Here I sit, waiting for my wandering teens to come home for the night. Again. Weekend curfew is midnight and Helena is off at Cafe Rio (or some such place) with her boyfriend and two other couples. Will is at his girlfriend's house watching a movie with her family.
Yes. You read that right. Helena and her boyfriend. Will and his girlfriend.
Gah! How did that happen?!?
I can't help but hear that old tune from the musical Grease. You know the one? "Summer Lovin'". This seems to be the summer for romance. The thing is, I can't remember getting older, so when did they? There is another song from a musical for you. "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof.
Oi. I am old. I have musicals stuck in my head!
Helena is 18 now and has been on lots of casual dates, so the transition to actually having a boyfriend is not that weird to me. But Will! That is weirding me out! He just recently turned 16 and this girl was his first date, and now his first girlfriend. I know my son is a handsome guy, it is just bizarre to me to know that there is a girl out there who is attracted to him. And that he's got the self esteem and, I don't know, hutzpah, to make the romantic move of making her his girlfriend! ... That might have come out wrong. Of course girls should be attracted to him; he is good looking, after all! But to me he will always be my little boy, and in my head, I still see him as a boy. Phooey.
Helena's boyfriend is named Dagen. He is 19 years old and lives one town over. He works at a car dealership and is committed to leaving for a church mission in just two months. He will be gone for two years. I'm all for that! I don't want to sound obnoxious, but they are both very young and dating should be casual at this point so that they can both explore the world and figure out who they are going to be. There will be time later in their lives to explore serious relationship commitments.
Will's girlfriend's name is Ashley. She is cute and friendly. She turns 17 in July and is actually going to be a senior this coming school year. Will is going to be a junior. Other than that, they seem to have a lot in common and it is obvious they like each other. Will now has added motivation to finish driver's ed and find a job this summer. Helena was surprised to find out about Ashley, because she and Ashley had some classes together this past year and she didn't know Will and Ashley were developing a friendship. But Helena thinks she is a wonderful girl and gave her stamp of approval to Will's girlfriend choice.
You better believe I've had "the talk" with both of the kids. Several times, in fact. Most of the time they seem to listen patiently and with an open mind. Only occasionally do they give me the look. You know, the 'argh, not this again' look. I also gave Will several suggestions on date ideas that don't cost anything, since he doesn't have a job, yet.
So, I have a feeling that this will be my summer. Sitting up every night, waiting for the wandering romantics to come home, looking forward to hearing about their summertime adventures. Isn't it a great time to be alive?
Father's Day 2012
Father's Day morning I awoke to Bill coming home from the grocery store. He had spent the day before on a 50 mile bike ride with a couple of other guys, so he had missed the weekly shopping trip. I had done the shopping without a list, and as a result, I had forgotten several items for his lunches for the week. When I got up, I found him getting ready to build a big family breakfast. While fixing it, he said he wanted to take the family up into the mountains for the day.
So, after a fabulous breakfast, we went!
It was quite a drive up into the mountains, but we spent it in high spirits, laughing and rocking out to music with the windows down and sunroof open. It is funny, I live right next to the mountains and tend to forget that there are even more mountains to explore than the ones I can see from my house. And lots of different canyons and side valleys on every side. We don't have to settle for the closest canyon if we are willing to adventure a bit farther up and farther in!
Bill took us to the Provo River Falls, in the high Uintahs. I had no idea they existed! It is a shame I have lived so close to this beautiful place for the past 20 years and never knew it! There is no rough hike to get to them; there is a parking lot right off the road that is literally right next to one of the falls. You just have to know they exist and how far up into the mountain roads to go to get there.
I will confess something right here. There is a reason I am usually not in any of the photos. I have always hated how I looked in photos because I have always (and by always, I mean for the past 17 years or so) hated my body. I live in a family of super skinny people. My husband is a muscular and no-fat athlete. My kids both have extremely low body fat, too. I think they inherited their dad's body type... thank goodness! But I have been on the plump side for a long while, now. I was overweight, pushing the envelope of obesity.
Until now. For the first time in a lot of years, I am starting to like what I see when a photo is taken of me!
I have been working hard at creating a more active lifestyle for myself. I am still working on trying to reduce the sugars in my diet. I can now tell you that as hard as it was (and is) to get my muscles back in shape and lose inches (and hopefully pounds), correcting a faulty diet is MUCH harder.
Anyways, back to our adventure!
While the kids and I messed around with the first waterfall, Bill wandered off across the river and found a great sunning rock. These great slabs of rock were everywhere and made exploring barefoot possible, though in the end we all ended up tromping through the water with our shoes on, because the rocks in the riverbed could be sharp and unpredictable under the surface.
Family photos in the sun!
One particular waterfall cascaded down two sides of a rock formation that looked like stairs, leaving an opening in the middle. Will was the first to climb up it, but before long we all climbed up and played on it. I think the picture below is pretty fantastic! I know we ended up in several other people's photos, too, because this one was in sight of the parking lot view area.
I really enjoyed the deep and rich colors created by the rocks and water.
Helena was trying to figure out how deep this pool was. It was deepest right below Will, between them there. He was offering to help pull her up onto the rock, but she suspected his motive and was certain he was going to let go at the opportune moment and let her fall backward into the pool.
This was a quadruple fall. There was a little sitting spot between each fall, so we spend a bit of time here getting photo after photo.
Notice Will making fun of posing for the camera? He did this for several shots, and yes, it was an intentional gag pose.
We explored up the river for about a quarter mile until we all admitted we were getting hungry. I was all for trekking back down the waterfalls to our starting point, but Bill wanted a different adventure. He suggested we just strike out into the woods to find the road and walk back down it to our car. That turned out to be the right move. The woods were open and shady and it didn't take long at all to find the road. We got slightly bug eaten, but it was worth it to get back to the car so easily.
Bill drove us to another parking lot, where he wanted us to go on a short hike to the top of one of the peaks called Mt. Baldy (there are several of them in the state), but we were all too hungry and disinclined to get more bug eaten, so Bill drove us, instead, to Mirror Lake.
This beautiful little lake resides at about the 10,000 foot elevation! We were wishing we had canoes, kayaks, and swim suits with us.
After Mirror Lake, Bill drove us to the summit at 10,700 feet, and mentioned that we were only about 30 miles from the Wyoming border. The kids were keen on crossing the state line for the additional adventure. They had never been in Wyoming... at least not in their memory.
So, we did!
We came out of the mountains into the high, grassy plains of Wyoming. A while after crossing the state line, Helena wanted to know why we were still headed east. I pointed out to her that Evanston, WY was only about 20 miles away and was certainly the closest food opportunity around.
So, we went to Evanston, Wyoming.
First stop? A fireworks stand! Utah has the most restrictive fireworks regulations in the mountain west. Most towns right across the border have fireworks stands to take advantage of the Utah residents who make a dash across the border for their pyro needs. Fireworks at these stands are a GREAT price! You can get 3 times the fun for the same amount of dough.
After picking up a little something, something (I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of pyrotechnics on our return trip), we started our hunt for lunch/dinner.
Evanston is a small town and very spread out. We found the obligatory McD's, Wendy's, and Arby's... but none of those seemed worthy of our adventure or of Father's Day. So I googled eateries in town and we decided to find a little spot known as Don Pedro's.
To say it was a dive is putting it mildly. The place looked sketchy at best. Helena later admitted she was not thrilled to be going in. Run down with old everything inside and out. However, there were a fair amount of cars outside, so we wanted to check it out.
I am so glad we did! It was delicious! I wasn't sure of what to order, and when I asked the waiter's opinion on two entrees, I could tell he wasn't that enthusiastic about either one. He said something along the lines of "look at me, I have brown skin! Most Americans like both of those entrees, this one is most popular with Americans."
Oh ho!
So, I asked him HIS favorite items on the menu and ordered his first choice. It was bacon wrapped grilled shrimp smothered in cheese on a bed of grilled onions and peppers and served fajita style.
It was sinfully delicious! Ahhhhh!
After dinner, we decided to linger in Evanston for about 30 minutes before starting our journey back home again. We went to the Bear River Walk, a long paved trail next to the river that was designed for runners and cyclists to enjoy. We had fun just walking and talking for a little bit on the trail before finally heading home.
It was one of those sunshiny, happy days full of laughter and love.
I hope we can do it again, soon!
Holy Floatation, Batman!
... aka, I LOVE MY WETSUIT!!!!!
I went running this morning. 4.4 miles. Not rockstar. Meaning, I didn't go very fast. I am so glad I deferred the marathon, because I am in no way ready for it and it happens in just 3 days.
I slept in, though, and missed my morning window for hitting the pool. There are limited lanes in the a.m. due to swim team congestion, and then when swim lessons get going at 10 am, there are no more lanes at all until evening. However, if you can hold out and go swim after 9 pm, you nearly have the pool to yourself. Nearly. I ended up sharing a lane for about 15 minutes, but that's really no big deal.
A cold front moved in yesterday and today remained on the cooler side. Much cooler than we experienced over the past couple of weeks. Cool enough that I knew the pool wouldn't be toasty. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take my wetsuit on its maiden voyage.
HOLY COW!!!
First of all, I have to say that it was much easier to slink myself into that thing today than it was on the day I bought it. I can only hope that is because I have a more trim figure? Even so, I felt like an overstuffed sausage since it is meant to have a tight compression fit. I was pretty proud of myself for managing to wedge my shoulders in enough to zip up the back without help and still feel enough rotation in my shoulders to swim. That is hard to explain, so I hope you understand what I mean.
When I jumped into the water, there was no cold shock at all. SO NICE! Then I swam my first lap.
I am in love.
With a wetsuit.
The buoyancy on that thing is incredible! Every bit of my stroke went into forward momentum. I had no idea that I had been expending so much energy in keeping my legs up. I forgot my lap watch... boy I wish I had it, because I flew through the lane! It was like wearing fins. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I was practically crashing into the walls I had so much thrust from my legs.
Don't get me wrong. I am still not rockstar fast at swimming, either. But I'll tell you one thing. I was the fastest in the lanes tonight... and I was the only woman.
That felt REALLY good!
It sure got a lot of attention, too. Some guy came up to me and asked how I liked it and what the thickness was on it (I'm not 100% sure of the answer on that. I just know it is rated for triathlons). The other lap swimmers had friendly conversation about it, too. I even noticed the hot tub crowd staring. Not at me, I am sure. At the suit. You just don't see too many wetsuits at the pool (although the scuba group were in wetsuits, so what gives?).
Anyways, I can't wait to swim in it again! That will depend on the weather, though. Our summers don't hold that many cool days. Besides, if I only ever swim in the suit, it might become a crutch, like only swimming in fins. And pool water is not good for the suit. So, I'll keep plugging away at form and endurance... without the suit for the most part.
Still...
IT WAS AWESOME!
I went running this morning. 4.4 miles. Not rockstar. Meaning, I didn't go very fast. I am so glad I deferred the marathon, because I am in no way ready for it and it happens in just 3 days.
I slept in, though, and missed my morning window for hitting the pool. There are limited lanes in the a.m. due to swim team congestion, and then when swim lessons get going at 10 am, there are no more lanes at all until evening. However, if you can hold out and go swim after 9 pm, you nearly have the pool to yourself. Nearly. I ended up sharing a lane for about 15 minutes, but that's really no big deal.
A cold front moved in yesterday and today remained on the cooler side. Much cooler than we experienced over the past couple of weeks. Cool enough that I knew the pool wouldn't be toasty. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take my wetsuit on its maiden voyage.
HOLY COW!!!
First of all, I have to say that it was much easier to slink myself into that thing today than it was on the day I bought it. I can only hope that is because I have a more trim figure? Even so, I felt like an overstuffed sausage since it is meant to have a tight compression fit. I was pretty proud of myself for managing to wedge my shoulders in enough to zip up the back without help and still feel enough rotation in my shoulders to swim. That is hard to explain, so I hope you understand what I mean.
When I jumped into the water, there was no cold shock at all. SO NICE! Then I swam my first lap.
I am in love.
With a wetsuit.
The buoyancy on that thing is incredible! Every bit of my stroke went into forward momentum. I had no idea that I had been expending so much energy in keeping my legs up. I forgot my lap watch... boy I wish I had it, because I flew through the lane! It was like wearing fins. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I was practically crashing into the walls I had so much thrust from my legs.
Don't get me wrong. I am still not rockstar fast at swimming, either. But I'll tell you one thing. I was the fastest in the lanes tonight... and I was the only woman.
That felt REALLY good!
It sure got a lot of attention, too. Some guy came up to me and asked how I liked it and what the thickness was on it (I'm not 100% sure of the answer on that. I just know it is rated for triathlons). The other lap swimmers had friendly conversation about it, too. I even noticed the hot tub crowd staring. Not at me, I am sure. At the suit. You just don't see too many wetsuits at the pool (although the scuba group were in wetsuits, so what gives?).
Anyways, I can't wait to swim in it again! That will depend on the weather, though. Our summers don't hold that many cool days. Besides, if I only ever swim in the suit, it might become a crutch, like only swimming in fins. And pool water is not good for the suit. So, I'll keep plugging away at form and endurance... without the suit for the most part.
Still...
IT WAS AWESOME!
Getting Back Up To Speed...
Okay. I can breathe, now.
It has been a crazy few weeks here in the Watson house. I have wanted to write, but have had too many pent up emotions to be able to write the right thing, if that makes any sense. It is NEVER a good idea to write in the heat of anger, or frustration, or anxiety, or depression... because once thoughts are out there, they are impossible to retract. And there were thoughts swirling around in my head that would have been damaging to expose to the light of day. Now that the crisis has past, and life has slowed down to its blissful summertime crawl, I can start to articulate where I have been these past weeks that I have been absent from you.
Simply put, I was agonizing over my high school senior; now high school graduate. She impersonated an anchor and nearly sunk all her chances of graduating high school with mere days between herself and the deadline. In only 10 days, she went from 4 NC's (No Credits) in 3rd quarter and SIX 'F's' in 4th quarter, to passing all classes and receiving all credits for graduation... with only one day to spare on the deadline!
This was more than just a nail biter for the whole family. There were a lot of fights, frustration, and tears involved, as you can imagine. Those who were in the know kept asking "why is she doing this to herself?! She is such a smart girl!", over and over. Which, by the way, was the least helpful thing on the planet. I was in so much stress and pain over it, that I didn't really want to discuss how a child o'mine could so completely sabotage herself.
Anyone who is a parent can tell you that they feel responsible for everything their children do or do not accomplish. That is a load of twaddle, of course. At some point, your children become autonomous and are fully responsible for their own actions and outcomes. Still, I don't think that feeling every truly leaves a parent. It is wondrous and amazing when your child soars and achieves. It truly sucks if your child struggles and fails.
While trying to deal with the graduation crisis, I was also inundated with phone calls and paper work from insurance companies about the car accident, going to physical therapy for my neck and shoulders, trying to train for a marathon (which has now been deferred to next year), and shopping for and buying a car. Life never throws challenges at you in the singular. It always seems to be a hailstorm of challenges hitting all at once.
It got to the point that I just had to drop everything and focus only on my daughter and her needs. Everything else just had to wait. I skipped out on Art Council meetings, even though I am supposed to be helping with the art show next month. I put off dealing with the insurance stuff. Just everything I could shove out of my head went by the wayside, because this one thing and the agony it was causing was too much overload for me to be able to handle anything else.
But, even the darkest night has to end, and this one ended with a beautiful sunrise (metaphorically speaking)! She did pass all of her classes, she did graduate with her class, we did celebrate! School ended for another year. We now have only one child still in high school. Will is going to be a Junior in the fall, which means we only have two years left of public school! I have flipped that mental switch from being a highly scheduled employed person and parent of high school students, to the free spirited there-are-no-clocks-or-schedules kind of unemployed person I become in the summer months. I have a loose summer schedule, but it gets rearranged more often than not. The daily schedule always includes a trip to the pool. "Trip" meaning a leisurely stroll over to it.
Have I ever told you that I LOVE SUMMER!
The only firm item on the schedule right now is Will's driver's ed class. We signed him up for the afternoon session, because who wants to start summer vacation with an early morning class? Pffft! Not Will, and certainly not his taxi driver!
There are still lots of things to blog about, and lots of pictures waiting to be shared, too. But I have babbled on long enough for one post, so I'll let you get back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Until next time... a very relieved me.
It has been a crazy few weeks here in the Watson house. I have wanted to write, but have had too many pent up emotions to be able to write the right thing, if that makes any sense. It is NEVER a good idea to write in the heat of anger, or frustration, or anxiety, or depression... because once thoughts are out there, they are impossible to retract. And there were thoughts swirling around in my head that would have been damaging to expose to the light of day. Now that the crisis has past, and life has slowed down to its blissful summertime crawl, I can start to articulate where I have been these past weeks that I have been absent from you.
Simply put, I was agonizing over my high school senior; now high school graduate. She impersonated an anchor and nearly sunk all her chances of graduating high school with mere days between herself and the deadline. In only 10 days, she went from 4 NC's (No Credits) in 3rd quarter and SIX 'F's' in 4th quarter, to passing all classes and receiving all credits for graduation... with only one day to spare on the deadline!
This was more than just a nail biter for the whole family. There were a lot of fights, frustration, and tears involved, as you can imagine. Those who were in the know kept asking "why is she doing this to herself?! She is such a smart girl!", over and over. Which, by the way, was the least helpful thing on the planet. I was in so much stress and pain over it, that I didn't really want to discuss how a child o'mine could so completely sabotage herself.
Anyone who is a parent can tell you that they feel responsible for everything their children do or do not accomplish. That is a load of twaddle, of course. At some point, your children become autonomous and are fully responsible for their own actions and outcomes. Still, I don't think that feeling every truly leaves a parent. It is wondrous and amazing when your child soars and achieves. It truly sucks if your child struggles and fails.
While trying to deal with the graduation crisis, I was also inundated with phone calls and paper work from insurance companies about the car accident, going to physical therapy for my neck and shoulders, trying to train for a marathon (which has now been deferred to next year), and shopping for and buying a car. Life never throws challenges at you in the singular. It always seems to be a hailstorm of challenges hitting all at once.
It got to the point that I just had to drop everything and focus only on my daughter and her needs. Everything else just had to wait. I skipped out on Art Council meetings, even though I am supposed to be helping with the art show next month. I put off dealing with the insurance stuff. Just everything I could shove out of my head went by the wayside, because this one thing and the agony it was causing was too much overload for me to be able to handle anything else.
But, even the darkest night has to end, and this one ended with a beautiful sunrise (metaphorically speaking)! She did pass all of her classes, she did graduate with her class, we did celebrate! School ended for another year. We now have only one child still in high school. Will is going to be a Junior in the fall, which means we only have two years left of public school! I have flipped that mental switch from being a highly scheduled employed person and parent of high school students, to the free spirited there-are-no-clocks-or-schedules kind of unemployed person I become in the summer months. I have a loose summer schedule, but it gets rearranged more often than not. The daily schedule always includes a trip to the pool. "Trip" meaning a leisurely stroll over to it.
Have I ever told you that I LOVE SUMMER!
The only firm item on the schedule right now is Will's driver's ed class. We signed him up for the afternoon session, because who wants to start summer vacation with an early morning class? Pffft! Not Will, and certainly not his taxi driver!
There are still lots of things to blog about, and lots of pictures waiting to be shared, too. But I have babbled on long enough for one post, so I'll let you get back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Until next time... a very relieved me.
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