Such a beautiful month to report on! I honestly can’t think of a better time of year than September. High school football games, fall leaves, the Poway Rodeo, tennis season, and let’s not forget… my birthday! Ha! I truly enjoyed every moment of this month.
The highlight was definitely my trip to Utah to visit Ev and Katie and spend time with my sisters and Mom. We attended the Faith Matters conference, drove the Alpine Loop, forced my poor mom to walk through the Haunted Forest, laughed for two hours straight at Dry Bar Comedy, relaxed with a scalp massage, and did a little birthday shopping. I loved helping Evelyn decorate her apartment for fall. And the weather and fall scenery were absolutely incredible. Such a joy!
Other highlights this month: lots and lots of soccer games. Grant is thrilling to watch, and I’m so proud of his hard work and effort. I don’t even mind traveling all over the state—and occasionally the country—on weekends to watch him play! Well… maybe I mind a little. But I know this season is short-lived, and really, what else would I be doing with my weekends? Relaxing? Nah.
Homecoming is coming up, and Anna has spent countless hours practicing for AirBands. She is such a darling little dancer and knows that dance inside and out. She is ecstatic to be in the front row for the performance! Her bestie Megan choreographed it, and it’s pretty cute. I’ll report back next month on how it all goes. Grant and Kai asked Leah and Scarlett to Homecoming. I loved Grant’s idea: “Let’s TACO ’bout HOCO” with a bag of Taco Bell to accompany the poster. Cute kids.
Grant and Anna are both so busy and so disciplined. It really is a wonder to watch. Anna is at school every day from 7 a.m. for seminary until 6 p.m. for tennis. She LOVES tennis and is genuinely getting better and better every week. Once she gets home, she lifts weights, makes healthy snacks, goes on walks, reads her scriptures, calls her friends, and plans out her next day. Her weekends are filled with friends, church dances, football games, tennis practices, and church meetings.
Grant similarly comes home to a very full schedule. He lifts weights, trains in the backyard for soccer before soccer practice, practices his guitar, works on college soccer applications, reads his scriptures, and grills steaks. Naturally. I’m so proud of these two teens. I love everything about this stage of their lives.
And let’s not forget the young adults! Ev is finishing up nursing school with only THREE months left! She’s lifting, dating, spending every possible minute with Katie, doing clay modeling—her newest creative outlet—practicing piano, and making lots more time for temple visits and devotionals now that her new beau is quite the religious type. Ha!
Dane is plugging away at school, spending his free time with Kenzie, golfing, and cooking teriyaki noodles at least six times a week. Kenzie earned a prestigious award for her hairstyling Instagram account, and the two of them attended the black-tie event together looking as stunning as ever.
Dane has also been spending a lot of time thinking about what he wants to do with his future and has recently discovered quite a bit about himself. I’m excited to see where that leads and what he ultimately decides for himself. One thing is for sure: he has NOT had an easy go of it, and yet through it all he continues to see the good, learn about himself, and grow in his mindset and presence. I’m really proud of him.
I also loved celebrating friends’ birthdays and the Tyler wedding this month. I loved hiking to the ruins with the Young Women and painting haunted art, teaching the new FSY curriculum on Sundays, and—as always—playing the piano and singing with Elena. And, of course, photographing and videoing every performance so she can watch herself afterward. Such a bright spot in my week.
Grant learned my favorite Beatles song, “In My Life,” on the guitar and sang it to me with his cute little voice. Anna decorated the house and bought me countless gifts, each one wrapped with bows. Dane and Kenzie picked out the perfect snuggly gift because they knew I would love it. And I got to spend the day with Ev, who treated me like a queen.
I just felt so incredibly loved this month by my friends and family.
It hasn’t been an easy year, and yet it has been a year in which I have grown in countless ways. I’m still taking life day by day, but with the support and love of such beautiful people around me, I continue to find strength. And even more than that, I’ve felt the peace and strength of my Savior.
Life isn’t supposed to go exactly as planned, after all. I’m learning to let go and allow the future to unfold with a trust in God that I’ve never had to hold quite like this before. It has been a profoundly life-altering experience.
And somehow, even amidst the uncertainty, I feel happy.
I feel full.
And I feel deeply grateful.
