O Happy Day!

Great day for Nolan, one that has been anticipated for 17 months...

9:30 a.m.

10:15 a.m.

Some Days Are Like That

Can I say how tired Cub Scouts make me some days?  Today was one of those days and the boys were really good!  Today was "build something useful" day.  We made treasure chests.  I bought kits for the boys to assemble.  I glued them together last night and today they just needed to nail and screw them together.  They did great, but completely stressed me out- there's something about 8 year old boys wielding hammers while I am stabilizing the nails.  Thank goodness that requirement is done for a year.

Rude question of the week.  On Sunday I was asked, "What is your natural hair color?"  Me:  "Ummm, you're looking at it." 

Prom!

Last school year, Jonathan had to watch all his friends go to the big school dances while he sat at home.  This year he got to go.  Prom was last night and he took his good friend Rebecca.  They had a great time.  I was both the photographer and the chef.  We took pictures in a couple of our neighbors' yards.  Dinner was at our house.  They chose to have a pasta bar.  It was fun (and after a washer load of linens, 2 load of dishes in the dishwasher, and a sink full of hand washed dishes, my house is put back together).  I loved listening to the "kids" having fun.  Jonathan came home from prom wired and bouncy.  It was a great night.

 Jonathan and Rebecca

 Liz and Ethan (and Jonathan and Rebecca photo crashing)

 Jonathan and Rebecca

Jonathan and Rebecca, Ethan and Liz

State Solo/Ensemble 2012

Yesterday was State Solo/Ensemble and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  Jonathan peaked this week.  His piece was really ready.  He performed it beautifully yesterday and was rewarded with a "1" rating- the highest possible rating, a Superior.  He earned that rating.  Here's the recording of his performance.

(I am hoping that next year he will agree to let me hire an accompanist)

Shoes!

My favorite pair of summer shoes died on Sunday.  I was so sad.  I had those shoes for years and they've been dying  a slow death for a long time.  The sole liners fell out forever ago and I've been walking on the wood soles ever since.  Last Sunday, I walked through the sole.  Irreparable damage.  I could no longer deny that the shoes were dead.  On Monday I started my search for new shoes.  Of course I wanted something similar in both color and style.  It was not to be.  I started finding other shoes that had potential.  Finally I narrowed my list to 3 pairs and bought them all.  Yesterday the UPS man brought me a nice delivery.  I am so excited.  They all fit and are comfortable.  Yea!  Happy summer to me!

(A special thank you to my 3rd shoe model, Nolan.  While my shoes are too small for him, he was willing to play along with me)

Walking the USA for Jesus

Multiple times in the past few weeks I've seen a man walking through Lindon on State Street.  He carries a large cross which has "Jesus Saves" and "Walking the USA for Jesus" painted on it.  Sounds ambitious to me, but if the only place I've ever seen him is on State Street, then he's not making much progress on the "Walking the USA" part of his message. 

Spring or Summer?

The past few days have been gorgeous!  Blue skies and warm.  Warm like June warm- high 80's. We've been busy outside.  While I've been spreading mulch (40 cubic feet so far and more needed) and Dan has been repairing sprinklers, Miles has been mastering pedaling his tricycle (he can even pedal uphill now) and trying to figure out how to ride a scooter (which, thanks to a vocabulary building app, he calls a "kick scooter").  Miles thinks flying down the driveway with feet off the pedals is the best.

Summer Employment 2012

After weeks of the employer begging, multiple phone calls, and the guarantee of a reserved parking spot, Jonathan has agreed to return to Seven Peaks for the summer.  Okay, that's not really how it happened- Jonathan applied, interviewed, and was rehired for the Summer 2012 season at Seven Peaks (as a tube rental/parking lot attendant again).  The other way sounds much more glamorous.  Yea for summer employment.  Can't wait to see his hair bleach out again.

A Successful Musical Weekend

Both boys had musical events this weekend.  Both have happy endings!  Nolan was one of 14 students recognized at the Honors Recital at the Utah County chapter of the Utah Federation of Music Clubs.  He won a $40 cash prize for his performance.  Jonathan has been in San Diego playing at the Heritage Festival with the UVYSO group he plays with.  His group earned a "Gold" rating, based on international standards, swept the orchestra division awards, and have been invited to perform at Carneige Hall in New York City!  This coming Saturday, Jonathan has State Solo/Ensemble.  Hopefully I'll have something exciting to post about that soon.

Green Paint Issues

A few weeks ago I painted my living room a light gray-green. I love the color of the room 80% of the time. However, there are certain times of the day when the lighting combination turns the pain mint green. Think mint chocolate chip ice cream. I HATE the room at those times. The other day I saw a paint sample that I thought was the perfect color, the magic solution. I went to the paint shop and pulled the chip and put it in the light box under the "natural light" setting and the paint went from a light gray-green to mint chip. So I tried several other colors and looked at the suggestions from Rex the paint man (who has a preference for the khaki shades) and brought home 2 paint samples to try. Rex warned me that green is the hardest color to work with because of its numerous undertones- "beware of the yellow". I tried the paints out on the walls- One was hideous- way too white. The other color wasn't going to solve my problem either. I put it on the wall and in blended in almost perfectly with the color on the wall. That paint color is maybe a fraction of a shade darker than the one I originally chose. So, what to do? Do I keep it the color it is and like it 80% of the time and tolerate the color it turns under natural lighting, or do I abandon the color scheme and try something completely different?

Dear Skin,

You are not 15. Please act your age.
Thank you,
Laura

Teenager #2

Nolan turned 13 yesterday. For the first time in several years, his birthday wasn't over spring break so he had to go to school. A girl in his CTE class knew that it was Nolan's birthday and she started singing to him and the whole class joined in. He thought that was really embarrassing. Nolan wanted to celebrate his birthday by working a shift at the space center. He came home and opened his presents- trumpet stand, trumpet mute, marbles (which, for some reason, he asked for), a lacrosse gear bag, and Milky Way Midnights.
He was happy about everything. Next it was dinner- he wanted a Tri-tip and Smashers dinner from Wallaby's (nice face Nolan!). Evidently on Monday nights, there is a magician/balloon "artist" at Wallaby's. He made Nolan a lovely birthday hat. After dinner we went home for dessert- Lemon Cream Cheese Pie. Nolan's favorite! While there wasn't anything overly exciting about Nolan's day, he liked being The King (and it's finally legal for him to have a Facebook account).

'Jing is Back

We had 'Jing boarded at the vet's while we were on our trip. We also had her declawed (yuck) while she was there. She wasn't happy when we dropped her off- lots of angry meowing and hissing, but the staff assured us that she would be fine after she settled in. The vet called after the surgery and reported that everything was going fine; we didn't hear from them again. Yesterday I went in and picked her up. The receptionist said that 'Jing wasn't very happy and hadn't been for days. I went in the room to pick her up and I could hear his angry meows and hisses as I walked through the door. She was in upright attack position and I went over to the kennel to say "hi" to her. She immediately calmed down and started licking my finger. I was able to take her out of the kennel and get her in the carrier. She was happy to be out of there and heading home. All day yesterday she followed me around and would cry if I got out of her sight. I think she thinks we are best friends now. Nolan came home and she greeted him, but I was still the BFF. Last night she even slept on my bad. Hopefully things will get back to normal and she'll start liking Nolan again. The vet sent home 'Jing's "pamper card" which basically tells us how things went on a daily basis. Based on what was recorded, I think she would have been happier left at home...

Day 1- Shy
Day 2- Still shy, wanting some space
Day 3- She just wanted to be left alone
Day 4- in hospital for surgery
Day 5- in hospital for surgery
Day 6- Beijing is doing well today. Enjoyed having a long nap in the kennel
Day 7- Beijing just wants to be left alone today.
Day 8- Beijing doesn't want any company today.
Day 9- Did not want any attention today.
Day 10- Just very grumpy and angry.

Spring Break 2012, Day 9

And now we sit. We're at the airport in Kansas City. Our fight is delayed. Last night there were 88 reported tornadoes in the Midwest; some were within 100 miles of us; we were never in any danger, but as a result, flights all over the Midwest have been disrupted. The airport in Wichita was hit, planes were damaged, so flight delays abound. Areas of the country from Houston to Detroit are experiencing harsh weather today so the delays are compounding.

We were gone for 9 days, drove 2,068 miles, were in 5 states (Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, and Nebraska), saw 7 dedicated temple sites, slept in 7 different cities, ate lots of horrible food, drank half a bottle of Nyquil (over several nights), and crossed the Mississippi and the Missouri innumerable times.

So, what did I learn from this trip?

#1- Rest stops in Missouri have some funny rules- look at the second to last rule on the sign.

#2- Miles learned that a great way to get attention is to pull down his pants and underwear in public. He also learned the power of the word "potty" as it meant he'd get a break from the car.

#3- I am looking forward to cooking. It's hard to eat the way I like to while on the road with 4 other people who each have their own odd and picky style of eating.

#4- I still have an irrational phobia of bedbugs.

#5- Traveling with a 3 year old is much harder than with a 2 year old. Miles has developed more opinions and is much more capable of expressing them.

#6- While being flexible can be a good things and it's a good thing for me to experience, sometimes having a set plan makes it easier to find hotel accommodations.

#7- Dan still does not trust me or a map when it comes to directions.

#8- Bass Pro Shops are all over the Midwest.

#9- Applebees is awful no matter where in the country it is located.

#10- Stick with water that you know. Midwest tap water is awful. So is their regionally bottled water. I bought two brands of regionally bottled water and they both tasted like dirt.

#11- Always bring your own hairdryer. In the name of saving space, I left my hair dryer at home. Wimpy hotel hair dryers and the climate change of the Midwest did wonders to my hair.

#12- The word "Express" in Panda Express does not simply refer to the rate at which you get your food.

#13- Travelling sick is the worst.

Spring Break 2012, Day 8

Last full day of vacation. We were awoken in the middle of the night by impressive thunder, lightning, and hail. It was a downpour, and of course, today was planned to be an outside day. We stuck with our plans and drove into St. Louis. When we got there, the rain had lightened to a slight drizzle. We went to the "Jefferson National Expansion Memorial" (better known as the Gateway Arch)and were able to get tickets for the very next tour. Waiting for the tour, we verified that Jonathan weighs more than Miles.We went up in the arch. Miles thought the tram ride was great; me?... I felt a bit claustrophobic and was feeling the "Tower of Terror anxiety".

We got to the top and I put Miles up to a window and he was fascinated. He loved looking down on "little cars, little buses, and little buildings."

Next we went on a riverboat ride. It was boring; the river was muddy ugly; the audio tour was uninspiring, but partway through the tour, the sun came out and stayed out! Almost instantly, the temperature went from the mid-50s to 81 degrees. It was gorgeous outside. Next we drove to the St. Louis temple (a-temple-a-day this trip practically), walked around it, then headed back to Kansas City (where finding a hotel, thanks to soccer tournaments and cheerleading competitions, was again an adventure- tonight we're in a Hampton Inn- a great improvement over yesterday's "find". Tomorrow we head back home. School starts Monday morning. And finally, I'm feeling better.

Spring Break 2012, Day 7

Today shall be known as "the day that following directions became optional." Seriously, we are inept at following signs.

We started our day in Springfield, Illinois. We went to the Lincoln home site

and to Lincoln's grave.

Then we drove to Hannibal, Missouri.

Hannibal is a dump. Every other business in town is out of business, and everything else looks run down and tired. We went to Mark Twain's boyhood home and nearby places he liked to play.

Then Miles needed to throw rocks in the Mississippi.

Then we climbed 242 steps up the side of a hill to see a lighthouse that ended up being a real disappointment. Finally we went to the Mark Twain cave. The boys really liked that.

Then we drove towards St. Louis. Finding a place to stay was an adventure. St. Louis is booked this weekend. We're at a (nasty) Sleep Inn in the middle of nowhere. It's a "don't walk around without shoes on" hotel.

Tomorrow is the last full day of our trip. We're all getting on each other's nerves and are ready to return to a regular schedule. I'm so tired of eating out and eating carpy food (tonight was no exception- bad Mexican food, but the salsa was good).

Spring Break 2012, Day 6

I can tell by what I packed clothing and shoes-wise that I wasn't feeling up to par when I packed for this trip. Now that I am emerging from the induced hazed caused by being sick, decongestants, and Nyquil, I realized that I packed a lot of black and gray, but brought only brown and white shoes. Oh well.

Day 2 in Chicago... We went to the Shedd Aquarium. We thought that Miles would love it, but he's not feeling well, so he was content to be held or carried in the backpack or carried upside-down.

He did like the "orange crabs" and "orange frogs". After the aquarium we walked along the shore of Lake Michigan

and over to Millennium Park. There's a huge forged sculpture called "The Bean" in it. We had fun taking pictures with The Bean.

Next we went to the Willis Tower. I grew up calling this skyscraper "The Sears Tower." We went up to the 103rd floor and took in the bird's eye view of Chicago. There are glass boxes that extended 4 feet over the side of the building so you can stand in the the boxes and look straight down.

Miles was initially afraid of the boxes, but he insisted on going back and being brave and stepping into the box.

We bid Chicago good-bye and walked back to the car and drove to Springfield. Miles was challenging during the drive. I think that's a good sign- an indication that he's starting to feel better. He discovered that he liked pulling his own suitcase.

Funniest moment of the day- We were walking back to the car. Red Bull was doing a promo outside of DePaul University. Miles saw what was going on and spontaneously starts saying, "Drink Red Bull." He repeated that several times. It took us a while to figure out how Miles knew what Red Bull was- he learned about Red Bull from watching "Will it Blend?" on YouTube and was quoting a line from the video clip. Nolan the Observant put the pieces of the puzzle together for us.

Spring Break 2012, Day 5

Chicago! We spent today at the Museum of Science and Industry.

The boys loved it! Nolan enjoyed learning about genetics and electricity.

Jonathan liked the bio areas- check out his hand in the vein camera.

Miles liked Bernoulli's principle.

3 of us got to test drive a Segway.

We stayed at the museum until closing time before heading north (and getting to enjoy some lovely rush hour traffic) to see the Chicago Temple. I've never seen a temple sit so close to the street. Then we went to get some deep dish stuffed crust Chicago style pizza. We went to Giordano's and it was fabulous.

Now we're back at the hotel and all the boys are in the pool and I am enjoying the silence. Miles was really good today which was kind of surprising because he's running a fever and we dragged him around a museum all day. He's not interested in eating and he's been very docile. His mood really perked up tonight when we asked him if he wanted to go swimming.

Spring Break 2012, Day 4

Today I learned that cell phone roaming still exists. Who knew?

Today was a much better day than yesterday! Miles was pleasant today, and I didn't feel like I was going to die! After happily checking out of the nasty hotel, we went to Nauvoo. We began the day with a very chilly wagon ride which gave an overview of Nauvoo.

Then we went and visited some of the buildings- the blacksmith shop, the shoemaker, the print shop, the gunsmith, the bakery, the schoolhouse, and the brick yard. The boys watched a candle making demonstration and make a rope. We drove down the trial of hope and found the placard that has a quote from Gilbert Belnap, the boys' 3rd-great grandfather.

Then we went over to the Smith homestead and visited the cemetery and the Red Brick Store. We couldn't go in the Mansion House or the homestead because our schedule didn't allow for a formal tour.

Next we drove to Carthage and went to the jail. It's been redone since I was last there 30+ years ago- I remember there being bloodstains; they were removed and the floorboard replaced. The door with the bullet hole is still there!

I feel really short in this picture!

After Carthage, we started our drive towards Chicago. Dan got pulled over by a bored Illinois State Trooper who, when he figured out that we were visitors, gave us touring suggestions for Chicago and told Dan to make sure he uses the turn signals. Tonight we are in Joliet, Illinois and will begin a 2 day visit of Chicago in the morning!

Miles, the techno-geek!