New Year, New (Late) Start!

Since it's been 150 years since I last posted, I believe it's about time. I'll give a recap of what's been going on since the beginning of 2010.

I have been to four viewings (as in funeral viewings, not movie viewings). One person was a husband of my friend, one was my friend, one was my neighbor (and friend), and the last was the grandson of a guy MOMD's works with. That's enough. Really.

I have sat in the waiting room during two surgeries. One for my mom (deadening the nerves in her knee so she wouldn't have pain) and one for my dad (gall bladder). That's enough.

I have been to three movies ... Did You Hear About The Morgans?, Blindside, and Avatar. I usually don't attend that many movies in a year, let alone a month. That's enough.

My last two Saturdays have been at the church for meetings. That is definitely enough!

Some new people have moved into our ward and have begun sitting in our seats (both in the chapel and in our Sunday School room). I have personally taken offense to this, so today we got to church 45 minutes before the meeting began. We got our seats. (The other people didn't show up at all - I showed them!) I know that the flow of the ward was once again in balance and harmony because we were sitting in our rightful seats.

I saved the most exciting news for last. Right before Christmas we started itching to add a new family member. We APPLIED FOR ADOPTION (I'm not kidding) to Wag 'N Train Pet Rescue in Ephraim. I had to fill out an application, give two references that were not family members (both of my references were called), as well as my vet's name and number. We also had a telephone interview. We were trying to adopt "Biscuit". Our adoption was approved on Christmas Eve and we were so excited. Since Wag 'N Train is a pet rescue, all the animals are in "foster" homes. The lady that was fostering Biscuit was out of town for the holidays. We waited through Christmas and New Year's and finally Wag 'N Train called us and told us that Biscuit's foster mom had decided to keep her. Our hearts were broken. We started looking on ksl.com and answered a few ads, but one was a scam and the other's were gone before we acted.

One Monday evening I was home alone. I looked at ksl.com just for fun and saw a new ad for puppies. They were a mix of Llasa Apso, poodle, etc. I called the familly and asked when I could go to their home to look at the puppies. The family said to come right then. I stopped at the ATM and withdrew enough money to buy a puppy (just in case). I got to this family's home and they had four adult dogs (that I saw) and seven puppies. Oh my heck! The puppies were adorable. I had been reading all the things to do (the little tests) before choosing an appropriate puppy for your family. That all flew out the window when one little girl and one little boy crawled up on me. It was as if Cupid shot me with a couple of arrows. I was in love. Who cares if I didn't have enough money for two puppies? Who cares that my family didn't know I was getting one, let alone two puppies? Who cares that I didn't have puppy food, bowls, toys, beds, blah, blah, blah? I was like a cartoon character with those little hearts floating above my head. Yes - I am a dork; but could you turn your back on these little faces?

Their names are Buddy and Sissy (remember the movie "Urban Cowboy"? - "Oh Bud", "Oh, Sissy" and say it with a drawl). When we took them to the vet for their first shots a couple of weeks ago, Buddy weighed exactly 4 lbs and Sissy weighed exactly 3 lbs. When Sissy got her shot, she cried and cried. Buddy didn't even flinch.

As they are developing their personalities we are finding that they are extremely naughty. Sissy is the trouble maker of the group. I heard her squealing the other day and thought that Buddy was playing too hard with her. When I finally saw them, they weren't even touching, she was just carrying on, trying to get him into trouble. ("Mom - he's looking at me!") Sissy is also much braver than Buddy. She was the first one to try stairs and run into the neighbor's yard. Buddy is a big lug now compared to her. She can jump on the couch, but he can't even though he's bigger. When you sit down, Buddy is content to sit BESIDE you, but Sissy has to sit ON THE HIGHEST POINT on your body (my boobs).(That last statement makes me think my boobs must grow out the top of my head ...) That's so not comfortable. They both POOP A LOT (and it stinks)! We think we are doing really good with taking them outside and then they come inside and go to the bathroom. What's up with that?

Anyway - hopepfully this year I'll do better with blogging. I'll keep you updated on the kids (and I don't mean FOS and FYS, although they are doing well also.)

What NOT to do if you crave control in your life ...

Last Saturday MOMD and I (along with another "leader" - and I use that term loosely) took four Cub Scouts to Cub Country. Holy Hannah! I did not do well. As you know I crave structure, schedules, and quiet. I want people to follow the instructions given to them. What we want and what we get are two entirely different things, aren't they? The poor Cub Country leaders were good kids and they tried so hard but no one listened! (Not even other adults that were there!!!) I was getting so frustrated that MOMD had to ask me a couple of times if I wanted to go get my book out of the car and spend some time reading. I would then realize I was just about ready to step over the edge of acceptable behavior. I would try really hard to take a deep breath and not say things under my breath about "no wonder the kids are so misbehaved, look at their leaders", "why doesn't anyone listen?" or "some people should not be allowed to reproduce".

Three of the four little cubs that we took were VERY well behaved and nice little boys. The fourth boy (the other "leader's" son) was OUT OF CONTROL. His dad was oblivious to everything. In fact, the dad left during lunch and didn't return until the end of our second class after lunch. (The reproducing comment was mostly directed to this gentleman.)

Our little boys had a great time and Cub Country would be an awesome place to visit if you were eight years old. It's not such a great place to visit if you are 51 years old and a control freak. :)

This past Friday was SO MUCH fun! MOMD, his mom, and I drove up to Round Valley, Utah (near Bear Lake). MOMD has a friend that lives there (he met him a couple of years ago through hunting with his brother). This guy (Clint) has a farm with a bunch of weird animals. All the animals know their names and come when you call them. It was amazing! It was so much fun. Clint had an alpaca, two llamas (Dali Llama and Tony Llama), a mother and daughter yak (Sherpa and Lottie), three donkeys (I can’t remember their names but they have a dark cross on their backs because it was their ancestors that carried Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem – cute, huh?), a zillion peacocks and babies, a zillions ducks (weird kinds too, like African quackless ducks) and babies, numerous miniature horses, a miniature Brahma bull (Shooter), two raccoons (Ranger and Rascal), turkeys, and fallow deer. All the animals I have mentioned eat FROM YOUR HAND(except for the ducks, turkeys, and peacocks) and I FED THEM! It was awesome! They all live in a big area together in a giant pen. We walked amongst/among? (whatever) them and petted them. I can’t even describe it. I’ll bet that’s how the Garden of Eden was. I kept saying to MOMD, "Take a picture of ME with ______ ". Here are a few pictures of the animals along with me being "Dr. Doolittle”.

I am not in this picture but you can see one of the yaks as well as a donkey.


Me and Rascal enjoying a little treat ... sorry about the hair (mine, not Rascal's).


Look at me with these sweet girls! They were both leaning into me so heavily that I could have lifted my feet off the ground and still stayed upright.

Butch: 1990 - 2009

Butch Giles, born February 18, 1990, passed away May 9, 2009 at 11:15 a.m. At the time of his death he was a shadow of his former self, but still very loved.

He will be remembered for how he loved to run through the house, bounce off the bed, run into the TV room, jump onto the couch and then start all over again for as long as we would clap for him and yell "Go, Go, Go!". We will always remember when we entered a room he would grab a sock from the floor and act like he was going to take it. We will remember how he "hid" his food in our shoes, in the corners of all the rooms of our house and how he buried his bones in our house plants. We will remember how he didn't like the white pieces of dog food and would spit them out all over the kitchen floor, eating only his favorite pieces. We will remember how he would play with his brother, Moose, rough and tumble (just like all brothers). We will also remember Butch "taking care" of us when we were sick, riding with us in the car, and sleeping with us in our beds. He loved his doggy treats, his bed (complete with a hand-made quilt) by the couch, and to look out the window. He also loved his family and we loved him back.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Moose. He is survived by his family who will miss him dearly.

A private graveside service was held in the Giles backyard.

How Time Flies ...

The last time I posted was a month ago. We have had much happening in our home since then. Here's a few updates:

1. Our sweet Butch (our four-legged child) turned 19 on February 18. We don't know if that's really the day he was born, but we've always "celebrated" his birthday on that day. Can you believe a dog could live for 19 years? Come to think of it, he's not really living in the true sense of the word. He goes to the bathroom on our deck (it's a poop deck), he sleeps all day and night, and he can only walk on three legs at one time (not always the same three). Every morning we check to see if he is still breathing. I don't know what we'll do when he decides to "walk towards the light". I tell him almost everyday that it's okay if he needs to leave us. Okay, I'm starting to cry. Let's move on.

2. MOMD had a colonoscopy! That was fun. You do stuff like that when you're 50. He was pretty cranky before his test but he did just fine. When the doctor showed me the pictures taken during the test (of his colon, not him lying exposed in all his glory on the exam table!) I was surprised to see that he wasn't full of sh*t as I had always thought. :)
Add on after the post: When I spellchecked this post, the word COLONOSCOPY came up as incorrectly spelled and suggested I replace it with KALEIDOSCOPE. Now THAT would have been fun!

3. We went to the Draper Temple open house. A fun time was had by all. I loved it!

4. I ran into the pole of our carport with the car. Good times! #%&@#

5. We have ALL been sick. We've had the crud that's going around and someone at our house has been coughing and whining since Christmas. Earlier this week, I told my family I had lost the will to live. I think I have regained the will to live so I guess I'm getting better.

6. I have had two mammograms in the last two weeks. My boobs look like beaver tails, but I'll be fine.

All in all, we're (relatively) healthy and always happy!

A Visit to the Doctor

On Monday MOMD and I had eye appointments. This was not our first time to the eye doctor. I have worn glasses for years and he has had his eyes checked for years. I thought reading an eye chart was a pretty simple task (if you could see the chart). When MOMD was asked to read the chart he started reading it from right to left INSTEAD of left to right! (Maybe he thought he was Chinese or maybe he was momentarily dyslexic.) This is what it was like. If the chart said:

F S T Z O

he read it as:

O Z T S F

What??? Are you kidding me? He did this THREE TIMES with two different doctors. The first doctor told him to "start at the other end" so he did, but then read it backwards again a few minutes later. When the second doctor came in and MOMD started reading it backwards I called him retarded.

I asked him later why he did that and he said he didn't know ... he was just reading the letters he could see.

Afterwards I started worrying that he had a tumor or some medical condition and he couldn't differentiate which end of the line to read from. I asked him and he said he didn't have anything wrong. My question is this -- if he did, would he know?

He's a weirdo, but I love him. (I'll just have to help him study prior to his next eye exam.)

A New Hobby(?)

So last year I kept toying with the idea of learning to quilt. Why, you may ask, when I have a closet full of scrapbook supplies that are not getting used, another closet full of yarn and knitting needles, and a basement full of various unfinished Relief Society projects? The answer to that question is: I'm looking for that perfect hobby ... or I just like to buy supplies (I haven't decided which is the correct answer, although I'm leaning heavily to the supplies side). Anyway, follow me, if you will, on my journey to quilting nirvana.

I mentioned multiple times throughout the year to MOMD that I'd like to learn to quilt. He bought me a gift certificate to a quilt store for Christmas (pretty thoughtful, huh?). Anyway, I went to the quilting store a few weeks ago. I told them my situation - I don't know how to quilt, I don't know how to sew, where do I start? The sweet little angel clerks told me I'd come to the right place. I needed to start with "Beginning Rotary Cutting". I'm off and running! (I Am Woman - Hear Me Roar!) I sign up for the $15 class with high hopes and visions of quilt wall hangings, quilts to pass on for generations, and somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking of becoming Amish.

I took my supply list and left those angel quilters. As I am leaving the store I glanced at my list. Of course I need a rotary cutter. I can handle that. A mat to cut on and a special ruler - no problem. Four different types of material (one light, one dark, one medium, and one to just practice cutting on) - I'm on board. One sewing machine ... RRRRKKK! (That's the sound of brakes slamming.) What the ...? I DON'T have a sewing machine! I don't sew! (Don't even ask me what I was thinking.)

I was actually thinking about buying a sewing machine for this stupid $15 class. I called the quilt store and said, "I need to buy a machine for this (stupid) class but I don't want to spend very much money because I DON'T SEW and WHAT IF I HATE IT? Suddenly (before my very ears) the angel clerk turned into some cackling witch. She told me that I would not be able to LEARN to quilt on a machine that was less than amazing and she began to rattle off all the features I would need on that wonder machine. Then she told me not to buy any fabrics at the area stores, but only to buy fabrics at the quilting store because of the quality. Yikes, I think I'm in over my head.

The next day I was off work so decided to go machine shopping/looking. I left my list at work of all the absolutely necessary features I needed on my new miracle machine (it was supposed to change my life) so I meekly called the quilting store again and asked the same questions as the day before. This time I got one of the angel clerks again who told me NONE of those "necessary" features were needed on the sewing machine (in fact, she didn't have some of them on her machine at home), she told me to get the cheapest material I could find to bring to class (since I was just learning) and pretty much told me exactly the opposite of what the cackling witch had said. I was so relieved ... not because I could buy a cheaper machine or cheap material, but because this angel clerk may possibly be my instructor at my $15 class (she wasn't).

I went to the store, plopped down my cash, and bought everything on the supply list. My $15 class has now cost over $400. I'm a little sick.

On the night of my class, I was so nervous that I got there 45 minutes early. (I won't even mention that the class started 20 minutes late because we were "waiting a few minutes for the stragglers"). I really enjoyed the class (after we got started) but I could have borrowed Wilma Flintstone's sewing machine for the class. We sewed two seams (we were supposed to sew three, but I didn't have time). The sisters sitting next me me brought this old black Singer sewing machine and said everyone always wanted to buy it because it was an antique. They shared the machine. Couldn't I have shared? Oh no, I bought my OWN machine.

After the class (which I think I enjoyed), I still didn't know how to quilt. I knew how to cut (which is hugely important) but I didn't know how to quilt. I wasn't sure of the next step and I was afraid to ask the angel clerks/cackling witches what to do next. I talk to MOMD and he had the solution! Every Wednesday MOMD goes to a guy's house to carve (or to play with his wood ... however you want to look at it). Anyway, the guy's wife is a quilter extraordinaire! MOMD set up a visit (without consulting me first). Oh crap! Why did I say anything - I don't do visits!

We went to this extremely talented couple's home and MOMD did not stay by my side, (where I wanted him) but instead went to talk with his whittling buddy. I'm alone with a stranger. (STRANGER DANGER!!!) She was extremely helpful and encouraging and told me it doesn't matter what the rules say, it matters what you like. What a relief! I don't even know what the rules are, let alone know how to follow them. She pumped me up and told me that she would be willing to help anytime (yeah, like that's going to happen ... remember the stranger danger?). She told me some other quilting stores to check out.

Have you ever been in a quilting store? It makes you smile when you walk in the door because everything is so cute, fun, matching, etc. I think I may buy a small project and give it a whirl.

Now to recap ... I really wanted a new hobby that I could pick up at a moment's notice instead of pulling out box after box of supplies. I really wanted something that would help me de-stress. I really wanted a hobby I could take when MOMD goes on his woodcarving class trips instead of my huge assortment of scrapbook supplies. Instead I got:

A sewing machine
Rulers and mats that are 36" long and need to be stored flat
Stress from taking a class (independence is not my strong point)
Stress from talking to the cackling witch woman
Stress from meeting the quilting wife
Stress from wondering where in the heck I'm going to put all this stuff ...
Stress from wondering if a sewing machine can be counted as a "carry-on" on a plane ...

Oh yeah, this quilting stuff is going to work out just dandy!

Goodbye Old Friend ...

Don't you just hate giving up on something, especially when it still works? Here's my original mixer given to MOMD and I on our wedding day (February 24, 1978). (Please note some dried on food that is also 30 years old.) Although it's not used often (maybe that's why it lasted 30 years), it smokes every time I use it. Today was the perfect day for cookie making and I didn't feel like I could stand the smoke and burnt motor smell. I decided to lay my beloved mixer to rest. Goodbye faithful mixer ... I went down to Wal-Mart and bought a spanking new mixer for $16.00. Do you think it will last 30 years?

A Beautiful Day

Don't some days just make you smile? Today was one of them ... the blue sky, the sparkly snow, and sun!

Goodbye 2008!

At the risk of sounding sappy let me just say ... I am so blessed! My life, marriage, and kids aren't perfect but I am extremely happy. I am enjoying the best stage of my life. I feel like it's a blessing to even recognize that I feel this way! A few things I have to be grateful for:

Family - Of course those boneheads top my list ... what would I do without their humor, their sarcasm, their support and love, and the way they knock me off my soap box when I get carried away?

Friends - You girls know who you are - my life has been changed forever because of you (I'm not kidding). If we hadn't gone away for that first scrapping trip all those years ago, I'd be an inmate at a jail or loony bin by now. (I know that last statement isn't politically correct, but I'm just keepin' it real here.)

My Testimony - I love that it's grown this past year and I love that I recognize how much I value it.

Quiet Music - Love that soft music ... it soothes my soul.

Books - Books are my retreat, my way to ground and calm myself. I'd die without books. I pray I never go blind! (I'm serious.)

Snacks - I love snacks! When I say I'd die without snacks, I'm not talking starvation - I love treats!

Humor/Laughter - What would I do without great big loud explosive belly laughs? My family and friends seem to keep me supplied with reasons to laugh.

The Internet - I love that I can keep "in touch" with my friends without ever talking to them or actually writing them a letter. I know that sounds extremely lazy, but I'm being honest here. I also love that I can look up pretty much anything and find out about it on the Internet. Most of you probably don't remember going to the library, finding the encyclopedia, and looking up your subject. You were out of luck if someone was already looking at the volume of encyclopedia you needed. The Internet is amazing. And don't even get me started on Internet shopping ...

As 2008 ends and 2009 begins I am grateful for the little cocoon of peace, stability, and love that my family and I share. I hope (and pray) that we can sustain that cocoon for another year and that at the end of 2009 I will be able to say again that I have been blessed.

The Whirlwind of December

It's been such a long while since I posted ... here's December in a nutshell: went to work, made Christmas gifts for Relief Society ladies, Relief Society Christmas party, dinner with friends, Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert (you know how I love the Choir), mad dash to finish Christmas cards (same story, different year), realization that just because you have THOUGHT of what to give someone doesn't mean you have actually bought and wrapped it (seriously), cooked for MOMD and his work party, family parties, shoveled snow, mailed missionary packages, shed many tears for a dear friend who just received a horrible diagnosis, finally took around my neighbor gifts, shopped and wrapped for Sub for Santa (no wrapped presents yet under MY tree, but Sub for Santa family is taken care of), went to the high school concert to see my cute nephew play the drums, enjoyed the annual viewing of White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, started making presents for RS ladies in the ward to give them on their birthday (for those born in January), read a darling book I recommend to everyone for next Christmas called "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" (it makes perfect sense and since Santa wrote it, I know it's true!), ate more than my share, and am constantly amazed at how much people love each other and show it at this time of year. And it's only December 23rd! Merry Christmas everybody!

Halloween at the Happiest Place On Earth

MOMD, my brother-in-law (Trace), sister-in-law (Juanita), and I were lucky enough (blessed) to go to Disneyland over Halloween. Oh my heck! You know how much I love anything Disney! You should see it at Halloween time. Amazing! We had an incredible time. MOMD and I flew in on Thursday a.m. and spent the entire day in the parks. Juanita and Trace had their original flight canceled (they found out on the way to the airport), so they didn't get to California until Thursday evening. We spent Friday and Saturday together in the parks riding the rides, shopping, and watching the people. We returned to real life and home on Sunday afternoon. It was a great weekend! I don't have words for how much fun it was.

We were lucky enough to stay at the Grand Californian Hotel (beautiful, incredible; they made ghosts out of our wash cloths on Halloween - how's that for fun?), so we were close enough to walk to the parks everyday. The balcony of our room overlooked Downtown Disney. It was like living "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". Trace and Juanita had a room right next to us. Here is the view from our balcony.

We ate incredible food at every meal - MOMD and I are kind of food slackers - give us a drive through window any day, but Trace and Juanita know where to go for the good stuff. (We need to hang out with them more often.)

Check out the pictures below ... We were hanging out one day in Disneyland waiting for a parade when some Disney "Cast Members" (that's what the employees are called) were standing near us. I started talking to them. I asked if I could get a picture of them since they were my "peeps". (That's what us cool people call our friends.) They were good sports because they agreed to the picture (but I know in their heart of hearts they yearn to be included in my group of peeps).

After the picture taking love-fest, they told me that since we were all peeps, they wanted to give me this:

I know you can't read it, but it says that I'm an HONORARY CITIZEN OF DISNEYLAND! Can you believe it? How did they know that in my wildest dreams I could not have asked for anything more? (With the possible exception of winning the showcase showdown on the Price Is Right ...) Life is good!

One of the funnest parts of the entire trip was watching the people. I know, I know - I could stay home and do that BUT have you ever watched people in Downtown Disney on Halloween while listening to live music with the love of your life? Life doesn't get much better than that.

Let me explain just a bit about the people we were watching. Since it was Halloween, we had a lot of folks dressed up (in costume). I think they were going the House of Blues or some place fancy because none of my friends look like that on Halloween. Anyway, we had two different types of women in costume. We had the young, curvaceous gals thinking that this would be a good opportunity to show some skin and be sexy in their little witch/nurse/school girl costume and we also had the above 50 crowd that thought they were the part of the young and curvaceous crowd. (Picture me in a slinky gold Cleopatra outfit - I'm not kidding.) It was a hoot. My favorite costumes though were the families dressed as the "Incredibles". Can you picture your husband or boyfriend wearing the red Incredible tights outfit with the fake muscles? I especially liked the drawn on masks. It was a crack-up!

Here's a few pictures to show more of the fun.

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

Tradition!

My family is big on tradition. We eat the same thing every 24th of July (Fishing Fiestas). We say the same words every Memorial Day ("Now who does this baby belong to?"). We all sing "Happy Birthday" at different tempos and in our worst voices. (We can make babies cry!) One of our big traditions is the Deer Hunt. The tradition of the deer hunt began when my Grandpa Noble was a young man. He and his friend (Mr Fisher) went to an area called Willow Creek (pronounced "Crik") down near Gunnison and Salina. As they continued hunting this area they named the landmarks (The Dry Lake, the Gammon Rock, Jack's Flat, etc.). After a while Grandpa and Mr Fisher both got married, had families, and continued to go to Willow Creek to hunt.

Grandpa Noble and Grandma Julie have been gone since 1995, but the Deer Hunt lives on. No one hunts anymore, but none of us would ever dream of missing the Deer Hunt. We have to do the EXACT things that Grandpa Noble did, such as:

* Arrange all the trailers and motor homes in a circle (picture circling the wagon train),

* Rake all the stickers from the ground from inside the camp circle,

* Lay down canvas tarps (who still has canvas tarps - aren't they all that blue plastic stuff?) inside the camp circle so the dust doesn't get kicked up,

* Dig a hole for the outhouse. (Everyone has bathrooms in their trailers but remember, it's TRADITION!),

* Talk about those old landmarks and how they appear this year,

* Try to remember where we hid the fire grate from the previous year.

Those are just a FEW of the things that we need to do to complete the deer hunt experience. (Does it sound like the entire family is a little obsessive-compulsive? We are.) We have added things over the years such as 4-wheelers, paint ball guns and occasionally a craft or two (for a few of us). We have always had snacks but now we have reached the ridiculous stage. We had 24 people in our group and we had one ENTIRE church banquet table plus the half-size banquet table FILLED with candy, popcorn balls, candy, cheese and crackers, candy, cookies, and anything else you can think of. It was as if I had died and gone to heaven!

Each night we all sit around the fire and talk about farting. This year I shared with some of my younger boy cousins (ages 10 & 12) how cool my scrapping friends were because we've been involved with "blue darts". That really moved me up on the coolness ladder!

Here's some pictures of the traditional deer hunt (if you want to use it as a pattern for planning your own outing):

The king and queen of the camp - my Mom and Dad


Here I am with FOS (why does he always make the stupid face when we are getting our pictures taken?)


The picture below is me sitting on the toilet in the outhouse tent ... You didn't believe me, did you?

Since I don't have a trailer, this was my campsite. Every evening after the fire we would drive a few minutes to Salina and our "camp". Imagine having a hot shower whenever I wanted on! Hee hee hee ...

The Deer Hunt - It's the same every year. Life doesn't get much better than this!

A Picture Really Is Worth A Thousand Words ...

I wish you could feel my heart when I look at this picture. It makes me immeasurably happy. How did I get so lucky to find this group of friends? It all started almost ten years ago when Ashley suggested a scrap booking weekend. Didn't Ashley know that I was insecure, that I didn't go anywhere without MOMD, and that I didn't hang out with friends? I guess she didn't know those things because she pursued it. I am so glad.

I am the mother of boys, the aunt of boys, and the sister of a boy. There are no girls in my life. I didn't hang out with friends. My family members were my friends. My life was full and I didn't think I needed anyone else.

I didn't realize I had an empty spot in my heart until I went on that scrapping weekend all those years ago. Beginning then and growing over time we have developed into sisters. We listen to each other, we counsel each other, we ask questions that we are too embarrassed to ask anyone else (even our doctors), but most of all, we are loved by each other. I did need more in my life and I'm so thankful that I found it with these friends.

It doesn't matter how much time has passed since our last visit or weekend getaway. We jump in as if we see each other daily. By this point we are pretty comfortable with each other (if seeing each other in pajamas, without a shower, and passing gas means you feel comfortable).
I think our differences are what make our group work. We have different religious views, political views, and we are in different stages of our life. I am older than this group (oh, so much older! - I could be these girls' mother) and hearing the stories about raising kiddos makes me wish I had appreciated my time more when my boys were little. Maybe that's one of our strengths - we all have different perspectives and feel comfortable sharing our ideas with each other. We don't need to impress each other and we don't try. How incredibly freeing!

The bottom line is this - I love these girls! Do you understand now why this picture makes me so happy?

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

* Good friends - what would I do without them?
* Having summer-like weather even though it is October 2.
* Feeling more in control of my life. I hate it when I'm out of control!

Stepping Outside The Box

This past week I've been trying to step "outside the box" of myself. I'm trying not to be so self-absorbed. I've decided to try and be more friendly with my fellow Trax riders. There is one man that I ride the train with and we each sit in the same seats everyday, directly across the aisle from each other. I started saying good morning to him and he gives me the head nod. That's good, isn't it? I'm stepping out of my comfort zone.

Last Friday morning as I was stepping "outside the box" at the Trax station I said good morning to a lady who was waiting for a train. Her response to me was, "See that flare up there in the sky?" I looked up and in an otherwise cloudless sky, saw a tiny wisp of a cloud barely about the mountain top that was illuminated with pre-sunrise light. I said to her, "You mean that cloud?" She said, "That's not a cloud. That's a UFO." She started fumbling in her purse as I tried to wipe the skepticism off my face. Then she said, "Shoot! It landed on the mountain and I didn't get my camera out in time!" She then pointed out that even though the UFO had landed on the mountain, the mountain wasn't on fire. Amazing! She started telling me that this was not her first experience with a UFO. She told me that one morning she was up at about 5:00 a.m. and looked outside and saw three UFO's "flying equidistant from each other". Evidently she didn't have a camera then either. I just kept listening to her; all the while slowly moving away from her to my own area of the platform. It was a very interesting experience.

When I told my family about it they all gave me the Stranger Danger talk and said not to talk to anyone anymore. They even told me not to say good morning to the man that I see everyday because he will think I am hitting on him. I think I will be staying "inside my box" from now on.

You Can't Fly Under The Radar

I thought I had church all figured out. I sat on the back row in the corner every week at Sacrament Meeting (so as not to be in the Bishop's line of sight. I attended Relief Society just enough so that my name wouldn't go on the inactive list (just kidding - I don't think there is an inactive list, is there?) I have NEVER attended an Enrichment Night or a Super Saturday so as not to draw attention to myself (in spite of being on the Enrichment Night Committee). I NEVER attended an Enrichment Committee meeting, but rather just let them assign me the invitations. I was willing to make meals and do all those other Mormon girl things, but I didn't want to get involved. My calling of Visiting Teaching Coordinator was enough for me and the perfect amount of commitment. (I'm so bad at commitment.) Once a month all my Visiting Teaching Supervisors would call me with their lists and then I would go to the church and fill out my report, all the while congratulating myself for flying under the ward radar. Evidently that ward radar is a lot stronger than I thought because I got the dreaded call from the Executive Secretary this past week. I've obviously been called to repentance regarding my church activity (my thoughts anyway) because I am the new Relief Society secretary. That wasn't supposed to happen - no one was supposed to notice me! I want to be stage crew rather than the actor! I don't want to teach a lesson, I don't want to visit, I don't want to plan anything. I hate finding out that it's not always all about ME. That totally bums me out.

Seriously though, this is not my first calling as RS secretary so I know what I'm up against. The other ladies in the presidency are awesome, funny, clever, and pretty spiritual too. I'm definitely the odd man out here. I wonder what would happen if I didn't attend any presidency meetings ... do you think anyone would notice?

Are you kidding me?

What's wrong with this picture of our family calendar? ... Can you figure it out? Notice the time period this is for - MARCH 2007 to AUGUST 2008. Who's the mental giant who thought that was an appropriate time frame for a calendar? By the time I got around to buying a 2007 calendar a few months had passed so I thought I was getting a great deal on this little gem. What an idiot I was! Guess what happened when August 2008 came and went? I HAD NO CALENDAR! Just try to find a calendar at this time of year for the four remaining months of the year. I toyed with the idea of just printing something off from the computer, but that seemed like giving up. I trudged on looking for a 2008 calendar wherever I went, traveling far and wide. My persistence finally paid off! I was at Seagull Book and as I was heading toward the cashier I thought to myself, "Go look at the clearance items". Of course I obey everything I say to myself, so I did. Lo and behold, I found a new calendar AND it was 70% off the original price of $15.95. Woo hoo! I love a deal! I snatched that calendar up without caring what the pictures or theme was. I ran to the cashier clutching it close to my body in case some other shopper tried to steal it from me. When I got to the cashier, I was thrilled to hear that the price had dropped even lower; it was on sale for $1.99! WOW! I'm going to buy all my calendars in September (oh wait - no, I'm not ...). Anyway, here is the new calendar. I'm sure my family will be blessed for having it in our house (and not just because we'll know what day it is).

Thankful Thursday

* I'm thankful it's only two weeks until my scrapping getaway with my best friends!
* I'm thankful that we interviewed someone yesterday for the open position at my work. Someone will eventually be hired! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! (You'd think that I was working 7 days a week/12 hours a day. I am only working 4 days a week, but it's killing me!)