His Grace on Thee

It is so great to look back on my weeks that often feel boring or regular or have tricky and hard parts to see the gems and gifts. The blessings are always there, but we appreciate them best when we look for them. I do, at least.

Griffin went to a young men’s high adventure trip this week in the Ozarks. They stayed in cabins with air conditioning on a lake, did paintball, ate food that was “half a step up from school cafeteria food” according to our bishop, and hung out together.  We were glad to get him back on Thursday and tend to his sunburn and migraine.

We went to Village Fest (of course!) and FIFA Fan Fest on the 4th of July

Alan was working over the long weekend. He still likes working. I liked it when he came home earlier than expected yesterday and took a short nap with me. We also both like working and serving in our callings. This week we got a great prize for doing that together. We got to represent the Kansas City Stake at a dinner for stake presidents and the two new mission presidents in our area to meet each other. Elder Ortiz asked everyone to say their name, their calling, and a tender mercy of the day. In the picture below, we are with President and Sister Wallace of the Lenexa Stake. Their tender mercy is that we are dear friends with the Bradys, who lead the Mexico City Northwest Mission, where their son will go this month. Alan’s tender mercy was getting home from work early and in time to be there. My tender mercy was eating tacos with Karin and Breanna and being able to share the excitement of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and seeing what great things the Lord is doing in the church, and especially in our area right now. We are being prepared for further growth. The new mission presidents, the Tuttles from California and the Hills from Utah, are going to be great.

I texted Shawna the picture of the Wallaces and she answered with this picture of Heather and her family visiting Mexico City this week. Heather’s oldest son is preparing for a mission and they think this is the last time he will see Grandpa Chris and Grandma Shawna for three years.

Mariah and Mac are busy! I called her last week and she was getting ready to have someone come over with kids for a haircut. And this week I missed her call! Dang!

Eliza and Evan are also busy. They went to Los Angeles for their 9th anniversary last weekend, and brought the adorable, busy and loud Barry with them because he still loves nursing so much. She doesn’t know how she will be able to get him to give it up. Maybe cold turkey.

Because Griffin was away, Eve and I went shopping together on the Plaza! We found a few fun things to buy and even more fun things we took pictures of. Love Shack Fancy had a pink suit that was perfect for practicing Elle’s “bend and snap” from Legally Blond. Another shack, Shake Shack, held our lunch and a guy who walked in looking like a promo for the new Minions movie.

Third movie tribute of the day: Pretty in Pink.

Willa Jane is working hard and getting ready to move out of her apartment and into Eliza’s guest suite. One morning this week she woke up and saw this out of her apartment window!

Wyatt is working hard on two chemistry classes and two chemistry labs. And he is continuing his research with Jared Whitehead, one of his professors. They are collecting data around earthquakes in the South Pacific and seeing if any of them are predictive. He says they are asymptotically approaching being done. He sometimes goes on dates too. And he made a gorgeous pie for the country’s 250th birthday!

I’m so grateful to live in a country that guarantees freedoms by law. I am praying today that we as the people will vote to retain and support those freedoms.

Griffin got a haircut and a pair of shoes when he got home. Now he is exhausted!