School Days

We sent Emil M back to school at the end of August. Emil drove with him cross country and then flew back home. He is settled and beginning his senior year at BYU Provo. I can't believe he's almost done with four years of college. It went so fast!

Noah began high school this year. He's doing well so far. Being in marching band has helped him with knowing upperclassmen and have a comfortable peer group to socialize with. He has a pretty easy semester this time. He likes his teachers but isn't enjoying PE. Luckily he only has to take it one semester in HS so once he's done this year he'll be finished for good. They had their first football game a couple of weeks ago. I didn't get any pictures because I was busy at the booster concession stand. Next time.

He's been doing great in Tae Kwon Do. He tested for his 2nd level orange belt back in August and did great! He may switch programs after the new year but we are going to wait until the marching band season is over and he's gotten use to getting up early for seminary. (Do they EVER get use to getting up early for seminary? lol)

Kirstin and I flew out to ID and had a great trip! It was fast- we arrived and bought her apt supplies on Thursday when we flew in to Salt Lake City. My sister Sheila was our generous chauffeur.

We headed to ID on Friday and got her unpacked.

She has a really nice apt with 5 other roommates. 

This is her bedroom.

There are 3 rooms and a good size kitchen. We walked around campus that night and did some photo ops.

I spent the night with the family of one of the missionaries who had served in our area then the next morning we got her books and ID and then said goodbyes. It was so nice to leave her knowing she was at a good school, ready for this time in her life and prepared for what was to come. 

After that I came back to UT and got to visit my dear friends The Brady's. It has been quite a while since I had seen them and it was nice to catch up. Visiting them is like slipping into a comfortable old sweater. It's so easy- true friends like that don't come along very often in life and when they do you have to nurture and treasure those relationships. 

 Lori taught me to make bread years ago and I have enjoyed the art ever since!

Amy & Me!

I stayed with my sister Sheila and had a relaxing time just talking with her. As always, my throat is always so sore at the end of the first day together. There is just so much to catch up on!!

Me, Mom & Sheila

Sheila had a big family dinner that Sunday and I got to see all her kids and their families as well as my brother David and his family and my niece Autumn. Emil M. stayed the night there on Saturday too so we got to visit too.

Heather, Sheila, Me & Mom

Monday I was headed back home. It was a short trip but fun. Kirstin has been out a week and we've spoken and texted to her quite a bit. Things are going well and Calculus is giving her a run for her money but she's enjoying it. 

I am so grateful for my life. I have been richly blessed!

Summer Fun!

Nags Head, NC

It seems that I don't have down time anymore. I feel like I just go from one event to the next. Does anyone else feel like that? I don't know if it's the period of my life I'm at right now or our society in general but I miss easy breezy summer!!

Court of Honor after Scout Camp. Noah has been growing like a weed!

When Noah went to scout camp this year he took a merit badge class for reptiles. He finished all the requirements except for taking care of a reptile for 30 days. (Who makes that a requirement?!?!) So Emil and I went to the pet store to get a aquarium. We ended up with Sherman.

Emil had all sorts of pets when he was younger. A Scorpion, tarantula, lizards. Thankfully he didn't have any of those since we've been married but he had always wanted a chameleon. 

So I got Sherman for him for his birthday. His is cute but we haven't seen him change colors like they are known for yet. He's little still but he molted about a week after we got him. I was a little freaked out at first until I figured out what was happening. 

Sherman molting

You're not suppose to handle Chameleons because it's suppose to stress them out but Sherman is pretty chill. He likes to climb Noah's arm and it's cool to watch them walk. He's got pretty distinct markings and sometimes they're light and sometimes dark.

We moved around some furniture to get a table for him which left me without a sewing table. Something I was totally happy with because I had a project in mind.

I saw this and really wanted to make it. After my farmhouse table I was feeling pretty confident.

It ended up costing a little over $200. I could have gone a bit cheaper with the top but Emil suggested I go for quality. I did the entire thing by myself. 

Well-Emil did help me cut the top since it was 6 feet long to begin with but I routed (rounded) the edges, sanded, measured, hammered, screwed and painted.

I love it! I was even able to find the same chair as in the picture at Ikea! It's much larger than what I had before and I love that it's basically a table top on 2 bookshelves. It gives me more storage and that's always nice. I'm feeling quite handy these days. Now if I could just find time to use it!

Noah had 2 weeks of band camp in July and we've started back on marching practice 2 nights a week along with Tae Kwon Do which he really enjoys. He's quite busy which is very good for him. He's gotten out of his comfort zone and it's been nice to see him come out of his shell a bit.

Alex & Kirstin

Kirstin has been working long hours. She leaves at 8am and gets home at midnight. It's been hard for her but I'm so proud of her for keeping at it and being a good employee. She has the weekends off and has been busy attending all the Young Single Adult (YSA) activities she can manage. We haven't seen much from her with that. She heard from BYUI last week and they've offered to let her attend the fall track so now we are frantically trying to get everything set up with that. Classes, housing, flights!! It's been crazy these past couple of days and I'm sad that I won't have the extra time in the fall I was planning on with her but I'm excited for her. She's so happy to be going early and she deserves it. She has worked really hard and had a great attitude even when things didn't turn out the way she wanted.

Kirstin & Catherine

Kirstin's best friend Catherine has been staying with us this summer. She is a great girl and it has been a joy to have her sweet smile and cheerful attitude in our home. She works at one if the local farm markets. She's leaving for University of North Carolina -Wilmington next Saturday. We will miss her.

Emil Michael has been working for the Cotton Gin again this summer. They love him there and they pay him well.  He has really gotten into anime art this past year and has gotten quite good. I have seen him doing that more than writing this summer which has surprised me.

Emil had a business trip to DC a couple of weeks ago and so Emil M and I went for a couple of days. He drove up with Emil on Sunday night and Monday Emil M and I walked the mall and went to see

Some of the monuments and the American Indian Museum. By the end of the day I had walked 11 miles! I was exhausted!

I can see Emil M. being a city dweller. He's got just the right balance of quirky for it.

I love the architecture of DC.

I guess most big cities are the same but DC is the one I'm most familiar with.

 

 

The detail and diversity are just awe inspiring to me.

We went to a place called Fogo D' Chao for dinner that night. It was a Brazilian restaurant and if you love meat it was the place to be. They gave you these little disk with green on one side and red on the other and when you wanted some meat you flipped the disk to the green side and the servers would come offer you whatever they had. They were quick too. There were like 15 different types of meat and they would slice it off these long skewers. I did not go hungry enough,, given the cost but it was a very unique experience.

I'm still baking for the Cafe'.  It's been pretty steady through the summer and last week was very busy.  I just bought my plane tickets to take Kirstin to college with my cafe' money so that was good!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Turtle Cheesecake

I may have another business that wants me to bake for them. We will see where it leads....

Enjoy the last bits of summer!

Pennsylvania Roots

At the end of June I took a trip to Pennsylvania. My sweet friend Tanya lives there now. She moved from EC about 8 years ago but we have been able to stay in touch thanks to technology. 

Even though we haven't been able to physically be there for each other when we went through some of life's toughest trials- we have always been as close as the other end of the phone. I spent 2 days at her house with her amazing family. Her kids and husband were wonderful in letting me hog her the entire time and we talked non-stop for pretty much 18 hours a day. I'm trying to lure her to the beach to stay with me but there's this thing called a schedule and it's pretty annoying when you have to work around 13 different ones. (That's the number of people in both our families combined) 

Ughhh- busy kids, busy parents!

The other reason I went to PA was to see my parents!

Mom and Dad were there for a Yoder Reunion and since I was the only one of their children to attend I'm pretty sure that moves me to the very top of their favorites list and gave me rock star status amongst the Aunts, Uncles and cousins. 

First I met them and we did a tour of Pearl Buck International. This was the Main Office and Gift Shop. 

The grounds were beautiful~

This was the barn. It was pretty cool. They do a lot of weddings there and they've converted it to a place where the bridal party gets ready.

Back side of the Barn

This was where Pearl Buck lived when Dad was at Welcome House. They turned her home into a museum.

I loved this room with the walls that were covered in bookcases. Emil Michael said he would definitely like a house like that.

This was a writers studio. I can't remember if it was her or her husbands, Richard Walsh. Maybe both? I love that the desks are side by side.



But the really cool feature was the loft that overlooked the studio. I love lofts and I'm planning on having one in my dream house. This photo really doesn't do it justice. I would have loved to have gone up there!

Richard later became ill and couldn't leave his room so they had this porch built on so he could go out and get fresh air.

This was a courtyard between the 2 buildings. It grew and expanded over the years. It was really quite beautiful.
After the tour we went to Welcome House where Dad actually lived for 3 years. Its privately owned now but that didn't stop Dad from giving me a tour of the outside. He had met the owners earlier but they weren't home when I came with them.

Next we went to see Mom's old home. This is the place where she grew up. I stayed there when I came for one of 2 visits I remember to PA as a child. It was a very fond memory. I had a horrible ear ache. (I was always getting them) and cried myself to sleep one night. Grandmom Steinhauer left milk and cookies on my windowsill in case I woke up and was hungry. It is one of my few memories of her but by far, my favorite. 

This was Mom's church when she was growing up. I love the stone work.

We then drove to the park behind her house where she use to ice skate and play. Even though it's more developed than it was when she lived there it was cool to walk it with Mom and listen to her describe what she remembered.

I think the thing I enjoyed the most was seeing the places my Mom and Dad grew up around and hearing their stories and memories first hand.

Saturday we went to a picnic at a local park. It was good to finally meet people I've lived my life hearing about.

Uncle Scott, Aunt Nicky and Uncle Dale (The one who wrote the Pearl Buck Book)

Dad & Uncle Charlie 

(Back Row) Scott, Dale, Ray, Dad, Leon
(Front Row) Sumi, David, Lillian

I pretty much charmed the pants off of them- thus insuring that I was the coolest in the family and this is why I and I alone was allowed to attend the reunion. ;) 

Actually Dad told them I was the most rotten of the bunch!