December 2020

 Hi!!!!!  

I'm back after 7 years trying to blog again!  I want my posterity to know how much I love them and love the Lord and the scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ!  For that reason and to keep my promise to  remember Wayne, I'm back!  

This is a semi-recent picture.  Maybe a year old.  Tori has since gotten married to a great young man named Kaler Mehlberg, and Devon and Ashley had their baby, Paisley.  I'm going to try to put my impressions from the Come Follow Me readings here in this blog as well.  We've been asked to record our impressions, and my awesome little sister, Whitney, and I are trying to help each other do this.  

Today was a fun day.  I got to go Christmas shopping mostly for my Dad and Mom and Dad Henrie.  I ended up getting some stuff for Tess and Randy and Taytum Gordy too.  I love being able to find things I think they will like.  Then I made a big pot of chili.  Kaia Mehlberg kindly helped me season it.  Then I took some to Mitch and Chass.  Chass hasn't been feeling very good and her son-in-law, Josh Guymon and daughter, Kylie Guymon, both have Covid-19.  There's a pandemic going on right now that has changed many things - how we look - wearing face masks in all public places, how we interact - social distancing with 6 feet apart recommended, many appointments are virtual and church is every other week too.  

My health has been a little crazy lately, literally!!  I was in the University Neuropsychiatry Institute for a whole month.  Then I lost my job.  I've been at home since then living on my savings and so grateful to be out of the hospital.  I have been being treated with something called ECT - electroconvulsive therapy.  I have to go to Salt Lake for it, and someone has to drive me because I can't drive for 24 hours after my treatment.  Tess has been so sweet to take me.  I used to go weekly, then every 10 days, then every two weeks, and now I am going every three weeks.  The people who treat me are really kind.  I don't remember too much about it.  It causes some memory loss, and that is one of the reasons I am not working right now.  I have loved being a stay-at-home Mom.  I haven't not worked since I was in high school.  I have been able to cook dinners for my kiddos, I have been baking bread and cookies more.  I read President Monson's book.  I am feeling like myself, and I am so so so so so grateful for that.   When I am sick, I hear voices, and I was diagnosed with likely schizophrenia.  That was hard to be told.  It's not fun to be crazy!!  I am so grateful I'm not hearing any voices.  The ECT and the combination with that and the medications I am on has made me healthy again, and again, I'm so thankful for that.  

My computer's battery is going to die soon, so I'll just quickly list some highlights of my scripture reading today:  I admire Moroni.  It must have been so lonely to wander around looking for places to hide because he wouldn't deny the Christ and all Christians were being put to death.  It's great that he kept a record!  He wrote out the sacrament prayers, so that's wonderful that we have those.  Lots of awesome scriptures in Moroni.  One scripture I highlighted is Moroni 7:19 "Wherefore I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil, and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not ye certainly will be a child of Christ."  One of my favorites is Moroni 7:45

"And charity suffereth long and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil and rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

I love my children and wish they didn't have to go through all of this with me.  I'm just grateful I get to still be home with them.  My family has been amazing, biological and in-laws!!  So many came to my rescue while I was in the hospital.  I will be forever grateful.  I love my parents and appreciate all of their support!  

Fall 2013, it's a stampede!

I haven't blogged forever, but I made a promise that when my nephew, Wayne, passed away, that was one thing I was going to start doing.....a change for the better that would keep him in my thoughts.  I definitely haven't been blogging at regular intervals, but I don't want to give up.  Life this fall has been a ride for sure!! Two days before I was supposed to start working at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School teaching 7th grade science in August, I took a job teaching Chemistry and Biology at Desert Hills High School in St. George. An exhausting decision after two sleepless nights.  I was pretty much terrified and totally unprepared, but they were in need of a teacher and it felt like that was where the Lord wanted me to be teaching.

It feels like teaching consumes much of my life these days.  I leave around 6:45 in the morning, usually after waking up all of my darlings and trying to have prayer and hugs before I have to go.  I start the day on the run, trying to quickly get copies made, the room organized, and go over my lesson plan before my students show up.  I love my high school students!  They are for the most part really well behaved, tons of fun to teach, and kind and friendly.  Many of them have some pretty big challenges - health problems, family struggles, learning difficulties, etc., and I have learned a lot from being around them.  I have never taught high school bio or chemistry before, so I spend many hours studying on my own time, grading papers, and searching for fun/good lesson plans.  I get home between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., do my best to try and be a Mom for a few hours before I have to try and get ready for the next day of teaching.

Some weeks go better than others.  Yesterday I felt really overwhelmed because the house was messy, laundry was stacked up a mile high, and I felt like I wasn't a good Mom, teacher, housekeeper, wife, or anything else!  Life always seems a little cheerier after a good night's sleep, though, and I'm so grateful for the chance to recharge spiritually, emotionally, and physically on Sunday.

Now for an update on my darlings -

Devon is a senior (hard for me to believe!!).  He is wrestling and working with Ryan at the cabinet shop and enjoying dating a variety of girls.  (Ryan calls them the flavor of the week! :).)  He is extremely outgoing and social and is always planning some sort of outing.  He likes P.E. and graphic arts and criminal justice at school and pretty much feels like all of his other classes are torture!  I keep thinking of all the "lasts" we're going through right now - Devon's last high school homecoming, probably last Christmas with our kids all home together before they start serving missions, last summer vacation with all 5 kids this next year...the list goes on and tears sneak down my cheeks once in a while.  I love Devon so much!  It's been a blessing to have him in our home.

Dallin is a sophomore and is also wrestling.  His football season just ended.  He has grown several inches this year and is now 6 feet 1 inch tall and passed up Ryan.  He is so good natured and fun loving, always coming up with hilarious one-liners.  He is working on his Eagle Scout project right now, teaming up with Santa Flight West collecting school supplies for "Santa" to deliver to East Elementary here in Cedar City.  He is taking French (a language I love but have forgotten most everything I ever learned!) and does well in most of his other classes.  He is my comic relief and always senses when I need a hug or some extra help around the house.  Love you Dal!

Dallin and friends at Eagle Scout Fundraiser Dance 

Dallin Football at CHS 2013

Tori is 12 now and is loving Young Women's!  She is growing up so fast (okay, she's kind of short still but that's in her blood :).  She started basketball for the first time ever last month and is learning fast.  She begged me to help coach, so I am assisting in that department.  It's been 20 some years since I played and the rules are different and my arms are so wimpy these days I don't make many hoops.  That being said, I've loved helping to coach her team!  I love the sport and it's so fun to get a ball back in my hands once in a while.  I get a little overly competitive once in a while and have to "talk myself down" in my head!  

Tori and I went to a Josh Groban concert with my Mom and 2nd cousin up in Salt Lake and had a blast.  Loved it!!  When she learned she and Josh have the same birthday she started screaming, too cute!  

School Pic this year

Josh Groban Concert 

Tess is in 5th grade and doing so well in school.  After struggling with speech problems and reading difficulties, she is beginning to blossom thanks to an excellent teacher!  She loves her new puppy, Kia, and takes such good care of her.  She is so responsible and helps out a ton with Derek in the morning after I leave.  I will forever be grateful for her dimples and sweet smile.  My sunshine.

Volcano Day

Tess and Kia at Halloween

Derek is still adored by all of us!  We probably spoil him a little too much, a little too often!  He is so much fun to snuggle and cuddle even though he's growing way too fast.  It takes two of us to rock him to sleep at church now!  He loves 1st grade and makes friends easily.  Our "baby" is a dear treasure and I can't imagine life without him!  

Derek, the Hulk at Halloween

Derek and Ryan at Dallin's Eagle Scout Dance in the "clouds"

1st snow!

Ryan is my sweetheart, my hero, my champion.  I couldn't do anything without him.  He keeps me going on rough days, takes me on dates each week, keeps track of the kids in the mornings and until I get home and is my confidante and best friend in the universe.  I love him with all my heart!

I love you, always, forever

Life....moving like wildfire

Hey, we're alive!  Go ahead and give yourself a neck-ache trying to look at these upside down pictures!  I have spent the last hour trying to get them loaded and don't want to go back out and try to rotate and reload them.  Sorry!  These are just a few pictures from the last few months.  The kids are healthy and well.  Boys finished wrestling and are now loving rugby.  The girls are playing volleyball and had fun birthdays.  Ryan has filled in as Mr. Mom a whole heck of a lot this year.  He has saved our family in my opinion.  He has done more laundry, task delegation, kid running around, and reading/homework with kids than ever in our married life.  He truly has been my saving grace and allowed me to make it through my first year working out of the home full time.  I love him with all I have.  He is my sweetheart and best friend, and I love having him on my team!  

I am still teaching 7th grade science in St. George.  It is crazy but fun most days.  I love the school, and the staff I work with are incredible.  There is never a dull moment - I teach 150 different kids every day and believe me that means a lot of 13-year-old personalities/hormones to try to figure out!  Oh well, I doubt much science sinks in but hopefully they will remember I tried to make it fun and that I love them!  

Big news of the weekend is that they announced a Cedar City Temple at our LDS general conference yesterday!  I was so excited I started screaming!  We have been waiting for this for years and kept hoping it would come eventually.  Can't wait to see what it is going to look like, where it is going to be built, and what we can do to help!!  So cooooool!!  

Cousins 'n Sun

We took our first family trip to Lake Powell thanks to our sister, Holly, and her family being so generous to share their houseboat with us!  It was a whole new adventure and reminded me of the movie "Water World".  We loved every second with our extended Henrie family and formed new unbreakable bonds. 

~Thanks so much Holly and Garrett!~

Then our little darlings crashed on the way home.....