The week in review.

So it’s been a little while since I’ve posted…oops. This past week was the kids’ first week out of school. About half of the kids took a trip up to Glacier National Park, and the other half attended VBS at a local church. I was able to help with VBS, and assisted in the “going into 2^nd grade group”. Two kids from Hutton were in that group, so it was fun to hang out with them. It was also super great to help out with a VBS. I would have really missed doing that, seeing as I’ve been involved in VBS for probably 16 years of my life. The VBS at Millwood reminded me of the one we used to be part of and help with at my Grandma Ross’s church. There were different stations the kids rotated to: skit, games, craft, snack, and music. I’d say there were about 150 kids who attended. It was super fun to see the Hutton kids in their groups and share that experience with them.

Ice Cream to for the last day of VBS.

 Also this week, I opened the pool for the kids. The weather finally got nice! Yay! So we’ve been enjoying the sun and the pool. The pool is really great, once we get the cover off. The cover is such a pain, because if any water is on top of it at all, it doesn’t move! The motor isn’t strong enough to pull the cover and the weight of the water on top, because it is made for an indoor pool- what a pain! The first day the pool was going to be opened, we spent about an hour trying to sweep the water off the cover, and pump it to the side with a portable pump. The water in the pool was also super cold this first week. Most of the kids would jump in the pool for a few minutes, then hop out and lay on the cement to warm up. Hopefully I have time to teach the younger kids lessons! Most of the kids can swim pretty well, but some of the younger ones still need some extra teaching.

I’ve also been preparing for my ‘remedial education program’, which starts tomorrow. I spent time finalizing and actually getting materials to teach the kids. I’ll focus on math, reading, and writing. There is a ‘Learning is Fun’ store which I went to and got some textbooks and other learning materials. It is hard to know what each kid needs, since I haven’t had time to observe them; I’ve just read and heard about their needs. I’m thinking the first week will be a lot of assessments and fun stuff- so I can get to know specific need and so the kids can get excited about coming to class.

HOOPfest.

This weekend was the epic event of Hoopfest- the biggest 3 on 3 basketball tournament in the world! There are over 6,700 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 200,000 players and fans, 428 courts spanning over 40 downtown city blocks! (These stats were pulled from the website, so don’t think I’m exaggerating) Crazy stuff! Alex, Erica, and I took the bus downtown, because parking would be a nightmare! Yes, there were a lot of people there, but I was in a people mood, so it was really fun. Pretty much all downtown was shut down, and half size basketball courts lined the streets. They put basketball hoops back-to-back all the way down streets, parking lots, and pretty much any open cement area. There was a “center court” in the middle of Riverfront Park with grandstands around it, where the college players and good people would play.

Erica and I on the bus.

After spending the afternoon downtown I went to Red Robin with some lovely ladies to celebrate my future roommate Kalli’s birthday! Yay! Happy birthday Kalli! After dinner, we watched ‘Never Say Never’. Watching it with girls this time around was definitely fun.

Bday Dinner for Kalli!

 Oh, and tonight I found a pretty sunset on some random farm road! YES!

Love.

The babies grew up.

This last week I went home for my brother's graduation and to see my mom and sis in the play Annie. (The play was so good- if you haven't seen it, you should!) Visiting home was so great! I got to spend a lot of time with my family and went to a ton of graduation events.

My fav family came to say hi too! =)

I was sooo suprised at how tall my siblings are getting. Renee and Danny are close to as tall as me. When I home I couldn't stop looking at Renee! She grew like 4 inches since I saw her last. She was a super tall skinny string bean! Crazy. Looks like I'll be the shortest sibling. Having conversations with her is also super funny:

(talking about friends at school..)

R: "Don't take this the wrong way, butttt, he's like my slave."

K: "Renee! That's bad!"

R: "But he OBEY'S me!"

Haha. Maybe we shouldn't treat boys like dogs. ;)

(Lindsey, Carley and Renee remind me so much of us, it's crazy!)

But anyway, congratulations to Nathan for graduating Skagit and High School! I am so proud of you and am excited you are going to Whitworth!! Woot Woot!

Yay Nathan!

Also, to the other grads, cogratulations, and I love you guys a ton!

The weather in Oak Harbor was pretty cold, but I still managed to see a few sunsets- pretty much my favorite thing ever! =) I also had a lovely birthday lunch with my grandparents, coffee date with my bro and mom, and croquet adventure with Nate and Renee.

Love.

Favorite. <3

Park day.

Sunday was a day of parks! I went to Manito Park on the South Hill and saw the beautiful flowers! This park is super big, and has a rose garden, Japanese garden, lilac garden...the list goes on. It was sunny and nice out so it was perfect.

Later, I drove to Whitworth and hung out with Julia! It was so fun to see her and hang out. We got some fro-yo, and went to Riverfront park. There were tons of hippies at the park, so it was pretty funny to people watch. The river was also super high, so we walked across the bridge and looked at the water. so pretty.

Later, we went to Hannah's house for dinner and a movie. Its kinda crazy that we're going to friend's houses to hang out. Makes me feel old. We watched Tangled, which is a wonderful movie. Great day off.

Parade time.

On Saturday I went to a community parade that the kids were in. All the cottages were invited to go, but the boys cottages were the ones to attend. The kiddos rode on the back of a flat bed truck along the four block route in the community of Millwood, about 5 min away from Hutton. We had to wait an hour for the parade to start, and it lasted probably 15 or 20 minutes- worth it though. The boys were really excited about the candy to throw to the crowd. The eagerly searched through the candy they were given to throw. One little boy kept eating the pieces saying, "but I couldn't help it!". Once the parade started, we told the boys to TOSS the candy, not THROW. Underhand tosses were encouraged. However, the group of elementary and middle school boys thought it was the most wonderful thing to be able to "toss" candy AT people. The boys would start tossing the candy at a group, then the tosses would get harder and harder. Pretty soon it looked like it was pouring candy from the sky. It was so funny to watch. The people receiving the candy would be excited at first, but then they would turn to ducking to avoid the flailing candy pieces. Don't worry, no one got hurt, and the boys had a ball. The weather was beautiful. We hung out at a park after which had little game booths and prize tables.

One thing I've noticed is that the girls tend to be more accepting right away, but the boys need more time to warm up to me. I've been able to hang out in cottage 3 and 4 more, and the boys are more welcoming towards me now. They started talking to me right when I come in, sharing progress about their grades. I've learned some secret handshakes, played some card games, and attempted to learn Pokémon and chess. The other night I played some basketball, but sucked. Oh well, hopefully they think I'm cool for trying. I've had fun though.

Boredom.

Currently, I am bored. Got off work sooner than expected.
Solution: Making brownies and watching the season finale of America’s Next Top Model.

Also…

To my wonderful sister:

 
You know your birthday is getting close when the milk expires on your bday. Get ready for you special day soon!

Fam visits.

Today my Grandpa and Grandma Ross and Aunt Robin and cousin Julia came to visit me and see where I work! It was great to see them and show them around the place. We explored the parlor, gym, pavilion, pool, greenhouse, one of the cottages, and the music room. Julian especially liked the music room and got to test out an electric guitar! WOO! Grandpa took us out to lunch at Red Robin. Thanks Gramps! He also put some bungee cords to keep my trunk closed, because it doesn’t latch shut.

 I really wish it was sunny though! It has been cold and rainy all day. Yesterday there was a thunder and lightning storm and a torrential downpour! It was crazy. Still it was great to see the fam, and I’m excited to go home for my bros graduation in a few days.  

Highway adventure.

We aint in Oak Town no more.

I’ve accomplished a lot this week. Got my TB test and food handlers permit. Getting my food handlers permit required me to drive downtown! Eeeek! That means taking the highway and not knowing exactly where I would be going! I wasn’t sure if Thumper would make it or not. However, I did survive. At one point, I almost took my exit too soon. I was in the lane almost about to exit, when I realized, NOOO THIS ISN’T THE RIGHT ONE! I quickly slowed down, waiting for some cars to pass so I could merge back into traffic. Ok probably not the best thing, but….it’s about being an aggressive driver…right? Or maybe it’s defensive? Well either way, I’m still alive. I made my exit, and found the place after a couple loops around the block and a desperate phone call to my co-worker. Downtown means paying for parking…what? So lame. I didn’t know how long my test would take, so I paid for 1 ½ hours of parking. My test ended up only taking 15 min. Oops. A little too cautions? Maybe. Oh well, moral of the story: I can drive on the highway and downtown successfully. YES!