New York City

Brigham, Reese, and I spent five days in New York City last week.  Here are some of the highlights:

Getting trapped on the roof of our hotel after we snuck through the secret door, which closed behind us, only to discover that there was no handle on the outside of the door.  Brigham and Reese climbed two flights of the neighboring building, ran down 18 flights of stairs, into our hotel, took the elevator up to the roof, and let me out.

We took the subway all over the city.  I told the boys we weren't taking any taxis so they were in charge of figuring out how to use the subway to get where we were going.

We rented bikes and biked across the Brooklyn Bridge and then back over the Manhattan bridge.  Then we rode bikes all the way from the Battery up to Central Park.

We saw Wicked and Dear Evan Hansen.  We LOVED Dear Evan Hansen the best.

I saw John Lithgow!!  (Famous person sighting) He was walking along the sidewalk and I ran up to him like a stalker.  I asked to shake his hand and said that Interstellar was my husbands favorite movie.

We went to Times Square and saw a bunch of naked people who would let you take your picture with them for $10.  We declined.

We went to the 9/11 museum, which was very moving.  We all cried.

I met Suzanne and Greg Campbell, who were from Illinois and were on our bike tour.

Happy Fathers Day

My dad.  He walks slowly now.  He often needs a walker or a cane to help him.  His hair is gray.  But that's not how I think of him.  I always think of him as the dad of my youth, with gleaming black hair and strong enough to have five of us on his back for a pony ride.

He has worked his whole life to provide for us.  So many good things in my life have come because of his efforts for me.  So much goodness has come into my life because he taught me about the gospel.  About hard work.  About keeping the commandments.

I love you Dad.  Happy Fathers Day.

Graduate School Application

Well, I did it!!  I applied to graduate school!!!

This is the story.  I have been kicking around the idea of going back to school to get my masters degree in nursing education.  This would allow me to teach as a professor at a nursing program, like the one at Idaho State University in Pocatello or Utah State University in Logan.  I like my job I currently have teaching a high school CNA class but I'm just thinking about possibilities for the future.

Two weeks ago, Spencer Barzee, the Westside school superintendent, called me in and said he wanted me to think about getting my masters degree and that the district would pay for it as long as I would commit to teaching for them for five years.  I was surprised and excited!

I had been looking at Western Governors University.  Their tuition is quite low, its an online program, and you can go at your own pace.  I had my application all turned it.  Then, yesterday, my enrollment counselor called and told me that I didn't qualify.  They have this rule that you have to be currently working as an RN.  This is so you can do a research project and write a thesis about your project within your place of employment.  I had been telling them for months that I was a high school CNA teacher, and all they ever would say was "We're pretty sure that qualifies."  I found out yesterday that it doesn't.

I was disappointed but committed to starting this fall so I looked elsewhere.  The MSN (masters of science in nursing) website for ISU in Pocatello said they were still accepting applications for this fall.  I called a professor and asked if that were true and she said yes, that they had only filled six of ten spots and would welcome my application.

So I got on it.  I worked on it yesterday and today and this afternoon submitted it.  I'm excited!  I hope I get admitted!  And I think I'm crazy for even thinking about this right now!  I've got enough on my plate!  Someone stop me before it's too late!

Bob Michaud Family Reunion Cruise

We got back on Friday night from our Bob Michaud Family Reunion Cruise.  It was SO much fun!  The food!  Oh the food!  I could write an epic poem about the food!!!

Mac and Josh really liked the kids club for the first three days, which was great.  They begged to be there all the time which was nice because it really freed me up to do other things.  Ellie and I tried scuba diving on Catalina Island and it was amazing!  It was really scary at first and I had to try not to panic, but after a couple minutes I calmed down and enjoyed it.

It was so nice to be with the family.  Everyone got along and there weren't any fights, which was great.  Craig wasn't able to come at the last minute because of trying to work out all the bugs with the new barn, as well as first crop hay starting.  I sure missed him but still managed to have fun!

It was such a wonderful time for everyone.  Dad and Rae were so great to take all of us.  I don't expect to anything like that again, with the whole family,  in my life!

The whole family crammed into Dad and Rae's hotel room in LA

Took the kids up to the Hollywood sign before we left on the cruise

The kids in front of the lights of LA

Mac and Josh at the Dr. Suess Green Eggs and Ham

Ellie on Catalina Island

Catalina Island harbor

Trying scuba diving

Brigham's career goal is to become a mariachi band member

Ellie's Campaign

Ellie is running for student body president of her middle school this week.  She told me last week that she wanted to run and I tried to talk her out of it.  It sounded like a bunch of unnecessary work.  Why would she subject herself to that??

She convinced me so this week I've been helping her with her campaign.  Her posters have all been based on the Campbell soup idea - "Voting for Ellie is a SOUPER choice", "Campbell Can!!!!"  and so forth.

She had the idea to get these little jars of candy and tape a Campbell soup label that reads "Vote Ellie" so we were all working on the last night.  This morning she set up a table outside the school to pass out these little candies to all the students.  

She's doing a skit for the student body and this afternoon they vote.  Stay tuned tomorrow for the results!!!

It's really been such a pleasure to help her.  She's so grateful for all the help she receives and keeps thanking me, and the rest of the family, for helping her.  Her little friends have been involved too, helping to hang posters and hand out the candies this morning.  She has a really nice group of friends.  

Ellie is SO different from her brothers and I am so grateful for her!

Grandpa Dick's birthday

Heather and I flew to Mesa this last weekend for Grandpa Dick's 90th birthday party.  It was SO good to see Dad, Rae, Amber, and Tonya.  And Reese!!!  We stayed at Dad's house.  He and Rae are always so welcoming.  On Saturday, we went and had lunch and swam at Uncle Jimmys house and then dinner and pictures in the park with the whole family Saturday night.  It was good to see the cousins, some of which I hadn't seen for years.  It's amazing how big the family has become.  I don't even know which children belong with which families.  

It was a great weekend and made me excited for the cruise coming up!!!

First Milking

Oh my laws, the day is here.  It's finally here.  May 10, 2017.  The first day of milking in the new barn.

Craig was pretty nervous.  We both had a gut ache that something was going to explode, something was going to catch fire, cows were going to fall off the turntable, equipment was going to fall off....  Craig went to the store and bought himself a new pair of milk boots in honor of the occasion.  

The new boots must have been a lucky charm because nothing bad happened!  It went well!

Between Craig and Hayes and the kiwis and the NorthStar guys and Mark and Mundo and Jorge, there were about twelve or thirteen people in the barn, watching and helping.  I watched them try to get the first cow onto the turntable and it took about four guys pushing it on to make her get on.  I thought, "Oh, no, if every cow takes this much work, it's going to take forever to get done."  But she was the worst.  Once she was on, the other cows followed much easier.  They weren't super excited about it, and some of them took a bunch of pushing.  They were nervous and pooped ALL OVER.  That nice clean new barn doesn't look so nice and clean.  Everything took about three hours but Craig says that it will get quicker.  

We think it went really well.  Nothing exploded.  Everything worked pretty much the way it was supposed to.  Craig is pleased.  I was so relieved and happy watching those cows go around.  That's the first time in a long time that I've had any kind of positive emotion towards the new barn.

This day has been a LONG time coming!