We had a big life change this month as Aaron started his full-time service as a missionary and we said goodbye to him, so expect a lot of that content in this update. But in between all the missionary happenings, we also spent time . . .
Quitting . . . and starting guitar lessons. Aaron had his final lesson with his amazing teacher, Dylan. He has taken guitar from him for a few years, and it has just been the best thing. Aaron has many musical talents, but this was one he kept pretty well under wraps, which is unfortunate because he is so good. My favorite song he learned to play was "Blackbird" by the Beatles. Sometimes he would be practicing late at night, after I was already in bed, and it was my favorite thing to be lulled to sleep with that song. The good news is that Bradley decided to take Aaron's lesson slot and began taking guitar lessons. He has been an enthusiastic student so far and is progressing quickly.
Immersing . . . ourselves in all things theater at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. We went for the first time last year and knew we definitely wanted to go again this year. But this time, we had a better idea of what to expect, so we were more prepared to take advantage of all parts of the festival, not just the shows. We went with our friends, Tim and Ashley, again and kept a very full schedule. Shows we saw: She Loves Me, Hamlet (closing night!), and Something Rotten. Extracurricular activities we engaged in: Repertorie Magic (watching the stage be transformed from one show to another), Hamlet orientation, the Greenshow, backstage tour, actor seminar, and the art museum. Restaurants we ate at: Crazy Cow Cafe, Tacos el Jefe (Mike and Tim's favorite), the French Spot, and Tadka. The weather was absolutely glorious while we were there, and the quality of all the shows and workshops was top tier. If I had to choose a favorite show, I'd have to go with Hamlet, mostly because I've always felt like Shakespeare was inaccessible for an average human like me, so I was shocked and delighted when I understood what was going on and enjoyed it (albeit in a very tragic way). I also loved the backstage tour, partly because the person running the tour was the same person we had seen as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet the night before. It was really fun to get to spend two days with Tim and Ashley, and now that we've done it two years in a row, it feels like it's probably a tradition.
Misplacing. . . his car at the Jack Johnson concert. We gave Aaron tickets to Jack Johnson for graduation. I thought he would go with Annie or one of his friends, but he wanted Max to go with him, which was so sweet. Max was stoked. They are both big Jack Johnson fans. Aaron even learned an entire album of his on the guitar. So of course they had the best night . . . until they left and couldn't remember where they had parked. They wandered around the parking lot for a long time and finally climbed up to a higher point so that they could get their bearings, and then they were able to find it. And good news, they had taken so long to find the car that all the traffic had pretty much cleared out and they just zipped right home.
Losing . . . Rob on the mountain. We spent Labor Day at the cabin. The older boys went up the night before with the Blodgetts while Mike, Silas, Ian, and I joined them the next day. When we got there, we found just Sonja at the cabin who was waiting for us to get there to help shuttle people back to the cabin. They had all gone on a morning hike but had got separated from Rob (long story, but they went down one trail while he took the other). Rob had both sets of car keys, so no one could leave even after they'd finished their hike. There was no cell service, so they just had to hope he would turn up eventually, which he did. Other than that excitement, we had our usual fun: swinging, playing games, going on walks, talking, finding snakes, and enjoying the nice weather.
Basking . . . in the energy of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This has kind of become our family's musical. Over the years, we have listened to the soundtrack probably hundreds of times and have all the songs memorized. We've seen it performed on stage and just love it so much. So as a last hurrah before Aaron started his mission, we all went to Hale Center Theater's performance of it (even Silas, who was technically not allowed because he's not five, but I knew he wouldn't cause a lick of trouble, and sure enough, he sat there, enraptured and glued to the stage, the entire time). It was fast paced, flamboyant, and high-energy, as it should be. There were moments when we couldn't take in everything that was going on at once, between the arial dancers, the disco lights, the VW bus, the confetti, and the people. It was a wild night.
Forgetting . . . about my hanging flowers. Alfred Austin said, "There is no gardening without humility. Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder." All summer, I have babied my hanging flowers. And they have done so well and brought me so much joy. Every time I looked at them, I felt happier. I kept them going even when we were gone on vacation and also through the hottest stint of multiple 100-degree days in a row. And then, then, I forgot to water them one day. ONE day. And it was over. Dried out to an unrevivable crisp. It was my "egregious blunder" and there was no recovering from it. I was so sad. (But just grateful I got to enjoy them for four months.)
Attending . . . the temple. In the weeks leading up to the start of his mission, Aaron went to the temple a lot: with his brothers, with friends, with Mike and me, and by himself. One of my favorite times was doing sealings with him. Nothing quite prepared me for the sweet experience of participating in sacred ordinances with my own child. As hard as it has been to see my kids grow up, I'm realizing that there are some pretty nice perks.
Rescuing . . . Mike. We have an old electric car with a very short range. It mostly serves as Mike's commuter car. The starter battery was beginning to give out, but Mike thought he had fixed it. He had to go back to work one night and drove the car. Unfortunately, when he finished around 11:30pm, the car wouldn't start. Who did he call to rescue him? The one person he knew would still be awake: Max.
Finishing . . . Aaron's vest. Aaron asked me to knit a vest for him to take on his mission. I think it's the first thing he's ever asked for, so I eagerly agreed. However, Aaron has strong opinions when it comes to fashion or anything in his wardrobe, so I made sure to consult him through every step of the process, and I had him try it on a lot. In the end, it seemed to turn out exactly as he wanted it, so I'm happy about that. It was a very therapeutic process for me as well: every time I worked on it, I thought about my boy and the big change ahead of him. There was a lot of love knit into that vest, and I hope he can somehow feel it every time he wears it on his mission.
Being . . . set apart as a full-time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As everyone gathered in our home, we all had the opportunity to share a few thoughts with Aaron. It was a surreal moment for all of us as Mike, the stake president, the bishop, and both of our dads put their hands on Aaron's head and set him apart while also blessing him with the ability to learn the language easily and mentioning that having a companion will be one of the things that helps him stay safe. Aaron put on his name tag, and just like that, he became a missionary. That night, he came into our room to say goodnight. He touched his name tag and said he liked wearing it. I said, "Good night, Elder Johnson," and he gave a little laugh in disbelief.
Taking . . . the ACT. Max took the ACT for the first time. He didn't study at all because he was just treating it as a little practice run before he takes it next spring so that he would know what the test was like and better know how to study for it. And then, he got a 34, so maybe he doesn't even need to take it again?
Starting . . . preschool. I was in no rush to send Silas off, but he was ready. I decided to send him to the preschool at the high school, which is part of a class for high schoolers. So far, I couldn't be happier with that choice. It is four days per week, but only two hours a day. The shorter class time would probably be a turn off for some people, but I love it. He gets his time to learn and socialize, I can run an errand or two, and then I get to pick him up. Plus, he gets so much attention from the high school kids (Big Buddies, they call them). It's perfect. (He also loves to tell people, particularly Ian and Clark, that he's in high school.) Let's Play Music also started back up, and this time Silas is in Red Balloons, which is the official start of the program.
Spending . . . hours and hours on zoom every day. Aaron did home MTC for two weeks (and one day), and it was filled with a lot of time in front of the computer for Preach My Gospel classes, Spanish classes, companion study, firesides, and teaching practice. We all loved home MTC. It was a nice, soft launch into missionary life. It got Aaron on a missionary schedule, introduced him to his companion and district (that he would later meet for real at the Mexico MTC), and immersed him in gospel study. The rest of us loved it because he would pop out of his room on his breaks and talk to us and hang out with us. We went on family walks, went out to dinner, went to the temple, played games, threw the frisbee, and hung out. A couple of times, Aaron took Silas to Swig, and the day Aaron left, Silas said, "I miss Aaron. Now he can't take me to Swig. That was my last day of Swig." Plus, there was just a beautiful feeling in our home during those two weeks. Leading up to the MTC, Aaron was a little unmoored: his job had ended and all of his friends had already gone to school or left on missions. The day his missionary training began, Aaron became alive with purpose, and we all got swept up in that energy. Throughout those weeks, I kept saying, "Thank you, Covid" because it was during that time that the Church instituted home MTC instruction, and I hope they never do away with it.
Singing . . . the national anthem. Max and several of his friends performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Relief Society activity. They all belong to the men's choir at the high school and so they had the national anthem memorized. They sang it a cappella in four-part harmony. It was really beautiful. I was impressed with the talent of these boys!
Playing . . . so many games. Silas loves games. Like, really really loves them. He loves learning new games and he loves all of his old favorites. All day long, he tries to find someone, anyone, who will agree to play a game with him. If you ever say, "I don't know how to play that game," he eagerly responds, "It's okay! I'll teach you!" And let's just say that learning how to play a game from Silas is not always the most straightforward and there might be some important details left out. As of this moment, his top favorites are probably Sleeping Queens (both 1 and 2), Octopie, and Sorry.
Dressing . . . up. My sister-in-law, Anne, turned forty this year, and as part of that celebration, she hosted a Jane Austen birthday party. It was so delightful. We all dressed as close to regency as we could without spending a ton of money. We ate dinner by candlelight, read Austen quotes, performed piano solos and poetry readings, had a little Austen trivia, and drew each other's portraits. My favorite moment was when we all started spontaneously dancing in a circle, and Anne's husband, who had come downstairs to take a few photos, was so confused. I love these ladies I'm lucky enough to call my sisters.
Reffing . . . soccer. I realized at pretty much the last minute that Clark could ref soccer this year. He had already missed the trainings, but I reached out about it and they let him do it online and then scheduled him a time to come take the test. After all that effort, he said he didn't want to do it. I could tell he was mostly just nervous about it being something new, so I said he just needed to try it this season and then he could decide if he didn't want to do it again. He complained a lot (but not when he got paid at the end of the season!), but he stuck with it, and I'm proud of him for that. (And he got to ref some games where some friends were playing, and he loved that.)
Attending . . . parent teacher conferences. My two favorite teachers to talk to this round were Max's physics teacher, who was glazing him so hard, and Clark's art teacher, who took the time to go through every project Clark had turned in so far and point out all the good things about it.
Jumping . . . at the corn pit. Ian had a random Friday off of school, so we went to my parents' house. There's a little fall festival nearby with some fun free activities, so we hung out there for about an hour and then got ice cream afterwards. Silas and I repeated the activity a few weeks later, and this time, they had some hay rides going as well and lots of Halloween decorations up.
Looking . . . at exhibits at the state fair. I really wanted to go to the state fair this year, specifically to look at the fiber exhibits. Coincidentally, Mike's dad had a few free tickets, so Mike, Ian, Silas, and I went on a Tuesday evening (perfect time to go--not crowded at all!). They left me in the fiber arts building so I could go through it at my own pace, and I looked at each entry. Mike and the boys found some fun things to do, and then we met up and looked at the animals, photography, and baked goods. From what we could tell, sweaters and pies are not getting a ton of entries, so who knows, maybe we'll enter next year!
Visiting . . . some cutie little kittens. Mike's sister, Kirsten, got another batch of kittens to foster--five this time. We went over on a Sunday so everyone could hold one and play with them (and then beg to bring one home).
Celebrating . . . Bradley at 15! Bradley's birthday was the day before Aaron left for Mexico City. He had a long lunch, so we picked up Jersey Mike's for him (and Aaron). He wanted homemade pizza for dinner. He didn't have strong opinions on a cake, so we went with a gelato cake from Sweetaly. He got a new game (Bomb Busters), which has been played dozens of times since his birthday, as well as airpods, shoes, puzzles, and a push-up board. We couldn't love him more. He's just the best.
Saying . . . goodbye. We took Aaron to the airport at a brutal 4:30am. All of the boys decided to come. I am really the only emotional one in our family of boys, so I guess it shouldn't be surprising that as we each hugged Aaron and told him goodbye, I was the only one who cried. The goodbyes were brief, and then he confidently walked away and didn't look back when he turned the corner. As we drove away from the airport, I received a notification on my phone: "Aaron left behind." It was referring to the air tag I put in his bag, but the wording was cruel for my already tender heart. Then Mike went to work, the boys went to school, little Silas was sick in bed, and I walked around the house crying and holding my heart and whispering, "It hurts." That night, he sent a short email: "I made it hooray! Very tired." And just like that, Aaron was in Mexico City at the Centro de Capacitacion Misional (CCM).
Fasting . . . from screens. While Aaron was in the home MTC, we all took a break from screens (which was a little ironic since he was spending hours every day on the computer). It was such a blessing. It really helped us engage more with each other and relax more intentionally and be more productive. Then Aaron left and the fast ended, and I feel like all my bad habits have crept back in. I definitely do better with abstaining rather than moderating, so maybe I just need to alternate between a week on and a week off, or something like that.
Driving . . . a pretty sweet ride. Mike borrowed his friend's 1992 Mazda Miata. We put the top down and drove it into the canyon to look at all the fall leaves. So dreamy, except that the car was so tiny, Mike's head was pretty much above the roll bar. I spent the drive vacillating between being worried for our safety and basking in the crisp autumn air blowing my hair and feasting my eyes on all the colors.
Initiating . . . the Great Bedroom Switcharoo of 2026. With Aaron's departure, it was time to shuffle everyone around and make use of the vacated space. Max moved into Aaron's old room and is thoroughly enjoying having his own space. Clark happily said goodbye to Ian and Silas and took Max's place in Bradley's room. And Silas finally got to ditch the toddler bed. Good changes all around.
Spending . . . his first week in the Mexico MTC. Aaron wrote, "after 13 hours of travel we finally got to the CCM and I got to my casa. Which was great but also I finally had a chance to think and pretty much what I thought was that I wanted to be at my home." That tugged at my heart a little, but overall, he only has positive things to say about it, both in his emails and when we talked to him on the phone. The food gets mentioned a lot, both positively and negatively: "I ate steak and guacamole and teryaki chicken and brownies for lunch yesterday and I think I almost passed away from joy. Like it was still CCM food so there's possibly higher quality elsewhere but oh well, it was still magnificent." But also, he is riding a spiritual high like he never has before: "Just sitting in there [in the temple], it was so easy to feel God's love, and it felt like none of my worries mattered at all. As this random spanish teacher said to me this week "no olvide, Dios te ama" And it's just impossible to forget when I'm sitting in His presence, God really does love us all."
I'm glad I can finally check off this update--there were so many things that happened that I didn't want to forget. So grateful for all the good while also still missing our boy so so much.
