Recent Headlines

* JARED ACCEPTED TO MBA PROGRAM
Three cheers for Jared who recently received word that he has been accepted to the MBA program at the University of Arkansas. This program will start in the fall and will last two years. The UofA campus is about 1/2 hour away, and two other members of our ward will also be starting the program in the fall.

* ASHLEY LEARNS NEW SKILLS
Our little one has turned into a sponge, soaking up new information and vocabulary every day. She learned how to erase her Magnadoodle, turn on the TV, switch modes on her toy piano, walk backwards, give something similar to a kiss, eat corn off the cob, and climb on to the couch. Recent quotes include understandable forms of the words turtle, flower, Jesus, and umbrella. Her new favorite play time activity is...sidewalk chalk!

* HEIDI KICKS COPS
I completed an intense self-defense class put on by the local Police Department. The final night of class consisted of a series of simulations of being attacked by police officers pretending to be "bad guys." (They were padded up and protected pretty well, so we could fight hard, but they wouldn't get hurt.) It was the closest thing to a real fight that I've ever been in and I was out of breath, sweaty, and a little scraped up when I was done. But, I made it out of a bear hug (from the front and from the back), an attack on the ground, an attack in the dark, and an arm grab. It was an amazing class and I feel safer just being with...myself.

* GARAGE AND ATTIC RECEIVE MAKEOVER
As part of our spring cleaning goal to reduce and simplify, we've been collecting stuff from around the house to put in our garage sale. Last week we had the sale and made a pretty penny from it. Also adding to the cleanliness of the garage was being able to put most of our "stuff" up in the attic. Jared nailed hardwood onto the attic floor making it sturdy enough to hold any and all of our boxes. The garage definitely has a new look and we probably really could fit two cars in there now.

* PIANO LESSON QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't have piano lessons tomorrow because it's Memorial Day. I thought that maybe you guys would want to go do something else or just have time together or maybe you just don't have time to have piano lessons. I just wanted you to know that I understand if you don't have time or if there's stuff you need to do."

Escape!

We escaped reality this past weekend and headed out for a camping trip. We went about an hour south of here to Devil's Den, along with our good friends the Robinsons. The whole weekend was perfect!!! The weather was perfectly warm with a cool breeze every once in a while. We went on a hike to a waterfall, mountain biked through the woods (and had to carry our bikes across the "creek" a few times), and enjoyed games back at the campsite. We also enjoyed yummy food -- tin foil dinners, pancakes, eggs and sausage, dutch oven peach cobbler, and smores. Oh, and a new kind of smore. Instead of using Hershey's bars you use a peanut butter cup. YUM!!! Ashley had a blast! She LOVED playing in the creek and was in heaven collecting the rocks that covered our tent site. She also loved being in the infant bike seat on the back of Jared's bike. And to my surprise, she took two longs naps...in the tent! It was a wonderful break from reality and our To Do lists. We are already planning our next escape...