Sunday Night Entertainment

We have a Ring doorbell, and right now they are doing free trials of intelligent video descriptions, so when we get notifications that there is someone on our porch, it also tells us what they *might* be doing. I say *might* because the accuracy is touch and go. Sometimes it's so accurate that it's creepy, and other times it's so inaccurate that we get a good laugh over it. 

Last night, during a moment of boredom, I told my kids that we were going to play a game. We took turns going out on the porch and doing something and seeing what description the Ring would give for what was happening out there. 

Here's how it went:

What the doorbell said: A person is walking and looking at their wrist

What was actually happening: Zoe was dancing

What the doorbell said: Two people are walking to the entrance

What was actually happening: Eva was proposing to Daisy

What the doorbell said: A person is standing on the porch holding a potted plant

WINNER! WINNER!

What the doorbell said: A person is carrying a large black object up the porch steps

WINNER! WINNER!

(It was a foam roller)

What the doorbell said: A person is standing on the porch holding a shell

What was actually happening: I was holding an alligator head

What the doorbell said: A child is climbing the stairs

What was actually happening: Zoe was pretending to poop

What the doorbell said: A person is standing on the porch and turning around

What was actually happening: Daisy was pants-ing herself

What the doorbell said: A child is standing on the porch

WINNER! WINNER!

(I mean... it's true... a child was standing on the porch, but she was pretty disappointed that the doorbell didn't acknowledge that she was wearing a Luigi hat)

What the doorbell said: A person is standing on the porch holding a container

What was actually happening: It wasn't just any container! It was a GALLON of MAYO!

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This isn't a service I need or would ever pay for, but it kept us busy for 15 minutes on the longest day of the week, so enjoy our contribution, data centers!

Sunday Sentiments - Thoughts From the Bottom Rung

A few years ago, I had an experience that changed my entire spiritual existence. To explain it would require me to write many chapters. I started writing the story and decided it was just too much (for me and for you), so suffice it to say, a thing happened, and I've been different ever since. 

What I will say is that the change needed to happen - ultimately I think I will be better for it, but it has affected the way I live my faith, and sometimes I feel like I've had a setback that I won't ever recover from. I feel a bit like I slipped down the ladder. 

This week, I read a bit from The Divine Gift of Forgiveness by Elder Neil L. Andersen, and I found this quote that gave me a bit of hope: 

Even if you feel like you are at the very bottom of life's ladder, there is something you can do. You can look up. If all you can manage is to simply lift your eyes to Him, you have done something in an effort to return to Him. You will come to know that He "reaches [your] reaching." You may have a long climb, a steep climb, even a daunting climb, but looking up is an important step as you begin your journey forward... More important than where you are is the direction you face, and especially Whom you face. 

 

When I was in my early twenties, I read the book My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. In the book, Asher went through a religious journey of his own. I don't know why, but the book had a huge impact on me, and my copy is full of notes and highlights. One quote that stood out strongly to me was this:

A man does not always remain at the same stage. He is always ascending and descending. When he reaches the top, he must concern himself with the probability that he will fall. When he reaches the bottom, he must strive once again to climb to the top. That is the nature of man. When the soul of a man is in his darkest night, he must strive constantly for new light. When one thinks there is only an end, that is when one must struggle for the new beginning.

My copy of Asher Lev

So if you, like me, find yourself in a different spot on the ladder than you think you should be or a different spot than you used to be, give yourself some grace. The Lord will meet us there and help us climb.

Currently (August 2026 Edition)

Reading:

I’m still trying to finish the same books I was reading last month (face palm). 

Wearing: t-shirts and shorts. Survival clothes.

Singing: “Star Gazing.”

Buying: back to school necessities and possibly a new fridge. We’ve had our current fridge for 22 years, and Scotty has been jimmy rigging it to keep it working for the past five, so we’re beginning the research process for a new one. Fortunately, our current fridge still works, so our hands aren't forced. We have time to shop. 

Loving: being super busy at work. We just had a big sale, so we are filling lots of orders, and I love it when it’s busy. 

Hoping: to do an overhaul on my wardrobe soon and get rid of stuff I don’t wear. I don’t want to buy anything new, but I’d like to sort through what I have and make good use of it. 

Listening to:

Suffering from: hotness. I will let you decide if that means temperature or attractiveness. Just know that I am truly suffering.

Wondering: if people who don’t believe in an afterlife wish there was an afterlife. 

Realizing: in six years my kids will all be “adults.”

Trying: to read more and scroll less.

Eating: egg salad sandwiches.

Planning: meals for our next trip (methinks these sloppy joes should make an appearance!)

Thrifting: plates. I love finding new plates for my plate rack. The yellows are my latest finds. I was hoping for salad size plates, but I was happy enough with what I found.

I also found a green salad plate that was an exact replacement for a plate I dropped earlier this year!

Playing:

Watching:

Procrastinating: getting the laundry managed.

Weirded out by: pictures of fingernails on the socials. 

Craving: a trip to Disneyland. The only thing keeping me away is the hot weather (I love Disneyland in the winter the most!)

Annoyed by: GLP-1 commercials on Peacock. 

Enjoying: being in a stroller-free, car seat-free state of existence. 

Feeling: like I’m crazy. This has been one of the worst mental health summers of my life. My self-worth is in the shitter, I am so so angry, and I feel a sense of dread and doom. Other than that, I’m totally hilarious and an absolute delight. Who wants to hang out?

Building:

Missing: New Dragon Diner. 

Looking forward to: fall. It’s still gonna be a while til my happy weather.

Grateful for: ibuprofen.

Went Away

Yesterday I posted about some of the things I love coming home to after a trip. We've been on a few quick trips lately, thus turning my thoughts in that direction. 

First we took our girls down to Snow College for FSY. It was Daisy's 2nd time going and Zoe's 1st. When Zoe pointed out to me at the beginning of the year that she was old enough to go to FSY, I about tossed my cookies. 

At the end of the week, we had to pick them up at 6:30 in the morning. Snow College is about two hours away, so we took advantage of my parents who live down that-a-way and stayed overnight at their house. 

We took a mountain tour and got nice and dusty. Then we played with goats and got covered in fur and probably excrement, but we just pretend it doesn't happen. 

We came home for approximately 24 hours and then left on another little trip to Strawberry Reservoir. We made the trip last year and had a lot of fun, so we decided to do it again. My mom and her husband came with us, and we stayed from Sunday to Tuesday. We rented a pontoon for Monday and hung out on the lake. 

I was hoping we'd have a freezer full of fish afterward, but we didn't catch a single one! We had fun playing on the water, though. Scotty did backflips off the boat (even after a young child at the dock told him he couldn't swim because he was "too giant"). Zoe was happy to not have her arm in a cast this time. Daisy was thrilled to be able to control the music selection. And I did soduku and only dipped my feet in the lake because I hate water and am the designated party pooper (but I'm happy to make sure everyone is sunscreened and fed).

Scotty recently won a Blackstone in a golf tournament, so we took it with us and cooked up some fajitas and hamburgers. 

The girls loved going to the dock and looking for crawdads.

On our last night, we had some rain and therefore, a beautiful rainbow!

Also on the last night we got cornered by a talkative, perverted, old man who spent an hour lecturing us about everything from politics to finances, and that's about ninety minutes of my life I'll never get back. 

On the morning we left, Eva expressed how hard her life is because she has to go on so many vacations. Poor thing! Can you imagine?

Three Things I Miss About Home

I love going on little (and big) trips, but there is always joy in coming home. As fun as it is to leave for a while, it's nice to return to the comforts and routines of my own living space. 

Three things I love coming home to are:

1. My Bed

I like my pillows and my blankets and my mattress and my CPAP and my lamp and my messy nightstand and all they have to offer. I know the noises and the temperatures that come with sleeping in my own bed, so I'm always grateful to return to the familiarity. 

2. My Bidet

The first spritz after being without a bidet for days is most appreciated. 

3. My Projection Clock

I have a clock that projects the time on the ceiling, and it's amazing how accustomed I am to having that luxury. I find myself confused in dark hotel rooms and camping tents when I open my eyes, and the time's not there! I always think I'll bring my clock with me (it's battery operated, so I don't even have to worry about powering it), but I never remember! 

Us being away for a few days

Another thing I love returning home to is the garden. It's usually the first thing I want to do after I get home (even before using the bidet) - go look at the garden. What has grown? What has died (a sad truth)? What needs to be picked? You know the old adage, "A watched pot never boils?" It's very true in gardening. Sometimes the best things happen when you're not looking, so going away for a few days is very exciting. 

The garden a month sgo

(the updated version is gonna be wild!)

(Does this post give away my age, or what?)

I need a three-day nap (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: I am really tired, and I should be asleep right now, but I’m away from home and I have a few problems:

1. I don’t have my blankies

2. I don’t have the right pillow configuration

3. My kids are in the room 

4. I don’t have my cpap

Fact #2: Yesterday I was playing Crossplay (basically Scrabble), and I spelled the word “ditto.” That made me remember when I first learned the word “ditto” - I thought it was the greatest word ever! I would use it anytime I could. I’d be like “ditto!” And in my head I’d think, “OMG, I’m so cool!”

Fact #3: Zoe learned about Jimothy at FSY last week. She is absolutely terrified of him and thinks he’s coming to get her. 

Jimothy traveling from Seattle to sneak into Zoe’s bed

Fact #4: I have an overwhelming desire to go clubbing with Miranda Hart and Steve Martin. And by clubbing, I mean some sort of activity that allows us to be home in our jammies by 7:00 pm. 

Fact #5: My kids have been buying the Stranger Things Kinderjoy eggs hoping for a Steve Harrington. Eva got one the other day, and she was so happy, she cried. 

Fact #6: Life lesson: never let your eye bags prevent you from sharing your gigantic onion ring with the world!

Fact #7: School starts in two weeks. I’m equal parts ready and not ready. 

Fact #8: I recently determined that if I needed to identify a TV character to describe myself, I would be a mix of Beverly Goldberg and Liz Lemon. 

Liz Lemon would love my giant onion ring

Fact #9: The evolution of Nicky’s latest haircut:

June 22

July 27

Fact #10: I’ve never had a good experience bowling with my kids (written whilst bowling with my kids).

Summer Since We Last Spoke

I did a lil summer update back at the beginning of June when summer was just starting. 

Here are some things we’ve done since then:

We went on a trip to Saint George

We saw Back the the Future the Musical

We went fishing

I went kayaking with Shannon while she was visiting from Idaho

We celebrated Father's Day

Scotty went to North Carolina and Chicago for ten days for work

Daisy and Zoe went to girls camp

Daisy and I went to the Derek Hough concert (it was fantastic)!

The girls went camping with my mom for a weekend

We hit Nicky's one year mark!

Nicky had a visit from his theatre teacher on that very day!

I let my girls repaint the playhouse (I let them do it every year, and they can paint it however they want).

We went to the Ogden Dinosaur Park (we weren't a very nice family because we made fun of all the dinosaurs)

We had a Rite of Committal on the one year anniversary of my sister-in-law, Amber's passing to lay her ashes to rest

Everyone was invited to leave a small trinket to 

remember her by, so I left some pieces of our pinata

Eva went to the zoo and to Thanksgiving Point with her grandparents and some cousins

We celebrated Scotty's birthday at Lagoon

Scotty loves to squish into the rides, so here we are with three of us

barely able to sit together on TerrorRide

We also went to Desert Star on Scotty’s birthday (it was a busy day)

On the 4th of July we went to our ward breakfast and the neighborhood parade. Then we went to a park with cousins and had a picnic, looked for golf balls, hung out in hammocks, and played on the slackline

Me showcasing Christie's 4th of July fit

The girls carried one of our chickens in the parade

(I was so glad no dogs came after her)

Hanging out in the hammock - Eva is in her ugly face phase

where she won't take any photos without an ugly face

Scotty, Daisy, and Zoe went to youth conference 

Scotty, Mark, and Kyle bought matching suits, and we had a heyday taking photos of them at the youth conference fireside

Zoe went to Oakcrest (a church camp for 13-ish year olds)

I did 2.5 puzzles (I tried to do a 2,000 piecer by myself and didn't make it. I had to clear it off the table for Game Night)

Zoe wanted to learn how to make honey candy, so we enlisted Grandma to make it happen so I didn’t have to teach her (I still ended up getting roped into helping - it’s the Grandma’s way)

When I look at this list it seems like we’ve been pretty busy and partying pretty hard. It’s amazing how much time we’ve still spent sitting around doing nothing and brain rotting in front of the TV. But, as this post indicates, we’ve had fun in between.

We have 23 days until school starts!