Summer 2014: Summer Plans & The Week Before

It is months later.  I am now in England.  And I am trying to finish this. It is harder than I expected it to be, but still I will do it. 

Six kids in school and extra-curriculare activities (including the pre-schoolers) + a move from Biloxi to England + participation in the Hill Cumorah pageant + extended family visits in Utah and Kentucky = a complicated calendar.  At one point I wasn't sure we could manage it all.  I am still not quite sure we did.  Even in hindsight it is all a blur.

The end of the school year is always hectic.  Concerts, performances, competitions, meetings, graduations,  church activities, the list goes on and on.  I was impressed that we made it where we needed to be.

Meg and Kiersten showing me some of their playground tricks at school.

Meg and Kiersten riding their scooters around as they wait for their ride to school.  We ended up missing Meg's preschool graduation (my opinion, cute but not much of an accomplishment) and end of school program, but aren't they cute.

Kate had a band concert at the middle school, Trevor had an ROTC awards program at the high school cafeteria and Sariah had a drama awards program at the high school auditorium all at the same time.  It was time to divide and conquer.  The middle school was closer to the house and would be done sooner so Richard went there and I went to the high school for their ceremonies.  I talked to the drama teacher and she was able to tell me about when to be there to see Sariah get her awards.  The ROTC people like give inspirational talks and I felt bad leaving and re-entering in the middle of it all, but I think I managed to see most of  their awards.  I'm proud of them!  The pictures are pretty awful, but here are a couple.

Sariah getting her award pictures and a very blurry glimpse of her doing her monologue.

Trev getting an award and then showing off a different one at the ROTC awards ceremony.

Sariah graduating from high school.

On May 18th Sariah graduated from both high school and seminary.  We were hoping to leave that evening but Sariah spoke at seminary graduation and it got over quite late.  Luckily we had figured this would happen so we picked up the U-haul for the things we were dropping off in Utah Monday morning and loaded it then.  I ended leaving around noon.   Several times I was about to bail on visiting family.  Sariah and Trevor had summer plans that made it necessary for us to be back the first week of June and this drive by myself with six kids on a tight schedule seemed daunting. 
See that little sign. 6,311 miles in 92 hours of driving time.  And that is without any stops.  We were going to have to stop. To gas up and go potty.  And, spoiler alert, sometimes to go potty again just 17 miles after stopping to get gas.  Just in case you are worried about me, there is no need.  My kids are great on a road trip and I am not too shabby myself.

Next up The Insanity Begins:  Biloxi to Lincoln, NE