Looking Forward to the Summer

With tomorrow being our last day of golf for the spring session, I realized that I  hadn't gotten Elijah signed up for the summer session.  Then I began to think about what we would be doing and wondered if we would even have time for it.

First of all, life is going on.  Just the everyday activities are expanded in the summer.  There is the extra added work of a garden and lawn care.  The fruits of the garden (and hopefully there will be many this year) will have to be preserved in one form or another.  This usually takes a great deal of time.   School work does ease up a bit, but since we school year round, it never really stops.  There will be summer reading programs, more field trips, and maybe an extra class or two.  Doesn't sound much like a slowdown does it?  We are cutting baseball but may add swimming.  Not just the regular swim lessons, but we may look for an actual team as well.  I think Elijah may be built for it, long and lean.
Next we are looking forward to our new tradition of heading off to the mountains to camp.  We had such a great time last year when we went.  I expect to be in much better shape this year as well, so it should be more fun.  I don't think we will be able to get in two trips again, but we are thinking that hitting Angel Fire and their new zip line will be a great addition to our trip!

Then there is PYC.  I don't have a camper going and haven't for a few years.  What I have done for the last several years is laundry.  That may not sound all that exciting, but it is always a nice time with the ladies and since most of us seem to have little boys, I think they have a lot of fun too.  This year there may be a shortage of regular camp workers because there are many (at least we are hoping) heading off to Jerusalem.  So, I applied to be a regular camp worker.  I am still waiting to hear about that.  If accepted, that will make things a bit busier.  At least Elijah is old enough to help Jeff out and go with him if necessary.  Depending on where I would be needed, he may also be able to come with me.  If I end up with laundry again, he'll just go with me as usual.

Then at some point during the summer there is the trip to Elk City to see my mom.   I would also love to head down to Possum Kingdom where my family spent a several cummer trips.  I haven't been there in years and would love to go camping and fishing down there.  Maybe even get is some time with my cousins who still live in the area.

In spite of the busyness (spell check says it is correct at least) of summer, I think we can work in First Tee and only miss one lesson.  They don't begin until June 13th, and since May seems to be busiest on Sundays with Mother's Day, a wedding, Tabitha's graduation, our anniversary and a holy day.  Oh, and NBA playoffs and Memorial Day.  Now, how many would he miss in the fall session?

Pomegranate Deseeder

It really worked. It may be better than the mango splitter. Why can’t I think these things up?  And yes, I had pomegranates still in the fridge.  They are waaaay out of season right now, but they keep surprsingly well.  I am making grenadine as we speak.

Land Run Fun!

Yesterday was the 123rd anniversary of the very first Oklahoma Land Run.  We spent the day celebrating with the students of Imperial Academy.  In13  the years that I spent in Oklahoma public schools and the 4 that Tabitha spent in them, we had never done this.  It was a lot of fun.  Here is a brief history of  what the land runs were all about.

Then

Now

"April 22 was Oklahoma Day! Previously known as 89ers Day or Land Run Day, it marks the date in 1889 when the Oklahoma Territory opened for settlement. For those who didn't grow up in Oklahoma, Boomers were those souls who waited until the BOOM of the cannon at high noon to set off and stake their homestead. Sooners didn't see a reason to wait and chance losing the prime lands, so they hid out and staked their property a little SOONER than legal." (Yes, the University of Oklahoma has named their sporting teams for a bunch of cheaters.  That's my own bit of info there.)

"There were actually seven land runs in Oklahoma. April 22, 1889, the first land run began at high noon and involved the settlement of the Unassigned Lands. In September 1891 there were three land runs to settle Iowa, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie, and Shawnee lands; County B, later renamed as Pottawatomie County; and County A, later renamed as Lincoln County. On April 19, 1892, a run settled the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands. On Sept. 16, 1893 the largest land run in U.S. history opened nearly 7,000,000 acres of land purchased from the Cherokees for $7,000,000. The final land run was held May 23, 1895 to settle the Kickapoo lands." -events.oucpm.org  (Part of the deal with the runs was that you had to make improvements in the land that you were given.  You had a certain length of time in which to do it.  If you did then the land was yours free and clear.)


After they all staked their claims, we were treated to live music and a great potluck.  Then the kids could put up their tents if they brought them. The main stakes Elijah had for his were too blunt to go into the ground, so we made a tent today as part of our history lesson. He is planning on sleeping in it.  We'll see how that goes. 

They also has games and activities for everyone to enjoy including stilts, wagon races, and bread making

Tractor ride bandit

Tabitha

He's not very happy.  He jumped off of his bike and the handle bar jammed into his ribs.

.

Sharing with his friend.

2012 Snowboarding

Finally have a moment to breathe since our trip. We normally just head to Sipapu. This time they only had a room available for part of the time we had set aside, so we went to Angel Fire for a day.

Angel Fire is a nice resort. This was our first time there and we enjoyed it. It is much longer than Sipapu. I only made one run. It's all my poor legs could take.

No one broke anything and everyone managed to stay conscious. This made a good trip even better! Here are a few pics from our day in Angel Fire.

Not sure about this pic.  I think I was trying to get video.  Elijah learned to go from heel to toe this year!  That just leaves me to learn it.

The view from Summit cafe at Angel Fire

Taos Ski Valley in the background

Finally made it down.

We decided to take the long way home this time.  It actually wasn't any longer or any slower but it was a nice change of scenery.  A portion of one of the highways we took was actually a one lane dirt road.  Yes, it was actually a highway.  NM 120 to be exact.  Then we came to the Canadian River.  Here is Oklahoma it is a wide and shallow river for the most part with sandy banks.  Not in this part of New Mexico.  It has created a canyon.  It was a pretty interesting site and we got a few pictures there.  After that it was just varying landscapes that we had not seen before.  We stopped at Ute Lake briefly.  We may camp there for a night this summer.  We followed the rain most of the way home.  We finally caught up to it about Weatherford.  Lovely rainbow greeted us there.

Good bye Angel Fire

Some fatted calves

the road (highway) less traveled

Canadian River Canyon

Again

One end of the rainbow...

...and the other.

Jeff and Elijah in the canyon.  No, really.



The Wait is Over!

Today the AC sophomores found out if they are staying for 2 more years or not.  Tabitha is!!!  I had to pick her up for a shopping run and she came running out to the car war, slung open the door and tearfully exclaimed, "I'm re-accepted!".  I am so very proud of her.  She has worked so hard to get to where she is but she was very unsure of what would happen with her reapplication.  I'm glad they all know and no longer have to wait.  For those going home, i know they will do well if they apply all they have learned while here for the last two years.  I wish them all the best and remember you can always reapply if you want to.  To those of you who are continuing at AC, I am proud of all of you!  Keep up the hard work and keep your focus. 

Congrats to all!!

New Blog

For those of you who don't follow near enough blogs, here is another one. I have decided to keep a seperate blog for my Paleo stuff. I think it will be easier for me to keep track of what is going on with my challenge and the results. I'll post recipes, info, and tips. If you want to follow along, here is the link:

http://practicallypleasingpaleo.blogspot.com/

Sweet and Sour Sauce

I love teriyaki sauce on my stir fry, but since it is soy, it is a no-no on the Paleo diet.  Here is a very easy substitute.

Citrus Sweet and Sour
juice from 1 each
lemon
lime
grapefruit (pink, from Texas of course)
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp granulated garlic

Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer and reduce to desired consistency.

Yesterday did not go so well.  My blood sugar was low, too low, all day. (I don't think cavemen used insulin, so they didn't have to bring their blood sugars back up.)  I drank several ginger ales, ate sugary snacks like they were, well, candy.  Then we went to the Thunder/Lakers game and it dropped twice while we were there.  That.'s after eating a meal at home before going and another at Toby Keith's (it got low there too).  So I finally said the heck with it yesterday and just ate whatever and let me tell you, the baked potato with sour cream and butter and cheese was awesome and it wasn't even that great of a potato.  The few bites of Jeff's chicken fried steak were good too!  Feeling much better today.  Not sure what the deal was, but hoping it doesn't happen again.