Cokeville Volleyball Tournament

We have survived another Cokeville High School volleyball tournament. Twelve teams play in the tourney, some going home each night and some camping out at the schools and park and motel. There is really a mob of people around for all day Friday and Saturday.

"Our" girls from Gillette (they've stayed with us all eight years we've owned the place) arrived Thursday night after 8 1/2 hours on the bus and promptly filled the motel rooms and game room and hot tub. Their enthusiasm was catchy. Many of them have been here three years. It was like welcoming family. Fun.

Mariah and the other cheerleaders use the weekend as a fund raiser, filling the concession stand with lots of good food to sell. With the Flying J restaurant closed, it was especially important this year. I went over Thursday afternoon to help make sloppy joes and cinnamon rolls and brownies and rice krispie treats and baked potatoes. They offered lots of other pre-made stuff like pizza, nachos, hot dogs, candy and pop, etc. Because there are only four fall cheerleaders (the others play volleyball), this was quite an undertaking. But they did well, both with the work and with the income.

Seth and I (especially Seth) spent what time we could at the games cheering for both Cokeville and Gillette. Cokeville is the smallest school (BY FAR) and they did really well this year, placing 4th I think. Gillette hung in there for 5th or sixth inspite of several injuries, one quite serious (Seth was there to stand in for the girl's dad, giving assistance where he could and rounding up some crutches). The tournament is set up so that the JV teams play right before each varsity matchup. Their results are not part of the competition, but it gives them a chance to play as a team, too. This is the first tournament of the year for all the schools and the opportunity to be part of it is coveted.

I am continually amazed at how well the girls play, even the youngest. It's WAY different from when I played "back in the day" on junior high/high school/church teams. We just rotated around and tried to keep the ball in the air, with a few attempted spikes! These girls are well trained, serious, skilled athletes. It is really fun to watch.

By 10 pm last night they were all gone again. The concession stand was cleaned and empty. The custodians were finishing up the last tasks and locking up the doors of the school. Motel reservations were already made for next year's event. Seth had waved goodbye to the Gillette girls and retrieved the borrowed crutches. Mariah came home, glad to sit down. Then we all had to smile..........it was so quiet.

Big Day for Nathan

Yesterday was a special day in our family. Our grandson, Nathan Thomas Weske was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. His father, Jon, performed both ordinances. The room was filled with family and friends that love Nathan. Grandpa Seth and Uncle Jason gave talks. His cousins, Rachel and Elena, sang a special song. It was a wonderful meeting.

It's a thing to ponder--a grandchild eight-years-old and ready for baptism. It doesn't seem that long ago that his mother Sarah, pigtailed with teeth missing, was making that same choice. Where have the years gone?

Afterward, we all changed clothes and headed out to the motel play area where we set up the grill and put together a feast in celebration. Everyone pitched in to make it great, bringing food and drinks and hauling tables and chairs. Ben manned the grill, cooking salmon and burgers. Sarah made sure that we topped it all off with pie and brownies! The weather was perfect and the food was awesome. Boyers and Weskes and friends together enjoyed eating and playing and conversing away the afternoon.....definitely a day to remember.

Congratulations Nathan. We are proud of you. Remember those covenants you made today. Continue to try to be like Jesus. It will bring you joy and peace.

Mikayla

My granddaughter, Mikayla, is spending some time with us this week. Jason and Aubrey have taken advantage of my birthday gift to get away for a few days. We are adjusting to having a toddler in the house.

Mikayla is cute as a bug--only 14 months old and already communicating with noises and hand gestures. She opens her big brown eyes wide and pulls her lips into a round "O", expressing surprise and delight at a variety of events. She loves to have other children around her and is not easily upset by their interaction.

This week we have discovered an allergy (probably penicillin) that has covered her in hives, head to toe. But she remains cheerful and apparently unaware that she is now polka-dotted!

Her favorite activity has been to find, follow, and occasionally "freak-out" the cat. She can even say "kit-cat". It's so cute. He's been remarkably patient about the whole thing and doesn't even run away anymore.

I know it won't be long before Mikayla is grown, a woman with her own child. Time goes so quickly. So, for now, I will enjoy these precious moments with her and delight in the blessing of being a grandma.

(check out cute photos of Mikayla on Jason and Aubrey's site: theboyersblog.blogspot.com)

Life with the Littons

I've been hanging out with the Litton children this week. Melody and Brock took a much needed vacation and I flew out to stay with the kids--a birthday present for the two of them.

After my first couple days with the whole family, the parents headed out on their adventure and dropped baby Madison off to another home for respite care (Madison is a foster daughter), leaving me with almost-16-year-old Jessica, 4-year-old Braxton and 3-year-old Blake. Though I have Sarah's three boys over on a regular basis, I haven't done much of the full time, sleep-over type babysitting for a while. It took us the first couple days to move into a routine that worked for all of us, but then it was a piece of cake......and really fun......and quite exhausting.

Jessica has been full of excitement and anticipation for her sweet sixteen birthday tomorrow. Every thought is currently tied to that event. She loves to shop. Walmart is her favorite place on earth! She tried in all possible ways to drag me (the confirmed non-shopper) down to the store to buy something--anything. She wanted this and needed that and hoped for this and couldn't live without that. We had a variety of conversations about using your money wisely and not expecting others to spend their money on silly things you want that would mean nothing tomorrow. We ordered her birthday cake, talked about possible activities for the party, looked through all the decorations she's been gathering for weeks, made invitations and invited everyone she knows to come to the party. Getting her to bed tonight will be difficult because she is so excited.

Braxton is currently interested in only two things: Bakugans (the latest transformer type toy) and money (preferably coins). He spends long periods of time spreading out his twelve Bakugans on the floor, opening them up into their "transformed" state and admiring them. He keeps the money he's earned or found in a backpack and will regularly pull the coins out and put them on the floor in front of him, counting each piece. It doesn't yet matter whether it's a penny or a quarter, each is just one. But at any given time he can tell you exactly how many coins he has collected.

Blake is a loving, giving, teddy bear jammed into a wildly energetic body. He loves hugs and kisses and "I love yous". He'll eat and drink about anything, but especially loves Popsicles. He'll share whatever he has, but will not be left out. He wants his turn. He likes to play rough, and hard and fast. But he also enjoys "shows" and stories and songs. He missed baby Madison and regularly asked if I missed her, too. He kept close track of how long it was until his parents would be coming home.

Madison is adorable. She is growing quickly and has left behind most signs of her very premature birth. She has beautiful skin and a charming smile. Her eyes are big and dark brown
and she has the tiniest feet! She loves to be held and in the middle of things. Her favorite spot is cuddled in the sling on Melody's chest. She fits right in to this unique, welcoming, loving family. They all hope it's forever.

So Melody and Brock are back and Madison, too. They had a good time and were ready to come home. We were all glad to see them. We attended church together and shared the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be a big day for Jessica and I'll be here to watch it all happen, helping out where I can.

Then Tuesday I'll fly home. I'm so glad to have come and shared a few days of life with the Littons.

Afternoon on the River

Seth agreed to take some friends rafting on the Snake River last Friday. He suggested I come along this trip and leave Mariah in charge of the motel (a kind of trial run for this week while I'm in Tennessee). We pumped up the rafts and gathered up all the other essentials, like life jackets and oars and buckets and sun screen and food and water. He gassed up the truck and replaced a flat tire. I made breakfast and helped clean motel rooms. Together all those coming along (the two of us, Tom Nielson and his family, Jordan and Andrew) loaded the rafts onto the trailer and piled in the rest, strapping it all down for the trip.

We headed north for nearly two hours and up the hill to the best spot to launch, leaving Tom's van at the bottom and piling everyone in the truck for the last eight miles or so. We unloaded everything by the river and parked the truck and trailer nearby to be retrieved later. Most of those with us were new to river rafting. There was some hesitancy, even fear, in their eyes.

Tom, Carolyn, their three kids and Seth and I climbed into a big silver raft we've owned for years (we purchased two of them already well-used from some Grand Canyon river guides). Seth manned the oars. Jordan and Andrew, young and adventurous, opted for the smaller green raft and took up the two paddles, quickly learning how to make their way out into the current. We pushed off and were on our way.

You couldn't have picked a more beautiful day. It was warm and sunny with a nice breeze as we floated along. A cloud would hide the sun occasionally, giving us some relief from the direct sunlight. The water was COLD, but the heat from the sun evaporated it quickly away from the skin after the inevitable showers in the white water.

There were many others on the river in a variety of rafts, boats and kayaks, too. Some were with guides who run the river several times a week. Others were in smaller groups or families. There was a camaraderie among us all. We had common purposes and motives, common hopes and fears, common enjoyment and relaxation.

At one point we stopped for a picnic on the shoreline. The kids jumped in, enjoying the cold water and then the hot rocks. We headed out again rolling with the current and feeling a "rush" at the rapids.

There was a place with a cliff above a very deep spot in the river that was unofficially designated for jumping in. Several boats stopped and a variety of people climbed up and jumped the 15-30 feet (depending on how high you climbed) into the cold water and swimming to shore. Jordan, Andrew, Jessica and Riley all jumped--twice!

The afternoon passed quickly and even Carolyn left her fears behind and enjoyed the time. The take out spot was too soon in sight. We pulled the boats out and waited for Seth and Tom to drive up and get the truck and trailer. The clouds began to roll in. Just as we finished loading up the now deflated boats and other equipment, it began to rain. We piled into the vehicles and headed for home.

The adventure was over. But the memories will forever be with us of a perfect afternoon on the river.