Whirlwind!

Thankfully, one of the two most stressful days of the year has come and gone, quite successfully I might add. Yesterday we held two of the four end-of-year piano recitals for our students at Fox Music Studio! Between the three teachers we have about 120 students, hence the need for four recitals. I end up sleeping terrible the week before recitals...I can't get the kid's recital songs out of my head, and I have endless nightmares about all the things that could potentially go wrong on recital day! Luckily, it was a fairly tear-free day (there were several lessons that ended in tears earlier in the week, so I was feeling particularly anxious!) My kids played awesome, and the parents were of course very pleased with their performances.

Poor Ben didn't have much of a relaxing weekend. He finished his research rotation at Wills on Friday, drove home from Philadelphia late Friday night, just in time to console the stressed out piano teacher, was the official videographer/photographer/moral supporter at the marathon recitals all day Saturday, and then got up this morning at 4:45am and headed to Tucson to start his final away rotation tomorrow morning. He's such a good sport! I'm counting down the days till I join him...only 13 days to go. I can't wait for the AZ heat and time to be together!

We did manage to get in a little pre-birthday celebration since we'll be apart for Ben's birthday next Sunday. Bad year for birthdays this year, we were/will be apart for both. I tried to make up for it by making Ben a ridiculously ugly eyeball cake. It was definitely no Kunz classic "apple sauce ducky cake" but we just might have created a new BH Kunz tradition! It's amazing what kind of silly ideas you can come up with talking to a sister and searching the internet WAY too late at night!

The Candy Man

The best part is...they weren't intending this to be funny...it's presented merely as fact. Like it's somehow normal that Odom is "the Candy Man." I honestly hope someone finds this as funny as I did!

(Sorry there are two videos...I can't seem to get rid of the second one that actually doesn't even work anymore!)

You get what you pay for...

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about the idea of getting what you pay for, and how most often in the long run it's worth investing a little more in something because it ends up lasting longer and usually being more reliable. I believe this to be true in most cases. Unfortunately, I sometimes I forget that I believe this. And then when I remember I believe this, it's usually too late...and something really unfortunate or annoying has already happened.

Take for example my near death experience on Monday. I had been in Boston for the weekend for my sister's baby shower and to visit my family. The plan was to take my sister to the airport on Sunday evening and then head back to Vermont. After pulling two consecutive 3:00am nights, my brother wisely encouraged me to stay the night and head home in the morning.

I am so glad I did.

About 5 minutes from my house, but while still on the highway my car started to make the craziest thumping sound. Unfortunately it was a familiar thumping sound, one we had heard a year ago when we found out our tires had been put on incorrectly. Assuming I had a little time to deal with the problem, I started planning in my head when I would have a free morning to take it in and get it looked at. But before I could complete the thought in my head, I started to lose control of the car. I was swerving in and out of the lane and my car basically felt like it was going to tip over. So incredibly scary. I managed to pull over and inspect the damage. I was shocked to find out as I checked the tires that four of the five lug nuts on my right rear tire had completely broken off, and my tire was basically about to fall off. All I could think about was how grateful I was that it hadn't actually fallen off, and how lucky I was that I hadn't been the cause of a terrible accident. There are so many scenarios in which the ending could have been so much worse than it was....like had I left Boston as planned on Sunday and had this happen in rural Vermont late at night, or had it happened while I was going 80 on a packed Boston highway, or had I not been in a position to pull over in time.

Now comes the connection of getting what you pay for. We got new tires put on the Explorer last spring. I like to compare prices before I make large purchases. It makes me feel better about spending money if I know I'm spending the least amount of money necessary to get what I need. We had checked several places and decided that Sears was by far the most economical place. After getting the tires put on, we were out of town in small town Bennington on a Saturday and heard the loud thumping noise. Concerned that the car was unsafe to drive, we found the only local mechanic open and had him take a look. Sure enough, they had not tightened the lug nuts enough and they were all coming loose. He said that had we not come in when we did, they would have eventually snapped completely off. Oh wait, isn't that what just happened to me on Monday? After it happened the first time, I was pretty unimpressed, but Sears was very apologetic and I figured they deserved a second chance. I got my tires rotated a couple of week ago there...and they obviously did it AGAIN, only this time I drove far enough with them loose that we almost lost a tire.

So there I was, stranded, (in my pajamas none-the-less), on the side of the highway, wishing Ben was in town, feeling lucky to be alive, and cursing myself for being frugal!

The way I see it, cutting corners when it comes to automobiles isn't really the greatest idea. Probably not a big deal when it comes to no-name brand breakfast cereal, or econo-brand paper towels, but when we're talking about safety, it's probably worth it the pay a little more.

Beware

Last month Ben surprised me with a new pair of running shoes for my birthday.
When I opened up the box from Under Armor, this is what I found...


Size 12 mens lime green running shoes. Not exactly what I was expecting.

No big deal right, I thought I'd mail them back the next day and have my shoes in plenty of time to break them in for the half marathon on the 18th.

As it turns our, Under Armor isn't super proficient at processing on-line returns. It took them an entire MONTH to finally deliver the right pair....

BUT, after several complaints and persistent phone calls with UA sales people, we did manage to score the shoes for FREE. And a $20 gift card.

Moral of the story....don't order running shoes from Under Armor if you need them to arrive in any sort of timely fashion!

Back to Reality

After being away for 10 days I find myself back in Vermont....counting the days till summer vacation. What is that all about? I love my job, my students are awesome, and Vermont is great, but being on vacation is so much better! The month of April flew by. I'll spare you all the details...basically I was fortunate enough to see almost all of my family members and a lot of great friends from my mission and college, which is rare being that we live in such a rural place.

Conference weekend was great. I flew to Toronto and spent the weekend hanging out with my parents and my little brother. I love going home. There is something so comfortable about being there....even after not living there for years, it still feels like home.

The next weekend I spent Easter with my sister and her husband in Boston. We had all sorts of fun shopping for baby cuteness for her little girl. It was the first time I had seen her in person pregnant...and she is such a cute pregnant person!! She's so tiny! I can wait for both of the new babies to arrive in our family. Two little girls...we're so spoiled!

The following Friday, I canceled lessons again, and flew to Salt Lake to participate in the SLC marathon with my family. That whole weekend deserves a post of its own. The short of it is that it was an incredibly memorable weekend where as family and friends we were able to celebrate the life of my cousin. It was so neat to run with so many family members. And I even felt great after running the half marathon! I say bring on the full next year.

My brother Warren and I at the start of the race

I stayed in Utah for almost a week and was able to visit with mission friends, college friends and Ben's family. It was so fun to get caught up with friends I haven't seen in years. It made me realize what great friends I do have...and the fact that there are no excuses for being lousy at keeping in touch with people. Maybe that can be a new goal.

Friends from back in the day at Liberty Square, Jenny and Angell.

Burk, one of the sisters I trained on the mish.

My BF/roommate all through college Mary

(She bought these chairs at a garage sale for $5 and is going to use them in her studio. They were hilarious! Check out her work at www.photographybydmc.blogspot.com, she's incredible!)

After I left SLC I flew to Kansas to see Ben! It was so great to see him after being apart for the entire month of April. I got a great feel for Kansas City and had a ton of fun seeing where Ben grew up. We ate at some of his favorite spots, got to see the Royals kill the Tigers, and visited Liberty Jail. I fell in love with Kansas City immediately. It's the best of both worlds; a big enough city to have great culture, great food and great shopping, but a small enough city to not have massive amounts of traffic and congestion. And it was warm!
Ben loved his rotation and made some great contacts at KU. He loved being back home, and had a great time spending the month with the Beattys. We are so grateful to them for their hospitality and friendship. I loved getting to know them better and spending some time together!

Gates, the best BBQ around

Liberty Jail

May should be a little less hectic. Ben is back in Philadelphia and will make the drive home two of the four weekends. I only have 6 1/2 weeks left of teaching, and then we're off to Tucson for the month of June. I can't wait....bring on the heat!

1200 Miles Later...

What a weekend! Ben and I had such a great time driving to Kansas. Who knew 20 hours in a car could be that great?!
Friday night I got in late and we did a quick drive through downtown Philadelphia so I could get a feel for the city. We grabbed a bite at Cosi (so yummy) and watched a depressing KU basketball game. We decided to spend the night at the dorm where Ben was staying mostly because it seemed unnecessary to get a hotel if there was already accommodation there....and all I can say is big mistake! I'm sure I'm just spoiled coming from BYU dorms, but man, that place was so disgusting. I'm committed to finding Ben some better lodging arrangements for May. No one should have to live in those kind of conditions!
Saturday we drove to Cleveland. It was a pretty quick drive, and we even got to drive through Lancaster County (Dutch Country). It was so crazy, it was seriously like going back in time. We were a little pressed for time so we had to choose....Amish breakfast, or Target. I chose Target. There's always a next time right?
We had a great time vising with Warren, Leanne and their kids in Cleveland. It was so fun to see their new home and to play with the kids. We're so excited for their newest addition to join the family soon. We're planning to see them again at the end of April on our way home...here's to hoping the baby comes early!! (not going to happen, I realize!)
The drive from Cleveland to Kansas City was great. We hit some rain, but were lucky to not run into snow. I didn't get to see much of the city....mostly just the "Plaza" that I've heard so much about!! It was pretty neat, I'm excited to go back at the end of the month and spend a little time exploring.
We are so fortunate that some close Kunz family friends have opened up their home to Ben and are allowing him to spend the month there. It was great to meet the Beatys on Sunday and it was easy to see why Ben loves their family so much. We are so grateful to them for their kindness and hospitality!
The rotation in Kansas is going great. Ben is working with a great attending and resident. He's really enjoying his time and getting some great exposure to their program.
Hard to believe we're one week into his time in Kansas. I'm in Toronto this weekend to visit my parents and as always am looking forward to quality time with family!

The beginning of a very busy month...

Tomorrow marks the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a fairly hectic month! It's hard to believe, but Ben actually finishes his month long course in Philadelphia tomorrow. I have to be honest...it did go much faster than expected. It's all about getting into a routine. It was so great we were able to ease into things slowly, and luckily were able to spend every weekend together, thanks to Ben's willingness to drive 14 hours round trip every week!
Kansas will be a bit of a different story...we won't see each other for about three and a half weeks, but the time will fly, I'm sure. It's always comforting to hear how much Ben is enjoying his rotations and how much he feels he is learning and benefiting from being there. It makes the distance somehow seem worth it.
I catch a flight to Philadelphia tomorrow night right after I finish teaching...and we will leave for Kansas in the morning. The drive is about 18 hours. Unfortunately...I'm a bit of a poor planner, and really wanted to see my brother and his family in Cleveland so we will be making a third of the drive on Saturday....and the rest of the drive on Sunday. Should make for a long day, but it's totally worth it. They have the cutest kids!
We'll get in to Kansas late Sunday and I leave at 6:00am Monday to come back to Burlington.
The next weekend I'm in Toronto to see my family...
The following weekend is Easter...I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll head to Boston....
The following weekend I fly to SLC to run a half marathon with family and friends (most of whom are way more hard core than me and are actually running the full marathon)
I'll spend 6 days in Utah catching up with friends and family, and then fly to Kansas to FINALLY see Ben again, and drive home to Burlington with him at the end of his rotation.
I'm so looking forward to spending a few days in Kansas. Ben loves it there so much...I can't wait to finally see some of the places he talks about and get to know the city better.

And then the month is over!
I'm not sure how I intend to hold down jobs and callings between all the traveling, but somehow it will get done.

Side note...Montreal was great! I especially liked taking a taxi into the city from the temple, and having the old front desk temple guy dressed in his white suit and slippers walk my luggage to the taxi. The cab driver was so confused!