It's okay. It will come again and again and again.

Thursday evening after dinner, I fell into a deep, post-Thanksgiving meal sleep. We had feasted on turkey that Mathew smoked in his Traeger, and I'm pretty sure I'll never roast a Thanksgiving turkey in my oven ever again. I'm not a fan of surprises or things not going according to my ever-so-careful plans, but this particular part of the mayhem worked out perfectly. When my oven broke prior to Thanksgiving and was not repairable, we asked Matt if he'd consider smoking the turkey, in case I couldn't get a new oven installed in time. As it turned out, my new oven was delivered Wednesday evening, but Matt decided to go forward with the smoking adventure anyway. I AM SO GLAD HE DID! Augmented with the traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, deviled eggs, and rolls, it was a fabulous meal. Sadly, I didn't remember to take any pictures that day, other than my BeReal, so I'll give you that one:

Sorry no one was posing or even looking at the camera, but we were all too busy being real. 

Throughout the day, like so many other moms, I felt immense gratitude for my wonderful family; everyone was here with us except Luke and his daughter, who live in Maryland. People tell you to avoid discussion of religion and politics at social gatherings, but in our family, those are the two most favorite topics of all, and Thursday was no exception. It was somber as we shared our feelings about the tragic situation in Israel, and our heartbreak for all parties involved. Gerald and I have a trip to Israel scheduled for May. Will we even get to go? We don't know. 

Between dinner and dessert (yes, Matt, that's how it goes; we need time to digest our food and get hungry again before diving into pie), we played Ransom Notes and Family Feud. Eli is the best game show host and should definitely be on TV! Eventually, I found my way upstairs to my glorious bed, and, as noted above, fell promptly into unconsciousness, but not before remembering that "Tomorrow is arguably the best day of the entire year!" It's true. I love all holidays because I love to celebrate! I love making memories, establishing traditions, and any excuse for my family to be together. But Black Friday is special. It brings together most of my favorite things: shopping, eating, laughing, and preparing for Christmas. 

I can't even remember the first time Shulamith and I went Black Friday shopping, but it's been at least two decades. And we never miss a year. For seven of those, we froze to death through the early-morning winters in Billings, Montana. Even in 2020 when we were stuck home here in Utah, we improvised. Yesterday marks another Black Friday shopping day, and it was epic. I picked Shulamith up at 7 a.m., the first snow of the season falling gently to earth on BLACK FRIDAY! Could it get any better? We drove through Beans & Brews for steaming cups of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, then headed straight to Target. In a couple hours we parted with much of our Christmas cash, but also made serious progress on our Christmas shopping lists, and we moved on to Fashion Place. That place has way too many memories for me and surfaces all sorts of nostalgia. Coming to visit Shulamith during her college days, roaming the mall while she finished her shift across the street at Macaroni Grill, shopping for my dress for her wedding, the list goes on.

We are, if nothing else, efficient shoppers, and at the mall, we continued to cross item after item off our list. The only lack of efficiency was a few times when I tried to pay, and the sales associate told me they "don't take cash at this register" and I'd have to go to a different one. Haha, I use cash only one day in the year: Black Friday. I withdraw cash every month starting in January and put it in a well-hidden envelope. By Black Friday shopping day, I have quite a wad. I love using the cash! It's already out of my account, so I mean it's basically free money when you think about it. 

While sharing our favorite Chicken Madeira with mashed potatoes at Cheesecake Factory, we reorganized ourselves and our shopping lists, and formulated a plan of action for the afternoon. We also took the opportunity to order stuff from Amazon, because, though we love the "shopping in real stores" experience, some deals are just better online. With Thanksgiving desserts still in our fridges at home, we skipped cheesecake and headed back out.

Next stop, Costco, followed by Walmart, our absolute least favorite store, but one that had a few items we needed. After an hour or so at each, we declared ourselves done for the day. One brief stop at Maverik for Diet Coke, and we were home.

Oh, and in case you're asking yourselves, "Did they buy anything for themselves?" of course we did. Every year, we get one item for ourselves, usually the same thing, but this year, not even close. I bought a super cute pair of corduroy joggers, and Shulamith bought a 4-slice toaster. When your husband bakes the best sourdough bread on the planet, your family eats a lot of toast!

Friday night, I began to feel the sadness of the day ending. It was exactly the emotional boost I needed, in the throws of so, so much grading and the many challenges that have been mine this fall. But Black Friday will come again and again and again, and now we focus forward, toward our month-long celebration of the baby born so long ago, in a small town to humble parents, the baby that changed absolutely everything.

Remember the UTA Trax guy? Good Samaritans among us, Part 2

"Not again!" I said pleadingly. "No!"

A couple weeks before, I had left my phone on a Trax train, so I already had PTSD about this. "I can't do this again," I thought. But really, what choice did I have? This time, I left not just my phone, but my entire purse, with my phone and all my cards.

I should point out that I love UTA employees, especially the early morning train host who rides between Lehi and Provo at 6:00 a.m. Her hame is Chris. She's probably in her late 70s(?) and just the nicest person. She is so wide awake and happy each morning, greeting people warmly, welcoming them onto the train. I've decided I wanna be her when I grow up. Twenty years from now, when they tell me I'm too old to teach English, I'm gonna be a train host. Like Chris! She has so much fun, and she doesn't have to wear one of those ugly hair nets like the old ladies at Costco do. Win/win.

But I digress. This past Tuesday, I left my purse on the Red Line train up at the U. I couldn't even connect to the internet because the U. has dual authentication, which requires me respond to a "push" to my phone. So I had to teach two classes with zero technology, and I had no idea what I was doing in either because I never check until I get there. (If you're wondering why that is, remember I'm teaching eight classes. It's all I can do to show up!)

When I was finally back on the train headed home and could connect to the internet, I texted Shulamith from my computer and told her to start calling my phone. That she did, and after many attempts, someone answered, a guy at the UTA Daybreak Station. He said he had my purse and would keep it there for me to come pick up that night.

Should have been easy peasy. Like last time. Except that my car battery had died that morning, and Shulamith had already jumped it twice for me at the Lehi Station, once at noon and once at 7:30 p.m. I didn't want her to have to come do it again, so I headed off to Daybreak to retrieve my purse, determined to leave my car running no matter what! I was barely out of the Lehi Station parking lot when my gasoline light came on. What else could possibly go wrong? Well just you wait.

I parked across the street from the small shelter where the UTA employees hang out and where my purse would certainly be. I left the car running and sprinted as fast as I could in the pitch dark to rescue my purse and drive home before my car ran out of gas. Inside the shelter was another awesome UTA employee, Aaron. Out of breath, I quickly recounted my sad story, and together we looked around the small space. No purse. "Are you sure they told you it would be here? At this station?" he asked. "Yes, yes, I'm positive." I had Shulamith's phone with me, so I tried calling my number. Immediately, we heard my ring tone coming from the giant, black, metal safe in the corner, with a secure padlock and the words "Lost and Found" painted in white across the front.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Aaron said. "Someone must have thrown it into the lost and found."

"Do you have a key?" I asked, in a tone of simultaneous hope and despair.

"No. Hardly anyone has a key to that. Not even our supervisors."

"Then how do I get my purse?"

"Every two or three days, a guy with a key comes around and collects whatever is inside. He takes everything to the main office up in Salt Lake City, so you'll probably be able to go pick up your purse by early next week."

<SIGH>

I was pretty distraught, and Aaron sensed my angst. "So your phone is in your purse and all your credit cards too?" he asked.

"Yes," I managed to whisper, on the verge of full-on ugly crying. "And my car is across the street, almost out of gas, with a dead battery. I just need my purse, so I can get some gas and go home."

Aaron looked me squarely in the eyes and said, "Okay, you didn't see me do this." He reached into the drop opening as far as his hand would go, trying desperately to grab my purse. No luck. 

"I'm sorry. I can't reach it."

"What if you turned it upside down?" I suggested.

"It's so heavy, though."

"What if I helped?" (Cuz, you know, I have so much upper body strength, haha.)

And together we turned that big safe on its side, and then upside down. "Plop!" We heard my purse fall, and instantly Aaron reached in and pulled it out.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to jump for joy. I wanted to hug Aaron. I did none of the above. Instead, I tried to express the depth of my thanks while bolting out the door and across the street to my running car. Then I drove to a gas station and prayed I wouldn't blow up if I added gas while the car was still running. Prayer works!

And that is the end of Part 2: "And who is my neighbor? Good Samaritans among us."

"And who is my neighbor?": Good Samaritans among us - Part 1

Wait! You waited for the scans to be read, so you could call me and tell me all is well?

Wait! You lifted a huge, metal safe and risked injury to your back by turning it upside down, so you could reach deep inside it and grab my purse? 

Who are these people? Honestly, I don't know. The first is a radiologic technologist, and the second is a UTA Trax employee. Strangers to me, really.

Yet both showed me what grace looks like. A friend posted a meme recently that pointed out how when the lawyer asked Jesus "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus told the well-known story of "The Good Samaritan." In it, Jesus does not mention the Samaritan praying for the injured man. He does not mention him preaching to the man or quoting scripture, or taking him to church. (Not to imply that these aren't good options; I'm sure Jesus would approve of all of them.) But in this story, the Samaritan stops and helps the man, tends to his wounds, finds him a safe place to stay with food to eat, and pays for it, even! The Samaritan walks the path of eternal life, rather than just talking about it.

And so it was with these two strangers.

Anyone who knows me well, is familiar with my crazy anxiety about terminal illness. So imagine how terrifying it is each year, when I have to do my annual exam, with its various scans and blood draws! One year, I worked myself into such a fit that my blood pressure, usually lower than average, rose to 180/70! Another time, I made myself so sick with worry while waiting for test results that I lost 6 lbs. Ain't anxiety grand?

The time for my yearly check-up crept up quickly. "Didn't I JUST do all this?" I asked my tribe (aka Shulamith, Eli, and Amanda). "Yes!" they all agreed. "It cannot be time to go through this again." But it was. So I braved up, as I do every year, and scheduled the appointments. When I arrived for my mammogram, I was noticeably anxious, and the tech asked me if I was okay. I briefly explained my stupid anxiety disorder; she responded with kindness, care, and zero judgment. 

"Okay, let's gets this done, so you can get out of here." She was careful and precise in her work, making sure she didn't need to repeat any of the scans, and it was over in about 10 minutes.

"We're done! Now you can relax."

"Oh I won't relax until that letter comes in the mail, telling me everything is fine."

She thought for a moment and then explained, "The scans will be read today, and they will call you within two days if anything concerning shows up. So if you haven't received a call by the end of the day Thursday, you can stop worrying."

"Oh, that helps so much, thank you! I only have to feel like this for two days, rather than a whole week! You are amazing."

And with that, I quickly dressed and got the hell out of there because I hate those places so much! 

....but the story doesn't end there.

Late that afternoon, I received a call from an unknown number. I don't usually answer those, but for some reason I did. 

"Hi, this is Corrine from Lone Peak. I waited until your scans were read, so I could call you. I didn't want you to be sick or not sleep, even for two days. The scans are back, and everything is perfectly normal. Come back in a year."

Flooded with emotion, I could barely speak. I babbled something unintelligible and hung up. I mean who does this? Who offers this kind of care, so far beyond her job responsibilities, for a stranger!? Someone who walks the path of discipleship. Someone who loves like Jesus. A Good Samaritan among us. 

Because I know readers prefer shorter posts, I'll stop, but again, the story doesn't end there. There's still the UTA Trax guy. Stay tuned for Part 2....

Celebrating love!

Aren't weddings the best celebrations? Two people come together to publicly commit their lives to one another. Friends and family gather around them, hearts and hands open, to offer support and encouragement. Love fills the air, and everyone feels it. It's impossible not to embrace the hope and happiness of a newly married couple! 

So it was this past weekend, as I flew to Phoenix, along with Shulamith and her daughter Kennedy, to attend the wedding of my niece Carley and her fiancé, JaSon. It was a warm day, so very different from the cold we left in Utah. The outside ceremony was brief but meaningful, as Carley and JaSon each recited their own original vows, promising to be each other's strength, confidante, and respite from whatever life throws their way.

...and then the celebrating began. As the wedding party took photographs, the rest of us gathered in the reception area, where lovely floral arrangements, placed high above each table, decorated the room. For me, the best part was seeing my family, almost all of whom live in the Portland area, so I don't get to see them often. Several "relatives of relatives" I hadn't see in decades; it was delightful to catch up! At last, the glowing couple arrived and moved immediately to the center of the room for their first dance.

Dinner was next on the agenda, and it was for real the best wedding food I've ever eaten. Baked salmon, slow-roasted short ribs, creamy whipped potatoes, and white macaroni and cheese. So so delicious! (There was also some broccoli and cauliflower, which I'm sure lots of people liked, haha.) Dessert was miniature bundt cakes, and not just any bundt cakes, mind you, but Nothing Bundt Cakes! I may have eaten parts of three different ones as we passed them around our table.

A photo booth, along with the most beautiful sunset, created perfect lighting for pictures, so we took advantage of the opportunity. Here is a 4-generation shot of us Webster women: Claudette Webster, Terrianne Webster, Shulamith Webster, and Kennedy Webster-Monson:

And here are the OG Websters, other than my dad, who passed away years ago:

And finally, a photo booth shot of some wacky Websters and a few of their friends:

Celebrating love! So glad we were able to do just that this weekend. To Carley and JaSon: Happiness always!

And just like that...fall fell into November

Like many others, I love this season. Fall brings an abrupt end to hot summer weather (thank heavens!) in favor of a bit more rain to lift my soul. There's never enough rain, of course, but more is always better. It also means the holiday season is in reach, and (this year), that my wild ride through the semester shows some promise of ending. I have never taught eight classes in one semester. I hope I never do it again. The intensity of this much work is hard to describe, and combined with another stressful situation that has my mind constantly ruminating, the result is a weird brain fog. 

But instead of dwelling on all that, let's relive October highlights!

October began as it always does with General Conference weekend, which I already wrote about here.

Next was our annual visit to Gardner Village to see the witches! Shulamith and I go every year, but this was the first time Eli, Amanda, and Jane joined, and it was double the fun:

Then came my birthday. The night before, a few of my favorite people went with me to the brand new Saratoga Springs Temple to do proxy sealings. Thank you so much, Shulamith, Eli, and Amanda! It was the best night. After quick food at Chipolte, we entered the temple, immediately stunned by its beauty. What a perfect "Birthday Eve" celebration, the best gift of all to be in the temple with these three:

The next night, my actual birthday, we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner with most of the family. This place fills me with nostalgia; I went to the Portland location dozens of times as a kid, a favorite of my parents and grandparents. This time, though, I bravely sat surrounded by Isaiah, Seth, and Mathew. If you know these three, you understand the twists and turns the conversation might take. For better or worse, they did not disappoint, and I laughed my way through spaghetti with clam sauce and garlic mizithra cheese, followed by Costco chocolate cake with spumoni ice cream. It was pretty much perfection. 

If that wasn't enough partying, the very next night was Eli and Amanda's annual Halloween bash. From mummy wraps to marshmallow tossing, pictures reveal it best:

(#twins)

(That one time Matt put Jane in a tree.)

 

And finally, Halloween! By this point, we were all tired, but ready to finish out the month in style. Shulamith and Eli both had serious activities going on at their respective elementary schools. This is Utah, after all. They LOVE Halloween here. Shulmith's kinder team chose a Peter Pan theme, and Shulamith was the cutest "Wendy" ever!

I crashed her party and helped one of her five parent volunteers with pumpkin volcanoes!  It was so cool, and her little babies loved it. 

Eli's third grade team went back in time to replicate the OG Snow White movie. Isn't Eli the handsomest of handsome princes in all history?

Halloween night felt anti-climactic after all this, but Shulamith's kids managed to gather pillowcases full of candy, while Jane made her first real attempt at trick-or-treating. Her comment on most of the houses we visited: "Spooky house!"

And just like that....fall fell into November. Let the Christmas music begin!