Nathanael and Lindsay Ann started making plans for their special day. They have already been engaged for about 6 weeks now. I am sure that for them, this process is slow. I had asked Nathanael to put a couple of wardrobes together while he is home that have been waiting to get done for a few years. He enlisted the help of Ethan and they were able to get it done so quickly! I was so very excited!
Lindsay Kaye continues to work and to attend Institute class. She has been taking a class on The Book of Mormon and another about Joseph Smith. She has also attended the temple many times to continue to prepare for her mission. We thought that we had things all squared away and her papers were in and we waited and waited and waited and waited for her call. There was a little question about medication that had to be fixed and we thought it would come- but we continued to wait. It was very slow. I know that there is a reason, it just was soooo slow. Good news though-her call finally did come! That is a story for another day!!!
Ethan had a very busy June which made it go by very quickly for him. He went to scout camp at Death Hollow. They returned home a day earlier than expected. He said that some of the things that they saw were absolutely amazing. The next week he had youth conference. It was just a couple of days and the theme was "My Own Sacred Grove". Speakers had been invited to come and Ethan was really touched by what they had to say. He was grateful that he got to go and really enjoyed that conference. He also started Driver's Education and is almost done with all of his hours. Ethan is very close to getting his license. He also got everything turned in for earning the Eagle rank in scouting. We just now need to wait for the next Eagle Board of Review. So all the activities that he has participated in this month have made things go very quickly for him- but waiting for the driving to be done and the board of review seem to be slow.
Clarissa got to attend girls camp for the first time this year. She felt that the time at camp went by very quickly- but also it was a little slow because she was anxious to see if Lindsay received her mission call. At girls camp, Clarissa was able to try new things such as canoeing, zip-lining, and a little obstacle course. She enjoyed getting to know the girls and leaders in our ward better.
Zachary felt like the month went way too slow until our vacation-then it went by way too fast! He had his very first late night where he invited a few friends to come watch a movie, play games, and get in the hot tub. He felt like he was one of the big kids! Honestly though, this was the first time in 20 years that I have not had to take a stroller on vacation. He handled himself like a big kid and did really well. He did not like the fast rides- but he was brave and at least tried them. I can't believe how fast he is growing up!!
So the big thing this month was our vacation to California. It seemed like it would never come and then the week went by way too fast. This was probably our last vacation as the Lloyd family as we know it. Our vacation was really fun for me and I felt bad coming home. I had looked forward to it for such a long time and now it was over. I know that there are a lot of great things coming up, I just really enjoyed being on vacation.
Some of the highlights from our vacation were that first morning was Father's Day. We got up early and made it to church in St. George. While we were waiting for sacrament meeting to start, a brother asked my boys if either of them was a Priest. Ethan told him that he was and Nat told him that he was an Elder. This brother asked for their help. They stood side by side at the sacrament table and one blessed the bread and the other blessed the water. It was such a joy to see them in their white shirts blessing the sacrament together. What a delightful Father's Day. It also was our 23rd wedding anniversary and I am so lucky to have such a handsome and wonderful husband and father to our children. Another highlight was Tuesday-which was our beach day. It was really difficult to find a parking spot at Newport beach. There was a woman who was probably in her fifties in a teeny tiny bikini with tattoos covering her neck, arms, and legs. We had to stop kind of by where she was and wait and she came over to my window. She explained that she was waiting for a nice family with kids to give her parking spot to. She told us to go around and then wave when we got back around and she would let us take her spot. What a blessing! We circled around and I waved and she jumped in her car and pulled out of her spot so we could have it. It just made our day! It also reminded me that kind souls are everywhere and you can't always tell from the outside what kind of a person is on the inside. Beach day went way too fast for me and I loved being there and relaxing. Zachary seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day. We had a couple of kites that I had gotten for Clarissa and Zachary's prizes on the way to California and they worked really well. Another highlight was my birthday. I got to choose the rides that we went on and then Travis and I had dinner together to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary. Then our family had some cake and ice cream late that night to celebrate. It was really fun! Friday was our last day at Disneyland and we went on everyone's favorite ride one last time. Zachary was afraid to go on a couple- but he did it because it was a family vacation and it was about doing things as a family. On Saturday, we went to Universal Studios for the Harry Potter rides etc. We had a good time eating at The Three Broomsticks and looking in all the shops. We really liked the main ride as well but it left almost all of us feeling queasy. That night however, there was a light show that was really cool and we really enjoyed spending time together. We came home on Sunday and traffic was good and our vehicle ran very well. We were grateful to safely make it home.
I had several "moments of joy" from last month but one that sticks out in my mind was while we were at Disneyland. We were waiting for their new show on the Rivers of America and fireworks. It was nice to sit and rest our feet. My parents were with us and we were laughing and having a good time. Travis took Lindsay and bought us all beignets. They were warm and delicious and it was just nice to be there together. I am so grateful for my family. I don't know why I got such wonderful parents, brothers who I love and I know "have my back", children who love each other and support one another, and finally, a husband who knows me and still loves me after all of these years.
It seemed like June took a while to get here, but then it went way too fast! I am so grateful for the time we were able to spend together-even if it wasn't long enough :).
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