But you're making great time

On the way home from St. George we had the radio on and heard several La Quinta advertisements. Our favorite was:

Your car has not air conditioning.
The kids are in the back seat screaming.
The dog is carsick,
And you just went 400 miles the wrong way.


But you’re making great time!

I have one of my own.
I was writing a story on the Utah State Parks 50th anniversary Geocaching adventure. So I took the boys with me to the Great Salt Lake Marina where we had our own geocaching treasure hunt so I could take photos and (I hoped) talk to other people looking for the illusive gold coin.

It’s 101 degrees in the shade
The brine flies are swarming
You can’t figure out the GPS coordinates

But you got to drive the car with air conditioning!

For the record, geocaching is not as much fun as it sounds. Well, it might be, if I were not a fat old woman with bad knees and a 20 pound camera slung over my arthritic shoulder. Sure, son, I can carry the water, wouldn’t want you to break a sweat!
I did manage to get some good photos and the boys picked up a plastic bracelet and a eraser. I also discovered the geocashe is very accessible, so now I will join the couple (who was there when I was there, thus giving me some localized quotes) making regular stops at the location in hopes of finding a gold coin.

Library dreaming

One of the places we visited in St. George was the new library. It is absolutely beautiful. The plan was based on the old three story Dixie College building in the center of town made of red sandstone.
Many a local are not thrilled that city fathers tore down a “perfectly good” 40 year old library to build the new one, and they do have one point, the stairs are a pain.
They had an active reading program with a lot of children coming and going, but they could certainly have benefited from my niece’s flat out genius with promoting reading.
However, the children’s library is spectacular. My favorite part is the fanciful ceiling paintings. I took a few photos to share because I knew all the book worms in my family, particularly the Ninja Librarian, would be charmed by them.

I lothe our local library and I had a really large rant spelled out in my head. But the natives are getting restless, they want me to go pick up some movies and just maybe the new Harry Potter PS2 game. So I'll keep this particular crankiness to myself for the time being.

My summer vacation

In excruciate detail





We just came home from a five day trip to St. George. Every summer DH takes a three day class to brush up on the core for his teaching job. Usually he takes the class in town or commutes to SLC. But this year he decided to take a road trip so we could visit family and go on vacation.
It turned out to be a pretty good time, in spite of some problems.
DH wanted to go to his classes and visit with family.
I wanted to shop.
DS-L wanted to visit museums.
DS-A wanted to play.
We managed to fit a little bit of everything in, even though none of it was in generous supply ~ unless you count the swimming. We drove to Dixie on Tuesday and as soon as we checked into the motel the boys were in the pool. Next morning DH left for his class and the boys and I walked to a nearby store to buy swimming equipment. Then they swam some more.
I coaxed them out of the pool with the promise of lunch. We walked down to another store to eat (boys were still in their suits) and after I insisted we rest for an hour after we eat. We were back at the pool again.
After DH came back to the room we ate and went for a drive. While passing through the old neighborhood we notices one of my friends was out watering her plants so we stopped and ended up visiting with the family for two hours while our boys played with their boys.
I was supposed to have custody of the car the next morning ~ even though we had arranged for my friend to bring her boys over to the motel to swim that afternoon. DH had me drive the car out to his meeting place because it was an automatic and I’ve been driving a stick for 20 plus years. I only stepped on the clutch instead of the break once during the first test drive through the sleepy streets of Beaver on the way down to St. George.
Anyway, I put a big ol’ shoe on my left foot to remind me not to clutch, and I drove barefoot with my right foot to enforce the message. All was well until we started going over a hilly part of the road and the car wouldn’t shift into third gear. I was a little concerned but didn’t panic. DH was a little more concerned. But we managed to limp into the parking lot of the school. I suggested DH take the car for a drive to see if he could do a better job than I was doing. He did, and he couldn’t. So he went back to the school, told the instructor he was having car trouble, and drove it to his mother’s place where he made phone calls to the car rental place.
Meanwhile, I called the boys on my cell phone (good thing I thought to leave it with them!) and explained the situation. Eventually DH sister drove me back to the motel where we swam and finished of yesterday’s lunch while DH waited for the car company to tow up a new car for us from Vegas.
The fresh car was an Impala, just like the first one …with its own little quirks.
After DH came back to the motel with the new car, and we ate lunch, my friend came with her boys and you guessed it, we did a little more swimming.
That evening DH brother loaded us all in his truck and gave us a scenic tour of all the new building in Southern Utah (Crikey! It’s mind boggling).
Friday I took DH to the school without incident.
The boys and I then visited the new library and the old tabernacle before we went out to eat and I managed to sneak in a little paper shopping. Actually, I didn’t buy paper, but I did pick up a new photo album.
We came back home to swim, again.
DH brothers gave us tickets to the Roadrunners baseball game. They are a very minor league team supported in part by Dixie’s own famous pitcher, Bruce Hurst. It was fun, hot, and pricy. The Roadrunners lost to the outlaws … but we left somewhere in the seventh inning at a little bit past 10 p.m.
We did some more sightseeing on Saturday, including visiting the pioneer museum where a loom donated by DH’s grandfather was on display. DH says he can remember helping his grandma throw the shuttle back and forth. I seem to remember we had a loom very much like this in the church that was used by Relief Society ladies. Or am I just hallucinating?
I think we spent about two hours in the pool on Saturday, too.
We drove home on Sunday. The car made it okay and the cat was alive and happy to see us.
I now have a fresh batch of photos to scrap.

So very random

First.
Happy Father's Day to all you dads reading my blog.
I have been truly blessed to have close association with some of the best men on the planet.
My DH is outstandingly patient and hard working. He is such a great father to my children and such a supportive husband, I could not have picked a better man for me.
My father. The man who taught me the meaning of the phrase "unconditional love."
My Eternal Father, who loves me not in spite of myself, but because of myself.
My brother, long suffering and patient in a world of women.
My sons, what precious souls they are. My hope for them is they may follow in the footsteps of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers.
Second.
I've been thinking about my mother, too. She is a most formidibale woman, and I could never hope to measure up to her in so many ways.
Iwas raised by a woman who:

Grew her own food and canned it in our kitchen.
Sewed school clothing for her four daughters all summer.
Made her own quilts.
Recovered the furniture ~ both by painting and reupholstering it.
Made Barbie doll clothes for me and my sisters and Care Bears and Cabbage Patch dolls for her grandchildren.
Designed the floor plan of our house and gathered rock from the quarry for the living room fireplace.
Hand folded the nut cups, and hand made topiaries for my sister’s wedding reception.
Sewed wedding dresses for all of us (except me … I’m the fourth daughter and she was getting tired.)

No wonder I feel inadquate most of the time.
She also remodeled her wedding dress to make a fancy dress when she was a young mother. I've been thinking about this since someone pointed out the "trash the dress" site.http://trashthedress.wordpress.com/ For some reason my blog won't let me post an active link.

Some of these photos are flat out spectacular! I wish I had thought of / had the nerve to do this when I was married.
I've been seeing advertisements for a new television show where designers go into people's closets and make new outfits from the clothes. I would feel nothing but sympathy for a designer trying to make something of my rags. But my wedding dress is in there, maybe they could do something with it?

A bucket of fun

Money can’t buy you love, I told my son as he expressed his fondness for me after I purchased 400 water balloons.
His answer.
“No, it can’t but it can buy fun.”
Now there is a child with a grasp of the world.
It’s suddenly very hot here. Yesterday I had a long list of errands to run and as I was headed out I discovered I failed to bring my wallet in from DH car after we went to a baseball game on Thursday.
I ended up driving out to his work and going out to lunch at McDonalds with him and the boys. Then I came back to town and ran all over town taking care of my errands. By the time I was done I was dripping ~ my car does not have air conditioning. On the contrary, it gets temperamental and sometimes requires me to turn on the heater in order to cool down the engine.
But somewhere along the way we picked up some water balloons. The boys had a swell time filling them and tossing them at each other while I stretched out on the floor under the ceiling fan and prayed for rain.
DS-A had yet another baseball practice that evening, so we filled a bucket with water balloons. After the practice the coach lined the boys up and tossed the balloons at them, giving them each a chance to smack them with the bat. It was great fun, and I believe we have started a new baseball game practice tradition.
This morning I went to get more water balloons and some DVD’s for the boys to watch in the cool of the basement after they have dosed each other with water.
DH, alas, has to work all weekend ~ including Father’s Day. He is not amused.

More scrappin'

Now that I have purdy new baby photos I of course had to put them together in a photo album for Conner's new Granny. When you finally have a home, I'll drop it by for you, or maybe you can just swing by and pick it up!

Fun with cardboard

Here are some photos of the cardboard boat races from SailFest. This year’s theme was Viking related, and one ambitious crew built this fine Viking dragon ship, which held up well in the water and ~ due in part to it’s four man crew ~ won the race quite tidily.
A completely poorly designed pirate ship ~ essential a cardboard box with a mast ~ sank equally quickly. But the captain was a crowd favorite because of his theatrical going down with the ship followed by a swim the length of the course, holding the mast aloft with his legs.

Photo file

I’ve gone for days, weeks even, without using my camera and suddenly I’m a shooting fool. Yesterday I took photos for my friend’s 18-year-old son. Today I took the boys (including DH) and the camera out to the Great Salt Lake and took sailing photos. Then this evening I took photos of the family’s newest member, Tom and Elizabeth’s son.
I’ll probably write more about our GSL trip tomorrow, but right now the family is watching “The God’s Must Be Crazy” and I want to join them, so I’ll just post a few photos for now.

Random craziness

I’ve been dealing with my usual craziness. DH is home more, which is cool, but so are the boys, which required more work for them and less attention on my fun stuff (scrapping) although we have all been reading Harry Potter like crazy to get ready for the July releases.
Observation: Dumbledore has a brother. He is mentioned more than once. L has been peeking on spoiler internet sites and says he believes Dumbledore’s brother is the innkeeper at Hogsmead.
That’s all the fresh Potter information I have at this point.
I spent this morning with a friend and her 18-year-old son taking his graduation photos. He took us to a ghost town. Very cool! I need to take my boys out there sometime to take photos. I think I’ll probably wait until DH brothers are in town because they have a car that can navigate the rough road. It was rather interesting taking it in my friend’s BMW, following her son in his little beater sports car.
This afternoon (after a nap, of course) I worked on some advertising pages for teaching a journaling class at my local scrapbook store. DH had to work, but he was home by 8 p.m.
He has Saturday and Sunday off. Tomorrow we are going sailing on The Great Salt Lake as part of an annual event held at the local marina. We are also going to visit Elizabeth, Tom and their new baby and take photos.
Sunday we start church in a new building because our old building is being remodeled. Church starts at 3 p.m. Fun, fun fun!
I’ll post photos of sailing and babies when I get them.

In case you were wondering

What happens when you tie a kite to the ceiling fan in a very messy boy's bedroom. Here's the answer.
It entertains the cat and the boys. Since the room is very messy, it does not bother the mommy nearly as much as you would think it would.
Besides, the mommy is trying to work and keeping the kids and cat entertained ~ although she would prefer they work on cleaning the very messy room ~ is of prime importance.

Boy am I boring

It’s a slow day. All of us spent most of yesterday either reading or cleaning house. So I lifted this idea from my sister and niece.
1. Who is the last person you held hands with?

Probably DS-A he’s the cuddly one in the family.

2. If you were drafted into a war, would you survive?

I hope so, I have children to raise.

3. Do you sleep with the TV on?

Only if someone is in my bedroom watching TV while I’m trying to sleep.

4. Have you ever drunk milk straight out of the carton?

Well, yah, duh!

5. Have you ever won a spelling bee?

hahahahahaha! *Sigh*

6. Do you like somebody right now?

Yep, my DH

7. Are you a fast typist?

Pretty fast, I was once clocked at 85 WPM but I think I’ve slowed down somewhat.

10. Who can you always turn to?

My DH.

11. When was the last time you chose a bath over a shower?

When I discovered bathing aggravates my excema.

12. Do you knock on wood?

Not usually

13. Are you drinking anything right now?

There is a Pepsi by my side.

14. Do you think you’re attractive?

Only if there are no mirrors in the house.

17. What do you want for Christmas?

I haven’t thought that far ahead.

18. Do you know the muffin man?

Is this a crack about my weight?

19. Do you talk in your sleep?

My whole family does. I think we talk more to each other in our sleep than we do when we are awake.

20. Who wrote the book of love?

Jesus! I like that answer!

21. Have you ever flown a kite?

Yes, late one night at Rick College when everyone else was at a dance, a bunch of my friends (men and women) went to the field across the street from our dorm and flew kites.

22. When was the last time that you went swimming and where?

Last year when we went to Vernal to see the dinosaur park we all took a dip in the motel’s small, kidney shaped pool.

24. How many people are on your contact list of your cell?

DH, home, work, that’s about it.

25. Have you ever asked for a horse?

No.

26. Plans for tomorrow?

working ~ I’m not really sure what form it will take

27. What’s your middle name?

Debra

28. Missing someone right now?

My father, as always.

29. When was the last time you told someone you love them?

A few minutes ago to DS-A

30. What was the last sport you played?

I threw and caught balls with DS-A yesterday, does that count?

31. How are you feeling today?

Content, right now. That could change.

32. What did you do today?

Got out of bed, made toast, came and checked out my computer.

33. Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?

No, I’ve always been law abiding.

34. What are you looking forward to?

Playing with paper.

35. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Of course.

37. Have you ever eaten dog food?

No.

38. Can you handle the truth?

Well, that’s debatable

39. Do you like green eggs and ham?

I’d rather read Harry Potter.

40. What 3 things do you always bring with you to places?

keys, notebook, camera.

41. Any cool scars?

Not particularly

42. Do you like or have a crush on anyone?

I like myself, I think I’m grand I go to the move just to hold my hand!

45. How often do you talk on the phone?

All day long if I’m working.

46.Do you talk to yourself?

Absolutely! Shusss, someone’s listening.

47. Is there something you want that you can’t have?

Just a little bit more.

48. Three things about the opposite gender that you first notice?

voice, sense of humor, attitude. (see entry No. 45)

49. Who are you thinking about right now?

I can’t really pin it down to one person.

50. Who did you last hug?

DS-A when I told him I loved him.

52. Where is your cell phone?

In my purse, or maybe I’m charging it, I don’t remember.

53. What was the last thing you ate?

I’ll never tell

54. Favorite Color?

Blue, in all it’s many shades

55. Last movie in theaters you watched?

Shrek the Third, Friday..

56. What song do you currently hear?

“Global Warming” a teeny-bopper song played on Glenn Beck making fun of the whole Global Warming political movement.

57. What do you want?

Another long weekend ~ maybe I’ll get something done this time

59. What TV show are you watching?

Nothing right now.

60. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

Someone from work.

Daddy's home! Daddy's Home!

The boys were out of school, DH did not have to work (or travel somewhere) today, and I didn't have to go interview anyone.
I think the last time that happened we were headed to Wyoming for our Easter break.
We spent the day together as a family. We went into Salt Lake City where we bought a pair of shorts, sandals, and shirt for each of the boys and a blouse for me. Then we went out to eat.
We came home and cashed in the movie tickets DH was given as a lovely parting gift from one of his student's parents for Shrek the Third. (Mildly amusing but overall a bit of a disappointment). After a brief rest DH took the 8-year-old to baseball practice and I didn't have to go.
DH was asked to work graveyards through the summer, but we discussed it, I pointed out I wanted him around and alive, not working himself to death or risking his life for a measly $8.50 an hour at a truck stop.
He will still be working 40 hours a week at the second job. It looks like most of his shifts will be swing from 4-11 p.m. or thereabouts. But we are planning to bank as much of the money as we can to finish paying off some outstanding debts (student loans, anyone?) So he only has to work the one job next fall.
We may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But don't tell the car or the appliances, they are notorious for gobbling up any spare cash.