Summer update #2

I don't have a lot to say about the following topics but they were the pictures I hadn't done anything with yet so here is a flash update:

Braces
Mark took Jared to the orthodontist on the 18th.  I was more than happy to pass this appointment on to Mark.  As I sat at work it occurred to me that Jared might actually be getting braces on that moment! When I told Mark about the appointment I wasn't really sure what would be happening that day. Soon after Mark texted me a before and after picture.

He just got them on the top.  The orthodontist said something about him not getting bottom braces on till he was like 12!  I was not expecting that.  We checked out two different offices before we chose this one.  Between the two they had really different approaches to orthodontics.  At the first office we ran into a family we know through Mark's school.  They have kids who match up with Jared and Lydia exactly.  That office wanted to do everything at like turbo speed and all at once.  The other office, the one we chose has a much more laid back lets see what his teeth do approach.  I  am happy with the one we chose but its odd to see what Asher has had done for his teeth and what Jared has done when they started at the same time.

Speaking of this family, (the Shedds) Mark and the Dad Chris have met up a few times this Summer to have the 4 kids play together.  Its always while I am at work and I love that Mark and Chris have taken the initiative to get together and hang out.  Its something I did all the time when Lydia and Jared were little but I don't think it translates as well with men.  But Mark and Chris both teach history at Burley and enjoy working and hanging out together.  Asher, Autumn, Jared and Lydia are the same ages and same grades.  From what I can tell they seem to have a really good time together.  This week they met up at Tonsler Park to play in the water and on the playground.  Its great and odd because I really don't know Chris's wife at all.  It's like Mark's thing.  He is great and I am really happy Jared and Lydia are having a Summer with mostly him.  I mean I am back by 1:00 almost each day but sometimes they are still out on an adventure when I get home.

7-11
The day we were supposed to head down to South Carolina was July 11th which is of course free Slurpee day.  Even though we had a tight deadline to try to make that original flight out of Richmond I knew Jared and Lydia would be very upset to miss free Slurpee day, they talk about it all year so we made a quick stop before driving to Richmond.  Then we ended up not getting on that flight and I told them we could stop at another one on our way home.  It just so happens that there is a 7-11 less than 5 minutes from the airport.  It was at the first light.  That was perfect as I did not want to wander around Richmond looking for another one.

Charlottesville

Richmond

Last Meet of the season
Wednesday was the last meet this season.  It was at Farmington Country Club.  For being a pretty nice Country Club I was pretty underwhelmed by their pool.  The best part was that it's big enough to set up 8 lanes so the heats could go a bit faster.  Most other pools only have space for 6.  We were hanging out with the Shaw's and Julie looked at me and said, "Can you imagine this being part of your life?" I honestly can not.  It was fun to see a new pool and get a little taste of what that would be like and it is in a very nice setting.  They do have very nice bathrooms and they handed out free cookies to everyone which was a very nice touch.  Both Hollymead and Farmington were undefeated this Season so this was described as the meet that would be the closest.  Hollymead ended up winning which was fun. I have no idea of scoring works but the score was 532 to 499 so the closest meet by far.  Jared and Lydia both agree that they want to do swim team again next year so we will plan on it. I am really lucky that Mark was able to handle all the morning practices.  They left at the same time that I did to go to work. Lots of people have asked me if I was enjoying swim team and I sort of laugh because it is a huge time commitment and I got off so easy since Mark is awesome and willing and around to do it.

 Jared and Lydia were really happy the Shaw's did swim team too. 

 Sam did not love it all and Tyler was not a fan at the beginning but ended up really enjoying it.  

Homemade ice cream
Lydia asked that this be added to our Summer fun list when we made it and with yesterday being around 100 degrees and crazy humidity it was the perfect day to stay inside and make a few batches.  We no longer have a churn ice cream machine so we tried one recipe that you just freeze and 2 that you make with the Blendtec.  We have often used the milkshake setting but never used a Blendtec recipe for ice cream.  They are very similar, the secret being to freeze ice cube trays of milk.  Each recipe called for an ice cube tray of frozen milk.  So Mark got that going while I mixed up the no churn recipe. We made Nutella, Raspberry and Lemon.  They were all good but not as good as homemade ice cream made with an ice cream machine.  I can't decide if it's worth having one that we have to store that we will not use often.  Having to watch it and add the rock salt seems like a bit of a hassle to me.  So far we have not wanted it enough.

Youth Temple Trip
On Wednesday Mark left early in the morning to attend the Youth Temple Trip up in Philadelphia.  It was crazy timing for him.  He worked down at the Hilton Head airport Wednesday -  Saturday late.  We arrived back at the Charlottesville airport around noon last Sunday.  He worked his usual Monday and Tuesday nights at CHO and then drove to Philadelphia (a 5 hour drive with no traffic, there was lots on the way back) and back and then went back to CHO as he had agreed to cover for someone who covered for him.  So Tuesday night he got back from work at 11:30 and was up at 4:30 then got back from the temple at 8:30 and was at the airport by 8:45 that night.  He really hoped he would not have to drive but he did. They had 24 youth attend which was really great.  Tuesday afternoon we helped out by making all the lunches for the youth and adults.  We made 36 lunches.  Lydia was happy to help, Jared was not but we made him anyway and I saw him smile more than once.  It was quite the assembly line and I am glad we could help Mark.  He did all the shopping while I was at work and then we got it put together after.  Julie kindly watched Jared and Lydia for me that day since I needed to be at work and Mark was gone.  They had an awesome time and Julie said it hardly felt like there were 2 additional kids there.  We are so lucky to have such great people here.

Edible Play-Doh
This was also a Lydia request.  We made three recipes this year.  Chocolate Pudding (it was gross) Frosting it was good and Peanut Butter the favorite.  They had a good time playing and we went through a lot of powder sugar.  There was a recipe that called for melting marshmallows and I was tempted to try it but really felt like 3 recipes was enough.  It's a fun thing to do but I am good doing it once a year.

July 19th, 5 years in Charlottesville.
I think I have made it pretty clear here that I love living here.  It has been so good for our family.  We love Charlottesville itself and all the surrounding areas.  There are so many opportunities for adventures and memories and our daily life is really great.  We are happy with our house, ward, school, my job at UVA, being next to an airport which allows us to have great adventures we didn't count on and a really great support group.  So many good friends have moved on and we miss them all terribly but count ourselves lucky to have gotten to stay here.  We don't know what our long term plan is, living internationally still has such a pull on us.  This is largely fueled by us frequently watching International House Hunters when Mark and I actually find ourselves at home at the same time after Lydia and Jared have gone to bed.  Next month marks 2.5 years of Bishop Spencer so we know there is a solid 2 years left here but beyond that its an open book.

Hilton Head SC

Last week Mark flew down to Hilton Head SC to work at the airport there.  They recently opened up three Delta flights to Hilton Head and do not have enough people trained in Hilton Head to run the flights so employees from other airports were offered the chance to go.  Hotel, rental car, and food per diem were provided.  Mark did not necessarily want to work there but the idea of a fun little trip for our family was appealing to him so he went for it.  He flew out Wednesday afternoon and worked 48 hours from Wednesday night through Saturday night.  Often the flights were delayed and there were more people not assigned to the station working than people assigned but we did get nice trip out of it.  Well, Lydia, Jared and I did.  We tried to fly out Thursday but could not get seats and ended up pushing our trip back a day.  Friday was the day Mark had the most breaks in flights and we were not there yet.  So he had his own little vacation where he checked out a beach or two in Hilton Head and spent an evening in Savannah.   We arrived late Friday night and explored the area ourselves Saturday.  The hotel was really nice and we had very few expenses we had to cover (just our souvenirs really) which was great.  The only thing we really got to do with Mark was eat dinner Saturday night.  And breakfast both days. The rest of the time he was working.  That was quite disappointing. I am not sure he would do it again.

Saturday morning we dropped Mark off at the airport and headed to a beautiful neighborhood/district of Hilton Head called Sea Pines.  It so pretty you actually have to pay to go into it (8 dollars).  They have a trolley that takes you different spots and the main attraction is a neighborhood called Sea Harbor.  At Sea Harbor they have lots of little shops, a fake lighthouse, a harbor and a really cool park.  There are a few golf courses and beautiful houses.  They are not over the top or mansions its just a really cool neighborhood with beautiful landscaping and really great bike trails.  We tired our best to rent bikes to go on a little ride but struck out.  Saturday is one of the harder days to rent bikes because it is turnover day so the companies are all out collecting bikes from the previous week and getting them ready for the next week. We checked out the fake lighthouse and some of the little shops.  Most of our time was spent at the playground.  Lydia and Jared we really happy to hang out there.  It was quite hot and humid but what else would it be in SC in July.

It is not showing up at all but these trees all had Spanish Moss hanging in them which is so fun to see.

You can see it behind Jared here, over his left shoulder.

The way they built the platforms all around the trees was really cool.  It was something that was common throughout the city.  You would be walking down a sidewalk and they would have cut around a tree instead of taking out the tree.  Even in roofs outside.  There was often a hole cut for the tree to go through. 

After Sea Harbor we headed back to the hotel to grab some lunch.  Mark had bought groceries the day before and we had all we needed.  We got some food together for him and had a quick hello at the airport when we dropped it off.  Then we headed to the beach.  We went to the main beach Coligny Beach and had an awesome time.  Lots of people said we would not be able to find parking in the main lot right by the beach but we totally did. I was very pleased with myself. I seldom drive when we go on our trips and I drove all over that town!  Its not a very big place but the things we decided to do were on opposite sides of the hotel. Before heading to the beach we of course stopped at an ice cream shop.  The shopping center by the beach is a really nice place to walk around.  Lots of plants and boardwalks and trees. It was a nice walk.

 

Spanish Moss!

Walk to beach

Frozen Moo, 92 flavors of ice cream! 

We all really liked Coligny Beach.  There are a lot of beaches in Hilton Head and from what I understand they are quite different from each other.  I am happy I chose Coligny.  The sand was great, the waves were huge and in quick succession and the water was really warm which helped Jared a lot.  He doesn't typically spend much time in the ocean when we go to the beach but he had a blast here.  Lydia and I both felt that water could have been cooler as it was not very refreshing on a hot day but we enjoyed it.  We all rode the waves, Lydia spending the most time in the water.  The current was strong and I kept reminding Lydia to make sure she did not go past a certain umbrella but she was too busy playing to notice how far away she had "Drifted".  It was fairly stressful for me and it really helped knowing that there were at least lifeguards on duty.  The tide was really coming in and I had to keep moving our beach blanket so it didn't get soaked and trying to make sure Lydia was safe and have her in my line of vision.  She is a strong swimmer bit the ocean will always be stronger.  I think it was helpful in a way for her to see how far she had drifted from our blanket because of how strong the ocean was.  I have told them both how I am kind of afraid of the ocean and they both didn't quite get it but I think she realizes why now.  AS I motioned the tide was really coming in! From where we first placed our blanket to where it ended up was at least half a football field.  The water came in so quick.  I am proud to say that I never lost Lydia or let our blanket/supplies get touched by the water.  Jared attempted to build in the sand but the water kept coming up and destroying his walls and buildings.  He eventually gave up.  We all had a great time playing in the water and spent over 3 hours at the beach.

After the beach we took a quick rinse off at the hotel, rested for just a few minutes and then headed to the hotel pool.  We didn't have much time to swim because we were supposed to meet Mark.  The flights were delayed and we could have stayed at the pool longer but I think it was good for them to have some downtime after being out in the sun so long.  Swimming at a hotel pool may not seem like the best use of time when you have so little time in a new city but we so rarely stay in hotels and Jared and Lydia always like exploring them so it was perfect for this trip.

We flew out early Sunday morning and managed to get both our planned flights which was a nice change.  It was a quick trip which is how I like doing the beach!  We wish we could have hung out with Mark more, it was not a fun trip for him and we are grateful he made it happen for us.

Summer fun around Charlottesville

We have been working on our Summer Fun list.  Even though I don't like Summer its not difficult to make it fun here in Charlottesville.  It has been weird for me because I am at work for half the day and sadly work is really boring/slow right now.  There are no projects to work on and very few people on grounds.  I feel bad being there and getting paid when there is not much to do. I probably have 1 hour of real work during the 4 hours I am there each day.  At the same time because Mark is home with Jared and Lydia I want to work more hours so I can build up my leave. I know it's fine and people at work don't care how long I am there or how often I am not there so it is working out.  And even if it is slow its good for me to have something to structure my day around.  I am fighting some serious Summer sadness.  I feel so different and unlike myself in the Summer.  Low energy, lack of motivation, wanting to sleep and be alone more.  It's not fun.  I expect it each Summer, sort of a mild reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I have to stay really busy during the Summer or I feel awful.

So in no particular order, the fun we've had:

Waterballoon Day

Kids Cooking Lessons: So far we've done Monkey Bread and Scrambled Eggs

Library Events:  The Summer Reading Challenge this year is "Its Showtime" and one week they had 2 magicians and another week they had a two man acting group who put on a little skit with mixed up fairy tales.  It's been nice to attend library events again.

Free donuts during their opening schools out/Summer reading challenge party.

Pro Tip on how to learn to juggle: Trash bags full of air

Swim Team: Mark is attending pretty much all of the early morning practices since I am at work.  They seem to be going well.  Meets not so much.  Lydia does not particularly enjoy them.  She doesn't dislike them but doesn't think they are all that great either. Jared is having a hard time not getting disqualified.  When he did swim team previously he was in 9 and under and the stroke and turn judges were much more lenient. He did not disqualify at all his first year.  This year not so much.  But he is still a good sport and happy to go. So while they don't love meets they both say they want to do swim team again next Summer and don't complain about practice or meets.  We attended a Saturday Stroke clinic last week and they both loved it. It helped that it was on starts and flip turns which are much more fun than swimming 25's and 50's of various strokes. It would be good for them to attend more clinics so we will try but we are gone this Saturday and next Saturday is the last one. Anyway its been a good experience.

First Meet

They both earned their chocolate bar for shortening their competition times

Charlottesville Municipal Band Concert "POPS" edition:  We were happy to meet up with the Charles there.  They have such nice kids.  Lydia was especially happy to hang out with Dash.  It was a fun event.  Different than the other things we go out and do.  It was held at the Paramount Theater on the Downtown Mall and it was fun to be in that environment.  To be out later than we normally are and downtown.  I would not go every time they put on a show but enjoyed this one.  It helped that they were playing popular songs that I knew Jared and Lydia would recognize.  I tried to go to their Christmas concert last year but it got canceled because of weather.  Hopefully we can make it this December.  Lydia and Jared were decent audience members.  Lydia was a little squirmy but still respectful.  We were up in the mezzanine which gave a better view but was much warmer.  I look forward to checking out another concert.

 

Chris Greene Lake:  We have already been twice.  We only made it once last year but that was largely due to the algae bloom.  There is no sign of algae bloom yet so we are going while we can.

I am taking the special UVA Research Park Connect bus each day and its been great.  It picks up 5 minutes from our house and there is free parking and plenty of it.  I drive there each morning hop on the bus at 7:30 and get to work by 7:55.  The stop for work is a 3 minute walk away from the office which is great in the nasty Summer weather.  I am glad that it has been working out so well. I can listen to or just read church lessons or pass the time watching silly videos.  Normally in the morning I do something church related and something frivolous on the way home. It's a nice change.

Speaking of work, for Administrative Assistants week Bill, the Department Head got the three of us in the office a gift certificate to a local paint bar. We met up with the other 3 females in the department and had a fun night chatting and painting. I had never been to a paint bar and had a good time.  It was not easy to do but the instructor did a good job leading us along. The instructor did comment that this was one of the harder paintings they do.  It had all kinds of blending and took a good while.  Much longer than I thought but I would totally do it again.

Top: Rachel L. April S. Jen L

Bottom: Jennifer D. Nicole T. and Roseanne F.

*Nicole used to paint a lot so she opted to go off on her own and replicate a picture hanging on the wall.  She did a great job. We have joked that we are all going to hang up our paintings in a row on the wall of the office hallway. 

 Rachel, Jennifer, April, Jen and Roseanne

*Side story:  More often than not if I am ever called by the wrong name they name people use is Rachel.  I get it, they have really similar endings.  It happened a lot when I started working here.  Rachel had just been hired as faculty and started working in July so she was new too. She is a great person to be mistaken for.  So smart and upbeat and positive. 

I am happy we are coming up on the half way mark of July and happy with how our Summer has been overall. I know I am really fortunate to have Mark home with Jared and Lydia and am glad they can have time with him more in charge.