Mouse Attack

Today at work we had a baby shower for one of the counselors named Cierra. It was at Sundays Best. We had permission to leave a bit early. It was fun and delicious. I got oatmeal. Mike texted later today and asked what I was doing. I sent him a picture. I was at the church park with Bear.

Bear

Mike played with a different sail today

Shannon

Shannon hopped on board for a bit while Steve was taking Brandon and his friends skiing. Glad Mike got some in person human interaction today! Stockton and Alyssa had quite the experience. A mouse woke them up when it ran under their sheets and across their legs. GROSS! We haven't had a mouse problem for a long time at the cabin and now Stockton & Alyssa experience this while on their honeymoon! Lame. And disgusting.

Sailing at Bear Lake

Mike spent the day sailing at Bear Lake. He went by himself. He knew Steve and Shannon would be there and thought this would be a good time to try his boat on Bear Lake. I stayed home and worked. Jorja had a date with someone named Dean to try lots of different burritos. Maysen stayed home and worked. Preston wasn't interested in going. Stockton is still at the cabin, but got 100% on his physics final today. Alyssa couldn't take hers because she forgot to bring her ID. They are going to meet her parents at Bear Lake on Friday and Alyssa will take her test there. It would be cool if Mike could meet up with Stockton and Alyssa while they are there. Mike sent me a lot of pictures. It sure is pretty!

Shannon sent me this picture ~ Mike on his boat

Mike sent me this picture the same time ~ Steve & Shan on their boat

I played Dominion with Mike

He played the 2nd game upstairs

What a beautiful world we live in!

Back to Parrydise

I took Stockton to Salt Lake for diving this morning. He has been driving quite a bit to do that! I finished packing when I got home. I didn't get as much finished as I wanted to. Hopefully my brothers and their families don't judge me! I took Preston with me and went to pick up Stockton. Jorja was getting a haircut, so she stayed behind with Mike. Bear was also getting a haircut, which is why I went ahead of Mike. Preston and I got Stockton and then headed straight to the cabin. We stopped in Evanston at Paffs and had carne asada fries. First time there. It was good except for the hand sanitizer that got squirted into my eye.

Mike let the ducks wander

Mike got to the cabin about an hour after we did. Bear took the front seat and Jorja was banished to the back. Maysen stayed behind. She is still not feeling well. We are hoping she is better by Wednesday and can come up for the second leg of our cabin trip.

Bear

Mike and I did a test run on Bear's fence. We were 5 seconds away when Bear came charging through the fence at full speed. There was one post that had just a bit more space and he found it. Haha. Mike moved six boards and fixed that. We tried again in the front yard and again.... 5 seconds until Bear found another spot. He is Houdini!  

Can you find the space that was too big?

Mike and I went to the grocery store. This is my first time in this store. It is a lot bigger than Alpine Market. Who would have thought that a bigger store would be built even closer? I took a picture of this "cake" It is cotton candy. I don't know how I feel about this!

Steve and Shannon and their family got here around 10:00. Shannon and Weston got here first. Steve, Erica, Brandon and Jacob were just a bit later. This is going to be a fun weekend!

Smith 4th of July

My teaching partner, Judy Bennett, was released at church today. She has been teaching this Sunday school class since before we moved in. That is a long time. She is now going to be doing activity days. I think she will be great at that. I don't know who my new partner will be yet.

Mike and I talked Maysen, Stockton and Jorja into going to the singles ward this week. They actually all really liked it. Yay! The ward is close by, starts later, and the talks/lessons will be more age appropriate. I'm sure they get bored when everything is about raising teenagers or grandkids. Haha

We went to the Smiths for hot dogs today. We had hot dogs and played games. Mike brought over Bunny Kingdom. Stockton played many ping pong games with Weston. Weston was victorious overall. He said Stockton won him right before he left on his mission and he was so mad, so he is glad he won right before his mission. Haha We ended the night playing Dictionary. One of Mike's favorite games to play when he was younger. It took a long time and was pretty fun. Preston ended up winning that one. We didn't do fireworks or anything, it just was a relaxing day.

Jordan River

Mike and I went to Salt Lake early this morning to drop off the Pilot. They put a hitch on it that will hopefully tow the boat. Steve is skeptical. Mike and Steve decided to do a test run with the boat next week. That way Steve will be there to help Mike if he needs it. I'm not sure if Steve is going to tow the boat or Mike. I know he told Mike that if it feels like he is towing jet skis then he would probably be okay.

Jorja is watching Madison's dogs for a few days. They gave her their garage opener to get in the house. I went with Jorja this morning. We got in the garage, but the door to inside the house was locked. That was a bit stressful. Madison's brother is staying in their basement with his girlfriend and their baby. We had to go through the basement door, say an awkward hi and head upstairs. Jorja spent a lot of time with the dogs trying to make sure they ate. There are three of them. We took them on a short walk as well.

Around noon we headed up to Steve and Shannon's. We were in swimsuits covered in sunscreen. We drove to one of their friends house. The Jordan River is right in their backyard. Just like it is right in Steve and Shannon's backyard. Steve and Shannon had twelve tubes for us to float on. We put the tubes in and the plan was to get out at their house. It was fun, but pretty slow. Also thorny. Steve, Brandon, Jorja and Preston all had their tubes pop. Preston floated down with Mike. Jorja floated with her life vest. Weston and I got separated from the rest. It was fun to float with him. He told me stories about getting lost hiking last week. Search and rescue had to be called. Weston was able to make it down the mountain, but the helicopter had to go get four of them. One of them was in really bad shape, but is okay now. Weston and I finished first. It took about three hours, I think. We didn't get out in their backyard, but a little bit away and walked. We put up our tubes. I washed off my feet and changed into clothes. Then I decided to wear Jorja's shoes and go back to look for the others. I had left my phone in the house but knew Mike and Jorja had theirs. I was using Find My Friends to try and find them. Steve saw me looking for them and pointed out where they were. They were getting out right then. Jorja was glad to have her shoes. She had been wearing mine, but Maysen had them now. Mike asked how Maysen was doing. I told him I hadn't seen her. That was the first clue something was wrong. Turns out Maysen and Anna (Smith's cousin on Shannon's side of the family) had missed the pull out spot. They were together and both were unfamiliar with where to get out. Mike and Steve jumped in a truck to go look for them. Weston took off on his bike. Weston found them. They were at about 114th. When Maysen came back she said that they were trying to figure out if they should get out. Maysen told Anna, "My mom will be waiting for me. She wouldn't let me float past." So, that was a good mom moment there. I don't know why I assumed that she was with someone who would know when to get out. At least I hurried back there to look for them. 

After the exhausting and fun day on the river, we had a barbecue. Jacob had done all the grilling while Mike and Steve were looking for the girls. That was nice. We were supposed to bring brownies and completely forgot. Doing great today!

Jorja and Weston

Preston and Jorja

We have left Bear home alone two times. Both were to go to Steve and Shannon's house. This was by far the longest time. He was soooo happy to see everybody when we got home. Everyone got sunburned way bad except Jorja. Probably because she had a bad sunburn a few months ago. We decided to have a relaxing fourth. We didn't go anywhere for fireworks. We also didn't want Bear to be alone, because he gets scared when he hears them. Jorja wanted to go out with her friends. She headed out to meet Kate somewhere. They met up with other friends. Listened to Janelle's brother's band play a concert, saw fireworks at a lookout point and a few other stuff I can't remember. I know she met up with Allison and Hailey. I think she met with Ben and his friends too. Anyway, she had a great time and got home at midnight. I found these pictures on her phone. I am NOT a fan of the first picture though.

Jorja

Jorja & Kate

Allison, Hailey, Kate, Jorja

When Jorja got home she came and found me and said, "I forgot to put away Madison's dogs!" Her plan was to go after the concert, which was the first thing she did that night. So, she headed over there at midnight. There was one accident she had to clean up, but she was able to make sure they were all okay. Glad the door wasn't locked this time!

Family Dinner

I woke my dad up early this morning and then we hit the road. We said goodbye to John and Renee last night. I didn't set an alarm, but I always wake up early. My dad wanted to stop by these statues on the way out of town. His friend Bruce Couch had told him about them. Bruce went on my dad's last church history trip with him. My dad has been their home teacher for years. My cousin Rozie is married to Bruce's brother. Anyway, we have never seen these statues before and they did look beautiful.

 My dad getting a closer picture

 Should I leave my dad and say I forgot he was taking a picture?

I was on a tour with my dad when he asked me to get out of the bus to take a picture of the new Kansas City Temple. I did what he asked and watched as the tour bus drove away. My dad claims he 'forgot' I was taking a picture.

I made it home in time for 10:30 church, which was great. We had dinner tonight at Steve and Shannon's house. All of Mike's siblings were there. Lisa is flying back to California tomorrow. Crazy Aunt Mona came, and it was great to see her. Her husband George is in the hospital right now. He had a really bad accident and they don't know if he will make it. He has hundreds of titanium plates in his face right now. Holly & Josh and their kids also came over. So fun to talk with them. One of her girls, I think one of her twins, was awesome at Code Names. She said 'revere' and got four picks. I can't remember what they all were. Things like revolution and horse. It was great.

Jorja hung out with Weston and Michael for a long time. Michael gave her a talking to about some of the boys she has liked in the past and it was awesome. Shannon wanted to take a serious picture of us posed the same.

Weston, Jorja, Michael, Stephanie

We were at Steve and Shannon's house until late. Such a great time! Sherry, Lisa and Michael were there pretty late too. Jacob and Weston are leaving on an HEFY trip on Tuesday. Jacob is going to Ecuador and Weston is going to Zimbabwe. Steve and Shannon will be empty nesters for a few weeks... so they are going to Hawaii.

Weston & Jorja

Sunset

Jorja's birthday is in a few days. I thought I was super prepared for this. The problem is, the thing I ordered (MONTHS AGO) and was planning to give her still hasn't come in. So... I need a new plan. Yesterday Jorja asked me if I still needed ideas for her birthday. She wanted some Hank Smith CDs. Jorja said, "I love Hank Smith. I want to be his best friend." Haha. I called Sam. She is his editor, so she is able to get his stuff for half price. That works for me! I spent the morning looking for a CD player to give her. (The advantage with being behind is I can write what I actually did and not ruin any birthday surprises.) I wanted to get a cheap little one. Except all the cheap ones did not have good reviews. Mike found a CD/DVD player that was the same price as the decent CD players. That is the one we chose. I hope she likes it. I hope it works well.

I met Shannon at the mall today. I hate shopping and I know I have no style. Shannon came to help me pick out a shirt for Jorja. I ended up finding a jacket at one of the stores. Shannon said it was perfect. I hope Jorja likes it. I was proud that I found and picked out the jacket by myself. Jorja lost her thin rust colored jacket at the Day for Youth event up at the University of Utah Institute. I have stopped by and called a couple of times. So far no luck in finding it.

I took Stockton, Preston, Gavin and Janelle to diving today. Stockton was getting tons of text messages on the way home about the sunset. We were in the pool area and missed it. Mike also texted me with pictures. It was really pretty.

Cliff Diving

Jorja still wasn't feeling well today, so I decided to stay back with her on the houseboat while everyone took the boat out for the day. Jorja worked on her homework and we watched Wonder Years. Shannon checked out Season 4 of Wonder Years from the library and everyone has loved watching it. It is funny because Season 4, Kevin is 14 and a 9th grader. Jorja and Weston are in that stage right now. Most of the people on the boat are on Team Madeline. That is because they missed seasons 1-3 and have yet to appreciate how awesome Winnie is. Anyway, it was funny to watch this show we watched as kids and to listen to everyone cheering and giving Kevin advice. Good times.

I asked Mike to take pictures if anyone went cliff diving. Here are a few he sent me.

Hayden, Kyle, Weston, Stockton, Brandon, Preston

Stockton

Preston

Shannon and I tied in a marathon game of Ticket to Ride. Too bad I had to use all my tunnels. We didn't play many games this trip. That usually doesn't happen.

Post of Vagueness

Shannon likes to give people money if they do random things. Usually Jorja is all over that, which is why she eats bugs. She wasn't feeling it today. Shannon told Brandon's friends she would give them $10 if they touched a duck. They never did.

Hayden trying to reach the duck

We spent most of the day on the lake. This was the only picture I could get of Jorja.

 Steve driving, Mike on the wakeboard

 Preston. He looks so tiny!

 Preston on the knee board. He looked like he was playing Mario Kart.

 He loved it out there.

 Stockton & Preston

 Weston, Stockton, Preston

 This is the one that finally dumped them.

 Kind of hard to stay on through that.

Steve and Shannon decided to leave the house boat in the dock and take day trips with the boat. This meant we had cell service. I was hoping we would be without cell service for a few days. I think it would have been better for Jorja if we were. Jorja was not herself today. She was sad, but she also didn't feel well either. After boating Jorja and I went in our room while I had her listen to the talk "Turn to the Lord" given by Bishop Waddell this last General Conference. (Thanks for reminding me about this one Shannon.) Here are a few of my favorite parts. "Although each 'change' may be unique to our individual circumstances, there is a common element in the resulting trial or challenge --hope and peace are always available through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ." "We cannot control all that happens to us, but we have absolute control over how we respond to the changes in our lives. This does not imply that the challenges and trials we face are of no consequence and easily handled or dealt with. It does not imply that we will be free from pain or heartache. But it does mean that there is cause for hope and that due to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can move forward and find better days." "Whatever change in life's circumstance may come our way, and whatever unexpected path we may have to travel, how we respond is a choice. Turning to the Savior and grasping His outstretched arm is always our best option." Bishop Waddell also talked about resources that are available to us. The obvious ones like scriptures, prayer, fasting, sacrament, temple, priesthood were all listed. He also added wise counseling through trained professionals and even medication, when properly prescribed and used as authorized. I don't think Jorja will need any medication, but I was glad that the counseling was mentioned. It helps take the stigma away. I hope I can find the perfect therapist for Jorja. Not for dealing with her break up with Isaac, but to help with her panic attacks. Hopefully if we deal with them now, they will go away and she won't suffer with them much longer. Jorja and I talked for a long time. She is going to be okay, she'll just be sad for a bit.

I am once again really behind on my blog. This time was because I didn't know exactly what to write on this post. I have thought and thought about what to say, and I have talked to one of the players involved in the incident about what would be appropriate to write. This is the reason the post is titled the 'Post of Vagueness'. Something that really bothered me happened tonight. This has nothing to do with Jorja. I wanted to add that since I have been talking a lot about her lately. I also want to note that I am not upset with any of the people on the boat. I am extremely upset with some strangers we met. I decided not to write any details about the incident. It is not my story to tell. I just want to note that there is a definite double standard when it comes to boys and girls. It is not right, it is not fair, and it is not okay.