In anticipation of Nathan’s imminent departure for his mission, Daniel came home on Friday night so we could spend this entire weekend together as a family. Nathan will be home for another week and a half, but Daniel has to go back to Logan for school on Monday and will be in Las Vegas with the pep band next weekend, so this weekend was our last chance to gather together until Nathan comes home from Texas in two years. We all made this time together our priority and tried to take advantage of every minute.
Yesterday we all showed up to cheer Matthew on at his Youth Harmony Day concert. Kevin and Matthew had planned to dash off to Provo for the last BYU basketball game of the season as soon as the concert was over, but a last-minute change of heart took Matthew to the high school instead to see his friends perform in the school musical. The basketball game had remained on the calendar because Kev and I both felt like giving Daniel and Nathan some one-on-one time while the rest of us were otherwise engaged would be a good thing. Daniel and Nathan have become good friends as they have grown up, and Kev and I felt that giving them some time together needed to be a priority. So having Matthew opt to go to the school was just fine and still allowed my two oldest boys to have some time together.
The last-minute change of plans for Matthew and Kev didn’t alter plans for the rest of us. We headed home via Tsunami, our favorite sushi and Japanese food restaurant. Daniel, Nathan, Malia and I had a tasty meal and enjoyed some lively conversation and plenty of laughs along with our food. I think our tendency to laugh when we are together is good. The lighthearted moments help balance out the stresses of life and is one of the things I love about my family. As my kidlets have grown up and the amount of contention between them has diminished considerably, our time together has most definitely become more of a delight.
After dinner we headed home where Malia and I went off to our showers while Daniel and Nathan had some quality brother time playing the Lego Incredibles video game. The kids have discovered that they enjoy playing dual character games from time to time. In fact, Daniel even figured out how to play two player games via the internet so he can play with his sibs while he is in his apartment in Logan. While it may seem trivial, this video playing time and the conversation and banter that accompanies it has become one of the ways that my kids can enjoy their time together. Malia had her turn with Nathan playing the Lego Marvel video game and then we switched to card games and proceeded to stay up way to late. I think the late hour was fine for the kids, but I’m getting old and don’t function as well as I used to in the wee hours of the night. 😉
Sunday started off with a delightful breakfast of strawberry waffles. The weekly waffle routine began as a way to keep feeding eggs to Matthew on a regular basis, but since then has kind of turned into a Sunday morning family tradition to which we all look forward. After we consumed far too many waffles covered in berries and cream, we played games until it was time to head to the stake center for Nathan to be set apart. Both Kevin and Daniel were invited to stand in the circle as the stake president set Nathan apart as a full-time missionary. Some of Nathan’s questions and concerns were addressed in the blessing and he was promised some amazing things. He came away feeling calm and imbued with the Spirit. As for the rest of us, it was one of those moments when things suddenly get very real. Nathan put on his missionary tags as soon as the blessing was over, and it was a visual reminder that his time here at home is very short indeed.
Sunday afternoon and evening were spent playing even more games and having dinner and dessert together one last time before Daniel headed back to school. We have decided we should start revisiting all our FHE favorite treats from times past, so we ate a delicious carrot cake. It was accompanied by huckleberry ice cream, which is an unusual pairing, but Kev happened to spot some Aggie Ice Cream at a new market that just opened in our area and grabbed it knowing it is one of Nathan’s favorites. Not only is the huckleberry one of Nathan’s favorite flavors from his local university creamery, but it also invokes fond feelings and warm memories of his semester at USU and makes him look forward to the time when he can return. Since we aren’t certain that the Aggie ice cream is safe for Malia, we also ended up with some Meadow Gold huckleberry so she could enjoy the same treat the rest of us were having. Even Matthew got to sample the huckleberry goodness due to one last jar of huckleberry jam we picked up on our trip to Yellowstone three years ago and had tucked away in the basement. He stirred some into his vanilla ice cream and quite enjoyed it.
After we ate far more cake and ice cream than was good for us, we read through the letter that is sent to the families of the missionaries to help us know what to expect as Nathan starts his home MTC time together. One last family prayer followed our discussion and then a couple more rounds of games until Daniel had to head back to Logan.
This past week has been hard. I don’t know about everyone else, but for my family, we have discovered that the adversary picks at us extra hard when are approaching a significant spiritual event in our lives. This week has been an incredibly hard one with every single member of my family feeling the weight of the adversary. It has also been a week of wild emotions and some incredible spiritual experiences. After all those ups and downs over the past week, this weekend felt like a little bubble of peace. My family has been surrounded by calm, by the Spirit, and although I know there are hard days ahead for all of us as Nathan leaves for a time, this weekend has definitely been a joyful one filled with love and quality family time. It will be two years before we get to do it again and as such, I feel all the more blessed that we had such an amazing weekend.
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