Written by Nikki
Fall has arrived here in Ohio. It's beauty is amazing! I hope I can get some pictures that will do it justice. But needless to say, wherever I go I am surrounded by trees of varying colors.
October has been a busy month, here's is a recap:
Lincoln arrived in Ohio on October 5th. We spent a few days together with Benjamin. We took the tour of the Kirtland Temple because Lincoln had not seen it yet. We also took a small walk in the woods to show Linc the Temple quarry. It was a balmy 82 degrees with 84% humidity. We then spent the weekend together watching General Conference for
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We enjoyed every moment of it.
I have never been a good flyer. As a matter of fact I have always hated flying and have felt anxious and tense for the entire flight anytime I have flown anywhere. Seriously bad flyer... ask my kids. :-) Last spring Linc and I went on a cruise and we flew to Florida. For the first time ever I didn't have any anxiety or fear of flying, like none. It was crazy. It was like I had been flying with no problems my whole life.
I decided Heavenly Father was preparing me to be able to fly alone, showing me I could do it, knowing it would be necessary for me in order to live here in Ohio and be able to go back and forth to Utah. On October 8th I flew by MYSELF for the first time ever! I rocked it. No fear, no anxiety nothing. I felt like I had been traveling alone for years. The clouds were so blue and puffy. It was a beautiful day to fly. I may have shed a tear or two when we came over the mountains into Provo and I could see the temple all lit up. I was home.
Bailee, Kyle and Oliver picked me up from the airport. When we got home there was a fun sign welcoming me.
It was a great to be home! I immediately got a haircut from my normal salon and had my sister color my ever graying hair. Spent a day mowing, edging and trimming my lawn, because I missed working in my yard. I had a little helper the whole time and I loved it! I've been missing my garden tomatoes this year. My family had diligently been covering them, protecting them from frost so I could enjoy home grown tomatoes while home.
First thing I cooked, hamburgers on the barbecue with fresh tomatoes! Delicious!
As soon as Brooklyn had an afternoon free from class and work I went to Provo and spent some time with her. She showed me around her cute apartment and introduced me to all of her friends. I went grocery shopping with her and we went to a great Crepe place called "Roll up Crepes". It was so good. I ordered a savory crepe and Brooklyn ordered a fruity sweet crepe, then we split them! Let me tell you, they know how to make their crepes look pretty! I loved it! It was a fun day together.
Bailee, Olllie and I spent an afternoon shopping for new Jeans. I needed some warmer clothes. We also went to get a drink and cookie at Sodalicious, a place I've missed for sure.
Bailee, Kyle, Oliver and I went to Liberty, Utah and spent some time with some of Kyle's family at their annual spooky woods.
After attending Church in my ward, which I have missed, we went to Provo to cook dinner with Brooklyn. We got to meet some more of her friends and really enjoyed our evening there.
I was also able to catch up with a lot of my friends while I was at home. I wish I had gotten pictures with everyone, but I kept forgetting. Here I am with my some of my BFF's. I am so grateful for and love all of my friends, they are all so supportive and awesome!
A lot of my time was spent playing with this sweet baby boy who I miss every day! He brings me pure joy! I miss my kids too, but they understand where I am and why. This little guy is too young to understand where grandma has gone. We facetime every day, but it's not the same as playing with him and kissing on him. I took full advantage of our time together!
I planned my time home around Fall Break. So my last few days in Utah Brooklyn was off of school and came home to spend time with all of us. The girls and I made about 16 pints of Strawberry Freezer Jam. (I wish I could have taken a jar back to Ohio with me)
We all enjoyed some delicious cookies from Crumbl that Brooklyn brought us from Provo while we watched "Mama Mia 2". We also went to a movie together and saw "Little Women".
I had a really good visit with my parents, they came into town and took me to lunch. (I forgot to get a picture) My sister that lives in Texas was also visiting Utah, so I was able to get together with my sisters and go to dinner, which is always fun. (again, no picture) I sure miss all of my family. My extended family has been so supportive and we are very blessed to have them in our lives. Bailee, Kyle, Ollie and I went to visit my sister in Grantsville and took Ollie to see the horse. Oliver loved everything about our visit to my sisters, the Horse, the dogs and the barn cats. I'm convinced he could be a country boy.
The kids and I also went to a really fun place with Kyle's family called "Black Island Farms".
It's Davis county's version of Cornbellys.
It's a fun place with lots of fall activities, including a hay ride to a pumpkin patch where we each got to pick out our own pumpkin. It was a beautiful fall day, the sun was shining and we really enjoyed watching Ollie play with his cousins and try some of the activities.
I was in Utah for 12 days. It was a much needed trip home. It felt nice to be in my home and around all things familiar. Of course the time to leave came too quickly. Lincoln and I didn't get to see each other at the end of the trip,we passed in the air somewhere. Here is the picture of me and the kids just before they took me to the airport. Lincoln and Ben had their own fun adventures here in Ohio. Hopefullly soon, one of them will share. ;-)
My flight back to Ohio. My final look at the Salt Lake Valley for a while,
and Cleveland city lights at night.
The rest of October Ben and I got back into the swing of our routine. We got go to church together, which was nice. I usually go alone, because Ben goes to the singles branch in Cleveland. It was Stake Conference so we went together. We got back on the schedule of feeding our missionaries, which we love.
We found a local Bowling alley and gave that a try. I used to bowl on league once a week with my friends and I have missed it. My skills have diminished to say the least, but Ben and I had a fun time. We wanted to try out the place so we can take the Elders there for their p-day.
We also went on a fun outing to Fairport Harbor for a night of Haunting Tales. It was hosted by the Fairpoint Historic Society.
It was a really different experience for us, they offered wine (water or juice for Ben and I), cheese, crackers and grapes to eat while they told about all the haunted places in the area. Both Ben and I really enjoyed it. We also got to climb the 67 steps to the top of the old lighthouse, which is supposed to be one of the haunted places. It was a full moon on a windy and stormy night, just the type of weather for a haunted evening.
Ben took me to a place he and his dad visited while I was in Utah called Headlands State Park. It is the first sandy beach I have been to on Lake Erie. You follow a board walk through some dunes before you reach the lake. Ben said it feels just like the beach from the lightning storm in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama". It really does have an ocean feel, the waves roll in and the lake is so vast, you feel like your at the ocean. It was a blustery day, which makes it feel more dramatic. We walked along the beach looking for colored beach glass. It is not easy to find especially on a gloomy day. But I got lucky and found a few pieces. It is basically formed from any glass that has been cast into the water and gets broken, beat back and forth by the current, the waves and the rocks. It gets brought to shore with the pebbles and is smooth like a pebble.
The current functioning lighthouse is also located at Headlands.
Ben and I staying up until 3:30 a.m. to watch the World Series.
Our transplant journey continues on. This is by far one of the hardest things our family has had to do.
Being apart is hard. But hard things make us stronger.
Benjamin's health continues to maintain steady. He has actually gained about 20 pounds since we arrived in Ohio which is good. He continues to get most of his nutrition by TPN through his Hickman line. We all feel ready for the transplant. We feel we are all prepared mentally, spiritually and physically Ben's body seems stronger than it has been in months. We have made friends and we feel we have a great group of people here in Ohio to offer support as well.
Everything seems in place. We continue to patiently wait for the Lord's timing.
I was not an Organ donor before, I had just not really thought much about it. This past spring I had to renew my drivers license, and I checked the box to be an organ donor. It has been eye opening to me, to be in the position we are in now, and to think that a family somewhere will lose a loved one, and we will get a chance to keep ours. I am starting to understand the gift organ donation is.
It can be the gift of life!
There are many ways to get educated and read stories of hope, here are few if your interested in reading. I really like the donatelifeohio page.
