Have Car. Will Park.

Flynn has lived in Flatlandia for 8.5 months.
When Scooter and I go to visit him we try to explore the area
and find things to do as a family.
Remember,
our family motto is:
MAKING MEMORIES
(Plus, we want friends to come visit us, and we’ll need to find ways of entertaining them when they come!)

I will say that Flatlandia has GREAT State Parks.
There are about a gazillion of them!
Since Flynn has lived there, we’ve traveled WEST to a
National Landmark and a National Park.
(This trip was about 2 hours away.)
This is what we saw:

AND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we traveled EAST and saw these amazing sights at another state park.
(This trip is an hour away.)

A couple weeks ago, we travelled NORTH (our famous 400 mile Sunday drive)
and finally saw some water in the barren land we’re moving to.
(This was 3 hours away.)

Last weekend, Scooter and I were in Flatlandia again.
This time Beast accompanied us.
He needed a small vacation away from the stresses of his job.
Poor Belle had to work.
So she stayed in Zion, held the fort down, and earned some much needed cash.

The only direction we haven’t traveled yet was
SOUTH
so we checked our trusty map and found yet ANOTHER state park
and OFF WE WENT!
(We traveled 2 hours for this park.)

These are some of the amazing sights we saw.
IMO, I think it’s the coolest State Park we’ve been to!

I had to leave my mark. And it’s not graffiti.
All the kids do it! I promise!

You can see that the west is still on fire.
I’m pretty sure this fire has been burning all summer.

Scooter found a skeleton of some little animal lying in the grass.
We’re not sure what it was… a fox possibly?
We think this was the skull, but we’re not sure.
He likes to think it is.

Now we’ve seen it and done it all, what’s next?
Hmmm… I don’t know.
There’s still one road to the south we haven’t driven down.
And we still haven’t found a real hiking trail.

So, I guess we haven’t seen it and done it all yet, have we?

Sleeping. But Not On The First Day of School

Scooter started 4th grade this year!

*sigh*

He breaks my heart, he’s so handsome!

He’s very lucky in his school situation this year.
Until we move and enroll him in school in
FLATLANDIA
(I named our new town!)
he gets to attend a special class in the Middle School
that is geared toward talented and gifted students.

There is only one class of about 21 gifted 4th graders in our school district.
This is a voluntary class, so some parents/students opted to stay in the traditional 4th grade elementary class.
Which is totally fine.

Scooter really wanted the challenges and experiences this class will give him:

1) He gets to attend the Middle School first.
The schools in  Zion break down this way:
K-4 grades – Elementary School
5-6 grades – Middle School
7-9 grades – Jr. High.
10-12 grades – High School
And we all know my competitive boy likes to be first.

2) Same 4th grade curriculum. Only this is “on steroids”
It’s tougher. A LOT tougher.
He got lazy in traditional classes. This is GOOD for him.
(Funny sidenote: Tonight, Scooter was working on Math homework. And he was struggling.
He put his head on his hand and said,
“We’re supposed to find different methods of solving these math problems.
I definitely prefer traditional amalga-rhythms.”
See? I was so confused about what he said, that I can’t even spell it!)

3) He gets a language class every week – Spanish
*Disclaimer: He actually learned Chinese while attending the elementary school.
However, it was in an after school program and not part of
regular school hours.

4) He gets P.E. twice a week instead of once

5) He gets to go weekly to a real art class with a real art teacher.
(I wish his teacher was Thorkgal!)

6) Choir!
I almost forgot Choir!
My boy gets to attend a weekly choir class taught by one of my dearest friends.
As excited as I am that he gets a real choir class, I’m also a littlebit sad that
I won’t have the opportunity to be
”Music Mom” anymore. :(

6) He still gets his two hours a week of “Discovery Class”.
He received this service in 2nd and 3rd grades as well.
He would leave class twice a week for one hour and learn “extra” stuff.
Things like: astronomy, weather, cyphers, sign language, Medieval times, etc. etc.
This time, the whole class gets to go and learn together and share their experiences.
It’s pretty awesome.

Can you see what an amazing experience this is?
I can’t believe they can fit all of this into a weekly schedule.

The only drawback (and it’s a big one) is that none of his buddies from elementary school
came over with him. IMO, Bullseye could totally do this program. He’s very smart.
I’m not sure how children are picked for testing. But I feel bummed that Bullseye wasn’t tested.

Scooter is enjoying his time in this class until we move.
After that, Flynn and I will take over the extra learning.
There is no gifted/talented program in Flatlandia.
And we’re just a little bit bummed about that.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Moving on
(more about Scooter)

You’ve all seen pictures of Scooter sleeping.
I can do a whole blog post of pictures of my boy sleeping with his eyes wide open.
He’s done it since birth.
And he hasn’t grown out of it.

I anticipate some questions:
1) Yes. Sometimes his eyes DO close during the night. I figure it’s when he’s in a light sleeping pattern.

2) I don’t know if his eyes dry out. He doesn’t complain that they’re dry, so I assume not.
Maybe they stay hydrated because he does close them once in a while.

3) He doesn’t see things when he’s asleep. His eyes are not focused on anything.

4) He knows he does this. Sometimes he’s sensitive about it. Sometimes he laughs about it.
And he has given me permission to post this video.
He said, “I think you’re friends are going to think this is creepy.”

I took this video a couple weeks ago when we were in Flatlandia. This is Sunday morning before we had to wake him up for church. I figure about 8 in the morning.
He. Was. Out.

Can the Drama. Just. End?

Back in April, I wrote this post about the legal dramas that have been taking place at Flynn’s old Place of Employment in Mordor. It was the first time I had let you know (in detail) some of the things that had transpired while he was there. I still maintain that Flynn was unfairly punished (forced to resign) for the behaviors of his boss. He was completely unaware of the fact that this guy was committing such egregious felonies. And the fact that the hospital board put some of the blame on Flynn still infuriates me until smoke pours out of my ears.

In that post, you can read that The Creep’s trial was scheduled to begin June 4. We don’t want anything to do with the hospital in Mordor or the people of that town anymore, but realized we’d have to see them all again at the trial. We were dreading that summons that we knew would be coming, requesting Flynn to testify.

The time of the trial loomed nearer and nearer and we didn’t receive a summons. We thought that maybe we’d been given a reprieve and that the prosecutors were so confident in their case they didn’t need Flynn after all.

WRONG!!

About a week before the trial was scheduled to begin, we read in Mordor’s local newspaper that it had been delayed. It appears that not only had The Creep stolen $850,000 from Mordor’s hospital, but they were investigating the hospital where he previously worked. It appears there was some impropriety there as well and they needed more time to investigate.

So the trial was postponed until September 18.

We tried  to push all of this to the back of our mind and enjoy our summer. I’d occasionally check Mordor’s newspaper online to see if anything was going on (heaven forbid anyone should actually keep us informed). There was no news. To my way of thinking, no news is good news! Right?

WRONG!!

One day last week I was on my morning walk with my friend and she said something about the hospital in Mordor. Apparently, she had seen something our local TV news about The Creep and his trial status. I was shocked. Thank heavens we were in the hills, because I swore… LOUDLY.

You’ll understand why when you read the article. (Sorry, I still need to keep our identities private, so I will change the names of the town and the people involved.)

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Former Mordor Hopsital CEO The Creep is now considered a fugitive after he reportedly dropped off the map. The Creep is awaiting trial on criminal charges alleging he embezzled nearly $848,000 from the healthcare organization.

A warrant for The Creep’s arrest was issued last week after federal probation agents learned he was missing.

Though it had never been scheduled on the court’s calendar, two of The Creep’s three attorneys said in a Wednesday court filing that their client had agreed to take a plea deal and appear in Court on Aug. 29 to resolve 15 felony counts related to fraud. However, those attorneys say The Creep fell out of contact with them beginning in mid-August.

On Aug. 28, after The Creep failed to keep two appointments, his attorney tried contacting The Creep in person by sending a paralegal and investigator to his mother’s house. That’s where The Creep’s bond conditions required him to stay. However, his mother informed the attorney’s staff that her son had been gone since Aug. 25 “and that she did not know where he was, nor did she know how to contact him except to send him an email and hope that he responded,” The attorney said he immediately tried calling The Creep, but found his number was no longer in service.

The lawyers said they have no idea where The Creep is or how to contact him and indicated he hasn’t paid their fees.

The defense attorneys notified the U.S. Attorneys’ Office upon learning of The Creep’s disconnected number on Aug. 28.

After being notified of his disappearance, federal probation officers soon discovered The Creep had — unsuccessfully — applied for a U.S. passport under a false name back on June 25, said a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys’ Office.

Applying for a passport would be a violation of The Creep’s bond conditions. He had to surrender his passport as a part of the conditions of his pre-trial release.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge, who is presiding over the case, issued a warrant for The Creep’s arrest Aug. 29. It says he should be detained without bail. The Creep had originally turned himself in on the charges back in March, returning to the U.S. from An Asian Country to do so.

The man accused of working with The Creep to embezzle the money, The Creep’s Pawn is set to take a plea deal later this month. The Creep’s Pawn, who previously pleaded not guilty to the 15 felony charges he also faces, is set to change his plea on Sept. 17 in Court. Details of the deal were filed with the court this week, but are not publicly available.

A trial for both men had been set to start on Sept. 18.

(I left out the part rehashing the charges that was in this part of the article)

The proposed plea agreement in the criminal case would have included requiring The Creep to make restitution to Mordor’s Hospital and also completely and fully disclose his financial status to prosecutors, The Attorney’s wrote Wednesday.

“At no time during their representation of The Creep has he provided to his attorneys even an inkling that he would not enter into the plea agreement nor that he would move from his mother’s residence,” the defense attorneys wrote.

The Creep could potentially face increased penalties for violating his bond conditions in the criminal case, but federal agents will have to catch the fugitive first.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

As you can see, this is SHOCKING news!

The one part I found particularly shocking was involving his mother. She knew he was missing! She knew he was remanded to her house and he wasn’t supposed to travel anywhere. She knew she couldn’t get a hold of him and that he had skipped out on his bail.

SHE DID NOTHING ABOUT IT!

I understand it’s her son, but in a situation like this, right is right and not contacting the authorities was wrong! I don’t know what the police or FBI or prosecutors or whoever’s in charge will do, but I think she needs to be charged with aiding a felon. My sister even suggested that she should get thrown in jail until he shows up.

So, the drama continues. Will we see The Creep again? Will they be able to find him? Will they even try?

There is still a civil case set to go to trial against him and his pawn. (How fitting that he disappeared and left his pawn to face all the trouble alone.) We have already been contacted by the hospital’s attorney that Flynn will be expected to testify at that. I just don’t know how it will proceed now.

Stay tuned. As much as I want it to be over, it’s going to keep dragging on… and on… and on….

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

So what do you do when you’re 10 years old
and your super cool Uncle offers you a chance to throw out the opening pitch at
the semi-pro baseball game?

Why, you say “no” of course.

Especially, since you gave up the game a couple seasons ago.

”Geez! Do you remember, Mom, that I HATE baseball?”

Why would you throw that pitch when you vehemently deny
any offers of picking up your mitt and trying the Great American Sport again?

”Geez, Dad! Remember when I got hit in the face with a ball?
It hurt!”

Why would you throw that pitch?
I mean…. DUH! Baseball is a TERRIBLE sport!!

Imagine how proud your parents would be,
if you showed a moment of maturity unusual for such a young age 
and you realized that this was a
CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
and you decided you wanted to throw that pitch after all?

This was the scenario in our house during the month of August.
My cool brother, who is the top server of Texas Roadhouse, arranged for Scooter
to throw the opening pitch for the semi-pro game his restaurant was sponsoring.

Scooter didn’t want to do it.
NO WAY!

We talked, cajoled, pleaded with and bribed him.
He wasn’t going to do it.
And we couldn’t force it.
(Stubborn little stinker!)
We walked away from the offer and let the matter drop.

Until the Sunday before the game.
We were talking about going, what time we would meet my bro there, etc.
when OUT OF THE BLUE, Scooter said,
“I decided I want to throw the opening pitch after all!”

WHAT THE WHAT?
Man, we hope it’s not too late!
So we called Googenheim who asked his manager who said,
”SURE!”

So, Scooter was good to go.
We practiced for THREE WHOLE DAYS leading up to the big game.
His throws were wild.
Too far to the left. Too far to the right.
Frequently he sent the “catcher” on a wild goose chase trying to catch the balls he threw.
Scooter can throw about 40 feet.
In professional ball, the pitcher’s mound is around 60 feet from home plate.
So, most of his pitches were short.

But, it didn’t matter.
We just wanted him to HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!

He’s a cool Joe before he heads out to the pitcher’s mound.
(Actually, he got kind of nervous, but he hid it well.)

Look at the style… the form!
Such intense concentration!

The cool catcher didn’t even have to move to catch the ball.
Scooter didn’t make it all the way to the plate, but it bounced right into the mitt.
He threw it straighter than he ever did in our practices.

Yep!
You can see from that face,
NO REGRETS!!

Way to go, Scooter!
You made your mama and daddy proud!

Disclosure:
There were actually 4 people that threw out the “first pitch” for this game.
Kind of silly, I know.
The kid behind Scooter also threw and there were two adults.
The kids definitely threw better than the grownups.
And yes, Scooter got to keep his “game ball.”

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Flat Landia

I’m still working on a name for our new town.
My mom suggested
‘East Earwax’ 
– which isn’t bad or too far off the mark.
I may use it.
But I’m not certain yet.

I thought
’Little Town on the Prairie’
might work
because we will definitely be living in the prairies of our great country!
But I just don’t know.

I’ll keep you posted.
Not that you’re sitting around holding your breath, or anything:
{What will she name the new town?
I can’t stand the suspense!}

Yeah.
I know.
Not really.

Anyhoo….

Scooter and I went to visit Flynn for the last weekend of the summer.
Sadly, there wasn’t too much to do.
Flynn was on-call for his job, which meant we had to stay within 1/2 hour of town.

Ummm….

Have you seen where town is?
To get ANYWHERE requires a drive of an hour or more –
in all four directions.
North, South, East, West.
The closest town is 50 miles or more away –
in all four directions.

Plus
Saturday morning, Scooter woke up vomiting.
That limited us dramatically.
We think it was a food borne stomach issue, and not the flu,
but we needed to stay close to the apartment in case he got sick again.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful.
We went to church.
We’re not introduced as visitors anymore.
We almost have callings, but our records aren’t actually there.
(I figure I’ll be doing music in Relief Society and the High Priest Group Leader has his eye on Flynn.)

After church, Flynn, who was tired of sitting around, decided he was going to call
a co-worker to see if she’d cover his on-call for the afternoon.
And we went on a Sunday Drive.
Flynn wanted to see the nearest reservoir, which he thought was 120 miles away.

Somehow, we missed the memo that it wasn’t 120 miles!
Either that, or we missed a turn somewhere.
It turned out being 196 miles.
Yes, 196 miles on a Sunday Drive.
Which equals almost 400 miles round trip.
(The drive from Zion to East Earwax is 450. Yes, we went a stinkin’ long way!)

On our drive we realized that we weren’t anywhere near our mountains any more.
Not even close.

It was mile after mile of prairie.
Of buttes and knolls.
Dead grasses, rocks and sagebrush.

We were the only car on the road, or so it seemed.
We didn’t overtake a single car in our lane for a couple hours.
And the oncoming traffic was almost as sparse.
We turned the stopwatch app on my phone on and started timing how far it was between car sightings.
Several times it went 10+ minutes between sightings.
That’s a lot of loneliness, IMHO.

I had to stop the car once and stand in the middle of the highway and take a photo to document
the bleak beauty of our drive.
Because, yes, it was beautiful. In a different sort of way.
Much different than what we’re used to, but pretty none-the-less.
Oh, and it wasn’t dangerous for me to stand in the middle of a highway.
Not out there, anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

   I’m certainly not used to all the flatness. Scooter loves it
   because it might mean there might be a tornado there some
   day. And we all know how much he wants to be a
   meteorologist storm chaser on Mars when he grows up!

 

 

 

 

The weekend wasn’t all vomit and driving.
Scooter and Flynn decided that it was time they tried the classic science experiment:
Diet Coke and Mentos.
Perfect for a 10 year old boy and his fun loving dad.
(Sorry for the blur)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best picture of all.
Look at the happiness on the boy’s face!
He’s so lucky to have Flynn for a dad!