Fourth of July Happenings

Our 4th of July was a little unique this year because we had a missionary in the house! Luckily, they gave Nicky’s district a P-Day for the 4th so he was able to spend some time with us celebrating the holiday. 

We started out early at our ward breakfast. Scotty and Daisy went to the stake center park at 6:30 am to help set up. Nicky went over around 7:00, and the rest of us went at 8:00. We enjoyed our time with friends and neighbors. Nicky was thrilled to get out of the house and socialize. He and Cam are the cutest missionaries.

After the ward breakfast, we had our traditional  neighborhood parade. We were boring this year and didn’t decorate our bikes or do anything other than show up. The kids walked the route while Scotty and I went and watched from the old elementary school. 

I didn’t even get any photos, but luckily my friend Sara sent me this one:

The parade ends at the local park where everyone meets up for carnival games and treats. 

After that we all needed a reset so we went home for a while and some of us napped. We wanted to go out and do something, especially since Nicky is so stir crazy from home MTC, so Scotty had the idea to go to the Bingham Copepr Kine. We’ve been trying to go forever but just hadn’t made it work. Scotty was able to book us some tickets for 1:30.

We drove to the line and took the shuttle to the viewing area. Last time we went was when Nicky was about three years old. 

One of our kids did not want to be there.

But I won’t say who. 

Other than ONE child, everyone enjoyed the experience and thought it was pretty cool (and honestly, that one child probably thought it was cool, too, but she can’t say so).

I’m the evening we went to my mom’s house and had dinner, played games, and watched fireworks. The kids like to ride around her curled sac on scooters while the fireworks are going off all around us. 

It was a good (but long) day, and it was fun to share it with a missionary!

Currently (4th of July Edition)

Reading: nothing. I still can’t focus on reading.

Wearing: a 4th of July shirt and red shoes. I love seeing everyone dressed in red, white, and blue on the 4th. It’s so fun! And an excuse to be a little tacky. 

Today at our neighborhood 4th of July party, I was talking to a lady from Australia, and she was telling me how excited she was to go to Walmart and buy all the Americana accessories. She was also very excited to get to light fireworks because they are illegal in Australia (to light yourself). 

Annoyed by: fighting kids.

Craving: birria tacos.

Listening to: thunder! We have a bit of a storm rolling in.

Buying: finger nail polish remover.

Eating: string cheese and beef jerky. 

Laughing about: my friend Denise in this gorilla costume.

Singing: “Praise to the Man.”

Suffering from: heat exhaustion. I’ve been out in the heat a lot this week, and I’ve been getting headaches and feeling a bit nauseous from it. 

Proud of myself for: being 5 days soda sober. I’m trying to go soda-free for the duration of Nicky’s mission.

Missing: sweatshirt weather.

Enjoying: my freshly flossed teeth.

Sick of: politics.

Hoping: to catch up on sleep over the next few days.

Wanting: to go on vacation. 

Wondering: if I’d make a good rodeo clown. 

Feeling: tired. 

Cooking: nothing. I’m on break after the heavy amount of cooking I’ve done this past week. 

Avoiding: helping Daisy get her driving hours in. 

Needing: to clean my room. 

Grateful for: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This Post is Boring (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: We have a missionary in our house! Today is Nicky’s 4th day of home MTC. He is doing well but getting a little stir crazy. He has online classes and trainings all day long, and he is a boy who has to move! I always say he’s like a high energy breed of dog that needs to be walked several times daily. So it’s a challenge for him, but he is also loving it. He likes his companion, and he has been in some classes with a girl he knows from school who started her mission the same day.  

Fact #2: We got Nicky’s flight information for next week. He will be going to the Mexico MTC. He is seated on the plane right between two sister missionaries. His reaction: “Jesus is real!” 

Fact #3: Nicky’s thoughts on home MTC - he has liked getting to meet his companion and the missionaries in his district. He thinks three days of home MTC is plenty, and after that it gets old. He’s excited to meet people in person. He says his mind is tired but his body needs to get up and do something. He jump ropes in the garage when he’s on break. Today during his longer break, he begged to go somewhere, so I took him to visit some of his friends. 

We also went to the car wash and the grocery store. Not exactly what this adrenaline junkie needs, but at least he left the house. This evening I suggested that I drop Nicky and Scotty off at a bike trail. He is having a hard time not being able to listen to secular music, but he has found a few songs by the Tabernacle Choir that he considers “bops.”

Fact #4: He has already split the seams in two pairs of his brand new mission pants. 

Fact #5: From a mom’s perspective, I think home MTC is nice because I get to be with Nicky and witness the start of his mission. It’s kind of cool to be there for the beginning of it rather than sending him off instantly. I agree with Nicky that ten days is a bit long, though. I feel bad for him for having to stare at a computer screen all day. He gets to have p-day tomorrow for the 4th of July, so I’m excited to get to do some fun things as a family. 

Fact #6: Along with home MTC, we’ve had girls camp and a funeral this week. It’s been quite a wild few weeks.

Fact #7: I saw my kitchen table at the DI the other day for $25. Any takers?

Fact #8: I am so tired right now from all that’s been going on. We had three weeks of theatre camp followed by eight performances of Matilda Jr - the last of which were on Saturday. Our Strawberry trip was squeezed in between performances 4 & 5. Then Sunday was Nicky’s “not farewell,” Nicky started his mission on Monday, and the girls and I went to camp. Then we came home that night for the funeral, which was on Tuesday - Scotty conducted the service, and I spoke. Then we went back up to camp Wednesday. I came home late that night, and the girls stayed until Thursday. At camp, I was in charge of three meals for 150 people, so every spare minute for the last three weeks has been spent making lists, shopping, prepping food, and packing. 

Fact #9: Somehow I got it all done, and I stayed mentally stable. My mind is definitely fried - I can tell my cognitive function is way off - but I didn’t get too stressed. I just had to stay way ahead of the game, make very detailed lists, and let my friends help me. I’ve never liked to ask for help, but this week I did. I knew I had to. 

Fact #10: I’m a little worried that now that all of these big things are done, I’m going to slump into my summer depression. I’ve been running non-stop since March, and now things might slow down a bit. Between the change of pace and the heat (which exhausts me), I might be out of commission until after Halloween. 

Darn Good Exhausting

It's 5:20 a.m. on June 30 - the first day of Nicky's mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Yesterday Nicky spoke in sacrament meeting (and also in stake priesthood meeting). Then we had family and friends over for brunch. It was a darn good, exhausting day. 

In sacrament meeting, Nicky got to speak with one of his best friends, Cameron. Cameron is currently serving his third service mission, so he talked a little bit about his mission and how much he loves to serve. 

Nicky bought matching ties for him and Cam, and Cam was so excited to twin. 

Nicky spoke on a message from Elder Uchtdorf about Five Messages We All Need to Hear. He talked about his 6th grade teacher, and how she helped him feel seen and loved. His teacher stopped by outlet house last night to bring him a gift.

He also talked about how we don't need to be perfect, we just need to be willing. 

Right before Nicky spoke, Zoe gave a quick testimony. A couple of weeks ago, Zoe said to me, "So... what do I do if I want to give a speech at church?" Then she told me she really wanted to "give a speech" on the same day as Nicky. Zoe has never been willing to do anything like that before, so we figure we better try and make it happen. We talked to the bishopric and they said that would be great, so Zoe bore her testimony about eternal families (she picked the subject matter). 

Our kids also sang "Consider the Lilies" for a musical number. There is nothing "Von Trapp" about this family, so this was an unusual task for us. Nicky loves that song, though, and he asked the bishop if he could sing it with his sisters. They did a wonderful job considering it's not our niche. 

Screenshot from Zoom 

Courtesy of Shannon

While we were enjoying the meeting (and crying our eyes out because it was so sweet), my friends manned the kitchen and got all the food ready for the brunch afterward (the one we're not supposed to have... but I can can talk about that with God when I report back someday). Over the past two months, I made and froze 150 breakfast burritos. I had no idea how many people would come (we had 120 people come when Nicky opened his mission call. We have a huge family, and Nicky has a lot of friends, and it's kind of the culture in our area for all of them to go to each other's mission call openings). 150 burritos ended up being just right. I have no idea how many people came to the house, though.

We also served banana bread (which I made and froze a while ago to use up bananas and then realized it would be perfect to use for Nicky's open house), corn dip and chips, Gogurt (for the little ones who haven't learned to appreciate a good, hearty, breakfast burrito), fruit, and funeral potatoes. We also had cupcakes, cookies, and rice krispie treats. 

(These are the first hints as to where Nicky is serving his mission - I haven’t yet disclosed it on my blog)

It sounds like a lot, and maybe it was, but I used quite a bit of stuff we already had (like a big bag of malt o meal crispy rice I needed to get rid of), and I've also been working on food for girls camp, so I was able to be resourceful and piggy back a lot of stuff. The key to success, for me, is to prep early. The freezer is my best friend.

The bad part about the event was that it was really, really hot. We set up tons of canopies, my brother-in-law brought misting fans (bless his heart), and I put hand fans on the tables. I think it was pretty comfortable for the guests, but for me, running around from place to place, it was so hot. I was drenched in sweat. I ended up doing a complete wardrobe change in the middle of the brunch because I needed to be dry and have a reset (and get rid of a layer because I was wearing a slip). By the time people started leaving, I was nauseous and had a horrible headache from the heat. It absolutely kicked my butt, and clean up was brutal.

Also, I didn’t get very many good pictures, so as a note to other moms going through this - when people ask what they can do to help, ask them to take pictures (if you’re a picture person - which I am). 

BUT... it was all worth it because it was a really nice day.

At 2:00, the stake president came over and officially set Nicky apart as a missionary. 

The family after Nicky was set apart

Later last night, we found out one of Nicky's friends has decided to submit mission papers. This is a friend that was not going to serve a mission. He pulled Nicky aside yesterday and told him. Nicky was the only person he had told at that point (I think a few friends know now, but his parents don't). The entire situation makes me weepy. For the past few weeks I've felt very concerned about this particular friend, and I've repeatedly urged Nicky to reach out to him (which he has done). I also felt a strong desire to make sure this friend was coming to Nicky's sacrament meeting talk and that he knew he was welcome and wanted there, as well as at the brunch afterward. I just felt like Nicky needed to be by this kid's side. Hopefully everything goes well with him pursuing a mission, and he finds himself on a path that feels right for him. I'm excited for him and hope for good things to come. 

Nicky hugging his best boys

Yesterday was a beautiful day, and Nicky is as ready to serve a mission as he can be. His first MTC class starts in about two hours. He's still asleep. I leave for girls camp today with Daisy and Zoe. Then we are coming home tonight to attend my sister-in-law's memorial service tomorrow. Then back o camp for Wednesday. So things at our house are a bit wild right now. Scotty and Eva will tag team as Nicky's mission companion, and our home will be a temporary Mission Training Center, so I need to watch my mouth. 

I'm dead tired. Tired in a way that is physically painful. It hurts to be awake. But I can't sleep, so onward I go! To camp!

On the Pontoon

Nicky starts his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Monday. After he opened his mission call, and we had the details of where and when he would serve, we started looking into possible family vacations before he left. He would graduate May 27, go to Disney World May 30 - June 5, go on his temple trip from June 9 - 14, and go to YM camp June 25 - 26, so that left no time for the kind of vacation we hoped for before his start date of June 30th (we dabbled in the idea of doing a cruise out of LA). 

Last year, for a team building activity for his work, Scotty rented pontoon boats at Strawberry Reservoir and took his employees fishing. They really enjoyed it and want to do it again! Scotty loves fishing (in fact, the very reason I use the name “Scotty”’as his pseudonym on my blog is because it’s a brand of fishing supplies). We decided to try out the pontoon rentals with our family for our last hurrah with Nicky. We invited Scotty’s brother and his family and our moms. 

At first we were just going to go up for the day, but then we looked into booking rooms at the lodge, and they weren’t horribly priced, so we booked two nights. We went up Sunday evening, had two pontoon rentals from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday, then came home Tuesday.

Other than a couple of windy moments, the weather was really nice, and we had a lot of fun. 

Here are a few memories to jot down:

1. Nicky and his cousin Asher found some crawdads. 

They latched them on to everything, including their own fingers.

2. We caught lots of fish. Many of them needed to be thrown back due to size regulations, but we brought home nine.

3. Nicky kissed a fish, and it bit his lip and drew blood.

4. Our girls all showcased their unique driving personalities.

“I’m so happy! Look what I can do!”

“I can’t see anything in front of me!”

“I’m so cool and chill because I’m in drivers ed.”

5. Zoe still had her arm in a cast for the trip. 

6. Nicky partied hard on the boat for hours and hours (in true Nicky fashion) and then crashed and burned in the afternoon (in true Nicky fashion).

7. We made grilled cheese sandwiches in our room at the lodge.

8. My sister-in-law, Amber (sometimes referred to as “Nameless Sistera-In-Law” or “Timber” on my blog) passed away unexpectedly the morning we left. She loved geocaching, so Zoe made a letter “A” and we went and found a geocache for Amber.

9. The sunrises and sunsets were primo.

It was a great little trip. Everyone enjoyed it, and they want to make it a yearly tradition. 

Record Breaking Heat Around Here (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: A lot of my friends and family have asked how I’m feeling lately in relation to having my first high school graduate and a soon-to-be missionary. I never know how to answer. On one hand, I’m absolutely fine and ready to move into this phase of life. On the other hand, I’m emotionally confused. Having an “adult” child has been a mix of “you grew up too fast, and I never want to let you go” and “you need get out of here NOW.” It’s painful when Nicky is home because I feel like he doesn’t want to be there and he’s just suffering through it, but it’s also painful when he’s not home because I just want him to be with us and be part of our family. Developmentally he’s right where he’s supposed to be… pushing away and ready to launch. 

Fact #2: Zoe is down to her final week in her arm cast, and I can’t wait for it to be gone! She has had a really hard time with it, and getting her to shower has been more difficult than normal (and it’s normally quite difficult). I don’t want to say that too loud because this is our first broken bone in the family, and I don’t want the next one to make Zoe’s look like the easy version. In the meantime, Zoe and her friend Bristol make quite the matching pair.

Fact #3: Zoe and Eva have been doing a theatre camp for the past three weeks. Zoe will have to do the first four shows in her cast (there’s a cast in the cast!) and the second four shows without (it’s “break a leg!” not “break an arm!)

(The theatre humor is strong with this one!)

Fact #4: Nicky has a house plant that he got from IKEA about two years ago. He named it Beckham, and he refers to it as his “son.”

He never takes care of Beckham, so I’ve been raising my “grandson” for most of the time it’s been in my house, but Nicky talks sweetly to Beckham about once a month and takes all the credit for its growth and success. 

We took a photo of Nicky with Beckham tonight so we can see how much Beckham grows in two years.

Fact #5: The other day I had a bathroom-ing emergency and had to make an unplanned trip to Target. As I concluded my “business,” I discovered there was no toilet paper! I had to explore my options:

A) Wait for someone to come into the bathroom, then ask them to pass some TP under the door

B) Pull up my pants, hope for the best, and hobble to another stall to wipe

C) Use what I had in my purse (a post office receipt)

Fact #6: I was about to try option C when I looked over and saw this little blessing…

The last person to use the stall next to me had left a little dangler. I was able to pull a sufficient amount of TP from the neighboring vestibule.

Fact #7: That is not the correct use of the word vestibule, but I’m leaving it anyway. 

Fact #8: After the fiasco, I couldn’t just leave the empty toilet paper dispenser for another victim, so I explored my options once again:

A) Go tell a Target employee (I knew this was an option, but I also knew I would never go to this much trouble because what are the odds that the first employee I found upon leaving the restroom would actually do something about it? 99% chance that it’s not their job to keep the toilet paper stocked, and they really don’t care if someone gets poo stranded as long as it’s not them). 

B) Gather some TP from another stall and leave it nicely folded on the TP dispenser

C) Leave a note

I went for option C. So I guess I used that post office receipt for something bathroom-related after all! 

Fact #9: I’d like to 

Fact #10: You may be wondering what’s going on with Fact #9. I fell asleep blogging! I have no idea what I was typing, and I found it amusing, so I just left it.