JC Turns 8!

Happy Birthday to a very thoughtful, tender grandson. I love you!!

Hittin' the Trails!

It's spring, and that means tacking up Silver and hitting the trails! We did a 4-5 mile ride today around the park and lake. The great blue heron was on the lake - first time I'd seen him (or her) there this spring (although I did see one flying over the Wabash in February.)

Silver, as usual, was raring to go. It didn't take long for us to find our usual cadence and we were off. Since I had Silver fit to me by my physical therapist last fall, he's even more comfy to ride.

Sure felt good to be back in the saddle again. Goal for the year? 500+ miles. 

Grandkids!!

I am staying in Sarah's basement while I visit her, Jessica, and Todd, JC, and Trinity in Iowa. Yesterday I was going down the stairs and noticed pillows laid out at the bottom of the stairs.

JC confessed to being the pillow arranger, and Sarah asked him why he had done that. "Mom, have you SEEN how Grammy walks??" He didn't want me to fall and get hurt! (Do I really walk that wobbly??)

JC and Trinity wrote Uncle Cole while I was writing him his weekly email, too.

Trinity: Hi! This is Trinity. How are you doing? I miss you. I want to see what it's like some day (Russia). Is it pretty there? Because I want to know if there's flowers. I love you! Trinity.

JC: How are you doing, Cole? How is your mission going? Are you having some fun? Do you ride snowmobiles to get to people's houses to teach the gospel? What do you eat for lunch and dinner? How big is your room you stay in? Can you teach me how to speak Russian? Are you going to get me a present for my birthday? Good-bye, Cole. I miss you. Come back soon! JC.

GIRLGIRLGIRL

Kyle and Ashley are expecting a GIRL in July! ::cartwheel::

So, It's Official...

.... I am now the Stake Relief Society president. President Connolly called me over a month ago, but we waited until Sunday for the sustaining since there was a big service event Saturday sponsored by the stake RS but I had to be out of town at the Yankee Ridge Birthday Bash and couldn't go.  So, it was Sr. Thompson's swan song and I stepped in the next day.

Kind of nice to have Martin Pond do the sustaining in our ward last Sunday - he was my very first bishop and I have enormous respect for him.

I jumped right in Sunday by attending the Spanish Branch's conference. I'm not bi-lingual, but Marleah Hanson, one of my counselors, is, so she was able to translate. And, we held our first presidency meeting in Logansport (Shannon King, my secretary, lives there) last night, so we're afloat.

I haven't yet been released from my calling in the ward Relief Society, so Sunday I was also conducting that meeting before heading off to the Spanish Branch. Kind of funny to be Bryn's leader and have her be mine. :D

Lots of work to do and things to sort out as I get organized, but spring break is next week, so I'll add that to the list of all the things I wish to accomplish then!

Washington, DC

Craig and I just made a whirlwind trip to Washington DC to meet Kyle, Ashley, and Braden for a few days. Kyle has a conference there this week, and he asked us if we wanted to come have some fun a few days before the conference began. You betcha!!

A highlight was attending the Washington DC temple where we were married. We hadn't been there since the Chicago temple was dedicated - 25 years! What a feeling to attend with your adult son, and then see the sealing room where (as Kyle put it) "our family began." I was surprised at the rush of emotion I felt looking into that room. Very, very poignant.

The last time we had been at the DC temple, Kyle was about 3 months old max. We took an evening trip to the temple so Sarah, Jessica, and he could see the temple. Of course, Kyle was way too young to know what was happening, but I pressed his tiny baby hand against the wall of the temple so he could say in the future that he had been there.

Kyle and I had fun recreating that picture. And then, to my joy, he and Ashley asked me to touch Braden's hand, the third generation, to the wall. What a moment.

GT Humor

Teaching is fun regardless, but GT kids can make me laugh like no others. Case in point:

One of my 4th grade boys came to me on Thursday with a twinkle in his eye. "Hey, Mrs. I!" he said. "I know what a synonym is."

(I'm thinking, well, you sure should - we've studied them this year and when you were in the 2/3 class.)

He continued with a huge smile,  "It's a word you use when you can't spell another word."

I love these kids!

Chicago!

On Saturday, Craig, Curt and I joined Sarah, her family, Jessica, and Pat and Carmen in Chicago to celebrate Trinity's 6th birthday. We started at the American Girl Doll store - I could not believe the number of girls and their families buying dolls and accessories! Trinity came home with several new outfits for her doll, Lily.

Then we headed to the Cheesecake Factory in the basement of the John Hancock Building and had lunch. Trinity received a complimentary ice cream sundae to celebrate. Aunt Jessie, Uncle Curt, and JC got in on the fun with her cake.

After that, it was off the the Field Museum of Natural History. I was so excited to see Sue, the most intact Tyrannosaurus ever found. The picture doesn't do her justice - she is ENORMOUS. Her forearms are the same size as Craig's, but the rest of her is as big as a school bus. JC and I spent quite a bit of time just walking around her display and looking at her.

Finally, it was time to head home. A last picture or two, and the day was over. Except that we missed our exit coming home and ended up in Hobart, Indiana and had to wend our way home the scenic way. In the dark. But that's another story.