School is back in session...

Well, I started my very first semester in the radiologic sciences program two weeks ago. We had orientation August 21st and 22nd and classes started on the 25th. It's been fun but exhausting so far. I am hoping I will get used to the long days and excessive homework soon. Mondays and Wednesdays are my full days, with classes starting at 7:30am and ending at four or 4:30pm. Luckily, I do have an hour break in the middle to get outside for a minute and have some lunch. Tuesdays and Thursdays are lab days so I only have to be at school for a few hours. I took my first test a few days ago-- for my radiographic positioning class. I'm not sure yet how I did, but I felt pretty good about it for the most part. I also took my very first xray last Thursday in lab. On Tuesday we had learned all about the film processor, the procedure for film processing and got a feel for the dark room, so it was exciting to be able to take an xray and develop it myself. So, my third week of school approaches with even more homework and reading in store for me. (Yay!) :) I shall check in later. . .

Brace-Face No More

Today I took Salina to the orthodontist to get her braces taken off. After two long years and nine months she was super excited to be rid of them.














In the process . . .

Salina checks out her new brace-free teeth. "It feels so weird," she says.

Impressions are taken in order to create her temporary retainers.

The clay stuff they used to make the impressions was "nasty" according to Salina, and she couldn't wait to get the taste out of her mouth. She had to brush to get it all out.

























Her temporary retainers she has to wear for five weeks.

Ta-da! Salina's brand new pretty smile!!

Camp Out!!

This past weekend I headed up to Sagehen Reservoir with Paula's family, Lilli (Paula's dog), Joline, Roxanne, Cathy, John and Mark for a camp out. The cars were loaded to the brim with all our stuff and we had a hard time finding room for the kids to sit, but we managed somehow.

We left on Thursday evening after everyone got off work so that we'd be sure get a good camp site. Unfortunately, out of all four campgrounds around Sagehen, only two sites were still open. We nabbed one right away before it was too late and by then it was almost 9pm. It was a race to get the stuff unloaded and tents put up before it got too dark. Meanwhile, it started raining! Luckily it was a short spurt and we were able to get everything set up and find something to eat rain-free. It started raining again in the middle of the night and rained until morning. I got a little wet because my sleeping bag was touching the side of the tent. It also rained off and on a little on Saturday morning, but other than that the weather was sunny and beautiful. On Friday evening Chantel and Royce made it up there with their dog, Princess, and their friend, Rica. We all had dinner together and then sat around the campfire and talked and laughed.

On Saturday Cathy made us all a delicious breakfast and then the kids went for a walk and a swim. Later that afternoon everyone except John, Mark and I went on a nature hike. I didn't feel good (I have cellulitis in my leg and an infection on my foot and both were hurting) and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it. I went on the hike before though, a couple years ago, and it was a lot of fun and really beautiful. While everyone was gone I had a sandwich and tried to take a nap but never could get to sleep.


After they got back I went for a swim with Cathy, John and Mark and then started dinner for everyone. I had made chili and froze it so all I had to do was heat it up. Yumm! When it got dark Cathy and John took a walk down to the water and heard an animal making noise and walking around breaking branches. John shined the flashlight in that direction and they saw a pair of eyes! They hurried back to camp thinking for sure it was a bear. It wouldn't be unusual since Sagehen is "bear country" as the signs warn. Every year Paula has been there she has heard or seen a bear in camp. So, taking no chances, we quickly cleaned up camp and got all the food into the cars. Paula, Chantel, Rica and Roxanne hopped in the van to go hunt for the bear while Mark and I headed to bed. I was exhausted!

On Sunday morning we slept in a little and then ate whatever food we had left for breakfast. A couple people had chili, a few had cheese quesadillas, others had cup o' noodles and a few had cereal. With our bellies full we packed up camp. It was so quick with everyone working together! Before we left the kids wanted to swim one last time. Royce had tied a rope to a tree near a nice deep spot of the lake and they went to swing off it. On our way to the rope, on the trail along the water, we saw animal tracks and poop piles from what we decided had been a moose. So what Cathy and John saw the night before probably hadn't been a bear after all, but a moose going for a night stroll along the lake.

Anyway, after the kids got in some swinging (and after Joline entered the water too early and scraped her ankle and butt on a tree root) we were ready to head for home. We had so much fun but everyone was exhausted and couldn't wait to go jump in the shower!

Chillin' Out, Relaxin'...

Last Weekend Mark and I went with Missy and her family up to McCall for a relaxing weekend. Missy took a break from homework to let herself have a little fun. We played board games (namely Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble), swam in the lake, played some tennis and visited Ice Cream Alley for (of course) ice cream! Yumm... It was nice to get away and do absolutely nothing productive. :) It was a short trip but we made the most of it and had fun. I didn't even bring my camera though so I have no pictures to show!

Floatin' the River...

On Wednesday Kaitlynn, Salina, Alicia, Roxanne and I decided to float the Boise River. We rented a six-person raft in Barber Park, lathered on the sunblock and set off down the river at about 4:25pm. Boy was that water freezing!! At the first waterfall Kaitlynn got soaked as she was trying to duck down and keep from getting wet! :) On the second waterfall we got stuck at the top when our raft encountered a big rock. Roxanne and I got out and pushed the boat but it didn't budge. Then Alicia got out too and we finally managed to get the raft free. We quickly hopped back in before it left without us and we were back on our way! The third waterfall was fun and very wet. We had to pull over to shore to dump out all the extra water. The rest of the trip was pretty relaxing... Roxanne and Alicia swam part of the way. We got to Ann Morrison park at around 6:15pm where Mark met me to drive me back to my car. After I picked up the girls we grabbed something from McDonald's and headed for home. It was a fun day and we all hope to be able to float one more time before the summer is over.

The Fourth!!

I worked on July 4th, but only until 3pm, so after work I headed over to Missy's house to hang out. Kaitlynn came with me and Mandi and Breezy were there too. We swam and barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs in the backyard. We also played "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?", and as it turns out, none of us are! I even had Kaitlynn on my team who had just finished fifth grade. After all the mind bending we had to do with that game, we decided to take it easy and play "Guitar Hero" on the PS2. Of course, we also had to make time to watch Tristan play "Transformers" in his Superman underwear. :) When it finally started getting dark we ventured outside for fireworks. The kids enjoyed the sparklers and watching Trampus set off the bigger ones in the street. They did some sidewalk chalk art as well. At some point Missy had whipped up a batch of brownies so before we called it a night we all snacked on a warm fudge brownie. Yummy but rich... you just can't eat more than one! Kaitlynn and I got home around midnight and boy were we exhausted. I hope everyone else had a happy 4th of July!!

Summer Daze

Well, the past week brought very hot weather and lots of fun things to do. Last Thursday was Salina's last softball tournament. She's catcher.















Last Saturday Mark and I met up with Missy and Cambri at Kuna High to play some tennis. Well, it wasn't so much a tennis game as it was a basic lesson for Missy. I took pictures while
Cambri practiced her swing and retrieved stray tennis balls.















On Wednesday, July 2nd, I went to the God and Country rally at the Idaho Center. Kaitlynn and Salina came with me, and we met up with Roxanne, Cathy and John as well. There were a ton of people there! It was a very hot day but we cooled off with lots of ice water, sno cones and Cathy's spray bottle of water. The fireworks display was really cool too.