Blast From The Past

This last weekend, an old friend of mine got married in Seattle. I've known about Lisa's wedding for a long time and as soon as she made her announcement, I knew I wanted to be there for it...even though it was scheduled soon after our move and even though attending meant a very lengthy road trip to justify the expense of travelling to Washington State for two separate events only weeks apart.

Lisa has always been a special friend to me. My earliest friend memory with her was performing in the school talent show in second grade. She and I and two other girls performed a little dance on the sidelines to the song Eye Of The Tiger while four boys pretended to box ( Yes...I was cool even back then;). Growing up in the same neighborhood meant lots and lots of sleepovers on her lush waterbed, after school coffee cake, rocking out to Bon Jovi in her basement, figuring out what we both of us actually knew after watching "the film" in fifth grade during our walk home, goofing off in French class, going to the lake, camping and posing and dancing and dressing up....all the memories any girl should have in her life.

Because it was her wedding, I didn't get much of a chance to talk or spend time with Lisa. Watching her glow with her new husband at her side and talking to her parents, her sister and being surrounded by a room full of people who loved her too was compensation enough. As an added perk, some other old friends who I haven't seen since our high school reunion were there as well. Although I never once hesitated in thought or deed when deciding to attend the wedding alone, it was very nice to have a group of familiar faces to sit and laugh with during the reception.

Lisa and Kent repeat their vows.

Lisa's father, Bob, sings a sweet folksy-type song to his daughter and new son-in-law.


Their cake. It was delicious.

A candy bar. Brilliant!

I didn't have a great time at my ten-year high school reunion. I was, very unfortunately, in charge of planning the whole thing (who really thinks of that when deciding to run for senior class president? I just had a great speech idea (I sat at a piano in a sky blue tuxedo and did a night club act - you know, talking and singing intermittently. It was a hit) and though it'd look good on a college resume. I was NOT thinking ten years down the road). It was not fun planning get together for a couple hundred people I had lost track of from long distance, all the while taking care of my newborn. As a result, I didn't have much time or brain capacity to carry on meaningful conversations with some of my favorite former classmates.

However, I have great, great memories with this entire group. It's so easy....too easy....to lose touch with old friends. Truthfully, I feel like all I've done so far in life is create of trail of long-distance friendships and my old school friends are, sadly, that much further in my past and the memories with them that much more faded.


I probably won't see any of them again until our twenty-year high school reunion, but spending one evening with them, laughing, remembering and introducing our adult selves to each other was worth every effort.

Me and Becky. We had some dang good times in volleyball and other random gatherings. The best part of talking to an old friend is getting to hear their memories. I had forgotten some great stories.


Emily, Kasey, Lisa, MaryPat, Me and Becky.

Love you, Lisa! Congratulations to you and Kent.

After The Party

We made it to Montana! I have to hand it to the boys, they are excellent little travelers. I know you won't believe me, and after being shown seriouslysoblessed, (funny, in that biting, sarcastic, uh...is she making fun of me? sort of way) I now hesitate to use the words seriously, so, or blessed when describing anything but...come on....they didn't complain, not once, during 14 hours in the car. It's (seriously) the most amazing thing ever. And I am blessed.


Henry did wimper from time to time, but if I put my hand back behind my seat, so that his little foot could rub against it, he was good. We played games (I'm going on a picnic took over an hour because Seth and Sam were determined after the letter "O" to make each letter choice involve a transformer in one way or another. It took some brainstorming....and some major patience training for mom....to accomplish this feat), they watched a few movies and I enjoyed singing along to the love songs played on The Heart on XM radio (I'd never thought I'd want Gloria Estefan or Chicago on my ipod, but after my hearty duets with them today, I'm rethinking that decision).


I'm feeling the long-drive-hangover now, though. As a result, the boys were left to mostly put themselves to bed tonight. And as all three are sharing a room, it turned into quite the party. I was out in the family room watching SYTYCD (disappointing), and could hear the goings on loud and clear. I half-heartedly attempted to calm everyone down twice, but figured they'd eventually tucker out.


I just went in there to check and this was the scene I found. My sleeping beauties. . .

Henry cracks me up. I bet he felt pretty big, getting away with falling asleep on Seth's bed (who, by the way, doesn't look all that comfortable squished into the upper half of the bed). Seriously....those little feet all culred under and crossed like that? Munchable. He's safely back in his crib now.

Meanwhile...Sammy enjoys his queen bed glory (he's going to have to make room for me, however). I love how he's horizontal, the pillows are all askew and pillocases off. What do they do in there? And does the crash happen simultaneously?)

Goodnight boys. Thanks for coming with me:)

3,706 Miles

That's how far I'm going to be traveling, by car, with three children, in the next three and a half weeks. I leave tomorrow and won't get back until August 17th. I'm driving to Montana in the next two days to leave my kids with my parents while I fly to Seattle to see my beloved friend since 1st grade get married to her sweetheart in Seattle (can't wait, Lisa!!). Then I'll spend a week with my parents, drive to Canada to spend time with my sister, drive to Washington for our family reunion being held at a fabulous vacation home near Mt. Rainier, and then drive 1,200 miles home in time for my kids to get rid of their saddle sores by the time school starts on the 20th. And hopefully meet up with a few bloggers along the way.

For the triple dare...I'm doing all of this driving without Jay.

I am a mother. Hear me roar.

Not Exactly Organic

On Saturday, I headed to the local farmer's market in a hopeful attempt to pick up some pretty fruits and vegetables. Once I arrived, at 11:15 am, I realized that if you want to actually buy food, you need to get there earlier. Much earlier. As I was meandering through the converted parking lot, I could only find about one bunch of radishes or parsley left for sale. There was still plenty of goat milk fudge available, not to mention an ample selection of organic cotton clothing, beeswax products, tributes to all things Jamaican and some pretty (and expensive) pottery, but not a good selection of the veggies I came for.

So, we left and headed on over to get some lunch at.....



McDonalds.

I'm pretty sure not many other visitors at the farmer's market followed up their market shopping with a happy meal. If only someone made organic Transformer toys.

An Awkward Meal

In the last two places I've lived, feeding the missionaries was not your typical, sit-down-with-two-elders-and-have-a-meal affair. In Spokane, if you didn't have someone for the elders to teach in your home, then the mission president requested that dinner be brought to their apartment.....at 4:30 PM.

I did it once.

It was a horrible experience, never to be repeated again.

During our year in Salt Lake, I don't think I even met met any missionaries personally, and certainly didn't feed any.

So, during that first Sunday here, when the calender went around in Sunday School, I recognized the great opportunity having missionaries in our home is, and the example and exposure they provide for my boys, who I hope will do the exact same thing in the future, and signed up.

Unfortunately, I didn't have Jay's work schedule for July memorized. I must have thought with this new job, he'd have no problem managing to get home by 6:00. After all, he's no longer a resident or fellow and those late nights due to late add-on procedures, attendings too busy to check-out, and the red tape that comes along with teaching institutions, should be long over.

What I didn't count on was the fact that Jay would still be nervous, trying to learn a whole new computer and dictation system and triple checking his work to be as sure as he could be that his interpretation and differential was thorough. He's always telling me how he doesn't want to kill anyone, and that's the kind of goal I happily support.

The missionaries called around 3:00 and asked if 5:00 pm would work. Knowing there was no way in Hades that Jay would be home by then, I negotiated for 6:00, promising them that they'd be fed, watered and out the door in time for their 7:00 appointment.

They arrived promptly at 6:00. Jay did not.

As I opened the door, I confessed that Jay was still not home, and wondered if that would be a problem.

They looked at each other and replied, "Yes. I'm sorry. It's against the rules for us to come inside your home if your husband isn't here. But, it's alright. We can just wait outside."

Having absolutely no idea when Jay actually would get home, I convinced them to streak through the house (I'll close my eyes and plug my ears and pretend it never happened!) and relax on the chairs outside on the deck. They conceded and for the next twenty five minutes, the elders and the boys and I were awkwardly separated by a screen door.

I couldn't get a good shot with both of the elders from the dining room, so I snuck back to my master bedroom, which has it's own set of sliding doors to the deck, to take this picture.

Finally, with a sinking feeling that Jay might never show up before they had to leave, I begged them to let me bring them a plate of dinner out on the deck. I hope they didn't breaking a rule by saying, "yes" because it made me feel a lot better when they did. I scooped up two plates of beef enchiladas, black refried beans and homemade chips with guacamole and delivered them outside.

Then I scooted back to my neutral territory.

Henry enjoying his meal ( I had to pretend I was taking a picture of him because one elder turned while I taking pictures).

But, then, he turned back so I took a picture of my view. My food in front of me, a solitary table, and the people I feel like I should be talking only a few feet away.

They boys were hungry, so I fed them. Then I was hungry, so I ate. Then the missionaries said it was time to leave so they left.

Awwwwk-ward!

First of all, let me say that I'm grateful for missionaries who obey rules. I really am. I admire any young man for serving a mission, during those years of his life when he's just starting with school, an athletic career, or even a relationship. Society would convince them that it's the worst possible time to go, and yet they do it. And obey some seemingly absurd rules while they're at it. It's rather amazing, actually.

Secondly, I can appreciate that while their virtue was safe with me, and mine with them, I'm sure that the rule exists for a reason. (Shudder).

Lastly, I've had my fair share of excruciating conversations with young and sometimes immature elder missionaries. As strange as it seemed having them right outside on the deck, I was kind of glad to be relieved of my small talk duties.

In the end, they managed to leave my home with food in their bellies and a clear conscience. Still, the next time I sign up, I will make absolutely certain that I do it on Jay's day off.

Filling In Gaps

As usual, I have a few loose ends out there that I'd like to blog about. For the record. Here goes.

As soon as Jay left for his first day of work on the 10th, I felt disappointed that I hadn't taken his picture. It's kind of like the first day of kindergarten all over again (except for the part about it being school. That part of the comparison is, thankfully, over. This is also a good reminder for me to not forget that first day of kindergarten for Sam approaching rapidly. Making note of it.....now ).

Instead, I took his picture when he got home. Here is Jay after the first day of his long-awaited career in medicine. It only took him 16 years of school and a mission following high school to get it:) I think I'll take a picture after work on his last day in thirty years or so. Maybe he'll smile for me then.

So serious.

We drove past this scene in a local park after dinner on Friday. We couldn't help but do the rubberneck after seeing their ring leader, clearly donning a kind of bird costume, standing on a box in front of a make-shift shrine, talking to a group that included a man dressed all in white with some sort of bird tribute on his head, and a woman in a red formal. After taking the picture through the car window, I felt a little embarrassed as I was seen by some. But then again, if you are going to look like this in a public park, chances are very good that you really, really want some attention. Click on the picture to enlarge it. It really enhances the whole experience.

Sunday, we drove to Jay's dad (and Jay's actually) hometown for an extended family reunion. The reunion consisted of Jay's dad's siblings and their offspring. Some family members were much better represented than Vaughn's, but with Clark and Jay there, he wasn't completely progeny-less. In the twelve plus years I've known Jay, I've met one of his aunts, once. So, I think it would have been nice to get to know a few other long, lost relatives, but Henry came too so our reunion activities involved lots of grass and dirt in the front of the church. Alone.

Here's a whole lot of people I've never met before.

Our little group.

Here's Seth's X-ray that shows his break. Can't see it? I know. I'd attempt to describe it, but I know I'd get it wrong again. Yes...I did get it wrong. I believe Jay told me that it was a buckle fracture on the dorsal side of his radius. If you can find it, I'll be impressed. I couldn't without Jay walking me through what it looks like and what it's supposed to look like. I guess that's why they pay my man the big bucks. Hopefully. Soon. Please. Oh....and I was surprised to see that Seth is actually made up of something beyond skin and bones. Look, there's stuff in between. Who'd have thought it by just looking at him?

That's all. That wasn't so bad, was it?

First of Many?

As a mother of sons, I've been expecting the dirt, the noise, the quickly disappearing food and the broken bones. Most of those things have happened exactly as promised.

Except the broken bones part. We've managed to limit the severity of injuries to those that can be fixed with band-aids and Neosporin.

Until now.

My sister, Maureen, is visiting for a few days and she and I took the kids on a morning hike. We choose to follow the path with some exercise stations, including a very tall - and definitely for adult use - monkey bars (although, I'm pretty sure that isn't the name they use for the station. But...can you think of another name for them?).

Seth is very adept at swinging from bar to bar and performed this very feat to perfection before attempting it a second time.

He climbed up on a rock. He leaped. He missed.

He came down hard on his wrist and I had never seen him in so much pain. The hike back home was hard because he was so pale and really scared.

As soon as we got home, I gave him some Tylenol (with codeine), put his wrist on ice and showered as quickly as I could. We drove to a surgical hospital that Jay was working at and got right in. After some very good care, we headed to X-Ray and then off to Dad's office to read them. He broke his ulna (well, it's called a dorsal bulge - or something like that. I'm sure Jay will correct me), and Seth will be in a splint for the rest of the summer.

Pre-Xray.

Post splint and smiling through the pain for a picture.

He tearfully told me he's "never doing the Monkey Bars again." Poor Seth.

500 Posts and Two Years Later

How coincidental that these two blog events arrived at the same time! My original intention was to list 50 things that I've learned through blogging, but the post really wasn't flowing. Way too much waxing philosophical about things that really....everyone understands already. Instead, I'm simply going to copy what I did for my first blogiversary by listing my favorite posts from the last twelve months. These are the posts that I'm eternally glad I wrote; the posts that I sometimes have to re-read to remember just how glad I am that I wrote them down in the first place.

Exotic Names
Horseshoes and Hand grenades
Blasted Endorphins
Even Better Than A Ceramic Racoon...or Two
Patio Dining
Highs and Lows
PG-13
One Thing
Balance
8 Random Things
I Can and I Should, So I'm Going To Try
Saving My Life To Death
Houston, We Have A Problem
All of My Myanmar/Thailand Trip posts
Publishing A Whiny Post, Even Though I Know Better (See? I'm so glad I did!)
The Magic Is Gone
Genesis
O.K...Now I Know
Life In The Village Is Pricey
Book Review - The Book Of Mormon
A Trial Separation
Granny Speaks
Like Father, Like Son
A Chorus Girl
How and Why
Hero Worship
Any Other Flaw Would Do
A Bedtime Story
Conversion

Hmmmm...that's kind of a lot, but If you consider that I wrote 245 posts, it's not so bad. I'm so glateful I have these! I love knowing how I felt about whatever topic...that day! Because, truthfully, those feelings change. Some of these posts could not be written now. It's a snapshot in time...or a keepsake of a past memory that will last forever.

Who knows what's up for year three? Will I still be blogging? If you haven't realized yet (and I'm guessing there's only a few of you out there who might still be in the dark), I'll just go ahead and bring you up to speed....I'm kind of a drama queen. Certain things seem like a really, really big deal sometimes. And, if you can believe it, turns out they only sometimes actually are. So, we'll see if I can save this blog from myself. :-)

Happy Blogging!!

Funny or Sad?

Sammy is in the process of learning to ride his bike without training wheels (long overdue and, yes, we realize he needs a bigger bike. Those tiny wheels are making his legs work extra hard to move forward and stay balanced).

I wanted to capture his first two-wheel moment on video, and sort of did, but the event was made a little more difficult thanks to his younger brother. I've watched these videos several times now, and giggle every time. But, maybe I'm just hardened to the spectacle that is all things Henry. What do you, the non-desensitized-to-Henry-drama think?









Funny, right? C'mon. That little tricycle rolling down the hill all abandoned? Admit it...it made you chuckle.

SPT - Water

I had a traditional water pose all set up for today's challenge from Lelly. As a family, we walked along the river to do a Geocache.

Success! (Thankfully. When you can't find the container, it kind of dampers the entire experience. And it happens more times than I care to admit).

Henry finding his own fun in the dirt.

Another fun way to enjoy our local river

I snapped a few pics of the river and was going to write about how I loved water, loved water sports.....it was all about water, water, water.

Look! Water! I'm loving it.

After all this fun alongside the river, we went to the library to get our new cards. A library card has to be near the top of my favorites list and I snagged a few books to keep me company at night.

Reading books at night leads me to my greatest love affair of all with water.

Bubbles, hot water, candles, beverage and a book. My bliss.

The Law of Sacrifice

I consider myself fortunate to be the mother of a certain boy who, so far, seems to thrive from living the gospel. It's mostly a blessing, although I admit that it can be tiresome to constantly confess my own shortcomings. Still, I'm grateful because I'm counting on Seth bringing me along when he gets handed his own golden ticket.

Last month, Seth attempted to fast for the first time. To fully understand how enormous this decision was for him, you must realize that his entire goal upon waking up is to eat as soon as possible. Breakfast is his main meal and he can't wait very long to eat before the entire household encounters a full system meltdown. His is not a light breakfast, either. Bowls of cereal, stacks of pancakes, or an entire pig, should bacon be present at the table.

He made it until 9:00 am.

Barely.

The last ten minutes we had to use the microwave as a timer so he could have a visual.

Of course, I would never expect him to fast for a full 24 hours at his age and experience, so a 9:00 breakfast seemed like a success.

This morning, Jay was up early getting his Chile Verde going (we invited his parents and brother's family over for dinner this afternoon), and Seth came bounding out of bed at his normal early hour. Feeling extra loving, because there was a parent already up to feed him, he mentally prepared for a Fruity Pebble feast. Those hugs and kisses soon turned into tears and a hasty retreat back to the bedroom when his dad reminded him about Fast Sunday.

He never asked again to eat (that's not his way), but he wasn't happy about this particular act of gospel living. All morning, he kept roaming in and out of the kitchen, until it was time to leave for church. I asked Jay if we should feed Seth before leaving the house (at about 8:45 am), and Seth gloomily answered, "No. It's Fast Sunday." All I was waiting for was for him to start hitting himself (not hard...he doesn't actually want to hurt himself, he just wants us to believe that he is. I never said he was perfect) to know if we were in full punishment mode yet.

We packed some Nilla Wafers to keep Henry occupied during sacrament meeting, and a few snack bars for the boys for after church while we attended choir practice. All through sacrament meeting, Seth kept opening up the church bag and touching the wrapped snack bars gently with his finger...just to see if they were real, I guess. Mentally deciding I'd give him a bar after sacrament meeting, I took the bag away from him and placed it opposite of me to distance the temptation he found so enticing.

Jay showed him a few scriptures during testimony meeting about fasting, and the blessings and lessons that come from it, which seemed to help Seth cope. After the meeting ended, I gathered all the Where's Waldo books and other paraphernalia we managed to scatter in one short/long hour and ten minutes, and looked up only to find that Jay had already taken all three boys to their classes. No fast-breaking for Seth.

I worried through both of the next hours, wondering what kind of torture Seth was putting his teachers through as he agonized over his own hunger, until a discussion started during Relief Society about Sister Julie Beck's talk on standing steadfast and immovable. Suddenly, the teacher was reading off the list of essential things we women should be doing and then she read the quote, "Latter-day Saint women must be strong and immovable in family. They can and should do families better than anyone else."

I know what Sister Beck means. I've read this talk several times and humbled myself to take from it the message she intends to give. But, when I hear these quotes, I still feel almost immediately annoyed by Sister Beck's choice of syntax. I know she means to be motivating, with her "can"s and her "should"s but it comes off, to me, as competitive. Again, however, I emphasize that I know this is not the case.

It did start an interesting discussion, though. Comments about the necessity of various homemaking skills, the degree of acceptable housekeeping and the ever increasing pressure to look "perfect" while trying to be perfect. Suddenly, I realized that while Seth was struggling with his sacrifice to fast (and to be honest...so was I), I continue to struggle everyday with the sacrifice that comes from being a mother, a woman, a wife, a sister, a friend, a visiting teacher....whatever it is that takes the focus away from me, me, me.

I'm not sure why I've never applied the law of sacrifice to include my ego, but it was kind of a revelation for me. Why? Shouldn't it should be the first thing to go? We are taught in Alma 5 that letting go of this part of ourselves is essential. Six things are mentioned as necessary for salvation:

1. Being spiritually born of God (experiencing this mighty change in our hearts).
2. Exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you.
3. Being sufficiently humble.
4. Being stripped of pride.
5. Being stripped of envy.
6. Ceasing to mock or persecute others.

Pretty mind-blowing. I've always considered myself fully willing to sacrifice my money, time, talents, possessions for the Lord...should he ask. I just didn't think he had, yet.

He has. But our wise and loving Heavenly Father also knows we won't be perfect about our sacrifice. So, He gave us as an example, His son, Jesus Christ, who was perfect in His to study and learn from. Furthermore, He gives us the opportunity to fast once a month to practice and improve.

Seth managed to fast until the end of church. Without question, it was hard and he felt very hungry. But, he also said he felt good. He said he felt the spirit. He said he was glad he did it.

I continue to learn from my wise and brave son.

Watch Out For The Wildlife

This morning, I left the house for my first child-free hike, and took my camera to show how cool these trails are that surround me.

Here, I am....la-la-la-la-la...starting a hike after leaving the house mere seconds ago.

Coming to this meadow scene almost had me twirling with my arms in the air while belting out a happy song. I didn't....but I wanted to.

It's not all left to the imagination, however. Remember my embarrassing episode with bench dips in the park last year? What a convenient solution.....bar dips in the privacy of the forest! Now, if I can only manage to get back up after one.

As I was nearing the end, I saw a furry brown thing speedily hop, hop, hop just ahead of me and as fast as I could, took my camera out to catch the wild creature in action. Even as quick as I am (o.k...I'm not that quick), the deer was quicker and was up and out of my way before I could get a very close shot.

Hi, Bambi. I know...I don't want to be that close to you either.

I must admit that I'm not a particular lover of animals. I respect them, and admire the necessary part of the life cycle that they are, but am much happier when they do their thing (at a safe distance) and I do mine. I don't even think we'll get a bird feeder (which will pretty much make us stand out from the rest of the neighborhood), because even birds getting too close gives me a case of the willies.

I'll happily take a bird fluttering by, however, over this.

Brown bear, brown bear, what do I see? I see you walking way too close to me!

The neighborhood was abuzz tonight with bear sightings. We got in our van to go see for ourselves and guess who I found on the exact same trail I hiked that morning? Mr. Bear of course. I got out of the car to take pictures, but Jay told me the bear didn't look very big and there might be a mama bear nearby.


We drove around for a while longer and spotted the bear, again, but this time the bear had found a garbage can to go through.


There was another car stopped to see the bear, but this man, who lived next door, wasn't taking any risks.

Expressing his second amendment rights. I won't argue with him.

I must admit, this gives me a bit of pause about all this hiking.....

4th of July

Jay's brother, Vaughn, and his family invited us to hike with them on the 4th of July Holiday. Vaughn had been told by a forest service employee about a geyser that erupts ever 45 minutes, so with a topography map for directions and the information that the trail was appropriate even for the elderly (not that we had any....but it was still good info), we headed off to explore the wilderness.

The trailhead required almost two hours of driving to reach, and, once parked, we had to cross a river to begin the hike. Feeling adventurous, we packed kids on our backs and traversed through the cold mountain water with as much spirit as the Von Trapp family.

When we crossed over the first time, we found the most shallow section of the river and then crossed.

On the way back, the trail crossed a different, more deep section of the river. I took this picture when we arrived back at our cars.

Unfortunately, all that effort didn't reward us with the promised trail head. We scrambled and skidded and bushwhacked our way about a quarter of a mile up the mountain with no real sense that we were going in the right direction. The tip about the elderly being able to manage the hike was the biggest clue that we were not where we were supposed to be.

Pretty and green, but pretty treacherous. And this was the easy part, when I still felt cheery enough to take pictures. It got pretty ugly at the end when we weren't sure how we were going to get back down.

Self-portrait proof that I was there.

After almost two hours, we erred on the side of safety and started heading back down the mountain when we stumbled (not figuratively) onto the right trail. Half of the group still wanted to go back to the car but Jay (and Henry...because he was attached), Seth, Vaughn and myself decided to find that geyser.

The actual hike was only a little over a mile long and the trail was, indeed, wide and not too steep, and very doable. As far as the elderly being able to do it, perhaps. We were still up over 9,000 ft. so even though the incline was manageable, we were all still breathing hard.

They geyser turned out to be springs, and the water wasn't hot at all. It did smell like sulfur, though, and certainly wasn't something you see everyday on a trail, so it was worth the drive and the earlier adventure looking for it.

Jay hiked with a leaning Henry the entire time. I guess a boy's got to see.

The little sulfur spring.

Henry enjoying his freedom (from being in the backpack).

Is it hot? No.

As we were making our way down the mountain, we got caught in the rain....again! Thankfully, the showers never went beyond a sprinkle, and we made it back to the cars without being too cold.

The group minus Vaughn.

We left our house pretty early in the morning and met Vaughn and Patty in a grocery store's parking lot before heading out. Jay kind of panicked after realizing that we didn't pack any emergency clothing for the afternoon storms that are almost a guarantee in the mountains. He ran back into the grocery store and picked up these gems for the low, low price of 2 for $10. What a steal. And so, so pretty.

I'm realizing these bangs aren't working out so well with this outdoor adventurer lifestyle I'm adopting here. A few more afternoons looking like this might necessitate a grow- out. Not to mention, if I'm going to keep getting caught in the rain, I think I need to keep some under eye makeup close by for the obviously necessary touch-up.

Later, we went to Vaughn and Patty's for grilled hamburgers and I enjoyed being kid-free the entire evening. Derek entertained Seth and Sam with a football and Delanie kept Henry mostly out of trouble. He did manage to break one of their lawn ornaments (sigh), but once they got some sidewalk chalk into his hands, he was contained.

We opted out of watching fireworks because we were all very tired from the drive and hike, but it felt like the 4th of July, even without them. I felt free and independent and very much in love with my country.

Think Before You Shop

Every day this week, the kids have gone hiking with Jay or me. We have miles and miles of trails mere steps from our front door. Additionally, Jay has begun training for an insane race in September where he'll run seventeen miles over an old logging road between Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. The distance alone would kill me but, for this race, the runners start at 7800 ft., climb to 13,120 ft. before crossing the finish line at 8,820 ft. So, when my man tells me he needs some good trail running shoes, I say, "Let's go shopping!"

Wanting to support our local economy, which includes several outdoor enthusiast stores set up along main street that specialize in selling this kind of gear, we headed downtown to buy some hiking shoes/boots for Seth and me and trainers for Jay. First of all, shopping with three children is never a good idea. Try to avoid whenever possible. Secondly, shopping for shoes (which, by nature, involves some sedentary behavior) is purely masochistic without a stroller to contain a wild two year-old. This was a rookie mistake on our part and we assume responsibility for all post-traumatic stress related issues for all involved. Not pretty. Lastly, never....ever shop in a tourist town on a holiday weekend. Just don't do it. It was insane.

If the above description didn't convert you to the cause of home internet shopping, add another sudden afternoon thunderstorm in the mix and you'll be kissing the UPS man after his next delivery too.

We escaped the rainstorm by heading into an ice cream store. An ice cream store with no indoor seating, that is. Thank goodness it had a small porch. FYI, neither Henry or I left the ice cream store as clean as we arrived.

I must mention, that in spite of the afternoon, which shan't be repeated anytime soon, we just spent a lovely evening at an evening BBQ with some neighbors. I looks like I'm going to have to end every blog entry with, "I love it here!"

SPT - Sun

I've been so eager to take some pictures of my pretty surroundings to brag share with you all and thought my outing today would provide the perfect opportunity.

Sunday, the woman I sat next to during the third hour of church asked me if I wanted to join group of women for a play date at a lake on Wednesday. Loving lakes, play dates, and making new friends, I happily accepted the invitation and looked forward to sitting in the sand watching my kids frolic in the water and getting to know some new people.

We arrived there this afternoon with our arms full of towels, bags, floaties and lunch. After spending about twenty minutes applying sunscreen, arranging towels and distributing food, ten more minutes establishing safety boundaries with Henry (that kid) and five minutes discreetly applying sunscreen to myself (I didn't want to scare away the new friends with too much flesh exposed), I finally found myself learning kids' names, home locations, school information and giving our own short history.

During this entire time, the sun was shining. In fact, I probably got burned waiting a whole thirty minutes to apply sunscreen to my legs and feet (I was wearing a hoodie, so top half was covered) because there was no cloud coverage and burns happen quickly at this high altitude. Quick as a flash, I heard someone say, "Time to call the swimmers in. The lightning started."

What? When? Sure enough, I looked up and dark, heavy clouds were rolling in with the thunder. Behind the dark clouds was more sunshine, so I made no move to gather our things. I figured we could handle a few showers....we were there in our swimsuits to get wet, after all.

Unfortunately, I didn't count on the hail. Before I knew it, small balls of ice were pelting my kids, Henry and Sammy were crying from fear, pain, coldness and surprise, and I was making a mad dash to gather garbage, shoes, towels, bags, and floaties and get them all in one trip back up the hill to the van....while carrying Henry. It's one of the reason God gave women hips...to allow us to transform into pack mules when necessary.

No more sun.
That was our little beach - abandoned now due to hail.

Some of the hail hitting our windshield

Disappointed, cold and not that happy with Mom. Notice Henry's chocolate mouth from the pudding in his lunchables...

can you guess where most of the pudding was transferred to? I am constantly covered in food from touching that kid. The rain caused some sunscreen to get in my eye...hence the bloodshot look. And those aren't all freckles on my neck. Most of it is sand.

Best part? I ran several errands afterwards looking like this. With the high price of gas, I wasn't going to run home just to straighten bangs and reapply under eye concealer. And you know what? The look is so, so casual here (compared to another, more groomed place that I've lived in recently) that I didn't even feel that conspicuous. It didn't really matter. I love this town.