Panguitch Getaway

Oh dear.  Here we are, at the close of Mark's last break.  From here on out, he will be at clinics and offices 5 days a week, even through Christmas.  He will leave early and work late.  Lunch with him will be hit or miss.  And if he ever decides to take a day off, it comes out of his pay.

Sigh.  Real life is coming at us too fast.

I have really, really enjoyed our cosey, cheap little student life.

Well, for his last free break ever, Mark wanted to take some friends and go to Panguitch.  To sum it all up in two words, I would say refreshing (due to the clean air and wide open spaces) and relaxing (thanks to all the sitting around we did). 

We loved it.

My number one favorite memory was when we set up Mac's bedroom upstairs.  He suddenly started running, jumping, and squealing with delight; as if he knew what a fantastic place this was and all the memories and sweat and love that went into it.  Mark couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he watched his son find so much joy in a place that means so much to him.  Sigh.

Besides that,  we threw a lot of rocks.

 We went on a lot of drives.  Four wheeling was a favorite.

We went on a lot of nice walks, and loved sucking back that clean, cool air.

 We held many stick-racing contests; a favorite childhood memory of Mark's.

 We watched waaaaay too much Elmo.

 And played a lot of games with our wonderful friends.  Behold ... the final scores for Ticket to Ride.  Yes, "A" stands for "Allie".

We loved the company, loved the relaxation, loved talking to the small-town locals, loved exploring the little shops and wondering how people lived off them, and adored the great outdoors.  Chris Gunn, we can't thank you enough for all the work you've put into this place so we can all make so many memories there!



A Thomas Family Visit

Oh I love these visits so much.  The only mildly tragic thing about this one is that it would be Jamie's last. She is taking off to Rochester, New York for an LDS mission!  I am so proud of her, and will miss her like crazy.  Sigh.

All my family really wanted to do this time around was be with Mac.  And so, we did things that Mac likes to do for the five days they were here.

Like eating sushi.  (Actually, he just wanted the oranges and rice.  The sushi was for Jamie and I.)  Rachel and Trent gagged a little, and Mom did great, until she had a plain old raw piece of fish.  The she stopped eating ... which was troublesome, as we paid for all-you-can-eat.  More for me, I guess!

 Mac loves beaches.  We went to a lot of them.  But he ended up sleeping at home while Mark did homework.  (Finals week.  Fun.)

 We shopped ... few things get Mac as excited as hiding in the clothes racks and such.  He stayed under this table for quite some time.

The rest of our time together was spent at parks, going jogging, playing Telestrations and Guess Who, making food, reading, drawing (occasionally with chalk from Aunt Jamie), and watching lots of the Fringe. (A new obsession introduced to us by my father.)

Mac was spoiled rotten, and loved every minute of it.  He is now passionate about Elmo, and wants to watch the Elmo's World DVD Mom got for him all the time.  He still asks for "Bumpa".  He's started waving good bye, writing his own name (It looks like a lot of zig-zags, like an extension of the "M" we kept drawing for him), and can successfully watch Elmo and his ducks on the ipod without accidentally pausing it.

Every time people visit, Mac seems to learn at least 6 new things.  Thank you my wonderful family, for making the long trek out here!  We sure do love you.

Being Prepared vs. Being Paranoid

Since I have become a mother, life in general seems to be a much bigger deal.  I have always considered myself to be a pretty relaxed, go-with-the-flow kind of person, but some of that has really changed in the past 2 years and 4 months, when I first found out I was pregnant.

The knowledge that I was growing a human being and would have complete responsibility for his welfare spurred me on to eat better and exercise regularly, not just when I had a burst of energy.  I wanted to pack things into that little body that would help him to grow into all he could be, which required me to re-think what "emotional eating" was to me.  I wanted to go for long, slow jogs to get the blood moving through me and through him; to keep the good stuff coming in and the excess moving out of the way.

That has continued on for me, and though I am far from perfect, I won't lie:  I feel about a billion times better about myself and this studly little dude I am attempting to grow into a good human being.

Lately though, I have been quite stressed about emergency prepardness.  Being Mormon, I've heard about it my whole life.  Grow a garden, have food storage, have an emergency plan, etc. etc. etc.  I never gave it much thought, though.

Until all this happened.

There have been all sorts of non-stop updates about the nuclear power plant, about radiation spreading.  Living on the coast as I do, I have been slightly paranoid and have checked reports regularly. 

I finally decided it's time to get some emergency preparedness going.  So I got a list from my always-prepared sister-in-law Heidi, and have packed a bag with the following:

• Water
• 3-day food kit
• Compass
• Ibuprofen
• Crackers
• Chapstick
• Deodorant
• Socks
• Poncho
• Flashlights
• Pocket Knife
• Sewing kit
• Rope
• Can Opener
• Garbage Bag
• Book of Mormon, G's
• Whistle
• Money (small bills)
• First Aid Kit
• Hygine kit - tampons, wipes, tooth brush
• Copies of insurance, emergency contacts, i.d.'s
• Books, card games, coloring books, crayons
• Mess kit
• Matches
• Radio
• Batteries

It stays in the trunk of the car, which I am now attempting to refill whenever it gets to a half tank instead of completely empty.

Am I being paranoid?  Maybe.  But it sure makes me feel better.