Bill's family arrived in the early afternoon. We sat on the back patio and chatted while I grilled dinner. We don't catch up with those guys nearly enough! Even Matthew came out for a while to talk. We missed Will, but Lukas and Kayla became loud and crazy halfway through dinner. Just like old times. Seriously, those two have some sort of connection. The Evanses were only able to stay a few hours before getting back in the car and finishing their road trip to Louisville, KY, for Bill's graduation.
A couple days later, Bob and Loretta stopped in Chambana on their way home to Idaho after Bill's graduation. It was really, really hot by the time they came, so we couldn't spend much time outside. We talked for a while inside. James and I gave them a tour of the garden. They helped me prep and freeze piles of greens from my garden. It was a huge relief to have all of those veggies processed. I really wouldn't have gotten around to it without the extra help.
Bob and Loretta offered to take our family out to dinner that night. True to form, our family didn't disappoint. Matthew was too anxious to attend, Robert found nothing on the menu he could eat, and Lukas kept the conversation going the whole time. Ha ha ha! Welcome to our house. Bob and Loretta seemed to take it well.
That night didn't go too well for Matthew, though. The next day was Fast Sunday and Matthew needed the sleep, so I stayed home with the younger boys during Sacrament Meeting. Bob and Loretta sat in the chapel with Bobby and Robert. I was able to slip in to Sunday School a little later, but there weren't any seats by those guys, so I sat alone. The lesson was about Ruth, Naomi, and Hannah. I struggled to stay engaged. Sunday School is often a struggle for me *sigh*
After church, Bob and Loretta came over to our house. Robert stayed in his room the whole time (Fast Sunday is really, really hard for him and it's kinda best for everyone if he stays in his room). Matthew was too anxious to spend much time out of his room. I didn't feel chatty. I was exhausted. So, I kinda forced the adults into doing a puzzle. Ha ha ha! Poor Bob and Loretta and Bobby. I had no idea it was such a TERRIBLE puzzle. My apologies.
I got James to make vegan chocolate ice cream.
Lukas and James wanted to fix bikes that afternoon, so I went out to the garage with them. It's kinda funny. They say they want to work on bikes with me, but the truth is they want to feel like they're working on bikes with me. They don't actually follow my checklists or do the fussy/challenging jobs. They don't like to work on the same bike at the same time, either, and they want to do the work while seated with a fan blowing on them and a cold drink nearby. Ha ha ha! I found myself bouncing back and forth between bikes coming up with tasks for each of them to do. In the hot, hot garage. When I hadn't eaten or drunk anything since dinner the night before. I got a little grumpy. Even so, the three of us managed to get four bikes most of the way done. I only had a little work to do the next morning before taking the bikes back to Salt and Light. That made me happy.
After working on bikes, I went inside and made dinner a little grumpily. Dinner turned out fine, though. It was awesome having extra adult hands to help. The chocolate "ice cream" turned out alright. It was a pretty straightforward day, but I just wanted a nap.
I wish I could have been in a better frame of mind for Bob and Loretta's visit. They brought me Milano cookies from their travels, which was quite thoughtful. Bob, Loretta, the Pepperidge Farms Outlet Store, and I go way back. Way, way back. Almost as far as Bob, Loretta, Dreamsicles, and I go back.
We will get to see them again at the end of July for the Evans Family Reunion in Branson, MO. Yay!
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