Hello!
July flew by! Packed with travel, running, holidays, swimming, and lots of general fun, with as much relaxing squeezed in between all of that as possible. Here are the highlights, minus the trip to San Diego with Rachel that I already wrote about!
*The 4th of July! The 4th was an absolute blast. We were missing Bridget who was still at FSY, but the rest of us lived it up! But, as I am writing this, I realized I have yet to watch my beloved musical 1776...maybe I can still squeeze that in! Haha! Anyway, we were up nice and early on the 4th. Both Gretchen and Rachel had chosen to be in the Centerville Parade and the West Bountiful Parade with Project Move. We dropped them off by 8:15 and made our way to the seats my Mom had so wonderfully put out for the three of us the afternoon before. We had a most relaxing time, just me, Richard and Marshall, talking to my parents as we waited for the parade to start and get to us. We enjoyed the shade and the slightly cooler temperatures for the 4th and just had a great time. We saw all the Viewmont things and Marshall tried to contain his embarrassment as I cheered for everyone. :) As soon as Project Move passed us, Richard and I said good-bye and made a beeline for the car. We had agreed to help drive dancers from one parade to the other. Marshall hung with my parents and they were so kind to bring him home after the parade. We got the girls to the starting point of the West Bountiful parade and then Richard and I opted to just drive through random neighborhoods of West Bountiful and then we met the girls at the ending point. To say they were exhausted would be an understatement! Ha! But, they had a really great time and were happy to have done it. We gave ourselves a handful of hours at home to relax and I also made a divine berry cobbler and then we headed up to Danny and Stacie's for a 4th of July extravaganza! Ben's family wasn't able to join us, and of course, Jordan and Meredith, but everyone else was there and we had a blast. Danny and Stacie just recently finished a backyard remodel (do you call it that?!) and it is amazing. We played basketball, pickleball, the kids swam and did the slip n'slide, we ate amazing food (hello grilled Hawaiian chicken) and consumed almost the entire berry cobbler. We did have to move inside after dinner because of a significant rainstorm, but that did not dampen the fun. The little grandkids got out every toy imaginable and the bigger grandkids played games at the kitchen table with Grandma. Once the rain stopped and things dried out, the kids moved back outside, and then we walked to a big grassy area in their neighborhood for a fun activity I had come up with the day before...human pinata! Danny and Marshall were our human pinatas (I got cheap shirts and taped candy all over them). Nobody knew about this fun surprise except our little family and it was a huge hit. Danny and Marshall popped out from behind this massive pine tree, covered in candy and started running around. It was hilarious. It didn't take long for the kids to catch on and soon enough all the candy had been claimed. Huge win! It was such a fun, fun gathering. We hung out at Danny and Stacie's a bit longer before calling it a night. My parents left soon after us, and I am pretty sure Kevin and Audrey stayed for fireworks! And speaking of fireworks, Marshall has seemed to hit every firework display in Davis County with his friends for the month of July. And to my complete relief, has made it home safe and sound after each one, hello traffic and pedestrians in the dark, I am so thankful he has navigated it all safely!
*The 5th of July! Haha! The last couple of years, Centerville has spread out their 4th of July celebrations, and even though I know not everyone loves it, I sure do! Gretchen and Richard went to the park twice that day to do carnival games, I volunteered at the quilt show, Rachel and her friends helped run carnival games for two hours, Marshall played pickleball, and we all went to the fireworks that evening. It was a fun, fun day!
*Girls Camp! Bridget, Rachel and I had girls camp July 21-23. It was only a two night camp because of the 24th, and considering we were sleeping in tents, I had zero complaints about easing into my girls camp adult career with only two nights. :) We met at the church at 8:30 am that Monday morning and were on the road by 9:00. We camped at Cinnamon Creek, a church owned property somewhere between Logan and Paradise. We got to camp around 11:00, got things set up, ate our sack lunches, and then headed for Porcupine Reservoir. It was a hot day, so of course, the water felt amazing. Both me and my girls were in the water within minutes and spent most of our time there. Bridget swam and was on and off the two big inflatables we had. Rachel and I paddleboarded and swam and she also spent a lot of time on the inflatables. That evening after dinner the girls did crafts, played games, we gathered under the massive pavilion white it rained, and we had a wonderful devotional and personal spiritual study. Bridget stayed up in her tent with friends until 12:30 am, but then slept great. Rachel's cute little tent of 11 year olds all went to bed relatively early, but I don't think any of them slept particularly well! And I slept just as I expected...not good! Ha! My watch told me "Non-restorative". Yep, completely agree! Tuesday morning we did a 3-plus mile hike to Rosie's Mine. Some girls explored the mine, others did not. My ankle did not fail me, and with the help of wonderful young women, I didn't fall into the river the two times we had to cross it. Post broken ankle, I think because it involved a wet surface, I get super nervous walking on anything wet, so I super appreciated all the help and support I got from all the darling young women! After lunch we did axe throwing and archery had so much fun. The missionaries helping us were awesome and the girls did great! Back at camp, we filled our afternoon with crafts, a paint by number, and downtime. After dinner we made beautiful sun catchers that represent the details of the creation-they are stunning! We assembled the paint by number to reveal a picture of the Savior. We made a fire and highlighted our favorite Book of Mormon verses for each other. We had a lovely testimony meeting. We went stargazing, did more crafts, talked around the fire, and everyone just generally tried to maximize all their time that last evening. All except the cute 11 year olds who went to bed about 11:00. I just love them! They are seriously the cutest. I called it a night about 12:30 and slept SO much better! Pure exhaustion! Bridget partied until 2:00 am! Wednesday morning was breakfast, clean up, rock climbing, more clean up and lunch, and then we left about 1:00 pm for home. All in all, a HUGE success! Our camp director was amazing and left so much to the YCL's and all of them just did a great job. I loved being there with my two oldest girls, especially for Rachel's first camp. Rachel had a ball with the three other girls her age. None of them are best friends, but they sure bonded at camp and it was so fun to see it. They spent a big chunk of time playing in the river together on Tuesday afternoon and it was so fun to see them run off together for some adventure. And get ready for bed together. :) Just the sweetest. Bridget has had a rough year with friends, and that has impacted her friendships in our ward too, but I was proud of her, and really all the girls her age for breaking down some walls and having lots of fun together. And despite the sleeping situation, I had fun too! I shared a tent with one other leader and she was so much fun and I loved getting to know her more. I was on meal clean up after each meal (along with a rotating tent of girls) and I honestly loved spending time with them in groups of just 3-5 girls. A great experience all around! But I am also so happy it is done! Ha!
Between Richard home in the evenings, Marshall driving Gretchen around during the day, and my Mom and friends for Gretchen, all went well here at home! We calculated it out, and Bridget's last year at camp will be Gretchen's first year at camp, and I am desperately hoping I am involved in the YW's program in some capacity at that time!
*Running!!! Lots to write about here-I am so proud of my people!
I'll start with Marshall. In mid-July, the cross country team held a time trial and Marshall made the varsity team! We are SO proud of him. Now obviously, varsity is a bit fluid in cross country, because in the end, it all comes down to race times and sometimes you make the cut, and sometimes you don't, but we are so happy for him and so proud of him. Both he and I had to sign this agreement full of expectations and Marshall has really leveled up. It has been so fun to see, but also shocking at the same time! He is required to average eight hours of sleep per night and has been going to bed around 9:00 most nights, it not before 9:00 sometimes! He will slurp down any protein shake creation I put in front of him. He makes himself an electrolyte drink mix every day. He eats fruit and vegetables with every lunch. This is mindblowing and equally amazing. Marshall also ran the half marathon in Salt Lake on the 24th. So the day after girls camp, he and I got up at 3:30 am, left the house at 4:00, and I dropped him off at Rice Eccles at 4:30 to catch the buses going up the canyon. I drove down to Liberty Park and slept off and on until 6:30 am. The half marathon started at 6:00 am with ten miles of downhill. Marshall got a blister on mile 3, fell on mile 7 (got tripped up at the water station) and a portion of his blister popped on mile 10. Bless that boy! After all that, he didn't drop out, and finished in 1:31.
Bridget is also rocking cross country. They have had some hard runs (time trials, up to the V, the hills of Bountiful, etc) and she has picked girls who are faster than her to run with. She has done this all on her own accord (after listening to Richard tell this to Marshall for two years) and I am so proud of her. This means not running with Cambria and getting to know new girls and that is a HUGE step outside of her comfort zone. The head coach told Richard this last week, "Everytime I look at Bridget she has a smile on her face, I can't get a read on her." Richard assured him that smile is real and she really is a happy and truly delightful person nearly 100% of the time. We sure love her!
Richard! Yes, I am writing about Richard and running! In all the time we have been married, Richard has hardly run. He has had brief stints of working out here and there, but nothing has stuck. In mid-May, he started running at the Centerville Park before work, and he has stuck with it! This summer, the cross country coach started "Track Tuesday". Anyone who wants to can meet up, usually at the track, to run in the evenings together. I couldn't convince Richard to go to the first couple, but he has consistently been going in July and has been loving it. I am SO proud of him!
Technically this event happened in August, but I am writing about it anyway! Every August, the cross country team helps host an event called the Travis Thurgood Memorial Run. Travis was a super involved parent on the cross country team, who passed away from Covid in early 2022. He was only in his 40s and could run a 5:07 mile, his sudden passing was such a shock to all. We did not know the Thurgoods at this time, but we know them now, and they are an exceptional family. They have a boy Marshall's age and they have run together since 9th grade. And Travis' wife is seriously the nicest human being, I have loved getting to know her. Anyway, since we have been a part of the team, this run has been through the streets of Centerville, but this year, they reserved the track and hosted a track meet-free and open to anyone. Marshall and Bridget obviously ran, but so did Richard and Gretchen! Rachel and I were there as loud cheerleaders! It was such a fun, fun morning and I am so proud of my little family and it was just a really great way to spend a Saturday morning.
Marshall, before the meet, ran 5 miles, but then came out and ran the 3200 and 1600. He ran those in 11:46 and 5:29. His times look very promising for cross country! So fun to cheer him on!
Bridget, ran one mile before the meet, and then very begrudgingly ran the 3200 per the coach and Richard's advice. And she rocked it! I was SO proud of her! She did the first lap with her friends, near the back, but after the first lap, she broke off and ran between the front girls pack and her friends-doing the last seven laps alone. She came in 6th place with a time of 15:33. It was so fun to watch the coach coach her with every pass she made, he told her to catch a specific girl in front of her and she almost did it! At the end of the meet, she ran the 4x400 Twinkie relay with her friends and had a hilarious time doing it! Ha!
Sweet Gretchen ran the girls 100 meter dash. She went through the gamut of emotions days ago when we told her about the race, obviously giving her the option, but before she had even gone to bed that night she said she wanted to do it. The night before the race, she was nervous, but also excited, and surprisingly went to bed so well! She woke up at 7:00 to her alarm, got ready great, and was so chipper in the car. But, once we got to the track, she started to panic. She told us her stomach hurt, her legs hurt, her hands were shaky, she hated the starting gun (who can blame her?!) all the things. While other races were being run, I walked her around and showed her where she would start and where she would finish, and then I hung out in the shade with her and Rachel until they called for the girls 100. She willingly walked across the field with me and hesitated a bit when she had to go with the lady gathering the girls, but I gave her a gentle push forward and off she went. I told Rachel to stay at the starting line, I was on the football field about halfway down, Richard was on the bleacher side near the end, and I had Bridget and Cambria by me and then I asked them to run once she passed us and meet her at the finish line. Well, that gun went off and off went little Gretchen and she ran with the biggest smile on her face. I was so proud of her, she ran it in 27 seconds. But, by the time Bridget and Cambria brought her back to me, Gretchen was a mess of tears and crying and the occasional laugh. She was all over the place! She told me her legs, hands, and lips were all shaking before the start, she told me her foot hurt, her hip hurt, and that she would never run again because of me! It was a very intense ten minutes with her post-race! She felt all the things! But, I am pleased to say, she did calm down, and had a lot of fun cheering on Richard, Marshall and Bridget in their remaining races. I asked her just before I wrote this if she was happy she ran and she said no, but she said it with a smile, so I don't totally believe her. :)
Okay, onto Richard! Richard ran the 1600! I am beyond proud of him! He has not done a race the entire time I have known him, and he told me the last official 1600 he ran was in 1999! He did a great job, running a 7:12. It was huge for him to put himself out there and I know he still battles what he was capable of as an 18 year old versus now, but he already has goals for himself for next year and I can't wait to see him accomplish them!
So there is the running summary! I am so proud of my people! And Rachel and I had so much fun cheering everyone on and comforting cute Gretchen. In true Rachel fashion, she was happy to yell all sorts of things at the runners, she came up with nicknames, and had comments for some things the runners were wearing. :) The girl never changes. She's been doing this since she could talk!
*Sleepover with Jax and Cal: My girls have been begging for a sleepover with their cousins Jax and Cal all summer long and we finally made it happen! Stacie dropped them off on Tuesday at 4:30. They all played, we had dinner, and then I took all my girls and Jax and Cal to Island View Park. Sadly, within minutes of being there, we realized that park offers zero shade in the evening so within 30 minutes the kids were red-faced and exhausted. I cured them with a trip to Snelgrove's. :) Back at home they played some more, got ready for bed, watched a couple of shows and fell asleep sometime after 11:00 pm. :) The morning brought more playing, pancakes, and some video games before heading home. Yay for cousin time!
*Davis County Goat Show: Bridget had her second goat show of the year just this last Thursday. She took second in showmanship, otherwise known as Reserve Champion. She got a huge ribbon and another massive belt buckle to add to her collection. So happy for our little goat lover. My Mom, Gretchen and I were there to cheer her on. Gretchen was able to do the Pee-Wee show again and loved it. And this time they gave ribbons to all the cute little kids so she is very proud of that! The actual goat portion of the show only took about two hours, which was so nice for us, but it was still a long day for Bridget. I dropped her off at the Garlicks at 6:00 am that morning to help load up and then Bridget stayed to watch ALL the livestock showings and didn't get home until after 6:00 pm! That girl-I don't know how she does it!
Other fun random things have included Richard going to see Fantastic Four and Superman with a couple of kids. Gretchen hosting a karaoke party for her friends. Lots of park mornings, and a couple of park evenings. A couple of Cherry Hill trips. Bridget doing amazing manicures on her sisters and herself. Rachel striking her signature pose and making the Instagram ad for her dance studio. Our girls keeping us up too late, and our alarms waking us up too early. I am super envious of Marshall's current sleep schedule! School starts in two weeks and we are all having major mixed emotions about it. Richard and I are holding our breath and hoping to survive another nine months of crazy evening schedules. But, the summer has treated us well, and we will keep packing in the fun for these last two weeks.
All our love,
Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)
Oh, I do have to mention that Ziggy turned FIVE the end of July. We just love this four-legged creature so much. He brings immense joy each day, multiple times a day. Five seems old! We hope we get him for another good ten years!
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