Rain

It's been raining on and off all day in Austin, with more rain predicted for most of the next five days. Those of you in Washington would think that's not a big deal. But here, where they are in drought conditions, with the big lakes at 39% full with no waterskiing and no lawn-watering, this is a big deal. May I just add that the stake presidents here asked all the Saints to fast on Sunday for rain. The people here must be really faithful, because they are being blessed. What a great experience to witness a miracle that we can share with our kids.

Grandpa Time!

On Saturday, my parents offered to stay with the kids in the morning so we could go down to the temple in San Antonio. It's a small temple, so you have to call ahead to get into a session. Built all on one floor and full of stained glass, it was truly beautiful. When we got home, my parents were making cookies with the kids. It was a good morning for all of us!

Packing Up and Saying Goodbye

We were literally surrounded by boxes for three days. The packers that came were amazingly efficient and professional, and they stress a whole lot less about what goes in each box. They just fit in stuff from each room without any emotional debate about whether it should go there or be thrown out. We told them what went to storage and what was for the apartment, and they went to town! Unpacking was actually simple, too, because they'd done such a good job. And 2/3 of it went to storage....




This is the time you ask yourself, over and over, how much STUFF does one family need? John kept saying, "Throw it out, unless you're going to make me buy it again."


When this rig pulled up, I couldn't believe it was all for us! Well, it wasn't, we filled about 2/3 of it. Our ENTIRE house fit in 2/3 of this truck. How crazy is that?
Then another company came to pick up our car. It went on a car carrier. They delivered it one week after we got to Texas. I was so glad to see it! A car truly represents freedom, even if it looks crappy, like mine does.

After all the stuff had been packed, I had cleaned the house (with Beth's help, of course) and the new owners had come by, John picked up the kids to go to the hotel while I went out one last time with my fabulous girlfriends. Luckily, they weren't all mopey and stuff! I love each of you, and am so grateful to have had you influence my life for good. I will miss you terribly.

The next morning before we pulled out for good, we went home and picked up the last of our stuff. We found three little cameras on the porch and assumed they were for the kids for our trip. I don't know who left them, but THANK YOU! They had a great time deciding what to shoot, and it kept them busy for a while. Then we drove around the neighborhood to say goodbye one last time. SO SAD!

PURE JOY!

When I was asked to go to girls' camp, I didn't know why. I am not particularly good at working with youth, whininess gets on my nerves, and I thought it would be a sacrifice on my part. Truly, attending camp was a "tender mercy" for me. In the midst of a difficult summer, it was sweet, mentally relaxing, and a joy to spend a week with these amazing young women and my good friend, Christy. She and I were both amazed at how enjoyable this was. She, because she doesn't camp, and me because I thought it would be hard.

I came away from camp loving these people more than I ever thought possible! Thanks to EVERY SINGLE ONE of you for making camp a memorable week!

And Traci should be in these pictures....We couldn't have done it without her!

Family Reunion

I was a very BAD photographer at the reunion, so I'm only posting a couple of my very favorite pictures. Those of you in Harmony ward will recognize a tradition that made it to Idaho!

Ah, the "donut-on-a-string" event. Classic, and one of my favorites!

Is that not one of the cutest kids you've ever seen? And he looks so innocent and harmless in this picture. You should see him telling off his sisters. Not so cute then!

Hannah's Baptism

Like most LDS families, we have been preparing for this day for a long time. Hannah was so excited, and a little trepidatious, I think. Thanks to all our family and friends, this turned out to be a great experience for her. She even wrote in her journal, Grandma!

With her grandparents and great-grandmother. We are so grateful they could make the trip to be with us.

And no family gathering is complete without pictures of aunts and uncles. Thanks so much to all of them, including lovely, pregnant Aunt Mara, for schlepping down from Seattle just for the baptism.

I've Gotten A Little Lazy....

The craziness and lack of internet the past few weeks has slowed me down in my blogging. And of course, the easy lifestyle I have adopted. Somehow, taking the kids down to the pool every afternoon seems easier than editing pictures to post. So here we go!

Hannah's 8th Birthday, which we celebrated early because her actual birthday was while we were in Idaho at the family reunion:

She only wanted "a Bible" for her birthday. Well, actually, she also wanted a bike, but we told her she had to wait on that one!