No one wants to celebrate their birthday on a Monday when most of their favorite people would be at work or online schooling, right? So, we celebrated a day early and began with going to church in the building for the first time since March. It was familiar and felt good to be there but also so strange with only half the congregation there and wearing masks and using our cell phones as hymn books. Photo credit goes to Kate the Great!
I felt spoiled by cards and well wishes both in life and online. We filled up the entire kitchen island with ice cream and toppings based on the Kitchen Sink from the Disney Parks Blog. It was pretty amazing! Kate slept through all the festivities because she had a sleepover with her best friend the night before. They stayed up late in our basement watching 3 movies! I was kind of jealous they wouldn't let me watch To All The Boys I've Loved Before (1&2) with them. Perhaps it was because I've read all 3 books? lol.
Entering a new decade kind of makes me want to have a midlife crisis and run out and buy a beautiful new car but I think the mental breakdown will really come when I turn 50 instead. By then my youngest child will be entering her senior year of high school. I think that would be a great time for me to panic about how old I am, who I am and what I should be doing with my days. lol. For now, I wanted to write down 40 things for me turning 40 years old. (Most of these are taken from the interview I answered at 35 years old and then I added a few extra to get the right number. Questions with an * are ones I left the same answer as what I wrote 5 years ago. [] mark changes to existing answers.)
1. I was born the same year: CNN was, Mount St. Helens erupted, the Rubik's Cube and Post-It Notes hit stores in the United States, John Lennon was shot and the famous hockey game that was later turned into the movie Miracle occurred.
3. Where are you now? Standing at my iMac Pro only because my youngest decided she wanted to use an iPad for online schooling in the living room today. (She's been using the computer in the den since the first day of school and just wanted a change.)
4. What is the date? Thursday, September 3rd. This took me hours to complete in between helping Natalie with her online school and checking on Michelle and Danny with theirs. I also talked to my mom, who has Kate and Piper at her house today. Maisie has been sticking to her humans like glue without her sister around.
5. What is the weather like? Sunny and 63 with an expected high of 85. When I took Maisie for an early afternoon walk it was absolutely perfect.
4. What is the date? Thursday, September 3rd. This took me hours to complete in between helping Natalie with her online school and checking on Michelle and Danny with theirs. I also talked to my mom, who has Kate and Piper at her house today. Maisie has been sticking to her humans like glue without her sister around.
5. What is the weather like? Sunny and 63 with an expected high of 85. When I took Maisie for an early afternoon walk it was absolutely perfect.
6. What’s the last movie that you saw? The last event I watched was the Jazz/Nuggets game 6 of the series being broadcast from the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Disney World. Such a great game, especially to watch as a family in the basement. I missed game 7 while I hosted our ward book club in the gazebo behind out house but heard from my boys it was so well matched and the Nuggets won by two points because at the last second the Jazz's attempt at a 3 pointed went half way in the basket and bounced back out.
7. *Who are you in love with? Hubby. 8. *Who is your best friend? Same answer!
9. *What do you wish you could own right now? A Disney Vacation Club membership I didn't have to pay for!
10. *What do you want your next vacation to be? Oahu -- Aulani [I must add we actually had a trip planned for Hawaii this Christmas break but postponed it to next year -- 2021-- due to the pandemic.]
11. What are you most worried about? The long term effects of online school!
12. What is one amazing thing you expect to do in the coming year? So far our Universal Studios trip for my Harry Potter fans has not been canceled even though the theme parks in Orlando are all shortening their hours. I'm crossing my fingers that we can still go and have a wonderful time, masks and all.
13. What is your favorite recent memory? How happy Natalie was to go to her first softball practice of the fall season. Thank goodness for extracurricular activities not being online this fall!
14. What made you laugh the hardest most recently? Nothing specific is coming to mind but my son sure has been making me laugh lately, that's for sure.
15. What are your wishes for the upcoming year? If my children could go to school next year I would be so pleased. I would worry much less about them if the school district had stayed with their hybrid plan of only half of the children going to school on any given day and other families opting to to the online LaunchEd program. We would have only had about 10 students in the classroom every day and our Boulder County case numbers are actually really good. My neighbor that works at one of the two hospitals in our town said they have zero covid patients right now so she doesn't understand why our district is doing online school either.
16. What do you think you will be doing this time next year? After most of our plans came crashing down this year I am shying away from making any new plans beside what was postponed from this year. I have a feeling I will be doing my same ole stay at home mom gig whether school is in session or not. I am so grateful I didn't have a job to worry about during all this and that Hubby's job wasn't affected too much.
17. *What’s your favorite book and why? The Book of Mormon. Although the Bible, especially the New Testament, is near and dear to my heart, I sometimes have to wonder if all the writings of people like Paul were translated correctly. I think the Book of Mormon is much easier to understand the feel the power of the Holy Ghost while reading it. That book of scripture has brought me closer to Jesus Christ, especially in times of need, than any other person, place, or thing. [I have enjoyed the "Don't Miss This" podcast this year while reading the Book of Mormon to help keep it fresh.]
18. What’s your favorite movie and why? This answer is totally related to the death of the wonderful Chadwick Boseman last week, but Avengers Endgame is one I really want to see again. It was the culmination of a decade of Marvel movies so there is definitely a lot of sentimentality involved. I literally cried for days after hearing Chadwick Boseman had made all the Black Panther movies while he was fighting colon cancer. The tributes from his friends and co-workers and watching old interviews again put all he did into a much different perspective. What an incredible man. Oh, I'm about to tear up again! I think Oprah Winfrey said it best when she remarked that this is not just a loss. His absence will be felt in this world. 2020, you truly stink in so many ways. Now I've got to hold back the waterworks again because it's time to make sure my elementary schoolers are getting into their math WebEx meetings.
19. *What have been the biggest news events during your lifetime? Falling of the Berlin Wall. I remember my dad asking me to come watch the news, telling me I wouldn't understand the significance now, but that later I would understand just how important it was. I would have to say 9/11 as well. [I am sure the pandemic is going to stand the test of time as well.]
20. *If you could travel into the future, would you rather see something that specifically relates to you, or something that relates to the future of the country in general? Why? It would be nice to see if my children ended up happy in their teenage or adult lives but often the future is something we are protected from to make sure it does not alter our choices.
21. If you could have three wishes, what would they be? 1.) An end to pandemics, world hunger, systemic racism and human trafficking. 2.) A change to how schools are run -- year round with different cohorts for smaller class sizes and bigger salaries for the teachers -- and how health care is run in our country. I have fewer answers on how health care could change but in one 24 hour period I heard about how a friend of mine had to spend her entire savings on medical bills after a car accident so her children no longer have the college fund she and her husband had been putting money into. Meanwhile, someone I know told me she went via ambulance to the ER because she had a bad migraine and didn't have to pay anything because they don't have the money to pay their bills. That just seems ridiculous to me but I have no clue how to fix it. 3.) Reading the Book of Helaman right now would make my 3rd wish be that somehow this pandemic can turn the hearts of mankind back to God. The world would be such a better and more joyful place if everyone knew for themselves that they were divine children of an all powerful being that loved them unconditionally, knew what was best for them from an eternal perspective and does not try to control any of His children but grants them free agency instead. ("What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That's the only thing that there's just too little of.")
22. *If you won $1 million tomorrow, what would you do with the money? Well, I'm sure the government would take half, but we could still pay off the house and go on some great vacations and buy [myself] the new car. And donate some to the Perpetual Education Fund, the Missionary Fund, and the Humanitarian Aid fund.
23. *What’s the highest honor or award you’ve ever received? Most Spirited Award when I was on the high school tennis team. To me, it was an award for being nice to everyone on both the varsity and JV teams.
24. *What’s the most memorable phone call you’ve ever received? My mind travels to being on the phone in Grandma W's dinning room, hearing that I needed to go to Minneapolis if I wanted to say good-bye to my grandmother before she died. I still miss my mom's mother. I wish she could still give me advice and sympathize with me. Of my 4 grandparents, I seem to be the most like her and she was the last grandparent I had on this earth.
*25. What Was The Most Important Thing You’ve Done So Far? Go on a full time mission. [I have to add it isn't what I did on my mission but rather all that I learned from my companions, my mission president, and my experiences in Taiwan. I cannot imagine how hard being a wife and mother would have been without that foundational missionary life.]
26. When Was The Last Time You Cried? About Chadwick Boseman dying. No, I didn't know him personally but it has really affected me.
27. What Is The Best Thing That Could Happen To You Right Now? This very minute? I think that question is the hardest of the entire bunch. ???????????
28. What’s The First Thing You Do In The Morning? Take attendance. Who is in my bed this morning? Then I get out of bed, check the calendar and reminders app and get ready to walk the dogs. Often the phone goes with me so I can think about how to best tackle the day, sometimes making adjustments to the alarms, calendar, and reminders.
29. *What Are You Thinking Just Before Going To Bed? That I've stayed up too late again!
30. If There’s One Thing In Your Life You Want To Change Right Now, What Is It? I would like to exercise more. I have promised that after the children are in school again I will start visiting Kelly's Pilates studio.
31. *Sum Up Your Life In One Sentence: Stay at home mom.
32. *Name The Thing That Annoys You The Most: Ingratitude.
33. What Makes You Laugh? The funny things my family members do and say.
34. Picture Yourself In 5 Years From Now. Since my world revolves around my children, I see myself pretty much living the same life I live now but with the added excitement of having high schoolers and the experience of teaching my older three how to drive. It seems strange to think that I won't have any elementary school aged children in five years. I guess that's why they say it goes by fast!
34. Picture Yourself In 5 Years From Now. Since my world revolves around my children, I see myself pretty much living the same life I live now but with the added excitement of having high schoolers and the experience of teaching my older three how to drive. It seems strange to think that I won't have any elementary school aged children in five years. I guess that's why they say it goes by fast!
35. If you have time alone, what do you do? That time is rare, especially with the children not being in school, so I try to do things only I would do around the house (organizing) or working on scrapbooks and this blog, go on a longer walk with the dogs, exercise, and eat peacefully -- usually while watching something like my YouTube Watch Later list or more likely listening to the scriptures, a podcast, or an audiobook.
36. What are the last three nonfiction books have you read lately? So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo, Untamed by Glennon Doyle and The Body by Bill Bryson. The next nonfiction book I have on hold is Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
37. What are the last three fiction books have you read lately? The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair (a mystery with a main character with the last name of Bainbridge), The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret (per my son's recommendation). I am currently half way done listening to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.
38. What are the three things you are most grateful for today? Living how, where and when I do.
39. What is on the calendar and to-do list today? Plenty of alarms to make sure children are getting on WebEx meetings, reminding Hubby to call the clinic about his rescheduled appointment, Michelles' viola lesson (yes, she missed it and started back up again in August), Michelle's A3 hip hop class and Danny's baseball practice. I have a few things to buy at the store this evening. Somehow I've been able to get some laundry done that was on the list in between enjoying helping my elementary schoolers with their homework. The yard work on the list is getting moved to Saturday.
40. What are you going to do now that you have your birthday interview completed? Sigh with relief. Then post Natalie's math homework to SeeSaw. The next time I have time on the computer I'm going to plan what my middle children and I can do in the evenings in Orlando after the parks close. First idea, see if I can get Blue Man Group tickets if they are having shows. If this trip gets canceled, fear for my sanity, y'all!
Comments