My dear friend Laurie's mother in law died this week. My sil Lauri lost her mother last week. My mil recently and rather suddenly decided to move out of her home next door. This was the home that my husband grew up in. The home that I was first introduced to the Olsen family and culture. The home that we visited and stayed in when we traveled to Manti. The home Milt's mom died in 30 years ago. The home his father died in 4 years ago. The home that use to be a second home for us but with a second marriage and other children claiming it, it become just the neighbors.
Its funny how we come to love a place because of the memories and it can be hard to say goodbye. Change invites reminiscing and I am grateful for the fond memories that my children have shared. Even when really nothing has been what it was for years it was still Grandpa's house. So this second wife is moving on. She is not one to get attached to stuff but she has not been one to throw much out for years and her family has enjoyed the free storage space too. They are mostly just tossing stuff into a trailer and hauling it off to the dump. The house is returning to its bare bones.
Tonight the young men from church along with their leaders went over with a trailer to clean out a large 'chicken coop' shed that was filled with forgotten stuff. Stuff that may have had a story at one time. Stuff that maybe could have been useful to someone else. A treasure. But none of it really matters. Just like so many things in this life, we move on leaving the old behind and finding a new way to live and do things. It leaves me a little sad to think about the past memories that are so easily forgotten, the items that spark memories to life again, and the need to just let go and look forward.
We can't go back to our childhood.The memories must be preserved and cherished without holding on to all the old stuff. We will look forward to change and growth. We will watch this house be sold and become the home of someone else so they can make their own memories. We will look forward to new neighbors and the hope of a family that will love their new home and be a joyful addition to the block.
Good bye house. Thanks for the shelter, warmth, memories and love.
We enjoyed a just kids Christmas Party Friday night. We had Cincinnati chili, original Grinch movie, Christmas stories of Snowmen at Night, and Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree. Decorating of mugs with permanent markers (we then bake them to set it), orange julius, and Arthur's Christmas movie. It was a lot of fun.
The pictures came in an odd order and thats okay.
Gideon
Henry
Samuel
Maddie, Debbie, Thomas
Josh
Sunday we enjoyed a special sacrament meeting and then a progressive dinner where we had appetizers at Peter and Rachel's, salad at Elise and John's, main dish at my house, and dessert at Porter's. We walked from house to house. The kids had a new experience for dinner. We then acted out the nativity, had each family do a talent, opened gifts and played games like Don't Break the Ice and Uno Attack. It was a lot of fun for all.
The month of June began with adding 3 teens to our household. With Natalie's family of 6 downstairs and our 8 upstairs we were at 14 for the entire month. I am so grateful to help provide the experience of being in the pageant to a few more people. The experience here in our small town is so very different than any other place and some even say life changing. It is a privilege to be a part of adding wonder and experience to another's life
Shauna, Debbie, Sim, and Jeffrey
the boys room on a Sunday afternoon, snoozing.
fun time creating pictures together
the kids were experimenting with face painting for Lamanite warriors
This year we had dancers, warriors, and pioneers. Here we have Elder Dube of the 70 posing with our crew. He was great to have come and visit. It is so exciting to hear how the people of Africa are receiving the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
back row: Jeffrey, Kyle, Mark and front: Kylee, Debbie and Simeon
Isaac, John, William, and Peter all helped with stage crew and shot arrows at Samuel the Lamanite for the first time. Luckily angels are still protecting him and he never got hit.
Also Milt and his presidency provided firesides for youth groups before pageant each night. Encore group would sing for half an hour and then a presidency member would speak for half an hour. I was so please with the way Milt has developed his speaking and story telling skills. He was fun, engaging and shared value with the audience.
Yes that's my son in the red pants. So fun to see him developing and sharing his love of singing and dancing. This is just a taste.
Mom's 75th birthday celebration was a lot of fun. We had an open house for all her friends and then a family BBQ and more fun.
The cousins had great fun filling this tree with hammocks and sharing their seats.
Amber skills with her special hammock
We talked 3 of my siblings into coming down with their families to see the pageant and enjoy a day at the lake. To our house full of 14 we add 22 more that spent the night. We sure know how to have fun and enjoy a big family. Kayaking, paddle boarding and canoeing along with a picnic lunch.
Mark, Steve, Dad, Mom, me, Julie, and Amber
We were only missing Dan and his family. Not bad for all the many schedules that have to coordinate to have time together.
On June 20, Isaac had a group date. They headed to Maple Canyon to go hiking. Eight teenagers, actively having good, clean fun.
That fun changed when Isaac (my son) went to look over the other side. He was holding onto one of the rocks and it let loose.
He fell around 20 feet. They were all up near this tree and he fell down, landing with his rear on a boulder and then finally stopping with the help of a tree to his chest another 15 feet.
These great kids had the scare of a lifetime as they saw him leave there view and only heard screaming as he fell. They hurried down to him, treated him for shock. Jeffrey lead them in prayer and then they were inspired on how to carry him out. They even did all they knew how to check for a possible broken back. They carefully crafted the words they would say as they call Mr. O. "Hey umm, this is Kyle. Isaac took a tumble and we are on our way to the hospital."
Needless to say Milt and I took off immediately and got there soon after the kids delivered Isaac to the emergency room.
His head was fine but he had plenty of evidence of the fall. One of the girls fathers "happened" to be working at the hospital as a nurse, happened to have recently heard Milt speak at his church, and ws a stake president. We asked for his assistance in administering a blessing to Isaac. He was promised that he would heal and that he should be patient in the process. They x-rayed both his hands and feet, did a CT scan of his tourso and an EKG of his chest.
Nothing was broken. All organs were fine. They worried that their might be a hairline fracture at the base area of his one thumb so they splinted that. They washed and bandaged all they could and we were free to go home.
All these amazing, caring, faith filled youth waited and supported at the hospital
Isaac has been sore. He carries a donut pillow to sit on everywhere and is using a crutch because it is hard to walk but he is pushing forward and is even attending a performing arts camp this week. He is not one to be kept down. I do hope he is learning to be patient in the healing process but I do appreciate his desire to limit pain meds, trust his body to heal, and have a new respect for being careful and steep edges.
I am so grateful that we get to learn these lessons now. So grateful that there is a great group of youth who truly care about one another and choosing the right. Life is good.
