A Quick Trip to Iowa City

Usually our summer trip to Iowa City consists of a solid two weeks filled with swim lessons, Safety Village and visiting our favorite haunts. Due to the pandemic, swimming lessons were cancelled. Safety Village was cancelled. A lot of Iowa City was closed down. Ireland still needed her annual checkup with her pulmonary specialist so we decided to leave Sydney at home and take just a quick weekend trip. For some reason, the girls were dying to go to a mall. Parts of the Coral Ridge Mall were open so we headed there and they shopped for a couple of hours and then we ate at the food court. Liesel commented that she was hoping it would feel normal but it was sad somehow- so many stores still shut down and even the shopping wasn't very exciting and new- a lot of the stores were selling old items.

We stopped by Good Vibes to see Logan and Krystal. Logan treated everyone to a smoothie which, as you can see, was just magical!

Krystal asked the girls if it was better than Starbucks and Liesel was undecided. She's a pretty big Starbucks fan but we are all super proud of what they have done with the cafe!

Logan has always been good with kids and it was fun to see him interact with the girls.

He took us back to his place where Gita wanted to visit their cat Buttercup. Logan and Krystal exchanged looks and said they changed Buttercup's name to Biscuit Boy and that now he's a boy cat instead of a girl cat. All that went right over Gita's head and she delighted in snuggling that cat.

Recently Logan has acquired a golf cart which he loves using to drive around his property. I don't know much about golf carts but this is pretty sweet with a sound system and everything. Much to my shock and amazement, he let each of the girls try their hand at driving it- pretty much securing his place as favorite uncle.

I can attest to my brother's infinite patience when it comes to driving as he taught me how to drive!

Tim had been called into the bishopric so his parents were in town for him to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. His parents couldn't have been kinder to the girls and they were super excited to dress in Sunday clothes and go to a church again (even though it wasn't for a service, just the ordination). We had a sacrament meeting and program at my parent's house which was just lovely.

We left right afterwards so I had time to unpack, start laundry and mentally prepare to go back to work the next day. It was Father's Day. I came upon Dad napping during our visit and his blanket was pulled up enough to show this scar on his ankle:

That's where they harvested a vein when he had his double bypass in South Africa. That along with this was a silent reminder my parents won't be around forever:

A friendly reminder for Dad to take out his hearing aids before he gets in the shower.

I love this picture Mom snapped of Whitney and I with Dad:

I'm so grateful my daughters have grown up knowing him and visiting him and my mom on their missions. Not everyone is so lucky.

I'm also grateful they love their Uncle Tim and Aunt Whitney so much. You can just see that adoration in this photo. Whitney was really struggling with some heavy things during this visit and I wanted our presence to buoy her up, not add stress to her life. I hope the girls brought that to her. 

This truncated trip made me appreciate all the years we have had of a long, two week summer visit in Iowa City. I don't know if we will ever have one again, but I truly hope we do!

Trenches and Triumphs

One thing I immediately notice when I check into the Pulmonary Specialty Unit is that other parents look me in the eye. There's something different about their eyes. Even at a glance, their eyes tell me this parent has spent weeks, maybe months in a hospital. This parent has slept in a hospital chair and known what time their child's favorite nurse's shift ends. This parent knows and understands medical terms and medications far beyond his/her education background has provided. This parent has found a way to function under sheer exhaustion from a bad night with their child. Many bad nights, in fact. Some of these parents push their child in a wheelchair, some cuddle their little one in their arms, the lucky ones like me get to simply walk in and walk back out holding their child's hand. But let me tell you, these parents look me in the eye and an unspoken conversation happens between us. Respect. Mad respect. We both know those trenches oh so well and we will forever fight the war for our sons and daughters. 

Ireland's yearly appointment was the best yet. Due to the lockdown, she missed the yearly slew of colds and flus that make her asthma flare up. Her specialist said that is what they are seeing with all children like her with acute asthma. Blessings of a pandemic, I suppose? I grilled him on what to do should she get Covid-19 and he said the course of treatment is exactly the same. We already have the tools we need which was a great relief to hear in these times of uncertainty. We reviewed her asthma action plan, renewed prescriptions and that was it. Ireland and I wanted to sneak up to the top floor which overlooks Hawkeye stadium but it was closed. It was hard to be disappointed after such a stellar visit.

Starved Rock State Park

Usually I plan fun little day trips like this and sprinkle them throughout the summer. This one was born out of lockdown exhaustion and a need to see something other than our own neighborhood. For once I didn't care about cute, matching outfits or doing their hair just so. I basically threw them in the car and we just headed out. 

Our time was limited so we stuck to the trails we already knew. The visitor's center was closed anyway so I relied on my memory, the posted signs and my phone to get around.

It seems a lot of other people had the same idea. Even though it was busier than usual, it was still easy to social distance and keep to our own group.

We were looking for just a little bit of freedom, and perspective. I think we got both.

Liesel really wanted to do this picture again.

It was also good to get some vigorous exercise- look at the slope on that trail!

It was here, deep in the heart of French Canyon where Mother Nature managed to loosen the iron fist of frustration and fear, of ennui and uncertainty in their lives. The natural beauty enveloped them and they felt wonder again in what feels like forever.

There's just something special about this place.

Liesel loved posing along the cliff walls.

Let's get a closer look at her:

There's something about scrambling up those cliffs that they all enjoy. Sydney was a bit scared and it was cute to see one sister pushing her butt while another was grabbing for her hand.

This little waterfall/staircase felt so good to walk on.

We headed back home, muddy and exhausted but the girls had seen another piece of the world and I was reminded to be more grateful for the times we have been able to explore without abandon.

Driveway Chalk Art

This is a Pinterest/Instagram idea I totally stole out of desperation to give the girls something to do while Brent and I hunkered down and worked. During my lunch hour, I put down all the tape and then enjoyed watching the girls color when I had to head back in to work. It took almost 5 rolls of paint tape!!! Although I divided the driveway into 4 sections so each girl could focus on one, it ended up being a labor of love for a lot of  neighborhood kids. Everyone is just kind of desperate for something new and different to do. 

Somehow I unintentionally managed to create a Pete the Cat in there- Sydney spotted it among the shapes and had to color that one all by herself.

She was pretty happy with how the whole thing turned out.

Ireland wanted to take on the rainbow.

Fuzzy hair and wellies in the middle of the summer? Yeah, the pandemic has definitely lowered our standards when it comes to dress and grooming.

Aside from Ireland, I think Gita was the most into it.

Let's take a closer look at that crooked smile.

Seeing the whole thing come together when the girls pulled up the tape was so fun. That's when it went from simple coloring to art. It looked like stained glass in a way.

The finished product was way more stunning than I anticipated. Aside from the joy of watching everyone color, there was also the joy of neighbors passing by and stopping to admire their work.

Should you ever consider turning your driveway into a work of art, just be sure to buy lots and lots and lots of painters tape!

Really, it was SO much tape!