The Christensen Family: August 2020

Summer Co-Vid Changes

The CoVid19 pandemic changed lots of things in the restaurants. Tables had to be 6 feet from other tables and if not, a barrier had to be put up. The above picture is taken at China Star where they draped a plastic sheet across their center divider and posted their menu at each table.

The Ballard Ward Relief Society held an outdoor workout class twice a week at the park since we couldn't go into church buildings. I brought my family along and we truly got whipped every time we went. We were sore for days. It was fun and I learned a lot and got stronger! In fact, I decided to continue my own strength training regimen at home in the Fall.

This picture was taken in Walmart where they were implementing social-distancing reminders. They wanted everyone to keep traffic flowing one direction in the aisles, but HAHAHA! Yeah right! No one did that. At one point, masks were mandated and people were turned away if they did not put a mask on. People where we live were none too happy about that rule. They felt their freedoms were being trampled on.

Father's Day

Amara does a wonderful job of making people feel special, especially on holidays. For Father's Day she decorated the house with homemade decorations and made a Father's Day whiteboard card.

As you can see, we have a Sunday Worship service outline. Church was to be held in our homes and we did our best to really turn our home into a place where the spirit could be present. It was one of my favorite things that happened during the pandemic.

There was some gorgeous lettuce ready for our Father's Day meals.

We made this awesome poster card for Steve using some goodies he likes. It is supposed to be sung to the tune "Bye Bye Miss American Pie." Lyrics: Bye, bye little Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies! Drove my Hyundai 'round at noonday, and that noonday was fine! And good ol' kids were salivating in rhyme, singing lemon drops make a good tiiime! Black licorice is a favorite of mine.

Random Summer Goodness

I think these pictures speak for themselves.

Bekah's Wedding Reception

Funny little side story... So, we drove 2.5 hours to go to Bekah's wedding. As we rolled into town, we had just enough time to grab a bite at Del Taco. Amara got a big burger and actually ate it! That's the good news. The bad news is she spilled her drink in her lap and on her new jumper outfit. Good news: the drink was just water. Bad news: it truly appeared that she wet her pants.

As you can see, we made it to the reception and found a nice private spot away from the main party where Amara could feel comfortable and Pippin could be Pippin.

Here's some pics from the reception.

Aw!! A couple that sings together. Love it!

Selfie with the Bride and Groom

Fun Times at the Christensen Reunion

We did paper bag skits, and boy~ we have got some serious TALENT in the drama department! Every skit was entertaining and well done!

We painted to a Bob Ross tutorial.

Steve's special: Hot cakes with berry syrup and topped with a slice of cheesecake.

We loved playing 9 square in the air again!

Ninja was ready to eat Pippin at any moment.

There was a serious Boggle tournament.

Amara loved the "hot tub" which was cooled to the temperature of a comfortable warm pool.

The park across the street was a fabulous place to enjoy some green space in the evenings.

And Grandma's backyard was an oasis where we could play croquet.

I took a little side trip in the evening with Steve's mom and sisters to go see the temple in Saratoga Springs getting built.

Camping Reunion With the Laurets

Right after the Christensen Reunion, we headed to the Lauret Reunion. It was a beautiful place in the pines called Bear Canyon Campground, up Nephi canyon. It was beautiful. I prayed there would be no bears. And although we heard a LOT of rustling in the night, there were no bear sightings. I know there were mice under our tent, some animal rubbing up against our tent walls, and some deer. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very deeply. One unfortunate thing to add: our running-water-bathrooms with flush toilets were out of water and closed! So we had to trek to an outhouse at another campground. Those were the ONLY downsides. Oh! And the downpour we had when cooking dinner one night with no place to take shelter. Even after I dried out by the fire that evening, I was still chilled to the bone. OK, let's be honest. I love camping, but there's a reason it's called "roughing it."

It was good times with a campfire, delicious food, and fun family times. The kids were often off playing in the trees or the river bed with their uncles.