Pressure Machine

I went on a bike ride yesterday. I went Monday this week and that's been it so far, so sad. I was really hoping to go every day since it's the last week of summer and next week I know my mornings will be busy with school. Oh well, you do what you can. I guess it's also been super smoky and poor air quality this week, so that's another reason I haven't. But it's a bummer. Yesterday was pretty clear though and it was nice to go. I explored a new trail - the Bonneville Shoreline on the south side of the canyon. A different view of the temple and the Silica Pit.

I took Sophi shopping for overalls. We went to 4 stores and didn't find any.

Joseph arrived safely in Guatemala, ready to visit around his mission. I don't know what he bought here, but it's in a little bag...

...so I'm gonna guess whatever it was, it reminded him of when he was a missionary 3 years ago buying eggs or something... Aug 2018: "We bought some eggs this weeks and I got a dozen eggs... in a bag. So I was very careful on the walk home that night."

He's just loving re-experiencing the Guatemalan way of doing things. They had dinner in a park with Junior, who was just here last week! (2nd to last pic)

Joseph was excited about this big jar of Nutella and the memories of his Guatemalan crepes. Nutella brings the world together (last pic and paragraph). 

So that is some of what has been going on there and here. Today I didn't go biking cause it was our turn to clean the church this morning, so we woke up and did that. Abi stayed up late last night cleaning (cause she wants friends privileges today and it worked, it was very nice to wake up to a very clean kitchen) and so she stayed home with the little boys and I took Lily Sophi and Natalie with me over there to clean. Natalie rolling under the pews to pick up garbage.

Lily vacuuming. Sophi watching. They weren't great help but not bad for a couple of kids.

Natalie had a birthday party at 12, and and Abi wanted to go shopping, and the kids were invited to a new neighbor's birthday party today, and I was a bit frazzled trying to decide what to do and how to do it all... After asking Nicole what I wanted to do/should do, I declined a birthday party, dropped Abi off at Target, then I went home for a quick breather and got all the kids in the car to go pick up Abi, then pick up Natalie, then go over to Corey's parent's house. Today is their anniversary but they were super nice to watch the little boys so that I could take the girls to Hale Center Theater. It was a bit stressful deciding what to do and getting there, but I'm grateful for Nicole's advice. She has helped me many times during frazzled moments like this. 

It was really fun and I'm glad I went with the girls.

One last very exciting thing about this weekend is that the Killer's 7th studio album Pressure Machine was released! (Actually it showed up on itunes on Thursday night!) I've been listening to it a lot this weekend. The chorus from the title track has made me cry already (1:19 and 2:34 - oh my gosh... maybe it's cause he talked about butterflies, it's so pretty) Maybe I cry cause of the longing in "every year goes faster than the one before..." so pretty, wow. Thurs night I listened to this interview with Brandon Flowers by Patrick Mason (Patrick was in our graduating class at Skyline) and I loved what was shared about Imploding the Mirage. That is such a good album, I love it. Also this little clip, Brandon shares that he signed 11,000 albums (10:42) while he listened to "church stuff" (11:09) on youtube!! I bet you he is listening to Scripture Study podcasts!! His songs are full of God and religion - Him talking about the parable of the prodigal son - about coming to his Heavenly Parents in prayer, his thoughts about the cover image of Imploding the Mirage - what I hope is the potential for Corey and I. Just beautiful. Anyway, so even though I said 9 years ago that I don't need to go to a concert again, I could be persuaded to go see them for this tour. They are coming in concert on Aug 30th. Maybe I'll go to atleast buy a shirt. :) It was a good last week of summer, and here we go, headed into the 2021-22 school year, hold on tight - life is a pressure machine, good till the last drop.