Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Easter
(Spring Equinox, Weekend, or whatever you want to call this time of year!)
"The resurrection asserts a truth which is by no means always written legibly for all men on the face of nature. It tells us that the spiritual is higher than the material; that in this universe spirit counts for more than matter."
-- H.P. Liddon
Since I am doing my level best to be a better blogger (I have such good examples!) I thought that I would get an entry in about my latest and greatest adventures with the boys in Gilette, Wyoming. Known affectionately (or not so affectionately, depending on the day) as HOTH by members of our family, this is the city where my sister, Amy, her husband, Nathan, and their darling daughter, Morgan live.
Gilette is part of the Great Plains area of the United States and is very flat, devoid of mountains and very windy. It is, without a doubt, one of my boys favorite places in the world. They love the general flatness of the region and are always commenting about how the sky is eternal and the view goes on without end. I confess to not being terribly partial to the geography (give me mountains, any day of the week) but I love the people in this town, so it all evens out in the end.
Due to some seriously nasty weather conditions, we ended up spending the night in Rock Springs, Wyoming on our way here. Due to the weather, there weren't many hotels available by the time we slipped and slid off of the freeway and we ended up staying at a suite in a hotel. This was absolultely agreeable to the boys (who liked having their own beds and lots of space to romp in) and also to me (the price was very reasonable, all things considered, and I was able to enjoy a good sleep without being attacked in my sleep by two boys who have no concept about personal space when one is snoozing). We enjoyed a surprisingly excellent sushi dinner and I enjoyed watching the boys snarf down sashimi for the first time. Their palates are becoming very diverse and this makes me happy. After dinner, we ended up swimming and soaking in the hot tub at the hotel. It was nice simmering in hot, bubbling water while watching huge, beautiful snowflakes tumble down from a coal black sky.
Speaking of coal, Gilette is considered the energy capital of the United States. Nearly everyone here is works in the mining industry and there are all sorts of huge mines in the area. Gilette reminds me very strongly of Elko, Nevada (a place we lived in earlier in our marriage) and is a tough place, filled with strong, practical and rangy people who are shaped by the harsh enviorment and an economy that is boom or bust, but never really in-between. It will be interesting to see how Gilette grows as time passess by, especially in the event that mining becomes more difficult or some of the primary veins dry up. (Hopefully, since Amy and Nate are living here, that won't happen for many, many years!)
While in Gilette, we enjoyed some seriously ferocious blizzards. Spring is still far from this place, and it was sobering to think of my sun loving sister living in a place that enjoys the briefest of summers. Thankfully, the snow abated long enough for Amy, Nate, Morgan, Jean (Nathan's mother) and us to go adventuring to Spearfish (a lovely town on the Wyoming, South Dakota border), Deadwood (the wild west is still alive and well in this place), Grand Rapids (the population centre for this area), Mt. Rushmore and a fascinating place in Grand Rapids called the reptile gardens. It boats the largest collection of reptiles in the world and it was amazing. There were Australian crocodiles, camains, alligators, huge turtles, giant tortices, and snakes and lizards of every imaginable variety. (including cobras, mambas, vipers, pythons, anacondas, etc.) There was even a snake wrangler (not sure of the official title for the fellow) who brought out a series of snakes and explained their eating behaviors and hunting methods. There were non-venemous varieties, a Burmese python, an Indian Cobra (Amy and I were NOT amused and both nearly had coronaries right then and there) a rattle snake, a cotton mouth (what a beastly animal) and a rattle snake. I can totally appreciate the design of these animals and understand that from an evolutionary point of view that they are amazing, but if I EVER see one of them slithering within a half mile of me or my boys, they will end up being worn as a purse or pair of nice shoes or buried.
Amy has truly mad skills in the kitchen and we've been spoiled with chocolate covered strawberries, Carmel fondue, fruits, waffles, lots of candy that we normally don't get at my house, some tasty spaghetti and a wonderful sampling of some traditional southern fare, courtesy of Nate (who is also a fantastic cook, blast him!) We ate po' boys (poor boy) sandwiches, which Nate told us were impossible to eat neatly. Moriarty and Atilla took this to mean that they had leave to eat like slavering vikings on a vicious raid (Moriarty's quote) and they went to town. The sandwiches were delightful and I will do my best to make them at our house. We also had the opportunity to partake of a Mardi Gras staple, Kings Cake. Brightly colored and as sweet as anything it was very good and will become a part of my yearly Easter Celebration. Thanks, Nate, for the great tasting adventure! Merci!
One of the best parts of this visit, was the fact that my boys actually sat through General Conference for the first time EVER. Of course, I owe this to my fabulously inventive sister who had conference packets ready for them to work out during the talks. Thanks, Amy, for helping me want to be a better mom. You're a great example and I am so lucky to get to have you a part of my life. For my non-LDS friends, General Conference is a semi-annual set of meetings (usually broad casted on TV) where leaders of our church talk about important topics. For children and adults it can be a long sitting experience (four general sessions that are two hours long) but many good ideas come from careful listening and it's always a good idea to take stock of where you are standing on a spiritual level.
I've made great progress in the past few years, but am very much aware of the fact I have lots and lots that I still need to work on. Easter is a great time to reflect on where you are in the world. Regardless of belief, Spring is a time of renewal, a time to forget the cold and the dark and look forward to standing in the warmth and light of this world. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to have such wonderful family and friends and hope that you all had a good weekend and know that you are loved and sincerely appreciated.
Talk with you soon!
Jenn M.
Gilette is part of the Great Plains area of the United States and is very flat, devoid of mountains and very windy. It is, without a doubt, one of my boys favorite places in the world. They love the general flatness of the region and are always commenting about how the sky is eternal and the view goes on without end. I confess to not being terribly partial to the geography (give me mountains, any day of the week) but I love the people in this town, so it all evens out in the end.
Due to some seriously nasty weather conditions, we ended up spending the night in Rock Springs, Wyoming on our way here. Due to the weather, there weren't many hotels available by the time we slipped and slid off of the freeway and we ended up staying at a suite in a hotel. This was absolultely agreeable to the boys (who liked having their own beds and lots of space to romp in) and also to me (the price was very reasonable, all things considered, and I was able to enjoy a good sleep without being attacked in my sleep by two boys who have no concept about personal space when one is snoozing). We enjoyed a surprisingly excellent sushi dinner and I enjoyed watching the boys snarf down sashimi for the first time. Their palates are becoming very diverse and this makes me happy. After dinner, we ended up swimming and soaking in the hot tub at the hotel. It was nice simmering in hot, bubbling water while watching huge, beautiful snowflakes tumble down from a coal black sky.
Speaking of coal, Gilette is considered the energy capital of the United States. Nearly everyone here is works in the mining industry and there are all sorts of huge mines in the area. Gilette reminds me very strongly of Elko, Nevada (a place we lived in earlier in our marriage) and is a tough place, filled with strong, practical and rangy people who are shaped by the harsh enviorment and an economy that is boom or bust, but never really in-between. It will be interesting to see how Gilette grows as time passess by, especially in the event that mining becomes more difficult or some of the primary veins dry up. (Hopefully, since Amy and Nate are living here, that won't happen for many, many years!)
While in Gilette, we enjoyed some seriously ferocious blizzards. Spring is still far from this place, and it was sobering to think of my sun loving sister living in a place that enjoys the briefest of summers. Thankfully, the snow abated long enough for Amy, Nate, Morgan, Jean (Nathan's mother) and us to go adventuring to Spearfish (a lovely town on the Wyoming, South Dakota border), Deadwood (the wild west is still alive and well in this place), Grand Rapids (the population centre for this area), Mt. Rushmore and a fascinating place in Grand Rapids called the reptile gardens. It boats the largest collection of reptiles in the world and it was amazing. There were Australian crocodiles, camains, alligators, huge turtles, giant tortices, and snakes and lizards of every imaginable variety. (including cobras, mambas, vipers, pythons, anacondas, etc.) There was even a snake wrangler (not sure of the official title for the fellow) who brought out a series of snakes and explained their eating behaviors and hunting methods. There were non-venemous varieties, a Burmese python, an Indian Cobra (Amy and I were NOT amused and both nearly had coronaries right then and there) a rattle snake, a cotton mouth (what a beastly animal) and a rattle snake. I can totally appreciate the design of these animals and understand that from an evolutionary point of view that they are amazing, but if I EVER see one of them slithering within a half mile of me or my boys, they will end up being worn as a purse or pair of nice shoes or buried.
Amy has truly mad skills in the kitchen and we've been spoiled with chocolate covered strawberries, Carmel fondue, fruits, waffles, lots of candy that we normally don't get at my house, some tasty spaghetti and a wonderful sampling of some traditional southern fare, courtesy of Nate (who is also a fantastic cook, blast him!) We ate po' boys (poor boy) sandwiches, which Nate told us were impossible to eat neatly. Moriarty and Atilla took this to mean that they had leave to eat like slavering vikings on a vicious raid (Moriarty's quote) and they went to town. The sandwiches were delightful and I will do my best to make them at our house. We also had the opportunity to partake of a Mardi Gras staple, Kings Cake. Brightly colored and as sweet as anything it was very good and will become a part of my yearly Easter Celebration. Thanks, Nate, for the great tasting adventure! Merci!
One of the best parts of this visit, was the fact that my boys actually sat through General Conference for the first time EVER. Of course, I owe this to my fabulously inventive sister who had conference packets ready for them to work out during the talks. Thanks, Amy, for helping me want to be a better mom. You're a great example and I am so lucky to get to have you a part of my life. For my non-LDS friends, General Conference is a semi-annual set of meetings (usually broad casted on TV) where leaders of our church talk about important topics. For children and adults it can be a long sitting experience (four general sessions that are two hours long) but many good ideas come from careful listening and it's always a good idea to take stock of where you are standing on a spiritual level.
I've made great progress in the past few years, but am very much aware of the fact I have lots and lots that I still need to work on. Easter is a great time to reflect on where you are in the world. Regardless of belief, Spring is a time of renewal, a time to forget the cold and the dark and look forward to standing in the warmth and light of this world. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to have such wonderful family and friends and hope that you all had a good weekend and know that you are loved and sincerely appreciated.
Talk with you soon!
Jenn M.
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