Army of One...tent that is

This morning, very early, we got a call from my nephew Matt (he also happens to work with Kent). As part of his job, he was supposed to be getting some dirt and delivering it to our house to help fill up our garden. Unfortunately the gate to the shop parking lot was locked and there was no one with a key around to open it up. So Kent went down to work to open the gate. Once he got there they realized the truck they needed was gone also. :( A very frustrating morning for Kent who had to drive all the way to work for nothing when all of this was supposed to have been worked out on Friday.

After Kent got home he found out the wood we will need for the shelves/desks we want to build in the craft/reloading/computer room was finally in at Home Depot so he ran down to put a hold on it. After he came home we decided to go to yard sales and pick up breakfast at Mickey D's. It was a fun morning and we found a very nice high chair for only $8! :)

While we were out and about I realized that since we are not going to Yellowstone we would be in town for Savannah to attend girls camp with our ward. I called the Young Women's President and she said it was not too late and that they would love to have Savannah go with them. :) It is crazy to think Savannah is old enough to go to girls camp!

Also while running around we got a call from the guy Kent works with in Scouts. His wife is in the Stake Girls Camp leadership and they wanted to borrow our huge army tent to take up to camp. We said we would meet with them in the afternoon and we would unroll the tent to see if it was something they could use. Usually the girls in our ward go to a place that has "A" frame cabin like structures (no electricity or anything in the cabins though, it is just a roof over their heads) but at the last minute there was a problem so they are unable to go there for camp. The Stake was able to find another place to camp but that left everyone scrambling to find tents to sleep in.

This afternoon when we unrolled the tent one of the leaders didn't think it would work so they declined borrowing it. But since I knew our ward was looking for a tent I called the camp director and she came over to look at the tent. She thought it would be perfect so she called her assistant who showed up and was also very excited about the tent. They wanted a tent big enough for all the girls to sleep in so they could have a bonding experience rather than be segregated into little two or three man tents. I am excited the tent is going to be put to good use and really hope it will work out for the girls.

Side bar about the tent: Kent got the tent for free from a woman who used the tent for family reunions. She said none of her children wanted the tent so was giving it away to whomever was willing to come and get it. :) So Kent got it and it is now part of our camping/emergency preparedness gear. :)

Here are a few pictures of part of the tent. And this is only part of one side of the tent tentatively (haha) put up...this thing is huge! :)





Tonight we went to Mark and Robin's to play games. It was a lot of fun. I have realized I need to do something about Kent III though. He is not content to just hang out on my lap and let me play any more. I'm not sure what I am going to do though...get a babysitter probably. I don't quite know but it is hard to play games when I am running around after Kent III or focused on entertaining him so something different has to happen if I want to participate in the games. :) I hate to have to get a babysitter just so I can play games though...guess we will just have to wait and see what I decide to do/feel good about doing. :)

If you can't sing along, hum!

A few days ago I noticed a hummingbird trying to get a few drops of nectar from the very empty hummingbird feeder that hangs outside my kitchen window. I excitedly filled it up and waited to have the tiny birds visit me.

Today I was able to see one again and it seems they are enjoying the feeder. Like all hummingbirds, the ones outside my window are very territorial so it is fun to watch them perch in my rosebush and chase each other around.

Here are a few pictures I took this morning:



This one is a little fuzzy because it was taken through a window. He decided to perch on the side of the rosebush furthest away from the window near my sink. The window in front of my kitchen table wasn't open and I didn't want to scare him away by opening it.



Why is it I crave Thanksgiving dinner when I look at this picture?! ;)



It was raining outside and if you look very closely at the hummingbird's beak you can see a few drops of moisture.



Hummingbirds always mark the arrival of Spring/Summer for me so I officially (finally) put my snow shovels away for the season. :) I am a little sad to see yet another season pass behind me but I look forward to all the fun things that will be happening this summer. Here's to hoping I will remember to cherish every moment!

Rainy Days and Mondays

I actually like rainy days. Maybe it is because we don't get a whole lot of them in Utah. :) They just make me feel cozy and content. I love the sound of rain and the smell; it makes everything smell so fresh. I love the way the world looks during and after rain, so clean. The colors seem more vibrant and crisp. And everything just seems a little better. :)

Nothing too spectacular about today, I just played catch up on housework since I lounged around all weekend being pampered by my family and I also went to Samantha's reading tutor appointment. :)

I was very proud of Samantha today! In the program the reading tutor uses there are 'levels' that must be completed as you learn different things. Each level builds on the one before and concepts become more complicated as you progress through the levels. It usually takes Samantha 2, 3 or 4 weeks to complete a level but today she completed a whole level in one session! She was able to understand the concepts and pass the little tests at the end so she just blazed through the lesson today! Samantha works hard and I am so happy to see that her little brain gets it and things are starting to 'click'! I am very proud of her!

I choose to laugh!

Today I helped Savannah's class sell Otter pops again at lunch. After that was over, around 12:30 I went to lunch with Kent. Then I had to run to the post office and to the bank. As I was pulling into the bank's parking lot I heard a loud grinding noise and then I couldn't straighten out my front wheels. Luckily I was able to get into the parking lot before being completely immobile but I couldn't pull into a parking stall so had to sit in the middle of the parking lot with my hazard lights on. This is what I saw when I got out to check my van:



Yikes! Not only was the wheel turned to the side but it was rotated at about a 45 degree angle.



And, of course, my cell phone battery was dead so I had to go into the bank to call Kent. :) He couldn't leave work and there was no way anyone could have pulled me any where anyway so Kent called a tow truck for me. He also called Dad H., who lives only a few blocks away to come and pick us up and give us a ride home.

I waited about 20 minutes for the tow truck and then loaded everything I needed onto our stroller, including an asleep Kent III in his upright carseat. (Don't ask me why I didn't take pictures of that because I don't know why. :)) I packed the diaper bag, Otter pops that needed to be refrozen encased in our small cooler, camera bag, purse and odds and ends I took out of the van that I needed all onto our stroller. I waited for Dad H. but then just decided to start walking to his house. I met him coming to get me about two houses from his. I later found out he had been confused on when he was supposed to pick me up. He thought he was going to get a phone call but then got worried after 35 minutes so just decided to come get me. I must say, I felt very much like a vagabond pushing all my belongings along the street heaped onto the stroller. :) It was good exercise though! :)

I really do appreciate sweet Dad H. taking the time out of his very busy day to pick us up and take us home. He is always willing to do whatever he can for us and I just can't thank him enough!

Our mechanic called and said it was a ball joint that needed to be replaced and would only cost a couple of hundred dollars to replace both the upper and lower ball joints. Phew! I was so worried it would be an axle issue or something bad like that and end up costing us a lot of money. It was also ready to be picked up by 5 tonight! I really like and trust our mechanic and think he is very honest, knowledgeable and hard working. If anyone around where I live needs a mechanic, I strongly suggest going to him!

On the upside Kent was finally given approval by the VA to start school. Hooray! He will most likely start January 2009 since he missed the deadline to start in August. I don't know if I have mentioned it or not already but he wants to finish his bachelor's degree and then become a lawyer. It is going to be a little hard for a few years, especially on him since he plans on working full time too, but he feels an urgency to start school as soon as possible, even if he can only take one or two classes a semester. I am very excited for him and very proud of him!