Email from Mom: Sunday, July 11, 2021

To: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
From: Mom
Date: Sunday, July 11, 2021
Subject: 6 months!! 1/3 of your mission!!

I have sat here now for almost 10 minutes with the cursor flashing on the subject line of this email trying to come up with something that will encompass just what this week was all about but then decided I would just jump into catching you up and maybe while I am doing that it will come to me of what to add there. Who knows? We will both be surprised maybe.

Monday we finished up at the cabin with getting it closed down to come home. We had the ice cream social at Annie's which was hilariously fun. Tyler and I were the youngest there by probably at least 15 years! But it was so kind of Annie to not just put it together but to also include us in the invite. Annie is a nut job but she is so dear and kind that you can't help but love her. She was sure Jada was Brooklyn's twin and that somewhere along the line I failed to mention that. She was sure Christian was not the same young man who brought over chicken noodle soup but that again I must have not been totally honest with her because he doesn't look like the same boy who stopped food over. :) I seriously just smiled and shared the truth and loved every minute of it. The rest of the neighbors were so kind and so happy that we moved in and bought the cabin because it appears Annie is not alone in disliking the previous owners.
On Tuesday I slept in for the first time in like seriously forever. I slept until 8 but it was nice! I had plenty of errands to run and with the holiday taking over Monday it definitely made me feel like I was WAY behind in all of what I needed to do. We have a neighbor who after getting the second dose of the vaccine ended up downhill. Hard. Like now needs full 24 hour care, has some paralysis, etc. Not an active member but a member - by choice- but friendly with some neighbors who asked permission to reach out to the ward. Anyways, Tyler and I ran over as neighbors to drop some dinner off and check in, introduce ourselves, and offer any help if needed. He was very kind and receiving. Grateful. I left a note that had my name and number in it along with that I am the RS President. (I also went ahead and included Jason Miller's info too!). I got the nicest text from him the next day just saying how thankful he and his wife were and how nice it was to have so many people rallying around them and for the support and show of love and friendship. Maybe this is just what they need in order to see that for whatever reason they left coming to church, this will be enough to maybe encourage them to give us a try again.
Wednesday I had a few appointments and felt like I lived in my car. Everytime I would pull in the garage I swear I was pulling back out 10 minutes later. Not a huge deal but I sure don't love driving and days like this reminded me of it pretty much really quick. I got a lot done and I felt accomplished at the end but it was just a lot of go go go.
Thursday we decided to run to the cabin to mow the lawn and take care of a piece of metal that was in the grass still sticking up from when Tyler installed/planted the new trees. It was just the two of us which I had hoped would give the two kids here a chance to spend some time together. It didnt' work out because Christian was annoyed that I texted Alaina (which means he is spending plenty of time with her on the facebook messenger app since I have his phone) and the attitudes here kept them apart. B stayed upstairs and he never came upstairs the whole night she said. So frustrating. Anyways, we decided late to run up the canyon to see if any baby deer were running around yet. We instead got met with 6 moose, 2 of them babies, plenty of buck and doe deers, a couple of baby deers, some grouse running across the dirt road, a couple of elk, and of course the freaking BEAR! It was the craziest thing ever. He was close to the side of the road and by the time Tyler slammed on the brakes (literally. My head did a huge jerk back and forth) and I got my camera out realizing what it was he was off in the trees but still enough that the video was awesome. We drove around the bend and I got out of the car to walk down a lane there by a cabin to see if I could get better video as he came out of the trees but it all happened so fast. He made an appearance and before I could really get myself and my phone together he was heading into the next patch of trees. Seriously the coolest thing. Tyler and I had just said too that we had pretty much seen most everything that made sense in Utah to see. He has only seen one other bear in all of his hunting and he was telling me that he doubts we will ever really see a bear. Then we totally did. He was just as dumbfounded as I was! It was hilarious. Anyways, after chatting with some neighbors I guess there have been bear sightings in town and into Kamas this year. Can you imagine?? I wonder if we will ever see any on the ring cameras...I am going to have to keep a closer eye on those notifications.
Friday I hung in the pool for a little bit. Alone. The 13 year old likes to night swim more than day swim plus she can drive the golf cart all over in the daytime hours and not in the nighttime hours which I am sure plays into it as well. Tyler and I went to dinner with the Millers (to this horrible place that I am so okay if we never go back but it was what Jason wanted to try for his birthday dinner). Akaela and I came back to the house and hung out on the deck while Tyler and Jason went down to work to unload a machine that showed up unplanned and then they joined us afterwards. We visited until just after 11 and then they headed home. Only Tyler was waiting on the trail for them because they were walking down the hill and he jumped out and scared the crap right out of Akaela! It was so funny. She literally sat down on the ground she was so scared! I am pretty certain she may have peed a little and that is why she sat down but so so funny.
Saturday I went in to see if my botox gone bad could be remedied and decided I would let time do its thing instead. So now when I laugh or smile it just looks like I am strokin out. :/ Whatever, it is what it is. Then I had a full day of run around with Christian. I needed to get a pair of church shoes to add to his sandals after reading some of the blogs and then we headed to Traverse Mountain to do some baby shopping for all of Julie's babies coming (Harper is getting a baby sister btw), stopped at Hobby Lobby for a few things for my lesson on Sunday in Relief Society, we headed to the grocery store, and by then I had a RAGING headache so we pulled into Fizz and I got myself a fat old Mtn Dew. (it didn't help much but it was worth a shot). Once we got home I got some stuff put together for Relief Society and then down to clean up and uncover pool furniture. Tyler invited the Millers and Stephens over for dinner (pizza) and pool and B had her friends (Jada, Cutler, Lincoln) over. About an hour into everyone here I texted Cutler and Lincoln's Mom's and invited them over so by the end of the night we had a FULL house and it was totally fine. Other than Jaime getting all weird and jealous and angry but that is just normal Jaime so whatever. We stayed up way too late and I had ward council this morning at 8:30am that hurt pretty bad to be up and moving for. I haven't been up and ready for church that early in a LONG time. I am up but not church ready!
I am getting set apart this afternoon before church and then I have my soda pop/chocolate bar/get to know you game playing lesson planned for Relief Society. Christian went with a friend to a farewell, and Brooklyn is going to go to Young Womens for the first time ever since Saunie is no longer there and Andrea Vickers is. I think Tyler is going to head to Wyoming after church to backpack into an area he drew out for hunting to see what he can see and then he will be home so we can get ready to leave for Lake Powell on Friday. (I'll fill you in on that when we chat if it works out) This next week is full with dinner going to the Payne's (they had their new baby boy last week), I get to go to the temple on Tuesday (you also hit 6 freaking months!!!), I have a presidency meeting on Wednesday, taking dinner to the Girsbergers, and there is a cookie social that Natalie invited me to that I really would love to try and figure out how to get to, Thursday is final prep day before Lake Powell and then it is already Friday. We aren't staying the whole week and will be home the 22nd so we can head to the cabin with the Millers on the 23 for the holiday weekend (and so Tyler, Jason, and Christian can play in the Rose horseshoe tournament). The craziest of all of this is when we get home on the 25th, Christian will literally only have one week left before he leaves! Time is flying by so freaking fast for both of you guys!
I better hit send. Still no subject line. But I better get dinner figured out & some excedrin too. I love love you and miss you oodles.
To the moon and back
Mom