Oh, September 2015! One for the books and I'm kinda glad you're done.

There's a lot about September that I'd like to forget, like hiking the Y for Keenan's birthday, Keenan's heart murmur, Melia's dental issues, and Keenan's unemployment. However, the month has ended well. So well that I fasted today in gratitude. Didn't really ask for anything, but wanted to show Heavenly Father how grateful I am for His care.

Keenan wanted to hike to the Y in Provo. Mel was a good sport, but I was not. My asthma was bothering me and we were just walking up a mountain without talking or interacting. I couldn't imagine why Keenan needed us there to do that. I was a turd. Not my finest moment. We did enjoy burgers afterward and that was good. 

The only picture from that day

Keenan has been without work since mid-August. His job at Instructure just wasn't a good fit. That's been a challenge for me in ways, but not as difficult as I would expect in others. I was pretty much able to let Keenan find a job in his way and deal with the job loss in his way. I stayed out of his business. I did start to worry about upcoming expenses, lack of insurance, etc. That wore on me. I'm sure it contributed to my bad mood for most of the month. He also had to look into a heart murmur and possibly have heart surgery. Mel possibly needed a root canal. Keenan has been applying for lots of jobs and having a couple of interviews here and there. Well, the good news of the month is that there is no heart surgery in the near future, Mel didn't need a root canal, and Keenan is waiting on a formal offer from Salt Lake Community College, where he used to work. It came about in a pretty neat way. When he found out Instructure was gonna end, he reached out to SLCC. He still has friends and ties there. They didn't have anything for him at the time, but wanted him to keep in touch. A couple of weeks ago, I suggested he get out of the house and go visit the places he's been in touch with. While at Slcc, he ran into his old boss who told him to contact him. When Keenan called him on Wednesday, he found out that the man who got a job Keenan applied for in April had just given notice that he was leaving. The boss just wants to hire Keenan to take his place. He's working with HR to get it finalized. Keenan could have possibly had the job sooner, but when SLCC called him initially about the position, he had just started at Instructure and thought it would work out better than it did. This is the short version of the job hunt. Highs and lows (lots of lows) have been left out. In the end, it looks like it's going to work out just fine. Allie also got a great job, working at a daycare center M/W/F from noon to 6:00 pm. It's a great fit for her. She's such a great kid. Lots to be grateful for.

We had a fun activity with the Laurel class early in the month. We played paint twister. Unfortunately, only 3 girls showed up. Us 3 leaders were there for a total of 6. We have about 17 laurels, so 3 wasn't a great showing. We had a fun time, though. It had been on Brittany Palmer's summer bucket list, so I'm glad we got to do it.

McKenzie Nebeker, Brittany Palmer, and Amanda Murdoch. Great girls!

Janis Krommenhoek was the leader who made it to the end with the YW

I quit my job as a Weight Watchers Leader. I still love Weight Watchers. I just couldn't add the stress of prepping for meetings and being motivational in the midst of all the other responsibilities I have now. The funny thing is that at the same time I quit there, I started to work at Hapari. It wasn't having another job that was difficult, it was the commitment and expectations of WW. Hapari just wants me to be there in the morning, vacuum and clean mirrors, open the store, and listen to my choice of music or read books while I wait for and help customers. I got trained by my friend and the manager, Kandis, for a couple of weeks, but now I'm on my own. I go on Tuesdays for about 4 hours in the morning until a girl can come after school. I must say that I love it. I can wear shorts and a t-shirt and I get to earn free swimwear. It is just fun. That makes 4/5 Adcocks that have worked at Hapari. Allie started there when she was 16 and worked there all through high school. Kamiko worked at their warehouse before his mission, and Mel and I work there now. Mel started shortly after her 16th birthday. She basically took Allie's place when she went off to college. Oh, speaking of work, Mel nannied all summer. Well, the family wants her to nanny after school now. So, when she's not working after school at Hapari, she'll be nannying. She and Brooke Walker share that job. It's fantastic. 

See, shorts and a t-shirt at work. I'm in love with this gig.

Me, waiting for customers

Fall is coming. I love fall. I'm so excited for cooler weather and for pumpkin food and hot chocolate. I even got to wear my newest Arkansas shirt. When I was there, I bought a long-sleeved t-shirt. It was cool enough a few days ago to wear it. Mel and I took naps the other day, resulting in neither of us being tired when it was bedtime. We listened to Christmas music and looked for fall decoration ideas. I did finally kick her out of my room when I had to go to bed. It was a Thursday night and I had a long Friday ahead of me.

Selfie I sent to Allie of my shirt

Selfie on my bed while we enjoyed Christmas/Fall

And, since Mel loves fall even more than I do, I took time yesterday to get the house decorated for the best part of fall...Halloween. Well, it's pretty good. Thanksgiving may be better, but Halloween comes first. So, we're all set for October. Bring it!

Elder Adcock gave me a bit of a fright yesterday. I noticed that he had spent $171 from his account. The purchases were made at a clothing store in Santiago. I later found out that he had been asking Allie about what people are wearing. He wanted her to email him pictures of people in regular clothes. Oh, geez, did my kid just spend $171 on clothes? Well, the kid came through with good news in his weekly Saturday afternoon email. He sent this picture of him in a new suit with new shoes. He had asked for money to buy a suit for his birthday. He knew he could get something nice for a good price. His plan is to not wear it until he comes home. He'll look pretty dang good. I can't wait to see that face in person on November 17th at 10:50 am.

Look at the fantastic brown shoes. Lookin good, Elder!

And...a random picture of the cat who can't wait to meet his brother!