Christmas Eve

Everyone arrived on the 20th.  We have been having lots of fun together.  Today we delivered cookies and mom and I slipped and fell.  I had to record the story because it is hilarious. 

We have four or five plates to deliver.   Joe, Rick, Mom, Sierra and I.  Haylee stayed home to chill.  She missed the show.  At house 4 of 5 we climb out of the van.  I walk around the front of it, mom in front of me, Joe behind us.  Before I know what has happened mom and I are both on the sidewalk, mom fell flat on her chest, arms splayed out to her sides, I have hit my knee and who knows what else.  Once we got over our shock we started to laugh.  Rick and Sierra jump out of the car to help.  Mom had a gift for our neighbors in a bag -they had let us borrow their guest bed- the bag is ripped the card is wet, the cookies are broken and we both have snow from one end to the other.  We get up laughing and trying to determine if anything is broken.  As we start to walk up to the house again, Joe says “Don’t tell them you fell!” I look at the wet cookie bag with broken cookies, moms ripped gift bag and both of us covered with snow and burst out laughing again.  How were we supposed to explain our appearance and the gift and cookies?  We laughed so hard we both almost peed our pants.  Our neighbors were understandning about us being snowy and wet.  We could not stop laughing for the rest of the day!!!!  Even now with a tweaked knee on the right and my dang tendonitis foot on the left, if I think about it for more than a second it makes me laugh.  We laughed so hard we cried.  Oh goodness.  What a sight we must have been!!  It was so funny.  Poor Mom is going to be bruised up one side and down the other tomorrow.  But we made A memory we won’t soon forget!!! What a day we have had!!  

Pics will come next week when I am laid up.  Night all!  

What in the world?

Lots going on so not much blogging happening.  I’ll catch up after Christmas. For now lots of shopping, cooking, prepping for the holiday and my upcoming surgery.  It has come time to say goodbye to my uterus.  She and I cannot be friends so out she goes. I spent Wednesday shopping, Thursday and Friday cooking so I could have some good freezer meals. Friday my left foot hurt some from being on it all day I assume.  Today I woke up with crazy Charlie horse like pain on the bottom and top of my foot, which came back from time to time throughout the day. I took ibuprofen and sally’d forth as that is what one does when one has a lot to do (also, where did that sentence just come from??) Anywho, we had Joe’s Christmas party tonight.  Super boring and long.  We got home changed into jammies and I cleaned up a bit more from what I didn’t finish earlier. As I sat and watched tv I could feel the muscles/ligaments in my foot and calf getting tight again.  I decided to put some heat on it. As I got in better light and looked closer my foot looks like this!.....

Hence the title of my post...what in the world???? 

I cannot touch that bump on the top of my foot.  It is super painful.  I am going to try to rest it tomorrow.  It is Sunday but I have approximately one million things to do between now and Thursday!  Wish me luck people!! 

December is going to go by fast

We have been doing the usual, school, work, stuff.  Lol.  I was supposed to feed the sisters yesterday but I forgot it is Chief promotion release week. That means lots of “stuff” to go to. Yesterday was the informal “Yay for you” celebration.  My good friend Amber, whose husband is a Chief, was selected for Chief this cycle!!!  She has spent the last year battling breast cancer so this news was extra sweet.  It was fun to hug her and cry some happy tears!! 

I am so thankful for this group of ladies!! L to R, Lisa, Laura, Amber, me, Jessica and down front Stephanie. We have fun together! 

Jack Frost lives in North Dakota!  The frost on the trees is stunning. The photos don’t do it justice. 






Last Saturday was the Chief Spouse Christmas party.  We had a great time!!  That morning I went with the Spouses pictured above (except Jessica) to the bath and body works candle sale, we went several other places and out to lunch. Girl time rocks! 

Sharon and I 

Us again with a photobomb from the beautiful Miss Kris. 

This was Friday night before the Team Minot Holiday social.  Did I mention December is busy? 

Making caramel!!!  My first two batches have been perfection!! 

The funeral for President George H. W. Bush was today, well the DC one.  It was wonderful to hear the funny stories and memories of those who were close to him. And it’s always fun to see our plane. 

In early 2006 Joe got to load President Fords casket onto the aircraft.  An amazing experience for sure!!

These cane in the mail today!  They are my surgery jammies.  :)  since I will be spending a couple of weeks on the couch I wanted something new to wear!  Haylee said they looked like I was in prison.  At least two weeks in the house might feel that way. Lol. And bonus they have pockets!!!  

Night friends!! 

Post trouble

I had a post all typed out for Thanksgiving and it wouldn’t publish!  I am getting back into my old habit of thinking I don’t have the time to do a proper update so I will wait until I do which just results in me not updating at all.  A quick update will have to do. 

One day last week I took Haylee to school. As soon as I got off base I realized I forgot my purse. Not a big deal unless you need your military ID to get back home.  Thank goodness Joe checked his phone and came to rescue me!  

For Thanksgiving we hosted two other families. There were 10 of us in all.  It was a wonderful day with lots of chatting and deepening friendships.  This is the only pic I took! 

The day after Thanksgiving Haylee and I went shopping.  It was great.  The weather was awesome and when I got home Joe washed the van.  That guy is my hero.  For real. 

He had also put up all the outside lights on the house.  ❤️ this porch tree is my favorite.  I love it more every year!! 



Decorating inside.  We got a new tree for this room since our other two are too tall. 

Haylee fluffing up the snowman tree. 

The America tree in the office.  It is beautiful.  

Our house, kinda. Not a great pic. You get the idea. 

The tree in the family room. Not bad for a 99.00 tree from Walmart!  

Sunday we got some snow.  Just a little, it looked fake! 

Like that stuff you would sprinkle out of a bag. 



It was COLD this morning.  

The Spouses Club decorates the club on base so I went and helped with that.  

It was a fun morning. 


Tomorrow we decorate the sports bar on base :) 

Busy Christmastime.  ❤️🎄❤️

Quick update....

Time is flying as per the usual during the holidays.  We

Have had a fun last week or so....

Joe and I hosted our neighborhood after Halloween Halloween party.  It was fun and didn’t get too out of hand.  It was a bit crazy but we had fun. Lol. You can only say that when you are the sober one in the group. 

We went to another craft fair Saturday and then to the zoo. Haylee has been dying to visit the zoo with snow. It snowed all day but wasn’t freezing. We have gotten good use out of our season passes. Cold weather makes for perfect rosy cheeks. 

The grounds are beautiful even more so covered in snow.

Haylee couldn’t wait to get out and play in it.  She is a kid at heart. 

FaceTiming my nephews almost every day.  Dean loves the auntie show. I sing lots of different songs and play hide and seek.  Today he was dancing up a storm while I sang “the wise man and the foolish man” it

was so cute. 

Found out that I made a boo-boo taking Haylee to the eye doc last week. It hasn’t been a year since her last exam.  That’s going to cost is some $$$ when the insurance denies the claim.  I felt bad.  Joe is once again the best not being upset and telling me if that’s the worst thing that happens today we are doing ok. 
I also went to the doc today for a lump I found on my right breast. It showed up looking like a bug bite the day I got my normal mammogram results in the mail. It has been there for about a month. Some days it seems like it isn’t there at all. It’s very small. I decided I better get it checked to be safe. Doc said she is 95% sure it’s just a small cyst but we are going to do an ultrasound to make sure. That will happen in the next week or two. I’m not worried about it.  But will be less worried when we get the ultrasound results lol. 

I am making a turkey and a ham for Joe’s Airman tomorrow. And we are hosting thanksgiving for two other families besides ours.  :) happy times at our home. 

And just like that she’s 17

Where does the time go?  I can’t even stand it!!  Yesterday she looked like this.... 




Why do babies have to grow up.  It’s just silly.  A few things about Haylee- 

*she is a keeper of justice, she likes rules and order in the works. 

*she has a HUGE heart and feels so deeply. It affects her negatively sometimes but overall it is a blessing. 

*she is quick witted, and funny.  Her comedic timing is on point. 

*she is weird, ha!  In a nerdy way and I love it!! 

*she loves to ice skate.  She would do that all day everyday if she could.

*she loves the gospel. She knows she is a daughter of God.  

*she suffers from anxiety. She is learning every day how to deal with that. 

*she loves to learn! Whatever she is passionate or curious about she will learn all she can.  

*she remembers everything!! 

*she is FIERCLY loyal.  If you are one of her people she will protect you til the end. 

*she does not participate in or tolerate gossip. About anyone, ever. 

*she has struggled with this move. She does not like change.  Overall, she is starting to adjust but it is not easy for her. 

*even though she likes order with rules and the line she is messy when it comes to things!  Lol.  Her room is always a mess.

*she is good at art, and pretty much anything else she puts her mind to. 

I am so glad she got to come to our family.  What would we do without her??? 

Other items from the week:  

My sister had her baby:  sweet Dennis Fisher DeForest was born on the 3rd at 9:29am.  He is a doll!! I asked her if I could have him but she said “no” so rude. 

In other news I FaceTimed with Dean tonight and he started doing the actions for “if you’re happy and you know it”!  Cutest thing ever!!! And he said my name!  He NEVER says it but tonight he said “A-ya” sweetie boy! 

I voted today.  Important!! 

I texted this pic to Joe while he was at work with the caption “just in case you missed seeing me” he texted back “always glad to see you”. He is the sweetest! 

On that note today was the first super wintery day.  It snowed lightly all day and the wind was blowing 30-45 MPH all day.  We took Haylee to dinner for her bday. Joe met us in town since I took her to the eye doctor and then went to parent teacher conferences. I let the car warm up for a minute after dinner and as I was almost back to base he called me 

J: are you coming?

Me: uh, yes. Are you ok?

J: I’m fine. Do you need gas in your car?

Me: no, filled it up this morning 

J: ok, see you in a few

That cute hubby of mine was going to wait for me at the gas station and fill my car up if it needed it so I wouldn’t have to be out in the cold!!  He is the BEST.  I don’t know what I did to deserve him but I hope I keep doing it!!!  

Last birthday pics :) 

Haylee with her root beer we got her that they carry on tap at JL Beers.  

Blowing out those candles on the free dessertS! We got. At longhorn tonight. The manager thought our steaks were over cooked (we said they were fine-they really were) and gave us all ice cream, that huge piece of cake, and a raspberry apple dessert thing to take home!  

All is well again.

Not much time to blog, still teaching seminary but tomorrow is my last day!  My sleep will be much improved. :)  Things are good.  Buzzing along like fall and the beginning of the holidays tend to do. 

A few pics from the last few days. 

Even the clouds in North Dakota love BYU :) 

When the nearest Costco is 4.5 hours away their online ordering rocks!! 

Haylee and I found acid washed jeans at target tonight.  Hello 80s!! 

I felt pretty fancy. Lucky Joe recognizes my amazing qualities quickly.  😂

Cause other days it’s this.......

Long day

Seminary went well.  It’s still surprising to me that I can teach a 45 minute lesson every day.  I am so thankful for an awesome lesson manual.  

I headed to see a doc in town to discuss a hysterectomy.  Sadly my uterus has decided not to be a team player so it is time for it to go.  I have some  large fibroids that have doubled in size over the last year. A doc recommended a hysterectomy a year ago but I was working and Sierra was getting ready to have shoulder surgery.  At the time my exact words were “ain’t nobody got time for that.” After finding out the fibroids had doubled in size and would continue to grow I decided I didn’t want to chance being on one of those medical shows having a 30 pound tumor removed.  Lol.  It was my first time meeting the doc today and I loved her!  I am going to wait until January or February (depends on Joe’s schedule) so I can enjoy the holidays.  

After that I went to a briefing for new senior leadership. It was fine. I briefed on being a key spouse. 

I got a text from one of the kids. It contained a bit of drama. So I took a chance and called Joe to see if he was free for lunch. He could hear I needed him -huhe blessing of being married so long- and thankfully his schedule was clear. I felt better after lunch and ran a few errands. 

The rest of the day was ok. My worry was in the back of my mind but they came to the forefront when I talked to my brother. It’s  hard to be far away and worrying.  I am mostly positive but today was a hard day. Parenting never ends.  I am thankful for the enabling power of the atonement and that I know my Savior knows the stresses of my heart.  I know when we are obedient All things work together for our good.  I will repeat that phrase over and over. 

My token picture of the day.  Errand running. It was another beautiful October day.  

Oh Canada 🇨🇦

This will be a less wordy update than usual :) I need to be quick and cover a lot and it is my bedtime so here ya go....

Four day weekend:

Thursday- Haylee and I got North Dakota drivers licenses. The wait wasn’t bad, my guy was nice, Haylee’s lady was crabby. (I may have blogged about that already lol) 

Friday - we got up early and grabbed our passports so we could head to Canada.  We didn’t have any place specific in mind as far as Canada went Haylee was just dying to say she has been out of the country. We went to the international peace garden.  International -yes.  peaceful -sure, we were the only ones there. Garden-not so much.  Lol.  We knew we were late in the season but had no idea where else to go near the border.  It was fun to stand right on the line between the US and Canada.  We left Haylee in another country!  Lol. On the way home we stopped in a little town, that starts with a B Bonniteau I think?, to eat. We found a place that called itself a family bakery with a cafe.  We all had roast beef sandwiches -DELISH! We bought a dozen doughnuts for the road and wished we had bought 5 dozen!!  Best doughnuts we have ever had.  EVER. The bakery is 80 miles from our house and I would consider driving there just for the doughnuts!! 

Joe and I in Canada, Haylee in the US

Beautiful birch trees all throughout.

DAM! 

The US side really is sunnier 🤣



There is a big path between the trees all along the boarder.  So cool!

Haylee is in two countries at once. 

The Canadian side had a 9-11 memorial.  I had to pee like crazy so we didn’t have time to check it out any closer. 

That little stream is the divider in this part of the park 

We are in Canada! The border patrol guy for Canada asked us a bunch of questions, A BUNCH! - one of them was “where are you going in Canada?” Us “we have no idea” him: ummmm ok, how long are you going to be here? Us:  15 minutes?  We really just wanted to drive across the border for a bit and go back.  I am sure he thought we were weirdos. 

Joe thought he could drive 100mph, um no, try 100klm per hour :) 

The best doughnuts EVER!!

Haylee strapped them in so they would be safe. 

Saturday Joe washed the van and got it all sparkly. I drove Haylee to a stake dance 2 hours away in Williston. It was a barn dance.  It was 3.5 miles down a dirt road.  😂😂😂 no more sparkly van.  Also, in North Dakota when they say barn dance.  They mean BARN DANCE....

Haylee and fun except for the fact we forgot she is allergic to hay.  There was hay all over the place, did I mention it was an actual barn? Lol. She sneezed the night away.  When she got in the car and we started talking about it we were cracking up.  Such a good memory. 

Sierra, HD and Kass are at Disneyland today. Sierra sent me this pic.  She is the CUTEST!!  


Wish I was there with them!!!