Church, Camping

I went to Church on Sunday! It was so nice to be there. I think there were probably about 50 people out of the A-L crowd. We decided not to bring the kids yet since they probably wouldn't be very good at social distancing. It felt so good to worship with everyone else and feel the Spirit. James will go next time our ward meets, which is in a few weeks.

Our big adventure this week was camping. We took a drive on Monday to look for a good spot and found one we liked at East Park, a nice reservoir up in the mountains. Overall, it was fun but challenging.

Dislikes: packing for the trip since it filled up the whole car just for one night, trying to get any sleep with everyone together in the tent, trying to stay warm, setting up the tent and fire and having to take everything down today. (Why can't sleeping bags roll up nicely?!)

Likes: sitting by the fire, silly jokes, kids playing in the water, exploring a cave and the creek nearby (with lots of beautiful flowers and butterflies), talking with James and looking at the stars till the kids finally fell asleep, getting a little bit more tan, being away from social media, almost forgetting about the pandemic for a minute.

I think we won't do it again this year, but maybe next summer. Today, I get to do a mountain of laundry. :)

Adventures, Appointments, Cancellations, and Traditions

I don't think I mentioned before that we're trying to do "adventures" on MWF. Last Friday, we went to a birthday party at the Boyles' house. We actually go every year, and it's always amazing: tons of food, water slides, and great company. I've really been trying to take one day at a time with social distancing, and since this was an outside party, it felt like a good idea. Things with Covid-19 are picking up in my county, though, so that makes me a little nervous. It's good that there are so many outdoor things available. We went on a hike in the Monument on Monday. It was called Desert Voices and ended up being much longer than expected, but still fun. I'm amazed at the beauty of where I live. It's completely different than where I grew up.

I had an appointment with the general surgeon, so I'm scheduled for surgery on July 9th. I have to get tested for Covid-19 first, about 10 days before, and I can't travel afterward. That means no trip to Rexburg for the 4th of July and no celebrating our anniversary. I'm really upset about that. I'm not sure when we'll be able to go. If I feel okay, mid-July. NC is going to take up the first 2 weeks of August. Assuming I don't get the stupid coronavirus beforehand, I'll be fully recovered the day before school starts for James.

I had an appointment with the eye doctor yesterday, and it looks like my prescription has changed a bit. Though I never had it before, I've got a little bit of astigmatism. I hope that minor change, combined with a different kind of lenses, will solve my problems with my right eye bugging me. (I've had to take a break from contacts a lately.) Just in case, I bought a pair of sunglasses that can go over regular glasses. I had no idea these existed before, but they're a genius idea!

We're trying to come up with some fun summer traditions, but it's hard. It feels like we can't plan anything (still) since it just might get cancelled. I know that social distancing is a small sacrifice, really, but sometimes I feel trapped even though I still have a lot of options.

Heavy Things

I've had a lot of things weighing on my mind since we got back from our trip to Rexburg. I am glad we went because it was a nice break from regular life. I feel like I've gotten hit by a lot of things, many of them heavy, so this post will be a little depressing. Writing it all out helps me feel better. These issues are in no particular order, and I worry about all of them intermittently.

I made an appointment with the general surgeon for next week. I will most likely be able to have surgery on July 9th to get my hernia fixed. (Thanks, Samantha.) Though I'm not particularly scared about it, it's stressful to think about going under the knife again and having 6 weeks of recovery. I also don't know how much it will hurt, but I'm hopeful that it will be minor since my other 3 surgeries were really easy. I have to do it around all of our travel since I'll need help. I won't be able to lift Lewis or Samantha during recovery, which is a big deal. It can't wait until school starts.

Myles and Skyla are planning their sealing for August 8th. I'm really excited about it, but I feel that driving it the best way to make sure we don't lose tons of money or get infected with the Coronavirus. I think everyone knows how much travel stresses me out. Just yesterday, we had to add some oil to the car while we were at 10,000 feet. It's a good thing we had some in the car already. I hate old cars sometimes. Ours has needed some age-related repairs, but I'm still afraid to drive 2,000 miles there and back. Plus, whiny kids.

An old friend I hadn't seen in a while died from cancer. He was only 35. Cancer sucks.

My yoga class has to change venues after June. I've loved the studio where it happens right now. I'm annoyed that the studio would just discontinue classes like that. On top of everything else, it's really frustrating. I probably can't go in July anyway due to recovery, but I'm still worried that it will all end.

I'm struggling with a lot of anxiety still, especially about my appearance. Though I got rid of the scale, I'm noticing that some of my clothes feel a little tighter. Thanks to the stupid virus, I can't get any new ones unless I get lucky and have them fit without trying them on. Ugh. I know this will change eventually, but I really need to try a different style of pants. Weight gain or not, everything digs into my squishy belly unless it's got a stretchy waistband. Wearing uncomfortable stuff is making me feel grouchy.

My contact lenses are starting to bother me, but if I wear glasses, I can't wear sunglasses. I really need to get clipons or something, but I haven't done that yet, so I either have scratchy eyes or squint and get a headache. Another small thing that's making me grouchy. I have an eye appointment next week to hopefully get some answers.

If you made it this far, thanks for bearing with me! I don't know who reads this anymore, but I'm glad for you.

Rexburg Trip

We left on Saturday and had a pretty uneventful drive. We only took short stops since everything is still kind of closed, so we arrived by mid-afternoon. Joseph got a second birthday celebration with Hawaiian haystacks and chocolate peanut butter cake. I'll never say no to more cake and ice cream! (Though I prefer those two separate, that's another post on its own.)

Sunday was nice. It was a lot like doing Church at our house, but with more family. They used their Duplo table for the sacrament. :) We relaxed, ate, and played games for the rest of the day.

Monday, I went to book group with Melodie. Even though I hadn't read the book, it was fun to sit in the park and eat pizza. I don't remember the last time I hung out with anyone not related to me. I already knew most of the ladies since I used to be in their ward...like 8 years ago now!

We went to the Lees' for dinner and enjoyed hot dogs and s'mores, eating outside so we could still practice social distancing. (Go away Corona! I miss hugs!)

Tuesday, James and the older kids went up to Victor while the rest of us stayed here. I made bread and dinner: Hawaiian chicken (on the grill). It turned out really good, but everyone was late getting back from Victor and a neighbor stopped by, so it all got cold and we had dinner an hour late. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about that, but I'm over it now.

Wednesday, we got a little treat after lunch and made grilled pizza for dinner. James and I have a pretty good system going. We cranked out 5 pizzas and still got to see most of the movie.

I made bread again today and some peanut butter cookies for tomorrow, Grandpa's favorites. The plan for today is to visit Bear World with Grandma Lee. Tomorrow, we'll go up to the property and kayak.

I've been reading a lot and even had a few naps. I still can't get into exercising, even with a buddy, but I attempted it a few times this week. I'm not sure how things will be when we get home since we've had plenty of things to keep us busy the past few weeks. I really hope we can settle into a routine where can balance fun, work, and pure laziness. Boredom is my enemy right now, though. When left with nothing to do, I feel really negative about my life. We'll get through this. When we do, I'm going to hug everyone.

The Blomquists Visit

As I mentioned before, the Blomquists (Mara, Ricky, and Emma) arrived Saturday night. They are the first family members to visit us since February. We stayed up late talking and were all super tired on Sunday, but it was worth it. Sunday was a good day to rest and relax.

Monday, we went to McConkie Ranch to see the petroglyphs. I hadn't been in 8 years! It was fun to compare pictures from 8 years ago. I look a little older, but not much has changed. We hung out in the afternoon and then celebrated Mara's 25th birthday with grilled sausages, potatoes, grilled zucchini, and devil's food cake. After the kids went to bed, we played the new game Mara got, Robinson Crusoe. It's really involved the first time, but fun.

Tuesday, Ricky had homework, so we got a takeout lunch for a double date when he had a break. After dinner, Mara and I went to yoga, which was relaxing. We played another round of Robinson Crusoe but lost this time.

Wednesday, we hiked to Cassidy Crack and had a picnic lunch afterward at Josie Bassett's old cabin. I then made Joseph and Emma's cheesecake for today since it needed to chill. We made grilled pizza for dinner, bathed kids while the men went hunting, and finished the day with another round of Robinson Crusoe. I really like cooperative games since I'm not a very competitive person.

Today, we celebrate Joseph's 10th and Emma's 1st birthdays. Hers is today, and his is on the 30th. I can't believe I've been a mom for almost 10 years now. We're having fajitas for dinner (grilled, of course) and will then open presents and enjoy a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. I can't wait! The other adults are out shooting right now, hence the blogging. It will be sad for everyone to leave after dinner today, but it's been a really fun visit. We will have just enough time to get ready for our trip to Rexburg on Saturday.

Fossil Hunting, The End of School, Garden

James went fossil hunting with his friend Devin last Saturday. They found a lot of cool and interesting things. Devin came for dinner Sunday since his family was out of town. He's the first non-family member to be in our house since March.

I didn't take pictures this past week because I didn't feel like there was much going on. The kids did their last school assignments on Tuesday. Yesterday, we drove through the school parking lot to say goodbye to all the teachers and pick up the last of the kids' stuff. I made some bread for them, and they seemed happy about it.

I finished my class on grilling. I still need to do the assignments for the photography one, but I haven't been in the mood. I made my first solo grilled thing the other day: yellow squash. It was absolutely delicious. If you ever feel like you're tired of cooking, try getting a new appliance. Cooking familiar foods in a new way is really exciting.

Though the nursery didn't have as much to offer as normal, I got plenty of things to grow for our garden. I unfortunately killed the tomatoes by forgetting to water them. Oops. While I was at yoga, James fenced in the garden for me! That means we can plant today or tomorrow, as soon as I feel not so lazy. Sometimes, it's hard to want to be outside, but once I've been in the yard for a while, I feel pretty good.

Next up: the Blomquists are coming to visit! They arrive Saturday night, and I can hardly wait. Until then, we're going to party through the last official day of school (tomorrow) by stuffing our faces with all the delicious foods we can. We'll start off the day with some treat cereals and probably finish with a movie. :)

Kenny's Baptism, Ice Cream Truck, Jones Hole, Mother's Day, Burned Out

(This is the quarantine, weeks 8 and 9. I am really tired of using that as my title because who knows how long this is going to drag on?!)

Though we weren't able to stick to the original plan with Kenny's baptism (inviting all the family), it was a really special experience. We got to the church in 2 trips since the big car was in the shop. Every family member got to participate in the program in multiple roles since it was just us, the bishop, and his wife, who is part of the Primary presidency. Kenny came up out of the water with a big smile on his face. I was really excited to be a witness with Joseph. I know we'll always remember this day. It was really special to sit in a little semicircle right next to the font.

The Primary presidency came around with an ice cream truck, and it was so fun to see everyone from a distance. They gave out ice cream bars to the kids and adults. The kids were so excited, they waited outside the whole time until it got to our house. I think we were the last stop because of where we live.

We took a trip to Jones Hole fish hatchery with a picnic lunch from Subway. The kids really loved it, and I even made a fun playlist for the drive.

Mother's Day was all right. I got some fun presents and tried to relax, but it was hard. I didn't do any dishes or change diapers, though.

James has still been using the grill a lot. I love trying new things, and grilled foods are usually a level up on deliciousness. I've been listening to a Great Courses class on grilling along with the photography one. I'm way behind on the assignments, but I'm keeping track so I can do them when I'm in the mood.

Everyone is sick of school, especially me. I'm trying to do the bare minimum to get us through next Friday, which is officially the last day!!! It's really hard to manage the burnout. Some things are completely back to normal, like grocery shopping. I can get everything without substitutions. Some are on the way, like yoga in person or going to the library (mask: mandatory). Spots for yoga are limited, though, so I have to remember to message the teacher beforehand, and I'm not always good at that. Though Utah is at "orange" for risk level, that still means no church, travel to NC, or playing with friends. James and I both have masks for the rare occasion we have to go inside a store.

I just want this to be over.