Kristen and Sophie Soaking

There's something about a hot tub that inspires a nice long soak with a friend.

Misha BYU Acceptance

Misha officially accepted her acceptance to BYU.  She is getting more excited and looking forward to starting the Pre-Animation program.  She can apply for the animation program after a year, I believe.  Much the same as acceptance to BYU, acceptance in to the animation program is pretty challenging.

She wanted a few pictures outside as well.

And one more...

New Car

Chris and I needed to purchase a new car before we had to take the rental car back (from my accident).  We went to Honda on Saturday and found that we had one choice really in the Honda Pilot family.  Apparently Honda has slowed production of the Pilot to focus on producing more of the Honda Passport (similar to the Pilot but only seating for five vs eight).

We got a white with black interior Pilot that suits me just fine.  Let's hope this one survives years longer than our previous silver one.  Pay attention on the roads people!

Stake Youth Date Night

Misha was definitely on the unhappy side of things when she found out that her dad had signed her up to participate in the stake youth date night.  The stake leaders match up all of the "willing" participants into couples.  The guys have to call and ask the girls out and make arrangements for their date.  They then send groups of kids to different houses for dinner and to learn to converse and experience a dating situation.

What made Misha even "happier" was that her dad also volunteered to host a group of youth at our house.

We had a full house with six different couples.  While they waited for all of the couples to arrive, the kids played Apples to Apples.  We were provided with all of the food and paper goods for the kids to make personal pizzas.

Following dinner, Chris gave the kids a twenty question form to fill out and to find out cool things about their date.  One couple left early, another couple stayed on the main floor and kind of interacted (they were a matched well in their quirkiness), and the rest of the kids hung out in the basement until about 11:30.

Snow Plow Training

Misha goes to college in the fall (sniff).  Kristen snuffs a bigger sniff since she will take over the snow plow and lawn mowing duties.  We had an inch or so of snow on Friday evening and it was a perfect time for Misha to teach the fine art of plowing.

Chris has the yellow sticks around the driveway all winter long so that those who are plowing know where the driveway ends and the landscaping begins.  The sticks are not pretty and you never want to touch them with bare hands (believe me I've done it), but they help.

Another Exercise Enthusiast

For years I have worked out.  Finally Chris joined in and now Amy has begun to see the value in cardio and strength training workouts.  Doesn't she look great?

Stretching to the Max

Amy and Liz were stretching out after working out and Alexa came and gave a little extra boost.

Crazy Girls

Kristen and her BFF Maggie come up with some crazy ideas to entertain themselves.  This was just another in a long line of crazy ideas.

They decorated their faces like Glinda and Elpheba from Wicked, picked a song, and then lip-synced to the song while recording themselves.

Another Art Project

Misha mentioned that the principal of her school asked if Misha would mind if they hung some of her art around the school.  Misha was happy to say yes.

She knocked this picture out last Wednesday afternoon for an assignment the next day.

Jo's Photo

Misha's Art

Kristen Testing

Kristen was "selected" to participate in NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) Testing.  I had to look it up since I had never heard of it before.

"The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only assessment that measures what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects across the nation, states, and in some urban districts. Also known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP has provided important information about how students are performing academically since 1969.

NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

NAEP is given to a representative sample of students across the country. Results are reported for groups of students with similar characteristics (e.g., gender, race and ethnicity, school location), not individual students. National results are available for all subjects assessed by NAEP. State and selected urban district results are available for mathematics, reading, and (in some assessment years) science and writing" (https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/).

Not sure that she thought it was such an honor to be selected to take an extra test, but she did get an hour and half of service hours from it.

A Weekend With Amy

Misha and Amy were excited to have some sister reuniting time over the President's Day Weekend.  Misha arrived Friday evening.

The girls headed up to Lava Hot Springs on Saturday and then ended the day at Olive Garden in Idaho Falls (I sent Misha with a gift card) for dinner.

Sunday was a pretty chill day, but Monday they headed off to Jackson Hole.  If Amy thought Rexburg was cold, Jackson Hole was even colder.  Brrrrr.

Kristen Sick

Kristen got sick last Tuesday, right before her play and right before a four-day weekend.  She has been sick, resting in bed, until today.  Kind of a boring way to spend a four-day weekend.  Last week I had to sign her out of school for a half day on Tuesday and all of Wednesday and Thursday with the note that she would come for the play in the evening.  Here's hoping that's the last of sickness for awhile at our house.

God Does Notice Us

With all of the stress of the past week with my car accident, starting a new job, and some side projects, Chris has really felt the pressure building.  We were grateful for the tender mercies of God who does notice us and answers our prayers in miraculous ways.

Our Stake President (and good friend), Jarom John, arrived at our sacrament meeting a few minutes late and took his place on the stand.  As we talked to him after church, Jarom noted, "I felt as though I was supposed to be in your ward today, I just didn't know why."  Our speakers ended early, but a member of the Ward Council got up to fill in the extra time.  Jarom had thought that maybe he was supposed to speak in our ward, but that didn't happen.

As the meeting ended, Jarom greeted people and then came to talk with Chris and I, asking how we were doing.  He was not aware of the accident as we began to share that life had been stressful recently.  As we talked, I asked Jarom if he would give Chris a blessing.  I knew that asking wasn't even on Chris' radar, but I also knew that he needed some peace and comfort in his life as he was shouldering many burdens.

We found a classroom that wasn't being used and spent a little time talking and catching up.  Jarom then gave Chris a wonderful blessing.  After they hugged, Jarom then asked if I had had a blessing.  I had not.  So Chris and Jarom laid their hands on my head and Chris gave me a powerful blessing.

Jarom commented that he now knew why he was supposed to be in our ward today.  How wonderful to know that the Lord cares for each of us and brings others in to our lives to help us.

Sometime it may seem as though the Lord is silent or very far away.  We don't always see how He is working in our lives or what plan He has for us, but I do know that He is very aware of each one of us.

Kindness Abounds

We have been so blessed by the kindness of friends over the past week and a half.  My ministering sister has gone above and beyond in bringing us three different meals.  Other friends have brought in meals, flowers, a rice warmer, and even a chocolate bar bouquet.  Many friends have offered to drive for me on those days when I am on meds and unable to drive.  My heart is so grateful.

Many nights Chris and I were busy dealing with doctors, lawyers, and car stuff and came home to a ready-made meal.  Such a blessing to be surrounded by thoughtful friends.

Misha to Idaho

With a four-day weekend, Misha was off to visit Amy at BYU-Idaho.  I dropped Misha off at the airport on Friday afternoon around 1:00 pm for her 2:00 pm flight.  We were both brave as I dropped her off at the curb and left her to go through security on her own.  She did great.

Chris and Misha's Date

While I stayed home recuperating from my accident, Chris took Misha on a date.  They went to see a movie and apparently when you go to a movie with Dad, you get soda AND popcorn!  They enjoyed the movie and being able to spend some time together.

First Youth Dance

Due to the change in church policy regarding the youth, Kristen was able to attend her first youth dance.  She went with friends and excitedly reported as she arrived home that three boys had asked her to dance.  Yay!  She is looking forward to the next dance in March.  (Sadly I did not get a picture).

Happy and Sad News

We have all been anxiously waiting to hear whether Amy and Misha would be accepted to BYU for the Fall semester.  Happily Misha was accepted but sadly Amy was not.  Hard to be happy when we are so sad for Amy.

We are excited for Misha and the opportunity she will have to pursue her artistic goals.

Kristen's New Glasses

For months now, Kristen has been saying that she has a hard time seeing the board at school.  I took her for an eye exam last July or August but the doctor didn't really see any change.  Kristen still complained, so with new eye insurance, I made an appointment with another optometrist.

As we drove to the appointment I instructed Kristen to not try too hard to see the letters, to not squint, and just to see things as though she were at school.  The result?  We ordered a pair of bifocals for Kristen (you don't see a line or anything on the glasses) so she can see to read as well as see distances.  The optometrist also recommended vision therapy and we will probably look into that in a month or so.

Kristen has been sick lately, so when her glasses arrived at the office, I picked them up for her telling them I would bring her in later this next week to have them fitted.  Kristen just wanted to be able to see.  She put the glasses on and her first words were, "I can't believe how blind I am," as she looked through the glasses, took them off, and put them on again.

Romeo and Juliet--A Romantic Dramedy

Kirsten was cast as Lady Capulet--Juliet's mother--in the middle school play.  When she woke up feeling sick the day before her performance, she was pretty devastated.  Stress seems to work that way with her.

On Wednesday morning, I sent a note to the school to excuse Kristen but noted that she would be at the performance in the evening.  She walked out of the house wearing a face mask (none of us wanted to be sick), performed, and then came home to be sick all day Thursday.

Chris, Misha, and I attended the Thursday night dinner theater performance where the kids served us a dinner of salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, and chocolate cake.

Kristen was able to be in charge of the music instead of having to serve food to be people.

The play was great.  Kristen was beautiful and confident in her role.

Sunday Update on Jo

I have spent the weekend resting.  While I am surprised that most of my body is not hurting more, my head hurts, my eyes feel strained, and my chest and waist are sore where I hit the seat belt.  So many wonderful people have called, checked on me, dropped off a rice warmer, brought a meal or treats, and brought flowers.  I am so grateful for the thoughtfulness of others.

Tomorrow will bring more stress as we begin to deal with insurance companies and find out about the status of my car.

Jo's Accident

I had been making a list all week long for errands--returns, groceries, exchanges--and was finally on my way home after making stops at Walmart, Target, Costco and Bed, Bath and Beyond.  My car was full of groceries.  I merged on to I-25 and maneuvered to the left lane.  Just before the Erie exit and mile marker 232, the tail lights in front of me glowed red.  I stepped on the brake to slow down, and as per my usual habit, I made a quick check in the rear view mirror to see the status of the car behind me.

In an instant I knew that the girl in the car behind me was not paying attention to my brake lights and was barreling toward me still at freeway speed.  There was no way to avoid a collision that occurred less than a second later.  I just remember saying, "Ooph" as the air was knocked out of me and feeling my body jar forward, catch on the seatbelt, and slam back in to my seat.  I had the presence of mind to quickly pull over on to the shoulder.  I glanced again at the rear view mirror to see that the car that had hit me was also pulling over.

My first thought was to call Chris but my phone which had been attached to a magnetic holder on the air vent was nowhere to be seen.  The radar detector had flown off the windshield (luckily not at my face), so I frantically looked around me and then behind me.  My phone was lying on the floor of the back seat.  I grabbed it and with shaking hands called Chris.   He answered and I blurted, "I was just rear-ended on the freeway."  Somehow before even picking up the phone he knew I was in trouble.  He asked if I was okay and where I was and then, "I'll be right there."

At this time, the driver, a twenty-something young lady named Kelsey, was at my door asking if I was okay and then apologizing.  "I'm sorry.  That was my fault.  I wasn't paying attention.  I just got off work..."  She had her phone and called 9-1-1.  I sat in my car trying to gather my wits and assess my own personal damage.  I was very shaky.  The cars on the freeway were back up to speed and whizzing by us.  We were on the shoulder, but I was praying no one would hit us.

I climbed out of my car carefully, noting that my calves were already very tight and sore.  I could feel the whiplash already starting to develop and a headache coming on, but other than that, I was okay.  I  talked to Chris again and he recommended that I go take pictures in case Kelsey decided to drive off.  I got pictures of my car and then her car.  I didn't think she would be driving anywhere.

It took about ten minutes for the police to finally arrive.  The officer talked to Kelsey first and then came to talk to me.  He asked what happened, and I relayed the events to him.  He asked if I wanted a tow truck and I said I didn't know if my car was driveable.  He looked at the side closest to the freeway and then asked how far I would have to drive.  I replied, "Firestone."  He said that I could maybe make it but that the fender would rub against the rear tire and I would likely lose the tire.  There was no sense ruining a tire if I didn't have to.  I mentioned that Chris was on his way and that I had a car full of groceries.  We agreed to wait until Chris arrived.

The officer asked for my driver's license and handed me a clipboard and pen to fill out with my name, insurance, address, etc and then to fill out what had happened.  By this time, Chris had arrived, had maneuvered his car up close to mine and was transferring all of the groceries from the Pilot to his trunk.  Chris noted that some of the groceries had been smunched a bit.  We removed all of the extra stuff from the Pilot since it was going to be towed to Longmont.

Someone began to ask about my injuries.  He had blue latex gloves on and wrote down pertinent information on his glove as I talked.  He asked if I was in pain, felt for broken bones, checked for muscle reactiveness.  He asked if I wanted to be taken to the hospital to be checked out.  Most of my pain was in my calves, my neck, and along the line of the seatbelt across my chest and my hips.  I wasn't sure since I seemed to be feeling ok, but once the ambulance arrived and they had me sit in the ambulance, Chris and I decided it would be best just to make sure that everything was ok.  (FYI, the picture is highly unflattering).

I could hear another paramedic radioing information about two twenty-something women involved in a crash on I-25.  I joked to the first paramedic/officer who talked to me that it was nice they thought I was in my 20s.  Since he had written my age on his glove, he smiled.

Kelsey was brought in to the ambulance to be checked out as well.  Her air bag had deployed and her face was sore, but she refused transport to the hospital.  We didn't talk again although her mother checked on me earlier after she had arrived on scene.

My EMT in the ambulance was named Carlos; he checked on my vitals while riding to Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont.  Again, he wrote pertinent info on his blue latex gloves.  Chris followed in the Audi.

We arrived at the ER and before they wheeled me inside, Carlos asked if I had any guns, knives, or bombs on me.  I shook my head no and was wheeled in to room 11.  They had me transfer from the gurney to the bed.  I changed in to a hospital gown, removing my shirt and bra while the gown was held in front of me.

I was in great need of using the bathroom, so after getting situated, I was able to go.  Though before letting me, the nurse had to ask if my home life was a good situation, if I was scared, or if I was in any danger.  I said I was fine.  Chris had arrived by that time (having to go through security before entering).  They asked if I was okay to have family come back.

Over the next hour or so, I was seen by a doctor, had a chest x-ray, an ultrasound of my abdomen, and finally given some crackers to eat so that I could have some pain meds.

We filled a prescription at the hospital pharmacy after being discharged and drove to pick up Kristen from play practice at the middle school.

Throughout this time, Chris had been texting with the girls and had called family.  He sent some pictures to them.  I asked Chris to take some pictures when they were doing the x-rays and the nurse thought it was funny.  While we waited, I was able to text with some of my friends and family.

Amy and Misha had responded, but we figured Kristen would not see any of the texts until after her play practice was over.  We were wrong.  She climbed in the car where we sat waiting to pick her up and immediately started to cry.  She had seen the texts come through about an hour ago and was pretty traumatized to see pictures of her mom in an ambulance.  She did the best thing she could and found her friend Maggie.  Maggie consoled Kristen while she cried and then they prayed together in the locker room.  I commented to Kristen that it was such a miracle to have a friend that she could pray with.

We arrived home with all of the groceries.  I sat on the couch as Chris asked where I wanted stuff to go.  I was just so grateful to be home.  I am grateful to be alive.

Friendship Quote

Love this quote.  Pretty much explains the moment when you bring babies in to your home.

"Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life,
you can barely remember what life was like without them."

~Anna Taylor on friendship

Kristen's Friend Night

Kristen and her friends, Maggie, Livia, and Leslie, planned a girls' night out.  Chris and I picked them up from the middle school after play practice and drove them to Target first for a little shopping.  Chris and I just let them go on their own, telling them to "not get kicked out of Target."  They wandered around for awhile, found some treats to buy, and joined back up with Chris and I at the check out.

They wanted to go to Chick-fil-A so that was the next stop, though I made a not-so-quick stop at Tokyo Joe's instead.  The girls sat at a booth together, while Chris and I enjoyed some time together on the other side of the restaurant.

Before heading home, the girls made one more stop at Michaels since one of the friends had never been there before.

The plan for the rest of the evening mostly involved some hot tub time for the girls.

God Does Answer Prayers

Amy has been having struggles with roommates lately, adding that to the challenge of college life with studying, completing homework and assignments, and creating balance, she has been weighing heavy on my heart over the past week as I have prayed for her, given counsel, and tried to be supportive and lift her spirits.

As she texted me yesterday, "My day is already off to a bad start," I continued to pray for her, especially as she was finding out her latest calculus grade later in the day.  I responded, "It doesn't have to stay that way."  And all along God was working His miracle in her life.

As she walked in to her religion class, a new friend had left the neatest note and treat for Amy. "He is perfectly positioned to lift and give us the strength we need to endure our afflictions.  We have only to ask."

Her day simply reminded me of this quote by Spencer W. Kimball, "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom" (Chapter 8: Selfless Service, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church", (2006), 79–88).

As her day continued, she received great feedback on an English paper she was working on, and she texted:  I GOT 95 ON THE TEST...Today is shaping up.

Roommate challenges were turning around with an apology.  And because I was still praying for Amy, I texted her:

Mom:  That just brought tears to my eyes.  God knows you sweetheart AND he hears and answers prayers.

Amy:  Yes he does.