Day Two

Has it only been two days? We got up with the sun (well, maybe a little after it) and were on the road from North Platte by 7:15 am. I forgot to mention yesterday that as we drove over the freeway, an innovative farmer had made a tunnel UNDER the freeway for his cows to wander between pastures. We plowed on through to make some time for Winter Quarters. We went through the visitors center and then walked around the cemetery and near the temple grounds. The Winter Quarters temple is located right next to the cemetery. After this excursion & a yummy lunch together at KFC, we headed back out on the road. About 20 minutes later, I glanced at the gas gauge and notice it was kissing the E line. Great. How did this happen? I had made a mental note of 3 things: Winter Quarters, Eat, Get gas. I somehow overlooked the gas part. We did find a station and filled 'er up. 16.55 gallons worth. I thought we had a 15 gallon tank. Maybe we have a 17 or 18 one? Back on the road to be buffeted by winds, weave in and out of semi-trucks, but by 7:00pm, we arrived at Keokuk, IA. (just down the river from Nauvoo) We swam in the pool and are now crashing. City of Joseph, city beautiful, Nauvoo tomorrow!

Cross country trip: Day One

What do camels, over a foot of hail, a detour and the Virgin Mary all have in common? If you were us , it would describe yesterday. We got off to a great start and were on the road by 6:15 am. All went smoothly until we hit Laramie. The sign over the highway said to turn back to Laramie, I-80 is closed. What??? We tuned in to our local am station 1610 to get more info. Not much help. So Officer Friendly that was directing the turnabout said that there was over a foot of hail at the summit pass between here & Cheyenne, many crashes, of would be at least a couple of hours to open up again. So we turned to our good friend, Gina the GPS. Between her & the atlas, we charted a new route that only took us an hour put of our way down into Fort Collins, CO. The weather stayed non-hail-y and we got down, flipped around and back on our route. As we crossed the CO/WY borders, there was this interesting little establishment on the side of the road. Among other oddities they offered, camel rides were included. Thanks, but no thanks. We've had our fill. As we moseyed on over tbe border of NE, we spotted an unusual sign directing us to a shrine. Even though we were beyond curious, we had to keep going. Little did we know that we didn't miss out, by a looong shot. On the right side of the interstate was a huge two story tall Virgin Mary. Wow, what can one say. Have we seen it all? You'll just have to stay tuned for more events. We pushed on to North Platte, NE and arrived 14 1/2 hours after leaving Rexburg.

The kids in the packed and ready car.

The hail/snow that kept us from our original route.

Grant in flight

Karate Kid, anyone?

The beautiful Nebraska skyline (from the rest stop, soooo.)

Sunday Quotations

So sorry that I've let this tradition fall silent for a while. It just occurred to me that I hadn't posted and that I could do something Sunday-ish. (it is so a word) I was reading through some old Ensigns and stumbled across this article about charity. And this poem was at the beginning.

Six humans trapped by happenstance … in bleak and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood, or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back,
For of the faces round the fire, he noticed one was black.

The next man looking cross the way, saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes; he gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.

The last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain,
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.
Their logs held tight in death’s still hand was proof of human sin,
They didn’t die from the cold without. They died from the cold within.

By James Kenny



Just something to think about.

Furnishing a home

When we are overseas, our apartments are furnished. We are now going to be back in the States for an extended period of time, long enough so that we need to furnish our new digs. What, you say? Furnish a house? After 10 years of marriage and you still don't have any furniture? Sadly, yes. When we were first married, we had nothing. Slowly, a random chair or table was donated to our cause. We eventually transitioned from an air mattress to a real bed. A $20 couch from D.I. lasted us 5 1/2 years. But when we moved to Egypt, we basically had nothing and that wasn't a problem.

The furnishings were great, everything we needed and some we didn't. A sideboard buffet, couches of every size, bookcases, etc. So in surveying what I have, we haven't advanced much since we were only married for a handful of years. But here comes the fun part, shopping! Although I have had to group my findings into "Reality Furnishings" and "Yeah-right-in-your-dreams" categories, it still is enjoyable. Take this sofa, for instance. I. Love. It.
The only problem? It's too wide for normal doorways. The saleslady was kind enough to inform me of this vital info. I was drooling when she walked up and asked how I was doing. It was obvious I was in love, so we began talking price. (yes I started bartering. with this economy, everyone's willing to make a deal) She said the only caveat about this piece was that you needed french doors or a sliding door to get it in your house. Nuts and double nuts. A previous client of hers still had it sitting in her garage for that very reason. But she loved it too much to return it. Hmmmm. No. Nope, I'm looking at practical, can-use-now furniture.

The next dilemma is which kind of furniture. I could order from Overstock.com, get $2.95 shipping on a sofa, but then have to put it together. I want a sofa that comes together and stays together. I know those two options aren't always mutually exclusive, but it would be nice. I'm really in love with this particular sofa. And this love seat. Oooh, and something completely frivolous, but very pretty. I'm trying to stay away from any white or cream. The kids will destroy it. And talk about the mother of all sofas. This one has two recliners and a pull-out queen bed! I don't really like the color, but then again, will I really get this?

Ikea is where I will get many wonderful things to keep my house in order. The larger furniture will come from a myriad of other places. But when all is said and done, we will hopefully have a furnished place to call home for the next year.

Coincidence?

I think not. Let's backtrack a couple of weeks to when we were flying from D.C. to Idaho. We arrived at the airport, checked baggage, found our terminal and gate and settled in to wait. This was at about 6am, so I was perfectly comfortable doing that. Children, on the other hand, aren't. So Spence and I took turns taking the kids for "Adventures". Basically it's a walk around our area of the terminal, but that sounds too boring. Adventures is a better title for selling the idea. Spencer took the first shift of Adventurers. When they all came back, Spencer seemed a bit more smiley that needed at this hour of the morning.

"Ok, it's your turn for Adventure. And make sure you go past the Five Guys restaurant."

"Why?"

"Just do it. You won't be disappointed."

So we made our way through the terminal to the Five Guys, Burgers & Fries establishment and looked around. Nothing really astonishing. It's a burger and fries place. Whoop-de-doo. Definitely not it the mood for that first thing in the morning. I stood there just long enough for the employees to start milling around the cash register and counter, wondering if this lady was gonna freakin' order something already. Then I spotted this little checkered sign to the left of the window where they shoved out overflowing bags full of those golden, crispy fries.

"Today's Potatoes are from: Rexburg, Idaho"

Well I'll be darned, Rexburg. What are the odds?

A Happy Boy

Grant has discovered his Nirvana. Legos. You know what he's been doing alldayeveryday? Legos. What does he talk about nonstop? Legos. What are we getting him for his birthday? You guessed it. Legos.

Hallelujah!!

What I thought was not possible, has finally come to pass. You remember back in February when I was hooked on a song that I couldn't download? I found this song, Ensemble, as the background music for this YouTube video I saw. I had to have that song! I looked on iTunes, Amazon, and every other legal means I could find and no such luck. I could stream it and listen on the artist's website, so I just bookmarked the address and went to it when I felt like listening. But it's just not the same. Until now. I was nonchalantly browsing through my old music mixes and I remembered Ensemble. So I searched "Ensemble" by Coeur de Pirate and up it popped. i couldn't believe my eyes!! I did the search again and, like magic, reappeared on my screen! I clicked that "Buy Song" button so fast, the mouse was a blur! It felt like the longest download in the world. But finally, that magic green bar filled and told me that magic had entered my music library. I transferred it to my iPod so I could go cycling with it. And listen to it. Anytime. I. want. Period.



This song is about this girl breaking up with a guy, they had a great story, she misses him and how he should miss her. I just love the tune! ;)

**p.s.** this is the smallest that a youtube video will go. grrrr, irritations. just overlook the sloppiness of it!

Beauties

Or what I wish were everyday beauties for me! Being here in the Bitterroot has been wonderful. My sister has a gorgeous setup. It's all about location, location, location. I just don't have enough time, or gigs on my memory stick, to absorb it all. We also had a great time playing Guitar Hero, picking out flowers and just being.

Makin' Ice Cream

Whoever thought that you could make rockin' ice cream in a bag? My sister, that's who! She's the 4-H county extension agent for Ravalli county here in Montana. The day we arrived, she had an after-school club to teach and invited the kids and me along. We made ice cream. And it was good. As it should be. You know the ingredients? Cream, sugar & vanilla. Ice cream in it's purest and most unadulterated state for sure. We put the ingredients in a quart size bag. Then we went and put ice and rock salt in a bigger, gallon size one. Put smaller bag in larger one; shake, toss, gyrate and shimmy (wait a minute, we're not talking about belly dance. ice cream, think ice cream) until frozen. Then scoop out of the bag with a spoon! Yum. I'll track down the specific recipe from my sister and post it soon. Promise.

Snow in May . . .

Really? It's May, but then again, it is Idaho/Montana. We drove over to visit my sister and her husband. They found out what the gender of their bundle of joy will be. (I can do this b/c she has already blogged about it.) Another bundle of pink! We have had a great time! And are thankfully not frozen. Jacqueline made too many snowballs and had white/pink little hands by the end of our pit stop. Below, you see her practicing the insane throwing skillz she learned from Sam. We even spotted a couple of big horns, too. I just wasn't fast enough with the camera.

Bonkers for BYU

The kids found these funky wigs at the BYU Bookstore. Also, the term 'bookstore' is used very loosely. There is the textbook area upstairs, and then an every day Barnes & Noble style level. The famous BYU fudge is always a temptation along with the rest of the candy counter. The knick knacks, regular clothing, shoes, cards, music, media and everything else you could think of take up the rest of the 3 levels. I would have lived in the bookstore if they had let me. We got the kids new BYU t-shirts. They get a new one every year or so. We try to return to our alma mater at every possible opportunity. Provo is full of such tender memories for us. It's where we met, fell in love, had babies and spent most of our 20's. (and I ain't talkin' 'bout dollar bills! ;) Reminiscing is so great!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Happy Mother's Day!
I had a great Mother's Day. Flowers, cards and a nap. What more is needed? I am so grateful and blessed to be a Mother. Here are some flowers for my Mom and whoever didn't get flowers!

Happy Sad

So, being back in the land of awesomeness (a.k.a. the US of A) there are a few things that we have missed. One of them being fruit snacks. We could get said gem at the commissary, but they would

cost an arm and a leg. Maybe they were more reasonably priced for other people, but when I have 4 fruit snack inhalers in the house, a box of 8 bags only lasts a day, maybe. And at $2.50 a box, just not worth it to me. Well, we hit up the local Wal-Mart for a big box of them goodies as soon as we landed. (ok, maybe the next day) Jacqueline was the least acquainted with the fruity goodness and loves them the most. (to say the least) And I would dole them out one by one, to make the treat last longer. Jacqueline won't say "fruit snack", though. She calls them "Happy Sads".

"Mommy, I unna Happy Sads."
*translation* Mommy, I want a fruit snack.

And so now the term "Happy Sads" has entered the Penrod family vernacular. Forever to reside beside such hallowed terms as "show-show" (a shower) "nook" (look) and "noo-noos" (noodles). We promise we're not babbling idiots, we just sound like them.

Day at the Museum

Again, while we were in Utah earlier this week, we took the time to go see the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point where we were staying. This museum has the world's largest display of mounted dinosaurs. It blew my mind. To backtrack a bit, when I was between the ages of 7 and 13, I wanted to be an Archaeologist. I wanted to dig up dino bones, discover new species and be the female equivalent of Indiana Jones on the side. My parents encouraged this interest, and so while other little girls were playing with Barbies and Mapletown bunnies, I was pretending to dig up my triceratops and brachiosaurus. (my favorite dinosaur, btw. doesn't everyone have one of those?) Mind you, I did play with those other things, I just incorporated dino into every aspect.

Picture it: The Mapletown bunnies and bears are having a nice picnic when Molly discovers a weird looking lump. Wait, it's not a rock, it's the skull of a pachyceplalosaurus. And what did Bobby find? An astrodon femur?

I dig dinosaur museums, to say the least. (hee-hee) This was the coolest I've been to by far! Hands on is always great and more info than one can digest in one visit. If I lived closer, I'd have a membership.

A Sea Turtle, dude.

A Blast from the Past

Since we've been in Utah, we've been looking up some old friends. We got together a few nights ago with Pablo, a dear friend that I met my freshman year at BYU. Unbelievable, we said, how fast 12 years have passed.


We also looked up one of my Young Women from Cairo, Sandra. How is it possible that she is graduating in a year? She is such a great gal!


Then we swung on down to visit an even older friend (meaning I've know her longest of all). I've known Leslie since we moved to Nebraska when I was 13. We got to hang with her and her cute little daughter. No, no pictures. We popped in on her earlier than expected so she wasn't quite "picture ready". Although, really, when you're pregnant and have a toddler, just being up and going is enough to win you a gold medal. We've got a couple more friends and family lined up in the next few days and I can't wait!

Tickled Pink!

For the last 2 summers, I've heard the same plea.

"Mommy, can I get my ears pierced? Pleeeeeeaase?"

I said that was okay and I take Eliza to Clair's Boutique in the mall. And every time, we would walk away from the mall un-pierced. Until today. Eliza got some earrings for her 8th birthday and so has been anxious to wear them. (btw, she's almost 9 1/2. this is how long it's taken.) I was in no way pressuring her to get them done. I answered truthfully when asked whether or not it was going to hurt. A quick pinch, but then it will be all done. Eliza has been working up her courage since we got back and decided that today was the day. Although it almost wasn't. We got there and I could see her excitement deflating fast. We walked in, hemmed and hawed and then let her think, left the store, walked around and then Mairyn pipes up,

"I'm ready. Let's go get my ears pierced."

Oh, okay. That was unexpected. We kind of had an unspoken 8 year old line you had to cross before getting your ears pierced, but Eliza and Mairyn have done a lot of things at the same time. And Mairyn usually takes the plunge first and then Eliza. Alright, we acquiesced to her request. So Mairyn hopped up on the chair, picked out her studs and did it. Not even a tear shed. Then it was Eliza's turn. She wanted to hold my hand and then, once it was over, was quite surprised by herself and said,

"Oh, that didn't even hurt. Just a pinch."

And all day the two of them have been beside themselves with amazement and giddy excitement that they have pierced ears. Many a conversation has been had about what kinds of earrings will be purchased once their studs come out and again, how painless it really was.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, ah, a holiday that is really fun to say! Cinco de Mayo. Did you know that in Mexico, it is a "voluntary holiday" (oooh, something else fun to say) and is "not an obligatory federal holiday". It celebrates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French forces. A good reason to celebrate, but why, I ask, in America? For us, it is probably just a reason to go eat some good Mexican food. And since we have been seriously deprived of that in Egypt, we decided to go get our fill. We were knocking around Provo this week and popped in on our favorite local Mexican eatery, Los Hermanos. They are good in their own special way. I had the ever satisfying Chicken Chimichanga (say that 5 times fast) and Spence sampled his longtime fave the Smothered Beef Burrito. The kids filled their faces with the abundant chips and salsa and also branched out to the Chicken Taquito. All raved, everyone was satisfied, a good Cinco de Mayo.

My New Baby

When we left Egypt, we also left behind our Toyota 4Runner. But not without some monetary compensation. And thus enabling us to purchase a new baby. Spencer has been taking very good care of me. He is making sure that I have dependable transportation while he is gone in I-crap. (yeah, that's my new name for it. Maybe not appropriate in ALL situations, but ok for here! ;)

It has been a dream to drive, I love it! Now I'm under a little pressure to name the car. Yes, name it. Spencer's family names cars. I'm not against it, I just can't come up with anything good enough. I have some names, but they all get shot down. I like Apollo. My train of thought: This car is like driving a spaceship, Apollo was a spaceship and for some reason I associate the name Apollo with blue. So, that's my two cents. Spencer likes "The Blue Bullet". And Baby Blue has been thrown out there, too. I'm not as hot on those just because I like to be more subtle. Anyway, and here's one of my favorite features!

A Night at the Movies

I'm still catching up on posts from when we were in D.C. We've been in Idaho for the last week and it has been just craziness! Before we entered our current state, (hah! state) we went to the movies as a family. I would have considered this useless before, but little Jacqui has reached the point of understanding. Never would I have thought about taking 4 children to the movies. But Spence was there with me and we figured it would be a team effort.

We went to see Monsters VS Aliens in 3D. It was awesome!! Things flying out at you, narrowly missing us, it was very real. When this spaceship landed, the dirt flew out and Mairyn proclaimed,

"I got dirt on me, Mommy!!"

I don't know if I'll do one again. You still have to wear the glasses so of course Jacqui would not. Just because she's contrary like that. The special effects were awesome, but felt dark. Yes, I know that a movie is supposed to be in the dark. But with the 3D glasses on, I felt like the screen needed to be brighter. Anyway, we enjoyed it mucho.

And there was a strange coincidence in the movie. (I'm not giving away any of the plot) The mother-in-law to Susan the 50 story tall woman has a stub thumb. I'm not kidding. Susan spies this minutes before the wedding and gasps. Mother-in-law says,

"Oh yeah, don't worry, honey. Derek doesn't have this. It skips a generation. So your kids will have it!"


Yeah, wonderful, encouraging words, Mom. But that's not the end of the stub thumb's appearance. When they are escaping the church, MIL is first to the door but can't open it because her thumb is too short to reach the latch. I know they are exaggerating things here, so ha-ha, very funny. But they really made her thumb look disgusting. But I am not ashamed of my Stumpy, I wear him with pride. Although, not that I have a choice!