Random

I need to catch up on a bunch of randomness!

Stephen has been gone for a while on a new business venture.  We all miss him terribly when he is away, but Jerrica especially.  Stephen has worked from home since she was born.  She is so used to having him around to spoil and dote on her.  She walked thru our closet one day and spotted his slippers on his shelf.  “Mom, I just saw dad’s work shoes.  I just miss him so much”.   She constantly would make comments about him.  She is now thrilled to have him home to start movies and pop popcorn for her instead of chasing kids around with me.

Stephen looks half awake in this picture, but I just love that joy in Jerrica’s face.

A friend introduced me to Energy Balls last year, and we have been making them ever since.  They are such a perfect treat to grab before practices.  Jerrica thought they were called “Injury Balls”.  The kids laugh when she calls them that, and joke that they keep them from getting injured at practice.  Whether they give the kids energy or keep them from injuries, I’m all for it!

 

The girls keep the mailbox hot with all of their letters they mail.  It makes me glad they enjoy writing so much.  I hope they keep it up after they leave home.  We mailed six candy packages to different extended family members.

Our garden and fruit trees have been awesome this year!  We made an apple AND peach cobbler with our own fruit.  They were both divine!  Our cucumbers have been non-stop this year as well.  The tomatoes are pouring in.  We simmered a yummy batch of salsa the other morning.  I LOVE chips and salsa.  I deem myself a connoisseur of salsa because of the quantities and kinds that I have eaten.

Last of all I wanted to mention my high school coach that past away.  He was only 52 and died of a heart attack.  I feel like he was so young.  I played varsity basketball all four years and had him for my coach all of those years.  He was such a part of my life.  So many practices and games with him there mentoring and encouraging me.  He made me feel like I could drive on ANYONE, no matter how tall they were.

I can remember sitting in the locker room before a game and him writing some big word on the chalkboard like tenacity, aggressive, intensity…  We would then be so pumped to define the word out there on the court. 

I still play basketball, largely because of Blaine.  I use some of the same phrases that he would tell me on my own kids when they are playing sports.  I’m just so sad that he is gone.

My sister, Kristy was sad that he had died.  I asked her why she was sad since she never had him as a coach.  She then told me that when her husband was deployed and she lived down there he was a counselor in her Bishopric.  I guess he would drop in and check on her, helping her with anything that he could.

I’m sad for myself, but even more so for his wife and five kids.

So grateful for an incredible coach that helped mold me into the person I am today.