Jogathon 2022

After a couple years of jogathon hiatus, not that they've cancelled the jogathon, I just wasn't able to be there for them, I have new jogathon memories.

Dude was the first to run. This is the first time I see him and he is pumped. After a few years of falling or desperately having to pee, he has made sure to empty his bladder before hand, and run a smart pace. He wants this to be a good last jogathon and I am just happy that he's happy.

 

Here's Dude half way through. He is still remarkably happy, and never fails to give me a high five, even if it means dodging kids to get to me. He isn't fast, but he's steady and not stopping for more than a little bit at a time.

Almost to the end, and is determined to end strong. I cannot be more proud of this performance. With Kinders the field is lined with parents cheering on their babies. With each successive grade, parents either seem to get busier or less enthused because you can see the general drop off of parent cheerleaders. By 5th grade there are very few. I am so grateful I have the flexibility in my schedule to have gone and supported him because that was worth witnessing.

Luca was one of the last classes to run (Dude was one of the first). I've been curious to know how she would do since she has been running laps during recess as a way to escape some friend drama. She has been consistently running when the weather allows and has gotten a few additional beads to add to her running necklace she got from the school.

Look at that enthusiasm in the first lap.

Midway through, however, she looks to be cursing this whole program. That face, I think is truly indicative of her feelings. She is still running, but is pretty off and on about it.

And here she is at the end. All enthusiasm and motivation has failed her, she is content to walk the rest of the way. This girl knows her own mind and is not going to do anything unless she sees the reason behind it. The jogathon and, honestly, sports in general hold very little value for her and at the end of the day, I can't say that I blame her.

I got asked today if I was an empty nester.

Sigh. I am not. I have a 9 and a 10 year old. I get it, I have a lot of gray as my brother enjoys reminding me. I guess it's the risk I take not coloring. But, this is what I look like these days. Me with my two elementary-aged babies.

I got Released

I got released on Sunday. Matthew was ordained a High Priest and sustained as the second counselor in our bishopric. I was made a sunday school teacher. After 4 years of time-intensive callings I am ok that it can be Matthew's turn again, and I really do enjoy teaching and not having to go to the countless meetings; but after only a year as Young Women's President, I was surprised at the release and sad at the loss of the closeness I have built with the young women and leaders I have worked with.

Even having a week and a half notice, it was still a sad moment to stand and be released. After Sacrament meeting, our High Councilor assigned to our ward, and a personal friend came up to me and offered kind words that helped me feel seen by my Heavenly Parents.

And then tonight , as we were finishing bedtime, I got the sweetest visit from three of my darling young women I love so much. As I felt of their love for me, I also felt, again, the love of my Heavenly Parents. Their visit was the perfect closure I could have ever asked for.

All hail having a calling that requires a lot less of me, and continuing to love the young women, if maybe from slightly farther away. Good luck Matthew in your new calling.

Update on Sunday, September 25th to add: This morning as I sat down at the start of sacrament meeting, I started thinking about the growth I've experienced because of the callings I've had over the years. Growth as a person and growth in my testimony. I remembered how God told me after I was called as a seminary teacher that serving was not something I was giving to Him but a gift He had given to me. I thought about how true that statement has been in every calling I've received. I marveled at the love God shows to His children through callings and what an amazing part of the plan of salvation they are. I was also struck at how just as callings show God's love, so does our release from them. All of a sudden, I felt the love I expected to feel in the temple the day after I was told I was being released. I was overwhelmed, humble, grateful, just overall emotional. 

So two and a half weeks after that initial visit with my bishop, through the love of others and the whisperings of the Spirit, I have felt what I had wanted to feel, but probably wasn't quite ready for in the temple that Thursday. I am grateful for that tutoring moment with the Holy Ghost.

2022 - 2023 First Day of School

 

Luca was more than ready to start. Dude was less than. But last night at the back to school night, when we met his teacher there was a spark of something that resembled not completely hating the idea of going to school. I think it had to do with the fact that has a cool male teacher.

I should mention that Luca was more than happy to take a picture, Dude deigned to take one but then really wanted to recreate his own version of "American Gothic".

This summer went by so quickly, I don't think I have ever felt this unready to send my babes back to school. I didn't cry but I was definitely emotionally fragile for most of the morning. Good luck babies. Enjoy your last year of elementary school together.

Olympic Peninsula

A few weeks ago, my brother Jared asked if we wanted to join them on the Olympic Peninsula for Labor Day weekend. Sure I said, before I realized just how long of a drive and just how short I time we would be spending there. The original idea was to spend Friday in Seattle before driving to the house we rented on Saturday, spending Sunday there and then driving home on Monday.

But then we decided to send Matthew to Disney World and he needed a ride to the airport on Saturday morning, so instead of going to Seattle, we booked a hotel in Portland and had a family adventure there - Powell's, Ben and Jerry's, hotel pool, and movie in our room. The kids were just as happy as if we actually had gone to Seattle.

Saturday we drove the rest of the way to the Olympic Peninsula, all 5 hours. After 4 hours we were all ready to get out of the car. The only thing is, the beaches and the 101 in Washington are very different than in Oregon. In Oregon, there are beach parks with parking and bathrooms and sand. In Washington, the beaches are marked by signs like "Beach 3" and have a clearing on the side of the road to park in the dirt. We found a by-the-beach campsite that thankfully had bathrooms we could use but it was definitely not a place to stay and play at the beach. So we found "Beach 3", parked on the side of the road and found at least 20 intact sand dollars in the same amount of time. We eventually had to stop picking them up because there was no additional space in my hands to hold them. There is also an inordinate amount of driftwood on Washington beaches so the kids had fun climbing on and under all the massive logs.

 All weekend long, Luca was adamant that she did not want to do the hike her uncle Jared had planned for Monday on the way home. She didn't want to do it on Saturday, she didn't want to do it on Sunday, and she still didn't want to do it Monday morning, but at the top of the Olympic Peninsula National Park there is the only gift shop of the weekend. That and that alone is the reason for her being willing to go. And once we were there, and once she found a hat to love, and once I told her we only had to hike until we wanted to stop, she and Dude agreed and we all ended up having a better, longer, more beautiful hike than we anticipated. We saw fun wildlife, we saw gorgeous vistas, we had fun with cousins, and we got some good steps in.

We finally made it home at 7:30 and were ready for our lazy-day Tuesday before school started.

As always, thank you to my brother Jared for inviting us on his adventure and for pushing my children past what they thought they wanted to do. Fun weekend, even if we all agreed that we wished we could have had at least a couple more days to spend in the OP.