Train ride, etc.

Chelsea, Eline and 3 of their friends rode with me on the Front Runner train the other day. It was pretty crowded on the way down, but we did get a seat. At least for a little while. I taught the girls some manners concerning public transportation. They now know that they need to give up their seats for elderly and disabled people. They didn't necessarily like it until I pointed out that at some point they would be old, and I also asked them how they'd feel if someone made their grandparents stand on a moving train for an hour. I think they got the message.

The ride itself was very nice and smooth. They used extra long track sections so you don't hear or feel the click-clack like the trains in Europe. The nice thing is the train stops right next to the TRAX (light rail) line in SLC so we got off the train, hopped on the TRAX and were at the mall in just a few minutes.

We went down because Eline's iPod went kaput and we were happy to discover that she had about 20 days left on her warranty so they gave her a new one!

Well, Mike is officially unemployed. The contract he was working under has expired. The gov't mad some mistakes when they re-let the contract so now it will be about two weeks before a new contract is signed. Hopefully he'll be hired because it will most likely go to a new company. Fortunately we are prepared for this and put aside enough money to pay 8 months of house payments. With our military retirement checks we can make the house payment and all of our other living expenses but that leaves no money for anything else. The money I make from my two jobs isn't enough to make a big difference but every little bit helps. If he doesn't get hired on with the new contract he'll look for jobs outside of the government which would be just fine with me.

Mike is enjoying having some time off. He left this morning to go visit his best friend in South Dakota for a few days.

I am doing a re-orientation for the local exchange students this evening, preparing them for the shock of going home. For many kids this is tougher than coming to the US because they often think everything will be the same as they left it. My job is to prepare them for the differences in their family and friends, and to understand how to deal with the changes. We are going to do some required activities, then have Subway for dinner and the kids will play Rock Band. I am giving each of them a small scrapbook so they can put photos in it and give it as a gift for their host families. Should be fun!

Then on Friday I am going to my friends house for a "girls night". We are having fondue and drinks. I am really looking forward to it.

Last night Chelsea, Eline and I went looking for bridesmaids dresses. The girls chose cute, short summer dresses instead of the traditional dressy dresses they had at the bridal store. So now I hope to find a nice white tea length dress to wear as my wedding dress.