auna-ba-nauna

Christmas Throwback

2012-02-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Prep Day

2012-02-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it was hectic, but we got it all done in essentially the few hours that we have the kids on Monday nights. Here are a few pics of the finished products. Forgive the lighting. It was late at night

Kailey and Jessica both did Valentine Crushes for their friends and literal crushes. It's out of focus because it was a phone pic, but it says: The best kind of Valentine's crush is the kind you can drink. We has a heck of a time finding the Strawberry Crush sodas, but it was well worth it. They looked great...even if the girls are at the stage where they are annoyingly worried about every little detail in their attached pics. Like, seriously, they obsessed.

Here we have Austin's last minute Valentine box. I spent I don't know how long convincing him it would be fun to do. At the last minute, when he saw how awesome Lexi's was going to be (down further), he decided he needed one. We whipped this up in just a few minutes. Never fail, tinfoil is here...

AND here is the piece de resistance (no clue on the spelling), Lexi's toilet Valentine box. Yup. It's a red and white toilet. She told me what she wanted, and I got a little too excited about the endless creativity. She did keep us from adding unwrapped tootsie rolls in the bowl. Dangit. Oh, and Lexi is my niece, who we are staying with while in the trenches of house limbo.

Here is the Valentine that we did for Austin's class. I'm sure you've seen them online. I edited a pic of Austin looking all Black Panther with his fist raised and then punched holes on either side of the fist to make it look like he was literally holding the sucker. Pretty cool, eh? Just wish the words had more pop, but I was strapped for time. All in all, not a bad Valentine's Prep Day.

NOW for the real thing.

Fiction v Real Life

2012-01-31T22:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is, the crazy warm, yet cozy weather, my soft snuggly bed, the homemade ginger cookies or the ready availability, but I have been reading fluff. Lots and lots of fluff. I possibly made it through 7 or 8 books over the weekend and have read a book a day after work. I have self-inflicted headaches from reading too late and drinking too much caffeine to compensate.

I know. I have gone overboard. Don't worry, though. I do this every once in a while. Even in junior high, when my sister and I shared the guest room at my grandma's house, we would read all night, watch the sun rise and then get ready for school.

Why do we do these things? I'll tell you. This week, I have lived on farms, lived in several different time periods and countries, gone back to college, been involved in absolute silliness, and fallen in love a countless number times...a few of those with rugged cowboys. How can real life compare to that?

REALLY? How can life compare to that? Just moments ago I set, yet another, book down, sighed and thought to myself, "I'm done with storybook part of my life; the moment you fall in love. I'll never go through that again." Then I realized how wrong I've been.

Recently my husband and I had a very candid discussion after having watched a movie where two friends spend years looking for love, finally find it in each other, and then the wife dies, leaving the husband lost in life. (Why do they do this to me? The reason I watch movies is for the happy ending!)

Though the movie wasn't as poignant as I thought it might have been, it made me ask the typical wife question, "What would you do if I died?" It's not the first time I've asked it. It probably won't be the last. I sometimes gain perverse pleasure in asking Todd questions that I know he doesn't want to answer. We were reflectively quiet for a moment before he wiped a tear away (yes, he is sensitive) and said, "You are my best friend. I can't imagine what I would do if you weren't here with me. What do you do when you lose your best friend?" And I fell in love all over again.

Sometimes I have to be reminded that real life actually is better than fiction because it's real.

Hunter's Baptism Invite

2011-12-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

Holy Trash! I can't believe that Hunter is already 8 years old! I took care of this little guy when he was a newborn in the hospital, because my sister had a C-section. He is no longer the little "Chunk" I took care of.

I created this invite to his baptism, as per my sister's request. We shot a few photos in the cold, barren weather, as well. They are for his book. Or if she is at all like me, his file on the computer that will eventually someday, maybe, might become a book.

To Andrew

2011-12-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

It's been over 5 years, but you are not forgotten.

Congrats, Landon and Alyssa!

2011-09-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

Daisy

2011-09-07T17:59:00.001-07:00

Because Daisy is so dark, it is fairly difficult to get a good picture of her. This is a fantastic photo taken by Kailey with our little point and shoot camera. Great job!

McMullins

2011-08-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

This past trip, I had a chance to visit with some friends from college. I always enjoy seeing their little family grow, knowing that I play a great role in helping these two friends finally get together romantically and eventually to marry. I even helped Michelle pick out her engagement ring. This time while we were there, Todd and I got to shoot a few pics of their family.

Fighting with Fresh Fruit...A new way to make fruit salad.

2011-08-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

The master weapons collector, Paul was the instigator of all fresh fruit wars...

His son, Sir Kyle of the Melon...

The fresh pineapple has finally met its match.

Mistress Brooklynn practices her lunge and parry with her dagger...

And the babe (Kyle's cute daughter) watches on.

A fruit salad, you say?

Hazzah!

Now we shall feast...

Or be feasted upon!

Enough of this knife fight! Bring out the tommy gun!

This post was brought to you by Paul and Mel Mosher, who we visited in New Hampshire a few weeks ago. They have a fantastic weapons collection, so of course, we had to fight with fresh fruit.

Sometimes...

2011-07-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

It just works out this way, and I love Photoshop for the ability to accentuate it.

Biking It

2011-07-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

My last trip for work was to Helena, MT. Apparently, during the summer season, the travel costs increase exponentially, so when I checked out rental cars, the cost was exorbitant and out of my per diem budget. My solution? A bike. Todd and I were driving, so, because I was able to get a hotel closer to my location than he was, I decided to buy a bike and ride to and from.

So, I spent the better part of the 2 separate mornings at the bike shop looking over bikes and finally deciding on a hybrid that would give me flexibility instead of having either a road or mountain bike. It is the only hybrid in the store with disk brakes, and we had to special order it in a female bike frame. The Roam W 1, which are no longer in stock until next year's model comes out. In fact, we ordered the last one in the States that was available. Because I was going out of town before it came in, Todd also got the male version of the bike (remember, he didn't have to rent a car, because we were driving) and I rode his new bike.

When I got back from my trip, we went to the bike shop to pick up my bike. Apparently, it had arrived, been put together, and one of the shop boys had put it out on display and it was very quickly sold...to someone else...after I had already paid for it. Soooo...to make a long story short, I ended up with a more expensive loaner bike until the new 2012 Roam 1s come out. OR I could just keep the loaner bike. I am just bummed that I ordered a specific bike for specific reasons and now I am still riding a dude bike.

It Only Took 3 Years, but...

2011-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

I finally painted my front door red. It really pops now, and somewhat differentiates my house from the others in the neighborhood, well, except the house next door, which is also a red door home. Sigh...cookie cutter homes definitely have pros and cons.

We also cleaned out the front planter box and mulched. The previous owner had used river rock as landscape and failed to use weed blocker underneath, so we had to uncover layers of rocks that had worked their way down into the soil. This is not a feat for the light of heart.

All the rocks, you ask? They are now in the large firepit, ah, I mean trampoline pit. No more lighting entire standing Christmas trees on fire. The fire dept. will be ecstatic to learn of this. We are slowly getting the yard in shape. Now a sprinkler system to fix and we will have the basics done. I can't wait to actually start adding color and character to my yard.

Little Giant Mexican Cruise

2011-06-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Viva, Puerta Vallarta. One of the ports was closed due to political unrest, but our Freestyle Norwegian Cruise was fantastic. We went with our fellow coworkers (all who qualified) so we had company when we wanted and we went off and did our own thing when we didn't want to have to tag along with others. The entertainment was fantastic and the ports a lot of fun. Here are just a couple pics to show the fear in my eyes as I repelled down a waterfall and played on the beach in Cabo.

Spring Break

2011-06-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

This year for spring break, Todd and I were working just outside of San Francisco, so decided to fly the kids out to CA. Our intention was to go to Six Flags Animal Kingdom and then head to Vegas to spend time with the kids' cousins. Of course, it wasn't until later (after purchasing tickets) that the park wasn't open while we were there, the pool at the hotel was closed and the Santa Cruz boardwalk was closed. Pretty much our entire plan was a flop. Thankfully, I have a LOT of experience with vacations not working out as planned. I laughed heartily, as I always do, and we made other plans. We went through the Jelly Belly Factory, spent time playing in the frigid Pacific Ocean and then drove through the night to Vegas where we spent time on the strip, hanging out with cousins and shooting. All in all, it ended up being a fun trip.

Oh, and please forgive me for not putting the pictures in chronological order.

Bottle Deposit

2011-05-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Because today is Memorial Day, Costco is closed, which means that I am in the greater Portland area with nothing to do and no obligations. This does not happen often. You would think that having 10 days off in a row (theoretically) that I would have plenty of days without obligation. Life just doesn't happen that way, so this unexpected break has been nice. I have spent most of the day either roaming Clackamas, OR and watching old black and white and technicolor movies on the Fox Movie Channel. I have missed getting my old movie fix.

I did manage to make it to the grocery store to load up with meals for the rest of my trip here, which is where I found out that they charge me a per bottle deposit, which I will get back when I take my bottles back into the store where there are big recycling machines specifically for bottles. I don't know how other people feel about this, but it really annoyed me. In fact, as childish as this is, my stubborn streak came out and now I am going to exercise my right NOT to recycle those particular bottles.

As far as recycling goes, I am for it. It just makes sense to reuse instead of creating more plastic. At home, we have a recycle garbage can that the city picks up every other week. I won't say that I am totally vigilant in using it every time I have a recyclable, but I am green conscious when it makes sense. The problem is, I am not always at home and so it doesn't always make sense for me.

The fact that I rarely use water bottles when I am at home makes a difference in how I feel about this particular law, as well. I usually will buy a case of water when I am on the road, so that I have something to drink, however, it doesn't always make sense to collect the empty bottles and run them to the store later.

I am also irritated that this is a law instead of the bottling companies. How much regulation will be imposed on us. How many rules or taxes will be created because somebody else knows what is better for me? How are they coming along on the sugar tax? or the french fry tax? Thanks, but no thanks. I prefer to keep my right to make decisions for myself.

Of course, what can I expect? I am in Oregon, liberal state where the freeway speed limit is 55 and a certain population of people conserve water by not showering. Pardon my facetiousness. There are a lot of great attributes, such as a beautiful coast line and lush green foliage. And of course, I do have some great friends who live (or have lived) here.

I am curious, however, about what other people think about creating laws like this?

Just for Tanner

2011-03-01T19:37:00.001-08:00

Kailey

2011-02-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

We haven't updated the kids' pics on the wall for a while now, so after shooting Jenny's kids I had Kailey pose for a few. I'll have to get Jessica and Austin later when they are feeling better (they were sick that weekend). Ignore the bad editing. I'll fix it later, but I'm not sure when I'll post again.

Jenny's Catch-up Photos

2011-02-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Alright, these are pre-editing and I had some issues with lighting, so I have some color editing to do.

No Christmas Pics

2011-02-28T20:28:00.001-08:00

That would be because we skipped Christmas this year. It wasn't worth the drama. All I have to say about that, is that the rules and schedules mandated by law were created for a reason.

ON the bright side, Todd and I flew out to New Hampshire on Christmas day and I got to meet my sister-in-law for the first time. She wasn't able to come out to our wedding with her family because of work. We had a blast and got there just in time for some fantastic snowy days spent by the wood-burning stove in a historical home. A lot of card games, movies and family time made for a great trip.

November Birthdays

2011-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Bad boys get underpants for their birthday. I bet you didn't know that. It was the theme of the month.

Todd is very happy because the top layer of his cake is not actually cake. It was a box made out of a Hershey bar and filled with hard candies. For a non-cake lover (yes, they do exist), this is the best kind of Birthday.

The candy cake, courtesy of Jenny. Usually we collaborate quite a bit more, but this one was all Jenny. Very creative and fitting. Oh, and notice the candles, that was me, not her. However, there is one candle-less hole in the cake. That happened after Todd's mom informed us that he was not actually turning 39...just 38. Apparently we had gotten a little ahead of ourselves without doing the math. On the bright side, I have an additional year to plan the big 4-0. Wow. Did I really marry someone that old?

Austin's 11th birthday and his football field birthday cake. Cake themes are easy when there are so many sporting themes to choose from.

And yes, bad boys get underpants for their birthday, just like I told Austin many times in the month leading up to his birthday. Second year in a row. Luckily, we brought out the additional presents afterward.

Thank you Benders for the random pic, which I found after downloading my photos a few months later. I laughed heartily upon finding it. I'm sure that Daisy has previously never had so many people in her kennel at once.

A Very Belated Halloween...

2011-02-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

A last minute change from my deer costume, due to a lack of antlers in the store, meant that I got to be a kitty cat for Halloween. Anyone who knows Todd's love of cats can guess how much he enjoyed this particular costume.

Kailey decided that she wanted to be a nerd for Halloween this year. Check out the tape measure suspenders. Oh yeah, those were special order, baby...

After working on Jessica's zombie costume for dance (scroll down), Austin's costume also switched from being a werewolf to a zombie, as well.

Jessica's evening costume was as a rag doll. We debated making the traditional yarn wig, but the dyed hair turned out so much better and was so much easier to do.

Ahh, the traditional "Thriller" dance. We definitely had fun with the zombie costume, blood spatter and all.

Year Four

2010-11-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

You would think that eventually the dates of our losses would fade from our memories and we would only remember the times that we spent together with loved ones who have passed/moved on. Unfortunately, that isn't how it works.

I was only a few hours into today when I saw the date and had the poignant feeling of loss. It has now been 4 years since Andrew died. The days get easier in between, but when this day comes around each year, the wound feels fresh, as if no time has passed at all.

The tiny memories have started to disappear, only surfacing during random moments of reflection. Sometimes I remember the sound of his laugh; other times I can no longer hear it. There are days where I'm sure I can smell him and feel him there; other days when I only feel the emptiness of the absence of his presence.

It seems weird to me that I have been married for a couple years now and my husband and brother have never met. They would have been good friends. I know this, because they are both dorky enough to laugh at all, well most, of my jokes and goof off with me. Both have dared to dance all crazy with me. Both have been willing to care for me when I am sick or just plain lazy and both are my best friends.

I now realize that I sometimes took our friendship for granted, and that hurts, because I didn't cherish it completely when I had it. I always figured that he would be here with me, regardless of where life took us. I just didn't realize that life would take him away.

I'll never make that mistake again.

Phoenix, AZ

2010-10-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yay- We got to visit with Todd's bro and his fam in Vegas on our drive down and I stayed with some family friends who we don't often see.

Boo- 101 degrees. Seriously. In October.

Yay- The King Fam (from my mission) lives only an hour from where I stayed, so I got to visit with them, not once, but twice while I was here. And because they know me, they remembered the ice cream.

Boo- The economy is rough in AZ, which does not bode well for sales.

Yay- For fun pranks.

While visiting the Vegas Mosher's we decided to take a dip in the pool during the evening. There were dares and cajoling and all the boys and I ended up getting in. Todd hadn't brought a swimsuit, so he borrowed his brother's. Of course, Mark was smart enough to give him the white one. Oh, did I mention that he had previously cut the liner out of it? Right after Todd did a cannonball into the pool, Mark turned to us and said, "His swimsuit doesn't have a liner, so it's see-through." Of course, Todd decided to get out of the pool right at that moment, since nobody had joined him yet, and instinctively we all checked out his swimsuit. Yup, see-through. I think I got a towel in front of him quickly enough for modesty's sake. However, it did take me a minute, because I was laughing too hard.

Boo- For dead camera batteries and missing General Conference.

Yay- Hello, both of those are things I can fix. Buying batteries and visiting the Mesa Temple to get my pic and I can watch Conference when I get home. Gotta love tivo and the BYU channel.

Boo- Sore feet from standing all day for 10 days... and did I mention the 101 degree weather?

Yay- It's time to go home! I'm meeting Todd in Vegas and then we are coming home.

Lake Powell

2010-09-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Lake Powell...sunburns, red sand castles, laughter, wakeboarding (with a few tears), pictures, cliff jumping, lizards, sand crabs, snakes, mud fights, random underwear washing up on the sand, shredded flat boat trailer tires, ice cream sucking fish, Camp Three-Beach and campfire. It was a great trip with minimal bumps and tire changes.

Here are a few pics (OK, maybe more than a few):

Such concentration

I am supposed to inform you that Jessica was not posing...she really was just checking to see if there was sand on her bum. I just happened to catch it on film, err...digital.

No, they are not in pain. It was a brisk early morning dip.

The view from our campsite.

Nashville Nightmare

2010-09-09T22:11:00.001-07:00

Throughout my entire life, my family has always joked that we are living proof of Murphy's Law. I do not remember a vacation where something didn't go wrong. Sometimes there were only small problems, whereas other times, it was disastrous. There was never a time, however, where we didn't have a blast and make memories.

I am just going to have to chalk up this last trip to Nashville, TN to that same Smith curse. It started out badly and went straight to worse. I think that I lost my driver's license somewhere in the Portland Airport and didn't realize this until it was too late to do anything about it. Luckily, I had my passport and so could still get on the airplane. In the meantime, I had my mother call the car rental agency and attempt to figure out whether I would still be able to rent a car if I had my information and driver's license number faxed directly to the company. It wasn't until I arrived at the airport that I found out that they don't care if you misplace your information. No amount of faxing or emailing or even personal calls to the police dept. will help you out...and subsequently sweet talking.

So, I figure, alright, I can handle this. I weigh my options and do a quick cost analysis and end up using a shuttle. I'm still waiting for my credit card to be reloaded after booking all kinds of hotels and whatnot on it, so I go to use my debit card to pay for the shuttle. It is after it declines a couple of times that we realize my debit card expired the day before. Doh! I had plenty of money, but no access to it. Luckily, Todd had handed me one of his credit cards before we parted.

Once I got to the hotel, I asked the hotel clerk if there was any sort of public transportation that I could use to get to the Sam's Club where I was doing a road show. Apparently, there was one small "trolley" that nobody could find information about, nor was their any info online. No taxis were available and I hadn't been able to get a hold of a manager at the Sam's to verify a time to set up my demo. So, I swallowed my pride and asked the night clerk for a ride when he got off work. Unfortunately, he forgot about me the next morning. There was, however, a guest who had just checked out who was willing to give me and my large pelican case a ride.

I spent my entire weekend either walking a couple hours in the morning or catching rides from random Sam's cashiers/sample people. I gained an intimate knowledge of 3 miles around my hotel, thanks to some bad directions, and I gained a stalker, who later apologized for being stalkerish. I also found out, after some products I had sold were returned, that one of my coworkers was demo-ing at the Costco not even a mile from where I was. Of course, Costco sells our products for cheaper and so I lost quite a few sales to him. And to top it all off, my TV at the hotel wouldn't work. I found it sadly hilarious that Todd seemed not to stress about any of my dilemmas until he found out about my TV. His response? "Could ANYTHING else go wrong?" So after an unproductive weekend of leaving to walk to work at 6am in order to work 14 hour days and hitching rides, I am extremely ecstatic to be home.

I do have to say a quick thanks to Bob and Sam, who were driving to Florida to pick up Sam's grandparents and take them home to Kentucky, Mik and Kelsey, who both work at Sam's and are dating each other and took pity on me several times, Raven, whose husband has been stationed in Kuwait for the past year (the only time she has seen him was when he took 2 weeks leave for them to get married) and Matt, who is recently engaged and saving for the wedding of his fiance's dreams. I am very thankful for these new friends who helped me out and shared their lives with me.

Portland, OR

2010-09-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

My first official trip to sell ladders was to Portland, OR. I really enjoyed being there and I learned a lot. There are a lot of great people who live there, and I made quite a few new friends while working. It was also fun to see some friends who moved there a few years ago and their new home.

Here are a few things that I learned while in Portland:

1. When buying cases of beer, you must purchase either 1 or 3. I don't know why, but I was positioned across from the alcohol section and watched as people loaded their carts up with beer.
2. On that note, $300 for a ladder is a lot of money, however, $300 for wine isn't. I'm a little confused by this considering that the ladder has a lifetime warranty and the wine...well, a moment on the lips and all that.
3. Apparently, there are a lot of people who eat fish. This is a phenomenon not seen in Utah and definitely not appreciated by me. I mean seriously, why choose fish when you can have a good steak or something?
4. Rain gutters have to be cleaned out regularly. Of course, you have to have foliage for this to be a necessity.
5. Babies love to be in backpacks. Now, I have seen this before, just not in such high numbers. It seemed like every baby I saw was in a backpack on a parent's back.
6. The whole athletic clothing in the morning while running errands after your run isn't just for mornings when you are in Oregon. You can wear your workout clothes all day long. I often felt quite overdressed in my polo and khakis.
7. Lemon pudding cake is my favorite dessert ever. Previous to this, I had always thought it was my mom's pie. I must have been misinformed.
8. If you make friends with the sample ladies they will give you as many samples as you want. This is really good when it is steak and cheesecake day...I don't want to talk about it...
9. Days Inns do not have complimentary conditioner. Their target market must be men with short hair, because women understand how important hair conditioner is.
10. I have also had it reaffirmed that people outside of Utah find my sense of humor charming. In Utah, people stare at me blankly when I am trying to be funny. Elsewhere, they think I am freaking hilarious. I would move to a different state, but being in Utah keeps me humble.

I also found a new Italian restaurant that I love, visited the Portland Temple (pics will be up later), and realized that, yes, I can do this whole being a salesman thing. In fact, I quite enjoy it. Now off to Nashville, TN.

The End of the US Census

2010-07-16T14:31:00.001-07:00

Now, as the Census slowly draws to an end and the temporary Census workers put on their job seeking hats, I have to think to myself how thankful I am to have already been placed in a position at a different company. I will forever be thankful that I was able to work here and save my sanity (I don't do well being at home), as well as my financial situation. I have made some great new friends, but I am ready to move on.

This may sound snobbish, but I didn't go through all my years of schooling to work in a position that won't even compensate me enough to pay off my student loans. Instead, I spent the time earning an MBA so that I can be a ladder salesperson. Yes, I see the irony in that statement. I will be working as a salesperson for Little Giant Ladders, the same as Todd.

There are quite a few pros for the job:
1. This will put me on the same travel schedule as Todd and we will have every 0ther 10 days together, without me having to go to work while he gets to sleep in.
2. There is a pretty decent upside to the payscale (although it is 100% commission, which can be good, but also can be bad).
3. I will be working with a company that has integrity (and surprisingly, this is not an oxymoron) that I can believe in and who has a superior product.
4. Spending a few years working in sales will help me bolster my resume, which will enable me to truly utilize all of my other preparations for the corporate world.
5. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I will have every other 10 days off? I will have time to work on all sorts of projects that have been put on the back burner until a time when I have, either more time, or more money.

I am quite excited to see this chapter in my life end and the new one begin. You never know what could happen next. Maybe I'll actually learn to cook or sew or something...probably not.

Random Dreams

2010-06-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

I must be feeling nostalgic because lately, I have had a lot of random dreams about different friends from the past, or friends who I don't see very often anymore. So, I just wanted to put a note in here to wish all those friends well and let ya'll know that I've had you on my mind.

Why am I so overwhelmed?

2010-06-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yup. This pic pretty much sums up how I've been feeling lately.

I'll be honest, I have no idea why I feel so overwhelmed these days. I could blame it on the fact that I am working, but that never used to be an issue for me. It does seem like there are many people pulling me in many different directions (though not overly much, so that isn't a good excuse), plus work literally gives me a headache everyday. I blame the headaches on the cheap headphones that we have to wear, which put pressure on my head all day.

I don't think that it helps that I am feeling so unorganized. That is actually something that I can control, and I love to organize, it just seems that I am never able to keep it that way. Plus, there is definitely an added level of difficulty being married to someone who prefers chaos to my over-organized ways.

I've slowly been working at getting my church calling a little more organized. It helps that there are now three adults to 6-7 girls for Activity Days. Now, if only I could get my house in order. It seems that every time I finally start making some headway, something happens to mess up what I am doing. I am going to have to go back to putting all of my clothes out for the next day, carrying my large homemade planner (it is actually very cool and very fitting for my needs) and planning my meals a week at a time.

After I get organized, again, I can definitely start focusing on all my other goals that seem so far away at this moment...oh, and the perpetual list of things to do around the house.

If anyone reads this post (haha...that's the big if) and has any great ideas to help me out with this, please, do tell. Heck, right now, even this post is a big jumble.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...Thankfully, it's off to work we go.

2010-05-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

So, Todd started his new job this week. It's a month of training and then back to traveling for a living.

This is a good thing, for those of you who are thinking, "Oh, that sucks." We actually had a couple companies that were wanting to hire Todd and we chose the one that involved travel, because it just works for us. Todd loves to travel, (sometimes I'll go with) and we get the added benefits of hotel points and frequent flier miles. *Hey, we all have our priorities.* Oh and it helps that technically Todd only works half of the year, when he's home, he's really home and he gets a month off starting just before Christmas.

Things worked out pretty well after Todd got laid off. (Ah, such is the life for salesmen during this economical low.) He found a new position and started work about two weeks later. Those two weeks became paid vacation due to his old position paying him wages for his accrued vacation time. All I can say is, thank heavens for the blessings of tithing.

Now if only I can find a position as quickly after this temporary position ends at the end of July...Oh, and can I request that it is applicable to my degree and moves my career in the direction I want it to go? Maybe that is too much to ask.

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-05-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love birthdays...and holidays in general. Todd, not so much.

So, although Todd got laid off and so we have been (as always) pinching pennies, I know he loves me when he spends the majority of the day planning and preparing a great dinner meal. The table was set with our fine china (we only have 5 place settings so it doesn't get used very often, but it is beeeautiful), the crystal and even a votive candle in the middle of the table. Todd dressed in one of my favorite outfits on him and we had a great meal with every food being something different from our norm.

The theme of the evening was "stuffed." We had stuffed peppers, salad, green beans and stuffed pork chops, and to top it off...I was very stuffed at the end. We're going to have to wait a while before we decide on what to eat for dessert. I still have some sugar cookie dough and cream cheese frosting from yesterday. Mmmm...

Kylie's Obituary

2010-04-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, from the information that we could gather, my brother's widow, Kylie, walked into a gun range, checked out a gun, bought some ammo, then ended her life in very much the same way that my brother's life ended.

I'm still not certain how I feel about it. It is almost like a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy, without the prose. My initial thought was an emotionless, "Wow, what a waste." Then I moved forward.

I tried to find a way to make it to the funeral, but it just wasn't possible, so we sent flowers and a note. Then, I began to feel such sorrow for Kylie's dad, and that is when the tears came. This poor man has been through so much and watched his family spin out of control in a lot of ways. I ached for his pain.

As for Kylie. I don't know if it was part of the forgiveness process or just how I have dealt with the unresolved situation, but I don't really feel anything, not even regret. I just hope that now she can find peace, something I don't think she has felt for a very long time. I also know that Andrew will help her find that peace in death, just as he took care of her in life, only now, he will have more strength as he takes on her struggles.

Kylie Obituary

Kylie Fleming, age 25, passed away April 14, 2010 in Utah. She was born May 2, 1984 in Mesa, Arizona to Jeffrey and Erin Bell Fleming.

Kylie spent much of her early childhood in Mesa and attended Longfellow Elementary. She was the apple of her daddy’s eye and the joy of her family. Kylie moved to Orem, Utah in her early teens to live with her mom and siblings. After returning to Arizona at age thirteen, she spent some time living with her paternal grandparents in the pines of Strawberry. Kylie then moved with her dad to Gilbert, attending Gilbert High School and playing soccer. After high school, Kylie returned to Utah and found work as a lifeguard at Lagoon. There, she met Andrew Smith. Kylie returned to Arizona to live with her family for a while and began her work in retail sales and management. She found that her work ethic and desire to succeed served her well in the industry. Kylie lost her mom in 2003 and worked through that pain bravely. Andrew and Kylie were married in 2007. Her family witnessed a wave of peace come over Kylie that they had never before seen. When Andrew passed away, Kylie was again devastated by her loss. Her strong desire to survive and the support of her family seemed to sustain her. Most recently, Kylie has been in a long-term relationship with Bob Olsen of Utah.

Kylie was a loving daughter, supportive sister, caring granddaughter, favorite cousin, and loyal friend. Of Kylie’s many roles, she was deeply fulfilled in her role as big sister. She adored her siblings and felt a tremendous responsibility to take care of Zach and Stephanie from a young age. She was a thoughtful and loving big sister to Jenna, as well. Kylie was undeniably “Fleming” in her wonderful sense of humor. She had an uncanny ability to quote movie scripts and song lyrics. Countless family pictures show Kylie making silly faces or laughing hysterically. Kylie loved food. People would never believe how much she would eat given how remarkably tiny she was. In the past few years, Kylie took great pride in learning to cook. Kylie was a talented artist and loved to draw. She had an ear for music and was self-taught on the piano. Kylie enjoyed snowboarding, motorcycle riding and taking pictures of her friends and family. Kylie was an extremely passionate person with great capacity for love. She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman who turned heads wherever she went. Kylie’s twinkling eyes and radiant smile would light up an entire room. Her abundant hugs made those inside them feel loved and accepted. Kylie was, at heart, a happy go-lucky girl who found great satisfaction and fulfillment in helping others. Despite her many trials, Kylie awoke every day attempting to focus on the positive with admirable optimism and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Kylie is survived by her loving family; her father; Jeff Fleming, her siblings; Stephanie, Zach and Jenna, her niece; Kenadie Fleming, her step-mom; Kathy Diggs, her grandparents; Gerald and Carolyn “Funny” Fleming of Gilbert and R. DerMont and Linda Besner Bell, her great grandmother Dorothy Fleming, her aunts and uncles; Harrell and Jennifer Boyster, Guy and Sylvia Fleming, Kevin Fleming and Jennifer Mallicot, Carrie Hinson, Jeff and Karen Bell, ChrisJohn Bell, Brandon and Audrey Bell, Chad and Susan Fullmer, by Jaynee Besner and 42 beloved cousins.

Kylie was preceded in death by her dear great grandmother; Georgie Irene Besner, her mother; Erin Bell Young, and her husband; Andrew Smith.

Windy Days

2010-03-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have seen many comments from friends talking about the wind and how creepy or how dirty it is. It is exactly the opposite for me as I sit here this evening with a good book (courtesy of Kailey's ever-growing library) and listen to the wind beat against the house.

I'm not sure if it is the sound, the smell, the feel of the wind when I walk outside or the way that it suffocates out all of the day-to-day white noise that causes the feeling of security I always feel when it is stormy out. I know that sounds contradictory, but the wind and rain always remind me of when I was little and the quiet calm of driving through either the stormy weather or the stormy obstacles of my life. And then I hear a song, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and I feel as though I'm sitting back in the old (then new) Mercury Sable, driving home from visiting my grandparents in Idaho.

Why I always think of that trip in particular, I don't know. There was nothing noteworthy about it. It was just my parents, my brother, our new puppy named Bandit and me. It seems like so many of our trips home were either driven at night or during a storm and this drive was no different. It was late night, there was a steady rain and I could hear the windshield wipers swishing. Andrew and I were in the backseat practicing singing in a gravelly Louis Armstrong voice as the demo tape with maybe 10 songs played on repeat through the night. I also seem to remember a stretch of time where nobody said a thing. We all rode in a comfortable silence, lost in our thoughts and listening to the music.

So, although the wind seems horrible to so many others, it truly soothes my soul and brings me peace. I don't think of the wind as a storm, but more like a blanket of security, blocking out all of the extraneous and superfluous white noise while I allow myself to get lost in my nostalgia.

Favorite Shot of the Weekend

2010-03-28T20:05:00.001-07:00

I love this shot of Wendi & Jared. I think the subtlety of the reflection in the window of the Manti Temple is what makes it my favorite shot of the weekend.

The Little Things

2010-03-03T16:18:00.001-08:00

Todd may not be the best at grand gestures, but not many can argue with the care that he puts into the little things that he does everyday. I am most impressed by the latest routine that he and I have gotten into.

He knows that I really struggle with early mornings, so every morning he sets his alarm in time to wake up and make both my lunch and breakfast. Then he starts the truck to let it warm up. Now that is love.

Early Mornings

2010-03-01T20:32:00.001-08:00

I am not an early morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but work starts at 7am for me and I have to meet my carpool at 6:10 while it is still dark outside. How sad is that? I don't even get the benefit of seeing the sunrise. So, this is my new wallpaper, that for some reason I have to reset every morning. It is amazing at how much a picture can change my outlook on the morning. I know, it's cheesy, but it really does.

A Piece of Chocolate and Spinal Readjustment

2010-02-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

As I was helping out with the Business Expo today, I decided to take a break right before closing. Todd and I walked around a few aisles of the different booths and stopped at the Spinal Rehabilitation's booth when we saw that not only were they offering a free 5 minutes massage, but they were using some new-fangled machine to do a quick readjustment on backs. For anyone who knows me, you can understand why I would wait in line for such an opportunity. I am always looking for a way to get my blasted rib (which has been out for a very long time) back into place without spending a ton 'o' cash. I was pretty impressed with the whole process and the pricing and will probably be going into the clinic during the near future, funds allowing.

It was during the time that I was watching the whole process being done on another lady that a little boy, probably only about 5/6 years old, came up to me and handed me one of the Kit Kat bars being given away by another booth. It was so random that I had to chuckle, when the thought of why he might do this came to me. I could just imagine his thought process:

"Uh-oh, chubby girl. I'd better give her some chocolate before she eats me."

And at that thought, I chuckled, again.

Our Beater Vehicles

2010-02-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

I have to preface this by stating that I am glad that both Todd and I drive older vehicles and that they are paid off. A car payment is not an added financial burden that I would like to have right now. That said, I still do not appreciate the joys of cars that break down because they are old enough to be my parents (OK, not really).

This past week, on the car alone, we found that we needed to replace the battery, starter, ignition switch, something on the frame and a couple tires. Mind you, we just replaced the CV joint just a little while ago. Thank Heavens for mechanic brother-in-laws and dads who know their way around an engine. Both of mine have been willing to help Todd work on the car, although he replaced the starter and the battery by himself the other day.

As for the ignition switch...well, it's kind of important to be able to start the car. However, to fix that, we have to take the whole steering column apart. Who has time for that? So instead, we are saving that project for a sunnier day and Todd and my bro-in-law bypassed the ignition switch with wiring and created a start button in the car. It's real classy when we have to reach down below the steering wheel and hotwire our car to go anywhere.

So if you see me starting my blue car, I promise, I'm not lifting it. And as for the question of why don't we get another car? If we can find one that's cheap enough, we might be able to swing it, but I sure do have sentimental feelings for my Grandpa Blue car that was inherited from my brother. I don't know if we'll ever get rid of it.

Week 2 at Work

2010-02-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

I have now officially been working with the Census Bureau for 1 week, going on 2. So far we have done a TON of training and learned tasks for multiple positions. Because I am part of quality control, we do a bit more training than the census takers, and it has been pretty interesting.

It has also been interesting to watch the blogs and posts about the Census as it is getting closer to CENSUS DAY, when the call centers go live. There are so many fallacies and ridiculous rumors going around about how the census is gathering information that will be used to manipulate the public, find out personal information about us, etc. Wow. All I can say is that people really need to do their own research

To sum up the answers to the fears out there, no, the Census is not a ploy to exploit the American public. There is one every 10 years and has been since the creation of our nation (haha...creation of nation rhymes). The information gathered is used for many of the statistics that we hear, fund allocation and most importantly, to decide how many representatives each state is allowed.

ALSO, anyone working with the Census has to sign very strict confidentiality contracts, which if broken, are punishable by prison time and huge fines. These contracts are lifelong and do not even allow the people's names to be mentioned to a non-Census worker. Information gathered will only be released in the form of statistics, with no personal information being used. In fact, no other government agencies are allowed access to the personal information, not even the President. In several decades the details will be released to the general public and used mainly for genealogical purposes. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this method of family history research.

I think the whole process is very cool and very well organized. It'll be nice when we finally get out of the training process and officially start work. AND I hope that people will be nice and do their civic duty by filling out their questionnaires.

Valentine's Prep

2010-02-03T00:52:00.000-08:00

I can't decide how I feel about this Valentine's creation. We made "Love Bug" Valentines for Jessica to hand out to her class, but Kailey didn't really want anything crafty. I hate not going all out for the holidays, so I told Kailey that I would create a card for her that involved our animals, which are her passion.

This is the card that I whipped up in Photoshop. I'm not sure what I think about it. Can I get some feedback?

Monthly Projects

2010-02-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

Every month the girls have a monthly project assigned to them in school. So far we have done reports, created projects for constellations, created picture books and even a Grecian urn depicting our version of the birth of Aphrodite (or Venus). This last month the girls had to learn all of the major Greek Gods' counterparts in Roman mythology.

So their project was just a test, but we attacked it with the same vigor that we have with every other project. We created a game of memory with the Greek and Roman names that had matching symbols. We played memory and used them as flash cards; the girls practicing while they were at their mom's house, as well.

It definitely paid off in the end, because both girls got 107% on their tests! I am so proud of them.

This month they are studying Medieval history and have to create PowerPoint presentations. One of the girls' topics is period clothing and the other is the code of chivalry. It should be fun. Both topics are great.

Do You Ever...

2010-01-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

Have a desire to write this amazing blog post that inspires and uplifts others, helping them to find meaning in their lives to keep trudging forward through all the crap that life gives us, only to find that you have written an extremely long run-on sentence and not even inspired yourself to move away from the computer?

Cinderell-ee, Cinderell-ee

2010-01-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Fat Kitty has officially started shedding. I know that you are wondering why this is a notable event. It's not. It is a problem, however, due to the fact that he sheds A LOT more than the other animals. I have had to work much harder at keeping the house cat-hair-free. I am also trying to train him to stay off the counters in the kitchen and out of the pantry. This is not an easy task as he LOVES to wreak havoc in those two rooms.

Several times when I have realized that I haven't seen Fat Kitty for a little while and have gone in search of him, I have found him wrestling with an empty bread bag, the loaf of bread strewn all over the floor. He doesn't even have the courtesy to eat the bread; just a few nibbles here and there. This is why we created the "no animals in the kitchen/pantry" rule. The kids find it hilarious that Fat Kitty ruined it for all of the other animals. Daisy does not find it amusing in the least, now that she has to lay outside of the kitchen.

It has been fairly easy to train the dog not to go into the kitchen. The other cat is grumpy enough that it only being chased out of there a few times with a squirt bottle to do the trick. Fat Kitty, on the other hand, is a stubborn cuss. He tries so hard to be sneaky and the squirt bottle only does the trick if you spray him in the face. I know it sounds mean, but it is the only way I can get him to leave.

So... we are slowly getting to the point where the dog and Fat Kitty, who love each other, will lie together on the edge of the kitchen floor and watch us as we prepare our meals. Seriously, how cute is that?

As for clean kitchen floors, Jessica got the opportunity to scrub the floor this weekend when she found out what the difference between dish soap and dish detergent is. I'll give you a hint...LOTS of bubbles. Don't worry, as you can tell from the pic, she is smiling. It was hard not to after I practically fell on the floor laughing. This was quite a relief to her, considering she thought she would get into trouble for creating a HOT mess.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

2010-01-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm a bit early, but otherwise I will forget to post this.

Happy Birthday!

L - likeable
I - intelligent
S - super
A - amazingOh yeah, we're cheesy like that.

The Truth...

2010-01-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Behind cell phone bundling.

When Todd and I got married we both had individual cell phone plans through AT&T. We were happy with our plans and I had never had any problems with AT&T, who had much better customer service than any of the other cell phone providers that I had worked with.

After Todd got laid off, we decided that we had better bundle our phones in order to get a better deal and save money. What a false assumption that was.

First, they have two different ways of billing for customers. Some pay the month previous to usage and some pay after usage. I'm not quite sure why, I think for credit reasons? Anyway, Todd was previous and I was at the end of the month. When we merged, we settled my account and merged to his account because apparently he couldn't merge to my billing cycle, but I could to his. However, when we merged, they changed my billing cycle and so have been trying to double charge me for a month (plus the pro-rated for the change, which is what I was expecting would be the total). PLUS, they charged all total fees and past bills to our new and "improved" (please note my sarcasm) merged plan.

Then Todd got a new underpaying job where he uses his phone a lot more than we realized. So, we are already fighting the huge double phone bill when we realize that NONE of our rollover minutes transferred, not even Todd's. This really sucks because we both had thousands of rollover minutes, none of which we got to use when we received an $800 bill. Yes, $800 in one month. OUCH! That didn't help our already tight situation due to Todd's having to take a huge pay decrease to get a new job.

So, I called the phone company to see what they could do for me. In the past, I have had much better success with them, so hoped they would help me out. As it worked out, they were willing to backdate a new plan, but remember, my bill has already come out and so this doesn't affect my past bill. They are also willing to write off a few hundred dollars worth of minutes. Thank heavens. The wonderful customer service man took pity on me and added almost a thousand rollover minutes. However, that still leaves our bill at about $400, plus the double pay that we are still fighting. Unfortunately, CS Man wasn't wonderful enough to be able to take care of that situation.

So, back to my math for merging cell phones into a family plan?
2 Separate lines with 900 minutes each plus unlimited text = $160 after taxes (plus I have a U of U discount that brings it about $20 lower)

2 Lines on a family plan with only 1400 minutes (current increased minutes plan) and unlimited family text = $160 after taxes (my U of U discount now applies to 2 lines and saves us about $35, however, we had to pay $70 to sign up with AT&T's corporate something or other to get it.)

So, in the end, we will end up saving about $15 (after discount) a month. Of course when you think about all of the extra set-up fees, difference in minutes, loss of rollover minutes and double billing, which comes to about $700 (once again, OUCH!), we will eventually be saving money in about 4 years.

Back to the Grind...Maybe?

2010-01-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

A while back my sister was so kind as to let me know that Vangent is doing the hiring for the 2010 Federal Census. They are hiring 1200 people to help in call centers doing telephone surveys, quality control, etc. It is a temporary position based out of Sandy, but it pays better than a lot of the jobs that I have looked at and so I went ahead and applied for a quality control position.

I had my interview at the end of December where the gave me a conditional letter of hire, dependent upon my ability to gain security clearance.

So, yay, I will soon be working with a steady paycheck and will continue working with health insurance (any Utahns, feel free to contact me about it) during the time that I am not at work.

Boo, I am still stuck waiting for the background check and I really need to be able to bring in an income now. Luckily, I don't think it will take too long, considering I just had a background check when I got my insurance license and that didn't take very long. But it is hard to sit here, speculating on the date that I will be able to begin.

Christmas Break

2010-01-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a fun Christmas break for us this year; very easy going and laid back. We had a fun Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning and then got the kids back a few days later. We've been swimming at the Legacy Center, playing with friends, had our annual New Year's Eve sleepover and breakfast the morning after and we were visited by the local fire department when we burned our Christmas tree a little too high.

We burn our tree on New Years Eve to help us celebrate the past year by burning our written regrets and unreached goals. This year we also held a flag ceremony to dispose of our old, dilapidated flag properly. Apparently it alarmed one of our distant neighbors when they saw the flames rising in our backyard. I guess next year we'll have to cut the tree to pieces before we burn it. It won't be as much fun, but I reckon we ought to refrain from scaring our neighbors.

Austin's Christmas present, real football lockers.

Christmas Morning

Matterhorn de Pett

...and the luge...

He Called Me Fat...

2009-12-23T14:43:00.001-08:00

Seriously. He really did. This man was mad, so he got up in my face and told me to lose weight.

Who does that?

And of course, I am reminded about the conversation/email between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail," where Meg Ryan discusses her inability to think of the right mean thing to say at the right time. I, also, never think of the right mean thing to say. Is this a blessing? I don't know. But at this moment, at this time, with this man's sneering and hateful face, I couldn't think of the most obvious and elementary retort.

"I'd rather be fat than ugly. At least I can go on a diet."

You may laugh, but sadly, it was amazingly applicable. All of my life I have waited to say something that silly in the face of anger...and I missed my chance.

Temple Square

2009-12-20T13:55:00.001-08:00

Seeing the lights at Temple Square is something that my family has always tried to do. This is a tradition that I feel is worthy of being carried on, so we had already made plans to go see the lights when my family decided that we all needed to go see the lights together, and by together, I mean show up all together and then quickly get lost from one another in the crowds. That is exactly what happened. I stopped for just a few seconds to get a picture of the kids and I turned around to find that it was just Todd, the kids and I. No worries, though. We were able to take the lights at the pace we enjoyed without a lot of hassle.

And for my 2 readers who saw last year's Temple Square post, the kids were in much better spirits this time. In fact, they had been looking forward to going for the past couple of weeks after we had postponed our original plans due to frigid weather.

Here are a couple of the pictures I took. After having seen the bad focus on many of my shots, I vowed to remember to bring a tripod next year, which of course, I will forget, just like I do every year.

Of course, I had to toss the token random photo in, too. For anyone who saw the Blair Witch Project...this is scarily reminiscent. You just can't plan that kind of photo.

Fat Kitty

2009-12-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

I bring to you the bane of my existence.

He is just so blasted cute that I can't help but love him, but he sure is trouble; into everything and the loudest meowing cat I have ever met. AND he is constantly mewling for something, starting at 6 in the morning when he wants out of his bedroom, which is our bathroom.

And for the record, Fat Kitty is not really fat. He's just fluffy...like me.

*Please ignore the bad lighting of my guest bathroom.

Who DOES That?

2009-12-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you how annoyed I am?

I have continued to search for jobs, which to be honest, really sucks in the age of the Internet. The large companies all post job openings on Monster.com or Jobseeker.com, etc. Then you have to go to their personal website to fill out their application, on top of having a resume. When you click the submit button, your resume disappears into the swirling deep abyss of thousands of other contestants for the same job you just applied for.

The smaller, more local companies have started posting on sites like Craigslist. In fact, I have posted there for positions that Todd needs to fill at his office. It seems, however, that more than half of the postings for the entry level or just higher than entry level are scams. People who want you to sign up through some site that has an incessant amount of advertising or they ask you for a credit report in order to get your information. I have even seen one that asked me to fill out an application and fax it to them, under the guise of JetBlue. They were definitely NOT JetBlue, as they have you fill out all their applications on their own website (another one of the application abysses).

What I have to say about that is...SERIOUSLY? Seriously. People are preying on the poor people who don't even have jobs, and stealing their identities and credit information? That is ridiculous and pathetic. I am so frustrated with it, but what can a person do, besides be particularly careful? Plus, it means that you need to send out more than double the number of resumes and emails than you normally would. RIDICULOUS.

Halloween Costumes...belated

2009-12-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

So...now that we are getting ready to put our Christmas decorations up and put our fall decorations away, we decided to finally get the pics of the kids in the costumes we made them.

Jessica was a bee, created by my mother and me. Kailey was Hermione (as she was just finishing the Harry Potter series), put together by me, and Austin, a football player created by Todd. Here are just a few of the shots that I took of the kids. Of course, I can't forget Alli, our neighbors little girl, who wanted to be a bee like Jessica. Very cute.

*As usual, click the pic and ignore that my coloring is always a little off when pics are posted. Truly, that is the bane of my existence.

Game Night

2009-12-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have had a game night with anyone but my or Todd's family. Last night, however, a bunch of the wives in my neighborhood got together to play games. Thanks Lisa.

It was a ton of fun and I missed the days when my friends and I would get together all the time. I will be so glad when Marie finally gets back to Utah after having finished her residency and we can have more frequent game nights.

We should also get the neighborhood wives together more often, too.

Dead Duck

2009-11-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

...literally.

Which of my neighbors ran over one of the clique of ducks that loves to walk across the street from one field to another? I saw his limp body being picked at by rodents on the road this morning and it made me feel sad, as I had waited patiently for him to cross the road, just the other night.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2009-11-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

Which also happens to be the third anniversary of my brother's death. I don't have any pics of him on this computer, which makes me even more sad...to think that I haven't even had this computer long enough to have his picture on it. I downloaded one from facebook, so it isn't the best quality.

I miss you everyday, Andrew. You were my best friend, my protector, my shoulder to cry on and the only one better at getting into mischief than I was. I miss running errands with you and harassing you early in the morning to get you out of bed to come play with me, the late night chats on the loft and hugs, even though I said I didn't want them. I miss the family trips where you and I were the ones goofing off, going for motorcycle rides with your trying to scare me, just hanging out and playing games. I especially miss watching all of the cheesy made-for-tv Christmas movies with you. I can't believe that we watched "Eloise at Christmas" when we were in our mid-twenties. How nerdy were we?

I still sometimes cry in the shower when I remember that you're gone...for now. Until we meet again.

Birthday Present

2009-11-20T18:44:00.001-08:00

I guess we watch way too much "Project Runway," because this is what Todd wanted. I searched and searched for a good beginner machine. My mom was actually the one who found this one for me. Her present to him was sewing lessons.

Todd's Birthday

2009-11-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

Since the time that I met Todd, he has told me that he isn't into the whole holiday thing and that birthdays don't really matter to him. AND since the beginning, I have told him that they DO matter to me. Heck, I even celebrate my half birthday (next Thursday), although he refuses to celebrate it with me.

What I have learned through my own experience is that nobody truly dislikes the holidays. What they don't like, is being let down by them.

I first realized how true this was on Halloween. Todd was actually excited about some of the decorations we did this year and has already started planning his modifications and elaborations for next year. I saw it again yesterday, on his birthday.

I have been sick for the past week with the H1N1 flu and it has gone into viral pneumonia. There's really not much I can do about it besides take it easy and drink a lot of fluids, but originally I had quite the fever and was contagious. This made it a risk for me to follow through on any of my plans that I had made for Todd's birthday. Thankfully, my sister and some great friends helped with taking balloons and candy to his work and following through with his surprise "Friday the 13th Birthday" party.

It all turned out well, thanks to them, although I wasn't there to see it. I do know that he didn't get home from playing games until the wee hours of the morning, so I am sure he had a blast. I was amused, however, when Todd came home from work and was like, "Wait, where's my present? Isn't there going to be a party?"

So, like I said, nobody truly dislikes the holidays as long as they know that they won't be let down. And, Mom, if we give him enough time, he may even come to like desserts.

Inner Beauty

2009-11-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

Can I tell you that I will never again buy a Cover Girl makeup product? The reason why, you ask? As part of an ad for an ageless cream base their spokesperson, Ellen Degeneres, makes the statement that "inner beauty is important, but not as important as outer beauty."

Am I just not getting the ad? Or are they REALLY and SERIOUSLY putting that out there. That's fantastic. *please note the very obvious sarcasm*

AND to top it all off, their spokesperson is Ellen, who I cannot stand. I can't support her or Cover Girl's and her message. It makes me sick. Looking your best on the outside is very important, but inner beauty is far more important.

Happy Birthday, Austin

2009-11-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Austin's birthday, which amazingly fell on one of our visitation days. It is not often that we have the kids on their birthdays, even when we are scheduled to have them. So even though part of our weekend got traded away, we were excited to have Austin on the day. He and Todd went to the Nickelcade (owned by Becky Muir-now-Bradford's family) and spent some time there and then back to my parents' house for presents and cake.

It was hard to get Austin to give me any ideas for presents, so I kept telling him that I was going to buy him underpants for his birthday if he didn't give me any ideas. So (I think I'm so funny), we wrapped some new underwear and gave them to him first, while keeping the other gifts hidden. Don't worry, we were quick enough to get him his other gifts so that he wasn't devastated, but it sure was funny when he opened that first gift.

ALSO, Jenny made a fabulous cake. It totally looked like a real baseball cap. The brim was made of fondant (that part was me) and Jenny used her round cake pan to create the rest. It turned out very cute.

Next up is Todd's birthday weekend this weekend. The only pro about the kids' weekend being partially traded, is that it means that we get them this Sunday, for Todd's celebration. I'm not certain of the last time that the kids were allowed to come to Todd's birthday, so we're stoked that they get to be involved this year...stay tuned find out what great present we got him.

Harry Potter and the Cause

2009-11-03T17:03:00.001-08:00

During the first part of the Harry Potter craze, and just before the first movie came out, I was oblivious. I remembered Keeley's dad telling us that we should read the books, but I never took the initiative.

Because I worked at the movie theater during the first release, it was a BIG deal. I borrowed the first four books from a coworker and read them in about a week. They were quite good, and I was finally understanding what all the hype was about. So I have stayed up with the additional movie and book releases.

Recently, Kailey started getting really into HP and so has been reading all of the books. She is currently at the end of number 5, just in time for the sixth movie to be released. She has also been rewatching all of the other movies (we have most of them on DVD) so I knew that she would be really excited to go see the movie at the theater (we are cheap and waited for it to hit the dollar theater, which we will NOT be doing with New Moon).

I have to admit, that number six was not my favorite of the book series. Maybe it was because my roommate, who admittedly never liked me (something I never understood given that we actually hung out quite a lot), was my reading companion for that book, or maybe because it just seemed to drag on and on. Anyway, I wasn't stoked for the movie, but felt I needed to see the series out and wanted to see it with Kailey, who would appreciate it.

So here's what I took from it:
I MISS having a real purpose in life. Funny that this would be my main take on the movie, which I did end up enjoying. I now remember that I had that same inclusive feeling when I read the books. Like I was really involved.

It made me think, though. This past year has been one of the few times in my life where I haven't really been working toward a cause, or some event in my life. Yes, I have been job hunting and working on getting my insurance license, but this was a very solitary quest for me and I just don't feel a part of anything bigger than myself (not including my marriage/family, of course).

For instance, take HP and his friends, they are involved. Involved in school, in being social at school, in saving the world, whatever. But as I was watching the movie, I just had that longing feeling; wishing that I had somewhere or something like that. Even with doing the insurance thing, it still leaves me at home. By myself. Forcing myself to move forward.

Soooo...I am looking for a cause. Let me know if you have any ideas. I'm open to anything. Well, within reason.

Daisy Tag

2009-10-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Apparently, we are easily entertained in my home. The kids found that it is amusing to tie a strip of fabric to Daisy's collar and let it trail behind her. After only a few minutes of time, the kitten will find the strip of fabric and chase Daisy around the house, grabbing at the lime green strip of satin. (Don't ask why I ever bought lime green satin.)

Of course, Daisy is to mellow and somewhat oblivious, so when the kitty is able to get his claws into the fabric, she just keeps doing what she was doing...dragging the kitty behind her.

Rawr!

2009-10-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

OK, seriously? How cute is Mack?

Thanks, Meagen!

2009-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Lately my friend, Meagen, and I have been commiserating together about our unemployed status' and sending job links and leads to each other. I was glad when she received a call back for an interview from my lead and I am soooo excited that I received a call to set up an interview with the job lead from Meagen.

It definitely boosts the spirits after so many resumes having gone out without much of a nibble. I don't know if anything will come of it (the job market sure is tough right now), but it will be nice to get out there, again.

A Few Quotes...

2009-10-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

From the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I personally, have never really been excited about fantasy/sci-fi books, however I do find that I enjoy the philosophical side of several of the series I have read recently. Another series I enjoyed was the Incantations of Immortals series by Piers Anthony.

AND of course we all know how much I LOVE quotes, so here are a few quotes I found particularly poignant:

"Charity, if you have the means, is a personal choice, but charity which is expected or compelled is simply a polite word for slavery."

"The sun has already set on the days we made those choices. We must concentrate on what we can do tomorrow; we can't relive yesterday."

"Fate does not always seek our consent."

"Wrong doing must be punished. If not, it will proliferate until anarchy wears the robes of tolerance and understanding."

"Love is a passion for life shared with another person. You fall in love with a person who you think is wonderful. It's your deepest appreciation of the value of that individual, and that individual is a reflection of what you value most in life. Love, for sound reasons, can be one of life's greatest rewards."

"We reap a reward merely in the act of helping others. We never know how, or if, that reward will come back to us. Helping is the reward; none other is needed nor better."

Mission Reunion Fall 2009

2009-09-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post this in case you didn't get the memo.

Dear Missionaries:

We will be holding a Reunion on Friday, October 2, 2009 in Orem, Utah. We don't have everyone's email address so would you please inform anyone that you are in contact with who does not appear on the list. We know that you are busy with your lives and families. We just thought that we would see what kind of interest there was for holding a reunion six years after we started ours in North Carolina. Would you please email us and let us know if you plan to be in attendance? [Leave a comment if you need the email address]

If you are unable to attend we would love to have a picture of you, your spouse and any children if they have blessed your lives. If you don't have any pictures just write a short note and update us on what is happening in your life. We would love to hear from everyone.

We will start at 7:00pm and end when everyone leaves. We will meet in the Church building located at [comment for address] Orem on Friday, October 2, 2009. We look forward to seeing you or hearing from you soon.

Love, Pres. and Sister Noel

Divorce-ism

2009-09-18T09:55:00.001-07:00

This past week we picked up the kids for our regular Monday evening and we brought the dog with us. Of course both the kids and the dog got really excited when they saw each other and they ran around the lawn playing for a few minutes.

Afterward, Jessica came up to me and asked, "Does Daisy know that we live in Lehi and that we don't just visit her?"

I told her that I'm pretty certain she does.

For Jenny

2009-09-08T00:14:00.001-07:00

For Jessica

2009-09-04T17:35:00.001-07:00

Critics Decry Obama's 'Indoctrination' Plan for Students

2009-09-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

By Joshua Rhett Miller

A suggested lesson plan that calls on school kids to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help President Obama is troubling some education experts, who say it establishes the president as a "superintendent in chief" and may indoctrinate children to support him politically.

But the White House says the speech is merely "designed to encourage kids to stay in school."

Obama will deliver a national address directly to students on Tuesday, which will be the first day of classes for many children across the country. The address, to be broadcast live on the White House's Web site, was announced in a letter to school principals last week by Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Obama intends to "challenge students to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning," Duncan wrote. Obama will also call for a "shared responsibility" among students, parents and educators to maximize learning potential.

"The goal of the speech and the lesson plans is to challenge students to work hard in school, to not drop out and to meet short-term goals like behaving in class, doing their homework and goals that parents and teachers alike can agree are noble," Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, told FOXNews.com. "This isn't a policy speech. This is a speech designed to encourage kids to stay in school."

But in advance of the address, the Department of Education has offered educators "classroom activities" to coincide with Obama's message.

Students in grades pre-K-6, for example, are encouraged to "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."

Teachers are also given guidance to tell students to "build background knowledge about the president of the United States by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama."

During the speech, "teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful."

For grades 7-12, the Department of Education suggests teachers prepare by excerpting quotes from Obama's speeches on education for their students to contemplate -- and ask as questions such as "Why does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us? How will he challenge us?"

Activities suggested for after the speech include asking students "what resonated with you from President Obama's speech? What lines/phrase do you remember?"

Obama announced his intention to deliver the address to students during an interview with Damon Weaver, a middle school student from Florida who gained a following of his own last year on the campaign trail for his interviews of high-profile figures.

The Department of Education is using the president's address to kick off a video contest titled, "I Am What I Learn," in which students are invited to submit videos of up to two minutes on the importance of education in achieving their dreams.

Obama's critics say the lesson plans and the president's calls for a "supportive community" are troubling on many levels.

"In general, I don't think there's a problem if the president uses the bully pulpit to tell kids to work hard, study hard and things like that. But there are some troubling hints in this, both educationally and politically," said Neal McCluskey, associate director of Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom.

Among the concerns, McCluskey said, is the notion that students who do not support Obama or his educational policies will begin the school year "behind the eight ball," or somehow academically trailing their peers.

"It essentially tries to force kids to say the president and the presidency is inspiring, and that's very problematic," McCluskey said. "It's very concerning that you would do that."

Parents of public school students would also have to pay for that "indoctrination," regardless of their political background, he said.

"That's the fundamental problem. They could easily be funding the indoctrination of their children."

Meanwhile, Patti Kinney, a former teacher and middle school principal with 33 years of teaching experience, said she found nothing wrong with the lesson plans.

"They're designed as a menu, so it doesn't mean you have to do everything," said Kinney, associate director for middle level services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "You have to pick and choose which will work best for your class."

Kinney said suggestions like asking students to recall "other historic moments" when the president spoke to the nation and to hone their listening skills by taking notes during the address are useful.

"You're asking them to listen to particular things and to take notes," she said. "That's a good teaching strategy to help students develop their listening skills."

Asked if she was troubled by the suggestion that students write letters "about what they can do to help the president," Kinney said she would have reworked that sentence.

"I would have probably reworded that to say goals the president is suggesting," Kinney said. "But again, you call upon teacher expertise to do what's appropriate with their students ... I did not see anything that I saw as problematic."

Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said the suggested lesson plans cross the line between instruction and advocacy.

"I don't think it's appropriate for teachers to ask students to help promote the president's preferred school reforms and policies," Hess said. "It very much starts to set up the president as a superintendent in chief."

Amid the debate on the federal government's level of involvement on issues like health care and others, Hess said, "There's a lot of people" on both sides of the political spectrum who will rightfully be concerned with the president's call to action.

"It shows exactly what the problem is," he said. "This is going to open the door to all kinds of concerns."

After reading the Department of Education lesson plans for the speech, McCluskey said he noticed several passages that should set off "alarm bells," including language that attempts to "glorify President Obama" in the minds of young students.

"It could be a blatantly political move," he said. "Nobody knows for sure, but it gives that impression."

McCluskey also noted that the lesson plans for young students contain suggestions to write letters to themselves on how they can help the president, but that suggestion is not in the lesson plan for middle and high schoolers -- perhaps due to the likelihood of increased political ties at that age.

"You don't want to see this coming from the president," McCluskey said. "You don't want to see this coming from the federal government."

This article also fails to mention that usually the school boards are made aware of any sort of address meant for school children to be reviewed and discussed regarding whether they want to participate. This protocol was completely disregarded, with letters being sent directly to schools. It is really scary to me, because lately there are so many speeches that have propaganda mingled with good intentions and truths. How hard is it for children to recognize what is truth and what is political agenda?

Kailey and Jessica Turn 12!

2009-08-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

The girls are now officially turning 12! Their birthday is actually on Tuesday, but we had our little party for them this past weekend. I was pretty excited about their cakes. My sister and I decided that our desire for great cakes on our birthdays stems from our mom always making a special cake on our own birthdays. Cakes are an important part of birthdays.

I actually started looking for cakes a couple months ago and then discussed them with my sis. I knew I would have more time to make them, as opposed to last year's forced rush...don't even get me started on that one...

So...here are the cakes that I made for the girls. And by made, I mean Jenny did the majority of the work, I did a little bit of fondant and icing, held a crying baby and made some mac and cheese for my nephews. I think they turned out great!

Kailey's cake is Twilight themed because of her Twilight obsession and Jessica's is just fun and girly, just like Jessica.

Thanks to everyone who came for cake and ice cream. It really means a lot to the girls and helps them feel at home in Lehi. That and two cakes is too much to eat...even for me.

Thomas Jefferson

2009-08-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

~Thomas Jefferson~

Thanks, Ron, for this quote. I think it's great.

Engagements

2009-08-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few from an engagement shoot...for some reason my camera's lens is struggling and most shots were super soft focus. Good thing that is the look I was kind of going for...

and another...

2009-08-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

I love this one post-photoshop.

Photos

2009-08-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

We took some pics of Grayson, Bryant and Weatherly and boy! Did they have energy. We had to keep the camera on the action setting and hope for minimal blur. Here are a few of my favs. They are pre-photoshop, but post iphoto. Don't forget to click the pic!

Growing Pains

2009-08-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

I may get in trouble for this one, but I find it hilarious.

As most of you know, the girls are fraternal twins and will turn 12 in a couple of weeks. Kailey is not so excited about the whole growing up process, but Jessica is 11 going on 17. Ironically they are maturing very differently. Kailey is ahead in the whole process and Jessica is feeling left behind. In fact, she is obsessed with her, shall we say, lack of chest.

Recently, I told her that the way to grow better was to eat plenty of vegetables and drink plenty of milk. I teased her saying that it would also make her chest grow.

This last visit I realized how seriously she had taken me when she very proudly told me that she is drinking all the milk that she can and eating plenty of vegetables. I will admit, that I am taking advantage of the situation. Now when she tries to drink caffeinated drinks (we won't let her) we just tell her that it will stop her from growing. It is actually very effective.

She did ask me why I was allowed to drink Dr. Pepper (my weakness) and she isn't. That was an easy response. I told her it was because I actually want my chest to shrink.

Camping at Strawberry Reservoir

2009-08-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pics from our 4 day camping trip. We had a great campsite with our own stream and beaver dam that made for a cute little pond, a great view and plenty of space. We actually used the little stream as a fridge, putting our coolers and watermelons in the cold water. Because the kitty was still so new and a little bit sick, we brought him along as well.

Don't forget to click the pic for a better view!

I can't decide between the next two pics. They are the same, just edited a little differently.

Kitty in the kindling pile.

Some war paint pics.

The water is a lot cooler than this picture would lead you to believe.

The upper part of our campsite.

Ironing

2009-08-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

So....I have been working on reorganizing and deep cleaning my house. I finally unpacked the last of the boxes hidden in the pantry and have been working on my room. Part of this process includes ironing Todd's dress shirts. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't iron very often. I'm not very good at it.

Anyway, I pulled the iron out and almost got all of the wrinkles out of the dress shirts (I progressively did better). I plugged the iron in, found that the cord was a little short, attached an extension cord and ironed away. After I finished I went to put the iron back after it had cooled and started to wrap the cord around the handle. While I was doing this I realized that there was a button for the retractable cord. The cord wasn't very short at all...it was only partially pulled out. Apparently I don't iron all that often.

Wedding Reception for Christian

2009-07-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

Wedding receptions are notoriously difficult to photograph, however, I was willing to take some shots at this one because the family of the groom has always been one that supported my family through all of our tragedies and triumphs. Not only that, but I was the one who gave Christian his first job at the theater.

It was fun to see him and his brothers all grown up regardless of the early evening lighting challenge. It was a cute backyard reception (the full non-LDS version of the wedding was yesterday) in the backyard of the house across the street from my parents home. Here are a few of the shots. Don't forget to click on the pic...especially the sunglasses one.

Rodeo Pics

2009-07-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm finally posting some of the Rodeo pics from the last week in June. Soon to come...4th of July pics. Make sure to click the pic...especially the speed shot.

One Year!

2009-06-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's official! We have had our house for a year now...and we are finally getting our long awaited fence. Ironically, Todd and our neighbor are putting it in, not the landlord, who also still needs to pay for the supplies. You know what they say, "if you want something done right (or at all), do it yourself."

Because Todd Asked Nicely

2009-06-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the new version of the dog in the tube with the kids.

First Time of the Season

2009-06-15T23:58:00.001-07:00

Today we used the good weather interlude to our advantage and went out on the boat for the first time this season. Here are a few pics. There aren't any of me because this is a anti-emetic blog and the sight of me in a swimsuit might induce vomit.

While we were getting the boat ready, the kids decided that if the dog had her own life jacket she could come out on the lake with us. They were sad when they found out that was not the case. Poor puppy. You should have seen her try to run with her life jacket on.

I'm pretty sure that if the float had been in the water she would not have stayed on it long enough for a picture.

It's not often that I get my mom to all out pose for a pic. I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity.

It was not a super long trip to the lake, because it was our first jaunt out and although the sky is clear, it was not too warm out there. I found that out quickly when I dove head first into the lake in order to get a little wakeboarding in. If I remember correctly, my exact words were, "HOLY CRAP!!!"

Here is on the way back into the docks. The girls were all snuggled up with their dad. How cute.

Ford

2009-06-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

During the early years of cars Henry Ford made a statement that has now become an often used quote in the marketing industry, as well as in many other applications, "you can have any color as long as it is black."

Options were not a huge part of early automobile history. In fact, it was during this time when Henry Ford utilized the assembly line in order to make cars more quickly and for less money. Assembly lines did not offer a lot of choices during those formative years. Through the years, and free enterprise, however, the public was given more and more options; individuality, if you will.

I know that you are wondering why I would bring this up. Well, Todd and I were driving the other day, looking at the cars around us and speculating at some of the proposed regulation that we have been hearing about. There has been some hype about Obama wanting to require that all car makers can only make cars that get 35 mpg or better. Currently, that would wipe out American car makers, including GM (GovernMent cars) and Ford, who wisely decided not to accept government money. In fact, this would wipe out a good many of the cars that are currently offered, American or foreign.

In order for car companies to meet this demand, they would have to force technology, build hyper light vehicles and do away with trucks and large SUV-type vehicles. Many of our choices would be stripped away. So in other words, until the technology can step it up, you have to choose between a used vehicle and your family and their safety. And anyone who knows me, knows that I can't drive anything that isn't heavy duty without risk of death. Add this to the fact that a large part of our choice and individuality would be taken away, and I know that I will be buying used.

So it seems that we have gone full circle. We are now moving back towards "hav[ing] any color as long as it is black." Our colors and the choices that we have come to depend on, our tangible manifestation of who we are as individuals, are being threatened. Proposed legislation will take that away from us.

You may be wondering why this matters. Eventually car makers will be able to bring back our choices and make better, more efficient cars, right? This may be true, however, free enterprise and demand is forcing that right now. Why does the government need to step in? It is a disturbing trend. We have already seen it with GM. The government has stepped in and taken over. Do we really want them to be able to take over our entire car industry with regulation? What else will be taken over?

Spencer W. Kimball

2009-06-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

"In 1964 the First Presidency had decided to accept $2 Million in federal funds to aid in hospital construction. After further consideration, in 1965 the Presidency and the Twelve felt strongly that accepting the funds would subject the Church hospital operation to undue federal regulation, and the money therefore was not accepted. The growing impact of the federal government regulation concerned Elder Kimball.

With numerous others, I am greatly disturbed at the rapid move of our government to socialism and what seems to be an approach toward dictatorship; with a controlled Supreme Court, the administration continues to impose more and more demands upon the people...Taxes are becoming back-breaking; expenditures and waste are alarming. The Church must remain independent and furnish its own funds for all its own adventures and projects. The government seems too anxious to give, give, give to the poor, to the aged, to the schools, to everyone, and blinded people feel they are getting something, whereas they pay it to the government so that the government can after great overhead expense return a part of it to the people. And every time a gift returns to the people -- a so-called gift -- it comes with fetters binding and tying and enslaving. For every block of funds given to the people, they lose a bigger block of liberty."

For Jenny

2009-06-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is for my sister, because her inbox doesn't accept emails with files this size in it.

Jenny, all you have to do is click on the pic, and it will make it full-size. Then right-click and click on save image as, and save it wherever you want on your computer. I think it turned out pretty good. The textures aren't perfect, but that is hard to do when combining pictures and canvas.

In the Good Ole Summertime

2009-06-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

Alright, it's summertime and here are some of my summertime goals for this year.

-Bike ride with the Todd and the kids to the Provo entrance of Utah Lake
-Actually get a tan this year (it happens maybe every 5 years)
-Run a 5K
-Get a new wakeboarding trick down
-Grow some fantastic tomatoes because I love them so much

We've already gone camping, loaded the kids up on summertime books from the library for this week and hit the pool once. We'll probably end up going to the pool everyday while the kids are here. It works out quite nicely. We have the mornings to get things done and work on some of our projects to attempt additional income and then hit the pool later in the afternoon.

Man, I miss summertime as a kid.

Birthday Details

2009-05-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

Because anybody who knows me knows that I LOVE birthdays, I thought I would let you know that I am going to do an open house for my "29 for the first time" birthday.

It will be this Saturday evening from 7-9ish... We'll have cake and ice cream and maybe a few other snacks (feel free to bring a snack if you want) and will have a fire in the firepit with movies or video games on the big screen. (Our usual MO)

Feel free to bring (or forward this email) to anyone who I may have missed. I'm sure I didn't miss them intentionally.

Send me an email address if you need an address or directions.

Freedom of Religion

2009-05-18T16:36:00.001-07:00

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant, and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. When our Founding Fathers passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government interference. They never intended to construct a wall of hostility between government and the concept of religious belief itself. To those who cite the First Amendment as reason for excluding God from more and more of our institutions every day; I say, The First Amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people of this country from religious values; it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny.” –Ronald Reagan

Bare Bones

2009-05-17T21:19:00.001-07:00

I have to say, that I was sadly disappointed with the Bones Season Finale. It was an episode that normally should be a fluff, middle of the season episode.

For those of you who don't watch Bones, Booth and Bones are partners. Booth is the hot, man's man FBI agent and Bones is the hot scientist who is uber logical and just a bit socially retarded (this is where Todd interjects that I am very similar to her, only not a scientist and not super smart). What makes this show different from every other cop/CSI show, is the witty banter and the denied chemistry between Booth and Bones (think X-Files during it's prime).

SO...to appease fans, the writers figured out a way to hook Booth and Bones up without ruining what makes the show great, the sexual tension. They created an alternate reality for the season finale. Most of the show consisted of a fluffy writing, which left us hanging regarding an operation that Booth had.

In just the last couple of minutes of the show, it cuts back to reality and Booth wakes up from his surgery...of course, with amnesia. Sigh...well, at least there is witty banter.

Hope of America Program

2009-05-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

The Hope of America program is put on by all of the elementary schools in Utah county. I remember being in it when I was little. Now that the kids live in Payson, they got to participate in this year, as well. Here are just a few shots from the evening.

The kids are in the yellow shirts on the bottom left-hand side of the flag.

The whole program is designed to help children realize what their responsibilities as Americans are. Here is one of the songs that they sing about voting. There was also a song about the Declaration of Independence that I thought was pretty cool.

I couldn't resist posting this last video. One of the dance groups was a group of women aged 50+, with the oldest woman being 92. They danced a fun line dance number and ended with a solo by the oldest woman. All I can say is...wow. I mean, she ends in the splits! When I grow up I want to be just like her.

"Raging Debate"

2009-04-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Has anybody else seen the video on Yahoo that talks about a mom who kicked her girls out of the car after she couldn't get them to quit fighting? One was 10 and the other 12. She then drove around the block with anticipation of just making the girls see that she meant business. When she got back, the girls were gone. They found the 12-year-old and couldn't find the other girl, so called the cops. Apparently someone had seen the girl waiting on the sidewalk, taken her for ice cream and then flagged a cop car down. When the woman went down to pick up her daughter, she was arrested for child endangerment.

This has created huge controversy and people are being horrible about this woman. I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. Whether or not you agree with what the woman did, how many of these parents would drop their children off in that same area to socialize or hang out with friends? Obviously, if there was an ice cream shop right there, it is a definite possibility. How many parents don't even know where there kids are? It is not like these girls were 5 or 6. Really, it was the bi-stander who caused the problem, and the girl, who probably just loved that she got ice cream out of being in trouble.

Obviously, I am not an advocate of child abuse in any way, shape or form, but how are people supposed to raise their children anymore? Everyone else butts in, there is no real way to punish, positive reinforcement only goes so far, etc. While everyone is debating about this situation, children grow more and more apathetic, out of control and disrespectful. I'll be honest, I'm more scared about what these next generations will become than I am about a lady who drove around the block while her girls were supposed to be waiting.

Fond Farewell

2009-04-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon the kids' great-grandpa died. We had them for the weekend, so their mom called Todd to tell them, which means that we got to help them begin the grieving process. Grieving is definitely a new thing for them. They have only had one great-grandpa that they have known die previously. Ironically, they were with us when we found out about that grandfather's passing, as well.

For anyone who knows me, I am no stranger to the grief process. By the time I was their age, I had already been to my fair share of tragic funerals. Now that I am older, I have lost even more people who I have been extremely close to. Because of this, I know that the worst part of death is missing whoever has left, not getting that last conversation in, knowing that you can't just pick up the phone anytime and call them up anymore. (Thank Heavens I am Mormon and believe in eternal families. I can't imagine how much worse death could be.)

Our way of helping the children deal with this process was by writing notes to their great-grandpa, tying them to balloons and the kids let them fly up to Heaven...or at least out into the open. It always helps when you put something down on paper. It becomes more real. It also helps you to believe that the person you are missing can read what you have written, or at least knows how you felt about them.

The kids wanted us to take some pictures of the process so that they would have the memory...either that, or our camera-ready natures have rubbed off on them. Either way, here are a couple of the pics we took. Oh, and the photo-shopped one is not my best editing job, but it sure it hard to work with balloon ribbons.

...and I had to add Austin's homemade punching buddy (drawing courtesy of Kailey) created from a spare balloon.

Florida Fun

2009-04-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pics from our work trip to Ft. Lauderdale. We actually only spent about an hour at the beach, but we had fun in that short time.

The second pic down was taken in the Yacht Club docking area just across the street from the beach.

Sadly, as I look at and edit these photos, it is snowing/sleeting outside. Sigh...

Don't forget to click the pic!

Mission Get-together

2009-04-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

This email was sent to me, so I am passing it along via blog for all of those who served in the NCCM mission...or have spouses who did. ;)

Hey! Hope all ya'all are doing well!

A few have been asking about a N.C.C. Mission Reunion.

So how about a mission picnic instead.

June 6th it is then!!! We'll have it here at our home probably and we will say 4:00 to 7:00P.M.

WILL YOU pass the word along to all those you have an email address for and give them our email address to let us know about how many to plan on.

We will suggest everyone bring their own sandwiches/picnic and a cookie/brownie to share!

We love you!

President and Sister Smith

roger.smith101@comcast.net

The Boston Tea Party of 2009

2009-04-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

I am not the most political person, and although I consider myself fairly Republican, I do have certain politics and causes that I support from both political parties. My father, on the other hand, is extremely Republican while I have many friends who are as far left and more, as my father is right. All of these people have opened my eyes to different ideas and beliefs that lead me to believe that I am a fairly open-minded person.

Oftentimes, however, when I do share my thoughts and beliefs about politics, other people who claim to be open-minded have ridiculed me. This has happened more and more often as the country has become politically charged and our government has come to a crossroads. This is the reason that I was pleasantly surprised when my husband, parents and I participated in one of the hundreds of tea parties that took place all over the country.

We parked downtown and walked through the sleet-turned-snow to stand in front of the Federal building in downtown Salt Lake City and made our way through the crowd, toward the front. This group of people was bundled in Utah winter style with their homemade signs slowly dripping color as the snow progressively affected the legibility of their signs. There were flags, picket signs, people who were dressed up and I even saw a paper machete piggy bank on a stick with a sign that saying, “Keep your hands out of my Piggy Bank!” held by a small child.

What I saw was a large group of very diverse people from all walks of life, both political parties and of all ages, from the very young to the very old. As I looked around, one of the signs that stood out from the others stated, “I am no longer Democrat, I was never Republican. I am an American.” That was the theme of the event. It does not matter what political party you belong to and what your feelings about smaller political issues are. What matters, is that we are taking a stand against excessive government spending and the expanding control of the Federal government.

As the many speakers paraded across the makeshift stage, this theme became more and more apparent, in addition to the feeling that America has become a gluttonous nation who lives outside of their means and with many who feel very entitled. In a recent meeting where self-reliance was encouraged, it was pointed out that when a person feels entitled, that merely means that they are greedy and lazy. I agree.

“Spread my work ethic, not my wealth,” another sign demonstrated this feeling perfectly.

When did we become a country based on credit and laziness as opposed to hard work? Is this what all of our ancestors throughout the generation have fought hard and lost their lives for? I know that they wanted to create a better life for their children and their children’s children, but did they know that their lives would be used to support a lethargic nation who manufactures money to bail people out of bad business? I don’t think so.

On that note, I am greatly disturbed that the government is now deciding which of the large companies will survive this economic downturn, not the ever-changing marketplace. This is disturbingly similar to the East India Tea Company, who was, “too big to fail.” Sound familiar? This very cause was the reason for the original Boston Tea Party. Now our own government attempts the very offense that sounded a call to action against the English government by handing out “free money.” I was not a supporter of President Bush handing out free money and now President Obama incurs more debt than all past presidents combined in one fell swoop; TRILLIONS of dollars that the United States does NOT have. Doesn’t that scare you?

Yet we have become complacent. We have become that silent majority. We feel that sending our representative to Washington D.C. is enough. In recent years we have thought of those who protested to make their point as the small special interest groups who want to further their own causes in lieu of the majority’s interest. That is no longer. We do not have that luxury, as we watch the government begin to close in on our rights, and infringe upon our economic marketplace. Washington D.C. is trying to make us like every other nation that we have fought so hard to set ourselves apart from. The Federal government wants control.

This control is why the Constitution was created. This is why we are the United STATES of America. Our government was set up as a series of checks and balances so that no single government entity, federal or state, would have dominant power…unless we let them take it. As was pointed out by one of the many different speakers, “the constitution was not created to regulate the people. We have laws for that. The Constitution was created to keep our government in check.”

So, what I saw while standing in the snow, my toes numb and trying to hold my umbrella so as not to disrupt the view of those behind me, was a well organized, logical, passionate call to action, much like the Boston Tea Party of 1773, stating that the government does not employ us, we employ them. It’s time that they are reminded of this and that we act as a responsible board of directors.

As the end of the protest neared, our flags were raised, as we ended together by singing “God Bless America,” some with tears in their eyes. There we stood, a group of people who still believe in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Chatroom

2009-04-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

How do you know when your kids are being raised in a different day and age than the one that we grew up in?...other than just looking out your window...

We were sitting in a church meeting today and the kids were entertaining themselves by quietly drawing and passing notes to each other. I always sit between two of the children so that they don't get loud during meetings, but I had to laugh when the note passed in front of me and the title of it was, "Jessica and Kailey's Chatroom."

For Jessica

2009-04-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

I was looking through Todd's iphoto and came across some old photos that I don't have on my computer.

Here are some of the random photos that we took at Jessica's wedding. We didn't get any fantastic ones of the couple or their new family because of the crazy photographer lady who kept making them pose for their candid shots...yeah, that was weird.

I hope you guys ended up with some great pics for all the posing you did. You should be able right-click on the photo and save as if you want to keep these pics.

Jessica, there are a few more where those came from...and as always, click the pic for a better view.

Fam Pics

2009-04-01T21:02:00.001-07:00

Recently, Todd's mother informed us that her side of the family is putting together a book that will give a short history of each family member and their families. This meant that Todd had to write his history and include a family picture for the book.

He did a fantastic job of writing up his history and I felt that this would be a great time to get some non-wedding family photos...possibly one to go in the extremely awkward sized frame that fits perfectly above the antique upright piano in our entry area. (I have very slowly proceeded to decorating that area of the house and Todd's and my bedroom.)We enlisted our friend, Lisa, to take the shots and allowed ourselves a very small window of time between activities and crazy/insane weather. We always have so much to do on the weekends we have the kids to make up for lost time, so I have to thank Lisa for working with us during that very specific time. Luckily, I had already planned out where we were shooting and kind of the poses we wanted. I think we ended up with some great shots, even though we chose a bad time of day for lighting.

Here are the pics that we are giving Todd's mother to display in her home and above the piano, respectively. The one above the piano is also the pic that I included on Todd's history, but without the added "frame".

Click the pic for a better view. Also, the computer screen surely does not do the pic above the piano justice. It turned out really cool. I have to admit that I impressed myself with my photoshop skills.

This last pic is just my favorite picture of the day. I don't know if it is the composition, depth of field, bright contrasting colors, or just the look of sheer joy on both of the girls faces. I just LOVE it.

Vote for Me

2009-03-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

OK, so I was a bit bold and actually posted my wedding photos in a contest to be on a magazine cover. This is VERY VERY scary for me. Will I win? Probably not. These things are often a popularity contest, however, please be my friend and vote for me and get everyone you know to vote.

Bride Contest Link

I really think that our photographer did an amazing job and actually made me look movie star gorgeous (a tough feat) and this would give her some great exposure that she really deserves. My photos should be posted by March 26th at 3pm Mountain Standard time.

Have You Ever Noticed...

2009-03-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

HOW the people who work at an animal facility are usually the happiest people?

They say that people who own animals actually live a longer life. I would think that factors such as daily walks, petting (which is stress relieving) and unconditional love would play largely into this supposition. I would also think that these factors would continue over to those who work with animals.

Today I dropped Daisy off at doggie day care and the two women who run the shop just seem like the most "with it" and peaceful people I have ever met. I have had this thought every single time that I have talked with them. This led me to reflect on the vets and other animal care takers that I have dealt with. They are all happy, calm and peaceful people.

So here is my theory: People who work with animals don't do it for massive amounts of money. There really isn't a lot of money involved in these business ventures. Those who work with animals do it sheerly because they LOVE animals. They honestly and truly enjoy what they do in life.

It is when we love what we do that helps us to love who we are.

A simple principle, but one we often forget.