Getting There is the Hard Part

We decided to experiment with a family camping trip.  I use to laugh at the hunters in my family that take weeks running around getting ready for their trip.  Now I understand.  Finding a spot, organizing the food, checking the tents, borrowing the gear, packing, doing food prep before, going over lists, and trying to remember everything….takes a lot of time and effort. 

Around the Town of Nampa

I’ve lived in Boise for 19 years, but I can’t find my way around Nampa.  I have family that lives there, but I only visit once or twice a year usually.  (We really are a close and loving family.)  Anyway, I ventured over to Nampa and had quite a drive about. 

First stop was at All That Jazz, a little house on the corner of 16th and Roosevelt, where Kierra is now a professional hair stylist!  She gave me a back-to-school haircut, so I won’t have to return shaggy.  We talked all about Cole and Santanna’s wedding and romance.  Santanna is Kierra’s sister, Cole is my nephew, and Kierra’s married to Cole’s brother.  Confusing?  Weird?  I think it’s going to be fun for all.

My second stop was at Idaho Bag Lady where they sell Switch-Flops.  I bought a silver pair (40% off), and two straps that were on sale.  I’d been to the shop before, but this time I had a hard time finding Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard.  It’s a big street.  I never saw the sign, but I did drive fairly directly to the shop.

I met my sister for lunch close to the school where she works.  I overshot the parking lot of Chapalas and had to turn around, but I think I could have driven right to her school.  I also found the hospital.  I’m feeling more confident about navigating Nampa.  It would still do me well to look at a map.  And it will be best if I visit in the daylight.

I Need to Pay Attention

When I started this blog, I had read and listened to Henry B. Eyring’s talk about keeping a journal.  He wanted to record every day events that would show God’s hand working in his life and his family.  He wanted his children to be able to recognize it and to be grateful for these blessings.  It would build their faith.  I wanted to include spiritual experiences like this in my blog.  As I look back, I haven’t focused on spirituality and gratitude much.  I have kept something of a journal which is good.  This blog is always evolving though, so it may become a record of more spiritual things.  I just need to be more spiritual and more mindful.  I’m a good person, and pretty smart, but I tend to not notice and not think.  I need to be more thoughtful.  My lacking in depth is just laziness, in combination with my easy-going nature. 

Today a person came to our door and delivered a $299 check.  It was completely out of the blue.  An earnest prayer had been said that morning and this was an answer received loud and clear.  It was very moving.

I want to be more observant and in tune.  Spiritual experiences shouldn’t have to be so blatant.  I want to recognize little, daily ones.

Our Park

Williams Park is hidden between Park Center and Boise Avenue.  Provident Road dead ends in a little parking lot there.  It’s a favorite of ours.  It use to be Ty’s park when we lived on Provident.  Hudson had remembered it from our bike rides last year.  Hadley is now won over because there’s great playground equipment and a lot of it is always shaded.  It has basketball courts, tennis courts, a big open field and a little creek.  Last summer we watched a squirrel build a nest there.  This summer the kids were fascinated with a rooster that kept crowing.  Most of the time you have the place to yourself.  It’s pretty quiet.  If we had our own family vote, it would win Best of Boise – Family Park.

Sweet Release

I was released from my calling as Primary secretary today.  It’s been a favorite calling of mine, but lately I haven’t been fully engaged.  It’s been 5 years since I’ve been to Sunday School and Relief Society.  It will be great to spend some time with adults on Sunday.  Who knows what I’ll be doing next.  I’m just going to enjoy the suspense, and doing nothing for a couple of weeks.

Bike Trailer

It took until the first part of August before we had all the bike tires fixed and helmets fitted, but we finally started taking the kids in the trailer.  In the beginning Haddie cried for her mommy, but it wasn’t long before she was shouting for Grandpa to go faster.

 

Huds fell asleep on the way home.

(We realized that Hadley’s helmet still needed some adjustment.  She’s now wearing a different model.)

Blogging Lesson

I’m getting a lesson from Stacey and hope to step my blogging up a notch.  Right now I’ve downloaded Windows Live Writer to use instead of Blogger.  It should upload my pictures faster, let me put little picture collages together, resize easier, and I don’t know what else, but it should be good.  Next, I’m going to try to set this program up on two other blogs I use and see if I can get it to default to this one.  Then I will do so more practicing with the program.  Good thing I’m behind on all of my blogs so that I have plenty of material to practice with.  Stacey assures me that it is so easy to figure out, and so much faster.

Once I get this Live Writer going, I’m planning on (with Stacey’s help) setting up more pages on this blog.  I’ve been cooking a lot this summer and trying new recipes.  I want to organize all the recipes I use.  I also want a page to keep track of my reading, and what I want to read.  The last page I want to add will be quotes that I want to save.  I’m very excited.  If I figure all that out, maybe I’ll go to the Potluck and Prose site and put our recipes on a separate page.

Besides 3 blogs, I have four Shutterfly web sites that I try to keep updated.  I don’t know how I got so far behind, but I have a list of 24 things to write up.  I really thought it would be easy to find blogging time this summer.  Wrong!  I’ve been busy.