Kevin keeps movin' up AND Pottery Queen

Two updates for the week. First, we went to the National Football Foundation banquet again yesterday and it was a lot of fun. Got to visit again with Kyle Wittingham, Lavell Edwards, Ron McBride, Norm Chow and a lot of other great Utah sports mavericks. Kevin loves this sports world and he's perfectly matched with his skills and passions. I am learning to appreciate aspects (the cheesecake was good at dinner). It makes him happy and that's great. They have asked him to be President of the National Football Foundation next year. Great resume builder for Kevin...more cheesecake for me. A win-win.

My pottery came out today and the kiln gods were very good to me. You never know if you are goign to get "butt ugly" or "lovin' stuff" when the glaze is fired. In my case, the kiln loved up the pots and they look beautiful--best batch my teacher has seen. I have reached my goal of making "tall things" and I'm now starting to make more complicated pieces...like bowls that are actually round and don't have holes or cracks in them. Regardless of my skill level, it's my new passion. To look the part, I've got to stop wearing makeup, burn my bras, wear organic cotton clothes, and start recycling. No prob. I was well on my way anyway.

School is out and finals are DONE. I'm like a caged tiger who just got released--leaping and bounding to my next adventure. One whole month for me to brush up flyfishing skills without other distractions. 'Ol Joe has been waiting at Nebo for 6 months to be caught again. Me and my barbless hook and beetle imitation are on our way, Joe.

Easter at the Homestead

I didn't take very many pictures this trip. For starters, any picture I took would have had at least one person fighting with someone else. Family vacation tip--Never try to sleep 7 in the same room. Things got markedly better after we got a second room. Some of my favorite moments were on the water when Kevin and I snuck away for some fly fishing (sans camera). We caught about 8 fish between two very short getaways.

The look on Kev and my faces in most of the pictures are saying, "Is it over yet?" But sometimes, you carry on with traditions no matter what. We had fun reminiscing about years past when the kids still were terrified of the Easter Bunny because he was so big. Now they just think he's a child predator in a fuzzy suit. Here are our noteworthy moments:

1. Playing games on Saturday night
2. Catching 3 fish in the rain completely unexpectedly
3. The seafood buffet at Schneitters
4. The hotel room Easter egg hunt
5. Conversation on the drive home

Looking ahead to the next holiday--June fishing at Little Bighorn with Fritzie!

Egg Coloring Contest

It's that time of the year...pastel colors, warmer weather, Easter egg coloring contests and time to buy a new fishing license (What? That's not what you think of when Easter rolls around?).

We had the extravaganza on Monday night and I must say the competition was stiff. 2 art students, crazy Kayla, an 11 yr old with a 64 color box of crayons and Kevin (a darkhorse candidate who gave us a run).

In the end, we couldn't decide whether Jantzen's true-to-fairy-tale Humpty Dumpty egg, Kevin's "Tessa is HOT" egg, Gentry's multi-colored 70's egg, Kayla's "fat lips" or Tessa's smiley face egg with the glue-on squigly eyes was the real winner. So hard to choose when there is such an abundance of talent. Personally, I liked the "Tessa is HOT" egg.

We are planning our annual getaway to the Homestead for Easter Brunch and swimming in the crater. Should be a blast.

Also, Kayla just finished her Death By Chocolate play where she was the lead. She stole the show with her rendition of a beautiful, flirty, all legs, detective/sleuth. Wait...no wonder. That's not acting. That was just Kayla. She did fantastic.

The semester is winding down. I have gone from making "tall things" to "masterpieces" worthy of giving to my mom. Although I'm no expert, I have at least one piece I would actually show other people. We fire and glaze it next week. After it's showing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it will be available for viewing at the house for a limited time.

We are trying to re-rent our Alpine home after hearing it was the subject of a news report. Our renters had a domestic dispute ending in threatening to shoot a policeman. Yes, after 23 years of "reading people" in HR, I am an excellent judge of character. Just call me if you need to hire a security guard. I know a guy with a gun now.