Happenings

For as much as I love doing this blog, I have been falling behind on my posts.  I like to think I'm just so busy living life that I haven't had time to write about it.  Which, is true, but still.  I really enjoy writing about it, so today I'll try to get caught up.  I tend to process life better when I write. 

A couple weeks back we joined family for Abe's brother Phil's 40th birthday celebration.  Phil is a great guy and and as you can see, he wasn't altogether comfortable with the family doting on him and telling him how wonderful he is. 

Phil is two brothers younger than Abe.

For a school project Faith made this one-of-a-kind, custom made tiger rug.  I am not an "artsy-craftsy kind of mom".  I could feel any degree of guilt over this, but I swear, they come up with better stuff than I could every think to do with them.  So, my homeschooling art method is pretty much, "Get the heck out of their way and allow the mess".  It has served us well thus far.

Abe and I played pickle ball with some friends recently.  Despite our my trash talking...

... we lost 2 out of 3 games.  I love pickle ball.  I'm not good, but I love it.

Life is so full that I am losing track of time.  I think this was a couple weekends back-- Abe took Bethany and Faith on an all day Daddy-Daughter Date out to Vernal, UT to go watch Connor (Bethany's Connor) in a big mountain bike race. 
Abe's mom grew up in Vernal and he has very fond childhood memories of visiting Vernal. 

Connor is a very good mountain biker.  If I understand correctly, he is ranked 8th in the state, and he got 8th place out of about 2000 racers this weekend.   And frankly, we really like the guy and now I'm bragging about him as if he is one of my kids.  So there you have it.

After the race, Abe, Bethany, and Faith hung out in Connor's family's trailer with the Copper Hills Mountain Biking Team.   Seeing as how we know pretty much nothing about mountain biking, I'm sure it was quite the education for them.

Before they headed home they stopped by the Jolley Mortuary (since renamed) where Abe's grandpa was a mortician and where his mom grew up. 

They also did a little family history stop to visit the grave sites of his Jolley grandparents.

They all quite enjoyed the day.

The night before the Vernal outing we had a little hen party at our house.  We watched Austenland, which if you love Jane Austen I can highly recommend.  If you don't love Jane Austen then I don't know why you are even reading this, because we aren't actual friends.
KIDDING.  I'm kidding.  But seriously, go read or watch some Jane Austen.

She is Abe's daughter-- she is, no joke, dancing to Michael Jackson.