*Monday Memos* (Total Solar Eclipse Version)

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

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

dear TOTAL solar eclipse! OH. MY. HEAVENS!  WOW! WOW! and a million more WOWS!  What a great thing to experience!  It was one of the coolest things I have EVER witnessed in my entire life! So much better than I ever imagined!  Totally worth all the traffic, stress, and time to see it!  It is something I will never ever forget!  Having almost two full minutes of a Celestial light show!  Every once in a while things in this world line right up to help us see and REMEMBER what it's really all about.   What an amazing world we live in!  And to think I almost didn't go!  I am SO grateful Dave talked me into going and SO grateful he had the foresight to know we needed to witness this. Normally it would be me who would have to talk him into something like this, but he took off the time even though he is swamped at the clinic because he knew it would probably be a once in a lifetime thing.  I had NO idea it was going to be this amazing. I totally didn't expect the thrill it was.  I am so happy ALL my boys were able to see it with us as well.  I feel bad for those who only got to see the partial eclipse because they really have no idea what they missed.  You HAD to be there to feel it.  And I mean "feel" it.  It was tangible.  It was almost a spiritual, magical feeling. We drove 25 miles to Swan Valley in Idaho to see it because in Alpine there was only going to be 37 seconds of totality, but in Swan Valley there was almost a full two minutes.  We drove there without any traffic problems whatsoever.  We went to the top of a hill on private property that Dave's Dad and his Uncle Bob found for us.  It was the perfect spot because we could see all around us in every direction. The family parked and gathered and set up a table of treats and then we just waited for about an hour or so. The eclipse began about 10:30 a.m. and we all put on our glasses and started to view it slowly. Bryce made it up just in time.   [WARNING: Massive picture overload - but it WAS a ONCE in a lifetime event right? At least for many of us.]♥

It was Dave's Dad's birthday today too!  The nurses made him this shirt.  How cute is that? (The first part of this trip is HERE).

Then all of a sudden it started to get cold and windy.  The temperature dropped significantly. I grabbed a blanket.  

Our shadows were extremely precise and intense.  You could see each individual strand of my hair. Then the crickets started to chirp.  We could see a panoramic sunset all around us.  I was told this would happen, but I couldn't imagine. 

It started to get dark.  Then darker and darker.  And then all at once the sun was gone!It was dark.  Not pitch black but pretty dark.  

We took our glasses off and witnessed the most amazing sight!  TOTALITY!

McKay's Snapchat

Bryce's snapchat

It got pretty dark!

It was BEAUTIFUL!   We could even see Venus!  Everyone kept saying how gorgeous it was.  You could feel the energy in the air.  Everyone seemed to be so happy and almost on a high, yet there was a reverence you could feel as well.  I was just in complete awe!   It was so much more than I expected! I was so grateful we drove to that point so we could witness it for almost two full minutes.  

And then suddenly the sun was back beaming brighter than I have ever seen it even though only a sliver was showing.  We had to put our glasses back on.  I honestly had chills.  There really are no words to describe the excitement I felt.  
TOTAL ECLIPSE HIGH!
Here are few more shots of the event:

What a way to spend your 81st birthday!

We did have to pay the price for the full two minute Celestial Show however because it took us TWO HOURS to drive back only 25 miles to the cabin. But...it was STILL TOTALLY WORTH IT! 

ALL THE FEELS! 

The hype was at least correct on the traffic jams they predicted.  It was a bit crazy!  But exciting at the same time!

Here's some cool pictures from the internet taken by peeps with much better cameras than ours. Some are photo shopped, but still amazing:

Now that the eclipse has passed, I have been thinking of all the symbolism that is represents.   One that has stuck with me is how much we need and depend on the sun.  When the temperature dropped so quickly because the sun was being blocked by the moon, I was amazed at how dependent we are on the sun. Without it's light and warmth we would not survive.  But how much more dependent are we on The Son? He provides us with His light so we can see more clearly.  Without Him we would have nothing but darkness and despair.  He alone provides that light of hope that we all need.  We depend on that light for everything.  HIS light.  There are times in my life when I have allowed my own will to supersede or eclipse that light and get in the way of it as I tried to block it out and not fully receive it.  But He is always there with that light shining brightly waiting for me to accept it.  We are told that when our eyes are single to the glory of God, our whole bodies will be full of light. The light in each of us is the light of Christ which shines in us.  If we refuse to accept that light then we will live in darkness because our light is His light.  We will all go through periods of darkness, but if we embrace those times we can emerge from them even brighter than before because of the depth, richness and meaning they can add to our lives.  We grow in unexpected ways when we are eclipsed from the light.  And when the light returns, as it always will, it is even brighter and more meaningful than before.

Here's a video Scott took.  I hope it works.  It helps you feel the excitement.  

Bryce and Sky left from the eclipse viewing spot to go home.  It took them six hours instead of three.  Once they passed the cabin, it took them four hours and that was mainly because they were stuck on I-15 in Tremonton (20 miles away from home) for an hour.  It was expected though.

It was kind of cool on my run this morning before we headed to the eclipse because cars were lined up  bumper to bumper on the main road. I should have taken a picture of it.  Not something you see everyday, that's for sure.  SO. MANY. PEEPS.  Kind of exciting!  I do think everything was bit over hyped because they didn't have gas or food trucks or porta potties on the freeway like we heard they were going to.  And the shelves in Alpine still had food on them.  At least the most important food group was well stocked. Chocolate! I did hear that Rexburg's store shelves were empty though.  

I saw Sky as I ran through the store parking lot.  He had to go there to get service because the U dropped all his classes due to some computer glitch and he was a bit concerned.  There were cars there from all across the nation. 

When we all got back to the cabin, I made a Hawaiian Wedding cake for Dad W's birthday.  Linda brought a pie.  We had a  little party for him.  Bob and Moira came over for it. 

The Garrett's left.  I drove to the store to get service so I could post and when I got back Nat and Zeke had left as well.   We played Code Names and I made grilled cheese sandwiches.  I everyone is still on a high from the eclipse!  

dear tuesday, I ran six miles before breakfast.  It felt good.  Dave actually came with me for about half of it.  We went up the Grey's River road.  He said he has always wanted to run with me and so today was his chance.  Since his knees won't allow him to run, he drove along side of me.  I didn't have my music and so he cranked up the radio pretty loud.  It probably scared all the wild animals away.  :)  

Dave, McKay, Taylor, and Uncle Bob floated the river.  I didn't go because they needed two people to drop off and drive the trailer.  Dave's Dad and I did that.  His Dad and I watched them go through Lunch Counter.  They barely got wet.  It was much milder now since we were here for the family reunion.  

We came back and made BLT's and hamburgers.  Bob and Moira joined us.  We then cleaned the cabin and headed for home.  The traffic was heavier but nothing like yesterday.  We made good time getting home.

Boy's posts...

dear wednesday, I was not looking forward to it but I did my hill repeats today.  I only had time for 13.  :(   I had an ortho appointment after.  Clark got hit by a car on his bike a week or so ago, but he was looking like he was healing pretty well.  Poor guy. I am getting close to being done with my treatment!  I can't wait!  I baked some Amish bread for Taylor.  Made dinner.  I was so tired.  I tried to catch up on the bloggy a bit. 

dear BYU ED WEEK!, I was so happy I could find a day that I could head to Provo and spend the entire day learning and absorbing information.  I absolutely love learning new things!  Or re-learning old things.  And being spiritually uplifted.  It was a great day!  Hard to drive home so late.  Almost fell asleep!

Best part of the day was eating one of these!!!

I may or may not go to Ed Week for those!

 I only took one break to eat.  I planned it so it could be lunch and dinner.  I counted the brownie for breakfast!  Mmmm.......  As I was walking to one class suddenly I heard the Star Spangled Banner being played over some speaker and some youth were taking down the flag. Everyone stopped and put their hand over their heart.  Kinda cool.

In the Clyde Bldg, I saw the Russian and Brazil flag.  I remember when McKay left for his mission two years ago and I walked in to a classroom with the Russian flag above it, I almost started to cry because he had just left.  This year it felt much better knowing he was home safe and sound!

I didn't see one single person I knew with the exception of the group Heartbound who spoke (and sang).  That is a first.  I love going to Ed Week.  I love learning. I have this unquenchable thirst for knowledge and I wish I could go every single day to every single class, but I know my brain wouldn't be able to handle all that.  Hehe

Here are some of the pix I took of a few of the classes:
(If I have time I will come back and add some of the notes I took, but for now this is all I have time to add).  I attended quite a variety of different topics this year. 

dear friday, I ran pretty easy today because I have the race tomorrow and I wanted to save my legs. I ran some errands and stopped in at Maurices to pick up an online order.  Bad idea. The store is loaded with purple everything!  I ended up buying a couple things. :(  I met McKay at Walmart so I could buy him some school supplies cause I'm nice like that.  Then Dave, Taylor and I headed to Logan to get my race packet and check out Taylor's apartment options.  We had to go to Lowes first and Dave loaded the car with ceiling tiles leaving Taylor NO where to sit. Hmm...   Really? We met CJ and checked out a nice apartment and then the scariest rat hole in the universe they have actually considered moving into.  No.  Just no.  There were spiders on the walls, pipes exposed with black fur on them, no microwave or stove (they had to go upstairs for that) and the ceiling was less than 7 feet tall.  Dave had to duck. Umm...no.  And it was more expensive than the nice apartment.  The plus is it's closer to campus.  But that's it. Taylor had to ride in the back with ceiling tiles.  Totally squished.  Poor kid!

We went to Rumbi so I could carb load.  I was so so so tired.  It was a long day.  I just wanted to get in bed.  I had to get up at 4:00 a.m. and so it made me even more tired just thinking about it. :(

dear top of utah half marathon, this was my 8th.  I got up at 4 a.m. and picked up Jen. I was surprised that I was nervous.  I still get nervous when I feel a bit of pressure in a race.  The only pressure I feel is from myself though. Mainly hoping I won't get a really bad time and also because I know it's going to hurt at some point and I always worry about that.  You just never know in long distance running what is in store for you.  It was HOT!  That also always worries me.  I did have on my jacket for the first three miles which is typical, but the rest of the race was a scorcher.  I was a bit frustrated because I forgot to look at what my PR was for this course and what I ran it in last year and so I was trying to do the math while I was running to figure out what my pace should be.  Bad idea.  Running and doing math do not mix.  I kept thinking I had to save it in the first half or I would be dead in the second half, but I should have just gone out how I was feeling I could.  Instead I held back.  It showed in my time.  I finished with a 1:54 which is a good time...I wanted a sub two.  But last year was when I got my PR for the course with a 1:48.  Six minutes? Ugh!  I was very disappointed I held back.  I will now wonder if I could have matched that time or better it. I highly doubt it because that is a fast time for that course.  Two years ago I got a 1:52.  I am sure I could have done that this year if I had done the math before.  Oh well. I 'm not going to dwell on it.  I do have to take the heat into consideration as well.  I get a little stressed wondering if my time on this race will reflect my time on St. George which will mean a  BQ or not.  

I actually ran a negative split.  That is not common for this race because the first half is downhill.  Yeah, I held back.  However, I talked to a lot of peeps that said the same thing. They said they struggled the first half.  I had juice left even at the finish line. That is not normal either.  I passed a lady in my age division during the last couple of miles. I wasn't sure if she was in it or not, but I wasn't taking any chances when trophies are involved. Hah.  I am glad I did because she was in my AD.  Not sure how well trained I am this year.   Oh well.  

This is from the TOU website. ↑

I ran into Terese, Diane, and Rendi.  I have some cute running friends. I tried to pass Rendi the first nine miles.  She was in front of me about an eighth of a mile and then at mile 9 aid station I passed her and she never caught up because she wasn't feeling it at that point she told me.  I need something to motivate me though and so I was happy I was always trying to catch her.  And then when you do pass someone, that also motivates you because you don't want them to pass you back.  Hah  Oh, the joys of racing! Looks like we all got the memo to wear coral/orange!  :)

I ended up winning THIRD PLACE in my age division!  I was very happy even though my time was slower than last year when I won 4th place and the year before when I won 5th. I look back at how hard I worked over the years for one of those trophies never thinking I would get one.  And now I have three.  I was just happy I passed the lady in my AD when I did or I would have got 4th again.  She wasn't too far behind me. 

This one is also from their website. Pix were free.

Cute little guy!

 When they announced the winners names, the guy slaughtered my name.  I really have no idea what he said but it was not even close. Not even my first name. 

Jen won shoes in the door prize awards.  Lucky!  It was fun to do something together with her.  We chatted for quite awhile when I dropped her off.  I'm so grateful things are like old times.  I was so happy she ran it even though she's not doing much road running.  This was her 10th in a row!

I loved the medals, the bibs, and the shirts this year.

I'm glad I'm going the right direction!  

I got home and talked to all the boys.  They had all been working on a building Dave owns that he is fixing up to sell.  They had to strip paint and put in ceiling tiles.  One thing is for sure, ALL my boys are VERY hard workers.

The aftermath of Bryce's leg from the paint mess.

Oh man, my shower felt amazing!  I rested a bit and then ran to Old Grist for some bread for gifts and then cut Taylor's hair.  I was beyond beat.  I was so happy to hit the sack and just after I fell asleep around midnight, McKay turned on the light and announced he was heading to college.  Meaning, moving out right then.  What?  I though he was going to wait until tomorrow.  He had been with his roommates watching the fight on TV and I guess they all decided to head up.  We both got up and Dave gave him a Father's blessing and he loaded up his stuff and we bid him farewell.  He had lots of cereal but forgot milk.  Dave had to remind him.  Hah

He packed up his things and off he went. Just. Like. That.  

My baby is gone to college!!!  Oh man, WHERE did the time go?  

This was taken in Kindergarten and then his Junior year.  Who pushed the fast forward button? Now today, his first day of college!  And no porch picture because he's too grown up for that now.  :( I guess this is what we've prepared for since Kindergarten. I must say I'm glad he wears his backpack on his back now.  :)

Here's Taylor's back to school picture.  Hah   This was actually next week's Monday morning, but I'm posting here since it's the back to school theme.

More nostalgia. I really should still do this, but it's not quite as fun with just the lunch lady and principal these days.

dear sunday, I got up and practiced the piano.  Taylor came with me to church.  We were a bit late so we sat in the back.  I kind of liked it because I am a people watcher and I loved watching the little funny kids.  Holli came and ushered me to Sunday School.  She is so sweet.  I totally slaughtered the opening song in RS.  Ugh!  Dave made us a great dinner of pork roast and potatoes.  I am so glad he is back to fixing Sunday dinner.  When he was Bishop there was no way, but as SP he actually has more time home on Sundays.  It's nice.  I love the break.  I was SO tired. I almost fell asleep in sacrament meeting.  I tried to take a nap but had a hard time falling asleep. Not sure why, even when I am totally exhausted, but I do.  Taylor finally got to open his birthday presents.  Just the three of us.  Only a month late.

We drove to Kaysville to Karen's for Dave's Dad bday party.  It was so good to see Sky!  I have missed him so much!  None of the other boys came because they were all busy.

 Linda was sneakily trying to get a picture of us with Sky.  Hah

dear random, 

I love this baby!  Aka Mr. Cat, Chili, Chills, Pecial, Dash, Mr. Chat.  
Bryce took these pix of him.

I ordered this and I LOVE IT!

Registration is coming up soon!

Bryce's snapchat

Throw back to our reunion 8 years ago.  A lot has happened since then.  Jani (in yellow) lost her husband this summer as well as her mama.  She also fell off a ladder a few years ago and is mostly immobile and spends a lot of time in bed due to that.  Robin (on right) was divorced and became a grandma of three.  Kendall lives in California and so I am not sure what life changes have happened to her, but in eight years, I'm sure there's been some.  

I may or may not agree with this. ;)

dear quotes,