Saturday, August 31, 2019
Run Charlie! Run!
Nephew/cousin Charlie is running track and cross country for SUU where he is attending school. He had a meet this morning in Orem and invited us to come and watch him run. We were delighted to go, be supportive, and cheer his on as he ran past us. The course was on a golf course and wound around and around so that spectators could see runners many times as they passed by going around the course three times. The race started at 10:45am, it was already very hot, and there was a tough long climb in the middle of each lap that looked killer to me. We were all glad we were watching, not running. We had a good time and were proud of Charlie's effort.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Youth Boating Activity
The young men and young women of the ward had a boating activity this evening. They had dinner, played in the water, rode on the boat. It was great fun according to Brandt.
Kent reported the refreshments were good. Dinner was from Chik-fil-a. Kent stayed on the shore because there was limited time and limited space on the boats.
Brandt said, "It was fun. On our boat, we did tubing. One boat was the sit and talk boat, the other was the tubing boat. I did the tubing boat. We were heading out. On the boat were Brother Runia, me, Evan, Paul, Will, and Nathan. Then girls, too. Rebekah, Ashlyn, Lucy, Laney. Evan was in charge of the music, so we were listening to all sorts of different music; Back in Black by ACDC, and music the girls liked. I went out on the tube. I was the very last person out there. I mostly stayed in the boat talking. I did ask Brother Runia if I could drive the boat, but he said no. So sad. It was a four person tube, but we mostly had two people on it. I went out on the tube with Paul. Brother Runia drove fast, but we didn't fall off."
I asked Kent to take some pictures, and to ask someone to take a picture a picture of him and Brandt together. These two are the best pictures I got.
God's Voice
I've been hearing God's voice often of late. He is speaking to me through the scriptures, and I'm grateful for the words I'm reading. Today I began reading Jacob 3, and this is how it began.
We are trying to have exceeding faith and are certainly feeling God's consolation during our afflictions. I love "he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction." I'm frustrated that there even IS someone seeking our destruction, as we certainly have not acted in any way to prompt those actions, but I'm glad to know that God is on our side.1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Good Neighbor
Here it is, my friends. This is what ministering looks like. Dan has been our home teacher/ministering brother for thirteen years, almost as long as Brandt has been alive. He's been faithful and diligent and loves our family. He is always willing to serve, enjoys being in our home, and wants to do for us. This evening, he sat out on the curb, talking to our boy. Isn't that sweet? I know he didn't do this out of a sense of obligation, but just because he likes Brandt. I am grateful for Dan's interest in Brandt, and in all of us. He's a good neighbor, a good friend, our faithful brother.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Movie Night in the Pool
Mikayla suggested that we get together with the big kids to have an outdoor movie night in the pool. How fun does that sound? Super fun! We all agreed that it would be a good time, and decided to make it shark themed, just to be silly. We ate shark-themed treats and watched The Meg while floating around in the pool trying to scare each other. The Meg is a ridiculous shark movie, one I likely would not have finished watching if we hadn't been in the pool. But the whole experience was really a good time, and likely to be repeated next year.
Cousins in shark swimsuits.
For the record, Brandt had already been in the pool; Luke had not.
It looks like Brandt has peed on the ground next to Luke,
but he's just dripping pool water.
Friday, August 23, 2019
Brandt
I love this bright orange ostrich shirt.
I love the boy wearing it.
The boy WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more!
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Day of Service
It's been such a busy day, all service oriented. I didn't start off with a plan to have it be all about doing stuff for others, it just turned out that way. But I feel that it is important to make note of these activities, so here is what I was up to today.
7:00am First thing, Brandt asked if I would make him waffles for breakfast. I did, and included yummy peaches and raspberries to top the waffles. Brandt didn't either of those things on his waffles, but I did. I consider this an act of service because I could have said no and made him eat cereal, but I didn't.
8:15am After Brandt and Blythe left for school, I ran over to Mikayla's house to walk Brick to school. This is pretty much an every morning thing. It is something of a nightmare every time Mikayla needs to get all five of her children out the door to do anything, and the effort to get Brick across the street to school isn't worth it. It's much easier for me to go over and walk Brick, frequently accompanied by Cora and/or Kal, to school, so Mikayla can stay home with the babies and those not interested in walking. Brick was upset today because they couldn't find his running shoes and he had to wear his church shoes. He was convinced other kids were going to make fun of him. I gave him a long hug at the door of his classroom and assured him it would be a good day.
9:30am I came home and almost immediately went across the street to help my neighbor, Lynn Paulus, do some packing. She and her family are moving from the ward, and while they don't have a huge living space, they have lots and lots of stuff (SO. MUCH. STUFF.) and I knew she would need help getting it ready to be moved. She was floundering a bit, sitting at the kitchen table trying to make a plan. I gave her some suggestions, and then said, "Let's start putting things in boxes!" We attacked her daughters' room and got five boxes packed before I had to leave to my next activity. I'll go back.
11:00am Kathy Dutson had asked me to pick up some medication for her, so I ran over to Walgreen's and then dropped it off to her. We had a nice visit. Kathy is largely homebound and she loves to have someone to talk to. I was glad to be able to talk with her for a bit.
12:00pm From Kathy's, I went directly to a school bond meeting. Back in March, I agreed to serve on the executive bond committee, the group who is working to get a school bond passed in the November election. I am a person with many responsibilities on my plate already, but I agreed to do it because I have been worried I will need to get a job and thought my involvement would look good on a resume. I haven't worked for over two decades, and being directly involved in the planning and carrying out of a political campaign would beef up my "work" experience. It has really been a huge time commitment, and I'm sort of regretting that I did it, but maybe it will be valuable in the future. I certainly feel strongly that we need the bond, even though it will mean an increase in property taxes, so I'm putting my time where my mouth is. I was at the meeting for two hours, which has been fairly standard over the past months. Every Wednesday afternoon from twelve to two.
2:00pm One of my fellow committee members, Rebekah, is having car troubles, and she asked me if I could give her a ride home. I was happy to do it. Short but sweet service at the end of long, less sweet service in the meeting.
2:20pm I had about an hour before I needed to pick Brick up from school, so I sat down at the computer and printed off some precinct maps as part of my bond committee responsibilities. I am over the door-to-door efforts, and I've been breaking down large voter precinct into smaller areas so people can go talk to their neighbors. It's a big job and has taken lots of time, time I would love to be paid for. Even $7/hour would be bringing in big money at this point!
3:15 As school was about to get out, I ran back over to Rock Canyon to pick Brick up from school. The difficulty in getting Brick to school is much the same when it's time to get Brick from school, with the added problem that small people at Mikayla's house are often napping when she would need to go collect him. I picked Brick up and he asked if he could come to my house to play. He's been asking for a while, and I haven't been able to say yes. But today, I was going to be home and we didn't have anything pressing to do for a bit, so I agreed. We picked up Kal who also likes to be at our house, and they both came home with me. Normally, I would have brought Cora home, too, but she was playing at Grandma Sue's house.
5:15 Mikayla picked up Brick and Kal about 5:00pm, and we prepared to go help Paul Moreland with his eagle project. While this was largely a young men's activity, I had spoken to Michelle earlier in the week about what they were doing tonight, and as I like Paul and want to support him, and Kent and Brandt were going anyway, I suggested we all go help. Blythe didn't want to go, but work is good for young people, and I want to help our children develop a love of service. So we all went. The Morelands provided pizza, so we ate, then worked at weeding and replenishing sad in a large volleyball court at Carterville Park. It was manual labor, hot in the late summer sun; real work. I was glad to see our children involved and doing, even though it was challenging. We were there until about 7:30pm, when we cleaned up, loaded tools, and came home. We stopped for a Swig soda on the way home because we deserved a cool, refreshing, sweet treat.
So that was my day. Good service. I felt like I did the work that needed to be done, and all with a positive, chipper attitude. Here's hoping I can move tomorrow after all the sand moving this evening. Pictures are all from the eagle project this evening.
7:00am First thing, Brandt asked if I would make him waffles for breakfast. I did, and included yummy peaches and raspberries to top the waffles. Brandt didn't either of those things on his waffles, but I did. I consider this an act of service because I could have said no and made him eat cereal, but I didn't.
8:15am After Brandt and Blythe left for school, I ran over to Mikayla's house to walk Brick to school. This is pretty much an every morning thing. It is something of a nightmare every time Mikayla needs to get all five of her children out the door to do anything, and the effort to get Brick across the street to school isn't worth it. It's much easier for me to go over and walk Brick, frequently accompanied by Cora and/or Kal, to school, so Mikayla can stay home with the babies and those not interested in walking. Brick was upset today because they couldn't find his running shoes and he had to wear his church shoes. He was convinced other kids were going to make fun of him. I gave him a long hug at the door of his classroom and assured him it would be a good day.
9:30am I came home and almost immediately went across the street to help my neighbor, Lynn Paulus, do some packing. She and her family are moving from the ward, and while they don't have a huge living space, they have lots and lots of stuff (SO. MUCH. STUFF.) and I knew she would need help getting it ready to be moved. She was floundering a bit, sitting at the kitchen table trying to make a plan. I gave her some suggestions, and then said, "Let's start putting things in boxes!" We attacked her daughters' room and got five boxes packed before I had to leave to my next activity. I'll go back.
11:00am Kathy Dutson had asked me to pick up some medication for her, so I ran over to Walgreen's and then dropped it off to her. We had a nice visit. Kathy is largely homebound and she loves to have someone to talk to. I was glad to be able to talk with her for a bit.
12:00pm From Kathy's, I went directly to a school bond meeting. Back in March, I agreed to serve on the executive bond committee, the group who is working to get a school bond passed in the November election. I am a person with many responsibilities on my plate already, but I agreed to do it because I have been worried I will need to get a job and thought my involvement would look good on a resume. I haven't worked for over two decades, and being directly involved in the planning and carrying out of a political campaign would beef up my "work" experience. It has really been a huge time commitment, and I'm sort of regretting that I did it, but maybe it will be valuable in the future. I certainly feel strongly that we need the bond, even though it will mean an increase in property taxes, so I'm putting my time where my mouth is. I was at the meeting for two hours, which has been fairly standard over the past months. Every Wednesday afternoon from twelve to two.
2:00pm One of my fellow committee members, Rebekah, is having car troubles, and she asked me if I could give her a ride home. I was happy to do it. Short but sweet service at the end of long, less sweet service in the meeting.
2:20pm I had about an hour before I needed to pick Brick up from school, so I sat down at the computer and printed off some precinct maps as part of my bond committee responsibilities. I am over the door-to-door efforts, and I've been breaking down large voter precinct into smaller areas so people can go talk to their neighbors. It's a big job and has taken lots of time, time I would love to be paid for. Even $7/hour would be bringing in big money at this point!
3:15 As school was about to get out, I ran back over to Rock Canyon to pick Brick up from school. The difficulty in getting Brick to school is much the same when it's time to get Brick from school, with the added problem that small people at Mikayla's house are often napping when she would need to go collect him. I picked Brick up and he asked if he could come to my house to play. He's been asking for a while, and I haven't been able to say yes. But today, I was going to be home and we didn't have anything pressing to do for a bit, so I agreed. We picked up Kal who also likes to be at our house, and they both came home with me. Normally, I would have brought Cora home, too, but she was playing at Grandma Sue's house.
5:15 Mikayla picked up Brick and Kal about 5:00pm, and we prepared to go help Paul Moreland with his eagle project. While this was largely a young men's activity, I had spoken to Michelle earlier in the week about what they were doing tonight, and as I like Paul and want to support him, and Kent and Brandt were going anyway, I suggested we all go help. Blythe didn't want to go, but work is good for young people, and I want to help our children develop a love of service. So we all went. The Morelands provided pizza, so we ate, then worked at weeding and replenishing sad in a large volleyball court at Carterville Park. It was manual labor, hot in the late summer sun; real work. I was glad to see our children involved and doing, even though it was challenging. We were there until about 7:30pm, when we cleaned up, loaded tools, and came home. We stopped for a Swig soda on the way home because we deserved a cool, refreshing, sweet treat.
So that was my day. Good service. I felt like I did the work that needed to be done, and all with a positive, chipper attitude. Here's hoping I can move tomorrow after all the sand moving this evening. Pictures are all from the eagle project this evening.
We had to distribute two large piles of sand all over the volleyball court.
Brandt powerwashed all the tables in and the floor of the pavilion.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Backseat Driver
Cora was accompanying me as I ran around today.
"I like the wind," she said.
"Go faster, Grantie Kake!"
She'd have her head out the window if she could.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Seven Peaks
The Pugmires offered us five free tickets to Seven Peaks this evening, for a company sponsored party. We have been to Seven Peaks twice (maybe), and being there for a private party seemed like a good idea. Kent didn't want to come, so I invited Mikayla and Brick to come. Mikayla readily accepted, and off we went.
Turns out, we weren't the only people invited to the "private party." It was the busiest it's ever been when I've been there. I guess I have chosen well our times to go, and avoided the crowds that could be there. The lines for the slides were incredibly long. They snaked all the way down to the first entrance ramp. Rather than spend all our time standing around, we opted to go on the Avalanche slide, the blue and yellow striped slide with seven chutes all next to each other. There was very little wait for this slide. We stood at the bottom of the slide and waited for a group to come down, then took their mats and walked up to the top. We passed lots of people. We all went down at the same time, racing to see who was fastest and who went farthest. We handed out mats off to those waiting at the bottom, then waited for the group behind us to come down and took their mats. We repeated this five or six times, passing the same people waiting in line for the other slides over and over again. We had way more fun than they did, even though their slides might have been more exciting.
We went around the lazy river twice, stayed for a round of waves in the wave pool, and then went home. It was fun to be together, and so nice of the Pugmires to give us tickets. It might, however, be the last time I do a "private event" at Seven Peaks. Turns out, they are far from "private."
Turns out, we weren't the only people invited to the "private party." It was the busiest it's ever been when I've been there. I guess I have chosen well our times to go, and avoided the crowds that could be there. The lines for the slides were incredibly long. They snaked all the way down to the first entrance ramp. Rather than spend all our time standing around, we opted to go on the Avalanche slide, the blue and yellow striped slide with seven chutes all next to each other. There was very little wait for this slide. We stood at the bottom of the slide and waited for a group to come down, then took their mats and walked up to the top. We passed lots of people. We all went down at the same time, racing to see who was fastest and who went farthest. We handed out mats off to those waiting at the bottom, then waited for the group behind us to come down and took their mats. We repeated this five or six times, passing the same people waiting in line for the other slides over and over again. We had way more fun than they did, even though their slides might have been more exciting.
We went around the lazy river twice, stayed for a round of waves in the wave pool, and then went home. It was fun to be together, and so nice of the Pugmires to give us tickets. It might, however, be the last time I do a "private event" at Seven Peaks. Turns out, they are far from "private."
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Penultimate Campout
After the fiasco with the wasp attack at the ward campout, we needed to make up a night of camping. Friday was going to be campout number 19 of 20, but then the sleeping portion didn't happen. So tonight, to make up for the missed overnighter, Brandt and Kent slept in a tent in the background. The campouts are supposed to be with your troop, but Kent is the scoutmaster, so by being together, they are actually part of the troop. Brandt did all the set up and take down on Friday, and then helped again today, so we figure this all counts. Right? Don't tell the scout council!
Demolition Derby
This evening, Brandt and I went to the Demolition Derby in Spanish Fork. Kent and Blythe were not interested in attending, so I got have a date with my boy. We met up with Sharae, Blake, Makenna, Luke, and Kylie, Blake's girlfriend. Mikayla and Guy went, too, but didn't sit by us. As always, it was exciting and loud. SO. LOUD. Brandt and I had ear protection, but even with them on, it was loud. There were no cars that flipped over on other cars, but several ended up on the barrier, two completely lost front wheels, and general mayhem reigned as always. Brandt tried his first ever funnel cake, and gave it a strong thumbs up. What's not to like about powdered sugar covered fried dough? We stayed until the very end and didn't get home until 11:00pm, but had a super fun time.
The white truck in the foreground lost its back wheel,
and the yellow truck in the background got stuck within the first minute of the heat.
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