March 2023

My new monthly creative outlet has been to make a new chalk art drawing for each month. I've actually enjoyed taking the 30 minutes of creative time every month.

John got me this plant for Christmas. I've worked really hard at keeping it alive! It got root rot and so I had to re-pot it. Inside. In the winter. It was gross and messy. I'm still trying to master the watering and figure out what it likes. But it's still alive and green so I haven't failed yet!

I taught 7 classes a day for the entire month of March. Leo was usually right next to me working hard as well. 

The YW planned a "Gentleman's and YW dance. Emmie didn't want to go. But she and John went anyways. I can confirm that a good time was had by all. 

Emmie started having outdoor soccer games during March. The coldest March on record! Every game was miserable and windy, rainy, and sometimes even snowy. Bogus got record snow...100" over the course of the month. So when we got to go to an indoor band concert to support Emmie instead of an outdoor event we welcomed the change of scene. Not to mention that the 7th grade band sounded great! They were practicing songs that they would be performing later for a district competition/event.

I got a very surprising email...I got into the Counseling Program! I  actually literally almost threw up when I read it. My mind had completely moved on and I really didn't think I was going to get in. I was mentally preparing to get re-certified and back in the classroom. After some freaking out, I accepted the acceptance and then made John buy me some old counseling text books so I could start remembering how to read and retain information. The good news is that I'm enjoying the  material that I'm reading, the bad news is that I can't say that I'm retaining much of it. I hope my mind is in better shape by the time I start in August!

Ainsley had a few fun activities this month as well. Her roommate Hannah hosted a murder mystery dinner at her parents house in Sandy. It was 50's themed and these are the costumes that she and her roommate Laura came up with. Ainsley and Laura are going to be roommates next year at the Riviera. They were going to be living with their other roommate Sarah and a friend of Sarah's who will be home from her mission by then. But Sarah is getting married in August. They got contracts at the Riviera so that Sarah's friend could live with them, but now neither of them are. I think it will be a fun place for them to live, so I think it will all be fine. I just think it's kind of funny (and a little sad that their group of 4 dropped to a group of 2).

Alinsley also participated in disaster day again. This times she was a burn victim who died. She looks horrible! (In a good way.)

Owen also started track. He's focusing on running the mile and hoping it will help him letter in cross-country. So far he has had a new PR each track meet. His latest time was 5:47. I have been so impressed with how much he has improved his time! To me that time seems so fast!

 

Emmie has been forced to take on some extra running as well. Her soccer coach wants the girls to run more, so they have to run two miles and submit their times. I've been proud of her. She really doesn't like running, but she has gotten her mile times below 8:00 (almost to the 7:30 mark) and her two mile time is so much faster than is was last year.

For spring break this year we started the break a little early. We dropped off Leo with his new friends the Flakes, and we drove to Logan Utah on Thursday night for a college tour for Owen. We were driving 2 cars down so that we could take Ainsley her new car. So Owen and I drove the acura together and John and Emmie drove the van. It was Junior preview day so he and his friend Logan went. There were a lot of kids there and they gave some good information. Owen's words were, "It looks like fun." so I guess that's a win!

This is the only picture I got. So Lame! And the only reason I took it was because a lady in front of me was. Why am I so horrible at taking pictures!?

While Owen and I were at the preview, Emmie and John did baptisms for the dead at the Logan temple, went to a cheese factory, and then came and met up with us for the end of the tour for icecream and vendors.

Then we hopped in the car and drove to Salt Lake. Ainsley met us there. We just hung out at Steve and Alene's that night with Ains and the kids, oh, and we handed over the scion to Eric. Saturday we made a trip to IKEA (mostly because I had a return) and made a trip to Macy's for a kong cone. The we got together that night with Goob and Lewis, some of their friends, Steph's family, and Conlin and Quinn and her boyfriend for pizza and a game of Blood on the Clocktower. It was fun. Emmie was the town drunk. Which I still think is hilarious. You'll have to google it for more details.

We drove home on Sunday morning because we had to get back to Leo and Owen was leaving for Donnely with Logan's family to go skiing at Tamarack.

Monday was a relaxing day and I worked, then Tuesday (which was also John's birthday) Emmie and I drove up to Bogus for our last day of skiing. The snow was awesome, but we were both not feeling it and we drove home after only skiing for 2 hours. But that gave us enough time to wash John's truck for him for his birthday.....have I mentioned John got a new truck? I can't remember. But our old truck was needing more and more work and it just wasn't worth the repairs. So we found him a new (to us) truck and we are loving it! That evening we met up with my parents and Bailey and Norah (who were in town for the week while Kort and Dan were in Costa Rica) and we ate at 5 guys and then came back to our house for Chip Cookies and just hung out. 

The rest of the week we tried to do a few fun things...which was tricky with cranky teens and the age range. We played Joker and John made us mongolian BBQ one night. Another night we had a "Banana Night". We played banana grams, ate banana splits, and watched Paddington 2, because we couldn't think of a movie that was centered around bananas. And what's more bananas, or crazy, than a talking bear?! The movie was surprisingly good! We also took the girls to Winco one day while Owen was working and they got suppies to make cupcakes and then spend the afternoon baking and decorating. It wasn't the most exciting week, but I think everyone ended up having a good time.