Allie is 16! She went to the DMV on her birthday and got her license first thing. She has since made solo trips to Macey's and church. We celebrated by going to lunch, Allie, Cami and I. Our waiter just happened to be my first kiss. Tyler Thomas. That was funny. He gave us a family/friend discount and Allie a birthday crepe. I furiously facebooked old pictures of him to show the girls that the 40 year old man with a mustache, long hair, floral pants and a tie dyed hat was not the 16 year old boy their mom once had a crush on. But his warm personality and friendliness was enough to show them hint of what I once saw in their eccentric waiter.
That night we went to Wicked for Good and overall just had a fun day. Allie is such a thoughtful girl and I'm grateful for her emotional awareness, the way she considers others and is such a peacemaker in our home. I also love her sense of humor, her artistic talents and the way she works so hard to accomplish her goals. She is truly a gift.
On Thursday Isaac took Cami and Tommy to the Ridgeline State Championship Football game at University of Utah. Ridgeline won and they all had a good time. Minus some frustration in finding a parking spot at stinking Rice Eccles Stadium. I went with Vivian to Utah State that same day for her class field trip. We went to the USU women's basketball game. It was crazy to be in an auditorium full of kids aged 9-11. When they cheered/screamed the sound was so loud and so shrill that the players on the other team were literally plugging their ears anytime they didn't need to have their hands out and ready for the ball. I've never seen anything like it. When USU scored 67, the kids lost their minds. 6-7? Who knows. I had a really great time being with Viv. I'm so grateful for my caboose, that keeps me young and in the elementary phase of life still.
We had some exciting news this week that changes Cami's plans pretty significantly. The mission age for girls has been dropped to 18. She has already entered the mission portal and is working on her papers. She hopes to leave this summer and ideally be accepted to and delay BYU for a year and a half. It changes our mode, we are now focused on a mission. Tomorrow I'll set up an appointment for Wisdom teeth and her Pinterest boards are now missionary dresses and scripture quotes!
Isaac and Micah installed an outlet for my used stove yesterday. We've made macaroni and brownies, but we've got big plans! I'm so grateful for a hint of normalcy. It expands our meal options immensely and makes one part of our routine a little easier. There was a bad car accident by Ridgeline last night. 2 teenagers have passed away and 3 others are hospitalized in critical condition. It makes me so sad for their families and so grateful to have all of mine home and safe tonight. Bret's passing was followed by two more funerals in our ward in the last 2 months and the church shooting in Michigan. I feel a little shook by all of it and the fragility and eternity of life has been on my mind a lot.
I'm so grateful for my testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. There are few things as hard as losing loved ones. I've been surprised at the pain I have felt with the loss of Bret. He was a significant part of our weekly routine and I miss him often. I miss him for myself, my kids, my dad, Isaac and especially Debbie and her kids. I'm so glad for Bret's example of extending himself to make others feel important. He really reached out to us when we moved in and made each member of my family feel loved and valued. 3 of the people that have passed in the last 2 months, I took pictures of. It's a reminder to me of how priceless photos become. I'm truly grateful I was able to capture these moments. Life is fleeting.
