Saturday (30th): I took Seth to swimming lessons in the morning while Frank went to a job interview in Virginia. The interview went well and I think they are very interested in hiring Frank but the process could be lengthy so I'm not sure if that is going to be the best option. He's going to keep moving forward with that, though, and in the meantime he is still looking for other possibilities. I was getting thoroughly tired of sitting around doing nothing (I've been sick too much lately) and on Saturday I felt pretty good so I did a fairly thorough cleaning in the kitchen in addition to sweeping and mopping the floor. I also wanted to mow the lawn (I wasn't able to do it the week before and it was looking like a jungle) but it was high 90's with humidity in the 90% so I waited until later in the evening to do that. It was kind of funny because a lot of people were out mowing their lawns at the same time--I guess we all had the same idea! It was still pretty hot but it wasn't too bad. When I went out in the back to start mowing, I realized that we had grown a real bumper crop of weeds in the back garden area so I took some time to pull the weeds first. (Some of them were a couple of feet tall!) Frank edged the lawns while I pulled the weeds and then I mowed. It's been almost a week now but the lawn still looks pretty good. It's been so hot that I don't think the lawn has been growing much.
Sunday (1st): Frank didn't sleep well and he accidentally slept through his 7:00 am stake missionary correlation meeting. He wasn't feeling really great that day--sometimes the diabetes stuff just makes him feel kind of "off", even if his blood sugar level is in the normal range. I still wasn't feeling fantastic (still had a sore throat and somewhat goopy eyes) but I was able to go to all of our church meetings, which was nice. I was able to fast from food but decided I should probably keep drinking water after being sick for so long. I didn't go to choir practice because I still couldn't sing a bean (and still can't really, although my voice is improving) and besides that they are working on the song they are singing in July which they will be performing while we are out of town so there doesn't seem to be much point in going, other than I like all the people there. :) We have been taking care of some cats for a neighbor who is out of town and Sunday was our first day to do that. All we have to do is let them in the house in the mornings and let them out at night, check their food and water bowls, and give them treats in the mornings. We don't even have to go every day although it was so hot earlier in the week that we went every day. We are also bringing in their mail and watering a couple of plants. Tomorrow is our last day to do that although we will be doing it again for them later next week because they are going out of town again. It's actually Seth they hired to do this for them, but I have been helping him. We had family night that night because Jared had to work on Monday night.
Monday (2nd): I started exercising again and I did that every day this week except for Wednesday. I have been practicing ukulele most days too. I can't think of anything noteworthy that day; I just did the usual chores. I also spent a lot of time (way too much) deleting old emails in my inbox because I had over 2,000 messages! Jared worked at both jobs so he was gone most of the day. I continued to do chores with Seth each day and we stuck to his screen time most days except for Wednesday (because it was a holiday) and yesterday he got away with some extra time too. Jared hasn't been home as much this week so Seth didn't have a lot of time watching Jared play games, which has been good. After we let the cats out that night, we drove to a nearby park to see / catch fireflies for a while. It was super hot but we enjoyed it:
I wish fireflies showed up better in pictures / videos! They are just something you need to experience in real life! I took a few videos that night and you can see a few fireflies in some of them, but when I tried to post one on here I found out they were too long--blogger won't let me! Sorry! On Monday evening my right ear (outside, on top) started bothering me. It hurt / felt itchy. It was worse on Tuesday and it was kind of swollen. Frank looked at it and said it was red and swollen, but he couldn't see any bump, cut, or bug bite. Strange! It really bothered me on Tuesday but on Wednesday it wasn't bothering me as much and looked less red. By Thursday it was almost back to normal. No idea what that was about! Since I just got my hair cut on Friday, we thought maybe the scissors had nicked me and it got a little infected. If that is really what happened, though, I did not feel the nick when it happened. I'm just glad my ear is feeling better now.
Tuesday (3rd): Jared worked both jobs again and I kept busy with usual chores. I also started working on a project that I won't describe because it will be either birthday or Christmas presents for the older boys (depending on how soon I get the project done). I mean, I don't think they ever read my blog, but just in case! That evening we went to see some fireworks in the nearby town of Walkersville. They have a carnival every year during the week of the 4th of July and they usually have fireworks at least one night. They are usually just as good as the fireworks the city of Frederick does on the 4th, and it is less crowded and easier to get there and back, so we often go to those fireworks. We enjoyed them a lot.
Wednesday (4th): We started out Independence Day by going to a community / stake Patriotic breakfast and program. A member of our stake presidency and his family do it every year. Frank used to go help cook the breakfast in past years but he isn't up to doing that anymore. We haven't gone in a while because we've been out of town for the 4th a lot and other years we just didn't want to get up that early!! Jared was singing in some of the songs this year, though, so we decided to go. Jessie came with us too. It was still pretty hot but not too bad. There was plenty of yummy food for breakfast and the program was quite nice. They made an effort to get through it quickly because it was hot outside. There were a number of musical numbers, they did a segment honoring women during the Revolutionary War, they also honored African Americans who fought in a number of wars, and had several veterans and current military members there as well which they honored. There were actually 2 veterans from WWII--both of them in their 90s!! A retired military guy gave a really great speech, too. I'm glad we went because it reminded me of how grateful I am to be an American, and that's really what we should be thinking about on Independence Day, right? Here are a few pictures from that event:
The two in the middle are Jared singing and the last one is a missionary whose costume I really liked! After we got back from the breakfast, we played some games (including a hilarious one that Shellie sent us a few years ago called the mouthguard game). Then Frank decided to take Seth to see the new Jurassic Park movie and Jessie & Jared left to go to her grandparents house for a family gathering (and they went on from there to the Walkersville carnival for the evening). I was more than happy to have a couple of quiet hours at home by myself! When Seth and Frank got back, we had a traditional hot dog / watermelon / potato salad / baked beans dinner (and asparagus, too, which isn't traditional but Frank can't eat a lot of those other things). Seth said he didn't care if we went to the Frederick fireworks since we had just gone to some the night before and Frank was more than happy not to fight the crowds, so we didn't go. I wouldn't have minded going to see more fireworks (since I love them!) but I was also okay since we just saw some the night before. Besides that, it rained that evening! So it was nice to stay home and relax. Seth played games / watched television and I watched the movie The Princess Diaries on Netflix, which of course I had seen before but not for a long time and it's a favorite of mine. Frank was down in his office working on some stuff but I think he was watching Netflix too. My right eye started bothering me quite a bit Wednesday evening and it has been redder and more goopy since then. I keep thinking my eyes are almost better and then they get worse again! I'm now starting my third week with goopy eyes and hoping that someday they will get completely better!
Thursday (5th): This was also a fun relaxing day, although I did get all of the regular chores done like laundry and vacuuming and I even went grocery shopping. I enjoyed all the birthday wishes I got, particularly the phone calls from Scott, Mom, and Tanner. In the afternoon (after Jared got home from work), I opened presents and in the evening had the traditional blueberry cheesecake, which Frank made for me. (He made dinner, too.) As an extra birthday treat, he took me (and Seth) out to watch fireflies again that evening.
Presents! I went on Amazon and made a wishlist last week and then Frank looked at my list and picked out a few things for me, so I didn't get anything unexpected, but I was still surprised about which things I actually got. :) It's hard to tell in the picture, but that is a new can opener (the kind that can be mounted under a cabinet, so it doesn't take up counter space), a huge bag of Jelly Bellies, a Piano Guys CD, some earrings, 3 books (all Newbery winners--I am trying to get all of them), and a boot. (I did get a set of boots--there's only one in the picture!) Later on in the day, another package arrived with this shirt in it (sorry it's sideways!):
I picked this shirt out because I love saguaros and I love the advice! I almost didn't put it on my list, though, because I was pretty sure it would be too big. I often have trouble finding t-shirts that fit right. They will be okay in width, but way too long, unless they come in petite sizes (and this shirt didn't have petite sizes). I was right about this shirt too--it is WAY too long, even longer than most shirts are on me. But I decided to put it on the list because I figured I could use it for a night shirt, which I did last night. I think I might try to shorten it, though. When I was looking online for help to shorten the blouse I got a few months ago, I also came across instructions for shortening t-shirts, and it sounded pretty easy.
Here's the cheesecake:
Yum!!
Sorry I look pretty goofy in all these pictures. These are the best ones we got. In most of them I have my eyes closed (always a problem for me) or I moved right when Frank took the picture. (He never warns me.) Anyway, even the best ones look goofy because my right eye is kind of red and swollen. Maybe someday I will be able to wear eye makeup again, but I am waiting for my eyes to get all the way better. I threw out the makeup I was using when I got sick (most of it was pretty old anyway) and got new stuff, but haven't used it yet.
Friday (6th): That brings us to today. I haven't done much yet, besides write this post. Seth did some cleaning in his room (although it still is pretty messy, just not as bad as it was). Jared is working now but he doesn't have to work tonight or tomorrow. One of my ministering sisters just stopped by and brought me a book and some somewhat healthy snacks, which I appreciate! The book is about the Holy Land and she says it was one of the textbooks she enjoyed when she went on a study abroad in the Holy Land many years ago. She knows I like that kind of stuff. :) I'm sure I will really enjoy it. (It's not a super thick book, and it has lots of diagrams and photographs.) We had another thunderstorm last night and it has already rained a bit today. We are supposed to have more thunderstorms this afternoon also. It is still quite hot and very humid, even after the storms. They just seem to wet things down and add to the steaminess instead of clearing the air. Tomorrow and Sunday we are supposed to be down in the 80's, though, so that will be a nice change. Seth was supposed to have the 11 year old camp out tonight (the one that got postponed at the beginning of June because of thunderstorms) but it has been cancelled again because of predicted thunderstorms again! I'm not sure if they are going to try to pick another date or if it is just plain cancelled. If they try again, I think they probably won't be able to have it until fall. The other ward where he has been attending 11 year old scout meetings also decided to cancel all their activities for the month of July, so unless our ward decides to call an 11 year old scout leader, he won't have any scouts until August.
Frank has continued to be very busy this last week with work for clients and he has continued to apply for jobs. He still hasn't had any time to work on cleaning up his office / the basement, alas!! But at least he is bringing in income, which I appreciate.
My throat does not hurt very much anymore but it is still kind of yucky and I have a slight cough. I'm wondering if that illness I had has morphed right into allergy problems. (I do take an allergy pill every day, though.) It's hard to tell. I am glad that at least I'm not down in bed sick anymore and I can get some things done. Still looking forward to a full recovery some day!
Just a few thoughts on being 50 as I finish up this week's post. I used to really dread the idea of getting older. I used to think that 40 was really old (haha!) and I thought that I would be so sad when I turned 40. As it happened, I ended up having Seth when I was nearly 39, so when I turned 40 I had a 1 year old baby and I didn't feel old at all. So I didn't mind, and that was nice. I wondered if I would feel differently about turning 50, but I don't. I've decided that it is actually kind of silly to be ashamed of your age. I mean, for one thing, no one has any choice about getting older, right? But besides that, I think we should be proud (in a good way) of our age, not try to hide it. (Okay, and the fact that people are always telling me that I don't LOOK as old as I am probably helps, I admit it.) Getting older means that you have had that much more time to learn, grow, and gain wisdom, and it means you have made it through a lot of tough things. I feel like a completely different person than I was at 20, 30, 40, and even 45! Somewhere in the last few years something changed in me. I'm not sure when it happened, or how, or even exactly what, but I am much, much more comfortable in my own skin than I was even 5 years ago. I mostly feel happy and I don't worry so much about what people think of me anymore. I don't mean that in a negative way--I still care about how I treat other people and sometimes worry whether I hurt someone's feelings by being insensitive or thoughtless in the things I say or do. But I think I finally realized that no one is paying that much attention to me. They are worrying about themselves, for the most part. It's even more than that, though. I think my relationship with Heavenly Father has continued to grow and develop and I feel His love more frequently. Not because He loves me more, but because I have learned to accept His love more, and to recognize it more in my life. And feeling His love makes all the difference, really. I know that in spite of my imperfections, I'm enough just the way I am. I can keep repenting and trying to be better, and I will. But I'm not so bad the way I am now. That affects how I feel about myself and how I behave every day. I have also learned a few new things in the last few years and I love that I can keep learning no matter how old I am! And one last thing that I like about getting older--experience helps me feel more serene and peaceful when things aren't going well. I mean, honestly 2018 has been a pretty difficult year so far. Overall, though, I have mostly felt peaceful and happy. Sure, some things aren't going so great right now but I've been through other rough times and everything turned out okay in the end then and I'm confident that they will now. So many of the hard things in my life, looking back, turned out to be blessings. We really are in Heavenly Father's hands, He loves us, and He's looking out for us. He sent His son to help us find peace and healing in the hard times and to help us make things right when we mess up. There's nothing He can't do! I've been learning that truth all of my 50 years, and I'm sure I will continue to learn it as long as I live. So yes--being 50 is pretty great!
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