We've been taught that we need to record things.
“Every person should keep a journal and every person can keep a journal. It should be an enlightening one and should bring great blessings and happiness to the families. If there is anyone here who isn’t doing so, will you repent today and change—change your life?”
I don't feel so dorky that way :)
I got home on Thursday morning. I got into the airport and called Dad- goofiest conversation I've had with him in a long time. I was mostly delirious, as it was 5:30AM and I'd been unable to sleep the majority of the night, and everybody around me was looking at me funny. I guess my conversation was more interesting than waiting for the luggage belt to start moving! I went home and hoped to sleep, but by the time I got home my siblings were getting up for school, and knowing full well that Aria had been counting down the days til I got home... I should've known better than to hope for sleep.
So we got the kids off to school, then I started to go shopping with mom but the doctor's office called and said they could fit me in if I came right then. So we went to see Maria Claudia, one of my mom's good friends, who wanted to know how everything was going and how life was and how I liked college and what I was doing home and I could call her from China and get a prescription for birth control.
My mom has weird friends.
Mom and I continued on to go shopping for matching Christmas dresses (I don't remember the last time we all matched- someone's wedding, maybe?), we found some cute ones, and then our stomachs indicated the time. We went to Pollo Tropical. Man, I forgot how great that place is. Mom thinks we should open a franchise in Provo. We really would make millions... We'll work on that.
We came home and Mom and I talked for a while. I had intended to get a nap in somewhere, but it was a good conversation. It ended only because Cathy called my mom about picking kids up from chess club, and then Mom remembered Jada's parent-teacher conference we were going to be late for. "We, Mom? I'm neither a parent nor a teacher." "Oh come on. It's your fifth grade teacher, she'd LOVE to see you!" Sigh...
It was really fun, actually. I do love this teacher, and with my siblings still at my elementary school, it's fun to have an easy excuse to go see her. She was so cute. She, too, wanted to know how school was going, how I spent my time, what I was interested in, etc. When I told her I spent all my time playing, she said, "Oh, so playing- you party?" I laughed. Me? Party? I guess most kids do grow up, go to college, and get drunk. I explained. I described the art gala and the random way that came about, sledding on cookie tins, body painting, snowball fights in August... "No," I told her, "when I say play, I mean it very, very literally." It was cute to see her remember my personality from 5th grade and realize I hadn't changed in the slightest.
The rest of Thursday was kind of a blur, probably up until Friday morning. I fell asleep during the kids piano lessons, and I didn't really wake up until Friday morning sometime. I know we went caroling, and I was really upset about having my sleep interrupted (I know I was a grouch about it- my family came in to tackle me to wake me up and I locked myself in the bathroom so I wouldn't yell at people) but after I regained consciousness, it was fun. We sang anything BUT Christmas songs in between houses, and we sang at the TOP of our lungs. Somehow I find that I bond best with my siblings when we're doing something really obnoxious. Hey, whatever works!
So Friday. My dad woke me up and asked me to take my sister to school. I was not happy. But I did. Then I came back home and snuggled up and went back to sleep. I yelled at my dad when he asked me to take my sister to the dentist. "You're CRAZY" is actually what I yelled. And I went back to sleep. Then he called me at 10:30 and asked me to pick up my sister from school. I remembered yelling at him and felt awful for it, so I picked her up and called my dad back and apologized. We dropped off little kids at Wannado City, we ran some errands, we picked up Mom from work, ran some more errands...Then Brid and I went to the beach. Just in time for the sun to go down. It was still fun to be in the sand and the water (even though now they charge you for parking?! What the heck? There going to charge us to BREATH in the Sunshine State too... argh.) We came home, I ran to pick up the kids from Wannado and ended up staying there to make cookies with them. Cute punk running that station that Jada kept talking to and who found any excuse possible to talk to me :P
Then we drove home, pulled over to get all the kids settled down right in front of cop... smooth, Lys, real smooth. We went home to get ready for Haynies' farewell party. Poor Cara was going to have an aneurism because we weren't going fast enough. I felt bad because I really wasn't in a hurry. They're moving 10 minutes away from me at school, I'm not saying goodbye! But my fam was, and Cara wanted to say goodbye to all of her friends. We got there, and it really was fun. We always cause a scene, inconspicuous as we want to be. I walked in and Diana tackled me, quickly followed by Robbie, and really, the follow up by Rob was the least expected thing on the planet. It totally made my night. That, and Jace and Rob kicking the soccer ball (to this day I'm not sure who assisted and who actually kicked the final masterpiece) and having it land on the bowl of cookies at just the right angle to send the cookies flying all over the gym. Ah, best moment of the night. Then I talked to a bunch of people, Andrea, Mike, Sister Shoup, Jared, Amber, Robbie, James, Pres. Richards, all kinds of people. Rob's pretty cool. I really need to hang out with him more.
Saturday we went to Orlando to go to the temple. :) Always a good experience. It's my temple! Jace and Mom and Brid and I went. We waited for the group we were supposed to join, they never came, so we went in and Jace was just going to do the few family files we had (all boys, of course). Then another couple came down to join us but they didn't plan on doing the baptisms, so Brid and I still got to participate. Then we met Dad and the little girls wandering around the temple, watching the cleaning crews set up, and we went to Sierras. I love that family so much. We drove home, went to sleep, got up and got ready for church.
Ah, church. I'm convinced they made it three hours because they want it to be memorable. Always. No matter how many people are involved in your life or attending church with you. Sunday mornings at my house are always a riot, but especially when everyone's singing in Sacrament meeting. Of course. I've been home three days, and on the way to church, I'm informed that we aren't just singing the one song we sort of practice (meaning the half of my family was actually at the piano practicing and I was in getting ready, singing along in front of the bathroom sink.) While sitting in sacrament meeting, the narrator for the Christmas program says something that suddenly inspires my mother to stand up and urge me to get up and go up to the stand. But wait, why isn't Dad getting up? Isn't he supposed to sing with us? Oh no. Part one of four songs they forgot to tell me I was also part of. Lots of up and downs during sacrament meeting that I wasn't expecting. Sunday school I sat with Dad while Mom taught her Primary boys. Though Dad's usually sergeant at arms... I guess Mom's gotten a handle on those 11 year olds. I was expecting her to come join me during Relief Society. She didn't. Ever. Relief Society in a real ward... didn't she know that would do some major scarring?!?
We went caroling again that night. The usual. Monday... oh! The missionaries! The tradition in our house is that the missionaries come over ever Saturday for breakfast. We like to support the missionaries in our ward, but dinner during the week just doesn't seem to work for our family. While we always eat together, some nights its in about 15 minutes because we have so many things scheduled. Breakfast is pretty low key, and it's Saturday morning. No one's in too great of a hurry and the kids can be their normal, outta control selves, and the missionaries (at least, those with younger siblings) feel right at home. And we especially love it when missionaries come over that are working on social skills... I've never heard so many youtube videos quoted verbatim.
I went to Kyle's for breakfast, the only time we could sit and catch up before he goes to Europe! So jealous... Even though I didn't feel like it was catching up. We stay pretty caught up during the semester. That was while Dad and the kids went shopping (I've never known a year that he gets it done before Christmas Eve. If he does, it means he's senile and has forgotten that it isn't Christmas Eve, at which point, it will probably be the middle of July.) We came home to wrap everything, make sure stuff was cleaned up before we started Christmas Eve festivities, and started watching the 4 seasons of Gilligan's Island we borrowed from the Prows' in the Bahamas. Mom came in at one point and we started writing love notes, and then... Mom and Dad fell asleep. The rest of us fell asleep on the pull out bed, all 6 of us piled on top of each other, and everybody woke me up some point the following morning.
And then it was Christmas! Oh the morning was so fun. All two hours of it. Then I crawled back in bed and my mom woke me up to put me on the phone with Sister Silva, who demanded that I get up and play volleyball with them: "If you love me, you'll come play volleyball." I love that woman. I was there! It can't be beat. It was several hours of made up rules and the 5 year old running the music and Sister Silva arguing with me about physics. I love Brazilians :)
Then the beach! We fed seagulls, we watched the sting ray that kept us out of the water once we realized it was there, we named a jelly fish, we tried feeding it to the gulls, we built a sandman, we buried each other, and finally, we went home. Mom was getting ready to make dinner while my siblings were watching A Christmas Story, and my parents got the brilliant idea (needless to say, from the aforementioned movie) to go to a Chinese Restaurant for Christmas dinner. Hahahahahahahahahaha. We went. That's all I'm going to say on that matter.
Wednesday... Brid and I went to work with my mom. I left notes all over Brother Sorensen's desk about how Bridian's in love with Tyler. She'll probably kill me when she finds our that I didn't actually throw them away, and Brother Sorensen will be in his office before Bridian is next. :) Oh well. Easy come, easy go xDDDDD
I stayed up all night watching Hogan's Heroes, and then Thursday we did lots of yardwork. Cleaned the cars, ended up in a family water/mud fight. We went swimming with Dad and worked on my pitching arm. I also tackled Jace. A lot. I dragged him into the pool and pulled him all over, explaining that since it's inevitable that he'll be a lot bigger than I am when I next come home, I had to get my kicks in as soon (and as often!) as possible. He didn't seem to mind too much, until Dad started teasing him about getting his butt kicked by a girl.
Then today I went to work with Mom again. We came home and watched Hogan's Heroes, took Bridian to the book store because I unintentionally got her hooked on the Twilight series and she needed the next one, ran around with Dad looking for a wiring harness for Mom's new CD player, and begged the kids to eat dinner so they could watch their Barbie movie before it has to go back. I've been typing off and on all day, and they're entertained for a minute while I finish. I think I'll be done and take advantage of the quiet!
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