Wednesday morning mom, madi and I left for kansas city. I hated to leave Michigan for any amount of time. Its a 10 hour drive from there to KC but it took us longer because we definitely made some stops. We hit a couple teacher stores and I got the rest of my stuff bought there. We got to KC in time for quick supper and then to the hotel. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express that is located right across from the University of Kansas hospital which is where Madi’s appointment was. Its a big hospital of course and it made me lonesome for my Edmonton unit days.

Thursday morning we were up early and went across to Madison’s appointment at 8. She first had labs done with 12 tubes of blood drawn and from there we sat in a room and several different involved people took turns coming in and visiting with madi. This day of appointments was made up of tests and talks with these different people to see if Madi is eligible to give her kidney. There are lots of criteria to meet in order to give so she met with the dietician, surgeon, nephrologist, and social worker. It was a long tedious process. They basically make sure she’s healthy with all levels good and that she has a support group and that she isnt being forced into giving her kidney. We had lunch partway through and madi finished up with CT scan and Xrays. We were through at the hospital by 4 and they will be letting madi know in 2 weeks if she is able to give. Please continue praying that things will work out for it all to go through. There are hurdles on both sides of the process! In the evening we did a little thrift shopping which is my favorite and had supper at Joe’s Kansas City BBQ which is in an old gas station and suchhhh good pulled pork. We were all super tired so we stayed another night there.

Friday morning we slept in a bit and then headed for I80 home. We had a pretty slow day. All of us were sort of drained from Thursday so we took it easy. We stopped in Des Moines and watched the D-Day Normandy imax which was something I’d really wanted to do since we had gone to Normandy on our trip to Europe! One of the most interesting and history filled things ive seen. It was so so cool to see places we had been and I was so impressed once again at the courage and complete acceptance those young boys had to fight on those beaches. You’ll probably keep hearing about europe because it was amazing. We left des moines and drove to Coralville and shopped for awhile and then met Grandpa Pete’s and Aunt Nada and boys for supper. Aunt Nada is driving grandpas out to Colorado so they can spend a couple weeks there. We were excited it worked out to meet them. After supper we had great intentions of driving the rest of the way home but we stopped and spend night outside of Chicago.

Saturday we finished driving home and spent the afternoon doing laundry and going through school stuff. I brought the rest of my school things back with me so I repacked too. In the evening we met Dillons at a lake and kayaked awhile and made supper over the fire. It was the perfect Michigan evening. Later we all went to Carson City for ice cream and to watch the Frontier Day fireworks which is always a big hit with the mennos. Haha.

Sunday we made dessert for lunch and I finished packing. We had lunch at Bryce&Shars with 45 other people to celebrate my cousin Amber Litwillers engagement to Quinton Isaac. Mom and Madi and I left around 3 and they took me to the airport. I hate goodbyes. I was tempted to miss my plane but I miss Morgan too much. He picked me up in Oakland in the evening. and I did have the happiest and best time with my family❤❤

Monday I slept and recuperated and did laundry and sweated to death in my house. We picked two 18-inch zucchinis from our garden and now that stuff is actually growing and we didn’t kill it I don’t even know what to do. Our tomato plants are huge and have good size green tomatoes on them as well.

Some days I may write something sad and dark because I feel that way when I’m lonely. I may write something optimistic and rosy. Some of you have said “oh chey. im reading your blog you have such a perfect life.” Oh my dear humans. I write positive things because i like to think I’m a positive person. I don’t write of the many days I am home by myself and wish for friends close. I don’t write of how I miss the safety of being with people who adore me and my humor. I dont write of all the times I feel alone while I sit in the pews of a new congregation where nobody really knows me. I don’t write of the terrible fear that comes to me sometimes that what if something happens to my family and I’m not there. As I fly away back to California I think of all these things. I love Morgan. And my house. And the people who are starting to love me in California. I’m thankful that we can travel and I can see my family sometimes. For each of YOU who text me and encourage me. “It takes awhile to fit in a new place chey”. Or “hey can you come for a fire later?” I like to think my loneliness will get better. Maybe you have advice those of you who marry and move far away to a new place. I want to hear it. I’ll make tea for myself and sit on my favorite chair while I read your wisdom.

A happy week to each of you darlings. Xo.

Last week Sunday I woke up sick with something so I was out of touch until Wednesday evening. I felt pretty good by then except for my coughing. Which it was good I felt a little better because….we had actually bought tickets a couple weeks ago to come to Michigan to surprise mom and Madi for their end of school program! So we packed up and had supper at folks before driving to Oakland and flying out at 11 pm. Ross picked us up in Detroit at 7 in the morning and we walked into moms classroom at around 10! We got a good scream out of her and happy tears from Madi. Spent the day around at school and the breakfast club came over for supper around the fire. I am so happy to be back in the land of lakes and green trees crowding the roads and the sunsets you can only find here in pure Michigan.

Friday morning we went with mom, Madi,and Ann garage saling and had mexican for lunch. Dillon&Nae had to work. Went to the program in the evening which was all about Michigan history and Michigan today. The best part was the moving assembly line for model t’s they had set up! After the program went to my cousin brennens grad party at Carson church fellowship hall.

Saturday morning we went to the Hearthstone for breakfast to see Renae cuz she had to work and then went to school for playday. Watched some games and had lunch. In the afternoon we went to the youth softball game. Cy made us pizza for supper on his grill at his place which was so good.

Sunday was our only whole day to spend together as a family so we went away to Lansing to a place called Creole for lunch which was amazing and you must go to if you get there. So we went to a pond and swam later and the guys fished awhile. We drove the Ranger around and maybe upset the neighbor. We’re not sure. In the evening we grilled burgers at Dillons and had supper with Shane and Kris while we called in the youth song service. The guys flew their drones and rc planes to entertain us.

Yesterday morning dillons hosted a Memorial Day breakfast at their house so everyone brought their food and cooked over fires and discs and we had such a good time with old friends. The breakfast club went swimming back at miningers pond for awhile later..then relaxed most of the day. Breakfast club brought pizza and we all had supper there at Dillons and Cy brought paper lanterns to set off. The guys had a trap shoot later that we watched. Great way to end the weekend❤

Today mom Madi and I brought Morgan to the airport in Detroit. We did some shopping on the way and then went to the Henry Ford museum. The limo that President JFK was assassinated in is the museum and the bus Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and sparked the civil rights movement is as well. We also saw the chair that President Lincoln was shot in.

Now my love is flying away home to California and I will stay here this week until Sunday. My sister is donating a kidney so we are leaving in the morning for Kansas City for a day of doctoring on Thursday. Please pray that they approve Madi and are able to go ahead and set a surgery date! I’m happy I’m able to spend a couple more days with my family before heading to Cali for the summer. Cheers!

Hi everyone. Its been a fun week filled with good things. Happy Mothers Day to all my moms out there as well.

So Tuesday was sewing at Winton. Mom Yolanda was working in the kitchen so I went and helped her. Awhile back id made crockpot chicken tacos and had forgot about them but we had them for lunch at sewing and they were tops! Recipe here🙌 so easy. http://pinterest.com/pin/557461260117489881/?source_app=android

Wednesday was good. I went through some stuff at home for garage sale items. Worked outside abit. The garden is rocking this 85 degree weather. It cools off to 55ish at night so perfect weather. Also we had teriyaki chicken with garlic quinoa for supper so our first quinoa try was a success. Thanks for all your ideas everyone!

Thursday. Hmm. I worked on laminating school stuff like my calendar and numbers. Mom sent me two boxes of our decorations for my future classroom theme so I went through all the things and got super enthused. Its handy having taught several years and having to not buy a lot of stuff. In the evening we took our garage sale items to folks (they had a garage sale saturday) and I priced things while Morgan and Ja worked on the vanagon and bought some groceries. Then we headed home and packed a backpack.

Friday morning we left at 8. Ja, Morgan and I in the van with our ice chest, swim gear, and definitely not enough warm clothes. We drove away east for awhile. I was cozy with my blanket and moccasins and The Long Winter which is quite a good book I’m reading. The mountains were beauty and the van made it to the top of Sonora Pass surprisingly. (elev. 9600) we had lunch in bridgeport at an odd cafe with local folks. Drove off into the mountain foothills after lunch and found Bodie which is a 100ish building ghost town.

Read about it here👉 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California. If you look this up you can also see a little map of where we were located in California. We walked around the town for awhile. It was eerie and cold and blowy and was so odd to think of this place once being the 3rd largest city in Cali. The town is preserved completely how it was left and there are signs of everyday life in the houses. It was really cool. Left there and drove to Mammoth Lakes to a thrift store because we were all freezing and it was cold and snowy. The guys bought jackets and we got some toques. Then drove out to Wild Willies Hot Springs where we camped. Its high desert with scrubby low plants and yucca and surrounded by mountains which I didn’t see when we arrived because of the driving snow.haha. David & Paul & Justin & Shenda met us there and we managed to set up camp a bit and get sausage and potatoes frying for supper.

After supper in the dark in swim stuff in snow we walked 1/2 mile to the hot springs which are just random holes steaming in the ground. Its a geothermal area with minerals staining the ground and coloring some of the grasses. We sat in the hot pots and watched falling stars. Perfect. Morgan, Ja and I slept on our bed in the vanagon. It was cold but we managed fine.

Saturday we had breaky over the fire and the guys went to the springs again. My suit was frozen so I laid in the sun by the van and thawed our items. We left and drove to Bishop and had lunch before heading out of town to a place where the guys did some bouldering and rock climbing. Went back to our site and cooked steaks over the fire..the clouds were low over the mountains and it started misting a bit. After supper we drove a couple miles farther out in the middle of the desert to another spring that was unfortunately full of people so we saw another steaming pot farther away and walked to that. I feel it wasnt necessarily set up for human habitation like the others were. It was more of a deep swamp that bubbled and the water was murky but warm. When we stepped in we sank to our knees in loam/mud/clay or something. And we hunkered over the vents in the mist in this swamp of weeds and bushes and it was so fun. Got back to the van smelling of hard boiled eggs and full of odd silty sand. Headed home away over the pass with poor visibility and bad roads full of snow but got home at 2 and slept in a warm bed. Yay.

Sunday I missed my mom and grandmas. Went to uncle evans for lunch with the koehn side. C.E. service in the evening and our friends perrin&nikki after church.

Today I tried to wash our camping things which took awhile. Went for groceries and to the bank. Worked on some watercolor prints for awhile and watered gardens of course! We met some of Morgan’s pals for supper and the guys played basketball later. Spending some time with my amazing husband and my best brother in law in the mountains and high desert over the weekend improved my mental health I think. I loved it. Cheers to a good week for each of you.❤

Funny thing. Last week after I posted, Morgan and dad had to be away in L.A. for several days. So right after I posted that afternoon I quick packed 2 blankets and a pillow, stuff for chicken salad sandwiches in a cooler, and my swimsuit and drove the 2 hour drive to Capitola, which is right beside Santa Cruz. I parked on the public beach and slept with my windows cracked so I could hear the ocean 20 feet away. It was glorious. Tuesday morning I found this place called The Buttery that has delightful scones and quiche so I sat in front of the fireplace munching and reading on my kindle. Then I spent some time walking through shops in Capitola before driving through Santa Cruz. I spent awhile watching whales spouting from several places in town and then drove North on the 1 along the coast to a little beach that I had all to myself. Got home before supper and got stuff back in order.

My cousin arianna was here for a few days so thursday I met them at school for hot lunch. In the afternoon Ari and I went to merced and got drinks at Coffee Bandits. In the evening Morgan and I went to plan CE at Matt&Camis hoose.

Friday afternoon the Winton fire department that Morgan works on gave a presentation at school for the children. They had a fire truck and ambulance there, and got to watch the Riggs Air helicopter land. Then they divided into groups and all took turns going through each vehicle. Morgan put on his full outfit so they could see what itd look like if someone was coming to get them in a burning building At the end of the afternoon they watched the helicopter take off and then they all stood on the football field while the guys sprayed them with water from the truck. The kids absolutely loved it! Ari and I went swimming for awhile after that which was so beautiful.

Saturday we worked outside and relaxed. Got stuff and had 10 people for a cinco de mayo taco supper outside. Fun times per usual. Sunday we listened in to our cousin Jackie and Davons wedding..folks for lunch. The youth rally was this weekend at Ballico so church was slim Sunday eve.

This morning we went to a funeral at Ballico of our friends grandma. Morgan worked this afternoon and I got supper around. I tried this recipe for tomato spinach shrimp & other stuff pasta http://pinterest.com/pin/289215607310739358/?source_app=android and it turned out really good. Served it with a tomato and cucumber mix in vinegar&oil. What are some quick healthy meals for your family? I got my little deals done to move around the job chart for next school year so that’s one thing accomplished!🎉

Cheers to another week friends🙌 c.b.

Tuesday morning we went over and made breakfast for Jalen. I don’t know why. But folks were busy maybe and Morgan and Ja worked on Ja’s house so we just had breaky together before they got started. Morgan had fire meeting in the evening so I was at folks for supper.

I went to Modesto Wednesday to do some school shopping. I found a couple of vintage stores and a little teacher store and it was nice. Then i buzzed home and made my Mom’s BBQ chicken which is quick and easy. Also i bought some quinoa that i’m excited about trying because i haven’t really used it ever. If you have some good recipes you have used with quinoa then let me know!

Friday afternoon we went to folks and helped load catfish and frying stuff to take over to Grace Home. Grace Home Gift Day was this weekend and the main event deal was Friday evening. Folks were in charge of frying the catfish for supper so we helped them do that in the evening. Then there was an auction sale and a silent bake sale auction. Interesting evening since I don’t really know Livingston people. We decided to put our names down to host a bbq rib meal ticket supper so we’ll be doing that in June sometime!

Sunday at noon was our fifth Sunday lunch potluck. In the evening there was a service at Livingston where the Conference Care Committee gave several talks. I came home and wrote an essay because i was so inspired afterwards.

Morgan left and is gone with Dad to L.A. to work until Wednesday sometime so I’ve been filling my time with random stuff. My garden is doing so good. Except for the dumb cucumbers which i got mad at and uprooted because they weren’t growing. I’m gonna try to get some more and replant so that will hopefully solve the problem. The tomatoes are about a foot and a half high and the potatoes are doing good too. We are past the rain stage i think so I’ve been watering my garden and the plants around the house every day. We are soon going to be moving our chickens to our house. Morgan has been working on the chicken coop so it’s almost ready! Yay! Unfortunately while I was in Oregon I came across this darling little black wire pail for collecting eggs and I bought it immediately. Talk about counting your chicks before they hatch.

Another thing. A few days ago i froze yogurt in an ice cube tray and then used them to put little smoothie bags together. If you like smoothies this is the way to go. You can prep all at once and just grab a bag, add liquid, and blend. They are so handy! In each sandwich ziploc bag i put 2 cups spinach, 1 1/4 cup mixed fruit, and 2 frozen yogurt cubes. For the fruit I mostly used blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, mango and banana. Freeze the bags and when you’re ready for a smoothie, add 1 cup of coconut water, almond milk, water, or regular milk. I use almond milk!

So have a safe and happy week my friends. love, chey

I cant even remember what I did at the beginning of the week. Laundry probably. Tuesday I cleaned and organized and washed floors and watered the gardens becauseeee…I found out that Morgan and Dad Kevin had to go to LA for a job for several days.

So Wednesday morning at 5 when Morgan and Dad left I left too and drove to Oregon to visit Uncle Marshalls. I stopped at the infamous Donner pass where the Donner immigrant party had to resort to cannibalism. It was a beautiful drive except from Winnemuca Nevada on. That was the worst road I’ve ever been on. Nothing for miles and miles. Not even scenery. I got to Uncle Marshalls in time for supper Wednesday evening.

So the rest of the week passed fast! We shopped vintage stores and spent a day in Boise and had good talks and familied and it was so good to be with comfortable people and relax. I went and looked at the school rooms of course…uncle M’s drove me around..we stopped at their church they’ve bought which is old and brick and had tons of cool little rooms. The countryside is so pretty there too. Its just starting to get green and the river is really full. Morgan didn’t get home til later Saturday so I was glad I had a couple days to spend there at Vale.

I left for Winton this morning. I took a different route home that took me by Mount Shasta and through more mountains and pine trees and my heart was so so happy. I came home to a vacuumed cleaned house which is so sweet and now I’m home in my little house with my best person.❤ I am going to start slowly working on name tags and school stuff for September and hopefully work in the yard this week too. Also I think my little chickies that aren’t very cute anymore come to their house soon!

Today my dear Grandpa Bob has been gone 1 year. 1 year anniversaries are tough. I didnt think my family would make it through the 1 year anniversary of Dad being gone. And now grandpa. I miss his gestures and laugh and how he squinted up his eyes when he laughed. He liked trains and teaching school and he adored each of us and dad and mom. It was so hard on him and hard to process when he heard dad had died. Grandpa just felt so bad. So tomorrow call your grandpa&grandma or hug them if you can. And your families. Love each second. Love to each of you…