Hotel Snobs

 I am happy to report that Brandon made it back from his business trip in one piece, and relatively non-traumatized from his business trip to St. Louis. His roommate, while a lush who snores, was not creepy.

That is just the tip of the good times iceberg we've had over the last couple of weeks. Last Friday was our good friend Tom's 7th birthday. His dad grilled us some delicious burgers while the kids played in the park and the splash pad. (Tom is wearing the gift we gave him...that is not his normal face in case you were wondering.) After the party, Brandon and I packed up and went for a staycation (that's a vacation, but you're staying in Las Vegas) at the Hard Rock hotel. We didn't plan on going, it was actually our brother Chad's birthday gift to himself. But since Chad was in the emergency room, waiting for an emergency appendectomy, we were going in his place. The Hard Rock....is not my favorite place. And those people there are not my people. To make a long, Mormon-cussing induced story short...we were back in our beds by 2am and Chad got his money back the next day. Snobbery or standards? That's been the ongoing debate we've had since.

I love that summer means there are lots and lots of kids at my house. This picture has one of my favorite kids in it, Madeline Smith.

 Abby and her came up with some serious choreography to Ke$ha's Blow and entertained their parents during a Sunday dinner. Sunday appropriate music? No, but sometimes we have to make exceptions for true art.

Abby has started her summer dance classes and loves every minute of it. I'm super glad that she's found, and I quote, "The dream of my life" in dancing.

I also love that summer means lots of time with cousins...like my sweet nephew Parker.

 

Other notables for the week:

• We have a missionary serving here, Elder Shaw, who is from my home town in Washington. Last week his sister died and he went home for the weekend to go to the funeral. He visited us after he came back and it was a really special visit. It made me think about my weird sister Judy who hasn't spoken to anyone in my family for ten years and who won't even accept my friend request on facebook. No, I don't know why....but what I do know is that I stalk her. And on her facebook account, she finally accepted a friend request from someone she knew before she moved to Alabama and cut all ties with her family and friends. Between Elder Shaw and the glimmer of hope that she is open to at least an obscure friend on facebook from the past, I've been considering trying to get in touch with her again.
• We had a lovely barbecue with our friends the Thompsons and the Houstons. Ali makes the best potato salad in the whole world.
• I've started teaching Abby piano lessons...the first week was a big success. The second week was full of sass and eye rolling. I'm a little concerned.
• Abby started voice lessons with a legitimate teacher, our friend Brityn, and their lessons are a lot more successful than mine.
• I made homemade gelato and it was successful!
• Father's Day was super fun. Brandon is a wonderful father and it's always fun to celebrate him.
• The primary presidency took the activity day girls bowling. I really like those kids. I hope mine turns out just like them..  

Spooning with Strangers

 

Abigail had her dance recital this week. This is a picture of her and her friend Ruby. Ruby, if you cannot tell, has an older brother. Older, but not so old that rabbit ears to your little sister in a picture has lost any of its humor.

 

Brandon and I were joined by Grandma Susan, Great Grandma Kathy and Brinley at the recital. It was so nice of them to come and Abby ended up with a veritable field of flowers in bouquets. And she deserved absolutely every one of them! She did so great. She was confident and really hit all her of moves hard. She is taking this dancing thing rather seriously and it's a real treat to watch. I would have taken pictures/video of the actual dance, but they asked us not to. Which, normally wouldn't stop me...but they did also turn the house lights off low enough that all your pictures and video looked like a bright haze. It couldn't be that they are forcing you to buy their DVD of the performance, could it? Capitalists!

 

 This is the last day of school party. Abby (and I) really enjoyed first grade. She had a delightful teacher and I really enjoyed being her room mom. I ended strong with a serious ice cream sundae bar. You can see that I know the way to 6/7-year-old's hearts. It's through almost coma inducing insulin spikes. She got all A's this year and was in all of the most advanced groups. Do I sound like a proud woman? Because I am. Even though first grade was fabulous I'm glad summer is here...I really missed this little pip squeak. Abigail, however, in her prayer's last night, asked that Heavenly Father would help her get over Mrs. McCall and her class and then started to cry. I'm really glad that she likes school and learning so much. Let's hope she keeps liking it because we went to Barnes and Noble last night and blew $50 on workbooks all in the name of fighting summertime regression.

 Speaking of Abby's prayers, she thanked Heavenly Father last night for being with her dad on his trip to Missouri. (This is the letter we woke up to the morning he left on his 5:15am trip to the airport.) Brandon is off to the firm's headquarters in St. Louis to get some training so he can continue to move up within the firm. We haven't heard from him much...but what we do know is that he is staying at a Sheraton, and to his shock and dismay, he has a roommate in the queen sized bed next to his. He was very concerned about who this guy would turn out to be...I can't blame him, especially since one of Brandon's favorite movies of all times is Planes, Trains and Automobiles which includes an awkward scene where two strangers are forced to share a hotel room together and this is what happens...

I've been giggling a lot thinking about this (in my mind, Brandon is in Steve Martin's place).

 

Other notables from the week:

 

• We have had a painfully hot start to summer this year. It's only the first week of June and it's 112. Thank you to all of my friends who have let us mooch on their pools. We've been able to go swimming everyday and it is the only reason I haven't packed up and moved away.
• I got to meet a real desert tortoise who is a pet of our friends the Gublers. Her name is Petunia and I love her. We are currently saving all the tops off our strawberries for her.
• My sister, Donna, was called to be young woman's president. Those young ladies in Pasco are seriously lucky. Donna was pivotal to my success during my teenager years and look how awesome I turned out!
• I made rolls for the first time...pfft...not so hot. Made whole wheat bread for the first time...might as well have made a doorstop. It was about the same thing. I will not be intimidated! I will, somehow, learn to make bread and have it not taste like poo.

 

And leaving you with the thought of poo bread, I will sign off until next week...