Eli and Danny

This is a picture of Eli and Danny dressed in their baptismal clothing this morning just before Danny's baptism. Danny graduated with Eli in May, and he's been taking the missionary lessons this summer. Eli attended the discussions with him, and Danny honored Eli by asking him to perform the baptism ordinance. It was a lovely ceremony, almost entirely put together by recent Skyview graduates. Jacob and Tanner gave the talks; Beau and Jake offered the prayers; Justin played piano; and Eli, Isaiah, Camille, and Ellie sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." The room was filled with Danny's friends all there to support him in this decision.

Congratulations, Danny! What a perfect way to spend our last morning in Billings.

"This Will Be Our Last Time _____________ ."

After one month shy of seven years, Seth, Isaiah, and I will say farewell to Billings tomorrow. Eli will stay another four weeks or so, and Gerald will stay until he finds a job in Utah. It was pretty surreal today as we were out and about. We found ourselves saying repeatedly, "This will be our last time ______________."

At lunch we said, "This will be our last time at Heights McDonald's." I know it may seem strange to many of you, but we have so many fun memories there. It started probably five years ago with Celeste and me. She was my enrichment counselor in Relief Society, and the two of us would sit at McDonald's and plan enrichment meetings while the kids played. In time, Lindsey moved to Billings and started coming with us. Then Celeste moved (sigh!) all the way to Texas, and it was just Lindsey and I. One especially fond memory is climbing up to the top of the play structure (several times!) to rescue Jase when Lindsey was mega pregnant with Hanna and not feeling much like climbing. After a time, Mandy started coming with us, and then last summer Lindsey moved to Idaho. Thankfully, I still had Mandy at the weekly McDonald's nights for another few months until she moved to Wyoming this past December. I remember Seth's comment when she left: "We'll probably never go to McDonald's ever again." That was not the case, of course, but it was never as fun. Not even close.

Then we headed to the West End to get Isaiah some clothes. And we said, "This will be our last time at Rimrock Mall." Again, many memories. I was in Utah this past Thanksgiving, but before that, Shulamith and I celebrated six consecutive Black Fridays at Rimrock Mall. I remember a couple years ago on that day, I was sitting in the food court to save us a table while she stood in line at Starbucks to get us hot chocolate. It was bitter Montana cold outside. As I sat there, I saw what I believed to be a Black Friday miracle. A group of people walked by carrying Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. At the exact same moment I witnessed this miracle, Shulamith texted me, "Mom!!! There is a Cinnabon in this mall!" And so there was. We were ecstatic. As soon as she got back with the Starbucks, we searched out the new Cinnabon and ate some yummy fresh rolls.

Then we stopped by Barnes & Noble because Eli wanted a book. You guessed it: "This will be our last time in Billings Barnes & Noble." The obvious memory there is the night Breaking Dawn was released. Celeste, Lindsey, Shulamith, and I all went to the late-night party which preceded the release of the book at midnight. Celeste's baby Molly was just new, and Shulamith carried her around all evening saying, "I want this baby." I told her she would need to find a husband first and then she could have her own baby. So far, she's accomplished the first part. We played Twilight trivia, drank Italian sodas, and cherished our time together, knowing Celeste's move to Texas was imminent.

Those are only a few of my fond memories of Billings, but those are the ones that came to mind today. Tomorrow morning, after Eli's friend's baptism, Isaiah and I will jump in my car. Gerald and Seth will jump in the U-haul (which will hopefully be all loaded by then). And we'll be off.

Ocular Irony

For the past ten days, I've been trying out something entirely new: contact lenses. Why? Well, you see, I hate reading glasses. With a passion. I hate everything about then. I hate that they make me look ugly. I hate that they make me look old. I hate that I can never find them because I put them on and take them off hundreds of times throughout the the course of the day. I hate that they always break. And why do they always break? Because I buy them at the dollar store. Why do I buy them at the dollar store? Because I hate them so much that I refuse to spend more than a dollar on them. Can you feel my frustration? Multiply it by 100 and you might be close.

I think it would be easier for people who have always needed eye correction to adjust to reading glasses. But when you've had perfect vision your whole life and then suddenly (!) when you are about 40 and for some stupid reason you can no longer see close up, it is over-the-top frustrating. Grrrr!!! So I've complained and complained about these dumb reading glasses until finally a friend who happens to be an optometrist politely suggested, "You know, instead of complaining for the next 50 years, you could do something about it. You could try contacts."

And that brings us to now. Ten days ago, I went for an eye checkup and told the doctor my tale of woe. He said we could try single-vision contacts although "they can be tricky." Gee, ya think? So here's the irony. Most people put in contact lenses in order to see better. Yep, after they put them in, they can actually see better than before. It's the exact opposite with me. I can see just fine before I put them in (other than up close, obviously). But once they're in, it's quite a struggle. The whole world is fuzzy. Single vision contacts are just that: single vision. I have a close-up lens in my left eye and a distance lens in my right eye. And I'm supposed to train my brain to essentially ignore the input from one eye or the other, depending on what I'm doing. I'm not allowed to shut one eye; I have to keep them both open all the time.

I think my brain is slow to train. Perhaps it involves the same part of the brain that is used to play games. Or cook. Or do crafts. I don't know. But I'll tell you this much for certain. I've been at this ten days now, and at night, when I finally get to take the things out and my crystal clear world reappears, it's a bit of euphoria. The other challenge is getting the things in my eyes in the first place. Goodness, the they are so tiny and so thin! I can barely see them. Remember, the whole reason I'm doing this is that I can't see up close. So I have to put the things in my eyes without really being able to see them. Lovely! Initially, it was taking me around 40 minutes to get both of them in. Today, it was more like 10, so I guess that part is improving. Still, since I never know for sure how long it will take, I can't really plan. Good thing I don't have to be anywhere in the morning. Gerald provides a great cheering section. "You're doing great. You'll be a pro in no time." Eli just makes fun of me. Of course both Gerald and Eli slip those little buggers into their eyes on the first try each day without any trouble, and they both have much smaller eyes than I do.

So in case you're thinking to yourselves, "Why is she doing this? Can it possibly be worth it?" The answer is unequivocally, yes! I will persevere. I will not give up. I am determined. Because despite all the struggles you just read about, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE not wearing reading glasses. And though my distance vision is still pretty fuzzy, I am able to read things close up fairly well. No more putting on dumb, ugly glasses every time I want to send or receive a text message, or check a food label, or read an email. Nope! No more. And I'm still hoping my brain training will progress. Perhaps one day the world won't appear fuzzy. Until then, if you ever need an example of pure irony, feel welcome to share my story.

Friends are Friends Forever - Part 4 of 4

Jay - Part 4 of 4
I just finished an evening of what I like to call "dinner therapy." It's something I do every 3 or 4 months with my friend Jay. We don't see each other ever in between, but every few months, one of us will text the other and say, "Are you up for some dinner therapy?" And we always are. This time it had been longer than 3 or 4 months, more like six I think. I was really missing her. I wanted to be sure we had one more "session" before I move.

I met Jay back in the Metra Ward. We didn't know each other very well at the start, but then I was looking for someone to ride to Utah with me. This was about five years ago. Jay's sisters live in the valley, and she volunteered to go with me. She even volunteered to drive my van! I hate driving, so this was a huge plus. We essentially talked non-stop for the whole 9-hour trip and again on the nine hours back. And that sealed the deal. We were bonded.

I won't go into detail about the content of our conversation. It's therapy, remember? So there's the issue of confidentiality. Suffice it to say that Jay and I share some common past experiences, and as a result, she understands me in a way that most others do not. It's always so good to talk to her. I think she feels the same. When we know we're getting together, we both look forward to it all day.

I will miss Jay and our "therapy" sessions. She promises to call when she's in Utah, and I hope she does.

Friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them.
And a friend will not say 'never,'
'Cause the welcome will not end.
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

Friends are Friends Forever - Part 3 of 4

Ethan - Part 3 of 4
They say a picture paints a thousand words, and if that is the case, I won't need to add much to this. The photo speaks for itself. This is Seth with his very best friend Ethan. For the past two weeks, we've allowed the boys to stay together 24/7, switching back and forth between Ethan's house and ours. But today was the day they had to say goodbye. Ethan's family leaves on vacation early tomorrow morning, and by the time they get back, we will be gone. It was incredibly sad. Brenda sent me email after Gerald picked up Seth. She said after Seth left, Ethan went down to his room and cried. Seth came home in a similar disposition. I feel so bad for them. I know this move is the right one for our family, but that doesn't make it any easier for an 11-year-old boy to leave his best friend. And poor Ethan; I think it's even harder for the one left behind. We moms would love to promise them that they will get to see each other again soon. But that's a promise we cannot make. We can only promise to try.

Friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them.
And a friend will not say 'never,'
'Cause the welcome will not end.
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

Friends are Friends Forever - Part 2 of 4

Lisa - Part 2 of 4
When we moved to Billings in August of 2004, we didn't know a single soul in the state of Montana. This was a little scary, especially for a couple of boys ages 13 and 11. Would they make friends? Would they like their new schools? Would life be okay? Many uncertainties. I am poignantly reminded of this now, as 11-year-old Seth faces those same questions. We arrived in Billings on a Wednesday, and school would start the following week. I was determined to find some connections for Isaiah and Eli before then, so we showed up that very night at what I guessed would be our church. The clerk, Brother Christofferson, was sitting in his office, so I walked in and inquired: "This is our new address. Do you know what ward we're in?" He glanced at his map and told me we would be in the Metra Ward and that the youth were, at that very moment, outside in the park behind the church having a barbecue. What luck!

We headed out to the park, and the first person we met was Lisa. She was the Young Women's president at the time. I liked her right away. She was so fun and so welcoming, and we had much in common. Both of us had five kids, four sons and a daughter. And three of those sons were the same ages: her Sam and our Isaiah, her Jake and our Eli, her Seth and our Seth! Yep, we even liked the same boys' names. Sam and Isaiah became close friends right away. Jake and Eli are still best friends even now, seven years later. And the little guys became "The Seths of Metra Ward."

There is not sufficient room here to include all the ways Lisa has enriched my life. She can do anything crafty. Seriously, everything she touches turns to beautiful. For me, sadly, it's just the opposite. At Relief Society enrichment nights, she and Celeste would take pity on me and do my craft projects. I have several things in my house (well, in my former house) that Lisa and Celeste made. When Luke was due to return from his mission, she and Celeste compiled all the photos he had sent home over the two years and created the most beautiful "Welcome Home" scrapbook for him. This literally took days! And since she has had her job at Horizon Airlines, she has shared "buddy passes" with me several times, allowing me and sometimes my family to fly at drastically reduced rates.

Since the stake boundaries changed nearly three years ago and the Metra Ward no longer exists, I don't get to see Lisa nearly enough. But when we do get together, it's always the same. That's how real friendship is. I will miss her.

Friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them.
And a friend will not say 'never,'
'Cause the welcome will not end.
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

................to be continued.......................

Friends are Friends Forever - Part 1 of 4

As our move to Utah approaches (15 days and counting), I couldn't be more excited. We've been planning and hoping for so long, and now that it's reality, it can't happen fast enough. Still, there's always the bit of bitter with the wonderful sweet, when we think about the people we will leave behind. As I've mentioned before, my very closest friends have already left. One moved to Texas two years ago and the other to Rexburg last summer. But they are not the only people who've been part of our lives here in Billings. I'm reminded of a tune with lyrics by Michael W. Smith, "Friends are Friends Forever." In this 4-part series, I would like to share some memories of friends whom we will leave behind in Billings.

Trudy - Part 1 of 4
I have been walking for at least 15 years, maybe more. It's more than just exercise for me; it's a way of life. I really can't imagine not walking. It began as a part of my on-going weight management program, but the benefits are so much greater than that. Walking is good for bone strength, cardiovascular health, mood stabilization, Vitamin D accumulation, and more. It's the perfect exercise! Through the years, I've had numerous walking partners come and go, some more dedicated than others. However, never have I had one as fiercely dedicated as Trudy. Most people, it seems, very much like the idea of walking, you know...the healthy lifestyle thing, etc. But unfortunately, when it comes down to actually doing it, well let's just say that often, the spirit is willing, but the flesh, not so much.

This was never the case with Trudy. Seven years ago, she and I began walking the bike trail near our homes. Our regular route is just about four miles round trip. We've walked more than that and less, depending on the day and circumstances, but generally that's about how far we go. The thing with Trudy is that, like me, walking is a priority to her. It's not her highest priority, nor is it mine. We both have families, she has a full time job, and we both have church and other responsibilities. Though not the absolute highest priority for either of us, it's still very high, in fact one of the highest. And that's what makes it work: our unyielding commitment to walking as many days as possible, even if it means sometimes sacrificing other things.

And work it does. I wish I had kept track of the number of miles or hours she and I have walked together. It's lots. And lots. And lots. With the exception of the most bitter cold winter days or when there is ice on the ground (Trudy is slightly accident prone and is terribly afraid of falling), we average five out of seven days a week, year round, and we've been doing this for seven years. I sincerely hope she can find someone else to walk with when I leave. Shulamith says she'll be my new partner. I hope so! I will miss Trudy for sure. Her dedication and commitment these past seven years have been remarkable.

"Friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say 'never,'
'Cause the welcome will not end.
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends."

...............to be continued..................