Jane's blessing, July 7, 2019

On Saturday the 6th of July, we (Mike and I) traveled to Kearns to spend the night with Nick and Kaylee's family in preparation for Jane's baby blessing on Sunday.  First, we stopped in Provo at the Cemetery and met Gayela there. July 6 is John Liebhardt's birthday. We skipped all Memorial Day grave decorating due to nasty weather (and we were just plumb wore out!), so they made arrangements to meet and place flowers on their parents' grave on that day instead.  It was a big flurry of activity for us on Saturday morning (after a late night at the movies) to get ready and leave in time!  Whoosh-whoosh here, whoosh-whoosh there at home, cleaning up stuff, packing stuff, washing laundry and dishes, picking raspberries to take with us, watering lawns here and there, meeting kids, packing us, packing kids (Gail left, too, going via Richfield to meet up with Seth), Tandy and kids leaving to go up north, too; Damain leaving to go back to Texas and work. We ended up taking Mike's truck. I suppose we could have driven the car. It wasn't that much stuff, but it seemed like it.

I had wanted to stop and see Robert and Janet on the way up,  but we just barely made it in time to meet Gayela, so that was putting us even later in to Kearns.  

Nick grilled some yummy pork tenderloins for dinner for us that night and I think we just went to bed early.  Sunday was a busy day for everyone!

Church was at 9 am.  We made it on time, but Tandy did not because her phone led her astray. Here is what she shared in a text and what happened to all of them that morning. I thought it was worth sharing, so enjoy!

First, the texts (none of which I got because I had not taken my phone to church with me that day).

And now Tandy's Texts to her kids and us:

I've been trying to share something uplifting and spiritual with my kiddos every once in a while via text... 

Today, since Nick's Ward was full of the Spirit and awesome testimonies, I'll share mine with all of you this way.  

Lexi and Braeden... this is my spiritual thought.  Share your own with me and Dad.  You don't have to do it on this thread with everyone else.  

(Though it's not a bad idea...  ️)

Testimony 

6 July 2019

This morning Nick quoted a little book that Rachel has and reads about the Savior and His love for us. The line he quoted had to do with making mistakes and questioning whether Jesus Loves me still, and the answer was simply, “yes. More than you’ll ever know.”

I was 7 mins early for Sacrament Meeting today! After driving more than 40 mins to get there. I was so proud... since everyone knows that being on time is NOT one of my talents. 🥴 When we walked in and sat... and then realized that we were the only ones there from our family, then noticed that Nick wasn’t on the stand (he’s currently in the bishopric), and the couple behind us asked if we were new to the ward, we had the sudden realization that we were probably NOT in the right place. I quickly texted family. Then I asked if the couple knew the Liebhardts. Ugh!

Call after call to family kept being dropped.

All after I had copied and pasted the address into Google maps to get to our destination not only on time, but a little early. 

The fabulous Google machine had failed me. 

I was actually super upset. Google maps ruined my “early” morning. And this wasn’t the first time it had failed me. Not the second or third. I usually just follow Nick and Kaylee from their home to the church, but I had stayed out of town with Cornell, so I put all my trust in Google maps to get me where I needed to be. Boooo!

I said, “ugh! I hate Google!” (And a couple of other choice things. ) And then I quickly traded Google in for Apple maps to redirect me to the right destination.

How quickly I forsook something that generally serves me so well. 

Nick’s quote from Rachel’s little book gave me more enlightenment this morning and was meant just for me. 

How grateful I am that I have the example of the Savior and His gospel as my roadmap back to our Heavenly Father. How grateful I am to know that if I follow it with faith and diligence and even the smallest amount of effort (like Kaylee mentioned), I will not be lead astray. That I will, in fact, be blessed. And that I will for sure make it where I actually want and need to be.

I’m ALSO so, so grateful that Heavenly Father and the Savior love me more than I’ll ever know and love me still when I make mistake after mistake. So grateful that they don’t say, “I hate Tandy!” and quickly trade me in for someone better and more capable than I am... especially to be the guide for three kiddos that depend on me to get them where they want and need to be... physically and spiritually. ️

Now for some photos of the day. I really was there, I promise. 

Below is Kaylee's sister-in-law, Brooke, holding cute little Jane. At 2 months, she's 9 lbs, but still growing and doing well.  She's so happy, too (except, it would seem, when I am holding her).

Three other Little Liebhardt's

Logan just RUNS and RUNS and RUNS. He never had a nap on Sunday, yet made it clear through dinner at 5 : 30 pm on Sunday...and even bath time.  Then we left. He'd never had a meltdown. Not one.  That is the value of entertaining cousins ;-)

Setting up shade in the backyard.

We're glad that Seth could join us for this day. He rode in to Richfield from Elko with his brother who had taken a trade car out there, Gail picked him up in Richfield. Then Seth was able to go home from Salt Lake  with Gail and kiddos. Logistics are so complicated sometimes. I'm glad it is them doing it and not me.

Unintentional Sabbath wardrobe matching.

Three for three, almost!  All yellow/gold tops. How funny.

We left the meetinghouse after Sacrament meeting and came to Nick and Kaylee's home. She had a wonderful brunch prepared for us all.  Fruit, breakfast casserole and drinks and pastries. Yum! 

And Mike. Snoozing away.  In all fairness, in our rush to leave town Saturday morning before noon, he forgot his C-Pap machine and had not slept well on Saturday night at Nick's house. He even had nightmares about suffocating, poor guy ! 

Nick's such a good Daddy.

Two phones in the hands of Nick. What could it mean?  It meant that Tandy and Kaylee were playing with the Church's app, "Family Tree" and using the "Find relatives close to me" option .  . . and there are different paths to common/different ancestors on each phone!  And NEITHER are on their Christensen lines!! ha ha. Since both their maiden names are Christensen, you'd think that would be the path.  Nope.  Through  Tandy's Dad's side (and I don't even know his last name) and Kaylee's went back through her Mom's side--not the Christensen side, either. How funny!!

So many baby holders!  Even Jane had a good day, being cuddled and held by many. She had a nice long nap, woke up happy and was happy ALL through dinner. I do believe Kaylee had one un-interrupted meal! Joy of joys. Those sweeties (Nick and Kaylee) fixed tacos for all of us (Kaylee, Nick, Rachel, Logan, Tandy, Lexi, Braeden, Ella, Mike, me) before Mike and I headed home Sunday evening. And it was a very pleasant, uneventful drive. Our favorite kind. ;-)

Side note: How Justin spent the evening of the Fourth of July at the beginning (middle and end, too) of Fireworks at the church on Thursday. At least he came with us and ate dinner over there at Pam's. He skipped the parade and the program and luncheon at the park earlier in the day. He opted NOT to come along with us to SLC for the weekend (short as it was) even though he could have seen his grandma, possibly stayed with either of two of his aunt  and uncles and visited cousins...so he stayed home and read. I guess.