WHEN DID MY BODY START MAKING ALL THIS NOISE?

Our annual tradition of the Great Pumpkin Race (now named Gordy's Pumpkin Run) was this weekend.  We really do enjoy this yearly 5K.  Scott and I love the opportunity to spend an hour together walking and enjoying nature.  This year the race was by the river.  The weather was perfect!  And it was so fun to participate with Scott and my other bestie, Nicole!

These chickens/roosters cracked us up!

Scott and his fowl...

Mother Hens together!

Nicole loves her roosters!

Let's go!!!!

Love this lady!

On the course!

Scott and my time = 51 minutes and 35 seconds

And Scott carried a pumpkin the whole way!

He got the "Tough Pumpkin" medal!And believe it or not... Kiara, Cody and Skittles ran the same race virtually:

The Lillywhites

His hoodie was a BIT too long for him.

But he's the cutest pumpkin around!

TWO WEEKS IN THE PAST

 Well... this time machine... which is my blog... is woefully behind.  I still haven't caught up on my Idaho trip to see my parents from 2 1/2 weeks ago... and it's already Halloween.... I have good excuses.  But I don't want to dwell on them here.  I will mention that things are a bit sad right now in my life.  My mother is in poor health and I'm worried.  I'll leave it at that, and concentrate on the positive here:

When I went to visit my parents a few weeks ago, I was able to persuade my mom to take some pictures with me!  :-)  These pictures make me extremely happy!  She is the most beautiful woman I know.  She has so much love in her heart for everyone and has taught me to serve and love.  I'm grateful for her and my dad soooooo much!

Dad, Me, Mom

(The pictures were a last minute thought or I would have dressed up a bit more....)

The girls!

My best friends!

My Sister!  My Mom! Me!

Dad, GJ, and Mom

I also got some other fun pictures while in Idaho.  Katia and Skylar played pickle ball with GJ and Shanae.  It was fun to watch them while running around with my grandson.  (Yes... I got a few pics.)  

Katia and Skylar

And then... Skylar and Katia

Either way, they are AWESOME!

Then GJ and I also took my daughters, son-in-law, grandson, niece (GJ's daughter), and our nephew and his friend to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  It was so fun!  We enjoy our kiddos!  I love them all!

The Gang (left to right)

Katia, GJ, Spencer, Shanae, Kiara, Ender, Ender's friend, Me, Skylar

And even before my Idaho trip, we had some notable fun:  Scott and I went to Churchill Downs.  We had so much fun together... but it was WINDY!

Perfection is us... even though I don't like the beard.  Ha ha ha!

I got a rose!

It was a catered "box" and it was fun to watch the races.

The spires in the background were so iconic!

And general conference was wonderful!  I loved knowing that my WHOLE family was watching despite being in different time zones.

Skittles started off excited about watching the prophets...

But this three year old ended up like this.

Isn't my husband handsome?!

And here are some other wonderful pictures of my posterity (which consists of only one grandson right now... but someday?!?)

I LOVE this kid!

I LOVE this family!

They are so cute!

He wasn't sure about pumpkin carving....

Things are wierd right now...  I'll keep y'all posted about my mother and her health.  But I do want to share that I have faith in Jesus Christ and His plan for each of us.  I'm grateful for the happy moments, but I know that through Him we can grow and our testimonies can deepen through our trials too.  Hopefully this quick look into our lives brings joy when you need it.

GRAND IS THE TIME SPENT WITH GRANDSONS

While I was in Idaho, my sister and I decided to spend time with our grandsons.  Since we both just have one grandchild, we have decided to share.  That way we get to love and share and influence more than one precious boy!

Skittles

Berry

First we went to the pumpkin patch with my sister's grandson, Berry.  He was actually scared of pumpkins, but he loved the corn pit and maze.  We also took him to Chick-Fil-A.  Who doesn't love Chick-Fil-A?!  By the end of the afternoon, he wasn't AS scared of pumpkins.  I bought him a tiny one.  GJ and I took turns "interacting" with the pumpkin to show him it wasn't scary.  Ha ha ha!

Berry didn't like getting his feet in the corn at first... so he sat on grandma's lap.

Proud grandma!

Starting the maze....

There was a chicken in the maze that kinda scared Berry, 

but I chased it off so he and his grandma could navigate the labyrinth.

Doesn't Berry make the best Charlie Brown?
And GJ makes a pretty good dog!  Ha ha ha!

Photos have to be snapped QUICK with Berry.

He's busy and doesn't have all day to pose... or smile.

But he loved his chicken fingers!

Then GJ and I made the trek to Rexburg to see my grandson.  Skittles didn't disappoint.  He ran to us.  He hugged us.  He played with us.  And he demanded ALL of our attention.  Skittles and I fed dinosaurs, danced with stuffed animals, watched Shrek, sang "Lose Somebody" by OneRepublic, and read over 20 books.  I showered him with all the attention I could in the space of a day and a half.  I already miss him now that I'm back home....

Skittles loves showing off his sliding skills!

And he knows he's adorable!

Snuggling up... ready to watch Shrek!

Shrek is a classic!

I'm glad my grandson loves it as much as I do!

Skittles decided to push his mama on the merry-go-round.

He was afraid to climb to the top of the jungle gym, but he loved going "inside."

Dancing to OneRepublic with our animals!

We were supposed to be pretending to sleep....

But Skittles wanted to make sure I was taking the picture.

Grandsons are the BEST!  I heard this quote the other day, and it expresses how I feel about my boy! 

"I never knew how much love my heart could
hold until someone called me Grandma!"

DOUBLE THE CREATION

 I have always enjoyed making music.  I truly believe that a "song of the heart is a prayer unto God."  And I have been "creating" music since I sang my first song.  Nowadays, I "create" more with piano pieces and learning to play the cello.  This week, I learned that I could create music in a different way... and I am HOOKED!  My dad taught me how to make a mountain dulcimer.  It was exciting.  It was challenging.  It was fun.  And I learned so much.  I consider this a double creation... because once it's completed, I will be able to create music using it.  What a wonderful new way of "playing" with something that speaks to my heart.  Thank you, dad!  It was soooo much fun.  (I can't wait to finish it - another vacation - to put on the finishing touches.)

Believe it or not... a lot of the instrument is glued together.

We used LOTS of clamps.

Dad showing me one side... I did the other.

Dad explained that he used fancy clamps for the curfing.

Then he gave me these.

I laughed.

As we worked, we were constantly cracking luthier jokes.

For example: I learned how to "fret" correctly.  

(Apparently stressing out about everything isn't very productive.)  Ha ha ha!

And I learned to apply pressure without "fretting."

(For those who don't get our jokes: Frets are the small metal pieces that are used for determining
where to place your fingers to get the right note. Guitars also have frets.)

Isn't it beautiful?!

I had to cut down the top and bottom boards.

Dad also uses other important equipment like bricks.

I love the fancy tools!

Teaching me to sand off the excess.

I'm pretty good at it, if I say so myself.

Who knew so much sanding was involved?

I sanded first with the sander.

Then I used a handheld with 80 grit.

Then I used 120 grit.

Then I used 220 grit.

Then I used steel wool.

Each time I thought it was perfect... but each time it got better.

Who knew?

Dad doesn't stain his dulcimers.  He uses oil.

The oil really brought out the color of my walnut wood.

So far...  I have some finishing touches and I need to put on the hardware.

Can't wait to return to Idaho to finish!

Dad said I could take it home and finish... but it's tons of fun working with my pa!

I left it in a box to finish later.