Wind and Sun

Wind and sun are not usually features of December in Sunnyside, but this year was full of both! We had an epic windstorm on Wednesday that whistled and whipped us for 24+ hours. The wind was revving up for that storm on Monday and Tuesday. It was also weirdly warm, with temperatures in the 50s. Jay said it felt like March outside, and I agreed, although March is often colder! Nothing like a nice weather report for a gripping intro. But the unseasonal weather made the week feel rather foreign and wild! We enjoyed some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets painted across the expressive sky--an unexpected joy during this usually dark time of year.

You'd think after owning a trampoline in the Yakima Valley for over 13 years we'd be more vigilant about staking it down. But Jeff had to move it for the Spectrum guy to do some wiring a few weeks ago, and it never got re-tied down. Thankfully it didn't blow far or sustain or cause much damage! During swim practice one day this week, Jay got some guys to help him flip the trampoline back over. 

Journal excerpts:

Monday, December 8th: This afternoon while driving to pick up Amber from school, I was holding my phone about chest high speaking a voice to text message when a policeman flashed his lights and pulled me over!! He said I was pulling through the intersection too slowly so he looked closer at me and saw the phone in my hand. I've never been pulled over before, in all 39 years of my life. It was terrifying, and I felt so guilty! I accidentally gave him my insurance instead of my registration. I was totally flustered! After scanning my documents, he told me he wouldn't give me a ticket, and explained that it's not even allowed to hold a phone in your hand at all while driving, not even for voice to text. I apologized and that was that. But I still have a pit in my stomach and it feels like guilt and shame for even using my phone at all while driving! Wahhhhh I was a bad example today!!!! I do not like this guilt! I didn't mean to break the law!

It took me several hours --at least 3-- to feel better after getting pulled over. The policeman even chirped his sirens at me when I didn't pull over fast enough, even though I had my blinker on and was looking for a place I could pull over. I just felt so... sanctioned and reprimanded. It made me feel sad. I called Mom tonight to mourn and siphon off some of my feelings. She and Dad were eating dinner together, so she put me on speaker phone and I regaled them with my tale of wo. They were very sympathetic and I felt better after I talked with them. Still slightly rattled, but better. Then I told Jeff the story. He sympathized too, and I began feeling much better. Sigh. What an ordeal. 

Jeff stayed home sick from school today. Yesterday he was feverish with tummy issues, and today he felt tired and yucky. But he did rally and went to swim practice this afternoon because the LVFC pool is finally fixed, warmed, and open! Jeff couldn't miss their first pool practice all season, 4 weeks into the season! It was day 1 of the 4th week of the season today, and they finally had a pool to practice in! Jay was so happy after practice. Rose enjoyed it too. She even stayed late to help teach the beginners how to swim. That made her in a huge rush for piano lessons, and we had to make 3 trips to the piano teacher's house: one to drop off Amber, one to drop off Rose, and one to pick them up. Jeff, Jay and I each took one leg of the journey. 

It is so annoyingly windy outside. It's whistling and roaring around our house, and that stupid flagpole rope has come loose. So the metal clip on the rope is clacking and banging and echoing on the metal pole. It is supposed to be unseasonably warm and very windy for most of the week. We're talking, it was 56° today and it's supposed to be in the high 50s or low 60s all week!

This morning I did a 12-minute Barn blitz strength workout: pull-up negatives 5-4-3-2-1, with 5 push-ups between each set, and 15 TRX pikes at the end. It was the most intense upper body and core workout I could do in the shortest amount of time! It was also the first time I did the reverse ladder all the way from 5 down to 1!! That's 15 negatives! It feels amazing to be getting stronger little by little. 

Tuesday, December 9th: I went to the temple today! It was lovely. I stayed in the celestial room for a nice long time soaking in the stillness and thinking. I am thankful for the temple.

Jeff says he feels like his health is taking a dive right now, based on the bone deep fatigue he felt by second period today. Sigh. I hope he can pull out of it without dipping too far down. It is so hard when he feels exhausted all the time. He's just a shell of his usual vibrant self, and I miss him!

Wednesday, December 10th: It's 10:42pm. I drove a van of 5 young women 50 minutes to the tri cities tonight to watch an acrobatic cirque de soleil type show at the Toyota Center. The tickets were given to us by an anonymous donor, and I was asked to help drive. The show was fun. The acrobatic stunts were stressful and impressive all at once. Even though the princess actress hosting the event and telling stories was a bit weird, overall it was fun and definitely something I never would've chosen to go to on my own! Getting out of the parking lot amidst the masses afterwards was a painfully slow congested process. 

It was a white knuckle drive for me both ways in the strong wind storm, with high winds trying to jerk the steering wheel out of my hands. We had such a crazy windstorm today that made the drive really stressful. I had to hold the steering wheel with both hands the entire way and we kept jerking and swerving in the strong wind. Don't even get me started on the large tumbleweeds that kept blowing across the road appearing out of nowhere from the darkness into my headlights. I had to resist the temptation to slow down every time a tumbleweed appeared, and had to keep driving at full speed and hit the tumbleweed so it broke up and blew across our car. I prayed every time I had to pass a semi truck in that high wind. I was so tense during the drive! It definitely took some of the enjoyment out of the event, haha. We got home to our house at 10:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 11th: The windstorm was finally over this morning, so today automatically felt more peaceful than yesterday. I had blessed quiet time to work on random loose ends at home, like laundry (I even folded it) and getting the mail (I scootered down the driveway). While I did that and more, I talked with Mom on the phone. We talked for 3 hours!! We decided it was a new phone call PR: 3:02:48. I love my Mom so much. 

This afternoon I went to Amber's school to watch her 5th grade music program. The kids were so enthusiastic and sang the songs with gusto! Amber had a pretty big speaking part, and she did so well! It was very cute to see how carefully she practiced and how intently she paid attention during the program. She dressed up in her new snowflake dress, and wore blue stick on earrings. She asked me to braid her hair this morning--a very rare occasion, because she says it hurts when I braid her hair. I did a side braid going into a French braid in the back and it looked all fancy. By the afternoon when her program started, Amber's hair was back in her usual ponytail, and her stick-on earrings were nowhere to be seen. She said the side braid had come loose when she was scratching her head, and she couldn't get it back in place so she took it out and put in a ponytail. I love my wild Amber child. We went to the library together on our way home from school.

When we got home, I went to the barn to check on the swim team. The pool heater broke again after only 3 days in the water, poor kids. It actually broke on day 2 in the water, but the water was still warm enough for swimming yesterday. Jeff said it was too cold today. In the barn, I helped Iker G. take apart one of the rowing machines so we could get the chain back on the gear. It took a while to figure it out. After that I went on a cleaning spree in the barn bathroom which was both icky and satisfying. Then I helped one kid with a knee problem, and encouraged two other kids to do some more dynamic core work instead of lame static plank holds. I suggested that that they do TRX pikes and side plank marches instead, which are way more effective core strength building. I may not excel at Olympic lifts, but I do know about core work!

Tonight I went to Jay and Rose's High School orchestra concert alone, since Jeff's health allowed him to go to school and practice but then he crashed and crumpled at home. So I went to the concert and took meticulous videos of Jay and Rose performing. They did so well. It was so fun to watch them perform and play their instruments that they've been practicing. Rose played the cello in two songs and the piano with a third song, and she sounded so good! Jay joined Rose's orchestra for one song, and then performed three songs with his group. Jay was just as cool as can be playing his bass up there. He made a funny face when he messed up once and I honestly wouldn't have known he messed up except I was watching his face, but he recovered great and play really well. 

Jeff  is exhausted. His health is not in a good spot right now. As happens regularly in Jeff's body, his autonomic nervous system has been out of whack and it messes with his ability to get quality rest each night. I hope he can actually sleep tonight so he can start recovering.

Friday, December 12th: The sun came out today, the wind died down completely, and the air warmed up to 55 degrees! I took advantage of the good weather and did a painting project outside after my run. I re-painted the house number sign near the end of our driveway. It was a flaky, faded old red wooden sign with chunks of the numbers missing. Ever since the driveway was paved, that crusty sign has been driving me crazy. It felt so good to fix it up! It took me two hours from start to finish, because I kept having to go back to the house, barn, and shed to find supplies: screwdrivers, sandpaper, paint, paintbrushes, etc. I rode my scooter back and forth, but it still took a while to find everything I needed. 

I didn't want to go to the hardware store during this project because that always kills my momentum, and I managed to scrounge up everything I needed from the four corners of our homestead! The sandpaper and paintbrushes came from my ancient craft supplies in the basement-- I used two 2" foam paintbrushes and a half sheet of sandpaper. The screwdriver was in the barn (used to remove the old numbers from the sign). The paint was in the shed, leftover from our house. Opening the paint cans was hard! I used a stick to stir one, and a broken PVC pipe scavenged from nearby to stir the other. I painted the sign beige with white trim, just like our house. The sign turned out better than I expected it to! I am so proud of myself and satisfied. The black metal numbers that I ordered are supposed to arrive tomorrow. Then the sign will be done! 

Since the fitness club's pool is broken again, the team all had to practice at the barn yesterday and today. Today 5 guys started playing duck duck goose in the front yard (Jeff and I agreed that duck duck goose was a plyometric-adjacent exercise). Pretty soon 90% of the team was out there playing. It was adorable, watching these kids make the most of their practice time without a pool and still have fun together. Jeff and I sat in chairs on the sidelines and watched the game go on as the sun set spectacularly in the background. It was one of those idyllic moments that warms my heart and makes me feel so grateful for our life. 

Jeff was exhausted from battling his own autonomic system all week, so he stayed home from the ward Christmas party tonight. Jay drove Rose to the church early to prep for the skit and youth song. Amber and I came later with some warm ham and cold rolls. Amber and I sat with my friends Camille and George Tree. They are some of my favorites, and I was so thankful to them for being my family tonight, because Amber was my only child who sat with me. Jay and Rose sat with their friends, which also made me happy. Jay's table kept growing: there were 8 youth from our ward at that round table, plus 6 visitors, five of which were from the swim team! It was a packed table! The church youth from that group sang a song up front together, and some of them participated in the Christmas skit. Jay was a wise man, with an epic turban. I laughed so hard! 

I wish there had been a "this is fiction, not doctrine" disclaimer at the beginning of the skit, because I tend to disagree with having Santa meet baby Jesus and then go on to gain immortality and live forever in the spirit of giving that he learned from Jesus. I hope none of the nonmembers present thought that's what we believe! Amber sang two songs with the primary kids as part of the skit. It was sweet. It was one of her last performances as a primary kid before she advances into the young women organization in the new year! Sniff. 

I am wiped out because I have been out past 8pm for the past 3 nights in a row! 

Amber's Student of the Month award, with kind words from her teacher.

Temple selfie on Tuesday!

The state of Amber's bedroom caused me to make a few official declarations.

So far Amber's bedroom cleanup has not gone very quickly or smoothly.

We were seated at the far side of the arena for the acrobatic performance on Wednesday night, so we could only see a sliver of the decorative screen backdrop. Thankfully we could still see the performers once they appeared, but I forgot to take pictures for the entire performance--I was too busy ooh-ing and ahh-ing and also worrying the acrobats were going to fall and break their necks!

I came to my senses when we stepped back into the gale force winds after the performance, and took a blurry windy selfie with my van group.

Amber's fancy hairdo on Thursday morning, that I never saw again after she left for school.

Feeling extra fancy, with her braided hair and stick-on earrings.

The much-anticipated performance! Amber practiced her lines for weeks before this day. Amber is on the right, stooping down to speak into the microphone, since it was set to "average 5th grader height," rather than Amber-height.

Amber at the microphone. I got a new phone a week or two ago, and the camera has a surprisingly good zoom on it.

The 5th grade music program was also the 5th grade showcase, where they hung recent projects for parents to admire. This poster about the early American civilizations was the only thing of Amber's I could find, although she told me off for not seeing her habitat or something else.

Late stages of a sunset with our Christmas tree lights reflecting in the kitchen window.

Cozy.

Rose is in the first cello chair in the center-right, and Jay is the second bass from the right.

This is Jay's chamber orchestra playing.

Jay between Kennedy at the piano and his co-bass-player, Maddi. Seriously, I love the zoom on my cell phone camera!

I experimented with my phone camera zoom while running on Friday morning. I took this picture from across the canal!

Mt. Adams presiding over Cemetery Road.

Before, during, and after pictures of my street sign painting project! I forgot to take a before picture, so I found an older picture of the driveway and zoomed way in on the sign--that's why the first picture is blurry.

I was so surprised that painting the rough sign with a tiny foam paintbrush worked! The paintbrush was rather shredded by the end, but it survived.

Triumphant selfie!

The metal house numbers that I ordered did not arrive until after dark on Saturday, so on Sunday afternoon, I quickly scootered out and attached them to the sign.

Friday night sunset across our backyard.

Swim team duck duck goose in the front yard.

I took this picture of the duck duck goose-ers from inside our house while I was getting food ready for the ward party.

Once the ham was in the oven, I went back out and sat with Jeff to enjoy the sunset and swim team shenanigans. Even Amber joined in! My phone did an edit/adjustment to this picture to make the shadows less dark, so the whole thing looks almost fake--but I think it illustrates the idyllic-ness of the moment very nicely.

Just a couple of parents, watching our 35 kids play in the yard.

The 14 person table at the ward Christmas party. These kids are so awesome.

Amber singing with a few primary kids.

Jay is on the far right in the white turban. I laughed the whole time he stood there. That's all he had to do: stand there looking dignified, as wise men traditionally do.

The youth, singing a new Christmas song.

Saturday morning, the world was shrouded in fog. The minute the wind disappears, the fog rolls in. This time it was tinged in pink in the reflected sunrise glow. Mt. Adams looked extra mysterious.

The fog started to clear a bit before suddenly thickening again before I left on my run...

This was the first mile of my Saturday morning run.

This was what it looked like after the first mile of my run. Suddenly, the fog lifted and rolled away within a super short 10 minute window!

Sunday morning was a fiery blaze of a sunrise. I love it when the sky is expressive! Regular winter skies here are thick and gray, with the sun completely obscured for weeks on end. That's why I kept taking pictures of the glory this week!

View to the southeast across the canal, taken from our front porch.

View from our front door.