The neighborhood is different now and so am I.

It's been a long time since I've written and much has happened since then. Many things to cover but today I choose to write about something else.


Recently a mortuary was built near our neighborhood.  I watched it go up. It is a nice building with cool windows and nice brick. Then one day there was a black hearse parked out front with an "Open House" sign on the front lawn. Who goes to a mortuary open house?

Lately as I have driven by, which I often do, I've noticed cars in the parking lot. Sometimes the parking lot is full to capacity and other times just a few cars. More and more there are people slowly meandering towards their cars, dressed in black with white handkerchiefs in hand as they hug and dab their eyes. Sometimes seeing them there takes me from all that I have on my mind and I wonder... Who is the person they are missing? Was it an older relative at the end of a long life or a child, who was just beginning to live. They look at me driving by and wonder how the world could go on, how they will go on with out this person? Suddenly, the light changes and I drive on. On to the grocery store and the bank. I am the life continuing on as if nothing happened. Should I do otherwise?

I don't know them and they don't know me. Yet, I have been dressed in black, dabbing my eyes with a white handkerchief, wrapped in the arms of another who feels my pain. Trying our best to breath life back into each other. And on some future day I will stand again where they stand and they will drive by, on their way to the grocery store or the gym or wherever because life goes on... and on they will go.

In my mind's eye I see them, arms around each other, and my heart aches for them. I offer a little prayer that they will feel love and heal so life will go on for them also - it will be different but it will go on. This I know a little about.

One of those days

As I have worked to come to terms with my current stage of life, part of my struggle has been my attempt to find something to fill the emptiness in my heart and schedule. None of the options I considered felt right. And then in the midst of all my searching the message got through to me: "I have enough busy people, I need someone I can call on in a moment of need - I need you to be available." I wasn't sure exactly what this meant but I began to feel satisfied with fewer demands on my time.

Today was one of those days that I didn't have tons of things scheduled. Today was one of those days when I was able to be in the right place at the right time. In each of these moments today my heart felt so full of love towards the one who was before me. I had time and love to give without feeling pulled in a different direction. I could be in the moment for that person. I felt His love for me too.

Today it was reinforced to me that God is mindful of each of us. As we go through life we have experiences that enable us to look at life in a different way than we would otherwise. As we learn and grow we are better able to empathize and lift where we stand*. Lifting where we stand also lifts us to higher ground. Today was one of those days.


*Lift where you stand

Tagged

I had to get a new tag for the broadcast on Saturday. It's kind of silly since we just got released last Sunday. I explored a few options with Sister Ellis, wife of the executive secretary at the MTC, and this seemed like the best one. We are not allowed to use the plastic clip above the tag on the left as the metal parts could reflect the bright lights and cause a glare. The pin on the back failed about 6 months in to our service at the MTC (3 1/2 years ago) - it would not stay closed and as a result my tag kept falling off. I finally super glued it shut and I haven't given it a second thought until now. So, even though I'm "retired", they ordered me a new magnetic tag. When I got my first tag I was just a bit disappointed that it did not say, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints", but I still loved it. When I looked at my new tag today, I was sad to see that tag said nothing but my name (I was happy that they spelled my name right). There were a few other sisters with tag issues, so they rushed them through and all the brand new tags were like mine... name only.

The tag on the left will always remind me of an incredible four years of learning and growth as we've been blessed to serve with the missionaries at the MTC. It's a bit dull and the lettering is not at white as it was the day I got it. But then, I'm not the same person either. I have learned so much about faith and trusting God as we move forward - not always knowing what the outcome will be. I have been humbled as I learn about the sacrifice of some of the missionaries and the struggles they have been through even at their tender ages. Serving at the MTC involves a lot of repetition. I now look at repetition not as something to be endured but as an opportunity to have something written deeply on my heart.

This new tag will only be worn once - tomorrow. But I think I will find a home for it, next to my old one where I can see it and reflect on what it means to me. A new beginning, a fresh start - lots of space for me to write my future - and to remind me of my desire to have a tag with "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints" inscribed below my name.

The last verse of the congregational hymn we will sing mid conference tomorrow says it best:

"There's surely somewhere a lowly place in earth's harvest fields so wide 

Where I may labor though life's short day for Jesus the Crucified.

 So trusting my all to thy tender care and knowing thou lovest me, 

I'll do thy will with a heart sincere: I'll be what you want me to be."

PS Second Alto's (that's me) will be in the right quarter of the choir seats.

We will line up by height and then rearrange a bit to mix the colors, 

so I'm guessing I will be mid to lower part of that section. 

I'll be wearing turquoise!

You can quote me

 This is Brother Ryan Eggett and Sister Emily Wadley. They are our choir directors. Brother Eggett directs the MTC choir and Sister Wadley will direct the MTC sister's choir for the broadcast. Sister Wadley can only be there for half the practices so Brother Eggett directs us every other day. He works with us on getting the notes right and the words memorized, while she fine tunes the dynamics and  helps us not to look stupid, silly, odd, look good while we are singing. Today they recorded us singing and then played it back with no audio. Suffice it to say I was not complaining that the tall sister in front of me blocked my face. We need work. Both of these individuals have strong testimonies, are incredibly talented and understand the power of music. They are both pretty funny too and make the 90 minutes we are there each day fly by. It is a blessing to learn from them.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from choir practice:

"Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape."

"It doesn't have to perfect for you to enjoy it."

"You are wonderful unique person but sometimes you need to be what's needed"
 - KZ translation - worry more about how you can meet others needs than how you can impress them.

"Your faith in all things makes you strong enough to discover where your weaknesses are"

Go Forth

It's probably no secret, especially to those closest to me, that I have struggled a bit with the whole "empty nest" thing... empty being the key word.  I have moments when I feel a bit lost and unsure of what my purpose is and what my direction my life should take. I have also felt the need to have faith and move forward. I have felt peace that as I continue doing what I'm doing, my path will unfold before me. God has a plan for me - a personal, individual plan - I just don't know what it is just yet. While I have felt this in my heart and it makes sense in my head, sometimes my heart forgets. Sometimes I doubt myself and wonder if I shouldn't be doing something different. Maybe I should get a job where I could make money. Maybe I should go back to school and get a graduate degree... I have lots of options. Sometimes I feel so unsettled and I wonder. 

And then this morning 180 voices sang in unison, 

"The errand of angels is given to women, and this is a gift that as sisters we claim, 

to do whatsoever is gentle and human, to cheer and to bless in humanity's name" 

add 180 soprano voices coming over the top " Go forth...go forth". 

These words penetrated my whole heart and soul. This is my purpose and direction. Care for my family and be available to serve and help. I  knew this before but it seemed so vague. This morning though, it was direct and clear. I had to regain my composure to be able to continue to sing. 

Stop fretting... keep moving... trust me. 

I can do that. 

More Holiness

When I was about 14, I was able to participate in a YW choir for the dedication of some sculptures (like the ones above but in miniature) at the visitors center at the Los Angeles temple. While I have not been blessed with a beautiful singing voice I can usually sing the right notes with some practice. We sang a few songs but the one I remember most is "More Holiness Give Me". We sang a special arrangement written for this event. I still remember the alto part and catch myself singing it instead of the alto part in the Hymn book in sacrament meetings. The choir director told us during one practice that when we sing with all our hearts, as opposed to just singing the words, angels cannot be restrained from singing with us. I felt in my heart that this was true. I pondered the words of the songs and each time we practiced there was a sweet spirit in attendance.

The evening of the dedication was cool and clear. The temple was lit up beside us as we sat outside in the garden by the visitors center. When it came time for us to sing "More Holiness Give Me" I sang with all my heart, "More faith in my Savior, More sense of his care, More joy in his service, More purpose in prayer..."  The voices of the choir rang clear and beautiful in quiet evening. Our voices rose to heaven, harmonies blended and the words of the song filled my whole being. I had never heard this song sound as beautiful as it did that evening and I seemed to understand it more in my heart than ever before. The experience is etched in my mind with great clarity some 35 years later. 

About a month ago I got an email from Sister Nalley, wife of the MTC president informing us that the general Relief Society President, Sister Linda Burton, had requested a sister missionary choir to sing at the general Relief Society broadcast this year. She had also requested that 50 wives of Branch Presidency members sing with the younger sisters at the broadcast. There was an application we needed to fill out if we wanted to sing. I was excited to apply and hoped I would be chosen.They sent out another request about 10 days later for more sisters. About two weeks ago I got an email letting me know that I had indeed been chosen to participate in the choir - along with 42 other sisters. I guess if you had a desire to sing, you were called to the choir. 

Today was our first practice. I will admit that I was kind of lost. I usually have Jennifer sitting beside me helping me figure out my part. (I did apologize to the sweet young Sister sitting next to me - I hope I didn't throw her off too much.) As I was looking through the music at the beginning of the practice I discovered that the second song was "More Holiness Give Me". The arrangement is different than the  one I sang so many years ago but the words still moved me, "More gratitude give me, more trust in the Lord,... more hope in His word, ... more longing for home..." First day of practice and my soul was filled. What a blessing.

Masters National Championships

Mark and I went on a whirlwind trip to Bend, Oregon so he could compete in his first ever National Championship road race. He debated for days whether or not we should even go. He caught a virus and was not feeling very good. He would have good and bad days but was not quite up to par. The weather forecast also predicted rain the morning of the race - and with the race beginning at 8:00 am at the Mt. Bachelor Ski resort with a 15 mile descent... it sounded miserable. 

To complicate things the semester at BYU started this week. Mark had to teach an orientation Tuesday morning and then teach his first day of class Friday morning - 8:00am. Bend, Oregon is about 650 miles away. Monday he felt good and it looked like the weather might cooperate so we left Tuesday around 2:00 after orientation and a last minute lunch with Christian and Robbie (who was in town). We drove half way Tuesday and arrived in Bend on Wednesday. Mark was not feeling good on Wednesday but it looked like the weather would be good for his race, with the storm arriving Thursday afternoon. 

Thursday morning was clear and cool.

After almost freezing on the downhill at the beginning, Mark was able to get into a four man break.

(look for "Volo" on Mark's shoulder and the red on his shorts)

 They were able to hold off the pack (about 70 riders) for the rest of the race. 

 At one point Brendan Sullivan (who eventually won) broke away from the lead group and Mark went with him. As soon as there was some distance between them and the group, Brendan started attacking Mark, slowing way down and then surging ahead. Mark stayed with him for a few minutes of this and then just dropped back to the rest of the lead group exhausted. Two riders from the main pack bridged up to the lead group while Mark was ahead. 

 Mark was pleased to finish 5th overall.

It was fun to see Mark's brother, Dave, win the 55-59 National Championship!

Thirty minutes after the race was over we packed up and headed back to the hotel, 

showered and drove 11 hours home.

Next year the race is in Ogden.

YES!

all pictures taken from usa cycling

End of a Era

I dropped Jennifer off at Heritage Halls today.

We have been making quick trips over to her dorm room to drop stuff off for two days now but today I came home without her. I felt like crying in the car but it seemed silly. I am so excited for her - a new phase of life.

I remember so clearly the day my dad dropped me off at Heritage Halls. I was in Young Hall. Excited and very nervous. We unloaded my stuff. Stood there awkwardly for a moment (as I subdued the urge to grab my suitcase and go home with him), we hugged and he was gone. I kind of wanted to cry - I could have too because none of my roommates were there - but I unpacked instead. My home was over 700 miles away and I knew no one. Soon enough, my roommates were there and it was like a big slumber party as we got to know each other over the next few days. Then the learning began in earnest - classroom learning but more importantly - real life learning.

Jennifer is not even close to the first one I have dropped off at Heritage Halls. Every time it has meant a change in our family. New dynamics, sometimes a change of bedrooms for those left at home. I have mourned a little at the end of my "active mothering phase" for each child, but today was different. I came home to a silent empty home. (Christian will move out in two days but he was at work.) I am now the mother of all adult children. My children no longer need me in the same way they used to. They do not need me to pack lunches, cook their dinners or remind them of things. No more piano recitals, meetings with school counselors or Scout/YW evenings. Do I celebrate or cry? Both I think.

Tonight, I miss my children; I miss my grandchildren and the house and my heart seem empty. I wonder and hope that I have taught them what they need to be successful in life - but I can still teach, mentor and love them, it's just different.

On Friday my life will go back to what it was like some thirty years ago. Just me and my best friend - only it will be different. Our life is so much fuller and richer - closely tied and bound together in an ever growing circle of amazing friends that we also call our children; our grandchildren are a whole new generation who are in need of "active grandmothering" even if it is done by long distance.

Tonight my feelings are tender, but tomorrow the sun will rise on a beautiful new day. New opportunities and decisions will present themselves, and I will try to be ready.

There are some distinct advantages to just being the two of us again - it will be like falling in love all over again.

Inspiration

picture credit

I was a freshman at BYU when the Jordan River temple was built. Our family home evening group went to the open house before it was dedicated. Back in the day, this was a very rare opportunity, to be able to tour a temple before it was dedicated. I was so excited and looked forward to this tour with great anticipation and reverence. We dressed in our Sunday best and drove up there together. I remember the covers we put on our shoes and the excitement as we entered that holy building. "Holiness to the Lord"was engraved on the front of the building. It looked and felt like a holy place as I went past the front desk of a temple for the first time. The first stop on our tour was the locker room. 

What?! ....the locker room? All of my life I had seen beautiful pictures of rooms inside the temple and here we were in the locker room? It had.... lockers... and places to change. The tour guide explained that temple patrons came here first to change out of street clothes and into all white clothes symbolic of being clean. I felt a sweet spirit emphasizing to me the importance of being clean to enter the Lords house. Of course they had a locker room. 

Funny thing is, I don't really remember much of the rest of the tour. I remember feeling peaceful and admiring the beauty and craftsmanship but the most specific memory I have is of the locker room. 

picture credit

About a year later I when through the LA temple to receive my own endowment. I was a wonderful experience. This time I needed a recommend to get passed the front desk and before I knew it I was again in the locker room of the temple. But this time I was given a locker to use as I dressed in white clothing head to toe. As I did, I felt a sweet spirit envelop me and I knew this was Gods house and was so thankful that I was clean and able to be here. 

I've been to many temples since then and have found that for me, the locker room is a place of sweet peace and inspiration. Strange, I know. I love the sessions. I love to sit in the Celestial room after a session and ponder and pray. But more often than not, it's after the session in the locker room - when I am folding and putting away my white clothing - and when I take a minute to sit in my plain little booth with the door closed, that I often receive the inspiration I was seeking. 

A day in the life

I was thinking that I should record more of my life experiences on this blog.

Here's one I was reminded of on Facebook:

photo credit

February 9, 1971. 

I was three months past my 7th birthday. 

We lived at 23351 Bassett Street in Canoga Park California,

in the San Fernando Valley.

At 6:01 AM a 6.6 earthquake hit, with it's epicenter 19 miles away in Silmar.

Linda (who was almost 3) and I shared a bedroom - and a full sized bed.

Julie and Lisa shared a room and so did Greg and Glen (who was almost one). 

I remember being awakened by a loud rumbling noise and shaking.

I bolted out of bed in the dark and ran down the hall towards my parents room.

I'm not sure if it's because it was dark or what, but I couldn't find them. 

I ran back and forth in a panic trying to find them.

We finally all gathered in the boys room where Glen lay sleeping in his crib.

We offered a family prayer of thanks that we were all safe.

When everyone was calmed down, my dad when to find a flashlight.

As he made his way back to the boys room with the flashlight he discovered broken quart jars of fruit in the hallway outside my bedroom door. 

They had fallen from the top of the linen closet where they had been stored,
as there was not enough room in the kitchen.

During the earthquake they had fallen and shattered. 

I'm not sure how many times I ran through that area in my nightgown and bare feet, but I came through with no cuts or bruises. I don't even remember being sticky.

I knew that I had been protected - as were my other family members.

Our house was fine as far as I remember. Our brick fence had a crack going through it.

About a week later we drove out to Silmar and saw the hospital pictured above. Parts of it sank a whole floor and a one whole wing fell off. I remember seeing a wheel chair sticking up above the rubble and a  bunch of ambulances crushed under a carport. I remember being so thankful that our family had been protected - and very sad that others had been hurt or died.

and these pictures make me feel really old!

Food

I have had a little burst of recipe re-creations lately and have been posting them on the food blog.

Chicken verde mexican lasagna 302 calories per serving

Banana streusel muffins - 76 calories per muffin

I've also made some really yummy soups too that I will post soon.

Life Marches On

Twenty Thirteen.

I think it was when we were driving to St. George from Amy's house in Roseville (CA) that the conversation turned to the events this year would hold for our family:

Twenty Thirteen promises to be full of change:

big changes for me.

Jennifer will graduate from High School - my baby.

My baby who has become an amazing, beautiful woman and a dear friend.

     -No more children in public schools.

Jennifer will spend three weeks in Germany on an school organized exchange.
    - I realize that she will be 18, but my baby will be in a foreign country.
    - Mark and I will have three straight weeks to ourselves.

Exciting, different, a little taste of things to come. Three weeks is long enough to do something fun, something productive - and not quite long enough to feel lost.

Christian will return home from his mission
     -Can I really be the mother of three returned missionaries?
Ruby will start Kindergarten
Jennifer will start College

I'm getting old. 

Christian and Jennifer will move out and attend BYU.
    - Which means I retire from full time mothering...

This is the big one. 

The first twenty years of my life I looked forward and prepared to be a mother. 

It was the desire of my heart. 

The next almost thirty years I have spent enveloped in the lives of my family,

most especially my children.

This is a great blessing I have been given from my Father in Heaven

as well as my amazing husband, as he has also made it possible,

not only to have them, but for mothering and nurturing to be my full time job.

I look forward to having having a freedom we have not had for many years.

But, he will go to work and while I will have Kindermusik,

for the first time in a long time, 

no one will come through the door in the middle of the day

ready for a snack and some chatter about their day.

I will miss that. 

The house will be very quiet most of the day,

which isn't that different than it is now,

 but it will feel more empty.

I guess that's why they call it an empty nest.

Mark will be released from the MTC.

   -Which means he will have an extra 16+ hours a week.

   -We may actually get to sit together in church.

   - We will miss the great blessing of associating with the incredible Elders and Sisters at the MTC.

And then, last but not least on 11-13 of 2013, I will turn 50.

   - Not a bit deal really. But I guess a lot of it depends on the things that happen earlier in the year.

Twenty thirteen promises to be full of change, probably summed up by a fortune cookie: 

"Your path may be difficult but it will be rewarding."

Ready or not, here it comes...

Thankful

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for having me. I know that expecting number three when number two was only 7 months old must have been a shock. But I never felt like I was a burden in any way. Thank you for teaching me about life, this beautiful world, about love and what it means to be part of a family. Mom, thank you for carrying me, for nurturing this body I use every moment of every day. Thank you for giving birth to me - for going through the pain and struggle that is part of giving life.

Thank you for helping me with homework, paying for my piano lessons, taking me to the doctor and dentist. Thank you for my siblings who danced on the furniture with me while singing to My Turn on Earth and Saturday's Warrior. I know that you spent many hours and tears and worry over me when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at 11. I am so thankful for your prayers and fasting and priesthood blessings in my behalf. I'm sure that there were days when you were sure that at age 49 I would be in a wheel chair, quite disabled. Thank you for your faith which produced miracles.

Thank you for countless meals, clean clothes, a roof over my head and family games of Rook and hide and seek (even when mom cheated and hid on the roof). I have such wonderful memories of sitting in the tangerine tree and eating tangerines, sneaking chocolate chips from the always open bag and canning all kinds of fruit in the kitchen. I remember Dad sitting on the bed with his arm around me one evening as I cried - having just had my heart broken for the first time.

Most of all, thank you for teaching me that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and provided a plan so that I could return to Him with my family; a Savior who atoned for me - who made it possible for me to repent and change and who can comfort and guide me no matter the issue; and the Holy Ghost which can guide and direct me everyday and remind me of God's love and my eternal worth.

I love you more than I will ever be able to express.

And THANK YOU SO MUCH

love,

Karen

Princess Festival 2012

 Mark and I were able to take Ruby and Olivia to the Princess Festival while they were here.

Mark and Christian took Ruby last year, but this was the first time Olivia and I attended.

The Festival is held in the children's garden at Thanksgiving Point. There are princess all around and each princess has a story that is acted out with lessons about service and kindness for the audience to learn about. Last year Ruby was a bit traumatized by the step sisters in the Cinderella play and did not want to go to any of the little plays so we wandered around a little bit. First we looked for the Princess and the frog (who was really good at math problems). We found the princess but no frog...

We found Rapunzel:

 

   and then something the girls got excited - a horse and carriage

 

Unfortunately it turned out that a carriage ride was $8.00 per person...  
Ouch! So we just pet the horse instead which the girls were quite happy with. Ruby was not afraid at all and Olivia kept a close eye on the horse. He was a very gentle and mellow, very large horse!

The playground caught Ruby's eye as she is an expert at climbing.

 The day was getting warm so we had a snack in the shade and a big drink of water before drawing chalk pictures with Peter Pan and Wendy

 It took a bit of coaxing but when we showed the girls their pictures on Grandpa's iphone they really liked putting their faces in different pictures.

 

 Near this bear statue is a cave. It was nice and cool and there were no groups there at the moment. There was a princess and a few friends in the cave and we talked with them and built up a pretend wall with cardboard blocks and knocked it down again. Both girls were brave and crawled through the tunnel in the cave which they thought was quite fun. We stayed in the cave when a group came in and watched the little play. After that we joined a big group activity on a grassy hill. We had some of our picnic lunch, a few otter pops did the hokey pokey, turned our selves around and then did the chicken dance. I thought we had a video but I can't find it. Anyway, it was getting hot and some of us were getting a bit tired. We decided that an ice cream cone on the way home would be a good idea. We took a few pictures on the carriages they had at the exit,

 
and drove off in search of ice cream. At last we found Arctic circle and got some cones. This may have been the most fun thing we did. Olivia was hilarious, She would take a bite from the top and then take one from the bottom. We kept waiting for the ice cream to drip from the bottom but she was able to eat it fast enough to avoid drips. Ruby also loved her cone and both girls wanted a second one. It was so fun to see them watch each other and giggle and interact. A few days after Ruby went home, Olivia and I were driving in the car. Olivia asked to go see Ruby. I explained that Ruby was at her house and it would take us all day driving in the car to get there. She thought a minute and said, OK. I hope these girls always remain friends and remember that they really are princesses.

Livi lou

Since Olivia moved with her parents to Illinois when she was just a few months old, our opportunities to interact in person are somewhat limited. We were thrilled to be able to have her here for just over three weeks. This series of pictures, taken on the fourth of July, provides insight into Olivia's personality. 

To say we are not big fourth of July party animals is an understatement, however I do enjoy our neighborhood "Cul-de-sac of fire" where neighbors come together and share purchased fireworks. We could hear the sounds of fireworks from around the neighborhood and Olivia, unsettled by the noise, didn't really want to go out to see them. Jennifer and I were able to persuade her to go out in the street with us during a lull in explosions. We looked down the street and could see neighbors a ways off setting off some quieter ones that were just on the ground. We oohed and ahhhed and when Livi thought they were cool we decided to just go on a little walk and see if we could see some more. We ended up in the cul-de-sac (surprise, surprise) and this is kind of how things transpired from there:

She was kind of the same way on the trampoline. She and Ruby tried to bounce together but the unpredictability unnerved Livi and she preferred watching from the ground rolled in the Lighting McQueen blanket. But given the opportunity to bounce by herself and we have:

 
She was not this way with more familiar things, she LOVED the carousel,  getting ice cream cones, the splash pad - when we left the splash pad she asked if she could swim in one of the fountains (the little swimming pool)... umm probably not.

Olivia also discovered Are You My Mother as well as Robert the Rose Horse,

In fact at random times she would get a big grin on her face and say, "Ker choooooooooooooo"

to which we would reply, "up went Livi, up went Grandpa, up went the puzzle and Auntie Jenn fell down flat! (or a hundred different variations). 

She also proved to be her fathers daughter as we celebrated her mom's birthday a little early.

See the direction of the smoke and which ones went out first?

Olivia is a great helper in lots of ways!

Oliva is a thoughtful, careful child when it comes to things she is not familiar with. Give her a little bit of time and when she understands the situation and knows more what to expect she will, on her own, jump in full throttle. She likes to be in control of herself in new situations and flourishes when you allow her that opportunity - and when you are willing to do that... this little girl is pure joy. 

That's probably one reason she plays so well on her own. 

PS Aaron, a job within a one day drive when you graduate would be sooo nice!

Livi Lou, I love you!

One day Aaron asked her, "Livi, are you being facetious?" to which she smiled and replied,

"Yes, faleetious"

Last segment - "The princess festival" - coming soon!

Then maybe we'll get to our trip to Yellowstone and our upstairs remodel.