The past 6 months...
Disneyland: We flew to Long Beach, CA on Nov. 6 for a fun trip to Disneyland! Rene met us there for a couple days. It is always fun to be there and to have her with us. We LOVE Disneyland. We had great weather and few crowds in the 5 days we were there.
Thanksgiving: We had our own little Thanksgiving dinner, but the turkey wasn't ready in time, so we ate all the side dishes then went to see The Muppets Movie.
Hockey: We went to at least 18 Utah Grizzlies Hockey games this season! We had so much fun watching, cheering, and getting to know favorite players. During one notable game, there were so many penalties that there were only two Grizzlies players left on the bench--all others were in the penalty box.
Washington, D.C.: In November my parents called to tell me they would be home from their mission by Christmas. They offered to have me come one more time to visit them and the city. I went in early December and the weather was nice. The night I got there, we went to see the new MLK (Martin Luther King Jr.) Memorial, WWII Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial at night. The next day, Mom and I went to the art gallery then Dad picked us up and we went to Mt. Vernon. Dad dropped me off at the American History Museum then Mom and I went to a concert at the Kennedy Center.
Friday, some of their students (mothers) came to their apartment for a luncheon and lesson. Mom and I then went to the State Department. This was new for me. This is where the US hosts foreign embassadors, where special dinners and speeches are given, etc. That night my parents went to help at the temple and I wandered through Gerogetown. The next day Dad took me to the Lincoln Cottage, another new one for me. This is where Lincoln spent his summers. I went to the Portrait Gallery, then the three of us went to the temple visitors center. Sunday was church, then we drove to the Catholic University cathedral and went in for part of mass. That night we wend to the Jefferson Memorial. Monday morning, Dad dropped me off at the FDR Memorial. I walked from there to MLK, Korea, Vietnam, and Lincoln. It was a pleasant walk on a chilly morning. We went to Arlington National Cemetery to see the Changing of the Guard, then we found the part of the cemetery where recent burials take place. There, we saw several freshly dug gravesites and headstones from those who died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Some were born around the time I was; others were born in the 90s. Many did not have headstones yet. This was very touching, very sad, and very real. Around the same time, President Obama announced all troops would be home by Christmas! Tuesday was the last day I was there, and I went to the Newseum, another first. This is not a Smithsonian museum. I liked seeing newspapers, famous news clips, etc. and the top of the mangled Twin Tower building that fell in 9/11.
Kindergarten: James did very well in school! He was a good student and was well behaved. In fact, he earned the "Responsibility" award in his class. His teacher called to tell me and I was a but surprised, but proud as well. He told me he is "one of the goodest kids" in his class, and also told me who the "baddest" ones are. :) He did well on his last two report cards. He made friends with boys and girls alike. James is doing well at reading too.
4th Grade: Emily's teacher just loved her. She said when we went in for Parent-Teacher Conference, "I just don't know what to do with her." (In a good way). Emily tested for reading at a 7th grade level. She got perfect 4's and E's on her report cards. Her teacher said Emily doesn't engage in gossip and backbiting like some girls in her class. We were glad to hear that!
Christmas: On Dec. 23, we drove to St. George, and on the 24th we drove from there to Phoenix to visit Rene. It was a long, boring drive through the desert after we crossed Hoover Dam. At one point we almost ran out of gas and rolled into a gas station while the gas light was on. I could just imagine Kevin having to walk miles and miles to get gas while the kids and I stayed in the car and having to call Rene and tell her we wouldn't make it for Christmas Eve. But, it worked out and we had a fun Christmas Eve with her. On Christmas day, we went to a park where the kids tried their new rollerblades. Karin and her family came from California and we all had a nice dinner together. We loved the weather at that time--it was sunny and warm. We spent a lot of time outside on the patio, in the pool or hottub, and at parks. One night we all went to see the Phoenix Coyotes NHL hockey team play the Boston Bruins. It was neat! The kids both got Rollerblades and Nintendo 3Ds's (hand-held game console) for Christmas.
Before we got on our way to St. George, we stopped at my parents' house. The kids did not know my parents would be home from their mission. They walked downstairs in their house and Emily said "Oh, hi" when she saw Grandma. It was a nice reunion and a great surprise!
New Year: We rung in the new year with our friends, Adam & Heather Milner, and their kids. We had fun staying up till 3am talking and playing.
Work: The school year was a good one for me. I enjoyed teaching US History, AP US History, US Government, and Geography. I really like the flexibility of my job. Being able to teach online from home is something I never imagined would be possible, especially because the internet was new when I graduated from college and started teaching. It is a lot of grading, emailing, phone calls, etc. and once a day I do a live lesson online with students.
Kevin's work is going well. He has done well with the classes he trains and earns respect from his peers and supervisors.
Hockey, Part II: The kids started hockey lessons in March. They went to the Olympic Oval, near our home. The Oval is where the 2002 Olympic Speed Skating events were held. The kids started skating lessons 1.5 years ago, but we have been wanting them to learn hockey. This program went two nights a week and they both did well at learning some fundamentals. They both look so cute in all their hockey gear. They get incredibly sweaty under it all. We are proud of them for working hard and not being afraid.
This prompted Kevin to make his hockey comeback. He played as a youth, but when trumpet started to become more important, hockey had to go. In May he started on a D-League team ("old" people, ranging in age 25-48 or so, who have not played or who have not played in a long time). He bought all his own gear, which is quite an investment. So far, he has done well and scored goals and assists in each game.
Illness and Injury: In the he 2nd game Kevin played, he bruised his liver. He somehow got the stick hard into his liver, and it was so painful the next day that he got a CT scan which showed the bruise. Over the next few weeks he healed. His thumbs and wrists have been hurting since then also.
In March, I woke up one day with limited mobility and pain in my neck. After 10 days of it not getting better, I went to physical therapy (this is after I saw a doctor and the muscle relaxer and pain medication were not helping). After a few sessions, I was doing lots better. At the same time, Emily got a stomach virus and had to miss her piano recital. Soon after, while my neck was injured, I got the same virus and actually passed out on the bathroom floor. Kevin heard a thud and when I didn't respond, he found me slumped on the floor while the door had been jammed into the wall. The next day, Kevin got the virus too and was throwing up all day. We thought James was clear, but that night at a hockey game, he threw up at the entrance, and they refunded our money.
Today, I have an ear infection. I get them once a year or so. It is painful!
Visit: Rene came to visit on her birthday, March 25. It was a good time for her to be here because my neck was hurt and she was able to help. Aunt Jackie, Uncle Kevin, Cousin Less, and Dog Buddy came for a few hours for pizza and visiting.
Summer: this is the first summer we have not been on year-round school, so we have a full summer. I have all of July off and the kids have been out since June 2, not starting back till August 28. In June, I had two conferences to attend. The first was the Utah Common Core for Literacy in Social Studies. The second was one I applied and was accepted to: The University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics Huntsman Seminar for teachers. There, I and 25 other selected secondary teachers from around the state got to meet important political and public figures. We spent a day at the courts and city building, a day at the capitol, and two days at the U. It was incredibly interesting and informative. Several local political and public figures came to speak to us. I learned a lot and was glad I got to go!
We've been swimming a few times with our friends. We've been sleeping in and hanging out. I've been biking a bit, as the weather permits.
Reunions: This year I have seen several friends and family members I haven't seen in a while. We had the George and Annie Sowby Family Reunion at Cherry Hill, UT at the end of June. Several Sowbys from AZ, CA, and UT came. It was fun to be with them and their families. We enjoyed the water park there. I got to see my college friend/roommate Melissa Payne Farnsworth in Logan one day. She was visiting with her 4 boys (a set of twins) and the kids and I drove up to see her. It was great! I also got to see old high school and college friends Kristen Jolley Larson and Jared Jepson. It was fun to catch up with them and see their kids. They were great friends. Last week, Kevin, the kids, and I went to Riverdale to visit with his high school friends Jason Ricketts and Cory Wilkin. Cory and his family live in CA and we usually see them when we go to Disneyland. My brother Craig and his kids visited from Kentucky last week. It was fun to see them! We had a big swimming party at David's house with everyone. The kids had a blast and the adults enjoyed visiting. On July 23-24, we went to Logan overnight and visited with Kevin's cousin Les. They have a beautiful yard with a little stream in the back. We enjoyed visiting and taking it easy.
Puppy: This is big--we got a puppy! After meeting and seeing Les's (Kevin's cousin) golden doodle Buddy two years ago, we have been thinking about getting a dog for the kids to enjoy and take care of. We surprised them by driving to Brigham City on the 4t of July to choose and bring Pepper home. It was been quite a trip. We got him too young (only 6 weeks) and there is a lot for all of us to learn. The first few days he was mopey and cried a lot at night. After that he got used to being with us and has done better and better every day. We are adjusting to having a puppy around all the time and having to change our plans or schedules to accommodate him. He is not fully immunized yet so we cannot take him in public or to parks, etc.
The kids have been pretty good with him. They love to play with him but argue about who will take care of him at 7am when he's happy and ready to play. He is a cute little dog who is growing all the time. We're enjoying him for the most part and are looking forward to when he's a little older and the accidents stop and he is old enough to get out.
