Dog Days of June 2020

The month of June was bookended with trips to Logan.  I haven't been very good about taking pictures during this COVID experience but we have a few - thanks to Gma P! It's usually a very quick trip with a purpose and this time we wanted to see Taylor & Jen's family before they moved to St. George for the rest of the summer.  They've been in the USA since January floating around (homeless) but we had yet to see them!  No idea when they will be returning to China and living out of a suitcase got old months ago for them.  Taylor had surgery to remove the metal plate from his shoulder a few days before we arrived but that didn't stop him from hopping on Dad's e-bike and joining Jen, Aaron and me for a ride out past Hyrum Reservoir one morning.  It was fun to catch up with them and always nice to see Tanner.

Tanner and Preston - oldest & youngest cousins.

With their trips cancelled, G-pa has been busy in his shop bringing new life to old pieces of furniture.  Handy to have Tanner around - he helps move lots of stuff around.

Quinn was the only one of our children to make the journey to UT with us.  Jantzen, Anna and Elsie remained at home so they could take care of Kya.  Honestly, it was a nice change of pace for me to leave the dog behind and remember what life was like without the 24/7 care of a puppy.  The kids had something to prove by watching her over the weekend and they came through with shining colors.

It worked out beautifully for Aaron to finally be fitted for this bike he got over a year ago.  The owner of Sunrise Cyclery (and co-founder of LOTOJA) just happened to have time to get him in while we were in CV.  The adjustments were significant and helped eliminate the leg cramping Aaron was dealing with.

We returned home on June 6 and a few hours later - Jantzen was in this condition.  It was a cold, wet evening when the varsity girl's soccer team challenged the boy's varsity basketball team to a game.  Jantzen happened to be the only basketball player that was also good at soccer so the opposing team seemed to have it out for him.  Let's just say one of the players grabbed his hoodie while he was running full steam and didn't let go until he lost his balance and went down hard.  So hard that his back started spasming and he was in excruciating pain.  Aaron and I got the phone call when Jantzen was on the sideline and we rushed over to make the decision to call an ambulance since he couldn't get up.  It was a rough few hours of testing and inaccurate diagnosing but in the end, we were grateful it wasn't worse than several torn ligaments in his back.  He spent a few days in bed and missed work for a week.  Slowly but surely he's healing. 

An evening ride - the tree line hill climb.

Excited for a new biking adventure, we joined Matt & Jane for a 50 mile ride to Jenny's Lake then back to Jackson Hole, WY.  It was a gorgeous day full of promise until we turned around at the half-way point and a fierce wind started kicking up.  We had to slow our pace significantly to ride safely but even that wasn't enough.  As I was in the lead, a gust of wind blew Jane into my back tire and sent her down hard.  Matt and Aaron followed suit and all three lay on the pavement/ground.  We were all in shock.  Unharmed, I was able to get help from a few 'good samaritans' that saw the accident and stopped.  Matt & Jane were pretty scraped up and their bikes were damaged (cracked frames) so they were loaded up in a truck while Aaron and I continued to ride on.  Aaron was bruised and banged up a bit but fortunately, he landed in the dirt (slightly softer than asphalt).  We were all grateful for the prayer offered earlier that morning when we began our adventure because it could have been so much worse.

Quinn - dressed up and dancing around as a Lamanite character from The Book of Mormon.

Not a lot of in-person social interaction with Aaron's ward this semester.  Bless Sister Hurst's heart for making and taking this yummy jam around to the students.  We did have a group over for a backyard BBQ one evening but with COVID still very much a concern, everyone continues to have home church.

It seems we hit our limit of three accidents in June.  Enough said.  It's been an expensive month.

Father's Day - Aaron requested a family hike.  Our first outing with Kya.  She was in heaven running around on the trail and feeling the freedom of the great outdoors.  It was a moment to remember.

Sweet messages from the kids and a few necessities - a chain saw, a footzone and jerky.

Here's where we capture the cuteness of Kya.  This has been a learning experience for all of us.

Let me summarize our 6-weeks of puppyhood.  Kya is an adorable golden-doodle with loads of energy and she required A LOT of attention.  The kids stepped up in a major way to care for her - especially Elsie.  The first few weeks were the hardest as she couldn't make it through the night without needing potty breaks.  Elsie was up early nearly every morning to take Kya out, play with her, feed her, etc.  The others rotated responsibilities also but with summer jobs, Jantzen and Anna were not as available.  Quinn made a lot of progress in gaining confidence with Kya but I was often involved in managing the daily affairs of puppyhood.  We were really ball-and-chain to the house and knowing the kids would be returning to school in August, I couldn't see myself spending the required amount of time training and caring for a puppy.  Nor was this transition of having an in-the-house dog going well.  In the end, Aaron and I decided it best to find a better fit for Kya.  It was a difficult decision and we all cried tears for a few days (ok, maybe just me, Elsie and Quinn).  Aaron drove Kya to UT where she is happy with a wonderful new owner.  This was a great experience for our family and one we don't regret pursuing.  The bittersweet of pet ownership was not lost on us.  But there's certainly more freedom around here now.

Most activities have been cancelled this summer.  Anna did have a few basketball tournaments. 

To help ease the loss of Kya, we arranged to take the kids to Lagoon a few days later.  That activity would not have happened if we still had a puppy.  Back to Logan we went.  Tanner tagged along with Quinn, Elsie rode down with her friend, Aysia M. and Anna met up with cousin Lillian at the park.  Aaron and I spent the day with "house stuff" in SL then picked up the kids for the drive back home.  We dropped Tanner off at his car in Brigham City so he could return to CV.

Jenna and Anna

Hilary and Heather

Aaron, Heather and G-pa walking through Knight's new construction project.

Tanner - make vegan snickerdoodles.

Lillian and Anna at Lagoon.

Anna, Quinn and Tanner after a day at the very crowded park.  Yes, face masks were required. Elsie joined us for the drive back home.  It was an interesting month.  COVID is still very much alive and affecting our society.  While we're trying to live "normally", it's been a different start to summer - the slower pace worked well since we had Kya to take care of but the dog days of June are now over.