Fourth of July weekend finds us packing up and going to my parents’ cabin in the Uinta Mountains.  We will be able to hike, visit our choice of numerous lakes, ride ATVs, sleep in the hammock, and just plain relax.  When my family gets together like this we enjoy playing games during the down times.  Since my kids are anxious to be on the road, I need to make this post a quick one.  I am going to share how to play one of our favorite games and then put the laptop away until Monday or Tuesday.  Enjoy your weekend, y’all! 

THE WHAT IF GAME

Everyone sits in a circle and needs a piece of paper and a pencil.  As a group, you decide what the “What If” question will be.  Any “what if” question will do, just make it open ended.  For example:  What if Grandpa…, What if Uncle Tyler…, What if the cabin had no…, What if we all…, etc. 

Once the question has been decided on, everyone writes it at the top of their paper and then finishes it anyway they desire.  Don’t let anyone see how you have finished the question.  Some examples:  What if Grandpa suddenly sprouted hair?  What if Uncle Tyler finally asked Marta to marry him?  What if the cabin had no toilet paper?  What if we all developed the chicken pox? 

Once everyone has finished their question the papers are passed to the middle, shuffled, and passed back out.  It is okay if you get your own question, just don’t announce it.  Everyone writes an answer to the question written on their paper.  Make it a full sentence.  Now is the fun part.  One person starts by reading the question, but not the answer, on their paper.  The person to their left reads the answer on their paper.  Some of the combinations end up being quite hilarious.  The person who read the answer now reads the question on their paper and the person to their left reads the answer on their paper.  Continue reading the questions and answers around the circle until it gets back to the first person who finally gets to read their answer.

Enjoy!

Recent “Luck” story # 1:

Yawlin was jumping just fine on the trampoline until Hub called him to come into the house.  Yawlin attempted a stopping bounce that went wrong and he flew off of the trampoline.  Unfortunately the trampoline had been moved close to the patio for lawn mowing purposes and Yawlin landed on cement.  Face first.  Hub ran to him and helped him up.  Blood was streaming from Yawlin’s nose.  Of course the natural instinct for both of them was to come find me.

When I saw Yawlin I had the normal mom reaction.  It sounded something like, “Gyaaah!”

After cleaning Yawlin up and calming both of us down it was time to take stock of the situation.  The patio had claimed some of the skin just above Yawlin’s lip, some on his nose, and a small patch on his chin.  Some pretty nasty yellowish scabs began to form.  Normally Yawlin would have proudly shown his scabs to his friends, but this time was different.  Yawlin was running for Second Grade Mayor. 

Apparently, being Second Grade Mayor is a big deal.  And to get that honor one has to give a speech in front of the class.  The class votes, and the winner moves on to run against candidates chosen from the three other classes in the second grade.  All of this is done in one day because time moves faster in the second grade, ya know?

I kept reassuring Yawlin that everything would be okay and that none of the other second graders would make fun of his face.  We worked together on his poster and started working on his speech.  Yawlin was still worried about other kids making fun of him.  I gave him two suggestions.  If anyone attempted to make fun of his scabs he could gross them out by going into gory detail about how his nose was pouring blood when it happened and how a piece of skin was hanging down over his lip or he could turn it into something to laugh at and find a humorous way to tell what happened.  I figured either suggestion would work for second graders.

I also suggested Yawlin could somehow tie the incident into his speech.  I didn’t get to attend his school on the day of the election because I was out of town getting hit with a softball at a softball tournament, but I have heard the reports from other adults present. 

Yawlin totally hammed up his speech.  ”If you want a mayor who is not afraid to get back on a trampoline after falling off and landing on his face, even though now I am terrified to get off  the trampoline, then vote for me!”  

Yawlin won the election.

Recent “Luck” story #2:

I waved at Hub and Yawlin as they drove past my crossing on the way to school.  I finished crossing kids, turned off the speed limit lights, and was just gathering my cones to go home when Yawlin came walking up the sidewalk.  He had a worried look on his face and there were tears in his eyes.  First, I hugged him, then I asked what was wrong.

“I lost my flip-flop.”

I looked at his feet.  Sure enough, one foot was missing a flip-flop.  ”Um, how could you lose a flip-flop if it was on your foot?”

“I accidentally threw it on the roof.”

“You accidentally threw it on the roof?” 

“Ya.  ’L’ threw her hair band up and it got caught on one of the bricks.  I was throwing my flip-flop up to try to knock the hair band down and it accidentally went on the roof.”

Sigh.

Yawlin glanced at me to see if I was angry.  I hugged him again and said, “Okay, get in the car.  We’ll go home so you can change shoes and then I will sign you in at the office.” 

As we pulled into the school parking lot after the shoe change I noticed that there were more than the normal number of cars in the parking lot.  “I wonder why all these people are at the school.”

From the back seat I hear, “Oh, it’s probably the awards assembly.  I think I have a note about it in my back pack.”

“The awards assembly is today?  Yawlin, when you get a note from the school I need to see it.”

“Oooohhhkaaaay.”

I did a mental check and knew I could stay for the assembly, I had no immediate plans–thankfully.  After I signed Yawlin in at the office I looked at him and said, “I guess it was lucky you threw your flip-flop on the roof and had to be late to school.  I wouldn’t have known about the awards assembly otherwise.”

Yawlin smiled and hurried off to join his class at the assembly.  I got to see Yawlin receive three awards that morning.  I was glad I hadn’t missed it.

Sometimes the bad things that happen to us can turn out to be something good.  Even in the second grade.

Our honeymoon was two days spent in Tampa and then a seven day cruise in the Western Caribbean.  Our first anniversary we spent in Cancun.  The second anniversary we celebrated a little early and went to Orlando for a friend’s wedding.  This is anniversary number three.  Kids’ schedules and Hub’s work restraints left us only a weekend to spend alone.  We chose to come to our condo in Moab, Utah.  

Moab has gorgeous scenery and plenty to do, but for some reason it has never been my number one choice of vacation destinations.  I tend to overlook what is in my own “backyard.”  But, no more.

Yesterday we rented ATVs at 8:00 a.m. and spent the entire day exploring the “Chicken Corners” area.  Around almost every bend was a beautiful view.  We brought along a picnic lunch and ate it at a breathtaking overlook of the Colorado River.

I could go on and on in attempting to describe the scenery and the wildlife we saw, but the real reason the day was special to me was because I got to share it with my husband.  Hub was so happy riding the trail.  Many times he stopped and pointed out a ridge or a trail and shared memories from his childhood.  His family took many trips to Moab when Hub was growing up and it is a place he truly loves.

Hub wasn’t aware of it, but I was watching him.  I was watching him and loving how his face would light up as he pointed out certain landmarks.  He would smile as he told of jeeping at Elephant Hill.  He laughed when he remembered how his dad had once pulled a bunch of sagebrush onto a trail in an attempt to block it as a joke and how the next people to come along in a jeep only paused for a second before plowing right through.

Hub shared memories on Friday night as we ate at Sunset Grill sitting high on a ridge overlooking the city of Moab.  Last night, on a whim, we decided to drive one and a half hours to Grand Junction, Colorado for dinner.  On the drive Hub shared memories of times he spent with his own kids in the Moab area.  Though I shared some memories of my own, most of the time I spent listening…and loving.

Sharing memories from the past was important to my husband.  Spending the weekend together doing something he enjoys built a memory for the future.

A good memory. 

Okay, I just got tagged for the second time since beginning to blog in February.  I don’t know how often this happens in the blogosphere or how willingly other bloggers participate, so I have decided to post my answer here, link back to Misterbooks who tagged me, and then leave it up to the rest of you to let me know whether or not you want to be tagged.  If you do wish to participate, leave me a comment and I will do the official tagging and link to you from this post.

The rules:  Write a six word memoir, post it to your blog with a visual illustration (if you would like), link to the person who tagged you.  Tag 5 more blogs with links.  Leave a comment in the tagged links with an invitation to play.

Since my blog focuses on my family and family life, I have decided to post six-word memoirs for all of the members of my blended family:

The entire family:  The noise was not always intentional.

Hub:  Fourteen tomato plants was never enough.

Kweenmama:  Hurt my kids, experience She Bear!

Squid:  Don’t bring me down, stay positive!

Huh:  Life is a pitch, play hard!

Juju:  It probably will not be permanent.

Mack:  Why can’t I bring my friends?

Shroom:  Anytime before noon is too early.

Hoob:  Blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Yawlin:  Sometimes girls are funner than boys.

Obviously some of the memoirs have meaning only to members of our family, but it was fun trying to think of one for each individual.  If you are game, go ahead and try it on your own blog, or use it as an activity with your family.  You may be surprised at some of the answers!

IDEAS FOR BONDING WITH YOUR KIDS WHILE ON VACATION:

*Do something that sets you apart from the crowd.  Before our trip to Kingfisher Ranch last week my daughters, step-daughter, and I all painted our fingernails and toenails in the same bright colors.  Doing it before we left helped the girls anticipate the trip even more and it created a feeling of “belonging.”  When my extended family went on a cruise in 2006 Hub and I made t-shirts for everyone that showed a sinking ship and the words, “Judy’s worst nightmare” (because a sinking ship really is my mom’s worst nightmare).  We picked one day for the entire family to wear our shirts as we left the ship for an excursion.  The kids, especially, enjoyed the comments and questions we received about our shirts.  Twenty six people wearing the same shirt was quite a sight.

*Once you reach your destination take a walk with your kids to explore the area.  I walked with two of my kids around Kingfisher Ranch which is how we discovered the fire pit, the volleyball court, and the pond.  Even a walk around the area of a hotel can provide information about activities to do or shops to visit.  Walking is a great way to begin a conversation as the kids show their excitement about things they discover.

*As much as possible let your kids try new things.  While at Kingfisher Ranch I let my eight-year-old son use the oars the entire time the two of us were kayaking on the pond.  He became quite skilled at maneuvering us through the water and even helped us win a couple of races against his step-cousin.  If your child has never done it before, any activity can be exciting–putting out a campfire, miniature golfing, making a craft, horseback riding, trying seafood, hunting for giant moths, snorkeling, etc.  Your excitement will feed their excitement. 

*Bring games and activities for some of the “down” times.  Some of our fondest memories are of playing rowdy games at my parents’ cabin.  Between horseback riding and kayaking at the ranch my son enjoyed coloring in his coloring books.  And kids really like it when an adult or teenager joins them in coloring.  My sister-in-law brought a new card game to the ranch and some of us enjoyed playing it in the evening as others began quieting down for the night.  Playing a game, reading a book, or playing with toys can help younger children calm down after a day full of activities.   

*Try to get some one-on-one time with each of your kids during the vacation.  My son and I both enjoyed our time in the kayak together, just the two of us on the water.  My thirteen-year-old daughter liked being the only kid on a horseback trail ride with me and four other adults.  A walk together, reading a storybook, trying a new game, souvenir shopping, talking on the balcony–any “alone” time with mom or dad will be treasured.

*Activities in the car to help fight boredom are a necessity.  Singing, listening to the radio, playing games and these activities all help.

*Make sure everyone in the family gets to help with something on the trip.  While at the ranch our kids were all assigned to help with something.  Shroom helped make pancakes; Mack helped prepare a lunch; Hoob helped prepare a dinner; Yawlin got to wipe off tables and counters; Squid and Juju did the dishes one night.  Everyone helped with the final clean-up.  Mack took it upon herself to play with younger step-cousins so that the parents could have some time to do some activities.  There should be no excuses for not helping.  Older kids can help younger kids pack or play a game or make a craft.  Younger kids can help pick up toys, put dirty clothes in a bag, or wipe toothpaste off the sink. 

*Take plenty of pictures of the trip.  Make sure every person is in several of the pictures.  Include posed pictures and candid pictures.  Let the kids take some of the pictures; if they don’t have a camera of their own let them borrow yours (if they are responsible enough) or buy them a disposable camera.  My thirteen-year-old daughter took my camera for awhile at the ranch and took pictures of the kittens in the barn, a two-year-old cousin trying to open the door to the lodge, some of the horses, and the Bear River.  Her pictures added a flavor to our trip that I would have missed. 

*Allow your kids to choose some of the pictures that will be put in a scrapbook or posted on family websites or displayed at home.  As pictures are chosen, make sure to reminisce about the fun times on the trip.  Remembering the good times about trips is the best part.  Kids don’t mind the same stories being retold and they will enjoy telling their own adventures.  On the anniversary of the trip pull out the old pictures and relive the trip, it will solidify the memories.

The most important thing to remember about vacationing is to relax and enjoy being together because that is the reason you took the trip in the first place!

As we head out the door to visit Kingfisher Ranch with Hub’s family for the weekend, I thought I’d post some ideas for keeping teens/tweens/elementary age children occupied and happy during long drives.  Why do I think they will work?  Because we’ve had success with them:

*Of course there are the obvious–CD’s in the music player and DVD’s in DVD players.  We don’t happen to own a vehicle with a DVD player so we’ve had to use Hoob’s individual player at times.  We prefer other forms of entertainment though.

*Books on tape from the library are a great way to pass the time.  Choose books that have lots of action or are of particular interest to your children.

*We like to play “Choose my boyfriend/girlfriend.”  As we drive we look at people we pass and then decide if that person is a suitable boyfriend/girlfriend for someone in the car (even the little kids are included).  Some of the pairings have been quite comical.

*If you are ever stuck in construction traffic make friends with the people next to you.  Our girls are quite outgoing and usually roll their windows down and begin conversations with those in other vehicles that are stuck as well.  We’ve even passed snacks back and forth between vehicles.

*Another construction traffic tactic is to show an object from your car to the occupants in a car near you.  Keep showing them objects until they catch on–they are supposed to show you objects they find in their car.  It usually doesn’t take long for people to catch on and sometimes the game gets quite hilarious as people try to find the most unusual objects to show.  When we showed a broken umbrella once we got cheers from the group of boys in the car next to us.

*Still another construction traffic tactic is to pull as close to the orange cones as possible and have your passengers reach and try to touch them through the windows.  It is hilarious to watch the line of cars behind you copy what you are doing.  Of course as you begin to leave the construction area everyone should once again fasten their seatbelt.

*Singing favorite songs can help the time in the car go by quickly.

*A joke telling marathon is always fun.

*Stopping and taking pictures of interesting or unusual sites can help break the monotony.  On the way home from a ball tournament last weekend my sister, daughter, and I all spotted an unusual cemetery and stopped to take pictures of the elaborately decorated graves.  It kept us entertained for thirty minutes and the rest of our family enjoyed the pictures when we got home.

*Listening to the local radio stations as you enter areas you have never been can be informative and entertaining.

*Reminiscing about past adventures and funny happenings can help the time seem to fly.

These are just a few ideas that have worked for us.  We are off for our weekend ranch adventure.  Hope you all enjoy YOUR weekend!

When I picked my fifteen-year-old daughter up from her summer driver’s ed class earlier this week I was expecting to hear the usual tales of driving on the range or funny stories the teacher tells.  Instead, Mack was visibly upset.  ”Mom, I am sick to my stomach.”  She started pushing buttons on her phone.  ”I always keep my phone off during class and then check my messages when class is over.  Look what I got today.”

Mack shoved her phone in my face.  I read:  GET NAKED.  TAKE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF.  SEND IT TO ME.

“Who sent you that?”

Mack began to cry.  “It’s this kid, Z.”

“He goes to your school?”

Mack nodded.  “I’ve only talked to him a few times.  Mom, I’ve never hung out with this kid.  I just started talking to him towards the end of the school year.  I was just being nice.”

I asked, “He’s never been to any of the parties you go to?”

“No.”  Mack’s tears were flowing freely now.  “Mom, he sent the message four times.”

“Four?”  I slowed the car down.  “Did you save them?”

“Yes, look.”  Mack began scrolling her messages on her phone for me to see.  Sure enough there were four messages, the first three about 10 minutes apart, the last about an hour later, all asking the same thing.

“Okay, don’t delete them.  I’m going to take care of this.”  I wanted to skin the kid alive. 

As soon as we got home I went directly to Hub in his home office and told him what had happened.  Mack came in and Hub asked for Z’s phone number.  Mack read it off her phone aloud and stayed in the room as Hub dialed the phone.

“Hello.  Is this Z?”  Hub’s voice was angry.  “This is Mack’s stepfather.  We are not happy about the messages you’ve been sending to Mack’s phone and we want it to stop immediately.  We will be reporting you to the police.”

Hub hung up the phone and I asked, “What did he say?”

“He said it will stop immediately.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Hub had said we were going to report the incident to the police.  Was that the right thing to do?  I didn’t even know if a minor requesting a nude picture from another minor is illegal.  I decided to call our neighbor who happens to be a detective on our city’s police department and ask him what he thought we should do.  He was very supportive and sympathetic.  He told me that if we wanted to we could have the police file a report and Z’s parents would be contacted.  He also told me we could just contact the parents ourselves and keep it between the two families.  It would be up to us.  My neighbor told me he would help us in whatever we decided to do.  He did feel that the parents should be notified no matter what, just in case Z had sent the same message to other girls.

Mack told me that the other kids at school had always said Z was a good kid.  She couldn’t understand why he would request such a thing.  Before taking action, I decided Mack’s father needed to know so we could decide together what we wanted to do.  Mack called her dad and handed the phone to me.  I told him what had happened and what our neighbor had said.  We discussed it and decided not to go to the police unless the kid sent another inappropriate message.  We were going to give Z the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was a good kid who’d done something he thought would be funny not realizing the impact it would have.

My ex husband did some searching, made some phone calls, and managed to find the home telephone number of Z’s family.  He called and left a message stating that he wanted to talk to Z’s parents about something inappropriate Z had done.  Z’s father called my ex husband the next day.

It turns out that Z is autistic.  As soon as his father heard the voice message he questioned Z and Z freely told him what he’d done.  Z has only been texting for about one month.  His friends had shown him how to do it.  Most likely Z didn’t understand fully what his messages to Mack meant, or how they would make her feel.  There have been news reports recently about teenage kids in the county north of us being prosecuted for sending nude pictures of themselves to each other.  Z’s family speculates that he may have seen those reports and gotten the idea to text his message from them.  His family is not using Z’s autism as an excuse and they have explained to him that what he did was wrong.

Today Mack and her father drove to Z’s home so that Z could apologize to Mack in person–something he wanted to do.  Z’s mother thanked Mack for being so kind to Z and said that they had looked Mack’s picture up in the yearbook since they didn’t know who she was.  They discovered that she’d written a sweet message to Z near her picture.  Z’s mom told Mack that she’d done the right thing in showing me the messages because they most likely would have never known Z was sending those types of messages otherwise.  She thanked her again for doing the right thing and for being so kind to Z.

“Unreasonable haste is the direct road to error.”  –Moliere

How grateful I am that we didn’t act in haste and get the police involved.  It would have been a mistake and unnecessary embarrassment would have been the result.  Z now understands that certain messages are inappropriate, Mack is relieved to know that there was no malicious intent, and I have had a reminder to not act in haste. 

I hope the reminder stays with me. 

Right behind the backstop seemed like a good spot to watch the game.   I set my camp chair up next to Helen, one of the other team moms, I placed my water bottle and keys under the chair, made sure my camera was ready, and settled comfortably down to cheer on my daughter’s team.  I was excited.  This was the championship game and we were undefeated.  The other team would have to beat us twice in order to take the championship away from us.  Both teams were equally matched.  It was going to be a great game.

 We were still in the first inning when a player from the other team hit a pop-up foul over the backstop.  Both Helen and I rose from our seats to get out of the way.  Helen ran to the right to safety.  I, on the other hand, somehow got tangled in my chair, slipped on the gravel, and was hit by the ball in the shoulder on the way down.  My sunglasses fell to my chin as I landed in an undignified heap next to my chair.  I heard people either gasp or exclaim, “Oh!” 

Helen, some of the other parents, the umpire, both of our coaches, AND the head coach of the other team all came running over to me.

I should have played dead. 

If I had played dead then maybe I could have saved face–a little.  If I had feigned serious injury I might have received some sympathy.  But I was stupid.  And mortified.  I scrambled to my feet and plopped myself back into my chair.  Of course everyone was asking me if I was okay.  I kept nodding my head.  They kept asking and I kept nodding.  You know how people’s lips will quiver when they are trying really hard not to laugh?  There was lots of lip quivering going on.  

I finally said, “I’m fine,” and gave the thumbs up sign.  Everyone went back to where they’d been before my ungraceful fall and the game resumed. 

When our team came in from the field for our turn at bat, my daughter came over to me with a big grin on her face.  “Nice one, Mom!”

I laughed and said, “Yes it was!”  Huh looked me over (I think to make sure I was indeed okay) and then went into the dugout.

Later in the game, Huh tripped while attempting to steal second base.  Luckily the second baseman bobbled the ball and Huh, army man style, crawled to the base and was declared safe.  We all cheered.  After she scored at home I hollered at her, “Nice one, Huh!”  She laughed and showed me her bloody knee.

We went on to win the game 13 - 6.  Our girls were the undefeated champions!  We poured onto the field to take pictures while the team was presented with their trophies.  The head coach of the other team walked up to me and asked again, “Are you sure you are alright?”  His lip was quivering.

I really should have played dead when I’d had the chance.  Sheesh!

I said that I was fine and then I said, “You know the girl that tripped running to second?”

“Yeah?”

“Well that was my daughter.”

That was when he decided it was okay to laugh.  He laughed hard.  One of the parents spoke up and said, “Yes, they like to keep it in the family.”

I proudly replied, “She gets all of her grace from me!”

That night at dinner with the team Huh and I had to endure more good-natured teasing.  We didn’t mind.  We decided to just enjoy it and even embellished the story a bit.  Huh was going home with a trophy and another injury to show off.  And I was going home with a story for my blog.

It’s all good.

*Getting ready to join my daughter at a softball tournament in Steamboat Springs, Colorado I walked out to my car to load my stuff and saw my dashboard covered with mini post-it note messages from Hub:  “Call when you get there,” Keep your eyes on the road,” ”Don’t look at cute guys on the side of the road,” (does that mean we can pick up cute guys on the side of the road, as long as we don’t look at them?), “Remember me often,” “Most of all, have fun.  I love you!”  He also carried my luggage to the car for me.  Yes, he is a keeper!

*My youngest sister joined me on the six hour drive to Steamboat Springs.  We laughed, talked, snacked on nachos, and took pictures of the annoying industrial truck with the words “Student Driver” draped across the back that slowed us down on a two lane highway.  Sister time is always good time.

*My daughter called me on the drive to inform me that her team had won their first two games, that she’d pitched a no-hitter during the second game, and that she’d hit a homerun.  I cheered aloud in the car.  I was so happy for her.  They went on to win their third game as well.

*We made it to the ball fields in time to see the fourth game.  My daughter was pitching.  I was glad I got to see one of the games yesterday.  It was gratifying to see my daughter give me a two fingered wave from the pitcher’s mound as we walked up.  I could tell she was glad we’d made it.  As soon as the inning was over she ran over to greet us.  I was happy to see that she was getting along with her teammates on her new team–once again she is the new girl.  Her team won the game 6 - 1.

*We discovered that our hotel is newly remodeled and that we are the first to sleep in the beds.  The rooms are very nice and we have a balcony with a great view.

*Sis and I went to dinner at a pizza place and got to talk to a couple of coaches from a 12 and under team.  It turns out that they grew up in our hometown but now live in Denver.  Small world!  It was fun talking softball.

*Because our team is undefeated so far in the tournament, we only have one game in the afternoon today.  That was great news yesterday because we knew we would get to have a lazy morning.  Which we have…lovely! 

A big thank you to all who shared their graduation gift ideas with me.  Combining ideas shared by fellow bloggers and people I asked in person, here is a random list of possible gifts to give a graduate.  The ideas span from practical to expensive to sentimental–something for everyone, maybe?

*iPod          *Cash          *Handwritten copy of Shel Silverstein’s poem “Put Something In”          *Desk          *Mini refrigerator          *Bedding          *Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree”          *Prepaid gas card          *Silver necklace          *”Love You Forever” by Robert N. Munsch          *St. Christopher medallions          *Handwritten note          *A few months worth of car insurance          *Cereal in individual serving sizes          *Easy Mac          *Laundry detergent          *Pop-up hamper          *Gift cards to fast food places          *Luggage          *Pearl necklace          *Business suit          *Diamond necklace          *Debit card          *Laptop          *Charm bracelet          *Rolls of quarters          *Slow cooker          *Unbreakable dishes          *School supplies          *Workout clothes          *Plants          *Cell phone          *Personal DVD player

We loved all the ideas given.  Our first high school graduate, my stepson Squid, wanted to be able to visit his favorite cousin in Florida because it is going to be nearly impossible for them to see each other in the next few years.  So, for his graduation gift, Hub bought him a round-trip airline ticket to Florida.  Squid is very excited and  grateful.  Not all of our kids are going to want an airline ticket for graduation, we may just end up buying something or giving cash the equivalent of the cost of an airline ticket.  We don’t have to worry about it again until next spring…and the spring after that…and the one after that…and the next…and the next…

And that’s just high school graduations.  Mixed in there will be college graduations too.  Sheesh!  Maybe y’all better keep the ideas coming!