May 2024

 What in the April happened?  It's like it just passed me by.  I completely forgot to post in the month of April. I know I was there.  I know I did a few things.  But it must have been one of those "slow days/fast month" phenomenons that happen sometimes when you are not paying close attention.  Because I remember the days being REALLY long.  But where the heck did the month go?  

I will combine the two months here since April must have been so uneventful, I didn't even take any pictures.  

The young women volunteered at Tan's Treats.  An organization focused on putting food in kids homes during the weekend when they are not able to take advantage of school breakfasts and lunches.  We filled 200 bags of food for local kids.  It was really fun. 

KK's class made cakes.  She was in a really fun group and they were pretty proud of their creation

Speaking of KK....  We found out in February that she was eligible to attend FSY this year.  We didn't know that she was old enough until we received the email letting us know.  So we asked her who she wanted to go with.  All of her best friends were born in 2011 and so will not be old enough to go this year.  So we thought that maybe we could have Peyton go with her.  Meaning that Peyton would attend twice.  We tried to sign them up together.  But, NO.  You are not allowed to go twice.  So that meant KK had no one to go with.  And we ended up not signing her up.  I secretly prayed that someone would fall from the sky to go with her.  Someone who she would feel comfortable with.  But it wasn't happening.  And I was so sad.  I know she needs to go.  Fast forward to April.  She was at the Family History Center with her class and Eva, one of the girls in her class casually mentioned that she was going to FSY, but didn't have a roommate and she was nervous to bunk with a stranger.  KK said...  wait, let me see who I am going with.  She messaged me and asked who her FSY roommate was.  I said no one right now.  You aren't even signed up.  She said...  well, can I go with Eva?  I nearly burst.  I messaged her mom and asked it she would be okay with them rooming together.  She started crying.  I have been praying everyday for two months that someone would just fall in her path.  We were able to get them signed up together and off they are going in June to have a life changing experience.  Expect Miracles.

At work, we attended baby showers and had numerous luncheons.  We are alway getting treated to food and fun events.

Okay.... now on to May....

Both of our temples are finally open.

The kids love going to do temple work.

They were able to go this month with Grant and Trevyn 

and they had a great time.

The FSY kickoff was a total sucess.  There were so many kids at the park and

the activities were fun and inclusive and everyone was so excited for FSY to happen.

I was a driver.  I was under the impression that was the extent of my responsibilities.

Had I known I was going to be required to put my body at risk in TWO tug of war competitions, I never would have gone.  

The second our ANCHOR bit the dust, we were toast.

We got to spend a Sunday with the the whole Hyde family (minus Gracie who is on her mission)  and have a HUGE meal that was so delicious.

We love Scottie and she loves the big kids

While we were visiting with the Hydes, I noticed that Kori was really struggling.  It seemed like she had very much gone backwards in her mobility and abiity to be independent.  Her boys were having to help her stand up and Russ had to help her back to the bathroom.  She mentioned that he had recently hurt her back.  Oh well....  I know all too well how that feels, so that totally made sense.   They left from here to go to Mexico for a week and when they returned, the report of the trip was that Kori went from bad to THE WORST POSSIBLE.  So they took her straight into the ER once they were back in Oregon.  In true Kori fashion...  she couldn't just have a sore back....  SHE HAD TO HAVE A TUMOR ON HER SPINE!!! 

Off to surgery.  She would spend the rest of May and a couple weeks of June in the hospital rehabilitating.  The surgery was a success as far as removing the tumor is concerned.  However, her cancer has returned and it is the same type, glioblastoma.  We are waiting to hear all of her pathology reports from her oncologist currently and we are praying every day for another miracle.  She is in really good spirits and is ready to get started on treatments and she is determined to beat this horrible disease again.  Without knowing too much at this point, that is all I can report at this moment.

Raleigh's friends came into town for a Murray Boys Weekend.

They planned to golf a couple of days and ride side by sides

and shoot guns and gamble. 

They did some of that.

But in my opinion, the best part of the weekend was when they did an early morning session

at the Red Cliffs Temple.

That was so impressive to me that they would do that.

Earlier in the year, the kids (Walt) expressed disdain with our family.

He was very disappointed with our family's choice of travel or lack of it.

"Every other kid on the planet goes places during school breaks except the kids in our family."

We just always stay home and do the same things.

So we decided to go somewhere over Memorial Day weekend

MOAB

I have never been and the kids seemed excited about it

The drive was nice and easy but was MUCH longer that I anticipated.

We stopped off at a little "lookout" about an hour outside of the town.

It was lovely.

I noticed when I got out of the car that my right knee seemed a little sore when I put an ounce of weight on it.  I hobbled around on the rocks like a grandma.

When we arrived in Moab, we put our warm sweatshirts on and got aquainted with Main St. 

We stopped off at a delightful hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant

The kids said it was the best Mexican food they have ever eaten. 

I guess when Cafe Rio and Durangos are your choices it's not hard to out-do.

Rykardo

 

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a food truck extravaganza and got treats

We had a 1:00 hike time on Saturday, which incidentally was the same time

the storm clouds started rolling in.

It was the same time the fierce and violent winds began to roar.

It was the same time my knee injury flared up with a vengence.

But, nevertheless up we went. 

I was determined to conquer this unknown hike with the agility of a 22 year old.

I strapped on a backpack filled with a sweatshirt, a waterproof golf jacket, a waterproof blanket and a couple of water bottles and I led out.

I quickly discovered that this was not a leisurely little stroll through south eastern Utah however.

The trail started to go up.... a lot.

And then the trail turned from a little rocky trail into more of a brutal climb up the side of a mountain.

And my body quickly reminded me of my actual age.  

Remember you have arthritis in your knees.

Remember you are 9 pounds over weight.

Remember you are in crap shape and your lungs and your heart are just NOT what they used to be.

I had to take several breaks to catch my breath because I did not want to go into cardiac arrest and have to be rescued by life flight.  I really did on two occasions think I might not survive. 

AND THEN.....

We came to the narrowing of the trail.

The part of the hike right before you reach the arch.

If you're lucky it's 36 inches wide.

One side of trail is right up against the rock face the other side is a cliff.

A sheer 50 foot drop off.

I hugged that mountain like a scared little girl and prayed for my life.

We made it.

And while I was sitting there counting my many blessings, the wind really started to blow.

It was blowing SO hard and the sand was pelting our skin and tiny rocks were embedding themselves in to our ears and hair and the sides of our faces.  And it was COLD.  We were dressed for a hike, so we were freezing and miserable.

We did what everyone does and took several photos that made it look like we were having the time of our lives when in reality...  one of us was crippled, 2 were crying, one was just mad and Walt...happy as a clam to be on vacation... no matter the conditions.  

And we knew the worst was not over...  We now had to go back on that dangerous, death trail only this time we would be on the outter edge and not up against the wall.  We unloaded the backpack full of coats and blankets and wrapped the girls up so there might be 2 of the 5 us that might not contract frostbite and set out on our homeward journey.   I gripped onto the girls and forced them to walk like snails and I thought things were going well until my 74 pound daughter almost literally blew off the side of the cliff with the wind.  

So, I passionately, vehemently, forcefully and somewhat embarrassingly insisted that OUR family break the unwritten third rule of hiking and we went down the narrow trail ON THE LEFT.  I ticked off all of the people in the immediate area because I made the people coming up the hill go around us while MY family embraced the side of the mountain...  on the safer left side of the trail.  I didn't even feel an ounce of guilt that we looked like clueless hiking idiots.  I just kept yelling at the kids to stay to the left in an accent, so people would think that we were oblivious out of towners. 

BFFs

It was a blessed day, when we arrived to the truck at the base of the mountain and hadn't died. 

I quickly crossed Delicate Arch right off of my bucket list and moved on with my life.

Peyton and Chloe arrived at FSY on the morning of my 53rd birthday.

It was exciting and I was about to burst with exhileration recalling my EFY days.

We got her all set up in her little dorm room and left her to have a great week.

She made the most of it too.

She fully embraced the spirituality of the classes and the devotionals and the firesides.

She filled an entire journal full of notes and had a great experience.

I am so happy for her.

We said goodbye to another coworker, kindof.

Hannah is going to work remote from Detroit where her husband is going to go to med school

Brayden and Crysti celebrated 9 years of marriage on the 30th

Wow!!!

And KK finished the month out for us strong by having a huge cavity filled, her last baby tooth pulled and got the all clear for braces

This was a BIG month....  HUGE!

Our ward split for the 4th time in 5 years.

We lost so many good people.  I am going to miss several of them.

It's actually been really bitter/sweet.   

Just like in years past OUR ward took the brunt of the split and just like all of the other 3 times in the past, our ward ended up with a bishop and NO OTHER CALLINGS.  

That should be fun.

Our family has some GIGANTIC things happening in the next two weeks.  

My testimony grew 1000% this month as our Heavenly Father showed us once again that He loves us and that he has this crazy, amazing, unbelievable plan in place for our lives.  

It's incredible and we don't deserve it and never expected it.

And we are going to grow and learn and change in ways we never thought we would ever be able to.  

June is going to be crazy busy

and educational and full of changes.

Yikes!!