Update on Hayes

Wow.  All I can say is wow.

Wednesday Hayes got home in the evening all fired up.  He had been talking to his military recruiter that morning before his work.  His recruiter had told him that if he had any kind of college degree, even an associates degree, that when he entered the military he would have a jump on several ranks.  That sounded pretty good to Hayes.

He started thinking about how he had applied and been accepted to BYU and though that maybe he should go.  WHICH IS WHAT CRAIG AND I HAVE BEEN TELLING HIM FOR YEARS, IT JUST TOOK THIS MILITARY RECRUITER TO SAY IT FOR HAYES TO LISTEN!!!!!!!!

Sheesh.

I was excited.  Hayes was excited.  Craig was excited.

Hayes and I got on BYU's website to see it there was still time to register and obtain housing.  We secured him a room in Helaman Halls dorm, just a couple buildings away from where I lived as a freshman 23 years ago!  We registered him for some classes.  There weren't  many available classes left because he left it so late, but he got some good ones.  He's taking American Heritage, History of Civilization, Book of Mormon (taught by Brad Wilcox!), and he signed up for two ROTC classes.  He's also on the wait list for an Writing class and an Anatomy class.

I've just been so thrilled and excited.  He can check into his dorm January 6th and then freshman orientation starts January 7th.

I'm just so thrilled and excited.  I wonder if my dad's visit had anything to do with his change of heart.  Dad filled his ear with a lot of talk about going to college.

I'M JUST SO THRILLED AND EXCITED!!!!

****I see those bumper stickers that say "My child and my money go to BYU".  No kidding!  There is this financial page on Hayes's profile and so far they want $6600 on January 1st!!!  Holy cow!  I am becoming more and more thankful for my parent's sacrifice to send me to BYU.  I don't think I fully appreciated how much it cost before.

My CNA Students

As I type this, I am sitting out in the hall with my laptop at Preston High.  Two of my students are in my room receiving their skills test.  We have been working for this all semester and I am so nervous.  Yesterday five students were tested and four of them passed.  The one who didn't made forgot to put on gloves while she was doing perineal care.  It was so sad because she KNOWS to do that and had never made that mistake before.  And if she was in an actual clinical situation she definitely wouldn't have forgotten to glove.  It's just working with the mannequins throws you off sometimes.  

She came back this morning, though, and retested and PASSED.  So now we are five for five.  Four more to go.

I am so nervous!!!  I didn't know when I took this job that it would be like having nine more little children.  I feel so responsible for them, so exasperated when they flake off, so proud of them when they do well.

Oh, my nerves are shot.  

I wonder when they'll be done........

New Calling

Guess who is the ward's new Young Women President???

ME.

I was called two weeks ago and sustained on Sunday.  Craig says that they've been working on a new young womens president for months and a few weeks ago it became clear that it was me.  He said they were all hesitant to call me because of Craig's calling in the bishopric.  They went to the temple to gain some revelation and Bishop Beutler said, while he was issuing me the call, that he didn't think he had ever had such a peaceful experience in the temple.

So yeah.  

Craig also told me last night, when he got home from bishopric meeting, that when our stake president, President Waldron, found out that the wife of a bishopric counselor had been called as Young Women President, he was MAD and said that if he had been consulted before the call had been made, that he would have put a stop to it.

That makes me laugh.  What a rogue bishopric we have.

So the entire organization is in place now, counselors and advisors.  I have some TERRIFIC counselors and advisors, some of the most faithful women in the ward.  They are going to be so great to work with and such a blessing in the girls' lives.  

I'm starting to feel better about it and not so overwhelmed.  Such a journey life is, you never know what's around the bend!!

Brigham Sings the Blues

Brigham is truly one of the funnies people I know.  He and Hayes.  They are hilarious.  Brigham came home from the girls choice dance and said that during the day they had all been playing with these mouth pieces.  He said they would say a phrase and the other people would try to guess what it was.  I asked him to sing something and this is what he gave me.

Christmas Lights

Behold the Christmas lights!!  For years I've been dreaming of a lighted star all the way on top of the grain mill and I finally got one!  I've been begging Hayes and Craig to make me one every year and they keep looking at me funny.  They lack vision.  This year I got smart and PAID someone to do it.  When in doubt, offer a stranger money to do something for you.  And now I have a star!

The tree in front of the house

Okay this picture doesn't do it justice.  It's a beautiful star way up in the sky
and it can be seen from a mile away.

Craig and Ellie's Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

Craig and Ellie have this thing where every year the go hunt for a Christmas tree.  In the mountains.  In the snow.  And cold.

I stay home while they do this.  I am very happy to stay home.

They always have a blast, though.  They come home happy, telling me all their stories.  Usually something interesting happens.  One year they helped a guy whose vehicle had left the road and rolled.  This year they said a car full of women had gotten stuck in the snow and a bunch of people were milling around trying to help them out.

The two of them usually go the day after Thanksgiving but this year they couldn't because of Craig having to work all weekend (see previous post).  So they went today.  I pulled Ellie out of school early ("See you everybody, I'm going to hunt for a Christmas tree with my dad!"  "Hey! No fair!").  We met Craig in Preston at our favorite lunch place, Mis Amores, and we ate lunch together.  Then Craig and Ellie went one way (toward the canyon) and I went another ( toward home).

They brought home TWO trees.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays.  This year, however, things have been a little different.  Every single one of our employees felt that they needed Thanksgiving off this year.  So who does that leave to do all the work?  That leaves Craig to do all the work.  He worked Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon.  I barely saw him.  Friday  morning Brigham and Ellie woke up at 2:30 in the morning to go milk the cows while Craig chores.  They got done at 9 and came in and showered and ate and slept a couple hours.  Then they were right back out in the barn to do the afternoon milking.  They were good little workers.

It's been quite the holiday weekend.  We managed to eat dinner together on Thanksgiving and Saturday night we watched a movie together.  That, except for church yesterday, was pretty much the only things we did other than work, work, work.

Sometimes it's not so much fun to own a dairy farm.

Brigham is not mentally handicapped

I asked Brigham to take a picture with me and this is what I got.

He was looking at my open laptop this morning and asked me why I was reading a parenting blog.  I told him it was because I had no idea how to parent my adult children.  He said that he also had no idea and he thought that probably the person who wrote the blog had no idea either.

I think he is right.

Sunday picture of the kids

Marion needed a picture of the kids for a Christmas letter so I forced them to pose.  My kids do NOT take pictures very well.  Hayes and Brigham deliberately try to ruin every single one by making stupid faces.  Ellie tries to help me out by corralling the two little ones but they resent her efforts and get grumpy.  Sometimes Mac does okay.  But Josh refuses to smile.  

This is the best one I could get.  Hmmm.

Exterior Shots

It's such a surprise to pull in the drive and see that big white whale of a barn.  

I keep forgetting that it's there. 

 I like it.  

Looking Like a Real Barn

It's really starting to look like a barn instead of a big pile of crap.  The walls are going up, the roof is on.  When I look over there, it doesn't fill me with despair anymore.  Which is good.  Look at the milking equipment!  It looks so great.  It actually is looking like something the cows might want to have a party in.  Getting excited.  

Thy Walls Are Continually Before Me

What is that, ladies and gentlemen????  That, my friends, is a WALL.

Depressed

Sometime I get depressed.  I don't think it's a clinical depression or anything, although I guess I could be wrong about that.  When I feel down, I feel like I've always felt this way since the beginning of time and I always will, worlds without end.  Why is that?  That sucks.

Today I have felt down.  I feel like crawling into bed and pulling the covers over my head.  

I think a bunch of it is my dear oldest son.  I had always assumed that all this effort to raise my children would pay off in very specific ways.  They would succeed in school and get high grades.  Everyone would like them.  They would be hard working.  They would be righteous and worthy and have testimonies like the sons of Helaman.  By the time they had graduated from high school, they would have read the Book of Mormon maybe ten or twelve times and be on fire to serve a mission and spread the news of the gospel around the world.

And it hasn't turned out that way.  Sometimes I feel like a failure.  Surely it must be my fault.  And wasn't this what I'm on earth for - to raise these kids?  So if they don't turn out exactly like I ordered, what the heck have I been doing for the past eighteen years?  What does my life mean?  And what is going to happen with their lives in the future?  

I don't know, sometimes I get depressed.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.  Hope so.  

The Kiwis Are Here

The Kiwis have arrived!!  You know, the guys from New Zealand?  The guys from New Zealand that we bought our milking equipment from?  Waikato?  Ring a bell?  Come on, people.

Yes, so the barn has progressed enough (miracle) that it is time to start installing the milking equipment.  Never mind that it doesn't have walls.  Or a roof.  I guess those things are superfluous.

The Kiwis are here and they are working hard to install our extremely expensive milking equipment.  It has been so much fun seeing the barn turn into something that actually resembles a milking facility.

And the best thing has been to watch Craig get excited again.  For so long he has been so stressed and upset and despairing and worn out over the barn.  Since the Kiwis have been here, pulling out the stored equipment from the shed where it's been the past six months, it's like Craig's head is back in the game.  He's talked about the barn with something close to excitement lately.  Which is a good change.

Yay, Kiwis!!!

Landscaping

The landscaping is done and I think it looks pretty nifty!!

And here is our employee Jorge, coming back from doctoring the cows.

Halloween Party

Went to a Halloween party on Friday night.  My friend wanted me to host it with her and I had been dreading it but it turned out okay.  I'm not very costumy.  I don't have any good ideas for costumes.  I decided to order a nurses cap from Amazon and called it good.  Craig got to wear my stolen green hospital scrubs from back when I was working there.  We paired it with a white lab coat and he added his own touch - a prescription pad and pen which was actually a plain pad of paper.

He kept pulling it out to write prescriptions for people he thought needed one.  "Eat more Halloween candy."  Prescriptions like that.  I wish my doctor would write me those kinds of prescriptions.

It was a fun time.  We met some new people.  The new doctor in town came with his wife.  We sat by him and I introduced him to my husband, whom I said was also a doctor.  Dr. Jeffers, believing me, said "Oh really?  What kind of a physician is he?"  I said "A fake one."

It was a fun time.  

Brigham and Ellie performed in the Twelve Dancing Princesses this week at the theater in Preston.  They were SO GREAT.  Brigham had one of the leads as the beggar prince and Ellie was one of the beautiful princesses.  She was so pleased, it was the first time she's had a more major part.  She looked so beautiful up there.  And Brigham is always so much fun to watch.  He's a true natural.  

Barn Update

New pictures of the barn.  It's really beginning to take shape.  Soon we will have walls and a roof.  

  

Ellie's Cross Country

I am so proud of my girl.  She wanted to do cross country this year and I was like, "Really??"  Not that I said that out loud.  I just haven't considered our family to ever be very good runners.  Biking?  Yes.  Skiing?  Yes.  Swimming?  Yes.  Running?  NO.  I can barely run out to the mailbox and back.

She had practice all summer long and was so faithful.  After the first week she was talking about quitting and how hard it was, how she was no good, how she was the slowest..... I didn't want to discourage her, but I knew that the verdict was in and that the Campbells just were not good runners. 

She didn't quit.  She woke up early.  She reminded me about taking her to practice.  She came home and zonked out on the couch.  She took care of her own uniform.  

And she got better.  She wasn't the slowest anymore.  

Yesterday was her last meet.  Before starting, she said that she really wanted to get a medal this time. They give medals to the first twenty girls across the finish line.  Looking around at all the girls lined up, I said, "Maybe we should make your goal more about finishing within a certain time."  I thought there was no way she could get a medal.

But she did!  She came across the finish line SO FAST and got her medal!  

I am so proud of my girl.  She is a hard worker and she goes after what she wants.  She doesn't quit.

Maybe the Campbells ARE good runners. 

General Conference

Last weekend we went to Salt Lake with the three older kids for General Conference.  Hayes had to work until Saturday evening so Grandma Lynn dropped him off at the frontrunner train and he met us in Salt Lake late that evening.

Craig and Brigham leaving the hotel for priesthood session

Ellie had saved some money and wanted to donate it to Primary Childrens so that's what we did while  Craig and Brigham were at priesthood session.  We rode the Trax train up to the hospital.  We were seated on the train by a group of men who all seemed to know each other.  They were laughing and making jokes.  One dropped a five dollar bill out of his pocket and another one picked it up and put it in his own pocket and insisted that it was his.  A big laughing argument ensued about who the money belonged to, with Ellie and I chiming in.  During the joke, we explained that we were on our way up to Primary Childrens to donate Ellie's savings.  When they heard that, the whole group of men on the train started pulling money out of their pockets and giving it to Ellie to include with her donation.  It was incredible.  Until that point, I had been looking down on Salt Lake - it was too dirty, too many homeless people, too crowded, it took to long to get where you were going.  That experience changed everything.  It was wonderful.

After we got back from Primarys, we met Craig and Brigham for dinner.  We waited 90 MINUTES to get a table at the cheesecake factory.  It was okay but someone had spilled something under our table and it kept splashing up onto my ankles.  

Brigham and I waiting for our table.  It's Brigham's life goal to ruin every picture I take of him by acting like he is mentally handicapped.

When we got back to the hotel, Hayes was waiting for us and he insisted that Brigham go back out with him to get something to eat.  The rest of us went to sleep.  The next morning we all went to the morning session, which was wonderful.  It's good to actually attend the conference once in a while.  The feeling, the music, being with the saints....It's great.

Such a good conference.