10 December 2023
VOLUME 11 – NUMBER 533
Homemade ornaments on Yarima’s tree
I think it is safe to say that this year my Christmas ornament on Yarima’s tree surpassed my ornament from last year!
This may not seem like a huge accomplishment for many, but seeing as painting ornaments is probably the only time each year I use paint, I would say it is a pretty good feat!
It’s starting to feel more like Christmas now, and there really is nothing like being with family. Thanks Yarima and Selvin for having us over to decorate ornaments, and for the delicious tacos as well!
Yarima’s Christmas ornament party
This week was full of some uncomfortable preparations that I had to do for getting ready to start chemotherapy next week. But I also had some awesome highlights.
Gloria and Veidi took me out to eat at Chick-fil-A, and then I took them to Starbucks. It was really nice to spend time with them. It has been something that I've really wanted to do more since getting home, but has kind of been pushed aside due to having cancer. I'm grateful Gloria invited me.
Homemade ornaments on Yarima’s tree
That same night, Mom, Dad, and I went to take some dinner over to Aura's house. Itzel was so cute. I hadn't brought my crutches, so she grabbed some from her house and brought them out to me while I was still in the car, so that I could come in.
Talking with Aura was so special. Aura's had it a lot worse than me, and for a lot longer. She amazed me with how strong she is. She shared some of the lessons she's learned from her cancer that were unforgettable.
While there, I think we all started crying at one point. I'm grateful I have Aura as a sister, so that she can be such a strong example to me.
Caleb and Aura—cancer buddies
Last night, we had a chance to visit Aura and Itzel (and Yaretzie) for a while. It was so great to see Aura and Caleb talking. Aura was a great resource in helping Caleb know what to expect from chemotherapy, which could start next week. Now they are cancer buddies!
Aura was originally diagnosed with cancer about three years ago. After it looked like she might have beaten it, she was informed a little over a year ago that it was back. She is currently on her her fourth round of chemotherapy. It’s probably an understatement to say that it has been very difficult and painful for her over the past year.
Aura, it is truly a blessing for Caleb to have you to help him. You also understand better than the rest of us what he is going through, and I think that comforts him as well. Thank you so much! And Caleb, I think your visit was a great help for Aura as well, now that she is not alone in all of this.
Mom and Sophia at Yarima’s house
This last week we met with Dr. Shah up at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He is an oncologist who only focuses on lymphomas. The treatment plan is slightly different there, and Caleb has decided to go to Huntsman for his cancer treatment.
This means that his chemotherapy schedule is not yet set (he was scheduled to start on the 11th when he was at Utah Cancer Specialists).
Hopefully we will find out more today. All the fertility doctor appointments were taken care of this last week and I think the next step will be to get a port.
Homemade ornaments on Yarima’s tree
I have been waiting for a long time to get my patriarchal blessing. I have been thinking about it for about a year now. When the April general conference kept talking about getting patriarchal blessings, that got me thinking about getting mine.
Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita of the Seventy said, "Your patriarchal blessing is a message from your Heavenly Father and will likely include promises and inspired counsel to guide you throughout your life. A patriarchal blessing is not going to map out your life or answer all your questions.
“If it doesn’t mention an important life event, do not take that to mean you won’t have that opportunity. Likewise, there is no guarantee everything in your blessing will come to pass in this life. A patriarchal blessing is eternal, and if you live worthy, promises that are not fulfilled in this life will be granted in the next."
That phrase got me thinking, and months later, here I was sitting down with Brother Lee, our stake patriarch, receiving my patriarchal blessing! After I was finished, I was so excited to learn and ponder more about what it says. I can’t wait to read my blessing, once it comes in the mail.
Yarima’s Christmas ornament party
Even though I had a birthday party with friends last weekend, we also celebrated my birthday with the family at the start of this week.
We watched Scrooge's Christmas Carol and I got a loom kit so I could make hats. I also got earbuds, because my other headphones broke.
I don’t remember when Mom taught Mable how to do a cool trick, but Mable likes to grab her tail and spin around. Now Mom has taught her to do a somersault while she is holding her tail!
Mable chewing on her tail
We got a new electric snow shoveler. It is black and red with a clear top. It runs on electric batteries that have to charge and it was great. It’s like a snow blower, but the size of a snow shovel.
Dad bought it because we gave away our snow blower a couple years ago, and he wanted something small enough that he could easily shovel the porch potty area on the side of our yard, so it’s easier for the dogs to go the bathroom.
We also went to Yarima’s house to make some ornaments, and it was fun I I was trying to make the scene of Jesus’s birth but it didn't work out as well as I planned it.
Kai making cinnamon rolls
This week we visited Endia and Cougar in Springville. We left on Sunday. Endia invited us to come, because Caleb had a lot of treatments, and she wanted to make it easier for Mom.
When we got there, we pulled out the mattress, and I slept on the couch and Joanna slept on the mattress. The next morning me and Cougar made breakfast. Then after that, Cougar left to work and Endia started us in school.
Quinn and Joanna doing school at library
When we were done with school, we played with Lego’s that Troy packed for us. After that, we had some lunch. Then we watched a show for quiet time. Then Cougar showed up and that night Cougar let me play Minecraft on his computer while Joanna and Endia were playing the Switch.
The next day we went to the library. When we got there, we saw a big Christmas tree in the entrance. After we read some books, we did school in the library. We also played in the park.
Once we got back home, we did more school. I was working on my music class. I had to play two songs that were very hard, and I practiced a lot.
Quinn practicing for his music class
Quinn and Joanna came and visited us for a couple nights this week. I helped Quinn with his math homework, and we both practiced the piano together when I was at home.
Endia was the real champ this week. While I was at school and work, she took them to the bookstore with my mom. They went to the library, played at the park, and Quinn and Joanna both got caught up in school! Endia's personal favorite moment this week was the group nap.
Yarima had her annual ornament decoration party on Saturday. Wow! There was a lot of artistic talent there. It was so much fun.
Yarima’s Christmas ornament party
December is here, and the countdown to Utah is on! We are all so excited for our Utah trip, but Ellie is especially excited. She asks us multiple times a day if it is time to go to the airport.
We made a paper chain to give her a visual of how many days we have left. She gets so excited every morning to rip one of the chains off and get one day closer to our trip!
Ellie has also been enjoying making crafts. She gets so proud of her work and it’s a fun time to spend together!
Joanna ready for winter
So Hannah and I have talked for a while about how much we would enjoy doing catering for events as a small side business. We hadn’t seriously considered it until recently, and Ashton mentioned that he might be able to hire us to do an MTC event.
They wanted to have us cater for a smaller group that could do a taste testing, and then they would let us know what they wanted for the larger event. It was so crazy making something that we were actually getting paid for.
I was a little nervous because I knew everything needed to turn out well, and thank goodness it did! Ashton said that everyone had only good things to say about it. They were asking what our business is called and everything. I guess we need to get that all figured out so we can be legit!
Dad and children working in Bunkhouse