Bullets

• We're still doing Summer Bingo. For which enthusiasm has waned a bit - although Savannah got so bored last weekend that she applied herself and managed to get a blackout. But this week, I think the kids have hardly looked at their cards. I probably need to up the ante. Make the rewards a little more interesting, or just different. Something to pique their interest...
• Gracie is doing much better. Last night was the first night that she's shown any interest at all in eating - she sat next to Asia the whole time at dinner begging for a piece of flank steak. Did she get it? You betcha. When your dog has barely eaten a thing for a week, you're inclined to let her eat whatever she shows interest in... so yes - the dog had steak for dinner. Now this morning she won't eat again. Not sure what's up with that. But I'm not getting out the leftover steak...
• She'll go in a week from today to get the staples taken out - she has 20 of them running down her stomach. It's a gnarly wound. It'll disappear once her hair grows back in, but for now, she's got a serious scar. Poor baby.
• I got a big box of new stamps from Memory Box last week... lots of new stamps for fall and winter. I spent awhile yesterday playing with them - it's Christmas in July in my studio. A little hard to find inspiration when it's 80+ degrees outside... but the stamps are SO pretty. And there are new little jewels I just LOVE! Hoping to be able to reveal them soon... not sure when we get to show them off, but for now I'm having a blast playing with them.
• Excited about this... the park within walking distance now has an awesome splash pad for the kids to cool off in on those super hot days... COOL!
• Got a job last weekend through a friend of my old boss, Kathy... taking parking fees at a dog show in Coeur D'Alene. Weird, I know. But it was supposed to pay $100 a day - and then when they paid us, they 'renegotiated our contracts' and actually ended up giving me $300 for two days' work. Kyler helped out too and got $200 of his own. Definitely worth it. Now I only need $1500 more to pay off Gracie's bill. Yikes!
• Happy Wednesday, friends!

Bryce Canyon

This is the first vacation we've ever taken as a family where we didn't have the whole itinerary planned out months in advance. For some reason, Asia wanted to go to Park City for a few days, wander around Southern Utah for a few, then go visit friends in Boise. Other than that - there was no advance planning.

Over the years, I've heard great things about Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park... they both were on my wish list... so when we left Park City, we drove in the general direction of Bryce.

When we got there, we did some research at the visitors center and settled on a 3 mile hike that would include the Queen's Garden and Fairyland Loop. The park literature promised this was the "best 3 mile hike in the world!"

Well, the world's a big place, so I'm not sure I could go quite that far, but we weren't disappointed. Bryce is a gorgeous landscape - with pink, orange and purple cliffs and striking hoodoos sticking up everywhere... it is an amazing place to hike. So hike, we did!

After Bryce, we drove south so we could stay somewhere close to Zion, which we planned to visit the next day.

Asia's half hearted research had shown quite a few places to stay along the way - but had neglected to point out that all of them were dingy, old and downright scary. We just kept driving until we came to a lovely little town about 7 miles north of the Arizona border - Kanab, Utah. We found a nice place to spend a couple of nights, got some Subway, swam in the pool and chilled until bedtime.

I love road trips... love giving the kids these memories and spending time together in this unique way. The kids do SO remarkably well - they all get along so well and we share lots of laughter... and they're great little hikers. I really enjoy this stage in our family's life together - where everyone carries their own weight and we can tackle adventure as a unit... good stuff.

More soon...

Park City

Our friends, Bryan and Heidi Spray, moved to Park City, Utah five years ago. And for five years we've been saying we should go visit them.

This year - we finally did.

Bryan and Heidi have four kids - the oldest of which is 7 - with their youngest at 13 months. It was so great to see how our kids interacted with them - they were so helpful and sweet.

Here they are in downtown Park City... we went down for Park Silly - their super fun Sunday market.
Look at these two cute Dads with their kiddos - I bet when Asia and Bryan met 20+ years ago they never imagined this!
We had GORGEOUS weather and were able to spend two days hanging out at the pool.One afternoon was spent at the Park City Resort - we rode the chair lift up to the top of the mountain, then rode the alpine slide down...And then we went up again - coming down this time on the 1/2 mile zipline! It was awesome. Fast and fun and terrifying all at once...
Those are my feet... with Ethan off to the right. He kept saying "This is so scary, this is so scary, this is so scary!" until he saw me so close behind him... then he relaxed and enjoyed himself...

But for sure, the highlight of our time there was the time we spent with Bryan and Heidi. It's not often you find a couple with whom you have so many similarities... the four of us get along splendidly.

It was worth the five year wait, for sure...

Home.

We're back from vacation.

We actually got back Sunday, but it's been such a whirlwind of activity around here, I haven't had a moment to stop and write.

We spent nine days on the road - visiting friends in Park City, Utah, then going down to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park before spending a couple of days with friends in Boise... the kids did great in the car for the entire 3000 miles.

I have pictures to share - and will break them up into separate posts just to make it manageable.

We had a bit of a scare with Gracie while we were gone... she was staying with a young couple who always help take care of her while we're out of town and ended up bloating - which is a serious, life threatening condition for dogs. Her stomach bloated and then twisted, so there was no way for the extra air to escape. Fortunately, our friends got her straight to the pet emergency hospital, and they were able to release the pressure and get her stomach untwisted before any permanent damage was done. This condition can often lead to a heart arrythmia as well, but fortunately Gracie didn't have any trouble with that.

Today she is back at the vet, having surgery that will prevent her stomach from flipping should she bloat again. The ER vet explained that 97% of dogs who bloat once will do it again - and the surgery is the only way to protect her. Asia and I are both sick about spending the money - but felt like we had no option, really.

So the rest of my week I'll be laying low, taking care of my sweet pooch as she recovers from her surgery.

I should have lots of time to post, eh?

Smooch you all... watch for more soon!

(And just in case you were wondering - I've had to ditch the 'photo a day'... between getting a new computer and dealing with the stress of the dog, I just haven't been able to keep up. I'll still try to take and post pics of our summer events, but I can't do one every day... I'm a little disappointed in myself, but such is life...)

Ah ha!!!

Here's the video Savannah made yesterday as part of her 'Summer Bingo.' I finally got it to upload!!!

How could you NOT love this? It does this mama's heart good... spelling error and all.

A photo a day all summer long - days two and three

So after trying ALL last night and today to get a WONDERFUL video that Savannah made uploaded and onto the blog, I've given up and will now post two pictures instead of one video and one picture.

But I'm frustrated. Because her video was SO sweet.

Alas - technology hates me.

And so it goes.

So here you go. Pictures.

A project I made for my Memory Box blog... I've been working hard to get entries written and scheduled to post while we're on vacation next week...

My newly painted house. It's almost finished. I'm SO happy with the colors and feel like I'm pulling up to a new house every time I pull into the driveway...

A photo a day - all summer long - day one

Okay, so it's two photos.

Shoot me.

I totally copied Stacy Julian today and gave my kids summer bingo cards... the general idea is that they can mark off spots on the the cards as they do the activities listed - when they get a bingo, they get a ticket and tickets can be redeemed for fun stuff like popsicles, sleep overs and even money.

Anyway - it was a wonderful day for the kids. They were building things, reading in secret spots, making and editing videos, baking, doing Wii fit, making blanket forts and capturing and observing bugs... all good things for kids to do in the summer and not once did one of them come to me and complain about being bored.

In these pictures, Savannah and Ethan were building structures - using the same building materials (marshmallows, toothpicks, cardstock and tape) to see who could build the structure that would hold the most pennies without collapsing... they totally came up with this themselves and were busy with it for over an hour.

It's going to be a good summer.

A hug, a handshake and a high five.

And with that, he said goodbye to third grade.

Transition.

Tonight is the last school night of the year.

As I prayed with my kids, I had to fight the lump in my throat.

I've got three really great kids.

And as I prayed with each of them, I was reminded of God's goodness to us over the years. And I felt the deep, primal need to be on my knees even more for them as we finish out this school year and walk into the next...

Before I prayed for Kyler, (who leaves in the morning for distance running camp with his high school cross country team,) I had to stop and tell him how thankful I am for his last two years of junior high. He's made it through a huge school with over 800 kids with nary a scratch. Oh - and some pretty impressive grades too. He managed to find a sport he excels at, made friends, stayed out of trouble, and has yet to display anything resembling teenage angst. He's a great kid. Of course, I also had to tell him I didn't want him to keep growing up - to which he replied "I'll always be your little boy, Mom."

And then there was Savannah - who stood with her classmates today at a reception in their honor... marking seven years at their elementary school and celebrating their citizenship and achievement there. She's going to junior high next year - the very school Kyler is exiting. Lately people keep commenting to me how much she's changed this year - how much older and mature she's looking. And I think back to the little girl who never played with baby dolls and who has always known her own mind... how did she get so big? Tonight I prayed for discernment and wisdom as she leaves a school that has felt like home for 7 years... and for friendships and opportunities and a great junior high experience.

And of course, my baby. Who has a promotion of his own next year - moving up from the primary classrooms to the intermediate grades. At our elementary school this is a big geographical move - as well as a big change in expectations and opportunities for the kids. Ethan is a happy-go-lucky kid - the one every other kid on the playground knows - and who manages to be a friend to them all. Frankly, I'm so darn happy he's got three more years at the elementary school... I can only handle so much change all at once.

It's a big year here at the Goins' household.

Three kids in three different schools next year.

It's going to be quite a ride...

I know. Pathetic.

Here's what it comes down to:

My computer is lame.

And I am lamer.

And the combination of the two have created a dark void here on Thoughts From the Deep Recesses.

Even when I find the time to write, I stare at the blank screen with an equally blank brain.

I'm not sure what that's all about.

I am almost to the end of the school year. I am officially done with all my PTG responsibilities - the last school newspaper went out last week - the 6th grade memory book was delivered today and the slide show is out of my hands - complete and handed over to the committee doing the 6th grade reception tomorrow.

So I think maybe my brain will open up again now and there will be room for other thoughts.

And maybe, just maybe, blogger will let me post some pictures. I have lots of pictures to share.

And I'm planning to do 'a photo a day' again this summer because I enjoyed it so much two summers ago.

So I'll be around...

Yay for summer!