Becoming a Spartan without BEING a Spartan

A beautiful moment caught by Kenna while we waited outside at music lessons. 

I started this post months ago...and have only just found time to publish it. I have a lot of unfinished posts...we'll see how many I can finish....

Fall has truly been a whirlwind. As I write this the beautiful fall leaves are flying madly in what seems to be one last glorious sunny day of fall before the cold really hits, but I've yet to be sure as each new season for us here in Michigan is an adventure, even more so as everyone tells us, the dry warmth is all but normal.

The weather has seemed to reflect perfectly what I've gone through the last few months, sorting, shifting, blowing around seemingly aimlessly, assessing and reassessing, settling in, all in preparation for a change of season, a season that may not be typical or ever happen again.

I started 2 evening classes at Michigan State the last week of August while Clint was away in Seattle finishing up his 3-year Pacific Coast Banking School program. This came after just moving in to our new home 2 days before Clint left for 3 weeks. It was also about a year since all of our ideas about moving to Michigan began in the first place, when Clint was first approached by a headhunter to apply for his position here. In other words, we had been unsettled for a year and I was ready to start being settled! Moving so close to Clint's time away and not much before I started diving into my studies again wasn't ideal for me, but I thought I could just jump in and deal with it. I had done the very same thing a year ago, starting the Anatomy & Physiology series and Microbiology at North Idaho College while Clint was away at PCBS, AND interviewing for MSUFCU. I had done it before, and this time, even though I was taking A&P yet AGAIN (I couldn't complete the 2nd semester of the series and the courses are set up separately at MSU), I was determined to dive in and do my best--a huge part of us moving here was to give me more educational opportunities so I can just complete SOME sort of nursing/health professions program already!

Along with juggling all the kiddos on my own, who also all started their number of activities each afternoon--soccer and swimming every day, music lessons once a week, and gymnastics sprinkled in--I still hadn't completely unpacked but figured that could come in time (and Clint could tackle some of it). Our rental during our home construction left many of our things coated with a nice layer of mold--unpacking what few belongings we had left from Idaho was just not fun or easy. Thankfully we stored most of them in a trailer. Unpacking and completely settling in was the least of my worries. The day to day juggle of which kiddo was going where and how each of them would get there and what they would eat (let alone when any of us would eat) took just about as much study as my physiology reading for the day. What I didn't account for were the extra activities thrown in--we LOVE our schools here, but part of what makes them great is all the parent involvement and connection with the teachers. Even more unexpected was just how many emails I was answering on a daily basis to work out the kids' afterschool activity calendar (soccer, especially!). On top of that Clint's calendar began to fill up with evening work events. The calendar soon became my worst enemy. The best solution: eliminate MY calendar.

So I dropped my classes at MSU. The 2 classes I spent most of the summer fighting to add to my schedule, being so low on the totem pole as a new transfer student. The 2 classes that I HAD to take THIS semester if I was going to apply to the 2013 nursing program--otherwise I would have to wait an entire year with NOTHING to do here until I could apply in 2014. The 2 classes, I have to add, that were only available evenings for me, hence my afterschool dilemmas. Most importantly, the LAST 2 classes I had been waiting 10 years to take so I can apply yet again to a nursing program and hope to actually complete it since I had reached that long-awaited bittersweet time, when my youngest little monkey was finally in first grade.

I knew I didn't have an option--many afternoons neither Clint or I were here to make sure the kids ate, safely rode their bikes to practice and back, do homework, let alone just connect with them after their own busy days as relatively new kids at school here. Not to mention that with all the scheduling, rescheduling, meal prep, final house construction fixes, etc. I wasn't getting much studying done. What really clinched it was when we signed on our house and discovered a big reason why our schools are just so awesome, we pay for it with taxes that just about equal sending all our kiddos to private school. That extra tax surprise also happened to suck up my own school budget. So it made sense to drop and put the family first. It felt right. Before I clicked that final button: "Yes, I'm sure I want to drop all my Fall Semester Classes and Withdraw from the University" I thought I would be able to regroup just fine and find something else to keep me busy--after 3 tries to update my prerequisites nursing obviously just wasn't in my cards, as the last few weeks events seemed to be shouting at me. But clicking that "Yes" ripped my heart right out of me.

Before I go on about myself, I LOVE my family, I LOVE being a mom (most of the time) and both are the greatest honor and blessing in my life. However, I have had this determination since I was a kid to keep my brain going and something in medicine seemed the way to do it (after discovering being an astronaut required joining the Air Force--not appealing to me). First I was hard set on med-school, but soon realized I also wanted a family and, for me, the two were incompatible. Then I thought the Physician Assistant route would be a great option, but marriage and kids took over and the only available programs were too far away and too pricey. The slower route to Nurse Practitioner seemed an ideal option to reach a mid-level practice.

My family life has taken first priority, and it's had a long and ever changing path since first graduating with my Bachelor's while Taylor was in my arms as a baby, but that was okay as being a mother and wife will always come first. I've had many starts and stops along the path to N.P., taking a few nursing pre-requisites in California while Mia was just a baby, then on to a BSN program at Sac State. I was on a roll there until I met my amazing husband and best friend, Clint, deciding after only one semester that the best choice for me and our new soon-to-be family would be to quit, move to Idaho, get married, and focus on our family of toddlers and preschoolers, ages 2, 2, 4 and 4. Needless to say family was my only focus for the next few years, if you could say I was able to focus at all through the endless laundry and story reading. Somewhere in that time I started a few more nursing pre-requisites in Idaho, ready to start from scratch again to meet North Idaho College's nursing requirements. With more kids in tow and a more competitive program, I had a slower time completing the courses, but was just about there last fall, needing only to complete one more course before applying and likely having a sure spot in the 2012 program. I would be there now if we didn't feel the need to move AGAIN, this time across the country to Michigan. Scholastically I thought it would be a smart move, with more options here, and a few Nurse Practitioner programs close by to choose from. I was especially excited about the University of Michigan's Nurse Midwifery/Family Practice program.

As always, things don't happen just as we plan, but in the end, I know it's for the better. As extremely difficult and low this fall was for me, I think I am in a much better spot now, and more importantly, I have learned ooooh so many lessons about myself and my role in this world. I think I've also worked out a much better schooling and career path, as well. In a hasty decision to pick up a job to keep me busy, I started work at a Dialysis clinic. In doing so I came in contact with a Physician Assistant and was inspired to try that route again. With my healthcare experience, now, and way back when I first started nursing school in California, I should be able to apply just fine to a PA program and meet my career goals much more quickly than through the nursing route. I have no delusions, there will likely be many changes along the way, but for now I am content with where I am and where we are at as a family along the road ahead. In the meantime, we continue to figure out this funny land we are in, full of serious school and sport team pride. It's taking some time, but I think we're getting there.

2012 Trip West: Day 2, Devils Lake Wisconsin

 I had all intentions to keep this blog going through the trip, but fatigue, lack of good data access, and most importantly, time spent having fun, took priority. So I'll start a month later and see what I can remember...

We all had a restful night at Nordic Pines, a little campground at Devils Lake State Park in Wisconsin. Surprisingly I felt more rested there than I had in weeks, I really do love my sleeping bag!

I escaped for a little run through the park while the kids had breakfast. It felt amazing to run on a rocky trail again, even if it was for a short bit. I couldn't wait to show the kids the neat purple-colored boulders lining Devils Lake. I had to peel them away from their second breakfast of black raspberries, first! I think we all felt a little more at home here, getting outside again and just enjoying the start of our adventure. We had lunch on the boulders by the lake, before hopping in the car again for the 4-5 hour drive to Minneapolis. 

Driving through a city again pretty much convinced the kids that city life is NOT for them. And I thought I did pretty good navigating our big blue bus through the city interchanges! We rolled into my friend, Gina's neighborhood late in the evening. She lives on a quiet little street just off a main highway, so when we turned in and slowed down pretty quick, Addy got hit with a wave of motion sickness. Addy announced her sickness mid-turn around to pull in front of Gina's house--the rest of us quickly demanded that she get out fast! None of us wanted to see, let alone smell, puke so early in our trip! Addy jumped out and let the fresh air do its magic while I finished turning that big bus around. I caught a glimpse of Gina's neighbor looking out the window, obviously wondering what in the world we were doing. Having 6 of us plus a dog and all our gear pile out next seemed to make him wonder even more, then invading Gina's house while she was still at work likely only topped it off. There we were! Ready to stay and enjoy our friends for a few days. I still wonder why he didn't call someone when I then left the kids there to stretch their legs while I took off to pick up Gina from the airport.

It was so nice to spend time with Gina and her sweet girls. How Gina keeps up with everything, including being an incredibly dedicated (and fast!) triathlete boggles me. I feel like I have our kiddos in a pretty self-sufficient spot, allowing me to get out for an hour or two each day, but even so I lack the energy to really push myself like Gina can in that time, what an inspiration! The kids and I enjoyed some time keeping up with Gina's busy girls, including some time at the park and reading lots of books. I was so impressed with both Mia and Kenna for being especially sweet with them.

Leaving Minnesota for North Dakota felt like leaving again for the first time--I had to build up my courage a bit to tackle that big unknown expanse of road on my own. Fargo, North Dakota and it's famed recent boom-town status from oil production was calling me. I thought it might be kind of neat to show the kids a town that might be in the middle of its most historic moment. Unfortunately I chose the wrong side of the Red River to stop for lunch. We found a park with great potential, it just seemed the local pot dealers had already discovered that. We were safe, but we didn't stay long. Instead we moved on to a monster Scheels sports to load up on last minute vital camping gear--a cooking pot. The one thing I forgot to pack. That place is pretty crazy, makes for good free entertainment along the road. Stuffed game, amusement rides and games, an
d historical wax figurines--all surrounded by every bit of outdoor gear imaginable. Hmmmm....strangely very American. I managed to play tourist mom and get this shot of the kids, to remember it.

4-20-2012 Taylor's Spring Getaway

Wow, it's almost two months and I am just  posting this! I guess in order to get away I had to play a little catch up, then spring sports, then I thought I might as well dive into dentist and other fun appointments...then the end of school rush and beautiful weather pulling us outside. I had even hoped to finish before Taylor's big 13th birthday, but didn't quite  finish for that, either. I've got to jot my thoughts down about our fantastic getaway to Florida before it escapes me completely.

This year was Taylor's turn to choose a spring getaway with mom. I'll explain more about our spring getaways when I catch up on a post about Addy's trip last year to San Diego. Taylor already knew where she was headed--Florida, to swim with Manatees. She's been dreaming of that for a few years now ever since learning about how they are endangered. Now that we've moved East, Florida fit a lot better into the set budget we give to each of the kiddos for their one-on-one getaway. So Tampa, Florida, it was, and Taylor's only hope was to see the Manatees and just hang out on the beach. Easy enough. Part of the fun was working with her on choosing a hotel and figuring out all that we could fit in 4 days without going too over budget. We found a somewhat beach-front hotel not far from the airport, which was key as I would be renting a car and I'm not the best at navigating new areas, as much as I love to study maps. I was a little more wary about Florida in general compared to the west, just seemed like it would be more crowded or foreign, or both.

Despite discovering Spirit Airlines is cheap for a reason ($40 per carry-on bag?!), having a 2-hour delayed flight, and being pulled over by a tourist-hungry cop just outside the terminal for my lights not being on in a brightly lit airport parking area just after I pulled out with the car, we made it without overly-frazzled nerves and felt right at home at our hotel. Oh, and I might add it also took an extra 45 minutes to figure out how to pull into the hotel from the highway, but we worked that out as well. All that was long-forgotten when we walked out to this view in the morning:
 

Then after grabbing some breakfast foods and beach essentials, and a few more wrong turns, we drove up the beach-front roads in search of a good beach to grab some sun and relax. I never realized Florida beaches were so covered in shells--teeny tiny ones, and not so teeny tiny ones, in all sorts of shapes and colors. Made me wish we had all the kiddos there to enjoy it.

 

 Instead I just reveled in the quiet one-on-one time I had with my beautiful soon-to-be teen. Nothing like enjoying sweet berries on a warm spring day on the beach. We eked out all the sun we could get, and took in another beach in Clearwater, before escaping back to the hotel for the evening. We knew that first day might be our only chance at good sun and warmth, with the start of hurricane season only a few weeks away, so we took in as much beach time as possible.

Day two of our trip we hit the mall, knowing a good downpour was on it's way. And what the downpour! We stayed at the mall an extra hour just to avoid being overly drenched on our way to the car. We ended up only half-way drenched, but made out with some good finds! I'm not sure which Taylor enjoyed more, time at the beach or time at the mall without siblings in tow, both rare occurances.

Day 3 was Taylor's dream come true, and mine, as our tour to swim with manatees in the Crystal River turned out to be perfect. Look at that grin!  

 

 

Then the rest of our free-time, we just hung out and enjoyed the views together, and the quiet!

 

 

 

Our New Home is Complete

It's been so much of a whirlwind making final choices on the home, fitting in summer activities, and packing that I can hardly remember all that has gone on the past few weeks. What I do know is I'm sitting in a cozy bed with a view of deep green blueberry bushes stretching down the horizon as the sun rises just to the east and am enjoying the quiet of this new beautiful home. All that is missing is Clint--we had 2-3 days to move before I rushed him off to the airport. He'll be at a conference in San Diego for a week, then head north to Seattle to complete his Pacific Coast Banking School program he has been working on for 3 years. I'm sad I won't be there to see him graduate, even if it's not a big deal to him. I have more than enough to do here, though, a lot of it is still piled in the garage and stashed all over the garage. It will get there. For now I am just so incredibly grateful for the space and the beauty we get to enjoy for at least the next 10 years as we raise our fun family.

Here are a few pics I snapped with my phone--hoping this works, as we don't have our Internet connection yet and I'm doing this all off my phone (thus te funny order of the pics).

I did have to include this first cute one of the girls--it's so how we have all felt. I caught this on an Ikea run we made between moving loads so we could stock up before Clint left.

2012 Trip West: Day 1, Through the Big City

With big hugs and tears in my eyes, the kids and I waved good-bye to Clint as we started on our month-long journey west, and back. Just driving down the road a mile I felt like those moments when you gather the courage to jump into a deep, cold pool--from a bridge. I had a few thoughts if this is crazy to think I can survive all these miles alone with the kids, the dog, and a car packed to the brim through places I've never been.

The calm, happy chatter from the kids and their eagerness to help let me know it would work and we would have a great time exploring the country. So despite the thought of all the long miles ahead, and even more so, the big hole in my heart leaving Clint behind, the first day was a pleasant success.

We took the route around the southern tip of Lake Michigan, through a tiny blip of Indiana and on through Chicago. Indiana did have an amazing rest stop that the state obviously took pride in, with cheerful comment cards tastefully displayed on the walls. So glad we took that breather before heading through Chicago. My original challenge from Clint was to stop every 100 miles or so and run a mile with the kids, but for this first day, navigating through tolls and city traffic jams, we just needed to reach our destination in time to make camp (and hope I really packed everything we needed).

The kids really were impressed with the Chicago skyline, despite that I suggested they turn off their movie, and that we got to enjoy a great view stalled in traffic for at least an hour. The girls snapped lots of pictures of their favorite features. I forget that a city is such a novel thing to them--I grew up till age 8 with the Portland skyline rarely far from view and seemed to always have a city skyline not far from view. These kids are mountain kids at heart!

After traffic came many more tolls. So glad I learned about that possibility from my trip to Florida with Taylor as I rarely carry cash or keep change. We made one last stop out of the Chicago area at Costco to stop for snacks and to buy Addy's birthday gift, a nice camera. I hoped we could charge it in the car, so she could use it for the trip, but our car outlet is too awkward to reach. She can charge it later while we visit my friend, Gina.

The kids inhaled Costco hot dogs and carrots while I found places to stash our snacks in every available nook and cranny left in the car. I'll have to take a picture of how loaded up we are, despite seriously packing light! Then we were off on the last 3-hour haul of the day through Wisconsin to our campground in the Wisconsin Dells area.

Wisconsin was beautiful, especially in the dimming light of sunset, those rolling hills and wide, open roads almost reminded me of the mountains. There's a hill just outside our campground that I'm wondering if I can even try to run up a bit when I'm done here. We pulled into our reserved campsite at Nordic Pines at 8:00 pm local time with just enough light to set up camp. We had hoped to walk around the camp a bit to stretch our legs, but didn't make it past the clusters of magical fireflies in the blackberry bushes. We are all in love with these new things. Kenna was so excited to have one in our tent to just lay and watch. She insisted I get a picture--I actually caught one with the flash despite the pitch black dark. So glad I could share that bit of fun with her before drifting to sleep.

I slept surprisingly well, and didn't hear a peep from the kids or the dog all night. I did have ONE brief "I'm crazy to be out alone with the kids so long on my own" thought as I listened to the night sounds and potential "dangers" (car camping does scare me a little more than backpacking) but it didn't last too long, as the next moment I was asleep. It's so great to be at a place in life with the kids where we can do this kind of thing together, AND have fun, AND stay sane. Well, I guess we have plenty of more time to tell. 8 or so hours, 421 miles down and 25 hours, 1600 miles left to go till we make it to our long break in Sandpoint. Till then, it's a day exploring Wisconsin and four hours to Minneapolis for a long-awaited visit with my good friend, Gina and her family.

Planning Our Summer 2012 Road Trip

The realities of our long-anticipated, nearly 5,000 mile road trip are starting to sink in, and I'm taking these laid-back summer days to start planning. 10 more days and counting! I'm going to need every one to figure out the logistics of not only packing for 5 kiddos, a dog, and myself, but also packing up the rest of our rental home here in Michigan to (hopefully!!) be ready for soon moving into our newly built home when we finish those 5,000 miles or so.

Here is the general itinerary:

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Michigan --> The Dells, Wisconsin. 8 hours. Camping, and hoping the kids don't notice the water parks.
Wisconsin -->  Minneapolis, Minnesota. 4 hours. Visiting a dear friend.
Minneapolis --> Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. 9 hours. Camping.
North Dakota --> Missoula, Montana. 9 1/2 hours. Resting and stocking up.
Missoula --> Sandpoint, Idaho. 3 1/2 hours. Back with old friends and meeting up with Clint!
Sandpoint --> Boise, Idaho. 9 hours. Visiting family all along the way.
Boise --> Salt Lake City, Utah. 5 1/2 hours. Visiting grandparents.
Salt Lake --> Idaho Falls, Idaho area. 3-5 hours. Meeting up with Dax and Addy and family there.
Idaho --> Yellowstone National Park. 1 1/2 hours. Seeing if the kiddos won't hold their noses this time!
Yellowstone --> Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming. 5 hours. Camping and looking for bighorn sheep.
Wyoming --> Mount Rushmore National Memorial. 4 hours. Taking in the scenery.
Mount Rushmore --> Badlands National Park. 2 hours. Camping and celebrating Addy's birthday.
Badlands --> Mississippi River, Davenport, Iowa. 11 hours. We get to see the mighty Mississippi!
Iowa --> Our New Home. 6 1/2 hours. Tackling Clint with some big hugs.

4,926 miles * 83 hours of drive time * we'll soon see just how much real time....

House project 2012: one house, 6 bedrooms, 7 sinks and 7 happy Summers

I've had big plans to make a fantastic post about our home construction, but seems like the builders have beat me to it and we are now possibly only 5 weeks to completion. They broke ground April 12 and it looks like will stay on track to have everything in place August 1st or so. We couldn't be happier with the results! Here are the plans and a few shots that we took along the way (and no, they are not totally in order, not enough to play with Blogger on that!):