Au revoir, 2014...

Just a quick post about 2014.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  (Since it will be quick, it will probably be incomplete, but oh well.)

The good - Where to start?
-A new grandson - pictures here
-Sister Rietz serving in the California Rancho Cucamonga Mission.  She's 7 months in and going strong.  You can follow her adventure at her blog
-Teaching Seminary.  Who knew I would love it so much?  And love it I do.  I have a great class who show up, stay awake and are a joy to meet with 5 mornings a week - see this post
-Thanksgiving with the family.  see this post
-The first Roommate Rendevous  - see this post
-Many good books - Non-fiction seemed to be my genre this year - here is one I really enjoyed
-Watching my family continue to grow and seeing the great people they are becoming - you'll have to peruse the blog to find examples.  I'm sure I included plenty!  :)

This is just a sample of the good.  So many things to remember and to be grateful for.  I hope I appreciated and will continue to appreciate them enough.

The bad - Luckily not the longest list, but still long enough...
-Too many people we know passed away too soon - here is one story
-We didn't go to Australia - I could list this under "ugly" because it makes me very sad, and the regret       I feel about this is something I have to let go, because I can't change anything.  Lesson learned             though - take the matter into my own hands if I want something badly enough.
-Not enough blog posts, quilting, hiking or bike riding...no posts, just 3 resolutions for 2015!

The ugly - okay, there really isn't anything to put here unless you want to see a picture of my varicose veins, and really, who wants to see that?  ;)  My life is great, and my family and I are richly blessed.  Sure we have ups and downs, but isn't that what life is all about?

I'm excited to have a new year ahead of me.  I just saw a quote today about how we have 365 pages of a new book to write on.  I'm looking forward to seeing how our story unfolds in 2015.

Happy New Year!!

I give Thanks for...

FAMILY!!

Hands down, the greatest gift a girl could have.  

Here are a few pictures from our weekend in Utah, and a few things that happened that we don't have pictures for.  Just let me say, it was a wild and crazy weekend, we came home ready for a nap, and the drive home was long, but...we wouldn't have done it any different!!  It was a perfect trip spent with people we love.  

(The pictures are out of order, but if I spent time rearranging them, I would decide I don't have time to finish this post, so take it or leave it.)

Saturday evening, we ended up at Temple Square, but really only got to glimpse the Christmas Lights.  This is a good picture though, no?  Four beautiful girls, two cute little boys and the Salt Lake Temple in the background.  We don't even need lights to make this a pretty picture.  (Okay, we could have done with a little better photography, but it is what it is.)  We met up with one of the families Amber has gotten close with on her mission and we got to hear all about her, and what a good missionary she is.  This mama's heart is full!!  

There was a suprise activity for just the girls on Saturday morning.  Can you guess from the picture?  Yep, pedicures at a VERY calming spa!  My birthday/Christmas present!!  It was a treat for sure. My toes have NEVER looked this good!!  Let's hear it for "Bright Lights, Big Color" OPI nail polish.  Although, get a load of that bunion!  Not so good!!

We all went bowling Saturday afternoon.  You can't tell from this picture, but Carter spent the majority of the time VERY sad.  It was loud and chaotic for him, and he DID NOT LIKE IT!!  He finally got a little into the spirit of things after the noisy group next to us left.  He did feel a little better about things if he was in the arcade.  (Go figure:)  

Talmage used the rack to bowl for a while, but then got his groove on, and rolled the ball just like a pro.  It was a happy moment when he got a strike!

Tanner and Benson both benefitted from help.  Benson and Grandpa also got a strike at one point, and there were hugs all around from Benson.  He was a very happy boy and wanted to share the love.  Tanner, as you can see, is very intent about the whole affair.

Ryan, Chelsie and Brandon.  Can you see the football game in the upper left screen?  BYU was playing and we had some distracted bowlers!  :)

Dinner on Saturday night was compliments of Ashley and Brandon.  Tucano's was delicious!  I could have just eaten the from the Salad bar and been satisfied, but the meat was pretty darn good as well!!  Mmm, I can still taste the Garlic Beef.  Carter didn't find much to complain about either!  

Another beautiful shot from the outskirts of Temple Square

Benson loves Nutella for breakfast.  He is also a champ at saying cheese when it is time for a picture!  He doesn't disappoint.

I warned everyone ahead of time that there would be a family picture at some point in the weekend.  We finally snuck one it before Chelsie and Dallin had to leave.  It isn't the perfect set-up, but the people in it are just right, and that is all that counts!!

Dinner prep

Grandpa and the boys with their birthday presents from us.  Note that everyone is calm, and still...

...a few minutes later.  Lesson learned.  They are only good for one picture!  :)

We had two Thanksgivings, the second with the Cleggs at their cabin.  Here is a pick up basketball game after dinner.  Not pictured - John who took a tumble and crashed his head into one of those fence rails.  He took a break after that.  (He was okay, thank goodness)  Also, Talmage was able to get into the action a little after this picture.

Grandpa Clegg kept a few boys busy on the (what is this called?  Four-wheeler?)  It doesn't matter, they loved it!!

There has to bee football on TV after Thanksgiving, preferably while you are eating pie.

These boys knew where the good stuff was!  :)

A few more things that happened that weekend...

-We had our first Thanksgiving dinner with Valerie and Bruce and their family.  It was great to see everyone, and it was nice they were all there together.

- We went to the Museum of Art at BYU and saw an exhibit of costumes from Period movies that was SO COOL!!  Many of my favorite movies were represented - Little Dorritt, Miss Potter, Sense and Sensibility, The Phantom of the Opera, just to name a few.  It was stunning to see the detail and although I got reprimanded, nicely, of course, for taking pictures, I would have snuck a few more if I wasn't afraid of getting reprimanded again.  There was also a quilt display of Pakistani quilts!  Not my style, too much applique, but stunning, none the less!  Really intricate and colorful!  It was a nice bonus.

-We got to see Ryan's parents at his aunt and uncle's house.  It was nice to catch up with the Inkley's even for just a little while.  They had a lot of family in town also, so I think it worked out well for everyone.

-We also visited with Alli and Ryan's second family, Ben and Kelli.  They also welcomed us, fed us, entertained us, and made us feel like family.  Such a nice family.  (I will partner with Kelli any day for Nertz!!:)

-We got to stay with Chelsie and Dallin in their basement apartment for a few nights.  John and Chelsie went to DI and found some chairs for their "new" table.  It was fun to be in their home.

- John and I went to the Bountiful Temple with Ashley and Brandon.  It is always good to be at the temple with your family.  On the way home, we drove by their new home and saw where Brandon will be working.  Its all so good!!

- We had a surprise visit from Joni, Valerie, Alice, and Aunt Susie on Sunday afternoon.  I'm glad Ashley got to see her grandma, and that Grandma got to see the boys.

- The boys got to go to a BYU Basketball game on Saturday night.  They had a great time.  Lucky for Tanner, not so lucky for Dallin, Dallin got called in to the hospital right before dinner, so he not only missed dinner, but also missed the game.  Tanner did get to go, and showed his Cougar spirit by trash talking the other team the whole way out of the Marriott Center!  :)  Dallin hung out with us girls and actually was okay with that, as he was fighting a sinus infection all weekend, and was able to just lay low.

- It was a great weekend!!  I hated to see it end.

December top ten or fifteen or twenty

Christmas came, Christmas went.  Amber, Allison and Ryan came then they went too.

There were MANY things going on during the holidays, and I didn't take time to blog.  I was having too much fun with my family.

Here is a quick rundown in picture form since it will be nigh unto impossible to catch up any other way.  (It is taking me forever to get them in order, so I'm just going with how they are.  Sorry for any confusion that may cause)
So here goes...

The kids in their matching Christmas Eve jammies.  Kristin was good to demonstrate the flap in the back!  :)

Welcom to the world, Carter Joseph Dance.  Born on January 5th.  Here he is the floor model for the the quilt I made him (top) and the one Grandma Sollenbarger made (bottom) Such a cutie!!

Google hangout waiting for Amber to open her mission call.  I love that all the girls, near and far were able to participate!  Technology is wonderful!!!  Couldn't have done it without Ashley.  She knew just how to get it done.  She received her call on January 15th.  Just 11 days after she turned in her papers.

Last year, John and the kids had fun putting together a puzzle.  This was John's Christmas present from Chelsie and Dallin.  A very fun puzzle!!  It went together pretty quickly, so John and a few of the kids went out and bought another one to work on.

Amber's first day home was a SNOW DAY!!  The kids made a VERY tall snowman, Tiki style, you may notice.  So good to have her home.

If you are wondering where Amber is going, here is the answer.  California, Rancho Cucamonga Mission, reporting May 21st.  She will speak English.  She is excited and we are thrilled for her!!  (Here is a funny RC side story...As you may or may not know, Payton Manning calls out "Omaha" many times during a football game.  The other day, John saw an interview with him about that subject.  To paraphrase, Manning alluded to the fact that Omaha is a lot easier to say than Walla Walla or Rancho Cucamonga!  Two cities that are very meaningful to our family!)

I promised Trev I would take him to the walking path today so he could take his bike on the jumps out there.  Kristin came and ran the trail, I walked.  It was good to get out even though it was cold, and as you can see, foggy.  Sadly, Trev's jumping experience was cut short when his rear tire came apart from the frame.  He had to walk his muddy bike all the way back to the car.  :(  A happy thing - as we were walking back, we saw this Christmas ornament hanging on one of the trees with a dedication stone at the base.  It is not very clear on the picture, but there were little bits of ice hanging from the star.  It was COLD!!!

We took a quick trip to Seattle the day after Christmas.  We went to the Seattle Center and spent a long time looking at this train village!  It was very pretty and Trev especially loved it as the train is the same kind as the one Grandpa Rietz handed down to him a few years ago.  

You would not believe how many times I had to re-take this to get everyone jumping at the same time!  I'm sure people walking thought we were a little weird!! I think Alli and Ryan won the highest jump award, and Chelsie gets high marks for effort as she was a day over her due date!!!

We are on the steps of the Experience Music Project.  As I was getting ready to snap this picture, a woman asked me if I wanted to be in the picture, so I jumped at the chance.  John and I get the boring award.  No one told us we were supposed to pose!!!

This is one of my favorite places to take a family shot in Seattle.  I love the water and the island in the background.  A very nice man with an English accent offered to take this for me.  He didn't know how to change the focus on my camera and was pretty much shooting blind. :)

This was Ryan's first trip to Seattle, so of course, we had to take him to Pike's Place Market.  He is clearly amazed by the gum wall!  :)  It was our first experience with the gum wall as well.  Not sure we need to go back!!  Disgusting!!

This has to be a favorite shot of Carter.  He is reminiscent of a sloth, hanging off his dad's arm like he is!  Look at that head of hair!!  I thought that Carter favored Dallin when I first saw him, but that was confirmed to me when Chelsie showed me a picture of Dallin as a baby!  Except for the nose, he is the spitting image of his dad!!!

One evening while I was in Seattle after Carter was born, his other Grandma, Julienne, came to visit.  Chelsie took advantage of a photo-op and snapped a few pictures with both of us, Carter, and the quilts we made for him!  What a great moment!

A quick picture with Carter the day I was going home!  It didn't take long for me to wish I could turn around and head back!!

Their first family picture!  Sadly the quality is not very good.  Totally my fault because I don't know how to use my iPhone camera very well yet!!!

The winners of the New Year's ping pong tournament!  Amber attributed her success to that fuzzy cape!  :)  

Another shot by the water in Seattle.

We loved this building in the Train Village.  Especially appropo with a future dentist in our family!!

Of course, I love this picture because Chelsie and Dallin are in it, but I also love the fishermen on the top of the restaurant.  I find them enchanting, well maybe not enchanting, but fascinating.

It was a busy, fun Christmas break.  Some of the other things we did that aren't represented by a picture were...
-Frozen at the movie theater.  Do you wanna build a snowman?
-Gym time at the church to burn off some extra energy.
-Grandma and Grandpa Rietz visiting right before everyone left.
-Ryan getting to Skype with his missionary brother from Peru on Christmas day.
-Yummy authentic Mexican food made by Allison and Ryan.
-Several family movie nights - Despicable Me 2, Ephraim's Rescue, Man of Steel, The Great Gatsby
-Our now traditional Aloha Chicken Quesadillas while we watched BYU get beat in their bowl game
-Allison and I worked to make a dent in the thank you notes from their wedding.  I think they still have miles to go.

 Of course, we missed our Aussie family a lot and if it weren't for them having some great experiences themselves, we might feel really bad!!  
-Ashley and Brandon spent a few days before Christmas on a holiday a few hours south of Perth.  They had a great time.
-Talmage celebrated his 5th birthday at an animal park in Perth, complete with koalas and all animals Australian.  A more perfect day couldn't have been had for an animal lover like him.
-Ashley and Brandon are wrapping up a weekend in Melbourne after attending the Australian Open.  They were able to watch Serena live!  An opportunity of a lifetime.
We can't begrudge them for not being with us.  

And now everyone is back in school, I am home from Seattle, and we are back to real life. I did have to remind myself of Dr. Suess's quote about smiling because it happened, not crying because its over.  I was pretty sorry to see everyone go back to school.  Carter was a very good distraction!!!
But of course, all in all, Life is good!!!

The "Legend of the Christmas Bows"

Each year on our tree, we put green and red plaid bows.  The tree truly doesn't look complete without them.  They aren't only pretty, they have a deeper meaning.  They are the stars of the "Legend of the Christmas Bows."

Also featured in this picture...A pipe cleaner gingerbread man, made by Kristin; a Star Wars Millenium Falcon ornament; a snow globe ornament, part of an 8-part set, two of which have broken; a picture of Trev and his Sunbeam class, in which his face is scratched off; and a pink glass ball ornament made by swirling paint around in a clear ornament, made by one of the older girls in Acheivement Days.

When John and I were first married, we lived in a very old (circa 1940) 4-plex.  It was heated by two floor grates, and powered by natural gas.  As poor, married students, we couldn't afford/didn't want to pay for the pilot lights to run, so we turned them off and just wore lots of layers (it was Utah after all), and took turns getting into bed first to "warm" up the bed by, for lack of a better description, making snow angels.  You get what I mean, right? 
Anyway, when Christmas came that year, we didn't have money for a tree.  Our little 4-plex was in the middle of some brand new condos where many rich students lived, aka Condo Row.  (Now, I know that Condo Row is not the nicest place in Provo to live anymore, but at the time, it was considered one of the newer places.  Remember, this was 29 years ago). One evening, after finals were over, John found a Christmas tree in the dumpster, no doubt left by one of those rich students who was heading home for the holidays.  We didn't care, we removed it, and gave it a new home in our living room.  Of course, we didn't have any decorations, so I rounded up some lights (green), and found a roll of green and red plaid ribbon, and made bows.  My sister, Dawn, contributed several ornaments, two of which are still hung on the tree every year. 
Two original ornaments plus the bows.  Memories...

The bows have had to be taken apart, ironed and remade, but they are still going strong on tree #29.  The kids expect them every year, and as I already said, the tree isn't complete if they aren't on it.  They have created a Rietz family legend.   

Christmas is coming...

There are many blog posts floating around in my head...

One about me finally joining the 21st century and getting an iPhone last weekend.  My technological world is enlarged and I just hope I can stop accidentally calling people when I am just trying to navigate around the phone.  Sorry Dawn!!  Merry Christmas to me...

One about how excited we are to have Amber, Allison and Ryan all coming home.  See you in 2 days, Amber and 5 days, Alli and Ryan...

One which would be a continuation of this post in which I document the lamentations of the wise men in our Nativity sets this year.  Let me just say that in addition to the decapitated one from the Willow Tree set, Kristin has knocked over no less than 4 other partial or complete Nativities.  The accidents that were the partial take downs, were of, and I'm not even kidding here, Wise men!  We have had a good laugh about it, and when John found one set knocked over the other day, we couldn't help but ask Kristin if she had a part of it.  Apparently they continue to fear for their lives, even though Herod is long dead...

One about how Christmas is coming, and I still have many things to do, and a few things to buy, and a house to clean....

But those little snippets will have to do for now.

I have talked about my friend, Stacy Julian, before.  She is in the middle of a "12 days of Christmas videos" blog project.  Please go to http://stacyjulian.com/ and check it out.  Of course we are only on day 6, but you will want to catch up and then go back everyday so you can see the next one.  Some will make you smile, some are thought provoking, and some entertaining.  At least a few have brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat.  Wonderful!!

7 days and counting (backwards that is)

Snowmen - creepy or otherwise

The other day when we were decorating the tree, Kristin wanted to know where the "creepy snowman" was.  This was the ornament she was talking about.  I knew exactly which one she meant, but as a mom, I don't consider it in the creepy category.      

Now, you may have already guessed that one of my children made this ornament, and you would be right.  It is from 1988, and was made out of bread dough and painted by Ashley, who would have been all of 2 1/2 years old.  This was when we lived in Oregon.  Now, you may or may not know, but the house we lived in in Oregon was OLD!!! (read - poorly insulated)  And you also may or may not know that Oregon is known for its dampish climate.  Those two elements combined did not bode well for our little ornament.  Notice how his stovepipe hat and part of his head are missing?  And the blackish tinge at the top of the hat?  The results of the bad combination I described above.  Luckily, we moved inland, and our climate is much more dry and our house is much better insulated, so no more damage has been incurred.  

This snowman napkin holder was a gift from Trev about 5 or 6 years ago.  He and his dad put it together at a Home Depot workshop.  John loved taking Trev to those, and I think was a little sad when Trev got too old to go.  It was some good father/son bonding time. 

I love this!!  As my kids keep growing, I miss their little selves running around getting all excited about the lights, and the tree and all things Christmas.  I cherish these little keepsakes that remind me of times past.  Christmas has a different feel without little kids.  (Although, I don't think there is much Christmas morning sleeping in yet.)

As such, our Christmas anticipation is a little different.  We look forward to whoever is coming to spend Christmas with us.  This year, Amber, Allison and Ryan all will be here!  We can't wait for them to come.  Of course, we would love it if the whole clan were here, but the Down Under bunch will definitely not make it home.  And unless Chelsie has the baby in the next week or so, which is pretty unlikely, they will not be making the trip through the pass as well.  No doubt, we'll be using Facetime and/or Skype to share our Christmas experiences with those two families.  Let's hear it for modern technology!!

So, as I am reminded often, I just need to move on, and while I am grateful for these little reminders of their smallness, recognize my kids for the great "big" people they have grown up to be, or in a few cases, are growing up to be.

a few random things...

Kristin's wallet went missing at the DECA trip last week.  No trace to be found.  Lost - money, her driver's permit, school ID, and library card, as well as at least 2 gift cards.  We don't know for sure that someone stole it, but we don't know for sure that someone didn't steal it.  Disappointing anyway you look at it.

We woke up to a broken heater on Sunday morning, right in the middle of the cold snap we are having.  Last night it was 2 deg. at one point and the high yesterday was only about 18 or so, if that much.  We had the repairman out today, he diagnosed and fixed the problem quickly, and we are back in business.  Luckily, we had one warm side of the house yesterday, and spent a lot of time there!!  And, who knew 3 hours of church would be so welcome??  Needless to say, we are grateful to be warm again!!

Our Rexburg co-ed is also in the middle of an Arctic weather pattern, and all of Rexburg and surrounding areas were without power for most of Wednesday.  She and much of the rest of BYU-I spent the day in the one building on campus with a generator, so was able to stay warm and no doubt, get some serious social time in to boot!

We got our tree on Saturday and started decorating it and the house on Sunday.  This poor wise man lost his head. Maybe this is what would have happened to the real wise men if Herod had gotten a hold of them when they didn't go back to see him after seeing Christ.  My elf who dropped this felt incredibly bad, but as with other Willow Tree statues that I, myself, have broken, it was easily put back together, and none the worse for the wear.  For as many years as we have had that nativity set, its pretty amazing that this is the first broken piece!

John and Trev also put up the lights in the front, which was no small feat, given the weather.  I can't remember the temperature exactly, but I'm pretty sure it was in the teens!!  Yikes! The front of the house looks very festive when you come in the driveway!  Lovely!

Saturday, I also made caramel corn.  It was a thank you for the people who performed at our Ward Christmas party on Friday.  And, yes, now that you ask, the popcorn popper is from the 80's!  John and I got it for a wedding gift, and it dutifully pops corn for me every December so I can make this treat.

It may be old, but like many of us, is still very useful!

Butter, brown sugar and light corn syrup.  Notice that little gem of a rubber scraper, spatula, whatever you call it.  It is from Williams Sonoma.  It came in a set of 3 and I use them ALL the time!  One of the best kitchen purchases I have made in the last few years.

The finished product!  Crunchy and buttery and yummy!!!  See the recipe below...

Oven Caramel Corn

6 quarts popped corn (one of those big tupperware bowls that used to be so popular), old maids removed

2 sticks butter (1 cup)                                         1 tsp salt *

2 cups brown sugar                                             1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup light corn syrup                                       1 tsp butter flavoring (optional)**

In a large pot (at least 3 quarts) boil butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat and add 1 tsp baking soda and butter flavoring, if using and mix well.  (The mixture will foam up)

Pour over popped corn and stir to coat.  Place in 2 greased 9 x 13 pans and bake at 200 deg. for 1 hour.  Stir every 15 mins.
Let cool and store in airtight container.  I put mine on large baking sheets to cool.

*I didn't add salt on Saturday and didn't miss it at all.

**I did add butter flavoring, and thought it was a great addition.  I usually don't have any, therefore don't use it.

Post-Thanksgiving round up and a top ten

We are nothing if not predictable around here, so its no surprise that our Thanksgiving menu doesn't change much from year to year.  I did try Kate's Thanksgiving Turkey last year, and it was a keeper.  I think this year's turkey was even better, despite the fact that the Turkey Bags I always have in the pantry have somehow disappeared.  In the end I used Alton Brown's cooking method, and although it put our dinnertime about an hour later than we wanted, it was worth the wait.  So moist, and VERY flavorful.  Brining seems to be the way to go!  And as a former member of the "Buy the biggest turkey in the store" club, I have revoked that membership and joined the "Around 13 pounds is ideal" club.  

The partially carved turkey

Trev has found his Thanksgiving calling as the Dressing chef.  Notice his vigorous form in the picture below.  His dressing smells and tastes just like the dressing I grew up on, and it makes me smile to sniff or eat it.  YUM!!  The combination of onion, celery, basil, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, hamburger and Italian sausage is the perfect thing.  Not that I don't love other types of stuffing/dressing, but this is hands down my favorite.

Trev grinding the meat for the dressing.  The trusty Kitchen Aid is ever at the ready.  How does one pull off Thanksgiving without this most important tool on the counter??  

Mmm..the dressing is ready and waiting to be baked.  Notice the cranberries in the background.  I tried a new recipe with them this year also.  Thanks again, Kate at Our Best Bites.  Really yummy!!  Again, a new variation on an old theme.

 On the subject of cranberries - several years ago, I decided to try fresh cranberry sauce instead of the canned sort from years past.  Most of my immediate family doesn't really eat it, but for me, I will never go back.  We do have guests who are with us some Thanksgivings who like them from a can, so I can't give them the boot every year, but for the most part...fresh baby, all the way!!

We also managed to fit in a temple trip and a visit to Coeur d'Alene to visit with Chelsie and Dallin and the Dance clan.  It was great fun to spend a little time with the soon-to-be-new mom and dad!  Chelsie definitely has a baby bump, but not a very big one...

Here are my top ten photos of the day after Thanksgiving.  We did a little project and also participated in the 2nd annual Post-Thanksgiving Hike.  Good times!!

Here are our finished Symbols of Christmas!  We have a plan for them, but can't divulge it yet.  We all liked the candle best!  Oohh! Sparkly!

The kids can't pass up a chance to be a little weird!

Since we live in the land of Lewis and Clark, we had to have an impersonation.  I don't know who is Lewis or who is Clark, but I do know Trev is Seaman, the big, black Newfie who went on the journey.

It was fun to have our college freshman home for the weekend.  She was full of tales of life at BYU-I!  She spends A LOT of time studying, but still manages to have plenty of fun!!

Poor Trev!  Right in their sites!  Lucky for him, neither of them would know what to do with an actual gun if they had one in their hands.  Looking at Amber, I'd say she thought it was bow hunting season.

Stalking any unwary hikers.  Luckily, none came our way.  (Did I mention my kids like to be weird??)

Notice Amber's hat.  She has learned the importance of keeping her head covered now that she lives in Rexburg!  :)

Our hike took us to the river's edge.  Of course, that led to a rock skipping contest.  No winner was declared.

Amber had to prove she could balance on the rock and not get wet.  Kristin didn't fare so well.  She hiked back with one wet foot.

The happy hikers at the end of the trail.  It was a great hike!!

 One final note from this week.  Kristin missed school Monday because she had a vague unsettled pain in her stomach.  She rallied and went to school on Tuesday, but by that night, she was in pain, and if not for the lack of a fever, I was sure she had appendicitis.  I went to bed Tuesday night determined to call the Dr. the next morning if she was still not feeling well, fever or not!  It was all for naught, as she woke up Wednesday feeling much better, and she hasn't looked back!  Whew!!