Spring Break Part 2

Worked on Monday

Worked on Tuesday

and cleaned Wed. and Thurs. 

Friday I sat on the couch and waited and waited. 

Finally at 1:30 my kids were home!! I missed them so much! 

Saturday morning we headed to McCall, Idaho for some winter fun :)

We stayed at the Shore Lodge and had a fabulous room with a lake view:

Upon pulling into town we met my parents at The Pancake and Christmas House for lunch. Great food! 

We wandered around the Christmas shop and then headed downtown for some more shopping.

Whats more fun that shopping?? Ice skating!! (although a bit more painful physically) That was our next adventure. The kids had never been before and I was excited to get them on the ice!

Kendrie took to it pretty quickly. My mom even got her turning around and skating backwards! And she didn't fall once :) She's pretty proud of that record. 

Kort spent quite a bit of time on his tush, but by the end of the 2 hours, he was skating around pretty well! He was very determined to do it and he did! So proud of him for not giving up :) He is now begging us on a daily basis to get him to the ice rink here in Boise. We may just have to work a few trips into our monthly schedule :)

After ice skating we headed back to the hotel for some cold weather swimming in the "heated" pool ;)

(I will have to have my mom email me those pics to be posted later. I didn't have my phone or my camera with me.)

After an hour of being cold and warm at the same time, we got cleaned up and went to dinner at Lardos. Famous for their spaghetti...well, maybe in McCall. I've had better spaghetti, but really enjoyed their blackberry cobbler! :)

Back to the hotel and a game of Five Crowns before bed.

Spring Break Part 1

Jim and I had to work the week of Spring Break and Kendrie had an orthodontist appt. on Monday. So we met my parents in Burley, ID to hand the kids over to them. We had a fabulous breakfast at Connor's and then went our separate ways. On our way to Twin Falls, I mentioned that I hadn't been to Shoshone Falls during the Spring when it was at it's fullest. So we took a side trip over the gorge to soak up the scenery. 

Oh but the drive didn't stop there! We decided to take the scenic route home and drove to Sun Valley as well. We walked around Ketchem (where I discovered an acute sensitiveness to altitude...) and found our way to Galena Summit. The snow banks on the side of the road was so high! I climbed up the face of one only to see the top of a "Historical Site" sign just peeking out of the snow by my feet.Very cold and very windy...

But this was the view:

 A few more hours and a lot of windy windy roads (complete with sun/tree strobe lights...bleck!) and we found ourselves pulling into one of my new favorite small towns...Idaho City. We had a wonderful dinner at Trudy's (chicken fried steak and garlic mashed potatoes. YUM!) and took home a piece of their amazing Dutch apple pie for later...since we were so full...and ate it on the couch in our jammies while snuggling in my favorite Sherpa blanket.

It was a good day indeed.

Kendrie's a TEENAGER!! AH!!

Every parent is aware that this will happen to their children eventually. But it seems to have happened way too fast! She is such a joy in our lives and I am so blessed to call her mine. I love you, my baby girl! 

Now What...

I've been asked, "so now that you're not working everyday, what do you do?".  I am happy to answer that with "Anything I want" :) Not many people can say that, but I have 5 hours a day all to myself on most days. 

Some days I do laundry. Some days I clean bathrooms. Some days I work on my pictures. Some days I read or do yard work, or as in yesterday's case, both. I have also been known to have an HGTV marathon day. I am holding out for better weather so I can add walking or biking along the Greenbelt to that list. Sometimes I get a last minute lunch date that can turn into a walk through the mall or getting our errands done together.

But what I am the most proud of is that spending all day on Facebook isn't on, nor will it be, on this list. Get in, get out, get on with life. 

What would you do/do you do with your free time?

 

work

I worked 5 hours a day starting Dec. 5th until March 13th. 

Although I really only know the basics of banking, I have enjoyed it. It's a great environment and everyone seems to put up with me pretty well. I've gotten to know the members pretty well and am able to call some of them by name when they come in. I have made more than my share of mistakes. Been off on my till a few times.  Deposited money in the wrong accounts and have given bad advice. But I have learned to not take myself so seriously and that everyone makes mistakes....and that those mistakes can be fixed (or in the case of overages/shortages of tills, wrote off).

I have enjoyed the routine as well. As hard as the adjustment was to start with, we managed to work it out. The laundry got done. Dinners were made and the dishes done. 

Having the 13th as my last day was emotional. I was happy to have my days to myself again, but I was going to miss "the ladies" :) There was a signed card on my desk when I got there and a Mexican buffet in the break room. No one was really saying that it was my last day....the elephant in the room. And then 2 hours into it, we got the news from the boss' boss that they were accepting the request that my temp position be extended to June. So then the party became a "nope, I'm not leaving yet" event. :) 

I am still working, just not every day. I get a few hours every pay check to keep me on the pay roll for when they are really going to need me....summer vacation hours. 

This routine has actually been harder to get used to. Off some days, working others. Getting called in last minute.... But I am grateful. The paychecks have been nice to have and, like I said, I really enjoy the environment and the ladies I work with. Plus it's 3 minutes from the house and 1/2 a mile from Kort's school. It is a blessing, for sure. 

Now if I could just figure out what an IRA is....... ;)

If you can't beat 'em....

So we've been in our new ward for a few months now and sadly, all I can say about it is that it is the most irreverent and disrespectful ward I have ever been in. The halls are so loud during Primary rotation, you can't hear yourself think. And it's not just the kids! The adults are just as bad. I witnessed 2 men pretty much wrestling on their way out of the Sunday school room...trying to grab each others legs or something. My mom and dad were visiting and my mom got hit in the head by one of the priests trying to round house kick another kid. A couple weeks ago, when we got to church, we noticed kids climbing trees and the air conditioning units while waiting for their teacher to ask another question so they could play tag. Today, the Valiant 12 (11?) class full of boys were hitting each other with their scriptures. I looked around to see where their teachers were or if anyone was going to try to control the ciaos and the teachers were standing right next to them just smiling. Other adults were talking so loudly, I practically had to yell to get my class away from the other boys to try to set some sort of example. I finally had enough and asked (loudly) why it was so irreverent in Heavenly Father's house. Of course the adults glared at me and the kids all gave me the "whatever" look. We finally got in the Primary room and settled only to have 2 different musical numbers get followed by clapping! There is no clapping in church! Where is the reverence, I ask. Honestly. Does this seem wrong to anyone else, or am I just being overly strict about this? If I can't beat 'em.... I will not be joining them.

Update

So I got the job. Started Dec. 5th. Which is part of the reason I haven't posted anything for a while...lack of "during the day free time". The other part can be blamed on having involved children (sorry, young adults) who insist on me being their taxi driver to various activities and events. Not complaining at all. I love to see them involved and enjoying themselves.

Kendrie performed for choir and cheer during December and will be singing the Star Spangled Banner with her choir group at an Idaho Stampede game on the 20th. She has 2 more basketball games to cheer at in the next couple weeks and is busy with YWs and "hanging out" with Alisa (that would be her BFF).

Kort is continuing his swimming lessons twice a week and is improving greatly. Scouts has been on hold for Dec. but will pick up again this week....with me no longer as an assistant den leader.

Funny story about that. So most of these boys in the Bear's Den are some of the most disrespectful boys I have seen. So, I have taken it upon myself to "redirect" their thinking on this matter. I use my loudish inside voice and inform them that that behavior will not be tolerated and they will stop immediately. Needless to say, I am not a favorite amongst them, but my intentions were not to be so. Anyway, because of the new job, I have been a bit strapped for time and felt the need to ask to be released from scouts in order to juggle home life appropriately. Two days later the Primary Presidency was at my door. I was asked to assist the Primary teacher for the 9 year olds. Assist, specifically, in the discipline of said class. I laughed. I am looking forward to seeing their faces when I walk in the room. Bwahahaha!! :D

So pretty much the same calling, I just get to do it for 2 hours and in a dress now.  Yup, funny story.

Back to the job....for those who don't know, I'm a "Member Service Representative" at First Tech Credit Union in the HP building here in Boise. It has been a challenge at times. Learning how to do a transaction is not as easy as some may think...there are a lot of tabs you have to go through to get something completed. Memorizing where those tabs are and in which order are proving to be a bit difficult. But the ladies I work with are eager to help and the members, for the most part, are quite patient with me. I'm pretty sure I will have it all down by the time I leave. Which is around the 2nd week of March. I am sure I will be more than ready to be a stay at home mom again by then :) Something else that is hard to get used to: people smells. 2nd hand smoke and coffee breath is about the worst. However, getting spit on isn't that fabulous either. Of course I try to pretend nothing happened...don't want to embarrass the member, but it's a good thing I have my giant container of Clorox wipes at my desk. Say it, don't spray it, my friends! :)

Until next time...Happy New Year!

A job?

Today I applied for a job. At a credit union. I haven't had a "real job" for 13 years. It was quite nerve racking to come up with "past job history" dates and details dating back to 1998 and beyond. And a credit union?? Yeah, math/numbers and I go together like....pickles and m&m's.

Let's try this again....

My poor forgotten blog. 

A casualty in the "social network" outlet war. Facebook vs. Blogger vs. Google+ vs. Twitter. vs. vs.... it seems to never end. Someone is always coming up with the "best thing ever!".  

Looking back over the past several years since this blog was started, I was quite surprised to see that I used to blog quite a bit. In 2008, I had 79 posts. This year....twice (this post will be the third). Lack of interest perhaps? From me? From anyone reading it? I suppose I have felt that the lack of comments meant no one was reading it anyway, so what was the point. 

But there is something I have missed about blogging...writing. Typing I guess would be the more appropriate word to use, but writing in the sense of getting what was in my head, out. Sharing opinions, something funny, something wonderful, something or nothing of consequence. So as this year winds down, I have come to the conclusion that I am not going to ignore this little space on the internet anymore. 

So stay tuned, if you so desire....I'll update you on the Kolsen Family .... bullet style. 

2011

*January - boring month. Took me almost 3 weeks to take down Christmas...so much more fun getting it out than putting it away.

*February - I remember it being so very cold. A quick month. Glad it was over. 

*March - Kendrie turned 12 and "finally" got to start going to Young Women's. She loves it. 

The end of this month was the beginning of some really hard times for us....

*April - Spent spring break in Mesquite, NV. Finally got to defrost for a couple days :) I turned 37 on the 23rd.

*May - Kort turned 9. And the last day of school came quickly. At this point we were pretty sure we would be moving. 

*June - Girl's Camp was right around the corner and I had a ton of things to accomplish before that happened. That and packing the house kept me pretty crazy busy. Jim had already moved to Idaho.

*July - The first weekend, Jim's parents and brothers and nephew came to help finish up the packing and hauling and final move from Layton to Star, Idaho. The packing piles were separated in 3 piles...storage, to Jim's brother's house, and Kendrie and my Girl's camp gear...not to mention the pile we needed when we were in Pocatello for a week. Keeping that all separated was quite the task. Kendrie and I headed to Girl's Camp in Lava Hot Springs from the 6th to the 9th. Kort stayed with Grandma. Jim was in Boise. On the afternoon of the 9th, Jim drove over to Pocatello and loaded us up and took us to Star. Jim's brother and his wife Kim, were so kind to let us stay with them for a couple months while we got our bearings and found a house to move into. The kids and I spent a lot of time at Eagle Island State Park, soaking up the sun. But the best thing about this month? Our new niece Avery was born! I was able to drive down to meet her a week later. What a precious beautiful little girl. So proud of my sister Kourtney <3

*August - We went camping in Cascade with Rod and Kim. Very cold water, but beautiful scenery. A big family gathering in Pocatello to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of my Grandma and Grandpa! That was fun! We hadn't been all together as a family for over 15 years. The end of this month brought us to our new home in Garden City and the kids to their new schools. Kendrie started 7th grade and Kort in 4th. Kendrie jumped into cheer and is loving it! They have both made new friends quickly and have adjusted very well. 

*Sept. - The beginning of this month found us driving to Lehi, Utah to be at Avery's blessing. The rest of the month was all routine. Lots of driving (thank goodness for GPS) and lots of exploring. A day spent in McCall (windy roads....much car sickness...not good) Locating new favorite restaurants. Finding the best theaters and shopping. :) My sister, Kourtney came for a few days with baby girl. So fun having them here!

*Oct. - October was a quick month for me. We had a family wedding on the 1st. Jim had his birthday on the 19th and Halloween on the 31st, of course. Jim's parents came over for a visit, hoping baby Caidan (Jim's nephew's baby) would be born, But he decided to come the day after they left :( He has the most hair I have ever seen on a newborn! Such a cutie!

*Nov. - here we are in the 2nd week of November already. It only took me 2 days to get the Halloween decor down. So proud of myself ;) Kort started swimming lessons at the Y. And I found a great new hair salon (which we all know is not an easy task to do) :) Cut 5 inches off my mid-back length hair. It's so nice to sit back and not have my range of motion restricted :)

So that's our update. I will be back with more....Like sands through the hour glass....lol 

Enjoy your day! <3

Penmanship

I don't know if I owe thanks to my 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Nordyke, for forcing me to think about spacing and size of my letters or if it's just a quirky  part of my personality, but I have always loved handwriting. I remember writing my name on every sheet of every spiral bound notebook I could find, trying to make my handwriting look "pretty"....that much practice didn't make perfect, however. It is now just a conglomeration of print mixed with cursive mixed with what-in-the-world-is-that-letter? But MY penmanship is beside the point ;)  

Handwriting played a key part in the whole discovery of jolly St. Nick, you know....my dad's handwriting is unmistakable. Left handed, mostly all capital print with an artistic flare :) My mom's is dainty and pretty, always cursive, evenly spaced letters, evenly spaced words, completely straight lines...even on a non-lined piece of paper. It actually could be a typing font....always perfect, always easy to read :)

But what got me thinking about penmanship was an old box of papers I found in the garage Saturday. I went through it piece by piece last night....excited about what I might discover. Kind of like a treasure hunt, for sure :)

I found report cards, magazines, old school news publications from middle and high school, award certificates from girl's camp and EFY, seminary report cards and study manuals, locker signs from good friends wishing me happy birthday or good luck cheering at the big game that night.....

What I wasn't prepared to find, however, was a birthday card from my Great Grandma Bessie. It was still in the mailing envelope, post marked April 20, 1993....it even had the $5 she had sent me in it. But I didn't have to open it to know who it was from. Seeing her handwriting on that envelope sent me to tears as a flood of memories washed over my mind. Her handwriting still holds the sound of her voice and I can still hear her singing You Are My Sunshine at 6am as she gets started on her yard work, dressed in lavender polyester perfectly pressed and pleated slacks over her tan pantyhose with peep toed sling back size 4 1/2 shoes paired with a flowing pink floral top with ruffles or a bow in the front and her beautiful silver white curled hair. She always called us "tar heels", which I never knew was a good or bad thing....I just chalked it up to a term of endearment, because I knew she loved me....even when I scared her one time and she called me her favorite term for pests..."little sh**".She had a fire about her that I admire.

I miss her. And I am so grateful that I was a pack rat and saved those cards. They are so precious to me now. Thank you, Grandma. I love you.  

I know this is the "computer" age and everything is typed now....but call me old school....I miss the written word. What are our children going to connect with? an email? Write someone a note today....even if to just say hello....your handwriting holds so much more than a motion of ink.

I *heart* this boy!!

Update

Well, at least I tried, right? I got half a month of gratitude recorded before the hussle and bussle out weighed time spent on the computer. And what a fun hussle and bussle it was! :) I am so happy and grateful that my whole family was able to get out here for Thanksgiving. Kelli and Morgan from Texas, Kari and Jamie + kids from Colorado, Kourtney and Kyle from Utah County, and of course the parents found their way here from various places around the country. Lots of laughing, shopping, sleeping (some more than others) ;) , eating, cooking and of course, picture taking.....not particularly in that order.

After a fabulous week spent with family, a quick house pick up and off to Oregon I went for 4 days. Between Portland and Corvallis in 3 days taking 7 photo sessions with some very missed high school friends. What a fun weekend! (despite the OSU loss....which of course was totally expected, but sad nonetheless) Back to reality this past Monday with an all day journey from Portland to San Fran to Salt Lake. Lots of sleep Monday night and in front of Photoshop all day yesterday....and will be for the next week or so. Gotta get those Christmas cards out! =D So grateful for my loving husband who has made this adventure possible and is such a great dad to the boy and girl. They hardly even  missed me.

So that's the update for the past 4 weeks. More pics to come as they get finished. Love to all!! <3

Grateful....

Wednesday Nov. 17th - I was grateful for friends in the tech business, speedy tow trucks, and not having to dress up like an Indian and dance around for Pack Meeting....

Thursday Nov. 18th - I was grateful for Jim's connections in the tires business, quick trips to Evanston, and Macy's coupons  =D

Today I was grateful for a safe trip to and from Park City, people who ask me to take their pictures, and lots of layers...including the ever so wonderful bamboo tights that fit under my jeans  =D

Grateful...

Ha! I was so worried about making sure to get the past 2 weeks posted, I forgot to do yesterday's....
Nov. 15th - I was grateful for finding what I was looking for at 50% off   =) Bedtime, and my pillow.

And today I am currently grateful for warm coats and boots, having the tree finished, and a nice hot lunch.

Grateful...

My goal this month was to list what I was grateful for on a daily basis...obviously, I am slacking. So to make up for lost posts, here is a weeks worth at once :)

Nov. 5th - I was grateful for good music, good food and good friends :)

Nov. 6th - I was grateful for sleep aids, Prilosec and nap time.

Nov. 7th - I was grateful for the ability to stay awake while driving, my husband, and my kids

Nov. 8th - I was grateful for 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep, my soaking tub, and my son's fabulous report card.

Nov. 9th - I was grateful for my persistence in getting my "to do" list items checked off, the laundry being done,  and dinner fixed before cub scouts :)

Nov. 10th - I was grateful for alarm clocks, Kendrie, and rain.

Nov. 11th - I was grateful for Kendrie's fabulous report card, the book fair's BOGO sale, and having cash in my wallet.

Nov. 12th - I was grateful for my time spent with my sister Kourtney, the ability to resist buying the 4 purses I wanted (Kourtney probably isn't grateful for that one), and my husband having dinner ready when I got home :)

Nov. 13th - I was grateful for a wonderfully tasty meal at Maddox (mmm steak), spending time with family, beautiful fall colors (despite the freezing, bone chilling cold)

Nov. 14th - I was grateful for my children's sweet spirits and their willingness to share it, being in a class of great kids, and being reminded that I am loved.

Grateful...

Today I am grateful for:

Talented hair dressers. Fabulous finds (for very little $). Neosporin.

Grateful....

Today I am grateful for:

pain killers. baby oil. Campbell's chicken fajita soup.

Grateful....

Today I am grateful for:

hot showers. the privilege to vote. the bug sprayer guy at my door.

Grateful...

November 1st

On this day, I was grateful for:

a safe journey home. portable game players. my pillow.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

My Family

I have been blessed with being busy taking pictures, but this weekend I made time for my own family's pictures to be taken. With a little wardrobe altering and some "how to smile pretty" pep talks, we wandered out into the fall scenery. With  some help from the timer and Jim and Kendrie, we managed to get some nice "hang on the wall worthy" pictures  =)

 

 

New Glasses :)

My handsome little man in his new glasses :) He is so careful with them, he took them off last night at dinner so he wouldn't get any food on them.

I love this boy!