News From Hyde Park

It was great fun to have Ruth and the children here for a little while this week. They came to have some space to move around in while their newly cleaned carpets dried - and they got stranded because of a snow storm! We were glad to keep them overnight.
The very big news, the biggest news ever, from us is that Emma passed her driving test!!!!! I'm sure you've all heard about that already because she was very excited about it. She was plenty worried for an entire week before it happened. She fussed and stewed and practiced driving and fasted and asked Dad for a blessing. Then it finally happened and went flawlessly! The only thing she forgot was to check her blindspot on one maneuver, which she said she did check and he just didn't see it. So she's officially a good driver. She really is very capable. Now we just have to keep her from getting overconfident and cocky! All she has to do is practice driving, turn 16, then go to the DMV and show them her paper and she can get a license. Lauren and Nick came over that night and played games with her to celebrate. It's quite a relief to have that behind us :)
Thomas is up to his eyebrows in anatomy - Andy Anderson's class. He's about decided this was the wrong semester to take that class. It's purported to be the very hardest class on USU campus. He's considering dropping the class and taking it another semester when he has more time to study. He also has biology, nutrition, and a physical education class, so he's busy. We usually see him for a few minutes in the morning, then not again until the next morning.
Lauren is teaching, studying, reading, practicing - every day, all day. No changes there! She hangs out with Nick who is also teaching, studying, reading, practicing - every day, all day. We love it when she comes on Wednesdays to teach here because we get to have dinner with her and catch up on her life - the teaching, studying, reading and practicing...
Dad took the plunge and put new tires on the truck this week. Now, for those who think they want a truck, remember how costly it is to put on new tires. We got good tires, but not top of the line. Still were about $800 poorer by the time they were on - but it's a quiet ride!
I'm well into my classes (actually over my head in classes). The hardest one is the phlebotomy class. I have a lecture every Tuesday night, then go home and re-study everything because I didn't understand it the first time. Then we have a clinic day every Thursday where I have to get my blood drawn 4 times - twice in each arm, along with 8 finger pokes for capillary blood draws (less blood, but more painful!). I'm beginning to feel like a pin cushion. The worst is that I have to poke other people that many times, too. Thank goodness it's only a 10 week class!
We took a walk in the lovely weather yesterday and came home to a herd of deer in our front yard. They meandered to the back yard when we walked up the driveway. When we went into the back for a better look, we saw two bucks and eight does. They bounded into the neighbors' yard and turned around to look at us and wait for us to go back in the house so they could return to eating our new sod! I guess it's pretty tasty stuff.