Bye Bye Safety City- Hello Happy Valley!

Having just returned home from Lena's oh-so official graduation from Safety City (a 2 week long program that is for Pre-K kids about every safety imaginable- water, natural disasters, traffic,poison,guns,school bus, car, fire, and most likely potential home threats like slipping on a wet bathroom floor or getting clobbered by a wrestle happy sibling.) I am left wondering how programs like this, that at one time started out simple enough, have grown in to a humongous ginormous animal unto themselves. Somehow after a little two week program we are supposed to drive to the local High School Auditorium and along with a few thousand other obedient parents- sit through a long "Graduation" ceremony, with diplomas and singing and a man dressed up as a large fire-fighting Dalmatian grabbing the limelight. The nearly fake looking police officer who clearly knows his tan and good looks were meant for the stage as he flashes a toothy smile and a little glint of light flashes from his winking eye as he shakes the hand of each and every child graduate.

I know, I sound like a spoil sport. But really, like I am going to take pictures and videos and more pictures of her every move up on this huge stage with about 250 other kids - all for what? Posterity? So we can all repeatedly endure the torture later via video and excitedly point out the ten seconds when we see the top of the bows of her pigs tails? I am wondering if there is something wrong with me for thinking and feeling it is all quite a bit superfluous? But today I was surrounded by parents who really appeared (by the looks of their frantic videography) that they WILL go home and do this. I, on the other hand, wrestled Dane, He focused on a difficult poop in his diaper, and we just watched everyone else in awe. It kind of felt like an episode of twilight zone.

Anyway... as this week has been filled with getting back to reality- and the realization that we are leaving for UTAH for nearly three weeks on Tuesday, I hope I can fit everything I want to pack in all our allowable checked baggage. Mark and I have literally only had one face to face conversation like the entire week for some weird reason... work, work, and other things.. and so I feel like I haven't REALLY seen him in a long time, even though we have been living in the same house since I got back from NYC on Monday. Very Strange. I miss my carefree fun vacation, but I know our trip to Happy Valley has lots of fun adventures planned as well, so I'll just plod ahead with faith that we can all endure the long flight with 2 (YES TWO!) layovers on our way to Salt Lake.