SS City of Milwaukee

On Sunday we toured a historical monument.  It was the SS City of Milwaukee.  It is a huge ship that would carry fully loaded train cargo cars across Lake Michigan from Michigan to Wisconsin.  It was an amazing ship.  Of course the engine and mechanics of the ship went right over my head.  I didn't care to know all that jazz other than it was a very powerful ship.  It was very strong and was made to break through the ice that would form on Lake Michigan.  Millions of miles were put on it, and it could still run today very efficiently. 

The ship was always kept in top ship shape when it was in business, it was sad to see that they are letting it rust, and chip, and fall in disarray.  It was a fun tour and I'm very glad we went.

Sunset at Lake Michigan

Some pictures of the sunset over Lake Michigan.

Memorial Day Camping Trip

We went camping in Manistee, MI for Memorial Day Weekend.  We had a great time.  The weather was great, and the beach was fun.  The water was sure cold, but that didn't stop the kids from swimming.  They would play in the water for a while, then warm up in the sand. 

We set up our tent and soon realized that our family has grown a bit since we all camped in it together.  We were bulging at the seam, literally.  So Ryan and I went to town the next day and bought a new tent for our anniversary,  It is a palace compared to the last tent.  Which turned out to be a blessing that night.  Olivia started having her breathing problems, and she couldn't stop coughing.  I was worried for her, and also because it was a full campground and I didn't want to be run out on a rail because she was keeping everyone awake.  She had already been given her breathing treatment, and allergy medicine, but she still continued to cough.  The only way to get her to stop was to hold her upright.  So we brought a chair into our new castle of a tent and I was able to hold her up while sitting in a chair that night.  It was so nice to be able to do that.  She did much better the next day, and so we were able to continue our camping trip.

Too bad I forgot to take a picture of the wonderful tent.  We had fun and are excited to do some more camping this summer.

Spring Time 2010

Instant Gratification

I've been thinking a lot about patience lately.  I've been studying that topic with my scripture study.  I recently read the talk Continue in Patience, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  I expect my kids to be patient and not melt down when they have to wait for the simplest thing.  But how do I do?
I want what I want, when I want it.  I noticed after reading this talk, I do NOT like to wait in line.  Why can't the store open another register?  Why can't that rude person realize I only have 4 things and I'm in a hurry...they should just let me go before them?  (Gee Katie, did you think that they might also be in a hurry?)And so on, and so on.  Now you don't even have to wait for a person to check your groceries, if there's an open line, you can self-check. 
Then let's talk about TV.  I want to watch what I want when I want to.  I don't want commercials to slow down the program.  It's nice to have DVR, it makes it so I can watch things when I have time to, and I can save time by being able to bypass commercials.  But remember when we were little (okay when I was little), cartoons came on once a week, and it was a special treat to be able to watch them.  Now, they're available 24/7.
Look at the country and the economic crisis going on.  People want now what their parents had to work for years to earn.
 Food- fast food, or even the microwave for that matter. 
There are so many conveniences that it seems we're taught from the time we're little we can have whatever we want whenever we want. 
I have had many experiences with my health that have been given to me to learn patience.  I know there are many ways and many trials that each of us face each day that teach us patience.  I know I must learn to wait, and I need to teach my children to wait.  Waiting helps to build character, and molds us into the person our Heavenly Father knows we can become. 
Some favorite quotes from this talk are :
"Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God, we cannot become perfect.  Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace."
"Patience is a godly attribute that can heal souls, unlock treasures of knowledge and understanding, and transform ordinary men and women into saints and angels.  Patience is truly a fruit of the spirit."
"Patience is a process of perfection...Or to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls (Luke 21:19 footnote b).  Patience, means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most."
Patience is one of those attributes that I feel like I need to learn over and over again.  Everyday I seem to fall short of where I should be.  Because of a loving Savior I can repent, and try to learn from my shortcomings, and grow into the person I want to become. 
I'm not exactly sure where this came from, or why it came out of me, but I have had it on my mind.  How do I teach my children to be patient in a world when so many things that could gratify them immediately.  And trust me, it's not like I buy them everything they ask for, yet they still have plenty. 
Hmmm, will I hit the "Publish Post" button?  Or will this be one of those posts that sits patiently waiting in my outbox waiting to see what the future holds?

Five Guys

I got my kids back and my Idaho potatoes in one fell swoop.  When I got to Ohio to pick up the kids, Luke came and gave me a big hug and then continued on as normal.  Olivia jumped in my arms and cried for about 3 minutes.  She just held me and wouldn't let go.  It was so good to hold my kids.  Then Olivia got down and started playing.  They did fine the entire time we were gone.  Livvy did get teary after I talked to her the night before I was able to pick her up, but other than that she actually kept saying she wasn't ready for me to come home until that night before I made it to her.  I did feel good about that.  

In Ohio we went to the restaurant "Five Guys."  It has delicious hamburgers and Idaho French Fries.  You can see the kids sitting on the spuds.  They announce on a white board which town in Idaho the potatoes were grown.  Gotta love a place that serves the best potatoes out there. 

more Jamaica

Here we are in front of the Rubber Tree.

Of course the food was wonderful.  Ryan is enjoying his crab legs and shrimp at this meal.  We ate on the beach under, right near the ocean listening to the wave lapping at the shore.  It was our first night there and such a wonderful experience.

Serve it up Ryan!  His height sure helped him plating volleyball.

We had lessons on how to windsurf.  Ryan was the first one to give it a go.  It's harder than it looks.

Our instructor jumped back on to give some more tips.

Probably because I'm shorter, I ended up having the better balance needed for windsurfing.  I had a lot of fun, but it requires a lot of upper body strength and back strength. 

I was able to get quite a ways out from shore and the wind was so strong that I lost the sail  Our instructor came out to rescue me, but I was able to pull the sail back up and make it back into shore with him coaching from the canoe/kayak.

I was so surprised how easy it was to balance on a surfboard.  At least this type.  I had never been on a surfboard before, next I want to try surfing.

We went on an excursion to a place where a fresh water river and the ocean meet.  At this location there is a microorganism in the water which becomes phosphorescent when the water is agitated.  It is in Trelawney.  We took a cruise out there at dusk and it is amazing.  Once it gets dark you can see the water glow in the wake of the boat.  They stopped and allowed any passengers who desired to swim there.  They warned us that the water, while it's not deep, the bottom is covered with silt that washes down from the island making it seriously mucky and nasty.  Ryan did get out and swim, I opted to stay in the boat.  I was such a dead beat, but I don't regret it.  I couldn't get any good pictures because without the flash, the camera just couldn't capture the color, and with the flash it cancelled out the luminous water.  Here's a picture I found on the Internet. 

We tried out the exercise room, and we found that because it was essentially outdoors with a ceiling, you sweat more from the humidity and heat than the exercise itself.  We also borrowed the resorts tennis equipment and had a sweltering hot game of tennis on their "grass" (turf) courts.  It was a lot of fun, and of course beautiful. 

A few more pictures and I'll be done documenting this wonderful trip!

On Sunday before we left for the airport, we took pictures of our beautiful surroundings. 

Here is a little gecko we found in our room one afternoon.  Years ago when my Grandma was alive, my grandparents  went on a trip to Mexico with my parents, and I think my aunt and uncle.  One day while she was washing her face a little gecko came up through the drain in the sink and she freaked out, and threw the soap at that poor little defenseless lizard.  If I remember the story correctly she demanded that they be moved to a new room because the one they were in had a dirty lizard in it.  That sounds just like my Grandma.  :)

The wind was the strongest on Sunday before we left.  It was funny watching people try to take the Hobby Cat Sailboats out and watch them flip them over.  We had a ton of fun on the Hobby Cats, but I'm glad we didn't flip them.

On the beach they had these nice cozy beds you could reserve for the day.  They were booked so far in advance that we couldn't ever claim one.  Oh well, Ryan's not one for "wasting" his time sleeping on the beach.  We had to move, move, move.

Just outside our room.

The Red Dread.  The party sailboat of the resort.

In the airport they have the Cool Runnings Bobsled on display.  They restaurant where it's at plays the movies Cool Runnings all day long.

I LOVED the trip and LOVED being able to spend time with my love.  It was such a great experience.  But I must admit, I was sure ready to see my kids.  Come on plane.  Take me home!

Sandals Montego Bay

Thanks to my fantastic, hard-working, diligent, amazing husband, we were able to go on an all-expence paid vacation to Jamaica.  Now as excited as I was for this vacation, I was also very nervous.  We had never left our kids before.  I knew that they would be fine, that I would be the one having the issues, but still I couldn't help but be nervous.  Especially when Olivia began wheezing and had a fever the night before we left.  We asked out wonderful neighbor Nick T. to come over and help Ryan give her a blessing.  I am so thankful for the Priesthood power here on Earth.  I have such a testimony that this is God's power here on Earth.  Olivia did break her fever in the middle of the night, and her wheezing lessened some.  Knowing that she really was in great hands, we left on Tuesday March 24th to go stay in Detroit for our flight Wednesday Morning.  Luke and Livvy stayed with some friends Jantzen and Stephanie N the first night and day until Eric and Angella were able to come and get the kids.  That first night Olivia had been coughing horribly and she ended up throwing up in the middle of the night because of it.  Poor Stephanie.  I'm so thankful for her and for her love and care for my kids.  Back to the trip, it now seems like a dream, a wonderful dream.  Warm, WARM weather.  Can you ask for more than that?  Oh yes, we even had beautiful scenery, wonderful service, and magnificent food. 

We loved snorkling and went every chance we got.  The water was like a big salty bathtub.  It was so warm.

One look at our resort from a pier.

I'll post more pictures later. 

We had so much fun.  It was so relaxing, and there wasn't any whining.  I only broke down and cried for the kids one night.  There was just too much fun to be had.  (Of course we would say, Luke would love this, Livvy would go nuts over this).  Ryan loves the water.  He got very good at the Hobie Cat Sailboats, and we were out on them as much as possible.  When I post more pictures, I'll talk more about what we did.  Oh man, it was nice.