To Love

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Trippin'

Sunday morning was St. Patricks's Day. I pinched him, so he donned a green sweatband.

I pinched her, too.

This clever mothered ordered tie pins for all her peeps, so we wouldn't get pinched at church.

It's the blooming Prunus cerisifera that makes me coo.

Monday, well, I drove 600 miles to Mother's house (leg 1) with my three friends. Our time in the car was peaceful and delightful.

FHE was a hotdog roast with the local cousins. Mother was the chef and preparator, Jib was the fireman, Ricky was the entertainer, Ash, Emily and Ale held babies, Ronnie was the basketball champ, and Sis helped me discuss leg 2 navigation. Andy and Allie talked dating. George and Maisie mingled effortlessly. It was just so much delightful.

Molly closed her little lids in Grandma's comfy bed and was asleep instantly.

Tuesday we drove another 650 miles to Natalie's house in Idaho. The fun never stopped.

During the three days we visited, there was only about an hour of screens. The children swam, romped the property, picniced, cooked hotdogs, rode ATVs, played in the gym, shot off fireworks, threw the baseball, read, were introduced to Glitter Girls, and created vidoes.

The view from the kitchen window.

Natalie and I? We quilted a runner for my birthday table. We also fed scores of children and even stopped for duets one afternoon. WHAT A TIME for loving, laughing, longing, learning and listening.

Saturday morning we traveled only 450 miles to Pocatello -- leg 3. More podcasts, books, music and quiet chatter.

We met our favorite peeps at Costco for dinner and light roaming.

That evening we gathered to prepare for the twins' blessing day. We mended, ironed, chatted around the table and simply ate up the babies.

Sunday morning was simply a manifestation of God's love. Elijah spoke beautiful blessings to his two daughers -- blessing them with lives filled with goals achieved and dreams made true. Girls with lives of big living and huge loving. Then those two parents were the speakers for the remainder of the meeting. They shared stories of faith in Jesus Christ and a Heavenly Father who listens.

Mother and Grandma Goodell are now even greater. Perhaps not only because they've earned the added title of "great" to their roles, but because of great women that they are. Look at them coo at their twinnies.

Five generations! (Bea is wearing the Armstrong blessing dress, and Winnie is wearing the Babcock blessing dress -- the one made from my wedding train.)

Family. (Nick and Maddie were left behind for track meets, MORP and the love of grandparents.)

We then made our way to brunch. Their apartment was crowded, but so cozy.

Us.

I drove Grandma Goodell home, whereupon she gave me a tour of her house. I found this sign hanging, knowing it will be used again.

Here she is showing me her journals and pile of books. "God love it."

We left that afternoon (Austin flew home) and traveled to Mother's again -- leg 4. Of course the skies parted at just the right moment as we were passing Daddy's cemetery. We stopped and loved him. Glorious family was waiting for us -- the children romped and played all evening. Andy, Maisie and George showed up at the right time for family choir. That George has a booming baritone voice, and he knew every word to our hymns. YES!

Monday Mother fed us and we were off on our fifth and final leg, home. But not before we noticed her crocus and daffodils.

We hit a whole bunch bad weather, even though we chased the blue sky as best we could. There was very little device time on our journey. Eddie sat beside me all five legs, and he was a great navigator and food controller. He was also the DJ.

Molly, keeping clean.

Home was so happy. I noticed that Austin slept on my side of the bed. That's funny.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Spring Break 2024

I think it quite ironic that we left spring and found winter during Spring Break. We spent the week in Durango, Colorado skiing and relaxing. (Admittedly, the act of skiing is not relaxing, but the fact that we were away from the daily grind was relaxing.)

Monday morning we packed for the week and spent the day driving. The three boys were in the back bench, acutally the middle bench, we no longer have need for a third row, sad. (However, the skiis and the luggage fit nicely in that space.).

Maddie mostly napped.

Molly read, drew created and was sweet. Austin and I listened to Outlive.

Tuesday we were up early and hit the slopes of Purgatory. This resort is my favorite of all time. The blues are very manageable and have several options, the greens really feel like greens and are long, gentle runs, and the blacks are very well marked and certainly avoidable. We all improved in courage and speed. The day was a delight.

As a family of seven, the six-chair lift was such that Nick always rode with another group. NBD.

We spent the morning mostly skiing the blues, under blue skiis and quite without the blues. We found a resting spot for lunch, and then we were back at it again.

Molly keeps up in everyway.

After lunch we moved to the far side of the mountain. Austin leads, then we all follow. He often stops at the bottom of a hill to make sure we've all arrived.

We three.

The other four.

Austin's watch mapped our day.

Austin tweaked his knee is pretty badly, so the evening was a bit of a downer. Luckily, it's championship week and the condo had cable, so the basketball games were on every second.

Wednesday we slept in, shopped for an hour or so downtown and then relaxed the rest of the day. Browsing quiet little shops is not exactly an all-day event like I would have wanted, but we did show our noise and clamor when Eddie recognized little boxes of Kleenex with famous artwork on them. Molly then identified the title and artist on each box. She also recognized Frida Kahlo's face on a purse in another store. YES!

Thursday we were back on the mountain again, sans Austin. Rats. Rats. Rats. Since I was in charge, the day ran the way I wanted it to: Each person took a turn as the leader and the follower. The rule was you couldn't ski past the leader, and the follower had to stick behind and be last. SO GOOD! It was in this little exercise that each of our personalities shone:

Moi: We gently rode the mountain via greens and family zones. We had time to feel the cool air, taste the falling snow flakes, smell the pines, and touch the powder.

Nick: Had a plan to stick to blues, but then abandoned it with the first sign of a jump or sharp turn. We crazily and quickily made out way down. He did stop and wait at the bottom of every hill.

Maddie: Consulted the map, found the blues, initiated the luge and calmly paralled the blues.

Eddie: Methodically lead us through trees and side paths. We were able to avoid the blacks and yet find every steep side hill on the blues.

Ryan: Combined every method and careened as haphazardly and dangerously as was possible for a group of six. We cut off all the experienced skiers and shocked the novices.

Molly: Shot straight down the steepest blues that run parallel to the blacks. She didn't wait or stop once.

Lunch.

After lunch, we rode lift #8 and "made quick work" of the steep blues. I loved it, because there was a head wind and lots of powder which slowed us to a comfortable pace. We found a few places without any tracks and visited them often.

I ski because Austin makes me, at least that was my attitude until this season. I can say that although I'm still the last one down, I'm learning to give a little more control to my muscles and a little less to my emotions. Spending hours outside proves a powerful remedy to feelings of obligation and unwanted duty. I ski to feel speed, awe and risk.

We spent evenings with each other and cards. We aren't quite Cezanne's "Card Players," but we are notable in our own way.

A few things to note: I cooked for hours and made lovely freezer meals. This meant that meals were simple and satisfying. "You should prep every week like this." Nope. Our nightly CFM was plain and perfect. Austin and I spent a hour each day walking the college campus. I crocheted and didn't read -- all my books were left home. Boo. I did crochet.

Friday we packed up and drove home. Molly cried about staying longer. Our break was really beautiful.

More Peter Attia on the way home.

Thursday also commemorated the passing of my daddy. 8 Years Ago (Google remembered as well, Austin took the kids skiing then as well.) I still haven't blogged that week, maybe it's time. I haven't forgotten him, but I have learned to wonder about what he thinks of the way I'm choosing to shape my life. My mind uses his approval as the standard of my behavior. His way of teaching was always a combination of behavior and the Savior, so his lessons were powerful and progressive. His spirit lives. I know it.

Google also reminded me that once I was a young mother with little babies -- I really like those memories. 2015 Spring Break in San Francisco.