I've been pushed out of the driver's seat. Once upon a time, the only time I rode shotgun was when Tom drove. I haven't actually driven a car for three days now--because Karianne has her learner's permit.
She's a good driver so far. A little nervous when other cars are around, but she's done splendidly. I appreciate that she is very careful, and takes the responsibility of wielding a 2000 lb weapon seriously.
In order to be ready to get her license next spring, she must complete 40 hours of driving practice; 30 daylight, and 10 at night. Tonight was our first adventure after dark. She was scared at first, but after half an hour of tooling up and down the roads, she was grinning ear to ear. I hope she'll be able to calm down and go to sleep at a decent hour.
It's a lot of fun for me to watch her practice this highly anticipated skill. It reminds me of the summer ten years ago when she learned to ride a bike. It was scary too, and she was so tense that she got a stomach ache. But after a couple of times around the school parking lot, that same wide grin spread across her face, and she called out joyfully as she whizzed by, "This is the funnest thing I have ever done!"
I think those were her exact thoughts tonight.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Sunrise, Sunset
I have always loved sunsets. Here are a few fun pics from this summer.
When Tom first started working in SLC, I woke up with him nearly every morning, so I got to see a few sunrises too. This one was particularly stunning.
There's a funny story about this particular sunrise. I was standing at the kitchen window in my lightweight summer bathrobe, when I decided I just had to have some pictures of the glory outside. But because of the houses to the east of us, I determined to gain a little bit of elevation for these shots. So out came the extension ladder, and up I went. Now those of you familiar with Spanish Fork know that the wind blows strongly most summer mornings. This morning was no exception. As I perched atop the ladder, holding onto the roof for dear life while craning around to snap the pics, my thin robe whipped around my legs and showed more than I'd bargained for. I just prayed that the neighbors all had sense enough to be asleep at 5:15am.
When Tom first started working in SLC, I woke up with him nearly every morning, so I got to see a few sunrises too. This one was particularly stunning.
There's a funny story about this particular sunrise. I was standing at the kitchen window in my lightweight summer bathrobe, when I decided I just had to have some pictures of the glory outside. But because of the houses to the east of us, I determined to gain a little bit of elevation for these shots. So out came the extension ladder, and up I went. Now those of you familiar with Spanish Fork know that the wind blows strongly most summer mornings. This morning was no exception. As I perched atop the ladder, holding onto the roof for dear life while craning around to snap the pics, my thin robe whipped around my legs and showed more than I'd bargained for. I just prayed that the neighbors all had sense enough to be asleep at 5:15am.
Yellowstone Post #3
I am more than a little embarrassed that it has taken me two months to finally finish off the record of our trip to Yellowstone (June 11-14). I almost didnt' do it, but there were some choice shots that I had promised to share. So here we go.
The second day we spent at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I didn't even know there was such a thing. I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't disappointed.
Lower Falls
Lower falls up close. Just to the right of the brink of the falls you can see the teeny little people standing on the lookout.
And now I am one of the teeny little people taking pictures from the brink of the falls. Hearing and watching all of that water plunge over the edge was awe inspiring. I love waterfalls.
The view looking north from Lower Falls. Amazing.
Upper Falls. I think it's cool how the river makes a 90 degree turn just before plunging off the edge of the falls.
Nathan and Megan found themselves a hiding place in the cavity of a rock. Luckily there weren't any snakes in there.
After the Canyon, we headed back to our hotel, but before we got very far, we were stopped by a traffic jam. Of course, you have to get out and see what all the fuss is about. This time is was worth it: a Grizzly mama and two cubs just 30 yards off the road.
An eagle flying. Really, it is!
Ah, here's a better picture.
The second day we spent at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I didn't even know there was such a thing. I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't disappointed.
Lower Falls
Lower falls up close. Just to the right of the brink of the falls you can see the teeny little people standing on the lookout.
And now I am one of the teeny little people taking pictures from the brink of the falls. Hearing and watching all of that water plunge over the edge was awe inspiring. I love waterfalls.
The view looking north from Lower Falls. Amazing.
Upper Falls. I think it's cool how the river makes a 90 degree turn just before plunging off the edge of the falls.
Nathan and Megan found themselves a hiding place in the cavity of a rock. Luckily there weren't any snakes in there.
After the Canyon, we headed back to our hotel, but before we got very far, we were stopped by a traffic jam. Of course, you have to get out and see what all the fuss is about. This time is was worth it: a Grizzly mama and two cubs just 30 yards off the road.
An eagle flying. Really, it is!
Ah, here's a better picture.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Token post
Is it really that I am too busy to blog? Or just that my time management skills have been blown into oblivion?
One sad event that has hampered my ability and desire to post is the loss of my new camera. Yes, the one that takes marvelous pictures that I cannot afford to replace at this time. Even the old camera is currently misplaced. I have not been able to make myself post since the loss of my new camera... I didn't want to admit that I was so careless as to leave it at a city park, and deep down somewhere in the damp corners of my mind I reasoned that if I didn't write it down, maybe it didn't happen. Three weeks later... it still hasn't turned up.
So now I can't blog about Nathan's diving class because those pictures were on the camera. I can't blog about how awesome my massive garden is doing because you really need to see it to believe it. I can't blog about the amazing new sectional sofa we bought for the basement family room because again, words just aren't adequate to describe it.
Maybe I'll go look for my camera some more.
One sad event that has hampered my ability and desire to post is the loss of my new camera. Yes, the one that takes marvelous pictures that I cannot afford to replace at this time. Even the old camera is currently misplaced. I have not been able to make myself post since the loss of my new camera... I didn't want to admit that I was so careless as to leave it at a city park, and deep down somewhere in the damp corners of my mind I reasoned that if I didn't write it down, maybe it didn't happen. Three weeks later... it still hasn't turned up.
So now I can't blog about Nathan's diving class because those pictures were on the camera. I can't blog about how awesome my massive garden is doing because you really need to see it to believe it. I can't blog about the amazing new sectional sofa we bought for the basement family room because again, words just aren't adequate to describe it.
Maybe I'll go look for my camera some more.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Stop the Ferris Wheel -- I want to get off!
I apologize to my fans for the lack of closure on the Yellowstone trip. I promise that I will get to it. Blogging has been shoved to the bottom of a very long list for the time being. I've continued to take pictures though, so once things calm down I'll try to catch up on our doings. I would post photos now, except that the computer on which the pics reside is currently out of commission. Not because of a hardware malfunction, but due to having been disassembled and moved out of the office to camp on my bedroom floor.
Right now, my every conscious moment is consumed with putting the house together after the flood. Friday a crew came to move furniture out of the family room and office to clear the way for the new laminate flooring for the basement to be installed on Monday. Yes, tomorrow! (July 9). Vinyl flooring for the torn up hall bathroom will also go in Monday. Carpet is scheduled to be installed in the living room and hall on Tuesday July 10. I am so excited. It is going to be beautiful. But a good sized chunk of my anticipation has nothing to do with the appearance of the affected rooms, and everything to do with getting an entertainment center and two large, heavy bookshelves OUT of the storage room, two desks, computers, and a filing cabinet OUT of Megan's bedroom, and stacks of books and other displaced items OUT of my bedroom.
Due to the congestion of "stuff" residing in my room, I rather violently stubbed my toe on a rogue computer case in the middle of the night last night, and although I tried to be quiet, my sobbings awakened my husband, who patted me and said, "I'm sorry", and then promptly fell back to sleep.
I am tired of not being able to find ANYTHING. I feel like the people at the end of the Book of Mormon, when their possessions became slippery. How did that prophecy go? "For ye shall lay down the scissors, and when ye come to use them again the next day, ye shall not find them, and great shall be the wailing and gnashing of teeth in thy house."
In other news, Karianne has been collecting donated household items from ward members in preparation for a fund-raiser yard sale to be held on July 14 (yes, this Saturday). So not only is my basement chaotic, but the kitchen and living room are occluded by plastic bags full of clothes that have been sorted and tagged, and piles of clothes awaiting the same. Thankfully Karianne finished the sorting of the clothes and now all that is left is to sort and tag the furniture and other items waiting in the garage. Happily for Karianne, she departs for girls' camp early Tuesday morning, so the remaining sorting and tagging will fall to her poor witless mother, who will be driven the rest of the way to insanity by Saturday morning.
One more week. One more week and then I'll be able to breathe again.
Right now, my every conscious moment is consumed with putting the house together after the flood. Friday a crew came to move furniture out of the family room and office to clear the way for the new laminate flooring for the basement to be installed on Monday. Yes, tomorrow! (July 9). Vinyl flooring for the torn up hall bathroom will also go in Monday. Carpet is scheduled to be installed in the living room and hall on Tuesday July 10. I am so excited. It is going to be beautiful. But a good sized chunk of my anticipation has nothing to do with the appearance of the affected rooms, and everything to do with getting an entertainment center and two large, heavy bookshelves OUT of the storage room, two desks, computers, and a filing cabinet OUT of Megan's bedroom, and stacks of books and other displaced items OUT of my bedroom.
Due to the congestion of "stuff" residing in my room, I rather violently stubbed my toe on a rogue computer case in the middle of the night last night, and although I tried to be quiet, my sobbings awakened my husband, who patted me and said, "I'm sorry", and then promptly fell back to sleep.
I am tired of not being able to find ANYTHING. I feel like the people at the end of the Book of Mormon, when their possessions became slippery. How did that prophecy go? "For ye shall lay down the scissors, and when ye come to use them again the next day, ye shall not find them, and great shall be the wailing and gnashing of teeth in thy house."
In other news, Karianne has been collecting donated household items from ward members in preparation for a fund-raiser yard sale to be held on July 14 (yes, this Saturday). So not only is my basement chaotic, but the kitchen and living room are occluded by plastic bags full of clothes that have been sorted and tagged, and piles of clothes awaiting the same. Thankfully Karianne finished the sorting of the clothes and now all that is left is to sort and tag the furniture and other items waiting in the garage. Happily for Karianne, she departs for girls' camp early Tuesday morning, so the remaining sorting and tagging will fall to her poor witless mother, who will be driven the rest of the way to insanity by Saturday morning.
One more week. One more week and then I'll be able to breathe again.
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