Spring break in four states

Spring break started off a day early, we had to pull the kids out of school Wednesday so we could be on time to Rapid City.  Dave had an interview for a job as the Director of Clinics for Regional Health in that area.  We also wanted to look at housing since Dave has a 1 in 2 chance of getting this job so hopefully if he gets it we don’t have to go back and forth so much and we could get an idea of what’s out there and the areas we’d like to live.  They had 24 qualified applicants, conducted reference checks and back ground checks first, got a bunch of information from the HR department, had phone interviews with 4, TOOK a leadership test, and 2 (one is Dave!) got in-person interviews.   

The day we traveled with pretty snowy and the roads slick but we made it with no road closures.  We met with a realtor right when we got there and she was very on top of it.  We looked at several houses, then we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and then looked at another for sale by owner home.  Then we checked into our hotel.  We stayed at the Rushmore, it had some fun touches.  The kids loved looking out the big windows and they kept saying that the presidents on the wall were looking at them or making up things the president’s faces were saying to them and cracked up over that.  Everyone was pretty wired from sitting and being good all day, so it was a little stressful getting the kids to be quiet in the hotel room and while.  But when they all fell asleep, ahhhhh, it was nice.  I fell asleep before a couple of the kids.  They watched the Avengers.  Dave did some more preparation for his interview that night, and then we took him bright and early to his interview. 

The interviews started at 7 a.m. and went until 6 p.m., with only two 15-minute breaks.  He started out with the CEO of all of Regional Health, met with all of the people he’d be working directly with, the providers, the nurses, all of the staff all got to interview him or have a meet and greet with him.  Dave said it went really well and he feels that everyone really liked him but it really just depends on the whole situation with his ex-CEO now.  They are going to call him, as well as other managers and doctors Dave worked with, and his old CEO who hired him.  So we know everyone is going to give great reviews, except for the one who forced him out we are unsure but are praying he gives Dave the credit he deserves.  So now we wait for around 2 weeks, they are going to tally up the scores and call these additional references.  He also got a call this last week and is going for an in-person interview in Hailey, ID next week.  So now the waiting game but it is exciting he is getting close to a few here.  It’s just such a long, comprehensive interview process at this level. But the light at the end of the tunnel is near!  It would be funny if he got this Rapid City job; a couple of years ago when we enjovisited Dave said we should move to Spearfish, SD next.  And he’s talked about it several times since.  Well, Rapid City is pretty close, and we could go visit Spearfish, but it’s just a little too long of a commute.  But that would be funny if his vision came true. 

While Dave was off at his interview, the kids and I kept busy.  Cov kept going to the window and calling out “Dada!  Hi Dada!”  (He’s recently started calling him Dada instead of Daddy like he used to, he he!)  Lucy was getting dressed and missed Daddy and used her shirt to give Daddy a “hug”.  We started off having breakfast at the hotel.  The kids loved the omelets, and doing cheers with their fancy glasses.   They had pretty good manners, but when I left for a minute to help one of the other kids get some juice, I came back to Cov smearing his yogurt fingers all over the booth seat.  Kids, oh sometimes it’s exhausting teaching them manners and what is and isn’t appropriate.  But hopefully it will be pay off, and it has a little because quite a bit people comment how well behaved our kids are.  Sometimes.  ;)  We drove out to the mall and saw a bunch of animals at the pet store, hit up Claires and a few other shops Emma was interested in, played on the vending toys, played in the indoor playground, and then got a gumball at the end.  We also saw the Easter Bunny, who the kids all called Creepy and they refused to get near it.  Then we went to lunch at good ol’ McDonald’s.  Though I have to say, this play place was one of the best I’ve seen, it was set up like an obstacle course and so fun for the kids, they stayed forever and played away!  Even Emma, who is growing out of things like this, really enjoyed it.  We went to the Journey museum after lunch, and it was a great museum for kids!  There were tons of interactive and hands-on activities.  They enjoyed the dinosaur and paleontologist section the best, I’d say.  They all loved the large microscope they had there as well and wanted to look at each sample slide.  Cal and Cov were excited about the giant dinosaurs, but it scared the girls and was too loud, they said.  By the end, we were dressing up in old pioneer get ups when the kids started getting a little cranky.  Nap time!  We went to the car and just read some books for little while Cov had a power nap.  Then we went to a park, and played at the 2 playgrounds, and walked around the river and little dam there.  It was pretty and the kids wore themselves out.  Success!  Cal got a hurt leg but was hoping it was broken so he could go to the hospital and see Daddy, lol!  The kids all missed Dave and I did too, of course. There is a lot to do in and around Rapid City, so that’s nice.  We picked up Dad and went to Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner.  Yay for steak.  I saw a sign that day that made me giggle in light of all of the Presidential election hulabaloo going on right now.  It was a pizza restaurant and it said “Pizza for president.”  Yeah, this is the first election I’d rather vote for a non-living thing over what our choices for president are currently.  Anyways, we had dinner and talked about the day’s events.  Dave was exhausted, it was a draining day, but a good day.  We went back to the hotel and crashed that night, everyone went to bed rather early.  

Friday, we ate breakfast together, and then met up with our realtor again.  We saw some homes we really liked, but the housing market is so hot right there houses are going under contract in a couple of days after being listed.  So some we didn’t even get to see yet.  We saw a few we really like.  At this point, it’s deciding if we want to buy a new construction home and finish off the basement, want a better school, or want more land.  So we will see if any of the homes we looked at are still available if we get a job offer.  We went to lunch when we were done.  Then we drove out to Wall and visited Wall Drug.  The kids got a kick out of all of the statues and photo-ops.  It was starting to snow again while we were out there.  We checked out all of their shops of western wear and trinkets, saw some of the animatronic singing, talking and moving people, got to pick out a treat in the sweet shop.  Dave and I chose donuts (which were delicious) and the kids picked suckers.  We drove to the Badlands after that.  It was lightly snowing, so we didn’t get out just drove through but it was beautiful!  The kids liked it and thought some of the rock formations looked like rainbows.  They also liked the mountain goats we saw grazing.  The roads were very curvy and Dave kept teasing the kids we should drive off, but Cov kept getting worried and saying “Don’t drive down there, Dada!” and finally he said “Daddy, I love you but don’t drive down there please!”  Ha ha, we all busted up!  We drove back and went to Marco’s pizza for dinner.  While we were waiting, the kids played on the arcade games (not that we actually ever put money in there) and we did play foosball.  We had pizza and tried to pry the kids off the games.  Then we went to the hotel and went swimming, which is always a highlight for our littles.  Bedtime after that.

Saturday, we drove to Mt. Rushmore and saw that.  We decided not to actually go into the park because we have before and we were short on time.  But we saw it and got some pictures.  Then we drove to Hot Springs and went to the Mammoth Site.  It was quite the story and sight!  The kids all learned a little something and liked touring the excavation site, seeing the lab, touching the replicas, digging, and making rubbings of prehistoric animals.  We drove around Hot Springs and grabbed some lunch, then drove home.  We made it home without too much excitement  and the kids did great in the car.  It was a great time and we hope and pray everything works out and we end up where we are supposed to be!

Spring? Break

Sunday we came home and enjoyed a wonderful Easter morning and church service.  Then we were off right after church again to head to Utah!  See Easter entry for more on that.  

Monday, we were able to sleep in and enjoy the morning.  It's been a much needed, restful break!  We met up with Mark, Mayela & Amber at the arcade.  The kids all had so much fun together!  Then we went to lunch at Chile Amor with them, it was amazingly delicious!  Sue also came with us, which was so fun to spend so much time with Grandma!  We went to Mark & Mayela's house next and did a little flying of the quad copter, played some video games and watched the kids.  It was hilarious because Covey really likes Mayela, but not her kisses.  He'd wipe each one off and get this funny look on his face.  We were dying!

Tuesday, we got to play in the morning with Tayla, Kaison & Brody.  We had waffles, made forts, and played away.  These kids all have the best time and did really well until lunch time and we were playing Scene-It and it broke out into a fight.  So we put the game away.  We had a gift certificate that was about to expire for Ruth's Diner, so we went there with Sue.  It was so tasty!  But all this eating out is going to make me gain 10 pounds over the break, AHH!  Then, Julie & Todd came over so we hung out and played and chatted with them, which was so fun.  We also watched the BYU basketball game, which they lost, boo!  It was a great day though!  

Wednesday, we slept in again, moseyed around, packed our stuff and took the kids to stay at Mark & Mayela's for the night!  They had so much fun going to the park, playing games, playing video games, playing outside, and watching the Princess Bride.  Then my mom took them the next day and they had fun playing outside, making snickerdoodles, and going to see the movie Zootopia!  The last day, Grandma Sue watched them and they had a blast being there for the last few hours.  Thanks for watching them, family!

We headed up to Idaho for another job interview for Dave, this one in Hailey Idaho.  "I think we're alone now!" we sang on the way up.  As much as we love our kids, it's so nice to just be alone sometimes!  We stopped off at Twin Falls to see Dave's Uncle Mac & three of his cousins hard at work at the accounting firm during tax season.  Always fun to see them, they're great!  And Aunt Marsha came down, she's the sweetest!  Love them, they're such good people and they're hoping we get this job so we can join in on family activities and such.  We went to Johnny Carino's for dinner and enjoyed some quiet conversation and relaxation.  Then we drove the rest of the way to Hailey, which was a nice drive.  We checked into the Wind River Hotel, which has been nice.  We went swimming and soaking in the hot tub which we had to ourselves, relaxed together, and Dave prepared more for his interview while I finally started watching Fuller House on Netflix.  It was a little different but I loved it and laughed a lot and Dave even got a little side-tracked and liked it more than he thought he would.  So nostalgic, that used to be my favorite show, so "have mercy"!  I seriously though never watch TV, except for family movie night, or the news occasionally, or shows with the kids here or there, so this was weird but kind of nice for me.  We slept well that night.

Thursday was the day of the big interview.  Dave and I went to breakfast here, and then he got spruced up and ready to go.  I stayed in the hotel room for a while and studied my scriptures without interruptions or noise, then started working on the computer and this here blog.  It was quiet, and kind of weird!  His interviews concluded for a while around lunch time so we headed to Ketchum to explore and then for lunch at KB's for amazing burritos.  I was teasing Dave because he still had more interviews later that day so didn't want to change completelely, but didn't want to spill on his shirt, so he threw a t-shirt over.  He's so funny, he was joking he was setting the new fashion trend there.  Then we drove around the towns in the area to see what kind of homes were for sale.  The housing is super expensive there!  Even dumpy trailers that have mold growing in them are going for around $200K, yikes!  Then he had to go back for more interviews, so I walked down the main street and went shopping a bit.  After he got done, we went to dinner with three of the employees from the hospital/clinic at a sushi/Chinese place Zou 75. It was very good, and the ladies were very nice.  That night, we hit the gym, went swimming again, watched some TV, read, and went to bed.

The next morning, we went to Twin Falls and met Aunt Marsha and cousin Dennis' wife Paula at the temple.  We did an endowment session, it was beautiful and so nice to sit with these ladies.

We got back to the kids, giving them all Idaho Spuds and then we took the them to the park.  It was such a beautiful day, spring is the best!

It did happen to be April Fool's Day, and everyone came over for dinner to celebrate Dave's birthday.  We had a bunch of veggies & ranch and Little Ceasar's pizza, of course.  The girls put scotch tape all over the entry way, so when Grandpa came home from work the idea was to make him run into it.  They thought they were pretty funny.  Grandpa gave them a complimentary chuckle.  Lucy also put a blanket over the cat and said "April fools!"  For dinner, I made "orange juice", which was a packet of mac & cheese powder mixed with water.  Their faces and comments were so funny!  "What's wrong with this juice?"  "This juice tastes so different!"  We all got a kick out of it!

Then we had cake & ice-cream to celebrate this cute man with the family!  He's 34 this year.  Wow!  We're getting old!  ;)

Saturday was General Conference, yay yay yay!  We enjoyed watching the sessions, and the kids were pretty good.  Emma loved drawing pictures about the stuff she heard.  The kids built a big fort in the living room and enjoyed that.  They also went to Uncle Randy's "man cave" and set up the new tent he got.  It was a great place for them to be during conference.  We had been reading about King Benjamin lately and how the people set up their tents towards the Prophet and the temple, so they said it was like that!  In between sessions, we went up to the Nicholls Park and had a picnic with Aunt Christie, Grammie & the Richins clan.  We ate, went on a little walk in the forrest and the kids ran around the castle park.  It was nice to see them for a bit!  I am so thankful for General Conference and that I get to hear words directly from God to me.  Whether it's something one of the speakers says, or something the Holy Ghost whispers in between or after, it's always just what I need!  And during the last talk by Elder Holland, I felt the impression to not just let General Conference last a couple days out of the year but to make it last all year long.  I love listening to the talks over and over again and am going to make a goal each week depending on a talk I listen to.  While the men went to the Priesthood session and then out to dinner, the girls and kids went to the park to play and then had taco night.  Em also got a haircut, it was a cute one!

I am so thankful for Conference.  It gives me the peace of mind, direction, assurance, call to repentance, and that feeling of God's love!  During conference, I got the impression that Conference doesn't just last a few days out of the year, we can make it last all year!  By re-reading, listening to, and watching, which is so EASY now, and then applying, we can have that happy feeling we get during Conference.  Then, when Elder Holland gave the closing talk, that totally hit home with me and that thought I had the day before.  Don't let the dinosaurs of tomorrow get us!  :)  

                       

Anyways, here are a few of my favorite quotes (credits on the photos) I think of often since then, and the inspiration that came and are on my notes.
                                          

                                                  

                                        

                                                  
                                 
                                         

                                                 
                                                  

                                         

Sunday, we went to my parents and had a breakfast with them and Mark, Mayela & Amber.  It was tasty!  Then we feasted on the last day of General Conference while we worked on a 3D castle puzzle and feasted on Pace popsicles.  That afternoon, we drove home.  It was a good spring break, but good to get home after a week and a half of being away!  Now...just to keep applying for more jobs in the meantime and wait and see where we will end up!

Little Leprechans

Love these little Leprechauns of mine, and St. Patrick's Day!  It was an eventful day.  A couple of weeks before, the kids got their leprechaun traps ready, determined to catch one this year as they're getting so close in recent years!

Cal had a box with holes and greenery inside.  Emma made a zip line from her bed to a box with a "rug" on top and gold glitter which lead to a hole in a box underneath.  She left a note asking the leprechaun to stay the night.  The Leprechaun left a message on her note that said "Haven't ye heard what's been said?  It's the early bird who catches the worm!"  In the morning, the kids were delighted to find a tiny blanket and pillow, which they figured the leprechaun stayed the night but they didn't wake up early enough to see him.  There were gold dollars in there for the kids, so they were pretty excited about that, but said a leprechaun would've been better. So close again!  They also found a plate of gold oreos, they thought the leprechaun spray painted them and weren't sure if they should eat them, but figured leprechauns are magic and it would be okay.  They were all glad to have a nice leprechaun, not a mischief maker this year.

For breakfast, we had breakfast burritos, one of their favorites.  I made the eggs green which looked pretty gross, but everyone ate them and liked them!  ;)

Lucy & Cov went on a field trip to the local grocery store, which they thought was the coolest, they got tons of snacks, treats, and even a toy!  We also watched a little girl, Sophia, whose mom was having a baby, yay!  Emma and Cal said that they were a little dissapointed they did nothing at school to celebrate.  Bummer.

So the day time was pretty uneventful.  Since we got some snow and it was nothing but white outside, we went out and spray painted some snow with green food coloring.  Lucy and Cov got a kick out of it!  And the other kids thought it was funny when they got home.  We also had our gold oreos - regular oreos + Wilton food spray for snacks.

Silly Lucy.  During the afternoon, she had to go to the bathroom.  Soon I heard an excited yell: "Mom!  Guess what?  I have green poop, just for St. Patrick's Day!" I went in and she told me again, looking so proud!  LOL!

For dinner, we had chicken cordon bleu in green shamrock bread bowls, cucumber shamrocks and green punch and mint chocolate chip cake for dessert.  The kids (and Dave) were excited when I told them it was their lucky day and they were off the hook for after dinner chores and that I'd do it all!

Then we did a few activities.  We read some St. Patrick's Day books from the library.  We got some new leprechaun names.  Here's what our names all are:

Dave - Dublin O'Fortune, Mom - Mickey O'Flurry, Emma - Emmett Wishypants, Cal - Crusty O'Wee (but he didn't like that one so found his own favorite combination and went by Useless Green toes), Lucy - Lucky McKissyFace, Cov - Crusty Wishypants.

We then did a craft where we made leprechaun masks.  Cal wasn't feeling very well, he stayed home earlier in the week and still wasn't feeling well this night.  So he didn't want to do it or have anyone make one for him.  Emma was leading the pack, but decided that she would have a witch leprechaun hat.  And Lucy wanted to do that too, of course.  They had a fun time cutting and rolling and gluing and mostly laughing as each other put on their masks for the first time.

Then we Shillelagh dancing.  Each person got a turn with a stick we had to be their shillelagh, we turned on the gaelic music and let everyone take their turn dancing.  These guys are pretty hilarious!  And we're lucky no one lost anything while Cov was dancing with it.

I am so lucky, no not lucky, but blessed to have what I do!  I think of the Hymn "Count Your Many Blessings" (Hymn no. 241) a lot lately.  When we see the Lord's hand in our lives, we feel happier!  That's the best way to get luck in life!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

(Chorus)
Count your blessings; Name them one by one.
Count your blessings; See what God hath done.
Count your blessings; Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.

2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by. (Chorus)

3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings; money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high. (Chorus)

4. So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. (Chorus)

Cat in the Hat, Butter Battle and the Lorax

We had a great Read Across America or Dr. Suess Day together!

For dress up day, the kids dressed up as the guys from "The Butter Battle".  Not very many people at school got it, but it was fun because it's not as well known as some others.   "Butter side up!  No, butter side down!"  This is all a book about war and peace, and really how silly war is, that was written during the Cold War era.  Fun stories for kids, great messages for us all!

Lucy made a "Cat in the Hat" hat at preschool and did some other fun activities.

And then for dinner, we made "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" buffallo chicken stromboli.  And then also colored some coloring pages and read some Dr. Suess books, of course!

The kids took this one of me reading and asked me to make a silly face.

We like to apply some of the messages in Dr. Suess's books and talk about what they mean, now that the kids are getting older.  As we were talking and thinking about the Butter Battle book, I came across this great quote by Ghandi:

"If we are to reach real peace in the world, we shall have to begin with the children."  

So much to teach, so much to learn!  Let the peace on earth begin with reading, me, then all around me!

Sunday Singing

When I was in high school, I began going to "Sunday Singing" with my brother, Adam.  Sunday Singing was getting together with a bunch of kids from my high school each Sunday to sing Hymns and Primary Songs to the residents at Heritage Place Retirement Center.  It was all started by a girl named Andrea and she started small with some friends.  Friends began inviting friends until it became pretty big.  We always had a program of 5 or 6 hymns to sing, usually acapella, sometimes with the piano, sometimes we had special musical numbers.  Then we asked for requests and always ended with the beloved Hymn "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again".  After that, we'd go visit with the residents.  They were so lovely!  I grew to love and admire those neat people.  It was amazing, too what a difference having a good attitude and a faith in God in their lives had.  Their walks of life were all different, but how they approached life was all so different.  Some liked to curse and swear about their situation (Pearl! love her spit fire personality) and others were as sweet as could be though in lots of pain and heartache (Marvel, one of my favorites).  That taught me that we have a choice to make concerning our own circumstances.  But I loved them all the same!  After we visited with them, we'd go and sing to some who were bed ridden and unable to come out to the room where we'd sing.  We'd sing a few songs in the hallways or in the rooms of those who had requested us to come.  When I was a junior, I was asked to take over and make sure that Sunday Singing still went smoothly.  I enjoyed setting the tempos, giving the starting pitches, and arranging special musical numbers.  After singing, sometimes we'd go talk and flirt with our friends out in the parking lot.  A few of us had what we called "Girl Talk", ha ha!  Good times!

Last summer, an old high school friend, Scott Rushforth, e-mailed me and told me the Church heard what was going on and wanted to make a video for the Youth about Sunday Singing.  He asked me some questions to relay to the team making the video.  His brother is still in Sunday Singing and so he was able to go the day they did the taping. They were able to get in touch with Andrea, and talked to many of the kids who are carrying on Sunday Singing.  We hear so many bad things about the youth of today's world.  I think there is lots of hope, and here's just one of the reasons.  To these young ones, the world to doesn't revolve around them.  They are looking for ways to lift and serve.  They are following in the footsteps of our Savior.  They are sharing the light and testimonies they have with others.  I am thrilled to see how huge the group has grown!  Thank you, Youth of the noble birthright!

Here's a link to the video:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-01-002-service-through-song?lang=eng

I also scanned in some of my old Sunday Singing scrapbook pages to send to the media team doing the video so they could get more of an idea of the history of Sunday Singing.  I had such fond memories as I went through them not only of the people we sang to, but also of the friends I gained at Sunday singing.  In particular, the "Bountiful Boys" and "Woods Cross Girls" would get together in the adjacent parking lot and have what we called "Girl Talk", where we'd talk about stuff that girls talk about, but the guys would get in on the action.  (I didn't send that one in, but it makes me look back with fondness and some giggles!)