Happy Fall, Y'all.

Fall Break has come and gone.

Ahhhhh.... it was awesome.

(General Conference came first, which I LOVED, so hopefully I can find a few minutes to recap my favorite things about it in another post... soon!)

This may be a bit of a picture overload, but I just can't resist reliving the good stuff.

10.08.18

Bill, Mar and I attended Dear Evan Hansen.

Last year when we were finishing our basement, we had listened to the soundtrack over and over, and we were super excited to finally get to see it.

 We left with mixed reviews. 

Mar loved it, it was pretty much exactly what I had anticipated, and Bill had a hard time getting past the frequent usage of a particularly {f}oul word. I was a little surprised that it was used so many times (I think I counted 15), since it isn't used in any of the song lyrics (unlike Hamilton, which, btw, we listen to the clean version). It was used by only two of the characters - however, there were only 8 in the entire cast. **Let it be known, I am NOT trying to justify a proper context for the use of that particular word and others, because there isn't one, but I can also see the value in sharing a message about a serious issue facing youth today - suicide.

The talent, music, and majority of the content were thought-provoking and inspiring. It just had a good-size portion of dog poop, primarily due to the language. I wish musicals such as Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton -- both of which have a great message/story and DON'T, in my opinion, require in any way {f}oul language to make it "current" or more interesting -- would schedule a CLEAN show for those of us who don't view profanity as acceptable.
I'm quite sure I'm not the only one. {I hope.}

10.10.18
Park City
Through one of Bill's work connections, we had the awesome opportunity to stay in a lovely home in Park City for the rest of our break. We were bummed that Lynnea and Evie felt under-the-weather and couldn't make the trip with us (Taylor was tying up busy season at work and couldn't get away), but the rest of the fam were able to make it up for all or part of the time we were there PLUS Grandmas and Grandpas.
It was such a fun time.

The memory that we'll probably be talking about years from now is the slimy, mildew-ish, smelly hot tub. Yes, we all hopped in the first night there. Britt did an online search about it (AFTER our hot-tubbing session), and informed us of the possible health issues an unsanitary hot tub could cause. 

The next morning someone went out to check the water and it was literally dirty and green. YUCK. We couldn't tell the night before because it was dark when we took the cover off. Lesson learned... check the hot tub when it's light outside haha.

Luckily, we survived. Bill emailed his contact, and we had a tech (not sure what to call him) out the next day... twice. He said that the guy who usually maintains that particular hot tub had been injured, and hadn't been to check it for several weeks. He made some adjustments (which apparently included so. much. chlorine.) and it was good to go for the rest of the time. There were a couple of cases of a rash the last evening we were there, but I think it was more from an over-abundance of chemicals than from the slimy, mildewy germ concoction from the first night. 

We all had fun trying the steam shower afterwards, too.

10.11.18

Austin could only stay the first night, then he had to fly to Seattle. Britt and the kids were leaving Friday afternoon to meet him there. Jason had work, but was planning to come afterwards one or two of the days. On THIS particular day, Jason received a job offer {in Alabama} that put him and his little family into motion. They scheduled to fly to Alabama on Friday to check things out. (Ellis and Emmett both experienced their first airplane ride ON THE SAME DAY... just flying in opposite directions.)

There was a lot of coming and going, but it was awesome to spend the time we did have... together.

We loved that Grandma and Grandpa Syddall could come stay with us for a couple of nights. Bill and I may or may not have stayed up until 2 and 3am playing games with them. 

(And we wonder why we are tired all of the time haha.)

We drove into town to check out this:

Thanks to Kody for sharing why it's special.

I heard a national news story JUST YESTERDAY about this guy and his art. And to think that I have personally beheld one of his pieces. Cool.

And since we were there, we took a little stroll through town.

In all those years I lived in Utah (19), I had only been IN Park City once. My memory is so vague about it (I think I was with one or more young women from my ward? -- or was it friends from work? or a date?... I think we had pizza... we walked through town... I knew I had been there before), that it was strange to feel brief moments of recollection cross my mind. The two times I actually remember going to Park City were for concerts as a youth/young adult - one with a couple of friends from work for a Tears for Fears concert, one with a date for a Beach Boys concert. I believe that they were both held in the same place (a grassy hill), and I don't remember going to town either time, but I could be wrong. Regardless, it was much more memorable this time haha.

(Post slime hot tubbing)

The game of the week was MEXICAN TRAIN.

Thanks Kody and Shi for introducing us all to it!

10.12.18

My mom and dad were able to join us on Friday.

I knew this was a hard day for them - the day J passed away three years ago.

I remember. 

They planned to drive up to Park City after spending a little time visiting J's grave.

They had also just returned that week from a fairly lengthy trip to Korea with Rob and Sookie, so I was SO happy they were up to hanging out with us.

The tender mercy of the day was that my niece Meredith lived 2 miles away from where we were staying, and she and Mar had planned to get together. She was bringing her baby, Francis, with her. My parents had not had the opportunity to meet Francis, and hadn't seen Meredith since she had her baby (not from lack of trying), so they were THRILLED to see them.

Sweet Francis has to be the BEST baby I have ever been around. She was so smiley and content the entire time they were visiting - at least a couple of hours. She let us all pass her around and hold and snuggle her. A true tender mercy for mi madre and mi padre, I'm telling you.

That evening those of us who were still in town had a yummy dinner at El Chubasco.

(Earlier that day I had trimmed some hair, and Shi decided to make the leap to bangs... they look great on her, don't you think?)

Grandpa Syddall was working at the temple this evening, so he joined us a little later.

10.13.18
This was our last morning in the house. Originally Bill and I had planned to drive home, but Mar pushed to stay in UT one more day.

(This is her "please can we stay one more day" face haha.)

So what did we do with our extra Fall Break day?

FRIGHTMARES.

I remember the last time I was at Lagoon.

No wonder I haven't been back.

I have never been to Frightmares, though, and I was super excited that Shi and Kody could come with us. It was a beautiful fall day (perfect temps during the day... but it got quite chilly once the sun went down). Many many people also thought it would be the perfect activity that day, as Lagoon was more crowded than I think I've EVER seen it. The lines were crazy long, but moved much quicker than Disney lines, so I couldn't complain too much. 

Except about the funnel cake line. THAT was ridiculous.

Rides I avoided: Rattlesnake Rapids (yes, people were going on a water ride in Oct), JetStar2, The Wild Mouse, and The Samurai. My favorite ride was Cannibal, so we endured the endless line twice.

So. Much. Fun.

These three did the final run of the night on The Wild Mouse. Shi and I just observed haha.

(I have to mention that this isn't The Wild Mouse of my youth, which was much much more rickety and jerky. Regardless of ride updates, I still have no desire to ride it.)

We drove home Sunday (10.14.18), and needed our Evie fix, so had Tay and Nae over for dinner Monday. We were thrown back into our rigorous Seminary schedule (I'm still tired), and the week flew by.

This past Sunday (10.21.18) we had Tay, Nae and Evie over for dinner again, and I snapped a few pics of this happy little face. I am such a blessed Gigi to have the opportunity to have spent some awesome family time with all of my beautiful grandchildren recently.
I love them all so much.

A quarter of the way through.

I'm falling behind on keeping up, so I thought I would post a quick update.
Senior year is 1/4 of the way over. That. Is. CrAzY.

Mar has been busy busy, as usual.

September 12
Here is her performance (with her friend Annie) at the Choir fundraiser:

September 15

For pre-Homecoming festivities, she was Belle at what CV calls "Stomp." It's a family/community kick-off to Homecoming week. I have never attended. I think we were out of town last year (or otherwise occupied), and this year Bill and I were working away on Tay and Nae's house. I was a little sad when I heard Mar was in the parade... and I had missed it. My cute friend Lindsey attended and sent me this pic:

September 18

I gave Mar her second perm of the year.

She wanted it tighter and curlier, so I pulled from the deep recesses of my brain how to wrap a spiral perm. She got what she wanted... 

September 21

CV Homecoming game V Legend

Bill and I attended, and ran into our nephew, Kade, in line. COOL.

We enjoyed the game (rooting for either team... not only because we are alumni parents of Legend, but also because a guy in our ward coaches for them... but also hoping CV could pull out a win for Homecoming), and had fun trying to pick out some of our seminary kids in the halftime show.

September 22

Homecoming Dance.

Mar was a bit worried she wouldn't get asked {since her heart is really in Michigan} but one of her good friends, JJ, asked her. I was happy she could put that $24 dress to good use haha.

She had her nails done the day before with her friend Annie. I had a gift certificate (a birthday gift from a friend) that I hadn't used for over a year, so I gave it to Mar for this special occasion. Good thing she didn't drop a load of cash on it, because she had to cut them a few days later so she could practice her guitar with the choir for an upcoming performance.

Dinner was at our house, which was pretty easy peasy since the kids all had a food assignment. I made a green salad, fruit skewers, and provided all the Italian soda supplies.

We went to Festival Park to take pictures... along with half of the school. It was fun to see so many kids dressed up and getting pics. We took a boatload, and so I'll try to share only a few (and they may not even be the best ones, since I AM in a bit of a rush today).

It was nice that these peeps are all good friends and hang out frequently anyway. It made it less stressful for everybody... including parents hahaha.

September 26
First choir concert of the year.
Have I mentioned that Mar is in THREE choirs?
This is a group called Red Hot - this year all women. I loved Mar's performance in this number. She looked awesome, sang awesome, and definitely let herself shine a little. The only teeny thing that this momma wanted to fix was how dirty/fingerprinted her glossy black guitar was. Haha. Lesson learned.

Bill and I sat through both concerts in order to catch all of Mauri's performances. I enjoy them and think the choir teachers at CV are terrific. After the concerts, Mar and Annie were the donation-basket girls.

 September 29

Lexee's QUARTER OF A CENTURY Birthday (Happy Birthday, Lex!)

We went to see a {somewhat} local professional show of Mamma Mia!

Turns out, it was the exact show (lines, songs, etc) that CV is doing. Mar says CV has a bigger cast = bigger song and dance numbers. I can't wait to see it!

September 30

Tay and Nae officially moved into their townhome.

We had moved the majority of their things over the week prior, but they moved the rest of their stuff from our house, set up Evie's crib, and slept there. Phew! It's been a whole lot o' work, but we are so so excited for them.

Pretty much caught up, now. Yee-haw!

Remember... temperance, patience, diligence.

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.