An Ideal Day

Saturday was an ideal day for me. I got to run with my friends in the morning, send my girls off to a service project at Belle Isle with their friends, and send my boys off to a free three hour sporting event put on by the high school. 400 kids were divided into different groups within age groups and tried football, basketball, soccer, tumbling, lacrosse, and track (maybe even more), coached by high schoolers. After getting the boys checked in at the activity and the kitchen cleaned up at home, I went to Belle Isle to help with the service project of raking up leaves and chatting with friends. We then ate lunch by the Detroit River and I took my girls home.

When we arrived, Jason had the boys home with 2 yards of mulch ready for us to mulch our playground with. We had planned on doing it the weekend before, but since it rained the entire weekend, except Easter, we had to wait. It worked even better this weekend, though, because we were able to borrow a truck from a friend and the girls and I were already dressed for yard work. They put in their required hour, and that's all the project took for all of us, and then went off to complete their indoor chores and homework. Yes, you read it right, they went and did more chores (though their Saturday chores don't take them very long) and did their homework without much prodding. The deal was, one hour of mulching, with their usual tasks completed, and we would go see Captain Marvel in the theater with treats and popcorn included. It was a fair deal, since the last time Jason and I mulched, many years ago, it took us like 3 or 4 hours because we had no help. Four extra people working made a big difference! And no, we didn't see End Game yet because we had to see the other one first. We will see it soon!

So, while they were doing their homework, I had time to clean myself up, make dinner, and cut the boys' hair so they could shower before going to the movie. We then ate dinner and made it in the nick of time to see the 6:35 show and relax in the theater.

That's why it was an ideal day. We got our work done together, an unusual occurrence, we got it done early, another oddity, and we got to relax together. Yes, there was still some fighting and nagging, but not as much as usual. It was a very productive and enjoyable day and I'm so glad we could experience it together!

Ward friends and two ladies who work with me at Red Bell.

Hard at work and loving it!

More tired after many hours of yard work!

All cleaned up!

On Sunday, our Stake hosted a Celebrate Faith potluck, service project, and musical evening with a few of the other faiths in the local area. It was similar to that other Interfaith event, but not as long and we had more interaction with everyone. Many of us agreed that it was one of the best potlucks the church has ever had! Bringing in Muslims and Hindus, we had some delicious food from Indian and Middle Eastern cultures! In the cultural hall we had these tables set up for the different religions to display what they celebrate this time of year.

Ramadan, celebrated by Muslims.

Easter, celebrated by Christians (there was us and members of the local Presbyterian Church).

Holi, celebrated by Hindus.

Vaisakhi, celebrated by Sikhs. 

We also had a table for Passover and had a small group of Jews come, but they didn't decorate a table. Their songs, though, were so fun! After eating and putting together the humanitarian bags for those who are in need, we met in the chapel for the music portion. Each religion shared a little message about the holiday they celebrate and then performed some music with it. The Jewish family sang these two fun children's songs about the 10 plagues. It was hilarious, interactive, and fun! The other groups were more spiritual. It was so great to experience this camaraderie with these other religions again, this time in our own building!

The service project.