Catching up

It has been a busy month!!  Holy Cow!!  I'm behind in many things, and this blog is one of the victims.

So, here is a quick photo recap of the past two weeks.  

Sister Rietz is thriving on the edge of the Mojave Desert!  It looks like she has finally embraced (Ha!) the Joshua Tree that she initially hated so much!  She and Sister Moon survived her first transfer and are still companions.

Sister Osborne left for Chile, via the Mexico MTC!!  We are so excited for her.  We had to hop from our ward to hers to hear her talk.  Trev and Kristin both agreed they could get into ward-hopping.  (Trev even said he's pretty sure he could be a High Counselor!  :)

We got to go boating with our good friends, the Burrups!  It is incredibly difficult to get together with them.  It probably won't happen again this summer, but it was a great evening.  The water was a little rough for some water activities, but as you can see, it was perfect for tubing.

Trevor turned 14 last week so that means several things...

It means we got to have the yummiest pasta dish for his birthday dinner!  (I strongly encourage you to try this tasty dish.  I'll even give you a link to click on.  You may be tempted to skip the zucchini, but we are here to tell you, this recipe benefits from every chunk of that grilled veggie!)

It means Trev got to head off for his first High Adventure activity yesterday!  They are hiking the Seven Devils loop, and this mama was nervous, but sent him off anyway.

It means there was a good excuse to get his friends together for a "Surprise" party to play frisbee golf, goofy golf, eat pizza and throw the golf balls up into the trees!  (Boys!!!)  (Side note - see the smokey hills in the background?  That day the valley was socked in with smoke from some of the 55 fires burning in Eastern Washington and south of us in Idaho. It was crazy smokey!!!)

It means Trev got to try his hand at homemade beef jerky.  Apparently, this is quite the art, there are many spices to choose from, and it works easiest with a jerky gun.  Who knew such a thing existed??  Although, I have lived in Idaho for 24 years, I should have known that!

 The kids and I got a chance to attend a fireside by Noelle Pikus-Pace.  See her Olympic medal in the picture?  She was the silver medalist at the Sochi olympics in the Skeleton.  She was a great speaker, who had some good advice for the kids.
1- Where are your sights set?  She talked about setting goals, and how you will end up where you set your sights.
2 - You can look back or you can move forward.  After a devasting accident involving a 4 man bobsled and her leg (guess which was the loser?) she had to decide which way to go.  She chose to move forward.
3 - Hold on to your sled - which she likened to the iron rod.  She knew if she held on to her sled she would make it through the course, although not always riding on the sled.

She was very gracious afterward and took a lot of time to take pictures with anyone who wanted to after she was done speaking.  I think my favorite part was the replay of her final run, then realizing she had won the medal and celebrating with her family!  The Olympics always make me cry, and this was no exception!  It was a really great evening.

Along with the above pictures, other things that have happened this month are
-another really sad funeral for a 14-year old boy
-continued nurturing of 90+ pheasants
-Girls' Camp for Kristin (so hot and dry but so fun!)
-so many people moving in and out of our ward it's hard to keep track, meaning many opportunities to help people get ready to move and getting to know the new ones!
-the continuing yard project in which I unknowingly drove a stake right through the pvc pipe, and thus created yet another phase to the project in which we (ok, John and Kristin) had to repair the pipe.  You should know that just looking at the piece of pvc pipe speared by the stake they took out made them smile the rest of the night!!! (I'm just here to help!)
-the launch of our Etsy store, Clabeau, which deserves a post of its own, so be looking for that soon.

And lastly, do you feel the breeze?  The winds of change are a-blowin'.  (more about that soon as well!)

On the river

Way back when I first met John, he told me his family would go water skiing on the Snake River.  Now, I did not go water skiing that often when I was growing up, but the few times I did go, we went on a lake, or a reservoir, but never a river.  The river I was most familiar with was the Platte River, and it was no where near wide enough to ski on, at least not in Nebraska or Colorado where I saw it.
Fast forward a few (ahem) years, and here we are.  Spending our hot summer Fridays or Saturdays, doing just what I couldn't imagine - boating on the Snake River.  I guess technically we are jet skiing, but we have been on boats as well. 

We have a favorite spot to go, and are actually quite put out should someone already be there.  We almost feel like we have rights to the place.  :)  It is perfect for us, as we need a place to set up camp and get to our jet skiis easily when we need to switch drivers/riders/wake boarders/tubers.  Our little rocky beach on the island suits us just fine. 

Trev and Sam being teenage boys

We got a slow start this year, and this past Thursday was our first time this summer.  Kristin was at Girl's Camp, so we beefed up our numbers and invited Trev's friend, Sam who moved away last summer and is visting, to come with us.  Here they are doing funny, teenage boy stuff.  See our set up?  It works for us. We had a nice afternoon, and as it was really, really hot, it was a great way to pass the afternoon, even if it was a bit windier than we like.

Now, you may or may not know this, but our numbers need beefing up because there are fewer and fewer of us coming each year.  And let me tell you, it is weird to not have very many people.  In fact, the four of us have commented that it is very different, and I'm not sure we really like it, but we are making the best of it.

We headed out today, with a contigency plan if someone should (heaven forbid) be in our spot!!  We decided we would load up our stuff, climb on the jet skis and go across the river to one of the small beaches we have seen in years past.  When we got there, we did have to employ our plan, and headed across, found a spot and set up for the afternoon.  Since it was on the other side, it was SHADY!!!  That was great!!  It was also much BUGGIER, and that was not so great, but the bugs we thought were mosquitoes didn't eat us alive, so it was tolerable.  

It was a GREAT day!!  The kids got in some wake boarding, John and I realized we forgot to give the jet ski driving refresher lecture, our dinner was yummy, and we didn't roast in the 100 degree heat.

One of the best parts of the day came toward the end.  We were cruising the shoreline, scoping out other spots on the shady side of the river and we spied a bald eagle sitting on the shore.  He would dip his beak in the water every so often, but otherwise, just sat there taking it all in.  We kept our distance and watched him for a few minutes, wishing we had a camera, and trying to be close, but also staying far enough away that we didn't startle him.  We thought there might be a moment of drama when a few geese paddled by, but they kept their distance also, and the eagle just watched them pass by.  In all our years of being on the river, we have never seen a bald eagle!  A little less exciting, but novel, nonetheless, was seeing a pelican fly over us.  It happened twice today, so we don't know if it was one pelican flying over us twice, or two pelicans each flying over once.  I guess it doesn't matter, but we were happy to see that bird species today.

Trev showing his stuff

And Kristin also

Our two regulars these days

It would seem that dinner was a very solemn event

Each life that touches ours for good.

Last Saturday, I received a phone call that I wished wasn't true.  Our Relief Society President called to say Bryce Winterbottom had been killed in a car accident.  (It turns out it was a plane crash, but initially a car crash was the info people had.)  I truly thought that it couldn't be true, and that he was really just very badly injured but would be okay.  Sadly, it was true.

Bryce was a young husband and dad.  Just 29, his ultra-light airplane stalled and crashed in a field south of town.  He married his Jr. High sweetheart, Mandy, shortly after he got home from his mission.  They lived up north while he worked at his Bachelors and then Masters degrees in Engineering.  John and I were able to attend their sealing in the Spokane Temple.  They have lived in our ward for 2 maybe 3 years.  Bryce was the Teacher's Quorum advisor, and Trevor would have been in his class in just a few weeks.  Actually, just 2 weeks ago, Trevor went on a 10 mile bike ride with the Teachers and Bryce was the leader in charge.

Mandy, his wife, is one of Ashley's good friends.  I was heartbroken to hear the news, but even more so to have to call Ashley and let her know what happened.  Due to the time difference, I had to wait until about 4 pm, and I reached her before she went to church.  Australia is too far away to come home for the funeral, but she would have come if it was possible.  Bryce was her friend also.  Brandon and I had a conversation later in the week, and I mentioned that I was sad even though I know what the Plan of Salvation is, that it is true, and that Bryce is in a better place.  He mentioned that he and Ashley have talked about that, and that there are still things like agency, that sometimes make it a bit harder to swallow.  Did the Lord really need Bryce more in heaven than Mandy needed him here to help raise their family?  He was the provider, the Priesthood leader, the dad, the husband!!  Sometimes it doesn't make sense.

All week, as I thought about his death, and the new life that Mandy will be leading as a single mom of four young children, the song, "Each Life that Touches ours for Good" ran through my head.  There is a fundraiser going on via the Internet, www.gofundme.com/brycewinterbottom.  It started 5 days ago and the goal was 10,000.00  They reached that before 2 days were up and now, 5 days later, there is over $25,000 in it, and the goal has been raised to $50,000!  Seeing the outpouring of support for Mandy and her family, confirms what I couldn't get out of my head - that Bryce had touched a lot of lives in his short lifetime.  (Not to discount Mandy at all.  She is no sloucher, and done her fair share of life-touching.)  It also confirms that when we, the friends and family are confronted with such tragedy, we don't know what to do but give the family food and money.  What else can we do at such a time??  (Today, as I was talking with Bryce's mom before the funeral, she told me that several things have happened over the past week that have let them know that it is okay, and that there is a reason.  I'm grateful they have had that confirmed to them.  What a comfort that must be as they deal with this awfully hard thing.  Maybe some day, some of the rest of us will be able to sort through and understand why it happened when it did.)

Today, after the funeral, there is no doubt in my mind that Bryce had a lot of influence for good on a lot of people!  The overflowing chapel was the first sign, but the talks that were given were the icing on the cake.
One man spoke of our grief, and how we have to cry and mourn and grieve before we can get to a place where we are okay.  He also spoke of Bryce's service to his son when he taught the son to ride a bike, and then fixed it after his mom accidentally ran over it.

Three men stood and declared that Bryce was their best friend.  They each shared remembrances of him, and the ways he touched their lives.  (I know for sure that one of those friends gained confidence in himself because of his interaction with Bryce.  I think his life would have been very different had he not know Bryce.)  I think being considered a best friend by at least 3 people is about the highest compliment anyone can garner.

Bryce's siblings took turns sharing thoughts and memories about Bryce.  Honestly, it was such a great thing to be able to laugh about the things he did.  I think everyone felt better after that.  Bryce never lacked for adventure, to be sure!!  But he also never lacked for service and love.  It was apparent that he knew what life was really all about.

An uncle shared a few experiences he and Bryce had together, and then his dad spoke.  Ed's talk was full of humor, but also the spiritual side of Bryce, and one thing in particular that happened and enriched both of their lives as a result.

So, as I said my suspicions were confirmed, Bryce had touched people and it had been for the good. No wonder I couldn't get that song out of my head.

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those we love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

When such a friend from us departs,
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise they goodness, Lord, above.
(Hymns, 293)

What I would tell my kids...

Earlier this year, the bofm365 challenge on Instagram posed this question for the reading in 2 Ne 1:13-29 "If you were to leave some final words of counsel with your family, what would you say?  Why?"
I jotted down this quick list and stuck it in my bag, and every so often, I look at it, and think "Yep, I would want to tell them those things."  I decided to put them in permanent (is a blog considered permanent?) form, so here they are, with a bit of commentary, because I always have something to add...

Kindness matters -  I saw a quote on a marquee in town just today that says "Three things in human life are important.  The 1st is to be kind.  The 2nd is to be kind.  And the 3rd is to be kind."  I have seen a few people who are credited with this, but it doesn't matter who said it.  I know from experiences of trying show more kindness to those around me that it is true.

Always kiss your spouse goodnight...and hello...and goodbye...and just because.  - Keep your courtship going.  It may not seem like a huge thing, but it is one of the most important things you can do to keep your marriage strong.

Keep the commandments - This one seems like a no-brainer, but there is evidence all around that many people do not choose to do this.  It will bring you happiness, and help you avoid a lot of pain and heartache.

Follow the Prophet - This may seem redundant of keeping the commandments, but in a church that has the privilege of continuing revelation through a living prophet, we would be foolish to stop our obedience at the 10 commandments.

Service, service, service - Sometimes service falls into your lap, and sometimes you have to seek it, but try to do something everyday that will ease someone else's burden.

Enjoy the journey - On my very long list of regrets is not enjoying all the aspects of this journey I have lived so far.  I am trying to rectify that.

Love deeply - No one will ever be spoiled by too much love.  Give all you have.  I promise it will come back to you.  Never withhold words or actions of affection.  Either of those is the greatest gift you can give someone.

Be brave (or to quote Sara Barielles, "Say what you wanna say") - Don't be mean, don't be rude, but don't be afraid to say what you want or what is really important to you.

And finally (well for now anyway) Be yourself - Don't be someone you aren't just to impress someone else and don't apologize about being you.

I am sure there will be more, and maybe I'm off base on a thing or two, but I have learned a thing or two in my life, and I don't think you will go wrong following these little bits of wisdom.

I'm reading a book!!

I haven't read a book that I can hold in my hands* for a few months, and I finally started one Thursday!  The fact that I'm so excited to be reading an actual paper book is a revelation to me.  I like reading on the iPad/iPhone because it is so quiet and if I am awake and John is not, I can read without bothering him, not to mention I don't have to turn on the light.  I read "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton Christensen that way, and I liked doing that until it was time to discuss it in book club, and then I was a bit annoyed because I couldn't navigate to my bookmarks, highlighted sections, etc.
I also started reading "The Word's Strongest Librarian" during track season, but darn if the language didn't go south on that one!  I was VERY disappointed because I liked the story, liked the author's writing style, and wanted to know how he got to his present level of faith.  (It is a memoir about a man with Tourette's who is also LDS, but doesn't sound like he has a really strong testimony.  He is a librarian at the SLC Public Library who discovered that by lifting weights, he could have some control over his Tourette's.)  If anyone reads it, let me know, I'd love to discuss it with you.
I have been "reading" everyday, but it is a blog that I had to start at the beginning of and am working my way through the years until I get to present day.  It is called "The Happiness Project".  I read the book in March and have been playing catch up ever since.  Luckily, a lot of what is in her blog, is from her book (so far anyway) so it has been a nice reminder of things I liked about the book.  I only have 3 1/2 years to go until I am caught up!  :) (I would really like to know how I am so OCD about this!!  I did this with another blog "The English Geek" and I don't regret doing it, I just wonder why I have this compulsion to start from the beginning.  Maybe I just like to know their whole story!!)
So, that brings us to Thursday.  I heard about the book "The Funeral Dress" on a podcast I listen to called "Books on the Night Stand.  (If you are a reader, I think you will agree that is a great name for a podcast about reading/books.  Who among us doesn't have a pile of books TBR on some flat surface in their home??)  I requested it from our library, and of course, it had to be ordered in.  (Don't let me get on my soapbox about that)  I really thought I ordered in the book on CD, but no, when I picked it up, it was in paperback (with French flaps and deckled edges no less) and I started it the next day.  Last night I really had a chance to get into the story, and I can't wait to keep going.  I really hope my language "rule" doesn't have to be employed** because so far, I love this book!  A young girl, with an illegitimate daughter, is supposed to move in with a couple to escape living with her horrible dad.  Emmalee met Leona when she started working at a shirt factory and Leona took Emmalee under her wing and showed her how to sew collars.  Leona and her husband were just killed and then I had to turn out the light because I was so tired.  Don't worry, I didn't spoil anything for you!!  Sigh...a good read!  Happiness!!!

*I guess I do read a book everyday that I can hold in my hands, "The Book of Mormon", but I am talking about a recreational read here.
**Another book "Longbourn" had to be scrapped because of language!!  Did they really use the f-bomb back in the early 19th century??  Really???

Congratulations, Dr. Dance! and a little serendipity

Thursday, I hit the road and headed to Seattle!  I was heading west over the pass, probably my last trip that way for a while, to celebrate Dallin's graduation.  Dallin has been in Dental School for the past 4 years, and Saturday, all that blood (patients'), sweat (probably both his and patients') and tears (his, Chelsie's, and Carter's, probably not any patients) paid off as Dallin was able to stand on the stage and receive his diploma to become a D.D.S.  So excting!!  Not only did he graduate, but he finished in the top 10% of his class (there were only 60 students, you do the math!)  He also received a cash award because he worked hard, and deserved it.  (I am sorry to say I didn't make a note of where the award came from, so I have no info on that!)  I only know that he has worked hard at school along with serving in 2 very demanding church callings, being a great husband, and also a very involved new daddy!  Needless to say, he probably needs a really long nap, but as it is, they head out next week to begin their next adventure as he starts his pediatric residency in Salt Lake City. We are so excited for their family, and the new, great things that will come their way.

I doubt I'll be back in Seattle anytime soon, unless one of our children moves over there, so I was a little sad because I really love Seattle!  I think it is such a pretty city, and now that I've been there a few times, I even feel mostly comfortable around the town.  Everytime I am driving along I-90, I wish that I had time to take the exit 80 marked "Roslyn".  For those of you wondering why, I'll tell you. In the early 90's there was a television show named "Northern Exposure".  It was a VERY quirky show, with VERY quirky characters, set in a small town called Cicely, Alaska.  It was really filmed in Roslyn, WA though, and I wanted to see the town for myself. 

Well, as luck would have it, as I was heading over Thursday night, there was a sign that informed drivers that Snoqualmie Pass would be closed at 7:30 that night for at least one hour while they did some blasting.  Guess what time I would get to the pass?  Yep, 7:30.  I realized that I could sit on the freeway for an hour (at the very least) or I could take this moment of serendipity and take Exit 80 and visit Roslyn!!  I chose serendipity!!  It was only about 5 miles from the freeway and a really pretty drive.  There were two roundabouts along the way, but luckily, our little town now has a roundabout and I've had plenty of practice, and thus navigated them with ease.  :)

Of course, I had to take a picture of this...

Nothing says Northern Exposure like this mural on the side of the cafe.  While the show was filmed, there was an "s" added to Roslyn, to make it work with the show, but clearly it has been removed.  And you can all be really glad that I chose not to share the selfie I tried to take with this in the background!  Pathetic!!

This building is obviously a tourist trap now, but you can still see "Dr. Joel Fleischman" (a NY doctor who ends up in Cicely to pay off his student loans) in the corner of the window.  In it's TV life, it was Dr. Fleischman's office, staffed by Marilyn Whirlwind, (did I mention the quirky characters?) his Native American receptionist.  

I didn't really know what to do once I got to Roslyn, this is where a little beforehand research would have come in handy.  I did snap a few pictures, drive down Main Street a couple of times, and that's about it.  I would like to go back during the day and maybe spend a little time.  As it was, it was early evening and the street was pretty quiet, so it was not quite how I expected my trip there would be.  

At any rate, I finally made it to Roslyn, and it made me very happy!!!

But I digress, (A LOT) and need to get back to the subject I started posting on!

I was so happy to be with Chelsie and Dallin to celebrate this great achievement with them.  I did go a day early so I could help them pack up a bit.  I should have taken a picture as proof, but you'll have to take my word that I packed as much of their kitchen as I dared and all of their books, pictures and most of their knick-knacks.  I think I could have done more, but we ran out of boxes.  Shoot!!

Along with the work, we managed to do a few things to mark the occasion.  Here is the cute Dance family at the Thai restaurant we ate at Friday night.  Carter discovered he really likes to suck on ice cubes!  (He's also teething which might have a lot to do with that!!)  After dinner, we had ice cream cake with their friends who live downstairs and then watched "The Monuments Men" on DVD.  It was a very good movie.  We all enjoyed it very much to be sure.  

The "big day" was busy as well.  Chelsie and Dallin had moving related things to take care of, and that took much of the day until it was time to leave for the graduation.  It was a really lovely ceremony.  It was just the Dental Students, so it was a very personal, intimate affair.  Each grad got to submit several slides which were shown on the screen behind them while they were hooded and at the same time, we got to listen to a their parting thoughts as they ended their career as a student.  Dallin mentioned Chelsie and Carter in the first part of his, and I was so touched I couldn't focus on the rest of what he said!  :)  So sweet!  In case you are wondering, yes, I thought this picture was clearer than it actually is, and yes, I wished really badly I had my big camera with me!  (I am used to my iPhone, I guess)

A post-ceremony picture.  (Look at cute little Carter's onesie!  Purple and Gold!!

Only a few of Dallin's family (his mom and dad, and Uncle Alan were there as well as Chelsie and I) came to the actual Graduation, so his Aunt Diane threw him a party afterward at their home.  I don't even know how many people there were at the party, but let me tell you, it was just a portion of the large Dance family, and there were still a lot of people!!  Aunts, Uncles, cousins, cousins' spouses, cousins' kids, a neice, a nephew, and a dog, for good measure, plus Chelsie's really good friend and her daughter were there also.  It was great fun, and great food!

Jake managed to step into this picture just as I snapped it!  Silly boy!

Diane made this great little garland for Dallin.  Too bad I didn't get a very good picture of it!  (Hello again, Jake!!)

 Of course, all too soon, the weekend was over, and it was time to head home.  We went to Sacrament Meeting, then Dallin stayed at church and the 3 of us came home, so I could get on the road.  Quite possibly, my favorite picture of the whole trip is this one!!  One of my favorite grandma "chores" is reading to the little sweethearts!  I got one last chance to read to Carter before he took a nap and I left to come home!  I think Carter enjoyed it also!! (See the title?  I think it was a fitting read for my last trip to Seattle for a while!)

A "Wicked" Surprise

Here is how the whole thing went down....

One afternoon Dallin called to say he had 4 tickets to the musical "Wicked" in Spokane.  He suggested that I surprise Kristin, and he would surprise Chelsie.  I was in!  John agreed it was a good idea, so then the hardest part was keeping it a secret for almost a week!  So many times I wanted to just blurt out the good news, but I didn't, and neither did Trevor or Amber who also knew the plan. Whew!!

Timing was important the afternoon of the performance.  I had Visiting Teaching scheduled, and needed to be done in time to leave by 4:00.  I didn't know where I was going, and didn't want something stupid, like getting lost to ruin things.  Of course, VT went later than planned, and I had to bug out early so I could get home, tell Kristin to pack a bag for overnight, grab some food and hit the road.

When we were almost to the theatre, I asked her if she knew what we were doing, and she guessed right, (she had asked Trev before we left, but he held his secret tight!!) and she was very excited!  (See photos below.  Her instagram post for the second picture was "Words cannot describe my joy!!!")

It was a fantastic performance, we had really great seats, and I am ready to see it again!!

I have seen it with Ashley in New York, Kristin and Chelsie in Spokane, and so now I have to see it with the other 3 kids.  Just a head's up, Ryan, Brandon and Dallin have been instrumental in making the first 2 times happen, no pressure!! :)

These are her "surprised eyes"!

I'm told words cannot express her joy!!

We found some hometown friends before the performance. 

I am a blessed mama!  2 beautiful girls here and 3 more in parts far away!! One very handsome son, too!!