Piano Upgrade

Spring Recital: Saturday, May 6, 2023

Jessica and I had our final music recital together. I'm heartbroken she is moving to LA. Things were stressful the morning of the recital. Jessica got food poisoning and was up violently ill the night before/morning of. We didn't know if she would be able to make it which would have been devastating. Miraculously, she was able to come. She made it through the recital but did sit in the back near the restrooms just in case. Phew. We tried out a new recital venue and it worked out nicely. This time around, we charged our students a $10 recital fee to help with rental and printing costs.

Jessica made the sophisticated invitations and the program.

Unfortunately, many of my students could not be at the recital. It is such a busy time of year. 7 of my 12 students performed. A handful of my students are advanced now and made me look good! I played the piano a lot. I accompanied 12 of Jessica's violin/viola students and joined one of my students for a duet. It felt like I was constantly on stage. An advanced student performed a challenging song on the violin and my accompanying was not my best. In fact, the performer and I struggled through the last page and didn't really end together (due to him skipping a few lines). Yikes. I'm relieved the recital is over! Recitals won't be the same without Jessica. Sigh. I've made some studio changes prepping for the baby and said goodbye to some students. Farewell Earl family-- Corban, Kierra, and Gavin. 

I have gone back and forth about whether or not I will continue teaching when baby arrives. Where I have landed is to keep teaching, but to cut back. I'm taking time off this summer and will have fewer students to juggle when I start back up in the fall. Music is such a big part of my life. I don't know that I will teach forever, but I'm going to stick with what I have going for now. The extra income is a nice perk too. 

Piano Upgrade: Friday, May 12, 2023

A new piano has been high on my list for a while. Even if I had decided to stop teaching, I use my piano daily and know my kids will too. I have browsed Facebook marketplace, contacted people on KSL, and tried out several pianos in stores. A new piano is not a cheap item which is why it has taken me so long to finally pull the plunge. My dream piano is a grand piano, but that just isn't realistic right now. I bought a piano this morning! It was delivered 45 minutes later. It all feels too good to be true. Happy Mother's Day to me! Here's how it happened...

I haven't been able to get the idea of a new piano out of my head. I was mailed an advertisement for a piano sale. I nearly threw the paper away, but it kept calling my name. After talking to someone on the phone acknowledging that I could actually afford some of the pianos at the sale, I made an appointment to go look. All the pianos are at a highly discounted price. Each year, a school gets new pianos and they sell the old ones. It's a nonprofit organization which means I get a 40 percent tax deduction for my purchase. Woot woot. 

There were only 2 black pianos within my budget. The more expensive piano had a weird squeak and vibration which narrowed it down. The cheaper piano it was! It's a shiny black Schumann piano. It is only 6 months old!! It looks and plays like it's brand new. Financing was my number one question. Another piano store I have been working with offered me 6 months with 0 percent financing. I brought this up and kind Alan agreed to offer me the same deal. I was blown away. Paying the full price of the piano today wasn't in the cards for us. I paid half today and have 6 months to pay the remainder with no interest or penalty. Unreal. I was also able to get $100 off the piano because I'm a teacher.

Another concern I brought up was getting my old piano back to my grandma. My grandma has been graciously letting me borrow the piano for the last 6 years. It was her mom's piano, my Great Grandma Woods' piano. The piano has so much sentimental value. Lately, its age has been showing more and more. The last time I had it tuned, the tuner implied it didn't have much life left. The bench is broken, the music holder is ruined, and a key sticks which aggravates my students. As a teacher, I wasn't feeling very professional about my instrument. Riverton Music agreed to deliver the piano back to my grandma. What! The price was reasonable given the heavy lifting, distance to Lehi, and brutal staircase to Grandma's basement. My grandma is thrilled to have the piano back at her fingertips. 

Notice my thriving, living plant. Who am I!?

Ahh! I can't wait to see my students' reactions next week when they see my shiny, beautiful piano. The old broken bench recently smashed a poor student's fingers. The new bench is so comfortable and soft Isabelle declared she could sleep on it all night. I even spent some of my coveted, precious quiet time playing my new instrument. I couldn't resist....

(And yes, we need to re-hang the painting a smidge higher. The new piano is taller.)

Baby Girl

We're having a baby girl in October! Eeeek! We are absolutely thrilled. It took longer than I hoped it would to get pregnant after my miscarriage, but we are so grateful for a healthy pregnancy this time around!

To announce to the kids that I'm pregnant, we had the kids open a package with these shirts in them. When they saw the baby onesie, they asked if it was for their cousin George or Daisy. It was so cute.

I'm technically due Tuesday, October 17 (which could change), but I have already been given the green light to be induced a week early. After going through my miscarriage last summer, I wasn't sure that I wanted to continue going to my doctor's office. I was not impressed with them during that experience. In an emergency, getting a hold of them was extremely hard. Andrew pointed out how great my doctor was though. She came and performed my d&c even though she wasn't the doctor on call.

I'm so glad I stuck with Doctor Peacock! I am a big fan. I've never had a woman deliver my babies and I will never return to having a male ob-gyn. At first, it was hard to actually believe I was pregnant. Was this pregnancy going to last? I was worried. Early on in the pregnancy, my family got the stomach flu. I threw up and had stomach cramps. The cramping reminded me of my miscarriage and made me stressed. Thankfully it was just part of the stomach bug. Doctor Peacock monitored me closely in the beginning which helped provide peace of mind. I went in for 3 blood tests to ensure that my HCG levels were rising normally each week. This was helpful. I was also scheduled for an ultrasound extremely early and was so relieved to hear a heartbeat. At each appointment, hearing the heartbeat has been a priority. Also, I learned my doctor's office has an app and I message the nurse regularly and get very quick replies (this would have been extremely beneficial during the miscarriage).

Now that I'm out of the first trimester and 16 weeks pregnant, I'm feeling less anxious. The day I found out I was pregnant (Saturday, February 4) I could hardly believe it. Yes, we were actively trying and I was even using an ovulation kit, but there had been many months without success. My doctor told me after miscarrying, it can take up to a year to get pregnant. I had 7 cycles after the miscarriage and was blessed to get pregnant during my 8th cycle. I know some others who got pregnant immediately and was hoping that would be the case for me. 

One of the very first things I did after discovering the happy news I was pregnant is go get my Covid-19 booster. This was a huge priority for me. I have had the booster before, but it had been a while and then I ended up getting Covid and miscarrying (hard to pinpoint exactly what caused the miscarriage). This pregnancy, I have a fresh booster shot.

When my parent's left on their mission, I was pregnant. My dad gave us priesthood blessings and this experience was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. Andrew's blessing was super neat and talked about his dad who has passed on. My blessing was a lot about my pregnancy. During the blessing, I was told that a baby was anxiously waiting to join our family. It was also mentioned that having 3 kids will be a lot of work and that I won't be able to get as much done which is okay. This is something I need to hear, I like to be busy. After the blessing, my dad told me he felt like I was going to have a baby boy. Soon after, I had a miscarriage.

With this pregnancy, we thought it was going to be a boy because of that experience. Though some specific details about spirits and death are murky. When I went in for my gender check, the baby's legs were crossed. No matter how hard the ultrasound tech tried, the baby would not move positions. I was sick with worry. Oh no! I'm not going to be able to find out the gender. This was not my first rodeo (ultrasound) and this had never happened before. After several minutes of no luck, it was suggested that I go to the bathroom and hope the baby's position changed. It did not. 

The baby is stubborn. The ultrasound technician poked around a bit and it made the baby mad. The baby finally moved, but had its hand between its legs. I guess my $35 was going to waste. Finally, the ultrasound technician said she was pretty sure she knew the gender but wanted to wait to say anything until she had a better view. She then said she was 90 percent certain. At one point, she referred to the baby as "he," so I assumed it was a boy. When she said it was a girl and that she was sure, I was ecstatic and absolutely shocked.  Here is the picture to prove it. 

We already have a girl name picked out. What! This is a first for me. In the past, I have taken a list of names to the hospital and discussed all the names at length with the nurse during labor. I'm so indecisive. After hearing it was a girl, Jessica and I immediately went shopping for baby girl clothes. I'm feeling so grateful and excited! Our kids talk about the baby non-stop. Both announced to their classes at school that I'm pregnant. When I asked James if he is glad kindergarten is ending, his response was, "Yes, because it means we're getting closer to having the baby." Amen!

Easter

I tried to make Easter extra special. With church only being an hour long on Easter, I was reminded of my responsibility to teach my children what an important day it is. Elder Stevenson started General Conference by talking about this exact subject and making Easter as big of a deal as Christmas. He quoted N. T. Wright, "We should be taking steps to celebrate Easter in creative new ways: In art, literature, children's games, poetry, music, dance, festivals, bells, special concerts... This is our greatest festival. Take Christmas away, and in biblical terms you lose two chapters at the front of Matthew and Luke, nothing else. Take Easter away, and you don't have a New Testament; you don't have a Christianity."

Easter Scriptures 

My sister sent me an idea from Later Day Baby. For 8 days until Easter, you read specific scriptures about what happened that day. Our kids really enjoyed this and they listened surprisingly well. While driving to an Easter egg hunt, Isabelle asked why the Holy Ghost told Jesus to jump off a cliff. We were very confused until she told us we read it in the scriptures the prior night. Clearly, we didn't explain well that Satan wanted Jesus to jump off a cliff to prove he was God. 

Easter Walk

I heard about an Easter walk in Alpine and immediately planned a time to do it. The walk is only open for a 3-day period and after hearing there was a 20-minute wait to get into the walk on Easter, I'm glad we went the first day. (Friday). We invited Grandma Langlois to join us. We went out to dinner first to celebrate Grandma's 85th birthday. It was a delightful evening. Grandma knows the Alpine area well and had a lot to tell us. The weather was perfect and the walk was in a gorgeous neighborhood. The walk didn't take long, but it was really neat. There were signs with scriptures on them, 3 crosses, and a tomb with a rock. I got choked up explaining to our kids what events happened there. I could tell that James felt the spirit too. We had some complaints when we initially told the kids about the walk, but who would have guessed they would be sad it ended? Seeing these sights was powerful and memorable. According to my grandma, it looked just like the holy land which she has been to.

Easter Books

The Easter Bunny brought the new book called, "Savior" By: Maddie Daetwyler. I highly recommend it. The words and images are gorgeous. We also read and own another picture book, "He is Risen" By: Liz Lemon Swindle which is beautiful too.

12 Egg Easter Activity

When I was in the primary presidency, we created baggies full of 12 eggs and delivered them to each family in the ward. Each egg is numbered and has a scripture and object inside. To find out more specifics about this activity, go to this website: https://www.ldsliving.com/a-fun-and-simple-easter-egg-tradition-that-will-get-your-kids-excited-about-the-saviors-life/s/87972.

This activity helps kids visualize the events that took place leading up to Easter with the number 12 egg being empty/object-free because He is Risen!  When my calling used to be activity days leader, we did this for one of our activities. This year, as I went to pull out my Easter stuff, I noticed that the kids has gotten into my numbered eggs for this activity. Some of the scriptures and objects were missing. I was so sad. I immediately made a new set of eggs and now keep them in a spot that will be left untouched by little fingers. We did this activity after sacrament meeting on Easter.

Easter Dinner 

I hosted Easter dinner and invited my siblings and their families over. We had a wonderful time! I'm trying not to think too much about the fact that my family dynamics are going to change once again this summer when some family members move... Enough about that. Dinner was amazing! Everyone helped bring stuff and it all came together seamlessly. Jeff made his perfected brisket! Lindsey made yummy lemon pies! Jess and Chris brought grandma's potatoes which were so cheesy and delicious. Alexa made her famous strawberry lemonade and a salad. I made rolls, corn, raspberry pretzel jello salad, and deviled eggs. I have been relishing the leftovers.

We did an Easter Egg hunt for the cousins, the trampoline got a lot of use, and Uno and Go Fish were popular. We'll do our best to erase the dead bird image from our memory that was found during the hunt. We learned that James has inherited my Easter Egg hunt competitiveness. His cousin tripped and fell and all of her eggs fell out of her basket. James immediately started taking her eggs.  A teaching opportunity arose. I love my family! Using paper plates helped reduce cleanup afterward, but I was still tired after a busy and eventful day.

Easter Music

Since I am the ward music coordinator, I was asked to have 3 musical numbers on Easter Sunday. The choir performed 2 songs and Jessica played the violin. I accompanied Jess and was so grateful she played in my ward. We also played in an assisted living later in the afternoon. I felt the spirit strongly while she was playing (she's incredible) and thankfully I held it together so I could see the keys.

I can't deny that Jesus is Risen and is a God of miracles. He has been right with me through some difficult times and has shown me so many tender mercies. We tried to make Easter different this year. I'm already gathering ideas for Easter next year, so if you have any, send them my way!

Going to GuideCx!

The dreaded words, “I got laid off” came from Andrew’s lips once again on Wednesday, January 11. This came as a complete surprise to both of us. We are thankful that Andrew got severance pay for 2.5 months in addition to cobra (insurance) pay. I don’t think there’s ever a “good time” to receive this news, but the day before our niece’s wedding and hosting family felt extra rough. To those who saw me during this time, my apologies for being irritable and extra emotional.

It was a little alarming that Andrew’s employer completely shut off his computer not even 10 minutes after sharing the news of his termination. This was a jerky move. Since he has been through 2 other layoffs, we have those experiences to compare this layoff to. Both other companies, let Andrew use his computer for a month or two while searching for a job. We are grateful that Andrew’s friend has been letting him borrow his computer during his job hunt. Andrew has also been borrowing his green screen as well to put up behind him during interviews which cracks me up.

Someone Andrew worked with who also got laid off called Andrew crying. Other coworkers reached out to Andrew in disbelief. Here is what they said: (And yes, Andrew goes by “Ditto.” Can you tell I’m rolling my eyes?)

                   Text message: “Hey Ditto. I’m so sorry about what happened today and I hope you are doing okay. I really appreciate the time I got to work with you and thanks for all the impact you had on our team. Let me know if I can help with anything and wish you the best for what comes next. Take care.”

                    Email: “Hi Ditto, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out and express my deepest sympathy for the recent layoff. I want you to know that your contributions to the LLC  team were truly appreciated and valued. I know it can be a difficult and challenging time, and I want you to know that you have my support during this transition. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything I can help with. Wishing you all the best.” 

Andrew had recently started teaching his team tips and these trainings were supposed to continue. Many coworkers found them beneficial since Andrew was the most senior on the team and has more experience. It was awkward that Andrew had more experience than his boss which made things tricky.

Many tech companies have done layoffs recently which has made me apprehensive. With so many companies getting rid of employees, how would Andrew ever find a job? Andrew was very organized about his job search and kept track of things on a board. At first, he was pickier about where he would apply. In time, he started to worry more and feel desperate. When I heard Andrew applied to work at TikTok I knew he was panicked. He even had a few interviews with a company in NYC that would require relocation. I applied for a full-time 6th-grade teaching job and I got the job. I had the hardest time deciding if I wanted to take it. I decided to pass on the opportunity after subbing the students for 4 days. 6th graders are mean. Watch out. Instead, teaching piano lessons and substitute teaching are consuming my time.

Andrew’s organization helps us see that he had 19 interviews.  Companies have been in no rush to hire. They have been dragging their feet and waiting a long time to reply between interviews. Some have even gone on hiring freezes mid-interview process. Andrew has grit. Looking for a job has been his full-time job. He has been so dedicated and consistent. He started writing a weekly technical blog. 

We are thrilled to announce that Andrew has accepted a job with GuideCx. Guess what? This company informed Andrew earlier this week that they hired someone else. We were pretty disappointed. We were also completely shocked that they called today offering him the job. What!? Andrew has been saving a box of watermelon sour patch kids to celebrate accepting a job offer. He finally got to open them today! I bet they have never tasted so good.

GuideCx is another startup. Andrew prefers startups. There are about 100 employees. The company headquarters are in Lehi. Employees come into the office 3 days a week and work from home 2 days a week. Andrew will still have the job title of "Quality Assurance Engineer" and gets a raise. Ironically, GuideCx is a competitor to one of the past companies Andrew worked for. GuideCx helps companies with the onboarding process. It helps companies with the handoff between sales and customer support. Better yet... Andrew will start on Monday! Who gets to start that quickly!? Unreal--get the offer Friday and start Monday. Andrew talked to them about insurance coverage and if he had waited to start until April 10 like originally suggested, we would have had to wait another month for insurance. 

We honestly feel like this is an absolute miracle. Andrew traveled earlier this week for an interview and we should be hearing back from that company Monday. Andrew was less excited about it. God waited until the last second to show he has been in control all along. We thought we would have to settle with this other company that was just okay, but instead, Andrew is getting close to his dream job.

Although Andrew getting laid off is not what I wanted for our family, I have seen God’s hand throughout this experience. I think Andrew will like his new job more! His commute will be shorter! Although Andrew has been unemployed for close to 3 months, I have felt peace throughout this time. I always knew it was going to work out. I'm not known for my positivity, but I have felt optimistic and hopeful. We are so grateful for the prayers on our behalf and have truly felt them. Andrew has been teaching a stake emotional resiliency class and these kind strangers have been praying for us too. Thanks for all the love and support! We can't wait to celebrate with burgers tonight!

Birthdays for Dayzz

Whew! We made it through the birthday madness! Hooray, that we get a breather before Isabelle’s birthday in July.

James’ 6th Birthday:

On James’ birthday, he got to fill out a poster all about himself and show his class. He also brought a treat and he picked Oatmeal Cream Pies. He came home wearing a birthday crown. To make sure he was thoroughly spoiled (but not go overboard—balance, right), we went to Chick-fil-A. James also got a haircut from a professional instead of me! What, I paid someone? James got to pick out a new pair of shoes as his present from us. Obviously, he chose light-up shoes. He later went to the arcade with Andrew and Isabelle (while I was teaching). I think his day was pretty great. A stop from his aunt who brought by a gift and a FaceTime with Nana and Papa are worth a mention too. So many people love my boy.

Looking fresh with that haircut and new kicks.

James really wanted to invite friends over for a birthday party. I caved. I would have loved to rent a party room at “Kidstopia” or some other kid playground. How easy. The price tag stopped me though. A Superhero themed birthday party idea was born and it happened today. We are tired. It was a smashing success if I do say so myself. This party would not have been possible without my hands-on, awesome husband. James said the best part of the party was that Eva came. I think he has a little crush.

We found most of our ideas online (so don’t think we could come up with this stuff on our

own), but here’s the party agenda:

-Build your superhero a fortress (with Legos/blocks) while we wait for everyone to arrive.

-Superhero BINGO! 

-Superhero training:

1) Super smart— as a group, the kids took a quiz about superheroes. Most did not know the superheroes' actual names, so we dumbed it down a bit… Like which superhero squirts spiderwebs?

2) Super strength— the kids did push-ups, jumping jacks, and had to lift weights. I should have taken a video of their form during push-ups. Wowza. James could easily lift the 2 heavyweights (10 pounds each). Of course, Izzy went for the heavyweights. That girl has confidence.

3) Super speed— the kids did relay races to see how fast they were. James was not happy when he dropped the egg from the spoon. 

-Superhero graduation. For completing Superhero training, the kids each got a superhero mask and had to think of a new Superhero name. James’ name was “Iron Spidercat.” 

-Decorate superhero masks.

-First task as a new superhero. Chase the villain! Andrew dressed up in a mask and the kids got to run around the backyard squirting him with silly string. This was exciting for them and much to their chagrin, the budget only allowed for 1 silly string per person.

-Presents! James got so spoiled.

-Doughnuts

-Don’t Eat “The Super-Hero” (Pete)

-10 minutes of Spider-Man show. (So much energy!)

-Party favors—thank you Amazon for beating dollar store prices. These included: a keychain, button pin, rubber bracelet, superhero mask, and 5 stickers.

Party Attendees:

Harrison, Walker, Emmie, Maggie, Eva, Calvin, Elijah, Derek. Unfortunately Simon, Esther, Lily, and Jackson weren’t able to attend.

James’ Bio:

James has grown up so much this year. Watching him do this has been such a pleasure. He is an excellent swimmer. At a party recently, he did fine on his own even in the 10 ft section of the pool which made me so proud. He enjoys swimming and is great at it! James requested that we sign him up for soccer again. Yay! He improved so much this past soccer season and I’m antsy to see him play more starting in April. James continues to be the most loving older brother. He is blessed with a tender heart. What kindergartener picks a prize from the prize box at school for his little sister!? I know I’ve done something right because James can sit through an entire chapter book and gets so excited during it. The Boxcar Children series is his current favorite. James is getting good at reading. 

James loves going to school. We recently had a terrible case of stomach flu at our house. James was super ill. He was devastated to miss school even after throwing up so many times. James started speech at school to work on saying his rs and a few other sounds (ironically the “J” sound). James has made huge and noticeable improvements in school since starting ADD medication. A few weeks ago, we had parent-teacher conferences and they were night and day different than last time! James really wants to do the Chinese Immersion program which starts in 1st grade at his school. I signed him up! Here’s to hoping it’s the right decision. He’s definitely got the brains for it. We love James to pieces! If you ever need a fort or Legos built, call James. He’s amazing.

Nathan’s 19th Birthday:

It had been too long since we had the BYU Dittos over. Our kids get so much love and attention when they come over. Andrew decided to make our free Winco turkey. It was Nathan's birthday-March 12th!  We went around the table and said what we love about Nathan. I love that his family does this too! We pulled out the game Rook-O-Lee. I enjoyed getting to know Hailee more (big fan). We were extra tired by the end of the night thanks to daylight savings. 

George’s 1st Birthday:

George's bday is the day before James'. We celebrated early on Saturday, March 11. We were supposed to dress "as our favorite George." Andrew was George Harrison, I was St. George, UT, and James and Isabelle were "Curious George." What a cute idea and an awesome party! We were able to reuse the balloons from George's party for James' party which was so nice.

My 30th birthday: (I’m officially old. Don’t remind me.)

Andrew made breakfast burritos for my birthday breakfast. Yum! Jess and Chris babysat for us that night, February 25, which we appreciated. We went to Texas Roadhouse and used a gift card that Debbie gave me for my bday. I even branched out and got ribs instead of my usual steak. I had to really find room for ice cream. I was ridiculously full. We tried out a new ice cream place called "Brooker's” which has a founding fathers theme. They took this theme very seriously with revolutionary decor, employee attire, and the names of the ice cream flavors all after presidents. We’ll go back and next time I’ll be hungrier. 

I felt emotional after receiving so much love, kind words, and gifts from people. “My people” are the best. My grandma treated me to a special birthday lunch (another day), my sister’s got me a Stanley drink and a sweatsuit, and my 2 closest friends both know me so well that they got me a gift card to the same restaurant—one of my favorites. I am not complaining, but am very grateful!! With the money my parents gave me, I bought Izzy and me matching Easter dresses. I can hardly contain my excitement and want to wear them this instant. She will freak out when she sees them. My ministering sister even took me out to lunch to celebrate. If this is what getting old feels like, I’ll take it.

Andrew’s 34th Birthday:

We went out on a double date on Friday, February 17, so our friends were in town. Andrew chose the "Hu Hot" restaurant to relive the glory days he worked there. I'll admit I didn't love this restaurant the last time I went. I liked the food better this time! Andrew also wanted to see the new "Antman" movie. Everyone else enjoyed the movie. I was there for the popcorn.

On Andrew's actual birthday (the 20th), I brought him chick-fil-a breakfast in bed. He picked creamy ranch chicken, giant rolls (that he has been begging me to make), and lunch lady peanut butter bars for dessert. Don't worry, we had salad too. I decided to be extra nice and watch Star Wars. It wasn't too bad. I still need to watch several Star Wars movies with Andrew. I lost mini golfing when we were dating (over a decade ago) and am going to come through with my promise! I even stayed awake during Star Wars. Andrew could hardly believe it. Andrew got a generous gift card from his mom and money from my parents. He got a new switch game, a board game, and running socks. We have talked about getting him a new desk (as a belated birthday gift) once he secures a job. 

Off to birthday hibernation…