*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear eight weeks from this very moment!!!  I will be running the Boston Marathon in exactly eight short weeks!  (okay posting this late and so technically SIX!) Aaaaa!!!!  It's getting real now! Putting in my order for temps around 50° with NO wind! :) #bostondream #bostonbound

dear monday run, I found a lost dog on my run today. Luckily, he had ID and so I called his owner and she came and got him.  It was fun to spend a few minutes with him while I tried to keep him close until she came. His name was Wilson.  He is my favorite kind of dog.  The kind I would get if Dave would let me.  Funny thing is that very morning I was just saying how bad I needed a dog.  Notice I said "needed" not "wanted" hah.  A little tender mercy for me I think.

I then continued on my run.  I ran at high school found 90 cent in the parking lot.  Only because there was no school and so there were no cars hiding the loot.  I made a killing!  I found some interesting shaped coins.  Some of the photos are of the OCD way I was arranging them for a picture.  Yep, got a little carried away! 

Taylor was home because it was President's Day.  He went on four wheel ride.  Sky was supposed to be coming but now not until Wednesday.  Taylor requested I make more homemade granola...so I did.  My camera wasn't working too well so these are a bit blurry.

I had to run to the store for a few things and I am telling you, sometimes going to the grocery store is a social event.  I must have talked to 10 different peeps.  And not just a "Hi, how are ya?", but several long conversations.  I "tried" to hint I was in a rush with a couple of them that REALLY like to talk, but some people don't seem to get the message, while others were in a rush as well.  LOL  Oh well.  I do enjoy talking to people, just not so much when I am rushed!  :)  What should have taken about 15 minutes tops, took me 45!  I came home and made Chocolate Ecstasy for the Olsen's because it was BJ's Angelversary.  Dave ended up taking it to them because I had company at the time.  It is a great tradition.

Taylor went back to Logan. We got McKay's release date! JULY 5th!  Official! Wow!  Hard to believe.  Busy day.

dear harp lesson, I had a really good lesson this week.  She was very happy with Teach Me to Walk in the Light and told me she could tell I had really practiced it.  She was right. It is a much more advanced piece than where I am at in my Suzuki book, but I have enjoyed learning the techniques in it.  I do have to practice a lot though because it has so many tricky things.  I am still enjoying it.

This is what I saw before I got out of town.  Those lakes are not supposed to be lakes!  In fact there is supposed to be dry land in all these places. Our county has got hit hard with flooding from the fast melt off. It's like this everywhere our west.

dear shopping, after my lesson I had a huge list of things I needed to get for the Hoop Shoot and the Bishop's wives luncheon (on a very minimal budget!).  I also had to exchange a top at Sears for a different size and Holy Hannah I was in there for at least 45 minutes!  I finally asked to see the manager because the lady helping me really shouldn't be working especially in retail.  She was clueless and they weren't going to let me exchange one size for another because it had been longer than 30 days by a few days and you can't return after that.  I explained this was NOT a return about 100  times but an exchange and they still couldn't get it.  The thing wasn't on clearance and it was still being sold for the same price and they had many in stock.  But it was their "new policy".  I was NOT a happy camper...especially after being so patient while the hoogy doo clerk tried to figure out how to do it. UGH!  I have learned from past experience that if you go talk to the manager either on the phone or in person and they see how disgruntled and dissatisfied you are, they usually will be decent and work with you.  I wasn't sure this one was going to but she finally did.  I think she could tell I wasn't backing down (I had invested way too much time already waiting for the clerk to figure out how to even do the bare minimum) and I was very unhappy about their new policy.  WHY wouldn't they allow an exchange whether it had been 30 days or not?  What should have taken maybe five minutes tops, ended up taking almost an hour!  That kind of stuff is what tries my patience.  I wanted to be home two hours earlier than I ended up being because it seemed I got in all the slowest lines and things were just not moving quick anywhere I went.  Some days are like that...  It's a good thing my lunch with Karen got postponed or I would have been even later.  I did enjoy the day though without feeling rushed to be anywhere or meet anyone.  

Did I or didn't I?  :)

dear book, I am currently reading The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother and I am enthralled at how they lived back then.  I am actually in awe of all that Lucy Mack (his mother) endured.  She was one tough woman.  And you can see how she was prepared her entire life to deal with what she was going to later in her life.  You can see that in Joseph's young life as well.  What an amazing child he was. I am truly inspired by how valiant and strong they were.  I feel like such a slacker compared to them.  I love to read biographies and I am surprised I have never read this one before.  I am enjoying it.

dear hill repeats, I headed to Kotter to do my hills on Wednesday.  I only had time to get in eight but that was okay.  It was a nice day and I know a storm is coming in and so I enjoyed the dry roads.  Gorgeous day.  There is a little bit of spring in the air!

Check out those clouds!!!  So cool!

More of the flooding you can see in the distance.  There is never water there but now it's a lake.

dear hair cut and ortho appt., I rushed to my hair appt and then rushed to my ortho but my new aligners aren't ready (dang!) and so I need to go back next week hopefully.  

This was on my way to my hair appt.  It is the "lake" from the above photo.

dear mr. cat, he looks like he is having a little bit too much fun. When Taylor comes home, he opens his window so Mr. Cat can explore the roof.

He spends most of his time like this:

dear cleaning, I tried to get the pantry organized and went through a lot of old things and got rid of a bunch of stuff.  It has too much stuff in it still.  I also cleaned up some things in the playroom that the boys had left out.  And did my usual general cleaning.  Dave didn't have to work too late.  I kept waiting for Sky to arrive but he got away later than planned.   

 

dear sky driving home, Sky drove pretty much in the worst blizzard he's ever driven in according to him.  He got stuck before Fillmore in a parking lot on the freeway and then he said there were about 70 semi's pulled over and eight or so cars off the road. I begged him to get a hotel room and not to risk it but he wouldn't listen.  He ended up getting home around 2:30 a.m.  Thankfully!

dear winter storm, I woke up to about 4-5 inches of new snow.  The ground was completely clear of snow until today.  I think Sky attracts it!  Last time he came we got blasted as well.  haha  

dear pt, I went back to my physical therapist to see if I could get my injury under control before it decides to flare up again once I start getting in my 20 milers.  He did a lot of testing for strength and really wanted to make sure it was my piraformas.  It is that as well as some high hamstring tendonitis.  He did a running evaluation on me as well and overall my running form is pretty good.  I could improve my cadence a bit and take smaller strides but he thinks that it looked pretty good.  He gave me some strength exercises to do three times a week and then did the heat and ice and tens unit again.  He was very thorough and took his time with me.  I was there for about two and a half hours and I am confident he will help me get this dang thing resolved before Boston.  Stephanie was working today and it's always nice to have her there to talk to.  I can tell she loves her job.

dear migraine, when I got home from the PT I should have gone on my run but it was freezing (not like I'm not used to that after this winter!) but Sky was here and I was anxious to chat with him.   We had a good chat but then I started to get a migraine. I could feel it coming on while I was at the PT (the eye auros) but it started to come on strong a couple hours after I got home.  I knew I needed to get some Maxalt in me fast or I would be too late to stop it.  I haven't had one in a very long time.  I usually get them after some big stress in my life (I always got one after I finished my finals when I was in college) but I haven't had any big things lately.  Maybe it was my worry over Sky getting home safe last night driving in that horrible storm.  Not sure.  But it was a doozy but luckily I caught it in time before it maxed out. 

dear sad news, a member of our ward lost their son in law this morning to a tragic car accident.  He used to be in our ward and he lost his dad when he lived here.  It is very sad.  He leaves behind a sweet wife and two little girls with one on the way.  It shows you that life comes and and goes in the blink of an eye and we can't take even one second for granted.  

dear yw stake hoop shoot, for our last night we decided to make it fun and have a hoop shoot.  I don't think anyone has done that before in our stake.  I was in charge of getting the treats for it.  I loaded up on Gatorade, canned pop,  candy bars, cupcakes and Twinkies, and I filled some little basketball Easter eggs with candy.  It was so much fun!  The girls had a blast!  We did a round of shooting for a prize. They would stand by the prize they wanted and if they made the basket they got to keep the prize.  We had them split into age divisions.  That went well.  Then we did the Hoop Shoot contest.  The Laurels went first, then the Mia Maids and then the Beehives.  It turned out really fun.  The girls came ready to compete.  The winners for that got Ayako's cinnamon rolls.  It was a lot of F U N !  Several dads came up to me after and thanked us for how fun we have made the sports for the girls.  Two told us how great it was because it got their girls out and they used to not want to come.  That made me feel SO good.  Hopefully we are doing good things.  I have loved this calling so much.  We all keep hearing talk of our dance with our Bobbleheads floating around. Haha

I filled these cute basketballs with candy.  We put the treats out on the floor and in order to win that treat, they had to make a basket where it was. 

FUN NIGHT!!!

I absolutely adore these ladies!  I have had a "ball" working with them!

dear snow, it's baaaaaaack! Already at 10-11" and still coming down! Two days ago we had grass! Two weeks ago we had about two feet. Where is spring? Better yet, where is that dang groundhog?! 🐾🔫

It got up to almost 12"!   Can you spy the deer in the background?  ;)

dear friday run, I really should done a 10 miler today but I was grateful to get in 7. I added up my miles and I am 76 miles behind in my training compared to my last two marathon training!  Yikes!  That is too much!  But, there were weeks when I barely hit double digits due to icy roads and temps below zero.  This winter had been brutal!  But, I am okay because my PT told me he would rather have me under-trained than over trained going into the marathon.  That shouldn't be a problem!  I can't worry about it because it's impossible to catch up now.  I just need to put trust in my body.  It knows how to get through a marathon and I know it can even if I am not where I want to be miles wise.  This isn't its first rodeo.  

dear crazy day, I was trying to juggle doing several things at once, but that's not always a good idea when you have to take a meal into someone and make two cakes for two funerals.  Since I was in a time crunch, I chose a meal that I thought would be fast and easy.  Instead it was slow and time consuming.  If I would have taken a photo of my kitchen, you would have gasped!  I had about every bowl I own and stuff everywhere.  Hah  Sometimes I amaze myself at what a mess I can make all by myself.  I feel like the majority of the stuff I clean around here is everyone else's messes, but not today!

dear best cake on planet!  Chocolate is a health food...if you count mental health! :) This just made me very healthy! #samoacake #ionlyhadonepiece #really

Honestly, this might be my new favorite cake EVER!  Oh my!  I made two of them and then a different one for another funeral.  If I have to take something to a funeral, I prefer to take a dessert because they are fun for me to make.

Here's the recipe!  ENJOY!!!!

It was nice to have Sky here to join us for dinner!  

dear long run, well kind of. I was supposed to do a 20 miler on Saturday but I have decided to only do two 20's instead of three and so today I did a 12. I am so glad because it was SO STINKIN' COLD!  The wind was brutal and it stung my face and I just wanted to quit so many times.  I kept pushing forward and with each mile down, I would tell myself "one more down".  It was tough because I was alone since Robin broke her toe this week!   I was going to call Sherrie but decided to wait until I do my 20 next week. I am going to need company to get through that!  I pray it warms up!  

 I loved the ice hanging off the tree branches brushing the creek.  And I found a couple love notes from heaven and a boatload of change!  That is only because I hit the high school parking lot.  I seriously wonder if those high-schoolers have holes in their pockets!?

 

dear talk, I "got" to speak in sacrament meeting on Sunday about McKay.  I can honestly say when I am asked to give that kind of talk instead of accepting reluctantly and asking how much time do I have to take, I say, "I'd love to! How much time can I have?"  A missionary mama loves to talk about her missionary and could go on and on. I kept it to 20 minutes though I could have taken the entire time. ;)  I told them he will be home in little over four months. Or 130 days, 12 hours and 5 minutes.  But who's counting???? ☺

 I hope it was interesting and not boring, because I tried to explain the situation they have to deal with now with the new law banning proselyting except in an authorized church building.  I  told them how he spent last winter in Siberia with an average temp of 40 below and how much he loved it.  I explained how he has to go to South Korea every three months to renew his Visa and how he loves that place especially the temple (they sleep in a building that is connected to it) and McDonald's and how he loves how futuristic and clean it is. Some other things I said included his two baptisms, his love of the people, how the new law has backfired somewhat because now they are more receptive to them because they trust them more, about his ice sculpture Book of Mormon, and I gave them a short list of some of the things they have done for service.  I asked him a few questions this week so I could include his answers in my talk and this is what he wrote back. (I asked him what most surprised him about Russia and what are his most favorite and least favorite things about it etc.)

"The thing that surprised me most about Russia is that there aren't bears or Siberian tigers roaming the streets and that not everyone is always drunk on Vodka and that Russians love to joke and laugh and smile.  My favorite thing about Russia is of course the people, followed by Sharma and Chum Chum  haha.  Least favorite I don't know, everybody's phones are always native stupen (which means their phone is either off or they didn't pay their bill so their phone is shut down as is the case with most Russians). The mission has changed my life, there are so many less distractions that everything is more clear.  Serving people every day and doing this work has increased my testimony more then I can say."

I also included this that I took from a couple letters:  

"Life on a mission is like a train that takes a long time to get going but once it picks up speed there is no stopping it. But time on Sakhalin is like that train except that train grew spaceship wings and is now moving at the speed of light.  I love it here!!! This gospel is becoming so much more of me now.  It helps me see what is really important and I know that this work which we are engaged in is true.  Whenever doubt or confusion hit me I always go back to the Book of Mormon.  It's true.  It's the word of God.  No man could write such a book except he be inspired of God.  It is just too much for a man to do by himself.  But he did have God's help and he translated it in such a short period of time.  But without that book, without that evidence, I don't know if I would still be a member of this church.  I always go back to it and it is such a source of comfort and power.  I love the Book of Mormon and know that it is truly God's words. How lucky I am to have an hour every single day  to study it's teachings and ponder it's words.  I know it's true.  I'm glad I decided to serve and to be among these wonderful people in Russia.  I'm grateful for all the things I've learned and all the things that have happened which have changed the person I am.  I know it has made me a much better person to serve.  It is amazing how much we receive when we serve.  Almost always it seems to be more than what we give."

 I closed with:

The gospel is true.  If it wasn't, there is no way we could send out our precious sons and daughters out into the crazy and dangerous world.  What an amazing blessing it is to have a missionary out in the field willing to serve His Father in Heaven to bring others to the gospel of Christ.  I am in awe of these amazing young people who so willingly sacrifice so much so that others may have this wonderful gospel as part of their lives as well.  When it comes right down to it, it really isn't a sacrifice at all but a privilege to be able to share our son with the world so they can also be as blessed as we are.  I leave this testimony with you.

I sure do love this Russian volunteer of mine!!!

Then I had to teach Sunday School.  My lesson was on music.  I tried to find all of my notes on the classes I used to teach on the power of music but I couldn't find any of them so I had to rely on my memory.  But, I didn't have much time anyway because the speaker after me went over 10 minutes.  I hope they learned something about the power of music!  Jeannie will be back next week!  I am glad!  Eight weeks teaching in a row is a bit tiring!  lol  I wrapped candy bars with this:

dear viewing, we attended Austin's viewing a couple hours after we got home from church.  We went early knowing there was going to be a huge crowd.  We planned it just right because we were out of there in 30 minutes.  They actually started early.  That was nice of the family.  It is just the saddest thing.  And such a huge shock.  

dear random, I picked this penny (on the left) on Highland while running.  I didn't notice until later that it was plastic!  It looked so real!  haha  I have to wonder if someone planted it because it was so close to my house!  lol

I was driving about a mile from my house and saw the turks taking over the entire road!  It was a very busy street too!  They kill me!  They seriously act like they own the road!  They don't rush when a car comes but just saunter on their merry way. 

I was cleaning out a tote and found these.  I decided to just take a photo and quit hanging onto them!  These kind of things are the hardest to throw away!  But I did it!

Cute little Carson made this in preschool.  The teacher asked him to put what he loved and guess who made the cut? Not only the cut, but first in line!  LOL  I love that little guy so much!  It says, "I ♥ Grandma Jodi"  - I guess I am now Grandma Jodi...hahah.  And the next one says, "I ♥ when we went to Utah".  Ahhh.........

My virtual race medal.  Dave and the boys make fun of me if I do a virtual race, but I only do it if the medal is IRRESISTIBLE like this one!  Chocolate!  Seriously!  A virtual race is where you sign up and pay and then when you have done the distance you signed up for, you send them your time and they send you your medal.  This one I got for a half marathon training run.

Facebook quizzes!  I still have a hard time resisting them!  ;)

 Okay, I AM going to follow that motto and live the life I've always dreamed of and that includes a trip to BORA BORA!!! ↓

Bucket List!

This is some of the flooding in our county!  It's been crazy!