I'm reading the best book!

Now, keep in mind that I love history, so before you go out and buy this book, Desert Queen, realize it is a historical biography of a woman named Gertrude Bell. I had never heard of her, but as I read this book, I have this growing desire to go back to teaching history. Miss Bell would have been a great addition to my Women Studies class, or to help my understanding of the Middle East. Just as when I read Three Cups of Tea, I find this book fascinating, especially since I have so little background on public relations in the Middle East. Three Cups of Tea was very inspiring, seeing what an individual's determination and hard work can accomplish. The same is true of Gertrude Bell, only her story was pre-World War I, a Victorian English woman, who didn't have the right to vote, let alone the gumption to travel alone to the Middle East and help create the Iraq of today. There are photos in the book of Miss Bell, with her feather clad hats, sitting amongst fifty men, she being the only woman. In an Arab world were women were considered far below men, she was given an audience with sheiks and holy men who had never even seen an English woman before.

I often wonder, when Tyler is in full day school, what type of work I would like to pursue. Usually I think about interior design or owning a shop, but when I read books like this, I get so excited about the possibility of teaching again. If only I'd had some of the experiences and knowledge I have now, when I taught 11 years ago. Our trip to Chicago and the art institute there also made me think about going back to teaching. To teach AP Art History now would be bliss compared to my experience when I was 23 years old and learning as I went along. Anyhow--after I finish the book, I will write more. There are some fascinating quotes and insights from 1919 about Iraq that shed a lot of understanding on current day circumstances.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a fantastic, relaxing weekend for Memorial Day. Lately, I have felt overwhelmed with all of the "stuff" I seem to fill my life with. It was really nice to have a weekend with no practices or ball games and only a few obligations. Pete had Monday off, which is always nice. We started the day with breakfast at IHOP--Jake's request. Pete and I shared crepes and they were delicious. Then, we loaded up our bikes (it took two cars, I think we need to invest in a bike rack) and headed to the Porter Rockwell Trail in Draper. I love this trail for family bike riding. It's mostly flat, quiet, and stress-free since there are no cars to worry about. I tried out my new road bike, and it was amazing how much less effort is required to ride a road bike compared to a mountain bike with a baby seat! Pete was kind to take Tyler this time. We got snow cones and Subway sandwiches for lunch and then headed to the driving range to hit some golf balls. Tyler may be a little young for this activity, but it was very fun. The only thing missing was Mitch, who got to spend the night at his cousins house. We picked him up at 5pm, then hit the local wings joint for dinner. Afterwards, we went and saw Night at the Museum Part II. I really liked it, although I never saw the first one. Pete and Jake thought it was just okay. What a fun day spent as a family, well mostly. Cute Mitch had two sleepover this weekend. He now thinks Memorial Day is the coolest holiday ever. Even though we missed him, I think he had a great time.

I'm not sure what it is lately, but Salt Lake is beautiful right now! The mountains are green, yet still snow-capped. The skies are blue with billowy white, clouds. There are still flowers and trees in bloom everywhere--its spectacular! We have these poppy plants in my front yard, and the greenery is kind of ugly, but they are so gorgeous in bloom. My favorite plant is my bleeding heart, although I just planted 2 lilac bushes and they may become my favorite. I am also happy to report that the tulips I planted in December (oops, I forgot to plant them in the fall) all bloomed and were beautiful. Now I need to get busy and plant the rest of my flower beds. I'm not as excited about that, plus our lawnmower broke. Its only 2 years old--aren't lawnmowers supposed to last for at least 5 years?

From Chicago to Las Vegas and Back Home Again!

I thought I'd take a minute to post about my two most recent trips with Pete. Pete is fortunate in his job to have lots of opportunity to travel for conferences. Every once in awhile, if our kids schedules allow, I get to follow along. I had the opportunity to travel with Pete to Chicago. We stayed at a great old hotel, The Knickerbocker. It was in a great location for shopping on Michigan Avenue. We didn't arrive until quite late, due to a delayed plane flight, so we sauntered over to the hotel across the street for a very late night snack! I won't mention the time, but man, we shared the best cheeseburger I've had in a long time! The next morning, Pete had conference, so I was able to sleep in. Then we wandered around the Magnificent Mile and admired the great architecture that Chicago is known for. We stopped for chicago style pizza, and later, cheese popcorn from Garrett's. I think we walked around for about 5 hours.

That evening, Pete attended a dinner with some friends from Michigan, then we headed to the Chicago Field Museum for a conference event. As we walked, a brilliant red Chinese dragon was winding its way between the tables, as traditional Chinese music played. There was a strangely costumed woman, wearing wings and stilts, that wandered through the crowds, a little unsettling, honestly. Sue, the big fossil of a T-Rex, and the big Mammoths in the central hall, were fun to see, as was the exhibit on a real pirate ship dredged from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, it's the only ship ever found with its "pirate booty" in tact. We also enjoyed reconnecting with old friends from Michigan.

The following day, Pete and I spent the majority of the day at the Chicago Institute of Art. What a fantastic fine arts museum! We concentrated on the European artists on the upper floor, so we could be sure to see the famous Seurat. I think we spent another 5 hours wandering around the museum, something we definitely couldn't have done with our kids in tow. My favorites are the Impressionist paintings, especially those by Renoir and Monet.



That evening, we met up with some of our old friends from BYU and an old mission companion of Pete's, Jared and Matia Marcucci, for dinner at a restaurant with a hip, 1920's vibe. We had such a great time, laughing and reminiscing about the past. It's always fun to hang out with friends, and few people can make us laugh like Jared Marcucci.

The next day, I had to return home to kids and mom responsibilities, while Pete had 2 more days at the conference. But, before I left for the airport, we had brunch at the Four Seasons hotel. Great times!

View of the Bellagio Fountains from the Eiffel Tower, Las Vegas

To my surprise, a few short weeks later, Pete surprised me for our 14th Anniversary with an overnighter to Las Vegas. I didn't know where were going until we boarded the plane. Pete didn't pack clothes so that we could shop at the Caesar Palace Forum Shops for a show that night. We didn't go too overboard, but it was fun to be that spontaneous, and much quicker to not wait for luggage. We ate at a great Italian restaurant and then saw a cirque du soleil show. We stayed at the Paris Hotel, since I've always wanted to go to Paris (you can't really do Paris, France justice in an overnight trip). We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the Bellagio Fountains below us. We had an incredible room with views of the Strip and the Bellagio Fountains. The following morning, we grabbed breakfast at Mon Ami Gabbi, out on the patio, before heading back to the airport. I loved not knowing what we were doing or where we were going. I have so much scheduling to do on a regular basis, its nice not to worry about the details. It was especially nice not to have to organize childcare--Pete took care of everything. I am lucky to married to such a great guy! Pete, you are the best thing! Thanks for 14 fabulous, exciting, adventurous years!

Now that I'm back to reality--last night I was cleaning up vomit at 3:00am--its nice to look back on Pete and my mini-vacations! It's great to be married to my best friend. We have many more years of adventures to look forward too.


The Paris Hotel

New Developments and Additions

Big news on the Fountaine side of the family, all regarding my sisters.
1. Heather, the baby of the family, is finally getting married! She got engaged Easter weekend and will get married in September.
2. Chantel, the middle sister, moved with her family to Denver. I'm not as happy about this as the other two developments, but what can I do? We will miss them living nearby, but wish them the best!
3. Misty, just 18 months younger than me, had a baby boy, Cohen Neils Tobiasson (I may have spelled that wrong). Here are some photos of the adorable baby!




In other news, Pete and I celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary in grand style. I think it warrants its own post, so more details later.
I hope all my favorite mother's had a fabulous day on Mother's Day! I had a great, relaxing day that I'll write about at length later.

Lap of Luxury

A friend told me prior to surgery, that the best thing about her recovery from a similar surgery was her beautiful, long fingernails. This was the positive, luxurious side of recovery--the inability to do a lot of work--resulting in gorgeous nails. Granted, I chose an obnoxious color to highlight my nails (orange-what was I thinking?), but I thought it would be fun to post a "during" recovery photo and a "back to reality" photo.