Jensen Update 9-27-2020

 Here is an update from the past couple of weeks...

Josh ran in the home Cross Country meet at SCHS. He did awesome! We had been really worried since he injured his back at his soccer game last Saturday after he collided with another player. His back had been hurting him ever since. On Monday he rode his bike halfway to XC practice in the morning but then turned around and came back home since his back was hurting so bad. He missed all of his XC practices this week and also missed one of his soccer practices. So we were worried about how this race would go! We really wanted him to run because he had already had to miss almost every XC meet due to conflicting soccer games. 

Josh's back was still hurting him the morning of the race. I asked him if he was okay getting a blessing and he accepted. Rick and Jared gave him a blessing and he was blessed that his back wouldn't bother him during the race and that he would be able to do his best. Well, his back didn't bother him during the race and he was able to beat his former time by over 2 minutes! His former PR for a 5K was 21:03 and this race he got a time of 18:56!! Way to go, Josh! We were all excited over his time and humbled and grateful for answered prayers and tender mercies!!    

Josh is also doing great in soccer and is a key scorer at the games. He just became certified as starter referee and should start referring soon. You can read about that HERE. 

Swiss Days was cancelled this year due to Covid. Swiss Days is a very big deal here in Santa Clara and something the kids look forward to all year long. So they were sad to miss it. People still put out their "cows" advertising local businesses and so forth. In the photo collage below you can see a cow representing Josh's soccer league. Since Swiss Days was cancelled the city put on a huge fireworks at the high school right after the Football game. Thankfully our team won! Jaiden and Josh and all of their friends went to the game and so they all watched it from there. Jenna and her friends all watched it from our yard. Janelle was able to catch most of it after getting back from work. Even Rick came out to watch part of it. 

A little update on work..

Brandon has been applying and interviewing for various marketing positions in Utah.

Jase is still working at Deseret First and doing Door Dash whenever he can.

Jared is still working at Caption Call, and doing Door Dash. He also just applied for Dutch Bros. He is also still doing Bio Life twice a week. There have been several times that they turned him down because his protein count wasn't high enough. He is frustrated by that because he feels like he is always eating protein! His favorite class right now is Science Foundations of Nutrition. He enjoys working out and learning the science behind exercise and nutrition.  

Janelle is still working a Papa Murphy's Pizza. 

Jaiden had her first session of teaching swim lessons. She had a cute little class of 4 four year olds. She also just applied at Tuacahn and got the job! So she will start next week (I think) working during the concert series. A lot of musical theater kids work at Tuacahn and really enjoy it. 

Josh will hopefully start referring soon! He is all ready to go -- we just need to wait for his uniform to arrive.

Last weekend Rick and I went out to eat with Jase and Ellen. This last weekend Rick and I went to Albertsons to get flu shots. (I know, romantic, right?) We went out to dinner at Golden Corral after. We haven't eaten there in a long time and it tasted delicious! 

Jenna, Jaiden, and Janelle came to support Josh and the Cross Country team in their annual Color Fun Run fundraiser on Saturday and had a great time. I went to watch them run. I also went to Josh's soccer game (the older team that he C-passes with) that afternoon. It was SO hot! I finally found a shady spot to sit. The score was 3-1. Josh made 2 of the goals. I was so exhausted by the end of the day -- probably from being in the sun all day. My interpreter friends were having a "Girl's Night Out," but I was so tired I just didn't feel up to going. While I was out gallivanting with the kids Rick mowed and edged the lawn, went grocery shopping, and worked at home.  

All of the kids are doing well in school. Jaiden and Janelle are singing the National Anthem (duet) for the National Honor Society Induction ceremony this Wednesday night. 

Jenna turns 12 on Saturday. She will have her friend party Friday night. She has it all planned out and is doing pretty much everything herself. I told her she could only invite 4 or 5 friends this year because last year was a little out of control. In the collage below there is a picture of Jenna and her friends dressing up and modeling. Jared thought he would join in the fun, ha ha! 

All of our kids are very social and enjoy spending time with friends. They are always out and about! One of Jenna's friends has a dog that just had puppies. She has had fun playing with them! 

The pictures of Jaiden and Janelle at a pool below are when Grandma Jensen and Julie's family came down and rented a house so that our niece's husband could do the Iron Man (all by himself since the Iron Man was cancelled)!! 

Josh's lower back is still hurting him. It had been hurting him in the summer for a while and he had to go to the doctor for a sports physical anyway and so we had it checked out. The doctor recommended physical therapy. We were going to try it but by the time his appointment came around his back was feeling better. Then it didn't seem to bother him until a couple of weeks ago when he collided into a player during a soccer game and hit the ground hard. It has been hurting every since, which is why it was a miracle he did so well on this Cross Country race. I finally brought him to the doctor again and he again recommended physical therapy. So we are going to try that out for a couple of weeks, but it will be a $35.00 co-pay every time he goes (twice a week) and so that will add up pretty quick!  

I have been having dizzy spells on and off for several weeks. Usually it isn't too bad, just a nuisance; but last Sunday night I leaned down to do something and suddenly felt SO dizzy and nauseous. I finally just went to bed thinking it would be better by the next day but it wasn't. I still felt dizzy and nauseous throughout the day. Internet research said it was probably vertigo and so I went to see an ENT. They did a hearing test and it was 25 DB, which he said was a "mild" hearing loss (25 to 40 is mild and so it is right on the line between normal and mild). I guess my noisy kids have been a hazard to my health after all. Anyway, they checked my inner ear and all that and everything looks good. He did the Epley Maneuver, which did make me dizzy and a bit nauseous, but I didn't really have the classic response of eyes twitching and rolling around and so he wants to try it again next week to try the other side. If it is diagnosed at BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) then you can do the Epley maneuver at home whenever you get a dizzy spell and it is supposed to help relieve them. 

Well, that is all that is going on now -- hope you all are doing well! 

Wendy