It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Some traditions never go away including photos with Santa!  And thankfully Sage continues to humor me by being a good sport!  Couldn't help but giggle inside when Sage offered to stand by Santa (recognizing she was probably the oldest/biggest kid in line) for a photo and he instead insisted she come sit on his lap. We chose to see it as sweet rather than creepy...lol!

Round two of trying to capture a couple photos for this year's Christmas card...

Christmas Eve! I don't know if it was that I did a terrible job restringing lights around the tree in places that the prelit sections had gone out or if yet another section of the tree had gone out without me realizing it but it wasn't until I saw this photo that I realized that this poor tree seems to be on it's last leg...

Christmas and our traditional prime rib dinner!

How fun it was to have one of Connor's mission companions, Elder Esplin, reach out to let us know he'd be in town over the holidays and wanted to meet us. What a sweet young man Chase is and how fun it was to hear him share memories from his time serving with Connor.  Disney Springs at Christmas is always fun too!

Definitely one of the special times of this season was watching my sweet friend Guinevere, who has been battling cancer for over 6 years, radiating as she enjoyed a beautiful Christmas party she and her husband hosted, after dealing with a year of declining health.  Guinevere and I quickly became friends after meeting at a high school swim meet that our boys were competing in during their sophomore year. She was always so complimentary of Ty, encouraging him to get him involved in a club team which he later did. Since that time our friendship grew. We shared a love for watermelon, Italian ice, and fresh strawberries.  It wasn't out of the ordinary for me to get a text from her that she would be having one of her boys drop off a watermelon she had grabbed for me at a local stand or offering to help me when Jack was out of town, whether it be accompanying me to drop off a car for service or helping me get sage to an appointment when I had a conflict. I always responded that I was fine, and instead commented on how I should be the one reaching out to her, as she split her time between countless doctor appointments and managing two really successful but busy kids. She was also quick to offer up her husband Jeremy to help. While I never took her up on her offers, I will never forget her example of being such a good friend. How grateful I am for the friendship we shared and the opportunity I had to be by her side as she neared the end of her earthly time. Her example of always being positive during the most difficult of times, putting her kids first, and fighting her hardest until the end will be with me forever. This will always be one of my favorite photo of her.  Until we meet again my friend...

A time to be Thankful!

I can't express enough how thankful I am that this time next year we should have our boys back with us, enjoying Thanksgiving as a family! In the meantime though, Thanksgivings must go on with or without them, so here is how ours unfolded this year!

First up is tree decorating.  Now Jack would tell you I'm crazy for decorating the tree the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving but I was feeling it.  Besides, since I'm not one to leave up my tree beyond New Year's Day I feel this gives me a pass to put it up a few days early! And as anxious as I was to get our tree up and decorated, I think Sage was equally as anxious to get coordinating pj's for her and Bo. 

One of these years I'll think about our annual Christmas card before thanksgiving weekend.  Needless to say this photo did not make the cut for this year's card.

It was definitely a quiet Thanksgiving dinner with just the three of us.  Who knew though the boys would even get to be included in this years dinner photo! haha!

This year Sage is taking ceramics at school which I think is so fun since I took ceramics in high school too. How cute are these pumpkins she made!!!

We ended our Thanksgiving weekend by heading over to the Wheel at Icon Park to take in the view of Orlando at night.  A nod to Jack's mission and my heritage as we hovered above the Union Jack flag on top of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant. Another beautiful winter night in Orlando...

Halloween 2022

While the days of watching the excitement on the kids faces as they unloaded their buckets of candy onto the carpet after a fast and furious night of trick or treating are just a distant memory, there are some traditions that never die.  So happy to still have someone around that loves to carve pumpkins as much as I enjoy displaying them in the front yard!  Happy Halloween!  

Introducing Rapunzel and Flynn!

Sept 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian

I don't how it happens but between the tornados of Ohio and the hurricanes of Florida, each time we've been in the path, Jack has happened to be out of the country or state.  This time was no different.  So as he was dozing off into a peaceful sleep in Utah, Sage and I were on guard in Florida hoping the house still had its roof on in the morning.  Thankfully, Orlando usually fairs ok during theses storms as they tend to turn into tropical storms by the time central Florida gets hit but you never know.  It was definitely a bit unnerving hearing the wind and the rain pounding on the windows through the night.  It was definitely a restless night for me.  Luckily that next morning the wind had died down quite a bit and aside from the lake filling up quite a bit more, and a neighbor's boat drifting across the lake, things appeared ok.  Sadly, the boys have a dear friend from Sanibel Island whose home did not do so well since that island took a direct hit. Seeing all the devastation on the news was so sad.  Literally islands and communities were completely wiped out.  This storm ended up being one of the deadliest and costliest storms on record, reaching category 5 strength as it entered from the gulf side.  Aside from a few palm fronds that were down from all the wind whipping them around, we were good.  Here are just a few photos I had taken to share with Jack.

HOCO 2022

Football season has begun and with that comes homecoming for Sage!  With her boyfriend Bo attending a different high school she decided she should be the one to formally ask him to go with her since it was her high school's homecoming.  I don't think there was any doubt that they would go together but I guess it was important for her to do the asking this time!  So here she is before making her "pass" at him after one of his football games he had just played in.

This year's dance was held at the Hilton.  From what I gather though, there isn't a lot of dancing.  I think Sage said there was just one slow song and for the most part everyone just hangs out in a big mosh pit, hoping to exit it in the same condition they entered.  Thankfully these guys made it out unscathed and seemed to have a great time!

The cute couple!

Sage and Lauren looking beautiful!

55 and counting...

Well, I'm not talking about me turning 55 but September 1st did mark my sweet parent's 55th wedding anniversary and how great it was to be able to join them in Utah to celebrate with the rest of the family...minus Teagen and Chaz, Steve and our own kids who were unable to attend. 

As I see all the dysfunction going on in the world today, with so much related to messed up families, how fortunate I feel to have been raised by two loving parents who have sacrificed so much to give us the lives we have.  While we are not perfect, we love each other unconditionally and what a blessing it has been to have their constant love and companionship at the helm.

May there be many more celebratory dinners like this in the years to come.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  We sure love you!

Hey junior!

It's so hard to believe Sage is starting her junior year!  Seriously, I can't even believe it!!!  Even more hard to believe is that she is starting school here in Florida!  It was four years ago that Jack took a job in Utah, hoping it would be the way to get the family back there for good.  We had always hoped to return there after the kids graduated so when this opportunity presented itself, it was a little earlier than we had hoped but jobs in Utah don't come often so Jack took it.  The plan was to let the boys finish their junior and senior years in Florida giving Jack time to make certain he enjoyed the job.  Then we would time the move to take place right after the boys graduated, which would time perfectly with Sage starting high school.  We were pretty excited... until Covid.  Everything got messed up in 2020.  We weren't even sure if Jack's company he worked for would survive through Covid so making the move and leaving behind what we knew here for uncertainty there was not feeling like a great option.  Fast forward two years and Jack's since been recruited to work for another company in Utah, Sage has decided that rowing is her sport, and while we've bought land in Utah, we couldn't be building during a more expensive, slow time.  Between supply chain issues, a shortage of workers, and huge cost increases, it's literally the worst time but hey, we are plugging along.  The jury is out on where Sage will graduate from high school but for now she's loving being able to stay at Windermere High School!

So here is our sweet junior!  

A blessing in disguise

When Ty first called to tell me that there was a chance he could be returning home from his mission for a bit my heart sank.  He had been out about nine months and had only just arrived in Chile a month prior. He had something weighing on his mind though and it had finally surfaced to the point he needed to talk with someone. After a heartfelt conversation with his mission president, it was determined he should come home for a few months.  A week later I was picking up my sweet boy at the airport. It truly is amazing how the closer you get to the spirit, the more you recognize the promptings and the more you have a desire to please God.  Ty was doing just that.  He had a weight he had been carrying from long before his mission and one that needed to be lifted off of him.  Thankfully that has now happened and today he is back on his mission where he so longed to be only now he no longer feels the weight of that burden.  He learned the valuable lesson of what the atonement is all about and how each one of us can benefit from it.  We are so proud of him for choosing to be brave and courageous at a time when it would have been much easier to brush all his feelings under the rug.  And how grateful we all were for the remarkable amount of love and support he received from everyone upon his return.  

Those first two months back home were not easy.  He desperately missed his mission, the routine, and being around people he had grown to love, not to mention being with a companion 24/7.  I quickly realized I was going to be his new companion even if he was not aware of that.  Thankfully his old job at Basin had welcomed him back with open arms so there wasn't a lot of down time for him. But it was clear he felt the need to be around people.  One of my favorite things was our afternoon lay out sessions by the pool.  It was as good for my soul as it was for his.  I've always felt close to my kids but having this time with just him was something we hadn't been able to experience before.  Since the day he was born up until he left on his mission him and Connor were a package deal.  Where one was, so was the other.  While it felt weird not having Connor around, for once I was able to have some time with just Ty.  And now that he'll extend his mission out a few months longer than Connor, I'm already looking forward to having that same amount of one on one time with Connor while Ty is still serving.   

It's much easier to learn life lessons when you are young and definitely allows for a greater payoff in the future.  We hope this experience with Ty is something he will always remember and we have no doubt it will always serve as a gentle reminder of our Savior's love for us and his desire for us to grow and learn in this life.

Here are a few memories from from his mid mission break.  Now I will countdown to his safe return next November.

A special shout out to Ty's mission trainer, Elder Nathan Latty, who happens to also be from Florida.  How fun it was for Ty and him to connect while Ty was home.   

He also managed to make a trip out to Utah for the 4th of July to see his buddies and spend time with Grandma and Grandpa!  

I think it's fair to say that as much as Sage enjoyed having her brother around again, she was happy to know that she would soon be the only child again...haha! Unfortunately round two of goodbyes were no easier than the first round...

Not our typical 4th of July...

This 4th of July marked the second year we have not been in Utah for our traditional 4th of July celebration honoring my dad and America.  Between the boys leaving on missions last summer and this year having to plan trips to Utah around house construction visits, it was just not going to work out for us, but we made the best of it and there are far worse places to ring in the 4th than in Florida on our lake!  While fireworks are nothing new to us with Disney so close, we continue to be amazed at the show our neighbors around the lake put on whether it be New Year's, the 4th and plenty of other occasions.  Pretty much from 7 until midnight the lake was lit up! This year Sage and her friend Gabby finally finished off our stash of fireworks we'd had in our pantry for the past few years. The fact they had been in the pantry for so many years unused gives you a little insight into the quality of them...haha!  Unfortunately when we bought them years ago for New Year's, we had no idea it was pretty much a case of sparklers and fountains, so they were never anything anyone got excited to light off...until this year when Sage and her friend Gabby were more than happy to light them all off and I'm sure capture themselves doing it for all their friends on snap. Of course, Jack and I were happy to just sit back and enjoy the show...even if the best part of the show came from our neighbors! Happy 4th!

Celebrating this special guy!

From one weekend to the next it was all about Jack!  We kicked off his birthday celebration going to see Top Gun Maverick at Disney Springs and concluded with his favorite Hello Dolly bars with some grilling in the backyard in between!  The movie was fantastic.  Definitely brought us both back to our childhood and how fun to share a taste of that with Sage and Ty.  Of course we missed having Connor with us so we'll definitely have to have a repeat movie night when he gets back.  A couple weeks later on his next trip out we were celebrating him again on Father's Day!  It's hard to believe as a family we have been separated for over four years now with Jack commuting back and forth but hopefully now that we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel with construction underway in Utah, planning commuting schedules around special events will be a thing of the past! We sure love this guy and all he does for us to provide such a great life.