We've been busy the past few weeks and we have had a lot of fun. Before we left for New York, Claire had a dance recital that was quite an event. It was our first recital and Claire's class did a fine job, but the 10 minutes of fun required enduring 90 minutes of torture. Claire has had a good time with the class but the teacher isn't really very good if the older girls' dance skills are any indication. Seeing the older girls "dance" was the worst part.
But we made it through and having done all of our packing before the recital, we were ready at 4:00 am the next day (Wednesday, May 20) to head out for New York. We left about on time, and it was smooth driving for about an hour, when a section of the parkway between Murray and Louisville was closed. We had to exit and we didn't really know where to go. We tried to reenter the parkway at the next exit by following some other cars, but it was closed there too, so we found a highway heading north to Indiana and headed that way. So we took the scenic route and that wasn't bad, seeing some places we would never otherwise see. We also failed to take an unmarked turn at one place that took us on another detour. Eventually, we made it to I-64 which goes to Louisville. When we reached Louisville, we felt like we had been driving for hours and couldn't get out of Kentucky. But the way from there to Kirtland went smoothly and quickly. The girls slept for the first part of the trip, woke up shortly after for breakfast, and then went back to sleep again. We drove for 11 hours and considering that, they did great.
We arrived in Kirtland with enough time to visit the LDS historical sites -- the Whitney store complex, and the sister missionaries, with some nudging, agreed to take us on a tour without making us sit through a 30-minute movie. Claire held the hand of one of them the whole tour, and it was nice to see those places. We asked about a nearby campground, and one of the retired couples referred us to one that was about 15-20 miles away, but that was the closest. So we went there, set up our tent, and then drove back a few miles where there was an Italian restaurant, and we had dinner. The girls weren't so good there, but we were able to fill our bellies, and then we went to the campsite and went right to bed.
In the morning, we drove back to the town of Kirtland, stopping for donuts at a small grocery store -- that is really a rural area with little in the way of stores or restaurants -- and went to the Kirtland temple. We had to sit through a movie first, which wasn't great for the girls, and then the guide took us and another retired couple through the temple, which was neat. At the end of the tour, as I was chasing Rachel, trying to prevent her from climbing up the stairs, the woman on the tour asked the guide if she could play the piano, and receiving permission, played "The Spirit of God." That was really cool to hear in the Kirtland temple, and you could feel the spirit of the place when she played.
Before we left the town, we stopped by the Whitney store to take a picture since our camera was full the night before and we had bought another card, and then went to the Morley farm. We then headed out and made the rest of the trip to Rochester without a problem, arriving around 4:00 that afternoon.
We had a good time at Janalyn and Nate's house, and the cousins all played well together and were constantly doing something together. Nate and Kaelen both had Friday and Monday off for the Memorial Day holiday, so we filled the weekend with activities, mostly picnicking related, and it was fun. On Sunday we were able to try their real Maple syrup with pancakes, and I went home teaching with Nate. When we weren't picnicking, the kids liked to play in the woods behind the house, which are a great place for kids -- a young boy's dreamland if I've ever seen it. The adults and Maggie were able to go out to eat on Saturday night to a crepe restaurant, and we even went to the beach of Lake Ontario and a carousel on Saturday afternoon, which was fun for the kids. We also went to a parade on Monday morning, and I went running with Nate a couple of times while we were there.
On Monday we went to Palmyra and received a child-friendly tour of the church sites, and also visited with a guy who was a missionary in Florida when I was there and who is also related through Mom -- Scott Hale. She had luckily talked with him at the temple and they were able to make the connection, so we visited them at the campground by Hill Cumorah. Tuesday morning Janalyn offered to watch all of the kids so J.J. and I went to the temple and because we were there, the temple workers arranged for Mom and Dad to officiate, which was cool for all of us. We took it easy in the afternoon, visiting Mom and Dad's apartment, and then took pizza for everyone out to Mendon ponds for a picnic and a hike, but it rained on us. So the girls left for home while the boys and Claire stayed and hiked in the rain to a bog, which was really cool -- the ground was like a firm waterbed, covered with grass and cool "pitcher plants" that were in bloom. The kids loved hiking, especially because they were able to play in mud. Afterwards, we stopped for ice cream and then headed home for baths. We said goodbye to Mom and Dad since they were working Wednesday morning, and then all went to bed.
We left around 9:00 on Wednesday morning after goodbyes, and headed back the way we came along the shore of Lake Erie, but headed south to Pittsburgh instead of going through Ohio. We then headed through West Virginia and stopped for the night just a few miles from the Virginia border. That drive was fun because of the Appalachian mountain landscape and the occasional river gorge views and small towns. We stayed in a state park, and it was a great little campground. It had been raining most of the evening, but when we got to the campground, the rain stopped falling and it stayed fairly dry all night, so that our tent wasn't soaked in the morning. In the morning, after getting ready, we went to a small waterfall a short drive away from our camp, and hiked up a hillside near the waterfall, where Claire spotted either a huge caterpillar or a colorful millipede. We also saw an orange salamander. As we were coming back to the car, it suddenly began pouring and we barely made it into the car before we got soaked.
So we were on our way again and we crossed into the mountains of Virgina and then headed along the line of the mountains to Knoxville and then on to Nashville, where we were staying for a wedding. We had time before the wedding to see the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home. We spent a little more to take a horse and buggy tour, which Claire loved, and it rained on us while we were on it, and then toured the house, which was still original and very stately. We drove to our hotel, changed, then drove to the temple, stopping first to eat before the 7:00 wedding.
The wedding at the temple was nice -- there were a few of us from Murray there to support the couple, Meghen and Rob, who are in our ward and are students at Murray State. Also, the missionary who baptized Rob and who was in our ward for many months had just gotten off his mission and he came back for the wedding -- Elder Gray. Our old friend Jessica watched the girls during the ceremony, and afterwards everyone went to PF Chang's for dinner. We just had dessert, thinking we would leave early, but we didn't get the chance and so it was a late night. Luckily we were staying there, unlike the rest of the group.
The girls were all asleep before we reached the hotel, so we put them right into bed and then we got ready for bed. In the morning, we slept in, took it easy, ate breakfast, then went to a cool playground near the Opry Mills mall, then went to the mall to eat the Aquarium restaurant which has aquariums throughout, but balked at the prices, and ended up eating at Johnny Rockets. Claire was disappointed, but was good about it. We then headed to the airport and picked up Gordon, who was staying with us for 4 days.
Of course, the wedding hoopla was only beginning with the ceremony, and knowing the couple well enough, they had a few friends needing a place to stay, so on Friday night 3 people in addition to Gordon and our family stayed in our house. Saturday morning Gordon and I and Claire went and played golf at a 3-par course with Thomas Clowers and Elder Gray. Claire lasted about 6 holes, which was good, but then complained about being tired the rest of the way, and we stopped after 9. We hung around the house the rest of the day, and then the wedding reception was that evening and J.J. was a bridesmaid, so that meant that I had to take Maggie and Claire with me to the ring ceremony, leaving Rachel home with Gordon. Claire loved it but right as it started Maggie started to fuss, so I took her out of the reception hall. After it was over, I went home to get Rachel for the dancing and food part of the reception, and we had a good time eating cake and dancing. I took Rachel home early since she was tired, and then J.J., Claire and Maggie came home later.
On Sunday, Gordon turned quite a few heads when he sat with the family because people wondered why I wasn't sitting on the stand. They said when we were next to each other, it was obvious that we didn't look too much alike, but apart, people got confused. After church we hung out at the house, outside, and then that evening we had family home evening with the YSAs.
June 1-June 7
On Monday morning, Gordon and I got up real early to play 36 holes of golf down in Tennessee. We first drove to the Tennessean golf course, and were the first ones on at 7:15 and didn't see anyone else the whole time we were there. After finishing, we went to Paris Landing golf course, and it had a few more people on it but we still got right on and only had to wait on the last 3 holes. We both had our ups and downs but overall played pretty well and were only a couple of strokes apart the whole time. We made it home around 2:30 and we stayed at the house in the afternoon.
J.J. had a different schedule this week because of some vacations, so she worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So Gordon and I had the girls on Tuesday, and after I took Maggie to the doctor in the morning, we all went out to Land Between the Lakes on a short hike. It was a very short hike but it was all they could handle, and it was quite warm. The girls were wiped out on the way home and took naps. That evening, we got a babysitter and Gordon, J.J., and I went out to eat at Jasmine, getting sushi and Thai food, which we all shared. When we finished, we went outside and suddenly it started to rain, which was a big disappointment because Gordon and I were planning on playing tennis, but that dashed our plans. So we hung out at the house instead.
Wednesday Gordon, the girls, and I drove to Nashville to drop Gordon off for him to fly to Rochester. I was worried about the trip having the three girls, but Gordon kept them entertained on the way down, and after dropping him off and saying goodbye, I took the girls to the playground we had found the week before, and while I was there I fed Maggie and she was happy, and the girls had fun too. On the drive home, Maggie slept the whole time, and Rachel slept as well, which made it a nice drive for me since I was by myself. I didn't have to stop once.
It was back to just our family on Thursday, and I was home with the girls while J.J. worked, and then on Friday I worked all day to get some things done before the writing project summer instituted began on June 8. There were several administrative things to do as well as some research-related items.
June 8-14
This week was busy. I started the summer institute, which is handled by the Purchase Area Writing Project and provides public school teachers professional development, a stipend, and 6 hours of graduate credit for a four-week session. I am taking over as the site director next year, and this year is my apprenticeship. We meet at 9:00 am and go until 3:30 M-F for four weeks. Each day is divided up into various activities -- the teachers take turns doing demonstrations and the directors and assistant directors do a few presentations, and we also have a few outside presentations. There is also time for writing the assignments for the class. The purpose of the institute is to help teachers integrate writing into the teaching of any subject. Most teachers are language arts teachers, but we have a few science and art teachers, which is nice. The first week was a lot of fun.
I missed one day of the first week to attend a meeting in Owensboro, KY where I was invited by the high school there to be part of a panel for their teacher training that talked about preparing for college reading and writing. It was a good meeting and I was glad I attended because it is good for our recruiting. I rode with three other guys from Chemistry and Biology. After the meeting, we went to Moonlite BBQ, which is apparently well known for barbeque, and had their lunch buffet. The "Kentucky" way, again apparently, is to mix mutton and beef. I wasn't that impressed and stuck with the pork. We all ate too much, but it was fun, and then we drove home. We had to leave that morning at 6 am, and we got home at 3:30. That evening, I went out with the missionaries to a couple of homes, and we also gave a blessing to Bishop Bakes since he was sick.
The other thing that kept us busy this week was swimming lessons for Claire Monday through Saturday. Since I was working, we signed her up for the evening class from 7-8. While the weather was perfect for the classes, it made every night a later night for both Claire and Rachel. But Claire did well in the lessons, improving every day. She is no longer afraid of putting her head underwater and does well flailing her arms and legs with the help of a noodle. We will sign her up for Level 2 later this summer. J.J. and I took turns taking her to the pool, and it was fun to see her improve. Claire had a major milestone this week -- she has been talking about learning to ride a "2-wheeler" or bike without training wheels, and on Sunday afternoon just before YSA home evening, she brought me the wrench to take of the training wheels and said she knew what to do to learn. I took the training wheels off, all the while thinking that this would be another attempt and she would get frustrated and wait a few more months to try again. I tried to hold the seat when she started to go and she insisted I let go. But then when she got a little nervous, I held on again but she didn't like it. Then she decided to start on the grass in our backyard where there is a 5-foot hill from Bob's yard to the easement. She started at the top of the hill, figuring out that she just needed some speed, and on her first try, kept her balance for about 15 feet on the grass. It happened so fast we almost didn't see it. Then she knew what to do and spent the rest of the evening riding around and has no problem riding, turning, and is getting better at starting out away from the hill. I was amazed at how quickly she picked it up and that she did it on her own. She has taken every chance since to practice.
On Saturday, we invited a family from our ward, the Trattiers, over for a barbeque -- the husband is a recent convert and we also invited the missionaries over. We had a good time, and their kids, who are similar in age to ours, had a great time playing in the sprinkler house in the yard. Sunday was a nice day, and after church Maggie and I were able to spend some time in the hammock in the back yard -- she chilling out and sleeping and I reading until she woke up and we played. At church, J.J. had a visiting teaching conference so the priesthood handled primary, and so I conducted, did sharing time, and helped with singing time. It worked out, but we are all glad not to do that every week.
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