Round Four — a Draw

Well, I finally got it figured out! I bought the new caulking gun ($20), came home, and in a little more than a half an hour, I Sikaflexed three tubes of the stuff on the driveway. None on the clothes, none all over the driveway (except where I wanted it to be) and none (well, only a little) on the hands! So who won? At least, I didn't LOSE again. I'm the new reigning Sikaflex Master.

Sikaflex 3, Me 0 — Round Three

So I think I figured out why I am having difficult using Sikaflex. When I bought my SIX tubes of the stuff, the check-out clerk actually asked for my birthday. (TRUE) I said, quite incredulously, "You mean, you actually want to know if I'm over 18?" He said, "They require it whenever anyone buys Sikaflex." Now I know the problem. I'm too YOUNG to use it! It's not the fumes (there aren't any). But the cleaning supplies used to try to get it off your hands, now THEY might be inhale-able.

This afternoon I attempted my daily foray into the realm of the unfortunate. Kip told me that my mistake yesterday was probably that I didn't punch a big enough hole in the protective cover. So today, I snipped off the end of the nozzle, put the Sikaflex into the caulking gun, and punched a very large hole into the end of the covering. Then I started pumping. Nothing happened—because today the caulking gun is not working. I looked into the end of the nozzle, and I can see a little bit of the Sikaflex wanting to get out (and onto my hands). But only a little bit. The caulking gun just isn't in the mood to pump it out. I had all the cracks prepared (sweep, fill with clean sand, sweep again, level out, sweep again). But the stupid Sikaflex won't come out. I might have to replace the caulking gun, (which cost $20!), because this one is probably broken because of all the Sikaflex that has dried on it. And we all know, you can't get Sikaflex off once it gets on.

Sikaflex 2, Me 0 — Round Two

So I learned all the stuff about what to avoid with the Sikaflex last time. And my hands were pretty clean this morning (after a lot of peeling, and manual removal of the stuff). I went out to fill in the next crack on the driveway. This time I didn't pump the Sikaflex until it was safely in the caulking gun OUTSIDE. I poked the hole in the protective cover, as instructed. I squeezed and squeezed the handle on the applicator. But for some reason the Sikaflex still didn't come out the nozzle. After repeated pumping of the handle, I noticed the the tube of Sikaflex had broken out the bottom instead of coming out the nozzle. Sikaflex was oozing out everywhere! I dropped the caulking gun, and it ran out all over the driveway.



I said to myself, "not on the hands, not on the hands." But by then the stuff was all over everything—the driveway, my shirt, my hands, the caulking gun, etc.





PS I had to put my hands in a grocery sack to be able to hold the camera to take these pictures.

GOOF OFF!

Here's my latest adventure! My driveway suddenly got a hole under it. That is, the soil started SINKING.



We have had a lot of rain lately, and after landscaping, the drainage was right beside the driveway, and the dirt started sinking. Not properly compacted, I think. It got an enormous CAVE under it.


I had to get some "mud" men to come, drill little holes in it, and pump mud under it to raise the driveway up again and to hopefully assure that it won't sink again. they told me I would have to "seal" off the seams so water wouldn't get back in again to cause more damage.

Saturday I went to Home Depot and bought sand to fill the seam first, and then Sikaflex to cover the said, plus caulking gun (cost me over $100). I went out after that to try and start filling the holes. First I put the clean sand in the wheelbarrow (it was 50 pounds worth), and then used paper cups to fill up the seam with sand. Then I swept over it with a broom so it was nice and even. Next came the Sikaflex. The tubes of Sikaflex went into the gun, but first you had to clip off the top with this neat little clipper thing that came on the caulking gun. I clipped it off, put it in the gun, and then started squeezing the trigger. Nothing happened. I squeezed harder. Nothing happened. I thought, if you had to squeeze this hard to get something out, this will be a really hard job! Then I read the instructions. The instructions said that you had to puncture a hole in the seal over the stuff. Since the Sikaflex was already in the gun, I went inside to find something small enough and long enough to reach into the tube nozzle and punch a hole. I couldn’t find something long enough. Then I decided that if I cut off more of the nozzle, maybe this nail that I found would reach it to punch a hole in it. So I laid the tube on the counter and sawed off some more of the nozzle with a butcher knife. Then it was not too far down inside, so I used a long nail and punched a little hole into the Sikaflex. Surprise, surprise! As soon as I had the hole in the tube, the Sikaflex started gushing out (because of the squeezing I had done!), and gushing and gushing. I couldn’t make it stop. It got all over the granite counter top. I tried not to get it into the sink, but before it would stop, it was all over the counter, all over my hands, and in the sink. I used paper towels to try and get it off the granite, and luckily I think I got it all off. Then I tried to get it out of the sink without scratching the stainless. But it was too late for my hands. I tried washing, but it did nothing.

I went outside and started to squeeze the stuff along the crack. It was harder than it sounds, as when you got to the end of the squeeze, you had to leg go to squeeze again, and while you did, it was easy to wobble a little, so the sticky stuff was outside the crack area. Anyway, I finally got one whole seam done. But then I thought I better try to get my hands cleaned. My hands were sticky on the fronts and the backs. Soap and water didn’t touch it. Had some stuff I bought the other day for getting adhesive off things. It didn’t work.

I had to go get my hair cut in an hour or so, so I went to Home Depot and asked them to help me figure out how to clean off my hands. They tried every cleaning agent they could find, and none of it worked. Then they found some WD-40, and it seemed to do a little. So I bought some WD-40 and went home. Well, the WD-40 didn’t work either. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and it didn’t come off. I went and got my hair cut, and then went back to another Home Depot and asked them what to use. They sold me some other cleaner that is supposed to clean ANYTHING. It’s called Goof Off. But it didn’t work either.

In the shower this morning, I scrubbed and scrubbed, and some of it came off, but I’m afraid I will just have to wait to let it “naturally” wear away. They are looking MUCH better today than they did yesterday.



But the house looks nice!

HCI

I got a letter from the Huntsman Cancer Institute telling me this:

"Because of the many donations we have received in memory of Terry Killpack, we would like to have a brick made honoring him. It would be placed along the walkway between the Huntsman Cancer Hospital and the Institute. . . . . The brick will read: IN MEMORY OF TERRY KILLPACK."

We could go look at it when everyone comes for Christmas...

THE WEED-EATER HOUSE — NOT!

Okay, so I take it all back. The bank made a "mistake" and so they are no longer accepting my offer. I'm out looking for another house.


;-)

New (almost) Digs

Here are some photos of my maybe new house. What do you think?

I'm carefully cultivating the weed crop.

This is the back yard tree-scape. It's hard to tell, but these trees are TALL!

I MIGHT be closing tomorrow. If they get all the stuff done that they need to get done. We'll see. Otherwise, it will be next week.

Another busy, stressful week!

For those of you who just wanted one last opportunity to say Goodbye to the sentinals of the Killpack household for LO those many years, here is the last known photo:



Well, time marches on! I got a call from my realtor this week telling me that the bank has again reversed their position on the house I put a bid on, and now they ARE going to accept my offer! I could actually close on the house this week. That would be good timing, as I am just coming up on renting for a month, and storing my stuff for a month. If I can get into the house by Thursday, then I don't have to pay an additional month of storage. I think the rental guy would let me stay here a day or two more without charging a whole month of rent. We'll see. There are a couple of things to get worked out on the house, so I won't know until tomorrow if it can be done by Wednesday. I'll send a photo if I get a chance to get one. It has large weeds in the yard, so it doesn't look so good right now.

I have been trying to get Natasha registered and settled in Utah County (!) to go to school. She seems a little excited, but a little scared (particularly scared tonight, and grouchy!). She starts school on the 27th. She will go down tomorrow for good. We moved some of her stuff down yesterday. She will be renting an apartment that is owned by Sam's wife Tessa's grandmother. It is only $200 per month plus utilities. It is very close to BYU, so it is not too convenient to UVU, but there is bus service right out in front of her apartment, so theoretically she can just catch the bus and go to school from there easily.

Natasha is actually taking RUSSIAN! And some other classes to help her study, and a PE class (volleyball). It will be a light schedule for her first semester. I hope she gets roommates that she really likes!



I also bought myself a new computer, and I am trying to sell the old one on eBay. I have until Tuesday to sell it. The new one is Intel-based, so I will be able to do Windows applications on it (which I need to do for my job). So it has been hectic cleaning off the old computer and setting up the new one. I think I'm about there. It sure is nice! Ain't technology grand!

I had to speak to the high council today and report on my missionary service. I was also released from my YW calling.

So there you have it.

Whew! An Eventful Week!

So I just got back from Phoenix, where I was able to participate (from a distance) in the birth of Pierce Ryan Killpack. (I will let Cory and Ang describe that process.) I had a terrific time with Jovin and Mayer. We are great friends! It was HOT in Phoenix, and we had a fair dinkum Monsoon!

While I was there, I got a phone call in the middle of the night (2 am) telling me that Natasha was sick, and they were taking her from Oakcrest Girls' Camp to the hospital in Heber, saying that she had a fever of 103˚. I was curious as to why they would take her to the hospital for a fever. But a couple of hours later they called again to say that she had appendicitis, and were going to remove the appendix. They called back about 7 and said that the appendix had ruptured, and she had gone through the surgery, and everything was all right. So I cut my trip short and came home to be with Natasha in her recovery mode.

The same day she had appenticitis surgery, I found out from my realtor that the house that I had put money on would not be decided upon until NEXT Wednesday or Thursday (the 16th or 17th). I am supposed to close on this house on the 18th (the people want to move it up because of funding). So we'll see what comes up.

The End of An Era~

Well, it started in May of 1990—18 years ago. I am getting an offer on the house tomorrow night. The people who are buying it have wanted it since it went on the market last year. But now they are finally getting around to buying it (now that I am practically giving it away......). So in the next month or so, I might find myself living in a new(er) house.

So here's the question for all of you: at first I was trying to find a house that would be a good house for me (i.e., smaller, but with still enough space). I wanted space for my kids to come visit, and a big family room for giving showers and Christmas family parties——and a good-sized back-yard for grand-kids to come and play. But if none of the grand-kids are going to be around except once a year, then it will change the kind of house I am looking for. It seems like this is the trend we are moving towards. As soon as Jenny and Tyler move (maybe in the next month also), then it will be only me and Tasha who live in this area and she will be going away to college. So maybe I don't need a house big enough for people to come visit and stay with me. What do you all think?

May update

So I guess I am no longer a missionary. I signed up for a year's worth of missionaryness. When school ended in April, there was no longer a need for the service missionaries to come in, so I became unemployed. I started looking around for an actual JOB. As of today, I start my first monetarily-rewarded job. I am going to be the assistant to Shawndra Kirkham, my realtor. She is helping me sell my house and buy a new one, and she asked me if I would consider applying for the job to be her assistant. I went through the interviewing process (very long and tedious), and I got the job. I will be working Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, six hours a day. It should be exciting.

So far no one has bought my house. I have had to continually lower the price. It's about as low as I want to go. I started out at $569, and I'm down to $525. We'll see how low it goes.

Angie and Abby

Angie and Abby came for a visit, since Chad was taking finals. (Poor boy!) It snowed the first day they were here, and Abby didn't know if she liked it or not!

I tried to think of some place we could go that would be different. It was the middle of the Tulip Fesitval at Thanksgiving Point, so Abby, Angie and I went there on Thursday. Unfortunately, since it snowed the day before, there were hardly any tulips out. The prettiest tulips we saw were on the brochure they gave you as you paid your bucks for admission. Those that had bloomed looked like this:



The rest of them hadn't ventured their little heads out yet. So it was a pretty bleak garden. There was ONE pretty spot with color in it, so we took a photo of Abby there.



Orson and Preston loved pushing Abby around in the walker.



Abby couldn't figure out who that cute girl was in the lid to the ottoman!



We had a great visit! (All except the lack of tulips at the Festival, the tainted turkey Angie and I ate—yuck!— at said Festival, the cold weather, etc.) But the VISIT was great! Thanks, Chad for sharing!

Easter and Oregon

Easter was beautiful. The weather was nice (a little chilly), but we still had a great Easter egg hunt. And a delicious ham dinner.

The next weekend I went to Oregon where Kip was blessing new little Rebecca Jo. She is a darling! It was so fun being there! I miss being around all my grandkids!

Kip likes Rebecca!


He really likes it when Anna sits on his chest and reads to him!


We went to a really fun children's theater and saw a presentation of "Go Dogs, Go"! It was really cute! And it was in a beautiful, OLD (100 years old) theater.

Sunday Kip blessed Rebecca, and it was very lovely. She was a little angel!


Here is the beautiful mommy with the beautiful angel!


I was able to play with William and Anna, and hold the baby, and eat good food (made with the NEW pots and pans), and just had an overall wonderful weekend! Thanks, you guys for letting me come see you!

Spring Break in Florida

So Natasha and I got to go to Florida to see Chad and Angie and Abby last week. It was great! The weather was wonderful! (No snow, no freezing, no wind, no inversions!) We had a great time. They have a cool condo! We kept busy the whole weekend!

We drove up to Orlando (a 3-hour drive), where we were able to go to the temple. Natasha sat outside with Abby while we went. it was a beautiful day!



We stayed in a hotel that night. The next day we went to Universal Studios!



The next day we went to the Kennedy Space Center. We saw the Shuttle, and took a ride to show us what it would feel like to blast off! Cool!



Sunday we went to church, where Chad taught the Gospel Doctrine class, and Angie did the music for Primary. We had yummy barbecued steaks! Monday morning we went to the Everglades. We went on an air boat ride and saw alligators, birds, and lots of sawgrass.



Monday night I was able to go to one of Chad's 3-hour classes, where we appreciated diversity. It was so much fun it almost made me decide to go back to school!

Tuesday morning we went to the beach. It was lovely! The ocean was a little angry, but the water temperature was just right. There were LOTS of people there! (Lots of "snowbirds", and some kids, too.)



Monday night we went to dinner at Flannigans. Abby had a particularly good day that day, and she was very happy!

Oddities ~~~

I don't know what's happening to Chad since he started graduate school in Florida. Maybe it's too much sunshine. Maybe he's been thinking too much, and it made his brain swell (and his chin).



These icicles don't know which way is down. Maybe they are hanging over a reverse gravity well. Well, not reverse exactly, just a 90˚ angle gravity well. Or maybe there is a constant horizontal wind blowing all the time they are trying to freeze. (Actually, there is NOT, as they are right up beside the Institute building on the east side. Maybe they are pointing the way to get into the Institute building.

Christmas Trip to Oregon and Arizona

Natasha and I had a lovely Christmas with Jenny and Tyler and their family.

Then on the day after Christmas, we left for Oregon.
Anna and William looked posh in their new Christmas clothes!

Kip and William got Lego Star Wars for Christmas!

We got to go to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (or OMSI). The kids really liked it—especially the water stuff! (Notice the LARGE purple boots on Anna! She insisted on wearing the purple ones, even though they were for much larger kids... She likes pink and purple!)

We tried our luck at making The Arch.

It lasted about a Nanosecond, and then...

We left the museum and had a great lunch at a Lebanese restaurant. People were standing outside (in the rain under an awning) just to get seated. Then we went back to the museum and finished out the day.

Kip and Natasha did some weird kind of dance (trying to get the rubber hoses off their wrists).

Then they ALL decided to play in the water.

The last night we were there we went to see the Zoo Lights at the Portand Zoo.

The lights were cool!



We had a great time in Oregon. Then we left for Arizona! The night we arrived in Phoenix, we went to Zoo Lights, Arizona style.

You can tell it's Arizona's Zoo Lights, because the trees the lights are on are actually cacti and palm trees!



The next day we all went to Church and had a nice dinner.
Monday we went to the movies and saw National Treasure, Book of Secrets. It was a fun movie. We decided to go to the Mesa Temple that night and see the lights.



Natasha had met some very nice girls at church, who invited her to go to a Stake Dance on New Year's Eve. So she went, and had a great time! Her first dance! Cory and Ang and I watched Harry Potter (the latest one). Cory and I fell asleep.

We had a great time with Cory and Ang and the boys!





Thanks, guys for opening your homes to us! We love you!