The Bountiful Zoo--I should charge admission

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'

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

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

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!

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

I think I deserve a commission

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...

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...