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.