tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53221635952858617922024-03-13T03:52:22.688-07:00She Dreams of EvergreensAshleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comBlogger576125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-76258949655135421712020-09-21T00:13:00.003-07:002020-10-12T00:44:44.036-07:00Wild Fire<p>It's hard to believe that it has been two weeks. Two weeks ago today we ran to
the hardware store and they had closed early for Labor Day so we turned around
and drove home. In that short amount of time a large gray cloud appeared in the
direction of our home. When we got home we quickly realized that it wasn't a
cloud cloud, but a large cloud of smoke. Where this smoke cloud came from we
didn't know but it caused us and our neighbors to feel some unease. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sb0hmglLMFA/X4P5SlAwOFI/AAAAAAAAJJk/oZ317zPWz3IhCfaEe1ylo8x27_cllNY_wCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200907_192932.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sb0hmglLMFA/X4P5SlAwOFI/AAAAAAAAJJk/oZ317zPWz3IhCfaEe1ylo8x27_cllNY_wCPcBGAYYCw/s600/20200907_192932.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the sky looked like when we went to bed.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div><p>We went to bed and woke up the next morning to discover that the air was filled
with smoke. The night before we had some really high winds and we learned that
the high winds knocked a tree down onto a power line and sparked a fire. This
fire spread over 13 miles Monday night and burned down the town of Blue River
and was heading our direction. The fire wasn't controlled and there were less
than 200 fire fighters on the ground and no air support.</p><p>Andy and I are both
sensitive to the smoke and were getting really bad headaches. The smoke and ash
were coming into our home through the kitchen and bathroom cupboards, a hole in
the wall and through the bathroom fans and heat vents. After talking with my mom
and step-mom we decided to book a hotel in Newport for the next two nights. We
packed up our important documents, photos, computers and some clothes and hopped
into the car and left. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xum6npCVDC4/X4P8hRFz_0I/AAAAAAAAJOU/ozSgt6PHz4YYt7leeCgA1yuWwi5L5VH6QCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200908_150301.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xum6npCVDC4/X4P8hRFz_0I/AAAAAAAAJOU/ozSgt6PHz4YYt7leeCgA1yuWwi5L5VH6QCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200908_150301.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the neighborhood looked like before we left. Our camera really filtered out the gray/red tones. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qf-MRcvRCfE/X4P8i0kocQI/AAAAAAAAJOY/icY-Ebk5gFcAv56F2oztmnDh-j7BsSSYgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200908_150307.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qf-MRcvRCfE/X4P8i0kocQI/AAAAAAAAJOY/icY-Ebk5gFcAv56F2oztmnDh-j7BsSSYgCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200908_150307.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-93TvhNMD1yw/X4P8ei3YlbI/AAAAAAAAJOQ/me3Y8VZKENEKn0G-cWrCo32kOzsSnaNoACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200908_150250.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-93TvhNMD1yw/X4P8ei3YlbI/AAAAAAAAJOQ/me3Y8VZKENEKn0G-cWrCo32kOzsSnaNoACPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200908_150250.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9i1HUqtC7Y4/X4P8fySvwvI/AAAAAAAAJOg/YF_jFTnIDkYnJL2Ttw-3jD1EHL8f4QCXACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200908_150259.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9i1HUqtC7Y4/X4P8fySvwvI/AAAAAAAAJOg/YF_jFTnIDkYnJL2Ttw-3jD1EHL8f4QCXACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200908_150259.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I thought would be the last picture I ever took of our home.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>We dropped our other car off at a friend's house and
headed to Newport. The smoke was so thick. The sky looked reddish orange. It was
a relief when we checked into the hotel room and were able to breathe air that
wasn't so smoke filled. As the night went on our room got smokier and smokier,
the next morning we realized our bedroom windows hadn't been shut all the way. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TT6XI7RhKFk/X4P8lNcD1dI/AAAAAAAAJOg/vK1mT_s3zcQRc-qQmG_RYI3TYUcCqMJyQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200908_163732.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TT6XI7RhKFk/X4P8lNcD1dI/AAAAAAAAJOg/vK1mT_s3zcQRc-qQmG_RYI3TYUcCqMJyQCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200908_163732.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving to Newport.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YGNH2dp1qs/X4P8mI1v8WI/AAAAAAAAJOc/_4oN0uksk1U-6Sis6DAW6uWRByt83iMGQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200909_094340.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YGNH2dp1qs/X4P8mI1v8WI/AAAAAAAAJOc/_4oN0uksk1U-6Sis6DAW6uWRByt83iMGQCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200909_094340.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel room.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>As luck would have it a fire started just north of us in Lincoln City. My cousin
called to tell me that they were evacuating the Lincoln City Hospital (he works
at the Newport Hospital). It's hard to believe but the smoke in Newport was even
thicker than the smoke back home. I drove to the store to get some food and
lunch and I could see maybe 100m in front of me. The store was filled with smoke
and the shelves were emptying quickly. All of the restraunts had closed-- no
lunch for us. And the lines as the gas station were blocks long. We decided it
was time to leave as the fire was burning in our direction and could block off
our only way out. Luckily I booked directly through the hotel's website so they
refunded us for our second night. We didn't know where we were going to go but
headed towards Corvallis and decided we would look at a map and make some
decisions when we got there. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_hVBUtaTvw/X4P8oadJgHI/AAAAAAAAJOc/h3n5a-Ya2L4eNEC1P1Oc1kDKJQkodOBYACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200909_133841.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_hVBUtaTvw/X4P8oadJgHI/AAAAAAAAJOc/h3n5a-Ya2L4eNEC1P1Oc1kDKJQkodOBYACPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200909_133841.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You should be able to see the ocean in this photo.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>In Corvallis we topped off our tank and grabbed
dinner. We talked with my aunt and cousin and decided to head to Bend, Oregon
via Highway 20. Highway 20 runs along the northern perimeter of the fire burning
near our home. The scenery looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off it was really
errie. The roads through the pass were very windy, Andy got sick and it just
felt really creepy in the forest. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XB5rhOTlLQ8/X4P8pU9WHrI/AAAAAAAAJOc/ZOuQhwQi33ISZLfpzdO04jbsajc0EUKbACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200909_190341.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XB5rhOTlLQ8/X4P8pU9WHrI/AAAAAAAAJOc/ZOuQhwQi33ISZLfpzdO04jbsajc0EUKbACPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200909_190341.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p></p><p>As we were driving to Bend my cousin text and
told us that his friends had a few extra rooms and were willing to take us in.
This was a huge blessing and an answer to our prayers. </p><p>Just out side of Bend we saw signs directing evacuees to the fairgrounds. And we passed a brigade of firetrucks. I hadn't had a moment to breathe in the past two days, but this sight made the tears flow. </p><p>Shortly after we made it through the pass to Bend, the pass closed. <br /></p><p>When we arrived they had
food ready and waiting for us along with two bedrooms and several beds. They
told us we could stay for a few days and figure things out unless their really
good friends got evacuated. The next day we learned that their friends were
being evacuated and we needed to leave. We reached out to my cousin again and he
said to come to his house in Nampa, Idaho. We once again loaded all of our stuff
up and hit the road. </p><p>We saw my cousin and his family that first day/night and
then they headed out of town. We had their house all to ourselves. We stayed in
touch with our friends and neighbors and were constantly monitoring fire lines
and updates from our local news. We knew we needed to make some tough decisions
in the next few days. Continue on to Utah to live with my parents for the foreseeable future or head home while the fire was still burning. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNi6jbpyi8g/X4P71DGtmAI/AAAAAAAAJNA/eo_aLguncWo6HxNhAXB_m82bkyVymkwTwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200911_160622.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNi6jbpyi8g/X4P71DGtmAI/AAAAAAAAJNA/eo_aLguncWo6HxNhAXB_m82bkyVymkwTwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200911_160622.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins who became fast friends. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>After a lot of
thought, discussion and prayer we decided that we would head back home in a few
days. Those few days were spent gathering and ordering supplies, smoke filtering
furnace filters (normally they last 3 months our neighbors were changing them
out every 24 hours), air purifiers, water purifier with filters (we were told
our water was safe to drink but tasted of smoke and ash), etc. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OU8tcIqXkCU/X4P72cKIH8I/AAAAAAAAJMk/YRoWAI3gDxIf1byN4jCkdO-Fh8Zz7uvXACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200912_194540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OU8tcIqXkCU/X4P72cKIH8I/AAAAAAAAJMk/YRoWAI3gDxIf1byN4jCkdO-Fh8Zz7uvXACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200912_194540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw this on a car in the parking lot. Andy told me to take a picture. Pretty fitting with the Human Trafficking Movement taking place right now. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>We did take our
boys to a park with a splash pad, but the water was turned off. We had a great
time playing on the playground though, we had the whole place to ourselves. We
left when some other families showed up. We applied lots of hand sanitizer. We
really try to be safe with Covid-19 raging. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mvpEKYT_nIc/X4QFohIEGqI/AAAAAAAAJOs/TYc6mQGV1G4-y7gaDEOkgU7K9UeKGMKiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mvpEKYT_nIc/X4QFohIEGqI/AAAAAAAAJOs/TYc6mQGV1G4-y7gaDEOkgU7K9UeKGMKiwCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5640.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-spY0MVILaf0/X4QFraKiKRI/AAAAAAAAJO0/nY4prAlMrV4gcCcdfpOCMgmssTfoInYEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-spY0MVILaf0/X4QFraKiKRI/AAAAAAAAJO0/nY4prAlMrV4gcCcdfpOCMgmssTfoInYEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5641.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUZLSag-NLw/X4QFpJsS3qI/AAAAAAAAJOw/O3PmSwBfqkcGPaUKM1j1q5ciH3qjlOohQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PUZLSag-NLw/X4QFpJsS3qI/AAAAAAAAJOw/O3PmSwBfqkcGPaUKM1j1q5ciH3qjlOohQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/IMG_5642.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>After touching base with Andy's boss it
was determined that we would drive home Monday. A storm front was supposed to be
moving in Monday and it was going to push the smoke towards Idaho. After looking
at the map to see what routes were open we decided to drive home along the
Columbia River and then down through Portland. With all the riots Portland is
the last place we wanted to drive through but we knew it was the more ideal
route for our family. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ-sk5oNQvE/X4P8KM_OKcI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/wcRsCKedi70Fd8Gh0qB1y2nV5sx-P7JBwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200913_203623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ-sk5oNQvE/X4P8KM_OKcI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/wcRsCKedi70Fd8Gh0qB1y2nV5sx-P7JBwCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200913_203623.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba and Bear loved playing in these boxes.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w3MAErnwexw/X4P8FrMWiPI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/oTFoWUXR5VccUOXKq6ZnXmpP1HqShK-GACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200913_203620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w3MAErnwexw/X4P8FrMWiPI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/oTFoWUXR5VccUOXKq6ZnXmpP1HqShK-GACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/20200913_203620.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4vSppiNuow/X4P79rXHHgI/AAAAAAAAJNM/C2E6BmxJ9bolpqY8ixHilJIfOdReN7ePwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200913_194423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4vSppiNuow/X4P79rXHHgI/AAAAAAAAJNM/C2E6BmxJ9bolpqY8ixHilJIfOdReN7ePwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200913_194423.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear fell in love with his cousin's airplane.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2FPDgKzO1A/X4P76l_yo4I/AAAAAAAAJNA/v41j4Q85vEce5m62GBQaBLt2haMM9t9JwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200913_194400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2FPDgKzO1A/X4P76l_yo4I/AAAAAAAAJNA/v41j4Q85vEce5m62GBQaBLt2haMM9t9JwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200913_194400.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHJ2KXFd1BY/X4P73xauoJI/AAAAAAAAJMs/uCf8YvsjEKkMvDJJDdyOu5EPHxT8cVWLgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200913_194316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHJ2KXFd1BY/X4P73xauoJI/AAAAAAAAJMs/uCf8YvsjEKkMvDJJDdyOu5EPHxT8cVWLgCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200913_194316.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-264AIkpe7yQ/X4P7VbnreoI/AAAAAAAAJLk/c5BsIYA1i6kCv-KZZLbXv1dc7psYFuAGwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200913_211730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-264AIkpe7yQ/X4P7VbnreoI/AAAAAAAAJLk/c5BsIYA1i6kCv-KZZLbXv1dc7psYFuAGwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200913_211730.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba & Andy.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ei1jXu6vnLY/X4P7FIiTtOI/AAAAAAAAJKY/Ewq_wfjm_lkbuf39077pouM_yXd6WK9kwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200917_163924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ei1jXu6vnLY/X4P7FIiTtOI/AAAAAAAAJKY/Ewq_wfjm_lkbuf39077pouM_yXd6WK9kwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200917_163924.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The smoke was so thick on the drive home. Most of the time
the Columbia River wasn't visible from the road. For those who are familiar with
this drive, the freeway runs right along side the river. At times we had to wear
are masks in the car just to be able to breathe. The boys really struggled being
in the car on the way to Idaho. Bear cried almost the entire car ride from
Newport to Bend. I finally pulled over and told Andy that we were going to turn
his car seat around. He was supposed to be rear facing until he turned two and we
were three months shy of that. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Bubba
cried a lot and kept asking to go home. Both boys did surprisingly well on the
car ride home. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3uxp9rXHM8/X4P7iA-XjNI/AAAAAAAAJLw/IgCjKpf0lD0uYcL5fYTZZVeIFJaNbGc9ACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200914_152908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3uxp9rXHM8/X4P7iA-XjNI/AAAAAAAAJLw/IgCjKpf0lD0uYcL5fYTZZVeIFJaNbGc9ACPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200914_152908.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvqk3ZNdwdc/X4P8r2hmeZI/AAAAAAAAJOk/5RMeiSeFGFUAqdJU7VbMRqk9WmGi9-jiwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200914_152904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvqk3ZNdwdc/X4P8r2hmeZI/AAAAAAAAJOk/5RMeiSeFGFUAqdJU7VbMRqk9WmGi9-jiwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200914_152904.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3GWkBz8q8QI/X4P7gN24b3I/AAAAAAAAJLs/wqZHXmSzRo4Im3wRTWr_VeIV4YjdyWVXgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200914_141304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3GWkBz8q8QI/X4P7gN24b3I/AAAAAAAAJLs/wqZHXmSzRo4Im3wRTWr_VeIV4YjdyWVXgCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200914_141304.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg0VXpRsKvs/X4P7eG2LheI/AAAAAAAAJLo/_y5AQnmDWFAhS9OoYzejSi_eZQ3PsHXBQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200914_141256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg0VXpRsKvs/X4P7eG2LheI/AAAAAAAAJLo/_y5AQnmDWFAhS9OoYzejSi_eZQ3PsHXBQCPcBGAYYCw/w480-h640/20200914_141256.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2bcTvbFha3w/X4P7AwrqrxI/AAAAAAAAJKY/P2izB9VHpR8YYoAnHjf_L1nFJkaFkw4GwCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200914_154009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2bcTvbFha3w/X4P7AwrqrxI/AAAAAAAAJKY/P2izB9VHpR8YYoAnHjf_L1nFJkaFkw4GwCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200914_154009.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What should be the Columbia River.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-271JdqWkdmA/X4P7DySmt7I/AAAAAAAAJKU/mcmYptH-DGgHOr0aXc0wm-0L-PPvn4V7wCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200914_160422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-271JdqWkdmA/X4P7DySmt7I/AAAAAAAAJKU/mcmYptH-DGgHOr0aXc0wm-0L-PPvn4V7wCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200914_160422.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dam.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>When we finally made it home we all put on our masks and raced
inside. Andy gave the boys a bath and I donned an N95 mask that I picked up at
the hardware store about a month before (I acted on a prompting buying a small
pack of them). We were told that the air was so toxic and full of ash that we
should not exercise at all. And if we went outside we needed to wear N95 masks
because the ash could get permanently stuck in your lungs. I unloaded everything
from the car as quickly as possible. </p><p>We duct tapped the windows to our house
shut, we changed out the furnace filter, turned on our air purifier, turned on
all our bathroom fans, taped the microwave exhaust fan vent shut, and put jars
of white vinegar around our house to help with the smoke. We took our fans and propped furnace filters up against them to help filter out the smoke and ash
inside our home. The smoke was so so bad. Our smoke headaches came back. </p><p>We soon
discovered that smoke was coming into our house through a hole in the bathroom
wall (we duct taped it shut). Smoke was also coming in under our sinks. Anytime
you opened the bathroom or kitchen sink cupboard you were greeted with a very
over powering smell of smoke. The smoke was in the walls of our home and
anywhere there was a crack or opening it was freely coming in. So where the
waterlines/pipes run for the sinks, there is a hole in the sheet rock for the
pipe to come through. Andy got to work with expanding foam and started filling
the holes. We stayed inside and prayed for rain. We felt so tired and lethargic. </p><p>Rain finally came on Thursday night. It was truly a miracle! We hadn't had rain
all summer, this rain I believe was an answer to fasting and prayer. It rained
so hard! We very rarely get thunder and lightening and we had a lot of it! The
boys stood and looked out the window in awe. Storm front after storm front
rolled in. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uFXWvlSqE_U/X4P7HXeVzaI/AAAAAAAAJKs/Aa_dz_69L9M8rwggyUpuNteSwTlgFcrGACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200918_120548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uFXWvlSqE_U/X4P7HXeVzaI/AAAAAAAAJKs/Aa_dz_69L9M8rwggyUpuNteSwTlgFcrGACPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200918_120548.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p></p><p>The fire is partially contained right now. They don't expect full
containment until the end of October. And then they still anticipate that it
will burn well into the winter months. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I_ZIaXBF2sQ/X4P7EJzqVGI/AAAAAAAAJKs/BBkmiBmyffEleMPq10F_0R9weYHhvWymQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200917_163857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I_ZIaXBF2sQ/X4P7EJzqVGI/AAAAAAAAJKs/BBkmiBmyffEleMPq10F_0R9weYHhvWymQCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200917_163857.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yFhRNcMOuSE/X4P7GkiGdHI/AAAAAAAAJKk/0bXR6Azh55Qw7kJtAQQ4c3dg304vX-UfgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20200917_191109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yFhRNcMOuSE/X4P7GkiGdHI/AAAAAAAAJKk/0bXR6Azh55Qw7kJtAQQ4c3dg304vX-UfgCPcBGAYYCw/w360-h640/20200917_191109.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>Every time I see an emergency vehicle I
just start to cry. I am so grateful to the brave men and women who are putting
their lives on the line to save our town and community.
</p>Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-47564061815525036952020-08-09T19:54:00.001-07:002020-08-10T09:01:50.860-07:00A Tribute To Kelly<p>Thursday morning my phone rang and it was my Dad. It's uncharacteristic of my Dad to call during the work day but I didn't think too much of it. We chatted for a few minutes and then his tone changed and I knew instantly something was wrong. He proceeded to tell me that my cousin Kelly had been found dead that morning. He died of a unintentional drug overdose. I was shocked. Less than two weeks prior my Dad had delivered similar news, my great uncle had passed. I was not expecting at all to hear that my cousin had passed away too.<br /></p><p>I've cried a lot the last few days, as I have tried to process, comprehend and imagine a world without my cousin, Kelly Russell Noack. Like most of us Kelly had his challenges in life. He struggled with drug addiction and his mental health.<br /></p><p>In life we find what we are looking for be it good or bad. I've been blessed to be able to see the good in others. When you strip away the drugs and the mental health challenges my cousin had a heart of gold. It is those golden things that I choose to hold onto and remember. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkkweO1N5Xo/XzDxtVaVTyI/AAAAAAAAJGg/Td0_xasdLPUFdG_dZcR1X1G47ftfGzHTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s604/Kelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Megan, Me & Kelly circa 2006 at a family reunion on the Oregon coast." border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkkweO1N5Xo/XzDxtVaVTyI/AAAAAAAAJGg/Td0_xasdLPUFdG_dZcR1X1G47ftfGzHTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/Kelly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan, Me & Kelly circa 2006 at a family reunion on the Oregon coast.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>When I was a little girl our families lived relatively close to each other. I have a lot of memories at the Purdy house. I remember Kelly's drums downstairs. I remember the trampoline in the yard and all the flips and tricks Kelly could do. Kelly was constantly trying to convince my brother Jake to sell him Contra III for SNES. We spent a lot of time playing video games together. <br /></p><p>Boy could he skate, when I say skate I'm referring to aggressive skating. He inspired Jake to take up the hobby too. <br /></p><p>My Mom cut his very curly dark hair one day. He picked up the hair off the floor and held it up to his face like it was a beard. </p><p>Kelly was privileged to be bit by a shark while serving a mission in Florida. He caught a shark while fishing one day and put it in his backpack. Unbeknownst to him the shark wasn't dead and it bit him through his backpack.</p><p>I'm not sure when he got it or why he had it, but Kelly had a shark in a jar (No, it wasn't the one who bit him). At some point in time he gave that shark in a jar to Jake and Jake proudly displayed it in his own room for years. I'm not sure what happened to it after that. </p><p>When I was about 11 years old Kelly's family moved to Southeastern Idaho so we didn't get to see them as often.</p><p>One winter we went down to visit them. Kelly took all of us kids to the sand dunes to go sledding. On the way home, we sat in our sleds and held on the bumper of the van as Kelly drove us home on the ice covered roads. That probably wasn't one of the smartest things we did but it sure made for some fun.</p><p>When I was a teenager Kelly told me, "The prettiest girls are from Puyallup" a complient I will never forget.</p><p>I have lots of memories swimming at Green Canyon Hot Spring, skiing at Kelly Canyon, cliff jumping at a family reunion, going out for birthday celebrations and visiting him at work (Brady's and T.G.I.Friday's). </p><p>When Kelly was there painful massages were freely given, along with the best hugs. Kelly was a softy and loved everyone and everyone loved Kelly. His last words to me were, "I love you!" and I know he meant it. I can't imagine a world without him in it, but I know that he is in a better place. Until we meet again Kelly, I love you.<br /></p>Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-81943103521145668902020-04-23T21:07:00.001-07:002020-04-23T21:07:08.310-07:00Out Of The Mouth Of Babes: AnatomyI'm sure every parent goes through a phase when their children start to notice that Mommy or Daddy has different body parts then them. This is the stage/phase Bubba is in right now. Out of nowhere he will say:<br />
<br />
"I have peepee. Mommy you no have peepee. Daddy and Baby ****** they have peepee."<br />
<br />
"Mommy you have two big boobs. I have two little boobs." When he says this he often lifts up his shirt and points to his nipples. It's really funny!<br />
<br />
"I think my peepee might be coming out." He says this right before he races to the bathroom to take care of business.<br />
<br />
Since we're talking about the bathroom, I don't want to forget this gem.<br />
<br />
We have locks on our toilets to keep Bear Cub out of them. Bubba will run to the bathroom, I unlock the toilet and Bubba says, "Baby ****** no fall in the toilet" Andy taught him that he needs to keep his brother out of the toilet. It is my job to then shut the bathroom door and he takes are of business. He sits down to do any and all business (mom win!). One day last week, we went through our normal routine and he started freaking out. Somehow while sitting down, he managed to pee all over his face and hair. He was so upset. I thought it was hilarious! I didn't know what to do, I was trying to take care of Bear Cub at that precise moment. I grabbed Andy and he came to my aid. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-32887526289160692112020-04-05T21:59:00.001-07:002020-04-23T21:14:12.553-07:00An Answered PrayerThis afternoon we watched the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was at the end of the
broadcast that President Russell M. Nelson announced the locations of 8 new
temples. I sat silently praying that he would say, "Eugene, Oregon,
USA" but what he said was even better. He announced that a temple is going
to be built in "Shanghai, China." I instantly started to cry. A
temple is going to be built in mainland China, I can't even believe it. This is
something I have prayed for for a long time, that the good people of China
would have the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
Flash back to January/February of 2006. I knew that I wanted to go to
college but I didn't know how to even begin to apply for school. Things were
really challenging for our family at this time and I didn't want to bother my
parents. So I didn't ask for help and I didn't apply for college.<br />
<br />
One Sunday, a sister in our ward name Ann was sitting on the stand at
church. She played the organ for our services each week. On this particular
Sunday God prompted her to ask me if I had applied to college. She didn't feel
like it was her place to ask me that, but the feeling wouldn't go away. So, Ann
acted on the prompting and asked me if I had applied to college. She was
surprised when I told her that I hadn't. She had me come over to her home that
evening and we began the process as the application deadlines were quickly
approaching.<br />
<br />
Ann asked me where I wanted to go to school and I told her,
"BYU-Idaho." She asked where else I wanted to go to school and I
said, "BYU-Idaho." She said, "I know you want to go to BYU-Idaho
but you need to apply to BYU. That doesn't mean you have to go there, but you
need to apply." So I applied to two colleges, BYU and BYU-Idaho.<br />
<br />
A few weeks later I received a letter from BYU and I had been accepted. Some
time passed and I heard back from BYU-Idaho and I had also been accepted there.
Now I had a decision to make. Most of my really good friends had been accepted
to BYU-Idaho and not BYU. I had family in Rexburg and had spent time there, it
was naturally where I wanted to go. I knew one other person who had been
accepted to BYU. I didn't have any family in Utah and had only briefly visited
Utah a few times growing up. BYU-Idaho is where my heart and mind were set to
go. God has other plans for me He told me strongly and very clearly that I
needed to be in Provo at BYU.<br />
<br />
In the weeks leading up to moving to Utah, I bawled (ugly cried) nearly every
night. I did not want to step outside of my comfort zone and do something that
I thought of as scary.<br />
<br />
My step mom and I road tripped to Spokane. We met up with my cousin Brittany
and then we drove to Dillon, Montana. We had a great time on our drive. When we
arrived in Dillon it was late and the only place open to eat was the saloon.
One side served food and other side was the bar. That night we ate in the
saloon-- I felt a little bit like a rebel but we had to eat.<br />
<br />
The next day we stopped in the small town of Dell, Montana. We had a blast
looking for little gifts to send to a special boy back home. Then we continued
on our way down to Rexburg. We dropped Brittany off in Rexburg, Idaho and then
continued our drive down to Provo, Utah.<br />
<br />
We found my apartment, nobody else was home at the time and a few beds had
been claimed. I picked out a bed and we unpacked my things. That evening one of
my new roommates came in and she informed me that she would not be sharing a
room with me and that I needed to move all of my things. She was really mean
and I cried. This was not at all how I anticipated my first night in a new
place going. I moved to another apartment in the complex the next day.<br />
<br />
My new apartment had only two other girls. Within a few weeks two other
girls moved in, they too had had some roommate struggles.<br />
<br />
Christmas came and one of our roommates put her contract up for sale-- she
was getting married. I flew home for the holidays. Upon arriving back in Utah
one of my roommates informed me that the contract had been sold and we had a
new roommate. <br />
<br />
When I arrived at our apartment I was greeted by the cutest little Chinese
girl and her mother. This girl's American name was Nancy. She told us that she
got to pick out her own American name. Her English wasn't very good when we
first met at the beginning of January but improved very quickly.<br />
<br />
This is Nancy's story as it was shared with me back in 2006.<br />
<br />
Nancy had moved from mainland China to the United States with her mother.
Her father and grandfather were still in China. Her and her mom had lived in
Texas and most recently California. Nancy was not mixing with the American kids
as her mother had hoped. Nancy only spent time with other kids who spoke
Mandarin. Some other Chinese women told Nancy's mom that if she wanted to learn
English that she needed to take her to Utah.<br />
<br />
Nancy and her mom drove to Utah. Her mother told her she had one day to find
and apartment and then left her and went back to California. As luck would have
it, Nancy became my roommate. It was a humbling experience to live with Nancy
and something I will never forget.<br />
<br />
I remember seeing Nancy washing her laundry in our bathroom sink. We quickly
taught her what a washer and dryer were. One evening I told her I was going to
make cookies. She was shocked. She said, "You know how to make
cookies?!?" I replied, "Yeah." She told me that in China you
could only buy cookies in the store. I showed her how to make cookies. She took
pictures and called home to China to tell her family that I made cookies.<br />
<br />
On another occasion Nancy cooked Chinese food for me and Breann (another
roommate). She made us chicken heart (a delicacy in China) and chicken
gizzards.<br />
<br />
One night all of us girls went to eat a Chiles. While we were eating Nancy
asked me why I went to BYU. My answer was "It's owned by the church I go to." I asked her if she wanted to go to church with me on Sunday and she
said yes.<br />
<br />
It was a cold winter day and my roommates and I all put on our dresses.
Nancy opted for pants. We told her she should wear a dress and she thought we
were crazy. It wasn't until we were at church and all the other women were
wearing dresses that she realized that's what we wear to church. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPgJ0KNrDRw/Xoq1uw-EXKI/AAAAAAAAJAQ/R5CZs4uB5Hcw1cOIV3r-mrnoSqQsjW5CgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/197827_4647216631_4912_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPgJ0KNrDRw/Xoq1uw-EXKI/AAAAAAAAJAQ/R5CZs4uB5Hcw1cOIV3r-mrnoSqQsjW5CgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/197827_4647216631_4912_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy's first time to church.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I asked her if she wanted to meet with the missionaries and she said no.
Later I found out she had been meeting with a set of elders and I began going to
the lessons with her.<br />
<br />
Nancy told the elders that she did not want them to challenge her to
baptism. At some point in time Nancy had met a pastor in Price, Utah. He had
helped her and her mother. This pastor was not fond of the Church and asked
Nancy to promise him that she would never join it. Nancy made that promise. In
China promises are a very big deal and you don't break them. Nancy shared this
story with the elders and a few discussions later they challenged her to baptism--
she was not pleased. Nancy asked to elders to stop coming.<br />
<br />
During this time Nancy kept coming to church. My roommates and I bought her
scriptures in both Mandarin and English (she was taking English classes at the English Language Center in Provo). We watched all of the church movies we could find with Mandarin subtitles and watched them with her. We often stayed up until the wee hours of the morning answering her questions and having gospel discussions. One of my favorite nights was explaining to her who Jesus Christ is.<br />
<br />
We took her to Salt Lake to watch General Conference in the Conference Center. We took her to see the Joseph Smith movie that we being shown on Temple Square. As we walked out of that theater she told us that she knew it was true and she "wanted to be baptized more than ever."<br />
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We got permission to have some other elders teach her. Nancy was baptized the day before all of us roommates moved away for the summer. Her mom came to her baptism. I was so incredibly happy for her.<br />
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Nancy's mom later moved to Alaska. Her mother began taking discussions from the missionaries. Nancy would Skype with them and translate for her mom. Her mom was later baptized.<br />
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Nancy attempted to mail three Book of Mormons to China. One made it's way to her grandfather. Her grandfather was a scholar. He had a Bible and he had read it. When he read The Book of Mormon he said he knew it was true and he desired to be baptized. I don't believe he had the opportunity to be baptized in this life.<br />
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Nancy was later sealed in the temple to her husband Brendon. And they now have three boys and one daughter.<br />
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I can't tell you how much love I have in my heart not only for Nancy and her family but the people of China.<br />
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My Dad travels often for work. Just over a year ago he spent some time in Shanghai. While there he was able to attend a branch. Those who attend the branch have to have a foreign passport to get in. He met a man at the branch who has visited the branch several times, also while on business trips. He told my Dad that President Nelson had been in Shanghai quite a bit and that he had visited that very branch many times.<br />
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When I first heard this story my heart shouted for joy. I knew something was coming and I anticipated the doors to China being open for missionary work. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a temple would be there.<br />
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As I have said before, God is aware of us. He knows each and everyone of us. We are his sons and daughters. He loves us and he knows what we are going through. This announcement is a testament to that. God loves the good people of China and he is preparing the way through his prophet for them to hear the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
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"The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it
has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every
country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be
accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done" (<i>History of the Church,</i> 4:540).<br />
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I text Nancy this evening. She is in shock and so thrilled by this wonderful news. What a blessing! Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-67531786335557699522020-04-03T22:45:00.000-07:002020-04-03T22:45:12.381-07:00Coping With A PandemicThe world is sure an interesting place right now. Covid-19 has taken over and turned the world upside down. I remember seeing the news when it first started out breaking in China. Andy and I looked at each other and said, "There is no way they are going to be able to stop that from coming here." Each time I went to the store I bought a little bit more than I usually would. My pantry shelves and chest freezers are "our store." We've explained to Bubba that it isn't safe to go to the store anymore, so we are going to "shop" from our store. Usually when we run out of something he likes, he says, "Mommy, you go buy more (insert desired food here) at the store." This dialogue has come to an end.<br />
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We tried to think long range, if China stays shut down and we can't get any imports what could we not live without 6 months from now. For us, this meant a bigger car seat for Bear so we ordered it.<br />
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We bought seeds for our garden and picked up starts at the hardware store. We put the starts in the ground early and have made a make-shift greenhouse out of plastic wrap to keep them healthy and warm.<br />
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We also purchased a few things from Force of Nature Clean that allow us to make our own EPA approved disinfectant for super cheap.<br />
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Hindsight is 20/20 and there are a few things that I wish I were able to get (N95 masks) or have more on had of (toilet paper) but we plan on making due with what we have.<br />
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Yesterday Andy and I were asked how we were handling everything. I have thought a lot about that question and honestly, I think we are handling it quite well.<br />
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Our family has been really sick this winter. We've caught so many different things. Andy would catch something at work and then it would work it's way through our family one person at a time. We'd all be in the clear for 2-3 days and he'd bring something else home. Bubba had croup that turned into pneumonia. It was rough! That being said, I know our immune systems are down and I am terrified of getting Coronavirus.<br />
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The scriptures say, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30). We have prepared as much as we can and now it is time for us to stay home and trust that Heavenly Father is aware and mindful of us and ultimately in control of the chaos that is ever present right now.<br />
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I have been really focusing my thoughts on the things I am grateful for. Andy still has a job, he is able to work from home, we are all healthy (knock on wood), we have a home with heat, electricity, and running water. We have food on our shelves and two cars that run, we have each other and ways to stay in touch with those we love and care about even from a distance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q2R4M2SUCMg/XogZJSLU4oI/AAAAAAAAI90/uhwtZUaLEc0RXiw5BBk8BvFXTmbt1rtkwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC-D_uq-YGz7wfrZ2H-ddCAV0c1m_hFEEUC-NSsl9jjhrCS_eSSfBDa5LdpwVoPg9P-zhRVcSw7NKknj5GxK9oJdHmwl1-kM0PwtoSFaBZUpXST_OyCI-L1nsJFeFFOvGz4JmIUp7j-xEePolmUTcEWBV07uUQjapY9TzzXka7Gs3uGKpl238VkWbVpsMvUkNlzTl-clGQAaXWM8fjstd4BOWdDqEcbocq-kBHJ658LQRwmrWckX2YtHAXSv2fKD8ZguTyyHQ7B25vA0i8dzNVXbYDIdecIce40VdDJJmDlJoOtmwOWNUISS9wzRpFO26MT2EhEQTu5GwEULG1chYqWBlZQwRVELwjIjli2AUj7ljQK1-GqNZ0UTQ9q1ojjN77_oCMg4rKbyVsIi-fIIiPBq8AoCvPoyrFNf6Nmeq1a899kdXle0zYLvFKsXJqljpZZvX0s6n73AwhojPpjES8OuiM3sX_AeD9NHlOW7To88yrYVHpn1srDIbMQifSUoXOcYrmw-11MSbYqGuGcl4NC9di6w5EXJsv80Yj_z3747_nPxrSTb_1FchUxzwLYScBxARtQQqlA-YfDJAMqaWs8h_xX3g5ajNpfMJa8oPQF/s1600/20200401_120716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q2R4M2SUCMg/XogZJSLU4oI/AAAAAAAAI90/uhwtZUaLEc0RXiw5BBk8BvFXTmbt1rtkwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC-D_uq-YGz7wfrZ2H-ddCAV0c1m_hFEEUC-NSsl9jjhrCS_eSSfBDa5LdpwVoPg9P-zhRVcSw7NKknj5GxK9oJdHmwl1-kM0PwtoSFaBZUpXST_OyCI-L1nsJFeFFOvGz4JmIUp7j-xEePolmUTcEWBV07uUQjapY9TzzXka7Gs3uGKpl238VkWbVpsMvUkNlzTl-clGQAaXWM8fjstd4BOWdDqEcbocq-kBHJ658LQRwmrWckX2YtHAXSv2fKD8ZguTyyHQ7B25vA0i8dzNVXbYDIdecIce40VdDJJmDlJoOtmwOWNUISS9wzRpFO26MT2EhEQTu5GwEULG1chYqWBlZQwRVELwjIjli2AUj7ljQK1-GqNZ0UTQ9q1ojjN77_oCMg4rKbyVsIi-fIIiPBq8AoCvPoyrFNf6Nmeq1a899kdXle0zYLvFKsXJqljpZZvX0s6n73AwhojPpjES8OuiM3sX_AeD9NHlOW7To88yrYVHpn1srDIbMQifSUoXOcYrmw-11MSbYqGuGcl4NC9di6w5EXJsv80Yj_z3747_nPxrSTb_1FchUxzwLYScBxARtQQqlA-YfDJAMqaWs8h_xX3g5ajNpfMJa8oPQF/s640/20200401_120716.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocking Mom's new comfy socks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_A4c_OiNyMk/XogZvX8erFI/AAAAAAAAI-E/gHESI7mny00cqBy51qzkthlyAqVf8i7jwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC-D_uq-YGz7wfrZ2H-ddCAV0c1m_hFEEUC-NSsl9jjhrCS_eSSfBDa5LdpwVoPg9P-zhRVcSw7NKknj5GxK9oJdHmwl1-kM0PwtoSFaBZUpXST_OyCI-L1nsJFeFFOvGz4JmIUp7j-xEePolmUTcEWBV07uUQjapY9TzzXka7Gs3uGKpl238VkWbVpsMvUkNlzTl-clGQAaXWM8fjstd4BOWdDqEcbocq-kBHJ658LQRwmrWckX2YtHAXSv2fKD8ZguTyyHQ7B25vA0i8dzNVXbYDIdecIce40VdDJJmDlJoOtmwOWNUISS9wzRpFO26MT2EhEQTu5GwEULG1chYqWBlZQwRVELwjIjli2AUj7ljQK1-GqNZ0UTQ9q1ojjN77_oCMg4rKbyVsIi-fIIiPBq8AoCvPoyrFNf6Nmeq1a899kdXle0zYLvFKsXJqljpZZvX0s6n73AwhojPpjES8OuiM3sX_AeD9NHlOW7To88yrYVHpn1srDIbMQifSUoXOcYrmw-11MSbYqGuGcl4NC9di6w5EXJsv80Yj_z3747_nPxrSTb_1FchUxzwLYScBxARtQQqlA-YfDJAMqaWs8h_xX3g5ajNpfMJa8oPQF/s1600/20200401_120910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_A4c_OiNyMk/XogZvX8erFI/AAAAAAAAI-E/gHESI7mny00cqBy51qzkthlyAqVf8i7jwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC-D_uq-YGz7wfrZ2H-ddCAV0c1m_hFEEUC-NSsl9jjhrCS_eSSfBDa5LdpwVoPg9P-zhRVcSw7NKknj5GxK9oJdHmwl1-kM0PwtoSFaBZUpXST_OyCI-L1nsJFeFFOvGz4JmIUp7j-xEePolmUTcEWBV07uUQjapY9TzzXka7Gs3uGKpl238VkWbVpsMvUkNlzTl-clGQAaXWM8fjstd4BOWdDqEcbocq-kBHJ658LQRwmrWckX2YtHAXSv2fKD8ZguTyyHQ7B25vA0i8dzNVXbYDIdecIce40VdDJJmDlJoOtmwOWNUISS9wzRpFO26MT2EhEQTu5GwEULG1chYqWBlZQwRVELwjIjli2AUj7ljQK1-GqNZ0UTQ9q1ojjN77_oCMg4rKbyVsIi-fIIiPBq8AoCvPoyrFNf6Nmeq1a899kdXle0zYLvFKsXJqljpZZvX0s6n73AwhojPpjES8OuiM3sX_AeD9NHlOW7To88yrYVHpn1srDIbMQifSUoXOcYrmw-11MSbYqGuGcl4NC9di6w5EXJsv80Yj_z3747_nPxrSTb_1FchUxzwLYScBxARtQQqlA-YfDJAMqaWs8h_xX3g5ajNpfMJa8oPQF/s640/20200401_120910.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked him if he was, "Hauling balls." And then I realized what I said and burst into laughter.</td></tr>
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It's sad that our family trip to Canada to celebrate my Dad's upcoming 60th Birthday was cancelled, but there will be other get togethers. And plenty of memories to be made with the extended family in the future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzkNdnNizPs/XogZke_QIBI/AAAAAAAAI-A/yZ1lGZGVNg8XMWXrot_9i-qG-2Fb47TkACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBqAuJ6PpQnkCQmXqNerRP_L3mlQD86BBdnFRUxfeK6L90VgdXVwOhEtgz9fZ7oFjgGmBSJqLmWwHbeNZxbnOxjfxA6OtUoCeTkwq4ljb7MtXkl-6hyBBMSyoD4GUHVoatw8dyv8NSZ8QO2m2TqsFQRx-QwNnvNw-s3ABck1mcY23qoDVGNZj5HqZHRJAIYPy0P1Ph722IsEwpXR2A0aZbAXKuzy1mq8WcNtHbD_piWgN4PZQVXxVL-ALKlwBQrMH8t2Jtm55NEAQlfLeSSrnQwHPkNa5UipoYIq9bLp3D8BCD5Of1PLGu2NnXg6vK9OIUwP7a3cKtqAyveOEsZ6Y7Xzu9cFi7JV0eWl75GfdytXTMzLbbrGtFmemSA3MYUmjCHSSEIjw4S9rQGIcmZZK4MD_LbY20nCVD_zTr8dzqFkjxeJosWTxqXmSngy9CwevJE1qzCN6ZhgBG5doP1ZBRKhy3O7ianoC6q_AzxPxZ1T08hEe-L9YJQWUEdO6xBxhkDXuvMiANgTNmVhKIaX8Tma3UsWfOAYKJW3fJsLkwv6rUkuqm-2RKdZyt50LmR3u_gsfQhG0iaphj3vArmZpHfXkLk3u0YTOgQMOm7oPQF/s1600/20200331_144144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzkNdnNizPs/XogZke_QIBI/AAAAAAAAI-A/yZ1lGZGVNg8XMWXrot_9i-qG-2Fb47TkACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBqAuJ6PpQnkCQmXqNerRP_L3mlQD86BBdnFRUxfeK6L90VgdXVwOhEtgz9fZ7oFjgGmBSJqLmWwHbeNZxbnOxjfxA6OtUoCeTkwq4ljb7MtXkl-6hyBBMSyoD4GUHVoatw8dyv8NSZ8QO2m2TqsFQRx-QwNnvNw-s3ABck1mcY23qoDVGNZj5HqZHRJAIYPy0P1Ph722IsEwpXR2A0aZbAXKuzy1mq8WcNtHbD_piWgN4PZQVXxVL-ALKlwBQrMH8t2Jtm55NEAQlfLeSSrnQwHPkNa5UipoYIq9bLp3D8BCD5Of1PLGu2NnXg6vK9OIUwP7a3cKtqAyveOEsZ6Y7Xzu9cFi7JV0eWl75GfdytXTMzLbbrGtFmemSA3MYUmjCHSSEIjw4S9rQGIcmZZK4MD_LbY20nCVD_zTr8dzqFkjxeJosWTxqXmSngy9CwevJE1qzCN6ZhgBG5doP1ZBRKhy3O7ianoC6q_AzxPxZ1T08hEe-L9YJQWUEdO6xBxhkDXuvMiANgTNmVhKIaX8Tma3UsWfOAYKJW3fJsLkwv6rUkuqm-2RKdZyt50LmR3u_gsfQhG0iaphj3vArmZpHfXkLk3u0YTOgQMOm7oPQF/s640/20200331_144144.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Mom rotate the laundry.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjBZhdmMqOA/XogZIov2IpI/AAAAAAAAI9w/4ZdSoWUc3wo-w9MZ9aGZXehIsvUChdtVACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBqAuJ6PpQnkCQmXqNerRP_L3mlQD86BBdnFRUxfeK6L90VgdXVwOhEtgz9fZ7oFjgGmBSJqLmWwHbeNZxbnOxjfxA6OtUoCeTkwq4ljb7MtXkl-6hyBBMSyoD4GUHVoatw8dyv8NSZ8QO2m2TqsFQRx-QwNnvNw-s3ABck1mcY23qoDVGNZj5HqZHRJAIYPy0P1Ph722IsEwpXR2A0aZbAXKuzy1mq8WcNtHbD_piWgN4PZQVXxVL-ALKlwBQrMH8t2Jtm55NEAQlfLeSSrnQwHPkNa5UipoYIq9bLp3D8BCD5Of1PLGu2NnXg6vK9OIUwP7a3cKtqAyveOEsZ6Y7Xzu9cFi7JV0eWl75GfdytXTMzLbbrGtFmemSA3MYUmjCHSSEIjw4S9rQGIcmZZK4MD_LbY20nCVD_zTr8dzqFkjxeJosWTxqXmSngy9CwevJE1qzCN6ZhgBG5doP1ZBRKhy3O7ianoC6q_AzxPxZ1T08hEe-L9YJQWUEdO6xBxhkDXuvMiANgTNmVhKIaX8Tma3UsWfOAYKJW3fJsLkwv6rUkuqm-2RKdZyt50LmR3u_gsfQhG0iaphj3vArmZpHfXkLk3u0YTOgQMOm7oPQF/s1600/20200331_144140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjBZhdmMqOA/XogZIov2IpI/AAAAAAAAI9w/4ZdSoWUc3wo-w9MZ9aGZXehIsvUChdtVACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBqAuJ6PpQnkCQmXqNerRP_L3mlQD86BBdnFRUxfeK6L90VgdXVwOhEtgz9fZ7oFjgGmBSJqLmWwHbeNZxbnOxjfxA6OtUoCeTkwq4ljb7MtXkl-6hyBBMSyoD4GUHVoatw8dyv8NSZ8QO2m2TqsFQRx-QwNnvNw-s3ABck1mcY23qoDVGNZj5HqZHRJAIYPy0P1Ph722IsEwpXR2A0aZbAXKuzy1mq8WcNtHbD_piWgN4PZQVXxVL-ALKlwBQrMH8t2Jtm55NEAQlfLeSSrnQwHPkNa5UipoYIq9bLp3D8BCD5Of1PLGu2NnXg6vK9OIUwP7a3cKtqAyveOEsZ6Y7Xzu9cFi7JV0eWl75GfdytXTMzLbbrGtFmemSA3MYUmjCHSSEIjw4S9rQGIcmZZK4MD_LbY20nCVD_zTr8dzqFkjxeJosWTxqXmSngy9CwevJE1qzCN6ZhgBG5doP1ZBRKhy3O7ianoC6q_AzxPxZ1T08hEe-L9YJQWUEdO6xBxhkDXuvMiANgTNmVhKIaX8Tma3UsWfOAYKJW3fJsLkwv6rUkuqm-2RKdZyt50LmR3u_gsfQhG0iaphj3vArmZpHfXkLk3u0YTOgQMOm7oPQF/s640/20200331_144140.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was so proud of himself for climbing in there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-xv7MUu4JM/XogZFotOytI/AAAAAAAAI9s/EXXO05_arUwroadM6LXnPlWrNu-nCUeAQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBqAuJ6PpQnkCQmXqNerRP_L3mlQD86BBdnFRUxfeK6L90VgdXVwOhEtgz9fZ7oFjgGmBSJqLmWwHbeNZxbnOxjfxA6OtUoCeTkwq4ljb7MtXkl-6hyBBMSyoD4GUHVoatw8dyv8NSZ8QO2m2TqsFQRx-QwNnvNw-s3ABck1mcY23qoDVGNZj5HqZHRJAIYPy0P1Ph722IsEwpXR2A0aZbAXKuzy1mq8WcNtHbD_piWgN4PZQVXxVL-ALKlwBQrMH8t2Jtm55NEAQlfLeSSrnQwHPkNa5UipoYIq9bLp3D8BCD5Of1PLGu2NnXg6vK9OIUwP7a3cKtqAyveOEsZ6Y7Xzu9cFi7JV0eWl75GfdytXTMzLbbrGtFmemSA3MYUmjCHSSEIjw4S9rQGIcmZZK4MD_LbY20nCVD_zTr8dzqFkjxeJosWTxqXmSngy9CwevJE1qzCN6ZhgBG5doP1ZBRKhy3O7ianoC6q_AzxPxZ1T08hEe-L9YJQWUEdO6xBxhkDXuvMiANgTNmVhKIaX8Tma3UsWfOAYKJW3fJsLkwv6rUkuqm-2RKdZyt50LmR3u_gsfQhG0iaphj3vArmZpHfXkLk3u0YTOgQMOm7oPQF/s1600/20200331_144129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-xv7MUu4JM/XogZFotOytI/AAAAAAAAI9s/EXXO05_arUwroadM6LXnPlWrNu-nCUeAQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBqAuJ6PpQnkCQmXqNerRP_L3mlQD86BBdnFRUxfeK6L90VgdXVwOhEtgz9fZ7oFjgGmBSJqLmWwHbeNZxbnOxjfxA6OtUoCeTkwq4ljb7MtXkl-6hyBBMSyoD4GUHVoatw8dyv8NSZ8QO2m2TqsFQRx-QwNnvNw-s3ABck1mcY23qoDVGNZj5HqZHRJAIYPy0P1Ph722IsEwpXR2A0aZbAXKuzy1mq8WcNtHbD_piWgN4PZQVXxVL-ALKlwBQrMH8t2Jtm55NEAQlfLeSSrnQwHPkNa5UipoYIq9bLp3D8BCD5Of1PLGu2NnXg6vK9OIUwP7a3cKtqAyveOEsZ6Y7Xzu9cFi7JV0eWl75GfdytXTMzLbbrGtFmemSA3MYUmjCHSSEIjw4S9rQGIcmZZK4MD_LbY20nCVD_zTr8dzqFkjxeJosWTxqXmSngy9CwevJE1qzCN6ZhgBG5doP1ZBRKhy3O7ianoC6q_AzxPxZ1T08hEe-L9YJQWUEdO6xBxhkDXuvMiANgTNmVhKIaX8Tma3UsWfOAYKJW3fJsLkwv6rUkuqm-2RKdZyt50LmR3u_gsfQhG0iaphj3vArmZpHfXkLk3u0YTOgQMOm7oPQF/s640/20200331_144129.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the excitement and expressions in this photo.</td></tr>
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<br />
Some days at home with two littles is hard. Bubba asks often to go to the park, it is literally down the road from our house. It's hard to tell him no, but he is starting to understand that it isn't safe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZY4bqBuJmbY/XogXw1aBKKI/AAAAAAAAI9M/7RsoGv1Cwl0Dv9O1LXz7UnOrsG-RYb0pwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC0EA0VX6H4pYYjhzi07UW0FKyO7NF-z7k9vtrSRtUuLrzoj5PYOioW1fm0jMEAhgpnkv4a1aHri9prbGwiToLXKFTxm5ctMRKpZ1rhT2Iz-r0zsuhQ1Wmit3oB0-dSPjoA3Q65DJut11Z3TzM3xU25WKqVSylqVzUN6SNj8kGqGE8wYNBnHQ6QuY73IHJGCci-V_-TDLXdEx8LcwE7TAN6ch8woCWjfUVqwxqM4VUj8WVAhSmjPEj1QWLnLWvOsGHQTEHQRJe-MGjMUsoJXi7ngA_IxjP4Oh6cFWQ6JqvEurtzKE_CR_C1GUHQpQtoroNw-m351XxXVIrIXxRNDiw_ultsts-IepJPBtDV-f60GoPIjjr9aVhZl__dtadyLY_AtKTc5OLumgSV2bPfHdvv8KvK2c_FYUl3z86FI7atlqvg84h3nAb-TZvF5UmuzUPxGWF3BVBdzQSD11Dl-WIFb1pCDLZDQcFG6uYPZrgHC4cIdZsVmyyrmOC7OXO3y0WvXeaCYGjVHyUnrHPIL9Fpq-EGBo3TXBcbbiyDbZ-5JHn8KDlSck1apVGNPipot6JBzpsRKA_nXbNQ34siI9kJAP9-i2HVcX8yMLW7oPQF/s1600/20200402_164526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZY4bqBuJmbY/XogXw1aBKKI/AAAAAAAAI9M/7RsoGv1Cwl0Dv9O1LXz7UnOrsG-RYb0pwCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC0EA0VX6H4pYYjhzi07UW0FKyO7NF-z7k9vtrSRtUuLrzoj5PYOioW1fm0jMEAhgpnkv4a1aHri9prbGwiToLXKFTxm5ctMRKpZ1rhT2Iz-r0zsuhQ1Wmit3oB0-dSPjoA3Q65DJut11Z3TzM3xU25WKqVSylqVzUN6SNj8kGqGE8wYNBnHQ6QuY73IHJGCci-V_-TDLXdEx8LcwE7TAN6ch8woCWjfUVqwxqM4VUj8WVAhSmjPEj1QWLnLWvOsGHQTEHQRJe-MGjMUsoJXi7ngA_IxjP4Oh6cFWQ6JqvEurtzKE_CR_C1GUHQpQtoroNw-m351XxXVIrIXxRNDiw_ultsts-IepJPBtDV-f60GoPIjjr9aVhZl__dtadyLY_AtKTc5OLumgSV2bPfHdvv8KvK2c_FYUl3z86FI7atlqvg84h3nAb-TZvF5UmuzUPxGWF3BVBdzQSD11Dl-WIFb1pCDLZDQcFG6uYPZrgHC4cIdZsVmyyrmOC7OXO3y0WvXeaCYGjVHyUnrHPIL9Fpq-EGBo3TXBcbbiyDbZ-5JHn8KDlSck1apVGNPipot6JBzpsRKA_nXbNQ34siI9kJAP9-i2HVcX8yMLW7oPQF/s640/20200402_164526.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting with scissors for the first time. He cut and cut until he gave himself a blister that popped and he wanted to keep cutting. Funny boy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4V9i1W6VYX4/XogX0-WA3GI/AAAAAAAAI9Q/zxijmuEUkG8qwjbk_LbGLlYwsIM0J-o2gCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC0EA0VX6H4pYYjhzi07UW0FKyO7NF-z7k9vtrSRtUuLrzoj5PYOioW1fm0jMEAhgpnkv4a1aHri9prbGwiToLXKFTxm5ctMRKpZ1rhT2Iz-r0zsuhQ1Wmit3oB0-dSPjoA3Q65DJut11Z3TzM3xU25WKqVSylqVzUN6SNj8kGqGE8wYNBnHQ6QuY73IHJGCci-V_-TDLXdEx8LcwE7TAN6ch8woCWjfUVqwxqM4VUj8WVAhSmjPEj1QWLnLWvOsGHQTEHQRJe-MGjMUsoJXi7ngA_IxjP4Oh6cFWQ6JqvEurtzKE_CR_C1GUHQpQtoroNw-m351XxXVIrIXxRNDiw_ultsts-IepJPBtDV-f60GoPIjjr9aVhZl__dtadyLY_AtKTc5OLumgSV2bPfHdvv8KvK2c_FYUl3z86FI7atlqvg84h3nAb-TZvF5UmuzUPxGWF3BVBdzQSD11Dl-WIFb1pCDLZDQcFG6uYPZrgHC4cIdZsVmyyrmOC7OXO3y0WvXeaCYGjVHyUnrHPIL9Fpq-EGBo3TXBcbbiyDbZ-5JHn8KDlSck1apVGNPipot6JBzpsRKA_nXbNQ34siI9kJAP9-i2HVcX8yMLW7oPQF/s1600/20200402_164536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4V9i1W6VYX4/XogX0-WA3GI/AAAAAAAAI9Q/zxijmuEUkG8qwjbk_LbGLlYwsIM0J-o2gCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC0EA0VX6H4pYYjhzi07UW0FKyO7NF-z7k9vtrSRtUuLrzoj5PYOioW1fm0jMEAhgpnkv4a1aHri9prbGwiToLXKFTxm5ctMRKpZ1rhT2Iz-r0zsuhQ1Wmit3oB0-dSPjoA3Q65DJut11Z3TzM3xU25WKqVSylqVzUN6SNj8kGqGE8wYNBnHQ6QuY73IHJGCci-V_-TDLXdEx8LcwE7TAN6ch8woCWjfUVqwxqM4VUj8WVAhSmjPEj1QWLnLWvOsGHQTEHQRJe-MGjMUsoJXi7ngA_IxjP4Oh6cFWQ6JqvEurtzKE_CR_C1GUHQpQtoroNw-m351XxXVIrIXxRNDiw_ultsts-IepJPBtDV-f60GoPIjjr9aVhZl__dtadyLY_AtKTc5OLumgSV2bPfHdvv8KvK2c_FYUl3z86FI7atlqvg84h3nAb-TZvF5UmuzUPxGWF3BVBdzQSD11Dl-WIFb1pCDLZDQcFG6uYPZrgHC4cIdZsVmyyrmOC7OXO3y0WvXeaCYGjVHyUnrHPIL9Fpq-EGBo3TXBcbbiyDbZ-5JHn8KDlSck1apVGNPipot6JBzpsRKA_nXbNQ34siI9kJAP9-i2HVcX8yMLW7oPQF/s640/20200402_164536.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JhnRHQ4aR50/XogX3bcoWfI/AAAAAAAAI9U/pab7_-1WlDwlL84nllIaoqW1q8oDxOZUACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC0EA0VX6H4pYYjhzi07UW0FKyO7NF-z7k9vtrSRtUuLrzoj5PYOioW1fm0jMEAhgpnkv4a1aHri9prbGwiToLXKFTxm5ctMRKpZ1rhT2Iz-r0zsuhQ1Wmit3oB0-dSPjoA3Q65DJut11Z3TzM3xU25WKqVSylqVzUN6SNj8kGqGE8wYNBnHQ6QuY73IHJGCci-V_-TDLXdEx8LcwE7TAN6ch8woCWjfUVqwxqM4VUj8WVAhSmjPEj1QWLnLWvOsGHQTEHQRJe-MGjMUsoJXi7ngA_IxjP4Oh6cFWQ6JqvEurtzKE_CR_C1GUHQpQtoroNw-m351XxXVIrIXxRNDiw_ultsts-IepJPBtDV-f60GoPIjjr9aVhZl__dtadyLY_AtKTc5OLumgSV2bPfHdvv8KvK2c_FYUl3z86FI7atlqvg84h3nAb-TZvF5UmuzUPxGWF3BVBdzQSD11Dl-WIFb1pCDLZDQcFG6uYPZrgHC4cIdZsVmyyrmOC7OXO3y0WvXeaCYGjVHyUnrHPIL9Fpq-EGBo3TXBcbbiyDbZ-5JHn8KDlSck1apVGNPipot6JBzpsRKA_nXbNQ34siI9kJAP9-i2HVcX8yMLW7oPQF/s1600/20200402_164538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JhnRHQ4aR50/XogX3bcoWfI/AAAAAAAAI9U/pab7_-1WlDwlL84nllIaoqW1q8oDxOZUACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoC0EA0VX6H4pYYjhzi07UW0FKyO7NF-z7k9vtrSRtUuLrzoj5PYOioW1fm0jMEAhgpnkv4a1aHri9prbGwiToLXKFTxm5ctMRKpZ1rhT2Iz-r0zsuhQ1Wmit3oB0-dSPjoA3Q65DJut11Z3TzM3xU25WKqVSylqVzUN6SNj8kGqGE8wYNBnHQ6QuY73IHJGCci-V_-TDLXdEx8LcwE7TAN6ch8woCWjfUVqwxqM4VUj8WVAhSmjPEj1QWLnLWvOsGHQTEHQRJe-MGjMUsoJXi7ngA_IxjP4Oh6cFWQ6JqvEurtzKE_CR_C1GUHQpQtoroNw-m351XxXVIrIXxRNDiw_ultsts-IepJPBtDV-f60GoPIjjr9aVhZl__dtadyLY_AtKTc5OLumgSV2bPfHdvv8KvK2c_FYUl3z86FI7atlqvg84h3nAb-TZvF5UmuzUPxGWF3BVBdzQSD11Dl-WIFb1pCDLZDQcFG6uYPZrgHC4cIdZsVmyyrmOC7OXO3y0WvXeaCYGjVHyUnrHPIL9Fpq-EGBo3TXBcbbiyDbZ-5JHn8KDlSck1apVGNPipot6JBzpsRKA_nXbNQ34siI9kJAP9-i2HVcX8yMLW7oPQF/s640/20200402_164538.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked him to look at me and this is what I got lol.</td></tr>
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<br />
I love to hike and the trails have all been closed. I have channeled that love of hiking into weeding my yard, for those who have never seen my backyard-- it's a big task and I do it every year. With all the rain and the boys begging to be outside, we've been getting drenched as a family working in our yard. While we might not be making the memories what we desire, we are making memories. We can be sad and down about it or we can see it as a hopefully once in a lifetime adventure and embrace it. It may last awhile, but it won't last forever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bCaW56nrm4/XogaLZpx1BI/AAAAAAAAI-M/OjeWirrl8zwVFeVn6jjeyEaTqkoX2QbfQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoD57JnObIBPzYEGgoApfHol4l-8UeOV9-JsniGrll-2u14kRzyxZmnvyq_u7y5R60bds_-nMqZxj_P19gPcEiYcstz-k99K5XE0BxlAyH0pArhvxD5TmwDegdSjeAIXUAjpSDzwXh4jBXp3e0U3OO3_EypJEmoMX5snjhGjKOlwYdOfPu4Amc4M1EAaPB6DZgZ0VrkT5J4Vf1lzHvkPMOXUV1AefTs2RraShd8k0i1NY3mBXligUNzhhjY8mLP6zAtNTsttgfktpsL1ZpIx8txza-6baoGyHWGoRvQBa_-scRGLlWXFWe7EZklSTZ4HUqQowJtiaXNR1_WNpLR0WjUYTdYnuTS8ztrlOZc--wcJfL0F-_0Us1qjs8Ta-irfNSawivna1dVnZZ3fCJzpDWnHiBJfMdJpYlgT72NLJT22HUglM72hfIRz6eLB_h6lFZ75XejHRLueZq6m0VMwGBPlTsapPPz9ncK09XA4byEptEVms_xoIn6BfH10Z93DDo1jqieysKo4doMF_k2xIyPipCfRaPJHp8wTUZJ29KfD1jysW4FaIc05pjGI5ugy9Sqpa-gMcL1TI9YCMPTmW2RVMBQ2tyyoeaQFMJS6oPQF/s1600/20200330_185324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bCaW56nrm4/XogaLZpx1BI/AAAAAAAAI-M/OjeWirrl8zwVFeVn6jjeyEaTqkoX2QbfQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoD57JnObIBPzYEGgoApfHol4l-8UeOV9-JsniGrll-2u14kRzyxZmnvyq_u7y5R60bds_-nMqZxj_P19gPcEiYcstz-k99K5XE0BxlAyH0pArhvxD5TmwDegdSjeAIXUAjpSDzwXh4jBXp3e0U3OO3_EypJEmoMX5snjhGjKOlwYdOfPu4Amc4M1EAaPB6DZgZ0VrkT5J4Vf1lzHvkPMOXUV1AefTs2RraShd8k0i1NY3mBXligUNzhhjY8mLP6zAtNTsttgfktpsL1ZpIx8txza-6baoGyHWGoRvQBa_-scRGLlWXFWe7EZklSTZ4HUqQowJtiaXNR1_WNpLR0WjUYTdYnuTS8ztrlOZc--wcJfL0F-_0Us1qjs8Ta-irfNSawivna1dVnZZ3fCJzpDWnHiBJfMdJpYlgT72NLJT22HUglM72hfIRz6eLB_h6lFZ75XejHRLueZq6m0VMwGBPlTsapPPz9ncK09XA4byEptEVms_xoIn6BfH10Z93DDo1jqieysKo4doMF_k2xIyPipCfRaPJHp8wTUZJ29KfD1jysW4FaIc05pjGI5ugy9Sqpa-gMcL1TI9YCMPTmW2RVMBQ2tyyoeaQFMJS6oPQF/s640/20200330_185324.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working in the rain with Dad. </td></tr>
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<br />
As a family, we are consciously looking for joy in the mundane everyday things and we are finding it. For Bubba, joy was found in our new baby chicks. Bubba woke up early to make a run to the farm store with me-- mommy and son quarantine date. We were there when they opened wearing face coverings and gloves. We were in and out in less than 10 minutes. He was so excited to see and hold those little birds. He spent hours today just watching them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eZlEK1BBX8w/XogXRmIzIQI/AAAAAAAAI8s/-iJV-HiFKUoCdZm4yauCZ8mJsmkFEKcrACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s1600/20200403_084835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eZlEK1BBX8w/XogXRmIzIQI/AAAAAAAAI8s/-iJV-HiFKUoCdZm4yauCZ8mJsmkFEKcrACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s640/20200403_084835.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious. Tired. Excited. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MneQZzZ_k-U/XogXR1GqzdI/AAAAAAAAI8w/5twAtbhCqD0eMAYzcZ5FwPk8TFHS5OFPQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s1600/20200403_084737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MneQZzZ_k-U/XogXR1GqzdI/AAAAAAAAI8w/5twAtbhCqD0eMAYzcZ5FwPk8TFHS5OFPQCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s640/20200403_084737.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curiosity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C979LjeHhUs/XogXPZ7PoDI/AAAAAAAAI8w/a674prOAoc4gOVImZKPi_nwu-bC4ppUEACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s1600/20200403_084852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C979LjeHhUs/XogXPZ7PoDI/AAAAAAAAI8w/a674prOAoc4gOVImZKPi_nwu-bC4ppUEACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s640/20200403_084852.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our babies. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnjxg0PWHuo/XogXUmclCAI/AAAAAAAAI80/iDOc8RQ4P4YYPD5BhXhMNRMW0q1U0VowgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s1600/20200403_094733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnjxg0PWHuo/XogXUmclCAI/AAAAAAAAI80/iDOc8RQ4P4YYPD5BhXhMNRMW0q1U0VowgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBD1RIPPvXmPgwBvyHJxAbl3EyV_ZcoO6ETIDJlH2z646p_1PDIGYncF-jnIJZ1BepWR0Qu7ntx4riDibxddbyq59m6ZBBMRmhJgQTu-S-GRx8t979jMWSxQSL3Ahtvsa0plvfGZPan7tZR78G3CbFpIPviiuZrs_sFmwc9g_cehBB1RjDi4KcSc3G2ZCAeIvyglkDjOplmwSbq8on0JlM3GjymGuP6WQX5R97Zohyy7nfKGMS9z_H_IqWlkjsABymfUvPnWDzYGHhIlZZXU9aSc_f5XkCyyI4vnA_zgrYTNKP6k_MaKiW1NuYmhgGrkz6jjeZNb7tXTEln0wnVY8k9BPXqwE8A2HdHQk0TbIjWKkLNDbTXjJkPHFIA3ku-OLtR64mJvPfiexc6TTZebcZxqPWr6uE5f6mvjCHaH_cyrKS1w-hVSTeK0vY0YyVdaCS0ElxQtcI7llgUrh9FrQD8bPf9JEb0FrWQiyWgpozpfuakCmvvWx3Iy58Mt5n8z4bxMyM0BozRSQY0kxwU7FRvNL11zkVombXemEDjVV8ynNN-Cb0q2JKHxf7UJ1ghyOIh5tf9QiMnu5bSfFAtX__7FdFM1ANsvq-jMKe5oPQF/s640/20200403_094733.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheer happiness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJmIwkqHQUc/XogbL4VzBwI/AAAAAAAAI-U/QDWGA-K-tX468JSUXYC7fcCZoduSw4W1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20200403_084855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJmIwkqHQUc/XogbL4VzBwI/AAAAAAAAI-U/QDWGA-K-tX468JSUXYC7fcCZoduSw4W1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20200403_084855.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear wasn't sure about those chicks. He warmed up to them and tried to feed them jelly beans and gold fish crackers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Bubba found more joy today when I was weeding this afternoon. He kept asking me to find worms for him to feed to our hens. I found a monster sized worm, he love it! When he found a potato bug he screamed, "Potato bug!!" so loudly I couldn't understand what he was saying at first-- he was that excited! He fed all the potato bugs he could find to the chickens too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zugBbHBablA/XogWx2UlDSI/AAAAAAAAI8Y/gWjuntj6TUEZaY_EWbUMMXZR3TIAmctrgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBC6rzRdEeHBIOhiMVxGtvvHerZl5ZrdV9U7wNcf1nkJDDV0DViTs7Mau2H4QMOlJd7Ux2P5Kk1445N6v7rFKEfLSzP37bLB5-zkCow_SBDY3_dV3u2VmO3LbQjUpsdgRtMnZU7AhPD7DTB-z1bcaui9lnedG6PpO-vpIrJEJXBqu7DcWpLrRhW305ZKDxjgApigceD0qRvBgHINO1QpgxsVuMVPFEMVDCCmX1B7vQzpX9ynwENjbSe-gaws5Vw4cwm9s2ZWc8CWXitR0j1AEvjtsszbE-OMqeQNwOcI_NXJ-CO_4CUYDryWk4tOgdgqii_AMaew2hyK00Kke1VeeG_pJtNWHKdtq8yMuxCLU5mujV1J-f3hiXuWP_RV3lPp5Ki8-WHW4j4XDbs8DjDZWXzu2UZAsmYYWwej0XuUw_L-9VQaak-qtytMOLJ72s5Q4Ufpog5ipBSx3c0xb7Usm06MOvUVJIwOEmZXiK9h7is8uK8Efz45V-2TtDqarRVmfwvogKKHS7a7LKw4b_Vw3Jm_1SIKF5Unxwq8mAQxx2GVCCUe5uJtZiaVMiB1YPBot29jSgxTGhUKVOl0bmzDoEVrgwvM-EUzF1_MNu5oPQF/s1600/20200403_163028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zugBbHBablA/XogWx2UlDSI/AAAAAAAAI8Y/gWjuntj6TUEZaY_EWbUMMXZR3TIAmctrgCEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoBC6rzRdEeHBIOhiMVxGtvvHerZl5ZrdV9U7wNcf1nkJDDV0DViTs7Mau2H4QMOlJd7Ux2P5Kk1445N6v7rFKEfLSzP37bLB5-zkCow_SBDY3_dV3u2VmO3LbQjUpsdgRtMnZU7AhPD7DTB-z1bcaui9lnedG6PpO-vpIrJEJXBqu7DcWpLrRhW305ZKDxjgApigceD0qRvBgHINO1QpgxsVuMVPFEMVDCCmX1B7vQzpX9ynwENjbSe-gaws5Vw4cwm9s2ZWc8CWXitR0j1AEvjtsszbE-OMqeQNwOcI_NXJ-CO_4CUYDryWk4tOgdgqii_AMaew2hyK00Kke1VeeG_pJtNWHKdtq8yMuxCLU5mujV1J-f3hiXuWP_RV3lPp5Ki8-WHW4j4XDbs8DjDZWXzu2UZAsmYYWwej0XuUw_L-9VQaak-qtytMOLJ72s5Q4Ufpog5ipBSx3c0xb7Usm06MOvUVJIwOEmZXiK9h7is8uK8Efz45V-2TtDqarRVmfwvogKKHS7a7LKw4b_Vw3Jm_1SIKF5Unxwq8mAQxx2GVCCUe5uJtZiaVMiB1YPBot29jSgxTGhUKVOl0bmzDoEVrgwvM-EUzF1_MNu5oPQF/s640/20200403_163028.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joy is a worm in each hand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Joy was found when Bubba ate his dinner all gone (that's a rare thing as he is really picky). I gave him the last of the ice cream in the ice cream carton and he offered me and Andy each a bite, we didn't even ask. He melted my mama heart.<br />
<br />
Joy for Bear was found in Tylenol and teething gel. This poor little boy is cutting a bottom front tooth and a molar and he was feeling pretty miserable. Lots of cuddles and laughs were had today though. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXeSJX9-_lY/XogXvA_stoI/AAAAAAAAI9Q/VG9yxYcisloLbn5aRQgis2FYT9FIabqhACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoDfOzg-Qirn_H3gEzg-6pB88wpXu8v0nWBzAtdAS3e9541hUCgwiQ5vxeB5o_CHpIA49xWH4oMkxRGPzoKEX5KeiNyUa90kfxmxlovbNJ983Va-txMn--ZuLZ4wol6-ntf220JmbjmH71qXR9_31TA5ZpvNQwe_pkQsPGEeBJSN2rw43mQ1-WEm2d_0e1h5NyveX7e_kJ2HqNN3jw-nMsjl4uDZW_891O0t_nZqtgyDQyHtCiMwpkel7ji9MuVzkTnmQCYo4OSsNhR3mkfVg3Q4PVF7LDEzloNf0V8AtK0aQ-QZllcOlO1O7pQsvvCzKP2vxZQ00pljS10RVheegWbtNI0VEftYNMI8gtKbLqD3iuwkiUXvrg-eM6Z_rZ7Js5iDd5xqcERUprB1EdLMQI_ejv5Hh2Gtht9YVPO6dzSdkANJ-1d4TwWoE7wUdu0IT2rejZWWjl6v_etWnaClx1ZrTch68fPi8ejVWiGeKfVYYothD-qCTd7QZUfLJ8a9lhFDD3HlOOYf9FzxlykATyW5MvAxk-mgbKM__ZIeAn1l4P1D_fQsyH5kS0x08GPf-gzrgeSL81139eHJ2wbMi0ICdgOyTG3lN6NLMOy5oPQF/s1600/20200402_155210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXeSJX9-_lY/XogXvA_stoI/AAAAAAAAI9Q/VG9yxYcisloLbn5aRQgis2FYT9FIabqhACEwYBhgLKs4DAMBZVoDfOzg-Qirn_H3gEzg-6pB88wpXu8v0nWBzAtdAS3e9541hUCgwiQ5vxeB5o_CHpIA49xWH4oMkxRGPzoKEX5KeiNyUa90kfxmxlovbNJ983Va-txMn--ZuLZ4wol6-ntf220JmbjmH71qXR9_31TA5ZpvNQwe_pkQsPGEeBJSN2rw43mQ1-WEm2d_0e1h5NyveX7e_kJ2HqNN3jw-nMsjl4uDZW_891O0t_nZqtgyDQyHtCiMwpkel7ji9MuVzkTnmQCYo4OSsNhR3mkfVg3Q4PVF7LDEzloNf0V8AtK0aQ-QZllcOlO1O7pQsvvCzKP2vxZQ00pljS10RVheegWbtNI0VEftYNMI8gtKbLqD3iuwkiUXvrg-eM6Z_rZ7Js5iDd5xqcERUprB1EdLMQI_ejv5Hh2Gtht9YVPO6dzSdkANJ-1d4TwWoE7wUdu0IT2rejZWWjl6v_etWnaClx1ZrTch68fPi8ejVWiGeKfVYYothD-qCTd7QZUfLJ8a9lhFDD3HlOOYf9FzxlykATyW5MvAxk-mgbKM__ZIeAn1l4P1D_fQsyH5kS0x08GPf-gzrgeSL81139eHJ2wbMi0ICdgOyTG3lN6NLMOy5oPQF/s640/20200402_155210.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding joy in a wagon ride. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I have found myself praying constantly and more passionately for my friends, family and neighbors. I have been praying for the world leaders, local leaders and those on the front lines of this pandemic. I've been praying for those who are sick, for those who have lost loved ones, who have lost their jobs and for those who are working to develop a vaccine. I've been praying for the missionaries and church leaders as well. I have been pouring my heart and soul out to my Father in Heaven. The one thing I hope and pray comes from all of this is that people will turn to God. Remember Him. And pray.<br />
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With all of the rain and hail we have been experiencing in Oregon, the thunder and tornado in Washington, the large earthquakes in Utah and Idaho I can't help but think that the Second Coming of Christ is closer than we realize. I'm really looking forward to tuning in to General Conference tomorrow and Sunday. I can't wait to hear from the Lord's prophet on the Earth today, Russell M. Nelson. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-66583829477945512020-03-28T21:52:00.000-07:002020-04-23T20:55:22.486-07:00In The Toilet: Round 2It was almost like watch the scene unfold in slow motion a second time. Once again Bubba found himself sitting on the toilet-- this time though it was the master bathroom toilet (it's his favorite place to take care of business). Some toy cars were scattered on the floor, this tends to happen as the day goes on, we pick them up every night before the boys go to bed.<br />
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He had just finished using the bathroom. He was sitting on the toilet and he reached back to flush it. Bear was standing nearby. Bear picked a toy car up off the floor. Ran full speed ahead to the toilet and he chucked that toy car in the toilet faster than I could stop him.<br />
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Thankfully this car was a mini and it went down without a hitch. Poor Bubba though, he cried and whined all day for the yellow Dinoco car.<br />
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We are now working on teaching Bubba to shut the door when he uses the bathroom so that brother can't throw more toys down the toilet. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-1677584246203500532020-03-27T17:02:00.000-07:002020-04-04T17:03:17.822-07:00Farewell, RosieWe bid farewell to one of our hens today, Rosie. Andy and I had both noticed that she seemed really sad and depressed-- yes our hen looked depressed. We tried to cheer her up by letting her roam the yard. She wouldn't move. We tried feeding her worms. She wouldn't touch them. She quite laying. Andy picked her up and realized that she wasn't eating, there was no meat left on her breast. Her feathers were matted and unkempt. We made the decision yesterday, to let her return to her Heavenly home. <br />
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Recently, Bear learned to say the word "chicken." He would walk up to the chickens and point at them and say, "chicken" every time we went in the backyard. I know she's in a better place and that our boys will miss her.Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-68919954788944197592020-03-26T16:37:00.000-07:002020-04-04T16:37:56.029-07:00In The ToiletBubba is potty trained! Woot! Woot! He's been fully potty trained for a few months now. I'm so proud of him! It's nice not having two kids in diapers, plus it saves us some money.<br />
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Yesterday, first thing in the morning Bubba went in to use the bathroom. Daddy and Bear were with him. Using the bathroom is sometimes a family affair around here.<br />
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We taught Bubba to sit down when he pees (Mom win). He had just gone potty and was still sitting on the toilet. He reached to flush the toilet and at that precise moment his toy train car, Annie fell into the flushing toilet. I was in the next room over and heard Bubba go ballistic and Andy told me what happened.<br />
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I called and talked with my Dad briefly, my brother used to flush everything down the toilet as a kid. My Dad thought that if we took the toilet apart we would find the train.<br />
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We said a prayer that we would find Annie and then I asked Andy to take the toilet apart. He took the toilet apart alright and there was no train car to be found. Bubba was devastated. For him, it was like watching his best friend die and not being able to say good bye.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A look of defeat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggles for Mom.</td></tr>
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We've been quarantining at home and I knew I had to go to the hardware store to get a new wax seal so we could put the toilet back together. I opted to run into the grocery store really quickly on my way to the hardware store to see if they might have anymore Annie train cars for sale. Luck was on my side, there was one left on the shelf. I grabbed that thing and quickly got myself back into the car and sanitized.<br />
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Bubba was so happy when I got home. He kept saying, "Annie went down the pipe. Annie's going to be fertilizer." "Mommy, you brought me a knew Annie."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba's new Annie to give you an idea how big this train car is.</td></tr>
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Update:<br />
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Annie is still stuck in the toilet somewhere. Our toilet won't flush and overflowed this week. We haven't figured out how we are going to fix it yet. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-72203649307475501082020-02-05T22:27:00.000-08:002020-02-05T22:27:38.465-08:00Activity Days: Courage To Be KindI currently work with the girls at church who are 7-11 years old. We meet twice a month. Usually when we meet, we have a lesson, we do a craft and we play a game. For tonight's activity I was in charge of the lesson. I was not able to share my lesson in person tonight due to our entire family being sick, so the other leaders delivered the message I prepared.<br />
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Here is my message:<br />
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Dear Girls,<br />
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I am sorry I cannot be there with you tonight, I am home sick with my family. The message I want to share with you tonight is near and dear to my heart, I hope that you may be able to feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost touch your hearts this evening as we talk about the courage to be kind.<br />
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<b>Read John 13: 34 </b><br />
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“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”<br />
<b><br />Read Mark 12:30-31 </b><br />
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“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.<br />
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And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”<br />
<b><br />Question: What message do these scriptures have in common?</b><br />
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The first great commandment is to love God. The second is to love our neighbors. Everyone is our neighbor, we are all children of God. Regardless of whether or not someone has done bad things, we are supposed to love them. If they look different from us, talk different from us, sin differently than we do or treat us unkindly, we are supposed to love them. Sometimes it is the people who are most unkind to us that are in need of the most love.<br />
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“A physician once said, ‘The best medicine for humans is love.’ Someone asked, ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ He smiled and said, ‘Increase the does.’”<br />
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I want to share a story with you about my little sister Megan. Megan was the youngest in our family and I am the oldest. Our parents both worked and we were often left to fend for ourselves. I am five years older than Megan and I was oft times her protector.<br />
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When Megan was born she was born with a birth defect. I wish I had a picture I could show you to help you understand, but I do not have very many good ones. She had a growth that came out of the top of her head and covered her left eye like an eyelid. This growth was puffy and purple in color—kind of like a bruise. Inside her head Megan had very large veins.<br />
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Megan has had about 15 surgeries to help save her life. Most of them occurred when I was in high school and she was in junior high. Megan spent months at a time in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Seattle, Washington. When she was eventually discharged from the hospital, she was incredibly thin and fail, half of her head had been shaved and she no longer had a left eye. She was very self-conscious about the way she looked.<br />
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She wore hats and scarves to school so her classmates would not notice her missing hair. She often wore a patch over her eye so people would not notice she no longer had her eye. She worn long sleeves to hide the skin graft scars on her arms. And she sat in the back of the classroom in hopes that people would not notice her.<br />
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One day while she was waiting in line to have her school picture taken a boy who was a member of the church was standing near her. He said loud enough for her to hear, “Who would want a picture of someone with a face like that?”<br />
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I cannot tell you how badly that comment hurt my sister. She was crushed. She was devastated and she did not go to school for days.<br />
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In time she went back to school. One day she decided to be brave and showed one of her scars to a boy in her class. He thought it was so cool! He had the rest of the class gather round to see how cool it was. This more positive experience was a boost to my sisters self confidence. I am incredibly grateful to this young man who had the courage to be kind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfusFFKU74M/XjuwDc_J4nI/AAAAAAAAI6A/BU-zu5-UBWcW9X1N5kms33AOqkQ7tvdNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20190217_1213411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfusFFKU74M/XjuwDc_J4nI/AAAAAAAAI6A/BU-zu5-UBWcW9X1N5kms33AOqkQ7tvdNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20190217_1213411.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Left To Right: Daniel, Hazel, Julie, Megan, Jimmy, Russell & Dad.</td></tr>
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Today Megan lives in Connecticut. She was sealed in the Seattle Temple to her husband, Daniel. She has two children of her own, Hazel and Jimmy and a step daughter named Audrey. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo with her Bachelors. She graduated high school as Valedictorian at 16 years old. While Megan may not look like everyone else, she has a heart of gold. I am so blessed to call her my sister. And in case you were wondering, she has her drivers license and can safely drive with one eye.<br />
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Being kind may not always be the cool thing, or the easy thing. But, I can promise you that it will always be the right thing. As you go throughout your lives, please stop, look around you and seek out those who may be different from you and show them that you care. If you do this, I promise you that the Lord will bless not only their lives but your lives as well. I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ amen. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-67782343784449952812020-02-04T23:16:00.000-08:002020-02-04T23:16:04.060-08:00Update On BearAbout four weeks ago Bear started walking, by walking, I mean walking. He had taken a few steps here and there. But one day, he up and just walked across the room and he hasn't slowed down since. The last few days, he has been trying to run.<br />
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Our entire family has been home sick the last several days, so Andy has had a chance to really see the two boys interact. Yesterday, they started playing what looked like tag. Later in the day, Bear grabbed onto the back of Bubba and they walked around the house like a train engine pulling a car-- it was super cute!<br />
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Bear has added a few new words/phrases to his vocabulary list this week as well. We've heard him say, "Wow" and "Bye bye."<br />
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This little boy has a love for music and likes to bop along to the beat.
He currently likes the Piano Guys. He also, really likes animals.<br />
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Bear has a love for remotes, mouses, keyboards and cell phones. He likes to take the batteries out of them (yes, he knows how to get them out) and he carries them around like they are prized possessions. We have to keep a super close on him when he does this because he likes to try and put the batteries in his mouth. With his love of electronics, I can't help but wonder if we have a baby nerd in the making.Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-15011497255181808372020-02-03T23:38:00.000-08:002020-02-04T23:39:52.138-08:00Perils Of Potty TrainingOh the stories I could tell you about poop and pee. Potty training has been kicking my butt or should I say my house and my patience.<br />
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Most of Bubba's friends are potty trained. My mommy friends shared with me a guide to potty train your kids in 3 days. They warned me that it took more like 2 weeks for them and after 2 weeks their kids regressed and they had to push through that.<br />
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I read about 20% of the 50 page guide and thought, this seems straight forward lets go for it. Up to this point Bubba was still wearing a diaper but he was keeping it dry the entire day. So we made the switch to underwear-- I made sure they were underwear he liked, Thomas The Train.<br />
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The first two weeks he did great! We didn't have any accidents going potty (aka pee) in the toilet. Except for the time we were using a public bathroom/changing room for swim lessons and I didn't hold his penis down and pee shot over the toilet and onto the floor, I got peed on and Bear was making a beeline for the pile of urine on the floor.<br />
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Or the time we went to story time and we went to use the bathroom before we headed home. I held his penis down and pee shot through the gap between the top of the toilet and toilet seat soaking Bubba's leg and leaving a pile of pee on the ground and pee on my boots.<br />
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Or how about the time he decided he wasn't going to pee in the toilet that day. Instead he peed all over my new living room rug not once, but twice. He peed all over my kitchen chair and pee ran down the chair like a waterfall collecting in a pile of the floor. And he pooped in my closet-- we are still working on pooping in the toilet. He has only pooped in the toilet once so far. I've got a lot of poop stories but we will save those for another day.<br />
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This last day was probably the hardest of them all. I'd ask him to come use the bathroom and he would just pee instantly where he was. I can't tell you how many pairs of underwear we went through. I washed socks, shirts and pants. In addition to scrubbing my floors, chair, rug, etc. All I did was clean up pee the entire day.<br />
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I finally told Bubba that if he couldn't stop peeing his clothes that he couldn't wear any clothes. I took all of his clothes away except for his underwear and told him he had to earn them back by going pee in the toilet. When he peed on my kitchen chair, I told him he could sit on the floor to eat. Chairs were a privileged and if he was going to pee on them, he couldn't sit in them. He lost his coveted blanket. Next on the chopping block were his toys.<br />
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Bubba spent most of the day in his underwear. Just before nap time he peed in the toilet-- miracle!!! I told him he could have one thing back and I let him pick. He picked his socks. This boy insists on wearing socks all the time. When I went to tuck him in he asked for his blanket. I was firm and I told him he had only earned one thing back and he chose his socks. He started to whine and I offered to trade him. He took his socks off and I gave him his blanket. He napped in underwear and a blanket. Just as bed time approached he earned his last piece of clothing back. He hasn't had an accident since. Knock on wood.<br />
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Here's hoping pooping in the toilet gets better.<br />
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He does great staying dry and night. And he does get potty treats.Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-3533498915910388052020-01-07T21:17:00.000-08:002020-01-07T21:17:10.158-08:00Out Of The Mouth Of BabesI wanted to share a few of the things that the boys have been saying this past week. I can't tell you how much these little phrases have made me laugh and smile. I feel blessed to have these two littles in my life.<br />
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Bubba:<br />
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Bubba got some new footie pajamas for Christmas. As soon as we put them on him he started say, "I so cute!" He'd run to the bathroom and look at himself in the mirror and say, "I so cute!" The next morning after I had gotten him dressed he said, "I not cute." I asked him why he wasn't cute and he said, "I not wear pajamas." Apparently, new footie pajamas are what make him cute. For the record-- he's never said anything about being cute before this incident.<br />
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The past few days he's been saying to me, "Mama, I love you so berry much." This one just melts my heart.<br />
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Andy asked Bubba to hold his hand and he said, "I hold Mommy's hand." Apparently I'm his favorite teehee. <br />
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Bear:<br />
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Bear started talking at 11 months old. When I say talking, I'm talking about two word phrases. The doctor couldn't believe it when I took him in for his checkup. I guess at this age most kids just babble, he does plenty of that too though.<br />
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"All done." He says this when he is done eating, often he signs it in ASL.<br />
"Uh oh." He usually says this when he drops something.<br />
"Thank you." He says this when you give him something.<br />
"Hi Mom."<br />
"Hi Dad."<br />
"Up, down." He says this when he goes from standing to sitting and vice versa-- he knows what each is.Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-13469102103049098752019-10-29T22:56:00.003-07:002019-10-30T21:08:46.019-07:00A Daydream I don't dream very often. When I do have dreams they are often nightmares. I can count on one hand the number of times I have received a dream from God. This dream I am about to share, is one of those. I have debated for sometime as to whether or not I should share it and right now I feel that I should.<br />
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Saturday August 24th, we got up really early to take the boys to see a hot air balloon festival. We had a really good time! When we got home we were exhausted. We put Bubba down in his bed and Bear laid down with me and that is when this dream happened-- in the middle of the day. This dream was so vivid, it is ingrained in my mind as though it happened yesterday.<br />
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I found myself in a hospital room. The room number was 102 or 105 (I don't know for certain, a 2 is an inverted 5). The room had a pale blue curtain with polka dots on it hanging down from the ceiling for privacy. I went into the bathroom of this particular room to relieve myself, but was unable to get the door to shut, this was frustrating for me and I decided to give up on using the bathroom.<br />
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A moment later a fuss was made over the loud speaker. Lights were flashing and things were in great commotion. I watched a woman with dark hair amble down the hallway.<br />
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Next thing I knew I was sitting on a hospital bed watching the following events unfold in front of my eyes.<br />
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I saw this same dark haired woman from before sitting on a hospital bed. Her hair was big like Moana. I couldn't make out her face. Standing on her right side was a man with dark hair, he looked islander to me. I could sense that they were around 24 years old and college athletes.<br />
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On her left hand side were two nurses. One of the nurses was holding a dark haired baby. This nurse said, "I'm going to give this baby the best chance it's got." The other nurse replied, "You're nicer than most."<br />
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This young couple had not intended on getting pregnant and did not want this child. I felt such deep unconditional love for this child. I knew that this child was meant to come to our family.<br />
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I sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. At about that exact moment Andy walked into the room, he looked at me and asked if everything was okay. I told him we are supposed to adopt a baby and he said, "Okay."<br />
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Adoption is something we had been talking about, but we hadn't decided whether or not we would pursue it. I think God allowed me to see this dream because he knew I needed it. We aren't sure where this young mom is and we don't know how this baby will end up coming into our lives, but we pray for them both. We hope that this little one will join us sooner rather than later. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-66458034064131772402019-10-14T22:24:00.000-07:002019-10-29T22:14:27.980-07:00Bubba's First Time To The DentistI took Bubba to the dentist for the first time today. When we walked in the door I said to Andy "He has three cavities." Andy replied, "He has three cavities?!" I laughed and said, "Nope. He is cavity free."<br />
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Bubba did so good at the dentist! Several days before going to the dentist I told Bubba that we were going to go to the dentist in a few days. I told him that the dentist was going to clean his teeth with a toothbrush that made a "zzeeezzz" noise.<br />
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When we got to the dentist he was so excited because they had fun toys to play with in the front room. He treated me to a poopy diaper and then the hygienist took us back. He sat on the table and she let him pick out a toothbrush and she let him pick out a toothpaste and she started brushing his teeth by hand. He saw her special toothbrush and pointed to it. She showed him all of her special tools. Next thing I knew he was laying down with sunglasses on and she was cleaning his teeth. She flossed his teeth and gave him fluoride. Then the dentist came and looked at his teeth.<br />
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I was so happy to learn that he was cavity free. He did so good, he made me so proud! The hygienist was very impressed too. She told me most children don't get their teeth cleaned the first time to the dentist because they are too scared and they cry, etc.<br />
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I think it helped that we started brushing his gums with a rubber toothbrush before he ever had teeth. The switch to a toothbrush wasn't too bad. Bubba loves to brush his teeth. Some days he will spend thirty minutes in the bathroom brushing his teeth. Now to get him flossing on a regular basis.<br />
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To celebrate being cavity free and doing such a good job at the dentist I took Bubba to the store and he picked out a new toy. If you know Bubba you know that he loves Disney's Cars-- he picked out a blue tow truck and immediately started calling it Mater. <br />
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Fun side note-- before we moved to Oregon I applied to dental hygiene school and was accepted. I felt strongly that I was not supposed to accept my invitation to this particular school. A few months later, work reassigned Andy to Oregon and then we started our family. Even though I didn't end up going to hygiene school, I get to play dental hygienist with both Bubba and Bear everyday. We brush and floss and fluoride. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-28102934945934076682019-09-14T23:46:00.000-07:002020-01-07T23:47:45.527-08:00The Rest Of Our TripAfter the funeral we spent a few days at Andy's parents house. It was nice for the boys to be able to spend some time with their grandparents. I know Andy really enjoyed being back on the farm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear in his element with Grandpa.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out in Uncle Shaun's tree house. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear.</td></tr>
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We took both of the boys out for a 4-wheeler ride. I think this was the first time for both of them. Bubba loved it and Bear hated it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba playing with cousins. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprinklers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sod field with a rainbow.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheel line.</td></tr>
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Bubba wanted to ride anything and everything including the boom truck, forklift and any tractor he could get someone to take him on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba & Andy on the boom truck.</td></tr>
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We headed back out to the Wasatch front on Wednesday afternoon and few home Thursday morning. The entire trip was a whirlwind. I'm glad to be home and in my own bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy & Shaun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy, Grandpa, Bear & Uncle Shaun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the candidness of this photo of Grandma & I.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear, Andy & Grandma.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba did not want his picture taken.</td></tr>
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<br />Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-59091454019156885822019-09-09T23:58:00.000-07:002020-01-05T00:42:44.322-08:00Utah & Grandpa's Funeral I am not really sure how to start this post. At the moment, I think it is probably best to just pick up where the last post left off.<br />
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<u><b>Thursday</b></u><br />
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Thursday morning Andy went to work for a few hours. I continued cleaning the house and packing our bags-- having roughly 24 hours to re-book your plane tickets, unpack bags for 4 people, wash all the laundry, repack the bags all while watching two littles was no easy task. A good friend of ours dropped us off at the airport and next thing I knew we were on our way to Utah.<br />
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Getting on the airplane was not an easy thing for me. At this point in time, I was not even sure if I was going to go to the funeral. Thoughts of being in the same state as that family member who has been emotionally abusive to me causes me to feel anxiety. The thought of being in the same room as that person, caused those feelings of anxiety to skyrocket.<br />
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The boys did great on the flight! This was Bear's first time flying. I'm grateful we had a direct flight and that it was only 2 hours.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba, Me & Bear.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah.</td></tr>
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After some discussion, Andy and I agreed that we would not be taking the boys to the funeral. Neither of us felt safe being around this emotionally abusive family member, so we were not even going to entertain the thought of having our boys there. It was agreed upon that if we could not find someone who could watch our boys that I would not be attending the funeral. Upon arriving in Utah, we started making some calls to see if we could find someone to watch the boys. <br />
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Thursday night I was able to go visit one of my old roommates, Breann. Breann lives 5-10 minutes away from my parents new house. This was the first time I had seen her in years, it was so good to catch up! We stayed up way too late, haha, just like the good old days.<br />
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<u><b>Friday</b></u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear & Me.</td></tr>
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Friday morning Andy and I went and did an Endowment Session at the Bountiful Temple. One of my life goals is to perform an ordinance in every temple, in every state I have ever lived in (Washington, Idaho, Oregon & Utah). This was my first time to the Bountiful Temple, it is the biggest temple I think I have ever been to-- it is massive and very beautiful.<br />
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I'm really glad that my family was able to watch our two boys so Andy and I could attend the temple. It was good to have some time alone, just the two of us to talk, think and meditate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear.</td></tr>
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Friday afternoon we headed out to the Uintah Basin-- during our drive Andy continued to make some phone calls to see if there was anyone who could watch our boys. I don't know if I would call it luck or not, but we found someone who was able and willing to watch our little boys.<br />
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Friday night there was a viewing for Andy's grandpa. Andy really wanted our little boys to see their great grandpa one last time. We knew the boys would not be given that opportunity the next day. When we pulled up to the mortuary, our hearts sank, that emotionally abusive family member's car was in the parking lot. About this same time text messages started coming in from family asking where we were and if we were going to make it. We drove a few blocks away and parked. It was pouring rain and we cried. We knew we couldn't go in there while that emotionally abusive family member was there.<br />
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Someone we love and trust came and found us. They had scoped out the room and formulated a plan for how to get us in and out without running into that family member we didn't want to see. God was on our side, just as this plan was being formulated that emotionally abusive family member left-- what a blessing for us.<br />
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Lots of tears were shed for the loss of Grandpa. And lots of love was extended to us, by the rest of the family that we hadn't seen in years. <br />
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We spent the night at Andy's cousin Blake's house. Blake and Amanda had two rooms for us, which was perfect. Andy's cousin's Ty and Mel and their two boys stayed at the house with us too.<br />
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<u><b>Saturday</b></u><br />
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Saturday was a hard day. We dropped the boys off with the baby sitter, I hate being away from my boys. We didn't tell anyone who was watching them because we didn't want the emotionally abusive family member to find out where they were. And then we headed to the church. I can't tell you how many prayers I said, a lot.<br />
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We walked into the church and I held on tight to Andy's hand. We knew at any moment we could come face to face with the family member we did not want to see. Thankfully we ran into my parents first. Then we went into the Relief Society Room and said our last good byes to Grandpa before they closed the casket. About this time, I spied that emotionally abusive family member out of the corner of my eye. I held on even tighter to Andy.<br />
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Before long we proceeded to the chapel and took our seats on the pew. I am not sure why, but the person we did not want to see, chose to sit two people away from us. Maybe it was for appearances sake, to try and act like nothing was wrong; regardless, it annoyed me and made me incredibly uncomfortable.<br />
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Andy's dad presided over the funeral service. He said that Grandpa wanted a short funeral with lots of music. Grandpa's funeral had lots of music, but it was not short by any means. Each of his children spoke and shared their favorite stories of Grandpa and life growing up on the farm. It was a wonderful tribute to the life and legacy Grandpa left behind.<br />
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That emotionally abusive family member sang during the service. I couldn't bring myself to look at them. Andy looked at them, but they would not look back at him.<br />
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After the funeral we headed to the cemetery. Andy was one of the pall bearers. Grandpa's grave was dedicated and we headed back to the church for the luncheon.<br />
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It is my personal belief that Grandpa had a feeling he was going to pass. He built his own casket out of elm wood from a tree he cut down in his yard. Just a week or two before he passed he called to say hi. Then he paid the mortuary in advance for his own funeral complete with flowers and he made some changes to his will.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa cutting his elm tree into planks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma faithfully by his side.</td></tr>
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At the luncheon my guard was up at all time, I tried to know where that emotionally abusive family member was at all times.<br />
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After we ate, my stepmom and I walked out to the car to get a few things. When we walked back into the church we were met by my Dad and Andy. My Dad looked at me and with tears in his eyes and in his I mean business tone he said, "We need to talk." I said, "Who's we?" He replied, "All eight of us." I knew instantly who he was talking about: Dad, Julie, me, Andy, the emotionally abusive family member, their spouse and their parents. I'm sure I turned white. Adrenaline instantly started coursing through my body. I said, "They already left." I had seen this individual and their spouse walk out the door. My Dad said, "They're still here." I'm not the swearing type, but I said,"I might swear." Julie said, "That's okay. First we cuss, then we discuss."<br />
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A few minutes later I found myself sitting across a small room, face to face with the person who set out to destroy me as an individual and my marriage and I was not at all thrilled to be there.<br />
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My Dad started the discussion. It ended with nearly everyone in tears and me being embraced-- this was a first. I'm not sure what will come of this experience. A door has been opened but time will tell. I may share more about this experience after I have had some time to process everything that went on.<br />
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Then we grabbed our boys and headed back to Blake's house. I was really glad to be reunited with my boys.<br />
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That evening we headed over to Grandma's house so Bubba could go on a tractor ride. While we were in Washington Andy's Dad and I cried together on the phone. I told him how afraid I was to fly to Utah and to attend the funeral with that emotionally abusive family member. I made a deal with him, if I went to the funeral, he had to take his grandson on a tractor ride. I knew this wouldn't be an easy thing for him to do and that he would likely have some PTSD like me because of everything he just went through. He happily took Bubba out to level the sod field, he even let Bubba help him drive. Bubba loved every minute of it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba & Grandpa.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't tell you how many hours I have spent driving that very tractor. </td></tr>
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That night Andy stayed up way too late with his cousins childhood best friend-- it was like old times for him.<br />
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<u><b>Sunday</b></u><br />
<br />
Sunday we slept in. We headed over to Andy's Aunt and Uncle's house with his cousins for lunch. We agreed to let the emotionally abusive family member meet our boys briefly before they headed home-- this made me very uncomfortable. They were on their best behavior and things went okay.Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-76726967671971010772019-09-05T23:49:00.000-07:002019-12-31T23:57:43.209-08:00When You're On A Trip & You Get That Phone Call You Don't Want To GetUsually I look forward to Labor Day weekend. Andy typically gets a three day weekend and we try to go do something fun. This year he took an extra day off that meant a four day weekend-- lucky us!<br />
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We drove to Washington Friday night and arrived at my sister's house in the wee hours of the morning. Bubba stayed awake the entire car ride. By the time we had our stuff unloaded and everyone in bed it was about 2:00 am. It was warm in the room we slept in and Bubba cried most of the night, it was pretty miserable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocking his binky.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wide awake for our late night pit stop.</td></tr>
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<u><b>Saturday</b></u><br />
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Naturally we had a slow start to our day. Sadie and I took the boys and we walked to the local farmer's market-- it's one of my favorite ones.<br />
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In the afternoon we walked to the Puyallup Fairgrounds, it was the first weekend the fair was open. I love going to the Puyallup Fair! I have a lot of really good memories of the fair, the earliest memories stem back to about age 5.<br />
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We entered the fairgrounds and headed towards the dairy barn to look at the animals. We weren't there very long when Andy felt his phone vibrate, he pulled his phone out and was covered in messages from his brother and cousin. We knew instantly that something was wrong. (10 days before this we both had a sinking feeling that something terrible was going to happen or had happened, this was that terrible something).<br />
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Andy immediately called his brother. Shaun said, "There was an accident with Grandpa, Dad and the tractor and Grandpa's dead." Andy asked how his father was but Shaun didn't know, he said he was with the paramedics. And the phone call ended.<br />
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Andy instantly started to bawl. One of the fair employees asked if we needed a private room, Andy waved her off. He said he became a new creature for all the fair goers to see.<br />
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Thankfully my brother and his girlfriend were there and so was my sister and her fiance-- they took our boys and got them some ice cream so Andy could make another call.<br />
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We talked for a moment and decided to call one of the neighbors (Dale) to see if he knew what was going on. Dale answered the phone, Andy identified himself and he asked Dale if he had heard the news. Dale said, "Here talk to your Dad." Dale was with Andy's father at that exact moment.<br />
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The phone was passed and Andy's Dad told him what happened, this is the story:<br />
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Background: Grandpa loves to farm. He turned 80 just a few days before. Usually everyday he shows up at my in-laws house and asks what needs done that day and then he goes to work. This particular day was no exception.<br />
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There was some plowing that needed done, so Grandpa went to work plowing-- plowing was his favorite. The tractor was giving him some issues so he and my father-in-law decided to start up another tractor. This other tractor is quite large. It has duallie wheels in the front and the back and often has to be jump started.<br />
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<b>(If you don't want to know the details, skip this section)</b><br />
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Grandpa and my father-in-law got to work jumping the tractor. They gave it some ether and it didn't start. They gave it another shot of ether and it started right up and was running full throttle. My father-in-law went to get into the cab to decrease the throttle and the tractor put itself into gear-- nobody knows how this happened. My father-in-law was thrown from the tractor, he remembers being straddled over one of the tires as it was rolling forward and coming to on the ground. The tractor had run Grandpa over and my father-in-law was paralyzed and wasn't able to get up and into the cab to prevent the tractor from rolling over Grandpa a second time.<br />
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Grandpa wasn't killed instantly. My father-in-law held him as he took his last breath. He felt his spirit leave his body from toe to head.<br />
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We later learned that my father-in-law was also run over. His pelvis is broken in two different places. He is lucky to be alive. <br />
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<b>(Resume here) </b><br />
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My father-in-law lost his best friend. He feels so guilty that he wasn't able to save Grandpa.<br />
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Andy said to his dad, "Dad it wasn't your fault. Grandpa wants you to know that. As soon as I heard he was gone, I felt his presence and he is okay."<br />
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That experience with his Grandpa brought a lot of peace and comfort to Andy.<br />
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I felt so bad for my husband. We tried to collect ourselves and make the most of our day at the fair. We enjoyed watching Bubba get his face painted and riding rides with him and his almost cousin, Adrian. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba & Adrian. I remember riding this same ride when I was in Kindergarten.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy & Bear.</td></tr>
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That night the tears for me started flowing freely. They flowed freely for a few different reasons. The first being I loved Grandpa and now he was gone. I loved him and he showed me love in the way that I feel loved-- he was one of the few in the family who knew how to really show that he cared. The second was that I knew I needed to attend his funeral, but that also meant being in the same room as one of those people who has been emotional and verbally abusive to me for the past 10+ years and the thought of that alone terrified me. I hadn't seen this individual in the flesh in over 5 years and preferred to keep it that way. I suffer from PTSD because of them and was quite literally afraid for my life because of things they said they would do to me.<br />
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<b><u>Sunday</u></b><br />
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The next day we went to church. Andy shared his testimony, I know it was hard for him to do given everything that just happened. After the meeting several angels were put in our path. Andy and I were both given Priesthood blessings. Mine was administered by the Stake President-- it was the most beautiful blessing I have ever received. Afterwards the Stake President grabbed my hand in his and just talked with me-- it brought me a lot of comfort.<br />
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Sunday afternoon I went on a short hike with my mom and Bubba. I feel close to God when I am in the mountains. Andy slept with Bear in the car. I carried Bubba all the way up Pinnacle Peak (a.k.a. Mount Peak) on my back-- that was the first time I have carried him in the pack on my back and it wasn't easy.<br />
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It was really good to get some fresh air, to move my body and to try and clear my head. Sadly, I didn't take a single picture.<br />
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I was starving by the time we reached the car. We stopped to grab some food at an old drive up diner, I felt really bad about buying food on the Sabbath (we don't typically eat our or buy anything on Sunday). The sweet waitress brought the food out to the car and said it was on the house-- a tender mercy and I started to bawl again.<br />
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That evening my parents called, they had been out to visit Andy's family. They drove three hours each way to see how everyone was doing and to see if I would actually be safe attend the funeral. They told me I needed to be there and that just brought on even more tears.<br />
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<u><b>Monday</b></u><br />
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Monday we took it easy. We went to Ruston Way as a family to go for a walk-- this is one of my favorite places ever to walk. We looked at the old fire boat, we looked for crabs and made cairns. I enjoyed watching Andy stack rocks that Joel didn't think could be stacked. It was good to get out and get some fresh air. Listening to the waves lapping against the shore is calming to my soul.<br />
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That night we bought our plane tickets to attend the funeral in Utah, or so we thought. We would later learn that for some reason the transaction was never completed.<br />
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<u><b>Tuesday</b></u><br />
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The next day we drove home. And upon learning that we didn't have plane tickets scrambled to re-book our flights. We ended up flying on another airline because the prices had jumped so much overnight. We also learned that if you call the airlines directly, they can offer you a bereavement discount on your flight.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spy a cute little Bear.</td></tr>
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One of the things we talked about quite a bit on the way home and even at the fairgrounds, was that we both felt like Grandpa now knows what we have been through in regards to the emotional and verbal abuse and that he is not disappointed with us. <br />
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<u><b>Wednesday</b></u><br />
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Andy went to work Wednesday and I spent the day cleaning the laundry and running errands and trying to get our bags unpacked and repacked so we could leave the next morning. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-40356509709435321892019-08-26T21:31:00.000-07:002019-12-30T23:57:12.380-08:00An Early Morning Wake Up CallOne of my earliest childhood memories is of a hot air balloon floating over our church house, I was about 3 or 4 years old at the time. Ever since then, I have had a love of hot air balloons. There is something majestic about them.<br />
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About four or five years ago, Andy and I were able to fulfill a dream of mine and we went on a hot air balloon ride. It was such a neat experience!<br />
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Every August there is a hot air balloon festival in a nearby town. This year we decided to wake the boys up early to see the balloons.<br />
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The night before we showed Bubba some videos on YouTube of hot air balloons. He kept saying "Big fire."<br />
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When we walked in his room about 5:00 am, he sat bolt up right in bed. He knew exactly what we were going to go do. He was the first one ready to go and wide awake in the car the entire drive.<br />
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When we arrived at the park where the festival was being held, there were a few balloons up in the air, some were ready to launch and others were just starting to be filled. Bubba was so excited!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excitement. </td></tr>
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We watched a yellow balloon be filled and Bubba touched the basket. Once it was full we watched it take off and then we followed it. Chasing a balloon is a lot of fun! You never really know where it is going to land because it follows the wind currents. The balloon Andy and I rode in landed on the road in a neighborhood in front of people's houses.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear, not sure what is going on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching "Big Fire."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggles with Mom.</td></tr>
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This balloon landed in a huge field of dead grass. It was fun to watch it land and help put the balloon away. Bubba even helped.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pilot was the older gentleman in the hat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping put the balloon away.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba with the basket.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy & Bubba.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear & Andy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Basket</td></tr>
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After our balloon adventure we looked into going on a bi-plane ride (that's another goal of mine). But no bi-planes were flying that day.<br />
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We decided to go out for breakfast as a family, this is something we never do. We ate at Elmers-- I don't usually say this when we eat out, but the food was so good!<br />
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Then we drove home and took some much needed naps-- it was during my nap that I had a dream I believe came from God. I'm still debating about whether or not I want to share it on the blog. <br />
<br />Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-89888715385282940722019-08-17T21:50:00.002-07:002019-08-17T21:50:37.634-07:00A Moment Frozen In TimeSometimes with the hustle and bustle of life I forget to stop and take in the little things. Yesterday morning there was a marine layer of clouds for some time. I took the boys outside and we watered the garden (this is usually Andy's job in the evening but he didn't get to it the night before). We picked raspberries, gave the chickens some water, checked for eggs and then I took a few moments to just watch Bubba. There was a small butterfly in our yard. When the butterfly spread its wings they were white and when it closed its wings they were green and blended in with the plants. Bubba saw the butterfly and he gleefully chased it all over the yard with his arms stretched towards the heavens saying, "Catch bubbafly." Each time he got close to it, he would squeal with delight. I loved watching the sheer joy on his face as he pranced around the yard in his green rain boots, gray shark shorts and blue dinosaur shirt. I didn't have my phone or a camera on me but this is a moment this is imprinted in my mind and on my Mommy heard that I don't want to ever forget. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-38747787469244019712019-06-19T18:37:00.000-07:002019-06-19T18:37:56.640-07:00A Breakfast MishapYesterday I made scrambled eggs for breakfast with some cheese and sausage pieces in them. Bubba decided that he wasn't going to eat these eggs because the sausage was mixed in with them. I put his eggs in a container in the fridge and thought Andy can eat those on his way to work in the morning.<br />
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Fast forward to this morning. I pulled a bunch of stuff out of the fridge for Andy's lunch and I grabbed a container and asked him to warm it up for his breakfast. And then he left for work.<br />
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A few minutes later I was back in the fridge getting things out to make breakfast and I spied the container with the eggs. It took me a moment to realize what I had sent Andy to work with for breakfast...drum roll... green beans.<br />
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I instantly started laughing. I called Andy and asked if he enjoyed his green beans. He said he wondered if I would notice. He also said they were really good. We both started laughing. I laughed so hard I cried. Tears are streaming down my face now and I am laughing so hard I can hardly type. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-85726733337914804162019-06-15T23:04:00.000-07:002019-07-13T17:25:00.149-07:00Color RunOur Stake hosted a tri-stake youth activity at a state park near our home. I'm friends with the stake young women's president and she told me about the color run and suggested that we bring the whole family. With Andy currently serving in the young men's presidency, we thought "Why not?"<br />
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We loaded up both boys and our two strollers this morning and headed to Elijah Bristow State Park. Andy took Bubba in the double stroller with his stuffed pink monster. And I took Bear in the other stroller.<br />
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I walked 3.25 miles with a friend and Bear (this whole not being cleared to run thing didn't stop me from getting out). Bear slept almost the entire way. And Andy ran with Bubba. Bubba kept telling him to, "Go!" Sounds like they had a great time except for when someone threw green color on Bubba's stuffed pink monster-- he had a meltdown for about a quarter of a mile. I made sure pink monster got a bath when we got home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After race snacks are the best!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy & Bubba.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not very often that Andy takes a selfie of just himself. </td></tr>
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It was a lot of fun to see and visit with some of the youth from our old ward and to see the youth from our current ward having fun. I loved being out with our little family! It's these fun little excursions that are worth remembering.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & Bubba.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear chilling in the stroller.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family photo- You can barely see the top of Bear's head peaking out.</td></tr>
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Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-52922489114709634072019-06-12T22:27:00.000-07:002019-06-16T22:27:10.228-07:00Feeling Hot Hot HotWe set a record here today in Oregon, the temperature reached 99 degrees. It made our morning walk a bit warmer than usual.<br />
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When we got home I hopped in the shower to rinse off the sweat and then started nursing Bear. A few minutes later Bubba walked in the room. He had in his hands a tub a vaseline and a thermometer. The tip of the thermometer was lathered in vaseline. Bubba tried pulling his shorts and diaper off while holding the thermometer and saying, "Up butt."<br />
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I can't tell you how hard I started laughing. Bubba was warm and wanted his temperature taken. We have only ever taken his temperature rectally a few times (that is what our pediatrician prefers when they get a high fever for a more accurate read).<br />
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I called Andy at work to tell him what Bubba did and he too started laughing. This is a Bubba story that we don't want to forget. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-12826998936777009992019-06-11T22:18:00.000-07:002019-06-16T22:19:52.007-07:00DefeatedI have been going to physical therapy since Bear turned six weeks old to work though some issues related to labor and delivery. When I first started going my physical therapist told me that is would be 4-6 months before I would be cleared to exercise-- more likely 6 months though.<br />
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Initially I was told I could ride and bike and or walk. I was devastated when I heard this. I love to exercise! I love being outside and being physically active. I have some fitness related goals that I set while I was pregnant with Bear and was anxious to get after them.<br />
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Roughly six months has past and my doctor told me to try running and see how it goes. The first night was great! It felt so good to move and be drenched in sweat. The second night was not so good. The third night went well. When I met with my doctor and told her how it felt and how things had gone she told me I wasn't ready yet. Maybe in another month.<br />
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I can't tell you how sad that news made me. I felt so defeated! It felt as though my goals were slipping right through my fingers and out of reach. <br />
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I realized though that I had a choice. I could choose to sit there and mope about all the things I couldn't do or I could get after it with the things I can do to get myself as prepared as possible for the day I am cleared to exercise. I choose the later. Believe it or not, I feel like I am making progress. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-83825868065517218232019-06-11T21:56:00.000-07:002019-06-11T21:56:32.917-07:00"Okay"Bubba recently started saying, "Okay" in response to just about anything we say. I'm not sure that he fully know what okay means, but it is sure cute to hear him say it. I love having such an agreeable little boy. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5322163595285861792.post-31589518599638115552019-05-28T17:46:00.000-07:002019-07-13T17:49:35.603-07:00Memorial Day WeekendMemorial Day Weekend is something I look forward to every year, not because we have any particular traditions but because we get to spend an extra day together as a family. Personally, I love my family and I love spending time with them.<br />
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This year my sister Sadie, her fiance Joel and his little boy Adrian came down from Washington to see us. We took them up to Leaburg to the fish hatchery. Joel had never been to a fish hatchery before and loved looking at the fish. Adrian slept in the stroller the entire time along with Bear. Bubba loved running around and looking at the fish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding the fish.</td></tr>
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We all pulled a joke on Joel and convinced him that the sturgeon in the big display pond were really large trout-- it was awesome!<br />
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Joel and Bubba thoroughly enjoyed feeding the fish.<br />
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We played board games, shared childhood stories/memories, ate delicious food, laughed really hard and made new memories.<br />
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We also managed to squeeze in a hike. All of us went up Spencer's Butte. This was Bear and Adrian's first time hiking. Bear wasn't sure what to think-- he slept part of the way and then he was really unhappy and I ended up nursing him on the side of the trail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba sporting his favorite "red coat."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this photo of Bubba and Sadie feeding the squirrel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters. People thought we were twins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Face-- it's tradition.</td></tr>
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Bubba and Adrian were incredibly excited when the wild squirrels would come up and eat out of their hands. Those two little boys became instant friends, it melted this Mommy's heart. Ashleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485149312557251155noreply@blogger.com