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.

February 2025 Recap

February 2025 Recap:

Parker has been a trooper with his knee surgery, which repaired his meniscus and ACL. He has been nonweight-bearing and in a brace that keeps his leg completely straight. He has basically spent 6 solid weeks sitting on our living room couch. He has always been happier when he was busier. He likes people, new places, fun activities and adventure.  

None of that occurred on this brown couch, but he hasn't complained. He has worked on his BYUI online classes, gone to therapy and faithfully done therapy at home. He has patiently waited for someone to bring him breakfast or lunch or a drink of water. He has started and stopped lots of Netflix series and started and finished lots of others. He has Facetimed roommates and counted the days he could get the heck out of Dodge.

Halfway through February his hard work and patience paid off, and he was able to go back to Rexburg. This picture makes my momma heart so happy! He was able to fly with a friend who has his pilot's license. I can just feel Parker's joy.  FREEDOM!

The same week Parker flew back to school, Brian and I headed to Austin for a catheter oblation procedure he needed for his heart. (PVC issues)  Everything went well and the best part of the trip was going out to dinner with Linda Vore. She is a ball of energy, light, and positivity, and we don't get to see each other enough. The three of us talked for two hours straight, and it was awesome to catch up on life.

I tried to get Brian to call our Austin trip 'good' for my birthday, and I thought I succeeded, but I did not. He surprised me with a Ninja blender I had been eyeing but just couldn't pull the trigger on. I love it! It has a 32 oz single-serve cup that attaches to the blender and makes it super convenient to make one or two servings of protein shakes or fruit smoothies. With only three of us at home, individual portions are becoming more and more of a thing.

I also woke up to this cute setup from Aub Daub along with a really sweet homemade card. In addition to mentioning some attributes she admired, she had coupons good for playing games and going on walks: two things I love but she does not. I am definitely going to be cashing those in.

Brinley and Derek worked through Aubrey to have a gift waiting for me when I got home from work: a pretty candle and yummy TruFru (frozen chocolate covered strawberries). Parker called to wish me a happy birthday, and when he didn't reach me on my birthday, he followed up the next day. We had a great phone chat. Tanner stopped by my parents and gave me a sweet card from his fam with a thoughtful gift: several massage gift cards! Ang, my dad, and Brit helped me celebrate with thoughtful gifts, and lots of friends texted or dropped a little something by the house. Overall, I felt very loved by family and friends.

Not one, not two, but FIVE gift cards for a massage--can't wait!

In February I added a lot of extra work hours. My dad took a trip with Chris and Ang on a ten day European river cruise. I'm glad he had the chance to have a little break from the day-to-day of life. 

In addition to my 8-5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I volunteered to cover the 8 pm to midnight time. I think I worked almost 70 hours in the first seven days. The crazy days were Tuesdays and Fridays when I worked from 8 am to midnight. Brian was really good at relieving me for a few hours some evenings so I could leave my parents house. (I felt a little like Parker...stuck on the brown couch!) I would go outside for a brisk walk, run errands, wander around my own home and have time to visit with Aubrey. It was blessing to be with my mom so much and also to have the extra income for our family.  

She usually can't express her feelings, and for the most part, she seemed pretty good while my dad was gone. She just is living in her own world/mind for a lot of each day. She did ask me one day when I was getting her ready for bed where her husband was. That was pretty sweet because every evening he tucks her in, and they have scriptures and prayer together. They sing a hymn, and he reads to her for a while.  I loved that she was thinking of him and able to express it.

Another time, when he Facetimed, at the end of the call she was able to say, "Come back."  When he did in fact come home, she gave him the cold shoulder for a couple of hours!  She was not happy that he left her. He had to wiggle his way back into her good graces. They love each other, and I am very grateful to get to see some of their sweet interactions in this phase of their lives.

Well, a monthly post would not be complete if it didn't include our favorite grandchild. I love this picture of Kaide. He is thrilled watching this video I sent of me warming up a can of soup. Lately when he comes over, he wants to check out the pantry. He points to each can of food and talks about what is inside. He mixes his own little language with a few words I actually understand, and it's so cute. 

So when I had a bit of the stomach bug and was resorting to soup and crackers and missing this little guy, I sent a video greeting. I walked into the pantry and pointed/described all of his favorite cans of food.  "Oh, look over here. I see the red beans. And here are the oranges.  Ooh, some peaches. Hmm, what sounds good today?" Then I grabbed some soup and videoed myself opening it and pouring it into a bowl.  Then I warmed it up and showed him how much I was enjoying eating it. I was glad Erin captured his reaction and sent me this picture. Pure joy.

When he comes over, in addition to the pantry, he likes to shuffle through the list of fun things to do at GiGi and Papa's: walking down the street to see the monster house, playing catch with the football, bowling, ping pong, visiting Buttercup in the backyard and occasionally things like painting or coloring.  

Brian and I thought it would be fun to take him to the family dance, but Kaide didn't think it was very fun.  The music was blaring, and lots of our friends were approaching us and asking him questions. He wanted nothing to do with it. We grabbed a cookie and retreated to the nursery for the rest of the evening.  We loved that the Bird cousins and a few little kids joined us in there as well.

Hard to tell he is wearing his mittens, but he is! He eats with them, sleeps with them...and goes to family dances with them. Gotta love two year olds!

February also brought a very hard goodbye. My sweet friend, Alma, moved to Pennsylvania to be with her son and daughter-in-law. We started walking at UTPB when she first moved here and a few months later, she began caring for my mom a few days a week. Alma has loved my mom fiercely over the past couple of years and served our family in so many ways. I think she and my mom must have been friends in the preexistence.  They have a beautiful bond.

I made Alma a Shutterfly book filled mostly with pictures of her and my mom with a few others from missionary dinners or Vore family gatherings she attended. I will miss our walks and talks, family dinners (sometimes at her house and sometimes at mine), temple trips, breakfast dates, family history gatherings, RS activities, and of course just visiting when I stop by my parents and she is caring for my mom.

One of the sisters in our ward organized a small going away luncheon which was very thoughtful and a lot of fun. 

Gena, first on the right, went all out in making this luncheon special.

Shari Martin, Melanie Ormsby, Britney Bird, Alma Merriman, Kimberla Payan, Gena Davis, Julie Proctor, Olena Sanders, and me

I don't have any pictures from the newlyweds to share, but Brinley and I call or "Marco Polo" back and forth 4 or 5 days a week, and it's so much fun. She is thriving in the second semester of her Master's degree program, which is nice because she was drowning somewhat during her first semester. Derek is super busy with school, work, and student teaching (practicum) this semester. They moved from a studio apartment in Provo to a two-bedroom apartment in Orem and are so grateful to have more space. They both recently received callings in their new ward. Derek is the executive secretary in Young Men's. I think he is functioning like an additional leader as well as helping keep the Bishop organized when it comes to the youth. Brinley is very excited to serve as the Primary chorister. 

I have been making a lot of shirts this month (150+) to support a loved one fighting cancer for the second time. My dad had a big banner made too and friends and family signed it. She lives several hours away so we can't help much in the day-to-day fight, but we wanted her to know she is loved.

Sunday night gathering at the Birds

Christian

Char, Ella, Braddock

Quetta

Wrapping up February with something that I never would have seen coming: Tanner participating in a fashion show. This is my kid who glares in family pictures. When we saw his middle school picture, Brian whispered to me, "he looks like a kid who would shoot up the school."  

Somehow, someone at UTPB decided he would make the perfect addition to a "what to wear" fashion show. He is a handsome guy-but they just don't know about the no smiling bit when it comes to pictures. He needed to find a place for Kaide for a few hours. Erin had class, and we were going to be out of town. Tanner was interested in participating for the free lunch and the clothes he would get to keep. I still couldn't believe he was so casually mentioning "this modeling thing they want me to do."  Is this my son Tanner? We let Aub skip school to watch Kaide, and luckily a friend from my PTA days was the MC so we even got picture proof. (and look at that handsome mug!)

Tatum Fulbright, Tanner and a sponsor-Tatum told me later he was very well spoken and seemed very driven. That was fun to hear and he is both!

Tanner did mention that the lady running the show kept telling him to smile. I can just imagine his steely glare when he was on the runway. He was somewhat annoyed that he and the other participants didn't get to eat.  The University cleaned it up before they were released from their duties. However, he has been wearing his new suit combo to church, getting lots of compliments and looking so sharp!

Prom 2024

Junior Prom recap from my point of view!

Prom dress shopping is rough these days. The dresses are very scant. When Aubrey visited Lauron in Utah in February, I asked her to take some time and purchase a more modest prom dress there. She and La went to a place or two but mostly had other items on their trip list. She did find one that she loved but they didn't have her size. When she got home, she showed it to us and purchased online.  When it came in, it was a no because it basically had no back...just a few thing satin strings. She looked gorgeous in it but I was hoping for more material covering her back.

Aubrey and I went to every single store in Odessa (population 115,000) and then drove two hours up to Lubbock (population 268,000) to search. The dress she and La found in Utah was starting to look pretty modest. I began to understand Aubrey was not exaggerating when she would angrily growl, "There aren't any modest formal dresses Mom."  

We finally found one at Dillards that she liked and had a bit more coverage. We bought pretty jewelry and shoes. Angelique helped sew the slit up some so it wouldn't go quite so high. She got her nails done, and Aubrey and her two besties, Maiya and Parker, went to Prom together. They had a great time.

Parker's mom, Tamara, used her hotel points to rent a hotel room at the Marriott so they could get ready and take their pictures there. Permian Prom also took place at the Marriott and they were able to sleep there that night. I appreciate that Tamara and her husband booked the room next door so they would be safe and supervised. 

The girls getting ready.

Tamara was also very sweet and surprised the girls with bouquets, and Grandpa Vore was the best to take beautiful pictures.

They were hoping to get some pictures outside as well, but the weather didn't cooperate.

Dab

Aubrey, Parker & Maiya

I love that Aubrey has good friends to make these high school memories with.

Part of the setup for Prom. I stole these from the Permian High Facebook page.

The dance

The trend right now in Odessa is to have an after party when the dance is over. Sometimes a group will go out to eat first and then head to someone's house or another location. We didn't want Aubrey driving around late at night especially on a night where some kids might be more reckless. We made a sleepover exception so she could have a safe and fun night with her friends.

Until next year...