So Sweet!

Ulli is the sweetest, especially when he is in and out of sleep on his bed and looks over at you. 

San Reno Music Festival!

Jack and Searle and their quad buddies all have been watching in anticipation from their apartment window as the 76th year of the music festival in San Remo was approaching. It was postponed a couple weeks due to the Olympics, but when those ended on Sunday, Monday was the big day!!  The late night sound checks have been interesting for these tired missionaries and the hordes of people in attendance for the 5 night venue. 9.6 million people viewed online, keeping the festival at the top of the Italian Entertainment’s biggest events list!!

Spokane Falls!

To be safe we left a little early from Bonner’s Ferry allowing us some extra time in Spokane. We decided to go check out the highly reviewed Spokane Waterfall. When we got to the parking lot we knew we wouldn’t have much time so we didn’t even pay for parking. We stayed for maybe a minute, the falls were so unimpressive and not worth staring at for long. We headed to the airport after that and got back to the house around 9pm. It was such a fast. fun trip!!

Linger Longer Score!

While we were in church in Idaho the kids were attending our home ward that had a little luncheon afterwards. Ben grabbed all his favorites to go instead of staying and socializing. Norah sent us this picture on their way out and it is so funny between the angle and the complete garbage plate of food!!

We’re Back!

We stopped back in Sandpoint for Idaho spuds on our way back to Spokane to catch our flight. The butter, broccoli and cheese atop mine and the avocado, verde sauce and cheese on Kyle’s really hit the spot!!  We were nestled on the patio under a heater and sitting in the sun-it was amazing!!

Randomness!

Our interesting hotel in the middle of bustling Bonners Ferry, Idaho boasted intense woodwork in their rooms as well as in their hotel entrance. Kyle was a fan, while I stayed in the car and kept warm after we got back from church and changed our clothes for our day of travel.

 

The Little Things!

Not sure who would take a picture of themselves in a hotel room with a tub of microwave popcorn, but because we can’t make it at home in our mini microwave, this was such a treat to enjoy while we watched as Klaebo from Norway secured his spot in history as the most winning-est winter Olympic athlete with his 6th gold (one in every race he entered). 

Lake Pend Oreille

After sleeping in and packing up we took a drive around the giant lake the town of Sandpoint is located on. The sparkling water, green trees and steep mountains cascading into the lake made for a magnificent drive!  We stopped on the side of the road for a picture and it turned out perfect!!

Perfect Timing!

Our day could be described as perfectly timed!  We were able to miraculously drive up to the shuttle parking area and find a spot to park as well as a seat on the second bus heading up to Schweitzer since the first bus was full due to the miraculous 14 inches of snow (after an unusually dry winter up to then) the resort received since 4pm yesterday. 

We rented our gear and headed straight up the mountain after a quick call with Jack on his adjusted Pday due to interviews in Milan. We got to the top and realized it was a lot steeper than we thought and then remembered this was Kyle’s first time on skis this season and I was on a rental snowboard that was too big!  

We made it down through all the powder and sometimes on the groomed area that had its snow blown off.  The ghost trees and being above the clouds made this our favorite run in spite of the steepness of it!!

We spent the morning on different parts of the mountain that were less busy and got used to the new resort.  We were able to talk to Jack again during a much needed lunch break, which was such a special unexpected addition to our trip!  

The powder skiing and lack of endurance really zapped us quick and made our legs pretty shaky.  Once we felt unable to safely get down the mountain we called it quits-and ran down to the about to depart shuttle at 2pm!!

Bluebird Cafe

After picking up our rental car we made the 25 minute drive from Spokane Washington to Coeur d’Alene Idaho and found a spot in the downtown area for dinner. The spread was amazing; lobster chowder, tater tot poutine with pork belly and some mustard grits with pork knuckle!  We chowded down and wished we could take all the leftovers with us to Sandpoint where we would be for the next two nights.

 

Made It!!

After some time on the mountain with Ava, we raced home so I could pack and then head to the airport with Kyle for our ski trip to northern Idaho. We got to the airport in time to check our ski gear suitcase and grab some snacks from this little Italian bistro place in the airport. 

Made it to the plane and discovered it was two seat aisle and we were able to sit together!!  I intermittently snoozed and gazed out the window while kyle tried to get some work done in spite of the person reclining in front of him and the smaller plane seats. 

1st Ride of the Season!!

It’s the middle of February and Ava has not been up to powder yet to snowboard. With Kyle and I leaving for the weekend, no storms in sight and Ava’s sporadic work schedule, we decided this morning might be the only powder morning for us this season!!  It was a perfect hour and a half filled with so much snow and so many smiles!!  We were so glad we didn’t chicken out after slipping down the road from timberline to sundown when the parking lot got full. We waited for the plow to come while enjoying the powder and had an easy ride home after getting our fill of laps on QuickDraw!!

Temple in the Snow!!

A scene like this at the temple is hard to come by!  We could not believe the snow we got actually fell in Ogden too!  The Baptistry was a little less busy and we were able to finish before the stop ended and the sun set!  The flakes were ginormous!!  So fun to be out in the weather together and then go get some dinner at costa vida before Norah headed to practice. 

 

Snowy!!

The white stuff has been so lacking this year that we have mostly been surrounded by brown ugliness. Today’s 7.5 inch storm gave us a perfect blanket that makes everything so beautiful!!

Learning the Ropes!

Ben was able to learn the snowblower routine today after a break finally came in the storm. He did pretty good and will be a fine snowblower next season when the snow actually flies!!  This year we have only received 20 inches total, the lowest on record since before 1980. Last year we had already received 80 inches of snow. Ben’s snow mowing session today is only the second of the season for us, as the first snowfalls happened while we were in Germany picking up Ava!!

Crazy Storm!!

The kids did not have school today and it was a great day to stay in bed and enjoy the warm house!  The storm brought in a couple inches and a ton of wind. The garbage can did somersaults down the driveway spewing its’ contents. Ben was able to get it back to the top before the truck came, but only spotted two bags of trash and none of the other litter that used to be inside!!

 

Happy Place!

Norah was able to visit her favorite place in Vegas and get her favorite food-focaccia bread!!  She also enjoyed some bürste and prosciutto with Kyle before they headed to the airport to wait for their flight. The time change really made things difficult for these two and landed them home at 4am Tuesday!  Thankfully there was no school for Morgan that day!!

 

Seeing the Sights!

After the tournament ended Norah and Kyle had a lot of time to kill before their already late flight got delayed two hours. They walked the strip for a little bit and discovered that rain chasing away some of the immodesty in Vegas!  Win!!

Player!!

Norah’s team went undefeated the first day of the tournament and then went on to finish 2nd in the silver bracket of the select division. 

Shades of Blonde!

Ben is back in the blonde stage. 

This time he only wanted his tips bleached. 

But not too bleached. It took me two bleach sessions and one brown session to dye over some of the bleach to get Ben to this point!  Looking good!

In Venice!!

For Norah’s volleyball tournament this weekend, her team went to Las Vegas and her and dad were able to make some time for a trip to the Venice part of the strip!!

Set Apart!!

Ava has enjoyed being a part of Brynlie’s mission prep as she prepares to enter the mission field this month and serve in the Germany Hamburg mission!!  We were blown away when we heard that a girl that Jack used to do baking club with, whose mom worked for our orthodontist, who’s yard I crashed into when I hit black ice who is eventually going to build a house on our street was called to the same mission as Ava!!  

Brynlie and her mom came to Ava’s homecoming and open house and we were able to have her and her family over for some German food and a question and answer session a few weeks back. It has been fun for Ava to teach her a little German and today when Ava was leaving the stake center after mission prep she was invited to join in Brynlie’s setting apart!  These girls will forever have this special connection!!

Rainbow Slice!!

Norah was more excited about the cake vending machines than playing volleyball and got to pick up a slice and enjoy it with Kyle today-Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Valentine’s Day!

Jack was able to attend a little Valentine’s Day get together at the church in San Remo with the ward-how fun is it that Italians make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day!

Throwback

Ben was Donatello one year for Halloween-how is he not this small anymore?  Love the turtle days!

Too Soft!!

This dog is literally insanely soft and sometimes it’s impossible to resist cuddling and petting him!  Ben succumbed tonight and had no regrets!!

 

Cheesin’

Sometimes Jack is too tired to smile during our calls when he is about to go to bed, but tonight I caught him looking at a funny text and snapped this photo!  Love to see our missionary smiling!!

Swag!

This week Jack was in Milan for some visa business and was able to get into an Olympic store and pick up this hoodie!  How amazing is it that Jack has been able to take part in the 2026 Olympics because of his mission!!

Italian Riveria!!

This guy hiked up to some cliffs with his district today and was able to chat with us from this beautiful vista. I can’t believe people live in such a breathtaking place; and one of them is our son!!

Organized!

I’ve been strategically hitting up each room in the house and declutterring/organizing it!  One room at a time has made the time needed manageable and the task seem not so overwhelming I don’t do it!  

Today I tackled the game room and the game closet!  So fun to go through all the stuff in this closet and room and see the kids’ creations as well as some of the things they used to play with! Most of the stuff will still be fun when grandkids roll around, so there wasn’t as much decluttering as other rooms!!

The Team!!

Ben’s experience with the freshman team and Coach Bagely has been mostly a great experience!  The friends Ben was able to spend time with everyday made the time he spent away from home more fun!  

Coach Bagley was able to set up one last game ofthe season against Box Elder. Box Elder has a guy the size of Jack on the team and they had only lost one game all season; until tonight when we defeated them!!  Ben played a really important role, it was such a great way to end this season!

What!!!

This girl rolled into the second hour of the art show her piece was selected to be in to find a red dot indicating it was sold!  Her piece was the first piece sold that was done by a student!!  So glad we made it to the art show after watching Ben foul out of his bball game against Ogden. 

Norah’s piece was displayed right next to her set teacher’s work. This teacher was the one who suggested Norah enter this show. Such a cool experience!!

47!!

On  my birthday this year Ben and the Morgan boys freshman basketball team had an away game against the sophomore boys team at American Heritage High School down in American Fork. We enjoyed watching Ben and the team beat the older boys and then we met up with Norah at the Cheesecake Factory in Murray. The food was so wonderful and we got our cheesecakes to go since we were all stuffed. 

Norah went to vball practice after our dinner so we did dessert and the birthday song without her. So yummy, and we all got the cheesecake we wanted and don’t have any leftovers lingering to tempt us!!

Birthday/Pday Call!

I got to talk to Jack on our drive down to American Fork and felt a little robbed since it was Pday and I didn’t get an extra call during the week for my birthday. It was probably best for Jack, since he is so busy!!  Love our missionary!!

Float Serve!!

Today Kyle and I set up a table during the two lunches at Morgan High School to help get people excited about tryouts and the last couple open gyms. The root beer ice cream floats were the most popular and no one seemed to be interested in the grape ones!  We were way off on our estimate of ice cream and soda needs, but Kyle made it work and felt like he was successful!!

Talon!!

When Jack transferred to the Genova Zone he transferred into the same district as his old volleyball teammate from TC, Talon!  They finally met up today and Jack got this picture with him. What a miracle that of all the zones and districts, these two ended up in the same one!  That means they could hang out for p-days!!

Imported Shoes!!

Jack reached out to me last week upset that his feet were so uncomfortable from wearing his black church shoes. He was at a Doc Martens store and was convinced that a new pair his first companion had was the answer. He ended up buying the shoes and then left the store. I had the idea to have Jack ship his shoes back to us for Ben. Miraculously Jack was able to acquire his shoes from the store he left them at and mail them to us!  Ben is now wearing the most expensive shoes in the house since we bought them and then paid to ship them back to us from Italy and also paid a tax to be able to receive them!! I’m not sure if it was worth it, but these shoes sure look good and they have such a special connection to Jack!