My little bird flies the coop

Today my littlest bird flies the coop. About as far as a person can go. Amy and Todd leave today for Cambodia. They will be in LA for a couple of days and will actually be in the Seoul, South Korea airport the SAME day as Riley but they won't see each other. He is coming back from Mongolia and has a five-hour layover there but they don't get there until after he leaves. He won't see her for four months.

This will be the first time Amy and I have been away from each other longer than three weeks. It's only three months. It's only three months. But still, that's a long time when I've come to depend on Amy for laughs, giggles, crazy faces, a strange doll hiding in my sock drawer, meows, texts, shoulder gnaws, dinners out, talking on the lawn at grandma's with the neighbor's dogs licking her toes and about a thousand other things. She's taking her Wonder Woman attitude (not the underwear, I think it's in a box somewhere) from 3-year-old Amy to the other side of the world.

When Jason left on his mission, I had a hard time emotionally. I knew he was doing what he needed to do, but Taiwan was an awful long way for him to go. I kept an unwashed shirt of his in a zip-loc bag so I could smell "him" when I was missing him a lot. It helped. (I don't care if anyone thinks that's crazy, it helped.) When you have a missionary out you are strengthened by Heavenly Father so the "missing" isn't so bad. It was the same with Andrea who left for 18 months on her mission. I missed her terribly. I didn't know how I would live without her smile, her fun guitar songs, her lively personality. But I did. Two of the best days in my life were reuniting with Jason in the mission home in Taiwan and running down the long driveway at the mission home in Argentina to experience a group hug with Andrea and Amy as Riley took pictures. Back with my kids again. The gap was closed.

Now the gap opens. Todd is shooting a documentary about orphans. They will live in the orphanage with the kids. They will meet the king of Cambodia. They might meet Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - also part of the documentary. They will eat Cambodian food. Amy will teach art and English to little people. What an adventure!

And they will be able to video chat, I hope. Something we couldn't do with Jason or Andrea. I video chat with Riley in Mongolia and it helps but I still know there's a half a world between us. And yet, I want her to go. This is the first great adventure of their lifetime. I'm sure there will be many, seeing as how Todd is going to be a famous international film director. I want her to love the people there, to endear herself with the kids, to teach them as they teach her. I want her to savor the foods, the sights, the sounds and the way of life. One thing I've learned about travel is there is a big, wonderful world beyond Provo, Utah. Like Austin, Texas and San Francisco and Maupiti. And all these places make up the experiences of our life and introduced new beloved friends to our lives. So it will happen for Todd and Amy. They will be a part of Cambodia. It's only three months.

Update on list for July

Riley gets home this Thursday so I still have time to do a few of these. Updates on my to-do list for July:

1) Go to the temple once a week - going tomorrow. Didn't do - The Provo Temple closed two days after I went the first time. I guess I could have gone to the Timpanogos Temple. Guess I could go this week ...
2) Start my book (on winning contests) - I have a list and the beginning. Hmmm. Could have done better on this ...
3) File the paperwork. I hate paperwork. DONE!
4) Put shelf liners in my cupboards (thanks Tamara). DONE!
5) Catch up on ironing. Did this tonight. DONE!
6) Clean out the storeroom - not really clean it OUT, just tidy it up. DONE!
7) Get the Tomb Room back in shape for guests. Amy helped with this and I've almost got it finished. DONE!
8) Eat better and exercise more. Hmmm. Well, I have been walking a couple times a week and weeding the garden - that counts, right? And I did walk 5 miles yesterday with Andrea. Now my hips and feet are paying for it. Eating better? Mostly. I could have lost a few pounds while Riley was gone. But I didn't. Oh well. I am eating more fruits and less candy now.
9) Keep the garden watered and weeded. I'm most proud about this. Every year when Riley is gone I weed twice - once halfway through his trip and once the day before he gets home. After weeding every few days this time, I've realized it's easier to knock out a few weeds than spend hours working at tons of them. Made me think about other crud in life - don't get so deep in negative things that it takes a lot of work to get out. Weed out the mistakes and sins before they pile up. I know. Profound.
10) Finish a project at work. Not done - but closer to getting done. Hopefully it will be done this week.
11) Get family reunion things ready. Hooray - I've done a lot on this. The theme is Wizard of Oz and I've planned some FUN stuff. I got lots of Oz stuff ready this weekend and I've been to the cabin three times to water and clean. My sister went last time and helped so the place is spiffy!

I am a goal setter. A list writer. It helps me to have it in ink so I can look at it and think about how to get it done. With Riley gone I've had a lot of alone time so things should be easier to do. Yet, I procrastinate some things. Looking at my list it seems I can do the tangible, mundane things but when it comes to "me" time - exercise, my book or going to the temple, I put those things last. I need to change that.

Riley on the other side of the world

This is the sixth year Riley has gone to Mongolia for a month. It's usually the whole month of July. I miss him. He left Monday and I was OK the first couple of nights - working Monday, at camp Tuesday, exhausted Wednesday from no sleep at camp. I have plenty to do (I'm going to make a list, wait for it ...) but it's just not fun having him gone. Like the Jerry McGuire movie, he completes me. Corny, but true.

I decided to make some goals for while he's gone:
1) Go to the temple once a week - going tomorrow.
2) Start my book (on winning contests) - I have a list and the beginning.
3) File the paperwork. I hate paperwork.
4) Put shelf liners in my cupboards (thanks Tamara).
5) Catch up on ironing. Did this tonight.
6) Clean out the storeroom - not really clean it OUT, just tidy it up.
7) Get the Tomb Room back in shape for guests. Amy helped with this and I've almost got it finished.
8) Eat better and exercise more.
9) Keep the garden watered and weeded.
10) Finish a project at work.
11) Get family reunion things ready.

I'll probably have to come up with some more goals since I've almost finished a couple. Plus I have fun people to play with this month and I'm sure I'll be needed at mom's. I just don't like not talking to Riley. I have to wait until July 10th or 11th to hear from him now since he's out in the middle of nowhere. Be safe and come home. That should be an easy goal for him.