Happy Easter!

Spring has always been a bipolar weather season in Utah. One day will be sunny and warm, and the next day a storm will roll in, drop the temperatures, and leave a blanket of snow. However, through all the changes in weather, the world comes alive. I have enjoyed peeking out the window each morning to see what flowers have bloomed or strolling through our little orchard to see the blossoms. It has been a visual reminder of new life. There is a moment each morning when I simply take a breath and all seems right in the world...even though it's not. Still, for a moment, the world is at peace, and my heart fills with gratitude for the beautiful place I am lucky enough to live in.

This year's Easter party wasn't quite as large (quantity wise) as years past due to social distancing recommendations because of the coronavirus, but we were still able to celebrate all our normal traditions! Our celebration started on Saturday (April 11). I always like to participate in the more commercialized aspects of Easter on Saturday and reserve Sunday for the true spiritual meaning of the holiday. Jonas was so excited to color and hide eggs. The older kids have kind of moved beyond coloring egg tradition so Jonas, Danny, Jeff and I got started without them.

Afterward, we divided up the plastic colored eggs to hide. The older kids still enjoy hiding each other's eggs and of course finding the "golden eggs". Last year, we started a new tradition of hiding two metallic looking eggs with money in them. The money is enough to provide an incentive for their diligent search...and sometimes overzealous wrestling to get the eggs. I think it has become Jeff's favorite part of the egg search as well. He loves hiding those two metallic eggs then watching the older kids struggle to find them. Jonas is simply content with his candy filled pastel eggs. This year, Dallin's girlfriend, Jackie, joined our festivities. (I'm really not sure why she subjects herself to all our chaos! She must really like Dallin!)

To top off our festivities, we had a burger BBQ with veggies, dill dip, chips, salsa, guacamole, and yummy potato salad. For dessert, I made Rice Krispy treats and cut them out in shapes of bunnies, eggs, and flowers. We had so much fun that while we were cleaning up the kitchen, Jonas just went straight to the couches and fell asleep.

That evening, the Easter Bunny hopped over to our house to leave buckets full of toys and goodies for the boys. Jonas woke up at 3:30 a.m. because he was so excited. Luckily, he ascertained there wasn't enough light to see the bucket's contents so I snuggled with him for a bit and he fell back to sleep. However, it wasn't too much longer before he woke up to discover the bucket's treasures. The Easter Bunny even dropped off some goodies for the older kids when everyone was here last weekend. He's funny because he included cloth face masks for everyone and a roll of toilet paper for our adult children. I guess Easter 2020 will be a memorable year because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

After I sat with Jonas as he went through his Easter bucket, I went to the living room to sit with Jeff. As we were looking out the window, Jeff pointed out the ray of light shining through the canyon. Again, there was a moment of peace as I walked out to the deck to admire the beautiful start of our Easter morning. I pondered on the beam of light illuminating the dark side of the mountain. Christ is that light that illuminates the darkness. The greatest peace I have found in difficult times is knowing that I have a living Savior who loves me. He died for me, but more importantly, He lives for me! I am not perfect. I have never claimed to be, but He is & He loves me. That makes me enough...even when I (or others) may not feel like I am. The same goes for everyone else. We are all trying. We are all striving. We all need forgiveness and we all need to forgive. We are all His...and that makes us enough. He lives! He loves! He endures!

Once Jonas finished his inventory of his Easter treats, he joined me in the kitchen where we read the scriptural account of Easter morning with the other boys then made Resurrection rolls (or empty tomb rolls). We placed a buttery (that represented the oils of embalming) marshmallow (the body of Jesus) sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar (spices used to anoint Christ's body) inside crescent roll dough (the wrapping of Jesus's body) then baked them in the oven (the tomb). When they were finished, we opened the rolls to discover that they were empty! The marshmallow had disappeared. Jonas was "so surprised". He loved all the symbolism (and the sugary goodness he got to indulge in afterward).

Next, we headed over to Gma and Grumpy's house to share sacrament and our Easter thoughts. I miss going to church with my friends and neighbors, but I have loved the intimate setting of worshiping in my home. The boys are more willing to share their thoughts and feelings as we discuss scriptures and thoughts about our Savior. Plus, it has motivated me to be more prepared to share my own thoughts, which requires me to increase my own personal study. While we there, we took the obligatory Easter Sunday picture. I love all of my boys!

The rest of the day was spent at home. It was just Jeff, the boys, and I. Jeff and I worked on a puzzle and the boys miraculously entertained themselves without fighting! The Easter Bunny got them all squirt guns. They decided to have a squirt gun war, which morphed into a yard hose war, which resulted in a redneck hot tub...in 47 degree weather! Crazy boys! They had to recreate a picture they took together in the watering trough 4 years ago (August 2016). I'd like to see them try this again in 4 years.

Then...

and now!

Finally, we ended our day with our traditional Easter feast: "lamb" (or roast...it's cheaper and the boys actually like it), a garden (of Gethsemane) salad, funeral potatoes (because he died), rolls (to represent the stone that was rolled away), and angel food cake (because He was resurrected) for dessert. It was the perfect Easter weekend! Even amidst all the chaos in the world right now, there was peace; there was joy; there was hope; there was love!

Corona Crazy: Continued

I wish there were no more Coronavirus posts, but I fear this still may not be the last one. It has been a HUGE event in our lives that has both positively and negatively affected our relationships, our daily routines, our worship practices, and so much more! In so many ways, I want this to end. I'm tired of the underlying, nagging sense of anxiety about the virus itself and about its non-physiological, long-term effects. I want to return to "normal" life, but there are a few things I wouldn't want to change. I don't want to forget how important it is to have my family close. I don't want to take for granted the temporal means we have to provide for ourselves. I don't want to forget about the everyday heroes and the compassion and kindness shown to others. I don't want to forget about the meaningful, spiritual experiences we have been able to create in our homes. It has been hard to stay home...for everyone. The boys long to simply hang out with friends. Jonas wants to go do all the activities we'd been participating in before. I would simply love to go wander around a store that isn't a grocery store and without seeing people in masks or gloves. I know this will end. I have hope that it will end soon and that none of us will actually contract the virus. I have faith that all my family will be protected from the physical, financial, etc. consequences of this situation. But for now...here's where we're at. As of  April 3, 2020:
*Gas price at Costco $1.99
*All Schools are cancelled, parents homeschool with online learning.
*Self-distancing measures on the rise.
*Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
*Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
*”Non-essential” stores and businesses mandated closed.
*Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
*Entire sports seasons cancelled.
*Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events are all cancelled.
*Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings all cancelled.
*Churches are closed.
*Temples are closed.
*Thousands of missionaries across the world have been sent home. They are being welcomed home with “drive-by” wavings.
*US missionaries are in self-isolation and teaching via technology. They can call home twice a week.
*General Conference will have no live audience.
*No gatherings of 100 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or more.
*Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
*Children's outdoor play parks are closed with caution tape.
*Shortage of N95 masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
*Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
*Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, hand sanitizer, Lysol, rice, flour and canned foods.
*People are hoarding bottled water.
*Shelves are bare.
*Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
*Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
*Fines are established for breaking the rules.
*Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
*Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
*Government incentives to stay home.
*Barely anyone on the roads.
*People wearing masks and gloves outside.
*Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
*Vegas casinos are closed.
*Times Square is empty.
*Disneyland and DisneyWorld are closed.
*A record 6.6 million Initial Jobless Claims filed for the week.

This has all been surreal! In some aspects, life is normal. Instead of feeling like we're in the middle of the school year, it simply feels like our summer vacation routine...without all the fun activities. We still maintain a normal menu. We still have our normal household activities. We have found ways to have safe fun while maintaining a social distance (e.g., snowmobiling, hiking, etc.) We still communicate with family and friends, but via technology rather than in-person. We've kept busy with our little living room remodel. Jonas and I went hunting for more of our ancestors graves (I figured I couldn't contract the virus from them). And this last weekend, we enjoyed gathering with all our kids to watch an historic General Conference. This year's broadcast was televised from a small room in the Conference Center with no audience. In fact, only the people who would be talking or saying prayers for that specific session were allowed in the room. As you can imagine, it wasn't the most reverent weekend with everyone home - wrestling broke out, the volume level increased, messes were everywhere...but for one weekend, life felt relatively normal again. We played whiffle ball, tried to fly with the parachute, worked on puzzles, celebrated Laurin's birthday, and so much more. For one weekend, I put my anxieties aside and simply enjoyed the two most important things in my life: faith and family. Miracles are still happening (e.g., temples are being built in China and the UAE!). Faith is being exercised (e.g., a worldwide fast is happening on Good Friday, April 10). Life is happening now...even if it is a little crazy.