Mon. 1st--Pictures from Jared and Cooper at the start of their fishing trip.
Cooper and cousin Garrett.
*Calvin and JJ found another turtle after some rain came through the area. Turtles are more likely to be discovered with water, than without.
*HAHAHA! Sorry Mom and Dad! Guess you guys are toast! And on Mom's 75th birthday, too.
Thurs. 4th--It was a groundbreaking day for our kids in College Station. They went "outside the house" to the dentist that morning. We parked in our car, a nurse met us outside with consent forms, and when they flashed our number, we went inside. The intake person took our temperatures, sanitized our hands and then gave me a mask. Our family was put in one room. Usually, we are out in an open area where there are four dental chairs and hygienists. That area is still open, but they only have two patients in there at a time. There was one regular chair, so we all took turns sharing it while each child got their teeth cleaned. No cavities! While I'm happy that's the case, it doesn't back up my constant admonitions for proper dental hygiene when there are no negative consequences for their lack of diligence. I reminded the kids that I didn't get my first cavity until I was 25 years old...and I cried when I walked back to my car.
*Calvin would much rather have a basket of fries instead of ice cream for a celebration treat.
*We found yet another bird stuck to a mouse trap from our neighbor's garage! Karcyn got gloves on so she could hold the bird while I tried to pry him off the sticky residue. We were able to finally free it, but it squirmed and made a lot more noise than the baby one Jared and I freed a couple weeks previous. Calvin was our photographer.
*Calvin helping to make dinner. It's one of his goals for church and he's a natural.
*Garrett and Cooper.
*Later that night, Calvin had his first baseball practice from 7:30 to 9pm. I was the only parent sitting on the bleachers. There were two parents sitting in camping chairs on either side of the bleachers. I'm not sure if the lack of people was because it was super hot and we were directly facing the setting sun or if it's because of covid or both. This year he is one of the BRAVES, though he's wearing his old uniform.
Fri. 5th--Grand Station Entertainment (where Cooper used to work) was having a "Grand Re-Opening" event and they were offering free bowling (and free shoes!) from 12-6pm. I thought Tony and his girls might enjoy that activity, so I offered to watch Nathan so they could do that together. Calvin joined me and did a great job playing with Nathan. He loves little kids.
*Jake, still in Santa Clara living with my parents, heading out to do errands in his super haz-mat mask. Haha.
*Picture update from the fishermen.
Wed. 3rd--JJ and Bekah having some artistic fun while we watched the Upton kiddos again.
*Fishermen update. [Uncle Kevin getting ready to take out his unsuspecting son, Garrett.]
Jared and a very impressive Northern Pike.
The fishermen had a guide cooking for them. So all they had to do was sleep, eat, fish, repeat.
This is JJ laying in the chair. They all did great.
Hahaha! Love this picture.
*Yes, that isn't just the glow of the sunset reflecting on Cooper. He did in fact get torched by the sun. Even though I made sure they took sunscreen with them... :(
When Tony and the girls got back, Calvin and I went home so we could go bowl ourselves. They had some funky lights going when we arrived. JJ was with us, but wasn't in a photogenic mood.
*Jake's health update at this point: His rheumatologist, Dr. Call, ran tests to determine if he indeed had scleroderma (a chronic connective tissue disease with a prognosis of three to fifteen years or more, depending on the complications with soft tissue organs) because that is the autoimmune disorder that continues to pop up in his blood screenings. It was there at the beginning of June 2018 and was still there a year later. But the further tests to confirm scleroderma came back negative (for which we are most grateful!) and Dr. Call didn't want to start Jake on chemo or radiation or other drugs unnecessarily. At the same time, Dr. Call, couldn't figure out why Jake had this particular blood marker. Jake went to the rheumatologist at the advice of his sleep doctor, Dr. Ross, because they are looking for a reason for Jake's narcoleptic symptoms. Dr. Ross isn't 100% convinced Jake has narcolepsy. When the test results didn't show anything for scleroderma, Dr. Call's next advise was that Jake go to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale to see what they could find out because he was stumped. Before taking that leap, however, Jake had been doing some research of his own. He decided he wanted to get a couple more tests done before going to the Mayo Clinic so he could take those findings with him and while some tests might be repeated (like a sleep study), he wanted to save as much time as possible and avoid duplication with other diagnostics.
*While Jake was in town, he also got some blood work done to screen for Celiac disease as that has ironically been linked as the culprit for many autoimmune disorders. (We were all screened back in 2015 when we got Karcyn's diagnosis, but if that's the cause of all of this physical turmoil in Jake's life, I'll kick myself!) As he was leaving the parking lot, while waiting behind another vehicle to turn onto the road from the parking lot, he accidentally bumped into the car in front of him. He couldn't have been going more than 2 mph because he was inching forward. Unfortunately, the car was a 2020 model, less than a week or so off the lot (of course) and the guy in the passenger seat was super upset. He got out and yelled at Jake, "Do you have brakes?" "Do you know how to use them?" So unkind and mean spirited. Jake, of course, was extremely flustered and said he was so sorry. They looked at their car and Jake told me there was a small scratch. Jake's car was fine. The couple actually called the police. And the police were like, "Yeah, no, we're not coming for that and in a parking lot, no less." Jake didn't think to get a picture of their "damage" but they got a picture of his license and insurance card. Poor Jake. Plus he had a five hour drive home after that.
*I got a call near the end of the work day from our insurance adjuster. She wanted to know if I was okay. I called her back and said I was not in an accident. It was my son. And it was a small fender bender. She said the other party reported that 'Jennifer' was driving. (Seriously?) And they had the wrong car listed too--Jake's old Honda CRV (Veronica) because that was the card in his glove box. Obviously, that's not the car listed on insurance. She said that she needed to get a statement from Jake about what happened and any pictures. I was a little indignant at this point, and told her that he wasn't even home yet...he had to drive all the way back to St. George. She said it was fine to have him call her on Monday and that she'd send him her contact info. Man, we just can't win on the car insurance front. We were waiting until THIS month, for Jake's speeding ticket from 2017 to come off his record and now this.
*The only good thing that came out of the day was that right before we left for the bowling alley, I got a call. I almost missed it because my phone was in my bag and I had to dig it out. But it was a number I was hoping to see--the US Census Bureau. A lady from Waco was calling to let me know that my application was accepted and wanted to know if I could spare ten minutes for a phone interview. I said sure and went to the study while she let me know what the job would entail. I would be an enumerator, working in the field, going to people in the College Station area who didn’t fill out the survey online for one reason or another. After training, I would be assigned work, or terminated. The job is around 20 hours a week for about eight weeks (including weekends), could be more, could be less. The pay is $18/hr plus 58 cents per mile. That’s 2x the amount of pay to substitute! She asked me if I could provide my own vehicle, if I was comfortable asking personal questions about age/race. When I said yes to all of that, she said she wanted to offer me the job and walked me through the pre-employment steps, including a federal background check and fingerprinting. Once all of that’s been done, they will contact me for a training date. They’re hoping to get me started around July 27th. I’m excited and nervous! This job, especially if it goes for eight weeks would be such a blessing. Especially because I may not get to substitute at all this next year, which was my plan for paying off the private loans quicker.
*With Jared and Cooper being absent from church at home for the second week in a row, my mom offered to run the meeting that day, for which I was grateful. Originally, they had chosen 2pm for church, but then switched it to 5:30pm because, understandably, Michelle and her crew were still in town. Jared and Cooper made it to Kevin's house in Snyder, TX around 3:30, so they were able to join us, which was a real treat! Our topic of conversation was to find what we thought was the "worst war" in the Book of Mormon and to share why we thought that way. We had a really good discussion. Church went a little longer than I anticipated--it was almost 7pm when we finished and I hadn't made dinner yet. I was trying a new recipe--baked sweet and sour chicken. That, too, took a little longer than I thought, but by the time I realized this, I was committed. All in. So I let the kids watch "Jungle Book" on Disney+ while we waited for their "bedtime dinner." (Dinner was really good--totally worth the wait.)
*Mondays are Calvin's special day and we had already established the week before that they need to work on family history (in some respects--looking for names, entering info into your tree, uploading memories, indexing, etc.) for 30 minutes before they are given TV time. Calvin became the guinea pig as he and I sat down to figure out the stake indexing invitation together. We read through all the project instructions and he was a whiz with manipulating the mouse and the tabs. Seriously, so fast and accurate! He hasn't learned to type yet (that's coming up this year in school) but he did a wonderful job indexing three birth records with cursive handwriting. He had to do a little research on a couple letters and we googled a couple places to make sure we had the right towns, but it was fast and fun!
*Jill, the insurance adjuster, called to tell me she spoke with the other driving party and they do NOT want to settle outside. They want to file the claim with insurance against Jake so they can get everything they deserve. I was, of course, disheartened to hear that. It's a scratch, not a dent. The driver was worried she might need a rental car and wanted to make sure she got everything due to her. I told Jill thanks for trying. When I called Jared to let him know, he was really frustrated. As was I. He asked me to call our insurance broker to ask him a couple of questions. He wasn't available, but as I was pondering about this unfortunate event that will undoubtedly make our car insurance more than we can pay, a thought sprang to my mind. "If this is how unbending the other party is, taking the claim to insurance could actually be a protection to you...and save you financially. Who knows how they would have treated you or what they would have demanded you pay for." After that realization, I texted Jared and said, "I've decided to choose to be grateful regarding the fender bender. We asked for mercy and they chose not to extend it. That's their choice. I don't want to begrudge them wanting to fix their car. But if this is the attitude they're going to have and the way they're going to be about it, them I'm actually grateful to NOT being dealing with them outside of an insurance claim with a mediator. I feel like there's a real possibility that it could have gotten bad for us and that by having the claim, there will actually be protection for us and our finances. So I'm going to be grateful to not be dealing with this on our own." Not to mention the obvious--no one was hurt and Jake was protected and kept safe. And while this will impact our insurance costs, we won't know until renewal in April 2021, so we've got 10 months to brace ourselves. After I decided to shift my attitude and perspective, this incident no longer weighed heavy on my heart. And the bitterness of dealing with mean spirited people was gone.
Thurs. 11th--Our friends, Mindy and Regan Peterman arrived in College Station from Utah and began their stay with us for Prom. The Petermans had moved out to Utah the year before so Mindy could go back to BYU and finish her degree. Regan really wanted to go to prom out here in Texas so the boys decided to double date and we told the Petermans they could bunk at our house during their stay. We found out a couple weeks before from the high school that due to the governor's executive order of no more than 50-100 people under one roof at a time, Prom was cancelled. But Jared and I decided we would do whatever we could to make prom still happen for Cooper and his date, and Regan, if he still wanted to come. And he did. We offered our home that night for dancing and watching a movie on the "super screen" upstairs if they wanted. Cooper talked to his date and that sounded good to them. So I started to plan for a prom I wasn't expecting to host. :) I'm not a good party planner or designer. It just isn't my forte. But I felt like the Lord guided my efforts on this one, especially.
Sat.13th--The morning of PROM! Cooper and Regan selecting songs for the prom playlist. They had some good ideas and Mindy and I threw in a couple from our days for good measure...oldies but goodies. I also suggested "All I Want Is You" by U2. I'm 99% sure this was the theme song from the junior prom I attended as a sophomore with Brian Gross for his junior prom in Anchorage. But, the real epic-ness of this song is that it was played at the end of the movie "Contagion" where Matt Damon finally allows his daughter to have a special dance at his house with one boy after a virus spread by respiratory droplets throws the world upside down during a pandemic. Considering the times, it was, dare I say, "perfect."
Sun.14th--Mindy let me know that Abbie wanted to attend "at home" church with us. What a fun surprise. We had a discussion about prophets. Jared arranged for Jake (via zoom) to teach us about what a prophet is and why we need one. He ended up doing a "share screen" thing and drew pictures/diagrams as his presentation went along. It was a fabulous and very missionary-driven explanation. At one point, we had to reconnect to Zoom and while we were waiting we asked Abbie if she had any questions. She said that while she has had heard of Noah and Abraham and Moses, she had considered these people great men. She had never been taught or learned that they were prophets and this concept was very new to her. Which was something I figured even nonmembers knew. Very eye opening for me.
Mon. 15th--Karole needed a ride to the Austin airport. She was flying to Arizona to help Nicole who had just undergone a hysterectomy. Jared was working, so that meant it was up to me and the kids. I was grateful for the trip though because it got us out of the house for a little bit, even if it was 4 1/2 hours spent in the car.
*Thanks to our evening "walk talks," Jared was getting a blister on the bottom of his foot so we decided to ride our bikes 7-8 miles instead. I only fell once! At a stop sign, haha! ;) It's been about two years since I've been on my bike with shoes clipped into the pedals. It felt good to be out on it again.
Thurs. 18th--The one good thing about summer baseball games--the whole family can go! Calvin got to walk to first base--he had a good eye. And after stealing some bases, he ended up being the first on his team to make it to home plate.
*On the way home from Calvin's game, I suggested JJ talk to Jake to ask him about advice on the decision he has to make about playing baseball. JJ agreed. I didn't hear JJ identify himself to Jake, but I did hear him just cut to the chase and say, "I'm not sure if I should quit baseball, do you have any advice for me?" I heard a couple of quiet "uh huh"s and "yeah"s. I also heard him say "kid pitch," "a shorter season," and some long periods of intent listening. After a minute of silence on his end, he said, very calmly, "But if I quit, then all of Mom and Dad's money will be wasted." Then some more silence. It was really cute to hear this sweet little voice having a big man conversation. My heart swelled with joy and gratitude, for an awesome big brother, who is respected by his younger siblings and who gives excellent advice. Near the end of the conversation, JJ clarified, "So your advice is to keep trying and finish the season?" JJ told me at home that he thought he knew what he was going to do and was going to pray about it.
19th--JJ decided to finish out the season. Jake told him to keep practicing and to do the best he knew how. Later that night, at JJ's next game, he was up on deck as the next batter. Jared was on his way from work, but at this rate, he would miss JJ. What I was worried about most, however, is that he'd be up to bat with two outs. This happens to him and Calvin all.the.time!! I was so disheartened by that. But by God's tender mercy, the next play got our team two outs, bringing us to three and the other team was up to bat. That was a close call!! Not only did Jared make it in time to see JJ up to bat, but JJ also got to walk on base, and through yet another tender mercy, JJ stole a couple bases and made it all the way around to home plate where he scored one for his team! His team won! It was a wonderful experience and just the boost this little boy needed.
Base hit for Calvin.
Stole second base.
And scored one for his team!
Calvin's team won!
*Love my new shirt!
Fri. 19th--JJ didn't swing at all when he was up to bat, but it worked in his favor! He got to walk to first base.
Ducking from an oncoming ball.
Trying again.
Ducking again.
Walking.
Stealing third.
And stealing home...barely!!
*Just sayin'....
*Excellent advice!
*Jake made his own airplane mobile inspired by the one that my dad made of his model airplanes.
*While at the store in Utah, Hunter Morse, a friend from our Oregon ward that we haven't seen in six years, totally recognized Jake (with a mask on!) and they got a quick picture together. Crazy small world!
Tues. 23rd--a beautiful evening clouds.
*Me and Jared...
Fri. 26th--Face coverings are now a city-wide mandate inside commercial businesses beginning, Mon. 6/29.
*Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine what teachers must be going through.
*Checking out the cursive handwriting on the records. He did great!
*Calvin had gone to a friend's birthday party outside the night before and got chewed up by the mosquitoes. He didn't just have bites, he had welts.
Mon. 29th--While watching Calvin play baseball, I noticed a familiar face. Karcyn's friend Karlie who was a new friend when we moved to College Station and then moved away to Utah about a year later. These two cuties have kept in touch through letters and more recently through texts. It was SUCH a surprise to see her here visiting mutual friends on our opposing team. :)
*Calvin got slammed in the arm with a baseball.
*Playing games together...without fighting. :) Notice the prom decorations are still up...
*So I ordered Eragon from the library's online system so Calvin could give it a try.
It wasn't until I flipped through it when I realized that I reserved the SPANISH version! Ugh. Apparently Eragon in Spanish is...Eragon. Haha.
*Calvin's bug bite welts a couple days later. Pretty crazy for a kid who isn't allergic.
*Calvin making dinner again.
His method for dicing onions....using protective goggles. :)
Swedish meatballs. Yum!
*Game night for JJ.
*Jared's uncle posted this on Facebook. It's a picture of him and his parents (the kids' great grandparents Colene and GW Hough) when he graduated from college.
One of the tests he was trying to get was a "tilt test" to confirm or rule out POTS--a condition that his friend, Summer, has. As Jake has shared the physical issues he's been experiencing, Summer felt certain that Jake has POTS because his ailments are so similar to the things she was going through and he was persuaded to explore that option. [Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system characterized by an excessive increase in heart rate upon standing. It is defined as a sustained excessive increase in heart rate within the first 10 minutes of standing or tilt table testing, without a significant drop in blood pressure. The threshold for defining “excessive” is an increase in heart rate of at least 30 beats per minute in adults and at least 40 beats per minute in patients under the age of 18. In addition to this increase in heart rate, patients must also experience what is termed “orthostatic intolerance.” This phrase includes a variety of terms that patients may use to describe their symptoms, including, but not limited to, “dizziness,” “vertigo,” “lightheadedness,” or a “woozy” sensation. Patients may experience partial or complete loss of vision due to decreased blood flow to the brain, and may in some cases lose consciousness. The central feature of the symptoms in POTS is that they are correlated with a change in posture (hence the “Postural” in POTS). In other words, these symptoms are worse when standing and relieved when sitting or lying flat. Patients with POTS may also experience shortness of breath, migraine headaches, body pains, tingling or other sensory symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, and confusion or difficulty concentrating.]
So, on Friday, June 5th, Jake left St. George at 5:00am that morning to establish with a cardiologist in Provo because he had to see a cardiologist before getting the referral for the tilt test. His appointment was at 9am. He made it there at 9:07 and by the time the cardiologist saw him at 9:12, the provider said, "We've got 8 minutes for this visit. Why are you here?" No hi, no hello, no introduction or smile. (Not cool, dude.) Fortunately, Jake was able to succinctly bring him up to speed and thankfully, the provider agreed to give Jake the referral for the tilt test, which would need to be done in Provo, but Jake first had to wear some kind of monitor for 24 hours to give the office some data in real time. Jake's resting heart rate at the visit was 115. In high school it was around 40. (Mine fluctuates between 45-62).
*While Jake was in town, he also got some blood work done to screen for Celiac disease as that has ironically been linked as the culprit for many autoimmune disorders. (We were all screened back in 2015 when we got Karcyn's diagnosis, but if that's the cause of all of this physical turmoil in Jake's life, I'll kick myself!) As he was leaving the parking lot, while waiting behind another vehicle to turn onto the road from the parking lot, he accidentally bumped into the car in front of him. He couldn't have been going more than 2 mph because he was inching forward. Unfortunately, the car was a 2020 model, less than a week or so off the lot (of course) and the guy in the passenger seat was super upset. He got out and yelled at Jake, "Do you have brakes?" "Do you know how to use them?" So unkind and mean spirited. Jake, of course, was extremely flustered and said he was so sorry. They looked at their car and Jake told me there was a small scratch. Jake's car was fine. The couple actually called the police. And the police were like, "Yeah, no, we're not coming for that and in a parking lot, no less." Jake didn't think to get a picture of their "damage" but they got a picture of his license and insurance card. Poor Jake. Plus he had a five hour drive home after that.
*I got a call near the end of the work day from our insurance adjuster. She wanted to know if I was okay. I called her back and said I was not in an accident. It was my son. And it was a small fender bender. She said the other party reported that 'Jennifer' was driving. (Seriously?) And they had the wrong car listed too--Jake's old Honda CRV (Veronica) because that was the card in his glove box. Obviously, that's not the car listed on insurance. She said that she needed to get a statement from Jake about what happened and any pictures. I was a little indignant at this point, and told her that he wasn't even home yet...he had to drive all the way back to St. George. She said it was fine to have him call her on Monday and that she'd send him her contact info. Man, we just can't win on the car insurance front. We were waiting until THIS month, for Jake's speeding ticket from 2017 to come off his record and now this.
*The only good thing that came out of the day was that right before we left for the bowling alley, I got a call. I almost missed it because my phone was in my bag and I had to dig it out. But it was a number I was hoping to see--the US Census Bureau. A lady from Waco was calling to let me know that my application was accepted and wanted to know if I could spare ten minutes for a phone interview. I said sure and went to the study while she let me know what the job would entail. I would be an enumerator, working in the field, going to people in the College Station area who didn’t fill out the survey online for one reason or another. After training, I would be assigned work, or terminated. The job is around 20 hours a week for about eight weeks (including weekends), could be more, could be less. The pay is $18/hr plus 58 cents per mile. That’s 2x the amount of pay to substitute! She asked me if I could provide my own vehicle, if I was comfortable asking personal questions about age/race. When I said yes to all of that, she said she wanted to offer me the job and walked me through the pre-employment steps, including a federal background check and fingerprinting. Once all of that’s been done, they will contact me for a training date. They’re hoping to get me started around July 27th. I’m excited and nervous! This job, especially if it goes for eight weeks would be such a blessing. Especially because I may not get to substitute at all this next year, which was my plan for paying off the private loans quicker.
*HAHAHA! Yup!!
Sat. 6th--I got an email from our insurance broker who also wanted to know if I was okay after he was notified I had been in an accident. I rolled my eyes and told him that it wasn't me, it was Jake and explained that Jake had "tapped" the car in front of him and it's barely scratched. He suggested having the adjuster see if the other party would be willing to settle outside of insurance to get it fixed because due to Jake's age and such it could really hit us hard on the cost of insurance moving forward. So I called the adjuster and left her a message if she would inquire with the other party for us.
*Meanwhile, in St. George, Utah, a little family reunion was taking place. My sister, Michelle and her husband, Shawn, were bringing Shell's three boys up to Santa Clara, because her ex-husband, Paul, was driving down from northern Utah to pick them up and take them home with him for the summer. But before that happened, Michelle, met Cosette, the baby girl she gave up for adoption 21 years ago, who just had her first baby. Michelle gave Cosette to Audrey and Victor Iverson (who flew up to Anchorage, Alaska) in March 1999. Audrey is the sister of Shane Johnson who was Jared's MTC companion. I met Audrey while Jared and I were visiting Shane and his wife shortly after we were married. They all live in Hurricane, Utah, not far from Santa Clara where my parents live now. Audrey and Victor have been great about keeping the adoption open. They've never hidden anything from Cosette and while there were lots of pictures and letters from both parties in the first year or so, they slowly dwindled off, giving everyone space. Cosette got married and when she became pregnant, she felt the desire to reach out to Michelle. Which she did and they have been getting to know each other. Since Michelle was going to be in the area, she let Cosette know and they made the visit happen, with the bonus of little baby, Adi, Michelle's biological granddaughter. Jake got to meet his blood "cousin" as well. It was a very special reunion and I wish I could have been there for it, but am so grateful for the small part I played at bringing these two families together 21 years ago!
*Meanwhile, in St. George, Utah, a little family reunion was taking place. My sister, Michelle and her husband, Shawn, were bringing Shell's three boys up to Santa Clara, because her ex-husband, Paul, was driving down from northern Utah to pick them up and take them home with him for the summer. But before that happened, Michelle, met Cosette, the baby girl she gave up for adoption 21 years ago, who just had her first baby. Michelle gave Cosette to Audrey and Victor Iverson (who flew up to Anchorage, Alaska) in March 1999. Audrey is the sister of Shane Johnson who was Jared's MTC companion. I met Audrey while Jared and I were visiting Shane and his wife shortly after we were married. They all live in Hurricane, Utah, not far from Santa Clara where my parents live now. Audrey and Victor have been great about keeping the adoption open. They've never hidden anything from Cosette and while there were lots of pictures and letters from both parties in the first year or so, they slowly dwindled off, giving everyone space. Cosette got married and when she became pregnant, she felt the desire to reach out to Michelle. Which she did and they have been getting to know each other. Since Michelle was going to be in the area, she let Cosette know and they made the visit happen, with the bonus of little baby, Adi, Michelle's biological granddaughter. Jake got to meet his blood "cousin" as well. It was a very special reunion and I wish I could have been there for it, but am so grateful for the small part I played at bringing these two families together 21 years ago!
Like mother like "daughter." Cosette and Michelle could be twins!
Shell and all her kids.
Sun. 7th--Jared and the fishing crew were driving home from Minnesota...they had been driving through the night. I was grateful to hear they made it safely through the early morning hours. Jared called at 7:30am and we talked for awhile--it was the first time we'd talked on the phone since they left 10 days prior. It was Jared's turn to drive so we did some catching up. I talked to Cooper as well who was in the front seat to help keep Jared awake. They had a great trip, but it was 29 hours of non-stop driving. Bleh.
*With Jared and Cooper being absent from church at home for the second week in a row, my mom offered to run the meeting that day, for which I was grateful. Originally, they had chosen 2pm for church, but then switched it to 5:30pm because, understandably, Michelle and her crew were still in town. Jared and Cooper made it to Kevin's house in Snyder, TX around 3:30, so they were able to join us, which was a real treat! Our topic of conversation was to find what we thought was the "worst war" in the Book of Mormon and to share why we thought that way. We had a really good discussion. Church went a little longer than I anticipated--it was almost 7pm when we finished and I hadn't made dinner yet. I was trying a new recipe--baked sweet and sour chicken. That, too, took a little longer than I thought, but by the time I realized this, I was committed. All in. So I let the kids watch "Jungle Book" on Disney+ while we waited for their "bedtime dinner." (Dinner was really good--totally worth the wait.)
Mon. 8th--I woke up to an email from our stake presidency. We had been invited to participate in an indexing project. A year ago, the Grimes County Courthouse (in our stake boundaries) finally got their records digitized and Family Search specifically asked our stake if we would help index the records as well. I was absolutely giddy! This was an answer to my prayers--that my family would have something to do related to family history where they could be successful and feel the spirit and power of this great work.
*JJ writing in his journal for the day.
*I was missing my friend, Ruth, so I packed up a lighthouse puzzle (a gift that represents things we both love--lighthouses for me, puzzles for her) that I got when I was in Pennsylvania a couple years ago and dropped it off so I could see her...from a distance.
Notice anything interesting about this record?
*Pictures of Jake's car once he was back in southern Utah. Lots of bugs, but you can't see one scratch or dent. #texasstrong
*The fishermen came home around 3:30pm! We were SUPER glad to have them safely back.
*JJ had baseball practice at 6:30pm so Jared took him. I dropped Calvin off at his practice at 7:15pm and then drove to JJ's field to sit with Jared, who would later go to Calvin's practice and take him home and I would have JJ. It was about 7:35pm when I joined Jared in the bleachers. I spotted JJ in the outfield. A couple minutes later, one of the coaches yelled out to him, "JJ, stand up, be ready!" JJ was bent over or kneeling on the ground. I thought that was odd. He's played baseball before. He's not one to dance in the field looking at daisies or anything. A few minutes later, they called the team in. JJ was lagging and this same coach yelled, "JJ, hustle! Hustle!" He came over on the fence side of where his team was circled up and he dropped to his knees and laid forward on the ground. When he was told to get up, he said he wasn't feeling good. We called out to him to get some water, but he wouldn't move. After the team did their cheer, the other coach called JJ over and asked if he was okay. Jared said something about JJ being dramatic, but I came to his defense and said, "He gets dehydrated pretty easily." JJ walked back to the dugout. Jared got up and made his way over to retrieve JJ and his stuff. Jared talked for a few minutes with one of the coaches. I spotted JJ coming toward the bleachers. He was moving very slowly and in a daze. His face was red except for a circle around his mouth and his lips which were chalk white! I rushed over to him. He said he threw up. Ohh, poor kid. I asked if he felt sick again. He said he did. I was going to direct him to a garbage can, but he crumpled to the ground. Couldn't move anymore. I took the stuff out of his arms and gave him some water to drink. Jared came over by that point. We just waited with him to slowly drink more. Then we poured some water on his neck and head to cool him off. He didn't get sick again. After about five minutes, the color was back around his mouth. Crazy. We slowly walked back to the car so I could take him home and Jared went to watch Calvin. I gave JJ some gatorade and then he got in the shower. I made him some mac 'n cheese and got him some chocolate milk to drink when he was cleaned up. He was starting to feel better. I checked the weather app at 8pm--15 minutes after JJ's practice ended and it the heat index was 102 degrees! JJ is pretty sensitive to the heat we are learning. He passed out and threw up from heat exhaustion just last August when they were fishing...not even running around and playing a sport. Obviously, it's no wonder they don't do baseball in the summertime in Texas!
On the drive home, JJ told me that his coaches were pushing him. I told him that I had heard that, too, and explained they obviously didn't realize he was feeling sick. I imagined my tender-hearted boy who only wants to do what's right, was feeling like he really let his coaches down. He then said, "I don't think I want to go back." I'm not about raising quitters, but I'm not sure I want to force him to go back either if he's worried about getting sick or not feeling well. He was already having reservations because he had been smacked in the head with a ball during "kid pitch." We'll see how he feels before the next practice.
*Jared and Calvin returned home after baseball practice around 9:30pm. Calvin wanted to shower in our bathroom that night. While Calvin went upstairs to get his jammies, Jared and I were in our bedroom having a conversation with Cooper when Jake texted some information to Jared which caused a little bit of confusion between the two "discussions." At the same time, Calvin walked back through our room, behind Jared, making his way to the shower with a bath towel wrapped around his waist and announced, "Don't let me forget my load of opium when I'm done!" You should have seen the look on Jared's face. He whipped his head around and exclaimed, "Whhhat???" Calvin was startled and taken aback at Jared's abrupt question and cautiously, slowly repeated, "Don't let me forget to get my Lord of Opium when I'm done in the shower." Oh...LORD of opium. Not LOAD of opium. It's a book Calvin is reading. Hahaha. Articulation is key!!
Tues. 9th--I received an email on Monday from the US Census Bureau outlining the next steps to do in their pre-employment process. I had a week to get fingerprinted. So I made an appointment for Tues. afternoon at 3:30--at the Office Depot in College Station. Cooper had to run an errand but would be back by 3pm so he could come with me and we could pick up his new prom/missionary suit at the tailor's in Bryan. Right before Cooper came home, I put the address for the Office Depot in my GPS...715 S. Texas Avenue and when it popped up it said it was 23 minutes away, up in Bryan. Oh no! I needed to leave right then. Cooper walked in right at that moment so it was perfect timing and off we went.
Except when we arrived at the address, there was no Office Depot. Nooo!! I looked them up to call them, but when I did the call wouldn't go through. Seriously?? I tried three more times with the same outcome. I looked at the email the Census had sent me and when I clicked on their link, the Office Depot in College Station popped up. The one I originally thought I'd be going to. I looked at the address to make sure I entered it correctly. 715 Texas Avenue S. Good grief. One letter (the 'S' for South) was not in the right place and it totally messed me up. Dang. If I had really been thinking, the letter had said College Station, not Bryan, but sometimes those are interchangeable, so I don't count that. It's amazing how one little letter, out of place, can cause such a problem. Fortunately, Jared was able to reach them to let them know I was sent to the wrong location. They said there wasn't anyone else waiting and not to worry.
After arriving at the store, I washed my hands for 20 seconds in the store bathroom before I went to get fingerprinted and my picture taken and then we were off. Back to Bryan to pick up Cooper's finished suit. Then it was time to head to HEB. I needed to pick up a few things and wanted to check on the status of the wrist corsages we ordered for prom.
As I was driving past Texas A&M University on Texas Avenue, I was staying with the flow of traffic. But as I was approaching an intersection, I felt like I was moving faster than I should and wouldn't you know, there was a police officer on a motorcycle at the front of the line as I passed. As soon as I did, his lights came on. Oh boy. It's been twenty years since I was pulled over for speeding. Sometimes I speed intentionally. This was not one of those times--I had been going around 50 mph. Unfortunately, there was no place to pull over and I was like "What do I do?" I put on my signal to show I was going to pull over so the cop didn't think I was trying to evade him. But when I did, I noticed him motioning to keep going and then turn at the next street. So that's what I did. I pulled over into the bike lane on George Bush Pkwy and rolled down my window as I dug out my license and started looking for my insurance on the phone app. He came to Cooper's window though (makes sense, out of the line of traffic) and I quickly rolled it down. He identified himself and said the reason he stopped me was because I was doing 53 in a 40. Whoops. "Really? I'm so sorry. Last I checked I was going 50." I didn't even bother saying I thought I was in a 45. I gave him my license and asked if I could show him insurance in my app. He said sure and of course my app hadn't been updated so I had to wait for it to do that before I could get into it--so embarrassing--(fortunately I had set up fingerprinting access and didn't have to try and type in a user name and password!) This poor guy was wearing all black, a helmet, sunglasses and a black mask while at our window. The heat index outside was 108 and climbing! It took 1.1 second for him to look at my insurance verification and as soon as he gave it back he said he was going to give me a warning. My eyes softened even more as I thanked him. He left for a couple minutes and while he was gone, Cooper was like, "Wow, he already decided to give you a warning before checking your record." When the officer returned, he handed me my license and a slip of paper and said, "This is just a warning, you don't need to do anything more. Do you have any questions?" I took off my sunglasses and smiled at him and said, "No, but thank you so much. Have a wonderful day." He told us to be safe and was gone. With as hot as it was outside during this late afternoon, he could have easily slapped me with a ticket. I'm so grateful for the mercy he decided to show me. I told Cooper, "I didn't think I was speeding." He said, "This car is a speed trap because it rides so smoothly. Plus...Texas Avenue speed limits are pretty wonky. They change a lot." It's true, I'm not up by campus very often and not as familiar with the posted speed limits. But I will be now!
I've also determined that Cooper is the good luck charm for getting us out of speeding tickets. With the exception of one time that Jared was pulled over with another young man in his car, trying to get him to a basketball tournament in Illinois, Jared has had Cooper with him every time...when I was in labor with Cooper, when he and Cooper were driving to the church with Sacrament bread, and on the way to Snyder at the end of May. And then I got a warning as well, while Cooper was my passenger. Now, Jake was pulled over on his way to Six Flags in 2017 with Cooper in the car. But I determined that Jake is the bad luck charm and overrides any pull Cooper has. This theory holds up because the very first ticket I got was with Jake as a sick toddler in the backseat crying and Jake got a speeding ticket even with Cooper in the car. So if you're going to speed and you don't want a ticket, make sure you have Cooper in the car with you, not Jake. Haha!
*Jared's coworker won a free pair of shoes on some "thank a health worker" raffle. She had already won some, so she gave her second prize to Jared. Once they arrived at our house, Cooper decided he really liked Jared's shoes--and they fit!
*JJ had baseball practice at 6:30pm so Jared took him. I dropped Calvin off at his practice at 7:15pm and then drove to JJ's field to sit with Jared, who would later go to Calvin's practice and take him home and I would have JJ. It was about 7:35pm when I joined Jared in the bleachers. I spotted JJ in the outfield. A couple minutes later, one of the coaches yelled out to him, "JJ, stand up, be ready!" JJ was bent over or kneeling on the ground. I thought that was odd. He's played baseball before. He's not one to dance in the field looking at daisies or anything. A few minutes later, they called the team in. JJ was lagging and this same coach yelled, "JJ, hustle! Hustle!" He came over on the fence side of where his team was circled up and he dropped to his knees and laid forward on the ground. When he was told to get up, he said he wasn't feeling good. We called out to him to get some water, but he wouldn't move. After the team did their cheer, the other coach called JJ over and asked if he was okay. Jared said something about JJ being dramatic, but I came to his defense and said, "He gets dehydrated pretty easily." JJ walked back to the dugout. Jared got up and made his way over to retrieve JJ and his stuff. Jared talked for a few minutes with one of the coaches. I spotted JJ coming toward the bleachers. He was moving very slowly and in a daze. His face was red except for a circle around his mouth and his lips which were chalk white! I rushed over to him. He said he threw up. Ohh, poor kid. I asked if he felt sick again. He said he did. I was going to direct him to a garbage can, but he crumpled to the ground. Couldn't move anymore. I took the stuff out of his arms and gave him some water to drink. Jared came over by that point. We just waited with him to slowly drink more. Then we poured some water on his neck and head to cool him off. He didn't get sick again. After about five minutes, the color was back around his mouth. Crazy. We slowly walked back to the car so I could take him home and Jared went to watch Calvin. I gave JJ some gatorade and then he got in the shower. I made him some mac 'n cheese and got him some chocolate milk to drink when he was cleaned up. He was starting to feel better. I checked the weather app at 8pm--15 minutes after JJ's practice ended and it the heat index was 102 degrees! JJ is pretty sensitive to the heat we are learning. He passed out and threw up from heat exhaustion just last August when they were fishing...not even running around and playing a sport. Obviously, it's no wonder they don't do baseball in the summertime in Texas!
On the drive home, JJ told me that his coaches were pushing him. I told him that I had heard that, too, and explained they obviously didn't realize he was feeling sick. I imagined my tender-hearted boy who only wants to do what's right, was feeling like he really let his coaches down. He then said, "I don't think I want to go back." I'm not about raising quitters, but I'm not sure I want to force him to go back either if he's worried about getting sick or not feeling well. He was already having reservations because he had been smacked in the head with a ball during "kid pitch." We'll see how he feels before the next practice.
*Jared and Calvin returned home after baseball practice around 9:30pm. Calvin wanted to shower in our bathroom that night. While Calvin went upstairs to get his jammies, Jared and I were in our bedroom having a conversation with Cooper when Jake texted some information to Jared which caused a little bit of confusion between the two "discussions." At the same time, Calvin walked back through our room, behind Jared, making his way to the shower with a bath towel wrapped around his waist and announced, "Don't let me forget my load of opium when I'm done!" You should have seen the look on Jared's face. He whipped his head around and exclaimed, "Whhhat???" Calvin was startled and taken aback at Jared's abrupt question and cautiously, slowly repeated, "Don't let me forget to get my Lord of Opium when I'm done in the shower." Oh...LORD of opium. Not LOAD of opium. It's a book Calvin is reading. Hahaha. Articulation is key!!
Tues. 9th--I received an email on Monday from the US Census Bureau outlining the next steps to do in their pre-employment process. I had a week to get fingerprinted. So I made an appointment for Tues. afternoon at 3:30--at the Office Depot in College Station. Cooper had to run an errand but would be back by 3pm so he could come with me and we could pick up his new prom/missionary suit at the tailor's in Bryan. Right before Cooper came home, I put the address for the Office Depot in my GPS...715 S. Texas Avenue and when it popped up it said it was 23 minutes away, up in Bryan. Oh no! I needed to leave right then. Cooper walked in right at that moment so it was perfect timing and off we went.
Except when we arrived at the address, there was no Office Depot. Nooo!! I looked them up to call them, but when I did the call wouldn't go through. Seriously?? I tried three more times with the same outcome. I looked at the email the Census had sent me and when I clicked on their link, the Office Depot in College Station popped up. The one I originally thought I'd be going to. I looked at the address to make sure I entered it correctly. 715 Texas Avenue S. Good grief. One letter (the 'S' for South) was not in the right place and it totally messed me up. Dang. If I had really been thinking, the letter had said College Station, not Bryan, but sometimes those are interchangeable, so I don't count that. It's amazing how one little letter, out of place, can cause such a problem. Fortunately, Jared was able to reach them to let them know I was sent to the wrong location. They said there wasn't anyone else waiting and not to worry.
After arriving at the store, I washed my hands for 20 seconds in the store bathroom before I went to get fingerprinted and my picture taken and then we were off. Back to Bryan to pick up Cooper's finished suit. Then it was time to head to HEB. I needed to pick up a few things and wanted to check on the status of the wrist corsages we ordered for prom.
As I was driving past Texas A&M University on Texas Avenue, I was staying with the flow of traffic. But as I was approaching an intersection, I felt like I was moving faster than I should and wouldn't you know, there was a police officer on a motorcycle at the front of the line as I passed. As soon as I did, his lights came on. Oh boy. It's been twenty years since I was pulled over for speeding. Sometimes I speed intentionally. This was not one of those times--I had been going around 50 mph. Unfortunately, there was no place to pull over and I was like "What do I do?" I put on my signal to show I was going to pull over so the cop didn't think I was trying to evade him. But when I did, I noticed him motioning to keep going and then turn at the next street. So that's what I did. I pulled over into the bike lane on George Bush Pkwy and rolled down my window as I dug out my license and started looking for my insurance on the phone app. He came to Cooper's window though (makes sense, out of the line of traffic) and I quickly rolled it down. He identified himself and said the reason he stopped me was because I was doing 53 in a 40. Whoops. "Really? I'm so sorry. Last I checked I was going 50." I didn't even bother saying I thought I was in a 45. I gave him my license and asked if I could show him insurance in my app. He said sure and of course my app hadn't been updated so I had to wait for it to do that before I could get into it--so embarrassing--(fortunately I had set up fingerprinting access and didn't have to try and type in a user name and password!) This poor guy was wearing all black, a helmet, sunglasses and a black mask while at our window. The heat index outside was 108 and climbing! It took 1.1 second for him to look at my insurance verification and as soon as he gave it back he said he was going to give me a warning. My eyes softened even more as I thanked him. He left for a couple minutes and while he was gone, Cooper was like, "Wow, he already decided to give you a warning before checking your record." When the officer returned, he handed me my license and a slip of paper and said, "This is just a warning, you don't need to do anything more. Do you have any questions?" I took off my sunglasses and smiled at him and said, "No, but thank you so much. Have a wonderful day." He told us to be safe and was gone. With as hot as it was outside during this late afternoon, he could have easily slapped me with a ticket. I'm so grateful for the mercy he decided to show me. I told Cooper, "I didn't think I was speeding." He said, "This car is a speed trap because it rides so smoothly. Plus...Texas Avenue speed limits are pretty wonky. They change a lot." It's true, I'm not up by campus very often and not as familiar with the posted speed limits. But I will be now!
I've also determined that Cooper is the good luck charm for getting us out of speeding tickets. With the exception of one time that Jared was pulled over with another young man in his car, trying to get him to a basketball tournament in Illinois, Jared has had Cooper with him every time...when I was in labor with Cooper, when he and Cooper were driving to the church with Sacrament bread, and on the way to Snyder at the end of May. And then I got a warning as well, while Cooper was my passenger. Now, Jake was pulled over on his way to Six Flags in 2017 with Cooper in the car. But I determined that Jake is the bad luck charm and overrides any pull Cooper has. This theory holds up because the very first ticket I got was with Jake as a sick toddler in the backseat crying and Jake got a speeding ticket even with Cooper in the car. So if you're going to speed and you don't want a ticket, make sure you have Cooper in the car with you, not Jake. Haha!
*Jared's coworker won a free pair of shoes on some "thank a health worker" raffle. She had already won some, so she gave her second prize to Jared. Once they arrived at our house, Cooper decided he really liked Jared's shoes--and they fit!
Wed. 10th--Jared and I decided to try eating a keto diet once his big trip was over. We're anxious to see how it goes. I made some homemade hummus and it was delicious. Though probably not the best low carb dip out there because of the chickpeas. But we took our chances since it could certainly be worse.
Sat.13th--The morning of PROM! Cooper and Regan selecting songs for the prom playlist. They had some good ideas and Mindy and I threw in a couple from our days for good measure...oldies but goodies. I also suggested "All I Want Is You" by U2. I'm 99% sure this was the theme song from the junior prom I attended as a sophomore with Brian Gross for his junior prom in Anchorage. But, the real epic-ness of this song is that it was played at the end of the movie "Contagion" where Matt Damon finally allows his daughter to have a special dance at his house with one boy after a virus spread by respiratory droplets throws the world upside down during a pandemic. Considering the times, it was, dare I say, "perfect."
*Dressed and ready to go!
Most of his torched face from fishing is finally returning to normal! :)
Lauren's wrist corsage.
I didn't really have a vision for decorations. But Calvin and I stopped by the Party store earlier that day and decided to just look and see. And it just started coming together. Black, white and gold. Letter balloons and whimsical ceiling decorations.
The irony is that when we pulled out the letter O balloon to inflate, I noticed in dismay, that it had a tail and was actually a Q. Nooo! But there was no turning back, literally and figuratively. Ever quick on his feet and with his responses, Calvin (my shopping and decorating buddy) suggested, "Hey it works! Q for Quarantine!" Of course! You rock, Calvin!
We didn't have much time, so it was all hands on deck. I think under the circumstances, it turned out pretty well. Cooper really appreciated it.
Lauren's dad is a professional photographer, so he captured some really awesome shots and shared them with us for which we are most grateful!
I was so impressed that Lauren not only got Cooper a boutonniere, but that she watched a YouTube video to learn how to pin it on.
She also braided her own hair. Cooper and Lauren know each other from their previous Audio/Visual Production class at school.
PROM MOMS! After the pictures were done and the kids were off to dinner, Lauren's mom brought some treats over and her dad gave us a preview of pictures. Our other kids have overlapped in classes as well, so their faces are familiar, which made it fun. Stephanie has also accepted a job to work at JJ's school in the fall. I sub there often so we'll get to cross paths there, too. I was touched to learn that going to prom is also Lauren's first date. She was super excited, since she's a sophomore.
Ahh...the Quarantine Prom balloon entrance. :)
The rest of the decorations in the dining room and living room. I decided to dub this year's prom theme as "UNDER THE CANOPY OF COVID."
Pictures of the couples once they got back from dinner at Napa Flats.
You may notice the dork dad who is photo bombing this great picture. *sigh*
Trying this again.
Regan and his adorable date, Abbie.
And a few pictures outside. It was a beautiful evening.
These are the letterman star pins that Lauren tucked into her braid. She had about three or four of them. She does color guard among other things. Such a creative idea!
Sorry I couldn't move the light, Regan!
After our devotional, the teenagers hung out and had a great time. Abbie hung out with Regan and had dinner with us and didn't leave until around 7pm. We were super sad to see her go. She has difficulty hearing and seeing, but she's such a bright light. I loved being around her!
Before Abbie left, she and the two teenage boys were reminiscing about past and current teachers at the high school and exchanging stories.
*I had received a package in the mail the day or two before. Once the hustle and bustle of prom was gone, I opened it up. It was a letter from Moriah with this wall hanging she had made. It was a very sweet gesture and we love the addition to our wall.
Karole treated everyone to lunch. Because of my keto diet, I got a lettuce wrap at Jimmy Johns and the kids got Chick-fil-A. I could have had a salad from Chick-fil-A but it's hard to eat that when you're driving. :)
JJ sporting his cow ears. "Eat more chikin."
On our way back to College Station.
*Monday night was the first day of baseball games! JJ did not want to go, however. He was playing with his friend, Lane, and didn't want to stop. I told him that if he got dressed, we would ask Lane if he could come to JJ's game. Unfortunately, Lane couldn't that night, but Calvin used his big brother charm and convinced JJ to go, for which I am most grateful.
Calvin played for the Braves and JJ played for the Orioles.
And Karcyn made a sign to cheer her brothers on..."Knock COVID-19 out of the BALL PARK!"
It was a sad sight though, while I sat at JJ's game. Every boy on his team was on the field, except JJ. He sat on the bench or stood in the dugout alone for two innings.
By regulation rules, every kid gets playing time. He did get up to bat, but stood there as stiff as a pole and struck out. He never got up to bat again. And played in the outfield twice. Needless to say, he didn't have a good time, only fueling his original stance of not wanting to continue with the season. As we walked back to the car he was very articulate and said, quote: "I'm not prepared. This is kid pitch. I only feel comfortable with machine pitch." Unfortunately, because he turns 9 years old (before school starts...two days before school starts), he is playing with 9, 10 and even a couple 11 year old boys. Who are big kids. He's the most inexperienced, youngest, and smallest player on his team. This isn't what he thought it would be. And we certainly didn't anticipate playing in the summer heat. So part of me empathized with him and said that I totally understand and suggested we have a family council about it with Dad later that night.
JJ explained his point of view and I told Jared that I can understand his desire to not play anymore. I know what it's like being in a class where you are not prepared and it hinders progress because you're overwhelmed and just trying to keep your nose above water. Jared said he understood too, and gently reminded JJ that our family rule is that we finish what we start because if we just quit when it gets hard, it becomes too easy to quit again. I told JJ that I agreed with that, too. But my heart really did go out to JJ. When he said he wanted to play baseball again, I believe he was under the impression he'd be doing machine pitch. The difference between that and kid pitch are striking--no pun intended-- (sometimes at you as the batter) and brutal. As I was feeling a bit torn, I was inspired immediately with a thought. Without even talking to Jared about it, I told JJ that what we wanted him to do was to get more counsel from his older siblings, who have participated in baseball and done other things that were hard and to see what they suggest. And then, after thinking about both sides and coming up with his decision, most importantly, we wanted him to pray about it and talk to Heavenly Father about his choice and learn to hear Him and what He thinks about JJ's decision. I didn't tell JJ this, but honestly, whatever he wanted to do, it wasn't earth shattering either way. This was one of those times when we could truly let JJ seek personal revelation from his Heavenly Father and decide for himself what he wanted to do based on that process. We told him he had until Thursday to make his decision (his next game was Friday) and to let us know.
By golly, that kid didn't waste time talking to his siblings. He talked to Calvin first that night in the living room. I was in the kitchen and overheard parts of their conversation. Calvin gave him good advice. He said that it's important for JJ to stay on the team because the team needs him. If one kid got sick or injured, they would need JJ to fill in, otherwise, they'd be short a player. And it's okay to strike out, but he should try swinging at the ball. If you're going to strike out, do it swinging. Karcyn was of the mind "not to quit" though I don't know specifically what she told him. Cooper told JJ he should quit. Not sure where that advice was coming from this position either but maybe it was just to be a devil's advocate.
Tues. 16th--This was the big weigh in day after being on our no or low carb/no sugar diet for a week. I lost 5.4 lbs!! Most of it, if not all, was water weight, but it feels great! I would really like to lose 10 more pounds before the beginning of September when Jared and I spend a week in the Florida Keys, but I'd be happy with just another 5-7 lbs. Jared and I have been walking around our neighborhood most days. We try walking two miles in the morning and two in the evening, but usually it's just a couple miles in the evenings.
*Mindy and Regan left to fly back home to Provo, Utah. We had a lovely visit--nice and laid back. We were so happy to have them and hope the boys had a great, albeit unconventional, prom experience. Abbie had said she wished prom was always like that because with her hearing impairment, the smaller crowed makes it much easier for her to hear and enjoy.
JJ explained his point of view and I told Jared that I can understand his desire to not play anymore. I know what it's like being in a class where you are not prepared and it hinders progress because you're overwhelmed and just trying to keep your nose above water. Jared said he understood too, and gently reminded JJ that our family rule is that we finish what we start because if we just quit when it gets hard, it becomes too easy to quit again. I told JJ that I agreed with that, too. But my heart really did go out to JJ. When he said he wanted to play baseball again, I believe he was under the impression he'd be doing machine pitch. The difference between that and kid pitch are striking--no pun intended-- (sometimes at you as the batter) and brutal. As I was feeling a bit torn, I was inspired immediately with a thought. Without even talking to Jared about it, I told JJ that what we wanted him to do was to get more counsel from his older siblings, who have participated in baseball and done other things that were hard and to see what they suggest. And then, after thinking about both sides and coming up with his decision, most importantly, we wanted him to pray about it and talk to Heavenly Father about his choice and learn to hear Him and what He thinks about JJ's decision. I didn't tell JJ this, but honestly, whatever he wanted to do, it wasn't earth shattering either way. This was one of those times when we could truly let JJ seek personal revelation from his Heavenly Father and decide for himself what he wanted to do based on that process. We told him he had until Thursday to make his decision (his next game was Friday) and to let us know.
By golly, that kid didn't waste time talking to his siblings. He talked to Calvin first that night in the living room. I was in the kitchen and overheard parts of their conversation. Calvin gave him good advice. He said that it's important for JJ to stay on the team because the team needs him. If one kid got sick or injured, they would need JJ to fill in, otherwise, they'd be short a player. And it's okay to strike out, but he should try swinging at the ball. If you're going to strike out, do it swinging. Karcyn was of the mind "not to quit" though I don't know specifically what she told him. Cooper told JJ he should quit. Not sure where that advice was coming from this position either but maybe it was just to be a devil's advocate.
Tues. 16th--This was the big weigh in day after being on our no or low carb/no sugar diet for a week. I lost 5.4 lbs!! Most of it, if not all, was water weight, but it feels great! I would really like to lose 10 more pounds before the beginning of September when Jared and I spend a week in the Florida Keys, but I'd be happy with just another 5-7 lbs. Jared and I have been walking around our neighborhood most days. We try walking two miles in the morning and two in the evening, but usually it's just a couple miles in the evenings.
*Mindy and Regan left to fly back home to Provo, Utah. We had a lovely visit--nice and laid back. We were so happy to have them and hope the boys had a great, albeit unconventional, prom experience. Abbie had said she wished prom was always like that because with her hearing impairment, the smaller crowed makes it much easier for her to hear and enjoy.
Wed. 17th--I called Progressive to find out the "progress" on the claim opened against Jake. Looks like they're saying $664 to repaint the bumper of the 10 day old car. It will likely be on Jake's record for 5 years, but at least the "at fault" is under $1,000. Then the adjuster told me the other driver is also getting medical attention for an injury. I cannot believe that and I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes at that new information. I should never have called. *sigh* Jake tapped the car. There wasn't even a dent.
*Jared finally had a chance to put the trampoline back together again after the fateful "walkabout" it had during a big storm at the end of May. We still needed to order a new pad to go along the edge to cover the springs, but it was good to have it mostly operational again.
*Back in January, Karcyn received this email: "You recently entered a writing contest sponsored by Creative Communication. Congratulations, Karcyn! Your poem has been accepted to be published in the book "A Celebration of Poets." This is an honor, as most students are not invited to be published. This publication brings together the best students authors in the United States." The hardbound book arrived a month ago. We are super proud of our published poet!
*A meme shout-out to Jake. The struggle is real.
*On the way home from Calvin's game, I suggested JJ talk to Jake to ask him about advice on the decision he has to make about playing baseball. JJ agreed. I didn't hear JJ identify himself to Jake, but I did hear him just cut to the chase and say, "I'm not sure if I should quit baseball, do you have any advice for me?" I heard a couple of quiet "uh huh"s and "yeah"s. I also heard him say "kid pitch," "a shorter season," and some long periods of intent listening. After a minute of silence on his end, he said, very calmly, "But if I quit, then all of Mom and Dad's money will be wasted." Then some more silence. It was really cute to hear this sweet little voice having a big man conversation. My heart swelled with joy and gratitude, for an awesome big brother, who is respected by his younger siblings and who gives excellent advice. Near the end of the conversation, JJ clarified, "So your advice is to keep trying and finish the season?" JJ told me at home that he thought he knew what he was going to do and was going to pray about it.
19th--JJ decided to finish out the season. Jake told him to keep practicing and to do the best he knew how. Later that night, at JJ's next game, he was up on deck as the next batter. Jared was on his way from work, but at this rate, he would miss JJ. What I was worried about most, however, is that he'd be up to bat with two outs. This happens to him and Calvin all.the.time!! I was so disheartened by that. But by God's tender mercy, the next play got our team two outs, bringing us to three and the other team was up to bat. That was a close call!! Not only did Jared make it in time to see JJ up to bat, but JJ also got to walk on base, and through yet another tender mercy, JJ stole a couple bases and made it all the way around to home plate where he scored one for his team! His team won! It was a wonderful experience and just the boost this little boy needed.
Base hit for Calvin.
And third.
It was a beautiful night.
We were all able to be there and cheer Calvin on. Even with a bad allergy attack...right, Cooper? :)
Stealing second base.
Safe!
*Even though he isn't "allergic" to anything, Calvin's body always swells significantly at and around the point of insect bites/stings. His right foot was the most recent casualty.
Sun. 21st--An awesome summer storm.
Mon. 22nd--Karcyn and I have been watching the Marvel movies since the end of April and I have to say that I'm a fan of Loki from the Thor movies. Love this meme. Haha!
*When I was walking by the front door earlier in the morning, I noticed a white desk sitting by the curb across the street. The IRONY is that I had *just* been looking at this exact same desk the day before at Walmart for Karcyn's room, but it was in black and that won't work with white furniture. So I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. I quickly texted my neighbor and asked her if it was up for grabs. She said yes and I grabbed it before someone else did. Then she said she had a rolling chair, too, that we could have. And I said yes, please! It fits perfectly in front of Karcyn's window and will be a great place for her to study and do crafts or sewing.
A few pictures from Jake--
*Going on an adventure to Tremonton--Pearl of the West--with Sara (left) and Sariah (middle), two of his sisters from the MTC. Sariah Rees is from Tremonton and always teased Jake that he needed to visit her humble hometown.
*Jared sporting his new favorite Father's Day gift.
*Gotta say it's been a crazy summer so far!
Sun. 28th--JJ working on indexing his first batch.
Tues. 30th--This is how you are greeted at your primary care office nowadays. You stop and call the number on the sign and wait for them to bring you paperwork, then you take it back to your car and wait for them to call you in, to get your temperature screened and then you are permitted inside.
*JJ climbing up the pole in the dugout while he "sits out" of the inning.
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