Outdoor social distancing adventures of late

We've been taking hikes to places where not many people are - none at all here this day - and have greatly enjoyed getting out during this time of  "social distancing" because of the Coronivirus.  Feel just a little guilty about enjoying my time off work and it being hard times for many.  This day we took the hike on part of the Red Hill where Supe and Ari go for walks.  We love that all of the recent rains have filled up the pond at the top of the hike.  And this time we even saw a baby desert tortoise!  

Red Mountain Trail - this hike was perfect!  The weather was just right, it had been raining long enough to make lots of beautiful pools, but was sunny this day and the sand was all packed with water instead of being terrible to hike in.  We think we did 12-15 miles and it felt good!  We love this place.  I think this was the best time I've ever done this trail.  We saw a few people, but were able to keep our "social distance" as prescribed at this time.  Pictures can't even begin to do this beautiful place justice!

Last Saturday morning we took a beautiful bike ride up the West Canyon Trail in Snow Canyon!  It felt good!  Then in the afternoon we took Zade and Trigg to escape from being so much in the house and went to Supe's Pond again.  They had never been and loved seeing it and also the little side hike over to Courgar Rock.  Afterwards we stopped in at the drive through at BK for some ice cream cones and then took a ride around the St. George Temple to see how the renovation work is coming along.  It was such a fun time!  We had originally planned to go on a different shorter hike close to their house, but it was covered with people, so this turned out much better - we didn't run into anyone else.

Paul - looking good for Whistler Rabbit book bio

My sister Janet's husband wrote a really cute story - Whistler Rabbit - many years ago.  We have heard it over the years and always thought it would be a great little children's book.  We finally convinced him to go forward with it when Paul said he would do watercolor illustrations for it.  They have collaborated on it and now it is just about to go to publication!  So EXCITING!  Paul worked hard and the illustrations came out really well.  He had to turn in a short biography and picture for the book, so Bean took him up on the Red Hill and took some really nice shots of him.  Here they are!  He's lucky he takes good pictures and also lucky that Bean takes good pictures!  And I decided to scan in the pics he did for the illustrations and put them here too.  I'm not going to put the story in.  This is pretty exciting and fun for Paul to be involved in this project!  We can't wait to see how the book will turn out in print!  

Coronavirus, social distancing, Tavin transfers home from his mission...

Right now life is crazy!  This terrible disease - the Coronivirus - has really changed life.  We just got out of school for Spring Break week...and then we aren't going back until who knows when.  Kids will do on-line school.  The VP told me to come in when we are supposed to start back as they are going to try to find some kind of work for people to do who aren't on contracts like me.  We'll see how that goes.  Thank goodness we just signed up for me to get my SS benefits and for Paul to get spousal benefits.  If I lose my school income I will almost make it up through what we get from this.  We had hoped it would be extra income to use toward early pay off of the car, but if not, then I'm just glad we will have this instead.  Update:  Went to a meeting at the school this morning and it looks like I'm pretty much out of work til at least May 1st (the new date the schools have been shut down to for now).  They tried to think of something we could do, but when a co-worker and I actually talked to the kindergarten team, they looked pretty blank about the whole thing and are just trying to deal with the whole craziness of trying to provide some kind of on-line Kindergarten instruction.  We are so hands on that it's a pretty daunting task, I'm sure.  Speaking of hands on, Bean's technical college course basically got put on hold too.  The powers that be realized that with that kind of class (and other technical college classes) you just can't translate them into something on-line.  Now he and I both need to find something worthwhile to do with our time.  Thankfully, Paul still has some work and got a little more today.  Too bad I'm useless when he's the one who hurts with arthritis.  So now I need to get motivated about projects around the house that I can do.  Maybe I will learn to index finally.

Church is on an at home basis with our own sacrament meeting last Sunday and Paul blessing and passing the sacrament until further notice.  General Conference is going to be way different:  "Each session will be broadcast from a small auditorium on Temple Square.  The First Presidency will preside and conduct those sessions, and only those who have been invited to speak or pray will attend.  The music for the conference has been pre-recorded."  Today (March 22 - our 2nd week) we added watching Music and the Spoken Word to our Sunday routine.  Paul and I study our Come Follow Me Lesson for the week and then watch or listen to a podcast to go with it.  We take an outdoor walk in a secluded place on the Red Hill after lunch, take a nap and have Grandma, Bean and sometimes Supe and Beacher over for dinner.  We will keep trying to find the best way that works for us.

The stores are being bought out of all TP and canned goods and you have to line up to get into Costco now so as not to have too many people together in one place.(We are feeling glad that we have a bidet because we sure can't buy any toilet paper anywhere!) Businesses are just temporarily closing down.  and social distancing is the order of the day.

Tavin is coming home from his mission to the Philippines because the government wants all foreigners out of the country.  This was to be done within 72 hours.  He will have to come home and be quarantined for 14 days and then hopefully will be reassigned to do some kind of missionary work.  So...life is good, but it is crazy! (Sunday, March 22 - he arrives at the St. George Airport tonight at 11:42.  Only his parents can come to pick him up and then he's into his quarantine time. Update:  He arrived home and continues to serve/study from there and then be transferred back out to a stateside mission until and if the Philippines gets back to "normal" in time for him to go back and finish there.  The Church is calling these mission times, "the adventure of a lifetime".  And Tavin is keeping positive and enjoying it. (Getting him out of the Philippines was quite the adventure in itself - from getting the ferryman to let them on the ferry to get back to the MTC and then waiting there until the Church finally had to charter 5 planes to get all of the foreign missionaries out of the country.  He said there were miracles and tender mercies that made it all possible.

I have been working out on the treadmill as usual and Paul and I take walks.  Since I'm out of school I can go for bike rides when it's not raining.  We have gone outside on hikes where we know we won't be seeing a lot of other people to have the chance just to get out and enjoy some clean air and exercise.

The first Saturday after school ended for Spring Break Paul and I took a hike out behind Bloomington.  It's one that Supe showed us and we love the amazing views out there.  It had just rained recently and the trail and the air were clean washed, cool and beautiful!

On Monday Paul, Bean, me and Ferf and boys drove down to Falling Man Petroglyphs, over to the Sheep Wall and then to Hobgoblin's Playground (now knows and Little Finlandia) to hike around and see the amazing scenery.  It's a long, rough drive - especially to the Hobgoblin's), but we took our big truck and parked Ferf's car when it got to rough.  Gaige, Koen and Indy (the dog) were happy to ride in the back and get shakin' to pieces and the rest of us piled into the cab.  Such beautiful, amazing scenery.  We took our picnic lunches and then since it was getting pretty late by the time we got out, we stopped at Wendy's in Mesquite for dinner.  It was a long, but really fun day!  And we actually didn't hardly see anyone else except when we stopped for dinner.  It had been a really long time since we had been there.  I wouldn't do that drive again soon, but it was worth it and fun to share with people who hadn't been there before.

Koen is standing in under the namesake petroglyph - the Falling Man.  

Sciencepalooza - Grand Edventure with Trigg and Eliza

We had such a fun edventure with these two on Saturday, March 7th!  This was a really well done event with so many learning opportunities for the kids.  Afterwards we went to Wendy's for lunch.  

Sarai's baptism and Zade's ordination

It was a "shout for joy" Saturday on March 1, 2020.  In the morning we went up to Cedar City for Sarai's baptism and confirmation.  Afterwards we met at the Weaver's with Lillywhite and Sheffield family members for a wonderful brunch to celebrate! (Oh, the two grandma's got to be the baptism witnesses - a first for both of us I think, since women can now stand as witnesses in different ordinances.  Noah got to hold the mic for Sarai's and another child from their ward's confirmations.)

Later in the day we went to Zade's Aaronic Priesthood/Deacon ordination with those who could be there from the Lillywhite and Smith families.  It was a sweet experience to see Zade moving forward in this way.

Top photo - everyone who came.  Bottom photo those asked to stand in the circle.  

We are so happy to see both of these grand children making great choices in their spiritual progression.

February birthdays - Kennis, Weed & Grandma Kurtz

Kennis celebrated a pretty big one this year...#16!  She was pretty excited about having her license and getting a phone!  I'm pretty sure she is excited about the dating part even if she didn't say so.  She endeared herself to all of us when we asked if she'd rather be out celebrating with all of her friends and she said she was happy to just be there with of us instead!  But friends did keep dropping by presents all evening!  Happy #16 Kennis - we love you!

Derek came up with an idea he wanted to do to celebrate Weed's 40th birthday this year.  Family and friends got together for pizza, salad, cookies and milk and sharing stories about her.  It turned out to be a really fun evening...something she would have liked to come to.  I always have this kind of feeling of wanting to stay home and be quiet, but this was a better thing to do than that.  I'm glad it turned out well.  You still feel that missing even though you know it's not a permanent loss.  That's just the way it is when you love someone and especially when they seem to leave too soon.  It's not so bad with old folks who have lived their lives and are "ready" to go.  Just one of those things that you have to have faith the heaven knows best on because you can't figure it out yourself.  

Juge posted some really lovely things that I share here:

Today my sister Weed would have turned 40-years-old.  On my last birthday I turned a year older than she ever was.  It's weird.  And the worst.  When she died, I was determined never to commemorate the day it happened.  It wasn't a day I ever want to remember.  And I still couldn't tell you what day it was.  But her birthday is unforgettable!  It's a day I always looked forward to.  She was born February 23, 1980.  The beginning of the decade in the month of love.  This is the day I decided to celebrate--a day that brought her into our lives, not the day that took her.  I want it to be a joyful day because she brought so much joy into my life.  But it's hard when I miss her so dang much all the time and feel so cheated out of the rest of a lifetime with her.  I was a very confident kid and felt pretty great about myself, hopefully not in a cocky way, but in a healthy way.  I want my kids to feel like that and I look back and try to figure out where that self-image came from.  I'm pretty sure a huge part of it was having Weed cheering me on.  She thought I was pretty amazing so I did too.  I wish I was handing her a genius present I picked out for her this year and giving her a hard time about being 40 today.  She was the best friend I could ever imagine.  Her birthday is for sure a day to celebrate!  

Best Day Ever!  Happy Birthday to the best of the best, Lenae Smith!  She was the best friend anyone could ask for and I was so lucky to have her as mine from way back before I can even remember.  Here we are as little river buddies (18-months apart in age) and as stunning old-fashioned ladies, complete with bustles.  She was always the nicest to go along with my really weird ideas.  

Anna Lou - Grandma Kurtz - had the final February birthday.  We celebrated with her by going to lunch, the DSU Art Show, and then coming home to eat cake and open presents.  After that Paul and Bean finished off the fun by installing her new shower heads and doing some yard projects she wanted done!  Happy #88!!!