The Weekend Started off Good - then Things Switched

Natalie Hancock, Larry Nelson, and me

Larry Nelson, Annie Christensen, and me

I was asked in June to present at BYU's Conference on the 30th Anniversary of the Proclamation on the Family. The conference was presented by Religious Education, the School of Family Life, the Wheatley Institute, and the Law School. No pressure!

I presented with Natalie Hancock and Larry Nelson. Our topic was finding joy and confidence in the family proclamation. I spent weeks and weeks studying and reading articles and praying about my assignment. I think it went well. I spoke about how the proclamation helps me create a Christ-centered home. I talked about inviting Christ into our homes, working together, and creating and maintaining traditions that work for you. 

It was interesting how things went together. Larry spoke after me, and talked about when he was tasked with teaching a class about the proclamation, and when he got to the chapter in the textbook about taking care of temporal needs (housing, food, clothing, etc.) he thought "this is home economics stuff." He said he almost skipped the chapter, then he looked for examples of people taking care of the home in the scriptures. He found a place in the Book of Mormon where the Lamanites and Nephites were compared, and one difference listed was housing, clothing, and the food they ate. It was a moment of change for him. Very interesting that he shared that right after I had spoken on the importance of home. It went together well. 

Annie Christensen, a former TA, came, and we grabbed lunch together. I stuck around long enough to hear one of her favorite religion professors present. Brother Goodman shared some great points. I then went home and CRASHED! I napped, then watched TV. I had no idea how much I needed to rest from the assignment. 

After attending the Thursday morning session, I went to a funeral for my colleague's parents. Chelom Leavitt's parents passed away in early September, one day apart. Natalie and I went to their funeral. Ashley Fraser and Ashley Gibby were there, as was Loren Marks. There were so many beautiful musical numbers. They played the song "If Ever I Would Leave You" from Camelot as the caskets were brought into the chapel. After the funeral, I came back to work and helped my students make their French pastries. Then we had a dinner for the participants in the conference, followed by the keynote address by Sister Amy Wright of the Primary General Presidency. It was a really uplifting conference. I'd been sad that i hadn't been recognized this year in faculty meeting, but I think being asked to participate in this was a huge honor. 

Mady Bowden, me, Gabby Bowden, Amy Bowden, Sierra Trump, Halle Bowden

Saturday I went to clean the church. I like to get there early and vacuum. I put in my airpods and listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. while I work. I then went on a walk while talking to Kristen. We had a nice chat. Then I went to American Fork for Gabby Bowden's baby shower. Way back when, Maria Trump, Amy Bowden, and I did dinner group together. It was fun to see the Bowden girls and Sierra Trump, all dinner group kids. Those were great years...dinner group...I had 2 wives who cooked my dinner every week. 

I then met up with Jen and Debbie at Pine Needles, a fabric store in Gardner Village. I had to get a couple more prints for my Halloween quilt. We found some cute stuff. I'm excited to get started on it. They treated me to lunch. We shared a wedge salad and turkey, bacon, avocado sandwich 3 ways. Jen got a bowl of soup and Deb and I shared the sandwich. We all ate the salad and fries. The witch decorations were out, and the place looked so cute. It was nice and warm. A perfect afternoon. 

Mel came over and we played Yahtzee, then I took a nap. 

I woke up in the middle of the night to see posts about President Nelson's passing. He died yesterday at the age of 101. He will be missed. He did so many innovative things for the church - home worship, temples, women as witnesses, age modifications for advancement in YW and Aaronic Priesthood, changes in temple ordinances, and so much more. 

Just as I got to church, I received a text from Sarah and Cam telling me they had heard about what happened in Michigan, and that they wanted me to know I had their support. I had no idea what they were talking about, so I googled it. A man crashed his truck into a chapel in Michigan. He then shot at people and set the building on fire with gasoline and explosives. 4 people plus the shooter are confirmed dead. They fear more victims, as they haven't been able to assess parts of the building. 

What is going on? All I can say is that I'm ready for General Conference. I'm also fully prepared for the US to go crazy now that our prophet is a lawyer who talks about the Constitution and religious freedom. Yikes. 

Here's what I wrote on social media: 

I woke up to news that Russell M. Nelson, God's prophet on earth, passed away yesterday at the age of 101. He was a kind and loving leader of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a girl dad and it showed in the way he encouraged the sisters in the church. He taught us all to be peacemakers and to "think celestial," while reminding us that "the Lord loves effort." Later this morning, I received a text about the horrific shooting and fire at a Michigan church. Loved ones wanted to make sure I was ok and to offer support. Be kind to each other. I'm looking forward to our semi-annual General Conference this weekend, where I can hear inspired words from church leaders. In spite of it all, God is good and I can find peace through Him and His Son.

One Year Closer to Retirement

Dress I bought in Burano. I love it now that I hemmed the sleeves. I'm so glad I can sew.

Making re-usable sustainable food wraps in the sewing lab

Learning how to hold a knife and cut an apple to put in the food wrap

My work friends - Natalie, Erin, Starlyn, Jan

I wore the BEST dress that Jenny gave me. She bought it in South Africa. 

Having fun after University meeting with Stacey Nelson, Amber Williams, and Nicole Lauper.

We're 2 weeks into the 2025 - 2026 academic year. 

University Conference was good, as it always is. This is a big year because we are celebrating 150 years of BYU! University Conference is always the week before school starts. Monday included university-wide meetings. We heard from Shane Reese, there were some great musical numbers, and we heard from Clark Gilbert. After the meeting, we all got to taste the new flavor of BYU creamery ice cream, called 150 Swirl. It's slightly minty blue ice cream swirled with white chocolate ice cream. It also has brownie, chocolate chip cookie bits, and caramel. It sounds like a lot, but it's yummy. Justin Collings gave some meaningful remarks on the restoration and Joseph Smith. One thing that really struck me was that Joseph Smith said that the restoration would fundamentally change the world. If you just take the influence that BYU students and faculty have had on people through the years, there is a huge change. 

Tuesday was a university breakfast. I brought Mel as my guest. We ran into Stefanie and Kenzie Nebeker. Mother-daughter breakfast dates. It was fun. 

Wednesday we had college meetings with great breakout sessions and a good lunch. I had to eat my lunch on the run because Mel needed a ride to the airport.  After meetings on Monday - Wednesday, I had to stay on campus to get things ready for the semester to start. I'm usually more prepared, but I had a lot to do to get ready. Natalie won a prestigious university award and Starlyn won a college staff award. They are both very, very deserving. Jan Christensen, our office manager, also got a college award. I work with great people. 

Thursday was the School of Family Life faculty retreat at Thanksgiving Point. I have great colleagues. We got to discuss the vision for the year and also worked on our strategic plan. Breakfast and lunch were included. We got to go to the butterfly biome and I was really excited with a butterfly landed on me. By the time our Thursday meeting ended, I was ready for a break. Summer vacation is fantastic. It's also hard to come back from summer vacation. 

I got a lot of ideas of things I can do better in my classes, and even with our TAs. Starlyn and I went to a session on how to bring the gospel into work with TAs, and decided to start our weekly TA training with a thought and prayer. I plan to incorporate a writing assignment into 215 and ask students to include scripture and quotes from general church leaders. That shouldn't be too hard, considering how important family and family mealtime are. 

I spend all afternoon Friday helping with New Student Orientation. We did an open house for new students that included a project in the sewing and foods labs. We didn't get a great turnout, but we got to bond with TAs and FCSE majors. We'll get there. 

Classes started on Wednesday, September 3. It was a good week. 215 is difficult because I have to cover "lecture content" and lab all during my 3-hour lab window. We did it, though. Winter 2025 was the first time I had to do that and the timeline didn't work well, so I made some adjustments. I have 2 new TAs and they are fantastic - Parker and Averie. I really appreciate our support staff. We also hired a new food buyer, my neighbor Megan Honsvick. It's a very steep learning curve, but I think she's enjoying it. I hope she stays around, because I think she'll be great. 

I've talked to my money lady, Lorie, and I can retire when I'm 67. I've also started working with an attorney on my will and trust. I now have a burial plot in Holden. I'm really getting old. 

She's Back!

Super excited to get lightening lane on Midway Mania

Saw Alyssa Arnold, our former TA and food buyer, and her cute family

We are incredible parents

Jenny is literally the first person to follow the cast member on Monsters, Inc.

70th Anniversary decorations in Downtown Disney

The Apple Cheddar Cinnamon Roll ice cream was delicious

Symphony Silly Swings

The only down side of the hotel was the really low shower head

Thank you to the girl who took this picture on the morning of September 6. The lighting was perfect. 

Ice water all day. Paper straws suck. 

Jenny, me, Sarah, and Cam

Galaxy's Edge for fireworks was perfect for us girlies who saw Star Wars when it came out and LOVED it

Jenny got home from her mission in Angola and early July. She and I made it back to Disneyland in early September. We took a very early flight to Long Beach on Friday, September 5, arriving in Anaheim around 9:00. We pre-checked into the Desert Inn and Suites and got our bags stored. That was a bit of an ordeal since the locker ate our coins without engaging the lock. We had to go to the office, who had to call maintenance. We got it figured out and went over to California Adventure and went straight to Little Mermaid. I had to join a work Zoom meeting at 10 am California time, so that's all I had time for before finding a quiet place to join the Zoom. The meeting ended after about 45 minutes, giving Jen just enough time to ride "Soaring Over the World." We then went on all of our favorite rides, Guardians of the Galaxy, Webslingers (Jen had never been on that), Incredicoaster, and Monsters, Inc. We walked right up to Monsters as they were re-opening. We were the first ones to walk on right after it opened. When we went to ride Midway Mania, I said "let's see if there is a single rider line." The cast member told us that there isn't, but she saw us two old ladies and let us go in the lightening lane. It was a thrill. We got my favorite wedge salad and shared a piece of pizza. We got "I'm Celebrating" buttons. Jenny's said "I'm back" and mine said "She's back." We did some shopping, got Salt and Straw ice cream (Jenny had never been there), then went back to the hotel to take naps and rest from the heat. The room was great. We had nice air conditioning and plenty of room. We slept for quite a while, going back to the park around 6:00. I looked and noticed that the park closed at 9:00. We had to figure out what rides we wanted to ride. We were in line for Guardians and decided to try another ride or two, since the line was so long. We decided to go on Midway Mania again. We tried our single rider act, and it got us in the lightening lane again. It was a perfect day of sister time at our happy place. The sun was out. We went to McDonald's for dinner. Hahahaha. 

We got up early on Saturday and headed to Disneyland - The Happiest Place on Earth! We continued our luck. We went straight to Indiana Jones. Jenny really wanted to ride Haunted Mansion next, but it was temporarily closed. It remained closed for a long time. We rode Space Mountain, Small World, and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad (Jenny had never ridden it). We also wanted to ride the train. We were in line to ride the train back to main street, and I looked behind me and saw people moving at the Haunted Mansion. By this time, it had been temporarily closed for hours. We ran over there and walked right on the ride. What a blast! After Haunted Mansion, we wanted to ride the railroad. It wasn't open. Dang. We walked back to Main Street and watched a short bit about the Sherman Brothers, who wrote many, many songs for Disney movies. We also watched an animatronic show about Walt Disney's life. We enjoyed popcorn and cheesy garlic bread. I don't remember what we got for lunch. I do remember having a hard time deciding what to eat, but we landed on something good. Just as we walked outside of the park, Jenny looked back and saw people on the train, so we went back into the park and rode the train. We really had great luck and got to do everything we wanted to do, including resting and relaxing. 

We went back to our hotel around 3:30 again, for naps and rest. We then met up with Sarah and Cam at Din Tai Fung for dinner. We had delicious dumplings, fried rice, dessert, etc. The conversation was even better! We had such a great time with Sarah and Cam. We talked and talked and laughed. It was soooo much fun. I have spent a lot of time at their house and I just love spending time with them. I had actually seen them the previous week, when I picked them up at the Provo Airport and took them to their hotel in Lehi. It was fun to say "see you next week" which we did at Downtown Disney. 

After dinner, Jen and I watched the parade as we walked to Galaxy's Edge to watch the fireworks. The view of the fireworks from there is spectacular. Neither Jen nor I had ever done that. Cute little Star Wars weirdos lift their light sabers before the fireworks and music begin. The music is fantastic. It's all Star Wars music and is synced to the fireworks. I talked Jenny into going on Tiana's log ride. We got on the single rider line right before it closed. We got SOAKED, but we enjoyed it. We were heading straight back to the hotel anyway. Jen's shoes were a bit wet the next day for the flight home, but she survived. 

It was such a great trip. We both bought 70th anniversary Christmas tree ornaments and bought a Disneyland Tshirt. Jenny bought 3 sugar cookies. I bought 2 gingerbread cookies and some chocolates to take to work. We got home mid-morning Sunday. I took a long nap to prepare for a full week of work. What a blessing to have the funds to go on such a trip. Also a blessing to have a sister that I enjoy spending time with. Great to meet with Sarah and Cam, too. Such a blessing. Life is good. God is great. 

Garments, General Conference Reflections, and Help with Assignments

My recent way of making General Conference a way of my life in between conference weekends is to write on post-it notes. As I listen to each talk, I write the name of the speaker and an action item to work on. Then I pull out my post it's - one or two per week - and work on the item I had written. I also listen to the talk on the post it. It's fun to get to the post-it, re-listen to the talk, and see what I had decided I would work on. 

Well, this past Sunday, when I pulled 2 post it notes out, one was a talk by President Oaks, and I had written "Be grateful for garments." Hmmm. That was an interesting thing to write. Oh well, I'll do that. It was great to see what happened. On Tuesday I went to the temple to do initiatories before heading to work. I can't think of a better way to be reminded of how grateful I should be for garments than to hear the promises and symbolism of the temple garment. I also listened to a podcast for Come Follow Me and the sister, who recently returned from a mission, mentioned that although she isn't putting on her missionary tag anymore, she puts on her garments everyday. Those remind her of her commitment to her covenants and to the Savior. Wow, what great answers!

The other post it was for Elder Soares' talk. I had written nothing on that post it. I wondered why I hadn't thought of anything. It made me listen to the talk more intently. I found some help on things I've been working on. I've been asked to present at BYU's celebration of the 30th anniversary of the proclamation on the family. I'm also teaching Sunday school next week. We are in the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that include tribulation and blessings during trials. Elder Soares' talk had insights that spoke to my mind and heart about both of these projects I'm working on. I'm grateful that I hadn't written any notes on that talk. I think it made me listen more intently. 

I went to the temple yesterday for an endowment session. On the way home, I saw a double rainbow. My favorite number is 3, and I thought "how awesome would it be to see a triple rainbow." I don't even think such a think exists. Well, after seeing the double rainbow and wishing for a triple rainbow, I saw a single rainbow. Then I saw a full rainbow as I entered my neighborhood. Maybe triple rainbows don't exist, so God gave me what He could. It was beautiful. 

My Tomo

Tummy time for Tomo

The many faces of Tomo

Tommy's mom gave him these cute sandals. I bought this onesie at Versailles. 

Me, Tomo, and Allie at King Dough pizza place

This is the toy I fixed. I rigged a way for Allie and Tommy to raise the foot part so Tomo's feet can reach and he can make music. 

After pizza, Allie, Tomo, and I walked through this beautiful neighborhood of the most quaint homes. 

This one was probably my favorite. It was set way back on a lot. So adorable. 

French onesie

Walks. Walks. 

Zoom in and look at Tomo's eyes, watching his cute mom. 

Swaddle that keeps him cozy for naps. 

Post walk cuddles. 

Checking out the blanket that my TA Kourtney finished for me. She serged the edges to make a nice finish. 

Bath time. 

Al and Tommy needed some help with daycare and I planned to go visit anyway, so I went to their place on Monday and flew home on Saturday. The direct flight on Delta from Salt Lake City arrives in Indy around 10:30 pm. It was hot and humid when I arrived. I needed to catch an Uber and it took forever to connect with my driver. Now I know better how to navigate ride share pickup at that airport. 

Tomo is so sweet. He's filling out and is so much more alert. He is really strong and holds his head up. I just love him. On Tuesday, Allie and Tommy went to work/school. They'd be home around 1:00 pm. Tomo didn't wake up until just after 11:00 am. I fed him a bottle, took him on a walk, and fed him again. Then Allie came home. He got a bit fussy, but it was ok. Due to weather, Allie didn't have her flight lesson, so we got the afternoon and evening together. Allie is such a great cook. She made delicious tacos and elote dip. 

Wednesday was a LONG day. Again, Allie and Tomo left and I waited for Tomo to wake up. He woke up around 8:30, so that made for a longer day. I fed him, went on a walk, fed him again, got him to nap, etc. Tommy and Allie came home, but Allie had to leave to go to a flight lesson from 4:30 - 6:30. Tomo is a cutie, but I forgot how fussy babies can be. Sometimes he's fed, has had a nap, has a clean diaper, went on his daily walk that he loves, and he can still be cranky. I hate to hear the blood-curdling screams. Allie is so patient with it. She doesn't get ruffled. I can't believe it. She's such a great mom. 

Well, when Allie should have gotten back, she texted to let us know that she was stuck at an airport with a plane with the equivalent of a "check engine" light. It took time for some people from the flight school to get to Allie and her instructor and to check the plane. In the end, they were able to fly the plane back. Allie didn't get home until 10 pm. Tommy and I really bonded over watching Tomo. We tag-teamed taking care of him, comforting him, etc. It was a rough day, but we had fun together. Tommy would watch Tomo and I would get some work done, then I'd take over and Tommy would study or play video games or whatever. It was definitely a memorable day. That cutie boy. When Allie walked in the door, I handed Tomo to her and told her "Tommy and I decided that he's yours now." We laughed about it. 

Tomo was much better and more himself on Thursday. After his morning bottle, we took a walk. He falls asleep on his walk, and continues to sleep. Then he eats again, stays awake a bit, and goes to sleep. He sleeps like a champ in his swaddle suit. He loves to have his hands up and the swaddle allows him to do that. He takes naps in a basinet in the living room, which makes it easy to keep an eye on him and still get stuff done. I got some reading done, wrote letters of recommendation, and did some prep work for the upcoming academic year. Tomo really likes to be outside, so I bought them some patio furniture for their front porch. I think Tomo will like sitting out there. 

Mom had a health setback on Thursday, which really threw me into an anxiety attack. Jenny and Debbie took care of everything, but I think the thought of what I have to do when I get back. I've heard people talk about the challenges of being in a sandwich generation, but it's real for me. I've got mom 2 miles from me. I've also got concerns for how much work Allie is trying to do now. Allie helped me manage my anxiety and realize there is no reason to worry about things that haven't happened yet. Mom's been having trouble with her eyes, and she has determined that her best option is to seek care in Ogden, at Scott's office. That's over an hour away! It seems daunting, but Jenny and Debbie have offered to take care of all the logistics. I really appreciate it. Derek also weighed in on some family matters, and made some accusations about mom and dad's finances and their reverse mortgage. It was very difficult. Allie reminded me that it's been a long summer of caring for mom (arranging an airbnb for Andrew's wedding, accompanying her to Denver for Connor's wedding, taking her to dr. appointments, etc.). It's a lot!

Allie doesn't have work or flight lessons on Fridays, so we had a fun day together. We took Tomo on a walk and went to a delicious bagel place for breakfast. We walked further downtown to a food district. There was seating, where Allie was able to feed Tomo. We stopped in a couple of shops and headed home. Allie and Tommy live just a couple of miles from downtown. You just have to get on the Monon Trail. I cleaned the kitchen and downstairs bathroom. I fixed a little bouncy musical toy so Tomo's feet could reach and make noise. Allie and I took Tomo and met her friend Maggie for pizza. We had a great time. Maggie is only 20 and is already a flight instructor. She's a hard worker. It's fun that she and Allie have each other. 

Allie is such a good mom. It's so cute to see her interact with Tomo, to read to him, to talk to him, to play with him, and to introduce him to "The Sound of Music." I love Allie so much and am so proud of what she's accomplishing. She works part-time at a high school as a career counselor, then she takes flight lessons. She takes care of a big, old home. She cares for her little "son, moon, and stars." I just love her. 

I left on Saturday morning. Delta has an 8:00 am flight that gets me back to SLC around 9:15 am. It was an uneventful flight. I was able to help the crew help a lady that spoke only Spanish. The older I get, the more I realize it's kinda crazy that I have kept my Spanish all these years. Many people forget their mission language within a few years of getting home.