Friday the 13th

Friday it rained all day, it's rained for two weeks which is awesome.  I was supposed to sub at Grace's school but I got a call before school started saying that I was being switched to Joe Walker, PE.  It was a pretty easy day.  They played war ball which is a kid favorite apparently.  The only bad part was we were outside for part of every period...in the rain.  I also was not prepared and had my cute suede moccs on, that now are water stained, and I was cold and wet.

When I got home I learned that Einstein had died.  He was under "warranty" so we took his little carcass back and got a new blue bird...who I am calling Galileo.  Idk what Grace is going to call him. The pet store told us the other one probably got too cold so Grace also a little space heater to put on her desk next to the cage.

Today we went to a stake clean up day.  Our ward was assigned an illegal dumping site to pick up trash in, (a patch of desert in the middle of nowhere-ish). It wasn't raining and we picked up a lot of trash.

Then we came home and had family cleaning hour.

This afternoon Rob and I went to the temple.  It was really nice out.  The temple is always nice.  After we went to the Souplantation, which was yummy and in a nice neighborhood.

Hannah and Sam hung out.  Grace worked on her school project, something to do with the Coriolis effect and wind or something.  Ethan played video games.

Now we are watching Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Pretty good day.

Einstein, Idaho and Inclimate weather

 I like to call these two Albert Einstein and Sir Issac Newton.   Grace calls them Kiwi and Winter.  (lame)...just kidding. We think they might be one of each gender as they are going in the little shelter and trying to lay eggs.

The most exciting news of the week is Kenz got into BYU-I!!! Now the girls can be roommates!! They will be so cute! and have so much fun together.  

I've been subbing a lot this week.  My favorite day was 8th grade history.  We learned about the election of Thomas Jefferson (8 times).  

At YW this week we decided on a camp theme: Super Heros!! Can't wait! I think that's a super fun idea.  

It's been raining every day.

Ethan went to soccer practice for his new team last night and that went well.  Today he and Sam went to the park to practice tennis, they are trying out for the school team next week. Neither of them know how to play tennis but it's worth a shot :)

weekend

our weekend was quiet.  Mostly.  It rained a lot.  In fact we've been getting a lot of rain for awhile, which is awesome because CA has been in a drought.  Is it enough? I don't know, but when I drove to the airport last week things did look notably green.

Saturday, while it rained, we did some cleaning up.  Hannah has been working on her portfolio so she went out to take some pictures.

Grace got a second bird, mostly because I was worried that the first would be too lonely during the day when she went to school.  Birds don't like to be alone and they have to stay locked in her bedroom so that they don't get eaten.

Yesterday we went to the Roberts for dinner and it was a lot of fun.  It's always great to get together,  I don't know why our schedules are so full that it's hard to make the time.  I think this year since we have the 9am church block it will be easier to socialize.

Ethan got 3 more merit badges passed off yesterday.  Camping, finally.  That was a long time coming.  Family Life.  Same. and Communications, which he did before but we lost the blue card.  Luckily Julie who we went to for Family Life is also a Communications counselor so she just reviewed with him the things he had worked on and signed it again.  He has environmental science left and a project and we are done!!!

This morning it was back to school for all the kids.  Not a welcome day for them.  I am glad for the routine. It's good to be productive.  I am surprised this morning when my alarm went off I didn't even groan :)

Francis-ing home from the airport

This morning Grace and I went to pick up Hannah.  Her flight was delayed because of the winter storm that has been pounding Utah the whole last week, but it took off and landed with every soul accounted for and that is the sum of my "good flight" criteria.

We missed her and were happy to pick her up.  Imagine what the fall will be like?

We decided not to go straight home. In our family we call that Francis-ing.  When Great Uncle Francis Thacker died we went to his funeral and learned that he was notorious for taking different, meandering routes to where he was going.  This was probably especially good for him since he lived the whole of his life in the same Michigan town.  Whenever we take a different, new, unusual route we say we are Francis-ing.

Anyway Hannah is being interviewed for a photography internship next week and she asked that I bring Clementine (her new camera) with us to the airport and that we stop at the beach on the way back so she could work on her portfolio.

We went to the Santa Monica pier and had a really fun, really nice day.  After finding some "convenient" $20 parking (for the record we were ripped off, there was cheaper parking available) we headed to the 3rd St Promenade and browsed the shops and got some lunch.  We saw fun fun stuff and took our time smelling things, reading funny cards and signs, admiring cute clothes and soaking up the sunshine.  Isn't this music box the cutest thing ever?  It took all my will power not to bring it home.  Oddly later I had the same struggle over some darling "pop"  figures.

Also I wanted this sweatshirt.

We didn't buy anything.  :)

 After browsing and eating we headed to the pier.  They have a cute little aquarium that my friend Beth told me was fun so we stopped in a enjoyed the touch tanks and the sharks and the fish.  It was small but nice.

 We walked on the pier and watched people.  No one knows what to wear.  There were kids in bathing suits in the water and people in parkas and ski hats and everything in between.  We were comfortable in pants and short sleeved shirts.

Also as a side note it was pretty busy and every 3rd person had a dog.  I told Hannah that had we known she should have taken a photo of each dog/person duo and she could make a book "Dogs of Santa Monica Pier" out of it.

Then we went down to the water to play.  It was a beautiful afternoon!!

 I got to hold every one's stuff while they romped in the water....until I dumped it all in the sand to join the fun. Clementine went in my purse, don't worry.

 Then it was time to go:( Too soon for some of us.

A little ice cream for the car ride helped cheer her up.  I also had some ice cream, in a cup, but I didn't like it so after a couple of bites I put it in a trash bin...where less than 10 seconds later a homeless man picked it up and ate it.  I would have given it to him but I am glad he got it.  You see the whole gamut of humanity at the Santa Monica beach.  I guess the moderate climate makes it a popular place to be homeless (sad) and every walk of life likes the sand and the sea.  You can buy a $ hot dog or a $$$ seafood dinner 10 feet apart from each other.  Something for everyone.

And then the traffic home.  

Oh well.

In other news Clayton had his knee surgery yesterday and it went very well.  We've been keeping in touch to see how the recovering is going and he's in good spirits and resting up. Abe is a good comfort dog. 

And another aside we went to see "Hidden Figures" yesterday and I really loved it.  Might be a top ten favorite. 

Also yesterday Grace and I went to help the Packam's clean out their house, they moved to Atlanta yesterday evening and were doing the final clean up.  We have enjoyed their friendship and will miss them.

home body

I was chatting with Ethan during lunch and I asked:

"For spring break would you rather go to the Grand Canyon or Bearizona?"

"MOM! No....sigh,(fall back in chair).  Which one is farther away?"

"They are about the same, 6 hours from here."

"Which one would take longer to look at?"

"Probably the Grand Canyon."

"Bearizona then."

What he doesn't know is that they are super close to each other...insert evil laugh!!

days off

 We had three weeks off for our Christmas break. That's kind of a long time.  Truth be told I'd rather have an extra week in the summer when we all felt like we were going back to school too soon but?

It's been windy.  Windy cold winter weather is yuck.  We do have nice winter days but  the windy ones stink.

Yesterday Grace had her friend Makayla over for the day.  They played outside, some kind of game that involved spitting water or not spitting it, Idk.  They played with the animals, they laughed a lot.  I played dicecapades with them for a long time and we had a fun time doing it.

Grace picked a name for her new budgie, Kiwi. I know I am weak.  I didn't want another animal.  At.all. At ALL.  We have enough little mess makers around but she LOVES animals and also nags like a gold medalist. So now we have it, a bird. She's cute and tame.

Hannah is up in Utah with Dani.  I think they are having a nice time.  I know they are having a huge amount of snow fall every day.  They've been sledding and I am sure Dani is enjoying a lot of laundry and wet floors and wet dogs:)  Our favorite grocery store treat in Ireland were these cookies called "jammie wheels".  Dani and Hannah made a home made version that Dani said were even better.  They are using their snow time wisely!

Ethan has been working on eagle stuff.  I have been making pajama pants...don't ask me why I got a bug for it.  I also have read several fun books.  Right now I am reading "The Chemist".  I just finished "Small, Great Things". Grace has been bird bonding. 

Rob went back to work yesterday.  Today I expect more of the same, sewing, birding, scouting, cleaning, working, reading.  Also I am going to lunch with my friend and Grace and I are going to the store.  

it's a new year

New Years always bring with it a feeling of starting again, making changes, being better. 2016 was a good year for me personally; not globally, not for our country, not every day.  Okay it was just okay.  Lots of good highlights though.  Lots more time for family than in the past, which I love.  That was the good good part.  I love being able to see my sisters and brothers and my grown children and my grand kids and my parents and in`laws.  Family is really the greatest source of joy.  As I am older I really appreciate more the time with my children at home too.  Hannah is on the countdown until college and it is so bittersweet.  I love her company.  We have fun together, we enjoy talking and doing stuff, we know each other's habits and are comfortable.  Moving here has made us closer because she has not replaced her strong friend group with one here.  She definitely has friends, and Sawyer but it's not the same.  I am sad to see that.  I am excited for her to go to BYU, which ever one she ends up choosing, and really making a ton of fun friends and having stuff to do a lot.  I want her here with me selfishly, but I want her to have that full, fun, busy, friend-filled, life more. This is the hard part of parenting.  The letting go and the kind of empty feeling when they are off doing their own thing & the saddness when things are a struggle, friends are wished for, etc.

Our weekend was fine.  Mostly uneventful.  The girls and Marshall left early Saturday morning.  I spent the whole day taking down Christmas.  I love that. I love to put it up and I love the cleaned up emptiness of everything down.  

We didn't do much to ring out the old year.  We went out for gelato.  Ethan and Dad watched a lot of football, which they love to do. Grace and I got in bed around 9 and watched Harry Potter until we fell asleep, I woke up before Midnight and stayed up with Rob to see the clock strike 12.  Frankly it's a dumb holiday and my least favorite one but that's the grouchy grinch old lady part of me talking.  Grace was disappointed that we didn't have a party so next year I will have to do better.

Sunday was church at a new time.  Our new theme this year is awesome!

Our meetings were really good. I love to go and hear talks that make me think, that are doctrine deep, which they were.  With a lay ministry you get what you get.  Some talks are awesome.  Others are just so so.  Yesterday's talks were great.  Ron Ercek spoke and one thing he said was while on his mission, in a little town in Indiana he met with some ministers from another faith.  They were hosting a weekly anti Mormon class with their people and had invited the missionaries to chat with them (not the congregation of course).  They asked the elders what they were teaching "their people".  The elders answered "we are teaching them Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, obedience to His commandments, the importance of baptism by immersion, repentance, and making and keeping covenants with God. " They then talked about the atonement and resurrection.  The minister(s) asked what we believed about the garden of Gethsemane. They (the other faith) believe that while in the garden Christ was deciding if he wanted to go thru with the crucifixion. We know that while in the garden Christ suffered for the sins of all mankind. Imagine not knowing that?  

The next speaker spoke about the atonement as well.  He posed the question "how did Satan, while in the presence of Heavenly Father, persuade 1/3 of the hosts of heaven not to follow God's plan?"  It is a crazy thought.  Then he suggested that they didn't really want to be forced to obey, they just didn't believe that Christ could/would be able to pay the price for us and/or that they could have the faith/obedience to follow Him.  

Later during Sunday School I had a personal aha moment of understanding on an issue that has long bothered me.  

I love that the Holy Ghost can teach and testify to us, especially when we are in the right places, doing the right things and searching for those answers.

One of my resolutions for the year is to do all I can to teach the young women that.  To help them feel strong and valiant. To not be lame (me, not them :) ). 

Last night we were supposed to go to Pasadena with our friends and wait to see the Rose Parade.  We ended up not going because the kids REALLY.DID.NOT.WANT.TO.  They can be such sticks in the mud.  It's a struggle to get them (mostly Ethan) out of the house.  He really bargained hard to stay home and then played his "long saved card" the Eagle scout. He said he was waiting until it was really important and this was it.  "Ethan, good news we get to go sit outside in the cold over night to watch a parade."  "Mom, I'll finish my eagle this month if we don't have to."......okay.  I was bummed, because a) I have wanted to see it. b) I wanted to hang out with Ramona.  I watched this morning and it looked like fun.  Maybe one year.

Then in other news today was the day we could book our beach vacation.  Andrea and I were both on the minute it was open and both didnt' get it.  It's crazy.  How does a whole state shoreline book up for a whole month in 1 hr?  It literally took 2 hours of trying different things and we still aren't sure what we are doing.   I have a couple locations booked with the intent of cancelling the ones I don't want.  We have sites at Pismo beach near Val and Andrea and sites a little more apart at El Capitan.  El Cap is closer and nicer.  Decisions by committee are always hard and we had a little Christmastime disagreement/misunderstanding/unpleasantness so everyone is being careful which makes it even harder.  The bottom line is I love my sisters a lot. So we will figure it out.  Mortality is tough.  Even if some of the problems are first world.  The angst and frustration and doubts and disappointments are still very real.  

This year I resolve to lose the 30 lbs I lost and then found last year...and keep them lost.  Sad.
I also want to come to terms with living in CA again.  It's been a struggle all this time.  I keep reminding myself of the good things a) close(r) to family, b) Rob's great job, c) pleasant winter weather (sort of).  I keep trying to be a good sport, easy going, happy natured, looker on the bright side but I still kind of hate it here.

Also I want to read the Book of Mormon at least twice.