Pranks, Allowance, and more

This past week has brought final exams for Jessica. She has set up shop at our kitchen table, that is now covered in stacks and piles of study notes. It’s okay though, we have grown accustomed to eating on the floor.

Grayson has joined her for a few study sessions this week. They obviously squeeze in a moment to take care of Nathan’s room. They are a thoughtful couple.

Nate is broke. He has a balance of $4 in his account and most places don’t seem to be hiring right now. Jessica snapped this first picture during our most recent heart to heart, which involved Nate making all sorts of promises for an allowance of $75. (haha) He’s on the brink of new independence. All he needs is a job and good weather for moped driving. 

Vivian was baptized yesterday. It was a great service. Dad officiated, which was sweet. It’s moments like this when the absence of Abby and Sam is especially noticed but it was still nice to be together.

After the baptism, Jess and Nate rushed into Lethbridge for an afternoon of shopping (hence the cash advance) and came home with supplies for Jessica’s fish tank and a gift for Lexi Shaw. Sigh…

I met up with a former student, this past week and took her out for lunch. I worked with Raquel five years ago and it was her (and a group of six others) who made me want to go back to school to become a teacher. It was really fun to catch up with her and hear how she is doing and see how she has grown and changed. 

 

A cold snap and the best sandwich ever!

The cold snap that engulfed Alberta last week, continued into Sunday. We all enjoyed a Friday off of school and on Sunday- church was cancelled too!  Dad gave the sacrament meeting talk and then I led the family in a Sunday School lesson. (1st Nephi 1-5)  It’s been a harsh and bitterly cold week, but it has been nice to circle the wagons (so to speak) and hunker down. #covidvibes

The cold snap continued this week, but this past weekend brought some warmth. It was almost magical, getting to take radar for a walk again. I could hear the sound of melting snow and little birds out in the sun.

Aren’t we lucky to have seasons?!

You guys, I did it. I finally made the most delicious sandwich ever. John said it was “restaurant good.” And…it was. Here’s what you do:

1: Toast a yummy kind of bun. Chef’s choice.

2: Spread a layer of Herb and Garlic seasoned cream cheese.

3: Place a layer of ham, a layer of pastrami, on a bun. Add pickles and a slice of tomato. 

4:Put a pile of brown sugared onions on, and place cheese on top of that. 

5: Add lettuce and your top bun. 

CHEF’S KISS!

Nate and Jessica both had basketball tournaments this weekend. Neither of them won but it's fun to watch them both work hard.

As you can see, Nate continues to make us extra proud.

We got an email from the Wolff's, who are down in Arizona. (Lucky snowbirds!) Apparently they are in YUMA and heard Sam speak in sacrament meeting. How fun to get this picture and a note about how well Sam is doing. I am just so proud of the guy!

Last Monday, he reached out (PD chat) to inquire about what he should do about a pain he had in his leg. He began to wonder if it was a blood clot again, as symptoms seemed similar to his experience a year ago. After some phone calls to our insurance company, he was advised to go in. Thankfully, he did go in, because it turned out that it was a series of blood clots in his leg.

He was immediately given blood thinners and began a course of treatment. I am just so grateful that he was able to get this taken care of. It was pricey, but I am hoping to be reimbursed by our travel insurance. And really, nothing matters more than his being safe. I keep reminding myself of that. 

I feel sorry when I think of this Factor 5 condition that will always be a part of his life, but I know and trust that he is capable of managing it safely throughout his whole life. 

I am in awe that Sam's mission call was to a place that would be able to address his need so quickly and efficiently. I am grateful that we are still in the same time zone so that we could talk together throughout that day at the hospital. I am just so thankful that Sam listened to the feelings of concern that he had.

I am so grateful to God and his loving, protective care over my family!

Barbed Wire fences and Arctic Temps

First things first, the car! Jessica and I had an experience this past week, while driving home from Calgary that was quire scary. At one point, Jessica, who was driving, hit a patchy strip of ice and lost control of the vehicle. At first, things seemed manageable, but as Jess tried to remedy the situation, we found ourselves fishtailing and almost spinning down Highway 2. Eventually, w did hit the ditch and came to a crashing stop when we landed in a farmer's barb wire fence. The fence was toast, it's post wedged between our door and front fender. Luckily, I could untangle the stray strands of barb wire and was able to back us out, around the broken post and up onto the road again. We continued (slowly) home, feeling very thankful for how things turned out.

Our local mechanic was willing to just bend the front fender back into shape, just enough to allow us to open the driver door. Worked like a charm and only cost $160! 

We also asked him to look at the muffler system. Apparently a certain (beloved) missionary of ours cruised over a massive pothole before leaving which has caused the car to sound like a combine ever since. It’s all well. The part has been ordered and soon, that too will be fixed.

It is much too tiny to sound so loud.

John seems happy and fulfilled as he adjusts to this new role. 

It was well after midnight, on Monday night, before he came home from a meeting! He didn't seem exhausted though, rather he seemed enthused and inspired. John would deny this, but I think “meetings” are his love language. 

Maybe it is just that he finds joy in serving. At any rate - he seems happy.

You know that wonderfully mild winter we have been having?  It’s gone. 

This week we have been braving arctic temps, with nighttime lows and windchills reaching -46 degrees celsius! 

Radar won’t go outside to pee. 

When I try to walk him, even just for a minute or two, he HOPS! Haha.

School and all sporting events have been cancelled for today (Friday) and it is expected that things will start improving on Monday. Yikes!

Last night, or rather this morning, seeing as it was 1 am, Jessica and I decided to take advantage of the -46 degree temp and see how quickly we could freeze our hair. We quickly ran our hair under the faucet and raced outside where we bent over, upside down, only long enough to allow our hair to stand on end. We feel happy with this use of time. Just livin’ the troll life!

 

Nate and I are spending some quality time in front of the TV. He was letting me play video games with him but he says I slow him down. He lets me sit beside him though, tea in hand, and watch. I marvel at his skill and bring him popcorn and  he tolerates my presence.

It’s a symbiotic thing we have going on here. I'll take it.

Finally, just a pic from my two missionaries.

They are well.

Both working hard. Both feeling inadequate in their own ways. Both being led.

We are blessed.

A life changing start to 2024

 New Year’s Eve was spent eating WAY too much food, reading predictions from last year and playing games. Brent and Rachel’s families joined us. We did an early countdown, which wasn’t bad, either!

On New Year’s day, John, Jess and I set out to hike in to Crandall Lake. Just as we were approaching the crest of the hill, we came across a family, experiencing difficulty. The mother had fallen and broken her ankle. Dad and Jess stayed with them and tried to stabilize her foot. I took their two young daughters, and their dog, Diva, and we hiked down to the vehicles.We drove to the townsite and called 911. For the next 3.5 hours, the girls and I ran point in communication, driving up and down the mountain relaying information. Around 4:45 pm, we were finally able to help paramedics remove her from the trail. She ended up needing surgery. We will meet up with them next week!

Grayson has joined us for border games, a few times, this holiday and it has been SO much fun getting to know him better and seeing him relax more. 

One day, Grayson, Jessica, John and I all came home at the same time to find that Nathan had done some work to Jessica’s room.  Note to Self: Never leave Nathan unattended.

Our Lord of The Rings marathon has come and gone. 

We had an AWESOME holiday. We struck a balance between eating, resting, exercising, watching movies, and missing Sam and Abby!

Yesterday (Thursday), we made a plan to drive out to Waterton and walk into Cameron Lake, together. We spent a good chunk of time convincing Nate to come with us. We got to the Cameron Lake trailhead only to find that Nate was dressed in nothing but a hoody. (Gah!) Not wanting to deal with the blustery wind, when underdressed, we revised our plan, and instead settled for a walk around Linnet Lake and hot dogs at WoW. As you can see, it was a pleasant, peace-filled stroll. 

Finally, John and I were called down to the Stake offices on Friday morning and notified that the Stake Presidency has had to make a change in the 3rd ward and they needed to make it soon. After a tearful meeting, John was extended the invitation to become the next Bishop of Cardston 3rd Ward. We are trying to process this. John has such trust. He will always do what God needs Him to do. We feel so unbelievably blessed as we consider our lives and our family and we pray often that we might know how to serve God, with gratitude. It feels as though supporting John in this work he has been asked to do is how I am to best serve my Father in Heaven.

I’m not sure if this picture adequately conveys our trepidation, but alas, this is the picture we took immediately after the call. I look more scared for John, which is par for the course.

God is good and I will trust in Him.