While Dad’s Away, Mom Gets Sick

This last weekend wasn’t the greatest for Hallie with Mike gone. She was feeling under the weather while Mike was out in California enjoying a bit of warm weather.

Hallie and the kids returned Monday from visiting family. Mike picked them up after work. He didn’t get to visit for long (just that night and the morning) before it was time for him to make his own trips.

Mike traveled to California not once, but twice this week, first to Oakland for a conference, then to SoCal for some advising and visiting with family.

This meant that he missed Halloween fun with the rest of the gang. The use of that word may depend on your perspective. While the kids had fun, Hallie didn’t quite feel the same way. The kids participated in parties and a parade at school before going trick-or-treating around the neighborhood in the evening (gymnastics got canceled).

Mike returned home on Wednesday night, got some shut-eye, and then went up to BYU for meetings and other work before heading back to the airport some 20 hours later for his second flight.

Hallie got to spend even more time with the kids as the single caregiver for the rest of the weekend. She’ll need a vacation once Mike gets home!

On Saturday, Eliza had her second meet of the season. She did quite well, improving on her performance overall from her last meet. Proud of you, Girlie-O!

Hallie started feeling ill after eating some sweet treats from a local bakery, but she wasn’t sure if it was the food or something else. Landon started showing signs of illness Sunday night. Let's hope Eliza doesn't follow suit.

This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the Simi Valley LDS Stake, so it was a bit of old home with visitors coming back to town to remember and celebrate. As Mike’s mom is involved in family history, she was asked to help set up a display recounting temple and family history work in the stake. Several rooms in the stake center had similar displays with photos and artifacts recounting the history of church programs and activities over the last half century. Mike kept his mom company while people walked in and visited as they toured the exhibits. In the evening, the stake held a fireside where former and current leaders reminisced about all has transpired as residents of the Simi Stake have striven to build a Zion community.