Manners

Monday I was feeling totally bummed out and grouchy, so by Tuesday when the mood hadn't lifted I decided to take action and get out of the house! A change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered! After a music practice (I'm getting an aria ready to perform at music camp) and golf lessons for the kids, we left for Twin Falls. We did a little shopping, then picked Brad up for a lunch date. His boss had given us a $50 gift card to a new restaurant/convention center in Twin called Canyon Crest. It is built right on the rim of the canyon and has an absolutely stunning view of the canyon floor, the golf course, and Perrine Bridge (one of the only bridges in the U.S. where it is still legal to base jump). Of course, I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to use your imagination (or google it)!

It's a nice restaurant so I literally BEGGED the kids to be on their best behavior while we ate. My request was met with a whole lot of eye rolling and "we know, Mom"'s! We got to dine al fresco on the terrace so there was a lot to see and explore while we waited for our food. This kids got adventurous and walked down to a lookout point where you are literally hanging out over the canyon floor. I couldn't bring myself to get any further than about 2 steps out before the vertigo hit and I sprinted for safe ground! Todd was pretty trepidatious as well, but slowly made his way to the railing at the edge so he could look down. Kate had no such fear, and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular view of the waterfall, etc.

Thanks to some great entertainment provided by Mother Nature the pre-meal wait flew by and soon our meals were on the table. Todd decided to order the cheeseburger (big shocker) but was a little embarrassed about it, and asked if it was okay to do that or if it would offend people because it's too much like fast food. We chuckled and assured him that if it's offered on the menu, no one would be offended by his ordering it. Kate went for the barbecued baby back ribs, I had shrimp alfredo, and Brad had a steak. Yummy! The kids tried so hard to use their manners! They wiped their hands and mouths continually and kept asking us if it was rude to do this, or rude to do that. At one point Kate was trying so hard to put her glass down carefully that she spilled it's contents all over the table. She was absolutely heart-broken, and I felt so awful for putting so much pressure on her. Luckily, we cleaned it up quickly and her tears evaporated with the mess. Todd informed us that he was using this experience as practice for when he goes on job interviews. He quizzed Brad about the kind of food he should order and how to eat it. He was so serious about the whole thing it just made me smile. His favorite new tip from Dad was to be sure to pass the salt and pepper together even if the person requesting them has only asked for one or the other. I'm sure he'll share this little gem with all of you in time! You know Todd, he's always a fount of information. Jack was a little less enthusiastic about using his manners and insisted on sitting on Daddy's lap for the duration of the meal. Eating steak one-handed is not always easy, but possible, as we learned yesterday. In all, we had a wonderful time and thanks to our gift card it only cost $11.00! Thanks for the great Christmas present Shawn!