A Little Family News To Share

I haven't given an update on recent family events, and I know there are a few of you out there who will be intersted in some of the following tidbits.

**Both Z2 and Kiki Aru qualified to attend State History Day at Albertson's College in Caldwell next month. Z2's group did a documentary titled "The Conflice and Compromise of the Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe's Culture". Kiki Aru's group did a performance titled "The Conflict of the Salem Witch Trials". I will be traveling with them to Caldwell the second weekend in April.

**Yesterday PKR, The Princess and I (along with about 12 other KHS students) spend the day at Timberlake High School at the District Speech Festival. I went along to help judge the events. For the second year in a row, The Princess qualified for state competition in Retold Story. In this category, you are given 3 different children's books which you read through, then you choose one and retell the story. Two other KHS students also qualified, one in Impromptu Speaking, and one in Oratorical Analysis. PKR will travel to Rupert, Idaho with these students toward the end of April.

**I was talking to my friend SB tonight on the phone, and it looks like they have two extra tickets to the Elton John concert in Pullman in April, and asked us if we would like to go with them. We will both be coming back from the State History Day competition that day, so we have to work out the details, but I think it might work. How COOL is that!!! A once in a lifetime experience, if you ask me.

**This weekend Kiki Aru has a AAU bball tourney in North Spokane. My niece TR is coming up to Spokane this weekend play volleyball, so we'll have lots to do with PKR's brother's family in Spokane as well.

**Then we'll have a week home for Spring Break, with nothing major planned, and just some time to relax and take it easy before the onslaught of other activities take over our lives between now and the end of school in June. Such is the life when you have three active girls.

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful day.

He is Risen!!

He is Risen, Indeed!!

Sacred Sunday--That's Entertainment

Sunday afternoon and evening was spent writing the entertainment for the Sweetheart Dinner at our church this Friday.



PKR and I are the entertainment, and are "lounge singers" at St. Paul's Corinthian's Lounge. Our names are Vinnie and Veronica Valentine. We are basing our act on the Biblical verses from I Corinthians 13 that define love.



The premise is God used popular singers in the 50's, 60's and 70's to show the people on earth what love truly means based on the verses in the chapter.

Here is one of the songs we'll be singing during Friday's entertainment.




We'll just be spreading the love all over the place Friday night.

The Condo Explosion

The Silver Valley is experiencing growth, as least in construction. I am daily reminded of it as I look out my front window, and my landscape has changed from viewing the hills around Kellogg to now having an up close and personal view of Phase III of the condominiums at the Morning Star Lodge at Silver Mountain. Workers seem to be working around the clock to finish the construction on this phase.

Now, I'm not praising or blasting this growth. I wouldn't be in the lovely home I live in now if it weren't for the new developement. Our former home was bought out by condo builders to tear down so condo's could be built. I think it is just the newness of it all.

As I left Kellogg yesterday, heading to Pinehurst to pick up middle daughter, Z2, I glanced to my right toward McDonalds, and the sign on the building that used to say "Taco Express" now says something like "Alpine Village Resort Condominium Sales". In the paper this morning, the front page news is about a grand opening being held today for the sales of theses condos. These are located uptown on Ohio Avenue, I think behind the also being remodeled McConnel Hotel (which houses one of the coolest coffee shops in uptown Kellogg. As a child, the McConnel Hotel always kind of scared me, because it always looked run down, and the people who hung out there were scary looking. It is nice to see this building get a new face lift.)

When I arrived in Pinehurst, I was quite surprised by the new building that has risen up at the old KOA Campground. This one does pull at my heartstrings a bit, because the KOA has done a wonderful job since the summer we moved back here in 2000, hosting a 4th of July celebration and fireworks show. It had become a family tradition. Now, the beautiful campground is being changed. And the building is right up against the park, too. Well, it caught me off guard, and I'm not sure I like it.

The new Bee Hive Homes on the main street in Pinehurst look beautiful.

Z2 was at her friend's home in Pinehurst working on their upcoming History Day project. Her friend's aunt was a friend of mine in grade school, and I remember going to this house when I was younger, because her grandparents lived in this house. As soon as I drove down the street and spotted the house, I remembered. It is funny, but one vivid memory from that time at this house was watching Elton John and Kiki Dee singing "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" on TV.

Okay, back to the new construction. Another development from the paper this week is Shoshone County putting an emergency moratorium on any development in the county (not including inside city limits) so they can take some time to review county ordinances that have not been updated in over 20 years. One of the county commisioners launching this moratorium is newly elected commissioner Vince Rinaldi. I have know Vince my whole life, and he is now a neighbor. I have talked to him in the past regarding growth in the Silver Valley, and I believe he has a nice, balanced approach to the situation, and has good ideas to help the county plan and manage growth.

What blows my thinking about all of this is the plans Silver Mountain is planning around the new golf course and up on the mountain. Will people really come and fill up all those proposed houses, condos and hotels? I guess only time will tell. But it boggles the mind!!