Or, why my posts will have no [current] pictures for a little while. And this is really all in my head, because I have a less than perfect understanding with my computer right now. :) One of my Christmas presents was a new internal hard drive to supplement our old 40-gig hard drive. I filled that one completely up with itunes and digital photographs. My dh [who is pretty much capable of anything, I've discovered] installed the new drive- there was a spot for it, but no hardware to attach it, so he figured all that out, too. Now we're backing up all the current memory, and then we'll switch the pics and tunes to the new drive, and *gulp* erase them from the old drive. So, while all the backing up is going on, I have not downloaded or saved any pictures. And I have taken a few since our trip to LV. Mostly this is because there really is NO ROOM left on the old hard drive. Partly it is also because I'm afraid if I add anything before the [long and extremely slow] back-up process is complete, the whole darn thing will have to restart.
So this is a summary of the last few days: Friday we drove down to a hunt club, and FINALLY took the kids out for a pheasant hunt. [we stopped along the way to see Nate and Caitlin & their boys, and played with all Saxon's new cars] We hunted the gully [that's a very small canyon, BTW] right next to an access road, which meant that Jared and the dogs walked in/near the gully to look for birds, and I walked along the road with any kids that weren't following him. LOL, I have now held 2- yes, TWO- dead pheasants. Oh the things I will do for love ;). Jared was the only one with a gun [thank goodness], and we made sure we stayed behind him, so he knew where NOT to shoot. We ended up with 4 of the fattest pheasants you'll ever see. Or maybe you won't, depending on the whole picture/hard drive thing...
Left the hunt club, drove to my parents' house for games and dinner, and ended up spending the night, which was probably the safer choice. Saturday was a pretty laid-back day; pancakes for breakfast [thanks to my mom, who is an awesome cook], and lots of snow in the yard. Jared spent most of the morning outside with Kyle, Emmeline, Cassie [she's the honorary canine cousin], Alyson, and all our kids, building a huge snow fort. Actually, it is an igloo- it has a roof, and it's tall enough to stand up in. I did go outside and try it out, and take some pics.
We drove home by way of Provo Canyon through Heber, and checked on my grandparents' house- it's for sale now, which is kind of hard, but understandable. We also stopped at the cemetery [kids were all asleep in the back seat- late nights and lots of outdoor exercise, I guess], and Jared shovelled a path from the road into Myles' grave, and my grandparents' and great-grandparents' graves as well. We brushed off the snow, and tidied things up a bit, then headed home. We made it home in one piece- no accidents or close calls- and fed everybody and went to bed. Yesterday was a normal church day, and we had roast pheasant for dinner. Yep, we eat our kills. Anyway, because they're farm raised, and fed like chickens, they basically taste like chicken. I just need to comment that Jared and I came to an agreement early in our marriage: he shoots it, he cleans it, and he prepares it. I'm happy to taste anything, but I do not prepare wild game of any kind. So, yes, Jared cooked the pheasant ;)
Today, we're slowly working our way through a normal day- chores, school, etc. At least, that's the plan. Who knows what might happen?
Gratitude List:
* heat! Oh I am so glad I have a furnace that works :)
* warm oatmeal [with brown sugar and cranberries] and hot cocoa for breakfast. The cocoa isn't exactly healthy, but it feeds my soul, so it stays.
* kids who are old enough to have morning chores, like 'put the dogs outside and feed them.'
* good church meeting yesterday
* my kids
* my husband ;)
* my family and friends
* having my own set of scripture [I mean, 200 years ago, I'd be lucky to know how to read, much less own ANY books at all]
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Oh, the weather outside is frightful...
and if we had a fire, I'm sure it would be delightful :). We woke up this morning to more than presents from Santa- we had a full-on blizzard raging outside our windows! So much for visiting family this afternoon. I have snow stuck in the upper corners of my window- in between the screen and the glass- because it was so windy. I bet we got 8 or 10 inches [depending on where you measure], and we're due for more tomorrow. We had 2 hours without power, which was interesting. I had the stove on, cooking chukar soup [like chicken noodle soup, but with a different bird] and heating up some wassail, so the kitchen stayed nice and warm 'till the power returned. Thank goodness for gas-powered appliances!
We're going hunting tomorrow. Yes, this is the family hunting trip that has been postponed twice already due to ... WEATHER ... and we're going for the third one, baby. I am doing this because I want to spend time as a family, doing something that my dh loves to do. :) And I think my kids really need to be outside for awhile. That didn't happen today, for various reasons.
On a good note, I am knitting again. This time it's a kicking bag, and since I'm giving it to somebody who sees this blog, I won't be posting pictures, or explaining exactly what a 'kicking bag' really is. At least, not until I've given it away ;). But because of this little project, I have finally tackled [and sort of mastered] knitting a cable stitch. Hooray!
Oh, and I finished "Undaunted Courage" which is an autobiography about Meriweather Lewis. I first heard of the book when we were up in Montana, and promised myself I would find it and read it. I continue to be amazed at the men [and women] who explored and settled this country. Wow. **Jared's reading it now LOL**
Gratitude List:
* our neighbor has come by TWICE today and cleared our sidewalk and driveway with his snowblower. I love our neighbors!
* Santa Claus brought just enough candy- the kids ate it all, so tomorrow should be relatively normal.
* the workers who fixed the power outage in my area, on Christmas Day, so my house would stay warm tonight.
* any calories consumed on major holidays do not count.
* okay, that last one was more wishful thinking than reality. I AM grateful that my problem with food is that I have too much, rather than too little.
* new snow tires, and a 4-wheel-drive vehicle that "dominates" the snow :)
* no school ;) so this teacher can relax for a few days.
* Today was a good day.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
We're going hunting tomorrow. Yes, this is the family hunting trip that has been postponed twice already due to ... WEATHER ... and we're going for the third one, baby. I am doing this because I want to spend time as a family, doing something that my dh loves to do. :) And I think my kids really need to be outside for awhile. That didn't happen today, for various reasons.
On a good note, I am knitting again. This time it's a kicking bag, and since I'm giving it to somebody who sees this blog, I won't be posting pictures, or explaining exactly what a 'kicking bag' really is. At least, not until I've given it away ;). But because of this little project, I have finally tackled [and sort of mastered] knitting a cable stitch. Hooray!
Oh, and I finished "Undaunted Courage" which is an autobiography about Meriweather Lewis. I first heard of the book when we were up in Montana, and promised myself I would find it and read it. I continue to be amazed at the men [and women] who explored and settled this country. Wow. **Jared's reading it now LOL**
Gratitude List:
* our neighbor has come by TWICE today and cleared our sidewalk and driveway with his snowblower. I love our neighbors!
* Santa Claus brought just enough candy- the kids ate it all, so tomorrow should be relatively normal.
* the workers who fixed the power outage in my area, on Christmas Day, so my house would stay warm tonight.
* any calories consumed on major holidays do not count.
* okay, that last one was more wishful thinking than reality. I AM grateful that my problem with food is that I have too much, rather than too little.
* new snow tires, and a 4-wheel-drive vehicle that "dominates" the snow :)
* no school ;) so this teacher can relax for a few days.
* Today was a good day.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
a little memory
This picture that my SIL Emily took seems so appropriate right now- Myles is holding a flashlight, and grinning and squinting at the camera. He loved playing with flashlights- I have a wind-up one I still carry in my purse [you never know when you'll need a good flashlight, after all...] that he thought was his personal flashlight. I'd get it out and wind it up and turn it on for him, and he'd grin and go around the house with it, exploring and trying to wind up the crank and push the buttons himself. He brought so much light to our family.
I want so much to have him as a part of our Christmas this year, and he won't be here except in our memories of him. I don't want to spoil my kids' Christmas day by expecting them to stay solemn and reverent while there are presents to unwrap- they deserve to be allowed to enjoy those presents and express their joy and excitement without me getting upset. But Myles is a part of our family, and I do want him included in this holiday, so I'm planning to do something Christmas Eve. This is usually the time that we discuss why our family celebrates Christmas- that we're celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We tell them about the Atonement that He made, and how this is a gift to us, and then we talk about the gifts we can give Jesus: not wrapped presents, but gifts like obedience to the commandments of God, and honest efforts to better ourselves by following Jesus' example. We usually read the story in Luke of the birth of Jesus Christ, and it seems that remembering our own little angel fits in well with the rest of these sacred, special events.
It has been hard to get excited about toys, and lights, and reindeer and Santa Claus when I wish so much I could watch Myles enjoying and discovering these things for himself. But I have 3 kids who need me to be excited, so I try to focus on them, and enjoy the moments we are sharing.
On a lighter note, we're starting to find presents around the house. My favorite so far is from Morgen to Rudolph, and it was chewing gum. One of her brothers opened it and took the gum, and there was quite a bit of yelling when this thievery was discovered ;). The more traditional presents [from friends and family] have ended up mostly under the tree, and tonight should bring the delivery of still more gifts.
Gratitude List:
* my sons and daughter
* my husband
* we have snow! :) I love Christmastime with snow.
* chocolate oranges [and I'm also grateful they are not sold all year long, because they are highly addictive]
* itunes, which has an enormous selection of my favorite Christmas tunes
* my early Christmas present- a new hard drive- so I have room for the stuff I'm downloading from itunes, and for all those pictures I keep taking.
* friends and family, and that I enjoy spending time with both.
* the opportunity to share the joy of anonymous giving with Santa Claus
* my heater works, and so does my dishwasher
* space in my house. I don't have to worry about my loud kids disturbing neighbors upstairs/downstairs/next door because we have our own house.
* we have enough for ourselves and to share with others. That is a great blessing right now.
* Oh, and gas is down to $1.30 :) thank you, thank you, thank you!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Joy
no, not my sister ;) although I love her and LOVE seeing her name all over this time of year LOL.
A friend of mine posted this link [Joy to Everyone] on her blog, and I needed to share it here.
I'll just say that it is a beautiful video/song, and it is still bringing tears to my eyes everytime I listen to it on my ipod. Because after I found it I had to download it [and it was free!!] and I'm listening over and over...
Merry Christmas to you all :)
A friend of mine posted this link [Joy to Everyone] on her blog, and I needed to share it here.
I'll just say that it is a beautiful video/song, and it is still bringing tears to my eyes everytime I listen to it on my ipod. Because after I found it I had to download it [and it was free!!] and I'm listening over and over...
Merry Christmas to you all :)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
White again?
Apparently our traveling is meant to be white this year- we left my in-laws this morning and it was snowing :). The storm followed us all the way home, and as I type this it is still snowing- the gentle sprinkle of powdered sugar-snow over the ground and trees. It is so still, so calm, and so perfect, and I'm feeling a serenity that is not often present in my life of late.
Anyway, we made it home with no mishaps- minor or major- and got everyone fed and in bed. I have a stack of cool presents [no pictures ;) don't want to spoil the surprise] to wrap, and a LOT of baking to do in the next week.
We had a pretty great vacation, all in all. I managed to get a few items checked off my to-do list, and we also spent almost the whole day Thursday in Carson City. Did you know that the capital of Nevada is NOT Las Vegas? Yep, it's CC, and we were able to tour the State Capitol, and play in the Children's Museum, and walk through a mock mine [which even smelled like a real mine!] in the basement of the Nevada State Historical Museum. :)We took a lunch break at Red's Old 395 Grill [no, not for the beer LOL]. There are lots of old wagons and buggies hanging from the high ceiling of the restaurant, and we loved the switched signs in the bathrooms- the inside of the door in the Men's Room says "Women" [and the Women's Room says "Men"], so I immediately had a moment of panic, thinking I'd walked into the wrong room LOL. Walker and Hyrum thought it was a great joke, after they figured out it was a joke! We met up with my BIL Jon and a friend of his, and spent a little while visiting, while the kids finished their food.
Mostly we spent time with family, playing games and watching movies, shopping, and looking for gemstones out in the middle of the desert. :)Lots of fun, and over too soon, but we know we didn't wear out our welcome.
Gratitude list:
* We made it to Fallon and back, over mountain passes, without any accidents- car or child LOL.
* My in-laws actually like me [miracle right there] and love to play with my children.
* Neighbors who anonymously cleared the snow off our driveway :)
* That I have a warm house to come home to.
* Putting up my MIL's extensive collection of nativities and angels- a beautiful reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.
* my new ipod earbuds, which block a lot of noise even when my ipod is silent, which made our car ride home more peaceful [for me, anyway].
* snow on the ground and dusting the trees.
* a dh who made dinner for my kids while I sorted our mail from this week.
* I know that my Father in heaven loves me.
Anyway, we made it home with no mishaps- minor or major- and got everyone fed and in bed. I have a stack of cool presents [no pictures ;) don't want to spoil the surprise] to wrap, and a LOT of baking to do in the next week.
We had a pretty great vacation, all in all. I managed to get a few items checked off my to-do list, and we also spent almost the whole day Thursday in Carson City. Did you know that the capital of Nevada is NOT Las Vegas? Yep, it's CC, and we were able to tour the State Capitol, and play in the Children's Museum, and walk through a mock mine [which even smelled like a real mine!] in the basement of the Nevada State Historical Museum. :)We took a lunch break at Red's Old 395 Grill [no, not for the beer LOL]. There are lots of old wagons and buggies hanging from the high ceiling of the restaurant, and we loved the switched signs in the bathrooms- the inside of the door in the Men's Room says "Women" [and the Women's Room says "Men"], so I immediately had a moment of panic, thinking I'd walked into the wrong room LOL. Walker and Hyrum thought it was a great joke, after they figured out it was a joke! We met up with my BIL Jon and a friend of his, and spent a little while visiting, while the kids finished their food.
Mostly we spent time with family, playing games and watching movies, shopping, and looking for gemstones out in the middle of the desert. :)Lots of fun, and over too soon, but we know we didn't wear out our welcome.
Gratitude list:
* We made it to Fallon and back, over mountain passes, without any accidents- car or child LOL.
* My in-laws actually like me [miracle right there] and love to play with my children.
* Neighbors who anonymously cleared the snow off our driveway :)
* That I have a warm house to come home to.
* Putting up my MIL's extensive collection of nativities and angels- a beautiful reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.
* my new ipod earbuds, which block a lot of noise even when my ipod is silent, which made our car ride home more peaceful [for me, anyway].
* snow on the ground and dusting the trees.
* a dh who made dinner for my kids while I sorted our mail from this week.
* I know that my Father in heaven loves me.
Monday, December 08, 2008
I opened my mouth...
and wished for snow, and what do you know? This morning when I woke up, it was snowing! Beautiful fluffly white flakes, gently falling onto the ground, and the car that we were packing so we could DRIVE to my in-laws today LOL. Thankfully, the snow didn't stick to the roads at all. We made it to Fallon just fine :)
I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed our Las Vegas trip- California was great, but I got really stressed out because we were all in a small room, and none of my children have a mute button. Plus, driving in the CA traffic pretty much terrifies me, so I drove w/ one hand on the wheel, holding my printed directions, and the other was on the gearshift. Vegas was totally different. I don't know if it is because I'm getting used to being out of my comfort zone, or if God has finally blessed me with the patience I so obviously lack :). Even when I got lost, I never felt panicked at all, I just drove until I figured out where I was, and where I wanted to go, and things worked out just fine. We really had a great time down there.
We drove down Sunday, and stopped to do a few geocaches along the way. Those are fun, because we're pretty good at spotting possible hiding spots for them now, and it is nice to have a good reason to drag everybody out of the car to stretch their legs and run around for a minute or two. When we got into Vegas, we drove straight to Josh & Brooks' house, and ate dinner with their family. Quinn, Angela, and their two boys came over, so it was a huge cousin get-together. I got to hold Angela's baby, and he was cuddly and sweet and spitting up just like my babies used to:) We left about bedtime, and headed over to the casino to check in. That was interesting; to parade through the slot machines on our way to the elevators, and try to explain to my 5-year-old WHY people like to play games that lose them money. I ended up telling him that we don't gamble because we don't think that losing money is fun, which made perfect sense to him. Monday morning we did schoolwork at a park down the street, then drove over to Angela's to meet up w/her and Brooks, and take the kids to see "Siegfried and Roy's Dolphin Habitat and Secret Garden" at the Mirage. It was pretty incredible! We had my 3 kids, Brooks' 2 boys [they're 4 and 2], and Angela's 2 boys [2 and almost 3 months]. Strollers were fun :) but there were so many cool things to see that we really didn't need to worry about the kids wandering off. Morgen and Walker rode home with Brooks, and I took her Ethan with Hyrum and me back to the casino to pick up Jared. We stopped for pizza, then ate at Josh and Brooks' house again- I am SO GLAD we didn't have to spend much time in the casino! The room was fine, but the lobby was just smoky and not at all child-friendly. Blech.
So Tuesday we drove down to Boulder City to see the Hoover Dam. Incidentally, did you know that gambling is illegal in Boulder City? Yep. It's the only town in the entire state of Nevada that doesn't allow gambling at all. LOL, there's a huge casino just outside the city limits, though, in case anybody visiting Boulder City should happen to miss out on that whole 'game where you lose money' thing. So, we stopped in Boulder City to look through the local Dam Museum. They call it the Boulder Dam, which is another story all by itself, but there was a lot of interesting information there. The very nice docent made sure I knew that EVERYTHING [and she stressed that several times] was hands-on, so I should please help my kids touch and explore all the exhibits. LOLOL, anybody who is familiar with my kids knows that they have absolutely no problem touching things! We really enjoyed the tour, though, and after we finished at the museum, we ate a quick lunch and headed over to the dam.
The parking lot across the street from HD's visitor's center is very squeaky- I noticed that every time I turned my tires, I heard a horrible nails-on-a-blackboard sound, and it wasn't only my tires. Every car we saw, we heard those same awful squealing sounds first. So we parked, and walked down the 3 stories' worth of stairs, then across the street and down another flight of stairs to where the tours of the dam begin. We had to go through security, and that's when I found out I couldn't take my pocketknife into the dam. *sigh* Okay, back up all the stairs, to the car, put my huge purse into the car and kept keys, water and my camera, then headed back down the stairs again. Halfway down, I realized that I'd left my pocketknife IN MY POCKET, so we climbed back up to the car again, and this time I made sure I left that little piece of prohibited hardware inside the jockeybox. LOL, finally ready to take the tour, we headed back down those stairs one more time, and got into the tour with 4 minutes to spare.
Our guide was excellent- funny, but not rehearsed, and I was really glad we'd spent the time at the museum first, because a lot of the information she gave us we had already seen, and my kids understood better, and were able to make connections about the people and equipment that they wouldn't have otherwise. The whole structure and story of the building of this dam pretty much leaves me breathless. Just the amount of concrete alone is staggering, and all the engineering problems they ran into- figuring out how to cool the concrete so it would set properly, the whole set-up of roads to bring men and machines to the mine itself, diverting the Colorado River so they could build the dam in the first place, all I can say is WOW. We probably could have spent the entire day there, just looking at the dam and exploring everything. :)I have to say that the funniest part for me was when we were walking across the top of the dam, and I noticed the bathrooms- they're towers, and you go inside, climb up a flight of stairs [or use the elevator], use the bathroom that is at the top of the tower, then return to street level. LOL, and the bathrooms are enclosed, but they hang over the edge of the dam... that image still gives me chuckles :)
So I pulled my protesting children away from the fascinating Hoover Dam, and we drove back into Vegas. Jared has some friends we were planning to meet for dinner, and as we walked out to the parking garage, they discovered that their vehicle had been broken into, and their $50 GPS stolen [that was probably the least expensive piece of equipment in the truck, too]. Oh, but the best part was that this had been reported to the casino 3 DAYS ago, and they hadn't even tried to contact the owner, they'd just been paging the license plate number overhead in the casino. Well, this gentleman was there to work, and he doesn't gamble, so he was a bit peeved. Long story short, we ate in the casino restaurant, and enjoyed the meal and the company, even if the atmosphere was lacking.
Wednesday I drove down to Henderson and spent the morning with my friend Tessie- we met right after I moved to Iowa, and have managed to keep in touch via the internet. I had such a good time w/her! Our kids really enjoyed playing at the park, and eating lunch together. She was busy in the afternoon, but invited us to come back down for dinner. We stopped at the Ethel M chocolate factory [tour was not so interesting, but the cactus garden absolutely thrilled my kids], then drove back to the casino and did schoolwork in the hotel room until Jared finished his work, then we all drove back out to Henderson for dinner. Again, it was wonderful to see her family; last time we were all together was before we moved from Iowa, and I was so glad we got a chance to reconnect.
Thursday was another driving day- this time to meet a new friend of mine who also lost a child recently. We met through her blog, and made arrangements to meet in person while I was in Vegas. She invited me over to her home, and we all drove to a nearby park, where our kids rough-housed together. There's something about meeting another mother who shares that same experience of losing a child; an immediate connection that goes very deep. I really enjoyed talking with her, and came away with a great deal of peace. That was good, because I was driving her over to pick up her car, and we were on the freeway, and a mattress had fallen off of whatever vehicle had been carrying it, and we ran it over. I tried to slow down, but wasn't able to get out of the way in time, and so we hit it. Luckily, it was the top mattress, and I was driving the Durango, so it was just a little bump, and not a 'flip-the-car-over' bump. But we certainly got our adrenaline rush for the entire week- whew!
Thursday night we headed back over to Josh and Brooks' house, and grilled hamburgers and hung out again. My BIL Jon was in town for a meeting, and we thought it would be cool to see him too, so we ate dinner, and talked, and let the kids play trains and run around like crazy people. **BTW, Brooks, I really appreciate you letting us invade your home repeatedly while we were in Vegas- it was so much nicer than having to stay in the hotel room of the casino :)
And Friday we packed up and drove back to SLC. Of course we geocached all the way home, and then I got myself all stressed out because I wasn't sure I would be able to get all of my 'to-do' list completed before Monday. I shouldn't have worried so much- it gives me insomnia and I stay up until all hours of the morning doing laundry and other stuff that could totally wait until daytime.
Okay, two funnies from our drive today: Morgen randomly commented, "I have really bad posture." Jared replied, "Well, maybe you should do something about that." And we got another random Morgen comment as her answer, "Posture really isn't familiar to me." *giggling*
Second funny: A song parody came on the talk radio station that Jared was listening to [Rush Limbaugh, and we're not going there for now], and it was about Hilary Clinton, supposedly sung by Bill. Of all the things for Morgen [again with my daughter, today must be her lucky day or something...] to suddenly pay attention to, she had to pick this one. We took a break at the Salt Flats, just outside of SLC, and spent 10 minutes discussing why people make fun of famous people, specifically Hilary, and what a Secretary of State is supposed to do. I thought it was funny because at 8 she's getting a political talk. I don't even remember who was president when I was 8 [probably Reagan], and I certainly don't remember who was running, or any political ads in the background of my life at that point.
So, we're in Fallon this week, and everything's cool, and hopefully my next post will be less of a novel :)
Gratitude List:
* I have a wonderful husband, who is patient and kind and very tolerant of my quirks.
* Friends, old and new, who accept me and all my imperfections.
* Opportunities to relax and enjoy new places.
* I managed to retain my sense of humor for 6 of the 9 hours of our travel time today. Surely that is a record?
* Family, and that I enjoy spending time with mine.
* God's abundant blessings in my life.
* warm fuzzy socks :)
* my camera
* that my very old computer has enough memory to store the 200+ pictures I took in Vegas last week.
* gas prices are $1.51 at our local gas station as of today. HOORAY! [why isn't this on the news? It is an excellent early Christmas present from the economy fairy.]
* Christmas, and the opportunity it brings to remember my Savior Jesus Christ, and celebrate his birth.
I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed our Las Vegas trip- California was great, but I got really stressed out because we were all in a small room, and none of my children have a mute button. Plus, driving in the CA traffic pretty much terrifies me, so I drove w/ one hand on the wheel, holding my printed directions, and the other was on the gearshift. Vegas was totally different. I don't know if it is because I'm getting used to being out of my comfort zone, or if God has finally blessed me with the patience I so obviously lack :). Even when I got lost, I never felt panicked at all, I just drove until I figured out where I was, and where I wanted to go, and things worked out just fine. We really had a great time down there.
We drove down Sunday, and stopped to do a few geocaches along the way. Those are fun, because we're pretty good at spotting possible hiding spots for them now, and it is nice to have a good reason to drag everybody out of the car to stretch their legs and run around for a minute or two. When we got into Vegas, we drove straight to Josh & Brooks' house, and ate dinner with their family. Quinn, Angela, and their two boys came over, so it was a huge cousin get-together. I got to hold Angela's baby, and he was cuddly and sweet and spitting up just like my babies used to:) We left about bedtime, and headed over to the casino to check in. That was interesting; to parade through the slot machines on our way to the elevators, and try to explain to my 5-year-old WHY people like to play games that lose them money. I ended up telling him that we don't gamble because we don't think that losing money is fun, which made perfect sense to him. Monday morning we did schoolwork at a park down the street, then drove over to Angela's to meet up w/her and Brooks, and take the kids to see "Siegfried and Roy's Dolphin Habitat and Secret Garden" at the Mirage. It was pretty incredible! We had my 3 kids, Brooks' 2 boys [they're 4 and 2], and Angela's 2 boys [2 and almost 3 months]. Strollers were fun :) but there were so many cool things to see that we really didn't need to worry about the kids wandering off. Morgen and Walker rode home with Brooks, and I took her Ethan with Hyrum and me back to the casino to pick up Jared. We stopped for pizza, then ate at Josh and Brooks' house again- I am SO GLAD we didn't have to spend much time in the casino! The room was fine, but the lobby was just smoky and not at all child-friendly. Blech.
So Tuesday we drove down to Boulder City to see the Hoover Dam. Incidentally, did you know that gambling is illegal in Boulder City? Yep. It's the only town in the entire state of Nevada that doesn't allow gambling at all. LOL, there's a huge casino just outside the city limits, though, in case anybody visiting Boulder City should happen to miss out on that whole 'game where you lose money' thing. So, we stopped in Boulder City to look through the local Dam Museum. They call it the Boulder Dam, which is another story all by itself, but there was a lot of interesting information there. The very nice docent made sure I knew that EVERYTHING [and she stressed that several times] was hands-on, so I should please help my kids touch and explore all the exhibits. LOLOL, anybody who is familiar with my kids knows that they have absolutely no problem touching things! We really enjoyed the tour, though, and after we finished at the museum, we ate a quick lunch and headed over to the dam.
The parking lot across the street from HD's visitor's center is very squeaky- I noticed that every time I turned my tires, I heard a horrible nails-on-a-blackboard sound, and it wasn't only my tires. Every car we saw, we heard those same awful squealing sounds first. So we parked, and walked down the 3 stories' worth of stairs, then across the street and down another flight of stairs to where the tours of the dam begin. We had to go through security, and that's when I found out I couldn't take my pocketknife into the dam. *sigh* Okay, back up all the stairs, to the car, put my huge purse into the car and kept keys, water and my camera, then headed back down the stairs again. Halfway down, I realized that I'd left my pocketknife IN MY POCKET, so we climbed back up to the car again, and this time I made sure I left that little piece of prohibited hardware inside the jockeybox. LOL, finally ready to take the tour, we headed back down those stairs one more time, and got into the tour with 4 minutes to spare.
Our guide was excellent- funny, but not rehearsed, and I was really glad we'd spent the time at the museum first, because a lot of the information she gave us we had already seen, and my kids understood better, and were able to make connections about the people and equipment that they wouldn't have otherwise. The whole structure and story of the building of this dam pretty much leaves me breathless. Just the amount of concrete alone is staggering, and all the engineering problems they ran into- figuring out how to cool the concrete so it would set properly, the whole set-up of roads to bring men and machines to the mine itself, diverting the Colorado River so they could build the dam in the first place, all I can say is WOW. We probably could have spent the entire day there, just looking at the dam and exploring everything. :)I have to say that the funniest part for me was when we were walking across the top of the dam, and I noticed the bathrooms- they're towers, and you go inside, climb up a flight of stairs [or use the elevator], use the bathroom that is at the top of the tower, then return to street level. LOL, and the bathrooms are enclosed, but they hang over the edge of the dam... that image still gives me chuckles :)
So I pulled my protesting children away from the fascinating Hoover Dam, and we drove back into Vegas. Jared has some friends we were planning to meet for dinner, and as we walked out to the parking garage, they discovered that their vehicle had been broken into, and their $50 GPS stolen [that was probably the least expensive piece of equipment in the truck, too]. Oh, but the best part was that this had been reported to the casino 3 DAYS ago, and they hadn't even tried to contact the owner, they'd just been paging the license plate number overhead in the casino. Well, this gentleman was there to work, and he doesn't gamble, so he was a bit peeved. Long story short, we ate in the casino restaurant, and enjoyed the meal and the company, even if the atmosphere was lacking.
Wednesday I drove down to Henderson and spent the morning with my friend Tessie- we met right after I moved to Iowa, and have managed to keep in touch via the internet. I had such a good time w/her! Our kids really enjoyed playing at the park, and eating lunch together. She was busy in the afternoon, but invited us to come back down for dinner. We stopped at the Ethel M chocolate factory [tour was not so interesting, but the cactus garden absolutely thrilled my kids], then drove back to the casino and did schoolwork in the hotel room until Jared finished his work, then we all drove back out to Henderson for dinner. Again, it was wonderful to see her family; last time we were all together was before we moved from Iowa, and I was so glad we got a chance to reconnect.
Thursday was another driving day- this time to meet a new friend of mine who also lost a child recently. We met through her blog, and made arrangements to meet in person while I was in Vegas. She invited me over to her home, and we all drove to a nearby park, where our kids rough-housed together. There's something about meeting another mother who shares that same experience of losing a child; an immediate connection that goes very deep. I really enjoyed talking with her, and came away with a great deal of peace. That was good, because I was driving her over to pick up her car, and we were on the freeway, and a mattress had fallen off of whatever vehicle had been carrying it, and we ran it over. I tried to slow down, but wasn't able to get out of the way in time, and so we hit it. Luckily, it was the top mattress, and I was driving the Durango, so it was just a little bump, and not a 'flip-the-car-over' bump. But we certainly got our adrenaline rush for the entire week- whew!
Thursday night we headed back over to Josh and Brooks' house, and grilled hamburgers and hung out again. My BIL Jon was in town for a meeting, and we thought it would be cool to see him too, so we ate dinner, and talked, and let the kids play trains and run around like crazy people. **BTW, Brooks, I really appreciate you letting us invade your home repeatedly while we were in Vegas- it was so much nicer than having to stay in the hotel room of the casino :)
And Friday we packed up and drove back to SLC. Of course we geocached all the way home, and then I got myself all stressed out because I wasn't sure I would be able to get all of my 'to-do' list completed before Monday. I shouldn't have worried so much- it gives me insomnia and I stay up until all hours of the morning doing laundry and other stuff that could totally wait until daytime.
Okay, two funnies from our drive today: Morgen randomly commented, "I have really bad posture." Jared replied, "Well, maybe you should do something about that." And we got another random Morgen comment as her answer, "Posture really isn't familiar to me." *giggling*
Second funny: A song parody came on the talk radio station that Jared was listening to [Rush Limbaugh, and we're not going there for now], and it was about Hilary Clinton, supposedly sung by Bill. Of all the things for Morgen [again with my daughter, today must be her lucky day or something...] to suddenly pay attention to, she had to pick this one. We took a break at the Salt Flats, just outside of SLC, and spent 10 minutes discussing why people make fun of famous people, specifically Hilary, and what a Secretary of State is supposed to do. I thought it was funny because at 8 she's getting a political talk. I don't even remember who was president when I was 8 [probably Reagan], and I certainly don't remember who was running, or any political ads in the background of my life at that point.
So, we're in Fallon this week, and everything's cool, and hopefully my next post will be less of a novel :)
Gratitude List:
* I have a wonderful husband, who is patient and kind and very tolerant of my quirks.
* Friends, old and new, who accept me and all my imperfections.
* Opportunities to relax and enjoy new places.
* I managed to retain my sense of humor for 6 of the 9 hours of our travel time today. Surely that is a record?
* Family, and that I enjoy spending time with mine.
* God's abundant blessings in my life.
* warm fuzzy socks :)
* my camera
* that my very old computer has enough memory to store the 200+ pictures I took in Vegas last week.
* gas prices are $1.51 at our local gas station as of today. HOORAY! [why isn't this on the news? It is an excellent early Christmas present from the economy fairy.]
* Christmas, and the opportunity it brings to remember my Savior Jesus Christ, and celebrate his birth.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Another quick post
:)Las Vegas was cool- saw more family than we expected, which was great! Caught up with one of my friends who used to live in Iowa when we did, and who now lives just south of LV. Met a new friend, also cool :). Saw Hoover Dam- incredible. Made it home, washed clothes, unpacked, and Monday we leave for my in-laws for a week.
Doing well, but feeling a bit hurried. No snow yet, hoping for some before Christmas.
Gratitude List:
* cars- cannot imagine trying to visit far-flung family w/out one!
* computers, when they work.
* texting my husband :)
* I have everything I need- food, shelter, clothes- and many of my wants- chocolate comes to mind...
* Glad to know where I came from and why I'm here on earth and where I'm going when I die.
* my family
* my friends- old and new
* warm fuzzy socks
Doing well, but feeling a bit hurried. No snow yet, hoping for some before Christmas.
Gratitude List:
* cars- cannot imagine trying to visit far-flung family w/out one!
* computers, when they work.
* texting my husband :)
* I have everything I need- food, shelter, clothes- and many of my wants- chocolate comes to mind...
* Glad to know where I came from and why I'm here on earth and where I'm going when I die.
* my family
* my friends- old and new
* warm fuzzy socks
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