My Hypothetical 80th Birthday Party

Annie quoted this and I absolutely loved it. 

When my friend Annie Oswald taught a class at our recent UACTE conference, we talked about vision boards and values. One exercise Annie led us through was to imagine your 80th birthday. 

What would I want my family to say about me at my 80th birthday?

    I loved my kids and grandkids FIRST and MOST

    I listened to them

    I created a home

    I loved God and knew he guided me

    I had a great life

What would I want my friends to say about me at my 80th birthday?

    I was present

    I loved each one for who they were and what we had together

    There is no such thing as too many friends

    Time with friends was as valuable as time with family

These lists can help guide my decisions and actions. I have been collecting items to put on a vision board. Things that I love at this stage of my life (in no particular order) are:

    eating

    my kids

    money and helping others with it

    walks with friends

    sunshine

Something I'm passionate about right now is teaching others to love and value time in the kitchen, including family mealtime. 

Easter Bunny's Early Visit

Happy Birthday to Allie and Lane

Allie came into town with her boyfriend, Tommy. 

Lane, Allie's friend from Arkansas, also came.

Mel's friend Kate came. 

Allie's high school friend Kiana came.

Kaleb, Kobi, and Makei came.

Kamiko and Bekki came.

It was a busy week. 

Allie and Tommy flew in without a hitch on the night of February 28, Allie's 28th birthday. Mel picked them up. They stopped at Keenan's house, getting to my place after midnight. I had decided that Allie needed a birthday cake, so I tried a recipe for an olive oil cake with browned butter frosting. I have been hearing great things about it. 

Everyone was too tired to have cake, but it was fun to have Allie home. 

I had work on Thursday and Mel took me to work so Allie and Tommy could have my car to go snowboarding. Neither one of them had ever snowboarded or skied. They took lessons at Sundance. Thursday night, I had a virtual career fair for SFLSA, so I was on zoom, answering questions about the FCS major. We had a couple of graduates join me and Natalie and it was a good night. 

Back row: Kate, Tommy, Makei, Kobi, Kaleb
Front row: Kiana, Allie, Lane, Mel

It can be exhausting, but I love it when my house is full of family and those who feel like family

I had meetings for SFLSA on Friday until about 3:00 pm, then I went home to spend time with family. Lane arrived on her way back to Boise. We ordered pizza and Kobi, Makei, Kaleb, Kiana, Allie, Tommy, Mel and I enjoyed pizza and games. We also had cake and pie to celebrate Allie's bday that had just passed and Lane's upcoming birthday. It was fun playing some get-to-know you games and Mantis, a new favorite. Tommy is really nice. He and Allie had fun snowboarding, but they were sore. The instructor took them right up to the regular run - no bunny hill for them. It was Kamiko's last night of filming with his students and he got to the house around 9:00. The kids played video games until the wee hours of the morning. I have no idea who slept where. All I know is, I had to get up early to fix breakfast and hide Easter eggs. 

We love having an annual Easter egg hunt - yes, even at my kids' age, we love it. I had bought candy and more eggs to accommodate more people. Joining us for the egg hunt were Kate, Lane, and Bekki. Tommy didn't want to hunt, so I had him help me hide. As we hid eggs, we had a nice talk about his growing up and I answered questions about the church. He is tall, so he mentioned that for the first time in years, everyone would have to search up high. I'm sure we hid over 150 eggs. Once Bekki arrived (she slept at her house, in her own bed), we led the hunters from the basement to my main level and let them search for eggs. There was a golden egg that had $20 in it. Bekki usually finds the money and she did again! We hid it under the sewing machine case, so I was sure one of my girls would find it, but Bekki did. Kamiko had a sore foot, so he was slower than usual. Tommy took some video. I loved his commentary in the videos. I think he enjoyed watching. I hope that if he's around next year, he'll want to join in the hunting. I'll take him as a hider if that makes him happy!

Post breakfast and Easter egg hunt: Tommy, Allie, Kamiko, Bekki, Lane, Kate, and Melia

After the hunt, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast. I had made pastries on Friday. Allie helped me prep everything else. We had scrambled eggs, bacon (that I burned in the oven), hash browns, and juice. It was a long, busy, fun day. Then I took Allie and Tommy to the airport. It didn't look good, but we went anyway. On our way, it started to snow. The flights started to look worse and worse. 32 seats on one flight went down to 0. Allie and Tommy ended up taking the train to Kamiko and Bekki's house. They spent the night, and Kamiko took them back to the airport on Sunday. They finally got on flights, but it was a crazy day. Tommy took a flight to Chicago. He got kicked off the first flight he got on, due to a broken seat belt. He finally got on a flight. Allie took a flight to Indianapolis via Newark. When she finally got home, she got in the car and drove halfway to Chicago to meet Tommy, who took an Uber to meet her. WHEW. That sounded like a lot. It was!

Jim and Michelle Brau came over on Sunday for dinner to celebrate Michelle's upcoming birthday. I made a baked Parmesan Garlic Lemon Chicken, roasted vegetables, and artisan bread. I had enough leftover apple pie from the weekend with the kids that we had pie for dessert. Michelle said pie is her favorite dessert, so it was perfect. At the last minute, Kamiko and Bekki couldn't come because Bekki wasn't feeling great, so it was just me and Mel hosting the Braus. Michelle loved the cashmere scarf that I got her in Edinburgh. I love spending time with them. We are blessed to be family!

I'm an Award-Winning Published Author

Ok, that makes me sound pretty impressive. I'll take it. I do work hard. I'm also blessed. 

The feature article I was asked to write for BYU's School of Family Alumni Magazine, Family Connections, was finally published. I'm very honored to have been asked to write it, I'm very grateful for the help I got in writing it (especially from my colleague Danny Frost), and I'm pleased with how it turned out and the response I've gotten. I took a copy to Jim Brau and he was so excited. He and Michelle framed it for me. The kids were all excited. Students and colleagues have told me they really like it. 

In early February, UACTE had it's annual conference and I was recognized as post-secondary educator of the year. I got the award from the Family and Consumer Sciences division, then advanced to and won for the state level. It was very humbling to hear all of my former students cheer for me. I have been blessed to be able to teach some stellar students and to remain friendly with them. I feel loved and appreciated. As a state award recipient, I got to attend a dinner before, and Kamiko was my plus 1. It was really special. I love spending time with my kids and I love that he's now a CTE teacher. I met his CTE director and received my award from his high school sports medicine teacher. He brought me flowers and chocolate. He's so busy at work, that he didn't stay for the opening meeting with the awards. I wish I hadn't suggested he leave. It would have been fun to have him see me get my award. I now move on to Region V, then to national if I win Region V. Honestly, I'm just happy to have won state. I'm working on nominating some colleagues for awards next year. Nobody can win if nobody gets nominated. 

Bingham High School Prostart students made a delicious dinner for us

Flowers from Kamiko
Clock as my award

On stage for FCS division award with Troy Chilcott and Michelle Stott

State award with Becky Bailey (Kamiko's sports medicine teacher), 2 reps from ACTE, and Natalie Hancock

I also presented at the conference with the help of my students. We taught homemade pasta, using pasta guitars. Why do I do this to myself? It's so much work to prep for 2 cooking classes. Lots of measuring ahead of time, lots of things to cart into and out of the school, and lots of work to coach people in the skill. Thank goodness for students who helped me. I really couldn't do it alone. 

Former and current students: Lucy (helped teach), Misha, Ashley, me, Danielle, Kourtney (helped teach), Emily (helped teach), and Thomas (helped teach)

Lots of FCSE friends
Back row: Misha, Katie, Bronco, Thomas, Holly, Natalie, Kourtney, 2 current FCS students who I haven't had in class yet
Front row: Lucy, Emily, 2 current FCS students I don't know yet, me, FCS student I don't know, McKell, FCS student I don't know yet

Susan McClesky and I graduated from BYU together in FCS. We spent many hours studying together. She teaches at American Fork Junior High

I met some pretty great people at the conference. I ate lunch with a man who teaches culinary arts and is visually impaired. I caught the end of his class on awareness of eating disorders in foods classes. Wow, why had I never thought of that before? So important. His colleague was with him and I enjoyed time with both of them. 

We also had a UAFCS board meeting, where we started planning this year's conference - More in 2024! It'll be in Logan in September. I vow to not present, but just attend. Same with next year's UACTE conference. It's time for me to step back a bit and help behind the scenes. 

Got this beautiful floral arrangement from Starlyn as a congratulations for my award.
The teacup and saucer is now in my office. 

Can you tell I love my time with SFLSA, the School of Family Life Student Association?
Me and some colleagues at the opening social: Andrea and Ruth Busby, Lauren Barnes, Rachel McGovern, Alex Jenson, Chelom Leavitt and her daughter introducing ourselves 

It's Disney Time Again - Yes, I'm Crazy!

Amy Bowden, Maria Trump, and I had a dinner group years ago. We cooked for each other's families and it was a glorious year and half. Our kids still talk fondly of the great food we had. 

Well, the two of them have Disney passes, so we made a plan to spend some time together at Disneyland before their passes expired. I flew standby on Thursday night after work. I was the LAST person on the flight, getting the one remaining seat of someone who missed a connection. 

Maria picked me up at the airport. Maria drove down from Manteca. She brought snacks and cozy blankets for each of us. We went to the park on Friday. We had so much fun. I told both of them that I didn't care if we only went on 4 rides...that I just wanted to be together. We went to California Adventure together and got on 4 rides quickly, so the rest of the rides were a bonus. We ate yummy treats and just had a good time. 

Got there when the park opened to take advantage of "light crowds"
Yes, that is a light crowd behind us

We all love Midway Mania. It malfunctioned, so we got to ride it twice in a row

Our lucky ticket to the front of the line

I asked about upgrading my ticket to an annual pass, but they weren't selling passes at the time. I didn't take many pictures. I'm not taking many photos lately. I don't know if it's more because I want to be in the moment or because I don't want to have to scrapbook photos. Who knows? 

One funny thing was when we got lemon filled pastries. I didn't get one, but Amy and Maria did. Maria bit into hers and it sprayed lemon all over Amy. It was hilarious. The filling really needed to be thicker. That is one picture I wished I'd taken. We laughed so hard. I'm sure glad I have the memory. The one thing we did all eat that I would eat again and again is the pretzel bread with garlic and cheese and a marinara sauce. Ohhhh, it was so good. I can't wait to eat it again. 

Tower of Terror

Maria, me, and Amy - dinner group moms

The best snack of the day

All smiles on the Incredicoaster

Saturday morning we got a slow start. Amy had to leave on Friday night to make it back to American Fork for some family stuff. Maria drove me 30 minutes away to meet up with Sarah and Cameron. We had plans to spend Saturday together, hiking, etc. IT RAINED ALL DAY. We did go out to dinner and got yummy butter cake. We played games and hung out. I learned a new game, Mantis, that I've since introduced to many people. I also got a nice nap, which I really needed, while they shopped for a new dishwasher. 

Cameron thought it was strange that all I wanted to eat was toasted sourdough bread

Flights looked full on Sunday, and I was a bit stressed. They were nice enough to drive me to LAX to get more options home. I was planning on a United flight, but I decided to walk to Delta and try to get on that flight. I had time. I walked quickly, but it was a long walk. I got to the gate and the agents told me I had 4 minutes to log in and book the flight. With their help, I did it. I made it home. Traveling standby is helping with my anxiety. I just remind myself that I only need ONE seat. 

I have since purchased an annual Disney pass. Amy and I are flying from Provo to Orange County and back on April 19 to spend the day at Disneyland. I actually bought a ticket, but I expect to go a couple of times on standby by myself. My real hope is to go for about a week in May, staying at Sarah and Cam's, and going to the park everyday...just because I can. I'm blessed with a job, a schedule, flight benefits, and Sarah and Cam that allow me to do this. 

Proof that everyone loves Mantis!

Mantis with Audrey, me, mom, dad, Kristen, Mac, and Mel

Mantis with 2 students I don't know, Nicole Lauper, and Dawna Baugh

Mantis with Emily, Madeline, Malia, and Starlyn

Book Gang Bear Lake Trip

Amy, Annie, Trina, Corinne, and me

Annie Oswald, my friend and patron saint of our Book Gang, invited us up to her house at Bear Lake for a weekend in February. The weather forecast looked good. I was willing to drive, so I picked up Amy Christensen, Trina Preece, and Corinne Hawick to go to Bear Lake. I couldn't leave until Friday afternoon after my tax appointment, which meant we were driving through Logan canyon and into their hilly neighborhood at night. 

Wouldn't you know it...it started to snow in the canyon. I don't like driving through snow. UGH. We made it and Annie and Phil met us at the entrance of their neighborhood to lead us to their home. We watched a movie, ate snacks and stayed up late. There are enough bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone to have their own room. There's a big kitchen, big family room, and a hot tub. 

I slept in, then we went to Montpellier to see the temple that is under construction. We bought some groceries for Saturday and Sunday morning, then got some of the most delicious pizza I've ever had. Wow, it was soooooo good. I wasn't feeling too great, so I took a nap after we got back from our adventures. Some went snow shoeing. I was really looking forward to snow shoeing, but I wasn't up to it. After my nap, we got in the hot tub. Everyone exited the hot tub to make snow angels. I refused, but then Annie said "What kind of Swede are you?" Well, that did it. I had to prove myself. It wasn't so bad. The hot tub was so relaxing and we talked and talked. Amy entertains us with her crazy stories and knows about pop culture and Utah rumors. 

Phil treated us all to dinner and Sunday we woke up to snow. It kept snowing. We were supposed to drive home on Sunday, but it kept snowing. UGH again. Amy watched the radar and we decided to leave around 4:00 pm, much later than I wanted. It seemed like the best thing to do. We played games, ate lunch, talked, cleaned the house, and just had a great time. We even watched a missionary farewell on Zoom for a family friend of Corinne. 

Getting out of the neighborhood was a bit scary because of the slick downhill. Trina had prayed and asked for a "cloak of protection" and we definitely got it. Phil said that someone just before us slid off the road. We made it to the main road and things were fine the rest of the drive. Here are some things I loved about the trip:

1. Amy Christensen finds the best places to eat. She refuses to eat at places she can eat at in Utah County. 

2. Phil and Annie are so generous, sharing their space.

3. Phil is especially nice to give us women our space.

4. We are all brutally honest about our challenges with life, kids, work, etc. and we support each other.

5. Taking pictures in Paris and Montpellier

Amy wanted this potato-themed picture for her kids

I Needed a Blessing

Heard this phrase on a podcast I listen to, "The Bad Broadcast"

I've been extremely overwhelmed by life lately. As my therapist indicated, I have people from all sides expecting me to over perform. I'm exhausted!

I made plans earlier this week to go to Debbie and Mark's house for a visit. Debbie was going to help me with a quick sewing project. On my drive up, I was overwhelmed with sadness, anxiety, and overwhelm. I knew I needed to ask Mark for a blessing, which I did when I got there. 

Deb and Mark and I first visited for a while and got caught up on life. I asked Mark why Deb and I and the rest of my sisters feel the need to go above and beyond. His answer: "you're sick." TRUE. What to do about it? I know, but it requires a fundamental shift in the wiring in my brain ...do...be dependable...serve...don't settle for anything less than the best...expect the best...be the best. This is all flawed. It sucks the life out of me. There is no way to be perfect. I can work on letting go. 

The overwhelm sometimes causes a change in my breathing and in my sleep. 

Mark gave me a nice blessing of comfort, reminding me that my Heavenly Father knows me by name and is aware of my strengths. My heart is heavy because I have a real desire to be married. I've been divorced for 4 years now, and, if I'm being truthful, I was hopeful that my Heavenly Father had someone for me "just around the corner." I sat in the chair, quietly wondering if there is a husband for me. Mark was quiet, then said that there are great blessings in store for me and that I just need to be patient. I can do that. I feel like that is my answer regarding marriage. 

After the blessing, I told Mark about a blessing in the fall from Kamiko where he said that there is nothing my Heavenly Father can do to help me. We laughed about that, and Mark told me he had a similar impression. He did counsel me to draw close to my Heavenly Father and to immerse myself in the scriptures. 

I have since had an impression to listen to general conference talks in the morning. When I have done that, it starts my day with calm. I can also do better about morning and evening prayers and daily scripture study. Sometimes I feel like even that is too much. 

Christmas Magic

I got to see two of my favorite Christmas movies in an actual theater!

I went with Annie Oswald and Starlyn Hjorth to see "White Christmas" and with my old roommate Pam Rock to see "Elf" at Maven Cinema in American Fork. A couple bought the old "sticky shoe" theater in American Fork and now show old movies. It was absolutely magical to see "White Christmas" on the big screen. I loved every minute! Starlyn had never seen it. Pam and I were the only ones in the theater for "Elf," which I also loved! She came with me at the last minute and I'm glad she came, otherwise, I would have been alone. Hahahaha. 

Me and Pam Rock, my old roommate and now my colleague

Annie, me, and Starlyn

Later in December, I joined Kamiko and his film buddies to see "Empire Strikes Back" at Maven Cinema. It was the only Star Wars movie Kamiko hadn't seen in theaters yet, and it was so great. I love supporting his love of film. 

Sweet Film Talk meet-up: Tanner and Kennedy, Bekki and Kamiko, me, a student Carlson and his wife, and 2 of Kamiko's friends

All of the Easts came to Utah for Christmas. That made for a super fun Christmas break. Hunter came from Fresno, Sarah and Cam came from Ladera Ranch, and Doug and Kristen came from Livermore. They all stayed at Allison and James' house in Eagle Mountain. As a result, Mel and I spent some time in Eagle Mountain with family. It was fantastic!

We went to JCW's for burgers, went to Thanksgiving Point to see the lights, got pedicures, went shopping, and had an awesome roast Christmas Eve dinner. Kristen and Doug, Mel, Kaleb Greening, and I joined mom and dad for church on Christmas Eve. Before church, we had a yummy breakfast of overnight French toast made with Kneader's bread. After church, we all went to the DeVuyst's for dinner and games. Allison and James made the most delicious roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding. The tables were beautifully set. After mom and dad left, we stayed longer to watch a movie. It was a blast. I'm so glad all of them were in town. It was super fun at JCW's to see all of the cousins grown up and talking about life. Mel said she really enjoyed talking to Hunter and Sarah. It had been since she was about 15 that she actually spent much time with them. 

Annie Oswald and I walked the mall and bought these at the Giving Machines - children's book and games for a family game night. Seemed like the perfect gift from us. We started book club and we love games.

Pedicures with Allison, Kristen, and Audrey

Luminaria with Allison, Hunter, Mac, Audrey, and me

Me and my cute girlie at Luminaria

JCW's: Mac, Mel, Hunter, James, Audrey, Kristen, Doug, Allison, and Sarah

me and Kristen with mom and dad

Christmas Eve church with Kaleb Greening and Melia

We love "White Christmas," so we had to get these sweatshirts

I bought this skirt at the outlet mall when I went shopping with Kristen, Doug, and Allison. Allison told me and Kristen that we had to get this skirt. I really like it. I needed a new skirt. 

The big kids' table: Doug, Kristen, Mel, dad, mom, Sarah, Cam, and James

Kamiko and Bekki couldn't join us for Luminaria, so Kaleb Greening and Makei Tupou came

A little angel that Allie made in kindergarten that I turned into a pillow

The kids' table: Mac, Allison, me, Audrey, and Hunter

Christmas Eve overnight French toast

Christmas dinner - look at those beautiful carrots and those roasted potatoes

I'll always be grateful Melia talked me into buying this tree

Arthur

My college friend Reed Hyer and his daughter, Lauren, came over for a bit on Christmas morning. Reed lives in Washington state and was in town to visit kids. It was fun to see him and to meet her. 

Audrey and Mac having fun coloring Auntie Sarah's tattoos

Christmas cuddles: Bekki, Kamiko, and Mel

Christmas morning, we opened our stockings. I had bought the trip to Arkansas for everyone, so there were not really presents under the tree. We sure had a great day, though. Mel requested a full British pub roast dinner, so we did a repeat. Kamiko and Bekki came over and we had roast, carrots, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and sticky toffee pudding. We also kept with tradition and watched "Arthur's Perfect Christmas" and "The Toy Who Saved Christmas." We cuddled on the couch, as we always do.