Math and Home School

 I sure wish I paid more attention in math in High School.  Every time I think I understand, Edward's math book throws me a curve ball.  Just keep swimming, I constantly say to myself.

Edward made an Irish salad for language arts today.  He actually ate most of it!

It's Cancer

 I really don't have words.

My first college roommate, my "true roommate" has Lymphoma.  

Chelsea Anderson was my first roommate at Ricks College the summer of 1999.  I have known her for nearly 22 years.  She is hilarious.  She is adventurous.  She is a free spirit.  She is incredibly intelligent.  She is a mover and a wanderer.  She is motivated.  She is a goal crusher.  She is one of my very best friends.  She means the world to me.  I would do anything for her and vise versa.  She is amazing.

A few weeks ago, Chel called me and asked about my cervical cancer.  I told her things worked out for the very best 9 years ago.  She mentioned she had some test and was waiting for results.  She got the results and started treatment right away.  Her whole life changed in a day.  She is in and out of the hospital for the next six months.  She is having the most intense treatment possible.  Her cancer is strong and growing fast.  

I flew to see her over the weekend.  I wish I lived closer.  We actually had fun, given the intense circumstances.  Nurses come and go from her hospital room every 15-30 minutes with out giving her much rest.  She is never alone.  She doesn't have any peace and quiet.  She can't sleep with out major interruptions.  She is in intense pain. 

I am unsure what I can do from so far away.  I have been thinking and wracking my brain with ways to make her more comfortable while she endures this hellish ordeal.  I just don't know.  I just don't know.  I am praying daily that her pain will be tolerable and that her cancer will shrink.  

Oh how I wish we had a cure.

Horses, Rock Climbing, and Archery

 These boys have been having fun and keeping busy this gorgeous April.  I have been waiting for the weather to warm up, but there is still a bit of a chill in the air.  At least it hasn't snowed!

Both boys learned to gallop at their horse riding lessons and they loved it!  It took a little bit of practice and a lot of kicking and kissing to get the horses to move but they did it!  I actually had the time to take them to their horse riding lessons and snap some photos.  

Saturday, the boys and I were invited to go rock climbing with our friends the Holley's.  It was SO FUN!  The boys went up the rock twice before we had to hike back to the car.  It takes a lot of bravery to climb higher and higher.  They did awesome for their first time on the rock.

 I signed the boys up for an archery class this April.  We tried martial arts and loved it but the cost was a little too much for us right now, so I found another activity that they would enjoy just as much.  As things start to open up, I am hoping to broaden their horizons with fun activities that they have never tried.  Archery is fun and a bit of a challenge.  Edward seems to have a real knack for hitting the target.

I am so grateful for April.  This month is warmer and filled with more activities.  I am so glad the fear of covid-19 is subsiding.  There are still a lot of things that are closed like the movies, jump parks, and anything that allows more than 10 people to get together, but I am so happy we are seeing some normalcy in our lives.

Easter

Happy Easter!

What a beautiful year this has been so far.  I am so glad that a lot of the troubles of covid-19 are nearly behind us.  We had a normal Easter with a great addition with my sister, Sharla.  She drove over with her boyfriend, John, so that we could hang out for a little while.  

I adore my sister.  We get a long so well.  We rarely disagree but when we do, it's BIG! We went shopping and hunted Easter eggs and ate and ate and ate! 

 

Sleep Arrangments

 This week has been unnecessarily stressful.  

I usually run to combat stress.  This week, I had planned on changing up my routine, so I didn't wake up and run on Monday.  I biked.  It was great but running clears my head.

Over the weekend, my two favorite Aunts came to visit.  We went up the tram and talked and talked.  It was great.  We ate at the new restaurant at the top of the Sandia's.  The food was OK, but the company was better.  

 Monday started the week of stress.  I didn't have many piano students, so I was able to take the boys to Blackman's Martial Arts and watch them in their class.  I had brought a book to listen to and was prepared to watch when an old friend came up and we started chatting.  We talked about where our kids were planning to go to high school.  Then we mentioned that a lot of kids in our two wards were probably not going to Volcano Vista.  This brought up one of my piano students and I mentioned that my piano student had just told me she was moving.  Then we moved on.  I went home. 

I woke up Tuesday morning to an unexpected text from my piano students mother.  She was upset that I had told my old friend that she was moving.  I felt awful.  I didn't know it was a secret that they were moving and I didn't know I shouldn't have told my old friend.  Well lesson learned.  I apologized.  I am still unsure what I did wrong but the conversation we had on Monday was not malicious.  This is why I hesitate to have ANY relationships with women.  I'd rather be alone.

Tuesday night, Stephen saw that a house popped up for sale in the neighborhood that we have been scouting.  We contacted the listing agent and went to see it Wednesday.  The house was UGLY! The owners want $725,000 for a house that needs a LOT of updates.  The only plus is that it is in this great neighborhood and it is on one acre of land.  Other than that, the house needs work.  It is far worse than our house now.  Our house now is AMAZING!  Stephen came home and wanted to make an offer.  He is ready to move.  He hates living near our neighbors.  AND YES, our neighbors are TERRIBLE!  So inconsiderate.  They have 4-5 cars blocking the culdisac at all times.  It is frustrating.  One of our neighbors has been playing EXTREMELY loud music until 2:30 in the morning every single week!  We have been over to ask them to turn it down THREE times!  THREE TIMES! They do not care.  So I understand that Stephen is frustrated.  I am frustrated.  I am ready for them to move but they are not going any where.  The cars are here to stay.  The noise is here to stay.  We can't relax in our own home.  

After convincing Stephen that moving in to a terrible house for a HIGH price wasn't a good idea, I felt better about life.  I am also trying to move around piano students because a lot of kids are going back to school in a week.  It is so much work to coordinate thirty-five kids schedules and still make time for my two kids.  

Lastly, Nolen had decided he was going to join NMSA for track.  So last week he went to practice with his friends Dylan and Elijah.  They had fun.  I took Nolen on Tuesday night to practice.  THEY NEVER RAN!  NOT ONCE!  That was fine, I told myself, because Nolen was running with his friends.  However, as practice neared the end, Nolen was getting yelled at time and time again by the coach and he was trying so hard to do what he asked.  But remember, they weren't running.  They were doing drills for an hour and a half!!  Terrible. I kept waiting for them to run, but they didn't.  Nolen finally lost it and came over to me crying his eyes out.  He decided he wanted to run with Cougar.  YAY!  So we went to Cougar track on Thursday and all felt right in the world.  I don't know if that was the right decision but I certainly felt better about running with Cougar than with a team who was never going to run.  

I signed the boys up for archery and for swim team.  I don't know what the right sports are at this point in their lives, but I am on a quest to make sure they stay active and healthy.  Parenting is so hard.  I want to do what is right for them and give them a healthy balance of friends.  

Deep breathe.  It will be OK.  We may move.  We may not move.  In a quest to do the right things I am bound to make mistakes.  I am hoping I am strong enough to recognize them, apologize and do better.

Now for the best news!  

My Mom finished making seperate quilts for Stephen and me!  They are so beautiful.  I will treasure them forever!