The College Coed Shuffle and other odds and ends

For some reason, BYU student approved housing has different move-in/move-out dates, which often leave apartment-moving students "homeless" for a few days between the dates they have to be out of their current locations and the dates when they can move into their new locations.  (When Analise was a Freshman, we went to Provo and moved all her stuff into our Suburban and lived with her and our family in a hotel for a few days until she could get into her new apartment.)  We've put things in storage, stacked bins in our home, and moved LOTS of stuff.  This last week, we moved Analise and Kaylee out of their current apartment.  Kaylee was able to get into her fall apartment, but Analise had another week before she was able to move into hers.  So we moved BOTH of them into Kaylee's apartment where Analise then stayed during the week (since she had work) and Kaylee came home to Logandale. (Thus Analise was living in Kaylee's apartment for a week.)  For a family that never "moves" (We've been in our current home for almost 20 years) we sure do a lot of moving.

Kaylee moving in with Analise for Spring/Summer 2013 (Kaylee's is the blue bed-Analise's the pink.) 

Analise moving into her new fall 2013 place

Suburban "storage unit. "
Analise's "stuff" between Winter 2011 and Spring 2011 terms

Setting up Kaylee's bed in new Fall 2013 Apartment.  (Soooo glad I don't live in apartments anymore)
This brick-riser set up looks a bit sketchy.  Hopefully, Kaylee doesn't crash down in the night :)

In other news:  Made a trip to our Kolob cabin which we have owned since 2003.  It's only the 2nd time I've ever been there, and I've never spent the night-trips are mostly to "work on things" although Kent did take the scouts there for an overnighter...once.  So I don't know why I was a bit nostalgic about this trip in which we were meeting with a realtor about selling it.  I know the investment would be better spent on our kids' college tuitions, but it's such a cute little place, and smelled sooo nice-all piney.

Kolob Cabin August 2013

School starts tomorrow.  I'm starting 1st grade again.  (I feel like I've already done it 7x-once myself and once with each kids-but this time I'm starting as the teacher.)

Kay Age 6 First day of First grade (my first time :) Fall 1973. 
I'm really rocking the beaded purse and the short skirt.  (Both were actually "very cool" back in the day.  Because I know my kids will look at this and say WHAT. WERE. YOU. WEARING?! ) I don't know if my selected outfit for my first day of teaching first grade can rival this.
 Also note the gift in my hand-each year as a summer came to an end, Corinne and I would get together and make back-to-school gifts for our new teachers-I think this one might have been a "puffed" picture-made by cutting out an image from wrapping paper, pasting it onto  nice background, and then raising or "puffing" up selected parts of the picture by cutting out duplicates of those parts and pasting them on top of small kernals unpopped popcorn or dried beans which were glued  on top of those selected parts on the original picture.  I'm sure Mrs. Howard treasured it. 

Football is underway-scrimmages in Cedar City and Vegas yesterday for Trent and Luke.

Luke and Trent after last year's 8th grade championship game
Trent's team won.  Kent was the coach and Luke served as waterboy.
November 2012

We went to the St. George Temple and did sealings.  I love being in the temple, and loved being there with Kent uniting families for eternity. 

St. George Temple
May 27, 1989 Our Wedding Day
Yep this is pre-photo-shop days.  This was done with a film camera, and Kent really did jump that high. 
The photographer wanted him to throw his arms in the air, but he wouldn't. Trying to even get him to jump took a lot of persuasion.  (This photo was taken where the visitor's center now stands.)

The Little Things

A framed embroidered sampler hangs in my bedroom stating, "Enjoy the little things in life...for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things."  It seems like there have been a lot of "big things" in my life lately:  lots of "big" needs within the ward (where I serve as RS pres.), lots of "big" needs within my family (the kids at home needing time and attention preparing for school and sports, the kids who have "left the nest" needing support in work, school, and "stepping into adulthood" decisions), and lots of "big" needs professionally (as I prepare to start teaching 1st grade-something I've never done before.) At times it seems overwhelming trying to meet all these needs, and I feel like I'm just barely "holding it together," doing only a mediocre job at best in any one of these areas. 

So last week, as I drove Luke to football, just me and him, and I listened to him rattle on about tackling drills, cleats, and football plays, I was grateful for the realization that for that one small moment,  my life was "perfect."  It was a "little thing," a little moment of perfect bliss, a small oasis in a life of big, complicated things.  For a few minutes, I was not worried about finances, work, and the myriad of needs of those in my family and in my ward.  Instead I relished in listening to this 11-year-old boy in grass stained practice pants explain the intricacies of 6th-grade football plays.

I remember when driving my kids to sports practices seemed like a huge "chore," but when compared to trying to help my young adult off-spring deal with really "big" things (broken cars, rent, housing, majors, careers, jobs, college class schedules, relationships, friends, etc.) and most of the time (OK ALL of the time) feeling totally and completely inadequate and second-guessing all my endeavors in this area, driving my youngest to practice was a refreshing task that I could do "perfectly."  Yep, I may not know how to advise my kids on choosing a major (and even if I should-after all it's their lives), but I DO know how to drive a car, and I CAN successfully deliver my offspring to practice. So maybe by the time my youngest is in college I will be able to "perfectly" handle all of his needs as a young adult, but my older kids will have to "muddle through" with me as I try to do my best.  After all, motherhood is on-the-job training. 

Luke gets instruction from the coach before heading into the game.  Football season 2012

A Musical Addendum

On the same Sunday that Tony and Caleb Morganti spoke in Logandale 5th ward, Kent and Lynae also performed a special musical number, a piano/organ duet of "If You Could Hie to Kolob."  It was beautiful!  (And no, this was NOT recorded on Sunday-Kent doesn't wear a hat and polo to church :) And yes, the only way I could get it to upload was through youtube, so after viewing, you'll get a lot of youtube viewing "options" sorry :(