Wanderlust

I have been travelling a lot lately.

  March 4-7, 2015  Las Vegas, NV

I went to Las Vegas to visit my friend Leisa and to go to the Rascal Flatts concert at the Hard Rock.  The concert was AMAZING!!!!  It was fun to see their new home and meet their new foster daughter, Caleigh.  I spent some quality time playing ball with the boys and had a great break.

 March 8-10, 2015  San Clemente, CA

Yup.  I was home for less than 24 hours.  We left Reed home alone and went to see Parker’s graduation from MCT.  He had liberty on Sunday afternoon so we were there for that.  On Monday we explored a bit and I took a long nap because I had a bad cold.  The best part of this trip was the 5 or so hours we spent with Parker in LAX!  It was super hard to leave and watch him walk away.  I had no idea how many people witnessed the event, but about half the plane spoke to me as they went by me.  The flight attendant kept a steady stream of Diet Coke and chocolate flowing, but I could not stop crying.  I’d think I had it all together and then a tear would slide down my cheek.  Yesterday Parker posted this about that day:

“A few weeks back I was at the airport with my parents saying my goodbyes before they boarded the plane my mom was crying like moms do and I remember looking over and I saw a lady crying. At that moment I realized something. For 18 years my mom has loved me and supported me through all of the long nights after surgeries. the days where I was so tired I'd pass out in the shower and her and my brother would have to carry me into my room, she'd take me to the gun shop to buy a new rifle. she fed me, taught me what is right and wrong. she made sure I knew what she expected of me. And she is what made me the man I am today. I don't say this enough but I love my mom to death! And yes my mom is so cool she can do failure drills with her handgun. ‪#‎watchoutshespackin and she even let me play with machine guns. Sorry guys but my mom is the coolest. Love you mom can't wait to see you!”

Yeah.  I cry every time I read it!!!

  March 11-19  HOME!!!!

       Ed did some travelling but I didn’t.  Reed had a couple of concerts.  It is fun to watch him perform because he seems to enjoy it.  He is excited about being in Encore next year.

 March 20-27  South Portland, ME

      Uncle Len died on the 16^th, so I headed to Maine- and so did ALL of my brothers.  We cannot remember the last time we were all together.  How sad is that?  I was supposed to leave on the 25^th but so was the rest of the tribe so I stayed a couple extra days to feather it out for Aunt Thelma.

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March 29-30  The Cabin

      Ed brought the dogs down yesterday since we were getting new tile laid to fill in the holes from our construction project.  Today we switched places so that he can go to work and I will take them home when the grout dries tomorrow.

And yes. . . we leave on Friday for Miami and the Eastern Carribean.  Then maybe I will stay home for longer than 8 days.

Siesta

I have truly begun to see the value of the siesta lately.  I think the Spaniards are on to something.

About 17 years ago, Ed and I traveled to Spain with a group of 21 students from Calais High School in Calais, Maine.  Calais is a small city on the eastern border of Maine.  Although most of the students were comfortable passing through customs to go into St. Stephen, New Brunswick, many of them had never made it to New Hampshire. 

To those of you who think Ed and I are brash and pushy now, imagine how much we have probably mellowed in those 17 years!  One of my favorite memories of that trip was from Malaga- a resort town in Costa del Sol.  On the tour bus our tour guide was regaling the students with tales of this beautiful hotel where we would have the honor to stay.  She made sure that we understood that it was a four-star hotel and that we should act with utmost respect.  Soon thereafter we walked into the lobby of a once-beautiful but quite run-down establishment.  While the students were oohing and aahing with a fervor that would have made Franco proud, Ed plants his feet in the middle of the lobby and questions with a loud voice, "Was that four stars out of one hundred?"

Alas, I digress.

The point of my story was that it drove Ed and I crazy that the whole country shut down for a couple of hours each afternoon.  Sure it was hot, but we had paid good money to see Spain and were not happy about our sightseeing efforts being thwarted.  Methinks we may  be a little too Type A.  It amazes me every day how well we get along. . .

But now, in my middle-aged years I am beginning to understand the value of having the noonday meal be the big meal of the day and then taking a nap afterward.  I am way more productive with the rest of my hours and I only need 5-6 hours of sleep at night.  This is especially useful on days when I know that the Lehi City Council meeting will easily go from 5:30pm to midnight.

Hey!  Maybe we need a "siesta ordinance."  Long live the siesta.

A Day at the State Fair

TCS_PenAndInk_Brush2 (Scrap Girls) All papers and embellishments from Shabby Princess' Festival and Olivia Collections

Well, we've lived in Utah for 14 years and have never gone to the Utah State Fair- until today! We went early and avoided most of the crowds. We were able to see parts of the hog show and the cow (cattle, beef?) show. We looked at all the pigeons and rabbits, too! Reed would have bought one of either on the spot if we had let him! The boys went on a ride called Moby Dick three times and laughed the whole time. We ate corn dogs and funnel cakes and drank freshly made lemonade- all the things you HAVE to have at the fair!

I think I had more fun than the rest of my family because going to the fair was very nostalgic for me. I grew up going to the Skowhegan State Fair (Maine) every summer. My mom and dad always volunteered at the Centenary United Methodist Church's Diner, which supplied a chunk of the church's budget for the year. The Diner is famous for yummy homecooked meals at a reasonable price. I remember how excited I was when I was finally old enough to be a dishwasher! I was a "busboy" for a couple of years, and then I was finally old enough to be a waitress. We got to keep our tips, so it was a very big deal to be a waitress. I loved working in the diner because everyone seemed to have so much fun.

When my shift was over, I was able to wander around the fairgrounds. I liked looking at the floral displays which were in a dark, cool area under the grandstand and the baby animals at the Children's Barnyard. I remember walking through the exhibition buildings and thinking how amazing all the products were that were being sold. I probably spent some of my hard earned cash on all sorts of crazy items, but they are long forgotten.

My children (and my husband) don't share my interest in wandering slowly through all the exhibition halls, but I did get to see most of them at a brisk walk! There were some interesting floral arrangements, but it was a paltry display compared to those I spent hours enjoying in my youth. I didn't see any tractor pulls going on and I don't think they do horse races here in Utah, but I had a good time anyway. I may have just realized today that I grew up in a very rural area where the fair was a major part of life. I'm glad I could share a little piece of my childhood with my boys today.