Things to do...

We have been on the look-out for things to do while my mom is here for Halloween and my sister and her family are here for Thanksgiving.  The Nikiski pool is supposed to be a really big deal and people travel from all over the state to come swim at this pool.  There are only 2 like it in the US.  So, after hearing the reviews, we went to check it out.

We were rather (okay, REALLY) disappointed.  After being to so many fun pools in Utah, this was like nothing.  It was supposed to be 85 degrees, but was far from it (on the freezing end).  The hot tub has a maximum capacity of 10 people and from the moment we walked in the door, there were always at least 15 people in it.  There is a small kiddie area.  This is IT - there is a little umbrella rain thing - and it wasn't even on. 

There, on the right side of the ball, is a blue wall.  No toys, balls, kickboards, or anything fun are allowed on the other side of the wall.  BUT, the part inside the wall is 4 feet deep at best and very small.  There were older kids on rafts who are only allowed in this tiny area and I think I got kicked in the head at least 4 times.  How can you teach a kid to swim if the kickboard is only allowed in the area where there are children beating each other with noodles?  The slide from the top picture is not included in the admission - it is extra.  For those of you who don't know us - we are cheap, okay, I am cheap.  The pool is free to Nikiski residents after we fill out the paperwork and they verify our tax status (good news since I am not sure I would pay to go back).  I thought that this pool would really be a highlight of living in a town with one restaurant, one gas station, and one grocery store (which does not even carry cilantro, by the way, and the milk is $5.50/gallon).  Yesterday I needed to get out of the house for a few minutes, so I jumped in my car and realized there is NOWHERE TO GO.  I drove around and found where my seminary students live - how sad.

We are all sick (good news to you mom, we should be better by the time you come).  Friday was teacher inservice, so no seminary and luckily, Doug had the day off.  I think I finally woke up around 11:00 and we went to Home Depot.  I was back in bed by 3:30 and then Doug woke me up as he headed out the door at 8:00 to the Young Men's activity.  He didn't even get home until 4:30 a.m. and then he was sick the next morning too.  The kids are all coughing and have runny noses and Doug and I have sore throats.  Mom, start your vitamin C now, just incase.

In happier news, my bathroom is torn apart - there is no longer a toilet, or sink, or cabinet.  Wait, is that happy news?  We discovered the toilet was never sealed and had been leaking into the floor.  All of the boards under the flooring are molded and squishy.  But, I do find this happy news because it means I get to renovate my terribly planned master bath.  Maybe now we can arrange it so the door will open without hitting the cabinet!

Brenden's room is finished for the most part.  I really wish I had a before picture.  The room was bright yellow with bright pink polka dots. They were more concentrated in the corners and toward the ceiling, which was also painted yellow with pink polka dots.  Even the light fixture and moulding were bright pink - and the bathroom matched.   As the last owners said, "No seasonal affective disorder going on down there!"  When Brenden first saw the room, he said, "I am NOT A GIRL!"  I had small-ish plans to paint and re-arrange the furniture (which was left for us by the previous owners), but no job can be made easy in a Boehme household.  Here is the result:

The quilt was a bridal shower gift from Doug's aunts (I had a camping bridal shower, which couldn't have been a more perfect fit for us).  I have always loved the quilt and it really fits into the room.  I wish you could see it better, but it has fish and canoes and evergreen trees and says "Welcome to the Lake."

Brenden insisted he needed a blue and green room.  Doug had to put in the tongue and groove to match the log bed and he made his own custom moulding for the doors and window.  There is even a computer in the corner next to the bed that the previous owners left and it is full of educational games.  It says the sound card is bad, so I might have to look into that.  I really feel like the room looks small in the pictures, but Doug and I actually considered making it our master bedroom at one point (but weren't sure how wise it would be to leave the boys alone in the upstairs with so many options out of the house).

I think next (after my bathroom) comes tiling the dining room.  The garage is still in progress, but until I have some shelves to put things on, the progress is at a stand-still.  Poor Doug, so much to do, so little time.  (We can't just BUY anything - it has to be custom made.)