The big event of this week was saying goodbye to Joshua [sniff, sniff]. He is off to Dallas and will start his internship at BCG tomorrow. He was getting more excited and more nervous every day, so he will be glad the waiting period is over. We had several sending off parties, not to celebrate the fact that he was leaving, of course, but to wish him well. ;) In honor of Joshua the center of most of our parties was food--ice cream, guacamole, filet mignon, and sushi. Good times. Joshua will be missed by his girls, but we hope he has a wonderful experience at BCG--without any distractions.
During the next few weeks as we get a sense of what the BCG schedule will really be like, the girls and I will make the rest of our summer plans. In the meantime, I am keeping myself busy--not that that is too difficult with Kate and Jane around. I am, however, learning a new skill. I bought myself a book and a pile of balloons and I am learning to twist balloons. Kate thinks I am the coolest Mom ever. She kept saying, “This is awesome!” as I would hand her a wand, or a bunny, or a bike, or a snake hat. I figured balloon tying would be a nice skill to have at family gatherings, birthday parties, etc. We have had fun with it so far. There are little bits of balloon all over my parents’ house and the girls are no longer afraid of a loud POP!
I managed to get the girls ready in time to attend church with the Woodfords at 9:00 this morning. In a way it is easier to get things done as a parent when you know you are the only one around. Otherwise it is too tempting to hold back a bit and see if the other sleep deprived adult will get out of bed first. Church was amazing today. Jane jumped up after sacrament meeting, took her Grandma Narda by the hand, and marched off to nursery. Kate also went to Sunbeams without hesitation and I actually got to listen to a well-prepared discussion about Samuel in Gospel Doctrine. I had no distractions. I wasn’t worried about the discussion taking off into left field at any moment. I took notes. I thought about new things and I absolutely loved it. I almost forgot how uplifting church can be.
Alan came back over last night. We had dinner with Doug & Carrie who are passing through town and then played games and talked. Alan has been working on gathering stories from our family history again. I used to only know two stories about our pioneer ancestors: Evan Jenkins coming from a life of coal mining in England to that of farming in Idaho and loving the sunlight, and Nathan Staker being kicked out of the wagon train. In all honesty, I used to dread talks about pioneers. They all seemed the same to me. I guess my heart has changed, however, because when I listen to the stories Alan has found they touch me so profoundly. Genealogy is no longer just a web of names I will never get straight, the people become real and I realize that I am a part of their legacy: Eliza who was at Martin’s Cove in a blizzard with her two children and a rickety hand cart, Thomas who felt the the guidance of the Spirit telling him to keep his life clean as a young man although he knew not why, Phineas who mourned the loss of his son who died at Haun’s Mill, Jane who was unable to satisfy her little daughter’s dying request for potato soup because a farmer refused to give or sell a potato to a Mormon, Henry who missed the birth of his first daughter because he was called on a mission to Hawaii and returned three years later with a wooden chest full of seashells he had gathered for her on the beaches. These are people with hopes, dreams, disappointments, heartaches, joys, trials and incredible faith. These are my people! What a blessing it is to get to know them. Thank you, Alan, for opening my eyes to the past.
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