July 2024 - SO MUCH GOOD!

July 1st, 2024 was an AMAZING day for multiple reasons...

Our sweet Elder Trickett started the Home MTC!!!!

He began the missionary life and routine from our basement apartment, waking up by 6:30, finding time for excercise, personal and companion scripture study, online zoom classes with other missionaries assigned to labor in the D.R., language classes, and spiritual devotionals and other missionary based work!

He was diligent and obedient, and it was a blessing to have that spirit in our home while he was here.

July 1st, 2024 was also our 30th wedding anniversary!!! :)

And although we normally would have been celebrating in some far off exotic paradise...;) we were so grateful for the celebration we were having of our 3rd missionary (4th child)  starting his mission on this special day!

Clint and I did get to sneak away for a dinner date that evening, which was special to me. Any time I have with him is special to me. :)

During Gavin's home mtc experience, we tried to add intervals of outings and fun every time he had a break, so that we could get him outside and into the fresh air. Although he loved his home mtc classes, it was definitely a LOT of time on the computer, so he was grateful for the break!

We had Subway picnics at the park and played frisbee, and we even took a trip down to the cabin on his P-Day (which was also the 4th of July) to do a different kind of work...service! He LOVED driving the tractor and helping to move the fallen trees and cut the long grass.

The girls on the other hand mostly loved riding in the side-by-side.

Later that evening when we got back from the cabin, we went to the Riverton City Celebration where we saw friends, rode on a few rides, played pickleball, had dinner from the food trucks, and watched the fireworks!

I also enjoyed chauffeuring Gavin and his missionary buddies (Sam) to the temple when they had time too! It was always my treat for food afterwards too. ;)

Kneaders is the BEST!

We also took frequent bike rides with Elder Trickett on his breaks and had multiple trips to Arctic Circle for ice-cream!

Chloe and Kambriella also spent some good time in the temple this summer going multiple times together...with a treat afterwards of course!

We took Dallin and Julia on a dinner date one night when they were at our house kind of late. ;)

It's always fun to be with my family!

Clint also took a few of the family members with him to the Clements family reunion this summer. Gavin and I didn't go because he needed to be in his online classes at the same time, but we saw pictures and heard all about the stick horse races and how much fun they were!

I spent quite a bit of time helping Gavin to prepare for flying out for his mission!

His friends all took the time to come and tell him goodbye before he left...

(And I finally found this picture and HAD to put it in a permanent place in my journal here...This was Gavin's BEST JUMP of his entire high school track career, clearing 6' 6"!!!)

Gavin you are amazing!!!

I also helped my niece Lexi throw her mom a Surprise Birthday party!

It was a Taylor Swift themed party and it was a huge success! I just wish I had some actual pictures from her party. All the pictures we took were with Polaroids!

Kesslyn and Lexi's daughter Rayelle

We went out to lunch a final time with Xaxton and his family before Gavin left for the Mexico MTC...

More friends came to say Goodbye!

We had our "Last Supper" with Gavin on the night before he flew out. We went to Tucanos in Provo and had a blast with the family!

The next day, which was July 11th, we all went to the airport to tell Gavin Adios for TWO YEARS!!!

This is such a bittersweet experience for sure! It's like your heart gets ripped in half, and half of it stays inside of you while the other half walks away and gets on an airplane and doesn't come back for two years!!! I am so proud of Gavin and I miss him so much!!!

After we said our goodbyes, we took the rest of the family to an escape room that was REALLY HARD, and we never made it out (but it was till fun), had lunch at Panda Express, and then went Thrifting. Doing something fun with everyone is the BEST way to cure a ripped in half heart. ;)

My girls and I spent some time at Grandpa Trickett's house helping to get his house ready to sell now that he is remarried and living in Jill's house.

On July 18th, 2024 Kierra and Riley welcomed to the world their 3rd child, a sweet baby boy!

Hayden Hyrum Johnson

8lbs. 11 oz.

He is SO SWEET!!!!

We also took Kambriella to our property and shared our good news with her of our future plans for our family.

She was so happy and so excited too!

I finally went on my first small hike with Kambriella after having my foot surgery!

It was a tiny hike, but a HUGE accomplishment in my book!

Thank you Kambriella for coming with me, encouraging me, and enjoying the beautiful great outdoors with me!!

I love you!!!

Julia and I also completed the final steps in her journey to collecting all the necessary documents for her to get her green card! Way to go Julia!!! Now we just have to wait for that amazing day to come when it arrives in the mail! ;)

On the 24th of July we celebrated Pioneer Day AND Clint's little brother Curt's birthday at Pineview Reservoir up in Ogden. It was so much fun to be there with the family picnicking, playing in the warm water, kayaking and paddleboarding and watching all the little cousins having a blast together.

We also had a VERY special lunch at PINK SWEET'S CAFE right here in Riverton to celebrate the mailing off of Julia's 221 page packet with all of the information requested to apply for her green card!

YAY Julia!!!

I received this fun picture from my Father in law when he was asking me if I thought he looked like Dallin when he was younger...

I can definitely see the resemblance!

We also began getting all of the fun emails, phone calls, and pictures of Gavin at the CCM in Mexico!

His mission adventures have begun!!!

And on the VERY LAST DAY of July, I flew on a plane to Hawaii where I would get to spend almost 2 full weeks with her and her family! I got to meet my new little grandson, and love on all of those kids and their sweetness...
July was an AMAZING month!!!

And although I don't mean to do a photo dump of each month (I am going to try an stay caught up now daily) I can definitely look back and see how abundantly blessed my life is! The windows of heaven are OPEN and they are DUMPING those blessings out on me and my family!!!