A Debacle of Epic Proportions

That describes our week.

Over President’s Day weekend in 2007 we went to Moab and Arches National Park. We were afraid there wouldn’t be enough to do so we only went for one night. It turned out to be great. The weather was perfect, there were plenty of things at the kids’ skill level and the town was cute with good restaurants and a grocery store. We wished we could stay longer. Since we don’t function well in heat we waited until the same time the following year and stayed longer. It was still great but it much colder and there was snow on the ground making hiking a little more difficult. We were however able to get to Delicate Arch and felt like we had done all there was to do, within our athletic capabilities.

Last June I decided we should go to Zion’s in 2009 so I booked the hotel for President’s weekend. It was at that point that I realized that Valentine’s was the same weekend. We made a choice as a family that we would celebrate Valentine’s on Friday the 13th and then head out Saturday after we got up.

Let me explain a little about our week leading up to our holiday and our trip. We were supposed to get carpet on Thursday or Friday. I was hoping for Thursday but said I could manage Friday as long as it was in the morning so our house could get back to normal for the holiday. Due to not knowing when they were coming I couldn’t help out with either class party. We started moving things out on Wednesday in preparation, which resulted in our house being a total disaster. We got a call saying that the carpet wouldn’t be coming in until Friday.

Paul took Friday off so that we could rip everything out in the morning insuring we wouldn’t be walking around on sub-floor during our midnight potty breaks. Well Friday morning rolls around and we find out at 9:30 a.m. that the truck was late so we would not be getting carpet until later. We didn’t know when later was so Paul stayed at home. Knowing that we were celebrating Valentine’s that day, the last thing I wanted was strangers in our house while we were enjoying our traditions. By the afternoon I was getting a little anxious and Paul was downright bored.

The weather had been great for a couple of weeks and then right before we were set to go the storms started rolling in. One right after the other! We watched the weather each day that week and decided we were going to go for it. Once Friday rolled around and all they can talk about on the news is the big storm that is due to hit Saturday. Thursday night there was a 22-car pileup outside of Beaver so we were a little worried to say the least. Paul looked online and found us a room in St. George for Friday night. We couldn’t decide if we were going to leave until the very last minute.

I had gone all out to get everything ready for the kids when they got home from school on Friday. The table looked great and everything was ready to go. I had baked a poppy seed cake, mixed up cookie dough and made red jell-o. Paul had my favorite roses delivered (4 red, 4 pink and 4 whites) and had gotten Emma a dozen pink roses. This is a tradition he started a few years ago. He wanted to be the first guy to ever give her roses. She loved it so much he has done it ever since. I had their little gifts wrapped and the Valentine’s all filled out. We were set.

Since Paul was still home we were debating on whether we should wait for dinnertime or just do everything right after the kids got home. Since we were leaning towards leaving for St.George we decided to just get the show on the road.

We rushed through our pizza dinner, did without the homemade breadsticks and chocolate dipped strawberries I was going to make and then went into turbo packing mode. I forgot to get a picture of me with my roses because we were hurrying so much. At this point we get the call that we can have someone come to put in the carpet at 5:00 p.m. Good grief! No, come on Tuesday, we’ll wait.

We rush rush rushed, got the car packed, left a key with Maggie so she could take care of Marius and we hit the road right at 6:00 p.m. While it was cold, windy and we did hit a few pockets of snow on the way, we were glad we left Friday and missed the storm that hit Saturday. We made one stop in Beaver where Emma ran into one of her classmates! We got to our hotel at 10:00 pm. and went to bed after hanging out in the room for a little while.

We woke up to crystal blue skies and puffy white clouds. It was marvelous. The kids got to swim and play in the hot tub after breakfast.

We hit the outlets and Old Navy before getting lunch at In –N-Out for Paul and I and Jack in the Box for the kids. It was sooo freaking crowded at In-N-Out that we got it to go and ate in our car.

There were these little beggars that wanted our fries.

We did a little more shopping and then went on our way to our hotel in Zion’s.

We got to our hotel where we checked in and unloaded. We got back in the car and hit the park. We drove on one of the scenic drives that runs through a mile long tunnel. There is no need to try and hold your breath in a mile long tunnel! Unfortunately there was so much snow that we were unable to see some of what Zion’s in known for. We did see many beautiful things though.

We then went on the other scenic drive and plotted our plan of attack for the next day since we were losing light and it was too cold to do much of anything at that time.

I called this the Dr. Suess mountain.

We saw a bunch of deer on our way back out. We saw so many deer on this trip we couldn't even keep track. They were everywhere.

We got dinner and that is when we realized that they had us, big time. There is nowhere to go for food besides the little town and the food was very expensive. They could charge whatever they wanted because there were no other options for people staying there.

We went back to our room where we entertained ourselves (This is not normal behavior for us)

before going to the hot tub. The kids were tired of waiting for us to be ready (we had just eaten our dinner) and I had noticed that the beds were pretty springy and well one thing led to another and yes we jumped on the beds. There were two couples when we got out to the hot tub and interestingly they both left within minutes of us getting there with the kids. The kids weren’t even being bad.

We got up and Paul and I made an executive decision. We were worried about driving home in bad weather on Monday, we didn't want to pay for anymore over priced food and we knew it was too cold and snowy to really enjoy the park. We checked out of the hotel a day early. We found a little place to have breakfast, a modest breakfast, and it cost our little family $50. We had had enough. We decided to do one hike and leave for home.

The hike was not hard but we were challenged by mud, snow and ice. Ice was on the ground and falling on us from the trees. Hiking when it is 32 degrees = bad. I had to get out my cashmere sweater that I had just bought in St.George as an added layer since I didn’t pack enough layers. (Hey, we were rushed!)

We persevered and got to our first destination. Oooh. Pretty. Here we are behind a water fall. Just a little ways down the path is all ice. We had to hold on the the rail and slide down.The rail was freezing!

Another shot from behind the fall. See how everything is frozen? When I say it was cold I was serious.

Never one to turn down a challenge, we decided to go the long way back to avoid a decent back down the icy mountain, probably on our butts. Note to self, hiking in the winter can be a challenge. We were assured that it was better to brave the mud instead of the ice. We hit mud. Lots and lots of thick, goopy, pull the shoe off your foot kind of mud. Keep in mind I did this in cashmere. Am I a trooper or what?

The view from the side of the mountain AKA the trail.

We saw more deer.

Once we got to the car we had to remove our shoes and pants so we could get on clean clothes. (luckily we took the plastic dry cleaning bags from our rooms so we could put our dirty stuff in there) By this time we were all ready to get out of there. We were not willing to hike anymore.

On our way out of town we stopped at some animal preserve where we were able to feed elk and some big cow type thing. Paul said it was a Brahma Bull but I am not convinced. It was very sweet though what ever it was. I also saw buffalo for the first time in my life. We said goodbye to Springdale, probably forever, and headed for home.

This is one big, rubbery, snotty nose. It totally slimed me! We stopped at a gas station so I could wash the snot off.

On the way home we did one more scenic drive through Kolob Canyon where there was a lot more snow and that was it for our trip. We still got our two days away from home. They were just different days than we had planned. We really enjoyed ourselves even though the trip was not what we expected. We are grateful that we can see the beauties that have been created for us to enjoy and that we can build these memories as a family.

I Don’t Think Like a Sane Person

At the beginning of January 2008 I started reading the Janet Evanovich books staring Stephanie Plum as a bounty hunter. They should probably be rated R due to language, and I probably shouldn’t have read them for that reason, but my gosh, I fell in love.

Once I started I couldn’t get enough. I was able to get most through our library however I did find out that their copy of number five was missing. I almost had a convulsion. I quickly ordered it online and even with that delay I managed to read all 13 in just over a month. That is what happens in my world during the sucktastic month of January. I read or find things to entertain me while I feel like I am caught in a giant snow globe.

After I devoured all the books I felt a great sense of loss. I wanted those characters back in my life. I even read most of the between the numbers books out of desperation. Those are really lame-o. With a little research I found out that every June she releases a new book. I got giddy. I couldn’t wait.

June rolled around and I didn’t buy it. I considered it each time I was at Costco but never broke down. I think in my mind I couldn’t justify buying it since I didn’t own the others. I also hate to admit this but I think I wanted to avoid the let down I felt when I knew I was done and there wasn’t another book waiting. It would be like suffering that loss all over again. See I told you I’m nutters.

Around Christmas my mom asked if there was a book I would like. I told her Fearless Fourteen. Sure enough, I got it for Christmas. I have been reading two different series that I like to switch back and forth between. Because of that I hadn’t started my new book. Paul even asked what I was waiting for.

I got to a point where I needed a break in my one series and couldn’t get to the library to get the next book in the other series. I saw the glossy cover taunting me and I gave in. I started my relationship with Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger all over again. Pathetic. I know, I know!

It was great. I tried to savor it. I made it last almost five days LOL! Now I am missing my favorite characters again and counting down the days until June.

---------------------------------------------------

On my other blog I mentioned liking pink sunsets the best. We had one tonight and it was stunning. I almost missed it too. Thank goodness I got upstairs in time to see it.

Paul and Mignonne

Here is another post in honor of Valentine’s Day. It is how Paul and I met and fell in love. I want to thank Emily Kate for suggesting that everyone share their love story. I had never written it down before and it will be good for the kids to have. Warning, this is epic and I don't really expect any of you to read the whole thing. I am just putting here for my posterity. LOL!

The beginning here might be sort-of hard to follow and seem irrelevant and for that I apologize.

When I moved to Utah in July of 1994 (side note, my first day of work was July 5^th which is Paul’s birthday. Awww!) I was so excited to be out on my own I picked the first apartment I toured. I signed a lease at Raintree Apartments for summer, fall/winter and the following summer. The stream and ducks it had running through it drew me in. It wasn’t long though before I realized six girls in one apartment was going to be a challenge for me.

I went on a date with this cute guy (he was a total tool but that’s besides the point) who hit on me while I was shopping at the Copper Rivet. He took me to his apartment and I was shocked. He. Had. His. Own. Room. I honestly hadn’t known this was an option. I knew that the minute my contact was up I was moving to King Henry. In March the fall contracts went on sale and I was there. I signed up and all was good.

Now we are going to go back in time a little bit. It is now towards the end of the first summer that I lived in Raintree. I see from my balcony, a blonde stud out by the pool. He was amazing. I threw on my bikini and wiggled my little rear (yes at the time it was small) right out to that pool. By this time he had gotten in the water, which was perfect. I could innocently put down my towel right next to his and it wouldn’t be the least bit obvious that I was doing it to be near him. He got out of the water and ignored me completely. A little while had passed and I asked him if he knew what time it was. He told me he didn’t and he didn’t even try to make conversation.

I went inside defeated. A few days later we got a package in the mail. It was addressed to a male but had the right apartment number on it. I called the office and asked where Mike lived and they told me the correct apartment. I went right over and knocked on the door. Guess who answered? Blonde stud. I asked for Mike, he said that he was Mike; I said this is yours; he said thanks and closed the door in my face. Clearly he was not the least bit interested. I found out on Sunday that he was in my ward. He proceeds to ignore my all the way through December!

At our Christmas party at the bishop’s house all of a sudden Mike comes over, squeezes right next to me on the couch, and starts taking to me. I am shocked! The next thing I know he is asking me if I would like to ride with him up to the airport right then and there. I say yes, of course, and go off with him. We had to stop and his grandma’s house where I then meet his ENTIRE extended family. We play games and sing songs. I find out he has the same birthday as my brother and the chemistry is so there! (He never did tell me why he was so cold at first or why the sudden change of heart. One of lives mysteries I suppose) It’s obvious that we are meant to be together, right?

We date, however not exclusively, for the rest of the school year. He leaves to go home for the summer. He invites me to come to San Diego to visit him. It goes well. We cool it a bit while we are apart and he makes it very clear that while he does love me we are to see other people, which I had been and continued to do.

It is now the end of summer 1995.

I was getting ready to move to my new apartment, UVSC had already started it’s classes, BYU had not. I had an obscenely early math class and one morning while I was getting ready I heard, in my mind, clear as day, “Move to Old Mill”. Now I knew of some other people who had signed contracts there so I chalked this up to the power of suggestion. I tried to put it out of my mind. It was all I could think about during class. It was haunting me. After class it was still so early I knew that none of the apartment offices would be open so I went home. I still felt like I needed to move to Old Mill.

As soon as I could I called Old Mill and asked if they had any rooms left. They had one. I hurried over and signed the contract. I now had to two legally binding contracts for two different apartments. I called King Henry and asked what I had to do to get out of my contract. They said that I could sign a release and once they had sold all of the other rooms they would put mine up. I asked how many were left and they said three. I was number four in line. I hurried over to sign the paper and when I got there one of the girls was on the phone. She said, “We have someone signing one away right now.” In the time it took me to drive there they sold three apartments and mine was sold the minute I signed on the dotted line.

Everything was working out just perfectly right? Nope. I found out that I had to be out of Raintree one week BEFORE I could move into Old Mill. I was homeless for one week. I was upset and talking about this at work with my manager when my brand new co-worker Lindsay says, “you can stay with me”. My response? “I don’t know you”. Nice right? I take her up on her offer out of desperation. I had to rent a storage unit and live on her floor at Liberty Square Apartments for a week.

She was great. One night she came home and said, “Get ready. We’re going to the canyon.” I said I couldn’t because I had too much homework. Anyone who knows me knows that this is by far the funniest part of the story. Me? Worried about homework? Bwahahaha! She had a hot guy she was after and knew he was getting together with a bunch of people from his mission and by golly she was going to be there!

Finally I relented and off we went with another girl from across the hall. Now keep in mind I was still hopelessly smitten with Mike. He was playing hardball though and dang it so was I.

We arrived at someone’s home. It was the place where we would meet and then car pool to the canyon. (It was pretty obvious at this point that the object of Lindsay’s desires, Zane, didn’t exactly welcome our presence) I scanned my options and chose Paul as the cutest one there, the one I would flirt with to keep from getting bored. He went off with a carload of girls and we got stuck in an Army truck with a guy name Nate. So much for that plan.

Later that night Lindsay and I were sitting by the campfire talking and laughing about how her neighbor was still pegging and rolling her pants, I mean that is so 1992, when Paul asked if we were laughing about her pegged pants. Hold the phone, a guy who knew about fashion? I perked right up. He then went on to say how he loved shopping and would go often to the Mall of America. This had to be too good to be true right? We enjoyed each others company that night and at some point I guess I touched his knee. This was apparently pretty exciting for him seeing as how he had just gotten home from his mission.

Some time went by I figured I would never see Paul again. Mike and I were still dating even though he still had no plans to commit. If nothing else I’m persistent.

By this point it was late September. I was at school one day and I see Nate from the canyon. He re-introduces himself and says, “Hey a bunch of us are going Latin dancing tonight.” To which I reply, “Have a great time. I don’t Latin dance.” His next words were, “Paul’s going to be there.” To which I replied, “what time are you going?” He got my number and told me Paul would call to set up a time to come and get me.

I went home and was actually hanging out and probably smooching with Mike (yes Paul knows this) when Paul called and asked when he could pick me up. We decided on a time and Mike left so I could get ready for my date. LOL! See what happens when you don’t commit?

Paul picked me up and we went to The Palace. I had told him that he better stay close to me because I was scared to be Latin dancing and that I was afraid of whom might ask me to dance. I did have to dance with one older stranger but Paul did a good job sticking by my side.

We danced our first dance to Selena’s I could Fall in Love and that is just what happened. He and I were stuck together like glue for the rest of the night. Some of the other people in the group even made comments like “Whoa, what’s going on there?” We were inseparable from that time forward.

A week later we were watching Some Kind of Wonderful. I had told him how the practice kiss in the gas station garage is the best movie of all time. After that scene was over I looked at him and said, “See!” That is when we had our first kiss. I knew from that kiss that he was the one, and that no other kiss could ever compare to it. I also knew I would never kiss anyone else again and I haven’t!

Now my poor sweet mother had been there for me through every failed relationship and broken heart. I was determined not to tell her I was in love, again. I mean it was getting a little embarrassing. This time felt very different though, but I wanted to be sure. Paul was mentioned casually but when we started making plans for a trip home together I thought I had better come clean. I called her one day and simply said, “Guess what?” She said, “You love him.” I asked how she knew and she said that the first time I said his name her heart leapt and she knew.

We went to California and talked about marriage for the first time while driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Even though he had booked my ticket as Mignonne Gardner, Ahhh the scan cut it off. I might need to fix that) We were both feeling it even though he didn’t want to. He had only been home a short time and was pretty resistant to falling in love. Some more time passed and it was still undeniable. We both had been thinking of dates and I knew in my head I was thinking April 30^th. Finally he said that he thought if we did get married it would be on April 30th.

That was it for me. At that point I called the Salt Lake Temple and made a reservation for 11:00 am. I let him know what I had done and he was a little shocked. It was just a short time later before he bought the ring and actually proposed.

He had cleaned my room, had bouquet of balloons and told me to pop one of them. It had a note that read look in my pocket. I did and there was a ring box. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. That was December 12^th 1995. The first time we had to be apart since the night we went dancing was when he went home for Christmas shortly after proposing. It was really hard to be away from my best friend. I wrote him daily while we were apart.

The new year brought wedding planning and a lot of firsts. We celebrated our first Valentine’s Day and created a tradition that we still carry on to this day with pizza and Martinelli’s.

He was there with me while I picked my dress and the bridesmaids dresses. He was my rock when I found out my photographer committed suicide (I hadn't me him yet, picked him based on his work, so don't blame me!) He was a trooper. We went through the Jordan River temple together three years to the day from when he took out his endowments in the same temple.

I will never forget sitting in the Celestial Room together on our wedding day. It seemed like we had to wait forever before we could go in with our friends and family. Once we were able to kneel across the altar and look at each other it was confirmed again that I had made the right choice. We were sealed for time and all eternity and then we got in trouble for kissing too long.

If I hadn’t listened to that voice, if Lindsay hadn’t been prompted to ask me to move in with her, if she hadn’t taken me by force to the canyon, if Nate hadn’t asked me to go Latin dancing and if Mike had been willing to commit I would have missed out on the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I will tell you that I called Mike a year or so after my wedding while I was back in Utah as a bridesmaid. He confessed that he wished he had committed to me, he was hoping that I was calling to give him a second chance and that he felt like he had really lost out. HA! You snooze you lose buddy.

I hope everyone writes down their love story and blogs it! It was so fun thinking back to the old days and looking through the pictures and scrapbook pages.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Yesterday Sucked....

hard. We worked our tails off and really, it looks worse. Our living room that I try to always keep clean is cluttered with a bunch of stuff we took out of our bedroom. We painted the bedroom white, (it was this mucklydung, putrid, horrid, apricotty, tan/cream color) took down Andrew’s loft bed and boxed up more of our stuff. We still need to paint his room and clear them both out before Thursday when we will be replacing the carpet.

I really don’t know if I can do this. Putting the house on the market just might push me right into the loony bin. There is so much work and we don’t even know if we’re going to be able to sell. We don’t know if we will get what we need out of it. We don’t know if the other house will still be available when we do sell. We are boxing up stuff we use, albeit not often, and things we love. I have no idea when we will see it again. I already miss the family pictures that we have taken down. I had to skip my card making group this quarter because my supplies are packed up.

I guess this is where faith comes into play but I am struggling. I really don’t know if I have what it takes to do this. I might prefer to just die in this house. It would be much easier.

Friday was good though. After some retail therapy at a quilt shop, (they had this kit on SALE!)

my parent’s and I visited Emma at the Wax Museum.

Everyone in the fifth grade picked an American Hero. They did a written report, an oral report and then dressed up like their hero for the wax museum. If you have Emma for a daughter she would also do a power point presentation, just for fun.

Friday afternoon all of the students carried their desks with a handmade push button to the cafeteria. They sat there frozen

and when you pushed their button they started to move and gave a little spiel about who they are and why they are heroes. Some of the kids also handed out little things that were relevant to who they were.

Emma was Betsy Ross.

She had her costume, wig, and she was embroidering the stars right there on the spot. We also had flag toothpicks for her to hand out. She did a great job as did all the other kids. It was a very educational afternoon.

We loved seeing all the kids go all out with their displays and costumes. Here is Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan.

We are really lucky to have the kids at such a great school. They have so many cool opportunities here that they wouldn’t have had if we stayed in the Bay Area.

My parents stayed to watch the kids that night so Paul and I could have some time together. We were going to go to Las Tarascas but when we got there they were g-o-n-e gone. We were stunned. We ate there a week earlier for lunch. You would think they would say something! The sign was off the building, the tables and chairs were gone and there was no evidence left that they had ever been there. We drove to the mall and had PF Changs instead. It was good but we had our taste buds set on green salsa.

After dinner we went and bought the paint for the two rooms, accessories for the kids’ bathroom and a bunch of light fixtures.

Yesterday after my craptastic day I had to do something to get out of my own head. I found a quilt block pattern that I wanted to try so I did. I had gotten some fat quarters at the quilt shop Friday so I used those.

I am hoping that we can do a square swap with my quilt group and I may suggest this one. I would make 9-12 of the same square and so would everyone else. We would then all swap and have a crazy quilt of the same pattern but the colors would be all over the place. It sounds like a great idea to me but I'm not in charge so I don't know if I can get anyone else on board. I take that back, I know Maggie is on board.

This is more accurate colors than above.

This is so you can see the fabric patterns better.

I said I would do a craft challenge...

and well, this is all I've got. I am quilting, packing up my house and being a wife and mother so this is all I had time for. I made a light pink beaded bookmark for my daughter. There is another cluster of beads at the top.

Angela, can you believe I am still making these? I even plan to make another one for myself.

In Honor of Valentine's Day

I started a list of Loves. (of course my kids and family are the most important loves of my life but this list highlights the little things that make me who I am) This is in no particular order.

1) Days when both kids buy a school lunch. It is such a relief and it makes the whole morning run smoother.

2) Pink

I love all shades and combinations. It makes me happy, lifts my spirits and if given an option it is always what I am drawn to first. I also look good wearing it. A week ago Paul said, “I know you did what you did for a reason, but you look infinitely cuter in pink.” This was said while I wearing my pink pajamas from Christmas ’07. Apparently I look like arse (still trying not to cuss) in the white matching ones I got for everyone this past Christmas.

3) Vaseline

I put it on my lips all throughout the day and can’t sleep without it at night. I also have a trial size in my purse for dry hands, cuticles or kids. I love to slather up the kids like little greased hogs.  I *need* a bedazzled Vaseline!

4) My Dyson vacuum. I am so intrigued by all the junk you can see collected in the canister. I also love how smoothly it “drives”.  Ever since getting it I have loved to vacuum.

5) Getting packages in the mail. I order things I could get in stores just so I have packages to look forward to.

6) Having a lot of messages in my inbox. I get sad when I check my email and there is nothing.

7) Fat Quarters and pretty fabric even if they don’t have a purpose or a plan, I love having them on my shelf looking pretty. 

8) Taking pictures and looking through the old ones, especially of inanimate objects

It is so fun to look back and remember the good times. My kids are convinced they can remember things that happened when they were a year old, but really it is only because they have seen the pictures. I also love putting them in a scrapbook page or doing something with them so they can be seen and shared.

9) Seeing Marius sleep with his tongue out. I can’t get over it. It makes me laugh every time and I have to poke at it!

10) When Paul calls just to say hi and tells me that he just wanted to hear my voice. 

11) Indoor plumbing –I don’t think I need to expound on this

12) Central Heating-I love when I can kick up the heater for my shower. Life is so much better when I am warm

13) The Dead End Job series-Not great literature by any means but I really loved this series. I can identify with the stuff she has to put up with at her jobs. Plus I love Phil.

14) Feeling full after a delicious meal. Even better, when a waitress comes and clears the dishes and I walk away!

15) Pumpkins, especially still in patches. I love my gourds.

16) Finding a great piece of clothing or an accessory that looks fabulous or a not so great piece that was a really good deal. Shopping is great. I have cut back soooo much it isn’t even funny. Now when I do buy something it is a pretty big deal and I get excited.

17) The 80’s, especially the music (Emily how can you hate the 80’s? Clearly this was the more offensive decade)

18) Reality TV. Amazing Race, Survivor, America’s Next Top Model, Sheer Genius, Project Runway, The Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars, So you Think you can Dance and True beauty are ALL great television.

19) Fall. I love all things autumn. I love the colors, the smells and driving through the canyon watching the leaves swirling down out of the trees and across the road. It is magical.

20) When the time changes at the end of the year. For some reason I love going out while it is dark. It feels like I am being naughty being out late but really it is only 7:00pm.

21) On the other hand long, light, summer nights. I love to get a snow cone and eat it while sitting on the grass under a tree at 9:00pm. 

22) Disneyland, most importantly the characters. Paul will tell you how I light up when I see a character. I turn into a kid again. You should have seen me when these two came out!

23) Brand new, itty bitty, babies. With both kids being 10 pounds respectively (Emma 9 lb 14 oz and Andrew 10 lbs) I never got to care for a little bitty peanut. It isn’t very often, but when I can get my hands on them, I do.

24) The way I feel when I am on the grounds of one of our temples. I almost feel better outside than I do in! You can still feel the peaceful Spirit and the reverence but there isn’t any of the pressure. 

25) I love the feeling I have when I get passionate and excited about something new. I never know what that something is going to be or when it will hit. Paul teases me about how I get when I want to know something or learn about something. There is no stopping me, nothing can stand in my way. I devour every bit of info I can get my hands on. I research and obsess. I did this with Photoshop, crocheting, diamonds and most recently quilting. On the other hand if I am not 100% committed you can forget about it. I won’t learn a thing, I just won’t care enough. 

25 Random Things

As you probably know this is going around like wild fire on Facebook. Of course I struggled thinking about what to put but as soon as I posted it I thought up a bunch of other things I could have listed.

Example; I am Ziploc challenged. That's random right? I am unable to open a resealable package (think shredded cheese) in the right place so that I can separate the bag or I cut it too close and then it doesn't seal ever again. Also I get stuff stuck in the track so that interferes with closing the bag. I also keep clothes pins around so when I can't get it zipped again I can just clip it shut. I'm a lost cause. Oh well.

Here are 25 random things about me. (this list was created last Thursday)

1. I am the oldest child in my family, that's not saying much since there are only two of us

2. My grandma was married at 18, my mom 19 and I was 20 (yes, my anniversary is two days before my birthday just for that reason. I don't recommend it. You get screwed out of gifts!)

3. I really want to go to school to become a hair stylist

4. At one point I was determined to be an elementary ed teacher, then I had kids. What was I thinking?

5. My nickname is sleepies because I love to take three hour long naps

6. I have had so many pet cats in my life I can't even begin to count them, it's well over 30.

7. I didn't start to read for fun or relaxation until three years ago. Since then I have read tons of books. I just needed to find the right genre. Last January (I hate Jan. and Winter so I just sat at home pouting) I read 13 books in one month.

8. I love musicals and have seen a lot of them. All different kinds. I would love to be in one (wouldn't it be sooo cool to live the "Broadway Musical Life" in New York, at least for a minute? ) but I can't sing...at all

9. I have seen Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Stone Temple Pilots, Evanescence, James Blunt and Garth Brooks in concert. There are many others but I can't think of them now. I think it is part of the reason I have some hearing loss.

10. I am a craft addict. I quilt, scrapbook, make cards, crochet, cross stitch, needle point and plan to learn to knit.

11. I love taking pictures. I average thousands each year. It takes a toll on my computers.

12. I love being a wife and mother but being a mom is a lot harder than I thought

13. I have two amazing kids who challenge me, love me and look up to me, a lot. I still can't get over the fact that I am raising humans LOL!

14. I love murder mystery books. I don't like blood and gore though so mine are really light and fluffy and often revolve around shopping and fashion.

15. I can't move past my love of 80's music. I don't think I will ever outgrow it.

16. I have one cat whom I love but once he is gone we will be pet free, forever. I don't like sharing my house with animals and would like to experience wearing clothes that aren't covered in hair. Also I feel tremendous guilt when we travel. I hate leaving him alone.

17. I love to travel as see new places but get nervous and anxious as the trip approaches. I worry about what to pack, if I'm forgetting something and what is the cat going to do and is out house going to be in one piece when we return. I also don't like flying unless the whole family is with me. If something bad happens then at least we're all together.

18. I really want to live in a big city. Even if it is only for a year. I would love to have a little apartment right in the heart of it all where you can hear the sounds of traffic and the hustle and bustle of life.

19. I am a terrible housekeeper. The idea of a clean kitchen and empty sink before bed appeals to me but it rarely is executed.

20. I secretly love pants that stretch out during the day. I can illude myself into thinking I have miraculously lost 10 pounds in a matter of hours.

21. I would be lost without a computer. If I didn't have Paul though I would probably wouldn't even know how to turn one on.

22. I am addicted to all things digital. Photos, blogging, internet and scrapbooking. It is awesome! I didn't want to like it either.

23. I have no coordination. Zero. I'm lucky I can walk.

24. I would love to visit all 50 states but have only been to 16 so I have a long way to go

25. I learned to drive on a car that was a stick shift. It was all I drove for years. I got 100 % on my driving test with that car however now I don't want to drive one ever. Paul left me his today so he could take the SUV skiing and I think I am just going to stay home.

Day Two and I Tried Something New

Today was a long day. The kids were out of school and we all worked hard. I cleaned Andrew’s room, helped Emma with hers,(too bad we didn't finish), did the dishes and cleaned the counters, packed up several more boxes, did more laundry that I can even wrap my brain around, (this is just a very small portion of what I washed, folded and put away)

made no-bake cookies with Emma, did more dishes and washed counters again, took Andrew to Chandler’s, took Emma to piano, vacuumed, picked Emma up, picked Andrew up an hour later, put the laundry away while the kids were getting along really well

 and then started dinner. 

On Saturday we made a dinner menu for the week. I made the grocery list for the things I needed and all was right in the world. Well that is until minutes before we were suppose to eat dinner, tonight. 

I have several recipes that would make anyone interested in the culinary arts simply horrified. They consist of such ingredients as Cheese Whiz and Cream of Chicken Soup. Tonight we were supposed to eat something I call Nacho Chicken. 

It is made with a 16 oz. jar of Cheese Whiz, one of the small cans of roasted green chilies, a can of cream of chicken soup and a little milk to thin things out. After everything is warmed through and incorporated together (do this in a sauce pan on your range) you add cooked, shredded chicken.  We put this on top of a baked potato and add Fritos. Voila, dinner is served.

While everything was going into the pan and I found out we were out of the soup. I still have no clue how that is possible.  It seems like that stuff is always hanging around my food storage and I can’t use it fast enough. Anyway I didn’t want to call a neighbor in a panic (I do that far too often) so I Googled and came up with a recipe here for homemade soup and I had everything I needed.

Can you believe it? I made my own cream of chicken soup! I didn't even know it was an option until a while back I saw someone mention it on my message board. I never actually thought I would try it. Why should I right?

It was easy, really good and there were no scary chicken pieces to pull out. I could tell you things about the chicken in those condensed soups but I will spare you. What I will say is, after working at a chicken farm as a summer job in South Dakota Paul asks me to pull out each and every piece of that chicken they use.

So I never need to buy a can of that high sodium, scary chicken soup again. My new recipe was a success!

I am so excited it is February

As far as I'm concerned January is *the* worst month. I can't stand how long it is, how cold it is and that there are no holidays to look forward to. It is just blah blah blah. I know that once I make it through January I am on the road to happier times.

Now that we've gotten January out of the way, I get to start counting down the days until Valentine's Day, our trip to Zion's and the Draper Temple open house. Also many of my favorite reality shows start up again. Yippy Skippy it's February!!!