August... Busy... Crazy... Stressful

August has been a crazy month.  I'm noticing a trend that most of our months are crazy.  The stress level seems to be the thing that varies.  This month has been pretty stressful. Joel was let go at Western States since he's part of the union and WS never knew when he was going to be called up to go work for the Union.

The owner of the house we've been staying at returned and decided he was going to sell the house instead of keep it.  It was bound to happen eventually.  That means we started looking for a new place to live.  I think we were guided to a place near the San Miguel Garden.  We like the community and area and it's closer to the garden!  It will be more in the middle for me to go to work as well as when Joel as Union classes and work. The part I'm not a fan of is packing and cleaning.  All this to be accomplished by the end of the month and while working.  At least I'm not pregnant or have a new born like the last times we've moved.

With Joel not working, he has stayed home to watch the girls.  Usually for the 3 days that I work, the girls are at kid care, with to them is nothing more than a play date.  It's been interesting to see how they miss it.  Hailey will ask if she can play with Bella or Bailey.  We've arranged a few play dates and the reunions are apparently something to behold.  Pure childhood joy.  Humans really are social creatures.

   

 

August also meant Girls Camp.  Since the time I was called as a Young Women's leader in our current ward I've looked forward to girls camp.  I wasn't able to go up and stay all week because I work and because pumping/nursing would have been a small logistics problem.  Not impossible, just not easy.  I was able to go up on two nights and spend the evening.  The first night was Ward night.  Ryan came up with us.  That turned out to be quite funny.  Someone from the bishopric was supposed to be at Flag to represent the girls of each ward.  Well, the bishopric was running late so Ryan was asked to fill in.  What did that mean for him... well a dance off.  He had to go up and dance different genre's of music in front of all the girls.  The other men were up there at the same time. The last sone was swing and somehow one of the members pulled his wife up to dance with him, then the other members did the same... Well, Ryan didn't have a wife, but I guess sister was close enough, so I had to go up and dance as well.  The girls in the ward enjoyed it.

Friday night, Joel came up to camp with me while Mom watched the girls.  We showed up at the middle part of a girls dance.  He decided to go hiking instead of sitting around and watch.  He enjoyed the time in the mountains.  The girls had a testimony meeting after the fun and food.  It was nice to hear from each of the girls. The girls range from 12-18.  Some have solid foundations of what they believe and others are working on figuring it out.  It was refreshing to hear from the young women.  At camp, they didn't feel like they had to say what everyone else said because of peer pressure, but instead they said what was in their hearts, fears and all.

It was refreshing.  I had my moment to speak as well.  I think a lot of times, youth look up to leaders and expect us to know everything or be perfect or be what they need to become, but in reality, we look to the girls and try to become like them.  They are still more innocent then we are, especially the 12-13 year olds.

I will admit that my faith or spiritual life has lacked severely since coming home from my mission.  Life overwhelmed me and I crawled into a hole to hide.  There was part of me that was bitter and angry for a long time.  Being called into young women's what what softened me and allowed me to start progressing again.  The girls never knew that they were having this influence.  But I knew.  I looked forward to being around them.  I will miss them but always be grateful for them.

We never know what our influence is to another person.  We never know who the true leaders are for a person.  To each person, it may be someone different.  I hope that when we move, I can be as lucky as I was here to work with the youth.

A New Sewing Machine, Visiting Grandpa, Making a quilt, Making pesto, and Making More Memories

July is half over and I'm just now getting to sit down and write about everything that we've done, seen, accomplished or become.

Joel had his orientation training for the union welding position.  That is exciting and frustrating at the same time.  Orientation isn't paid time and now he has to wait for a company to pick him up as an apprentice.  There's a reason the employment letter said to not quit your current job if you are employed.  He's excited to start and get going!

I was supposed to be in court on the 8th but it was postponed.  Well, I had already made arrangements for work to be covered and told kid care that they weren't needed that next day.  So since it was canceled, I took a vacation.

Grandpa Clarke found and fixed up a Bernina for me.  He just said I had to figure out a way to come up and get it.  This "vacation" time was the perfect time.  I told Mom that I was going up and asked if she wanted to come with.  It was a girl's adventure.  She was glad that Emi didn't scream and cry the whole drive just bits and parts of it.

 

 Our weekend view.  Temperatures in the 70-80's instead of 115s in Vegas.

I had brought along the quilt fabric for Joel's new blanket.  I wanted Grandpa to help me cut it out and then I could practice sewing and getting used to my new used Bernina.  Well a simple quilt turned out to be much more complicated than I expected...meaning we totally redesigned what I had pictured and thought I'd be making.  It's turning out much better.  Learning to quilt and learning the tips and tricks about the machine made for long evenings once the girls went to be.

 
Hailey loved being able to wander out the back door and play in the yard.  It was in the 70's-80's all weekend.  It rained a little bit but was great weather.  I showed Hailey what it was to lay on a blanket in the grass and look up at the clouds.

Hailey also found out that falling face first on gopher mounds hurts.  Mom brought her in after Hailey has a "hit the floor" temper tantrum.  Expect this wasn't her usual tantrum cry, after furth investigation we found a large knot on her forehead and scrapes on her face.  It was just grass!  How the heck... Then we found the holes. 

 

Grandpa Clarke has a glider swing on the back porch.  While we were visiting, she loved just sitting on the porch swing.  Except when it was time for a bath!  The little girl loves water.  Poor Emi...

 

It is interesting to watch and see what Hailey is learning without me ever really teaching her anything.  She knows that I use the boppy when I feed Emi.  She will even find it for me and bring it to me.  Well, when I'm not using it, she needs to use it to feed her dolly.  Oh brother.  :)

 

I have  a picture of Hailey somewhere doing the same thing with the dryer.  Something about getting inside the big drum...  Hailey still tries to get in things... thus the sitting in her toy bin.

 The San Miguel Community Garden has been a blast to be a part of.  Things are growing like crazy!  We have had great crops of strawberries, tomatoes, and now the basil is going nuts!  Well, what do I do with all that basil?  I dried some, then I experimented with making pesto!  It's good stuff.  Hailey scarfed pesto pasta.

 Hailey loves going to the San Miguel garden.  There is always something to roam around and there are chickens.  Every time she gets more and more brave in the chicken coup.  First it was just staying outside, then she'd go inside but not want to touch or get close to the chickens.  Now she wants to pet the chickens but can't catch them.  She enjoyed the little egg that I let her hold.  Apparently the small eggs when the chickens are first starting to produce are called pullet eggs.  Well, whatever they are called, they are just her side.  Oh and she still never wears shoes unless they are mine!

 We went to Bass Pro Shops and Joel looked around and oogled everything while the girls and I looked at the fishies.  They had an exhibit in the main fish tank where a mermaid would come down and swim in the tank and interact with the kids.  Hailey didn't quite know what to do at first.  She enjoyed the fish though.  I think we spent an hour just looking at fish.

Sometimes it's just easier to clean up after dinner this way... 

 

The girls still love going to the park.  They found a new way to hang out in the chariot.  Who needs seatbelts and should harnesses!

July has been crazy.  I'm sure there's more that's happened but I've forgotten it.  We celebrated the Fourth of July. Hailey loved hearing the "pop" of the fireworks.  We enjoyed swimming and having a BBQ with Joel's coworker in Logandale.  I had a motorcycle training course.  It was good to take the course and learn more of the basics and learn the bad habits that I had picked up from learning on my own.  Oh and now I'm legal on the roads. When riding, we had to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants.  I'm glad for that but dang was it hot!  I rolled up my sleeves during the first morning ride... yeah... I got burned.  I had a sunburn ring around my neck and the one on my arm.  Good times.