Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Pretty Pictures

We have the photo CD back from Melinda and Landan's wedding and reception extravaganza. Great pictures. Good fun. A lot of people. Now it's time to pick and choose which ones go where. One blessing of a being part of the digital world is that you have so many choices. One frustration of being part of the digital world is that you have so many choices. I'm hoping to get pictures up to my Facebook profile by next week.

We're heading to the cabin for a few days R and R. It'll be a nice break from this wonderful, yet hectic summer.

NS

Fix it!

I was out with Carynn, Ty and Melinda having a bit of pre-birthday fun last week. We were driving to the restaurant when Ty started identifying the different vehicles he saw. He'd call out, "Truck!" whenever he saw one. One time he noticed that the truck wasn't pulling a trailer-it was the rig only; that's when he called out, "Truck, fix it." I was a bit perplexed until it struck me that's what he tells me when we're playing downstairs and the tractor and trailer come apart from the small trucks that we play with. I can fix the toys, I wasn't able to fix the real live thing, but I thought it cute that he said what he did.

Fix it!
NS

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Birthday Time!

Last night Carynn, Jamie, Ty, Melinda and Landan came over to celebrate my birthday a few days early. It was great to see them all. My little guy, Ty, was happy to see his Nana and his Nana was happy to see him too! While we waited to start dinner Michael and Ty went for a walk. They also went for a wagon ride. Yes, it's that ancient yellow wagon from Melinda's childhood. We really DO need to replace it and we will, but it's still working SOMEWHAT well, so we haven't yet.

Ty and I played a little bit downstairs with the toy cars. Yes, we did separate the ones that had doors that opened versus the ones that didn't. He also briefly enjoyed the keyboard and the Bop It game. Then it was time for food. He was looking very grown-up in his shirt from the wedding reception, twill pants and his new shoes (size 5 1/2). Carynn had given him a haircut too. He's growing so quickly. He has quite the vocabulary. I'll have to update it on another posting.

After dinner Melinda and Landan started opening up their wedding gifts. People were very generous....We took a break so we could do my birthday cake and presents. Carynn had made a yummy french vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and caramel and chocolate chunks. I blew out my candles, cut the traditional first slice and opened my gifts. I was excited to get a steamer from Michael. I had been wanting one for a while. It'll be great to have for sewing, etc. Michael was silly...He made sure that I knew (it was on the box) that it was 5 times faster than ironing and came with 2 bonuses (pet/lint brush and upholstery brush). It'll be fun to try out.

The kids went in on my gift and gave me a potpourri of items: 2 blouses, a cute belt, earrings and bracelet, a Ken Follett book and a pint of my FAVORITE ice cream...Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk. I'm excited to try that too.

After cake and ice cream it was time for more present unwrapping. Jamie had already taken Ty home (for bed). Carynn stayed a while to facilitate the unwrapping, then she left too. After they finished unwrapping everything (only one gift has an unknown giver), Melinda and Landan watched the wedding day video. It was great to watch them watch the video and relive their wedding day.

I'm planning on stretching my birthday out until my ACTUAL birthday (Tuesday). It's not so much that I want "stuff," it's that I enjoy being remembered.

Oh, I know I said I'd tell more about the wedding reception, and I will, but not today.

NS

And the heavens opened....

This last week was our church's young women camp. We were at a new location as we had outgrown Camp Peine where we'd gone the previous 4 years. So new location, new traditions to make, new territory to explore. The biggest difference is the waterfront area. Camp Peine is on the Pend Oreille River. Camp Zion is on the Little Spokane River which IS little as it goes through Camp Zion.

There will be bugs(literally-the bees can be agressive) to work out, but I really like Camp Zion. I'm also more of a lazy river kind of girl than a swiftly moving river kind of girl so water-wise, Camp Zion is my cup of tea!

It was very hot the beginning of the week and there were girls and leaders that had heat issues. I helped someone get help and in turn someone helped me before I got to the point that I needed nursing kind of help. It's that light complexion of mine. Even when I'm not overheated it LOOKS like I'm overheated; but in this case I WAS getting overheated so glad that my friend intervened. It was coming on so fast...I THOUGHT I was drinking enough, etc... While I'm not glad that I experienced some of the early warning signs of heat issues, I am thankful that now I can RECOGNIZE when it's coming on in myself and others. That knowledge may come in handy this next week when we do the youth handcart pioneer trek.

Camp ended up ending early. The heavens crashed, thundered, lit up and poured torrential rain on us Thursday evening just after 7:00 PM. The decision was made to send the girls home and end camp a half day early. There was a lot of rushing around trying to take advantage of the remaining daylight. Our stake leaders called the bishops from each ward and arranged for drivers to come get the girls and their gear. After helping the girls get situated, we loaded up our personal gear and worked on striking the camp as best we could.

I rode back to Liberty Lake with Jenna Lake and we got to the stake building at midnight. There were just a few people left there as the girls parents had already picked them up. I was home and in bed just after 1:00 AM.

It was very interesting to see how the girls/young women reacted...Some of the younger girls were frightened by the thunder/lightning. Other girls comforted them. We sang hymns and songs and I threw in some comic relief when I showed up in my "rain gear"--a gallon sized ziploc bag opened up on one side as my bonnet-fastened with a safety pin and still faintly smelling of the cooked chicken it had once held (I wore it inside out so my hair wouldn't smell like chicken) and a clear garbage bag with head and armholes.

The YCLs (youth camp leaders) and the adult Level Leaders met with the camp leadership to hammer out the details. I requested that this year's 4th level help choose songs etc. as they will be NEXT years YCLs. I could almost literally see them square their shoulders and step up to the plate figuratively speaking. I spoke to one of them later and she said that what I had observed was true in her point of view. It was a changing of the guard.

Back home I've been going through the items that were in the Lost and Found. If there's one thing I would preach to people it would be...MARK YOUR ITEMS!!! There are only a handful of things that have been labelled. Those I'll get to people prior to the post-camp fireside. The rest will be placed on the lost and found tables at the fireside.

Some of the lessons I've learned this week:
**Take care of yourself (put your oxygen mask on first) so you can help others.
**People will rise to the occasion if you expect them to.
**Don't complain unless you have a suggestion to help make it better.
**Give others the gift of the benefit of the doubt--don't jump to conclusions.
**This too shall pass.
**You'll probably find bruises that you didn't know you had when you wake up in the morning.
**Choose to bloom where you're planted.

NS

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The house is quiet

Wednesday, July 29 Michael's dad left to make the long drive back to Texas, he should be back there by Monday night after stops in Pocatello, ID; Las Vegas, NV; Phoenix, AZ; somewhere in New Mexico; Fort Stockton, TX and finally his home near San Antonio.

I've been running around getting the house back in order and getting ready for camp and trek. It was definitely a week for meetings! Now it's time to finish up the loose ends and go on to camp.

I'm so glad that Carynn, Jamie and Ty will be coming over for dinner tomorrow. I'll miss them while I'm away. Melinda and Landan are still honeymooning. Bret and Laura are working. Lynette is too.

More later--

NS