Cross Country

 

So. So. Tired. This week felt impossibly long for only 4 work days. We arrived home around 8:30 pm, mercifully, the drive was uneventful. The last 30 minutes we listened to a BYU Speech by Lawrence Corbridge entitled Stand Forever. The synopsis is about being grounded on the rock of revelation, even when we do not know the answer to every question. We DO need to know the answers to the primary questions: [1. Is there a God who is our Father? 2. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world? 3. Was Joseph Smith a prophet? 4. Is the Church the kingdom of God on the Earth?] If we know those answers the gates of hell shall not prevail. It was such a good reminder! We had quite a family talk about some topics in the speech. As soon as we pulled into our neighborhood Justin flipped the switch to no-nonsense dad. He expected the kids to hop right into carrying things in, not saying hello to Fergus or the Ostlers. Just a 30 second pee then help. In my heart I knew the kids would fail, it was not reasonable. Thus lots of yelling and cussing ensued. It was a stressful antithesis to the weekend. I ordered groceries on Walmart, double-checked the location, date and time. As soon as I submitted the order the location changed (which I did not notice) and the time changed to Wednesday evening instead of Tuesday. Grrrrr. It is nice but I prefer to just go and get it done myself. 

Everett ran in his second cross country meet of the year, he is on the shorter side so is quickly outpaced by the long-legged older boys. It was in the 90s and humid, he was toasty out there running his heart out. I went to work 15 minutes early so I could leave work by 4:15 and make it to EVMS before 4:45 when the boys run started. The girls were excited I left school early…me too. Phillip brought Fergus along, Evelyn supplied us with a bag of pepperoni as a snack. Josie got a kick out of spraying the runners with water. Everett ran the course in 19m39s in Emmett, at his home meet he finished at 19m35s, I would be near the 30 minute mark at my fastest. That’s impressive to me! We saw Darrel and Benson racing by with their spindly long legs, at a speedy 13m30s! Everett puked when he finished, his face was pasty when he shambled over the finish line. I am so proud of him for finishing. Amelia drove herself over to the Farmstead employee orientation, I attended last year so we decided it would be ok for her to go alone. I really wanted to support Everett at least once this season. Amelia starts in about a week in working in food service selling Apple Cider and Doughnuts. She is excited for the opportunity. 

Wednesday I arrived early at work again so I could leave early for a Dr appointment with Dr Helbig, a sleep doctor. My regular doctor strongly advised I see a local specialist because I use Afrin every night to keep my nose passages open enough to use the c-pap. Dr Helbig had no suggestions, just shocked look on her face when I told her I was using Afrin for the past few years. My face might melt away, heh heh. She wants me to try a fighter pilot mask now which is even worse than my current situation. She advised me to use Flonase, which I’ve used for years, told her that…she had no other ideas except to see another ENT. That experience was highly stupid so I am not motivated at all. Justin says a new nasal spray called Astepro is working wonders. Pat my back when you see me, I quit my Afrin addiction, with no side effects. The Doctor said my nose would be closed tight for weeks, not here sister! Right after that I drove out to pick up Everett and Evelyn from Nina’s office. Amelia left early in order to plan Homecoming stuff with Jocelyn. We almost ran out of gas on the way home during a streaming thunderstorm. I dropped Everett off at Lakeview park for the Stake Fall Festival, Amelia et al were already there. My last stop for the day was at Walmart to pick up groceries. I checked in but no groceries. After 20 minutes a gal stopped by asking if I needed something, we checked my order only to find the Walmart defaulted to one on the other side of town. I was starving and needed to feed the girls quickly, Del Taco it was. It needs a new name: Slow Taco. Oh my goodness, 20 minutes in the drive thru! Josie and Evelyn were thrilled with the unexpected treat. I dropped off Evelyn to babysit Jo while I ran to the correct Walmart. The sky was stunning with black clouds, rainbows, and wheat fields ready for harvest. The rainbow was very unique with a thick band near the earth and thin bow gracing the sky. 

I hosted Homeschool Photos Thursday and Friday afternoons and part of Saturday. It is an “easy” way to bring in $1500 for Christmas. Now for the “easy” part of quickly culling and editing the photos. I really do love seeing the same kids each year, many brought new siblings! There was a strange concoction in the water at school on Friday. The kids were hyped up on goofy balls all day. The older grades kept it together but the afternoon of 2nd, Kinder, and 1st Graders about topped my patience. I swear my back is spotted with bruises from all the kids poking me for a minute of attention. I recruited 4th and 5th graders to help me log in and get the Kinders on an easy typing program where the kids can practice entering their usernames. I decided that was too much….back to the drawing board, again. My cute neighbor boy (in 1st grade) decided to punch another boy in the tummy while I was helping other kids tidy up the toys. Gracious. 

Saturday was mostly photos from 9:30 am until 11:30 am. I had an urge to deep clean the kitchen, it was feeling greasy. I washed all the chicken decor, wiped down the cabinet fronts, and deep cleaned the counters. Evelyn and Josie helped wash the bottom cabinets! The boys were very busy cleaning the backyard and mowing. All the clutter from summer was piling up back there. Fergus adds his collection of toys and such outside, he loves to drag sticks and leaves inside as well. I went grocery shopping around 2 pm, another terrible time of day. The morning is the best time because most folks are sleeping in. Hordes of girls swamped the make-up aisles for Homecoming makeovers. Amelia and Jocelyn got all dolled up at our home. I curled Amelia’s hair, all that hair! She looked super cute in the blue dress she rented. They excitedly drove off to Chik-fil-a for dinner then off to Columbia for the dance. Amelia worked concessions Friday night with 3 other students during the Homecoming game. She said they made $2,000 that night! Excellent! Amelia said the dance was mostly energetic music, the girls lasted about 90 minutes. Jocelyn felt a bit uncomfortable at the dance so they left right after Amelia’s choir nerd friends arrived. Amelia wanted to stay longer but also wanted to help Jocelyn. They headed to the Stake dance instead. She said it was terribly hot inside, not a fun combination.