Holy Double Chin

For Ward Conference the Bishop asked me if I would play my violin with the ward choir. I am always delighted to play at church, so I've been practicing my violin again, and I even trimmed my fingernails.

Tomorrow is the big day and I thought it would be wise to practice in my new dress, just to make sure I wouldn't make a fool of myself. You never can tell if what you are wearing will stay put when you lift your arms and wave them around, with the violin in one hand and the bow in the other. It would be so embarrassing to have any odd gaps or pulls while playing.

So I put on my new cute, cute, cute dress, and my brown heels, and tuned up my violin.

We don't have a full length mirror, so I pulled a chair from the table into our bedroom where we have a big mirror over the counter. I climbed up on my chair, lifted my violin, and - - - -

Oh! Holy Double Chin!

Waaaaaaaa!

Where did that come from?!?

I tried readjusting my violin to give a more attractive neck view - moving the violin back on my shoulder, or out toward my arm. But short of holding the violin at my armpit - nothing worked! Even a black turtleneck sweater wouldn't hide that extra skin.

Then I started playing my song - hoping the double chin would be hidden by my enchanting music. Instead, I noticed the skin of my underarm flapping happily with each pull of the bow. (sob, sob, sniff, sob, sob, sob)

How blissfully unaware I was before tonight, imagining how smashing I would look while serenading the congregation.

I made the mistake of asking Hannah to come help me. I knew I could count on her honesty. She laughed at me. Then she tried to tuck in my double chin for me. It didn't work. And when I started playing she burst out laughing at my flappy under-arm. She observed me from all angles and mentioned that you could even see it flapping from the back. Great. Then she stepped back a few feet and told me no one would ever notice. Liar!

One a happy note: the cute dress did not pull or tug in any embarrassing ways.

Scary Noise

I am obviously out of practice in sleeping alone. Nathan is gone for the night - as I mentioned in the previous post. I went to bed around midnight and it is 1:45am, and I already had a bad dream involving a bad guy. In my dream I was trying to turn on the lights but they wouldn't work. And I was moving in slow motion. I hate that.

So I laid in bed listening and dozing for a while, and then I got a little creeped out, so I had to get up and check every room and closet in the house.

The house is all clear, and all the lights are on. I feel better. I have been reading some fun blogs out there in blog land - one made me laugh out loud for reals - which is something that rarely happens to be.

But I am still hearing a bit of a scary sound. Sam (our big, scary, mean, bloodthirsty dog) doesn't seem to be worried, so I'm trying not to be, but I don't want to get up and walk past the door to go to the bathroom. And I really gotta go.

I am such a loser.

I want to put on a movie (I rented Season 1 of Grey's Anatomy - not a show you would want to watch with my dad, but I love it) but my glasses are upstairs...

I heard the sound again. Cripes. Sam doesn't even care. He is asleep and actually having one of those doggy dreams where the dog starts twitching his legs as if running.

I wish Mary was here. I used to make her walk with me from our bedroom to the bathroom when I was in high school. I had to get up super early for Seminary and I hated to walk past the front windows when the house was still dark. Sometimes I would see the milk man and it would really scare me. So, I made my little sister, who didn't have to get up so stinkin' early, get up and walk me across the house to the bathroom with the shower. Sorry Mary.

I also used to have to ruuuunnnnn fast down the hallway from my parents bedroom, and I never liked to use their bathroom. I am noticing this same problem in Sydney - she doesn't like to go downstairs alone, even in the day time. And she will recruit John or Sam or anyone to go with her to find her shoes or a hairbrush or.... I am not encouraging this behavior, in fact I am ignoring it, but I wonder if we need a wee bit of counseling.

I heard the scary sound again, and typing is starting to freak me out because is covers up the sound. So I am going to sign off now, and go use the bathroom, and find my glasses, and watch a little tv. Good night!

Grouchy

I have been so grouchy this week. Sorry Nathan.

It is all because of the stinkin' camping trip that Nathan is doing this weekend. I don't know why I have been such a baby about it. I mean, I want to be the kind of wife who says "Camping? Oooo, go have fun with the guys, you big hunk of a man...!" But I'm not.

I think I don't usually make a big deal about Nathan having his own fun, but I have been really grouchy about this trip. I mean, how much Man time does a guy really need? And what about me? I had plans this weekend...don't they count?

So yeah, I have been grouchy. And I have kind of enjoyed keeping that bad mood going. But....

As he and the other guys got ready to leave this morning, I was talking to one of the other wives, Jill (who was, of course, happy about the camping trip.) She asked if I could help her with some knitting. I'm not a great knitter, but she just wanted to make a little buttonhole bag like mine. So I printed off a copy of the pattern, and sent her off to the store for yarn.

She came back at about lunch time, and we knitted until it was time for me to go pick up Sydney. She already knows what she is doing, but is a little timid about following a pattern. And since I have done that pattern before, I look like I actually know what I am doing!

I had a GREAT time just sitting at the table with all the yarn, talking about the move and schools and kids' names and cooking.... And that bad mood just went away.

I meant to be grouchy all day (and maybe all weekend) but darn it, I had too much fun! We are going to get together again tomorrow to knit a little more. And maybe one day next week at a little bagel shop.

I know you probably won't read this, Nathan, but I do hope you have a great time with the guys. And I didn't mean that about getting eaten by a bear. Really.

Time is Flying

I am suddenly realizing how very little time we have left here in South Dakota. Yesterday we met to talk about our Primary Program. It is just around the corner, and after the program is Halloween. And after Halloween is our move. Yikes! I am not ready.

I have been sorting sorting sorting through things and I don't know what to do with all of it. Do I load it up and take it to Goodwill? (Emily calls it Old Will, I think like Old Navy) or do I try to have a garage sale. If I have a garage sale should I go ahead and sell of the old couch set? and the TV stand that I hate? or just keep 'em and see what we have room for in Hawaii? I don't know.... And what do I do with our winter coats and boots?

Right after our move is Christmas. My sisters and I usually do a gift exchange, but I am afraid that I will miss out on all the fun with our move. And when exactly am I supposed to go Christmas shopping? Will the kids be mad if our Christmas tree is a little pinapple sitting on a table at the hotel? Not exactly the snow covered tree chopped down in the mountains....

Okay, relax. We have just over 2 months left, and it is not going to do me any good to get all crazy about not having a place to live. So instead I am going to start a list of things that I CAN do - such as buy a dog kennel and get Sam used to using it.

I am going to see if I can find a count down thing-a-ma-bob for my blog.

1st Day of School

7th grader


3rd and K

I'm finally posting up the photos from the first day of school. I took a few other pictures of Emily and Sydney at their school (next to the sign, and in line) but they are on a disk, and the computer says it cannot read the disk. waaaaa! There was a really cute one of Emily in line for her very first day of Kindergarden. You will just have to imagine her cuteness. She was sooooooo excited about school - dancing and skipping all the way in her pink high-tops!

Hannah's big bag hides her very cool 7th grade outfit. Aye. It was painful for me to let her wear the short skirt over the leggings along with the chuncky belt over the shirt and the dangly beads. I wanted to yank it off and put in her in a little brown corduroy jumper with some comfy Mary Janes. But I held back, and she was a cutie with her Superman lunch box.

Sydney forgot her lunch on the first day of school. She nearly died. We were able to get it for her so that she would not have to suffer through the deadly hot lunch on the very first day, but it was pretty tramatic (sorry lunch ladies, I know it is not deadly, she is just a picky eater.) I also deposited a little money in her lunch account so that if she forgets her lunch again she can solve the problem herself. She likes her new teacher and found that she did know some of the children in her class.

We survived the first week and we are settling back into our school pattern. The kids are ready to go to bed earlier, and are getting up and going on time in the morning. Sydney has even been able to get in piano practice before school.

John and I have been having fun with all the bigs gone off to school. We enjoy playing trains and Go Fish (or gold fish, as John calls it.)

Time to move the laundry and get ready to go get Emily!

Harvest

In Hood River, Oregon the pears are on and the apples are up next. We were lucky enough to be able to spend a day in August picking pears while we were visiting my sister's family farm. We weren't much help, but it was really fun!


John, Abby, and Em

I saw some pears at Walmart on Monday, and I thought I wonder if we picked those? It is easy to forget that fruit does not just magically appear on the shelves at the grocery store.


So many boxes to fill

In Utah, the berries are ripe and ready to pick.


Rasberries

My mom and dad have a you-pick berry patch with rasberries, strawberries, and blackberries. While we were visiting, the rasberries were just delicious.


John

We picked 'em, and ate 'em, and made a batch of jam.


Gram and Em

This time of year reminds me of Almonds. When we were kids my parents had an almond orchard, and just as school was starting, the almonds were ready to be harvested.


Almonds

We spread out two big blue tarps under a tree, then my dad would hit the tree with a big rubber mallet, and the almonds would fall down from the tree. When dad hit the trees the almonds would rain down onto the tarps, but when one of us kids would take a turn, just a couple would get knocked loose. The almonds would fall down along with lots of dust and a preying mantis or two.

When one tree was done, would dump the almonds from the tarps into a pile in the middle of the rows, rake up any missed nuts, and move on to the next tree. Tree after tree, row after row. We would sing and pick wild flowers and play with the neighbor's dog, Big Red.

I was a grouchy worker. Sorry dad. Looking back I can see that I was about Hannah's age, when everything was embarrassing and working was sooooooo hard. I remember driving the big red van down the rows. And once, my sister was riding on the bumper, and I stomped on the brakes and it made her crash and get hurt. Sorry Mary.

I also remember my dad laying under the water jug and letting the water poor out of the spout right into his mouth. He could swallow and let it fill his mouth at the same time. Very cool.

We spent a lot of Saturdays and afternoons out working in the almonds. It was hot and sweaty and dusty. And the preying mantises would fall from the trees and land in my hair. But if we were lucky we would get to eat the best hamburgers at a grimy little diner in Waterford, CA.

When harvest was over my parents would take us on a Harvest Festival trip. My favorite was the trip up to Yosimite riding bikes along the trails. We must have been quite a sight - 7 girls, and 2 parents all in a row on bikes - Look out!

We seem to have an agricultural theme in our family, but I am growing nothing but potato sprouts. Maybe I can have a garden in Hawaii.

I want to...

write about the first day of school, but the pictures are all locked in the fancy new camera and I don't know how to get them out. Later you can check back for pictures of the kids in their first day of school duds.

Instead I will write an exciting note about babysitting.

I babysat a little 4 month old baby today for a couple hours and it was a good reminder of how much time a baby takes. She was a little fussy, so I rocked her, then I made a bottle, which she was completey uninterested in. So I burbed her.

Then she was happy, so John and Emily each wanted a turn to hold her, which made her fussy again. So I danced with her. Then I had to get the phone, and I remembered that talking on the phone with a fussy baby is impossible. So I wrapped her snuggly in her blankey and got her cozy on the couch, and she fussed for about 4.5 minutes before she went to sleep. Whew.

So I made lunch (tuna sandwiches) and sat down here to eat and read some blogs (sorry Mary, your blog won't let me comment.) And I meant to take a quick shower, but she woke up again and ate a little of her bottle, then drooled all over my arm. Then her mom came back and we talked for a while, and they went home. How fun!

So I still haven't showered and I haven't cleaned out the basement, and I haven't finished making reminder phone calls for Activity Days... It will be time to go round up the troops in an hour and then I really won't have time to get anything done. Waaa. Better get back to work!

Where did the Summer Go?

I had to write a check this morning and I was shocked to find that today is September 2nd! Can you believe it? The outdoor pool is closed. It is a little chilly today. School starts Tuesday. I think summer may be at an end.

So it is time to check my list of summer goals and see how I did. Back in July I made a list of 30 things to do the summer I turned 30. I will put a star by those goals I have accomplished, so here's the list:

*1. Get my teeth cleaned
*2. Try 10 new recipes
3. Send ducky towels to new neices and nephew (oh my gosh, I am such a slacker)
4. Run a 10 K race (not a race, but I did run a 10k length run)
*5. Knit a button-hole bag
6. Post 30 notes on my blog (This is post #25)
7. Climb Harney Peak (the highest peak east of the Rockies)
8. Go see Devil's Tower
*9. Canoe (at Girls Camp, plus also I have gone waterskiing!)
*10. Plant petunias (actually, mums)
*11. Go see Devil's Bathtub
*12. Get my eyes checked
*13. Go to the concert in the park
*14. Bike ride/jog all of the city trail
15. Do cooking school with Sydney
*16. Identify 10 local wildflowers
*17. Buy a new swim suit
*18. Track my miles run (july miles=67, aug miles=35.5, summer total 102.5)
19. Go to a rodeo
*20. Take Emily in for her Kindergarten immunizations
*21. Pan up a little gold (I tagged along with Nathan, he found the gold, does that count?)
22. Have a garage sale
*23. Renew my temple recommend
*24. Go to the Olympic National Park
25. Bike ride on the Mickelson Trail
26. Write the Primary Program
*27. Take in my neglected dry cleaning
*28. Keep a reading log
*29. Sleep under the stars
*30. Watch the sunset

I feel great about all I was able to do this summer, but there are still some things I still need to do, some things I can skip, a couple things I REALLY want to do here in Rapid City before we move to Hawaii:

#3 Next week will be a sewing week. I have a couple towel orders and I WILL send off towels to Rand and Kate and Iris.
#26 I also need to get that Primary Program written. I have to work on that this week before our presidency meeting. I'm sure it will be spectacular!
#7, #8, #25 - Mickelson Trail, Harney Peak, and Devils Tower. The Barrett Hiking club needs to get back out on the trail!

That leaves Have a Garage Sale(22), Go To a Rodeo(19), and Cooking School(15) I don't know that I'll get around to doing those things....

The summer has just slipped through my fingers. I don't know where it went, but I am getting excited about Autumn with potato soup and long-sleeved shirts and apples and pumpkin pie and socks and Kindergarten and leaves and....

Come Celebrate with John

Good Morning

Today is my birthday!


Come Celebrate with me

Sing Happy Birthday!


Blow out the candles


Eat Cake

I saved a piece for you!


Open a Gift


Come play!

Happy Birthday John

3 years old

I grew up with all sisters (7 girls all in a row.) Then I got married young and had girls of my own (3 in a row.) I like girls. I know how girls work. I am a girl. I did marry a boy, but he is often a mystery to me. When baby #4 was born and we had to quick think of a boy name, a whole new world was opened to me.

It started with blue. At the birth of each little girl, I would have a sweet load of pink laundry to wash and fold. Not so with a boy - the "in" color for a boy is BLUE, if you are wondering. And if you have a boy after 6 sisters and 3 daughters, your husband will get a little wierd if you decide that the pink blankie is just fine to wrap the boy baby in.

Next came trucks. Lots of truck and car toys. Then balls. And trains....

From the first time we went to church people have asked me: "is it sooooooo different to have a boy???" and mostly the answer was no. Not really. Eat, sleep, poop, repeat. Until this year, I think.

Now that John is getting big, things ARE a bit different. First, I notice that he has strong shoulders. Not that the girls are weaklings, but there is something about John's shoulders that tells me one day he will be a man.

Then, there is this thing with trains and trucks. They are so fascinating to John. At the first sound of the garbage truck, John is glued to the window to watch it do it's job. I just noticed that John's big yellow dump truck is carrying two baby dolls...oh well...

Also, and I think this is the main boy difference I can see, is that John likes to have a job to do. If he has a job he will stick to it until it is done. He likes the job of jumping off every surface in the house. He is good at that job. But his favorite job is rocks. He knows it is his special life's work to clear the world of rocks. At my sister's wedding, he could have spent the entire 5 hour reception tossing rocks into the Puget Sound. He does this job with purpose and dedication. He does not get discouraged if the rocks are a little dirty or heavy, he just digs in and does the job. He cannot walk without finding a special rock to stash in his pocket until it, too, can be tossed into some water.

This boy is getting big, and it makes me a little sad that he is not a baby any more. Oh great. Now I'm crying a little. Just a little. Now I'm done.

John just woke up and broke through the paper over his bedroom door (a strange McBride birthday tradition.) And now I need to go put a candle in some waffles for his birthday breakfast.

Happy Birthday to you....

Now You See it, Now you Don't

We had a wild morning of school supply shopping, and we came home hungry and tired, ready for a late lunch and a rest. John and Emily gobbled up their sandwiches and pears, then started to play while I finished up my lunch.

I could hear Emily telling John "Now you see it, now you don't!" while hiding a bouncy ball behind her back. John was really impressed with Emily's magician skills, and didn't want to be left out of the fun, so he tried a trick of his own. It didn't work so well...

Next thing I knew John was crying and running toward me. He had his finger way up his nose, and his nose was really bleeding. John said he had put a bead up there!

This is when Nathan walked in the door from work. (Sorry Nathan) He took over and tried to get John to blow the bead out, but it didn't budge. So Nathan put John in the bathtub, hoping a bath would soften things up and help John relax. It did help John's nose stop bleeding, but it did not produce a bead.

At this point I am getting a little freaked out. It was about 3:30pm so my heathcare options were really limited. Getting an appointment at the base after 7am is impossible, so at 3:30pm my only option would be a trip to the ER. I hate going to the emergency room when I KNOW it is not really an emergency.

So I called a friend of mine who is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I was really calling for advice - was it worth a trip to the ER, or would it be okay to wait until tomorrow...

She was so great! She said I could wait, but something up his nose could cause a yucky infection, so it was a good idea to get it out tonight. She was still at work, and she invited us to head over to her office. We went right in, and they were waiting for us.

John was a real trooper. He just laid back on the bed and let those ladies poke and pry at his little nose until they pulled out the bloody little bead. He was so brave and I was getting all choked up and a little weak. I am not good in an emergency. One of his little eyes teared up. Poor little man.

But they got the bead! Thanks Theresa! And John got to pick out a car and a sticker and a juice box. All better.

I am so sore

Is it because I ran a record 7 miles yesterday morning?

No.

Is it because I have been chasing Emily around the parking lot, helping her learn how to ride a bike?

No

Have I decided to lift weights?

No

It is the stinkin' violin's fault that I am so sore.

My sister is getting married, and asked me if I would play a few songs as mood music, while people get seated. So I pulled out my violin and have been trying to dust off a few songs.

That violin is kicking my butt. My left arm is sore and cramping up. My left fingers are having a difficult time typing, and my finger tips are black from the strings. My back is a little sore, too.

And I still sound squeeky.

Hannah has been cracking me up with practicing tips. She is a strict teacher. (That doesn't sound like forte to me...)

I pulled out my Suzuki music and found that book 5 songs are impossible, Book 4 is scary, and most of Book 3 is way too hard. I found a couple songs in Book 2 and a song or two in Book 3 that I think I may be able to play. I stink. Do you think Sarah will mind if I just play Twinkles? (California Sunshine - California Sunshine)

Looking back at the years of music lessons that I did NOT appreciate, I can see that even though I was a complete practicing slacker, I still somehow learned so much! Thanks, mom, for making me keep playing, even though I must have embarrassed you at lessons when I had obviously not practiced. Remember the time I fainted?

And even though the mysterious muscles on my forearm are sore, I am really enjoying playing the violin. I love the violin. I want to be able to really play it. I think I need to get a job so I can afford to pay for lessons for myself. Or maybe I will make the girls quit the piano (they gripe about practicing anyway) and use that money on myself! (insert evil laugh)

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

Yesterday I caught a spider like this -

wolf spider

Then a bug like this was crawling across the floor -

centipede

The weird thing is, we hardly have had any bugs here (besides ticks), then yesterday I had to catch two really big gross bugs. Blech.

And then today I read an article about bedbugs

Apparently bedbugs are really on the rise. What really creaps me out about the article on bedbugs is that it mentions Hawaii -
In Hawaii, where tourism is a major industry, state lawmakers passed a resolution for a prevention campaign after infestations at some hotels damaged their reputations and annoyed travelers.

Doesn't it make you itchy just thinking about it?

Yucka Yucka! In preparation for our move I was reading about Hawaii and noticed that there are loads of yucky bugs over there. Like these -

roach

And even these gross guys -

rats

I don't know if I can handle it.

Checking in from the Flightsuit Party - cute dresses, good food, dancing! What more do you need? It was fun to see all the variety in flighsuit dresses. Most popular was the short skirt dress, but there were also some cute capris, and jackets. I think my favorite was the girl who came as Rosie the Riviter - she had her sleeves rolled up, a red bandana on, and was carrying a wrench - so cute!

The party was held in a hanger on base and I think there was kind of a deployed location theme with camoflauge nets, maps on the tables, and long tents set up for drinks and food. On the menu was an entire roast pig (scary)

I would just like to mention that I never went to a drinking party in High School, but as an adult we seem to spend a lot of time at events with alcohol. It bugs me a little that most of the fee for the party went to beer, and there was only powdered lemonade or water for us teetolers. I guess the solution for that is to be more involved in the planning...maybe next time...

The music was great and it was fun to see all the dancing. I am NOT a dancer, but Nathan loves to dance - oh the agony. I think I need to find a dancing-for-dummy's class.

All in all the party was great, and I felt like I was heading to prom in my cute dress. I think I will be saving it in case Hannah needs it in a few years. Or, hey, Erin, if you need a formal this winter, just let me know!

Flightsuit Party

Tomorrow is the big day! So today I tried on Nathan's flightsuit, pulled out my sewing machine, and got to work...


Before

You are not a military wife if you do not have a stash of ugle green thread, a must for sewing on rank and mending beat up uniforms.


Everything to make a dress

Here is what the kids were up to while I was trying to get some work done.


Kid Sandwich

And - dum, dum, du-daaaa:


After

What do ya think? I am hoping to get some pictures of the other ladies tomorrow night. Everyone has been working hard - I think this was the most fun I have had sewing in a long time!

Goal #2 - Try 10 New Recipes

I have been working hard to accomplish this goal. This has been tough, as it has been so hot and my kitchen turns into an sauna whenever I light up the gas stove. But I have also been avoiding going out in the heat to the grocery store, and we are all out of pretzels and fishies and chips. So I've had to become a little creative about snacks for the kids.

We were getting ready to head out to see the Tops In Blue perform, and we had zero good snacks to take with us. The only thing snackish thing that I could see in the cupboard was cereal, and all the good snack-like kid cereals were gone. I did notice some oatmeal, and I decided to see if I could make my own granola bars. I love granola bars so much that I'm not really allowed to have them in the house. I remember once (or maybe twice - it's all a little fuzzy), when Emily was a baby, I bought a box of the cheap chewy granola bars with chocolate chips, and ate the whole box in one day! Those granola bars are like heaven - chewy, chocolatey, delish. So I cannot even walk too close to them at the store.

Lucky for me we were out of chocolate chips, too, so I felt it was safe to go ahead and make some granola bars. I got on google and found a recipe, and it turned out great! Chewy. Peanutbuttery. Good flavor. Not necessarily healthy, though. The recipe filled my cake pan, and made about 22 bars. Not a bad snack!

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. quick oats
2 1/2 c. rice crispy cereal
optional stir-ins: raisins(yuck), nuts, coconut, choc chips(mmmm)

Bring brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil in saucepan at medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peanup butter and vanilla. Add oats and cereal, stirring until coated; let stand 10 minutes. Add stir-ins. Press mixture firmly into a 13x9 inch pan and cool. Cut into bars and wrap tighly in plastic wrap.

I think they would have been even better with mini chocolate chips!
The granola bars are all gone...

++++++++++
Today's run - 3 miles
this week - 3 miles
this month - 3 miles
running log total - 70 miles

Hiking to Devil's Bathtub

Yesterday we headed up to Spearfish Canyon to hike up to Devil's Bathtub. This is goal #11 for me. It was a hot day, but it was cool and shady through the canyon, and the water felt nice on our hot feet.


Crossing the stream

We followed a stream bed up a canyon. We had to cross the stream several times - Sydney was the first to soak her shoes! The girls had a fun time being the leader on the path, as there were several paths to choose from, all leading up the creek.


Through the canyon

On this part of the trail the stream is not flowing on a rocky stream bed, but is instead flowing over solid rock along the bottom of a canyon.


On a cliff

We climbed across some little cliffs - thank goodness for Hannah and Sydney who helped hand the kids down, and also gave me a boost up!


In the Devil's Bathtub

We made it to the Devil's Bathtub! A few big rocks have fallen in the past few years and the bathtub is getting filled up with more rubble, so it is not as deep as it was. But it was still impressive. We seemed to be all alone as we were hiking, so I was suprised to see several people at the bathtub, and more people passed us and headed higher up the canyon.


kissing an owie

John loved throwing rocks and sticks into the river. He did not love slipping in and getting all wet!


Me and Nathan

Nathan brought his gold panning stuff and had fun digging and swirling as he hiked up the river. But no gold today.


Han and Dad

We headed back down the river, stopping to snack of wild rasberries. What a fun day!


Heading Home

+++++++

ps - saturday's run: 5 miles
this week: 16 miles
july: 67 miles

+++++++
On our way up to Spearfish we stopped by the side of the road to watch the helicoptors flying close, dipping down to fill their buckets with water, flying away, then returning for a refill. I don't know why I didn't think to take a picture - it was really impressive when we saw that they were not filling up in a big pond but in big metal bucket. Apparently the fire is mostly contained now, and here is the most recent update:

Sat. July 29th

Size: approximately 3,000 acres

Containment: 80%

Estimated Containment: Sunday, July 30 at 6 p.m. (1800 MST)

Resources on the Fire: 366 fire personnel

Structures: Firefighters saved 500 homes in the Piedmont area. It was a hard fight with extremely dangerous firefighting conditions. Unfortunately seven homes were lost.

Today's run: 3 miles
This week: 11 miles
July: 62 miles

Last night we headed out to the base to see Cars. What a fun movie! John loved it! And we saw lots of families from our ward out for a cheap family night. 6 thumbs up from our family. Fun!


Cars

On our way out to the base we could see smoke from a fire. On our way home a couple hours later, the smoke was incredible, it had blown clear across the sky and we could smell the fire. And when we were up high on a hill we could see the glow of the fire, though I read today that we were most likely seeing the backfire that the firefighters had set to help control the burn.


Piedmont Wildfire

I found this picture at the Rapid City Journal Wildfire Blog. They are updating with more photos and info of the fire all day. Last night the fire covered 200 acres and now it is more than 2000. This not far away out on the prairie, but on the hills north-east of town. People are being evacuated and some structures have burned. There are helicopters and planes out working today.

It is supposed to be over 100 F again today. The hills around Rapid City are lush with dry grass. So if you are driving through - no flicking your cigarette butts out the window!

My Mother Said to Choose the Very Best One and You are IT

I was "Tagged" by TexasBlu and I feel so honored. But I think I will probably have to break the chain - I just have one person to tag - sorry!

It turns out that I have broken many chain letters in my life and I did not recieve $5000 in the mail, or 100 childrens books or money for new furniture, but so far have not been the target of too much bad luck!

Here are the instructions for the person that I am tagging (sorry Laurie)

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1) Flip Flop Mamma
2) Utmommy
3) Txmommy
4) Texasblu
5) Rapid Life

Next select five people to tag:
(Here's where I am having trouble - I enjoy reading blogs, but I don't feel like I am buddy-buddy with anyone, so I am just going to tag my big sista.)

1) Laurie at Prairie Tide
2)


What were you doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago we had a cute little 2 year old baby girl and Nathan was in College. He was making the scary transition from the Jr. College to the CSU in Turlock. We drove a '77 Toyota Corolla and Nathan had a motorcycle to get him to school and work in rain or shine. We lived in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment, and Hannah's bedroom was in the living room, kind of behind the couch.

Hannah and I spent a lot of time swimming in apartment's the pool and blowing bubbles. We also hung out at the Brinton's house several times a week. We lived in that apartment for another 8 months before we found a great house to rent.

I spent a lot of time listening to NPR and sewing. I wore glasses. I babysat for Leona occasionally, and I was the Primary Secretary and worked with some incredible women. That was the 2nd of 8 Primary Presidencies that I have worked in. That was a good time.


What were you doing 1 year ago?

I was heading back to Utah in my brand new car to pick up Hannah and Sydney after they had spent a week at my parents' house. I got to spend a week there too, before heading home - picking berries, swimming at the reservoir and touring BYU.


Five snacks you enjoy:

1) Wheat Thins
2) Fat Free Pringles with fresh salsa
3) popsicles
4) Armadillo's ice cream
5) homemade chocolate chip cookies


Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

1) Graceland - Paul Simon
2) Jackson - Johnny Cash
3) Any Man of Mine - Shania Twain
4) Copperline - James Taylor
5) I Can't Say No - Oklahoma Musical


Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1) Buy a home
2) Travel through Europe
3) Hire a Cook/Laundress/Housekeeper
4) Go to DisneyWorld
5) Save for a rainy day


Five bad habits:

1) I can't stop running over the grass when I park my beast of a car. There is a muddy patch right on the corner of our lovely lawn - all thanks to my bad driving.
2) I forget to move the laundry along, and in the morning I find a big load smelly clothes that has to be rewashed.
3) I get on the computer when I should be fixing dinner or moving along the laundry or going on a walk.
4) I love to sleep in.
5) I make piles of papers on my desk, and on the kitchen counter, and on my hope chest.


Five things you like doing:

1) Talking on the phone with my mom and sisters
2) Reading - books and blogs
3) Baking bread
4) Going to the neighborhood park with the kids and pushing John with a big "under-dog"
5) Running


Five things you would never wear again:

1) Knit pants (I do have 2 pairs of knit capris for working out, but you know what I mean)
2) The cute black shoes with the reallllllly high heals - I am just not coordinated enough.
3) My coat and snow pants - at least for a while.
4) A cool-aid mustache
5) My "fat" jeans


Five favorite toys:

1) The wooden marble run
2) legos
3) Little People Barn
4) the dolls mom made
5) the scooter


Five favorite books:

1) Anne of Green Gables
2) Barn Dance - by Bill Martin Junior
3) Anna Karenina
4) A Year Down Yonder
5) Harry Potter


Five favorite movies you love to watch over and over:

1) Anne of Green Gables
2) The Parent Trap
3) Pride and Prejudice
4) A Room With a View
5) Toy Story


:) Your turn!