Beautiful, Cold Octoberrrrrrrrrr

Two mornings ago, it was negative 15 degrees at 8:00 in the morning.  I looked on the Windows weather app, and it said that the record low for October 30th was 8 degrees, in 2008.  Idaho shattered that record this year!

And speaking of shattering records, Brigham started out the cross country season with a time of 21:03 at his first meet, in 15th place on his team.  He went on to PR every single meet, and finished at districts with a time of 18:42, in 9th place on his team.  He was disappointed about not making the varsity team to go to state, but happy with his progress and excited to keep training.  We are so proud of him!

Last week, I dropped Mollie off at the high school to go to an all-day band event at ISU in Pocatello.  It was very early in the morning, and the sunrise was just so beautiful that I drove around for a half hour, taking pictures.  

I stopped in one remote place and turned off the car and savored the view, and the stillness.  It was the perfect way to start the day.  I joined a general conference study group this month, something I haven't done before.  We have been reading and studying one general conference talk per day, including talks that were referenced by the October 2019 speakers.  I have noticed a very positive difference in my life, because I am studying, going much deeper than my usual method of simply re-listening to the talks.  It's a needed change for me, and an opportunity I am grateful for.

Allen and I went to the Logan temple on October 17th.  Thursday night is my favorite, because it's not quite as crowded, and we still have the whole weekend to spend at home together.  We are getting back into a habit of going monthly, and it is another positive and needed change.  It keeps us centered on our Savior, and I am so grateful to live so close to so many temples.

Plus, SUSHI!

I'm so glad I made myself go on a bike ride back on the 12th, before the snow really started accumulating in the mountains and sticking in the valleys.  I did a fun, 35-mile-ride to Chesterfield, via Skinny Dip Road and Cow Camp Road (those are really the names) on my mountain bike.  It was maybe the prettiest, warmest day of October.  It makes me grateful for Allen, who always cheers me on and says, "Go for it!" when I want to take off for a few hours.  He picked me up in Chesterfield and we grabbed burgers on our way home.  I love that guy so much.  He is selfless and good to the core.

Whew!  I climbed almost the whole ride, 2,136 feet in
elevation gained, and only 907 feet lost.  The high point
was a pass that peaked at 7,146 feet.  It was so steep, I
actually stopped and walked a little over a tenth of a mile.

Brenda and I were walking strong the first half of the month, but when the thermometer dips below zero, we like to stay inside.  Also, she and I are both busy subbing at all the schools in town . . .

I am so lucky to have Brenda.  Our walks are always therapeutic, and she picked me up when I got new tires on my van in Pocatello, missing her chance to see the varsity girls cross-country team run.  She is always quick to help and so kind--especially in the way she treats my kids and remembers them on special occasions.  Plus, she remembers  my schedule for me better than Siri or Alexa or Cortana ever could.

My newest nephew!  Tripp Wilder Coon was born on October 12th!  He shares a birthday with
his cousin, Tebbin.  He was nine pounds even and 23 inches long.  Can't wait to meet him!

Calvin has been doing art EVERY day.  He never gets tired of it, and I finally made a big binder for him to keep his drawings and paintings and inventions in.  He has said many times, "I love art more than I love video games!"  He's getting really good and also has excellent penmanship and is an amazing speller.

I took Calvin with me on a short overnight trip to Cori's last week, for her future daughter-in-law's bridal shower.  It was such a fun evening, and Calvin and I had fun on the way home the next day, stopping for sushi in Layton after we got our Wal-Mart grocery pick up.  Calvin raved about the sushi, and thanked the waitress about a zillion times.

Plus, SUSHI!

Allen and I met Rich in Pocatello last week and he helped us get ready for getting all new hardwood floors on the main floor of our house.  It was really nice of him to meet us and lend his expertise.  We are hoping to have new floors before December, and lay them all ourselves!

Red Lobster for dinner in Pocatello.  It was a great
date, but it might be my last time eating there . . . 

Jacob has been very fun all through October.  If my neighbor's backhoe is parked near his house, he HAS to take a picture with it on the way home.  He loves to tease--he threw snowballs at me last time we got a good couple of inches of snow.  Taking care of him is very rewarding and fun.

Halloween night was cold and snowy, but about twenty degrees warmer than the previous nights had been, so we were grateful.  October is always one of my favorite months, and this one was no exception!