

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner **

This was a book about two friends reunited years after graduation.  One friend had betrayed the other in high school so they were out of touch but then the betraying friend was in trouble and sought her old friend for help.  It was sort of good and sort of dicey at times (lots of skimming) and sort of farfetched and not believable.  Meh.

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende ***

I liked this book!  It was set in Brooklyn and Guatemala and Chile and Brazil.  It is about three very different people who come together after a big snowstorm in Brooklyn and how they help each other solve the big problem they find themselves in the midst of.  For example, there's the problem of what to do with the dead body....

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffen **

This book is about a woman who is confronted with an old flame and tries to decide if she's happy with her husband or if she wants to go back to her boyfriend.  It felt like watching an oncoming train wreck and I spent most of the book super frustrated but I still read it, so there's that.

BYU day

All good things must come to an end and Stella flew back to Virginia Beach on Monday night.  Earlier in the day, we went back to BYU to tour the campus and spend a little time with Braeden and Emma.

Braeden showed us his favorite buildings and his favorite spots in his favorite buildings.  We met up with Heather, who was one of my favorite laurels when I was YW president.  I loved catching up a little with her.  

Mark didn't have school so we were happy he was there too.  (Although when it was 10:00 and he kept asking when lunch was I told him to STOOOOOOOOP.)

We finally ate lunch--much to Mark's relief--in the Cougareat.  Across the way I saw my youngest (much younger) cousin Brett.  I see him from time to time and I never know if he will remember me because by the time he entered the scene I lived in Connecticut or California or Washington.  He remembered me though and jumped up to give us each a hug.  He towered over all of us, including Braeden.  I was happy to see him.  Cousins were a good invention.

Braeden had class so we visited the BYU bookstore and then at 2:00, met Emma for second lunch.  (It was Emma's first lunch, Stella and I just got drinks, Mark had a second lunch.)

Two of Emma's friends joined us and we had a nice time visiting and laughing.  A guy walked up and said, "Stella?!?  What are you doing here?"

He had served a mission in Virginia as well.  He pulled up a chair and they caught up and he quizzed me all about Braeden because even though they are both at BYU, they've never run into each other there.

We spent a wonderful BYU day.  I love that place!  Over and over Stella commented on the light and great atmosphere and happy students.  Yep.  It's sort of magical.

Even with a little snow.

Sunday

Sunday afternoon after church, we hosted a dinner for Braeden and Emma and their friends so everyone could meet Stella.

I like all those BYU kids.  They are funny and bright and enjoyable to be around.  They bring light and joy to our house.

Adam, Ben, Kinamo, Braeden, Stella, Mark, Marie, Emma, Vanessa and Sam

Vanessa spied the snow covered trampoline and wanted to go jump on it.  Marie said she'd go too.  Vanessa was trying to get Emma to go and Emma declined.  I said, "Ask Mark."

"Yes!" Vanessa said, "Mark!"

Sure enough, Mark was in.  Gingers stick together.  Even when it's jumping in snow in your socks.

I put the girls by the fire after.

We played Quiplash in the basement and those kids are hilarious.  I cry-laughed a lot.

Then it was brownies and ice cream and all the big kids found their shoes and headed back to campus.  All the hard parts of moving away from our loved ones and places feel worth it when you're 30 minutes from BYU.  That is truth.

Turned hearts

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Malachi 4:5-6

First my brain got full from all the classes we attended and then my heart got full to overflowing.  (It came out my eyes in the form of tears.)

RootsTech was a great experience.  I learned a lot and was inspired to do new things and overwhelmed because how will I ever have all the time to do all the things and where do I start?

Saturday was the Family Discovery Day and I loved it.  We all went except Emma who had other commitments.  Professor Henry Gates (the PBS guy and I love PBS!) spoke to us and Natalia Fourcade spoke and sang in the morning.  I didn't know who she was before but I loved her!  She is a Mexican pop singer with incredible talent.  When she sang Remember Me from Coco?  It pretty much sealed the deal in a room of family history buffs that she was heroic.

(Pictures taken from RootsTech website.)

We attended a class with Hank Smith and Jason Hewlett where they showed a lot of fun family things you can do on the Family Search app and website and then the best:

President and Sister Oaks!  She was one of my favorite professors at BYU and he is an apostle so I was a happy listener.  They spoke about ways they had brought family history alive for their families and I was again inspired and overwhelmed because I want to do everything.

Braeden had mentioned earlier in the day that he had an ingrown toenail that was bothering him.  I said we'll have to get you a doctor appointment and then Stella told him what he could try.

So it was really fast that I got him an appointment with Dr. Stella.

After the conference, she and Adam and I went to many stores looking for a particular remedy that she wanted to get Braeden.  We finally had to give up and get an alternative but I ordered Stella's cure from Amazon.

It is nice to have a doctor around.

After dinner, Stella and I sat down with her family history and spent a few hours.  There are a few people of mystery who we can not place but it was thrilling and exciting because we found people!  Stella said we were planning a jail break in spirit prison.  We were both giggling and attaching sources and scribbling notes and making connections and hugging and it was exciting.

I went to bed exhilarated.  Because the spirit of Elijah is real.  Even though the people we were finding are not my people, Stella is my people.  It was a thrill to connect her to her people.

A snatch of time

I have a couple of minutes this morning for a brief write-this-down.

Living in the fast lane over here!  Yesterday I was away from home for about 14 hours straight and that's not usual for this homebody.

Tuesday Stella and I went to BYU for the devotional.  It was wonderful!  How I love and adore BYU!  Emma's choir coincidentally was singing for the devotional.  Braeden's friend texted him a picture so Braeden texted me the picture.

We had lunch and then Stella and I headed to SLC to "avoid the lines" and get checked in to RootsTech a day early.

Ha!

We stood in line for nearly two hours with all the other people who were cleverly avoiding the line with us.

It reminded me of all the lines at Disneyworld I was unwilling to stand in because they weren't worth it....

We stopped and visited my grandma on the way home and by a happy coincidence, Enoch and Jennifer and family were there visiting too.  It was great to see them briefly and gawk at how tall Isaiah and Luke are.  I swear you can't turn your back on those boys.

That evening we went to the temple and performed a sealing for Stella's beloved son and daughter-in-law.  It was a sacred time and I'm profoundly grateful every time I'm able to be in the temple with Stella.  It brings greater clarity and renews my love for temple covenants and ordinances.

Yesterday was the first day of RootsTech.  Wow.  What a crush of people!  It was a lot for an introvert to handle all day long but I persevered and of course enjoyed spending time with Stella.  She regaled me with an amazing story while we ate our lunch of the time she entered and left Nigeria five times in 24 hours.  I've never met anyone with such a life story.  For today I selected a class for us to attend about writing your story.  (Hint, hint Stella.)

It's a little hard for me to know what classes to attend.  The beginner class we attended was a little too easy; I knew most all the information already.  The intermediate class left me saying, "What now?"

We attended a class about slavery research which I thought would be interesting especially because of Stella's African roots.  She said maybe I had African roots as well and I showed her the underside of my arm that is so pale it is blue.  The class was engaging though.  I love that people are passionate about niches of history and make things happen.

On the Family Search app, you can connect with other people found at RootsTech you are related to.  I exchanged a few messages with people:

It made me happy.

That's all for today.  I'm off to fill my brain up!