Playing Catch Up

I spent the better part of today playing catch up. With mine and Rick's schedule of late our home has been seriously neglected. For someone who used to be such a neat freak (my home was ALWAYS clean) it has looked like a tornado hit our house these past few weeks. In fact Rick used to tell me that the only thing that scared him about being with me was how clean I kept my house. Living in Nevada has presented some unique challenges in housekeeping, not only has our schedules provided hindrances but the Nevada winds provide endless dust! In fact last year when I was driving for KT I had one of the young woman from the ward come once a week and clean the bathrooms and dust for me. I'm seriously considering going that road again. But today I spent a few hours making our home look fit to live in again! Yea! My husband will be so happy when he comes home tonight. Working these long hours has made him something of a grump so anything I can do to help him feel less stressed when he comes home is a big step in the right direction. So how do you feel about housework? DO you ever get so behind you don't think you'll ever catch up?

I survived.......

Well I survived another 19 hour trip to Yerington! The Spring Creek Track team left Saturday morning at 2:30 AM, which means I had to be at the bus yard at 1:45 AM to pre trip and get to the school, which means I had to be up at 12:30 AM to get ready to go. Up at 12:30 AM you ask? Yes up at 12:30 AM. I went to bed at 8:30 PM, you do the math. We arrived at 8:00 AM but that wasn't the end of my responsibilities... the team unloaded and I had to fuel both the buses..... the coach had driven one so I fueled both so that our relief drivers wouldn't have to later when we met them. So by 10:00 AM I was done fueling....$250.00 for 70 gallons of diesel! Glad it wasn't on my credit card! Then I could take my nap.... it was more being unconscious than napping. 4 hours later I woke up. Boy was I glad that I got that nap. And low and behold the track meet got over early.... miracles will never cease. So instead of the relief drivers meeting us there in Yerington we drove to Fernley and met them. I had a chauffeur to drive me home which was a good thing. After telling Sonia (the chauffeur) that I really didn't feel tired I proceeded to fall asleep, not waking up till we got to Winnemucca. Can you believe that? Potty break and back on the road. I still dozed some of the rest of the way home, I must have been really tired!

Crazy, busy!

Elko County School District has been busy this past while, which in turn means I've been busy! Good for the paycheck, bad for sleep and time to do things around the house. I wish I could hire someone to come in and clean for me! I've subbed here in Spring Creek and taken a trip to Eureka with the Carlin softball team. It was like driving in a wind tunnel all day long. And the girls had to play ball in it! They won both games.... walked all over the other team! When it was time to go home the sun was just setting and a misty fog was rolling in. It made driving home like driving on an airport landing strip, it was dark... there were no landmarks because of the fog-mist and the only thing to tell me where the road was were the reflective markers on the side of the highway. I've only driven a team that way once before so with the hurricane force winds and all the rest it was a long ride home. But we made it and I was very happy that I wasn't called the next morning to drive! Rick also started the shutdown at the mine last week. This is the time of year when the miners work 12 hour, 7 day weeks. They shutdown various equipment and do maintenance projects to keep things working top notch, or close to it. Rick's goal at the end of the 4 or 5 weeks of hell is to save enough to buy a motorcycle. He's missed having a bike to ride for the last 4 years, ever since he sold his to pay for the wood floors we put in the living room of our house in West Jordan. It looks like May is shaping up to be a busy month for the Clarke home. It's the last month of school meaning it is going to get really crazy for field trips.... oh joy! What do you look forward to in May?

Hanging out at the Airport....

Saturday was quite the event. I was scheduled to pick up EHS at the SLC airport, quick back and forth trip. Except I forgot to find out which Elko High School group I was picking up or what flight they were on or when the unknown flight was supposed to arrive. So I got to the SLC International Airport around 10:30 AM, which was pretty good time. I pulled into the loading and unloading zone and parked. Now most of you know that that particular lane is not for parking or waiting but as it says..... loading and unloading. So I found a nice security guy (or rather he found me) and asked if I could wait for my group there. He assured me that I could park there, then I asked him if there was anywhere I could go potty! He told me that he would watch the bus while I ran in and used the little girls room. So I waited and waited and waited some more. The next security guy was just as nice as the first.... stood there and chatted with me and asked about driving school bus and working with the kids.... and I waited some more. The second security guy wandered off and I sat in the drivers seat of the bus and kind of snoozed for about a half an hour when the third security guy came wandering through... he proceeded to ask why I didn't know when my group was coming in or what their flight number was..... when low and behold up came the coach! Saved at last! Saved at last! We loaded the bus and I asked the coach if they wanted to feed the kids before heading home. The Coach asked the kids if they wanted to eat or just head straight home....(I got the feeling they were leaning toward just heading home) intereupted the coach 'I don't think you undestood me, the driver WILL stop. It's just a matter of where you would prefer to stop' I had been waiting for them for over an hour and a half. I was stopping for a soda and potty! Needless to say we stopped at the Tooele Flying J for soda and potty and had a rather uneventful trip the rest of the way home!

Work and play.............

One of the neat benefits of my job is getting to go places. Last weekend the place I got to go was Taylorsville, Utah. And for those of you who know your geography Taylorsville, is located in the Salt Lake Valley...... home or home to our children and family. So... work was more like play. I had a great time visiting. Mom, Margaret and I went to P.F.Changs for dinner, good thing we got a reservation, it was crazy when we got there. Saturday was devoted to the kids. Cortney picked me up in the morning and we headed to John and Ashleigh's around noon. I got to hold and snuggle and feed Greyson a bottle. We had a great time just visiting and hanging out until the Coach called around 3 PM. It was time to collect the track team and head back to Elko. I had such a nice time. Rick and Zac had another bachelors weekend while I was gone. We had a nice Sunday to recuperate although I wasn't nearly as wiped out as some trips, I got home not too late and slept really well sat. night. I also told work not to call me today (monday) so I could have 2 days off in a row. Zac had a friend come over after school and the two of them are having a good time playing and making all kinds of noise in his room. I've spent most of the day catching up on stuff that needs to be done and just generally feeling good. How was your weekend?

Aren't they just the best looking group you've ever seen?

Not the Zoo

Did your kindergardner or 1st grader ever go to the zoo? Here in Elko County we don't have a zoo but we do have lots of cattle ranches. So the kids get to go the ranches and learn about it. Thursday I got to take the high school FFA kids to one of the ranches in Lamoille. They halped the ranchers teach the 5th graders about ranching. It was beautiful day spent in the fresh air and sunshine. I really enjoyed being outside and watching the kids and the animals. It is really neat how our community reaches out and supports and teaches each other. So get out and learn something new about your community.... what's happening... what makes where you live special?

There and back again

Yerington Nevada; Kimberely, Idaho; Jackpot, Nevada; Winnemucca, Nevada; Las Vegas, Nevada; Carol's route; Kathy's route; Penny's route...... get the picture? I'm beginning to think I'm touring Nevada one small po-dunk town at a time. February's mileage was 2500 miles just in field trips, that doesn't count the route's I subbed on. Saturdays trip to Yering ton was 600 miles and 21 hrs. Needless to say I was exhausted by time I got home at 11:00 PM. Yesterday I went to Jackpot and brought them to Elko's museum for Gold Fever week. The 2 largest gold mines.... Newmont Gold (Rick works for Newmont) and Barrick Goldstrike put on an educational hands on program for the kids of Elko county. So up and back to Jackpot twice totaled around 500 miles in 12 hours! And I wonder why I'm tired! And on top of that when I got home sat. night I couldn't sleep................. I slept pretty well last night however. So today's trip is not so long, just Southside elem. to the courthouse. I have no idea what they are going to do there. And puppy Chance and I start obedience class this morning, Yes folks I'm going to learn to be obedient again! If I can teach Chance not to be an escape artist we will succeed! Oh and this weekend I get to go to Taylorsville this weekend with Elko High School Track. We go friday night (won't get there till late) they compete on saturday and then home on Sunday. I thought it was interesting that they are traveling on a Sunday. It happens.............. I don't have much more of an itinerary than that although Margaret will be in town so Mom, Maggie and I are going to PF Chengs for a late dinner when I get to town friday. Sat. after I drop the team I'm going to hang out with John, Ashleigh, Greyson, Courtney, Alexis and Conner... and anyone else who wants to come see me as my wheels are a big yellow school bus! So how's that for a travel log?