May 19th update: A little late I know

We saw Iron Man 3

On Friday, Robyn and I went to see Iron Man 3.  I was disappointed that he wasn't Iron Man as much in this movie, but Robyn really liked that it focused on Tony Stark.  I'm not gonna lie, the army of iron men was the coolest thing ever.

Refinanced The House

We signed the papers to refinance our house this week.  It's gonna save us about 200 dollars a month which is nice.  The weird thing is that we get 1900 dollars back after the refinance.  The finance industry doesn't make sense.  Why don't they just loan me what I need?

Spaghetti Explosion

Robyn had made spaghetti for dinner.  I was trying to clean up and put the food away.  I filled a tupperware with spaghetti sauce and placed it on the counter.  The counter was loaded with lots of crap and I didn't realize how precariously I had placed it.

Naturally, the tupperware went tumbling to the ground.  When it hit the ground it exploded in all directions.  Most of it stayed in the tupperware.  I only lost about 10%.  But I marvelled at how far that 10% was able to travel.  It was all over the floor, the oven, the fridge, the door to the pantry.  I cleaned it up as much as I could, but the refinance guy was on his way and I knew I didn't have time.  I also ran out of paper towels, so I called the job done.

After the refinance guy left, Robyn asked me, "what did you do?"  I just told her the spaghetti sauce attacked me.  Because, let's be honest, that was the truth.

Bree and Sterling (good friends of ours)

Bree and Sterling are moving next week.  (Actually Sterling is staying, but Bree is doing an internship in LA.) Then at the end of the summer, they're moving to Arizona.

We thought it would be fun to go out to dinner with them.  We went to Ginger's Garden Cafe in Springville.  It was really good, and we really enjoyed it.  Right outside was one of the greatest things ever.  We saw this awesome statue of a kid riding a velociraptor.

We had a lot of fun and it was really good to see them.

Weed wacker battle

I fought a great battle with the weed wacker.  It forced me to wear pants.

Note from Robyn:  It has been crazy busy with the end of the school year coming.  I only have 9 teaching days left!  I will become a normal person again when Summer finally arrives.  Until then Jeff will have to do the updating, though his birthday is tomorrow so I may have to post about our epic day.

Adoption/Birth Mother's Day Celebration Walk

Today is Birth Mother's day.  Before we started on this journey I had no idea that they had a day like this.  I think it is a great idea.  Well, the local FSA groups have an annual walk to honor adoption and especially birth mothers.  Jeff and I decided to go to show our support and send a wishful thought into the air during the balloon release.

During the event everyone walks around the track once in honor of or for future birth parents.  Jeff and I each got a balloon and walked around with everyone.  After we finished the track we joined everyone in the middle for the balloon release.  It was so beautiful to see all the colorful balloons being released.  I said a silent prayer for the future birth mother who will become part of our family (in addition to the one I say each day) and let my red balloon fly.

I hope that where ever she is she knows we think about her and pray for her often.  I pray she has people who love and support her.  I hope she finds peace. I hope she is healthy.  I am excited to meet her someday.

My Handy Wife

My wife is very handy.

Anyone that knows me knows that handy is not a word that describes me at all.  So it's good that at least one of us can be described that way.

Robyn's latest project is a very important one, because it will turn into food in the future.

The grow boxes were phase one.  The final phase is a fancy schmancy greenhouse type structure.

Lest you think I didn't participate, I was a big helper.  I drove all the way to Lowe's and helped pick out seeds.  Don't they look delicious?

I also documented the whole process.  Somebody's gotta do it.

Robyn had to hand cut the PVC to build her structures.

She had to screw them in to the sides of the grow boxes

She looks like she's going pole vaulting, but she's just being a good little builder.

Aren't they fabulous little covered wagons?

The little ropes divide up where the different plants go.

Her Dad came in and helped with the planting round.

In our old house, we planted in May and then it snowed the next day.  This greenhouse strategy protects against that problem.  If there is snow or even just frost, it won't hurt our little babies.  Then later in the summer, we just take the plastic off.

She cut holes in the plastic to help the wind pass through.

Look at our cute little plants.

Are you totally impressed with my wife?  I know I am.  If you want to be more impressed, come on over in a couple months and eat some delicious vegetables with us.

I'm a VIP

Most people have to be getting on a plane to get through Airport Security.

I'm not most people.

Most people have to stand in line to get through security.

I'm not most people.

You're probably wondering why I'm so special.  It all comes down to a little song that I used to sing in Elementary School.  The first two lines say it all, "I'm a VIP in my family.  I'm a VIP, you see!"

That should be enough for you, but since you're so needy I'll give you more.

But to explain it I need to back up a bit.

Robyn's parents and her grandma (who is German, and will henceforth be called Oma) were both in town this week.  We've spent lots of quality time together over the last few days, and really enjoyed each other's company.

This afternoon it was time for Oma to fly home.  Robyn and I volunteered to drive her to the airport.

Oma is 93 years old.  She can't walk very far without help.  She has a wheelchair, but it gets a little tricky getting her through security when she's flying by herself.  Someone needs to push her wheelchair, so we usually get an airline employee to escort her through and make sure she gets on the plane okay.

My role was simple.  I drove the car to the airport.  Robyn got out with Oma and helped her get as far as security, and watched her go through.  While all that was happening, I sat in the "Park and Wait" area reading a book.

While Robyn was pushing the wheelchair, she asked Oma to hold her wallet.  (Because her hands were full pushing the wheelchair, and why would she ever have a wallet small enough to fit in her pocket?)

Oma got through security and to her gate safely when she realized that she had an extra wallet.  Luckily, cell phones exist, or else Robyn would have had to wait for her to mail it.

She was able to get a hold of us, but the problem remained, how to get the wallet to us.  Robyn spoke to an airline employee and he said he could print her a temporary pass to get through security.

He asked her, "Do you have id?"

"Well, it's already at the gate."  That presents a problem for getting through security.

"Is there anyone else with you?"  That question is what ruined my peaceful book reading at the Park and Wait.

Robyn called me and told me I was going to go get her wallet from Oma.  I pulled up to the pick up area, and Robyn sat in the car while I ran in.

I found the same employee and told him my wife sent me.

"Is she the one with the grandma?"

"Yes" I said.

He printed me out a nifty spifty little pass that let me get through security.

I asked him if I was going to need to stand in line to get through security.  I was really worried that I wouldn't get there in time and I didn't want Oma to miss her plane.

That's when he told me the secret strategy to avoid a security line.  Apparently, one building over from the regular terminal is the international building.  It has its own security checkpoint.  I ran over to the other building, only to discover that the security checkpoint was closed.   I stood there and whimpered like a cute little puppy dog until a security guru emerged.

I explained my story to him and showed him my nifty little pass.   He agreed to open up the checkpoint just for me.  I still had to empty my pockets and take off my flip flops and everything just like normal.  Then he said,  "We are going to have to give you a full pat down."  I kind of laughed a little bit, then he said, "You think I'm kidding."  I stood there nervously.  I was really concerned about getting there in time, but I wasn't sure if he was joking.  Luckily he said, "I'm just kidding, go on through."

I ran like the wind.  (If the wind could run, it would run like I ran.)  I got to the gate and there were only about 15 billion people standing there waiting to get on the plane.  I had to swim through a sea of people, but finally I located Oma, got the wallet, thanked her and called Robyn to let her know the mission was a success.

After that I walked leisurely back to the car.  I made sure to stand, not walk, on the moving sidewalk.  I had had enough rushing for the day.

Robyn said I was her hero.  Not only am I a VIP, but I'm a hero.  And that's a pretty good thing to be.