Elena's Useless Information

Arizona 2010

2010-06-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here's how the trip went. I loaded the pictures backward...for more fun...not because I'm technologically challenged...
Of course, we ended up at the Grand Canyon. We went from 110 degrees in Phoenix to 44 degrees here.

But how beautiful it was once the clouds cleared out!!

No jackets or pants. Very cold!!

The water balloon fight was awesome! We found a fun activity center that had mini golf, speed track, water rafts and video games.

But they just don't give you enough water balloons!!

Andrew and I tried it, too!! I think I won!!

The water felt great in the heat!

Josh just wouldn't let me pass him!

Water boats!

I don't think Josh looks like he's having a good time!! Nope.

Lazy river at the hotel. Round and round.

Swimming and more swimming.

The closest I'll ever get to Mike Rowe!

Slide Rock State Park just outside of Sedona. Highly recommend it. Zions, meets Lake Powell, meets Millcreek Canyon. Loved it.

And of course, we have Tim on a rock. He's our climber.

People were jumping off the cliffs, too. And sliding down the river on their bums.

The boys and I rented Segways for a beginner tour. SO MUCH FUN! I want one but their about $5500.

And we started out at Hoover Dam. So many "dam" jokes...

Still very large. We took the tour to the generators and learned a lot about the dam. It was HOT!!
We had fun. I got a new camera. A little bit of a tan. A lot of reading done. Got to ride a Segway. Saw Toy Story 3. Went to Trader Joe's. Good food. And some quality family time.

Just Some Fun Stuff

2010-05-18T20:42:00.001-07:00

Haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd update with some fun pictures I found.

Andrew goofing off in Orlando, Florida. The kids museum was fun but not worth the entry fee!!

All the kids together at Sea World's manta ray exhibit. We spent about an hour here.

My last year's quilt-block-of-the-month class quilt. I think it turned out excellent!!

Josh took Cheyenne to prom this year. It was so fun to rent a tux for my little boy. What a handsome couple!!

The girls put a bow tie on poor Ninja. He's too tolerant!!
I will update again after all this end of school stuff is over. It's a lot of work to get a senior to graduate!!

Best of Oh Nine

2010-01-10T15:33:00.001-08:00

This year, 2009, went by so fast! I thought I'd update with a few of my favorite moments.

The deer in the backyard. A daily occurrence. This year we saw more male deer than ever. One of them we named stumpy because one of his antlers is very short.

The beautiful fall foliage in my yard. It was here briefly and then the wind blew them all away.

Lazy summer days. Our "new" baker's rack on the porch was a fun place for the children to grow their flowers and the cats to take a nap.

I made it to Elephant Rock up the Mueller Park trail in Bountiful. I've tried several times and always ran out of time. As you can see, I nearly ran out of light as I finally made it close to sunset. Had to run down the trail before it got too dark. It's about 2 hours of walking to get to the giant granite rock.

We walked in the Bountiful Handcart Parade and were the only handcart entered. We were on the channel 2 news and in the Deseret News and Davis County paper. Austin, Becca, Rylee and Maddie walked with us. We ran out of candy about 2 blocks in because the girls were a little too excited to throw candy (and because we underestimated how much we would need!)

Tim on a rock. That was the theme of our trip to Lake Tahoe. He was quite the rock climber! It was a beautiful place to explore, hike, swim (cold lake) and relax with the family.

Andrew and I in Tahoe. Just a few days away from our 18th anniversary. Aren't we cute?

Our new addition to the family...Ninja. Maren wanted a kitten for her birthday and our neighbor's cat just had kittens. He's turned into one of our favorite cats and we love him!

Exploring Park City on a weekend retreat. Our Marriott Timeshare was offering a special on weeks in May. So we invited my parents up for a spell. Stayed for Maren's birthday and Mother's Day.

Easter was fun. All the girls looked so cute!

We love our backyard in the winter. Sledding and snowmen. Fun in the snow.

We had a zoo season pass this year and spent quite a bit of time there. The new merry-go-round is fun and the train still entertains. Too bad pass holders don't get to ride for free!!

Went down to St. George and Zion National Park in March. It was nice to just get away for the weekend. The trails were a bit muddy but still fun!

Emma's birthday in January was a hit! The theme was Teddy Bear Picnic. I cut sandwiches in flower shapes and all the kids brought their favorite stuffed animals. It was cute and the kids were great!

Andrew and I went to Maui in January. It was perfect!! Romantic and warm. We saw whales and explored the trails down to the shore on all sides of the island.

California in June/July with my parents. Disneyland and the beach. We had dinner with Alden and Emily and Camille. One of our favorite places to go.

Lawrence family reunion over Labor Day in Eden, Utah. We all had fun eating, playing games, taking pictures, eating, surfing, and fishing. And little Camille is my newest little niece. We don't get to see her because she's a California girl.

We had tickets to the Bees games this year. Every game we went to it rained or was canceled except the one with the San Diego Chicken visiting! It was still fun being at the ballgame!

The girls "finally" got there Nintendo DS's for Christmas! Now they're a lot more quiet.

All the girl cousins together at Thanksgiving Weekend. We hosted the BYU/Utah football game at our house. (OOH the tension...) Maren, Emma, Rylee, Maddie, Camille. Soon we'll have a little boy cousin to coo over.

The annual Cherry Hill reunion. A chance to catch up with the Hansen side of the family.

Our rock family we made at the family reunion. Josh is very tall!!

We went surfing at the Flowrider in Ogden. I highly recommend it for kids. Unlike anything I've ever done. And you should see the video of all the wipe outs!!

Cherry Hill. I posted this picture because we hardly saw Josh this year. He's always working or hanging out with friends. He turned 18 this year and can't wait to see what he does next year with college!

Other things accomplished this year...
I read 29 books. That's a record for me.
I started a watercolor painting class. It's been fun to stretch my artistic skills.
I went skiing for the first time in 7 years!
I signed up for a personal trainer and I'm sore every week.
I'm a member of the first Saturday quilt club at Quilter's Haven, Scrapbooking Thursdays, church choir, and the No Guilt Book Club.
And I still find time to cut hair.

Cousin Gathering 2009

2009-12-06T18:53:00.001-08:00

We hosted the 2nd bi-annual Lawrence Cousin Gathering the day after Thanksgiving. Andrew supplied the sandwiches and everyone else brought a dish to share. I think it all turned out great. The weather cooperated so everyone could get up the driveway and almost everyone made it. We even had a set of twin girls from Stacie's family join us for the party. The kids enjoyed having lots of friends to run around with.

Gavin, Stacie and Brian (with one of the twins).

Alden, Ashley, and Austin enjoying food.

Tim's too cool for food.

Tacie, Dustin, David and Andrew laughing at stories.

Camden rolling around under the table while we talk.

David and Steve chowin' down.

Tacie and Dustin staring at the pop bottles!!

Everyone listening to Matt's Walmart Black Friday Story!! Only he could have put up with the craziness that night!!

Andrew, Brian and Angie. The three oldest!

Matt is quite the story teller!

Austin and Becca taking a break from kids and listening in.

Maren and Tayler staying busy on the Wii.

The newest addition, Camille.

Kristen, Jenny and Matt. (Jenny hates her picture taken. This exact picture taken 2 years ago!!)

Rylee gets a ride from Becca. Becca's expecting in January!!

I'm sorry I didn't get more pictures of the kids playing downstairs. They had fun playing video games and fooseball. It was fun catching up with everyone. We should do a summer get together next time! Thanks to everyone for bringing food and for coming to our home. We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Tahoe

2009-07-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Lake Tahoe. An 8 hour drive from Salt Lake. Elevation 6200 ft. The lake is 22 miles long and 12 miles across. The temperature rarely exceeds 80 degrees in the summer.

This overlook is on the north side of the lake on highway 431. We stopped here just as we were leaving. It definitely gives you an idea how big it is.

A sticker Josh picked up. They didn't have any more of the English version. "Keep Tahoe Blue"

We went trout fishing at a farm. All the kids caught a fish. Then we cooked them up for dinner.

Cascade falls. About a mile hike along the Cascade Lake trail. A fun little river hike ending in a waterfall. Tim had fun crossing the river about 100 times. The little girls only crossed twice.

Fannette Island in the middle of Emerald Bay. There's a tiny castle turret on the top.

The old fashioned paddle wheel boat takes tours of Emerald Bay. We rented a boat and happened to follow it in. In the background is Fannette Island and Eagle Falls.

Playing in the sand at Rubicon Point.

Tim enjoying the wind in his long hair.

We had so many pictures of Tim on a rock that I thought this was a nice change. Diet Pepsi on a rock.

The old lighthouse on the Rubicon Trail. The kids think it looks like an outhouse. Kinda smelled like one, too.

One of the rest stops on the outside of Incline Village on the north side of the lake. The kids liked this place so much, we came back again. Tons of big boulders to climb and jump on right next to the shoreline.

Lower Eagle Falls. The kids were very tired by this point. Beautiful view.

Lower Eagle Falls at the very bottom. It's so picturesque, Disney couldn't have done a better job planning this one out. We got here just before the sun disappeared behind the mountain. Perfect.

From the top of the Vikingsholm Trail overlooking Emerald Bay.

We found some lunch at Meeks Bay and had some water time. The boys waded out to this rock and explored the water.

The top of Eagle Falls. Another couple was getting their bridal photos taken here so I made Andrew sit with me. This picture was taken about 2 weeks before our 18th Anniversary.

And the kids joined me. We are right on the edge of the falls and if Josh took one more step he would've fallen down the falls. He likes to scare me.

The Upper Trail to the Eagle River. Tim had such a good time jumping over the river and making Josh follow him.

While we wait for Josh and Tim to find their way back across the river, we explore the rocks.

A big redwood tree at the bottom of Eagle Falls.
As you can see, we had fun exploring the wilderness and enjoying the trails. We rented a boat one day and did some tubing in the cold lake. Trout fishing and hamburgers and shopping. On the fourth of July, we saw the fireworks out over the lake. Swimming and racquetball, mini golf and barbecuing. I think we'll come back to this place. Josh says we need our own boat next time!

While the Girls Are Away...The Parents Will Play

2009-06-25T10:06:00.001-07:00

My parents were kind enough to take Maren and Emma down to Lake Powell for the Father's Day weekend. We have never had this happen before where suddenly we are little children free. My parents used to take Josh and Tim down when they were little but the last time was when Maren was a newborn.

So as you can see, the girls got to go tubing behind the boat. They both say that this was their favorite thing they did down at Powell.

Big smiles.

Maren pretending to be Mocha, the dog.

This picture cracks me up! Is she cold, angry at grandpa for taking her picture, or stuck? I love it!

Passing time playing on the sandy rocks. Emma looks so cute in this picture.

Maren loving the sunshine and being at the dock. There's ice cream and candy at the dock!

And while the girls are down at Powell, Andrew and I head to the mountains to do some hiking. We started up Big Cottonwood Canyon and hiked the hidden falls trail at the top of the "S" bend. About an hour to the top of the overlook and you can see the run off from the snowpack. Beautiful.

Then we hiked up to Donut Falls. About a mile up the trail. I remember from my childhood, there used to be a cave to go into but if memory serves me, about 2 or 3 years ago, the cave collapsed and this is what it looks like now. Sad but still beautiful.

We then headed over to Little Cottonwood Canyon and took the Snowbird tram to the top. Still tons of snow but not enough to ski on. Such a wonderful view considering all the rain we've had in June. This is the one good day we've had in a long time!

We thought about hiking down but, a) there is too much snow. I can see myself slipping and hurting my tailbone again. And, b) they made you sign a release form before you went so they would have no obligation to pay your hospital bills if you had an accident.

So we took the tram back down. Along with everyone else.

Then we went on the Alpine Slide at Snowbird. Not as fun as the Park City Alpine Slide but it was still good.

The next day we went golfing at the Eaglewood Golf Course. I haven't played golf in about 2 years and even then it was a scramble game so I had no idea how bad I was playing. I found out I need a lot of practice! My average was a double par with my end score being a 62 on a 36 par course. Ouch! We also went to a movie and dinner and didn't have to pay a babysitter. Wow that was weird! Great weekend. Thanks to my parents for letting my girls drive them crazy so we could have a break. I almost feel human again. (Oh, and for those of you who are wondering what my boys were doing while we were gone...they were working! Ironic, eh?)

Girl's Big Night

2009-06-15T13:56:00.001-07:00

Emma and Maren had their big dance recital on Friday. Grandma's and Grandpa's and Ashley and Steve all came to see them dance. There were 30 dances in all and the girls were only in one each. A long night to sit through to see them but it was worth it. They did really awesome and Emma even scored some extra stage time. I laughed so hard, I cried. She just sat on the stage with her arms in the air and didn't realize her friends had left already.

After the show, we all went to Iceberg to get ice cream and relax.

Of course, my dad is the life of the party! He also stuck spoons out of his ears but that picture was blurry because Emma took it!

For the cost of the dance concert, we could have gone to a Broadway show but the girls did great and hopefully they'll want to take dance again in the fall. (but at a different dance academy!)

Bye, Bye, Birdie

2009-06-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

We found this nest outside our front door a few weeks ago. I snuck up there and took some pictures and this is what I found.

Three eggs inside the robin's nest. How exciting! The mom bird was very nervous and kept flying to the nearest tree. The dad bird was very protective of the nest. He would stay on the roof or nearest branch and chirp at us.

A week later, two baby robins. Don't know what happened to the third. Bad egg, maybe.

A few days later, they already have feathers.

The dad bird keeping a very close watch. He doesn't like me sticking my camera into the nest. The mom is nowhere to be seen.

A few days ago, they are filling up the nest. They don't make any noise. We never heard them chirping.

Today they're gone. No mom or dad or babies. It was fun while they were here. Something to watch and learn from. The nest was up too high for the girls so they had to rely on me to take the pictures. Now what are we going to do the rest of the summer?

Time Off in Park City

2009-05-19T20:28:00.001-07:00

Time off in Park City over Mother's Day Weekend. We relaxed at our timeshare by swimming, eating, watching movies, making crafts and exploring Main Street.

Emma finally had enough of swimming! She is a fish! And she's not shy. She would try to play with anyone who came into the pool. Including other kids' dads! She'd hang on stranger's shoulders to try to get them to play with her! Gotta watch her!

Shoe Tree Park along the parkway. Lots of shoes thrown into the trees. Why? Who knows. It's probably art or really bored teenagers.

Kelli came up for a sleep over with her cousins for Maren's birthday.

Torin came up with Josh for a couple of days and locked one set of keys in his car and the other set of keys got wet in the pool. Couldn't get his Mercedes to start.

Tim needs a haircut. But still had fun dunking me under the water or kicking me off the tube.

Family came up to visit and joined us for food and good times. Too bad the Alpine Slide wasn't open yet. Still a lot of snow on the ground so we couldn't go hiking without getting really messy. Just relaxed and didn't have to worry about work. Nice!

Easter Fun

2009-04-13T12:06:00.001-07:00

Easter Morning. Eggs to be found and candy to eat. Josh seems to get a little less excited every year for the hunt. Emma was very competitive this year and came away with the most eggs by far! Maren and Emma have a new game to play on the Wii. Josh has a new movie and Tim has a new remote control car that drives up walls!! Too much fun!

The kids in their Easter clothes.

At Mebius' house, the Easter Bunny left eggs as well. And my brother Derek also came out for some conversation and angel food cake and strawberries.

At Lawrence's the hunt was outside and so were the paparazzi! Six grandchildren and six cameras trained on their every move. Despite the dead bird we found, the kids had fun. I think the boys came out on top in this hunt! The girls got candy and prizes but the boys found money in their eggs! Where's my Easter Bunny eggs with money? I think I've been overlooked!!

Update

2009-03-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

So here is how March went...
I took an applique class at the quilt store and am now addicted to new projects. I have so many patterns in my drawer I will never get to all of them.
I started with a personal trainer at the gym. I've had three sessions now and I feel pretty good...now. The first session he made me do so many squats and lunges and step-ups on a bench that I couldn't walk for 5 days! And I've changed my diet and other exercises that I think I'm making progress. My skinny pants are loose!! Yay!!
I also bought new work out shoes. My knee pain is less and I can definitely tell a difference between the old and new ones. It was time.
I need to wash my car but the snow keeps coming.
We survived another week with Andrew out of town. I can't believe how much I depend on him daily!! We could survive without him but, A) we don't want to and, B) I'd be very tired every night with all the extra stuff I have to do.
Two more days of March and hopefully no more snow. Sun and warm would be nice.

Birthday Month Celebration Over

2009-03-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for me pampering myself this month. I slid down my driveway and hit the curbing and threw off the alignment on my car. So into the shop it went and out of my wallet came $900. So happy birthday to me. Plus, I've been sick and coughing all over everything. Maybe I'll celebrate next month...

Bring on the love!!

2009-03-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

March is my birthday month...yes, that's right...a whole month to celebrate my birthday!! I feel the need after a long winter to take advantage of this pre-spring month and do whatever I can to pamper myself! I grew up thinking that St. Patrick's Day was a preliminary to my day. Everyone dresses up in green (my favorite color) and wears it kind of like a pre party celebration! Then my actual birthday is the 19th. PARTAY!! And then the first day of actual Spring on the 21st. And sometimes, Easter is in March so, of course, candy to end my month of me. March is THE BEST month to have a birthday! All the cute Easter dresses are in the stores to buy and sometimes we get some mild weather. Makes me have spring fever and that makes me euphoric! It's MY MONTH. NOT YOURS! (unless you have a march birthday, too and then you're welcome to partay with me) And Andrew spoils me completely for my present. One year, I was sent to a SPA in Arizona! One year an unlimited shopping spree around town. Last year I received lots of tickets to the Bees games! I love you, Andrew, and I can't wait for my present this year...especially if it was what we were talking about at lunch today!!! I'm singing Happy Birthday to me in my head right now!!!

Hiking in Zion

2009-02-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

On our weekend trip to St. George, we decided to drive through Zion Nat'l Park. It was supposed to be 65 degrees and sunny according to the stupid weatherman. It wasn't. But we still had fun. We hiked the 3 Emerald Pools trail. The girls kept up really well until the muddy parts. Then they turned into whiny little high maintenance females. "Eww! I don't want to walk in the mud!!" I thought it was great. A chance to be dirty and it washed right out.
On our way up the trail we heard a rumbling sound that we couldn't figure out. It turned out to be an avalanche! Luckily it was small and we were not in the way. It just fluttered down as a cloud of snow. It was beautiful!
Then we walked up to the Weeping Rock trail. The girls thought it was cool how it seemed to be raining. I don't think we'd taken the girls to Zion before. Or they were too small to remember anything. I've grown up going to Zion on many occasions and this time was good because I've never been in the winter. Whole different experience. No leaves on the trees and you don't have to take the shuttle like they make you the rest of the year. A little chilly in the cove at the top of Emerald Pools but otherwise, we had fun.

Some of My Winter Projects

2009-02-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

Walking in a Winter Wonderland 65" x 72" This was a quilt-block-of-the-month club quilt. Every first Saturday I go down to the Quilter's Haven and we get our next block assignment. I'm doing another one this year.

Novantique by Shnibbles 26" x 32" This was just a fun little quilt. It took about 2 weeks from start to finish. Now I need to quilt it.

Rooibos by Shnibbles 26" by 32" Another fun, quick quilt. I had most of the material at home already. About 1 week worth of cutting and sewing. Again, need to quilt it still.

This one was a kit that I purchased from the quilt store. It had all the material pre-cut. All I had to do was sew. One day of cutting pieces and one day of sewing. No one believes me but all you need is a day of heavy snow outside and no where to go...

This was a quilt-block-of-the-month club quilt from a couple of years ago. I finished piecing it in 2006 and just learned to machine quilt this year. So now it is finished. 47" x 62" I'm very proud that I did this one from start to finish. Most people have their quilts sent out to be finished by a professional machine quilter. I didn't want that. I took a class on machine quilting and now I can do it myself! It's not perfect but neither am I!!

The glass is half full...empty...no, full...

2009-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

I've had a really hard week and so, in order to stay positive, I will report all the good things that have happened this week.
I finished a book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It was very informative and wish that my children would read it.
I volunteered at preschool today and while there, listened to the kids sing Oh my darlin' Valentine. The girls sang it correctly, singing "I will kiss you, I will hug you, oh my darlin' Valentine" while the boys sang it their way (because they hate love, love, love!!), sang it as"I will punch you, I will shoot you, oh my darlin' Valentine". Even at age 4 and 5, they can think to substitute their own versions of love!
Josh actually thanked me for giving him a ride home.
I finished piecing a mini quilt and was able to move on to a new project.
I heard that my brother actually came through town this week and said Hi to my parents before going back to Colorado.
The sun came out today. There was a line at the car wash. That's very optimistic of people in January...
Trying to get out of this rut I'm in...

Maui is Green. Utah is Grey.

2009-01-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Sunset in Ka'anapali

The perfect ending to the day.

The Olivine pools on the Northern Shore of Maui.

Interesting lava rock formations on the north side.

The Nakalele Blowhole on the north side.

Wailua Falls right off the Hana Highway.

Seven Sacred Pools or the 'Ohe'o Gulch. The runoff was too high to swim in.

The Three Bears (or Waikani) waterfall on the Hana highway.

Watching the surfers and wind surfers at the Ho'okipa lookout just past Pa'ia on the east side of Maui.

Does it look like we had fun? So relaxing to just sit on the beach at sunset or watching the whales from our lounge chair. A hammock on the beach. A ring around the moon. Hiking along waterfalls, to the shoreline, through the rainforest. Swimming in pools just off the shore and watching the wrath of the sea just on the other side of the rocks. Riding in the convertible with the wind blowing your hair. So warm! Smoothies by the pool. Sea turtles in a cove. Lava rocks to climb on. Flowers in my hair. Snorkeling in the ocean. No kids to worry about. I didn't want to leave. I actually cried when I got in the car at the Salt Lake airport. We were home and it is so GREY! Last time we went to Maui, I was pregnant with Maren. So I didn't want to do anything that might be bad for the baby. This time was a dream! Perfect! Every January should be Hawaii...but next time, 2 weeks...

Good Things

2009-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Santa brought me a trip to Hawaii. So I'm packing even as I type. Andrew also received a nice present. A blue ray player and a friend who gets him discount Disney DVD's. Josh has a new electric blanket which he thinks is the "most awesome thing ever!" Tim has a new weapon...an AirZooka gun which shoots air instead of ammo. He loves torturing the cats with it. Maren has a new Wii game and lots of Crayola drawing stuff. It keeps her busy. And Emma has a new digital camera and won't stop taking pictures of herself!! All in all, a very nice Christmas. And my next entry will be all about my trip to Maui. Ooh, can't wait!!

Ow! Ow! Ow! My Coccyx!

2008-12-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

I slipped on the driveway this morning and I landed on my tail bone. I heard and felt a crack or snap. I'm in pain. Here's how it went...it could have been way worse...
Of course it snowed. I had to work this morning at 10:00 a.m. We also had the ward Christmas breakfast at 9:00 a.m. So Andrew shoveled and then parked my car at the bottom of the driveway because the snow was coming down fast. I started down the driveway and got about halfway down and realized I forgot my cell phone in the kitchen. So I ran back up, got the phone and semi-ran down again. I slipped almost at the bottom of the driveway and fell, heard a snap and screamed in pain! The real problem was that Andrew was driving down in the Pilot and almost ran me over. I had to do a combat roll over the curb, into the snow to avoid being hit by the car. Luckily, he saw me and stopped into the curb to avoid sliding down the driveway until I could get up and move. Another lucky thing is that my cell phone had fallen out of my bag and was laying in the path of the tires. That would've been bad, too!!
We made it to the breakfast and then I went to work, in pain, and did 5 haircuts. Now, I'm in massive pain and taking Ibuprofen. My doctor (Ashley) told me to sit on a doughnut cushion and call her if my symptoms change. (She called me from Disneyland, by the way! I'd much rather be there!!! Lines and all!)
This might actually be a good thing in the long run... I'd been having mild pain in the tail bone area since ice blocking in the summer... I think I fixed that problem!!
Thanks for listening

The Highlight of my Week

2008-11-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

#5...Seeing Twilight with my honey. I liked it a lot. Didn't think I'd like Mr. Patterson as Edward but he grew on me. But he's only 22 years old so it wouldn't work out for us...
#4...Finding a pair of jeans that actually fit. J.Jill of course. Tried on 5 pairs at Old Navy-nothing. Tried on 1 pair at J.Jill-perfect!
#3...Lost 4 lbs since forever. I'm officially at my lowest weight since 1991. Holy Cow!
#2...The cops busting us at Thanksgiving dinner because someone in the group dialed 911. We are such a rowdy bunch!
#1...I finally finished my quilt top from my Quilt Block of the Month Club!!! 10 months of my life with only blue and white fabric and thread...I'm free!!!

The Reason I Called This Meeting Is...

2008-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of things on my mind. First, just a reminder of the season we are about to enter. If you have a hair appt. with me and you are sick, think you may be getting sick or are getting over being sick and you think that getting your hair done will make you feel better...let's reschedule. I do not want to get sick and bring it home to my family. Sorry. It happens every year and last year I even had 2 people come in with pneumonia! Go home and get better. Thank You.
Also, if I call you and tell you that I can't make my appt. with you because I am stuck in my driveway due to snow... I am not making that up to get out of coming in to work. My driveway is legendary up here and all my neighbors sympathize with me. Last year I had a client not believe my story because she lives in Riverton and didn't get any snow so how could I have that much snow? Lake effect. Believe me. Thank you again.
Now that I have that off my chest, a gentle reminder to make your holiday hair appts early because I have children that have holiday recitals and the time slots go fast this time of year anyway! And maybe I'll actually be invited to a party this year...probably not.
Thank you for understanding and lets have a great season!! Go Team!!

A Learning Vacation

2008-10-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Williamsburg, Virginia for our family vacation over UEA. We had a great time in Busch Gardens riding roller coasters and having some Halloween spookiness. We went into Colonial Williamsburg and soaked up some history and enjoyed the feeling of colonial times. We drove down to Virginia Beach and played in the sand and rode a couple of bikes around the boardwalk. We took the commuter train into Washington D.C. and did a lot of walking and picture taking of our national monuments. We hit a deer on the parkway and had to trade in our rental car...awaiting the insurance phonecall. Took a ghost tour of Williamsburg in the rain. Swimming and eating and playing at the resort. We didn't want to come home.

I need a toolbelt!

2008-10-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Andrew told me that I haven't updated in a while so here goes. (WARNING: this may tell you how extremely tedious my life actually is)

We've been cutting down trees along the driveway so that maybe the sun can warm up the ice in the winter and we won't slide down. Then I had to cut it into 5 foot lengths and BUNDLE them for the trash pickup pile. Ooooh, I know how to party!

Then I've been scraping and painting the railings on our stairs. I hate the railings on our stairs. 13 cans of spray paint! And that's only the finishing color. I hand painted them with primer! Never again. Next time I take a sledgehammer to the stairs!! They're so ugly they remind me of an apartment building. They were white and rusty before and now they're "almond".

And sraping and sanding a pulling out old grout from the windows and around the garage doors. I hate old grout. Then painting and regrouting. The old color was white. New color, hot chocolate brown. The only thing that still needs to be done is the front door. But with the cold weather coming in fast, it might have to wait 'til spring.

The good news is the front of my house looks SO NICE and FRESH! The bad news is I've broken four nails! Is it really worth it?

Renew the Zoo

2008-09-17T12:47:00.001-07:00

I decided to take Emma to the zoo yesterday because she was "so bared!" (bored) The first thing she wanted when we got there were some new sunglasses. And a stroller because she was already "so tired!" We went around the whole zoo and had a relaxing day without brothers or sister. Then she fell asleep in the car...(they're always so much cuter asleep!) I think she had fun yesterday...Today is a different story!

Wedding Bells

2008-09-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Travis and Robert, Kent and Wendy, Emma, Kierstin, Maren, the bride and groom.

My uncle Scott Stewart was married on September 12th to Elizabeth Myers. This is his 2nd marriage. His first wife, Christa, was killed in a car accident quite a few years ago. The wedding took place in a ward in West Jordan and was a very nice ceremony. Then the reception afterwards was in the cultural hall and included treats. It was a great opportunity to see family on the Stewart side. Emma made a new friend with her 2nd cousin, Kierstin. It was a nice evening.

Mom and Dad, Ron and Shawna, Jana, Sylvia, Lindsay and her boys.

Anyone, anyone?

2008-09-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

I've just signed up on Facebook so if any of you want to be my friend, come find me. I looked up my graduating year in high school and it's amazing how many people are on it that I haven't seen in 18 years! Just go to www.facebook.com and sign up. It's free. And kind of fun.

More of what's happenin"

2008-09-11T12:11:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of Emma after she got into Maren's sparkly makeup. And notice the self grooming...Bang cut, HELLO!! Andrew took pictures of it on our video camera. I didn't know it could do that! Why are we always lugging around a digital camera and video camera on every vacation if the one can do both???

The girls started dance class on Monday. Maren is taking Hip Hop and Emma is taking Preschool Dance. They were so excited to go shopping for their dance clothes and shoes. Mom is the greatest!!! (At least for today...)

Also of note, do you see the red leaves on the tree? NO, NO, NO! I'm not ready for autumn. 'Cause that means snow is soon. Say no to snow!!! NO SNOW! NO SNOW! Maybe I'll go move in with Alden and Emily for the winter. I bet they'd LOVE that!

What's a happenin', hot stuff?

2008-09-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see...
Andrew broke our camera so I don't have any new pictures to post. And I really could have used it yesterday! Emma came in our room in the morning with pink sparkly raccoon eyes. She'd been using Maren's makeup again. And she has cut her own bangs! So she was quite the sight and no camera.
The kids have started school again and already Josh has had his phone taken away once in math class. He got it back after some shmoozing.
Tim needs a haircut in the worst way. His hair is down to his shoulders but doesn't want it cut. You know what they say about the cobbler's kids going without shoes...the stylist's kids go without cuts!!
The parakeets are still alive despite the cats CONSTANT attention. Talk about stalking!! But I guess that's what predators do. It's hilarious to watch the cat climbing on top of the cage and running from clear across the room because they finally came off their pirch and are trying to eat some food. It's straight from Syllvester and Tweetie.
The Relief Society is having a talent night and they heard that I'm making a quilt. They want me to display it on the 20th of September. Those of you who have seen me working on it, you know it's nowhere near being done and it's in pieces. What am I supposed to do, display all my quilt blocks seperately? Really. But they keep asking...
And to top it off, I think I'm going through vampire withdrawal. I just have to wait for the movie in November. And I'm not sure I like the trailers. We'll see.
That's about all for now. Hopefully Andrew will buy a new camera and then I'll have something visual to post. Signing out.

Cherry Hill Reunion

2008-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Our annual Cherry Hill Family Reunion was August 8 & 9. Yes, I'm slow in posting the pictures. I think all of us had fun. I had to work on the 8th so Andrew took the kids and they went miniature golfing and had pie and ice cream. Then on Saturday, we went up and did the swimming and slides, spent some time with grandpa Hansen and had lunch. We lost Emma for about 10 minutes only to find her in the big swimming pool having the time of her life using her new swimming lesson skills! She's fearless! Maren also put her swimming lessons to good use and she is a regular fish! Can't get them out of the pool. We were very tired by the evening and so we say goodbye to the Hill for another year!!

Tuesday is Play Day

2008-07-29T13:17:00.001-07:00

Every Tuesday we go down to Lewis Park with other neighborhood kids and have some summer fun. So far we have had hopscotch tournaments, made beaded bracelets, a water balloon fight and games, bubbles and lots of treats. The kids and I really enjoy going because we can be with friends and talk and play.

Today at the park we had a blast!! We tye-dyed shirts and ice blocked down the hill. First, we tied rubber bands around the shirts and then picked a color to soak them in. The girls loved this. They didn't understand the rubber band part but they will when the shirts are finished "curing". Some kids did multi-colored shirts and used squirt bottles and fun dipping techniques. But Emma only wanted pink and Maren only wanted blue. That's fine. But it was fun to see how serious some kids took it and really were serious about their shirt.

Then we ice blocked down the hill and even I went down a few times. Ahhh...brings me back to the times when we used to ice block down the big hill at Sugarhouse Park. Of course, my core muscles were in a little better shape then...

Even the Applegate's grandpa went down about a dozen times... and their grandma, too!! All in all, I think we had about 15 kids and 5 adults sliding down on towels and ice. It was great!! And cheap!! Ice blocks are only $1.39. Better than a water park!!

Maren's Baptism

2008-07-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Look who turned 8 years old and wanted to be baptized!! Maren was absolutely beaming on her baptism day! She walked around holding the edges of her dress like she was a princess and a smile from ear to ear! The most special part of that day...her primary teacher went to Israel and brought back a bottle of water from the River Jordan. We put that water in with her baptism water so she could be baptized in the same water as Jesus was!! Wow! Gives me chills just thinking about it! What a special day!

San Francisco Weekend

2008-07-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

We decided that we needed a vacation after our family vacation. So I met Andrew in San Francisco for the weekend after his business meetings. We walked everywhere! The Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Boudin Bakery Museum. Then to the Ferry Building where they were having a huge farmer's market. Almost jumped on to a ferry to Sausalito but we would've had to wait an hour. So we walked to Chinatown and looked around there. Saw some dancing dragons letting off firecrackers. Walked to the Museum of Modern art and expanded our cultural awareness. Took in a movie and had some dinner. Went swimming. That was Saturday. Sunday we avoided the Gay Pride Parade (sorry to disappoint...no pictures of this event...) and headed for the Golden Gate Park where we saw more art at the De Young Museum. They were hosting the Chihuly Exhibit (which was in Salt Lake during the Olympics, if you caught it there) who is a world famous glass blower. We are big fans! Then headed to the Japanese Tea Garden, Stow Lake and the dutch windmill. Had lunch at the Beach Chalet with a band playing good music. (My fourth beach in a year, by the way...) Then finally made it to the Golden Gate Bridge after a bus fiasco that wasn't our fault. We only had about ten minutes to spare at the bridge before we had to turn around and get back to our hotel and make our flight home. It was windy and cold in San Francisco. Only about 63 degrees as a high and not much sun. I guess the wild fires were not helping and a cold front coming in late Sunday were the problem. I think it was a really nice, quiet weekend away. I think we need one of these vacations about every four weeks...

New Matt!!! Love it!!!

2008-06-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here She Is

2008-06-23T10:22:00.001-07:00

I didn't think she'd be outside my bedroom door
first thing this morning!! She's so cute!!

The Bountiful Zoo--I should charge admission

2008-06-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, the neighborhood has gained a new resident. A moose. Yes, a moose!! We've had all sorts of wildlife sightings over the years...Deer, raccoons, ducks, weasel, wild turkey, eagle, bobcat, fox, coyote, all types of birds and their nests and babies, peacock, mongoose, mice, dogs and cats...
And now, moose. I guess she likes our next door neighbor's backyard because of the pond and waterlilies. And has now taken to wandering the streets!! I'm still trying to get a picture but she's very elusive. If I get one, I'll post it! Until then, admission rates start at...

California Dreamin'

2008-06-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Just got back from our annual Disney vacation. Had a good time. We took two extra boys with us so our teenagers wouldn't be bored and the car was quite heavy! We did Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World, the beach, and St. George. Now I need a relaxing vacation to get over my family vacation!! The only crazy thing that happened was the boys getting stuck in the elevator for 25 minutes! But we got a free dinner out of that one!! Enjoy some pictures...

Attempting Culture

2008-05-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Andrew thought it would be great to get a bundle of Symphony tickets when we received mail about the upcoming events. So Andrew bought tickets to four events. The Messiah sing-in, the video games live, Carmina Burana, and Don Giovanni. Great, right? You'd think so. Except they all turned into the cursed tickets. All. In one way or another.
The first event, Messiah sing-in... I had some throat problem, either laryngitis or a severe sore throat so singing was rough. And the last time Andrew had really sung, he was a tenor...not anymore. This event was just a minor hiccup.
Event #2...the video games live... We took the boys with us because they would get a kick out of it...except I was sick again. Bad flu/cold. So Tim took one of his friends in my place and they had a great time.
The third event, Carmina Burana... The waitress at Buca di Beppo was SO SLOW that we missed the entire first act. And the symphony doesn't let you in until the intermission. However, it turned out that the whole first act was something entirely different to fill time. Carmina Burana is only an hour so they gave a bonus performance of something else! So all turned out all right!
The last and best of all the game, Don Giovanni... I was SO SICK!! All the kids had been sick with the flu and throwing up...well, it was my turn. Great! The best and most expensive show and I'm stupidly sick. Well we went anyway. 8:00 show, I can make it. We just won't go to dinner first. My stomach turning, I got ready and laid back down again for a half hour before we left. When we finally arrived at the Capitol Theater at 7:40, I walked in to an empty lobby. Where were all the people? Did I come on the wrong day? Did no one want to see the great Mozart's work? NO! THE SHOW STARTED AT 7:30, NOT 8:00 LIKE ANDREW SAID! Aaahhh! We are cursed. The worst part is that I was just laying around waiting for the right time to leave. If Andrew had just looked at the tickets we would have left at the right time. We just wanted to be a little more cultured and these tickets were cursed.
Now anytime Andrew tells me a time to be somewhere I raise my eyebrows and ask if he's sure. And he laughs and double checks the schedule. I can't believe how often I was sick this year! I blame my clients coming in to get their hair done when they have pneumonia. Maybe next year we'll get it right...maybe.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

2008-04-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Once again, I find myself a single mom having to entertain children while Andrew is out of town. We dropped off Tim at Grandpa's store to work and what's do we see? Kites! Family home evening activity. We go home and put the kites together and go to the park. Except Monday's must be soccer night because everywhere we go, Soccer!! Three different fields, three soccer games!! So we find a little patch of grass in the North Canyon Park and try to fly kites. I think we would have had better luck if we were in a field because the wind wasn't as strong where we were. Oh well. Emma got her two tries in and Maren tried for ten whole minutes. Never got them to stay in the air. But we did get some cute pictures and mom gets brownie points for trying!!

A classic...updated!

2008-04-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

I pulled this off of someone's blog...LOVE IT!

I think I deserve a commission

2008-03-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Do you know how many of my clients and friends I have talked into going to Disneyland/Disneyworld this year? A lot. At least 6 families this year alone. I have given them tips and directions and best rides and restaurants. Told them all about the fast passes and child swap. None of the families with kids have even wanted to go because of the small child issue. I talked them into going and told them how easy the stroller thing is and the baby center for changing diapers and potty training. The best hotels and activities. Best pools and spas and places to just sit and enjoy the ambience. And if you dress your daughter up in a princess costume, how much extra attention they get from the cast members. I should get a commission from the Disney people. At least some free tickets in June...They are thriving because of me.

I'm in my Element...

2008-02-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

Check out the new car! This is my Valentine's gift from Andrew that I will be paying for. Isn't that sweet? Josh has a new job working for Jerry Seiner as a lot tech. Basically a car wash tech. But his new hours clash with mine and so the only alternative to getting Josh to work was letting him take over the payments on the Civic. So the other day, we were at Costco, and out in the patio area they had a green Element. I happen to say, "Now that's a nice car and I love the color!", and Andrew went on one of his internet research binge. The next thing I know, we have an appointment at the Honda dealership here in Bountiful. Of course, you know, every car we've test driven, we have purchased...our downfall in a couple of cases. So here we are, a three car family...I'm broke and old. I will have no free spending money for the next year. So please call me and make an appointment to get your hair done so I can go to the quilt store and feed my "material" addiction...

Sit Down, Relax, FONDUE!!

2008-02-10T20:09:00.001-08:00

Treat Time!! Andrew received a fondue set for Christmas and we thought it was time to try it out. Mmmm.... Yummy! Pineapple, oranges, apples, bananas, cinnamon bears, gummy bears, marshmallows, and raspberry tarts. Now I need to go walk on the treadmill!! We want to try it again when strawberries are in season. And we'll also get some of the cream puffs from Costco! Makes me hungry for more. Jealous?

Emma Turns 4

2008-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Emma's birthday was January 30th and she never stopped letting me forget. Everyday she would remind me of her list of friends she wanted to invite and the games and movies she wanted to play. So last Saturday we had the infamous party. If you weren't invited, you just aren't cool enough...sorry.

Of course there were balloons, streamers, cupcakes and games. But the kids were more interested in playing with Emma's toys and in her room. The more we tried to structure the party, the more bored they looked! I had great games...pin the tail on the donkey, bingo, making bracelets, follow the leader...didn't matter. Play, play, play. That's fine. The kids had a great time. And they were sent home with some great swag (gift bags with candy and toys from All-a-Dollar). All in all, a good party. Emma wants another party. At least I don't have to do this again for another year...or 2 more weeks for Tim's birthday!

Family Update

2008-01-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd update and let you know what's new so far this New Year.

Emma started primary last week and loves her new teacher. She's planning her birthday party daily and the invite list is up to about 15 kids plus her aunt Angie.

Maren was hit by a toy in the mouth (thank you Emma) and is probably going to have a small scar above her left lip.

Tim...got a haircut...and that's about it.

Josh blessed the sacrement today with his dad for the first time. His voice was a little shaky from nerves but did just great! And he got to drive a Hummer on Saturday!! He's very happy.

Andrew has recovered from being sick and losing his voice.

Elena went to book club and voted on new books for the upcoming year. (List to be delivered soon...) First book for February is the Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Slow couple of weeks. So I found a couple of funny pics. One is from 1992 and one is from 2007. Can you tell which is which?

It's nippy outside! --get it?

2007-12-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I went into the family room and saw seven deer outside in the backyard. So I ran to get my camera and noticed my cat was out there, too. One deer had her eye on the cat...and it got closer and closer...the cat stood his ground until the deer nipped at his rear and then took off up the hill. THE DEER CHASED HIM UP THE HILL!! It was the funniest thing I've seen all day! Usually the deer just eat my plants and stand there. So to see one chasing a cat was really something.

Crowded with Cousins!

2007-11-28T16:22:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we were happy to host the Lawrence Cousins at our home. Andrew decided enough time had gone by without us seeing each other. We had a pot luck dinner and it was wonderful. And I can't believe all the effort from Millysa and the rainbow jello! Good conversation and the kids really love one another! Of course, the older teens kinda bonded in the movie room...by not talking to anyone!! Oh well. Hopefully the first annual Cousin Party!! Thanks to all who came!

Brian and Stacie and kids

Dustin and Tacie and kids

Matt and Millysa

Jenny, Kristen

Austin and Becca and kids

Angie, Ashley

Alden and Emily

Ryan and Natalie

Our recent exploration...Operation Hilton Head

2007-11-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

Hilton Head, South Carolina. Didn't wanna leave. We saw moss covered trees, Savannah, Georgia, yachts, a lighthouse, campfire singing, trick-or-treating ala Disney, bike rides and beaches. What more could you ask for in a vacation?

It's the Great Pumpkin, Emma Cate!

2007-10-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Emma's Preschool went to Pack's Pumpkin Patch on Thursday. The kids had a blast going through the hay maze and picking out their own pumpkin. (This was the only day that she didn't throw a tantrum before leaving to go to preschool.) Many moms and dads went to help with carpool and I found out that I was the oldest mom in the bunch. I'm a little sad about it. The kids also had picture time and snack time sitting on haybales and makeshift tables. It was also right after the big rain storm and everything was very muddy!! But it was great! I'd like to go back every year and support a local business and farm...they did a great job decorating and entertaining the kids.

Homecoming Dance

2007-09-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Josh asked Cheyenne to the Homecoming Dance on September 22. Someone's mom rented a stretch-Hummer limo so how could I say no! Rumor has it that it cost $1100 to rent! A big group of kids went and had dinner at Pei Wei Restaurant and went to the dance. He was home by midnight. I think he had fun. Here are some pictures.

Labor Day Weekend Fun-O-Rama

2007-09-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few favorite pics from Labor Day Weekend. Please enjoy!

Went for a Drive

2007-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I decided to go for a drive on Sunday with the girls. The boys did not want to go with us on a "long, boring ride!" So we went up to Eden, Utah to scope for ideas when we go up there over Labor Day weekend with the Lawrence's. While we were driving around Pineview Lake, we were pressured by the girls to "go to the beach". So we found a place to park that didn't require a fee and walked the short distance to the water. If we had remembered to wear sunscreen, we'd have stayed longer. All I kept thinking is, "This place is beautiful but the ocean is better!" With my ocean adventure still strong in my mind, a small lake isn't quite the same. Although, the ocean does not have the mountains and it wasn't very crowded. Pros and cons to both, I suppose! Enjoy these pictures of us in the sun.

The Kids and the Bees

2007-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

My parents were so kind to take Tim and Maren to the Bees game on Monday as their little FHE entertainment. They also took Alec and Kelli so everyone had a friend cousin to hang with. When they first arrived at the stadium, they had the opportunity to get an autograph from a player. Kelli had a hat that she had signed and Maren let him sign her shirt! Then they also got to have the Bee sign as well!! So Maren's shirt doesn't look new anymore but that's okay...it's signed by #31 and the Bee!! Grandma and Granpa also spoiled them by buying them a big foam finger and lots of ballpark goodies. They had a great time.

Ready for some silly, goofy fun?

2007-08-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Look what I found! This guy Matt Harding goes all over the world and dances. He's goofy and a really bad dancer but it is a great video. Also if you want to see more of his videos, here's his site...http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/

Then, after this video, look on the bottom of the You Tube for the video with the treadmills!! HILARIOUS!!! It's called "Here we go again". Good stuff!!

My Stress-Free Weekend

2007-08-03T12:50:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, my wonderful hubby sent me to California to stay with Alden and Emily. They are down there for the summer and have a spare room which they offered to anyone who wants to come visit. So here's how it went...
On Friday, I arrive at the Long Beach Airport to my personal cheerleaders rooting me off the airplane. A. and E. were jumping and waving as if they haven't seen me for a year! It was great! Then on the ride home, we could see a fire off in the distance on one of the hills. Alden said, "I think that fire is in our ward." Emily said, "No, that's too far north." Well, Alden was right. It was right behind Emily's house about half a mile. So we watched the helicopters and airplanes fight the fire before we even took in my luggage. Welcome to L.A.
On Saturday, I went and had my haircut by a guy named Tab. Great haircut, love it! Then we went shopping at South Coast Plaza. I bought some new shirts at Nordstrom and then we went to Abercrombie and guess who was at the door waiting for us? A half naked male model greeting everyone who came in. So I asked if I could have my picture taken with him and I sent that picture to my hubby at home. Andrew didn't get it. Oh well.
Then we went to the Corona del Mar beach. This beach is awesome. It's not like Huntington Beach where it's just miles of sand. This one is a little cove with a wave breaker and boats floating and lifeguards and grass and nice beach houses about to fall down the cliff into the water. We went into the water and dodged waves and seaweed and body surfers. Then I treaded water for what seemed like another hour. It was awesome. If only I could do that everyday! Then, all too soon, it was time to go.
On Sunday, Emily sang in sacrament meeting and she was terrific! After church, we just had a relaxing day around the house and cooked dinner. Just what I needed.
On Monday, I went to the Grand Californian on Disney property and had a massage and salt scrub. Ahhh. Way expensive...I'll be paying for that one for awhile. Then walked around Downtown Disney and bought some stuff for the kids. I found some great stickers to go on the back of our car (photo on the right). Later, we were going to rent a little boat and float around Balboa Island and watch the sunset but they were out of boats. So I decided to make my last day memorable and went into Disneyland by myself. It's very different going there without family of any kind. For one thing, you can go on any ride you want and weave in and out of the strollers very quickly. On the other hand, waiting in lines more than 20 minutes long gets kind of lonely. So I text messaged Andrew while in line. He couldn't believe I went into the park by myself. He was way jealous and told me I owe him big time! And I do.
So there is my itinerary of my trip to L.A. by myself. I would do it again but bring Andrew with me. Next time...

Swim girls, swim!

2007-07-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, the girls have started swimming lessons. A long time ago (it seems) we had the boys swimming at the West Jordan swimming pool. They never got past the first session. So now all our hopes for Olympic greatness lies with the girls. They are taking lessons at the South Davis Rec Center here in Bountiful. They are SO happy! Maren can't stop telling EVERYONE she meets about her 25 minutes in the pool. The guy behind the counter at the local Corner 22 convenience store...the kid playing hide and seek at the park...her friends at church...yes, we've heard a lot about her amazing 25 minutes of water time. So today I took some pictures to share with the few people who haven't had the pleasure of Maren or Emma telling their exciting tale.

Connor is Maren's instructor. He's 16 years old according to Maren. And the only other girl in her session is Caitlyn. He lets them splash him in the face with water and the girls think it's great. He's teaching them to jump in by themselves and to bob under water. She has made instant friends.

Emma's class has 3 other girls. She doesn't like going under water, but she does enjoy kicking and splashing with the others. Today they put on life vests and floated around the pool. Emma looked so content I thought she'd fall asleep right there! They also really like being in the shower after their lesson. They stay in there and play almost as long as their lessons take! All in all it is proving to be worth it. The girls are getting along a lot better than before and I get to spend some time reading my book. Win, win situation. Until it's time to go home, that is. Then I get screaming and crying...Oh well. I get 25 minutes of peace anyway. Have fun y'all.

Recent Reads

2007-07-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give an update on some of the books I've read this year. My very first blog entry was a top 10 book list and since then, I've left you hanging. So here goes.
In January we read "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" by Thomas Foster. We really enjoyed this because it taught us some tricks that writers use. What hidden meaning is behind this and what does that character stand for. Very informative.
In February we read "The Bonesetter's Daughter" by Amy Tan. It was about a mother/daughter relationship from different countries. One brought up in China and the other in America.
In May we read "Princess Academy" by Shannon Bryner Hale. It's more for teens than adults but still a good read. Shannon is from Utah and it was interesting to know that from the start. It makes you think that you could be a writer, too.
We are now reading "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It's about Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet during his presidency. Over 900 pages...we should have started this a couple of months ago. I can't be reading a huge book the same month Harry Potter comes out!! I tried to tell book club to do HP instead of a regular book but they didn't want to hear it. I'm just the youngin' in the group. (By 10 years) Most of them haven't read even one of the HP's!!
On the side I read "the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. It's about two girls who are arranged friends in Japan. They bind their feet together and grow up together. And then separated by jealousy and misunderstanding. It was good. I actually cried. It will make a good movie someday.
Have I bored you enough? I only write to inform and entertain. So hopefully I have done a little of both. Either given you an idea of one you want to read or saved you some money on some that you don't. Read on.

Gone Trekking

2007-06-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

On June 11, we had the opportunity to get in touch with our pioneer heritage and go on a trek. We drove up to Martin's Cove in Wyoming (6 hours with one stop at Walmart for pillows) and met our group. Our ward in Bountiful decided that everyone over the age of 12 was invited to come so it was a little vacation for me not having Emma to worry about. We met for lunch at Independence Rock and after we ate, we climbed up it to see some history. Around the back was a little cave and our climb started there. It was a little steep but not bad. The girls who were only wearing their flip flops didn't make it. It was pretty cool being up there knowing that we were truly seeing what the pioneers saw as they came through that area. Nothing has been changed except the highway is paved now. People have carved their names and dates in the rock and most are still pretty clear despite the age.

Then we met at Martin's Cove for our handcart experience. We were all dressed as pioneers (except our shoes were modern walking shoes) and we were all adorable! We had 5 gallon buckets to carry our stuff that we needed while walking so our handcarts were considerably lighter than the pioneers. All our other stuff we took to camp in the car and all the food was taken care of by ward members. We were a little spoiled in that department. We walked for 3 miles from the visitor's center to camp and there were only a couple of hills to worry about. Then we set up camp and had dinner and square dancing. That night, Josh and his two friends had a tent all to themselves and stayed up laughing and shining their flashlights on all the other tents. All the other camp members were yelling at them to go to sleep and they got tired of hearing it. So they unstaked their tent and moved as far away as possible from all the other tents and set up there. This had to have been some time past midnight and they did it so quietly that when we got up in the morning, we looked outside and they were gone! Like a tornado came and swept up there tent and no one else's. It kind of scared me. Where were they? From then on they were called the reject tent.

We ate like kings on trek. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, french toast, fruit for breakfast. Sandwiches and 3 kinds of snacks for lunch. Chicken, beans, baked potatoes, ice cream bars, creamies for dessert. Wow. I know the pioneers didn't eat this good.

We headed up to Martin's Cove on another 2 mile walk, plus another mile into the cove. It was cloudy all morning until we in the cove having a talk and the clouds parted and the sun came out and lit everything up. And when we headed out again, the clouds came back. It hit me that here we were standing in holy places and as the clouds parted, the veil parted just a little to let the spirit in and the past mingle with the present. It was very powerful.
However. The bishop told us that we were not really experiencing what the pioneers had to go through in this place. We had it too good. And so right as we finished our lunches, the dark clouds rolled in and the icy wind blasted through and the rain came down. We were freezing and supposed to cross the Sweetwater River. So on we walked in the cold rain until we came to the river and suddenly the rain stopped so we could cross. Everyone cold, they pushed through the river with their skirts hiked and pants rolled. Of course my family didn't feel the need to cross the river. Josh and Tim were chicken because it was still very cold outside. Andrew and I decided we would take pictures and root everyone on. I'm sorry but I didn't want to be more wet and cold with a 2 mile walk still ahead. And the no sleep from the two nights before was wearing on me. I already felt I had experienced enough to feel like a pioneer. Sorry--not an outdoor kind of gal.

After the river walk, the men were called away to go fight in the Mexican War and the women were left alone to push the handcarts up the big hill by themselves. Well that would have been fine except I was the only girl on my handcart. We had 5 teenage boys and 2 men on my handcart and they all left me... I was all ready to give it a try when the Muhlestein girls saw my problem and volunteered to help. So I had five girls come to my rescue and we made it up the hill! The men at the top cheered and clapped and then rejoined us for the 2 miles back to camp.
The next day we took the handcarts back and then walked to the devil's gate. And then we drove home. I was ready for a hot shower and a warm soft bed. I don't know if I would have made a good pioneer. My lack of camping skills definitely showed. The only time I've camped is up at Cherry Hill in August every year and usually we come home and sleep because of my little kids. It was definitely an eye opening experience even though we had it REALLY easy. If you ever get a chance to go, please do. It will change you.

CHALLENGE!!

2007-05-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

I am starting Weight Watchers online again and in one of the community message boards there was a challenge. To do 100 sit ups a day. So I thought, "I can do that!" And so far, so good. But it actually isn't that hard. So I'm also doing arm toning at the same time. I'm using hand weights and a band to get it done. So maybe when we go to Park City I'll be a little more toned for the new swimsuit I bought! So I issue the challenge to anyone else who wants to try. 100 sit ups a day til summer. Email me if your game...CHALLENGE!

Farewell, J.Jill

2007-04-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have put in my 2 week's notice at J.Jill. Yes, sad but true. I'm finding it harder to spend any time with my family. Working 6 days a week is wearing a little thin and I'm tired. Plus, they are implementing a new parking policy for employees which is not good. I will miss the 40% discount....a lot. And working there was nice and quiet. It was fun while it lasted and maybe sometime later I'll go back. They already told me I could come back anytime. I'll instead use my time to go to the gym, hang out with Andrew and start getting in shape for the pioneer trek in June. So goodbye to an era.... hello date nights with my honey. (And maybe the kids, too.)

Watch out for Elena...

2007-04-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

This last week I accidentally ran over Emma in the SUV. I was backing out of the garage and felt the car run over something. I thought it was the cat. No, it was my baby girl. She was in the house getting candy and watching cartoons with Tim and then under my car. I don't know why she was out there. She was screaming and bleeding from her chin. I picked her up and ran inside. Grabbing the phone, I called 911 and then called Andrew. The ambulance showed up in a couple of minutes and so did my neighbor, Norma, who's a nurse. She kept telling me she looks good. She's screaming and that's a good thing. They strapped her to a gurney with a neck brace on and we went out to the ambulance. Andrew got home just in time to see us driving down Bountiful Boulevard so he followed. We got to the ER and the bishop was there at the same time...amazing. They wouldn't let us in the room with Emma at first so she was screaming and no one there to comfort her. I thought she had internal injuries or broken bones...something. How can you run over a child and there not be? But the xrays showed nothing broken. Miracle. They did show, however, a space between her skull and her spine. So she had to stay in the neck brace all night long until the MRI machine was open. So that was a lot of fun. She wanted to sit up, roll on her side, have mom hold her. Try to get a 3 year old to lay on her back for 18 hours! So the MRI showed everything was normal and we could go home after she ate some food and stood on her foot. Her foot had a really good scrape and bruising on it. She also had some abrasions on her two arms and chin. But that is all. $4000 later...scrapes and bruises! I can't believe it! But the nightmares are still here. And the tears. And the guilt. She's running around like normal and mom is a wreck! But it's getting better. Thank you for all your phone calls and letters and prayers! I know how blessed and loved we are. Thanks!

Come live by us!

2007-04-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Your dreams have come true! Now you, yes YOU, can come and live by us! The lot up the street just went on the market and it's only $485,000 for 2.7 acres. That is such a bargain. That's not even including the house that you build on it! Wow! Just think of it now. The views, the wildlife, the taxes. Incredible! And you would be our neighbor. Hurry now before this dream fades away!

Stupid Electronic Things

2007-03-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

HELP ME! MY PALM PILOT CRASHED!! MY ENTIRE LIFE WAS ON THAT THING.
So pardon the dust while I piece my life back together. I was scheduled out at least 8 weeks. And completely booked for two of those weeks. Help?

An American to see

2007-03-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

On March 20, I had the opportunity to go to a lecture from David McCullough. He has written many historical books including 1776, John Adams, and Truman. We read 1776 in book club last year and while it is a hard book to get through, it is a wonderful account of the war of Independence and the people needed to win that war. I've heard that John Adams is even better because it includes the love story of John and his wife.
The lecture was extraordinary! He debated the saying "life was a simpler time back then" stating that how could it have been? A mom back then would have to boil the drinking water, make meals from scratch or have a servant help. Then wash the clothes in a basin and hang them out to dry. Her husband was away fighting in a war and her children could be dying from small pox (or the vaccine to small pox) etc. etc. etc. Very interesting.
He also talked about how our own politicians don't know their history according to a recent survey. And only 30% of college students know who defeated the British at Yorktown. (40% believe it was Grant) Our own schools aren't teaching history to our students in 6 states. Wow.
He also touched on subjects such as getting your children interested in your favorite things before "it's cool to be dumb". Another subject was our teachers and how most parents believe they are just glorified babysitters for 8 hours of the day.
But my favorite part was when he said he was being interviewed by a journalist and he was asked, "Besides George Washington, John Adams and Truman, which other presidents have you personally interviewed?" He's not that old!!
It was an evening well spent and I think it should be mandatory for all of America to hear him in person! Now go read his books.

Aliens at the Gateway

2007-03-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Working down at J.Jill in the Gateway is definitely eye opening. I've always loved people watching. I've worked at 3 different malls. Whenever I get a chance to observe human behavior, I take advantage. I have to tell you about some of my experiences at J.Jill.
One lady came in and was looking around. She was about 60 years old and seemed calm and interested in the clothing. I was at the register helping another customer and when I was done, I looked around to see if anyone needed any help and this lady was in front of one of the mirrors in plain sight and she had stripped down to her slip. She was trying on an outfit in the middle of the store! I went over and asked her if she would like a dressing room (which was right around the corner) and she declined saying her friend was out in the car waiting for her and she needed to hurry. However, she stayed and tried on several different things for about a half hour before she left. All in the middle of the store. She has been back several times and sometimes she uses a dressing room and sometimes not. She rarely buys anything.
Another lady came in one Saturday before Christmas. This lady was in her late 40's and was going around the whole store grabbing items and leaving them on the counter. When I asked her if these things were buy or put back she said she wanted them all. So I started taking them off hangers and folding them. She kept going and finding more. About 30 or 40 things later, she said she was done and so I started ringing up all the items and it came to $1500.00 dollars. She plopped down her Amex card like it was no big deal and she was out of there. In my mind I could not relate to this woman. She showed no remorse or hesitation about spending that kind of money in one store!
Another lady came in and she had a giant box with her. Anytime a customer has a box it means they have come to bring something back that they've ordered through the catalog. But this was a giant box. Bigger than a microwave. She plopped it down and said she was going to look around the store. So I started going through the box to find receipts. The hardest part about a return is matching the return items to the right receipt. She had 9 receipts and about 30 things to return. It took me 45 minutes to do this return and when I was done the total came to over $1,000. She had ordered it all over the Internet when she was PREGNANT and was disappointed when she had the baby and none of it fit her. ANYONE COULD HAVE TOLD HER THAT YOU DON'T FIT INTO YOUR NORMAL SIZE AFTER YOU'VE HAD A BABY! She also said that her husband doesn't want her buying anything online anymore. I don't blame him.
Welcome to the wonderful world of retail sales. People are not normal when they are in a store. And I just observe and report. I have many more stories to tell...for another time. Enjoy!

Cloudy day

2007-02-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

Just some thoughts...
Potty training is stupid. I hate it. Fourth child is no easier than any of the others. Uggghhh!

Last minute cancellations at the salon. It mostly happens with family members or close friends. What can I do about it? nothing.

Teenagers. Their lives are the only thing important in this world. If it doesn't work for them, attitude is up to the ceiling. And mom is stupid.

Sore muscles. My workout on Tuesday kicked my butt. And today I can't walk or straighten my arms...it's probably a good thing my clients cancelled.

MURMUR...MURMUR...MURMUR...

Sorry! Just had to vent.

Days of our Lives

2007-02-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

I'm afraid by reading this, you are going to see just how boring my life actually is. You've been forewarned!
Domestic Tip #1:
I've finally found something that will clean my tiles in my shower. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I have used cleanser, tilex, CLR, razor blades, brushes of all kinds, and nothing works as well or as fast as the eraser.
Domestic Tip #2:
Today I washed four loads of laundry all from Tim's room. And a load of towels at the salon. All I can say is that the Tide with Febreze smells fantastic. And the dryer sheets with Febreze are also very nice. My life was slow today, obviously.
HOWEVER:
Valentines Day was fun. My valentine gave me money for a spa, and chocolate covered strawberries! I gave him Crunchie bars and assorted other London candy (his favorites!) from the London Market. We went to lunch at Squatter's and it was nice. I later helped my two sons take valentines to their girlfriends houses. (Yes, Tim has a girlfriend. Help me now.) Of course Maren had about six valentines to take around and Emma was very happy eating every ones candy. So all in all a great Valentine's Day. Hope yours was equally nice.

The Sound of Music

2007-02-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

A new song I discovered... Grace Kelly by MIKA. Love it!!! A little bit disco but it raised my mood. I even ran on the treadmill for 24 minutes because this song got my energy up. Amazing. Those of you who know me know that I haven't run anywhere for about 5 years. So it is truly awe inspiring.
I've also started a new class at the gym. BodyJam. It's one hour of dancing and learning the latest moves. At first I didn't think I was young enough for this class but there are ladies in their 40's so I figured I was okay. And it is a blast! Now I dance around the house and my Josh (who's 15) thinks it is embarassing. Ha! It is so worth it!
I've also recently joined the church choir. I haven't sung in a choir since right out of High School. It has made me rediscover music. I have to remember what all the little nuances of singing require. Crescendo, pianissimo, forte, breathe here. The funny thing is that our choir director keeps calling measures 'verses' and all I keep thinking is "we're on verse 48...man this is a long song!" Ha! The one problem with the choir is that when we have a performance, they meet at 8:30am on Sunday morning. Again, those of you who know me...when have I EVER been up and ready to go at that time in the morning? Please! But I am enjoying the singing part.
Anyway, it has been fun rediscovering music. It makes me feel young and out of my rut. Thanks for letting me share.

When Andrew Sent Me Away...

2007-01-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been almost a year since Andrew sent me away. To where? you ask? TO A SPA WEEKEND GETAWAY!! Yes, last February Andrew booked a weekend down in Phoenix for me. Marriott Desert Ridge Hotel and Spa. I've never been out of town on my own before. Just imagine...no children for an entire weekend. Heaven.
So while it was winter here in Utah, it was 70 degree weather down there. I laid out by the pool, reading my book, and I didn't have to think about which child could be wandering too close to the edge and accidentally fall in. I even got up at 6:00 A.M. and went for a sunrise desert walk with an instructor. I spent 2 hours in the gym and then went to my spa appointment. It was just like you'd imagine...women walking around in robes and slippers, lounging on chaise sofas. Drinking strange juices and eating healthy nuts and dried fruits while waiting their turn in the massage rooms.
When it was my turn, my personal attendant took me to my german bath. It was a huge jetted tub with separate places to put each leg and arms. While the jets went through their series of massage patterns, my attendant would come in and spritz scented oils in the air and brought me a fruit plate. Ahhh.
Then we moved on to the body wrap. First step was exfoliation. Sea salts and aromatherapy. Then a shower. Then hydrating oils and shea butter was applied. Then I was wrapped like a mummy in plastic and a warming blanket. (Whoever thought of this should receive a medal!) While I was snug and warm, I had a facial. Then I was left alone for about 15 minutes. Then unwrapped and another shower. The final step was another hydrating massage. If you weren't relaxed by now, you need therapy. After the wonderful wrap session, the spa jacuzzis and the pool outside were free all day. They had cabanas out by the pool with waiters and food. I truly felt like royalty. At that point, the only thing missing was my husband to talk to.
The rest of the trip I spent shopping and getting my hair done. All in all, my favorite weekend getaway. I highly recommend it.

These are a few of my favorite things

2007-01-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

I've decided to enter the 21st century and let people read my mind. I already talk too much, so now I just need to type too much. Get ready...
Elena's Favorites
Books

Harry Potter Series. If you want to discuss, I'll listen anytime.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel. If you want to read a book all the way through and at the end have to think of the book in a completely new light, read this book!
Follow the River by James Alexander Thom. Kidnapped by indians. I didn't really think I would like this but it is an amazing story of hope and courage. Wow.
Precious Bane by Mary Webb. A book that survives by word of mouth. It has been reprinted 26 times since 1924. Great book.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. A comical look at hiking on the appalachian trail.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It's not a fast paced book. It's about life at the pace it's supposed to be. It can't be explained by a plot. Read it.
Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. Once you get passed the alzheimers story line it is a great book. I'm reviewing it for book club in Feruary.

I have loved being a part of a book club. I love that I probably would not have chosen 75% of what I have read and wound up liking the book. I also love being part of a group and not because they are paying me to be there for them. Just relaxing and talking.
More favorite lists to follow.