As you sit at your computer, take a moment and imagine a few things with me. Imagine that my decrepit, dinosaur of a desktop computer WOULD let me access blogspot these last few months and that I blogged regularly all spring (oops, and summer too), telling my faithful friends and family all about the fascinating, important things that happen to my family on a regular basis. Like Sophie losing her first tooth, and Spencer and Sophie both learning to ride their bikes without training wheels (Spencer didn't even have a transition period - he was off like a bullet the minute Gary took those things off!). How we finished off the school and dance year very successfully with our Footworks Spring Concert, competition at Lagoon Nationals, and a trip down to Utah to celebrate birthdays and school being out.
Imagine I blogged all about how the kids got to take horseback riding lessons all summer, and how we did two weeks of Pirate and Princess camp out in the barn that both drove me crazy and brought out my inner Fairy Godmother (sparkle sparkle!). How we had a blast with Karsen and kids who came up for a visit in July, and how we did Yellowstone and Rigby Lake and played and played with the cousins! How we spent a magical week in Aspen Grove with the whole Hunter side of the family and had my faith absolutely reaffirmed in old-fashioned, no-tv, fun-and-games-and-hikes family vacations.
I'm sure I would have told you about how we worked intensely all summer on our Festival Team, who performed as the USA representatives and hosts at the Idaho International Music and Dance Festival (yay Maggie!). How we choreographed and costumed an 80's medley, a 40's tap/swing number, a group clog and a clogging/hoedown set for 40 dancers and a darn tootin good time. How we had 24 extra people staying at our house for the 10 Festival days, dancing, eating and playing all day every day, and how we survived it all with wonderful new friends and memories! (And yes, some emotional scarring as well due to the stress level but we won't go into that now. The good news is, I lost 5 pounds that week!)
But most importantly, let's pretend that I told you how Gary came home from work one day in early May and said, "what if we spent fall semester in Ireland?" And how I said, "awesome! Let's do it! Hmm, what shall I pack?" How we spent an agonizing month waiting for BYUI's approval and release for the semester (with pay - cool!), researching flights ($$$!), housing ($$$! stupid exchange rate...) and schooling options until I lost my hair, my sanity, and my sleep to stress.
But it all worked out in the end. Because here we are, in Limerick, Ireland, in a newly-redecorated little townhouse right next to campus, with Maggie and Sophie enrolled in the excellent local school a stone's throw away, and Gary all set to work on his PhD full time. FULL TIME! Hooray! We have renters in our Idaho house taking care of the studio, Bella the dog enshrined at Gram and Grandpa's house in Utah, and we even made it through the border in spite of my passport being confiscated when we arrived in London (long, embarrassing, stupid story involving ludicrous thoughtlessness on my part so I won't go in to it here - all's well that ends well. We did get to take a quick emergency cab ride right into the heart of London to deal with it, which was fun... right?)
None of the above arrangements were cheap, and we've returned to the world of student loans. Luckily, I am a total cheapskate and bargain shopper at heart so the penny-pinching comes naturally. We're here though, and since we're here, with kids, we are going to get the most out of this experience, hopefully including a trip to the Continent later in October. I promise to blog much more regularly in the future, so you're welcome to come along on the ride!
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