Lunch, Please

 This Saturday, all of us joined Christian on a drive to Winston-Salem

to check out a few trailers.

Of course, I agreed to this Saturday's drive if lunch was involved.

I do anything if lunch is provided.

Lunch is my favorite meal, but it's so much better

when someone else makes it.

I also knew it wouldn't just be a "quick drive to check on a trailer."

We also got a carwash, went to the bank, and stopped at the store.

I happily agreed to go, and I tried not to think about alllll the things

I could and should be doing back home.

On the ride down, both Claire and Jane were sending us video messages,

about boys, coming home for the holidays,

 and the marriage proposal Jane saw while at work.

(She works at the BYU gym).

We got cookies for the ride home, listened to Christmas music 

with the incredible full moon over our heads.

 We made our way back home in time for weekend

popcorn, and a movie together.

The truth is, lunch or not, I love being with my people.

Go Me!

 Stillestead was covered in a storm cloud all day.  

It rained and was chilly.  I loved it.

While Lottie did school on her computer, I kept the fire going

with the delicious cedar wood and snuggled Kitty.  

Is there a better way to start the weekend than this?  

Later this evening, I taught Christian and Lottie my first

Barre3 class by myself!

I filmed it for my mentor, who will critique it and give pointers

and tips as I prepare to teach my own class to real and paid clients!

Go me!

Am I surprised how much I love Kitty?

Yes, yes, I am.

Homestead Beef NC

 We processed our first cow last week and are selling the meat!
Order your box (local only, right now)
Spread the word!

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55 Days

For the past 55 days, my Halloween ghosts have been

swaying gracefully in the wind.

Today, we finally took them down.

I drove the truck with the trailer attached down the driveway

while Christian cut all the ghosts down.

We're SO using the trailer next year to get the ghosts up!

(And down!) 

It was way easier than putting an unstable ladder in 

the bed of the truck

(I love you, Gigsie!)

I was sad taking them down.

But I'm making way and soooo ready for the holiday life.

With candles, dark nights, cozy fires, and Christmas music 24/7

Hygge, Hygge, Hygge!

Bring it on!

 

Congregatin'

 This morning, I got up and fed the cows and then  

I mowed our lawn, blew the leaves, trimmed the bushes, 

and winterized a few garden beds.  

I really got after it today.

Then I noticed all my chickens (all 17 of them) congregated around my porch. 

On closer look, I discovered they are eating my Thanksgiving pumpkins

and the worst part is, Angus is just sitting there

LETTING them gobble away!

I hate when they do this!  
Come on, Angus!  Do sit something!

At least bark!!

My brother, Matt sent this cute photo of him with his grandson

hunting with his BovIQ hat on!

Looks good!  

Find Mom

Since today we are celebrating our Veterans today

there was no school.

My Halloween ghosts are still up, blowing in the wind.

Gigs promised me that tomorrow he'd help me take them down.

He's been saying that for days.

 Miraculously, I talked him into taking me 

on my usual grocery store routine,

Trader Joe's, Target, Costco (and lunch!)

in the $wag$ster.  

Which, if you didn't know, is his beloved 1999 3 series BMW.

When we got home, I made dinner while Lottie wrapped Kitty

up like a burrito in her tortilla blanket. We made a fire

(it was 43 degrees!!  Yay!!!), and then Ollie called.

I love it when Ollie calls!

We patched Claire in from Virginia, Jane from Utah,

and Christian in Ohio 

(on his way home from picking up his new mobile freezer).

We had the best conversations, and 

I CAN'T WAIT FOR HIM TO COME HOME!

We talked about his future, school, work, and girls. (Of course).

We all have the "type" we want him to find.

The girls asked him what kind of girl he wanted to date and marry,

 and do you know what he said?!?

  He said, 

"Just find Mom, and I'm set."

I wanted to melt.

I know there is a very extra special girl out there waiting for him

and he's going to be head over heels for her.

It will be a wonderful day!

Hygge season has officially begun!

ALSO:

Jane is selling her apartment contract so she can move into

another apartment with her mission friends.

If you are interested,
GO HERE!

(It's a great place!)

21 To 22

Best game EVERRRRRRRR!!!

And we stayed up until 3:00 am watching it!

Go Cougs!

Home!!

 It's wonderful to be home! Sadly, I missed the peak of fall colors here. 

The leaves on the trees are muted, 

and fewer remain on the branches, but it's still glorious!

I was sooo excited to see Christian, who greeted me at the pick-up area

 at the airport last night.
 It's like we haven't seen each other in forever!  

Lottie was in the car (with the meat trailer attached....more on that later).  

We went to dinner, and I told them about my Utah trip.  

We caught up on the election since we weren't together when that happened.

Soon after coming home, I discovered the house needed a deep DEEP clean. 
Plus, all my Halloween decorations were still up, 

so the following day, I got up and got after it. (With Lottie).

Then, I put up the Thanksgiving decor. 

Before I left for Utah, I promised my family that when I got home, 

we'd be listening to Christmas music.

 And today, we did! 

And no one complained.

We processed our first cow and packaged the meat for delivery sales.

(Get your box here!)

I was away while Christian delivered his first ten boxes. 

Unfortunately, he hasn’t gotten his own mobile freezer yet, 

so we’ve been renting one set up right outside my bedroom window. 

The generator is running, and an extension cord is running inside.

 It’s a bit of an adventure!

And it's been quite loud.

Load Bearing

This morning, I went with Jane on campus and taught her

"Women of Covenant Leadership" religion class.

It was a really amazing experience.

These girls are incredible. 

They are bright, eager, and pure.

I shared stories from my life that I call "load-bearing" experiences. 

My first story began in 2nd grade, and I recounted various stories throughout

 my life that prepared me for significant events, such as babysitting my sister, 

Page's kids in San Francisco at age 16, camping with my dad,

moving across the country with two small children, having babies, 

and, of course, my accident, among others.

Our load-bearing experiences prepare and help us as we 

grow and develop in our lives and with other experiences life brings.

Many girls shared their own load-bearing experiences, which were

beautiful and vulnerable.

It was amazing.

Then, I gathered all the beautiful redheads in the class

together and took a photo of them.

I visited my brother Matt and his family, said goodbye to 

Mom, Dad, then Jane, and I returned to the hotel for our last night.

 We were both really sad.

Like, really, really sad.

This trip has been the best.

Just the two of us.

I am ready to go home, though, and see Christian.

LoveLoveMissMiss

 Jane and I met with Lucy and her daughter, Betsy, this afternoon for lunch.

I love love living in North Carolina, but I miss miss some of my people. 

 They are my people.

On the way back to the hotel room, Jane asked if we could just lie

down for a minute.

She wasn't kidding.

She came in the door, lay down on the bed, and was out.

Like she was dead to the world.

I let her sleep for about an hour, then woke her up beucase we had planned

to meet up with her friend and hike the Y.

You know I couldn't visit Provo without doing that! 

The Y mountain is an extension of who I am. 

I have so many good memories associated with that hike.

Like on February 18th, 2003, when I was 9 months pregnant with Jane

and felt strongly that I should name her Jane instead of Bronwyn, 

which is her middle name now. 

I went into labor 6 hours later.

I love love the pastures of North Carolina,

but I miss miss the mountains of Utah.

To end our evening, we went to dinner, and then I visited with my 

best cousin, Katie, in her beautiful home on the foothills of Provo.

On the way back to the hotel room,

I talked quickly to Christian, who literally was falling

asleep while we were on the phone.

It reminded me of when we were dating.

He'd do that all the time, and it would make me so mad.

I miss miss and love love him!!

Epic

 It's like Groundhog Day for me and Jane.
We wake up, eat steel cut oats in the hotel lobby, and then I drop her off
on campus, I then go back to the hotel room and work until around lunchtime, when
I pick her up at a different spot on campus, and then we go to lunch.

Today after lunch we went shopping for her.
We got her some cute new clothes and other necessities (treats).

It was such a beautiful day.
I love being with her.  So much.
We have the best time and the best conversations, and we laugh.  
We laugh so much.

With our treats, we returned to the hotel room,
where she did some homework while watching the election results with me.

Then she invited her friend over, and we watched Trump win the election
until 3:00 in the morning.

It was epic.

No matter what happens, I am grateful for a prophet of God. 

I trust him above all else. With him, everything will be okay.

Magical Mornings

This morning, we woke up to a classic Provo morning. 

Snow dusted the mountain tops, with vibrant fall colors below.

 I miss those magical mornings.

Jane and I got up at 7 and grabbed a cup of steel cut oats for the road,

then I dropped her off on campus.  

I went back to my hotel room and worked.
Snowflake flurries danced outside my window all morning.

I'm training to become a Barre3 instructor.

I have yet to publicly announce that, so there it is.

There's more to that, but...later.

At noon, I picked up Jane, and we went to lunch and spent 

the rest of the day hanging out.

I haven't been very good at taking photos on this trip.

I guess I'm just doing a good job living in the present?!

Tonight, back at the hotel, Jane did homework while watching
the Hallmark Christmas channel.  We watched three movies, which all
had pretty much the same storyline but with different actors.

And a few episodes of Friends.

Tomorrow is a big day in the USA.

Sabbath On Campus

 Today, I went to church with Jane at her student ward.  

I am so glad I did! 

 It was really fun to see her friends and all the other cute students.  

I went to a student congregation for only two months after

 I graduated High School and decided I liked my home congregation better. 

 Then, I met Christian a few short months after that.  

Needless to say, I didn't really spend a lot of time in a campus setting,

so it's fun to see Jane in this element.

Claire sent me some photos of her birthday last week. 

She has some wonderful, amazing friends who made it a great day, 

and I know she is 23 and a big girl now, 

but I feel so sad that I wasn't around.

Do all mothers feel this?

Jane and I spent the evening at my brother Jesse's house tonight. 

Andrew and his family, Lucy and her family, and my parents were there, too.

 We had dinner and played games. At the end of the night, 

we watched Lucy and Jesse's little girls do cheerleading dances, 

and it reminded me that I was that little girl once, long ago, 

with a house full of aunts and uncles and sibling friends.  

It reminded me how wonderful families are;

the one I was born into and the one I created.

I miss Christian.

Covenants

(New Years Polar Plunge with Claire, 1/1/24)

Today was spent at the retreat, discussing with women of 

all ages about God and the covenants we make with Him. 

We focused particularly on the garment, which is often criticized

 and misunderstood by many in the world.

I love my garments; they are so much more than underwear,

and it's not even right to compare the two.

They are a physical reminder of the Savior and the promises

we keep with Him.

I feel close and protected to the Savior when I wear them.

I was protected and preserved from the accident

 by honoring my covenants with Him and by wearing them.

President Holland says:

 “We are baptized once in our lives. We partake of the sacrament once a week. 

We attend the temple as circumstances permit.

 But the garment of the holy priesthood is different: 

This symbol we honor every day and night. ...

“When we put on the garment, we are, as the First Presidency has taught, 

putting on a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ. That being the case, 

why would we ever look for an excuse to take that symbol off? ... 

On the contrary, whenever we do have to temporarily remove the garment, 

we should be eager to put it back on, as soon as possible, 

because we remember both the promises and the

 perils that give meaning to our covenants.

 Above all, we remember the cross and empty tomb of Christ.”

* * * *

Meanwhile, back at home, my Halloween decor is still up,

and Christian sent me this photo and told me he missed me.

Snow Flurries In Utah

Early this morning, Christian took me to the airport, 

and I flew to Utah to participate in the Gathering retreat, 

then, later this week, teach Jane's religion class on campus, 

and spend as much time with her as possible.

I stopped by Jane's apartment to pick her up, and she was so surprised! 

She thought I would be arriving later that evening.

 We then drove to my hotel room, where she would be snuggling

in the same bed with me for the next week and continued up glorious

Provo Canyon to Aspen Grove for the first day of the Gathering retreat.

I spoke (and almost fainted because I was so dehydrated.

It was the weirdest thing.  I made a recovery mid-speech after asking

for water.  It was embarrassing.)

I was so glad Jane was with me!

Having her all to myself this whole week will be so much fun!

Utah is so beautiful!

I love this time of year!

On the way home, I even saw snow flurries!!

Happy November, indeed!