Couple of Other Spring Things

Isn't it great when you make a friend and no matter how much time passes between visits it feels just the same and just as happy as it ever did? I love my friend Marsha. I guess in some ways we have a rather unlikely friendship - she's quite a bit younger than I and our paths only intersected for a short while. There are lots of people with whom I interact as I drop off kids or pick them up or go to appointments, and I don't become life long friends with many of them. But somehow with Marsha we just really hit it off when we started dropping off our daughters at the same preschool. We created a strong friendship that has held fast even though they have moved away and we barely ever talk. But when they come here or we visit St. George we sometimes try to sneak in a visit and it's always as fun as it ever was. Just a real true friendship. 

Marsha and her family came to SLC in April and we decided that we needed a girls night out. The younger girls begged to please please please go to the Cheesecake Factory and the older girls (aka the moms) let our arms get twisted. It wasn't too hard. My daughters loved how fancy everything seemed, which tells you about how often they get to go out to dinner. Emma was especially tickled with her order of "Firecracker Shrimp," and so was I because it was on the appetizer menu. Sakes that place is expensive. But whatever - once in a blue moon. We had a great time. Funny enough, Marsha and I have the same job. We are both the computer teacher at our kids' elementary school. That was really fun to talk about. And I love how her daughter Kathryn and my Romney still jump into conversation and enjoy chit chatting just as much as their mommies do. It's such a fun friendship.

Another event was our school's Library Week. I felt like a total triumph this year. This week is an event that happens every year here. It's packed with activities like a read-a-thon and dress like a story book character day and a storybook character building contest. Every year since Chase was a kindergartener this week has snuck up on me and we have either done nothing or put together a last minute costume or character that were really kind of sad. Some kids have really gone all out. I just couldn't get it together. But this year it kind of happened! I feel guilty because it's probably due to the fact that I now only have one child at the school so it's only one costume and one character model that needs to happen. And plus, Emma was the driving force. She had a character and costume in mind and really insisted that it just had to be done. She loves the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, and she and a friend decided to be Elephant and Piggie. Luckily Emma was the elephant and so we could use the long underwear we got her for her raccoon costume at Halloween. And thank you to the world that there exists those cheap foam sheets that are so easy to make into stuff like headbands with elephant ears and trunks. Very easy.

Emma also created a little scene with Elephant and Piggie, made of toilet paper tubes, situated in a cardboard box made to look like the night sky. It was pretty cute, and she actually won one of her grade level awards for it. Yay! Success!! Sorry other children of mine.

And the really big news of the month was that some certain very tall teenager who lives at my house got his learner's permit to drive. This was an extremely challenging experience. I don't think this certain tall teen has a very strong desire to drive and so getting him to study and prepare for the test was kind of painful, for him and for us. And it took him a couple of tries to pass the test. But it finally happened and we have taken a few test drives in parking lots and once in the cemetery. I'm learning what fresh new fun stress it is to sit in the passenger seat while your kid is behind the steering wheel. I have every confidence that Chase is going to become a solid and confident driver but I am way too tense to enjoy the process of getting there. Hang in there kid, you'll survive being a child of mine...probably.