CARTERISTA

My Kind of Writing

2010-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

It must be on account of having so many "writing" friends that when someones mentions "writing" everyone jumps to the conclusion that it's a serious kind of writing, when it's really only the blog/facebook/email kind of writing. :) Love you all!

My Good, Better, Best Philosphy

2010-01-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Writing is good.
Reading is better.
Taking care of my family is best.

If I only get to the better and best,
I call it good.

*huge smile, head nod*

Good times!

2009-11-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

A few minutes ago I was teasing Julian and telling her she couldn't take out the cute braid I did in her hair. She protested, but finally gave up in a huff. I went to say goodnight to Logan and came back to find her lying diagonally, face down on her bed. She was shaking and I thought I heard sobs. I said, not quite disbelievingly, "Are you seriously crying?" She laughed and answered in a triumphant voice, "Drama (club) is totally worth it!"
What's more, I assured her it was okay with me if she removed the braid and offered to take it out myself, only to be stopped abruptly. Julian 'hmmed' a bit, then admitted that while I wanted her to keep it in, she didn't want it, but when I wanted to take it out, she had a strong desire to keep it in. She even giggled while she unabashedly stated that she has roller coaster emotions. Very astute, don't you think? I love having an almost teenager to have fun with!

In contrast, on Sunday, I was bemoaning my high forehead and remembering a few years back when a co-worker caught sight of me in a store while I crouched to look at something on the bottom shelf of an isle. Said she, "I'd recognize that forehead anywhere!" Nice.
A couple of hours after that unwelcome memory emerged, I returned home and knocked on my own front door. I expected to be let in by my kids, but no one answered after several knocks and rings. Finally, I saw the blinds part and the door was opened by Logan who said with a big smile on his face, "I'd recognize those eyes anywhere." Well, I happen to like my eyes. I'd rather have them noticed than my forehead any day. I love having a sweet little boy to compliment me.
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What's new?

2009-10-28T21:02:00.001-07:00

Man. I need to get a life so I can post about it.

Thrillionaries

2009-10-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

WOO-HOO!!!
It was a blast. I was amazed how Twilight Zonish the Twilight Zone one was. Even the musical was terrific. These people amaze me! Mel B, you amaze me!

Thrillionaires this weekend!!!

2009-10-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate Halloween season with The Thrillionaires. Here's what's coming up:

October 17
Style: 1. Twilight Zone 2. Alien Invasion Musical
***I'm totally going to this one and taking my kids, too. My sister Melissa will be performing. Only $5 with the discount. Anyone want to go with us???
(I'll have to be late for Girls' Night)

October 24
Style: Teen/Modern Vampires

October 31 - Halloween
Style: 1. 80s B-movie Horror 2. Slasher Movie Musical

If you order tickets online at www.coveycenter.org and use the promo code "ghost" you will get in for 1/2 price ($5)!

Is This For Real!!??

2009-10-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Click on this link and tell me what you think.

Crazy Amnesty Bill

I think it's OUTRAGEOUS!!
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Favorites?

2009-10-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

There's still one session left and I'll need to read the talks from the Priesthood session, but so far my favorite talk has been President Monson's talk on serving others. All those stories of the children serving others brought tears to my eyes and I felt the Spirit strongly. He is truly an inspired prophet of God. Such a simple principle can cause so much happiness for everyone involved. It's just what the world needs as we go through these ever increasingly difficult times over which we have no control.

What was your favorite talk?
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The Worst and the Best...

2009-09-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

The worst and the best of this week can be summarized by two thoughts...

#1
As individuals, first graders are adorable with their little fingers and toes and big eyes and lisps. But, collectively, I'd rather not be in their presence as a leader of any kind. Two groups of twenty-eight of them in a gym for an hour every day uses up my effort and patience quota. I spend the rest of the day glad to be in the presence of 4th-6th graders...or even better no students at all and just a good book for company. :) Thanks for Graceling, Peggy. It saved me this week.

#2
I've rediscovered the essence of pure vanilla. The undeniable rich and creamy aroma (and taste) of it in chocolate chip cookie dough before and after baking. Mmmm. Yummy. Too many years finishing a big bottle of imitation had erased it from my sieve of a mind. Thank goodness for food storage. If I hadn't have had to dip into it, I might have wasted my precious dough on the counterfeit again.
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To sleep or not to sleep...?

2009-09-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Sleep and sleep related subjects are all that seem to inspire me lately. Do you love sleeping in a cozy bed as much as I do? It's the perfect way to escape the daily grind. Night, day or even morning. If I didn't have to get up in the morning, I wouldn't. Not until my back started to hurt from lying down too long. Yes, that has happened more than I'd like to admit.

While working on yet another poetic expression of sleep last night, a pang of sympathy struck me and I thought of how often sleep eludes my husband, Jarid. This short poem was written for him.

For Jarid
(from his wife, Cecilia)

Where can one find sweet peace
When one can't fall asleep?
When e'en without a peep
Consciousness will not retreat?

How disconsolate the one
Who lies awake alone
At night when sleeps the sun
With thoughts that won't be done!

Oh please, my mind entreats,
Please let him fall asleep!
For with each pulsing beat
His heart craves desired sleep.

I understand that many people have a love/hate relationship with sleep or some other relationship that I can't fathom. How do you feel about it???
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If you don't mind...

2009-09-07T19:04:00.001-07:00

If you don't paying only 3 bucks for 3 tickets...
Or trying to find 3 seats together 20 minutes before the show starts...
Or sitting down and wondering what the heck that smell is...

If you don't mind wondering how in the world they could possibly have sold out the early show...
Or being distracted from the movie while you scan dark shapes for whatever it is that smells like vomit and desperately hoping your not sitting in it...
Or chewing stick after stick of Doublemint gum and breathing into the collar of your t-shirt attempting to mask the smell...

If you don't mind becoming increasingly hot and sweaty in the crowded, muggy theater...
Or having to riffle through your purse for an item large enough to fan yourself and your kids...
Or noticing how other shiny, sweaty faces are eyeing your large sheet of Ken Garff coupons...

If you don't mind having to promise your kids you'll never bring them here again...
Or listening to your 8 yr old tell you how much the chairs are hurting his back...
Or panicking and sitting on the edge of your chair for half the movie because you realize the vomit might be dried to your chair...

Then the Towne Center Theatre in American Fork might be the perfect theater for you.
I don't consider myself spoiled when it comes to movie theaters, but this was definitely a first and a last for me.

Ode to My Bed

2009-09-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Although you may find the subject of this poem amusing,
I assure you all the emotions are genuine. :)

Ode to My Bed

by Cecilia Carter

I sigh.
You comfort me
In the coolness of crisp sheets.
Assailed by unspoken thoughts,
I find a quiet place to rest.

I drift.
You cradle me
In gentle curves of mattress.
Protected from life’s urgency,
I find a yielding place to berth.

I doze.
You shelter me
In warm bundles of blanket.
Hidden from threat of hazard,
I find a safer place to be.

I dream.
You let me
In cloaking calm of darkness.
Buoyed up by sweet surrender,
I find a peaceful place to be.

I wake.
You renew me
In clear repose of conscience.
Relaxed by restful slumber,
I find kind tranquility.
.

My Very Own Lawn Art

2009-09-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is the back yard at my parents house. I've been keeping their grass trimmed this summer while they're on a mission. It's my first attempt at using different blade heights in the same "mowing session." Simple, but satisfying..

Top 3 Whiny Expostulations

2009-08-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

TOP THREE WHINY EXPOSTULATIONS

Expostulation #1

I've come to understand that my brain travels through space more slowly than my body. Multiple times each day I experience the proof of this.

Case in Point: This morning I was standing in the kitchen thinking I needed to do something specific. In response to what I needed I headed downstairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs I became confused, turned left toward the bathroom and paused, unable to remember what it was I needed. During the pause, my brain floated down the stairs, caught up with my body and suddenly I knew I need only turn right toward the computer to complete the errand I had started.

Expostulation #2

BLTs. These tasty little morsels are killing me. Well, they are in a sense, but more accurately, they are killing my goal to eat healthily and regain my former, shapely physique. Bites, Licks and Tastes seem innocent enough, but add them together and they equal a quite appalling mass of unwanted calories.

Expostulation #3

Unconsciously, I must think that if I wish hard enough my wish will come true. No matter how much nonsense it would make for me not to work, I still deeply wish to be a stay-at-home mom. We could never live without the insurance. Medical copays and premiums are already seriously denting our financial freedom. My kids are both in school full-time. I'd be here alone for the most part. Yet I still find myself wishing with 92% of the fibers of my being that I didn't have to work.

It's not even that I don't like my job. It's just that it takes away from so much I could be doing. Like the other two-sevenths of 'homemaking' that never seems to get 'made. ' And, being able to care for my kids when they are ill without worrying about covering my classes at work. And, being able to volunteer at their school and more completely fulfill my calling in church.

"With a wish and with a will
I stood upon that silent hill
And stared into the sky until
My eyes were blind with stars and still
I stared into the sky."

(Adapted from the last stanza of Ralph Hodgson's "The Song of Honour"
http://theotherpages.org/poems/gp2_7.html)

SO, there are my Top Three Whiny Expostulations. (Just using the word expostulation so many times has made me feel a bit better.)

If you have an expostulation to share, by all means, it's welcome here.
EXPOSTULATION = COMPLAINT
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. When I drive, angels attend. Even when I'm idling.

2009-07-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

I merge into the single lane halfway to the freeway from Macey's food store and within seconds see the flashing lights in my rear view mirror. They are inside the windshield of the white, unmarked car I've just passed.

The weird thing is that I'm not nervous at all. I pull to the right as far as I can to keep the officer safe from on-coming traffic. I think, If I get a ticket, oh well, I've broken enough laws without being caught. But, man, I hope I can go to traffic school. I don't have any money.

A middle-aged, stout man walks up to my now open window and asks for my license. Hey! I get to use my new license. I'd gotten it just a week ago in the mail. (See how un-nervous I am?)

Usually, the officer asks if you know why he pulled you over. He doesn't. He simply states that I was going 60.

"I was? What is the speed limit on this road?"

He mouths the word forty as he holds up 4 fingers, moving them as if in slow motion.

"Whoa. That is too fast. I thought I had merged wrong or something. I didn't see the sign."

"That's because you were going too fast. Are you in a rush?"

"No"

"Where are you going?"

"To a cancer follow up at Primary Children's." I motion to the back seat with a wave of my hand. "I guess I was driving like I was already on the freeway."

"Twenty miles over is way too fast." Then, holding my license an flicking it with the middle finger of his other hand, "Should I give you a ticket or not...?"

I wait. Was that a rhetorical question?

After a moment I quietly mumble, "Well, I hope you don't, but I was going too fast." The money for this is going to kill me.

He hands me the card and tells me I really need to slow down. Of course, I agree and reassure him that I will be much more careful.

He shakes my hand and I'm surprised at that.

I point to the Sheriff badge hanging near his belly from a chain. "I see you work for the Sheriff's office. So does my husband."

A few things happen after that, including me admitting that when he sees me pull out back onto the road, he'll notice my right rear turn signal is out. But I definitely drive off with gratitude in my heart.

Thank you, Deputy Sheen.

What did I almost lose today???

2009-07-20T12:35:00.001-07:00

MY LUNCH!

That's right. When I pulled from the mailbox this afternoon,
the principal letter with information about the start of school,
I felt a wave of almost nausea welling up within me.
NO-O-O!!!
It's inevitable, though.
Jarid had not one iota of sympathy for me, either.
He never really has.

Also,
I'm learning that if one eats a steady diet of oatmeal cookies,
it improves one's regularity.
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Name my true short story.

2009-07-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

I reached up for the mag light on the top shelf of the pantry and tested the batteries by pushing the power button. Good, I thought. I would need this tonight. I had waited long enough. What I needed to do had to be done as soon as possible, all evidence removed before dawn.

My husband and two children were sound asleep in their beds. The house was quiet, but for the padding of my feet as I collected the tools that would be needed to cover up my sin. By morning it would be finished and only a select few would ever know.

After slipping on some shoes, I left the house, careful to lock the door behind me. I found the shovel propped near the back steps in the dirt. I thought myself clever as I slipped the shovel into a plastic grocery sack. No trace would be left in the back of my Explorer, no evidence of my terrible crime. The other three sacks should be enough to temporarily stifle the smell.

I smiled to myself. I only needed to travel a few blocks to the dump site. Using my car in the darkness of the night would be safer than chancing a saunter through the neighborhood with a shovel and bags filled with evidence. There were plenty of SUVs like mine in the area. I'd even thought to cover my license plate with smudges of mud, but changed my mind. Having a cop for a husband had certain advantages and I'd heard him tell of vehicles that had been suspicious for just that reason. I would be lithe and quick.

The quiet purr as I started the engine was comforting. This was my favorite of all cars. Solid and powerful, yet beautiful in form and design. I'd known it was the perfect car for me the moment I'd seen it. Sitting in it for a test drive was but confirmation of my feeling. I felt the satisfaction of owning her now as I maneuvered quietly past the houses with darkened windows. I'd cursed this town many times for not having well-lit streets. Tonight, however, I was grateful for the cloak of dark.

As I approached the site with my headlights switched off and quietly pulled my car diagonally into the gravelly roadside, I noticed movement within the house. My heart jumped. It was nearly midnight. Perhaps in my eagerness, I'd launched my plan too early. I waited in the stillness. I saw no further movement and decided to approach the house to assure myself that I would not be discovered. Getting caught was not an option.

I stealthily crept toward the door. Tiptoeing to peek through the window, I saw that a low kitchen light had been left on, probably as a night light for the children. Maybe it had been one of them moving in the kitchen for a mid-night drink of water. Surely they would have fallen back to sleep easily, unaware of my presence. I was more concerned about the light at the bottom of the stairs that led down from the entryway behind the door. I lingered a moment watching for signs of flicking light that might be a television or other movement within. Nothing. My heart calmed and I felt pleased with myself. Everything was falling into place. I would be gone in minutes. Time to begin.

I felt confident and bold enough to switch on the car's headlights. The light poured over the lawn, lighting the space beneath the tree where I would be working. I retrieved the shovel and one white sack and carried them to the front of the car searching for the exact position of the drop. I scanned the grass until I located the prize. Scooping carefully with the shovel, I removed the first deposit in one complete piece. I let it slide smoothly into the bag. I had worried that I might disturb the form, leaving traces on the grass, but it had lifted perfectly off the ground. I knew there was another. I found it quickly and repeated the process just as successfully. I almost chuckled with pleasure at my good fortune.

With my acquisitions I returned to the back of the car. I delicately placed the first bag into a second one, not wanting to disturb the shape, then made a knot of the handles. The closer to airtight, the better.

I felt a feeling of elation. The smile on my face and in my heart were equally matched. The light from the vehicle cast shadows among the blades of grass, so for good measure I played the light of the mag over the area looking for anything I may have missed. Not finding even a suggestion of what had been there and thinking that perhaps I should be wise and not tarry, I replaced the flashlight, covered the end of the shovel with it's bag and deftly closed the heavy hatch door.

All the way home my heart beat with blissful delight. I had executed my task with consummate perfection, an accomplishment that will live on only in the minds of a trusted few from this night forward.

How To Tell If Your Family Loves You Just The Way You Are.

2009-07-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's simple.
Shave you hairy arms.
Then show them your arms and ask them if they
notice something different about them.
My husband and kids stared and thought and
thought and stared and only came up with...
"They are skinnier?"
"You have more freckles?"
And my favorite...
"You're losing your tan?"
So, there you have it.
No one noticed the difference,
obviously therefore,
they did not notice (or care) that my arms
were hairy in the first place. :)

Hey. Don't complain.

2009-06-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

I still use this site to link to ya'll's blogs.

The Secret Drawer

2009-05-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight while I was putting away the kale...(Yes, I actually bought kale. I have Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup recipe!)...So, I opened the crisper drawer at the bottom of my fridge and I say, "Ooooo! Gross!"

"What? What!?" Logan asks.

I take out the drawer with some spilled spinach rot and he heads over to the fridge.

He exclaims, "Oh! I forgot about that drawer. Look! Here's another one. A secret drawer!"

Facing the sink with my back turned to him, I say, "See if there are any potatoes in there."

Julian races over and helps him take out a bag. She says, "Yep."

"Maybe there are some eyes on them. Why don't you check," I suggest. By now Logan is distracted with something else in the kitchen, but he hears the comment about 'eyes,' so I start explaining what they are.

Before I get very far, I hear Logan yell, "Oooaagh!!" I turn to see Julian holding one of the potatoes for him to see.

What's so great is that he was freaked out long enough for me to grab the camera and snap a couple of shocks. I mean, shots.

After that he wouldn't come into that part of kitchen until he was curtain I'd put it away.

Only Five Bucks!!!!...and a joke for free.

2009-04-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

I love a deal.

And since I don't find them often, when I do I'm thrilled.
Aren't they awsome!?Of course I wanted to wear them at the earliest possible occasion.
I did today and they are so comfortable!

While I was purchasing them,
the checker told the kids and me a joke.

Him: "Have you noticed that the word garage
on all the garage sale signs is missing a B?"

Me: "Garage doesn't have a B."

Him: *smile*

Do YOU get it?
Hahaha!
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Can YOU find it???

2009-04-18T17:17:00.001-07:00

This is what Julian called her "Masterpiece"
during our egg hunt on Easter.
It's an egg she hid for Logan in the backyard.
Logan hid some in the front yard for Julian.
After the hunts, they switched areas and hid more eggs.
I was SO surprised at how well they hid those eggs.
Some of them I'd never have found.
Would you have found this one?

Correction :-)

2009-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Not "otter pop with panda stickers on the backs."
They are sweet and sour sauce. HAHA!!!

Spring Break & Walter Wick...kind of.

2009-04-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Does this look like Spring Break weather to you?
Well, Rascal had fun....BUT...

...the rest of us went to the BYU Museum of Art.

These pieces we very interesting. I took a few photos,
not sure whether I should or not.

Up close. Yep. Otter Pops.At the start of the Main Attraction, a guard saw me holding my camera
and kindly imformed me that picture-taking was not allowed,
so you don't get to see the Walter Wick exhibit.

If you're not sure who he is, ask your kids about the "I Spy" books.
They are sure to know what I'm talking about. :-)

I can't help it!!!

2009-04-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...Remember when Jarid first brought him home..
...in his little kennel.
We upgraded within a week to a mid-size model and thought we were done.

Oh yeah. He's big.

Time to upgrade again.

Julian calls these "Kissing Attacks."
I think he's learned it goes over much better to lick than to bite.
He gets her good and she loves it.

And Mama...Logan loves him. Here he's being pretty tame. But, he's not usually as gentle as Julian. He usually walks right up to Rascal, firmly places his hand on the top of Rascal's fluffy head, and bear-hugs him. Yep. This sweet puppy has been a real confidence booster for him.

And...

2009-04-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

... he's not done yet.
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Why do they have to grow up so fast?

2009-04-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken at the animal shelter the day Jarid picked him up as a stray.
Puppies are so much cuter than now than they were before I had one.

Today Julian was giving rascal a belly rub.
Do you think his body is outgrowing his head?
I guess human babies do that, too.

We watched Marley and Me last night and now
we're just going to have to keep him forever!!!

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You can't TELL me he's not the cutest puppy EVER!!!

2009-03-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Rascal

Rascal on one of the very rare occasions he's allowed into the living room.
(So you can see his ever growing fluffy bigness.)

How much is that Rooster in the window?

2009-03-15T09:08:00.002-07:00

Last week the kids and I went to D.I. to find a costume for Julian. Of course, we found what we needed.

At that point I was ready to leave, but, against my instincts, I let the kids peruse the toy isle all the while knowing I'd say no to anything they may want. (My kids could double the content of that toy isle if they'd clean out their rooms!)

I kept to that self-made promise...with one exception.

Behind the toy isle there are shelves of plush toys. Julian found a cute, little rooster she thought Rascal would love.

Well, I thought, as long as it's not in our house. And who could go wrong spending two bits on a doggie toy?

So, we brought the toy home and Rascal was as pleased as could be that we'd brought a toy for him.

As soon as our big (and I do mean BIG- he's doubled his size in 2 months!) sweet puppy bit into that rooster, we were all startled by a loud "Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!"

With trepidation Rascal jumped back while we caught our breath and laughed a good, long laugh.

Even now, a week later, we'll look outside to see him bravely pouncing on that 50 cent treasure, then jumping back as it calls out a warning cry. Once he barked for 5 minutes while it sat a few yards away on the grass in the shade of our plum tree and relentlessly teased him.

Now, where else but D. I. can you buy such entertainment for only 50 cents?

Excerpt from Logan's Prayer

2009-03-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

...And I quote,

"Bless mommy not to get hitted by dodgeballs. Bless daddy not to get shooted by bullets or beated up."

Listening to my kids pray is a daily gift.

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Killing Me Softly

2009-03-07T01:46:00.000-08:00

What is it? It's FOOD! That's right. Right now I hate it. Really hate it! I wish I never had to eat another bite again.

I've been up in the night for almost 3 hours now thinking about it. The discomfort in my stomach is dominating my body. And, ohhhhhh, the queeziness! Aghhhhh!

What's worse is that I can't even blame it on being sick. I think I just ate too much. Which isn't really all that much, considering what I used to eat.

AND, it was 8 whole hours ago!!! What is going on???

Even now, as I resolve not to eat even a morsel of food tomorrow, I know deep inside I won't do it. It's torture, this love-hate relationship I have with food!

Gripe, gripe, gripe...I know.

What up?

2009-02-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

PSYCH!!! I have nothing to write...or maybe I'm just too tired to think of something great.
At least I bothered to post. Aren't you glad you checked in?

P.S. I did, however, enjoy reading all YOUR latest posts!

Pros and Cons

2009-02-06T17:43:00.001-08:00

Cons

No sleeping through the night
No sleeping in, in the morning
No taking naps after school
No kids in the kitchen without an adult
No alone time
Constant vigilance
Holes in our pants
Pee on the tile
No easy vacation get-away
Less money

Pros
More time with the kids
More practicing patience
More challenging tasks
A tidy kitchen
No cat poop in our yard
A soft, cuddly pet
A future jogging partner
A grateful husband
A playmate for the kids
A happy daughter

Check You Child's Homework Before You Send it to School :)

2009-01-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day)

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.
From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

TO THE SPOILED, UNDER-30 CROWD!!!

2009-01-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning uphill...barefoot...BOTH ways...

Yadda, yadda, yadda...

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in heck I was going to lay a bunch of garbage like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it SO easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a darn Utopia!
And I hate to say it, but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid, we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the darn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the darn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and messed it all up!

There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished and the tape would come undone...cause that's how we rolled, dig?

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were messed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your butt and walk over to the TV to change the channel!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled brats.

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove ... Imagine that!

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

Thanks to Tammy and Stone Sour...

2009-01-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge fan of thinking up answers to questions about myself. But this tag is different. It's called "Four Squared" and you're supposed to look in your fourth picture file, go to the fourth picture and post about it.

I'm on my Mac and it doesn't have many pictures, but I went to the 4th date listed and this was the 4th photo. It's not a great picture by ANY stretch of the imagination, so you'll know I didn't cheat. :-)

The shot was taken at probably 85 or so miles per hour on our way to Disneyland this fall. It's the name of one of the songs on a CD we've listened to over and over while riding together in dad's truck and mom's car.

When I listen to it now, it takes me back to both good times and hard times. It represents hours and hours of time together driving up to Primary Children's Medical Center or to do fun things with family. It brings to mind drives long enough for the kids to fall asleep and for Jarid and I to have some really great conversations. (I love those!) When I hear it I remember times when the kids have giggled in the back seat until they couldn't breath and times when mom or dad have made rulings for 'silent time.'

The song titled after the name of the road on this sign is a song that will linger in my mind for a long time. Thanks Stone Sour!

What am I Gonna Do with My Husband?!

2009-01-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

STORY #1

Recently, Jarid shared a portion of the book he was reading called On Combat by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Entertaining as it was for the kids, I thought I'd share.

"I was monitoring her class," the principal said, "as she stood up in front teaching her kindergartners. All of a sudden a mouse came running across the floor, hit the inside of her shoe, and ran up the inside of her slacks. When it reached her upper thigh area, she latched onto it with her hand over her slacks and started rolling around on the ground, screaming, 'Help me! Help me!'
The principal asked, "What was I supposed to do?! Was I supposed to pull her pants down in front of all those kids to get that mouse? All I knew was we had us one of those 'critical incidents' Colonel Grossman's talking about. So I got all the kids and we got the heck out of there. I sent some female teachers in to help her out, and then later on that afternoon we had one of those critical incident debriefings.
'You've got to do it,' the principal continued. 'It was nothing fancy. We just brought the counselor in, sat all the little Bubbas and Bubbalinas down, and said to the kids, 'Ya'll are fine. Here's the teacher, and she's fine. We sat there and talked our way through what happened. It was all going well until this one little Bubba stood up and said, with wide-eyed kindergarten innocence, 'Yah know, the most amazin' thang of all ta me, was how much water came out of that little mouse, when she squarshed it."
The moral of the story is that to wet your pants in a situation like this is a perfectly natural human response.

STORY #2

A few nights ago I'd cooked some whole green beans in chicken broth. YUM!
The following conversation ensued.
Julian asked me, "Mom, what's chicken broth?"
Dad quickly replied, "When chickens get boobies., they get chicken bras." (It's censored, for the pure. If you aren't, highlight it with your cursor and peer closely, cuz I couldn't change the background color. :)
Disapprovingly, I cried out, "JA-RID!"
He came back with "Okay. When chickens get older and more mature..."
Both Julian and Jarid started laughing hard. Apparently, we need to focus on enunciation.

The finished product...for now.

2009-01-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a crew of kids came over to help us finish the igloo. With production at such fast rates, we failed to fix the angle of the blocks in time to avoid this strange shape. But, I think it lends the structure a special personality! Plus, the kids will be able to stand up inside.

We worked for over 3 hours. It was hard work, but fun, and we let the little ones take an extra break now and then. I'm sad they had to go before I could get a picture of them all. Maybe we'll have a crew party when the weather warms up a bit again. :-)

2008-12-26T14:18:00.001-08:00

This is amazing. It CAN be done! And by kids to boot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guKs6X-pa5M&feature=related

2008-12-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

Someone may have noticed by now that I've been a total blog slacker. Facebook is sucking my life away. Hahaha! But really, I have to limit the time I spend there.

For those of you who aren't on Facebook, here's a big Hi! and Happy Holidays!! to you.

My latest project, besides the never-ending cleaning and organizing of the house, is to build an igloo for my kids. They help some, but it would be oh so much easier if I lived on an ice field, had a ice cutter and a bunch of man-labor or at least a few days in a row with just above freezing temps.

Such as it is, I think we're doing a fine job.

To see the process in action by the pros many, many years ago (really!) click on this link, fast forward to 1 min. and watch for 17 seconds. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pia4i5sr0o0

*Uh-oh! I just watched it again and I think our slope might be a bit too steep.

2008-11-26T22:26:00.001-08:00

Austenland by Shannon Hale

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
More, more, MORE!!!!!
View all my reviews.

My favorite line...This is spoiler if you haven't read the book yet.
(To see it, just highlight the blank space below with your cursor. Magic!)
"She believed now in earnest that fantasy is not practice for what is real--fantasy is the opiate of women."
TAKE THAT Twilight fans!!!!!!!!

Gone crazy...

2008-11-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

...and temporarily public! Sometimes we just have to face our fears. :-)
*If you have a blog update feature, you'll need to remove me, then add me again.

Ode to Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

These are a few of my favorite things...

Silly children who giggle
And when tickled, wriggle.
Small hands in mine,
Big eyes that shine.

Strong arms to hug
When heart strings are tugged.
Keen ears to hear
Sweet voices I hold dear.

A quiet place to read;
Rejuvenation that I need.
A cushiony sleep
When I ne'er hear a peep.

Clear eyes to see
A world full of beauty.
All God's creations,
The freedom of our nation.

Love taken and given.
Errors long ago forgiven.
Laughing with good friends
To heal and to mend.

~Cecilia Carter 2008

Reflections Victory!!!...and a Time Loop.

2008-11-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

Julian placed 2nd in the 3-D Art category! And her little animals were selected to go on to Council Level!

On a different note...I'm relieved to finally arrive at Friday. Most days this week, as I left work, I felt an overwhelming "Friday" feeling. I was trapped in a time loop that didn't provide satisfaction until today. Whew! I'm glad I made it. And next week should prove fabulous.
I think I'll lay down for a bit before making dinner.

Analogies that make you say hmm...

2008-11-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.funny2.com/questionableanalogies.htm
Hey, Peggy! Maybe you could borrow these for some of your writing. Hehe.

2008-11-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

Two Weeks Old! Tired little tike!

One year old!

What a happy little guy!

Two years old -

November 11, 2003

Diagnosed with Leukemia

Three years old!

Thinks he's The Hulk.

Four years old!

Gettin' some sisterly love!

Almost five years old. Central nervous system relapse.

Six years old!
First day of Kindergarten!

Seven years old! Still with us
and we are ever so grateful!!!

WE LOVE YOU, LOGAN!!!

TODAY IS A BIG DAY FOR US!!!

2008-11-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

And when I say big, I mean ...

GI-FREAK-I-NORMOUS!!!

(More to come.)

It's looking good!

2008-11-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Reflection contest entries were due today. According to the rules Julian entered hers in the form of digital pictures on a CD.

Just before school was over, I got a call from the woman in charge. She said she thought Julian's 3-D Art was so adorable, she wanted to pick up the actual project so the judges could see it in real life! She was amazed when she saw the penny in one of the pictures and realized how small they are. Very encouraging, don't you think? Julian was ecstatic to hear it.

They are pictured here perched on an 18 count egg carton. In the statement section she wrote: "I love small things, animals and creating. I put them together and Voila!"

Hmmm...which is better?

2008-11-02T16:57:00.001-08:00

Before Halloween...

On Halloween!

The Sitch' in CA! Hahaha!

2008-10-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

My sister lives in California. Here is a photo she took of her husband while he was standing at a busy intersection waving a sign for 3 hours.

Deputy McLovin: Par for the Course

2008-10-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

I always love it when Deputy McLovin comes home in the evening, walks into the kitchen while still in his uniform and tells me about his day. Last night was one of these evenings.

I knew that earlier he'd been called out to pick up some sheep that had gotten loose in a neighborhood, so I, of course, planned to make a timely and clever comment about Bo Peep. I made it and it was clever (thanks Melissa) , but not so much timely as I immediately became riveted in his story-telling. He started off by telling me how much I would have laughed if I'd been there.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, on the other side of the main road, obscured by urbanization was a golfer on a golf course.Can you guess where this is going?After feeling the sting on the back of his head (yes, for real!) he heard a voice far off in the distance... "Sorry!"

Well, he did finally succeed at getting the sheep into the trailer, but only after pulling on them with a dog pole until they choked out, then reviving them (for the sake of the neighbors) and pulling them a few more yards and repeating this process with the "dang - why can't they just come with me - sheep" several times.

Now, if you can't see the humor in that?...there's something wrong with you!

Perfect Timing!

2008-10-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I started reading Brandon Sanderson. FAN-TA-BU-LOUS!!!! Words cannot describe! So I requested the 3rd book in his MISTBORN series and asked if I could be the first to check it out. Voila! I got the email from the library today. Of course, like lightening, I drove down to get it. It couldn't be better timing because this week is Fall Break. No school for a few days and lots of reading time. Ahahahah! I'm bursting!!!

Testimonials anyone??

2008-10-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

What exactly IS Facebook? I have an account now, because I figure if my parents have one, then it must be okay, but now I'm wondering what it's all about. How safe is it? Is it basically an email slash photo album slash chatroom? Sounds convenient. What's your take on it?

BRAGGIN' TIME!

2008-10-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

Witches, Ghosts, Weirdos...and Bats!!!

2008-10-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

Did you see this on the news?
http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=70da706b-a4e7-45da-8670-f3f4a6774217
Luckily this guy's neighbor was an Animal Control Officer who convinced him to have the bat tested for rabies. Apparently he was only curious about what type of bat had bitten him.
Deputy McLovin says the new treatment for rabies is IV's in your extremities. Yuck!

What a Catch!!

2008-10-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Know any motivated, active, single guys???
My sister, Melissa, is on the prowl. (hee hee)

She donated her hair to Locks of Love this weekend and doesn't she look gorgeous!?

She's successful, fun, fit and a fabulous person to boot!
We love her SO much!

Could this be any more AWESOME!?

2008-10-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

My goodly parents have been called to serve a mission in Montevideo, Uruguay. The amazing thing is that this is the exact location of my Papa's first mission as a 19-yr-old!! If you know anything about my parents (many of you have met my angel mother) then you know they are going to be fabulous with the help of Heavenly Father and be a blessing to the people of Montevideo.

A CAT STORY

2008-09-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Deputy McLovin experienced Halloween a little early this year when he was dispatched to a woman's house one recent morning. Here's about how he tells it.

I got called out to this lady's house because she had a feral cat in her yard.
She showed me the cat and then started moving toward the cat saying, "I'll help you get it." The cat stood up on its hind legs and started hissing at her. I thought, "Oh, no! Lady, what are you doing?!#@" I jumped between her and the cat as the cat sprang forward. It latched onto my finger and wouldn't let go. After a struggle, I finally choked it out with my other hand and it released my finger.
The lady said, "Are you okay?"
I answered (with clenched teeth), "No. I'm not okay."
The lady, "Can I help you? I'm so sorry!"
"I'll take care of it." (Translation: Just leave me alone, lady!)
I took the cat to my truck, leaving a blood trail on the ground behind me, and put it in a cage. I wanted to take it out to the desert right then and show it how I felt about it, but I took it in. We cut off its head and sent it to the lab to check if it had rabies.

Don't miss this video. Just push the play button.

She's MY girl!!!

2008-09-26T07:31:00.001-07:00

Julian is the adventurous partner I've been looking for for years!!! This was our second time on the Twightlight Zone Tower of Terror, a free-fall type ride where your rear end is either off your seat completely or threatening to bond with it forever. There we are in the back on the left.Maybe she's a little too brave for me. I was so scare the first time on the Orange Stinger that I couldn't open my eyes or let go long enough to snap a picture. The second time I pretended to be Julian and was fine.
Julian also loved Space Mountain, one of my childhood favorites. Now, though, it's SO much better. The technological effects are incredible! If you can't tell, we're in the front. :-)

It took a lot of effort, but...

2008-09-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

It took a lot of effort, but I finally took some pictures! When Jarid and I came back after having some fun......we had to chase down the kids and put them back in their place!

Logan's first roller coaster ride was the Go-Go-Gadget Go-Coaster! He loved it so much we rode it twice. Well, not me. I forgot to take dramamine, so once was enough.In our kitchenette, Logan practices his map skills with a cheeto in his mouth. He loves the Disneyland map!

Pictures? Are You Kidding Me?

2008-09-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

WHO THINKS ABOUT TAKING PICTURES WHEN YOU'RE ON THE FUNNEST RIDES EVER??? Well...I guess I thought about it a few times, but it's hard to capture the experience with a fish-eye's view photo. At the end of this week, I'll make sure I get the kids on or in front of their favs, but for now...

As we went over the 5-story waterfall on Splash Mountain, a camera takes a picture you can view on a screen when you get off the ride. I stole that one. Julian and I are in the back, so we didn't get too wet and, boy, we were glad!
Pictures are really hard to get on the 'dark rides' because if you use a flash it's just not the same. Maybe Tammy's fancy camera could do it, but the best I could do was a slow shot to let the light in, so you can tell it's not a 'still' shot. We rode this BUZZ LIGHTYEAR ride twice before the Parade last night. It's a virtual video game. You have a joystick to turn and spin your car and a laser gun to score points against Zurg.

Where we slept last night!

2008-09-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

This place is FANTASTIC!!! (Thanks Shiralea!) It's been re-modeled over the last 3 months. Down comforters, beautiful cabinetry, granite counter tops, two large flatscreen TVs, and they had a room available with 2 queens, so no sleeping on a sofa!!! (although I had been looking forward to Jarid and I having one night of privacy...heehee.)
Julian woke up sick yesterday, but was a real trooper on the road trip. I hope she's well enough to have fun today! Logan is bursting!

The GROVE

2008-09-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pictures! I'm standing under some branches of a deciduous tree in the Redwood forests of Fenton, CA. We walked the trails this summer and saw some 'amazing large' and 'amazingly old' trees!
The center of this one burned out decades ago, but it's still alive and growing!YIKES!!!

For Becca!

2008-09-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Remember this picture I took of the sunset at your house this summer? I had so much fun visiting you! You live in a beautiful place that is even more gorgeous because you are there.

Here's the picture, Mom!

2008-09-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Would you agree that tying to chase this little bee at Grandma's house was like trying to pin a cloud to the ground? Out of all those pictures here are my top three picks. Let me know if you find out what kind it is.

My 2008 Shoes on My 2008 Carpet!

2008-09-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

This summer we moved all our furniture around our house trying to clear out rooms to have them re-carpeted. (Thanks, Mom, for all your help.) The carpet in the front room is FABULOUS. You've never stepped on anything so padded and plush! Your toes are practically buried. People have commented about it even with their shoes ON!!! (Who cares if we break a sweat trying to push the vacuum over it?)

And...da-da-da-daaaaaa! My brand spankin' new Converse shoes! These are the lastest and greatest craze. Ever seen anything like them? Oh. Wait a minute. In the late 80's, my sister and I had a pair of turquoise and a pair of pink converse high-tops we shared. And...come to think of it...my mom said my dad had a pair while she was dating him in the early 70's. And...man alive! Didn't kids wear them in the 50's in that movie Grease? What the heck is going on here??? They aren't even that comfortable. . . unless you're gellin'. . . which I am, of course.

Thought I was gone forever???

2008-09-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

Summer couldn't have been more splendid!!! We did everything possible from actually leaving the state for a vacation to riding the rollercoasters at Lagoon. Weekly, we helped with yardwork at the Farmhouse and swam at the pool. And, of course, we wish it didn't have to end. Man, I love spending time with my kids!!

Now we are into a great school routine. The kids are happy with their teachers. I'm doing some new things at work that are exciting. So even though we are busier than ever, we are happy doing it all!

In eleven days we head to Disneyland for a family celebration of Logan's progress. We've waited a long time! The best thing is that my friend, Shiralea, has volunteered to be our "park planner." By using her extensive knowlegde of Disneyland, CA Adventure and the program RideMax, she is scheduling our attractions to minimize waiting in lines and to maximize the fun!!! Thanks SO much, Shiralea!

LIFE IS SO FULL!!!

2008-06-29T15:31:00.001-07:00

Wow, is summer break busy or what?

Julian learned to ride her bike!!! This is terrific because I've been trying to teach her for 3 summers now. All along I just wasn't doing a good job, because her awesome Burk Grandparents taught her in less than an hour and now she's a pro!
Here's Logan on his new bike. Mom, I need to pay you for that! Can't believe I forgot!
I took a geology class. The second day we took a VIP field trip of the Kenecott Copper Open Pit Mine and many of the factories that help to produce the copper as well as clean water and reclaim mined land. (Reminds me of a certain Burk Family Vacation...)

Can you see those little bumps toward the lower middle of the pic? They are dumptruck loads of crushed rock.

This is a tire that the dump trucks use, beautified by my friend Misha and I. I know. I look like a kook standing that way, but I'm not all the way used to my 'woman' body yet.

This is a shot of the dump truck compared to a semi-truck. Yeah. You read that right. A semi!
We had to wear hard hats, safety glasses and sometimes earplugs inside the plants. Don't we look swweeeeet?
The water treatment center recycles water. One stage in the process is the degasifier. Man, I could use one of those every now and then...
Here's the tail end of the conveyor belt that brings the crushed rock to the plant that processes it to retrieve the precious metals. It's about 3 miles long and goes mainly undergound. What a ride that'd be!

Here the metals are removed as they float on top of the bubbles of treated water. Miners' wives first figured out how to do this when they'd wash their husbands mining clothes! Here's the control center for the operation of this plant. "We have lift-off!"

Eventually, the copper collects into plate form by cathodes and anodes and is shipped all over the world. There's more, but I'm sure that was more than you bargained for! Ü

On June 19th Logan had surgery to remove his port. After we checked in, we waited.

After we waited, we were moved to a examination room where we waited some more and then met with the surgeon. Logan changed into his hospital clothing and we moved to another waiting room.

He looked like this through our watery eyes as he walked away chatting with the anesthesiologist.

Jarid, Julian and I waited in a yet another waiting room for him to come out of surgery and be moved into post-op. He wasn't very happy coming out of the anesthesia, but it was a wonderful step in the cancer process!

We couldn't keep his port because of new rules, but I took photos. It was bigger than I'd imagined. The big ones must be huge! If you look closely you can see marks where his port was accessed more than a hundred times!!

The day after Logan's surgery I took the kids, as I had promised, to the Strawberry Days Carnival. Logan wasn't allowed to ride the fast rides, but he still had fun. He's looking forward to Spanish Fork Days next months so he can ride the SpaceShip 2000!

Julian was a dare-devil and rode the Ring-Of-Fire all by herself, literally!

...And another crazy, twirly, upside-down ride. That's her in the upper right corner wearing orange! I miss my youth when I could ride without getting sick. Now all it takes is watching someone ride it!

So, now you have it! Some of the reasons I've been so busy! So much fun to be had and so little time to have it in. Make every moment count!

Last Chemotherapy!

2008-06-20T05:57:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

Last Day of Chemo!!!

2008-06-20T04:10:00.000-07:00

June 4th 2008

Logan's Port is accessed. We're waiting for the doc.After seeing the doc, we've moved to the Infusion Therapy room to get chemo. It takes a while to get the chemo from the lab and give it to Logan by IV, so we play with Grandma Patty while we wait.The nurses sing the "Happy Off-Therapy song!" Logan's been asking for it for a couple of hours now. It's on video. I'll try to post that later. Then we get out our chocolate cup-cakes to share with everyone!We share with the nurses and the other families in Infusion Therapy. Then we go into the "forbidden area" where the nurses and doctor do all the behind-the-scenes work. This is VERY exciting!After sharing cupcakes with all the families and nurses who are still waiting in the doctor's office portion, we come back to eat some ourselves.There's nothing quite like an "Off-Therapy Chocolate Cupcake!!!"

YOU DID IT, LOGAN!!!

We are very proud of you.

We LOVE you VERY much!!!

Kid Cancer Humor Ü

2008-06-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

It's been 4 years and 7 months, minus exactly one week, since Logan was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia on 11/11/03. Today he and Julian and Grandma Patty and I are going up to Primary's so Logan can get his last dose of Chemotherapy!!! It's a BIG day. I'll blog about it with some pictures/video afterward. But this morning, I thought I'd share some humor.

Disclosure: If you haven't been around kids with cancer and their families very much, you may find this scary and not one bit funny! But, I figure those of you who read this blog know us well enough to know that we've been living in a different world for the last few years. So here goes...

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A PARENT OF A KID WITH CANCER IF... (TOP 49 REASONS)
(I know that sounds like a lot of readng, but come-on! Some of these had me laughing out loud!!! Besides, the original list was 100 ways and I cut it down to the ones that we identified with the most. Ü)

Kids with hair look kind of strange to you.
You don't realize the Sharps container is on the kitchen table until half-way through dinner.
You enjoy the drive to the ER at 3:00am because there aren't amy other cars on the freeway.
You can name all the equipment used in the ER.
You can diagnose patients in the ER before the docs do.
You hear a truck backing up and you think it's the IV beeping.
You are so proud when your baby finally gets hair (and he is 6)!
You can manuever a double IV pole with six boxes and a kid riding, on a tour of the hospital, and make it back to the room before the low-battery alarm sounds and the kid has to pee.
The nurses stop responding to the IV alarm, knowing you'll fix it anyway.
Your 2-year-old knows where all the medical equipment goes and how to use it.
You keep a bag packed at all times like you're 9 1/2 months pregnant.
You can eat with one hand while you hold the barf bucket with the other.
Your child's bedroom looks like a Toys-R-Us store.
You ask your CPA if bribe toys are tax deductible.
You correct the doctors spelling on the chemo meds.
You read the doctors prescription word for word and are asked to decipher it by the pharmicist.
You know medical terminology better than you family practitioner.
There are 4 new Mercedes in the doctor's parking lot due to your child's payments.
You have more meds in your cupboard than food.
You can read your son's chart better than his nurse.
You start teaching your daughter the parts of her body and she points to her chest and says it's her port.
None of the security guards on the pediatrics floor ask for your ID anymore and you're on first name basis with the Rapid Treatment Unit.
Medical students ask to borrow your notes.
You toddler refuses to sit on Santa's lap because he's too germy from all the other kids.
You wrap presents in packages with medical tape.
Your child is more familiar with CT scans and bone scan pictures than the portrait studio.
Your child uses legos to build MRI machines.
You don't have to ask, "What's that mean?" to the previous 27 items.
You know you are a friend of a family with child cancer when you call to check the chemo schedule and ask, "How will his counts be on, say, the 11th?" before you schedule a birthday party.
You have been asked by more than 25 friends and family members, "So when is the next reatment?"
Your 4-year-old's critique of the medical student's examination skills is the same as the physician's.
You think this list is really funny when most normal people either don't get it or start to cry.
When your 7-year-old starts to sound like Doogie Howser, MD.
When you walk down the hall in your house holding your baby and you feel odd because you aren't trailing an IV pole with the other hand.
When the siblings want to know what the child's counts are to see if they can go inside and eat at McDonalds.
Six months after intense therapy ends and the hair starts to grow back, someone in the grocery store stops you and asks, "I just love his/her haircut. Where did you get it done?"
When you send copies of this list to your cancer parent friends.
When your idea of funny is to ask, "Where's your line?" and then giggle while your toddler takes of his clothes looking for it even though you know it's just been removed.
You can reset the IV machines overnight in your sleep every 30 minutes without waking up once and still call it a good night's sleep.
You have a kid who did not wake up by 5:00am on Christmas morning.
Your kid takes more pills than you.
When your kid asks for a Happy Meal you don't say, "Wait until we get home to eat" rather, "Really?" (unless, of course, your kid is on steriods when you say, "A happy meal or a Super-Sized Value Meal?")
Your best friends buys you a relaxation tape for your birthday and you swear it doesn't work right.
You can not try aromatherapy for yourself because the smells trigger nausea in your kid.
The CK on your t-shirt stands for Chemo Kid, not Calvin Klein.
You draw smiley faces on your blue isolation masks.
Your kid has recieved enough get well cards to fuel a small bonfire.
Your kid receives so many toys at the hospital that at Christmas time you can open your own toy store.
Every little thing can make you cry in a heartbeat, but this list, on the other hand, has you rolling on the floor.

Another planet...?

2008-05-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is where my baby brother, the Paleontologist, works! Can you believe it's only like 4 hours from my house? I just LOVE these pictures!

A Family Field Trip

2008-05-19T06:31:00.001-07:00

Lucky you!!! You get to follow the Carter family on a virtual field trip to Red Cliffs. Of course, it wasn't virtual for us. Ü Jarid was taken to this little beauty while he was Field Training for Sheriff Patrol. Gotta know where the action is so you can help all those suckas who get into trouble, eh? (P.S. Jarid passed his 3-month Patrol Field Training in just 3 weeks!!! That's my awesome husband for ya!)

Back to the story...The lesser known areas he's been introduced to, like this one, are great finds and he offerred to take us to see them! This one is only about 45 minutes from our house.

Here Jarid is showing his boyish spirit by seeing how far he can climb up this crevice.
Julian quickly decides to follow in dad's footsteps. No prodding necessary! Logan makes a brave attempt to follow and I stay behind to take great pictures.
With a little help Julian is successful! She LOVES it!!!
Just a pretty picture of an arch.
After we hike on some trails, we walk across the street to a wide, rushing river. It's overflowing the banks. We sit on what Julian correctly identifies as conglomerate rocks and dip our feet in the cool water.
Whoa! That's cold!!! (See Logan's face?) We also find some smaller pieces of red rock with quartzite veins. We pick a sample to add to Julian's rock collection.

On our way back to the road, Dad points out an abandoned,

beaver-felled tree. See the teeth marks? Cool!After crossing the road, we notice a picnic area with more trails. Look! A whole wall with quartzite viens. Pretty!
Up the sandy trail aways, dad sees a cave above our heads. I have to stand on a tree limb and hold the camera high above my head to take this picture. Fancy stuff, eh?
Since we can't climb straight up the wall to the cave, dad seeks another route.

UP...then OVER the top of the cave...
...then BACK DOWN...and...
VOILA!!!
Then, of course, the kids want to get up in there, so I hoist them up to my shoulders (I know, I'm so strong!) Then Jarid reaches down, grabs hold of their hands and pulls them on their bellies to the top of the wall. Man! We are SO adventurous!!! Logan was a real trooper. It's good to see how strong he's grown this year.

On the drive home, we say good-bye to what Julian dubbed

the "gi-freakin-normous" windmills.

Thanks for sharing our adventure. It was great having you along!

25 YEARS AGO...

2008-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

If we were living 25 years ago, our little Logan would not have lived to see his 3rd birthday.

This week we celebrated his 7th!!! His immune system has been strong enough this spring to have a real "friend" birthday party! After the party, I woke in the middle of the night with such full feelings in my heart, there was no way I was going to be able to sleep. I felt incredibly blessed that Logan is still with our family here on the earth, that I can hug and kiss him anytime I want to...if I can catch him.Ü We get to watch him grow, learn, think. Wondering what he is thinking is currently a favorite past-time of mine. He says and does the most un-expected things! Part of that may be that I still see him as a little kid. He's a big boy!!! Crazy.

After school on Tuesday, Jarid and I loaded Julian and 6 of Logan's friends into our cars and headed to Chuck-E-Cheese. The really special thing about going to Chuck-E-Cheese was that the first, and only other time, Logan had been there was just weeks before he was diagnosed. He was 2 1/2 years old and wanted so badly to go back. We knew it would be around three years...too long for a 2 year old...but we didn't know was that it would be 4 and 1/2 years later!!! The anticipation had plenty of time to build. Ü

The party was a riot and wonderful. It's possible that I was even more excited than Logan. What better Mother's Day gift could I recieve than 2 beautiful, healthy children who hug and kiss me every day!

No word in our language can describe it.

2008-04-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever known or seen something that causes such an intense pain in your chest over your heart that you start to have difficulty breathing?

I've been following Robin's story for about 6 months now. She is from California. She was diagnosed with luekemia (AML) two and a half years ago. Her sister quit her job to help her. Robin had 2 bone marrow transplants. At the end she participated in experimental studies at a hopital in Texas. She has an abiding faith in Jesus Christ and a strong, positive spirit. She was an inspiration to many people.

When I read the latest news on her website a week ago Friday, I sat in wonder, though not entirely surprised. I clicked on the link:
NEW Professional Photos Slideshow (new 2007-03-26) and stoically watched the beautiful images of this amazing woman (you can see her steroid cheeks even though she was very thin) and the family she loved so deeply that she clung to life to spend just one more month, one more week, one more day with them.

After the slideshow I broke down and sobbed great, heaving sobs for the people she left behind, including me. Today I tried to watch it again, but couldn't for the weighty pain and catching breath. After reading her obituary, I was comforted by the first line. "On April 11 our remarkable little Robin closed her big blue eyes to this world and flew home into the open arms of her Heavenly Father." What a beautiful image! Robin is someone I hope to meet. For now I'll be happy that she's free from pain and suffering and I'll hope the time will pass quickly until she meets her family and friends again!

Main Page with a letter from Robin, well worth reading.
http://www.robingroff.com/
Also, take a look and my 2 favorite posts in Robin's website guestbook.
Date Posted: 4/12/2008 Name: Tianne
Date Posted: 4/20/2008 Name: Heidi Bardsley
You can read Robin's recent updates and comments by clicking on http://www.robingroff.com/chronology.asp

It Came With the Wind...And It Wasn't Pretty.

2008-04-16T07:18:00.001-07:00

The wind was blowing. It was blowing hard. I'd disposed of the garbage that had collected along the front fence. The fence that stops all garbage in it's tracks. I even found a mint condition Macey's paper grocery bag!

I didn't save it.

Then, my mom and I worked our tails off mowing, trimming, weeding...

My mom wields a mean weed-wacker!

As the wind blew stiffer we celebrated with confetti!

Thanks, to whomever thoughtfuly tied up their paper shreds loosely.

Later in the day, I ventured outside to admire our work and there it was...

the most unique item ever to have blown into our yard.

Until now,

it's been fast-food paper products, pop cans and bottles, newspapers, school papers and flyers.

We've discovered plastic of all sorts like go-gurt and candy wrappers, and bulk toilet tissue wrappers.

But until last night, I'd never seen anything like this!

Can you see what it is? GROSS!!!

After I use a stick to clean up that little gift,

my yard will look PRISTINE!!

What's the weirdest thing you've found in your yard?

Why Didn't Jarid Bury Them at the Bottom of the Pile???

2008-04-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

Rating: PG (for Suggestive Body Language)

Two days ago, Jarid took some whites out of the dryer, piled them into a basket and put the basket in our family room downstairs where we typically fold laundry. (He is SO good about keeping up on laundry that I have to work hard to get a load done before he does.) He's great! But this time I guess he didn't notice what was on top of the pile.

The next morning the kids were eating breakfast and suddenly they turned toward me full of giggles.

Julian: "We found something in the laundry and we don't know what it is."

Logan, still giggling, "Yeah, mom, what is it?"

My mind started racing as I thought of what they might have found. Then I remembered a recent evening with Jarid and asked, "Was it white with little red hearts?"

More giggling. The giggling was constant really.

"YES!" they chimed.

"Well, why were you digging in the laundry?"

"We weren't. They were on the top."

What in the world? On the top?

Logan was standing now and giggling so hard he was doubled over. He straightened a bit, made a triangle with his fingers and dropped them below his waist. Gasping to catch his breath he blurted, "Does it go here?!"

Oh my gosh! I thought. Quickly I offered, "I'll think about how to explain it while I take a shower. " I rushed downstairs and, like lightening, hid the stringy item in question.

Thankfully, they haven't brought it up again! But it's only been two days...!!!

Acknowledgements: Kellie

2008-04-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

JUST 3 LITTLE WORDS:

Odor Eaters Work!!!

Awkward Moments

2008-04-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

An email I got this week brought these memories back...

When I was 4 or fiveI was on a road trip with my PuertoRican Grandma. I have a very clear image in my mind of her taking me into a gas station restroom for a potty break. It was there she taught me to line the potty with toilet paper before I sat on it. I remember being confused and asking her why I had to do that. Maybe that is when I started being paranoid about germs. To this day, don't laugh, I still line the seat if I'm anywhere but home or the Farmhouse pretty much, but especially public restrooms.

Once, when Jarid and I were first married and I didn't know his family very well, I was visiting his home and I lined his parent's toilet with paper. Then, I FORGOT TO BRUSH IT INTO THE POT AND FLUSH IT!!! What was I thinking?? His mom went in next and came out asking who would do that! All eyes fell on me.

Not long after that, I was at their house again and saw matches floating in the toilet water. Thinking they were open about these things, because of the prior questioning, I came out, chuckled, and asked who was "blue-darting" in the bathroom? I didn't know people used the smoky smell to rescue future users from the odor! Aghhhh! I wonder if they remember that?

Some Pictures to See!

2008-03-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Logan went up to Primary's for his weekly chemo. On Thursday morning he said he didn't feel well enough to go to school. To illustrate his point, he took our whiteboard off the fridge and drew his stomach, complete with bellybutton and "throw-up germs." Julian helped him with his head and appendages.

Saturday Morning Raquetball Sunrise:
More Than One Reason to Get Up Early!!!

A wonderful friend found this 1980's relic
after reading my post dated 3/1/08...

My Drug of Choice

2008-03-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week. We all have those now and then, so what do we do about it? The only thing we really can do is find a way to cope.

The first coping skill I usually turn to is to pretend that everything is fine and smile my way through the day. Then, when I can, I retreat to a quiet place (my bed) to think or sleep it off.

Next, I turn to food. Food has a calming effect on me. Sometimes it's sugar. Other times fried food. And, when my tummy gets too full, I try the sleeping thing again.

BUT, my all-time favorite way to cope is something I can only do when it's warm outside and someone can stay with my kids. I RUN! I run away. I run and run and I concentrate on my breathing and my posture and pretty soon I'm relaxed and numb. I feel hypnotized by the rhythm of my shoes pounding on the pavement and the pulsing lungs in my chest. I feel the cool wind in my hair and the warm sun on my skin and I am free.

Exercise can be an effective way of coping. The endorphines your body produces burn off stress and give you a burst of happy energy. Afterward, you'll likely feel great that you got up and did something good for your body and your mind.

How do you cope?

Stinky Feet

2008-03-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

My experience with stinky feet has not been prolific, but a few memories have surfaced recently due to a situation I've been having with my gym/work shoes for the last week or so.

My earliest memory of stinky feet was in junior high school. We wore shoes without socks there, which was perfectly normal to us, unlike here in Utah where I was stunned to see people wearing socks with their sandles! We lived in Puerto Rico where the humidity was often upwards of 100%. Put that together with the sockless feet and you'll know why no one wanted to take off their shoes in public.

A more recent memory is of a 5th grade PE class of mine. A mother of one of the girls came to teach a yoga lesson. She asked everyone to take off their shoes and as soon as they did I wished they hadn't. Overpowering is the word I'd use to describe the air, even in that large and spacious gym.

Last week I noticed my gym shoes were looking a bit drab, so I threw them in the washer to brighten them up. They came out with a weird smell, so I put them back in and added some bleach. This time they came out smelling like a clean bathroom. I propped them up in front of a space heater and I wore them to work when they were dry.

A couple of days later I took them off and a whiff of stench rose to my nose. What in the world? Over the next few days the smell got stronger, enough so that if I was sitting, my nose was close enough to my feet to notice.

While teaching classes today I could smell the odor wafting up from a full standing position. It was getting stronger. When the students grouped around me I convinced myself that they'd probably think it was from some other student or even worry that the stink was coming from their own shoes. You can get away with a lot in an elementary school.

Later, I sat in a "teacher class" after school and couldn't concentrate for the smell emanating from my shoes. I thought, my whole table must be able to smell it, as I studied their faces for clues. My friend, the Health/Computer teacher, assured me she detected nothing, but I pushed my feet further under the table anyway. When she left for a few minutes, I knew she was taking a fresh air breather. She came back giving the excuse that she was talking to another teacher about a computer problem. Convenient.

My shoes are again in the washing machine. I added some air softener with a floral bouquet. Will it be enough to save my shoes? I only need them to last until the end of the school year!

Cancer Perks: More Than Just an Egg Hunt...

2008-03-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Cancer is a huge challenge and very, very scary! It's nice to know there are people who care and work hard to give the kids and their families opportunities to have fun together year round. It also helps to know that we're not alone. We get to meet other families who struggle with similar issues. Julian LOVES to meet other cancer siblings!

We haven't participated in very many of these events over the last 4 years, but, Logan has been doing so well lately that I've signed us up for just about everything that comes our way!

This Make-A-Wish event was a Fun with a capital F! Game booths, sack races, face painting, clowns, balloon tying...all with great prizes! Not to mention an egg hunt where you couldn't see the ground for the number of eggs lying around.

Really, I'm not bragging!

2008-03-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Five Languages of Love:

Quality Time - feels loved when another chooses to spend time with them

Receiving Gifts - feels loved when another gives them a gift

Acts of Service - feels loved when another provides a service for them

Physical Touch - feels loved when another hugs them, touches their hand or cheek, gives a back massage, etc.

Words of affirmation - ME ME ME!!!

This week I had the rare opportunity of having another teacher request to observe me. All first year teachers get this opportunity, but no one has ever asked to watch me in action until now. I hope she doesn't mind that I share this, but it just made me feel SO good and happy inside!

Cecilia,
It was so good for me to watch you teach today. You really are fabulous!
One of the things I loved most is how you're happy and have so much fun with the kids. You laugh when they do/say goofy things but when you're talking, they give you attention and then follow your instructions.
Boyce (the curriculum coach) commented on your excellent management too! He pointed out how you were constantly telling the students your expectations like "raise your hand if you know..." You also nailed that "checking for understanding." I think you asked the students to repeat their instructions each time. WOW! I forget that a lot.
Anyway, I really appreciated the visit to your school to see a pro at work. Amazing. I'm so glad I'm in your ward and have gotten ideas and lesson plans from you all year. You've helped more than you'll ever know.
-Katy

So, now you know that every time I tell you how wonderful you are or how much I appreciate you, I'm really saying, "I care a whole heckuva lot about you!"

HE DID IT!!!

2008-03-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

...And then he said, "I can't blieve I did it! I'm so plouda myself!"

For the last 4 1/2 years once and even two or three times a day, we've been crushing pills and mixing them in a little raspberry syrup. At first it seemed like so much work, smashing the pills between two spoons. Plus, some meds aren't meant to be crushed either because they don't work as well or are too harsh on the stomach lining and , in the case of chemo pills, there is the danger of inhaling the dust.

Though it's not ideal, we've done it anyway, because it was the only way to do it with a 2-year-old with a gag reflex. Over the years we've tried to teach him how to swallow a mini-M&M or take a pill with a bite of pudding, but never with success and always with a fight and crying fest.

Today was a big surprise. I try so hard to get to work a bit early or at least on time, but something always seems to come up. In my rush to give Logan a $14 anti-nausea pill this morning, I asked him if he thought he might be able to swallow the tiny pill. What was I thinking? If it didn't work, not only would I have a gagging, crying little boy on my hands, but I'd also have a soggy, expensive pill. What possessed me, I don't know, but he made a face then promptly put the pill in his mouth.

The pill tasted bad, so right away he took it out and said he didn't think he could do it. We walked to the kitchen while I suggested we put it in a bite of yogurt. I opened the refrigerator door and Logan took his half-filled cup of chocolate milk out. He put that pill in his mouth, then swallowed it down with a swish of milk! I wish I had a picture. The look on his face was a mixture of shock, amazement and delight! He went straight to Julian's room to annouce the big news, then downstairs to tell daddy. What a moment!

Natural vs. Additives

2008-03-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

The sugar rule only applies to foods that have sugar listed as an additive. Fruit does not fall into this category. Honey, Fructose Corn Syrup (high or otherwise) and such are the felons.

I guess one could make a goal to not eat sweets or treats, which might include sugary snacks and desserts. Anyone want to ammend their challenge guidelines???

P.S. I am enamored with Farmhouse honey. What a treat! It is so thick it takes forever to come out of the bottle. I need to get my hands on some more of that stuff! Is there still a website? I searched, but couldn't find it.

SUGAR SHOCK!!!

2008-03-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are interested in the "No Sugar" portion of the Healthy Challenges, you need to know what I learned yesterday.

You'll also need to brace yourself for this shock of all shockers.

Run and fill a glass of water to have near you before you read further. Bring a clean cloth, too, in case you need to put it on your forehead after you read what I have to say.

Now, make sure you are planted firmly in your chair.

Are you ready? Then read on, my friend.

If you are going to earn a point for eating no sugar, you need to check the ingredients of all the foods you eat. If one of the first 6, yes SIX, ingredients is sugar, then don't eat it! This includes regular yogurt, most breakfast cereals, salad dressings, even bread!!! Crazy, I know! Check some labels. You'll see.

Now, I haven't attempted to earn any points in the "No sugar" category. It's not worth it to me. Plus, I know from experience that I can lose all the weight I want to without depriving myself of the sweet things in life. In my opinion it's more a matter of limiting, not eliminating, sugar intake.

Wouldn't you rather weight lift and extra 20 minutes for that extra point? It's up to you, of course. Good luck with whatever you decide.

GET FIT AND HEALTHY!!!

2008-03-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

I am simultaneously participating in 2 Fitness Challenges, possibly soon to be 3. Ambitious, I know. I figure the odds of winning are greater if I dip my fingers into more bowls, if you know what I mean. That speaks of my competitive nature.

The first started 2 weeks ago at work. We are divided into teams of 5 and my team is currently in 2nd place and kicking the heels of the 1st place team. Prizes will be awarded to the team who earns the most points, the person with the most points and anyone who accomplishes their personal goal by March 30th. My personal goal is to lose an average of 1 lb per week. So far I've doubled that, so it's working.

The second is with a group of neighborhood ladies and we began last week. We work as individuals. The points we earn will be used to "purchase" prizes at the end of 6 weeks.

The third is open to anyone, even you! You can find details at http://www.thesummerillsurf.blogspot.com/. And this chick (my good friend, Erin) is contageously motivating. So, check it out!

All the challenges are similar in that way that points are earned.
One point each day can be earned for the following...

Get at least 7 hours sleep.
Take a multivitamin.
Drink 64 oz of water.
Eat breakfast
Eat 2 serving of fruit and 3 of veggies.
No caffeine
No soda
No sugar
Read scriptures/Pray
No eating after 7:30pm

One point is earned for each of the following with no limit as to how many per day...

30 minutes of cardio
20 minutes of toning/weight lifting

Two points are awarded when a pound is lost. (It is best to only weigh in once each week.)

I am loving the motivation I get from friends who are in it with me. So get some of yours together and start up a challenge! It's the popular thing to do. (And that's okay because it's positive peer pressure, not negative. Ü)

From the Horse's Mouth...

2008-03-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me truthfully state that I am not prone to gossip. That Mormon Ad from the 80's with the black slime passing from one set of hands to the other gave me pause when I was a youth. Not that I had been party to that type of talk prior to seeing the poster, but the poster was the catalyst for my decision to avoid engaging in gossip. So far I've held true to my committment and only kiss and tell if my sources are reliable.

That being said, Guess what happened in my neighborhood this week???

We've had several deer coming down from the mountains behind our nestled community this winter. More than usual. I saw two 4-point bucks nibbling bushes in front of a house on 3rd East early on a Saturday morning as I was driving to meet some ladies for a rousing game of racketball. Jarid saw an elk in our own back yard the very next week, again in the wee hours of the morn. This week a cougar was spotted in the yard of our neighbors who live on the other side of our block. Yes, you read that right. A COUGAR!!! I'm having third thoughts about going out for an early jog.

Another neighbor came home from work late one evening this week and was surprised by a night-time visitor. No, not a cougar. This encounter began after he'd entered the house and had closed the door. He heard a knock and when he opened the door to see who in the world would knock so late he found himself standing face to face with a policeman! Seems there's been a string of home robberies of late in our little nook of the city. I wish I'd have asked his wife if he'd been fumbling with the keys or was wearing a warm, dark-colored ski mask or something else that would have looked suspicious to an officer of the night.

So, that's what's happening where I live. What's going on in your corner?

I DARE YOU!!!

2008-02-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

Remember when we were kids and that all-powerful dare? On Monday I ate at a delicious Asian Buffet with some of our extended family where Julian and her cousin, Alexandra, demonstrated a great feat of bravery.

Now you see it...

Now you don't!!!

Her Shameless Love of The Chocolate Fountain!

2008-02-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

This was not staged as those of you who know her will willingly believe.

If I hadn't pulled out my camera she might never have noticed.

You just gotta LOVE that girl!

My Cutie-Pie!

2008-02-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's week at my kids' school, each day was assigned a color and they kids were supposed to wear that color. Julian LOVED it and went all out!

Valentine Surprise!

2008-02-16T18:58:00.001-08:00

You've probably noticed that I have the most amazing friends. Well, some of them love to mysteriously and anonymously drop goodies on our doorsteps. It's always fun to deduce from whom they came (good grammer?) but, more importantly, to appreciate being associated with these terrific ladies!

A few weeks ago it was a beautiful and delicious satin pie. This week it was "appley goodness" befttingly described by Kellie. It tasted incredible, but try not to be too jealous. Ü

Erin, the fabulous photographer of the group, took these gorgeous pictures. Yummy...MORE than yummy...Delightfully Delectable Appley Goodness!!!

The GREAT-Y 80's!!! (Cheesey, I know.)

2008-02-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Girls' Night!!! If you ever want to come, just say the word. Any woman is welcome and you won't regret it.

Hear no boredom!
See no boredom!
Speak no boredom!

Some of the die-hards. Tammy was too enraptured with her new baby boy to slip into the past...and rightly so, I might add. She was there, though, and we are all glad about that. Ü

P.S. Can you spot my pegged legs and socks?

Where Have You Been?

2008-02-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm not sure where you've been, but I've been balancing spending time with my husband and kids with reading some really great books! It's hard to keep up with blogging when your nose is in a book. Plus, I haven't pulled out my camera much and how much fun is blogging without a picture or two?

I've also been to the 80's and back! For Girls' Night this weekend we dressed as if we were still livin' it up in the 80's. It was almost as much fun doing my hair and finding accessories as it was actually being at the party. My friends are a little crazy and I love it!

So, imagine peg-legged jeans and layered pink and yellow neon socks (that I kept from my high school days) and here I am. By the time this was taken my hair had fallen about two inches. How did we do it back then?

I'm hoping my photo-riffic friend, Erin, will email some pics of the rest of the bodacious babes so I can post them. (Hint, hint!)

Rock on!!!

Tribute to the late LDS President Hinckley

2008-01-30T10:07:00.001-08:00

"To be tagged or not to be tagged...that is the question." - You

2008-01-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Did You Know...?

10 years ago...
I was pregnant with Julian, my first, and just getting over the all-day sickness. I was beginning to feel like I could suddenly become a gymnast (ask Camille.) My fourth grade class was SO fun and my family, who was in town, attended our 4th grade Mini-Society Activity. (When I look back at the pictures, I can't help thinking, "How could I have been that huge only half-way through the pregnancy?!)

5 things on my to-do list today...
1. Get to church on time - check!
2. Find someone to give stuffed mushrooms to - check!
3. Give back all the books I've borrowed recently - check!
4. Take a nap - check!
5. Finish reading Uglies - still working on it

What I would do if I were suddenly made a millionaire...
Invest most of it so we could live off the interest. Use the interest to eventually pay our debts, buy new cars that don't break down, and go to Disneyland. (Hopefully we'll have enough to do that this summer anyway. Both kids are expecting it for Logan's "off-treatment" celebration.) Ulitmately, stop working and volunteer by helping other families with childhood cancer and visiting burn victims.

5 places I have lived...
1. Provo, Utah
2. Midway, Utah
3. Homestead, Florida
4. Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
5. Pleasant Grove, Utah

Something you might not know about me...
I love road trips. The fact that I haven't been on any for many years is just a sign that the perfect time is approaching. Can't wait to show the kids more of the world!

GoodReads

2008-01-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

Check out my goodreads section on the right! If you are a reader and would like to be on my friend's list, let me know. This is a great website to see what your friends are reading, to write reviews on books you've read and to keep track of the books you'd like to read!

Book Review

2008-01-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

I've had the opportunity to read some fabulous book lately!!! Here are some of my faves.

THE BURNING WITHIN
This is an incredibly insightful book. Don't let the fact that it includes a near-death experience scare you away. It's only one chapter and very much UN-like the other wierd one I read several years ago. This book is a grabber from the beginning and gets better as you go. My favorite thing about this book is how the author, Ranelle, describes what she learns about love, life and herself as she begins to recover from her extensive and severe burns. Ranelle happens to have moved into a house a block away from mine a few months ago and I've had several wonderful conversations with her. As soon as you meet her you can feel love emanating from her, including you in its warmth. She is an incredible woman, who continues to live true to the lessons she has learned from her experiences. She's an example to me and all those who meet her.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT
This piece of fiction is fantastically written and very much a "gripper," difficult to put down. I never imagined I'd read a semi-realistic Cinderella story that would be as deeply thought out and filled with so many clever surprises! Plus, I love fiction novels that are set in times when Ladies were lady-like and proper, Lords of the manor were absent and mysterious and people still travelled on horseback and in horse-drawn carriages. (ie. Emily Bronte types) There was one thing I easily predicted, but I had no idea how things would progress and turn out in the end! This is a must read, especially if you are a romantic.

If you read a fabulous book, post it in the comment section with a short review. Then we can all add them to our book lists and enjoy them!

How to Stay Out of Debt

2008-01-13T16:48:00.001-08:00

I should have been the co-author of this unique new program. hehehe!