It is FINALLY Summer!   Walking Sendai one afternoon this week and this is what I saw - 

I'm hoping this means we might be done with rain for a little while.  We've had so, so much rain, and I know we needed it, but, wow, I'm ready for a little sun and some time in the hammock.  (on a side note, everything is really green and beautiful here.)

                        

                                  

I'm not the only one who is grateful the skies have finally cleared -  Ben enjoyed a raspberry popsicle after Church on Sunday.

I love kids with blue tongues! 💙

And the warm weather hit Iowa where Jonathan and Sayre enjoyed playing baseball.

I love Sayre, when he hits the ball, both the bat and the hat going flying in different directions 

Eilis started her summer making Great-Grammie's strawberry jam.  I am so happy the tradition is being carried on ~

It looks to me like she could go into business

Jake had a backyard campout - I'm not sure if anyone stayed outside with him - maybe Milo? 😀

Blythe on her first day of work as a lifeguard - kids beware!

And Paul just got his learner's permit - everyone beware! 😁

Kim took her friend, Selena, to Cardiff, Wales for a Harry Styles concert this past week. What a great way to be a missionary!  A little of the backstory - Kim and Selena work together in the office at the elementary school.  Selena is diabetic, and in March she had an episode and almost went into a diabetic coma.  She is a super Harry Styles fan, so Kim and Chris arranged the travel so they could attend the concert.  

Adam, Cory, and family just got home from a week in Utah.  Cory's nephew, Andrew, was getting married so they were able to spend time with family - they saw Heather, and Ruthie, and went through the Saratoga Springs Temple. 

I love these photos that Adam sent - 

Cousins -Paul, Katie, Jake, Andrew, Sammi, and Lily

Breakfast smores with Aunt Ruthie

Saratoga Springs Temple

   

Love these smiles!

Am I the only one in the family that hasn't been to Yellowstone National Park?   Josh took this photo coming home from Montana last month.  Yellowstone has always been one of the places I would love to see.  I know there are some in the family who are not road trip fans 😊, but I think because I grew up taking lots of road trips with my Dad and grandfather, that it is something I love to do.  Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore (for a second time), and Mesa Verda are all on my list . . . maybe next year ~

And, couldn't end this day without a photo of our favorite missionary!

If anyone would like to drop him a note or card this is his address - 

California Anaheim Mission, 2500 North Bristol Street, Santa Ana California, 92706

A Last Thought ~

To Finish up tonight I wanted to add a couple of more thoughts I read in Our Savior from Self-Doubt.  Like the creation process, we don't have to reach the final stage of our perfection before we experience God's love and feel God rejoice in who we have become thus far.  We trust that the Lord would say to us what Alma said to his son Shiblon: "I say unto you, my son (or daughter), that I have had great joy in thee already, because of they faithfulness and thy diligence, and they patience".  Alma didn't find joy in his son at that moment for who he would become but for who he was already.  Likewise, God finds joy in us now.  I know God loves us too, no matter what our weaknesses and imperfections my be.  Do we have a long way to go until we become like Him?  Absolutely.  He knows that, and so do we!  But we can find joy by cherishing this day and knowing that God rejoices in our progress this day as well.  The next time we have feelings of self-doubt and consider giving up on ourselves, or the next time we consider giving up on someone we love, please remember that God will never give up on us.  And He will never give up on the people we love.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMI, and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

What a great weekend, celebrating Spencer, Sammi, and the wonderful Father's in our lives.  

Spencer celebrated his 23rd birthday on Thursday, and is as handsome now as he was when he liked to play airline captain 😀.  Spencer is one of the most kind, and loving people I know, and is also a great listener.  I loved our visits when we were in Chicago a few weeks ago.  He is learning to grow from challenges, and someday we are all going to want his autograph because he is going to be someone famous ~ Love you so much Spencer!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SAMANTHA TODAY!

Sammi turned17 years-old today.  How quickly they grow from that⬆ to this ➡.  She is smart, a great cook, and a super cookie maker. She is kind, and fun, and I love that she is always so thoughtful of others.  Samantha will be starting her Junior year of high school in the Fall.  Wherever she goes or whatever she decides to do in life, the world will be a better place because of her goodness and beauty, both inside and out. 

Happy Father's Day to the great Fathers in my life! 

To my Dad who always showed us how much he loved our Mom.  He was such a hard worker, but loved his ranch, his cows, and horses, his bowl of ice cream at night, and a good steak.  

To Kevin who has been my best friend for 48 years, and a great father to our children.  Life has been an adventure, and being a parent doubles the fun 😊.  I love that Kevin has such a strong testimony of the Gospel, I love his knowledge of Gospel Principles, and his faith in our Savior.  

And to Josh, Adam, Jonathan, and Chris - Thank you for being such wonderful husbands to your wives and amazing fathers to your children!      We love you so much!

Jonathan sharing his scooter with Sayre

Josh and his Girls, and Ben

A little explanation about Chris's shirt.  It was a gift from his kids for Father's Day today.  Remember when he used to love Poppy the Street Dog?  Well, now he loves otters - so if you see any good otter videos be sure to send them to him.  

A great Christmas photo of Adam and the kids

December 2022. 

You are all the Best Dad's Ever!

I DO LOVE AND APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU ~   Last Sunday I lost a good friend in the Ward to pancreatic cancer.  She was diagnosed in December, started treatment in January, and did well through May until suddenly she didn't.  She went downhill so quickly in just the last two weeks and I was sad not to be able to visit with her again, but she just wasn't up to it.  I was asked to help dress her in her Temple clothes this past Tuesday, and though it was sad to see how the disease had ravaged her small body, it was also a testament to the truth that our bodies really are just a temporary home for our Spirits, and once the body can't function any longer, the Spirit is gone.  So, thanks this week for your phone calls, text messages, hugs, the photos you sent, the children you shared, and the diet coke. When I was feeling droopy, you were there for me 💜

 HAPPY #24 ANNIVERSARY to Kim and Chris today - JUNE. is definitely a month for celebrations! 

Salt Lake Temple, June 11, 1999

Chris and Kim have found a way to always have fun, and make the best of every situation.  Sometimes when the day seems droopy, Dad and I will look at each other and say that we need to be doing something fun, we need to have more fun like Kim and Chris, so we'll sneak out of the house for a pedicure, or walk through Sam's Club.  Now, that may not sound fun or exciting, but anytime we are together and focusing on each other and not our computers, or the TV is a fun time.  

You are a blessing to our family and wish you many more years of joy and happiness. 

Another Anniversary . . .  Dad and I also celebrated our 48th Anniversary on June 6th.

What an adventure!  

Oakland Temple, June 6, 1975

11 moves, 4 children, 13 grandchildren, 4 dogs, Disneyland, Mt Rushmore, Washington D.C., Gettysburg, road trips to California, road trips to Iowa, road trips to Salt Lake City, Service Missions, and so much more ~  Even though we are feeling the bumps and bruises of getting older, it just keeps getting better!

We celebrated our anniversary by putting new flooring in our bathroom and bedroom. Thank you Adam!  It's not quite completed yet, but should be by tomorrow afternoon.  Adam has worked so hard and has done a great job.  Once the flooring is complete,  I want to paint 😁  

This has been a great time to do some purging and clean out our closets.  So many things I never use and haven't worn for ages - finding new homes for them this week.

Speaking of Adam - he and Cory also celebrated an Anniversary on May 22 - 

Denver Temple, May 22, 2004

We are so happy they live close by, and especially now that school is out we get to see them more often.  Also, thank you, Cory, for bringing me a box of biscuits from Cracker Barrel this week! (because when I took Shannon to breakfast one morning she ate all of mine😢)

SUMMER is looking like a busy time . . .

Hollie is busy with friends, but has promised to come see me this week

Eilis is going to Salt Lake City with a friend for a concert

Samantha is working at Jellystone RV Park

Emma is working two jobs, and just moved into an apartment

Spencer will be working and has promised to come see me this summer

Lily is spending time with friends, after a busy soccer season, and just went to the Temple

Ben is busy playing (it's nice to be 5)

Paul is playing soccer, and more soccer  

Blythe is lifeguarding at the community pool  

Max has extended his mission until December so he will be serving the member in Huntington Beach this summer

Grant is Blythe's boss at the pool😀 (good luck grant!)

Jake is always busy - summer, fall, winter, spring - he never stops 

Sayre is finishing his last days of Pre-school, and will be heading off with his Mom and Dad to Utah(for Dad's work), Idaho, and Colorado.

I wanted to share another thought this week that came from the book, Our Savior from Self-Doubt.  In a TED talk, Stanford University psychologist and author Carol Dweck, (queen of the growth mindset)  spoke of a high school in Chicago where the students were required to complete eighty-four units to graduate.  If students did not pass a unit, they did not receive a failing grade.  Rather, their report card read "Not Yet."  "Not Yet" implied that the students were still learning and still working to complete all that was required.  Dweck said, "If you get a failing grade, you think, I'm nothing, I'm nowhere.  But if you get the grade "Not Yet," you understand that you're on a learning curve.  It gives you a path into the future."  The students and their teachers discovered that "not yet" grades helped students maintain motivation to keep working instead of giving up.  They did not feel like failures but instead were at ease that there was still work to be done.  A "Not Yet" mindset helped students accept tasks that were difficult' it created kids who were hardy, resilient, and persistent.

Can we let it be OK that we are not finished and that there is still work to be done?  We are all in the state of "not" "yet" - we're not perfect yet, but we will be eventually.  Right now we can focus on the progress we've made thus far and on our next steps forward.  We can change our focus to who we are already, (because of God's hep) and be grateful instead of focusing on who we are not . . . yet.  I accept that I have a "Not Yet" grade in every area of my life.  There's a lot of work to be done.  Christ gives me hope.  His loving patience motivates me to keep trying.  It motivates me to be patient with myself and others.  

We should have known Blythe would grow up to be a fashion artist and Eilis would be her first test model😀

Cute Hollie knows how much her Mom loves snowmen

A great photo of Kim and Chris taken today

Okinawa 1995-94?

sleepyhead #!

sleepyhead #2