Inktober Marathon 2020

I did it. All 31 days. In some ways, drawing the pictures in my notebook throughout the month of October was therapeutic, especially once we got the news about Zak's dad passing away. Zak has been doing sketches and inks to the Inktober prompts for the last few years, and it always sounded interesting but very daunting to me. Since I do believe Picasso's words, "Every child is an artist..." I decided to do my very simplified Baymax-style drawings this year and see if I could make it. I did have to catch up a few times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

1. Fish

2. Wisp

3. Bulky

4. Radio

5. Blade

6. Rodent

7. Fancy

8. Teeth

9. Throw

10. Hope

11. Disgusting

12. Slippery

13. Dune

14. Armor

15. Outpost

16. Rocket

17. Storm

18. Trap

19. Dizzy

20. Coral

21. Sleep

22. Chef

23. Rip

24. Dig

25. Buddy

26. Hide

27. Music

28. Float

29. Shoes

30. Ominous

31. Crawl

Flat Tire in the Parking Lot

We became mini-vanners last year, and have had very few problems with our 2006 go-to vehicle. We did replace some parts earlier this week on it, and then after our date walking around IKEA today, some of the pedestrians in the parking lot waved us down to say one of our tires had flattened.

Heavenly Father blessed us in many ways today. Firstly, my amazing husband was with me in the van I often drive with the kids. Secondly, the snow which fell earlier and later in the day had taken a break. Thirdly, the kids were on a trip with Grandma and Grandpa. Fourthly, we had the vehicle manual to explain how to access the spare tire. Fifthly, we did actually have a spare tire and a jack. Sixthly, it happened in the parking lot after we'd finished our errands, rather than on the freeway or during a drive we plan to take on Sunday. Seventhly, we had an extra black jacket and some sneakers for kneeling. I'm very blessed.

Embarrassingly, the first time I had a flat tire, I didn't even stop. I tried to give a friend a ride home, only to feel something wobbly as I drove. I turned around to go back to our friend's house, when my tire popped off of my silvery blue 1986 Chevy Cavalier .We walked the rest of the way to the friend's house, and I called for a ride. I didn't even think to replace the tire, which as a teenager who owned the car, I should have thought to do. During the winter we're not supposed to park on the road, in case the roads need to be cleared by a plow, so in the middle of the night, the police called my parents' house to ask why my car was on the side of the road, and that it needed to be moved. Around 1:00 A.M. my dad and I drove there to put on the spare and take it to a shop. Apparently, driving on a flat and turning isn't the best idea, and I had ruined the rim already. It all worked out in the end, but I do feel bad for inconveniencing my dad when I should have tried to do it myself in the first place. Thanks for your help, Dad. I still remember many of the inconvenient ways you've helped throughout my troublesome life (although I'm sure I don't remember the majority of the times you've helped me in abundance). I love you, Dad.

Thanks, Zak, for helping me again so I didn't ruin our van. You are knowledgable beyond measure.

33 Years

Many years ago, Dad had a friend, "Cheetah," who moved to the next town over and became friends with Mom. In adulthood, Mom would arrange a date for Cheetah when he would find a double date for her. After a family get-together in 1981, Cheetah was bored and moved up a planned date for that Thanksgiving Day. Dale met Alice.

Dale proposed in February, and they were married in August. After nine moves in two states, five kids and a quasi-daughter, one miscarriage, numerous jobs and church callings, hundreds of campouts, a masters degree, one self-built observatory, four deceased parents, one grandkid with another on the way, and countless removed rocks, chore charts, and weeds pulled, Alice and Dale celebrate 33 years of marriage.

I've seen Dad kneeling to pray at the foot of the bed, Mom staying up to do the dishes, the two of them at the table going over taxes and budgets, Mom and then Dad standing at the church podium to give talks, our family sitting together to read scriptures three verses at a time, flowers on the countertop to celebrate anniversaries, and the infamous "gunny bag" held by one and enforced by the other to take away toys we kids neglected to put away after numerous warnings. We are a family of shouters, clenched teeth, door slammers, and incidents remembered, but my parents work together. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your example of a strong, everlasting marriage, improving every year.