2 Weeks

Mom and Dad were here for the past 2 weeks.  My dad has told me in the past that he doesn't like to sit around and would rather be working on a project.  I'm not sad about that one bit, you want to work, I'll let you!  My mom has been wanting to get her hands on my family room since I bought this house.  Well, she got her way with it.  It looks amazing and feels so homey.  We painted the back wall a beautiful soft blueish, sea foam color.  I love it, even though we went to Home Depot a bazillion times trying to get the right color.  We loved it so much that we also painted the mudroom/breakfast nook the same color.  Before long, the entire house will have some kind of this color combination; next rooms the master and guest room.  I paid a friend to paint the shutters in this room and the mud room, since they were a cream color.  They look so much better.  Dad also put up a trim around the windows which adds to it. 

 I love my new pictures and frames on this wall!  It's perfect.  I love the one in the black frame that says, "Embrace the Adventure!"  Um Yes!  And the little one say's, "Do one thing everyday that makes you happy."  I actually had that in my bedroom, but painted the frame and put it out here. Do you like the new chair too?  It's a recliner, swivel rocker that I found at Homegoods, along with the rug which adds so much.  We basically found the chair and then went with the decorations around that color. 

I'm now the proud owner of a water softener, a sectional and a Traeger grill.  Yep I know so exciting.  Mom and dad hate hard water and complain all the time when they have to use it.  My couch was rather uncomfortable and the family room needed a sectional which I found at Costco.  Also at Costco the day before mom and dad left I got a Traeger grill.  I've been wanting one for a long time and got a great deal.  You are looking at the future Master Griller my friends.

While mom and dad were here we found out that Tuesdays are $5 at the movie.  We have an awesome theater in town that has electric recliners.  So while they were in town we saw The Greatest Showman and Wonder.  They were both fantastic.

We also went to the symphony and the Tenors where we had tickets on the 4th row and middle seats.  I felt like a teenager.  They did an incredible job and the concert was amazing!

Dad turned 65 while he was here too!  He's pretty incredible and I'm so happy that he is healthy, active and talented.  Mom has always had the vision and dad makes the vision happen! 

What else did we do in two weeks?  Well I had a killer UTI, so I sat around a lot with the heating pad.  I had a visit with Dr. Dalton and came away feeling like I'm not dying tomorrow and that we have more options and more time, at least I hope! We had lunch and dinner with my cousin Jen.  We also watched the entire 4th season of When Calls The Heart, which we love.  And while we were working and driving from Homegoods to Homegoods, we listened to the 3rd Rae Carson book which we loved, Into the Bright Unknown.  I think we had a fantastic time.  It was nice to not have to work during their visit either.  Typically mom and dad stay for 6 weeks, but mom is helping with a desert table next week for their Stake RS conference and dad has a huge job that he is going to start before he retires in 350ish days. 

Bowling and Bowling

For the most part I really quite enjoyed the 2 weeks I was home.  One day we all gathered at the Nampa Bowl and donned the awesome, colorful bowling shoes and got on our bowling moves.  It was super fun and highly entertaining.  I am pretty sure I've never seen my mom bowl before.  Every time I bowl, which I think I've bowled twice in the past 20 year, I think of my jr. high and high school lifetime sports class where we would literally get on a yellow school bus and drive 1/2 mile to the local Bulldog Bowl.  I still remember learning the correct way to have your forearm when you let go of the ball, even though it makes no difference with my schools, because lets just face it, bowling isn't my talent.

The rest of my Christmas break was literally watching college bowl games.  I love college football, have I ever mentioned that!  Yes, I know I have about every other post.  It was funny because mom would often come in and ask when the game would be over and dad and I would inform her that it would be in 3 hours, because a new one would have started.  There were some pretty great games and we enjoyed them all.  I'm always sad when college football is over.  And I was really sad that Georgia didn't win the national championship.  They were oh, so close.