Every year, I tell myself that THIS summer will be different. Um, yeah, I need to just shut up and enjoy the insanity because that's what it is! LOL!
Over Memorial Day, we went camping with our friends from church. We went to Palisade State Park, near Manti, UT. It was a lot of fun, but it was COLD. I was very grateful for the heater in the trailer because it dropped into the 40s at night. The days were pleasant enough, though, and the water was nice. The kids waded and played in paddle boats, canoes, and a lake kayak. It was a really laid-back trip, with no "must do" hikes or things to see, just books to be read, fish to be caught, and gossip to be had. LOL! Tristan caught a 12" rainbow trout. The irony there is that he doesn't like to eat fish. So he gave it to another of the boys who enjoyed it for dinner.
The last week of school followed, with kudos all around for the kids and their teachers. Shannon and Alana both won several awards, and I'm very proud. Shannon read more minutes over the course of the year than most of her class combined! So she won a $50 gift certificate for a college savings plan. Tristan did well, too, but they don't give as many awards at the junior high.
We also had the 6th grade party at a local park with bouncy blow up things (a bungee run and a water slide), plus grilled hot dogs and fixin's for lunch. That was a lot of fun and I'm so glad I was able to help out with it.
The week before, we'd had field day, with slip 'n slides and other fun outdoor games. The fire department came and doused the kids from the ladder truck, and I was in charge of popsicles for the entire school--500 to be exact! The local grocery store just happened to have them on sale that week, so we got all 500 for less than $35! SCORE!
The last day of school was awards and 6th grade graduation. Shannon is no longer an elementary student. It's bittersweet, that's for sure, watching her grow up.
So, let's see, then we went to the Outlaws for the weekend. You know how much I enjoyed that! But, we stayed in a hotel because MIL had been all worried about getting the house ready for our visit. We "did her a favor" and let her "relax and enjoy our visit" by staying in a hotel. She, in turn, wanted us to "share our opinion" about whether or not they need weekly help to come in and clean for them. I've actually been saying that for a while now, but, being an outlaw, my opinion really doesn't matter. FIL doesn't want to spend the money. My opinion, which I'm sure you're DYING to hear:
1. Yes, they need the help, though I think MIL would be rude, annoying, and probably racist, thus chasing away the people hired to help.
2. The house is getting to be too much for them. MIL is 83; FIL is 79. MIL is not in the best of health and she's not very mobile. Plus, she's losing her eyesight. I'm not sure FIL even sees the dirt anymore. I really think they need to downsize to something that's smaller and all on one level.
3. The biggest problem, though, is the overwhelming amount of STUFF! I've mentioned this about a zillion times before and it's still true. They need to get rid of about 75% of their junk.
A few anecdotes for your reading pleasure....
They cannot seem to comprehend even the basics of gluten-free eating. FIL suggested a sandwich shop and a pancake house for lunch. Um, HELLO?! I know some of the intricacies can be challenging, but how hard is it to understand that Shannon cannot eat wheat?! No bread; no pancakes. DUH!
At one point, MIL was sorting through a crate of papers on the desk. There was an old yellowing coloring book, but it had never been used, so she couldn't get rid of it. There was an old birthday card, signed by "Bill." No idea which of the 10 residents of the house it was for, and MIL couldn't remember anyone named Bill. So, I said, "If you don't know who it's to, and you don't know who it's from, then it's time to get rid of it." Oh, no! See, you can use the covers for projects! Um, with your failing eyesight? Really?! *sigh*
And the final thing, lunch on Sunday. MIL had been gunning for us to take her out all weekend. I told her that we generally don't go out much because it's hard to find restaurants with options for Shannon. She said she'd pay for it. Okay, um, how nice, but money is definitely NOT the problem. So round and round we went trying to choose a restaurant. How about Olive Garden? They don't have much for Shannon. Well, she can have salad. Gee, thanks. Chinese is out because most soy sauce is fermented with wheat. But can't she eat it if it's cooked? *snerk* MIL and FIL don't like Mexican much, so that was out too.....besides, MIL makes racist comments in Mexican restaurants. I mean, the nerve of Hispanics working there!
We finally settled on Johnny Carino's. Yes, it's Italian, but they have an entire page of gluten-free options. They GET IT! This is COOL! MIL had to comment on how expensive it might be, blah, blah, blah, and this is when FIL suggested that Subway might be a better choice. Um, NO! So we order and all is going well. Our waitress was on the ball with Shannon's needs, and generally lunch was pleasant. We paid for it, since there are 5 of us and 2 of them, and they split an entree while we ordered an appetizer. It just seemed like the thing to do. So, FIL "generously" offered to get the tip. Are ya ready for this?
The bill was $85 (not bad for 7 people at a fairly decent sit down restaurant).
FIL left......$7.00
Yes, a $7 tip on an $85 ticket.
And, yes, we added to it.
Really, because of the hotel, I didn't have to spend too much time with MIL. She rambled on here and there about stuff I don't care about, like reality TV shows and other random crap, but she wasn't horrible this tim earound. I'm really, really, REALLY hoping we've set a precedent with the hotel thing and we can do that every time we go up there. I'm also hoping we pick weekends that are NOT baseball tourney weekends, so the hotel is cheaper. LOL!
Then, we were home for 3 days, and the kids and I were off on another adventure! The Junior High Youth Group does a mission project up Pinecliff (our local church camp). I went so I could help Shannon with her food needs, and that meant that Alana had to come too, and we took Max, just for the fun of it! The mission project is basically cleaning up the camp to help get it ready for other camps throughout the summer. We cut down brush, dug boulders out of the parking lot (making it easier to mow), used said boulders to line the driveway and parking lot, picked up pine cones, and did some painting. That was Wednesday through Friday afternoon.
On Friday afternoon, more junior high kids arrived from around the state to participate in the junior high retreat weekend. Bruce drove up on Friday and took Alana and Max home. I was in a cabin with 6 girls, including Shannon.
I really don't think I'm cut out for the camp counselor thing. I don't think I'm very good at it, and much like last year, I don't feel like our cabin bonded very well. Time will tell, I suppose. The girls were sweet and fun, and maybe it's just that the three that I didn't know were introverts. *shrug* I keep finding myself in that position, and I probably will for awhile. I'm not comfortable sending Shannon up there by herself just yet as she struggles with being assertive about her food needs. For instance, she doesn't want to go first, even when told it's okay, because that's "butting" and that's bad. Sometimes, though, to avoid cross contamination, she NEEDS to get her food before everyone else!
The weather was absolutely frightful for the weekend, alternating between pouring rain, drizzling, and wicked winds. At 3:15 am on Saturday, our cabin door blew open and it would NOT stay closed. I finally put my luggage in front of it, but even then, it popped open a few more times. Several of the girls were up before 5:00, unable to sleep. We made the most of it, and we were extremely grateful for the space heaters!
So now I'm home, feeling like a tornado has gone through my house and we've got a busy week this week too. We're not traveling again until the weekend of the 10th, but then we've got another pair of back to back adventures.
This week, we have Shannon's birthday party on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, a coworker of Bruce's is coming for dinner. His daughter is a bit younger than Shannon and is also diabetic, so we're getting the girls together and sending them away to camp together in August. I'm looking forward to all of it, but my house needs HELP!!! LOL!
First, the photo and a little context. This is a picture of a smelter and its smoke stacks that used to stand in Murray, UT. The smelter was torn down years and years ago, leaving only the stacks. It took at least a year of wrangling for the city to be able to take the stacks down. They were crumbling and full of pollutants that needed to be managed, but there was opposition, too, from people who saw them as a symbol of Murray, a part of history that needed to be preserved, etc. They eventually came down, and now there's a TRAX station (commuter train) and a state-of-the-art hospital in the area where the smelter used to be. 