Next Up! Total Eclipse! April 8, 2024

A Spring in His Step—April 2024

Promenade

April 20, 2024

When we were picking dates for our April girls' trip, I said I absolutely could not miss Junior Prom. However, there was simply no way around it! It broke my heart. I had to remind myself that I was missing something with one of my children to be with some of my other children. It didn't help much. It was brutal for me to know I would be missing it. The morning our flight was to leave, I knew Graham was at rehearsal. I had a small window of time before we needed to head to the airport. Soon after Ava, Callie, and I arrived at the high school, it was Graham and Kate's group's turn to perform. The timing was perfect. We got to see them introduced and dance their routine.

Graham is a great dancer. He said they looked good cause his date is in dance, but he was just as good. The theme was Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love." A tear-jerker. They looked lovely out there on the dance floor. I wept. After his group, Graham came to say hello. The music for the next group began, and we got to have our mother/son dance. I wept again. The timing was perfect. When I came home and Matt asked how it had gone, I said, "God is good. He knows me, and He knows my heart."

They polished up really nicely.

Matt sent me the video. It was beautifully tragic.

Graham channeled his inner James Bond for the event while I headed to James Bond Island.

In more conventional news, the snow did eventually melt away. And so did my apprehensions.

A Spring in Her Step! April 2024

Austin Powers Meets Men in Black

4/4/24

Callie enjoyed taking Social Dance her freshman year. The end-of-the-year performance coincides with the Dance Company's spring showcase. The hip-hop fun her class brought was a nice break to the serious lyrical dances, "There's that smile!" She looked adorable.

I loved that the Provo sibs could support Callie. Grayson took social dance in high school, so he could relate to what it was like to be onstage.

Cal's with her pals and campaign manager.

I ordered up glow-in-the-dark polish for my nails without realizing how glowy it would be—when the lights went out, I didn't!

Graham enjoyed hearing music from moving pictures such as Christopher Nolan's Inception.

Transition Fair

The spring in my step got wonky when I set up my first work event. First of all, I brought way too much stuff. The awkward bending while unloading it from the back of the car triggered it. Then, as I entered the building, a lady in front of me was wheeling in a wagon full of stuff. The wagon was caught in the door, but she just kept pulling. I bent over to try and move the wagon. She was oblivious and kept pulling till the wagon yanked off a big piece of the door frame. Oblivious. As I proceeded to my booth, I felt my back seize. Callie was running in a track meet outside, so I went out on the lawn to stretch. It was bad—such a bummer since it's been a while. I had propped the door with paper to get back into the high school, but on my walk back, I saw the said paper blown into the bushes. The folks chatting in the lunchroom couldn't hear me knocking. I had to walk around the entire building hunched over. Still, I chuckled. Even as a "professional," I am still up to my same tricks. The next morning, I did deep-water aerobics in the pool and even cold-plunged in the Provo River! I had back-to-back trips coming up that didn't call for a thrown-out BACK!

March Peeps 2024

"Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as... a fiddler on the roof!"

-Tevye

Oh Hale, why not? In March, Matt and I went to not one but two plays at the Hale. The first was Fiddler on the Roof—one of Matt's favorites. The older we get with more life experience under our belt, the more it touches the heartstrings. This was one of the best productions we've seen of Fiddler (hello, dream sequence).

I saw that CLUE was playing in the other theatre and Matt told me that he also bought tickets for that show on the 26th, which is the anniversary of our first date. However, I had a work event that evening that, if I missed it, would inconvenience a lot of people, besides, I didn't want to miss it. This was a moment of growing pains with me now working. He learned planning surprises without knowing my schedule isn't going to work anymore. He rescheduled the play for the following weekend instead.

I had done a little theatre of my own earlier in the day when I recorded a radio ad for the PEAK, our local radio station. It was a Parent's Empowered ad to be played during the broadcasts of local sporting events. I had to say it in 29 seconds just so.

This guy making camp in front of the photo op sign had no clue. The sign seemed to have seeped into my subconscious when I made a layered rainbow three days later. Once a month, we go to an apartment complex in our community to do after-school activities with the students.

I had done a little theatre of my own earlier in the day when I recorded a radio ad for the PEAK, our local radio station. It was a Parent's Empowered Ad to be played during the broadcasts of local sporting events. I had to say it in 29 seconds. This job proves to be random with its assignments. It keeps things interesting!

Chubby's and Pi Day

A Chubby's opened in town and was hiring 15-year-olds. Callie was all over it. We got to go in for discounted eats on opening night. They also serve a lot of law enforcement. There is a dedicated section for them to sit and everything. She is the cutest little non-chubby Chubby's worker.

Pi Day. When I picked up Callie from work on 3.14, she lamented that she hadn't had pie on pi day. Most places were closed. She was surprised when I pulled into Mickey-D's. I was surprised that she didn't know they served pie! "Big Mac, Fillet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder, French Fries, Icy Coke, Thick Shakes, Sundaes, and Apple Pies, Apple Pies, Apple, Apple, Apple Pies, Chicken Nug-gets!"

The PERM

Deserves a permanent spot on the feed.

The End of Bishoping

July 7, 2019 - March 10, 2024

The release came a good four months earlier than expected. I know Matt was dreading hearing, "How much longer, Bishop?" as his expiration date neared, so this took care of all of that! With five units in our stake to reorganize this year, the stake got a jump-start, beginning with our ward. No one was expecting a change since it took place during Ward Conference right at the beginning. If you came in late, well, it was done. It was good to hear from Matt one last time.

The transition of Bishop is a tender time. He was melancholy and needed lots of time to process and just be. We allowed for all of it.

Knowing that it would have been nice to have the office ready when he began service, we took the day before to organize and deep clean for the next guy.The new Bishop will be stellar. I needed my recommend renewed by the end of the following month and asked Matt to give my interview. I was his final one. A very tender memory for both of us.

Callie came and helped us clean and take out the trash. Her reward was to get behind the wheel for the very first time! The church parking lot sure comes in handy. Matt likes to drive with the kids for the first time to "See what I'm dealing with."

The day Matt got released was also cousin Mason's homecoming. I found great joy in telling people that Grayson and Mason are only four days apart. Ava was laughing at me and it only egged me on. The luncheon wasn't for a couple of hours after sacrament meeting so I had time to tell lots of people. She still quotes me, "Grayson and Mason are only four days apart..." The story goes on to say...

They were baptized on the same day, June 4, 2011.

I got chatting a bit and turned around to find complete shenanigans going on.

Matt was naming all the things that he needed to make sure the new bishop knew, such as technical things. "The clerk can teach him that," I said. Besides, the new bishop was keeping one of the counselors so he could ask him any logistical questions. As for the rest, I told Matt to not rob someone of the opportunity to jump into the deep end with the Savior and just figure.it.out.

No doubt it was difficult handing over something that has occupied so much of Matt's heart and mind—we got you~

So much has happened in the nearly five years Matt served. We had four kiddos living at home instead of two high schoolers. Callie was in elementary, Graham in middle school, Ava and Grayson in high school. I had yet to go back to school and now have my four-year degree. Matt was working for Frito-Lay, now for Burdette Beckman. We lost a son-in-law and gained a son-in-law. Matt lost parents. We sent out and brought home two missionaries. We have traveled more than ever. He weathered the pandemic while being bishop, and implemented many program and policy updates. He relied on the Savior through it all.

You did it Boc!

July 7, 2019

Had a Hunch I'd be Invited to Brunch

March 15, 2024

The Lindon Sr. Center has an easter brunch every year. I am not sure if it is for extended family as I do not see other "kids" there besides my parent's kids, but it has become a bit of a tradition. We were enjoying chatting when they announced the entertainment. We kept chatting, figuring it was going to be background music. But the gal was great (I wish I could remember her name) and we were all turned around in our chairs before long. She covered a lot of great songs and even sang some originals. It was a real treat! Toward the end of her performance, she asked the crowd, "Do you have time for one more?"
"Yeah. We're retired."

Gah!

The crew always goes to great lengths to make it festive and nice.

New Home in my Hometown

3/16/24

My first visit to the Orem Temple was twinged with sentiments toward the Provo Temple.

Orem is a beautiful temple. The layout is nice and it has a beautiful color scheme. As I sat with Matt in the Celestial Room at the end of our session, I felt at peace that this would be my new main place of worship. Though, with so many temples to choose from, I am sure to visit a variety of them. I think we have nine within an hours drive!

Both Ava and Grayson were available to join us afterward for lunch at Mi Ranchito. We told them they would find us under the Lamanite mural.

St. Patty's with the Saints

St. Patrick's Day fell on a Sunday this year. Ava was a saint and helped Callie finish her Sophomore Rep campaign posters. Callie's friend had taken on the role of campaign manager and took her photos, printed the posters, and even made the video. Ava helped assemble the signs. "Need a pal? Vote for Cal." Though the campaign did not lead to victory, Callie was very complimentary of the boy who won.