Spokane (one more time)

You know how the finale of a fireworks show is fairly long compared to the rest of the show? Well, buckle your seat belts (or skip this altogether) because you may draw a few similarities between this post and a fireworks finale.

You know how the finale of a fireworks show is usually just a drawn-out hodge-podge of everything that they already showed? Well, that's kind of what this will be.

The purpose of this is to once and for all say, "Wowee. We went to Spokane and did lots of stuff and had a great time." I need to get it all out of me now so that I can feel free to move beyond what happened four weeks ago and onto the happenings of yesterday and today. Although I sort of like living in the past, especially when the past is a vacation, life has just kept on rolling and kind of left the record keeping in the dust. So are you ready for my one last Spokane Hurrah?

One of the first things I did upon arriving was set up the table tennis, setting the stage for the rest of vacation. I played ping pong numerous times almost daily. I mostly played PTB, who humored me by playing far more than normal people feel inclined to play (what a great guy). I also played anyone else who would, including visitors to the house and family members. To avoid the appearance of a total nerd, I won't go into how all this ping pong playing elated me and just leave it at: I like ping pong.

Spokane showed us a real summer with temperatures in the high 90s for the first week or more. I tried to keep my complaining under par. It was very hot and I generally don't do well in heat, but after two summers in NY (where we still don sweaters in mid-July) I was ready for a real summer, especially knowing it could only last for two weeks. So... we mostly enjoyed the heat. There are a number of public parks around Spokane which offer not only playgrounds, but splash pads. They were nice, but the sprinklers were equipped with ice water cold enough to make my bones hurt and my children hesitant. My sister-in-law got the idea to make her own slip n' slide in the back yard, which she did and the braver (or crazier) of the company tried it out. Then we tried different methods to try get more momentum. The final attempt included a bar of soap with the unintentional results of a mouthful of soapy goodness and negligible improvements in momentum. Only minor injuries were incurred with the overwhelming opinion that the slip n' slide was an adventurous, if not risky, way to cool down. Thanks Becky!

We had the privilege of attending the Court of Honor in which PTB's youngest brother was recognized as an Eagle Scout. He was the fourth and final son the achieve this. Incredible, huh?

The Mitchells competed in two games of Croquet while we were there. This is not a casual thing. The Mitchells treat Croquet more seriously than I've ever seen another bunch of people act toward the game. If I dare call it a game. I don't feel comfortable saying they "play" Croquet. It is really a competition. A fierce one.

We ventured into Spokane's downtown more than once. Just to enjoy it. And I really do enjoy it down there. I especially adore riding their antique carousel. Not only is it beautiful, but a pleasantly tame ride for small children and large adults alike.

An attempted camping trip with Ronelle and her husband turned into a night of miniature golf, laser tag, and go-carts. We had talked about this camp trip for months leading up to Spokane, so it was a bit of a disappointment to have our plans fall through. On the bright side, we still spent a little time in nature, still built a fire, still roasted corn dogs and marshmallows, but didn't sleep on the hard ground that night. And we found this cute little chick near the parking lot at the mini-golf:

Here is one last, long-winded boom in my fireworks show:

We did other things, some I've already mentioned in previous posts. We went to the big dam on the Columbia River. I experienced the surreal nature of an estate sale. PTB scoured many garage sales with his dad. We took family pictures, had a run in with a moose, went out to celebrate our anniversary, attended the Temple, and visited the graves of PTB's grandpa and great grandpa. All five hundred of us somehow fit into a friend's backyard pool one afternoon without anyone drowning. And then the trip was waning. The Mitchell sisters returned to their normal lives, also taking a husband and an adorable brown eyed baby girl. We were suddenly conscious of our last Wednesday, last Thursday and last Friday in Spokane. Just like that we ran out of time to find, apply, and interview for a job and we knew we would be facing a more permanent return to New York.

Needless to say, we loved being in Spokane. We loved having so much family all around us. We loved being in a city. We loved taking a vacation from real life. And I have loved living it again as I've recapped, but now I have exhausted my desire to write more about Spokane, so it must be time for this blog to return to current events.

Mount Spokane

You can drive the switch-backs all the way to the top -a harrowing experience. The top offers some gorgeous views and the serenity of being further from the earth and closer to heaven.

This time around, we were joined by my dear old friend Ronelle (not that she's old -just our friendship is old) and her boy, Steven. Steven was even willing to make that distressing drive, though I'm pretty sure those switch-backs are much more traumatic as a passenger. When we got to the top, we were in the clouds. It's always fun to be in a cloud, but I get such an experience almost daily in NY, so I would have preferred to see the gorgeous view. We saw a few trees and played in the little ski cabin and despite being in a cloud, enjoyed our time on Mt. Spokane.

Summer Squash

During a 2-week absence, some pretty fantastic things can happen.

Like a yellow squash gone pumpkin.

Should we attempt to eat this thing?

Or just carve it for Halloween?

It's Hard to Believe

Nonoy was once this small.

It's also hard to believe that now he is 3.

He has been reveling in his newly attained threedom and is still talking about his birthday.

Sheesh! I love this kid!

Lessons on the Columbia River

I had been to Grand Coulee Dam once before. The whole Mitchell Clan fit in one vehicle for that trip. Doug, Cheryl, Jordan, Ginanne, Emily, Becky, Maran, Zach, Brady, Patrick, Nolan, and me. It was a large vehicle. We picnicked and explored the Visitors' Center . PTB and I pushed a stroller full of Cranky Baby Nolan through the one-street village below the dam. And then we all gathered at the edge of the river to watch the story of Grand Coulee unfold as laser lights danced across the face of the dam to some (pretty awesome) music.

This summer's trip was similar. Our caravan of 3-cars arrived after a short, but treacherous (thanks to my could-only-be-bribed-with-candy children) drive through the desert. We spent some time in the Visitors' Center --pushed every push-able button, picked up anything that could be lifted, pounded anything that needed pounding, and tried on anything that could be squeezed into. I think we did a better job of exploring the museum on this trip. Thank you to my boys.

Then we all gathered, once again, at the edge of the river for the light show. I had enjoyed it last time. It's a neat story. The dam is huge. The effect of lights projected over the entire face of it is pretty mesmerizing. The running water creates a welcome breeze on a warm summer night. It's just nice. But this year was better than just nice. I observed Nolan's light show experience. He seemed to be under the magic spell of the lights and music. He was quite entranced. I laughed as Gerret moved his body in some pretty comical ways. He danced to the fabulous 90s music. They each had a really good time. I was so glad to be there with them.

I enjoy a lot of things. I'd go so far as to say that I enjoy most things. But I'm finding that anything that I ever enjoyed is eternally more enjoyable when I watch my children enjoying it. That's a mothering secret. And it's only a secret because you can't totally understand it until you are a mother. Then suddenly the shows and the visitors centers, the beaches and the backyards, become so exciting and wonderful to you as you watch your children's eyes illuminate and hear their euphoric laughter and know that they enjoy them too. I'm so glad to be a mom.

Anniversary

On a Thursday in Spokane, PTB and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. Is that really all?? It feels like we have been married for a very long time. Paradoxically, the day we were married is still so tangible, it could have happened last week. Even so, these have been the very best 5 years of my life. It is a sacredly sweet blessing to be responsible for the care of your favorite person and to feel loved and taken care of in return. I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ which teaches us how to treat one another and assures us that our relationship can continue beyond this short life. I enjoy nothing more than spending time with PTB. We share common interests and we work together toward common goals. We have testimonies of the Restored Gospel, two amazing little boys, and a deep and mutual love for each other. There truly is nothing that we lack in the way of happiness.

Spokane Family Reunion

Here we all are. I'm pretty lucky to be a part of this.

My boys with their grandparents and cousins. They loved both of their cousins. Emily is 2 and such a cute little girl. It was fun to watch them play together. Courtney is a little baby. Gerret could not stop kissing her and Nolan is still asking me to "get another baby" on a daily basis since meeting his lovely baby cousin.

The 6 original Mitchell children -all grown up. They're all great people and it's so much fun when they're all together (and I'm there too, of course).

Cross Country Flying

The morning of July 28th, we woke up at 4:30. We needed to be in the car by 5, headed to the Rochester airport. We picked up my grandfather on the way so that he could drive our car back home for us as we would be returning two weeks later to a different airport.

The boys were excited. They could barely sit still long enough to eat breakfast as we waited for our departure.

We flew down to Atlanta in 2 hours. The novelty of flying lasted for most of those two hours. Thankfully. Over the course of the hour spent on the ground in Atlanta, Nolan took about 50 photos using Patrick's phone. 50 is not an exaggeration. If anything, it is an underestimate. The majority were snapshots of the hideous carpet and his shoe. For your viewing pleasure: A Sampling of Nolan's Photography

After our layover, we took a 4 hour flight to Salt Lake City. 4 hours in 3 seats with 2 kids and 1 window can get a bit hairy. I don't recommend it. We made it though. Gerret even slept for a third of it. As we dropped out of the clouds and I caught sight of my old home, I (almost) got a little choked up. Seeing the mountains and the Temple and that big salty lake brought a flood of good memories. I was tempted to stay.

Luckily, the airport was jam packed (we barely found a place to sit), our flight was delayed for an undetermined amount of time, my boys were worse than antsy, and our stubborn insistence to save money by carrying most of our luggage was not paying off. I say luckily, because this situation cancelled my prior desire to stay. All I wanted to do was get on the next plane and out of that airport.

An hour later, they announced our new expected time of departure and after diverting one more time to change the flat tire on our aircraft, we were off to Spokane.

It was a VERY long day, but miraculously incident free. For that, we were all grateful.

Back from the Desert

Today is our second day home from Spokane. Here to welcome us: 96% humidity. My grandpa came over today and made the comment that it might as well be raining. Amen. It feels like we're living in a cloud. A very warm one. The air is so heavy and damp that I think I'm soaked in sweat, but I can't tell for sure.

When I lived in Utah, I used to think it was so silly and almost ridiculous that everyone religiously watered their grass. I haven't changed my mind on that one, but I am willing to admit that it is equally absurd the way we religiously run a dehumidifier inside to keep our carpets and bedding dry. We pull about 5 gallons of water from our air each day. Ridiculous.

I'm here to say that we're back from the desert and missing it.