July 2020 - Week 3

 MONDAY - We paid off the balance of the hot tub and also paid off Josh's credit card. It was a really good feeling to have both paid off! Josh and I took a bike ride around the 4-mile loop this evening, which was the first time I'd ridden my new bike. It was really nice! When we got home, we soaked in the hot tub while the boys were at summer running. 

Josh captured a pretty sunrise at the golf course

bye-bye credit card!

TUESDAY - I went to Jen's to watch some episodes of a show we'd been watching together, but her family came home early from a camping trip they'd taken, so it cut our TV-watching short. We went outside and the kids talked to us about their camping trip, and they picked some veggies from their garden (and were nice to gift some to me, too). I left after a bit and went to the golf course to walk around the park loop. I surprisingly saw Josh golfing at Men's League on his last hole, and then he surprised me and walked with me on my second time around the loop, which was nice to have company! When we got home, we soaked in the hot tub for a bit before bed. 

Check out that massive beet!

WEDNESDAY - I picked raspberries for the first time this summer (they're a little behind due to the cold weather this spring). A guy came to pick up our old piano--he was very strange and talked to me for about an hour. He had some crazy beliefs...I was kind of relieved when he left. We had the sister missionaries over for dinner--unfortunately, dinner was kind of a disaster. I made deer roast in the crockpot, roasted vegies, and crescent rolls. The roast turned out kind of dry because Josh cut it before the veggies were done cooking in the oven. I'd never roasted veggies before, but they took longer than I'd anticipated. I cooked the beets and carrots from Jen's garden and added some red potatoes to the mix, too. It was the first time I'd ever cooked beets. Nobody in my family was excited to try them, but upon my insistence, they did! (And they didn't mind them as much as they thought they would, either!) Unfortunately, I also burnt the crescent rolls because I put them in the oven with the veggies since the veggies weren't done yet, and the veggies cooked at a higher temperature! The sister missionaries were good sports, though, and shared a nice message with us after dinner. Josh and I rode our bikes around the loop again that night and finished with a soak in the hot tub. It seemed to be the theme of the week: exercise and soak! 

I thought they looked so pretty!
Josh and the kids' faces looked disgusted
when they saw the pan, though!! Haha!

THURSDAY - Josh and I drove to Mud Lake after he worked that morning so I could go to another rock band practice at 11:00 for the upcoming parade in August. Josh dropped me off and went shopping in Idaho Falls. I practiced with Shane, Jeff, Amanada and our drummer (who's a new H.S. graduate) for 2 hours! We decided to only do 2 songs rather than 4 like we originally talked about. The first one is COVID Drives Me Crazy (to the tune of "She Drives me Crazy") that Shane wrote, and R-O-C-K at the W.J. (to the tune of R-O-C-K in the U.S.A) that I wrote. It was a fun practice and I really felt like we were starting to sound like a real band, which is a dream come true for me! I've thought since I was a teenager that being in a band would be awesome! Afterwards, Amanda and I talked for about an hour in my classroom. It was wonderful to catch up with her! We talked about her brain cancer, school committees, teaching, families, and life. I enjoyed it so much! The plan for the day was that when Josh was shopping, I would get some work done in my classroom, but when he got there 3 hours after dropping me off, I hadn't done a single thing! He was a bit annoyed when I asked him to help me move a few furniture pieces when he showed up, but after rolling his eyes, he obliged! I didn't get as much done in my classroom that I would've liked, but the practice took longer than I thought, and the time spent talking to Amanda was priceless and I wouldn't have traded it just to get work done. I drove us home so Josh could rest on the drive. When we got home, I made dinner, and then he and I went for a walk. It rained off and on during the day, and on our walk, we saw a rainbow which was so pretty! When we got back home, we soaked in the hot tub for a bit (of course!). Amanda and Ryan arrived at our home about 9:45 that night in their new van and toyhauler trailer, and we spent an hour getting them set up before going to bed. It was their first time using it and setting it up, so it took longer because of that, and also because it was dark already. Getting a trailer was their summer vacation, since they can't go anywhere right now due to Ryan's fragile condition, and they don't want him to get COVID, so they figured if they parked their trailer in Salmon for a week, they could get out of Ogden, and still be able to social distance. 

FRIDAY - Since it was Pioneer Day, Utah people got the day off work. Because of that, Ryan's friend Ty and his family joined Amanda and Ryan on their vacation to Salmon. Ryan's friends caravaned with Ryan & Amanda to Salmon the previous night, but they camped at Shoup Bridge campground instead of our house. I took Amanda down there on the 4-wheeler that morning to see how their night was and ask about their plans for the day. They floated the river that afternoon, and as they were floating, Amanda and Ryan hung out with me in the Triple S for a bit, while Josh took a nap. When the boys went to summer running that evening, Josh and I soaked in our hot tub again! We love the hot tub so much, and our nightly routine was such a relaxing one!

SATURDAY - Josh golfed with the twins at the Boosters Tournament all morning/afternoon with Craig Oswald and Jordan Hansen. They had such a fun day together, and even won! I drove down river in the afternoon with Amanda and Ryan to show his friends where Goldbug Hot Springs trailhead was because his friends were following in the car behind them and Amanda couldn't remember exactly where the turnoff was. When we got back, I started getting the yard ready to host a get-together later that afternoon with the Berube's, Judy's, and Ryan's friend's family. We had a great time in the yard all evening. The kids played in the ditch and in the yard on the swings, and Josh even made a little slip & slide in his parents' yard which was a big hit! We ate pizza that Jen brought, and I had lots of fruit, popsicles, and drinks on hand. After dinner, the kids played in the hot tub, made smores around the fire pit, played frisbee golf and darts, and the Harris grandkids came down and played for about an hour, too! We had a yard full then! The kids were having a great time and it felt like the yard was finally being used for what it was intended for! We had good conversation with the adults, too: my favorite part was when just Amanda, Jen, and I sat in the Triple S alone and undisturbed...even though it was only for about 10 minutes! I'm grateful for good friends and quality time spent together!