So, in January I got a call to be the 1st Counselor in the Stake Young Women's program. I am nervous/excited about this new opportunity to serve. The ladies I'm working with all seem really nice. So far we have put together a low-key stake activity (crab soccer) and we have organizational training this weekend. I'm not too keen on having to drive an hour every time we do something, but I guess I just need to get over that.
On the flip side, I really was enjoying being in with the young women in my ward and was a little sad that I would be getting released right as Kylie came into young women's. Well, never fear! I am currently doing both. Apparently, they didn't talk to my bishop before they called me and my ward leaders haven't found anyone to replace me yet, so they haven't released me. It's actually been fine. I don't have little kids at home so I have the time and flexibility. I talked to my ward young women's president and I told her I could definitely still help with rides and being the two-deep leadership, I just couldn't help as much with planning and such. So yeah, we'll see how long that lasts. So far it's been a month.
And a little more on Kylie. She is a full-blown tween now. She has discovered the commissary (the military grocery store). She and her friends like to ride their bikes there and then buy a ton of junk food. Nice. She has loved opportunities to dog sit for our friends and make some extra mula. She and a friend also did a lemonade stand the other day and went around the playground asking kids if they wanted lemonade. They made $26 in about 2 hours charging $0.50 a cup. I have taken Kylie clothes shopping a few times and she is loving picking her own clothes and figuring out her style. I am glad Kylie has settled in well and is figuring herself out. It's good.
February of course brought Valentine's Day. This was my first year with no Valentine's boxes and treats to take to school. Treats seemed to show up everywhere anyway though as the kids got cupcakes, doughnuts, candy, and chocolate at seminary, school, drama, etc. Chris and I tried to make reservations at a restaurant but everything was booked so . . . we made a later reservation and are celebrating valentine's day in March, cuz that's the way we roll. 😅 So we just had a quiet night at home and watched a movie as a family. (Also, to be fair, Chris and I have been trying out some new fun restaurants of late - a place that sells yummy street tacos and an authentic Honduran restaurant with friends. Our military lifestyle doesn't ever really let us plan on specific dates, so we just celebrate when we're available. 😉) Chris also brought me home some roses, which was super sweet. Kate also made it festive by cutting the strawberries for our dinner into hearts. And speaking of Kate, she is enjoying her drama club more. This semester she is on the light crew and likes learning about all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Kate is also enjoying earning extra mula through babysitting. There's never a shortage of young families on a military base!
Mid-February I also finished my first term at Western Governor's University. Three courses down, seven to go. Whoo-hoo! Thus far I have been able to assess myself as a leader, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles, and learn the world of Human Resources Management and how to keep employees engaged. Staying motivated to do online school that is self-paced while also balancing being a mom and the house responsibilities has been a bit of an adjustment. But I have also loved engaging my brain again and enjoy what I am learning. I'm still not exactly sure where this journey is taking me, but I am so grateful to have been led to this point and am trying to make the most of the experience.
Over President's Day weekend we decided to try out another beach - Fort Desoto Beach. This one had a few ruins of the old fort that were neat to look at. Love the pictures looking through the cannon. It was a nice, sunny day in the mid-'70s, perfect for walking on the pier and collecting shells on the beach. We actually found sand dollars, (pieces of ) crabs, sea urchins, and tons of great shells. There was a little marina store & grill too that we stopped at for a burger and fried shrimp. A fun family day out.
A quick update on Chris. There's always some crisis going on in the world, ya know, so he is plenty busy. He's pretty sick of sitting through a gazillion video conference meetings every day but loves the early morning, soul-crushing workouts that the trainers put on. He has had to travel to the middle east a bit, but only for a few weeks at a time and we are loving the stability that this job is providing - getting to see him every weekend, every night at dinner, and almost every day at lunch is amazing!
That same weekend, Lise's friend, Sierra was down visiting and so Lise got to spend some time with her. They went to a Greek Festival and had fun just hanging out and goofing off.
Another exciting thing for Lise is she got accepted to BYU! We went to lunch to get queso and chips to celebrate. (She said her biggest flex of all time is going to be that she got into BYU after writing one of her college entrance essays on the Kardashians. 🤦♀️😆) She is still deciding exactly where she wants to go, BYU or SUU in Cedar City, but we are so proud of her and support her in whatever path she chooses. She's been filling out scholarship applications, working lots, saving lots of mula, and looking into housing and meal plans. It's starting to get real people!
