Sunday, November 03, 2024

2024, October 28-November 3

It's really beginning to feel like fall -- just in time for winter storms. We enjoyed plenty of sun and fun as we celebrated Halloween and our loved ones who have passed away. 

On Monday morning, Hallie took this shot of Buckley Mountain from Smith's. We had rainy day schedule at school. 


Fergus does not like the rain, so he stayed inside. He also blessed Eliza with the touch of his paw. 

Kai was a cuddle bug too. 


Mike will be a poll worker next Tuesday. Hallie is a bit concerned given news of people burning cast ballots in drop-off ballot boxes. Pat Bagley of the Salt Lake Tribune has an opinion on the matter as well. 

Mike had an uncomfortable interaction with some kids near the local field playing unsupervised with BB or airsoft guns shooting at the local wildlife. He asked them to consider shooting at non-living targets, and one kid retorted, "You're not the boss of me!" Mike thus has unofficially graduated to a new middle-aged man status. Ugh. At least the sunset was pretty.  

Hallie is smiling here for some reason. She may have been cold as she is wearing her favorite Springville High School jacket in the house. 

Maybe it's because she and Landon and Kai went to The Human Bean! The dog is always up for a pup cup.

She continues holding down three part-time jobs. Working ticket sales at the high school keeps her off her feet and lets her see people. In this picture she was trying to convince her friends to come hang with her.

Here is Kai expressing his political opinion. One more week to go. Well, not really, but anyway. 

With fall comes actual leaf changes in the neighborhood. Yay!



On Halloween Eve, Eliza carved her Jack O'Lantern. She went with a My Neighbor Totoro theme. She found the image, drew it on the pumpkin, and did most of the scooping and carving herself. Nicely done!





Hallie got an early Halloween present in the form of a phone call from Deseret First Credit Union! She and Eliza had gone to an activity there a few weeks back, and Hallie had entered a drawing for unspecified prizes. Apparently one was a midnight blue Macbook Air! 

In the evening while she took E to TKD, Mike went to the library to participate in a Dia de los Muertos art activity where he made a sugar skull and remembered departed loved ones at the altar there. 


He even managed to get included in the library's Instagram story. 


Kai sure loves to play tug-of-war and fetch. We try to accommodate him with toys and time. 

Halloween meant costumes! 

Here are the five of us all decked out (Mike was a ghost, obviously. Ferg was kind enough to take the picture, ha ha). At the preschool Hallie and her high school students took 18 preschoolers trick-or-treating. It is a highlight for many of the teachers.

In the afternoon/evening, Landon and Eliza joined Jocie and friends at her house and carved pumpkins and went trick-or-treating. Hallie served up coffee drinks at Starbucks, and Mike handed out candy at home. 


Hallie handed out shots of themed drinks for the upcoming Wicked movie. 

Poor Kai didn't handle all the door knocking and bell ringing very well at the start, but he got lots of reassuring and pets. He was very happy when all his people finally got home. 


Eliza had a post-Halloween candy hangover on Friday. After doing some schoolwork with Mike, she fell asleep for some time afterward. 

With Hallie's new computer, Mike got renewed access to some drawing tools he has sorely missed since leaving his former employer. A couple of friends made these emblazonments (not everyone who draws heraldry is a native English speaker). 


Hallie had a little friend from preschool come visit her at Starbucks. 

On Saturday for Dia de los Muertos, Mike and Eliza went to the Orem Library to celebrate. Eliza made the corona she's wearing, and she participated in some baile folklorico



She got some tinsel in her hair too. The lady working with her admired how soft her hair was. 

Eliza also got a hand-painted porcelain sugar skull from Salsa Madre (holiday-themed gift-with-purchase).


While walking Kai in the drizzly late afternoon, Mike came across a flock of local blackbirds flocking between and among the trees. It was quite the surprise! 


Sunday started rainy and windy. Mike reveled in having that extra hour we get with the shift back to standard time.  Hallie spent most of her time on Sunday at Starbucks. Hallie definitely spends a lot of time there. Mike has an interview for another job this week after Election Day, and he'll find out whether he is moving on to the next interview round with the job he interviewed for last week in the next few days. He has moved on to the final background check with TSA. We hope that one of these jobs comes through just to give Hallie a well-deserved rest.   

Sunday, October 27, 2024

2024, October 21-27

We had birthdays, boos, and barfing this week. 

Hallie and Landon had school off on Monday. Eliza had her online lesson, and Mike had an online job interview for a position at Utah Valley University. He got word later in the week that his GlobalLogic job will have orientation in November, but he may have a new job elsewhere by then. Fingers crossed! Hallie saw this rainbow in the sky at her parents house while Landon mowed the lawn and sent it along to him for good luck. 

Mike also voted and went to the county offices to get sworn in as a poll worker. There is quite a lot involved in making sure everyone who is registered or wants to register gets to exercise their franchise. 


On Tuesday Mike had his medical exam for his TSO position. The examiner let him know he passed, so we'll continue seeing where that goes. He also received the invitation to interview for another job at UVU after Halloween. It's a little uncanny to see these different job opportunities unfold and try to make decisions about which course to follow. 

Hallie worked a volleyball game at the high school on Tuesday, and the Springville High School Student Council ran a trunk-or-treat in which Eliza participated. She dressed in her cow costume for this one. After they joined Hallie at her ticketing spot and at sandwiches from Jimmy John's.


Later in the evening, Fergus had a little friend come to visit. We've seen this kitty in the neighborhood on occasion. It came back on another day when Ferg wasn't around, and Mike may have scared it off, because we haven't seen it since the last time. 

Landon had his birthday this week. His girlfriend got him this fancy motorcycle helmet for the eventual time that he gets a motorcycle. He loves to walk around the house in it.

On his walk, Mike noticed this scene in the field to our north straight out of The Secret of NIMH. He hopes that Fergus hasn't met Mrs. Frisby or the rats. 

He took a picture to the north toward where the new road is being built up from Center Street north toward Provo. He will have to see if he can tap into his own Mrs. Frisby vibes to see if the road connecting from Center Street south can get delayed so new houses don't start cropping up and cars don't come zooming through.  

On his birthday, Landon got some new tech. He now has the most advanced phone of any of us. 

He appreciated gifts from his grandparents and Diamond and Caleb. 


Here he and Jocie are negotiating through a tech issue. Landon did a pretty good job of keeping his cool. 

Later in the day, we met Gma and Gpa M. at In-N-Out to celebrate. 

After getting home, the kids played light sabers in the front yard. 

The kids are so proud of the matching Twilight shirts. Jocie has been showing Landon all of the Twilight movies. 


Hallie continues having fun with the kiddos and students at the preschool. 

We have been getting a monthly Japan-themed box of treats from a company called Sakuraco in anticipation of next year's trip to Japan. This month's box came with a tea cup from Kyoto that Mike used for mate one day. 

We watched the first two games of the World Series on Friday and Saturday. So fun! We don't watch a lot of sports around here (mostly finals and the Olympics), and sometimes the kids don't get why Mom and Dad watch these live events. Freeman's grand slam on game one was thrilling to see happen in the moment. 

Hallie got a call from one of her coworkers Saturday morning saying she was sick and asking if Hallie could come in and help. She came home feeling unwell and ended up being sick to her stomach the rest of the day and all day Sunday. 

Before then, though, she, Eliza, and Mike went to Jaker's to go see the animals and get lost in the corn maze. 




Sunday was very low key at home. Landon went to visit his friend Sonny, and Eliza, Mike, and Hallie mostly stayed home while Hallie recuperated. Hopefully none of the rest of us get Hallie's stomach bug. We had what is likely the last Sunday social of the season, and it went out with a beautiful sunset.