Wes and Jan see the US Wanderings and Side Trips

Home again.. May 22, 2008

We had an interesting Mother's Day with our daughter and her husband. They have both been on diets and so - we have too since we eat together :-) When I got to choose what I wanted for Mother's Day dinner, all I wanted was some bread and ice cream. I finally chose pizza, so everyone could keep on working on their projects and not stop to fix a meal. Wes and Brian were so involved with their work, it was almost 9pm when we finally got around to eating. It was an enjoyable day none the less.

Monday morning we headed home. The wind was pretty strong, but if we wait for it to stop in Kansas, we never would travel anywhere. We were fortunate to find good gas prices and made good time. We had anticipated having to mow - a lot - when we arrived, but were surprised to find nothing had grown much while we were gone. Everything was pretty dry, so I got busy watering the trees and bushes and then started some water on the grass. The wheat looks pretty good so far, but we will need some moisture soon to keep it that way. We unpacked the fridge and necessary items from the RV and did some laundry.

Thursday morning we drove both vehicles to our daughter's home in Aurora, CO. Wes and his partner in the rental business had a tenant move out, so he spent most of his time cleaning up and getting the house ready for new renters. He is almost done now, just a little more painting. His partner will clean the carpets and they already have a couple of applications, so it should be rented pretty soon. Wes would need his pickup for his rental work and I had lots of things I needed a car for, so we "sucked it up" and paid for fuel for two vehicles for a week or so. I never thought I would think $3.65 a gallon for gas was a good deal, but it is here in Colorado. Most place are about $3.79 right now.

Friday, our grandaughter was out of school, so she and I took in a movie and had lunch. Our grandson is preparing to leave for his mission and one of the privileges he has is to attend the temple before he goes. Saturday morning family and friends gathered at the Denver Temple for this "right of passage". It was a good day. He will report to the MTC (missionary training center) in Provo, UT on July 9. Since he has to learn a language, he will be there about 5 weeks before reporting to his mission in Sacramento, CA. He has a specific list of clothing and supplies he has to have. Most he will take with him in one limited piece of luggage, but some has to be packed and shipped ahead of his arrival. We have spent a lot of time getting all his things together.

Zoe, our grandaughter, graduated from 8th grade on Tuesday. It was a big celebration for her and we spent time making sure everything was just right for that occasion as well. She already had her new dress and shoes and we arranged for her to have a fresh flower lei to wear. She decided to have some friends over to celebrate on Tuesday evening, so we cleaned the house and yard for that. There were about 300 students that graduated in her class. We were impressed with the students speeches, the musical numbers and the comments from the teachers. Of course, with that many students, someone is bound to have a duplicate outfit. That happened to Zoe. She arrived at school for practice Tuesday morning and in walked another girl with the exact same dress. Zoe was devastated, but it worked out okay. It was a traumatic situation for a 14 year old. We had a chance to visit with some of her teachers afterward. We have been impressed with the level of education available to kids today, but they have to overcome a lot of environmental and social situations to obtain it. I feel like they head out to a "war zone" every day when they go to school. And the teachers who "stay the course" are to be commended as well. We are so glad Zoe has been accepted into an academic "alternative" high school for her next 4 years.

Today we are headed home again. I am sure we will need to mow this time. We have decided to spend the summer at home getting the house painted and the farm spruced up. We still have LOTS of stuff to sell and dispose of in anticipation of full-timing. We have a lot of work to do and we have at least one "short" trip each month. September will be here before we know it. If you are traveling through western Kansas, let us know. We would love to see you.