End of Summer Fun

Michael, Sherrie, the kids, and I went to Thanksgiving Point for $2.00 Tuesday this week. It was really hot but the gardens are really nice. The topper (especially for Christian) was the 50 cent ice cream cones they sold at the end!!





My brother David graduated from BYU last week with his PHD. I'm really proud of him. As I've watched him go through school the past few years he's really tried to spend time with his kids and wife by getting up really early to do homework. I'm not sure how he juggled it all. I'm also proud of Sherrie for all the times she had to be alone with the kids while David did homework. It's going to be nice for their family to have this degree done!


The skeletons of the Peter Pan sets are pretty much done. It's kind of hard to see detail because most everything is raw wood. Wait 'til we begin painting, wallpapering, etc!!!! The hardest part will be making everything move and change quickly. So cool that Dad and Michael were able to help me; the hard parts of the set are done and school hasn't even begun yet!
NURSERY


OUTSIDE THE UNDERGROUND HOUSE


BED IN THE UNDERGROUND HOUSE


PIRATE SHIP

THING AT THE HELM (he made the wheel; it looks great!)

Peter Pan Sets

Dad, Michael, and I began building sets this week for Peter Pan. We've gotten a TON done in 3 days. There is still a bunch more to do, though. It's a complex, interchangeable set for 5 different locations (I have to be really creative because I don't have a fly system or much wing space.)


End of Day 1-Nursery


End of Day 2-Nursery

We've also build 3 Neverland trees, a slide, 2 beds (including a ship mast attachment), and a dog/Tinkerbell house.

Under the Sea (Okay, Lake!)

I never realized underwater cameras could be so much fun!

I leave beautiful ID and head to UT tomorrow-sad day.

Summer is Ending

As mentioned in my last blog, my sisters and I put on a musical theater camp for some of the kids in the wards here. We ended up with 20 participants. It was really fun! Here's some rehearsal photos.

After my niece Emily saw my Joseph play in February she's been planning her own show. So, as part of her birthday party we did a "Joseph and the Colored Coat" show (her title!) The kids were really cute! Aunt Mel brought a few key costume pieces from school!

Snow Creek Falls

My Birthday Luau

Dover Trail

More Summer Fun

Mare, Jess, and I are doing a small Musical Theater class for the youth in the 2 wards. I was choreographing a short section from Singing in the Rain and the kids decided to help!

Mare, Ryan, Dad, and I hiked a mountain one morning. It has a great view of the town and lake. I must be getting old because I felt tired the rest of the day (it's 3 1/2 miles up; not totally steep but definitely not flat!)

The goggle brigade!

Sarah helping Aunt Mel water the flowers. Some of the beds are especially fine this year.

Every 4th of July we make shirts for the day's activities. This year's were pretty cool. Unfortunately, when we went to the parade it was FREEZING so they were all covered with sweatshirts. Sandpoint did the 4th on the 3rd this year.

I've finished my Peter Pan script. Now Jess and I just have to sit down and edit it. I've been designing costumes for it and Seussical like crazy. I've also begun the Peter Pan set design. If it all plays out on stage like I see it in my mind it's going to be a pretty cool/crazy/hard set...we'll see!!

Keeping Busy

I've been keeping fairly busy this past week. I've gotten a lot of weeding done. Minni (the cat) has obviously been lacking in human love; she likes to jump on my back when I'm bent over- making weeding very difficult. Sometimes she even drapes herself across my neck like a fur stole!

I decided the back beds needed more height so I added an arbor. Dad and Stephen were reticent but they were still very nice and helped me. We gathered wood from the back forest and when we went on a hike last week we brought some wood out with us! I've planted some English Ivy and a Clematis to climb up it.

Mom decided to make the sewing room into a play room (great idea!) and I made some paper flowers to hang from the ceiling-very fun!

Other than that, I ran a 5K up in Bonners Ferry Saturday. I did NOT get my best time (29:59 instead of 22:something). It was still fun, though. The best part was the huckleberry shake on the way home. Mmmm, the Elmira store knows how to make those things! I've been working on creating a Peter Pan script (time consuming but interesting) and...that's about it except the usual-lots of digging in the dirt and reading!!! I love summer!

Summer Break Has Begun!

I've been home for almost a week now! There has only been one day I haven't taken a nap-and we're not talking 20 minutes, more like 1-2 hours!! It always amazes me how draining teaching can be. I don't have time during the year to really think about how exhausted I am but when I get home I crash. Luckily I have 2 weeks to recuperate before I have to be Aunt Mel and entertain the kids!

It's been pouring rain ever since I got here but yesterday we had some sun. Dad and I went on a long walk before breakfast. He collected worms for the garden (I helped find but did NOT pick them up-yuck!). He got about 200!

This is me working. Yes, it's true, that is a script in my hands-hard work! I'm still trying to find stellar plays for next school year. I've read about 10 scripts-blah on all of them. So, I've begun to cut The Taming of the Shrew or I may write my own Peter Pan script. We'll see how ambitious I get!!!