Washington DC

Steve had a conference in DC this week, and I escaped with him. We saw the sights in the evening, and I spent the days relaxing in the hotel. I could have gone out to see more sights, but I didn't feel like going without Steve and frankly having a fancy hotel room to myself was too delicious. I read three books, took two hour baths, napped, ordered room service and did some uninterrupted planning. What more could a mom ask for? A huge thanks to our moms and sisters who watched the kids and made it all possible. We can't wait to take the kids after we study early American History.

Issue 53

It's our one year blog anniversary!

This is the Place by Janey

Field trip Friday took us back to This is the Place State Park with our cousins. Yes, that's Brigham Young standing on his front porch!

Corporate Retreat

We want to teach business skills to the kids and felt than running our own cottage industry would be the best way. Memorial Day this year started with a personal invitation, tucked under everyones' pillow, to attend the First Annual Family Corporate Retreat. About 6:00 am we heard an audible "What's this?!" from Steve L. and a couple minutes later he knocked on our door and announced, "I'll be there!" We attended events like:

"Buy-in Pancake Breakfast" Where we listed our goals for our new family business

"Product Brainstorming session" Where we taught the kids how to brainstorm and record their great ideas

"The Great Logo Hunt" Where we went to local stores to find great logo and company name ideas.

"Marketing Power Lunch" Where we explored how we will bring our product to market.

"Job Fair" When we created the job titles and descriptions for all aspects of our new family business. Then officially interviewed the children for the positions they were interested in.

Then to "Official Job Offers at Dairy Queen"

Followed by "Pizza and Project Management" When Dad gave us a Project Management 101 course and we decided our next steps.

Whitney was hired as our company President and Marketing Director.

Steve L. is the VP of Research and Development and the CFO covering accounting and legal.

Daniel is VP of Production and Fulfillment.

Janey is VP of Sales.

Ellie is Director of Testing.

Mom and Dad are the Governing Board.

What fabulous product are we bringing to market? For now it's a secret, but you'll be the first to know!

Issue 52!!!

Did you catch that? Issue 52! That means one full year of blogging! One full year of family history, connecting with family and friends, and trying out our writing skills. Here's to the next 52 issues!

Treasure Island by Steve L.

My Aunt Becca got us tickets to the Hale Center play Treasure Island. It was really, really awesome! They used the stage very cleverly. One minute it was the deck of a pirate ship then the mast was drawn up into the ceiling, the crates and barrels moved around, some railings came out of the floor, a staircase came down from the roof (and viola!) it became the Benbow Inn. They also had a pool of water on the side that sometimes the actors would dive (or fall) into. (I'm glad we weren't on the front row, because they got soaked!) It was an awesome play with very good actors and stayed very true to the book. Although, they did have to change a few things from the book to make it fit on the stage. (Such as Jim Hawkins discovering his father had been on Flint's pirate ship and was killed by pirates. I thought that was totally bogus.) It was an awesome play!

First Recital

This week I had my first piano recital and played two short pieces in front of the crowd. It was cool to be up there performing in front of everybody. I was glad my Grandparents could be there. I'm glad I get to play the piano.

Steve's adoring fans.

Daniel the Bear

Daniel received his Cub Scout Bear rank at Wednesday night's pack meeting. Now I hope he can find where he stashed his scout uniform so I can put it on!

Issue 51

Apples in the Rain by Ellie age 4 Water Color on Canvas

Cousins

A few pictures from our latest extended Family G monthly gathering. It was our turn to host and we enjoyed gorgeous weather, a B-B-Q, and lots of outdoor games. Don't you just love the trampoline hair?

Ice Cream Review by Dad

Noreen surprised me by purchasing a pint of ice cream for me to enjoy. I gladly accented to provide a review, provided that it was my last one on the ice cream topic. I love ice cream, don’t get me wrong, but I just listened to an interview by a health guru last week and it got me motivated. So, here is my blog on the ice cream pint, realizing that it will be my last, sniff.

Mission to Marzipan was a tasty treat! Marzipan originated in the east and was introduced to Europe during the Crusades via the trading centers of Venice and eventually made its way to Germany, where I first happily ran into the tasty substance while on my mission. Considered a healing remedy in the middle ages, it was also a tasty treat that I enjoyed seeing in many different shapes (mostly pig shaped for good luck) and colors in confectioners’ windows, where its creation has become an art form.

I must admit that I approached the ice cream with relish and enjoyed the tasty treat, but was somewhat disappointed that the marzipan was not “real marzipan” at all, merely a sugary ribbon of caramel-like substance. I was not fooled and had to adjust my thinking to think of it not as marzipan at all, but some other happy flavor. That adjustment made, it was tasty, but only a one-time purchase. It had a heavy vanilla taste and was refreshing, but I was disappointed overall and am now seeking out a marzipan source to fill the void created by the expectation of the real taste. So, rock on and see you in another type of article.

Father ‘n Son’s Camp Out by Daniel

The Father Son’s campout was a cool experience. It was really deserty with lots of fire ants and their was a gigantor hill we liked to climb. For dinner we had pasta and for breakfast we had pancakes. My friend Brendan was there with his dad too. We launched water bottle rockets three times each and the longest hang time won. The prize was a $20 for first place. There weren’t prizes for any other places. My rocket came in 2nd place! My hang time was 7.5 seconds, with no parachute and the kid that won had a hang time of 7.9 seconds. At night time we put glow sticks in our rockets and launched them. They looked like flying UFOs. Then our friend Eric told scary stories around the campfire.

Pic-nic at the Ball Park

Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) joined us at the ball park for one of Steve L.'s baseball games this week. It's hard to beat gorgeous weather, great, watermelon and pizza and a nail biting baseball game right behind right field!

A Couple of Firsts by Noreen

Thursday night I experienced two exciting "firsts." The first, "first" was attending my first Governing School Board meeting for Whitney's charter high school. I was elected by the Board as their newest member and after being officially voted in, was able to participate in voting on various school related items. We also got a sneak peek at the exciting direction the school is taking in the coming year. It was invigorating to be involved in such discussions and having a real vote in the direction of the school. Anyone who really knows me knows I'm passionate about education, so being on the Governing Board is an exciting opportunity that I am grateful for.

My second "first" was trying my first sushi. Brooke, you'll be so proud! The Governing Board has a sushi tradition, taking turns bringing a tray to the meetings. As the tray was passed to me in the middle of a financial discussion, with lots of spread sheet handouts, I cautiously took a roll between two fingers. I tried not to look like I was trying sushi for the first time while making eye contact with the school director to show him I was following the April financial report. The sushi was delicious, so thankfully I was spared the embarrassment of pulling faces or dashing for the nearest garbage can in front of everyone. I'm grateful to be a thirty-something mom that is still enjoying experiencing "firsts."