Organized Chaos as Usual

Weeks like this are the reason I've avoided being a blogger. How do I write about a week where everything was routine, or something we've done before and make it interesting enough to read. You might not be one the edge of your seat but I'll do my best to just hit the highlights.

Todd headed to China Saturday morning with three other co-workers. He should be there for about ten days, unless work decides to send him on to Germany. I think he's trying to imitate either rock stars or general authorities in being able to say he's actually flown around the world.

I got together a group of friends in the neighborhood to kidnap one who was having a birthday. We went out for ice cream at 9 pm at night and had so much fun we were "shushed" by teenagers and questioned by a police officer who had stopped by for an off-duty (I assume) snack. Laughing with friends is great medicine for stress and every day insantiy!

We did enjoy some Cache Valley classics this week. Todd, Carson and I ate lunch at The Italian Place. It's a small sandwich shop tucked on a side road that's been around as long as I have. It feels like something you'd find in New York, just cleaner and less people. Then, I took the kids to the Farmer's Market on Saturday. They had a great, albeit chilly, time decorating pumpkins, collecting candy, looking at the booths and playing at the park. It was nice to check off the list something I've wanted to visit for years.

Sadie has been with us long enough to begin repeating weekly/monthly activities. I think she enjoys the familiarity. It's comforting when dinner is spaghetti and I know she will like it, or it's pack meeting night and she's off playing with the kids in the activities. Her ESL teacher sent home some flash cards to help build vocabulary. Just think for a minute, how many words you use in just a couple minutes of conversation. She participates in everything and enjoys to the fullest of understanding that she can. It was red ribbon week at school and the children dress in a different color each day. She was fine until Friday came and she couldn't wear the kitty shirt she'd wanted to all week--we considered her participation duty complete and chose kitty shirt and Sadie happiness above the color purple! She also got a big kick out of "booing" the neighbors by leaving Halloween treats on their door, knocking, and running to hide in the dark.

Freezing weather arrived so we picked the seven pumpkins we had from the garden. They were growing in Sara's section of the garden, along with her cucumbers. I love hearing Sara tell friends "I grow cucumbers." You'd think she'd been gardening for years. Anyway, our pumpkins weren't jack-o-lantern worthy so we went to the neighbors and purchased according to dad's rule "you can get as big a pumpkin as you can carry!"

So there you have it...a week of the usual, Snyder style. We'll try bumping into the Queen of England or something to pick it up a little this week.