Swimming Lessons or... There's Something About Mary

So the kids have been taking swimming lessons since we arrived in Utah. I had looked online while we were still in California to try to find them some private or semi-private lessons and first came up with some college kid who wouldn't return any of my emails with questions of where, when and how much? So then I found Mary. And let me tell you... There's something about Mary! She's like 80 years old for one thing. I kind of guessed that she might be old in our 1 and 2 hour phone conversations we had arranging lessons and signing up. She's had like 25 years or more experience teaching swimming and she loves it which is very important. But I guess what is most important is that the kids love to take swimming lessons from her. Even Ruby, who had some fears about swimming lessons, loves it and is doing great dunking her head under water, doing boat floats and even the "chicken dance" (i.e. back float). Jack said, "I really like my new teacher Mary, she isn't anything like my other swimming teachers. They just make you swim and you don't get to have any fun. But Mary has fun songs and games that we can play while swimming and we don't have to work too hard." I don't think that the kids will be expert swimmers by the end of our 16 lessons (or however many we get in before heading to Idaho). But, they will be more comfortable and happy and safe in the water. I'm glad for that.

Here's my top 10 reasons why the South County Swim School is so great.

1. New class times and arrangements are emailed every monday morning between 1 and 3am.

2. Parents are expected to watch every lesson, to cheer for their child, and listen for "important announcements."

3. When it is not your child's swim lesson, they can play in the attached spa. (This is where Ruby has developed her nose bubbles skills!)

4. Songs: "I'm swimming in the rain" with bathcups, "Do the chicken dance," "I'm a little pancake," and "Raindrops keep falling on my head."

5. Option of having back float song sung in English or Spanish.

6. Referring to terms the kids don't have any clue about like: passing the collection plate, sneaking into enemy camps, and other great ones I can't remember right now.

7. No bathroom use allowed. Instead, a five gallon bucket with attached toilet seat is provided along with old grocery bags. Mary: "When your child makes a deposit, please remove the bag tie it up and replace it with a new one, then you can put your deposit in the garbage cans out by the garage."

8. Ruby, after one look at the "toilet" stating that she DID NOT need to go to the bathroom anymore.

9. Giving away small linking plastic shapes as a prize for each lesson and at the same time threatening the children to immediately take them away from the pool because they can ruin the plumbing.

10. Mary.... she is awesome.

Road Trip

I can't believe that tomorrow will mark 1 week since we packed up and left California...for good? Jack and Ruby were great in the car. I don't know if I lucked out and got great road trip travelers or if they have just been well trained on our many drives back and forth between Utah and California. Jack fell asleep fairly soon after we got on the road and Ruby crashed about an hour into the drive after playing quietly with her new pipe cleaner doll "Rapunzel" that her friend Nicole gave her as a departing gift. Thank you Nicole and Heather!! The doll entertained Ruby for practically the whole trip except for the 1.5 hours that it was lost in our overpacked car. I was kicking myself for not taking the time to find it before getting back on the road and we had to make a special stop to find it because Ruby was driving me crazy with complaints that her bottom was itchy, and she was bored, and she needed to get out of her car seat NOW. Once we found the doll, all was well again so THANK YOU for the thoughtful gift.

We stopped at In-n-Out in Auburn and got some cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke for me. I was starting to feel a little tired so we made another stop at Donner pass to pick up Starbursts for Ruby, Mentos for Jack, and No-Doze for me. I was grateful for the caffeine pick-me-up to offset the many late nights of the previous weeks. It made the rest of the trip much more safe and pleasant. Our next stop was in Winnemucca, NV at about 7pm. We couldn't decide on a place to eat dinner on our drive through the middle of town and we had a bathroom emergency so as we neared the end of the civilized town and the end of our options I spotted a car leaving a parking spot in front of a mexican restaurant call Chihuahua's and decided to go for it. The restaurant was empty but the bathroom was clean and to our delight, the food was delicious! Better than any of the fast food chain options we had passed along the road. The kids loved the chips and salsa and their bean and cheese tostadas, and as a special bonus, they got to try on and dance around in a fancy black velvet sombrero.

The kids and I decided to get back on the I80 and drive the extra 2 hours to Elko, NV. Lee checked into hotels for us and booked us a really nice room at the Best Western Gold Country Inn. I knew we had a room with 2 queens but I was pleasantly surprised upon entering our room that the 2nd queen was in an attached separate room with it's own tv. Jack found an appropriate channel for him and Ruby to watch in the morning when they woke up and I got to sleep in an extra hour. It was great! We took our time getting ready and got a delicious breakfast at the attached restaurant before hitting the road again. 4 more hours of driving (the longest of the whole trip) and we arrived at our destination. Jack and Ruby's uncles and cousins were there waiting with balloons and a welcome sign. Thank you family for being so thoughtful and for welcoming us so warmly every time we come into town! It took just a few minutes for everyone to unpack our overloaded van that Lee and I spent at least and hour to carefully load so that we could fit everything.

The rest of the week has gone by rather quickly. I have unpacked. I spent a day changing addresses with all our various subscriptions and accounts (knowing all the time that I will be doing it again in a couple of months.) Jack and Ruby started their swim lessons. They love their swim teacher Mary. She is at least 70 years old and quite a character! I will have to make a separate post for this alone. On Saturday, we drove "all the way" to Orem for a cousins baby shower (3rd baby). And we spent an evening up at the lake boating and swimming and wakeboarding. Here it is Sunday and I'm glad to have nothing to do but go to church, hang out at home, and work on this blog.

It is hard for me to believe that our time at Stanford is officially at an end. It still feels like in a month I will pack up and head back. I guess it will seem more real when we find a place to live and move our belongings into our new home in Idaho (a place I have yet to see). Right now I am trying to have faith that Lee will actually finish soon, that we will find a place to live that's right for us, that things will work out with the kids new school, and that I won't have a nervous breakdown before things settle down again. One week at a time is my plan. I have made it through one week!

This is the beginning...

I have succumbed.... mostly so that I can keep in touch with all the friends we've left behind in California (we miss you already!) I also think it will be a great way for me to record some of my "observashunns" of the day/week. There are many times I think "I should write that down," don't and then forget. I am hoping that this medium will provide a place for me to catalog a few memories for myself as well as keep our friends and family "in the know." I have been highly skeptical about my place in this blogging world so all I can say is I'll give it a try and see how it goes. Note: the attached picture is Monster Mouth Candy Dish, Jack Shunn 9/2007.