Back in Blackfoot

Family reunions. Gotta love 'em. Kurt, Cooper & I headed to Blackfoot, Idaho for the Lon & Ruby Lott family reunion. As you know, my sister also lives in Blackfoot, so we had a partial sister reunion as well. I would love to share all the photos I took at the Lott portion of the weekend, but I was always so freezing cold that getting my camera did not appeal to me.

I will say this, some of my more daring family member joined in a human pyramid that weekend and I know a certain scrappin' sister-in-law took a photo. I'm really hoping she will email it to me (both sides) so I can post it.

The reunion just wasn't long enough. I feel like I got a small dose of Lotts and a small dose of Pearsons, but not enough of either.

I did take my camera to the park when Misti & I took the kids. So, those are the pics you get. I have to mention the fact that every night we came home smelling roasty and we just pulled that aroma with us into the Pearson household. Many of you know my niece Bostyn tells it like it is, so it did my heart good when she would lean toward me and take in a long sniff and exclaim, "You smell goooood". For some reason no one else in the Pearson family backed her up.

One more thing. I did get some Pirates Booty from Misti and this delectable chex/golden graham/coconut/almond/gooey snack from Jen. If you beg, she might just give you the recipe.

Punctual...Oh how I wish

We were supposed to leave town an hour ago. Here we are. Things happened. Things out of my control. I'm Type A and punctuality is very important to me, but...

• There was a glitch in Kurt's payroll software and he couldn't leave work until it got fixed


• Kurt did not pack a single thing last night


• There is a weird sound in the van we are going to have to look at (when he is done packing)


• We still need to eat dinner at some point
  

Why is it when you are leaving town, something is bound to bog you down? (Catch the rhyme?) Wish us luck and hopefully no tornadoes will track us down. I'll report on our adventures or misadventures soon.

(Right now I'm using all my mental energy to help Kurt know what he needs to pack next. He said he was done 10 minutes ago. Still waiting....)

I cannot believe it is August and, oh, how things have changed!

Sometimes, when I'm writing posts for the blog, I wonder if I'll ever be able to come up with something interesting to write about again (interesting to me at least). What I have found is I have a lot more to write about the more frequently I write because the longer I wait the more experiences dissipate and become an unmanageable mess. So today is a fresh start with a rewind beginning.

REWIND: July ended on a high. I'm officially employed which means I'm excited, nervous, anxious, relieved and very busy. My job title: Technology Instruction Coach. Can you imagine a better job? When technology and creativity combine, the possibilities are endless.

I finished my summer classes. This summer marks the end of me ever taking classes full-time again. I'll take one this fall. ONE. It seems strangely fabulous.

I went to Moodle Boot Camp. I love saying that because people either pretend they know what I'm talking about and just nod and say "uh huh" or they ignore me and swiftly change the topic of conversation.

I went to the pet and doll parade with my sister, Laura and kids in tow. If you don't have this type of parade, it's where children can get dressed up and/or dress up their animals or dolls and be in a parade. It adorable.



July also signified the end of summer for Hunter. He has basically been gone the entire month working. It's great because he is never anywhere he can really spend the money he is earning. Sadly, his car broke as well.

Another incredible event occurred in the Fairhurst commune in July. My sister Kelli joined me in my current decade..the 30's. I'm on my way out and she is just starting the journey. My sister Misti and my grandma and some wonderful friends surprised her with a chocolate party.





TODAY: There was so much more that happened in July, but it's already fading away. So let's talk today. Today I went to the doctor's office to get a TB shot for the school district. While I was there I was able to hear a man tell about recently getting bit by a rattlesnake and having to walk miles to his vehicle afterward. He said you don't die, it's just very painful. Is that true? I don't plan on testing his theory. I don't really believe it anyway...I think he just got lucky.

I also had to go to the County Superintendent to get an official seal on my MT teaching license. I was SO happy I was able to walk right past the incredibly long line at the motor vehicle dept to the one lone stall for the Superintendent. It was worth all the glares and hateful glances.

Did you know it's Beanie Baby time at McDonalds? Cooper is well aware of it, so today I ordered myself a happy meal so he would get 2 little goodies. Is that against some McDonald rule or something? I did feel a tidge guilty about it.

For the next 2 days I have more Moodle training here in town and then I'm off to the Lott reunion this weekend and to see my sister Misti & her family. I have one more wish floating loudly through the universe and that is hoping my house will sell. And it will.

Bang!

It's July and "Bang" seems to be the theme thus far. Of course you except some bang on the 4th of July and this year was no exception. Part of DJ and fam, Kelli and fam, & Kurt, Cooper & I staked our spot on Central Ave. to watch the annual 4th of July Parade. We were there for over 2 hours. It was a fabulous parade, but 2 hours is a long time with 4 small children, 1 nearby smoker, and melting ice cream. Later, the guys lit off our fireworks which are always a hit. This year the only injury belongs to me with a slight burn on my finger from trying to stick a still hot sparkler into the box so it wouldn't end up on the ground somewhere.

Another bang we can't seem to get away from is the bang of thunder as storm, after storm, after storm rolls in. The 4th of July ended with the bang of a storm and a 4 hour blackout.


Kurt called 911 when he heard two bangs late one night. He's pretty good at deciphering gunshots from fireworks, but I think some manufacturer tricked him.

We have been also lacking in the "bang, bang, bang on the door" department. No one has knocked down our door to steal our beautiful home in Meridian which sits empty and forlorn, just looking for a loving family. In addition, no one has knocked down my door to hire me. It's a bit sad for me as I've just been waiting to teach and now no one wants to retire.

Now that I've banged this post out, it's time to bang out some homework.

ps. I promise I won't do another play on words post for at least a week or so!

Oh Wo!

Wisdom teeth. The troublemakers of one's mouth. Prior to moving, our fantastic friend & dentist offered to remove the last 3 of Hunter's wisdom teeth. Hunter was up for it, so off he went. I think he would have dragged his feet a bit more if he knew what was coming.

The tooth pulling went as fine as could be expected. This was about 10 days before we moved. Hunter lumbered down to the basement to recover in his cave. The first few days, he managed the discomfort with the X-men Trilogy and vicodin. Monday, things took a turn for the worse (we moved that Saturday). He was in so much pain, but couldn't miss any school because he had to finish out his semester early.

He looked miserable and was barely holding it together. Tuesday he walked in from school & wept (which he never does) because the pain was too much. We took him back to the dentist to find out he had 2 dry sockets. Figures. Hunter is the man of many strange anomalies. For the next 3 days he went in every day to get the holes packed and then would rest. Needless to say, he couldn't help much with the move but I'm so happy he was almost healed by the time we headed out and now we don't have to worry about that issue any more.

Edith continued...

The final meeting of Archie has lost it's zing a big seeing as I haven't been on in so long, but I need to write it down or I'll forget it for sure.

Prior to leaving Meridian, I gave Archie the name, address, and phone number of our storage unit with the following instructions, "Someone from the office has to let you in with a key, so make sure to call and let them know the time you will be arriving." I told him this twice. **Foreshadowing Alert**

Tuesday morning, the day the truck was to arrive, my phone rang at 8:20am. Archie. He wanted to let me know that they were at the storage unit but no one was there to let them in. I asked if he called ahead of time and he ignored me, but told me to get there when I could. So I got ready and made it there about 9:15 am at which time I went to the office (right in front of Archie, his truck & crew) where a sign explicitly stated the office didn't open until....10am. Archie was a bit crabby, so Hunter & I took off for a bit and when we got back an hour later, Archie and entourage were in the gate and unloading.

I let him know I was looking for 3 boxes to pull out, my computer, my monitor, and our printer. They found the monitor and the printer in the first hour of unloading (Hunter & I were there in the hot, hot sun for 5 and a half hours while they unloaded). We made our usual donut and drink run, but Archie did not partake of the non-Krispy Kreme donuts. As the day went on, the processor was no where to be found. In an act of pure non-Archiness, Archie apologized over & over because they couldn't find it (not his fault at all). I was close to tears as my dearest Archie drove off and my processor was no where in sight.

Summer classes were going to start and I need some specific programs on my processor. I drove home & waited for Kurt to come home so I could lean on him for a bit. As I told him my sad tale, he reassured me we would find it before classes started. He decided to set up the printer in the meantime. I went to open the door to our lovely office space Kelli & Mike cleaned out for us when lo and behold...there was my processor sitting in a box on the desk. I turned my eyes on Kurt with a look of wonder to which he exclaimed, "YOU MADE me put that in my van to bring here". It didn't matter that he was in the wrong as usual, all that mattered was my processor was in arms reach. Sorry Archie, all that looking for nothing. Until we meet again (hopefully never in this capacity)!

EDITH!

Meet the moving truck driver. You may recognize him. We had the pleasure of interacting with this crusty on the outside, somewhat mushy on the inside with a dash of boundary issues persona during our manic move to Montana.

The day before the movers were supposed to show up, I received a call from the mover's office telling me our driver would be contacting us by 3pm that afternoon to let us know when he was going to show up on move day..Friday. Of course, there was no phone call, so we figured they were running late and would show until about noon on Friday. Keep in mind, we had all of our things boxed up and ready to throw in the truck.

Friday morning, with a stomach full of agitation, I got up and started getting ready. I happened to walk past the front room window when low & behold a HUGE moving semi rounded the corner. I ran to check the time: 8:05 am. Kurt & I about fell over. This began our adventure with Archie. He was a mumbling, grumbling kind of guy who brought 2 box lifters with him. He would throw little jabs at them here & there and then talk about how marvelous they were. I read you are supposed to feed the movers if they are there during meal time, so I asked if they would like some donuts. Archie replies, "What kind of donuts? I'm very picky about the type of donuts I'll eat." I told him I was headed to Krispy Kreme and, with a glint of a grin he said, "Those are the only type of donuts I like. Want me to ride along with you?".

Well that threw me for a loop. Come with me? That wasn't going to happen and when I started listing all the places I needed to go he stated, "Well, I better stay. I need to supervise the guys anyway". PHEW! After getting the donuts and drinks, I figured they would be out of there in a couple of hours. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would take them 8 hours to load my boxes. I quit feeding them, hoping the hunger would drive them. Sometimes I would hide in a vacant room, curl up in the fetal position, and rock away my worries. Meanwhile, Archie was telling Kurt to disassemble this & disassemble that and reminding the "lifters' that if they couldn't get it right he would have to show them how it's done. Oh my. When they finally left, a feeling of sweet relief washed over me, but Archie and I would meet again...on the other side of the mountain. To be continued....