The North Star

It has been a busy week and our bodies are just starting to pull out of the tiredness of it all. Everyone, except Mikayla and I were in bed by 9:00 last night which is a miracle. I planned on going to bed early, but then I remembered I needed to make granola and Mikayla wanted to talk so we went to bed late AGAIN.

The craziness all started on Saturday when the temperature climbed past 65 and we were compelled into the yard to accomplish a weeks worth of work in one day (Fred was so sore the next day from all the manual labor and my arms were were scarred so badly from the raspberries and rose bushes that I had to wear a long sleeves--I wasn't bright enough to do that on Saturday.) It was also Prom for Mikayla, who had the most horrendous cold and the stake dance for Eden. At 4:00 Jeff, Mikayla's date showed up and we met him in the back yard holding tools of various degrees of intimidation =). We needn't have worried, after all the girls incense (the other day he told Eden she didn't need to get a drivers license because there were no roads between the kitchen and the laundry room =) I was prepared for a more chauvinist attitude and greeted him with, "...so this is the infamous Jeffy--I am assuming that all of the talk is just that?" At which point he hastily assured me that it was and then almost swallowed his tongue when his phone went off to the tune of some "screamo" band, so we didn't really get to meet the "real" Jeffy at all, but I did feel confidant that I didn't need to worry about him with my daughter. And after they left to go Frisbee golfing Mikayla said he immediately relaxed and they had fun. They brought the girls back by 5:30 and went home to make dinner for the girls, giving them 2 hours to get ready (which is the kindest thing any of her dates have done for this mother =). Funny note that the girls were ready before the guys who were still shaving when they called and Jeff showed up with his hair still uncombed. =) Eden says she fixes it for him in student council--I had to hold my hands behind my back so I wouldn't be tempted to do the same. =) We took pictures (a tiny bit of his goofy side started to show up then) and Eden and Fred whisked out the door for the stake dance. Fred and I played board games with the little kids until they begged for bed and then exhaustedly waited up for  both of our girls. Eden was home by 11:30, at which time Jeff called to tell us that the dance was over and they would now start cleaning up (the girl they doubled with is also on student council and was on the Prom committee). We had been forewarned of that and they were given previous permission, but I asked them to call us when they finished and were heading home as they were clear in down-town Boise. That phone call didn't come in until after 12:45 and she didn't walk in the door until after 1:30 and then of course we had to talk so we went to bed after 2:00 and I woke up at 6:00 on Sunday morning. Such fun!!!

Sunday morning a good friend of Jordan's, Jancen Walker, spoke in sacrament meeting before leaving on his mission, so we attended that in Eagle, then went straight to our ward, then came home for 15 minutes to grab something to eat and headed over to a different building to hear Bro. Leeren and Sis. Beverly Walker report from their mission. They were both such uplifting meetings. Jansen and his family are so inspiring to me...always so joyful and gracious. I went up to hug them afterwards and when Jansen grabbed me in a bear hug I had such tender feelings thinking of Jordan and the mission field and motherhood that I cried and cried. I told Mikayla and Eden they had my permission to marry any of our Middleton Walkers, but they just roll their eyes and tell me that they are cousins........... which really isn't true because there are no blood relations there, but their loss. =) We are so happy to have Leeren "the Tornado of Love" back in our midst. I love the genuine concern, inclusion, cheerful energy and pure joy that radiates from that entire, huge family. It is addictive to be around them. Maybe that is because I am nothing like that and I yearn to be.

As we were waiting for the meeting to start in Bro. Walkers ward, I noticed that Brooklyn, one of the young women that I have learned to love in the stake, who has Down Syndrome, sitting a few rows ahead of me. I noticed that she was wearing a formal as has become a tradition the Sunday after any dance. I thought maybe she was just dressed up because she knew some of the other girls would be, but as I made my way up to talk to her, I noticed she was also wearing a corsage. She saw me coming before I reached her as gave me a vivacious greeting, as she always does and I commented on her dress and her flowers and she excitedly told me that she had gone to Prom. I was so pleased. When I sat back down I asked Mikayla who had taken her and she pointed to the sacrament table where a beautiful young man was sitting; dark and handsome and I almost cried. These Middleton youth never cease to amaze me. Mikayla's date walked in and I saw crazy hair and a suit that was way too big, but Mikayla and Eden and their peers see intelligence, wit, kindness and goodness and as this young man at the sacrament table came off the stand and sat beside Brooklyn, I could tell that he could see a daughter of God. I am greatful for the strength of this generation and the way in which this community of young people live up to their potential because of the support of each other.

One of our missionaries, Elder Ware was transferred on Monday. Lily wrote Jordan and told him that he was "translated". He wasn't that perfect but he was fun and I will miss his southern drawl and hearing his "yes ma'am". I will be interested to see who takes his place and what their visits will add to Jet's visits. This is the fourth missionary to leave since they started teaching in our home and it is always sad to see them go.

We are enjoying the week of Easter as we changed our family scripture study to incorporate Christ's last week. I am always trying to think of ways to make it more spiritually meaningful for the kids. Honestly, it is hard to keep my youngest ones focused on things of depth when there are so many fun traditions surrounding Easter. I think there is a place for all of it but it does take work to keep everything in perspective. We have a tradition that our Easter basket on Sunday morning is a family one and filled only with spiritually relevant things. I am always so surprised how hard it is to find things that satisfy that goal and are relevant to all of the age groups of our family.

Mikayla had her bottom 2 wisdom teeth removed on Monday. They gave her IV sedation and she was in there for hours so she wasn't firing on all cogs yesterday afternoon. She had a mouth full of cotton when I brought her home and kept trying to talk to me, but I could tell she was "falling a little behind" and she fell instantly asleep when I brought her in the house. An hour later her best friend stopped by with a milkshake just as she was waking up and we sat on the couch with her for an hour as she volleyed between fits of laughter for no apparent reason to sobbing in my arms because of the most minute things. Eden started cam-cording her at first but it became a bit too vulnerable when the sobbing started, so that was immediately terminated. Drugs are such a powerful thing. Of course after she pulled out of it we all had a good laugh, but it was sad at the time and I didn't dare leave her side. The soreness is starting to kick in today and she is getting sick of the liquid diet, so I'm hoping she heals up as quickly as Jordan did as she lives for Choir Tour in San Francisco next Thursday.

Life is crazy---crazier than I ever imagined it would be. I am so grateful for the lifeline of the gospel and the absolute confidence that I have that the prophets words are equal to the Lords and that the Lord is omnipotent and has everything under control. Without the Sun and the North Star I am sure I would be lost, wandering to and fro. It's easy still to feel that way some days when I take my eyes off the skies. One of my favorite quotes says, "I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars." Most days I see a bit of both.