Draper Days '09

We spent the day enjoying the festivities of Draper Days 2009. We attended the parade this morning. We had great seats (in the shade) and sat by very nice boys who willingly shared their candy with Ian and Connor. It was a lot of fun and we plan to make it an annual tradition! Afterward the boys and I went to Draper Park for an hour or so. It was 100 degrees outside but they wanted to enjoy the park activities such as the bounce houses and slides. It's been a long time since I was that hot and sticky. We are staying up late to watch the fireworks. Fortunately, we have a great view from our deck and can watch them in our pajamas.

Division Complete

July 1 was the official division date for Jordan School District. It was a highly emotional day, but one I'm glad is finally past. I hope we can begin to focus again on students and try to focus on the benefits of having a smaller district (although 49,000 students isn't that small). We've unveiled our new logo, Web site and tagline and now we're gearing up for an open house next month. Here's to better times ahead!

San Fran Fun

We returned last night from a great vacation to San Francisco. I attended the National School Public Relations Conference. This is the first year the whole family came with me. We had such a great time. We stayed at the historic hotel, The Palace, just a few blocks from Union Square. the pool was Ian's favorite part of the trip. We visited the Golden Gate Bridge, toured the city on a doubledecker bus, spent the day at Fisherman's Wharf, enjoyed hot fudge sundaes at Gharadelli Square, visited the San Francisco Zoo, and bought t-shirts in China Town. Connor's favorite part was bungee-jumping on a trampoline at Fisherman's Wharf. He did it two different days he loved it so much. The weather was perfect and the boys were great tourists. Here are a few photos from our advertures.

Preschool Program

Today was Ian's end-of-year program for Newcastle School. We are so proud of him. He was the best singer on stage, if I do say so. He really enjoys school and is going to miss Miss Ashley and his friends. It's a good thing he starts summer camp in another week.

Preschool Graduation

Connor graduated from preschool this morning. He had his annual end-of-year program and it was followed by a short graduation ceremony complete with diplomas and caps. We are so proud of him!

Enjoy the Adventure Along the Way

Yesterday we saw Pixar's newest movie, "Up."  It had such a heartwarming message about the importance of enjoying life along the way -- enjoying the small and simple things -- enjoying the routine of life.  Those day-to-day moments are life's real adventures, not the ones you spend your whole life planning for.  We all loved the movie!

Where Has the Time Gone?

My college roommate, Kimberly Miles, was in town this past week.  We first met 29 years ago when we were roommates at Ricks College.  We have stayed in touch all these years and have seen each other every year since then.  I always look forward to her visits.  This visit, we talked about how fast time has gone.  It seems like just yesterday we were meeting for the first time at Carriage House Apartments in Rexburg.  Now 29 years later she has two sons in college and I have two sons in preschool.  Yes, we laugh about that often.  Whenever we get together it's like time stands still and we are those two apprehensive girls starting college.  She is my oldest and dearest friend and has been through all the seasons of my life. I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else the way the two of us have shared ours.