First day...

Summer seems to always go by way too fast but back to school they go. Lots of prayers that this will be a great year for Cash, Colby, Grey, and Grahm.

Bus stop for Colbs...

Thanks for the pictures Tiffani!

New chapter for Colby...

Several times this summer I had a prompting to spend some time with Colby before he started a new chapter in his life. He told me a few times he was a bit apprehensive about starting junior high. I told him about my experience and it wasn't all that good. I went from a small two room country school to a large junior high in town. I was shy and did not feel prepared at all. He's leaps and bounds ahead of me when I was his age. He has more confidence and so much support and love. I gave Colby my best heartfelt advice. Colbs has several good friends that he can count on. He told me he likes junior high and I know he will be just fine. Of course school is school and there will be some hard days. I feel he can shake them off easily. 

I gave Colby a lantern to remind him of this quote:

How Can You Walk Undaunted Toward Him?

Imagine that you are an explorer in uncharted territory. To overcome the obstacles ahead, you need a source of light. Your faithfulness to God and your constant interactions with Him are the fuel for your lantern. So when you encounter dark and perilous situations, instead of walking toward them blindly, you will turn on your lamp filled with the oil of faith in Christ to shed glimmers of hope on the uncertain path. Your past experiences will increase your hope that the Lord will sustain you on your journey.

Faith: A Bond of Trust and Loyalty | Elder Sandino Roman

April 2025

We had the best day together, better than I had hoped. We had lunch and did a little school shopping. We stopped at Harmon's and sat upstairs and talked. We both had tears and I will never forget that day. I know most of all, he felt how much I love him. 

August 4, 2025

Dear Colby,

As you take this next big step into junior high, my heart is full. It’s hard to believe how quickly time has passed. I remember holding you for the first time, praying you would be safe and have a good life. But here you are, growing up into an amazing young man. You are strong, thoughtful, and capable.

Junior high is a new chapter, full of opportunities to learn and grow. There will be days that feel exciting, and others that feel uncertain, But I want you to remember this—you are never alone. You can pray and feel Heavenly Father’s love in the hallways, classrooms, and in every challenge. Remember to pray every day!

This is one of my favorite Bible verses:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." --Proverbs 3:5-6

These verses are a reminder that when life feels new or a little overwhelming, you can trust Heavenly Father (and the Savior) completely. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You can trust Him to help you make good choices and lead you in the right direction. You can also listen for the whisperings of the Holy Spirt.

Keep your eyes on what is good and true. Continue to be kind, even when it’s not easy. Stand up for what is right, even if you may have to stand alone. Let your light shine because the world needs the kind of light that’s in you.

You can always say a silent prayer when you feel nervous. Give thanks when things go well. And hey, don’t forget to have fun.

You can always walk over to our house after school. Grandpa and I would love that.

I will praying for you and cheering you on every step of the way. I’m just a call or a hug away. I’m so proud of you. I could not be more grateful to be your Grandma!

You’ve got this!
I love you with all my heart,
Grandma

From a precious bundle to junior high in the blink of an eye...

AI...

Artificial intelligence is not God and cannot be God. We can consciously choose and intentionally use AI as a tool for good [and] ... we can invite leaders and citizens across industry, research, civic and government bodies, and faith leaders to align rapid AI developments and enduring faith-based principles and moral values.

Artificial intelligence cannot replace revelation or generate truth from God. 

We have responsibility to ensure the Holy Ghost can attest to the truth and authenticity of all we say and share, in our form and in our content.

We are establishing protocols to guard against deep fakes, call out intentional misuse of AI, and mitigate the tendency for people to disbelieve everything when we can’t trust some things, As Church members we will not grow spiritually if we let artificial intelligence write our sacrament [meeting] talks or do our seminary homework. AI cannot replace our individual effort and spiritual preparation as we prepare lessons, prayers or blessings.

Elder Gong | BYU Education Week Devotional

August 2025 

Infuse the Light of Jesus Christ...

As Jesus Christ becomes the focus of our lives, what we desire, and how we desire it, is forever altered. Conversion changes everything! It changes our nature “that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” It changes how we spend our time, our resources; what we read, watch, listen to, and share.

We need to infuse the Light of Jesus Christ into every corner of our lives.

(Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, … Alma 19:6)

Thou Art the Christ (Matthew 16:16) | Sister Wright, April 2025

August happenings...

I've been sending birthday cards to Cash, Colby, Grey, and Grahm for many years now. I can't remember when I started but I want to keep that tradition going. Tiffani sent pictures and a video of Grahm reading his card. It had several folds so you keep opening it to one big card. I think it's still fun to get something in the mail. I could tell Grahm really liked his card. 

Paper work!

Grahm has wanted a version of this toy for awhile. He would see one when we were walking around a store and I would say, maybe for your birthday. So here it is, the Mega Cyborg Hydro Blaster STEM Experiment Kit. It was the toy of the year finalist. It's a wearable hydraulic-powered water toy and shoots water up to 20 feet! It comes unassembled of course. I told Grahm the toy has a lot of a parts and it might be hard to build. He replied Cash will help me, he's an expert! I heard that Colby and Cash helped build it. 

We had one more sleepover before school starts. Grahm won the pickle ball game so he got the trophy. Dill pickle top raman!

Acai bowls, pancakes, and the usual other stuff for breakfast!

I always enjoy walking the canyon trail. I stopped by Mark and Tiff's after and took Grizzly for a walk. Tiffani, Colbs, Grey, and Grahm slept on the trampoline. They said the night sky was so beautiful and even saw a few shooting stars. They came inside about 6:30 and snuggled up on the sofa.

Chris had some meetings in Florida and he got to spend the day at Universal Studios. He checked frozen butterbeer off his bucket list!

Today Chris made not one but four kinds of soup! He also made homemade bone broth and they were all delicious.

No big deal, but school starts in one day! 

ThrowBack Thursday ~ Another birthday soon...

 

Always our Cashee boy! 

Something you can count on...

“When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.”

~ Thomas S. Monson | “A Sanctuary from the World,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, February 2008

Family party for Grahm...

Grahm was so excited for his family birthday party and really liked the cake Grey and I made him. He's a sweet and grateful boy. He always says thank you and gives lots of hugs.

He wanted sushi for dinner. We had a enjoyable afternoon together celebrating the cutest 8th year old around!

Cash made an amazing sushi roll and plated it so nice!

Of course there would be salmon on the menu!

We all took turns saying something we love about Grahm. There is so much to love!

Grahm was showing me the lego set we got him for his birthday. It's electronic and does all sorts of things!

"Heavy, heavy hangover on your head, what do you wish with bump on the head?" Then Grahm was suppose to make a wish. Actually I think he was suppose to say what he wished for the gift giver. Oh well!

Donald Trump, I mean Grandpa. Good one Tiff!

That look on Cash's face, Ha Ha!

Happy Birthday Grahm, we love you so much!

From this to this in a blink of an eye, but oh how we have enjoyed the last 8 years with Grahm!