It's a little overwhelming to begin this post because I don't know where to begin. Larry took me on a plane ride! It did not disappoint and I will never be the same again. There is my life before Bryce Canyon, and my life after Bryce Canyon.
We left on Monday morning, right after Luke got on the bus for school. We didn't arrive home until 5:30pm. Every second was so worth it. The trip down there was amazing. Even going to the airport and getting in a plane blew my mind.....and then we took off and were flying!
The view from up above was so incredible. The farmer fields, the mountains, the small creeks and ponds, and then the red rock in Richfield. I sat in awe for the entire 60 (or so) minute trip. Larry was super focused on flying, but we had these awesome headsets so we could talk to each other. He did a great job at explaining everything he was doing. I also kinda know what some of the dials and knobs do. Hehehehe.
I didn't realize there is a small airport near Bryce Canyon. We flew into that airport, and after waiting a little while, rented two e-bikes to use for the day. It was so much fun because we could take the bike trail to the entrance of the park. No need to worry about parking a car. It was absolutely perfect! The bike trail went through some "forest" areas where some trees were being chopped down. I'm thinking they were doing some forest fire prevention, but I'm not really sure. It smelled like pine through those parts. It was so yummy! We took a quick stop to go into the Visitors Center to get a map. It ended up being quite helpful.
We decided to head to the Sunrise point overlook. It was so amazing! Plus, a little scary. I very nervously made my way to a wooden bench and carefully peeked over to see the view. While we were enjoying the view Larry got a phone call, which he took, which was funny. I just enjoyed all there was to see while he was occupied.
Then we started down the Navajo Loop trail. It was perfect! Especially because Larry held my hand during all the scary parts (and most of the not so scary parts)! He is the perfect hiking buddy for a gal that's nervous about high places. The view did not disappoint. Every step was incredible and so very beautiful. It's amazing what wind and water can do to rock.
This is the area known as Two bridges. Can you see them?
Larry called this tree the Devils pitchfork.
We went all the way to the bottom, and then hiked all the way back up. It was the perfect hike, and I felt my confidence growing with each step. Now, I just want to go back and explore all the other trails. Larry, you've spoiled me for these kinds of adventures!
We were famished after finishing the hike. Luckily, Larry knew of a Café where we could eat lunch. It was so much fun riding the bikes there. We also went to explore a little "tourist trap" area. I bought myself a t-shirt and we looked around at very expensive rocks. We also took our pictures in "jail".
The ride back to the airport was so peaceful and quiet. I slowed down quite a bit so I could get a picture of the view. I was super glad that Larry decided to wear a red shirt, so I could always seem him WAY out in the front. He was loving every second of the ride. Those e-bikes can get going fast. I didn't dare go above 20 mph, but I bet Larry was doing much faster than that.
It was amazing to be able to just "hop" into the plane and take off. Larry gave me a plane tour of Bryce Canyon on our way out. It was so beautiful! It was crazy to think that we had just been down there earlier.
We took one detour on the way home to fill up with gas - in Fillmore. It was fascinating watching Larry do it. Gas was fairly cheap at this airport - only $5.49/gallon.
We ended our day together getting a Strawberry Dole Whip at a nearby restaurant. It was a day I will remember forever and ever. I kept asking Larry to pinch me because it didn't seem real that I was there with him. I am blessed!
Also, I forgot to wear sunscreen so I got a little burnt. It's all good though, because it's turned into a nice tan now.
Every Tuesday brings a new adventure at the temple. This past week was actually quite unique. We found a bat - not that it's unique, but still unusual enough to be exciting!
The Elders and I also had a chance to clean around all the doors and windows (at least as high as we could reach). I will never forget Elder Kennedy and I having a seriously discussion about life while sweeping the dead carcasses' of gnats and mosquitoes off the temple brick and window sills. I am so lucky to have this volunteer job! I feel part of the "Tuesday temple family". I can't ever imagine quitting.
About an hour into our day, this amazing gal stopped and asked if she could help. She had just finished baptisms and was waiting for her brother who was doing an endowment session. Typically, we don't take them up on it, but for some reason I said sure and gave her a cultivator. She was a trouper because it was a HOT day, and she worked with her dress on. Even the temple security guy stopped to say he had never seen a garden volunteer working in a dress. I think it made Aneya feel pretty amazing. She was a hard worker and I'm so thankful she showed up. We trimmed down all the peonies today. I lost count after doing 25.
Elder Kennedy got the job of trying to get this graffiti off the hardscape on the south pavilion side. It looked like spray paint to me and it wasn't coming off. Later, Tokie said that someone had actually just used the leaf of a nearby plant to do it. It just made me sad. I told Tokie she should have security check the video footage so the perpetrators could be caught. Truthfully, it was probably a 7 or 8 year old kid who had no idea the difficulty they were causing.
Elder Kennedy was given the opportunity to go swimming in the water fountain. Not literally, but he was given the task to wade in and pick up all the coins that people throw into it. It has to be cleaned out at least once a week. It looked like so much fun, but a little bit disrespectful as there were a lot of patrons around at that point. Elder Kennedy found an Italian coin and two Euros (which he happily took home), so he was super excited about that. Who knows if he will ever get that chance again. Most of the time the temple engineers do that job.
The last adventure of the day was going to get ice-cream during our lunch break. Like I said, it was a super hot day and ice-cream just needed to happen. Elder Kennedy was so generous and let me borrow money so I could pay for mine. He also paid for Elder Renchers suckers (he wasn't in the mood for ice-cream), but once he was ready the pay the cashier told him that missionaries always get free ice-cream. We laughed and laughed with delight. It was the happiest kind of day and I will never forget how hard we worked, and how much fun we had together. The main gardener was on vacation and so the Elder and I were "in charge" for the second half of the morning. It was so much fun.
In August we had a little adventure with a bunny rabbit. This is my friend - Wendy - yes, you've seen her before. She has a big heart for animals. When she saw a cute bunny hopping down the road (over by the creek) she felt like she needed to save it before it got killed by a fast moving car.
Since Wendy owns dogs she, of course, couldn't keep the darling bunny at her house. So over here it came. It was actually so adorable and would hop, hop, hop everywhere. I know absolutely nothing about owning bunnies so I did the best I could for it. Baby girl absolutely adored it.
Thankfully, after having it for just a few days the "real" owners were driving past my house and noticed their bunny. Whew, I was never so thankful in my life to get rid of a pet. It was cute, but the poop was starting to cramp my "barefoot outside" style. Sometimes baby girl will say "bunny, bunny, hop, hop, hop". I just have to tell her that the bunny went back to his real home.
Peter is behind in Math - he has been all year. I am hopeful that we will be able to catch up. Here are just a few of the many pictures I have of me "trying" to help him and him just being frustrated.
Last night we did have a little better success. I found that if he works out the problem in his workbook at the same time I'm doing the same problem he is able to be more confident in doing the calculations. In fact, we had a blast last night and it was a bit of a race to see who could complete the problem first. I am thankful that I love this type of math! Hopefully, I'll always be able to be his math tutor. It might get to the point where I have to jump ahead on his online school account so I can learn the material before I have to help him. I can totally see myself doing it. I've always considered Algebra to be similar to a complicated dance. If you don't get the right steps, in the right order, you end up tripping up and looking dumb. Hopefully Peter and I can work well together to prevent that from happening.
Back in May, we decided that they boys would attend public school this year. The primary reason is they won't listen to their teacher anymore (aka Mom). It has taken a bit of patience and persistence to prepare them for this transition, but on August 16th they were off regardless.
Peter is going to the local Junior High. It's crazy because everyday he has seven classes. The biggest adjustment for him, is waking up with enough time to do a shower and catch the bus at 7:10am. It's been hard on both him and Mom. There have been multiple days that he has missed the bus. He also ended up with a miserable cold (or was it the newest variant of Covid) and didn't end up going to school for 5 days. It has come back to bite him bad, because he is super behind on homework. Ah well, trial by fire. Brandon found this silly t-shirt on Amazon and bought it for Peter. Peter thinks it's pretty great. Peter is such a helper of people. Almost everyday he comes home to tell me what teacher he has helped during his free time. He would even like to be a Teachers Assistant next semester, if we can get his Math and English grade up.
Luke is going to our local middle school. I was more worried about the adjustment for him, but he has handled it like a pro. He hardly ever has homework to do afterschool, and he really enjoys his band class. I am so glad that Bran convinced him to take it. It's been a spot of happy for him. His friend Landon, and Quin both meet at our house every morning to go on the bus together. It's fun to see them all talking and laughing and then walking to the bus stop together. We are lucky because the bus stop is super close to our house.
The one thing I am most impressed with is Luke's ability to wear shoes. Since he is taking a P.E. class this term, he can't wear his crocs. It was a very sad day when he realized that, and we even tried to get away with it for a few days. However, after two weeks he is very used to his new shoes. He has also done an amazing job at getting himself to all his classes. I don't know how he remembers what rooms to go into, but He has handled it like a champ. He hasn't even had a single meltdown.
Both boys are taking home lunches right now. Peter takes a pop tart and two packets of fruit snacks. Most days he doesn't even eat those. I am thinking he is going to lose weight from lack of food (he doesn't eat breakfast) and all the walking he does to get to his classes (they are all over the junior high). Luke enjoys the same two bags of fruit snacks, two granola bars, and small bag of goldfish, and three (never less, never more) baby carrots. He is a champ and will eat during lunch time.
As for me, I am getting more and more used to having them gone. Having baby to take care of 3x a week helps. I also fill my time on Tuesdays with Temple gardening. Mondays are reserved for quiet time at home, or adventures with my new BFF. It is a very rewarding time in my life right now. I have so many blessings, one of which are these two amazing sons. I am grateful for the ways they are teaching me to be a better person.
This is my dear friend Glenda. She lives just a few houses down from me. She is such a trooper. She lost her husband to cancer a few years ago and she recently gave up her drivers license. When Stake RS responsibilities don't take me away from our ward, I drive her to and from church. She and her husband also had two boys - and she was in her 30's before she was able to have them. One of her sons is married to my good friend Wendy.
This is me and Wendy. We often go on walks together and talk about anything and everything. She always makes me laugh. She has had a very hard life (full of drugs and other awful things), but she considers now the best years of her life. She feels safe and has enough food. In those things, she and I can relate. Instead of telling me just goodbye she will say things like "I love your face". Bwahahaha. I love her face right back.
This summer has been the summer of spending lots of time in the gardens at the Provo City Center Temple. That place just makes me happy. I work hard, but all the hard work has been reapayed over and over again in the friendships I developed and the mental happiness I have been given. Here are some of the good times I've had there:
Elder Kennedy and I were weeding around the west oval. We were looking for a specific weed that's been a problem in the shrubbery there. We managed to find others things instead. This was my "score" of the day. It's a shoot from a nearby ornamental cherry tree. This somehow escaped the notice of everyone and managed to grow for four years. I had the pleasure of chopping it down. I think it was almost 6.5 feet tall. The area where they were growing looks so much better now. Justin took our picture and he isn't good at taking pictures, so this is the best I got.
There are a lot of people that come to the north park area of the temple grounds. They often bring blankets and picnic lunches. It's a big time place for college kids who are "in love" to come and snuggle. Super gross! Anyway, I laughed when I found these socks in that area. I told Justin the college kids are starting to get really comfy and partially undressing. I think Tokie (Justin's boss) ran over the socks with the lawn mower (ride on) so that's why they are full of holes.
On that same day I found the "goods" seen below. It was a homeless persons stash of stuff. I didn't look super close, but I did notice a camp stove, propane, blanket, and trash bags. I think it's really sad and disrespectful that the homeless population use the temple grounds as their personal property. Justin says it's a continual problem. He has even seen them bathing in the water fountain! The temple has lots and lots of hidden cameras and that makes me feel better. Still, there are a few areas that are densely packed with shrubs and you could play an awesome game of hide and seek. Or, someone could hide a body back there and it wouldn't be found for weeks. The temple also has roving security guards. I see them at least once every time I'm volunteering there. I think they are slowly getting used to me being there. They look stern, but they are friendly when you stop to talk with them.
Elder Kennedy and I are a team now. He used to just hang out in the shop with Justin, or just in the shop on his phone (I am learning service missionaries have A LOT of freedom). Not anymore, we go out together every week now. He is about halfway through his mission. On this particular day we were weeding the strawberry beds just south of the family circle plaza (everything has a name there). He managed to find a little strawberry. There are actually quite a few beds with ornamental strawberries. They are easy to maintain and look adorable with their pretty pink flowers and unique leaves. It's a major delight for find a strawberry because they are so tasty to eat. The temple also had Oregon grapes that are edible and daylilies that you can eat too. Elder Kennedy is forever trying to get me to eat both. I am actually a fan of the grapes, but haven't gathered up enough courage to try the daylilies even though Elder Kennedy says he will eat one with me.
This was taken on the same day as the above. Justin asked us to work on the morning glory in the ground cover beds right up next to the temple. It was just a humbling experience to be so close. I love the many different colors of bricks. It makes me wonder how many are original, and how many are new.
This is the view that we have of the temple from the "shop". Not too shabby. All the volunteers struggle to find the shop because it's pretty tucked away and nondescript. I have some really great memories of this area. I am so lucky to feel so at home at this temple. Over the past few weeks I have really started to feel a lot of pride and ownership of the gardens and shrubbery beds. I feel like I'm giving up a personal part of myself while I am there and getting so many amazing blessings in return.
June was the month that Peter got his braces on. He has done an amazing job at not complaining about them. I know that he has wanted them for quite a long time. I'm thankful that Brandon and I were finally able to make it happen for this (very tall) kid.
I have been taking a watercolor class this month with two of my neighbors. They are so much better with this class. I have been enjoying the little bit that I have done so far. To be honest, I'm very low key with this class, and I am ok with it. Here are a few of the things I've painted so far.....
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