Brendan is surviving BYU-I. Lots of new friends, lots of reading and not so much sleep.
All other grandkids are in school and the littlest ones are bored to tears. :)
Here's Kristin's update she sent last week:
Greetings to all...
I've been thinking about what to write for the past couple of weeks - maybe our life is getting exciting so now I have something to write about. Here's a little synopsis on each...
Jonathan & the job...As you may know, Bob Blodgett passed away when we were in Nauvoo. He was the CFO of Vivid Learning in Pasco. Dad called when we were in Nauvoo to let Jonathan know of a position that became vacant. One has to ask if you really want the job of a guy who just had a heart attack who was only in his 60's. Bob was also Jonathan's young men's leader when he was a youth. Jonathan really felt like he could still learn a lot from Bob. He applied for the job - they were obviously in a rush and we thought we'd hear back right away. He had an interview in July and again the first of August. There were 3 candidates. Jonathan figured out what Bob had been making and it was less than what Jonathan was making, but he's been willing for awhile to take a pay cut for the right job. We'd prayed about the job & felt very prompted and confident that this would be Jonathan's next job. The company took a lot longer than they expected to come to a decision. Last week, on Wednesday, I had Jonathan's iphone at home - trying it out to see if I wanted one. Sure enough, the headhunter called and I answered - Dallin's music blaring in the back ground and other after school noise. I tried to sound professional and said Jonathan would call her back. I called Jonathan at work and told him to call the gal. He got his pen & paper ready to record the job info. we were confident she could give him. We were surprised when she indicated that although he was a close candidate, they were offering the position to someone else. We were baffled, as we truly had felt this was what the Lord wanted for him. I suggested that he send the CFO a note letting him know that if anything changed, to let Jonathan know. He didn't want to sound desperate - I was thinking more that if the offer fell through for the other person, they wouldn't be afraid to come back to Jonathan. He sent the email and received a nice reply. Thursday came & went - we could accept not receiving the job, but it was confusing as to why we'd felt so positive about it. Maybe it was the contacts he needed to make, be patient & wait was the thought that came to my mind. I have a complete belief that the Lord can make anything happen. Friday, noon, Jonathan heats up his lunch at work, plum pit in his mouth, the phone rings, he answers, spits the plum pit out - it's the CFO of Vivid asking him if he's had lunch yet - not really. He invited Jonathan to lunch, where he let him know that the gal they'd offered the job to had planned to accept, but received an offer too good to refuse from her employer. She declined the offer. Jonathan says he thinks it was Avis's motto "We're #2, but we try harder". The CFO thought that was great. The offer didn't come Friday and we headed to BYU-I for the long weekend. He received the offer on Tuesday and we were able to review it while we were driving - it wasn't as good as an offer as we were hoping for, but there's potential. I really believe this was part of the Lord's plan - He wanted us to know how much we wanted the job when it was offered to someone else, so much that we would accept the offer, even if it wasn't quite what we wanted. The Lord does know us and He has a plan and He can make it happen. Jonathan starts on 10/1 and is looking forward to a new opportunity. Elizabeth wanted to know if we had to move to Pasco.
Brendan & BYU-I...We took Brendan to school on Sunday after church. We stayed with Neal & ReNae Cunningham, my cousin in Idaho Falls. It was a treat to spend time with them. Neal even cooked us a yummy breakfast in the a.m. We also spent time driving around IF and the temple there. Bright & early Monday a.m. we headed to BYU-I. I only remember being there one time when we dropped Caryn off - we were there about an hour. I don't even remember carrying her stuff to her apt. I was very impressed with all BYU-I had planned for us. We got a great start of standing in long lines - ID card, sign ups, textbooks (timed that one right at the bookstore). BYU-I had a student/parent lunch for $1/person. It wasn't fancy, but some guy complained that "this is it". What did he expect for $1. I thought it was great - fun to see people. I ran into a gal I knew in my Miss T.E.E.N. days, Jonathan saw a guy from his mission, we saw several people from home, who I now have a bond with as we're "BYU parents" - it's been fun to run into them back home & feel that connection. We got Brendan moved in - as one might guess, I had him well organized & enough food to last him for a long time. His roommate is great - Spencer from IL - lucky for Brendan - I think they'll have a good semester together. We did a little Walmart shopping for a few more supplies, heard a talk from BYU's president and went to a luau there for the parents & students. I thought it was a wonderful day! We stayed the night with Jenny & Steve Christenson (Twin Lakes - Jenny Beckmeyer/Young). It was great to spend time with them. Tuesday a.m. we took Brendan to breakfast and said our goodbyes. I heard lots of parents talk about tears, but to me, it was such the "right" thing and so exciting that there were no tears. He seems happy, has met others from his dorm, enjoys his classes, has plenty of homework and an appointment at a girl's apt. for dinner tomorrow - what more could he want! Enjoy it all Brendan!
Dallin & the dreary days...Bishop has encouraged the youth to "quit hanging out" with the opposite gender - when they turn 16 - to date. He's sure he's going to be stuck in the house for the next 7 months. When it becomes "his" decision, it will be better. He's been taking Brendan's place mowing lawns for the guy Brendan was mowing with, which leaves me in a tad of a bind. The boys have had about 8 lawns they've mowed consistently this summer, with Aubrey helping them occasionally. Well, if Dallin's mowing with someone else - who will mow these lawns. Let's just say, I'm getting my exercise. I pick Dallin up from school, take him to trim the lawns (I don't know how to do that) while I mow part of the lawn, go drop him off to mow with the other guy, pick up Aubrey from cross country and we finish mowing the lawns. Even Calla & Elizabeth get in on the action & earning money. I had to put Jonathan to work the other day too. I'm thinking about opening my own mowing business. Thank goodness for Calla, she has to teach me a few mowing tricks on occasion. Do you know I think I mowed the lawn, or part of it, once when I was younger, because I wanted to see what it was like. I have a feeling, I'm going to be making up for that now.
Aubrey - back to school...she's in 8th grade and back at the middle school - no more homeschooling. What's a mother to do all day? She's enjoying it and running cross country - first meet - this week. She knows how to get all dressed up for the Bomber games - good school spirit.
Elizabeth - safety patrol girl - she's enjoying the school safety patrol & has stories daily of things parents & kids do. She's enjoying 5th grade - I hope her teacher will challenge her. She's had a sub for awhile as her teacher had breast cancer this summer & is recovering. The sub is a couponing friend of mine - so when Elizabeth is circling all the things she wants from the book order, the sub says, "no way girl, your momma's not gonna pay $10 for that!" She calls Elizabeth "Emily Elizabeth"
Calla doesn’t miss a beat. She's up early and goes hard all day. She fixes her own hair, practices the piano, does the dishes, etc. and is ready for school - efficient little one. She loves activity days at church, is playing soccer, teaches me about my iphone and is impressed when I know how to answer the phone on my own.
As for me, I'm watching a couple of kids before school a few days a week, trying to keep up with the paperwork around home and fix dinner in a timely manner. Jonathan & I are taking a Hanford tour this next week - all day event. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what is in our town & then I'll know where the "300" area is when people mention it. All is well...all is well. Love to each of you & let me know if you just want the reader's digest condensed version next time (if there is a next time).
Love,
Kristin & Co.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We'd love to hear from you!