Blessed Boat Ride

I was enjoying visiting Oahu again. I felt like I had been so recently that I did not need to do the touristy stuff. I had my routines of walking the coves with my Dad in the mornings and hot-tubing at night. I often talked to people in the hot tub and they were locals enjoying Koolina and they had fun ideas for what to do around town that was extra special. I was so glad we visited the temple on the east side of the island. I felt quite a bit of peace there on the south side of the temple where there was so much nature and things looks undisturbed. The area is so lush and besides the bell, it was quiet. The right side of the temple had shopping and I did not feel the same peace there. We visited botanical gardens and made pearl jewerly on the trip and had so much fun relaxing. The highlight for me was the boat ride. We took a sunset cruise from Honolulu and sailed a bit while we enjoyed the deep blue waters. It was very calm and I was so relaxed and happy. I want to be a sailor now, but only if it could be so calm. I did get to see a whale show up and move quite quickly through the water. I saw the tail and all the spouting of water as it came up for air. It was a special moment. We also got to see a string quartet play at an old church in town and that was pretty neat too. There were delays with the flight and nothing was perfect, but the time there was appreciated and I feel so blessed.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

I am glad there is a time set aside to be grateful and gather together as a family. Joe came for Thanksgiving and we had a grand time. We ate twice, once and Grandma's and once together here at home. We loved our Black friday tradtion and shopped for quite a while, seven stores. Good deals were found and Joe liked being in the know for what everyone was getting for Christmas. He helped me pull out the Christmas trees and wrap quite a few presents. I love that Spencer is in town and we stillget to se ehim weekely. My kids in Utah visit often and Im so pleased to have Celia dn SPencer in town. They are getting more and more independent, but they mean so much to me. I love spending time with each of our children. I am glad we have our health and friends that help shape our time and community. Ward Temple night has been nice and we will keep that going in the New Year. November is a pause in traveling for me. I really felt like staying home, enjoying routines and nesting. We celebrated Emmys Birthday from afar and welcomned the holidays. I am sure there are difficult things going on, but I love to focus on gathering family and keeping those essential relationsships alive and thriving.

Each day is important

September was crazy busy just like the rest of the year so far has been! Good and bad, stress and blessings are layered all over the place. Right after getting back from Hawaii there was the Open House for the Feather River Temple. I loved participating in escorting for that day even though Brian was volunteering on a different 7 hour shift than I was. It is such a gorgeous temple, full of beautiful art of the Savior. We had a wonderful Ward Temple Night with sealings at the Sacramento Temple and refreshements after our worship. I was peased it went so well! Celia had quite a bit of back pain this month and will start physical therapy next month. Many challenges came to Spencer this month. He had no washer and dryer, then no kitchen to speak of due to mold. His swing broke and he had a lot of pain caused by a few different potential health problems. Things have been resolved or have begun to be resolved, but wow that pressure was palpitable. I stepped down from writing for the Auburn Journal, but I am feeling less pressure and finding more happiness in serving the family. I figured out all the right decisions for Celias Senior year and she loved statring her new job as a dog whisperer. We had Murphy over night and it was so fun having him around. Other fun things we did was get Grandpa's new book in the mail. I finished almost in one sitting. I'm glad his work turned out great and that it was a fast read. Im on to the next one now. With all the things going on I forgot about self care and got a terrible jaw pain. It is better now, but I know to take care of myself as well. Emmy and Jordon came to visit for a concert week and general conference and of course Brian's birthday, phew! We played games and visited Yuba County a lot. It was so fun and many good memories were made. I especially liked The Killers concert. It was the best I've ever been to and and I am hooked! I'll be reviewing the set list and making a spotify playlist to remember all that went on there. There are always hiccup and concerns, but I am glad to have an eternal perspective and asavior to lean on. I have hope that all will be well as we navigate this pivitol time in my family's lives.