What a weird couple of weeks for me...

Well, the subject line was click bait...just kidding, it really has been a weird couple of weeks for me. I am sorry that I missed writing to you last week. I may have to go back to Sunday nights because before I know it, the week is over! The weeks are really feeling like days to me lately. I've included a VERY unflattering picture of me that Jane took that pretty much sums up my last couple of weeks/covid time. I sat on the couch, in my pjs, unshowered, working on my computer. It got seriously depressing. I let Young Womens overtake my life. I'm working on boundaries with my calling or else it can overtake everything! And then I'm discouraged because my life is out of balance. One of the best cures to the depressing sitting in your pjs all day in front of the computer was when we went skiing at Snowbird. I also included a picture of me and Gwen on the chairlift together. I honestly don't think there are many one-on-one times that I love more than being with one of my kids at a ski resort. It's just the best quality time ever. The quarantining during our covid time was really difficult for Gwen. She just falls into a really tricky place in our family. The older boys continue to go out because their friends could care less about COVID and Gwen is stuck at home with her friend's parents freaking out that Gwen might want to hang out with her friends even though she's been vaccinated and has no symptoms. She's happy to be back to the social game at DPM, which she thrives on. Although, she's super bummed because her phone doesn't hook up well to your messenger. She looks so forward to texting with you each week and is very disappointed when it doesn't work out. Just know she really loves you deeply and you are probably her favorite sibling right now - probably everyones? That's just the way it goes when you are gone. No one remembers anything but the good. Even me and Dad. The other day Dad and I were even reminiscing that you were so much farther along than McKay is at this point (middle of senior year)...we had to stop and laugh because people just forget things and you are placed upon a pedestal when you are serving a mission. Just know, your pedestal is high around here! Speaking of McKay...I included a picture of him dressed as "booshie" for his jr jazz basketball game the other night. He's funny because he totally gets into these types of things and then he comes home and only one other teammate dressed like him. I took McKay to instacare the other day because he thought he had a stress fracture in his ankle from all the basketball. Good news is it isn't a stress fracture but he's still limping and in pain. Hopefully he will get over that soon because this kid is loving jr jazz right now. If only McKay could accelerate a little less than from 0 to 3,000...I don't think he'd be struggling with a possible stress fracture. haha. One of the pictures I included was of Dad and Henry at one of Henry's swim meets. He's killing it right now and totally hitting his climax! He's taking 1 second off his PR every swim meet and he won his 50 breaststroke at this meet yesterday. He looks so strong as he swims and you can tell the time he spends at the gym is helpful in the water. The semester just ended and everyone started into their second semester of classes. It's crazy to be at that point in the school year! Today I am dedicating some of my afternoon to getting Henry all set for his HEFY trip. We are super behind and just got back from getting his notary signed at the bank that was due in December! I don't know if you remember, but he's all set to go to Fiji in July. I'm so excited for him to have this opportunity. It seems like just yesterday you were in his shoes. It goes SO quickly! And last but not least on the pics I'm including is Jane in my glasses that I bought at the dollar store that everyone makes fun of. Jane is doing so great right now. She's spunky and full of it! When I picked Gwen up from basketball practice the other night, Gwen was telling us that her coach told her that she needs to be meaner. I asked Gwen if her coach knows that Gwen doesn't know how to be mean and Jane piped in from the back exactly how you are mean to someone: "You go up to them and tell them they are stupid and that you hate them." I quickly shut that down and told jane that we never tell someone we hate them and she said "well, you go up to someone and roll your eyes...that's how you can be mean Gwen!" So Jane apparently knows how to be mean and is tutoring Gwen. She's a crack up! School is good for Jane. She just got her scores back and her reading is through the roof. Her math is another story. I'm hoping we can make some serious progress in the next little while. I went to Henry's jr jazz game last night (McKay didn't play because of his ankle) and you'll never believe what a small world it is!! You know Henry's friend Austin Shipp?? Well, his father served in the Kiev Ukraine mission and I think she said that he baptized Vlad!! Yes, the electrician. And if he didn't do the actual baptism, he and the Shipps have been instrumental in helping Vlad and his family as they came to the US. They've given him work, done sub for santas and just got his son all hooked up with a bike to do the Lone Peak mtn bike team. Such a small world! We will have to get a family dinner going when you get home with Vlad and his family and the Shipps. Maybe even Elder Hasson and his family should come too! I had a sweet experience yesterday. Wednesday night was our annual YM/YW kick off meeting for the year. It was actually the first time we'd ever done the meeting with the YM and in some ways it was fabulous. McKay and Henry both participated in the program and they did such a good job. But I left the meeting feeling like we missed some great opportunities for the by me not speaking up and taking part (it was mainly lead out by the youth), I felt criticized by Lori and I finally clued into the fact that the Linkous have been mad at me for the last few weeks because of masks. Anyway, I came home feeling really bad. Dad is awesome and we talked for a very long time about everything. I went to bed feeling such a need to go to the temple. I haven't been for so long because I want to be totally free from any covid germs that I might have. So, Thursday morning rolled around and Lisa Packer has just finished her training for yoga and has been giving free yoga classes at the church on Thursday mornings. I went and honestly some of my very favorite people were there! Brenda, Lauie George, Emily Evans, Katie Warnock, and Lisa. The yoga class turned out to be such a good thing. I live a life where I am constantly multitasking. My mind runs in overdrive and I have a list of 100+ items I am ticking through at all times. It's just who I am. I think that's one reason I love the temple. It's a place that makes me slow down a little and I need time to be still. Well, yoga provided that for me on Thursday. At the end of the practice we laid on our back and Lisa came around and lifted our legs to help lengthen us. My first thought was "oh no, my feet are so dry and scaly!" but the love she showed and I felt in this simple movement brought me to tears. Honestly, I know I sound crazy but being quiet and introspective with all that love surrounding me really helped me feel my Savior's love. I had huge alligator tears roll from my eyes and I laid there. Luckily Lisa gave us towels to cover our eyes with essential oils to breathe in. I needed the towel to wipe my tears, which kept rolling out of my eyes. It was such a tender moment for me. One I didn't realize I needed. I guess my point to this story is to remember to take time to be still. Psalms 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God." That was a great reminder to me this week. I think He has a lot to tell us but we have to clear our minds to hear Him. I love you Calder. We are praying for you every chance we get. Remember to write in your journal. You won't regret it. And take time to be still everyday. Good luck this week. Can't wait to hear the update on Sunday night. Here's my BIG HUG for you...can you feel it??? I miss you! But I wouldn't have you anywhere else right now. Love you tons! Mom **Did you take your vitamin D today???