UofU Football

Kristen scored some pretty amazing seats for the University of Utah football games this season. The only drawback, she got them back in June or July when she didn't know anybody. She sits by people she doesn't know.

Her friends are all in the standing room only section. In fact, Kristen has a special lanyard that gives her access to her seats.

This is her view from the 4th row of the MUSS section. The MUSS is the University of Utah's student fan club. I couldn't find anywhere online that actually shared what MUSS means or stands for.

This was the view from our kitchen at home.

We watched the game during dinner and then Chris watched through the 3rd quarter. Who is this guy? 

The Utes scored on their first possession against the Florida Gators and pulled off a 24-11 win.

Kristen had a blast.

Whose Turn Is It?

Now that Chris and I are empty nesters, I suggested that I would pray on the even numbered days and Chris prays on the odd numbered days. Works for us.

Being Empty Nesters

The thought of becoming empty nesters has been both exciting and lonely all in one. 

Kristen didn't appreciate at times that we were excited for the future before us without girls at home. Chris and I both shared with Kristen that while she was excited for her new future, we were just as excited about ours.

That is how it should be. Chris and I love being together. We have friends who seem to be floundering in their relationship now that their children have all moved out of the house. The good news? Chris and I like each other. We love to spend time together. We have a great relationship.

We have happily spent the past 24 years either pregnant or raising our daughters. Years we wouldn't trade for anything. 

That being said, we are looking forward to time together, taking off on weekends, travel...lots of fun stuff.

I noted earlier that we have raised all of our girls to be excited about "leaving the nest." That was our job. It didn't mean we weren't going to miss our girls or wish they were home sometimes.

Reality hit both Chris and I smack in the face on Sunday night after we returned from Salt Lake City and from dropping Kristen off. While we were processing our GRIEF differently, we were both feeling homesick for a life that would no longer be.

Chris lay in bed that night with tears running down his cheeks, missing all of his girls with a love that was so huge and maybe some regret that he hadn't done more, been more... Amy, Misha, and Kristen, I know that you know, he was all the "more" you could have ever wanted or needed.

I, on the other hand, comforted him while also feeling an overwhelming sense of mourning. It felt almost as though a part of me had died. 

There would be no more nightly check-ins with Mom and Dad with a whispered, "I'm home. Love you." 

There would be no more climbing onto Mom and Dad's bed and curling up next to them. 

There would be no more hugs on a daily basis.

My dearest daughters. You are LOVED. You are all capable, beautiful, exceptional young women. Your future is bright and we look forward to watching you continue to grow and soar. Just know that we miss you too.

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Jury Duty for Jo

While I know I should be more excited for this civic duty, I HATE jury duty.

It is such a waste of my day. And I am ALWAYS their target demographic.

I left the house at 6:45 am Monday morning after getting back from Salida the night before. I didn't sleep well and had been awake since 3:15 am.

As we checked in at the courthouse, about 20 people were called up and sent home. Not me.

I had brought stuff to work on, so I just kept plugging along until we had to enter the court room. I was juror number 14.

It was a stroke of good luck that I was dismissed around 10:30 am. Otherwise I would have been there the entire day and likely into the next morning.

Weekend in Salida

Chris and I enjoyed our weekend in Buena Vista so much, that we made reservations for a return trip to the nearby town of Salida.

The weather and clouds were awesome as we drove toward Salida. In one area there was an amazing rainbow, there just wasn't a safe place to stop and take the picture. You'll have to use your imagination!

We arrived in Salida on Friday evening and checked in at the Hampton Inn.

On Saturday, we drove up Monarch Pass, saw Monarch Ski resort, and hiked a 3 mile loop at Old Monarch Pass.

Sunday included church at the small branch in Salida. There were maybe 50 people in Sacrament Meeting.

During our weekend visit, we enjoyed more drives, hot springs, and hikes and made plans to return again at the end of September when the fall colors should be epic.

Tour of Misha's Work

On our way out of town for the weekend to Salida, Chris and I dropped a few things off for Misha at her work.

Chris had visited Misha at work previously, but she was happy to show me around this time.

We met a bunch of her co-workers who LOVE Misha.

Misha works in the facilities department of the on-campus recreation center at CU Denver. 

Misha All Moved In

Misha has been working to unpack, organize and decorate her apartment. She sends pics every couple of days to show an area that has been completed or a furniture purchase. She leans more toward a modern style.

The top two are the bathroom and kitchen area. I took the pics when she was moving in.

Misha's new tv stand. To the left is the kitchen and to the right is the bathroom.

Elders Quorum Activity for Chris

Chris attended the most recent Elders Quorum activity. The guys got together for dinner and skeet shooting at one of the member's farm.

I told Chris that he should have worn his cowboy boots as well. The hat made a statement though!

Our ward was recently reorganized. We lost all of the families that live in Longmont. In recent years, however, we have been steadily growing with LOTS of young families moving in.

We remember that time when we were in the young family category!

1st Day of Classes - Amy

Amy's first day of classes began on August 23rd.

She has only one class that meets in person—Geology—which she really isn't thrilled to take because the class she took at BYU didn't transfer over.

She has four other classes that will be online and pretty much self-motivated to complete—Organizational Behavior, International Business, Human Resources, and Ethics. They all sound like great classes to attend in person. 

Since Amy works in the morning at the bank, she had to choose afternoon classes. Don't know why they can't hold in-person classes in the afternoon at UVU.

Sunsets in Utah

I told Kristen that the sunsets in Utah are amazing. 

She is quickly coming to realize that is true.

1st Day of Classes - Misha

Misha started her first day of classes on August 21st. 

She is taking art and photography classes, all related to her major and minor, plus she works 25 hours a week.

1st Day of Classes - Kristen

Kristen had her first day of classes. 

This semester she is taking the following classes: History of Jazz, Writing, the Solar System, Spin Cycling, Learning and Development (for Elementary Ed teachers), and an Institute class on Productivity.

20 Seconds of Courage

Kristen picked the quote by Benjamin Mee from "We Bought a Zoo" as her senior quote for the high school year book.

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” 

Pretty sure she didn't realize how impactful it could be.

On her first day of classes, she had been sitting in the cafeteria with her suite mate, Paige. After Paige left, Kristen was feeling a little homesick and lonely. She happened to overhear the conversation at the table close to her.

It was a bunch of girls talking about their ward and church on Sunday. Kristen mustered up her 20 seconds of courage and made a comment to the table of girls. She ended up joining them at their table and has since become awesome friends with them.

From left to right: Kiley, Layla, Lilly, and Hannah

They live on the second floor of Kristen's dorm, Gateway Heights.

Since then, the girls hang out together, started to watch a movie together and all fell asleep, go to church together, attend activities together and are the best of friends already. 

All it takes IS twenty seconds of insane courage!

Kristen and FHE

When we first talked to Kristen, she didn't think she would go to her first FHE activity since it was a soccer activity.

She found out pretty quickly that it is more of a social thing and that many of her friends were going. That turned into inviting some non-member students and in the end about 15 of them showed up all together.

Discovering Campus by Bike

After Chris, Misha, and I left Utah, Kristen set off on her "new" bike to check out campus and figure out where some of her classes would be held on Monday morning.

She called Misha a little later saying that her bike was having problems and that the chain had come off. Chris and Misha talked her through putting the chain back on, but she probably needs to stop at the little bike shop kiosk on campus and have them look at it for her and make sure the tires are pumped up as well.

Kristen did take a picture of her bike fixing efforts for me.

Wrong Ward

Kristen had checked the church's Tools app to find her ward for Sunday. I guess she should have checked again on Saturday or Sunday because the time had changed since she last looked.

She and her suite mate, Paige, attended what they thought was the right ward at 1:30 pm. They realized pretty quickly that they were attending the wrong ward.

Fortunately, they were able to find the ward clerk to their ward and were happy to discover that their ward's meetings started at 11:30 am. 

Hallelujah! Afternoon naps are saved!

Saying Goodbye to Kristen

Chris, Misha and I were up around 6:30 to get ready for the drive home. 

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then drove up to Kristen’s dorm to say goodbye and to drop off the bike. The bike needed a little air in the tires and some instructions for Kristen on shifting gears. 

Before leaving, Chris gave Kristen a father’s blessing. 

There were lots of tears shed by all of us. All too soon it was time to say goodbye. Tears and hugs.

Thanks to Misha for snapping a few pictures of me.

Our view driving out of Salt Lake City and leaving another piece of our heart behind.

Kristen at U of U

We drove back up to Kristen’s apartment Saturday morning. 

She had some banking issues so we had to get those taken care of. 

We stopped by the Institute but it was pretty much empty. We took a little time to explore the campus bookstore and student union center.

Kristen had some fun activities in the afternoon for new students and orientation. We left her to enjoy those and drove to American Fork to see Amy as she finished up work and then went to see her new apartment. 

Chris was exhausted and had a nap on Amy’s bed. Misha, Amy and I went to DI to look for some furniture options for Misha. Since we had an empty Pilot now, she hoped to find a TV table. We drove to two DI’s but no luck. 

Chris was awake by the time we returned to the apartment.

We walked over to Burgers and Barley for dinner and by the time we were done, the rain was pouring. Good thing it wasn’t too far from Amy’s apartment. 

Chris, Misha and I stopped at my brother’s house on the way back to SLC to pick up a bike he had been holding for Misha when she was a student in Utah. Brad was in Norway, so we just got the bike out of his garage and loaded it up.

Moving Into Dorms

Misha flew to SLC early on Friday morning. Flying Frontier is pretty cheap at $29, but you can’t bring more than a backpack without extra fees. She then took the light rail from the airport to the Frontrunner station right next to our hotel. 

We stayed at a Hyatt just a couple blocks from Temple Square. 

Chris worked Friday morning until noon. When Misha arrived around 10:30 am, she and Kristen took the light rail up to the U of U to get acquainted with campus before Chris and I came up with all of her stuff. 

Chris and I drove up to campus to the parking area in front of Kristen’s complex. Kristen and Misha had already scouted out her apartment and were just waiting for us. Kristen rolled out a big red laundry cart. 

We filled it up and carried our first load of things to her apartment. The apartment was just inside the front door. Her roommate, Emma, had arrived earlier in the week since she was rushing for a sorority. 

After unloading everything, I pulled out Kristen’s hammer from her small tool set. She wanted her bed frame lowered since it was at a bunk bed height. Though noisy, I banged on the bed frame until the top of the frame popped out. We moved the frame down to the middle slots so that it would be easier for Kristen to climb into bed. 

There was still plenty of room for her to put her dresser under the bed along with her bins. She shared a room with Emma but her “suite” included another bedroom that shared a central bathroom with Kristen and Emma.

We went for lunch at the cafeteria where Amy met us after she finished work for the day. The cafeteria is not too far from Kristen's dorm. 

We spent time getting a few things unpacked, drove to a Target to get all of the extra things Kristen had on her list, and then met friends for a quick dinner in the park. 

Once we returned to campus, we got all of Kristen’s new Target purchases unloaded from the car and then left Kristen at her apartment for the evening. Amy had to work in the morning so she drove back to her apartment in American Fork, and Misha stayed with us at our hotel.

Fender Bender

Kristen made a quick trip to the grocery store for some last minute treats on Thursday morning before we left for Utah.

Chris ran out of here a couple of minutes later saying that Kristen had been rear ended in the store parking lot.

GREAT!

She asked the older man who hit her for his insurance and ID. He gave Kristen the insurance information but cussed her out when she asked for his drivers license.

And then he took off.

Chris and Kristen called the police. The parking lot is considered private property, so they weren't able to do anything, but they did verify that the insurance information was correct.

The damage wasn't tremendous, but the driver was such a poop. 

Kristen is grateful the damage wasn't great. She doesn't love driving and declared that she is happy to be a "passenger princess" from now on!

Kristen Off to College - Driving Day

Chris finished working around noon on Thursday. 

Since Kristen had the Pilot already packed, we pulled together the snacks and were on our way. 

Chris and I listened to podcasts and books on tape which made the time pass quickly. The trip didn’t drag on, which was nice. With only one stop for gas and a quick stop for dinner at Wendy’s in Evanston. We arrived in Salt Lake City around 7:30 pm and found the Hyatt across the street from the Ensign Center (BYU SLC). 

Kristen Off to College

Kristen has been planning for this day for years now. 

“No offense, Mom and Dad, but I’m ready to move out.” No offense taken. We have raised you to be excited about leaving the nest. Turns out, actually moving away from home made her really nervous. More nervous than she planned on. 

In fact, for her last night at home, she was awake from 4 am to 5 am. Hey, losing sleep is what Mom and Dad do, Kristen. Not you. 

She made a list for the past couple of days and pleasantly worked through all of the items on her list...even chores. 

She even packed all of her stuff into the Pilot. We know, cause the door dinged every time she opened and closed the door to the garage after 10 pm. That car was packed full. Like, there was no more room for anything. Chris and I were lucky to have one suitcase and toiletry bag between the two of us. 

Dinner Request

Kristen requested that I make gnocchi for one of her last Sunday dinners at home.

I picked potatoes from the garden and with Kristen's help, we rolled and boiled the gnocchi. Misha and Amy were sad to miss out since it is one of their favorite dinners too.

I saved some for Misha and froze another bag for the future.

Kristen's Last Day of Work

Kristen gave her last day of work as August 15, but the scheduler didn’t add her to the schedule after the 12th. Kristen wasn’t sad about that. 

Kristen worked late in the evening on the 12th. Many of the coworkers working that shift wished her well and said how much they had enjoyed working with her. Made her feel great about the friends she had made while working.

Hiking to Bridal Veil Falls

It is awesome that Chris and I are still able to find plenty of hikes to enjoy in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

The hike to Bridal Veil Falls begins from the Cow Creek Trailhead, located near the northeast corner of Rocky Mountain National Park. We reached the trailhead from the historic McGraw Ranch.  

Chris found this hike that had limited parking along the road. When we finally arrived, all of the spots were taken. 

We decided to wait for a bit and see if something opened up. While waiting, we put on our hiking boots and made sure our packs were ready to go. Without too much delay, one guy returned to his truck and left a spot for us. Good thing Chris is such a great parallel parker. 

To reach the trail, we walked a short distance down a hill and turned left at the fork in the road where there was a gate with signs pointing to the trailhead. 

The first part of the path followed an access road for about ¾ of a mile where it changed to a single lane path. The path was lined with wild flowers and relatively flat, with only a gradual elevation. Can’t complain about that!

One of the things we have loved this summer in hiking is all of the wildflowers or super blooms. With all of the spring rain we received, the flowers have continued to grow all season, and much of the undergrowth has stayed green much longer. 

The drawback? The bugs are much more abundant this year. 

The hike to Bridal Veil Falls was 6.2 miles round trip with just under 1000 feet of elevation gain (mostly in the last section). 

Wanting to explore a bit, we carefully crossed over the river below the falls and climbed up even higher. The falls continued on. 

It had threatened to rain for awhile and drops began to fall as we climbed the huge granite boulders next to the falls. Knowing that granite gets pretty slippery when wet, we climbed back down pretty quickly. The rain poured on us as we hiked back to our car. We pulled out our rain jackets and backpack covers and continued on our way.

Returned to find some creative parking.