This and That

I feel like we have been doing lots, but nothing fantastic enough things to blog about.  But it is my journal so here goes.  After much, much stress, tears, hours, and driving around we finally have gotten Cora's visa application sent off.  She got an email saying it has arrived in the UK and all is in order.  Thank goodness.  Now to get it back with mail strikes.  At the consulate they had a think pod which Cora found quite amusing.

We finally took Blake to celebrate his birthday.  Only two months late.  He had heard about this place called Injination.  It has parkour, trampolines, Ninja Warrior Course and more. It really was lots of fun.  We packed lunch and snacks, picked up a friend and went to check it out.  Fantastic place, hoping to take the girls back with Blake over Christmas.

We have been attending volleyball and football games.  Basketball starts any day now.  Both kids have decided what to do about Halloween this year and really that's all.  Dave got the shed finished.  Blake has been working some long hours to get leaves raked and lawn mowed for Sis Smith. Leah is still putting in hours of homework every night.  Oh she finally was given her Honor Bee. That is a whole eye rolling situation. In the end she wasn't sure she even wanted it anymore. We have a month until Cora moves back home.  We are really excited and looking forward to it.  She is spending as much time with her friends up there as she can until she has to say good-bye.  She is taking a temple prep class and playing some community basketball. Loving her job.  Dave and I started the personal finance class from the church's self-reliance courses.  It has been fun.  We have a good group.  As the girls like to say, 'we are just living our best life'.

19

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORA!

This is the birthday she has been waiting for.  19 and she can now official serve a mission.  We have so much fun with our Cora.  She always sees the good in people with out being fooled or bowled over. She can get along with anyone and is a peacemaker.

Always up for a new adventure.  Everything in life is very exciting to her. She has grown up and matured so much this last year.  Made a lot of really fantastic friends and met so many people. She struggled through finding a job, starting out as a dishwasher, which was awful, but she did it anyways. Moved onto the Gap and now to Davey's Trees.

She got called as a FHE mom for a while and is now a RS teacher.  Only person I know that has a section for pranks in her budget. Loves being with her family and always has stories to share.  When she comes home we stay up way to late and talk and laugh.  Even Blake's friends get excited when she comes home and usually they don't see her.

She wants to travel the world, dive into other cultures and be with people.  Right now her biggest dream is to see Machu Pichu before they close it forever.  She loves sports, running, hiking, water skiing, snow skiing, game nights, movie night and so much more.

Has a competitive side that really comes out with some friends and they have a blast together.  Still writes dog on my grocery list every time she is home.  A few trips back she took the entire notepad and wrote dog on every single page.  Still wishes more than anything to be a pilot.

Cora said that "18 has been a year of growth and life changing experiences, 19 will be a year of spiritual growth and experience".  She is so right, her confidence grew, her knowledge of who she was and what she wanted in life grew. 

This next year will be so fun to watch.  Hope you have the most splendid of days,Cora.  You are truly a unique happy soul and I am proud to be the one you chose to come to on this Earth.  Happy, happy birthday!!

Bit of This, Bit of That

September rolled on through and out agian, now half way through October.  We haven't been up to anything grand and glorious.  Conference was amazing.  It just keeps getting better and better.  Like everyone else we are very excited about the two hour block, but really excited about the Individual and Family Come Follow Me.  Truly inspired men. I wish we could start that right now. Cora and Scott surprised us in the middle of the night Saturday and stayed for morning conference and dinner before continuing on to his mom's house.  Which was the original destination.  She had a fun Thanksgiving with his family, then they went to spend some time with Scott's dad before heading back home.  We had Thanksgiving at Cannon and Nicole's.  Nicole did most of it and it was simple and delicious.  After we just hung out.  Levi took Leah and Blake for ice cream and toured around on the way home.  Fun that they can just take off when they want to. My mom is doing so good after her brain surgery.  Getting around and doing things, it is coming and great progress is made each time we see her.  We got cows moved home Friday.  Saturday between sessions, Leah and Dave got some posts pounded.

Then after the afternoon session Leah and I headed into the church for the Women's Broadcast.  Of course it was fantastic as well. Only 7 of us at the church.  It was a fun little group. Leah has a heavy school schedule, but she is really working hard at it.  The principle approached her a few weeks back and said that each teacher was asked to suggest a name for the leadership group.  There were a few boys names presented and they narrowed it down to one, but every single teacher picked Leah. She was very flattered, but after much deliberation has turned it down.  With all the extra school work she does and basketball starting soon, she didn't think she could give it the time it would require. It is fun to let her go, last week her and a friend went to a spook alley, she went to Emily's to do homework, has picked up Blake from practice and often goes early and stays late to get help on chemistry of math. Leah knows exactly what she wants in life and no matter how people treat her or what they say she will not be swayed.  She has had a rough road the last few months and she is weathering it wonderfully.

Blake ran for the Junior High Social Convener.  Which means he helps with social events like dances and such.  We made up posters and he wrote a speech.  He said to me that he thought the younger kids would just vote for their favorite anyways, so I told him to become the favorite.  Play with them at recess, make up games on the playground, and to stand at the door everyday and high five everyone that walks in.  Must have worked, he won!

He is enjoying volleyball and after watching Leah put in 3-4 hours of homework every night has decided to make sure he has good study skills now and has brought up his grades some.

Dave and Blake have been working every spare moment to get a shed up for us.  Dave has been piecing together our left over wood so he doesn't have to spend anything making it.  He loves working with his son.  Each time Dave comes in very proud about what a hard worker Blake is.

Leah and Blake have been going over to Grandma's and playing pool on the weekends.  We are just so glad they are getting along, we let them go.  Dave's job is going well, still some rough patches to get through, but what job doesn't.  I have started doing indexing and love it.  Lots of cool things I am learning.  Also working hard on getting Cora's visa ready, making appointments for shots and wisdom teeth.  All the details to get her out on this mission.  Cora has a new job and absolutely loves it.  Wish she could have gotten this a year ago, but better then never.  She works from 7am-5pm.  It's a 45 min drive to work and then when she comes home it is usually in rush hour traffic.  That is why I am doing most of this mission prep stuff, she is not home during office hours.  She is responsible for getting the picker ready, someone else goes up and chops trees, and then she picks up and puts into the chipper.  They help maintain the trees growing around power lines in the city. Scott helped her get the job and he was telling us that she has already advanced a lot.  Cora is allowed to use the chain saw after just a few weeks and some have been there 5 months and aren't allow.  Also he said that each morning, the other men on the crew request Cora.  High compliments indeed.  She will NOT be happy this picture is up here, we asked for one in her hard hat for a long time before she sent it.

Winter came as a surprise.  After all the hot days of summer I was not yet prepared for snow.  No fall for us this year apparently.