November Happenings

November 1st was such a special day. It was Muz's birthday and in honor of her, we had a wonderful temple day together. I worked and then took Parker with me to my parent's house and then we all went to the temple around 3:00. Cami brought her kids and the Bullock girls and man, the spirit was so strong. These kids are just incredible. Parker was a rock star in the temple- he knew just where to go and what to do. He was first in the font and baptized some other people and then his cousins. I had to hold back the tears! Everyone was glowing and it was a beautiful experience.

Then, my amazing mother prepared the most wonderful meal for the big kid cousins with a perfectly set table and everything. She baked lasagna and brownies, made a salad and Muzzie's famous jell-o. Kari brought Tavian over and then all of us siblings went to Flamingo's with my parents! What a night!

It was really great to be out together as grown ups- especially for Jon. Sweet Laura has been in Argentina and her dear mom, Norma, passed away. It's been really hard on Laura and by proxy- Jon, too. Being together as a family was really special.

Tanner held down the fort at home with pizza and the hot tub. He's been slayyyyying at work- building a new company from the ground up and finding success at every turn! I'm so proud of him!

Early last Saturday morning was a soccer game for Jack (another WIN!) and then we went library hopping in OC for In n Out reading logs- gotta get those free cheeseburgers! That night, we went to dinner with Courtney and Robby and it was sooo nice! We picked up right where we left off and it was so great being with old friends again.

Monday was busy with work and school, a play date with April's kids after school, cheer for Ella, and a late night date with Tanner to another new speakeasy called Strongwater. It was soooo cool! We've really been enjoying our weekly date nights. But one of these days, Tanner needs to plan it!

Tuesday we elected Donald Trump as President of the United States again for some reason. I'm not into politics so I'm just hoping Jesus comes soon. 

Wednesday I took the kids to Disney and we were able to ride the new Splash Mountain! It's now called Tianna's Bayou Adventure and it's so cute! It was a nice afternoon with the kids and we listened to A Series of Unfortunate Events while we drove and got Jamba Juice to validate. Always a win!

Thursday was MCO and I was a little sad when Jack was being a bully to Ray before rehearsal. He's made a couple cute friends and they are trying to build a tree house (never going to happen). I had Ray come with me to check on them and he was adamant about excluding her and it made me so sad!!!! I had a BIG talk with him and I hope he realized how hurtful he was- especially to Ray who deals with being excluded and tormented more than she deserves! But MCO is the perfect medicine for a broken heart and everyone was so happy at the end of rehearsal. A quick trip to my parents for dinner and showers is always the highlight of the week, too. 

Friday, I took a group of Relief Society sisters up to Lake Arrowhead for a retreat. Our friend, Amber, is so gracious and generous to allow us to stay in her beautiful cabin. My group arrived first so I was quick to stake out my bedroom- no sharing and no bunk bed for me this time! We went for a gorgeous walk, played games, ate soup and salad and lots of treats, talked about our first kisses and bad dates and how we met our husbands, we did a super cute embroidery craft, and stayed up way too late. But it was amazing. I was in charge of every last detail which is a little stressful but it all worked out perfectly and everyone had an amazing time!

We got back on Saturday just in time for me to make it to Jack's game (another win and he was able to score on a penalty kick which was awesome) and then Tanner took Jack and Alec out to the desert to observe the stars while I stayed home with the girls, took a long back, lit candles, and read a good book. Awwww

Parker's heart broke last week when Emerald was offered a job working for the Big Apple Circus in NYC. She arrived there yesterday and he spent every second he could with her until she left. She wont be back until after he's up at BYUI so they were both a little heartbroken to be away from each other for so long. I guess it kind of put their love on the line and turns out, they are INTO each other. Emerald's mom texted me the kindest messages about Parker and bought him a ticket to come visit in December for a week! I was hesitant to allow it at first but really, I'm so excited for him. Christmas in New York City with a beautiful girl whom he cares about so much---- it's a romcom waiting to happen!

In other good news, Angel emailed me and apologized for cutting me off. She was just hurt and she's mad at Luis but she wants to move on. She wants to meet up at Disney and have a Friendsgiving together... Not sure how I feel about it all. It's so awkward because she hates him so much... but we'll see. I've set a boundary and I feel better about it. 

Plus, when I feel anxious, now I know I can think about birds and it totally helps!

So here's to another stellar week! 2 more weeks until Christmas break and I can't wait! Rayleigh cleaned up Halloween when I was at the temple with Parker and she's already chomping at the bit to get Christmas out! Ho Ho Ho! Let's go!