August 2023

This month was a recovery month for me, a frantic keep-the-barn-build-going month for Jared, and a spend-some-one-on-one-time-with-parents for Fiora. 

HAWAII

I got to go to Maui with my dear sisters in law Wendy Snow, Amy Schauers, Shawna Schauers, and Kim Purcell August 6-11. We arrived late Sunday night and Monday the hurricane-like winds started. I stayed inside due to being overstimulated by the wind and very tired, but the other ladies ventured to the beach and got plastered with sand! We were all grateful hurricane Dora stayed more south in the Pacific ocean until Tuesday when the fires started. We managed to drive early to the top of Halakelea mountain and see the sunrise, and saw the beginnings of fire and we were dodging fallen trees on the road. The winds knocked down power lines, and I guess Maui has been experiencing a drought so all the dry grass and trees caught brush fire in two parts of the island. We tried our best to stick to our itinerary, and we always felt safe, but things started shutting down as the fire devastation got worse and worse Wednesday and Thursday. Lahaina burned down and several hundreds of people died, thankfully we were staying in Kihei but we saw a lot of other people visiting Lahaina sleeping out of their cars and unable to get back to their venues. We still were able to hike and visit beaches and had a great time together, we felt thankful a canceled snorkeling excursion and a shortened hike to Pipiwei falls was our only inconvenience. That was a small priced to pay considering how much other people lost there, the world is truly in commotion wherever you go. At any rate, for me it was still a break from work and a great memory!

FIORA

We loved having Fiora stay with us for a month before she left for New Zealand. She was such a great help to me cleaning the house after the guests left, doing much needed and neglected yard work, and helping Jared at the farm. They got to go on an outing while I was in Hawaii, and when I got back Jared went camping with the Jensens so I got some one on one time with her too. We went to the Zoo for my company retreat and had an enchanting time. We all wen kayaking at deer creek one evening which was also enchanting. I was able to hep her get ready to go--shop for luggage and supplies, packing list and stuff. But I must say how impressed I was with all the adulting type things she had to do on her own and did so well! She came with us to see Lindon days rodeo and for the parade I got to help carry the gigantic American flag. We got to see "Sound of Music" at Sundance with her, I got to support her and cheer her on in her first ever 10 K race which she did amazing at, and Jared took her to get blizzards with him whenever he could. She left on August 21st, I took the day off work and we did last minute errands and watched a movie and waited for the hour to come to drive to the airport. So sad shopping her off for 6 months for this work abroad experience I was praying for her like crazy. She had a very long wait at the airport due to a delayed flight but made it all the way around the world safely. She spent 4 days in Auckland and then off to Gisborne where she is going to be working. So many prayers were answered as so many people have helped her and got her set up with everything she needs there. She even found a cheap car to get her around. God is Good! How I missed having her there after work that first week after she was gone! 

THE BARN

Jared has been working morning and night on projects at the barn and the farm. He has the regular chores like mucking stalls and feeding horses and goats on top of irrigating the field, putting lights up and ordering help and doors and windows etc. He built the dutch doors for the stalls and the tack room door. He put together the stall dividers and has used the tractor in various ways to push gravel and dirt around. he has loaded hay bales and built a hay elevator. He takes the horses and goat out on rides/walks every week. I'm very impressed with all he has accomplished. Admittedly sometimes I get a little frustrated that the only way I can connect with Jared is to follow him and help him with whatever needs to be done there, but that's only frustrating when he spends his precious free time with other people because I'm jealous ha ha. Truly I love working hard and working with him is very bonding. He supports me in my work and I support his. He only shows the barn to the people he loves because he doesn't want to brag about this accomplishment, so I'm bragging for him. It's a beautiful structure!