Absent

Yes, I know I've been absent. Here's a quick run-down of why:

Back problem, complete with trip to the ER and IV morphine. Kids sick. Kids still sick. Kids STILL sick. Lack of sleep. Primary program. Appeal brief. Freedom to practice opinion. Budget proposals. Now I'm sick, but at least it's not swine flu.

I'll be back soon. I hope.

Odyssey in the Odyssey: Days 3-7

I'm back! I'm sure you've been waiting with baited breath to read more about our exploits in the Great Northeast. So without further ado, her we go:

Right off the bat, uncle Steven took us out on the boat for a tour of the lake. It's such a beautiful place! It was a little chilly out in the wind, but kids enjoyed the boat, for the most part. We wrapped them up in towels and snuggled them up to keep them warm.



Most of the time Danny wanted to sit up front and see the sights:


But sometimes it was a little too much for him and he hid his face!


Mason took at turn at the helm with uncle Steven. It took awhile for him to get up the courage, but once he did, he had a great time steering the boat.


The next day the weather was a little warmer (a little!) and some brave souls ventured into the water. Brandon took the boys out on the tube and they had a good time. I was surprised they did it, but they did! Way to go, boys.

Brandon, Kyle, and Anne all took turns on the skis. I stayed put in the boat. After all, someone had to hold Leah, hang onto the tube when not in use, hand out snacks, and snap pictures!


Back on shore, the boys were excited to find a sandy area near the dock where they could play with their shovels and buckets.



One day (and I can't remember which - at this point they were blurring together!) - we fished off the dock. We caught lots of sunfish and tossed them back in. It was so easy, it was hardly sport! At one point, I accidentally dropped my line in and caught a fish in about .5 seconds.

Here's Danny, with his first fish!


And Brandon, with another giant catch:


Long about day 6, we took a day trip up the coast to Maine. We stopped in the town of York and visited the Nubble Lighthouse. You can't actually go inside - it's across the water on a little "nubble" off the coast - but it was fun to look at. The waves were impressive and the boys discovered you could taste the salt that dried on the rocks.





After lunch at a somewhat touristy place that also had big taffy pull machines to watch, we headed to the beach.

I should say at this point that I never anticipated anyone would actually get in the water. It was 60 degrees and breezy! But never underestimate the power of little boys to get wet. I thought I'd packed enough extra clothes, but clearly I did not. That's why my two year old ended up dressed like this, sopping wet in 60 degree weather:



There weren't too many shells to be found, but they did have fun flying kites, throwing sand in the ocean, and getting very, very wet.

Our last day at the lake, Anne and I walked with the kids to the nearby public beach, Brewster Beach. It was small, but the kids truly had a blast tossing sand in the water, climbing the lifeguard chair, and getting their feet wet. We had the place to ourselves, which was fun.

Brandon and Kyle kayaked over to the beach and met us there.






That day was actually our wedding anniversary - 11 years. Here we are - do we look like we've been married 11 years?



We had a wonderful time at Lake Winnipesaukee and were so grateful to Steven and Jan for their generosity in sharing their home with us. Thanks for having us! We had such fun.

We interrupt this travelogue...

So, you may have noticed that after I began to laboriously detail our nine day Odyssey in the Odyssey, I suddenly dropped off the face of the earth.

Last Friday my back began to hurt and by Saturday I was in excruciating pain and spent the better part of the day on IV morphine. Yikes! And after three doses, I was still in serious pain. Bizarre!

The general consensus is that it was some disc malfunction. Thankfully, I'm feeling nearly back to normal now. And I have a lot of people to thank for it - my husband, my sister-in-law, and my wonderful friends from my ward who sprang into action and overwhelmed me with kindness. Thank you, everyone. I can't recall ever being the recipient of so many acts of service - dinners, watching my kids, calls to check in. I feel blessed to know so many thoughtful people. You rock, man.

Also, I shall now redouble my efforts in the call-making, meal-taking, kid-watching realm. I owe you all big time.