Weekend

 Friday (besides Pi day, yes, there was pie in the faculty room at lunch time), we celebrated Mr. D Day.  We were commemorating the day two years ago that we met him and found out he would be our principal.

I work with people who celebrate things!

Someone made a lanyard for every single student with Matt's ID card on it and we surprised him by having the kids dress like him. It was hilarious and happy.  I took a picture of my class, but cropped it to only a few.  You get the idea.

After school and after Adam got home from work, we headed to Nevada.  We listened to a BYU devotional with Coach Sitake (highly recommend!) and started a new podcast.  

We would hit pause and talk about what we were listening to.

I love roadtrips with Adam.

We stayed in Wells at a hotel because it was such a quick trip.

Saturday morning I communicated with Olivia about what time to be at the church, where the baby shower was being held. Adam and I went to the church at the appointed time and of course Marianne and Liberty were already there, setting up chairs. 

Olivia did the food and created a game and I did the decorations and it was a good time.

I would do just about anything with these two:

Since Parley, the baby, likes tigers, according to his dad, I went with the theme.

Here's the spread of delicious food Olivia made:

The tiger quilt in the background was made by Marianne.

The game Olivia had us play was nursery rhyme charades.  Olivia has this way of getting people to do things they wouldn't normally do.

Here's Olivia's group (including Desi and Liberty and a lady in the ward, Melinda) acting out This Little Piggy.

Here's I'm a Little Teapot (I'm related to everyone in this picture):

Jack and Jill (did they know they'd be rolling on the floor of the Relief Society room when they got up that morning?):

Then my mom and aunts' group did Humpty Dumpty.  Aunt Olivia (who is in her 70s I may add) was Humpty.  She sat on the back of the chair and fell from there!

I know from stories about their childhood and her altercations with my dad that she's always been pretty bronco.

Liberty opened her gifts, which were very nice and I love the convivial atmosphere of a shower, especially when everyone survives the charades.

Olivia, Liberty, me, Lili, Marianne, Desi and my mom.  I love these women.

After we cleaned up, Liliana (newly engaged and we're all happy about it because we love Josh) had a fitting for her wedding dress in the Relief Society room.  Desi is a master seamstress and used to work at a bridal store altering dresses.  We all weighed in on the fitting and admired how beautiful Liliana looked.  I rode to Starr Valley with Olivia and our mom and Lili.  Adam had already gone.  He'd done a little bit at our house, but mostly visited with my dad.

When we got there, my dad said they'd solved all the problems of the world.

I guess we should have had those two on the case earlier.

Marianne and Robert came over and we visited some more.  It was getting to be late afternoon, so Adam and I left.  We stopped by our house and I measured a wall where I'm contemplating a picture and we both felt a little sad that we weren't staying.  We are planning to be there for several days during spring break.

Adam and I drove home with more podcast and music listening and a stop at Maverik in Wendover because we can't not do that.

Sunday was a nice day.  Church was good and Marie Louise and I did a little family history in the afternoon.  After looking at my own family history, I am getting a bee in my bonnet to go to Sussex and Wiltshire while we're in England this summer.  I presented my idea to Adam and I'm pretty confident if it is possible, he can figure out how to fit it in.

Emma and Mark came over for dinner.  We ate and had a Come Follow Me discussion, then played codenames.  It was old against young and Emma's and Mark's mind align in ways that Adam's and mine do not.

That is all.

It's cold and I have traffic duty and my classroom was very cold on Friday so I'm mustering all my courage to go to school today.

Weekend--Merry Christmas edition

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Saturday, I tried a new recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls.  The recipe was slightly confusing and I didn't use rapid rise yeast like I was supposed to (I realized too late).  Since gluten free dough is so different from regular dough, I didn't realize how under proved they were.  Mark still liked them.  I kept telling him next time they would be better.  He told me he has really low standards for gluten free.  None of it is that good.  Poor kid.  I did dump a healthy (unhealthy?) dose of icing on top to make up for things.

We had a nice day watching A Muppet Christmas Carol and A Charlie Brown Christmas and wrapping last minute things.  I loved the hubbub of anticipation.  Mark was especially excited.  He got good gifts for everyone since he is a working man this year and he loved it. (So did all his recipients.)

We had a FaceTime conversation with Stella which was wonderful.  She is such a force for good in the world!

In the evening, we watched the Nativity movie and Adam read to us from the scriptures.  And I cried.  Surrounded by my family who mean so much to me and thinking about other family who mean so much to me, I felt very grateful for Jesus Christ.  The older I get, the more it all matters to me.

We thought about our dear Raelyn and everyone who misses her.  I am grateful to know where she is and I picture her happy and progressing and learning and laughing her infectious laugh alongside Grandpa Linn.

Christmas morning we spent a peaceful and happy time opening gifts.  Everyone was happy with their gifts; everyone felt seen and loved.  I could not ask for more.

We went to church and I happily took on Grandma Duty.  Afterward, Braeden and Anna hastily packed and they headed off to the Carlsons for the rest of their vacation.  I cried again when I said good-bye.  We loved having them!

Adam and I took naps and when the introverts returned, they went to their rooms and closed the doors.  I got the house tidier than it had been in over a week.  All the people who say that it is a good thing you have babies when you are young are not wrong.

They take a lot of energy!

They also bring a lot of love, so much you think you may burst sometimes.

My friend at church was saying she was the most beautiful baby and I told her it is worth raising your kids.  Grandkids are the thing!

In the evening after we ate our simple ham dinner, we played games.  Megan sent us Left Center Right.  It comes with chips to play for, but we had played it at a work event (for candy) and Kristie said their extended family played on New Year's Eve for $5 bills.  

I pulled some quarters out of our everlasting coin jar     Emma said, "OK Nevada girl."

But is it gambling if you provide all the quarters?

Mark won the first round and kept the quarters.  Emma won the second round and said, "Is it OK if I don't really want these quarters?"

On brand for both of them.

Then we played It's a Small World, which is a game Adam bought for me.  1) I love It's a Small World.  It is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland.  2) It is a perfect grandma game to have because you don't have to read to play. 3) It fits the vibe of our family.  Completely uncompetitive by nature, but we were there for the art and the attention to detail and the clever nature of the set up.

It's a wonderful life!

Independence weekend

I watched the enormous flag in the canyon unfurl.  I sat on our front porch.

I took a picture from my office window--through the screen.  (I am not really a good photographer.  Oh, you noticed?)

The flag makes me happy.

So do pictures of Eleanor:

 

On Friday, when I was stressed about Emma making it to her hotel in San Francisco, I painted my nails, so Eleanor wasn't the only one looking festive:

Emma went to San Francisco to visit Freja, and Braeden and Anna and Eleanor went to see them too.  I got pictures from the Golden Gate Bridge (and fingernails I stress painted).

I thought they were cute and everything, but where was Eleanor?

She's the main event.

Adam and Mark and I went to Top Gun Maverick.  It was just as good the second time.

We had burgers (found gluten free buns at Trader Joe's) and pavlova (gluten free strawberry shortcake!) and strawberry lemonade.  

I think it's what the Founding Fathers would have wanted.

We got situated on the deck for firework viewing.  Marek came over briefly and watched fireworks, then he went to watch more fireworks with his parents.  (I guess we have to share Marek with his parents.)

It looked like the valley was a roiling boiling pot with fireworks popping on the surface.  Pictures can't capture it (at least pictures taken by me).  Adam took this picture which I liked.

I'm still reading Gone with the Wind.  The messy state of our country back then is depressing but also gives me hope.  Even though we're still struggling with some of the fallout of slavery, things are better.  The country was able to get past the worst polarization we've ever had and everyone gets to vote, so that's something!

Despite the troubling headlines I scroll through, things are going pretty well.  I can live, worship, vote, drive, be educated, participate in educating children, disagree, write my senator and feel pretty safe.  

Also, I can watch an entire valley explode beautiful fireworks I didn't have to pay for.  How's that for freedom? 

Getting the party started

Yesterday after school we had turkey bowling, a time honored tradition at our school.  I got a strike my first bowl, flinging a frozen turkey across the cafeteria floor.  Then I lost in the next round.  Since the prize was a (different) frozen turkey, I came to terms with the loss.  Only two of the male teachers were there and they, of course, got up to shenanigans.  All the female teachers, who are used to recalcitrant boys all day anyway, kept them in line.  Stop.  No, you can't shot put the frozen turkey.  Stop.

I was chatting with a second grade teacher and she told me her married daughter and her husband were coming for Thanksgiving and she was "giddy."

I know.

Last night, Adam got tickets to the suite at the Jazz game and Emma and her friend Omar went with us.  We had a good time.  I could get used to being whisked up to the VIP entrance and fed a fabulous meal.  The game was OK too.  During the game, Mark texted that his Tuesday classes were canceled.  Adam is leaving in a few minutes to go get him and then I'm hoping that kid will come to my class.  He'd better not scoot around on my wheeled chair and kick a soccer ball around the room.  That's what he usually does in my classroom.

I am so excited to see him! 

And then Braeden and Anna tomorrow!

My head is buzzing a bit from my late night, but maybe it's just that I'm like my friend Karla.  Giddy.

Families

On Thursday, Desi and Mason were married.  It was wonderful.  An eternal family was created.  I loved being in the temple with so many family members.  I loved the glowing smiles on the happy couple's faces.  I loved squeezing Adam's hands while I listened to the marriage covenants being made.  It matters. I loved that Adam pointed to a box of Kleenex before we went to the sealing room and said, "Do yourself a favor."

He wasn't wrong.

We went to a luncheon following the temple, hosted by Mason's parents.  It was lovely and Desi's and Mason's friends entertained us with their speeches and performances.  Accompanied by Liberty on the piano, my sweet nieces and Mason's sister sang "Young Love" which my sisters and I sang at Marianne and Robert's wedding reception.

I sat by Tabor so I would have been entertained even if there hadn't been a little program.

From there I went with my parents.  We spent a little time with my grandma.  She is 94 and understandably feeble.  It is a hard stage of life.  As I was watching her struggle in and out of the car while we tried to help her, I was struck by how much I love her.  She has always been a beacon of kindness in my life.  Her generosity and support lifted our family.

I went to Costco with my mom.  We separated, looking for the trail mix my mom was after.  I found it and then I started looking for my mom and I was transported back to my childhood when I would wander off at Albertsons and then scan the aisles for my mom.  Shopping with your mom is like riding a bicycle.

I rode to Nevada with my parents.  We stopped for dinner and I said I would buy them dinner and they would not have it.

They bought me dinner.  They said, "You're our Patty Punkety."  I have no idea where I got that nickname but it has been mine all these years and apparently it explains why I can't buy them dinner.

I stayed at my parents' house, an only child.  I think I could count on one hand the times that has happened.

We went to Marianne's the next morning.  She had a notebook of lists and directions and recipes.  Someone would ask her a question and she would rapidly flip through the pages to find the answer.  She was sending people all sorts of directions and smiling and thanking people right and left. She also kept making my mom sit down.

Which isn't an easy task. 

But Marianne is a force to be reckoned with.  I'd go into battle with her and her lists.

She and Desi were sort of the wedding dream team because Marianne was the logistical and culinary whiz and Desi had strong opinions and planning skills with the decorations and general aesthetic and they stayed out of each other's way.  Desi and Mason didn't get there until mid afternoon but Desi's roommates were there and they had been given their own marching orders.

Olivia hosted us all for lunch, which was a generous and genius move because Marianne's kitchen was sort of a war zone.

It all came together beautifully and I loved spending the day with my mom and sisters and nieces, churning out salads and following orders.

And, in full disclosure, giving a few.  I took the tablecloths in hand and I got a little bossy.

In the late afternoon, we took a break to get ourselves ready and I sat in my parent's living room, visiting with them and Tabor.

At the reception, the lovely reception, I enjoyed more visiting.  My parents sat with my dad's siblings down the table from where I was sitting with mine.  I love the way we gravitate to each other.

We stayed long enough for the cake cutting, bouquet throwing and first dance.  Robert and Desi danced together to a song Hyrum had recorded before leaving for Ghana.  Hearing that boy strum the guitar and sing while Robert and Desi danced....

Adam wasn't there to warn me to prepare with Kleenex.

Emma and Mark and I headed back to Utah (they had driven there that afternoon and Adam had to stay and work).

I drove awhile and then Mark took over.  

The conversation drifted to Mark's all too soon college adventure.  I started down the oft repeated refrain:  go to Institute!  Get involved in your ward!  Study!

Then Emma started talking to him and I buttoned my lips.

Her advice is about 1000 times more credible to him than mine.  

These few days reminded me of how grateful I am for families.  What an amazing blessing to be organized into groups of people that love each other and help each other and learn from each other.

And how wonderful is it that they can last forever!

I didn't take pictures, but I nabbed a few on Facebook, as is my habit.

Clarissa, Timeon, Marianne, Mason, Deseret, Robert, Liberty, Morgan and Carolina.  One of my favorite families in the world!

The bridesmaids.  My pretty girl is the 4th from the left, standing.

Clarissa and Timeon and Matty (Timeon's cousin) performed a Kiribati dance and it was awesome.

Carolina made and decorated the cake.  I could give you a whole run down of the unique contributions each of Marianne's children made to the affair.  It is a lesson in valuing variety. (I did outline it all for my kids because I loved it so much.)

Grateful Friday

 Today I am taking a day off school and we are celebrating our graduates.  (Braeden and Anna--we'll celebrate Mark in a month and Emma later this summer.)

Last night we met up with the Carlsons and Braeden and Anna and had a photo shoot on BYU campus. We were the paparazzi and they were our willing subjects.

We found a cardboard cutout of a dean.

This is a room where Braeden and Anna took a lot of classes so they wanted it included.

My boys

Anna's brother Owen, getting some love

I'm proud of these kids and their hard work.  I'm grateful for their education and for their opportunities and that they have each other.

Watching them together makes me happy.

Pure joy

We had a wonderful weekend.  Friday I had an Easter egg hunt with my students.  I wrote math problems on eggs and hid them around the classroom.  The more eggs they found and answered correctly the more chances they had to win prizes! prizes! prizes!

I was feeling completely discouraged about another math test that I'd given them and this basket of correct answers filled me with hope.  They do know some stuff!  

Friday night we went to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Hale Theater.  Mark and Adam checked in with the Mariners during the intermission.

It was a great show and I enjoyed it even though I was verrrrrrry sleepy.  By the time Friday night rolls around, I'm sort of worthless for anything besides sleep.

Saturday and Sunday were fabulous! General Conference never ever lets me down.

I alternated stitching the binding on Braeden and Anna's quilt (I finished it!) and taking notes and I was wearing my reading glasses and I'd take them off and put them back on depending on if I wanted to thread my needle or see the TV.  As my dad would say, I was busier than a three fingered fiddler.  

Saturday night Adam watched the priesthood session with his boys for the last time for at least the foreseeable future.  It was a beautiful day and Adam put camp chairs in the back of his car and selected a park near the restaurant where they were going to eat dinner. 

I love this picture.  

Mark came straight from work so he's wearing his work clothes.  When he was a little boy, he used to bring a clipboard and pen to stake conference and draw tiny stick figures battling.  It was his self prescribed way to help him sit still (sitting still = not his forte).  Now he plays a mindless game on his phone to help him listen.  

As for Braeden, who is sharing Mark's air pods, he is all laser focus.  Braeden can be forgetful and absent minded but not where the Gospel is concerned.

I love my boys.

I also love Mt. Timpanogos in the background.  It's like a huge set piece, the scenery of our life.

Anna worked on a school assignment and Emma and I worked on her bedroom (and I also quizzed her on state abbreviations and capitals because she wanted to see if she knew them all--she did).  My idea was to get rid of all the detritus in her room before she moves back home.  We filled a garbage bag of garbage and another garbage bag of clothes to donate.  And we still have more to do but it was an excellent start.  I love doing stuff like that and I especially loved it with Emma.  She's a good companion.

Sunday was more wonderful conference talks to listen to.  I took several pages of notes.  It's amazing how I can feel like I have so many ways to improve, but I also feel encouraged and lifted.

In the very last talk, President Nelson announced that there would be 20 new temples built.  Amazing!  I got teary as he went down the list, knowing how much that would mean to the people who lived in those places.  Then he announced a temple in Elko, Nevada!

Cue ugly crying.

It was just so overwhelming and joyful to me!  I immediately thought about all the good people in my stake when I was growing up.  I thought about my grandparents (both sets) who were stake leaders and helped build Zion there.  I thought about my parents and my dad's cousins and my siblings who live there and who have worked and served in the stake.  I thought about all of their influence and hard work and what a blessing this would be to the people who live there now.

We thank thee O God for a prophet!

As soon as the closing song started, I got a text from Erin, my dear friend and college roommate (of nearly 30 years ago!).  She sent a string of hearts.

It's nice to have 30 year long friendships.

From that elation, we prepared our Easter dinner.  Mostly Adam did the cooking.  I set the table (and took a picture of it, because that's what I do).

I also kept telling Braeden to stop eating jelly beans!  I didn't want the aesthetic spoiled before we'd even sat down to eat.

We had ham and baked potatoes and asparagus and roasted carrots and deviled eggs and pie that Braeden and Anna brought.  It was a feast!

Then, because we weren't ready to be done with conference talks, Adam played part of a talk by Elder Holland from 2009 about Easter. 

I'm ever grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful for the many ways His Atonement has blessed my life.  I love glimpses I see that reassure me that whatever happens, everything will be OK.  President Nelson told a story of visiting some Pacific Islands a few years ago.  They were going to have outdoor meetings and it was raining.  In three of the locations, the people prayed and the rain stopped.  In Tonga, the people prayed and the rain did not stop.  

President Nelson showed a picture of the audience, wearing rain ponchos, listening to the meeting and said they had faith for when the rain didn't stop.

It keeps reverberating in my brain.

I want to have faith even when the rain doesn't stop.

Blog coverage

 We decided that since Valentine's Day was on Sunday this year, we would revisit our intermittent tradition of a seven course meal.  The BYU kids were all in.

We planned it out a full week in advance because a seven course meal is not something to be taken lightly.

Adam was the head chef and Mark and I were the sous chefs.  Also I set the table and figured out all the serving dishes.

Setting the table for Valentine's Day should be done with abandon.  I created a table that was too much and then I added some stuff.

Dinner lasted two hours.  We ate slowly as the courses were presented.  We visited and laughed a lot.  It was lovely.

After everyone had left and we started the dishwasher for the first of many many times until the dishes will be done (not done yet), Adam asked me if I had pictures.

He said, "I want blog coverage."

Turns out Emma had taken pictures so here we have blog coverage, for our family scrapbook/journal/record.

(Because we want to remember.)

Appetizer:  baked eggs and wild mushrooms on toast

Soup: tomato and roasted red pepper

Salad:  arugula, basil, tomatoes, marinated fresh mozzarella in a balsamic vinaigrette

Entree: steak and herb cheese and green beans

Emma is trying out being a vegetarian for February (She's never really liked meat that much.) so Adam grilled marinated portobello mushrooms for her.

Her plate looks like a face.

Sorbet (to cleanse the palette):  strawberry hibiscus

Dessert:  chocolate covered strawberries

Cheese

My favorite part of the cheese course was the homemade tomato jam that our neighbors gifted us with for Christmas.  It was delicious!

I love Valentine's day and the people I shared it with.

Grateful Friday

When you are ridiculously tired and 1/3 of your family is in Virginia for Thanksgiving, Chuck-a-rama seems like a good idea.

Last year one of my friends posted pictures on Facebook of her family going to Chuck-a-rama for Thanksgiving dinner and at first it struck me as strange and then it struck me as genius. 

When I told my sisters, they said, "No!"

When I told Emma, she said, "Um..."

When I told Mark, he said, "Yes!"

When I told Adam, he said, "Whatever you want."

(one of many many reasons I love Adam)

It was pretty good.  We won't make it a tradition but when your goal in life is to be as lazy as possible so you can regain your health, it worked.

We listened to "Dave Cooks the Turkey" while we drove.  That is a tradition with lasting power.

We also went to a movie in an actual theater!  We hadn't done that in all of 2020.  We saw The War With Grandpa.  It was kind of dumb but also kind of funny and hey, we were in a movie theater!  We were eating popcorn just like they did in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. That counts for something.

I felt a little sad in the afternoon like I was a sort of unfit mother because I didn't make Thanksgiving dinner but my family rallied around me and hugged me and told me that it was fine.

They're keepers.

I'm grateful we got to FaceTime Braeden and Anna and I'm grateful to spend time with my family around here.  I'm grateful for the way they showed their stripes on Wednesday.  Adam and Mark drove Braeden and Anna to the airport in the 4:00 hour.  I said, "You should let me drive them.  I get up earlier than you do usually."

Adam said, "You would deny us guy time?"

Adam and Mark went to breakfast together after the airport and they love their time together.

I love that Mark went to help Emma clean her apartment because he "wanted to spend time with my sister anyway."

I love that when Emma got home, she was happy to leave soon after to run a few errands with Adam and me.  After teenage years of never wanting to run errands, I value every yes I get now. It's freaky.  She says yes to everything I ask.

Freaky.

 

Grateful Friday

 I'm grateful that Kate let me use some Halloween decorations so my class isn't completely sad sack.

I don't like Halloween and my students know it.  Two times the plug in jack-o-lantern that I have on my shelf has fallen on my head because the cord gets bumped and it is stretched to reach the outlet.

My students said the jack-o-lantern is trying to kill me because it knows I don't like Halloween.  But look at this:  I hung up some of Kate's stuff and I may eventually break down and get some of my own.

You can't be Halloween Scrooge and an elementary teacher.  Incompatible.

Mark is never one to overshare.  Occasionally he does want to share something and it takes me off guard.  Last night he said, "Do you want me to write a guest post for your blog?"

What now?

He said, "About getting accepted to USU."

"Oh, OK."

So he did.

Hello everybody! Today I got my first college acceptance letter, from Utah State University. There is an open house in Lehi on Monday, with information about scholarships, and there is a campus tour on the 18th of November that is free for high school seniors. I'm not sure if that's where I am going, I still have other colleges I'd like to apply to. I was not expecting to get my acceptance today, and USU actually sent the email to the wrong person. Mom had to forward me the email because they sent it to her. It's exciting and strange to be applying to college, but I'm so thankful that I have my awesome parents to help me through it all. 

Love Mark E.

editor's note:  Adam set it up that his emails come to me and since teenagers never check email, it's a good system.  The email did go to him, he just didn't see it.

I'm grateful that Mark is looking forward to his future and it also freaks me out because isn't he still 6 years old?!?

Emma sent this last night:

She's quarantined, but looking fabulous.

I'm grateful to be healthy (still tired, but feeling pretty good).  I'm grateful for how kind people are to me. It's a nice feeling to be inundated with "Welcome back!" and  "How ARE you?" and "I'm so glad you're here!"

My costume is a baseball player this year.  I went for comfort above all else.  I took my own mirror selfies this morning in an attempt to be like Emma.

I even got the stirrup socks! And a Mariner's mask!

I have a bit of a deer in the headlights look but that's Halloween at an elementary school.  It isn't for the faint of heart.