a weekend update

One of my favorite things is watching my girls be best friends.  I caught them outside on the swing together, while Doug was cooking on the grill, and had to capture the moment.  They are as different as night and day, but so much alike, it's scary.  They do love each other!  ZJ was singing and Grace was rolling!

 

 

 

Thursday night, Doug and I were heading to Bishop Skeen's home for dinner with the Bishopric and their wives.  As were stopped at a stop sign (that was literally outside Carol's back window), a 24 year old girl and her Great Dane that wanted to drive, plowed into our rear end.  Doug and I looked at each other and both said, "WHAT THE HECK!?" as we realized we'd just been hit.  That's the strangest feeling!  We both said "ouch" and realized that we were going to be pretty sore.  No one was seriously hurt, the cars were not damaged...we were completely stopped and she'd been slowing down for the familiar stop sign, but said that she was distracted by her dog. 

 

We called 911, the Mary Ann to say that we were going be late for dinner.  Then, we waited.  By the time the officer arrived, we all three discussed the face that we were all already feeling the effects of whiplash.  It was a good jolt, but, thankfully, we didn't feel seriously injured.

 

Once the details were handled, we arrived at dinner 45 minutes late.  As we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the most beautifully set table, (I felt that our tardiness overshadowed the opportunity to take a picture of Mary Ann's beautiful table, sadly) but Doug and I were both really sore and achey.  His neck popped every time he moved his head.  His shoulder was aching.  My neck only turned so far and my low back was having spasms already.  Ibuprofen 800 hadn't made a dent in it.

 

Doug wanted me to be checked, so we left dinner and went up to the ER for some X-rays.  The ER doc said "You have a scorching case of whiplash.  You think you're sore tonight, wait till tomorrow!  AND the next day will be even worse!"  And he was right!  Most of Saturday, we both felt pretty achey all weekend and spent a ton of time in the hottub.  This morning, my neck turns left fine, to the right, almost all the way and the spasms are decreasing.  We're going to live!  Man!  Just when things are going so well!

 

Friday, Doug and I literally took it easy all day.  We had our weekly date in the hottub!  Stott and Wendy came by at dinnertime with Papa Murphy's Pizza and garden veggies on their way home from the temple.  Our visit ended up moving from the den to the patio on the Logan River at Elements Restaurant. We had a great visit, with lots of laughs (always when Stott is involved) and my favorite lettuce wraps.  When we got back home, Doug and I enjoyed watching the amazing moon that filled the sky.

 

 

Saturday, we prepared for our next to last Family Class in the morning.  Doug and the Bishopric went to meet the students as they were moving into their apartments.   They gave them the fridge magnet with the ward information on it and made some connections.  Doug said that it was a really awesome experience and came home pretty fired up for Sunday's meetings.

 

Our class went well.  We always love the visiting afterwards over treats.  We picked Grace up, bought a few things at the grocery store and came home to settle down and watch one of our old favorite movies, "Regarding Henry" before heading to bed.

 

Sunday was awesome!  ZJ spoke in Sacrament Meeting in our home ward.  Doug was sad that he wasn't there... it was the first time he's ever missed one of our kids talks.  She did a great job and had completely written the entire talk on her own with no parental help. ZJ?  Imagine that!  ;) 

 

Following our Sacrament Meeting, I left our church and headed to Doug's YSA ward for Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society.  There were so many of them!  They all met together for both classes and filled the cultural hall.  Doug was just loving it!  He loves people and to meet this great kids is just a thrill for him.  They sang the opening hymn in Sunday School a Capella and I was moved to tears by this "choir", who for the most part, had never even met until then.  Beautiful voices!  I enjoyed hearing their comments and thoughts on the gospel, seeing their nervousness about the newness of the ward and knowing that school begins today, and watching them as they watched each other... some pretty cute kids there!  This is going to be a fun adventure!

 

Our home teacher came to visit just as Doug came in from church.  I had prepared a yummy dinner and we took a meal in to a family in the ward before we ate our own.  After dinner, we raced over to our first "Ward Prayer" experience.   Each Sunday night, the YSA gather for a group prayer and a little socialization.  Our kids are invited to go with.  Again, meeting more of them, watching these students as they get to know each other was just fun!  We were grinning all the way home!

 

Once home, it was quick to bed for everyone but me... Carol came over and we hottubbed for a couple of hours just gabbing about our weekends, since we'd not seen each other for a few days.  Layne and Julie came around back with a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies and for a short visit with Carol and I.  It was a perfect night for being outside.

 

Fall is in the air!  I set my first tablescape, keeping it pretty simple, in the living room.  I've not done one since we moved into the new home.  But, this got me very excited for fall décor!  My goal is to go through the bins this week and get going on my holiday spirit! 

 

It's time!  HAPPINESS!  September arrives tomorrow and with that, so does my favorite time of year!  This week is another busy one.  Tonight is Meet the Bishopric Family Home Evening!  There are two YSA activities and happenings this week.  We're so excited to get to know them and have them in our home!  We've got dentist/ortho appointments this week.  Lunch with a few different friends.  A craft project that Carol and I are going to attempt!  Lots on the agenda!

 

LIFE IS GOOD!!!  And so is being on the mend!

at last!!!

This has been a long, lonnnnng awaited day!  Since the day that Carol and I met, we have always been on different chapters of life. I'm six years older than her and started my family very young.  I had pre-teens when she was a newlywed with a job.  She had a baby and I had teens.  I started subbing school when she quit working. When I had teens and almost an empty nest, Jon because very sick.  She started teaching school full-time when Jon passed away.  I got the babes when she had teens. The babes became teens, she was still teaching.  Last year, I was free with teens in school and she married Robert and she cared for him every second during his illness until he passed away in June.  I've had kids home and their schedule ran my life all summer while she and Taylor planned Tay's wedding.  Don't get me wrong, we have made time for each other, including our families most of the time over these years. But...

A few weeks ago, as we were driving from Idaho together, we were talking about how all these years, we've never been on the same page... it's been hard for us to just get together anytime for anything without having to "make arrangements" or, at least, without some minor difficulty in planning together.  Even still, I have three teens' schedules to work with. I love that Doug is always so accomodating, and encouraging, that we get together. He knows that friendship is healthy...a natural therapy for a happy wife!

Anyway.... on that drive from Idaho, Carol and I decided that we'd have our long awaited celebration of the fact that we are both free women all day long (during school hours) for the first time ever!  We planned to party hearty all day in celebration!  So, this week, we've done exactly that! I didn't take one picture of us because Carol was on selfie-strike!  We laughed hard, we drank lots of Diet Coke and had a very long and fun week together!  

We've ran errands together, hot tubbed multiple times, eaten out more meals that should be mentioned, had many Sonic runs, drank more cokes than either should admit, gone to the movies, gone to visit her 89 year old mother and played cards twice, talked, laughed, planned more fun for the future, and laughed some more.  It's been great! 

We decided that we would have one day a week set aside for us to spend together because we can!  However...we get done doing something and head our separate ways, then end up doing something again an hour later.  So, we'll have our assigned day, but won't be limited to Coke Runs, errands, hottubbing whenever we dang well please.  We're excited and looking forward to a fun year!  Doug just smiles about it.  He loves Carol and is so glad that we can finally have this time together! Me too!!!  I am blessed!

Movie:  Trust me, our laughs were not included in the movie... Meryl Streep's new movie where she is a rock singer.  We debated on walking out because it was soooooooo slow, but stuck it out.  No language.  No skin.  Just sloooooooooow and sort of pointless.  I would not sit through it again for anything!)

It's great to have the kids back in school.  Schedules are set.  Work.  After school activities.  Church activities.  And next week, YSA activities begin. The college students are all coming back this week.  Doug's new calling will be in high gear beginning this weekend!  We're looking forward to a dynamic and exciting year... between our own three teens, friendships,  and a whole new adventure with USU students, it looks to be an exciting year!  Tonight, we are having a little get-together/dinner with the Bishopric and wives at Trace and Mary Ann's.  I'm looking forward to that!

It's just been a crazy, fun week so far!

In other news...

• ZJ is taking guitar!  She ended up with the class by default, but she seems to be excited.
• The smoke seems to have cleared from our valley a bit.  These fires have really affected all of the west, even if we aren't near them!  I can't imagine being in Washington right now!
• The weather has cooled immensely.  Morning hottubbing is doable again... comfortably.  Loving that!
• It's been five years since my colonoscopy date with Doug.  Because Mom had colon cancer, I get to have one every five years, not ten.  I no likee.  It's not painful, it's just a pain.  Trying to muster up the umph to call the doctor and get it scheduled.  Ugh.
• It's time to start my fall cleaning and dejunking, but with the new home, there's not much to dejunk!  I want to start decorating with fall décor and am forcing myself to wait until September first.  I'm so not a patient person.  Less than four months till Christmas!  I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!  I'm decorating the new house in my head instead of counting sheep already!

Life is good!  So are good friends!  So is time to enjoy them!  I really need to take some pictures.  Just sayin'.

new beginning...

Today, on my tenth anniversary, I love journaling more than ever!  LOVE IT!  I love being able to look back and find where we were, what we were doing, when we were doing it and having all that info at my fingertips.  It's been fun to meet so many new friends over the years, as a result of my blogging.  Our life has been enhanced by many of the friendships that we've made!  I will continue to blog, whether it's the "cool thing" or not, for my own happiness and for my journaling!  It's great therapy to write things down! 

This past year, with moving/remodeling our new home and three kids working, Doug's crazy hours, plus, a crazy life of my own, I've not been as diligent about blogging daily. I made the time for it every day for all these years, it was a priority.  It still is, but, with the issues that I've had, it's been discouraging and frustrating and I didn't have time or energy to fight it! I can't count the hours that I've written and attached photos, only to have it disappear before posting. With a new blogsite, I'm hoping for less hassle!   I'm learning the ropes, so it will take a bit before I get it tweeked!

Life is busy!  I highly doubt that life will slow down just because I'm not driving kids to work... now, it's school, kids church activities, new church responsibilities for Doug and I, extra-curricular school activities and their work...not to mention a house to keep up with, a social life and my own personal time! I'm feel happy that life is so busy!  Feeling, as always, so blessed!  

Life is good!

hot, august night

With Grace and Quayd gone over night, and Doug went in so early this morning, ZJ climbed in bed with me and we slept in til 8!  So lovely!  It was a sultry and hot day in the valley!  ZJ and I had to get all of the food for the YW Retreat before Grace got home so that the girls could prep the food in advance before the YW head to the ranch.  My foot has been giving me fits lately, so I am ever so grateful for two teenage daughters who are willing to help!  Grace made the cookies, ZJ made the meat for taco salads and organized and packed a lot of the food.  I make the lists, they check them off!  SWEET!!!

ZJ and I met Denise for lunch at Buffulo Wild Wings and the Carol picked me up later in the afternoon for a run to Sonic. So, in the middle of lots of preparation, it's always fun to have a break with my friends!

It was a dark, dismal, humid, windy afternoon, but the Quayd and ZJ still went to Hyrum Dam with the YM/YW for a water activity.  I was starting to stress by the time that they got home.  Storm warnings were on TV and the mother in me doesn't like that!  BUT.  They had a blast!



Grace got home from her Retreat, unpacked and repacked, then made cookie dough for the girls to bake at the YW retreat, which is Wednesday and Thursday, at the ranch.  (Talk about crazy!  We may find time for school shopping sometime before next week!)  Grace had a wonderful time at her Retreat with the performance group.  She's so happy and looking so forward to school beginning!  It was an exciting experience for her and she was either singing or telling tales every second from the time we picked her up!

By the time that they came home, the sunset was AMAZING!  Doug came in from a Stake Meeting and said, "That was the most incredible sunset I've ever seen!"  I was excited that I'd gone outside and snapped a photo of the sky through the trees in our backyard.  Neither of these photos were enhanced.  It was a dark as could be, then as redish orange as could be!  THEN, it poured the rain!  SWEET!  It cooled things right down!  Have I mentioned that I love having air-conditioning after all the years not having it!  (I always was satisfied with the evaporative cooler, but now, I'm thinking, "WHAT was I thinking?!"



Liza and Buddy are almost completely packed and ready to load their truck to move to St.  George this weekend!  Only one minor problem... they've yet to find a home to rent when they get there.  Lots and lots of prayers are being said for them to find a suitable, affordable home ASAP! 
And here's the coolest news of all!  So, a few days ago, Natalie texted me to invite me to ride with her next week to Cedar City, which is 45  miles from St. George!  She's taking her daughter to school there and will be spending the night.  That meant that I could spend one night, help Liza and Buddy unpack and help with Aylabelle.  SWEET!

THENNNNN.... two of our friends who live in Arizona are up for the week.  They will be traveling home to Phoenix a day earlier than Nat is going down.  They said that I could ride to St. George with them and we can catch up while we travel.  Then, I could come home with Nat two days later, meaning two nights with Liza instead of one!  SWEETER!

Then, today, while Carol and I were together, my phone rings.  It's Doug's awesome Aunt Kay calling to tell me that she and her daughter are going to St. George tomorrow and if I'd like to ride down with them, I'm welcome to.  They planned on being there for three days!  Only problem with this was that Liza and Buddy won't even be there yet!  However, they make this trip a few times a year!  SWEETEST!!  BUT, this is just awesome!  I have a feeling that I'm going to be having lots more little surprise opportunities to see Liza than I'd imagined!  AND I think that the same will work in the other direction for Liza, as well! I'm going to LOVE having them in Utah, even if it is 380 miles away!  LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

It's still raining and the wind is blowing.  The hot tub is calling my name!  Life is good!  So is a wonderful storm on a hot, August night!  Now, to pray for clear skies tomorrow night at the ranch during the meteor shower! ;)