Family Reunions

We left Japan, flying over the friendship festival at Yokota Air Base. Looking out at the Americans and Japanese crowded together to eat, walk, see cool planes and purchase or sell items. The base groups make a lot of money from this event each year. It’s a big deal. I however, have never attended! I usually avoid it because I hear how crowded it gets. And there was a year or two it did not happen because of Covid 19 precautions.

This year I wanted to attend just to say I did. My family was staying in the TLF tower but we still had our blue vehicle to get us around. I was told to attend the event first thing in the morning because the Japanese are not allowed on at first. Sadly, it was raining that morning. Walking around the flight line in the rain did not sound fun. So, I did not go.

It wasn’t raining when we flew away though. We were so happy to be leaving Japan. Moving on! Flying toward our families. Flying toward our final military home. Flying toward slight, welcomed, changes in life. I don’t want to work with children the next three years but I do want to have a part time job. I don’t want to be a keyspouse. I do want to stay active in the church and serve within the church. I would like Luke to learn to drive and help drive himself and the other kids around within the next year.

I do want my children to find friends they connect with, within the church. They don’t usually do. This makes it hard for me as a parent because their friends can be bad influences.

The flight was great. There was almost zero turbulence. The children were easy and so was the flight.

We stayed one night in Seattle. We got on a shuttle from the airport to the hotel but the shuttle drove us to another pick up spot at the airport. That is when Sterling realized Tiberias had left his backpack at the last stop! Sterling got off the bus and went quickly back to retrieve it. He took too long though and the bus driver left him. At the Hotel I scolded Ty for being careless. We hopped off the shuttle and it left to go back for Sterling. Then, I realized Athena left her stuff on the bus! Immediately after hearing me scold Ty for leaving his stuff behind! Luckily, the shuttle picked up Ster and I messaged him about it. He was able to bring it off the shuttle with him.

We walked down the street from our hotel to a pizza shop and took pizza back for dinner. The pizza was delicious! We had a fun night in the hotel despite there not being a pool to swim in. We had free breakfast the next morning and left early on the shuttle for the airport.

We stayed in Provo where Sterling worked on our recently purchased (used) van. My birthday arrived shortly after entering America. It happened to be the same day Ster chose for Stupid Movie Night with his siblings. So we celebrated my birthday too.
I never did like Stupid Movie Night, lol. But we had a great time. I made a Stitch themed cake. Mom thought I was making way too much cake…but the design called for it.

Hannah gave me a water bottle. I had been looking to buy a new one and she didn’t even know this fact. I received a Stitch shirt, stickers for the water bottle, an adorable koala journal, fun earrings and butterflies for my hair.

We allowed Luke to watch Cocaine Bear with us. It turned out to be more of a horror film than I expected! I thought it was going to be a comedy.
Tiberias was very unhappy that Luke was able to watch it and he wasn’t. He really wanted to see the film. And he feels that if Luke is old enough to watch something, Ty is also. I don’t see it that way.

Nephi came over too. We watched Yoga Hosers, which I picked. It’s a stupid movie I had been wanting to see for a while. I probably wont ever watch it again though. I’m not into stupid movies.

Sterling and I have been able to play pickleball a few times. We discovered that there are free outdoor courts pickleball specific in the Provo area! And in Idaho too when we visited Jon’s family.

After Idaho we were back in Provo just a day before driving down to Logandale to visit my parents. We went to the reservoir and met up with Crystal Houston (whom I went to high school with even though she was in a grade below me) and her family. We had a great time. There was swimming and kayaking. We watched a horse pull a wakeboarder across the water. The horse ran along the beach and the wakeboarder was in the water holding onto a rope.

We had such a great stay there! Nephi came down, Florencio, Eliza and Maddie came too.
Saturday was Abigail Starnes’ baptism in Parowan. So we all went there for the day. I gave a great talk about the holy ghost at the baptism. When arrived we saw that it was a stake baptism. We did now know that prior! I wasn’t nervous really. But realized I didn’t have my talk! Where was it? Where was it? I searched my memory and saw myself place it inside Abigail’s present. A book. To keep it safe and make sure I didn’t leave it behind. Then in my memory I saw myself wrap that book. The talk was still inside! SO I had to open her present to retrieve it! Haha

After the baptism we took pictures outside the church. Families and groups etc.
We went to Alissa’s house for lunch. Justin’s parents and brother were there as well. Sub sandwiches were served. With chips and soda.
Athena got reacquainted with her cousins. Specifically Abigail and Jasmine.
Cakes were baked then Jasmine and Athena decorated them together. We celebrated Jason and Abigail’s  birthdays and Jasmine’s baptism. Gifts were given to all of those children. To avoid James being the only Starnes child not to receive a gift Mom and Eliza gave him gifts too.

I gave fun books to Jasmine, Abigail and Jason. Because I am the storytime youtube aunt.  Jason received a touch and feel book to learn the ABCs. Abigail received a unicorn fantasy book. Jasmine received one on faith which was not long or boring and had great illustrations. I wrote a special note to her inside. I also gave Alissa the talk I had prepared and printed.

Justin’s family didn’t stay for dinner but at dinner we went to a diner in town. That was fun. And we almost filled the diner with our party. At the end we said goodbyes. Those of us who don’t live in Parowan were going back to Dad’s house.
Jasmine wanted Athena to sleep over but it made more sense for Jasmine to come stay at Grandma’s house. Jasmine coming turned into Abigail also coming and then…James too. Alissa packed their sleepover bags and sent them with us.
We went to the Cedar City temple to see that on our way back to Logandale. Alissa and Justin had just their toddler Jason for the night. And they rested. They had to recover from the excitement.

Alissa’s kids hadn’t been to my parents house in a while. They were being reminded of what it was like and the fact that they have a cat! They had a really fun day and night. The next day was Sunday. Alissa’s kids stayed home with their grandpa. Nephi slept in and attended a late sacrament meeting. The rest of us went to mom’s sacrament meeting at 9am.

Florencio drove back to AZ alone. Mom promised to drive Eliza and Maddie to AZ on Friday so she could spend more time with my family.

Alissa and Jason came later that day. She had cut my parents out of her family’s life two times now, I believe. And only barely allowed them back in, in time for the baptism.

We went on a walk to find some horses and feed them. I then learned that this was not an approved activity by the owners but something dad does anyway. Oooppps. It was really fun though. I wont be surprised if a sign doesn’t show up now on their gate “Don’t feed the horses.” Lol

Monday we all went to Mesquite to swim at the rec center.  It’s nice that my kids are old enough and can swim well enough that I don’t have to be with them or follow them around. But James, near the time we left the pool, took off his life jacket and went off the diving board. He didn’t swim well enough and had to be rescued by the lifeguard. He was shooken up. Most of us did not witness the event but only heard about it in a whisper from Alissa later at the diner. We went to Peggy’s diner for dinner just after swimming.
We ordered food and ice cream! That was fun. Nephi said goodbye and went back to Spanish Fork.  Alissa said goodbye and took her kids home to Parowan.

We had fun at the grandparents house Tuesday and Wednesday also. Tuesday the kids, Eliza and I went to Crystal’s house. Athena caught a chicken and played with their great danes (one being a runt and one being a puppy). Luke went with Topher to hang out with his friends. Luke had done this during the first night at the reservoir. Went with Topher to meet his friends and have a game night/hang night. The way I used to do with my group of friends in high school. Topher said his friends were awesome and friendly and wholesome. Luke had such a great time and spent more events with them while we stayed in Logandale. I hope this showed Luke how good friends can be and how great it is to have friends in the church! Maybe it will influence his friend making decisions at Warner Robins.

 Sterling went to Vegas to put us on the housing list. He had to go to the nearest military base (Nellis) because his military online access wasn’t working! He brought back pizza for dinner.

Wednesday The kids went back to the Houston house. Ster, Eliza, Mom and I went to the thrift shops in Overton. Then we got lunch at the diner there. We picked up the kids and went back to the house. We went to the reservoir one more time. Dad was recording a youtube Come Follow Me video so he stayed home to do that. We had a great evening even though it had cooled off. It wasn’t a hot day! Luke doesn’t like to swim anymore but I made him take the kayak out for one spin. He went around a tree and came back to the land and was done.

When we returned to the house dad was still recording. So we all went to the basement to keep the noise away from his microphone. We watched the Never Ending Story and ate ice cream. While we all took turns one at a time taking a shower in the basement shower. That was fun! The kids enjoyed the movie! But Sterling, despite realizing he has never actually watched the film before, chose not to watch. He went upstairs to play a video game.

 We said goodbye to my parents Wednesday night. They had to leave early Thurs for an appointment in Vegas. We got up at 7am and left at 8am. We had to wake Eliza to say goodbye. Maddie remained asleep.

We drove up to St George and stopped to look at a truck Sterling saw online at a dealership. We were actually at the wrong location and it took a while to figure that out. Sterling’s phone internet wasn’t working so he couldn’t check. But eventually we found the right dealership and the truck! And it was actually pretty great. We went for a test drive together and decided this was the truck. Sterling would buy it! He really was hoping to find a truck before going to Georgia and it wasn’t looking promising. But then, we found the one. I left Sterling there to do the paperwork and drive the truck away.

I drove the kids to Parowan to meet Alissa at her house. I had some things to drop off to her. Athena and the girls were happy for a chance to play together again!
They were pretending to be dogs fighting and wrestling but I saw it…Athena could be a wrestler in school! She is strong enough and built for it. She loves wrestling because he daddy taught her to wrestle and fight. She didn’t seem to care for the idea when I said it but I have a plan. I will show her. When we get to Georgia I will find out if one of the schools has a wrestling team and take Athena to watch one match. Let her experience seeing the sport so that if she gets a chance to join a team she will know if she wants to try or not.

Sterling met us at Alissa’s then we said goodbye to Alissa’s family. We drove two cars but stayed together the rest of the drive.

In Provo we arrived with just twenty minutes to spare. We had a dinner date with Matt and Maria at Mom’s house at 5pm. Mom made cheesy potato soup with vegetables and bread rolls. We were able to visit with them and that was nice. Maria had also brought with her the two pairs of prescription glasses Ty had picked out at her store a week or so prior. She works at a prescription store in Orem.

Friday we went swimming at the Provo Rec center at 11am. Simone brought her kids. Hannah brought hers. Mom came too. Luke stayed home though. Since, he doesn’t like swimming anymore.

Simone and her kids hung out with us at Dad’s house until it was time to go to Leatherbys. The long awaited event! Everyone came! Aubrianne and some of her kids (Rosie and Jimmy) didn’t make it. Stewart also missed out. But nobody else was willing to miss this! We eat like kings and queens when we go to Leatherbys!

Athena and Maddie and Chloe are all good friends! But Athena sat with just Maddie this time.

Trevor and Travis with their kids came to Dad’s house after Leatherbys.

Saturday morning was free fishing day! Athena was excited to get to go fishing. Ty and Luke were forced to go. I stayed home to write blog entries, work out and catch up on stuff.