February 2021

 Yup!  It has been raining a lot.  This sign says it all.  My argument for getting a kayak is getting stronger by the inch.  

February 3rd we are officially out of the no-compete clause!!!  I am so grateful for the severance package but equally grateful that we can move on now.

February 4th was Steve's last day at Lowe's.  It was a busy day with us getting our temple recommends renewed (via Zoom - first, and hopefully last time doing it this way).  I then went to a Zoom missionary meeting (part of my calling in Relief Society) and then a presidency meeting.  

February 5th, Steve worked on getting his office set up the way he wants it since he will be working from home with his new job.  He is so excited to get back into the professional work world.

February 6th it snowed!!  It was just a dusting, but it is always fun to look out the window and see flakes of snow falling from the sky.  

February 8th we are back in a hybrid learning situation.  I love seeing the kids in school!  This is where they belong and they are so happy to be out of their houses.  

February 9th, Steve taught the Young Men how to use power tools.  They each built their own birdhouse and had a blast doing it.  

February 10th - Sandra is back from Florida for a little bit.  We had dinner at her house and got caught up on everything that has happened since she left for Florida back in December.  Every time we get together it is like we haven't been apart.  We start right where we left off.  She is happy and look really good.  I am happy for her.  

Jeremy's diploma from CPCC finally showed up. 

 He is official now.  

To celebrate Nick's 19th birthday we went to dinner at Outback.  He loves their fillet mignon.  We were all excited to be back in a restaurant again. 

Nick is 19.  

All he wanted was angel food cake with whipping cream and fruit.  I love how the preferred birthday cake changes every year.  

My mom was admitted to the hospital because of dizziness.  They think her pacemaker is acting up and that is why she has been so week and light-headed lately.  Thank goodness my dad was home during this last episode. 

Jeremy's plant, Phillie, had two cutting babies.  Jeremy named them Millie and Vanillie
He comes up with the funniest stuff.   

February 14th - Mom is home from the hospital.  They think they have figured out the problem.  They recalibrated her pacemaker (which Mom said was a fascinating process to watch) and she feels much better.  

For dinner we had lasagna and salad.  Nick made some really yummy garlic bread.   I tried making Pavalova for dessert and it was amazing.  

February 15th was Steve's first day with Encite.  He didn't have to work because it was a holiday though.  I went to lunch with Sandra because we needed more time to catch up.  Steve and Naomi went to the bookstore to bug Jeremy at work and see if they had a programming book Steve needed for work.  

February 16th was Steve's real first day of work with Encite.  He loved it and realized just how much stress he had been under.  I am thankful for this new company.  

Now it is Jeremy's turn to be a year older - 22!!!  That happened fast.  We celebrated the day with cheesecake for dessert when Jeremy got home from work.  We went to Mr. Tokyo's for dinner the next night when everyone was home.  

And just like that, Jeremy is 22.  

February 21st I was finally set apart as the second counselor in the Relief Society presidency.  It felt good to finally be official.  After church I walked over the Sandra's to deliver her Christmas present.  We ended up going for a great walk.  She is a fast walker and I had to really push it to keep up with her.  I now have a new goal of getting my walking speed back up to where it used to be.  

Back at home Steve and I sat with Nick and got him signed up for insurance through his work.  I love that my kids are growing into responsible adults, even if they don't always like it and sometimes are a little intimidated by it.  

February 23rd we finally found some insurance that wasn't astronomically priced!!!  Because Encite is a small company, they don't have group insurance.  For the first time in both of our full-time working careers we had to apply for independent insurance.  It was very nerve-wracking and I did not like it at all.  I am very grateful for company insurance and the ease of signing up with the human resources department.  We learned a lot and are confident in the insurance we chose.  

February 26th Steve attending his first company meeting.  The Board was very excited to finally have him on board and they are excited to see what he can do in helping them speed up the marking basket process. Steve felt welcomed and appreciated.