Cliff Notes

Last weekend I went to my high school reunion (and thank you to the gentleman in MN who guessed it was the 10th) with Karen, aka the evil twin. We did the nostalgia tour of our old schools, houses in Plymouth and Crystal, ditto the church buildings, the lakes district, Minnehaha park, and the Walker Art Center (I do NOT approve of the new monstrous addition with angled floors and jiffy pop exterior).

At the reunion, held in a hotel bar (lame!) we hobnobbed with classmates from a former life, some whom we'd known since grade school. It was kind of weird. For the most part, people seemed to be about who they were in high school. Karen and I were grateful for no skeletons in our closets.

The week before the reunion the girls and I had just returned from the world's longest road trip... no kidding. In mid-June we drove (with John) up to Nauvoo, Illinois and spent a few days there enjoying the pioneer sites before heading up to Wisconsin for Ben & Jenne's wedding. We stayed at the Heidel House resort on beautiful Green Lake and had a great time with the Davis family at their home. Then John flew back to work and the girls and I pressed on by ourselves across South Dakota (we stayed overnight in Mitchell, home to the Corn Palace) and on to Mount Rushmore. It hailed on us, but we were undeterred beneath the golf umbrella and forged ahead as the crowds retreated to the gift shop area. So when the sun came out again I was able to get a great, crowd-free photo of the monument and the girls.

We stayed with the Settles in Parker, CO for two nights and then drove on to Orem to Aunt Karen's house. While there we helped with Ben & Jenne's reception in Grandma's backyard, celebrated the 4th of July with the East Milcreek parade and the Cul de sac of Fire bbq and fireworks all across Utah valley from the Hunt's new home in Cedar Hills. Another day my favorite roommate Erika and I left the kids and had grownup lunch at Cheesecake Factory, then took the kids to see the model homes out at Daybreak. The girls and I visited the Angerbauers at their home in Sandy, went to Kitt Kittredge at the Thanksgiving Point theater with the Bankhead girls and Sophie Ervin, chatted with Beautiful Aunt Kelly at the Bairds house, and had lunch with the Faulconers.

Then it was off to Idaho, with a stop at Great-grandpa Cliff's grave, and we stayed with the Egbert-Fabanich clan in their beautiful home in Ashton. We did Yellowstone the first day, Jackson the next, and floated the river on our last day there. In between the girls enjoyed the two trampolines, giant playset, cat, and dogs. We stopped to feed the bears at Bear Country on the way back and got to pet a baby goat, chickens, pig, and even a deer!

Back in Utah, we rendezvous-ed with the Greers for lunch and a trip to the Church History Museum. I got my hair done -- too dark, I am a witch -- and was root-free for a college friends gathering the next week. The entire Smaellie family and Pam Rock gathered at the Hadfield's home in Orem, where we acted like our college selves and reminisced and ate too much dessert. We visited the Smaellies at their house later that week and Susan and I went to lunch with Erika while the kids had a great time together. Katie and Anna had their first overnight with Grandma and Grandpa and were thrilled to swim, watch movies, climb the rocks, make cookies, and eat ice cream. They all had such a good time theyvisited Grandma and Grandpa again while I went with Erika to Gardener Village. Karen and I took the girls back later and had fun windowshopping and less fun eating at Archibald's. Another day I met Catherine Horsley and Susie Angerbauer for lunch and then scoped out the house the Horsleys are thinking of buying. It is near the home the Copes just bought; we stopped by to say a quick hello to Tricia and the kids in the midst of house projects before they move in.

We love it at Aunt Karen's house! The girls zoomed around the cul-de-sac on their scooters or the Jessop boys' bikes. They had playdates with the kids from the ward and usually bedded down in "their room" happily at night. They are wonderful travelers. The only real complaints came when it was time to move on from whichever fun place we were leaving. We stopped in Albuquerque on the way home and finally got back to Texas on July 25th. Then when I left again early on the 31st their dad took them to movies, dinner and breakfast out, and to the pool.

This week Anna is in a little summer camp for kids... and it is a good thing! While she has been occupied, Kate and I have gone to get her ears pierced (I missed her birthday because of the reunion) to Lowes for new toilet seats (2), a bit of school shopping and a trip to Eyemasters to check out new frames. Tomorrow she has an eye exam, but besides that I think we are both done.

Anna, however, came home from summer camp and within the hour had asked me what was the plan for the day. So I think my summer break will start on the 25th.

So I stole this from a friend's blog, but I think it works better when you and your mother actually have a middle name.

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car): -- Avalon

2. My gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor and favorite cookie): GC Snickerdoodle ...GC for German Chocolate, but really any chocolate plus nuts flavor is good.

3. My "fly girl" name (first initial of first name and first 3 letters of last name): Scli (?!)

4. My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal): Chocolate Brown Kiddo

5. My soap opera name (middle name and city where you were born): -- Bremen

6. My Star Wars name (first 3 letters of your last name and first 2 letters of your first name): Clish ...much better

7. My superhero name (2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "The" in front): Pink the Tap Water tee hee

8. My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers): Ralph Everett

9. My witness-protection name (mother's and father's middle names): -- Nathan

There was one more I deleted by accident so I made up my own number ten:

10. My garage band's name (Kindergarten teacher's last name and favorite number):

Woggaman 4