Tag's First XC Season

Taggart had a great XC season! His first race was at Willowcreek. His time was 11:45! He took 2nd out of the 7th graders and 3rd in the whole race with 7th, 8th, and 9th grades.

His friend Brig took 1st. Brig trained with the high school all summer so it makes sense that he took first. 

His second race was at Mountain Ridge Jr. High. Tag still did really well but it was harder because he had done lots of soccer the two days before his race. His time was 12:00! He took 3rd out of the 7th graders.

His third race was at Viewpoint Middle School. It was a hard one because Viewpoint is on the slopes of North Lehi. He had to run up a lot of hills. His time was 12:34 and he took 4th place. We know he did his best and it's ok not to be top 3. 

His next race was at Lake Mountain Middle School. His time was 12:08. He took 2nd out of the 7th graders. He felt really good about it.

His last race was District or Alpine Days is what it used to be called. It was at Art Dye Park. His time was 12:18 and he took 5th out of 100 or more 7th graders! The top 10 got a medal so he was happy. 

Ali was so nice to bring my dad down to watch and support. It was fun having him with us.

It was a hot day and Tag did great running in the heat.

I left clinical early so I could watch.

His friend Brig won the race. His brother Miles is James's age. We have pictures of James and Miles together at Alpine Days in 7th grade and then all through high school XC. So it is fun to take this picture so we can look back at it when they are seniors.

Elder Lowry: home MTC and Peru MTC

James was set apart on Tuesday, September 8th. It was a happy and exciting milestone. I was so sad that my parent's couldn't be there. Grandpa and Grandma Lowry came. 

It felt different in our home after he was set apart. There was a special spirit. Kind of like when James was born and we brought him home. There was a difference in our home that first night.

He started home MTC on Wednesday, September 9. I was around all day and enjoyed his breaks with him. We had lunch together. We cleaned up the art room so he could have a private area and quiet area. His home MTC was with the Peru MTC since that is where he was headed after home MTC. The schedule he was on was Peru time. The schedule was 6:30am wake up and exercise, shower, breakfast, and then classes start. Since Peru was on central time. That meant James had to be up by 5:30am. Marshall and I took turns working out in the mornings with James. Some times they went for bike rides and some mornings James and I went running. We went to North Lake Park track one morning and the high school track another morning so we could run at different paces. 

On one of his last days, we picked up pizza from Pier 49 for dinner and he got to stay hi to his work buddies. 

He had one P-day. It was on a Thursday and we made the most of the day. We packed in all of the last minute preparations. He went to the temple with Hannah and Lynnlee. 

Drew came to say goodbye a few nights before James flew to Peru.

Packing felt overwhelming to me. Marshall was excited to help. I purchased everything James needed, and some packing envelopes. Marshall and James did all the packing. His suitcases were under weight and he fit everything he needed plus extra space for random food, clothes, mini Jesus's and hacky sacks. 

James's friends came over Monday night, the night before he flew out. They stayed until 11:00pm. James was suppose to be in bed by 9:30 but we figured we could make an exception for his last night. 

The morning he flew out, we took a picture of him with Chewie. Hopefully Chewie is still around when James gets home.

I was the only one who cried at the airport. I tried to be strong through the pictures but then when it was time to say goodbye, I broke down. Ugh, it is so hard! I am so happy he is doing what he is suppose to and so I told him they were happy tears.

This is out of order, but it is too hard to move it in the post. This was from James's first day of home MTC with his district. 

I found these pictures on the Peru MTC facebook page. This is James and his companion Elder Bates.

This was taken in Peru and is James's district. 

This was his district when they got to the Peru MTC.

We put air tags in James's bags. I labeled each so I would know which bag they were in. We followed the location and were happy to see that he made it to Atlanta, and then to Peru. Then finally felt relief when he made it to the MTC. He also had permission to send a quick short email letting us know he made it. He didn't get a P Day the first week because he got there Wednesday and his P Day would have been Thursday but they didn't give it to him. It was a long time before we finally got to talk to him. 

He loves the food there and his stomach has been feeling good. 

My Mom ~ Grandma Ruth

I really hate that I have to write this post. When my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, we didn't know how much time we would have with her. No amount of time was ever going to be enough time. We knew from the doctor that her level of pain would tell us the progression of the cancer. For that reason, I think my mom hid her true level of pain from us. Over the course of the summer, her pain got worse, and she slowly needed pain medication around the clock. Labor Day marked a big drop in her health. Her pain increased, and she had a lot of bad days and nights. She was jaundiced and feeling worse. My mom did not want to start hospice because she viewed them as killers. Everything she saw from friends was that they went to hospice and died soon after. I saw it differently. I saw that there were people there to support and help you live the best possible rest of your days. Either way, I scheduled a hospice nurse to come and meet with my mom on the Friday after Labor Day. She told my mom she could always come back out of hospice if she ended up doing a drug trial. Side note, the drug Daraonrasib is a new 2nd line cancer drug where you have to do a round of chemo first, and then you can take it. My mom was trying to get into a drug trial at Huntsman after her last appointment with her oncologist in August. She could never get a hold of anyone at Huntsman until it was too late. 

My mom started morphine when she signed with Applegate Homecare and Hospice. She got pain relief, but as time went on, she became more sleepy. It is such an unfortunate side effect of opioids. She was no longer up for visitors, so Andrea and Lucy made a cute mailbox and put it on the porch with some cards. 

The week before my mom passed, she started to get really sleepy and out of it. It was really hard for her to get in and out of bed and even harder to get to the bathroom. Ali put in some difficult nights on Wednesday and Thursday and was up with my mom and dad. I went on Friday to help and felt like my mom was transitioning and that the end was near. The hospice nurse, Becky Bell, came to visit that day and said the same thing. She said we needed to gather all the family to say their last goodbyes. Friday night, my dad, siblings, and I sat in chairs around my mom's room (she was in her bed) and we reminisced. It was a very bittersweet time. By this time, Charlie was visiting from Texas, so he was there. Betsy came up. Katie was flying in the next morning. That night, Ali and I both got up to help my mom a few times, but every time she woke up, she was so miserable. She was ready to go, and when she woke up, she would ask if she was still here. My Dad, my siblings, and some nieces gathered Saturday morning around 11:00am to say our goodbyes. Marshall, Lynnlee, and Kade made it around 12:00 and said their goodbyes. We all sat around the room reminiscing. Kasey gave my mom a blessing to release her. We continued to take turns being by her side. That night, James, Tag, and Sienna drove up and said their goodbyes. I was so grateful that my whole family had time to say goodbye before she passed. The night my dad, siblings, and I sat around the room and reminisced some more. I played some of her favorite songs. Lynnlee wanted to stay the night, but Marshall took the others home. When it was time for bed, Kasey headed back home. Katie was exhausted from getting up early, so she went to bed, and Charlie did too. My mom was snoring loudly and had the death rattle, and it upset my dad, so he went to the basement. I wanted to stay by her side. Betsy made a bed on the floor. Ali was sleeping on the sofa chair on the side of the room. 

I stayed with my mom until about 4:00 am and then I was so exhausted. Katie had some in around 3:45 and was sitting there with us. I got on to ChatGPT, typed in all of my mom's symptoms, and asked how much longer she had. It said it could go on for hours and possibly even another day. I felt so tired hearing that since I hadn't gotten any sleep. In my sleepy mind, I thought I could go to sleep for a few hours and then come back to her side with more energy. Her breathing would slow at times, but only for a few minutes, then it would return to 20 breaths per minute. It was so difficult to listen to, so I went to the twin room and lay down. An hour later, Ali came and woke me to tell me that my mom had passed. I jumped up and went to her side. It was silent, which stood out so much compared to the loud breathing she had been doing. My sisters and I all cried together. Then we called Kasey and told Charlie and my dad. I called Applegate and the mortuary. We all sat around the room and felt peace. We were sad, but it was amazing how peaceful we felt. 

It took about an hour and a half for the hospice nurse to get there. Then another half hour for the mortuary. That is where we all got really emotional again. When they took her away we all cried so hard. Lynnlee woke up after that and we cried together. Then I went and laid down because I was so tired and sad. It was so depressing. That whole day was just blah and sad. We watched church on TV and the priests brought the sacrament. Then we had a family dinner that was planned the Wednesday prior. It was hard but good. 

When I came home that night I had the craziest mix of emotions. Marshall was busy packing James. I knew I needed to shift my focus to helping James get ready but I just felt so sad. 

Monday afternoon my friend Shannon brought these roses to me. It was so thoughtful. Shannon owns the Midway Bakery and my mom met her and loved going to her bakery. She talked to Shannon every time she went. Shannon also lost her mom to cancer so she understands.

It's been hard to process everything with so much going on. Sending James off, being in graduate school, and troubles at Lowry Doors, there's no time to recover because I'm still in crisis mode. I know my mom was in a lot of pain and so I am glad she is not suffering anymore. It is just really unfortunate that she had to have pancreatic cancer in the first place. 

I really wanted to be there when she passed. I have to accept that it didn't happen. I was sitting by her side for more than 6 hours, and so if it was meant to be, it would have happened. Then, I left her side, and it happened while Katie was there. I can't dwell on that or let it bother me. 

I have to focus on the positives. At least it happened on Sunday, not on Monday or Tuesday, when I needed to be with James. At least I had 4 months with my mom and not 10 days or 6 weeks like some experience with pancreatic cancer. I am glad it was on a weekend so my kids could all be there to say goodbye. I'm grateful I was at least in her house, down the hall, and could be there soon after. 

Sienna's Super Temple Trip

Sienna's leaders planned a super temple trip. They left Friday after school and drove to St. George. They got to play in Sister Malan's family member's fun pool. Then they slept over at their house.

They got up really early on Saturday morning and did baptisms at the St. George Temple.

Next stop was the Cedar City Temple.

Third stop was the Manti Temple.

Last stop was the Lindon Temple.

What a busy but productive 24 hours she had!

Lynnlee in the Powder Puff

Lynnlee and Eden played in the powder puff game versus the sophomores. It was a close game, but the sophomores ended up winning in the end. It ended up being a really hot and sunny day, and they got a little more sun than they thought. They were hoping to win so they could play against the seniors in the mud. Next year for sure they will though.

Family Pictures

We took family pictures near the lake. We just set up a tripod and set the timer. I can't add the rest from the shared album, so this can hold a place for now.

Deer Creek Trail

I love the Deer Creek Trail so much. It is the perfect mix of rolling hills and a beautiful view the whole time. One Friday, I did not get up early to run because I had a coronary artery calcium scan. I couldn't exercise before but I desperately needed a run to keep me mentally sane. I was planning on meeting the hospice nurse at my parent's house but I wasn't sure what time. It just happened to work out that on my way up to Heber, I stopped at the Deer Creek trail and went running. Then I drove to my parent's house and showered. The hospice nurse got there right as I finished. It was a little tender mercy.