Vet School Family

We started our veterinary education in 2004 as a group of approximately 100 students. Of those, roughly 75% were women. At the end of the four years, tight knit bonds had been forged between groups of individuals. The core group of friends with whom we spent time outside of class earned the name "vet school family" because that's what they had become - people you want to see on weekends and after class. People who make you stronger, help get you through the trials of advanced education and life, lending a hand when needed, lifting your spirits by word or deed. This group got together during General Conference weekends, holidays, bright summer weekends, and in between. 

This "family" consisted of six couples and two single students. One couple was not actually attending veterinary school with us; we met Mike when he was roommates with Chadwick and Milo our second year of school before he got married. And of those in the veterinary program, I was the only wife...the other wives worked or were taking classes outside of the veterinary medical world. 

Several couples were able to reunite in Wyoming at the Andrus house for a brief weekend and CE in Jackson in 2011. I was torn between my desire to stay at home with the girls and catch up and the need to attend my meetings for professional credits. I went to the meetings. 

(Andrus, Hunt, Merkley, and Griffiths families)

 

Since that summer, we have gone many different directions and grown considerably. Two of us have been married. All have added children to their core family units. There have been moves, job changes, purchases and sales of veterinary clinics, and lots of life in between. Through it all, our bonds have been maintained. Bonds forged in Pullman, by helping each other through dating, conversion to the gospel, marriage, trials of college, and love for one another.

Some of us are still proudly displaying Cougar Pride.

We reunited in Fairview, Utah a few weeks ago, all but two couples in attendance from all over the western United States and Canada. It was amazing how it all worked out to allow us to get together for a quick weekend. The house we rented was perfect - the kitchen space was large enough to feed everyone comfortably, the outdoor sandbox was the best babysitter, and the living room allowed us to have adult time in the evening. I think we got caught up on the wheres/hows/whos of each family. And oh to hear the stories that were told!! I haven't laughed like that in a while.

 

 

 

 

Saturday afternoon was spent in Mount Pleasant at Hayley's parents' house riding horses, jumping on the trampoline, running through sprinklers, and enjoying turkey BBQ for dinner. Yup, we got Jen on a horse!!

 

 

 

 

 

12 adults.

12 children - 16 girls and 4 boys.

2 nights and 3 days of laughter, sharing of memories, and strengthening friendships. 

 Families: Barnes, Andrus, Hunt, Christensen, formerly Frampton, Merkley

In an attempt to name the children....Ada M, Kherrington C with baby C, Grace A, Bonnie M

Caroline B, Mallorie H, Martha A, Acadia C, Covey M

Spencer H, Morgan H, Rose B

Suzie A, Maverick C, Tynlie C

Annie B, August B, Eva A, Leah F

I came home stronger for the time together. How I miss these amazing people!

A Good Thought

I needed this reminder the other day...

"We must have the courage to be imperfect while striving for perfection."

~Sister Patricia Holland

Second Grade

Yesterday was the first day of school and the end of summer vacation. I have a second grader! Happily, might I add, as Morgan is excited to be moving along in her education. 

Her bus driver is the same from years past and she knows a couple of her classmates. Today, she informed me excitedly that they get to listen to music while doing their schoolwork in class. Her teacher has a background and interest in science which will keep Morgan's interest. She loves reading and science and asking questions. Math comes easily to her. I hope that she continues to learn about friendships - how to be a friend, to make a friend, and keep a friend. She has struggled with this aspect of life the last two years. 

So grateful for this little bookworm! Go get 'em, Morgan Magoo!

 

Random Happenings

I find myself sometimes lost in the day-to-day routine. The laundry. Cooking and cleaning, repeating the routine several hours later. Pulling weeds. Baths and showers. Reading scriptures before bed and remembering to say personal prayers. Trying to squeeze in time at the gym.

Recently, though, I catch myself sitting at the dinner table smiling at the antics of my little circus. Mallorie informs me how "by accidently" something happened. Spencer hollers, "Drops!" when his toy hits the floor. Morgan has become infatuated with the Nancy Drew series that I read as a child (and I admit to re-reading The Mystery at Shadow Ranch the last few nights) and has devoured the stash my dad brought to town in June. They love to ride the lawn mower, sing songs, and will have moments of serenity at play. Favorite bedtime songs in the past few months - The Rose, Hanging Tree (from The Hunger Games), Hallejeuh (best version is by Pentatonix), Nearer My God to Thee, and I Am a Child of God.

Did I have this much stuff when I was a kid??

 

 

We made it through majority of our "Summer Bucket List," for which I am grateful. Since school let out in June, we have gone camping, had fun, rode horses with me, been to the library, road tripped to Utah, picked raspberries, mailed a bundle of notes and drawings to Grandma and Grandpa Hunt in Texas, and played at Eagle Island. Many afternoons have been spent riding bikes, coloring with chalk, playing in the water, napping in the car, and grudgingly doing chores around the house.

At the beginning of July, I took a quick weekend trip to Grantsville to watch a dear friend get married in Grantsville. I knew her in Boise during a rough patch and I was thrilled to meet her new husband and get a feel for the wonderful people who are now her in-laws. It didn't hurt that I got to stop when I wanted, listen to my songs, sing loud or quiet, and have some "me" time in the process. Those moments are cherished in this crazy thing I call life.

 

Morgan constantly has her nose in a book, and she is often in trouble for it. She is great at helping me with Spencer, loves, to read the scriptures, and is learning to walk the line between younger and older child. Art is still a favorite activity as is wrestling with her dad and little brother, riding her bike, and picking food from the garden. Oh, and she lost another tooth the night before school started. Her note to the Toothfairy cracked me up!

We caught the LegoAmerica display at the Boise Towne Square a few weeks ago. I've never seen such an amazing display! For example, the Capital Building took 1700 hours to complete....

 

Mallorie is my tender girl. She sings when content, wakes up each morning with a radiant smile, and adores her little brother. Artwork is also a favorite activity and she's quickly mastering the ability to ride her "stroder bike" with ease. It was a proud moment last weekend when she caught and carried around a grasshopper.

 

Spencer is a rascal. There's no better word to describe his antics. He has learned that by adding a chair or stool in front of a piece of furniture, his reach is significantly longer. I have come downstairs several times to find him playing on the iPad on the coffee table. A password has since been added to the device and he hasn't quite forgiven me. His enthusiasm is contagious, his energy levels exhausting, and also likes to color. Younger of two sisters, he will occasionally play with dolls and barbies. The first words out of his mouth each morning are to ask if he can go play. Puzzles, cars, and dinosaurs are the favorite choices.

And I've been working on projects - remodeling the living room and a couple of craft type things. Such as a decorative box that now occupies the center of our dining table and a long-awaited chore chart. This thing makes me so happy and is about "Pinterest worthy!"

 

My friend Cyndi and I have been doing a project group for several months and it has given me the motivation to try new things (like using the chop saw!). We have loved the time to focus on a project as things get done more quickly, and with more fun, when there are two adults. The efficiency is hampered somewhat by the presence of 8 children, but that's motherhood!

The temperatures have dropped some and it's been hard to focus on inside chores....looking forward to the crispness of fall.

Sure

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word "sure" as an adjective:

• firmly established, steadfast
• reliable, trustworthy
• marked by, or given to feelings of confident surety
• admitting of no doubt, indisputable
• bound to happen, inevitable

Dictionary.com says it's also an adverb:

• as an informal use, certainly

The whole thought process behind this ramble began with a question, via text, to a friend. "Do you want to go to the baby shower with me tomorrow evening?" She replied, "Sure..."

Now, I have to mention that I really dislike the use of that word as a response. I feel like it is a luke-warm answer, something I use when I don't really want to do something but will go with the plan anyway. A word, that when I hear or see it as an answer to an inquiry, feel like not doing the thing I just asked about because I get the impression the other person would rather not.

I called her out on her apparent lack of enthusiasm, along with a smiley face so she would know I was teasing, and offered to change plans if she wasn't wanting to attend. Turns out, she feels the same about this word "sure," and explained that she normally never, never uses it! (It was one of those fluke moments when she had too many things going and needed a quick reply. She laughed when I called her on it.)

Chadwick feels the same way about the use of the word sure as a positive, yes response. His family used it all the time in place of "yes" and it drives him a little crazy. My friend's in-laws are the same way. Which got me thinking....how many people use the word as a positive, enthusiastic yes? How many use it when they are really feeling meh about the situation?

I sent an email to ten girlfriends/family to see what they thought....most of them use the word as a positive, yes. In fact, 6 out of 10 use it that way.

Huh. Guess I need to re-think how I interpret such a response from someone other than my husband and good friend who got this whole tirade started.

Sure.

Our Tripod Adventure

Our first family camping trip to Tripod Reservoir was a total success last weekend - we were joined by two other families- the Taylors (good friends) and their neighbors, the Katseanas (whom I would love to get to know better). Here's the numbers to sum it all up:

18-

Multiply this number by two and that's how many eggs were used to cook breakfast in the Dutch oven Saturday morning. Combined with some rice, hash brown potatoes, green chili, bacon, and cheese, it made for delicious burritos. Too bad we had a whole Dutch oven's worth left over. We are still eating eggs for breakfast.

11-

There were 11 kiddos under the age of 10. With only 6 adults, we were totally outnumbered.

9-

The number of pollywogs within a square foot of water space. They must have had a massive frog hatch recently as the water was chalk full of the small, funny critters. And where there are pollywogs, there are toads. Fielding was a master at catching them Friday night....

5-

Five people braved the rope swing. Three of us successfully completed back flips into the water, one attempted and almost made it through the whole flip, and Cosey rocked the jump to represent the under-25 crew. Thanks to Caley, we have it documented in slow-mo. First me, then Chadwick.

4-

The reservoir and camping places were located 300 feet from a parking lot. We made four trips to and from the car with our wagon (thank you, Nancy and Steve!), not including the trip for the canoe.  My mom texted me with the thought that we need more stuff. For the record, Darwin was not buried in his crate behind the kids. We left him with a friend for the two days.

3-

Blake, Chadwick, and Logan started the Tripod swim team. Logan swam the distance of the lake and back with grace. To quote Cyndi, Blake and Chadwick tried not to drown.

2-

Two canoes made the weekend that much better. We had a brief rowing competition across the lake, attempted to catch pollywogs with plastic cups, enjoyed the feeling of being on the water, and let the kids take a turn at paddling. I was massively impressed to see the entire Taylor crew packed successfully into one canoe.

1-

One moment of peace between Spencer and Luna. It's almost not an exaggeration. The other 9 children got along wonderfully well for the two days of the trip and there was always someone willing to play. Sliding down the dusty hillside was a favorite, as was catching pollywogs and fishing. 

This is the face that woke up in my sleeping bag Saturday morning. I don't remember him bashing his eye....and the chocolate from too many cookies was still smeared around his mouth.

My little man...

 Everyone was a dusty, tired mess by Saturday afternoon.

Good times.

Fourth of July

Stars and Stripes. Red, white, and blue. The beautiful sight of American flags flying from every corner of the town. The time with friends and good food. Filling numerous requests at work for sedatives for the fearful canine companions. The boom of fireworks and smell of smoke lingering on the hot air.

Chadwick went to work for the day so the kids and I played. We followed the Taylors to Melba for a wonderful, small town parade. Morgan got slightly sick to her stomach on the way over so we had to take a few moments to get things cleaned up when we arrived. We staked out spots along the start of the parade route and commenced waiting. People watching, eating a few snacks, lathering up with sunscreen, and waiting. It was HOT. The parade was great - old tractors, older cars, firetrucks, horses, people, and more candy than we've seen since Halloween. The kids loved it and forgot about the heat with the catch of the first salt water taffy. We came home with a bag full of treats.

 

 

Can you see the orange spots on my arm? Otter Pop. I had chocolate all over the bottom of my shirt from Spencer, puke splatter on the back of the other arm from Morgan...the glamorous life of a mom!

After a shower and rest, we headed to the Orton's house for dinner and the Fourth Annual Cereal Box Battle. Chadwick made it city the night before, and I sent a picture to the other families who were going to be present so they had an idea of what we were supposed to be creating for the event. Amie promptly replied, "That better be an old picture. If that's what's showing up tomorrow, we are screwed." Dinner was amazing - BBQ chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, fruit, and homemade ice cream. The kids ran, the adults talked, and the littles got into the leftovers. Spencer was perpetually orange from Cheetos Puffs.

 

 

Then came The Battle. We decided to have all four cities compete at the same time and it didn't let us down. Despite the effort, planning, and firepower (or because of the firepower) Chadwick put into his city, his cereal boxes were rubble before the other cities had a chance to really catch fire.

The White House miniature on top of the Stewart's city was the last to go, and it had to be purposefully set on fire. I love that event. As Cyndi said, the funniest use of small fireworks ever.

 Game faces on.

 

 

 

 

As the evening progressed, so did Spencer's internal temperature. He enjoyed the fireworks despite the heat and evidence to the contrary in this photo, but the poor guy had a fever of 103.4 by the time we got home! The kids went down without a fuss and we listened to the larger fireworks shows around the area before going to bed ourselves.

 

 

I am grateful for the freedoms and safety we enjoy in this great nation. It really is the "land of the free and home of the brave."