Life in a Northern Town: FAMILY LETTER 03.09.14

Dear Loved Ones,

Our song for this week is: “Oh the snow melted down and the floods came up, but our house on the hill stood still!” Livingston declared a state of emergency with massive snow melt this week. It started up in our old neighborhood, then when they got all that water diverted to the canal and Fleshman Creek, the canal and creek began to over flow downstream. So Branding Iron Ridge and some nearby streets were evacuated, then all the apartments in N street down the canal, and all the south/east part of town near Fleshman Creek and the Yellowstone River had to be sand bagged, about 100 homes evacuated. Ninth street had white water as it flowed toward the river. The Eastside School field is a huge lake since the creek was diverted near there for the restoration project. CRAZY DAYS!

Last Monday was when the weather started to warm up. It was kind of a bummer day…I remember feeling down about Russia in Ukraine, my aching hip, and my stir-crazy kids. We tried to have FHE but the attitudes were so bad, we had a prayer and sent everyone to bed early, praying for a do-over on Tuesday.

Tuesday was MARCH 4th—MARCH FORTH! My personal holiday! I was happy to get an email from Jordyn. She reported to the Arizona Tucson Mission on Monday and on Tuesday was assigned to labor in the Pima Ward which is mostly made up of the ward I grew up in! It’s also where Elder Haymore (the Elder who taught/baptized her) grew up! He and I were SO excited by the news. Can’t wait to hear about her first adventures in the field. I took Niles and Maren shopping in Bozeman Tuesday morning, then put together a few little March Forth gifts (easy dinners)for some friends who are needing some cheering on. The girls helped me deliver the dinners and wish everyone a Happy March Forth…Onward, ever onward.

Speaking of Marching Forth, my sisterfriend Erin had her first round of Chemo on Wednesday. She had a reaction and got really sick, but they seem to know how to avoid that reaction next time. We can hope. Wednesday night was another family night up at the church. The boys went with Rich to scouts while Addie went to her Beehive Presidency meeting, then a temple prep activity. She also got another temple recommend to go do baptisms with the ward and her dad on Saturday March 8th. I visited Activity Days with Heidi and her friends and we talked about the many benefits of record keeping, from the Personal history level all the way through the scriptures. We watched some video clips (especially Elder Eyring’s “O Remember, Remember” Mormon Message). We looked at my 1980-82 journal (and laughed and laughed) and some other neat autobiographies as well as our favorite scripture stories. I challenged the girls to record the Lord’s Hand in their lives more often this year and to submit at least one story to the Annual Ward History for 2014. I gave them journal jars to take home. It was a pretty fun night.

Thursday was like a Friday here because the kids didn’t have school on Friday. In the morning we had a playgroup with the Jeffrey girls, the Johnson boys, Jessi and Porter Tyner, and Christina and Kenny Howell. It was a rainy day, and it was probably the peak of the flood evacuations. Rich had stake meetings that night, so the kids and I got a pizza and watched a movie. Niles and I headed to bed at 9 while the bigger kids stayed up a while playing Xbox games.

Friday all the kids were home but the weather was still wet and cold. We didn’t do anything exciting. The girls had friends over and the boys had fun playing together (they even went outside in our slushy yard for a little while in the 46-degree warmth!). We had our missionaries over for dinner Friday night. We pretended it was summer and had a burger BBQ with salads, root beer, and ice cream cones for dessert. It was pretty fun. This is the first time we have had the “new” elders over since the old ones left in January. They have been spending a lot of time in Big Timber because they are teaching a family there. Addie hung out with Izzi Friday for the first time in a long time, too—Izzi has been very busy rehearsing for Les Miserables at The Shane Center opening next week. She plays Young Eponine (I wish BOTH moms—Melin & Drews— were here to go with me!). There are five ward members in the cast! Heidi went to see Peabody and Sherman with her friend Allison, and the boys stayed home and went to bed early with Rich and me, since Rich and Addie had to get up at 5:15am for the temple trip.

Saturday morning Rich and Addie went to the temple and got home around 2pm. The other kids and I did some errands (like washing the car on a SUNNY MORNING!) then came home and cleaned up a little. Heidi and James worked on art, then the boys had some nerf gun fights. We had quiet time and naps when Rich got home, then had a yummy pasta dinner and a quiet night at home getting ready for Sunday (and losing an hour—I hate springing forward!). We were so happy to attend our own ward after 3 weeks away. This month’s sacrament meeting theme is Preparedness, so today Erin Bowden (our ward preparedness specialist) and Rich (our stake preparedness leader) spoke in sacrament meeting. Rich had to shorten his talk significantly but it was a powerful message about being spiritually and emotionally prepared, not just temporally. If we have a year’s supply of food and the finest 72-hours kits in the world, they won’t do us any good if we are not in tune with Spirit and following its promptings, as well as practicing obedience and humility in our daily lives. It was a very good meeting. After church and rest time, we went over to The Johnson’s home for dinner with the missionaries (again). Sister Johnson made a delicious Italian dinner and we brought éclairs for dessert. It was good to spend a little more time with the Elders, to discuss their work and share mission experiences and testimonies. Brother Johnson served his mission in The West Indies and had such a different experience working on the islands and in Suriname and French Guiana. The Elders also gave a great message to the kids using Elder Uchtdorf’s Mormon Message about Living Up to Your Privileges. It was fun to see the parable sink in with the older kids and hear their thoughts. We are so grateful for our friendship with the Johnsons and that our kids have such good friends to grow up with, too.

So, the warm weather also brought back the howling wind. We are enjoying the clear dry roads and our crazy Livingston hairdos. We are hoping and praying the spring melt off will be gradual enough that the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers don’t kill anyone this spring. It’s a lot to ask, but we hope. There is still tons of snow in the mountains. We love and miss you all! We hope nephew Cooper had a happy birthday today, and Jared Lehman tomorrow! It’s a crazy birthweek—Aunt Dana, Aunt Kristen, and Uncle Mark, too! And then I think we are in birthday season between our two families with birthdays every week for months. We sure are grateful all of you were born and hope you enjoy a year of blessings and happiness.

Until next week, all our love… Rich, Jamie, and Family