Summer is winding down

Hello, hello!

I haven’t heard from you since I sent the last email, so I don’t really have anything new to respond to. I hope you are loving life, and have had a great week. Everyone is asking about you and excited for your return.Hopefully we will get to talk tomorrow. In the mean time, this is what we’ve been up to:

1. Last weekend Dad and I went to a firm event in the Bees suites for dinner, ballgame, and fireworks. It was a fun night out. They had the cast of the Sandlot reunited at the game for a Q&A to celebrate (30!) years since the movie came out. 

2. Phoenix night was at the same time as the bees game, so we missed it, but Jett and Blake got to play. Blake said he didn’t take a bad hit, but he had a headache after the game. It turned into a migraine over the weekend. Excedrin wasn’t cutting it and he was miserable. I texted Joel Taylor to see if they could do anything for him at an instacare, or if he just had to wait it out. He said they actually treat migraines all the time in the ER, which is interesting to me. He came over and brought some medicine to help Blake sleep it off. He slept and slept and slept, and when he finally woke up his eye and forehead was all puffy and swollen, but he felt much better. I took him over to Alissa Hyde for a massage which also helped a lot I think. He seems to be doing much better now. Joel told him no to go back to football until he was completely clear of symptoms, so all I can do is hope and trust that Blake is making smart choices.

3. Saturday morning dad and I went to the temple. An older man in our ward was going through the temple for the first time, and it was nice to be there with his family and other friends from the ward. The endowment session was quite a bit different from the last time I went. They added a lot of text, and the snapshot slides seemed to flow much more naturally.  Overall I think they were good changes, but it dad add quite a bit of length to the session. Some of my girlfriends at bookclub like to listen to their books at 1.5-2x speed, and sometimes I wish I could do that at the temple! Afterwards we had lunch with some friends in the ward and it was a nice afternoon. 

4. As you know, we purchased the Lexus this week. I met Dad in Salt Lake so I could test drive it and give Dad a second opinion. As soon as I sat in it, I knew you would love it. Ty loves it too, and is so jealous. He got the first layer of grime cleaned up and took it out with some friends Friday night. Unfortunately Saturday morning he discovered a flat tire due to driving over a razor blade. Dang it! Bad luck. I guess the tires were pretty worn already. So right now it’s not drivable until we figure out the tire situation, but we are working on getting it all fixed up and cleaned up for you.

5. I had an interesting experience this week. A friend of mine from high school had a stroke about two weeks ago. She was in critical condition and was mostly sedated/unresponsive for a week. The situation seemed dire. She was in the hospital near Ethan’s TOSH PT, so I decided to pick up some flowers and snack for her mom and family that must have spent the entire week in the waiting room at the hospital. Tuesday morning I read that she was starting to wake up and make improvements, and they were very hopeful about her recovery. Tuesday after Ethan’s appointment I had some things come up and kind of needed to head home. I figured Megan would be in the hospital for awhile and I have another opportunity to stop by. But I really felt like I should just take the time to go inside and drop the things off anyway. I did not think she was allowed visitors. I had to be buzzed through the door just to leave the items in her cubby. But when I got there Megan’s mom saw me and pulled me into her room. Megan was awake and very groggy, but her mom was so happy and told me that the doctors wanted her to stay awake and engage with conversation as much as possible. She asked me to come in and visit with her. She was hooked up top a ventilator and a million different tubes and wires. But she made eye contact with me and could nod her head and squeeze me hand. I felt like she could understand and remember everything I was talking about, and I was positive she was going to recover. I felt a bit awkward being there at that time that probably should have been reserved for immediate family members, but I just tried to express to her that she was loved and we were all cheering for her to recover. The new day they removed the intubation and many of the other wires and tubes. They got her up out of bed to walk a bit. But then she became sick and quickly declined. They hooked her back up to the ventilator and but and antibiotic line straight into her brain. But it wasn’t enough, and she died on Sunday. It’s just so sad to see a childhood friend die tragically—knowing that she still had so much life left to live. I admired her and enjoyed visiting on Facebook, but we haven’t been close for years. I’ve wondered why I was lucky enough to get to visit at just the right time, when others probably didn’t get to see her or say their goodbyes. I’m not sure, but I hope I was able to give some comfort, and I’m grateful I followed the prompting to go in when I did. It’s a good reminder to slow down and take time to tell your loved ones how you feel about them, and not take anything for granted.

6. Aunt Jan had open heart surgery this week. She had something called a “maze procedure” to correct her atrial fibrillation. I will be a few months before the really know if the surgery was successful, but it seems to have gone well.  Jimmy also had surgery this week—something to help prevent him from going cross-eyed I guess? They seem to be very pleased with the results so far.  He has been practicing on the football team this summer, so Im not sure if he’s just taking a break, or if he quit the team? I’ll have to ask.

7. Ethan found out we will be playing the role of Roosevelt in Newsies on one night, and a news boy on the other night. I think he was disappointed to not get a larger role. But I told him that the main roles probable went to the 9th graders, and this was a good opportunity for him to participate without too much stress and commitment. If he likes it this year, he will have more experience to audition for a bigger role next year.

8. Andrew and Giannina’s family moved into my parent’s basement yesterday. I guess Giannina has been in Peru for a few weeks and wasn’t even there yesterday. They still have some time before they have to be out of the house, but Andrew wanted to get the kids settled before they start school this year. They will be building a house in Lehi, but apparently the school there would not accept them because they can’t prove residency yet. 

9. The boys started up piano lessons again last week. They are so excited! Especially Blake. 

10. I changed out the photos on my magnet board this week.  Took down the Christmas cards and put up graduation and wedding announcements. Ty immediately took down Brook’s picture when he saw it. I guess she has a new boyfriend and it’s too hard to see her picture on the wall every time he walks in the door.  

11. Blake had his first game of the season vs Pleasant Grove on Friday. It wasn’t a great game. Darn it. Hopefully we show up to beat Bountiful this Friday. Saturday morning Jett had his football Jamboree at Woods Cross High bright and early. He’s enjoying it a lot , though we’ve had some problems with his equipment. He is an X man, and his team is happy to have someone with size on the line!

12. I got to go to a parent’s meeting for the football team. I guess that did $7000 of damage on their football retreat, and they were reported for skinny dipping and possible hazing. So now they get to do an investigation and sort it all out. Awesome. Campout was litty.

13. Ty appears to have lucked out of getting his license suspended despite getting a speeding ticket while on probation. Not sure what happened, but we are not complaining.

14. The house has been a little bit out of control lately. I mean, I guess everything has been a bit out of control. We are up until all hours. I haven’t made a real dinner in a long time. Haven’t been to the gym for months. People are constantly cooking and leaving their messes. Laundry all over the place. It’s like a bomb went off. I am attempting to dig out and get myself organized before school starts. We’ve been cleaning out closets and organizing old clothing.  Shopping for school clothes. And nothing in my closet currently fits, so I’ve been shopping for myself as well. Hopefully dad doesn’t have a complete heart attack when he sees the receipts. And hopefully we can start going to bed on time, so the kids don’t sleep through their first two weeks of school.

15. Classes start on Thursday! But poor Tate has to wait until after Labor Day. He’s so sad his friends are starting kindergarten without him. But he’s making some new friends, so hopefully it all works out. He’s a bit anxious about meeting new people, but I hope when we get into the swing of things he will enjoy his new classes. He gets to take a music class this fall that I think will be a lot of fun for him.

16. I’ve been spending a lot of time out in the yard trying to pull weeds and tame the garden area. Sigh. It’s so much work for so little payoff. Last weekend my mom dug a bunch of thorns out of my hand, but I managed to get poked a few more times. And then I got stung by two hornets. I guess I disturbed a hornets nest under the rosemary growing in the garden. I hurt a bit, but no big deal, right? I kept working and didn't worry too much about it. But the sites where I got stung became itchy and hot and red and swollen. It’s been 5 days already and I’m still sort of miserable. I’ve never really been afraid of bees. And after I saw the hornets nest my first inclination was to just leave it alone and let them continue to pollinate the garden. But right now I’m feeling like taking a bottle of Raid and spraying everything in sight. And now I’ve got my allergy-induced rash reappearing on my shins. Everything itches. Everything is red and bumpy and sore. 

17. Last night we went to the Hyde’s house for Kaleb and Ivey’s wedding reception. The Hyde’s recently completed their backyard remodel. They put in a pool and hot tub, a large pergola, and poured a large sport court in the very back. The yard was absolutely stunning. They had an amazing little taco truck, and a very hoppin’ dance happening on the sport court. Kaden recently returned from his mission, they took a nice family trip, and Cooper opened his mission call to Rio Brazil. They have been crazy busy. And then…Mark Hyde got called to be the new bishop of our ward this morning. No rest for the weary! I am thrilled. I love the Hydes and think Mark will be a great bishop. I'm so happy he will be working with my boys. But I do feel a little bad for them. Like couldn’t they wait to extend the call for just another week or two? Let the poor people have a nap and an afternoon by the pool before they jump into this new adventure!

18. Dad organized a ward golf activity yesterday, and they had a great time. Ethan was allowed to join, but Jett was not. Jett is feeling a bit left out.

19. Our friends the Allens were in Maui on vacation this week when the wildfires started. The fires were absolutely devastating, and many people died. The Allens were without power and short on gas and had a dangerous journey to get themselves to the airport. They sheltered in and LDS meetinghouse where missionaries were safe and there to serve them. They were finally able to reach a Costco to gas up their rental car, and they filled it with diapers and towels and blanket to hand out to other people in need. They have now safely left Hawaii, but it was quite the adventure, and there are many people who have lost their homes and businesses. The photos are very apocalyptic. 

20. The news here is crazy as ever. Trump is about to be criminally indicted for the 4th time—increasing his popularity among his maga base. A special council has been appointed to investigate Hunter Biden. Taylor Swift fans are producing seismic events at her Eras concert. The Barbie movie has grossed over a BILLION dollars and is on track to be the biggest money maker of the year. Elon Musk spent $44 BILLION to purchase Twitter and run it into the ground. The company is now called X, and it’s a hot mess. Congress recently held hearing questioning former military officials about UFOs and "non-human biological matter.” Temperatures rose to 127.7 degrees in Death Valley last month—cooling to 120 at night. You know, same old, same old.

Well, the times come for me to go to bed. I hope you have had a wonderful week! 

Love you!
Mom