GOOD MORNING, ASHTON

With Andrew working from  sun-up to sun-down  to work full-time AND build us a house, we take advantage of every opportunity to be together. 

About 6am Saturday morning, Andrew needed to drive to Ashton and pick up a skid steer to work on our lot. I dragged my behind out of bed to accompany him. 

Now that's love. 

We watched the sunrise and talked about our ideas for the house. 

{Upon seeing this picture, Andrew laughed and said: You look all pretty and I look like a...hick! I made sure to give him a kiss for saying I was pretty. I mean, that's definitely a behavior I want to encourage for the future. And just so you know ladies, positive reenforcement when training husbands works like a charm.}

The skid steer was at this old house that Andrew is doing a major remodeling overhaul on for work. 

Old houses have such charm. Especially when there's a red barn in the back. Have I mentioned that I love red barns?

This particular house also has quite the view. 

Andrew's always excited to show me his work projects. 

And I'm always happy to see them!

So he gave me the grand tour. 

The place is stripped to the barest of bones. 

There's something strangely beautiful about aged wood and plaster.

And early morning sun streaming through it all. 

There's also something about a construction site that makes me wistful somehow. 

It may be because I was around them so much as a kid.

Just the smell brings me back every time. 

Then we hooked the skid steer up to the truck and headed back to Rexburg.  Andrew had a long day of digging ahead of him. 

OUR PIECE OF LAND

I thought I'd give you a better idea of what our property consists of. I'll do my best to make this weed-filled piece of dirt entertaining for you folks at home.

Tah-dah!

I love views of rolling farmland behind the trees.

If I zoom in a bit--depending upon where I stand on the property, there's a clear shot of the temple.

Hopefully, we have this from our back windows.

Now, what I'm about to show you is not on any land we own, but it's still really, really cool. And it takes less than a minute to walk there from our property.

Behind us is this big open field.

{Do you like how I helped you visualize where our house will be?}

If you walk across the field and reach these trees...

...you'll find a little path.

If you follow it--in a matter of seconds--you'll come across the Teton River!

Just think of the adventures to be had back here!

This week, we saw a red fox darting through the trees. The neighbors say we'll probably see all kinds of wildlife wandering into our yards from the river. I won't mind the occasional moose or raccoon.

I just can't handle anymore run-ins with muskrat. My last encounter left permanent emotional scarring.

Anyway. Besides that, does this give you a clearer picture of why we're so excited? Hooray!

IN THE MAIL

SUMMER PARADISE

I cannot even express the joy of being home all day.

Quiet. Calm. With lots of time to do...whatever the heck I want.

For example, I can't remember the last time I made myself a beautiful lunch, sat down, and ate it. Without the phone ringing, cafeteria duty to be to, kids needing to make-up work, lessons to plan, materials to gather, papers to grade, messes to clean, copies to make, e-mails to answer, and band aids to apply.

I can arrange flowers from my yard and be at home to enjoy them.

I can spend all morning weeding and seeding and enjoying the sunshine.

I can get started arranging past blog entries into a printed book.
{Something I've wanted to do for a long time. And what a great family journal/scrapbook to have!}

I can even sit at my window and watch that tree go from this...

to this...in less than twenty-four hours.

The best thing is that I have the time to take pointless pictures of weeds and daydream on a piece of land that Andrew and I own as of 8am this morning.

That's right. Breaking ground this afternoon.

Boo-ya, baby! It's gonna be a great summer.

NOW WHAT?

The play is over, report cards are delivered, and students are gone for the summer.

The classroom is all packed up.

Or pushed up against one wall in anticipation for August.

{source}

On my way home that last day, I used a Christmas gift card for a massage. 

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I think I'd be willing to trade my first born child for another one. Maybe. 

I arrived home to where organization, dish washing, laundry, and grocery shopping of any kind has been neglected for some weeks now. 

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I felt it was wiser to spare you the devastation.

I also noticed that I still have my Easter decorations on display through the house. 

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I mean, that holiday was only a month ago, right?

You'd think I'd be immediately off to conquer long lists of things I can never accomplish while working full-time. But I have no motivation. 

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And anyway, my list board seems to have been overtaken by Andrew's artistic fancies. 

Besides, as if on cue, as always happens the day after school gets out, I am sick. My body seems to wait for me to have time for illness in my life. 

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Very courteous, don't you think? 

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So, if you need me, I'll be here on my bed in a flu/mental anxiety-induced catatonic state. I'll probably be here for a few days...

THE LAST DAYS

Four days and counting. 

All I have left to accomplish:

1. Put Together 22 Portfolio Binders
2. Enter Grades and Print Report Cards
3. Clean and Pack for Summer Vacation
4. Make Costumes
5. Finish Building Set
6. Get a Bunch of 9-year-olds to Memorize Scripts and Follow my Choreography 
7. Impress Parents with My Amazing Directing Skills

I'm just a little bit stressed out. 

The kids have done most of the painting of the set. 

(I just added faces)

I built the tree. 




And Andrew built the framework of the little Japanese hut. 




After adding the kids' thatched roof and a donated props, it's looking more like a Hawaiian tiki hut with a Mexican blanket. 
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I'm trying not to let it stress me out. I simply don't have the time to let my perfectionism take control right now. I'll just add some Japanese art to the inside walls and call it good.

I have a bag of about 15 donated stuffed monkeys of varying species and colors to be hang in the jungle...that still needs to be built. 

And I need to find an alternative to these sad, little guys in the chicken coop. They look slightly pathetic. 

But the costumes are almost put together. Just need a tiger's tail and a pair of wolf's ears. 

I soon discovered that sewing costumes without a sewing machine is completely unreasonable. So I turned to the next best thing: a hot glue gun. 
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It works surprisingly well. 



Well, I probably won't see you again until I get to the other side of all this mess...assuming I survive the anxiety. Send a prayer my way, won't you?
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Sayonara.
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