sligtingfamily

Moving

2009-10-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

Well, since my background now matches the season again, I thought I would blog! Maybe come Christmas time, I will try and change the background again. I only have two days left in my house! After almost ten years we are moving. We found a house we love in Sandy. We thought we would always stay north of 70th south, but when Scott's work moved to Draper, we decided to take a look. I have such mixed feelings about moving. I have made some of the best friends of my life where we live. It will be hard not being so close. What if I don't like my new neighborhood as much as my current one? My neighborhood is so down to earth. What if they are snooty? I am sad that my sweet daughter has to leave her best friend of nine years! I have to keep telling myself this is great! The good will outweigh the bad, right?
Moving has definitely been the most stressful thing!!!! "Will we sell our house?" "Will we sell our house for enough?" (barely) "Will the inspection go okay?" "Will they accept our offer:" ARGH!!! I can't wait until its over and we're in!!! But, then all the hard work begins of getting settled!!! What an adventure. Wish me luck!!!!

Background

2009-01-18T00:58:00.000-08:00

For some reason I cannot change my background! I can erase the template so it is just blank and white, but I can't add a new one! Hopefully I will figure it out soon. Any advice?

Baby

2009-01-06T01:10:00.000-08:00

ITS A GIRL!!!!!!

Needless to say, we are ecstatic! We had the ultrasound today. I don't know about you, but I am always a nervous wreck before my ultrasounds. I am so worried that they might find something wrong with the baby. Maybe its all the years I've spent working with kids with health problems. But, it is a cause of major anxiety for me! Everything looked fine! Isabelle was of course thrilled that it is a girl. I'm excited to use her cute baby clothes again. At least I hope they are still cute, that was almost nine years ago! Yikes, where did the time go? Now the problem is.... what do we name her?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN!!!!

2008-11-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

great trip we took to Kauai a few years ago

sorry, I know it isn't the greatest picture! (especially of me!) GO UTES!!

gotta love the zip line wear

To one of the greatest friends in the world. Happy Birthday! I hope you have a terrific day and a wonderful year! Thank you for being such a good friend to me. Things I love about Kristen: honesty, fun, generous, helps me with my kids, caring, cleanliness, organized (especially her house!), a guaranteed good conversation, bakes great pies and she has great taste! All in all Kristen is fantastic!!! Happy Birthday!

Better Late Than Never

2008-11-11T00:46:00.000-08:00

She's a pro at crossing her eyes. I was Velma

He meshed Batman and Dash to go trick-or-treating

Superhero moves!

my masked boys

Finally some Halloween pictures. We had a great and busy (of course) day! I'm just glad the weather was awesome! Except that meant that my kids did a lot of trick-or-treating. 10 pounds of candy!!!!! Yikes. We probably only have about 2 pounds left (if that). I am welcoming in the Thanksgiving/Christmas season this year. Usually I dread the chaos of Christmas, but I'm looking forward to it this year. I just want to get all of my shopping done early again. I think that was the key to a great holiday last year. And probably why I'm not dreading it this year! Wish me luck!

Sigh of Relief

2008-10-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor today. Good news. Everything looks great! My doctor did an ultrasound and the baby looked just fine. Growing appropriately with a strong heart beat. Yahoo!! I felt like everything was okay, but its nice to see it with your own eyes. She also told me that I can pick up my activity. No lifting and exercising until next week, but I can do normal stuff!!! Who would have thought I would be so excited to clean and go to the grocery store! I'm excited to get out more and enjoy this beautiful weather!

A Tear?

2008-10-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

I guess I have some sort of tear or something in the placenta. At least this is the educated guess of my doctor's office. What it boils down to is that I am still pregnant. My hormones look great. However, I tend to bleed when I have any increased activity. Bottom line... I am on low activity. All I have to say is...I don't know how people do bed rest!!!!! I can get up and move around. I'm just supposed to do very little. I am going crazy!! Bad enough, that I did too much on Thursday and started bleeding again. Its incredibly frustrating. I'm supposed to "take it easy" for seven days AFTER the bleeding stops. Yuck! Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that I am pregnant. It could be much worse. I truly feel for anyone who has ever been on bed rest. There is nothing more boring than lying around all day. Okay, thank you. It was nice to vent! Have a good weekend! By the way, who are you voting for? I still have reservations. Give me reasons why you like one candidate over the other. Tell me, exactly what is that people love so much about Obama? I know he wants change. But what exactly is he going to do that will change our country for the better? People are PASSIONATE about him and I don't get it. I can't see me being that passionate about ANY politician. Please enlighten me. However, I don't really like McCain either!

Expecting

2008-10-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

The cat is officially out of the bag! I am pregnant. I'm due May 29th. (I know what you're thinking...that sounds like a long ways away!) Feeling icky, the time can't go fast enough. However, I need all the time I can get to prepare myself for numero quatro. Scott and I are so excited and petrified all at the same time! Sam, how did you ever do twins then triplets? (you and your kids always look so well put together!) The kids are excited. Grey and Belle are already trying to pick names! Life is great, we feel extremely blessed!

Vacation

2008-10-12T01:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been a long time since I've written. We had the wonderful opportunity to go to Oceanside with some very good friends of ours. It was magical. So hard to come back home to reality! I always have that problem when we go on family vacations. Its much easier to come home when only Scott and I go on vacation. We stayed in a condo on the beach. We had wonderful weather. Last year we went in May and had to suffer with marine layer fog the whole trip. Not fun. This year the beach was awesome! My kids enjoyed it more this year too. They had fun playing in the sand, water and boogie boarding. Long, sunny, lazy days on the beach, playing and searching for sea glass and sea shells. It doesn't get any better. Running on the beach in the morning then diving in the waves. Its my idea of heaven. (and it was the only time getting in the water was easy, I'm a wimp with colder water) Disneyland was also fun. Of course my kids loved it. They had all their Halloween decorations up. Grey won a VIP tour the second day we were there. It was great we had three tour guides take us around. My dream come true! We didn't have to wait in any lines!!! It was AWESOME!!! They also told us a lot of fun facts about the park.
We also went to Sea World. So, Sea World isn't my favorite place. This was my third time there and if it weren't for my kids, I'd never go back. I think it is fabulous the first time, okay the second time and gets old the third time. I'm there for three hours and I'm ready to go. I do love the dolphins and the whales but fifty dollars to see the same shows again and again? I also have a hard time with the whales being trapped in such a small tank for their size. I know they have to stay there because they were bred in captivity, but do they feel claustrophobic? I get the same feeling when I go to the zoo. Anyway, I digress. Grey loved Sea World. He said he liked it better than Disneyland! Next time, I want to go to Lego land. I think my boys would dig it. Hopefully Belle would have fun too.
All I have to say is, thank goodness for family vacations! It was so great to get away! So nice to have fun and not worry about one single thing from home! Oh, except the huge stock market drop! I tried my best not to watch the news all week! We did watch the Utah vs Oregon State game. Go Utes!

Disneyland with one of our tour guides

All of the kids (minus a baby) in line for Bug's Life ride

Jonah was in awe at Jedi training (he's obsessed with Star Wars)

The fog rolled in at the end of the day, it was way cool.

What's Been Happening

2008-09-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

first day of school

Dew Tour

Its been awhile, a lot has happened!
Well, to start off, school started! Here are the kids on the first day. They like it so far! Yeah! I like it too. I miss them, but life is a lot less hectic. I always dread the end of summer. I don't like to see the beautiful weather and long days end. But, I seem to find myself reveling in the cooler days and changing leaves. I would say that I am excited for baking season, but every season is baking season as far as I'm concerned. Although I have tried to make a goal of baking no more than once a week. I always end up eating way too much of whatever it is I'm baking.
S took G to the Dew Tour. Needless to say, G loved it! We all went Friday night. I have to say, it was pretty amazing. We watched BMX vert and freestyle dirt. It was very entertaining. I couldn't believe the tricks they could do on their bikes. Double back flips and back flips with a 360. A guy from here ended up winning. But, the highlight of the evening was J and G meeting the Star Wars characters. J was so excited and unsure at the same time. It took him a couple of minutes to warm up to the idea and not be scared. Then he wanted to be with them and got very upset when they left.
My last triathlon of the season was last weekend. Thanks to Tausha's brother-in-law, I got in for free! Yahoo!!!! It was a fun race. It was beautiful and a great temperature. Best thing was that Annette and I did it together. It was great to have a friend that is a girl to race with! Annette did great! She placed in her group! And I won a free bike fitting (which I've been wanting). Thanks Annette for a fun day!

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!

2008-08-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

So my husband works with his brothers and a couple of good friends. Hence, they come up with strange contests every once in awhile. This contest happened to be who could grow the best mustache. Scott has only had a mustache once and it lasted about two minutes. Needless to say, he isn't a mustache man. However, I must say, he grows a pretty mean mustache!!

Jonah enjoying a hot dog at the Bees game

Tidal Wave!! I can't get over how much it tickles your tummy for how mellow it appears.

Before riding Wicked

After riding Wicked, he loved it!
ITS WHAT FUN IS, LAGOON!!!

Baptism

2008-08-05T02:31:00.001-07:00

This last week was a doozer! It was busy and stressful. My poor husband bore the grunt of my stress. I worked Wednesday night. Isabelle had her birthday party Thursday night. We had a party to attend Friday night (which I had to prepare dishes for) and she was baptized on Saturday. Oh, and Scott left for scout camp today. Needless to say, I'm glad its all over!
The birthday party went well, though it was a little long (3 1/2 hours, yikes! What was I thinking!) Belle had fun, her cousin and two friends stayed over after the party. By far the best was her baptism. What a wonderful day. Most of our family and loved ones were able to make it, which made Isabelle feel loved. It was more emotional than I was expecting. I could hardly look at her without tearing up. I just can't believe she is old enough to take this step in her life. I feel like this is her first real step into adulthood. She is now truly, eternally responsible for her actions! It is a little scary as a mother to let your child grow up and be eternally accountable to for their misdeeds. I guess all we can do is teach them what is right, important and be a good example, right? Oh, I hope it works! I can't think of anything more heart wrenching than watching your child make mistakes that will negatively affect their salvation. I am just so thankful that we are given so much to help us through life.
Our family of course came over after the baptism for a nice lunch. Scott's aunt made this pistachio jello salad that I absolutely loved! Even better, no one else in my family liked it, so I got all of the leftovers! Gotta love the meals after a baptism or blessing! Saturday night Isabelle said, "I want to get baptized again, that was fun!" Grey is so excited for his, he thinks two years is an awful long time he is going to have to wait!

IDAHO!!!!!

2008-07-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

We were long overdue for a weekend out of town. I don't think we'd gone anywhere since last fall. Ugh! Well, we had the wonderful opportunity (thanks to a race I entered) to travel to the lovely Burley, Idaho!!! I had heard it was small, but had no idea what to expect. Upon arrival at our motel our friend Rocky said, "I drove in and instantly remembered why I hate it here." At this point I had not had a chance to explore. Later, upon exploring, I decided there were definitely good and bad points to Burley. Good, the Spudman triathlon they put on is AWESOME! The river is pretty and the motel staff was great. Here is the bad. When checking in we asked the receptionist where we could get some good pasta. She replied, "there's a JB's down the road." I thought, uh oh, that's a bad sign. Needless to say, our dinner stunk!!!! Synopsis, Burley is okay, just don't eat there unless you have some inside scoop on good restaurants we were unable to obtain.
My race was great on Saturday. It was so much fun! I highly recommend swimming in a current to improve your time. It was awesome! Sad note. A man passed away during the race. He started in the group after me, so I had no idea until the race was over. Rumor is that he had a heart attack, but they are doing an autopsy. How devastating. My prayers go out to his family.
After the race we went to Twin Falls. You know, I really enjoyed Twin Falls. We went to Shoshone Falls. They were quite amazing! I'd never heard of them. Apparently they have a greater fall than Niagara, but their span is not as wide. Beautiful. I definitely recommend visiting them if you are in the area. There were some pretty places right in town too. We happened to see some guys base jumping off the bridge in the middle of town. It was impressive, the crazy suckers!
The best thing about our trip is it was Isabelle's birthday!!!! She was stoked to go on vacation for her birthday. For months she would tell people, "I get to go to Idaho for my birthday!" She got to swim, go out to eat (she didn't care that it sucked) and have Wal-Mart cupcakes with strawberry creamies. What eight year old wouldn't be in heaven? She is such a great girl (if I do say so myself)! She is so sweet and such a good helper, especially with her youngest brother. She is having a Hawaiian themed party tomorrow and getting baptized on Saturday. She loves the attention, it is a blast to watch her. I can't believe how the time has flown! Don't blink, right?

Summer Lights

2008-07-22T23:39:00.001-07:00

I am sitting here at work in the dark by myself enjoying summer thunderstorms. I have a great view of the valley and out around the Oquirrh mountains there is one of the most fabulous lightening storms I have ever seen. There is literally a lightening strike every one to three seconds, huge ones! Its been going on for at least an hour. There is noting I love more than a summer thunderstorm. The light the sound and the smell are so refreshing, especially after all of the dry hot days we've had.

Roll out those lazy hazy crazy days of summer!

2008-06-19T01:50:00.001-07:00

So far... not lazy, the sky is hazy and definitely life is crazy!!!! I love that song. I'm not even sure who sings it, Frank Sinara, Bing Crosby maybe? Wow, what a whirlwind!!!! How is it that summer is busier than the school year? I definately made the mistake of overbooking my kids! Well, the problem is that everything I have them signed up for this summer happens to be in June! Grey has soccer, track and swimming lessons. Isabelle has track and soccer camp. All the driving back and forth is awful! (especially with our lovely fuel prices!) We also are trying to fit in the other fun stuff like the park, zoo, swimming and of course lots of play dates. I think that after this week it should settle down quite a bit. At least soccer camp and swimming lessons will be over! I definitely will pull out the calandar and plan a little better next time!
Grey and Belle had their first track meet the other day. It was so fun! (other than the fact that it was 93 degrees, I need to adjust to the heat a little better!) Most of you know I love to run so therefore, I am pushing my kids to do the same. I hope it doesn't backfire. So far they like it! Nothing cuter than seeing 8 six year olds hauling cookies for 50 meters! They get so serious! I love it!
I on the other hand have my first oly length tri of the season this Sat. I am nervous!!! Open water swimming scares me!! I just think about it and it practically gives me diarrhea! Sorry, too much information. I don't think I'll ever get used to pre-race jitters!

Summer

2008-06-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

I was sitting here at work trying to read our book club selection, "The Persian Pickle Club, but I keep nodding off. Its an occuptional hazard. According to IHC, definately a no no. So, I decided I would blog! What can be more stimulating than that?
Is it me, or did summer sneak up out of nowhere? Was it the weather being cooler this Spring or time flying by like a fighter jet? Wow, here we are. Today was our first full day off of our summer vacation. The day started out great! I was in a great mood, as were the kids. We went to Liberty Park to play. The temperature was perfect! Then the crap hit the fan so to say. Nothing bad happened, except my children's behavior. One word, fighting. My only thought was, this could be a veeeeery long summer! My question is: Instead of punishements for fighting, what are good preemptive "strikes" to thwart the fighting? I want to nip it in the bud. I want them to love and respect eachother enough that they don't want to fight. Ha ha, I know, I know, wishful thinking. After all, I remember my brohers teasing me relentlessly. I remember throwing shoes or any other such item that might cause damage or at least pain. How did my mom put up with us? I think she would just lock herself in her room at that point. Any great advice for me? My house is too little to lock myself away where I can't hear. Besides, they make sure that I hear all about their injustices. Maybe I just need to ignore them when they complain about what the other one did to them. I have tried this, but its hard not to get involved.
However, I truly am excied for summer. I love having the freedom to do what we want. I'm excited for long days at the pool with friends, park picnics, barbeques in perfect evening weather, long bike rides with Scott, shooting hoops 'til we can't see, the snow shack, and of course, the races I've been training for. I hope everyone has a fun filled, terrific summer!

My Sweet Family

2008-05-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel so happy and blessed that it almost scares you? Scares you, meaning you have so much, what would you do if you lost it? Is it just me or do other people think this way too? I have the best family and friends. I recently celebrated my 33rd birthday. It was one of those magical birthdays where you felt loved and special. What can I say, my husband is terrific. I never have to doubt that he loves me for exactly who I am. (After thirteen years and three kids, he's definitely seen me at my worst!) My birthday pretty much ended up being a week of celebration, thanks to my family and friends. THANK YOU!!!!!
I love my kids. Who would have guessed it could be so much fun to watch your kids interests and quirks as they grow? Isabelle loves to show me her dances that she choreographs. She loves littlest pet shops, soccer (I think more for social reasons) and playing with friends. She is such a good helper and mother to Jonah. Grey just celebrated his sixth birthday on the 22nd! I can't believe it has been six years. I love to think about the day they were born on their birthdays. I love to remember my feeling when I held them for the first time. How sweet they are when they fall asleep on your chest snuggled in. He is such a sweet boy. He is very loving. He tells us he loves us out of the blue all the time. He's starting to love sports, like his dad. He is thrilled with the basketball hoop he got for his birthday. (I'm still not sure if it was a gift for Grey or Scott) Jonah is so fun to watch. He wants to do everything his big brother and sister do. I didn't see this much with Grey and Belle, I think they were too close in age. Its fun to watch him mimic them. Only, it gets a little tricky when the big kids want to play outside and I don't! He doesn't get the fact that he can't wonder the neighborhood by himself! He is obsessed with Star Wars! And I mean OBSESSED! Star Wars are the first words out of his mouth in the morning. He will sit and watch almost all of the movie! He loves Grey's Darth Vader mask, action figures, ships and t-shirts! Its hilarious! At least until he throws a fit because we are going out in public and I make him take off Grey's size 6/7 Star Wars t-shirt. (he's a 2) Wow, I think I could gush about them all day, but I won't. They are great and I am so blessed to be their mother!

Jack Johnson

2008-05-12T01:34:00.000-07:00

I think I've fallen in love. Yes, I love my husband deeply, but I just watched Jack Johnson perform for the first time and I am twitterpated! How I've gone this long without seeing him perform, I don't know. I have been listening to his music for years. I guess I don't watch as much MTV and late night as I used to. Anyway, here I am at work listening to him and I thought, "I want to see him". So thanks to youtube, I keyed in his name and whammo, there he is! Okay, maybe if I saw him on the street and didn't know who he was, I wouldn't get too excited. But, he opens his mouth, sings and I'm gone. He is hot! Okay, it is almost three in the morning. I might be overreacting a tad. Maybe I'll be embarrassed by this tomorrow! But for now I think I'll click back over to youtube and watch some more!

what is up with him?

2008-05-08T02:46:00.000-07:00

So, what gene do men possess that makes them obsessed, transfixed and passionate. You may ask, obsessed, transfixed and passionate about what? Me? Our children? A personal goal he has? NO!!! It is almost summer and alas, it is time for NBA playoffs once again. Why is it that the playoffs (or sports in general) are so incredibly important to men? (ie. my husband) I was actually glad that I had to go to work tonight so that I wouldn't have to sit (or be within 100 ft) with Scott while watched the game. It was pretty likely that the Jazz were going to lose. I would have had to watch him tense up, yell at the TV and mourn the loss. I actually preferred to stay up all night at work. I like b-ball as much as the next person, but, really, does the world have to revolve around the playoffs? For example. My husband has a chance to go to the home game Sunday at 1:30 and he wants to go. Never mind that it is a Sunday, Mother's Day and we are having brunch with my family at 1:00. For some reason the game has the clout of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. HELLO!! The playoffs happen EVERY year!!! Will someone please help me understand this defect some men have!? I love Scott, he's the best, but come on! He had to leave the room the other night while the Jazz were playing. He was so uptight about the game that he was unsettling the kids. Thank you for letting me vent. This is all in good humor (in case you are reading this Scott) ha ha. GO JAZZ!!!

Birthday Surprise!

2008-04-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry April, but I had to do it!!!! I missed sharing my list with you at lunch, so here it is!!! In dedication to my friend April and her thirtieth birthday, I came up with a list of my ten favorite things about April. (note: this is supposed to be a joke. I know it will embarrass her! What are friends for?)
1. She has the best Halloween costumes! (note the picture)
2. She's had crackupuncture
3. She is a terrific writer (check out her blog, you'll laugh out loud!)
4. She's great to trade babysitting with
5. She is completely grounded
6. She's dedicated to sunscreen and covering up in the sun. (She isn't afraid to get a spray-on tan with her grandma)
7. She wears great rain boots
8. She was a gypsy in another life
9. She's nonjudgemental, gives wise advice and is great to vent to
10. Last but definitely the most important, SHE IS A PASSIONATELY TERRIFIC BAKER!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope I didn't embarrass you too much! I think I need to do this for all friends on their birthdays, it was fun! I hope you had a great birthday!!!!!!!

Dress Part 2

2008-04-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

Kristen, sorry it has taken me so long to get this picture posted. I know you were waiting by your computer every day! Alas, this is the Nutcracker dress. I LOVED IT! Almost as much as I loved the pink Xanadu dress. I unfortunately couldn't find a picture of it and I don't have it anymore. I am going to tag Kristen and April to show their favorite dress from when they were little.
The second part of this post is family home evening fun. Many of you know that my lovely husband is a graphic designer. This profession happens to have some perks that are entertaining. Tonight we made fun videos of each of us with a new video program Scott has. It was a lot of fun and hilarious! The hard part was trying to keep Jonah out of the video so it would work. Its pretty silly, enjoy!

Favorite Dress

2008-03-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

This is in response to Becky's tag. I had many a favorite dress growing up. The one I am posting a picture of was made by my mom. My little dance group (I was in second grade) put on a performance of The Nutcracker. I was one of the friends dancing around with a present. I LOVED this dress! (Belle doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm, she won't wear it for dress-ups!)
My next favorite dress was a little pink number I wore for about a year straight. I still remember my mom telling me that I could not wear the same dress to church every week! It was light pink, had a lace collar and was pleated all the way around the skirt so that it would swirl up as I turned. I would wear it with my pink leg warmers and my roller skates. I was channelling Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (only one of the best shows ever made! ha ha) I can't tell you how much I wanted to be like her skating around to disco-like music. I thought she was so beautiful! I still remember the first time I saw Xanadu (just to show what an impression it made on my eight year old brain). My poor family! I know I had either Xanadu or Grease on every day. Oh the good old days pretending to be Olivia, skating around the neighborhood in my Xanadu dress and leg warmers. Some of the best summer memories of my life!

Books

2008-03-17T01:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever go through stages where you just don't feel like reading? I had one of those stages a recently. However, it has been broken by the force of some captivating trilogies. The first was the series about Josephine Bonaparte by Cullen. These were historical fiction. I loved them! Any learning I can do that is fun is great! The next series was the vampire series by Stephanie Meyer. I know, I know, I may be one of the last females in Utah to read this series. I, like some others I know, thought the subject matter wasn't something I'd be interested in. And still, if you recommended a book on pretty much any supernatural subject, I would decline. (but I'm a sucker for a good romance) I finally gave into these, only because of the many rave reviews. Okay, let me just say....hook, line, sinker. This rivals any book I have ever read as far as captivation (and obsession) goes. I have been reading like a maniac! My poor family and home have been suffering in the neglect area. Its funny how little spare time I seem to have, until I'm engrossed in a book. (I get very ingenious at cutting corners and skipping the unnecessary.)
I am about a third of the way through Eclipse. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these books, I would have to say they are not my favorite books. I have read other books that I like more. However they haven't turned me into a captivated, addicted maniac reader. So my question is, what is it about these books that makes it so hard to put them down? Is it the characters, the story or the style of writing?
I've put a lot of thought into this. For me its a little of all three. I do want to see what is going to happen. She (the writer) is good at pulling you along. But, I think that what has me obsessed is the underlying theme of self discipline. I am in awe of people who have strong self discipline. The intense love, control and discipline some of the characters have is what has pulled me into this story.(and kept me thinking about them after I put the book down) What is it that captivated you? If not in these books, any other book that you have torn through in record time!
P.S. It is also nice to read a book without foul language and sex!

Life is Good!

2008-03-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to say, except: Life is Good! Can one help feeling this way at the beginning of Spring? I feel like the gloom has been lifted off of me. The cold darkness of winter is giving way to light and new life. Walks to the park, watching the flowers bloom and once again feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. These simple things make me happy! A fresh new season awaits! Glorious Spring!

The Results

2008-03-05T02:04:00.001-08:00

I'm done! I officially finished my cleanse yesterday! I am so glad that I don't need to take 12 pills a day anymore. I feel for people who have a lot medications to take daily, it sucks! Especially if the pills are the size of my big toe! OK, I'm exaggerating a little.
Now to the results. I have to say, I think it was worth it! I did not get all that I was promised. Did my skin clear up? NO. Did my immune system get strengthened? No (I am currently on the brink of a cold). Did I lose weight? No. Is my tummy flatter? No. So you may be asking, "what good did it do?" I'll tell you. I think that I feel better. I don't feel as groggy or low energy as I did before. I also have noticed an improvement in my workouts. My heart rate seems to be lower for the energy that I am exerting. In other words it feels like I got faster all of a sudden. For any of you who know me and how I like to race, this is HUGE!!! My skepticisms were: 1) Do I feel more energetic due to warmer weather or the cleanse?(absolutely beautiful last week). 2) Do I feel better because I ate better for two weeks (although, I didn't eat all that great).
Conclusion. I think that I will do it again in a few months. I think I will try another system. (Tara, I'll be in touch) I also think that I will try to eat a more cleanse friendly diet. Hopefully in the mean time I will be better about what I eat. I saw Dr Oz on Oprah today. He was talking about cleanse diets and whether they are a hoax. He said that they won't do all they promise in one to two weeks. But they are a good jump start to kicking bad eating habits and cravings so you will be less toxic over time.
I know how much better I feel, how much more energy I have and how much faster I am when I eat well. So why is it so hard? Why can't my appetite get on page with the rest of my body? Why is sugar soooo good? If anyone has an answer, you'll make millions! Maybe with long term healthy eating and biannual cleanses one will obtain all of the cleanse's promised results. As for me, I guess only time and discipline will tell!

Bodily Toxins?

2008-02-27T01:53:00.001-08:00

Okay, here it goes. I promised a post on body cleansing and here it goes. I've heard a lot about cleansing the inside one's body lately. I'd been debating whether 1) I believed we have toxins stashed away in our bodies. (what "toxins" would these be anyway?)
2) If taking a laxative and some herbs would really clean them out.
3) If I would really feel a difference post cleanse.
It just so happens that my friend (we'll call her "the baker" to protect the innocent), told me that she got a kit and was starting a cleanse. I figured this was my sign. So I decided I would jot on down to the local Wild Oats and check it out. Alas, I decided I would go for it.
For those of you who know me well, I am addicted to sugar! I love to bake and eat all sorts of desserts. I was mainly hoping this cleanse would help me kick my habit and clean out all the toxins baked goods have left behind. Thus helping me with my endurance and performance for some upcoming races I want to do this year.
Well, its been a week. I was expecting quite a bit of uhm...irregularity, due to the fact that this was my first cleansing. The guy at the all famous Wild Oats, told me to go with the "mild" cleansing so it wouldn't be too hard on my body. As my friend so nicely put it ,salad shooter. However, I haven't really noticed any changes. Okay, there is a fiber "stimulant", I need not say more. But, nothing extraordinary! I have to admit I felt a little crappy (no pun intended) the first three days. But my energy has been normal since.
I guess I can't really make rash judgements (about wasting my money) until the whole two weeks are up. But as of right now? I don't feel any different. Maybe I need to be more strict with my diet for it to have stunning results. Maybe I just wasn't that toxic? If anyone has performed a self cleansing before, please tell me about it! I would love to read what you have to say!

TAG

2008-02-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I am doing here, so bear with me. (was that the right bear? or is it bare? whatever.) I was going to blog about body cleansing (not the showering kind, the inner cleansing) however, I suppose that will have to wait. I know, you're so excited, you will be checking my blog daily for that post. I digress. I have been tagged by a friend. So here it goes. The rules are as follows.
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the fun begin!
Here goes nothin'!
1. I hate to clean the bathtub/shower. I would rather scrub the toilet for an hour.
2. I have a twin brother. We have always been really close. (except that one year he drove me CRAZY. I think it was the same year my friends started liking boys.)
3. I am a pediatric nurse. I do home healthcare. I used to work at Primary Children's and every time I step foot in the building, I am relieved (relieved isn't a strong enough word) that I don't work there anymore. In another life I would love to be a personal trainer or do something with sports medicine.
4. I love to bake, most of you know that. But, I would rather eat the batter/dough than the finished product any day. Is it possible to break an addiction to sugar/baking? My problem is mainly baked goods. I can pass on the candy. Its gets pretty scary sometimes!
5. I love to dance. I danced growing up and I don't have an outlet for it anymore. So if you peek in my blinds, you will see me dancing in my kitchen, alone or with my kids.
6. I love mentholatum. I can't go to sleep at night without putting some on my lips. I think I'm just addicted to the menthol. My nose gets stuffy at night, the menthol just feel good. There is always a jar of it next to my bed. I also love to put a soothing cream on my hands before I go to bed. It helps me relax!
Whew! Its done. Its hard to think up things about yourself! I am going to tag Andrea, Annette and Tausha.

If at first you don't succeed, tri again!

2008-02-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I misspelled try. I meant tri. As some of you may know, I'm kind of obsessed with training and racing (which I wish meant I was really fast). I have to share my exciting news with you. The last two years (2005 and 2007 because I had a baby in 2006!) I have been trying to get into the Spudman triathlon. However, I have tried to sign up too late every year. The race has already been full by the time I tried to register. So this year, I thought I would sign up the minute registration opens up! I will for sure get in, right? WRONG! I tried the whole 25 min that registration was open. The system kept kicking me off before I could complete my registration. My husband and my sister were both trying to sign me up as well. To say the least, I was frustrated! I have a couple of friends who were going to do this race, so I was doubly bummed. My dear husband sent a sappy email to the race director begging my entrance. It was all for not, he said there was nothing he could do to get me in. In my torment, I remembered a guy in a group I run with said his company was a sponsor for Spudman. He said to let him know if I didn't get in and maybe I could take one of his company's spots. Only one problem, I couldn't remember his name! I went to my running group (after missing a month) and found out who he was. I emailed him and whala! His company still had a spot open and they gave it to me!!!!! I am so excited! Apparently it isn't a race for "serious" racers (because the swim is easy, swimming downstream) but, I am thrilled! (swimming is definitely not my strong point) I look forward to a really fun race with some terrific friends!!!! I guess this is one case where try try again paid off!
P.S. I don't know that guy, I just thought the picture was funny!

CALGON

2008-01-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

What ever happened to "Calgon, take me away!" Do they still make Calgon? I'm not sure I even know what it is. Is it bubble bath? All I know, is that I could surely use some tonight! As I was locking myself in the bathroom to get one moment of peace (which is rare, even in the bathroom), Jonah was crying and banging on the door, "Calgon take me away!" popped right into my head out of nowhere! Yes, it was one of those nights. I love my children dearly, but the fighting, teasing and obnoxiousness gets out of hand sometimes and hence, I go crazy. In these times of insanity, I find myself searching for any way to escape. Some privacy, hot water, ear phones and bubble bath sounded divine tonight. But, alas, it wasn't to be. I had just run the dishwasher and didn't have enough hot water to be satisfying. ARGH! I need two fifty gallon water tanks! Maybe one of these days!

2008-01-24T01:49:00.000-08:00

I decide it was time to get rid of my Christmas template. Better late than never, right? I think that's going to be my new motto. For those of you who know me, you'd think that's been my motto for years. I guess my tardiness get worse with each kid I have. Maybe for or five isn't such a good idea? I'm kidding. We might add one more to the S bunch in the next year or two. I need to get to a point where I feel that I could handle having four kids vying for my attention 24/7. Three can be exhausting enough. I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I digress. I really wanted to share the experience of my first root canal. I know, you're excited. However, it was no big deal!!! Root canal has been the two words I have dreaded my whole adult life. I'm rather wimpy when it comes to having work done on my teeth. The shot, the smell and the numbness are just too much for me! So, I'm telling you, the tooth I had done must have been the one to have die! I have no pain whatsoever! It was less traumatic than some cavities I've had filled. Maybe my dentist is just a genius! (he's my brother-in-law) To help me and maybe you, in future endeavors to the dentist, I did learn a great tip today. Take your ipod! You so you can listen to your favorite tunes, close your eyes and zone out. I know, this can be difficult with the tugging, pulling and full head vibration from the drill and such. But, I thought it would have been nice to listen to a little Josh Groban on full blast to drown out the sound of the drill. (how do dentists ever get used to that sound?) By the way, I have to thank Kristen for getting me hooked on Josh. She took me to his concert and I've never been the same!
In closing, my dear friend wrote this and gave it to me today. I wanted to share it with you. Its past Christmas, but I thought it fitting for any time of year.
The greatest Christmas gifts:
To your Creator, faith
To your spouse, devotion
To your neighbor, love
To your enemy, forgiveness
To your children, patience
To yourself, hope

Isn't that great! So true for me in my life. Enjoy!

LIfe

2008-01-20T01:12:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have the feeling that you are in somewhat of a haze? You know what you are supposed to be doing with your life, but your path is somewhat of a mist? You are technically doing the right things, but you're missing the boat by seconds. I have to admit I feel this way sometimes. I'm going to get deep and talk about life for a minute.
Those of us who have a testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel know how we are supposed to live. We know the commandments, we know are covenants, and all the responsibilies that go along with them. I truly believe that most of us try to live the best life we can, whether we are religious or not. But how often do we truly examine our lives? Take stock in all that we are doing. And truly think about what we truly should be doing.
I've been thinking about this the last few days. I took a trip down to my brother-in-laws office (my dentist), with my other brother-in-law. So we had at least an hour and a half to talk. Needless to say, conversation came up about being prepared and preparing our families for a successful life. By this I mean: testimony, schooling, food storage, etc. You get the idea. Our conversation got me to thinking. Am I really doing all that I should to live my life as Heavenly Father would have me? Are my priorities in line approriately?
My answer brings me back to my opening paragraph. A mist. I'm not sure, was my answer. I obey the commandments, read my scriptures, keep my covenants, go to church, try to do what is right, etc, etc. But am I truly doing all that I can to prepare myself and my children? Probably not. As time goes on and the world gets scarier, I can't help but think that we will have to stand out from the rest of the world. We will truly have to be a light on a hill shining forth truth, knowledge and goodness. To steal a line from my brother-in-law, "the time for sitting on fences is over". I don't feel that I sit on the fence, but I do know there is more I should be doing personally and with my family. I need to be less afraid of sharing the gospel. Light and knowledge should not be hidden. Why am I so afraid to share it? Truth and light bring true joy and happiness, why is it so hard to give that to others? If I have a testimony of eternal life and exaltation, why can't I share that with the people who are most dear to me in this world? I know that there is more I can do. I can be a more attentive mother. Teach my children better and focus on teaching them the gospel. I can study the scriptures better and participate more. I can love more and not be judgemental of others.
As a late New Year's resolution, I plan to look at my life microscopically and rededicate myself to live the best life that I can. So that I hopefully will look back and not have any regrets. I will know that I not only knew what to do to be faithful, loving and strong, but that I actually did it!

Our Miraculously Disgusting Bodies

2008-01-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder why our bodies work the way they do? I have been completely amazed through my life at how amazing our bodies are. What they can do is miraculous. Which is part of the reason I went into health care. Physiology is fascinating to me. The fact that we can produce offspring, grow, learn, and perform different tasks is fabulous! The range of physical stamina and strength is mind boggling. The fact that people can finish an iron man triathlon in eight some odd hours is just crazy! (2.2 mi swim, 112 mi bike, and 26,2 mi race). I am so thankful for these wonderful bodies that we have been given.
But, do you ever wonder why our bodies are the way they are? Why can they be so utterly disgusting and magnificent at the same time? Case in point. Poop. I'm sorry, but poop is so incredibly disgusting! Especially when its someone else's. One of the few reasons I wish I wouldn't have gone into health care. Okay, I have three kids. I should be used to poop by now, right? NO!!! It still grosses me out! I had a huge poop mishap I had to help clean up at work tonight. I still feel like poop is going to be on everything I touch! It was crafty poo. I swear it was hiding everywhere on the wheelchair. We'd think we'd cleaned it all, and wham mo! We'd find some more! Why is it our bodies have some truly disgusting functions? (I'm sure you can think of others) This could be bad, but, do you have a gross poop story? Please share!

Joy to Dread!!!

2007-12-30T23:45:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is over, I thought it was time to post again. We had a great holiday. I finished my shopping early this year (a first for me), so it was more relaxed and enjoyable than usual. We had a great time hanging out with the family.
We did the usual. We went sledding, saw the lights, rode tracks (my kid's favorite) and went to family parties.
I was pleased with Christmas day itself. My kids loved their presents, of course! The one thing I loved was that I didn't once hear, "I wish I had gotten such and such" or "I asked for this and Santa didn't bring it". I think if I would have heard any of that it would have infuriated me! I guess I just want them to enjoy what they get and be thankful that they get so many great things.
I do have a dilemma for next year. I think I need some ideas. I was having a hard time finding places to hide their presents before Christmas! We live in a small house with minimal storage. Now that my kids are getting older, its getting harder to be sneaky! Please let me know if you have any good ideas!
I need some more suggestions on a different subject. Now that the holidays are over and the coldest, most depressing time of the year is upon us, what can I do to not dread the awfulness of January and February? Its so great to look forward to the fall and the holidays, but that all ends with the stark reality that Jan and Feb SUCK!!!! Okay, I won't complain anymore. But what is fun to look forward to in these months (besides skiing)?

Hillary Video

2007-12-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

My computer savvy husband helped me post the video!

Politics

2007-12-04T02:46:00.000-08:00

I will apologize up front. I am going to talk politics. (hopefully you can tolerate my ignorance and enlighten me.) The more I hear, the more I am worried for our elections next year. Do people think that it is most likely that a Democrat will win because people are so bitter about our Republican president? If so, I am worried even more. I have recently heard a couple of things about Hilary Clinton, that are very disturbing. If I am correct, I think she is currently number one in the poles. Yikes! I have to say, the feminist in me is glad that a woman is a contender. But, I fear her chromosomes are the only thing I like about her. I just watched a clip on You Tube that incriminated her in campaign fund raising fraud. She apparently lied about funds that were donated to her campaign. She stated she was unaware and uninvolved in the illegal activity. (her financial advisor took the fall) This clip (if true and undoctored) had evidence otherwise. I also read a statement where she protested to have a murderer acquitted (a black panther who executed a fellow black panther). Is it all a smear campaign, or is she really that crooked? What do you think? Who do you think is the front runner thus far? Who do you like and why?

Christmas!

2007-11-28T21:32:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say right now, except Merry Christmas Season! I am ready now! We had a great Thanksgiving weekend with both of our families. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am ready for the Christmas season! My house is decorated, and I love it! This is a first for me, but I am almost done shopping. I am excited about that. My goal is to have a fun and RELAXED December. I am looking for fun holiday activities to do with my family. Will you share any fun ideas or traditions that you do? I would love to hear them!

Motherly Guilt

2007-11-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

So, I am feeling guilty about not posting any pictures of my kids. I really do think they are cute. I don't know why I haven't posted any pictures of them. Here they are in their Halloween costumes. Yes, I do know that Halloween was three weeks ago. I love seeing everyone dressed up. So, whether you wanted to see my kids in their costumes or not, here they are! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-14T03:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving! What is there not to like about this holiday. Great food, family, gratitude and no stress! (at least for me, we're not eating at my house!) I feel this holiday is very important. I think I am preaching to the choir here, but don't you think that the world would be a better place and people would be happier if they realized all they had to be grateful for? I have so much. I will do some extra thanking to my Heavenly Father this week. I have a great family. We are all healthy. We love each other dearly. I have the gospel in my life. I have an eternal marriage. We have a home in a neighborhood we love. I have terrific friends. We have enough money to support ourselves. Sometimes I feel life is too good to be true. Why do I deserve to be so blessed? I guess I shouldn't ask why, I should just be grateful. And I am! Happy eating next week everyone. I am certainly looking forward to it already! I challenge all of you this next week to write daily in a gratitude journal (if you don't already) in celebration of this great holiday of thanks. Enjoy!

How Soon Is Too Soon?

2007-11-08T00:26:00.000-08:00

I am posing a question. How soon is too soon to start celebrating Christmas? I'm sure that you all have seen Christmas decor, commercials and other merchandise around. How many of you saw it before Halloween? I am the average person who decorates their house after Thanksgiving. However, I heard on the radio that someone had their tree up in September!!! Wow, is all I have to say. No it isn't. Is it just me, or is that ludicrous? But, I can't really think of a reason why this would be wrong. Part of me feels to each his own, but it kind of bugs me. Why? Maybe its because Christmas is so commercialized. Seeing Santa, lights and toys before Halloween just chaps my hide. It seems ridiculous. I guess if Christmas were celebrated more for its true meaning, this early(4 month)celebration would be a good thing. Do we really need Christmas to have the Christmas spirit? Why do people like to start celebrating Christmas so early? If you have any answers to my question, PLEASE, enlighten me!

Thriller

2007-10-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

If you are into dance theatre at all, you need to go see this show! My mom and I have a tradition of going to this every year. Now that Isabelle is old enough, it had become our Halloween girls night out. If you're not familiar, Odyssey dance company puts on a Halloween concert named Thriller. It has about every kind of dance from ballet to funk. It is a little scary but also has a lot of humor in it. These dancers are incredibly talented. It is highly entertaining for anyone: old, young, male, female! It is AWESOME!! Go see it next year!!

Get out of my head!

2007-10-20T03:20:00.000-07:00

My, my, my,my music hits me so hard, makes me say, oh my Lord, thank you, for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and something, something, something, and such, this is a beat, ugh, you can't touch. ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh, You can't touch this. Okay, for those of you who weren't alive in the late eighties, early nineties. You may not know these are the words to the unforgettable "You Can't Touch This" by none other than MC Hammer. (or is it just Hammer?) I'm writing this because its 4:30 am and I'm at work with this wonderful (not) song STUCK IN MY HEAD!!! Why? you may ask, do I have Hammer in my head? Did I just recently hear it? Do I have it on my dance music playlist? NO!!! For no apparent reason Hammer is jamming along in my head. Why is it that we get music stuck in our heads? And, why is it usually a song we don't particularly love? (I have to admit, I did love Hammer in the day. You may even see me break it down to one of his songs in the privacy of my own home) But, do I want Hammer in my head all night while I'm sitting in the semi-dark? NO! Why, when we have a song stuck in our heads, is it only one line? Or why is it a song that we know the tune for the whole song, but only the lyrics to one line? I think it is a strange phenomenon. Some of the worst song offenders for me are "I Will Survive" and an R&B song with the lyrics "I put my hand upon your hip, when I dip, you dip, we dip" (circa 1996) ARGHHH! That song is the worst! S and I will say that one line to each other, and whammo, that line is in our head the rest of the day. What are some of the music offenders that get stuck in your head?

What to do?

2007-10-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I have a sweet little pug named Matisse. Okay, I know that all of you don't adore her! (you know who you are). But, as she gets older, the more I love her! (well, sometimes) Actually, I think I'm just being sensitive and sentimental because Matisse is hurt. She had problems with her left knee in March. She had a hair-line fracture in her leg and fluid in her knee. She got better after a round of anti-inflammatory meds. All seemed okay until we went out of town a couple of weeks ago. When we got home, she was limping again. I thought it was her old problem acting up again, so I didn't take her to the vet. Its been a couple weeks, she's still limping and won't go up stairs, so I took her to the vet. (I kinda felt bad for waiting so long) The vet gives me news that is so unwanted! He tells me that she has a torn ACL. Can you believe that!? Who knew a dog could tear their ACL? I'd never heard of it! Oh, and she also has an unstable knee cap. She may also have problems with hip dysplasia in the future. Apparently the only fix is surgery. Here's the kicker. The surgery costs $1400. I think my draw dropped to the floor and my eyes popped out of my head! Excuse me doc? Did you say fourteen hundred dollars? The vet goes on to tell me that's the only real solution, because long term anti-inflammatory drugs cause stomach and kidney problems.
The way I see it, we have three choices. 1) suck it up and get the surgery (trying not to think of all the great things $1400 would buy) 2) let her suffer while giving her anti-inflam. as long as possible. 3) euthanize her. (okay, not an option for me, but a lot of people suggested this).
I am curious, what would you do? We haven't made the surgery date yet. Oh, I did some calling around and it sounds like $1400 might be a good deal for what she needs done. HELP! I guess that animal vet insurance doesn't sound so bad anymore!

I love April and October

2007-10-07T01:02:00.000-07:00

I mean the months, but yes, I love you too April. Why? you may ask, do I love these two months? Two words, General Conference. When else do you get to sit around in your pj's, on your bed all day and be uplifted? I love Sunday morning. Good, big, breakfast, then sit in my bed with my family (well, S and Matisse. I and G won't stay and listen.) and listen to beauty, whether it be music or word. It is such a special weekend. How great is it to hear from not only our prophet, but the other general authorities altogether? We are so blessed to have a prophet to testify to us and give us revelation. Their words are truly inspirational and can be life changing.
Conference weekend is always short, and I know that, but I always feel sad when they say we are adjourned for six months. I always think, wow, I can't believe that conference is already over! I sadly didn't get to hear as much as I wanted to today and work tonight, so....I don't think I'll catch tomorrow am's live. (thank goodness for dvr) What a bummer.
With all of my love for conference, rest assured, I will be listening tomorrow while trying to stay awake through all of the talks. I guess that might have something to do with big breakfast and lying in bed. And, is it just me, or do the way most of the speaker talk lull you to sleep sometimes?
One last thing I love about conference weekend, is getting together with all of you! Thank you K for letting us come invade your house for some fantastic food and socialization! I will be sure to request Sat night off of work next April. I love all of you and always have a blast when we're together. Thank you for being such wonderful friends!

2007-10-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

What is it with time shares? We went to a Westgate time share sales presentation two years ago. It was okay, the hotel was extremely nice. However, the whole deal is always a very hard sell and just plain shady. Is it just me, or do they remind you of a sleazy car salesman or pyramid scheme? We received a two night stay for $50. I was okay with that since the hotel was nice. However, when we checked into our room it was their smallest room. (it resembles a hallway with a bed) We complained and received a nicer room (we complained because although we didn't buy the $10,000 time share on the spot, like they wanted, we bought a three night stay) In other words, we thought we deserved a nicer room.
This last weekend we used our three night stay. It was great! We swam with the kids, sat in the hot tub and enjoyed our own jacuzzi and steam shower in our room. The fun was tainted. Why? you ask? Because the first afternoon we were there a man came to our door telling us that we had to attend a "survey" during our stay. (what kind of survey lasts 45 min?) It was obviously another sales presentation! But, we were lucky, they said we didn't need to take the tour again. HA! To say the least, I was bugged! Why would I pay over $130 dollars a night and still have to go to the sales presentation? Shouln't my stay be next to free if I have to go to the presentation again? Well, S and I were both upset. He left a message with the manager complaining that it was ridiculous and that we had no intention of buying. In essence it would be a waste of both of our time for us to attend. So, we didn't go. He never called back. They had hinted that they might charge us extra if we didn't attend. We'll see what happens.
If we had the money, I wouldn't mind owning a time share. Why do they have to sell them they way they do? It always seem so scheming and shady. Can anyone enlighten me?

Bill Maher

2007-09-24T21:35:00.001-07:00

Okay, I don't know how many of you have watched his show before, I try not to, because I HATE HIM!!! Okay, I know, very strong words. Your mom was probably like mine and told you that you should never hate anyone. You especially should never say that you hate anyone. Well, I am disobeying my mom. Because I really hate him. I have to admit that I have never had any sort of fondness for him over his years on tv. But, tonight I find myself disliking him more than ever. In the past my distaste has been for his extreme liberal, hollywood based views. However, tonight he was talking about the presidential candidates. We only watched because we were interested in what he was saying about Mit Romney. (Now, I am not saying that I think Mit is the one for president. I don't even know his politics yet) But, being a mormon from Utah, I naturally am interested in what others think of Mit. Well, Bill Maher had some very maddening ,derogatory things to say! He was making fun of mormons and all christians alike. He was making fun of Mit's "magic underwear" that Romney believes will protect him. He essentially called our religion mystical. He likened us to "Scientology without the celebrities". Maher stated that when going to the polls he would certainly keep Romney's belief in "magical underwear" and Jesus (who he said was the same person as Santa Claus) in mind while voting. Making mormons sound like a buch of mystical lunatics! And that if the viewer didn't feel the same, there was something wrong with them.
Wow, I could not believe what I was hearing! I could not believe he had the nerve to make fun of a religion and essentially all Christians like that! I thought he was tasteless and crass before, but now I despise him even more. I actually feel that I would like to email him! (that is sooo not like me!)
I know I'm raging on and on. I just think that there are already enough bad misconceptions about Latter-Day Saints, that it infuriates me to see someone on national television saying such things. I do not get offended easily, but was offended to my core with his remarks. My love for our Savior and the gospel are so deep. How could his remarks not hurt and offend? What do you think?
P.S. thanks to S for some last minute photoshop work!

Weekend of Wonders

2007-09-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

That title pumps up this post a little more than need be. I had a wonderful weekend! Do you ever feel like life is fantastic and your just wondering when the bubble is going to pop? I'm trying not to think about the popping part, because I am really happy right now.
You know it was my anniversary, so hopefully my weekend was at least ok, right? Well, it was, it was great. Friday was good because I got some new glasses. (I lost mine almost a year ago, so that tells you how in need I was.) The timing was great because I needed them to watch the most fantastic football game I have ever seen!!!! Yes, I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about the Utah game, but, IT WAS AWESOME!! Okay, I am not usually a football freak. It drives me crazy when football season comes around and all Scott wants to do all weekend is watch it! I think he could literally sit in front of the tv, or at a game, and watch football the whole weekend. (Not to mention Monday and Thursday night games.) I'm getting away from my point. Ah hum, despite my dislike for my husband's love affair with football, I love Utah/college football. I like going to the games, I'll even watch one on tv. I love the smells, the kettle corn and yes the proverbial stadium hot dog. It is also the perfect environment for people watching. Wow, I love to people watch, its hours of entertainment. We have a wanna be Elvis impersonator by us. He is continuous entertainment. Especially because he gets drunk and rowdy. He even got in a fight with a BYU fan last year! I digress, the win was so completely unexpected and they played so well, it was fantastic! Not to mention that Scott was in the mood of his life the rest of the night. (weekend for that matter)

My next wonder of the weekend was dessert Sunday night. ( I'm sure that's a shocker.) Tollhouse ( chocolate chip) pie. Wow, I think I'm in a heaven right now. It is a heart stopping, artery clogging, sugar coma causing delight! I first tried this delight at the Dodo. I found a recipe in the Favorites cookbook, but the one I tried tonight I like better. I got it from the beloved Paula Deen. I love her. I could listen to her talk for hours. (In case you don't watch the foodnetwork, she has a southern cooking show, she's from Savannah.) Anyway, I feel that I need to write her a thank you note for this recipe! You may or may not thank me for this, but here is the recipe. (I hope this isn't a copyright infringement.)

2 eggs, 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c packed brown sugar, 1/2 c white sugar, 8 Tablespoons butter (melted), One 6 oz. bag chocolate chips, 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts, one 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Whipped topping or ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. In large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add flour and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in white sugar and butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into pie shell. Bake for one hour. Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream. I added 1 tsp of vanilla to the batter.

Its devine, enjoy!
Taush, thanks for the nuts to make this treat even more enjoyable!

My first picture post

2007-09-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

This was one of the pictures we had taken for our wedding announcements! Do we look exactly the same or what? (ha ha)
P.S. Scott helped me figure out the picure thing. Yeah!

Twelve years of bliss

2007-09-12T02:30:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha, is that cheesy or what? This Saturday is my twelfth wedding anniversary. I echo Tara's words: "where did the time go?" Well, as scary as it was to be engaged, I have to say, I did the right thing! We do have a great marriage. I decided to right twelve things that I love about Scott and our marriage.
1. Isabelle, Grey, Jonah
2. He loves me more than the day we got married.
3. He says I have the best butt in the world. (at least there's one person who thinks that!)
4. While we're on body parts, he likes my small chest. (sorry if that's too much information)
5. He would never tell me I can't do something. (although he may complain)
6. He makes me laugh, he has a great sense of humor.
7. He is my number one fan. He is very supportive of my training and racing. (he doesn't even complain about how much money it costs)
8. He loves to be with me and the kids more than anything else.
9. He is a wonderful father. He drives Isabelle to school every day and walks her to class just to have that special time with her.
10. He is honest. I never have to doubt or question him.
11. He respects me as a wife, mother, and friend.
12. He cleans! (he cleans up dinner every night and helps on the weekends)
I love you Scott!

HELP

2007-09-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am obviously computer challenged! I need help posting pictures, a tutorial would help, if anyone is willing. Thanks!

2007-09-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated my blog for awhile. I haven't really had anything to say. I still don't feel like I have anything special to say, so you will get to read me ramble on about nothing. School started since I last wrote. I know I said I was sad about summer ending, but I have to say, WHAT WAS I THINKING?! Although I do miss Isabelle being gone ALL day, it has been absolutely fantastic! I feel relaxed again. Instead of having five kids (mine plus two friends) at my house all of the time, I only have Grey and Jonah. Better yet, Grey is going to do a play group on Wednesday mornings. I feel that I have some of my freedom back. Which is interesting, because I was excited for summer, so that we could have some freedom from school. Ha! Ha! Ha!
I actually have been taking a little time during Jona's nap to read. Its a little bit of heaven on earth to have alone time when you're a mom. Am I right? I do love the fun and chaos of summer, but I sure am loving school. Should I feel guilty about the happiness I feel having kids in school? Because I don't!!!!!
This brings me to my next subject...homeschooling (is that one word?) Ok, my sister-in-law home schools (I like it better as two words). I get the why, I just don't get the how. I have a hard enough time doing ten minutes of homework with my kids. Could I really teach them ALL that they need to know for college? YIKES!!! I guess that I also don't get the social aspect of it. Do they really get the social development they need? We have had many a debate with my in-laws regarding this subject. Home school moms seem like superhumans to me. I wouldn't want to take on the responsibility and that makes me feel kind of guilty. As I said before, I like having the time while my kids are at school. Tell me what you think!
So maybe I don't get the why OR the how!

The end of summer

2007-08-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anyone else, but besides January, this is the most depressing time the year! Most of my sadness comes from the shorter days and the knowledge that cold darkness will soon consume us!
I love the freedom of summer. I actually don't mind waking up early to a beautiful summer morning. I love the long daylight. I also love going to the pool with wonderfully fun friends! All of this will soon come to an end. OK, enough of the depression. Sorry.
While most of me is sad to see summer go, the other half is jumping for joy. You may ask why. Well, I will tell you. My kids are going to school! (like you didn't know that's what I was going to say!) Although I will truly miss them when they are gone, I am so excited to have some peace and quiet for a couple of hours a day! After a summer of playing hard all the time and with friends over (all of the time), this soulds heavenly. Can you all agree?
I would love some advice on how to get my daughter at least a little excited for school. I'm afraid she's going to start claiming stomach ache every day again in order to stay home. (she did this last year in first grade, she's a home body) I also would like any advice on how to stay more chipper with the shortening daylight.
With all the changes fall brings, I have to say thing to look forward to, is pumpkin. What is there not to love about pumpkin? They look great for decoration, they're great illuminators, and they taste delicious! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pretty much any pumpkin dessert. SUPERB!!!

Tara

2007-08-08T00:49:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I spelled your name wrong! I shouldn't do this at one in the morning!!!!

great homecare nursing story

2007-08-08T00:09:00.000-07:00

Tera inspired this entry by asking me to share some nursing stories. I know that a couple of you have heard this story before, so bear with me.
A little background. I work for a homecare company. I do pediatric private duty, which means that I go to one child's house for my whole shift. These are kids who need someone with them all of the time. We stay up all night or give respite so the families can have a break or get some rest. They are mostly kids with trachs and ventilators.
I used to go to a girl's house in very scary neighborhood. (I'll try to be discreet so as to not break any HIPPA laws!) She had an interesting home life. Her parents were separated. She was living at her mom's house. This is the mother who one time asked "who the f--- is in my house", when I showed up for a shift. One night I showed up for my shift and the patient wasn't home. She was down town at the olympic plaza. (It was 11:00pm). She got home at 2am!!(She was about 7 years old) I sat there for three hours with the mom and her boyfriend waiting for my patient to arrive. At least it was easy money. Anyway, my patient gets home and I put her to bed. The boyfriend decides to stay the night. The walls are paper thin and I can hear everything! DISGUSTING!!!(especially if you saw them) I go home thinking, wow, that was interesting. I am scheduled to go back to this same house in two days. My next shift there starts out rather uneventful. My patient goes to sleep right after I get there, I'm thinking easy sailing right? I get to read a book most of the night. However, the mom has her friend over, who is a girl. A couple hours after my shift started the friend leaves to go to a convenience store. The mom tells her she loves her and kisses her (on the lips)while I'm sitting there in front of them, trying to read my book! I'm thinking to myself, "that's weird, I thought she had a boyfriend, is she gay? Well, the girlfriend came back and slept over. Once again the walls are paper thin and I can hear everything!!!!!! A girlfriend, a boyfriend and a husband all at once! That had to have been demanding. I felt that I had lost all of my innocence that night!!! Needless to say, I will never forget that night!
Sorry this wasn't really a story about nursing, but it has by far had the most impact on my psyche. I also have a good story about finding marijuana in a sterile dressing, that was covering a diabetic ulcer. Yummy!

sleep walking

2007-07-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Ok,
So I am wondering how long my son is going to walk (and pee) in his sleep. I woke up this morning and lo and behold there is a pair of his underwear IN the toilet! This is one of his many pee in the night stories. He doesn't actually pee in his bed all that much, but he does manage to go in some interesting places. The first encounter, my husband heard him running around and caught him with his pants down peeing down the stairs. Second encounter, we both heard him running around looking for the bathroom and we found him peeing on the coffee table. Third time, I didn't find the evidence until morning. His dresser drawer was open and all of his clothes were wet. Well, of course it was pee that had drenched his clothes!!! He doesn't ever have any recollection of his "incidents", but he thinks its funny. It is incredibly hilarious when this happens, I just hope he gets over it before he starts having sleepovers!

My first blog

2007-07-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!!
Well, its 3am and here I am blogging!! I have to say, I am jealous of those of you who are sleeping at this very moment. I set up this blog as a request by Kristen. I am excited to hear all that you have to say about your lives. I am sure that I will have many a joyous hour reading all of your stories. I am excited not to miss a single Luke or Evie story from Tausha. Please share your recipes and advice freely.
Today was Isabelle's birthday. I am glad that its over. Well, I guess I still have her party Friday night, shoot. I always stress about birthdays. I want them to feel special and have a fun day. I really didn't feel up to it today, so I was happy that she said it was her most favorite birthday. (She probably can't remember any of her other birthdays) Anyway, we made easy bake oven cupcakes. I have to say that I loved the easy bake as a kid, but I hate it now. What a pain in the butt! The real oven works much better, and it tastes better.
MMMM, I don't know what else to say. Uh, I guess I will see you all later. I am going to go search your blogs for some sweet reads! Sorry if my poor writing skills drive you crazy! Feel free to critique!