The Last Train to Paris

Russell loves hosting Murder Mystery parties, not only for adults, but every once in a while for older teens, too. Megan was tickled (I know: she doesn't look it) to be a part of the group. And even though the Big Storm and a power outage threatened to derail it, we managed to pull it off (thanks to the Austins for loaning out their house). 

They all had a fantastic time. 

Alison Tackles the Deathly Hallows

Alison, finally getting "brave" enough (her words) to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There are a lot of FEELS this book and she's had to turn to Megan and Russell (the other die-hard fans in the family) to deal with the emotion. She's about halfway through, and her thoughts? "This is the most horrible good book I've ever read."

Ah, yes. Too true.

The BIG Storm

Some pictures of storm damage. Alison took them, in the dark, so forgive them if they're a bit dodgy.

Our neighbor's flowering pear.

One section of fence, once we got it off the bush.

My drowned herb garden.

And the back fence.

Aside from the power being off for three days, it's not that bad. For which I am extremely grateful.

60 Hours (and Counting)

Oh, we had a perfectly normal week this week. Sure, the girls watched too much TV (it finally hit 100 a couple times this week). And we went to the pool a few times (which is what you do when it hits 100). We went out to Rock River Rapids (which is the fancy water park) as part of a free event a friend does every year, which was fun. And we went to work.

But then a storm blew through Thursday night.

Our power shut off right at the beginning of the storm, which didn’t really phase us much. We got out candles, we headed to the basement (the tornado sirens didn’t to off, but we kind of migrate down there during bad weather).

And we figured it’d all be right soon.

Well.  The storm that hit was a bad one. Not a hurricane/tornado, but they clocked winds as high as 89 mph. And when it finally blew through and we went outside to assess the damage (a third of our fence down, and a LOT of trees in the neighborhood down), we started to wonder about the power. We headed out for a walk around the neighborhood (nominally to get ice cream, but they were out of power), and were just amazed at the amount of damage to trees.

Note to self: I will never own another flowering pear tree. They always get damaged in storms here.

Anyway. We did eventually get in the car and drive to get ice cream (along with numerous other people on our side of town), and then hunkered down at home, hopeful that the power would come back on. To be honest: it was a miserable night. Alison, Kristen, and Megan managed okay, but the rest of us, not so much (in varying degrees of sleeplessness). At one point, Russell dragged the sofabed mattress out to the backyard to get some sleep, but all he got were mosquito bites.

In the morning, we made the call to the Austins: PLEASE. We need AIR CONDITIONING. And a fridge to put our rapidly spoiling food. Thankfully, this happened at the end of the week and our fridge/freezer was nearly empty. So we didn’t loose that much, which is good. Much to the delight of Alison and Kristen, we’ve been hanging here at the Austins ever since. We keep hoping our power will come back on. And we’ve gone by a few times to check and see, but still no luck. In fact, church has been canceled today because our neighborhood is out. I do feel a bit wimpy bailing on our house; many in our neighborhood (including the bishop!) are toughing it out. But, only a little bit. It really isn’t that bad, having lost power for a few days. It could be worse: we could have lost the house in a tornado.

They say our power’s supposed to be on sometime today. Or Monday at the latest. I can only hope.  [UPDATE: It did come on Sunday morning, 11 a.m. And there was much rejoicing!] In fact, I think we’re going to head over there tonight, no matter what, because  between Megan’s work, my work, Caitlyn’s volunteering, and Russell leaving for Spokane, being home Monday morning is the best thing.

A couple odds and ends for the week. Russell hosted a murder mystery party (at the Austins) last night for a group of teenagers (Megan included). They had a blast. And I took Alison and Kristen to see The Croods, which was a lot less sucky than I thought it would be. In fact, if you can get past the fact that they used “cave man” to mean “let’s create a fantasy world” and the tired old trope that “younger is ALWAYS better”, then it’s a sweet story. And there are some genuine laughs.

That’s about it for us.  Have a great week! Happy Canada Day and have a great Fourth. We wish we could all be in Spokane this week.

Camp Week

It was girls camp this week.

Which means Caitlyn and Russell were gone. Megan was supposed to go too, but since she just started her job, she decided to stay home and work instead. She spent the week getting up at 6:15, going to work, and coming home and crashing. 

Which left Alison, Kristen, and me to spend the week hanging out. I only had to work one day instead of two, which meant we had a lot of time to spend just hanging out.

And we decided to fill it with:

• Two trips to the pool (yay for hot temps)
• Two trips to the library (to volunteer and to go to a program for Kristen)
• A trip to the Exploration Place (to see the dinosaur exhibit, which was really cool)
• Donuts
• Movies (at home, and to see Oz the Great and Powerful; it was pretty to look at, but they forgot to write a script)
• Staying up too Late

The biggest problem we had, I think, was figuring out what to do between the hours of 7 p.m. and bedtime. We were tired from all the stuff we’d done during the day, but I knew that if they went to bed at 7, they’d be up at the crack of dawn.  So, we’d sit around griping and bickering until I banished them.  I didn’t quite realize how much help Russell was in the evenings. And the house was really quiet without Caitlyn. We all really missed them.

 They had a great week at camp, however. The weather was gorgeous (especially compared to the past couple of years), and the camp (the same camp they went to last year) was a lot of fun. Caitlyn made some new friends (yay for that!), and came home bubbling over with stories about everything they did. Hopefully, someone will put up pictures somewhere, so I can see. Russell thoroughly enjoyed being there, as usual, and came home with his own stories (and loads of ticks). A friend’s daughter went for the first time, and she called on Wednesday really concerned and missing her daughter. As part of the conversation, said that perhaps I don’t worry because Russell is there. Perhaps that’s it, but I think it’s more that I trust that the girls will have a great time and are good hands. And for five years now, I’ve been proved right.

Today’s been okay. We only had 2 hours of church because of a broadcast on missionary work from Salt Lake. I don’t have much to say about it; it was a lot of the same: get out, be involved, find people for the missionaries to teach. I think I’d rather think about it: get out, be involved in the community, make friends, and be a good person.

The one thing I do like is that they’re going to start opening up the buildings during the day. That’s a good change.

And that’s it for us. Have a great week!

Big Spenders

Or: when it rains it pours.

 

I didn’t go with that one, because it actually didn’t rain very much this week. Though, as part of our Big Spending Spree, we’re thinking about getting some rain barrels. And the fact that the city council has approved a rebate for them kind of pushed us over the edge.

 

So. Things We Spent Money on This Week.

 

Megan: bought a Surface RT for India. Actually, it was quite the steal; Russell had a friend who goes to computer-y conferences, and got one at a steal and sold it to us for the price + shipping, which made all of us all sorts of happy. Megan, especially. She also got a job this week. A friend mentioned on Sunday that the dry cleaners where she works was hiring, so Megan went and applied on Monday, went in for an interview on Tuesday, and started work. She works from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. which is a bit hard in the morning, but gives her all afternoon and evening to be lazy. It’s hot work and a lot of standing on her feet, but she doesn’t mind it, and it’s paycheck.

 

Caitlyn: spent money on going to see Now You See Me with her friend Meagan on Friday night. She says it was Really Good, and that there’s a Brilliant Twist at the end. And wants to go see it again.

 

Alison: didn’t actually spend money, but had money spent on her. We decided to do her birthday party in June rather than December, mostly because she wanted a water/sleepover party. And neither of those work terribly well in December. So, we spent money on decorations -- I let her talk me into tiki torches! -- and party favors (some of which we returned yesterday). And set up for the party on Friday. Everyone had a Grand Time, playing in the water, and some even got into the whole “half birthday” idea, giving her half a present. (That was quite clever.) Not that many people came -- well, half of the invitees -- but I didn't mind. It was a lot of fun. And a perfect evening for it as well.

 

Kristen: went on a creeking activity on Wednesday. She got up in old sneakers and jeans and  a tromped around in a river with a naturist guide. She LOVED it and came  home with tales of snakes and frogs and fish. And she was Highly Upset that we didn’t sign her up for the creeking outing on Saturday as well.

 

Russell and me: Russell had called a friend who does heating and A/C to come and check out our A/C which wasn’t working terribly well. And the verdict? Well, the leak we’ve known about for 7 years finally has gotten really bad. And the Freon that our A/C takes is basically only available on the black market. So, guess what? We get to get a new A/C unit. Whee. I suppose we could go without, but honestly? Given the summers we’ve had the past couple of years, we’ll pony up the money (somehow) for the new A/C. Maybe it’ll save us on our electric bill in the long run. And since it pours, on Wednesday, our laptop decided to quit. We figured it was the power jack -- we’d had problems with that in the past -- and took it in. Nope: it was a dead mother board. How about we get a new laptop?? Again: we could probably do without, but when you’ve done with for so long, it’s hard to adjust.

 

Also: Windows 8 is not fun.

 

There were some free/cheap events in there: we went swimming a bunch, Alison and Kristen had piano, Megan and I went to an author event (Khaled Hosseini, the “Kite Runner” guy. It was quite interesting.), and Russell and I went to see “Two Gentlemen of Verona” in Shakespeare in the Park.  So, I guess we weren’t too terribly gluttonous.

 

And next week is girl’s camp. Megan’s not going due to work, so  it won’t just be me and the younger kids this year. But we’ll still have fun, I think.

Alison's (Half) Birthday Party

A couple months ago, Alison came to me lamenting the fact that her birthday is in December. "I can never have a water party, Mom," she said. "Or a sleepover." And so an idea took root in my brain: what if we celebrated her half-birthday with a party? That way, she could have a water party AND a sleepover, and I wouldn't have to stress about birthday party for friends in December.

It was a lovely, warm, summer evening, just right for both being outside and being in swimsuits. First off, we grilled burgers and had dinner

And then got in swimsuits and had fun playing!

There was a water balloon fight:

Slip-n-slide:

Gigantic bubbles (which worked pretty well):

Silly string:

This is what kids do with gigantic bubbles after a little while...

Climbing trees:

And a quick game of hot potato....

Which resulted in the loser dunking her face in a bucket of ice water. (After which, everyone took a turn.)

Then, after cake (angel food cake/strawberries/whipped cream trifle!) and ice cream

Alison opened her presents

And they ran around the back yard until everyone's parents came to get them. It was SO much fun for everyone, and I'm SO glad we decided to have her party now instead of December. It made her really happy.

Summer!

Finally, after 10 days of vacation, we attempted to get settled into a routine this week. Get up, password lock the computer, write a list of chores for the girls to do before they get the day’s password, go to work. Volunteer at the library. Find a job. Go swimming (not so much yet, but it’s supposed to be up in the 90s this week.) Watch TV. Read. Stay up late. Go to summer classes. Sign up for the library program. Weed. Sleepovers. Friends over.

 

Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous all week – coolish, sunny days alternating with much-needed rain. Which is good, because our air conditioner is on the fritz. Again. We’re going to have to break down and replace it eventually. But for now, we’re going to limp along, fixing it the best we can. Even if that means putting off the rain barrels we need to get.

 

In major news, we went to (another) baseball game. We’re not fans, even though we keep trying (but only when it’s free). The girls don’t get the game, in spite of my attempts to explain it to them  (they have the same reaction to football); they’re very much their father’s daughters. (I wonder if that means they’ll like golf?) It’s just so... boring. Though Alison did get to run the bases, which was fun for her. (Though Kristen was very upset.)

 

And Russell took Alison and Kristen fishing at a little clinic yesterday while I read for my 48 hour book challenge (in which I read and read and read and Russell is wonderful and takes care of everything else.) The had a great time, even though Russell came home with a major hay fever attack, spending the evening sneezing and sniffling and feeling miserable. And this is why I mow the lawn....

 

Church today was nice. A family with 8 kids moved into the ward and basically increased the size of our Primary by a third. Let’s hope they stay. But, other than that, we’re just chilling, watching movies, drinking lemonade, and trying to remember what few responsibilities we do have are.

 

Stay cool.

Fishing

As happens every year, the Wichita Eagle sponsors a fishing clinic at the Great Plains Nature Center. And since the girls always have a great time, Russell took Alison and Kristen.

The only downside was that Russell had a really severe hayfever attack and was pretty knocked out afterwards. But other than that, it was a grand afternoon for all.

Another Attempt at a Baseball Game

As part of Riverfest, the local baseball team was letting people in for free. So we figured why not go?

We got there halfway through the first inning, and were sitting enjoying the weather and the sunshine (not so much the baseball... "I don't get what's going on!" was the most common comment from the girls),

when a Wingnuts stadium guy approached us. He was looking for two volunteers for a between-the-innings game. Alison and the youngest Dumler (we met them there), Brennan, volunteered, and I accompanied them. We got to go behind the scenes, chat with some of the interns, and find out that what they got to do was run the bases. It was a race: go to first base, put on a shirt; go to second base, put on pants; go to third base and put on shoes; and the first one home wins.

Brennan plays baseball, so Alison just went in assuming that he would win. Except Alison has some spunk in her, and she made it home first.

Which meant she won two dinners at Wendy's. And bragging rites.

The only downside was that Kristen was really, REALLY sad she didn't get picked get to run the bases. She  could have, afterward, but we were done with the game by the end of the 7th inning. Perhaps we'll become baseball people, but I doubt it. Though one of these days, we should really try the discounted hockey game. Maybe that'll suit us better...

Summing Up 'Cause Splaining Would Take Too Long

In the last two weeks we:

 

Finished school

Planted a garden

Went on a whirlwind trip to Michigan

Dropped our camera in a river

Visited with cousins

Tie-dyed shirts

Got portraits taken

Saw old friends

Ate too much

Went swimming and climbed rock walls

Played a pipe organ

Played lots of games

Watched movies (Titanic – Alison was upset that it wasn’t a happy ending; Star Trek – well, not us, but Megan – in 3-D)

Went canoeing

Visited a lighthouse and waded in Lake Huron

Played with cousins

Ate yummy ice cream (Mackinac Island Fudge!)

Played in Lake Michigan and on the dunes

Walked 2.5 miles around downtown Ann Arbor

Stayed up too late

Watched the Riverfest fireworks (a great show, though we were really close to the launch point this year, and Kristen kept complaining they were too loud.)

Mourned my grandfather’s passing. (And was sad I couldn’t make it to the funeral yesterday).

Hung out at Riverfest

Saw the circus

And crashed.

 

And now? Try to find a pattern for summer. (Though today was so spring-like, it was hard to believe it’s June already.)

Riverfest and the Circus

It's Riverfest time! And, of course, we bought our buttons and headed downtown to take advantage of it. We really wanted to go on the river like we did last year, but when we got down there, we saw this:

It's not a problem we usually have here in Kansas. But, since we've been in a drought for the past 2 years, we'll take it.

Since being on the river was out, and we had a couple hours to kill before the circus (more on that later), we headed toward the kids area to have some fun.

We waited in line to climb rocks:

and bungee jump (no flips):

climbed the public art:

and got faces painted:

Then after our (overpriced) dinner, we headed over to the arena for the circus!

It was a bit of a splurge, but we figured the last time we saw the Ringling Brothers circus was when Alison was a baby in Jonesboro, Arkansas. So, since Alison didn't remember and Kristen had never been, we went. And had a GREAT time. Our favorites were Anton the (very talented, quite amazing) clown; the animals; the guys who threw each other around (seriously); the motorcycles; and the laser show at the end (Anton again!). It was two hours of fun ("It's ALREADY DONE?") and excitement, and more than worth the time and money. Here's hoping they come back again!

Reunion Trip, Days 8 and 9

We said goodbye to my parents Thursday  morning and headed back west. Our goal was to get to our friends in St. Louis before midnight. After a brief stop in Kalamazoo (in which we chatted with an old friend of mine), we headed toward Indiana Dunes State Park. I had remembered stopping there (or somewhere like it), and mentioned it to Russell, who latched on the idea of going swimming in Lake Michigan. So, we stopped. It wasn't a perfect day -- the water was cold, and it wasn't really hot enough to get in, and it was windy -- but we did get in, and we had a great time.

The biggest reaction: "It's not salty!"

One of the signs mentioned "Devil's Slide" and Alison said, "OOOOH, that sounds FUN." So, she and Russell went hunting for it. And after they found it, they said EVERYONE needed to go. So, they did.


It made for a long day -- and an even crankier one on Friday, when we pushed straight through to get home -- but we were so glad we stopped. I don't know the next time we'll be back in spitting distance of the Great  Lakes, so I'm glad the girls had this chance to go swimming there.

It was a whirlwind of a trip, but I'm so glad we were able to go. Even so, it's good to be home.

Reunion Trip, Day 7

We were going to go canoeing on Tuesday, but were rained out. I'm so glad we waited: the sun came out, the humidity was down, and we managed to go down the river before it started raining again (though it wasn't much). And, aside from a little bit of a tantrum on Alison's part because she wanted to be in the raft but we ended up in the canoe, it was a terrific outing.

Reunion Trip, Day 6

We decided that we needed a trip into downtown Ann Arbor. Megan kind of wanted to see the U of M campus (or we figured Megan needed to see the campus), and I kind of wanted to see what's become of all my old haunts, and Caitlyn wanted to find a tie dye dress. On those counts: Megan wasn't impressed with the campus; I was made sad because quirky Ann Arbor has become overly corporatized; and even though we walked 2.5 miles and stopped in four stores, there wasn't a tie dye dress to be seen.

We did see some fun little quirky things, though, in our wanderings.

I'm glad Ulrich Books is still there, anyway. 

 

Woot! More fedoras!

Hill Auditorium and the Corillian from the diag.

Alison: "Oh, COOL! An alley! I've never seen an alley!"

What you saw when you looked up in the alley.

Looking smashing in our fedoras.

And, there's still a VINYL record store. That's got to count for something. 

And 8-tracks.

Too adorable.

And we had to stop by Zingerman's Deli for bread.
Though the desserts were overpriced and only so-so.

Even though we didn't get what we wanted, it was still a fun afternoon!