Blip

Okay.  I cannot believe that it has been six months.  I feel like the last several months have gone by so fast-it feels just like the highlights were just blips in a crazy time.  I will do my best to include all the wonderful blips that have happened in the Lloyd home....

Nathanael and Lindsay Ann ended up living apart for the summer.  He had had surgery and then took the MCAT  so he stayed with us.  He also volunteered at a health clinic interpreting Spanish for the patients.  He ended up doing really well on the MCAT.  We will see what the future holds for him and medical school.  Lindsay Ann spent the summer interning in Zions National Park.  She worked really hard and her project turned out really well.  We went down in August to visit her and had such a wonderful time.  We went to a dinosaur museum, Brigham Young's summer home, the St. George temple visitor center, and then Lindsay Ann took us to a few places in Zion.  It was a wonderful trip.  After the summer, they went back to Logan for their last undergraduate year at Utah State University.  Lindsay Ann also applied and was accepted for a Master's program in Architectural Conservation at the University of Edinborough in Scotland next year.  So Nat and Lindsay will be moving to Scotland for a year.  So exciting!

Lindsay Kaye turned 22 in September.  Then she had one of the biggest experiences of her life!  She and Logan were married in the Manti temple on October 12, 2019.  The sealing was absolutely beautiful.  After the sealing, we went to a pavillion not too far from the temple and had a luncheon.  We had mini croissant sandwiches, pasta salad, chips, grapes, rainbow jello salad, brownies, and lemonade.  The luncheon was chill and enjoyable.  On the way down to the temple, I had had a migraine that exploded really fast.  I took something to help the pain- but not soon enough and I didn't eat enough and so the medicine made me sick as well.  Travis gave me a plastic bag in case I threw up-which I did and then realized that the bag had holes in it.  We pulled off to a gas station and cleaned up.  Thankfully, there was a gas station right there because we were about to enter a stretch in which we would not be able to have a way to take care of things.  We finally made it to the temple and the sweet sisters got me some soda crackers and gave me a small plastic bag to take into the sealing room in case I needed to use it-which I did not!  So after the luncheon, we all went to my brother's home to set up for the reception.  I was so very worried about getting it set up in time and making sure that everything was okay.  Friends and family were so kind to help me out.  We got set up in great time to be ready for the reception.  I have to admit, it turned out more beautiful than I expected.  We had gold overlays on the tables with purple table runners.  Then we had a cake stand on each table with candles around it on mirrors.  We then had a picture at each table and finally, a bouquet of flowers on each cake stand.  Lindsay Ann did the bridal bouquets and also the table bouquets.  She is very talented at that and did a beautiful job!  We had also strung some lights and I painted a metal trellis thing that we put flowers on and lights for a little arch.  We had a smore bar where my Dad had built the boxes for the rocks and sterno cans. We had apples with homemade caramel sauce, jambalaya, and mini corn bread muffins.  My family and friends really helped out and Logan's family helped so much!  They sent his sister a few days ahead of time to help.  She was such a blessing!  She helped me get the last things for the reception and then of course, she made most of the mini corn bread muffins.  I was so grateful!  The only thing that I felt bad about was that it got really cold at the end.  Travis' sister let us borrow their patio heater to set up by Lindsay Kaye and Logan- but I should have rented a few more ahead of time.  By the time I thought that we might need them, they were all booked.  Nevertheless, it turned out beautifully.  My Mom's birthday was the next day and I was sorry that we were not getting together for it.  She told me that the best present was the day before when her children were at the temple and helped with things and that it turned out so well.  It did not take too long to clean up and my brother and sister-in-law whose backyard we held it in said that it was really fun. We left feeling really good about things and our relationships with our friends and family and Logan's family as well.  I was so grateful for all the help that was given and how it turned out.  After getting married, Logan and Lindsay Kaye moved in with us.  We love them both so very much.

Ethan is now Elder Ethan Lloyd.  Elder Ethan entered the MTC on July 10, 2019.  I still am missing him a bit but I would not want him anywhere else.  One cool thing was that when we were taking pictures across from the Provo MTC, we wanted a picture with the whole family and so we were discussing how to do that when Ethan's very best friend happened to drive by.  He jumped out and offered to take a picture of our family.  He just was driving by wondering if he would see anyone he knew- and there was Ethan!  It was such a tender moment.  He entered the mission field in August.  Homesickness kicked in a bit when he got there- but he adjusted and is so happy.  We have really enjoyed being able to Skype with him often and hear how he really is doing and what we can do to help him.  He also has been called to be a trainer.  He is taking this responsibility very seriously as you can imagine.  His first baptism was the week of  Lindsay Kaye's wedding reception.  He was able to baptize a child about Zachary's age.  Ethan is working hard and enjoying his service.  He started out in Kansas City on the Kansas side but then was transferred was to Santa Fe in Missouri. 

Clarissa is now  a Sophmore at Lone Peak.  She turned 15 on the first day of school.  She recently got braces and got her driving permit.  Clarissa has been so busy with school and her extracurricular activities.  She had a speaking line and a little solo line in the production of "Cinderella".  The show was really cute and was so well done!  She also participated in the Disney concert this year with the Show choir.  We had so many come tell us how they could not stop watching her because she was so good.  My parents even mentioned that she seems like she could work at Disneyland if she really wanted.  I know that Clarissa has these talents to do her part in building up the Kingdom of God.  Clarissa was also able to participate in the Face to Face with Elder Gong in November.  She was part of the youth choir.  She was then asked to sing the new song she learned at the Face to Face at our Relief Society dinner.  She was really nervous, but she did a wonderful job.  Clarissa has had a hard time lately with her anxiety.  We decided to hold a family fast for her and the very next day, I was able to get her into see a doctor to help.  This doctor has been a good fit for her and a blessing.  The Lord is very aware of her and I hope she can recognize the blessings and tender mercies that she has been given.

Zachary started the fourth grade.  He played flag football this year-which he loves.  He also decided to stay with the competetive AA soccer league.  His team just totally came together really easily.  They have done very well their first season together.  Zachary has really come into his own as a strong defender.  Zachary was Spider-Man for Halloween.  He is his favorite Marvel character.  We did our regular Halloween traditions.  Zachary tried out for the school play for the first time.  They are doing "The Wizard of Oz".  He gets to be a munchkin.  He was so nervous to try out.  He worried about it for days- but still went through with it.  It was a good lesson in that even though you might be scared to try something new, you need to push through that anxiety and try it anyway.  If you can learn to do that, you will be able to have some great experiences and develop talents.  Finally, I was so pleased that Zachary received the Eagle of the Month award for communication.  His teacher said  is very respectful to others and is sharing his thoughts and ideas as well.  She said that he is "coming out of his shell".  Zachary has a tender heart and has a great sense of humor.  He also earned his Bear award in cub scouts.  He worked really hard and was able to finish strong. 

Lots of big things happened this last six months.  We are all still kind of adjusting to the new situations but we feel so very blessed.

Family Vacation June 2019

It was such a blessing to be able to go to Southern California as a family.  Of course, we went to Disneyland.  We also went to the San Diego temple, The Mormon Battalion Visitor Center, Coronado beach, and a couple of little towns called Julian and Ramona.  Here are some pictures from our trip...

Highlights

My goal is to try to post once a quarter.  That seems all that I can do right now.  So here are the highlights from the last few months in the Lloyd home...

Nathanael and Lindsay Ann finished up their Junior years at Utah State and Lindsay Ann has moved down near Zion's National Park for the summer as an intern.  Meanwhile, Nat moved back home to study for the MCAT, volunteer as an interpreter for a health clinic, and shadow doctors.  He also had to have a small surgery to fix his deviated septum that was causing him to have a chronic sinus infection.  The surgery went really well and he is a good patient.  A week after the surgery, I was able to take him up to Logan to have things checked.  It was an enjoyable time to visit with him.  He took the MCAT at the beginning of June and had spent hours and hours studying.  We just found out that he scored in the 90th percentile-which is awesome!  Lindsay Ann is thriving in Zions and enjoys the project that she is working on.

Lindsay Kaye has found another job in which she is able to use her ASL skills and work with young women who need a mentor.  It is a great job that pays her fairly well and gives her some experience in her major.  At the first of June, her boyfriend, Logan, came to visit for the week.  The night before he left to go back home to Louisiana, he asked Travis and I for our blessing to propose and marry Lindsay Kaye.  He is such a kind and thoughtful young man and he is so good to her.  We gave our blessing.  It just so happened that his family had planned to go to southern California in June the same week that our family was going.  They had planned their dates in December and we had planned ours in January.  We decided to meet as families and spend the day together in San Diego.  We started at the San Diego temple where Logan proposed in the Celestial room after we went through a session.  Obviously, this is not just a highlight of the trip for Lindsay Kaye, but a highlight of her life!  On the last day of our trip, we got to meet a couple that Lindsay Kaye had worked with on her mission.  They had had several missionaries in the past but they had really connected with her.  We found out that the husband had lost his job last year almost exactly the same time that Travis has lost his job.  Lindsay Kaye was transferred to their town right after.  I think that that is why they connected with her.  She knew exactly what they were going through on a deeper level.  It was not a coincidence.  It was so amazing to hear about their experience and my daughter as a missionary.  That is why we send them.  It was certainly one of the highlights of our trip.  These experiences reminded me of how it took so long for her to get her call.  I was so frustrated.  However, now I can look back and see that the Lord's timing was absolutely perfect.  It was perfect that she and Logan got home the same day.  It was perfect timing that our families were in California at the same time.  It was perfect timing that she was able to be there for this couple that accepted the Gospel.

Ethan has had several highlights in his life the last few months.  He was able to play the role of Marius in Alpine Community Theater's production of "Les Miserables".  He had never done anything quite like this before and he killed it!  It was very emotional and I had to cry every time I watched him sing.  The show was powerful and moving.  One of the nights of the show, he needed the understudy to perform because he had Prom.  Ethan had asked a young woman to Prom that is a really good friend.  She was actually voted Prom Queen.  They had a wonderful time and it was certainly a highlight of the last few months.  Ethan graduated on May 29, 2019.  He had the privilege of singing the National Anthem in a quartet for graduation.  They sounded amazing.  The only thing was that he had forgot his honor cords and Lindsay Kaye brought them later.  She snuck down to where the choir was sitting and threw them at him so that he could wear them at least for most of the ceremony-it was quite funny!  Ethan then went on a trip to St. George with his friends for a few days.  He had a great time.  On Father's Day, Ethan spoke in church because we would  be gone the next couple of Sundays and then it was fast Sunday before he left on his mission.  His talk was wonderful and because it was Father's Day, he spoke a bit about Travis.  The things he said about his Dad were some of the most kind words that I have ever heard a son speak about his father.  I know that each of our children feel similar to what Ethan expressed.  I am so grateful that my children have such an amazing father.  He has taken some of the difficult experiences that he has had growing up and decided to become the best father he could be.

One of Clarissa's highlights was playing the lead, Becky Thatcher, in Mountain Ridge Jr. High's production of "Tom Sawyer".  She did a wonderful job and it was such a cute musical.  Another highlight of the last few months was the opportunity that she had to go on Trek.  Clarissa was extremely anxious about going on Trek.  However, time after time, we had many tender mercies that lessened her anxiety and let her know that Heavenly Father was aware of her.  Some of the tender mercies were the fact that I found the blouses to go with the pioneer skirts, I found my camp bucket from 30 years ago with the letter "C" on it that my Mom had embroidered for her to use for Trek.  Finally, I had told a few friends about how anxious she was about Trek and I was a bit worried.  One of these friends ended up being her Ma and it was a blessing because somehow the information about her anxiety did not make it to my friend-but she knew because of what I had told her.  Well, Clarissa told us that Trek was really hard but she did it!  The weather was awful and yet my friend told me that she not only did it-but that she was lovely.  This experience turned out to be a highlight because Clarissa has gained confidence in herself in knowing that she can do hard things.

Zachary just finished 3rd grade and one of the highlights for him was being able to play the part of the Prince in a little class play of a mixed up fairytale.  He also finished his soccer season strong.  Although his team did not do as well as they hoped, Zachary improved greatly as a player.  He became a really good defender who was one of the smaller players on the field- but was not afraid to go up against much bigger players and defend that ball.  He always had such a great attitude whether his team lost or won.  It was a highlight for me to see that he could handle disappointment with dignity and that you never give up.  You always do your best.  Zachary also was able to go to Cub Scout Day camp where he had a blast.  Another highlight for Zachary was that he and his soccer team had the opportunity to escort the Real Salt Lake soccer players on the field at a game.  He also worked really hard on his car for the Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts and was able to place 3rd overall-which was awesome because they had some super fast cars.  I am so proud of the young man he is becoming.

One highlight for me was Travis and I celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.  We were able to go to the Anniversary Inn and spend the night.  We also went shopping and I got a sterling silver necklace for our silver anniversary.  We also ate lunch at Michelangelo's on Main.  We had a wonderful time together.  I am so grateful for him.  We have truly been so blessed.

Finally, another huge highlight was going on vacation to Disneyland with everyone there-including my parents.  We also went to the Mormon Battalion and it was neat to hear the story of these men-one of which was my great, great grandfather.  Most of the family loved the new Star Wars land and that would be the highlight of the vacation for them.  I had to shed a few tears on the way home because I hope that we will go again, but most likely everyone will not be able to go.  That is how life is.  My babies are forming their own families and have become who I wanted them to be....I hope that we can all remember the fun that we had together.