Maggie's Boston Tea Party School Skit

Maggie was chosen to be the narrator of her fifth grade class play. She had the longest part by far, and Gary and I worked with her to learn her lines. She has an amazing memory and learned each section almost instantly. She's the one in pink at the corner of the stage. Gram and Nana this is mostly for you - enjoy!

Ahhhh...

Sleep in, check. File taxes with huge refund, check. Take dog on nice long walk, check. Redecorate daughters' bedroom a la Maui, check. Nap, check. Update blog, check. Sip hot chocolate while watching blizzard outside, check. Cuddle with kids while watching a movie, check.

What a lovely day.

Gag Me With the 80s

Okay, here they are, pictures of The Big Night. Apologies in advance for my camera - it says point and click but evidently it's not as simple as it seems because almost none of these turned out. Still, they'll give an idea of the totally radical time had by the over 70 decked-out, party-ready attendees!

The order of the party went:

-6:30 arrival, mingling, comparing of shoulder pad widths and fluorescent attire
-make your own ugly 80s corsage or boutonniere at the flower power table
-pictures taken (and printed, and mounted in a fab envelope to take home) at the Pretty in Pink photo backdrop
-play Frogger on the original Atari on the big screen in the corner
-7:00 Dinner (chateaubriand, cream cheese chicken, mashed potatoes, caesar salad, poppyseed salad, homemade rolls, sparkling cider and punch)
-Dessert at the unbelieveable, tiered, underlit, gorgeous dessert table created by the incomparable S. herself (my partner in crime)
-80's trivia sheets on tables as people finished dinner; Thriller music video playing in background
-Name that Tune with 80s sitcom and movie theme songs
-prizes for Trivia and Name that Tune
-performance by our Festival Team: traditional clogging, 80s medley, contemporary clogging
-open dance floor - EVERYONE danced! It was awesome!
-crowning of Prom King and Queen (Stephanie Ricks and Emi Flamm - we deviated a little from tradition but they earned it - they had wicked moves on the dance floor!)
-more dessert and dancing
-10:30 the coach turned back into a pumpkin and we had to clean up. And turn the lights back on. :-( I loved our hula hoop chandeliers! The dining room was SO pretty!

Special thanks go to R. and S. A. - we should eat Sunday dinner with you every week because look what happens when we get our great minds together! S did half the work; I could not have done it without her. Same time next month? :-) Also to Dad and Nanny for coming out a bit early to check out the final arrangements; my ever-fabulous, wonderful, talented mother who stepped in as pitch hitter in food prep during the first hour of the party and totally made the whole thing work; Terry and Eileen Wilcox (!!!) who supplied the tables, most of the chairs, the centerpieces, and the camera and printer - I have the most supportive dance parents in the world!; the Kellys, Stones and Kings who mashed the finest potatoes in three counties; and everyone who came, ate, danced and partied like it was 1999. I'll have a total eclipse of the heart if we don't do it all again next year!

Your Invite to the Most Bodacious 80's Valentine's Dinner Dance Ever!

Brush off your rubber bracelets, grow out your mullet, and pull that 80's monstrosity prom dress out of the closet - Footworks Dance Studio announces the "most excellent" 80's-themed Valentine's Day Dinner Party ever! Why dump a load of cash on a mediocre meal at a chain restaurant this Valentine's Day? Treat her - or him - right and come to our 80's bash for the best tunes, tastes and talent around! It'll be awesome to the max!

*Bedazzle your senses with our Filet Mignon or Chicken gourmet meal, with salads (Caesar and poppyseed), mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and sparkling cider. And a "non spiked" punch bowl, of course. Because what's an 80's party without a punch bowl? and pop rocks? And rubix cubes? Like, we're so totally happening!

*Entice the date of your dreams with promises of strawberries dipped at our chocolate fountain!

*Get your Crazy 80s picture taken with your group, to take home as a souvenir of the night when all your wildest dreams came true
*Make your date a customized corsage or boutonniere at our flower table

*Floor show featuring our 2012 Festival Team's totally rad "Gag Me With the 80s" medley

*Thiller demo and teaching option (BYOG - bring your own glove)

*Request your fav tunes for the open dance floor under the glowing disco ball. Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls and Boy George are already cued up.

*Vote for Pedro (or the most outrageously dressed guest) to be our Prom king or queen

*80's trivia contest (no looking up the answers on iPhones allowed - like, that's so totally NOT 80's)

*Contests, door prizes, and giveaways galore! Like, you could win, like, totally serious prizes!
*This invite will make a Splash so show you're Footloose (and not a Gremlin) by passing it on to anyone who might be interested!

Date: Friday February 10th, 2012

Time: 6:30-10:00 PM

Place: Footworks Dance Studio, 1561 W 5500 S, Rexburg (we'll gladly valet your DeLorean for you, though we can't promise not to sneak a peak at your flux capacitor)

Cost: $35/couple, with proceeds going towards our Festival Team costumes.

Threads: anything you can bust a move in that brings out your 80's pride. Feathered hair, leg warmers, and cell phones the size of a shoe box win you extra points.

RSVP by FEBRUARY 9th to: Mindy at 351-2301 or idahofootworks@yahoo.com

Be there or be square! but it's hip to be square...

Long ago, on a Birthday far far away...

... was Spencer's Big 5 Star Wars birthday party!

Being born on January 3rd is kind of a rip off. You've just had Christmas, and people are so busy bringing in the new year that sometimes your birthday gets, well, not top priority. Not in our house though, right buddy? We took Spence and some of his best buds (Parker the Ricks, Ben Goodnough, Hyrum and Ammon A., plus R. and S.A. for Gary and me) to the place of all places for birthday parties in the Greater Southeaster Idaho region - Leo's Place! It's a pizza/burger joint with an arcade, huge play place, and mini rides. Sure, the play place smells like a petrie dish sometimes, and you can just imagine the germs swimming around in there, but the kids LOVE it. (plus that's why hand sanitizer was invented.) The kids had a great time, we had a nice chat with the Allens while the kids played, and a good time was had by all. Kudos again go to Gary, who once again pulled out a really cool cake for our Little Buddy.

Home Again Home Again

After almost five months of adventure and "vacation," it was so nice to come home to this sign, made by my dear friend Dawn, on our front porch. Within minutes of our being home, the house was crowded with Ricks, Flamms and Fransons welcoming us back (and helping us unload our car, and bringing us dinner...) It was so needed - thanks guys! More tender mercies. Because I wasn't at all sure I wanted to be back, and this really emotionally helped me make the transition.
The above suitcases represented three seasons, three different major trips (summer in Utah, fall in Ireland, Christmas in Utah and Maui) And this was just what was in my car. This doesn't include the whole room full of boxes stacked ceiling-high that we had to unpack!

I feel the need to sum up:
*four and a half months of travel. Unbelievable adventures. Tons of blessings. Guardian angels every step of the way.
*we never, not once had to see a doctor while we were gone. Excepting Gary's bum foot which was in a boot for three months, it was the healthiest we have collectively ever been. The kids missed days of school for our trips, but not for illness. More blessings. Until Spen got the flu in Maui, and within weeks of returning to Idaho's dry, very cold climate we've all been terribly sick at one time or another! I guess the reprieve is over...
*13 flights for the whole family, plus two more for Gary to England making it 15. That's a lot of ear-popping family fun! Card games (War) totally helped, as did the in-flight movies and Angry Birds on the IPod. And books, and sleep. And talks. And cuddles. And crayons and stickers. Whatever it takes!
*lots of different kinds of motion sickness, mostly Soph, Spen and me. The kids don't like Dramamine, but I personally will never fly without it again after the flight from SLC to LA en route to Maui. I would do it all again though - that was one wonderful trip!
*One happy but chubby dog when we got back. Bella's doing great though - we've both lost some weight since getting back to real life! She gets me out in the cold but beautiful country landscape to exercise the extra weight off our buns!
*three weeks of unpacking to do when we got home. Ugh.
*Gary thrilled to be back in his element at BYUI - he loves his job and was stoked to get back! We got the hot tub fired up as well, and he visits "Pearl" every day. Makes him feel so good!
*The strength of my kids as they did hard things I certainly never had to face at their age. I will never underestimate their capacity for adjusting to difficult situations, particularly Sophie who is tender, yes, but much stronger than I ever was as a child. They are amazing and better even for the wear of being dragged across ten different time zones, two continents, four countries and two schools each.
*Maggie was definitely in the wrong class in Ireland - when we got back she was behind in math just a little bit. Grr. We're playing catch-up, and luckily she's a quick study. Sophie's school here on the other hand is easier than it was in Ireland, but she did well both places. So proud of both of them! And of Spencer, who is now reading Dick and Jane at bedtime reading. By himself. I love you, Leap Pad Letter Factory DVD!
*The usefulness of a large electric kettle; we used ours daily in Ireland and I miss it here desperately, so I've ordered one from Amazon. Am anticipating its arrival with great delight!
*some heartbreak as I realize that the kids are forgetting a lot about their Irish experience already. I know it will always form a part of their development, and Maggie will especially be able to recall much of it. But today Sophie couldn't remember her friends' names from her class, except for Saorise. Heartbreaking, but natural I suppose. For me though, when I am down lately, Ireland is my happy place. I savor the memory of what it was like playing soccer with my kids in the big field by campus; walking along the Shannon, admiring the trees, petting the dogs on their walks and discovering ivy-clad ruins every hundred yards; watching my kids play with the O'Shea kids and the Botts kids; the sunshiny sound of Heather Bott's laugh, especially as we ate apple almond pudding and watched Downton Abbey; comparing life experiences with the Kellys and the Extons; Eva Kelly's delectably huge cheeks; Ann and Alex Kelly's kindness to me; my dear little black and white house and Deirdre and Liam who so kindly took care of us; savoring the many moods of Irish weather, and the way the clouds played among the low hills and the UL campus; how the peat fires smelled as I walked with Spencer and the green stroller to Lidl or SuperQuinn; the feel of the soft, chilly, perfectly humid Irish air; and how brilliantly the tree outside my bedroom window flamed with leaves all autumn long. All these little details that I cling to because I was so amazingly happy there. I don't want to forget any of it.
*We still have it great. Our life here in Idaho is wonderful. No complaints. The goal is to still keep my eyes out for those tender mercies because they are still all around me here. I am very blessed.

2011 Favorite Maui Moments

*Walking on the beach one night after sundown with our three kids, stargazing (Cassiopeia and Orion) and recounting our favorite Maui stories, like when Gar proposed to me on the airplane on Christmas Eve, and when he lost the keys to our rental car at while cliff diving at the Seven Sacred Pools past Hana. The kids were afraid of the dark at first, and the ocean does look totally different at night, even with the lights from the hotels glowing softly down onto the beach. But we held their hands and made them laugh and had a wonderful time sharing our family stories with them on our favorite beach in the world!
*Snorkeling with two enormous sea turtles! And seeing those two huge whales slap their tails just off Black Rock while we were walking down to go snorkeling!
*Caroling on the balcony on Christmas Eve, as always, and the crepe party at our place on Christmas Day
*taking daily naps with Spencer, who had the flu pretty bad but only let it keep him down a day or two. He needed lots of naps though between the morning beach and afternoon pool workouts, so Gar or I would curl up with him on the sofa in the front room and he'd fall asleep snuggled up next to us while we watched football, Elf or Harry Potter on tv.
*the impromptu family talent show out by the pool, featuring our family version of "Sur la Ponte d'Avignon" and Maggie, Haley and Gracie's 12 days of Mormon Christmas which they made up themselves. They included five Jesus dolls (?). It was the hit of the night!
*playing our family games: the Name Game, Balderdash (aggressively aging aardvarks, anyone?) Take Two, Five Crowns and Scum
*watching the kids, who are older and more independent now, make their own Maui memories with each other
*adding a new dimension to the trip with Morgan and Vadim
*seeing Glenn Beck and entourage at church on Sunday sitting four rows ahead of us
*Honolua Bay and the Blow Hole - such beautiful places!
*the classic Mindy Moment of Gary reading our travel itinerary as we were packing to leave... and realizing that I had told everyone we had to leave on Sunday when we really had tickets to leave on MONDAY night...good thing he thought to check before we actually drove in to the airport! LOVED that extra 24 hours in paradise!!! Seriously though, between that and the Infamous Passport Fiasco on our way to Ireland, it has not been a good year for me as far as my wits are concerned!
*Our last dinner at Leilani's with Nana and Papa (our treat for once!), watching our last Maui sunset, then hurrying home for one last swim in the pool before loading our car and heading for the airport