COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 221-225

 Day 221: 10-20-20 (Tuesday)

I woke up to some sad news this morning. My step-mother (technically my father's long time live-in- love) Gayle passed away late last night. They have been together for about 25 years. She has been sick for a long time and had been in the hospital for the last several weeks. I feel so bad for my dad. He is going to be pretty lost without her. She was a very sweet woman.

I had a lunch with friends planned today that had to be canceled. Katie (who was hostessing) had a sick child. Bummer. I was really looking forward to it. I haven't had a lunch with girlfriends in forever. Despite the fact that I was excited to get together with friends; I was also a little nervous and second guessing whether I should go. It's hard to balance mental health for our family and our physical health. We like to be social and all of this isolation takes a toll.

We FaceTimed with Reilly for quite awhile tonight. No one else has come down with COVID in her office so that is good news. Maybe we can get together as a family in a week or so. I really appreciate how seriously she will quarantine herself to protect Tyler and the rest of us.

We got some funny pictures and FB messages from Kam. There is a major snowstorm in Minneapolis and he is hating it! He hates snow! He informed us that after his mission he has no intention of living anywhere with snow! LOL. The APs also texted the missionaries saying that there is to be no driving for the next several days... and just when Kam became the "driver"! I guess there had already been several missionaries in some fender benders that day. Thank goodness Kam has experience driving on slick icy roads. Two of his quad had never even seen snow before!!

Day 222: 10-21-20 (Wednesday)

Lots going on today! I had to run Ailey over to the high school to pick up more textbooks and curriculum materials. I also had my yearly mammogram this morning and both girls had their well-check visits at the pediatrician's office. They got 7 shots between both of them. Poor kids. Tyler met us and we were both going to get our flu shots. Get everything done in one day I say! But no... the line was crazy long. Hours long. We decided to go get ice cream since 7 shots and a mammogram are no fun!

Our family loves Baskin Robbins over all of the other trendier ice cream shops. Why mess with perfection? A list of favorites just for fun. Our kids are always asking what were their grandparents favorite food/ice cream/desserts etc. So here are ours for posterity. LOL.

Tyler's favorite flavors: Daiquiri Ice, Chocolate Mousse Royale, and Peanut Butter Chocolate

Kristin's favorite flavors: Daiquiri Ice, Pralines and Cream, Chocolate Mousse Royale, and Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Peppermint.

Reilly's favorite flavors: Daiquiri Ice and Pralines and Cream.

Kameron's favorite flavors: Daiquiri Ice and Strawberry Cheesecake

Ailey's favorite flavors: Daiquiri Ice, Chocolate Chip Mint, Chocolate Mousse Royale, and Gold Medal Ribbon.

Bryn's favorite flavors: Daiquiri Ice, Orange Sherbet, anything sour... and she will always try a new flavor where most of the rest of us stick to our tried and trues.

I had a long phone conversation with my dad this afternoon. He was telling me all of the plans for Gayle's service. I feel so badly for him. I also talked to both of Gayle's sons: Doug and Steve. Losing your mom sucks. Her kids are quite a bit older than we are but still... it sucks.

The girls and Ty carved pumpkins.

Tonight Ailey had YW and I had a stake meeting with my presidency and the stake presidency.

Day 223: 10-22-20 (Thursday)

Today is cold! It's 38 degrees but at least it is sunny. We are supposed to get snow tomorrow. I heard at my meeting last night that they are now saying 6 inches of snow! NO!! I'm with Kam!! Not a snow fan.

I worked on projects all day today. Tonight was vendor night. I sold so many things that I had to do a big rearrange and set-up. It is looking good! Tyler and I grabbed our favorite Osaka bowls and ate them in the car while watching the latest Presidential debate before driving back to Spokane.

Day 224: 10-23-20 (Friday)

The frost before the snow.

Today we had our first snow. It's come much too early for me. The leaves on the trees are still green!! Since we knew it was coming Tyler and I headed out early to do a big walk at the park to try to beat the snow. It started snowing our last half mile.

Our leaves are still green and barely starting to fall and it's snowing.

Tyler ran Ailey to the DMV to try to get her learner's permit. This kid has had the WORST time trying to drive! COVID and all that comes with it has made the DMV an even a bigger nightmare than normal and pushed everything back. She filled out all of her info online...she is already 16...and they refused to give it to her until she was two weeks out from her Drivers Ed class which has also been pushed so far back due to COVID and the small sessions that fill up so quickly that she can't even start until after Thanksgiving. It's a joke!

We ran Brynnie to school to pick up more of her study materials from her teachers for various classes. We also ordered some flowers to be sent to my dad. 

My dad emailed out the link for Gayle's obituary:

Gayle S. Wells was born on April 27, 1941 in Albertville, AL and passed away on October 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, NV. She is survived by her loving husband Eldon McKinnon; her children Brenda (Scott) Kendall, Laura (Ervin) Howery, Steven Wells, Douglas (Amy) Wells and Lois Wells ; stepchildren Kristin (Tyler) Johnson, Stacey (John) Sykes, and Kelley McKinnon (Chris Bennett); seven grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; brothers Alton Bouldin and Terry Bouldin; and sisters Bonnie Roslin and Deborah Braddock. She was preceded in death by her parents L J and Lillian Bouldin; brother Larry Bouldin; son Larry Wells; daughter Susan Henderson; daughter-in-law Maryann Wells; and grandson Michael Watkins. Gayle attended Snead College in Boaz, AL where she excelled academically and participated in athletics. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Toledo and obtained her Master's Degree in English and Counseling from the University of Dayton. Gayle was a public school teacher in Ohio for 12 years. She was beloved by her students and went above and beyond to ensure their academic success as well as their personal well-being. She then worked for the State of Nevada for several years and received many prestigious awards. Gayle also served as chairperson for several charitable organizations in the Las Vegas area including D.A.R.E. and Sub for Santa. In addition, she taught English at UNLV. Her interests and hobbies included history, gardening, sports (especially college football), travel and cooking. She was an exceptional wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who dearly loved her family and always put their needs above her own.

The snow started coming down hard by about noon:

Our slight snow turned into a major blizzard. Spokane ended up with 7 1/2 inches. Not cool.

It looks like the pumpkin is screaming "No!!!"

Tyler and I scrapped date night. The roads were awful. We had Ubereats deliver Thai food. Ailey and Bryn made snickerdoodles and we watched another Halloween movie as a family. Not a bad night after all!!

Day 225: 10-24-20 (Saturday)

We woke up to a gorgeous snowy day with bright blue skies! That never happens here! I can handle snow so much more if it is also sunny which it very rarely seems to be. Tyler was out early with the snowblower. I had completely forgotten that we bought one at the end of last year! Yay us!

The flowers for my dad were delivered and Tyler and I ordered Crumbl cookies to be delivered since Gayle's children and grandchildren were in town and at my dad's. He really enjoyed that. Warm cookies do make things a *tiny* bit better sometimes. 

All of us really wanted to get out of the house for awhile so we took the girls and ran some errands. We grocery shopped and did some other shopping too. Ailey needed a new winter coat and boots. I needed some new dress boots. We ended up finding quite a few things for all of us... Tyler included. I am not a person who is drawn to "retail therapy" for a mood boost but it ended up doing all of us a lot of good!! LOL. We got Panera for dinner. 

In other exciting news...Our Yum box arrived. The country was Russia. We facetimed with Reilly while opening it. She and Hunter got theirs almost a week before we got ours and had already tried everything but they wanted to see our reactions. LOL.

There was:

Orange and Vanilla Biscuits (good)

Bolete Mushroom Bread Bites (I thought they were good other people not so much.)

Sovietsky Cheese Potato Chips (Very good!)

Almond White Chocolate Bar (Good...some of us don't like white chocolate.)

Strawberry, Caramel, and Vanilla Gummies (blah)

Ginger and Cinnamon Biscuits (good)

BBQ Kebab Potato Chips (So-so)

Coconut and White Chocolate Hazelnut Balls (Good... but not all of us like white chocolate)

Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips (Blah...not very flavorful)

Nuts and Milk Chocolate Wafer Bar (delicious)

Ripe Pear Milk Chocolate Bar (EXCELLENT!!)

Exotic Fruit Jellies... Black Currant Mint, Strawberry Pepper, and Ripe Mango (AMAZING!! My Favorites!)

Despite the dang blizzard I sold quite a few big items in my booth! It's time to rearrange again. Ha ha! I am so enjoying this! I am so glad that I pivoted my business. I would still be waiting for a vintage show to happen which certainly isn't in 2020.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 216-220

 Day 216: 10-15-20 (Thursday)

Today was definitely a recoup day after our whirlwind Seattle trip. Nothing too exciting. I set up several doctors appointments for myself and Tyler. Yearly check-ups. We also mailed several things to Kameron including his voting ballot. He is super stoked to vote in a Presidential election for the first time.

I got texted some pictures from a Minnesotan who was very grateful for the service that these missionaries are providing and wanted all of their parents to know. So sweet!

I didn't go to vendor night either. That is the beauty of being in a store. They will fluff your booth and make it look nice until you can get in to do it yourself. I didn't feel like driving to Coeur d' Alene tonight. They do a good job of arranging things so I felt okay about it. Maybe I'll go in later this week.

Day 217: 10-16-20 (Friday)

Today I had a much needed hair appointment. It was great to catch up with my friend Lyndsey and leave with good hair! LOL.

It was also my week at the lake so we took the girls and Beverly out to spend the weekend when the girls were done with school and Tyler was done with work. Fall is definitely in the air. It was crisp and cold. We had a fun family night and watched our first Halloween movie of the season!! We are starting to feel a *little* Halloween festive!

Day 218: 10-17-20 (Saturday)

The girls slept in today and Tyler and I got up early and enjoyed a gorgeous fall morning out on the dock. We sat in our chairs, drank hot chocolate, talked, and soaked up the beauty. It was so peaceful and quiet. Hardly any people or boats. It was delightful!

After that we worked on clearing out more from the garages. We also loaded up more of my share of things that were my mom's that I have received. After a busy work day we grabbed the girls and went into town and got take-out. Who wants to cook? We settled in for a movie marathon. We made a bunch of snacks and had a great time! We watched another fun Halloween movie and then I introduced the girls to the 80s classic... Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. 

I loved that movie as a teenager and I knew they would too. They did! Tyler snored through it. LOL.

Day 219: 10-18-20 (Sunday)

We had a lovely relaxing morning. We slept in and had breakfast. We watched our Sacrament Meeting via Livestream from the lake house living room. 

Tyler prepared and blessed the Sacrament for us. Since we were watching it on the TV and my grandparents picture is propped up right by the TV it felt like we were going to church with Granny and Gramps! LOL. They were very staunch LDS church members and I know that it probably made them very happy to have the Spirit felt in their home. Quite the opposite of what usually happens out there now...sadly.

We did a bit more work around the property. It was definitely cooler and more misty today. Beverly enjoyed being lugged around in Bryn's backpack!

We headed back home that evening.

Day 220: 10-19-20 (Monday)

I didn't end up going to my institute class today. I am just too busy this week. I have so many projects to finish. Being in the store really keeps me hopping! Ailey started the day with early morning dance team practice. They have to practice outside, masked, and socially distanced. I'm not sure what they are going to do when the snow starts falling.

We also got a call from the fraud department on one of our credit cards saying that someone in New Jersey tried to charge 94K! Good grief. That seems excessive even for a thief! 

We talked to Kameron tonight. It is starting to get cold in Minnesota. He is enjoying his new companionship and quad. He got to see both of his former online MTC companions yesterday and that was fun for him. He is now the "driver" for his companionship and he was really excited about getting to drive again!! LOL. He sounded good and like he is doing well. I am glad that the new transfer situation worked out.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 211-215

 Day 211: 10-10-20 (Saturday)

Today started out as a rainy and dreary Saturday. Tyler and I decided to take the girls out for a day of fun. We headed over to Coeur d' Alene. The girls wanted to go to Midtown Market and see my booth and shop. That was a lot of fun! I usually just run in on Thursday nights and I never have time to actually look around and shop. We found several fun things! 

After that we got Greek take-out which we ate lakeside. The lake was so stormy and rough but really pretty. After that we headed back to Spokane and ran some errands and took the girls clothes shopping. COVID-19 has saved us a ton of money in school clothes this year so it was fun for the girls to do a little clothes shopping. A rarity these days. 

We ended our day with a family movie night and hot chocolate and homemade chex mix. It turned out to be such a fun day! Sometimes it seems so weird to be down to just two kids at home but sometimes...like today...it is extra sweet to have days like this with Ailey and Bryn.

Day 212: 10-11-20 (Sunday)

We are now...as of today...able to go to church every Sunday. We are still on a modified schedule and church is now live streamed for high risk people (like Tyler) and the elderly. Today was bittersweet because I was officially released from being my ward's Primary President. I trained my replacement today too. She will do a great job!

Can I express to you my hatred of squirrels?!! I've lost count of the outdoor pillows/cushions/plants they have destroyed. They are monsters.

Today it is still rainy and cold so Tyler made chicken and dumplings for Sunday dinner and Ailey made made us two pumpkin pies. Why not?! It was delicious!

I got another surprise text from Minneapolis!! I love these so much! If you are able to have the missionaries come to your home or do service work for you; take pictures and text them to their moms. It is such a gift! I plan on doing that a lot more with the missionaries in our ward.

Day 213: 10-12-20 (Monday)

Today I went to my Institute class and it was awesome as usual! Our temple moved to phase 2...living ordinances only...which means that missionaries heading out to the mission field from our area can now get their endowments before they leave. That's great but I am also actually really stoked that things worked out with Kameron the way that they did! Talk about unprecedented and historical! Parents getting to visit the mission field WHILE their kid is SERVING a mission is pretty epic!

Tyler and I are buddy reading a great spooky October book!! I love doing that every October. We are reading Home Before Dark by Riley Sager. It is so good and it is just the right amount of creepy for me.

We talked to Kam tonight. He has transfers tomorrow. He's a little nervous. We will see what happens. He finally got to go to Mall of America so he was pretty stoked about that. He and his companions and an investigator who went with them; rode all the rides, shopped, and ate at Shake Shack. He says that In-n-Out remains the best! We now say a family prayer all together before we all hang up. It's nice and I wish that had we thought of it earlier! There is something really special about praying as our entire family each week. 

Day 214: 10-13-20 (Tuesday)

Today it is rainy, windy, and cold. I wish our Peleton was getting here sooner! It takes forever!!

Kam messaged us today. He is staying put in Oakdale. His trainer got moved to Eau Claire, WI and his other companion ended up staying too. They got another new guy so now they are a quad. Kam's new companion used to be the trainer of one of his companions from online MTC so he was happy about that and the other new guy they have known for awhile. He was happy with the changes and felt like it was a good move all around. Also, Kam's other MTC companion got transferred into Kam's zone so he was pretty happy about that too.

The BEST news of the day....Reilly and Hunter's COVID tests came back NEGATIVE!!

Day 215: 10-14-20 (Wednesday)

Today was a blast...exhausting... but a blast! Tyler and I did a super quick buying trip to Seattle and it was SO MUCH FUN!! 

We left Spokane at 4am and arrived in time to have breakfast at Celine's a delicious French bakery. 

They had mascarpone raspberry-filled croissants and custard-filled croissants! Yes please! I had never had either of those before and they were amazing!! They also had delicious savory croissants too. 

After breakfast we hit several of our favorite places for furniture as soon as they opened. We scored some AWESOME pieces!! The trip was so worth it. We also went to a cool place that was recommended by several of my vendor friends. My mom would have LOVED it!!

Vintage and antiques heaven!

Also, the sun was out and shining! It was warm. Not typical Seattle weather for us today! We tried to avoid being in the heart of downtown. Annoying. How is literally every place I want to go full of rioters?! We hung out for a bit in the Lake Union area and soaked up the sun!

It was such a pretty day! We grabbed some Thai food and then hit a few more of our favorite places. It was definitely worth the day trip! We loaded up!! Seattle is always so much fun!

After that we headed home. We stopped for a little shopping at the North Bend Outlets and got Tyler some clothes from the Under Armor store. As we were going over Snoqualmie Pass it started pouring rain. We passed about 20 military tanks. All of which had two guys or girls sticking out of the tanks in the cold pouring rain. As we drove past them we would give them a thumbs up and wave to try to show them our appreciation for their service. They broke out into big grins and waved back. It brought tears to my eyes the kind of sacrifice that these kids are willingly giving to our country. In a country so divided and seemingly hate-filled it was encouraging and uplifting to see these young men and women who proudly serve.

As we drove to and from Seattle we were listening to the perfect atmospheric audiobook... Devolution by Max Brooks. It's a book about a group of people living in Greenloop, WA an eco-smart community up in the mountains when Mount Rainier erupts and chaos and Sasquatch ensue. It was awesome! Even better...we were home by 8:30 pm. It was a fun but quick trip!! 

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 206-210

 Day 206: 10-5-20 (Monday)

Today I went back to my institute class for the first time since March! I love this class so much and it has been such a huge blessing in my life. My teacher, Barb, is amazing! This will be my 9th year of attending this class. I cannot tell you how much it has taught me and strengthened me as a person of faith! I had a bunch of things to do for both of my callings today and for my Mom's estate afterward. I was gone most of the day. I am so glad that the girls can study independently. My heart goes out to parents with little kids who are trying to help them distance learn.

The highlight of the day was talking to Kameron as a family. He and his companionship have been setting up a lot of online appointments but many fall through. They are still teaching a couple of people regularly. One guy whose wife is a member is very close to baptism. Kam spends much of his time doing service work. This week they helped several families move. It was really fun to discuss General Conference with him and to get his insights as a missionary. He said that this was the most *interesting* General Conference that he has watched. Ha ha! It's funny what happens when you are truly watching and praying for enlightenment!

After we were done video chatting with him we hung up and then FaceTimed with Reilly. We have started facetiming with her after we get off of the phone with him so that we can have a weekly check in with she and Hunter too. We see them pretty frequently and talk and text a lot during the week but this is extra time set aside for the whole family to talk to them. It is really nice to have a scheduled family check-in with her each week. 

I have started taking melatonin to help with my insomnia. Let's see how that goes. I know several people who take Magnesium instead. I am going to give both a try.

Day 207: 10-6-20 (Tuesday)

We are supposed to close on the Sagle house tomorrow. All the paperwork and docusign forms are in. Finally. I can't wait to close this chapter.

Today was super exciting for Bryn! She got her cello! She has wanted to play the cello since she was three years old. She has talked about this forever. She was super disappointed last year when she found out that they weren't going to do band and strings in 5th grade anymore. She has been so looking forward to start playing in 6th grade and then COVID. Band and strings are finally starting up but for whatever reason they have limited the instrument options down to just a couple and the cello didn't make the cut. The school district was not providing cellos (and several other instruments) to students this year. Bryn was CRUSHED! After many parent complaints...her orchestra teacher sent out an email saying that students could still play whatever instrument they would like but would have to rent it from a music store themselves. Tyler and I decided to go this route. (Haven't these poor kids been disappointed enough?!) We did the rent to own program for Kam's trumpet and it was paid for in a couple of years. So we did the same for Bryn. She got a brand new gorgeous cello from our favorite music store, Amends. They do such a great job there. Bryn was so excited!!

She got to try several and get fitted. Since she is tall she got the regular-sized cello not one of the smaller ones for younger kids. That's awesome! She can use it up through high school and beyond.

She was SO excited to lug that thing home! LOL. I love the cello and it will be neat to have it played in our home. We've never had an orchestra kid before!

After our appointment at the music store; I had to pick up a bunch of furniture that I found. I scored some great pieces which is awesome because another large piece sold in my booth today! I am flying through the furniture! I am so grateful!

Day 208: 10-7-20 (Wednesday)

Today we officially closed on the Sagle house. Thank goodness and good riddance! It was a nice house but it wasn't my mom's favorite. She purchased it with Ken (her ex-husband) and she said many many times that it wasn't one that she would have picked out herself.

Today is Tyler's dad's birthday. It is so hard to believe that he would have been 85. Tyler's dad was 11 years older than Tyler's mom and definitely came into fatherhood later than most. It was nice to be able to celebrate a day that is special to our family. Reilly came over after work and hung out and ate lefse. Grandpa Johnson would love that we just happened to have lefse on his birthday. He was the lefse maker in their family. We had a nice family dinner. Tyler told the kids all of his favorite stories about his dad. He also told them all of the different traits of his dad that he sees in each them. That was really cool! We were also talking to Tyler's sister, Lori, and she participated and we were messaging with Kameron too. 

Tyler said that in Reilly he sees his dad's business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. His dad was forever coming up with all kinds of great business ideas. Many of which he did on the side. Reilly has such a mind for business and truly has an entrepreneurial drive. She has a million business ideas and it is so fun to see!

Tyler said that in Kameron he sees his dad's intensity and political mind. His dad had to have been an Enneagram 8 just like Kam! Enneagram 8s are called The Protector. They are self-confident, strong, and assertive. They are protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive. Yep! That's Kam and it sounds like Grandpa Johnson too. Also Tyler's dad had a master's degree in Political Science and ran for local office in Orem, Utah when Tyler was a teenager. He has great memories of helping out his dad campaign. Kam also has such a mind for politics. He has loved to discuss politics since he was in elementary school. He is passionate! I could totally see him running for office some day!

Tyler said that in Ailey he sees his dad's love of cooking. Despite being a part of the generation of men that didn't do much to help around the house or with the kids... Tyler's dad did love to cook. Ailey has been such a great cook/baker since she was very little. It lights a fire in her and she does such an amazing job! 

Tyler said that in Bryn he sees his dad's love of music. Tyler's dad played multiple instruments and was part of a barbershop quartet for many years. He loved classical music! So does Bryn. She loved to pick out the sounds of all the different instruments while listening to classical when she was a toddler...hence her desire to play the cello. She thought the cello had the prettiest sound. She also loves to play piano.

Lori said that in Tyler she sees these traits of their dad:

"Tyler is such an amazing father like Dad. He has such a great mind and can fix anything. He has Dad's great intelligence and different way of looking at things. Tyler has his love for having big family dreams. Just like Dad, Tyler knows what being a true friend is. Tyler has lifelong friends from childhood like Dad did! And... we ALL got his quick tongue and hot temper. LOL."

It's so neat to see the love that our kids have for a grandfather that they never had the opportunity to meet. His memory is so vibrant. Our kids tell stories about him and bring him up in conversations. He is alive in their hearts and they "know" him.

On another note... after dinner Reilly and Ailey had sisters night of going to get manicures. Reilly owed Ailey a manicure. I tried to invite myself along...no go. I guess Bryn and I will go together! LOL.

Day 209: 10-8-20 (Thursday)

The money funded from the sale of the Sagle house. Hallelujah! To celebrate we ordered our Peloton. I can't wait to join in on the *fun* with Kirk, Meki, Paul, and Whitney! My brother and his competitive spirit is going to kill me! LOL.

The girls had a dental appointments today. No cavities for Brynnie and one cavity for Ailey. Ugh. Tonight was also vendor night. Tyler and I grabbed dinner to-go from Cafe Rio in Coeur d' Alene. It was the most disgusting experience I have ever had. The conditions of the restaurant (and most especially the workers) was such a violation of COVID recommendations. It was repulsive. We ended up throwing our food away and I spent the rest of the night freaking out that we were going to get COVID! 

Day 210: 10-9-20 (Friday)

Speaking of COVID... I woke up this morning to the worried text from Reilly that two of her co-workers tested positive for COVID-19. Her office is small and she has been in direct contact with both of them. Scary. Both she and Hunter went and got a COVID test done. Now we are separated as a family once again while we wait for the test results to come back. We had a big family dinner planned for Sunday which is now cancelled. So frustrating! Will this ever end?! Day 210 people! Day 210!!

We got a call from our boat mechanic and the boat has been winterized. I am so glad that the inept person (my mom's annoying neighbor) that winterized it last year will no longer touching our boat! We parked it in our storage unit and put it to bed for the winter. Sadness.

Date night tonight was Hawaiian take-out and a night at the park. Perfection.

Email From Elder Johnson #11

 Sweater Weather

(Group Email: 10-5-20)

Hello... *tap* *tap* is this thing on?...

Ight cool...*clears throat*...

Howdy there folks, here you are back at it again reading another email from your favorite missionary in Minnesota, ya boy Elder Johnson. Now I apologize for the non-existent email last week...that one's on me 😬 but I'm back and better than ever.

The last two weeks have been awesome! I had the fantastic opportunity to go through the temple with the parents and it was such an amazing experience! The temple is an amazing place I would love to be able to go there more often! 

 The rest of the time has been not as exciting but nevertheless we still managed to have a party every single day! Even tho it do be getting colder...🥶

General Conference was such an amazing experience! Wowowow. Every talk there was something that stuck out to me. It's quite the experience to hear from a modern day prophet of God! The companions and I would be listening to a talk and then would frantically write down something they said and be like... This is something we could share with *instert someone we are teaching* so that was a super cool experience to be a part of! Elder Holland is a personal favorite of mine and something he said stuck out to me,

"One's life cannot be faith-filled and stress-free....Christianity is comforting, not always comfortable."

Think about that...

Anyway! I love you all! I hope everything is going fantastic. I miss you all a ton. Keep killin the game💯

-Elder Johnson

The district❤

The comps again cause we cute.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 201-205

 Day 201: 9-30-20 (Wednesday)

Today we hit the ground running! We are home from our trip and back at it. There was so much going on. No recovery day for us. I had a meeting with my new presidency at 1:30pm at the stake center. It went great! It seems like everyone in the family had somewhere to be today.

My old ward Primary presidency... I still haven't been released... all met at the church to put together a bunch of conference packets for our Primary kids. It was quite the production. But it felt good to be around my people again even in masks. Our kids came to help after mutual was over. It was actually a lot fun!

Day 202: 10-01-20 (Thursday)

Today is the first day of October and not much has changed. The kids still aren't in school, Tyler isn't back to work (in the office I mean), we aren't back to church, the temple isn't open. How much longer will this go on? 

Ailey and Bryn helped me deliver our fun primary conference packets filled with games and candy to all of our primary families. It was so good to see their cute little faces come to the door!

Then it was onto Coeur d' Alene for vendor night! My booth is doing great! Selling Selling Selling!

Day 203: 10-2-20 (Friday)

I decorated the house for Halloween. Everyone was pretty excited about that. Who knows what Halloween will look like this year? No parties? Maybe no trick-or-treating? Sounds grim. 

It was announced today that Trump and Melania have COVID-19. Social media is to be avoided after I saw so many people who posted that they hope he dies from it. Trump fan or not...what has happened to our humanity? I worry about the long term psychological effects of COVID and 2020. To wish death on another human being? You can hate him as a person and hate him as a president but to wish that he dies? To wish ill-will upon another human being just shows how much you hate yourself. It is sad.

In other sadness... Miss Beverly seems to have an ear infection. Poor dog! She has an appointment with the vet tomorrow.

We opened our Universal Yum Box for the month and the country was Columbia! We facetimed with Reilly and Hunter while we opened it and tried everything. She and Hunter had already opened theirs while we were out of town but they wanted to know what we liked and didn't like. These have been so enjoyable!

There was:

Mayonnaise flavored Potato Chips

Lime Plantains

Lemon/Lime Bacon Chips

Sweet Plantains

Cookies and Cream Nuggets

Quinoa and Himalayan Sea Salt Corn Puffs

Chocolate Coconut Wafer Bar

Coconut and Caramel Nuggets

Some kind of Sticky Fruit Bar

Gummy Penguins

Malted Chocolate Bar

Chocolate M & M type things that had a gummy bear inside

Passionfruit Lollipops

Coffee Flavored Toffee

The best thing was the weird lemon/lime bacon chips: 

They don't look particularly appetizing but they tasted delicious. Citrusy-Bacon? Good! Also the Passionfruit lollipops were really good! We also liked the Lime Plantains, Malted Chocolate Bar, Gummy Penguins (very cute but weird texture), and the M & M things with the gummy bears inside. Reilly said that they tasted just like YOGOs from her childhood. Remember those:

Reilly and Kameron used to love those and beg me to buy them. I had totally forgotten about them but when I tasted the Columbian candy I knew that it tasted like something that I had had before. I guess it was Yogos.

The worst thing was the coconut and caramel nuggets. I don't know how you can ruin two of my very favorite things but it happened. They tasted like vomit. The chewy fruit bar was a close second. Disgusting.

Today ended up being a nice relaxing day. Tyler grilled out on the deck and we enjoyed being home!

Day 204: 10-3-20 (Saturday)

Today was the first day General Conference! I have been so excited and looking forward to this! It did not disappoint. It was wonderful! We are a much smaller group sprawled out in the living room with blankets and pillows. This is the first time in A LONG TIME that we watched the Saturday Morning Session live. We always have had sports on Saturday mornings.

My favorite talks from the AM Session were given by: 

President Russell M. Nelson: "Moving Forward"

"During the past few months, a global pandemic, raging wildfires, and other natural disasters have turned our world upside down. I grieve with each of you who has lost a loved one during this time. And I pray for all who are currently suffering. Meanwhile, the work of the Lord is steadily moving forward. Amid social distancing, face masks, and Zoom meetings, we have learned to do some things differently and some even more effectively. Unusual times can bring unusual rewards."

"I pray that we as a people are using this unique time to grow spiritually...Through it all, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love us! They care for us! They and Their holy angels are watching over us. I know that is true."

Elder David A. Bednar: "We Will Prove Them Herewith" 

(He isn't often a favorite but I really liked his talk.) 

"Faithfulness is not foolishness or fanaticism. Rather, it is trusting and placing our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior, on His name, and in His promises."

Elder Quentin L. Cooke: "Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity" (I loved his talk on unity!)

Elder Dallin H. Oakes: "Love Your Enemies"

My favorite talks from the PM Session were given by:

Elder Steven J. Lund: " Finding Joy in Christ"

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "God Will Do Something Unimaginable"

"My dear friends, my beloved brothers and sisters, God will watch over and shepherd you during these times of uncertainty and fear. He knows you. He hears your pleas. He is faithful and dependable. He will fulfill His promises. God has something unimaginable in mind for you personally and the Church collectively—a marvelous work and a wonder."

"Brothers and sisters, with Christ at the helm, things will not only be all right; they will be unimaginable."

In between sessions Tyler and Bryn ran Beverly into the vet. It turned out that she had a yeast infection in her ear and just needed some ointment. Thank goodness.

Then we watched the Women's Session. My favorite talks were given by: 

Sister Sharon Eubank: "By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God" (She is a FAVORITE of mine!)

"Unity doesn’t magically happen; it takes work. It’s messy and sometimes uncomfortable."

President Russell M. Nelson: "Embrace the Future with Faith"

"The future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands."

"Let us not just endure this current season. Let us embrace the future with faith! Turbulent times are opportunities for us to thrive spiritually. They are times when our influence can be much more penetrating than in calmer times."

Today we stayed in our pajamas all day, ate snacks, and watched 3 incredible sessions of conference! Not a bad day!

Day 205: 10-4-20 (Sunday)

Today was day two of General Conference. Yesterday was a powerhouse of talks and testimonies. I woke up so excited to hear more!

My favorite talks from the AM Session were given by: 

President M. Russell Ballard: "Watch Ye Therefore and Pray Always" (This was awesome!)

Elder Neil L. Anderson: "We Talk of Christ" 

Elder Russell M. Nelson: "Let God Prevail"

"Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life? Will you allow His words, His commandments, and His covenants to influence what you do each day? Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other? Are you willing to let whatever He needs you to do take precedence over every other ambition? Are you willing to have your will swallowed up in His?"

"Therefore, the only way to survive spiritually is to be determined to let God prevail in our lives, to learn to hear His voice, and to use our energy to help gather Israel."

Another powerhouse session!!

In between sessions Tyler and the girls started cooking up the lefse. (It is actually a two day process.) Usually lefse is reserved for the holidays but since we were eating it on our trip we wanted more. LOL.

Lefse!

My favorite talks from the PM Session were given by 

Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "Waiting On the Lord" (He is my all time favorite apostle!)

"One's life cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free"

"Christianity is comforting but it is often not comfortable"

President Russell M. Nelson: "A New Normal"

"Today we often hear about “a new normal.” If you really want to embrace a new normal, I invite you to turn your heart, mind, and soul increasingly to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Let that be your new normal."

This General Conference was incredible and I am so grateful for their words of encouragement and faith!

One of my favorite Instagram accounts (@comefollowmestudy) summed up the themes of this General Conference: