The Fun Never Stopped

 Mary called me on Tuesday the 23rd and surprised me with the news that I needed to pick Jackson and her up at the airport on Friday!  We were all so excited!  

And the fun truly never stopped!

From walks around Lexington Hills

Complete with a piggy back ride from Uncle Matt

and a cooperative frog in the lilly pad pond!

To parks and splash pads

We even went to Chuck E Cheese. Ah the memories of birthday parties when our kids were little.  Fun to share it with these cute grandkids!

These two cousins got along so well!

Jackson also got to fish for a few minutes with Uncle Matt. 

And we went swimming at John and Monica's pool.

I had never been to Jump Time before and everyone loved it.

I unfortunately experienced the perfect illustration of Proverbs 16:18 

'Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.'

I was feeling pretty spry for a 69 year old and had asked John to video me.  After a few moments of glory, I lost my balance and took a tumble, bowing my back in a way that was not natural.  It was a blessing that I wasn't badly hurt.  So much for being a cool grandma!

And to work on not being prideful, I'll share this capture from the video.  Makes you want to say, OUCH, doesn't it??

Lots of memories were made!

I sure love this family of mine!

Hello 1st Grade

Welcome back to Pepper Ridge Elementary!  

First grade!  My favorite grade!  And my favorite 6 year old!

Isabella was excited to go back to school!

Turns out that her teacher is a friend of Scott's. She went to Centennial High School and is Scott's age.  I think she looks like a very fun teacher!  Perfect!

John took the day off so that he could be there on her 1st day!

This little girl adores her daddy!

We kept our tradition of a Grandma/Isabella shopping date!

Look at those bell bottom jeans!  The 70's are back.

Isabella, on this first day of school, show the world your brightness and beauty!

Train Up a Child

Proverbs 22: 6 reads, "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it."

I am so glad that Isabella's parents are giving her experiences like this.    

On several of the hottest days this summer she sold lemonade at a stand just off the greenbelt in Eagle.  

The money she made was donated to Make A Wish to 'help children who are sick'.  

$176!

I am proud of her parents for their work to enable this little girl and her gentle, giving heart to make a difference in the world. And I'm thrilled that Isabella was willing to donate the money she had earned.

I love Isabella, John, and Monica so much.  And I'm grateful to have them in my life.

Education Week 2022

When we moved to Boise in 1988, I was blessed with a great group of friends in our church congregation.  We had kids of similar ages and shared many of the same interests.  These women had gone to BYU Education Week for many years and they invited me to join them.  I'm not sure how many times I've gone since then, but I am guessing about 25.  

Education Week is held on the BYU campus during the week between summer classes and the beginning of fall orientation.  From the website "At Education Week you can choose from hundreds of classes on a variety of subjects, including education, religion, marriage and family, finance, health, personal development, family history, communication, and much more. Come enjoy dynamic presenters, evening entertainment, and the Spirit you’ll feel on campus with friends and family."  This year marked the 100th year of this unique program.  I'm not sure there is anything quite like it in the world.  

The theme this year was

100 Years of Instruction and Learning

Of Things Both in Heaven and in the Earth

This year the attendance was abut 16,000 people which is close to pre-pandemic levels.  Prior to the Covid pandemic, the total attendance was closer to 18,000; in 2020 the event wasn't held and last year the attendance was 13,000.  900 classes are held. 53% of the attendees were in the over 63 age group so we felt right at home.  Our group stayed in the dorms but I know people who stay with friends, or rent houses, or stay in hotels.

I'm lucky to have gone with a group of women I've known since 1988.  Even though we don't see each other often like we once did, our friendships pick right back up.  We are instant besties! I truly love these women.  They make living the gospel of Jesus Christ easier.

Here we are about to listen to the devotional in the Marriott Center.  Notice my dress.  Now take a look at the dress that the soloist is wearing. 

Yep, same dress!  The really funny part is that at least 5 women stopped me to say, "Hey you are wearing the same dress as the soloist.  I have it too."  From then on I noticed this dress or others in the same style but with different fabric every where I looked.  Way to market Old Navy!  It was inexpensive, cute, modest and comfortable and even has pockets.  Perfect for summertime!

I attended 38 different classes on a range of subjects from marriage to family history to prayer to church history.  The classes start at 8:30 in the morning and go until 9:25 at night.  I did take a dinner break each day but other than that, I sat through class after class.

Wednesday night we attended an top rate performance entitled 

'Timeless: The Golden Age of Broadway'.  The two excellent vocalist entertained us with some of my favorite songs from the old Broadway shows.  Some Enchanted Evening, Sunrise - Sunset, Edelweiss, To Dream the Impossible Dream, I Could Have Danced All Night .....ending with one of the most beautiful songs ever - Bring Him Home from Les Miserables.  A wonderful evening!

A side benefit of going to Education Week is that I get to see friends from Portland.  Ron and Linda Mathews were driving through on their way home and stopped for dinner.

I just love them and miss them so much.

Friends plus learning plus feeling the Spirit.

New goals set!  Feeling renewed and refreshed!

It is a life changing week.

I hope I get to go many more times.

A Day in the Mountains!

 George's sister Karen came to visit for the weekend and we decided that an excursion to the mountains would be a perfect way to spend Saturday.

Matt recommended a hike on a ridge up above Blue Lake. 

Amazingly beautiful scenery!

I am not sure if everyone in the group would have agreed with Matt's assessment that this was an easy hike but I do believe a 'good time was had by all.'

Grandma and Isabella selfie!

Thanks to Pinterest, I had a couple of games for her to play.  One was a regular scavenger hunt and the other a color hunt.  Both were fun and entertaining.

We even found enough snow for a snowball fight!

At one point, Karen decided that going ahead and climbing over the log that blocked the trail would be too hard for short little me!  She didn't remember that telling me I couldn't do something is like waving a cape in front of a bull.  

There is more than one way to forge ahead!

On the way back I did go over the log.  Where there is a will there is a way! 

And we made it up another ridge to see the view before turning around to go back to the cars.

George loves to take photos of me taking photos.  It's his favorite hobby! And I do give him ample opportunity to pursue it. 

 I think both Karen and Monica will research the trail before going on another 'easy' hike with Matt!

But they were good sports!

After the hike, Matt took us to a secluded spot with ready made fire rings and built a big fire.  We enjoyed personalized tin-foil dinners.  Our 6 year old enjoyed a hot dog and had plenty of help cooking it.

As the fire burned down to coals, there was lots of game time.  George aced the new ring toss game on his first try.

Karen savored her first s'mores in a long time. I was able to find gluten free marshmallows at Trader Joes and gluten free graham crackers at Walmart.  Gluten free chocolate is readily available.

Great food in a beautiful setting with family!

What could be better? 

 Isabella had such a great day that she cried when it was time to go home.  She kept saying that she didn't want it to be over.

Love that little girl so, so much!

Come back soon Karen!

 

Possibilities

 Over the last several years I noticed that many people I respect were picking a 'word of the year'.  They felt that having single word was a powerful way to stay focused and set applicable goals.

Until 2021, I had never been one who did this but after the turmoil of 2020, I decided that I wanted pick a work to concentrate on and that word was HARMONY - the blending of different parts to make a pleasing whole!  For so much of 2020, I had felt so much disharmony in my home, in politics, in religion, in our communities.  My goal was to do all I could to develop characteristics and practices to encourage harmony.  While sometimes I do hit a 'discordant' note, I know that I have seen much improvement in this area.  

As I thought about a word for 2022, I remembered a conversation I had many years ago with George's Dad.  Almost everyday he got up at 5:10 a.m. to play tennis and racket ball, often adding a swim.  His days didn't seem so busy that he couldn't have scheduled his exercise at a more reasonable (at least in my mind) time of the day.  I'll never forget what he told me.  He said, "Psychologically, getting up early leaves me feeling that I have my whole life ahead of me and not behind me." Now that I am also in my 'golden years' I understand that sentiment in a way I never could have when I was young.

There is truth to the statement that at my age, much of life is behind me but I also have an optimistic idea that 'the best is yet to be'.  With that in mind, my word of 2022 is POSSIBILITIES.  I have ample time to do whatever I would like to do.  The possibilities are endless.

I took an on-line class and learned about how to observe, identify, and enjoy birds.

I'm attempting to master my I-phone camera through another class.

I've been practicing the piano almost daily and see remarkable progress.

I volunteered to work at our Stake Family History Center and have already added to my family tree.

And I've been busy learning how to bake and decorate cakes.  Not sure this new hobby makes sense since I am always trying to loose weight and George is diabetic but no one has complained yet!

Here are a few of my cakes. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Rich dark chocolate cake layers with chocolate chips and butter cream

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Tender and light lemon poppy seed cake layers with lemon cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries 

Reese's Toast Cake

Fluffy white cake with peanut buttercream, chocolate ganache, and peanut butter toast crunch

4th of July Funfetti Cake

Tender white cake layers, mixed with red and blue sprinkles, covered in a whipped vanilla buttercream

Definitely a sugar overload but so delicious

'Every new day begins with POSSIBILITIES!'

Ronald Reagan 

Never lose hope, there are always possibilities if you just look for them.

Catherine Pulsifer 

Hooray for Today!

 Isabella's shirt tells how I feel about these first week of July!

Hooray for today!

We continued our 4th of July tradition of hiking in the foothills to watch fireworks all over the Treasure Valley. 

Glow in the dark jewelry and a glow in the dark ring toss game added to the fun.

George had meetings so he missed the annual 'Wet & Wild' parade which is a part of Eagle Fun Days.

And yes you do get soaked!

Our water loving granddaughter loved getting wet and getting people wet!

The parade is definitely one of her happy places!

Isabella was very determined to overcome her fear and practiced learning to ride her bike.

Just look at that concentration!

And that smile of success!

One evening we took a walk down by the river to do some birdwatching.  The little owls have flown away but we did see a Swainson's Hawk and osprey.  

And of course, had an impromptu photo shoot!

Isabella loves to pose!

Hooray for the golden hour!

Hooray for family!

Hooray for today!