On the Road Again....Durango, Clorado here we come!

     So when Ian went into work yesterday, he was told that his work there was done! We knew it was coming, so it wasn't that big of a surprise. The job was winding down. So he went and put his name on the books through his apprenticeship, cuz that's how these union boys do things. Well he had a new job call out within the hour. We are headed to Durango, Colorado. So yesterday was a frenzy of Ian getting the hitch put on his truck and me doing laundry and picking up temporary License Plate. Our's still hasn't come in, it sounds like we're major procrastinators, which I really don't see myself as...funny. So again last night we had to say more goodbyes, to the families we've become friends with in Utah. I was just getting settled, but this was a great experience and a good place to start.So some last minute thoughts on Salt Lake City...
I've noticed that the billboards are not selling as much consumerism here as they are self improvement. For instance, anti- tobacco, or there's a tattoo removal billboard with a gal with a bag over her head saying "pretend it never happened." Or there's one for "lifting Utah" for breast augmentation and face lifts. Or Hair removal, I like that one because someone drew a goatee on the model, I wish I could take a picture of that one, but you know, two hands on the wheel. There are others that I don't feel comfortable writing about, but lets just say these one's are considered sins and the folks of Utah want you to know where to get help....Very interesting and I felt this change was noticeable from California.
On another note, I've noticed that I feel much more free to sing at the top of my lungs and dance in my car to the radio when I know, nobody knows me around here. I'm a bit quiet by nature, I'd be mortified to bust a move at home and turn my head to see the baseball coach or something. Here, there's less fear of embarrassment. It's been fun, not quite ready to leave but Durango sounds pretty cool too. Most of you know, I have been excited to get to Colorado. So Here we go...On the road again....

2012 Utah Lineman Rodeo

        So the Rodeo was totally not what I expected. I don't know what I was expecting, but lets just say I had a cute dress picked out with cowboy boots. So yes, even with my limited space conditions, I decided the cowboy boots must come with me on my travels. So it became to clear to me that morning that the dress was not going to work out, it just kept slipping down so I wore a pair a jeans with a tank tops and kept the boots on, I was still ready to rodeo, whatever that meant. Well, that meant watching Ian showing me what he's learned in the past year. Which was really cool. I was so proud of him. They had to compete in 3 events. The first one was sort of an obstacle where he had to climb a pole and complete several tasks while he was up there. He was hanging off of poles, using a hot stick, which is like a pole that he moves thingies with and walking on a tightrope, at least that's what it looked like. Then he performed a hurt man rescue, which is what they practice in the event that someone gets injured while working up on a pole. Ian wanted me to say that the dummy he had to hoist down, weighed more than him. The last event was a speed climb, he had to climb a pole with a tool bag in his teeth (in the tool bag there is a raw egg) take the egg that was in the tool bag at the top of the pole drop that bag down, replace it with your bag and climb down with that egg in your mouth. You cannot crack the egg in your mouth, that's probably pretty obvious. Also you have to do it as fast as you can. All these events are timed.
        So it was a long morning, In the beginning the kids were so antsy and we were just waiting for Ian's turn. Then we ran into some other families that live in  our park that also are apprentices and we had such a good time together. We all cheered on our men and the ladies helped me out with the kiddos, it was really neat. Oh yeah , it was also hot, very hot and not a lot of shade. Everything was on a donation basis and all the proceeds went to the burn unit in the local hospital. We also went on a crane ride, Ian, Houston and myself that is. Wrex was too scared and Waylon stayed on the ground with my friends. The kids got to ride on a mechanical bull, so that was about as rodeo as it got. No line dancing. I don't know what a rodeo is? But what I do know is, I was so proud of Ian and what he's doing. It is not easy and it looks crazy, the poles were swaying underneath his weight. But he's following his dreams and he's passionate about it. That's why we're doing this, we're supporting him. But I wasn't expecting what a gift it would be to meet other families doing the same thing. We had a great time and I'm so glad I was there to see Ian at work. Oh yeah and he did that whole speed climb obstacle in 49 seconds, not bad huh? He didn't break the egg but he did say the egg had teeth marks in it...bleh!

What you've missed

1. Got a Parking ticket yesterday and I'm still not sure why

2. I was just telling the boys what to do if they saw a snake ( you know yell "SNAKE" and run) and then we looked down and saw one

3. We had the boys eat dinner outside last night because they were extra wiggly and Ian looked over and there was Wrex (our nine year old) peeing on a tree. The kids are really embracing this change in lifestyle

4. A gallon of milk only lasted us 2 days...back to the store

5. The Laundry Hamper was full after 2 days

6. Waylon loves watching Wrex do the macarena and Wrex can Macarena for a looooong time

7. I gave the older boys buzz cuts, that should make life easier, except I didn't want to dirty the trailer with hair, so we did it in one of the parks bathrooms. This meant all 4 of us in a bathroom with clippers...scary

We Made it!

We're here! The trip went great, the kids were so good. Even Waylon was on his best behavior. We stopped in St George and found a great hotel. The boys swam in the pool and we ordered pizza. It was a great way to relax after a long drive. The next morning we took off and made it to Salt Lake by lunch. It was about 12 hours, but we made a lot of stops for bathroom brakes. Anyway, once we got here I spent the rest of the day unpacking. It seriously took me about 5 hours rearraging things and trying to make everything fit. But it did finally fit!  I was worried that it wouldn't and my precious belonging would be useless. So the major improvements to the trailer have been of course my kitchen supplies, but I am loving my memory foam on my bed and a tv in our room. It was awkward finding a good seat to watch tv in the living room.
     So yesterday we organized a little more and hung up some decorations from home. I cleaned the bathrooms because I don't think Ian ever had. I returned the uhaul, that was an adventure.  I'm not use to driving with a trailer attached and I am completely relying on my navigation. When the genteman asked me to back it in, I just smiled and said, "I don't think you want me to." After that escapade, we found a grocery store. Stumbled around there for a while, trying to not overbuy because only so much can fit in this fridge. We got enough for a few days (I hope.) Then we hit the pool and did some laundry (the laundry machines just happen to be by the pool, convenient huh?) This showed me that the kids may have too many clothes...  It was a pretty good day. Lots of new things, new places. Just what you'd expect.
    It was all worth it barbecuing steaks with Ian last night. It feels so good to be together again as a family. One weird thing, I was exhausted by 9 and it was still daylight out. I went to bed,  Ian and the kids stayed up, I think. I don't know, like I said, I crashed. So today we are going to take Waylon in for his 4 month check and figure out the whole internet situation. I'm tryping this on my phone because the internet throught the park is inconsistent, but I couldn't leave you guys hanging. I know its a pretty boring update, but thats what I'm doing.  The linemann rodeo is this weekend, I'll take pictures and let you know how it goes.  MUAH from site C30

Utah

What a trip! We had a great time, the boys and I went to visit for 4 days and we got to see the new trailer! Here's a picture of the outside....ooooo pretty...

I had all this fun stuff to do and we didn't do any of it. Not really, we pretty much just hung out and had some much needed family time. Ian only had Friday and Saturday off so we lounged around. There's a really pretty bike path right outside the park and we walked on it several times a day. I packed the boys razor scooters in my luggage, so they we're scooting around having a ball. We did go up to Park City and walk around. They had the Olympics up there in 06 I think. It was beautiful.

Mother's Day, Ian had to work so the boys and I went to a Calvary Chapel Church out there and then went down to a Cabela's store. The boys got squirt guns and cap guns and I got a rocking chair. We spent the rest of the day at the pool and I rocked Waylon. It was very relaxing. The last day the boys and I went into downtown Salt Lake and walked around exploring. Then we went and got Ian a few things he was missing like...an oven mitt, cleaning supplies, a toilet brush, a hand towel, a can opener...you get the idea.  Not that it wasn't entertaining watching him take out frozen pizza with paper towels but you know, I was really just getting it ready for myself. I did try to make the stay in the trailer as real as possible. Showering was fun. The shower is pretty tiny and Ian has taken to calling the bathroom the funny bone room because no matter where he stands he hits his ...yeah you got it. I made the boys take showers in the campground showers, just to see of they would protest. They didn't and I think it's a good idea for summertime. Also, I did laundry in the laundry mat before I left. I made friends with a gal, we were united by the fact that one crabby lady had taken all but one washer and dryer. She must've been having a rough morning because she was slamming the doors and making the two of us feeling very awkward. Anywhoo, my new friend gave me the scoop on where I should take my laundry. She usually takes hers to another laundry mat because it's faster and cheaper but on account of her broken leg she's not allowed to drive. (She did drive to the laundry mat at the campground but she told me she only does that in the mornings when the kids aren't around.....note to self...)  She also told me where all the kids stuff was until my brain almost exploded, there is a lot to do around there. So after that it was time to come back home. What was really nice was not having to drag the kids to places at certain times. Most of you know, we're at school three times a day and baseball games and chess club. I am so grateful for all my friends and family that have pitched in these past few months, but not having a crazy schedule is going to be heavenly.   So the boys and I flew home. A few hours later, Ian texted me that he was in the ER. He was on the ground and someone was 30 feet above him holding a metal pole, Ian was suppose to be checking to make sure the placement lined up but the guy in the air dropped it and Ian's hand got pinned to the ground. Nothing was broken, he is one lucky man.   Oh yes! The most important part, we found renters. After I wrote my last post, I noticed an IBEW truck outside my house. There was a lineman sticker on it, so of course I was staring, wondering what and who could possibly be in that truck. Turns out it was a lineman from out of state working in California and looking for a place to rent, it's a perfect fit and they're ready to move in, so the wheels are moving. I took a break from packing to write this and I better get back to it. Muah , take care until next week. I'm thinking about posting more pictures  and less words,  we'll see.