Independance Day

4th of July we headed to our favorite place to celebrate, Virginia City. 

We got there about an hour before the parade started and staked out a good spot to watch the parade.

It was pretty hot this year but we found a few ways to stay cool.  We ate ice-cream,

and sipped on some ice cold sarsaparilla.

The parade was great again this year, not so long your wondering when it will end, and just enough to see that you don't feel like there was too little.

We love seeing those dressed up from the 1800's.  That had to be hot!

 

After the parade we came home and Matt barbecued.  Uncle David was here, and Uncle Rick and Aunt Linda also came out for the day. 

We had hot dogs, ribs, slaw, and watermelon, and finished with apple and cherry pie with ice cream!

I filled up a tub of red, white, and blue water balloons for the kids (big and small).  It was a fun way to cool off.

Matt headed to work after lunch and I decided to opt. out of our traditional trip to V.C. to watch fireworks.  Instead the kids set up the tent in the backyard and we did our own fireworks. Turned out to be the perfect night.

Job Promotion

A few weeks back Matt received not one but two job promotion offers.  One he was expecting, the other came out of left field.  He was offered the GM position at his current casino, Gold Dust West Reno(he was expecting).  But they also extended another offer to him as an assistant GM at the Sands Regency where his company is expanding and just purchased this Casino.  This offer came as a curve ball since his company does not currently have any assistant GM's.  They were essentially creating a job for him.  Both offers amazing opportunity.

I knew he would take the more challenging job (that's just who he is).  He could have taken the easier road and accepted the GM position but he chose to go big at the Sands.  His responsibilities have grown tremendously, hiring and training his replacement, and gearing up to now manage 10 departments and somewhere in the ballpark of 200 employees at a much larger Casino. 

The official takeover begins at midnight July 1.  He has been working long days (some 16 hour days).  Needless to say we have seen him very little this past month.  We sure miss him being home, but love hearing about how much he loves this job.  I just hope in the next few months we can find a more normal work/home balance.

Bogie Visit

Just a few weeks after our visit to Utah my sister Susan and niece Tori made the long drive out to visit us for a week. The night they arrived the boys, and Kelsey were both gone for the night so Sadi and I got them all to ourselves.  We hit a little local joint in town for dinner.

The next day we headed up to Virginia City (seems tradition now).  With Kelsey not working up there this summer, this was our first visit all year.

Of course we had to stop in the Grandma's Fudge to say hello to Kelsey's old co-workers and pick up some ice-cream for lunch.  I heard the butter pecan ice-cream was the best :)

We spent a full day at Lake Tahoe...and found there was very little beach to be shared.

The weather was perfect, and surprisingly we managed to re-apply sunscreen enough that no one got burnt....first year ever!

We had a leisure day of shopping and hit a movie (Cars 3).  I thought it was just an okay movie, nothing special.  Chase ditched us for the day to spend time with a friend (I think he's getting to that age).

We spent time talking, laughing, and game playing just about every night. 

The week flew by and before we knew it we were saying goodbye, again.

Camping Bust

A little over a month ago Chase's scout pack was told about an upcoming stake camp out that they would be having the end of June.  Chase has been looking forward to it, and talking about it ever since.  Chase made a bottle rocket and Matt helped him make a "no rules" pinewood derby car  as part of the activities they were going to participate in.  They made a tank, which was about as heavy as a real tank. 

Matt wasn't sure as it got closer if he would even be able to sneak away from work to take him, but luckily he was able to make the time.  They left early Friday afternoon and got lost due to not having any directions which made for a rocky start.  When they finally arrived at camp they found it to be  more of a do your own thing with your ward kind of camp, which would have been fine if anyone else from our ward showed up....which they did not.  They did participate in the bottle rocket launch, and kicked butt and took first in the derby.  Then it was ward time, so not sure what they did.

After the fireside speaker they said they would be wrapping up in the morning and they could do their own thing with their boys (ward).  Matt and Chase decided  to pack it up and come home.  They snuck out in the backyard in the dark, and pitched their tent for the night.

They got up early and cooked breakfast for everyone outside on the grill.  At first I was sad thinking Chase might have missed out and sad that they weren't included with another group, but I realized they still had good quality time together and that was worth more than anything.

Summer Job

This summer Kelsey landed a new summer job with the U.S. Forest Service as a wilderness ranger.

She started attending a few days of training's in May but didn't start full time until the second week of June.  She looks so cute in her new work digs....

The first physical day for her was hard and she came home and told us "well I found out I haven't worked a day in my life until today!".  To which we laughed and laughed.  After the first rough week she has found that the job perks are pretty good!  One of her job perks is driving this sweet ride from the office into the wilderness.

She has been on several overnight trips so far.  A few weeks ago she joined a group out near Bridgeport to get some axe and saw training.  This particular area they were training at was a trail that had been covered by fallen trees.  It started by looking like no trail:

But after 3 days of  training,

they had blazed a trail. 

This week her overnight adventure was rafting down the Carson River.  They stopped along the river to check a few fire permits and tear down some old fire rings.

They stopped for the night at this hot spring pool that is right on the river to relax from their hard days work and make camp.

You can tell by her face she is not hating this job.  She actually can't believe she is getting paid to do this.

I have to admit I am a bit jealous, I mean who wouldn't want this to be their office.....

Forgotten 14

To say Matt has been busy at work would be a ridiculous understatement.  The day of our anniversary he left early before I was awake, called briefly to say hello but was quickly called away before we could talk, and had a late night work dinner.  So when he finally arrived home late I did get to wish him a happy anniversary before falling asleep.  The next night he left me these with an apology note.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that 14 is the only forgotten anniversary we have.

Father's Day

Father's Day Kelsey and I were still in Lake Tahoe and Matt had to work in the afternoon so we didn't plan much of anything since we wouldn't all be together.  I had the HARDEST time thinking of anything Matt would want/use.  Since he has been working so much and having that long commute to work means spending lots of hours in his car. So....that was the theme I tried to roll with.  We picked him up a new coffee mug, some of his favorite sunflower seeds (or Sadi's favorite I'm still not sure), a new air freshener, and a gift card for those late nights when he forgot to eat all day, he can hit the 24 hour drive through.

The idea was we were also going to clean his car for him.  Due to him being gone so many hours, and Kelsey borrowing  his car it was weeks before we finally got to cleaning it out. 

 

Chase did a pretty good job at vacuuming, and Sadi used her flexibility to reach those hard to reach areas.  They finished just in time one morning for him to hop in and head to work.

Unbeknownst to us he had ordered himself a gift that arrived just before Father's day, two Amazon Echo dots.   So I guess he did end up getting what he really wanted :)