Monday, July 20, 2010 HOMEWARD BOUND

6 a.m. up and at 'em. I get ready for the plane trip and try not to wake the whole household. 14 year old is going to drive Skinny Sister and me to the airport.

Eat a quick breakfast and off we go. We get to the airport and get my bag checked and ticket in hand. We talk a little just before I have to get in line for the security. HUGS and more HUGS!! I will miss everyone here in Idaho but I am soooooooooooooooooooo glad to be headed HOME.

The plane trips are pretty uneventful. There are stories but I am too tired for the telling of them. The gist of it is that I make it back home. I sleep most of the way home. My body and mind are EXHAUSTED!

I get off the plane in San Diego, call my shuttle, and get my car! Driving home. Pass the temple. Should have planned a stopover there. NEXT time.

I am starving so I stop to get a bite to eat. I head on home and my sweetheart and I are VERY glad to see each other. I suggest that I might need to take tomorrow off from work. He agrees. I call work and make the arrangement.

I fall asleep at 9 p.m. and sleep hard and sound. No movement from me for at least 5 or 6 hours. I am a log!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wake up on Tuesday morning and watch my sweetheart leave for work. I take it easy today being quiet and restful. I unpack and just watch some television and rest rest rest.

I AM HOME! "There's no place like home" Dorothy has it right!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Sunday morning! Church starts at 9 a.m. in this ward. We get to church a little early and it is nice to sit quietly listening to the prelude music. I get a chance to read some of my Relief Society manual. It is very nice. The speakers are the temple president and his wife from the Idaho Falls Temple. That is where my family was sealed and it was very special. The Young Women (including my 17 year old niece) sing a beautiful song on virtue. It makes me cry. It was a very special moment. 2 of my nephews help with the priesthood duties. It makes an aunt very proud to see this. I go to Primary with Skinny Sister. I love music time and then my 5 year old niece gives a talk in primary. A great day to attend this ward! Skinny Sister gives a great lesson and handles the children in her class wonderfully.

After church we head home and have a lunch and then we make some brownies and cookies and take some over to Little Sister. We get there just before they get home from church. We help make her and the kids some lunch as she is not feeling well today. We stay and chat for over 3 hours and then head back to Skinny Sister's house. Little Sister and family will be coming over for a family dinner :-)

We have the family dinner and it goes really well. It was so comfortable to have the women folk cutting fruits and preparing everything. It was fun!

The tarantula is molting and creates the excitement for the afternoon. We watch it and when it is all over, 14 year old brings down the molted exoskeleton for us to touch and see and gross out and be fascinated over. I am glad I get to touch this as I am not brave enough to hold the real thing. It is very soft.

Little Sister and family pack it up and head for home. Hugs are served all around.

I call my sweetheart and we are both excited that I will be homeward bound tomorrow morning.

I pack my suitcase and get all things ready for my early morning rising.

We have family prayer and the children go off to bed.

We watch a movie and then it is lights out for us as well.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

"That's all I got to say about that"

Friday, July 16, 2010

Some of the planned activities were rearranged for today but it ended up being a good thing.

Skinny Sister, her husband, and 7 of the 8 children went to a ward pioneer primary campout overnight. My oldest niece and I stayed behind. We wanted to spend some one on one time together and go see "a movie". I start a load of laundry.

My oldest niece and I drove over and spent the morning and early afternoon hours at Little Sister's house with her kids, playing, singing and reading books. Little Sister was shopping and when she got home we got to talk with her for a bit.

I had some personal errands to run and so mid-afternoon my niece drove me to town so I could go to the credit union and deseret book.

Then at 4 p.m. she and I went to see Eclipse. WOW!!! The movie was awesome and they did a fantastic job with it. It was great to get to see this with my niece. She is really into the twilight series of books too and so it was a lot of fun. We splurged and got soda and candy too!

After the movie we went back to the house and made some sandwiches for dinner. We just hung out. We finish the laundry and do a cursery cleaning in the house.

I called my sweetheart for a little while.

Then we slept in Skinny Sister's bed (with permission). We watched the movie Johnny Lingo (new edition). It was great! I had not seen this version before. Then it was 11:15 p.m. That is about all of the slumber party action these old bones could handle.

Nighty Night zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thursday, July 15, 2010

We go down and eat breakfast in the hotel. Again, very very YUMMY!!!

Pack up the van and we are on our way back HOME......

The trip was long and you could tell we were all ready to be back in a more normal atmosphere. Everyone was good just a little bit grumpy. We made the usual potty stops and this time we stopped in Riggins for a lunch break. We parked in the LDS church parking lot and used the picnic benches there. We saw a deer up on the hillside.

After lunch we went to a gas station. Before we left Elk City, Skinny Sister and I had talked about checking the radiator fluid but we both forgot. The needle was still on cool so we didn't worry about it. In Riggins, Skinny Sister decided to check the fluid. BONE DRY!!!!! So she bought some fluid we put it in the van. Then we said a prayer of THANK YOU to our HEAVENLY FATHER for watching out for us and keeping us safe. It is only by DIVINE help that we went down the major pass and did not have an overheated van!!!

Back on the road. We stop in a place that sells rocks, geodes, gems, etc. This is a little shop inside of a little old lady's home. She has the store section and the rest is her home. No Bathroom Facilities for people buying stuff. I totally can understand this. HOWEVER, one of the little ones had to go potty really bad. Skinny Sister took her outside and I didn't think much of it. Then all of a sudden, I am in really bad shape. GOTTA GO NOW!!! RIGHT NOW!!! Skinny Sister drove me and we hauled it 1/2 mile back the way we came. I barely made it. Skinny Sister was a gem for doing that for me. She also threw away the results of the little one having to go outside. Apparently it was number 2 and not just number 1. ooh yuck! So all of the gastro intestinal items taken care of we go back to the rock place. We all get a few items.

Back on the road.

About 1/2 to 1 hour from home. One of the medium boys has to go #1. We finally just move EVERYTHING especially pillows out of the way and he gets to GO in a Gatorade bottle. Kind of funny!!! Everything worked out okay.

HOME!!!! If we were on a ship or airplane I would get down and kiss the ground!!! We make dinner. I think this was the night that skinny sister makes steak and she and I get some stuffed mushrooms to go with it. YUMMY!

I call my sweetheart and let him know that we are back. It is a short call. We are all very tired and just want a chance to relax for a while.

We all settle the little ones to bed and us older folks start to watch a movie.

Little Sister calls. She is grumpy because we didn't call. All I can say is I am so sorry. We are exhausted and we really didn't think about it. Didn't mean to hurt any feelings. HONEST!

After the movie we all go to bed. I am grateful for the air mattress. It is comfortable and soothes my aching back and sciatic nerve. They are both YELLING at me pretty loudly by this time. The mattress conforms to my body like a hammock. VERY NICE!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

When we get up in the morning, we all get ready to go and then head down to the free breakfast offered by the hotel. It is quite yummy! Waffles, muffins, bagels, fresh fruit, juices, cereal, milk. Seems like endless choices. We get all of the children fed and then eat some waffles. During this time, the front desk lady comes to make sure we have enough of everything. We do and she calls Skinny Sister a saint. I agree. She is a great mom and has everything down to a science. The kidlets are great kids too so it works all the way around.

We head back up to the room for potty breaks and to grab what we will need for the picnic in the park.

We go and pick up grandma and go to the park for the morning. We sit and talk for a while and skinny sister and I take turns either taking children to the potty or pushing people on the swing for a while.

We enjoy grandma's stories. We all enjoy some sandwiches and chips. The little ones try to share their fruit snacks with Great Grandma. Grandma feels the snack and remarks that they feel like rubber. Quite a similarity actually when you think about it. I thought it was funny. There are a few funny moments in the park about bees. 14 year old catches a butterfly in flight! He doesn't even squeeze it or ruin it's wings. The little ones love it and then we let it fly away.

We drive grandma back to her home for a rest.

When we get back to the hotel, it is FINALLY time for SWIMMING!!! The kids have been so patient.

After we don swimming suits and lather up in sun screen, off we go to the pool. Skinny Sister and I don't really want to get all the way in. We are OLD, the water is COLD!! It is probably 100 degrees outside but we thought it would be a heated pool. She says she will go in if I do. OH how I love dares. So in I go and then as she waffles, one of the boys just pushes her in. Probably not the best approach but now we are both in and wet and acclimating.

I am not sure how long we stayed out but it was a FUN FUN FUN afternoon. We are all pruning up. Baby Bug is slurping water out of the pool. UGH!!! Oh well. Then she starts dipping her towel in and sucking the water from the towel. Icky! We decide that the next time she says she has to go potty, we better listen :-) Lots of fun is had by all!!

We go in and heat up some corn dogs for dinner. We play some card games and just try to relax for a few moments. We start a load of laundry in the hotel laundromat.

After the children are settled, skinny sister and I head back over to spend a few hours with grandma. We made some copies of stuff for her and look at some old things of hers. We get to see hers and grandpa's enlistment and discharge papers from the military, their Paris wedding documents. Apparently they were married in French and again in English. There is an old will and some other interesting papers. It was fun! We got to see some foreign coins and her wedding ring from Grandpa. She found some other documents that she needed copied so we took off and got her copies and ourselves some copies of some items and then went back to her room in the home. We spent a few more minutes with her and then hugged, kisses, and promises to lose weight. We are saying good bye and it is time to go.

On the way back to the hotel, we stop and get the kids some icecream cones for being so good today. We also get some treats for the trip back home tomorrow. We put some more quarters in for the laundry to dry.

The kidlets LOVE the icecream. I call my sweetheart. Skinny Sister and I go down to get the laundry. We fold it and put it in the appropriate suit cases.

We say good night. We all fall into bed and try to get some rest before our return trip home tomorrow. Quite a whirlwind trip so far. We have tried to have fun and fill every moment with meaning. I am exhausted but happy!!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Part II

The trip to Lewiston is about 2 to 3 hours. The kids are getting a bit restless. We left quite a bit later than we had hoped from mom and dad's so the promised swimming in the pool will not happen tonight :-(

I don't even remember the time we got to Lewiston. We stop at a McDonalds to grab some dinner for everyone. This is quite a treat for all of us. We checked into the hotel and got everyone settled.

I call my sweetheart and fill him in on the adventure.

Then Skinny Sister and I took a trip to see Grandma and say a brief hello.

It was good to see her. She is just as I remembered as a child. Full of vim and vigor. For a 90 year old she is in good health and her mind is more remarkable than mine at 43.

We make plans to visit her tomorrow and take her to the park and then we bid her a good evening and we all hope for a good night's rest.

Back to the hotel room where we get everyone settled and we all get some much needed and deserved sleep.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Part I

Sometime during this part of the adventure we take mountain mama's trash to the "dump". The dump is really just 5 or 6 big huge garbage dumpsters. We also get to do this with mom as well. It is a different way of doing things and in actuality, I think it is very efficient.

We have eggs sausage and muffins for breakfast. Dad takes the 14 year old nephew off to do some river/salmon fishing. We are going to take a trip up to see mountain mama and then take the little ones to a planted pond for some "fishing".

We have a blast in the back of the truck making up songs and being silly. We stop off and get the youngest child of mountain mama to come with us for some fishing fun! When we get to the pond, the children have a blast catching fish. The 12 year old nephew makes the first and last catch of the day while we are there. The little ones are so excited but when the 5 year old catches a fish and it comes out of the water, she drops the pole and runs away screaming. It was too funny!!!! We take lots of pictures. We are all there for about an hour. It was fun!

I let Skinny Sister take the back of the truck with the kiddos on the journey back and I take her seat in the cab with mom. My rear end is not young anymore!

We stop at a running creek along the way and clean the fish. I slice and pull out the entrails, skinny sister finishes the job and rinses the fish in the creek water. I don't realize until it is too late that I have fish stuff all over my shirt and tennis shoes. Guess this shirt is a yardening shirt now. That is fine because every time I wear it, it will remind me of our trip.

We talk all the way back to the house. It is a bit of a drive but it is beautiful scenery and I love it. We hang around and wait for the guys to get back. They have caught a trout and they did catch a salmon but it was not a keeper due to regulations so they had to throw it back. BUMMER!!!!

At least everyone had a great time. 14 year old even got to drive the stick truck with his grandpa.

Skinny Sister fries up the fish for us (Thank you by the way). They are perfectly done. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YUMMMY!

Dad takes me out to the smoker and I taste some of his smoked fish. He sends us some to take on the trip as well. I ask for the family secret recipe but the stinker said I have to have a smoker and some salmon to smoke before he will give it to me. We will see. I actually have plans to get a smoker so it may not be as long as he thinks :-)

Around 4 in the afternoon we load the van, say our good byes. Hugs, kisses, hugs all the way around.

Back on the road to see Great Grandma for the kids, Grandma for skinny sister and me.

Monday, July 12, 2010 Part II

After dinner, dad wants to take me to the lakes on his land. I am up for that and since I am a bit clumsy, mountain mama offers to take me down on her 4 wheeler. Dad one ups her with the idea that I get to take one of the 4 wheelers.

In one split second my mind goes from flabergastered, to mortified, to hey I have never done that and I should. So we find me a helmet, I get a 2 minutes beginners course training and off we go.

I am following moutain mama and she is stopping every now and then to give me more pointers. We follow some mountain roads and get to the lakes. The lakes are beautiful and it is fun to see my dad so excited about his land. We take some pictures. My camera dies but at least I have a picture of my dad and me together at the lake.

So off we go on the 4 wheelers. I did not see the big R for reverse and I thought I could only go forward. That was quite funny and then I am much relieved to realize there is a reverse on this thing. Dad suggests a couple of trails and when we get to a certain point there is really no more trail so we need to do a three point turn to get pointed in the right direction to go back down the hill. Good thing there is reverse hee hee hee.

We get down on the main "drag" where I can relax a bit and let her roar. I pass mountain mama and have a blast.

She then takes me up a different road. She stops and points. I look and there are a couple of Elk in a small glen. We go a little further up the path and I am so sad that my camera died. A whole herd of Elk. Daddies, Mommies, and babies all covering a hilltop. They are magnificent and awe inspiring. Later when I see a deer, it just doesn't have the same feeling to it as the herd of elk. Poor deer (get it poor dear/deer) Oh well, on with the story.

So we go back to mom and dad's. I turn over the parking of the 4 wheeler to dad. It was a great time and a lot of fun.

Mountain Mama, me and Skinny Sister hop in the truck hoping that Skinny Sister will get to see the elk. They are not there anymore and it is frustrating. Skinny Sister said that happened the last time she visitied too.

Sometime during the day, Mountain Mama, me and Skinny Sister drove over to mountain mama's new home that is in the works to be theirs soon. She gave us a tour. The home is magnificent inside and outside. The view from all angles is absolutely breathtaking. There is also a room with shelves that will be absolutely perfect for food storage. I have to admit that I was a bit envious about that room.

When we are all back at mom and dad's for the night, we all sit and chat for a while and then it is ready and off to bed. Liz and I are lucky and get to share a real bed with one child each. The other children have to opt for the floor or couch.

Snooze time. We have all had quite the day.

Monday, July 12, 2010 Part I

Let the road trip begin..............................

Skinny Sister and I and the 7 children that will be going on the road trip get up. We have a good breakfast of eggs, bacon, and muffins. YUMMY!

We pack the van and skinny sister has this mastered beautifully. There is food aplenty, clothing and all of the fun essentials. We are running a little bit behing our self imposed schedule but it is all going to be fine. The nephew with his learners permit starts out behind the wheel. I should revise and say the jokester nephew with his learners permit. We are only about a block from the house when jokester says he forgot his contacts. I am thinking great, we are very close to home. At least we are not half way there. But skinny sister knows him well. She verifies that it is a joke and we are still on our way. No return for forgotten items. WHEW!!!

I enjoy this scenery. It has been a while since I have seen fields of green and gold. Vegetables, corn, sugar beets, beans, wheat. Very nice! We get going and I think nephew is doing great but the kids are watching a movie that I think he wants to see. My turn behind the wheel. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!

Okay for folks that don't know me, I drive the speed limit. I have discovered that this obedience to the LAW is very perterbing to people that ride with me. Both in CA and now in ID. Skinny Sister threatens me on several occasions that if I don't at least drive the speed limit, I will be banned from driving. So on one of the first opportunities (rest stop) she takes over behind the wheel. I think it is VERY FUNNY!!! (side note: I have a friend in CA that won't go out to lunch or anything if I am driving. She thinks I drive like a granny :-))

We stop in a little town I can't remember the name for a potty break. There is a small playground. We stay for about 15 mins. Then back on the road. Later we stop in Grangeville and have lunch, potty breaks and playground time for about 1/2 hour. Then back on the road.

The mountain and river scenery is a treat and I am enjoying in immensely. The kids are doing great. As expected there are a few irritating moments between them but it is a long road trip in a very confined space. They are doing awesome!

We arrive in Elk City in the early afternoon. Dad is out on a mail run. So Mom suggests that we take the kids to the "park". The "park" is a veteran's memorial and there is a stream that we can all play in. We have a lot of fun getting wet and cooled off. The kids enjoy letting out some energy. I find a periwinkle in the stream. I take a picture of it and when it starts coming out of its shell I scream. They really are UGLY critters. So my sweet Elk City nephew holds it for me to take a picture of the periwinkle coming out of it's shell. He throws it back into the river for me. We find an empty shell and I keep it as a souvenier. Back into the stream to try to catch some minnows. One of my sweet nephews catches a minnow in a plastic container. I take some pictures and we let him go back to his home in the stream.

Unfortunately, one of my sweet nieces stepped on a piece of glass or a sharp rock or something. The cut on her foot is pretty deep. She is sad and in pain. I wish there was something to do for her. Luckily for us, my brother in law in Elk City is an EMT. We take her to him. He sterilizes it and puts a butterfly bandage on it. Then my sister has some pet bandage to wrap it all up. It is good for now with some aspirin for the pain.

We all pile in the back of mom's truck and go up the main road to see Mountain Mama (Twin Sister of Skinny Sister). It was great to see where she works. Beautiful vistas everywhere.

Back in the truck and we make it back to mom and dad's home to see dad and start getting ready for dinner. Dinner is at the fire pit out back. It is a beautiful fire pit with stones around it. The only concern for me is all of the little ones. I really get nervous with little ones around fire pits. Always have and probably always will. We roast hotdogs, hamburgers, and turkey burgers. Skinny Sister made a pasta salad that we brought with us to share. There are chips and soda. I mention that it would be great if we had some marshmallows.

One of my wonderful nephews surprised us by going to the store and getting all of the fixings for SMORES!!!! How wonderful was that?!!! YUMMY YUMMY. A true roasting feast!

Taking Dinner In-An Adventure

We have a sister in our ward that is very sick with bronchitis. I received the opportunity to take a meal in to her. I called her and she could hardly talk for coughing. I decided chicken noodle soup and some rolls. So in the morning I took some rolls out of the freezer to defrost. At lunch I went to the grocery store and bought some chunky chicken noodle soup and a container that doesn't need to be returned. When I got home from work, I heated the soup, grabbed the rolls and a few homemade cookies. I had been given the apartment number 101 by the sister that asked me to take the dinner. I had called the sister and told her I was on my way. She told me her door was unlocked and to come on in. I finally found apartment 101 and started to walk in. A barking dog met me at the door. Then a man and his wife jumped up from the sofa. I thought "I am so glad her children have come to help her". The man did not look like he was expecting anyone and the woman looked a little frightened. I asked them if the sister lived there. They said no. I was so embarrassed. I told them I had been given the wrong apartment number to take a dinner to someone who is sick. HOW EMBARRASSING. They were so nice, they said not to worry about it. I traipsed back to my car. Called the sister and found out that she is in apartment number 104!!!!!! I then found my way back to number 104, found the sister and gave her the dinner. She was very excited about the cookies. It made her smile. I sat and visited for about 15 minutes. It was enjoyable, I know she appreciated it and I gave another family something to talk about for years to come.

ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE!!!!!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The girls and I wake up and the boys are already awake. We "quietly" make the beds and go downstairs. Little sister is in bed with a bad headache. We all grab a bowl of cereal, eat, and start getting ready for church.

Luckily church begins at 11 a.m. in their ward. Little sister gets up, gets ready for church, finishes getting the children ready and we are off. I hope little sister is feeling better. She seems okay so that is good.

It is always a treat to attend the ward with my sister and her children.

After church it is back home. The van is parked in the garage. There is only one way around the van from my side. Walk to the back and around. When I get to the end of the van, there is a spider hanging from the garage door right in my face. I actually got quite scared of the stupid spider. This is not normal for me but I think I have a greater fear of these creatures after the swelling in my leg that lasted for over a week. I do not know what bit me but my guess is it was a spider. So I freak out until Little Sister gets a broom to get the spider down and steps on it. Spider adventure to the fullest and I am saved. Yea! No more spider. We all make it into the house alive and unbitten.

We have lunch and play a board game and read some books and talk. Later in the afternoon, I am painting the girls' toe and finger nails and putting stickers on them. It was so much fun!

We make a birthday card for my mother's birthday. We will have all of her girls sign it as a special birthday present. It has been a long time since she received a card with all of her girls' signatures.

I leave a special card and bookmark on my sister's bed. One of the girls will have a birthday while I am out of town and I want her to have this special gift on her special day!

The afternoon delight is broken when we hear the dad of the house come home. I can tell he is mad and the baby is crying. Apparently the 2 year old walked outside with a sibling and burned his feet on the hot sidewalk. They were waiting for dad to come in the house. I wish I had noticed the little one go outside to have prevented the pain. Dad soaks his feet in cold water and then mom cuddles and soothes. I am glad his little feet are going to be okay.

A little more talking and then my 17 year old niece picks me up for the next leg of the journey.

I go to skinny sister's home for dinner. Jenn is there. It is nice to meet her. We have only ever met on the phone, emailing, and blogging. After dinner, we play some games.

I call my sweetheart to let him know he is always forefront in my mind.

Time for bed. I have an air mattress in the room with the 3 and 5 year old. We get along really well and although I don't know what that says for my mental status. It is quite a treat. They make me feel young and youthful! The air mattress looks very inviting. It is a twin size and is one that is about 2 feet tall. I will have to give a report tomorrow. For now it is time for ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Families, Husband, Friend, ETERNAL COMPANION

"From the beginning Relief Society has had a charge to strengthen families and homes. The Prophet Joseph taught sisters at an early Relief Society meeting, “When you go home, never give a cross or unkind word to your husbands, but let kindness, charity and love crown your works henceforward.”
In 1914 President Joseph F. Smith told Relief Society sisters, “Wherever there is ignorance or at least a lack of understanding in regard to the family, … there this organization exists or is near at hand, and by the natural endowments and inspiration that belongs to the organization they are prepared and ready to impart instruction with reference to those important duties.”"

I loved the Visiting Teaching lesson in July. It gave me a lot to ponder regarding my duties as a wife and mother. I am grateful for the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. They help me be a better person and make the home a sacred and special place to be. I am grateful that I have a husband that guides and directs me and keeps me grounded and my life balanced (when I listen to him and act on his council). I would do anything for him as I know he will do anything for me.

It is wonderful when the man you married is the one person on earth you want to spend every single moment with. He is my BEST friend............

In a Sunday school lesson we were asked to list the attributes of a friend. I immediately thought of my sweetheart and listed the things I love best about him. The one that touched the woman sitting next to me was "when we are sitting together and it is silent and no words are spoken, I can feel the love between us and nothing really needs to be said." Something to that effect anyway.

He lets me be me and I let him be him and it is a wonderful mixture that we are hoping to blend into ETERNITY!

Saturday July 10, 2010 continued

Hugs all around when I get to the car. Little sis had been driving in circles around the airport to get us. The little one does not recognize me. Sad but okay. I will have lots of time to get reacquainted with him. First order of business. STARVING.... Off we go to Sonic. It was on my to do list in Boise. A junior cheeseburger, onion rings, tater tots and a couple of fruit smoothies are ordered. There is much discussion (as we wait for food) about the people on roller skates zooming in and out delivering food. I am much amazed and in awe at their abilities. Yummy food arrives and we share it as we drive to skinny sister's home to see her children. BRAIN FREEZE!!! the fruit smoothies are sooooooooooooooooo cold. I haven't had a brain freeze since I was a kid. Tip that skinny sis passes on and it works really well is to push your tongue on the roof of your mouth. WORKS!!!!

Arrive at skinny sister's home. Get to see everyone and hold the rat! Big step for me to hold it and let it climb all over my neck and shoulders. Rats are actually in the creepy critter for pet category for me. Then I get to hold some little kittens. Too cute!

Brief visit over and it is off to little sister's home. We arrive and all of my nieces and nephews seem very happy to see me. The evening is quite a blur of activity. Reading to little ones, playing of board games, and talking. Preparing and eating dinner.

Then the 3 sisters get together to chat. Lovely evening. Arrive back to little sister's home after 10 sometime.

Bedtime. I get the lower bunk on the girls bunkbed. Only bad sides to sleeping on a bunk bed. 1)I am way too tall and 2) every time top bunk girl moves it jiggles the lower bunk just enough for this California babe to feel like an earthquake is occurring. Sleep, not so much! Next time I will opt for the mattress on the floor.

I do think it was very sweet of the girls to be so considerate to give their Aunt Nee the bed. Their room is very cute and girlie and it was a lot of fun! Tommorrow the adventure continues.......

Idaho Trip begins, Saturday, July 10, 2010

The alarm is set for 5 a.m. I have slept little and kept one eye on it the whole night. Now I try to awaken before it goes off. I am up a few minutes before it goes off. My sweetheart turns it off while I am dressing. I get ready to go. My sweetheart carries my bags down to the car for me. Mini Moo is in wonder at her parents and why oh why are they up at 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday?!

The car is loaded, kisses, hugs, kisses, hugs. Start to the car. Run back to my Mr. Kisses and Hugs. Okay, must go now!

Breakfast in the Jack in the Box parking lot. Can't remember what I got for myself but I did get a medium drink with caffeine so I will make the trip down to the airport okay.

I get to the Laurel Travel agency to park the car. They are very helpful! A very nice staff. I park my car in spot 375. The shuttle takes me to the airport. I make a friend in line to check in my bags. Wish she is on my flight but hers is the one right before mine. Check in is a piece of cake. I go through security with no problems. I ask the security guard why he is running a red light over my driver's license. He says "security ma'am". Okey Dokey then. Someone needs a funny bone makeover :-)

Get on the plane and I have 2 whole seats to myself. I take the window seat. There is a gentleman on the aisle seat. I need an extension belt after all. Off by about 1 inch. NEXT TIME!!!! Last time I flew it was off by about 6 inches. This time the two ends can touch but not enough to get the buckle together. SHUCKS!

Fly to Vegas without a problem. Listen to my CDs and read my book. It is a great flight. My sweetheart warned me about the sharp turn into the airport so I am not nervous about the jerky movements on the plane.

VEGAS airport. Nice. Think about getting a piece of fried chicken. $8 dollars. So okay, I can nibble on the snacks in my big blue bag, thank you very much!

Call my sweetheart. Make a friend with a woman in the terminal. She was very nice. I meet some people from Hawaii. They are going to Boise for a convention. One of the men is on the main land for the first time EVER!

We get on the plane. All of the window seats are taken. First I try for the emergency exit seat and can't because of the extension belt. How EMBARRASSING!!! NEXT TIME!

I choose an aisle seat. The man from Hawaii has the window seat. I ask if I can share and he says that anyone who has family in Hawaii is welcome. He is very nice. The flight is full so a gentleman sits in the middle. It is a bit squishy. Not too bad. He is very nice and the three of us talk most of the way to Boise. There is a young man behind us and he thinks we are picking on Boise and defends it adamantly. He says "Hey, I live in Idaho". I reply that I grew up in Idaho. We talk for a while. He is nice and friendly and calms down when he finds out we are not really making fun of Idaho. How sweet to stand up for your homeland.

Arrive in Boise airport. Walk down to baggage claim and there is skinny sister waiting for a hug. We wait for and get the bags and thus the adventure begins........................................

Packing for Idaho trip-Friday, July 9, 2010

I pack for the trip. Do I need two suitcases or one. One will be easier to handle than two. This is the decision. The bag is pretty full. Will this come back to haunt me? We will have to wait and see. This is the decision. It has been made. I have a denim carry on bag. I like to call it my "Mary Poppins bag". I can fit all kinds of stuff in it. It is awesome. I have my CD's and my book. All is well! I sleep fitfully this night. I will miss my sweetheart while I am gone. That part is really sad. I will miss my Mini Moo. I know she will cry for me and look for me. That part is really sad. I will worry about them both. I will leave them in Father in Heaven's hands and they will be in my heart. All is Well!!

BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND

This last weekend was a true delight. First off, it was a 3 day weekend. Gotta love that!!! I did some crocheting while watching some of my favorite movies. Made a couple of loaves of bread in the bread maker my sweetheart got for me. We decided to get the bread maker as my bread making skills are definately not classified as a talent that I have. I did make homemade pizza dough and pizza. Delightfully Delicious. We went shopping at Walmart where I was able to get two CD's I have been waiting and saving for. Then I filled my sweetheart's cookie bucket. I made him chocolate chip with peanut M&M cookies. Then if that were not enough I got to work out in my yarden. I mowed the lawn, picked some weeds and watered. Not everything I wanted to get done got done but that is the way my weekend always goes. I spent some extra special time snuggling with my sweetheart during the fire works display on TV. I am glad we got to spend so much time together. It was a real treat!

Don't Forget to Pray