Vincen'ts Talk - a note from Floy

 Floy Mackay

 

From:ianandfloy@gmail.com

To:Raena Johnson

Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 2:10 PM

I have no other way to tell Vincent how impressed I was by his talk.  I understand he was nervous, but he said he read the Book of Mormon and prayed when he just had 15 minutes before bedtime.  He didn't expect to have "help" in answering the questions, but what happened was that he felt peace.  And having peace helps you through any tests.  It applies to life and its' tests, not just to school.  Please tell him thank you. Strange as it may seem, this elderly lady needs to be reminded of that very thought.

Sister Floy Daun Mackay

P,S.  Your family is such a blessing to us.  We've had a few really unusual requests and you and Chris and Vincent have been there every time.  Bless you.

---

Vincent's Baby Blessing

 Notes someone took from your baby blessing. pretty accurate huh?

I bless you with a calm spirit.

To be a force for good, discernment.

To be member of the church, priesthood and all blessings of temple.

Thirst for knowledge, happy spirit.

Proper physical development to complete your mission on earth.

To know what is important and what is not, to not be weighed by details.

Letter from Ireland September 12, 2018

 Hi Dad, Mom, Molly and Sylva, (feel free to forward on)

Dad - I emailed aunt joyce today as Chris met a colleague who is really good friends with Kurt.  Small world. 

The kids have adjusted nicely, especially to riding the buses home.  Hadley and Vincent take a city bus home.  They will definitely appreciate me driving them when we get back to CA.  And the fact that it doesn't take more than 30 minutes to get home.  The drive is incredible though as the view is all along the coast entirely.  Very pretty.

Lauren has taken up field hockey on the days she can.  Her and Gentry walked to the library today to do their homework this evening.  It is nice living in this little village. I met L, G and B at their bus ride home today and we stopped and bought bread for dinner tonight.  

Chris just left to take Hadley to the church for seminary.  Too bad it takes about 30 minutes to get to the ward building.  He had to come home early from work to do it.  We are working out the details on seminary.

I'll be taking Vincent to meet with a soccer team member who lives right by us by the estuary so we can carpool.  It is pretty incredible where they practice.  It is on Paddy's Hill which is apparently an historic site.  He got picked up by the team immediately as it took us a while to find one that didn't play on Sunday. Chris took him to a try out and the gold team coach called dibs on him before the silver team could have him.  I have a picture of him signing with the team - very official, ha ha.  His coach said he isn't going to pay him though.  Played first game on Saturday and he scored first goal but had an even better assist.  (Molly - you've seen his Tustin Fire team play and Chris and I definitely think they would school this team, unfortunately I guess.) Next season starts in January and they will play on the bigger fields which Vincent is excited for.

I have been driving mostly only to a few of the same places.  I have gotten used to driving on the left side alright and the roundabouts but the lack of street signs makes it difficult.  I am trying to gear myself up for driving to the airport to pick up guests! I drive a lot more than Chris bc he usually only drives on the weekends and I think I am better at it than him so it might just attest to the more you do it, the better you get.

Lauren is doing her best to learn Irish.  Basically they give her a workbook which is all in Irish and she has to learn it from that.  yeah, it isn't really happening. They also get a Spanish and French lesson once a week. Weird. I am trying to have Gentry excused from it so she can focus on her math or reading during that time. Fingers crossed.

Bridget is slowly acclimating to long days at school.  Bus picks them up around 8 and she gets out of school at 2:45.  After bus ride or drive home it is quite late (sometimes she falls asleep on way home) but it also means to goes to bed quite nicely.  She loves school!  She seems so much older and so happy to be there.  They take lots of breaks (recesses) and they get biscuits every day which I understand are cookies but I am sure they are not as good as US cookies.  Nothing is!

The food, which we always knew, leaves much to be desired.  We have pretty much given up on good food - or just to have low expectations.  We have had dominos, pizza hut and mcdonalds which were all 'different' some in not good ways.  We have tried fish and chips and some other things.  Chris regrets trying Chinese and Vincent gets lunch at the canteen everyday and sticks with the paninis as he regrets trying the enchilada.  There is no way on earth I would try Mexican food in Ireland!  He said he knew better but just craved it so bad.  Ha ha.

Everything is so expensive here.  We knew it would be more than home but I am more surprised by how you cannot buy ANYTHING in bulk or large packaging.  I have to buy several packs of plums bc they only come 6 to a pack.  Or small packs of grapes.  The bottles and jars of everything are tiny.  We found a box of Lucky Charms for 9 euro!  The kids didn't even want them anyway because they knew they would be disappointed with the flavor.  Everything is different.  They do love Ikea meatballs so we eat those regularly.

My neighbor is from New Jersey and her and I went into downtown on the train yesterday to buy textbooks for the kids.  We've had to buy uniforms and textbooks - spent more than a thousand euro on it all (which we should get reimbursed for).  She is very nice.  Is here with her 17 year old daughter who goes to same school as my kids for six months just to keep her Irish citizenship.  Hope she decides to stay the rest of the year!

I don't know if Chris booked it yet but we are planning to fly back the week after Christmas for dentist, ortho appts and to take the boat out!  Ha ha.  Of course to see everyone as well.  I just don't want to adapt to the time difference again as that was really really really hard!

Let's see, that is all I can think of right now.  We really got lucky with our house location-wise and size-wise.  Except for the shower leaking and now a balcony leaking into a room it is pretty good.  Some of it we just have to laugh off (not the leaks) and appreciate how great some things are in the US.  We are looking forward to visitors! I don't know the best time to visit - the locals say it is really rainy here but ex-pats say it doesn't and it is very mild.  Most of Chris' colleagues are from Minnesota and Michigan so they absolutely LOVE the weather here.  I don't miss the heat but I miss the warmth of CA.  I imagine if you were from there you are just happy it doesn't snow here.  One gal showed me pictures from a trip to Galway and said the beaches are incredible - they were rocky.  I was like, hmm okay we have everything like that in So Cal.  The only thing worse than rain and cold is WIND!  Ugh, that I don't like!

Hope all is well there and will be in touch!

Love, Raena

Update

Things that have stuck out to me:


In church on Sunday another speaker mentioned Hadley's sweet testimony that she shared a few weeks back during the primary presentation.  I've heard from so many people about how she touched them and shared that with her.  I hope she remembers it.  She also got asked to sing at a baptism by her violin teacher very last minute but she happily rehearsed and did it.  I laugh because in the morning while I was sitting with her watching Vincent's soccer game she said she was so nervous.  She wasn't nervous though about the solo, it was for her soccer game that was afterward the baptism.  She is so funny like that - she'd rather sing a solo than speak or play a soccer game.


Lauren continues to be such a help with Bridget.  Last Thursday we found ourselves at the library and storytime was about to start.  It was for little ones with lots and lots of singing/dancing, action songs and a couple books.  Lauren was so eager to participate with Bridget and helped her do all of the things.  It was nice for me to just sit and watch the two of them - took some pictures and video as well.  I know that Bridget looks up to Lauren so much.  Lauren is always so aware of games or whatever Bridget is up to.


Gentry must be going through a 6-year old phase.  On top of not being very helpful, complaining about most things and being very very picky about what she wears she is also afraid of going to bed alone, in the dark, by herself.  She watched something scary at Halloween time and is convinced her closet is spooky and locks the door all the time now.  Ahh, this too shall pass . . . I think her siblings are anxious for it too because they don't like sleeping with the lights on or having Gentry get in their beds.


We should finally be moving in the next couple weeks.  The house is relatively finished although I'm just realizing right now it won't be painted before we move in I guess because we haven't decided on a color.


Quote of the week from Lauren: "If at first you don't succeed, delete the app."

Update

Wow, okay - more than a year has gone by.  I have discovered Instagram and Chatbooks has been printing photos so I haven't gone without any journaling - just not as much and the kind that I really want to.  Ahh well, do what I can.  It might help when we update our laptop and all of our technology, possibly when we move.  Whenever that might be????


So, yes, we bought another house.  Last spring.  We've been working on it ever since.  Actually Chris has been doing most of the work in his non-existent spare time.  Actually that has taken a lot of his spare time.  We were planning to move about every month since then and yet it still hasn't happened.  I've stopped asking and so have the kids.  I am excited to move though!  It is a smaller more simple home on a quiet cul-de-sac.  The younger kids' school is literally right around the corner since I changed them to Loma Vista after much stressing about it.  Vincent and Lauren are still acclimating to the new school the most I think.  It broke my heart and breaks it every day Vincent is unhappy with school that I took him away from some great friends - boys that I really liked and he go along with so well.  They come to scouts at the church but I know it isn't the same.  I pray the most for him, that he can find some new great friends that are like him.  I pray a lot about that.  A lot.


Lauren is starting to come around a little more to 2nd grade at a new school.  I love that she is strong enough to make up her mind about what she does and doesn't want to do and who to do it with.  Sometimes I think she feels left out or that she really wants one genuine great friend.  Other times I think she likes not being tied down.  Kids are funny. 


Gentry likes Kindergarten.  She started in a K-1 combo class but we had her moved to a traditional Kindergarten class which has been great.  She still talks more about TK and her friends from last year but I know she enjoys school this year too.  She can be so girly and giggly and happy about her school day!


Hadley started 6th grade, middle school and has really really enjoyed the experience.  I think she enjoys that the social-requirements are taken out of the equation.  Who to play with at recess, sit with, etc.  She has gained more independence and is doing really well.  She chose to go to Hewes instead of with her friends to our old feeder MS and I don't think she or I will ever regret her decision.  I stressed about it a lot too until she decided on her own - must remember to trust in my kids decisions. 


Bridget and I spend our days dropping kids off and picking them up from school.  Again, when we move at least we can just walk there or at least the elementary school is so close it will barely take more than 3 minutes to drop the kids off so she can stay home with daddy while he gets ready for work.  I've been trying to go walking or working out as much as possible when there is time and I take Bridget too a little preschool/Learning Links class that Gentry used to attend at the Blind Children's school.  It is great one-on-one time with her.


This afternoon we all went to Knott's Berry Farm for FHE.  Gentry was finally tall enough to ride several of the rides the bigger kids always go on.  It meant me and Bridget hung out a lot but it was so fun to see them all have fun with Chris.  I am so blessed for the wonderful kids I have and a husband who provides for all of us so much.

Legal Documents

Hadley came up with and wrote a legally binding contract for her and Vincent.  Will be interesting to see if it happens. I had to take a snapshot of it.

Lauren

I can't remember what Lauren got in trouble for and I bet she can't remember either but this is the sign she posted. She is not coming out until Fall is over. Addendum: except for school and to go places. :) oh and food and water:)