We've been busy. Here is what has happened since my last entry:
Graduation: I wore blue jeans, my Cody Dairy Queen t-shirt, end of trail ear rings (notice the subtle message), and black boots ('cuz these boots are made for walking) under my robes. Then I went home and packed for our family vacation on the Monterrey coast.
The Family Reunion: It could have had better attendance, but it was fun. We stayed at Pajaro Dunes, right on the beach. Micah's whole family came and stayed from Sunday until Friday. They had to return early because they had just sold their home and had to pack and evacuate by Tuesday at 5:00. Jared came on Monday night and had to return Wednesday evening because of scholastic responsibilities. However, while he was with us, we went to the Monterrey Aquarium, bought fried artichokes for devouring, flew kites on the beach, and ate until we exploded. Jared decided that he was going to cook next time. I'm loving it.
Packing for Taft: Henri, our grandson, gave us a gift that keeps on giving--the flu. We packed and threw out things and had some very dear ward members help us load while we did our best not to contaminate them. Steven did a great job of planning. He measured the inside of the trailer and every box. Then he estimated that about 25% of the trailer would be wasted space because boxes don't always stack perfectly. We packed enough boxes to fill exactly 75% of the trailer space and had exactly enough space for out things. PERFECT!!!--Just shut the door quickly and open carefully.
Last Night in Taft: We checked into the best hotel in Taft (not saying much), and then went for a quick drive. We found the Taft City Limit Sign and took a picture of it in our rear-view mirror because we promised ourselves we would do that five years ago. (I don't have a picture of it here because I am still sick and too tired to get my camera out and download, etc.) When we returned to the hotel room, we noticed that the carpet was stained and in desperate need of vacuuming, the shower was moldy and had cigarette burns on the toilet, the walls were filthy, the bedding and sheets were tattered and stained, and the fan rattled. For breakfast, the management offered five (5) donuts cut in half for their patrons. The perfect end to our Taft experience was when the toilet clogged and the owner handed Steven a toilet plunger with no comment and waited for its return.
Moving: We hitched up the trailer the next morning, put 5 boxes of Kleenex in the cab of the truck, and, after conducting several business transactions--the least of which was not buying cough syrup, pain killers, and decongestants--sped out of town at about 10:00 A.M. We stopped in Fresno at my favorite stained glass store to buy glass for our upstairs window, and dropped in on Kristi Lawrence's Tire Shop for a lube, oil, filter, and farewells to very dear friends, then resumed our journey. This put us in Sacramento traffic at rush hour. But we didn't care. We were out of Taft.
On The Road: We spent our first night in Fernely in a great hotel which served waffles and everything else one could imagine for breakfast. We journeyed all day, amusing ourselves with a murder mystery by Patric McMannus and a cheap crossword puzzle book. We decided, since we were in the Salt Lake Valley about dinner time, to take Micah's family out to dinner. Micah suggested the Ikea store as a great place to meet and eat. He was right. The kids had a wonderful time eating meat balls, running around, and playing on the displays and with the toys available for children to try. We spent the night in Orem and again had waffles and whatever else we could want. The next day we arrived in Cody.
Cody: Unpacking, unpacking, unpacking, and trying to get everything to fit into our home.Although Steven's favorite duplication is our 8 rolls of plastic wrap, the following is a list of the bathroom items we discovered we had after unpacking and finding some redundancy of supplies.
8 boxes band aids-all opened; 5 misc. rolled bandages; 3 rolls surgical tape; 4 pkg. gauze applications; 1 pkg butterfly bandages; 6 boxes Q-tips (1900 total)-4 opened; 2 pkg, cotton puffs, 1 cotton squares, 1 cotton circles--all but one opened; 4 lg. bottles Herbal Essence shampoo, 1 lg. bottle H.E. conditioner; 3 bottles anti-cavity fluoride rinse--all opened; 3 cans hairspray; 1 Sonicare owner's manual, 1 Sonicare toothbrush head, 2 Sonicare rechargers, 1 Sonicare toothbrush with head; 10 double-packs of toothbrushes--four opened; 23 cheap plastic shower caps, 2 heavy gage plastic shower caps; 27 Bic disposable razors--1 pack of 10 unopened ( I'm tired of writing about what was opened and what was not. So from here on out, unless specifically mentioned, just assume everything had been opened and partially used); 3 tubes Sensodyne toothpaste; 41 cosmetic wedges--1 pkg of 32 unopened; 5 spools dental floss-none opened; 4 anti-itch remedies; 3 bottles isopropyl alcohol; 3 bottles hydrogen peroxide; 3 tubes triple antibiotic ointment; 1 bottle generic Betadine; 3 thermometers (one electronic); 3 finger splints; 3 arm slings; 1 wrist brace; 2 upper arm cuffs; 9 bottles sun screen, 2 bottles ibuprofen-both generic, one unopened, both expired; 3 pkg. antihistamines; 2 bottles cough syrup; 2 boxes Imodium AD; 8 hearing aid batteries--hearing aids expired; 3 ear wax removal kits--one expired; 12 mini hand lotions 3 large hand lotions 21 jars Carmex-about 14 unopened.
Neighborly Acts of Kindness: Our neighbor, upon whose land Chu-chu grazes, left for Missouri to pick up another horse and asked that we tend the stables in his absence. Then his wife asked if I would take her Sunbeam class because she has pneumonia. We made her dinner on Saturday. Sunday, I taught her class. Luckily, only one Sunbeam showed up. Then I went home and slept for 3 hours because I am still sick. Steven stayed home because he is sicker than I.
Future Plans: I promised Steven that I would organize and put away everything room-by-room until everything is properly placed and stored. Then I will begin work on the house. I figure I'll be busy for the next two years. It sure beats Taft. Gee, Cody is beautiful!
