Category: Uncategorized

Work has been rewarding, but also extremely challenging lately. That is all the more reason for me to feel grateful for the heaven that was this weekend.

On Saturday, I ran 14 miles which was a really big deal for me. I have had major IT band issues preventing me from ever running that far. My leg problems were so pronounced, that I was thinking that I might have to drop out of my upcoming half-marathon in two weeks. Having my leg hold up felt like a gift, and I was so happy.

Then I went grocery shopping with Mary, which was a lot of fun. At home, I helped Lily prepare for dinner with the Vandagriffs. I forgot to take a picture, but we had a wonderful spread of food (burgers, nectarine salad, green salad, their yummy squash etc). We had so much fun chatting and hearing their stories, like the time when Morgan’s friend Brittany told him to give Jessie her first kiss, otherwise, he would be following Satan. Also, Morgan taught me how to keep my grill clean, and Jessie taught Lily how to use her Instapot.

After dinner, I took Lydia and Mary with me to rent an ebike for my ride with Lily the next day, and I also took them to Zurchers. We bought broomsticks, kettles for witches brews, a piñata, candy and a tablecloth for Mary’s upcoming Harry Potter party. I also found a gruesome Halloween decoration that really tickled me. I brought it home, and it fascinated the kids endlessly. And they were so excited by Lily’s reaction to it.

It was such a happy day!!

Sunday also was a very happy day for me, but it started out a little rough for Lily. I rented an ebike so that Lily could go with me on one of my long canyon rides. Lily was feeling really sick from one of her medications, and long-story short, she just didn’t have a good time. I felt sad she didn’t have a good time, but I did love being with her on a bike ride.

Things turned around at home though. Lily got some rest, and Mary and I helped prepare for our second dinner party in a row. After getting the dinner prepared, I took Ammon and Clarissa to the park, so they could get some sunshine while Lily planned Mary’s upcoming Harry Potter Birthday party with her.

At the park, Ammon and Clarissa rode their bikes until Clarissa got a booboo and then wanted to play on the playground instead. On the playground, I pushed Ammon and Clarissa on the swing until Ammon started feeling sick. Then Ammon lay in the grass (Basil cuddled with him), while Clarissa asked me to keep pushing her on the swing (see video below).

After the swing, Ammon and Clarissa both played on the ropes:

Back at home, Georgia and our great friend Dean Richardson came over. Ammon puked from me swinging him so hard, so he rested for an hour, but then joined us an hour or so into the dinner party. We all had such a great time talking together. Dean told us stories like the time his sailboat drifted while they were all sleeping, and the time two Chinese women gave so much of their time to help him find the souvenir he was looking for. We shared about our recent trip to Lake Powell and other experiences. Clarissa was dying to show Dean our new bloody foot Halloween decoration and Dean was so adorable as he pretended to be scared and held Clarissa’s hand as he approached it.

It was a magical weekend, a gift. And I felt truly happy and Lily and I felt particularly in-love, and we played Wingspan together just to cap off such an already incredible weekend.

Today was a great day. The weather has been incredible lately. Lily picked up Ammon and Clarissa up early from school and Ammon was heartbroken because he was in the middle of catching bugs with his class and he hadn’t caught one yet. Lily ended up letting Ammon stay longer and he caught a wasp, so that was good. Ammon was very tearful overall today. He was just having a tough day.

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After the kids’ school, and my work, I took the kids to Fall Fest. Again, the weather was perfect, and we had such a great time. Ammon started out weepy and sad, but he perked up and was happy by the end. Lydia went to be with her friends, Lennon and Lizzie, and Mary went with her friends, Eloise and others, and so I hung out with Ammon and Clarissa. We had a great time watching the ribbon and hoop dancers, getting snow cones and toys, and watching the 13-time world champion jouster perform for us. It was a blast!

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Clarissa has been starting up lessons on the harp again. we tried a year or two ago, and it wasn’t going super well, so we are trying again now, and it is going much better. Here is a video and a picture from her practice with Annamae.

Also, here is a picture of Mary’s school project. She made a giant cell phone with apps. She did a great job!

Mary is loving her birthday present from Loralee and Henry and she has it prominently displayed on her desk. It is a light board that she can draw on. I’m not exactly sure how it works.

Today was a nice day. Lily and I played pickle ball in the morning and did some walking and jogging together. Then I did a long run to prepare for my half marathon. Unfortunately, my IT band flared up, and that cut my run short (even though I was wearing a new IT band leg strap I just purchased). After the run, I bought some stakes and twine at Lowe’s and straightened some trees in our yard. While I was doing all these things, Lily worked with the kids and on the house. Then we all went to my dad and Suzanne’s house for dinner and birthday celebrations.

Dinner was amazing. There was a roast, watermelon, pineapple, zucchini, cheesy potatoes, and a very ornate salad. David, Olivia and Ozzy were also at dinner and it was fun to hear about their adventures at the kite festival in the Pacific Northwest.

Then Loralee arrived with Henry and they brought a really fun game called ransom notes. Basically, you need to write notes using only your random assortment of words, and then a judge chooses the best one. Lydia wrote some really great ones. One was a tag line for a new Guy Fiere cooking show and she wrote, “Murder animal. Obtain juicy limb.” Also, here is one she wrote for the prompt, “the weirdest dream you’ve ever had.”

After games, we sang and gave gifts to Mary and Olivia, and then we all ate desert. Everyone had a really good time! Also, Ammon and Clarissa got a little wild, and they got a lecture in the car afterwards.

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After we got home, I tuned Clarissa’s harp and put on 3 new strings. She is just starting up again and it is exciting!

Today, Lydia and I left by 7:40 to take her to her harp competition. When we arrived, I tuned the harp, and then she played in her practice room until it was time for her to perform. At 9:35, she performed beautifully!

Then Lydia and I had 3 hours to kill until the awards ceremony. We had so much fun together! First we went to the farmer’s market to look around at everything. Then we went to the Greek festival and enjoyed some really great food. We learned that Lydia likes dolmathes! Our Gyros were so good too! Then we went back to the Farmer’s market and got a bunch of things. Lydia got slime, earrings, gelato and a gift for a friend. I got a candle and a necklace for Lily, and we also bought produce, a gifts for family members and wands for Mary’s upcoming Harry Potter party. The weather was perfect, and Lydia and I had such a fun time walking around together, talking and shopping. She is such a joy to pal around with.

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We made it back to the awards ceremony just in time, and we learned that Lydia tied for 3rd. Great job Lydia!!

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Then Lydia I headed home from Salt Lake, but first we took a slight detour so I could show Lydia a house that she lived in when she was very little:

While Lydia and I were at the competition, market and festival, Lydia was having a great day with the kids and her mom as well. She did a fun outing with Georgia, took Ammon to a Harry Potter Birthday party, and took the kids to the library. Lily had a particularly good time with her mom, and so everyone had a really good first part of the day.

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We took it relatively easy in the afternoon, and then had a family movie night. We watched the new live action Little Mermaid as well as Superpets. The Little Mermaid was well done and a great show, but I think Superpets was everyone’s favorite. It was absolutely hilarious and had a very beautiful message. More than anything, it was just so fun to snuggle and share something as a family for so long.

Also, here is a really cute picture that Clarissa drew:

Today was my first full day home after being in New York and I loved it. I was up until midnight getting my work done, but that was largely due to the fact that I was so involved with the family after 3:20.

I picked up Mary and Lydia from school and got home just a little after 4:00. At that point I ate dinner and played store for a little bit with Ammon, Mary and Clarissa. I ended up buying lots of great things from their stores!

Then I took Mary to swim practice, and while she was at swim practice, Clarissa, Ammon, Basil and I went 4 minutes away to the house of Todd Jaramillo. He is a friend and podiatrist, and he agreed to see me at his house on almost no notice because my right foot was in so much pain that I could not walk on the ball off my foot without intense pain. The problem was a combination of the prickles that got stuck in my foot from the Lake Powell fiasco (when I ran bare foot to another houseboat to hitch a ride to our houseboat where Lily and the kids were) and all the running I’ve been doing to prepare for the upcoming half marathon. Todd removed a pus pocket that formed deep inside my foot, and after he removed/drained it, my foot felt amazing. Thank you Todd! After picking up Mary from swimming we returned home, and then Mary put Ammon and Clarissa down while I got my work done.

All evening, Lily and Lydia were gone to Salt Lake for a meeting about Lydia’s harp competition the very next day:

Today Clarissa had a hike with her Arches people:

Today I left to New York. I caught my flight by 12 seconds, and I need to stop cutting it so closely! Back at the house, Lydia was preparing for her harp competition. She is sounding great!

Today I woke up and did the 500 workout (7 reps), and Lily and Mary went to the store for groceries. Back at home, Mary made the most delicious pancakes, which I gobbled up ecstatically after my workout. They were perfectly tasting protein pancakes and I loved putting bananas and fresh peaches from our trees on them. Our little trees made a lot of peaches this year!

After breakfast, we all went to the park and I ran a mile with Lydia and Mary. We timed their mile at 13 minutes and 6 seconds! I then ran a mile on my own at 6:36. We ran Basil a lot in the process, and also Ammon and Clarissa were riding their bikes around the track the whole time. It was a little hot, but a wonderful, glorious family outdoor experience. Then Lydia and Mary walked the littles and Basil home while Lily and I lingered and played some Pickleball. It was so fun!

Then we all went to church. The lesson was about loving those around us, and my biggest takeaway came from a comment Lily made. Her comment caused me to reflect that if we truly knew what every person was going through, and saw their lives from beginning to end and all the toil, pain and hardships that occur, we would want nothing other than to cheer them on and be happy for them during the good times, and we’d be much less inclined to be jealous, tear down, and fault find. I love that insight.

After church we all visited Georgia which was so fun:

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She didn’t join us for Olive Garden because she was very tired, but we enjoyed playing the card games she gave us while waiting for our table and for our food.

Back at home we played more of the card games she gave us (War, GoFish, Old Maid etc) and then we watched Elemental all cuddling as a family. Today was a truly happy day.