America! First! July 5, 2021

Happy Fourth for the Third Time

Here we are on day three of celebrating the fourth! On Saturday we took the G and C to Cruella and then to the STADIUM of FIRE. It's been over 20 years since we've gone, which means that you have never been, which is insane because growing up, I went so many times. You still had fun fourths though, right? When I told Mallerie that the headliner would be LEE GREENWOOD, she insisted we go. It was a good time! There is so much more going on IN the stadium than you can get a feel for from the outside. Of course, we all stood to sing "God Bless the U.S.A."

There were also motorcycle stunts, a floor show, another country singer, Colin Ray, a surprise appearance by David Archuleta! Woot woot. Honestly, I think he could have been the headliner and people would have been just as happy. Course, the event was also broadcast to the troops and 170 countries. My favorite was the paratroopers who landed in the stadium and of course the flyover. Chills.

It made for such a late night! Thankfully church doesn't start till 10:30. I was glad I wasn't teaching. As we stood for the opening hymn to sing the National Anthem, my heart swelled at the beauty of it. To be able to freely gather and worship is a privilege I don't take for granted. There really is nothing more American than going to church on the 4th of July.

Grandma came over for Sunday dinner! We were so happy to see her well enough to do so. She looked rosy and smiley, like her old self. Dad BBQed but we ate inside since it was 92°. The day before when we walked out of the movie theatre, you could feel the sun baking the earth. Oh, the extreme heat! I loved it! "This is what July should feel like," I said aloud. For our Sunday night movie, we watched the second National Treasure. Grandma hadn't seen that one. I texted Mal, "Connor Rocks!" She was just getting ready to watch it.

The kids got up early to put up flags today, Monday. This holiday just goes on and on…

Graham is most excited about getting his own DEBIT card from America First. When the gal asked which image he would like on it, he chose the flag right away, "I'll always remember that I got it on a Fourth of July weekend." He was NOT too old, however, to still get a sucker.

The Extraction

Grayson was left out of the fun because he was supposedly home recovering from his wisdom tooth extraction on Friday the 2nd. He made all ya all's look like babies, especially me—he bounced right back! 

As I walked with him into the surgery room, a boy was being helped out of the recovery area. He seemed to have a team of people around him and was moving like Frankenstein. Another girl, apparently his sister, had also just had her teeth removed. As she sat in the chair with ice packs strapped to her face she sobbed and sobbed. Her mom said, "She can't stop crying." Something struck me so funny about this. I met the mom's eyes and we busted up! I had to keep my face turned away from Gray. He was nervous enough!

However, Gray never needed more than ibuprofen and he only wore the ice packs for a few hours. He was sitting at the counter with us that night for dinner before going out with his pals! I couldn't keep him down. On Sunday, he was telling Grandma how he had felt normal even after waking up from the anesthesia. 

Well???

Though he did recover quickly, I wouldn't say that he was totally himself either. I pulled out my phone with a lil' video I took of our conversation after he came out of surgery. He watched in SHOCK. He had no recollection of the conversation we had about Donovan Mitchel. He felt betrayed, not by me, but by his brain. He couldn't believe that he couldn't remember it. Nor did he remember the full confession that he had made. 

"I poured a bowl of soup down the sink once. I heated it up but I didn't like it. Full disclosure." 

He was very chatty right after surgery, despite his mouth being packed with gauze. He decided that he could rule out being an oral surgeon. "Does that interest you?" he asked me, "Some strange boy coming in..." He concluded, "I can rule out this job." He also confessed that seeing the boy walking weird had made him nervous.

Gray was actually being extra sweet to me after surgery, "You are just a happy person. You only care about your kids. Moms have the best heart."

All the while, the conversation was peppered with, "I feel normal, I'm happy about that. I just need a little time."

He lamented that our family won't be all together again for a while. His chance was at Thanksgiving, "And I missed it. Everyone is gone. It's sad," he recalled. He said, "When I get home from my mission, we all need to rent a cabin, just the 8 of us." 

He was making me wanna sit in the chair and bawl!

We were BOTH relieved surgery had gone well. I said, "You got this." 

He told me, "That is what I need to hear every week on my mission, 'You got this.'"

Speaking of missions, Alivia came out to Utah to bid farewell to family. We met at a park in Bluffdale but I could be happy that it was closer than Elko! She is ready to go go go!

Green bean casserole anyone?

So I also say to you AND Alivia, "YOU GOT THIS!"