30 August 2026

I feel like I don't have a lot to report this week, but man, it still felt really busy!  On Monday, Helen had her first day of college. She said she was able to find all of her classes and was pretty surprised at how big some of them were. She's enjoying the beautiful Flagstaff weather and had fun playing volleyball at the Institute and attending her first Young Single Adult Home Evening.

Arlo also had a busy Monday. He attended a choir festival at Mica Mountain High School. The advanced and show choirs were invited to the all-day festival, where they performed a piece they've been working on and worked on another piece with students from other area high schools. Afterward, he rode the bus back to Cienega and hustled straight out to the football field for Monday night band practice. He was pretty beat by the time we got him home at 9:30 that night.

We enjoyed talking to Felicity on Monday too. She's excited to be riding out the last week of the transfer. They are teaching a returning family, and she has really enjoyed getting to know them and spending time with the teenagers in the family.

Phil did a lot of working this week between his regular shifts at the fire station and teaching paramedic school and fire academy. He started his four days off from the fire station on Monday, but worked at Pima College Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and then again on Saturday. I vaguely remember what he looks like!  On Tuesday, Jude had Let's Play Music after school, and since I had missed my morning run, I decided to run along La Cañada during his lesson. It was literally—and I mean literally—108 degrees outside at 3:40 Tuesday afternoon. I'm sure there were plenty of people muttering to themselves in their cars about how stupid I was as they drove past me running on the sidewalk, but oh well! I did two miles and spent the rest of Jude's lesson trying to cool off!  This week I ran thirteen and a half miles, for a total of 53.9 miles in the month of August. And guess what? I only lost 4.5 pounds this month. I could have cried when I got on the scale Friday and saw another paltry loss. I'm trying to fight my weight back down to goal after a forty-pound regain since last March. I'll get there, slowly but surely--one mile, one protein shake, one passed over cookie at a time.

The boys had a half day on Wednesday, and work was really busy for me. In the midst of a hectic workday, I had a meeting with my section head that was pretty disheartening. He asked how my job search was going, and I expressed some frustration, mainly over the fact that Raytheon has 600+ open positions in Tucson but hardly any looking for my particular skill set.  He then proceeded to tell me that, for some reason I don't entirely understand, our department doesn't have funding for awaiting assignment, and if I don't have a new position within Raytheon by October 1st, they're going to let me go. Awaiting assignment has always been the safety net that I've never actually had to use when these moves come up, and, to be totally honest, I'm a little flabbergasted that Raytheon is willing to lay off a fifteen-year employee—seventeen and a half if you count my years as a contractor—because my program ended.  There's one internal job I'm a really good fit for, but the hiring manager hasn't reached out to schedule an interview yet. I applied to literally ten other internal positions this week that I could do, even though they aren't necessarily ideal.

The silver lining is that my effort to apply to at least one external job a day finally showed some progress when a company called CACI contacted me for an interview. CACI is a technology and national security company that provides software, cybersecurity, IT modernization, engineering, communications, and other solutions primarily for U.S. government, defense, and intelligence customers. Essentially, they use advanced technology to help government agencies modernize systems and carry out critical national-security missions.  I fasted on Sunday for whatever outcome will be best for our family, whether that's finding a new position within Raytheon or leaving for something else. I'm just praying it'll all work out. We have a lot of pre-retirement plans, and being without a job would make those more challenging, to say the least.

Friday was busy with running around, errands, and work, with the interspersed load of laundry, and then Phil worked on Saturday, so it was just Jude and me. He was invited to a birthday party, so I took him to that in the afternoon. He had such a fun time, and I got a little reprieve to work on a project or two uninterrupted. Helen and her roommate attended their first NAU football game, which I heard was fun!

Phil was back at the fire station Sunday morning, so again, it was just Jude and me at church. We went a little early for a ministering interview and then enjoyed our meetings. I was grateful for a quiet afternoon before going to pick up Arlo in the evening.  It was one of those weeks filled with the mundane comings and goings of family life—all things I'm grateful for. Hopefully next week I'll have some good news on the job front!

23 August 2026

It felt like a long week. My job search continues. I finally was able to apply to something internal to Raytheon that would be a good fit, and I let my supervisor know so that they can contact the hiring manager and help shepherd that along. In the meantime, I've been applying to one or two external jobs per day, but haven't had any luck yet. I'm not too worried, though. I have faith that the right thing will present itself. Our program contract ends on October 1st.  Phil, on the other hand, has had more than enough work. He picked up teaching fire academy this week on top of paramedic school and his regular day job, you know, the firefighting gig. I guess now that Jude is in school, hanging around the house while I'm working isn't very appealing, so why not teach?

Jude is enjoying music class again, and he really likes to plink around on the piano as part of his homework. He also really enjoys school homework too...we'll see how long that lasts.  On Wednesday, Helen and I left Jude with Arlo and went out to dinner, and then we were supposed to use our Broadway in Tucson tickets to see Hell's Kitchen, but it didn't work out quite the way we would have liked. It started raining really hard when we left the restaurant for the theater, only to find that they weren't letting anyone inside because the power was out. There was nowhere to stand that wasn't in the rain, so we started to get drenched. A couple dozen people were packed under the awning where they usually sell drinks, while everyone else pressed up against the building trying to stay dry.  We walked around the side of Centennial Hall intending to just go home since we didn't have an umbrella and there was nowhere to stand out of the rain. On the west side of the building, however, the ushers were letting people wait in the dark foyer, so we popped in to at least wait out the rain.

Eventually the lights came back on, but Helen and I were already really wet. We stood in the packed, stuffy foyer for forty-five minutes or so, still wet, waiting to see if the show would go on. I guess with the power out they had to redo all the sound checks and everything. The usher said that if they did open, it wouldn't be before 8:30 p.m. at the earliest. We finally gave up and headed to the truck. I'm sad we didn't get to see the show. I don't even know when they were able to start the show, if at all, on Wednesday night.

With the fair amount of rain we've been getting (thank goodness) there has also been a fair amount of flooding.  Phil was pretty busy Wednesday night with a lightning-strike palm tree fire and rescuing a motorist stuck in the running water at the "S curve" on Sahuarita Rd just west of Wilmot.  That's him in the truck getting the lady out of her car and into the firetruck.

Thursday was Helen's big day—her move to Flagstaff to get settled into her dorm in preparation for her first day of school as a college student. I was honestly surprised at how nervous Helen was. She's usually so confident, and she's been excited about college, but I could tell she was uneasy.  Our trip up was uneventful, and when we arrived we parked in the temporary parking lot and started moving Helen's stuff. They had it organized pretty well, so between the large rolling bins they provided and the furniture dolly we brought, we were able to get everything to Allen Hall pretty quickly.

Her roommate was already there with her family. She's from Hawaii, and I think she'll be a good fit for Helen. She doesn't seem like a party girl, and I think they'll be able to get along nicely. Her parents left to go to the store, so Phil and I helped Helen unpack and set up.  I was more than a little annoyed with Helen when I realized just how much stuff she brought. Three large totes of clothes, so many stuffed animals, too much bedding, and I'm not even kidding when I say she brought crafting supplies—including a mini sewing machine. For a dorm!  It was super stuffy in her room, and we couldn't figure out how to turn the air conditioner on. On our way out, we asked the RA at the desk...yeah, they don't have AC. I think the RA gave me the side-eye when I exclaimed (more to myself than out loud), "No AC? That's barbaric!" They said everyone just puts a box fan in the window until it gets cold and they kick the heaters on.

We got her mostly set up, at least unpacked enough that we could take the semi-empty totes back to the truck. She had to pick through some of her clothes for me to take back because it all wouldn't fit in the closet and drawers.  We walked her around campus and found the Institute of Religion, where she'll go to church and hang out for social activities, as well as the NAU student union and cafeteria. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse before driving her back to her dorm to say goodbye. I'm so excited for Helen. She's going to do great. 

Phil worked on Friday, and I was off. I did chores around the house, including some cleaning and packing up the stuff Helen left behind. In the afternoon, Jude went with me to do some grocery shopping for our neighbor. We were pleasantly surprised to see Daddy and his crew doing their grocery shopping at the same time. I saw them walk in, and we got behind them in the aisle. I told Jude, "There's Dad, go say hi." He was super weird about it and afraid to approach him. I don't think he believed me that it was actually Dad until he got right up on him.

Phil enjoyed celebrating the retirement of a fellow fireman this week, they've worked together for more than twenty years. I think it made him a little anxious for his own retirement. He's been thinking a lot about our retirement strategy, including our options for what we're going to do about the ranch. Luckily, from all angles it looks like our financial plan is really solid. He's planning to enter the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) next January or March and then officially retire after essentially "double-dipping" for five years.

Phil taught at Pima between his shifts on Saturday, and Arlo went to Tucson for the weekend, so it was just Jude and me all day. He helped me do some baking and cleaning, he did some building, and I did some quilting. It was a pretty good, albeit quiet, day.  Our kittens are getting big, which is no surprise because they eat like crazy. Libby is definitely my favorite. She is a lover and has picked me to be "her person." The other kitten, Indy, is still a little skittish, but we're getting there.

Jude and I enjoyed church on Sunday, and we were grateful when it was time to go pick up Arlo. I'm not going to lie, it's a little weird just being the boys. Our family has gone through some wild changes in the last couple of years—well, really, the last seven years! It's hard to believe we could have been empty nesters in four years if it wasn't for Jude, but I think we'll keep him! So, you know, just a short thirteen years until we're presumably kid-free!  I'm excited to hear tomorrow how Helen's first day went and get an update from our missionary on her Zone Conference and upcoming transfer. All good things...if only it would cool off a little!

16 August 2026

I did a lot of driving this week. We've been spoiled the past four years having a teenage driver, and I've definitely felt the impact of not having one the past couple of weeks. Driving to seminary at a quarter to six every morning, trips to take kids to practices or pick them up from practices, driving Arlo to church activities... I swear I drove either up or down the dirt road at least six times on Wednesday!  Arlo had band practice on Monday, and somehow in my head I decided that practice ended at 10 PM (maybe because that's when musical practice ended). It ends at 9:00. So let's just say I was late picking poor Arlo up.

Phil completed Rescue Task Force (RTF) training at work this week. They were able to do their training at Sahuarita High School. The training prepares firefighters for active shooter incidents and other high-threat situations, allowing crews to rapidly reach, treat, and evacuate injured patients while under armed escort. RTF training teaches firefighters how to move, communicate, and provide care while integrated with a law enforcement protection team in situations where traditional EMS crews might otherwise have to wait until the entire scene is secured. It stinks that we live in a world where this needs to be a thing, but one of the lessons learned from the Columbine school shooting was the need for a faster, but still safe, EMS response to reach injured victims.

On Tuesday, Jude had picture day, and he was looking quite dapper for his kindergarten photo shoot. They sent me a proof, but I don't have his digital download yet. He's pretty cute, right? And that red hair!  Phil taught at Pima on Tuesday, and in the evening we had family home evening. We watched the Line Upon Line video for Job as our lesson and then did a couple of draw-along videos as our activity. We drew a taco-saurus and Bingo as a family. Everyone's drawings turned out super cute.

The Midwest had quite a bit of flooding this week. Felicity said they were stuck inside for at least one day while the rain continued. There were several neighborhoods where houses were half underwater. She said she had never seen so much water in her life.

Wednesday was Helen's 18th birthday. Can you believe that?! I really can't. We waited to celebrate until Thursday, when we were all home. We enjoyed dinner and then pistachio ice cream cake and presents. Helen got a new laptop for her birthday, but most of the rest of her gifts were things she had requested for her dorm room—practical items.

It was sweet to see how many of Helen's friends posted on her social media accounts for her birthday. She is such a sweet girl and a really good friend and sister.

I had to work on Friday but still managed to get a few things done. I finished the last few seams on my latest quilt and pressed it before snapping a picture. I think I know where this one's going to be gifted, but I'm going to wait to quilt it until we get an invitation!

Friday was the annual Cienega Copper/Navy football game. It's a scrimmage and was Arlo's first high school gig. Jude, Helen, and I enjoyed hanging out in the stands with friends and listening to the band. Arlo had a great time and said it was a lot of fun. I'm so grateful he is loving band. He's made some friends and is really just having a good time. Jude fell asleep about thirty minutes before the end and happily snoozed while lying on his sister.

Arlo had to be back at band practice on Saturday morning, and since I had to drive him to the school, I took advantage of the opportunity to run on the track instead of the dirt road. I did two and a half miles before heading home. I spent my afternoon making a wedding gift, cleaning, and doing laundry. Helen went to the wedding reception of her and Felicity's friend Kinsey in the evening and had a fun time.

Phil worked an overtime shift on Saturday and let me know that they were supposed to play in a Sahuarita Police vs. Santa Rita Fire volleyball game that evening, so I went down to watch. That was probably the ugliest couple of games of volleyball I've ever seen! But I think they had fun, and that's the important part, right?

Our Sunday was nice, and I think my Sunday School lesson went really well. The scriptures I was supposed to cover were the books of Esther and Job, and I chose to focus my lesson on Job's friends' response to his misfortune. I titled the lesson, "What Do We Learn About Christlike Compassion from the Lousy Example of Job's Friends?"

This was the last hour-long lesson I'm going to teach, as we're moving to the new 25-minute-every-week lesson format. I'm going to be honest: there's very little I know how to do in 25 minutes or less, so I'm a little worried about how this will turn out! I'll figure it out before my first short lesson on September 6th...hopefully.

Sunday evening, we were invited to the Morgans' house for dinner and games. We had so much fun; we really enjoy their company. Here is a picture of Isabel, Helen, and Jude trying to beat the grown-ups at GENSMAK! a generational trivia game. They didn't succeed.

09 August 2026

With the boys back in school and us gaining some traction in our new routine, I guess we were already in need of a break because the schools had a teacher in-service day on Monday and everyone was home from school. Of course, Phil and I still had to work, so the boys (and Helen, who occasionally pokes her head out of her room for a snack) had to entertain themselves for the day.  Everyone got to talk to Sister Comaduran, so that was a treat. She’s enjoying the Indiana summer and reminded us that she hits her eleventh month of missionary service this week! It’s hard to believe that she’s more than halfway finished and will be two-thirds of the way done after next month. She is loving the people they’re teaching and having some success.

I felt like we were running in all kinds of directions on Tuesday. Phil went from getting off work at the fire station at 8 AM to teaching at Pima College until 5 PM, then came home long enough to grab a shower and dinner before heading back to the fire station for an overtime shift from 8 PM to 8 AM. In the meantime, Jude had his first piano class, and Arlo went to see the new Spider-Man movie with the Teachers Quorum for Mutual.  Jude’s class went well, and he enjoyed practicing the remainder of the week. I heard the movie was good, but I all but threatened Arlo that he couldn’t tell us anything about it until the rest of us had an opportunity to see it. I’m currently in the middle of a Marvel rewatch gearing up for Avengers: Doomsday  in December and will have to sneak Brand New Day into that lineup sometime soon.

Speaking of running in all kinds of directions, getting up early to take Arlo to seminary every morning has meant that I have some time between dropping Jude off at the bus and starting work to get in a run. I’ve logged about eighteen and a half miles so far this month. I'm only doing a couple miles at a time for now and they're not fast, but I'm moving and that counts.  I’m trying to fight my weight back down toward goal again (it’s a never-ending battle), and the running really helps.

I got a fun reminder from Facebook on Wednesday—it was Phil’s and my seven-year “friendiversary.” Most people know that Phil and I met in college in the Young Single Adult Ward. Here’s a cute picture of him in the back of my truck at a YSA activity in probably 2004:

We had lost touch until Phil sent me a friend request on Facebook in 2019. I looked back on what would become the first of many, many DMs on Messenger, and it makes me happy. We reconnected August 5, 2019, went on our first date on October 25, 2019, got engaged on December 25, 2019, and were sealed in the Tucson Temple on March 13, 2020. Once we reconnected, we knew, and it’s been happily ever after since then. Thanks, Facebook!

Phil worked his regular shift on Wednesday after the back half of his overtime Tuesday night and then stayed and worked a front half of overtime on Thursday, so we didn’t see him much at the beginning of the week. I was able to spend Thursday evening with my lovely friends Allison and Millissa at the temple. We had a nice time and went to dinner when we were done. It was great to spend time with them and catch up and, of course, wonderful to have some time in the temple.

Friday was busy. After getting the boys to school, we went for a run, and then I had a dentist appointment in Tucson. I had been dreading this appointment since I made it. I had a filling that needed to be replaced and a new cavity that needed a filling. Ever since I had a catastrophically bad experience at the dentist several years ago (here’s a refresher if you haven’t heard that story), I have feared going to the dentist, especially for things outside of routine cleanings, although those give me anxiety now too.  I dreaded it the whole drive there, so when I finally got back into the exam room with the dentist, I was pretty keyed up. Then, the first thing she did? She came at me with a needle.  I should stop here and say that my expectation, based on past experience, was that they would put a topical lidocaine gel on my gums first, then the Novocain via needle, and then do the drilling and filling, which would presumably be pain-free because I was numb.

So my reaction to the deviation from the topical numbing gel first? I literally threw my hands up in front of my face, pulled my knees up to my chest, and shouted "wait!".  I asked her if she was going to do a topical gel first, to which she replied that it wasn’t effective for the area she needed to numb first. Now we’re at a stalemate: me, starting to cry from anxiety, and her with a needle in her hand. I apologized, saying I was sorry for acting that way, but did so with my hands still in front of my face in a defensive posture. I seriously debated getting up and walking out of the room. Like, seriously debated it.

After a minute or two, I said OK, but then recanted. (In hindsight, it’s so embarrassing. I mean, it was embarrassing in the moment. I’m a grown woman, for Heaven’s sake!) Eventually, I clenched my hands together and permitted her to approach me with the Novocain. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, and she used the topical gel before numbing the opposite, outside, side of my gums.

I spent the 60-plus minutes she worked on my teeth in abject fear of pain. You know the pain I mean? That nails-on-a-chalkboard, nerve-assaulting tooth-root pain? I also had silent tears streaming down the side of my face almost the whole time too.  Anyway, she was able to drill out the old filling and replace it and drill out the cavity and fill it without any pain. But by the time we were through, I was exhausted from being in a muscles-tense, hypervigilant, fear-for-my-life state.  I apologized when she was done, saying, “I’ve never had that happen before, and I’m really embarrassed,” to which she replied, “It’s not the first time it’s happened to me.”  I needed a nap when we got home!

Friday evening, we went to dinner at Chili’s for Helen’s birthday and enjoyed a great meal. I can’t believe Helen will be a full-fledged adult next week when she turns 18 on the 12th.  After dinner, we went to the Gaslight Theatre to continue the party. Phil had gotten some free tickets offered to first responders, and we bought two more so we could all go as a family. Helen, Arlo, and Jude sat together, and Phil and I sat at a table not too far from them. We enjoyed the melodrama Gnatman. Jude had a great time, although he did fall asleep after intermission. It was, after all, an 8:30 show.

The server never came around to take our order, so we weren’t able to tell her we were celebrating Helen’s birthday and get her a free ice cream. One of the servers noticed sometime after intermission that nobody had come by and, as an apology, gave us two $20 gift certificates for food and drinks the next time we come. Wonderful! We have tickets for the Christmas show in December for Arlo’s birthday, so maybe we’ll do pizza and pop then.  Anyway, the show was great, and we had a fabulous time...almost enough fun to forget my ridiculous adventure at the dentist earlier in the day, at least for a couple of hours.

We had a pretty low-key Saturday. Phil helped me around the house with some chores and laundry, and I finished the last of the polo shirts I was hired to embroider. They turned out pretty good, although it’s such a pain to center and pin everything on an area that small, especially when everything needs to line up and be symmetrical. I ended up embroidering fifteen shirts this week and was glad when it was done.

We enjoyed church and had a very relaxing afternoon, which was welcome. We picked up Helen and Arlo in Tucson, where they were visiting their dad, and watched VeggieTales: Esther, The Girl Who Became Queen for family scriptures since we’ve been studying the story of Esther in Come, Follow Me this week.  It’s a gem. You should check it out!

02 August 2026

 It felt like a really chaotic, busy week, but then when I sat down to record it, I didn't seem to have much to write about! I think just the regular everyday stuff feels like a lot. On Monday, Arlo had his first real day of school since much of Friday was spent on "getting to know you" activities, class expectations, and handing out syllabi. After school, he had band practice until 9:00 p.m., which made for a pretty long day.  I love it when photos surface in the public of my sweet husband working, there he goes draggin' hose.

We had a parent meeting on Tuesday evening for Jude's second year of "Let's Play Music." He'll be starting piano this fall. After the meeting, Arlo and Phil went to Mutual, where they learned to swing dance. Arlo got paired with a much smaller twelve-year-old but still had a fun evening.

Arlo had an orthodontist appointment Wednesday morning. They said that if he's faithful about wearing his rubber bands, he should only be in braces for another few months. He was pretty happy to hear that and, not coincidentally, has been wearing his rubber bands much more consistently. After dinner, we had Family Home Evening and played Sleeping Queens. It's one of the few games we have that everyone can play and enjoy, Jude included. I didn't manage to take any pictures, though! 

We also enjoyed talking to Felicity this week.  You can see what she's been up to on her blog here.  Helen went to the temple with friends this week. 

Our new kittens are doing well and becoming friendlier every day. They're really sweet. They continue to favor the top of the bird cage as their favorite lounging spot. As strange as it sounds, the bird actually enjoys the attention and will climb to the top of the cage to nibble on their toes. I enjoyed a girls' night out with friends on Thursday and a hair appointment on Friday. I also did a fair amount of running errands and chores on Friday in addition to working. I've been busier at work as our program winds down, and I've applied for a few jobs but haven't heard back from anyone yet. I'm praying the right opportunity presents itself before October.

A dear friend is expecting her first grandbaby soon, and while I was stuck at home on Saturday, Helen went to the baby shower and delivered our gift. I made this shark quilt quite a while back because I loved the pattern and fabrics so much and knew that eventually I'd find the right opportunity to give it away. I'm so grateful it found a good home and will be loved.

We enjoyed our church meetings on Sunday. I taught Gospel Doctrine, and I think it went alright. In a few weeks, we'll be moving to a 25-minute class schedule where I'll be teaching every week instead of every other week, but for only twenty-five minutes at a time. I have no idea how that's going to work, but someone with greater insight than me thinks it will, so I'm on board. We're looking forward to another fun-filled week ahead.