Friends in All Places

Sometimes your friends aren’t who you thought they’d be…

Sometimes it’s your third cousin you’d never heard of who tried to start a family blog and found you because you had already taken the URL she wanted (with the family name), and now, twenty years later, you routinely text each other memes about dinosaurs and photos of everything growing in your garden.

Sometimes it’s a girl from your church congregation that you used to think was so mean, you even wrote about how mean she was in your journal!

Sometimes it’s your step-mom’s former co-worker that ended up being your co-worker, and you quit your jobs at the same time to have babies, and now you lend her your muffin pans, and she buys you Tootsie Rolls.

Sometimes it’s the penpal in Texas that you were randomly assigned to by a paid service in a teen magazine, and you’ve kept in touch since you were 11 year-old JTT fanatics but have never met in person. 

Sometimes it’s the mom of a guy you went to high school with. 

Sometimes it’s the girl you didn’t get along with when you were teenagers but you relate to very well now that you’re both grown up and over yourselves.

Sometimes it’s the girl that sat behind you in 7th grade math who was obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio, and she was so funny you just couldn’t ever let her go (and you had lunch with her yesterday, in fact, and took turns casually walking through the restaurant to see how may old people were there) (a shocking amount - hence the walks).

Sometimes it’s the girl you had dance class with when you were three years old, and you grew up and both married that dance teacher’s nephews. 

Sometimes it’s the mom of your daughter’s ex-boyfriend… who also happens to be the mom of a girl your son spent some time smooching on the side during his senior year of high school. 

__________

One thing that adulthood has offered me is a wider range of friendship possibilities. I'm still in touch with friends from childhood, but now I have friends of all ages and life experiences. Sometimes, the way I make friends might be a little unusual (read about one case here), but hey! It works!

Sunday Sentiments: Teachings of the Living Prophets

We had a busy weekend, and I wasn’t able to get this post finished on Sunday. I wanted to make sure I posted it before General Conference, so here are my Sunday thoughts… on Thursday…

—————

When I was finishing my degree, I took a class called Teachings of the Living Prophets. In that class, I came to better understand that the primary role of the prophet and the apostles is to testify of Jesus Christ. 

Joseph F. Smith taught that "These twelve disciples of Christ are supposed to be eye and ear witnesses of the divine mission of Jesus Christ... they must know, they must get the knowledge for themselves. It must be with them as though they had seen with their eyes and heard with their ears and they know the truth. That is their mission, to testify of Jesus Christ..." (in Conference Report, Apr. 1916, 6).

Since taking that class, I listen more carefully to what the prophets and apostles say about Jesus Christ. Typically at the close of their Conference addresses, they will make a final statement about Jesus Christ. Sometimes when I go back and study the most recent Conference talks, I will flip through the Liahona (or, more likely, scroll through my phone) and read the closing paragraph from each apostle looking for their witness of Christ while keeping in mind that they must have this testimony with them as if they have seen with their eyes and heard with their ears. Here are what a few of them said in our last General Conference:

“I bear testimony of Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace, the Son of the living God.” -Elder Stevenson

“Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith, writing countless new chapters with us. He is the Beginning and the End—the end of our shame and suffering and the beginning of a new life in Him, letting us receive His grace, leave the past behind, and begin again with a new dawn, as many times as we need.” -Elder Kearon

“I testify of the love, the mercy, and the grace of our Savior and Redeemer. He lives. We are His; we are children of the covenant. As we believe in Him, follow Him, and trust Him, He will lift us from our sorrows and our sins. Then, beyond this mortal life, in our Father’s house, we will live with Him forever and ever.” -Elder Andersen

“I testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is our strength, our Redeemer, our hope. If we trust Him, He will make our spiritual power equal to every trial we are called to bear.” -President Eyring

“I joyfully witness that Jesus Christ is our living Savior.” -Elder Bednar

“I bear my sure and certain witness that Jesus Christ lives and because of His Atonement, we can be one with Him.” -Elder Cook

“He lives. I absolutely know it. He loves you. He gave His life for you. He pleads with you to come unto the Father through Him.” -Elder Renlund

“I testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Only Begotten Son of God, our Eternal Father.”-President Oaks

Sometimes Conference is hard for me because I listen with the ears of the world, but there are a few things I’ve started doing to help keep my heart in the right place:

-Listen with faith instead of fear.

-Focus on sparks of truth - a little nudges from the Holy Ghost that say, “You know this is true!”

-Listen for the things I’m already doing right rather than the things I’m doing wrong (pay attention to inspiration instead of guilt).

-Focus on how the speakers witness of Christ.

-Take a break from social media

In a few days, the apostles will bear witness again - fulfilling their primary responsibility to testify of Jesus Christ. I look forward to feeling the Spirit as I hear snippets of truth and reassurance. 

Currently (April 2026 Edition)

 Reading:

Wearing: an Aerosmith shirt and black leggings with ankle socks. Watch out, Gen Z! This old lady's ankles are showing!

Eating: leftovers from our April Fool's dinner.

Watching: Hamnet. I've been watching it for two weeks now. Why can I watch an entire season of a TV show in one day but only ten minutes of a movie at a time?

Singing: "Love Somebody" by Maroon 5.

Buying: Easter stuff for the kids. 

Annoyed by: the two kids sitting on the couch with me currently who won't stop putting their feet on each other. 

Playing:

We got this one for ourselves for Valentine's Day, and we just had our first run through.

Listening to: 

Trying: fish oil supplements. My eye doctor recommended that I take fish oil to help with my dry eyes. I’ve always avoided fish oil because people have told me it smells bad in your breath and can even make your skin smell. But I bought some “burpless” fish oil, and so far I haven’t had any issues with smells. I told Scotty if I ever smell “fishy” he needs to let me know. 

Laughing about: the fidget intestines I saw at Smith & Edwards yesterday. 

Who comes up with this kind of stuff?

Craving: McDonald's breakfast. 

Suffering from: sore feet. I have a really boring post underway in which I tell you all about my neuropathy. Look forward to that (if it ever makes it to publishing). 

Procrastinating: picking up prescriptions, ordering Daisy's contacts, paying Nicky's PT bills from when he injured his leg a year ago, and most forms of household cleaning (though I did scrub the toilet yesterday). 

Loving: seeing people get pulled over for running red lights. It’s gotten out of hand around here. Last week there was a death nearby due to someone running a red light. Occasionally the police will monitor certain intersections and pull people over, and I’m always glad to see it. 

Feeling: tired. I got sick twice in a row a few weeks ago, and I’ve had very little energy since. I don’t know if I have some lingering fatigue from being sick, or if it’s something else, but this girl is tired! 

Grateful for: stability.

The Fool's Cafe

In 2019 we started a tradition called The Fool's Cafe. We have an April Fool's dinner with a mystery menu. We serve nine dishes in three courses, and each dish has a silly code name, so the kids don't know what they are ordering. Each year, we do this a little differently. One year, instead of a silly, mystery menu, we did a dump meal where we put all the food directly on the table (with a plastic table cloth), and had our kids eat with their (gloved) hands. They didn't like that version very much. Party poopers. 

Daisy: Not Amused

I, personally, loved eating that way because, at the end of the meal, there were hardly any dishes, and we were able to just gather up the table cloth and throw it away. We should eat like this often. It's an untapped life hack. 

One year I made everyone eat with silly tongs. Sometimes I give them random utensils (enjoy eating with your ladle/spatula/measuring cup). One year we were in California on vacation with Tim and Amber, so we forced them to join in the fun (the only time we've had guests, thus far). I'm pretty sure Amber hid some vegetables she was refusing to eat.

We have a playlist of silly songs we listen to during our meal. 

It's fun, and we make it quick and easy. I usually just find random food around the house that we need to get rid of, make up funny names, and use it as a way to use up stuff that isn't getting eaten. 

Daisy is going on a school trip tomorrow, so we had our April Fool's dinner a day early so she wouldn't have to miss it. 

This was definitely one of the fastest thrown together, low effort Fool's Cafe experiences we've had, but the great thing is, you can blame almost anything on April Fools. Our folding table was lopsided because one leg was extended farther than the other. Our table cloth didn't fit because it was a piece cut off and saved from another party. The asparagus was way overripe. We just called out "April Fools!" to it all. 

Burn the food? April fools! Drop a plate and break it? April fools!

It works.

So if you want a fun activity for April Fools, have yourself a silly dinner. Use it to clean out your pantry, and if anything goes wrong, act like it was intentional, and yell out, "April Fools!"

On THAT Note (part II)

Since I posted about the notes on my phone last week, I’ve needed to expound on a couple of my lists. A few days ago, I wrote about my list on my phone about the kind of person I want to be. Today I’m going to give more details about another topic: Little People sets I want to buy.

As a kid, I had a lot of Little People sets - the farm, the car garage, the zoo, and more. In fact, I think I might have had all of them that existed. Or maybe between my family and my extended family, I played with all of them. When I look back at photos of the sets, they are all familiar and I remember playing with each of them. If I owned all of them, I was truly a spoiled child! I wish we still had them! I didn't know what a treasure they were! I think all that remains - and it's at my mom's house - is the Little People airplane. 

Sidenote: I had no idea they were called "Little People" when I was a kid.

As you probably know, Little People have been completely revamped for the modern-day child. Nothing will ever compare to the originals, but I like the current Little People as well. When Nicky was little, we had Noah's ark, the farm, and the nativity. Then when we had Daisy, I couldn't resist the Disney princess sets. We still have the nativity and the princesses (though I donated some of their castles to the Church nursery). 

In recent years, they have come out with a lot of fun collectors Little People sets, and I confess, I've been a sucker for them. I've seen them online and felt a great desire to start my own Little People collection (I've had the same urge for Polly Pockets). For years I've thought, "Should I start a collection?" but I never did because 1) I didn't want to find somewhere to put them and 2) I didn't want to spend the money.

But that all changed when the Lost set dropped. 

My heart longed for Little People, and my friend Christie ended up giving me the Lost set for my birthday this year. Then my friend Lynsie gave me the Golden Girls set for my birthday, and that secured my fate - I was going to start collecting my own Little People!

With some birthday money and leftover funds from selling pumpkin rolls last fall, I started investing in my collection. I didn't go hog wild - I just started watching the prices on a few sets I liked, and I bought some when I saw good deals. My collection now consists of:

Up

The Notebook

Back to the Future

E.T. 

Nightmare Before Christmas

Golden Girls

Lost

and as of this week, Beetlejuice.

And then there are the princesses as well that we have from Daisy, which are currently in storage. She doesn't know this, but they will not be going with her when she leaves this house. They will stay in my possession for future grandkids. 

As my Little People sets started rolling in, I found myself in a predicament. Part of the fun of the collection is the boxes that they come in, but I don't want them to just sit in boxes looking pretty because the other part of the fun of the collection is to unbox them and play with them. This made me more understanding of my friend's husband who has a massive toy collection and has made a habit of purchasing two of everything - one to keep in the box and one to play with (I originally thought he was a little extreme. I get it now). 

I decided that I am going to keep the Little People sets in their boxes, but only temporarily. I am going to build my collection for a while, and then, when I become a grandma, I will open my Little People sets. That is going to be my "grandma prize" when my first grandchild is born. There is no timeline for this yet - I could be a grandma two years from now, twenty years from now, or never. (If the answer is never, then I'm going to have to do my opening for my 60th birthday party or something). 

And that is why one of the notes on my phone is titled "Little People" - because I am keeping a running list of the sets I want to buy so I can watch for sales and build my stash. 

It's finally happening, folks. 

Top Board Games of 2025

You’ve been asking and asking about our top board games of 2025.* Every year we keep track of what we play (and who wins), and sometime around the new year, I tally them up and post our most played board games for the year. 

I’ve kept you waiting for three long months, and now I’m finally ready to reveal our top five from 2025!

Our top board games are determined by how many game nights they are played at (as opposed to how many times they are played. It wouldn't be fair to calculate a thirty minute game we play five times in one night against a two hour game we play once). Also, some of the games we play are "card" games or "dice" games, or what have you. If you are bothered by me using the term "board games" for them collectively, I will leave you in your discomfort with no apologies. 

Without further ado, here is our list from 2025:

5th Place

In fifth place, we had a tie between Qwirkle, Qwixx, and Ticket to Ride: Europe. 

4th Place

Coming in fourth is a game I'm really bad at: Take 5. I kind of loathe this game. It's usually a given that I will lose Take 5 and Karma (Karma didn't earn a spot on this list - thank heavens. Stupid game. Grumble, grumble). 

3rd Place

Five Crowns came in third, which surprised me because I didn't realize we played this as often as we do. 

2nd Place

It's no surprise that Bohnanza made the list this year. It usually does. We have been Bohnanza fans for about 20 years. I bought this for my brother for Christmas one year. Then I borrowed it and never gave it back. 

(Sorry, Bubba. IOU a Bohnanza. Or did I already replace it? I don't remember. I know it's crossed my mind frequently for the past decade as I've faced my guilt). 

1st Place

For the third year in a row, Ark Nova reigns supreme. I can't believe we've been playing it for so long because it still seems like it's a new game to us. This one (in my opinion) was really hard to learn, but now that we've got it down, we are master zoo builders. I play Ark Nova on my phone every day, and Carlie makes sure we play it regularly at the table. 

Now you can sleep better after waiting so long for this news. I hope the thrill was worth the anticipation. 

*Not really. 

On THAT Note (part I)

One of the notes I have on my phone is a list about the kind of person I want to be.

I recently made a new friend, and there’s a pattern that unfolds when I am getting to know someone. We tend to show our best selves in the beginning. In a new friendship, it’s easy to be who you WANT to be. Then, as time goes on, and things get more comfortable, we show more of our true selves. Our flaws and weaknesses become more visible, and we shed the facade we might have had. That’s when we figure out what our friendship really is. 

I don’t think we’re necessarily being “fake” - we’re just on our best behavior. I don’t even think we’re always aware of it. However, while I was getting to know my new friend, I did notice that I was presenting a much better version of myself, and I knew at some point, I’d show her the bad and the ugly. For a while, though, it was just the good. 

While I was showcasing the good, I started keeping notes about the kind of person I want to be. If I could truly be that person, here are some of the traits I would wish to have:

▪️Speak positively about other people. Be generous with compliments in front of others and behind their backs.

▪️Create horseshoes, not circles. 

▪️Be a multiplier.

▪️Leave a positive online footprint.

▪️Go about doing good.

▪️Love and delight in many things (rather than having a strong dislike for many things).

▪️Handle rejection gracefully.

▪️Don’t speak negatively about my body.

▪️Accept healing (let go of trauma, move on, forgive).

▪️Share my testimony.

▪️Always be “potluck ready.”

▪️Be positive (don’t drain people with negativity).

▪️Hold my peace. Always think before sharing my opinion or critiquing others.

▪️Enjoy people.

▪️Be who I am without making excuses or over explaining myself.

So let it be written, so let it be done!

(I have a lot to work on).