Hey, Cameron! Where'd you go?

We spent the day at Grand Targhee yesterday. We had decided that it was time for Jacob to start skiing without the help of an edgie wedgie (two clamps with a piece of rubber hose in between, used to keep ski tips together). We let him make 2 runs with it on, then took it off. The first run after removal was a little rough, with 3 crashes. But then he got it figured out and did great the rest of the day. Cameron had a new experience, too. Only his wasn't quite as much fun. We were waiting to get on the lift and the chair stopped a few feet in back of us. The lift operator had us back up and have a seat on the quad chair while we waited for the lift to start again, which we did. When it started, Cameron must have stuck the tips of his skis down, because he disappeared from the chair and landed, plop! into the snow under the lift (not as bad as it sounds, he fell only a foot or two). The lift guy helped him up, had him move to the side while the next chair loaded, then stuck him on a chair by himself. He wasn't hurt, just a bit scared. He'll probably make sure he keeps his ski tips up from now on! Parker did an accidental backflip on his snowboard, too. He probably won't repeat that either. Look for ski photos later. Cameras work better with fully charged batteries, a fact I discovered yesterday after going to the trouble of hauling mine up the hill, telling the boys to wait at the top while I skied down to get into position to capture some excellent action shots and then finding out there was just enough juice in the battery to open the telephoto lens, but not close it again. No pictures. Someone should check these things out beforehand, don't you think?

Rexburg Temple Dedication

Sunday was the dedication of the Rexburg Temple. Paul, Parker, Hayden and Cameron and I went to the 9:00 session that was broadcast to our stake center. It started about 40 minutes late. President Monson, Elder Nelson and Elder Bednar were supposed to fly into the Idaho Falls airport, then drive to Rexburg. But the fog made that impossible, so they landed in Pocatello instead and had to drive from there. And President Eyring was planning to come, but he broke his ankle and had to stay home. It was a great meeting, anyway. President Monson was quite a character during the cornerstone ceremony! Paul and I were also able to attend the 4:30 p.m. session in the temple. Then on Monday morning, we went to the temple marriage of the daughter of our friends. It was neat to see alot of people we know serving as the workers in our temple!

The weather has warmed up some, enough for the roads to clear off (finally!) The boys had school every day this week! Yippee!!! We are planning on heading to Targhee tomorrow and Monday. They got 8 inches of snow yesterday.

Everyone is doing well. School is going fabulously! I have my first test in English sometime in the coming week (depending upon when the professor gets it posted to his webpage). We've finished Henry V - play and movie - and will start on Romeo and Juliet next week. My midterm test in Book of Mormon class was to write at least 5 pages about what I have learned so far in my reading. I wrote about what I have learned from the righteous women in 1 Nephi. I can't believe that the semester is almost half over! I am working on my class schedule for summer semester. I plan on taking the second half of Book of Mormon in the first block (which ends in early June)and something online so I can be at home with the boys during the summer.

Well, hope you all enjoy the weekend. I plan to!

Enough, already!

Well, we are on week three of a shortened school schedule. The first week we had Monday off for Human Rights day, followed by Tuesday for Twenty-five-Below-Zero-Day. The next Tuesday, it was Frostbite-Inducing-Windchill Day. This week, we observed Forty-Mile-An-Hour-Wind-Blowing-The-Snow-And-Drifting-Over-The-Roads-So-No-Buses-Can-Get-Through Friday. The boys are enjoying it, though. Hayden and Cameron have spent the day digging snow caves into the mountainous drifts in the backyard. I prefer to stay inside, wrapped up in a blanket. I finished reading Henry V for my Shakespeare class. Paul is working, and Parker and Jacob are "cleaning" their room. I haven't been upstairs to check, but I suspect the "cleaning" involved quite a bit of PSP-playing.

Last Saturday, Hayden went to the Klondike Derby with his scout troop. They came in first place in the sled race. Their prize was a wooden warchest filled with sugar in one form or another, which they divided among themselves, to spread the cavities and dental bills out evenly. They were so proud!

Paul started on Temodar, the oral chemo medicine, on Monday night. So far, so good. He has noticed that he feels a little more tired, but it hasn't kept him from doing anything he wants to do.

The temple dedication has been pushed back a week to accomodate President Hinckley's funeral. I feel happy that he has finished his mission here and can be with his wife again. But I will miss his goodness and optimism.