Park City- Day 4

The weather was quite a bit better on this day, but it was still chilly.  Sunny, but a little cold.  MUCH better than the day before! By the late morning, it was actually getting warm.  It was Wacky Wednesday so the kids were encouraged to do something funky with their appearance.  Our kids went to camp with spray painted hair (Devin's ended up just looking grey).  Paul and Ethan got KFC for lunch on this day.  Paul said all the other coaches were jealous because they got lousy homemade sandwiches and his American Mom brought crap food every day.  That's every teenage kid's dream come true!!

Garrett was obsessed with trying to get into this drink machine every day.  A few more days and he would have had it figured out!  The rest of the time he had fun running and wandering around the fields.

The view doesn't get better than that!

Look, it's my mountain!!

Coach Paul, it's not nice to smack the children.

 When I picked Ethan and Paul up that afternoon, Paul seemed to be in a much better mood than the day before.  Maybe because he wasn't soaked to the bone and freezing! He immediately asked me what the plans were for the evening because he wanted to go do something again.  I loved this guy's enthusiasm!  We had given him a rundown list of options of what to do in the area, and he wanted to go up to Park City to do the Apline Slides. (Funny thing- with all the stuff we said we could go do, he got the waterpark and the Apline Slides mixed up and thought it was a water slide down the mountain.  I thought that was so funny!  The first thing we had to do was go to the orthodontist so Ethan could have a check up and Hailey had her first pre-braces consultation.  Paul was a good sport about going in an meeting my friend Tammy who works there.  He was kind of a celebrity while he was here because so many people knew we would have this "exotic" European person staying with us!  Garrett was being a hellraiser in the ortho office, and it was awesome that Paul was there because he took him out to the van and stayed in there to watch a movie with him.  They watched "Pinnochio"...or "Pokieokie" as Garrett calls it.

 

Even though the weather was good down in the valley, we prepared for cold temps in the mountains.  We bundled up and got  ready to walk out the door as soon as Cody got home from work.  While we were getting everyone situated for the trip, Cody sneaked our American flag off the pole and replaced it with the Irish flag!  He had asked Paul earlier in the week which flag he preferred- the Irish or North Irish flag.  "Nah, we don't like that dirty Hun flag!!"  His talk about Catholics (dirty Tigs) and Protestants (dirty Huns) kept us laughing all week long!  

 Since we got there so late, we didn't have time to do more than a couple of attractions.  They closed at 8:00 and we got there right at 7:00.  We chose to do the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster.  We had to ride the ski lift up to the slide and it took about 15 minutes to get up there.  I never get tired of the ski lift because you can't beat the view!!  Paul and I sat on the lift with Ethan, Hailey, Lauren, and Garrett between us.  Garrett and Lauren had us nervous the whole time because they are so tiny and squirmy and it doesn't take much to slip through the chair.  Paul was so good (all week long) about helping with the kids and making sure they stayed safe. 

This picture cracked us all up because it looks like Devin's legs are really Paul's legs!

Cody and Devin rode on the lift behind us.

 The Alpine Slide is a mix of bobsled and waterslide.  It is sooooo fun!!!!  The air was freezing cold and it made it easier to cut through and go faster.  I could do the slide again and again, and I know Paul would too!

Next we did the Alpine Coaster.  It's literally a roller coaster through the mountain side.  Devin rode with Paul and he said that on the way up the climb, Devin said "Paul, I'm so glad you're in our family now." 

 After we finished up the slide and coaster, we headed back into town because it was after 8:00 and we hadn't had dinner yet.  I had been trying to sell Paul on trying Mexican food and he finally caved.  We knew a great little place in Park City so we drove down, had to park a few blocks away, and had a good time strolling through the town.  The air was COLD, but it was beautiful.  Paul kept saying how much his mom would be in Heaven exploring a town like that.

We had to get a picture on the ski lift monument!

 At dinner, it was funny to see other patrons looking our way as they heard Paul talk.  That boy is NOT quiet and LOVES to talk, which is good because we are the same way!  I could sit and listen to his thick accent for hours and hours (which I did all week long). When Paul arrived on Sunday, I half-jokingly asked him to read Harry Potter to us.  We are huge HP fans and I have always wanted to be read to from someone from teh UK.  He said "No way, I don't read that stuff."  Jerk!  But he said his sister is an HP nut like me, and to ask her.  Well, while we were sitting at dinner, he got a message from his sister on her phone and it was a recording of her reading from the last HP book.  Oh my gosh, I was in Heaven!  He handed me the phone and said "My sister wants to give you something."  We passed the phone around the table, all taking turns listening to her read in the noisy restaurant.  It was one of the best parts of the night!

 We finally left the restaurant and walked out into the cold night air.  The fire pits were all lit and the heat felt good.  As we walked back to the parking lot a few blocks away, we talked and laughed and suddenly I had a strong feeling of dejavu.  It was as if we hadn't just met Paul on Sunday, but rather we had known him for life.  It was hard to think of a time when our family didn't feel like that.  It was an erie feeling, yet strangely normal and comfortable.

As we made the half hour drive back to our house, I sat in the front seat while Cody drove and Paul sat behind me.  We talked about the evening, we talked lots more about his family and he kept telling me that I just had to meet his Mum one day because the two of us would never shut up and talk for days.  "Yeah, we need to do that someday..." I thought.  And then, my heart started to ache when Paul told us what Devin had said on the coater about being in our family.  That morning while I got kids ready for camp, Devin said "Mom, it's so nice that we have eight people in our family now, not seven."  How could we feel so connected to someone who was stranger to us only a few short days before?  I had never experienced something like that before.

We asked Paul what he thought of the Mexican food and he said he actually liked it.  I said "Good, now when another host family asks if you want to go out for Mexican food (because that's what Americans do!) you'll know if you're in the mood for it or not."

And then he got quiet and said "Nah, I don't think I'll be eatin' it again."  That made no sense so we asked him why he said that.

"Because it won't be the same.  I don't want to eat it with any other family but this one.  Everything fun we have done this week won't be as good with anyone else."

I may or may not have gotten tears in my eyes right then.  And then he just didn't know when to quit and he went on "You guys don't have a choice, because I'm coming back to stay at some point."  And suddenly we were all talking about how normal it would be for him to take over Ethan's room any time he wanted to come and visit...or just move in completely.

When we got home and everyone went to bed, I kept thinking about how this kid had barged into our lives and disrupted everything, and how there was no chance that things would ever be the same again.  And that I would have kept him forever and put him in my pocket if I could have.  And I may or may not have shed a few tears as I brushed my teeth. 

The Irish Cold- Day 3

The weather man lied and said that on Tuesday there was a slight chance of rain and that it would be a little chilly.  Wrong!  It was so dang cold and it rained all day!  Our kids went to camp completely unprepared for the weather.  You could tell everyone there was desperately trying to stay warm.  No moms were to be seen because they were all in their cars (except for the crazy ones walking around snapping pictures).  Devin was so cold and cried almost the whole first hour, just like all the little kids did.  I told Lee that I didn't want him to end up hating it because of a bad experience being cold, so I grabbed him early and ran home to get warmer coats for Ethan and Lauren.  Ethan stayed for Golden Goal that day and I brought him and Paul Costa Vida burritos for lunch.  Everyone ate inside the school hallway to get warm.  I remembered I had an umbrella stashed in the van and when I gave it to Paul, he said I got the Best Host Mom Award. 

This is my favorite picture of Paul.  He hates it because he says "it makes me look 40!!"

Poor Kevin....he gave his coat to a girl in his group who was freezing.  Look at him soaked to the bone!

I picked Paul and Ethan up from camp that day, and everyone got home and tried to get warm.  Ethan soaked in a hot bath and Paul took a hot shower.  Even then I don't think they ever got warm enough!  When Cody got home from work, we loaded up and drove to Layton to get BBQ at our favorite place, Famous Daves.  That place is always super busy and any time we go, we have to wait at least half an hour to be seated. But because of the weather and because it was a Tuesday night, the place was almost empty.  We all ate waaaaaay too much.  Paul commented all week long about the portion sizes that Americans eat.  It's true!  Americans are so fat! 

Heading up to Layton for dinner. Just look at my adorable SIX kids!!

When we got home and finally got kids in bed, I went in to ask Paul if he laundry he needed to do, which he did.  I was shocked to doscover that he didn't know anything about doing laundry, or so he said!  I helped him get a load going and then we ended up hanging out and talking downstairs for what seemed to be forever, which we loved. That kid was an endless bundle of stories and interest. He was telling us about a movie that he thought was hilarious that we needed to see.  He asked if we could maybe stream it from the internet, and then I told him about this amazing thing called Red Box.  It was crazy that he didn't know what Red Box was!  He and I got in the van, even though I was already in PJs and drove to rent a movie from the Red Box machine.  He seemed to be pretty fascinated by it.  We came home, turned the movie on, and again stayed up waaaaaaay too late laughing and talking.  We were finding that it was difficult to keep up with 18 year old energy!

Pajama selfie!!

Soccer Camp & BBQ- Day 2

Monday morning came way too early.  I had already gotten up and showered and started cooking breakfast when Paul dragged himself up the stairs.  "Good mornin' Mr. Adorable," I said to him.  He was tired. We chatted as I made him breakfast, and it felt so natural.  It really seemed like I had known this kid for longer than only twelve hours.  I packed his Gatorade cooler, took his lunch order, and Scott came to pick him up (Scott is a director who was running the camp, and he happens to live right around the corner from us.  He would be Paul's ride to camp for the week.) They left the house at 7:45 and I snapped a picture.  Paul probably thought that was weird, but he would soon discover that I document EV-ERY-THING.  Poor guy was subjected to a camera in his face all week! 

I didn't take any pictures at camp on this day, or at home for that matter.  Devin was with Coach Lee, Lauren was with Coach Scott, and Ethan was with Coach Oli (who is Scott's flatmate; also our neighbor). After running back and forth between camp and running errands (the kids were all on different schedules) and taking Paul Subway for lunch, I finally headed home about 1:00 to get things ready for a BBQ we would be having with some old friends that night.  Paul was supposed to be brought home by one of the coaches, but there seemed to be some miscommunication and he in fact did not have a ride back to our house.  To make a long story short, we was supposed to be done with camp at 3:00 and he walked in our front door at 5:00.  Even though he's not my son, I started to get anxious around 4:00.  I wondered if I had heard correctly, or if I was actually supposed to have gotten him.  We had neglected to give him our phone numbers, and the prepaid piece of crap phone he got to use in the States had died anyway.

When he finally got home, he was pretty frazzled.  He told me what had happened, and he went to take a shower.  A cold front had started blowing in during the day and by the evening it was cold and rainy.  We joked that he had brought the crappy Irish weather with him!  Our backyard BBQ ended up having to be inside.  We had some old neighbors over and it was a lot of fun for US, but I think Paul felt a little out of sorts because everyone was pestering him with question after question.  It didn't help that I treated him like he was a trained monkey, telling him to say all sorts of funny things with his thick accent.  He was such a good sport, though.  On this night, we were all smart and decided to get to bed at a decent time. 

Meeting Paul- Day 1

Lauren and Paul, about fifteen minutes after he got to our house.

 When our kids did the Forza Football Club spring break soccer camp back in March/April, I was introduced to Challenger Sports British soccer camps.  We had already discussed sending Ethan to the University of Utah soccer camp in June, but this sounded more intriguing.  I also learned about an opportunity to host one of the coaches for the week that our kids did day camp.  Because we got a partial rebate on the camp price, we thought "Hey, this sounds like a deal!  Plus we get to know someone from Europe.  We can do that!"  We started the process, but camp wasn't for another three months so it got put in the back of my mind.

With school for me and a million activities for kids and Cody working very long hours at work, I started to get very stressed about having a hairy legged European stranger staying in our house, invading our space, and disrupting our element for a week.  There came a point about three weeks ago when I came very close to emailing the director of the regional program and telling him the deal was off.  I sat on that email for three days before I sent it.  And then I decided that we had already committed and it would be crappy to back out, so I girded up my loins and started getting everything ready.  I figured we could tough it out for a week and then we could get back to our normal lives.

On Monday June 9th, we got our coach assignment.  His name was Paul Ryan and he was eighteen years old from North Ireland.  Cody and I were shocked that he was so young because we had been expecting someone older and more experienced with being away from home.  Other than his demographics and a few minor details such as food allergies, we didn't know anything else about him.  All week long I had a knot in my stomach thinking that this was a bad idea.  What if we didn't mesh with him?  What if he didn't like to talk?  Our family can be loud and obnoxious and very "in your face" at times, and this poor kid was going to be immersed in it for a week, whether he liked it or not.  We supposed that if it turned out to be a bad fit, he could lock himself down in his room when he didn't want to be with us.

Sunday was Fathers Day.  On top of the already stressful event of making things wonderful for Cody, I had the extra stress of getting things ready for this stranger who would be living with us.  All day at church I felt a little queasy.  I wished all day that I HAD sent that email three weeks before, saying that we were no longer able to host a coach.  Was it too late to back out?

At 6:00 that evening, I was supposed to drive to the soccer field and meet Paul and the other coaches in the group, some who would be going in separate directions with their host families.  The fifteen minute drive to the field was bad.  I was very anxious, very nervous, and very much wishing to get the week over with.

There were three coaches in the group going with families.  Lee from England, Kevin from Scotland, and Paul.  All three of them seemed so nice, but Paul was special.  Maybe it was because he was going to be "ours" for the week so I needed to psyche myself into thinking he was extra nice and bubbly, but looking back on it, he really was.  After a brief introduction, he threw his bags in the van and the two of us made our way for the place he would call home for the next six days.

I can't really explain what it was like in the first hour we knew Paul.  He came into our home and became one of us almost instantly.  He was so nice, so personable, and so incredibly likable.  Before we even got in the van to go back to the house, I shot Cody a text that said "Oh my gosh, he's great.  I think we're going to love him!"  And it was true.  We ate dinner, we talked, and talked, and talked some more. He joined us for the traditional reading of the "Thoughts On Dad" interview book that we read every Fathers Day.  The kids took to him right away and we ended up staying up far later than we should have that night.  The kids were in bed about 10:00, and the three adults didn't get to bed until about 1:00.  We were sooooo very tired the next day, but it was worth it getting to know our new friend.  We had a feeling that the week would be fantastic.