Scattered Fall

 1) You are Staring into the Face of a Detainee

Not long ago, this boy ended up in DOUBLE detention. 

The double part was not (all the way) intentional, and Timothy had a rough few days over it all. He got in trouble for behaving disruptively while a substitute teacher was in charge of his math class (apparently he and some other boys were jump-scooting their desks and chairs forward (while still sitting in them)). It's a long story that took us a few days to get to the bottom of, but the end result was that there was a little misbehavior on his part and a little misunderstanding on the administrators part that led to apologies coming from both sides. 

Getting in trouble like this feels big for him because he's just generally such a good kid. But we all know that good kids get in trouble, too. Carson got detention in High School one day for climbing a forbidden ladder on the theater stage, and Miles for getting in a small food fight in the cafeteria that ended with a ketchup packet hitting the principal in the face.

It happens.

2) If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em

Miles plays the piano as often as he can, and, since he is doing school mostly from home, he can a lot. My dream to have our home filled with music has been realized! And also, Brian and I find ourselves questioning our decision to put the baby grand in the middle of our living space on the daily as he pounds out those high-energy songs for hours a day. 

Let me tell you, there comes a time when the Entertainer is not so entertaining.

But a good set of noise canceling headphones helps take the edge off and calms my nervous system when it gets all ramped up, and I know from experience that I will miss this music when he moves on from the house, just like I miss Carson's constant whistling/humming/singing. So, bring it on, Miles! Play, play, play.

I decided to jump in and learn the Nutcracker with him for Christmastime, and it's one of my favorite things to sit next to him on that bench because we laugh almost more than we play. Out of all of Miles's strengths, one of my very favorites is that he is a great companion.

2) Banana Bread

Somehow we ended up with 40 bananas in the house at one point this month. Which was a whole lotta bananas. But we put them to good use. Also, apparently banana bread is a 'thing' right now? Or maybe it was a thing? I can't keep up, but a reel went viral somewhere and banana bread became more than just banana bread in the eyes of the Possessed-by-Social-Media adolescent humans.

This? It's just banana bread.

4) "Mom, take my picture!"

Ah, one of my favorite phrases coming from the kids. Eliza wanted to know what she looked like in this particular situation, and since all she could see was the bottom of the cups, she needed assistance. 

It's interesting for me to think about how, when I was her age, the thought of me being able to see what I looked like with two cups in front of my eyes wouldn't have even crossed my mind. There was no possible instantaneous way to receive that information, so I would have just asked a friend to do it so I could see what they looked like.

Different world.

6) The Newest Obsession

A finger koala.

She lost it for a little while at school the other day, and in her distress a little boy named Nolan offered to buy her another one at the Shack with his Cobra Cash. Later, and unrelated, he gave her a tiny turtle, and Eliza has shyly (but excitedly) concluded that he must have a crush on her.

6) I Just Don't Understand...

This morning, I parked the car, grabbed my phone, exited the car, shut my door, walked around the car, opened her door, walked around her door, opened the front passenger door, climbed back into the car to grab my water bottle, exited the car a second time, shut my door, and was half way to the corner before Eliza had scooted her little body to the edge of her seat. 

WHAT TAKES HER SO LONG?!?!?!

Pretty sure Brian says the same thing about me.

7) Work Hard, Play Hard

If you scroll around in Carson's Google Photo album, you will see wide smiles and gorgeous scenery, hear deep belly laughing, and watch as forever friendships are, in real time, being etched into his heart. You will see cathedrals dating back to the 14th century, and castles dating back to the 12th, forests and trains and cities, and a few grey-haired nénis (nay-knees, a term for older women) who feed the missionaries as often as they can.

Looking in his album you might be tempted to think that he is on vacation, traveling the country of Hungary with a group of happy companions that laugh and play away their days in a comfortable sort of ease.

But you wouldn't be seeing the whole story. The hours of teaching others about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the rejection, the stacked days and weeks and months of walking the same street inviting everyone they see to listen to something extraordinary, the rejection, the early alarm clock with no sleep-in days, the hours of studying, the phone calls, the rejection, and all of it in a language he is barely beginning to grasp. Those are the things that cannot be pictured in the album, but those are the things that can build him. 

That's the work.

That's why he's there. 

He gets to travel and play and laugh, and

he also gets to be at the crossroads of people's greatest decision.

Will you enter into a covenant relationship with Christ?

Most of them are saying no, but some are saying yes...

And that is enough.

Work hard, my love! And play hard, too.

Tennis and Soccer and Football

Tennis is underway.

And this is Miles staring at me through a tennis racket if you couldn't tell. He is playing singles this year and the competition has been steep, but he finished the regular season seeded 7 (out of maybe 20?), and he's happy about that. Regionals start this week.

He's been reading books on tennis, watching tennis on TV, and practicing at the courts any time anyone will go with him. He even bought himself a $$$ racket and plans to make it part of his forever.

He has exploded in his skill level this season and will return balls that I would have categorized as 'unreturnable.' His serves are fast and furious and his feet are quick and bouncy. 

But the boy drags his toe on each of his serves and wears a hole through the top of his right shoe within days. We explained that we would not be buying him a pair of new tennis shoes every week, so he has taken to wrapping his shoe in white duct tape, which has irritated Coach Huxford because the tape is leaving white, sticky streak marks on the court (you can see it below in the green).

Not sure what he's going to do about that, but certainly new shoes every week is not the solution?

In other news, the earth is repositioning. Which is great news for those of us who are outdoor sports spectators. At the beginning of the tennis season I brought my misting fan and suffered through sweaty clothes underneath a sun umbrella. Now, clouds are filling the skies, rain is (kind of) falling, and temperatures have dropped beneath the Death Zone. "The high is 91 today!" Eliza reported to me excitedly this morning. And, indeed, it feels like we can breathe again. 

Rec soccer came and went for Timothy and Eliza, and we found ourselves even enjoying the evening air as we sat and watched.

It's a good thing, too, us enjoying the evening air, because we sat in it four nights a week through the season. 

Two of those nights were for Eliza - she has a fierceness out on the field that is somewhat surprising given her otherwise timid countenance, but before we get into the meat of her playing, can we please talk about this cute little tennis skirt she loves? 'Cause it got comments through the whole season.

Zipping around the field with that skirt flying in the breeze was pretty adorable. But as much as she loves the skirt, her favorite part of the outfit was the big, blocky number 1 on the back of her jersey. "I'm number ONE!" Could there be anything more delightful? 

Anyway, back to what really matters. 

This girl has some serious goalie skills! 

She's the tiny, blurry goalie in the center of the above picture.  She blocks, runs, dives, kicks, throws... It's pretty impressive, actually. I know that's what goalies do, but the impressive part is that she does it. "She's little," Lisa (a soccer star herself) said at one point, "but she's not afraid! And she has a great read, she's always in the right place... She can't jump very high or stretch very far yet, but if Eliza is physically capable of stopping that ball, she will!" She's little, but she's mighty.

One game, she got kicked in the knee while she was playing center and had to come out for a few minutes with an ice pack, but she went back in (I don't think I can run, but I think I can be goalie?) with tear-stained cheeks and a determined little smile.

At least, that's what Lisa said... Brian and I weren't there that night because we both had youth activities to attend to, which perhaps was for the best. Sometimes it's easier to be brave when your parents aren't around ('cause from my observation she still can't seem to make it to school if she has a hangnail).

The other two nights at the park were for Timothy. He is equally fun to watch. He started the season a leader on his field; focused, determined, and unafraid.

And halfway through, something clicked, he turned up the fire, added a torrent of skill to the mix and proved to himself and to us that he could control the ball quite, quite well. It was fun to watch and to hear the other parents on the sidelines shouting, "Pass to TK! Pass to TK!" He could weave through traffic and had a good eye for passing at just the right time.

He's growing so fast that his bones are betraying him though, and he hobbles around like an old man while he nurses Severs disease (heel pain) and Osgood-schlatter disease (knee pain). Orthotics in his shoes and knee bands under his knees seem to help enough to let him enjoy his sports, but I dare you to watch him coming down the stairs in the morning and not crinkle your eyebrows in pity.

He is also currently playing flag football for the school. But before we leave soccer once and for all this season, let's take a moment to honor the handsome coach of Eliza's team. I wanted to get a shot of him actively coaching his team, which I did, but now I'm thinking it's too bad I don't have at least one of his face. 

I guess he'll just have to coach again next season.

Anyway, on to flag football.

That's happening, too. TK is doing a great job considering how much time he has spent playing football in his life -- which is next to none. Football scares me. It's my favorite sport to watch, but I've seen too much about the long-term negative side effects of playing tackle football for me to feel comfortable giving my kids an easy green light. And none of them have pressed very hard. If I had had a kid who was showing strong aptitude or a burning desire for it I might have reconsidered, but since their interest has been no stronger for football than anything else it was easy for me to say 'choose something else.'

Anyway, it's fun to see him playing out there.

And me?

My sport is spectating. 

There's really no time for much else.

I did take one Saturday morning to bike 18 miles to the IHOP in Henderson and back with the Gnomies.

Originally I had said I would ride my road bike alongside them, but Laurie had an extra electric bike and assured me I would want it. 

Boy was she right. 

Without it, I likely would have missed the whole breakfast and hobbled into IHOP gasping for breath as they calmly prepared to come home. As it was, I got in a nice, moderate workout and kept my breath free for conversation the whole way.

Now I have a rather expensive item on my wish list...

Fall sports are wrapping up, now on to winter!

Pirates In Church

To help the kids get ready for their primary program, Brian and I dressed up like pirates and swaggered into the primary room one Sunday morning. We had heard, you see, about some of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we were interested in learning more. Thankfully we found the room full of primary children, all wearing sticker name-tags that said ‘Missionary in Training,’ who were eager to answer our questions using lyrics from the songs they had learned throughout the year. 

"My poor old grandpa had to walk the plank," Brian said in a grizzled voice, "and got eaten by the sharks. Am I ever going to see him again?" Two small Missionaries in Training looked in their scriptures at the list of printed song titles the primary chorister had stuck inside before saying, "Yes! Families can be together forever!" And the whole primary sang the truth of it.

"All my friends like to plunder and steal gold," I said in a (much less) grizzled voice, "but you're telling me I should not follow their example? Whose example should I follow? Who should I try to be like if I'm not trying to be like my friends?" The next two Missionaries in Training poured over their list of song titles before answering, "Jesus! I'm trying to be like Jesus!" And the whole primary sang.

Song after song, truth after truth, they testified of Christ and taught us how to be more like Him. It was one of the best primary hours I've been to... even though we scared little 3-year-old Hobbes to tears. Turns out he's not used to seeing pirates in church. I texted his mom an apology later that day and asked how he was doing, and she said, “Oh my gosh! Lindsay! He was saying something about  pirates at church today and I was like, ‘what is he even talking about? He must have had a big imagination today,’ ha! This is hilarious.”

No. No imagination needed. There really were pirates at church.

During the program, the primary chorister had one laminated picture of the Pirate Bishop and one laminated picture of Christ. 

“When I hold up the picture of Bishop during the program, that means sing louder,” she instructed the children. “And when I hold up the picture of Jesus, that means sing with more reverence.” She then promised the children that if they did an excellent job in their primary program, there would be a party in which the bishop would walk the plank.

Let me tell you, they did excellently. And Bishop followed through with his end of the deal.

To the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack coming from our big speaker and cheers of "Walk the Plank" from almost every primary kid (I think we were only missing 2?), Brian jumped off the rocks in his pirate outfit.

Please take a moment to treasure Eliza in the picture above. 

Brian was such a good sport. The evening before, he had come down with a fever and white spots on the back of his throat. He didn't feel well, but he pounded the antibiotics and ibuprofen and pushed through to make it a fun evening for the kids.

(And don't worry... he kept a good social distance for the night excepting the picture above)

But here’s a glimpse of how he really felt.

The next day, Eliza decided what she wanted to be for Halloween.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, amiright? 

A Few Reasons to Party

Party news,

We had weather.

A drizzle. 

Actually, is there a word for something that's not quite as intense as a drizzle?

A handful of drops?

That's what we had the other day as we walked to the playground at school.

Definitely not enough to pull out the umbrella, but of course we must seize every opportunity!

When we got into the school line with all the other 3rd graders, Eliza's friend with the thick, bottlenose glasses and long blonde hair ran up to me and said, "Guess WHAT?! My mom? She had to use the wipey things in the car on our drive here! THE WIPEY THINGS! And she's probably going to have to use them ALL DAY!"

Let the party begin!

In other party news, 

Lisa texted me in a bit of a panic. It was Max's birthday, and their themed shirts had not arrived. So, remembering the popcorn shirts I had made for a previous party she asked, "do you have time to print words for me this morning?! We only have two hours!"

Indeed, I do!

I spent the next two hours in my pajamas, racing to produce shirts for their family. Lisa and Jane came to help; measuring, printing, cutting, re-cutting, re-cutting (dang if I would just pay attention the first time), weeding, ironing... and when time had run out we were so close. 

Lisa had to leave to gather her kids from various schools, but just before she got back, Jane and I ironed on the last two decals and bagged up the finished shirts with a high-five. After I waved goodbye (still in my pajamas at 11:30am), I turned around to face the mess we had left behind in my bedroom - scraps of vinyl, plastic cover sheets, ironing materials, Cricut tools - and my heart felt happy, because the mess was a symbol of a morning well spent in the service of a friend. I wish I did more of that.

In other party news,

Brian's parents came down to support him the weekend he was sustained as bishop.

The morning of, his dad gave him the most beautiful blessing full of comfort and specific strengths that will be essential in his new role. Con blessed him with the gift of insight, of compassion, of being able to recognize the direction of the Holy Ghost, and of wisdom. I am grateful to have these two great men in my life. 

Also, these two great women.

If there's one thing that women are generally good at, it's creating. While McKenzie is creating music, Grandma is creating an emotional space between them that they are filling with connection, love, understanding, and growth. Grandma is giving her entire self to McKenzie in this moment, seeing her, supporting her, loving her, cheering her on as she shares her talent, and McKenzie is giving herself to Grandma by sharing her talent, by opening in her vulnerability and letting herself be seen.

All of it creating connection.

I'm grateful to be surrounded by women.

In other party news,

McKenzie went back to college with more of the essentials.

She's has always had a stack of books with her, but this is perhaps going a bit overboard? The amazing thing is, with as busy of a schedule as she has this coming semester, I know she'll find time to read at least that many books by the end of it. And party.

In other party news,

Nertz. We miss our oldest kids around the Nertz table.

Although, fewer decks does make the game more manageable. We don't find a lot of time during our weekdays to play anymore (summer, come back!), but there was a magical 30 minute pocket between dinner and soccer Thursday night that we snatched. And the moral of the night was that you can have a party in 30 minutes or less.

There was a lot of laughter and it felt good.

Partying is a mindset. 

And it's not one that comes very naturally to me. 

Yet.

Challenge accepted.

Love it or Hate it, it Finally Feels Like Home

Fall has a feeling of leery safety around here. Like the feeling you have when you're playing night games and you are the hunted, so you look around corners cautiously, and even when you think you are safe, you don't just bolt out into the open... you inch out of your hiding spot slowly because you're never entirely sure the danger has passed. Fall feels like that. Like, it seems the sun has surrendered its scorching aim, but you don't quite trust it won't change its mind. 

When the highs dropped to the high 90s, we filled our water bottles and inched out of our home to hike the BC on the nearby mountain. It's not so much of a hike as it is a mountain biking trail... and I honestly cannot imagine the courage it would take to get there on a mountain bike. Some of the hills are so steep we could not walk them, we had to crawl down them in a crab-walk or run with a reckless abandon. Maisy came with us (mistake) and refused even to try to walk down some of them, hunkering down to the ground as low as she could (which... how much lower can she get than she already is?). 

We did make it eventually, though. 

This is the 3rd set of letters I have hiked to in my life, and all of them are surprisingly challenging hikes. I guess in order to be able to see the letters from far away, the face of the mountain has to be steep enough.

I was about 10 or 11 when I hiked to the PG in Pleasant Grove, and my younger sister, cousin and I got terribly lost. My older cousins had been responsible for us, but after we made it to the letters, they ran down the mountain much faster than me or Michelle or Karley could, and left us, literally, in their dust. 

I'm sure they were thinking we would be fine as long as we followed the trail back home -- and I'm sure they were right -- except that we did not follow the trail back home. Somehow we lost the trail and ended up blazing our own way down the mountain. Honestly I don't remember much, but I do remember finding a little stream and deciding to follow it down the mountain because we seemed to remember... doesn't a stream follow the easiest path? (Answer: well, yes, the easiest path for a water droplet, but perhaps not for a human.)

We slipped and fell several times on the slippery rocks and ended up with cuts and bruises to prove it. Hurt, crying, muddy, and frightened, we kept following that little stream. I remember scanning the rocks for black panthers because, one: that was my biggest fear at that age, and two: being the oldest, I knew it was my responsibility to fight them off. As the sun set, my fear intensified (how can you see a black panther at night?!). 

At one point Michelle suggested we kneel in the mud to pray.

So we did.

And the one remembered phrase of the day came as we were standing from that prayer. "We can do this, guys!" The words came from my lips and sounded convincing, but I wasn't sure I believed them. 

But, make it down the mountain with the water droplets we did. Emerging out into a large field of grasses.

Lost.

Crying.

Scared.

But at least we weren't slipping anymore.

Very soon after we emerged into this field, we saw two bright headlights aimed straight for us. When we didn't make it to the parking lot, my older cousins had run all the way back up the mountain to find us and were appropriately distraught when we were nowhere along the trail. They then ran back to their car and drove home to get their parents who had presently spotted us and were driving through the field to collect us. I wonder how long they had been searching? I remember the feeling of relief and my aunt's tears when she hugged us.

I'd like to go back to that mountain and find that stream again to see what it's really like. Because in my memory's eye, we were basically like a group of crying heroic Indiana Jones's.

Anyway, nothing of the sort happened on our jaunt up to the BC this week. But there was a lottttttt of loose rock.

Another great thing about fall (and summer and winter and spring) in Boulder City is Lake Mead. Late summer brings monsoon season (which, if you live in a tropical place with actual monsoons, I feel it could be appropriate for you to be slightly offended that we use that term here, too), and with the monsoons come the clouds. Brian and I took the boat out together and ended up in a spectacular sunset on the calmest night. The juxtaposition of the gentle water with the fire and moodiness in the sky was breathtaking to me.

These colors don't even look real!

On a different night, we took some friends to see the Hoover Dam from the backside, and I was delighted that the Desert Princess posed herself like a model for this shot.

So beautifully quaint. 

The rest of the evening was spent surfing and failing at trying 360s.

At some point someone in our family will get it. To be clear, it will not be me.

In other news, Miles and Timothy have decided to be friends.

I'm discovering that some of the best relationships take a lot of time and effort to develop. For Miles and Timothy it's been 12 years, and for me and the desert it's been 11, but we're all starting to come around to each other. And how interesting that learning to love something has a different flavor than simply loving it. 

The complexities make it rich and the work of it makes it deeply satisfying. 

I'm so glad I stuck it out.

Maybe We All Need Emotional Support Turtles

Brian threw his phone on the bed next to me one Sunday morning.

"Linds, I got that text this morning," he said, pointing to the phone as if it were covered in wasps.

I picked it up and read the message from the Stake President asking the both of us if we could meet with him after sacrament meeting.

"It's not ... that ... is it?" He said.

Knowing exactly what he meant, I replied, "No, it can't be that."

It was no secret that the bishop was being released. Rumors and whispers about who would replace him had been going around for the better part of a month, but it was not a rumor that the bishop was being released; that was a fact. The bishop had been shouting it for weeks, and there was an official scrapbook being made by the relief society president. With all the excitement and all the preparations, surely the stake presidency had already set the new bishop in place?

After reading the text, the next three hours before we met with the stake president were rough (thankfully it was only three hours), and we spent most of that time convincing ourselves and each other that there must be some other reason President Morris wanted to meet with Brian. And me. 

But the only way to know was to know, and as we left the chapel to follow President Morris down the hall, we knew we were about to find out. I was carrying Tippy, Eliza's stuffed turtle (which is a common occurrence for me during the second hour of church), and when I heard Brian take a deep breath to calm his nerves, I turned to him and saw his eyes swimming in worry. I held up Tippy between us.

"Would you like to hold Tippy?" I whispered. 

He laughed in response (if a strained smile with a slightly forceful exhale out through his nose can be counted as a laugh), and turned his head back to follow President Morris. Two steps down the hall he looked to me and whispered, "Actually, yes," and took Tippy from my arms.

It wasn't long after exchanging short pleasantries that President Morris got straight to the point.

Turns out it was that.

After President Morris officially asked Brian if he would serve as bishop, I looked over at my strong, confident man and saw all 6 feet 4 inches of him slumped down in his chair like an old grandma's stocking trying to hide in her shoe. His face was pallid, his eyes blinked back tears, and as he clutched Tippy to his chest he croaked out the words, "I'll try."

It's that humility that will, in part, make him such a great bishop.

The little bit of life perspective I have gleaned (along with having kids in sports) has shown me glimpses of how the Lord sets up his plays. He doesn't just throw us into the game-- He sets us up to succeed first. Of course, we have to be listening and willing to implement his coaching, but that's another lesson.

As early as we are in this game of bishoping, we have already seen some of the Lord's masterful set up.

I'll have to let Brian tell you about the ways he has felt himself personally being prepared for this, but I can tell you three of my own stories.

--Story Number One--

a dose of clarity

Early in the Come Follow Me year, (we're in the Doctrine and Covenants), I came across verses in section 25 that, as a woman in the church, have always been tricky for me. But this time through, I felt the clouds of confusion lift, and I saw more truth and so much beauty in these words and in this counsel. The Lord says to Emma Smith, "Murmur not because of the things which thou has not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come. And the office of thy calling shall be for a comfort unto my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., thy husband, in his afflictions, with consoling words, in the spirit of meekness. ... Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him."

I wasn't even asking for it, but my mind felt so enlightened regarding these words that it compelled me to teach an impromptu family home evening lesson on it that week and monopolize an entire dinner conversation at a table in Foxes BBQ among close friends. 

I won't try to preach the sermon here, because frankly, I'm not sure I could ever put what I now know into words. Some truths must be felt. But I will say this, because of this specific dose of clarity that came five months ago, it is easy for me to say today: 

-I will not murmur when my husband has responsibilities I do not have; I can trust that the Lord is guiding us ALL in wisdom. 

-I will take the 'office of my calling' as seriously as Brian is taking his; mine is, in part, to 'comfort my husband with consoling words in the spirit of meekness.' President Morris was very clear (speaking half of his words to this subject) that this calling was for both of us. That we are being asked to serve together. That my influence, in part, is the reason they called Brian, that I have a significant part to play in this. So, I'll take it seriously.

-I will 'let my soul delight in my husband and the glory which shall come upon him!'; and I will not make it mean that my glory is any less. Driving past the Hoover Dam bridge a few days after the call, we passed the massive support beams and I felt the whisper, without support, the bridge does not stand.

BYU professor Mary Jane Woodger said "I believe on many occasions that Joseph held the church together, but it was Emma and the Lord that held Joseph together." Was Emma's role any less important than Joseph's in the eyes of God? 

I would offer an emphatic no. 

Joseph could not have done what he did without her, and just because the eyes of the world and the church don't always esteem her as they do Joseph doesn't mean it wasn't the way of it. Whose eyes am I trying to impress anyway? God sees me.

--Story Number Two--

learning lessons from MJ

Two days before Brian was called, we were watching one of the new Spiderman movies as a family. Did you know that God can speak to you through Spiderman movies? Of course he can... he's a master of communication.

There is a moment when Spiderman is crumpled in a heap on the ground. He's in the middle of battling the end guy and seems to be losing. He's bloody, torn, bruised, tired, and losing faith in himself. At that moment, MJ comes onto the scene, gets down on the ground with him, cups his face between her hands, looks straight into his eyes and says, paraphrased, "You. Can. Do. This. You can do this, and you are the only one who can." It was her confidence in him that gave him the strength to keep going and eventually come out victorious. 

As I watched the scene, I narrowed my eyes and the thought dropped into my head, "You know, I could do a better job of being like that for Brian." This thought resurfaced in my mind off and on for the next two days, and when I saw Brian crumpled like that old Grandma's stocking in the chair next to me, I realized that the Lord had prepared me, just two days ago, for this. 

The office of my calling had begun, and it was time for me to 'comfort my husband with consoling words in the spirit of meekness.' 

Channeling MJ, I knew exactly what to do.

--Story Number Three--

the flock

Eventually it all went public, and the support for Brian has been really, really beautiful to watch. I wish I'd started counting all the times people said some version of, "I knew it was going to be you." At first, we laughed, but as it has gone on, it has quickly turned into something more astonishing. 

Really? All these people? In a ward with, as President Morris said, "so much horsepower," how did so many know? Why did they know? It could have been any one of a dozen people, yet President Morris said that as he sat in the temple hoping to whittle it down some, only one name remained.

The Lord knew,

President Morris knew,

And now all of these people...

It wasn't just a handful of people who simply 'guessed right.' It went on too long for that, and the sincerity with which the people have expressed their 'knowing' turned our heads and made us listen. 

Running into Jody Jeppson (who is the temple matron's assistant) in the celestial room one evening, she grabbed Brian's arm and whispered the now familiar line: "I knew it was going to be you," and my mouth dropped open. 

"How?" I whispered back. "We keep hearing that, over and over and over, it feels remarkable to me that so many would know." 

She smiled, and still holding onto Brian's arm she looked him in his eyes and said in a voice with quiet power, "Just as the Lord has been preparing you for this position, he has been preparing your flock to recognize the voice of their new shepherd." 

There in that sacred room, I felt the Spirit testify of the truth of it, and Brian and I both began to cry.

What a wonderful God we believe in. 

Brian has needed support as he's humbly wrestled with his own self-doubts, 

and the Lord has provided that support 

in abundance.

Here we go.

All Out of Summer

1) Brian Bought Me Sunflowers This Week

They’ve been such a bright reminder of his goodness. Ironically, he bought them to help me remember my goodness, but every time I look at them I just see his.

2) We're Trying to Not Let the Summer Shut us ALL the Way In

It can be beautiful, but dang, it's hot.

When Kenzie suggested we take her roommate, Rachel, to the Hoover Dam bridge, it was all I could do to throw a fake smile on my face and say, "Yeah! That sounds fun!" But what I was actually thinking was Yeah... okay... that'll take some work to make fun. Honestly, it's just so hot. But then, as always, it was worth the work (isn't fun always worth the work?) and ended up being a fabulous night. I was grateful for Kenzie's vision.

3) Nora's Golden Birthday

Swimming suits are great summer outfits around here (though, I believe the kids are saying 'fits' these days? Great summer fits? Anyway). Our best friend, Nora turned 9 on August 9th, and we celebrated with Gold. Gold swimming suits, gold shorts, gold sunglasses, and gold face tattoos (or arm tattoos in Eliza's case because foreign things on her face? No thank you). 

We went to Cowabunga Bay and had a wonderful time.

Eliza rocked her fit.

4) The Second Annual Royal Dinner

Did you know we're royalty? 

Sons and daughters of a King.

And so are you.

The night before school started, we donned our crowns around the dinner table and talked about how knowing about our Royal Divinity can give us a fountain from which to draw strength and confidence and courage throughout the coming year. No matter what circumstances greet us, we can feel prepared and safe because we know that when we're with God we are on the winning side. 

5) Make Lemonade

We're rolling out a new theme this year. "Make Lemonade" is stepping into the spotlight while our theme of the previous three years (Be the Nice Kid) will take a step back. Be the Nice Kid will still be on the stage, of course (it will always be a star), but the spotlight is shifting. For whatever reason, it felt like it was time. Carson just recently shared in a letter to me that our previous theme had been meaningful to him through his high school years. Maybe the theme had been inspired for him? It would explain why I feel it has run its course. Hopefully this new theme will touch a different kid in a meaningful way.

•Our Family Lemonade Recipe•

Squeeze your lemons, add a dash of Good Attitude, a sprinkle of Effort, and a whole lotta Jesus (Living Water). Then let God stir. Watch patiently as everything works together for your good.

•Good Attitude (Proverbs 17:22)    -   -   A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken 

                                                                             spirit drieth the bones.

•Effort (James 1:22)   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.

•Living Water (John 4:14)  -   -   -   -   -   But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him 

                                                                             shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall 

                                                                             be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting 

                                                                             life. 

•The Stirring Spoon (Romans 8:28)  -  And we know that all things work together for good to them 

                                                                             that love God.

Anyway, the idea has taken hold. And everyone enjoyed the lemon treats.

6) How Can You Avoid Distracted Driving with a Landscape Like This?

Driving up to Utah all alone, this beautiful scene was showing off right outside my window. How do you pass this without at least trying to get a picture?! I wonder can you die of beauty? 

Since I couldn’t really see the image through my phone (responsible driver here), most of my shots included blurry signs in the corners or cars in the foreground, and all of them looked like they were shot by a drunken sailor.

Thank goodness for a little post processing.

Whenever I see something like this I have to wonder what it might have been like in the planning meetings of heaven while they were discussing the creation of the earth… Man hasn’t come close to creating something as incredible as this. Actually, I’m curious… 

A quick Google search "what is the most incredible thing man has created" says the pyramids in Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, etc.

So, yeah. We haven’t even come close.

7) McKenzie is all Settled into her Apartment

And isn’t it adorable?! It took two and a half days of non-stop work to change it from its original Utilitarian vibe into a Now I Can Live Here vibe. 

Worth it.

8) The Giant Grasshopper who Bummed a Ride

Sounds like a children’s book, but it’s actually just the story of our Monday. I first noticed the grasshopper sitting on my windshield as I climbed into the car in the parking lot of the public library, and I assumed he would jump away as we started moving. I even accelerated slowly to give him a chance. But instead of jumping, he hunkered down and braved the 40mph wind speeds, turning his body to face it and letting his feelers blow around with reckless abandon. Eliza was delighted. She laughed and cheered for him the entire way, and as we entered into our neighborhood, I pulled the car to the side of the road and Eliza helped the grasshopper find a nice bush to make into his new home. Well, Eliza found the bush. I had to help the grasshopper. (“Eww, gross,” said Eliza.)

I did wonder if the grasshopper felt misplaced. Do grasshoppers feel a sense of ‘home?’

9) School has been a Success so far

Eliza and Nora are inseparable, and they make a pretty good team. Eliza calms Nora a bit, and Nora helps Eliza break out of her shell every once in a while. It's a good balance and I love the two of them together.

10) Essay: the Transition from High School to College

Miles is the third child out of three who has to write this essay for his Transition to College class. And you can tell by his face how much he is enjoying it.

11) Other Stories Written on Faces:

You have no idea how much I want to crawl into these photos and experience all of Carson's experiences with him. That would, of course, change his experiences (and not for the better), and yet the desire remains.

But apparently mothers are not allowed to tag along, so I must settle for experiencing his experiences through the stories he tells and the ones written on faces in his pictures. 

They're good.