A Fall Funk

Summer was so packed with weddings and trips and big events!  Once school started and after Boo's baptism, my birthday came and went.  Now we seem to have settled into a quieter routine with nothing much going on, and nothing really to look forward to.  That, coupled with the cooling temperatures and memories of how long and dreary winters here can be, there hasn't been much to report. 

We sold our "brown wall" house in Centerville last week to the family who have been renting it
for last three years.  We're happy for them.  It's a wonderful neighborhood and ward!  They LOVE it there, and their kids do too.  Interest rates were low enough, and they had enough to put down, that it was a possibility for them to finally buy a home, and they wanted ours.  It appraised lower than we hoped, so we ended up just breaking even, coming away with as much money as we put down on our first house nine years ago.  It is what it is.  It also feels like we've severed our last real tie to UT.  We love where we live, but having that home always felt like a strand of possibility that we would return nearer to our families.  Now that that's gone, it feels like we're finally moving on.  I am relieved that we didn't OWE money on the house, and to be free of the anxiety that came with renting a house out-of-state.  What a blessing!  I'm happy to be able to "cut our losses" and be able to start looking ahead to the future!

I was going through our photos, trying to find one picture of the front of that house, but in the process, I just went through this hour-long trip down memory lane!   Birthday parties, bike riding, backyard playing, and just general childhood fun of Boo and Yaks.  Listening to their little high-pitched voices and adorable lisps, and watching their toddle-tot bodies running around.

They were SO LITTLE!  Those were crazy-busy times, in that brown-wall house.  Two busy, active toddlers, and so close together.  Man, I was a zombie all the time!  Those little ones wore me out!  I can't say I miss those days, but I'm so happy I had them!  You can't go back, but I'm glad I can look back and remember it with a smile. 

Our first attempt at a garden!

Halloween Fun

Always a project going on with two blonde heads.

And Diddles makes three!

Speaking of moving on and looking ahead, we enjoy living here so much!  Although we aren't CRAZY about our house, we continue to love our location and animal-life that we get to care for.

Our chickens are all molting, and when this happens, many of their feathers fall out, they stop laying eggs, and they laze about the yard looking rather "beaten-down"!  The outdoor cat, Milo, has gotten quite friendly with all of us, now that the nights have gotten colder (how convenient), and he'll come in the house at night for some food, crash on Yaks' bed until about 4am, when it comes upstairs and yowls until I get up and let him out.  He has the LOUDEST meow I've ever heard!  For being a boy, he sure is a big baby!  But, you can imagine how much the kids adore having a pet.  His food bowl is never empty, and Diddles follows him around, placing it right in front of his nose so he can eat, whether he wants to or not. 

Last Saturday we took a break from chores and went down to a corn maze!

 Last year we went in the dark, and I held Diddles the whole time.  It wasn't as scary for Diddles this time, and she enjoyed running around on her own, so long as she wasn't last in the trio of kids.  She hates being last!

This year they had a Pumpkin cannon, put on by the University's engineering school, I think.  Who knew launching pumpkins could elicit such a cheer from a crowd of onlookers?  It was pretty awesome, though!

Sunday night we got a call from a member of our stake presidency, wondering if he could come over and speak with me and Josh.  We spent the frantic 10 minutes picking up the family room and speculating what the visit could be about!  Our best guess was they were either asking us to be in charge of something for Trek next summer, or possibly for me to speak in stake conference, which is two weeks away.  It was the latter!  President Limburg said that they specifically wanted me to share my experiences with my illness, regarding the topic of "Laying Our Burdens at the Feet of Our Savior".  Josh is on a "short list" of possible people who will be invited to share their testimonies.   I've lost a lot of sleep over it the past couple nights, I'll be honest.  Thinking about, and replaying the events, as well as the lessons in my mind and heart, and then trying to organize those into a talk that would be uplifting and helpful to everyone.  It's no easy task, but I'm really grateful for the opportunity.  Let's hope I don't sound like Luther Heggs in Ghost and Mr. Chicken: