The Last Voyage

When the end of finals finally arrived we wanted outta here! Tuesday afternoon I darted home and we hustled to get our things together and finish those chores that must be done before a trip. You know the sort: dishes, garbage, etc. And by 2:30pm we were on our way. It was a feeling of relief to leave behind the cares of school and final examinations. *Sigh. The beginning of a long needed break.

The weather was agreeable all the way to Helena and we stayed with Pook and John. It was on our way to Great Falls from Helena midday Thursday that it precipitated a bit and the H20, in whatever form it was in or changing to, stuck to our truck in a very curious manner. So we took some pictures of it. Also somewhat curious and sad is that we didn’t take pictures of anything else. Dang it!

In Helena on Wednesday we watched the kids. It was fun, though very much a “growing experience” to go from zero to four kids in just one day! We played Tracball, Frisbee, and ran around on the playground at the park. We visited Pook at Costco since she was working at the pumps for a while. Back home we proceeded to accomplish the impossible: wash the van with the kids’ help. It was cute to see them going at it at first. I rushed to get a camera for the cuteness occasion, but by the time Kristin got there the attention span had expired and there wasn’t much going on. Maybe Maddy got a quick snapshot, but we were unsuccessful. So pretty much I finished washing the van myself. It’s nice to get that feeling of accomplishment by doing something effective, constructive, or manly even while vacationing. I don’t always get that chance in school since I try so hard and my chemistry test always concludes that I’m just not good enough.

Thursday and Friday we spent some time with Jeremy, Jill, and family. More manly things ensued with lifting heavy things, moving furniture and miscellaneous objects, and burning some unwanted junk. All with a great feeling of triumph and achievement.

We sure do love visiting family. John & Erin and Jeremy &Jill have been so kind and so welcoming. Our trip this time just wasn’t long enough, but we tried to make the most of it. Unfortunately our “wild child” days of picking up and going, may soon be over. The foreseeable future seems to hold no trips for us. The baby boy we’re expecting in July (who I’m thinking will come in August if he’s truly to be a member of this family since we’re always late J) may well act as a tie down. Perhaps we’ll never be able to leave Provo again. No!!! Okay so maybe I’m going over the top. It will be exciting and new in its own way while being a great challenge in our life. Yet we can’t help but think of the joy that will come of it! The first grand baby for my parents. Numero nineteen para los abuelos Sorhus. A cute little chunker of our own to smile and giggle and snuggle with. I mean . . . to be manly and chop wood and pour cement with. AND he’ll be half me and half Kristin! Yay for baby!!!

So we’ve got some growing up to do as we approach the end of the days we knew as “free.” We lived it up. Now that party is over, and a new and more responsible party begins.

Margaret

In this family, we have a lot of Margarets. My grandmother's name was Margaret, my sister's middle name is Margaret, I have a couple nieces with the middle name Margaret, and my brother married a wonderful girl named Margaret. 

I remember my grandmother remarking one time that she didn't particularly like her name, but her friends called her Peggy and she thought that was ok (she really hated her middle name which was Viola). I have wondered since that time how people got "Peggy" from "Margaret." They don't sound at all alike, and there isn't even a "P" in "Margaret." I recently found a little poem by an anonymous author that explains:

In search from A to Z they passed, 
And "Marguerita" chose at last; 
But thought it sounded far more sweet 
To call the baby "Marguerite." 
When grandma saw the little pet, 
She called her "darling Margaret." 
Next uncle Jack and cousin Aggie 
Sent cup and spoon to "little Maggie." 
And grandpapa the right must beg 
To call the lassie "bonnie Meg." 
From "Marguerita" down to "Meg," 
And now she's simply "little Peg."

Some more of the interesting nicknames for "Margaret" are Margot, Marguerite, Marguerita, Rita, Greta, Gretel, Gretchen, Marjorie, Margie, Maggie, May, Madge, Maisy, Daisy, Maidie, Meg, Mog, Poggy, and of course Peg and Peggy (how did they come up with all these nicknames from just one name?).

Kristin's Got A Brand New Hair Do (it rhymes if you say it right)

On Feb. 18th, I decided to get my hair chopped off. So, I went to the Paul Mitchell hair school, found a picture in one of their books that I liked, and had them cut my hair. I had previously decided that I wanted an A-line bob short enough that I could give my hair to Locks of Love. You know when they put your hair in the ponytail and then cut it off for Locks of Love? Well, I was actually pretty disappointed when this part came because  it was very unceremonious. I always expected to have this big hoopla like they do on TV shows when someone gives their hair to charity, but in reality, they just cut off the hair and put it in a box. I didn't even get to hold it. Oh well, I still feel good about giving it to charity.

Back to the hair style. I wanted it to look like a mixture of these two:

So here are the before and afters.

Before:

After:

On a side note, one of the symptoms of Graves Disease is protruding of the eyes and a "prominent stare" of the eyes. The picture above this one really shows it. Here's an old picture of me before I was pregnant to compare: