Graduation Trip - First Leg

This week, Chad and I are doing a trip for my graduation in which we are going to St. George, Utah, to visit his mom and uncle for the dirty part. Then, we will head to Rexburg, Idaho, for my graduation and to see my sister and her kids. Lastly, we will go down to Provo, Utah, to visit my parents and see my stepsister before heading home and stopping to see one of my favorite people. 

St. George is a bit different than I had imagined. I thought it would be a lot more open with less people. However, it is beautiful! We drove in Sunday night, arriving around 8pm at Chad's uncle's house. That night we got settled, had a bit of ice cream, and went to bed. Monday morning, we did the tourist thing and walked around the St. George temple grounds. 

Then, we went to see Chad's mom at her apartment. She took us on a tour of the community, introduced us to her friends, took us shopping for my birthday, took us swimming in the fitness center, and took us out to eat. It was a full day, and we were ready to go to bed early. This morning, we went to the Red Cliffs temple with Chad's, aunt, uncle, and mom to do sealings. 

Then, we went on our way to head up to Rexburg, taking a detour to a ghost town about an hour away which was totally worth the time it took to get there and walk around.

Christlike Friendships

Today, in Sacrament meeting, the speakers spoke about Christlike friendships. One speaker talked about how Christ showed friendship by doing things like helping people who needed it and laying down His life for us. He likened it to a story of his father who would stop in a visit a man who was bedbound almost daily until his own death. He talked about the unselfishness of friendship and the necessity of forgiveness. 

As I listened to him speak, I thought of the ladies I work with at the shelter. These women literally have next to nothing. All of their belonging have to fit on or under their bed. Some of these women are the sweetest people I have ever met, and they are the outcast of the ladies in the shelter. They sit alone and are often ridiculed for being different, but they are the ones who will sit with others who are left out and try to include them.

Over the last three weeks, I have been the recipient of their kindness. Twice, I have been waiting outside the gate in my car, waiting for security to let me in. Then, one of the participants saw me as they were waiting to be let in. When security came to the door, they would ask for permission to push the button to let me in. Then, there was a lady that I had talked to a few times that saw me coming in and cleared a table for me saying she knew I had not where else to go in the shelter. One more lady that made me think even more about this was a sweet lady who is openly ridiculed for exercising in the facility. (I feel the need to point out that she does this off in an area out of the way but visible of other people.) It appears to me that she may not have any friends in this shelter. She has been alone every time I have seen her including mealtimes. Thursday and Friday this week, she noticed that I was sitting by myself at the table near the lunchroom, and she came and sat with me. She was quiet, working on a puzzle one day and drawing/painting the next. I told her goodnight as I left, and she smiled and returned the gesture. These gestures mean the world to me. They have nothing, but they are doing the small things to make me more comfortable when I am there to help them (none of these ladies have wanting my help looking for more permanent housing). I guess this is what people mean when they say they get so much more out of serving other people than the other people get sometimes. 

Strawberry Salad

 

It is hot outside and inside. I don't want to turn on the oven to make dinner. I came to the decision last summer that I would make salads at least once a week, and I am continuing to do so this summer but a bit different. Last summer, I bought bagged salads and added lunch meat or chicken to it. Bagged salads are more expensive this summer and have less in them, so I won't be using them as much. I will just buy the stuff to put one together. 

This week, I made a strawberry salad with chicken breast. It was so easy to make, and we even had leftovers. For this salad, I tore a head of romaine lettuce, added a few handfuls of sliced almonds, cut some strawberries, and added one large, cooked chicken breast. The result was delicious! I think I am going to do this salad again soon. It also gave me confidence to just create my own salads in the future. 

Finally Clean Carpets

 

I used to have a carpet shampooer that I used once or twice a year as well as anytime the dogs had an accident. At some point, it stopped sucking up the shampoo/water. Rather than take apart this old machine to figure out if I could clear the clog or fix whatever was broken, I decided to throw it out. Then, we used a small spot cleaner for any spots left by the dogs until the hose broke on it rendering it useless. That means that we have had to spot clean with all-purpose cleaner and towels/rags. I haven't been happy with this solution but it worked for the most part. I have been saying for about a year that I would just rent a Rug Doctor from the grocery store and maybe buy a new shampooer at some point. 

This week, we rented the Rug Doctor. The living room carpet was the worst it has ever been after one of my kids and their cats lived in there for a little over a month while looking for a new place. (I never knew cats could be so dirty. I will never trust another person who says dogs are messier than cats.) We pulled the couches out of the living room, and I vacuumed and shampooed them. I was so happy with the results! It was easier than the cleaner I had acquired from Chad's mom, and it cleaned a lot better than it ever had. It also took a lot less time! Later that night, Noel cleaned the carpet in her room, and the following morning, Chad cleaned the dining room and hallway. My house smells so much better, now! 

I'm sure there are carpet shampooers that work better than the old one I had been using, but until I can bring myself to put some real money into it to make sure I get a quality machine, I will be renting a Rug Doctor when it's needed. 

Trying New Things

My daughter and I have tried a few new things in the last few days. 

First, we tried the Moonbeam Ice Cream cookie from Crumbl. This cookie was available for a few weeks and came with a Benson Boone sticker that Noel put on her phone. It was a chocolate cookie with a lemon/blueberry frosting. I loved it. If they ever offer it again, I will buy buy it again. The only complaint that I had was that I only ordered one and had to share it. 

The next thing we tried was Starburst flavored Ice. We already like Ice drinks and get them occasionally. In fact, Noel used to drink them instead of soda all of the time, so I knew she would be willing to try these with me. In the end, I really liked the strawberry one and she liked the cherry. I don't know what her opinion was on the strawberry, but I thought the cherry didn't have enough of the flavoring. She found other flavors at the dollar store, but they are cheaper at the grocery store. Hopefully, they will have the other flavors next time I go. 

Noel and I like to try new things like this together from time to time. We can both be picky eaters at time, but it is fun to try stuff together within reason. 

Spiderman Quilt

 

My amazing daughter spent the last month or two making a Spiderman quilt for her boyfriend. She has made several dresses, but she has never made a quilt. I'm not sure if she looked up general instructions online or just followed a vision. All I know is that she bought the material and seeed it on her own. Once again, I am in awe of her talent. 

New Business in Town

One sure way to know you live in a small town is that the town celebrates each business that opens. This time it is a QT station. It opened last week with posts on the town's Facebook for at least a week leading up to it and a ceremony for its opening. (Yes, I know most businesses have a ribbon cutting ceremony. This seemed a bit more over the top than average.)

When Chad and I first heard about it, we were a bit annoyed because this gas station would be the third one in our town, and they are within a short distance of each other. Also, this one was to be built right across the street from the back of our house. The thing is, we need more commerce in our town. They can't keep depending on the residents for tax revenue.

We have changed our point of view on this gas station. The day after I got back from my trip, we walked over there to check it out and ended up ordering breakfast. This morning, we walked over there again and ordered soft pretzels. The food is good. It is very close (if we still used the back gate, it would be even closer). Best of all, the competition lower the price of gas in our town. This QT station was a positive change for our community. I hope is continues to feel that way. I also hope it helps bring more business to this tiny town.