Shooby-dooby. It’s been months since I’ve blogged. I have Arctic Boy to thank for reminding me to just do it already. They’ve been very good months, though busy with many things other than blogging. Here’s my speedy update that probably won’t end up being so speedy in the end:

We’ve Been Joined by A Magnificent Unicorn

Our red-haired “adoptee” has been added to our family because her parents are serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chicago. She recently graduated as a Licenced Massage Therapist, and now has a job that actually pays her to do something she loves. We get to keep her for a while, until her parents get back or some other sad event happens. 😉

Meigi Is Leaving Us For A While

I asked Meigi how she will survive so long without cooking. She said, “I’ll cook. Nothing can make me stop cooking.”

Meigi (The Chef, and World Traveler) is about to embark on an 18 month volunteer mission for our church. She will be serving the people of the beautiful land of Panama. (Click here to see the mission blog.) What an exciting thing! We will miss her. These next 18 months will be full of new challenges, including learning the Spanish language, meeting people of a new culture. She will be living with companions she’s never met before, in housing that is certain to be different than anything she’s experienced up to this time, whether in Italy, China, or the U.S. She’s praying to find effective solutions for dealing with mosquitoes and allergies, both of which have tormented her in the past. Her name-tag will call her “Hermana Bullough”. I asked her how she will survive so long without cooking. She said, “I’ll cook. Nothing can make me stop cooking.” My thought was, “Except extreme exhaustion, Sweetie.” Nevertheless, I don’t doubt that she will find a way to serve at least part of her time there with food as a medium for building relationships. You can take the girl out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the girl. She was excited to realize that her Serve-Safe certification won’t expire before she returns, so she will just be able to renew it rather than retake the whole course.

Miss Sassy is Coming Home Soon

Miss Sassy has been gone serving a mission for our church in the foreign land of Irvine, California. She’s learned Spanish, been pushed out of her comfort zone, learned more about leadership than she ever expected, and loved all of her companions. Her 18 months will be over in six weeks. Then comes the hard part. Coming home. There’s a form of reverse culture shock that can be pretty tough for people to work through, but others in the family have handled it, and I’m sure she will too. She’s all set to start school at LDS Business College  when she gets home. (Now THERE’S a bargain in education! Check it out here!)

Arctic Boy is attending Snow College.

How appropriate is that? No, he hasn’t left the state, he’s in central Utah, but they get plenty of the white stuff where he is. Also, he just started a Tumblr blog where he tosses up some of his thoughts. You can follow him at potatoesandwords.tumblr.com . Don’t say this so loud he’ll hear, but I always knew there was a writer in there somewhere. 😉 Also, good stuff, he’s got a job at a Scout Leadership Training camp this summer as support staff (an adventure specialist in a yet-to-be-determined area). Because of all the summers he’s been on staff at week-long leadership camps, he qualifies for their “premium” pay.

Miss Electric to Light Up Boy Scout Camp

Miss Electric is nearing the end of her Recreation Management schooling and will be the new Program Director for a Boy Scout camp this summer. Sweet internship! She gets to spend her whole summer outside with 12 and 13 year-old boys and their leaders and all that amazing energy. I have a feeling everyone’s going to fall in love with her, because she’s 31 flavors of awesome. She and Arctic Boy will be at camps in two different states this summer, so I don’t know how much they’ll see each other. Maybe they can coordinate better next time. Then again, I’m not sure how well it would work to have your sister be your boss, so maybe it’s just as well they get to do this stuff without breathing down each other’s necks.

Mr. Hot Stuff, Still a Scouter and China-Goer

Mr. Hot Stuff is the chief planning coordinator for a week-long Boy Scout Varsity Leadership Training camp this summer. Arctic Boy is one of two Captains serving with him. (I’m not good with all the real titles they use in Scouting, and there’s no one handy to ask just now, so you are getting my best on-the-fly effort here.)

Mr. Hot Stuff is still bouncing back and forth to China, sometimes on short notice. I’ve started telling him that every time he goes to China, I want to go to Costa Rica. I could be the Company’s International Charitable Outreach Coordinator. AND I could learn Spanish, and help some kids. AND write on a beach (well technically from a hotel with a view of the beach). AND I could learn Spanish and help some kids. Not that any of this will happen soon, because kids bounce, but dogs don’t, plus, Hello! I’m Ward (church) Girls’ Camp director this year! And THAT is awesomesauce. I’m so excited because these girls are boss. So Costa Rica might have to wait until after girls’ camp. 😉

Woot! Girls’ Camp!! Doing My Happy Dance Here!

So I’m Ward (church congregation) Girls’ Camp director! This is my dream calling at church, and now that my daughters are ALL GONE from home, I get to do it. (Gotta love the Heavenly irony there.) One thing is for sure, I don’t understand all the workings of God, but I’m glad He’s in charge. He knows me, he knows who needs me, and he knows who I need to learn from. I can already tell I have a steep learning curve here, but I can’t think of better people to learn with and from. These girls are strong, whether they realize it or not, and I look forward to watching them realize it and courageously stand for truth, strengthening their families and being a force for good in the wider world. Girls’ Camp is a brave, bold opportunity for these youth to learn leadership skills and be prepared to step up when they officially move into the “grownup world”. I love being part of something that matters.

Bus Driving and Goat Handling

Mr. T is currently a driver for Paratransit Services and continuing school. He’s as perfect for this job as he is for the work he’s studying to do in the future. His wife, Bird Lady, has found a great job for an animal lover. She’s working on a goat farm. I never would have guessed that one of those existed in their part of the urbanized Wasatch Front, but I think there must have been a form of magnetic attraction that drew her to it. She should start a Goat Bird blog for the farm. It’s birthing season (kidding season?) right now and she gets to see the miracle of new life almost every day she goes to work. The boss said, “If you see a hoof poking out the backside, grab on and pull hard!” All I can say is that’s gotta take a strength that’s not just physical. 😎

Photos and Foodies Extraordinare

Rainbow and Mr. Stillwater are a dynamic duo. He’s made serious forays into photography, doing some amazing landscape photography as well as beautiful portraits. Add to that their remarkable foodie skills. I don’t know if they realize how rich their lives are with color and light, but I think they might. It’s a joy to watch them together.