*Monday Memos* 8-17-2020

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

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

dear monday, today I got in a five mile walk. Walking five miles is so much tougher than running it because it never ends!  I would much rather run five miles than walk it. It gets so boring too. 

It is VERY obvious we are living during a pandemic!

I did find some coins though. Among other things. When I got done, I went and picked up Chayden and Carson and brought them over here. Sky and Sarah had to leave at 4 a.m to go to Lindon to do FIRST LOOK photos. I figured the boys would be alone and bored all day and so I brought them here. I made them Funfetti pancakes and Chayden made eggs. Carson painted a wooden car craft kit I had and Chayden played video games. It was pretty hot outside and so staying in was the best plan. Sky picked them up before lunch. They were good kids. I got one blog post published! I am so behind!  

dear tuesday, I got up early and practiced the harp. I got in almost four hours practicing today because I practiced for a long time after my lesson too. I am so excited I am learning Petite Etude!  I have wanted to play it forever but wasn't sure I would ever be at that level. I have made it!  Now to master it. Well, to learn it first!  hah  I put together treats for the Sunbeams.  I also made zucchini bread for my ministering sisters. Dave was off today but busy with the yard all day. I delivered the bread to all my sisters. Not one was home. Go figure.  I ran some errands and as for the rest of the day I have no clue.  Sarah added eyes to the cow potato. Hah

dear wednesday, I got in three miles this a.m.  I rushed home to get ready to deliver treats to our Sunbeams.  I got some mini gummy bears and printed out the Come Follow Me pages. I picked up Pat and we were able to see Liam, Felix, Ever, and Sawyer.  We missed Eden and Adalyne.  We also took one to the new little girl named Ona. She is adorable. It was fun seeing them. They are all getting big!  

My goal was to get a full week done today of this blog. I was able to finish one but it is a slow go!  Ugh I am about six weeks behind. And I can never seem to catch up. It's like the laundry. Even if you are caught up you are still behind because you are wearing clothes that need washing. Every day I am living another day and it needs recording!  hah  But hopefully I will find some time and be able to get it caught up within a couple weeks. Sigh.  Carson and Sky stopped by for a short visit. 

Guru Gary sent me this today.  He sent me another one on Friday but I will post them both here.  I am baffled he would go to all that trouble and time and effort to do this! I was laughing out loud reading what he wrote to go with the photos. It brought back such great memories of all the crazy things I have done!  Who does that?  He is the nicest person! 

*With the NEW Blogger I can't get this one to enlarge so you will have to click on it. The other one did.  Everything is SO SO SO messed up!!!!


I am trying to get a shower planned for Sarah but didn't get too far on it today. Ugh.  I am also stressing about the wedding cake!  By the time this gets posted the wedding will probably be over!  That is crazy!  

dear thursday, the internet guy showed up this morning to try and figure out why our internet is always going off. It's so frustrating! #firstworldprobs I had to stick around until he was done and so I got out on my walk later than I hoped. I almost bagged it but decided I would feel better if I did. I got in three miles. I ran a little ways, but not much. Saving up the ankle for my Saturday run. McKay is still really sick. Poor guy. Dave gave him a Rocephin shot. He is worried his tonsils are so huge they will shut off his airway. He is a tough kid and never complains. I have the best boys. I ran some errands and then got Dave's parents dinner ready. I chatted with McKay while I made a salad and biscuits etc. Dave got home in time to drop it off.  I have been watching Shark Week all week. I can't get enough!  LOL I usually fall asleep watching it once I am in bed. Not sure why I love it so much!

These guys made a visit today....

dear friday, I got out on a walk this morning.  The air had a chill in it. Fall is not far away. I got in three miles. I saw this woman pushing a wheelchair surrounded by this stuff and then she took off and left it. Not sure what she is doing. Weird.  

Haylie asked me to borrow some stuff for her party for Brinlee tonight. She said she was stressed and not sure how she was going to get it all done. I offered to help in anyway I could. I took some stuff over and her mom came after I was there a bit. Before I left, Haylie said Brinlee probably wasn't going to get a cake because she had so much to do. I said, "How about I bake the cake and you decorate it?"  She was up for that. It was a ghost cake (she wanted a spooky party!) and so I came home and baked it. It was a four layer 6" cake with each layer a different color (purple, black, green, orange). I figured it wouldn't be too difficult. I had to carve the top one to the shape of a ghost head. But of course one of the layers crumbled on the side when I removed it. I was mad I didn't Crisco and flour the pans.  Will I ever learn?  But I managed to repair it with icing. That is one thing I am a pro at. Repair work!  I have had lots of practice!  It ended up being great and so I took it over. She was still stressed but I left it to her to finish. 

I got all dressed up in my WITCH costume. I wore my new apron thing I bought at the Grand American last year at our Witch's Tea. It is so cute! I wore the torturous shoes too!   The outside pictures shows the true color of the apron. I love it!  I got the hat there too.

I gave Brinlee a tea party coupon for part of her bday gift with a cute teacup I found at the DI. 

Haylie requested no toys *unless educational and no clothes. So, I got her books, a towel, a sparkly purple backpack, bath bombs, treats, a teacup and saucer and a coupon for a tea party with me, cupcake kit, workbooks for school, etc. I am not sure she liked it too much.  Next time I think I will get her clothes. It was fun. I dressed up like a witch as did Haylie and her mom and Brinlee. It was cute.  Sarah showed up dressed like Maleficent. Carson was dressed like Carlos.  Sarah brought a crown for my mom.  It was a small party. Just us, my parents, Sarah and her boys, and Haylie's mom and brother and wife and kids. Liam was cute as always. Brinlee kept hugging me and it was so sweet.  Love that lil' thing to pieces.  Sarah made some super cute spooky treats. Her house was all decked out in Halloween decor. Brinlee requested her birthday party be spooky. Maybe I should put  mine up now too!  Haha  We had cake and chatted and Dave headed out and I stayed a bit later. 

Fabio!  haha  He does kind of look like him!  Only Bryce is better looking!

Bryce played baseball with Chayden for a long time. Liam can really throw the ball! He has an arm. Sarah took me home after Haylie and I looked at all of her First Look pix. Wow! They are amazing! SO amazing!

Sarah told me Carson woke up this morning in a grumpy mood and said, "The only thing that makes me happy is making potions!  And Jodi!"  Ahhh.... He is the sweetest!

dear saturday, today Chayden wanted to go with me on a walk but he changed his mind so I hit the high school and did the track and surrounding areas. I ran the whole time (well a few walk breaks) and got in three miles. I was pretty happy about that since I haven't run much lately. 

I even found a penny!  Hey to you too, Tyson!

I took some shark cookies to Chayden and Carson this afternoon from Crumbl. It is Shark Week and I have been watching lots of the new programs. I can't get enough!  I chatted with Sarah for quite a while. Sky was there at first but had to go to some appointments. They stopped by later tonight so we could tell Chayden goodbye since he leaves tomorrow morning. Carson spent the night so he didn't have to get up at 5 a.m to take Chayden.  He took a bath and we had to improvise for PJ's and underpants since he wasn't planning on spending the night. I found one of Tyson's silky shirts that Tyson loved to sleep in. And some oversized Grinch boxers!  LOL Tyson was watching down with a big smile on his face I am certain. We watched some show and then I had to hit the hay. I was so exhausted! Oh this boy makes me happy!

dear sunday, Carson and I snuggled this morning in bed for a while. He is the cutest thing ever. We made his Build a Bear panda this morning. He sewed it all himself. It was fun. 

Dave made us German pancakes that were to die for! They are my favorite breakfast food I think. We even had a fresh peach to go with it!  Mmm.... Peach season is coming fast! I can't wait! 

We had church again today. Only the second time in five months. Dave sat on the stand so it was just Carson, McKay and me. Dave spoke for about five minutes at the end. We had a lot more peeps there this time than last. It still is strange seeing everyone in masks. McKay wanted to get home and so I didn't get to visit with anyone.  When we got home Sky and Sarah were here. They stayed a bit and then went home with Carson. They came back a bit later for dinner. We had ribs and baked potatoes and a jello salad I made and some bread sticks I made super quick. They were so good. 

Aubrey, Mickey and Sam ran over for a bit. Aubrey gave me a book she made of the girl's cabin trip for my birthday!  I loved it.  That's my quote on the second photo.

Carson was very happy to see them!  hah

We were laughing so hard while we looked at the pix. I shared bread sticks with them. It was fun.  When Carson heard they were coming, he hurried and made Micky a present and wrapped it. It was artwork and a card. He is so thoughtful!

Carson and I went out back and sat in the swing for a bit. The baby deer came down. I got the best video of them. 

Sky and Sarah were playing a game. It is cute how they always do that.  They headed home and I went up and watched the last night of Shark Week. Kind of sad it's over. 

dear random, this is a photo of my Grandma Helen (my Dad's mom) with some of the Raggedy Ann dolls she made!  Can you spot mine????  

Yep!  Mine is the only purple one!! I still have it!
She was such a cute and talented lady. I sure miss her.

I got my Homemaker's invite done!

My mom's famous Strawberry Danish Dessert Delight recipe!  I thought I better preserve it here!

Little Miss Kailani!  I miss her!

I’m Not Ignoring COVID

July 22, 2020

Mike. In a recent post, you said you’ve been to Tennessee and Georgia, giving speeches and filming for your new show. Before that, you were on the road shooting for Dirty Jobs. Is it really so important to film a television show in the midst of pandemic? Is it responsible of you to encourage this kind of behavior when infection rates are spiking? Don’t you watch the news? More and more cases every day – aren’t you concerned? Darlene Gabon

Hi Darlene

Of course, I’m concerned. I’m just not petrified.

On March 15th, the day after my part of the country was locked down, I posted a link to an interview with Dr. Michael Osterholm. I’m posting it again, because I believe you and everyone else in the country would benefit from listening carefully to what he has to say. https://youtu.be/E3URhJx0NSw

Dr. Osterholm is the Director of Infectious Disease Research and Policy. This is the same epidemiologist who ten years ago, predicted a coronavirus would come from China and turn our country upside down. In his book “Deadliest Enemies,” he described the utterly irresponsible way in which the media would report on the situation, the completely opportunistic and shamelessly political way our leaders would likely react, and the unprecedented chaos and confusion that would arise from all the mixed messages from the medical community. His resume is unexampled, and his analysis of the situation is the most logical and persuasive of any I’d heard so far. He’s also the only expert I know of who hasn’t walked back his numbers, reconsidered his position, or moved the goalposts with regard to what we must do, what we can do, and what he expects to happen next. I say all of this because Dr. Osterholm also predicted that we could easily see 100 million COVID cases in this country, with a very strong possibility of 480,000 fatalities – even if we successfully “flattened the curve.”

It took me a few weeks to accept this scenario, because 480,000 fatalities is a frightening number, and lot of other experts were saying lots of conflicting things. But eventually, I came to the conclusion that Dr. Osterholm was probably correct, and quickly navigated the four stages of grief that usually precede acceptance – denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. By late April, I had come to accept Dr. Osterholm’s predictions as a matter of fact. Since then, I’ve had three full months to come to terms with the fact that, a) I am probably going to get COVID-19 at some point, b), I am almost certainly going to survive it, and c), I might very well give it to someone else.

I hope that doesn’t sound blasé, or glib, or fatalistic, or selfish. Four-hundred eighty thousand deaths is an obvious tragedy, and I’m deeply sympathetic to all who have been impacted thus far. I’m also very concerned for my parents, and everyone else in a high risk category. But when Dr. Osterholm says that COVID can be slowed, but not stopped, I believe him. When he says a vaccine will not necessarily hasten herd immunity, I believe him. And when he says that “flattening the curve” and eliminating the virus have nothing to do with each other, I believe him.

Thus, for the last three months, I’ve been operating from the assumption that this is a year-round virus that’s eventually going to infect 100,000 million people and kill roughly 1/2 of one percent of those infected. I’ve gotten used to those numbers in much the same way I’ve gotten used to the fact that 40,000 people will likely die on the highways this year. That’s why I’m not panicked or surprised by tens of thousands of daily COVID cases; I’ve been expecting them. Unfortunately, many others have not. Every day, millions of people watch the same breathless coverage by the same breathless journalists, who seem determined to do all they can to foster uncertainty. And so, millions of people are still paralyzed by fear, because they haven’t been given a chance to digest the truth, (or, what I believe to be the truth.) Fact is, we can accept almost anything, if we’re given the facts, and enough time to get our heads around them. But if we don’t have an understanding of what’s really happening, we simply can’t get passed denial and bargaining, where so many seem to be stuck, understandably so.

Imagine for a moment you had no idea how many people would die in car accidents this year. Now, imagine that every single accident – over six million a year in the US alone – were reported on the same way that every new COVID case is reported today. Imagine every day you were told in hysterical tones, that another 16,000 accidents had occurred, resulting in another 90 deaths per day. What would that do to your willingness to drive? Six million accidents is a lot of accidents, and 40,000 annual fatalities is a lot of death – especially if you don’t know how high that number could get. But we DO know the dangers of driving, and we’ve accepted those numbers. Consequently, we’re able to make a grown-up decision about whether or not we want to assume the associated risk of operating a motor vehicle.

Again, don’t misunderstand. I’m not ignoring COVID, and I’m not pretending the risks at hand aren’t real. I don’t want to get this disease and give it to someone else, any more than I want to be in a car wreck and hurt someone else. So, I take precautions. I get tested often. If I can’t distance, I wear a mask – especially around higher risk people. I also wear a seatbelt, obey the speed limits, and check my mirrors before changing lanes. I’m aware that we’d all be a lot safer if we kept our cars in the garage. I’m also aware we’d be a lot safer if we all kept ourselves in the house. But that’s not why cars, or people, exist.

Anyway Darlene, that’s a long way of saying that I have accepted Dr. Osterholm’s numbers, and now, after three months of acceptance, I’ve made a decision on how I wish to live my life. Sooner or later, you will too. We all will.

Mike

PS. My foundation is selling masks to raise money for our next work-ethic scholarship program. They’re going fast…mikeroweWORKS.org/Shop
Mike’s Facebook Page

*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 monday, Linda and Lynn showed up this a.m. and informed us that the bats are back at the cabin.  Great. I went on a walk this morning. Once again I found myself at Pioneer Park. And today the craziest thing happened. As I was walking on the sidewalk back by the baseball diamonds, I saw this:

 Yep!  A screwdriver!  I have never found a screwdriver while running or walking before. Oddly enough I have been thinking I need to bring a screwdriver with me so I could get the penny that is super glued to the street I keep seeing every day. But I keep forgetting. So today, I just "happen" to find a screwdriver!  So what did I do?  I took the screwdriver and went and popped that penny off the road!  Then I went and put the screwdriver back where I found it.  Yes, I got that penny!  Is this all a "coin"cident?  Oh yes, I am sure 99% of you would think it is, but I KNOW it was not!  I have NO DOUBT that my Tyson made that happen so I could get that penny!  It was not lost on me that his birthday is in two days.  That is totally something he would do!  Pretty cool if you ask me!!!  

I really want to post it on FB but I know many peeps will then be certain I am crazy!  LOL  I came home and decided to organize my kitchen spice cabinet. It has been on my list for a while and so I just dived right in before I showered or anything. I figured it would take me around two hours or less. It ended up taking me exactly that. Here is the before and after: 

AFTER:

This has been on there for awhile. I really have a thing for pudding and Jello. So how is it when I need one, I never have the right one?  Hmmm.....

Taylor got out my cookie dough and baked some more of those cookies. So yum!  He went golfing today with Sky and my dad. I love it when they go together. My dad beat the socks off them again though. Haha  He got a 45 and they got like 53 and 54 I think. They are all very good golfers though! 

 I ran to Walmart and to the Dollar Store to get stuff for Tyson's and Carson's bdays.  I decided to cancel Tyson's party except of our family. Dave thought it would be best. He had two more patients test positive for Covid right after they were in. Great!  Plus their trip to Alaska won't happen if any of them test positive for it or they might be quarantined there if they do. Plus I read an article today (at the bottom of post titled One of the Best Covid post I've seen so far...) that my friend who is a nurse posted on FB and I thought it is just for the best...(very long but good).

dear tuesday, I am writing this exactly one month AFTER this happened and so photos and my planner are the only thing that is going to help me remember what happened.  Yep. I had my harp lesson and so I practiced before. Here is the music I am currently working on:

I got in a two mile walk after my lesson.  More signs of the times: 

I worked on Tyson's party pretty much all day. I did the photo tags for the balloons and a millions other things. I had a DI drop off today as well.  Even with the party on a very small scale this year, I still had to do the same amount of work. But it is always worth it. 

dear wednesday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN TYSON! 

☆¨´`'*°☆.¸.☆¨´`'*☆

🌴․☆´`'*.☆¨´`'*☆🌴

`☆ 🌴TYSON🌴☆

․ ․`'☆.¨´¸☆¨..☆¨

․ ․ ․`'*..¸.☆...*

🌴💙🌴  32 years ago today one of the most incredible souls was born into this world. Tyson's short life of 17 years made more of an impact than most of those that live to be 100. Today as we think of him on what would be his 32nd birthday, we do so with sadness because he is no longer here, but also with joy and deep gratitude that we were able to make 17 years worth of memories that we will cherish forever. Tyson lived his life to the fullest each day and today we CELEBRATE that life with happiness and gratitude for his amazing example to us all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN! We love and miss you......EVERY SINGLE DAY! 🌴💙🌴

"His absence is a silent grief, his life a beautiful memory."
#keepemlaughinginheaven #cherishthemoments #whatakid #Alohauiaoe

☆¨´`'*°☆.¸.☆¨´`'*☆
🌴․☆´`'*.☆¨´`'*☆🌴
`☆ 🌴TYSON🌴☆
․ ․`'☆.¨´¸☆¨..☆¨
․ ․ ․`'*..¸.☆...*

💙🌴💙__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡__ ̤̣̈̇   

Wow, it's so hard to believe this little guy has been gone for 14 years. SO HARD. Hard to imagine that he would be 32 years old!  WHAT?  Wow!  That is crazy! I wonder what he would be up to if he were still here. I wonder how our lives would be different.  I wonder if he would be married and have any littles. I wonder if he would be creating movies or working in Hollywood. I wonder how his health would be. So many things I will never know.  I wonder what he is doing now. 

I got in a quick two miler this a.m. I had a lot to do to get ready for the party tonight. I made chocolate ecstasy and gathered everything on my list to take. I went and got Carson and we cleaned up Tyson's grave. Taylor came with us.

They had fun on his bike. Even though I still had to do everything for the party like other years, it was less stressful because I didn't feel the pressure like I do when millions of peeps come. But, it was also sad they couldn't come. Some sent me photos of them sending up balloons. 

 These are cousins from Las Vegas ↑

and this is Weston's (cousin) Willow from Arizona.

I really miss my sweet Tyson. He was such a joy and such a huge blessing in our lives. I know he is doing great and amazing things in heaven and is a huge blessing to those on the other side.

The party went great. It was small and sweet. I tried to keep it to an hour or less but we were waiting for everyone to arrive before we could really do the balloon launch. It  was over in about 45 min or so. 

 Haha!  My dad is hilarious!

And this cute little bug is the BEST!

 It was kind of nice having fewer in number. It wasn't so chaotic.  Even kind of peaceful.

 At least until the fireworks were set off!  They were anything but peaceful!  VERY LOUD!  So fun!

 We were small in numbers this year (thanks to Covid) but BIG in spirit!

 

I had SO much chocolate ecstasy left over!  And I only made one this year!

 This kid reminds me of Tyson in so many ways!

 We couldn't get one photo that was perfect, but when I saw them after, I realized every single one was perfect. They had Tyson written all over them!  Like I said, this kid reminds me of him in so many ways!  His expression changed in every single shot AND I don't think he knew so many shots were being taken. Made me laugh!

 I will treasure these pix forever!!!

 As well as these:

Me and my mom were just walking together and all of sudden she started to march. Only my mom!  I tried to keep up with her. We finally ended on the same foot by the last step.
Then she started to say things that had me laughing hysterically. She is seriously the funniest lady I have ever known.

 I am so grateful I still have her here with me!  She keeps the light in my life!  I know I am so blessed!  And I do not take it for granted!

Part of my social media post ↑

 🎉Our traditional celebration of our Tyson's life tonight! 🎉 Though small in numbers this year (due to limiting it to immediate family and grandparents) due to Covid 😷, it was big in fun and laughter.😂 We felt him there in spirit. 😇 That kid always had us laughing about something, he loved fireworks🎆 and felt him there in spirit. 😇 That kid always had us laughing about something, he loved fireworks🎆 and Hawaii,🌴🏄‍♂️ and being with family! 🥰 We loved remembering him in so many ways!

Hey bud, we hope you got at least one of the balloon 🎈 messages we sent up even though a couple ended up in the trees! 🤪

#happybirthdayinheaven #cherishthemoments

I hung around a bit after and just took some time to think. It's a good place to do that. 

Here are some memories that popped up today on FB:

dear thursday, Carson turned SEVEN today!  Wow!!!  

🐼 Happy 7th Birthday to this little guy who came into my life four years ago and completely stole my heart! What a bright spot he is each and every day! Sweetest little thing on the planet! 🐼

I asked if I could pick him up from summer school and I made him a HUGE cookie with a candle on it and also got him some balloons. Taylor and I went and waited for him to come out. He had another balloon when he came out and a big smile on his face.  He was so cute and so excited to see us. Love that kid!  

 He came over for a bit and then Sky and Sarah came and got him. They went swimming and I was not super excited to go do that but I did go and sit on the chair for a bit a little after they arrived. It was hot but funner to watch for an hour than be there for four hours.  I say I did my time at the pool when my boys were little. Hah

 He was trying SO hard to get up the courage and be brave enough to jump in the water to Sky. It took him forever!  He finally did it!  He is the cutest!

I took dinner to Dave's parents and then we had a party over here for the little guy. It was only my parents and Sky and crew.  #corona 

 Seven years old!  Wow!!!  This little guy has been enriching and blessing my life for almost four years now!  I sure do love him!  There really are no words to express how much joy he has brought into our lives.  We love him with all our hearts.  He is always telling me that...."I love you Jodi with ALL of my heart!"  

 Pandas everywhere!  His favorite gift was the sleepover coupon from Taylor!

 Yes, I kind of overdid it!!!  Those aren't just from me, but from Taylor and McKay and my parents and his parents.  LOL

I am making his cake for his kid party and so Sky and Sarah got him an ice cream cake for tonight.  His kid party isn't until Chayden gets here in a couple weeks. I am doing a big Spiderman cake for that.

 He sure does love my mom!  He can't get enough of her!  It's so sweet!

He wanted to let one of his balloons off for Tyson. I grabbed an extra card and he signed it and set it off!  

dear friday, I walked SIX miles!  Doesn't sound like much, but HOLY!  Walking is so slow and sometimes so monotonous and boring. I always listen to a podcast or book on tape and so some days I just don't want to stop but other days it just seems to never end. LOL  I went to Pioneer Park and the high school and even found some coins around the high school.

 I was going to write a post on these ↑↓ photos about when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change, but I am too far behind to take the time. SO I am leaving it up to you to think about that!  hah

 
I made zucchini bread and went and got g's for Taylor. Dave and I went on visits to see some people who have lost loved ones and took them bread. 
THIS is what happens when you drop the bread on the floor. Don't worry I didn't give that one away!

We stopped at the Crowther's and tried Leann N but she wasn't home so we took some to Bishop Munns who is having surgery soon. We had some nice visits. I enjoyed it. I hope we brought some hope and a little peace to them.  Life can be so challenging. Carson had a sleepover with Taylor (he didn't waste time cashing in his coupon). LOL  The boys (Taylor and McKay) have been working hard on their piano skills. Both are getting really good. It's so fun to listen to them play hard songs that they have taught themselves. 

Another sign of the times: ↓

 I had to write all these down so I will not forget!  I remember Dave's mom could just rattle off every single child's weight, length and time of birth. I need to study these again. I used to remember them pretty well but use it or lose it!

dear saturday, today I got in another five miles in.  Mostly on the track. I found more coins!

I came home and played diner with Carson for a bit while Taylor was gone playing basketball. 

The baby fawns are back and so stinkin' cute!  I could watch them all day! 
I was going to go to Ogden but writing this so long after that I am not sure if I did or not!  LOL  Dave and I did go visit Leann N tonight though. I think we went to Maddox Drive In too. If I don't have pix or it written down, I have no idea!   

The turks are in the top left photo.

And if you really zoom in you can see my window is covered in Elm Seed Beetles!  Aaaaa!!! I am so done with them!!!

dear sunday, we went BACK TO CHURCH today for the first time in four months!  Masks were required. It was kind of weird. Hardly anyone was there. SO weird to see everyone in a mask. The parking lot was empty. There were only 15 families total and around 60 people. The Bishop spoke and then Dave spoke. He actually told us we could remove our masks if we wanted for a breather. Yay!  It was just me and McKay and Taylor.

 Even the cars are social distancing!

 Here's to 2020!  Not!  LOL 

 We had an enjoyable Sunday afternoon chilling in the backyard. Sky made us orange Julius. It was a cool nice day. 




dear random, 

CAN Y'ALL PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHO WAS THE GENIUS WHO WROTE THIS??😂😂😂😂😂

Dear Diary 2020 Edition,
In ❄️ January, 🔥 Australia caught on fire. I don’t even know if that fire was put out, because we straight up almost went to war with Iran 🇮🇷 . We might actually still be almost at war with them 🤔. I don’t know, because 👩 Jen Aniston and 👨🏻 Brad Pitt spoke to one another at an awards 🏆 show and everyone flipped the crap out 😲, but then there was this thing happening in 🦇 🇨🇳 China, then 👑 Prince Harry and Megan ✌🏼 peaced out of the Royal family, and there was the whole impeachment trial 👩‍⚖️ , and then corona virus 🦠 showed up in the US ✔️“officially,” but then 🏀 Kobe died 😭and UK 🇬🇧 peaced out of the European Union.

In February, 🌽 Iowa crapped 💩 itself with the caucus results and the president was acquitted and the 👩🏼‍💼Speaker of the House took ten. Whole. years. to rip up a speech , but then The👨‍🔬 🌎WHO decided to give this virus a name COVID-19, which confused 🤔some really important people 👔 in charge of, like, our lives, into thinking there were 18 other versions before it, but then Harvey Weinstein was found guilty👨🏻‍⚖️, and 🇺🇸 Americans started asking if Corona beer 🍺 was safe to drink🤦🏻‍♀️, and everyone on Facebook became a doctor 👨‍⚕️ who just knew the 🤒flu like killed way more people than COVID 1 through 18.

In March, stuff hit the fan👿. Warren dropped out of the presidential race and Sanders was like Bernie or bust 💥, but then Italy 🇮🇹 shut its whole country down 🚷, and then COVID Not 1 through 18 officially become what everyone already realized, a 😱pandemic and then a nationwide state of emergency 🆘was declared in US 🇺🇸 , but it didn’t really change anything, so everyone was confused or thought it was still just a flu 💁🏻‍♀️, but then COVID Not 18 was like ya’ll not taking me seriously? 💡 I’m gonna infect the one celebrity everyone loves and totally infected Tom Hanks👨🏻, get y’all to close all of the schools so y’all can 🙏🏼 appreciate teachers 👩‍🏫 for once (because you can’t teach kids anything other than how to use a touch screen🤦🏻‍♀️ ) close down all of salons so you can’t get your 💇‍♂️ hair or your nails done💅 , everyone had to work from home and attend Zoom meetings in their underwear. The 📉 DOW took a crap 💩 on itself, and most of us still don’t understand why the stock market is so important or even a thing 🤔 (I still don’t), We were then all introduced to 🐅 Tiger King and the ONE thing we can all agree on this year , 👍🏼Carol totally killed her husband⚰️ ..... whacked him! And then Netflix was like you’re welcome, and we all realized there was no way we were washing our hands enough in the first place because all of our hands are now dry and gross and we’re all searching for lotion now.

In 🌧 April, Bernie finally busted✌🏼 himself out of the presidential race 🏃 , but then NYC 🗽became the set of The Walking Dead 💀 and we learned that no one has face masks 😷, ventilators, or toilet paper, or THE FREAKING SWIFFER WET JET LIQUID, and by now our 🦁outgrowth is showing, so there’s a shortage on 📦 box hair dye and all of our hair dressers are like , 😱 NO DONT DO IT!!! But, then Kim Jong-Un died, but then he came back to life … or did he? Who knows, because then the Pentagon released 🎥 videos of UFOs and nobody cared, and we were like man, it’s only April….

In 💐 May, the biblical end times kicked off , historical locust swarms, we learned of murder hornets 🐝 and realized that 2020 was the start of the Hunger Games🙈 however people forgot to let us know. People legit started to protest lockdown measures with 🔫 AR-15s, 🏀⚾️sports events were cancelled everywhere. But then people all over America finally reached a breaking point with race issues and violence. There were 🗣protests in every city🌃 ,which was confusing to some of us because people were definitely gathering in 👫crowds of more than 🖐🏼🤚🏼10 and for sure closer than 6 feet away ⬅️➡️from each other . Those people must have forgotten about the 😖pandemic called COVID Not One Through 18. Media 📺 🗞 struggled with how to 🤬focus on two important things at once, people in general struggled to focus on more than one important thing. A dead whale 🐋 was found in the middle of the Amazon rain forest 🌳 after monkeys 🐒 stole COVID 1 through 19 from a lab 🔬 and ran off with them, and either in May or April (no one is keeping track of time now) that a giant asteroid ☄️ narrowly missed the Earth🌍.

In ☀️ June, common sense just got thrown 🤾🏼 straight out the window and somehow 😷 wearing masks became a 🏛political thing, but then everyone sort of remembered there was a pandemic, then 👨‍🔬scientists announced they found a mysterious undiscovered mass at the center of the earth, and everyone was like 🙅🏽‍♂️🙅🏻‍♀️🚧DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH IT, but then everyone took a pause to realize that people actually believed Gone With The Wind 💨 was like non-fiction, but then it was also announced that there is a strange 🛰radio signal coming from somewhere in the universe 🌌 that repeats itself every so many days 🗓 , and everyone was like 👽 DON’T YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT‼️🚫 but then America reopened 🙌🏼from the shut down that actually wasn’t even a shut down, and so far, things have gone spectacularly .... not that great 👎🏼. All of the Karens came out at once, and people started tearing down 🔨 statues. Everyone is on Facebook arguing 🤼‍♀️ about masks 👃🏼, but then Florida 🏖 was like hold my beer 🍺 and let me show you how we’re number one 🥇 in all things, including new Not Corona Beer Coronavirus. Then we learned there was a massive dust cloud ☁️ coming straight at us 📍from the Sahara Desert 🐫 , which is totally normal, but this is 2020, so the 👻 ghost mummy thing is most likely in that dust cloud. We then 📚 learned of meth-gators 🐊 , and I'm like that is so not on my flipping 2020 Bingo card 😡 can we use it as the free space?? 🤷🏻 Then we learned that the Congo's worst ever Ebola 🚨 outbreak is over 😓, and we were all like, there was an Ebola outbreak that was the worst ever? 👀 ....... and don’t forget we just discovered FLYING SNAKES! 🐍, seriously! FLYING SNAKES!!!! And the 200,000 duck 🦆 army that China 🇨🇳 is sending to Pakistan to help with the locusts!

So here comes July…. at this point we are over it , just tell us what’s next .... 👽 Aliens? 🔱Zeus? ☄️ Asteroids? Artificial Intelligence becomes self aware? Can it just be something cool 😎 or fun for once? Maybe even a good laugh , like hahaha 😂 April Fools! We all actually wouldn’t mind that joke at this point.

Also, why didn't I know about the whale in the Amazon? Or a few other things because I just can’t keep up anymore!

But I’m sharing it because as long as we make it through 2020, I really want this to pop back up in the memories a few years from now. Copy and share to your page!!!!!

One of the Best Covid post I've seen so far...

Chicken pox is a virus. Lots of people have had it, and probably don't think about it much once the initial illness has passed. But it stays in your body and lives there forever, and maybe when you're older, you have debilitatingly painful outbreaks of shingles. You don't just get over this virus in a few weeks, never to have another health effect. We know this because it's been around for years, and has been studied medically for years.

Herpes is also a virus. And once someone has it, it stays in your body and lives there forever, and anytime they get a little run down or stressed-out they're going to have an outbreak. Maybe every time you have a big event coming up (school pictures, job interview, big date) you're going to get a cold sore. For the rest of your life. You don't just get over it in a few weeks. We know this because it's been around for years, and been studied medically for years.

HIV is a virus. It attacks the immune system, and makes the carrier far more vulnerable to other illnesses. It has a list of symptoms and negative health impacts that goes on and on. It was decades before viable treatments were developed that allowed people to live with a reasonable quality of life. Once you have it, it lives in your body forever and there is no cure. Over time, that takes a toll on the body, putting people living with HIV at greater risk for health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, bone disease, liver disease, cognitive disorders, and some types of cancer. We know this because it has been around for years, and had been studied medically for years.

Now with COVID-19, we have a novel virus that spreads rapidly and easily. The full spectrum of symptoms and health effects is only just beginning to be cataloged, much less understood.

So far the symptoms may include:

Fever

Fatigue

Coughing

Pneumonia

Chills/Trembling

Acute respiratory distress

Lung damage (potentially permanent)

Loss of taste (a neurological symptom)

Sore throat

Headaches

Difficulty breathing

Mental confusion

Diarrhea

Nausea or vomiting

Loss of appetite

Strokes have also been reported in some people who have COVID-19 (even in the relatively young)

Swollen eyes

Blood clots

Seizures

Liver damage

Kidney damage

Rash

COVID toes (weird, right?)

People testing positive for COVID-19 have been documented to be sick even after 60 days. Many people are sick for weeks, get better, and then experience a rapid and sudden flare up and get sick all over again. A man in Seattle was hospitalized for 62 days, and while well enough to be released, still has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Not to mention a $1.1 million medical bill.

Then there is MIS-C. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. While rare, it has caused deaths.

This disease has not been around for years. It has basically been 6 months. No one knows yet the long-term health effects, or how it may present itself years down the road for people who have been exposed. We literally *do not know* what we do not know.

For those in our society who suggest that people being cautious are cowards, for people who refuse to take even the simplest of precautions to protect themselves and those around them, I want to ask, without hyperbole and in all sincerity:

How dare you?

How dare you risk the lives of others so cavalierly. How dare you decide for others that they should welcome exposure as "getting it over with", when literally no one knows who will be the lucky "mild symptoms" case, and who may fall ill and die. Because while we know that some people are more susceptible to suffering a more serious case, we also know that 20 and 30 year olds have died, marathon runners and fitness nuts have died, children and infants have died.

How dare you behave as though you know more than medical experts, when those same experts acknowledge that there is so much we don't yet know, but with what we DO know, are smart enough to be scared of how easily this is spread, and recommend baseline precautions such as:

Frequent hand-washing

Physical distancing

Reduced social/public contact or interaction

Mask wearing

Covering your cough or sneeze

Avoiding touching your face

Sanitizing frequently touched surfaces

The more things we can all do to mitigate our risk of exposure, the better off we all are, in my opinion. Not only does it flatten the curve and allow health care providers to maintain levels of service that aren't immediately and catastrophically overwhelmed; it also reduces unnecessary suffering and deaths, and buys time for the scientific community to study the virus in order to come to a more full understanding of the breadth of its impacts in both the short and long term.

I reject the notion that it's "just a virus" and we'll all get it eventually. What a careless, lazy, heartless stance. And finally, using the line, “...it’s my constitutional rights to decide not to wear it” is unapplicable at this time.

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