Slight alteration on my monthly favorite things due to present circumstances. Obviously.
1.) Beverly Our Support Animal
This puppy has gotten so much love and affection and in return she has given us so much love, peace, and emotional support. Studies show that animals can help with the grieving process. I am here to say that it is true. Playing with, caring for, and petting animals increase the levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Miss Beverly has been super helpful and we all just can't get enough of her plus she humors us by sometimes wearing clothes and thinking that she is a human and not a dog. 2.) Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Sometimes you just need mindless reality tv and this is my show of choice. Watching someone other than my own siblings argue was quite soothing. Plus I have not been able to read much which has been a really crappy side effect of stress and grief. 3.) Long Walks/Work Outs
I cannot stress enough how much exercise has helped me this month. Long walks and hard workouts have been my saving grace. Tyler walks with me nearly every day (I feel like a dog needing its daily walk but it is true) and I have been able to process my emotions, feelings, frustrations, and thoughts. It is my favorite part of the day. Beyond being extremely helpful it has been necessary to keep me healthy mentally and physically.
4.) My Friends
This part makes me cry. Like beyond cry...more like ugly sob. I cannot even express the gigantic outpouring of love that has come my way in the last two months. It is staggering and humbles me to the core. I knew that I had great friends but... wow...they are incredible! Within the tiniest fraction of time after hearing the news that my mom had passed away my kitchen was full of my friends who were organizing meals, carpool, rides to and from sports and activities, and all of our kids extracurricular activities. So many of my friends comforted our kids and made them laugh as they organized everything down to the most minute detail. Tyler and I were with my siblings...trying to cope... and these amazing friends went around me... (I didn't even know it was happening) and had my life and my family's lives under control. So many sweet friends took the most amazing care of our family for weeks. WEEKS! They refused to stop and they wouldn't take no for an answer. I am so grateful! I cannot even say how many friends have come and cried and sat with me in my grief. We have been well cared for and well loved. It inspires me to be a better friend and a better human being in return. I am so grateful to be surrounded and buoyed up by so many wonderful people.
5.) Lounge Wear From Costco
The week after my mom died I went to Costco. I don't even know why; we had food and meals delivered for weeks but I needed something and apparently it was this lounge set. Listen... grief does not want to wear snug fitting jeans or anything with a restrictive waist band. Grief and stress need comfy stretchy pants and soft comfy shirts. I got this set in charcoal. Get a pair! You will thank me.
Despite that terrible and horrible fact...and as hard as it is to believe...life went on. How dare it? But it did. School, seminary, and activities were still happening and we went on. We had some very hard days in September but we also found some pockets of joy in it as well.
Dance Team was going strong!
Homework was back and nobody was thrilled about it. This is what our kitchen table looks like nearly every afternoon.
Ailey and Bryn decided that they didn't want boring lunches anymore so they started planning creative lunches and food prepping on the weekends. Go for it.
(Let the record state that Reilly and Kam ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit, and pretzels every day of their school lives and never once complained. These are some high maintenance girls. LOL.)
Reilly and I decided to schedule monthly lunch dates. There are several places we like to lunch at that are near her work. This particular day she had to take her car into the shop so we had all afternoon to shop and play. We had a great time! I am excited to have more one-on-one time with this grown up daughter of mine.
Cross Country started up for Bryn. This year she was again running for her school team and her city team. XC took the biggest hit after my mom passed away. Bryn missed a lot of practices and several meets. She missed both qualifying meets for All-City because they were happening when we had family in town and things going on for my mom's services. Brynnie was a TROOPER about all of that. She didn't complain once even though I know that she was pretty disappointed missing out on All-City. But at all the meets that she was at... she kicked butt!
XC meet for school.
XC city meet.
This year Bryn's coach was our friend Tim. He used to be our bishop before our ward divided. He was a great coach and Bryn really loved having him coach her. Tim was also Kam's seminary teacher last year. LOL.
We had all kinds of weather for Bryn's meets... sun, rain, and SNOW! Yes, it snowed in September. Ugh... if things weren't depressing enough...it freaking snowed in September for several days and it stayed around for about a week on the ground. The news said that Spokane only had two months this year without snow. July and August. HOW DEPRESSING.
We went to the Fair! This year Reilly and Kameron planned to go with their love interests so it was just the four of us. We had a lot of fun seeing all of the sights, riding the rides, and eating all of the fair food!!
Our favorite food this year was scoops of cookie dough. It was delicious in all of its flavors!
Our favorite event was a crazy Pirate High Diving Show. It was AWESOME! The show itself was super cheesy but the divers were diving from 80 ft. high platforms into a tank of water. It was pretty impressive!
Ailey loved the giant Ferris Wheel as usual. LOL.
We had a great time!!
Bryn took a field trip with her activity day girls to the temple. They got a tour of the grounds and learned a lot. My friend Amy sent me all of these beautiful pictures.
We had Back-to-School Night at the high school and Ailey's ProStart class catered the event and it was delicious! Ailey also looked super adorable in her chef's jacket.
Ailey is also in a cooking club after school. Local chefs come and teach the kids all kinds of cool cooking techniques. She LOVES IT. Ailey wants to be a dietitian and is so into all of this stuff!! And... I finally got the mysterious recipe for the punch they serve every year. It is SO GOOD!
Ailey got new Dance Team pictures:
Ailey is on the front row...5th from the left
Look who has grown and matured! She doesn't look like the dance team's little sister any more! Ha Ha!
Kameron finally finished up all of his dental work. His tooth implant was finally completed and the crown put on the morning of the day that my mom died. The week after Labor Day Kam went to Priest Lake with his girlfriend and her parents. He had a great time! He spent most of this month working hard, completing all of his mission paper work, and getting all of his interviews done.
The week before my mom died I found out that my BFF (from childhood and Springdell), Naomi's mom, the beloved Mrs. Winkler had passed away. Tyler and I were planning to leave the next day for Utah to attend Mrs. Winkler's funeral the day that my mom died. How very weird was that? My last conversation with my mom was talking about Mrs. Winkler and how many of our Springdell neighbors are gone now. The timing of both Naomi and I losing our moms a week a part was super strange although it did help to be going through all of this at the same time as one of my dearest friends.
The rest of the month was consumed with grief and family and plans and all that comes with something like this... it was a hard second half of September and October was brutal as well. We are now 5 days into November and things are still hard not just with losing my mom but with something else that is hard and scary that came up in October. We are hanging in there but life hasn't been easy and prayers are still very much appreciated.
Since life changed drastically on Sept. 13th it has been hard to know what to write or to post. Everything I need to write about seems heavy and hard and yet I really miss blogging. I am posting some of my old posts that I wrote but never got around to posting. Eventually I will post about losing my mom...maybe in bits and pieces. We are doing okay under the circumstances but it has been a hard and difficult 5 weeks. Here's something a bit more cheery. 1.) My Flowers
I grew these!!
My roses have been truly spectacular this year! Especially my white rose bush. The previous owners of our house had a few rose bushes planted when we moved in. None of the roses were scented. That is a travesty. I have done my best to plant many highly fragrant rose bushes since we bought our house. This white rose has been one of my least favorite rose bushes...no scent and mediocre blooms...but in the last few years the old girl has been surprising me. This year she knocked my socks off with her profusion of blooms. Maybe they don't have a fragrance but they sure look pretty.
This was just one stock/cane. I had huge clusters of gorgeous white roses all over this rose bush. It was a beautiful sight to see. I am hoping for another big bloom before the cold weather kicks in.
2.) Weight Training
Like I mentioned in my August post, Tyler and I have started weight training at the gym and we are loving it. I used to be really good about it but in the last year or so I have really slacked with weight lifting. Tyler doesn't love the gym and prefers to exercise outside but we made a goal to add weight training to our workouts several times a week and it has been great!
3.) Lake Days with the Little Girls
I guess Ailey isn't so little anymore but whenever Tyler and I refer to our two groups of children we always refer to our youngest two as "The Little Girls". Kam has worked so much and Reilly works full time and Tyler has had a busy summer with work so it has just been me and the "little girls" at the lake. We have had so much fun picking out our food for our "dock lunch", enjoying the water all day, doing some work around the property for my mom, and then getting a treat on the way home. (The girls only get a treat if they do work for Grandma....and they always want a treat!) 4.) DQ Dipped Cones
Our family loves DQ dipped cones. THIS is the treat of choice for Ailey and Bryn on our lake days. Lucky for us we go right by one on our way home. Ailey and Tyler love the chocolate. Bryn and I love the cherry. Reilly and Kam love the butterscotch. (I really like that one too!) This summer they had a creamsicle dipped cone and it was delicious too!
5.) Daiquiri Ice at the Grocery Store
This was perhaps the TRUE highlight of the summer!! Our family's VERY FAVORITE ice cream is Daiquiri Ice from Baskin Robbins. Imagine our joy when Kam called late one night while he was on a date to tell us that he had found it at Albertsons!! Now I know that Baskin Robbins has had some of their ice cream flavors available in the grocery store but never Daiquiri Ice!! Tyler immediately went and purchased a whole bunch. We texted Reilly who immediately went to the store near her and purchased a whole bunch. Happiness!!
A funny story about Daiquiri Ice and my Grandma Ellersick:
When we were kids we used to come up from Utah without our parents and would spend a month at the lake every summer with our grandparents. My grandparents were big ice cream fans and big Baskin Robbins fans. When we would stay out at the lake, our cousin Tania who lived in Spokane, would also come out and stay at the lake too. Often when we would go into Coeur d' Alene, which we usually did about once a week, our grandparents would take us to get ice cream. We always wanted Daiquiri Ice, our favorite, but my grandma (a devout Mormon) REFUSED to allow us to get it. By "us" I mean me and my siblings. My cousin Tania WAS allowed to order it any time she liked and did so! She would even kick it up a notch by ordering an additional scoop of Jamoca Almond Fudge which "we" also weren't allowed to get. When I asked my grandma about this injustice she replied with, "Tania, doesn't go to church." I reminded her that NEITHER DID WE!! She replied, "Well you ARE a member of the church whether you go or not and you should KNOW BETTER!!" She never allowed us to order Daiquiri Ice our entire childhoods. Lucky for us... Tania (daughter of an atheist) would sneak us a few tastes when our grandma wasn't looking. She must have thought that either there was some kind of alcohol in the ice cream or that it would give us a *taste* for the real thing! Now my grandparents on our other side (also devout Mormons) and UTAH MORMONS at that....let us order it any time we wanted. Too funny!!
This book was the perfect summer beach, poolside, or in my case. lake side read! It also got me out of my book slump. Where are all of the five star books these days?! They are getting harder and harder to find. This book was one for me. I loved it! From Goodreads:
In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society. But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph’s enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda’s caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades. Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same—determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved . . . even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.
The story takes place on Winthrop Island off of the coast of Long Island. A place where the wealthy come to spend the summer. It is a family saga and one full of mystery and secrets. I loved the juxtaposition of life on the island for the privileged summer residents and the local Islanders with their complicated dynamic and class struggle.
I thought the writing was fantastic. It was elegantly and luxuriously written. It is a slow burn mystery and the story unfolds gradually. It keeps you turning the pages as you jump from timeline to timeline. Williams writes fluidly and her descriptions are dreamy. The characters are well-developed and memorable. I really loved all of the characters even the most flawed ones.
The novel is extremely atmospheric! I loved the setting of the island, light house, country club, and the old summer estates. The author uses a triple timeline to tell the story and it spans 40 years...from the 1930s to 1970. It was so interesting. I enjoyed all of the timelines equally which is pretty rare for me. Usually there is always one I dislike.
I especially loved all of the background details. They were superb for this vintage loving girl. Everything was so vivid. The estates, the club, the decor, the fashion, the parties, and the food. That was such a treat! It was definitely a book to get caught up in. It was entertaining and absorbing. I loved the sense of nostalgia that was evoked; a great sense of times-gone-by. I needed a fun summer page-turner and this was it! I look forward to reading more of Beatriz Williams' novels in the future. My Rating: I loved it!
2.) Savoring the Season with Our Best Bites
I enjoy the Our Best Bites cookbooks. I think the recipes are easy and delicious. My daughters ages 14 and 10 are enjoying trying the recipes in this book. So far so good!
My Rating: Good
3.) The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell
This is book #5 in The Last Kingdom/Saxon Stories series. I loved it. Mainly because our hero Uhtred is back however briefly with the Danes...and his adopted brother Ragnar! I love their relationship and dynamic. Five stars for that!
From Goodreads:
The enemy is massing on the borders, a united force for once. The king, a man of many victories, is in failing health, and his heir is an untested youth. Uthred, the king's champion, leads his country's forces to war, but his victory is soured by personal tragedy and by the envy of the king's court. So he breaks with the king and takes off for the land of his birth, determined to resist all calls for his return. That is, until one unexpected request...
I love Cornwell's mix of history and fiction. This is an engaging read. I enjoyed it much more than book #4. It is fast-paced and, as always, battle-heavy but this book had more dialogue and character development which I loved. Of course, I will always wish for more page time with my favorite characters...Ragnar, Father Pyrlig the warrior-priest, Finan, and now Aethelflaed. Uhtred continues to be a fascinating and unforgettable narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am now reading book #6.
My Rating: Great historical fiction!
4.) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
This was my book club pick for July 2019. This was a 2nd read for me. I read it once before maybe 15 years ago. I liked it then but I liked it even more now. C.S. Lewis is a genius. His writing...all of it...not just this book is so moving, profound, and thought-provoking. It is always something to be savored. This book is no different. From Goodreads:
A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life from the vantage point of Screwtape, a senior tempter in the service of "Our Father Below." At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C. S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging and humorous account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.
This is satire at its finest. The writing is superb as you would expect from C.S. Lewis. Despite being written in 1942 it is still so incredibly relevant for our day. This is definitely a book to buy, annotate, and revisit every few years.
My Rating: Fantastic! An insightful and enduring classic.
5.) Recursion by Blake Crouch
I absolutely love the the subject matter of Blake Crouch's novels. They are always interesting and trippy: alternate universes, quantum physics, time, false memories, choices...they are page-turning, thought-provoking, suspenseful, sci-fi thrillers. I really enjoyed Blake Crouch's other book Dark Matter and couldn't wait to get my hands on Recursion. This is a super fun mind-bendy addictive read! Tyler and I both read this and loved it. The very best part was discussing it!!
From Goodreads:
Memory makes reality.
That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
Crouch's books suck me in immediately. They are full of all of the twisty, bending, mind-blowing concepts that my little conspiracy theory loving self thoroughly enjoys reading about. His books are super readable and enjoyable. I flew through the first half and couldn't put it down. My only complaint (and I had it with Dark Matter too) is that the last 1/3 of the book becomes a bit bogged down as the author attempts to wind up the story. In my opinion, endings aren't Crouch's strong suit but despite that his books are crazy, interesting, terrifying, captivating, and great fun! Netflix is adapting this book and I can't wait to watch! My Rating: A super fun, thrilling, mind-bending, and unforgettable read.
6.) Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
I typically don't read much YA. It is a genre that is hit or miss for me. High school romance just isn't my thing. LOL. But...occasionally...and when a recommendation comes from a trusted source...I read it. This was just what I was hoping for...a quick fun read. Sort of along the lines of To All the Boys I've Loved Before but darker and more edgy.
From Goodreads:
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help? It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son. In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?
The book talks about being the new kid at school, sex, death, loneliness, bullying, and family dysfunction in ways that are relatable and genuine. Even better... there was some depth, no love triangle, and it is not part of a series. Just a fun stand-alone-book that deals with some of life's real issues.
My Rating: Good. It was funny, sad, and sweet with a fairly predictable ending.
7.) Class Mom by Laurie Gelman
This was recommended as a fun summer read on a book podcast that I love called Currently Reading. It sounded like just what I was looking to read in the waning weeks of summer.
From Goodreads: Jen Dixon is not your typical Kansas City kindergarten class mom--or mom in general. Jen already has two college-age daughters by two different (probably) musicians, and it's her second time around the class mom block with five-year-old Max--this time with a husband and father by her side. Though her best friend and PTA President sees her as the-wisest-candidate for the job (or oldest), not all of the other parents agree. From recording parents' response times to her emails about helping in the classroom, to requesting contributions of-special-brownies for curriculum night, not all of Jen's methods win approval from the other moms. Throw in an old flame from Jen's past, a hyper-sensitive -allergy mom,-a surprisingly sexy kindergarten teacher, and an impossible-to-please Real Housewife-wannabe, causing problems at every turn, and the job really becomes much more than she signed up for.
This is a fun snarky read especially if you have had any experience with children in elementary school, classroom volunteering, helicopter parents, and Parent/Teacher groups. I also liked it because it takes place in Kansas City...where I went to high school... although some better editing could have happened. Overland Park is on the Kansas side not the Missouri side. I lived in Overland Park and that REALLY bugged me! But it was the perfect quick read right before the kids go back to school. Jen the main character's class mom emails were hilarious! Some may think that they were a bit over the top but I have a friend who talks just like Jen and as I read the book I heard her voice and it made me laugh even more. My Rating: Pure mom chick-lit but a fun end of summer read.
8.) Maybe You Should Talk To Someone By Lori Gottlieb
I heard about this book from the Laura Tremaine podcast 10 Things to Tell You and it sounded intriguing. A peek behind the scenes look into the world of therapy and therapists. I couldn't wait to dive in!
From Goodreads:
One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but. As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients' lives -- a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can't stop hooking up with the wrong guys -- she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell. With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is revolutionary in its candor, offering a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.
This book was super interesting and insightful. A therapist talking about her own experiences and sessions with her patients (some details were changed for confidentiality) as well as discussing working on her own issues with her own therapist. I was entranced. I loved seeing therapy from both sides of the experience.
Mental health advocacy is a conversation that needs to happen. The stigma surrounding therapy needs to be demystified and eradicated. This book does a great job doing that and normalizing it.
A compassionate, thought-provoking, humorous, and at times heart-breaking read. I am so glad that I read this book.
My Rating: Great!
9.) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
This was my book club's pick for August 2019. Confession: I have never read one single book about Sherlock Holmes. Mystery isn't my genre. So although this book wasn't written by Arthur Conan Doyle I was intrigued to read and find out what all the Sherlock Holmes hoopla was about.
From Goodreads:
Long retired, Sherlock Holmes quietly pursues his study of honeybee behavior on the Sussex Downs. He never imagines he would encounter anyone whose intellect matched his own, much less an audacious teenage girl with a penchant for detection. Miss Mary Russell becomes Holmes' pupil and quickly hones her talent for deduction, disguises and danger. But when an elusive villain enters the picture, their partnership is put to a real test.
This book falls snugly into the cozy British mystery category which I guess if I am going to read a mystery this would be the type I would typically read. I loved the first half of the book. The character development was wonderful. The prose superb. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes banter and dry wit was an unexpected pleasure. (Are all the Sherlock Holmes book infused with humor?) I enjoyed the dynamic and dialogue of these two unlikely partners immensely.
I lost my enthusiasm half way through the book. The second half was a slog for me. I kept asking myself...how many more mysteries are Mary and Sherlock going to solve before this book is over? I also thought the biggest mystery was a bit anticlimactic and built upon other case histories of which I had no prior knowledge. Plus, the whole trip to Palestine?! What?! Why are we here...it slowed the action down completely not to mention talked about things/adventures/cases that occurred off canvas. What was the point?
I thought the book was interesting and definitely more character driven than the typical British detective novel. I liked the protagonist Mary Russell and her odd and unique relationship with Sherlock Holmes. Do I like these characters enough to read the next book in what is a 15 book series? No. It is one and done for me.
My Rating: Okay, if you like British Detective Novels. 10.) Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
This is book #6 in the Last Kingdom/Saxon Stories series. I am going to stop here for awhile because I love the TV show The Last Kingdom and I don't want to get ahead of the TV series. I really enjoy both the TV series and the book series.
From Goodreads: As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices. King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. Uhtred's loyalty - and his vows - were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king's warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred's dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.
This book was good in that there is finally *some* resolution in the series. Uhtred is older now and more mature and in an interesting stage of life. He is still the sword and shield of the Saxons. He is still the ultimate bad-A warrior. Uhtred is one of my favorite book characters. He is complicated, ruthless, and always enjoyable.
This is a blog post that I didn't think I would be writing for another 15-20 years. On Sept. 13th my beautiful mom unexpectedly passed away. She died from a pulmonary embolism while she was on a business trip to Boise. We are devastated and heartbroken...the shock has worn off... and reality has set in. If you could say a prayer for our family we would really appreciate it.
This month we tried to squeeze in as many lake days as we possibly could before school started at the end of the month. The weather was pretty cooperative which was nice! Things have been calmer this month all around and that has been great!
Tyler and I set a goal this month to add weight training back into our workouts and we have both LOVED it! I am a total gym goer but Tyler...not so much. We found a time to do it that works for both of us and it has been really fun getting back into it. Plus, muscle memory is awesome...unlike losing fat...you see results pretty quickly.
Here's some of what happened in August:
Ailey drives!!
Ailey is now 15 which means she can take Drivers Ed. She wanted to practice driving before she takes the class this fall. This is Tyler's job! I can barely watch let alone be in the car with our children as they learn to drive. This was Ailey's first time behind the wheel and she did great! Dare I say it...much better than the first time both Reilly and Kameron drove the car. Tyler only sustained slight whiplash with her first attempts at braking! LOL. We let her practice in Kam's car (we're no fools) and at the middle school parking lot one Sunday afternoon.
The Return of Date Nights!
With things a bit calmer this month and no travel; Tyler and I were able to have some fun date nights and we even saw a movie! The first movie date in a long time. Date nights with cotton candy too? Even better.
My friend, Annie, recommended this movie to me and she was right! We LOVED it!! It was so good and absolutely hilarious!!
Mission Prep!
Kameron filled out his online mission application forms. We are now waiting on his dental situation. He still has to have his crown put on and get the all clear from his dentist. He also just finished up several months of PT on his knees and hip and needs to get his physical form signed by his doctor. Slowly but surely his is making progress. He is getting antsy as all of his friends have left for either their missions or for college this week.
More Lake Days!
The girls and I had another lake day! We LOVED these!
Like mother like daughter! LOL.
Author Nights!
One of Ailey's favorite books is Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Chin. She read it in 6th grade and absolutely loved it! She wanted Bryn to read it this summer and Bryn did and loved it too. Bryn had just finished reading it when I saw that the author Grace Lin was coming to Spokane to speak. We had to go!
It turned out to be such a fun night! I love going to hear authors speak. It is one of my very favorite things to do! Tyler likes it too so even he came along. I love having a husband who is a reader and who "gets" it.
Grace Chin was wonderful and the girls adored getting to meet her and getting their book signed. It was quite exciting!! After that we went out for ice cream and had a fun night together.
School Shopping!
This year we got a jump start on our back-to-school shopping. That never happens. One day we did all the school supply shopping which is always a nightmare on its own and went out for lunch.
(We actually went out to lunch a couple of times this month. That was a fun treat to do with the girls. It was nice having a little more down time.)
Later in the month we did the back-to-school clothes and shoe shopping. Breaking it up into two different days in two different weeks was so nice and much less frantic. Perhaps it was also only having to do the back-to-school shopping for two now. It was weird...and pretty quick!
Dinners on the deck!
We especially enjoyed dinners outside on the deck with the patio lights and candles. We ate outside quite a lot this month and loved it. It was so relaxing to eat, have good conversations, linger over dinner, then move to the lounge chairs, and look up at the stars all while talking to my favorite peeps and cuddling a cute puppy. Reilly came over a couple of nights by herself and it was great to catch up with her and to hear all that is going on in her life.
Girls Days!
We went to Coeur d' Alene quite a bit this month. My mom partially retired from the vintage business meaning that she will no longer do shows but she has a booth at our friend Megan's antiques store called Midtown Market in Coeur d' Alene. They were moving their store to a larger location so one day Kelley and I met my mom and helped her move all of her stuff to the new location and then we went out for sushi. A couple of days later that same store had a big grand opening and Ailey, Bryn, and I met my mom for another girls day which was a lot of fun!
We went out to lunch at one of my favorite places...Woops Bakery. It is so cute!
I love the black and white decor!!
Even More Lake Days!
This year we came out a bunch during the week...not just on the weekends... and that was so nice and relaxing. We were able to do a bunch of paddleboarding and not have to worry about dodging boats.
Car Repairs!
Coming back home from the lake on this particular day our Suburban broke down which was quite the adventure. It was in the shop for over a week. Multiple mechanics could not figure out what was wrong with it and had to bring in two specialists from other shops to try to figure out the issue. We had a very expensive repair and got quite a few things repaired that weren't the cause of our initial issue. We have never had mechanics not be able to figure out what was wrong before. It was quite the mystery. They did eventually figure it out and gave us a bit of a discount for the amount of time it took to do so. Good grief. Cars are such a pain sometimes.
Walking Beverly!
We have spent A LOT of time walking Bev! She has so much energy to burn. Good thing she likes to go for long walks and is doing great! She's up to three miles now!!
Three Miler Bev!!
Bryn is a very proud puppy mama!
(Bryn has also spent all summer in braids and space buns and I am all for it! Summer hair don't care!)
Dance Team started up again!
Toward the end of the month dance team started up and Ailey had practice nearly every day of the week! Their choreography weeks were pretty intense but Ailey enjoyed it and seems happy to be back despite it being the harbinger of the upcoming school year. Funky Junk Prep!
This is a fun show that I look forward to every year! So while the summer was winding down for the kids it was also winding down for me as my work picked up again.
Tyler assisting me with my thrifting! This finger was purchased...for Kam. LOL. Family joke...every time I see it in his room I laugh!
We literally tried to be at the lake as much as possible on any day that we didn't have something going on.
Bryn looking entirely too grown up these days...and with the infamous space buns!
Many traditional jumping shots were taken and perfected during our lake days:
In addition to that fabulous jumping...LOL...Bryn also got really good at diving and paddleboarding. Both she and Ailey had so much fun out on the water this summer!! Then all too quickly it was time to go back to school...
And then there were two!
It was very weird only getting two kids out the door for the first day of school. We were also really missing Kam because last year he drove he and Ailey to and from school and seminary. This year I will be driving once again. Ailey doesn't turn 16 until the end of June so no driving this year for her except with us in the car. Boo. Kids driving does have its perks!
This year Bryn wanted more of a Max from Stranger Things sporty/skater look for her back-to-school clothes this year. Also she was trying out not wearing headbands. LOL. She came home and said that no one recognized her without her headband!! Too funny. She has worn them once or twice since school started. She really likes them and they are hard to give up!
Ailey went slightly dressier as she likes to do!
Bryn did want us to accompany her into the school and we were glad that she still let us! Although she did NOT allow me to take a picture of her at her desk this year. :(
Bryn was so happy to get our family's favorite teacher Mrs. A. We love her so much! She taught Kam and Ailey and Reilly rotated into her classroom for different subjects too when they used to do that. We have known her for so many years and adore her. When we walked in she ran over for hugs and said "The Last of the Mohicans!" She promised not to retire before Bryn got her and she has fought hard (and continues to fight hard not to do it). She was diagnosed with cancer over the summer and will have a team teacher for the days that she has and recovers from treatment. Mrs. A is a force to be reckoned with and this cancer doesn't stand a chance.
After the school drop off Tyler and I went out for breakfast as is our tradition. This year we had a little friend with us! Right after school got out the three of us headed up to Sandpoint, Idaho to set up for Funky Junk which was that weekend.
Funky Junk!
This was the theme for the show this year. It is always Labor Day weekend and that is the weekend that my brother Kirk and his family usually come to town which makes it extra fun! I did this show by myself (and with Tyler) which was extra extra fun!!
This was the entry display this year. I loved it! Vintage forestry items...very cool!
The show was great and I made good money so that's even better. But I have to say that the highlight of the show were a few of my favorite customers!! LOL.
Kirk, Ramon, my nephew Tarren, Meki, and Jordin
Look what happens when your brothers are let loose at your vintage show!!
Even your nephew gets put to work! Ha ha!
Labor Day Weekend!
This was such a great weekend...one of the best! We stayed out at the lake with Kirk and Meki and their family. Reilly and Hunter came out each day. Jordin and Ramon and their kids were out as well. It was such a fun and enjoyable weekend!! NO DRAMA!! I loved it! It was good to see Kirk and Meki again especially after last month and all that they have been going through. It was nice to just have some darn fun for once!!
The weather was absolute perfection!!
On Saturday of Labor Day weekend my cousin Kellen and his family came to stay. This was actually quite momentous. As I have mentioned before when my Grandma died it was like a bomb going off that destroyed my extended family. She died two years ago and my extended family has been estranged for those two years. Since then we have had very little contact with our cousins, aunts, and uncles. The lake house was sold to my mom and it became her permanent residence which meant that my aunts and uncles got paid their share of the sale of the home and property but it was no longer a vacation home for everyone. A lot of other crap went down as well and a lot of damage done. My heart broke for my cousins who love this place as much as I do and who haven't been able to come out and stay.
Kellen is my mom's sister's son. My mom and her sister have a somewhat tumultuous relationship but Kellen has been good to reach out and has made a point to see my mom when he is in the area. Last year we all met up for lunch at the Daft Badger with two of my uncles and things were a little awkward but I was glad that we made the effort to do so. Then when I was in Utah Kirk and I decided on a whim to go and watch Kellen race. Kirk went again another time and saw two more of our cousins...two of Kellen's brothers... and all of that helped to make the weekend possible.
Kellen and Kirk
I think Kellen said it best in his Instagram post so I am going to quote it here: “It’s just a house. The last few years I have said that over and over to myself. I spent most of my childhood summers in this house. I always figured the memories I cherished were based off of the people they were made with, not the building they occurred in. That’s partially true. My aunt bought the place when granny died. I was unsure if and how that would change the feel. We were lucky enough to come out yesterday afternoon to spend a few days here again. Brains are interesting. As I turned down the hill toward the cabin I was 8 years old again flooded with memories. We got out of the truck and were greeted by some of the same cousins from my earliest memories. We’ve laughed in the same spots as always. We had boats filled with kids enjoying watching and trying new things. Steve was at the wheel of his old boat driving and coaching the 2nd and 3rd generations of this family how to ski and foot. We had funny, serious and reminiscent conversations on and around the dock as always. Laughed about getting yelled at for swimming past the “Long Dock.” We skipped rocks until our arms were shot. We enjoyed great food and drink. Sitting in the office I can still hear, “I was wondering!” In Pops’s voice. We tucked our kids into the same bunk beds we slept in as kids. Currently I am relaxing listening to the loud comforting hum of the light outside the sleeping porch... It is just a house, But damn I love the memories it brings back and new memories it’s helping create. I am already looking forward to next time..."
The lake house should still be filled at times with our aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children. I understand how hard this situation has been for our cousins. It would be agonizing for me too. I am just so glad that some healing has occurred with a few of our cousins and it gives me hope that it can happen with the rest of our cousins over time too. In fact, one of my cousins texted me yesterday to say that she would be in town and wanted to meet up. She will also stay at my mom's house for a night. Progress.
Lola (Kellen's daughter) and Bryn had so much fun together! It was instant love! Isn't that amazing? It's been several years since Bryn has seen Lola and it was like they had never been apart. They loved their cousin-ness. They also thought that they looked just like sisters and kept asking me to take their pictures. They also wanted their hair done the same way each day. Thanks Ailey! You are a trooper! It was so cute to watch them have so much fun together.
Lola, Bryn, Ailey, Oliver, Kirin, and Kaiya
Ailey and Kaiya also had a great time being back together!! I am so glad that we did that crazy Texas trip! We made so many great memories that we were dying laughing about while all together again. It was so nice to be with Kirk and Meki again and to be able to relax and laugh.
I just can't say enough Labor Day. We had such an incredible weekend! Family, good friends, the lake, Funky Junk, Coeur d' Alene, cousins, cousins, and more cousins. There was a lot of love, good talks, and laughing until I was crying more times than I can count! Not to mention boating, tubing, wakeboarding, barefooting, skiing, kayaking, paddleboarding, swim competitions, late night talks on the dock, shooting stars, and we even saw the Northern Lights!
On Labor Day Monday we met up with even more family which was so fantastic! My cousin Paul and his family were also in town. Tyler and I and the kids (Hunter included) met them at the Coeur d' Alene Resort for brunch. We had such a great time! After that we all met up with Kirk and Meki and family, Jordin and Ramon and family, and my mom.
Quinn and Zoey joined in on the cousins fun!!
Later we went and ate at Hudsons Hamburgers which was my grandpa's favorite place to go. It brought back a lot of great memories!!
Yes, we ordered cheeseburgers and buttermilk just like Grandpa!!
Then it was back to the lake for more swimming, boating, and fun! Kellen left that morning but Kirk and Meki didn't leave until Tuesday so we got in one more day with all of them.
Hunter in his lake outfit...LOL.
Bryn tried wakeboarding for the first time this weekend and got up on her first try! That was super exciting! She loved it! Ailey is also getting to be a good wakeboarder too. They had a blast on the water. I wish I took more pictures. So many memories were made and shared with people that I love! Not a bad way to end the summer!!
It is hard to believe that it is already September...
I am a stay-at-home mom and small business owner. I have four FANTASTIC kids: Reilly (29), Kameron (25), Ailey (21), and Bryn (17). I have been married to my amazing husband Tyler for 31 years. We are also grandparents to four cute grandkids and another on the way!
