The Hair and the Phone

Whilst on vacation, the wife got a haircut. And not just any haircut, a short haircut. It hasn't been this short for at least 8 years or so. Then the two peas got new phones, which they find are very addicting. like new toys on Christmas. So here goes posting an entry using a new phone and sporting a new hairdo.

Summer Vacation: Part Two

The two peas spent a quiet weekend with hubby's family and then drove out to the sunny west coast for another week and a half of bliss. The sun was shinning and the temperature was under 90 degrees! They went boogie boarding, visited a science museum, and played tons of games (mostly dominoes; once the two peas introduced the game to the wife's family no one could stop playing it). 

Here are some highlights in pictures:

The wife got a haircut!

Mini-golfing

Homemade Strawberry Pies!

A game that lasted four days.....

Creative Hairdos!

Fun at the beach

Climbing around at the museum

Finger sword fights!

One of those domino games

Finishing a painting that's been on hold for 12 years or more....

Catching some excellent waves!

The End

Summer Vacation: Part One

The two peas found they had four weeks of unplanned summer and decided to fill it with a long and much needed vacation. No flying. Road trip! Since this is their last summer off from school, and whatever else have you, they decided to take to the open road and see family.

The first leg of this vacation consisted of a stop at an older sister's house and then onward and upward into Yellowstone. So far the two peas have enjoyed laughter, hugs from little nephews, nature's antics, games, stories, and the final chapter of Harry Potter on film! (The film was deeply satisfying to the wife since she was itching to know what happens in the end, and to the hubby since the wife finally squelched the flow of relentless questions. Fabulous.) 

 Both peas are sad to see the end of this half of the trip, but grateful for the experience and tons of pictures to help them remember it. Here are a few highlights:

Texas Dice with all of the cousins.

Motorcycle Ride in the Forest

Beautiful Nature

The Hubby Slaloming

The wife finally made it up onto a wake board. First time!

In Yellowstone Park

4th of July Party

The two peas enjoyed a full and fabulous day of parades (complete with sweet smelling mosquito spray), swimming, great food, spectacular fireworks, long walks, and best of all, great company!

Here's a picture spread of some of the fun:

Our parade's best Obama look-alike.

Spoils from the parade

Our city's water fountain!

Ready to view the fireworks. We found a pretty neat spot.

Friends in a circle

Two Exhausted

Updates: Hubby started his preceptorship - this means he gets to make money shadowing doctors and physicians assistants. He's learning all sorts of interesting stuff. The wife has been attending a whirlwind speed class - in one weeks time she's learned how to take vital signs, dress wounds, administer catheters, maintain a sterile working space (which takes some practice), give CPR, take two exams, and remember dozens of suffix and prefix terms and put them together into medical terms.... On top of that, they are both in the middle of a gargantuan jubilee project. Whew!

Needless to say, these two peas are too exhausted to do anything more than crash every afternoon and sleep. Good luck to all those with crazy schedules. We feel for you.

Short but Memorable

This past week the hubby and I got to take a short, week-long trip to Utah. We spent time with both sides of the family, and took the littlest siblings all over town, it seemed. My folks were recording and performing "Messiah in America" with the MCO choir in Salt Lake City, so we didn't get to see them as much. We had tons of fun, though!

We built snowmen

Fun Hairdos

Swimming

Nutella and Apples

Origami

Walking the dog and playing in the stream

"Messiah in America" on the billboard

Discovery Gateway and music

Grocery shopping

Figuring out what to say on the news

Building structures to withstand earthquakes

The Things We Take For Granted

Sometimes we get going so fast we miss the little and more obvious things, and sometimes life's greatest lessons. I learned that I've got to slow down and enjoy the most simple things a couple of days ago when I babysat for some friends. Their daughter is so cute and has a great imagination. She loves little princess movies, and so we watched "Snow White." During the movie she would make sure I was catching all the little nuances and lessons the movie had to offer. 

My favorite lessons were,

(after Snow White collapses) "We should not eat poison apples,"
and, (after the witch dies) "We shouldn't climb on rocks when they're wet."

So take a leaf from the booklet of this darling girl. Use your imagination.

What little truths have you discovered today?