Fall 2021

Haylee had Covid the end of the summer, right before we headed to the farm!  Thankfully she was out of quarantine right as we headed out.  We picked up HD, Kass and Em and spent four days watching the sheep, taking tractor rides, finding frogs and lizards and playing together.  Em loved farm life.

Two days after getting back home Haylee and I drove back to Idaho.  I stayed for a week or so and then flew back home. Had fun cabin time and doing all the things. One funny moment to remember was I had given Emmett a bath in the sink while his parents were out kayaking.  I took him upstairs to get dressed again and as I’m putting on his diaper he says to me “Mimi, don’t touch my nipples it’s rude!” 🤣🤣🤣 I replied “for the record I was no where near your nipples and thanks for the tip!” Cracked me up. 

The end of September, my birthday to be exact, Joe got to take an incentive flight in the B52.  The first 30 minutes were amazing, when they let him fly the plane it was amazing. The other 5.5 hours he was flying he was throwing up and so, so, SO sick.  When he got home he could barely stand up.  I felt awful for him. He is so glad he got to do it but he would never do it again!  

October brought fun fall decorations and hanging our new Christmas lights! Which could also be set to several colors so when we had them flashing green the house looked awesome. Also attended my third spouses club murder mystery as Magnificent (aka Maleficent) and for the third year in a row I was the murderer!  Ha ha ha. It was so fun.

November we went to the Air Force Ball.  It was a beautiful event, it would turn out to be our last AF Ball though we didn’t know it at the time.  If I were writing about it then my memory would include that the base commander randomly got up and sang Crazy by Patsy Cline with the social hour saxophone player lol.  

We saw the best northern lights show ever!!  So thankful for that solar storm.  The colors were amazing!!  

At thanksgiving we headed back to Idaho to celebrate Christmas with the fam.  Both my siblings and their kiddos were there so our fam spent a few nights in a new Marriott down the road. The place was decorated like a hallmark movie and we were all fans of the continental breakfast and endless hot cocoa.  I brought wooden discs for everyone to do a thumbprint reindeer on.  It was fun and the kids loved it.  A fun keepsake for my mom. 

The night before the above pic was taken 



Us and the Claypool’s

Summer 2021

Summer 2021 will be the only thing in this post.  It’s a lot. Pics may or may not come later. 

-Change of command for the Cowley’s.  Aaron and Leslie and their girls became like family to us.  We were sad to send them to Utah. This brought a new boss for Joe Colonel Anderson and his wife Liz.  

-Sierra started dating someone new named Issac. 

-Took Pam and Vernon to the international peace gardens on the boarder of US and Canada. 

-Haylee came home in July and worked at the BX.

-Got a new position at work, became the inventory control associate. It was a promotion, a lot of hard work but I really enjoyed it.

-Our new friends the Claypool’s moved to Minot.  We became fast friends and really enjoyed our time there with them. 

-My dad came to visit. 

-I went to Idaho to take Haylee back for college. Easier dropping her off the second time but only a little. 

-lots of sunsets, the North Dakota state fair, loved it all.

Mother’s Day

I got to be with all of my kids this year!  I am so happy!  The last several years I have just had Haylee at home. :)  this morning we all went to church with Sierra.  She has had a hard time feeling like she is fitting in in Utah and hadn’t been to church since she moved to her bee apartment in February.  Today we took the whole fam, Joe included to the Orem 12th YSA ward.  Sacrament meeting was wonderful.  We met the bishop and the relief society President.  They were both awesome.  The relief society President said she would drive Sierra to church and sit with her if she wanted her to.  It was really sweet.  After church we had lunch and Sierra headed to work.  The kids were dying to hike so we went to grotto falls.  They said it was “flat” and “super easy” I am here to tell you that neither of those things proved true lol.  The hike was a lot uphill and had two precarious water crossings involving balancing on rocks and logs and trying not to fall in the creek/mud.  I got super grumpy at about the first crossing but the kids and Joe were patient and helped me cross.  I did better coming back even though half my foot/shoe got soaked in the water.  

Played with Emmett a lot when we got home.  Dang I love that kid!!!  He likes to “meet you” and so he comes up and says “what’s your name Mimi?” I must answer “Mimi” and then he sticks his hand out to shake yours and says “nice to meet you Mimi” if you don’t ask his name right away he instructs you to and then you meet again -reversing roles this time.  Sometimes during this game he takes time to meet himself and shakes his own hand. 🤣🤣. Hilarious.  I am so thankful for the time we have had with him. After that we had a lovely dinner.  Haylee impressed me by trying new foods and sort of liking them.  

Sierra texted she may be off around 8. Strange but hey that would mean we would see her tonight and in the morning before we left. We started watching Raya and the Last Dragon.  Super cute movie!  I saw 2/3? Sierra came over about 8:20. She came in and asked right away if she could take a bath because she wasn’t feeling well.  She threw up a few times while in the bathroom and was shaking like crazy and crying saying her stomach really hurt.  After trying to give her some fruit syrup for nausea and her throwing that up, I decided we needed to head to the ER. I suspected a bowel infection because she has had issues with those the last 8 months or so.  At the ER the doc suspected kidney stones.  They got her nausea meds and after what seemed like an eternity pain meds.  She finally settled down and rested for 10-ish minutes before they came to take her for a CT scan.  They needed to do contrast which always does weird things to Sierra pain wise.  Her body reacts so weird to stuff.  By the time she got back she was shaking like crazy and throwing up again.  10 minutes more went by and they got her more pain meds and nausea meds.  I hate when she comes here that they treat her like everyone else.  A person with EDS needs more meds than the average person.  They never take that into account.  It is super frustrating.  Like she doesn’t go through enough.  Anywho, she is resting again now and we are waiting for CT results.  Joe, Haylee and I are supposed to head back to Idaho in the morning but I suppose that depends on how Sierra does tonight. Thank goodness she is off work tomorrow.  I hate how hard her life is.  She really deserves a break and it seems that it is always one thing after another.  Big sigh.  Also, my dear friend Lana (who lives in Florida) is at this same hospital with her daughter Sierra.  Her Sierra was in a terrible accident a couple of weeks ago.  Lana and I texted tonight saying how we wished we could give each other a quick hug.  Her Sierra cannot be left alone right now and it was too late for me to sneak upstairs to hug her.  Life is hard.  Did I mention that already? Having a mortal body is no joke.  I need to take better care of mine. 

Here are a few pics from today. 

A year of Covid

One year ago, the world shut down. Schools closed. We bought all the things.  We stayed home.  We were scared.  So scared of the unknown. Then weeks passed, slowly at first but on they went. Work continued. Information was fast coming and even faster changing. No masks, masks. You are not safe. You are safe. Don’t go anywhere, get outside for your mental health.  A quick rundown of what I remember...

May- Haylee graduated. It was in person, outside, no family was allowed except parents. Lots of family watched on zoom.  I got emotional after she walked and many family and friends sent me texts with pictures of their screens showing they were watching and cheering.  It may have just been Joe and I in the stands but so many were there with us.

We celebrated Sierras one year accident anniversary. She sustained so much more than physical damage during that time.  She is still healing. Emmett turned one.  He was adorable and not walking. He took his time. :)  

June: We celebrated 20 years of marriage.  That’s a pretty big deal.  Joe is so good to me. He loves me no matter what. All the time. He supports me and ALWAYS does what’s right.  ALWAYS. He makes me laugh and just takes care of all of us. I am eternally grateful for him. 

July: we went to Missouri.  Joe’s mom had gotten so sick (not Covid) and we needed to go and see her. We visited the farm and spent a few days in warrensburg with our friends.  It was a good visit.  We saw steph and Larry on the way down and stayed in a hotel on the way back. No Covid. Haylee stayed home and worked her first job. 

August: we prepped to take Haylee to college. 

September: we headed to Idaho to move Haylee into BYUI.  We spent time with Idaho and Utah family.  Went to the aquarium, Emmett is so fun with all that, spent time at the cabin with all the kids and had the best time.  We went out to see a meteor shower and a full moon. It was beautiful. We left Haylee mid September and headed home just the two of us.  We both cried as we drove away from our cute girl.  I dealt with the emotional part of Covid, and not being able to go anywhere. I was over it.  From June through the end of January we were not allowed to eat out on restaurants. 

October: I started working.  I tell everyone I ran out of kids so Joe made me go to work.  He didn’t totally make me but kind of lol.  I am working at the BX. I like it. I have great hours and benefits. Joe made the Command Chief list.  Only 100 out of 1300 chiefs made the list.  I am so proud of him. 

November: thanksgiving just the two of us.  First time ever I think. No friends, nada. Covid numbers were high so we just hung out. So weird. Sierra moved to Utah.  We are so happy to have her out of California. She got a job she loves.  We are so proud of her.  

December: we headed back to Idaho to the cabin for Christmas. My sibs were supposed to come, but Krissie’s last baby showed up five weeks early and ty had had surgery the end of November and still wasn’t healed so it was just us and our kiddos. We had a great time and loved seeing all the kids and loving on Emmett.  We rode snowmobiles, the razor, went sledding, went to an ice castle and played a million games. 

January: back to work, nothing overly exciting. 

February: same, we can eat in restaurants again!  Yay! Sierra moved into an apartment with a couple of roommates.  She is happy and doing fairly well. 

March which is now- started with a trip to DC and North Carolina.  Joe attended the Command Chief Training Course and we had a great time with family. It was a much needed getaway. No command chief hire yet so we will stay in Minot for now.  We love it and are happy to serve where the Air Force needs us.  

I’d like to say I’ll be a better blogger but really who knows? I’d like to be and I guess that is something lol. 

Thanks for catching up with me. 

New chairs

A coupe of weeks ago Joe asked me “what do you want to do this weekend” my reply was spruce up our patio and make it a bit fancier since we will be spending more time home, and hopefully outside of the weather continues to cooperate.  He didn’t jump on board with the idea at first but he was still restricted from going shopping for anything that wasn’t needed to sustain life and patio stuff doesn’t really fall into that category.  Friday the stare of North Dakota started to open back up.  Hallelujah!!  All businesses are now open with social distancing guidelines.  Also Friday the base lifted some of the restrictions for the airmen.  Joe can shop anywhere and even eat in a restaurant as long as they are following the new guidelines!!  Yay! We headed to Menards not for chairs but because Joe needed an inner tube for the tire on our snow blower (yes it’s May but he is draining the fluids etc getting ready to store it for a few months lol).  Joe is also obsessed with finding the perfect garden hose.  I have no idea what qualifies a hose as the perfect one but apparently he has a pretty extensive list besides “round” and “let’s water go through it”  because he has been looking for months and we still haven’t found it.  He can be so weird lol.  Anyway, we looked at chairs and I found rockers that I liked but they were 50 bucks each so Joe decided they weren’t for us lol.  We went to Home Depot and found some that were ok and only 20 bucks each so we got those. Headed back towards base and after 10 minutes or so I told Joe I really wanted the rocking chairs :) he was thrilled with this development (or not so much) and turned the truck around so we could return the chairs at Home Depot and get the ones at Menards.  He did not think the chairs would fit on the porch.  He was certain they would stick out too far but I really wanted to try them.  No sooner has he taken his card out of the machine after paying for them -does the cashier tell us she doesn’t think we can return the chairs because they are “fabric”.  What??  Not awesome. We go to customer service and talk to Leon who decides the chairs are tightly woven canvass and we can probably return them if we need to.  I cross my fingers all the way hone that the dang chairs work in the space.  Drumroll..... 

They do!!! 

I love them!!!  

Guidelines were also reduced on get togethers so our neighbors invited us over for dinner.  We still have to practice social distancing but it is not as taboo to see people. Yay!  My soul needs to see people!  There were two other couples as well -2 people under the 10 person limit- and it was so nice to see them all and chat.  I also brought the three wives over to see my new chairs and they loved them too!!  Yay!! A win for sure. 

Haylee spent the day at home relaxing and working on some math home work.  That girl had to write the equations  to graph a drawing.  She figured out the formulations that ended up making a dragon.  She is a smarty pants!!  I would have formulated how to draw a box lol.  

Also, Thursday some friends came by and drew fancy sidewalk chalk in our driveway for Haylee. It took them four HOURS.  

Friday is was scheduled to rain so I went and bought a couple of cans of hairspray and coated the chalk.  

It helps up great!  A little smudgy but not bad!!  

I am so thankful for people who love my kid.  ❤️❤️❤️

The Front Porch Project

This quarantine life has brought out some new trends.  One of which is The Front Porch Project.  Professional photographers come to your house and take pics of your family, pets whatever from the sidewalk.  There have been some funny ones with parents holding their kids by the ankles or the kitties having a meltdown in the yard.  A photographer on base offered these pictures a few weeks ago and I thought “eh, whatever we don’t need those” then I saw some and kind of wished we had done it.  So when she offered them again I jumped on the opportunity.  Leading up to it I didn’t have any genius ideas for what to do and I thought about cancelling. The day before the idea popped into my head to have Haylee in her prom dress and Sierra’s graduation cap.  Haylee’s quarantine life is missing this stuff. I wore my yoga pants, slippers and was holding a Harry Potter book and Coke Zero which is my quarantine life lol.  Joe was thrilled when he found out he got to put his uniform on on a Sunday evening but that’s what he has been doing during his quarantine life so I told him that’s what he had to do :) he was a good sport. 

The pictures were SO MUCH FUN!  And they turned out great!!  I am so glad we did them!!!!  

Haylee’s face!  Lol. 










My favorite ones of us. 


I took some of Haylee after the photographer left. 

I love this one!!  








Her Mickey graduation ears are a gift from HD and Kass.  We surprised Haylee with a Disney trip later this year.  :) we are all going and can’t wait!!!!  


I am thankful for all the thinking outside the box this virus has made us do.  Time marches on.  

Roller Coaster

Quarantine life is a crazy life.  Some days I feel happy and normal, other days I feel blah, others I am sad and extra tired and some says it’s all of the above.  It’s a crazy time.  I am trying to pay attention to how I am feeling and give myself a minute when I need it.  I feel pressured to do lots of things but I don’t have nah motivation for doing them.  I think endless time makes you feel like you should do 100 things everyday and when you don’t you feel like you are lame.  Lol.  I made myself a daily chore chart last week and I am loving that.  I feel productive getting things checked off each day.  

Easter was good.  We had a nice day together and ate turkey (Haylee is not a fan of ham) potatoes and stuffing and rolls and other stuff.  Haylee and I dyed eggs and it made me wonder if I would dye them next year since I won’t have a kid at home.  That is so weird to think about!! And a little sad.  

I started making masks finally.  You have to wear one to any of the stores on base.  I had a couple of friends make them for us but I also wanted to try to do it.  My first two attempts were not amazing but try #3 was wearable.  Tomorrow I will make some more.  I offered to help a group make some and I have had that fabric for weeks but didn’t want to ruin it so I had to find practice fabric first lol.  Anyway, I think tomorrow will be real fabric time.  Fingers crossed I don’t mess it up. 

Every weekend we take a drive. Mostly up to lake darling and then down to town just to drive and see the world a little lol.  

We found a buffalo farm last weekend. 

This week the weather finally warmed up!  70’s high 69’s each day.  We are loving it!!  I went for a walk yesterday and Haylee and I sat outside and read for awhile.  It is so nice to have the windows open.  

Last night we had a spouses club social via zoom.  It was great.  We went “camping”.  We made origami cranes and roasted mini marshmallows over a tea light candle.  Then we went outside and bowled at 8pm.  It was fun to see everyone and chat a little.  

Speaking of the spouses club, Haylee won a 2500.00 scholarship from them.  Yay for free money!  

This boy was crawling around and found some Easter peeps.  He was happy to help himself to the marshmallow goodness.  He is so cute and fun.  

The most exciting news of the week were our troops finally coming home from Guam.  They were supposed to be gone 180 days and were extended due to world events and Covid to almost 300 days!!!  It was so hard for their families.  Every time we would get close to bringing them home something would happen and they would have to stay.   

The arrow on the left is Colonel Cowley and the arrow on the right is Joe, welcoming their airmen home.  

This is a pic of Haylee when we made her hang out with us tonight.   She is over family time.  And she only stayed face down for a minute or two.  Lol.  


Saturday will mark SIX WEEKS of staying home.  Ready to get back to real life now.  

Covid log day 27.....ish

Oy.  Weeks are passing.  It seems the days are long but the hours are short.  How does that even make sense?  It doesn’t.  Nothing does these days.  I am becoming an expert (ha ha) at zoom which is an online meeting platform.  We had a good MSC meeting this week.  I am not looking forward to putting the new board together this year.  I think it will be a lot harder since we aren’t meeting in person.  I have enjoyed being the president on the social and leadership aspect but I do not enjoy the business side of it.  I don’t like dealing with money or taxes or any of that yucky stuff.  

We have been spending our days staying up too late usually 1 or 2 am!  And sleeping in until 9 or 10.  Well, for me.  Haylee could sleep all day I think.  Joe is still working but not crazy long hours.  The other day he said he was actually “bored” at work!  That never happens.  Since they just sit in their offices they are getting their work done.  Usually they are out seeing people all day and going to meetings, endless meetings.  Since everyone is meeting via teleconference or video conference I think they are realizing how many meetings can be combined or skipped altogether.  

Haylee does school each day, reluctantly, she is SO DONE.  Like senioritis isn’t bad enough when you are IN school let alone when you are working from home.  Besides math and physics her load seems to be pretty light. 

As for me, I do the usual.  Sleep in, make the bed, spend too much time on my phone, talk to friends, FaceTime my grand baby and my cutie nephews and Sierra, and sometimes my mom.  I have been trying to take the time (it really is an effort.  It’s way too easy to let the days slip by mindlessly) to call friends who I don’t get a chance to talk to and catch up.  I chatted with my friend Lana yesterday.  I served with her in the stake young women’s presidency in Maryland.  We had the best time doing that.  It was great to hear her voice and chat about this crazy time in the world.  I have always looked up to Lana and consider her a wise friend.  

Today included my first curbside pickup at Walmart -life changing people! I stopped at one more grocery store in town to get a turkey breast for Easter, stopped to say hi to Joe at work -I don’t go in he comes out to the car- and then came home and put everything away.  At 2:00 Haylee and I decorated the car and went to participate in a birthday parade for one of our maintenance group’s airman’s daughters.  She was turning one and her parents were having a hard time with no one to celebrate with so some of their friends arranged a parade to go by their house.  It was super fun and really cute.  It was a warm day today so it was nice to be out and about.  Haylee and I ran to the BX after that and got her Easter gift.  

In the line with 10-12 cars.  

Masks are required in any stores on base...here we are ready to head in looking like outlaws but really being good citizens. 

Tonight we lit the fire pit and two sets of neighbors came over.  We sat 6 feet apart and enjoyed talking for a bit.  I had mixed feelings about it but everyone was good not to sit together, no one went in the house and I am sure that it was beneficial for our mental health.  Still, I spend the whole week not going anywhere or doing any visiting even at a distance so it felt weird.  I will be glad when this is all over!! 

This little one is getting so big!  Look at those three teeth.  How I wish they could come next month like they planned.  I miss them all so much. 

Just some light trading while on his walk

Look at those blue eyes.  He’s such a sweetheart.


When Kass FaceTimed me today she said she asked Emmett if he wanted to FaceTime Mimi and he got really excited.  Heart melted!  We FaceTimed earlier this week and he fell over so I pretended to fall over and he was laughing so hard. I did it over and over again.  He was cracking up.  It was so fun to play with him.  He’s also starting to point and babble about things and I love when we FaceTime that he will point at something and then look at me to “show” me.  It is the BEST.  I’m so thankful for technology!!  

Last thing, Haylee and I fasted today.  Following President Nelson’s invitation at conference.  Fasting is very hard for me.  I usually wind up with a terrible migraine- enough that it sends me to bed sick.  So today I tried drinking water in the morning, then around 1:00 I could feel the headache coming so I drank a Powerade for the electrolytes and sugar and took some migraine meds.  I was able to finish my fast and didn’t break it until dinner.  Even though it wasn’t a “true fast” of no food or water I felt so good about it!! I know the Lord knew the intentions of my heart and that I was blessed.  I felt a little sick the rest of the day but nothing I couldn’t handle.  I’m so thankful for a living prophet. 

General conference was last weekend and it was amazing.  I felt inspired and uplifted as always.  Even more so this time because things in the world are so hard.  We did the Hosanna about and it was such a spiritual and uniting thing.  All the messages were wonderful.  My testimony grew.  Looking forward to Easter Sunday and worshipping at home.