April 2026

April was busy with spring sports - tennis for Jack and volleyball for Gemma (and Todd, who coached her team, and Hazel, who is still attending club twice a week and helped out with Gemma's team when she could). 

Jack played with a few different tennis partners, but seemed to like playing doubles with Evry the most. He played singles a few times at the end of the season and discovered that each has pros and cons. 

We had a nice Easter Sunday. Todd did a masterful job hiding the kids' baskets, and we had Erika, Vlad, and Luna over for dinner and an egg hunt. 

It was General Conference weekend. I tried out my watercolor book and found it enjoyable. 

Then it was spring break - something everyone was thrilled about. We were all ready for a few days of rest. Hazel got an MRI done on her wrist; she's got a cyst from her repetitive volleyball and violin movements and it's been giving her some pain. 

Jack and I went to the Monet n Venice exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. There were a lot of sets, showing Monet's experiments with lighting side by side. We bought a 5x7 print of our favorite to bring home. 

Gemma and I went on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Ciciv Center Library. Gemma is thinking about becoming a librarian when she grows up. 

Todd, Hazel, and Jack went on a three-day, 175-mile bike ride from Livermore to Yosemite. They've been training for it as best they could since January. There was a lot of weird energy the night before and the morning of: they'd worked so hard to prepare for this gigantic feat, and everyone was nervous for it, especially because the weather report warned of heavy rain, something that hadn't even crossed our minds during this dry, dry winter. But off they went! And it was epic. 

They rode 100 miles on Day 1 and made it into camp before the rain started. The night was rough. Like, there was hail, thunder, and lightning. And they were in tents. After biking one hundred miles! It was bad enough that Todd even ate a banana to help with the leg cramping. 

Day 2 had literal ups and downs - 50 miles with lots of hills. Hazel cried, thinking about how badly she'd slept and anticipating the next night. She got a flat tire, but Noah came to the rescue and patched it up for her. They raced the rain clouds and made it to camp just before it started to pour. Thankfully, they had a heated pool and a game room to escape to. And thankfully, Pete Andrus convinced Todd to share a hotel room with him, because when they went back out after swimming, the wind had blown Hazel's and Ella's tent away! 

By all accounts, Day 3 was the best of the week. They only had 25 miles left, and they finished in glorious Yosemite National Park with blue skies and stunning views. Everyone felt triumphant. It was an epic feat and they all came home worn out and grateful for God's help through difficult experiences. 

While they were out busting their buns on bikes, I took Gemma and her friend Lia up to our cabin. We also got caught in a hailstorm, and while we were there, it softly snowed nonstop and we ended up with about eight inches that were all not there when we first arrived. The girls loved it and played out in the snow for hours while I read in the window seat. 

Jack is almost as tall as Todd. It's close enough that we needed to pull out a cutting board and take a photo to check! 

No reason, but I loved this picture of Hazel and Jack getting ready for school that I got off Hazel's phone. I have to wake up early every morning to see them before they leave for seminary and long, busy days. 

Hazel did an awesome job organizing a friend group to all go to Junior Prom with her and Noah. Katherine asked Max to go as friends, and then they had several dateless boys also join them. They met at our house Thursday night to make boutonnieres and corsages. The energy was good! 

Gemma and Todd participated in the CMS Staff vs Student volleyball competition Friday night. Gemma was a part of two different teams, one of which beat the adults. It was very exciting! She earned a pass to not have to run the mile in PE because of her win. 

Saturday was Prom. Hazel and her group were busy all day long. They went out to the redwoods to take pictures and they turned out so amazing! 

This one is my absolute favorite. Hazel is so in her element and looks like a wood nymph to me, in her fancy dress with her bare feet. 

They went to the beach afterwards for a picnic lunch, and then then met up again at Concannon Vineyards for more pictures. 

The boys made dinner at Noah's house, and then it was off to the dance in Sunol. Afterward, they got shakes at In N Out and watched a movie. What a big day! Hazel said it was so much fun. 

That night, Todd and I picked up Katie and Ryan and we played bocce ball at the Bothwell until it got too dark to see well, and then we got ice cream at the new Meadowlark Dairy downtown. 

We had dinner at the Dix's. I got a massage and Stephanie gave me twenty extra minutes!!! I went to the movies with Elaine. Hazel and Todd went on a whale watching field trip for her Field Biology class. They were some of the only people in the group who did not throw up. They did not see any whales. Sad! 

We had our final spring sport games. Gemma's team ended triumphant - they won five of their eight games. They had a great team energy and I'm excited for her to get to continue playing with some of those girls over the next several years. Jack finished the tennis season with a few points under his belt. It was hard playing on Varsity against all upperclassmen. We're super proud of him for sticking with it! 

Jack, Gemma, and I have been playing Garbage with the beautiful Monet cards we bought at the museum. We've got our favorites and got carried away creating special wild cards - the Magic J! The Creepy Q! 

Hazel had another amazing, undefeated volleyball tournament. She really likes the girls on her club team. I wish her school team were as positive and fun to be with. It's been a good experience for her. 

Saturday night our ward held a potluck and service auction to fundraise for the youth high adventure activities this summer. We scored big with a year of monthly treats homemade by Kaylin Larsen - we've all looking forward to her cinnamon rolls first! We offered up a weekend at our cabin and breathed a sigh of relief when Susan Alger won the bid. She's a sweet woman Hazel and I have been ministering to. She'll take her adult daughter and her family up for her birthday in August, and we know they'll take good care of the place. 

Gemma was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting, and she wrote her talk, but she wasn't able to give it yet because she had an awful fever that knocked her out for several days. We're super grateful she was able to rest over the weekend and get back to business without missing out on too much fun, and so glad no one else caught whatever gross bug she had. 

March 2026

Todd spent a ridiculous amount of money buying ramen kits through Amazon that came from the business we ate our ramen at in New York City last year. Yes, it was really yummy, but it was not worth the price when you had to factor back in all the labor. But it sure was pretty! And now we know. 

Spring sports are up and running. Jack is playing tennis and Gemma is playing volleyball (coached by Todd). Sadly, they both have games on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so not only can they not come cheer each other on, I have to pick and choose which ones to watch and which ones to miss, and Todd can only come to one of Jack's games. 

We took a super quick trip to the cabin with the Georges. There was just barely enough snow to go snowmobiling around the neighborhood, but the kids got in plenty of good sledding and we played lots of games. 

Hazel was not with us. She drove to Death Valley with her friends Katherine and Caroline. They camped and hiked and played in the sand dunes. It sounds like it was a super fun girl's trip - just what Hazel needed. 

Heartbreakingly, we learned that Grandma Holley passed away, just shy of her 98th birthday. When we saw her over Thanksgiving, it was really hard for me because she had deteriorated so much from the time I saw her before, over the summer. She could hardly hear what anyone had to say and rather than appear frustrated by that, she passivly sat by, not participating much in conversation. It was like she'd given up fighting for her space at the table. So I am relieved she is free of her body she's been so trapped inside. I really am. At the same time, it hurts to think I won't get to hear her darling laugh again or hug her. Mostly I"m sad I won't get to talk with her anymore, but I tink that would be true if she were still alive, also. 

We all flew out to attend her burial and celebration of life, and it was so good to be able to share stories and reflect on the incredible impact she had on the lives of all her loved ones. I hope to carry her legacy of making everyone in the room feel important and listened to, of loving nature and going for walks for as long as my body will let me, of treasuring education and being curious and learning all I can. Most of all, I want to be the sort of person who makes those around me feel seen, looked at, listened to, cared about. She was so good at that.  

We came home and that same weekend had the youth over for a fireside. After the lesson about For the Strength of Youth and a chat about making Jesus our foundation, we filled 500 eggs for an upcoming tri-ward Easter activity and we painted rocks. 

Then it was St. Patrick's Day. I made rainbow food and we had sports games. I played Irish jig music all day long. 

I went to a salon to get my eyebrows dyed for an upcoming trip and spent the next twelve hours hiding behind my glasses. I looked absolutely ridiculous, like a doofus! 

Gratefully, they looked a million times better the next day. Phew! I was so mortified to meet up with old friends and look like a literal clown. 

We had Grandma Holley snacks out on March 21st to celebrate her birthday. 

Todd and I went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise with old dinner group friends. Jill and Mitch Dabo, Amy and Jon Naseath, and Jamie and Kris Johnson. We had such a satisfying time. It truly was relaxing and so much fun. My mom came out and stayed with the kids. 

Our first island was Tortola. We rented a car to explore the island. That was the first adventure! It was not driving well and made a beeping sound whenever we were moving. We made it halfway through the day before we realized the parking break was on! 

We went to a gorgeous beach and floated in the water, catching up with each other and enjoying the scenery. 

At Antigua, Todd and I split off from the group and went scuba diving. We saw several nurse and reef sharks, and Todd and I even touched one! We also saw a sea turtle, giant lobster, beautiful coral, and plenty of tropical fish. 

Back on the ship, Todd blew through the rock climbing, we watched the ship pull out to sea, and we met up with the group for dinner and games. 

Amy made some crazy comment asking if anyone was doing naked handstands in their room, which inspired Todd. He cracks me up. He spent lots of time naked on our balcony as well. 

Day three was at Barbados. We took a snorkel tour to see sea turtles and a shipwreck. I couldn't believe how many fish were at the shipwreck! I guess coral grows on it and creates a whole new environment for the sea life. It was cool to see. 

Todd took our phone underwater in a case and got some fun pictures and video. He did a great job documenting for this trip! 

The Dabos stayed on the ship the day we saw St. Lucia because they had taken their kids there recently and they were looking forward to a quiet day at sea. Meanwhile, Todd and I thought one of the best features of this particular cruise was that there was a port to see every single day. 

St. Lucia has these super beautiful volcano peaks, the Petit Piton and the Grande Piton. They really made for stunning scenery. Todd wanted to climb the Petit Piton, but as it was basically a sheer vertical climb with a rope, I said no. 

We went to the mud baths, which was a funky and enjoyable experience. There were buckets of mud that we dipped our hands in to spread it all over ourselves - dark and light mud, so we could make designs on our skin. Then we got in the hot spring baths. We came out stinky, but also feeling like our skin was softer. 

We went to a couple hot spring waterfalls after the mud baths. Felt lots cleaner after that, plus we threw our mud bath swimsuits in the garbage and wore fresh suits. 

The last waterfall was off the beaten path. We took a rough drive down a narrow road, walked past an unmanned checkpoint, and had the place to ourselves. Todd ate rotten fruit off the ground and and an unripe plantain he picked off a tree. 

St Maartens was a crazy day - both my most and my least favorite of the week. It was blazing hot and I got quite sunburned. Also, we rented scooters and drove them all over the beautiful island, taking in the sights and enjoying the wind and the adventure. We had expensive lunch at a spot with breathtaking panoramic views and scrumptious French food. And we accidentally rode to a nude beach on our search for a natural blowhole. 

Our last day we chartered a private boat at St. Thomas - the captain, Steve, was happy to take us all over the Virgin Island area. He took us to a unique spot for lunch - a floating taco truck. We had to swim over to sit in the lily pads to eat. One caveat: it started raining as we arrived, and rather than pass quickly, it turned into a downpour with no end in sight! It was warmer in the water, so Amy, Jill, and I had a dance party in the water. Sadly, the Johnsons sat on the lily pad shivering and took the rest of the afternoon to warm back up. 

We found a couple different spots to snorkel and got to watch a sea turtle feasting on sea grass. Todd and Jon also found a bat ray and a school of squid. 

There was fun entertainment on the boat nearly every night, but the Beatles tribute band the last night was my favorite. We also played games up at the Garden Cafe buffet three or four nights during the week. That was lots of fun. Overall, it was a very satisfying adult trip and I left feeling like I really got lucky with Todd. 

I had a day and a half at home to spend time with my mom before she flew back to Utah. My favorite part of that visit was our walk to Marshland, where we sat and watched and listened to the birds for half an hour or so. It was so incredibly peaceful.