Fall Festivities

Happy happy October. One of the best months of the year, if you ask me. The heat finally dissipates, leaves start to turn colors, the holidays aren't far away...there's so much to celebrate. Especially at our house. Why's that, you ask? Well, for starters, one of Troy's fondest dreams came true in the form of a Husqvarna 562xp chainsaw with a 24" lite bar and a skip chain. (He had to tell me what to type there, by the way.) Yes ma'am, his dream chainsaw went on sale and it was finally time to bring one home. Just look at that smile!! Did I find the chainsaw tucked into my bed, on MY side, using MY pillow? Yes. Yes I did. Troy is hilarious.

It's hard to imagine anything more wonderful than welcoming a new chainsaw into the family, but there were some other things to enjoy. Our friends the Irvines have started a tradition of inviting friends and neighbors over for fresh apple cider-making the 2nd weekend of October. Myca really goes all out making a little treat buffet. Our only job is to bring apples. The cider-making process is pretty amazing to watch. It's not really a budget-friendly way to come by some cider, as you need about 20 lbs. of apples to make a gallon, but if you have a tree and have apples coming out of your ears, it's great. We are part of the former group, by the way. 

Peter joined us this year - he had some cello events in SLC over the weekend. I love it when I get Peter all to myself.

On Sunday before Peter went back to St. George, we went to my first-ever broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. It happens right down the road from us at temple square, but I've never been! The Becky plays in it, and now her husband sings in it. I confess that the reason we went that particular weekend was because the choir was hosting some special guests - The Kings Singers. What a treat!

After that, Halloween was in full swing. We did our usual spooky things like decorating and watching Over the Garden Wall. Chase carved pumpkins with his friends and created an Over the Garden Wall character named Enoch. Very impressive.

Chase also encouraged the chickens to do some some pumpkin carving of their own. He took a pumpkin to the yard and scraped off some of the rind just where the eyes, nose, and mouth would go. The chickens did their job and created quite a spooky jack-o-lantern for us.

Here's something sweet - Troy's mom Carol was talking about how she wanted some pumpkins for her porch but wasn't strong enough to lift them. Chase and Romney offered to go buy some pumpkins for her. In return, she took them to a nice lunch at The Olive Garden. I think it is so incredibly sweet when my kids reach out to their grandmother and don't wait for Troy or me to nudge them into it. 

Emma is in high gear at East High these days. The choir had their first concert of the year during the month of October. Her choir, the madrigals, sang the lovely Scottish tune Loch Lomond, and Emma sang a solo in it. Emma is an alto, but she took on a soprano part and did a great job. She tells me she was scared but you wouldn't have known it! She had a violin accompaniment in another piece and even got to shake a maraca in another one. 

So October zoomed by in its usual fashion. 

Coziest Conference Weekend EVER

After a very pleasant and temperate September, one of our favorite weekends of the year was upon us. That would be the weekend of General Conference. It's always wonderful to sit and listen to the leaders of our church speak, but this weekend was particularly special.

There were all sorts of reasons to love this weekend in particular - Emma usually has a violin lesson on Saturdays that takes us away for part of a session, but not anymore - my lessons are on Fridays so that didn't interrupt. Also my big kids are usually working or something but I seem to remember that we had this entire weekend together. Maybe I'm wrong about that. But that's what I'm remembering. Also, it was chilly and absolutely pouring rain for hours. What could be cozier? We lit a fire in the stove, worked on projects, and listened to the most wonderful messages. But there was something even more that really affected the weekend. 

Just one week before conference, the prophet and president of our church, President Russell M. Nelson passed away at the age of 101.  I don't know why I was so shocked at his passing. I mean, he was over a century old. No one has much time left on the earth at that point, right? I think it's because he wasn't declining with a long illness. He was up and about and then he wasn't. He was just such a wonderful man and leader. His passing cast a special tone on conference which made it seem more sacred and tender than ever. I'm so grateful for the life he lead. 

A couple of shots of us revelling in the coziness of the weekend:

Another fun note - The Becky's husband Jon is a very good singer and he joined the Choir at Tabernacle Square this year. October's General Conference was the first one in which he sang. We had several "Jon Sightings" - it was fun to see him and congratulate him after. 

New Bedroom, Old Door

As previously mentioned, when Romney moved out, the other two kids swapped rooms. Both Chase and Emma loved getting everything arranged and feeling like home. Both rooms are clean with new(ish) paint and carpet, nice bright lights and high ceilings. One thing that isn't new but will be someday? That would be the doors. The door to the little bedroom is in especially rough shape. Not only is it very old (not in a good way) and hollow, and 20 years ago got a ventilation hole cut into it by our renter. Since then it has received some sort of punishment at the hands of Chase and has a smashed-in dent as well. It's quite a sight. 

Emma asked if she could decorate the door and of course that was fine with us. Troy removed the door from its hinges and set it up outside so she could work her artistic magic. She covered the door in her drawings of flowers and grass, and even added three-dimensional bees flying out of the dent. It's pretty charming, and now we are in no hurry to put in a better door. 

Tuacahn Calls Once Again

We Preslar ladies really luck out sometimes - having a friend who is a volunteer usher at the lovely Tuacahn theater has benefitted us more than once over the past few years. I kind of feel guilty about how generous my friend Christy has been with us, and I don't know how to say thank you sincerely enough without it sounding like I'm trying to hint at getting more tickets. She's so sweet to us.

This season the shows we were blessed to see were Newsies and The Little Mermaid, and they did not disappoint. I was so happy that Romney was able to join us. Now that she's 20 and a working woman, her schedule is not always as free as it used to be. It was a treat to have her join Emma and me. We made the trek to St. George, and once again enjoyed our very happy landing spot at my brother's house.

This year Peter and Sheri got a new cat. HIS name is Daphne. (Of course it is.) Daphne made his presence known immediately and thoroughly upon our arrival. He was very young, and maybe removed from his mommy slightly too soon because he exhibited two very demanding behaviors. One, he loves being ON people and will leap across the kitchen and directly onto your legs, climb you like a tree, and hang out on your shoulder or head. It's both annoying and charming. I can say the same for his other quirk, which is to try to suckle your neck or eyebrows. This sounds like a gross joke. I kid you not. It was occasionally hard to keep him away from my eyebrows. Having an affectionate cat is kind of sweet but also I feel like a boundary was crossed a time or two.

 

Daphne made his attempts at being the star of the weekend, but we girls had theater to see. Our first play was Newsies. We were lucky enough to get four tickets, and so I had an extra for a Romney cousin to join us. I was sorry I didn't have enough for all the girls, but the teens were busy working and dating and being busy, so we got to temporarily adopt Iva, who was almost 12.  I'll just insert here that I adore all my nieces and nephews - I really do. And we are extra close to Peter's kids because we have spend so much time together. I have a special connection with Iva though. I don't know why but we just have some extra love. She texts me every once in a while and says things like, "I just need to be in the presence of my Chicken Mamma." That's what she calls me. Her chicken mamma. How could my heart not totally melt at that?

So yes, we took my extra little chick with us. We got our customary frozen lemonade and enjoyed really fabulous seats (thank you Christy!) and were totally wowed by Newsies. This is a show we have seen multiple times - it's a favorite at our house. This production was just extra good though. The fight scenes were pretty brutal, which was a new take. I mean, there was blood spattering and stuff like that. Intense. It was so good. 

For some reason, on Saturday morning, there was a parade. I don't remember why. It might have been rodeo days or something like that. The reason we just had to go to it was because Siena was in it! She was crowned Miss Washington County over the summer (I think? Maybe it was the spring?) and she and her...runners up? What are they called? Ladies in waiting? I can't remember. Anyway, she the other two gals at her side were going to be in the parade. It was fun to cheer for her as she rode by standing in the back of a truck. There were some other great sights as well - a small herd of alpacas as well as a giant long-horned bull that did not care for being ridden and would not budge even though his owner seemed determined to sit on his back for the duration of the parade. 

Pictured below is the pile of loot Iva collected at the parade. Except for the chicken. I gave her that in honor of being her Chicken Mamma. I'm very easy to butter up, I guess.

Saturday evening's show was The Little Mermaid. Of course it was wonderful - my favorite was Ursula. She was just a showstopper. I think we all picked Newsies over Little Mermaid as our favorite but only just. 

I did also get some lovely hang-out time with Sheri. We went for a long drive and chatted and cruised some show-and-tell houses. We hung out in her room for more chatting and chilling, and also I got to witness the most incredible power nap I've ever seen. She closed her eyes, was out cold for 10 minutes, then leapt up and went into action as if she'd just gotten the best night of sleep ever. Miraculous, really.

It was a weekend full of blessings. I'm so grateful for friends and family.

When I got home and got to my shopping day the next week, guess what was already out on the shelves? Fall was in the air and I could just taste the holidays around the corner.... I mean, who doesn't love a little Halloween egg-nog?

Dates with Friends

With the end of summer came the most delightful series of get-togethers with all sorts of friends. 

I must first mention one get-together that actually happens nearly every single month. I don't know when I last mentioned The Becky; probably when I started taking violin lessons from her in July. She's such a regular part of my daily life I don't mention her nearly enough. But she and I have been striving for a monthly date. It is pretty much the same every month. It's always on a Tuesday, one of my two days off. She picks me up at 9:00 sharp, and we head for the Bountiful temple for a 10am session. I attend with varying degrees of success in my focus and ability to stay awake. Following the session we always head to lunch. In fact one day this year as we were exiting, a temple worker looked at us with a smile and said, "You two are going to lunch now, aren't you." We grinned and nodded. We have reached that age. We are the ladies who lunch. It's almost always to our favorite dive in town - Yoko Ramen. Dang that place has the best ramen. You have to get it with kimchi and the daily veg. The fries are tempting but I promise it's more food than you'll enjoy. Especially if you do what we usually do...head to Hatch's in the avenues for a pot de creme with the whipped cream. I am so blessed to have The Becky.

Years ago I got invited to a brunch (gosh I sound like an old lady) hosted by a friend from my high school and neighborhood. Frankly, I was a little surprised at the time to be invited. All of the women there were people I knew somewhat well, attended church and high school with, but never ever socialized with outside of school. Yet somehow I got included and I was totally flattered. We have continued, over the 15-plus years, to get together from time to time. This summer it seemed like we made a special effort to see each other as close to once a month as we could manage. What has been special this time is that a new friend has joined the group. Well, she's new to me. Janelle was very close to all of these other girls in high school but I don't think I ever spoke with her or interacted with her once. I just knew who she was. And she's been living across the country for years and years now (coincidentally, near one of my favorite cousins, whom she knows very well) but ended up moving back to SLC. We were able to get to know each other for the first time and I found her to be an absolute pleasure to talk with. A real kindred spirit. I'm hoping for more chances to spend time together in the months ahead. 

Me with Janelle

Stephanie and Rebekah

Rebekah, Laura, Eliza and Stephanie

Time just gets weirder and weirder as you get older. I had the chance to go out to dinner with these two wonderful women. Martha, the gal in the middle was.....one of my very favorite people to babysit in the whole world. I used to feel like she was a little kid and now she seems not that much younger than me. And Nicole was one of my younger brother's best friends as well as two of my kids' 6th grade teacher. And I just adore them both. We got delicious Thai food and talked the evening away. Such a treat!

One of the best treats of all was seeing our friend Donna and her husband Mark. Donna was in our student ward when Troy and I were at the UofU. She knew Troy first, then when I started attending, she became pretty much my best friend in the ward. We just love her to death. She's from back east, and after a few years in SLC she moved back to Massachusetts where she met and married Mark. We've hardly had a chance to spend any time with him at all, and it had been about two decades since we had seen them. They don't have family or anyone in Utah to bring them out, and we haven't been out to see them either. This summer they brought their two daughters to Utah to drop the older one off at BYU and we got together twice. Once for dinner with a few friends and once just on our porch to have more of a chance to talk. Oh it was heavenly. It's so incredible having a friend you haven't seen in so long come to visit and have things feel just like they always did. She's a wonderful wonderful person. 

Our evenings were busy with all of these but it was just a great blessing.

That's a Wrap on Romney's 2nd Decade

Well, now she's 20. It happened - I'm down to one teenager! And I have a confession. Since I'm writing this so far after it happened....I can't actually remember very well what we did for Romney's big Two-Oh.  I had to call her and ask her. Birthdays are a little different when you're older! She reminded me that she had to work that day and it was kind of low-key, plus she had a friend party on a different day. 

We met up in the evening and went to a Vietnamese place for dinner called Little Saigon over in Sugarhouse. So super delicious. I got pho and drank every last drop. And then back to our house for treats, presents, and a movie. And...it was kind of late for a movie so instead we watched Parks and Recreation. 

Gifts? Lets see. I gave her a new little backpack because she likes stealing mine. Emma gave her a cute little fried egg stuffy made by Jelly Cat and also a pair of earrings. I'm dying a little bit. I can't remember what else!

Despite the very low-key birthday, it is always delightful to celebrate our Romney Ann. She's just so fun and pleasant and supportive and wise. She loves being with us, she loves going on drives and getting drinks and chatting about all of the things, and helping me pick clothing out. She has been working so hard - she started a couple of new jobs over the summer, first at Great Harvest and then with the local school district working in their after care program. I thought she'd hate it (probably due to the times I had to substitute teach at the elementary school and despised it) but instead she's thriving. She's taking care of herself and in a super lovely positive relationship with the most wonderful boy. I'm just so proud of her. 

Last Day First Day

Summer (finally) started drawing to a close. The sad part of this was that Emma's job at This is the Place had to wrap up. Emma had the most delightful summer working there - she of course made so many friends and had such a great time learning the music and performing dances and songs all day long. I am very sorry to admit that I meant to go see her all summer long and just didn't make it until her very last day. I felt bad about that but also was so so glad I was there to see her last day. It was so fun! The songs they sing are just so charming and funny, plus the dances and Emma also gets to play her violin a little. I know she really wants to go back next year. And maybe this Christmas too. We were both a little teary as we walked out of the park.

 

The very next day was Emma's first day of school - she is now a JUNIOR. I find this to be completely bizarre. I....don't even know what to say. She's not allowed to be this old. 

 

She is taking a theater class for the first time, which is funny because theater is her LIFE. She is bummed out because her madrigals class and orchestra class are scheduled at the exact same time - for a while she tried to kind of do both and just jump back and forth. Shockingly enough, that did not work out. She has picked madrigals and hopes to take orchestra again next year. She's in drivers ed and she and I are driving a lot together, which is, you know, just...delightful. Actually she's doing a great job but it's always nerve-wracking. She gets less mad at me than the other two did. She just laughs at me when I clutch the door handle or push on my imaginary brake. Sweet girl. The thing that helps us the most is listening to all the musicals we love on shuffle and singing along. 

Love my girl so much.

Little Bird Leaves the Nest

 How can someone who looks like this...

...tell me that she's all grown up and moving out of my house?

Not possible. But somehow it happened. 

Way back in the spring Romney let us know that she had friends moving into a house together and she was going to be part of it. To be totally honest, Troy and I weren't too sure about it. Mostly because we didn't want Romney having to earn and spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars every month when she could live at home for free. But she was determined (which is exactly like her, by the way) and for several months she and her bestie Anna and the other two roommates planned and planned and planned. They had so much fun preparing, and they did a lot of shopping. Romney became an absolute master of finding deals on Facebook Marketplace. 

Then late in July the girls began moving into the house. Romney's room is in the basement, which at first seemed a little dank and grim, but she did a fantastic job making her room into her home. Although the downside is that it's in the basement, the upside is that it's by far the biggest bedroom in the house. Romney was able to create a little bedroom side and a living room side with a couch (from FM) and a TV (from us). She collected all sorts of artwork and lamps and furniture and got it all set up. And it was really cute.

We had a really special family experience then. There is something we do in our church called dedicating a space. When we build new church buildings or temples, a blessing is said over the space to make it sacred. We often do it when we move into new homes as well. And Romney wanted her room to be dedicated. So Chase gave a special prayer to ask for a blessing on Romney's room. It was really lovely to kneel together in a family circle and ask that this new home for Romney would be a positive place, and safe, and happy. And welcoming. I'm so grateful for moments like those. 

And you know, it's been a great place. Yes, Romney has to work hard to earn the money to live there. And she loves it. She loves her roommates, she loves taking care of herself, making food, grocery shopping, all of the things. We like to say that she's loving playing house. But really she's not playing. She's just getting started and she's doing a great job. I'm so proud of her.

Here are my three darlings, spending an evening without Troy and me, just playing games and enjoying time together. Fills up my heart.

Ok and what do you think happened pretty much the minute that Romney moved out? Of course the other two had to switch rooms. Troy and I had always said that if we had three kids in the house, the two girls would share the big room and Chase would get the small. But with only two kids in the house, the older kid would get to choose. And as much as Chase loved the brand new little bedroom we fixed up for him, he wanted to be in the big room to be with his lizard Omnom. The switch was arduous but also fun to get everything fresh and clean and give the kids their own spaces.

The best part of all is that Romney's house is five minutes away, right by Emma's high school. She can hang out there after school if I can't pick her up yet, and we get time with Romney all the time. It is even sweeter to me now when the five of us are together.

Life is good. Having kids grow up is a little stinky, but also miraculous and wonderful.