And the Rains Came Down Again

During the spring of 2005 the Virgin River and Santa Clara River overflowed their banks. The floods made national news. Video clips of house after house being lost to the rivers and stories of the town of Gunlock being isolated were reported over and over for weeks. After the waters receded, the bridges rebuilt, and roads repaved the city said they had reinforced the structures so a disaster of this magnitude wouldn’t occur again. They were right. After a constant 4 days of rain in December 2010 (17 inches, which is more than the annual rainfall) the Virgin and Santa Clara rivers broke from their banks again. Zion National Park and a nearby town were evacuated. Bike trails, roads, and even a nine-hole golf course disappeared under the muddy water of the river. The news reports said the rivers were running higher than in 2005. This year no houses were lost. The rivers carried plenty of flotsam but not much else. They worried about a dam breaking and the loss of a couple of bridges but it didn’t happen. The rivers have crested and receded now and the rain has stopped. The flood of 2010 resulted in a lot of mud, pictures, and memories.

Happy Homecoming!

Tommy is home in the United States again. After two years in a foreign country it is good to have him back. We left to visit New Mexico early Thursday morning. Tommy’s flight didn’t arrive until Saturday which meant that we had all of Friday to visit with my parents and Nathan. We had a great picnic on the Sand Bluffs with Tuna noodle salad and hot dogs to eat. It’s been years since I’ve been to the bluffs and I had forgotten the spectacular view of the Malpies lava flow. Before Saturday came I made sure to cook up a double batch of Snickerdoodles to surprise Tommy. Dad and Nathan enjoyed the cookies as well. Before we went to the airport on Saturday, we made a couple of stops hoping to accomplish chores before Tommy’s plane arrived so that we could relax and enjoy a lunch together with him. We had to perform some acrobatics in a grocery store where we purchase a “welcome home” balloon that tried to float away. Lucky for us, the balloon floated to a low enough portion of the ceiling so that Brian could lift me up to grab it. Mom said she missed out on a great picture moment. We didn’t quite make it to the gate to see Tommy come off the plane. He was waiting for us near baggage claim which is where Dad and Nathan found him. I was so happy to see him. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time visiting with Tommy but we enjoyed hearing and seeing the things he learned and saw while on his mission.

Birthday memories

Despite the fact that I had to work on my birthday this year, I actually enjoy my day. There was a definite theme to all the gifts I was given. Brian bought me a NOOK which I really enjoy after getting to know how it works. I am having so much fun loading books on it. It is great to go through the online library, pick a book and then with the press of a key I have it in my hand. I got a number of other books and reading related material this year along with the Nook. I also was given cooking items and a cookbook strangely enough. I never thought I was much of a cook but I've discovered it is something I enjoy. I've already tried out three recipes from the cookbook and used some of the utensils I was given. Brian really liked the recipe for chicken pot pie.
After my birthday, I got another treat. I've asked Brian every year if we could go to a play at Tuachaunn or at the Cedar City Shakespearean festival. This year we went with Brian's parents and a couple of nieces to see the Broadway play "Tarzan". I have to admit I wasn't expecting much but I was surprised. The actors and sets were impressive. The gorilla people went moving through the air with the aid of an elaborate wire system. I really liked the beginning of the play because they flooded the stage. They actually opened a flood gate and let a stream in the background set overflow and soak the stage! You could see the water pouring off the stage! I was impressed to say the least. The music was just as good as I remember it from the Disney cartoon with a couple of added songs. The costuming was unique. I really wish we'd had the camera for pictures after the play but alas we left it at home. Maybe I'll get lucky next year and get to see another play.

Reunion in August

After a lovely family camping trip at Bear Lake, Brian and I got to go on a second camping trip for the year. This trip was with my family in the great state of Oklahoma. We were missing a couple of my siblings but it was great to see those who were able to make it. We had a great time touring the local Natural History Museum and swimming in the lake. I got to meet Silas for the first time and had fun playing with Miriam. Brian and Nathan helped Logan build a Knexs rollercoaster which was really fun to watch when they finished. We made picture frames from Popsicle sticks and scrapbook decorations. There were wooden turtle races and pinatas to break. It was a family reunion to remember

Bear Lake Reunion

Our family reunion this year was a camping trip at Bear Lake. What could be more fun then pit toilets, mosquitoes, sunburns, and dutch oven cooking for 4 days? There was lots of time for games and canoeing on the lake. Brian had a great time playing games, new and old, with his brothers. There were some spectacular sunrises and sunsets to see. Naturally there was a campfire to keep warm and roast marshmallows over. The seagulls liked our campsite so we got to see plenty of them. There were also pelicans and Magpies by the lake.

Our first night












Morning at the lakeside









keeping everyone busy










Wind surfers on the Deer Lake Reservoir

Trying something new

In an effort to expand our horizons, I have decided to start a blog page specifically for our adoption information. Right now it is just our information and pictures. We hope that it won't be long before we can add stories and pictures of a different sort. I've done my best to link our two blog pages together. Now we cross our fingers and pray.

Vacation Time

We spent a fun filled few day up in the Salt Lake Area this past week. Brian is out of school until the summer semester starts and it was my week off from work so we decided to get out of St George. We had big plans to go to Lagoon but those changed with the weather. Instead we visited some of the interesting sights that we hadn't seen before. We discovered that there is a full sized functioning farm in the middle of the urban sprawl. Wheeler Historical Farm is 75 acres of farm land in the middle of Salt Lake City. Brenda and her five little ones joined us to see the farm. We saw numerous ducks, geese,sea gulls, turkeys,chickens and roosters, as well as the horses, cows, sheep and goats. There were even some baby animals to enjoy. The kids loved the rabbits and the gobbling turkeys. Julia, the youngest at just one year old, seemed captivated by the birds. The boys loved the climbing tree they found.





We also went to see the Living Planet Aquarium that opened not too long ago in Salt Lake City. It was just the two of us on this trip. The aquarium was much smaller then then others we have visited but it did have some interesting exhibits. This aquarium had a small Great Pacific Octopus. I have never seen an octopus up that close before. It was creepy fascinating to watch crawl over the glass of it's enclosure. They also had a number of penguins to watch dive in and out of the water. The giant bird eating spider made even Brian pause.






We drove home in a heavy snow storm.







We are very glad to be home and get the chance to relax from our vacation.

A stainglass lighthouse

This is my latest quilt project. It was created with a pattern from a quilting book that my parents gave me for Christmas and material that my grandmother had. I learned a few things about quilting with small pieces from this project. Apparently pieces should be cut just a bit larger so that you can cover the seams easily. The quilt looks okay and Brian really likes it. We were going to put in on the wall above our fish tank in the living room but now it hangs in the master bathroom instead. I haven't chosen my next quilt idea yet but it won't be long before I have a new project to keep my hands busy.

nothing new

Once again I have no pictures to post. It's been an uneventful year thus far for us. Brian is enjoying his spring break from college classes and spending his time playing on the Wii instead of getting caught up with homework like he should be. He need a break though. I've been swamped with work at the hospital so I am really glad to be able to put my feet up a relax for a few days. I'm going to enjoy my cup of hot chocolate and watch the robins dig for worms around the yellow daffodils.

Tests,Colds, and Cleaning

I can’t say it’s been a busy week but it has been a full week for us. Brian and I have both survived colds; Brian had it first. The cough, as usual, remains longer then necessary for me. Brian has taken two math tests for his classes and done well on them both. Multivariable calculus, Geometry, and Differential Mathematics are the three classes Brian is in this semester. Brian likes the differential math and finds it very easy. I’ve spent my time free from work doing spring cleaning. The kitchen and one bedroom closet are all I’ve been able to tackle so far. It’s amazing what collects over the years. Now I have to decide what goes to Desert Industries thrift store and what we could sell at a yard sale.
Brian and I have our monthly meeting with the adoption support group this coming Thursday. Progress is slow but steady. I watch and wait eagerly as the reports tell me that our profile is being previewed at a good rate. It has been about a year since we finish the paperwork and were official accepted as potential parents.

2010 is Here

I'm not sure it makes any sense to post a picture of our Christmas tree when we are halfway into January but I don't have any more current pictures. It was a very lovely tree this year. Marilyn and Brian put it up and decorated it for which I was very grateful. Our Christmas and New Years were pretty low key. We spent Christmas with Brian's family in Hurricane. With the majority of his siblings and their families visiting it was quite a houseful. I had to work for New Years but Brian was able to enjoy the day/night playing games with his siblings were still visiting.
Brian is back in school again, in more ways then one. Not only has Brian survived the first week of college math classes but he has also substituted a couple of times. Brian is encouraged so far this year that his college classes will be relatively easy to keep up with. How third level calculus can seem easy is beyond me.
We have been having a great time with the Wii Fit that Brian received from his parents for Christmas. Brian is actually having a great time exercising with it. I play on it too but don't do as well as Brian at the games. I do like the yoga and strength exercises. Hopefully we will both maintain the interest and time to keep working with the Wii.