Email from Mom: Saturday and 7 months!!

From: Mom
To: Kaitlyn.garcia@missionary.org
Date: Saturday, August 14, 2021
Subject: Saturday and 7 months!!

It’s been the weirdest week around here ever. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because there wasn’t much scheduled and on the calendar or if it was really just an ‘off’ week?

How’s things there? How has your week been with the start of this new transfer? How is Helmer? (Still love typing his name…) How is CiCi? Did you get the Amazon package with the pop it things for Jayden? Did you reply to the travel email and just make sure they have all your stuff or what did you decide to do there?

Not much really this week. We finished up some school shopping & I am happy to report that skinny jeans are getting harder and harder to find. The sad part however is that it’s mostly mom jeans that are taking over and you know how I feel about those! Brooklyn looks super cute in them though and she is pretty happy about the outfits she has put together.

Tyler and I went to dinner one night with the Millers and then once kids went to bed they came up to play pool. We played couples and Tyler and I could not get our game together and man did we suck!! But…whatever. Anyways, it was about 10:30pm when we were cleaned up and chatting for a minute and tyler had an ‘idea’. He had Jason ask Siri for a random number between 1 and 100. We all took a guess and whoever was furthest from her number had to jump in the pool. Tyler guessed 50. I guessed 24. Jason guessed 42. Akaela guessed 51. Siri tossed out 24 (good guess Mom!) and immediately Akaela was all ‘no!!!!!’ Well, she somehow coaxed Jason into spousal support and all of a sudden he is taking his belt off and sticking his phone on the table. He had his work shirt, work pants, and socks on and he totally jumped in! Akaela knew she had to so she said the word and in her denim shorts and tee she was in the pool too. Tyler of course stripped to just boxers and in he went. Somehow..I ended up feeling like I had to get in too so denim shorts and a tee for me and I was in!! Akaela was the loser but we all were in the pool! So freaking funny. We stayed in the water and laughed (Tyler may or may not have had a running start from the basketball court, off the diving board, and into the pool NAKED!!! ) so hard we were all crying until almost 11:30pm. It was so late and I was so tired but it was fun and a memory none of us will soon forget.

A huge fire was started up Parleys today. Huge in like over 3000 people have been mandatory evacuated, you can’t get up or down the canyon, and the sky that was finally clear today is right back to being smoke filled. It was a car that sparked it traveling up the canyon and it just took odd and burned like mad. We were going to go to the cabin today and take care of stuff but man am I sure glad we didn’t. We wouldn’t have an easy way home. We’d have to go through Provo. It was 0% contained when I last looked. It’s going to take some time I am sure.

My calling was heavy this week. I spent a LOT of hours with a lot of people this week and I am going to stand by my ‘I want the social media person and not the real life person’ that I have said from the beginning. I am learning a lot and recognizing just how many people really truly live a fake front but instead are struggling so so hard behind closed doors. It makes my heart ache. And I feel completely inadequate in trying to ‘help’ them. I am learning to just be grateful for a good set of ears that allow me to just listen as they vent and talk through all the things they have on their hearts.

We have a crazy week ahead and I am already tired just thinking about it! Ready for it??
Sunday: church (but no meetings! Wahoo!!)
Monday: missionaries (trio) here for dinner from 5-6 followed by fathers blessing for B
Tuesday: school starts! (), Tyler is heading back to Wyoming again, and I am hosting a ‘mom pool party/lunch’ from 11:30-1:30. I am also going to go visit a sister in the ward (who has been inactive for almost 15 years) and is all of a sudden open to having me stop by. I’ll take it for a win? B and I will probably have some supplies to go get and I will take her to dinner (which means probably McDonald’s drive through) for her 1st day of school dinner.
Wednesday: I have a presidency meeting that night but we are being joined by the stake relief society as well (at our house too)
Thursday: we have our first monthly relief society activity here. We are playing games (corn hole, connect 4, I’ll have some cards out too), and maybe some pool if they want. Then Carrie Stroud is going to make a cute ice cream setup so people can enjoy a treat while they visit, play games, dip toes in the pool, whatever. That is from 7-9pm and I am hoping we have a good turnout and that people start seeing relief society in a different night.
Friday: school is late start on Friday’s again. Then that evening we are having a hot diggity dog party but mostly just a pool and bbq party. I invited my siblings and mom and so far just grandma and Gary and Robyn and Shawn have said they will be there. DeAynne of course bailed, Brent lives out of state, and I imagine I won’t hear from Mary or Rick. Shawna and chuck will be there with their kids (Damon told B that he has a crush on her so I am sure he will be there too), Jaime of course will be there (free food), the Millers have soccer (surprise!) so they will see what they can make happen, Andrea wants to come but Evan just might have a mountain biking something or other so who knows, and I am still contemplating inviting Brittan’s parents and little brother. I don’t have a gazillion seats but there is plenty of grass so I am torn on if I throw out any other invites. Julie is coming Tuesday so part of me feels good about just doing that. Anyways, it will be fine. Tyler was thinking he may invite Charles and his family and his friend Clint and his family but we will see what he does.
Saturday: I am already looking forward to Saturday & not a single thing on schedule. I am glad we have stuff going but sometimes it is nice to not have a thing at all. I am hopeful that the sun will be out and I can sit by the pool

Well it’s late, I have a disaster in the office and the kitchen with stuff to put together ‘goody bags’ for both Tuesday and Friday, and I should at least try to make heads or tails of it just enough so that when tomorrow comes I am not freaking out at all of it. And then I should really go to bed. I can’t keep doing these late nights! I am much too old for all of this.

I love you oodles and hope you have had a good week. I am looking forward to hearing an update on all the things and seeing how life is moving along for you. I love you for forever. To the moon and back.
Mom

This picture came up and I loved what my mind immediately saw. A woman on her knees, literally giving up all the things she is carrying in her world up to the Lord. It’s as though she is saying ‘faith in Him can truly conquer all’ and serves as a reminder that we just need to have that faith knowing He is there waiting to take all of that from us.