Yard Work, Heads Visit

Saturday, we worked really hard in the yard and cleared out the dead sunflowers, fertilized, turned on the sprinklers, and took 2 loads of trash to the dump. (It was free!) Though the garden area looks nice, I still don't want to grow one. Instead, I decided to plant peas in a giant pot I found. James and I went out for lunch, which was really fun. I'd been craving hot and sour soup for a while.

We were able to watch most of stake conference before people came over for DnD. Samantha brought dinner this time, and it was delicious.

Monday, we hiked Moonshine Arch with Devin. He's coming every Monday and Friday for dinner since the rest of his family is in Mexico until late July.

I worked with Rex on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday night, Melodie picked me up to go to dinner at the Thai place and then shopping. I got a bike, the first that's been actually mine since high school. I also got some sparkly sandals and gifts for kids' birthday parties coming up.

Though work wasn't too bad, it was a lot busier than it's been in the past. I tired to do some extra cleaning on Monday, but I haven't done laundry all week, which means 5 loads by tomorrow morning. I might cry a little. Laundry is still so boring. Going to work for 2 days always reminds me that I prefer being at home. When I do work (when all the kids are in school), it'll probably just be part time. There's no way I could keep up with the house with the a full time job.

Aside from biking, I'm hoping to add a new cooking challenge to my life:  homemade ice cream. I'm going to get an electric churn and do it right, no hasty soft serve. It helps that I've been getting free eggs and watching Good Eats.

Wedding, Spring Break in Rexburg and NC

We've had a busy few weeks! James went to his cousins Jake's wedding in Rexburg and took Kenny with him. I didn't feel comfortable with doing 2 trips in a row, and I know I was right about that. (As I'm typing this, I'm still pretty wiped out from jet lag and overall lack of sleep, plus all the catching up I've had to do over the past few days.) While he was gone, the kids and I went over to the Murrays' for dinner and games. We had a wonderful time. They made the best wings I've ever had. Saturday, I went to a bridal shower for our old babysitter, Alyssa, and I taught Relief Society on Sunday. James got home in time for an ordination at 6.

Monday was crazy busy. James had parent/teacher conferences while I was home struggling to find the motivation to pack for 2 separate trips. I managed somehow. Tuesday morning, we woke up at 3:40 A.M. to drive to the Salt Lake airport. Despite some almost carsickness, I made it one piece to RDU by 4:00 P.M. I had a pretty horrible headache from the lack of sleep, but good old Excedrin had me feeling pretty good through the rest of the day. I went to Cine Bistro with Brinson and Ceci to watch Morbius. It was a very different kind of movie. I absolutely loved my poke bowl. Grandma and Grandpa Schillemat arrived fairly late.

Wednesday, Mom had surgery for kidney stones. Everyone came over to do a project with the chicken coop, so I got to meet the babies. I made dinner for everyone and then headed over the Christian and Rachel's for the night. We watched Death on the Nile and ate hot Cheetos.

Thursday, every came over to Christian and Rachel's for lunch and egg-dying. I helped with the setup and cleanup, though Rachel was really on top of things despite having a 1-month-old. After cleaning up, I headed to Myles and Skyla's. We had a late dinner and hung out talking till late. (Actually, I stayed up till at least midnight every night, often 1, but woke up by 7 or 8. Oops.)

After a yummy brunch, I went back to Apex. Mara and her kids were there, so we hung out and visited Carmel's work. The missionaries came over for dinner, and I found out that one was from Vernal and one of James's former students. I still can't believe it! At 8:00, I went to the temple with the grandparents and Brinson and Ceci. Grandpa had me help him with a lot of family history stuff, and I'm really impressed with how much he's using technology now. He and Grandma have been doing tons of names. Grandma made a few phone calls during the week so I could work on the directory, and now we're missing only a few pieces on information. Hopefully soon I'll be able to print it and mail it to them. Grandpa also sent 2 toolboxes with me for my younger kids. They love them already.

I went to Mara and Ricky's in the morning. We ate lunch at Bojangles and went to a few thrift stores. We then went on a walk in the afternoon and played with bubbles while Mara made dinner. After the girls went to bed, we all played Apples to Apples with Brinson and Ceci and had some cheesecake.

After a night at Mara's, I went back to Apex to be able to ride to Wade's baby blessing and not spend a ton on gas. (It's a dollar cheaper than UT, but still.) Wade's blessing went really well, and we had a delicious lunch at Myles and Skyla's afterward. The grandparents left to go home partway, so the rest of us hung out the rest of the day. Monday was the same, mostly hanging out. We got Cookout for lunch and at 4, Dad took me to the airport. My return flight was MUCH better because they got rid of masks, I had a window seat with no one by me, I ate enough, and I bought a WiFi pass so I could see how James was doing. I only had to wait about 15 minutes outside. We went to an Airbnb in Herriman, near where Mara used to live, for the night.

Tuesday, we took a quick trip to IKEA and got lunch. We then spent the afternoon at the Natural History museum before heading home. I felt pretty awful by then because I still didn't sleep more than 6 hours, but we made it home. The last 2 days have gone smoothly, even switching out the tires, which is sometimes a huge hassle.

My family had a good time in Rexburg as well doing the usual Easter stuff. This trip was especially illuminating to me on how much energy it takes to take care of everyone. I didn't get a lot of sleep but didn't feel especially tired while I was gone. It was, at least mentally, incredibly restful. It was even peaceful to drive between siblings'  houses because I was alone and no one needed me in the back seat. I had no idea how mentally drained I felt when I left, but I enjoyed every minute. I had time for meaningful conversations, didn't have to rush, and got to do whatever I wanted for almost a week. I'm definitely going to do it again sometime!

Now, I just need to catch up on sleep and water. This desert air has me feeling pretty parched.

Water Heater, Conference, Kenny's 10th Birthday

We ended up fixing the water heater last Friday. It went pretty well. The part that took forever was getting it to drain, which didn't really start happening until James pulled out the top element. He successfully replaced the top element and thermostat and the bottom element, which is what was broken. We could tell by looking at; it was so corroded and nasty. We saved the other thermostat for later because it doesn't quite match.

Conference was good. After the second session on Saturday, we met up with the Boyles at the park and had some dinner. Sunday morning, we invited Katie, Samantha, and Amy over to watch and eat lunch. It was really fun! I appreciated the messages about peace.

Monday night, Kenny was sick, so he missed school on Tuesday, his birthday. Luckily, he started feeling much better and has made a full recovery without passing it on to anyone. I think he really liked his presents. I still haven't found a cake that he really loves, though.

I signed Lewis up for Kindergarten yesterday. So weird.

James and Kenny leave for Rexburg after school. Yes, it's a lot of driving for a weekend, but I didn't feel good about extending my trip since I leave for NC on Tuesday. James will leave Kenny in Rexburg and come back for Sunday night and Monday. It's going to be a busy few weeks, and I'm excited for the trip, but I know I'll be glad to be home afterward. :)