Just a list today

Enjoyed: an evening at Young Women’s camp with the bishopric.

Finished: 18 pages of visa application forms and instructions with Mark.

Played: a piano and violin duet on Sunday with Mark at church.

Wrote: a song for Primary Day Camp for guitar, voices, and percussion.

Struggling with: sleep while Richard has been away at Young Men’s camp.

Looking forward to: Mark’s senior piano recital.

Preparing: pepperoni rolls for dinner.

Loving: strawberry season.

Reading: The Count of Monte Cristo.

Collecting: so many screenshots of our grandson during video calls. 😍

Procrastinating: weeding the back flower bed.

A current favorite Book of Mormon phrase: “Publish peace.”

And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

Mosiah 27:37

Meanwhile, in Provo…

Tim is working for my dad this summer as a yard pro, maintaining 30 yards.

I went to a birthday celebration for Thora, and here we are, a few of the old gang together again. I love both of these dear friends. I watched Julie move through the crowd being recognized by many people because of her ads on BYUtv. Thora, aka Sally O’Malley, did indeed kick, stretch, and kick because she is 50 years old.

This.

A friend called me this week to talk about the Come Follow Me reading assignment. We talked about deliverance, one of the big themes in the book of Mosiah. I also came across this short clip about being rescued. It’s too good to keep to myself.

That time when everything happened at once

In a period of two weeks, Mark received a mission call, turned 18, graduated from seminary, received his Patriarchal Blessing, and had his braces removed. High school graduation day has arrived.

Sometime I hope to detangle all of the new memories that have arrived in a heap of everythings and goodbyes, paperwork, and spiritual highs.

I have made the decision to be happy. I am sentimental, but I am not dwelling on feelings of loss. This time in Mark’s life is a triumph for him and for me as his mother. It has been a blessing to raise him!

A few more “lasts”

Last Senior Awards night
Last school field trip

Lots of culminating events of high school this week. They are all sweet and we are very proud of Mark. We attended an awards night where Mark was given an engraved watch for achieving a cumulative 4.0 GPA in high school. We picked up his final woods project from the shop 😍, and Mark and I went on a last school “field trip” to the Lotus Temple in Spanish Fork.

Mark’s furniture design and construction project sits unassembled in our mudroom, but I will post pictures when we find time to set up this new furniture. It is gorgeous.