Just when I thought I was done doing costumes, we moved to Mesa where it's normal for teenagers to roam the Halloween streets. And honestly, I wasn't mad about it. Loved the chance to do one more costume and have another chance to shower love with crafts and parties! I enlisted David's help to create the box and spent hours wrapping it in pink. I think Party Barbie turned out pretty perfect!
Holiday highlights: hiking out of bounds, oranges; cousins; mummifying gramps; temple lights; dirt biking & shooting in the desert; go-karts; and a little bundling up. (So much hustle that we managed to rush a Christmas card out but didn't get a pic of it!)
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highlights from our holiday: advent calendars; the work christmas party at the train station; mesa temple lights; a Christmas puzzle; caramels!; new electric scooters; candycanes on the boat; shopping!; installing pickleball court lights; a visit to the Sphere on the way to George; a little goofy golf; reuniting with Mandy from college; and, always, frisbee!
The yearly lake trip we share as Omahomies moved locations due to Neeley's recent back surgery. Instead of Lake Lotowana, we ended up at the Lake of the Ozarks in a cozy vrbo. Situated on the main channel, the dock wasn't idealic for our typical afternoon floats but we ended up having the perfect view of the boat parade during the annual Shoot Out. Unknowingly, we had scheduled during the yearly boat race and it was truly something to witness! There was a constant buzz of racing speedboats with entourages of helicopters. We learned that speedboats can reach 246 mph and that some tricked out pontoons could cruise at 142 mph. What a great coincidence!
There have been way too many days of plus 110 degree temps in a row this summer! And we are hot! So we decided to tag a trip to Flagstaff onto the end of the Jack's FSY camp.
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It was a great chance to be outside again and enjoy some new places. We went on a hike, strolled downtown, went shopping, swam for hours, and hit up the H2Whoa waterslides on the way back home. I'll never regret a quick getaway as a family!
Every year for ornament exchange, I end up really wishing that I'd chosen a theme and stuck with it throughout the years. (whether it was snowmen or crochet or hand painted) It would sure make coming up with an idea so much easier and I might establish a specialty of sorts. Instead, I spend a lot of time perfecting a vision and this year's was the most taxing yet! How could a cute little Christmas bicycle go wrong? I spent hours on them! hours! I ended up falling asleep at nights stitching and I promised I wouldn't make embroidery my specialty in the future! Still, it turned out so cute and the exchange remains one of the best traditions there ever was!
Dalia performed as Lavender in Matilda and absolutely killed it. She watched the movie over and over in preparation but has an amazing ability to make the character her own. She is a master of imitation and is also good at improvisation with an amazing voice that carries well. In fact, she came home from dress rehearsal and stated proudly, "I'm pretty sure that they turned my mike off." She truly commands the stage!
Jack started the ultimate frisbee club at school. Initially, he had a lot of trepidation and anger towards us as parents who were pushing him to do so. But after some reflection, he agreed that it could be a great opportunity for leadership and was satisfied that he would have the help of his Sidewinders friends! Right out of the gate, he was met with red tape and resistance. Jack was tasked with writing bylaws, finding a campus mentor as sponsor, requesting field assignments, and begging for a school announcement. The school wasn't making it easy to start or sustain a club. In addition, there were text reminders to members which started solely from a new kids' limited friend base. Right before the inaugural meet, I said a prayer that his efforts would amount to something he could be proud of. 15 minutes before the start of the meetup, Jack sent a panicked text with the words, "oh no, oh no, oh no... the field isn't available that they said would be!" Dad, who was working from home, quickly responded by pulling up the campus map to find a replacement and I somehow recalled the nearby drainage basins which were dry, green fields for most of the year. We saw one across the street from school and both he and I started there to see if it would work, all while Jack was communicating a change in location to 3 coaches and various friends attending. I got in my car quickly, navigating heavy afterschool traffic, to get eyes on the place and offer support. I sat there waiting with 3 ultimate frisbee coaches who were bright and kind and full of energy. They had new frisbees - one for each player and were ready to go. I saw Jack walk over with an overstimulated smile and a small shoulder shrug. He was discouraged but trying to hide it. We waited together for what seemed like hours. And then, a carload full of teenagers came spilling out of the car. They arrived in what looked like a clown car with a driver illegally transporting them. It was one of those rare moments that breaking the rules was angelic! And I was so thankful for these angels. I fought back tears as I saw coaches throwing out frisbees to each of them as they arrived. They all had smiles of support and Jack breathed easy. As I drove away, I sobbed with gratitude. And the intense efforts made would later be the source for a BYU essay.
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We had almost exhausted all day trips available to us in the midwest and I'm exited to have a new area to explore. Tucson's Biosphere captured my attention first - a grand geographical and biological study just 1 1/2 hrs from us! (Unfortunately, the tour didn't cover unique social dynamics) We also explored the cave nearby, tried prickly pear ice cream cones, and strolled the downtown shops. It was a very fun day trip as a family.
