LOOOOOOoooooooooooong week. . .

It has been a very long week, and a big emotional roller coaster that I'm ready to get off of!

We went to Fairview over the weekend to enjoy Fairview days! Ben and Claire loved the parade, we all enjoyed the Derby and the fireworks! They are spectacular every year. We got to spend some time with our family, including Jared and Amanda and family up from Arizona! This was the first year that we had the gathering without Grandma Great, who passed away earlier this year. We did a lot of reminiscing while we were there.

Grandpa Soelberg passed away this past week, and his funeral was yesterday. We're going to miss him. His funeral was very nice. While we will miss him, it is also a blessing that he has passed. Grandpa had Alzheimer's disease, and it was difficult for Grandma to care for him. He is now past the pain, and in a much better place.

I also found out that a friend of mine at work passed away over the weekend. I don't know how- she was very young, but Karen will definitely be missed. She was so nice to everyone, and always went above and beyond with everything she did.

On a lighter note, I had a birthday this week! Josh planned a barbeque for our family. We managed to catch Jared and Amanda and their kids while they were still in town from Arizona, much to Ben and Claire's delight! I was so glad that so many people could come on such short notice. I love all of my family! What a joy and a blessing it is to have so many people to get together and laugh and share stories, and have great food.

Ben has had some trouble this week-- on the same day as Grandpa's funeral and my birthday bbq, we had to take Ben to the doctor. He's been having trouble breathing, eating, sleeping, playing. . . So the doctor said that he needed a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. So, after the funeral but before the bbq Ben and I took a trip to Alta View Hospital. Good news: Not pneumonia. Bad news: Ben's bronchial tubes are inflamed from a virus. So, we're just waiting it out now. . .

Anyway, despite all I've been feeling very grateful for all of the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me and my family. Love you all.