Week 23

Monday was Lily's birthday and we spent the day at a fun park we hardly ever go to. She has entered into a weird stage where she is too old to stay busy and have fun at a playground for as long as the younger kids. I suppose it is part of nearing teeanger-hood. She was ready to go way before anyone else but I made her wait since all the other kids were happy. We brought dougnuts to share (I made her waffles for breakfast) and played until about 4pm. I enjoyed talking with my friends as well and it was a beautiful day. We came home and they watched TV until Josh got home then we went out for a special seafood dinner. We usually do that while we're in NC but didn't feel comfortable with that there so we saved it for Lily's birthday. We told her she could have all the hushpuppies she could eat and she orderd the crab mac and cheese but said it had too much old bay so Josh switched dinners with her and gave her his fried shrimp, which made her happy. It was a lovely evening out and I love eating by the water. We came home and she opened her presents and we had the peanut butter cheesecake I had made that was quite delicious. 

I am really grateful for Lily. She is incredibly thoughtful, sensitive, and sweet. She is seriously the best big sister and is a talented girl. She dances beautifully, plays the piano, does well in school, is learning the clarinet, is a good friend, she's funny and artistic and creative. She is super helpful in the kitchen and has really been on a baking kick lately. She is a good girl with a good heart and I'll lover her forever for making me a mom. 

Tuesday we cleaned. Everyone had two jobs, I did laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and all the bathrooms. I was stressed and felt that this was my way to regain some control of my life. At least my house could be clean. Well, except for the basement which is currently unusable and will be for the foreseen future. Josh was incredibly stressed all week and it was difficult for both of us. He felt so overwhelmed with work and church responsibilities and stupid flooding in the basement. We had one-word conversations until Thursday at 11pm. He stayed home from work all Tuesday morning to try and problem solve and get the basement cleaned up and work with our neighbor who is having similar issues. Tuesday evening was book club and I led the discussion. I felt like it went pretty well and that most people enjoyed or learned from the book. 

Wednesday was rainy so we did some vacumming, relaxed a bit and then went to the library. We checked out 65 books and my kids could hardly carry them. My house is littered with books, which is not a bad problem to have but seriously, they are everywhere. 

Thursday we celebrated Lily's birthday doing what she really wanted to do, which was go to a waterpark. I took her and her two besties, along with Curtis and one of his besties, to Six Flags waterpark for the day. I had hoped Josh would come and we planned to go Friday on his day off but he had too much to do, which was disappointing. The weather looked better for Thursday so off we went and thankfully, Sarah was generous and offered to watch my two younger kids because I don't think I could have kept track of all the kids. I had never been there before and we did have to wear masks anytime we weren't on a water slide or eating but the kids had a great time. I had planned to just sit and read and relax, which I did, but after a few hours I was ready to play and have fun. Trouble is I didn't feel like the kids wanted to hang out with me and I didn't have a buddy so I would have been the loser 40-year-old lady by herself and that didn't sound fun either. Plus I liked staying in one spot so the kids always knew where to find me, but I was itching to go ride roller coasters and had to keep reminding myself I was there for Lily, not me. I had hoped to get them to the regular park for at least a bit to look around and see what else was there but we opened up that water park and we shut it down eight hours later. It was a busy day and we were all pretty tired by the time we finally got home at 9:30. I did enjoy hanging out with just the big kids for a day and appreciated being able to.

Friday I mowed the lawn and worked outside weeding for hours trying to regain some control of my yard. The grass was still wet and muddy in some places but our lawn was out of control and it just keeps raining so who knows when it will dry out. Josh worked half the day then came home and spent all afternoon getting frogs out of the window well and plugging it up, measuring for a drain, cutting more drywall and trying to find the source of our leaking problems. It was just a long, working day.

Saturday I went for a bike ride, Lily had a surprise zoom birthday party with some friends, we cleaned the car inside and out (always a little sad to vacuum out the last of the summer sand) and then I went shopping. I went to Old Navy for the first time in a long time and just wandered around by myself. It was wonderful. I went to Bath and Body works to get soap (I got 9 for $24 and a free lotion!) and Target for an outdoor table and then Harris Teeter for some pizza ingredients for Josh. He got his fancy new pizza oven and tried it out last night. He is in love and I don't really get it but whatever, he's happy and I didn't have to make dinner. Then we spent all evening cleaning up the basement. It rained while I was out and Josh took video of the water just pouring in through this big crack he found. He was really sad about it because this is going to be a huge fix and we still haven't heard from the builder. We packed up the entertainment center and moved our TV upstairs and moved the couch and vacuumed up the mess that was under the couch and then put fans all over and draped carpet over chairs to get it up off the floor. Such a mess. Josh was so tired but had to finish writing his talk so I watched the Tonight Show and went to bed. 

Today we went back to church for the first time since March 9. It was just a test meeting with 24 of us but I think it went well. We took the sacrament and then Jen Tripp gave a great talk and then Josh. When I had heard we couldn't sing or talk with each other and had to wear masks, I kind of wondered why we were bothering but I felt a power there today. Even in a small gathering, it was strong and we were all a bit emotional about it. Just seeing other people and worshipping together was so special and I'm glad we got to go. Since we share our building, the most for now we can meet is every other week and I think that will be a good balance because I still do enjoy our home church, but it really was good to be with other ward members today. I know I am biased too but I think Josh gave a great talk (Jen did too) but considering the stress and fatigue he was dealing with this week, I was proud of him and a bit in awe of how the Lord strengthens him in his calling. 

I feel like I have a lot to be stressed about. I have no idea what virtual school with four kids home is going to look next week, especially for my poor kindergartener. We have no idea how to fix the crack in our foundation or how it is going to work out with the builder and every time it rains, we have to clean it all up again. I have pointe shoes I drove 1.5 hours to purchase that my daughter's teachers says are too big so I have to figure out how to solve that problem this week. Dance and sports are starting back up so we'll have places to get to again and a schedule to keep. Josh's work is super demanding right now and this virus just seems to go on and on and I would love to be able to work out at the gym again but I can't because I have my kids home and I have an appointment to get my new driver's license right when my kids have school open houses that I just learned about and I have a dentist appointment the day after school starts because I was supposed to be free, but now I'll be the opposite of free. Still, I actually feel pretty peaceful about it all and just feel like it is going to work out. I read some inspiring words last night from Elder Wirthlin and then Josh's talk today just really boosted my spirit. It has been a difficult year and I doubt the difficulties are over but right now I feel calm and peaceful that it is all going to work out and I need to stop being fearful and stressed about so many things. So, here is to a new week! 

Elder Wirthlin said, "How little I knew then of what awaited me in later years. But whenever my steps led through seasons of sadness and sorrow, my mother’s words often came back to me: “Come what may, and love it.”

How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.

If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness."