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Holidays 2017 – Reflections

Posted on January 14, 2018January 21, 2018 by Sherri

The holidays seem to get totally away from us after the big day. Exhaustion more than anything. I had days off, but it just didn’t seem like enough. So, for the first time, we put our tree up early and took it down late. Big Bertha, who followed Big Jim from last year, was REALLY crispy. The tree had stopped sucking up water and was just not good. I did everything to help it, like spray it daily with water just to keep us safe. Honestly, it was way too long…not to mention I was trying to fathom just how fun it would be to clean up the bajillion pine needles that would be everywhere when we took it out of here. Well, my worst fears came true. Not only was that tree heavy, it left needles everywhere. I mean everywhere. It took like an hour, probably more, to get those pine needles up. Dear God Almighty, do not let your tree stay around if it dries out. Just.don’t.do.it! I wish I would have gotten photos, but I didn’t. Shame, because it was an ordeal. On top of that, due to the tree not taking water, there was about a gallon of water that then promptly went into the carpet and pad. Now, mind you, our carpet is SO old that there’s only a thin, if any, a layer of the pad on top of horrifying carpet that is also…wait for it…beige. Yeah.

As I clean all of this mess up, trying to remind myself that I always want a fresh, live tree. I don’t have regrets, other than it quit sucking up water. The tree rocked. Rivaled Big Jim from the year before and was purchased from the same place.

The holiday clean up is always hard for me. I am an emotional creature by nature. Big changes seem to move me. Whether it’s emotional or just the change itself. Putting away all of those ornaments and going through Christmas cards is hard for me. Time passes so quickly. I desperately want to hold on. I can’t, but I want to. The other day I was sharing this with a sister from another mister that this year is the first year that there wasn’t the Santa magic that we’ve had. We’ve had the luxury of the delight for…oh my goodness…probably a span of 15 years. Gillian and Kaitlyn were 8 and 11 when the boyos were born. And then we had Carter, sweet Carter who has given us more kiddo time. We’ve seen so many years of the magic. So many years of last-minute wrapping, filling of stockings and Sherri getting super stressed trying to do all of it that I WANT to have happen. It’s more than most people get and I’m so grateful.

As I put all of the ornaments, villages, and decorations away, it hurts a little. It hurts because time passes too quickly. They get older quicker than we ever imagine. The crude but meaningful ornaments become so precious as the years pass. I love them all. They are cherished heirlooms in my mind. This year I finally let go of the Cars stockings. Someone else can enjoy them.

As we think about a move, it is a bit sadder. So many Christmases here. So many with the joy and wonder. So many with loved ones from near and far. A new chapter is calling…I can feel it. This next one will be interesting as these boys to into tween/teenhood and we move to the next phase of our life.

Alaska – Boys perspective

Posted on January 10, 2018January 28, 2018 by Sherri

This year we took an actual family vacation to Alaska! Chip and I were so excited to show the boys the beauty. One requirement is that they write about their vacation. So, I’ve pasted their thoughts below, with punctuation and small edits, but wanted to preserve their 10-year-old and 7-year-old thoughts. Enjoy!

My Alaska Fall Vacation – By Gary McVey, age 10

Hello there! I’ve never written a blog post, so this is my first one! This essay is about my fall vacation to my first time in Alaska! Let’s get started!

DAY 1

The first plane left at about 8:30 PM. When we got on the plane, we saw the economic seats first, unlike seeing first class when you get on, mostly. The seats were cramped, and I got the aisle seat. Next to me sat my brother, Ryan. He said that I could have the window seat on the next plane. The plane flight lasted 1 hour. Then we landed in Seattle. The next plane we got on was much nicer. The seats were the same, though. But the top of the sides of the walls was glowing blue. Also, the plane had wi-fi and chargers. When we got to the airport, we got some snacks from McDonald’s. But we still got hungry, and thirsty. Dad couldn’t do anything about the hunger, but he gave us $3 to get a drink from a drinks store across our seats. After that, we rented a gray Dodge van and started toward our friend’s apartments.

DAY 2

When we got to the apartment, it was 1:30-ish. When we woke up the next day, we just had a refreshment day. Nothing special or anything, just going to the park and watching water planes. We also went to a breakfast restaurant called Gwennie. They had the biggest eggs and hot chocolate ever. The cups were almost 3 inches wide, filled to the brim, and whipped cream about another 2 inches up. We ate and had so many leftovers. Then we went home. But Celia said that we would do SO many THINGS, such as going to the wildlife reserve, going to the aquatic sea life center, and going to Talkeetna and much more. It sounded fun, but it was a lot, and it was hard to keep up on my youtube channel. But I did get a lot of pictures! [and yes, I did take all of these]

DAY 3

On day 3 we were up on our feet right away, with an hour drive to the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve. The first thing we did when we stepped out looked at the ptarmigans and magpies. Then we went in a barn-looking building and saw TWO HUGE DEER! Then we look behind us and see a red fox and a white fox! It was super cool! But that’s not all. There was also a buffalo hide! But not just any hide, it was from a buffalo that was near-extinction. After that, we went to check out the reindeer. The reindeer are like the deer, except their antlers, are taller and they are smaller. After that, we went to see THE BEARS!!!

There were three brown bears and two black bears. I asked the employee if any were grizzlies, but she said that you can’t really find grizzlies in Alaska. Then the lady said that she was going to feed the bears, and threw a whole fish into the bear enclosure. The bear sniffed at it, then carried it in his mouth. Then, we went to the gift shop. On the way, It was raining hard, so I saw a lilac with a raindrop on the leaf and grabbed the opportunity to grab a picture, and let me tell you, the angle was BEAUTIFUL. You probably wouldn’t believe me if I said I took it. Anyway, after we were done in the gift shop, we went to see the wolves and porcupines. We saw a black wolf, a white wolf, and a dark-gray wolf. When we went to see the porcupine, it stayed in its hut the whole time. Even if there was no fence, the porcupine would’ve stabbed me in the hand or shot me with its spikes if I tried to scare or grab it out. Then, last, we left.

DAY 4

On day four we went to the Alaskan sea life center. When we entered, there was a gift shop and coats and hats and stuff. Then there was a staircase. When I went up the staircase, I saw a lot of stuff. I even SAW NEMO! Just kidding, but I saw clownfish. The first thing I went to was the touch tank. I got to touch sea urchins, starfish, coral, and even shrimp! The next thing I went to was the salmon. They weren’t king, but they were pink salmon. They were kind of red, but a little lighter. After that, I went to the catfish. I’ve always been into watching catfish since I was 6 years old and I saw one at Cabelas. The catfish there were huge and gray. The second to last thing I went to was the window. I saw two otters! But they went to the bottom of the water, and, impatiently, I left. The last thing I went to was the seals. They were both leopard seals. They were gray with dark spots along their bodies. Also, in the basement, I saw octopus, the wolf eel, and the bottom of the seals diving pool. When you go to the basement, you can see the seals doing spins, turns, and dives! It was so amazing to be there! But then we had to go home.

DAY 5

On day five we were going to go on the Alaska railroad train! On the train, it was like the plane, except you are allowed to go between cars. I like to stand on the parts that hold the cars together. I like feeling the wind on my face and the ground wobbling on my feet. The train took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I got pictures of Denali peak and pioneer peak. Then, me and my other brother, Ben, started wandering the train. Then, when we got off, it was about seven o clock PM. Then we went home and played football and watched Chopped: Champions on TV. Then we went to bed.

DAY 6

On day six we just stayed home, just like day 2. Except we were at Celia’s estate and we played football with our cousin James, who is 20. Then, I played my favorite game, ROBLOX, on dad’s work mac that he brought for business purposes, but he was nice enough to let me play for an hour or so. Then, Carter got jealous and asked James to play him, but he said no, so he took the laptop from me and started being an ugly fat pig and hogged it for the rest of the night. I didn’t care though, because he can be jealous and piggy all he wants, as I can play ROBLOX on mobile on the devices we brought, too. So I took one to my room and played as the fat pig who took the laptop will get it shut off in about 30 minutes (;

DAY 7

Well, we’re coming near the end of our vacation, but then we had Christina’s roommate, Rose, come over and she showed us a contraption similar to a unicycle except electrically powered and no handles. Kind of a mix between a hoverboard and a unicycle. You balance your feet on the two footpads on each side of the wheel. Then, you lean forward to go and go normally to stop. DO NOT LEAN BACK or you will slip and break your neck. Just Kidding, but you will hurt your back. Maybe your head, too. I don’t know. But one thing for sure, don’t lean back, or you will get hurt.

DAY 8

Once again, we didn’t do anything today, either. We just started packing our stuff together and getting ready to go. This is also when rose left and we stayed up late watching snow dogs. We fell asleep around 11:30 PM.

DAY 9

Well, this is our last day in Alaska, and my last entry. When we woke up, we got breakfast, and then Christina woke up. When we were about to leave, we gathered up all the devices and stuff, said goodbye to Christina, Celia, and James. We watched one last episode of Chopped, then loaded the bags into our rented van. Then, we went to the airport. When we were waiting, we went to the charging station to charge our devices. Then dad and mom were moving their arms telling us to move up. Then, we got on the same plane we got on to get to here and flew to Seattle. After we got to Seattle, it was about 1:30 and it was dark, man. When we got on the plane to Portland, it took 2 hours, so it was 3:30 am. Then when we got on the 3-hour flight from Portland to Nevada, it was light, and we called up our friend Joe to come pick us up. By then it was 8:47 am. So we didn’t go to sleep, we just lived back to normal in Nevada. Then, I slept really late for the next morning. I slept until 10:30 AM.

This is the end of my report, so I hope you enjoyed this post on my Alaskan vacation! Thanks for all the people there for really bending it up and shifting it. It really gave me an opportunity to try new things and loosen up. Written by Gary McVey, Age 10

Alaska report – Benjamin

Day 1

The first thing we did was pack our bags with clothes, and extra socks. We packed our backpacks with snacks, a device, a charger, and a notebook (me), and then, once we were done, we hit the road.

Day 2

We were stuck in the airport when the first day turned into the second. Just then, our plane was ready for passengers to board. Then Gary, Ryan, carter and I went on our first plane flight. Gary was taking cool pictures while sitting by the window. He probably took pictures of the city and the lights. What wasn’t fun was that the plane popped my throat and my ears were dead. Luckily, I had earbuds to stop the ear problem. Then we landed to Seattle.

Day 3

Now the test began. We were on our feet as soon as our feet touched Seattle ground.

We were trying to see what time the next plane came. We had a couple hours to get stuff done, so first thing I did was go to the charging station and charge my tablet I got for my tenth birthday. Then I told dad I was hungry and mom and dad said that we should go to McDonald’s. We got big macks. Then, we only had like an hour until our next flight. So we had to use the bathroom quickly, and get to the plane gate. We had enough time to get to the bathroom and to the gate. We still had to wait though. Apparently, we got to the gate earlier than we thought. We had to go through security and that’s when…it… happened

We went through the metal detector, we put our bags on the conveyor… and then something dangerous got detected inside Ryan’s backpack.

It turns out that Ryan had strangely had an army knife. Mom told the people to confiscate the knife that was in Ryan’s backpack. And then mom got a little bit mad at Ryan. That was the knife incident.

Then we boarded the plane. It was a really long. It was like 2 or 6 hours of flying. Ryan slept a lot of the way. Gary watched “King Kong Skull Island”.

Carter was asleep too and I was playing my tablet and munching on cookies and drinking coke. It was some good times. I was playing “Earn to Die 2” while most were sleeping on Alaska seeking ship. Then we landed. We finally set foot on Alaska ground! After that, we rented a van and drove over to Nina’s condo/apartment and hung around for a while. I played my tablet and we all relaxed after hours of flying from Nevada to Alaska. We watched a movie and relaxed and ate some real dinner of pizza and pink lemonade. Best day of my life. I liked the movie even though most of it was cartoon stuff instead of real graphics.

The movie was called Balto. It was about a dog named Balto who wanted to be in the Iditarod. There was this other dog that was the antagonist of the story. He didn’t want Balto to be in the Iditarod, so he made Balto seem like a wolf even though he was past being a wolf and is a normal dog. But eventually, Balto gets the medicine to the town who started the whole Iditarod. The town needed it because their children were sick and the cures didn’t work. So they needed their dogs to get the medicine. Then we went to sleep in Nina’s apartment. The next morning we started Alaska bingo where this leads to day 4

Day 4

The first thing we did on day 4 looked around for stuff on our bingo sheet. We found a squirrel, and I marked a squirrel off. Then, we went to an ice cream place and I got bubble gum ice cream. It was really good! It had bubble gum inside of it. Gary got moose tracks (which was obvious) I’m pretty sure it was good too. I was surprised to hear that the highest Alaska has ever got to (in temperature) was 102 degrees. To think Alaska is cold!

Alaska Trip – Ryan

Hello there! I have never written a blog before so I hope you enjoy, this blog is about what we did in Alaska over my fall break.

First, we left at around 8 to go the airport, the first plane was 2 seats. I sat next to Gary we had McDonald’s before we left, then we got to Seattle. For October, the air was cool, I always like Seattle fresh air. After that, we got on another plane to fly to Anchorage, that plane was 3 seater, ben, Gary, and Carter had to sit by each other, but I got all the seats to myself. While we were on the plane, I slept through the 2-hour flight until we got to Anchorage, then we rented a Dodge van, then went to our friend’s apartment. On the next day, we went to Miller’s ice cream to start the day off. What is weird is we had ice cream before breakfast. Millers had the biggest ice cream I have ever eaten. Shortly after that, we went to Gwennie’s. They had the best omelets I have ever had. They had, cheese, bacon potatoes, and much more. Before we ate, we had the biggest hot chocolate I have ever drunk. After that we went to a house, condo type of house that we rented for around 2 days.

The next day goes by, it was a rainy day, we went to see animals, they were awesome!

We saw elk, foxes, moose, bear, and a lot more animals! Then on the 2nd to last day, we went to see water animals I saw a jellyfish, 2 white seals, normal seals, an octopus. I also saw a lot more things but I got to touch a sea urchin, a starfish, and much more! On the last day, we didn’t really do anything, we just hung out playing board games watched movies and lots more. Then came when we had to leave it was around 1:30 am when we left. I don’t remember when the plane left but we were stuck at Portland for a while, shortly we got home around 11:30.

Alaska Trip – Carter

Our family decided to take a fun trip to Alaska on fall break.

When I was on the plane it was a fun ride and it was my first time flying. I sat there and played games a little. It was a long flight to Seattle. Then we went to the Seattle airport to get on our way to the Alaska plane. It was really awesome. The plane was blinking red and green it was cool. Then after that, the people on the plane brought us snacks. They were really good!

When I was in Alaska I got to the apartment we unpacked our stuff we got organized. We took our food out and we ate a little bit then we got our Air mattresses up I got in bed.

Then when we woke up we went out to go get Gwenies I got strawberries with whipped cream and a big hot chocolate with a bunch of marshmallows and whipped cream. And then we went back home and then we just went to a lake and we saw big water planes with skis on the bottom.

And then we went to go get lunch at a fish place I got a big salmon burger it was good. And then we went up to Talkeetna and the cat was a mayor can you believe that?

Then we went to a restaurant at that time I got fish and chips.It was good. After that we went to the beach I went and collected rocks then we went to get on the train and off we went on the train and then we went to our friend’s house. She has a big house her name is sillya. She is funny we stayed at her house for a couple hours and then at night we had fish for dinner. Halibut cheeks, salmon and a really good dip. We had a big dinner and then we stayed up for a long time and then we went to sleep. After that, we went out to go eat again and then we went to our Nina’s house and we went to the park. Her friend named Rose brought her electric unicycle. She let us ride it a lot and then we went on the swings. And then we talked for a little then we went back home to play some board games they were fun then we rode the train to Seattle and then we went to the airport flew out of Seattle then to the Reno airport then we went home.

15 Years and Counting

Posted on October 16, 2015October 17, 2015 by Sherri

Today was the day that Chip and I celebrated 15 years ago that we had initial contact. I say this because it would be at least a week or two later that we would even be able to have a date.

I had put a profile up on Yahoo personals because I really didn’t know what else to do. I had these two little girls and a full time job. I had no interest in finding someone in a club, nor was there anyone at work that really struck me. There was also no goodness to come in dating someone from work. My goal was to meet someone and see what happens. There is so much craziness in Vegas that you don’t just go hang out at a bar and see if you meet someone.

I had dated a really nice guy from Michigan for a few months that I met at Yahoo. He was a sports loving writer. We had a good time and enjoyed each other’s company, but I think we both knew it was nothing long term. He never met the girls and that didn’t seem uncomfortable to either of us. B moved back to Michigan and although sad, I tried to move forward. Forward to have someone in my life to share it with. Then along came a message that would change the game.

Chip may not want me to share, but this was his first message to me:

Mon Oct 16 2000 03:34
Hi slpfrihse,

Yes, I think I am up for the challenge. Your ad made me chuckle. 🙂 Anyway, I think you described me to a T.

Let me give you the straight stats first: I am 28, 6’1″ tall, 195 pounds, brown hair, a full-time professional, graduate school education, homeowner.

And a little more:
I like to stay in shape, and work out regularly (usually 3 or 4 times per week). I’m not a he-man, muscle man, gym rat, or anything though… I am an avid hiker, going to the usual places around here: Mt Charleston, Red Rock, the Wetlands Park, etc. I also like to play tennis and racquetball, although I haven’t had a chance to play since moving to the area in January. I love cycling too – used to ride quite a bit in Oregon, but haven’t had the right company here yet to make it worthwhile here.

I love going out to restaurants, the movies, and taking weekend trips to scenic places. I don’t smoke, don’t gamble, don’t do drugs, don’t chew, and drink only occaisionally, always limited to a microbrew or two at a time. I also like to spend quality time at home
cuddling in front of a fire, talking, watching DVDs & making popcorn – being romantic in general 😉 I’ve been known to bring flowers often, and I’m just hoping to find a woman who’s going to appreciate the little touches of romance like that! 🙂

So heck yeah, I can love and cut loose and show my romantic and sensitive side. Now I’m just hoping I can find a woman who can appreciate it! Is that you? It sounds like it might be… 🙂

I’m a good conversationalist and I’m told I have a good sense of humor – I like to laugh and smile. I’m often complimented by women on my smile – I’m hoping that’s a good thing! 😉 I’m not much into dancing, but maybe that’s because I haven’t met the right woman yet
to make dancing fun.

I am a cat person – I have two cats that I spoil rotten, but they are very playful and great fun, not loaf around the house fat cats…

I listen to all kinds of music, although I don’t care for rap very much. I’m not a couch potato – I hardly watch TV at all, unless it’s to watch a movie. I do follow football and hockey, but I don’t let it dominate my weekends like some guys might, so don’t worry about that… And I don’t mind treking around the mall – it’s actually pretty fun if the company is right!

I guess to sum it all up, I am a good, honest, open, intelligent, professional, romantic, fun-to-be-with man that wants to share his life, feelings, and love with a similar woman. I am looking for a partner, the other half as you put it, and I am tired of immature, phoney, plastic women that lie and cheat in a relationship. I hope you decide to write back to me – it sounds like we’re looking for similar things and have a lot in common!’

And from there it went. Yesterday I posted the following on FB.

It was 15 years ago today that yahoo personals brought me a reply to my posting that would change my life forever. Back in the day when it was free to list, this broken and a little bit bitter single mother received a message in my inbox from a gentle man who had as many convictions as I did. Whether it was sports, having a good time, music, passion or nerdiness. There was something about that message that took me in. I was scared to say I had kiddos, but did it anyway. He had hesitation but did it anyway. It would be almost 2 weeks until we would meet in person, but dayam we had amazing email and phone call marathons. By the time we met he knew I didn’t need a baby OR a sugar daddy. The attached song was an anthem of sorts for us because we were (are) both nerdy and met on the “internets”. I love this man more than I ever thought I could. We’ve done more together than I ever fathomed I would do alone, let alone with the person who is my soulmate. Neither of us are without flaws. I have bigger thighs than ever and have not even 1 college degree to his multiple, but he loves me crazy amounts anyway. We are us. We are meant to be.

A taste of the good, great, bad and ugly…
– were recovering from a shitty thing called divorce
– great travel to places East and West we never thought we’d see
– bought homes
– had foreclosures
– bought a business
– had failed businesses
– made it through infertility
– are raising multiples
– lost loved ones
– have seen blessings be born
– shared live music that we love
– have seen our gardens grow
– been unemployed

I could list so much more…I am blessed beyond belief. No matter what. My heart is full. Even on a hard day I’m grateful to the universe for bringing me my Chip. A Maryland boy for this Alaska girl. A beautiful heart that I get to be next to for the rest of this life. I love you dear…with all that I am. Cheers to many, many more.

This is how I really feel. I am beyond lucky. There is nothing that I’ve held back from this man. Good, bad and ugly. Sometimes it has been ugly because I don’t have the most impressive track record. I have an interesting family life with my extended family. I have weird baggage. I married someone I should not have simply because I was pregnant the first time around. Not a good decision on my part.

The above description was the man I met for sure. Some days I feel life I’ve drug him down and not let him live his potential. Other times it is justified by this everyday life we have with lots of kiddos. Who knows. Regardless, I’m a lucky woman to have him. We’ve endured a ton and I’m ready for the next 15 years and more. Absolutely. Without question.

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 25, 2015October 18, 2015 by Sherri

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

IMG_5314_edited

Happy Mother’s day to all of those I love…I have a lot to say.
This is a long one…about Mother’s day. My thoughts are deep and emotional.
My mom started her mom journey at barely 16 years old. She turned 16 in January and I was born in March. I cannot imagine. I can’t. But she persevered. She did. Two more girls followed. By 21 she had three.

The following is entirely my perspective and no one else’s…
How do you raise children when you are almost a child yourself? How does that work? Somehow it did. Somehow someone walks into your life and accepts you…kiddos and all. And then they did. They make a house, a home a family…as dysfunctional as it may have been. And it was. Dysfunctional. BUT, along each line there was a little something that made it good. Collectively good when individually it was rough.

As I grew through the years it was not easy. There were fights, friends and foes along the way. One thing that was consistent was a family element. I’m not sure that would have been there had the circumstances been different. I often say that if Gary wasn’t in my life I would never be what I am. That much I know is true, but it wasn’t without my mother and her family either. They were all fierce about valuing family.

I have seen quite a bit from my parents. A huge desire to have control of their own destiny. Buying, selling and always working privately. Living simply. Making life the way that they wanted it. I hated it. I really did. I could never be a cool kid. I was just so stuck with the stigma that was me. Poor. Inept. Chubby. Couldn’t quite ever fit in. My heart was in the right place but I wanted to just be normal. That I know now. When you’re 13 it doesn’t matter. As much as I had wished it had.
As time has moved forward and I’ve made it through a bad marriage and had 2 beautiful girls. Those girls are crazy amazin’. In that time my dad has passed and I look at my ex and wonder how he deals with what he does. That’s his problem. My dad’s haunting recommendations are still there. I wish I had heeded them, but I didn’t.
Beyond that I see my mom working and doing everything by herself now. Not easy and I don’t recommend that either. She hasn’t had a choice. Despite that she presses on. Some bad decisions and some not. I cannot imagine. I can’t.

She works hard…really hard. Makes it work even when it seems that it won’t. That woman never gives up. I’ve learned that from her. It’s some serious shit to see her fight it all. I’m amazed. I have my fight and compassion because of that.

Speaking of compassion, I’ve never seen such compassion as my mom has for the people she serves every day. The way she stood up and served my dad when he was sick. The way she is a force for those she takes care of now. I was busy growing triplets so I didn’t get to see it but I’ve felt it 100 times over. My mom is tough. She’s hard and she’s soft. She’s giving and also takes when she needs. She cries when she needs and still drops fbombs like a boss.

I honestly think that many don’t “get” my mom. They don’t. I’m not going to try to explain it because she is who she is. It’s not up to me to define it. What I will say is that she seems softer than I can ever recall. She has more compassion and helpyouedness than I’ve ever seen. She helps people have dignity every day as they live out their later days of life. She says how she never wants those she loves to have to experience relying on others. Brings me to tears.

It also makes me so happy to share with my mom when I create stuff in the kitchen that she has taught me to do. I feel so lucky to be able to do that. I know some that read this don’t have their moms to call on the phone or write a FB message to. If you don’t I hope that you’ll take a moment and smile as you think about your mom today.
So this Mother’s day I encourage all to take a little look back. Take a look at your mom…flaws and all. Notice the feelings she has or had for you. See what, from her, has become you. My love to all the mamas out there.

Vacation Part X – Oregon to Nevada

Posted on July 20, 2014January 25, 2018 by Sherri

We made our way through McDermott, hotter than hell and then we get the amazing welcome of the sign on the door that read “bathrooms for customers only”. WHATEVER. not happening. We have 5 kids and they all need to pee. I do too. So not in the mood for anymore. No one stopped us or said anything. There was also another small problem I was having on top of all the rest…I had these weird bites on my legs that were very itchy and painful. I felt terrible overall. I just could not shake these weird bites of whatever they were. I was beyond miserable. Add to that that when we got to Winnemucca, my mom’s gate was locked. She had gone fishing. OMG…could this get worse? Still 106 degrees outside and oh man…it was rough. And I still had to get our 1/2 beef. And I was exhausted. And I was in pain. Perfect storm. Chip threw the stuff we needed over the fence and we climbed the fence. Luckily I had a key to the house. We overnighted at moms. Next morning, hubs loaded up all the stuff and kiddos and headed home in a jam-packed minivan. I stayed behind to get the meat in the big ole diesel pusher Dodge. The final leg of the McVey Vaca. This was fun, but not without its own bunch of crazy, and a lot of driving.

I’m still having trouble with my legs/feet. Finally, I was able to pick up our beef. Jim’s wife commented on my legs/feet when I picked up the boxes of beef. I felt like a lepper. It was all I could do to get that loaded and get going. I high tailed it out of there because I too was worried about my legs/feet and wanted to (hopefully) get to an urgent care. I had reached my max. The itching. The heat. The kids. The lack of air conditioning. I made my way out of the Mucc, headed for Reno and over to St. Mary’s Quick Care at Walmart about 15 minutes before they closed. Because it was so hot, Chip came and grabbed the truck and I would take the minivan home. I walk in and they say it’s too late and I can’t be seen. At that moment, it was so overwhelming. The tears came. I was so DONE. There was no more to give. I begged them. Luckily they saw me. It was flea bites. From somewhere. Really? Great. Just great. Then I had to trek over to CVS for antibiotics. Wow. Amazing.

Regardless of all of that, a big, huge THANK YOU to all of those who housed, fed, partied, laughed, and put up with invasions of the McVey family. It’s quite a big undertaking to take on 7. Hopefully, we didn’t leave too much devastation as we left each place. We’re grateful to all that we were able to share special times with so many. Friends and family that we didn’t get to see, we are sorry we couldn’t make it happen. We hope to get up to WA/OR again soon. Now a week from now I must start to work hard to remove some of the vacation food and drink indulgence weight gain. Gillian was a trooper too. Hard to be tied to a bunch of rambunctious little boys for days on end when you’re right smack in the middle of being a teenager. Chip, Gill and I had some great conversation about all of it on our last night. Wish I had one more day to breathe, but it is what it is and we’ve had a fun time with our travels. Thank you hubs for packing, unpacking, packing and unpacking with all the kiddos in tow.

Vacation part IV…Washington

Posted on July 11, 2014January 20, 2018 by Sherri

So we got on the road from Othello and headed over to Washington. It was, theoretically, a 4 1/2 hour drive. So we took off about 9 or so.

It seemed to take forever to get over into Western Washington, but boy when we did, we knew it. Seattle was horrible to navigate through. It wasn’t even rush hour, it was right around noon time. Oh.my.god! The amount of traffic we encountered was atrocious! That slowed us down by an hour probably.

Once out of the mess of Seattle, we headed out to Dawns in Sedro-Woolley. Before we got there, somewhere around Bellingham, we stopped at a Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. It was later in the afternoon and we were so hungry. I could have eaten my arm. So we walk in and we stand. Restaurant has a few people eating. I mean it’s late afternoon. Around 2 or so. There were a few different choices for eating in the complex we were in, so we opted for something we knew would be okay. Buffalo Wild Wings has never been a favorite. When we think of them, we think mediocre or less.

So we walk in and we wait. People walk by and then we wait some more. Finally a third person takes us to our table. Then we wait some more. By now I’m about ready to lose it because I just couldn’t take it anymore. So we get an appetizer. No plates. No extra napkins. Takes a while for that to arrive. Then we wait some more. No one says much, they just go about their business. No sense of urgency. Food comes out and we eat. Not impressed, not impressed at all. In fact it was disappointing. I should have taken to Yelp right there, but I didn’t not worth my time.

So then we arrived at my sisters. YAY! Cousins finally got to meet. It was fabulous! The kids took to the video games right away. Aurora showed them the dance game via connect and they tried to show her Call of Duty. Um yeah…no. It was funny because the boys seemed surprised that she hadn’t seen it before. Between the five of them they settled on a Spongebob game.

Ben went right into the kitchen with Auntie. It was SO cute!

Boys playing video games at Dawns

We only had a few days with Dawn, so we made the most of it. Dawn whipped up a great breakfast the next morning and we headed out to the lake cabin. Oh.my.gosh! We had no idea how much fun we would have! The place is so beautiful. Truly.

Of course, we had to spend a lot of time packing vehicles and all of that, so we had a bit of a slow start. Worth every bit of effort.

All of the kiddos and adults suited up for a fabulous day on the lake. The cabin is about 30 minutes from Dawn and Rusty’s. Once we drove in, we saw a beautiful lake. We got everyone into their life jackets and swim gear. It didn’t take anyone long to be in the water and to head out to the party barge. Dawn had a great BBQ planned along with sparklers for the kids…the boys had never done those before.

Then we got out the s’mores equipment and the fishing poles. Dawn and I, being the tough Alaska chicks that we are, we did all of the hooking and weighting for all 6 poles. Yes, 6 poles. She secretly told me that she didn’t think there was any fish in the lake, but we kept that between ourselves. Everyone had a great time trying though!

The next day…only one more day in Washington…we treated all of us to a 3D movie! We all donned the glasses and saw “How To Train Your Dragon 2”. Really, really good! Definitely worth seeing in 3D. The kids had so much fun! Mostly because of the massive amount of popcorn and soda they were permitted to ingest. Hahahahaha.

Dawn headed back with the kiddos and Chip and I headed to the Walmart to replace the crappy tent that bit it at the beginning of the trip. So, like smart peeps, we bought 2 smaller tents to replace the 10 man. Then the boys have theirs, we have ours and Gillian could have her own.

That evening we snapped some family pics and did s’mores and of course enjoyed wine. It was such a quick visit, but so happy we could make it happen. So lucky that Dawn has a big house that we could invade for a few days.

I think all of us enjoyed this special time. I know it won’t be another 7 years before we see each other again. Thank you my seester. We had a blast!

So the next morning we packed it up. Chip did an amazing job of getting both vehicles loaded. Buh-bye Washington! Hello Oregon. Oh yeah…I was STILL itching. Only worse.

1st grade? Really?

Posted on August 4, 2013September 16, 2013 by Sherri

I cannot stand it anymore. I must rant. The hubs thinks I need to get over it, but I can’t. The boys start 1st grade on Monday. There are many reasons why I’m excited about school starting. However, I am really pissed off and I haven’t even met their teacher yet. Perhaps I’m overreacting but I was disgusted with the supply list that we received. I’d love to know your thoughts. I am inserting some of my own comments on the list as well. Everything is per kid.
1. Plain white t-shirt to paint at school (me: cool, fine awesome)

2. $35.00 class fee to cover costs for special art projects, weekly reader, folders, treats and in-class activities (me: seriously? You’ve got to be kidding! Um yeah. So not excited about this one)

3. A Ziploc bag containing baggies with 20 pennies, 10 dimes, 20 nickels and 4 quarters (we will use them for math). Please label with your child’s name (me: Ever heard of play money?)

4. 24 SHARPENED pencils (me: last time I checked our classroom had a pencil sharpener)

5. 3 boxes of 24 count crayons to last us through the year (me: wow, when I was in school one box was plenty)

6. 1 pkg. basic markers (no pastels). (me: Finally! Something reasonable!)

7. 1 black sharpie FINE point pen and 1 black sharpie ULTRA FINE point. (me: OK fine, whatever)

8. 1 box of kleenex (me: another reasonable request. Cool. I like those.)

9. 1 container of Clorox or Costco disinfectant wipes (me: Ya know what? Lysol is cheaper and that’s what you are getting!)

10. 1 pump bottle of sanitizer (me: cool)

11. 2 boxes of ziploc bags. One gallon and one sandwich (me: seriously? if there are 20 kids in the class there will be 20 boxes of gallon and 20 boxes of sandwich bags? WTH are they doing with all of that plastic!?!)

12. (me: This one is my all time favorite) 15 OR MORE glue sticks You can get a good deal at Costco for about $6. (me again: WTF! 15 glue sticks times 20 kids? What are they going to do with all of those glue sticks? The audacity to say Costco has a good deal1?! Wayyyy unbelievable to me.)

13. 1 yellow highlighter (me: I’m still stuck on 15 glue sticks and $35)

14. 4 or more Expo dry erase markers (me: You’ll get any brand I decide to pay for)

15. 1 set of earbuds/headphones to use at computers. Put in a baggie and label with your child’s name (me: whatever. Still bitter about the ridiculousness of this list)

The teacher, at the bottom of the list, also wrote:
Wish list and optional items: Recess equipment for our class to play with (balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, etc.) (me: Really? Doesn’t the school have ANY equipment? Lady if this is your list you must have at least one or two items from last year.) 1 or more packages of reward stickers Water bottle (small 16 oz. – sport top only)
She goes on some more to say: Thank you so much for taking the time to provide these extra materials for our classroom. (me: Yeah, uh-huh, optional? I think not. Wonder exactly what the school district pays for. Paper. Yes, paper. That wasn’t on the list. I’m sure we’ll be hit up for other items throughout the year).
I know teachers are not paid well and often buy things out of pocket. I can also appreciate asking parents to help. I seriously cannot, for the life of me, get past the BS on this list. I can’t wait to hear thoughts from my community. Am I the crazy one?

Happy Holidays 2011

Posted on December 31, 2011September 17, 2013 by Sherri

Welcome to a glimpse into the last year at the McVeys. This year our letter is still Happy Holidays but more on the end of Happy New Year since I’m finally finishing it on 12/31/11. Of course long winded like Sherri tends to be. Time flew and while we’re getting our cards out, it’s certainly later than planned. Par for the course the year has been a busy one. There was a ton of stuff that we experienced in 2011. Reflecting on that, the things that come to mind are all of the new experiences that the kids had. Sweet things that lit them up with wonder. It makes us smile to know that we have and continue to make the effort to give them these experiences. We thought we’d share a few and hopefully they’ll bring a smile for you too.

The boys met Santa for the first time, roasted marshmallows, cut with scissors, had haircuts in at a “haircut store”, made a birthday cake, painted pottery, acquired a first Nerf gun, took a first RV trip, went to Grandma’s twice in the same year, had frozen yogurt and chose their own toppings at “the yogurt store”, saw a parade on the 4th of July, Carter learned to walk and talk, experienced their first pig roast, visited a fire station, ate in a sit down restaurant, got a new, real swing set, picked corn, rode a mechanical bull and petted the animals at the pumpkin patch, visited Apple Hill, ate a caramel apple, discovered Angry Birds (they are still obsessed) and Zombies, became iPod Touch experts, decided “Despicable Me” is their favorite movie, visited the Discovery Children’s Museum, fired their first firearm, had an Advent calendar, hot chocolate in Christmas mugs, drank a Root Beer float and finally… moved to “big boy bunk beds”.

A huge part of creating these experiences were all of the people that visited and help us. Our Florida family helped us get the year rolling ringing in the New Year with us. It was great having them here to kick it off. Right away in January Chip and I both had to travel for work. For the first time ever it was at the same time. Sherri’s mom came and helped for the week which was great! Colvins jumped in from there and took on the kidlets for a couple of weeks in January as well. Fast forward to May. We headed to Winnemucca in the Colvin RV to see family. Sherri’s grandparents made the trip from Montana. The weather wasn’t awesome but it was good to see them. The months just seemed to fly by. Before we knew it we were in the middle of summer. Kaitlyn and Gillian were with us for five weeks which is always really fun. One of the highlights was Kaitlyn getting her driver’s permit. It’s hard to fathom that she’s 16 now! Chip and Sherri celebrated anniversary #8 in Tahoe. Our first overnight for just the two of us in 3 yrs. As a treat to ourselves we took a sunset yacht cruise. It was fantastic! We also took the Colvin RV out again to Fernley, a very small town about 30 minutes outside of Reno. After an overnight at the RV park we headed downtown to take in the 4th of July parade. The kids were troopers considering there was no shade and 90 degrees outside. Again fast forward and September and October were upon us. Sherri’s friend Bonnie visited Reno for the first time since we moved which was awesome. Gary, Ben and Ryan turned 4 in Septmeber as well. We celebrated in style with the Girls and then after. It’s hard to believe it’s been 4 years. As well, Fred, Celia and ‘Nina (Colvin) arrived back in Nevada just in time for fall. We packed everyone up and went to Apple Hill. We had been hearing about it since our move to Reno in 2008 and finally thought it was do-able and would be blast for the kids. We visited several places up there and had a ball trying cider, some local wine and beer, toured a few of the orchards as well as buying apples, pears, caramel apples and pies. It was a fabulous trip but requires more than 1 day. If you have a chance to visit you should!

Halloween was so fun too! Sherri made the boys costumes this year. It was purely due to the budget and what costumes cost. She had creative input from her mom, Celia and ‘Nina. In Nov. Colvins left us and headed to exotic places so we packed up and headed to Winnemucca for Thanksgiving. All of us had a good time, especially the boys sleeping all four of them on the air mattress watching

Winnemucca with Sherri’s family. Grandma and John bought the 3 boys and Gillian a .22 rifle. Both of us were almost mortified that at 4 they would be handling a gun. Each boy and Gillian went, individually, with John and Chip and shot the guns. More training is required. We’ll be working on that.

Christmas crept up on us far more quickly than we thought. We did a lot last minute but managed to get the most beautiful tree we’ve ever had. Fred and Celia joined us for the holidays as well. Per the tradition, Celia baked up a ton of treats and cookies. All the kids jumped in to decorate and taste test all of the delightful yummies. Kaitlyn and Gillian went back to Las Vegas on Christmas Eve so we celebrated a little early with them. Everyone enjoyed the gifts. Christmas morning was a blast in the McVey house. The boys came down the stairs and were full of excitement, wonder and surprise. Santa was kind enough to leave new bunk beds made for three. Very cool. Fred and Chip spent almost a whole day putting them together. Now it’s just the nightly battle of who gets to sleep on top. We don’t have a system yet.

On to the kid updates…Kaitlyn and Gillian still primarily reside in Vegas so that continues to be a challenge for all of us in Reno. Kaitlyn is doing well in school and is a sophomore this year. She’s into softball and really involved in church. Her dad just bought her a car so she’s very excited about that. Gillian is in middle school and plays the Viola in orchestra. Gilli is one of the few 6th graders in the advanced orchestra. She just had her winter concert and I was lucky enough to be in Vegas and could attend. Those are the moments that are bittersweet. Glad I could attend but sad that it has to be in Vegas and not Reno. Every time the big sisters come for a visit the boys are so excited. They’re also sad when they leave. Not easy.

Gary, Ben and Ryan are just crazy growing! They take everything in, want to touch it all and often ask why, what and how come about anything and everything. TV is big them too. These days it’s all about Super Why on PBS along with Calliou and Wubzy. At least there’s variety. They are so good with technology too. It’s all about Angry Birds and Zombies. We put both games on our old laptops as well. It didn’t take long from a touch screen to maneuvering a mouse and keyboard. It’s hard to believe that in less than a year they will go to kindergarten. Over this last year as their personalities are becoming more and more evident. All three are total extroverts. Gary is as stubborn as they come. The red hair fits! He is the one who always asks why. More often than not they are great questions. Ben is still the quieter boy but is smart and funny. Just recently we learned that he needs glasses. He looks so cute but best of all we’ve improved his 20/200 vision in one eye. We felt like bad parents! I’m sure everything is much clearer for him. Ryan is our keeper of the rules Chip says he inherited Sherri’s type A. He gets so excited when he talks that he almost can’t get the sentence out. It’s so funny. Ryan is the most sensitive and a little sneaky. He’s very close with Carter bug. They are special buddies.

Pulling up the rear is little Carter Bug. Never has it been more evident that he has left being a baby in the dust and wants to be 4 years old like his big brothers. At 18 months he’s talking away and on the run to keep up with Gary, Ben and Ryan. He has the sweetest little laugh. He’s definitely a ray of sunshine as we hear him giggle and discover how to talk. He tries to say everything. I especially like his “peas” when he says please. His favorite thing lately is Calliou and cars. We’re a little sad that the baby has moved on to toddler/preschooler. Carter is also big on books. He often demands that whoever is around read to him. It’s a great start! Between 12 and 18 months it’s almost as if he has awakened. In the last couple of weeks he’s figured out how to put too words together. Now when he gets up in the morning he says “Hi Daddy”! He’s curious and an independent soul. Last week he had his 18 mos. checkup and he’s officially the size of a two year old!

That’s about it for 2011. Overall pretty stressful but when we step back it’s OK. We’re grateful that we have a happy, healthy family and wish the same for our friends and family. We’re excited to welcome 2012, optimistic for continued good health and prosperity. Be sure to keep in touch either via email at smcvey707@gmail.com or chip@metaforge.net . We also have new cell numbers which are: Sherri: 775-737-3032 and Chip: 775-772-3024. Of course those of you that are Facebook friends with either of us know that we will continue to post pics and updates often. Until next year, all the best to you and yours. Take care and be well.