Reunions, Conferences and Pioneer Celebrations

A Titan Reunion

We have arrived...well at least Tyson has. He can officially say he has been out of school longer than he was in school. We attended his 20 year high school reunion a few weeks ago. It was fun...ish! Luckily there were a few people I knew to visit with and then I just sat back and listened while people walked down memory lane and told stories. Tyson was fortunate enough to fall in the category of people who "time has been kind to," or who "looked just about the same." I think he reveled in that fact for a few days (I don't blame him). There was all sorts of fun like music from 1993, dancing, and even a fashion show with clothes from the year they graduated. I guess plaid button ups were the thing. Of course there was some slightly tipsy people who kept us entertained with their antics. The highlight of my night...being asked by another girl that I didn't even know if I wanted to accompany her to the bathroom...like the good old high school days.

WGU

I attended the annual Academic Conference for my work a few weeks ago. It is fun to get out of my home office and mingle with co-workers at least once a year. The meetings were good but a bit long. The highlight of the meetings for me was the keynote speaker they had on the last day. He is a artist and business strategist that helps companies more or less think outside the box and retrain their employees to Unthink their strategies to help build the company. His name was Erik Wahl and he was excellent. He painted these pictures during his presentation and it was amazing to watch. He definitely left me feeling motivated and thinking a little differently about my job.

Fun at the Drive-in

We had a fun time with my niece and her kids at our kids first drive-in movie experience.  We saw Dispicable Me 2 and then the kids slept in the back of the man for the 2nd movie. They absolutely loved it. They piled in my niece's truck and at junk food and lounged in the jammies. We decided it was fun but the late night did not produce the sleeping in the next day we had hoped for.

Pioneer Day Celebrations

We started gearing up for Pioneer Day by going with the Primary to the Church History Museum on the Saturday before the 24th. The kids did pretty well. Ava loved asking about different tool and clothing items and Claire loved the kids play area. I loved all the detail that the Pioneers put into everything that they did. Their furniture, clothes, home, and buildings have so much intrict detail. They were much more patient and dedicated people. I wish we (as a society) took more pride and put more energy into our work. There was so much to see and do...we will definitely be going back.

Then on Sunday the Primary Presidency put on a great sharing time for the kids. They churned butter, pulled hand carts and learned more about how Pioneers lived and the amazing people that they were. Ava can tell me quite a bit now. I love my village and how they help me teach my child.

On Pioneer Day we actually broke a long standing tradition by not going to the days of 47 Parade. I regret it now, but we tried to watch a little of it on the television. Parades are way better in person. We ended up doing a picnic lunch at my mothers house and having some water fun with my niece's kids.
Talmage loved the little shooting water at the end of the slip and slide and enjoyed his first ever popsicle. He even had his first mini tantrum when it was all gone. We had lots of fun in the sun.

That night, we had some pizza with the Ramsey's (great friends and neighbors) and some root beer floats with homemade vanilla ice cream and home made root beer. When it got dusk we lit off some fire works. It was a lot of fun and we are definitely glad to have such great friends.

 P.S. Ava is still very afraid of the fireworks ever since the haywire firework on the 4th that shot at us spectators and burned part of a blanket so she enjoyed her vantage point from the back row. She wouldn't even do a sparkler.