Bickmore Buzz September 3, 2017

Hi family and friends! We miss you all, especially when we hear about health issues, surgeries, car accidents, pets dying, etc. It's hard to be away from family when they are in need of help and support. I'm learning how to show that love and support from afar, but it's not the same. Grandma Lisa celebrated her 60th birthday on Wednesday and Jason, Alex, and Nixon were sealed in the L.A. temple on Saturday. We wish we could have been at both occasions. Just know that even though we are more than 1,000 miles away, our hearts are near and we think about you all the time.

I've been motivated to get my emergency kits squared away since Hurricane Harvey. You just never know what can happen and I realized if a disaster hit here, we will be totally unprepared. The first thing I did was tackle the little storage room underneath the stairs. It's supposed to be our shelter in case of a tornado since it's somewhat underground and has no windows. It was also full of spider webs so I went in there with my flashlight and vacuumed up all the cobwebs, bugs, and nastiness. Yuck! My next goal is to get 12-15 gallons of water and emergency flashlights with extra batteries this week. Then it's on to the other essentials. By the time October comes, I want to feel ready for the winter season. We get ice storms here and who knows how long the power could be out.

Monday we had family night with the Hartzog's. We had a delicious dinner and the kids played a very short game of Twister. Mostly, they loved wrestling and jumping on the trampoline outside.

Tuesday morning we went to brunch with Gus and Laura Wheeler. Gus and Isaac taught together at Nibley Park in Salt Lake. He and Laura both retired from the district two years ago and have had fun traveling to see family. They made it a point to stop and see us on their way back from Pittsburgh. We had a great time catching up. We're looking forward to our next visitor this month.. Uncle Walker!

Thursday night we went to "Get the Red Out". It's a street fair to celebrate the first home football game. We had fun visiting the booths and getting free candy. We also found out that we get free tickets to the UCM games since Isaac is a faculty member. Woo hoo! It was the first time we've taken the boys to a football game. Whiteman Air Force Base flew a B2 bomber over the field during the national anthem. That was exciting! It looked like an alien spaceship. I had fun explaining the rules of football to the boys. Van loved chanting the cheers with the cheerleaders. We left after the halftime performance. I was exhausted and it was only 8:45 when 3rd qtr started. I forget how long football games are!

Friday night, the Hartzog's invited us to camp in their backyard. We had so much fun! We roasted hot dogs and made s'mores over the campfire. It was my first time having a peanut butter cup s'more..soooo good! We also roasted starbursts. It makes them soft, warm, and chewy. Yummy! Isaac played songs on his ukulele and the boys took turns telling funny ghost stories.

Yesterday we went to Kansas City to the Union Station. There's a mummy exhibit there that ends this weekend. Van ended up not wanting to see it (too creepy) so Will and Isaac went and then Van and I saw the documentary, "Dream Big," on the IMAX screen. We also looked at the model trains. I realized I never take my boys out for a one on one date and it was wonderful to have two hours with just me and Van. The documentary was fascinating and it led me to researching some of the people that were highlighted in the film. One of them was a school teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. We listened to an interview with him on the way home and his philosophies of education really rang true with us. I continued watching YouTube videos and Ted Talks of him and the students. If you want to hear a good story, find Carl Hayden High School Robotics team. You'll also learn a lot about the DREAM Act and DACA.

Isaac is really excited about his job at UCM. This week, they agreed to buy some Makey Makeys for him. His supervisor made a comment on Facebook, "You know you're teaching at the right place when the newly hired music ed professor puts in a request for these," and then he posted a picture of the Makey Makeys. It made Isaac feel good that his ideas are being supported.

Will and Van both had friends over on Friday before the campout. Van played with Colton and Will played with Colin. Isaac and I went and ate lunch with William on Friday. That was fun. Van's class got to eat in the classroom for a special Lego lunch so I sent some treats for the class. It felt good to do those little things that brighten your kids' day.

I'm working on getting stronger physically, becoming a better cook, and setting up the downstairs and third bedroom. Still no operating washer! Hopefully that will change this week. I got my fingerprints done as part of the substitute application. I'm hoping to be substituting by the end of the month.

That's all for now! We love you!