Our Little Robin Family

This was one of the highlights of my summer.  We got to observe this nest and the little birds that went along with it from the very beginning of the nest-making until the little birds grew up and hopped out and away.  It was so AMAZING!  This nest was just outside our living room window.  I still walk past the bush with the empty nest in it and think of the fun we had checking on their progress, and now I honestly miss the little bird family that isn't around anymore. 

You can see these 2 little babies are super newly born, and somehow one of the four eggs is no longer here (??).  Just look at how tiny they are!!

All three have hatched now, and they are just 1-2 days old here.

Here the babies are again, only 6 days old.  Can you believe how much they've changed in just 6 days?!

9 days old

9 days old

Only 11 days old, and now they are leaving the nest!  What timing--I came for this photo when one bird was already out in the yard hopping around, one bird was up on the side here and hopped out right of the tree/bush JUST after I took this picture.  Just one bird remained in the nest, for I think just a few more minutes.

This is mama bird chirping and calling to find her babies...she found that they weren't in the nest anymore, so she had to call and wait for them to answer her before she knew where they had hopped off to.  I heard that the mama bird would continue to bring the babies worms for a couple more days after they've left the nest, and then they're on their own.

Fresh out of the nest, not flying yet, but a cute little hopper anyway : ).

After this hour, I did not see these birds again.  Bye bye, baby robin.  It's been fun!   Now I'm just trying to decide which experience I enjoyed more: seeing the robins grow up, or watching the fireflies this summer.  I can't believe they're both all gone (the fireflies too).  Can't wait until next summer to see more!

Lovelly Summer 2012

Father's Day...breakfast in bed for Dad, plus some cards, and a plaque sort of thing (with the upside-down hand prints) for Dad to take to his office.  It says "Happy Father's Day 2012 to the World's Best DAD, hands down!"

Father's Day!

The girls have had a lot of fun learning to bake this summer.  They still need a little help interpreting the directions sometimes, but for the most part, they can make lots of delicious desserts all on their own now.  Spice cake, brownies, banana bread...now all I need to do is train them to make dinner for the family, and I'll--I mean we'll--be all set!

delicious banana bread

Shark turned 12 1/2!  His chosen birthday dessert was chocolate waffles with ice cream on top.  Great choice!

Here are some of his gifts:  this is the banana bread made by his sisters for him (also shown above), there's a lion jigsaw puzzle because he loves lions, he loves that move "Muppet Treasure Island" and picked this out when we were in the thrift store one day, there's Rick Riordan's book "The Throne of Fire" (that's one of his favorite authors), and that green and white box is a fancy stand for his trumpet. He LOVES playing his trumpet, and he's now taking private lessons...he's getting better and better, because he practices daily (without being asked!).  It's awesome!  Happy half-birthday, Shark!

We can't afford anything "extra" this summer (which means almost everything we can stand to live without), so lots of time at a swimming pool wasn't looking very promising.  But we have this awesome friend named Deb who keeps letting us join her and her grandson at a family member's pool just 25 minutes away, and we are so grateful!  The kids have had SO much fun swimming there once in awhile.  Thanks, Deb!

Goldie fell in love with a friend's stray kittens at their farm.  She was allowed to name two of them and call them "hers," but since Jazz and I haven't agreed to letting the kittens come home with us, at the farm they stay.  Goldie wishes they didn't live 45 minutes away so she could visit the kittens more often, but such is life.

Swimming is not my favorite, but here's proof that I got in the pool this summer.  I think I've been in the pool for a total of about 1 hour.  I'm a pool-party-pooper.

Our township here has THE AWESOMEST summer program.  There are 4 hired young adults that "babysit" older children at the park from 9:00-noon, 1:00-4:00 p.m., or 6:00-8:00 p.m. almost every single day.  The kids get to do crafts, play ALL kinds of sports (including tennis, basketball, hockey, flag football, capture the flag), and do super fun activities like giant soapy water water slides...SO much fun stuff.  Kids from all over our town participate so the kids get to see lots of their school friends there.  And they have fun field trips too!  And the most amazing part is--it's all FREE for everyone, funded by the township!  Can you believe that?  It's the greatest summer program EVER.

This is the theater where we went as a family to see BRAVE.  This was one of the "family night" field trips sponsored by the playground group people that I described above.  We got to pre-order pizzas and eat it there in the theater, and then popcorn and snacks of course too.  I just wanted a photo of this theater because I thought it was so old-fashioned and cute!  This building has two rooms for their theaters, so they can show two different movies at a time.  I hear there's another theater in our area that's even more old-fashioned, which shows just one movie at a time.  I want to go there.  That's one of the cool things about living in such an "old" state.  We get to take a few steps back in time : )  (not to mention all of the fabulous Amish farms around, where almost nothing is done in the "modern" way).  Have I ever mentioned that I really like living in PA?  I wish you could see it all, it's a great place to live.

This was a wonderful summer sunset from last week.  Aren't you jealous of our back-yard view?

I just had to finish with the best thing of all from this summer:  I'M BACK ON THE COURT AGAIN.  Could life get any better?!!!!!!  I get to play about once a week, and it's AWE-SOME.  I don't know if I'll get to keep playing once school starts (because I'll be without a car again), but you know I'm going to do everything I can to make it happen ; ). 

HAPPY SUMMER, EVERYONE!

The Falling Part: Chicago's Broken Heart

There certainly are a lot of "firsts" worth mentioning during the falling years.  First love note, first crush, first mutual crush, first date, first kiss, first marriage proposal... Who knew that my first broken heart would fit in that lineup even before my first date or my first kiss?

There was one incident before I was old enough to date, when I planned to go to the movies with one of my best girl friends from my ballet class, Brooke.  With an increased amount of makeup and hair and outfit-fuss going on, and surely some seemingly undue anxiety that was written across my forehead, Mom perceptibly asked, "Are you meeting boys at the movie, Jenny?"  I flew off of the handle and yelled and cried, "How could you accuse me of such a crime?!  Don't you trust me?  Why would you ask me such a thing?!" (Yet in my mind I was thinking, What gave it away?  How in the world did she know?  Maybe I should call Brooke back and tell her this was a bad idea...)

This was not that time.  This story starts at the movie theater as well, again with Brooke, but this time we were innocent. Two of our guy friends happened to be going, but I'm pretty sure that was just a coincidence.   Besides, my youngest brother Ellis went along with us, so there was no secret funny business going on.  Perhaps sending the little brother was Mom's way of spying, to find out if any funny business was threatening to come to pass.  Could be.  It was a smart safety precaution anyway, I would say.

Scott and Braden were our friends at the movie this day, though we didn't know each other too well yet.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we watched Back to the Future II in the theater--what a great show!  We couldn't wait to see Part III.  Scott came up with a brilliant plan:  he asked me if I'd be his date when Part III came out, and he'd even treat me to dinner that night, since I would finally be sixteen by then. 

Including our Back to the Future movie date--I mean coincidental meeting, Scott and I got to know each other through a series of fortunate events.  He was a senior and I a sophomore.  He was a member of the church, a super nice guy, happy, athletic and outgoing, and what I loved most about him was his happy and beautiful smile.  It lit me up inside. We had lots of common friends, and we both were very fond of taking advantage of all of the church and school dance opportunities as possible.

Our second special time together happened out of town.  It seems that although Mom and Dad didn't permit me to ride alone in a car with a guy even for five minutes to catch a ride home from somewhere (remember, no "like-a-dates" allowed until I was sixteen), they managed to overlook what one might call "like-a-double-date" car rides.  Brooke and I rode with Scott and Braden all the way from Fallon to Reno together--almost an hour ride, heading to a church dance.  When we got there, we discovered the dance had been cancelled.  We were disappointed, but made the best of our time out that evening before heading home.  What better way to get to know each other and allow a friendship to transform into adoration than over Burger King grub?

Brooke and I, meanwhile, were about to hit a rough patch in our friendship.  With so many important boy-associations to be to be experienced, some high school girls may tend to be jealous and gossippy and not-so-loyal in their friendships.  Tangled webs were being weaved, as Brooke some how teamed up with a mean girl who really didn't like me, and we began to grow apart. 

Journal Entry, 3 December 1989:
Oh boy, at least I've got one good friend left.  Me & Ellie Preston are getting really close : ).  It seems we have the same problems at the same time, and understand how each other is feeling.  : )!  She told me Scott likes me!  But he would kill her if she told me.  He said he wants to take it slow--me too.  She said she kept it in for 2 weeks and couldn't anymore.  He told her after we went to Burger King in Reno.  He told her at school a couple of days after that.  Scott is so nice.

What I find peculiar about my admiration for Scott is that I don't remember arriving to the point of elated excitement or dizzy imaginings of us being together.  I simply loved being around him and felt happy whenever I was with him.  He was very much "my type," and I loved how we fit together.

A common interest in music--specifically, the current hit band Chicago--developed into a most significant part of this comfortable fit.  After school one day, Scott asked me if I would please try to make it to the school dance after my jazz choir's Christmas concert.  Gladly! When we weren't dancing together, we sat and talked.  We made plans to see more fun movies together.  We discovered that we both loved Chicago, and anytime a Chicago song played, we were immediately on our feet dancing, and singing along together (although I would have been happy to just listen to Scott's beautiful voice).

Within just a few short weeks, Scott had an unexpected change of heart. I doubt the reason was anything substantial, but things changed. All of the sudden, at our next dance, whenever a Chicago song came on, he was making sure he was not available for me to dance with.  As Peter Cetera's melts-me-every-time voice would fill the room, I would look up, only to see Scott running in the opposite direction to find a dance partner.  Our communication went from planning fun future dates together to...zero communication.

Word soon came from Ellie that Scott liked me now for no more than a friend.  This wasn't the first time for a young relationship to end before I had wished, so why was this time so hard?  Perhaps it was the way the stars were aligned that night, or the way this disappointment fell onto a pile of other emotional let-downs for that month (that's just the way life can be for teenage girls).  All I know is that Scott is the first guy I ever actually cried over.

In the privacy of my bedroom, with the comfort of my feather pillow, tears and sobs flowed freely as I replayed my favorite Chicago song over and over again. 

The pain came and went.  I made it through.  Outside of that one dance when Scott distanced himself from me, he never treated me less than a friend would, which of course was a relief.

We didn't connect much more during the school year, and then a few months later he was off to college.  More months passed, and with the arrival of Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, the college kids all came home for visits.  At one Saturday night dance, I got to dance with Scott and we reminisced about what had happened before between us.  As we tried to figure out why we had stopped talking, he did say he was sorry for the abrupt end (or in his words, for "dogging" me).  Over the holiday breaks, at the dances and at everyone's favorite hangout--Ellie's house, we got reacquainted and became good friends again.

Journal Entry, 1 January 1991:
Ellie called and asked Bryan [my brother] and me to come over and play Scattergories with them. When we got there it was just her and Trent and us.  Later Brock came, and then Scott, Jared, and Josh.  After we played Scattergories 'till 11:00, we went to the piano and Bryan and Josh played while the rest of us sang songs like "Somewhere Out There," "You're the Inspiration," "After All," and "The Rose," it was really fun--Scott sings really well, I like to sing with him.  I borrowed one of his tapes and he's supposed to bring me another one I want to borrow.  So that he could bring it to me he asked me where I live, then he said - "I'll take you out sometime" - I was kind of in shock, but of course really happy again to know he'd think of me that way again.  Sometimes he makes me so crazy, he's so cute and funny, I'll miss him when he leaves again : (.  I better see him some more before he leaves--he'll at least need to get his tape back.  He makes me so crazy - I often feel I like him so much again but wish I didn't in a way because of the way I cried over him before.  Scott.

Scott came and sat by me for two movies at Ellie's house: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Back to the Future III. During the second one I said, "We were supposed to watch this together anyway, remember?"  He said, "We were?  ...See, I told you we would!"  I laughed.

Those were the very last memories I made with Scott.  He returned to college, and then was off on his mission.  Our paths never really crossed again except as good old friends. 

To this day, I still smile and think of Scott whenever I hear the sweet sounds of Chicago.

The Falling Part: "I'm Not Allowed to Yet" (part 2)

My sixteen-year wait for the green light on dating was not much of an issue until I was at least thirteen or fourteen.   With regards to most young men that caught my attention, the wait was hard and not appreciated.  But there was a flip side, too.  My parents' rule served as a wonderful scape goat on occasion!  I was about to learn that not all attention from guys was desirable.

Journal Entry, 23 November 1987:
There is a boy at school, Robbie Connors, who is constantly flirting with every cute girl he sees.  I can't stand to be around him.  Luckily, I only have one out of seven classes with him, History, last hour.  I asked Mr. Hinz (our History teacher) if I could sit totally far away from him.  I sit on the opposite side of the room from him.

Robbie was all about girls. Perhaps even at an earlier age than the rest of the guys I knew.

One day after school in seventh grade, he insisted that I give him a hug.  That has to be the worst hug I've ever had in my life.  From a distance, it may have looked like any normal hug between two consenting individuals.  The truth is, I felt like I had only partially consented--he had merely managed to talk me into it.  It left me with such a horrible feeling inside, I later talked with my mom about it.  She explained to me one of the facts of life--that guys sometimes hug girls for the thrill of feeling their bodies.  YIKES!  This was new to me, and difficult to process.  I would definitely choose to be more selective with my hugs from now on!

A couple of years later, when Robbie called and asked the fifteen-year-old me if I would go to the prom with him, I was shocked.  I didn't recall ever really being his friend.  Lucky for me, I hadn't reached the magic birthday yet, so saying "I'm not allowed to yet" served as a relief more than anything, and a welcomed excuse.  Thankfully, he left me alone after that.

Another example of feeling saved by the infamous "not yet" rule came upon my meeting Mike Glover.

I met Mike during my sophomore year of high school, as I was the student secretary in his Calculus class. He and I enjoyed a mutual crush for a short time.  He was senior, a cute soccer player with braces and a flat-top.  When he asked me if I would go to a dance with him after one of our football games, I sincerely lamented telling him "I'm not allowed to yet."  Until... I decided that rejection turned out to be a blessing in disguise, when Mike showed up to that football game drunk!  This delinquency was also new to me!  Thank heavens for coincidental protection such as that one.  That crush was finished, with no regrets on my part.

I am somewhat embarrassed by some of the crushes I entertained, but I think the embarrassing ones deserve mentioning.  In my defense, I cling to a statement from one of my best girlfriends in high school, Kristyn; she said, "You can't help who you feel chemistry with."  In this case, it's a good thing the "no dating yet" rule applied to not only me, but to these fine young men as well...the missionaries.

Don't be mad at me for flirting with the missionaries!  I was still just learning about what was appropriate and what was not.  (Okay, yes, I should have known better, but still...) The full-time missionaries in our church are not allowed to date during their missionary service.  That doesn't mean that people around them become blind to the fact that they're possibly in their most attractive stage of life at their ripening age of nineteen or thereabouts (not to mention their sharp suits and ties and handsome short haircuts).  Or at least to teenage girls it seems that way.

Mom kept a close eye on flirty little me.  "You wouldn't want to be responsible for making a missionary have inappropriate thoughts about a girl, would you?" she warned.  That made sense to me, and I remember considering the warning.  Hopefully her counsel to keep my distance was heeded well enough.  I think I did okay.  But I still find my journal entry about one certain elder entertaining:

Journal Entry, 26 July 1988: 
The missionary I like, Elder Stratford, was transferred to a different area [insert heart with a sad face inside].  I found out* his first name was Jason [insert heart].  I miss seeing him.  We have a new missionary, his name is Elder Robinson.  He's cute, but he's no Jason. [heart].

--
Disclaimer to my daughters--and for that matter, to all daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, cousins, and everyone everywhere: please learn here from my mom's counsel and not from my mistake--do NOT flirt with missionaries.  It's not nice, and it's, well...just don't do it!
--

I seemed to always have my sight set on someone.  Or be searching for someone to latch on to.  Regional dances, band trips, and choir trips provided opportunities to meet young people from neighboring towns, which led to some fun long-distance but usually short-term flings.  I was at times overjoyed to get an expensive long-distance phone call from a recent interested acquaintance (long-distance calls used to be a luxury, back in the day), and didn't pass up the chance to make invitations to our local events.  I felt pretty special when a guy would make up to a one hour drive just to come see me.  But again, not being allowed to officially date yet kept me grounded, and so not many of my long-distance admirers from this time period received much encouragement to stick around.

When Jesse, a sweet young gentleman whom I had met at a choir event (and had gotten to know through a few phone conversations) called to tell me he was in town and would like to visit me, I obliged.  Mom and Dad weren't home, so we just talked for about an hour in the family room, and all was low-key.  We had a nice visit, but my resulting feelings were somewhat of a revelation...

Journal Entry, 16 March 1990:
Jesse's real nice--but I do not want to be more than friends.  Not just with him, but with anyone.  I think it's nice to not be "involved" with anyone for awhile.

How ironic...just weeks before my sixteenth birthday, I was ready to rest a bit from my labors of love.  Perhaps that was the one last emotion I needed to experience before being ready to dive into dating. 





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 *Missionaries in our church all go by the title of "Elder" or "Sister," followed by their last name.  First names are rarely used with the public during their missions, and are therefore rarely known by the members of the church.