He're headed to the north of Salt Lake. I'm excited yet worried. The laws there are much different than those in TX.

We found a house and made an offer on it. I hope it goes through. 

Blogging has been tough for me. I want to try to get back into it... and may favorite homeschooling message board. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

I've taken so long between entries.

School:
Colton started taking 2 classes at the college in Aug. He took Speech and Government and earned "B's" in both. Not bad for a 15yo! He will be gradutating this spring.

Gavin is working on 4th grade. He has his good days and bad days.  He loves history but hates math. Everything else is in between (well, writing is right in there with math. lol). 

Cub Scouts: I changed packs due to a difference in opinion in regards to scouting principles: quantity vs. quality. I choose to have a quality den program rather than have a lot of boys.  So I ended up leaving and part of my den went with me. I'm much less stressed, and the old pack still had to find another den leader.

Boy Scouts: Colton is preparing to turn in his Eagle scout application and have his scoutmaster's conference so he can have his board of review.  He is also planning to work at summer camp this year. It should be interesting!

We got home last night at about 9:30pm. We had got up early and got on the road so we could drive all the way home in one day.  All I can say about this trip is that we had a huge amount of divine intervention.

We almost had to leave Colton home to attend classes at the college because they were originally going to have the funeral on Monday. His first two classes were Mon. and Wed. and he couldn't miss the first 2 without having problems. The funeral was rescheduled for Thursday.

Colton went to class on Monday and talked to his instructors and they gave him his assignments for Wed. so he could miss.

He had a dr. appt scheduled for Thurs., and that office graciously rescheduled for Monday 3:30, right after Colton's classes let out. By the time we got out at the dr. and got gas and something to eat, it was 5pm before we managed to head out.  We drove until 10:45 and got a motel room. The next morning we got up and headed out again. We arived at teh funeral home on Tuesday at about 7pm for visitation.  I was able to spend that evening and all of the next day at the funeral home with my mom. The funeral was Thursday, and went very well. We'll all miss grandma, but it was definitely her time to go. She was almost 91 and had alzheimers for the last couple of years. I think most of us had already mourned her while she was alive and no longer herself. Every time I thought I might cry, I remembered her saying, "now don't you go cryin over me when I'm dead." She was always stern when she said it, and I know she meant it.  Every time I did cry it was either when someone else was just sobbing or when I remembered something wonderful about her and knew there would be no more good memories- and I miss will that.

The funeral director was awesome- especially with Gavin. Gavin made friends with the guy and asked all sorts of questions. All of his questions were answered the same way they would have been if I had asked. He spoke to Gavin like a regular person, not a child. When they were taking Grandma out of the funeral home, he called the pallbearers up, and Gavin stepped right up (he wasn't supposed to). The director didn't shoo him away, but put him on the end of the casket and helped him be part of it. Then he did the same at the cemetery. When I thanked him afterward, he said that it was nothing and that Gavin was his *buddy*.  It didn't end there. There is a policy that they don't lower the casket and cover it until the family is gone. Gavin wasn't about to leave and was asking about how the equipment worked (I was talking to relatives and hadn't caught that part). The guy came up to me and my mom and asked if they could lower the casket so Gavin could see (and, "no, we don't normanlly do this."). He had to ask everyone that was still there talking if he could do that part. Everyone said yes. Some left immediately, some watched for a while then left. We were there until several shovels of dirt were put in.  When we got back to the funeral home to pick up the last of the stuff that was left behind, they let Gavin go into the *downstairs* to see. It was basically a storage area, but they were supportive of his curiosity.  I had earlier explained about us homescholing (Gavin had already let him in on that, though. *lol*) and told him about when we studied Egypt and mummified a cornish hen, so he understood Gavin's interest. He definitely put out a good front for HSing!

Ok, we've managed to get a lot done in the house. I'm very grateful to have a functioning kitchen, and books unpacked so I can plan for next year. whew. I still have a lot of odds and ends to sort through before my mom arrives on July 12th, but it is definitely doable.

Gavin has been helpful with getting stuff taken care of. He has found Animal Planet, and is excited about the next episode of Meerkat Manor. Sheesh they make a soap opera about animals, and he's hooked after watching it once. *lol*

DH and Colton are still at Philmont. Hopefully they are havbing a great bonding experience.

Derek is doing OK... life is really rough for him, so all prayers for him, the other marines and soldiers, and innocent civilians are appreciated.

Wow! It sure has been a long time since I managed to write here.

Homeschooling is wrapping up for the summer. Colton is down to just math, and Gavin is working on a handful of odds and ends before we call it summer break.

Gavin enjoyed camping TWICE; once in April, and once in May. He's a lot of fun to camp with.

Colton finished his Eagle scout project. He built a footbridge in a nature reserve area on Fort Hood.  He put handrails on a bridge that was built by someone else, and got his bridge done- except the handrails. He'll be doing them next week so he can have closure on the project.

I'm working on day camp now. We should have a good time this year! I'll be so glad when it is done, though. I'll be running the archery range during camp, so I'm not stuck in the administration area.

I am sooo looking forward to camping with Gavin this weekend. I always love to see how excited he gets on campouts. He made a list of camping needs this morning, and we talked about what he had forgotten (rain gear is a biggie in TX this time of year! *lol*).  We have our gear in the car already, and all we have left is putting our clothes into a bag so we can leave early in the morning.

A friend from another pack will be there, so I will have someone to hang out with, and Gavin will have a new friend. I think the boys have met once. Well, their parents have been on so many scouting committees together that the boys will hopefully find something in common.

Chuck and Colton will be doing something with Colton's troop tomorrow, so at least they have something to do.

I think I may be able to live with this template. I have little cups that have the same face on them, How funny is that? *lol* Colton says that I don't have ones that are exactly the same, but I can't prove him wrong until I find all of the kitchen stuff that is packed in the garage. It is still stored while we remodel this place. 

Derek called this morning- 4 times. He stood in line twice to call. Our connection was lost twice, too. He said that a mortar hit fairly close. Aparently it was close enough to shake the building, but not close enough to bother him. hmmm...

I was reading Kris's weblog and told myself that I have to get one for myself, so here it is.