Mason and Ivy Get Married

Monday and Tuesday we focused on laundry, shopping, and packing for our Utah trip. Evelyn and Phillip had sessions with Nina Tuesday morning. Justin had a job interview with a company based in Nampa! I hope that one works out!  I got two phone calls with job offers within an hour of each other! Sherman Elementary found a better fit for the computer lab job BUT offered me a position as a librarian! I was completely nerding out over the idea of being a librarian, fits my personality much better too. Mr Obert called later offering me the computer para job, said they loved the idea of adding a makerspace (thanks Sherman). After thinking about it for a few days I declined the Sherman job, my aim was to work close and not jiggle around the kids more. Evelyn gets so stressed out with changes. Now to figure out how to be a school teacher! I got the offer letter the next day, for $15.92 plus benefits. The hourly rate is insulting! I can work down the street selling gasoline, booze, and candy for $17 per hour at the gas station. The plus side is working during the same hours as my kids are in school and not teaching piano. This next year we are cutting down on the extra-curricular activities to save money. The clogging, dance, and drum lessons were running $400 per month. I also hope that the state health insurance will lower our medical bills significantly! I still need to have a chat with HR about the health insurance. I sent a more detailed letter to the HR lady about my extensive experience with computers (ha ha ha).  

Justin fessed up, he’s been messing with my mind. A few weeks back we had a discussion about the boys cleaning the toilet and floors because they sprinkle the seat and floor. Justin is an offender, I can’t number the times over the years he leaves a sprinkle trail on the floor in our private bathroom. My feet remember! The girls collectively complained. Justin started sprinkling tap water on the floor for a couple weeks. I did indeed notice the increase of wet floor but instead of complaining, just mopped the floor. Seemed like I had to mop almost everyday. He confessed his experiment as concluded. I applauded his efforts to annoy me. Touché! 

Tuesday we left for our vacation after lunch. I had stuff to finish packing and house maintenance to manage before we left. Justin and the kids are loving a new series they found on Hulu called “The Librarians.” The rights to show the series end on Saturday so they are watching as many episodes as possible. If only librarian jobs were actually that exciting! In complete contrast to last year’s trip to Martin’s Cove, the hills and valleys are lush and green. Winter just barely crawled away in defeat a couple weeks ago from Eastern Idaho. We decided to bring Furgus along with us for the experience of going on a trip while he is a puppy. Most trips we will leave him, but the opportunity was perfect. We stopped in Paris, ID for a lovely two-day visit with the Palmer family. A chilly thunderstorm welcomed us soon after arrival! Furgus was delighted to explore the puddles. He made us all laugh because he loved to blow bubbles with his snout in the water. We all slept in the camper, minus Amelia who roomed up with Clare. Fallon invited Phillip and Everett to play night games at the city park. Phillip was reticent to join because he did not know the area, even when offered $40 cash. Evelyn excitedly went in his place. The kids tore off on the 4-wheelers for two hours of intense hide-and-seek in the dark. Evelyn was riled up until after midnight! That was fun. 

Wednesday the kids enjoyed riding around the town on the 4-wheelers, especially up the canyon to see the Palmer’s new property. We rode into town with a truck bed full of kids (and Justin) for a soda treat at a joint called The Fizz. Hyrum also needed a new motorcycle tire, we got to see the huge tractors moving earth for the Montpelier Temple! The groundbreaking was just last week. After lunch we packed up the Palmers truck with kayaks, chairs, floaties, etc for an afternoon at Bear Lake North Shore. Amelia drove the van with our kids in tow, Clare was not keen on driving the huge truck. Bear Lake is stunning, has a piece of my heart. In fact, I could move to that part of the world for the rest of my life. I love Logan, Wellsville, Paris, Montpelier, Bear Lake, etc, it is a godly land. The water was quite chilly, thankfully the shallow waters of North Shore warmed up more than the deep water. The kids splashed about for a couple hours. Josie discovered the tiny freshwater shells once I showed her a tiny 1 cm delicate shell. I gave her a ziplock baggie to fill with shells. She was in heaven. Phillip managed to bury himself up to his armpits with his bare hands scooping sand. Everett, Evelyn, Eli, and Josie worked on a hot tub! Everett also buried his legs up to his knees, he was solidly stuck! Amelia headed back earlier with Clare, Josie, Phillip, and Fallon in order to help out with the last shift at the sno cone shack. The shack is not making much money yet, it’s hard to justify a frozen treat when the high is only 65! We all got a free treat from Esther for one sno cone! We had fun making up interesting flavor combinations. I love the addition of sour gummies on top of the ice. I hope business will pick up as the 4th of July approaches. Esther drove me up to their 25 acre property, it is gorgeous with a creek running through the middle. Their property once boasted a mill using water power to mill lumber down to roof shingles. They rented heavy tractors to dig out the foundation while Dave smoothed out the grade. Esther is using the space now for her garden! That is so smart, protected on all sides from the wind, during winter it could make a perfect greenhouse insulated from the cold by the Earth. Esther drove us up the canyon a few miles to a lovely wildflower explosion! We ran wild picking all the pretty flowers whilst being devoured by mosquitos. Evelyn ended up with dozens of inflamed welts that tortured her for days and days, Josie scored a huge bite right on her scalp that turned into a hard, swollen bump. Evelyn walked around with the “bug bite thing” and Benadryl cream. The flowers were worth every second! On the drive back down Fallon, Josie, and Evelyn discovered furry caterpillars gnawing away on their lovely flowers. Fallon squealed like a pig when a caterpillar fell on her leg. For a farm girl she’s a bit bug squeamish! We want a camper now, it was so nice to have everything in one place, comfy places to sack out. Josie used the potty…it was not ready for that experience. Dave had to empty her bit of pee since the system was not engaged. She was quite embarrassed. The boys slept in the bunk compartment, the little girls slept on the couch and table drop-downs, and Justin and I shared the queen bed. It was rather comfortable. That is a good way to camp, enough power to run our c-paps and fans for the nights. After pizza dinner I convinced Esther to walk around Main Street, a few girls joined us! The Paris Tabernacle is the main attraction and by far the most imposing building in town. 

We left for Utah near noon on Thursday, so what better place to stop than Labeau’s Raspberry shakes and burgers? Yum! The kids readily agreed the shakes were superior to Grandma’s in Heber. The drive through Logan canyon brought many nostalgic feelings from 20 years ago when I lived with the Baerwaldts. Amelia wanted to tour USU campus, see what offerings the university boasted. Furgus enjoyed a frolic through the expansive lawns. I stopped by the FHD building, not one of my professors are still teaching. Amelia wanted to see the arts building, a horde of FSY kids prevented that. Everett was thrilled with the engineering school. At the bookstore the kids asked me why the mannequin on the left looked so intimidated. Shrug?! Check out the mannequin on the right…oh boy, it indeed had intense muscles, it faced the weaker, studious male mannequin flexing on it. The cashier was mildly amused with our theory. We snagged a pound of fudge as a memento of our stop. Raquel was running errands in Logan, we met her near the Logan temple to visit for a few moments. We stopped again at Gossners for UHT flavored milk and squeaky cheese. Last stop was a drive by in Wellsville. The Baerwaldt’s home is looking much better this visit, new owners must’ve moved in. It was getting late so we headed down to the Lances for dinner. I was slated to take Hannah’s baptism photos at 7 pm. Jana showed up at 7:20 still needing Hanna’s hair fixed. I braided her hair into a cute French braid crown, one of the only styles I am a little good at. Jana was near tears seeing Hannah look so grown up. We could both see her as a bride one day, looking fro grown up. Hannah was a good sport! She had lots of fun ideas we tried out. 

Everett and Evelyn really wanted to see the Saratoga Temple so we arranged to attend the open house at 11:30. Miekka brought Lia up to spend the rest of the day with us. I loved the temple motif, a lovely and bright blue, purple, and yellow palette. We all loved the enormous portrait of Christ in the entrance hall. Justin and Josie had a sweet moment in the sealing room gazing into the reflecting mirrors. Everett held my hand often squeezing it when he felt touched by the spirit. I am so happy we attended the open house. We nabbed lunch at Chik-fil-a, Justin was very grumpy because he thinks no one listens to him. He asked me to pre-order, so I did but made it dine-in instead of door pick up. I went in to verbally correct the delivery. He sent Amelia in to grab some sauces, she told me but I had to pee very badly. I got the order, sans sauce and missing Mia and Lia’s food. He went ballistic, cursing up a storm, yelling his head off. Geesh, calm down! Furgus stayed with Grandma for the morning since pets are not allowed in the temple (duh). We went to visit with Charity et al for a few hours. Phillip and Everett desperately needed haircuts so I found a Great Clips nearby. Amelia and Lia took the little girls to play in the splash pad while I was gone with the boys. Mom arranged a family dinner with those who could come. It was nice to see James, Miekka, Seth, Jeremy and family, and Jana’s clan. Pasha was throwing around the f-bomb making the little kids feel quite uncomfortable. Last week, he called Grandma a bitch! Yulia said he is around some older kids near their home who cuss without abandon. Evelyn spent the night with Hannah, Jana said the girls were awake until 3 am! I can only imagine! Last time we slept at their home those two were wriggling for hours, giggles and such exploding every so often. 

Mason and Ivy’s big day!!! I was quite worried about seeing Spenser and Laura with all the drama over Bruce that caused so much drama back in March. We did not need to leave until 11 so the morning was quite relaxed. I watched Dad do his morning torture session of stretching and weight training. He is in constant pain from hip sciatica, his knee is so very painful, can hardly sit, stand, or lie down for more than 5 minutes at a time. We arrived at the Ogden temple a good 45 minutes early. Amelia took the kids for lunch at Noodles and Co, it’s very nice to have a responsible driver. She made sure everyone was near the temple doors at 1:30. Charity, Aunt Jo (and her daughters), and Brother Goodman were already up in the waiting room. All was good until Spenser and Laura arrived. Spenser hugged Aunt Jo, down the line, then hugged me. I was so confused! Last I heard from him he asked me to not communicate with him except through Justin! Did I need to tell Justin I was fine? Then Justin tell Spenser, an immature version of the telephone game? I cannot just pretend nothing happened, smooth it all over when I feel so conflicted inside. I forgive him, but feel so tumultuous inside. I started bawling, could barely hold it together. My face was splotchy red, eyes flamed up, cheeks puffy. Gah. I was trying to hold it in, but failed miserably. I felt so bad, tried to hide so my inner conflict would not ruin Mason and Ivy’s special day. They were so cute when we all filed into the sealing room. I remember how much our cheeks ached from smiling all day. I love hearing the sealer talk about the covenant, he said it was a graduation to eternity. After the ceremony we found the kids dying from heat in the 1:30 pm sun. I felt like a fish out of water! I’m typically the photographer, offered free services as a wedding gift several times. Ivy had her sister taking photos. Justin was very helpful directing folks here and there with his loud voice. I snapped a few photos of the couple from the side just for kicks. After some family temple poses we drove up to Willard for a wedding luncheon. I was still feeling uncomfortable, tears brimming most of the time, threatening to expose me. Everyone else was visiting like normal! I’m glad they can forget or gloss over drama so easily. Spenser took Charity home, she was done for the day, bed ridden for the next week. We had a couple hours to burn so we drove to give Sarah Johnson a hug, sadly they were not home, probably camping for the 4th of July weekend. We drove on to see Antelope Island. Justin and I have never actually been on the island. We got there too late to see the visitor’s center. Somehow we lucked out and saw a Bison. Philip christened it Smexy, apparently Cooper made that epitaph up. Smexy was not sexy at all, he had mounds of mud coating his bum…at least I hope it was mud. We made it back to the Stake center for the wedding reception. For some reason, probably me, Spencer and family did not attend. That was fine with me. We commandeered a table for the 2-3 hour party. The kids ordered multiple soda drinks, added lots of flavored syrups for even more sugar. We dined on pretzels with cheese or caramel. Furgus was quite the conversation starter. Justin nabbed Josie fora Father-daughter dance. The kids were very excited to help decorate Ivy’s getaway car with Oreos, chalk markers, and later suggestive balloons. Thanks to Aunt Melissa for the funds Libby used to buy naughty and nice decor. Evelyn and Josie really wanted to meet Ivy so we managed to find her alone a couple of times to visit. She is perfect for Mason! They are staying at the Anniversary Inn for 4 nights then setting up house in the James’ basement until they can save enough money for 1st and last months rent. These days you need a good $5k up front to even move in. 

Sunday I woke up extra early at 7 with Furgus, got ready for a fun photo session with Chris, Madi, and 8 week old Amelia! Aunt Sally and Uncle Jeff picked up at 8 from my Mom’s home. I was not sure we would be finished in time to attend church. The plan on Saturday night was to be at Charity’s 10:30 church meeting. That changed when Kenny said his family was not attending church in person but watching it from Charity’s bed. We decided to surprise Hannah and Rachel by attending their meetings at 11:30. I really did not need a ride but spending an hour in the car with Sally was a delight! She is still my favorite Aunt, so easy to laugh and loves with her whole heart. Madi wanted photos at Memory Grove where they had Bridal Photos taken. Works for me! Amelia was not too keen on photos, that first 45 minutes is always fretful. She had a bottle, new diaper, then boom the magic! She fell asleep wearing a darling crochets dress and booties her Aunt crocheted up. I got Amelia all posed in a cute bucket just like a newborn. Thank you sweet baby. Chris made us all giggle, he just melted with that baby in his arms. Turned him from an adult into a melty cheese dad. I made it back to Mom’s with 15 minutes to spare before church started. Whipped a dress on and stepped into the van. OH THE SMELL. There was something rotten in Denmark. Windows rolled down did nothing to diminish the dirty sock/diaper smell permeating in the back. Uck. Evelyn and Josie went home with Jana to play for the afternoon while the boring adults too much needed naps. The little girls had such a great time keeping each other occupied. They had nails, makeup, and cute dress ups. Jana said her girls did not bother her once, win-win all around. Mom made shredded beef with vegetables and mashed potatoes on the side. Scott came over for dinner. He was thrilled to see Furgus, said it was a sign! He worked on a camping trailer with a Scotty as the image! Mom volunteered Saturday night at a traveling Moses’ Tabernacle. She went over some of the symbolism before we left to tour the event. The event was much like the living art exhibit we had two years ago in Meridian. First we saw a video about the Tabernacle, learned the history of tabernacle to temple. Went outside with fancy umbrellas to learn about Camp Israel, The Brass Serpent, and Moses. Volunteer Young Adults and missionaries bore testimony at each station. Inside the Holy of Holies, a sister started talking about blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. Everett piped up, “Speaking of blood….” His nose was bleeding down his face and on his shirt. I was about to clean him up when Justin volunteered to take him. We caught a glimpse of the items inside the Mercy Seat, very cool. Back in the chapel the gym was set up with mannequins wearing the temple robes and placards with lots of information to read and view. I got a text from Justin to send out a kid with the keys, to which I responded, we are in the gym (inviting him back in to finish). He texted back, just send Amelia out with the keys like I asked. So I asked but we were watching a cool video showing the building of temples from the SLC temple to current. The explosion of building in the 2000s was speedy and caused near heart palpitations. No one wanted to go out since we were almost done, so I texted that no one wanted to go out. Justin felt like we were ignoring him yet again, ignoring a reasonable request. My thought was, just come back inside with the air conditioning, join us and feel the power of the video. Justin was already extremely upset. He went ballistic on the drive back to Mom’s home. He was screaming red-faced at me for not doing what he asked. No use in arguing with anyone when they are that upset. Evelyn, Amelia, Josie, and Everett were all scared and crying from the nasty cuss words Justin was hurling inside the van. I accept my part, I should’ve just come out. He should’ve just come in. It was an easy situation to resolve, easy to remedy. Justin went to bed, turned on an audio book and sulked alone. I was steaming mad too, cleaned the van to find the source of all nasty sock smells. Turns out the smell was from Evelyn’s leftover broccoli and mac’n cheese from Saturday. The smell receded after it was removed, thank goodness. Mom showed us another David Alexander video. He was baptized in December or January of this year. He spent his life as a Catholic then devout Evangelical Christian until a few months ago. He is releasing these amazing videos talking about our church in the most marvelous light, connecting dots between Christians and the Latter-day Saints. Just how the doctrine taught is supported in the Bible and slamming those who dare to reject. He almost sounds like a modern day Paul, joining the fold at a later date but becoming a staunch defender of truth.