Pioneer blessings.....July 25th 2017

Hi Landon and Mason,

I am going to try something new and see how it works.  Mason had actually suggested it before he left, and that was to make a blog for our family while you are gone.  It will be easier for you to read and also easier for me to upload pictures and such and then we will have a journal of our lives too after your two years of service.  So here it goes....
(Oh and by the way, you will still hear individually from me, but maybe not as long😍)

It's been a busy last week at our house.  Lydia has finished the first week of Lion King and is having a blast.  Gracie and I have seen it twice and Dad and Jacob once.  We go again this next week.  The first time Gracie saw it I don't think she knew Lydia was on the stage, cause after she was too scared to go to her.  The second time she caught on and was cheering loudly "yay Lydia" and clapping.  It was probably a little too loud but cute none the less.

(can you spot which one is Lydia?)

It was also the baseball tournament last Monday-Wednesday.  Jacob's team did so well that they made it to the finals!⚾  They played 6 games in 3 days.  In the end they placed 4th place as they lost to the Salam Mariners.  It was a close game.  Dad was a great coach, and had a reputation during the the tournament as being the calmest team.  The last game changed that reputation when all that competition that he had bottled up inside him came out...  he never did anything to get the team in trouble but he sure made sure the umpires kept things fair.  Dad was just as entertaining to watch as the boys!  Jacob got a medal for 4th place in the region (which was a big deal) and wore it proudly for a few days after.  

 



Gracie is doing better at swimming lessons.  On Wednesday she continued to scream so I took her out early.  It was enough for her to realize I was serious so on Thursday when we went back she was happy as could be and didn't scream at all.  Hopefully this week she is just as good.

Saturday was Mapleton's 24th of July celebration.  We had fun going to the parade, park and fireworks.  But it wasn't as good as when you guys were in the parade and got dad wet😄!  Our ward also didn't do a float this year, so we didn't have any family representation in the parade this year.  The city counsel was still getting everyone wet, and there was plenty of candy, which Gracie enjoyed collecting.

Waiting for the parade to start

Mapleton city council

Mapleton Stake Presidency had a funny float.  (they walked behind in regular clothes)

An awesome entertainment show at the park.  Lots of Disney songs, including Newsies and Beauty and the Beast

In the Beauty and the Beast song they gave Gracie flowers

That night was the fireworks show.  We went to the park again this year.  It was packed.  Saw a few of your friends from a distance.   (Garrett G, Caleb C. Lauren B.).  Only a few of them were with anyone.  Seems like slowly your friends have left on missions and there are only a few left.

Gracie loved getting ready for church on Sunday and when I asked her to take a picture for her two favorite missionaries, this is how she posed. 

Lydia and I ran the Temple to Temple run this morning for Pioneer Day!  This race has almost 20,000 people in it so it's crowded.  Lydia did well running.  She has been running most mornings with dad.  She is thinking about may doing cross country in the fall instead of tennis.  

We ran into Jeremy at the race.  He says "HI".  He has three weeks till he leaves.  Which means Landon has 3 more weeks till he leave the CCM!  Wow!  

Crazy story......  So last Tuesday when I came out of swimming lessons at Provo Rec, our van's back bumper had been hit.  It had a very large dent in it and no note or any indication of who hit it and ran.  I was mad, cause not only was that so inconsiderate but now in order for me to get it fixed I would have to claim it on my insurance and pay my deductible of $500. 

Hit and Run damage

Because we were so busy with baseball tournament and Lion King I told the insurance I would think about when I would get it fixed.  The very next day Wednesday as I was driving to Jacob's game, as I was coming over the hills in Springville leading to the freeway I got rear-ended!!  A SUV hit the back of the van, and then a truck hit them (thank goodness no one was hurt). The irony of this week and damage to the van!!!   Well the rear end accident only did damage to the bumper too.   On the scene of the accident was a police officer who filed a report and claimed I was the victim cause I was the one that got hit.  I took the van to the auto-body shop and the insurance adjuster determined that my whole bumper will need to be all replace and that because I was rear ended the person who hit me, insurance would cover the replacement.  Now I don't have to worry about using mine nor paying the deductible for the hit and run dent.  

As I have thought about this, it's made me reflect on how sometimes the blessings don't always come the easy way that we think they should.  Sometimes they come in hard ways, and ways that help us grow or be grateful for our circumstances.  As I stood on the side of the rode in Springville that afternoon in a little bit of rain, I was actually grateful I had gotten rear ended, as crazy as that sounds.   Be patient, know there is growth in hard things, and that the Lord is mindful of those challenges and sometime it might be an accident or another trial that fixes a problem.

Keep up the good work boys!  We love you so much!