Dear Loved Ones 26
October 2014
It’s a crazy birthday week –Happy
Birthday to Aunt Jill yesterday, Uncle Willy today, Cousin Emily tomorrow, and
Uncle Jess and Uncle Michael on Tuesday! Wow. Hope you guys are enjoying a long
extended fall like we are here. It has been by far the most beautiful October
of my whole life.
I’m going to diverge from my journal
format a bit since I am just home from a lovely trip and haven’t kept good
daily tabs on what’s happening around here. My last letter was on October 12th
and that next week was mostly spent getting ready for my trip. I tried to stock
the pantry, finish all the laundry, pack, have fun with kids on Fall Break, and
quell my anxiety about flying cross country with a baby on my lap. Richard was
so helpful getting me ready to go and coaching me through my worries about
leaving. He even got up at 2:30 am and drove me to Butte to catch a plane!
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| On the first day of fall break (10/16) Addie made Lembas bread. |
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| I snuggled James to sleep the night before I left. |
Saturday 10/18 was roommate reunion
day. We got up and ate a big yummy breakfast with everybody and enjoyed a lazy
morning getting ready for the day. Erin arranged for the big kids to babysit
Ammon while she took Heidi and me to get pedicures and a delicious local late
lunch (what do the Hobbits call a 3pm meal?). We took Brittany to her job at a
cute farm that has all the fun harvest stuff. We stopped in to look around and enjoyed
delicious apple cake donuts and I bought a cute-creepy Halloween figurine as a
souvenir. Then we were off to get our feet done in Mt. Laurel—ahh, relaxing!
After that, we went to John & Molly’s, a very local pub and restaurant. I
wish I had been brave and chosen something really local like clams, but I just
had a huge, delicious chicken and cranberry salad. Heidi has an amazing French onion
soup I had a taste of, but I can’t remember what Erin had. We had such a happy,
long visit over this meal, it was so nice. While we were there, James called me
to tell me that he and Rich had gone out selling Boy Scout popcorn and he had
sold almost $500 worth. I love seeing my little cub scout being gung ho about
his goals.
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| We Three at the Farm |
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| My Toes |
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| Heidi and Erin getting their toes done |
We had a quiet evening of talking and passing
around the baby at Erin’s that night. We went to sacrament meeting at Erin’s
ward where her husband Rhett is the bishop. Elena and the NJ Melin kids were
there, too, practicing for their Primary Program this week. After Sacrament
meeting, Heidi and Maggie headed home to New York and I went home with Erin to
nap with Ammon. It was the beginning of a very restful and edifying week. I
mostly just hung out with Erin, and visited the Marlenas again on Wednesday
10/21. Erin is still doing radiation so she feels tired and burned, but she is
an amazing, resilient, strong patient. I am so grateful Heavenly Father let us
keep her for a while! I learned so much from Heidi and Erin during my visit.
They both have wonderful families and haven been through so much since our last
visit (a whole house fire for Heidi and stage 3 breast cancer for Erin, among
other things) and it’s so good to learn from their testimonies and examples.
Heidi mentioned after sacrament meeting that our reunion felt like that of Alma
and the sons of Mosiah and I concur!
“And now it came to pass that as Alma was
journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti,
behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards
the land of Zarahemla. Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the
angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see
his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in
the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for
they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures
diligently, that they might know the word of God.”
Just reading that scripture brings tears to my eyes because I
feel so blessed to have these amazing women in my life. We had no idea
at the time, but Heavenly Father wrought a marvelous work and a wonder in our
lives that year and from there, we took off on the paths that have led us to
our happy lives today. I am so grateful to have these sisters from other
misters, with whom I can still laugh like I’m 22, with whom I share the
craziest memories, and who are my touchstones that show me how far we have
come.
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Jamie, Erin, and Heidi in Provo 20 years ago
(note the time stamp: 10/24/94) |
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| Jamie, Erin, and Heidi now (10/19/14) |
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| Red, White, and Blue Toes |
Anyhooo…Ammon and I headed home from Newark on Friday night
(10/24). Richard and the kids did a great job getting to all their commitments and
keeping the house in order. Rich got the water damage on our kitchen floor
fixed, cleaned our shower, kept the kids alive and happy, and even did some
laundry, so I felt no regrets about
leaving. While I was gone, Addie won another Percy Jackson book at the library,
so she has all of them now. Heidi went to Activity Days and decorated a cute
pumpkin. They are all very excited about Halloween and have their costumes
ready to go. Addie is dressing as Molly Hooper from BBC Sherlock; Heidi is
dressing as Dr. Who, James as a ninja, Niles as a monster, and Ammon as a
skeleton. We are carving our pumpkins for Family Night, so I am going to get
them all cleaned out and roast the seeds during the day Monday…yum!
I feel like the holidays are coming so fast, I need to get a
handle on things around here! Can’t believe next week is NOVEMBER! Cousin Maeby
Post will turn 8 next Monday, then we have a zillion Melin/Gray girls’
birthdays in November, plus Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations. I guess I’d
better get up from the computer and get on it!
Have a great week loved ones!
Love, Rich and Jamie and Family
1 comment:
Re: Pic of Ammon with his tongue out. SO CUTE. And no tongue-tie on that kid.
Re: Erin.
I don't think I've ever met Erin, but she's your friend which means she is my friend-by-proxy. Best wishes and blessings on her in this kinda cruddy time.
Re: The bench.
Rich is amazing. Seriously. Rich is the man.
That is all.
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