Spring Break Part 2

The Easter Scavenger Hunt through Nana and Papa's Shady Oaks yard.

Dinner for adults only at La Caille, where almost sixteen years ago Gary and I had our wedding reception... it was so lovely! Although we can't say we're fans of the new management...

Saturday was bright and lovely, the perfect spring day, so we took the offspring up to the This is the Place Monument and Pioneer State Park. We love it up there, and we love Nana and Papa's grandparent passes which get us in free! After taking the train all around the park to help the Allens get a feel for the place, we put the kids in "school" ...

... got H. a shave (because he was looking a little scruffy) (sorry I can't use any of their first names online because there's a former stalker who may still be looking for them)...

... taught Spencer how to milk a cow...

... and played with lots and lots of baby animals. Which isn't too different, really, from our neighborhood in Idaho, but it just feels special because we were in SLC where people just don't normally have baby chicks and goats and cows running around in their back yards like we do in Idaho.

From sledding on Friday to swimming on Saturday... welcome to Spring! Nana and Papa got their pool up to 88 degrees for us - lovey! The kids swam for hours! and hours, and hours...

We topped it all off with a tour of the new downtown City Creek Center and a Jazz game (vs. San Antonio - we won - great game!!! Plus we got the $60 seats for $15 each - R. knows how to fanagle with the best of them). Gary's parents and brother Mike came up and joined us so we got to see and sit by them - so fun! Then the Allens drove home to Idaho and we went back to Nana and Papa's so we could go to lunch with Gram and Grandpa the next day after Grandpa's doctor's appointment. What a fabulous weekend!

Spring Break...?

We had such a great time at Nana and Papa's house in Salt Lake for Spring Break! We took our good friends the Allens down with us (there's plenty of room) to get away from the day to day for a while and relax SLC-style. They got pool up and running just for us! Alas, this is what we woke to on Thursday (April 5th) - S.N.O.W.! Which was surprisingly exciting - we've had an unusual dearth of snow up north in Rexburg this winter and had yet to get a good sledding day in. Ha! Done. Check it off the list now - sledding in Nana and Papa's back yard is the best!

Bella got in my way so I lost the race, above. She was so excited to have me at her level!

Love the view of the city and mountains across the golf course.

On Thursday afternoon it warmed up enough to make it a great, uncrowded day at one our favorite places, Hogle Zoo.

Since it was chilly most of the animals were inside. We couldn't believe the closeups we got of the daddy gorilla (who stared the kids down until they were just a little creeped out)..

... and the Siamese crocodiles (below) who were napping until the bigger one crawled out of the water to lay his head on the tail of the smaller one, much as our kids do when they all sleep in the same bed at night. (only, of course, they don't have tails. Most of the time.)

The poor giraffe was so bored inside that it started to lick the walls... I guess it could pass for a form of entertainment, but I don't really plan on trying it the next time I'm lacking things to do.

That night we got Taco Bell and Baskin Robbins for dinner and dessert, respectively, playing it cheap and easy since the dads were still working in Idaho. They got there late that night though and the party continued all weekend. More to come. But not now as I'm really tired and going to bed!

Beloved Bella

We all are gaga over our black lab, Bella. Even Gary, who pretends slight indifference and is irked when Bells licks his (salty with sweat) pants all the time. I've seen him play frisbee with her for an hour when he thinks we're not looking. You can't fool us, sweetie!

Nothing says adoration like a dog's head on your knee.

Spence can fall asleep on her - she's such a good dog. Very tolerant. Which is important when you live with a five year old boy.

Bella brings out Maggie's soft side, which is another reason why I love her!

Springtime Favorite Things

*Cardini's Parmesan Ranch salad dressing. I discovered Cardini's caesar dressing years ago, and found Cardini's ranch dressing in Ireland. Both receive my "Best in Class" award for salad dressings! I will eat raw carrots by the handful just to savor this lovely condiment!

*My Nanny. 91 years old, in remission, and going strong! 100% awesome, the ultimate example of selfless service, love, generosity and talent. Has stayed young for almost a century by constantly giving of her big heart and numerous talents to others. We're looking forward to spending conference Sunday at her house!

*Digging in my garden. Two months earlier than normal this year! Thank you spring! And crab grass, you've just met your worst enemy. I'm out to get you, so watch it.

*The Hunger Games, book and movie. The movie was intense, and I wanted Peeta to be more developed as a character, but overall it was a very powerful film. Books one and two in the series are among my favorite reads, though the third one was a little brutal for me. In it they changed Peeta, my main reason for reading the books. I'm definitely Team Peeta - Gale I never particularly liked, and even Katniss herself doesn't overly interest me (though I liked her better in the movie than the book), but I love the Boy with the Bread. And Prim with her goat. And sweet Rue. And the movie Effie is a crackup.

*My mom's Chateaubriand recipe! My mouth waters just thinking about it. Easiest thing in the world - season a tenderloin roast with salt, pepper and garlic. Place on a foil- lined cookie sheet or roasting pan. Roast in a 500 degree oven for a half an hour, then turn off the oven and roast for another half hour. During the last few minutes of baking, mix together two parts grape jelly to one part ketchup in a pan over medium heat. Baste onto the roast during the last ten minutes and pour the remaining sauce over the sliced meet. We served it for the 80's valentine's party and it is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, in spite of the unorthodox ingredients. (I know, you're thinking, ketchup, really? trust me on this one...)

*choreographing a new Charleston number for our festival team that's going to France this summer (if airfares ever go down, that is!!! argh!)

*making up some fun new Zumba routines

*My friend's mint brownies. Normally mint is not my favorite flavoring, but in her buttercream frosting version, they're practically addictive and I get fortnightly cravings! Good thing it's not bathing suit season... yet... hence the new Zumba routines...

Happy Spring everyone!

Getting our Irish Pride On

So the bash went amazing well, and was amazingly low stress, compared to the 80's high-end, high effort affair. We sat at picnic tables, savored the soups that everyone brought, drank sprite and lime sherbet, let the kids dance to Irish tunes and disco lights, and did little things like face painting and St. Patrick's Day Mad Libs which made the evening special. As did R. and Trevin's garb, as seen in these lovely photos!

Maggie and Eliza Hibbard were the masters of the face paint, and Sar and I were the masterminds behind the whole thing! So much easier thowing parties like this with a partner in crime... especially one who can REALLY cook like Sar! It helped too that we gave out food assignments (soup), so feeding the 45 people who came was a breeze. Relatively speaking. It also helps to have 3,000 SF of open space in which to host a party - long live the Party Barn!

Gary taught everyone a ceili (group dance), while professional Irish dancer Kylie Sutherland, a student of Gary's at BYUI, gave us a demo of true Irish championship step dancing! Thanks Kylie!

We had a slideshow of our Irish pictures on auto play all night, and told about our trip hightlights after we played a group Irish trivia game. Then we danced, ate, and chatted while the kids partied some more with the disco lights on the dance floor. It was just a really fun night. AND, everything was cleaned up and put away by 8:30. I still slept in until 10 AM though the next day!

I love Ireland. And I miss it. St. Patrick's Day will always be special to me, as will all my memories made there!

Because we can't seem to stop throwing neighborhood parties: St. Patrick's Day, By Mindy

Lots of luck will come your way if you join us for St. Patty's Day!

Ye are hereby invited to a Wearin' of t'Green Party celebrating St. Patrick's Day! March 17th will always be a special day for Clan Larsen, having spent four illustrious months on the Emerald Isle, so we want you to come help us celebrate all things Irish! (well, except for the food - Irish food is really bland). Your whole family is invited for music, merriment, dinner (BYO soup - Ireland is a cold country), limerick contests, a green dessert buffet, a game or two, and a general good time. T'will be a very casual night among friends - don't miss it! and do RSVP by Friday so I know who's coming!

Date: Saturday, March 17th
Time: 5:00 PM - ? whenever the little green men go dancin' home
Place: Larsen Barn
Wear: green, of course!
Bring: a pot of your favorite soup. I will take care of bread, drinks, salads and desserts.
RSVP by email or phone

Tanks a million, Mindy

Very Random, Late Winter Observations

1. I'm grateful to my dog, not only for giving me unconditional love 24/7, but for getting me outside more often than in the past (for pee pee walks) so I can appreciate the beautiful moods of an Idaho winter. Watching the moon wax and wane, looking surrealistically crisp and close in the chill night air; gazing at the gazillion stars visible in a clear sky, especially my friends Orion, Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper; laughing as Bella bounces and pounces in new snow like it's the best toy ever invented; admiring the crystalline frost blooming on the wood slats on my back porch in the morning light as my big black Boo tumbles down the steps, eager for her walk; enjoying the same frost forming on my eyelashes on the longer walks in 8 degree weather... it all truly has been delightful. I'm glad I'm in a place now where I can love, appreciate and care for a dog - she has given me much in return!

2. If you have bronchitis for over a month and it's getting worse, the only way to get rid of it (evidently) is to cancel every activity not strictly necessary, stay very warm all the time, get tons of rest, and stay inside. (This is where Bella's morning walks took the form of me driving along beside her in the car while she ran along beside me.) Honestly, it felt great to actually take it easy, and I got better. Fatter, yes, because Zumba was verboten as well, but still, it was nice to make progress after six weeks of ickiness and an horrendous cough. Note to self, Mindy: sometimes it's O-KAY to slow down!

3. As nice as the warmer weather has been lately, I'm not quite ready for the mud. Spring in Idaho in the country = mud. I actually would be fine with another month or two of snow, if only we got some good storms that really dumped a ton of the lovely stuff and cold enough temperatures to keep it here. We haven't even had a good sledding day at Rigby Lake yet this year! As ready for spring as I usually am... I don't really feel like I've had a winter yet! Not in the Rexburg sense, at any rate!

4. Nothing is sweeter to a mom than having her five year-old son voluntarily wrap his arms around her neck and tell her he loves her. Especially if that five year old boy is Spencer and the mom is me. My kids can be pieces of work but oh they bring such joy! How I love the little buggers!

5. If we don't find a morally courageous, fiscally responsible, true conservative to trounce Obama in November and slow down our current slippery slope trajectory, I'm going to be sick. Since I have friends on both sides of the aisle, and I do try very hard to appreciate other perspectives, that's all I'll say. Here, anyway. With Gary it's another story. I've found though that you should NOT talk politics before trying to go to bed - not only will it give you indigestion, but it will keep you up all night, absolutely tied in knots. Sometimes I think it would be so much easier to just not care...but that's not me.

5. My hollyhocks are starting to grow already. Bless them. There's a sign of hope if ever there was one!