Well, February basically flew by for us in a flash. I have a full three weeks to recap. I think I will go person by person, starting with Richard!
Richard! Richard's last day of work at the University of Utah was Friday, February 25th. He took the 28th as a vacation day and started with Summit Physician Specialists on March 1st. As February was winding down, it was a roller coaster of emotion for him as there were so many lasts for him. Working with this person for the last time, and working with that person for the last time, last MSK section meeting (that one he was real happy about!). The department was very kind and hosted a good-bye party for him one afternoon the week before his last. He honestly wasn't very thrilled about this, but I told him to just soak it up and be grateful for the acknowledgement and for everyone who took time out of their day to come and talk to him and say good-bye. In the end, I think he was happy with how it turned out and lots of fellows and residents came, which did make him so happy. The U did put the pressure on him until the very end, and multiple people let him know, including his two bosses, that he can come back at any time. We are pretty certain that things with SPS will work out very well, but it is nice to know if they don't, no bridges were burned at the U and they would welcome him back with open arms. Last Friday, he had to turn in his work station and his badge. That was hard for him. He has worked at the U either as a fellow or as an attending for almost six years! Richard and I planned a couple of fun things for last weekend, and those definitely helped to boost his spirits. On Saturday, we left our kids at 3:30 and drove to Provo! I was a tad nervous to be so far away from the kids, but I talked to my parents in advance to make sure they were going to be around and could rush to the house in case disaster struck and someone needed stitches or had a broken bone! Thankfully, there were no injuries and the kids did GREAT, again! Anyway, Richard and I drove down to Provo, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went to the last home BYU basketball game, which they actually won! It was really so much fun. We had great seats, and I was so happy to see that they have put all new seats in the Marriott Center and they are cushioned and spaced further apart so your knees aren't hitting the chair in front of you! I was so comfortable! It was a fun atmosphere, and fun to be at a sporting event, with Richard, kid-free. The kids did great at home. I wrote them out a schedule and when we got home at 9:20, we were so happy that they had eaten dinner, showered, and the girls had all gone to bed! Bridget and Gretchen were sound asleep and Rachel was just laying in bed. This independence we have reached is very lovely! On Monday morning, after we got all the kids off to school, I took Richard out to brunch at The Coffee Shop at the Little America. I love that place, but have never been there with Richard! It was a fun little event for us. The only thing Richard had to do for work on Tuesday, March 1st, was meet with the scheduler for an hour just to go over some things. Wednesday was finally the day to be in the hospital! He felt, in his words, horribly inefficient, that day. He has to learn a whole new pacs system, and he also read body imaging that day, something he hasn't done much of since he finished his first fellowship. He still had a good day though, and knows that he will get faster and better. Thursday he had a great day. He worked at Intermountain's orthopedic center with Chris (who used to work at the U) and he got to read MSK, his beloved speciality. Richard loved it. The night before Richard's first day, he asked Gretchen to pick out his clothes for his first day of work. She took this responsibility very seriously, including his socks, Hufflepuff socks from Harry Potter. Throughout the day on his first day of work, Gretchen would ask me, "How do you think Daddy is doing at his new job? Do you think he is okay?" It was so sweet. When Marshall and Bridget got home from school, they asked me repeatedly when Richard was going to be home and how I thought his day was going. We were all cheering for him!
Marshall! Marshall has had a very busy three weeks. One of his biggest events was a soccer tournament in St. George over President's Day weekend. He was rostered on two teams for this tournament, and actually, the two teams were playing in different tournaments. There was so much going on in St. George that weekend, it was just absolutely nuts. For almost every meal we got, we had to wait at least an hour! The kids were always good sports about it though, and we sure appreciated that! Anyway, back to soccer, we drove down on Friday morning and got to our hotel just before 3:00. We had time to unload the car and settle in and then it was off to the soccer field. Marshall played with his coach's higher level team that night. He played well and the team won. On Saturday morning, Richard and Marshall went to the first game with Marshall's regular team. Towards the end of the game, Marshall took a ball to the face, and the team lost. Double whammy. Marshall immediately complained of a headache and felt a bit dizzy, so we immediately became worried about a concussion. It was major PTSD for all of us. Marshall's coach, thankfully, had him sit out the next two games of the day, which ended up as losses for both teams. But, Marshall did feel well enough to sit on the bench and watch the games with the teams. We also went to a team lunch that afternoon. The girls had so much fun running around with their soccer friends and the weather was just warm and wonderful. As the day went on, we could tell that Marshall was just fine. He had a small headache, which we eventually just attributed to taking a ball to the face. He didn't show any other of his classic concussion symptoms and every time he talked, laughed, and joked around with his teammates, Richard and I breathed a little easier. While Marshall and Richard watched the last soccer game of the day, the girls and I went back to the hotel and went swimming for over two hours. Sunday morning we slept in, watched our sacrament meeting on YouTube, went to lunch, and then went to the cemetery to see where Richard's grandparents are buried. When we got back to the hotel, we went swimming again, but didn't last nearly as long because the pool was so crowded! Monday morning Marshall and I went to his main team's last game of the tournament. I prayed and prayed that entire game that the ball would never find Marshall's head! And even though he did a header, much to my chagrin, that was his only encounter. Marshall played absolutely great and his team won, but it was not enough to keep them in the tournament. Marshall felt good during that game, and decided that he wanted to stay and finish out the tournament with the other team. He and Richard had a quick turnaround to get to that game and they won, which is exactly what they needed to do to make it to the championship game. After that game, we had lunch at the hotel, packed up, loaded the car, and checked out of the hotel. We got to the field almost an hour before warm-ups, but the girls were able to play on the playground before the storm rolled in and they had a great time. The team ended up losing, but it was still fun to be there and cheer them on. We got on the road at 6:00 pm, and due to bad weather earlier in the day and a mass exodus of people leaving St. George, we made it home just after 1:00 am. It was miserable. We stopped in Beaver to make everyone go to the bathroom and fill up with gas because we knew we were going to hit the worst of it, and we were exactly right. After getting back on I-15, it took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to go 13 miles. So, so slow. It took us five hours to get home from Beaver. What a night. The kids all fell asleep right about 10:00, slept the rest of the way home and then just fell into their beds as soon as we got home. Richard and I just unloaded the suitcases and then fell into bed ourselves about 1:30 am. Poor Richard had to wake up at 5:30 am to go to work. What a weekend. So nuts.
In other Marshall news, he has enjoyed going swimming with the deacons and teachers in the ward. He and Richard also went to the symphony to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They loved it. On February 25th, Marshall competed in the District STEM Fair. He missed school that day and was just up in Layton at the fair. I dropped him off at 8:30 that morning and throughout the day he presented to three different judges. He was finally excused at about 2:00, but he was invited to come back that evening at 6:00 pm for the award ceremony. Marshall and I drove back up to Layton that night for that. In his category of engineering, he placed 2nd in the entire district! It was so fun to be there and cheer for him. He has the option to go on to the region STEM fair. We checked into it a few days ago, and he has decided to pass, which is completely fine by me! It is 100% virtual, which is lame, and he would have to completely re-do his powerpoint and make a video. No thanks. We sure are proud of him though. With both the school and district competitions he had to navigate new and stressful situations, and he has handled it well. Marshall's last two Saturdays have been filled with indoor soccer games with his main team, and he's having a lot of fun with that.
Bridget! Bridget's afternoons and evenings have consisted of school musical practice, piano, horseback riding, and working on the farm, solo! The musical is in two weeks, she has her lines down perfectly, loves her costume, and cannot wait to perform. Their first full dress rehearsal in costume is this Friday, on her birthday, and she is honestly SO excited this is how she gets to spend the afternoon of her birthday. She has really been loving horseback riding the last couple of weeks. She is working on doing figure 8s around barrels and has loved that. Two weeks ago she rode bareback and said that the horse kept her so warm with its body heat and thick winter coat. And speaking of animals, she has had a few more nights at the farm milking and feeding the animals. I always go with her, but she does almost all the work. She is just in heaven there. More baby goats are expected on the farm this week, so that will be fun. She is getting better at milking all on her own, she doesn't leave quite as exhausted! She continues to amaze me with how committed she is to the farm, she does not shy away from the hard and gross work, and she just does such a good job. I have been able to have some fun moments with her these last couple of weeks. I helped with her class Valentine party and did a few minute-to-win-it games with the kids. Bridget was in the most darling group of girls. I cannot say the same for the other group of girls that rotated through-mean ones! Gretchen wanted to come with me for the party instead of staying home with Richard and I think she instantly regretted her choice! I think she was quite overwhelmed with the volume and energy of a bunch of 5th graders! Bridget's teacher, who was also Marshall's 5th grade teacher, and I absolutely adore her, was so attentive to Gretchen while I was running the games. Mrs. Crowley and I are both crossing our fingers she gets to teach Rachel and Gretchen. She is a gem of a teacher. Anyway, the party was great, but we all agreed it felt so weird to have a holiday party at school on a Monday, it kind of threw my girls off for the rest of the day! Last week I put on my big girl pants and went on a field trip with the 5th grade. They were visiting the capital and the only reason I agreed to go is because they said they didn't have room for parents on the bus so we would have to drive ourselves to the capital and meet the kids there. Well, two days before the field trip I was informed that they decided to use two buses and so they wanted all the parents on the bus! Ahhh!!! 25 minutes of straight singing, screaming, laughing and yelling from 5th graders on a bus is not how I would ever choose to spend my afternoon! The capital itself was really neat though, and almost made the bus ride worth it. :) Once we arrived, they put all the 5th graders from our school in the old supreme court justice room and we were able to hear from three representatives. They each did a great job with the kids and it was actually really neat to listen to them. After that, they divided us into three groups for a tour and then within our smaller chaperoned groups, we went on a scavenger hunt. That was really fun to be with Bridget and her friends; it is such a good group of girls. Bridget and her friend, Avery, decided ahead of time to wear the exact same outfit (thank you Old Navy). They were two cute girls strolling through the capital. Bridget participated in the school spelling bee last week as well. She was so nervous, afterward she told me she was shaking like Ziggy when he is scared, full body shakes! Because of Covid, they only allowed parents to watch on Zoom, which was so lame. When she got out, I just wanted to run down to the school and give her a huge hug. It just about killed me. She told me she was relieved to be out and very much enjoyed just sitting and watching all the other spellers! The day after we got home from St. George at 1:00 am, she was the only child in our family to go to school. She set her alarm for 7:30, and got herself already to go. Bless her soul!
Rachel! Rachel is currently composing her own song for the last semester of her Let's Play Music class. For the last several weeks, she has been working on little assignments that lead up to her creating her own composition. It has made it all seem very doable! Two weeks ago, she met with her teacher one-on-one, and Rachel played some little motifs for her that she had composed, and her teacher helped her string it together in a song! She has LOVED playing it at home. I think she has some more to add, and then she is done! Other than that, she is our dancing queen. She had a dress rehearsal for her competition dance last week. She was so excited to get to take her costume to dance. I bought all the make-up this week that she needs for that, and survived that stressful trip, now I just need a serious make-up tutorial because I have NO idea how to do eye make-up! Rachel, of course, is enamored by all of this. She is currently reading a book on Michelle Obama for a school report and it has been fun reading that with her in the evenings.
Gretchen! Gretchen's biggest highlight of the last few weeks happened just yesterday. One thing we gave her for Christmas was tickets to Disney on Ice with Richard. She was SO excited about this on Christmas, but as the event got closer, she was adamant she would only go with me! We made the conscious choice to not bring up Disney on Ice for the last three weeks. Marshall, being Marshall, spilled the beans to her on Friday night, so we almost made it before she fell apart all over again! She has been funny lately. She gets fixated on something, and it could be anything, and if it is not going how she wants she has a huge breakdown. Youngest child, maybe??? Anyway, you just kind of have to ride her emotions with her, and eventually, the problem resolves and she goes back to being happy and delightful and that is exactly what happened yesterday. I got her ready to go yesterday morning all while she was sobbing, just sobbing. I snuggled with her, sang songs, she snuggled Ziggy, and then I put her in the car crying and off they went. But just as we suspected, she calmed down and had a great time with Richard and LOVED Disney on Ice. She has been telling me all about it since she got home and can't wait to go again! She loved Tinkerbell, Aurora, and of course, Elsa, Anna, and Olap, as she says it. Other highlights for the little bear cub: playdates with Charlie, Genevieve, Cal and Chase. In St. George, Bridget reluctantly shared a bed with Gretchen on our first night and then discovered that she loved it because Gretchen is a snuggly bear cub. For the next two nights Bridget and Rachel fought over who got to sleep with Gretchen. :)
Me! A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with my dear friend Mary. We have been friends since 5th grade, and even though she only lives 20 minutes away, it has been far too long since we have seen each other. We had a great lunch visit catching up with each other, and while it was not nearly long enough, it was still wonderful. A week ago Saturday, I went to brunch with Shannon and Tamra for their birthdays. It was so fun to celebrate them and I am so grateful for friendships that span decades. We went to a place I had never been called Roots and it was completely delicious. Thursday night I went to our RS birthday party. It was a wonderful evening and we did a favorite things gift exchange. I lucked out and walked away with some of my favorite things, a notebook and two pens! Yay! On Friday night I went to book club-the neighborhood book club that I organized! It was a huge success and it just made me so happy. I love the women in my neighborhood and I am so glad this book club has been so well received. My biggest hope is that it will just continue to strengthen friendships, and so far, it seems to be doing just that! Marshall said a funny thing to me yesterday and it just cracked me up. As I was driving him to soccer he asked how book club went. He then told me he thought I should commission an oil painting of myself, frame it, and insist it be displayed at every book club meeting with a plaque under it that says, "Our Founder". Oh, I was dying of laughter, while also really liking this idea! Haha! I have been missing Richard this week. His last few months working at the U were so laid back because he had zero academic responsibilities. We were just coasting along! This new schedule is nothing we can't handle, and still an improvement over the years of training, but just different from the last few months.
Okay, well, that was a long, long email. Bless any of you who made it this far. Here's to March!
Love each of you.
Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, and Gretchen :)
Oh, I can't forget, Bridget and Rachel have taught Ziggy how to shake. It makes us laugh every single day.
