Grateful Friday

Here's what is making me grateful today:

Afternoon naps.  Because sometimes you just need one.

The library.  There won't be a Books I Read in August post because I didn't finish one book!  I read about five books partway and then decided they were too uninteresting or inappropriate or that winning combination of both.  I'm grateful for the library because then I just move on to the next selection.

My healthy kids.  It's a blessing I take for granted often but today I'm acknowledging it.  They're healthy and I appreciate that.

My job.  There are so many jobs I would not want and being a teacher's aide feels great.  It is wonderful to feel like I'm helping children navigate their day a little better.  And when one student I was working with finally learned how to spell "again" correctly after practicing again and again and again (ha ha) it felt like I hit the jackpot.  (And I'm from Nevada so I should know.  Except I've never gambled in a casino so I don't really know.)

My kids can go to college and even better, BYU.  For one thing I love BYU and for another thing, I'm so grateful for their opportunities.  Emma is moving into her apartment today.  She is doing it all her independent little self (although Adam and I are going to stop by this evening and check it all out).

I still have Mark around.  He is a great consolation when the big kids are gone.  I love being around that easy going, witty, curmudgeonly guy.

Adam.  He handles being around his emotional, moody, trying-to-get-used-to-her-new-schedule wife like a champ.

Stop sign meditations and playground lessons

In college, my cousin Leslie worked as a flagger.  She told me in a letter (back when we did things like write letters) that she did some of her best thinking with a stop sign in her hands.

Every morning at school I have 15 minutes of traffic duty.  I hold the stop sign for kids to cross the entrance to the school parking lot.  I didn't know I'd enjoy it as much as I do.  I love seeing all the cute children come to school.  Most of them thank me.  A lot of them answer my good morning with a good morning in return.  The shyest ones smile and avert their eyes as they cross by.

It also gives me opportunity to think.

I think about the mothers who are straight up harried, bringing their children after the first bell.  They pull into the parking lot like they are being chased or they push a stroller and drag a recalcitrant first grader behind them and they emanate stress.

It's OK, I want to tell them.  You're OK.  I don't know what the consequences are for a student that is a couple of minutes late, but I don't think they're too harsh.  At the same time, I know that what the mothers are probably stressed about as much as anything is that they feel like they can't get their act together.  I have been there.  Pretty much on a daily basis.

It's OK, I want to tell them. You're OK.

I think about the mothers who are placid and calm.  One mother crosses my way every morning with three darling children, dressed neatly with hair combed.  Her make-up is done and she is chattering away in Spanish to her children until she greets me with a friendly good morning.

I want to tell her that she is making the rest of us look really bad, but it's OK.  You're OK, lady who  has it all together.  You're awesome.

I've seen cars dropping off kids with out of state license plates.  I remember when we first moved here.  Getting UT license plates happened after a lot of other things.  It's overwhelming, moving.  It's OK, I want to tell them.  You're OK.  Moving is hard and moving with kids is harder.  Carry on, warrior.  We'll take care of your kiddos while you take care of business.

I think about the older siblings that yell at their younger siblings.  Brothers yell at younger brothers to hurry UP!  Cross at the crosswalk!  Put your bike there!  Chain it up right!  Sisters yell at younger sisters to hurry UP!  Leave your helmet there, no, not there!  Do you have your backpack?!?  Can you find your class?

One impossibly small girl was trotting off to class, her enormous backpack bouncing up and down her back and her older sister, who had hollered at her and scolded at every turn, yelled after her, "I love you!"

It's OK, harangued brothers and sisters.  You're OK.  As the younger sister of a sister who scolded me into uprightness at times but who also loved me fiercely, I get it.  You don't know how lucky you are.

Later, at recess, there was a kindergartner in tears.  She missed her mom.  She was sad and inconsolable and wouldn't let go of my hand.  Then one of the other girls ran up to breathlessly tell me her friend was hurt.  They love nothing more than heroically telling the teacher someone is hurt.  I took my little appendage with me and we went to inspect.  There were definitely grass stains on the leggings, but when she pulled them up, not a mark on the little knees.  "I'm sorry," I said. "That must have hurt.  I don't think you need a band-aid though."

There was a collective sag of shoulders because a band-aid would have prolonged/upped the excitement.

The little girl who missed her mom, had forgotten about it.  "I have fruit snacks in my bag," she said brightly. "Can I give her fruit snacks?"

I said yes and she raced away to get the snacks for her fallen comrade.

It's OK, I want to tell the little girl who misses her mom.  You're OK.  You are wise beyond your years because you know this truth:  helping someone else makes you forget your own troubles.

Bang crash

That's the sound of plates (being spun by me) hitting the ground.

There is a learning curve here and I'm not at the top of it yet.

Yesterday I left work and all three kids needed me and I felt an urgency to get to all of it immediately because that's how I live my life.  I don't procrastinate.  I do it now.  I do it preemptively.  I like to be ON TOP OF THINGS.

Except I can't always.

Also, I had a Relief Society meeting to go to.

Also, I needed to figure out my work email.

Also, there was the laundry and the dishes and all the everything.

I can do this.  I know I can.  Lots and lots of people do.  It will take time.  And patience.

(I don't have patience.)

(I need to work on that.)

Change is in the air

Yesterday the temperature didn't get above 80 degrees.  That's the first time that's happened around here since June.

The leaves on the tops of the mountains are starting to change color.

And this:

Boxes and suitcases are being packed and assembled.  Braeden moves into his apartment today and Emma moves in on Friday.

I am happy for them and the adventures and friends and learning that awaits.

But I'll miss those kids.

The most natural thing in the world

It was such a delight to have the Jorgensens visit.  They are like family.  It's like we're siblings and our kids are cousins.  I even scolded Eric for not getting to shredding the chicken fast enough.  We interrupt each other and love each other (and each others' children) and disagree and agree and never run out of things to say.

The big kids went out and the adults and little girls (who we're eventually going to have to stop calling the little girls because they are 8 and 11) sat on the deck and enjoyed the evening.  Eric found  Saturn with our telescope which was amazing and Eric also caught a katydid for Britta.  With shining eyes of admiration she told me that her dad was master of catching things.

We named it Leaf Jorgensen.  Then he let it go.

Saturday was a tumble of people everywhere and lots of conversations and Emma and Freja singing.  Janet and I cried a little, like we do, when we're talking about things closest to the soul.  We watched The Phone Call because they hadn't seen it before.  (What kind of friends are we anyway that we hadn't shown them it by now?)  Adam was in charge of making a plan for making the afternoon work--there were dorms and apartments to be moved into and cars going hither and yon and Adam is good at logistics.  Whenever any of the kids wanted to know what was happening, we'd say, "Ask Adam."

Like a posse, we hauled boxes and moved Leif into his dorm.  Lots of kids had a parent or two helping.  No one else seemed to have two entire families.  But we made quick work of it.  Adam and Eric went to pick up a bike, Janet and I went to Costco and the kids all stayed and unpacked.  Then there was the Costco stuff to unload.  The entire parking lot was a zoo and it was a crazy time but with all our enlisted help, we got things done.  Finally Adam and Mark and I and Eric and the little girls made our escape to JCW's for burgers and shakes while everyone else continued to work (except Braeden--he had also escaped for a social engagement).

Sunday we all went to church together but the Jorgensens didn't sit in our front row with us (not everyone's flavor).  They sat in the row where they've sat for as long as we've known them (which has been 14+ years) so I liked that even better.

After sacrament meeting we had tearful good-byes and Eric and Janet and Britta and Inge drove away and left Leif and Freja for college.  My heart broke a little for Janet, because I can imagine how hard that was.  I'm such a lucky duck that college is so close for our kids.

We took a selfie before they left (utilizing Braeden's long arm):

Braeden, Leif, Britta, Inge, Janet, Freja, Eric, Emma, Adam, Mark and me--you can tell I'd already been crying a little....

It's hard to say good-bye to each other but I do take comfort that we're all going to live in the same cul-de-sac in heaven someday.

Leif and Freja came over after church and ate with us.  I made sure I had their numbers in my phone and made sure they knew they could call us for whatever they need.  We also issued our standing invitation for Sunday dinners to Leif and Freja.  Eric and Janet's loss is our gain on this one.

Grateful Friday

Here's what I'm grateful for:

1.

I survived my first week!  Starting work after a nearly 22 year hiatus is a new experience.

2.

I think I'll love my job.  Some parts of it are less exciting than others but I love working one on one with students and just being in a school.  Recess duty is the best.  Little kids come up to me with a tiny Lego creation they made, someone needs their shoe tied, someone else wants to show me a trick they learned bouncing a ball.  It delights me.

3.

(This one's for Nyla)  I found out where to put my purse!  Also, I found a secret stash for my sunglasses and whistle in the old part of the school where I usually am rather than the new part of school, where I keep the rest of my things.  It's the details.

4.

Adam gave me a Fox 40 whistle.  If you don't know why Fox 40 whistles are the best, I will refer you to Adam for education.  There aren't recess bells so I need to blow the whistle when recess is done.  That little Fox 40 does the trick!

5. 

Mark is happy with his new school year.  I am happy with his new teachers.  This is his back to school shot--lounging on the couch.

There was a great absence of fanfare on the first day.  This is what happens with a third child apparently.  That and the night before school, since we'd bought zero school supplies, it occurred to him that he maybe needed a notebook.  It hadn't occurred to me at all.

6.

My family has been super supportive with my new work adventure.  My mom and sisters have called to check in.  My dad forgave me for being too preoccupied to send him a birthday card or gift on time.  Our kids have been encouraging and oh so helpful.  Braeden shouldered extra work every day because he's not working right now.  He made the kitchen so clean and pretty I wanted to cry.  Mark filled out all his disclosure documents completely leaving only the spot for me to sign.  He even arranged a pen.

Those kids make me feel loved.

Adam is, as always, my anchor and rudder and rock and whatever other metaphor you can come up with for the guy who makes everything all right.

7.

It's a small world after all.  One lady I work with has a son that lives in the apartment building Braeden is moving in to next week.  Someone else I work with lives in my same stake (although she goes to a singles ward outside the stake).  It's that old Utah County Magic and pretty soon we're sitting around the table at lunch talking about family history and missionary sons.

8.

The Jorgensens are coming to stay this weekend!  I have been looking forward to it all week.

The social event of the year

That's what I began calling it.  Because it was a big deal.  Olivia and I gave Clarissa a bridal shower.  We took a detour to Nevada on our way home from Washington.

Olivia was in charge of food and I was in charge of decorations and games and my mom and Katie and all the sweet girls helped too.

We held the event in Olivia's lovely backyard.  It was smoky like the rest of the West but not too bad.

The pretty napkins were really just sails in the breeze so they didn't get to grace the table.  The  littles had expertly folded them though.  Also, they filled the tiny vases my mom had purchased for party favors.

All the pretty girls--minus Desi who we missed!  Liberty, Clarissa, Carolina, Liliana, Emma, Ruby, Olivia, Charlotte and Savannah

Liliana and Olivia--Clarissa gave us all pretty shell necklaces from Kiribati

Present time:  Clarissa being assisted by Marianne and Carolina.  I loved the delightful cousin audience  (they were eating chocolate dipped fudge courtesy of Katie)

My mom made a quilt top for Clarissa.  She can either tie it or quilt it or whatever she wants.  It's made of pieces of the wedding quilts she made for all of her children.

Carolina, Clarissa and Katie

I didn't get a picture of my mom!  She was there!  And working hard and making everything nice, like she does.

I love these women!

Our trip part 3

Thursday Stephanie texted and wondered if I wanted to take a walk.  Yes!  She had been busy when I had walked earlier with Jill.  Braeden said he wanted to come too.  I asked why and he said, "I like to be out among the people."

And he does.  Stephanie's daughter Chloe and Chloe's two cute kids joined us too so we had quite the caravan.  Stephanie took me on the new walk they take which is 4 miles.  Four miles of lovely chatter with my friend.  I'll take it.

For lunch we took Mark (and everyone else too) to The Blazing Onion which he had been missing for 4 years.  I told him it may not live up to his memory, but apparently it did.  While we were there, Enoch called with the happy news that Jennifer had given birth to Boston Enoch Dahl.

And which is cuter, that baby or the proud papa?

In the afternoon we went to Cascade Park.  It's always felt like a bit of an enchanting place to me.  I love this view of my kids swimming the river.  Pictured below are Leif, Braeden, Mark, Jackson and Raelyn.

Stephanie and Gavin came too and I enjoyed chatting with Stephanie (she grew up in New Mexico--she's not about to go swimming when it is in the low 70s either).  Geri sat with us for a little while but then she went and put on her swimsuit.  Couldn't resist.

Stephanie had to leave for a meeting but we kept Gavin awhile longer.  We always want Gavin for as long as possible.

Gavin, Raelyn, Taryn (Raelyn's half-sister), Braeden, Jackson, Emma and Mark

Like always, Geri had fun new toys for the kids to play with.

 The next day we headed out.  Geri sent us with a cooler full of food and lots of treats besides.  She treats us better than we deserve.  It is always delightful to stay with her.  At one point Braeden told me that he felt like he was seven again.  He said, "This place is magical."

And that, I think, is what a grandma's place should be.

The kids wanted to stop by the cemetery on our way home and see the spot where Linn is buried.  We miss him.  We found his headstone and the kids decided it was the best one (I think it's their way of saying their grandpa is the best one).  As we were driving away, we saw this:

It's hard to see but there's a parrot in a cage on the back of the bicycle.  Adam rolled down the window because, like he said, "You can't not say something to someone giving a parrot a bike ride."  (I could have not said something, but I don't talk to people so there's that.)

The man said, "He really enjoys it!"

And then I wondered, how does a parrot manifest his enjoyment when being ridden around a cemetery on a bicycle?  I guess you need to know the parrot.

Our trip part 2

Tuesday we went to Jetty Island.  I had never been before and on Sunday night I asked Scott what to expect.  He said, "Bring your book."

I am definitely the oddball in the Davis family.  Everyone feels a magnetic pull toward water except me.  What makes me feel loved is that they're my people anyway.  I'm the pale one over there with the book but they make me feel like I'm their pale one over there with the book.

We don't see enough of Talia and Jackson and it was really fun to have them along too.  Braeden and Mark especially loved getting to know Jackson all over again.

We were there for low tide and everyone went waaaaay out to the water with paddle boards and floaties.  (Is that what you call them?)  They also had to fight the really deep mud right at the water's edge.

I promise that is them--just far away.

I, of course, read my book and didn't get nearly as tired as everyone else.

We played bocce ball on the wet sand and then the boys built a sandcastle.

Seriously the big boys making a sand castle like they did when they were little boys was the cutest thing ever.

Here we are about to get on the ferry to return back to the mainland:

Adam, Megan, Geri, Mark, Talia, Emma, Jackson, Raelyn, Braeden and me

Talia, Jackson, Braeden and Emma decided to go to the movie and to dinner so Geri and Megan and Adam and I went to Kafe Neo, which is our favorite Greek restaurant we haven't found a good Utah replacement for.

It was delicious.

Wednesday we went to Snohomish to visit all the shops that make my heart skip a beat.  So many pretty things!

We had dinner with the Jorgensens that night and Emma and Braeden and I went early for a playdate (Mark was sequestered away with his friends.)

Just like forever and always, it was wonderful to be with the Jorgensens.  They feel like family and seeing these two boys together again made my heart happy.

Happily, the Jorgensens are coming to stay with us later this week because they are bringing Leif and Freja to BYU.  Proximity to BYU is pretty much where it's at!  The four big kids went to the movie again and Mark slipped back to Finn's house and Adam and I visited with Janet and Eric.

We never seem to run out of things to say.

Our trip part 1

My regular work schedule will be Tuesday through Friday but it turned out they wanted me to be there today too (it's the first day of school around here).

So I could write at great length about all the feelings/stress/anxiety/excitement about starting work and poor Adam has had to live through all of them.  I will spare you and if you're wondering how I feel, you can ask Adam.

He knows.

Anyway....

We had such a lovely time on our trip to Washington that I want to write all about it and get it down so that it will be part of our family story--which is what this blog is.

Because I am starting work this week and haven't exactly put everything to rights since the trip, I will have to dispense trip memories gradually.

It was wonderful.

The car ride there was quiet.  We listened to music all together for awhile (someone picked a song, then the next person picked a song that began with the last letter of the previous song...it was all fun and games until Mark started picking techno stuff that I purely hate).  Mostly though, the kids each did their own thing with their headphones on and Adam and I might as well have been by ourselves.  That isn't terrible, because I love being with Adam.

On the way home I did have a mini temper tantrum though and said I was tired of looking at the tops of their heads and I wanted them off their phones.  The last day there wasn't a headphone or phone in sight and it was great to all be together.

Our first stop in the Pacific Northwest was church.  We went to our old ward which made everyone happy and maybe a tiny bit wistful because we miss those people.  By a happy coincidence, Leif was speaking, having just returned from his mission.

It isn't the most fun you've ever had sending a kid on a mission but they surely come back new and improved.  I was impressed with Leif (and he was pretty great to start with).

Here's Leif and Braeden with Griffin and Corwin, two of their high school friends:

picture "borrowed" from Braeden's instagram

It has been 4 years since we lived in that ward but so nice to feel so much love from the people there. A lot of the kids that were "my" primary kids are now teenagers.  It melted my heart a little when a boy, Kylan, who is 15 now, came up to me to shake my hand.  I loved him in primary and I love him still.

After church, we went to Geri's for more happy reunions.  She had invited a lot of extended family over.  We ate a delicious meal and sat around and visited.  Adam's aunts and uncles and cousins are all incredibly kind to me.  They always make me feel like a welcome member of the family.  Geri shared some pictures with me.

Braeden and Scott

Mark and Emma on the tire swing

Emma, Linda, Ed (Adam's aunt and uncle) and Adam

One of my favorite parts was catching up with Adam's cousin Kristie.  We have kids about the same age (her oldest is close to the same age as Mark) and the two boys orbited around each other all evening until the very end when they started playing catch and didn't want to stop.  Emma played her guitar and she and Braeden sang and then Kristie played the guitar and Emma was blown away and then Kristie texted the chords later for Emma so she could learn the song too.

It was just that kind of happy time.

Monday I had playdates.  I went over to Pinehurst to walk with Jill.  My van died in her driveway (as in, blocking their cars) and I called Adam and then took the walk anyway.  It was like no time had passed and Jill and I took the familiar route through our old neighborhood and we chatted about our kids just like we always did (except now we have college kids and her son is engaged to be married).

I was supposed to meet my writing group friends for lunch and Jill said she'd drive me there.  She adventured across her neighbor's lawn so she could back around the van and away we went.  There's something just indescribable and wonderful about friends that are the kind of friends who will drive across their neighbor's lawn and deliver you to lunch even though you haven't seen them for 4 years (we have never managed to reconnect since we moved until then).  Friends + talking like no time has passed = one of the great blessings of life.

Adam went to pick up the van while I was at lunch and took it to get repaired which was the least fun part of the trip.  We were very grateful that it waited until we got there to break and grateful for the use of Geri's van while ours was getting fixed!

I loved having lunch with my friends.  We ate at MOD, because why wouldn't we?  It was the kind of lunch that lasts a few hours and we talked about all the things.  Four of us have Mark-aged kids that are learning to drive so we talked about that adventure.  Mark was in nursery and primary with those kids.  If I ever mention here that Mark was a holy terror as a toddler and preschooler, people don't believe me.  All they see is this stoic and civilized boy who is as even keeled as his father.  Those women remember Mark though.  JoLyn told me that when she compared Sam, who is her oldest, to Mark, she felt like a really good mother.  "Then," she said, "I had other kids...."

Maryanne's daughter, Taylor, was the only one who could hold her own against Mark in nursery.  I was the nursery leader at the time which mostly meant trying to keep Mark from terrorizing everyone.  I have loved Taylor ever since she could stare Mark down as a two year old--one time she gave him a big shove and I felt like high-fiving her.

We laughed a lot remembering and realizing how we once naively thought we had a whole lot of control over our children and the outcomes of their lives.  Ha!  It is wonderful to be around people who knew you then and know you still.

Reconnecting brings a great deal of perspective and joy but also a sense of mooring.  Happy times.

Later we went to Martha Lake and Megan and Geri let everyone (except me--they would have let me, I just didn't want to) try out their paddle boards.  It was fun to watch and now we're contemplating if we need paddle boards in our lives.

smoky skies from fires in B.C.

Lest I forget, this picture has long delighted our kids:

blurry shot--it's a picture of a picture, but you get the idea

Megan pulled out Adam's old yell leader uniform from high school and then this happened.  Of course it did.

Grateful Friday

Emma came home from work smiling the other night.  She'd been given a promotion and is now a head usher.

Adam snapped a picture and texted it to Fam-a-lam:

Adam purposefully set Emma up for a joke from Corner Gas which no one except our family and a few Canadians would probably understand.

*

**

The other night at dinner, I told Mark to have some vegetables.

He said, "This chicken identifies as a vegetable."

The good news is that kid makes me laugh.  The bad news is that he knows it!  I did get him to eat one cucumber slice.  One.  Small victories.

*

**

Another night for dinner we were having BLTs.  Also guacamole and chips.  Emma put some guacamole on her sandwich then handed it to me.  "I'm not playing," she said.

So what else could I do?  I tried it too.  It was REALLY good.  Mark said maybe adding the A (for avocado) to a BLT would make it a BLAT.  Emma said, "No, it's a BLT.  It's been there all along."

*

**

Jennifer gave me a hot tip about a used book sale in Springville.  Mark and I made out way there, through the smoke.  The further south we got the murkier the skies became.  The book sale was hot and smoky and crowded with crying children and women pushing enormous strollers.  None of the books were in any semblance of order.  It was really chaotic.

But...Mark and I made out like bandits.

The thing about Mark is that he usually isn't interested in reading so when he wanted all the Tom Clancy books he could find, I bought them for him.  Braeden and Emma recognize the unfairness in this system but there it is.

*

**

Tomorrow morning we pick up Braeden and we are heading out on a road trip!  Road trips are my favorite.  So is soaking up the last bits of summer.  When we get back it is back to school and I start my new job and a few weeks later Braeden and Emma will go back to BYU.

Looking back on this summer makes me happy.  It's been more busy than some summers with our mini trips and working children.  There never seem to be enough nights on the deck.

I'm grateful for our life together though.  I enjoy these people, whether or not we get enough time watching sunsets on the deck.

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. 

Robert Brault

Just your normal evening

On our anniversary, Adam and I went to Sam Hawk, which is a Korean restaurant in Provo.  We had never been before.  It is nothing fancy (in a strip mall) but it was SO GOOD.  Monday I was eating my leftovers for lunch and I texted Adam, asking him how many more minutes until we could go again.

He wanted to go again and we wanted to take our kids.  Tuesday night Braeden was working and Emma was working so we just took Mark.

It was still just so good.  The beef and pork bulgogi just cannot be raved enough about (we shared both).  I especially love all the toppings:  kimchee, cucumbers, bean sprouts, black beans, potatoes.  You pile it all with a little rice onto a romaine lettuce leaf and it is pretty much heaven.

While we were at dinner, Braeden texted this:

I think "sitting here" autocorrected to "sorti. Here" which makes no kind of sense.

Adam picked up some saltwater taffy on the way out the door at the restaurant.

Then, because it's hard to be in Provo without our thoughts turning to Braeden, this happened:

We drove by the Marriott center and saw him sitting with some other counselors while the EFY kids were having a dance outside.  Adam handed Mark the candy and said, "Throw it at him."

Braeden saw us and came running over and Mark, who apparently had inertia on his side, threw the taffy for all he was worth.  Braeden was about two feet away and it glanced off his shoulder and landed across the street.

"I love you!" we all yelled to each other.  Braeden loped over to pick up the candy and we drove off.

These are the men in my life:  they get the idea to throw taffy at their son; they obediently throw the taffy, regardless of the target's position; they follow election results in the Ohio 12th Congressional District.

I love those weirdos.

Today

My favorite thing to do while I'm cleaning is listen to podcasts.  Wiping off counters and sweeping floors is sort of meditative anyway so listening to wise words just enhances the experience.

I love Emily P. Freeman's podcast The Next Right Thing.  It's wise and her kind, soft spoken voice soothes my soul.

Yesterday I was listening and these words shook me a little:

Maybe, you are having a hard time being here now because you’re concerned about what is coming next?

Take a moment to whisper the day of the week, the month of the year. Be here, in this moment, just as you are. 

And don’t discount yourself.

I am a planner.  At its best that means that I'm ready for Christmas early so December is a pleasant relaxing time.  At its worst that means sometimes I can't sleep at night because my mind is whirling with all of the what's-coming-next.

Taking a moment to whisper the day of the week and the month of the year is sort of genius.  Today is the day.  This is the only day like it.  I don't want to squander today by spinning my wheels about eventualities.

If you see me and I'm muttering under my breath, don't mind me.  I'm probably just whispering the day of the week, the month of the year.

Morning walk

Mark and I were walking along the Murdock Canal Trail yesterday morning and...

...he talked me into forgoing our plans so he could hang out with his friends.

...it was terribly smoky and I came home sneezing.

...it was cooler than it has been, as in the air actually felt cool.  It's been awhile, cool air.  Welcome.

...two kids--looked like a brother and sister--passed us on their bikes.  The boy yelled over his shoulder to his sister, "I'm going up the gravel hill!"

Mark said, "He's going to crash."

The boy veered off the paved trail and onto a gravel trail at full speed.  He wobbled and then he had a terrific crash.  He was OK (because kids are so bouncy), other than wounded pride and a skinned elbow (his sister had a water bottle and poured water on the elbow).

I looked at Mark like he was psychic and he said, "What?  Are you superstitious?"

Mark seemed to be a few years older than the boy who crashed.  I think it was the voice of experience rather than Mark's psychic ability that predicted the wreck.

Summer's lease hath all too short a date.  This is the last week I'll walk with Mark in the morning.

Sad face.

Books I read in July 2018

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ***

I think I read this in May and just remembered.  I liked it.  It was about a magical circus that was the backdrop for a competition between two hapless magicians who were being pawns in two other, sort of wicked, magicians game.  That's a terrible description, like most of my book posts are.  I mostly just want to remember what I've read....

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen ****

It is clear that I'm not going to get all the Jane Austen books read this summer.  I keep getting distracted by other books and other things.  Still.  I love Sense and Sensibility.  I love them all.  I realized I've seen the movies more than I've read the book and there are subtle differences, which I enjoyed.

Dinner at Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler ***

Ever since I picked an Anne Tyler book for book club and everyone hated it, I realize Anne Tyler is an acquired taste.  Her books are full of quirky characters and are generally sort of depressing but I still like them.  This book is about a family where the father leaves and the mother tries her best but isn't the easiest person to live with.  The kids are mostly sympathetic except one brother.  He was just mean.

Death of a Maid by M.C. Beaton **

This book was OK.  It is one of a series (and not the first in the series) so maybe I would like it more if I read the entire series and understood the overall story arc.  It's about a bright but unambitious police constable who lives in Scotland, in a little place where there are apparently a lot of murders (hence the series).

Grateful Friday

After Mark was born, the doctor who delivered him told Adam and me we were a good team.

I agree.

Tomorrow we celebrate 23 years of marriage.  I'm grateful for Adam.  Being married to him tops my list of things I'm grateful for on any given day.

When we look back on our life together, we usually marvel with appreciation that it's been a good life.  There have been the not good times.  There have been times when things were hard and I felt scared or impatient or frustrated or unhappy.  It buoyed me without exception at times like that to have Adam by my side.  Shoulder to shoulder we've faced things and we've strengthened each other and strengthened our bond in the process.

Marrying Adam was the best idea.  The end.

I don't think it was particularly windy when this picture was taken.  I think my hair was just particularly wonky.

(I'm also grateful Adam and Mark are getting home from scout camp today.  Yesterday I was driving home from the grocery store and I saw a Mark-sized kid, even wearing gray pants and a teal shirt, which is sort of his uniform lately, pushing his bike up the hill.  It made me realize how much I've missed that ginger.)

Emma and ABBA

Emma's fish, Bruiser, is the most boring fish alive.  You don't know how many times I've announced to Emma, "Brucie is dead." (because my nickname for him is Brucie).

She says, "No he's not, he's just a chilled out fish."

Then one day Emma showed me that he recognizes her.  His fish bowl was on the counter and I stood in front of it and Brucie played dead.

Mark stood in front of it and Brucie played dead.

Emma stood in front of it and Brucie started swimming around and flipping his little fins.

He loves Emma.

EVERY time I see Bruiser, this is what he's doing, hanging out near the surface of the water.  The laziest fish alive.

Then, yesterday I was watering plants and listening to ABBA on Alexa (by the way, Alexa also likes Emma more than the rest of us--she can get it to listen sometimes when we can't).

Braeden had requested Alexa to play Waterloo by ABBA and when I was in Emma's room, watering her plant, I glanced over and saw Bruiser dancing along to the music.

I went to tell Braeden and then I went back and Dancing Queen was playing and Bruiser was doing his thing, which is nothing.  I said, "Alexa, play Waterloo by ABBA."

Then I started recording.

I guess I have something in common with Bruiser.  Emma and ABBA make me happy too.

Good little bits

On Sunday Braeden and I substituted in Primary and I loved it.  If I could pick my calling it would be all Primary all the time.  I know, maybe I should be a school teacher!

The class wanted to have time to share their good news.  I think something like that could go either way.  There is potential for some members of the class to feel bad.  When some kid says, "I had a birthday party!" and another kid realizes they were the only one not invited, that's lame.

It has its upside too though.  It is nice to celebrate the good little bits of life.

Here are some good little bits from me.

Adam has good phone service where he is so when he drives to town for things, he calls me.

He sent me these pictures of the boys doing service at the Star Valley, WY temple.

That cute boy with the bright blue shoes?  He's mine.  And I love him.

Also, the boys performed 119 baptisms in the temple.  They were names people in our ward had found (a few of them by me).  I cried a little (not a hard feat) when Adam told me about the priests baptizing each other and the teachers.   Such good boys.  Such a good way to spend the morning.

My other boy went with me to get my hair cut because he can't be in the house for more than 12 hours without going stir crazy.  He came in the salon to meet the ladies and they told me he was so cute!  He is and I was glad to show them the boy in real life because they had heard all about his mission, including the health misadventures.

After dinner last night he said he wanted something sweet.  I told him too bad (in not so many words).  Then I remembered we had leftover peach crisp in the fridge!

I told him we'd split it and he said, "Let's save some for Emma."  (She was at work.)

That kind of seems like the thing the mother should think of, but still.

I did save her some.