Fun stuff

 Here's some other things for September.  Alex and I got to attend the temple again.  They just opened it up again, by appointments.  It takes a little extra planning to schedule and follow an appointment instead of just walking in, but it also puts the visit solidly on the calendar.  Part of the temple was open a little earlier this year (we went with the boys to do some work the end of May), but for most of the work, it's been closed down since March 2020.  We squeezed in one last visit in March before it shut down.  Having gone to the temple nearly every month since we've been married, we really missed going the past 1.5 years.  We had taken some family names in February 2020 to start their work, so this September visit was a continuation of some of those close family members.  It was a great feeling to be in the temple again.  

The kids had fun jumping on the trampoline while I sprayed them with the water hose one day.  

Nathan sang in a group for the youth talent show at church - they sang "Santiana" by the Longest Johns.  The one guy in the middle did the main part (I think he already knew the song), but the rest of them learned the song the day before!  They did a great job.  

Weston and Savannah were pretty consistent about piano lessons (with me) and practice this month.  It's worked out to do lessons with them on Thursday afternoons, since they get out an hour earlier on that day.  We haven't worked Owen back into the lesson schedule yet, but he's been practicing a little bit too.  They're doing pretty good; it's easier for Savannah and Owen, harder for Weston.  

Weston is finally learning how to ride a bike!  You think it's about time??

(the breaks are due to me putting 3 separate clips together in one so it will fit the requirements to post)

One last fun thing - I found a Colorado Rockies hat at the thrift store and had to get it because it reminds me of my Grandpa Bob.  He used to wear a CR hat, but he always said the CR stood for "Christ Reigns."  Weston snagged my hat pretty quick - he loves hats!  I'm trying to keep him from wearing it so he doesn't wear it out; he's pretty hard on hats.  I guess I could always get a new one, but I kind of like having a hat to wear that's not "crusty."  These were the pictures I could find of my grandpa with the hat - I couldn't actually find one of him wearing it, but he really liked that hat, as you can see he makes a point of holding it up for the camera.  

September birthdays and such

 Alex made it back from his business trip just in time for birthday dinner and dessert.  He got his usual treats, but also some homemade cards.  I had each of the kids make a card for him, and he got one from me with as many things that I love about him as his age.  We had to do birthday breakfast the next day - Owen helped make it.   

My birthday was different this year.  It started out as usual, with a run and breakfast (Owen also helped make my breakfast). A friend saw me out for a run and dropped off a little breakfast treat while I was on my run.  And then... I got to go in for jury duty!  I got called in during July for jury service, but pleaded my hardship before the judge to get out of that one since it was a month long commitment and Alex was out of town.  Apparently, that doesn't count for the year and my service was just deferred for a couple months.  I was hoping to get out of this one, but the night before my birthday I got called in.  

I had to be at the courthouse most of the afternoon, which meant I missed going to Jared's cross country meet.  (I also made my own cake in the morning so that Alex wouldn't feel like he needed to stay home from Jared's meet to bake my cake.)  I sent Alex to cheer on Jared and hoped that I wouldn't actually get called to serve on the jury.  I didn't want to plead a hardship for this one, because a 1-3 month deferment would be service right in the middle of Nathan's senior year of basketball.  So I was going to see if I would be done by sticking through the jury selection.  I hadn't been chosen by the end of the first day and there were about 25 of us left, so I was hopeful.  

I went in the next day and sat in anxiety as they continued with the jury selection process, watching several people be dismissed and listening as new people were called.  This case was also a month long commitment, so obviously we were all hoping to get out of it.  It was interesting listening to some of the comments, which seemed to be aimed at getting dismissed from service.  One potential juror boldly questioned why they were wasting a month of time for a case where for at least one of the parties, the amount of money they were fighting over was a "drop in the bucket" for them.  I think a lot of us were thinking the same thing, but weren't going to say it.  Another person declared that they weren't biased to either side, but said it was the best defense statement they'd ever heard... 

I did eventually get chosen as the first alternate juror.  Only 10 people didn't get chosen and got to go home.  

I got to introduce myself and talk about my education, kids, spouse, and such.  I didn't have to answer very many other questions, aside from the question "Do you like puzzles?", which all of the newly selected jurors had to answer.  That seemed a little odd.  I shared one negative experience that Alex and I had with contracts, which was what this case dealt with, but they weren't concerned about it.  We got sworn in as the jury and then released for lunch break.  I was pretty sad that I had to commit to jury service for the month of October.  

And then... we came back from lunch and found out the 2 parties had settled the case over lunchtime!  We were no longer needed and excused for the year.  What a relief!  I don't know what happened, but we were all grateful they worked it out.  

I was listening to a podcast the next day while cleaning the house and a phrase stuck out to me:  "Mercy wins the day."  I thought that applied well to the court experience.  Both parties had come to court, feeling wronged and seeking for a 3rd party to settle their case.  However, before presenting it to the jury, one or both parties extended mercy to the other.  Mercy wins the day.  I also realized that maybe it was the Lord's mercy that softened their hearts and allowed them to work it out.  For me personally, I felt like the Lord was aware of me and knew that I didn't have time for jury duty this month.  Jared had some CC meets that I didn't want to miss, and the rest of the family would have had to make up for my absence.  In one of my birthday cards, Jared wrote, "I know having jury duty today of all days is horrible, but just like last time they will see that you are a devoted mother and wife, and ain't got time for jury duty."  Well, the court didn't recognize that I didn't have time for jury duty, but I think God knew that.  

So what was the case about?   The case was concerning 2 tech companies, who had signed a contract over some products to be acquired and/or refunded.  They had emails and verbal exchange before the formal written contract.  Apparently, the contract was a little different than the verbal agreement, but the person signing the contract didn't actually fully read the final contract before signing.  The time expired for getting a refund for the products according to the contract and one of the companies lost 53 million dollars over the deal.  However, the timeframe in the written contract wasn't the same as the verbal agreement, so the company at loss felt like the other company had written up a fraudulent contract. However... the company at loss also failed to carefully read the formal contract before signing, so according to the defendant, there was a legally binding signed contract on their side which said the other company's time had expired and they owed them nothing.   

    As I thought more about the case and contracts, I made some spiritual parallels out of the experience.  We make spiritual promises or contracts to God and we end up breaching or failing to live up to our contract all the time.  God allows us, in His mercy, to get another chance - over and over again.  I also thought about how at the final judgment, when we're standing before God, our 3rd party advocate is Jesus Christ.  He is our mercy, and He makes up for our failings if we accept His sacrifice and turn to Him.  How great it is to have a perfect 3rd party to take our case!  A jury, as the "3rd party," although with the best intentions to fairly judge a case, doesn't know perfectly the thoughts, intentions, and actions of the parties for which they're judging.  God and Jesus know us perfectly and with our best efforts to follow them, mercy wins the day!      

I wasn't happy to have jury duty on my birthday or miss Jared's cross country meet, but it wasn't a total waste of time.  I did gain some insights from the experience and learned a little more about the judicial process.  Did you know that you have to leave the notes you take during the trial at the court each day (you can't take them home with you) and they are destroyed after the trial is done?  Interesting.  I also found some things about the jury selection process a little amusing, such as one of the lawyers asking for a raise of hands for anyone who is afraid of public speaking and then asking each of those people to talk about that in front of a courtroom full of people.  Hmmm... 😏

Pandemic blessings

One of the good things about the pandemic has been the ability to watch baptisms remotely.  We couldn't do that before, so it's been nice to see these important events that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to get to in-person to participate.  My nephew Noah got baptized at the beginning of September, and it was fun to watch him do that and also sing in the musical numbers.  He sang a solo, and his brothers joined in singing for a couple of songs.  They're great singers, just like their parents!  We also got to listen to my nephew Jaden give a talk, along with hearing Audrey's testimony and thoughts.  Oh happy day!  I knew we weren't allowed to record or take photos of the baptism, but I did record some of the singing. 

   

September Sunbeams

I prepared 4 lessons during September for my primary class on: temples, forgiveness/peace, Zion's Camp, and priesthood power.  As a church, we're studying The Doctrine & Covenants this year, so there's a lot of focus on church history of the early Saints.  

The first lesson was on temples.  In 1833, the church members were commanded to build a temple in Kirtland, Ohio.  We talked about how the Lord commanded other prophets to construct temples (Moses and Solomon), an ark (Noah), a ship (Nephi), or barges (Brother of Jared).  They didn't know how to build them, but received instruction and a pattern from the Lord to accomplish their task.  Joseph Smith received revelation to build a temple in Kirtland and had to follow a pattern outlined by the Lord.  It took them 3 years to build the temple, with many people helping out in different ways - getting stone from a quarry, cutting the stone, getting lumber and doing the woodwork, sewing clothing for the workers, preparing food, donating time, money, or other resources to the building of the temple.  

As we talked about these things, we put together a paper model of the Kirtland Temple, starting with the foundation and then adding other layers of the temple.        

My next lesson was on forgiveness and finding peace.  In 1833, the church members who lived in Jackson County, Missouri were persecuted, tarred & feathered, business or property destroyed, and forced out of their homes.  When they asked the prophet Joseph Smith, who was in Kirtland, what they should do, he responded that they should seek for peace, to be patient, and to forgive those who had done wrong to them. 

I shared an experience when I had to forgive, although a much different experience from the early Saints.  The boys were playing around in the living room and ended up knocking down my little family figures and breaking off the heads.  I was pretty mad about it, but was able to forgive them for their mistake.  (And I was able to glue all the heads back on).  

We also talked about how to feel peace and stillness.  The counsel that the early Saints received from the Lord was to "Be still and know that I am God."  We talked about ways to be still and how to be reverent.  We sang the primary song "Reverently, Quietly".  

Our next lesson was on Zion's Camp.  Joseph Smith received revelation that it was time to take the lands back in Jackson County, by force if necessary.  A little over 200 people were gathered together, in what was called Zion's Camp, to march about 880 miles from Kirtland to Jackson County to get the Saints' land back.  They faced a lot of trials along the way, along with some contention as well as some great faith.  When they were nearly there, they got word that a mob was coming to attack them.  This was when the Lord stepped in to protect Zion's Camp, bringing a powerful rain storm that caused the river to rise rapidly (not allowing the mob to cross the river), as well as hail and wind.  Zion's Camp had to take shelter in a nearby Baptist Church during the storm, singing hymns.  After the storm was over, Joseph Smith received instruction to return home, not continuing at the time to get their lands.  Many thought that Zion's Camp was a failure, but it was successful in preparing future leaders of the church.  The things they learned from that experience produced the faith and strength they needed for later leadership.  

With my sunbeams, we talked about the physical things we would need for a backpacking trip (first aid kit, hiking guide, map, food & water, flashlight, protective hat and sunscreen, compass, hiking boots, and sleeping bag).  Each of those items was compared with something that would help us on our spiritual journey (love and help others, prophet, scriptures, commandments, your own light and example, prayer, choosing the right, "go and do" faith/action, and the Spirit as a comforter).  They got to color and put their items in a mini paper backpack.  

     

My most recent lesson was on priesthood power and blessings.  We had recently done another lesson on the priesthood, so I tried to think of a different way to teach the lesson.  I made a matching game of different ways the priesthood blesses us.  Each time they made a match, we talked briefly about that blessing.  (I think I'll keep this one in my bag, in case I ever need a last minute thing to do or some pictures.)  

Rental Home

 We did a home refinance in April, since we were able to get a 2.25% interest rate.  We got about 5 years off of our loan and we also pulled out some money that was going to go towards some home improvement projects.  However, after we did the backyard, we decided to use the money we pulled out towards a long-term investment (rental property).  We looked at some houses in college towns when we went to visit Oklahoma and Kansas in June, but didn't really like any of the ones we looked at.  We kept watching the houses that came online and decided to put an offer on one the end of July.  We only did a video tour and didn't actually go see it in person, but the inspection was pretty good and we trust the realtor's judgement.  It was a little bit difficult to do everything from a distance, but we were able to close on the house the 3rd week of August.  We were a little late in the rental season, but we were able to find a family to rent it out starting September 1st.  It's a small, older home - 3 bed 1 bath, less than 1300 sq ft, but it's got a really good location.  After our expenses for mortgage and property management and such, we only make about $100/month, but we're not really expecting to make money now.  (And hopefully we won't LOSE too much money on it, because I'm sure we'll have to replace some things that won't be cheap).  When we pay off the mortgage in 15 years, we should see some more money coming in.  We also got a great low interest rate on it, 2.75%, so at least we have that going for this investment.  Only time will tell if this works out well for us.  

Back in school again

Well, we had to decide what to do about school this year.  Last year, independent home school was the best choice for us with Owen, Weston, and Savannah.  However, they were really needing the daily social interaction from public school.  I believe their mental health was taking a hit from the prolonged isolation from their peers.  

Things were looking pretty good over the summer for in-person return to public school.  The junior high and high school kids were told that if they got vaccinated they wouldn't have to wear a mask at school.  Church had the same policy - if you were vaccinated, you didn't have to wear a mask.  Nathan, Jared, and Owen were practically begging me to take them to get the vaccine so they wouldn't have to wear masks anymore.  Nathan and Jared had already done the masks at the end of last school year, and they hated it.  They weren't even allowed to take the masks off outside for in-person school last year.  We were hopeful that the elementary school would actually look at the science and the data and also not require masks, despite the younger kids not being able to be vaccinated.  However... the end of the summer brought the Delta variant and all the originally planned procedures changed.  They were STILL requiring masks whether or not you were vaccinated.  Talk about an instant non-motivator for any of the teenagers to get the vaccine! Their only motivation to get one was so they wouldn't have to wear a mask.  Now there was no point in getting the vaccine.  

Nathan, Jared, and Owen had gotten the vaccine already, and they enjoyed 2 weeks of mask-free church.  The only benefit to them now (seemingly) is being able to show their "entry card" if it's required for vaccination or testing.   Nathan was having to get tested 2-3 times a week when he was playing basketball last year!  TWO to THREE times per week.  That's crazy.  He hasn't had to get tested yet this year, but his season hasn't officially started, so we'll see.  They have already said that spectators for the games would either have to show their vaccination card or a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of the game.  Anyway, we're not happy with some of the policies, but all of the kids did go back to school this fall.  They have to wear a mask at all times indoors and not required to wear it outdoors (although Owen has already been "bullied" at outdoor check-in to wear a mask, despite masks being optional outside).  And many of the kids still wear masks outside, but I'm fine with that, as it should be an individual choice.  Our school board just voted to require vaccinations for all the employees without the option of testing, so it's getting interesting over here.  It seems we're headed towards mandatory vaccinations for the kids too.  I don't agree with forcing that on anyone.  

I also find it interesting the things the school is choosing to spend money on.  All students get free breakfast and lunch, free masks if needed, hand sanitizer, pencils, and use of individual I-pads.  However, if you want bottled water, you have to buy it.  If you forget to bring your own re-fillable water bottle, you have to buy water, because they're not allowed to drink out of the fountains.  There was one day that Owen forgot his water bottle, didn't have money to buy water, and went the whole day without drinking water (even after doing PE).  He may have had milk though, which comes with the free lunches.  Owen said at the junior high, if you wanted milk, you had to take the lunch that goes with it.  A lot of kids don't want the food, so they take it and throw it out, just to get the milk.  What a waste!  You also have to pay to ride the bus. 

Weston and Savannah have to wear masks at school, and unfortunately masks don't work well with glasses, which both of them wear.  Weston started just taking his glasses off so they wouldn't fog up.  I hope he can still see the board... the other policy that Weston doesn't like is being assigned to a certain area on the playground.  They rotate each day, but he only likes to play kickball, so if he's in a non-kickball area, then he's bored.  He has loved playing kickball again with his friends - he comes home talking about what happened during the kickball game.  He was excited to finally make the "podium", which is being one of the first 3 kids chosen for a team.  At first, he was the last kid picked, but has slowly moved up in the ranks apparently.  Kickball is the highlight of his day.         

  Anyway... aside from masks and vaccines and additional policies, the kids are doing well in school.  We're at three different schools this year.  Savannah (3rd grade) and Weston (5th grade) are at the elementary school.  They walk to and from school together.  Owen rides the bus to the junior high for 7th grade, except on Monday and Friday mornings when we take him to choir (a 0 hour class) at 8:00am.  He has a friend in the neighborhood who also sings in the choir, so we have been carpooling on those mornings.  He also rides the bus home.  I've still been running with Owen, Weston, and Savannah on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6:30-7:00am.  Weston and Savannah have to walk out the door at 8:00am (they're the first out the door).  Owen catches the bus nearby at 8:20 (heading out about 8:15, around the same time as Nathan and Jared on MWF).  School starts at 9:00am for him.    

Nathan and Jared are at the high school, which is also within walking distance.  Jared is in 10th grade, and Nathan is a SENIOR this year!  I can't believe he's a senior.  Nathan and Jared have been doing early morning seminary from 6:30-7:20am, which Nathan has been driving them to.  Currently, Nathan's basketball class is meeting M-W-F at 6:00am, so he's had to miss seminary temporarily.  It's also interesting on T-Th mornings.  Their school doesn't start until 9:20am those mornings (it's 8:30am on MWF), so normally they'd have about 1.5 hours between seminary and school.  Jared gets a ride home from seminary, but Nathan has to drive straight from seminary to BB at 7:30am, which often goes until 9:00am.  He didn't buy a parking pass, so it's been interesting seeing him either rush home and take a quick shower or call me to get the car (while he takes a shower at school).  Today, he messaged me to come get the car (which means I get to walk over there and drive it back).  But then at 9:10, as I was getting ready to walk over there, he called and said he'd forgotten his I-pad.  So I either had to jump in another car and drive it over there to him, drive back home, and then walk to get the car parked at the school OR I could grab the I-pad and run over there.  So I scooped up the I-pad in a small backpack and ran to the school.  I'm sure I looked funny, like a student running late to school... Jared even saw me and wondered what I was doing.  I got Nathan what he needed just before the bell rang and then was able to drive "Nathan's car" home.   

Mornings are pretty crazy sometimes.  I miss the relaxed, non-busy schedule we had last year.  But the kids are all happy and doing well.  They're much more resilient through all this than I am.  I'm not sure whether to fight back or throw in the towel on all the policies.  It's pretty much beyond my control - it is what it is.  Welcome to school year 2021-22.     

I'm just glad that I mostly don't have to do school drop off and pick ups every day.  They either ride the bus or walk.  Nathan usually gets home first, about 2:20, followed by Weston and Savannah at 3:00, then Owen comes in about 3:15, and Jared is the last one (getting in sometime between 4 and 4:30pm or whenever cross country practice is done).  I can't complain about the convenience of being within walking distance of two of the schools.  That makes my life a lot easier!    

 

(We laughed about Nathan trying to hold up 12 fingers this year for 12th grade!  He and Jared are laughing about that in the photos below).  

 Weston drew this picture, which is exactly how I feel, except that he's still smiling through it.  I just have a constant frowny face when I think about masks.  

Beach day

We spent one day at the beach before school started.  We tried to play beach volleyball as a family, but we weren't very good at it and the sand got too hot.  Despite the water being cold, everyone but me ended up in the ocean.  First they dipped their feet in, jumping over the waves, then wading out into the water until they were body surfing the waves!  I actually don't like the beach that much, but it is fun watching the kids (and Alex) play in the water.