July 2018

July begins with "I'm Okay Day"

I'm okay day is July 1st.  

It's exactly half way through the year.

And it's the day that we celebrate all of our victories and wins that have happened over the past year.

We talk about how important it is to come to know ourselves for our weaknesses as well as our strengths, so that it doesn't matter what other people do to us or say about us, we know ourselves well enough already that their actions and words have no effect on us.  If there is something about ourselves that we don't particularly like or something that we want to change, we initiate that on I'm Okay Day and work on it over the course of the next year and we give ourselves a year to perfect it.  

It's been a good thing in our family.

It's important not to listen to the words of others when it comes to defining who we are.

WE define us.

The only way you can do that is to come to know yourself and more importantly come to LIKE yourself.

We set goals both personal and familial for the next year.  And we have high expectations for ourselves.  

The bottom line is....  this is the day that we tell each other what we think each other's talents are and we tell each other how much we love each other.  

The next July event is our annual Fourth of July Trip.

We stay in Park City.

We do school shopping at all of the outlet malls.

We eat way too much food.

Today, we ate breakfast at Kneaders.

All you can eat French Toast.

Some of us ate more than others

 Then we went to the Barn off Kimball Junction Highway

We took a hundred photos.

It was a beautiful day.

We relished the cooler weather.

  I enjoyed some time with Morgan

 Then we changed into coats and sweatshirts and climbed up the big ski hill to watch the fireworks. 

It was downright freezing up there.

I told Peyton 5 times to change into warm clothes, but she thought she was too cool for warm clothes, and I was all too happy to let her learn a valuable life lesson.

She was F-F-FREEZING.

To the point of crying.

And I gave her a very stern "I told you so"

"I don't just tell you to do things because I am trying to be mean or annoying"

"It's always a good thing to obey your parents"

"For the rest of your life when I tell you to do something, and you are considering NOT doing the thing I have told you to do, I am going to say 'Remember Park City' "

She got the message loud and clear.

The next day, Raleigh and Papa left before the sun was up and drove an hour and a half to Hobble Creek Golf Course to play 18 holes in breathtaking scenery.  Raleigh was "on fire" according to my dad.  And they had a great time.

 I am training Raleigh SO well.  

He knew that the expectation was that he returned with a photo or two.

So he propped his phone up on his golf bag and set up the timer, so they could get this picture.

"Dudes don't ask other dudes to take their picture at a golf course"

It's one of those unspoken DUDE rules that women don't relate to.
There are a whole set of DUDE rules for public restrooms alone that I had no idea even existed until Raleigh educated me.  I didn't have brothers and my dad was a politically correct father and didn't share those things with his daughters.  I had no idea there were so many man rules.  

After the boys returned and got cleaned up, we went to dinner and then back to 

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for dessert. 

We took our goodies back to the entrance of the hotel, where there are giant rocking chairs that are pleasant to sit in and we like to sit out there where it is cool and people watch.

We were enjoying our evening when a lady, who looked very upset, came up to my mom and said 

"Are you LDS?"

My mom said "yes, are you?"

She said "yes.  I just flew in from Seattle for a family baby shower and as I was driving up the mountain, my son's mission president called me and told me that my son is struggling on his mission and needs to come home for a while and I am very upset and I am looking for someone who can give me a blessing."

My mom said well...  "you are in luck, these two men here would be happy to do that for you."

So, we went up to my parents room and my Dad and Raleigh gave her a beautiful blessing of comfort.

Then we sat with her for the next hour and helped her make a plan to get to her son (who is serving in Colorado, only 4 hours away).

She was a cute girl and we were so happy to help her.  We enjoyed learning all about her family and her sweet son who was just trying to do a very hard, unselfish thing and needed his mom and dad.

I am so proud to be the daughter and the wife of worthy priesthood holders who are willing and able to give blessings and don't hesitate at all to jump when someone asks them for help.

I hope this counts as Ministering...  cause I'm going to count it.

She sent my mom a text 2 days later and said

"Best reunion in the world this morning with our son, no tears just pure joy."

 The next day, we woke up early and went to Squatters for breakfast and then we drove down the mountain to go school shopping.   There are Olympic Venues all over Park City.  I love this one.

 Ryker isn't happy that he ALWAYS has to be on the smallest box, "just because I am the youngest doesn't mean I always have to be in THIRD PLACE"

We stopped in Orem and picked Allie up from her dad's and brought her up to PC with us

so that she could watch the little kids for us while we attended 

Raleigh's 20 year High School Reunion.

  I learned so much about him from some of his old friends.  I learned that he was a friend to all.  His buddy, Nate called him a HYBRID.  Which meant that he was friends to everyone.  The partiers, the good kids.  The nerds and the jocks.  I learned that even when all of his friends were drinking, he NEVER once touched an alcoholic beverage, even though he was asked several times and he was THE "designated" designated driver.  I learned he was very respectful to all the girls.  And that he had a good reputation of being a good guy.  I was so proud of him.  I am blessed to be his wife.

I'm so tall (5'9 to be exact)....  with 5 inch heels on.

However, how lucky am I that even when I am 5'9, I am still shorter than my husband

by a good 4 inches.  Sadly, I am quite a bit taller at 5'9 than both of his friends.
We crack up every time we look at this picture.  Raleigh says we look like giants.

We had a good time and it was fun to catch up with some of our friends.  Chris, wasn't ready for the night to end and talked us into going to Keys on Main where we listened to dueling pianos.  It was so loud in there that I couldn't even hear the person sitting right next to me, even if we yelled.  My ears were ringing for hours afterward.  I haven't stayed up until 1:00 am in like over 4 years.  Also, we were extremely over dressed for the reunion....  but we were REALLY over dressed for a Downtown Salt Lake City Piano Bar.  Several people asked us if we were "religious people" or "just coming from church".  Why yes, yes we are and we certainly don't belong HERE.   Bring me another Diet Coke please, I need to take some Tylenol. 

Princess Kaleigh

The next day we spent several...  too many hours at the pool.  It was really warm and we got too much sun, but we were lucky and were able to get poolside lounge chairs that are VERY hard to get and we didn't feel like we could leave.  The kids are great swimmers.  They have just learned on their own.  I almost feel confident that they could save themselves in the deep end.  I think one more summer and we will be good.

 They were SO exhausted as we were driving down the hill.  Our car was very quiet.

 We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and did some more school shopping.

 And then we went to Temple Square to meet up with Brayden and Crysti

Nevermind my daughter that dresses like a son.

It was fun to see them and sit at City Creek and eat Caramel Apples and hear what Brayden and Crysti have been up to.  They like living in Salt Lake.

It felt so good to be here.  I just love being a member of the church and knowing all that we know.

I was overcome with joy that my life is where it is today.  I am so blessed that I was able to start my life all over and feel the happiness that I get to feel to be with such a good man and to have such a wonderful family.  I don't like to think about where I could have been in my life if I had chosen to follow someone down a path I had no business being on.  Even if it meant going through some really hard times.  I look back on what could have been and look at how it is now and there is NO QUESTION that our lives have been so blessed and watched over.   I pray that we will always have the courage to choose the right. 
One night Raleigh and I had a very deep discussion about our future and the future of our family and what our goals were as a family, a couple and individuals.  I told him I was frightened because times are getting hard and men's hearts are failing them all around us.  And he said "sweetheart, there is no need to be frightened.  I am right here with you.  I will help you and you can help me and I promise to help you succeed if you will promise to help me succeed."   Those words have brought me so much comfort. 
I can do anything with him by my side.
Additionally, I know that my parents were sent to earth to be my parents for the sole purpose of helping me return to live with my Heavenly Father.  I know that we made promises to each other in the pre-existence.   My mom says things to me that sound familiar, like I have heard them before.
I know that my parents will not let me fail.
I know that we are here on the earth to be tried and tested.
And it's not easy.
And we WILL have to give up something good for something better from time to time.
That is SO okay.
 I simply love going through this life with these good people.
How blessed am I?

 Temple Square is beautiful.  It was cool there and shady and our kids were very impressed with the big statues and all of the flowers and trees.  I especially love thinking about the sacrifices it took to build the gigantic temple.  Members of Raleigh's family just a couple of generations back, literally gave up their lives to help build 3 different temples.  Our kids loved sitting up by Jesus the best.  We sat up there for a long time and talked about our pioneer ancestors and how we have people who have gone before us and sacrificed so much and who are rooting for us.  I am so happy we decided to go there this day.

 Kaleigh almost had some shark teeth

so we took her in to have her baby teeth pulled.

She handled it like a champ, of course.

 She was a little nervous though

 But she is SO DARLING with her front teeth missing.

 This is Gavin.

He is 6'5 and he has also been called to serve in 

Omaha Nebraska in October.

And he will be such a good OBEDIENT missionary.

My sister is SO happy that he is going stateside and will be relatively close.

We have a tradition of choosing where we think the missionary will go and we write on sticky notes and put it on the map.  Papa not only chose the state but the city as well.  He won a jar of M&Ms.

 I took this picture of these two with no teeth.

The next time they both will have no teeth will be in like 80 years

and I will be so dead.

I laughed when I looked down the row at church and literally all of us were wearing navy blue.
What cute little kids I have.

Raleigh is the GO TO guy in the family whenever there is a heavy project that requires muscle, hard work, sweat, a truck/trailer and a good attitude.
He is always willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done.
He hauled a washer and dryer up rickety, broken down, wooden stairs one Saturday
and the next Saturday he towed Grant's poor little broken down car off of I-15, through town, up over Foremaster, all along Riverside Dr and over to Alsco.

Here is what was so great about that...  the Hyde Boys have been very well trained.
They know how to do things that most boys don't.
As Raleigh was getting into the truck on the freeway, he said "this is so scary...  if he crashes into me, my bumper and my tow hitch will destroy his car."

He knew exactly how to be towed.
He did everything right, especially going over Foremaster which is a VERY steep hill and potentially could have been a HUGE nightmare.
He was PERFECT.  Raleigh was so impressed with him.

I cannot tell you what a good feeling it is to know that my family can call Raleigh and ask him for help and he'll jump right into action.  He doesn't say a word of complaint, not even to me privately.  And he just knows what to do.
Plus he is super cute.

The second half of July seemed like 3 months because it was ridiculously hot for 14 straight days.
114 degrees is NOT healthy for anyone. 
I felt dizzy and off kilter for the last half of the month.  I think it was due to the fact that I retained every single drop of liquid that I consumed and also because my organs were expanding and my entire body was swollen and I felt like I weighed 400 pounds.  I told Raleigh that I thought I needed to go have a full body MRI to make sure everything was as it should be in my body.  He just patted me on the head.  And told me to put a wet rag on my neck.  I'm lucky that he placates my hypocondria.  Otherwise, I'd be in doctor's office every other day.
But honestly, I would walk from whatever air conditioned facility I was in to my car and it felt like my skin was going to burst into flames.
Every so often the Monsoonal Moisture Gods would smile upon us and send us a flash flood.  That was fun and nice of them.  It gave us all the illusion that is was cool outside, when the exact opposite was true.  But nevertheless, it gave us the will to go on.

Thank you, July.  You were a good month.
But....  AUGUST IS HERE.
August is going to be AWESOME....
I have been looking forward to August for SO LONG...  and it has finally arrived.
I. Can't. Even...
I. Can't. Even...