So Thankful

We have been so blessed that for the past few years Adams business has flourished.  Part of that means that for the past few years we have been able to go a trip which has been totally paid for by one of Adams suppliers.  This year the trip was to Cancun.  

We left freezing cold Utah

And arrived in warm Cancun Mexico

The supplier always lets us choose a couple of excursions 

Our first excursion was Rio de secreto.  Ironically both excursions we went on were things that I had really wanted to do with our family when we went to Mexico in 2021 but between time and expense I couldn't work it out. 

 

This excursion included caves, bike riding, hiking, and repelling.  

I think I was at the hotel pool for a max of 3 hours total because we like to rent a car and go explore.  Most people layout at the pool and drink all day.  

I did enjoy my few hours at the pool.. 

While I was at the pool Adam, Derick and Jordan (Derick and Jordan both work with Adam) decided to take a mini fishing excursion.  

Our 2nd big excursion was to Tulum and then xe ha.  

We ditched the tour guide that the supplier had paid for when we met Mosiah who told us he would take us on a "church/ history" tour.  

The things Mosiah taught us were AMAZING!!!!

Mosiah does tours at many of the ruins around Mexico.  Now I want to go back and see more! 

After Tulum we were taken to Xe Ha.  It was a unique and fun water park.  It combine snorkeling, swimming, cenotes, rope swing, cliff jumping, zip line, river float, water slide, and lots more! 

It was over cast and according to Mexico standards "cold" that day.  For us it was a perfect day at the water park!  We weren't cold and it wasn't busy so we loved it.  

Since we had a rental car we went to playa del Carmen twice for delicious food and adventure. 

And I am happy that I was able to escape for an hour to get some pictures at a cemetery for family history work.  (I wish I could have spent more time at the cemetery but no one else enjoys that kind of outing when on vacation)

 

Pictures are worth 1000 words...

And I need a reminder of those words so I can remember what has happened in my life.  Im in a pattern of just trying to check off the most important things first each day and then hoping I have enough energy for other projects.

#1 on my daily schedule is Ilas school work.  We have good days and bad but overall we have more good days.  She has improved so much in math!!!! Before I teach her a math lesson I have to go through and relearn how to do it because some of the math I have forgotten and all of the math is done differently now that common core is the base of math instruction.  At first I really hated the common core method but as we get deeper into more difficult math I am actually amazed at how it is coming together.  

Below is one of the projects we did for Ilas school work.  It is a hydro robot.  It moves and functions with gears, hydraulics and water pressure/ movement.  Ila had to do several engineering units about how this robot functions and then we built the robot together.  

Ilas favorite class is her chocolate making class.  I have a neighbor that loves making chocolates.  Her technics are really different then the way my mom makes chocolates.  (I still like moms chocolates more).

Ila goes to my neighbors house about once month for her chocolate class.  The two pictures of flowers/vases below are made out of chocolate.

Once school work is done each day then my day really gets going.  I fill it with book work for Adams business, young women/ church stuff, house cleaning and care, and yard work.  I have tried to prioritize time each day for scripture study but  I really need to find time to focus more on my health/ exercise.  

this is an ice skating night with the young women.  No, I don't ice skate, I just watch.

One night for Young women's we went to my neighbors house to make little chocolate valentine houses 

These two never run out of things to do.  Unfortunately Adam is so busy that his free time is scarce.  

 

Getting a fix

I think Adam is refocusing his loneliness for Avram onto Q.  We have stole him a couple of times from Crystal this month.  He is at such a fun age.  We took him to the pet store.  It brought back a flood of memories from when we use to do this with our boys. 

 

Dentist, orthodontist, endodontist and soon the Oral surgeon

 I have been trying to think of anything excited that happened this week but it was just a regular routine week.  Briggs went to the dentist Monday morning for his cavities to be filled.  I have been making him come up to my bathroom to brush his teeth each night because I am sick of being totally embarrassed every time we go to the dentist.  

Ila had an orthodontist appointment.  

I went to the endodontist this week.  I need another root canal done on a tooth that already had a root canal.  Once they got into the tooth the doctor realized it can't be saved so I have an appointment with the oral surgeon.  I have to get the remainder of this nub of a tooth pulled and then I have to get an implant.  Ugh!!!

Im trying to talk Briggs into going to another HEFY this year.  He said absolutely not but there is a trip to Jerusalem that doesn't have any service with it.  They would get to boat on the sea of Galilee, tube float the dead sea, visit nazareth, the jerusalem center, and all the sites where Christ went.  Briggs still said no.  This morning I was laying in bed and it hit me....there is one trip open, with one spot for a parent (male). Maybe if Dad went, then Briggs would go? So I talked to Adam as soon as he was awake at 6 am. He said yes so I signed them up.  Now I am just hoping Briggs will also accept.   

I know Briggs currently has a testimony of the Savior but (he got accepted to the U of U) this week.  He wants to move in with his friends and go to the U.  All of this is good except that his friends are not only non members but I think their dislike of the church is growing.  Also there are a lot of Professors at the U that contrary to church doctrine.  These kind of influences' are difficult for anyone but they are especially hard for the stage of life that Briggs is soon entering.   

Briggs has been driving my yukon to work every day because the green truck cant make it in the snow and the red truck is gone.  I haven't minded driving around the green truck but it is difficult to move material in my car.  Anyway, Adam ended up buying a new work truck this week.  It is a 2019 with 100,000 miles on it.  It is actually really clean and in good condition.  As for now, Briggs and Zac will be sharing the truck since they go up to Heber on opposite days. 

I spent several hours working outside this week.  We keep getting rain storms in the valley that end up washing away the snow for a day or two.  Whenever those days come I work outside.  I have been trying to finish the caps on my brick wall.  The concrete is reenforced with rebar and it wasn't suppose to come in the size we got nor was it supposed to have rebar so I can only make about 5 cuts and then my blade is dead.  (The blades are $45 a piece). It seems like all my projects end up being a lot more work than they are supposed to be.  

The boys helped me get the big stuff done for a new chicken coop so all I had to do was some remaining fixes and the roof.

Im almost done with my chicken coop.  it is so much better!!! I need Adam or briggs to bring me home some metal for my roof and then I will need to paint it but getting to the eggs is so much easier.  The chickens are loving it also.  We get 3-4 eggs every day.  Inside their nesting area you can see a black thing on the wall, it is a heater.  They hardly ever go in by it but it make me feel less guilty that they are are out in the cold.  

Winter in Island Park

The day after Christmas we had all the decorations cleaned up by noon.  I wanted everything done before leaving for Island Park.   

Tuesday we had a funeral to attend. Our friends/neightbors had their 25 year old daughter die unexpectedly last month. She had been sick and ended up aspirating on her throw up early one morning.  Jessica isn't active in church anymore and her husband and his family are very UNIQUE.  When we went to the viewing they had a shot glass in the casket with her.  That made me sad.  The mother in law is literally a witch who believes in witch craft so the funeral had to be divided.  Jessicas husband and his family and friends had the service at the funeral home.  Jessicas parents, family, ward and friends went to the LDS chapel to have a separate service.  It was really hard on the parents (Eric and Monica) but in many ways they know she is free from the worldly burdens and struggles and they are praying that family has received her and can help her find her way again.  

Wednesday morning we got packed up early and left for Island Park by 9am.  We went with Slocums up to Richard Slocums cabin and stayed there for 3 days.  We rented a couple of snow mobiles.  Donny and Jo jo were also up there so it was just like summer riding but in the winter.  

Ok so here are the good parts of snow mobiling. 

1 No dust and dirt!! Huge plus!

2 No boundaries/ trails, you can drive over rivers, trees and bushes because they are all covered with snow. 

The negatives:

1 you gets stuck/ buried easier

We only rented 2 snow mobiles so I didn’t ride a lot but it was fun when I did ride.  Adam said the entire time he was riding he felt guilty and sad that Avram wasn't with us.  

We also did some sledding down the driveway/hill and Ila and I dug out a cave/tunnel.  

This will be a trip we do again soon.