D.C. Bound

The long awaited day for Rich's month long trip to D.C. arrived yesterday morning. It was a quick and relatively painless goodbye since we were cutting his flight a bit close even though he was flying out of Lexington.

Once upon a time there would have been many tears shed on my part followed by a bitter sting because of the physical distance that would be between us. But the pain was a bit dulled that morning, for me at least. After almost 12 years of marriage and months of separation after I had twins- twice, it seemed a bit like old times dropping him off at the airport. It is always sad, but not as sad as it had been in the past. It certainly is not because I love Rich any less than I did when we were engaged or married with a few children. In fact I love him oh so much more.

The true reason was because I wasn't the one going off on an unusual adventure totally alone. He has a future of long lectures all day, followed by quiet meals by himself, an empty apartment to come home to each evening and a cold bed to sleep in every night. I know what a hardship this is on him and I'm grateful he is willing to go and put in the time giving us a wonderful future.

How could I be sad or complain when I am the one getting the long end of the stick in this whole deal? I have it easy. I certainly am not going to be alone, in fact I usually get at least one extra warm body crawl into bed during some time in the night and no peace or quiet during the day and million hugs and kisses (mostly slobbery) and stories about crazy dreams and talks of toy wish lists and a ward full of loving people willing to help if needed. And best of all Rich was leaving me a part of him- five parts of him in fact. What would I do without my babies adding spice and joy (along with never ending messes!) to my life? I have no idea. Rich on the other hand was the one that will have work and silence and loneliness. I am sure his heart ached as we pulled away from the curb leaving him behind.

At least yesterday started the countdown toward the end. I don't mind the whole thing beginning because then we are finally actually moving toward the finish of it all. And that's the best part of all, knowing it will soon be done. I guess I have a similar attitude towards a lot of things that are difficult, for instance missions. It will be hard, but the reward is immense and the reunion is always sweet. You, as the mother, just have to put on a happy face and send them on their way knowing that it will make it easier on the prospective missionary knowing you are proud of what they are going to do and there will be help from good people and from above in their journey through.

Like missions, this is something that we knew was coming years in advance. Rich has known about this part of residency far before he chose his specialty. It was one of those random negative things we briefly discussed when he was in the process of deciding what he wanted to try to match in. We knew radiology had 3 sets of boards during residency- one being a killer physics test and that he would have to spend 5 weeks at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. But you just have to take the bad with a good and know that yes, it will be tough, but we will persevere through it all.

We tried to have an enjoyable weekend together before he left. The boys' basketball games filled Friday night and Saturday morning. We had a farewell dinner at Qdoba and then the reality set in and it was crunch time. Even though Rich had his exact dates for this trip for eight months, he was busy looking up bus routes and shuttles and train schedules on Saturday night. He began packing at 12:30 PM while the kids and I built blanket forts under the desk in our room. The trip was looming near, but the idea that he would be gone was hard to really think about or talk about since it was just easier to enjoy every moment together before he actually left.

Sunday morning arrived too quickly and we were rushing to get out the door. I had to laugh when we walked through the complete disaster we call the bedrooms upstairs and I spied a dollar bill on the floor. I told Rich he had better pick that up and add it to the small amount of cash in his wallet since it never occurred to me to head to the ATM that week. He said he had planned on it. It made me chuckle. That's a residents life I guess, keeping even the small bills. And you never know when a dollar or two might come in handy!

We arrived at the airport with 35 minutes until his flight left. He happily posed for pictures with all the kids before he had to say good-bye. The boys were giving him souvenir ideas while the girls blew kisses. I hated sending him off, but thankfully cell phones and airplanes make him seem not quite as far away.

When I called him later to see if he got checked in and through security he told me his bag was 9 pounds over and he was doing some major juggling with his small carry-on in hopes of avoiding the $90 fee for overweight bags. He ended up stuffing 3 sweaters, a bottle of Glucosamine and a few large Ziploc baggies stuffed with instant oatmeal packets (I insisted he take so he would at least have breakfast every morning) into his shoulder bag. Poor thing.

Then he discovered at the gate there was no airplane meaning he would miss his connection in Cincinnati since he only had a 35 minute layover. They rerouted him through Detroit which got him into Baltimore about 4 hours later than scheduled. He took a bus to the Amtrak train which took him to Union Terminal where he then rode two different metro lines and finally got to his apartment- 2424 Pennsylvania Avenue, just 8 blocks down from the White House.

And so the adventure (for us all) begins. I'll keep you posted.

Two more random things. I had a good laugh during our farewell dinner. We all walked into the restaurant around 8 PM and it was filled with college age kids. As we approached the counter one young female employee turned to the other server and in not a quiet voice exclaimed, "There are 5 of them!"- referring to our kids. It was so funny because we were right there watching her. I thought it would be fun to complement her math skills, but instead gave her a big grin and told her, "You're right. Two sets of twins. Lucky us." Five may have been the correct answer, but our attitude towards the number were complete opposites. It's all how you look at it.

Bringing me to my last thought. I gave a lesson to the young women after I dropped Rich off and it was about Finding Joy Now. I LOVE teaching, especially the young women because I learn so much personally as I think about the topic as I prepare and then actually give the lesson. I thought it was so appropriated for this particular time in my life. It basically taught the girls that you just have to decide everyday to see the good. Too focus on the positive and it will help you get through tough times, help you make good decisions and want to help and serve others. I love the talk President Monson gave in the last General Conference address that was entitled- Finding Joy in the Journey and I shared part of it with the girls. It was the one talk that stayed in my mind long after the other messages faded a bit from memory. We have to find the joy. Find happiness. Find love and share it. And peace, contentment and blessings will follow. They always, always do.

We LOVE you Rich!!! Hurry home!

Girlie Adventures

Lest you think the girls have been missing out on all the snow day fun, don't be fooled by their lack of outdoor winter photos. They have been up to A LOT inside making the most of each and every day! By......Helping with laundry.Creating their own stores with clothing racksShopping all the time!All purchases go straight into the basket so they can be easily moved to the next mess pile, I mean next room.Where did Brynn go? (Hard to see her amongst the chaos of clothes and toys!)Playing peek-a-booKaitlyn found her!Silly girl!Creating amazing outfitsBrynn found this size 12 month dress in the storage bin and barely got it zipped up. And yes, that is my SIL's garter from their July wedding. Josh caught it and Brynn happily decided it made a fantastic headband.This girl just loves to twirl!Going to pretend parties in the van. I don't even want to know what I will find stuffed into all these bags!Helping me bake, even when I don't really need their assistance.Look at my sugar coated hands Mom.I'll just brush them off onto the floor. Nice.DaNCinG!!Hiding under the chair. Oh and did I mention that they are amazing at creating disatrous messes? Actually, I'd use the word experts.While the boys room stayed clean all day while the boys were finally back in school, the girls room across the hall was an entirely different story.....They did ALL of this while I was down emptying the dishwasher. Fast, efficient and very, very messy. But we still love you girls!

Straight from their mouth....

I was rushing here and there trying to get the bags packed and the kids ready for our flight to Utah on Christmas Eve. Rich was working at the hospital, so we needed to all be ready to go when he got home. The boys asked when we were going to leave. I told them we left Lexington at 6:40 PM and then flew to Dallas and then Salt Lake City. Matt said, " I didn't know we were going to Texas today." "Yes." I said." We have to make a quick stop and change planes." Matt sincerely stated, "Man, I sure hope I know how to speak cowboy."


While in Utah over Christmas break Matt had his eye exam. He did indeed need glasses. As he and I looked for the perfect pair of glasses he tried on many options. Each time he would put them on and then smile into the mirror. Even if he was putting them on for me to see, he would always give me a big grin. By the end he told me he was tired of smiling.We found the perfect one and proceeded to purchase it. Just as we finished giving them our information, Matt noticed a tiny brown flower on the end of the ear piece. "Is that a flower?", he asked the lady. "Oh, I didn't see that. I think it is. Do you still want these glasses?" Matt didn't hesitate for a moment. "Yes, I want them. I like flowers. That flower kind of looks like a Honeysuckle, and I do like honey." As we left the store, Matt told me, " Flowers are fine for boys too. All gentlemen like flowers."


We were driving along with Christmas music playing on the radio when Madonna's version of Santa Baby came on. After a few lines Matt said, "She sounds kind of sassy, huh Mom." Well put.

Snow Day..... Again

Josh with his snowman

Yup, the kids are home once again. We are up to SNOW DAY #8 for the year. June 4 will be the last day of school.... for now. That might not sound bad, except we started around August 12th, so it seems a two month summer break might be where we are headed.

The boys went to school on Monday since they were able to restore power to all of the schools, but as of yesterday there are still nearly 300,000 people in the state without power. We have been the lucky ones. I can't complain about not having school recently. It really has been a mess.

We had another snow storm arrive yesterday that dumped 4 1/2 inches of snow. While that might not sound like a lot in other places, there is still ice on the roads from last week and the new snow made the roads VERY slick. Yesterday the school called around 11 AM informing us they were letting school out an hour early. They have done this before in hopes of getting kids home and buses back before it got worse. The girls and I piled in the van at 1:30 and drove to the school to get the crew (my 3 and 2 neighbor boys) and found that the pickup line went for about a mile wrapping around the park below the school. Thirty-five minutes later we finally got the boys out of the cold. It was a mess. I saw 2 cars (one was a AAA truck) almost crash into a light pole near out house and saw one fender bender in front of the school. The roads were very slippery.

After I got the boys, we had to get Trey to his piano lesson. I had called his teacher and moved up his lesson from 3 to 2 PM, but had to call his teacher at 2 PM when I was still waiting to pick up the boys from school. We managed to get to her house with only sliding partway through one stop sign. The main roads were fine. It's the side roads that are scary. They do not plow them or pretreat them with salt or sand so you just have to go slow and give yourself ample time to stop and hope that you can. Trey's piano teacher had their huge tree in the front yard break into pieces under the weight of the snow and ice. Her husband had just moved their cars out of harms way before it came crashing down. It was sad to see just a large stump left in their front yard and know all the hours of time it must have taken to cut the tree into the small pieces that were in piles in their front yard.

Rich had a rough time getting home last night in my dad's old car. It is rotten in the snow and it was still snowing when he came home around 7 PM. The wind was bitter cold (actual temp was 10 degrees, but the wind chill made it much, much colder) and he had to dig his car out after he did not park in the covered parking lot. The storm took us a bit by surprise since they predicted snow, but they thought it would arrive on Monday. Rich laughed when got home and saw I was out grilling. I bet we were the only ones in Lexington that ate flame broiled hot dogs and hamburgers last night.

I decided to shovel the walks before it got dark and while the girls played inside with their brothers. We have a northern exposure so if we don't get the snow and ice up when it is fresh, we will be stuck with a dangerous driveway for weeks since the sun never hits it. I had to laugh when my neighbor, who had been told by his wife to take out their 2 year old daughter for a few minutes to explore while she finished dinner, came over and asked me if I shoveled a lot of snow as a child. I thought it was a funny question, but made sense since I think every time he has seen me outside over the past week, I was either whacking at ice with the garden shovel or scraping snow off the ground. I told him yes and that my parents had a very long driveway making my very short and small driveway seem like a breeze.

After he left, I kept pondering his question. In fact I rather enjoyed thinking about it. I thought about all my memories outside, bundled up shoveling snow with my family. While I can't remember much about shoveling our homes in Salt Lake, I do remember my lovely blue snow coat and awesome moon boots that kept my toes toasty and warm. Though you had walk with caution and be careful when stepping into large snow piles because you could pull out the liner and leave your boot stuck in the snow.

I recalled our first house on Apple Blossom which was a corner lot. If we had to do the sidewalks that would have taken ages. The driveway was a bit steep and there were a set of large, wide, flat steps leading up to the front door in between the lawn and some bushes. When large storms would come (which seemed to be often back then) the snow plow would push the snow into a gigantic mound on the corner. That pile would last until spring. We would dig and build and make amazing snow forts. We loved it. I loved playing outside in the snow with my brothers. We had wonderful snow clothes and gloves since we went skiing every other week so we didn't need to stop for breaks as often as my boys do as they freeze outside in their frozen jeans and wimpy stretchy gloves.

When we moved to our new house up the street it was a whole different level of snow piles and shoveling. Our house is located across the street from our church. When they would plow the parking lot they would make literal mountains of snow in front of our house. They were amazing and we had so much fun playing on those things. We also had fun in the backyard building snow forts and one year made a real igloo you could fit inside. My parents made a rule that you could not be inside in alone in case it collapsed. It was quite the structure and I was so proud of what we had accomplished.

As for the shoveling, the new driveway was long, wide and there were 2 pathways to the door plus a deck out back and the sidewalks in front. My mom was a stickler when it came to how to shovel. We got it out of every corner, space and crack. Often the snow that fell was so heavy I thought I would break my back every time I lifted my shovel that was weighed down with snow. I remember dividing up the driveway into sections and racing my brothers to see who could finish first.

Not only did we remove the snow and build muscles, we learned how to work hard, not complain and be involved in a team. I think it brought us closer together. I was always SO relived when it was done, though that always took one thing. Time. Not only would we shovel the driveway, we would shovel out clear to the road since they never plow the roads in Salem. I think the most icy roads in Salem can be found in front of my parents home.

Here's a long story that proves this point, and one I never wrote down. When I was a senior in high school a massive storm hit the day of Recession (boys choice dance in January). Our group had plans to go skiing during the day. My date (who I will not name, but only went out with him this one time and truly dislike to this day.....) had me drive to Spanish Fork and meet the group at a church parking lot so we could head up to Alta. I remember the Tracker plowing through feet of snow as I inched toward the meeting place. This did not please me knowing he should have come and picked me up. After a fun day on the slopes with my girlfriends, my date had me drop off people in Salem and then arranged for a guy in the group that lived in Woodland Hills to pick me up and bring me to the dance. (Did I mention that I think my real date was a jerk? I digress.....) When the scheduled pick up time came there was a knock on the door and scared looking fella on my porch. His 10 passenger van just slid out of control on the icy roads in front of my house and was completely stuck. Truly. That thing wasn't going anywhere. I ended up driving HIM, picking up HIS date at her house and then made it to the high school. Let's say since I had my own car at the dance, I drove myself home early. Memories though. Memories. Oh and I think that van was there for a few days until they could finally pull it free.

Here's one more classic crazy icy Salem roads story happened around that same time. I was a senior and we had a victory dance at the high school. On the way home I dropped off my friend Erica Hunter at her house and drove the back roads to Salem. As I drove down Salem Canal Road alone on a dark cold night (long before the ages of cell phones....) I hit a slick spot and my car slid out of control to the right. Seconds later I was sideways in my little Tracker stuck in the middle of the canal. It was an unbelievable thing. Adrenaline kicked in and before you could count to three I had unbuckled, kicked the door open and climbed out of my little car and onto the icy road. In the distance was a lone house so I ran to the house, but as luck would have it, no one was home. A short time later there were headlights in the distance coming towards me and I flagged the woman down. She was driving alone, was from California and had NEVER driven in snow before. She could see my car in the canal and was beyond scared to keep driving. The whole thing was like a crazy dream. She gave me a ride to my parents home and I remember running upstairs and finding my mom alone and asleep in her bed (my dad was off at a delivery). I shook her awake and told her that I was fine, but that the Tracker was in the canal. She was awake VERY quickly, but was relived I was safe. The next morning we called a tow truck to fish out my car and it was quite funny when the massive truck spun out on the ice I hit and found itself unable to pull out my car until it moved to safer ground. The most remarkable thing was when he finally got the car out it was completely, 100 % unmarked and undamaged because of the deep snow that cushioned its fall. Very crazy indeed.

Anyway, as I shoveled my tiny driveway last night I enjoyed thinking about my wonderful family and how much I learned from being with them and I cherish the memories I will always have of our good times, crazy times and simply being able to recall bits of our life together. When it comes down to it, memories and knowledge are what we have in the end.

I appreciate that my mom taught me how to work hard, how to see projects through to the end, how to show love to others through service (service= hard work) and to enjoy the beauty of the different seasons and nature. I hope I can teach my children the same things.

Yes, Rhett (my youngest brother) might have it easy now that they have a heated driveway that when turned on melts the snow and can use the snow plow or 4 wheeler to get the pathways and sidewalks clear, but I know he and my dad have spent years shoveling the snow of various families they home teach and that my mom has taught him how to pitch in and work.

I wouldn't trade my years of shoveling for anything. I appreciate that I enjoy doing a bit of work and that I can take those life lessons and pass them on to my children. It proves you can find enjoyment in a shoveling a cold snowy driveway as long as you have the proper perspective and happy memories to warm your heart.

Ice Storm 2009

We ventured out early on Saturday morning for the boys' basketball games. The world was covered in white and ice. It was magical and breathtaking. And impossible to truly show the elegance and beauty through photographs. Here are a few of the photos I took that morning.Some trees looked as if millions of snowflakes had stuck to their branches.Huge evergreen trees sagged and many were in pieces under the immense weight of snow and ice.Berries were frozen beneath layers of icebut the robins were out in full force eating the frozen treats.Our Lexington Winter Wonderland.