It's been a bit of a rough go for me lately.
It may or may not have much to do with being tired...
...from early-rising for seminary,
...from late-nighting while waiting on a teenager (who can't wait to be an adult and out of the house - which has honestly crushed my mom heart a bit), or while planning and preparing seminary lessons after a long full day of momming or friending or serving,
...from broken cars and broken washing machines, an unfinished backyard and a messy garage,
...from helping Tay and Nae prep their house for move-in, while trying to maintain some order in my own home,
...from having a huge list of things I WANT to do/make/create, but not currently having the personal (+ mental) and physical space AND a block of time large enough to do them,
...from my own disappointment in myself because I over-indulge in Pirate's Booty and candy, rather than exercising, to soothe my anxiousness over feeling like I am not in control.
I gave a lesson on Doctrine and Covenants section 4 last week in seminary, and we talked about the godly attributes we are asked to acquire and perfect. Obviously I have a long way to go! Today, I have thought about temperance, patience, and diligence in particular.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
Here's a quick recap of some of the good things going on around here:
Bill and I went on a hot air balloon ride. That was a bucket list item for me, and was exactly what I had anticipated it would be... lovely. I thought I would be more nervous, but I wasn't AT ALL, even when our pilot had some difficultly finding a place to land and gauging the wind, and our fuel was running low. No stress on my part. It was a welcomed break.
Afterwards we ate at Rudy's, which has been on my places to try list ever since I heard about it. It was super good, but I was a tad disappointed they didn't have burnt ends with cheesy grits on the menu. Some friends of ours had told us about them, and I thought they said Rudy's had them, but perhaps they were talking about somewhere else haha. The smoked baked potato was sooooo good!
Tay and Nae closed on a townhome in Parker this month! We are so excited to have them nearby in a town we love (and are so familiar with). Their 30-year-old townhome has been a rental for 15 years, so it needs a little TLC, but it couldn't be in a better location, and it has nice big rooms. They are completely remodeling the full bath before they move in, and we've been busy painting baseboards and doors, tiling under the washer and dryer, and wiping out kitchen cabinets in preparation for move-in day. This week we are hoping to get the tiling done in the bathroom (floors and around the bathtub). We shall see. They will have plenty of home improvement projects to keep them busy for a few years.
Bill is maintaining his status as an athletic supporter sponsor for Legend High School, so we had the opportunity, once again, to participate in their Homecoming parade. (Other years here, here, and here.) Since the theme this year was "All American," Bill decided that having me drive his white 2004 Honda would be in keeping with the red, white, and blue color scheme. Why does any of that matter? Because...
...his {old} battery konked while we were decorating the car - not sure if it was because we left the key in (while it wasn't running)... the door open... the wipers on... but we discovered it was dead just prior to the start of the parade. Lucky for us, we were on a slope and I'm a PRO at popping the clutch (from my pre-marriage years of sharing my grandma's old Datsun B210 with my sister, which had a broken starter for quite some time, so we learned to always park on a hill to get the momentum going enough to pop the clutch without having anyone push us hahahahaha). I've had so many lessons in humility, another godly attribute mentioned in D&C 4. I obviously still have much to learn {wink}.
It worked. Phew. I still have it.
And yes, it DID rain on our parade.
Can I just mention how difficult it is to maintain a 3 mph speed uphill with a manual??
AAAUUURRRGGGHH!
Mauri had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem with her choir (and others) at a Rockies game. She did that a couple years back with Legend. Bill loves any reason to get to a Rockies game.
It was a beautiful night and we had pretty darn good seats (in the handicap row with padded chairs), but we were a bit disappointed in the Rockies loss to the Dodgers.
And I have to share a couple of quick pics of my girl V. It's crazy to think of how much she has changed over the past 10 months while she's lived with us. She is her own little person with a whole lot o' personality. She likes to test her boundaries, and loves to chatter endlessly about her last doctor's visit... or owie. She hates wearing pants... and shoes (totally a sensory issue, which several of my kids dealt with back in the day -- before it had a category/label haha). She is pro at the fake laugh, and thinks it's hilarious when she burps or toots. Love her to pieces.
I've been missing my other little munchkins - Scarlett has picked up on how to use Marco Polo, so it's been fun to get some of her polos telling us about her day and what she's doing. We are heading back to UT for part of Fall Break, and I can't wait to spend some time with my buddies L and M, too.
I hope they remember their Gigi and Little Billy!
And speaking of remembering... I will never forget.
I am flying my flag today (it's actully been flying all summer long so it's a bit sun-faded), exactly like I flew my flag THAT day 17 years ago.
That day I was home with my 9 month old baby, cleaning away, with no TV (we couldn't get local stations without cable or a dish, which we didn't have, so only had video/dvd capability at the time), when Bill called and told me to turn on a radio, which I did. I listened for an hour or so, with only my imagination to visualize what was going on.
My very first response was to grab my flag (this flag) and hang it over our porch.
We are planning a road trip next summer for Mar's graduation, and will be going to NYC as part of it (and to Washington DC... and hoping to stop at the 10 temples we'll pass by along the way). I've never been to New York, and look forward to visiting the 9/11 Memorial.
And speaking of remembering... I will never forget.
I am flying my flag today (it's actully been flying all summer long so it's a bit sun-faded), exactly like I flew my flag THAT day 17 years ago.
That day I was home with my 9 month old baby, cleaning away, with no TV (we couldn't get local stations without cable or a dish, which we didn't have, so only had video/dvd capability at the time), when Bill called and told me to turn on a radio, which I did. I listened for an hour or so, with only my imagination to visualize what was going on.
My very first response was to grab my flag (this flag) and hang it over our porch.
We are planning a road trip next summer for Mar's graduation, and will be going to NYC as part of it (and to Washington DC... and hoping to stop at the 10 temples we'll pass by along the way). I've never been to New York, and look forward to visiting the 9/11 Memorial.
