Road trip update

Some highlights of our trip so far:

-We stayed in one of the only two hotels in Cozad, Nebraska last night. It was run by a nice little Indian (Asian sub-continent, not pre-Colombian) family and decorated like grandparents in the early 1990's would have done it.

-While looking for some lunch today (we were in Kansas City, so I was hoping to find some good BBQ), the gps led us into this place: SubTropolis. Apparently it thought we wanted the corporate offices of a good BBQ place and not an actual restaurant

-We stopped in and had the 10 min tour of the Church site in Independence, Missouri. We didn't have time to take a tour, but we got some pictures of the Community of Christ world headquarters and temple.

-The bag of wet laundry that has been in the back seat of our car for two days is currently in a washing machine and will soon be headed to the dryer. Surprisingly enough it didn't even smell too bad.

-Kelly just asked me what town we are in and I had to look on the hotel brochure to find out. I've already forgotten, but I do know that it is somewhere in southern Illinois between St. Louis and Louisville.

-Our hotel room has a jacuzzi right out next to the bed. I guess it's the satisfy the customer that just loves to take a bath and watch a little tv at the same time.

Tomorrow it's on to DC!

Remember These?

Anyone remember these?

Grandpa Jacobs was cleaning out his garage the other day and came across a couple old boxes of ammunition. I ended up with these and about 20 boxes of shotgun shells from the 1970's, hope they don't decide to do their magic until I actually put them in a gun.

Amazing

Les and I happened upon this show last night. It was a tribute to famous women of country music. Some famous singer would sing one of the ladies' songs and then the lady would join them for a duet. It was fun to watch. At the end Vince Gill paid tribute to Carrie Underwood and sang Jesus Take the Wheel. When it was her turn to sing with him, she sang How Great Thou Art. Put your feet up, close your eyes and enjoy the song. It just gets better and better as it goes along.

Brant

Easter 2011

Coloring Easter Eggs

The Great Easter Egg Hunt !

Brant

Remember: Biking

List all the places you remember riding bicycles (to):

Dad asked what our plans were, so here they are.

We leave for Washington DC this Thursday. It will take us three days to get there and I'm kind of excited because we may go right through the middle of West Virginia. I have my overalls and Hillbilly accent ready if we end up stopping for lunch. Sorry Denverites, but we will not be making an appearance there. Because of Kelly's final schedule, we wouldn't be making it to Denver until about midnight and then we would turn around and leave bright and early in the mornning. Taking I-80 out across the abyss of Wyoming and Nebraska is actually about 2-3 hours faster, so we should only have about 34 hrs of driving instead of 36.

I'll be working in the office building were all the congressmen have their offices. It is just south of the Capitol, about where the "b" is in "Library of Congress" on this map. Our apartment is about 3 miles NE of the Capitol.

Corn in Egypt - Warm weather is here (almost)

Let someone else do the work then you buy the basket
New pot and stand for the front deck (flowers?)

Karl Foerster, Hosta, Petunias, etc.

Potting Soil

The Palouse went nuts yesterday. They were washing cars, walking, biking, skateboarding, paying tennis, mowing lawns, and doing yard work. So, Kent and Martha joined the crowd. We went out to Crossroads Nursery and spent part of the gift certificate you gave us three years ago and bought three Karl Foerster ornamental grasses. Then we drove to Pullman and bought the pot and stand, had an ice cream cone, drove to Spence Hardware and bought the potting soil, and then drove to Moscow Builders and bought the Petunias and Hostas. I sprayed the beds with Roundup and we will start planting tomorrow (unless it rains). It has been the longest winter/cold spring that I can remember.

We just got back from Stake Conference. We had one of those televised ones from Salt Lake. It was broadcast to 48 stakes in Idaho. I was really good and there was a large attendance.

Mom, Seth, Lacey, and "helpers" are upstairs fixing dinner.

Hope you all had a happy Easter and enjoyed it with your families. We think about you always and wish we could see you more often.,

Looking forward to seeing the Coloradoans this summer. Travis and Kelly, when do you head east?

Game Time

First mow of the season.  Only got four bags.

How many Zirker's Lawn & Yard customers can you name?

Kinda slow on the blog tonight, so here's a rundown of our week.

1. We started packing up our stuff to put it into storage while we're in DC for the summer.

2. I got rid of the last white shirt I had from the mission (I never actually wore it on the mission, just took it and kept it nice in the suitcase and started wearing it when I got home 11 yrs ago).

3. I bought a new suit this week because I think I have to wear a suit everyday at my internship.

4. We dogsat the neighbor's dog for the last few days. Kelly is in love, I'm unsure.

The neighbor's dog (or one a whole lot like him)

Do You Remember When?

Eugene and I on Flicka getting ready to ride into Warden to be in the parade.

Did you notice: The unique lawn furniture, The swing set - long since moved to our house west of Warden and now at the Richards, Our golden cocker spaniel, Taffy, in the background, Our house - the window is Eugene's and my bedroom, The house in the distance behind the swing - my Grandma and Grandpa Zirker's, The saddle blanket - one of two we got in Mescalaro from the Apache Indians (probably worth a fortune if we still had them), Work boots - we were tough back then, Me with the "left-hand" holster (you can just see it under my hand), Eugene with spurs on (we were real cowboys). We rode Flicka from our house, four miles to town, then in the parade, and then four miles home gain.

This week was busy, Mom was coming down off here portfolio night at school and the luncheon at Women's Conference and I had 4 Boards of Review, one day and evening meeting in Spokane and then Friday night we attended the District Scout Award Dinner where I received the "Extra Miler" award. Hopefully this week will slow down a little.

Remember this one?

Hurry, it's gonna blow!!!

Family Art Night

Name this prophet: Name this child:

Our Week Thus Far

Yesterday was Monday, an interesting day.  I was almost conned by a creepy con man trying to give me Omaha Steaks and Chicken at our door.  His gold necklace made me think otherwise, among other things.
And Seth, saved a kid's life.  He was working with his group of athletes on their warm up yesterday when one of the athletes started having a seizure.  He had to hold his head and keep him from hurting himself during the seizure and while he came to.  All the emergency responders arrived quickly and the kid refused care.  Apparently, it has happened before.  Here's to a new day.

motorhome

Game - First Entry = Halloween

If you are interested, post any thoughts you might have on the above topic. Once we have beat it to death we'll try another one. Dad

For Dad's new game:

Remember when we used to...

New Game

With the comments flying about Kevin's new found law mower, I just had an idea for a new "thing". Remember how we used to play "I spy" on the blog? Well, this week I am going to think of a one or two word comment about our family. I'll post it and then you all can add whatever comes to your mind. If you think of one first, go ahead and post it.

I think I need one of these

I've found a new favorite website these days.

The Art of Manliness


The guy shares tips on how to be a man and includes everything from how to get a good shave and choose a motorcycle to how and why to get married (I think he's also trying to covertly share gospel principles, but that's just me). Anyway I've been wanted a motorcycle for a while(not that I'm going to buy one, just want one) and then today's topic on The Art of Manliness is about famous men and their motorcycles. I vote for good old Steve McQueen as the coolest man and his motorcycle.

So here's the motorcycle I want today: A Triumph Bonneville T100

The New Flag

Here's the new flag.  We've had some sunshine and a big pile of bark in our driveway so the boys and I are working on spreading it.  It takes me back to spreading bark at the University Inn, but I have a better attitude about it this time.  Probably because it's only two yards instead of multiple truck loads and it usually snows on us, sending us back inside to wait out the weather.

It's Over

Lacey did the sign for the conference theme. Mom had everything laid out and instructions printed. Coolers lined up ready to be filled. A lunch and water bottle.

Lunches set out on each table.

Rogues gallery, Michelle, Tara, Lacey, Lora Lee, Heidi, (the last two Mom and I taught in our temple prep class. They have both been to the temple now).

Well, its over. It got a little intense this last week but Mom pulled it off. She spent many a sleepless night planning and then numerous shopping forays to get everything ready. They were throwing changes at her up until the last couple of days. Friday she took a day off work and gathered up all the "stuff" including coolers and got it down to the church. At 6:30 that evening the people she had asked showed up and the assembly line started. Some made the chicken salad, others stuffed cookies, carrots, pretzels, or purple grass, into the appropriate baggies and then the final assemble put everything in the cellophane bag and tied the green ribbon in a bow. The lunches then went into the coolers on ice and were transported to the stake center and stored in a classroom (we assembled everything at the Mountainview building). Yesterday morning Mom and another small crew set the lunches on the tables and were ready for the rush of hungry sisters. Mom's biggest goal was to not have to stand in line to eat. Everyone was impressed that when they walked into the cultural hall, everything was there and ready to eat. Oops, I forgot, we also put a strip of wrapping paper with the appropriate color around each water bottle to cover the water company logo (Mom cut the strips and put the stickies on them but I did a lot of the application). We put the water bottles in the shed at the church and they were nice and cold at the luncheon without being dripping wet from ice. It was a great success. The other thing was, there was no clean-up. She just put out several large garbage cans and it was all over. Her motto - work smarter not harder.

It was a beautiful day yesterday. I put up the umbrella on the deck and used the new 65 pound base that Mom bought at Costco. It almost took two of us to get it up on the deck (no we won't be notching the deck railing and tying the pole to it with zip ties).

We bought a new 5'x8' nylon flag for Grandpa's house. We put it up Thursday night but I still have to go back and change the rope, and clips. The old ones are worn and too heavy. Maybe Lacey can put up a picture of the new flag. It looks great.

That's it for now.

Small Engine Question

This morning we picked up a homeowner lawn mower for free on the curbside. The boys said they would like to start mowing lawns to earn some money. They are already working on their business name (is "Zirker Brothers" already taken? How about "Zirker Cousins"? Ty and Trent, do you want it?), logo, and pricing. The only problem is that the mower won't idle. I was able to pull start it (after giving it several primer pumps) and it would run for 30-60 seconds, but then it would slow down and die. Could a fuel line be clogged or partially blocked? Would there be something wrong with the carburetor? If the fuel were old would this cause a problem? Any advice from the small engine mecs (Dad, Travis, Matt)?

General Confernce joy

Those of you who watched General Conference (I think the Sunday afternoon session) may have seen this guy. I managed to miss it somehow.




Not wanting to miss a good opportunity to be part of the fun, this website has a little story about it and has created some posters for the guy. Enjoy.

http://www.ldsfriends.com/general-conference-posters

Post Falls 5k Fun Run

The Post Falls Police Department recently hosted their first "Leashes and Laces" 5k Fun Run. it was a fund raiser to help pay for the training and upkeep of their new K9. I did a few trial runs around the neighborhood with Kya then decided to give it a shot. This was my first 5k since I started running just over a year ago. Pay no attention to my sleek running apparel. It was snowing pretty heavy about an hour before the race started.


Kya can be a great dog when she's home alone with us and no other distractions are around. Throw her out in public around 100 other dogs and she gets a little amped up. We had to stand about 100 feet apart from everyone else just to keep her calm and she was the only dog to bark/whine during the singing of the National Anthem, we were very proud. Standing so far back, I got a pretty bad start and had to wind my was through all of the slower runners/walkers. Running 3.1 miles with an energetic dog is rough, and only made worse when you mix in all of the other dogs. Kya tugged and pulled at the leash with every dog we passed in an effort to get a good sniff of that region dogs love to sniff.


I finished the first half in 13:00 and as you can see I fell off my pace on the return trip. For those who can't see, the clock says 27:11. It was nice to get out, do something active, and be a part of the whole community thing, but next year's race will be run without the dog.

Late Night Wendy's and The Lost Tooth

Sometimes in life you just have to eat Wendy's late at night after a long day of conference and a double baptism. Weston was eating his cheesburger, which by the way is very healthy because it has meat, cheese, pickles, and ketchup, and he surprisingly said that his tooth just fell out. He was chewing his cheeseburger and felt something hard. So, he spit it out and there it was his tooth. After letting his tooth hang on by a small piece of gum for about two months and just like that it fell out. Lets hope the next one goes quicker. He did get a shiny or at least a crispy new dollar bill from the tooth fairy. Well, all's well, that ends well.

Matt and Lacey post something and we will have a Grand Slam

Colorado Springs

To wrap up our Sring Break , we decided to repeat our adventures from last year and take a trip down to Colorado Springs. We left Friday after work and headed to the Air Force Acadamy. We ate a picnic dinner by the static displays and got to watch the gliders taking off and landing. We then headed to the Garden of the Gods and strolled along the giant rock outcroppings just as it was getting dark. By then it was time to hit the hotel and the POOL! I was in heaven as the water was actually warm. Seven people in one room could have been ugly, but by some small miracle everyone went to sleep quickly.

Saturday, we woke up, had the traditional hotel waffles, and then headed off to the zoo. As you'll notice from our family shot, we actually looked like we belonged together. The girls in pink and the boys in blue with some stripes thrown in for good measure. I'd like to say we planned it, but who are we kidding.

My favorite part about the Cheyenne Mtn Zoo is how close you get to the animals. The kids had fun feeding crackers to the girafees.

Sometimes you get REALLY CLOSE! Thank goodness for plexiglass. The bears were very active and we had fun watching them wrestle each other for about 20 minutes. They then headed over and relaxed in their pool. The zoo lets you see into the pool and watch as the fish all swam away when the bears climbed into the water.

Of course we can't go to the zoo and not finish the day without a trip to the Will Rodger's Shrine to the Sun tower. Here is this year's version of Aimee's famous pose, "Looking off into the distance."

Brant

Denver Weather

Record 83 degrees yesterday and now this.

Raya is 5!

As an early birthday present for both girls, we decided it would be fun to take them to Disney Princess on Ice. So just the three of us gals went, a little girl party. This time we got it right and had them dress up as a princess. I bought some glo sticks at the dollar store and we were off. The show was fun, and they had 7 princesses. Who could ask for anything more?

Raya definitely had a good morning opening gifts. Thanks grammy and grandpa, sorry we missed your call earlier.

This year, the birthday girls didn't want a cake. She doesn't really care for it. She wanted waffle cookies. Well, I couldn't just put a plate of cookies in front of her, so I had Kevin make a waffle cookie tower. She loved it.

I was out at Grandpa Jacobs' house yesterday and he gave me a book. He said when he got it home and opened it up he couldn't read it for some reason.

Can anyone guess the English title?

Early Sunday Morning

How about a wedding announcement picture to brighten your day?

I'm sitting here entering the high priest home teaching data in the computer. The stake gives us 3 days to get our report to them. I have developed an e-mail list that works really well. I send it out the evening of the last day of the month and get about 50% response by the next day. Then I send out another one to about 1/3 of the quorum and I get a few more responses. Finally on the last day I have to call about 6-8 companionships. But, the report is in by the third. This month quite a few sent in their report before I had a chance to send out my first request. I think we are making progress.

We went to a baptism after the priesthood session of conference last night. It was for Tyler Skinner and Michael Richards (they are here on their way to Denver). It was nice, lots of people. Brandon leaves this week to return to Las Vegas to complete some project and study for his big test (whatever it is called).

It is a beautiful Sunday morning. The wind howled and it rained most of last week. Naturally, it is beautiful on Sunday when we are supposed to be in church. It is so wet the farmers cannot get into their fields. There are even little patches of snow still on the downwind side of the ridges.

It is crunch time for Mom. This week she has to get everything ready to serve about 350-400 sisters lunch at stake women's conference. They keep moving the goal posts on her but I think she has it nailed down.

Hope you all have a good week.