September 2019

September was a LOW KEY month.  We haven't had one of those for SO long, I have forgotten what it feels like.  I cannot lie....  I loved it.  At work, we call that that calm before the storm.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the calm at work, not looking forward to the storm.  

We took a little break from projects.  Mostly because we are almost finished with our list.  I either need to say that we are done for now OR start making a new list.  The truth is we are both VERY tired and also we are as poor as a couple of church mice.  

Football games and practices have monopolized our time.

But these two are good little players

It's Homecoming time

And Allie's very best friend, "Suds"

(Jared Sudweeks)

just always assumed that they were going to go together.

He didn't really think he needed to formally ask her.

But you teach people how to treat you.

And she told him a thing or two.

And next thing you know, he was at our house while she was working

putting together an invitation.

He solicited help from the siblings

Who mostly messed around

She said yes

On Friday the 13th...  the day of the Harvest Moon

which I thought would be an unlucky day, but turned out to be a lovely day.

On Saturday, we got busy restoring KK's dresser for her room

And we could NOT be happier with the results

We love how it turned out and she is so proud of her room.

Such a perfect little space for a perfect little princess

This is our little reading nook below our stairs.

See this little Quote here

I had been looking for the perfect quote to go here 

with the perfect colors.

I couldn't find it.

And I was about to give up.

But, we stopped into Kohls on Saturday so Raleigh could pick up something that he had ordered...

and I was wandering through the home decor section.  And I saw a frame and in the frame was this quote.  I almost considered purchasing the less than cute frame,  just so I could have the quote. 

But I opened the back of the frame and realized that it was really just a piece of paper meant to fill the frame until a real photo is installed.  

It had no real value.

But, to me, it was priceless and perfect.

And I had to have it for my nook.

So I took it out of the frame and looked all around for security and cameras.

And I left the empty frame on the shelf.

When I was sufficiently confident that I wasn't being followed, I made haste toward the exit.

Clutching my contraband as I practically ran out of the store and I felt like a hardened criminal. 

They would have just laughed at me if I had asked to purchase it, but I probably should have done that.  It would have felt less like thievery. 

It looks so darling....  I only feel a little bad.

See our family picture here on the wall...  

It looked so nice.  There was no need to touch it.

There really isn't any need to go into this area of the home.

This is the "ministering room" after all...

and every one knows there isn't any ministering going on at present (because no one 

seems to be able to figure out how to do it).

Nevertheless...

Someone went in here and swapped the family photo with THIS...

Eyesore

Monstrosity

Disgrace

There are only TWO places in our home where Utes Art is allowed

1. The garage

2. The master bathroom commode

What is going on here?

I am baffled why certain individuals have it in their heads that they can decor.

Or go anywhere near the decor.

Or have an opinion about the decor.

Here are Allie's Junior and Senior year student cards.

She couldn't be cuter.

She certainly is growing up

Speaking of Allie...

Remember when she was a sponsored member of a major Kendama Corporation?

She would receive Kendamas from various vendors nearly everyday for her to try and post about.

She faithfully did that for 3 years.

Here is her collection of Kendamas that she spent ZERO dollars on.

Well, she has started selling them.

She sold 13 of them to a kid in our town for $350.00

I swear.....

She is amazing!!

My 13 minutes of fame here.

I am trying to get scooters out at The Village for our guests to use.

Mostly so that I can get rid of the scooters that we keep in the homes

It's a selfish endeavor really.

I contacted the Santa Clara City manager and proposed my idea.

He asked me to come present at the City Council Meeting

and the next thing I knew, I was on the front page of the paper.

SO EMBARASSING!!

If I had known I was going to be published, I would have brushed my hair and put on cute clothes.

And made a cute face for crying out loud. 

My sweet, KK has kind of struggled with our move. 

She misses her old school.

She had wonderful friends at Riverside.

She really misses them.   We have had them over to our new house a couple of times, but it's not the same and she was sad.

There are at least 100 boys in our new neighborhood, but very few girls especially her age. 

My heart was breaking for her.  She would play by herself in her room with her unicorns.

Then FINALLY Makayla moved in all the way from Twin Falls Idaho and saved the day.

KK and Kayla have been inseparable.

Kayla's mom took them shopping for matching dresses so they could be twins at church.

I love these cute friends.  

Kayla's family is one of those families who go and do fun things and take friends with them...

So KK gets to go with them on all of their adventures.  

 Majestic Elementary movie night

Children's Museum

Our neighborhood has block parties.

Block parties are new to us.

We kind of like them.

Quincey's birthday is in September.

She came over and cut everyone's hair and then we took her out for FroYo.

I am so happy that she moved back to St. George

School Pictures 

I hear this boy looks like his dad.

I don't see it

Homecoming Game

Homecoming Day Date

Homecoming Dance

They had a great time.

It is so much better to go to dances with your best friends

And finally....

I got the hairbrained and quite frankly idiotic idea that our office wasn't big enough for us anymore and we needed a bigger and more functional space.  And I got approval move.  And I had to work with the (for lack of a better word) stupidest real estate agent in Washington County.  I have been executing a deal for 5 weeks now and he took every opportunity he could to jerk me around.  I never thought we were ever going to be able to actually move in.  But, we got keys by some unknown aligning of the stars.  I was SUPER happy for about 10 seconds until it dawned on me that I was going to have to actually move.....  again.  

And my full time staff consists of 4 women and 2 men.  And the MEN were NO help and I mean NO FREAKING HELP WHATSOEVER.  Over the course of 4 days we, with our husband's trucks and trailers moved our entire office across town.   5 awkward desks with hutches,  washers and dryers,  7 gigantic shelving racks plus countless inventory items to put on the shelving racks.  It was heavy and my body will never be the same.  I am exhausted.   But our new office is so much better.   I really love it.  

I am sick of moving. 

I don't want to do it again for a very very long time.  

In fact, I won't. 

I refuse.

I am SO happy that the weather is in the 70s right now... I cannot even express.

My view of life in general is 1000% more positive when it is not on fire outside. 

I am so excited that we are almost all moved in to our house.  

I am loving our neighborhood and our new routines.

I sure do love my family

All of them.

September was a great month.  I feel like it was a total success.

I have had several spiritual experiences that have strengthened my testimony tremendously.  I am so grateful for those experiences.  I love challenges and opportunities to grow.  I love knowing that my needs are known by someone who has power to help me go in the very best direction.  I am so blessed that I have a husband who wants the very best for me and our family.  He encourages/expects me to be the very best person I can be... always.  I love that we, as a couple,  know why we are truly  here on this earth and that we have common eternal goals.  

It is so easy to lose sight of what is ultimately important here.  Especially lately.  I don't know what is happening.  But,  we are so blessed to have good, solid family members, on both sides, who keep us on the straight and narrow.  I cannot thank those good people enough.  True role models.

 The bottom line is....  This is the season when the Lord is sifting.  He is separating the wheat from the tares just like he said he would.  If you aren't paying attention, you could be a tare before you know it.  So the lesson I learned this month is plant yourself in the middle of a very hearty wheat field and you'll be just fine.  Thank you Mom and Dad,  Kori and Russ,  Brent and Kami,  Craig and Tiffanie,  Jamie and Amy for being our wheat field.  

And even better than that... trust our Heavenly Father to answer your questions rather than hanging your entire eternal salvation on something you read or heard that someone read on the internet.

I have really put Him to the test these past couple of months.

I have asked Him to show me the truth.

Even better than knowing that He has taken the time to show me,  is knowing that He has given me opportunities to learm for myself by giving me challenges where I could have been rebellious,  but I instead chose to trust Him and my oh my....  I realized how powerless and un-knowledgable I really am without Him in my life.  I am not about to chunk this whole thing up by thinking that I could ever be smarter than He is in any given situation.  

I truly believe that He is putting things in our paths as last minute tests to see where our faith and trust is, so He will know who is truly on His team.  

Spoiler Alert:  HE WINS!!

So, get on His team.  

The other team SUCKS.