If it looks like a 3-day food fest and acts like a 3-day food fest, it probably is a 3-day food fest

I love to celebrate birthdays! Including my own. Since I spend most of my life on a strict low-fat, low-cal diet, I love the excuse to take a break and eat whatever I want for a few days. So if it looks like a 3-day food fest and acts like a 3-day food fest, it probably is a 3-day food fest. Fortunately, Shulamith loves food as much as I do; she makes for a good celebrating companion.

We eased in Thursday night with a lovely dinner at Cheesecake Factory with a couple of friends. Then Friday morning, a quick breakfast consisting of a Harmon's maple bar with whipped frosting and Diet Cokes. For lunch, Shulamith picked me up between my two classes, and we met our friend Lacey at City Creek, where we ate Red Iguana enchiladas. We used to go there every Friday last semester, and Lacey would sometimes meet us, so it felt like old times.

When I went back to teach my second class, one student had brought homemade cookies, and they all sang "Happy birthday, Sister Webster" when I walked in. So sweet. This is an especially nice group of students.

Friday night it was "The Dog Haus: The Absolute Wurst," a cute little restaurant in Sandy that serves super yummy hot dogs and burgers. We ate bacon-wrapped hot dogs, mine with caramelized onions and cheese. Mmmmmm!

Onward.

Saturday, we went to Denny's for breakfast, mostly because we love their pancakes that taste pretty much like vanilla cake. If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend you do.

For a mid-afternoon lunch/dinner, Gerald was kind enough to keep Shulamith's two older kids at home, so I could enjoy a relaxing meal with three of my cute kids. We went to Hu Hot for Mongolian bowls, plus S'mores for dessert. So good. Only sad part...this is one of Eli's favorite places, and he wasn't here to go with us.

I always say that my favorite child is whichever one I'm with at the time. That day, these three were my favorites. The food was so good; the company, even better.

This morning, I went out early and brought home Cinnabons and Diet Cokes for a before-church breakfast. They were gooey, gooey good. Then this afternoon, Shulamith made me taco salad and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. This is quite a sacrifice for her because she doesn't eat salad (only the hamburger and the chips...boring) and she much prefers white cake.

All in all, it's been a delightful food fest, and no better way to celebrate my birthday. And it's not quite over. Matt has been away all weekend, so we haven't had the chance to do our standard, girls only, celebration without kids (well, her baby gets to come). We always do dinner and a movie, and that will still happen, but probably not for two weeks, because Gerald and I are going to Rexburg next weekend to visit Eli and Amanda. I'm hoping the movie "Battle of the Sexes" is playing here by then.

Thank you to restaurants that make good food and to my sweet little family for sharing it with me. I am a lucky mom. Love you!

The difference? This time, I really didn't want to send him

Early this morning, as he's done dozens of times before, Gerald got up to drive Isaiah to the airport. And just like dozens of times before, Isaiah's destination was Las Vegas. And just like dozens of times before, I smiled, waved goodbye and said, "I love you. Be safe."

The difference? This time, I really didn't want to send him.

I'm scared, really scared.

Isaiah travels all over the world for his job as a senior on-site tech specialist for Lanyon/Cvent. In the past three years, he's visited 13 countries on five different continents. He's gone places I'll likely never go, and he's gone places I'll definitely go because he tells me I "have to!" I've never been scared to send him off before, only excited for his opportunity to see and experience so much at such a young age.

Vegas is a popular city for events, and Isaiah spends roughly six weeks there over the course of a year, and about 75% of the time, he stays at Mandalay Bay. He refers to it as his "home away from home." Two weeks ago, when I awoke to the tragic news of yet another mass shooting, this time near the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, for a split second my heart sank. Fully awake, I calmed myself with the words, "Breathe, Terrianne. Take a breath. At this very moment, Isaiah is safely on a plane to Lisbon, Portugal."

But it so easily could have been otherwise. He could have been in Vegas that week. He could have been staying at Mandalay Bay. Often, he and his coworkers go out in the evening, sometimes to attend events in the city they're visiting. Including concerts.

He so easily could have been there, his precious, 26-year-old life ended in a split second, and my life forever shattered. All of those killed that night had mothers whose hearts are now broken. My own heart breaks for them. I can't even imagine. 

Afterward, we were told by some that we shouldn't talk about why this keeps happening, that "now is not the time." Instead, we should send "thoughts and prayers." And local folks should donate blood. Well, sure. Yes, of course. I am both a thinking person and a praying person. I'm also a lifelong blood donor. So yes, I appreciate the value of thoughts and prayers and blood donations. I also know that none of that will do a single thing to keep these senseless tragedies from happening again and again and again.

So please don't tell me "now is not the time" to talk about how to fix this mess. If now isn't the time, then when?

To that end, may I address our sitting president for just a moment.

Mr. President:

It's no secret, I'm not a fan. I didn't vote for you, and I was devastated that you somehow managed to get elected. The morning after that fateful day, a friend posted that this was the worse thing Christians have done since the Crusades. I concur.

That said, I hoped that a miracle might occur, and this office might change you, lift you, move you to a point where you might see past yourself enough to work for the greater good of our country and the world. That has not happened. Instead, you are so bored with your job as Commander-in-Chief that you spend your time awake in the middle of the night, tweeting, like a hormone-raging teenager, syntactically-incorrect rhetoric spewed against anyone who opposes you; goodness, my 17-year-old kid has more maturity and class.

But there's still time. Because though it feels like an eternity since January 20th, in fact, it's only been nine months. That means you still have three years, three months left in office, plenty of time to prove me wrong.

Surprise me! Do something right. If you truly wish to "make America great," accomplish something past presidents have not yet been able to. Stand up to the NRA, and figure out a way to get sensible gun legislation through Congress.

Lives literally depend on it.

Yours truly,
A mom, who's terrified to send her baby off to work in Las Vegas today

Wonderful Weekend Weariness

It was a wonderful weekend.

And a weary one.

It all began about six weeks ago when we learned that local youth would have the opportunity to sing in the choir for the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference. I was immediately excited and, right there in church, texted Seth, "You have to do this!" It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was more that he was already so busy with two different choirs, Les Mis rehearsals, school, and work. But I kept reminding him what an opportunity it was, likely a once-in-a-lifetime one. Ultimately, Seth decided to go for it. Since then he has rehearsed for two hours every Sunday evening, preparing four wonderful songs for Conference.

When the weekend finally arrived, Seth was super excited. Me too, but the whole thing definitely changed our typical General Conference weekend. Seth had to be downtown at the conference center at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, following an all-state choir rehearsal that began at 7:30. Gerald and I picked him up from all-state rehearsal at 9:30 and drove him downtown. Then we hurried home just in time to catch the morning session, where, in my favorite talk of the weekend, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminded us that though celestial goals may feel quite far out of our reach, we can take heart in God's perfection, and "be grateful that God is merciful and a peacemaker because we need mercy, and the world needs peace." It was Elder Holland at his best; if you missed it, I highly recommend you look it up.

As soon as the morning session was over, Gerald drove me to the Trax station, where I rode back downtown. They gave each kid in the choir one ticket to the session, and no, I didn't offer it to Gerald. How surprised are you? I have never sat down on the main floor of the conference center, and that was crazy cool. Even cooler was looking up at the choir loft where the kids were rehearsing and seeing my baby right up on top:

I fought back tears I was so proud of him. The choir did a lovely job; my favorite song was a medley of "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" and "He Sent His Son." Simply beautiful!

And just like that, it was over. Seth and I managed to find each other outside the conference center, even sans cell phones (they didn't let the kids have their phones).

Gerald picked us up, and we came home once again. Poor Seth went straight to work, while I got to relax and watch the Priesthood session as I waited for Eli and Amanda to arrive.

Sunday was our typical Erichsen-Webster General Conference, aka "pajama church," filled with Twinkies, Swiss Rolls, Mint Milanos, Oreos, Almond Joy bars, red vines, and more. Seth was so tired, and I had decided not to wake him, but he got up anyway to join us.

Gerald got up early and drove Isaiah to the airport, on his way to Lisbon for a week. It was his first time in Portugal, so he was excited. Gerald got back almost in time for the first session. All the talks Sunday were excellent, but if you'd like to know my personal favorites (and even if you wouldn't, because this is my blog, so...), Elder M. Russell Ballard's denouncement of racism, sexism, and nationalism was amazing, as were Elder Quentin L. Cook's discourse on equality as God's children and Elder W. Craig Zwick's heartwarming message of love.

It was wonderful to have three of our kids here watching Conference together; my mommy heart was happy! Here are Shulamith, Eli, Amanda, and I in our matching Conference pajamas. Couldn't quite talk Seth into it, and Matt? Not a chance. Haha.

Eli and Amanda really like babies, so Shulamith lent them her Theodore for one of the sessions:

When it was all over, we ushered in October by decorating our house for Halloween and feasting on french dip sandwiches, chips, and pasta salad. Amanda's brother and sister-in-law even joined us for dinner with their little girl. We don't have family of our own here in Utah, so we were grateful Amanda was willing to share hers. After ice cream cookie sundaes, we had to send Eli and Amanda back to Rexburg. We can't wait until July, when they will graduate and move down here, so we don't have to keep sending them back.

And there you have it....
Conference weekend. Wonderful weekend weariness.