Rigby Lake - much better this time.

Kay, update on the job hunting - Ben didn't get the job in Vegas.  This company uses a different rendering software than he has used in the past.  He assured them that he learns new rendering software very quickly, but they didn't feel like they wanted to wait for that learning curve to happen.  Oh, and we were asking for "too much."  Let me say it again:  Too much my butt. 

So, you know, it's a good thing we used his sky miles to send him down there.  Good thing. 

Ben was actually really relieved.  He said that he just hadn't felt the vibe that we would end up there. 

He has another interview next week in Salt Lake.  He got offered a temporary job - 3 months only - being a project manager with another dome company that has worked with Ben's former company a few times, which we seriously considered, because we could make some money to save, but then that would put off Ben's ability to go places for interviews - he wouldn't have been able to leave the job site.  We prayed and thought and pondered and prayed and just felt like he needed to stay here and apply for this Salt Lake job. So...we'll see.

I'm just grateful that we felt something.  This whole time, as I've been really striving to feel the Spirit guide me, I haven't felt one dang thing.  So feeling the guidance of the Spirit was a huge relief.  A very peaceful feeling.

On to more pleasant things...

On Memorial Day, we decided to take the ninos to what they call "the beach" - Rigby Lake.  Haha!  When we got there, well...it wasn't a lake yet.  It was a puddle.  Rigby Puddle.  This gives you sort of an idea:

Initially, the kids were disappointed because of the lack of water.  I was disappointed that they had charged us $5 to get in!  Do they have no integrity??  Who charges $5 for people to walk half a mile to even get to the water's edge?  For a puddle that's all warm and algae-ish and has all these gross slimy weed things in it??  Really.  This is my sarcastic thumbs-up about the situation:

But as soon as the kids got the sand toys out, they got over their disappointment and had a total blast.  Hours of fun.  I helped them build a sandcastle and whatnot, but it was pretty windy outside and I was kind of bored.  I wish I had brought a book.  Ah well.

We found out that Rigby Lake is kind of on a long waiting list of who gets water.  The farmers get it first, and then the lake gets it.  So all we had that day was rainwater.

 Sadie wore her life jacket the entire time, even though it only got to knee deep at the highest.  Haha!

Gage wore HIS life jacket for a couple of weeks afterward.  All day.  All night.  During naps.  He went through a life jacket phase.  He is very phase-related.

My sis, Beads, is in town, and we decided yesterday to head back to the lake.  It was a perfect day.  No wind.  And this time we had one of those cool dome-umbrella things to block the sun for Beads's adorable baby daughter. 

The kids had a blast.  Heck, I had a blast.  Sadie and I swam all the way out to the dock and back.  And we practiced floating and then pretended we were seals and walked with our hands up to the beach from the water.  Dylan had another large sandcastle construction project going on.  Gage was searching for "buggies."  (His new phase.  Bugs.)  Despite two coats of sunscreen, Dylan and Micah got toasted, poor things.  I felt bad.  Micah got to help feed his new baby cousin.  He was so tender and sweet to her. 

I got to sit under the umbrella dome and cuddle my sweet baby niece and chit chat with  my family and laugh at my mom making the baby do complicated tap-dancing moves with her feet.  My mom is so hilarious.  I love it.  It was great.

We took Pepper, which I was initially worried about, but apparently, Rigby Lake is dog-friendly.  Pepper played fetch with either Ben or Spencer the whooooole time we were there.  For like four hours.  The guys would throw the ball clear out into the water and she'd slosh out there and then swim to fetch it and bring it back.  She didn't want to ever stop.  Our beach neighbors kept telling us how cute she was.  She didn't bug anyone and was as good as gold. 

Beads took a bunch of pictures.  I'll put them on here soon.  I always have her "give" me her pictures when we finish a family vacation together.  I believe she's now become the family archivist.  And I'm good with that.  Now I can focus on my main family job - getting food out of the coolers in the back of the car for everyone else while getting violently carsick.  And on my other family job as Family Salad Maker for Gatherings. :)