Summer Catch-Up

School ended and Ainsley jumped right into her first real job.  She got a job teaching swimming lessons for Kimberlee Brown, a woman in our stake who has a pretty impressive back yard pool program.  Ainsley had to learn to teach lessons to all ability levels.  She taught group lessons and also private lessons.  She usually worked 3-4 hours a day Monday through Thursday.  It was a perfect little summer job.  Just enough to keep her busy but still leave her with plenty of time to enjoy summer.  And with so much time in the water even with visors, swim shirts, and loads of sunscreen she had the darkest tan I’ve ever seen her with.

While Ainsley and John were busy working and making money, Owen and Emmie were not quite as busy.  So when Heather asked us if we wanted to take a quick trip to Utah for her last appointment at the Huntsman Center we quickly agreed.  We drove down with her three youngest kids, Clara, Christian, and Elsie.  We spent some time at temple square.  I took Elsie and Emmie on a tour while Heather took the older kids to do baptisms before the salt lake temple closed for renovations. We attempted to go to a concert in the park…but we got the day wrong. Oops. We also went to three Maceys before we found one with a working ice cream machine to get our beloved Kong Cones. 

We spent some time at Classic Skate (a skating rink/bounce house/lazer tag/arcade place owned by relatives of the Demars…so we played for free!). We also drove down to the Provo Rec center and played on the slides and in the water before our drive home.  We packed all that fun into 3 days.  It was a perfect little get away and break from trek prep/summer boredom.

We also got so spend a lot of time with cousins this summer.  Syd brought Mae and Evan to stay for about a month. She was here before we left for trek and stayed through the middle of July.  Kortney got here with her girls on the day we left for trek.  So Emmie got to spend a few days with grandparents and cousins to herself.  She was a little nervous about that, because she’s never been alone with any extended family in her life. But she ended up having a great time! When the rest of us got home two weeks of family fun began.  We celebrated the 4^th, spent an afternoon at POJO’s, took family pictures, visited a fun pop culture shop downtown, went swimming a ton, drove out to Jump Creek to play in the water and waterfall, got a little irritated with each other, and had a great time.

A week after family all left Heather once again planned a road trip for us to join her on.  She really wanted to visit her mom and sister who were battling breast cancer along with her but she didn’t feel comfortable traveling alone.  So when I mentioned that learning to slalom ski was on my bucket list she hatched a plan for us to drive to Canada with our previous road trip crew. We would visit her mom along the way and then stay with her sister who lived in a lake and would get me up on one ski.  And we did exactly that.  The trip was really good. I think Emmie struggled a little finding her place being with her best friend who was with all of her cousins. By the end of the week though I think she was more comfortable and had a great time.  The kids spent the majority of their time in the water or on the boat.  I got up on one ski!  (Now I just have to buy a boat or force someone with a boat to take me out next summer so I can master the skill.) I enjoyed getting to know the women in Heather’s family and Owen became the new best friend of Birdie…the 5 year old cousin who latched in to Owen and quickly declared him her best friend. She told us they were exactly the same except for she doesn’t like cheese. And I must say, she is definitely a spitfire like owen. I was recently told she was kicked off her school bus for swearing. Which is hilarious  coming from a sweet little conservative Mormon family!

I couldn't get over all of the beautiful canola fields that were in bloom. This is a horrible picture of one we drove by.  Fields full of yellow flowers were everywhere. It was gorgeous.

We also had a little bit of sad news this summer.  One morning Emmie ran I to my room screaming and crying that Gus was dead.  She had been trying to wake him up and when she picked him up she said he was stiff and cold.  It broke my heart.  All of the kids were shocked and sad.  Emmie sobbed.  Which made me so sad and teary. Owen was emotional and wanted to be the one to place Gus in a bag for burial.  He was so gentle with him.  Later that day I had Owen dig a hole and Emmie made a headstone.  We buried little Gus next to our blackberry bush.  He was a good little hamster, and even though we’re to the point where the kids are asking for another I’m not sure I’m ready to go down that road again just yet.