50th Golf Trip

Jim turns 50 years old this year! exclamation point.

And since every week of this year is jam packed from here on out, we celebrated in March by going on a golf trip to St. George. 

I didn't golf. Jim and his friends golfed. To be clear. 

Thursday when we got into town we went and visited Sharley and then we visited G and G. 

We looked at all of J Glenn's model trucks/trailers he makes out of POPSICLE STICKS, and looked at his guns. It was fun to have Joe and Lisa hear all the legendary Glenn stories about getting robbed twice while living in Wells NV etc. 

Jim golfed all day with his buds,

like long lost Micah.

Me and Lisa and Whitney hiked to Hellhole. 

Then we went to the new temple. 

We new Laura was working, so we hoped to run into her while were were there. 

I didn't realize how HUGE  this temple is. So immediately I realized we would have to get real lucky to see her.

But right as we were walking up the stairs, there she was standing at a doorway! 

Saturday Jim golfed with is long lost buddy Derick, who is now a fabulous oncologist in St. George. 

Sand Hollow. 

We didn't get sunburned. 

It was so hot and so fun!
Jim golfed 4 days in a row. 

Don't ask me how. 

 

Day 27 :: My Dream House

I'm living my absolute dream. 

I remember when I was first pregnant with Avery, I imagined having a home full of kids and we would play games and we would teach them about Jesus and it would be full of love and fun. I prayed and prayed that I could have a happy family. 

It's been way super harder than I ever imagined, but it's also exactly what I have always wanted. 

PS me and Jim both had to give talks for Father's Day. thumbs up. 

Look at how cute Jim is.
Glasses and greying hair. 

My dream house included a dad like Jim. He cares and he is involved in all of it. 

He teaches the kids about Jesus. 

We have so much fun together. 

All weekend long we watched the US Open. Suddenly I am into watching golf with him and it's a delightful twist I didn't see coming.

Dream house games with my kids, 

messes all over my dream house because we are busy playing scrabble and eating brownies on a Sunday. 

Dream house going up in the mountains with friends every Saturday and sometimes my kids come along too. 

Dream house football throwing on the beach plus weenie roast with friends on a Father's Day. 

If you would have told me when I was a kid that this would be my life, 

I would have been so happy,

 but I would also say "yeah I know because I always wanted it to be like this".

FIVE YEARS AGO

Jim's Birthday

Lately he's been rocking a mustache. 

We were sitting in Stake Conference, and Andrew looked at him and said "ew. you have a mustache".

I guess he hadn't noticed it even though it has existed for weeks? 

Avery lays on my lap and I braid her hair. 

This is the state of our external house.

The beams look so good thanks to Jim. 

Will the new house ever be finished? WILL IT? 

One of my favorite Sunday activities is the family forest walk. 

On Jim's actual birthday, we had the best day, start to finish. 

It was busy and full of outside fun with our friends...

starting with a Galbraith sesh with Hudson and Cooper while everyone else was at school. haha. 

I went for a run. ps did you know I'm training for the tri this year? next weekend. 

Look at this new sculpture at the beginning of a new trail that the boys all rave about. 

I stopped by Whatcom Falls after my run, going to pick up the boys from the North Side.

We used to visit here a lot when we first moved here. 

Then we hustled home to fetch the kids from school,

and headed to Mt Vernon to do the archery range. 

Joe gifted Jim this new upgrade of a bow. He is pretty stoked about that. 

There are so many arrows stuck in trees. 

On the way home Jim found a new app in his car that does car karaoke. 

We had so so much fun singing so so loud the whole way home.

Evan put up with it. haha

Everyone came over to have cake and ice cream (including Gus and Christopher who are excited that they are considered "buds" with "J-Dawg", and guess what dumb dog got into the pantry and licked/ate half of the sheet cake!?

Darn dog. 

Luckily we had enough for everyone to have an unlicked portion. 

The Big Bike School Upstairs

On the last day of Captain School, after he finished the last of his assignments and tests, Jim sent me this picture. 

Captain Jim. 

He came home and it was so luxurious to have him home. Pure luxury. 

Gold and diamonds and pearls of comfort to have him here to hug. 

It had been a scary and wild and lonely 12 days since he left. Relief when he walked in the door. 

Saturday me Lisa Jim Joe went to Galbraith for some Balm of Gilead.  

It felt so good to be back in our Saturday tradition. 

I asked the boys how their ride was when we met up back at the car, 

Joe said "therapeutic". 

Us gals ran to the overlook of El Pollo Elastico, and this beautiful scenery was there waiting for us. 

Is there not room enough in Adam andi ahman? 

We went home to our living room circled up, and Joe retold the whole awful, miraculous story. It was intense and sweaty to listen to.

There were so many levels of Hell. Dante's Inferno in the Yukon. 

Once Roland was taken via Ambulance, then jet, then helicopter to Vancouver, 

Joe Christine and Hans got a hotel room so they had access to a phone. 

Cell phones are obsolete up there, and Joe had to use a calling card. 

Dial a 9 to get out of the hotel, then the 800 number, then the calling card number, then the many hospital phone numbers. 

Over and over like a nightmare, he would dial the numbers. One hospital, then the next hospital, then the next. Hospitals all over the country - north south east west. None with any records of a Roland Stussi. 

Dial, dial, dial. Numbers numbers numbers. In a controlled panic. Tiny little numbers, over and over and over.

The bottom level of Hell. 

I sent this picture to Joe and Lisa when they were in the middle of Vancouver hospitals and house rentals. 

I sent this picture to Jim when he was in Florida in the middle of tests and sim sessions.

One Wednesday after soccer, I had gone to young womens, so Andrew was supposed to get a ride with the Wogans, but instead he jumped in the car with the Blacks. 

They went to dinner at Paso.

Lisa told me from the back seat Hunter asked Andrew "did you hear Roland got shot?"

And Andrew responded in the most metaphorical, vague way, 

"yes...so is he in the big bike school upstairs?"

and Hunter, who is Andrew's soulmate, somehow understood exactly what Andrew was referencing, and reassured, "no he's downstairs".

It's extra extra vague because Andrew was getting Roland confused with the other Uncle - Kyle. 

One time many years ago, Kyle had put on his roller blades and worked with Andrew in the back breaking work of bike riding school. Click here to see what they were talking about. 

I just love how the two boys spoke in riddles and understood in riddles. haha

Earlier this Sunday, I made tortilini soup. I made a lot of it. And tortilini soup doesn't age well. And Jessica is pregnant,

So I walked a pint of the fresh hot soup down to her house. I always feel uncomfortable dropping in on people, especially people who are pregnant and have small children. 

I knocked on the door and heard a patter of Maggie feet running to the door. 

I crouched down to her size and handed the pint to her little hands. I saw Jessica over there sitting on the floor behind the couch and I said "Here's some soup. You don't have to eat it. You can even throw it away if you want, just don't tell me."

Then I walked back home and asked myself "what did I just say?"

A few hours later Me and the Chambers drove to Roxanne's house to deliver this cake to her on her 44th birthday. When I got in the truck, Jessica said to me: "remember when you brought me some soup and told me I could just throw it away? What is wrong with you? Am I supposed to eat it or throw it away?" 

haha

Also, she was sitting in her underwear over there behind the couch, so see what I told you about drop ins? 

Garage band. Bea is the lead singer, but she's camera shy. 

We waited for Jim to come home to make caramel apples. 

He swept the back porch while we twirled and cooled the caramel.

One evening, when was Jim home and the world felt warm and cozy for a second, 

we gathered round the telly to watch Avatar. 

I warned everyone in the room:

"I don't know what this movie is about, and I don't know what's happening and I don't know who the people are, so don't ask. Ok everyone?"

And without skipping a beat, Andrew asked, "What's going on?" like a total smart alec. 

We laughed and laughed because do you know that he is his father's son? 

Life has come full circle:

One time when Jim was in cub scouts, his leader, Sister Fullmer explained the activity and said to the boys, "now I'm about to tell you everything we are going to do, so nobody better ask 'what do we do?'"

As soon as she finished explaining the details, and without skipping a beat, Jim asked "what do we do?"

Sister Fullmer sent Jim home.