Twenty Sixteen

I look forward to writing this review post all year! In my personal life, 2016 wasn't as bad as it was in the world in general--but I do feel like the bad things were worse than usual, and the good things weren't that unusual.

January. I got a Fitbit Surge watch, which I thought would be more of just a fun gadget, but I love it and can't go without it now. I especially love its GPS function to map my runs. For my stake family history calling, I had to oversee a family history institute class. I got a new phone, one that was much better than my old one; it is great for taking pictures of our cat.

My mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer and had surgery to remove it. I made veggie burgers out of beets and other things.

February. My ward got a new bishopric. I had my Ancestry DNA done, and I'm 52 percent Western European. I went on an awkward date to a Debra Fotheringham (local folk singer) concert. (Ladies, take note: if you adjust my defrost settings without telling me, and you don't even fess up to it when I am perplexed why my windows are so unusually foggy, it won't impress me.) I was amused by valentines in old editions of The Children's Friend.

March. We went to California for the baptism of my nephew Franklin; 

we also visited Alcatraz Island. We took our cat to the vet for the first time in thirteen years; she has arthritis and a heart murmur. I ceased looking at my Facebook feed on my phone after I accidentally sent friend requests to two people I don't know. I went to the democratic caucus, but the line was out the door and around the corner, so I didn't even park. I bought shoes designed specifically for trail running, and glacier lilies marked the return of trail season. My stake had a Vocal Point concert on Easter weekend.

April. I made carrot soup using lemongrass, but I included the wrong parts of it, and it was full of inedible, grassy pieces. On Earth Day, I ran up Mueller Park to Elephant Rock for the first time that year, and on Arbor Day, I ran up North Canyon (it was too snowy to get all the way to Rudy's Flat), the first of twelve runs up there in 2016.

May. The book I coedited, A Historian in Zion: The Autobiography of Andrew Jenson, was published. 

I successfully ran all the way to Rudy's Flat and back, my first, but by no means last, time doing so. I also explored some trails near the Bountiful Temple but wasn't too impressed. We removed the carpet from my bedroom to replace it, since it was gold shag carpet from the 1970s. I went to a chalk art festival, and one of the artworks matched my shirt. I made a mushroom asparagus pie, which was very good, surprisingly.

June. My carpet got replaced. My nephews came to visit at the same time my family was on vacation, so I had to watch them for several days. My grandparents watched them during the day while I was at work. I went to see the Monkees in concert, as part of their fiftieth-anniversary Good Times! tour. I picked lots of cherries at my sister's house. My ward had a fun weekend at Bear Lake, where I had never been before. June is the month of mulesears and sego lilies.

July. July was probably the most eventful of all the months of 2016. On July 2, my family did some fossil hunting in Utah County with my nephews before watching the North Salt Lake fireworks. I ran up North Canyon again on the Fourth of July. My parents drove my nephews back to California, but I had to do some urgent tasks at work, so I flew out a few days later. My tickets had the wrong gate on them, so I missed my flight. With my nephews, we visited Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and the surrounding area. Then we left them, and with my parents I visited Redwoods and Crater Lake National Parks. 

I began tracking my calories on the Fitbit app after I gained three pounds on the trip. On July 22, my niece, Allie, who turned thirteen, was in the Bountiful Handcart Days parade. I volunteered to give a talk on Pioneer Day, a talk that elicited more compliments than I have ever received for all other talks combined. On July 25, I ran up Holbrook Canyon, but it wasn't a good running trail. On July 30, I twisted my ankle while running in Mueller Park Canyon, so I had to limp more than two miles down.

August. I made many items using our own fresh fruit from our yard: apricot meringue pie, 

plum crisp, plum cobbler, plum-rosemary upside-down cake, roasted plum and pudding tart, grape juice, grape tart. I watched the Olympics while making these things. I enjoyed running among leaves that were changing early. I switched positions at work and began working for my old boss again; I love working for him. My family attended an exceedingly awkward Cherie Call/Lyndy Butler concert at This Is the Place Heritage Park.

September. My family went to the ghost town of Frisco, Utah, and other places in the central part of the state to find rocks and explore. I made more items from plums and grapes, and I think apples had started then as well. I turned twenty-eight. I loved watching leaves continually changing.

October. More running and more leaves, and I hiked Adams Canyon. I also saw a deer skeleton. 

I dressed as a vampire at a Halloween party. I was released as stake family history director and assistant ward clerk and instead became executive secretary. My sister's best friend from high school died, very sadly. We had our kitchen cabinets refinished.

November. I mailed my ballot for Evan McMullin and hoped Hillary would win. I was accepted as a reviewer for The Impulsive Buy, with my first review appearing in December. Trail running wrapped up for the year. 

We drove to California to visit my nephews for Thanksgiving.

December. We had lots of Christmas decorations, including a real wreath and a small real tree for the first time since 1993. 

We attended Christmas concerts by the Lower Lights and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. My friend Camille was hit by a drunk driver, which did not fill me with charity at Christmastide (death to drunk drivers!). I got an Amazon Echo and an herb garden for Christmas. I had lots of Christmassy clothes to wear. 

Here's hoping 2017 will be better!