Carry On.

Today you hit the motherlode.

I'm jamming it in. The whole past week +.

I'll just rip it all off at once, like an old bandaid.

A week ago Sunday, Lolo and I headed off to the wild blue Yonder. "Where all parents are strong and wise and capable and all children are happy and beloved. I don't know. Maybe it was Utah."

But not before a few tears were shed and pictures taken.

 Bill had just given Shi a father's blessing, which didn't make things any easier.

Good-bye...

 Daddy-O,

 Ava,

Jack, 

 sister from another mister,

 and MarMar.

Hello...

 sweet Scarlett

 and all the UT family... and friend (technically our friend is from ID).

Taylor and Lynnea kindly provided a yummy taco dinner as we all caught up and talked about the week ahead. Scarlett found satisfaction and enjoyment in a ChocoTaco wrapper.

Monday was move-in day for Lolo.

Taylor came along to help, although most people thought he was a freshman moving in, too. 

Shi found that especially funny.

Lex and Jason were there, too. Moving in is so much easier with great help like this!

I'll admit, I was super excited to see Lolo's bedroom window view. Could it get any better? This was also probably the first time I burst out in song.

Firm as the mountains around us,

Stalwart and brave we stand...

 Seriously, I was singing that song all week long.

Sweet Scarlett felt so relaxed with Grammy that she had a little bowel blow-out.

Can you spot it up her back and on my shirt?

It was the perfect initiation of Lolo's new digs.

Ahhhhh.... nice and fresh again.

Shi had a job interview right across the grass from her new residence.

Man, oh man, I prayed she would get that job. It would be so ideal, especially since she is carless.

(Because she didn't hear from them by Friday, we think it's a no-go. Boo, I say. But Lolo is determined to carry on, carry on, carry on.)

The rest of us waited outside to hear how the interview went.

 After all that moving and shaking, we decided it was time for linner (Lunch + Dinner = Linner).

Hmmmmm.... where to eat? (the dilemma of our week).

We finally settled on Smashburger.

YUM. I love their fries.

Scarlett liked it, too!

We made one of several stops at Costco for... FHE snacks? College supplies? Kitchen storage? Gelato?

 Scarlett obviously found it... unstimulating.

Or she was just plain tuckered out.

Monday night we had a fun FHE at Taylor and Lynnea's.

A rousing game of aggro, some homemade guacamole, bags of Hi-Chews and swedish fish...

Near perfection (we were missing the fam in CO).

Even Scarlett tried to chat it up with Auntie Lynnea.

Ooops. That was spit up, not chat-it-up. Haha.

After the FHE festivities and Scarlett had again drifted off, we headed back to Britt and Austin's

 where Scarlett was swaddled like a burrito and put to bed.

I can hardly stand the sweetness. So presh!

On Tuesday we had another burger.

These girls would eat a burger or pizza every day if I would let them.

Oh yeah, I'm not in control of that after this week.

Britt and I weren't complaining, though.

We stopped by Lex's apartment to check out her new UT place.

I had to snap a quick pic of the cute decorations she helped with for a bachelorette party her roommates had thrown recently.

Here's Lex's shelf of food: 

I hope that girl can survive on lemonade, mashed potatoes, pasta roni and peanut butter!

In contrast, here is another roommate's shelf of food:

Lex has always been a simple girl.

It was fun to see her and Hailey's room, and to see those girls all together again.

I totally got a kick out of Lex's closet. Organized just like her mamita would do it. By color.

That night we went back to Tay and Lynnea's to set up a shelf in their kitchen (which we found at Costco per Britt's recommendation). They needed some extra storage space so we had been scouting out options and this was by far the best.

Ta-da!

A place for cookbooks (no longer a fire hazard), a crock pot, cereal, bread, and even their ginormous Kitchenaid. With room left to spare. Organizational success.

Lex used the time to apply for a job at a call center (also per Britt's recommendation).

For those that needed dinner (I was still stuffed from lunch), we grabbed some Panda.

Lolo and Lex had some pretty awesome fortunes:

Perfect for a college girl just starting out, right??

Perfect for a girl looking for full-time work to save for school, right??

I usually get the worst fortune of everyone, but I think Lynnea may have beat me out this time with her "Saturday is a great day for catching up on chores" fortune. Yuck.

Wednesday morning we were up bright and early to attend the Ogden Temple open house.

These two beauties matched, so I snapped a pic before we headed out.

 It was awesome to have these four amazing adults (and one sweet granddaughter) with me to see this beautiful temple!

A selfie-gone-wrong (left out Lex)... but still a fun pic...

...corrected by a thoughtful passer-by's offer to help.

Scarlett had been a little fussy during the tour, and was ready for a nap by the time we were done.

After the open house, we stopped by Great Grandma and Grandpa G's for lunch.

I wanted to get some pictures of Scarlett with the Greats, but she would have nothing of it.

 No. Thing.

Not gonna happen.

Little Mamita finally got her settled down and asleep (after valiant attempts by BOTH Grammys) so we could enjoy a yummy lunch and brief visit.

Then we headed back to Provo.
(Yes, there was a darn lot o' back-and-forth.)

Cheyenne had moved in that morning, so Lolo planned to stay there from that time forth.
Her new home for a season.

Scarlett matched Chey's bedding, so OF COURSE I had to snap a pic.

I also snapped a few pics of the room, even though it wasn't quite together yet.

Scarlett found entertainment in... herself.

Remember that beautiful lush green grass in the picture I took from Lolo's window on Monday?

Gone, baby, gone.

The entire field had been dug up in a day-and-a-half.

I think they are building something.

The temple view may only be temporary.

The girls talked about how they had spent many an EFY playing on that very field.

How many years had it been there? Pert near FOR-EV-ER.

Now. NOW they decide to build something there.

Enjoy the view while it lasts, Lolo and Chey!

Cousin Rach was moving in on Wednesday, too, so we all hung around to help.
Did I think to snap a pic? NO.

That night we ate at Brick Oven (are you loving the food play-by-play?), then Jill came and hung out at Britt's with me. We talked about how we need to get together more often... but in less busy circumstances. Life has been crazy busy for both of us!


Thursday: we ran errands from Lehi to Provo, then headed back to BYU campus housing.
I helped Lolo hang a few things (ooops! forgot her picture prints at Costco), then took the girls grocery shopping. We met up with the Feils at Swig (second time there this trip). Since the cousins-of-the-cousins of some people in our ward started Swig in St. George, we had heard rumors of swarms of people lined up around the block waiting to order. We had marveled at the idea of a place that sells mixed sodas (with fruit puree!) and cookies. And we had heard tell of the best sugar cookie ever.

 I vote yes for the best sugar cookie ever.

 Sam had a Coke. Plain and simple.
I was adventurous and tried something new each time, but sipped from the cups of others.
Raspberry Dream is my favorite. I think I'm going to attempt it at home.

Friday was my dress-down day. Work out clothes + no make-up all day.
Lex had stayed with us at Britt's so we could drive her to her job interview in Lehi that morning, pep-talking the whole way. According to Lex the interview went great and she hopes to hear from them sometime this week. I'm praying for her! Later that day I cut and colored Britt's hair, then sent her and Austin off on their first "alone" date since sweet Scarlett's arrival. Lex and I babysat. Scarlett slept the whole time, so I watched a marathon of Top Chef (I've missed that show!) while Lex laughed her guts out at an app that merges two faces into one. Her faves were of Scarlett and Bill, and Scarlett and me.
Fun Knee.


On Saturday, Britt, Austin, Scarlett and I trekked back out to WVC to chill with Great Grandma and Grandpa S. for a while before driving out to Bountiful to see Great Aunt Jill and Great Grandma and Grandpa G. It was so nice to see them all, if only briefly. I told Britt she should take pics of Scarlett with the Greats every opportunity she had.

We couldn't resist some pics of these two cuties - twinners by chance.
I think Ceci was the inspiration for Scarlett, so it's sweet how these two blonde-haired-blue-eyed first-cousins-once-removed resemble each other. Sort of.

Back to Bountiful, and Scarlett sitting BY HERSELF on the Big Comfy Couch.

Scarlett was a bit happier this time, thankfully.

 Little Mamita has Scarlett-soothing down pat.
This newbie Grammy is feeling a little out of practice.


Sunday was my day to drive back to CO.
I made a final stop at Lolo's to drop off her iclicker and Lex's moccs.
I took a parting shot before I headed out.

 As I was driving away, I marveled at the concourses of young adults with early church times dressed in their Sunday best walking in all directions to attend their meetings. I felt blessed that my children live among those who share their belief and faith in the living God.

A little past Price I shed some tears. Finally I concur with Bill: our nest is emptying. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to spend a week with my UT family. I am super excited to go back in a month for Parent's Weekend. I can't wait to see some of them at Thanksgiving and ALL of them at Christmas.

On the trip back I had a lot of time to ponder and reflect.
I had hoards of beautiful sunflowers that lined the road nearly the entire way to buoy my spirits up.
I had beautiful cloudy skies, rushing rivers, and towering mountains to remind me of the vastness of the earth and miracle of the plan of salvation.
I listened to reverent, peaceful music with beautiful phrases about our Savior and his goodness.

I can move forward.
I can be firm as the mountains.
I can carry on.

Around Here.

It's been another sleepless morning... I was awake at 4:50 today. I've decided that it's hot flashes/night sweats that wake me up, and discomfort at being utterly-overheated-from-the-core that keeps me up. Ugh. I have somewhat recently had a doctor-directed change in hormone therapy and I'm trying to adjust as gracefully as I can muster.

Yesterday Bill kindly posted this on my FB page... thinking he was posting on his own.

(Link to this awesome message here)

We've had the "mistaken FB identity" problem a lot lately around here. Since Bill and I often use the same computer, we forget to confirm that we are logged into our own FB page before posting... or responding to private messages. Just the other night I noticed I had a few messages, and after wondering why someone had sent a message of a somewhat personal nature to me but quickly responding anyway, I discovered I was on Bill's FB and that the message was meant for the Bishop. Ooops. I quickly messaged the person again about the innocent mistake, and then told Bill when he got home. He had seen the messages but said that he doesn't use FB to respond to Church-related personal messages - a phone call or email are his preferred response avenues. 

That's okay, I'll do it for you.

And you can make me look good by posting a great spiritual thought and a fabulous link.

Ha ha.

Mar started volleyball. C team (yay). I attended her first game the other day in Castle Rock.

 It was a much better first game than last year, but there is always room to improve. Mar played great and is really enjoying it. I'm glad to have a good start to her 8th grade year.

A note about dress codes: much to my delight, our middle and high schools are cracking down on their dress codes. The middle school has always been pretty good at it (can't say the same for high school), but this year they are even better. It's been "tradition" for the volleyball team to wear their jerseys to school on game day. Mar has always worn a shirt under her jersey at school, but most of the girls don't. Mar mentioned that there was a little drama this week on the first game day concerning the fact that the jerseys-without-a-shirt are NOT in alignment with the school's dress code. She, along with 3 others, were the only ones with a shirt underneath. (A non-member friend of hers was wearing a shirt under her jersey and one of the teachers asked her if she was Mormon. Nice.) Mar wondered if the school would still allow it since it was a "team" thing. NOPE. Yesterday they all were asked to bring a plain white shirt to practice to decorate - their new game-day attire at school. 

A win for modesty!!

For YW this week we had a value-color paint war.
Here are the the girls Mar's age pre-war,

mid-war,

and post-war.

Mar came up with an ingenious way to watch her favorite shows while in the shower.

I'm not sure if I should be happy about that.

During a short break in my work day yesterday I came home to this:

My favorite no-bakes. Delicious and NOT ugly - more like a sight to behold. Seriously made my day.
Thanks, baby!

Love Fest.

I have a lot on my mind today.

Maybe that's why I woke up at 4:15am and couldn't get back to sleep.

After about 30 minutes of trying, I decided to be productive and started filing and tucking away a bucketful of Lolo's memorabilia. We spent a good part of yesterday going through her room, piece by piece (and that girl has collected a TON of pieces over the years), in preparation for the BIG MOVE next week. Oh my, did we have piles! I eliminated a pile or two quietly this morning while the rest of the fam slumbered.

I don't have much time this beautiful Sunday morning, so this post might be a bit discombobulated, but for whatever reason I feel compelled to share.

Today is my sister's birthday.

I will not disclose her age, but I will freely share that I have been told by a very sweet, honest, elderly lady that my {older} sister looks like my daughter.

Good thing I'm a Grammy and can handle looking {old}.

We haven't seen each other for almost a year, so I'm hoping to catch up with her in Provo (I'm loving our plaid in the Provo pic above, circa 1973) as we help our beautiful daughters move in at BYU. Lolo and Rach will be living in the SAME BUILDING (totally by luck). I am super excited that those two cousins will be so close.

Happy Birthday, Jill! I love you and am so grateful to have an amazing sister like you.

(I'm hoping to get the chance to chat with her later on, but know that she's just as crazy-busy as I am. And our quick conversations are really never quick. Fingers crossed it will work out today!)

Since I didn't get through my Laurel lesson last week due to some timing issues, I'm extending it through today. You really can't talk too much about chastity (seriously, the girls love the topic) and preparing for a temple marriage. I have been a bit surprised about the questions the young women have, and about what they aren't really sure about. (None of the 14 girls in my class last week knew what the word fidelity meant.) I'm trying to cover these topics as thoroughly as possible so fewer questions remain.

Because I had a little less prep this week, I used some time this morning to put together a handout.

A word about handouts. I kind of get the feeling that in the culture of the Church there are those who believe that handouts are a waste of time. Time that should be used in prayerfully studying and preparing for a lesson. I'll come right out and say that I occasionally feel judged for making them. Like I'm trying to "out-do" someone else, or hopping on the bribing bandwagon. Let me just say that I have always been prayerful and careful in my study and preparation for ANY lesson I am teaching. But I ENJOY making handouts. I loved receiving them as a youth, I loved them as a young mother, I love them now. I believe the YW I teach appreciate a thoughtful handout, and I love them and want to serve them.  And I certainly don't judge anyone for NOT making handouts.

Maybe I feel the need to justify because I've made handouts two weeks in a row. Certainly not that typical (although we recently started a different teaching rotation so I teach for an entire month at a time rather than once or twice a month).

Here's the handout from last week:

 You can access the PDF here.
I had the plastic rings from YEARS ago, and was super excited to think of a good use for them now that Mar is WAY beyond the age where they would work for a party favor. Rebecca and her fam were in town visiting, so she kindly helped me tie them together (and let me use her beautiful diamond ring as part of my object lesson, since I lost mine years ago). Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Love that.

These are my handouts for today:

You can access the PDF here.

These little bags are full of chocolate kisses.
We've had quite the discussions on kissing the past few weeks, at church AND at home.
In the For the Strength of Youth it says,
"Before marriage, do not participate in passionate kissing..."

From The New Era: "...There are good reasons why you should be discriminating and self-controlled in your giving of affection... Kissing is more stimulating than satisfying; consequently, it invites more and more..." I'm hoping to help clarify, since "passionate kissing" seems to be subjective.


I also need to post some quick pics of mi amor:

Love that little bambino.
Can't wait to see her next week!

Happy Sunday!

Framily.

We've had a new addition around here: Michaela!

She is living with us while she finishes up high school at LHS.

She's framily.

(I don't care if Sprint used it first, I LOVE the word.)

She headed off to the first day of her last {half} year of public school
(she'll be done in Dec).

The beginning of the end.

I also snapped a pic of Mic with Lolo, but swore I wouldn't post it.

Lolo was feeling particularly frumpy in her pjs, bedhead, and make-up-less face next to this red-haired beauty. I told her the pic would be for memory's sake only, so I'm keeping my word.

It's nice that Lolo will be around for the next couple of weeks while Mic settles in and gets acclimated.

It's gonna be a great year!

8th Grade.

I can't believe my baby is an 8th grader.
It's my last year of middle school. Ever.
Hallelujah.

I'm going to think optimistically that this is going to be a great year
(even if 8th is my least favorite grade).

Mar is super excited.
Back on the 4th, we attended check-in.
She practiced perfecting her smile for pictures.

This morning she got up bright and early to head off to the first day.

Such cutie-patooties.

We had to snap a quick pic with Lauren, who had been visiting over the weekend.

Her big sis Michaela will be chillin' with our fam for the next few months while she finishes up her senior year of high school. I think Mar's grateful for the extended transition to a one-child household.

I'm praying it will be an awesome day for her.
Let's start this thing off right.