Home sweet crazy home

So we are all finally back in the same house. As much as I didn't want to leave and come back to the humidity it did feel good to be home with the family. As most of you know it was a roller coaster ride yesterday. Kirk was taken from Philmont to the hospital by ambulance in New Mexico. He called me at 5 am at say "I'm in a ambulance, it's not my heart, call Matt no one knows where I am going". So I called my friend whose husband was there as well and he arrived in time to see the ambulance pull away. After a very long and stressful wait while they ran tests it was diagnosed as a horrible ulcer flair up. He has fought his ulcers for years and this is the worst he's had. They really thought it might be his gallbladder. I was trying to figure out how to get my kids home from Seattle and me to New Mexico if he needed surgery. Luckily he was released in time to race the 4 hours to the airport and barely made being wheel chaired onto the flight with Matt and the other scouts. Both of our planes circled ATL for about 30 minutes due to lightening storms. Our plane finally got to land while Kirk and Matts was diverted to another airport for gas. They didn't get in until almost 12:30 which luckily for us only felt like 9:30. SO here we are, the kids are still asleep at 11am and Kirk is elevated on the couch dealing with the pain. Fun times for all!

No place like here, rather be here than home

Its going to be very hard to get me back home to Georgia I'm afraid. I spent the morning running 4.2 miles on trails that looked like Edward or Jacob might be hiding behind any tree, eating almost ripe blackberries... I won't be here for them to be right so I simply had to eat a few unripe ones to say I had! Then we spent the afternoon walking 2.5 miles through a mountain to twin falls waterfall, which was by the way gorgeous. Then after a fabulous dinner at home, I drove the kids to the corner park where they climbed on the neighborhood rock wall. I think it would take years to see all the wonderful things there are to do here in Seattle. we've done the beach, rode the ferry bainsbridge island where I ate the best clam chowder in the world. We went to the zoo which was beautiful and fun, and while in the tropical exhibit felt like we were home again. All in all it's been amazing and beautiful. I'm going to need some serious pushing to get on the plane and some serious help keeping me home once I'm there because I love the northwest.

Connors first 5 mile race

We had the first ever Clark family reunion fun run. Aj and Elle both ran the 1 miler and AJ finished first over all! Connor and I both ran the 5 miler and it was awesome! I am so proud of Connor! We ran on a path right along the Spokane river, it was gorgeous! We had hand stamped medals for everyone.

Polar Bear Club

We froze ourselves trying to swim in Couer D'lane lake. We hear the water was a balmy 52 degrees! I'm posting this from my phone, so we'll see how it looks!

Hair trials

I have been so absolutely crazy this last few days, packing Kirk and Matt for two weeks at Philmont and getting the other kids and I packed for a visit to my parents, babysitting nieces and nephews, you know busy stuff. But I have hated my hair for weeks. I couldn't go see people I love with this cut. I have tried and tried to style it and like it, to no avail. Of course I decided that I absolutely couldn't live with it on Monday night and I leave Wed. So not a lot of room to work with. I found someone who could fit me in and was highly recommended. Here is what I have to say, it's a very well done haircut, it's sassy, I no longer look like Ramona the great. However I have almost no hair left. I'm not kidding, it is so short. I told her I wanted to keep as much length up front as possible, and I think there are maybe 15 hairs on both sides that are still that length. I've always joked with Kirk that when he dies I'm going to have short hair, because who cares. So have I jinxed his trip by getting the widow haircut the day he goes?? Give me some time to work up to getting a picture.

Temple trip

I took the youth on a temple trip to Birmingham this last weekend which was so fun. It's about a 3.5 hour drive there and then back again of course so it makes for a long day. I was worried about Connor going so soon after surgery so he rode with me, I don't think it was the most interesting car ride for a 12 yr old boy. @ girls that like him a lot rode in my back seat but they both slept most of the way. It was Connors first time doing Baptisms for the dead and I was able to sit in the room and watch him. He had such a glow about his face and he was very peaceful. As you can see he is now 5.3 almost to the 5.4, it's amazing to have these wonderful tall boys! As I was walking the YW in the temple worker was going over our list and he kept saying someone was missing on the list and the Bishop and I couldn't figure out who he was talking about, yah it was me. He couldn't figure out where my name was, so I showed him my recommend and explained I am a leader. Then I walked the girls into the baptistery and the worker asked what size jumpsuit I am, I said I Don't think I need one do I? She gave me a blank look and I said Oh I'm one of the leaders. She laughed and thought it was so funny she thought I was a kid. Then I went over to go in the women's dressing room and another worker stopped me and said I was supposed to stay with the leaders in the baptistery and I held up my recommend and said I'm a leader so she let me through. It was funny and I guess flattering, but what I really think, is I NEED A NEW HAIRCUT! I look like I have a 12 yr old haircut. People can't look past my hair to realize I look like I am going to be 36 in 3 weeks!!

Fathers day card

Maybe you can't see this well but it made me laugh. It's the card Elle made for Kirk for fathers day. He got it early since he and Matt will be at Philmont for fathers day. It says, " Happy Fathers Day, He's as handsome as Justin Beiber, He's as smart as Mrs Ledford (her first grade teacher) He's as tall as a giraffe, He's as funny as Mrs Ledford, Hr's as happy as Mrs Ledford, He's strong as a car, he's as hungry as a giraffe, he's nice as Mrs Ledford." I hope Mrs Ledford got a huge kick out of it!! Justin Beiber HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

comments wanted

OK so my oldest son who is 14.5 going on 21 has a girlfriend. He wants to hang out with her a lot. Is he allowed to hang out at her house if her mom is there? Can he go to a movie with her and her parents? Can he walk around outdoor mall with her and a bunch of friends? This isn't as concrete as I thought it would be!

Update. Stardate 6/02 3rd day of summer, how long can it contiune?

Well new day, same dishes to do, same laundry, same kids asking what we are doing while another lays on the couch in pain. Poor kid. He says it feels weird to have wires going into the top of his mouth, I think I would feel the same. I looked once yesterday but haven't been able to take a real good look, just checking for bleeding and swelling. I get a sick clenching in my stomach when I actually think about it. He wants to watch the Disney shorts movie, I've only seen that at barnes and noble for $30, any cheaper options?

Connor's surgery

I couldn't sleep last night with Connors surgery this morning and everything I needed to do. So I got up at 6 and ran my neighborhood twice which I thought was 4 miles but I just drove and it's only 3 so I'm a bit bummed, but it was still a good run. It was so humid even at 6 am that I was sweaty and gross so I had a shower and unloaded the dishwasher and then got Connor up and took him to his surgery. Everything went really well, I was worried because they had to put him out intravenously which he wasn't thrilled with. But they gave him laughing gas so he didn't protest the needle too much and then I had to leave. It was sad seeing my baby in the surgical chair!! Not my little baby, he is now about 5'3 which is so cute! They do the procedure different than when I had it done, rather than just cutting a hole around the tooth, they open up a hole like a door stick a bracket on it and then attach that bracket to his braces wire and then close the top back up. So then the wire pulls the tooth underneath until it gets into place and then it comes through like a new tooth. Sound odd? It does to me to. But I guess it's the best way from what I'm told. Hopefully it will stay in place unlike mine!! He is resting well on lots of Tylenol and several boxes of Popsicles, we'll see how it goes as the day progresses. About 30 minutes after I got home I had yw presidency meeting here, so it was a crazy morning and I'm sure I will hit a wall about 2, but it was all worth it! Darn if I had just gotten in that extra mile I would feel even better!!