February 2020

Sat. 1st--Jared had left on Thursday, Jan. 30th, for a medical conference in San Antonio for five days. Jake had left for Florida on Friday afternoon til Monday. And Cooper had already left to work the 12:30 to 8pm shift on Saturday, Feb. 1st. We got paid that weekend, so after paying the bills, I needed to make my run to Sams Club. It was gorgeous outside and the little boys were playing at the end of the cul-de-sac. I usually don't let them stay outside while I'm gone, but because of the weather and several other neighbor adults outside who I asked if they wouldn't mind keeping an eye out, I figured it would be okay. I informed Karcyn the boys would be outside and asked her to go out and check on them every once in a while. 

When I went out to the garage, I noticed the door was hanging down about a foot from the top. Which was weird. Someone must have stopped it. I made a mental note to open it up all the way before leaving, but was on a mission to first speak with Calvin about my expectations for him while I was at the store. We had a discussion out in the driveway that lasted only a couple minutes. And when we were finished I walked straight back to the driver's side and got in the suburban. I proceeded to back out of the garage only to hear this terrible sound of grinding metal. That's when I realized in horror that I HADN'T pushed the garage door button again to get the door to rise up all the way and even though I looked out my mirrors before backing out, the door wasn't down far enough to be seen so I backed right into it. Noooooo!!!

And ALL MY MENFOLK were GONE!! *sigh* So I ran to my neighbor, John, who does mobile car repair and has helped us with Jake's very needy car, Veronica.

When I backed out, I only went part of the way out of the garage but caught the garage door and yanked it off the track from above. You can see how it scraped the metal on the top of my car.

A view from below.

A view from the driveway.

Fortunately, John was home and willing to fix the garage door and get it back on track, literally. And just like that, we were back in business. I was so grateful!! Such a tender mercy. John is not gainfully employed so I paid him for his time. I would much rather pay a good neighbor than someone else.

Mon. 3rd--This is a picture of the roll top desk that my father-in-law bought my mother-in-law years ago. It's solid oak, Amish made. It's lovely and very large. She just doesn't have room for it in her new house. And as I cleaned out her future craft room, around the desk, she finally realized it would need to go. Which would certainly mean an emotional separation for her. I took a picture so that she could always remember it because she sold it to a secondhand furniture store for pennies. We would have kept it at our house if we could, but we lack the adequate space as well. The good thing about the furniture store is that they were coming to pick it up and haul it away themselves, which was a real blessing, at least for me. I wouldn't know the first thing about dismantling this beast. I did suggest to Karole that she not be at the house when the furniture people came to haul the desk and headboard away. She agreed and left the house to run errands while I stayed behind to oversee the transaction.

Wed. 5th--This was our Activities Day in the Caldwell Branch. And it was my partner, Jaa'lah's first time. We talked with the kids about the upcoming General Conference at the beginning of April and how we wanted to follow the prophet and focus on the First Vision. Jaa'lah knocked it out of the park. She's going to be a great leader. We had Oreo cookies to help fill in the new year. :)

Thurs. 6th--Jake decided it was time to break up with Veronica. They'd been together for a month. But he needed to cut his losses. So Jared went with Jake to co-sign on another used car but through a dealership in Austin. We're grateful Jared had the day off to do this with Jake and that the car was actually there when they arrived in Austin. We've learned the hard way that sometimes they aren't!

Sat. 8th--It was a super busy day. Jared was working, so I was grateful to have Jake on standby to help assist me, but first, he was taking the ACT til noon. He wanted to see how he could perform on a test since getting narcolepsy. JJ had baseball tryouts at 3:15pm and Calvin had tryouts at 3:30pm in a completely different location. So I took JJ and Jake took Calvin.  This was a first for JJ and he did a good job. He's the little guy in the blue.

Jake took Calvin to his tryouts, but we found out later from Jake that after Calvin got there, he didn't want to try out. He's at that age where the boys are *really* good and he just started playing two years (four seasons) ago.  He felt way out of his league. I wish kids could just play for fun and not feel like they have to eat, drink, and sleep a sport in order to belong--or feel like they belong. So while I was disappointed that Calvin didn't try out, I totally get it. He can still play baseball, and will be placed on a team. It's just that his future coach won't know what his skill level is.

*Later that afternoon, I spent two hours helping clean out and organize Karole's garage for her. We came across this stuffed bass that Doc caught back in 1977--the year I was born. Karole would never approve of it in her house. So we thought hanging it out in the garage was a good compromise and we're pretty sure Doc was smiling down on us...and his mounted fish.

I didn't get any before pictures, but here are the ones after. It was a warm and humid afternoon for the beginning of February! I was sweatin'! Proud of what we accomplished, too.

*Cooper worked from 12-8:00 pm and then he had a double date at our house AT 8:30. His date, Ashlyn, is from the Montgomery area, in the next church stake over (about 45 minutes away). Her family was trying to buy a house in the Caldwell Branch and came to church one Sunday at the beginning of the year. All the youth were talking together in the hall afterwards with Ashlyn and her brother. Then, at the end of January, Cooper sent us a picture with him and a dark haired girl. It was Ashlyn. They bumped into each other at the multi-stake conference for youth 15 and older. And they exchanged numbers. And now they had a date. Cooper needed another couple though to make it a double. So he approached his friend Nike and said, "Hey, remember that breakfast burrito I gave you last week? Time for me to cash in." He was mostly kidding. There were no strings attached to the burrito. Fortunately, Nike was able to get a date as well. Because Ashlyn lives so far away and doesn't drive yet, her parents were kind enough to drive her to College Station that night and have their own date in town until she was ready to be picked up. I guess her dad works here in CS. And her older sister Brooke goes to the YSA ward with Jake. She's seen him around. So we got to meet Ashlyn and her mom and dad. I had a spread of snacks and goodies on the island for them to munch on while they watched the live action "Aladdin." Jared and I went to our room just off the living room and watched our own show, going back and forth as needed for this or that. We noticed Cooper was sitting pretty close to Ashlyn on the couch :) We're just happy ONE of his dates panned out since the last two cancelled at the last minute. Third time's a charm? :) They seemed to have a good time and we enjoyed getting to know Ashlyn's parents as well.

Mon. 10th--I did my normal laundry and grocery shopping duties. And then packed my suitcase to leave for Utah with Jake. This was his birthday trip from me and Jared. The main reason for the trip, however, was to welcome home his MTC sisters from Hungary. They were arriving on Wednesday afternoon.

We left home around 12:30pm--ran to the bank, grabbed lunch, and then Jake drove us to Austin in his very nice 2005 Mitsubishi Outlander. I can't believe that car is 15 years old. It is in supreme condition and only has 90,000 miles on it.

Jake driving with only his knees. Which, ironically, is the exact same thing my high school best friend, Kellie, did all the time.

*We were flying Frontier from Austin to Salt Lake City. This was my first time on Frontier. Jake has flown it a couple times. Once to Utah. Most of his stuff was in his backpack, the rest was in the suitcase when I said I'd share a little bit of space with him. :) I wanted to double check the weight of the suitcase before we left the house. Using the bathroom scale, it weighed in at 52 lbs. Dang. So we had to do some recalculating. I took an outfit out. He took a couple things out. We tried again. This time it was 48 lbs. Better! Let's hope my scale weighs heavy like I swear it does every time I step on it! I was kind of worried about my backpack carry-on as well--the size of it. But Jake assured me that there were people with backpacks bigger than ours. True, but they might have paid for theirs. We did not. I have to say, I was a bit nervous about my checked bag weight and carry on. We put the suitcase on the scale at the check in counter and held our breath. Time slowed down as we waited anxiously and finally the digital screen flashed: BAG OVER. We both yelped, "Noo!" But the agent said calmly with a wry smile, "You're good." And then the scale flashed: 50.0. We don't know what happened, but if the ticket agent said we were good, we weren't going to question him! Relieved, Jake and I high-fived each other and went on our way.

Phew. One hurdle down. One to go. There was no one in line for the security check. The south terminal at Austin Bergstrom Airport has only 2 gates. So we snaked our way around the roped off line to the guard standing at the entrance. He let me through and I put my backpack on the conveyor belt. Again, I held my breath that I wouldn't be stopped for a backpack that was too big to be a carry-on. As I got on the other side of the security checkpoint and waited behind Jake for my bag, I noticed it went on another track, away from me toward two other agents. One of them picked it up and asked, "Whose bag is this?" Oh no. What now? I swear I didn't have any jams or jellies or even candles in my carry-on this time. Which has been my downfall TWICE before (once to Oregon and once on my way home from Iceland).

I raised my hand confidently (I had nothing to hide) and said it was mine. He asked me to step over to another table with him. He put on gloves and as he unzipped the bag asked, "Will anything sharp hurt me if I reach in here?" Uhh, no. That's when it dawned on me that I hadn't pulled my face products out of my backpack. I totally had them in a quart-sized bag, but in all the excitement of barely making the checked bag weight, I had neglected to get them out and put them on the belt as we went through security. And I told the security guy that as well. He shook his head and said that wasn't it. Oh. Then I was truly stumped. It was just a book, notebook and my mini backpack purse that was in there.

The guy continued to paw through my things and reached into my actual purse. He asked if I had a tongue scraper in there. A what? No. Definitely not. He kept looking at the xray screenshot to help him navigate through my things as he searched for the offending item. And then he found it and pulled it out...

That!? I stifled a laugh. "That's my pen. It writes really well," I informed him with a smile. "And has a lot of bling," I added for good measure. He looked at me, looked the pen over, twisted it to make sure it was just a pen and then gave it to me. "You're good," he said. He handed me the pen and left me to repack my things. Wow. I just can't win with security! But got a good chuckle out of that even though I did not mean to cause any trouble. (Sadly, I ended up losing the pen with bling at the Hansen's house. I think it's probably stuck in their couch somewhere. Oh well. The loss kept me from further security issues on my way home.)

At last, Jake and I settled into the gate area. We had almost two hours before our flight was going to take off. While we waited, I got two phone call requests to substitute that week. I felt really bad having to say no, but at least my reason was good--out of state.  

Before boarding at 5pm, we grabbed a couple street tacos (which were really yummy) to take on the plane with us. Jake got the shrimp and I got the carne asada.

Walking out to the plane and up the ramp.

Ready, set, fly!! I sure hoped this trip would lift Jake's spirits and fill his soul with joy and energy.

*This is something Jake has learned to live with a lot these past nine months.

*When we arrived in Utah around 8pm, Wes and Bev McCoullough were there to pick us up. It was definitely cold! But there wasn't snow on the ground at all like I expected there to be. They drove us back to their home in Daybreak, near South Jordan. There, they had dinner waiting for us, which was so gracious and much needed since we didn't get fed on the plane and the tacos were about 5 bites in size. We spent an hour with Wes and Bev before we wrapped things up. They gave us the keys to their Subaru which they also graciously loaned us for the week and then Jake and I headed to OJ and Vickie Hansen's. He was our bishop in the Farmington Ward and lived in our neighborhood. These days, they live only 10 minutes from Wes and Bev, which is wild. Wes and Bev still have their house in Oregon, but come down to Utah (where most their kids are) five or six times a year and stay for several weeks. We were really excited that our trips happened to coincide with each other.

Seeing OJ and Vickie is a lot like visiting my own parents. Even OJ's mannerisms are eerily similar to my dad's. They were both military men and the same age, so that might have something to do with it. Even though I hadn't seen them since November 2018, when I was in Oregon last, it was like no time had passed. They gave us a tour of their home and showed us to our rooms. Then we chatted for an hour or so before calling it a night.

Tues. 11th--Jake had a job interview at the Missionary Training Center in Provo that morning at 11am. It was about a 40 minute drive from South Jordan. We made it there by the skin of our teeth. I dropped him off and then drove to an ancillary parking lot across the street as I was directed to wait for him. I used that time to call Jared and check-in and see how his first day as Mr. Mom was going. So far, so good, he said! Jake texted me about 20 minutes later to find out where I was. As I was texting him back, a car pulled up next to mine. Jake had run into one of his MTC instructors (Colton Squire) who offered to drive him over. I finally got to meet his instructor and then Jake and I took some pictures before heading to the Cougar Cafe to meet another one of Jake's MTC instructors (Kaitlin Fiel) for lunch.

The Provo Temple through the trees.

It was a gorgeous day and BYU is in a beautiful location...nestled right up next to the mountains.

I just love the spiritual nature of this institution and the scriptures and signs and beautiful paintings that inspire all who walk in those halls.

Jake and Kaitlin catching up and speaking in Hungarian, of course. :)

Jake and I had paninis for lunch. And then we went back and got a banana Nutella one. Mmm. Delish!

While we were sitting there, a gal came up to Kaitlin and they started talking. Then Kaitlin said, "Do you know Jake?" And when Jake and the girl made contact, they realized they have met before! When Jake came out to Utah in October before his mission to Ohio, he joined a Hungarian group for Come Follow Me and it was at this girl's apartment. She asked Jake if he was at school right now, and he explained that he would be coming to Utah next month--staying with Cade Smith until spring term began. She knew Cade also. After they exchanged pleasantries, I watched her head back toward her group, then she jumped up and ran to this kid wearing a baseball cap. She stopped him dead in his tracks and then pointed in our direction. He came over and wrapped his arms around Jake from behind. Turns out, that was Cade! So I got to meet Jake's future roommate before March! Cade pulled up a chair and joined the gathering. I had a blast sitting back and watching them all communicate in Hung-lish. Cade is a crack up. He and Jake are going to be good for each other. They have a lot in common. I'm excited for him.

We gave Kaitlin a ride back to her apartment so she wouldn't have to worry about catching a bus.

Ahh, those mountains.

We were going to spend most the day in Provo, trying to get to the Provo City Center Temple (which is why I was in my church clothes all day). But we had to go with the flow to make sure we got important errands done and connecting with people was important, too.

First we found a bank for Jake that we think is a sister branch to our Aggieland credit union in College Station. If that's the case, then Jake won't need a different account, he can just use that one and they can access his funds using his Texas account number, which is awesome.

Then we decided to find where his cousins, Cole and Connor are living because that's where Jake would be for spring/summer and possibly the two semesters after that. Bountiful Courts. (Thank goodness for GPS!)

We went up to apartment #17 where they live and knocked and knocked, but no one answered. We weren't surprised. We didn't tell them we were coming and some people still have school and jobs to tend to.

So Jake found a piece of paper and grabbed a pen to leave a note. He propped the paper on the door and leaned against it to begin writing when the door moved inward slightly. It wasn't latched! We didn't go in, but Jake pulled it closed tighter so that it actually latched and made a comment along the lines of "you're lucky I decided not to come in and make myself at home because the door was open." The whole note was super cryptic. He didn't address it to his cousins. He didn't sign it. Just ended with a quote that the cousins would definitely know. "DO IT." And then we left.

The temple became out of the question because of a lack of time. I guess Jake told Cade that we'd meet him back at the Wilkinson Center after his 5pm class. We had dinner plans with friends at 6pm, so that would work out. I wasn't disappointed, only because I had been to the Provo City Center Temple already, a few years ago when I went to Utah for Women's Conference and with Jake living just blocks away, he'd have plenty of time to attend himself.

We headed to the bookstore to get souvenirs for the fam. The last time we were here, we all got BYU shirts. This time, they'd get Studio C t-shirts.

Jake sitting with the cougar mascot, Cosmo.

After our purchases, we made our way back to a sitting area while waiting for Cade, and wouldn't you know it, Jake ran into two other friends!! Regan Kuttler from College Station and Jack Spencer from the mission. So fun!

Jake showing Jack the movie trailer for "Black Widow" because parts of it was filmed in Hungary and on streets they've personally been on.

And Cade returned! Three Hungarian missionaries at the Wilkinson.

Before 6pm, we drove just a mile or so down the road and to the basement apartment of our friends, the Petermans, from College Station. Mindy was my 1st counselor in the Stake YW presidency. She was amazing and I love her dearly. And miss her so much! She and her family left Texas last June so she could pursue her bachelors degree. She has great faith and determination!

After dinner pic.

Before we truly left Provo for the day, we swung by the twins' apartment one more time. We knocked and knocked again on #17, but there was no answer. However, this time Jake DID let them know we were coming. We shivered on the front porch while we waited longer than we thought we should have. Jake finally called them and told them we'd been knocking. They said they were listening and didn't hear anything. That's when they clarified, "You're at apartment #2, right?" *crickets* Whoops!! #17 is where they were GOING to be in the spring. Not where they were now. Hahaha!!! So we ran down to #2 and wouldn't you know, there they were! And then we had a funny story to tell them about our shenanigans earlier that day at their so-called apartment.

I came inside to take a mommy-peak at what the apartment looks like, Jake's storage options, and asked questions like what types of things Jake needed to bring. Apparently, the twins indicated that they were good to go on toilet paper. Like for a year. I gave them a questioning look and said, "Are you sure?" They said seriously. They had a big super pack from Costco. I said that it might go faster than they think. But they told me their secret. They hold it and go on campus. Haha! Brilliant. The other factor I didn't consider is that boys use less toilet paper than girls do. So where this was a hot commodity when I was in college, it's not so much for the boys apparently.

Cole strumming on his guitar.

Jake joining him on Cole's other guitar.

Ahh, so fun! As parents, we've waited for this day--when our "triplets" could be together again.

The Rise of the Triple Threat!

On our way back to South Jordan, we took a wrong turn, and ended up down by the Jordan River Temple, so we took advantage of the detour and got a closer look. It's quite the sight as you head west from the highway and make your way up the hill. I didn't realize that it also had colored class in the tall spire and along the narrow windows. It's really pretty.

Vickie and OJ work at the temple on Friday nights. They were telling us that this temple is the *busiest* temple in the world. Over 10,000 ordinances performed EVERY.DAY. That is nuts!!! The Hansens have been serving at this temple for several months and Vickie says they have yet to meet the same people on their shifts. There's just so many! Which is a great "problem" to have! 

Wed. 12th--Jake and I made plans to attend the Oquirrh Mountain temple on Wednesday morning before going to the airport to welcome home his sisters. The Hansens said they'd love to join us. So we all went to the 9am session. Funny, I didn't even know where the Oquirrh Mountains were. But they're the mountain range on the west side of this valley. They might not be as tall as the Wasatch Front, but they are no less lovely. This temple sits up high on a tall hill. It's long and narrow but no less a beacon of hope and beauty.

OJ and Vickie were like parent figures to our family when we lived in Oregon--almost seven years in our first house.

Mother-son picture that's not a selfie. :)

We went back to the Hansens to change clothes and then OJ offered to make us a brunch before we headed out, which was truly so kind and generous. He is quite the cook! And just what we needed. We were super pumped about that night, too...the Hansen's ward youth were hosting a catered adult dinner with the BYU ballroom dancing team for entertainment afterwards. They wanted to know if we'd like to join them. Yes, please!! It was going to be an amazing day!!

Driving to the airport from South Jordan, we could just jump on the Bangerter Highway and it takes you right there. We were able to jump on a shuttle into the terminal pretty quickly too. We were doing just fine on time.

Jake and his love for planes...

Almost there!

When we got to the Delta Terminal, there were a couple large groups already, but no one Jake recognized. His companion, Rachel Christensen, already got home around Christmas and she was going to be there as well. But there was no sign of her. After a few minutes, Jake texted someone and realized we needed to be at the Delta *international* terminal just down the road. So we walked over. Colton Squire was there and one other family when we arrived. And hoped that the other families would make it there in time. It took awhile, but they did all eventually make it before the girls did. I was touched that many of them came up to Jake saying they recognized him from pictures and letters. We had several lovely conversations with parents before passengers started coming around the corner. We think the sisters were the last ones to get off. Haha! It took awhile. But they all came together. Some of the passengers that the sisters had been sitting next to on the flight from Europe actually waited with us to join in the big reunion. I thought that was cool. 

It was a very emotional reunion. I cried, of course. One of the sisters, Jessi Michaelis, wasn't expected to be there, because she's from Arizona. But she was getting a connecting flight from Salt Lake. Knowing she wouldn't have any family there to welcome her back to American soil, I went up to her, with Jake in tow, and gave her a super big mommy hug to welcome her back. And then we let the families have their wonderful, long anticipated reunions before we made our way around to the rest of the groups. 

Jake got a hug from all of them except one, Sister Wight--who, ironically enough, was in the same stake as us in Oregon. Her dad is still the stake president. 

And here is The Magnificent Seven!! From left to right: Jessi Michaelis, Carissa Wight, Rachel Christensen, Kayla Reynolds (Jake's other companion), Sariah Rees, Sara Frandsen, and Jake.

The MTC tri-panionship.

Jake and Sariah. After Jake came home in May, there was an email from every single one of his sisters reaching out and making sure he was okay and wanting to know what was going on. Jake, wrote them back and kept in touch and responded to all the emails he was sent. As it turns out, Sariah was the only sister who wrote or sent an audio clip to Jake every week for eight months. It was a much needed connection for Jake and he'll always be grateful for their friendship during that tough transitional time. I appreciate Sariah because about five weeks into their MTC experience, I sent all the sisters a silver necklace with a charm in the shape of Hungary for them to have before they left the states. (If you look carefully, you can see some of the sisters wearing that necklace.) They all sent a sweet thank you card to me from Provo, but Sariah sent me a very gracious and personal email on her own. And I just loved that about her. Probably because it's something I would have done myself. A girl after my own heart.

After we got lots of hugs and pictures, we made our way to the outdoor parking lot. Jake was playing the piano in two homecomings that Sunday: Kayla's and Sara's. So he needed to practice with some other sister missionaries (who had already come home) who would be singing. They decided the best time to do that would be after the airport homecoming. So Jake left in someone's car to go to Provo and I went to find my car and head back to Jordan. Jake said he'd catch the Frontrunner train from Provo to Jordan when he was finished so I wouldn't have to come get him.

I'm not going to lie, it took me about 15 minutes longer than it should have to find my way out of that blasted maze of a parking lot. Not cool! GPS wasn't helping and I seriously thought I might have to spend the night there! Finally, I got out and made my way to Riverton. My friend, Kathy Tawzer, who I used to visit teach in Oregon, also lives about 12 minutes from the McCulloughs and Hansens. It's crazy! Our Farmington Ward has migrated to the same area. ;) Which makes it super convenient for us from out-of-state who want to visit!

I wasn't sure when I'd have a free moment. I was more or less at Jake's beck and call for his trip. So I just decided to swing by Kathy's even though I hadn't heard if she was home or not. I found her house, rang the doorbell and when there wasn't an answer, I took a selfie for proof and sent it to her telling her I was sorry we weren't able to connect.

Then I headed to see the McCulloughs before needing to go to the dinner party with the Hansens. Jake had called and said that the practice was a bust. It took them longer to get out of the airport parking, too, but mostly because they got off at the wrong parking lot stop. And then the piano at one of the girls' apartments was moved...overnight! It was in the gathering room the day before and now it wasn't. So they couldn't practice. But the worst part is that Jake didn't think he was going to make it back in time for the dinner. He didn't want me to miss it, though, and encouraged me to go without him if it came to that. Which I really appreciated. He was looking forward to seeing the ballroom dancers as much as I was. He *wants* to take ballroom dancing as a class when he goes to BYU.

This is a picture of the Oquirrh Mountain temple on the hill from one of the roads I was on heading to the McCulloughs.

I had a nice visit with Wes and Bev while Jake was gone. I was afraid I might not get to see them much so it filled me up to have some special time with them. And I got a call from Jake saying I could come pick him up at the station around 5:35. So I left as soon as I could and got there as quickly as I could, though it was a bit of a tricky pick up spot. But we managed and off we went back to the Hansens with ten minutes to spare before 6:30. I told them we could meet them at the church, but they said they were not in a hurry and it only takes 2 minutes to get there anyway. I keep forgetting that there's a chapel on every corner there. :)

Dinner and dessert were delicious and we enjoyed our tablemates very much.

Getting ready for the show!

 The ballroom dancing was just delightful! We could have watched them allll night.

Then we had a real treat. One of the dancers is the Hansen's nextdoor neighbor. So she and a few others stuck around to teach us some ballroom dancing steps.

Jake and I gave it a try.

Doing the foxtrot. It was a super fun evening!!

Thurs. 13th--This was a more laid back day. As far as plans went, we needed to find Jake some snowpants that he could use for snowboarding with the twins on Friday night. I also had plans to meet with my high school buddy, Debbie Lamb. She actually met Jared at Ricks College the summer before I started that fall and she told him that he would like me. :) Debbie lives in a cute condo in Centerville, just north of Bountiful. 

We were fortunate enough to find Jake some snowboarding pants at BIG 5 in Centerville and on sale. Hallelujah!

Debbie wasn't feeling very well. But I'm so grateful she was willing to do lunch with us anyway on her day off. Her mom passed away seven years ago and her dad a couple years ago. We ate at Hug Hes Cafe in Centerville. It was delicious. And I bought two super-big heart shaped sugar cookies for the McCulloughs and the Hansens. Jake wasn't feeling so hot either. He was quiet most that morning, during lunch and he didn't eat much either, but it was mostly just me and Debbie chatting anyway.

When we got back to South Jordan, we spent some time with the McCulloughs. Wes bought a piano for the house in Utah and was teaching himself how to play. So impressive! But he wanted Jake to play while we were there, so Jake obliged and Elissa recorded it.

That night, we were invited to have dinner in Cedar Hills (not too far from Highland/Lehi) with the Miller family. Jennifer was the Stake YW Camp director when I was called to be the Stake YW's president right before we went to Colorado for Girls Camp in 2018. So we went through a lot together. :) Sadly, they had just built a home in College Station and had barely moved in when Jen's husband, Kendall, took a new job opportunity in Utah with a relative. So off they went just six months after camp. Jake and I had been going, going, going hard for the past four days. We were really tired. I actually didn't feel up to going to Cedar Hills. Jake didn't really either. But we went because our friends had made us dinner and were expecting us. The drive was pretty. The setting sun on the snow-capped mountains is really breathtaking. I just love how these cities are right next to the mountains.

Jake and I arrived and were met by most the family. Jen and I talked together in the kitchen while Jake sat in the living room and chatted with one of the daughters. Then Chance came home. He's two years younger than Jake. Once those two started talking, Jake perked right up. [This was the family who went on the same Caribbean cruise as we did at the end of Dec. 2017, which made it fun for Jake and Cooper who are friends with Chance and his sister, Emma.] The rest of the family got home shortly after and we had a delicious dinner. Chance was waiting to find out if he got into BYU Provo--he'd know that weekend. There was also a yummy dessert, but I told Jake we had to leave because we were meeting my college roommate, Sarah and her family. I had said 8pm and it was getting near 8:30. But I let him stay for dessert. :) I hated to run but we had to double up our visits when they were in the same area.

Jen and Jenn.

We got to the Christensens in Lehi about 12 minutes later. It wasn't as far as I thought. We had a lovely visit. All three of their kids were still awake and I felt bad that we were there so late. Jake came in and hugged them all. Sarah just loves Jake. They read all his emails/letters while he was in Hungary. And Sarah's niece, Jody, also has narcolepsy. Jake was able to connect with Jody not long after he came home from Hungary and I've even communicated with her mom thanks to Sarah's help. Jake and Ryan (Sarah's oldest, also a senior like Chance Miller) hit it off right away. Ryan likes Legos and engineering and things that Jake does also, so they had a lot to chat about. Sarah's daughter, Lizzie, sat and listened to our conversation. She's 15 and super sweet. Justin and David, Sarah's youngest, were listening to Jake and Ryan. We had a really great conversation catching up as best you can in an hour. Sarah and I graduated from the teacher education program at Weber State together. And lived together when Jared went to Illinois to start his own massage therapy business. I was there when she and Justin started dating and when they got married. :)

While it made for another long day and late night, Jake was feeling better emotionally by the time we headed back to the Hansens and I was grateful we took the time for the visits with our friends.

Fri. 14th--Happy Valentine's Day! This was another big day for Jake. He had asked his friend, Sariah Rees, before she came home from her mission, if, since we would be in Utah for a week, she would like to do something with him before we headed back to Texas. She said yes. She is from Tremonton and graciously suggested they meet in Ogden (a "halfway" point) for breakfast on Friday. Jake and I left the Hansen's bright and early so that we could do initiatories at the Ogden Temple before they met up, which has been drastically renovated since Jared and I were regulars there some 19 years ago. It used to look like the Provo Temple (a birthday cake as some call it). Jared was sealed to his family in this temple back in 1975.

The Ogden Temple before sunrise.

We didn't get to spend a ton of time there, but I'm grateful we were able to go nonetheless.

The Ogden Temple after sunrise!

We had thought ahead and brought our street clothes with us to change into after we left the temple, before meeting Sariah for breakfast. Jake didn't want to change in the actual restaurant we'd be meeting her at. We needed gas anyway (the first time since getting there!) so I found a 7-Eleven nearby to do both. I had Jake change first (there was only one bathroom) while I kept watch for anyone who might need to use the facilities so I could speed him along if needed. The lady standing behind the counter eyed me suspiciously when we walked in with clothes in our arms.

Jake took about 5x longer than I would have and I was getting a bit antsy waiting for him. Especially under the scrutinizing glare of the woman. The other gas station attendant, a man, checked on us once during that time. And at one point, the woman passed me to come down the hall. I was keeping watch though and there weren't any other customers who came in or needed the restroom. Right as I was getting ready to knock on the door to have Jake come out, the man attendant asked me what I was doing. I told him we needed to change our clothes real quick. He said the bathroom is for paying customers only. I said we would be. Then he said that he had to turn customers away because we're more or less hogging the bathroom. I told him no one has come over here, I've been watching for them. Jake was done about thirty seconds later, so I found the attendant and said that the bathroom was free for the customer who needed it. He told me it was too late. They already left. Hmm. Very convenient. So I went in and changed my clothes in about 60 seconds. Not bothering to tie my shoes. I was getting worked up as I ruminated on the actions of the attendant and tried to calm myself down. The guy was clearly lying about turning customers away. I heard Jake on the other side of the door say that we were buying gas, but according to the man behind the counter, apparently that isn't good enough--and not considered a gas station purchase worthy of using the restrooms. We needed to buy something from their store. So I came out and grabbed a pack of gum. I put it loudly on the counter by the register and without a ton of sincerity wished them a Happy Valentine's Day. If we were going to be treated like that, I wasn't going to buy gas from them and we left to go to the restaurant. Gosh. The nerve! But then I felt terrible for my reaction. I had just left the temple! And with my son. Some example I was. Darn it. Will I ever learn?

We arrived at Jeremiah's off 12th Street in Ogden and were shocked to see that it was packed!! I mean, I get that it's Valentine's Day, but it was also a school day. The restaurant is adjacent to a hotel. Is Ogden really that hopping of a place? In February?

We went inside to get our names on a waiting list. I said a table for one. Jake said a table for two. My phone was dying...I forgot to charge it while we were driving to Odgen that morning. I couldn't find a place to charge it inside, so I went outside and used the outlet by the bench. Jake decided to stay inside where it was warmer. (We gotta get some meat on those bones of his.) I read my scriptures while waiting to hear our names called. About 5 minutes later, I looked up and there was Sariah headed towards me. I stood up and we hugged each other. Jake came out right about that time and they went inside together and I waited until my name was called, which wasn't too long after that. I was led back to my table for one. I ordered hot chocolate and a yummy pancake and egg breakfast and read my book. I had no idea where Jake and Sariah were and didn't look for them.

I had finished eating and was reading my book when my phone rang. It was my parents calling from Iceland! There was some super storm happening and they were told to hunker down in their flat and not go to work because of hurricane strength winds and blizzard conditions. They said it wasn't too bad where they were, though. While I was chatting with them, Jake and Sariah came up to my table. I smiled and said into the phone, "Can you hold on for a second?" and I set the phone down. Jake asked if they could go somewhere to talk like the mall or something. Then Sariah piped up, "And would you mind taking us?" Of course I could and told them to have a seat real quick. I was happy to hear they didn't want the date to end quite yet. So I picked up the phone and told my parents I had to go and would talk to them later. I still needed my check. While we waited, Sariah looked at me and said, "I can't tell you what a privilege it is to finally meet THE Jenn Hough." I smiled, blushed, and told her she was adorable and then we got to up to go.

Sariah sat in front and Jake jumped in our messy backseat. I still needed gas so that's what we did first. Sariah opened her door and turned around in her seat so she and Jake could talk while I filled up. Gas was so expensive--$2.65/gal.

After we got the gas, I headed east. I didn't know where to take them really, but decided to show them where we used to live since these were some very old stomping grounds. I passed the street we lived on before moving to Michigan after Jared graduated, but pointed that it was "down that way." Then we drove up Harrison Blvd. where Weber State University is. We talked about this and that along the way.

I passed WSU and just beyond it was where Jared and I lived as newlyweds. Our apartment complex was in between two others. I showed them the first, and pulled into the middle parking lot of the Brentwood complex, ready to point out our third floor, west facing apartment. However, Brentwood is no longer. Instead you'll find a nondescript Chinese restaurant. So there you go. That just goes to show you how slummy our first apartment complex was as newlyweds. It didn't last 20 years after we lived there (maybe less) and an obscure Chinese restaurant has leveled the lot and taken over. We paid $440 a month for that two bedroom/1 bath apartment in 1997. I remember thinking that $440 back then was quite a steal! There was heat, but no A/C. The windows were old and didn't seal properly, so in the summer and when the sun set and faced our west windows, we baked in that human brick oven. In the winter, we were chilly, and still had a high heating bill because of the leaky windows. When we moved in, Doc and Karole brought out three old furniture pieces that they didn't need anymore, for which we were enormously grateful. That hide-a-bed weighed a ton. It was a little dicey as Jared and Doc negotiated that hide-a-bed up three flights of stairs. And as soon as they made it to the top, Doc told us, "Just leave the couch with apartment when you go. I don't want to move it again." Haha! He was only half joking. We had that hide-a-bed with us all the way to Oregon--seven years and eight moves later.

This is the apartment complex on the other side of where Brentwood used to be. It still stands, as well. It was at least $50-$100 more in rent, too, if I recall.

After getting a chuckle out of our first housing experience, I turned around and drove back to the university.

I dropped Jake and Sariah off at a corner where they could go walk around campus. I chose to just park and stay there, not knowing how long they'd be or where to pick them up when they were finished. They spent about an hour walking around campus. They got back in the car and I drove them back to Jeremiah's where Sariah's car was. 

I gave Sariah a big hug and then asked if they got a picture yet. They said not yet. Poor Sariah hadn't even had a chance to get a phone hooked up. So I took the picture and Sariah asked Jake to send it to her on FB messenger. I said goodbye and got in the car while the kids said goodbye to each other.

When Jake got back in the car, he didn't say anything and I didn't ask. So it was a pretty quiet drive back to Jordan. We went to the McCulloughs and hung out with them before I needed to take Jake to the Frontrunner again. He was going night snowboarding with the twins. Cole and Connor agreed to drive Jake home for me and I even promised gas money because I didn't want to drive any more than I had to. 

I wanted to take Wes and Bev out to dinner for Valentine's Day while Jake was gone, but they didn't want to deal with the crowds and said they'd cook ME dinner instead. I hate how they always turn around my attempt at serving them so that they always end up serving me. They're wizards at it! Haha! We went on an invigorating walk around the neighborhood so I could get a good look at it. Then we sat down for a delicious grilled chicken dinner complete with steamed baby potatoes, veggies, salad, fruit and rolls. 

After dinner, I called Jared to chat with him about the previous couple of days and to see how they were doing and then I headed out. I didn't want to monopolize the McCullough's entire evening and I was getting tired. Jake sent these pictures from his snowboarding experience when Wes asked how it was. Jake said it was a blast. They did five full runs in two hours, two of which were summit runs. He also said his energy level was good enough for two hours, but was definitely wiped out after.

Cole, Connor, and Jake.

When I got back to the Hansen's on Friday evening, they were still at the temple for their weekly shift. But they came home about 30-45 minutes later and Jake and his cousins came in not much longer after that. I'm grateful they made it back with Jake safely. I paid them their gas money and they were on their way back to Provo.

Sat. 15th--We had another fun day ahead as our trip came to a close. Through email, while at the MTC in July of 2018, Jake was able to connect with a former missionary who went to Hungary (Jacob Molnar) who served 10 years before Jake did. Jacob was a big supporter of Jake and Jake served in Tatabanya for his first area just like Jacob did. When Jake came home early, Jacob reached out and talked to Jake in Hungarian because he knew that was something Jake worried about...losing the language. Jacob has been wonderful and when Jake visited Utah before going back out to Ohio, he was able to meet Jacob in person for the first time. Hearing that we were coming out in February, Jacob invited us to their house on Saturday for a Hungarian meal for lunch. I was SUPER excited about this because Jacob married a girl who is from Hungary and couldn't wait to try some authentic Hungarian dishes that Jake has raved about. Their apartment smelled incredible! 

Lala, Jacob, and Jake.

We were served chicken paprika with pasta-like dumplings and had these amazing pickled cucumbers. I had two big helpings of everything and relished every bite.

I loved this reminder on Lala's refrigerator.

Then, the amazing Lala, before going into work, made us these delicious crepe-like pancakes that you can fill with jam, powdered sugar, or our fave...Nutella. I think I had three of those. ;)

We had several lovely hours talking to and getting to know our new friends and to hear all sorts of fun stories from Hungary.

We changed our clothes before leaving because we wanted to visit the Payson Temple, south of Provo. I actually didn't know where Payson was either, in relation to everything else. But it is beautiful! I love how it's just far enough south of Provo that you're out of the crazy crowded feeling of the Wasatch Front. This area reminds me a bit of Montana where you've got the backdrop of the mountains as well as ranches and farms with horses and cows and a bit more open space around you. And sitting out in the middle of it all is this incredible temple.

I think the Payson temple is my favorite in Utah. Truly stunning. We did initiatories again because we were expected for dinner at 6pm at Rachel Christensen's house. She was one of Jake's companions in the MTC. Jake was accompanying Rachel and two other former Hungarian sister missionaries in a musical number that next morning at 9am in Salem. She offered to have us spend the night at her house so we wouldn't have to drive so far so early in the morning and would allow them to practice before church. We appreciated her thoughtfulness. When we arrived at her house, I kept expecting to meet her parents, but they never showed up. I later learned they were out of town for the weekend. I'm assuming they knew we were coming. Kind of funny that I was the oldest adult in the house that weekend. Haha.

Rachel and her almost fiance, Cody, were working on making an incredible dinner for us and her siblings. We ate with the five of them and had a wonderful time. Then the kids did the dishes as best they could then they changed clothes because they were all going country dancing. Jake had his cowboy boots, so he was ready to rock 'n roll. I was happy to change into my jammies and settle down with my book. After they left, I handwashed the dishes that didn't fit into the dishwasher and went downstairs to my room for the night. Jake popped his head in at midnight which woke me up out of my dozing, said he had a great time (they went and got treats at Crumbl Cookies before heading home) and then went to bed. Good deal.

Sun. 16th--We got up and ready to go to church. We were attending two Sacrament Meetings that day--one in Salem at nine and one in Sandy at noon. Around 8:15, the two other gals who were singing with Rachel arrived, Emma Shepherd and Gabby Aros, and Emma's boyfriend, Austin, was with them. They warmed up and practiced their song "Peace in Christ" and sang the first verse in Hungarian. Rachel had made a delicious breakfast egg casserole so we'd have something to eat before we headed out. We tried following Emma's car, but she left just a tad before we did. Jake got the general directions and we found it. But we weren't sure how to confirm that we were at the right building. Rachel said it was red brick and the building was made of red brick! We walked in and thought about how we'd find our group. That's when we saw Rachel, her older sister, Celine, and Cody standing on the opposite side of the chapel doors. Oh good. Double verification we were in the right spot. We tried looking for Emma's group, but didn't see them. And didn't see Kayla on the stand. And we realized we were not at the right red brick chapel in Salem, Utah. Haha. So we left. We were able to follow Rachel's car and finally found the right place and were able to squeeze the five of us in a side pew up near the front.

I know Jake was nervous about playing. I was a little nervous his music was on his computer, but he played beautifully and the whole congregation was touched by their special musical number. I noticed a senior couple, the Russells, also in the congregation. They served in Hungary as well. This was the first time they'd seen Jake since he came home and it was fun to meet them in person.

The special young adults: Kayla Reynolds, Emma Shepherd, Gabby Aros, Rachel Christensen and Jake.

The YSAs, plus the Russells, who were YSA specialists in Hungary.

There was an open house for Kayla right after Sacrament Meeting that we didn't know about. The kids decided to go back to Rachel's to practice their next special number (my favorite)--"Savior, Redeemer of My Soul," with Emma singing the solo, Rachel on the violin (which really adds depth) and Jake on the piano. Gabby said she'd turn pages for Jake. This version of the song and how they perform it gives you chills. It is so moving. They went through it and then packed up and decided to head to Kayla's on the way up to Sandy before the next meeting at noon. I had a great time recording and tagging along.

We made it to Sara Frandsen's chapel up on a big mountainside in Sandy without any problems. It was starting to snow a little bit, too. The musical number was just as powerful and flawless as it could have been. Truly magnificent. We ended up staying for about an hour after the meeting to say hello to Sara. Carissa Wight was there and finally gave Jake a hug because she had been released. She was the only sister in his group who wouldn't when they got off the plane. I wonder if it had anything to do with her Stake President dad who was there? Haha.

When we had lunch with Jacob and Lala, Jake was gifted with these amazing, electric blue shoes from Hungary. Lala's dad sent some to Jacob, but they weren't the right size for him. However, they happen to be just the right size for Jake! He LOVES them. They are dope and with his blue suit they were what another sister approvingly called "edgy." :)

And that was it. We did what we came to do in Utah...and then some! ;) Since we were in the area, we decided to drive up to the Draper Temple and take a look. It's beautiful. I can't imagine looking out of my front or side or back or kitchen window and seeing the temple right there. I remember Jared once saying he would have a hard time living on the side of a mountain looking down at a temple. But that's exactly what some people do.

We decided to see if we could spend the rest of our last day with the McCulloughs and headed their way. When we arrived, our friend from Farmington Ward, Jonathan Waters, was there with Josh and his friend, Shane. I used to teach Josh and Jonathan in Sunday School and Jared had them when he served in YM. We were invited to stay for their traditional Sunday spaghetti dinner as they were inviting a couple other extended family members as well. I asked Bev if we were going to get to see Bo and his wife, Megan. Sadly, Bev said no, as Megan wasn't feeling well. Then not five minutes later, in walks, Bo! We haven't seen him in several years and it's been even longer for Jake!

We were THRILLED to see wonderful, sweet Bo! What I know of Bo, Jake reminds me of him.

We had a wonderful dinner with the McClan and after visiting with them and holding a newborn baby, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the Hansens. They weren't home because it was their son's birthday and they were celebrating with him. That gave us a chance to pack and get ready before they returned. We had our wonderful nightly visits and then called it a night.

Mon. 17th--I woke up at 8am to find out that our 2pm flight home was delayed til 3:30pm. I'm not sure why, but there was finally a light dusting of snow on the ground. OJ made us a delicious farmers breakfast (I should have taken notes...) so we'd have full tummies on our way to the airport. He and Vickie were so good to us!! Welcomed us in and made us feel so at home. It was as if we'd never been apart.

We had to get a picture with the snow to prove there actually was some on the ground while we were there.

On Sunday, Jake was asking the older guys if they had any suggestions about where to get snowboarding equipment for cheap. That's when Shane, who we had just met, asked Jake was shoe size he was, went out to his car, and brought in a big box of snowboarding boots. Told Jake they should fit and gave them to him to keep! We couldn't believe it. It was so generous and thoughtful. Since we were limited on what we could take home with us and because Jake would be back in a few weeks for good, we asked Wes if we could just store his snowboarding stuff at his house until we came back. He showed us to the perfect spot...the dungeon under the stairs. :)

This is the McCulloughs adorable second home that they bought so they could stay there when they come to visit their kids who live in Utah. It's also where the two siblings, Elissa and Josh, are living.

Monday was President's Day so Elissa was home from school (she teaches 2nd grade). She was spread out on the floor, doing lots of grading when we arrived after saying goodbye to the Hansens. We needed to bring the Subaru back (we drove 630 miles in six full days) and Wes and Bev were taking us to the airport. Since our flight was delayed we had another hour or so before we needed to head out. So I plopped down and asked Elissa if I could help grade. She was enormously grateful. I thought it was fun and was so happy to help! I know how much time gets sucked up in grading and recording those grades.

And then it was time to go. We LOVED this trip. It was so fun and we did everything we set out to do (and more!) and saw just about everyone we wanted to see (and several extra!) and we weren't late for anything. Also very important is the fact that nothing happened to the McCullough's car they so generously loaned to us. The weather cooperated. We couldn't have asked for a better trip!

Would you believe that our one checked bag tipped the scales at 50.0 lbs AGAIN when we checked it in. Another miracle!

The wait for security, however, was a different story. We stood in line for an hour. But we weren't late and had the time to do it.

Back in Austin! Love those Texas sunsets!

I was super impressed that Jake knew how to get us out of the maze that is the south terminal at the Austin airport and in the dark no less. Home sweet home!! And Jared didn't make it home from work much before us! I was grateful that the next day was another day off from school. Allowed for less craziness that night.

Tues. 18th--Bless Calvin's heart. The lawn needed mowing and I asked if he might do it because it makes Cooper sick (not to mention he was working 10-6) and Jared had been working several days straight and wouldn't get a chance before the rain came. Calvin didn't balk at the request at all and "suited up" in his protective gear (eye protection and a mask) because he reacts to the grass like Cooper does. He did the first half of the front yard before he couldn't take the allergic reaction anymore. I sure appreciated him trying. So I took over from there. I noticed my neighbor's lawn was also pretty tall. She's a single mom of two girls, divorced, but her ex-husband died suddenly a couple months ago. I figured while I was out there, I could mow her lawn, too. It was so tall and thick, our mower stopped a couple times going over big patches. I eventually got it done and most of our backyard as well. And to think I had just been in Utah with snow on the ground the day before. A few hours later, my neighbor, Brandy, knocked on our door. She asked breathlessly, "Did you guys mow my lawn?" I slowly said, "Yeeees." Not sure what to expect. She threw her arms around me and said, "Thank you SO much!! My mower has been broken for quite some time. I didn't know what I was going to do." That made me happy.

Wed. 19th--Back in January, I noticed that my wedding ring band on the underside had a sharp edge to it. It kept catching on things, including my own fingers. Jared said he'd take it to a jeweler to get it fixed. Well, the first jeweler had it for two weeks and never called back. Jared had to go get it and say thanks, but no thanks because they were dinking around and took it to another shop. They fixed it and made it SPARKLE! I've never seen it this shiny before. :) I was so happy to have it back on my hand.

*As an activity day leader, I have been picking up one of my girls in Bryan, our sister city, which makes our drive to Caldwell closer to an hour, not 35-40 minutes. I picked up Eden around 6:20pm and we were less than ten minutes from her house with about 25 more to go, when she said she just threw up. Oh no!! We had a movie playing, so I didn't hear her get sick, but she asked for some tissues and I scrambled to have Karcyn get her a puke bag that I keep in the console. Out on this country highway, there aren't very many places to turn around, but I found a spot and we headed back to her house. Unfortunately, my brand new activity day companion didn't know I wasn't coming and I was in charge of the plans that day. With all the supplies in my car. *sigh* There was less than 15 minutes before it would be starting. I finally got a hold of Jared and asked him to contact someone at the church building to get word to Jaa'lah and the primary kids. We are practicing a song for a special musical number on March 22nd in preparation for the special focus on the restoration at general conference in April. I delegated that to Jaa'lah as she has a beautiful singing voice. Jaa'lah did eventually get word that I wouldn't be there that night. If I went to Caldwell after taking Eden home, we would have gotten to the church at 7:40ish and the activities end at 8pm. So I just went home. Which meant that Karcyn and Calvin also missed YM/YW that night and JJ and I missed seeing our primary friends. Cooper got a ride with some friends from town to go to seminary at 6pm, so he got a ride home with them instead of us. Sometimes that's just the way it goes when you live so far away from your church building. We were happy to hear that Eden didn't get sick anymore that night but slept long and hard. As far as my car, I couldn't see any evidence of her getting sick. She must have done it all on herself. And clearly it wasn't much. I sanitized that area of my burb anyway, but was super grateful there wasn't a mess to clean up. Talk about a tender mercy! I talked to Jaa'lah later that night and after apologizing profusely for the unexpected absence, asked her how it went. She said they practiced the song and it went really well. She also said that God spoke to her before she went to the building and told her to bring some snacks. Usually I do that, but she followed the prompting anyway and it was a huge blessing since I wasn't there. I was SO touched by her experience in following the prompting of the spirit and how it blessed her and the kids in her new calling!

Thurs. 20th--Jared and I did something we'd been trying to do for a few years, but it just never worked out. We were able to refinance our house. We closed on that morning. We did it through Quicken Loans and it was seriously, the easiest, best experience ever! Our house appraised high so we didn't have to pay $400-$500 for an appraisal. Our homeowners insurance was cheaper than our loan officer predicted and we were able to lower our monthly payment by $200 each month. I would totally go through Quicken Loans again and their online banking is a piece of cake and super user friendly. We signed just a few pieces of paper when the notary came to our house that morning. Easy peasy!

*Jake was going to be heading up to Snyder, Texas that next Tuesday, the 25th, to babysit for Jared's brother and his wife while they went on a medical conference trip to Boston for a week and then would head to Utah for school from there. Thursday was one of the last days Jared had off before Jake left home, so I suggested we got out to lunch together. I've been dying to take them to Ohana--a small little Korean grill. I never would have known it was there if my friend hadn't taken me there first. It is SO good. I am in LOVE with their green bean jello. This coming from a green bean hater. Ask my parents, siblings and family. I don't touch green bean anything with a ten foot pole. But this jello. Wow. Don't knock it til you try it. Jared, who loves green beans all but refused to even try it. Just the idea of green beans and jello made him cringe. I made him do it, though. :) And while he did ingest the green bean jello and discovered it wasn't so bad, he is not in love with it like I am. I would buy a carton of it if I could! And their bulgogi or bibimbap (I can never remember) that we had is amazing!

*It just so happened that we had received our tax refund a few days prior, so Jared took some of that money and bought the family a 75 inch flat screen ROKU TV. Not because we needed it, but because he thought it would be fun and would be a better fit in our large game room. We were in Jared's car which wasn't big enough to take it home, so we left Jake at the store and Jared dropped me off and took the burb (good ol' burb) back to the store to pick up Jake and the TV. :) Watching them haul it up to the game room was fun. Jake was being silly and was quoting "The Emperor's New Groove" by saying, "Happy Birthday to me" while hugging the box. The TV is ginormous. I call it the "Super Screen." Jared bought a sound bar and sub woofers, too. Jared gave the TV that had previously been in the game room to Jake to take to school with him.

*I'm always so grateful when my older kids can help the younger ones with their math homework! I always hesitate because I never know how it's being taught nowadays and don't want to confuse or frustrate my kids with the "wrong way." Cooper is the hooded figure in the middle. He doesn't like being photographed.

*Finally got a picture of Jake's new black beauty, whose name, I believe is "Natasha" after Marvel's character, Black Widow. Either way, it's hard to believe that vehicle is 15 years old. It was a great and blessed find!! Especially after everything he went through with Veronica. Haha! :)

Fri. 21st--I was scrolling quickly through Facebook that morning when I came across something my friend posted. She mentioned the coronavirus and that with it spreading, we might have to be quarantined for a time, whether we're sick or not. She urged us to be prepared by making sure we had an adequate supply of food and other necessities if we were not able to leave our homes for 14 days. Our family has done a pretty good job with this and just last year, we felt prompted to buy about three months worth of gluten free food storage for Karcyn since most of our long term storage was purchased before she was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I'm not one to panic. But that specific post that I just happened to come across at 7:30 in the morning really impacted me. As I pondered on what we did have, I realized there were some holes that needed filling. I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to address those issues now. So that became my mission that day. And nothing else mattered. All my other daily plans--out the window. I dragged Jake along with me to Aldi, Dollar Tree, Walmart and Sams Club. I spent about $350 total in food and supplies to round out our storage, which would come out of our savings, but I felt much better after that. And I was confident that we would be okay should the need arise that we could not leave our homes. I even took the rest of the afternoon to reorganize my pantry to make room for some of the new food items I purchased. And that really felt good! "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

*Jared was working a 12 hour shift that day, Karcyn had a choir party til 10pm, Jake had a date at our house and Cooper was working til midnight. So...I took Calvin and JJ to Caldwell because our sweet friend, Christina (former branch Activity Days leader for Calvin and JJ) was getting married. I'm so glad we could be there to celebrate this wonderful and long awaited event with Christina and her new husband, Jay.

Christina and I were Activity Day leaders together. Then she was called into Primary on Sundays. Which made me so sad. I even gave Jared a crusty look while he sat up front with the branch presidency that Sunday it was announced. He smiled and gave a look back that said, "Just wait." They did call another wonderful gal to join me, my friend, Jaa'lah, who just got baptized in August. I just hoped I could be for Jaa'lah what Christina was for me.

JJ enjoying the chocolate dipped strawberries.

Sun. 23rd--At church, Calvin was sustained as the person in charge of printing and handing out the paper programs. We are excited for his opportunity to serve.

*Karcyn was recognized and received her Young Womanhood Recognition award--a medallion that represented a lot of hard work and investment into developing herself the way the Lord needs her to, including eight 10 hour projects. She did these medallion requirements in essentially 18 months. I had six years to earn my medallion, while I was in the young women organization from age 12 to 18. But the Church recently changed the direction of the youth program and how to go about personal development which meant they needed to retire the program that Karcyn started with when she turned 12. We heard the official announcement several months after she joined young women and as such we knew that it would be a stretch for her to complete everything before Dec. 31, 2019. But she went for it anyway. As it turns out, the church allowed a small extension for young women to wrap up their goals and experiences til March 1, 2020, if needed. Karcyn had just one more experience to do when the new year came and she did it by the beginning of February. We are super proud that she made the goal to complete this program and followed it through to the end. I think it's really awesome that she and I both earned medallions, thirty years apart. Her Aunt Kelly earned a YW medallion as well, which I did not know.

*Calvin's double fried egg sandwich he made for lunch.

*Some of us take "rest on the Sabbath day" very seriously around here. 

*The Church was showing another Face to Face Event with President and Sister Oaks to see how the children and youth are doing with the new program of setting and achieving goals in four areas of their lives (social, physical, intellectual, and spiritual) as they #strivetobe more like the Savior. Jared had to work, but the rest of us gathered to watch and listen to the promptings we received from the spirit.

I felt prompted to set my own personal goals as well as family goals. So we talked about things we could work on as a family and came up with some to do together:
SOCIAL: Do one activity a month as a family, even better if it's something new we haven't tried.
PHYSICAL: Participate in a 5K as a family before the end of the year.
INTELLECTUAL: Learn American Sign Language together.
SPIRITUAL: Attend the temple six times this year to do family baptisms, taking our own names whenever possible.

*We were given an incredible invitation to attend dinner with our friends, the Krouskops. I was Relief Society President when they moved into our CS3 ward. At the time, I was also Marilyn's visiting teacher. The Krouskops were called to serve in Caldwell about a year before we were. Marilyn and I are nursery leaders on Sunday. Jake and Alex (the oldest sons) went to high school together. Erika is in activity days with me and JJ and Jared and Peter are in the branch presidency together. Alex was getting ready to enlist in the marines and Jake was leaving on Tuesday for a job then college, so Marilyn thought it would be fun to have a dinner together before the boys leave. She even remembered that we invite Karole over for dinner on Sundays and extended the invite to Karole as well. She's so thoughtful!

Jared bonding with Comet, the black lab/great dane mix.

The yummy Filipino dinner that Marilyn outdid herself on! And made sure all the food was gluten free.

Jake and Alex looking at where Alex will be for basic training.

Friends for life!

The 2018 high school graduates and friends! Jake even starred in Alex's video he made for the big film festival. :) These boys are going to do great things!

*Haha!! Sometimes it does feel this way!

Tues. 25th--This was it. Jake leaving home for the second time til probably Christmas which would be the same length of 10 months that he was away from us while in Hungary. I wasn't sad, I'd be seeing him in a week when I met him in Snyder to drive with him to Utah. But this was Jared's goodbye. They got Jake's bike secured on the rack and then we took some pictures before he drove up to Snyder to babysit the Hough cousins. He's never driven this far by himself since being diagnosed with Narcolepsy so I was a teensy bit nervous, but he knew to pull over if he got tired and to take breaks as needed. Besides, he's got to learn sometime.

*At semester, Cooper decided he was good with his choir experience (he earned the top student award his freshman year and went to NYC his sophomore year, so what's left to do?!) He thought maybe a change would be good and got back into tennis. With all the physical growth that he's had since he played tennis as a freshman and the muscle he's built with bowling, Cooper's a much stronger player. Coach Stricker was more than happy to have Cooper back. He had his first tennis tournament of the semester in Madisonville. And he easily earned first place in JV boys doubles with his friend Ethan Epps. First game was 8-0, second game was 8-2, and third game 8-3.

He also earned a terrible sunburn!! We do this EV.REE YEAR! It's just not on our radar that you need sunscreen in February. But you do!!

Wed. 26th--This was the Midweek Message I wrote for Cooper and Karcyn in their lunches for the day. I sent Jake a picture so he could benefit from it, too. It's great advice for us all!

*I subbed at Forest Ridge Elementary. I got a call the night before from a desperate secretary. It would be in third grade. Cool. When I arrived, the third grade teachers were having a meeting in the pod. One of them said hello and said I would have a student teacher with me for the day. Awesome! It was a bit dicey because this teacher had already been out with the flu for a day or two already and was still sick, so we were kind of piecing plans for the day together bit by bit. But between the two of us, we knocked it out of the park. During free time one of the students made this design out of a building toy for me.

*At recess, it was terribly cold. The wind chill was crazy. As you can see from these pictures that I sent to Jared. Recess is not just 10 or 15 minutes either. It's 30 minutes long. The high was only projected to be in the mid 50s. The low was 35 degrees and at that point in the day, with the windchill, it was easily in the 40s if not colder. We Texans just aren't equipped to handle that kind of cold!!

*When we had a little downtime, the student teacher told me that she had just heard that Amazon was out of face masks that we might need for this coronavirus that is spreading from China. I was surprised to hear this. We even checked and sure enough, every market that had face masks was sold out. I texted Jared and asked him where he would go to get a face mask. He said Walgreens. I'd have to check the Walgreens in the area. 

*I thought we had a pretty successful teaching day. I was happy with how things went, anyway. This is the Texas flag that flies near the school. The wind was kicking, but it made for a great shot. I got an email later that night from the teacher I subbed for. He said he heard I did awesome and said he still wasn't well enough to return to school and wondered if I could teach for him again on Thursday. Sadly, as much as I wanted to help him out, I already made plans to take lunch to Cooper at school and graciously declined in order to keep my date with my son.

*At the end of October, I attended a training for my new church responsibility as a primary activity leader. I work with the 7-11 year old children in the branch and we meet twice a month. As I took notes that day, I felt prompted to have the children sing a song in church as a "service" for the branch members. When I started to plan activities for the upcoming new year, I knew it would be important to focus on the events leading up to and after the First Vision as this spring marks 200 years since that historic event. That's when I decided to have the children sing a song about the Restoration of the gospel at the end of March to prepare for a very special bicentennial general conference coming up  in April. I selected the song back in November and moved on. In January, however, I felt prompted to go back and look at the song choices again and this time, another one jumped out at me. After reading the words and considering the message, I decided that this new one definitely needed to be the song the children would sing. (See the highlighted part of my plans below). Four times the chorus says, "This is my beloved son, hear Him." Imagine my surprise today (2/26) when I read a message from our prophet, President Nelson, who has invited all to hear the voice of the Lord. I'm so grateful that I chose to hear Him in selecting a song for the children's musical number that would later offer more meaning and significance than I could have ever anticipated. It may seem trivial, but it's small experiences like these that carry a powerful influence in my life. God cares about everything in your life and He can absolutely make things grander and more impactful if you hear Him. 

Thurs. 27th--We got this report back from testing that was done at school regarding Calvin's math and reading progress. No real surprise there. He was failing only one class this grading period (as opposed to two) and his B in math went to a C. Hopefully we can figure out what's ailing him and why his school performance doesn't match his achievement and growth.

*I had some time before needing to pick up lunch to go at Whataburger for Cooper, so I decided to go look for some face masks for my family. Just in case. I went to three Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, and Walmart. Face masks are all sold out. I texted Jared, who works in the busiest urgent care in Bryan/College Station and told him to grab a couple for himself if he can, while he can. He should have access to some, if not our whole family. We didn't need boxes of them. Just a couple for each of us since Jared is someone whose chances of infection are greatly increased because of where he works. It concerned me a little bit that we didn't have access to any even though the news was saying we didn't need masks and that they won't help prevent the spread of the virus anyway. But still. I had Jared to think about. There had to be a way. I needed to find a way to protect my family if needed. And I started to think about what a mask is. In the hospitals it's usually just a paper thin covering over the mouth. Maybe...and this thought started to formulate in my head. Maybe I could make some masks. Is that even possible? I have a sewing machine, but I don't really know how to use it. And I don't know how to make a face mask. But the thought was so out-of-the-blue for me that I knew it came from the spirit. Especially since it was something I've never tried before. But this could be the way. So as soon as I was done eating lunch with Cooper, I went home and immediately started searching for ideas online and bam! There was a 10 minute video of a woman showing how she made a face mask with just two pieces of rectangular fabric and a couple pieces of elastic. She is a member of a volunteer group that sews face masks and head turbans for cancer patients young and old and donates them to hospitals. Children are often scared of face masks so having bright, fun colors or prints helps them to not be scared and they are more likely to wear them as well. The spirit confirmed to me "You can do this!" I texted Jared to tell him that I decided to sew medical face masks for the family. It will be my intellectual goal and Karcyn can join me if she wants. Jared replied by asking, "Are you really worried about this?" I said, "You never know. I think that's part of it. The lack of face masks--anywhere--turned me to the Lord to ponder what I could do to protect my family if needed--when creative inspiration struck. The thought came to me that I could make them myself, so I did some searching and feel confident that I can do this. And the masks are washable. But the whole point of a goal (aside from following personal revelation) is to learn how to do something so you can then bless the lives of others. I can share this with others by donating masks to hospitals for sick/cancer patients and their families. Especially children." The very next day, I went out and purchased a little bit of fabric and two bundles of 1/8 inch flat elastic so that I could get started on making these face masks as soon as I get home from driving Jake to Utah.

Fri. 28th--We learned we didn't have any internet service on the desktop computer. Ugh! So lame!! We had purchased a wi-fi booster a week before and Jake set it up for us and everything was going fine, until that day. We weren't sure if the two events were connected. Our internet provider (Suddenlink) is the absolute worst company. They are the only internet providers in our area, and they know it. The connection out here is terrible, spotty at best and we pay $110 a month, just for internet. They increase the prices all the time without any warning. We've had issues with them in the past from all aspects of the company--customer service, billing, technical support, and in person encounters at home. As much as Suddenlink leaves a bad taste in our mouth, we decided that the wi-fi booster might be the culprit. So we contacted Geek Squad to help make sure we didn't miss anything. Unfortunately, the soonest appointment wouldn't be until Wednesday, 3/4 between 12 and 8pm. Which is when Jared is supposed to take kiddos to Caldwell for activities, because I'll be driving to Utah with Jake that day. *sigh* Nothing is ever easy. We took the appointment and hoped for the best.

Sat. 29th--LEAP YEAR! Karcyn had her very first piano solo festival. She had to memorize two piano pieces and play them in front of a judge in a place she's never been before and on a piano she isn't used to. I think that's the hardest part. Getting a feel for a piano you've never played on before. I didn't hear what was said or how she did. I noticed she did have a brain blip at the end of one song but picked it up and finished where she stopped.

We wouldn't know the results of her solos for a few weeks. I asked her how she felt she did and she said she thought it went really well. I'm proud of her for doing this hard thing.