Friday, August 21, 2009
What the heck? HELP!!!
So can anyone tell me why all of the pictures I've posted (with the exception of the slide shows) don't show up on my blog anymore? What the heck? Is is just what I see when I open the site, or are ya'll not able to see any of the still photos? Please let me know, all of you fellow bloggers out there.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Our best summer vacation yet!
So - are blogs actually for writing? I'm a little lazy because I like to share the Tui adventures through photos rather than the written word (and to think I got straight A's in English). I really did LOVE my creative writing courses, but I'm a little rusty, so bear with me.
We have had such a great time in Utah & Arizona, thanks to Debbie and Donna's families being such kind hosts and letting us invade their homes. We've spent this past month traveling through New Mexico, the southwestern corner of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Texas. The kids have taken it all in stride - MOST of the time. We've seen such jaw-dropping scenery in all of the states we've passed through.
Here are some highlights that I - and hopefully the kids - will remember:
-Drinking in the beautiful Texas sunrise at the beginning of our loooooong road trip.
-Looking down at the gas tank to see if Komi was serious when he said "D., we're on empty" and realizing we were 17 miles from the nearest gas station. There's a lot to be said for using fumes in the tank and a prayer to get us to that gas station! I never let it get past half a tank after that scare.
-Walking through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple during the open house. Quite beautiful and amazing to see all of the woodwork that Brian worked on inside.
-Dalton's school and classroom were fun to visit, even though he is in the middle of reorganizing it. I bet he is the best science teacher ever!! Fun AND informative.
-The Hermansens took us to Willard Bay for a day of boating and fun in the sun. The bouncy innertube being pulled by the boat was definitely the highlight for the kids. Deb and I enjoyed a short but fun ride, too. Glad we didn't pee our pants, Deb. hee hee Komi had a go at water skiing and kneeboarding. Did pretty well, too. Found out he needs to work out his forearms more, though. :)
-The kids humored me while taking them on a tour of 2 of my childhood homes in Ferron, my junior high and high school, and places of significance for me throughout Emery County, UT. They hung out at the picnic for my 20 year high school reunion, all the while Ez kept asking why he couldn't just stay in the car and watch movies.
-Seeing friends I haven't seen for 20 years at my high school reunion. I recognized almost everyone that attended. What a blast!
-Playing at the beach at Millsite in Ferron with Kim Copinga's family. It was so great catching up with her and reminiscing about all the dufus things we did when we were young and what our friends are up to now.
-Temple Square, This is the Place Monument, and Fort Cove were enlightening and uplifting. A true testimony builder to see what the early members of our church suffered through for their beliefs!
-The Grand Canyon was breath taking and surreal. I still can't fathom how huge it really is even though I've seen it in person. Ezra made me nauseous by crawling too close to the edge to get a better look. He made Eli pretty worried, too. We both yelled "Ezra, don't do that, you're getting too close". I just had to walk away before I threw up. Didn't know I was that afraid of heights - or maybe it was just the thought of Ez falling off the face of the earth. =(
-Driving over the Glen Canyon Dam made me a little nervous, too.
-Staying in hotels and swimming has been pretty exciting for the kids - luckily they don't notice things like I do in the cheaper places we've stayed. I'll spare you the dirty details.
-Spending a day with the Doxeys up in West Point, UT. Man, we miss you guys and wished you still lived in Flower Mound! Don't forget us! We can't wait to see you again.
-Emma and I had a super time at the play "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" with Deb, Brian, & Brooklyn Hermansen. They've inspired me to add 'going to the theater more than once a year from now on' to my list of things to do. Ice cream at Leatherby's was a real sweet treat after the play.
-Eva had such a super time at Candice's summer preschool. You are an awesome teacher! Thanks for letting her tag along in your class.
-Dinner with my sisters, Donna & Denise, for a little "girl's only" time was rejuvenating. Thanks for making me buy a new purse and flip flops at Kohl's afterwards, ladies. :) We have to do more shopping together!!!
-Swimming everyday in Donna's awesome pool will be a major memory for the kids. Just like the summers in AZ with Grandma & Grandpa Spencer when I was a kid. We lived in the community pool day in and day out until we had to head back to Utah.
-Getting a tan - finally.
-I showed my kids my grandparents old home in Cottonwood on our way to Tuzigoot & Montezuma's Castle national monuments. (What fabulous childhood summer memories I have of Cottonwood - - swimming - which technically we really didn't do much of because we didn't want to mess up our hair - it really was laying out, going to the movies, playing in the gully, watching torrential rains fill up the gully so quickly, magnificent lightning storms, counting 'till the thunder to see how far away the storms were, playing with the cats, homemade doughnuts, playing the organ, being smothered in sloppy Grandpa kisses, sleeping on the back porch on the lounge chairs until we heard the coyotes - then booking it inside and sleeping on the LR floor, calling pretend friends on the old fashioned phone, stroking the back of my Grandma's arm because it was so soft and jiggly, having to eat meat sandwiches with butter on the bread instead of miracle whip (yuck), admiring the neat porcelain doll and nick nacks from Samoa and New Zealand, going to church, and driving around town hoping my Grandpa wouldn't kill us - he wasn't the best driver in his old age.)
Sorry--I went off on a tangent there.
-Manicure & Pedicure with Donna. Thanks for talking me into the Deluxe treatment with the sea scrub, exfoliating leg massage, and pretty flowers on my toes to boot!
-Watching Emma be such a great babysitter to Luke and wondering should we have another? Hmmmm...
-Seeing what Sarah and Eva were going to wear each day. They love matching their clothes and then asking to get their hair done the same way.
-Just being lazy and staying up late watching "Jon & Kate + 8" and HGTV with Donna and Luke.
-Sleeping in until Eva wakes us up with "I'm hungry, can somebody get me breakfast?" Sorry, Donna!
-Just seeing Deb, Dalton, Denise, Donna and their families again and hangin' out with all of them. We just let too much time pass between our visits!!!! Anytime ya'll wanna visit Texas, we'll make room for you! Love you guys!
We only have a couple days left here at Donna's. By the time we get home, summer will practically be over. Eli isn't thrilled to be heading to 1st grade already. I was trying to get him excited about it and all he could say was "Mom, I can't wait for next summer to start." Hmmmm, not a good sign. Emma is giddy with anticipation in finding out who her 5th grade teacher will be. Looks like she is following in her mom's footsteps and loving school still. She wants to get back to Texas to see friends and make sure she has everything ready for the first day of school. Ezra's thoughts on school starting - "stupid, pathetic, annoying teachers - and girls". Check out his blog for more thoughts on that subject. Eva is excited to be in 2 preschool classes this year with her mom as her teacher. I'll have to let you know later if that excitement quickly fades when she realizes how much preschool that involves.
I think I'm ready to get back to reality. I have to set things up for my 2 preschool classes. I'm pretty excited and feel rejuvenated for this new school year. What fun - more painting, cutting, coloring, singing, snacks, and playing with 3-5 year olds - LOVE IT!!! Hope I'll be able to squeeze in some volunteering at the kids schools, too.
Komi is .... well, Komi is Komi. What can I say? I know he is looking forward to having his family home again. Hope he has enjoyed the silence because it's going to get a whole lot noisier this weekend. Love ya, babe.
Look out Texas, here we come! See ya soon, babe.
We have had such a great time in Utah & Arizona, thanks to Debbie and Donna's families being such kind hosts and letting us invade their homes. We've spent this past month traveling through New Mexico, the southwestern corner of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Texas. The kids have taken it all in stride - MOST of the time. We've seen such jaw-dropping scenery in all of the states we've passed through.
Here are some highlights that I - and hopefully the kids - will remember:
-Drinking in the beautiful Texas sunrise at the beginning of our loooooong road trip.
-Looking down at the gas tank to see if Komi was serious when he said "D., we're on empty" and realizing we were 17 miles from the nearest gas station. There's a lot to be said for using fumes in the tank and a prayer to get us to that gas station! I never let it get past half a tank after that scare.
-Walking through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple during the open house. Quite beautiful and amazing to see all of the woodwork that Brian worked on inside.
-Dalton's school and classroom were fun to visit, even though he is in the middle of reorganizing it. I bet he is the best science teacher ever!! Fun AND informative.
-The Hermansens took us to Willard Bay for a day of boating and fun in the sun. The bouncy innertube being pulled by the boat was definitely the highlight for the kids. Deb and I enjoyed a short but fun ride, too. Glad we didn't pee our pants, Deb. hee hee Komi had a go at water skiing and kneeboarding. Did pretty well, too. Found out he needs to work out his forearms more, though. :)
-The kids humored me while taking them on a tour of 2 of my childhood homes in Ferron, my junior high and high school, and places of significance for me throughout Emery County, UT. They hung out at the picnic for my 20 year high school reunion, all the while Ez kept asking why he couldn't just stay in the car and watch movies.
-Seeing friends I haven't seen for 20 years at my high school reunion. I recognized almost everyone that attended. What a blast!
-Playing at the beach at Millsite in Ferron with Kim Copinga's family. It was so great catching up with her and reminiscing about all the dufus things we did when we were young and what our friends are up to now.
-Temple Square, This is the Place Monument, and Fort Cove were enlightening and uplifting. A true testimony builder to see what the early members of our church suffered through for their beliefs!
-The Grand Canyon was breath taking and surreal. I still can't fathom how huge it really is even though I've seen it in person. Ezra made me nauseous by crawling too close to the edge to get a better look. He made Eli pretty worried, too. We both yelled "Ezra, don't do that, you're getting too close". I just had to walk away before I threw up. Didn't know I was that afraid of heights - or maybe it was just the thought of Ez falling off the face of the earth. =(
-Driving over the Glen Canyon Dam made me a little nervous, too.
-Staying in hotels and swimming has been pretty exciting for the kids - luckily they don't notice things like I do in the cheaper places we've stayed. I'll spare you the dirty details.
-Spending a day with the Doxeys up in West Point, UT. Man, we miss you guys and wished you still lived in Flower Mound! Don't forget us! We can't wait to see you again.
-Emma and I had a super time at the play "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" with Deb, Brian, & Brooklyn Hermansen. They've inspired me to add 'going to the theater more than once a year from now on' to my list of things to do. Ice cream at Leatherby's was a real sweet treat after the play.
-Eva had such a super time at Candice's summer preschool. You are an awesome teacher! Thanks for letting her tag along in your class.
-Dinner with my sisters, Donna & Denise, for a little "girl's only" time was rejuvenating. Thanks for making me buy a new purse and flip flops at Kohl's afterwards, ladies. :) We have to do more shopping together!!!
-Swimming everyday in Donna's awesome pool will be a major memory for the kids. Just like the summers in AZ with Grandma & Grandpa Spencer when I was a kid. We lived in the community pool day in and day out until we had to head back to Utah.
-Getting a tan - finally.
-I showed my kids my grandparents old home in Cottonwood on our way to Tuzigoot & Montezuma's Castle national monuments. (What fabulous childhood summer memories I have of Cottonwood - - swimming - which technically we really didn't do much of because we didn't want to mess up our hair - it really was laying out, going to the movies, playing in the gully, watching torrential rains fill up the gully so quickly, magnificent lightning storms, counting 'till the thunder to see how far away the storms were, playing with the cats, homemade doughnuts, playing the organ, being smothered in sloppy Grandpa kisses, sleeping on the back porch on the lounge chairs until we heard the coyotes - then booking it inside and sleeping on the LR floor, calling pretend friends on the old fashioned phone, stroking the back of my Grandma's arm because it was so soft and jiggly, having to eat meat sandwiches with butter on the bread instead of miracle whip (yuck), admiring the neat porcelain doll and nick nacks from Samoa and New Zealand, going to church, and driving around town hoping my Grandpa wouldn't kill us - he wasn't the best driver in his old age.)
Sorry--I went off on a tangent there.
-Manicure & Pedicure with Donna. Thanks for talking me into the Deluxe treatment with the sea scrub, exfoliating leg massage, and pretty flowers on my toes to boot!
-Watching Emma be such a great babysitter to Luke and wondering should we have another? Hmmmm...
-Seeing what Sarah and Eva were going to wear each day. They love matching their clothes and then asking to get their hair done the same way.
-Just being lazy and staying up late watching "Jon & Kate + 8" and HGTV with Donna and Luke.
-Sleeping in until Eva wakes us up with "I'm hungry, can somebody get me breakfast?" Sorry, Donna!
-Just seeing Deb, Dalton, Denise, Donna and their families again and hangin' out with all of them. We just let too much time pass between our visits!!!! Anytime ya'll wanna visit Texas, we'll make room for you! Love you guys!
We only have a couple days left here at Donna's. By the time we get home, summer will practically be over. Eli isn't thrilled to be heading to 1st grade already. I was trying to get him excited about it and all he could say was "Mom, I can't wait for next summer to start." Hmmmm, not a good sign. Emma is giddy with anticipation in finding out who her 5th grade teacher will be. Looks like she is following in her mom's footsteps and loving school still. She wants to get back to Texas to see friends and make sure she has everything ready for the first day of school. Ezra's thoughts on school starting - "stupid, pathetic, annoying teachers - and girls". Check out his blog for more thoughts on that subject. Eva is excited to be in 2 preschool classes this year with her mom as her teacher. I'll have to let you know later if that excitement quickly fades when she realizes how much preschool that involves.
I think I'm ready to get back to reality. I have to set things up for my 2 preschool classes. I'm pretty excited and feel rejuvenated for this new school year. What fun - more painting, cutting, coloring, singing, snacks, and playing with 3-5 year olds - LOVE IT!!! Hope I'll be able to squeeze in some volunteering at the kids schools, too.
Komi is .... well, Komi is Komi. What can I say? I know he is looking forward to having his family home again. Hope he has enjoyed the silence because it's going to get a whole lot noisier this weekend. Love ya, babe.
Look out Texas, here we come! See ya soon, babe.
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