Josh and the boys went skiing/snowboarding together on March 2. I decided to stay in the lodge and read instead. I signed Kanyon up for the 6th Grade Ski in Idaho deal earlier this winter: an offer that they get to go twice for a super low cost, and this was the 2nd time he'd used it. He'd also gone twice this season with the West J school and once with Grandpa P. over Christmas Break. I was really hoping he'd start liking snowboarding more if he went more times in the season, but I promised him that if he really hated it after this year, that I would never make him go again. He was frustrated the first two times he went down that afternoon, but thankfully Josh stuck with him, and discovered a run that he really liked (strangely enough, a black diamond run), and after that, Kanyon had a great time! Lost Trail was having a deal on next year's season passes, so we signed up the twins for that. Since they didn't play basketball this year, we thought it would be a great way for them to stay active in the winter, and now that they have their driver's licenses, they are able to get themselves there and back, too, which is nice. They even used their passes by going again later in March, which was awesome!
Micah got his patriarchal blessing on March 3. It was a wonderful experience! He was the first child of ours to receive one, so it was a pretty special day for Josh and I to witness. He's a spiritually strong child, and we are so proud of him for the good choices he makes on a daily basis.
After having a mustache for an entire year, Josh decided to shave it off one day and surprise me! He also trimmed his goatee way back and get a haircut. He looked so much younger, and it took me a bit to adjust to his new face--which his handsome regardless of whether or not he has facial hair!
The 2-hour drive between Salmon and Mud Lake can get monotonous, but I do get to witness some pretty sunrises, sunsets, and wildlife occasionally which helps me to appreciate the beauty in the world around me! I'm grateful for when the days start getting longer and my drives aren't completely dark! This was a sunrise at the beginning of March:
Kanyon and I were in a play at West Jefferson the first week of March. It was an original melodrama called "Buzzard" written and directed by local Jenny Soderquist. Kanyon originally wasn't interested in being in, but I made him come to the auditions in December with me, and he totally nailed it! We each had 2 parts (Mine was technically a character in disguise of another character, so I was really just one person, but I got to wear 2 costumes): I was Granny Petronilla Pilfer and Jaded Jenny--the Scourge of Deadwood, and Kanyon was "Luke", one of the Pilfer girl's 'disciples' (followers), as well as the part of the Carriage Driver/Shotgun. It was a community production that we'd been rehearsing since January. There were 4 performances the first week of March. The neighbors we rent from came on Tuesday night, Jonah and Micah came with Edward and Kathy on Thursday night, Kimi and Eve and Eve's roommates came on Friday night and sat by Josh, and Josh also came on closing night to support us. This was the first play I'd been in since my senior year of high school. I'd always wanted to act in community theater productions when I grew up, but never had the chance until this year (Salmon doesn't have an auditorium or community productions). I was glad to finally have the chance, and I absolutely loved my roles I played and participating in a production with my son, which I never even dreamed was possible! I got to know some other community members as a result, which was nice as well. I thought the timing was perfect, too, since none of our boys were involved in basketball this year so my schedule was more open and I could commit to rehearsal times. I also thought it would be good for me to be involved in something during the dreary winter months to help combat seasonal depression. It wasn't what I thought it would be, though: so many people weren't committed to attending rehearsals, which really irritated me, and I was frustrated that I couldn't go to Salmon more often mid-week, because I felt like I was committed to rehearsals and needed to stay in West J. I also realized that although I love acting, I think I'm to the point in my life that I enjoy directing more. It made me miss all the times I'd directed children's musicals and programs while I worked in Salmon and there were times during rehearsals that I wanted to speak up about ideas to improve scenes, but for the most part I kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to overstep. And shutting up is not one of my fortes, so that was a struggle! ;) I'm glad I did it--it was a good experience for me, but I'm not sure I'll be doing it again.
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I was so grateful that Josh came to multiple performances
to support us! He's my favorite person!
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There were a few times that Kanyon and I were onstage together.
The first was the opening scene...
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| We were onstage together for the Busy Bee Sewing Circle meeting.
The girl in front of him is a senior in high school, and at the end of the play,
his character asks hers to marry him!! He's just a 6th grader ;)
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At intermission, I had a costume change. The auditorium has a small backstage,
so while actors are waiting for their cues, they hang out in the gym adjacent
to the auditorium. This was helpful to have a place for the kids to hang out!
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We were also onstage together during the carriage/shoot-out scene.
He was the driver at the beginning of the scene, and a shooter at the end of it.
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| The cast on closing night |
The twins used their season passes, and went skiing together again on March 10. This time they went by themselves, and even drove themselves there and back!
All December and January, I was wishing that we had more snow to cover the ugly dead, brown earth. I was happy when it came in February! But by March, I'm ready for the dead brown earth to turn green and have spring come already! However, mid-March it was STILL snowing! I couldn't believe it when I drove back to Salmon one night and had to drive through this! What a strange winter!
Josh bought a new (to him) truck in the middle of March. He'd been looking at, talking about, and considering his options for months. One of the things I really like about Josh is that he researches his vehicles before buying them. He looks at buying guides, seeks out what's available on the market, makes comparisons, and looks up consumer responses before making a purchase. He'd been looking at trucks for a while, and was ready to trade in or sell his current Dodge diesel truck that he got 6 years ago. At one point, he'd decided to keep the Dodge another year, and he fixed the heating system in it. But just one week after fixing it, he ended up trading the Dodge in for a GMC. He'd seen one at Myron's shop in town, and had even test driven it. He thought about it, and outweighed the pros and cons. He was in the market for a crew cab with a bench seat in front (they're hard to find), and this fulfilled that request. He was also in the market for a GMC or Chevy again, he loved the wheels on it, and Myron made him a deal he couldn't refuse!
I was in charge of our school's Dr. Seuss/Read Across America Week this year. I didn't do it the first week of March when it was celebrated nationally, because I was in the play that week and thought it would be too much (sometimes I actually recognize my limits!!), so it was set for the second full week of March instead.
I'm going to be honest: I really like using my creative/organized brain to be in charge of events. Last year, when I first started working at West J, nobody knew what I was capable of, and I didn't volunteer for anything because I felt a little overwhelmed with my new job, in a new place, living apart from my family. But this year...I felt more comfortable and confidence, and I really stepped up my volunteering and helping in departments that I felt totally capable!
Last year, we had a school read-a-thon and an assembly with the principal dressed up like the cat in the hat and cutely decorated cupcakes for the studentbody. I wanted to change it up this year. When I met with the principal, he happily approved of all my ideas, which was awesome!
We had dress-up days every day, based on books written by Dr. Seuss. Monday was "Favorite Dr. Seuss Character" day, Tuesday was "Crazy Hat" for the Cat in the Hat, Wednesday was based on his book Wacky Wednesday and we wore mismatched, backwards, inside-out clothes, Thursday was "Silly Sock" day for Fox in Socks, and Friday was pajama day for the book I Am Not Going to Get Up Today.
The theme for the week was "Oh the Places You'll Go as you Read Across America". In the main hallway, I put up a banner with the theme on it, a giant map of the United States, and a collage U.S. flag that my class colored. I gave every teacher K-5 a master copy with hot air balloon images from the story Oh the Places You'll Go, and each teacher had a specific color of paper to copy them onto. When a student read a book, they put their name and title of the book on the cut-out balloon, and placed it on the map on the wall. After 2 days, the map was totally filled up so I added a big cut out of Alaska and Hawaii, and they got filled up by the end of the day, too! After that, students put their balloons all over the wall. By the end of the week, the colorful wall was pretty impressive with the amount of books we'd read! The class that had the most books read won an ice cream party, so on Friday afternoon, some ladies from the PTO came and helped me take down all the paper balloons, sort them into piles and count them.
There was also a secondary contest for the class that could read the most Dr. Seuss books. For every Dr. Seuss book read, the student's name and book title would go on a small paper copy of the hat (worn by the cat in the famous story), and it would be taped to the teacher's door. At the end of the week, the class with the most Dr. Seuss books read also won an ice cream party.
It was so fun all week dressing up every day, encouraging the students to read, and seeing all their progress!! Mrs. Tuckett's 5th grade class won the Dr. Seuss book challenge with 900 books read, and Mrs. Mackay's 4th grade class won the regular book challenge with 600 books read! Altogether, the students read about 5500 books that week! I've been put in charge of it again next year, and I've already got the theme, reading ideas, and dress-up days in my mind!
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| Monday |
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| Tuesday |
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| Thursday |
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| Friday |
My teaching partner Val is just as passionate about dressing up as I am! I always love doing dress-up days with her!!
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| Character Day: I'm the Lorax, she's Green Eggs & Ham |
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| Crazy Hat Day |
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| Wacky Wednesday |
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| Silly Sock Day |
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| Pajama Day! |
Salmon Jr./Sr. High performed the musical Newsies this year. They had 10, yes TEN, performances of it running a two-week span. They perform it upstairs a store in town, and only have room for about 110 seats, hence the reason they have so many showings, in order for more people to view it! Their first week of shows coincided with the play I was in, so I was unable to watch it until the second weekend. Micah was part of the backstage crew for it, and he'd rehearsed with the students the past 3 weeks before the play opened. He enjoyed being part of the cast without having to spend months memorizing both the songs and the choreography. I reserved 3 seats months ago (for Josh, Jonah, and I), but thought all along that my tickets were for Saturday night. When I got home from school on Friday, Ammon and Gabbie had just gotten here for their spring break, and I was exhausted after being in charge of the Dr. Seuss week. I had just sat down when Darcy called to ask if we were still coming because the play was starting and we hadn't shown up yet. I couldn't believe it! So we ran into town, got there a little late, but enjoyed the whole rest of the show. The Salmon Performing Arts Department always puts on a PHENOMENAL show, and this was no exception! The amount of students that were in this production who performed simultaneously on that small stage was impressive. The choreography was powerful, the music was touching, the costumes and acting were spot-on, and the digital backdrops were a fabulous enhancement! The show was sold-out after the second showing, and I'm so glad we were able to go watch it! Micah did a great job, too! I was so proud of him for being part of the crew and helping out!
The timing of having the play Newsies performed in our town could not have been more perfect. This play was all about the "little guys" going up against the "rich white man" to make a difference in their community and lives. This is precisely what was happening in our community... Salmon Schools tried for the 10th time in 20 years to pass a bond in March for a new school. It got particularly ugly this time around. Anti-bond community members were downright belligerent, and posted things on social media, ads in the newspaper and on the radio, and comments in public meetings that were spiteful, mean, and derogatory. They threatened members on the building committee, and even went as far as saying on record that "No one has died yet, so there's no need to build a school". Most of these people are rich, retired Californians who live in our small rural valley. I felt such a sickening feeling every time I read or heard what the opposers were saying. Sadly once again, the bond required a 2/3 majority failed.
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| I don't understand why people can't value the lives and education of our children!! |
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This is just one example of a bad ad
placed by the naysayers to oppose the bond.
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Josh helped me with the annual pruning of the apple trees. The twins usually help me do it during spring break, but since Jonah and Micah and I would all be gone the week of spring break to Washington DC, I opted to do it the weekend in the middle of March instead.
That same afternoon, after we got the apple trees pruned, Josh took me on an adventure in his new truck. We drove up McKim Creek and back. I like his new truck!
We took Ammon and Gabbie out to dinner at the Junkyard Bistro. Josh FINALLY found a burger there that he likes, after much trial and error (this is my favorite place in town, so he's been trying to find something he likes since I go there a lot).
March 18: The golf course is usually open by March 1, but not this year! Is spring ever going to come?!
March 20 was the first official day of spring, and we tried to do spring-like activities to celebrate, since this winter felt extremely long! Jonah and Micah's first track meet of the season was that afternoon, so I drove up after school and got there just in time to watch their last event of the day. Jonah started pole vault this year. He cleared 8'0" which was exciting, and got 6th place! In the 800, Micah ran 2:20 and Jonah ran 2:36. I got there in time to see the mile, in which Micah got 4th with a time of 5:18, and Jonah placed 12th with a time of 6:07. The sun was shining, and the weather definitely felt like spring, for which I was so happy! Josh took me on the first motorcycle ride of the season afterward, and then he grilled up giant hamburgers to celebrate the twins' success at their first high school track meet! It was a wonderful night that I enjoyed all-around immensely.
More crocuses were blooming! Hooray for the arrival of spring!
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A member of the community gave me some homemade bread to thank me for my efforts in directing the Read Across America week. I just treasure homemade bread!! It was so yummy! I made baked potatoes for dinner in West J that night, and served the bread with some homemade jam I had, too. Kanyon had invited Jackson over that night to play. In true fashion, Kanyon ate the potato totally plain without even cutting it up. I don't know anyone who does that!!
The first weekend of Spring Break was a busy one for us. Josh and I drove to Jerome for his cousin Sindy's funeral, then to Blackfoot for his cousin Erick's wedding reception, and then to Mud Lake for the night. We spent the night there and went to church in Mud Lake before returning home to Salmon on Sunday afternoon. Once we got home, I packed up to get ready for my trip to Washington DC with Jonah and Micah because we were leaving early the next morning (more about that in another post)!!
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Sindy's favorite color was purple, and so her casket was chosen to be that color,
and her siblings all wore purple to honor her, too. It was a beautiful funeral.
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Sindy's dad and Josh's grandpa were brothers. Sindy was the first of 10 children
to pass away. There was a TON of family at the funeral and dinner afterwards.
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It's always nice when Josh gets to catch up with Ryan and Heidi, some of his
favorite people in the world. We're lucky to be related to them, too!
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Erick and his new wife Laura.
The church was decorated so nicely for their reception.
They even had a display of wedding dresses belonging to
different women in their family tree, which was cool.
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p.s. I'm married to a hottie. He decided to start growing
his mustache back! Love it!
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