Wrapping Up October 2025

October 2025

Happy 76th birthday to my beautiful mom. She had lots of family and a couple of friends stop by on her b-day weekend with cards, gifts, and balloons. I don't think she was particularly interested in any of it, but we were interested in celebrating her. 

Bri and I gave her these cute green striped pajamas, and this picture is one of my favorites of her from this month. I love that she is busy taking care of her baby and folding laundry. In Alzheimer's meetings, they always mention trying to provide activities your loved one used to enjoy doing. She knows, from all her years of love and sacrifice, how to be a good homemaker and mother. It's nice when she has moments of clarity, usually in a couple of 5-minute stretches per day, where she can enjoy loving and serving her family.

My great nephew, Lincoln, turned 8 in September, but we didn't get to celebrate as a family until early October. His great uncle, Adam, is also his bishop. Bishop Bird gave him this baptism book to help celebrate this special birthday.

Lincoln is ALL about the BYU Cougars. I made him a jersey in early September, and I was so excited to give it to him for his b-day. It was killing me that the family birthday celebration kept getting pushed back because I wanted him to be able to wear it on game days. He loves his new jersey, and Adam says he wears it every single day.

After watching (well, really half listening to while Bryn, Derek, and Brian watched) the first BYU game of the season on August 30th, I went with #11, Parker Kingston's number. I kept hearing his name being announced. Since then, I've watched him make huge plays and score so many touchdowns. I appreciate him not letting me or Lincoln down on the number representation.

And can we just say RISE AND SHOUT?! BYU is ranked #10 in the national polls, and our record is 8-0. It's such a fun year for Aubrey to be on campus. She has been able to get tickets to every home game but one. Parker has driven up from Rexburg for two of the games. Ironically, Parker, who goes to BYUI, was able to attend the BYU vs UofU game, which Aubrey watched with a group in the dorms. She was jealous.

After the win against Utah, a ton of the students stormed the field, and Park loved being part of the action.

Next weekend, Tanner and family have tickets to the BYU/Texas Tech game in Lubbock. Brian and I are feeling the FOMO, but our schedules weren't open. (I'm helping with my mom while my dad is in Utah, and Bri has to work that weekend.) I've been teasing Erin because she will be cheering for Texas Tech instead of BYU. She just sweetly smiles, shrugs and says, "It's my school." (And I LOVE that for her...so proud that she was accepted into the nursing program.)

My weekly mornings with Kaide are going strong. One of my favorite days this month was when he talked to me about all the things he was looking forward to doing the next day together. "It will be so fun on Gigi and Kaide day. We play animal game and go see monster house. We do ostacle course (obstacle)." Made my DAY that he knew what our special day was called, and he was looking forward to it.

Our ward was in charge of putting together a zone conference lunch for 45 missionaries, and I was tasked with heading it up. Food is not my strength, but after serving the past decade in both ward and stake Relief Society presidencies, I have learned a few things along the way. I know some good go-to menus and serving suggestions that make things easier, and even more importantly, there are always amazing ladies who are willing to help. 

These ladies are the best. They are all my friends, and I really appreciate them answering my plea for help on our ward RS Facebook page. I am currently serving in the Odessa 1st RS presidency with Debbie Carlston.  Airi Billings, Emily Ormsby and I served together for a number of years in the 4th ward RS presidency. We put together a baked potato bar with mac and cheese and grapes for the side, and ice cream bars for dessert. Even though we kept it simple, it was still so much work. We had a lot of fun visiting together while we served our hard working elders and sisters.

Airi, Debbie, me and Emily

Lucie is in the Red Sox shirt next to me.

Speaking of missionaries....the super sweet Lucie Packer stopped by with her family. She was released from the Texas Lubbock Mission in February, and she was traveling with her family to visit all of her areas. She is good friends with our niece, Lindsey, so it was really exciting when she was assigned to serve in our ward. She and her companion helped us decorate for Tanner and Erin's wedding and serve at the reception. (Here is that blog post.) We enjoyed catching up with her and getting to meet her family.

Also, I have had the chance to visit with Chris and Ang a few of times this month, which has been great. Once Chris FaceTimed me, and the other two times, I just happened to be at my parents. We miss them. Parker, Brian, and I are looking at going back to Parker's mission in Ghana this April, and we will fly to Senegal or Cote d'Ivoire and visit them too. It's exciting to think about.

An evening walk with my guy. I always try to show Kaide the shadows when we go on walks, but usually our walks are in the daytime. I thought this was one pretty cool and sent it his way.

Confession...I took some illegal pictures during church one Sunday. The opening song was "I am a Child of God," and when Kaide heard it, he broke into the sweetest smile and then began to sing.

The Primary program was last week, and Kaide was pretty interested, especially when he saw his two friends on the stand. (Noah Vore-cousin and Emi Norton). They both were waving at him at times throughout the presentation. Kaide earnestly told me, "I want to sing." I think what he was really saying was, "I want to be up there with all of the other kids."

It was so cute watching him longingly watching the Primary children.

Also, Tanner left at the beginning of the meeting and never returned. Later, I asked him where he was. He noticed a friend of theirs from the other ward struggling to watch their daughter in the program because their one-year-old child was fussy. Tanner took care of their little boy in the cultural hall. It was very thoughtful of Tanner, and it made me proud. He's always been a kind friend.

And to wrap up October, here are a few Halloween pictures.

The cutest three bears: My nephew Joseph and his wife Kate with their brand new baby Wells.

Spidey! Almost every picture I've seen of Kaide from Halloween, he is glancing sideways. There is so much to see for Halloween.

Noah (his cousin on Erin’s side) and Kaide

Adam and Megan dressed up as Chris and Ang--epic!

Bryn went to her elementary school as a flapper, and Derek went to his high school as a judge.

These beautiful girls were cheetahs. Aubrey is on the far right.

Parker, far right, and friends went to Lagoon to celebrate Halloween.

I’m grateful for another month full of family time, service, and sweet moments with the people I love. I feel so blessed for all the ways I have to keep in touch with my family members who aren't living close. Life is good.

General Conference October 2025

October 2025

General Conference...one of my very favorite times of the year. I love hearing the counsel of apostles, prophets, and other leaders. It's a good spiritual reminder for me to do better and be better. I jotted down a few lines from each talk, but I also tried to take another step and write down what I was feeling moved to do. Here are a few thoughts: 

-make more of an effort to teach Kaide (and future grandkids) Primary songs (His parents are taking care of this too...but just a little, but an important way I can be involved.)

-be more diligent with my personal scripture study and prayer

-When I encounter people with big problems, it can often feel overwhelming. There is no quick fix, but I can make a big difference if I can love them like Christ would.

-be stalwart and diligent/don't let my testimony weaken

-Use study apps in tools to help me as I study The Book of Mormon

We invited Sandy McKown to join us for the Saturday and Sunday morning sessions. She expressed so much gratitude for being able to watch with friends. She is just as fun and humorous as she was when she was my Young Women's leader back in the day. 

We had the missionaries and one of their friends, Lupe, join us on Saturday morning. I set out a spread on the bar: sandwich stuff, a veggie tray, grapes, and some mini cheesecakes. Bri and I watched Saturday afternoon alone, and I cleaned windows while listening to the Saturday evening session. Finally, we had the Superest Super Bowl with the Birds for the Sunday afternoon session. Whew! Ten hours of General Conference makes for a full and inspirational weekend.

I kind of love this picture because it's real life. It's nice to be able to enjoy church curled up on the couch with warm blankets and good treats.  We also took turns quietly playing with Kaide, who was a trooper. 

At one point, we pulled out his balance bike Papa got him, and he practiced riding from one end of the house to the other during the Sunday morning session of conference. 

The Superest Super Bowl gathering was small this year. Adam, Megan, and their crew were sick and so was Brian. Tanner and Erin watched with several young families from church. Brit and Adam still provided an amazing spread of food, and my parents and I added some to it. Then we feasted on food and conference. 

I was cracking up because President Oaks' announcement of no new temples caused a pretty vocal reaction. Brit's kids had filled out a "Fantasy Conference" sheet the day before and had all guessed there would be 10-15 new temples announced. They threw their arms up and started talking all at once about the injustice of no new temples. I was thinking, "Wow, the Bird cousins are passionate about new temples." I personally was looking forward to what new temples would be announced. Then I realized there was another level to why they were freaking out; no one earned extra points on their conference game. Pretty funny.

Here are some of the notes I jotted down from President Oaks' remarks. 

Some of Ella's adorable notes. It's impressive what a ten-year-old can feel and learn while watching General Conference.

(Printed note taking page and fantasy conference idea/pages came from https://kristenwalkersmith.com)

I am re-listening to the conference talks and really looking forward to my conference journal coming in so I can begin diving deeper into the doctrine taught and counsel given.

Fall Break Fun with the Merkleys!

My sister Becky and her kiddos came to town for a couple of days. Since we currently have three open bedrooms, I quickly invited them to stay here and am so glad they accepted. It gave us a few more opportunities to interact with the cute Merkley cousins and to have some one on one time. It also gave Brian and me an incentive to step it up, both inside and outside of the house, with tasks like light bulb replacements, decluttering, and yard work.

The Merks arrived just in time for our Sunday night family gathering. We enjoyed visiting, games, and outback fun.

Hud, Blair, Griffin, Becca, Braddock & Char

On Monday, we had a "true" Taco Villa Monday lunch, which for once took place both on a Monday and at Taco Villa. 

Left: Hudson, Tanner, Erin F. Gwilliam, Kaide, Gram, Grandpa, Perry & ?, Right: Braddock, Griffin, Brit, Beck, Kerry, me (hidden), Ella & Char 

My brother Kerry even made an appearance!

They filled the two days with lots of hanging out at the Birds' and visiting Gram and Grandpa. They also fit in a morning at a trampoline park, an afternoon at the movies, and the older boys participated in a youth service project and played arcade games at Cinergy. I'm glad for Brintey's kids especially, because these are the only cousins they have on either side that are their age. It's really fun watching them all hang out together.

One afternoon, Becky, Brit, Kerry, and I visited on the porch while the girls and Sutton did a paint-along video class on YouTube. They were all in for 1.5 hours, and their painting turned out so well. 

Cousin picture at the trampoline park. They were hot, sweaty, and happy.

Back row: Griffin, Hudson, & Braddock  Middle row: Blair, Charlotte, Ella, & Perry  Front row: Sutton, Lincoln, Christian, Gracie & Kaide

I really love this picture of us on our group walk. I was officially helping with my mom all day on Tuesday, so my dad and the girls decided to bring lunch to us rather than go out to eat. It was thoughtful, and I was glad not to miss out on the together time. Kerry stopped by also-fun times!

Before the Merks headed back to Lucas, I asked Perry and Sutton to help me pick some tomatoes in the garden. They were pros. 

I got a quick picture of Brian with Blair before he headed off to work. Twinning!

We sure do love our Merkley family, and I am so glad they were able to squeeze in an Odessa stop on their fall break.

Empty Nester Diaries: September Highlights

September 2025

Everyone keeps asking me how it feels to have an empty nest, and to be honest, so far it feels a lot the same. Aubrey did a good job of weaning us over the past several months. She worked 3-10 pm four evenings a week and was often hanging out with friends the other two. Luckily, some of those hangouts were at our house, and we also enjoyed being with our Aub Daub on Sundays. I think another huge help for me is that Tanner and his family live here. It's awesome that we are in the same ward, and that they join us for dinner and FHE on Sunday evenings. Tanner and Kaide will usually stop by at least one other time during the week, which is the best.

I am filling my days with work on Tuesdays and Fridays, working out, service opportunities, walks alone or with friends, house cleaning, bills, my t-shirt business, blogging, family lunches, phone calls/Marco Polo chats with my out-of-town kids, and my new calling as ward Relief Society 1st counselor.  Brian and I get to visit about our days in each evening, and we occasionally play a couple of games or find a show to watch together. So my "empty nest" life goes on one day at a time.

Aurelia Muniz, me and Bro. Jesus Rodriguez (wearing the hat)

We had our big Just Serve stake Relief Society activity this month. I enjoyed volunteering at the English Connect class at church a couple of times. The first week, I was trying to help a lady from Cuba who spoke no English. It was rough! The second week, I was helping Brother Rodriguez from Odessa 3rd who could actually speak English pretty well. He may have even been there to help other people?! I'm not sure, but we had a great time visiting about his family, and he did get to practice his everyday English.

Erin and I also went to the Sibley Nature Center to help with gardening. We signed up for this one last year as well. It was really nice to be outside, and it's a good one for Kaide to join in as well. 

The last few years, I have been serving in the stake RS and have been on the organizing end of things. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty sweet to just be able to participate this year! (I did make the 330 shirts for the event, but I did get paid for that so it doesn't really count. My small business is another thing keeping my occupied while empty nesting though.) These were most of the Odessa 1st Ward sisters who made it to the luncheon in Midland. I love these ladies. 

I wore a 2023 shirt because I stained mine right before the luncheon.
Back row: Tylor Current, Shari Martin, Cathy Bonifay, Debbie Carlston, & Ashley Sequeira
Front row: me, Anna Guidry, Sandy McKown, Blanca Hendricks, Melanie Ormsby

Here are some other notable September happenings.

Parker and Tanner had a boys' trip this month. Parker drove to Minnesota with some of his BYUI friends, and Tanner flew out for a few days to join in the fun. They enjoyed boating, fishing, golfing, and more. It was fun to get picture updates to our family group text. It was clear they were having a great time together. (From this picture, it might not seem that Tanner is having fun, but everyone who knows Tanner knows that this is his picture taking smile--crazy kid.)

 

According to Tanner, Park caught the smallest and the largest fish.

Tanner wished he could have fished more. He was also glad to add some infamous, in Parker's circle anyway, "Ben's Bait" gear to his wardrobe. He bought a hat and a jacket.

While I'm talking about Tanner. He is such a good Dada. I love seeing him interact with Kaide. Usually, they are doing something active together like playing football or soccer. In this picture, Tanner was sharing a Family Home Evening lesson he adapted from the Friend magazine.

Erin is the sweetest mama too. She is very attentive with Kaide and takes the time to get on his level when she has something she needs to explain. She has had a calling in Primary the past couple of years, and I just think those kiddos are so lucky to have her. She received some big news this month....drum roll please....she got into Texas Tech nursing school and will be starting in January!

Tanner had his 21st birthday. We had a little celebration with a candy bar cake and gifts on Sunday night after our dinner. 

Some Gigi and Kaide day highlights:

We played hide and seek, and it was the most adorable thing. He had the hardest time finding me, even if I was curled up in a ball beside the couch. Also, he hid in the exact same place each time. It was really tricky to find him! 

We were having the missionaries for dinner that evening, so Kaide helped me make some cookies. He wasn't interested for long, but it was still fun to try something new together.

We have also been enjoying obstacle courses. We have an outdoor chalk course we draw or a more elaborate/physical indoor course that we set up.

-You can watch an outdoor video here: Chalk Obstacle Course (I love his backed-up running start.)

-Here is a video of The Inside Obstacle Course. I love the lunge he wanted to add right after his first jump off the bench.

His "animal game" (charades) obsession is finally easing, and we've been able to introduce some other options like a modified version of Guess Who.

Also, here is a cute picture of Kaide and Papa at a Friday night football game.

Moving on to Aubrey. She is loving her BYU life and is settling into her classes and becoming better friends with her roommate, Hannah. They made this giant cardboard cutout of whoever this guy is. They also made a "hot guys wall" for their apartment. Silly girls.

She recently received her first calling: ward mission committee. The bishopric member told her they would need to get creative because there was only one person in their boundaries who was not a member of the church. She is excited to work with Alex, the ward mission leader, because he is one of her good friends.

Anja, Hannah, Aubrey, and Lauren

Parker started back at BYUI mid-September. He is doing an on campus internship/entrepreneur class for his business minor that makes up the majority of his credits this semester. He has several friends taking this course right now too. He thinks it will be a pretty cool experience. 

He is also living his best life in nature. He loves all of the outdoor opportunities Idaho provides. He often sends pictures like this with very brief explanations or none at all.  

Salmon run

He gave no explanation, but I think it might be the Garden of Eden.

Park recently deeply bruised his eardrum after trying a new trick off the diving board and slamming into the water. It was very painful. He had drainage for over a week and couldn't hear out of his right ear.  He went to the doctor first and then to a specialist when there was no improvement.  He also had an eye infection in August from wearing his contacts too long. 

Two words: FRONTAL LOBE.

Okay, more than two words, I hope Parker survives himself. I think he feels invincible, and I hope he can mature more quickly before he incurs permanent bodily damage.

On to lighter topics...

Aren't these two lovebirds cute? Derek recently started student teaching at Wasatch High School, and they decided to go to a football game there for date night. Derek seems to really be enjoying the challenges of preparing lessons and teaching history to high school students.

Brinley started her externship teaching speech at an elementary school. She is loving it. She is also so grateful she is feeling much better pregnancy-wise although she feels much more tired each day.

Also, Brinley celebrated her 25th birthday this month. We sent her a necklace, maternity shirts, and a couple of gift cards. We also had to include a couple of tiny baby outfits! (The Expo markers and a few other random school supplies were for Derek and his teaching semester.)

And lastly....good news....Kaide decided to finally give his Spider-Man birthday costume a try. He still isn't too sure about it though. He says he just wants to be Kaide.