A Day of Labor

We decided to let the kids sleep in a little longer than usual on their day off from school so we didn't start our Labor Day hike of the "R" Mountain until 9am.

Although Brinley's eyes are closed (only pic), she was very much awake during the excursion.

 The beginning of the trail is deceptive.  It may look simple but it's no easy jaunt.  

Tanner did run portions of the hike and then waited for us at the top.

 Not a very clear picture, but in the distant background you can see three peaks of the Teton Mountains.

 Behind us is the cratered valley which resulted from volcanic eruption a very long time ago.

 It was a beautiful day to enjoy the sunshine and get our blood pumping before we returned home for a few family work projects.

 Two more pine trees in the back yard needed some serious TLC.  Those darn mice still have a presence in our yard.  Aaron cut lower limbs from the pines making it easier to clear out.  We will eventually bark the area and hope to discourage mice from nesting under the boughs.

How ironic that some of our healthiest grass was pick-axed out of the area....

 We had multiple projects going on throughout the day.  Some trimmed, pulled weeds, helped load the trailer with stuff headed for the D.I. or the dump.  Others picked and processed tomatoes, carrots and potatoes.  Aaron and I spent most of the day in the storage room area of the garage.  We started tackling the garage on Saturday during which time the Subaru car keys disappeared.  For several days afterwards, we prayed to find those keys without success.  Tuesday evening after saying our companionship prayers together, I remembered we needed to turn off the sprinklers because we were going to put weed control on the grass the following day.  Though it was late and Aaron was ready for bed, he went out into the garage to turn off the sprinklers.  It was then that he received a distinct impression to walk to a certain cubby in the garage to look for the keys.  He dismissed the thought knowing full well he had already scoured the area with no sign of keys.  Again, the thought came, so Aaron decided to move in that direction.  As he approached the cubby area, he had to move one of the kids' bikes out of the way.  In doing so, he looked down and spotted the car keys hanging in the wheel spokes of another bike.  Instantly, he thought of the story of Naaman in the Bible and recognized the answer to our prayers.  We shared the experience with the children the following morning during scripture study as a reminder that indeed, the Lord hears and answers our prayers.  No always immediately and not usually in the way we expect.  But answers do come.

 And while we haven't finished any of the projects yet, we did make progress.  

That's reason enough to celebrate.

 After our dinner BBQ, we made s'mores.  They were not your run-of-the-mill s'mores as some used peanut butter cups or rice crispy treats or chocolate with almonds.  The ultimate FHE treat.

We worked hard and played hard on Labor Day.

 Quinn was very proud of the matching outfits he and Aaron wore on Monday.

 Tuesday morning my running partner had to work so I did my own work-out while Jantzen was at 6am basketball practice.  After running stairs, laps around the college indoor track and doing a set of push-ups in between each interval (120 push-ups total), I drove back to get Jantzen.  I don't know the story behind the amazing yard and gardens of an older woman that lives in town, but she leaves her mark on the community each spring/summer with her beautiful flowers.  This year the flowers spell the word L-O-V-E and the O is shaped like a heart.

Selfie with the Kari Anne's trailer behind us.

 College classes start tomorrow so we've seen an influx of cars and students around town this past week.  In fact, Friday morning while I was taking the girls to school, police officers were directing traffic and handling the madness.  I have mixed feelings about it but needless to say, our little 'sleepy town' has once again, the largest enrolled student population on record.  It's crazy to me that we have more students pass through here than BYU-Provo (especially given the infrastructure of our community).  And I don't think these numbers include those being educated via the Pathways Program.  I often think of the prophetic statement made by my great-great grandfather, Jacob Spori, “The seeds we are planting today will grow and become mighty oaks, and their branches will run all over the earth."  I am a living witness to this reality.

 It's only taken all summer long to get together for a little Kari Anne's with my friend, Tricia.  I've been holding out on frequenting the gelato/custard/italian ice rage in town.  It's been here for a few years but it took Tricia's invite (and 3 months) to finally try it out.  Yum and double yum.  She teaches up on campus and now that we no longer have visiting teaching each month, we rarely see each other. 

Who has 80+ year old widows bringing them homemade bread and jam?  Isn't it usually the other way around?  Oh, how we love Nina M.!  She is a ray of sunshine in the lives of so many.  She called me on Friday to see if I were home because she had a delivery to make!  We all love this dear lady.  My kids devoured this in no time.  The gift of white bread even made their journal entries today:).

Elsie, Anna and Lillian collecting dishes from guests.

I'm always so grateful when Aaron is in town.  Saturday was pretty nutty with three soccer games (one out of town), two piano master classes, the ACT for Tanner, two wedding receptions (with 6 dozen cookies to make and bring - thanks Brinley!), a brother moving (again), etc.  With all that went on yesterday, I didn't even think to get a picture of the bride and groom (Zac and Marae) or of Amber and Dave or Brinley and Madison, but it was a splendid evening in the Walquist's yard.  Our friends from Arizona flew out for the wedding reception for their son that recently returned from his mission and is now married and attending school here.  Friends pitched in and provided the refreshments and Amber asked me, Brinley, Anna and Elsie to assist.  We were happy to help run things behind-the-scenes and the perfect weather was an added bonus.  Even after the events of the day, Aaron (and Jantzen/Anna) mustered the energy to catch some of the BYU vs. Boise State game at his parent's place that night (we don't have cable).

Another miracle in BYU football history.  Go Cougars!