We decided to try the hot springs in Monroe and we're not disappointed. It was a little spendy, even after I talked the girl down, but it was a fun experience. The springs constantly flow and the water was always fresh, and warm or hot. I believe we will seek out free hot springs since we enjoyed this one so much.
On a side note, Kevin got really sunburned. That is the consequence of his farmers tan, haha!
We went to Cove Fort days this year and we finally got to ride the stage coach! The last time we tried, the horses needed a break right when it was our turn. We went straight there and stood in line and it was worth the wait.
We looked at all the historical rooms and played old games. We stood in line for free ice cream and enjoyed the talents of pottery, tatting, metal and wood working.
Kevin and Derrick both bought an archery tag for elk this year. In the past we have been hit or miss going on the hunt as a family and Kevin has had friends come here and there. This year, with the school situation, it was easier for us to go and it was just us for the opening days. We required the kids to get a week ahead for their online classes and we left right after the first day of high school.
We immediately got a flat tire just north of Panguitch. I drove back home to grab the Excursion's spare while Kevin put his spare on. After seeing the condition of the truck spare tire, he decided he needed an extra spare which he picked up in Panguitch. There was a crack going around the inside wall of the tire, even though the spare was new, it had never been used for years. The spare I brought ended up having a bulge and the used tire they happened to have in Panguitch was pretty much used. Kevin drove on the cracked spare and made it just fine with plans to replace it when we got home.
We brought 3 horses and each of the girls got to go on one of the hunts with them. I went on opening morning and we ended up in the middle of an elk herd, listening to them bugle back and forth. The trees and brush were thick so we only saw about 5 and there wasn't a clear shot. It was an amazing experience! Sam went with them that evening and had many adventures with Carmel, her horse. She hugged bushes she didn't want to hug and landed on her feet when she got swept off. Lots of laughs. The boys ended up getting off to sneak closer to some elk and left her with the horses. When they looked back her way, there was a large herd of elk right behind her. They tried hand signals to help her see but she was clueless until they started to run away. KayDee went on Monday morning and they didn't see any elk but they saw 2 coyotes and Derrick resumed the adventurous ride on Carmel as she insisted on jumping every log they came to.
We enjoyed going to the Boulder ward on Sunday. We arrived early and talked with the family history consultant and looked at what we could do for our history. The kids enjoyed their youth classes and the teacher loved that they participated. It's a small ward so new was interesting. They wanted to go paintball with them this week but we won't be there for it.
Kevin stayed to continue hunting and the rest of us came home for school the next day. I replaced the spare that goes to the Excursion and sent it back up with his parents to help the drive home be less exciting.
Derrick went back with Kevin's parents today after school since they will be back before he has school again.
Part 2 coming soon!
We have changed things up this year. We decided to do a combo of Utah Online school and high school this year. We were hoping to give the kids a break from all the negative that comes with public school and still have them participate in a positive way. Basically we are using the school system to our advantage and so far it is working.
Samantha is in 10th grade and wanted to do only "fun" classes at school so she chose show choir, ballroom dance and seminary. Derrick is in 8th grade and had to do the classes that were at the same time to keep drive time to a minimum. He is taking keyboarding, choir and English. The rest of their classes will be done online. KayDee is in 6th grade and is only doing Utah Online because she is still in elementary school.
They really enjoy the online classes and are doing well adjusting to our new schedule. Since we chose to do school this way, the older kids are in school 2-3 days a week for only the morning. We have scoped out activities they each want to do, especially KayDee, so they can participate with other kids doing things they enjoy. We think it will work well, but if it doesn't we can go back to the old way.
