tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33253236514786774182024-03-05T12:46:31.609-05:00"These fragments"Sharing bits and pieces of an ordinary woman, living an ordinary life.Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-31138564389876834442022-03-29T13:25:00.004-04:002022-03-30T13:40:57.637-04:00About Me and Blog Portfolio<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8f1I1-rMVeRLoW0x1CHdJxzTnCVm6MHCJ_ZPWton038SGaCBXB6sLWYt1ZgRBX_5TwkK5djbl73-PPlWCL23nfAGzOIfRXQ1hM2Z9lHUoiXpInadSCF2xvh7AxXB7Le2Enl1pZn0z54YgLGUMXuw7ESukgbo93EpRnloj1JO-yUZXXB5qP3axI03h/s3088/Photo%20May%2028,%2011%2002%2000%20AM.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8f1I1-rMVeRLoW0x1CHdJxzTnCVm6MHCJ_ZPWton038SGaCBXB6sLWYt1ZgRBX_5TwkK5djbl73-PPlWCL23nfAGzOIfRXQ1hM2Z9lHUoiXpInadSCF2xvh7AxXB7Le2Enl1pZn0z54YgLGUMXuw7ESukgbo93EpRnloj1JO-yUZXXB5qP3axI03h/s320/Photo%20May%2028,%2011%2002%2000%20AM.jpg" width="240" /></a>Hello, my name is Tiffany Wacaser. I have been married for 24 years to my husband, Brent Wacaser, who is a research scientist. We are the parents of six children. Our oldest son is married and he and his wife are the parents of two daughters. I am passionate about genealogy, history, and writing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnab8-CA_6ngty4BuAathbjYcaH6B3cXvAR5qRnKMR67yrom76qDRNhVrXGRLFipcVeipOHgFLzjOisDwRnsOvd4veJFNdlpDP_dAVmnGHd1TnNhU3PkvNpMpaO9YhnLPTUlghRWdHnUnN0TxHGeKJs0CHzxvBOsFDCeky1SNMBnuDJKm9vF_MdMz/s4032/2018-03-30%2013.19.25.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnab8-CA_6ngty4BuAathbjYcaH6B3cXvAR5qRnKMR67yrom76qDRNhVrXGRLFipcVeipOHgFLzjOisDwRnsOvd4veJFNdlpDP_dAVmnGHd1TnNhU3PkvNpMpaO9YhnLPTUlghRWdHnUnN0TxHGeKJs0CHzxvBOsFDCeky1SNMBnuDJKm9vF_MdMz/s320/2018-03-30%2013.19.25.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div>From 2002-2007, my husband and I lived in Sweden and Israel with our four children. My husband worked on his PhD in Physics at Lund University. In 2008, we returned to the United States when my husband accepted a position in New York. In 2012, our family of seven moved to Saudi Arabia for eighteen months. We returned to New York in 2013 and our sixth child was born in 2014. </div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxpOviy4M-bYJ6NT1mSKTuROHWmZb-3F0YvPDVfSDNjsD1Qo4sTRhBgjPE-V8IEeel4R170OQz39hUEkA4ZNcLKzMrn4yE5XPR9R_3AIuG5uLp5xaQhSCWVqbR7ZVJHejNbxfPQ8_UbxsvIvt1JHK9JYKqz4D2TJlCll8O-zrnnZKCXTz2oqAgqpX/s4605/2021-08-07%2018.33.38.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4605" data-original-width="3074" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxpOviy4M-bYJ6NT1mSKTuROHWmZb-3F0YvPDVfSDNjsD1Qo4sTRhBgjPE-V8IEeel4R170OQz39hUEkA4ZNcLKzMrn4yE5XPR9R_3AIuG5uLp5xaQhSCWVqbR7ZVJHejNbxfPQ8_UbxsvIvt1JHK9JYKqz4D2TJlCll8O-zrnnZKCXTz2oqAgqpX/s320/2021-08-07%2018.33.38.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In 2017, I started a genealogy program at Boston University. In 2019, I started my Master's program in History at Arizona State University. I will graduate in May 2022.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I have been a blog and content creator since 2007. Please see the links and descriptions for more information.</p><p><a href="https://tiffanyswedemomisraeltrip.wordpress.com/2007/01/" target="_blank">A Stranger Here</a></p><p>From 2007 to 2011, I documented my life as an ex-pat mother of four children, living in Israel, Sweden, and New York. </p><p><a href="https://beigemaze.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-camel-beauty-contest.html" target="_blank">In a Maze of Beige</a></p><p>From 2012 to 2014, I documented my experiences as an ex-pat mother of five in Saudi Arabia. I shared cultural experiences and historical information. </p><p><a href="https://johnsonfenexwyopioneers.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-life-and-times-of-wyoming-pioneer.html" target="_blank">The Life and Times of Wyoming Pioneer Couple, William Lane Fenex and Sabra Johnson</a></p><p>This genealogy blog documents the lives of William Lane Fenex and Sabra Johnson. Includes a thorough overview of their lives, historical context, and relevant photographs and sources. <br /><br /><a href="https://swedemom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">These Fragments</a></p><p>This blog is a place for the minutiae of my life from essays about current events, a family journal, and topics that spark my interest.</p><p><a href="https://tiffanynofrillscookingblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tiffany's No Frills Cooking Blog</a></p><p>I use this blog to share my favorite recipes and food creations.</p></div><div><br /></div>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-2185852400368103062022-02-15T15:06:00.002-05:002022-02-15T15:06:09.589-05:00Thoughts on Strengthening Marriage<p> On Monday, my husband and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIR1COzXqD1iE1DVqYD_At0qqx-Mp1HK-BOaIhOT6OvaKul4brdqOlpCdBctXTIZ7FMjCIZGKG4AtMGf3tdREHXRHteEZVk5E80cvrOCjkpOCSHX-LXVFN_SUfVW6ERud7WZ0uzkuIeruVCuF0zoub3R_tsGrSsq32XmdxYnhfo0_zRLF9yK87Zy2e=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIR1COzXqD1iE1DVqYD_At0qqx-Mp1HK-BOaIhOT6OvaKul4brdqOlpCdBctXTIZ7FMjCIZGKG4AtMGf3tdREHXRHteEZVk5E80cvrOCjkpOCSHX-LXVFN_SUfVW6ERud7WZ0uzkuIeruVCuF0zoub3R_tsGrSsq32XmdxYnhfo0_zRLF9yK87Zy2e=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We have had many experiences including:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Becoming the parents of six children</li><li>Living in three different foreign countries.</li><li>Supporting each other through multiple university degrees, including a PhD for Brent.</li><li>Buying a house.</li><li>Surviving a serious house fire.</li><li>Rebuilding a house which was completely gutted. (Talk about stressful)</li><li>Chronic illnesses—lupus & Hashimotos</li><li>A miscarriage in the early second trimester.</li><li>My husband worked in Saudi Arabia for a year before we moved there and was gone for large chunks of times.</li><li>Car troubles</li><li>Financial troubles</li><li>Landlords and getting threatened by a landlord</li><li>Mental illness in children</li><li>My own depression</li><li>Health episodes that required hospitalization</li><li>Kids breaking bones, needing stitches, getting concussions</li><li>Living really far from family and support systems</li><li>Multiple moves </li><li>Death of loved ones</li><li>Pets</li><li>And on and on</li></ul><div>I am not an expert on other people’s marriages and I don’t think every marriage can or should be saved. But I do know what has been a blessing in my own marriage. To that end, here are a few things I believe about strengthening marriage.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think marriages live and die on the small, everyday things instead of the big romantic gestures or dramatic fights. </div><div><br /></div><div>Picture a leaky bucket that needs to be constantly filled. Its easier to fill it constantly instead of filling it one go. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some simple ways to show love:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Warm hellos and goodbyes</li><li>Touches and kisses as you pass by each other</li><li>Expressions of gratitude for the things each person does during the day</li><li>Simple texts throughout the day </li><li>Spending time at the end of the day together. Talk about the day.</li><li>Sharing jokes. I like sending memes.</li><li>Look for ways to lighten your spouse’s load</li><li>Genuine compliments</li><li>Focusing on positive things about your spouse. When I focus on why I love my husband, my love for him grows. When I dwell on the negative, my love diminishes. On my own, I often list the things I like about my husband. I also tell him. But I try to keep my inner dialogue on the positive. </li><li>Ignore the negative (This one is tricky, because you should NOT ignore or excuse bad behavior or abuse. But, most of us do stupid things that are trivial. Ignoring those things is ok.)</li><li>Share a tv show or book. </li><li>Surprise your spouse with a little treat like their favorite drink, snack, candy, etc.</li><li>Spend quality time with your spouse daily. Make sure you get time together. If you are apart because of work trips, make sure to reconnect daily through conversations.</li><li>Look for ways to serve your spouse. If they have a hard time getting up, how can you make their morning easier? Bring home dinner, especially on a day when the stay at home parent has had a hard day. Don’t ignore the dishes. Start the laundry. Help kids pick up the toys.</li><li>Show support to your spouse at work. Can they share their struggles and challenges with you? Make sure you are a safe person to express their frustrations. Cheer their successes. </li><li>Be a cheerleader to your spouse! You should be their #1 fan. Tell them you are proud of them.</li><li>Be a safe place to express emotions and feelings. Listen and offer love and comfort. </li><li>Back scratches, foot massages, playing with hair</li></ol><div><br /></div><div>What are some tips for strengthening marriage through small everyday things? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-7788572774292258272022-02-03T11:36:00.001-05:002022-02-03T11:36:06.382-05:00The Trouble With How We Teach and Learn History (at least in the United States)<p> As a history grad student, I think a lot about how we teach and learn history. This is a hot topic in my classes. Frankly, I get a little heated when I witness the academic hand-wringing that takes place, even as much of what academics do is totally inaccessible to most people. </p><p>History is generally taught in grade school as factual and somewhat one-sided, or at least it was when I was a student. Public historical debates often focus on the true cause of a historical event. In the past, popular historical figures had their histories whitewashed. For example, it was hidden and denied for almost a century that Thomas Jefferson had a long-standing sexual relationship with his slave, Sally Hemmings. Today, a lot of popular history focuses on the darkest aspects of people and events. For example, now people want to focus primarily on that aspect of Thomas Jefferson's character and pay little attention to his role as a politician and writer. Ironically, both are true facets of Thomas Jefferson's history. He was a brilliant writer, politician, and had a sexual relationship with Sally Hemmings which resulted in several children, that were only freed after Jefferson's death. Another example would be the long-standing debate about the cause of the Civil War. Was it a war over slavery or state's rights? After extensive historical reading, I feel confident in saying that the Civil War was about slavery, AND state's rights, AND secession. It is absurd to say or even believe that every soldier who fought in the war fought because of slavery. Each soldier had their own individual motivation to fight in that war and many were forced to fight. <br /><br />The gift that my master's program has given me is that history is complex and multi-faceted. It has encouraged me to look at events and people from different perspectives. It has taught me the value of using AND when I look at historical topics. For example, I did a deep dive last year about an event that occurred in Missouri and Arkansas during the <a href="https://johnsonfenexwyopioneers.blogspot.com/2022/02/triumphant-and-defeated-four-voices-of.html">Civil War involving an ancestor of mine.</a> As I dug deeper into the event, I saw multiple sides to the conflict and still have many unanswered questions. I think this is how we need to approach historical topics. We need to embrace the AND, look at multiple perspectives, and allow for different interpretations. We need to look at the evidence. Look at journals, letters, and books for the evidence. There are so many sources available now for free online. I think we should apply this in the classroom in age-appropriate ways. A topic that would be interesting to dive into for high school students was the Columbian exchange and the debates about Christopher Columbus. There are so many facets to this history that can be addressed. Why were European countries expanding their empires? What were they hoping to gain? How did they treat the indigenous peoples they encountered? How did indigenous peoples respond to colonization? The Columbian exchange changed how Europeans ate, spread new diseases, and also changed global trade. The follow-up to all these discussions would be to examine the holiday of Columbus Day, which was originally created to better integrate Italian Americans and alleviate the racism and violence they were experiencing. That would lead to discussions about immigration and racial construction at the turn of the century. <br /><br />My biggest gripe with Academic history at the grad school level (I cannot speak for it on the undergrad level because I was an English major) is that academic history is mostly inaccessible to most people. First, academics write in nearly incomprehensible ways. They refer to complicated philosophical theories such as Michel Foucault (the worst and grossest philosopher on the planet) that are torturous to understand. The language is so complex that their point is often obscured. Second, the books they write are intended for an academic audience so regular people don't read them. Most libraries don't buy them and most people don't have thousands of dollars a year to keep on top of the latest historical books. Third, academic historical journals are too expensive for most people. In other words, people don't learn about academic historic debates, and why they matter, because the writing is difficult to read and the literature is generally unaffordable for most people. As my time as a grad student comes to an end, I am mourning my loss of access to academic journals and books. I can't afford a journal subscription or the books. For all that academics try to be nuanced and multi-faceted, their goal fails because it never reaches a broad audience. Academic history remains the purview of the privileged few. </p><p>In conclusion, I wish people would read more before they share their opinions about historical events. I wish they would do more research. And I wish that we would embrace more nuance in our historical debates. Choose the AND.</p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-90678529775164652062022-01-28T16:45:00.002-05:002022-01-28T16:45:31.429-05:00 My Lupus Pregnancy Miracles<p> Today as my family celebrated the birthday of my youngest daughter, I couldn't help but reflect on the miracle that my youngest three children are. I was diagnosed with lupus in 2005, months after my third son was born. I lost a significant amount of weight, struggled with extreme pain and fatigue, lived with swollen joints, lost a lot of hair, and felt miserable. When I met with the rheumatologist in Sweden for the first time, I was warned that I should not have more children. At the time, I was extremely grateful for the three children I had. I concentrated on improving my health and enjoying my three young boys.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbpN8ytzG_e0AwdrfkWvfai19JBPlgBkIOEOAUnqtgYsCtcrc_Z3OdJ80UIaU0zh4oJqy5hUxUMGV1N91Y9W74hUl78zJk_faRAMoFff3B_oFNxyKiKkc12hDpbRZrXpUS89OvcW8eMhpAtaq3ROsj3LaIIN1rvk_rPQ5lpTFP0oQzN2aDC2mHl3S-=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbpN8ytzG_e0AwdrfkWvfai19JBPlgBkIOEOAUnqtgYsCtcrc_Z3OdJ80UIaU0zh4oJqy5hUxUMGV1N91Y9W74hUl78zJk_faRAMoFff3B_oFNxyKiKkc12hDpbRZrXpUS89OvcW8eMhpAtaq3ROsj3LaIIN1rvk_rPQ5lpTFP0oQzN2aDC2mHl3S-=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The next two years, my health improved with good medical care, medication, good food, and rest. After consultation with my doctor, my husband and I planned for another baby. Parts of this pregnancy went quite smoothly. I felt healthy and was able to remain active. Unfortunately, there were challenges with the baby's growth. I was hospitalized for a few days in my last trimester because her growth was so slow. The hospitalization was weird because the doctors never examined me. I did not have further tests. I was just required to stay in my bed. I delivered my daughter without complications, although she was a pound smaller than the rest of her siblings. When the nurse delivered the placenta, we discovered that it was smaller than normal and that it looked quite old. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwfV9A6cg0D-0thTmQFIb8I2ItFJIbfMERF8ivgeKYbWOw_PFzT8iu4g5IJX_VDyN_-G-pnEfxMMgrSNI0HjISmcSsliBvNG9weSE84kblq3zDRAKwQiVL206l0sMPMZkmU4lzED3KDnGVkeYv_I27ox8zF8IQwetltDvgd9LfRt9k0WekSKMhh7Ox=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwfV9A6cg0D-0thTmQFIb8I2ItFJIbfMERF8ivgeKYbWOw_PFzT8iu4g5IJX_VDyN_-G-pnEfxMMgrSNI0HjISmcSsliBvNG9weSE84kblq3zDRAKwQiVL206l0sMPMZkmU4lzED3KDnGVkeYv_I27ox8zF8IQwetltDvgd9LfRt9k0WekSKMhh7Ox=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx1H6dpf4HMxfclLgbSRBJpuKD3vRVoPbF4WhZ0cQxhx8Q_STKPuCoAfRrsLCZR_MBgou2enPUZu0tFKaani4j2EFbgHnkql1OZ1vbquWLlqvwFyU9xyhkiXqDt2A042As2e6DDAuD9UlC2_XzBs2IM8lSXNGm9ANbTIW-XlTyw9zYStBPh6-lzpXv=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx1H6dpf4HMxfclLgbSRBJpuKD3vRVoPbF4WhZ0cQxhx8Q_STKPuCoAfRrsLCZR_MBgou2enPUZu0tFKaani4j2EFbgHnkql1OZ1vbquWLlqvwFyU9xyhkiXqDt2A042As2e6DDAuD9UlC2_XzBs2IM8lSXNGm9ANbTIW-XlTyw9zYStBPh6-lzpXv=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>My fifth pregnancy was really a strange experience for most of it. We had returned to the United States, but I struggled with lupus flares and regulating my thyroid. I developed a lump in my neck the size of a golf ball and spent several weeks going to specialists to determine if I had cancer and what was happening with my body. I had the most extreme fatigue of my life. I went to a different doctor every day and would lay on the examination table half asleep while I waited for the doctor to come and visit me. Even though I was experiencing regular periods, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I was totally surprised when it was positive. After confirming with a doctor, I found an ob/gyn to do an ultrasound. The day of my ultrasound happened to be my birthday. I was crying because I thought for sure my baby was not alive, not with all the bleeding I had. My mom called to wish me a happy birthday and I broke down and told her the whole story. At the doctor's office later that day, my husband and I were totally shocked to hear a strong heartbeat. Even though I hemorrhaged, my pregnancy was still viable. Aside from the bleeding, I had a normal pregnancy and delivery.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYQTpkQ7Q7RJr0ovGaNeYMvCmdgJ2Tl2lZ46YcUMKdfezQ9Xs2BXk3vDUenNDpvCYTL627JaSFtT0PTaXdaJf6T68ENVAZUb4Tacc7NIf9gCEjnjsKI9Fd4t1Y-Z9y4Jd7FGgWlYTcdfPG4I1U5a4BOJM6aH6nmUTcVDPmjLh1GO1kMV1EkHRipiUX=s480" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYQTpkQ7Q7RJr0ovGaNeYMvCmdgJ2Tl2lZ46YcUMKdfezQ9Xs2BXk3vDUenNDpvCYTL627JaSFtT0PTaXdaJf6T68ENVAZUb4Tacc7NIf9gCEjnjsKI9Fd4t1Y-Z9y4Jd7FGgWlYTcdfPG4I1U5a4BOJM6aH6nmUTcVDPmjLh1GO1kMV1EkHRipiUX=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>My husband and I decided to try for one more baby, but I suffered an early second-trimester miscarriage. I had an ultrasound scheduled while my husband was in Saudi Arabia on a work trip. When the technician was not able to find a heartbeat, I was in shock. I went home very anxious. Because of the time difference, it was tricky getting ahold of my husband through skype. When I finally talked to him, I asked him to come home as soon as possible. While he worked on arranging flights, I tried to figure things out on my end. He came home a few hours before my contractions began. I'm so glad he got home in time because it was a very difficult process to deliver the fetus. I lost a lot of blood and was very weak. I ended up having a D&C and received two blood transfusions.</p><p>After my miscarriage, my husband and I waited. He spent the next year traveling back and forth to Saudi Arabia. We moved to Saudi Arabia a year later. Because of my lupus and his travels, we waited on having a baby. I was not able to see a rheumatologist or endocrinologist for my lupus and thyroid issues in Saudi Arabia. Because my pregnancies require special care we felt that it was not wise to have a baby in Saudi Arabia. I got pregnant the last month in Saudi Arabia and hemorrhaged again. An ultrasound showed a steady heartbeat. I rested as much as possible. Once we returned to the United States, I started seeing my doctor and specialists. Aside from the bleeding, I had a rather uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaPrE2iIpz3ooYp3eIZ3prJ8AOOIu08Z_gpxh-vSRMVYdrmu_tF3TAOQJ9rVtoNf2ncsCCRRACUhM97IcQXlz7VNWTbq7boqFq1FyyBTeiVVqe43qrEiOwj6AFvs-dfOWOzlsuCYX4l5BMblAFu4-pAhvVRQeLK-x-aC07EYj6Nju3gYfbVVPoMR0_=s4608" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaPrE2iIpz3ooYp3eIZ3prJ8AOOIu08Z_gpxh-vSRMVYdrmu_tF3TAOQJ9rVtoNf2ncsCCRRACUhM97IcQXlz7VNWTbq7boqFq1FyyBTeiVVqe43qrEiOwj6AFvs-dfOWOzlsuCYX4l5BMblAFu4-pAhvVRQeLK-x-aC07EYj6Nju3gYfbVVPoMR0_=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /> I feel so lucky that I was able to have three more children! They bring such joy to my life. <p></p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-16243564516425681382022-01-27T09:29:00.013-05:002022-02-15T14:34:39.228-05:00Trying to Find Some Middle Ground with Covid-19<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3QX5GPjUbsaycxb9LfrVPxqtfKWTXNhoQ_4nokrg7X17nEDRRx4LxSxTm4L-f5h814OD37L8O_iabZJwKVlDia4ipcNJJuie0MBFfXqTKtFv39sO1EvbEmkU_KkpufgTT7scNSczEzb1ADuZjsFoFl2blRKHvUJH-FwfRFl5gtR5snhLeXY54Tp-v=s1792" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3QX5GPjUbsaycxb9LfrVPxqtfKWTXNhoQ_4nokrg7X17nEDRRx4LxSxTm4L-f5h814OD37L8O_iabZJwKVlDia4ipcNJJuie0MBFfXqTKtFv39sO1EvbEmkU_KkpufgTT7scNSczEzb1ADuZjsFoFl2blRKHvUJH-FwfRFl5gtR5snhLeXY54Tp-v=s320" width="148" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span>We are entering our third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has significantly disrupted the world, politics, economies, supply chains, and people's lives. </span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the United States, Covid-19 is particularly divisive. Conservatives are less likely to believe in the severity and seriousness of the virus. They are less likely to wear masks or get vaccinated. They advocate for keeping schools open. Conservatives are against mask and vaccine mandates. On the other hand, liberals are incredibly worried about the severity of Covid-19. They are more likely to be vaccinated and wear masks. They advocate for mask and vaccine mandates and would like schools to go remote. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where do I fall in this debate? Religiously and ideologically, I am a conversative. I believe that Covid is a serious virus, especially deadly to the elderly and people with co-morbidities such as obesity. I believe that the majority of people who get Covid will survive it. I am grateful for the vaccine and have chosen to vaccinate myself and my family, including my children. I want schools to remain open. I wear a mask in public spaces and am okay with my children wearing masks at school. I do not think we should have vaccine or mask mandates. In fact, I think if we stopped mandating both of those things, a lot of the polarization would die down. I think that people should consult with a trusted doctor to consider the risks and benefits of vaccination and non-vaccination. I believe that families should make their own choices about vaccinating. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The New York Times newsletter on January 25, 2022, analyzed the results of a recent Covid poll.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are some quotes from the analysis that I found most interesting. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />"<span style="background-color: white;">Covid’s starkly different impact on the young and old has been one of the virus’s defining characteristics. It tends to be mild for children and younger adults but is often severe for the elderly. More than three-quarters of all U.S. Covid deaths have occurred among people 65 and older."</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My takeaway: Covid is more deadly for the elderly than children. Therefore, we actually have more leeway and leverage with keeping schools open. Covid vaccination efforts should concentrate on the most at-risk group first, which has already been done. In New York, the elderly were the first group that was eligible to be vaccinated. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;">"For the unvaccinated, however, Covid is worse than any other common virus. It has killed more than 865,000 Americans, the vast majority unvaccinated. In the weeks before vaccines became widely available, Covid was the country’s No. 1 cause of death, above even cancer and heart disease."</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana;">My takeaway: Getting Covid is more deadly and risky for the unvaccinated than the vaccinated. (This is statistically true.) There will be some exceptions to this, of course. Some vaccinated people will die from Covid. Bottom line: getting vaccinated has enormous benefits. But again, I think everyone should have the right to consider their own health situation and make the decisions that are right for them. My daughter-in-law had an extreme reaction to the vaccine and feels reluctant to get a booster shot. I respect her decision and understand where she is coming from. </span></p><div style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 600px; width: 600px;"><table cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">People are right to be worried, too. The worst effects have been on Black and Latino children, as well as children in high-poverty schools.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 600px; width: 600px;"><table cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Most Democrats, for example, say they favor moving classes online in response to Omicron, despite widespread evidence that <a class="m_8696669620745729809css-5nb5nb" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/SjFXYIfPIn6Mcr8XpzRCXw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRj0mQ5P0TiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wNi8wNS91cy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1lZHVjYXRpb24tbG9zdC1sZWFybmluZy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjAxMjUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NTEyMTEmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD03MDMwODkwOCZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTgwNjU4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzcwYWI1Y2ViZDcwZmI4ZDk4MzU4YmQ3ZDJlNTFjNVcDbnl0Qgph3znf72EnhIpZUhp0aWZmYW55LnN3ZWRlbW9tQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~&source=gmail&ust=1643378626397000&usg=AOvVaw0Q1uE1_-CHPPg3o0Vt8f8V" href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/SjFXYIfPIn6Mcr8XpzRCXw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRj0mQ5P0TiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wNi8wNS91cy9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1lZHVjYXRpb24tbG9zdC1sZWFybmluZy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjAxMjUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NTEyMTEmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD03MDMwODkwOCZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTgwNjU4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzcwYWI1Y2ViZDcwZmI4ZDk4MzU4YmQ3ZDJlNTFjNVcDbnl0Qgph3znf72EnhIpZUhp0aWZmYW55LnN3ZWRlbW9tQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~" target="_blank">remote school has failed</a> and little evidence that shutting schools leads to fewer Covid cases.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="margin: 0px auto; max-width: 600px; width: 600px;"><table cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Closed schools almost certainly do more damage to children and vaccinated adults than Omicron does.”</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My takeaway: Because Covid is significant less dangerous for children and the cons of remote schooling are so severe, schools should remain open (of course, staff shortages are a real issue). Liberals should reconsider their stance, especially because Latinos and Black children are more likely to be adversely affected by remote learning and school closures. Closing schools increases inequity for marginalized and vulnerable populations.<br /><br />In summary: Covid is real and is deadly, especially for the elderly and those with special conditions. Most people who get Covid will not die. People should seriously consider getting the vaccine and discuss this question with a trusted doctor. Children are not as at risk for having severe covid complications (Yes, there are exceptions, and parents should be able to exercise their rights to protect their children based on medical history.) We have enough evidence now to say that the benefits of school closures are small compared to the disadvantages of remote schooling. Schools should remain open. I think we need to try and maintain some normality using sensible precautions. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even though the article doesn't specifically discuss vaccine and mask mandates, I think they do more harm than good. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Quotes taken from David Leonhardt, "Good morning, we walk through the results of the first Morning newsletter poll--on pandemic attitudes," "The Morning" Newsletter Column, <i>The New York Times</i>, January 25, 2022.</span></p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-56967994099622282652022-01-04T12:11:00.001-05:002022-01-04T12:11:19.061-05:00Grad School Books I Think My Friends Should Read<p> As I was reviewing a grad school text today, I wished that more people would read this book. Here is a list of books I think my American friends should read.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Food Routes: Growing Bananas in Iceland and Other Tales from the Logistics of Eating</i> by Robyn Metcalfe. </p><p>As we are dealing with supply shortages and gaps, this book is particularly enlightening to understand the global supply system and why things work and don't work. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Seven Myths of Africa in World History</i> by David Northup</p><p>This short book debunks seven myths about Africa and provides a nice overview of African history. Remember Africa is an incredibly diverse continent with over 50 countries (ethnically, racially, culturally, genetically, etc.). </p><p><i>Love Canal: A Toxic History from Colonial Times to the Present</i> by Richard S. Newman</p><p>This book was hard to read because of the depressing material. But it is also important to understand the environmental impact that historical decisions have and to understand the role of government in monitoring and improving the environment.</p><p><i>The American Census: A Social History </i>by Margo J. Anderson</p><p>As a genealogist, the American census is one of my most valued historical sources. The census is such an important tool that dictates a lot of public policy. Every American should understand why the census was created, how it was used historically, and how it is used today.</p><p><i>Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate</i> by Leila Ahmed</p><p>The Western world has a very complicated history with Islam, the Middle East, and Asia. This book provides an accurate overview of Islam and women's roles within it. Well-written, very well-researched, and invaluable.</p><p><i>New World Faiths: Religion in Colonial America</i> by Jon Butler</p><p>A good summary of religion in Colonial America. Invaluable to understand the nation's roots.</p><p><i>The Texture of Contact: European and Indian Settler Communities on the Frontiers of Iroquoia, 1667-1783</i> by David L. Preston</p><p>A really great book about the interactions between European colonist/settlers and Native Americans. Lots of amazing sources and provides a nuanced analysis of the frequent interactions. </p><p><i>Men on Horseback: The Power of Charisma in the Age of Revolution</i> by David A. Bell</p><p>This is probably the most well-written and engaging book of all the titles I suggested. Bell looks at the role of charismatic leaders during the Age of Revolution. He examines George Washington, Napolean Bonaparte, Toussaint, and Simon Bolivar. You will really enjoy this book.</p><p><i>Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland</i> by Christopher Browning</p><p>Christopher Browning asks the question, "why did ordinary men become complicit in the holocaust." Through examining the men of the Reserve Police Battalion 101 the answers are surprising. The book isn't very long but makes you realize that it is harder to stand up for good than it is to comply with evil. Absolutely a must-read.</p><p><i>Strangers in the Land: Patterns of American Nativism 1860-1925</i> by John Higham</p><p>John Higham examines the rise of American Nativism which is anti-immigration and pro-expansionism in this book. Very well-written and profound. So relevant to today's debates about immigration.</p><p><i>America's Mission</i> by Tony Smith</p><p>Smith examines America's role in spreading democracy and its imperialism. Smith asserts that the United States was crucial in helping democracy spread throughout the world. But he also expresses concerns about the trajectory of world-wide democracy and the rise of extremism. <br /><br />Honorable Mentions</p><p><i>Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive</i> by Marisa J. Fuentes</p><p>Fuentes tries to reconstruct the lives of enslaved women in 18th-century Carribean. An unflinching look at the brutality of slavery and the many women (mostly white) who were complicit in enacting violence on their female slaves and trafficking them.</p><p><i>The Enlightened Economy</i> by Joel Mokyr</p><p>Just read the first half and the epilogue. Mokyr's discussion of the Enlightenment and its role in the Industrial Revolution is incredible. The second half is boring.</p><p><i>Fin-de-Siecle Vienna: Politics and Piety </i>by Carl E. Schorske</p><p>You should only read this if you got a degree in English literature or the humanities. In my class, only the English lit/humanities majors loved this book. A masterful examination of the arts in Vienna during the turn of the century. </p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-79040530822372477392022-01-02T17:31:00.006-05:002022-02-02T11:08:41.526-05:002021, in summary<p> I have started and deleted a few 2021 recap posts. So much has happened, it's hard to shift through it all. This might be the longest blog post ever, sorry. </p><p>1. I took four more classes for my master's degree program in History at Arizona State University and have maintained my 4.0 GPA. I take my last class, the capstone, in March! In the next two months I will be revising and expanding one historiography paper and one research paper. </p><p><span> - Gender History in North African Muslim countries: In this class, I studied texts about women and their history in North Africa. I have had a deep appreciation for Muslim cultures since living in the Middle East. The texts I read enhanced my understanding of Islam, Islamic culture, and people. My professor was from Morocco and spoke at least three languages fluently: Arabic, French, and English.</span><br /></p><p>Primary Texts for the Class were: <i>Women and Gender in Islam</i> by Leila Ahmed, <i>Dreams of Trespass</i> by Fatima Mernissi, <i>So Long a Letter </i>by Mariama Ba, <i>The Politics of Piety</i> by Saba Mahmood, and <i>Black Morocco</i> by Chouki el Hamel. </p><p>Books I read for my Research Paper: <i>Khul-Khaal</i> by Nayra Atiya, <i>Family in the Middle East</i> by Kathryn Yount, <i>Planning the Family in Egypt </i>by Kamran Asdar Ali, <i>The Liberation of Women and the New Woman</i> by Qasim Amin, <i>Reading Arab Women's Autobiographies</i> by Nawar Al-Hassan Golley</p><p> - North American History: This class was an overview of the major historical periods and themes in primarily American (i.e. The United States) history. I chose to study American imperialism and learned a great deal about how America interacts with other countries.</p><p>Primary Texts for the Class Were: <i>American History Now </i>edited by Eric Foner, <i>Writing Mexican History </i>edited by Eric Van Young, and <i>Canadian History</i> by John Douglas Belshaw.</p><p>Books I read for my historiography: <i>Dominance by Design </i>by Michael Adas, <i>Reproducing Empire</i>, by Laura Briggs, <i> Strangers in the Land </i>by John Higham, <i>America and the Americas</i> by Lester D. Langely, and <i>America's Mission </i>by Tony Smith. </p><p> - American Colonial History: In this class, I studied religion in the Colonial American period. In particular, I dug deep into the Palatines, a group of Germans who immigrated to New York in 1710. Eventually, the Palatines lived with the Mohawks for about 50 years until relations deteriorated with the advent of the American Revolutionary War. </p><p>Primary Texts I read for the class: <i>The First Prejudice</i> edited by Chris Beneke.</p><p>Texts I read for my Research paper (not including the primary sources which included baptism and marriage records): <i>Under the Cope of Heaven </i>by Patricia U. Bonomi, <i>The Rude Hand of Innovation</i> by David G. Hackett, <i>Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration</i> by Walter Allen Knittle, <i>The Platine Families of New York</i> by Henry Z. Jones, <i>New World Faiths</i>, by Jon Butler, <i>The Texture of Contact</i> by David L. Preston,<i> Becoming German</i> by Philip Otterness, and <i>The Ordeal of the Longhouse</i> by Daniel K. Richter.</p><p> - European History: This class was an overview of the major themes and historical events of European History from 1700 to the present. We discussed the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the Age of Revolutions, British Imperialism in India and South Africa, Vienna at the turn of the century, the Holocaust, and the Soviet Union. My favorite book was <i>Fin-de-Siecle Vienna </i>by Carl E. Schorske. </p><p>Primary Texts I read for the class: <i>The Enlightened Economy </i>by Joel Mokyr, <i>Men on Horseback</i> by David A. Bell, <i>Barbed-Wire Imperialism</i> by Aidan Forth, <i>Ordinary Men</i> by Christopher R. Browning, and <i>Everything Was Forever</i> by Alexei Yurchak. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkSpFrLl4hFfDhThPh5YI-4_nRTsL1vZuvYN1SQ2pgSK-wCqwS43k9-eBR2LpMVcuQ4a_tuwnf3F1H3Mk9YYh0qtFDa2D_JVk0eg4eYcaUKMhyvfKLtJ90Dg8Z0RMxEZuHHM98KbkfaAI2n4_47yCFaHvUKGiTr7H_cjnWn36BkQnCfPZruEO8CtTL=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkSpFrLl4hFfDhThPh5YI-4_nRTsL1vZuvYN1SQ2pgSK-wCqwS43k9-eBR2LpMVcuQ4a_tuwnf3F1H3Mk9YYh0qtFDa2D_JVk0eg4eYcaUKMhyvfKLtJ90Dg8Z0RMxEZuHHM98KbkfaAI2n4_47yCFaHvUKGiTr7H_cjnWn36BkQnCfPZruEO8CtTL=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdJtiatCGOIz8zp7e_J8VPqGJSBlLxb81sPRFel_DwsJa_3y0VmYyZ369T6Pvp-l5T7THXTDdC6tq6GcE2K6JFdrq_pho_3pq07Eq9Ay1fL6jjhEq5wV8dgPqKP5cFSL_W3y3FJpZAJj6rV2ntuByocBIWL2vgDGYDtVRyY2u8ge2870hRyHb5yy4Z=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdJtiatCGOIz8zp7e_J8VPqGJSBlLxb81sPRFel_DwsJa_3y0VmYyZ369T6Pvp-l5T7THXTDdC6tq6GcE2K6JFdrq_pho_3pq07Eq9Ay1fL6jjhEq5wV8dgPqKP5cFSL_W3y3FJpZAJj6rV2ntuByocBIWL2vgDGYDtVRyY2u8ge2870hRyHb5yy4Z=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjr8lT4ttFkx_g84-c22hcpxiiOp8iVyLNcAr43dhJH6nUrjLRLC6aWGiY3-wOclLojLBY68fCYDFTny_K2bcr9e9ipzQJX-lxuArCVdXhPr3BVFwRBKL66oPQ2q3yvVAPIEFrCOGImTvSTncydeoLOuFXhvgo3oDv4Udin2f8s-jFEpdA1q68iCUk2=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjr8lT4ttFkx_g84-c22hcpxiiOp8iVyLNcAr43dhJH6nUrjLRLC6aWGiY3-wOclLojLBY68fCYDFTny_K2bcr9e9ipzQJX-lxuArCVdXhPr3BVFwRBKL66oPQ2q3yvVAPIEFrCOGImTvSTncydeoLOuFXhvgo3oDv4Udin2f8s-jFEpdA1q68iCUk2=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /><br />2. Trent had an amazing year. He finished his freshman year at BYU-Idaho during the pandemic. I am proud of him for living on his own, making his own food, navigating roommates, and doing online school. It wasn't easy but he did it. In the spring he came home, started working on his mission papers, and got a job at DeCicco's Grocery Store. He worked at DeCicco's nearly full-time for six months until he left on his mission. Trent was called to serve in the Utah, Ogden mission and started the home MTC on November 23rd. Trent flew to Utah on November 30th and started the Provo MTC the next day. He is working hard and is exactly where he should be. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbDrqmdXhElwrTvoD3rs-dYRevuQv9sWsEasdNVlv8ws1bnysC5722vBQ4dblS9xzl-CRp57_KxYYSMu3VtT1SRslmGhieYjJiTd3dA4LY2Pq3nb_2WjKACVRqGjDOr4tH9VNqO1SSFnWt8Sz_NIcm9jcLNTV4K3s4ZhgZDBHlBl4dSAEkeZ0BaHLM=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbDrqmdXhElwrTvoD3rs-dYRevuQv9sWsEasdNVlv8ws1bnysC5722vBQ4dblS9xzl-CRp57_KxYYSMu3VtT1SRslmGhieYjJiTd3dA4LY2Pq3nb_2WjKACVRqGjDOr4tH9VNqO1SSFnWt8Sz_NIcm9jcLNTV4K3s4ZhgZDBHlBl4dSAEkeZ0BaHLM=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjowanhCpdnFphdmB1ONF_08oXt5YkbgKqyS6ulSHHPA-jGLUDWJIszMsvGfye9agi9NTppjW7srHLKFCopnn1RZGzgmp9glv1paaas-FUmJ49hGSQlZCMrIt4mLUnbTt6LDFG2kqe4cexePXeLssQmBtRD3EhU2zVGS-XvaL8dP20CDO4IIWoFFsjG=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjowanhCpdnFphdmB1ONF_08oXt5YkbgKqyS6ulSHHPA-jGLUDWJIszMsvGfye9agi9NTppjW7srHLKFCopnn1RZGzgmp9glv1paaas-FUmJ49hGSQlZCMrIt4mLUnbTt6LDFG2kqe4cexePXeLssQmBtRD3EhU2zVGS-XvaL8dP20CDO4IIWoFFsjG=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW4VpbKUdOgK59QtQ1rCBfKbgFcXADhw-XYxTOYREPfSbc94g8DCkAWYCcEH-sZRLFl5QBdSMhj5gWS-8KV78VQ76QL5ARcavhsvLaMfbZMNz8sNAdTVK4jS8HDa9Cz1ACPt-XP-F8MbvpF3RXmntKftK-ZoXIjTRfRYoHL2L-Mox73TRXvM7go-jc=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW4VpbKUdOgK59QtQ1rCBfKbgFcXADhw-XYxTOYREPfSbc94g8DCkAWYCcEH-sZRLFl5QBdSMhj5gWS-8KV78VQ76QL5ARcavhsvLaMfbZMNz8sNAdTVK4jS8HDa9Cz1ACPt-XP-F8MbvpF3RXmntKftK-ZoXIjTRfRYoHL2L-Mox73TRXvM7go-jc=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>3. Josef spent this year working, dating, and going to school. Joe worked at DeCiccos until the summer and then worked for our town as a lifeguard at the local lakes. Joe had a girlfriend, then broke up with her, and is meeting new girls. Right now he is going to school and looking at colleges. His big dream is to become a pilot and his dream school is Vaughn University in New York. Josef made a goal to become stronger and more muscular. He has worked hard lifting weights and going to the gym six days a week. He studied nutrition to figure out what foods would help him meet his goal. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh31IDRtPhbFz3_pD9AU_66oDQdmBh815TuqdN77slf9zv7IAhrEBVAYnzA8H_HDjE0ZR3h-DPcBjxjdaPzWASvdH7V_y3bHfeDAyeIHAzfWOTQ7nkLJiGnbla-qLkhkQSadWRZrdUMRIR-c--XZUH1Pvb5O8W1EYZv8O_4CO4bz5I4VBmDYiiL0XqE=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh31IDRtPhbFz3_pD9AU_66oDQdmBh815TuqdN77slf9zv7IAhrEBVAYnzA8H_HDjE0ZR3h-DPcBjxjdaPzWASvdH7V_y3bHfeDAyeIHAzfWOTQ7nkLJiGnbla-qLkhkQSadWRZrdUMRIR-c--XZUH1Pvb5O8W1EYZv8O_4CO4bz5I4VBmDYiiL0XqE=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLjMY67sLd1tLtnonkX1Op_sckEfE4TVTu9GRIFa29Y4gb0msEdCdlVtdbDqN7ClxMI91yrRGFcLmU0PSbsU3quIhhKJIcDNE9F2FTALiBnJmBTUIX-LWsSn8ZTq6ZdJqbsyZ41aS9xuizNO7dUcfQukA-pDsCrLuLH7g-VWZoxAEWBijq3PqQF_Wd=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLjMY67sLd1tLtnonkX1Op_sckEfE4TVTu9GRIFa29Y4gb0msEdCdlVtdbDqN7ClxMI91yrRGFcLmU0PSbsU3quIhhKJIcDNE9F2FTALiBnJmBTUIX-LWsSn8ZTq6ZdJqbsyZ41aS9xuizNO7dUcfQukA-pDsCrLuLH7g-VWZoxAEWBijq3PqQF_Wd=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX5zRCjbfmYFa8Ihcd_dtlkHrdt7MZxNrAq9eTfB2Cn3gVfGdOh8yEjxtfjDS5kSwz11jx2e6mdMjzqwFfhzLYCT1yW_CBnwdmp2D7eAbu7CyKg4-n1kbkvDw24m-4Bw4_HmzwaAYx6_oVT5iSf3QZIhMrQX-PZ736ub5XuEoPQjr9jftGZKGUi2DX=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX5zRCjbfmYFa8Ihcd_dtlkHrdt7MZxNrAq9eTfB2Cn3gVfGdOh8yEjxtfjDS5kSwz11jx2e6mdMjzqwFfhzLYCT1yW_CBnwdmp2D7eAbu7CyKg4-n1kbkvDw24m-4Bw4_HmzwaAYx6_oVT5iSf3QZIhMrQX-PZ736ub5XuEoPQjr9jftGZKGUi2DX=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh889X5JbuE1iqbKAZJE-mvDkH9lMwdOJGLAtSFLnN_YRi7c_bUy9rDrkD85-itpraL89AnXtdMZtv62WCJYlwyzT_-7iDV8LtK7UsHoDdgdXV83W6VxfPCiaJZfdPFqYWWT2xWYx5kh8GSI_Hd7tuDK9pbwc141xZJMPrT0xShSiiueZzKyA3WaFIo=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh889X5JbuE1iqbKAZJE-mvDkH9lMwdOJGLAtSFLnN_YRi7c_bUy9rDrkD85-itpraL89AnXtdMZtv62WCJYlwyzT_-7iDV8LtK7UsHoDdgdXV83W6VxfPCiaJZfdPFqYWWT2xWYx5kh8GSI_Hd7tuDK9pbwc141xZJMPrT0xShSiiueZzKyA3WaFIo=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>4. Brooke made a big change in her hair this year. She went from having long hair down to her waist to a shoulder-length cut. She is also finding her personal style which is quirky, playful, and sometimes ridiculous. Brooke started the Science Research Program with an emphasis on psychological behavior. Her dream is to become a psychologist. Brooke has been working hard to stand up for herself and figure out who she is. She LOVES being an aunt and is great with little kids. She has a very grumpy, cantankerous cat that she adores. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinJi3NvrvRlap8gvhm6BeUbNf5xI8P3X_gpkxR4uLxrh071moAgHG-03nWrc3rOwHqOVt_gxFVXRdNWov4YV0arE2kMyWUowXV_NiTuCb9tl3D8Sg9-up9olstTa0_9acl6mKLgzkNbU_LRny4VATJRCjtjjFgNp5LK83hJcPWiWjLU1r0v0VZL_Ee=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinJi3NvrvRlap8gvhm6BeUbNf5xI8P3X_gpkxR4uLxrh071moAgHG-03nWrc3rOwHqOVt_gxFVXRdNWov4YV0arE2kMyWUowXV_NiTuCb9tl3D8Sg9-up9olstTa0_9acl6mKLgzkNbU_LRny4VATJRCjtjjFgNp5LK83hJcPWiWjLU1r0v0VZL_Ee=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMmduI2KlYKnyw-pyxsb9WWfnUSzzFFV8SjBYMJTi064gUI5Zz_7Vnr5eoWbSG82FeOv-WHieqUXIvf1mWIRs-RBhum1pNDgsor4WGyZGo5qKqg7Vi9FVc1xRK-upNgMdgGjn3PQop6TOAydXZzP0kvBiaDRNsjxApeQh7e3UQJ5_y8X2Q5huchcJQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMmduI2KlYKnyw-pyxsb9WWfnUSzzFFV8SjBYMJTi064gUI5Zz_7Vnr5eoWbSG82FeOv-WHieqUXIvf1mWIRs-RBhum1pNDgsor4WGyZGo5qKqg7Vi9FVc1xRK-upNgMdgGjn3PQop6TOAydXZzP0kvBiaDRNsjxApeQh7e3UQJ5_y8X2Q5huchcJQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimLGJR8M2_1DHUMU-hSa03V-ITCSARVfi843q_1aie3IganbXcX9hU497r2vIqlJvgU-abcNdg1_mEDXBcqfd0oHKrPqMlwAfTk9EL8B7mvOcR4UPzgKNFKBl9PBjUzZDwwCjITGIT7Q9XosgM1tO5ymc9FLxX_otoszGYfHda9tL71f-lFFl9Zk_6=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimLGJR8M2_1DHUMU-hSa03V-ITCSARVfi843q_1aie3IganbXcX9hU497r2vIqlJvgU-abcNdg1_mEDXBcqfd0oHKrPqMlwAfTk9EL8B7mvOcR4UPzgKNFKBl9PBjUzZDwwCjITGIT7Q9XosgM1tO5ymc9FLxX_otoszGYfHda9tL71f-lFFl9Zk_6=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>5. Jonathan is doing so well. He hated online school with a passion and is now happily back at school doing great. In fact, he recently told me he was disappointed because his lowest grade was a 92--in Mandarin Chinese. Both Jonathan and Winter are taking Mandarin at school and really enjoy it. Jonathan joined the cross-country running team and absolutely loved it. He worked hard to improve his time in each race. Jon still loves playing video games with his friends and cousins. He loves cooking and often experiments with recipes. He makes excellent homemade french fries. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_YlLsSoroVKMsy8P0_yQ3QMQ5Yn6YWYah2GK-maOq-tObS76ICusXB-s5rAX0ABOR0MnWZ1GjkeDPpIoa9Kl0OSMvYVZUQXed_z3bZalJmbc24D8VUC1oosVDyke3BV7Z9F_8-kYsc_SQk8jLSMbyQX3mOcArP1-jKwNqhS0nv1HjaoPxrYXuSpES=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_YlLsSoroVKMsy8P0_yQ3QMQ5Yn6YWYah2GK-maOq-tObS76ICusXB-s5rAX0ABOR0MnWZ1GjkeDPpIoa9Kl0OSMvYVZUQXed_z3bZalJmbc24D8VUC1oosVDyke3BV7Z9F_8-kYsc_SQk8jLSMbyQX3mOcArP1-jKwNqhS0nv1HjaoPxrYXuSpES=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy4EL56UoyR10BupjtT3GdcGzXTJc6L8PYHeRcRPrnRU3bB_yocmPtqQdg_vsipKTZmUdzhkvgNg8euOm8Pbnn4iA2qsnVGun1lXjJvDhQZIqZ_mQ4DrAHlfYvJi3OR8hwtLUSeGujXun4ka2YqTWgFHJMs-FkxsfsM8-RccDZv-yr4zdM4LzEzjxB=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy4EL56UoyR10BupjtT3GdcGzXTJc6L8PYHeRcRPrnRU3bB_yocmPtqQdg_vsipKTZmUdzhkvgNg8euOm8Pbnn4iA2qsnVGun1lXjJvDhQZIqZ_mQ4DrAHlfYvJi3OR8hwtLUSeGujXun4ka2YqTWgFHJMs-FkxsfsM8-RccDZv-yr4zdM4LzEzjxB=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5s7D8qcPbL0Zoc3cUSDLe3XnIMwgrSCTbnGB3iBdjFUBDIAsspbDPeLguXg7msChPfgfSWTqgMEfnqwdoR2AWuhiJLBegdCKZUPSdeOoJqFKkJwG8KxLXPT4tXhJqlfBYSPu57TdmlII8jQikzimP0L3iw4UsIvItdvuM06JC6M1qW1RxheCAaxNl=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5s7D8qcPbL0Zoc3cUSDLe3XnIMwgrSCTbnGB3iBdjFUBDIAsspbDPeLguXg7msChPfgfSWTqgMEfnqwdoR2AWuhiJLBegdCKZUPSdeOoJqFKkJwG8KxLXPT4tXhJqlfBYSPu57TdmlII8jQikzimP0L3iw4UsIvItdvuM06JC6M1qW1RxheCAaxNl=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioiD2uKy-0PfOZ_WoGW-IGBUA5e-dIg6jp4DVPOfYURtcju0AWV3gcxL6tlMcgP8KQJSx8w3_RtQYRvB4LAivGZdQcXzg-k9aa4uzFWStPNBp3Ej2KEnrS8BtE-q8brk8mdarbyPWR11jiq04Yh2ntbEBQfKyfjd5sgPQXY-Hlb3qctJi_wdlvhrwx=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioiD2uKy-0PfOZ_WoGW-IGBUA5e-dIg6jp4DVPOfYURtcju0AWV3gcxL6tlMcgP8KQJSx8w3_RtQYRvB4LAivGZdQcXzg-k9aa4uzFWStPNBp3Ej2KEnrS8BtE-q8brk8mdarbyPWR11jiq04Yh2ntbEBQfKyfjd5sgPQXY-Hlb3qctJi_wdlvhrwx=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>6. Winter is a happy and fun second grader. She loves life! Winter writes songs and her stage name is Jewel Wacaser. She has a youtube channel where she plays with her toys, unboxes surprises boxes, and crafts. Winter started taking piano lessons from me and is picking it up very quickly. She played soccer in the spring and fall and really enjoyed it. Winter had a benign dermoid cyst surgically removed from her arm in January. She did great with the surgery and recovered well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcGERXbK7sqliYOj0BWp--eN9gKdmXWuGh_-qN1MnKrNlL5ImlUWTb8Fi3a_ne21HzYU0I5D5UNvkjBkzIkWN9puAtrG7ifdf_IMhRV3aLr7-d8lEfkQUdq7YjbccTak-FI2lHjyb3c5p6Z8JD7w5f4K3GmYCrJz2RBxibPNDaKil7m4sGgggDla5D=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcGERXbK7sqliYOj0BWp--eN9gKdmXWuGh_-qN1MnKrNlL5ImlUWTb8Fi3a_ne21HzYU0I5D5UNvkjBkzIkWN9puAtrG7ifdf_IMhRV3aLr7-d8lEfkQUdq7YjbccTak-FI2lHjyb3c5p6Z8JD7w5f4K3GmYCrJz2RBxibPNDaKil7m4sGgggDla5D=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYreceXCNgq7ENZmPUCAGhhzp5Ns2RmE0uw4kNIHCwEWoxz4SgJUKRk2WVdtgk0PIoBnYOcALK1IYJkevXuRZVpszNAzf5H-WlPkXUsItQyw7mQsxOyp2FlqpsJUELcnTSnh0Kn1iPl5h4KnDQKZ-6LMXsa6tEZK2Nq5L5JMYW2YGEj_3rLNJNAe5c=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYreceXCNgq7ENZmPUCAGhhzp5Ns2RmE0uw4kNIHCwEWoxz4SgJUKRk2WVdtgk0PIoBnYOcALK1IYJkevXuRZVpszNAzf5H-WlPkXUsItQyw7mQsxOyp2FlqpsJUELcnTSnh0Kn1iPl5h4KnDQKZ-6LMXsa6tEZK2Nq5L5JMYW2YGEj_3rLNJNAe5c=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihhKnXyjrm0CEM7fik99ZdQ-QZvya6gy6B0t0hfMl7MOC8M8zb2VCnb3gTjEhssPsaQcToWMsa-U5FCJUTtc2aRug8nbmcUdt424D4ljojgUS349evHlben3I7gTWs54TJn2-S5qn22faxV1nERsz5FVcOaLGmpm81wPVlmkwB9IWh7r3mcQLqiqyR=s1944" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1944" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihhKnXyjrm0CEM7fik99ZdQ-QZvya6gy6B0t0hfMl7MOC8M8zb2VCnb3gTjEhssPsaQcToWMsa-U5FCJUTtc2aRug8nbmcUdt424D4ljojgUS349evHlben3I7gTWs54TJn2-S5qn22faxV1nERsz5FVcOaLGmpm81wPVlmkwB9IWh7r3mcQLqiqyR=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>7. Brent is amazing and we all adore him. He works very hard at IBM as a research scientist. He loves his research group and puts a lot of effort into his work. Brent also serves as the Bishop of our congregation, a job which is especially demanding right now because of the pandemic. Brent loves playing with the kids, working on projects, and spending time with me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVyGKCzU8__FcJQH_iYl6WZCpiKvuNxYs1edblVHAD4y69At6lPHKXSeGOPDoRHsokEAt-ddK0LtewvYZEcMmeyVV5URIDAjcgSLgCIpUN1TUA6FPW9jEVA0zHxiR6D7dpi-lfPMAhDNfLMP45oy9OV_Po9MKOTYyrRPXawR5DIYj3AOCBX9KRw8DP=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVyGKCzU8__FcJQH_iYl6WZCpiKvuNxYs1edblVHAD4y69At6lPHKXSeGOPDoRHsokEAt-ddK0LtewvYZEcMmeyVV5URIDAjcgSLgCIpUN1TUA6FPW9jEVA0zHxiR6D7dpi-lfPMAhDNfLMP45oy9OV_Po9MKOTYyrRPXawR5DIYj3AOCBX9KRw8DP=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKWX3ApBE2jYdaeHcaDH62NlnvesSr9GbN1epP4EjVmdsw9vlOBubZFA3jFogBgHng4TFxn1f8dbVKkZ4UZGE3t_wd_YFghUn-iUOi7EWoDbCRVAjuxIR93lt5lWb4a8qWnPSU1bosDc_ZVDE7goGpK5u7lxOtrVWpC9O4ZQV2w6FKCg2aHitXfIoo=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKWX3ApBE2jYdaeHcaDH62NlnvesSr9GbN1epP4EjVmdsw9vlOBubZFA3jFogBgHng4TFxn1f8dbVKkZ4UZGE3t_wd_YFghUn-iUOi7EWoDbCRVAjuxIR93lt5lWb4a8qWnPSU1bosDc_ZVDE7goGpK5u7lxOtrVWpC9O4ZQV2w6FKCg2aHitXfIoo=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRwF563hVkhGk3zRkuS8qgHqcHxxIVex11U3BR6P7tXWFebaDE-VMRzMvgjdN34nFdBQyZCAw-tWxVFL6XqOcUf3vjTJY2_KHDvVyOPJKhntvG3hcld2lZRRSyIvI7jf18UA4iFwoteuCsI1BBnSg1MUvUYNQRv_vrmWpTOLFaGm3hdgmBePeosaUt=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRwF563hVkhGk3zRkuS8qgHqcHxxIVex11U3BR6P7tXWFebaDE-VMRzMvgjdN34nFdBQyZCAw-tWxVFL6XqOcUf3vjTJY2_KHDvVyOPJKhntvG3hcld2lZRRSyIvI7jf18UA4iFwoteuCsI1BBnSg1MUvUYNQRv_vrmWpTOLFaGm3hdgmBePeosaUt=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>8. Walter's and Avery's family--Walter is a dad twice over. He is working hard at school and taking care of his family. Avery is a terrific mother to her daughters. We spent a few weeks this summer helping out when their second daughter was born. I love my granddaughters! I loved playing with B and taking her outside. I cuddled M a lot. B has an adventurous palate and will try lots of different foods. B loves her aunts and uncles, especially Uncle Trent. We are so thankful for their family.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvgRiofCDqK_lm2iEUh860Tv1koRJGkRrxD0y57yf2Mnopy8QxK9dQSg9h2z49QgakmkjzyNezSxaCq1rgGZ5vgc6qcZ8LtuA-52lMAtaM274MPVtSnqR_1vcgpTKCddmNLK_AQC2hHwFDyiM8XeGBqy0-HgnvbfntitqPU46V421YeW4usSIwtoCA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvgRiofCDqK_lm2iEUh860Tv1koRJGkRrxD0y57yf2Mnopy8QxK9dQSg9h2z49QgakmkjzyNezSxaCq1rgGZ5vgc6qcZ8LtuA-52lMAtaM274MPVtSnqR_1vcgpTKCddmNLK_AQC2hHwFDyiM8XeGBqy0-HgnvbfntitqPU46V421YeW4usSIwtoCA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUrUIxIVqWUqueVrpYnGMuSbkYpJTAhYUXW2JHs3XFWDUsoJpmzPcK0iDXB7CKvLyYjo1hTHABWFqEHhutyXf0GzK57xHrr7Dq2MhFevEaqcVV8oL39DuiPaZj_kTYXMTDLFDogzIb6t0RRNpY77Fw0JIc86P1KT4-lxpGZhso3qTWLPKMiiAFZ0sz=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUrUIxIVqWUqueVrpYnGMuSbkYpJTAhYUXW2JHs3XFWDUsoJpmzPcK0iDXB7CKvLyYjo1hTHABWFqEHhutyXf0GzK57xHrr7Dq2MhFevEaqcVV8oL39DuiPaZj_kTYXMTDLFDogzIb6t0RRNpY77Fw0JIc86P1KT4-lxpGZhso3qTWLPKMiiAFZ0sz=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>10. Our niece, Morgan, moved to New York to work as a nanny for six months. We loved spending time with her and grew very close to her. Morgan is so smart and interesting. She has a strong work ethic and also brings fun and laughter. I feel like she is one of my kids. We all miss her since she went back west. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy2qo84SARJ7-GhXCjtk2-f5EyMq6w2QIoLW9fa0AmO9seMlREVdsT-0e5vlyW4GxSY6ixQbOI4wWSVC_ZTuG_zvp0muHEZ11UDXNaKmVZInrGluTvH--sVWLBn-uPwH0NQzm12qGTeD8MdV6pPPCjemcvWUzmbYeoEHXCT2WIRfhKKDbupGrAOn-y=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy2qo84SARJ7-GhXCjtk2-f5EyMq6w2QIoLW9fa0AmO9seMlREVdsT-0e5vlyW4GxSY6ixQbOI4wWSVC_ZTuG_zvp0muHEZ11UDXNaKmVZInrGluTvH--sVWLBn-uPwH0NQzm12qGTeD8MdV6pPPCjemcvWUzmbYeoEHXCT2WIRfhKKDbupGrAOn-y=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKjsMUbOjINGMpfkMTb0Jv34N0DmvrnwGjT85rRhgC9nd-MV3faw7fLE7tRVDNLtBTQYFoPZ2shPU6C2g2m_XFEIZ3akHQRYOeGx4W0ccpqdQIDLHkSsNqGJB80FLrp78sr6V-v5hn_NjknBHIemapXzW8icksl3FoVoTjdD338ZAgXhlu3XN47lZz=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKjsMUbOjINGMpfkMTb0Jv34N0DmvrnwGjT85rRhgC9nd-MV3faw7fLE7tRVDNLtBTQYFoPZ2shPU6C2g2m_XFEIZ3akHQRYOeGx4W0ccpqdQIDLHkSsNqGJB80FLrp78sr6V-v5hn_NjknBHIemapXzW8icksl3FoVoTjdD338ZAgXhlu3XN47lZz=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjad0dHa15X8hW3pBp-jO9pqV-r-I4S0UUSRZVhWBZeyCl-m9OnIBOae9zFYSpg8amgkDuMTPMlxycRMSBw5_laReTTbKzKnDdQkvgD6A9XSaPkK2UYu63CyonfyLltB7zb02vzN-lBhfLIFtw8DRKtXruihQWxMEeLD9Z8OrgdWf_N0-blEh7Rs1qB=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjad0dHa15X8hW3pBp-jO9pqV-r-I4S0UUSRZVhWBZeyCl-m9OnIBOae9zFYSpg8amgkDuMTPMlxycRMSBw5_laReTTbKzKnDdQkvgD6A9XSaPkK2UYu63CyonfyLltB7zb02vzN-lBhfLIFtw8DRKtXruihQWxMEeLD9Z8OrgdWf_N0-blEh7Rs1qB=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheCIIxoYrredeUp6WTl_y956p5MRxTr_r9nVxFj4vM5_FhYwh_iunQrmGURciIjHDNoqWgMArlHC2df8BHn4U4oklWBISahQkScXb4QBMgI9YTHaUfJB_9LfEGGwig6WBG4Eb630UPJM-bquv_DpFvx7Ls1IA3c-W-Ta5pqYJ0o9gJTZ_VHsMj-x4m=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheCIIxoYrredeUp6WTl_y956p5MRxTr_r9nVxFj4vM5_FhYwh_iunQrmGURciIjHDNoqWgMArlHC2df8BHn4U4oklWBISahQkScXb4QBMgI9YTHaUfJB_9LfEGGwig6WBG4Eb630UPJM-bquv_DpFvx7Ls1IA3c-W-Ta5pqYJ0o9gJTZ_VHsMj-x4m=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>11. After a year of not going to the city, we went to NYC several times. We enjoyed Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, New York pizza, the Manhattan Temple, The American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, etc. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgM4Mk63AGC_SExPK4GhJjXeyE3WaIYBbdhX5-BqeJ1SpKPQgSif2YYo8Dp2Hh7Jcr216GvGNT7YgV3fBdC6rDDlFy7j25wrKKcMJ-Q4TxTYSHBC7o6cr9vE7Ueb-ta8cGwj9nbRiHIJ25eWTr4mpgREcvArsS6WHphsVT-w-xXKFIFzOSE8oXGbwi6=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgM4Mk63AGC_SExPK4GhJjXeyE3WaIYBbdhX5-BqeJ1SpKPQgSif2YYo8Dp2Hh7Jcr216GvGNT7YgV3fBdC6rDDlFy7j25wrKKcMJ-Q4TxTYSHBC7o6cr9vE7Ueb-ta8cGwj9nbRiHIJ25eWTr4mpgREcvArsS6WHphsVT-w-xXKFIFzOSE8oXGbwi6=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoZxgFqgq6eo_z2m7HUnI5I4P8bphNerGng85YeznwRZQTEFgSbPvQDIUM5y_tdq8noc8IFY0Ux8twWJF4Y2FslgoeP_jkSCwChw8BRWp60j02lJZ7zL22gMOuLAZTUR3CVAIQPNXzgpGxso5J9Z13j8KZcTtPB9RWt1IDIJdop80mpRbxXH4SvQPJ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoZxgFqgq6eo_z2m7HUnI5I4P8bphNerGng85YeznwRZQTEFgSbPvQDIUM5y_tdq8noc8IFY0Ux8twWJF4Y2FslgoeP_jkSCwChw8BRWp60j02lJZ7zL22gMOuLAZTUR3CVAIQPNXzgpGxso5J9Z13j8KZcTtPB9RWt1IDIJdop80mpRbxXH4SvQPJ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBl-kYOwUte3q1kHDHApWKwWFSi7v9tuoDTpvIgKHNTvq7OoDlDkbfuV2AWWKsUP10drofsqVHKjXQHndknTyXLWtOmpSGlTQVe3SM7O2fVM2i9yXeMydS011FaGbs5cvDiIjU0t8AxM0NeYpefaNHHeQOErdc-PhSqec0lDwqC3J4YdjR5sqRMpzf=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBl-kYOwUte3q1kHDHApWKwWFSi7v9tuoDTpvIgKHNTvq7OoDlDkbfuV2AWWKsUP10drofsqVHKjXQHndknTyXLWtOmpSGlTQVe3SM7O2fVM2i9yXeMydS011FaGbs5cvDiIjU0t8AxM0NeYpefaNHHeQOErdc-PhSqec0lDwqC3J4YdjR5sqRMpzf=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEio8b0VbRz_jGuuBBSSxP9REM8ch4Yr-j6MDlUoApq-qk5l9TgO4DPJXPtc15A07E25rI2AyE1KgantgOMiCtKFmCIl5d1HRyqSxUVkN4uPITSUYzWg_nBycecIXl8ROdubT9Ivc1GHhE837acBZOo8tS0q-jM4UHAyb8499RoXiTkJQgdbFkqStiCR=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEio8b0VbRz_jGuuBBSSxP9REM8ch4Yr-j6MDlUoApq-qk5l9TgO4DPJXPtc15A07E25rI2AyE1KgantgOMiCtKFmCIl5d1HRyqSxUVkN4uPITSUYzWg_nBycecIXl8ROdubT9Ivc1GHhE837acBZOo8tS0q-jM4UHAyb8499RoXiTkJQgdbFkqStiCR=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm_SQI-9sbU_gW8V9y8s9lYZbbl0002Po_FsHmbaVtP6moblprg4qfQ0TnrP4QbJr2zXhXL5Tu0jveWgl-9m5Kmh4Vpk48lgGbbm19-6LN561O1USDiyDIItznJaAx16EzlzrUUXomQnl5ljV5LxRLQVORY31bzAuyREenvA-lv_cqBhq_to4rNdLV=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm_SQI-9sbU_gW8V9y8s9lYZbbl0002Po_FsHmbaVtP6moblprg4qfQ0TnrP4QbJr2zXhXL5Tu0jveWgl-9m5Kmh4Vpk48lgGbbm19-6LN561O1USDiyDIItznJaAx16EzlzrUUXomQnl5ljV5LxRLQVORY31bzAuyREenvA-lv_cqBhq_to4rNdLV=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOwyljM1qBSkADdgcH8iUP_Bu9x7wypXwElq75ob5E58OslPZlQ6w6ovbgDE2zPWRGfukRQXq5Q1zwXYWlkef2zRJ63tPWs7-dmH4hrXVGwaTU70ruZSL5rk7Wr99SRV3fbyKE832j5k1gTu8j7vQT-Vek4OOCPWSIbHx2tSfF9kqwwBTZpHkgzsVh=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOwyljM1qBSkADdgcH8iUP_Bu9x7wypXwElq75ob5E58OslPZlQ6w6ovbgDE2zPWRGfukRQXq5Q1zwXYWlkef2zRJ63tPWs7-dmH4hrXVGwaTU70ruZSL5rk7Wr99SRV3fbyKE832j5k1gTu8j7vQT-Vek4OOCPWSIbHx2tSfF9kqwwBTZpHkgzsVh=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>12. In July we drove up to Niagara Falls and Palmyra, New York. We were wowed by Niagara Falls at night and appreciated the peace and sacredness of the religious sites in Palmyra where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5iQfXb639N7fyCTKx2y6R3Wu8XBjXtMCkk1gjm2ZjgvbmjJvK4xhGiYxD10FHTsReYvBr7g9BHkj8_kKmPFRFAFsVhoI2Mr3KGraVjBGkQI3UFz_sMy62fuAyNTM6YgC3U7NAcmx0ZUjbWxAZw2AVQkrtxCpgG3HYKFllKiRH74q5vDkCSrBbi1cl=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5iQfXb639N7fyCTKx2y6R3Wu8XBjXtMCkk1gjm2ZjgvbmjJvK4xhGiYxD10FHTsReYvBr7g9BHkj8_kKmPFRFAFsVhoI2Mr3KGraVjBGkQI3UFz_sMy62fuAyNTM6YgC3U7NAcmx0ZUjbWxAZw2AVQkrtxCpgG3HYKFllKiRH74q5vDkCSrBbi1cl=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgj65qEhmU-En4ynji6ormFuwsbvu1Yl4Jlyl-hZgs-2mZILq-Tkq0YRR_jR1hFrQnLtitA7Uey9v0Ro25XZ8YrrYtZ6VkDaz4v3lQ0z6CGFyqJ9nuvkUP1-1WogmQsFwIwdKGynDnNpChgj4A9t3nUjIlcubGg6aBeZB2uQRmiJ1-MoZC1eMnLF_Rf=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgj65qEhmU-En4ynji6ormFuwsbvu1Yl4Jlyl-hZgs-2mZILq-Tkq0YRR_jR1hFrQnLtitA7Uey9v0Ro25XZ8YrrYtZ6VkDaz4v3lQ0z6CGFyqJ9nuvkUP1-1WogmQsFwIwdKGynDnNpChgj4A9t3nUjIlcubGg6aBeZB2uQRmiJ1-MoZC1eMnLF_Rf=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXPiJg_V7Rs-iDrwR8NkBRArofEq2uHt7rOBa91Q4ADo25SApsTD3D6uJL02ySB68YK-ZOTWS_unjBUbRszwuSK3nUuTloyen-JuOlY5OidnvfpaenVBDjRd821kXW-KM9u_y-2INaBpZssWHd9qNlgSHEyP0YMXUb1Axudc5BeSR4Ptqxixi_FN5g=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXPiJg_V7Rs-iDrwR8NkBRArofEq2uHt7rOBa91Q4ADo25SApsTD3D6uJL02ySB68YK-ZOTWS_unjBUbRszwuSK3nUuTloyen-JuOlY5OidnvfpaenVBDjRd821kXW-KM9u_y-2INaBpZssWHd9qNlgSHEyP0YMXUb1Axudc5BeSR4Ptqxixi_FN5g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXLzqV7k9TG14sME8Lh38Tp-TOpNLG9XGFK1kbIAY3Js48jSxJyzORtPOAgapUw14_2KG-w7Q5RVXk4lokqGVOs1iWYyq7KuYnE6xQUqLdtGh-C7zMsmUD1IUW2O3nrZBSa7erk027-S0-VOnAC5u_IzVhOFI27Hg44wWmJXhUqCTaqJC2urQtXpIK=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXLzqV7k9TG14sME8Lh38Tp-TOpNLG9XGFK1kbIAY3Js48jSxJyzORtPOAgapUw14_2KG-w7Q5RVXk4lokqGVOs1iWYyq7KuYnE6xQUqLdtGh-C7zMsmUD1IUW2O3nrZBSa7erk027-S0-VOnAC5u_IzVhOFI27Hg44wWmJXhUqCTaqJC2urQtXpIK=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2AVZTafrSFvFEcdU6FtKyiKLw5lZLq9--E-hUXpntvshzU9K4R1kR9qByRojLndxxZn0IZbWXH3bIRXsUSDtDk1udPLiPRVTpt6ni05rjqcgf9I2gcr4WtdKHtVs3x7zPv7qauVC48UMdeuCr0Sd7KmRFVk9B1QNzHShaHtbqdMMEBI2S_d4qpOS_=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2AVZTafrSFvFEcdU6FtKyiKLw5lZLq9--E-hUXpntvshzU9K4R1kR9qByRojLndxxZn0IZbWXH3bIRXsUSDtDk1udPLiPRVTpt6ni05rjqcgf9I2gcr4WtdKHtVs3x7zPv7qauVC48UMdeuCr0Sd7KmRFVk9B1QNzHShaHtbqdMMEBI2S_d4qpOS_=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>13. We explored the beauty of StoneCrop Gardens in the spring. I love New York in the spring with the flowering trees, pops of green, and stunning displays of flowers. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXp62eKxalGIdBP1V8tTuarrwSzPpFBqLxdF-utjfCRiHWjdBlYDF76UJ7Q8R_5DpdnosNd1-nO55jfyAwUKDwOE8LlmDSgndWJJIKezqz-xKo_yEs3SbjHiV1BrmGelxs3y3b_l-SmWrYyFnonlnX_xKUhq8_0qVrstHjxnflEHvlV17TUHjISPm8=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXp62eKxalGIdBP1V8tTuarrwSzPpFBqLxdF-utjfCRiHWjdBlYDF76UJ7Q8R_5DpdnosNd1-nO55jfyAwUKDwOE8LlmDSgndWJJIKezqz-xKo_yEs3SbjHiV1BrmGelxs3y3b_l-SmWrYyFnonlnX_xKUhq8_0qVrstHjxnflEHvlV17TUHjISPm8=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieyzcc8dECIjdWQYbCkZorAQwXYbVO_WWRN4C0_I_sIpzzAtBkN1IA3IL2WsIuiVtUE8v_0Pr3I5eGPN3-1AU9V3gy8LnZeduO0vKTWTPRW2SCc_alUX27NpRv_hJCWfVapmhuDufUCyFy_aEaJdDWExuwwmp7llqeIcD4MPql55KGZyJaFMnrc5ax=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieyzcc8dECIjdWQYbCkZorAQwXYbVO_WWRN4C0_I_sIpzzAtBkN1IA3IL2WsIuiVtUE8v_0Pr3I5eGPN3-1AU9V3gy8LnZeduO0vKTWTPRW2SCc_alUX27NpRv_hJCWfVapmhuDufUCyFy_aEaJdDWExuwwmp7llqeIcD4MPql55KGZyJaFMnrc5ax=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPZ9W1vZGaWw1X4q8X-kWPOZ1Q77TTCreREKYLGdzVFRbnL1Od9jftLjCapzNfp6YU70KyrXImOv7WHeOEi1rF7LNEBprNqKtNi7omuyyEswk9kFK0Xutmuqg5URKdSKYdvQKTkjcem0SJdkVfk4TxzzMF72R-I_QqUVo02skMhy69NLjyG-xLYOkB=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPZ9W1vZGaWw1X4q8X-kWPOZ1Q77TTCreREKYLGdzVFRbnL1Od9jftLjCapzNfp6YU70KyrXImOv7WHeOEi1rF7LNEBprNqKtNi7omuyyEswk9kFK0Xutmuqg5URKdSKYdvQKTkjcem0SJdkVfk4TxzzMF72R-I_QqUVo02skMhy69NLjyG-xLYOkB=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht7DM54aABW4TcpPBNeY3YOFlC-EVAXE7vE5QKmlyABo0rnNh4sHmNmOonyrrZkAmGt2exqTWkem0Wwrxqxd-tmEHpB91-ecr1SVza9N86KJFz4gmQ0rpn-OTSXVjgE6GvsONC8uwlIe3w0hl8zrigwFNb4lqLwIIsmklswE8-2kXFFARWlAl94JrL=s2142" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2142" data-original-width="1606" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht7DM54aABW4TcpPBNeY3YOFlC-EVAXE7vE5QKmlyABo0rnNh4sHmNmOonyrrZkAmGt2exqTWkem0Wwrxqxd-tmEHpB91-ecr1SVza9N86KJFz4gmQ0rpn-OTSXVjgE6GvsONC8uwlIe3w0hl8zrigwFNb4lqLwIIsmklswE8-2kXFFARWlAl94JrL=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ7aiM9Y7NiS0S79ACGQXsbAjbaI3-SsN9fL3eQU544EqN2OMArL_Wks0ahMW642L2MknskdorGCvSFGl-LW3hv3HFQd3RM4b1GxYHnpIQOf20zlcRR5lkDIF774VLEohkdbGcWRfgjA24ozg9JDRRX8oD_BDED3I7JikTp7ZwRAvwqyLp9cWkWE1q=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ7aiM9Y7NiS0S79ACGQXsbAjbaI3-SsN9fL3eQU544EqN2OMArL_Wks0ahMW642L2MknskdorGCvSFGl-LW3hv3HFQd3RM4b1GxYHnpIQOf20zlcRR5lkDIF774VLEohkdbGcWRfgjA24ozg9JDRRX8oD_BDED3I7JikTp7ZwRAvwqyLp9cWkWE1q=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1HH99n8yp1siZG-U8cDz5CIr7lWCsLqbJvggP8mQ32QgMRllk_j3JaFL5GBxBUx1NZBknpiizni3w1s_-n_OutfJqzecdQUPDu3bXhNt6_XGfkDc2_gwICVV-kdAZoCf815JjXMg7PIsYWsKAIc2BLEk96w56pHyAPsVmSCzTy4oZUxREMvn0mJFS=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1HH99n8yp1siZG-U8cDz5CIr7lWCsLqbJvggP8mQ32QgMRllk_j3JaFL5GBxBUx1NZBknpiizni3w1s_-n_OutfJqzecdQUPDu3bXhNt6_XGfkDc2_gwICVV-kdAZoCf815JjXMg7PIsYWsKAIc2BLEk96w56pHyAPsVmSCzTy4oZUxREMvn0mJFS=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>14. We saw our first Yankees game in person at the Yankee Stadium. I don't really care for baseball because it is slow. But it was still very fun to be in the stadium and watch the game with Morgan and Tonya. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic2N9uhpv-mhfGCmJOnY8CSqXTe1heTWfxbJO2blgGhpNBXcCkVRIF-ABKrIunuWltvI9kXUv2Ss6Ilfr_hqgSYF9te8X78VIdlHAuUQTAIQyZfEW1sYP-9WRsDOnXmt4eF1Ss7FPxRIwcXXC5ddLh00_2TjxRtLu2yw_WMQZ90DsLqgGky__5syJZ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic2N9uhpv-mhfGCmJOnY8CSqXTe1heTWfxbJO2blgGhpNBXcCkVRIF-ABKrIunuWltvI9kXUv2Ss6Ilfr_hqgSYF9te8X78VIdlHAuUQTAIQyZfEW1sYP-9WRsDOnXmt4eF1Ss7FPxRIwcXXC5ddLh00_2TjxRtLu2yw_WMQZ90DsLqgGky__5syJZ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL0Iyy7gYrMDdiyhvSEHPRHR80c3xGWvYyODMBHwtRV73JIz4-efbQhTMMI2XmXmiteV-6VvI9HvsEYPnWAcMNzFcHn59Oc62bSLU_B6XRYhsnqJw-tePnVwuPSZZxa6tXs2D_1evjN-UiGdkw_46RZQUVBdyoSxMdbvRJtX_rCProBcUHo5R_bXE0=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL0Iyy7gYrMDdiyhvSEHPRHR80c3xGWvYyODMBHwtRV73JIz4-efbQhTMMI2XmXmiteV-6VvI9HvsEYPnWAcMNzFcHn59Oc62bSLU_B6XRYhsnqJw-tePnVwuPSZZxa6tXs2D_1evjN-UiGdkw_46RZQUVBdyoSxMdbvRJtX_rCProBcUHo5R_bXE0=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>15. Some of the kids participated in sports! I am not athletic at all and dislike playing sports. However, some of kids enjoy it. Josef, Winter, and Jonathan played soccer. Josef played for his high school soccer team and worked so hard. Jonathan and Winter played in a town program. Jonathan ran cross-country.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrNTwlZgDsb0bOdmoUGlHKTv6AwIDkLa8-GtawaDCkQm29p5yDn4_8BP5WW8X1gpr366Y2B1J74TOMOleQHMOv-xA4BSbhEzet7-FueSGodkehn_To2diqVFwPPhKRHnis2JIonHumbFN6gHe_U4ppj5zTlqBg0jNmpGImTcOinFKDiKFnZwlyV9sq=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrNTwlZgDsb0bOdmoUGlHKTv6AwIDkLa8-GtawaDCkQm29p5yDn4_8BP5WW8X1gpr366Y2B1J74TOMOleQHMOv-xA4BSbhEzet7-FueSGodkehn_To2diqVFwPPhKRHnis2JIonHumbFN6gHe_U4ppj5zTlqBg0jNmpGImTcOinFKDiKFnZwlyV9sq=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDjUxi1FUSUfzSjN2D0ephIg4EzNnrb0nX4m0h-yZ6q8SabQDBa-hW8hms_xJYGeGIVdEbyqrrY-I-tFRPfJKlwa_nqdVI3_cqN4GL5aHRZqQS2lOBlsaL-jPOCVoai0PN8-FBn1uFhWOMvFlmQc1CKUEBYMmJo8GfIqhbk1wkOBifysx1qNkljytY=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDjUxi1FUSUfzSjN2D0ephIg4EzNnrb0nX4m0h-yZ6q8SabQDBa-hW8hms_xJYGeGIVdEbyqrrY-I-tFRPfJKlwa_nqdVI3_cqN4GL5aHRZqQS2lOBlsaL-jPOCVoai0PN8-FBn1uFhWOMvFlmQc1CKUEBYMmJo8GfIqhbk1wkOBifysx1qNkljytY=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjng__0-mQ4DGxCAmGEMP4d6aQsg27_tHhYY_idlRG_bcaWRF2Jj4hGaz1tLsB3swmuWUGU5RDK_M6GQnYTUGwy--WqClj4xtemZR4H_K5FKEirpGkBjXrF4aO2xhaqpz2lNJfbES0Jncy2OG5liGO75oRC8srGhdGyfYwRRsP3qbwrJ2MlEu5KQph7=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjng__0-mQ4DGxCAmGEMP4d6aQsg27_tHhYY_idlRG_bcaWRF2Jj4hGaz1tLsB3swmuWUGU5RDK_M6GQnYTUGwy--WqClj4xtemZR4H_K5FKEirpGkBjXrF4aO2xhaqpz2lNJfbES0Jncy2OG5liGO75oRC8srGhdGyfYwRRsP3qbwrJ2MlEu5KQph7=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0AU4v3gxd3jhz1ewgqNRUe16cZOCFH1fse7pMkY1ttsKcL-8VkxYWf0Ar3uThBQmTl3qpibXz8pNxiN-wRololb1U-RzEFGk94oBhRoh1rJm3sW-JsrldVpE3HDPXP0m_3Pe2Bx9vPtVrlEuqwB8LY3ny-MSASUw6-ohxLJfmmk8dtPGzt0Dsr-Rv=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0AU4v3gxd3jhz1ewgqNRUe16cZOCFH1fse7pMkY1ttsKcL-8VkxYWf0Ar3uThBQmTl3qpibXz8pNxiN-wRololb1U-RzEFGk94oBhRoh1rJm3sW-JsrldVpE3HDPXP0m_3Pe2Bx9vPtVrlEuqwB8LY3ny-MSASUw6-ohxLJfmmk8dtPGzt0Dsr-Rv=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>16. We spent time in Utah and Wyoming this summer. The west was plagued by summer wildfires and the air was smoky. But that didn't stop us from getting outdoors and spending time with family.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwdqiLKigL1dvb9GSFVAUpkuIZX_edrhY4QmnfbATM-Yh_cBWCecyNZ7s77_z1zPcnu-uTsaAa-YXaJJh9ThKKzLCKZVcRJHrrCcETOHY5eWPxamRoXleZ7gW-Lq4IJZSkBX9-qLFkS8AzRy7m4FBsRaPitSaTr9lL1rsBogfwHn6OQqWvkXnvHwxr=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwdqiLKigL1dvb9GSFVAUpkuIZX_edrhY4QmnfbATM-Yh_cBWCecyNZ7s77_z1zPcnu-uTsaAa-YXaJJh9ThKKzLCKZVcRJHrrCcETOHY5eWPxamRoXleZ7gW-Lq4IJZSkBX9-qLFkS8AzRy7m4FBsRaPitSaTr9lL1rsBogfwHn6OQqWvkXnvHwxr=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2cLn7wt8cLtpwf7F64oDMoVID5ENlo-MEg6DzmDPsNREVepLlqu3_PLplk11Rc4xIQOrtDCRVXMtveEYzcfb9F9uAEnYOhilbmQgg8rFVLAz77X6ssL40gSFUfkhif0u4UdpDhEgagSdXV2SZPqZOGELj1umpxLxwpcy8ZfztW5R2qlw9q19EngOZ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2cLn7wt8cLtpwf7F64oDMoVID5ENlo-MEg6DzmDPsNREVepLlqu3_PLplk11Rc4xIQOrtDCRVXMtveEYzcfb9F9uAEnYOhilbmQgg8rFVLAz77X6ssL40gSFUfkhif0u4UdpDhEgagSdXV2SZPqZOGELj1umpxLxwpcy8ZfztW5R2qlw9q19EngOZ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDiw88RHi8DuLA829HD6VOEFnbCOKGrv0loaPkOgxsPVmwD4Ac21ihEoClrulc9pIR7oGFJgz1axcO0Guw6gwl73cnEPPNMwUN5O0pCjgBUHQ2Wtrjd762ukUSNmm8E9DM1DwYNBz2Oz5xNYBf0gCmpe3VWiaCkazTuXTYpFW7K2qFCdjSKp2DS3On=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDiw88RHi8DuLA829HD6VOEFnbCOKGrv0loaPkOgxsPVmwD4Ac21ihEoClrulc9pIR7oGFJgz1axcO0Guw6gwl73cnEPPNMwUN5O0pCjgBUHQ2Wtrjd762ukUSNmm8E9DM1DwYNBz2Oz5xNYBf0gCmpe3VWiaCkazTuXTYpFW7K2qFCdjSKp2DS3On=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg17IoCBsWkN5vdt-p5MdqF-CEzruK7_B0allEg_YlSqOxIdCiNQP89rcKGKltFKgvYK3wLwF8oqRn7GSYXMSfz8FGRT8kasOzkV_SuVAoaSkbaDCjoTtAkaqMAmx1zwuhmHnUJe9Vuhp3zP73qc8FzdjPjbSLQ425wsp8JZ7zZO0v95Bcd0UQPMdlH=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg17IoCBsWkN5vdt-p5MdqF-CEzruK7_B0allEg_YlSqOxIdCiNQP89rcKGKltFKgvYK3wLwF8oqRn7GSYXMSfz8FGRT8kasOzkV_SuVAoaSkbaDCjoTtAkaqMAmx1zwuhmHnUJe9Vuhp3zP73qc8FzdjPjbSLQ425wsp8JZ7zZO0v95Bcd0UQPMdlH=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-mxKTc-4iviaAWIU9m6i91wHIvEnq6pe1ULz2QhimiGQzxTSES_aOAWLVQfgBQLRaYqZL1Wh2K9stVnBzat46T7Q7fQ0OBBRoHW3LqKAxnPW_ycQCRvX8GF6-pZiNsHyE1UUqAKjh8hjU61MZJeexFKka9-N3AMhGedqJYMKBA0e3DjD4Xcwuxw3q=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-mxKTc-4iviaAWIU9m6i91wHIvEnq6pe1ULz2QhimiGQzxTSES_aOAWLVQfgBQLRaYqZL1Wh2K9stVnBzat46T7Q7fQ0OBBRoHW3LqKAxnPW_ycQCRvX8GF6-pZiNsHyE1UUqAKjh8hjU61MZJeexFKka9-N3AMhGedqJYMKBA0e3DjD4Xcwuxw3q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0nX4MTSundRBP0xZ0u1MXYcuP5mIyDA6M6UaAPa3h2eQ3pyzjraVD0YvMNlMew0MwowqEGBELfGczh-8fDWBVQnjSRtGKFpda3GKlNZCONVpQSVCtcZpYkxkkF38jS5PDp3__6g7AtXmAGBHjoRcYfJi0IqZu7JzJYERehlLIf-JokgDLd4p37RXO=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0nX4MTSundRBP0xZ0u1MXYcuP5mIyDA6M6UaAPa3h2eQ3pyzjraVD0YvMNlMew0MwowqEGBELfGczh-8fDWBVQnjSRtGKFpda3GKlNZCONVpQSVCtcZpYkxkkF38jS5PDp3__6g7AtXmAGBHjoRcYfJi0IqZu7JzJYERehlLIf-JokgDLd4p37RXO=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXeodSSWJ76YqdLCBa4WInQzxvQa4Wc49Y7XYNU8Ejv58M0nZ9Y41YUcBJ-nPYpjeNEokCP1wVW1n2Y1ivpWJai0fuUKpP_gbgIroNVLPJxp9K2CAmncCGewYYUnsJFNMuZQ9ADAfInrYePYSgmB8XV0xBbXlx8HT_PQMDmU2t93QIo3kaGST50wI7=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXeodSSWJ76YqdLCBa4WInQzxvQa4Wc49Y7XYNU8Ejv58M0nZ9Y41YUcBJ-nPYpjeNEokCP1wVW1n2Y1ivpWJai0fuUKpP_gbgIroNVLPJxp9K2CAmncCGewYYUnsJFNMuZQ9ADAfInrYePYSgmB8XV0xBbXlx8HT_PQMDmU2t93QIo3kaGST50wI7=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>17. This was a year of babies! Not for Brent and I, but with our extended family. My sister and niece had babies in December. My granddaughter was born in July. Two of our friends had babies in New York and we were able to cuddle their babies and support our friends. Our family experienced great miracles with the three babies that were born despite medical complications. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiocx0rVOur8uejRQfZr1bjGX7XSpThayYSBdwIMAWFe6Tm_UWPlE3zruo7dpYl4UAkxkGLp4tYAA3tsybG82F61ZnhLjxvylBiZANaqVUwgq-peMxeDV0K-e-D3G0v-w2DrvumP4wFMXEaPaLnhFn0hDWs0nKDfBj5xwIaO-9lmItEo5Bix7MfIhV3=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiocx0rVOur8uejRQfZr1bjGX7XSpThayYSBdwIMAWFe6Tm_UWPlE3zruo7dpYl4UAkxkGLp4tYAA3tsybG82F61ZnhLjxvylBiZANaqVUwgq-peMxeDV0K-e-D3G0v-w2DrvumP4wFMXEaPaLnhFn0hDWs0nKDfBj5xwIaO-9lmItEo5Bix7MfIhV3=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVqkz00fL5OFaORkPoOS0_jrua1ZH6JpM8n1qW6TJCMP9fEPA5sZmGbjAGI1uyFSDvkYazETkiIuJtqKB_abLMemvcy3-X9OXVDREKXxSc3bn5YYM2Q730dImXUxUKeQw3dYi4AB45m4UFrVqva7ALlsOZoq8a9-teXOHo50LZdgLsqlyQ110q7CLl=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVqkz00fL5OFaORkPoOS0_jrua1ZH6JpM8n1qW6TJCMP9fEPA5sZmGbjAGI1uyFSDvkYazETkiIuJtqKB_abLMemvcy3-X9OXVDREKXxSc3bn5YYM2Q730dImXUxUKeQw3dYi4AB45m4UFrVqva7ALlsOZoq8a9-teXOHo50LZdgLsqlyQ110q7CLl=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPXgPZyxzQ6b5KTxDueh3YmllIxmenAdG5HlOn6WfPkeczBUsdbmaWAeG-UgrHNcgQkeADXREilCfmkAjYlS_tTzuhBrkmJC7sK4NuHsPH57OEiYvSKqHfuycuEDG-2cEM7OTjy1l4QYkK0Z_Yv1hcHqmUhhzG2nl2f2DtyfvcyWWmxgY7yJvqPvfZ=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPXgPZyxzQ6b5KTxDueh3YmllIxmenAdG5HlOn6WfPkeczBUsdbmaWAeG-UgrHNcgQkeADXREilCfmkAjYlS_tTzuhBrkmJC7sK4NuHsPH57OEiYvSKqHfuycuEDG-2cEM7OTjy1l4QYkK0Z_Yv1hcHqmUhhzG2nl2f2DtyfvcyWWmxgY7yJvqPvfZ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>18. We spent time in the Adirondacks playing in the water, enjoying the fresh air, and soaked in the peaceful atmosphere. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiECLlwYM61oM-HOkEGWOFcCu7rltKpAm7hWHIht0DOPDHS7_jFehwTrX4ovndcpMgeWKUxJ_ah6_c1miwrV-uI7k1m5zlwB0T2kmI_tGA6yf2GViIsiTnDcth9eWMJ_oD9ipcOygOhIN0RL5Xsmt41uUM0aBYCaO5is4hhB7TJxdM4WlasBRTQP1gG=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiECLlwYM61oM-HOkEGWOFcCu7rltKpAm7hWHIht0DOPDHS7_jFehwTrX4ovndcpMgeWKUxJ_ah6_c1miwrV-uI7k1m5zlwB0T2kmI_tGA6yf2GViIsiTnDcth9eWMJ_oD9ipcOygOhIN0RL5Xsmt41uUM0aBYCaO5is4hhB7TJxdM4WlasBRTQP1gG=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgscVZh4YcidZDHn9kg2SOILW5ZV29EFZ9BmCSRtk5oFQAy1vsqQfRzwSlpLCWGwN0JQJiSqahtemDRk5b8FQfbKI9FFDhs97xdwzq4-wLmOuj8VRHZ-oityv_ZoCI7U7wlmVwr3W8stg4tXeYcuwKBCuXey9dvjKNWFDlnNzbewg7fpkZ-Nbq-oGQK=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgscVZh4YcidZDHn9kg2SOILW5ZV29EFZ9BmCSRtk5oFQAy1vsqQfRzwSlpLCWGwN0JQJiSqahtemDRk5b8FQfbKI9FFDhs97xdwzq4-wLmOuj8VRHZ-oityv_ZoCI7U7wlmVwr3W8stg4tXeYcuwKBCuXey9dvjKNWFDlnNzbewg7fpkZ-Nbq-oGQK=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi2W2elR3XZ-iZm1hE2evFB5uM4bVpkmF1Ew9bLus3kH5zAnzIkccsW2BIPVqvLWKFYpTGKoEjKf_ptSFosuMjxK8oH_CVeazPOTS91cCd7widUkodAn1Wds0z9b3MEVABpHD6uFo-D5xOET141OAf3P4dkEGlLee9kmZ7HWyP8tgWFVzrcqa_3o-n=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi2W2elR3XZ-iZm1hE2evFB5uM4bVpkmF1Ew9bLus3kH5zAnzIkccsW2BIPVqvLWKFYpTGKoEjKf_ptSFosuMjxK8oH_CVeazPOTS91cCd7widUkodAn1Wds0z9b3MEVABpHD6uFo-D5xOET141OAf3P4dkEGlLee9kmZ7HWyP8tgWFVzrcqa_3o-n=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfXUlrZFQxzIliMHgYviNyDXXyrH8xt1gLA6S4m1hKZSBQpVUORdvzfhVUnw4yf_qfZyeK_Q-jQNofVO9gwzAvoCbiBqERkUAd6yQ9LfrsMhmxFbMXUX95ktTeB_MrFcH9P5astV4bmXzmsKWIKls0ylL3lTd4rIasHxQtyMsSdJi1UZPQuQ0PBzaH=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfXUlrZFQxzIliMHgYviNyDXXyrH8xt1gLA6S4m1hKZSBQpVUORdvzfhVUnw4yf_qfZyeK_Q-jQNofVO9gwzAvoCbiBqERkUAd6yQ9LfrsMhmxFbMXUX95ktTeB_MrFcH9P5astV4bmXzmsKWIKls0ylL3lTd4rIasHxQtyMsSdJi1UZPQuQ0PBzaH=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisIbruhy2Fe0ZsJGwJMtKrGl-FCEcFtQdIMSmmmhTyYGK9cpihonEnOn2bjMSjJtsRD-Ddq-iLjo3ASzop4fkITgrdmtIIn2xggjzn7l5JmElox2s97JCY0Tg-573KI46FYz8crEZWRSvNrtGj7X5dIxiiRpKpKeU0H1b_yk-lHgLCxAS1QGFUtCL0=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisIbruhy2Fe0ZsJGwJMtKrGl-FCEcFtQdIMSmmmhTyYGK9cpihonEnOn2bjMSjJtsRD-Ddq-iLjo3ASzop4fkITgrdmtIIn2xggjzn7l5JmElox2s97JCY0Tg-573KI46FYz8crEZWRSvNrtGj7X5dIxiiRpKpKeU0H1b_yk-lHgLCxAS1QGFUtCL0=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>19. Everyone in our family got vaccinated for Covid-19. We are so grateful for the miracle of having 3 vaccines to choose from a year into the pandemic. It is a relief to have some extra protection against this virus. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ4DaETIP2KcdWH5o0PDt_Eey4CRH3NT9BOGCl7Gb8jQUkIh_U5KR7hQqBrjJVY1BeQs7McwR7zoHerVNSU_UfPwVlsvhMeKIGS34TSLOsE1FoivtSNDUfhrk6asT99vWJK5vEjKsbdT8t1QBA29h6ziw4mYnDgczyzSITXZx-rxJtMOUuMgweCo30=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ4DaETIP2KcdWH5o0PDt_Eey4CRH3NT9BOGCl7Gb8jQUkIh_U5KR7hQqBrjJVY1BeQs7McwR7zoHerVNSU_UfPwVlsvhMeKIGS34TSLOsE1FoivtSNDUfhrk6asT99vWJK5vEjKsbdT8t1QBA29h6ziw4mYnDgczyzSITXZx-rxJtMOUuMgweCo30=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLE_5gFYs-5KPvUK0JiFBNCgJGcXIrbMQiwCIMO56Jl1BS_9y3Ybt6X_AmtX1HzaXZMQYB0O_wOLpowj5mpDv5leqZR5tr3SheeVCkhtKOWf1aFu8NezUGoON_obFWwpkMhvpA6AGIGuqXsDbwWFH2ehdiP2sDtX_0FtyUcQULgEswk3dgxXyJZ4Ix=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLE_5gFYs-5KPvUK0JiFBNCgJGcXIrbMQiwCIMO56Jl1BS_9y3Ybt6X_AmtX1HzaXZMQYB0O_wOLpowj5mpDv5leqZR5tr3SheeVCkhtKOWf1aFu8NezUGoON_obFWwpkMhvpA6AGIGuqXsDbwWFH2ehdiP2sDtX_0FtyUcQULgEswk3dgxXyJZ4Ix=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZa_4SQg_JxVtvFMcjgKxtLF1ZaFe0glBqJcG9LM4hDJACadEtbEE-le_zc_qw1CWa3XjW_X--l-hbzSe8j2N3liPTHM6BIlYM-dIaZSp7RQXFcroiQlxRny8yS3864MB7_IxeOVMnsDPhfBNE_Yvzm_pMip39xSPVl0q97t-xDhqiER6QUlmDldFp=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZa_4SQg_JxVtvFMcjgKxtLF1ZaFe0glBqJcG9LM4hDJACadEtbEE-le_zc_qw1CWa3XjW_X--l-hbzSe8j2N3liPTHM6BIlYM-dIaZSp7RQXFcroiQlxRny8yS3864MB7_IxeOVMnsDPhfBNE_Yvzm_pMip39xSPVl0q97t-xDhqiER6QUlmDldFp=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>20. We spent time with a lot of our family. I was able to see several of my sisters: Stephanie, Lori, Trisha, Nicole, and Chelsea. We saw Brent's brother and family. Troy just returned home from a deployment. Tonya came out to New York to visit her daughter and to see us!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3KFGPBeSc1pwoEChcod6CgPMNC5KXiisqQVXddzvPbIOuO6D6i0rUyM19noZlmx-GUb4zwzJAFbuwViQieejVP8HJj8E4t6r4Xy_CmohdkVPenJUP0cDU7wcbUDMhAeZSutd2IVQ1_LZlpnme9imC6pfjZkiSSH0muvrTeM1f6QN1upfQJxilMSsr=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3KFGPBeSc1pwoEChcod6CgPMNC5KXiisqQVXddzvPbIOuO6D6i0rUyM19noZlmx-GUb4zwzJAFbuwViQieejVP8HJj8E4t6r4Xy_CmohdkVPenJUP0cDU7wcbUDMhAeZSutd2IVQ1_LZlpnme9imC6pfjZkiSSH0muvrTeM1f6QN1upfQJxilMSsr=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-E0k_zsfPJfU0TEu7lOg5fDF5W7brFhDAGBNyoexoWu5TRpPTsYsoRT8SHCoZBAjOVaSBUCV49ZnJO2a6PgcYUuhEw6et3m85T1IIJctZMeMhxjbKDzJ1ADQIpheDMgt_fMZqPKNvviNq2Ath05EuxS5vFhHrDZ-pk3rWMZKLscM7FhNV_8Ehcfhd=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-E0k_zsfPJfU0TEu7lOg5fDF5W7brFhDAGBNyoexoWu5TRpPTsYsoRT8SHCoZBAjOVaSBUCV49ZnJO2a6PgcYUuhEw6et3m85T1IIJctZMeMhxjbKDzJ1ADQIpheDMgt_fMZqPKNvviNq2Ath05EuxS5vFhHrDZ-pk3rWMZKLscM7FhNV_8Ehcfhd=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy0DeSYth3AVoZ8b56SNxnfYAf_5nphJJuFUIP1EooghVik8EqlOZy15HC9NZ9YVcVKvvbCq1CcsJopCCTPXMhqwJAK5qEw2RUDxObWshw7WOEm-Dr2Rqwcpu2c7oa7eV6Wx77wse5jeiFMKwaDiyfpmoALUhKAe5o0kXldUUt6RrHGBzaswlrhmny=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy0DeSYth3AVoZ8b56SNxnfYAf_5nphJJuFUIP1EooghVik8EqlOZy15HC9NZ9YVcVKvvbCq1CcsJopCCTPXMhqwJAK5qEw2RUDxObWshw7WOEm-Dr2Rqwcpu2c7oa7eV6Wx77wse5jeiFMKwaDiyfpmoALUhKAe5o0kXldUUt6RrHGBzaswlrhmny=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2gUx3JIJYimfEsibYh8IPLEEkjxdYNvY4C8XtCk7NpbooqWLWfBf_7Dqn-Zkpr8632uE0d3tqHtn9cyci_bZK93leQelmKa6DQMbligQfneselwbCINaLMAzBP92HouAtXDnY3ZV8v-q2DTZrGyKV9mM4c934wZdg-ZHjrTKN-lF--cyo8DU8TI1E=s2961" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2961" data-original-width="2221" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2gUx3JIJYimfEsibYh8IPLEEkjxdYNvY4C8XtCk7NpbooqWLWfBf_7Dqn-Zkpr8632uE0d3tqHtn9cyci_bZK93leQelmKa6DQMbligQfneselwbCINaLMAzBP92HouAtXDnY3ZV8v-q2DTZrGyKV9mM4c934wZdg-ZHjrTKN-lF--cyo8DU8TI1E=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXrHrJDq5zWR8YiK_XT0HY5BdQn2eJDCCfMfJz_EMZeFAlorG0AhOICQJC3KxAsGBKp4BYWiMTyTRSQ0BE9ZgSJaR1qCi_dtXjCc1Kib8SBNQ2VGbETrbdCD9kzcLZcgybjVEOU4aF5DMP_lNYigDD1KdiM4BuM1FGUAL3vmMBdUPOqilpw1ngaZZA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXrHrJDq5zWR8YiK_XT0HY5BdQn2eJDCCfMfJz_EMZeFAlorG0AhOICQJC3KxAsGBKp4BYWiMTyTRSQ0BE9ZgSJaR1qCi_dtXjCc1Kib8SBNQ2VGbETrbdCD9kzcLZcgybjVEOU4aF5DMP_lNYigDD1KdiM4BuM1FGUAL3vmMBdUPOqilpw1ngaZZA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqXcbSCeOFCLjHrIpaZvZ-uhjXbO0qlv15GbR1oqp67Vaq5QRNxqbc97A-A6PcOfwRuYGeTdWsVMtwp2wvcZ80p0jnLGec9jZ6Blr9Mg6M06qtAooUhES-bMfV04zjHglP7leoX2GNJOkb0IkIFB-LTrZpRftRAhLpSCToBe5XIwQkHmRHvmaCJdAf=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqXcbSCeOFCLjHrIpaZvZ-uhjXbO0qlv15GbR1oqp67Vaq5QRNxqbc97A-A6PcOfwRuYGeTdWsVMtwp2wvcZ80p0jnLGec9jZ6Blr9Mg6M06qtAooUhES-bMfV04zjHglP7leoX2GNJOkb0IkIFB-LTrZpRftRAhLpSCToBe5XIwQkHmRHvmaCJdAf=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>I spent time with my cousins Kathy and Pam, and their daughters. I reconnected with all my female Christler cousins through a group text. We keep each other updated on life's events and ask for prayers. We also said goodbye to beloved family members. My Aunt Shirley passed away. I was able to see her twice before she passed. She was at peace with her life and looking forward to seeing her sister on the other side.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_K-14eilofqOqJYVrVxrQSMw3Ho8TLNFufpYpzFG0BqIf3z1zOikjkXGwE5b-m-ooDRo7tzoekXrokiY6rqV0cHp5AXD-NPlZr3VC9ZxGazTABfqoo-vkODL6DUDfAImR0CY-AZ4njTAB94puZx7TSgG8Pd44MM-1W8PATehE0lfZF67XfXFK8nE_=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_K-14eilofqOqJYVrVxrQSMw3Ho8TLNFufpYpzFG0BqIf3z1zOikjkXGwE5b-m-ooDRo7tzoekXrokiY6rqV0cHp5AXD-NPlZr3VC9ZxGazTABfqoo-vkODL6DUDfAImR0CY-AZ4njTAB94puZx7TSgG8Pd44MM-1W8PATehE0lfZF67XfXFK8nE_=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDU5moNaV0il8ZBmIXSs_pVjIDH3vXH8MjzA265TlcmtSCyBDj1A8g9E7zMpT5gQWOt3qZCcQR7VSf_ByGqUkZ-q4QYl0Es7-sWZ_dspi3cBac3iTsY_gjJ1CjnVUxi_5E21dp_Z1iuD068XT4LO6uzfcgmz0vsw1d5q8yes2_CyfK0t0tQMjlWY9r=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDU5moNaV0il8ZBmIXSs_pVjIDH3vXH8MjzA265TlcmtSCyBDj1A8g9E7zMpT5gQWOt3qZCcQR7VSf_ByGqUkZ-q4QYl0Es7-sWZ_dspi3cBac3iTsY_gjJ1CjnVUxi_5E21dp_Z1iuD068XT4LO6uzfcgmz0vsw1d5q8yes2_CyfK0t0tQMjlWY9r=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p> Brent lost both his grandmothers this year. Grandma Joyce Artis was a faithful woman who left a legacy of faith, compassion, and deep love. Grandma Dorothy Wacaser was a women of energy, courage, and strength. They will be both deeply missed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6qhttL0FjmMh2vD0WwGBS0IsuEcSrC0_I2374D5IX3N9SjhP-BZojfzSeJDkMeGsquZeJ2GZjaLnb13UPI_4gBcDLkhnaaoSTyhj9X2iScsMLWEYnYjeyzQmWKPzsjJ3DswjBZdDr2qG_EO6jNef3nAX_jRl_T-nomPsTBZR_0mSpBpeSNNHAtOwb=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6qhttL0FjmMh2vD0WwGBS0IsuEcSrC0_I2374D5IX3N9SjhP-BZojfzSeJDkMeGsquZeJ2GZjaLnb13UPI_4gBcDLkhnaaoSTyhj9X2iScsMLWEYnYjeyzQmWKPzsjJ3DswjBZdDr2qG_EO6jNef3nAX_jRl_T-nomPsTBZR_0mSpBpeSNNHAtOwb=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyWUt5hrATRCPjtCf-2ni3RvyrX7TokUaLvajLJAgbNjSkLCNqCmKtxCkNrAnTD0q1PF6v4YNGv57-t9qhmKHxqhx9ATcBZBMMATsPKxVP7jpBIxAzxfW0idtUX0nbYtz_Sf14emlZJcK10vYlbQg6tKNzdqRBk8beLlEITu9TYFykxkyABLiiCj3x=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyWUt5hrATRCPjtCf-2ni3RvyrX7TokUaLvajLJAgbNjSkLCNqCmKtxCkNrAnTD0q1PF6v4YNGv57-t9qhmKHxqhx9ATcBZBMMATsPKxVP7jpBIxAzxfW0idtUX0nbYtz_Sf14emlZJcK10vYlbQg6tKNzdqRBk8beLlEITu9TYFykxkyABLiiCj3x=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFkk6IULrxO57etkUSOGRVAmIpCAl7bdat36RKQMESMrmIfgFt4SsW-8IjsaH-6qR8jz0YZL6d9Klg-lj03GwBtk3VltYtwKPbbPTFwcyXb0dUPGbDH7KB58pKNtjaRinR9G2i64ltBN1DJVvDQczFhJrP3vTgfrhMHE0s38jhlMVFxwRbqfjk-hW8=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFkk6IULrxO57etkUSOGRVAmIpCAl7bdat36RKQMESMrmIfgFt4SsW-8IjsaH-6qR8jz0YZL6d9Klg-lj03GwBtk3VltYtwKPbbPTFwcyXb0dUPGbDH7KB58pKNtjaRinR9G2i64ltBN1DJVvDQczFhJrP3vTgfrhMHE0s38jhlMVFxwRbqfjk-hW8=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>21. Finally, we learned to live with and adapt to the Covid-19 Pandemic. My children wore masks to school and while playing sports. For part of the year, they went to school online remotely. We wore masks at stores, restaurants, and at movies. We watched the news, followed the incomprehensible CDC regulations, washed our hands, and tried to be careful. It's a constant challenge to remain vigilant and careful but also live fully. And we did live fully. We traveled quite a lot around the country. We saw friends and family. We invited friends to our home and extended help to others in need. We attended church and served our church community. We didn't let Covid slow us down. </p><p><br /></p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-15823758935771303932021-01-07T13:45:00.001-05:002021-01-07T13:45:36.460-05:00My Top 20 for the year 2020<p> This year was... wild... It was not the hardest year of my life (I think that might be 2017-2018), but it was the most bonkers, roller coaster of a year I have ever experienced in my 43 years of living.</p><p>I will not go into the news of the year. Here are my top 20 moments of 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. My son and daughter-in-law had their first baby in February. Brent and I became grandparents. We were able to visit her in May.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5sO4JJSeciJJ0K5ytdaXz0Ju4kUHhWrSHYVXeqYuGy5sd2u0aZX9oopq36Kd7Fczwqgavozk1leR_4-hl43RwWqPnAxGxpkcu_qwPL6amRNL1qS4MimK_t_vzRRwx24BNP2egij5UcQ/s2048/IMG_8323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5sO4JJSeciJJ0K5ytdaXz0Ju4kUHhWrSHYVXeqYuGy5sd2u0aZX9oopq36Kd7Fczwqgavozk1leR_4-hl43RwWqPnAxGxpkcu_qwPL6amRNL1qS4MimK_t_vzRRwx24BNP2egij5UcQ/s320/IMG_8323.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKdYnsZxgpN680wCBzS_KzdZ8CHAxyGNMPyA81GSIGshDjy53xW4wQyTj_YG4Pquomjyr4fAc9xPnddOij-a7L-dCtiieVb-3Zyhk5acXDg0Y47guqwkREHqT06laiH6L1TgAKUD9LoA/s2048/IMG_8442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKdYnsZxgpN680wCBzS_KzdZ8CHAxyGNMPyA81GSIGshDjy53xW4wQyTj_YG4Pquomjyr4fAc9xPnddOij-a7L-dCtiieVb-3Zyhk5acXDg0Y47guqwkREHqT06laiH6L1TgAKUD9LoA/s320/IMG_8442.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>2. Trent GRADUATED from high school. Granted it was not the senior year he imagined. However, he did finish his six years of wrestling with first place at a tournament. While he did not get to go to prom with his sweet girlfriend, he did have an in-person graduation on his high school turf with a third of his classmates. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictF-btMg0OOLWaCQbn0BAG8cU-LwGctszkDjACMq4oqKfYaA9qmu1oAjJRgFYGejfIazLsVebRfuRLaG4Ey2yYXtMejpqiRDT3H9pCKxr8idVutIfjfgnDJ5cYcoPig7Ik4LBKyBPmGI/s640/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictF-btMg0OOLWaCQbn0BAG8cU-LwGctszkDjACMq4oqKfYaA9qmu1oAjJRgFYGejfIazLsVebRfuRLaG4Ey2yYXtMejpqiRDT3H9pCKxr8idVutIfjfgnDJ5cYcoPig7Ik4LBKyBPmGI/s320/IMG_4502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNy41d-q9OZB-il597G9NXwlxVHGuh5wt_Sn63UUqQnnnm8g6oCqghAy_tMwyt3GJ6XzRjOLh92EG2DABYUS45tzK93W2DMsLxIPZEMN2FkoAX-cndzh7HEw0fw5V_mAOaHHbu2RdgGg/s4032/IMG_9560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNy41d-q9OZB-il597G9NXwlxVHGuh5wt_Sn63UUqQnnnm8g6oCqghAy_tMwyt3GJ6XzRjOLh92EG2DABYUS45tzK93W2DMsLxIPZEMN2FkoAX-cndzh7HEw0fw5V_mAOaHHbu2RdgGg/s320/IMG_9560.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOo5M1VLWRFOx3bJcfFIeRYuO_pIF4zeaUdZK2gK53ghzQPho1EFBPEl31eiJojU94CDXGnJznVNYu_ID7ffYjX8wYH5PSf1vBXdKYxw8eL4PW53kdmgtK3Dc09wRb4TQnOi4lkfj0cg/s2048/IMG_9576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOo5M1VLWRFOx3bJcfFIeRYuO_pIF4zeaUdZK2gK53ghzQPho1EFBPEl31eiJojU94CDXGnJznVNYu_ID7ffYjX8wYH5PSf1vBXdKYxw8eL4PW53kdmgtK3Dc09wRb4TQnOi4lkfj0cg/s320/IMG_9576.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>3. I took four graduate courses this year and maintained 4.0 GPA. I took History Methodologies, Genealogy, Non-fiction Writing, and Global History. In History Methodologies, I learned about the multi-faceted ways that historians look at the past. There are many perspectives and lenses to consider. Historians review how previous historians analyzed the past and they look for new angles to consider events. I especially appreciate historical approaches that look at the experiences of ordinary people, the disenfranchised, minority groups, and women. In my genealogy course, I took a deep dive into <a href="https://johnsonfenexwyopioneers.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-life-and-times-of-wyoming-pioneer.html">William Lane Fenex and Sabra Ann Johnson</a>. They were Wyoming pioneers. I created a blog for my research findings. I'm really proud of how it turned out. I continued my research in my non-fiction class and researched William's father, Capt. William L. Fenex, a militia captain during the Civil War in Missouri. Learning about the period and reading documents from Fenex's service was incredible. The papers I wrote turned out really well. In Global History, I learned about approaching history from a global perspective. My last two papers were modern environmental history, a subject that is dismal and depressing, but also fascinating. </p><p>4. Trent started college at BYU-Idaho. I flew with him to Wyoming and then my parents drove us to Rexburg. I'm so proud of Trent and the person he is.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27Xs4FJDCNcMgur8ifKQWuDgm1wvQ42NyoqZdAUT6KK1blgHyUac764aRrT6x1s87RW8SRZHAhzx4iYdS2Z-_COEFKRZ4AquBde0W_M4ir6IIGWfTRsZ5DdXym7ThM5L2ureS-rthb7E/s2048/IMG_1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27Xs4FJDCNcMgur8ifKQWuDgm1wvQ42NyoqZdAUT6KK1blgHyUac764aRrT6x1s87RW8SRZHAhzx4iYdS2Z-_COEFKRZ4AquBde0W_M4ir6IIGWfTRsZ5DdXym7ThM5L2ureS-rthb7E/s320/IMG_1384.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQQPlQcqzfFjhE3Va0qyWmrC2VstHNqmd0ZLdKwNHJDDU4Mv1VFwl2UhIFan-Whm1mW_gAxgPX801y_xUS_4ev81O0HOQUO43YKb8wdYj7LP10vwn7k-v8ST3kovsGtu-Ydy_tIchAFA/s4032/IMG_1392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQQPlQcqzfFjhE3Va0qyWmrC2VstHNqmd0ZLdKwNHJDDU4Mv1VFwl2UhIFan-Whm1mW_gAxgPX801y_xUS_4ev81O0HOQUO43YKb8wdYj7LP10vwn7k-v8ST3kovsGtu-Ydy_tIchAFA/s320/IMG_1392.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghubzKMdZv7Xc-IoCJW6WxghS_HhGw3EsmfsA4byckl_EoFUjz-v_y71pFj3AZjZ-XInl6hKQcfHzLVxCQ0BE-3AlqlhRgFS2JE_JxxSkdHO9L8l7UmMkSq_7e0Xv6DT6dN1KpuZSwSPI/s2048/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghubzKMdZv7Xc-IoCJW6WxghS_HhGw3EsmfsA4byckl_EoFUjz-v_y71pFj3AZjZ-XInl6hKQcfHzLVxCQ0BE-3AlqlhRgFS2JE_JxxSkdHO9L8l7UmMkSq_7e0Xv6DT6dN1KpuZSwSPI/s320/IMG_1402.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWORp8IVkF2qmFbhwr7xbSXicKcEi1BsJ7o4hJsJIvMrnRiZdoxfRVXTbG2aySkATQMjOqNBMAyqn7GZi0_LCpK4RwmdTPRCHYVhoexcC_sPojKP211lgQZsVFKNxZiFvJnvFC36b_qM/s2048/IMG_1454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWORp8IVkF2qmFbhwr7xbSXicKcEi1BsJ7o4hJsJIvMrnRiZdoxfRVXTbG2aySkATQMjOqNBMAyqn7GZi0_LCpK4RwmdTPRCHYVhoexcC_sPojKP211lgQZsVFKNxZiFvJnvFC36b_qM/s320/IMG_1454.JPG" /></a></div><p>5. Brooke graduated from 8th grade and started high school.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToIG8rD35O659GVRcm17tiBmdQ_Wxw54KQ3hDB67av4OOSVC3Y7ocGvT6nFRHU61xNW04sliZvmUtvFCAHiFieehlNYht0nyy06Com60pWiGTcW_W5VHiI-haKKroRDNSl6hluHhGSYQ/s2048/IMG_9319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToIG8rD35O659GVRcm17tiBmdQ_Wxw54KQ3hDB67av4OOSVC3Y7ocGvT6nFRHU61xNW04sliZvmUtvFCAHiFieehlNYht0nyy06Com60pWiGTcW_W5VHiI-haKKroRDNSl6hluHhGSYQ/s320/IMG_9319.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-2mddOQ0hitOKPGv7fCVHzPLZEZDHFFbnGoz6BrIuYA7kizFD_AzMIqEkTiN5b4adrTE6xhyphenhyphen_Xh1xV8nB_A6CcIcXp4k7qzZsjG484cpHG37nJBcDtboFMWyxA5MO-sMrrQ0li3VZoQ/s2048/IMG_9324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-2mddOQ0hitOKPGv7fCVHzPLZEZDHFFbnGoz6BrIuYA7kizFD_AzMIqEkTiN5b4adrTE6xhyphenhyphen_Xh1xV8nB_A6CcIcXp4k7qzZsjG484cpHG37nJBcDtboFMWyxA5MO-sMrrQ0li3VZoQ/s320/IMG_9324.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3F73XcDS_JB3y7ZOV8yszlGblTZUgmu3maXOPPCFXnEjTSuAuEdync9abi-MvRHM53QcUdsvQRCSDBRWi6VALNqmzBOE7qHt6dyScOZoDQDdfVZY52uliptzMYjLlpFLujcYQXcYhoU/s2048/IMG_9327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3F73XcDS_JB3y7ZOV8yszlGblTZUgmu3maXOPPCFXnEjTSuAuEdync9abi-MvRHM53QcUdsvQRCSDBRWi6VALNqmzBOE7qHt6dyScOZoDQDdfVZY52uliptzMYjLlpFLujcYQXcYhoU/s320/IMG_9327.JPG" /></a></div><p>6. Josef worked as a lifeguard this summer. Trent worked as a census worker. </p><p>7. Winter finished kindergarten.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-Y4VioufMLduE5Nhxh1SA0pXhDCznOFVzhSKdRAjqwxjYmj1m7r4fxR-6nrAgmUF25QWNKp3vCevIS51odJwDua2ywXnurAQFlIKuepeBfv2y2rrzTGFt00n1b_tPWHSUfm_fHZlmhg/s2048/IMG_9307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-Y4VioufMLduE5Nhxh1SA0pXhDCznOFVzhSKdRAjqwxjYmj1m7r4fxR-6nrAgmUF25QWNKp3vCevIS51odJwDua2ywXnurAQFlIKuepeBfv2y2rrzTGFt00n1b_tPWHSUfm_fHZlmhg/s320/IMG_9307.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQlsGI3b8-G43El4JkcqU6UHuYndE8PeMFNcydkiiQY-l1cxOKF3lkLqBTTMTUKiy9s81-N0y4g10nOApOI6npk9WltODqsDFbhl3nJATJ1a3mNlfMitCN74GybP71fMBNXW7HSsHI5o/s2048/IMG_9309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQlsGI3b8-G43El4JkcqU6UHuYndE8PeMFNcydkiiQY-l1cxOKF3lkLqBTTMTUKiy9s81-N0y4g10nOApOI6npk9WltODqsDFbhl3nJATJ1a3mNlfMitCN74GybP71fMBNXW7HSsHI5o/s320/IMG_9309.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sQ07epjm9zLCeYAuxytqE0nNLU4kbobAjK56rb8fKh5wPxiShn8ceg56jK49rXAZBF1CU0hBtSSGsR9qiUShLFag9OYgkr8nw3_eop3O_LUoikPFDVJBw4GApBK5Sz_Ks2yvli6M1LE/s4032/IMG_9310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sQ07epjm9zLCeYAuxytqE0nNLU4kbobAjK56rb8fKh5wPxiShn8ceg56jK49rXAZBF1CU0hBtSSGsR9qiUShLFag9OYgkr8nw3_eop3O_LUoikPFDVJBw4GApBK5Sz_Ks2yvli6M1LE/s320/IMG_9310.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>8. My kids survived and adapted to online school.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgFbD0MOx2PcWz6iJF0IZD3JdgifMOfmdYuQSfVq4gE51gafJA0uFAXwLoLc8D23gaZALpmqQgEB5ktZhb3t0cm5O5DaegfTRD-QNh4-e_ManetaFYqUf_HGbcpZ2WbOarMkLVznLumE/s2048/IMG_8696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgFbD0MOx2PcWz6iJF0IZD3JdgifMOfmdYuQSfVq4gE51gafJA0uFAXwLoLc8D23gaZALpmqQgEB5ktZhb3t0cm5O5DaegfTRD-QNh4-e_ManetaFYqUf_HGbcpZ2WbOarMkLVznLumE/s320/IMG_8696.JPG" /></a></div><p>9. We played a lot of games as a family. Getting time as a family was a precious gift of this year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkl0JZZ4aArwN9h2eqEnjiNDTdjwZWn1KgCQ7bUVFXU04rLUvKlWpJJJ47naFoDU0QyUcJtj2GbTFxCjosQzONQI96tTFZeMzTGOPeos8A-i3OyToqJ_Xm_WLe35FYmHjtjq76CcmzXs/s2048/IMG_0147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkl0JZZ4aArwN9h2eqEnjiNDTdjwZWn1KgCQ7bUVFXU04rLUvKlWpJJJ47naFoDU0QyUcJtj2GbTFxCjosQzONQI96tTFZeMzTGOPeos8A-i3OyToqJ_Xm_WLe35FYmHjtjq76CcmzXs/s320/IMG_0147.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3MlxHnj9ILGayN1IRkuvkLBoPF93O7VLXqQLYomj0CP9OYtM4uRAgBrnihmynEQKFPqQDZoZPmxYXCXMBp7-n6K0_g9T8HlOaQ-66RecgLzgOFLVJ7kw8Est0Bax9iVcHQqiQM9wwhs/s2048/IMG_5301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3MlxHnj9ILGayN1IRkuvkLBoPF93O7VLXqQLYomj0CP9OYtM4uRAgBrnihmynEQKFPqQDZoZPmxYXCXMBp7-n6K0_g9T8HlOaQ-66RecgLzgOFLVJ7kw8Est0Bax9iVcHQqiQM9wwhs/s320/IMG_5301.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7xKpJoTA_3737OfT-1Jvv2vnIpAyX4gNcFZLhaEba6jMIP2uGuuZ1SOYD3R6MXEBFsVV_y0m4eFBVXNHQc-Kw05lkM3axQwSTB6HTUg8Xhclry-BgVX_ErZj4u72MqplOtQpY-mDJoM/s2048/IMG_5519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7xKpJoTA_3737OfT-1Jvv2vnIpAyX4gNcFZLhaEba6jMIP2uGuuZ1SOYD3R6MXEBFsVV_y0m4eFBVXNHQc-Kw05lkM3axQwSTB6HTUg8Xhclry-BgVX_ErZj4u72MqplOtQpY-mDJoM/s320/IMG_5519.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQOdTF1BaIaVnJFkgYidZdKclPzUUPdb3eCaIhuEDO3j95PIxxqTBQ0OY_i9sLITb9lnRLSBvD_ombOlzOSALVevpKtywtF3UJAeEUXwE4N0hyRHN9LOmIvkbsgjqgv-Y17hAOyT1Y-8/s2048/IMG_5541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQOdTF1BaIaVnJFkgYidZdKclPzUUPdb3eCaIhuEDO3j95PIxxqTBQ0OY_i9sLITb9lnRLSBvD_ombOlzOSALVevpKtywtF3UJAeEUXwE4N0hyRHN9LOmIvkbsgjqgv-Y17hAOyT1Y-8/s320/IMG_5541.jpg" /></a></div><p>10. We went hiking a lot. In Provo, we hiked Y mountain. Even though I am terrified of heights, I made it the whole way. (I cried the last 100 yards because I was so scared, but I did it.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSOilZv50ZyeznEAlZcbXtPeHt7bF6EeDhpXY5SfaWEMw_zcBc_fTIddwDDyrt7EnGDJt3HMMx7RtGwZKE0xvjAiWQOexrljv-UrYECMEmk_qNMVUsxo1r041vcwAD9jL7Wqeal5pUKA/s2048/IMG_5882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSOilZv50ZyeznEAlZcbXtPeHt7bF6EeDhpXY5SfaWEMw_zcBc_fTIddwDDyrt7EnGDJt3HMMx7RtGwZKE0xvjAiWQOexrljv-UrYECMEmk_qNMVUsxo1r041vcwAD9jL7Wqeal5pUKA/s320/IMG_5882.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIOKE4_lerd86I-iZ5q3_wh5cow_KP9WWRLvrCna4pGxT_CuRU3f2LCPG3WhFSsBte-eqPqJ9AD7zexRoSPtHF9bibzkg0dsZJH_cuV_6MBMaW4MRHPnPuWvS6UiFYI353-B7Y36OYVY/s2048/IMG_6498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIOKE4_lerd86I-iZ5q3_wh5cow_KP9WWRLvrCna4pGxT_CuRU3f2LCPG3WhFSsBte-eqPqJ9AD7zexRoSPtHF9bibzkg0dsZJH_cuV_6MBMaW4MRHPnPuWvS6UiFYI353-B7Y36OYVY/s320/IMG_6498.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlhFhW3NFHXzaybc-f3wFObFGL-5qMEwtLL782mAMuIXsSQRUbyQqEEubPfuBgBXC8KeOYrtM_J9HwSKoICyc4wNZOsXrcnhQCWrjDnyPS6zyUVsu8ES8SJR8HV_qy4LPKUnNnbTvZLw/s2048/IMG_8413+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlhFhW3NFHXzaybc-f3wFObFGL-5qMEwtLL782mAMuIXsSQRUbyQqEEubPfuBgBXC8KeOYrtM_J9HwSKoICyc4wNZOsXrcnhQCWrjDnyPS6zyUVsu8ES8SJR8HV_qy4LPKUnNnbTvZLw/s320/IMG_8413+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>11. Josef got a job as a grocery store.</p><p>12. Brent is rocking it at his job.</p><p>13. We painted the exterior of our house ourselves. It looks amazing. I'm so proud of us.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyzCKS9Nu1NqMM3S9RykgKsBQ4LX9bsGaep6Bdpz1V-i9zMAEQu5YwOmzkeN1qSoEdvcZU14zNjqaD0jNvklSZ-BmfshjowwDczu8o3nBnQbMgO-zlJbJlfbRdUYC7L4s4g86pifH0Xc/s2048/IMG_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyzCKS9Nu1NqMM3S9RykgKsBQ4LX9bsGaep6Bdpz1V-i9zMAEQu5YwOmzkeN1qSoEdvcZU14zNjqaD0jNvklSZ-BmfshjowwDczu8o3nBnQbMgO-zlJbJlfbRdUYC7L4s4g86pifH0Xc/s320/IMG_1669.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NoWCrV0Cb-D2oaC-qMMR26P_RdUuXYxmK8EsgZQk-7GAeK9zL1c-bF5w3oSbgIYUd_akZIBc3pszjCDPqXpJK5pH4-2GHROkQXyqziUsG95-1I2u1b-4mAtOmCQIO7HraWHtj1EwQf8/s2048/IMG_1679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NoWCrV0Cb-D2oaC-qMMR26P_RdUuXYxmK8EsgZQk-7GAeK9zL1c-bF5w3oSbgIYUd_akZIBc3pszjCDPqXpJK5pH4-2GHROkQXyqziUsG95-1I2u1b-4mAtOmCQIO7HraWHtj1EwQf8/s320/IMG_1679.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmD05MrC0L_vM3TMY7PGqoBgg3sC5Ud91br_GlQcyhjWYkF1ukqKBUkWN8NClQm5Vt3C2WhCQvw5VaX0Oiplg05ydwj1j2JlaSnCFkWyebohHeRdfy3Mx3PzPVLbvkbJrfykEOA11RwQ/s2048/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmD05MrC0L_vM3TMY7PGqoBgg3sC5Ud91br_GlQcyhjWYkF1ukqKBUkWN8NClQm5Vt3C2WhCQvw5VaX0Oiplg05ydwj1j2JlaSnCFkWyebohHeRdfy3Mx3PzPVLbvkbJrfykEOA11RwQ/s320/IMG_1682.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQx377cV6nnyqejD2wzo37elqM2qQzmXzk2-ZbGhJDrbSSErMh5CveuMHhUkE8ByoZVhUwupa-OS9ICG6PXX94_N91yyaTzsB5Ogy6XILiNEoDkWJXO83Rr0csUTz5H0tuxB1bhiVczA/s2048/IMG_2136+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQx377cV6nnyqejD2wzo37elqM2qQzmXzk2-ZbGhJDrbSSErMh5CveuMHhUkE8ByoZVhUwupa-OS9ICG6PXX94_N91yyaTzsB5Ogy6XILiNEoDkWJXO83Rr0csUTz5H0tuxB1bhiVczA/s320/IMG_2136+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>14. We had a little vacation in Virginia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPjomfeDY_CjtsmgBWE4Ij3tMPweuiPDZcWP37rWIYdm7qcuj-4DZj-5Is995lFt6Yz6FOSjsIaJD-aIcHpw9i7siOaLVYRUg5RVHz00n6g6MZnkZUxPoktQQUaV8QNR3cCTeHWDHQVc/s2048/IMG_0711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPjomfeDY_CjtsmgBWE4Ij3tMPweuiPDZcWP37rWIYdm7qcuj-4DZj-5Is995lFt6Yz6FOSjsIaJD-aIcHpw9i7siOaLVYRUg5RVHz00n6g6MZnkZUxPoktQQUaV8QNR3cCTeHWDHQVc/s320/IMG_0711.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEiBnYPOAyDmJkYU39od9TIzngPEfz6pPZDPyOTEiRRGWLUu-kkEA4ubMe_blVz48l5IvElwdvNtNdXNjSvzso31mlB571IOLTo1fjaeuyRXDACm7KLubY55DtkdEeYF6tdtfq0TdyPE/s2048/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEiBnYPOAyDmJkYU39od9TIzngPEfz6pPZDPyOTEiRRGWLUu-kkEA4ubMe_blVz48l5IvElwdvNtNdXNjSvzso31mlB571IOLTo1fjaeuyRXDACm7KLubY55DtkdEeYF6tdtfq0TdyPE/s320/IMG_1213.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA65UVD-BVDhfKnSaesl5TvoIdsspt1QuFaZ25kyUCjq0SCDYMqMfNaFDRYqy7Rm7oyDb8Lzy87BTHPnEfXZzEFcUvKp_1c4xqOCtBgVPi1ppsqPRWkxGvbp-4ogeWfh4CwOroH39tfr0/s4032/IMG_1227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA65UVD-BVDhfKnSaesl5TvoIdsspt1QuFaZ25kyUCjq0SCDYMqMfNaFDRYqy7Rm7oyDb8Lzy87BTHPnEfXZzEFcUvKp_1c4xqOCtBgVPi1ppsqPRWkxGvbp-4ogeWfh4CwOroH39tfr0/s320/IMG_1227.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixVngdZ8G8wNzPYel4XSy4Htk4qtoXjhKGTm8IuAzzJaazGmBgd_f3YISHVHadNudRVw1HQthm6XK0DGAftIwOMoO0VC2FkfAJRDBav2id-Re4UfKwlP6l4r1KUqZ2FNHA0svBIbVSAU/s2048/IMG_1259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixVngdZ8G8wNzPYel4XSy4Htk4qtoXjhKGTm8IuAzzJaazGmBgd_f3YISHVHadNudRVw1HQthm6XK0DGAftIwOMoO0VC2FkfAJRDBav2id-Re4UfKwlP6l4r1KUqZ2FNHA0svBIbVSAU/s320/IMG_1259.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>15. I went to Monte Carlo in February.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajoQPFQuMSsXvh7T-XQJGMrfaKLd9PJQJEo4TkGyzFUpdt0K_GOCwvMqa2fE9e9cyl_LK7ixVPMCJU7gcy11m69yg4MwPIRvU4pbVA7ldAt5-mjYQK_nufTZ750gDW2bWDYUIjH2__pA/s2048/IMG_4874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajoQPFQuMSsXvh7T-XQJGMrfaKLd9PJQJEo4TkGyzFUpdt0K_GOCwvMqa2fE9e9cyl_LK7ixVPMCJU7gcy11m69yg4MwPIRvU4pbVA7ldAt5-mjYQK_nufTZ750gDW2bWDYUIjH2__pA/s320/IMG_4874.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RXFgnmn1GV-saUx67M1pcuANEKcp0NBdIVwuwG2y2hd81SgglW9I5Vq-MfpHdBamyiTVkNd85iffKkDxQZaKDmbqObM2OAaybLMrt5YoZVbKEMp1qR98z5JN1rHIsEZNYSPCIRNqIH0/s2048/IMG_4890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RXFgnmn1GV-saUx67M1pcuANEKcp0NBdIVwuwG2y2hd81SgglW9I5Vq-MfpHdBamyiTVkNd85iffKkDxQZaKDmbqObM2OAaybLMrt5YoZVbKEMp1qR98z5JN1rHIsEZNYSPCIRNqIH0/s320/IMG_4890.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg1969mAXdTHW17RaayV_lrdPfCMapfhloLejzRfMxALrVAkrxxRtjOwGdDLhqwTJFf-WpwqEEBNE8la0ymqV4phr-BY_YwmkgcbDjukeUG4ljNREjFvpLgKtYUVdQJxe7OZXKke70EA/s4032/IMG_4779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg1969mAXdTHW17RaayV_lrdPfCMapfhloLejzRfMxALrVAkrxxRtjOwGdDLhqwTJFf-WpwqEEBNE8la0ymqV4phr-BY_YwmkgcbDjukeUG4ljNREjFvpLgKtYUVdQJxe7OZXKke70EA/s320/IMG_4779.jpg" /></a></div><p>16. We survived a pandemic.</p><p><br /></p><p>17. Brent mastered sourdough.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3DKdDmlou1QDz9uV9QEcMle_KlybKRw0Aqs0sbG2NoQgAYPST5dkr8WVNp2s8iqOfTrIwidVYESAuIF8kqQI3yzxCUTK2x7KMO3BgRSOzVMR8gqo4sEqiJY8N5Ili_N4zo2k3gAL4UY/s2048/IMG_8945+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3DKdDmlou1QDz9uV9QEcMle_KlybKRw0Aqs0sbG2NoQgAYPST5dkr8WVNp2s8iqOfTrIwidVYESAuIF8kqQI3yzxCUTK2x7KMO3BgRSOzVMR8gqo4sEqiJY8N5Ili_N4zo2k3gAL4UY/s320/IMG_8945+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>18. Jonathan was ordained a deacon by Trent.</p><p>19. We went to the beach. </p><p>20. Concentrating on the miracle and beauty of my family.</p><p><br /></p>Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-18168328855226229822020-04-20T15:39:00.001-04:002020-04-20T15:39:37.017-04:00Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh hello there!<br /><br />The last time I wrote was forever ago. What strange and wild times we live in right now.<br />
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Prior to the pandemic--before it hit the United States in earnest, I was thinking about my grad school class, Historical Methods, and grappling with a challenging historiography essay.<br />
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I even went abroad to France and Monaco. While packing for the flight, my friend asked me if we should bring masks, but that seemed silly. At JFK airport, I remember thinking that something was going on because all the entrances to the airport were blocked except one, the security line was configured much differently and they were screening passengers differently. A few people were wearing masks in the lines, but again, I thought it was a bit of an over-reaction.<br />
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I was anxious about my new grandbaby who was born early and spent some time in the NICU.<br />
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I was worried about the flu and nursing two of my sick children, which also prevented me from going to Utah to see my grandbaby.<br />
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I was watching the news, but not really understanding how serious it was. It was too far away. It was in other countries. Social distancing/lockdown/self-isolation --whatever just seemed incomprehensible. There had been waves of viruses from Asia- SARS, the Bird Flu, the Swine flu in the past, but none of them seemed to really be a big deal in the end, at least not in the U.S. Memes and articles starting popping up everywhere about washing our hands. The Democrat party was starting to hold primaries to determine the candidate for the 2020 elections. Honestly, I was paying more attention to the elections than the virus.<br />
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Then my husband's office sent it's employees home to work. They canceled gatherings. And it started to seem real and urgent. My local school district sent out release forms for fifth graders to bring their laptops home. Westchester County (the county south of mine) had the most cases of any county in the country.<br />
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On March 11th, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced they had both tested positive for the Coronavirus. Games were canceled. The next day, President Trump called for a travel ban between Europe and the United States. Gatherings in New York began to be limited. The phrase social distancing started to be used.<br />
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I prepared for our family to social distance and figured that the kids might begin distance learning. Earlier in the month, I filled our big freezer with meat and vegetables because it was pretty empty. It was a regular stock-up. On March 12th, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suspended all church meetings.<br />
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That Thursday, March 12, I thought it would be wise to fill in the gaps in our food storage. Already, people were hoarding toilet paper.<br />
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I went to BJs, our local wholesale club with a list. The parking lot was completely full and the store was packed with people. The checkout lines stretched back to the freezer section. I have never seen the store that full, not even with an impending storm.<br />
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I filled my cart, navigating around tense shoppers. Few people wore masks or gloves. The mood was anxious and concerned. The toilet paper aisle was completely empty. Many shelves were bare. I waited in line for over an hour to checkout.<br />
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I think this was the moment where things started to feel real and serious. But yet, I did not grasp the full import of what was coming.<br /><br />Where were you or what were you doing when you realized how serious the COVID-19 Pandemic was?</div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-40224339802608663432019-11-12T15:08:00.001-05:002019-11-12T15:08:55.313-05:00Gorgeous Fall Weather, Grad School, Grass Seed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
October 14-20, 2019<br />
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I want to return to a weekly recounting of our lives. Life moves so quickly and I don't want to forget the little things that happen in my family.<br />
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What a full and busy week we have had! Here are some of the highlights:<br />
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<u>Columbus Day</u><br />
We had a school holiday on Monday. Unfortunately, I spent the day doing a homework assignment for my ProGen Study Group. (ProGen is a year-long study group that studies the book <i>Professional Genealogy</i> edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. Each month we read 2-3 chapters, complete an assignment, give feedback on one another's assignments, and then have an hour-long group discussion about the readings. I am taking this in preparation for becoming a certified Genealogist.) I was sad about having to do homework because I didn't manage my time better last week. However, my kids were good sports about not being able to go apple picking. Instead, they played outside in our beautiful yard covered in leaves. In the afternoon, I was able to slip outside and get a few pictures of the three younger kids with the beautiful fall leaves and autumn light.<br />
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<u>Grass Seed</u><br />
Ever since all the construction on our home, our front and back yards have been a mess. Both yards were dug up to redo the septic and then install geothermal heating and cooling. There are ruts and its quite dangerous to run in the yard because there are so many holes. Brent ordered several yards of fill dirt that we have used to fill the holes and level the yard. Then we covered the front yard with topsoil. On Tuesday Brent stayed home from work in the morning and he and I planted grass seed and covered the seed with straw. It was hard work, but we are hoping it will yield a better yard. The next project will be our deck.<br />
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<u>Grad School</u><br />
I started grad school online on Wednesday. I am majoring in History and taking courses through Arizona State University. My first class is Oral History. I have already read a couple hundred pages, written some short responses to questions, and conducted my first oral interview. I love it and am so happy that I finally get to pursue this goal.<br />
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<u>A Night Out with Friends</u><br />
On Wednesday evening, my friend Natalie performed at The Winery which is an old stone church turned into a restaurant and bar. They have a stage and host a lot of musical events. Brent stayed home with the kids and I met some friends from my town. My friend and her singing partner did a wonderful job singing and playing for about two hours. It was so nice to get to know some other moms a little better.<br />
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<u>Brooke Gets Glasses</u><br />
At Brooke's last physical, her doctor mentioned that she needed to have a real eye exam. I took her to an optician on Thursday where she got glasses. I think she looks great and she is very happy to see better!<br />
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<u>Josef Gets Asked to Talk More in Class</u><br />
This week I received an email from Joe's Global History asking for more participation. Confused, I asked if he was in trouble and his teacher replied that he was a wonderful student and that she wanted to hear more from him because he had so much to contribute. I had to laugh because I have never had a teacher ask my children to talk more in class. I admit that it can be hard for Josef to be the younger brother of Walter and Trent and that he doesn't often get a word in edgewise with them. I do agree that he has a lot to contribute and encouraged him to speak up more.<br />
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<u>Jonathan's Instagram Account</u><br />
Jonathan asked if he could have an Instagram account. We set up our rules and regulations about social media. He mostly posts pictures of his cat.<br />
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<u>The School Musical</u><br />
Both Brooke and Jonathan got parts in the school musical. Rehearsals began this week and it looks like they both will have a lot of fun.<br />
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<u>The Hartford Temple</u><br />
Brent and I went to the Hartford Temple this Saturday with another couple. It was lovely to spend two hours in such a peaceful, beautiful place doing sacred work.<br />
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<u>Trunk or Treat</u><br />
Our ward hosted a Trunk or Treat event on Saturday. Winter was disappointed with the quality of our trunk and let Brent and I know that we didn't have the best car.<br />
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Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-58370988932031941312019-11-12T15:08:00.000-05:002020-04-20T15:40:00.832-04:00Aches, Anxiety, and Ambition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For several years, perhaps even a decade or so, I have dealt with shoulder pain in my right shoulder. At times it is so acute that my arm seems to go numb and then tingle painfully. Then two years ago, my right hip began doing much of the same thing but unfortunately, the pain has been more unbearable. I have been to physical therapy, gotten massages, taken muscle relaxers, tried acupuncture and have gone to yoga. All these things help to some degree, temporarily. I figure a combination of side-sleeping, sitting down, anxiety and stress all contribute to these ailments.<br />
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A month ago at a mental health seminar, one of the instructors was teaching about meditation. She prefaced her instruction with a statement that the most effective way to reduce stress was to be very intentional and selective about what you choose to do, cautioning that all the meditation and yoga will never fully work if we are over-worked and over-booked. Her statement hit me with lightning force. Just that day I had composed a list full of to-dos that made me feel like throwing up because it was overwhelming.<br />
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I have been pondering her statement since then and considering the life I have and what I want it to be. This whole year has been focused on that, really. I am blessed/cursed to be very ambitious and full of ideas. (This explains the whole having six kids thing...) Sometimes though, I am so obtuse because it has taken years of unrelenting pain from anxiety and stress to realize that I cannot do it all and be happy. Even worse, I have been sabotaging myself and my goals by trying to do it all.<br />
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So this is a season of paring down to my most profound ambitions and essentials. My to-do list is no longer pages long. I don't need to write down every household task because crossing off isn't giving me any joy but rather heart palpitations. One thing I cannot neglect is my physical health so exercise and good nutrition are even more important. Even the simple act of only writing down three things to do daily feels better.<br />
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Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-88256003716549263042019-04-26T10:27:00.002-04:002019-04-26T14:25:52.532-04:00Total House Renovation: Part 1-The Kitchen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My readers and friends know that on July 24, 2017, we had a <a href="http://swedemom.blogspot.com/2017/07/and-then-our-house-burned-down.html">serious house fire</a>. The fire started in the garage and was extinguished fairly quickly but the smoke damage was extensive. While the exterior was saved, the entire interior had to be gutted and completely rebuilt. This was a long, painful, and agonizing process but the pay-off was huge. I thought I would do a series of posts on the rebuilt and explain the choices we made in the remodel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fire as seen from the road. </td></tr>
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First, we bought our house in 2013 and lived in it for four years before the fire. In retrospect, this was good because we learned what did and did not work about our house. Therefore the changes we made were very practical and informed by how we lived in the house. A few quick details about our home. It was built in the late 1960s and is a typical raised ranch; it was fully renovated before we bought it. We loved our home pre-fire and found it very comfortable and livable for our family of eight.<br />
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This is kind of a messy picture from the kitchen but does show the layout. It was designed in a U-shape. The appliances were a good size and I had plenty of room to cook and work. The eat-in kitchen area was not adequate for our family size and we often angled the table in odd ways to make it work. In March 2017, we removed the french doors in the eating area because they were drafty and always bumped into the table and replaced them with sliding glass doors.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />This is what the kitchen looked after the fire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the entire house was gutted. This is the kitchen area.</td></tr>
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When planning our kitchen we worked with <a href="https://www.ansonfillerupdesign.com/">Anson Fillerup Design</a> to create the initial design. We decided to eliminate the wall between the kitchen and living room and put in a large beam to stabilize the area. Peter came to our home, took extensive measurements, and crafted a design that was aesthetically pleasing and practical. He has a genuine gift for visualizing spaces and transferring them to sketches that I could understand. We refined the design and analyzed the use of every single cupboard, shelf, and drawer with custom cabinet maker, Lisa Turner of <a href="http://www.moderncabinetco.com/">Modern Cabinet Company</a> based in Poughkeepsie, New York. They have their own factory and create the cabinets on site.<br />
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Our top needs for the kitchen were: adequate cabinet storage for cooking supplies and food, functional layout that accounted for our use of the space, and adequate space for a large table to seat our entire family. Additionally, I wanted the space to feel light and airy without being so large that it was overwhelming.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Final Design!</td></tr>
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We had a major hiccup in our design when we realized that the refrigerator we ordered was too large for design. With a lot of thought, we flipped the island from a vertical orientation to horizontal and switched the refrigerator with one of the pantry cabinets.<br />
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I wanted grey painted cabinets and chose Benjamin Moore Pearl Grey for the color. I love it because it is quite light but is different from the typical white kitchen. I feel like this is a classic design that is fresh and modern. The island is painted Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154). I chose this before everyone and their dog started doing this, lol! We opted to put trim on the beam between the kitchen and living room. I like it because it visually separates the spaces while still keeping everything unified.<br />
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I did not want tile on the floor because I feel tile is hard on my back. The floor is hardwood and is stained red mahogany. The handles and pulls came from Home Depot.<br />
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We have a huge pantry area that makes my baker's heart sing.<br />
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All the appliances are GE Profile. The counters are quartz. We chose a concrete grey from Ikea for the grey cabinets and purchased them during the annual kitchen sale. We purchased the white quartz with grey veining from a local stone dealer in Cortlandt Manor, NY. We opted for quartz countertops because they are so durable and require absolutely no additional sealing and maintenance. I love how easy they are to clean and that actually look clean when I wipe them down.<br />
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The island light comes from Wayfair. I love the low profile of the light! The island chairs come from Ikea. They are sturdy, attractive, and easy to clean. The island has a stand for my KitchenAid mixer and comes out to counter height. We have racks for bakeware. We also have two large deep drawers where we put kitchen appliances. The other side of the island has a small bookcase for my cookbooks.<br />
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We have a deep single bowl sink from Kraus. I don't remember where we ordered the faucets from. The faucet on the left is for filtered drinking water (with an RO filtering system) because we use well water. We have a trash compactor that we love as it reduces the volume of our trash significantly and is easy to use.<br />
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The backsplash is a classic white subway tile. We used that because we had a surplus of tile from the bathroom and I thought it worked well with the kitchen.<br />
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I love my kitchen. It is a dream to use for baking and cooking and a dream to clean. We have deep dish drawers right by the dishwasher which makes putting away the dishes so easy and fast.<br />
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Any questions or comments? </div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-59120498574177363722019-02-10T11:16:00.003-05:002019-02-10T11:16:40.536-05:00The Strength of a Small Community<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently, my <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/realestate/putnam-valley-ny-quiet-rustic-and-old-timey.html">little town in New York was featured in the New York Times</a>. The article touted the lakes, beautiful forests, good schools, and affordable homes. It forgot to mention the community spirit, but how could a real estate reporter cover that? It takes living in this community, experiencing firsthand that generosity and participating in acts of community generosity to fully understand the power of this community.<br />
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We moved to Putnam Valley five and a half years ago. I honestly didn't think much about the community until we were confronted with their generosity during and after our house fire. Here are some ways the community reached out to us: neighbors provided places for us to stay, diapers and clothing were immediately donated, so many clothes were donated that each of my six children was fully outfitted for school that fall, thousands of dollars were donated to our family to help us get back on our feet, each of the school principals contacted us to assess immediate and long-term needs, people have listened to us and consoled us, my neighbors have been so patient through the rebuilding process, the post office has bent over backward to help us keep our mail situation under control, we continue to feel the town's love, support, and sympathy for us as we finish rebuilding our home. I cannot think or talk about these experiences without openly weeping. We were so overwhelmed with gratitude at the kindness and generosity extended to our family.<br />
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But this isn't unusual for our town, not by a long-shot. Here are some of the things that our town has done to help others over the past 2 years:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Provided support through money and assistance to the family of a 4th grader who was killed in a car accident.</li>
<li>Provided support through money and assistance to the mother of a 5th grader who was killed during the terrible March storms of 2018.</li>
<li>Provided assistance and help to a veteran whose roof had been damaged from the March 2018 storms and whose insurance wouldn't cover it.</li>
<li>Wore purple and had a special day to support a young girl who has a rare genetic disease.</li>
<li>Two local mothers gathered donations to help a large family with multiple small children for Christmas.</li>
<li>Each year the elementary school gathers donations to send care packages to deployed service men and women.</li>
<li>Each year the elementary school gathers specific donations to provide several full Thanksgiving dinners for local families.</li>
<li>Recently a senior at the high school died in a tragic accident. Students created t-shirts in his honor and each of the sports teams purchased and wore those shirts at their final athletic events. The money from the shirts was donated to the family. Homes all around the valley were lit in blue to honor this young man and his family. A go-fund-me account was established and the goal was quickly met.</li>
<li>When one of the 4th-grade teachers had a severe infection on her brain stem, meal trains were established along with other concrete actions to serve the family--despite the fact that they lived in a different town.</li>
<li>People are often quite generous in donating time, money, and talents for local fundraisers.</li>
<li>All three schools have several events and activities dedicated to helping others in significant ways.</li>
<li>Neighbors rescued a man who had fallen through the ice at a local lake.</li>
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I could go on and on. When someone is in need or in crisis, our town steps up. We aren't perfect by any means, you should see the squabbles and fights about cell-phone towers, school budgets, property taxes, etc. But when push comes to shove, if you were in trouble, the town you would want to be in would be my town. </div>
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I have relayed my experiences to friends in Sweden and family in Wyoming. They have all been astonished by the support and love we received. New Yorkers have a tough reputation, justly earned. But underneath that gruff exterior, usually lies a heart of gold.</div>
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Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-11027292104047631932018-12-31T17:51:00.000-05:002019-01-01T16:02:26.216-05:002018 in Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy New Year!!! I love to do these annual reviews as they give me much needed perspective about the year. The review also helps me decide what to focus on in the coming year. I know that I am looking forward to more routine and better habits in 2019 as this year has been filled with tremendous transition and upheaval. </div>
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My biggest wishes for 2019 are to return to our newly rebuilt home and develop structure, order, and routine into our lives so that we can move forward in tackling our dreams.</div>
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January</u><br />
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Started with gorgeous snow blanketing the earth and was probably our most peaceful, quiet month. </div>
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Josef and Jonathan finished their basketball seasons playing for the town leagues.</div>
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Peter Fillerup, of Anson Fillerup Design, visited us in New York and created a gorgeous and practical design for our house. </div>
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I finished the Self-Reliance course on Starting Your Own Business, which gave me invaluable tools in building my genealogy consulting business.<br />
Winter started preschool and loves it!<br />
Winter also turned 4 years old.<br />
Trent got a nasty impetigo infection on his forehead- leading to future outbreaks in his siblings throughout the year.<br />
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<u>February</u><br />
I went to Madrid with two of my favorite people in the world, Christine and Laurel. It was wonderful to be back in Europe and to explore a new-to-me country.<br />
Brent and I celebrated 21 years of marriage.<br />
Trent wrestled on his High School Wrestling Team.<br />
We had an uncharacteristically warm day in February which led to a blissful outing at the beach.<br />
I presented about writing a personal history to a local chapter of the DAR.<br />
We hired a contractor to rebuild our house.<br />
Brooke got impetigo.<br />
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<u>March</u><br />
A series of storms slammed the northeast and our little town was hammered. We lost power for over a week and the kids had snow days for several days. We spent a lot of time connecting as a family.<br />
Brooke marched in a St. Patrick's Day parade with her best friend.<br />
Josef held a chicken.<br />
Winter went on an Easter egg hunt with her friends.<br />
We hired an architect and tried to resolve a tricky septic issue with the town and we started working with a kitchen designer.<br />
I turned 41 years old.<br />
Jonathan performed in his elementary school production of "Knight at Dawn."<br />
Winter got impetigo.<br />
Walter competed at WESEF.<br />
Walter got accepted to BYU-Provo.<br />
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<u>April</u><br />
We visited Sweden, Norway, and Denmark where we visited our friends and went to all our favorite spots.<br />
We packed and moved to a new house.<br />
We worked on getting the permits approved for our house so we could start rebuilding.<br />
Winter had another bout with impetigo and the doctor gave us surgical scrub to stop the cycle.<br />
Brooke performed in her middle school musical, "The Wiz"<br />
Trent stuck a tiny piece of tape in his ear and I removed it myself instead of going to the ER.<br />
Walter competed at two other science fair competitions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDseTMsdFsJNwp1EnB8oyroiyoMFAKG8-npfoUS-2RvT6hvEHluwsX8YE-8E2jHIRk7SkYkQz0InT01ZR6fCuIuJmbrCO7T_CgoIkKfSBOyQCMZVykuMnZkOtNBYXAxnsqElyLFlrvQs4/s1600/2018-12-31+15.49.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDseTMsdFsJNwp1EnB8oyroiyoMFAKG8-npfoUS-2RvT6hvEHluwsX8YE-8E2jHIRk7SkYkQz0InT01ZR6fCuIuJmbrCO7T_CgoIkKfSBOyQCMZVykuMnZkOtNBYXAxnsqElyLFlrvQs4/s400/2018-12-31+15.49.14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>May</u><br />
We tried to settle into our new rental and hoped that work would commence on the house.<br />
I got a KitchenAid stand mixer I dubbed Martha.<br />
Brooke, Winter, and I drove to Kentucky to visit two of my sisters.<br />
My husband's sister and her family visited at the end of May.<br />
We went to our first ever professional baseball game--we saw the Mets.<br />
Jonathan and his 3rd grade class visited Hammond Gardens.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGysuqXNHhyu79KXoLgwsYydsDOUmejFDKkOafXhflhyphenhyphenIShZP885b819L4PNJmtsLq36EkZRzWySnrow1Vuw-jAQjKvEkftVZZQzyF4mbJiKSsWqxgKexLhh_nYWTKrqDZDTEp898HmT0/s1600/2018-12-31+15.45.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGysuqXNHhyu79KXoLgwsYydsDOUmejFDKkOafXhflhyphenhyphenIShZP885b819L4PNJmtsLq36EkZRzWySnrow1Vuw-jAQjKvEkftVZZQzyF4mbJiKSsWqxgKexLhh_nYWTKrqDZDTEp898HmT0/s400/2018-12-31+15.45.45.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>June</u><br />
They started working on the house.<br />
The septic guy redid our septic system.<br />
Josef graduated from 8th grade.<br />
Walter went to prom and graduated from high school.<br />
The 2017-2018 school year ended.<br />
Winter went to her first swimming lesson.<br />
Brooke attended New Beginnings in anticipation of joining the Young Women Organization in August.<br />
Brooke and Josef started practicing for swim team.<br />
Walter and Josef went to scout camp.<br />
Brooke went to her first Girls Camp.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhpyeZMwDOzg9FIIo7H_LKpFhNF9DRENEZ96sdXtVcHZ43mQzxdUPcmO8d0UN5Tp8-uhWImNC7PREdghyaxPPClYKKIC8lx2ztFz375A62H3F1aIFCIXXZGe_BcHLTFdJpUjGD2njulk/s1600/2018-12-31+15.43.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhpyeZMwDOzg9FIIo7H_LKpFhNF9DRENEZ96sdXtVcHZ43mQzxdUPcmO8d0UN5Tp8-uhWImNC7PREdghyaxPPClYKKIC8lx2ztFz375A62H3F1aIFCIXXZGe_BcHLTFdJpUjGD2njulk/s400/2018-12-31+15.43.44.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>July</u><br />
Brent and Jonathan went to Wyoming for Independence Day.<br />
We couldn't renew our lease and had to start looking for new housing.<br />
We went to the beach as much as we could.<br />
Work on our house was very, very slow.<br />
I had a mini breakdown in the middle of the month because I was exactly in the same place a year ago: my house was still burned down, we didn't have a place to live in September, and my son was still struggling badly with depression.<br />
The 3 younger kids and I drove to Wyoming with stops at Wall Drug and Mount Rushmore. We went camping with my sisters and parents.<br />
Trent turned 17.<br />
Josef turned 15.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmxa6BnU3MCt8Rg3ksO0J2OUrdozHtYRU5FkD4dKgOvU2WV5nfwiraCqN4cZqZlkOdoJNAhNgvOK9BV2AAFtbJb_S8ZnDa6TzZUluR-FID6oD0LDVK-YHLTsni-p172yIfgCnpRzEtpU/s1600/2018-12-31+15.41.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmxa6BnU3MCt8Rg3ksO0J2OUrdozHtYRU5FkD4dKgOvU2WV5nfwiraCqN4cZqZlkOdoJNAhNgvOK9BV2AAFtbJb_S8ZnDa6TzZUluR-FID6oD0LDVK-YHLTsni-p172yIfgCnpRzEtpU/s400/2018-12-31+15.41.08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>August</u><br />
Walter and Trent got their wisdom teeth removed.<br />
We attended Brent's niece's wedding in Utah.<br />
Brent was called and ordained to serve as Bishop of our ward.<br />
We prepared to move, again.<br />
I went on a quest to find a bed I could sleep on without suffering.<br />
Brooke went to the temple for the first time.<br />
My son was able to get some much needed treatment for his depression.<br />
I took two trips to Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth, PA to do on-site family history research.<br />
We went to the beach and Six Flags.<br />
We enjoyed the Dutchess County Fair.<br />
We negotiated a new lease and didn't have to move, hallelujah!!!<br />
Walter left for his Freshman year at BYU-Provo. Brent flew out with him to get him settled.<br />
Brooke turned 12.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDz9bX1hh0Na0mY_NQGud9L3MrjVVD16YD_4ZVeVMvGqOpbAsmZORpxF5iwwKxb7ZabXaLnHmPmsGNHkk3P26w4naNii6-tsz30Bg0ToxLGgpqj9s6benJSJW6drdbwO4FaDAoJPqSZeY/s1600/2018-12-31+15.37.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDz9bX1hh0Na0mY_NQGud9L3MrjVVD16YD_4ZVeVMvGqOpbAsmZORpxF5iwwKxb7ZabXaLnHmPmsGNHkk3P26w4naNii6-tsz30Bg0ToxLGgpqj9s6benJSJW6drdbwO4FaDAoJPqSZeY/s400/2018-12-31+15.37.39.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>September</u><br />
All the kids started school: Winter (preschool), Jonathan (4th grade), Brooke (7th grade), Josef (9th grade), Trent (11th grade), Walter (university).<br />
I went to Nashville for a scrapbook retreat and made some new wonderful friends.<br />
I visited Wyoming for a quick weekend.<br />
Trent PASSED his driving test and is now a fully fledged driver!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNJNwqBFUuLVcPcvwor8Fe3aysQwa4a8iOdk2P0X79oiY_zpN03a9nwlc28Pe4aAhBnyITh1fkkAGzNR_tSNW7NGBQQurrrvflFlPH_fkN3QbCeUdM_5-2mvF-xAZG2vmEc9FMz7Dcuk/s1600/2018-12-31+15.35.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNJNwqBFUuLVcPcvwor8Fe3aysQwa4a8iOdk2P0X79oiY_zpN03a9nwlc28Pe4aAhBnyITh1fkkAGzNR_tSNW7NGBQQurrrvflFlPH_fkN3QbCeUdM_5-2mvF-xAZG2vmEc9FMz7Dcuk/s400/2018-12-31+15.35.31.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div>
<u>October</u><br />
Brent had PRK surgery on his eyes to correct his very, very bad vision.<br />
The kids visited their dad at IBM for a full day of learning and activities.<br />
Jonathan was chosen to work on the Safety Patrol.<br />
Winter wrote letters to her cousins with elaborate drawings and stories.<br />
Walter turned 19.<br />
Jonathan turned 9.<br />
Winter and I visited the Botanical Garden in New York City.<br />
Brooke dressed up as Pliny the Younger and her friend dressed up as Mount Vesuvius.<br />
Winter dressed up as Rapunzel (because the dress was purple) for Halloween.<br />
The rebuild of our house actually started to pick up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPdC8EJD6dgccG5DTGLr3vlvBMBBsK7EKV9hnkHU6JKioKS6qLMGEpWisCcBJd_-mg-lWLWlbVMpxUaxpfNhALf2WIYspNHsvtJ9Ys9KefiMDUB1byoFRzGasLR7vce1xZv_95HcIrzA/s1600/2018-12-31+17.29.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPdC8EJD6dgccG5DTGLr3vlvBMBBsK7EKV9hnkHU6JKioKS6qLMGEpWisCcBJd_-mg-lWLWlbVMpxUaxpfNhALf2WIYspNHsvtJ9Ys9KefiMDUB1byoFRzGasLR7vce1xZv_95HcIrzA/s400/2018-12-31+17.29.09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>November</u><br />
I was sick all month with a bad cold and sinus infection, and then I suffered from some side effects of the antibiotics.<br />
I went to the Met Opera for the first time with friends.<br />
Brooke and I went to a Christmas craft activity.<br />
I did a lot of genealogy research on my own family.<br />
Trent and Josef went to the Harvest Ball.<br />
I finally figured out that my design style is Scandinavian.<br />
We tweaked our kitchen design and made more choices about the house.<br />
We went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for Thanksgiving with two of my sisters and their families.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6uxWFCO9yod_5j0fVetSxMQdqOTw2lFr00GXCjES0uGwtOj77MYBqbZorIZ0Zmd0yQR_gbe8gVe0CfQ9YO_a3XqdoItpYn_iAmfcEFpc76YqhvzBgumqVJpzXpnUzzQRpxVH9PBP-XY/s1600/2018-12-31+15.30.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6uxWFCO9yod_5j0fVetSxMQdqOTw2lFr00GXCjES0uGwtOj77MYBqbZorIZ0Zmd0yQR_gbe8gVe0CfQ9YO_a3XqdoItpYn_iAmfcEFpc76YqhvzBgumqVJpzXpnUzzQRpxVH9PBP-XY/s400/2018-12-31+15.30.56.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>December</u><br />
More house preparations and finally getting ready to move.<br />
Lots of Christmas preparations.<br />
I discovered a new author-Susanna Kearsley.<br />
We celebrated Advent and worked on a beautiful book about Jesus Christ throughout the season.<br />
Winter was the most beautiful Lucia girl and we celebrated the holiday at her preschool.<br />
Brent and I had a much-needed getaway.<br />
Tile, trim, paint!!!!<br />
We had a big PTSA fundraiser.<br />
Brent and I attended Handel's Messiah at the Carnegie Hall which was performed by Musica Sacra.<br />
We attended some wonderful Christmas parties full of music and friends.<br />
Some of the kids went with Brent and me to NYC for a wonderful Christmas Eve.<br />
We had a fantastic Christmas.<br />
We went ice skating as a family and then absolutely crushed an escape room.<br />
Brent celebrated his 43rd birthday!<br />
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<br />
So there you go, a super crazy, stressful, busy, adventurous year. </div>
</div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-91939048520332134592018-06-07T16:24:00.002-04:002018-06-07T16:24:57.153-04:00Thoughts on a Late Spring Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Right now my yard looks like this with a big gaping hole, a mangled old (and holey) septic tank, and a small excavator working its magic. I'm familiar with the look of dug up dirt, tracks from machines, and the earth torn up from my dad's work as a dirt contractor building roads and bridges when I was a kid, to now working at a gypsum mine. We are putting in a new septic tank and fixing some problems in the system so that it will function well and efficiently once our house is rebuilt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACvIzw0q1U65nHQ6R_0T0BIGI2DcsYsGPEwyik7WQnjJkphzEi-KHJzfTPZajQn852j1HtPI0QftB7LrVKuSbpQckr61xqsVEhp8FAFiCgENzsfT7fCsvL3j3yG51IIq3gNa8mnZUUV8/s1600/2018-06-06+17.30.32+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACvIzw0q1U65nHQ6R_0T0BIGI2DcsYsGPEwyik7WQnjJkphzEi-KHJzfTPZajQn852j1HtPI0QftB7LrVKuSbpQckr61xqsVEhp8FAFiCgENzsfT7fCsvL3j3yG51IIq3gNa8mnZUUV8/s320/2018-06-06+17.30.32+HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Speaking of my house, a lot of work has been done already. Most of the inside has been framed. We've picked out the most essential pieces of the bathrooms so the plumbing can be installed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfnKa1xfEZ7S2bPzo2d8UPh9m7BFtviu2y2yOj4Svz-eoILue_kkQdOrlurGkkotkrRugjZ2sob_9eY-ZOg9UZ0veMl8tFH3BvL86CDWlsP3lRuqKL_CeYiBYdbTHOLRZkzhAyZGhmFc/s1600/2018-05-26+14.41.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfnKa1xfEZ7S2bPzo2d8UPh9m7BFtviu2y2yOj4Svz-eoILue_kkQdOrlurGkkotkrRugjZ2sob_9eY-ZOg9UZ0veMl8tFH3BvL86CDWlsP3lRuqKL_CeYiBYdbTHOLRZkzhAyZGhmFc/s320/2018-05-26+14.41.09.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm starting to think about paint colors and other details that need to be decided. After all these months of waiting and stress, this is really starting to feel real.<br />
<br />
My yard is a total mess with overgrown grass, trees, and bushes that need to be trimmed, and branches that need to be cleaned up. I love my yard and hate to see it suffer. But next year I will be able to tend it properly and make changes there.<br />
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In the meantime, the peonies were generous this year and are bringing me joy in my temporary house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp6Vib-yZvAmcypIw3HDLkiPBkPJokM-oEgxK8s8Ny0qATNMvDugQGVT1enEBrz4jeM8Rc3pI_JLBskrE_waFNGfwr6c-o3zip0lgIc30DubFfUW_5iP2pMWr92i82vf10iBo-Jo-GZw/s1600/2018-06-07+14.44.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp6Vib-yZvAmcypIw3HDLkiPBkPJokM-oEgxK8s8Ny0qATNMvDugQGVT1enEBrz4jeM8Rc3pI_JLBskrE_waFNGfwr6c-o3zip0lgIc30DubFfUW_5iP2pMWr92i82vf10iBo-Jo-GZw/s320/2018-06-07+14.44.03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-72241558734735537912018-05-10T13:55:00.002-04:002018-06-07T16:14:10.044-04:00I Was Totally Wrong <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been doing this parenting gig for 18 years. With six kids ranging in ages from 4 to 18, I have a pretty decent amount of parenting experience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7n8bMnUN5y5HJnSIaYtQDWElEsdQ81Pb9Cz7pEinvMiUgmBF3ftf0bRejPwCtvWxBxbzArrT3IOEGMFgDCMjhTN0uTWsCXI4GN-MYQY8PYz_sKfXCBmFlIXU9epqJq62BAU0au02gm0/s1600/2017-11-05+10.44.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7n8bMnUN5y5HJnSIaYtQDWElEsdQ81Pb9Cz7pEinvMiUgmBF3ftf0bRejPwCtvWxBxbzArrT3IOEGMFgDCMjhTN0uTWsCXI4GN-MYQY8PYz_sKfXCBmFlIXU9epqJq62BAU0au02gm0/s320/2017-11-05+10.44.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I have had this idea or expectation about parenting that I was supposed to: a) protect my kids from harm and b) teach my kids so they would make good decisions and go down a good path.<br />
<br />
Turns out I was totally wrong. I definitely think that parents should protect their kids and teach them good principles. BUT, I can't realistically protect my children from every harmful thing (physical or emotional) and I certainly can't control my children's choices. Heck, I can't even make my son turn in his chemistry lab. For a while, I've been beating myself up about my parenting weaknesses, failures, and mistakes. I guess I'm really good at the self-flagellation thing, but it is a horrible space to occupy mentally and can be really hard to recover from.<br />
<br />
So here is why I think I'm wrong about how I viewed parenting. The truth is my job as a mother is to love my kids unconditionally, help when they get hurt (physically, emotionally, or spiritually), and to help my kids figure things out whatever choices they make. It's a relief to reframe my responsibilities in that way. First, I am really good at loving my kids. Second, I am good at helping when they get hurt. Third, I have enough life experience to help my kids navigate their choices.<br />
<br />
The way I have approached parenting up till now is fear-based which is completely exhausting. Trying to protect one's kids from everything means living in fear constantly and coming up with every scenario and then creating solutions or plans to avoid the pain. Fear is also the primary motivator with ensuring my kids make all the right decisions. That doesn't allow them to grow.<br />
<br />
I don't think I really was abiding by the original parenting philosophy but I sure was beating myself up when things went wrong, as they inevitably do. I think my second approach is better because it frees me up to do what I do best.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Have you ever looked at parenting the way I used to? What do you think of your role as a parent? Is it fear-based?<br />
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<br /></div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-6810374353239914032018-05-03T13:34:00.000-04:002018-05-03T14:24:42.626-04:00You Have to Adapt With Parenting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the ongoing struggles in my life is the health/emotional struggles of my oldest son. For several years he has dealt with never-ending migraines. He is also coping with stomach and joint issues. We have been to so many doctors and have spent so much money on tests and medication. Nothing has really worked. Part of the problem is that he hasn't tried very hard or been diligent to follow through with the suggested treatments or ideas. I worry constantly if he can manage college in the fall if he can hardly get out of bed to go to high school. Sometimes I get so angry with him and with the situation. I tend to say and do stupid things to him in my frustration, which is a bad parenting strategy, by the way.<br />
<br />
Last year my son had a total mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual breakdown. It was terrifying to watch and experience. I don't think I have ever cried so much in my entire life than at that time. I felt like a total failure as a parent and I blamed myself for the problems he was having. Our relationship was horrible, full of conflict and difficulty.<br />
<br />
After our house fire, things actually got better, but I have no idea why. Maybe we all recognized what we could have lost and just kind of reconfigured things from there. I still feel like much of relationship with him is still very tentative and tenuous.<br />
<br />
A couple days ago I was venting my frustrations/worries/fears to my husband and told him that I felt if our parents were in this situation things wouldn't be the way they are. My husband reminded me that our parents had different challenges with different successes and failures.<br />
<br />
Today I was listening to a podcast with a woman whose teenage son committed suicide. She was talking about learning from the experience and how to be a better parent. Then she said something her therapist told her. He said in a fight or conflict, lean toward the relationship. That may mean lowering expectations or changing how we parent but always work on the relationship. She also said that things are really different right now and are changing so rapidly that we have to adapt to the times to survive.<br />
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Hearing that just took off the bricks of shame I've been carrying. I'm parenting and trying to parent in the best way I can. Of course, I make mistakes that my children have to suffer for. I can't parent the way I was parented because times are different and the kids are different. I'm trying to adapt and change as the situation demands. I feel a lot better about some of the decisions I have made.<br />
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I want to strive to look at parenting, not as something I do perfectly without mistakes, but as a journey where I learning and adapting. And above all, loving my kids as fiercely as I can.<br />
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Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-65895028356540960032018-05-02T13:10:00.000-04:002018-05-02T13:37:01.387-04:00It's True, I Am a Total Mess, But I Keep Showing Up Anyway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometimes I feel shame and embarrassment that I feel so much frustration about my life and the way it has gone over the past two years. I don't exactly exude serenity or calm resignation. I want to be facing these challenges that continue to baffle me with more grace and calm.<br />
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I was beating myself up yesterday about my response and feeling terrible about how I am failing everywhere. My mind did a bang-up job of internally enumerating every flaw and failure and went on an epic bout of beratement. At the end of which, I felt absolutely terrible and a total mess.<br />
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Somehow, miraculously, a thought penetrated the dark fox later in the day:<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Yeah, it is true, I am a total mess, but I keep showing up anyway.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></b> I'm still showing up as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, and human being. I make dinner, wash laundry, scrub toilets, check homework, take kids to practices, attend school performances and games. I still hug and kiss my husband and we work through our problems, even when are both overwhelmed and exhausted. I still show up for my church responsibilities and also try to be helpful and kind to my friends. I have mourned with grieving friends who have lost parents or family members. I still volunteer at school, even if it is at more minimal level. I try to look for things to be grateful for.<br />
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The way I am feeling about my life and the challenges I cope with on a daily basis is pretty normal. It's normal to feel frustration when building permits are delayed. It's normal to be angry and exhausted having to do another temporary move. It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed and sad thinking about where I want to be versus where I am. It's normal to feel fear and anxiety about parenting. And actually, considering everything we have gone through so far, I'm doing really well and I have handled it with courage and grace.<br />
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All those feelings are normal and it is totally fine that I am feeling them. But I'm not allowing my struggles to prevent me from living. Maybe it's not my best life right now, but I'm still moving forward.<br />
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I am being adaptable and flexible, allowing these events to shape me to be a better human being. I feel a hundred times better thinking that, I'm a total mess, but I keep showing up anyway.</div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-53580034217494041112018-04-11T15:32:00.000-04:002018-04-11T15:32:14.176-04:00Why Our House Isn't Rebuilt Yet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
These days when I mention our house fire people ask, somewhat startled, why our house isn't finished. It is a long story and one that gets tedious repeating (partially because it is so frustrating-having lived through it). I also want to be better at documenting this so here is a summarized explanation.<br />
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One must understand that smoke seriously damages everything. While the actual fire was confined to one section of our house, the smoke did serious damage, ruining about 95% of our belongings. The entire interior of the home had to be gutted.<br />
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The entire process is rather involved and had to be taken in steps.<br />
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1) The personal property adjuster and his assistant went through the entire house with my husband and oldest son cataloging every single item in our home, making lists with value. Because we had replacement insurance, it meant they had to estimate the depreciated value of the items as well as estimate what it would cost to replace those items at current market value. However, that was a moot point as we maxed out our personal property claim. (Yay! We didn't have to save receipts. We could just buy what we wanted and needed, within reason of course.)<br />
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2) After all the property had been accounted for, a contractor was engaged who then did the demo on the house.<br />
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3) The fire started in the garage as a result of a rechargeable battery. Because the insurance company wanted to recover their loss, they decided to pursue litigation. A fire inspector was employed and the garage was left intact so he could access the damage and make the determination. Once the fire inspector made his recommendation to the insurance company lawyers, they (the lawyers) contacted the liable company. That company then had to send out their own fire inspectors to assess the damage and do their own investigation. Cue investigator and lawyer dickering. We weren't actually privy to any of those interactions because the investigation and lawsuit have nothing to do with us.<br />
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4) Once the investigations were concluded by all invested parties, the contractor did the garage demo and then cleaned the house.<br />
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5) Because we didn't know any contractors, the insurance company assigned us a contractor to get started on the work. This is where the situation got bogged down. This company took several months to draw up plans and an estimate without consulting us. We planned to make changes to the floor layout and wanted to provide input. The contractor didn't listen to us, despite us reaching out several times. Finally, just before Christmas, they set up a meeting, with full architectural drawings and a complete estimate for the house. It was an unhappy meeting as the contractor balked at the suggested changes and told us we were out of money to do anything else. After a couple weeks of discussion and consulting with a friend who builds high-end homes, we discovered the estimate had about $75,000 worth of additional profit sneakily written into the quote. We decided not to accept the contractor's bid.<br />
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6) Then we had to find a contractor. Using friend recommendations, we solicited a few bids and did our homework. Finally, we chose a contractor we thought we could work with who would listen to us.<br />
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7) We purchased our home as a four-bedroom house. We pay taxes on our house as a four-bedroom home. The room in the basement was so large that we wanted to divide it into 2 rooms. When we started investigating our septic system to see if that would be possible, we discovered that the septic system on the town records was only zoned for a 2 bedroom house. My husband spent a lot of time at the town and county offices trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, we hired a septic engineer to investigate the size of the tank. The truth is our septic system isn't quite up to code and while we were doing research, we realized that we might have to completely redo the septic system and dig a new well, something that would significantly eat into our building budget. Fortunately, we were given permission to do a workaround. We will have to install a new tank and some other things, but it won't be a totally new system, at a much lower cost.<br />
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8) Once that was resolved, we could move forward with hiring an architect to draw up the plans for the town. Fortunately, we met with a fabulous designer, Peter Fillerup, who owns Anson Fillerup Design, who made a gorgeous and practical design for our home. Armed with those plans, we worked with the architect to make sure everything was up to code. This took a while though as the architect was quite busy and didn't complete the plans as quickly as he should have.<br />
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9) We submitted the architectural plans to the town to receive the necessary building permits a month ago. We are still waiting for the permits but are told they should be ready this week. (Cue the angry face emoji). In the meantime, the contractor was given permission to get started. He started ripping out the ceiling and floor joists that were damaged by the fire.<br />
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So there you have it, the entire saga of why our house isn't rebuilt yet. This process has been more frustrating and traumatizing than the actual fire itself. It is really hard to be in a place of feeling like being in permanent transition never quite moving forward. </div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-75395207572314102552018-02-24T12:11:00.000-05:002018-02-24T12:11:04.102-05:00Madrid: Day 1 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This January, my friend Laurel emailed me and our friend, Christine, with the best idea. Laurel is an actress working on musical theater shows in London. She got a part in the opera, Street Scene, and was performing at the Teatro Real in Madrid. She had a flat for a month during rehearsals and the show run. "Come to Madrid," she said. "You can stay with me and we can explore the city."<br />
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I just didn't think it would be possible as we are trying to rebuild our house and I still have Winter at home. Brent was so encouraging and supportive and said that I should go. Christine and I booked tickets and eagerly awaited the trip.<br />
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On Thursday afternoon, Christine and I met at the JFK airport to fly the red-eye to Madrid. I haven't been in an airport by myself without a little person holding my hand in forever. It felt like a decadent luxury to walk through the airport shops without worrying about little hands breaking stuff. Our flight to Madrid was uneventful, though neither Christine nor I slept much.<br />
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We arrived in Madrid on Friday morning. As we flew over the mountains of Spain, it looked like the mountains and terrain of Wyoming with scrubby trees, rocky hills, and lots and lots of brown. Admittedly, Wyoming does not have Palm Trees, but otherwise, the two areas could be twins.<br />
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We grabbed a taxi that took us to Laurel's flat right in the heart of Madrid. The cab driver stiffed us on the price, which was a little irritating.<br />
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Laurel welcomed us to her second story flat and we dumped our luggage and ourselves on her couch, so excited to see each other. What followed was an epic girl talk/catch-up/therapy session. After hours of just hanging out, we decided to head out for some food.<br />
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Laurel's flat is right by Plaza Mayor, a beautiful square with shops and restaurants. We popped over to Mercado de San Miguel to try some gourmet tapas. First, we got a couple kinds or paella- seafood and sausage. We had some churros con chocolate, a fancy cheese tapas, and some cute yogurt shots (in shot glasses, but which did NOT contain alcohol).<br />
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After eating we walked around a bit, enjoying the sights. One thing that made me chuckle was the cereal bar restaurant, which apparently is a real thing.<br />
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We stopped at a couple small grocery stores to grab a few things. I found Kinder code eggs which I bought for my kids. They always got them in Sweden but can't buy them in the U.S. There are kinder eggs in the U.S., but the ones in Europe are different.<br />
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Laurel had to go to rehearsal and Christine and I were pretty wiped by then. Laurel left us and we went to bed. </div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-78891411754716729082018-01-01T17:49:00.004-05:002018-01-01T17:49:58.371-05:002017 Was a Year for the Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Holy Crap! What a year it has been! As I look back on the year, my primary emotion is relief that we survived and are moving forward. I only blogged a handful of times this year as life was so overwhelming and I could barely write about it, let alone process it. So here are a few highlights:<br />
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<b><u>Our Big Accomplishments</u></b><br />
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1. I took the online Genealogy Certificate course through Boston University.<br />
It was one of the best things I have ever done. I still love learning in a formal setting and this graduate-level course whetted my appetite for additional education. Not only did I absolutely love the research work but I learned that my instincts and research skills are pretty good. My final project was pretty amazing as I was able to uncover the story of a lost and forgotten ordinary Civil War soldier based on a letter he wrote that is housed in the Putnam County NY archive. Upon completing the course, I hung out my shingle for my own genealogy consultant firm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NY 44th Regiment Monument on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. George P. Read was a private in the NY 44th and fought in the battle on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863. This monument has George's name listed on a plaque with the names of his fellow comrades who fought there.</td></tr>
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2. Walter completed his Eagle project and earned his Eagle Award.<br />
Walter had a crappy year health-wise but still managed to complete his Eagle project. With a group of volunteers, he photographed each gravestone in a pre-Revolutionary War cemetery that was in desperate need of documentation. Then he led a team of volunteers in transcribing the information on the photographs. The photographs were printed and put in an album along with the transcriptions. This summer Walter's completed paperwork was destroyed in our stupid house fire so he had to fill all that out again. He barely made the deadline before his birthday in October. At the end of October, we held his Eagle Court of Honor where he received his award.<br />
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3. Jonathan turned 8 and was baptized by Walter.<br />
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4. Winter finally figured out how to use the toilet and we are now a diaper-free household.<br />
It has been almost 18 years straight of using diapers in our house so this is a BIG moment, perhaps the biggest of 2017.<br />
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<b><u>Travels</u></b><br />
We are still a traveling family, even if our travels are limited to the United States.<br />
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We went to <b><u>Gettysburg</u></b> over Independence Day and enjoyed watching a re-enactment and immersing ourselves in a pivotal moment in the history of the United States. While I had an amazing time, my offspring informed they are burnt out of doing historical things and would like to have more frivolous fun. (Ironic as I take them to fairs, carnivals, pumpkin picking, etc.)<br />
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I went to <b><u>Wyoming</u></b> with Winter in May and July. In May my sisters and I attended the temple with my youngest sister who went to the temple for the first time. In November, my sisters and I surprised my dad for his birthday. It was so good to be with all my sisters and parents.<br />
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We had a lot of fun in <b><u>New York</u></b> this year and I have gained a deeper appreciation for my adopted home state. Here are some of the places we explored: New York City, Jones Beach, Peekskill Civil War monument, Intrepid, the Adirondacks, Cold Spring, Untermeyer Gardens, Muscoot Farm, Dubois Apple Picking Farm....<br />
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After our stupid house fire, I took the kids to <b><u>Wyoming</u></b> for a month. We enjoyed visiting Yellowstone National Park, Thermopolis Hot Springs, Cody Nite Rodeo, Cheyenne State Archives, Old Trail Town, Petroglyphs outside of Ten Sleep, and experienced a 98.6% solar eclipse.<br />
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<b><u>The Stupid House Fire</u></b><br />
Our most pivotal moment occurred on Monday, July 24th, where a house fire wreaked serious havoc on our home and our lives. We lost about 98% of our physical possessions, the entire interior of our house has to be rebuilt from the studs up, and we are living in a temporary home. The process has been slow and there have been significant hiccups, but we are doing okay. My kids have been remarkably resilient, responding to the loss with courage and strength. I'm so proud of them. I don't know how or why, but Brent and I have been so blessed with extraordinary children. We have also been blessed with wonderful family and friends who showered us with love, support, money, clothing, food, furniture, pots and pans, scrapbook supplies, and help in every conceivable way possible. I'm sad about our losses and frustrated by the delays, but I know we are going to be okay. Most importantly, I am grateful that the children and I escaped the fire without harm and were even able to save the structure of our house.<br />
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I am so excited to be saying farewell to 2017 and even happier to say hello to 2018, the year our house gets rebuilt (cross both fingers and knock on wood). </div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-31710420309561680472017-10-20T14:06:00.001-04:002017-10-20T14:06:05.363-04:00The Blogosphere May Be Dead, But Blogging Is Worth It--Dang it!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started blogging in 2007 when our family moved to Israel for a short period while my husband conducted some collaborative Physics research with an Israel scientist. We lived in Rehovot, Israel at the Weissman Institute. I needed a way to share our adventures with people while recording them long-term for myself.<br />
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I kept blogging when we returned to Sweden and recorded the events of our last year living in Lund, Sweden. I blogged through our move back to the United States, recounting the mundane, tragic, and triumphant events of four years in New York. I closed the door on that blog when we moved to Saudi Arabia. It was a new chapter and I wanted a new home for our desert adventures.<br />
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For eighteen months I recorded the highs and lows of life in the Middle East. Many other women recorded their experiences much more eloquently and more insightfully, but my blog was personal and real. When we returned to New York, I felt like I had adequately recorded and preserved our lives in Riyadh.<br />
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Back in New York over the past four years, I write on my new blog sporadically. At one point, I blogged daily and then fell off the wagon as events spiraled out of control in my life with my children. I couldn't physically write because it was just so hard.<br />
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Today I went back to my original blog to pull some blog posts about a Happiness project I conducted. You guys, I loved reading my old posts. I am so glad that I recorded so much. I am glad I wrote essays about things I pondered. I shared personal things and challenges we experienced. I don't regret one blog post.<br />
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I am going to keep blogging, not perfectly or daily, but as much as the mood strikes me. Writing is good for me and I love the record that is made when I write. </div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-56960231374065939832017-10-15T16:24:00.003-04:002017-10-18T15:22:38.219-04:00Telling Your Story Prompts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I belong to this amazing Facebook scrapbook group called "The Scrap Gals" run by <a href="http://www.tracieclaiborne.com/">Tracie Claiborne</a> and <a href="http://www.tiffanylowder.com/">Tiffany Lowder</a>. Tracie and Tiffany host a weekly podcast called "<a href="http://www.thescrapgals.com/">The Scrap Gals</a>" where they discuss all things scrapbooking. They have a fun, easy rapport and laugh a lot as they talk about the importance of memory keeping. The conversations continue in their Facebook group as we talk about their podcasts and discuss challenges and triumphs of scrapbooking.<br />
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I have noticed that a lot of women struggle with scrapping their own stories. They wonder what they could scrap about if they don't have kids or if their kids are grown up. Sometimes their lives are relatively simple and they wonder if they have enough to scrap about it if they don't travel a lot. I have actually noticed this phenomenon for many years among the scrapbook community. It is easy to understand. A lot of women start scrapping when they marry or when they start having children. It kind of has the hallmarks of a mom hobby. Which is fine. I scrap a lot of stories about my kids and with six kids, I have a lot of fodder.<br />
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But I think the reluctance to scrap about oneself also stems from centuries and centuries of women's stories being repressed and ignored. Many women authors in the past had to publish under pseudonyms or anonymously to be taken seriously. Women's stories and contributions to history were all but ignored--unless they behaved "badly" or outside of the cultural norm. Even within religious texts like the Bible, women's stories are hidden. Even today, we have many instances where the experiences and stories of women are not believed-especially when it comes to sexual harassment and assault. Is it any wonder that women are reluctant to share their stories?<br />
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The other aspect of not telling one's story is the perception that one's personal story isn't important or valuable enough to tell. How many women have you met that have said, "I'm just a mom. I'm not very special. I don't lead a very exciting life. I just work at a normal job. Or I just feed and clothe my family." And the excuses go on and on.<br />
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I believe, so passionately, that every woman has an important story to tell about herself. Each woman has a unique set of circumstances and experiences that have shaped her into a distinct and important individual. I also believe in the importance and power of storytelling. I believe that storytelling affects generations and when we choose not tell our stories, we are depriving our family and friends of the wisdom and importance of our personal stories.<br />
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Back to The Scrap Gals facebook group. For the past couple of weeks, I have been posting a story prompt each day. I try to make these story prompts neutral so that everyone can share a story whether or not they are married or have children. It's my hope that they will motivate my fellow scrapbookers to see their lives as scrap worthy.<br />
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So far I have asked the following questions:<br />
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What are you good at?<br />
What is the best vacation you have ever taken?<br />
What traditions do you have for the fall season? Do those traditions vary from when you were a child?<br />
Are you a pet person? Do you have a pet or a pet story?<br />
Do you enjoy reading? If so what are some favorite authors or books you enjoy?<br />
What is a special friend you have never scrapped about? What makes/made your relationship important and special? Are you still friends? Why or why not?<br />
How did you get the job you have now?<br />
What is something you wish you knew about a loved one who has passed? And how would you turn that question around to yourself?<br />
Tell me about a time when you lost something like a competition, a race, or some object important to you?<br />
What is your Sunday routine?<br />
Have you moved a lot, a little, or never?<br />
Exercise and sports: how do you feel about those things? Like, love, or hate them? Did you do sports in school?<br />
What was your favorite toy from childhood?<br />
What was a favorite food you enjoyed as a child? What is the story behind it?<br />
What are you bad at?<br />
What is a lesson you learned from going through a challenge?<br />
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I have so enjoyed the comments and discussions our group has had. The stories have sparked so many memories and ideas for me. I plan to start making 6x8 Project Life app pages to answer these questions for myself. At the end, I should have an amazing book about my own life.<br />
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Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-84300534020491790332017-10-03T14:31:00.003-04:002017-10-18T14:56:28.754-04:0010 Tryon Circle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For two days we walked through a variety of homes for rent in upper Westchester County. Brent and I were eager to start our new life after living in Sweden for 5 1/2 years while he studied for a Ph.D. in Physics. With a new job at IBM, we felt like we were on our way. The first time we walked into the house at 10 Tryon Circle, we both fell in love. It was twice the size of our 700 square foot apartment in Sweden and was in a charming neighborhood. Even though the rent was high, we felt like it would be a good fit for our family. So we signed a lease and in a month moved our family of six (my kids were ages 8, 6, 4, and 1) into the house.<br />
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That first year in New York was unbelievably difficult. Trying to adapt to life in a new culture (even though it was my home country) was much harder than I anticipated. The cost of living with its impending necessity of serious penny-pinching, setting up doctors, helping my children adapt to a new country consumed all my time. I neglected my health and found myself in a serious health crisis with my thyroid.<br />
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On the heels of my thyroid crisis, which we stabilized, I became pregnant and spiraled down into another health crisis that was baffling to myself and the doctors. Unfortunately, we did not know I was pregnant because I continued to bleed at regular intervals during the first trimester. During this time, I discovered a lump the size of a golf ball in my neck. Alarmed, doctors ordered a battery of tests and my days were filled with doctor visits, blood tests, x-rays, and many questions. After a couple months we determined that I did not have cancer and we finally learned that I was pregnant.<br />
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During this time, I was incapable of functioning normally. I was so fatigued that I could not manage the normal demands of a growing family. I cooked only minimally and all too often dishes languished in the sink. My kids wrote on walls, threw their toys around, and the house was quite messy. I was also trying to potty train my daughter which added another messy layer to the situation.<br />
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In the midst of this, our landlord decided to place the home for sale. I cautioned him and his wife that I was really ill and pregnant and while I wanted to keep the house show-ready, I wasn't capable of keeping it in that condition. They said they understood, and I tried my best but wasn't able to manage it.<br />
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One afternoon we got home from church and my landlord left a very angry message on our voicemail. We returned his call where he screamed at my husband for 30 minutes. My husband finally hung up. He went into problem-solving mode and worked out a solution to the situation. He hand-delivered a letter with his proposal to our landlord's home, leaving it in the mailbox. Our landlord responded by calling us and threatening to call the cops on us if we ever entered his property again. This was such a bizarre situation. After his threat, his lawyer sent us an extremely threatening letter promising to sue us and claiming all sorts of damages that did not actually exist.<br />
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It was horrible. We felt scared all the time that he would show up and get violent. We contacted a lawyer to see what protection we could get. In the middle of this, I was recovering from my health issues, I was pregnant and hemorrhaging, and we had four young children.<br />
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In this situation, we did the only thing we could, we broke the lease and stopped paying rent. We found a new home and then paid a settlement of a few thousand dollars to the landlord. Before leaving the home, we cleaned it until it sparkled. He sold the house just a couple months later.<br />
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It was so scary and overwhelming. The landlord had no compassion or empathy for our situation or my health. If he had been smarter, we would have probably tried to buy that home because we were eager to settle into our own home. With ten years of experience, I still think the landlord was out of control and shouldn't have responded as he did.<br />
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I wouldn't choose to experience that again, but that moment was a catalyst for change. My children attended a better school in NY where the teachers were more understanding with my kids. It pushed us to accept an offer to move to Saudi Arabia a few years later. We also grew and matured from that experience, choosing rentals carefully and looking for landlords with considerable experience.<br />
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I still feel sadness and a tinge of fear, even 10 years later, when I reflect back on that experience. We don't ever drive by to see that house because those last months were colored with so much trauma and difficulty. </div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3325323651478677418.post-37802717739863147782017-07-29T18:52:00.001-04:002017-07-29T18:52:27.286-04:00And Then, Our House Burned Down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Monday evening, I started to fix dinner for my family. Halfway through, I went to my bathroom to grab something. (I don't even remember why). There were some grey wisps of smoke coming from the bottom of the sink cabinet. I was very puzzled, and started pulling out all the items in the cupboard to investigate. Nothing in the cabinet was on fire so I realized I needed to investigate in the basement. I thought perhaps our boiler was acting up. On the way to the basement, I mentioned to my son, Josef, that I thought we might have a fire. I was a little nervous, but wanted to get more information before acting.<br />
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I walked downstairs into our laundry room where our boiler is and saw more smoke, I crouched down to flip the emergency switch and then happened to look up. The door into the garage was cracked and I could see flames there. There was also a man in the garage shouting, "Your house is on fire!" There was a small fire on the workbench. He asked me to go get a fire extinguisher. Initially I agreed and started to get one, but my brain clicked on. I turned back and told the man that I had six kids and I had to get them out of the house right away.<br />
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I turned around and started running up the stairs, yelling, "The house is on fire! Get out of the house!" And then I dialed 911 and told the emergency service what was happening. I quickly ran through the house, turned off the stove and went outside. All my kids except Walter were gathered outside with the man who had been in my garage. I yelled, "Where's Walter?" and he came from the trees behind our house.<br />
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We were all startled and shocked as the fire amped up and explosions started happening. We moved farther away from the house and waited anxiously for the fire trucks to show. It felt like forever as the flames grew bigger, but eventually the trucks showed up and firemen jumped out and started getting their hoses ready.<br />
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It was so scary to watch. I cried in shock and fear as we watched everything happen. I called my husband and curtly told him the house was on fire and needed to come home right away. Later he talked to my son who assured him that we were all safe.<br />
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As the firemen worked I was hit with a ton of questions. First and foremost, they wanted to make sure that no one was still in the house. They also asked what kind of things we had in our garage. We answered their questions as they worked. They were very relieved that no one was in the house. Within 10 minutes they had the blaze extinguished and then worked on making sure there were no more hot spots in the houses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXZfrV_lAKpI8wo31V62SjlS5YdqUAKClmmZ9ZqZ8A4pXWuAD_Id4ZNrccwF8V7fyYLGplWiigwkYKb8zX-EEv1CKyOTAfRb2azS-VVTKy2hqGk95HPkedHS8OaUygiKJ4VHIeWIeWHg/s1600/2017-07-24+18.37.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXZfrV_lAKpI8wo31V62SjlS5YdqUAKClmmZ9ZqZ8A4pXWuAD_Id4ZNrccwF8V7fyYLGplWiigwkYKb8zX-EEv1CKyOTAfRb2azS-VVTKy2hqGk95HPkedHS8OaUygiKJ4VHIeWIeWHg/s320/2017-07-24+18.37.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My neighbors started showing up, checking on us, and offering us a place to stay. People called and texted and asked questions. Eventually my husband came walking up the road. He was stopped several blocks away and had to walk the rest of the way to the house. The kids and I were so relieved to see him.<br />
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Josef's friend, Sam, and her mother came to the house and asked if they could take the kids back to their house. It was getting late and we had no idea how long we would have to be there. We were happy to accept and the kids were taken care of.<br />
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We talked a little more to the man who had run into our garage when he saw the fire. His name was Michael Cola. He was kind to stop and help. He stayed with us most of the time. I got his phone number and plan to call him and send him a nice thank you.<br />
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Some of my friends that I work with on the PTSA for the high school called and checked on us and one of the women, Jenn Albano, started gathering donations, including diapers, for us. We had nothing but what clothes we were wearing. Half the kids had bare feet.<br />
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We waited for several hours as the emergency personnel worked. We answered so many questions. Eventually, two firemen took us through the house and let us grab a few things. It was really horrible. The house was covered in soot and debris. The firemen had knocked holes in the walls and ceiling and pulled out the insulation to check for any smoldering. Our home was totally unrecognizable. Brent and I searched all over the house for Winter's blanket and Jonathan's blanket. They both love their blankets and sleep better when they have them.<br />
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Then Brent and I got into my car, which was fortunately okay, and we went to pick up his car. We then drove to our neighbor's house to be with our kids. We had to shower right away because we had soot on our hands and arms. I was so shook up and couldn't stop shivering. It felt so good to get into a hot bath and warm up.<br /><br />That night, several bags of clothing and toiletries were dropped off for our family. Our community has been incredible. Donations are being collected of clothing and household goods. At some point, we will collect them and be able to use them. Several people sent us gift cards and money. We were bombarded with offers of places to stay.<br /><br />Brent and I discussed our situation. My parents and in-laws asked if the kids and I could go to Wyoming while Brent handled the details back in New York. The idea was very appealing because it would be a secure place to relax until we could figure out our future plans. But that had to wait until we found out more from our insurance company.<br /><br />The last few days have been a whirlwind of meetings. Several adjusters have toured our home and given their professional opinion about what needed to happen next. The good news is that the structure of the house is still in good shape. Unfortunately, smoke damaged all our possessions and very few items can be salvaged. We rescued a few things but the majority of our possessions will be replaced. The bad news is that it will take at least 7-9 months before the house repairs are completed. We are in the process of looking for temporary housing. We also learned that the fire was most likely caused by some battery chargers we had plugged in. We had Ryobi and Craftsmen battery chargers for tools like a cordless drill, leaf blower, weed whacker, etc.<br /><br />Our family feels extremely grateful to all our neighbors, friends, and total strangers who have reached out to us. Several of my children's school teachers, principals, and school staff reached out to us personally to ask about our needs and welfare. I didn't even realize how much we have become a part of the community.<br /><br />We are very sad about what happened, but feel so grateful that we made it out safely. Things can be replaced. It also feels good that so many people have reached out to us, making us feel wanted, loved, and cared for. With all that support, we are going to be okay.<br /><br />Several people have asked about my scrapbooks. They sustained smoke damage and have some soot on the tops of the pages. However, I think if I pull the pages out--the most important part--we can do some things to remove the smoke smell and preserve them. If we can't salvage the pages, I can always photograph what I made and have prints made. I have 10 years of photographs backed up digitally in a couple of places. I also photographed nearly every layout I made in the last five years. Additionally, my older photos were stored in secure plastic boxes, so I hope that most can be recovered.<br />
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<br /><br /><br />There were three news articles about our family and the fire. Most focused on Michael Cola and his role. He was very brave to stop and help and we are grateful to him. The only quibble I have is that I am the one who got my children out of the house and I had realized that we had a fire before I even saw him, but otherwise, the articles were okay.<br /><br /><a href="http://abc7ny.com/news/passerby-helps-save-woman-6-kids-from-putnam-valley-fire/2249592/">WABC 7 News</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/putnam/putnam-valley/2017/07/25/good-samaritan-loses-job-helps-family-flee-burning-putnam-valley-home/508570001/">LoHud.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://westchester.news12.com/story/35960685/hero-dad-saves-5-kids-woman-from-burning-house">Westchester 12</a></div>
Tiffany Wacaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08224661646987749451noreply@blogger.com4