Boys and Engines

My boys must be unusual.

I keep hearing about how men and boys are just addicted to anything that goes. 

They love hearing the rev of the engine.  The shimmer of the candy apple red paint.  The maneuverability.

I just don't understand why no one wants to take this baby out for a spin???

Celebrating Collins Style

Although today is the Fourth of July, our celebrations began yesterday and will continue until tomorrow.  Since we don't have any family living in the area, we are not beholden to any traditions- we have the opportunity to make our own.  Since buying the cabin, we tend to come here for the holiday and invite anyone who wants to come eat, relax, and be.  Yesterday we were happy to have the Rice and Lockhart families come join us.

The day began with Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches (celebrating the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence) and moved through 9 holes of golf, ATV/ golf cart rides around the mountain, time in the hot tub, naps, a few small projects and lots of fun conversation.  Dinner was the most delicious ribs. . . Ed did a fabulous job on those and several side dishes.  The main topic of conversation during dinner was the Twilight series of books and movies.  (I have read the books and I haven't seen any of the movies.)  

I bought a birthday cake for Daniel's 19th birthday, but when it sat there next to the strawberry shortcake, it got no attention at all.  I just have to have strawberry shortcake for the 4th of July. . . mostly because my mom always made it.  I just buy pound cake at Costco and everyone thinks it is amazing.

At about 9:15 we all left for Mt. Pleasant to see the fireworks.  We have never seen them before, so we didn't know where to go to watch.  Last year we planned to watch the fireworks with all the same friends, but God had other plans and sent the most amazing lightning storm that most of us had ever seen.  Anyway, we lucked into a great spot and were pleasantly surprised by the fireworks.   

Daniel Rice- 19, Dallin Rice- 17, Colby Collins-17, Dania Rice- 15, Stephen Lockhart-14, Parker Collins-14, Dalton Rice-13, Reed Collins-12

After all the oohs and aahs, the Lockharts headed back to Provo and the Rices came back to the cabin.  We ate some more. . . (that's the "Collins Style" part) and headed to bed around 12:30.  What a wonderful day!

Quartz VS Pot

Someday, I am going to be a great cook.  Maybe.

My Nana was a great cook- everything that she made was delicious and the epitome of comfort food.  Her bread was fabulous and she was just about famous for it.  She died one morning of a burst aneurysm in her brain. . . while she was making bread.  I always have loved that she died doing what she loved. 

My Mom on the other hand, was not much of a cook.  Probably because she never had to when she was growing up.  She was good at no-bake butterscotch cookies and raspberry squares, but she didn't like cooking and just wasn't that great at it.  The good news was that my dad was decent in the kitchen and he made dinner at least 75% of the time.  I must admit that Friday was my favorite day, though.  We ALWAYS went out for dinner on Friday night.  I loved it.

Now there's me.  I can bake bread and I can cook, but I don't really enjoy it most of the time.  I am LOUSY at following a recipe (or a pattern or any other instructions, for that matter) and so my favorite celebrity cook is Rachel Ray.  I have learned a lot from her and I really appreciate her "go for it" method of cooking. When I cook RR Style, it is usually a hit with my family.

So. . . today I got the urge to cook and to use up some left overs that we had.  I didn't have any incidents while making the pasta salad although the dogs were awfully interested in the bacon.  Then I made Sampson beans which is a bunch of different cans of beans, some hamburger, and some seasonings.  Shouldn't be hard, huh.  All was well until I sat down in Ed's chair after carrying a basket into our bedroom.  I swear his chair has a dopamine injector in it.  I promptly fell asleep. . . but only for about 10-15 minutes.  I woke up and darted for the kitchen because I knew the beans were on high.  (Ed says that I only cook on high, but it's not true.  I also use off.)  I was afraid they were burned, so I pulled them off onto the counter which is made of quartz and which we were told when it was purchased that I could put hot stuff on it.  I turned around to put the pasta salad in a bowl and I jumped a mile when I heard a large "crack".  Parker heard it and came running, too.  I knew instantly that the &8%* counter had cracked.  Luckily it is a small crack and is hard to find. 

Next time I am getting concrete countertops.  And cooking lessons.

Ahhh. . . summer!

Summer has finally arrived.  It is going to be in the 80's and 90's all week.  That is welcome news to those of us who don't really enjoy the snow!  It has been a cool spring, but there is a benefit- Utah is beautiful and green.  Quite possibly the greenest I have seen over the past 16 years of living here.  That probably means we will have a lot of fires later in the summer, but I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

The weird thing is that I haven't planted any flowers this year.  Not one.  I usually get flower baskets and seedlings for Mother's Day, but it was so darn cold that Ed didn't buy any.  I think that was wise as some people have planted two or three times!  My backyard is a jumble of color with my roses and perennials and the front yard looks awful.  I am not pleased with how the landscaping has evolved, but am too lazy to want to do much about it.

We spent the weekend at the cabin where the scrub oaks are gorgeous.  We managed to get two sides of the cabin stained a very dark brown that I love!!!!  Murphy's Law was at work, but we triumphed.  Now we just have to schedule the other two sides. . .  Ed had a load of gravel dropped off as well and I cannot believe what a difference that has made in the look of the front of the cabin.  I will post photos when we are all done.  Right now we still have two sides and a mountain of gravel to deal with.

Hmm. . .

I love being a mom. 

• I love that I never open a door.  There is always a handsome young man opening doors at church, school, stores, and even the car!  How pampered am I?  
• I love watching my kids do karate, play baseball, play euphonium, and the dozens of other things they do. I am WAY more proud and excited about their accomplishments than I am about the crazy things I do.
• I love hearing my kids laugh.  I think my kids are generally witty and hilarious.  Sure, we border on the crude and socially unacceptable. . . but these are BOYS I am dealing with!
• I love being loved.  There is absolutely nothing better than a big bear hug from your son.  Especially when they are 17 and still give hugs- even in front of their friends.

But being a mom is scary, too.

• What if I haven't taught them everything they need to know?
• What if they aren't happy?
• What if they get sick?
• What if they end up just like me?
• What if they end up hating me?

I can't dwell on the "What ifs," because they will drive me CRAZY!  I will just be happy with my awesome kids today. Now. 

Deja Vu. . . All over again. . .

In the summer of 1997 I was hired to be the Band Director at Lehi High School.  It wasn't much of a job- since there were only 15 students on the first day of class.  Eight of those students were horrified to find out that they actually had to bring (and play) their instruments, so I sent them to drop the class.  One moved away in November, so for most of the year the band consisted of 6 students.  I had no real idea how to be successful
with that group, so I decided to make them successful as individuals.  Three of the six made All State that year. 

Since the JH was in much the same condition it took a while to grow. Pete Swiderski was a brand new teacher that year and as his program grew, we added students at the high school. I was a half time teacher and the seams were starting to stretch by 2003.  We added some classes, did some additional recruiting, and made the position full time beginning in the 2004 school year.  I was excited for the new challenge. . . until my mom broke both hips.  The stress level in my life had exceeded my ability to handle it, and I ended up quitting my job.

During the last six years, I have had very little to do with music.  The stress of dealing with my mom clouded my memory and made me think that I was done teaching forever.  I watched what was happening at the high school, but stayed away through three teachers in 5 years.  This became increasingly more difficult as Colby became more and more of a band geek!

Everything changed in December.  Our band director, who is also a member of the Army National Guard, was activated.  He announced the news to the students and sent out an e-mail to the parents.  I was blissfully shopping and ignoring my Blackberry's message features when I got a call from Ed asking if I was ready to teach.  After he read me the e-mail, I called Mr. Seamons and offered to substitute whenever he needed me.  Little did I know what that would mean!  I taught most of January, most of March and I will be back at the school on May 6 until the end of the year.

I was pretty nervous about subbing so much, but it has been a joy.  I re-discovered the love of music and I remembered why I became a teacher in the first place.  What a great group of teenagers!  After much talk and discussion, I decided to apply for the one year position to cover for Nate while he is in the Middle East.  There were 14 applicants for the one-year position! I got the news this afternoon that I was chosen to get the job.

So, deja vu.  Same classroom, same office, new students, more classes.  A little like 1997, but it's going to be a whole lot more work!  Watch out Lehi High- I'm coming back!

Spring?????

I am really sick of snow.  I grew up in Maine, live in Utah, and plan to retire somewhere WARM. . . and alone.  Ed is one of those crazy people who enjoys the snow, but I am planning on going anyway.  There are some sure signs that spring is coming. . . or could possibly be here already.

• The snow isn't sticking.
• My crocuses (or is that crocii?) are blooming.
• My furry boys have new short hair-dos.
• It's spring break.  Aptly named?  We shall see.
• It is baseball season.  

This last one warms my heart in a big way tonight.  There is nothing better than having the whole family snugged up on the bed while we cheer for the Red SOx.  Colby really does not enjoy baseball, but he humors us once in a while.  Tonight he called it quits at the beginning of the 9th inning.  Heelllooooo!!!!  Three outs to VICTORY?????  Oh well, at least he was with us for a while!

For those of you who aren't baseball fans,

The Red Sox kicked the Yankees butts!!! 

Oh, yeah, baby!  It's spring all right!!!!!