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| Surrounded by our darling family after 12 months! On March 17, we arrived home at 5 p.m. and by 6, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day -- with Mexican food, of course. September 7 marked six months since 1.) our mission ended, and 2.) my last blog post. I’ve taken 186 mental health days away from blogging. (It’s working, thanks, I feel great!—the upside to writer’s block. :) On and off, I’ve had a hard time realizing that our wonderful, unforgettable, difficult, trying, and consecrated twelve-month mission is over. When we left missionaries who were like family, I felt the same homesickness I’d felt about my loved ones during our mission. Mama used to say: “As a rule, man’s a fool—when it’s hot, he wants it cool. When it’s cool, he wants it hot—always wanting what is not.” That’s me. Yet—there truly IS no place like home! During these precious mental health days, we took two amazing trips and kicked back at reunions with our kids, grandkids, family and my classmates (50 years!) Best of all, we have met 18 humble people, and their families, who have sought special blessings from God. This is because Norm was called as patriarch of the Nampa East Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the tradition of Biblical Jacob, he has been set apart to give blessings to people seeking them. (See Genesis 48-49.) Stay tuned--I will write a blog post about this calling, which has been wonderful for us. Oh, it IS good to be home! Brace yourselves for topics beyond “what’s going on with Holms” because there is so much to savor in life, so much joy and fruit on our family trees. My writer’s block is officially over. (For now.) |
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| In April, Norm was called as patriarch of the Nampa East Stake, and Ella, Steele, Norm, Debbie, Lara and Beau, Axel, and Marco Roetto joined together for the special setting apart. |
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| Gabriel (in the middle between us, his mom and his friends) is one of 17 people who have received patriarchal blessings in our home since April. |
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| Lyla Aldous turned two in April and Ella, Steele, Axel and Beau helped her celebrate. |
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| In May we took a fun trip to the Sweetwater River, Thermopolis, and Cody Wyoming, and Yellowstone National Park with my brother Bruce Nelson, sister Jeanne Jeppesen and her husband Alan. |
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| In June we CRUISED to Alaska on the Carnival ship Luminosa. Tracy Arm Fjord made us happy! |
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| Debbie's favorite photo--iceberg. |
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| Our cruisemates: Will, Emily, Jack and James Murdock. Jack graduated from high school in May, and this cruise was his choice of a celebration. Smart kid, huh? |
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| Holm Reunion, July 2023: This is most of our handsome and precocious crew--just missing our Mari and Lynn, and missionaries Jacob and Harris. HOW I LOVE THESE PEOPLE who scream down waterslides and float down the Lazy River! |
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| This sweet family listened to family home evening-- maybe it was because they played hard in the water and hot sun all day, and ate themselves into a stupor. Worked great! Our backyard, our family, our weirdness and noise. Pretty close to heaven. |
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| A few of our hearty sailors in Lake Lowell, Idaho. |
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| Nelson Reunion, 2023: The day after our Holm Reunion, the Nelsons met 90 strong at The Farm, where Debbie and her siblings grew up. I loved having three of our five kids and their families there, with grandkids playing cards among the aspen. |
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| Ella, Grace, and Lyla are in front of Uncle Hugh's abandoned car. |
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| The Farm's skyline outlines and defines my childhood definition of security and beauty. |
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| My people- my siblings and me- in front of Dad's old camper bus: Judy, Bruce, Ellen, Jeanne, Rex, Debbie, Andrea, Shanan. |
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