I honestly had to make myself do this tonight. The guilt was getting stronger than the desire to hide from myself. Do you ever get that way? Sometimes the sarcasm and angst gets to be too much and I don't want to live with me for a few days. Last Friday life was piling up and the last straw was dropping a full bowl of pineapple on the floor. That sounds dumb but it is just one more example of how I have shot myself in the foot. My kids will only eat fresh pineapple cut by mom. They won't touch it out of a can. I started doing it a few years ago and now they won't let me stop. I should have learned my lesson when we took Reagan and Kale to their first movie. The Lion King at the IMAX in Seattle. How can any movie stand a chance after that one on the biggest screen they will ever see? The next movie we took them to was, well I don't remember, but they were so not impressed with the 'small screen'. They were like 4 & 3 and they were already movie snobs because we started them out with nowhere to go but down.
Back to the pineapple on the floor. Dane rode his bike over the big pile before I could get it cleaned up. (Yes, we let Dane ride in the house. Give me a break. Many of you have had the delight of entertaining him for a few hours so you know what I am talking about.) I look up at the ceiling and said, "I want to go home." The realization that I was home and not just on some fun adventure punched pretty hard. That added to hormones, three days in a row of getting the kids to the bus at 7:05am, a love/hate relationship with this house and not being able to find my planner pages for April - June shut me down for about 24 hours.
But, life goes on right? Bad Tam fights her way through and to the races we run. No time to miss, mourn and remember.
The kids take turns sleeping with me while Erron is away and one night Dane was lying there holding my hand and he said, "I miss Stratton." Stratton is his best little buddy back in Portland. He is the same size, blond and blue eyed too. They were quite the pair. I said, "You do?" and he said, "Ya. He was a good digger." "A good digger?" "Ya. He had a shovel and he digged the dirt with it. Will I get to see him again?" It is the sweet moments like this that show you how you really suck as a parent. Couldn't I just leave well enough alone and let him be close to his buddy? No! I have to haul him 2,800 miles away for some 'grand adventure'.
Had an interesting meeting with Reagan's teacher today. We didn't get to go over anything when I enrolled Reagan in school so we met today to talk about classroom expectations, rules and the curriculum. About 30 minutes into what I will call my 'enlightenment', it became glaringly obvious that we are not in Oregon anymore. These people are old school! You actually get grades. A, B, C, D & U. None of this just trying is good enough stuff. Here there are winners and losers and they keep score in sports. Our school in Oregon had an amazing art program and the teachers integrated it into every part of the curriculum. Here not so much. They teach to the tests and they have to scores to prove it. Can you imagine multiple choice spelling tests? Couldn't even come up with a good reply to that one. I felt like I needed to give her teacher a glance at what Reagan is coming from. I told her about art, the mobile computer labs and the often thematic based curriculum. She was a little envious of Oregon right then. Then I had to shatter the emerald picture she was viewing of Portland and tell her about the math program. In Oregon the thought is this. You don't have to get the right answer. You just have to be able to show how you got the answer you did. The accountant in me has always loved this approach:) Really though. Would you hire and engineer who had taken 'almost right math'? The poor teacher grabbed her chest and I started looking for the defibrillator. No timed math tests? Nope. No memorization? Nope. Guess what? Tennessee State testing is next week. The kids finished Oregon State testing a couple of days before we left. What do you think? Are they thanking me for the 'grand adventure' yet?
Kale had a melt down on Friday because he didn't want to write a poem about pizza. That one surprised me actually. He doesn't like to write. His entire school career has consisted of 3-5 word daily journal entries. But, if you can't pull it out of him by making it about pizza then it wasn't going to happen for anything. I tried to talk to him about it today and he refused. We sat on the couch and I just held him like a not so little baby and tried every question I could think of to get him to give me just one little hint about what is going on in that Sorensen noggin. Nothing.......wouldn't budge. Guess whose turn it is to sleep with me tonight. Usually, when he asks me if I have any jobs I have to do before I come to bed I give him my hours long list, kiss him goodnight and leave the room to fold the clothes or to do whatever earth shattering chore awaits. I'm not dumb though. I know what he is really asking me. He wants to know if I will lay down with him and cuddle and sing his favorite Goodnight KI-KI song without him having to say that because he is just a little to old to say it anymore. It's not efficient so it's not easy for me to give in to it. All afternoon I knew he needed it. So, here I am with my sleeping little man. He held my hand until he fell asleep. Let's pray that at least his dreams are happy.
Heather, you will be happy to know that the house's owners came down on Saturday to 'fix' some things. You could tell from the look in their eyes that they didn't believe me about the stove and I honestly didn't expect it to perform the same show for them as it had for me but we warmed it up anyway. That little oven went into a repeat performance and I was vindicated. We gave them the rest of the list. The dishwasher doesn't wash but it sure plasters those ants onto the dishes well. They actually had someone come and spray for the ants and they are gone now. For a few weeks anyway. The garage door opener doesn't work and we don't have the car units yet. They were able to fix that and Erron programed the new car units. The foyer lights won't go on at the same time as the front porch lights. The guy looked at me like I had been smoking pot. I have lived in the NW for 12 years so anything is possible. After I showed him he just shook his head and spent the next 5 hours back and forth from Home Depot working on it. The last time the owners left they were headed to the appliance store to buy a new stove and schedule someone to look at the dishwasher. They came back with an appointment for a new dishwasher to be installed and the promise that someone would be calling to fix the stove. Let us review. There are 6-8 dishwashing hands in this house but even the 5 of us together couldn't come up with the hot air required to cook dinner. NO SMART COMMENTS. Is anyone else confused like I am?
Now we are getting to the important things. Food--more specifically chocolate. An easy, yummy recipe from Giada that we have enjoyed for a couple of years.
1. Slice a loaf of pound cake into sturdy slices. Not so thick that you can't fit two slices in your mouth at one time but thick enough that they can take being spread with Nutella and eaten like a sandwich.
2. Spread the Nutella on two slices just like you would peanut butter.
3. Slice some strawberries and put them on top of one of the Nutella covered pound cake slices.
4. Cover the strawberry covered slice with the other Nutella covered slice. Nutella facing the strawberries.
5. Now grill it like you would a grilled cheese. The butter in the pound cake will brown.
6. Serve it warm with whip cream on top.
Don't we all feel better now?
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Que Sera, Sera
Where do I start? Should I start?
It was the first day of school for the Sorensen children. Kale had been worried about being able to understand his teacher in the new language spoken in the south. We met Mrs. Workman this morning and she was so excited because we were from Oregon. She is from Spokane, Washington and just moved here last summer. She assured Kale that they would be able to understand each other.
Reagan has Mrs. Kersteder. The girls cheered when she came because now they are even with the boys 10 and 10. Are you ready for this? The kids have to catch the bus at 7:05AM. The late bell rings at 7:45am and with over 1,000 students in each school it isn't feasible to get Kale through the drive through at his school and then Reagan through hers unless we leave at 7:10. So, the bus it is. School ends at 2:45pm and the bus drops them at 3:25pm. That is 45 minutes longer each day than in Oregon.
It just gets better. School gets out May 23 and starts again August 11. WHAT? Reagan no longer has a summer birthday.
The stupid stove has officially died. After making lunch yesterday the thing started ringing and there was a pop and then a loud voice that said, "Tamara has my permission not to cook again until there is a new stove in the kitchen." Tada. New stove on the way. Today, I was blogging my dear friend littlest hillbilly when Reagan screamed and pointed at the sink. 100's of ants. Dishwasher--full of ants. That's it! No more eating in this house until they are gone. Off we went out to dinner. Tada. Ant expert tomorrow at 11am. Stupid $#@^&* ants.
No recycling and now no emissions/standards testing. The website says when you come to register your car in TN you must first get the car tested and bring the paperwork to the registration office with you. I could not find a testing facility anywhere. With my prior experience with very nice southern people on the phone I called the registration office and they informed me that they had no idea what I was talking about. What is emissions testing? It is on the website but it really isn't required I guess.
Last night, after the kids were in bed, dishes done and the burden of unpacking more boxes was heavy on my head, Erron thought it would be great to have a rock-off. Him against me on Guitar Hero. For all of you without the joy of a Wii system, really it does not suck. I promised myself never to have a video game system in the house but my mom bought a Wii for the kids for Christmas. I wanted to hate it. I wanted to ban it--but who wouldn't love boxing with their spouse. Not only is it a great workout, it might be slightly therapeutic. And the next step after singing and dancing along with the iPod is playing Guitar Hero. Kale made it through two songs today. We are so proud.
What will tomorrow bring? Ask Doris Day.
It was the first day of school for the Sorensen children. Kale had been worried about being able to understand his teacher in the new language spoken in the south. We met Mrs. Workman this morning and she was so excited because we were from Oregon. She is from Spokane, Washington and just moved here last summer. She assured Kale that they would be able to understand each other.
Reagan has Mrs. Kersteder. The girls cheered when she came because now they are even with the boys 10 and 10. Are you ready for this? The kids have to catch the bus at 7:05AM. The late bell rings at 7:45am and with over 1,000 students in each school it isn't feasible to get Kale through the drive through at his school and then Reagan through hers unless we leave at 7:10. So, the bus it is. School ends at 2:45pm and the bus drops them at 3:25pm. That is 45 minutes longer each day than in Oregon.
It just gets better. School gets out May 23 and starts again August 11. WHAT? Reagan no longer has a summer birthday.
The stupid stove has officially died. After making lunch yesterday the thing started ringing and there was a pop and then a loud voice that said, "Tamara has my permission not to cook again until there is a new stove in the kitchen." Tada. New stove on the way. Today, I was blogging my dear friend littlest hillbilly when Reagan screamed and pointed at the sink. 100's of ants. Dishwasher--full of ants. That's it! No more eating in this house until they are gone. Off we went out to dinner. Tada. Ant expert tomorrow at 11am. Stupid $#@^&* ants.
No recycling and now no emissions/standards testing. The website says when you come to register your car in TN you must first get the car tested and bring the paperwork to the registration office with you. I could not find a testing facility anywhere. With my prior experience with very nice southern people on the phone I called the registration office and they informed me that they had no idea what I was talking about. What is emissions testing? It is on the website but it really isn't required I guess.
Last night, after the kids were in bed, dishes done and the burden of unpacking more boxes was heavy on my head, Erron thought it would be great to have a rock-off. Him against me on Guitar Hero. For all of you without the joy of a Wii system, really it does not suck. I promised myself never to have a video game system in the house but my mom bought a Wii for the kids for Christmas. I wanted to hate it. I wanted to ban it--but who wouldn't love boxing with their spouse. Not only is it a great workout, it might be slightly therapeutic. And the next step after singing and dancing along with the iPod is playing Guitar Hero. Kale made it through two songs today. We are so proud.
What will tomorrow bring? Ask Doris Day.
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Thou Shalts of life in the South.
Hi Daddy. I love you.
The people in TN are either not at all trusting or else they are just genuinely curious about every aspect of your life. I swear the schools have every private detail of my life. SSN's, home, cell and work phone numbers, addresses, former addresses, copies of the lease agreement, copies of utilities proving we live in the area, the kids' vaccination history, Erron's DNA to prove he really his the father and the rest of my eggs frozen just so we have to get their permission to have more children that might one day attend their fine school. In Oregon there is an abundance of high tech business so the schools benefit from their donations and when I enrolled the kids in Happy Valley I filled out one paper, they entered the info into the computer and printed out the forms they needed. Here, I am lucky they have duplicate copies. The last time I wrote that many words with a pen was my high school English final. Good gravy -- or bad gravy. I think I wrote my home phone number 12 times. They didn't even trust me to write out the kids vaccination history or trust the copy we brought from their Dr.. We had to take the copy to the health dept. and let them enter the info into their prehistoric computer system that still prints on paper that you have to tear the edges off of. Then, I had to take that copy back to the school.
I have to comment here on something I saw at the health dept.. There was a young Hispanic couple trying to get a Dr. appointment for their baby and the mommy didn't speak any English and the dad was really trying hard. The lady at the desk was so patient and was diligently trying to help them. They brought out one of the nurses so that the couple could show her the spot on the baby they were concerned about. It wasn't funny, it was a simple of example of people at their best. There are not a lot of non-English speaking people here. In the west I think we are so jaded after having to have our school fliers printed in Spanish, French, Laotian, Vietnamese, Romanian, Russian and Japanese that we resent the extra effort. It seems like we are making all the effort and they are expecting it. Here, everyone is working together. Erron thinks that everyone here being so nice is rubbing off on me. (Don't count on it sweetie. At home we are still from the west:)
Once I returned to the school the nice people in the office told me not to worry about the school supplies. Just bring in whatever was left from your old school and that will be fine. They are prorating the trip/activity fees and want us to come to school a little late tomorrow so they can give us a nice tour. Kale's schools, Farragut Primary, has 0ver 1,000 students in grades K-2. 17 1st grade classes. Can you believe that? Reagan's, Farragut Intermediate, is the same way only 3-5.
My other theory on why there are so many steps to get one things done is that these people are really just so friendly they look for any excuse to be able talk to someone. A family from our ward that lives just 3 houses down brought us banana pudding tonight. That is another thing about the south. They don't even pretend to cook things without frying it first. In fact I think it is part of the 10 commandments of the south.
I - Thou shalt be nice to everyone, everywhere at all times. On the phone or in person.
II - Thou shalt fry all foods before serving to friends and relatives.
III - There must be a Cracker Barrell next to any McDonalds.
IV - Thou shalt not rush or walk fast..that includes Tamara. Slow down. (You should have seen me at the mall on Saturday. I hate malls but this place was down right leisurely.)
V - Sales people shalt not be pushy just polite.
VI - Thou shalt not have two cloudy days in a row. (You can have snow and sun on the same day as happened today.)
VII - Thou shalt not call anyone a hill billy unless they want to be called a hill billy.
VIII - Thou shalt not worry about being on time - just get here when you can.
IX - Thou shalt have a church on every corner. First Baptist just means you were the first one here.
X - Thou shalt not be a sissy about the ants, snakes or any other creatures. Just be happy.
No day is complete without a story from Dane. After dressing in two different colored socks and using the small dust pan broom to brush his hair, he went outside without any shoes or a coat so he could ride his bike in the snow. We had to tie the gate shut so he can't get in to the front yard or the street. Tonight we had to drive Erron to return his rental car because his truck finally arrive today on the transport. On the way, Dane was sitting in the back seat and just started quoting Princess Bride. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." He even did it in a detectable Spanish accent.
I am itching because I know that somewhere there is an ant in my house. Stupid ants!
The people in TN are either not at all trusting or else they are just genuinely curious about every aspect of your life. I swear the schools have every private detail of my life. SSN's, home, cell and work phone numbers, addresses, former addresses, copies of the lease agreement, copies of utilities proving we live in the area, the kids' vaccination history, Erron's DNA to prove he really his the father and the rest of my eggs frozen just so we have to get their permission to have more children that might one day attend their fine school. In Oregon there is an abundance of high tech business so the schools benefit from their donations and when I enrolled the kids in Happy Valley I filled out one paper, they entered the info into the computer and printed out the forms they needed. Here, I am lucky they have duplicate copies. The last time I wrote that many words with a pen was my high school English final. Good gravy -- or bad gravy. I think I wrote my home phone number 12 times. They didn't even trust me to write out the kids vaccination history or trust the copy we brought from their Dr.. We had to take the copy to the health dept. and let them enter the info into their prehistoric computer system that still prints on paper that you have to tear the edges off of. Then, I had to take that copy back to the school.
I have to comment here on something I saw at the health dept.. There was a young Hispanic couple trying to get a Dr. appointment for their baby and the mommy didn't speak any English and the dad was really trying hard. The lady at the desk was so patient and was diligently trying to help them. They brought out one of the nurses so that the couple could show her the spot on the baby they were concerned about. It wasn't funny, it was a simple of example of people at their best. There are not a lot of non-English speaking people here. In the west I think we are so jaded after having to have our school fliers printed in Spanish, French, Laotian, Vietnamese, Romanian, Russian and Japanese that we resent the extra effort. It seems like we are making all the effort and they are expecting it. Here, everyone is working together. Erron thinks that everyone here being so nice is rubbing off on me. (Don't count on it sweetie. At home we are still from the west:)
Once I returned to the school the nice people in the office told me not to worry about the school supplies. Just bring in whatever was left from your old school and that will be fine. They are prorating the trip/activity fees and want us to come to school a little late tomorrow so they can give us a nice tour. Kale's schools, Farragut Primary, has 0ver 1,000 students in grades K-2. 17 1st grade classes. Can you believe that? Reagan's, Farragut Intermediate, is the same way only 3-5.
My other theory on why there are so many steps to get one things done is that these people are really just so friendly they look for any excuse to be able talk to someone. A family from our ward that lives just 3 houses down brought us banana pudding tonight. That is another thing about the south. They don't even pretend to cook things without frying it first. In fact I think it is part of the 10 commandments of the south.
I - Thou shalt be nice to everyone, everywhere at all times. On the phone or in person.
II - Thou shalt fry all foods before serving to friends and relatives.
III - There must be a Cracker Barrell next to any McDonalds.
IV - Thou shalt not rush or walk fast..that includes Tamara. Slow down. (You should have seen me at the mall on Saturday. I hate malls but this place was down right leisurely.)
V - Sales people shalt not be pushy just polite.
VI - Thou shalt not have two cloudy days in a row. (You can have snow and sun on the same day as happened today.)
VII - Thou shalt not call anyone a hill billy unless they want to be called a hill billy.
VIII - Thou shalt not worry about being on time - just get here when you can.
IX - Thou shalt have a church on every corner. First Baptist just means you were the first one here.
X - Thou shalt not be a sissy about the ants, snakes or any other creatures. Just be happy.
No day is complete without a story from Dane. After dressing in two different colored socks and using the small dust pan broom to brush his hair, he went outside without any shoes or a coat so he could ride his bike in the snow. We had to tie the gate shut so he can't get in to the front yard or the street. Tonight we had to drive Erron to return his rental car because his truck finally arrive today on the transport. On the way, Dane was sitting in the back seat and just started quoting Princess Bride. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." He even did it in a detectable Spanish accent.
I am itching because I know that somewhere there is an ant in my house. Stupid ants!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Is NOT About The Dinner -- Thank Goodness!
We attended our new ward for the first time today. Absolutely amazing. The most friendly ward I have ever walked in to. We have names, phone numbers, dates, places and invitations. I think the kids are thrilled to have something they can depend on to be the same. They were happy they knew the answers to questions even at this 'new church'. The Easter program was beautiful and the choir, although 1/4 the size of our last ward, sounded more full. A couple of the ladies have sisters in Beaverton and one younger than us couple is from Pocatello and actually knew a member of my family. The only branch of my dads family that are members of the church besides me and my brother. The world is small but the Mormon Church makes it even smaller.
I struggled with how to make Easter about Christ is our new house. Schedules are non-existent and any of you that know me know that schedules and lists are my best friends. We can't find things, boxes are still everywhere and do your kids really listen and hear what you are saying anyway? I hadn't voice my concerns but Reagan really pulled it out for us again last night during family prayer. She asked in her prayer for us, "to find a way to remember Christ during Easter and that it's not about the candy and presents." I swear she was sent here to give me strength. Just when I think I just doesn't matter and it isn't getting through one of the kids does something that gives me hope. It is kind of like that first smile when they are a few weeks old. These glimpses of thoughts that they have without your prompting three seconds before. My eyes raise to heaven and I mouth, "Thank you". It gets even better.
Most mornings the kids come and jump in bed with us. This morning the kids started asking questions about the resurrection. How will we know when it is coming? Has Christ already come again? We explained that only Heavenly Father knows when the second coming will be but that he has given us some clues to look for when it is close. The spirit of Elijah, the restoration of the Gospel, the Gospel to all the earth to name a few. We talked about how when Christ comes again the whole world will know because he will be the new king. It won't be like when he came as a baby and people said, "this little guy?" The wars will end and there will be peace. Kale asked us if grandpa Bruderer got to see Jesus at the end of WWII. They know that he was is the navy during that war. He was pretty excited that it meant the end to all wars not just WWII.
How can Easter get any better? Well, Reagan then went out to climb the 50 ft. magnolia tree in the backyard. She made it about 30 ft. up. She was thrilled that she was flexible and strong enough to maneuver her way up. If there is a picture at the beginning of this post it means I got off my tail and plugged in my camera to download the pictures. FYI, the magnolias bloom in April. Can't wait.
Can you feel the suspense building? We all know that the Tamara we know and love is not the eternal optimist. In fact we love her for her fits and sarcasm right? So have no fear, I am here. Should we name my alter ego? Bad Tam? Heather, I know you have some ideas:)
We have a experienced only minor inconveniences in our new house. Teal tile in the kitchen, pink tile in the bathroom, the stove fan that shakes the whole kitchen, ANTS, can't find the Wii pieces, the kitchen is 1/2 the size of our old one, and a few other little things that I have lovingly mocked. Our first big holiday dinner in this house changed all of that. The hotel size microwave takes 6 minutes to heat green beans. Can you believe that? Stupid microwave! The stupid stove turned itself off right in the middle of baking a cake. Technology that thinks for itself right here in my kitchen. Lucky me! The stupid burner I was making the gravy, for the fourth time in my whole life, on doesn't know low only high. Reagan was whisking it for me and in about 30 seconds it had scalded and was as thick as ice cream. Stupid stove! The stupid ANTS thought they were invited to dinner and they filled the sink while I was cooking. Stupid ANTS! It took me so long to find the mixer, the bowls, the spoons and the butter that the potatoes got cold before I could mash them. Stupid potatoes! Kale hated the coconut in the fruit salad. Dane wouldn't touch the ham or the mashed potatoes. Reagan thought I was talking about her when I told Erron he was expecting me to work with sub-par equipment. I assured her she was the only thing in the kitchen worth working with. Stupid kitchen!
In my head, this is where I stomp my feet and march off like the 12 year-old I am inside. This whole week we have been debating buying this house and tearing it apart or keep looking for a newer house. At 5pm you could not have paid me enough to do anything but burn this place down. Then after dessert when trees were being climbed again, soccer balls were being kicked into the soccer goal, the Frisbee was being thrown and Dane was on a bear hunt through the trees in our huge backyard, I had to stop and think about the price tag I have to put on this yard the fantastic neighborhood and priceless neighbors. I just don't know.
I found the blog of a friend that I have lost touch with and started reading it. Someone told me about it a couple of months ago and it took me this long to get to it. She has given me the courage to keep asking Heavenly Father what we should do. He knows I am not just sitting around waiting but really looking. Sometimes I just don't feel worthy of the answers. You know that giving away your favorite sins to get what is really important in your life. In an effort to keep the spirit for an extra 15 minutes after church today Erron dedicated the house and gave the kids blessings of comfort and strength as they prepare to start at their new schools this week. He asked me if I would like a blessing too and I said yes although I always cringe a little at what I might hear. Those little things that might not mean something to anyone else but you now exactly what it means and God knows you know exactly what it means.
I struggled with how to make Easter about Christ is our new house. Schedules are non-existent and any of you that know me know that schedules and lists are my best friends. We can't find things, boxes are still everywhere and do your kids really listen and hear what you are saying anyway? I hadn't voice my concerns but Reagan really pulled it out for us again last night during family prayer. She asked in her prayer for us, "to find a way to remember Christ during Easter and that it's not about the candy and presents." I swear she was sent here to give me strength. Just when I think I just doesn't matter and it isn't getting through one of the kids does something that gives me hope. It is kind of like that first smile when they are a few weeks old. These glimpses of thoughts that they have without your prompting three seconds before. My eyes raise to heaven and I mouth, "Thank you". It gets even better.
Most mornings the kids come and jump in bed with us. This morning the kids started asking questions about the resurrection. How will we know when it is coming? Has Christ already come again? We explained that only Heavenly Father knows when the second coming will be but that he has given us some clues to look for when it is close. The spirit of Elijah, the restoration of the Gospel, the Gospel to all the earth to name a few. We talked about how when Christ comes again the whole world will know because he will be the new king. It won't be like when he came as a baby and people said, "this little guy?" The wars will end and there will be peace. Kale asked us if grandpa Bruderer got to see Jesus at the end of WWII. They know that he was is the navy during that war. He was pretty excited that it meant the end to all wars not just WWII.
How can Easter get any better? Well, Reagan then went out to climb the 50 ft. magnolia tree in the backyard. She made it about 30 ft. up. She was thrilled that she was flexible and strong enough to maneuver her way up. If there is a picture at the beginning of this post it means I got off my tail and plugged in my camera to download the pictures. FYI, the magnolias bloom in April. Can't wait.
Can you feel the suspense building? We all know that the Tamara we know and love is not the eternal optimist. In fact we love her for her fits and sarcasm right? So have no fear, I am here. Should we name my alter ego? Bad Tam? Heather, I know you have some ideas:)
We have a experienced only minor inconveniences in our new house. Teal tile in the kitchen, pink tile in the bathroom, the stove fan that shakes the whole kitchen, ANTS, can't find the Wii pieces, the kitchen is 1/2 the size of our old one, and a few other little things that I have lovingly mocked. Our first big holiday dinner in this house changed all of that. The hotel size microwave takes 6 minutes to heat green beans. Can you believe that? Stupid microwave! The stupid stove turned itself off right in the middle of baking a cake. Technology that thinks for itself right here in my kitchen. Lucky me! The stupid burner I was making the gravy, for the fourth time in my whole life, on doesn't know low only high. Reagan was whisking it for me and in about 30 seconds it had scalded and was as thick as ice cream. Stupid stove! The stupid ANTS thought they were invited to dinner and they filled the sink while I was cooking. Stupid ANTS! It took me so long to find the mixer, the bowls, the spoons and the butter that the potatoes got cold before I could mash them. Stupid potatoes! Kale hated the coconut in the fruit salad. Dane wouldn't touch the ham or the mashed potatoes. Reagan thought I was talking about her when I told Erron he was expecting me to work with sub-par equipment. I assured her she was the only thing in the kitchen worth working with. Stupid kitchen!
In my head, this is where I stomp my feet and march off like the 12 year-old I am inside. This whole week we have been debating buying this house and tearing it apart or keep looking for a newer house. At 5pm you could not have paid me enough to do anything but burn this place down. Then after dessert when trees were being climbed again, soccer balls were being kicked into the soccer goal, the Frisbee was being thrown and Dane was on a bear hunt through the trees in our huge backyard, I had to stop and think about the price tag I have to put on this yard the fantastic neighborhood and priceless neighbors. I just don't know.
I found the blog of a friend that I have lost touch with and started reading it. Someone told me about it a couple of months ago and it took me this long to get to it. She has given me the courage to keep asking Heavenly Father what we should do. He knows I am not just sitting around waiting but really looking. Sometimes I just don't feel worthy of the answers. You know that giving away your favorite sins to get what is really important in your life. In an effort to keep the spirit for an extra 15 minutes after church today Erron dedicated the house and gave the kids blessings of comfort and strength as they prepare to start at their new schools this week. He asked me if I would like a blessing too and I said yes although I always cringe a little at what I might hear. Those little things that might not mean something to anyone else but you now exactly what it means and God knows you know exactly what it means.
Friday, March 21, 2008
No Longer Homeless
We are in our house and have DirecTV, electricity, gas (natural--I guess it's all natural:)), water and internet. Our new phone get's hooked up Tuesday and I will forward that number and our new address by email. The kids got so creative during our no tv days that it makes me sad to have it now. They had races to see how many shirts/pants they could put on the fastest. Reagan won with 11 shirts and 6 pants/skirts. They put on a couple of plays, went snake hunting in the back yard --yep we have them, made a mailbox for me and wrote me some hysterical mail and coupons, played in the rain during a tornado watch--oops, organized their rooms, played hide and seek in our tornado shelter, Dane pulled down some curtains, Reagan painted Kale's finger and toe nails and they taught Dane to respond to someone who asks do you love me, "No, but you are hot." Maybe TV is not such a bad idea.
But Erron could not exist without Diet Coke, TV, Bed and Pizza. If all those things were in one room he would never leave. I have told him that before so if he reads this he can only nod his head.
I don't consider myself hyper, maybe slightly intense, but not hyper. Here, I look like the energizer bunny on drugs. If this next scene had happened in our old stomping grounds no one would have even looked twice at us. So Wednesday night on the news, one thing TV is good for, the nice weatherman informed us that today would be almost 70* and sunny. The Oregonian in me says hurray summer is here and we need shorts. Thursday the kids and I head to Old Navy. We blow through the door and I am trying to tame Dane, throw clothes at kids and my cell phone rings 4 times (the ring tone is Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli). Now, they do have cell phones in TN but I have not seen one person on one in public or heard a music ring tone since I was here a month ago with a realtor. Moms were looking and me and just as we walk past a group of about 5 moms Dane (3) asks, "If we are good at the shoe store can we get a Frappacino at Starbucks?" Mouths drop and it becomes 100% apparent that we are not from here. I almost felt like a Californian must feel when they first move to Idaho.
I can just see Reagan's first day at school. You must remember that our kids were born and raised in the Northwest. Recycling is a way of life and is preached from billboards, commercials, church and schools. When Reagan was in kindergarten her class did a month long segment on the Rain Forest. Rain forest math, spelling words, art, geography, speeches etc.. She was hooked. The kindergarten even had parents donate organic ingredients to make trail mix to sell at the school art walk so they could buy a piece of the rain forest so it wouldn't be cut down. So when Reagan hears that TN does not recycle my little hippie girl is appalled! She went off....."Don't they know that if they use too much paper they have to cut down more trees and animals die because their habitat is destroyed? If they cut down more trees and the animals have to move into other areas the feeding grounds can't support them all. We are going to keep recycling right mom!" With that she marched out to the garage and set-up her paper, plastic and glass sections. Erron took one look at me and said, "This is not going to be your new project is it? To make Tennessee recycle?" After my foray into PTA that last couple of years I think he is a little nervous.
The south is almost like a different country. Everyone speaks English and even the fast food, convenience store and dry cleaner owners/workers are American. I mean absolutely no disrespect by that comment. Just that it is very different. Reagan did ask me if a southern learned Spanish would they speak it with an accent. The kids are making this even funner that it should be.
And the people here are so nice. The Dominoes Pizza guy stood on the porch for 10 minutes chatting and welcoming us to TN. I had to call one the utilities with a question and the gentleman was so helpful and told me that with three new utilities to deal with off course I would have questions and to call back anytime I need anything. My neighbor, Miss Jayne, came over the first day and has been so great to the kids. She told them all about the school and the ways of the south. "Southerns are happy people and we just want to have fun and make friends. You will have so much fun and school and the kids will all love you. If one them is a little snot nose, well just know that not everyone is like that and they probably aren't from here anyway. Just don't call anybody a hillbilly. It's like using the 'n' word."
Miss Jayne's husband is and oil guy and has drilled all over including for King Hussein in Jordan. She has a 15 yr old daughter Cheyenne. Our other neighbor Connie is a VP at U of Tennessee and she will retire in June. Her husband, Wes, was a CFO and just retired. They have started a new business. Silicone bake ware in the shape and color of the different college initials. You know that this means our USC tradition will expand to cakes, cupcakes and ice trays. They told us about the owners of this house. The wife left to go to culinary school in Portland and is now the pastry chef at Disneyland. The husband is a nuclear engineer building a plant in Iceland. My kind of togetherness.
You now how well all thought that Happy Valley Elementary was so overcrowded? Kale's school (K-2) has 17 kindergarten classes. His school makes Spring Mountain look like an ant farm. Reagan's school (3-5) shares a campus with the middle school (6-8) on the other side of the hill from the high school. It looks like a small college campus all together.
Writing this has become my therapy. I do miss you all. Not seeing you at school, church, Nordstrom, Safeway. Dane asked me if he could call his buddy Stratton and see how he is doing. We all feel it. The changes. A good adventure it may be, but going on somewhere else gives me a little pain in my heart. My wise friend Madison wrote to me, "Don't be sad because it's over. Smile because it happened."
But Erron could not exist without Diet Coke, TV, Bed and Pizza. If all those things were in one room he would never leave. I have told him that before so if he reads this he can only nod his head.
I don't consider myself hyper, maybe slightly intense, but not hyper. Here, I look like the energizer bunny on drugs. If this next scene had happened in our old stomping grounds no one would have even looked twice at us. So Wednesday night on the news, one thing TV is good for, the nice weatherman informed us that today would be almost 70* and sunny. The Oregonian in me says hurray summer is here and we need shorts. Thursday the kids and I head to Old Navy. We blow through the door and I am trying to tame Dane, throw clothes at kids and my cell phone rings 4 times (the ring tone is Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli). Now, they do have cell phones in TN but I have not seen one person on one in public or heard a music ring tone since I was here a month ago with a realtor. Moms were looking and me and just as we walk past a group of about 5 moms Dane (3) asks, "If we are good at the shoe store can we get a Frappacino at Starbucks?" Mouths drop and it becomes 100% apparent that we are not from here. I almost felt like a Californian must feel when they first move to Idaho.
I can just see Reagan's first day at school. You must remember that our kids were born and raised in the Northwest. Recycling is a way of life and is preached from billboards, commercials, church and schools. When Reagan was in kindergarten her class did a month long segment on the Rain Forest. Rain forest math, spelling words, art, geography, speeches etc.. She was hooked. The kindergarten even had parents donate organic ingredients to make trail mix to sell at the school art walk so they could buy a piece of the rain forest so it wouldn't be cut down. So when Reagan hears that TN does not recycle my little hippie girl is appalled! She went off....."Don't they know that if they use too much paper they have to cut down more trees and animals die because their habitat is destroyed? If they cut down more trees and the animals have to move into other areas the feeding grounds can't support them all. We are going to keep recycling right mom!" With that she marched out to the garage and set-up her paper, plastic and glass sections. Erron took one look at me and said, "This is not going to be your new project is it? To make Tennessee recycle?" After my foray into PTA that last couple of years I think he is a little nervous.
The south is almost like a different country. Everyone speaks English and even the fast food, convenience store and dry cleaner owners/workers are American. I mean absolutely no disrespect by that comment. Just that it is very different. Reagan did ask me if a southern learned Spanish would they speak it with an accent. The kids are making this even funner that it should be.
And the people here are so nice. The Dominoes Pizza guy stood on the porch for 10 minutes chatting and welcoming us to TN. I had to call one the utilities with a question and the gentleman was so helpful and told me that with three new utilities to deal with off course I would have questions and to call back anytime I need anything. My neighbor, Miss Jayne, came over the first day and has been so great to the kids. She told them all about the school and the ways of the south. "Southerns are happy people and we just want to have fun and make friends. You will have so much fun and school and the kids will all love you. If one them is a little snot nose, well just know that not everyone is like that and they probably aren't from here anyway. Just don't call anybody a hillbilly. It's like using the 'n' word."
Miss Jayne's husband is and oil guy and has drilled all over including for King Hussein in Jordan. She has a 15 yr old daughter Cheyenne. Our other neighbor Connie is a VP at U of Tennessee and she will retire in June. Her husband, Wes, was a CFO and just retired. They have started a new business. Silicone bake ware in the shape and color of the different college initials. You know that this means our USC tradition will expand to cakes, cupcakes and ice trays. They told us about the owners of this house. The wife left to go to culinary school in Portland and is now the pastry chef at Disneyland. The husband is a nuclear engineer building a plant in Iceland. My kind of togetherness.
You now how well all thought that Happy Valley Elementary was so overcrowded? Kale's school (K-2) has 17 kindergarten classes. His school makes Spring Mountain look like an ant farm. Reagan's school (3-5) shares a campus with the middle school (6-8) on the other side of the hill from the high school. It looks like a small college campus all together.
Writing this has become my therapy. I do miss you all. Not seeing you at school, church, Nordstrom, Safeway. Dane asked me if he could call his buddy Stratton and see how he is doing. We all feel it. The changes. A good adventure it may be, but going on somewhere else gives me a little pain in my heart. My wise friend Madison wrote to me, "Don't be sad because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Monday, March 17, 2008
A++ For Not Exploding
Today was one of those days you just have to grin and bear it.
It started off trying to find a Dr. for Dane because we thought he had an ear infection. The first office wasn't taking new patients but gave us the # of their other office. They were able to get us in at 10am but I am learning that in TN time that means anytime between 10 and 11. I should have figured that out when the scheduler said see you AROUND 10. Fine. So he doesn't have and ear infection or Strep and they have never seen an insurance card like our new one. They had to call the Mayor, the Govenor and finally the Dept. of Defense to approve it. The nurses and the Dr. were very nice though:)
We came back to the hotel to let the boys veg because they felt so aweful. Here is where my drive to be efficient sometimes bites me and becomes a weakness. My plan was to put in some laundry and then call the utilities to put them in our name. Two things at one time get it? Well that is all well and good in the parallel universe where everyone pays their bills. Whoever rented our house before us didn't pay their bills so none of the utilities would open my account over the phone. Erron is working in NC and I did not know my way around except to get from the hotel to the house or Target. It seems my life has been spent with situations saying you can't do this and me getting mad and saying you just watch me. Me and my buddy Mapquest mapped our way to the gas company which was set to turn off the gas today, the electric company and the water company. First we had to pick-up copies of the lease agreement to take to everyone and convince them not to make me bring in my SS card because it is on a truck somewhere hopefully close to TN. The kids piled in the car and away we went to downtown Knoxville to switch the gas before it got turned off. Is it just me or are the Irish especially jubilant this year. Streets were closed for parties and green was everywhere. The kids tripped out of the car and we stood in line to open our account. Some nice lady took my lease agreement and entered my drivers license info into the computer and then told me I was set up but I had to step over to a bank of phones and have it activated. Just press two. The person, #2 for short, told me there was nothing about me in the computer and proceeded to give me the third degree. 20 minutes later, everything sorted we had to drive through Sonic for 1/2 prices drinks 2-4pm.
Now we are heading back to Cedar Bluff around the Irish party roads. The electric company is in the north, the water in the south. Guess what I discovered sits right between. TARGET. We treated ourselves to a broom and some milk and took it to the house.
Utilities on! I did call our leasing agent this morning and found that he is as useful as a stick. He should be politician. No need to answer a question then.
How do I deal with a state that does not recycle and the yard debris get mixed with the regular garbage? After living in Oregon this is just not natural. For $17/month we get a 96 gallon can emptied weekly + up to 9 additional bags. Are you kidding me? If my 33 gallon can in Oregon didn't close the last inch they charged me and extra $6. I am disgusted and amazed at the same time and I can't decide if it is with Oregon for being so green or Tennessee for being so irresponsible.
Hugs and kisses from the south. Anyone need me to get them a recipe for sweet potato pudding. It is awesome.
It started off trying to find a Dr. for Dane because we thought he had an ear infection. The first office wasn't taking new patients but gave us the # of their other office. They were able to get us in at 10am but I am learning that in TN time that means anytime between 10 and 11. I should have figured that out when the scheduler said see you AROUND 10. Fine. So he doesn't have and ear infection or Strep and they have never seen an insurance card like our new one. They had to call the Mayor, the Govenor and finally the Dept. of Defense to approve it. The nurses and the Dr. were very nice though:)
We came back to the hotel to let the boys veg because they felt so aweful. Here is where my drive to be efficient sometimes bites me and becomes a weakness. My plan was to put in some laundry and then call the utilities to put them in our name. Two things at one time get it? Well that is all well and good in the parallel universe where everyone pays their bills. Whoever rented our house before us didn't pay their bills so none of the utilities would open my account over the phone. Erron is working in NC and I did not know my way around except to get from the hotel to the house or Target. It seems my life has been spent with situations saying you can't do this and me getting mad and saying you just watch me. Me and my buddy Mapquest mapped our way to the gas company which was set to turn off the gas today, the electric company and the water company. First we had to pick-up copies of the lease agreement to take to everyone and convince them not to make me bring in my SS card because it is on a truck somewhere hopefully close to TN. The kids piled in the car and away we went to downtown Knoxville to switch the gas before it got turned off. Is it just me or are the Irish especially jubilant this year. Streets were closed for parties and green was everywhere. The kids tripped out of the car and we stood in line to open our account. Some nice lady took my lease agreement and entered my drivers license info into the computer and then told me I was set up but I had to step over to a bank of phones and have it activated. Just press two. The person, #2 for short, told me there was nothing about me in the computer and proceeded to give me the third degree. 20 minutes later, everything sorted we had to drive through Sonic for 1/2 prices drinks 2-4pm.
Now we are heading back to Cedar Bluff around the Irish party roads. The electric company is in the north, the water in the south. Guess what I discovered sits right between. TARGET. We treated ourselves to a broom and some milk and took it to the house.
Utilities on! I did call our leasing agent this morning and found that he is as useful as a stick. He should be politician. No need to answer a question then.
How do I deal with a state that does not recycle and the yard debris get mixed with the regular garbage? After living in Oregon this is just not natural. For $17/month we get a 96 gallon can emptied weekly + up to 9 additional bags. Are you kidding me? If my 33 gallon can in Oregon didn't close the last inch they charged me and extra $6. I am disgusted and amazed at the same time and I can't decide if it is with Oregon for being so green or Tennessee for being so irresponsible.
Hugs and kisses from the south. Anyone need me to get them a recipe for sweet potato pudding. It is awesome.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
I Am Woman Hear Me Roar!!!!!!!!!
Even if my kids don't remember this, I will never forget. 2,800 miles, 10 states, 8 days, about 45 hours driving and countless potty breaks later. My multi-tasking skills have expanded to new realms. I can now drive and put a pillow case on a pillow after the boys have a pillow fight.
We are here in Knoxville. Erron took us to see the house this afternoon. He did a great job picking out a house for us to rent. The yard is amazing--about 10x bigger than our yard in Happy Valley. The bedrooms are nice and big and the back porch rocks! We even had a bunny run through the yard while we were back there. Dane thought great something to terrorize. Kale thought chasing a bunny was way too much effort and Reagan was thinking a living Webkin. The neighborhood is awesome and has a pool and tennis courts. Good job Erron!
Our stuff gets here on Tuesday so we will be in a Marriott until then. The kids were really great on this trip and aside from a couple of hours Saturday morning going through Illinois, I am so glad we did this. Reagan got a cold from Aunt Teena that took a couple of days to get over and Kale now has the flu and we are taking Dane to the Dr. for an ear infection tomorrow so life just goes on like before.
Trip Memories
1. Thank you to the sweet police officer in Independence, MO that took pity on me and instead of giving me a ticket for 49 in a 35, he gave me a warning and a stack of baseball cards for the boys.
2. Knowing that I was truly in the south when about five miles into Kentucky I passed the first of many mega churches with huge crosses on the top that have flashing lights to warn airplanes. Those crosses will kill ya.
3. Reagan laughing at some lady in the convenience store because she talks funny. She even asked if she had to start talking like that because she doesn't want to. I told her to make it her personal mission not to gain an accent.
4. The crazy guy with the green flashing light wishing me a Happy St. Patrick's Day -- two days early.
5. Not being able to use the pool in the Marriott in Pocatello because, "somebody did their business in the pool."
6. Erron being flustered because I wasn't worried about the house he rented. He kept saying he didn't want me to be disappointed. Are you kidding? I just wanted to be somewhere. We are homeless at this point.
7. Today I asked Reagan if she could be happy here in Tennessee. She said yes as long she could go back to Oregon to visit too. I asked her what she wanted to do in Oregon and she said see our friends. What if our friends move from Oregon? I want to visit our friends wherever they are. So it's not Oregon is our friends? She said yes that's it.
So we send our love to our friends wherever you are.
We are here in Knoxville. Erron took us to see the house this afternoon. He did a great job picking out a house for us to rent. The yard is amazing--about 10x bigger than our yard in Happy Valley. The bedrooms are nice and big and the back porch rocks! We even had a bunny run through the yard while we were back there. Dane thought great something to terrorize. Kale thought chasing a bunny was way too much effort and Reagan was thinking a living Webkin. The neighborhood is awesome and has a pool and tennis courts. Good job Erron!
Our stuff gets here on Tuesday so we will be in a Marriott until then. The kids were really great on this trip and aside from a couple of hours Saturday morning going through Illinois, I am so glad we did this. Reagan got a cold from Aunt Teena that took a couple of days to get over and Kale now has the flu and we are taking Dane to the Dr. for an ear infection tomorrow so life just goes on like before.
Trip Memories
1. Thank you to the sweet police officer in Independence, MO that took pity on me and instead of giving me a ticket for 49 in a 35, he gave me a warning and a stack of baseball cards for the boys.
2. Knowing that I was truly in the south when about five miles into Kentucky I passed the first of many mega churches with huge crosses on the top that have flashing lights to warn airplanes. Those crosses will kill ya.
3. Reagan laughing at some lady in the convenience store because she talks funny. She even asked if she had to start talking like that because she doesn't want to. I told her to make it her personal mission not to gain an accent.
4. The crazy guy with the green flashing light wishing me a Happy St. Patrick's Day -- two days early.
5. Not being able to use the pool in the Marriott in Pocatello because, "somebody did their business in the pool."
6. Erron being flustered because I wasn't worried about the house he rented. He kept saying he didn't want me to be disappointed. Are you kidding? I just wanted to be somewhere. We are homeless at this point.
7. Today I asked Reagan if she could be happy here in Tennessee. She said yes as long she could go back to Oregon to visit too. I asked her what she wanted to do in Oregon and she said see our friends. What if our friends move from Oregon? I want to visit our friends wherever they are. So it's not Oregon is our friends? She said yes that's it.
So we send our love to our friends wherever you are.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Our Tenth and Final State
Any day that starts with the car with a flashing green light on top next to you waving and giving you a thumbs up and then rolling down the window and telling you Happy St. Patrick's Day has got to be a good one. People in Illinois take their Irish holidays very seriously.
Illinois was okay. They need to do some road work and they have the craziest McDonalds ever just as you head south on 57 from 64E. That place is a madhouse. So many people, no playplace and the bathroom is right in the middle instead of the side so the lines for food get crossed with the lines for the potty. Not a happy place!
Kentucky is beautiful. The green almost looks fake it is so bright. The fields go on and on and when I saw the first one I thought it was a St. Patrick's Day prank you know everybody colors their 1,000 acres green. The whole time I thought of the song Run For The Roses. My friend Christy would appreciate the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. We stopped for lunch at an Inn on Lake Kentucky. No one else was there luckily. The kids were in rare form. Dane was hiding under the table next to us when the waitress tried to talk to him and asked if he was hiding. I told her that I paid him to hide sometimes and she about fell over laughing. She went in the back and told some other people what I said and they cracked up and had to come and meet the crazy family from Oregon. My accent is coming back already. I even have a new nickname for Dane - Scooter. How about Bubba for Kale? Isn't this fun?
Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and finally Tennessee. We met Erron in Nashville this afternoon, too late to visit the Tennessee State Museum. Coming into Nashville from the West is one of the most dramatic entrances to a city I have ever seen. The trees are so thick and the fog was dense. It reminded me of a Civil War movie. We have been swimming and eating dinner and mom is maybe going to go to sleep soon. Our stuff gets to Knoxville early Tuesday morning and we should be able to sleep in the house that night. I will take pictures of the house tomorrow and post them.
My first southern recipe.
Sawdust Pie
7 egg whites, unbeaten
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1.5 cups pecan
1.5 cups coconut
9-inch unbaked pie shell
Mix all ingredients together and stir by hand. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake in preheated 325* oven until glossy and set (about 25-30 minutes).
DO NOT OVERBAKE! Serve warm with sliced bananas and whipped cream. Serves 8
Illinois was okay. They need to do some road work and they have the craziest McDonalds ever just as you head south on 57 from 64E. That place is a madhouse. So many people, no playplace and the bathroom is right in the middle instead of the side so the lines for food get crossed with the lines for the potty. Not a happy place!
Kentucky is beautiful. The green almost looks fake it is so bright. The fields go on and on and when I saw the first one I thought it was a St. Patrick's Day prank you know everybody colors their 1,000 acres green. The whole time I thought of the song Run For The Roses. My friend Christy would appreciate the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. We stopped for lunch at an Inn on Lake Kentucky. No one else was there luckily. The kids were in rare form. Dane was hiding under the table next to us when the waitress tried to talk to him and asked if he was hiding. I told her that I paid him to hide sometimes and she about fell over laughing. She went in the back and told some other people what I said and they cracked up and had to come and meet the crazy family from Oregon. My accent is coming back already. I even have a new nickname for Dane - Scooter. How about Bubba for Kale? Isn't this fun?
Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and finally Tennessee. We met Erron in Nashville this afternoon, too late to visit the Tennessee State Museum. Coming into Nashville from the West is one of the most dramatic entrances to a city I have ever seen. The trees are so thick and the fog was dense. It reminded me of a Civil War movie. We have been swimming and eating dinner and mom is maybe going to go to sleep soon. Our stuff gets to Knoxville early Tuesday morning and we should be able to sleep in the house that night. I will take pictures of the house tomorrow and post them.
My first southern recipe.
Sawdust Pie
7 egg whites, unbeaten
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1.5 cups pecan
1.5 cups coconut
9-inch unbaked pie shell
Mix all ingredients together and stir by hand. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake in preheated 325* oven until glossy and set (about 25-30 minutes).
DO NOT OVERBAKE! Serve warm with sliced bananas and whipped cream. Serves 8
ARE WE THERE YET????????
Notice the all caps in the title. My friend Sharisa once told me that she felt like I was yelling at her because my emails were in all caps. I am yelling this time. Pioneers have been on my mind a lot on this trip because of all the historical sites we have been to on this trip. All I can say is that they covered 1200 miles in about 4 months and if I had to take a 4 month trip with my kids I would cry, scream, throw a tantrum, try to lose them, or leave them at a gas station. We need to be seperated and sent to our own rooms to decompress.
Which one of my funny Oregon friends put their Tamara Voodoo doll in the shower yesterday? Five miles before Oregon, Missouri it started raining. No kidding. Our entire trip we have had beautiful blue skies until Oregon, Missouri. It only lasted 20 minutes but it was enough to scare me into getting my flippers out. I have to say Missouri is really pretty though. Lots of trees just waiting to get their leaves and not as flat as Nebraska. I can see why the Mormons wanted to settle here. I can also see why Brigham Young didn't say, "This is the right place." in Nebraska or Wyoming.
Yesterday we went through Iowa, Missouri and now we are about five miles past St. Louis in Illinois. Our driving has dramatically changed. For the 900 miles through Wyoming and Nebraska I put the Chevy on cruise control at 82 and just drove passing a few cars and lots of semis. After we left Omaha yesterday morning is was quiet for a while but as soon as we got close to Kansas City the traffic piled up and didn't give up all the way to our hotel. We sat for 30 minutes in Hanniba, MO and didn't move. Columbus was crazy. We stopped there at 4:45pm to get gas and everybody had left work at 4:30pm. INSANE.
For about 18 years I have counted Utah drivers as the worst ever. It has only gotten worse with cell phones. A MAV driven by someone talking on a cell phone are you kidding me? (For all of you without books on Mormon slang, a MAV is a Mormon Assault Vehicle. Usually a Suburban driven by a teenage girl or a young mom with 6-8 kids in the back.) I was wrong. Utahans are not the worst drivers. St. Louis drivers top them. I can't even describe the feelings when I was crossing the bridge in downtown St. Louis that runs right next to the Arch. Three major freeways merge into one and the number of those funky old Oldmobiles with the added hydrolics bouncing past me at 80 mph was a little distracting. With the construction and everything I got lost. Right at that point Dane messed his diaper, Kale had to go potty - BAD, and the movie had just ended. We starting looking for anything familiar that would signal a safe place to get off the freeway. Thanks goodness for Lowes. We let KI go potty, changed Dane's diaper and found a very friendly clerk who actually lived in Illinois and just worked there in Missouri. She gave us better directions than Mapquest. Not hard I am learning.
Our drive yesterday should have been about eight hours including stops. It ended up about 11. Even Reagan, miss go with the flow Reagan, is OVER IT. We have changed our plans a little and Erron is meeting us in Nashville today. He didn't have anything else to do and honestly he is a life saver. We will stay there tonight and go on to Knoxville tomorrow. Tennessee State Museum here we come.
Kale's favorite part of yesterday was laying on the bed in the pioneer house at the Independence Visitors Center. Dane won't say what his part was because he just doesn't want to remember. Reagan's favorite part was the history stuff. We added five new states to our license plate list. Don't ask me what they are because we left the paper in the car.
We had our group hug this morning and now we are ready for breakfast.
Which one of my funny Oregon friends put their Tamara Voodoo doll in the shower yesterday? Five miles before Oregon, Missouri it started raining. No kidding. Our entire trip we have had beautiful blue skies until Oregon, Missouri. It only lasted 20 minutes but it was enough to scare me into getting my flippers out. I have to say Missouri is really pretty though. Lots of trees just waiting to get their leaves and not as flat as Nebraska. I can see why the Mormons wanted to settle here. I can also see why Brigham Young didn't say, "This is the right place." in Nebraska or Wyoming.
Yesterday we went through Iowa, Missouri and now we are about five miles past St. Louis in Illinois. Our driving has dramatically changed. For the 900 miles through Wyoming and Nebraska I put the Chevy on cruise control at 82 and just drove passing a few cars and lots of semis. After we left Omaha yesterday morning is was quiet for a while but as soon as we got close to Kansas City the traffic piled up and didn't give up all the way to our hotel. We sat for 30 minutes in Hanniba, MO and didn't move. Columbus was crazy. We stopped there at 4:45pm to get gas and everybody had left work at 4:30pm. INSANE.
For about 18 years I have counted Utah drivers as the worst ever. It has only gotten worse with cell phones. A MAV driven by someone talking on a cell phone are you kidding me? (For all of you without books on Mormon slang, a MAV is a Mormon Assault Vehicle. Usually a Suburban driven by a teenage girl or a young mom with 6-8 kids in the back.) I was wrong. Utahans are not the worst drivers. St. Louis drivers top them. I can't even describe the feelings when I was crossing the bridge in downtown St. Louis that runs right next to the Arch. Three major freeways merge into one and the number of those funky old Oldmobiles with the added hydrolics bouncing past me at 80 mph was a little distracting. With the construction and everything I got lost. Right at that point Dane messed his diaper, Kale had to go potty - BAD, and the movie had just ended. We starting looking for anything familiar that would signal a safe place to get off the freeway. Thanks goodness for Lowes. We let KI go potty, changed Dane's diaper and found a very friendly clerk who actually lived in Illinois and just worked there in Missouri. She gave us better directions than Mapquest. Not hard I am learning.
Our drive yesterday should have been about eight hours including stops. It ended up about 11. Even Reagan, miss go with the flow Reagan, is OVER IT. We have changed our plans a little and Erron is meeting us in Nashville today. He didn't have anything else to do and honestly he is a life saver. We will stay there tonight and go on to Knoxville tomorrow. Tennessee State Museum here we come.
Kale's favorite part of yesterday was laying on the bed in the pioneer house at the Independence Visitors Center. Dane won't say what his part was because he just doesn't want to remember. Reagan's favorite part was the history stuff. We added five new states to our license plate list. Don't ask me what they are because we left the paper in the car.
We had our group hug this morning and now we are ready for breakfast.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Past The Half-Way Mark
About 80 miles into our trip today we were half-way. The kids tried really hard but everyone's bum is feeling the pain. The best distraction mid-day was watching the Princess Bride. "He was a farm boy. Poor. Poor and perfect with eyes like the sea after a storm." "Life is Pain. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something." Gotta love it.
We drove across Nebraska today in beautiful 60* weather with blue skies. We stopped in Sydney. Erron convinced me to move to Sydney a couple of years ago telling me it was about 50,000 people and not far from Denver. Ya right! If there are 10,000 people in that town I would be suprised. Probably not even a Target.
Next we stopped in North Platte and found a great park to eat lunch. They have a beautiful memorial to all of the soldiers from Nebraska in every war in each of the services. Each soldier has a brick and they add a new one for each soldier even now.
We actually found our Fort today. Fort Kearny is part of the Mormon trail and they had a great exhibit of the wagons and handcart companies. Kale's favorite part was the Blacksmith shop where they showed the bellows. Reagan liked the Mormon history part and Dane liked watching the 5,000 Sandhill Cranes take off out of the field. This part of Nebraska gets about 450,000 cranes each March and October. My plan is backfiring. Kale is liking this way to much. Not long after leaving Kearny we drove past Hastings, the birthplace of Kool-Aid. If only I had known we could have budgeted our time for it.
With the help of Erron and Mapquest we found a Sonic in Omaha and then hit our hotel. Omaha is about half the size of Portland. After being a bit disapointed by Lincoln, Omaha was almost a relief. Finally a decent size city. Oh no. Does this mean I am a city girl now too. I can see myself in Wymoing or Texas but not in farm country mid-west.
This was the longest day of our trip - hopefully. We are expecting rain the next couple of days and I hope that doesn't slow us down. Should I jinx myself and say that this has actually been pretty fun. The car is a mess, the kids have watched A LOT of movies and we have stopped every 1.5 hours for potty breaks but we have also been watching for license plates from each state, playing Going on a Bear Hunt and I'm Going to Take A-Z, Going to Omaha and I'm Going to Take A-Z, Moving to Tennessee and I'm Going to Take A-Z and have only eaten at McDonalds one time on the whole trip. They only way it could have been any better is if one of my buddies had come with and driven for a while in Nebraska so I could take a nap with my pillow:)
We drove across Nebraska today in beautiful 60* weather with blue skies. We stopped in Sydney. Erron convinced me to move to Sydney a couple of years ago telling me it was about 50,000 people and not far from Denver. Ya right! If there are 10,000 people in that town I would be suprised. Probably not even a Target.
Next we stopped in North Platte and found a great park to eat lunch. They have a beautiful memorial to all of the soldiers from Nebraska in every war in each of the services. Each soldier has a brick and they add a new one for each soldier even now.
We actually found our Fort today. Fort Kearny is part of the Mormon trail and they had a great exhibit of the wagons and handcart companies. Kale's favorite part was the Blacksmith shop where they showed the bellows. Reagan liked the Mormon history part and Dane liked watching the 5,000 Sandhill Cranes take off out of the field. This part of Nebraska gets about 450,000 cranes each March and October. My plan is backfiring. Kale is liking this way to much. Not long after leaving Kearny we drove past Hastings, the birthplace of Kool-Aid. If only I had known we could have budgeted our time for it.
With the help of Erron and Mapquest we found a Sonic in Omaha and then hit our hotel. Omaha is about half the size of Portland. After being a bit disapointed by Lincoln, Omaha was almost a relief. Finally a decent size city. Oh no. Does this mean I am a city girl now too. I can see myself in Wymoing or Texas but not in farm country mid-west.
This was the longest day of our trip - hopefully. We are expecting rain the next couple of days and I hope that doesn't slow us down. Should I jinx myself and say that this has actually been pretty fun. The car is a mess, the kids have watched A LOT of movies and we have stopped every 1.5 hours for potty breaks but we have also been watching for license plates from each state, playing Going on a Bear Hunt and I'm Going to Take A-Z, Going to Omaha and I'm Going to Take A-Z, Moving to Tennessee and I'm Going to Take A-Z and have only eaten at McDonalds one time on the whole trip. They only way it could have been any better is if one of my buddies had come with and driven for a while in Nebraska so I could take a nap with my pillow:)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy
So Wyoming is pretty wide. We have driven across about 440 miles of it. This is my first drive past Rock Springs and I have to say that it has inspired me for another adventure. We need a month on a ranch in Wyoming. Riding horses and cooking for cowboys, wearing wranglers and boots, and living an hour from town. That would be awesome--for a month. I asked the kids if they would like to live here and Kale said, "No, it is too far from the stores." Wimp.
The Sorensen kids were on top of their game today. They really stepped up. Reagan is sick and she just cuddled in the back seat and enjoyed the movies. Dane even took a nap for an hour. That is a miracle. Kale didn't even complain until Laramie. He did have an excuse. I mapquested Fort Laramie so we could take a tour and our directions took us to Fort Laramie Towing. It is a lovely white cement block building just up the street from the Cowboy Bar. We drove around looking for any historical signs but Kale was over it. Tired, hungry and not a fan of random historical sites he just wanted to move on. I admit it. I caved. We left.
We learned our lesson about not changing Dane enough. After the second wet through clothes and car seat incident on the way to my mom's, I made an executive decision. Despite my natural instinct to drive as far as fast as I can without stopping, we will stop every 1.5 hours to change Dane and whatever else. Extremely inefficient in my book but easier on the laundry pile. Today we stopped four times. Evanston, Rock Springs, no where and Fort Steele rest stop. In Evanston we found a McDonalds and I have added a picture of Kale riding one of the saddle seats. The wind was blowing so hard at no where it took two of us to close the car door when Kale was done. Erron will be proud to know that Kale has been using his pee in a bottle skills on this trip.
At the hotel in Cheyenne a local suggested a place called the Tortilla Factory for dinner. It was great Mexican food. You go through the back door of a Mexican Market. It was the whole package. We did some swimming and the kiddos are sleeping.
Tomorrow it is onto Omaha. There is another Fort on our agenda. Fort Kearney should be hard to miss. It is literally built over the highway. We are also looking for license plates from different states. So far we have 24.
Favorite things about.....
Wyoming
1. Once again I love those 75 mph speed limits.
2. Would really love to just get on a horse and ride for some serious alone time. Maybe this is my next mommy only trip. Michelle do you want to meet me here next summer?
3. A wonderful change of pace and scenery.
Are We Through The Wilderness Yet?
The drive from Pocatello to Clearfield is just less than two hours. Kale surfaced from watching Ella Enchanted at about Tremonton to ask if we were through the wilderness yet. Such a different perspective from mine.
Do you remember the lady that wanted the quiet wing of the hotel. Well, she was in the lounge yesterday morning working on her laptop and watching CNN when we came down for breakfast. We managed to drive her to quieter pastures in about three minutes. I was torn between being embarrassed because my children were acting like such well...... children and wanting to be a smart aleck and ask her if she wanted to join us for breakfast. Old Bitty!
Packing the car this morning will be an adventure. We always leave mom's with twice as much stuff as the kids came with. We had to go buy some cookie sheets yesterday to keep the magnetic building things on that she game them. I know she is reading this--thank you mom:)
Family dynamics can be difficult sometimes and my family is definately not the exception to that rule. I got to see my brother last night for the first time in over two years. It has lifted a huge weight off of me just to be able to talk to him again. We used to be so close and then we grew up, got married and things happened. It was fun to talk about our crazy kids. He will always be my baby brother.
I'm going to start a list of my favorite things about each of the states that we go through. Just for fun. If any of you want to play along comment on your favorites.
Washington
1. The best thing about Washington were the friends I made. Michelle, Kristen and Monique that's you.
2. The Pacific Science Center and the zoos.
3. Living close to my great-aunt Marjean and Uncle Lyn who took us in and treated us like their kids and loved us. They are the only family we have ever lived close to.
Oregon
1. My Oregon friends that got me through nine years of marriage, babies and life. Holly, Beth, Cindy, Cia, Brenda, Michelle, Heather, Darla, Madison, Kelsey, Amy, Carol and so many more.
2. Green, green, green.
3. The Sellwood Pool.
Idaho
1. 75 mph speed limits that let you go 82 without feeling guilty. The ultimate for the angry driver.
2. Knowing this is the place I grew up and survived.
3. The mountains.
Utah
1. The awesome Wasatch Mountains. Some of my favorite memories from my college days are hiking Rock Canyon over and over and driving through the mountains with Sharisa with the music blaring and singing at the top of my lungs to some silly Vince Gill song.
2. Most of the world plays that game that they try to find a connection to Kevin Bacon through the people they know. I can't remember the name. Well in Utah they play the game trying to find some connection to a General Authority of the Mormon Church. So here we go...when I was in Young Women's we took a trip to Salt Lake to take blankets we had made to the Children's Hospital and visit the Church Office Building. Our leaders surprised us with a visit with Neil Maxwell. In person he talked that same as he did in General Conference. Leaving his office we met Howard W. Hunter in the hall. This was about 10 years before he became President of the Church and I just remember thinking what a kind old man he was. Later he proved to be a tough cookie when that Cody Judy guy put a gun to his head during a talk at BYU. When I was in college I worked in a plant nursery and President Benson's daughter-law-came in and bought a ton of pots. Not all of them would fit in her car so I drove the rest to her house on the way home from work. I've been to Reed Benson's house. Exciting I know. This is why we don't live in Utah.
3. This is already too long. Until tonight..................
Do you remember the lady that wanted the quiet wing of the hotel. Well, she was in the lounge yesterday morning working on her laptop and watching CNN when we came down for breakfast. We managed to drive her to quieter pastures in about three minutes. I was torn between being embarrassed because my children were acting like such well...... children and wanting to be a smart aleck and ask her if she wanted to join us for breakfast. Old Bitty!
Packing the car this morning will be an adventure. We always leave mom's with twice as much stuff as the kids came with. We had to go buy some cookie sheets yesterday to keep the magnetic building things on that she game them. I know she is reading this--thank you mom:)
Family dynamics can be difficult sometimes and my family is definately not the exception to that rule. I got to see my brother last night for the first time in over two years. It has lifted a huge weight off of me just to be able to talk to him again. We used to be so close and then we grew up, got married and things happened. It was fun to talk about our crazy kids. He will always be my baby brother.
I'm going to start a list of my favorite things about each of the states that we go through. Just for fun. If any of you want to play along comment on your favorites.
Washington
1. The best thing about Washington were the friends I made. Michelle, Kristen and Monique that's you.
2. The Pacific Science Center and the zoos.
3. Living close to my great-aunt Marjean and Uncle Lyn who took us in and treated us like their kids and loved us. They are the only family we have ever lived close to.
Oregon
1. My Oregon friends that got me through nine years of marriage, babies and life. Holly, Beth, Cindy, Cia, Brenda, Michelle, Heather, Darla, Madison, Kelsey, Amy, Carol and so many more.
2. Green, green, green.
3. The Sellwood Pool.
Idaho
1. 75 mph speed limits that let you go 82 without feeling guilty. The ultimate for the angry driver.
2. Knowing this is the place I grew up and survived.
3. The mountains.
Utah
1. The awesome Wasatch Mountains. Some of my favorite memories from my college days are hiking Rock Canyon over and over and driving through the mountains with Sharisa with the music blaring and singing at the top of my lungs to some silly Vince Gill song.
2. Most of the world plays that game that they try to find a connection to Kevin Bacon through the people they know. I can't remember the name. Well in Utah they play the game trying to find some connection to a General Authority of the Mormon Church. So here we go...when I was in Young Women's we took a trip to Salt Lake to take blankets we had made to the Children's Hospital and visit the Church Office Building. Our leaders surprised us with a visit with Neil Maxwell. In person he talked that same as he did in General Conference. Leaving his office we met Howard W. Hunter in the hall. This was about 10 years before he became President of the Church and I just remember thinking what a kind old man he was. Later he proved to be a tough cookie when that Cody Judy guy put a gun to his head during a talk at BYU. When I was in college I worked in a plant nursery and President Benson's daughter-law-came in and bought a ton of pots. Not all of them would fit in her car so I drove the rest to her house on the way home from work. I've been to Reed Benson's house. Exciting I know. This is why we don't live in Utah.
3. This is already too long. Until tonight..................
Monday, March 10, 2008
800 Miles Into The Trip
March 10, 2008
Our reputation precedes us. Tonight after I checked into the only Marriott in Pocatello and was returning with our cart full of suitcases, pillows, ruffler duffler (Reagan's blanket) and Mr. Minkie (Reagan's bear), I heard the woman at the front desk ask to be put in a quiet part of the hotel away from any little families like the ones coming in the front door. How come it never occurred to me to ask for that? The kids in one wing of the hotel and me in the 'quiet part'.
This is our fifth night in a hotel and room numbers are starting to blend together. Tonight I ran down to the desk to get some juice to put Dane's Melatonin in and came back up to room 403 and couldn't get my key card to work. I knocked on the door so the kids would let me in and wouldn't you know I interrupted a nice young couple. They were very friendly but they had no children and were in a hotel room ALONE. Lucky ducks. Oops! I am in room 314. Maybe next time I can get lost a little longer.
My dad told me he drove from Boise to Pocatello in 2.5 hours the other day. I figured it would take me 3 then. Baloney! It took me 4 hours to get to American Falls. This is where my revenge on Kale begins. Making him see the things I did as a kid and other great historical sites across the country. We stopped at Register Rock which sits next to the Snake River and was a popular place for the pioneers travelling on the Oregon and California trails to stop and engrave their names on various rocks. There is a picture of this if I can get it to work. Well my revenge backfired because the kids loved climbing all over the rocks. They even made me promise to bring them back here when we come back to visit family.
We stopped to see my Aunt Alaina and she spoiled the kids with peanut butter/honey sandwiches and heaping bowls of ice cream. The kids had a great time seeing all of the farm trucks and tractors. Alaina even has one of those farm dogs that run next to the car when you try and leave and the kids were freaked out because they were sure we were going to run right over Faithful. Oh the life of city kids. I had to explain farm dogs, cattle grates, trailer houses, why there was no traffic, how my family lived in such a tiny house with one bathroom when I was young and how my Grandma Bruderer was the head cook at the grade school when I was a kid and made the rolls and bread fresh everyday. Kale automatically assumed there must have been a pee tree in the back yard of the house I grew up in because surely no one stood in line for the bathroom. Reagan was in awe that the food didn't come frozen to the school so all they had to do was heat it up.
My kids were really freaked out by the American Falls Reservoir. There is a huge old grain elevator that stands out in the middle of it and the kids wanted to know what that was. I took it for granted that they would think it was cool when I explained that they flooded old town American Falls when they build the dam. Of course they moved all of the people out first but if you dive down you can still see some of the old structures. Kale and Reagan thought that was the worst thing they had every heard of. Things like that do NOT happen in the big city.
We rolled into Pocatello about 5pm to Aunt Teena's house. Aunt Mary and Uncle George, Jeff and his wife and two kids and Uncle Bob sat around talking just like the old days. Somebody in the family is driving a foreign made truck now and that is causing havoc. Debating Obama, Clinton and McCain was a hot topic. The final decision was not something I should quote here. My cousin Jeff and his wife had a new baby girl just a few weeks ago and she is just beautiful. She is what I thought my babies would look like. Lots of pretty dark hair and brown eyes. Instead, there sit my three blond haired blue eyed Sorensen children.
We have been very spoiled in Washington and Oregon to live in such beautiful green space. We pay for it with rain but it was pretty dramatic to hit the drab brown nothingness after leaving Boise. It was a little depressing until we dropped into that beautiful canyon and begin to follow the Snake River that I assured Reagan did not mean it was full of snakes.
We are swimming in the morning and then headed to Cookie Grandma's house just north of Salt Lake.
Cia, I sure wish you were here to help me figure out how to make this thing look cool and add music like yours. Maybe something like the country song that says, "If you're going through hell keep on going, don't slow down, if you're scared don't show it, you might get out before the devil even knows you're there."
Our reputation precedes us. Tonight after I checked into the only Marriott in Pocatello and was returning with our cart full of suitcases, pillows, ruffler duffler (Reagan's blanket) and Mr. Minkie (Reagan's bear), I heard the woman at the front desk ask to be put in a quiet part of the hotel away from any little families like the ones coming in the front door. How come it never occurred to me to ask for that? The kids in one wing of the hotel and me in the 'quiet part'.
This is our fifth night in a hotel and room numbers are starting to blend together. Tonight I ran down to the desk to get some juice to put Dane's Melatonin in and came back up to room 403 and couldn't get my key card to work. I knocked on the door so the kids would let me in and wouldn't you know I interrupted a nice young couple. They were very friendly but they had no children and were in a hotel room ALONE. Lucky ducks. Oops! I am in room 314. Maybe next time I can get lost a little longer.
My dad told me he drove from Boise to Pocatello in 2.5 hours the other day. I figured it would take me 3 then. Baloney! It took me 4 hours to get to American Falls. This is where my revenge on Kale begins. Making him see the things I did as a kid and other great historical sites across the country. We stopped at Register Rock which sits next to the Snake River and was a popular place for the pioneers travelling on the Oregon and California trails to stop and engrave their names on various rocks. There is a picture of this if I can get it to work. Well my revenge backfired because the kids loved climbing all over the rocks. They even made me promise to bring them back here when we come back to visit family.
We stopped to see my Aunt Alaina and she spoiled the kids with peanut butter/honey sandwiches and heaping bowls of ice cream. The kids had a great time seeing all of the farm trucks and tractors. Alaina even has one of those farm dogs that run next to the car when you try and leave and the kids were freaked out because they were sure we were going to run right over Faithful. Oh the life of city kids. I had to explain farm dogs, cattle grates, trailer houses, why there was no traffic, how my family lived in such a tiny house with one bathroom when I was young and how my Grandma Bruderer was the head cook at the grade school when I was a kid and made the rolls and bread fresh everyday. Kale automatically assumed there must have been a pee tree in the back yard of the house I grew up in because surely no one stood in line for the bathroom. Reagan was in awe that the food didn't come frozen to the school so all they had to do was heat it up.
My kids were really freaked out by the American Falls Reservoir. There is a huge old grain elevator that stands out in the middle of it and the kids wanted to know what that was. I took it for granted that they would think it was cool when I explained that they flooded old town American Falls when they build the dam. Of course they moved all of the people out first but if you dive down you can still see some of the old structures. Kale and Reagan thought that was the worst thing they had every heard of. Things like that do NOT happen in the big city.
We rolled into Pocatello about 5pm to Aunt Teena's house. Aunt Mary and Uncle George, Jeff and his wife and two kids and Uncle Bob sat around talking just like the old days. Somebody in the family is driving a foreign made truck now and that is causing havoc. Debating Obama, Clinton and McCain was a hot topic. The final decision was not something I should quote here. My cousin Jeff and his wife had a new baby girl just a few weeks ago and she is just beautiful. She is what I thought my babies would look like. Lots of pretty dark hair and brown eyes. Instead, there sit my three blond haired blue eyed Sorensen children.
We have been very spoiled in Washington and Oregon to live in such beautiful green space. We pay for it with rain but it was pretty dramatic to hit the drab brown nothingness after leaving Boise. It was a little depressing until we dropped into that beautiful canyon and begin to follow the Snake River that I assured Reagan did not mean it was full of snakes.
We are swimming in the morning and then headed to Cookie Grandma's house just north of Salt Lake.
Cia, I sure wish you were here to help me figure out how to make this thing look cool and add music like yours. Maybe something like the country song that says, "If you're going through hell keep on going, don't slow down, if you're scared don't show it, you might get out before the devil even knows you're there."
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Motherhood Is Not For Wimps!
March 9, 2008
When we found out we were moving to Tennesse and I decided to drive cross country by myself with the kids, it was mostly to see our family in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. It has since grown into my own personal pledge to give my seven year-old son, Kale, a real reason to hate me. When I said goodbye to my friend Cia this week she said, "Why don't you just rent a car and drive to Utah and then fly to Tennessee?" The idea did not occur to me until just that moment:)
So the tribe made it to Boise with a record low 2 potty breaks. I probably should have done more. 2.5 hours in to the trip Dane says, "I'm Wet"! Of course me being ever efficient tell him to wait until Pendleton and then I will change him when we stop for lunch. Too late. Dane's understatement, "I'm wet" should have been, "Mom please pull over because I have completely soaked my diaper, jeans and car seat." Of course no day is complete without Dane locking me out of something. This time it was the bathroom in Hermiston, Oregon.
My dad and Sandy fed us dinner and ice cream cones and took us for a walk around the block. The kids will really miss our yearly visits at Thanksgiving.
When we found out we were moving to Tennesse and I decided to drive cross country by myself with the kids, it was mostly to see our family in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. It has since grown into my own personal pledge to give my seven year-old son, Kale, a real reason to hate me. When I said goodbye to my friend Cia this week she said, "Why don't you just rent a car and drive to Utah and then fly to Tennessee?" The idea did not occur to me until just that moment:)
So the tribe made it to Boise with a record low 2 potty breaks. I probably should have done more. 2.5 hours in to the trip Dane says, "I'm Wet"! Of course me being ever efficient tell him to wait until Pendleton and then I will change him when we stop for lunch. Too late. Dane's understatement, "I'm wet" should have been, "Mom please pull over because I have completely soaked my diaper, jeans and car seat." Of course no day is complete without Dane locking me out of something. This time it was the bathroom in Hermiston, Oregon.
My dad and Sandy fed us dinner and ice cream cones and took us for a walk around the block. The kids will really miss our yearly visits at Thanksgiving.
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Saying Goodbye To Grandma
The Sorensen kids at Register Rock Idaho
