Awesome Year!!!

There is a reason that I have not posted for a few months.  A lot happened in the last few months and I have just been trying to survive and adjust.  And yet, it has been an awesome year.  Here are the noteworthy events from October, November, and December....


The biggest noteworthy event for Nathanael is that he got married!!!!  On October 19th, Nathanael and Lindsay Ann were married in the Salt Lake Temple.  The weather was absolutely perfect!  Who knew that it would be in the low 70's on that day.  Gorgeous.  Travis went with Nat earlier and then I came up with the kids a bit later.  For some reason, the place we were going to park had just been filled.  I don't know what else was going on that morning because that was unusual.  I drove around trying to find a parking spot.  I found a parking spot in a little parking lot but the credit card machine would not work and time was ticking.  I decided to leave the vehicle and run.  The temple workers were so sweet and told me that it was all right and to just take a deep breath.  The sealing was short and sweet.  After the sealing, Travis and I moved the van to a spot that was free.  We then went back and waited for the newlyweds to come out for pictures.  After taking pictures, we headed to Michelangelo's Italian restaurant for the wedding luncheon.  The food was amazing.  We had a nice time just visiting with guests and enjoying the delicious food.  After the luncheon, we were waiting for Travis to come bring the van and we had a chance to chat with the owner.  He is a temple worker and was there at the groom's desk and helped Nat that morning.  It was a neat connection.  We then headed back to change and decorate for the reception.  They had the reception at the Vista in Cedar Hills.  When we got there, I had a couple of friends who were already setting up.  We had a lot of the decorations- but Lindsay's family was bringing the food and the rest.  We had done as much as we could do and found out that Lindsay's family was stuck on the freeway.  There had been a huge accident involving multiple vehicles etc.  It was time for me to go back home and change for the reception and her family came just before we left.  I didn't think they would be able to get everything finished.  However, when I got back, it was pretty much done.  We were ready when the reception started and the sunset was awesome!!!  We had a good turn out despite that it was Fall break.  Lindsay and Nat had taken a dance class to learn how to waltz for their first dance.  It was so cute because you could tell that he was really counting in his mind and concentrating.  Zachary was running behind the refreshment table when he tripped on the plug and pulled it out right in the middle of the dance-so the music stopped playing! Travis hurried and plugged it back in.  Ha!  Ha!  They cut the cake and left for their weekend together.  It was a beautiful day and I was so grateful for all those friends and family who helped us.  Lindsay Ann's family and friends helped to clean up.  We were done in no time at all.  One thing that impressed me was that Lindsay Ann did not get flustered or upset when her family was stuck on the freeway.  She was anxious and concerned, but she showed a great deal of maturity and handled herself extremely well.  Honestly though, the most important thing of the day is the sealing in the temple.  That is all that really matters.  You want the reception to be nice and go well, but that is not the most important thing.  I am so grateful that they both live worthily so that they could go to the temple and be sealed.  We are thrilled to have Lindsay Ann as part of our family!!

Our sweet missionary Lindsay Kaye has adjusted really well.  She has been gone for four months now. One noteworthy event for her was that she was able to work with a young man who got baptized on the last day of the year.  It was pretty awesome!  We also were able to Skype with her on Christmas Day for a couple of hours.  It was such a treat to be able to see her and talk to her.  She looks so healthy and happy.  She has told us that serving a mission was the best decision that she has ever made.  I am so grateful for the woman that she has become.  Lindsay Kaye is such a great example to me.

Ethan has been extremely busy and had some awesome experiences the last few months.  He first took a sweet young lady to Homecoming.  They seemed to have a really good time.  Then he sang in the Disney concert at the high school.  He was Mickey Mouse.  He also played soccer and their team did really well.  He also participated in the Madrigal Feaste where he was one of the Royal court. Ethan continues to work at Little Caesar's Pizza.  One noteworthy event for Ethan was in October when he got to go with the rest of the youth in our ward to a special dinner at the Governor's mansion for reading the Book of Mormon by a certain date.  Elder Rasband and his wife were also invited.  He was able to speak to the youth and he asked them some questions.  He called on Ethan to answer a question and I guess that Ethan gave a really great answer -so Elder Rasband continued to call on him.  When they were leaving, Elder Rasband told him that he was very impressed with him.  That was just what Ethan needed to hear.  An apostle of the Lord told him personally how impressed he was with him.  It was awesome!

Clarissa has enjoyed voice lessons and was able to participate in the fall musical at school.  It was "Legally Blonde Jr.".  She was able to be a girl in the salon and Chutney-the villain!  She was awesome! Her teacher told her that she needed a great character actress to play that part.  As a Mom, it is so wonderful when your child finds his/her passion.  I love watching Clarissa's shows.  She seems to just light up when she is on stage.

Zachary has had some noteworthy things the last few months as well.  He played soccer of course- and also got to play flag football for the first time.  He absolutely loved it!  He would come home and practice catching a football.  During one of his games, he lost a tooth while running down the field.  (It was really, really loose).  Then on another game, Travis was able to come for the first part but had to leave to run Ethan's soccer practice.  He handed me the video camera and just after he left, I looked up to see Zachary running down the field and scoring a touchdown-his first one!  It was awesome!  However, the video camera was having problems and I was not able to catch it on camera.  Rats!  So with his new found love of football, Zachary has become a big fan of BYU sports and has become Travis' sports buddy.  Zachary has kept busy playing futsal with his little soccer team.  He always has a positive attitude no matter the outcome of the game.  I love that about him!  Zachary was also picked as the Eagle of the Month at school for being optimistic and positive.  Right on!

I had been asked by my mother-in-law to make a calendar for her Christmas gift.  As I went through the year pulling out pictures, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude.  Our year was wonderful.  We were able to do some fun things as a family.  We had some big changes that were awesome-Nat getting married and Lindsay Kaye serving a mission.  I could not be more pleased with the choices my children are making and the people that they are becoming.  I will look back at 2017 as an awesome year.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Another month has gone by and to me it seemed to be very busy and also very long.  Hence, we used the song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" as the title of this post.  You would think that because it was so busy, it would have gone by quickly.  Not this year.  There are reasons why it seemed to go by slowly.  Sleeping through the month might not have been a bad idea....  anyway, here are the "noteworthy" events from the Lloyds this last, long month....


Nathanael and Lindsay Ann celebrated their 1 year anniversary of becoming "a thing".  They have both been extremely busy with school, work, and wedding plans.  They also went up to Salt Lake to do bridal portraits before the beautiful flowers all got taken out after conference.  I helped Lindsay Ann with her hair and even though I am not even close to a professional-I don't think I did too badly.  I also got to go up with her, Nathanael, and her parents to help for the photo shoot.  I just really can't believe that my oldest son is getting married!  After the pictures, Lindsay's parents took me to dinner at a Mexican restaurant that I had never been to before. I love Mexican food and this little place did not disappoint.  It was a great day.

One of the reasons this month seemed so long was that this is the first month that Lindsay Kaye has been gone.  One down-17 to go.  She celebrated her birthday in the MTC and left for San Diego the next morning.  I was able to send her a package to arrive the same day that I sent it.  I packed a lot of her favorite treats in it-including cotton candy and a cupcake for her birthday.  She had asked for a new dress and I spent a lot of time looking for something that she would like that is missionary appropriate.  I think she liked it because she wore it the next day as she arrived in her mission.  I also sent her a cheap pink "Happy Birthday" tiara and sash that she could throw away.  They were kind of silly little things but I knew that she would appreciate the thought.  Lindsay Kaye called us early Tuesday morning from the airport and we were able to talk to her for a while.  It was such a treat to hear her voice- but it really made me miss her again.  She arrived safely in San Diego and then we had to wait another week to find out when her P-Day was and how she is adjusting.  She had had a wonderful experience at the MTC.  She and her companion were able to teach a young woman who has now chosen to be baptized.  Wow!  Lindsay is now living in Santee, CA and she and her companion work with a YSA ward.  There is a young woman in that ward that is deaf and needs some more friendship and interaction.  Lindsay feels that she is there to help this young woman.  It is just a testament to me that the Lord knows each of us individually and answers our prayers.  My favorite thing about Lindsay Kaye is her courage.  It took a lot of courage and faith for her to follow her impression to serve a mission.  It also took a lot of courage for her to do the things that she needed to do to get ready to serve.  She has recently said that going on a mission was the best decision she has ever made.

Ethan has been very busy with soccer, school, and work.  I have been able to go to a couple of  Ethan's games and have been amazed at how good he has become.  I really don't know where he gets his speed.  He is also working really hard in school and doing really well.  Work is good but also a bit frustrating to find a schedule that fits with all the other commitments he has.  This last month, he participated in a choir concert held on September 11th to honor those who lost their lives that day as well as those who survived.  It was pretty amazing and very touching.  I felt that Ethan was also moved by it.  He also was asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance and had a really great time.  The theme was "Around the World" and he and his date were Canada.  He then turned around and asked another young lady to Homecoming which is coming this next week and so will be in the blog next month.  Exciting!

Clarissa is doing well in school and has made the Fall musical and has been busy with rehearsals.  She has also just started voice lessons and seems to have improved quite a bit after only 2 weeks.  Clarissa and I were able to spend some quality time together the last couple of weeks and it has been fun to be able to hang out with just her.  Last week, my sister-in-law had extra tickets to the women's session of general conference.  Clarissa and I got to go up to the conference center for the meeting.  We found a great place to park that was free and our seats ended up being a lot closer than I have ever been.  The meeting was wonderful and some of the messages were things that I really needed to hear-especially later that night.  After it was over, Clarissa and I were starving and she wanted a burrito from a local taco fast food restaurant.  The weather was terrible and it poured and poured all the way home.  I was grateful to get off the freeway safely and we were almost to the taco place- which was also close to home.  I got in the left turn lane and waited for the vehicle with bright lights to  pass because it looked like there was a large gap after that vehicle before the next cars etc. came.  I watched the vehicle pass and then started to turn-right into another car!  I have been driving for 27 years and never even had a ticket.  I have never caused an accident.  In fact, because Ethan is a new driver, I have been extra careful about following all the rules and laws.  I could not figure out how I did not see him.  The young man got out and yelled at me and swore at me.  I apologized and asked if everyone was okay.  A few minutes later, he apologized to me and asked if I was okay.  The police came, the ambulance, a firetruck etc.  His car had to be towed but my van was still drivable.  I have gone over it and over it in my mind and cannot figure out how I did not see him.  I felt so stupid and frustrated because this is the last thing that we need right now.  However, as I have pondered it over and over and over again, I wonder if his lights were not on or dim.  Clarissa also felt like he did not have his lights on because she said that it was really dark around his car.  Unfortunately, I cannot prove that he did not have his lights on- but it can be proved that I hit him.  Boo.  At least no one was hurt and it was close to home- so Travis came to be with me as I was in shock.  I had a really difficult time finding my phone app to call him.  I feel a bit anxious still when I have to make a turn but I am determined not to let it cause me not to drive.  That is unrealistic.  As Travis tells me, I need to move on and reread the talks that really spoke to me that night.

Zachary is also playing soccer and loving it.  He is also playing flag football for the first time and is having a really good experience.  His coach is chill and lets everyone take turns at different positions etc. He even lost a tooth running down the field during a game! Because this is a new thing for Zac,  he is obsessed with all things football.  Nat taught him to play a football video game that now Zachary cannot get enough of and he got to go with his brothers and Dad to a BYU football game in Logan.  Even though his team lost, Zachary is always positive and still had a really good time.

One "moment of joy" that really stuck out to me this month was when Travis was teaching us the Family Home Evening lesson last week and we talked about doing better on our Sunday worship and keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  After we had discussed some things, Zachary shared with us that he was feeling very happy inside.  We explained to him that this was the Holy Ghost.  Since then, he has had a much better attitude about doing scriptures and prayer etc.  So even though this month has seemed to go by slowly, there have been some really wonderful things that have happened and I guess it would be good to be awake and not miss those important things...

Adjusting

Once again, it has been a couple of months since I have last posted.  There are some pretty big things that have happened in our home. Adjusting seems to be the theme right now.  Here are the noteworthy events that we are adjusting to in the Lloyd home...

Nathanael made some money in July by being a referee for a local soccer tournament.  He ended up having 19 games.  He worked really hard and earned a substantial amount of money. However, he ended up also being burnt to a crisp.  He told us that he was using sunscreen- but he must have not either put enough on or it just did not work as well.  Poor guy.  Nat moved back up to Logan and started his second year at Utah State.  He is adjusting to new roommates, a new schedule, and preparing to be married.

Our Lindsay Kaye finally received her mission call to the California, San Diego mission.  The last six weeks have been busy with getting her ready to go.  She reported to the MTC on August 30th.  We have received just one e-mail from her letting us know that she was getting settled and doing well.  We look forward to Thursday when she will be able to write again on her P-Day.  She gave a wonderful talk in church last Sunday and then we had family and a few friends come eat and visit.  It was a beautiful day.  The night before we took her to the MTC, she was set apart as a full-time missionary by our stake president and then we all went to dinner to Terra Mia.  I thought that I would be more composed this time around.  After all, I have already had a full-time missionary leave and return home.  Nope.  I cried when we dropped her off, I cried the next day, and the next day, and then Saturday night.  While she is certainly adjusting to being a new missionary, we are all adjusting to life at home without her.  Although I am missing her, she will be an amazing missionary and the people of California will be lucky to have her.

Ethan is adjusting to a new school year.  He is a Junior in high school this year.  He is figuring out how to get homework done, keep a small part-time job, and make time for friends.  Ethan also earned the rank of Eagle scout and we were able to hold a Court of Honor for him before Lindsay left on her mission.  We had about a week to pull everything together.  I was so grateful for so many friends and family that came to support him and helped us to get it all together.  It was a very stressful week, but well worth it.  I am so pleased that he was able to accomplish that goal.  He also finally got his driver's license!  It has been such a relief for me that he can drive himself to practices and work.  Yay!

Clarissa is adjusting to a new school year as well.  She is an eighth grader now in Junior high.  We also just moved her up into Lindsay's room-it has now become her room.  Clarissa was able to participate as a Wolf and Napkin in ACT's production of "Beauty and the Beast".  She really enjoyed doing it and continues to develop her talents in the arts.  That musical is my favorite.  It reminds me that we can all change for the better.  We can let go of pride and have compassion for others.  Clarissa also turned 13.  She is now an official teenager!  We were able to celebrate by having a late night with a few close friends.  My favorite thing about Clarissa is that she works really hard.  She works hard to develop her talents and she works really hard to become better in things that she struggles with. She is turning into such a wonderful young lady.  I can't believe that she is no longer one of my "littles".

Zachary is adjusting to a new school year-second grade.  On the first day of school, I asked him how it went and he told me that it went by too fast!  He had had a great time!  He is also adjusting to having his own room and having his big sister, Lindsay, gone.  Lindsay and Zac have always had such a sweet connection.  Even though he misses her, I hope that he also is influenced by her example to serve a mission.

There were so many "moments of joy".  One of them was going with Lindsay to receive her temple endowment.  She decided to go to the Payson temple and it was beautiful.  Another time was Ethan receiving his Eagle badge.  Another moment was just being together as a family-with Nat's fiancee, Lindsay, included.  I am so grateful for her sacrifice to come down for all these family events.  I would say that one of the biggest "moments of joy" was listening to Lindsay Kaye bear her testimony in church.  She is strong.  She is solid.  She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes.  She has grown up and become an amazing woman.


In the last 10 days of August, our family celebrated 2 birthdays, attended 2 bridal showers, 4 started a new school year, pulled together and held an Eagle Court of Honor for Ethan, listened to Lindsay speak in church and have family over to eat and visit, and sent her off to serve her mission.  Needless to say, I am exhausted.  However, there is no way that I could have done this myself.  I am so very grateful for all the friends and family who have helped us and supported us.  I pray that they will each be blessed for their service.

My favorite thing about Lindsay Ann is that she has true humility.  She is confident in who she is and yet is not afraid to ask for the opinion and counsel of others.

Even though adjusting is hard for me, I know that I have family and friends who are here to help.  I also know that I have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who love me and will help me as well.

Cathy

Fast and Slow

The month of June went by way too fast!  I had looked forward to the activities for months and then it seemed to just fly by.  However, there were some things in June that were just way too slow...


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 :).