June catch-up: Boise trip

Last night we took Greg to the airport. (As the immediate family of a U.S. Armed Forces Service Member, David, Mary, and I got a special pass to accompany Greg all the way to his gate. Like in the olden days! That was a happy surprise. Other happiness included one very awesome kiss I got and my children's failure to melt down--though David remarked on the way back to the car, "I don't got no daddy now.") Now that Greg is (at this very moment) on a plane to Honduras, allow me to begin catching you up some on June's happenings.

Soon after our big road trip, we piled the kids back in the car for a trip up to Boise to visit my grandma, aunt, and my brother and his family.

On the way, we stopped near Hagerman for a look at the Hagerman Fossil Beds and the Oregon Trail.

Look at that big Western sky:

Yes, that is a majestic sky that speaks to the soul:

This is a bridge built long ago, so scientists could access the fossil beds:

Once we got to Boise we had a great time with family--

swimming at the hotel

rub-a-dub-dub, three cousins in the tub

tinker toys at Grandma's house
David playing with the firetruck my dad played with when he was little
My grandma and my deliciously adorable niece
more fun at Grandma's house



a picnic of yummy homemade pizzas perfected on the grill, followed the next day by a trip to the zoo

and a visit to Nampa is never complete without a trip to the Mongolian Barbecue at the Hong Kong
Thank you to you Idahoans for showing us a great time!

(I should add that technically I am an Idahoan, having been born in Boise. So this was really a trip to the homeland!)

One hour ago

Nevermind!

Late last night we heard (through an unofficial channel) that Greg will be going to Honduras next week. But he's sitting tight until he's able to contact someone in his chain of command. With the holiday, it may not be until after the weekend that things are sorted out. But it looks very likely that he will be reporting for duty at Soto Cano sometime next week. I imagine all my Air Force friends are smiling with appreciation--there is never a lack of drama in military life, that's for sure.

(Happy Independence Day!)

In case you were wondering...

All military activities in Honduras have been suspended. I'm not sure exactly what qualifies as a "military activity," but it does include coming and going. Right now there is a "stop-movement" in place for Soto Cano Air Base: Everyone is frozen in place. That means Greg will not be going to Honduras on Monday. Instead, he will report to Hill Air Force Base (in Ogden, Utah) next week for a temporary assignment. We have no idea how long he'll be working at Hill. A week? Several weeks? More than a month? No one knows how long it will be. We all (meaning the big decision-makers at the Pentagon) have to see how the situation plays out in Honduras.

Of course we are happy to have Greg around longer! But the price to pay is: Uncertainty. (I don't like uncertainty. My friends in Ohio who watched me dying in the agony over the uncertainty last spring about Greg's assignment must be laughing--a kind laugh. Ack, the uncertainty never ends!) And knowing that there are moms and dads at Soto Cano who are not able to come home. (I would be devastated were I expecting my husband home, only to find out he is not coming.) Also, for those of you who have sent off a loved one, I think you understand that there is something to starting the countdown, to getting it over with. Dragging out the good-bye does not necessarily make it easier.

But of course we are happy to have Greg here with us longer! It is definitely a relief to know he's not rushing off Monday morning. This week has been hectic. And I hope to share some less hectic time together before he leaves, whenever that is...

Two weeks notice

Greg leaves in one week. (Yes, yes, I know there was a military coup in Honduras yesterday, but so far we have no reason to believe this will change anything for Greg, and we doubt it will.)

So Greg leaves in one week. The following week I plan to spend some time posting a few pictures from the past month. And then I will end this blog. This twelve months has stretched into sixteen. The end is overdue, the experiment concluded.

I have learned that I enjoy blogging. It helps me focus on the positive. I value the record I create. So I will probably continue blogging. I say "probably" because I might not. It takes a lot of time. Partly because I've found it addictive. And partly because--like all tasks for me, from cleaning the toilet to chopping an onion--I am not fast and efficient at it. But I am inclined to think that the time invested is worth it. So continue on I will, most likely.

But not on this blog. I guess I am driven by my obsessive compulsive tendencies. Besides the fact I'm bothered that the title no longer applies, I don't want the year on this blog to "touch" the coming year. You know, like how some people don't like their food touching. I, for one, generally don't mind too much if my food touches, but I do require a separate plate for my salad. I guess one of these years is salad and one is mashed potatoes. During one year Greg was home a lot, we spend tons of quality family time together, and I struggled to overcome the effects of postpartum depression. During the other year, Greg will be absent, my children will bond with their grandparents, and I hope to leave mental illness behind. Two very different years. They require two different blogs.

By the way, I don't know which year is salad and which year is mashed potatoes. That said, I do like both salad and mashed potatoes.

very very good

I think I imagined that this month together in Park City would be quiet and relaxing.

It has not been quiet and relaxing. It has been very very busy.

But this month has been very very good. How do I know this?

I have fallen even deeper in love with my husband.

(My kids, on the the other hand.....Anyone want to take them in for a year? Oh, wait, my parents agreed to do that. Anyone want to take ME in for a year?)

Greg leaves in a week. Being busy is very very good. Quiet would only make the pain in my heart louder.

A happy Father's Day to Greg

For Father's Day this year I broke my toe. Just what Greg was hoping for.

It happened right after we got home from church--you know, that miserable half hour when everyone is starving, tired, grouchy, and scrambling to change into sweats.

I stubbed it on a chair. It hurt like the dickens, and it was pointing in a very unnatural direction. In the middle of the post-church chaos, I announced I broke my toe, with a crack shoved it back in a more natural direction, took two Advil, and went to sleep. There's nothing a good nap won't take care of, right? Well, not this time. It was still broken when I woke up. Darn it.

So Greg got to spend his Father's Day tending the kids while I napped. And then tending the kids more while I went to the clinic.

[I have to admit that I felt pretty lame at the Park City Clinic with a broken toe that I stubbed on a piece of furniture. It seemed more appropriate to have a cool mountain biking injury or something. But I felt better when I learned that the guy next to me was a serious mountaineer, just having survived unscathed quite the three-week ordeal in the Cascades, only to come home, fall off a chair and cut his ear.]

So Greg got to spend his Father's Day...being a father.

For his pains, he got the Honduras Lonely Planet, a book about the Mayans, and an X-wing starfighter, which David promptly adopted as his own.

The problem with Greg is that he's just so great. I haven't exactly been at my finest since Mary was born, and he has taken on more than his fair share of familial duties. He helps with (or does solo) everything. This will make it that much more difficult when he leaves...

Have I ever mentioned that I love that man? All six foot five inches.

As for my toe, so much for morning walks on the Millennium Trail and evening hikes in the mountains.

Darn it.

Happy Father's Day, Greg.

Excuse the silence

We had a nice little trip to Boise over the weekend.

Greg leaves for Honduras in less than three weeks (not that I'm counting).

Please excuse the silence. This is family time.

Happy birthday, David

Yesterday was David's birthday. He can officially say that he's four now--although he's been saying it for the past few weeks.

In case you didn't know, David is positive, energetic, social, strong, outgoing, compliant, cuddly, active, resilient, and tenderhearted. He knows he was born to grow and experience life to the fullest, so every birthday--and the increased maturity, greater independence, and larger skill-set that each year brings--is a happy one for all of us.

I love that kid.

(Thank you to those who made the drive up here to help celebrate! Cousins make everything more fun.)

Road trip

The morning of Friday, May 29th we said farewell to Ohio.  We drove across Indiana and most of Illinois.  We stopped in Macomb, a little off the beaten path, since we planned to stop in Carthage and Nauvoo the following day.

Macomb was about as exciting as it looks.

Saturday we embarked on something of a pilgrimage--though, really, I don't think we qualify for any heavenly bonus points because we were just passing by that way anyhow.  

We first visited Carthage Jail, where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother were martyred.  Just as I remembered, it was interesting and very moving.
We made it through most of the tour, but (a very wiggly) Mary and I bowed out at the end.  Mary enjoyed running around outside and playing with the well (underneath the window the Prophet went through).

After lunch we drove to Nauvoo.  We didn't have the time or stamina to see very much, but we did enjoy a lovely afternoon there.

Look!  A miracle!  A family picture.

We took a ride in a covered wagon pulled by oxen.  I was surprised by how small the wagon was.  (Wow, the pioneers really could not bring very much with them.)  We also learned about how ideal a team of oxen was (compared to horses) for crossing the plains--they were much cheaper, they could live entirely off the grass along the way, they would not be stolen by Indians, and they walk the same pace as humans.  

David and Mary enjoyed climbing up onto an open wagon.
There was a wonderful play area for children:  a log cabin complete with fireplace, kitchen, laundry wash boards, and dishes; a log school house; period clothes for dress-up; wooden horses and sheep; dolls, cradles, blocks, and period toys; wheel barrow, brooms, and buckets.  David and Mary played there seemingly forever.  It was perfect--especially for those children (like ours) who aren't old enough for the many other exhibits and activities for older kids and adults.

The temple.  It is beautiful up on the hill--seen from miles around.
This picture was taken from the temple, overlooking the Mississippi.  It was a beautiful day.
We are so glad we went a little out of our way so that we could visit (though briefly) Nauvoo.

Then we crossed the Mississippi, into Iowa.
At a rest stop in Iowa, David and Mary had a mission to read and rearrange all the free newspapers and leaflets.  Anything for some entertainment.

We stopped for the night in Omaha, which was greener, hillier, and prettier than I had expected.  Greg had unknowingly made reservations at a hotel that had a big indoor water park attached.  Yikes!  Something for which we had neither the time or energy for--besides the problem of David's splint.  We managed to hide the water park from David and Mary the entire time--quite a feat! 

This is Nebraska.
You know what.  I loved Nebraska.  I'm not sure why, but something happened inside of me as we drove across the prairies.  I felt my soul expanding, my burdens being lifted, my heart starting to soar.  I'm not sure if it was the green grasses, the gentle bluffs, the grazing cattle.  Or the way we were following the Platte River, nearly tracing the steps of my pioneer ancestors (including one Alma Platte Spilsbury who was miraculously saved from the Platte as an infant).  Or the way the sky begins to open up in Nebraska--as you speed down I-80 you can feel yourself leaving the east, the mid-west, and you see the West opening up before you. I may not know exactly where I am from, but I do know the West is my heart's home.

David took his baby bear for a spin at a rest stop in Nebraska.  (At one stop in western Nebraska, David looked out across the land and remarked, "Wow!  I can see the whole world!")

Mary has been sticking close to her daddy, whom she emphatically refers to as "Mama."
The absolute highlight of our trip was the two nights in Fort Collins.  We got to visit Deanna and her crew!  They had just closed on/moved into a house two days earlier, yet they bravely hosted visitors.  Already (in just 2 days!), their home was warm and inviting.  I rarely saw David (a very good sign), who was being thoroughly entertained by "the big boys."  Meanwhile, "the big girl" sweetly mentored Mary in the art of princess lip gloss.  And I simply got to hang out with Deanna.  It was heaven.  Even Greg was pleased as punch--someone else (Deanna) for me to dump the burdens of my heart on.  Thank you, Pete and Deanna.  (Incidentally, I doubt it's coincidence that I've been able to see Deanna twice in a month--I think God knew I needed it.)

The gang.  Aren't these great pictures?  I love these kids, each and every one.


Tuesday morning we began our last leg of the trip, through Wyoming.  We were wildly under dressed in our shorts and flip flops.  There was a reason why all the natives were wearing heavy flannel shirts, jackets, and boots.  It was dang cold.  We changed Mary into the single pair of pants in her wardrobe.  At least I had the sense to bring them.

Mary had an unfortunate incident with a green marker.  (I was reminded of why I only buy washable markers.)  Mary, in her green condition, gave the men at the rest stop a good chuckle.
Fifty-seven baby wipes later, and she was looking pretty good again.
Oh, and Mary wasn't the only one using a marker and skin for entertainment purposes.  I guess southern Wyoming is pretty boring.
We finally made it to Park City!  We'd been living in hotel rooms for over a week.  It was obvious Mary was relieved to be in a house again.  She was so much happier.  So happy that the occasion called for TWO binkies.
So, yes, we are here in Utah.  The proof?

Cousins.  (Doesn't everybody have cousins in Utah?)


And skiing.
A picture of Temple Square, which we visited Sunday, would go nicely here.  But I have yet to upload those pictures.  Instead I will leave you with a picture of the Olympic ski jumps, for which David is still waiting his turn.
We love being up here in Park City, surrounded by mountains and wild flowers, with trails in our backyard.  We feel blessed to have this opportunity to be together here before Greg leaves in a month.  

The other day when we asked David what his favorite part of the day had been, he said, "My favorite part was being all of us together."  That's my favorite part too.  Of every day.