Busy busy

Another busy week in the not-so-middle of the summer. With the end of July upon us, that means last minute camping trips to plan and summer projects needing to be finished up so that school can begin in a few weeks. Unfortunately, my list is so long, I can't find a pen with enough ink to scratch them off as I go!~

A beautiful week here in Western Nebraska, we've enjoyed friends and outdoor time each evening with nice weather and fewer mosquitoes.

Monday evening, Al baptized a little one and we followed it with a back yard grill out where Eden had lots of little kids to play with.

Tuesday was full of running errands, then both Allen & I had evening meetings, so the kids sat quietly in the hospital conference room, 'vrooming' cars in a whisper, as to not be disruptive.

Wednesday, the kids and I spent the day up at Douthits preparing for a garage sale over the weekend. It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed each other's company. When we finally went home to catch some late naps that afternoon, the insurance adjuster arrived to inspect our hail damaged camper. He cut us a check that very day for the repairs and now we have to figure out who can fix it for that low amount...

Wednesday evening, we headed back to Douthit's to finish up there. While the kids were in the bath tub, the Pastor received an emergency phone call and we quickly drove home so he could head to Scottsbluff. He arrived home around midnight and was out the door early Thursday morning again.

Thursday was catch up in the house, followed by a rescue call, quick bite to eat, then the preacher and a couple friends out to the fair grounds to shoot trap for the Church League. Al improved his overall shot by 5 clay pigeons, nailing 15 out of 25 this time. After cleaning up the kitchen and chatting for a bit that night, everybody went to bed early.

Friday was day one of the garage sale and by the time I got to Laura's house, there were people lining the road to get to the goods. It was 35 minutes before we were opening, but hey, it's all good. Sitting in a garage for 9 hours on a 99 degree day (the bank said 104) was not the best of conditions, but we had a good time anyway and waved 'adios' to out clutter. Al and I also took some time to go get new cell phones, which we spent the rest of the day figuring out how to use. I'll need at least another week to get the basics down. That night, Al took the Eden to the race track and Mark took their girls. Lars, Elia and I took a walk to the park and were home and in bed by 8:00 p.m. Friends stopped by shortly there-after and we chatted for a while before calling it a night.

Saturday, day two of the garage sale, started out COLD at 60 degrees, and was hot and sweaty by the time we were cleaned up and leaving at 1:00. Went to lunch with friends and enjoyed the free air conditioning. Al had the kids for the evening while I worked the Morrill County Fair rodeo events that evening. Elia had to go with me, and she fussed and cried most of the afternoon. Once the sun went down and cooled off, she fell fast asleep until night.

This morning, I got 3 kids ready for church when the tones went off with no other EMTs in sight. I headed out to the scene and called for a driver to come drive my kids to the hospital, which is where I would end up. It worked and we made it to church only 25 minutes late. On the way home from church, just a block from the driveway, the tones went off again, and the kids and I headed once more to the scene. I parked closer this time so they could watch me come out of the house. They are really beginning to like to run EMS calls with me, and Eden really wanted to go in the house with me this time. Thankfully, we have a DVD player in the car and they were well entertained for the duration.

With all the week's activities, my house is trashed, the fridge is near empty and the yard looks like a mini forest. If it's not one thing, it's another, but we're enjoying life. This has been a wonderful summer and as I looked out over the country side last night at the fairgrounds, I hated to admit that it's awfully beautiful here, as well.