Snow Day and a Wedding

This was the perfect snow day because school was already canceled because it was a snow make-up day that we never used.  So we didn't have school but we didn't have to make up the day.  Such amazing luck!  It took a little work to get Henry to go outside and play in the snow but once he got outside he never came back in.  I went for a walk and did my best to shake branches and trees that were snapping under the weight of the wet, heavy snow.  We lost a few more trees in our forest too.

Randy's assistant got married and basically everyone at the wedding was one of our employees or part of the family.  Luckily there was only rain and luckily the rain stopped as we stood on the beach watching this cute little family say I do.  We love our office staff! Kristina is our amazing office manager and she was the officiator for the wedding.  When she realized she forgot her shoes for the wedding she just laughed and made sure everyone took pictures.  She's so great!

Boise

I flew to Boise for a quick 24 hours and was able to catch two of Marcus's games.  Some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins showed up to cheer him on.  I also texted a couple friends in the area at the last possible second and they came too.  Marcus and I went to dinner with my Dad and Kathy, then hot tubbed with my fun cousin and her kids.  After the second game, I had a nice nap in the backseat of my car (sleeping in the backseat is a talent I have), ate Chik-Fil-A, and flew back to WA.  It was quick and productive!

The best part was coming home and pulling into the driveway to see Henry waiting at the door to see me.  He ran into the garage and climbed into the front seat and hugged me before I even got out of the car.  I don't want to ever forget that. 

Marcus Lacrosse

 

Marcus is having a great lacrosse season this year!  Last year was rough.   He had a few injuries and being a freshman is always lame but he overcame.  This year he is faster and playing better than ever and he gets a lot more playing time.  They have only lost one game so they're looking good.  Go Cougs!

February Break

We went to Whistler again.  We might be a little tired of Whistler but we had passes that needed to be used, plus it was just about the only ski resort in the country that had snow.  Until the day after we got back and snow dumped down in Utah, just in time for Randy to arrive.

Mel, the reluctant skier

Henry loving the complimentary hot cocoa after skiing down the entire mountain to get back to our hotel

the pool and hot tub are the best way to end a ski day

the castle was finally open and Henry went down the slides so many times.  I was happy to watch and rest from skiing.

Poutine for lunch...with pulled pork.  Delicious!

And this was the beautiful backdrop to Marcus's lacrosse game.  Brrr!!

Parker went shopping and bought jeans. It's been years since my boys have worn jeans and I am thrilled to buy something that's not basketball shorts or joggers.  

Super Bowl

The Seahawks won the Super Bowl!  The last time they went to the Super Bowl we were living in RI and cheering for them as they almost defeated the Patriots in an unforgettable game.  This time we won but I can barely remember it because the game was so boring as we kept inching our way down the field, nearly setting a record for a game won by almost all field goals and no touchdowns.  

This was Marcus and Ethan when we went to the Super Bowl so many years ago.  We couldn't buy Seahawks gear in RI so we got creative with green tape.

We have Oreo balls every year

The food was delicious and plentiful.  Nothing better than good ol' 7 Layer Dip!

We invite the Stacey's over every year too.

Go Hawks!

Adventures in Seattle

It's pouring rain and I have a ton of yard work to do.  Looks like I'll update the blog instead.  We are in the throes of lacrosse season which means we are busy flying to Utah to watch Marcus play and watching several games a week as Landon, Parker, and Henry play.  Do I get tired of watching lacrosse games?  Yes I do!  But it's fun and when it's all over I scratch my head and wonder what to do with all the time on my hands and that's about the time we can get the boat back out on the lake. 

But let's back up to a sunny day in February when I went on a fun adventure in Seattle with friends.  A good friend of mine plans weekly adventures and this one was called City Scramble.  You pay a small fee for a scavenger map that sends you all around Seattle taking pictures of things to prove you arrived at a certain destination.  You get points for each destination you go to and whichever group gets the most points wins.  Don't worry, my team lost.  By a lot!  But I think we had the most fun because we rented eBikes at the end.  I guess that was against the rules and should've given us a huge advantage but cheaters never win and we most definitely agree!

The Amazon Spheres are cool even though I've never been inside.  Visiting hours are limited.  But this banana cart has been around for a couple years.  They give out free bananas every day.  I want that job.

I look like my mom trying to run to the playground to search for a clue, which I found!

Rachelle had the genius idea to get eBikes and we had so much fun on them!  Seattle really is a cool city with so many statues and and cool art that you don't notice unless you're searching for it. 

Event Planner Mel

So this is not an exciting post.  But it was a big event that took a lot of brain power to pull off and it helped me figure out what I want to be when I grow up--An event planner!  Except I don't actually want to do that, but if I did, I think I'd like my job.  Anyways...

The West Area Council meeting was held in Bellevue, Washington this year.  Normally it's in Seattle but this year it was in my stake because Elder Rasband wanted all the attendees to go to the temple in Bellevue.  So I got a call from the stake president telling me what needed to be done and that I'd be coordinating things with the Area Authority (my former stake president).  Long story short, I had to coordinate lunch and snacks for 200 people (stake presidents, mission presidents, area/general authorities) who flew in from the West Coast, Alaska, and Hawaii.  I also had to prepare a room for a bunch of the mission leaders to gather in and eat.  It felt like a corporate event that cost a few thousand dollars.  

A couple days before the event, Church headquarters flew out their event coordinator to work on all the final details with me.  She is awesome and single and I am determined to set her up with her future husband.  You wouldn't believe the work behind the scenes that happens for something like this.  Cleaners were hired to clean the entire building for three days.  Flower arrangements were brought in and grounds crew took care of the exterior of the building.  A tech crew was also flown in, even though we had tech guys there too.

I got a last-minute request to track down a recliner for Elder Rasband to use in between meetings so he could rest.  Apparently he has a bad back.  My stake president was more than happy to donate his chair and Randy helped me deliver it to the church.  We plugged it in and Randy did a little demo on how to use the chair while the event person recorded it, then sent it to Elder Rasband's security guys so they knew how to do all the things.  So crazy right?  I figured Elder Rasband would like a blanket too so I brought over my favorite white Minky blanket.  Now I refer to said blanket as "The Comforter" and the Stake President has named his chair that was used by an Apostle as "The Revelator. " 

We had to organize a way for all the luggage to be stored and accessible and I got so many comments about that.  Apparently alphabetical order was a genius idea!  Actually I think what impressed them was that there was a system in place, even if it was basic.

Just so you know, two different people jokingly asked if I would like a job working for the Church (if only I lived in Utah!), and the security guys who were so nice and hung out in the kitchen with me said, "We go to hundreds of these things a year and you hit this one out of the park!"  So I have a knack for event planning.  It was fun and exhausting and cool to see the business side of church things.

I didn't have make any food which was such a blessing!

I made these posters so everyone knew what to choose for lunch and it was a genius idea apparently

I had a ton of snacks/fruit leftover which I delivered to my stake center so a couple wards could put it to good use.  It was all gone the next day!  

I was at the church from 7am-5pm and got in almost 10 miles in steps.  I was exhausted and glad it was over.