CALLIE IN JUNE
June 1st would have been the first day of Girl's Camp for Callie and the first time in five years that I wouldn't be going! Instead, no one was going. As luck would have it though, I came across some high schoolers putting on a summer camp on the same dates as her original camp! I signed up Callie and took her each day. The camp ran from 1-3 pm and she was excited to have something on her schedule.
Thursday the 4th would have been Bishopric night at camp and I had originally planned on bringing each girl a YODEL. I decided to do it anyway! Callie helped me assemble the bags and then Matt joined us as we took them around to all 32 girls! We were able to visit with those who were home. Oh, how I miss my girlies.
June 4th was also National Donut Day, which fell on a day that Matt was fasting. Ava brought home a box of donuts from Dottie's. Then a ward member brought over Crumble cookies for us. Callie consoled Matt, "Why not just have some and fast another day?" (You might recall her lackadaisical approach to fasting during COVID, when she decided desserts don't really count at all;)
The Young Women still did a Secret Sister exchange that week as well and Callie was the June spotlight.
It is time for Callie to start treatment at the orthodontist. Graham is okay with us going out of order as long as we get to him eventually. Her issues are a bit more pressing. I took her for a consultation in May and Dr. Nord put the spacers in that very day for her to start treatment. I had picked her up from the Taylor's, where she was having a cousin sleepover, only to pick her up again the very next day. As I had predicted, the spacers were very painful. When Matt brought her home, she seemed so down. I went into her room and saw her sobbing on her bed. She was in pain, she missed the cousins, she was hungry, and she couldn't eat much. Thankfully, I had made some queso dip that was more like soup that she could eat. I gave her Motrin and we chatted it out. She was herself before too long.
A month later she went back to have the apparatus put in her mouth. The Dr. explained that it is basically headgear, but in her mouth. After it was installed, she couldn't talk—like not one word. Her sentences were just garbled drool. I had a moment of hot-flashed panic, "What have they done to my baby?" As her mouth has gotten used to the new appliance, her saliva has resided back to regular levels and she has learned to talk extremely well around the invasive metal. No pain no gain.
Ava must have had the same pangs that I did because she treated Callie to a slushie. Graham was desperate to spend his lone $5 at Taco Bell. It took us a bit to find one and then he ate it in the park. We all paid the price for that Taco Bell decision as we drove up the canyon...with the windows down...
I suppose I was willing to cater to his desires because, he too, had a camp canceled that he was looking forward too, like A LOT. He was going to spend a full week up at Utah State University in Logan at an Aviation Camp.
Now? not.
FEELING HORSE
Rumor has it that when you can see the horse's head on Timp, you are safe to plant!
A friend, who has her own greenhouse, gave me plant starts. May's weather was chilly in the evenings and we were growing tired of bringing the plants in at night. Before they could be planted in the garden boxes though, the garden needed weeding. Ava looked over the chore list I made out,
"Mom??? PLANT WEED???"
I knew the catnip didn't stand a chance. Before it could flourish, Poe had attacked it to smithereens. You'd think we had planted weed.
LEARNING TO LEARN
My school semester continued, even though the "summer" break had started. I loved every minute of it.
Part of my learning to love learning was eliminating distractions that made me feel like I didn't have time for school. I participated in the Come Unto Christ Series at Comeuntochrist.org and one of the days suggested to do so. I pulled out my phone and deleted apps and social media type things that I feel are such. You know what? it's been greeeaaat!
Instead of scrolling aimlessly, I have learned a ton of Spanish!
Each member in my class took a turn leading the Thursday gathering on Zoom. I signed up for June 11th. The PowerPoint I put together took longer than my homework that week:/ It wasn't required that I use PowerPoint, but everyone else did, and I wanted to learn. I practiced the night before with the missionaries to make sure my video worked and that I was all set. All set. Well, despite my preparations, the next day was a riot. The batteries in my mouse went dead right as the time was turned to me so I couldn't switch screens. Then my video clip wouldn't play so I had to find it on YouTube, but then I couldn't get YouTube to stop playing. My Bluetooth earbud quit working, yada yada. And THEN. K-So we have lived in this house for 17 1/2 years and we have never had our trees trimmed. Well, the tree trimmers showed up RIGHT as my presentation started. Outside my window were the sounds of chainsaws. Oh boy. I was a sweaty mess on the inside and very glad when it was over!
During:
After:
BUT at least the background on my Zoom call looked nice. Ha-ha. I have an idea for something different in my dining room so I took down my black and whites and made a collage in my "office."
I have to chuckle sometimes. I literally just move things I already have around the house to refresh. Hey, it's free.
My peonies had a GLORIOUS year.
PhilOmeEna
Graham and Callie tended the neighbor's pets and plants while they were on vacay. Callie was enamored enough with their cat that she named it the Pet of the Month in the Bocanegra News.
I had to share the adorableness with my neighbor. She said her cat is named Phil. I laughed at that and then my wheels started turning. Sure, we have had our cat, Poe, for five years, but I have finally figured out what to name her—like a store-bought picture, the name Poe "came with the frame."
PHILOMENA! It even has P.O.E. in it! It's perfect.
The only problem is that none of the kids can remember the name and so it just hasn't stuck.
At all.
As for the cat? she doesn't seem to care either way as long as she gets a can of wet food at 5 pm sharp.
PASSING THE TIME
- Video games in the side yard; Graham's clever way of combining screen time with green time.
- Listening to Callie and Ava sun and chat. Hurts my heart that it is coming to an end.
- Making the old new: Matt had this table in his apartment when we were dating! It has been re-painted many times.
- A fun summer evening I will remember is when we went to the movies on Main...on foot! Who would have guessed we would have the chance to see some oldies-but-goodies back in the theater? Our local theatre opened in June with Field of Dreams. We were five of the NINE people in the theatre. As the guy ripped our tickets he mumbled, "I really hope more people come." It was kinda sad. But we had a great time. The kids really enjoyed the movie and we all walked home in the night air.
FATHER'S DAY
We had dinner at Mark and Jamie's in Orem. I put together these photos for both Matt and Mark. L to R: their dad Manuel, Uncle Roy, and Uncle Hugo, who was killed in Vietnam—Matt is named after him. Three brothers, only one living.
YOU BETTER RUN BOY!
I was thrilled, beyond thrilled, when Grayson decided to go to Cross Country practice as soon as it started in June. He even found a Guy to go with him (yes, his name is GUY). He was really looking forward to it all throughout May and kept checking to see when practice began. As fate would have it, I ran into the coach at the beginning of June and learned that practice had started that very day. Gray and Guy went the next morning. Well, after the first day Gray said, "I'm not going to do it." Just like that. His reasons were all over the cock n' bull board from, "I don't know anyone," to, "All they do is lift weights," to, "Everyone is younger than me." (Newsflash: You are a Senior...everyone is younger.)
I told him, "You went ONE day! Give it another try."
"Eh."
I'll tell ya what, watching your kids throw away things that you know 100% will bless their life is the most excruciating part of being a parent. But he couldn't be persuaded. I said to Matt one evening, "I think I'm just going to have to insist." Matt assured me that Gray would come around on his own. I felt like I was going crazy pants. I was so thankful that my friend Janel, who I go walking with, also invited Callie to run (the middle school has a team now too)! I told Janel that Gray was not planning on joining. Her sweet High School girls gave a shout out to him. I don't know if that was the ticket or what, but he reconsidered and went back! HE. LOVED. IT. He didn't come home till noon the first day because they went to Kneader's (his favorite) and played frisbee at the park afterward. "He said, "I don't know where all these fun people were the first day and I guess weights are only once a week."
Nothing makes me happier than to check where Gray is and see that he is on the trail.
Then the next weekend he did again! This time with Graham and Callie and several of my family members who backpacked in. It was hard. It was good for them.
After joining XC, Grayson's social calendar filled up immediately. Gray is a fun guy but people don't get to know him when he is sitting at home! Before long, he was involved in back-and-forth pranks with the girls. They decorated his room with posters and streamers one day while he was at work. In hindsight, I should have told them, "No". He felt that the girls coming into his room was pretty invasive, like there is nothing mysterious about him now. I get it. It's how I feel when I wear a bathing suit.
The boys pranked the girls back by painting "FOR SALE" signs on their cars.
Then the girls texted me that they wanted to prank Grayson back by putting their dogs and chickens in our backyard while Gray was at work. I had to text back, "Wait, is this prank on him or me?" They asked if they should move to plan B. "YES."
It isn't entirely unusual for Gray to be out late at night. His new friends even convinced him to go COUNTRY DANCING.
Yes, yes, this is still Grayson we are talking about.
And the cutest thing is that because he runs with Callie, they know a lot of the same people. One day the teams decided to meet up at The Spot for snowcones at noon. I heard him call down the stairs, "Come on Callie, it's time to go."
The only bad experience was when his new friends invited him to go boating on Deer Creek. He got so motion sick they let him walk around on land for 20-minutes.
That motion sickness didn't let up once he got home.
Going to Lagoon two days later didn't help at all.
LA-LA-LAGOON!
Friday, June 26, 2020
The group really snowballed. It was the only date that worked for our bunch and so Matt sent a shout-out to see who else might be able to come. People cleared their schedule!
And guess who was in town? Mal! She flew in on Wednesday, June 24th. Her flight kept getting canceled and she had to re-adjust her schedule. As we texted back and forth, I wrote back, "Everything usually works out how it should in the end." She wrote back, "You are so right. I love that saying." Then when I re-read it I realized she wrote, "You are so right. You love that saying."
It was a good day. These babies. Oh my. The best.
Seeing Ollie in his mask. Lindsey said he wears it for leisure😍.
Seeing Ollie in his mask. Lindsey said he wears it for leisure😍.
I commented on Solly's gold chain. He noticed that I had one as well, "I want that one too." Oh boy, bet he could have talked me into it.
An ambulance pulled up and we watched a lady be brought out on a stretcher from Lagoona Beach. Solly was looking away when they brought her by so he asked Matt, "Was she dead???"
Matt stole away with Graham to ride the Go-Karts. We did it a few years ago and now it is an expected tradition. Matt is all too happy to oblige.
I reveled in some alone time with Callie that day. We rode the flying umbrellas. This ride is avoided by most because of how long it takes to get on and off but that was exactly why I chose it;)
From the top, we had a great view of the new ride that is under construction.
Then we got a lot more time than we bargained for when the coaster car we were riding in (Callie and I) got stuck at the very top of Colossus! We were there for probably 20-minutes as the workers went up and down the steep stairs checking things out. I suppose I should have been more reassuring to Callie. I didn't find out her fears till afterward when she said, "That is the most scared I have ever been in my whole life." When Mallerie asked her what I was doing during that time, Callie imitated me, "Look how pretty the view is from up here!"
Guilty.
Mallerie was in line for the spider and she said when she saw the coaster car stuck at the top, she just knew we were on it.
Affirmative.
Yes, we had to wear masks, and yes, the hours were limited, but that didn't stop us from being the last ones of the park once again.
