Just thought I would let you all know what we have been doing so far this summer. Although, it sure hasn't felt like summer yet with the weather being so cool and rainy over the past several weeks. I am enjoying the cool temperatures and some of the rain for the most part. I haven't had to worry about watering the lawn or turning the A/C on so that part is great. However, I definitely could use more sunshine at the same time. The dreariness can really get me down sometimes.
Here is what we have been up to so far this summer.
Jessie - Finished up his 7th grade year at school on May 22nd. He turned 13 years old in April. I can't believe he will be going into the 8th grade. My baby is sure growing up to be a tall, strong, handsome young man. He has been staying with us since June 4th. We have really enjoyed having him with us. I really miss being a part of his every day life. It is so good to have him back home with me even for a couple weeks. He has been spending most of his time with his best friend, Ryan Graham. They have been inseparable for the most part. I think Ryan has moved in! Which is fine with me because he is a good kid and they both get a long so well. They have spent the majority of their time swimming in our pool, skateboarding, playing video games and watching movies. But WOW can these boys put away some food. They are NON-STOP food machines. I don't know where they put it all. I guess they are growing boys! Thanks Kim, for letting Ryan spend so much time with us.
Shellise -Finished up her 9th grade year on June 5th. Her last day of school was spent at Lagoon. WOW! She will be going into High School! I can't believe how quickly the years have gone by. Shellise was accepted into the Granite Youth Symphony for the summer as 1st Chair Viola. They have several concerts coming up as well as week long tour to St. George where they will be playing in the opening of "Annie" at the Tuahchan on June 29th. After that they go on to Southern California where they will be playing at Disneyland, Six Flags, an Angel's game and a couple other venues that I don't remember. She has had to participate in fundraisers to help raise the necessary funds for her trip. I have been so proud of her hard work and the effort she has put into doing this. She almost has all of her trip paid for. I really am proud of all she has accomplished with her playing the Viola in Concert Orchestra at school as well as in the Granite Jr. Youth Symphony. Shellise also enjoyed playing Softball. Her team took 2nd place over all in her division. They had some pretty awesome games. Shellise is now 15 and can now get her learners permit. When she gets back from her trip we will have her take the test so she can get her permit to drive. Now that is a little scary for me. Not because she is driving but because she is old enough to drive. I still want her to be my "little" girl!
Shellise has made the decision to move back to Cedar City and live with her dad. She wants to attend High School there and be with the wonderful friends she has made there. She says that she was the happiest when she lived in Cedar City so I can't fight her on that one. This decision has been very difficult on me. This means I will no longer have my children under my roof and I will not be part of their every day lives. However, I will support her and will miss her like crazy, just like I miss Jessie.
Bill - Continues to drive for FedEx. However, with the economy the way it is, he has only been working 3-4 days a week lately. This has hurt our pocket book significantly. We are both really glad the snow season is over. Driving in bad weather definitely has its disadvantages. He continues to play his pipes, but can no longer participate with his pipe band due to his work schedule. He also has not been able to do any Paragliding yet this year. He took his wing in to get the customary inspection and learned that his wing did not pass inspection. There are several things wrong with it and it was recommended that he just buy a new wing. Unfortunately, it is not something we can afford to buy at this time, especially when there is the lack of work. This is something he loves and looks forward to so for him to not be able to do this activity leaves him feeling very restless. When he is home he really dedicates his time to me and to our family. I talked him into getting a profile set up on Facebook and he has enjoyed catching up with old friends and family. I think I may have gotten him hooked on the game Mafia Wars on FB. He doesn't spend much time on the computer but when he is that is what he is doing.
Sherrie - Staying busy working with for the S.L. County Constables Office. Fortunately, when the economy is bad my business gets really busy. I have also spent a lot of time running kids around to their many activities, as well as keeping the house in order and the bills paid. I have been thinking about getting back into Real Estate. Unfortunately, because I let my license expire 2 years ago, I have to literally start all over. Including going back to school and retaking the state exam and paying all the fees associated with such. I am still undecided, but leaning towards it more and more each day. I spent 7 years as a Realtor and really enjoyed it for the most part. It is a rewarding job and I believe that is exactly what I need right now. Besides, with both my kids living with their dad, I will have loads of time I can dedicate to my business. I have my 42 year birthday coming up in July. I can't believe I am that old. I sure don't feel it. Where did all the time go?
Bill and I have gone on a few hikes. One of the hikes we decided upon was up Centerville Canyon. We started out on the wrong trail head and so the first half the the trail was not at all what we were expecting. It was hard and steep and out in the open and hot and I did not like it at all. We were expecting to be hiking along a creek, and in the trees. Thankfully, the trail we were on ended up connecting to the trail we were supposed to be on so the last half of our hike was awesome and beautiful. Afterwards we figured we had hiked for 8 miles in all. We ended up having a terrific time but we were so sore the next few days.
A couple of weeks ago, we decided on a Sunday morning to go camping just overnight. Bill normally does not have to work until Monday night. We decided we would go up East Canyon because its so close but we learned after we got there that no dogs were allowed and we had brought our dogs. We ended up going on a beautiful drive through East Canyon and back around on I84 to I80 and then went on up to the Mirror Lake Hwy. We found a wonderful campsite next to a creek. Because it was Sunday everyone was clearing out and we had the whole place to ourselves. We set up camp, went on a short hike, it started to rain a little in the afternoon so we took a nap. Once the rain cleared up we prepared our dinner of Chicken, Asparagus, and Potatoes cooked in foil over the fire. It was very YUMMY. We played a game of Rummy and sat around the fire and watched the night sky come to life with all the stars. It was beautiful to be away from all the city lights. At 5:00 the next morning Bill checked in with work and learned that he would have to be to work by 10:00 a.m., which was surprising to us given the fact that he usually drives during the night. So we had to quickly pull up camp and head back down to life in the city. It was a really wonderful camping trip. It was relaxing and peaceful. I loved camping near the creek listening to the water rolling over the rocks.
This past Saturday Shellise, Jessie, Bill and I spent the day at the Highland Games/Scottish Festival. This is something we look forward to every year. Bill dresses in his traditional Scottish kilt and attire. He looks so handsome!!! In years past he has competed with his pipe band. And marched in during the March of the bands. However, this year he was a spectator. I know he missed being and active participant. We watched some of the athletes compete in their events. We ate yummy Scottish meat pies for lunch. But the best part is, and one we really look forward to, is seeing the Wicked Tinkers perform. They are an awesome Scottish tribal band. I will post a link so you can see them. We are all HUGE fans!! Check out these links :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUODWzwtbks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYk6_R0pxJk
As for the remainder of the summer, we still don't have any definite plans for a vacation or anything like that. We may try to go down to southern Utah the middle of July and spend a couple days going through some of the National Parks. This all depends on how his job goes over the next few weeks.
After Shellise returns from her California trip she will be moving down to Cedar City. So except for 1 or 2 weekends, the kids will not be with us much of the summer. We will probably continue to go on hikes as often as possible, and definitely get some more camping in. We also want to do some bike riding. Other than that, I am sure the summer will just fly by as usual.
What are your great plans for the summer?
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