Random Bits of Brilliance

It's About Time...

2011-04-29T19:47:00.000-06:00

Or maybe I should say it's about the lack of time. It's been 4 busy months since I last posted and it's gone by so quickly. We've had so much going on in our lives that we have all been pretty much in a blur since Christmas. The good news is that things are starting to balance out again so I feel like I can finally take a moment to catch up a bit.

Some things worth mentioning:

Taylor's foray into the World of Beauty Pageants. She competed in the Miss Washington City Princess Pageant and was selected as Most Photogenic. We were so proud of her, not only because she was the most beautiful girl there, but because she had so much fun making new friends and sharing her talents and friendship with the other girls in the show. We had fun watching them dance, sing, play the piano, and show off their beauty and grace. I'm pretty sure she will want to compete again next year. Watch out!

Shaylie playing soccer with the Washington City League. Her coaches are none other than her dad and sister, so it's been pretty much a family affair. Their team has some awesome skillz, not the least of which is Shaylie's Big Kick. She has played defender this year and whenever the ball gets anywhere near her she lets out a big Hi-Ya and boots the ball down the field. Who knew she had it in her? It's been very entertaining to see her discover her athletic abilities. Scott and Taylor are pretty great coaches too.

Taylor made the Pine View Softball team and plays RCL Soccer. Add in Shaylie's practices and games and you can see why we were having a pretty crazy time keeping up with the sports schedule this Spring. If Taylor wasn't at softball practice, she was at soccer practice and if she wasn't at a softball game, she was heading to a soccer match. It was starting to wear us all down, left her no down time in the day or time to do homework and when the pageant got thrown into the mix, it pushed us past the breaking point. Taylor decided it was too much and tendered her resignation to the Softball Team. I can't really say I regret it and I don't think she does either. I think we've all been enjoying the fact that Taylor has some spare time again.

Scott's had several train shows since Christmastime and his layouts have won some pretty impressive awards. He is quite happy with the big ribbon he brought home and the club is now planning to display all the recognitions whenever they go to a show. His latest, the Scout Expo, was fun because he got to see a lot of local people he knows...or at least they got to see him. :)

I have just finished the first year of my Master's Program in School Counseling...which means that this time next year I'll be graduating!!! I had the chance to do a Practicum at Little Valley Elementary and I enjoyed it very much. Next year, I will be putting in 600 hours for an Internship at Pine View High School. I am psyched about this since it will be Taylor's first year at the high school and I will still be working part-time at Fossil Ridge Intermediate, which is where Shaylie will be. I really love being at the schools with my girls, so next year will be fun...busy again, but fun. If this upcoming summer and school year fly by as quickly as this past year...my graduation will probably be my next post! :D

This week Taylor turned 15 years old, which is CRAZY to me! I'm freaking out that she will be in high school, driving, dating, graduating all inside of 3 years. It's going to go by in the blink of an eye, but I'm not going to think about that. Tomorrow we are having a 70's themed birthday party for her. I'll be posting pictures of some of our adventures soon.

We're all looking forward to being able to spend more time together this summer and it will be nice to have a more casual routine. The insanity will have to continue for a little bit longer, but at least we'll catch a break for a couple months. I love my family and I have to believe that all the craziness will be worth it eventually. Here's to coming up for air! Hope to post again...sooner rather than later, but I make no promises! Love to hear from you too, so post a comment if you are so inclined! :D

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Thanksgiving Feast that started the Holidays. I took this using the Panorama feature on my phone so it's a little weird but cool.

Our Christmas Decorations

On Christmas Eve, we decided to watch A Christmas Story and eat at Panda Garden Chinese Restaurant. It was delicious and we weren't the only ones either...there were tons of people there. Here's the girls having fun with the empty takeout boxes.

After dinner, we headed to the Temple Nativity Display...an annual tradition for our family.

The sunset and the Christmas lights were gorgeous. Things like this always remind me how blessed we are to live in such a wonderful world.

My sweetheart girls. Love this picture of them in front of the Temple steps.

We drove around town to look at Christmas lights. One of our favorites is the Stapley's house. They have their lights synced to music in an amazing display. We always enjoy it!

After we opened our Christmas Eve pajamas (aren't we cute?), we had a wonderful Christmas Devotional given by Taylor. She gave us a quiz about common Christmas beliefs and then we read the Christmas Story. She had a handout that she'd received in Seminary which combined the different parts of the story from the four Gospels and JST into one. We read it out loud and it was amazing to remember the real reason for the season. My favorite part was when Taylor pointed out that when we were in the preexistence, we were likely part of the heavenly host that sang for the shepherds on the night of Christ's birth. What an inspiring thought!

On a more worldly note, Taylor asked for money for Christmas and I wanted a cute way to deliver it. Luckily Santa came through with this cute money tree! I think it was super cute!

Santa left some great presents for Taylor under the Christmas tree...some dumbells and a new phone!

Shaylie got a new Flip video camera and a remote control car and Moxie girl driver, among other things.

Christmas Morning Mania! The girls woke up at 6:30 on the dot, and raced down stairs to find the booty. It didn't take long to make quite a chaotic mess!

I think Taylor liked her tree and Shaylie was pretty happy too!

We ended the night by having our friends the Sabaitis family and Chad, Lynn and Kaiah over for a Just Dance 2 party...lots of fun and laughing. A perfect way to end the night!

Our Travels in 2010

2010-12-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

We had some fun trips this summer! We visited Salt Lake to see some Real Salt Lake games. There is always such a fun atmosphere there. We love hearing the drums beat through the game and as they march in and out of the stadium with their flags flying high.

Grandma Rose joined us for one game. It was fun to see her for the afternoon.

Here we all are at the end of the game! Shaylee Sabaitis came with us and she was taking the picture.

I decided to go blonde for the summer and this is me getting my hair done at my mom's house in Holden. Gotta love Dawn's Butch and Bleach! :)

We visited Las Vegas for my brother Chad's wedding. He married a lovely girl named Lynn Matthews. We are so glad to have her in the family! I love this picture of Lynn's daughter Kaiah, and Chad's daughter, Bella...new sisters waiting for the wedding to start! Could they be any cuter?

Mom and Chad looking just a little nervous...I'm sure he just wanted to get the Honeymoon started. The staff made us put our cameras away before the bride came out so I don't have any shots of Lynn. :(

Me and my hubs....looking so fine! I love weddings..this one made me all gushy and reminded me of my own except that theirs was much more posh! But my groom was just as awesome...and 18 years later here we are.

We took another trip to Salt Lake/Park City later in the year. We took the girls to Temple Square and the Church History Museum, visited Timpanogos Cave and got to see Grandma again for a bit. We had a blast!

What fun times! I love getting away and spending time with just my crew. I always feel closer to them when we get away and spend time without all the distractions that come at home. I hope we get to do a lot more of this soon!

Halloween

2010-12-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Halloween this year! Lots of costumes and candy! Shaylie was a witch and cute as she can be!

I dressed up in my Luau gear for Red Ribbon Week at school. Scott and I had fun watching Shaylie's last Halloween Parade. Next year she'll be in 6th grade (OMGsh) so we wanted to help her celebrate!

At our ward's Trunk-or-Treat Carnival, I reprised my role as Madame YasMEANa...Misfortune Teller. I love doing this and it's always a big hit with the kids. I entice the kids into my lair and let them choose a MisFortune, which say things like, "Your nose will soon have a booger in it" or "The fleas of a thousand camels will soon infest your armpits." I love hearing the kids giggle as they walk away. So much fun! This is the fourth or fifth year that I've done this and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Taylor decided to borrow a football jersey from a certain someone for her costume. I'm not naming names.

Working my Gypsy magic!

There was a cook-off at the ward party too! Scott made Chili and ended up winning "Best Overall" after the vote was tallied. He was super surprised!

The night after Halloween we drove to a house out in Little Valley where they carve about 80 pumpkins each year. The girl is actually one that grew up in my home town, Holden. She is super creative and I love seeing what they come up with each Halloween. The girls loved seeing all the different characters. This will definitely be a new tradition for us!

It's Been a Long Time!

2010-12-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I haven't posted since October 31st! I'm going to try to get caught up before the New Year begins. There have been a few fun times between now and then, but mostly I've been busy, busy, busy with work, school, and kids! Facebook is more my speed for quick updates lately.

We had some fall fun playing in the leaves. Shaylie loves playing in the leaves! It seems like our tree is the last one to lose it's leaves each year, so it's a test of patience. But, once they've fallen, it seems like the only natural thing is to bury her completely! :)

Scott sure loves his puppies! I couldn't help but snap this photo of Scott and Cricket napping while Bubba kept watch. Is there anything sweeter than a boy and his dog?

Taylor had a flute solo this year for the Christmas concert. We are always so proud of our girl! She is amazingly talented and has gifts I only dream of having. It is pure pleasure for me to listen to her practice and play.

Shaylie is growing up so fast! I can't believe how grown up she is looking these days. She's such a joy to me--with her fun sense of humor and her super clever wit! She is going to be a lovely young lady and I can't wait until everyone else can see what I see in her!

Taylor's soccer season came to an end and she decided that she wanted to tryout for the Pine View Basketball team. She wasn't sure she really wanted to do it until halfway through the tryouts, then she just knew her life would end if she didn't make the team. ;) Luckily for all of us, she did. She has been picking up on the game beautifully and even though their team is struggling, it's fun to see them improve each week. She's played on both the freshman team and the sophomore team, so she gets lots of playing time.

There is also much teenage drama this year as Taylor is in the middle of her first romance. I won't say more since I know she would kick me but I am enjoying this stage of her life. She is so darling and the boy she likes is one that I really like too! I just keep telling her to have fun and know that I'm keeping an Eagle Eye out!

Our Dango Daikazoku Adventure

2010-10-31T17:18:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago I went to Phoenix to visit my brother Mike, his wife Erin and their cute little Myka. While we were there, Erin took us to an Asian Supermarket called Lee Lee's. I wished Shaylie had been there with me because they had some amazing things. My mom wanted to buy her some Dangos since she's been completely gaga over them for months now. We didn't exactly know what Dangos are but we knew from the Internet that they are Japanese dumplings made out of rice flour that are either boiled or fried with many different kinds of sauces or fillings. We explained the best we could to the clerk and he directed us a couple different kinds. Shaylie was so excited when I came home with some Dangos to try.

The first attempt were frozen premade Sesame Dumplings which were meant to be boiled for 5-6 minutes. They turned out rather disgusting looking but the sauce inside tasted kind of sweet and peanutty. Shaylie was the only one brave enough to actually put one in her mouth.

First, she put maple syrup on it and took a small bite.

She was not very impressed. It tasted gooey and slimey.

Then it got stuck in her expander and she gagged in sink.

Needless to say, the entire plate of those ended up in the trash. Definitely not the right Dangos.

The next morning I promised to make the fried kind before school because she did not want to go to school hating her beloved dangos. So I got up extra early and tried to decipher the lovely packaging. I think the direction were written in Korean, but at least there were pictures.

I mixed up the dough and fried them up. These were looking much more appetizing.

After dunking them in sugar and putting them on the skewers, they looked just like the Dangos of Shaylie's dreams.

I woke her up about 6:00 am to try the final product.

Sleepy but happy with the yumminess.

I'm glad we finally figured it out. She got to go to school and tell all her friends about the Dango adventure we had. Luckily for me, I won't be able to get to the Asian supermarket everyday so these will just be a special treat.

Another Year of Wedded Bliss! :)

2010-09-11T23:44:00.000-06:00

Scott and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on August 8th. It's gone by in a flash. I'm lucky to be married to my very best friend in the world. He spoiled me on my birthday this year and got me tickets to the Shakespearean Festival. We took the trip as part of our Anniversary celebration. I always love going to the plays there. This year we saw Pride and Prejudice and Much Ado about Nothing.

The Green Show was fun even though we got a little wet. The raindrops came down in big fat drops and scared us a little bit since we were going to an outdoor show later, but it cleared up just in time.

Aren't we cute? Scott's still in stripes. :D

The view from our seats. We hadn't ever been to the Adams theater in all the years we've been to the Festival so this was a treat. We were right up front and had a great time!

The rest of the Gallery...the VIP seats right up front had seat cushions, water bottles and a little care package on each seat. The show was fun, one of the best I've seen but they always are. We had a good time catching up as a couple and spending some alone time. Can't wait to do it again!

Shaylie Turns 10!

2010-09-11T23:24:00.000-06:00

My Shaylie has been completely obsessed with all things Asian for the past few months. She loves to read Manga comic books, and watch Anime shows online. She has been taking Kung Fu and has been teaching herself to speak Japanese. Half the time I don't know what she is saying to me, but she bows at the end which always makes me smile. So it came as no surprise that she wanted an Asian themed birthday when she turned 10 on August 14th! It was a blast putting this party together for the my girl.

We started the party by learning some Origami folding. The girls were really good at it. We also made paper lanterns, which I did not get any pictures of, but they turned out really cute. Shaylie has several hanging in her bedroom now.

Her cake had the traditional yin yang, her name (sort of) in Chinese, and Japanese dongos. It was fun to make and tasted delish!

Our candy Sushi was a big hit and the kids went through it so fast! I could have made twice as much.

The Chinese Take-out box favors had some Japanese candy, and toys inside.

One of her favorite gifts was her Kimono "pajamas." She already had the hat.

Shaylie and all her cute friends! Thanks for coming to our party girls! It was a blast!

Someday I will blog again....

2010-08-10T23:09:00.002-06:00

but that day is NOT today!

2010 Family Fotos

2010-07-05T19:17:00.000-06:00

A sampling of our fun new family photos! More to come soon! Thanks to Annette at LittleGemsPhoto.com for making us look so good!

Catching Up

2010-06-06T18:21:00.001-06:00

You would think that in 6 weeks of our busy lives that I would have lots to post about....but I don't. I have been busy, busy, busy with all the normal activities of our lives. I wanted to mention a few highlights however to hopefully get me back into the blogging spirit.

Taylor turned 14 and went to her first Stake Youth Dance. She was so excited when she left but by the time she got back, I think some of that had turned to disappointment. She saw some kids from other wards that she knew but no one asked her to dance. Weirdly, I'm okay with that. I think as time goes by she'll enjoy them more, but if the boys around never realize what a gem she is until she's out of high school, I'm okay with that too! She performed in her school theater class production and in the school Talent Show! She rocked a hip-hop dance with her friend Shaylee! She's been spending a lot of time in Holden this summer already so far and she has soccer camps and girls camp and tryouts coming up before long.

Shaylie has just finished 4th grade! I can't believe next year will be her last year of Elementary School. She is struggling to find friends to play with this summer. She found out her new teacher will be Mr. Porter. I hope she can find some good friends in his class next year. She is still loving Kung-fu and will compete in the Utah Summer Games on June 26th in Cedar. She's looking forward to this. She performed her Basic Form at her school talent show too. We've decided that this summer I'm going to give Shaylie cooking lessons. She hasn't done much cooking up until now, but I swear Taylor was cooking before age 10..at least a few things, like eggs and ramen. So the lessons have already begun. She's doing great so far! I look forward to the day when I can hand all the cooking duties over to my girls. :)

Scott has been busy with work as usual but he's managed to be at all the girls activities and performances. I'm so glad he's a dad that is involved with his kids. He's been running a lot lately and is doing about 3 miles now on the treadmill. There are always plans with trains...I think he is going to move the layout from his train room to a friends house in Ephraim and he'll begin building his layout in earnest....this plan includes storage shelves for me, so I'm happy! He only has one train show that I know of this summer, in Fillmore over the 4th of July.

I'm also busy as can be...or is it busy as a bee?...anyway...I started my Master's Classes which I am enjoying very much aside from the papers I have to write, but even those might be okay once I get going. I got my first official Student Loan. :( Classes and my three church callings are keeping me on a strict and stressful schedule. (Yes, that's 3 callings: RS Secretary, Camp Director and Activities Committee.) I was told that if you want something done to ask the busiest person you know! They didn't mention that you better ask quick since it doesn't take too long for the meltdown to begin. :) I love to serve, but we all have our limits. I have a two week institute coming up, and aside from the girls activities mentioned above and camp, I am also in charge of my family's reunion this summer. :[ I would like to enjoy some fun, carefree summer days at some point this year. It's a dream of mine.

I guess I know now why I haven't been posting. I've been afraid that I would come over as complaining which I don't mean to do. I have been dealing okay...I am still waiting for the enjoying to kick in. I'm hoping that we'll get some blog-worthy moments in the next few weeks. I'll be on Facebook in the meantime. Thanks for catching up with us!

A Birthday Celebration

2010-04-26T23:02:00.001-06:00

For Taylor's Birthday Dinner, she wanted to go to Olive Garden. We had a good time, but we were bummed to find out from the waiter that they don't do the fun cake dessert anymore. In fact, he told us that they can't even sing now!! I guess people complained, if you can believe that!! Boo to the Bad Apples! Anyway, our server was really nice and spoiled us anyway...he got us a deal on our drinks, and he brought Taylor TWO Andes mints at the end of the meal!

Looking so GROWN UP!

Dad & Shaylie bonking heads!

All Better Now!

Me and My Girl

Love this picture. I can't believe how grown up my baby is!!

Silliness abounds whenever Dad gets his way!

Yummy!!

After dinner, we went to Krave. A fun place, but $15 bucks for 3 yogurts was a little steep for me. Birthdays are worth a little splurge though!

Taylor with her Mini-Cake and present. (I neglected to get her a cake or present since I mistakenly thought she wouldn't care if we waited until her friend party on Friday...my bad! I ran to WalMart and got a little sump'n sump'n!)

New Jammies! Yay!

Love you Taylor Girl! Hope your day was as awesome as you are!!

My Baby is 14!!!

2010-04-26T12:12:00.000-06:00

Make your own free slideshow design

I love this girl more than I can say! She is a mother's dream come true! I loved putting this slide show of Taylor through the years. She has always been the sweetest, cutest, loveliest girl! I couldn't be a prouder mama! Happy, happy birthday, My Girl!

2010 Conference Cloud

2010-04-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

Loved conference this past week! And Love this Word Cloud generated on the Mormon Women website. Really shows the themes and talk topics that our leaders focus on....we are blessed to have this kind of guidance in our lives, don't you think?

That Shaylie!

2010-03-23T15:33:00.000-06:00

My mom was visiting this past weekend and she was talking to us about buying some new pants she liked. My sweet Shaylie says, "I thought they were called Trousers when Old People wear them."

The whole room cracked up! Which is just the way Miss Shay likes it! What a character.

Sheesh!

2010-03-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I didn't get any comments on my last entry! Come on, guys! Don't leave me hanging...I thought that was funny!

Hello....is anybody out there?

:)

Uh-oh! Get the Janitor.

2010-03-20T09:57:00.003-06:00

I have to share this funny story from Taylor's school. She arrived at school and saw a big group of kids gathered around the school sign taking pictures. You can see why this would cause a commotion!!!

It was supposed to be an abbreviation for "students" but apparently there are still some innocent kids in the world. My Taylor didn't know what it meant but assumed it was some kind of drug or something.... so joined in the hilarity.

The principal came out to see what the ruckus was all about and Taylor heard him say, "Uh oh. Get the Janitor."
I cracked up when I heard this story! Hilarious. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one on Leno!

I Did It and LIVED!

2010-03-18T11:53:00.002-06:00

I started my C25K training today! Read about it on my HCG Living blog! I just posted about it!

I learned a few things:

My body is not as fragile as I think it is.
I need new shoes!
I need to find a good stretching routine.
I love the Podrunner training tracks. (Link on HCG Living post.)
I need a sports bra. (I'm lucky I didn't put an eye out!)
I am more than ready to make this change!
I finally have something new to blog about!

First day down...only 10 more weeks to go! Yay me!

Plop, plop! Fizz, fizz!

2010-03-16T17:43:00.000-06:00

Oh, what a relief it is!

I almost had a BIG oops today! I applied for two scholarships to help pay for my Graduate school program. One of my advisors encouraged all the students to apply for these: the Allen and the Jex. I made sure to dot all my i's and cross all my t's and got them sent in by the deadline which was yesterday at 5pm. Today, I got an email saying that my application could not be considered for the Jenson scholarship since it was only for School of Psychology students, which I am not! It turned out that I submitted one application to the WRONG scholarship!

Luckily, I sent an email right back apologizing and explaining my mistake and the coordinator said she would get it into the right pile!!! Yay! Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed and hope I get some big bucks! If not, I'm going to need some Alka-seltzer for real, when I go to apply for my Student Loans! It will be worth it though! Can't wait to get started....the sooner I start, the sooner I'll be done! Yay!

The Ides of March

2010-03-15T15:16:00.000-06:00

I'm not even really sure what the Ides of March signifies, I think it just means the 15th, but I had to memorize a lengthy passage once from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar {Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ear! We come to bury Caesar not to praise him...} and for some reason the day he was killed, the Ides of March, stuck with me! So...Happy Ides of March everybody!

It's hard for me to believe that it is March at all! Wasn't it just last week that I was posting about our NYE party and Christmas? And now Spring Break has come and gone. I've been reading on friends blogs about all the fun travels and activities and I have to say I am a bit green. We had a very low-key, stay-at-home kind of week and while we did get in some fun visits with Family, a trip to the Dixie Igloo, a sleepover, and a movie or two. It wasn't anything overly special! My girls have been very good to let me know that this week has been B-O-R-I-N-G!!! Oh well! What's a poor mom to do? My mantra ever holds--Maybe next year! You gotta have something to look forward to, right?

One very exciting thing that happened over the break is that I hit my 100-pounds lost goal!! I am very excited about this. It has taken me one long year, but I am so happy to have that behind me. I have mostly posted about this on FB and on my HCGliving Blog. But I feel it's definitely worth a mention...again! I'm looking forward to being able to go shopping someday to replenish my wardrobe. I have a HUGE pile of clothes ready to go to the DI or Yard Sale...If anyone out there wears sizes 22-26, give me a call!!! I have tons of stuff that I can't wear anymore!

I am determined to have a Yard Sale as some point in the near future, but it is taking me a LOT of effort to gear up for it. The last time I did this, we had a great success, but I remember it was Big Work and this time around I have even more stuff to get rid of....so I know it needs to be done, but my heart isn't quite in it yet! If anyone has good tips for me, let me know! I need motivation! I can't wait too long though...Summer is coming and I don't want to do it in the HEAT!

So, I'm ending this long rambling post! I'm hoping for something new and exciting to blog about soon. I don't know what, but you gotta have something to look forward to, right?

March 1st--The Day It Begins

2010-02-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

In the morning, it will be the First Morning in March! This is the day I have designated as the first day of my new workout schedule leading up to the first day of my Couch Potato-to-5K training which will begin on March 15th. I figured I better get my sedentary (albeit much lighter) body used to moving a bit before I start torturing it with running right off the bat!

So tomorrow morning at 7:30, I will be on the treadmill walking for 30 minutes!! I'm excited to get going on my plan. The only trouble I see that might hinder me in my goal is that my leg is still numb from knee to toes. It has been that way for about 2 weeks now and I'm not sure what is causing it..probably my back, but who knows? It doesn't hurt, but it is weird. If you've ever sat on your leg for a bit too long and then tried to walk on it, that is how it feels...only mine doesn't ever wake up. I went walking around the neighborhood today to deliver some RS invites and it felt like my numb foot was just slapping the sidewalk. But, like I said, it doesn't hurt so I guess I will just press forward. If it doesn't start shaping up in a week or so, I'll have to break down and go to the doctor. Dumb leg!

Another thing I have to do is decide which race I want to run in...if any of you know of a fall 5k, let me know! I think it will help motivate me to have a specific race in mind! I was thinking of the Utah Summer Games 5K but that may be a bit sooner than I have time for.

Wish me luck! I haven't been active in YEARS, but this is Phase 2 of my Master Plan. Phase 1 was to weigh less and that's been a great success so far! I'm down 98 pounds (and counting) so I don't have that excuse anymore! Now the plan is to start cultivating a more active, healthy, movement based lifestyle! I'm going to need all the luck I can get! :)

New Beginnings

2010-02-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Taylor, Scott and I went to the Young Women's New Beginning Program last night. I was so excited to learn about the new Personal Progress program! Taylor has been working so hard on getting her award...she is almost done, but I was excited because I'd heard that with the new program, Mom's can earn the award too! Sure enough...Kara Reid and Bishop Staheli encouraged us to earn our own Recognition Medallion along side our daughters. So I got my book and journal and I'm starting tonight! I have a ways to go to catch up with Taylor though. I can't believe how much she has been doing. I've already got a couple things under my belt as I was sort-of working on it when I was a leader a few years back, but there's so much more to do! ;)

This sort of thing is right up my alley though, so I'm thrilled to get going. I love setting goals and making plans. I love how it really makes you think about so many different aspects of the gospel and helps you to apply them to your life in new ways...plus you get to earn pretty jewelry! Always a bonus in my book! I'd already set several goals for the year and now I'll supplement them with Gospel doctrine and be on my way!

Can't wait to see Taylor and me strutting around in our matching medallions! And then I'll get to earn it again with my Shaylie! Yay...isn't the Church awesome? ;) We are going to ROCK this program.

So Many Blogs, So Little Time

2010-02-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me the other day, that I don't think many of my blogging friends realize that our family has TWO blogs-- the Random Bits of Brilliance page that you see here, which is mostly just my randomness with a smattering of occasional brilliance and the other is TheTechFamily.com-an online journal.

I thought I would invite you all to follow TheTechFamily.com as well, since this is where we post much of our day to day excitement...or lack thereof! If you are interested, you can add TheTechFamily.com to your Blog Lists as well to get automatic updates whenever we post! :) All the Jesienouski family news you could possibly want! Check it out1

About To Get Even More Brilliant ;)

2010-02-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited to post that I have been accepted to the University of Utah Educational Psychology program. I just got the email today!!! Starting in May I will be pursuing my Masters Degree in School Counseling. I've been hoping to do this for so long now. It will be a lot of hard work but I know that with my family being so supportive that I will be able to rise to the challenge. Yay! I'm sure my posts will be full of this news in future! I can't believe I'm going back to school!!!!

A New Look for My Blog

2010-01-29T17:34:00.001-07:00

I think the reason I haven't been blogging lately is because I was bored with the look of my blog. So I have a whole new look and a whole new outlook. Hopefully, this will inspire me to get blogging!

Wimpy Kids Rejoice!

2010-01-22T09:11:00.001-07:00

Another fun movie to be excited about--Diary of a Wimpy Kid! My Shaylie LOVES these books as do about 90% of the Intermediate school where I work. I'm sure this will be BIG! The trailer makes me LOL. Check it out! (Sorry about my width issues.)

The author of these books also is responsible for Poptropica.com, another mega-favorite at our house!

Our Annual New Years' Eve Bash

2010-01-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

The first annual MarioKart Wii Tournament...the kids paired up and faced off in a double elimination tourney, headed up by Scott. I don't want to brag but my two girls made it to the championship round, where Taylor edged out Shaylie by a mere 3 points. Go girls!

We were so glad our friends, the Sabaitis family, could come ring in the New Year with us! This is a tradition and it just wouldn't be the same without them! Love you guys!

My brother, Chad and his camera-shy girlfriend, Lynn with cute Kaiah who was very tired at this point. We did get Lynn to play some games, so I feel the evening was a big success!

Taylor with her friends, checking out Taylor Lautner on his SNL skit where he plays a Tweener on Team Edward! Pretty funny!

Kung Fu Kid

2010-01-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

For one of her Christmas presents this year, Shaylie was enrolled in a Kung Fu class. She's been wanting to take Karate for a while now and I'm not sure how Karate and Kung Fu are related other than they are both martial arts, but she went to her first class tonight and really enjoyed it! Her teacher, Master Whitehead, is very good with the kids and seems to know his stuff!

She was a little worried about being the only girl in the class, but I think that's pretty cool. She seemed to follow along very well and looked like she had good form. It reminded me a bit of Tai Chi, which I love, so I wanted to get up and join them. I can't wait to see how she does. It's good to see her excited about something!

Ice Skating in St. George

2010-01-05T23:07:00.001-07:00

Our last day of the Holiday break was a fun one! Scott decided to take the girls ice skating at the new Dixie Igloo Ice Center. They've been so excited to try this and Scott has been dying to get back on the ice. He hadn't been skating since he was a kid. I've never been, but my back was hurting so I wasn't going to go, but then thought I couldn't miss this fun time, so I just went to watch. I was worried that Shaylie would struggle with it, but by the time I got there she was skating like a pro. Taylor and Anje picked it up really quickly too! They had so much fun! I definitely want to give it a try too. The girls have already begged to go back. We're sure glad that they decided to come to St. George...hopefully it will be permanent.

After skating, Scott took the girls to Jimmy Johns (and had a flat tire in the parking lot), while I went to 25 Main for cupcakes! Yum. After lunch, Scott fixed the tire on the car, while the girls and I went to see Princess and the Frog. Such a cute show! I really liked it a lot. We brought the girls home, then Scott and I took off to see Avatar {great movie} and eat at Bajio! We hadn't been out as a couple for many moons. It was fun to spend time together! We haven't had a splurge day like that in a long time! It was a great way to say Goodbye to the break, and Hello to real life!

A Time of Reflection & Renewal

2010-01-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of New Years. Maybe it's because I'm a big goal setter and this time of year inspires me to take stock of my life. I feel like I did a pretty good job with my resolutions from last year, although some of these are perpetual and will never really be accomplished, overall I did what I set out to do....I feel better, I weigh less, and was definitely more creative in the year past.

This year, I'm still working on becoming a more healthy active person. I'd like to lose about 30 pounds more to reach my goal of 100 total pounds lost since I began my HCG journey. I'm starting another round this week so I feel like that one's in the bag. Keeping it off will be my main focus and to do that I have to be more active. So, my {First Resolution} for the year is to run in a 5K race. I can't begin training until later in the spring (after HCG) but I'm going to be looking to my friends and family for tips and support! I already feel so much stronger physically but I need to work on building up some muscles. I'm looking forward to this very much even though I've never been a runner.

Next, I am making my {Second Resolution} a very tangible one too....I'd like to paint a piece to show in the Washington County Fair. Last year, I set a goal to be more creative, but I realized I was just hedging my desire to paint again, and because I left myself an out, I did just about every creative thing but paint. So this year, no out! I'm going to start painting again and the Fair just gives me a deadline and purpose.

My {Third Resolution} is one I'm already working on (and in perpetuity)...to read my scriptures daily and to attend the temple EVERY MONTH. I already decided about 2 months ago that I must read my scriptures BEFORE I get on Facebook or my blog or any of the other great time-wasters that eat away my days...it's been working great so far! I just know that I have to get it done. As for the temple, I would love to make our Ward Temple Night but it's sometimes scheduled so early in the evening that Scott and I can't make it, so I'd like to start our own Temple Date Night. We'd love to make it a group thing too, so if anyone else is interested in joining us...just let me know!

These are my goals for the New Year! I still want to choose a new motto as well...I'm looking for a scripture that can be my theme for this year. I'm always so grateful for the Lord's blessings in my life. I want to acknowledge His hand in all I do! With His help, I think I'm ready to tackle some new projects and see if I can find success! I wish all of you the best with your goals and resolutions too! Happy 2010!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had a terrific Christmas this year! Each of us was incredibly spoiled and we feel especially blessed. My kids dubbed it the "Best Christmas Ever" which tells me I must learn a lesson about stressing and worrying too much before the day arrives. This year, Taylor had me especially discombobulated, since she had only asked for Roller Blades or an Open-hole Flute, which Santa was ready to deliver...but then about 5 days before Christmas, she tells me, with typical teenage melodramatic flair, that if she gets either of those things, it will "ruin her Christmas." Well, what was poor Santa to do?
Luckily, on Christmas morning, she showed no signs of pain and she said she didn't know how much she really wanted her flute until she got it. Shaylie loved all her gifts, especially the Cake Bakery and her Printies (stuffed animals that you print on your computer...kind of cool!). Scott almost didn't get his favorite gift--I didn't notice that he hadn't opened it until later in the day when he found an unwrapped gift on the chair and discovered it was for him. It was a Chelsea Road Kit...or in plain American...a Chelsea Away Jersey. He loves it and I'm glad, since it was quite an effort to get it for him. I went to Vegas and looked at about 4 different stores before finding the one that had it by accident. Crazy, huh? I was the most spoiled...my family really made me feel special this year. Scott got me a new laptop, or netbook, the entire 7 season series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a Deluxe Snuggie..all of which I love.
We were lucky to have Grandma Jesienouski here for Christmas again this year. She always makes our holiday so fun. Unfortunately, she got sick on Christmas Day and spent most of the weekend feeling pretty poorly. Then I caught the bug too, so we were pretty low-key for most of her visit. Even so, we are glad that she was able to come spend the holiday with us. We did get to go the the Southwest Symphony Strings concert at the Tabernacle and we drove around to look at lights before we were housebound.
Now we are looking forward to the New Year. We are having our annual New Years Eve Games and Goodies night. This has been a tradition in our family since I was a kid. We always enjoy celebrating with friends and family. I am mulling over my New Years' Resolutions right now. I had such success with last year's that I am taking it very seriously again for 2010.
As for the year past, we are very thankful to have so many good friends, neighbors, and loved ones to be a part of our lives. Thanks for bringing so much fun and excitement to our otherwise ordinary days. We look forward to having another year to grow even closer and to share in each others extraordinary adventures. Our love to you and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

More Friend and Family Fun!

2009-12-22T14:43:00.001-07:00

Shaylie's friend Jade came for a short visit and to exchange gifts. We sure miss Jade around here! The girls were so cute with their gifts. It turned out that they each bought matching gifts for the other. So now they both have a pair of matching frog toe socks and beaded watches. With their braces and blonde hair, they are practically twins.

My niece, Anje, celebrated her 12th birthday last week! Taylor and Shaylie both went to her Spa Night birthday party. They jacuzzied, primped, and stayed up all night watching videos. Happy Birthday, Loobie!

On Sunday, we celebrated my "little" brother Chad's birthday with a Sunday brunch at my house. You can see his cute girlfriend, Lynn, in the background of the picture. Her daughter Kaiah was here too! We are glad they were able to come celebrate with us! I love having my home filled with family! Happy Birthday, Chad!

Piano Recital

2009-12-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

We always look forward to Taylor's winter piano recital, but this year we almost missed it! For some reason, I had it down on my calendar as starting at 6:30, when it really started at 6:00. We arrived promptly at 6:15, thinking we had time to spare, only to find that Taylor had missed her place on the program. Luckily, she was able to sneak in at the end and she did a great job performing O, Holy Night! (Grrr! This is a sore spot for me, though. I've been trying to play that song for two years and she picked it up in about two months. It's not right.)
We love Melanie, her piano teacher! She had the kids wear winter gear rather than formal outfits this year and during the finale we all sang Let It Snow! As usual, it was so fun to see all the kids hard work pay off!

Shaylie's Choir Concerts

2009-12-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

We loved hearing Shaylie sing with her school choir this year. They performed at 3 different venues during the two weeks before Christmas--the Dickens Festival, her school assembly, and Dixie Nutrition, where a camera crew was there to cover the event and we saw Shaylie later that night on the KCSG news. She loved singing We Three Kings and Sleigh Ride. She goes to school early two days a week to practice. I'm glad she's been having a great time!

Taylor's Winter Concert

2009-12-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

Taylor's musical talent is a joy to our family! We love listening to her play! The band was very good and we enjoyed seeing Taylor shine. The music included some holiday favorites so it was a good beginning to the Holiday season. Grandma Strong, Anissa, and Anje also came to support Taylor! Way to go!

"Tis the Season!

2009-12-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my wonderful, beautiful and talented friends for helping me to celebrate the season! I had a great time at our party and I hope you all did too! Of course, I was having too much fun to take any pictures so we'll just have to keep the memories in our hearts. :) I'm grateful to you all for your generosity and thoughtfulness. If you're feeling hungry later, come on back for round two...there was plenty of food left! Unless my family has eaten it all by then! At any rate, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and that you get all the happiness you deserve! Love to you all!

Family for Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great family Thanksgiving this year! I was so pleased to be able to host Thanksgiving dinner at my home this year. All my brothers and sisters (with the exception of my youngest, Bryan and his wife, Dena) were able to make it. We definitely had a houseful, but there was plenty of food with all our favorites (Yay Kringla!), lots of games, laughing and children playing. It was a pleasure to have tiny ones in the house again. On Friday, my Dad and Pam even came down and joined us! It was great to get most of us together again. (I'll be posting family pics soon. I don't know how I missed pictures of my sister and Anje. I don't have a single one!)

In addition to the aforementioned fun, we made sure to fit in a couple of outings as well. We went to the Temple Lighting Ceremony. Well, we actually missed the ceremony, but we enjoyed the lights and the Nativity. We hit the Tuachan Saturday Market, where we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and found some lovely crafts. And we managed to resist the temptation to go out shopping on Black Friday. I actually was tempted, and if I'd any money, I likely would have gone since this was the first year in many that I've been in a town with stores on that day. I wouldn't have gone at 5am, but I would have gone out and braved the masses.

All in all, it was a very memorable weekend. I hope we can make it a tradition. I love my family!

A Christmas of Service and Love

2009-11-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

Since Santa's feeling the downturn in the economy like everybody else, our family (and by our family, I mean me) has decided to limit the number of gifts we are getting this year. Instead, we are going to have "A Christmas of Service and Love" and focus more on the true meaning of the season.
Every day, during the month of December, we are going to try to have a fun, family service project or activity. Some of the things I'm thinking of are: to go to the Temple Visitors Center, to go caroling, to put together kits for the Humanitarian Center, and to visit the Tuacahn Nativity...but 25 days is a lot to fill...so I'd love to hear some great ideas from all my friends.
What are some of the fun family focused traditions that bring your family closer to each other and to the Lord? Will you please share them with us? I'm really hoping to make this Christmas season a memorable and fun one for my family!

New Moon Fun!

2009-11-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

I had to show off my cute t-shirt that I wore to our New Moon group date tonight.

A few other girls wore shirts that said, "My heart belongs to (husband's name), but my neck belongs to Edward." They were cute too!

I had a blast tonight! Half the fun is hanging out with all the girls and their hubbies. We also had some very young, cute girls sitting in front of us who were definitely on Team Jacob. Their sighs and oohs and aahs made the movie that much more fun.

It was a fun night out!

New World Order

2009-11-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, in my own little world anyway! I have been inspired by all the recent counsel that I have heard to try to establish a "house of order" in our home. I want to be able to teach my children correct principles, and let them govern themselves...I know it's a stretch, but we're going to try.
So, tonight's family night was a working meeting where we established rules, consequences and rewards...along with a new plan for FHE agendas. From now on, we will have a chore chart where the girls will be able to earn an allowance, and at FHE they will have to report on how well they did, what they could do better, and what they will work on the following week! We are going to have daily, weekly, and family chores to help us learn housekeeping skills and how to work better as a family. Hopefully the rules and motivators are something the girls will buy into since they helped us set it up.
I wanted to do a Tech-free week as well, but it was overwhelming enough to implement this new plan. I think we'll get this going and then attempt a TF-week next week. I was totally amazed at the number of times we were warned against the dangers of technology. I don't want that counsel to fall on deaf (ipod filled) ears...so I want to see if we can really do it. Scott actually suggested that we do this about two weeks ago, and it was I who dragged my feet about it. It will be hard but I think we have to try.
So, wish us luck! This will definitely be a weakness turned to a strength...if it works. I have struggled with what to do for a while, so I'm glad for the good advice I was given this weekend and I'm anxious for a change.

Sweet Assurance

2009-11-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

The theme of Time Out for Women this year was Sweet Assurance: the certainty that comes when you know life's truths. I was so glad that I got another opportunity to attend this year. The focus of each of the talks and the music was to bear testimony of the truths that govern our lives and that have been taught to us by the Savior, through his life and example. Over 3,000 women attended!!

All of the presenters were inspiring! I loved Kenneth Cope's music and Hillary Weeks will always be one of my all-time favorites...she is so funny and talented. But I think my favorite presentation this year was by Emily Freeman. Her talk was so moving and the principles she was teaching really resonated with me. She talked about abundance and how sometimes the simplest acts can bring an abundance of blessings. She told sweet stories that illustrated the true principles of service and love, and she really motivated me to find ways in my own life that I can try to find a greater abundance of God's love.

The funny ladies of the seminar were Mary Ellen Edmunds and Emily Watts. I totally related to Emily's advice on parenting. She reaffirmed my belief that being a parent is one of the hardest things I'll ever do, but that it is worth waiting for our little "fruits" to ripen. Oh, and I should probably include Chieko Okazaki in this group too. She reminded us at the beginning of her remarks that she is almost 83 years old. What an amazing lady!

I'm planning to make this event an annual tradition. I love taking this time to reaffirm my faith, to hear people with more wit and wisdom than I have inspire me to action, and to share the experience with other women of faith. The plan, according to the show director, is to alternate the venues from Vegas to St. George each year. That will be great! If it's always that close to home, I'll be there!

Before the show ended, we were challenged to share one thing we know to be true today. My truth is this: I know we are meant to be happy; that happiness is all God wants for us and everything He asks us to do is designed to bring us joy. Sometimes it's hard to accept that it might be that easy and we find ways to make it more complicated than it has to be, but I know that if we do His will we will be blessed with more joy than we can handle. Knowing this brings me peace and assurance even in the worst of times!

The Power of Music

2009-11-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been listening to 91.3, a classical music station here in St. George. Often they play movie music, such as the Star Wars theme, which I usually enjoy. Tonight I was driving to the pizza place to pick up dinner for my fam and I was listening to the radio. A commercial for the Five Browns had just finished and I was paying more attention to traffic than anything else, when suddenly I heard this terrifying sound. I didn't process it at first... I was thinking it was screeching brakes, or no...maybe a siren...I was certain it was something horrible and I started to panic, slowing down and looking for whatever was making the ominous noise. Suddenly, I realized what I was hearing...the theme to JAWS!! The strings sounding those opening chords (da-dum, da-dum) truly struck panic into my heart...before I even realized what it was. I had to laugh out loud at myself. It was scary, hilarious, and humiliating all at once. I'm just glad I was in my car and not in the ocean...there would have been an accident, and I'm not talking about the traffic. :)

Love My Quirky Kid

2009-11-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have to post something funny that Shaylie said to me the other day. She has the most unique sense of humor and I have always loved it. She cracks me up.

A couple days before Halloween, she said to me that she wouldn't like to run into a Vampire. I said, "Why? Because they vant to suck your blood?" And she said, "Yeah, and because they shoot rubber bands at you."

I can't help it. I laughed my head off...and I'm still laughing. Love you Shaylie-bug!

2009-10-31T23:22:00.000-06:00

Some of my favorite moments from Halloween Week 2009. School carnival, fun parties, trick-or-treating, fun, fun, fun!!!

Great Mom Blog

2009-10-27T15:11:00.003-06:00

Visit my friend Annette's great blog for moms and enter her giveaway! She has the best ideas on everything!

One Step Closer!

2009-10-25T00:20:00.000-06:00

I took the GRE test today and I can't tell you how relieved I am to have it behind me! It was the hardest thing I have done in a long time. I don't mean the language section, although I had hoped to do a little better on that but the math was insane. I literally cried at the end of the math section!

The very first question resembled a wall of Egyptian hieroglyphics. I did not recognize any of the concepts I studied and because it's a timed test, I only gave each question as much time as I thought I could before making my best guess. I felt like I guessed on almost every question. The whole time I kept thinking "I am in so much trouble!!" AND...when I had 30 seconds left in the test, I still had about 9 questions to answer so I read through and clicked on the handiest choices before the time ran out. I don't even think I got the click in on the last before the PROCEED button appeared.

The lowest score you can get is about 200 and I fully expected to see a score in the upper 200s or lower 300s if I was lucky...so imagine my shock and awe when I got my score and it was a 570!!! That was better than my practice exam, and granted, I only answered about 18 out of 28 right, but I'm counting it as my miracle for the day. There is no way I should have scored that high, but there it is! I must have made some pretty good guesses or I had angels whispering in my ears.

I got a 620 on the Verbal section, so that makes a combined score of 1190. I was hoping for a 1200 and it doesn't get much closer! I am very happy to be done, to have my scores, and to be able to send in my application on Monday!

LOL

2009-10-23T16:52:00.000-06:00

Taylor was taking a new profile picture for me and this was me at the end of the session! I thought it was a funny shot. Kind of how I feel today too! HI-larious!

Test Day Tomorrow!!

2009-10-23T09:17:00.000-06:00

I take the GRE test tomorrow at noon and I am literally falling apart. My hip is deforming, I'm having a polka-dot party (my HS friends might remember this particular euphemism); my brain is overflowing with numbers, letters, expressions,and random math facts; and one of my co-workers at FRIS is down with Swine Flu as of yesterday...I've been holding my breath and bathing in AB gel since I found out....(feel better, Trish!!!)....AND I've got a to-do list about a mile long!!!! AAAaaaauuuughghghgh!!!

Okay. I feel a little better. I've done my daily affirmations and I'm feeling better about some things. For example...this test is just a test. It doesn't mean anything. I will get a good enough score so I will not should all over myself...(sorry....I'm having a Stuart Smalley morning!)

Plus, Halloween is right around the corner...and I love Halloween. We have a fun party tonight...can't wait!!! I'm looking forward to having something to take my mind off the test! Trunk-or-Treat is next week and I always love doing my Miss Fortune Teller show. I love how much the kids enjoy it! It is very satisfying. And I told Taylor she could invite some of her friends for a party next week too....not to mention the actual having of Halloween. Lots to get ready for but it's always one of my favorite times of year.

In retrospect, I should probably have planned the test date a little better, but there I go again! Focus, Tonya. Think positive!. What's done is done! Tomorrow is a new day (also Test Day) but the day after that will be awesome! Wish me luck! I will need it!

Fall Family Fun

2009-10-20T10:18:00.000-06:00

We had the best time up north this weekend! We loved the fall colors in the Canyon and visiting with grandparents for a short time.

Friday, we visited my Dad and Pam for a little while then headed over to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. It was a huge carnival with bounce houses, slides, boutique, games & activities. The girls had a ton of fun. The highlight was the bungee trampoline for which we stood in line for over 2 hours. (I have video, but my computer is being stubborn!!) They had fun, but we weren't sure it was worth the wait in the end. It was a perfect day for outdoor fun. Scott even got to see a train pass right by the Point, one of the longest trains I've seen. I found a cute watch band at the boo-tique and the Kettle Korn was so yummy!!!

Saturday, we went into SLC to visit Grandma Rose and the Hogle Zoo. Another beautiful day! The animals were so active and there were so many baby animals. We saw the baby elephant, baby giraffe, baby tigers (sort of), baby monkeys and baby crocodile. So much fun! The Zoo has so many new habitats and a new carousel. It's very nice! After the zoo, we went to one of my favorites--Crown Burger on Highland Dr.--I love the food there! So yummy....I had been craving a Gyro forever!

Later that night, we headed back up Provo Canyon to the Heber Valley Railroad "Haunted Canyon" Ride. It was a blast! We thought it might be colder, but it wasn't too bad. We rode in the open-air car and listened (as best as we could) to ghost stories over the speakers...there were scenes set up in the woods all along the tracks and we had spookies wandering the cars. It was so much fun! Shaylie wasn't so sure. She doesn't like to be scared much but we had just the right amount of scary silliness. Plus it was on a train!!! What more could the Jesienouski family ask for? (Some pics on Facebook, but my computer won't let me upload to my blog for some reason!) Great fun!

Some other trip highlights: renting Redbox movies and chilling in the condo, the gorgeous fall colors--the canyon was breathtaking, we loved Bridal Veil Falls too--seeing "Chowdy with a Clance of Meatballs" in 3D with my Dad and Pam, spending time together!!! So good to have some time to renew and refresh so we can face life again!

My Groupie Moment

2009-10-11T21:43:00.001-06:00

This weekend Taylor marched with the Pine View Middle School band in the Dixie State College Homecoming Parade. We took her about a half hour early and set up our chairs to wait for the parade to begin. We got some pretty choice seats right next to the announcer's speaker.
As the American Flag made it's way toward us, the voice on the PA announced that the Grand Marshall for the parade would be Elder Jeffery R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve, who was a graduate of DSC back in the day. And sure enough, he and his wife followed the flag in the back seat of a convertible car. The crowd was pretty sparse and they were only about 10 yards away from us. I couldn't resist the urge to yell, "We love you Elder Holland!" to which his wife replied "We love you too!"
I don't know if Apostles get that many groupies, but I definitely have a special place in my heart for Elder Holland. I had just posted his conference talk from last week on my Facebook page (which was amazing) and it was such a surprise to be in such close proximity and in relative privacy to this great man. I kept trying to relive the moment and think of other more clever things to say, but I decided that I said exactly what I felt in the moment and still do.
Taylor did a great job in the parade too, but meeting Elder Holland (sort of) was definitely a highlight!

Updates

2009-10-07T22:21:00.000-06:00

Life gets pretty busy and I haven't had much time to blog, but I wanted to post a quick update on a few things. Hopefully, things will slow down before long and I'll get back to a more routine schedule.

Puppy: Cricket is doing great! She is almost housebroken. Much easier to train than BB was and so sweet. I'm glad we got her, even though some of my FB status posts may have led others to believe differently. :) The two dogs are getting along well enough and I think BB might actually be starting to like her.

Grad School: My application is just about complete and my GRE test is in just over two weeks!!!! I have been taking a short break from studying to indulge in a novel that I wanted to read, but I'm back at it and will be glad to have this behind me.

Children: Taylor and Shaylie are keeping me busy as usual. Taylor's had soccer, volleyball, piano, and school activities. We had her SEOP (parent-teacher conference) today and she is doing very well. I can't believe we are talking about college and scholarships already, but the next 5 years are likely to fly by so best to be prepared. Shaylie had a fun field trip to Staheli Farms today and invited her friend Kamryn to Activity Days. They made pumpkins and Kamryn says she'd love to go again. Shaylie still wants to take Karate, but I haven't found a place for her yet.

Work: I'm still enjoying my job at FRIS! It is very varied and completely stress free. I am enjoying the kids and the ladies I work with...they are awesome. It is also nice to work in a library where I have access to all kinds of wonderful reading material. So glad I made this change!

Diet: I was so excited to go shopping with my first paycheck of the year. I was in desperate need of clothing that fits me after my 75+ pound weight loss. I had never been shopping in Vegas before and was so thrilled to find some wonderful stores down there. Ashley Stewart is my new favorite store. I found some great jeans and the prices were fantastic. I also discovered the LV Outlet Mall--so many great places! We didn't even have time to look at everything I wanted to. I couldn't believe that it took me so long to head south to shop. I will definitely be going back! It is so fun to shop when clothes actually look good on you!

My @#$! Back: Still killing me. I got a couple of Rx from my doc, but they ran out and they weren't really helping much anyway. I am going to have to Do Something soon but I'm not sure what. I found a clinic that advertised everything from chiropractic to decompression and quite a few treatments in between...so I might try them out. This can't go on forever. Other than my back, however, I am feeling better than I have in years.

Well, that's plenty for now. I'm excited for Halloween and the holidays coming up! Fall Break will be here soon and Thanksgiving is at my house this year. Yikes. Fun times ahead...

Grad School or Bust!

2009-09-24T00:52:00.000-06:00

I've made my decision!!! I'm going to apply for the University of Utah's M.Ed in School Counseling program. I went to an orientation on Tuesday, spoke with some of the faculty and I am ready to let the craziness begin. It will take 2 years of fairly intensive study in order to get credentialed and there is no guarantee of a job on the flip-side, but I think it will be a good fit with my previous work experience, my family, my aspirations, and my personality.

The plan is this: I have to take the GRE and score fairly well since the program is pretty competitive, papers turned in by Dec. 15th, the Admissions board reviews apps in February, and they let us know if we're accepted into the program by mid-March. Classes begin Summer semester with a 2 week 8a-5p 6 credit Institute, then starting in Fall & continuing in Spring, I would take 3 classes--three nights a week, one night for each class. This repeats during the 2nd year, with classes for Practicum and Internships, both of which may be paid. They are also looking at implementing Grad Assistantships and Fellowships. Both would be welcome to help pay for this adventure!!

To tell the truth, I'm pretty freaked out. It's going to be a challenging and stressful, but hopefully worth it in the end. I have been studying for the GRE for a while now. The math is going to kill me. There's so much I can't remember. The good news is that even had I taken it 16 years ago when I first graduated with my BA, I found out that I would have been required, most likely, to take it again. The other good news is that there is no minimum required score, I just have to have it...although the higher the score, the more advantageous it will be for other opportunities like fellowships or whatever, so I want to do well. I'll probably plan to take it Mid-October. Yikes.

So, I feel better for having made the decision, but now begins the work and the waiting. I hope we can survive the craziness. My sweetheart Scott is being very supportive and encouraging, as usual. I'm excited for the possibilities. Wish me luck! And forgive me if I lose it somewhere along the way!!!

Beware My Mama Bear

2009-09-19T14:54:00.000-06:00

Some of you may not know this about me, but I sometimes have a temper and, especially when it comes to my kids, I don't like to put up with people's crap (Sorry, Taylor! She doesn't like that word but it is very appropriate.) Like today at Taylor's soccer game, for instance. We had to put up with a boat load of it from the Referee.

The first thing that annoyed me was how he came marching onto the field giving orders in a big loud voice and then he handed the LJ flag to a 5-year old boy telling him to watch for balls to go out and offsides. Seriously? But that was just annoying. It wasn't until the girls were up 8-1 that he really started getting to me. He came up to our coaches and started yelling at them, "This is too much. Tell your girls to back off." Totally inappropriate. Even if he wanted to spare the other team, he should have handled it differently.

And, excuse me, but what is the point of playing a soccer game if you don't try to score. Just call the game if that is the case. But, hey, I was still pretty chill, after all, they told us the same thing all last year too. I was hoping this year the girls would actually get to play though, but....nothing Mama Bear worthy yet.

The final straw was after the game. Taylor came up to me crying saying how the Ref had yelled at her, saying something like, "Do you want to be referee? I've been putting up with your *** all day." Now, I'm okay with a Referee calling a girl on disrespectful behavior. If Taylor was mouthing off, then take her to the coach, tell them that his decisions are final, yellow card her, or something. But don't talk trash to children. When I heard the story from Taylor, I took her over to the Ref. I wanted to hear his side of the story. I was angry but I was also being a mature adult. I told him what Taylor told me and asked him what happened. He kind of went off on me, saying that Taylor was telling him that he was calling plays wrong and that he had given her two warnings and it's within his rights to do that.

I agreed that he has the right to warn players, but there was no need to hurt feelings and make children cry. AYSO is supposed to be about learning sportsmanship and having fun. He called her a liar and was super defensive. I told him I'd be filing a complaint with the league about the whole thing, and he said, "Go ahead. There's the lady right there."

She had been standing behind us the whole time, listening. I said, "You bet I will." And went to her while he marched off to his truck. I asked her if she could see my point: He shouldn't have the right to abuse his authority over these girls by being disrespectful, especially if he wants to command any respect from them in return. It's supposed to be fun and build girls' confidence! She told me she'd heard the whole conversation and she'd take it to the Head Official. I thanked her and started heading back to the field, when this Ref came marching back over saying how he'd make it easy for everyone, since "they don't pay me enough to deal with all this **** ****! I quit!" And he slammed his clipboard down and was still ranting when I was out of earshot. What a great guy!

We had just finished packing up our gear and were headed back to the car when the lady I spoke with and another official, the Head Official I assumed, came up to us and apologized for the creepy refs behavior. I told them I didn't mean to make a big scene but I was upset with how he handled the whole thing. They agreed that he behaved inappropriately. We've played with AYSO for 4 years now and have never had such an experience. Usually the refs are great and they help the girls learn how to be better players, which is what they are meant to do. I hope he really is gone for good! I will feel like I've done my parental duty for the day! Nobody messes with my kids! Grrr.

Cricket Is Ours Forever...

2009-09-17T23:55:00.000-06:00

...unless I lose her again!!! We've decided to keep Cricket, which of course, I knew we would. We couldn't bring her home for even a minute and then give her back. She's much too sweet.

I'm going to have to keep a close eye on her though. She's tricky. I left her home while I went to work on Wednesday. She hasn't been happy in the bathroom, so I blocked off the kitchen and left the screen door open so she'd be able to get out the dog door. I checked all the gaps under the gates to make sure she couldn't get out anywhere and when all was Puppy-proofed, I headed out for the day.

I worried a bit, mostly envisioning her being used as a chew toy by Blackberry, but I was surprised. I came home and found no dead bodies, in fact, no puppy at all. I looked everywhere--under furniture, in closets, in the trampoline pit, under bushes. But she was nowhere to be found. I couldn't believe she'd disappeared. I started going door-to-door to the neighbors hoping that someone had seen her wandering during the afternoon and took her in, but no one had seen her.

I knocked on the last door on the street and while I was talking to Jocelyn and Bro. Webb, here she came running around the corner of the Lund's house. You can't imagine how happy and relieved I was. Especially that she was found before the girls came home from school, because if the truth be told, I was more worried about having to face their tears than anything else.

It turned out that the side gate was actually unlatched even though I had checked it and she somehow must have squeezed through. Little Stinker. I have no idea how long she was wandering around. We will make sure to check and double check from now on. Or I'll just carry her around in my pocket from now on. :)

I honestly can't believe how much I love this little pup. After Blackberry, I thought I was so over dogs, but she is so much more my speed. Sweet, snuggly, and small. I love BB too, but it has been a lot of work to get there. Cricket has been easy. I'm glad we brought her home.

Suckers!

2009-09-12T22:32:00.001-06:00

I can't believe we got suckered into it again! Our friends the Terry's had two litters they were selling today and Taylor turned on the Persuasion Skills, promising everything in the book. I made a deal with Julie and we've got her on a trial run until Monday.

But she sure is cute! The girls are calling her Cricket or Kiki for short. She's an 8 week old purebred Shihtzu puppy and we love her already!

Blackberry is tolerating her and making sure we don't forget him by whining, barking and doing tricks. Hopefully, he'll get used to her soon.

She doesn't shed, so it looks like Scott will do okay with her too. In fact, she sneezed while he was holding her so maybe she's allergic to him! :)

Wish us luck! We're going to need it! Puppies and babies. The Lord sure makes our memories short otherwise why would we ever do any of it twice? :)

I Remember 9/11

2009-09-11T17:12:00.001-06:00

I sat Taylor down in front of the TV to do her hair for kindergarten. The TV was on NBC from news the night before and Matt Lauer was talking about a plane hitting the 1st tower and postulating about whether it was an accident or not. I called Scott thinking he'd have the scoop on the internet but he hadn't heard anything about it and hung up to do some searching. I watched as the 2nd tower was struck and remember thinking that I just needed to stay calm and get Taylor off to school so that I could give this insanity my full attention. She left and as it became clearer that the destruction was intentional, I remember crying.

I cried as I watched the smoke column skyward and people plummet out of windows. I cried as the buildings crumbled. I cried as the emergency workers ran toward the chaos and others fled. I cried as people searched frantically for loved ones and as the wall of missing people grew. It seemed like I cried for weeks as the acts of heroism and stories of survival were documented. It seemed like I would cry forever.

But like everyone else in the country, I was also filled with an amazing sense of patriotism and love for my fellow man. I was so proud to see people stepping up to find ways to serve and help make a difference. I was inspired by my own little girl who, after learning about what had happened, went door to door asking for coins to donate to the families of the fallen. She gathered about $5.00-a fortune to a 5 year old- and we sent it to New York. It seemed like all hearts were softened and the tragedy was yielding to something great.

It makes me cry even now, eight years later, to remember the lives lost and the horror of that day, but I hope that we can all remember the camaraderie we felt and the empowerment that filled us as we realized our potential to some degree. It's easy to lose sight of that when we get bogged down in the minutia of every day life, but it's that very craziness that should remind us how lucky we are. We are alive, we are free, we are blessed. That's what I try to remember.

A Strongly Worded Letter

2009-09-02T15:12:00.000-06:00

I just found out at work today that the Washington County School District has decided to allow students access to YouTube on school computers. As a parent, and as a computer lab aide, I am not very happy about this. I didn't realize this at first, but YouTube does not police their site very well and there are all kinds of inappropriate subject matter for kids to explore--all kinds of foul language, mature themes and porn to name just a few--especially if they are unsupervised for any length of time. And the way YouTube works, kids can be looking at completely innocent sites and in the sidebar these things pop-up as suggested or related content and once they've seen it, it can't be taken back.

I understand that there is also a lot of really great stuff on there and that teachers may want to show videos that correlate to lesson plans, but it is not worth risking children's innocence for the convenience of the few teachers who might use this technology. I am planning to write an email to our district Tech Director and ask him to put YouTube back on the blocked content list. YouTube is blocked in my home, and I certainly don't want it to be available in my kids' schools either. If you would like to send an email too, let me know and I will send you the Tech Director's email address.

I'd also like to figure out what could be done about the LDS Church's YouTube channel. It bothers me, and others I know, that the Church supports YouTube when they are so lax about keeping their site clean. It seems to me that the Church certainly has the brainpower and the resources to post their videos through some alternative source that can be more carefully monitored. I'm just saying.

Check Out My New HCG Blog!

2009-08-28T21:37:00.004-06:00

I have been having so much fun telling everyone about HCG and my diet success that I have decided to launch a new blog: HCG Living--to answer questions, give advice, share recipes, and swap success stories!

Become a follower, or add me to your blog lists, to get updates about my HCG adventures! I have just posted Before & After pics...humiliating, yes, but worth it! I am proud of my success! This diet has truly given me my life back!

Thanks for checking it out! http://hcgliving.blogspot.com

My Mid-life Crisis

2009-08-26T20:45:00.004-06:00

I'm finding it strange that those words even apply to me...but I guess at 39 there's no way I can deny that I'm practically MIDDLE-AGED now. So how can it be that I am still trying to decide what to do with my life? Up until now, I haven't exactly been slacking my life away--I've been raising a family, I've worked in several successful jobs, I've served successfully as PTA President and Primary President as well as countless other projects and daily activities--all things I've enjoyed and felt good about doing. But I am feeling more and more, lately, that there is an important, unknown path that I need to take.

I am not sure, but I have been thinking a lot about going back to school--either to become a teacher or a school counselor. Both of these would be a LOT of work and I don't even want to think about the cost (no Pell Grants for post-grad work)--but as I've started my new job at the Intermediate school, I walk down the halls and see the teachers with their classes and I am convinced that I would be happy doing the same thing...or maybe just that I could be doing MORE than what I am now...whatever that might be.

I don't really know why when you reach a certain point in life that you start worrying about fulfillment and unrealized potential, but I guess I'm not above the cliche. It seems to me that I have made so many plans and maybe I'm running out of time. I guess it makes you want to go out and do something crazy...just to know you can.

Anyway, I don't mean to be so maudlin! I'm basically just thinking out loud...wondering what to do...and trying to organize my thoughts. It's so hard to know what the best thing for me and my family might be. I can guarantee that I'll be praying for some insight and guidance with these possible life changing decisions. It's actually kind of exciting to think what might be around the corner...but I guess that's what makes a good midlife crisis, right?

Taylor's First Day at School

2009-08-17T09:50:00.000-06:00

Getting organzied for the new year!

Giving sisterly advice on proper backpack packing techniques!

Looking amazing for the first day!

Little bit of a makeover for the second day! Ooops. Gotta love trampolines.

Shaylie's First Day of School

2009-08-17T09:46:00.000-06:00

Looking Great with a new do, new clothes, and gorgeous smile!

Bravely entering new territory!

Shaylie and Mrs. Winterton, 4th Grade Teacher

Hard at work already! Have a great year, Sweetheart!

Family Celebrations!

2009-08-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Shaylie's 9th birthday (again!) with our family!

Around the circle: Here is Aunt Anissa (back to us), Grandma Pam, Papa Strong, Shaylie, Grandma Rose, Grandma Dawn, Bella, Kaiah, Lynn and Chad.

Shaylie got so many neat presents!

Thanks to Grandma J for the cute clothes, to Chad & Bella for the Wii Game, to Taylor for the Bracelet kit, to Grandma Dawn for a DS game and Chocolate Frogs, to Mom and Dad for RC UFO, and to Papa & Grandma for her NEW website!

What a happy, fun day!

We're in Business!

2009-08-17T08:42:00.003-06:00

For those of you who don't know, my daughter Shaylie is a born businesswoman! She always has a plan to invent a new product, make something to sell, set up a shop, etc.

Well, for her birthday--she's 9 now--her grandparents (with the help of mom and dad) bought her a web store so she can sell whatever she dreams up online! She is so excited about this. We even made her business cards to hand out to her friends.

It's up and running and we hope you will all check it out! Right now she is selling some jewelry she has made and a few of her stuffed toys. Let us know how you like it!!!

Go to www.shayliebay.com to see her fun jewelery and check back often because she's working hard at making new things everyday!

Inner Peace for All

2009-08-13T09:08:00.003-06:00

I am sitting blessedly alone as the girls have both gone off to the first day of school. Summer has been wonderful but I always look forward to this day. I think it is the quiet contemplation that prompted this funny memory. I'm thinking about all the various forms of organized insanity that are about to start and remembered a conversation that Shaylie and I had.

She asked me, "Mom, am I going to get to take Karate this year?" I said, "Why do you want to take Karate anyway?" or something like that. She thought a minute and said, "It would be fun to learn how to beat people up....and I'd like to learn inner peace."

Sounds good to me! Where do we sign up?

My Favorite HCG Recipes...so far!

2009-08-11T15:25:00.002-06:00

I am on round two of my HCG diet. This time around I have been experimenting with my food a bit more. I found two really yummy treats that I love! I will probably keep eating these even after my VLCD ends.

Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps

3.5 oz Chicken cut into cubes

3 large cabbage leaves

chopped cabbage to equal 3.5 oz

3 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1 T. Ginger

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4. t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Garlic to taste

In a bowl combine cut chicken, vinegar, seasonings, cook on med-hi until done. At end of cook time, add in chopped cabbage and 3T water. Lower heat and continue cooking until cabbage is cooked. Place chicken mixture into cabbage leaves and roll into wraps. So YUMMY!!!

Strawberry Smoothies

6 large strawberries, sliced

16 oz. favorite Crystal Light beverage (I like cranberry apple.)

1 pkg. Truvia (Stevia)

Ice

Liquify all ingredients in blender until desired consistency. Enjoy!!!!

If I make any other discoveries...I will post them too!

Shaylie's Birthday Party

2009-08-09T16:58:00.002-06:00

Our Cute Pupcakes!

In lieu of a proper cake.

Let the movie begin!

Thanks Friends!

Cute Kids!

Back-to-School Beautification

2009-07-25T21:05:00.000-06:00

Since this was likely the last time we would be at Grandma's salon before school starts (can you believe that?), we decided it was time for a beauty day. Shaylie got her hair permed...it turned out way cute, I think. And she had her DS to keep her from getting too antsy during the procedure...so it worked out great!
Then, both girls decided to get their ears pierced. For Taylor, this is about the 6th time she's done this. She was actually nervous. She always lets them grow back in, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that it sticks this time. Shaylie did very well for her first time! It did hurt but she was very brave! They have matching studs and are looking great for the new school year!

Fun Pioneer Day!

2009-07-25T20:54:00.000-06:00

We had a great time at our annual Holden Pioneer Day celebration! Scott even talked me into running a three-legged gunny sack race with him! I haven't done that since I was about Taylor's age! We loved the breakfast as usual and were too busy eating to snap any pictures. The highlight of the day was the Bottle Rocket competition. It is fast becoming a tradition for a Jesienouski to take home the Big Prize! Taylor won this year with a height of 412 feet...it was awesome!

A Warning

2009-07-23T21:26:00.003-06:00

I got pulled over today!!! I have never been pulled over before and if it had been an actual ticket, I would be VERY upset, because I was not speeding like he said I was.
I was on 1450 South heading toward Summit, I saw him passing, and looked at my speedometer, like you do, and I was going about 45 and I had just passed a 40 mph sign (where the road widens in front of Stone Cliff) and he flipped around and turned his lights on. He came up to my window and said, "You were speeding." I said, "Yeah, I guess I was a little bit...45 in a 40." He said, "You must have slowed down then. I got you at 51 in a 35." Yeah, right. I said, "I wasn't going 51 and I've never even been pulled over before" but that was as cheeky as I got. He gave me a warning. Grrr. I guess I should be glad, but I really wasn't speeding.
It wasn't 30 seconds after he let me go that he had another car pulled over. I think he was just bored. The worst part was I had Taylor with me and she couldn't wait to tell Scott and Shaylie. So much for my perfect record. I guess one warning every 22 years isn't so bad.

Listen to the Still Small Voice!

2009-07-20T17:25:00.004-06:00

I just have to share this wonderful experience that Taylor had yesterday. She told me it would be okay! I always feel that when we see the hand of the Lord in our lives it is important to acknowledge it, be grateful for it and share it with others!

So, if you read about camp already, you know what happened at the testimony meeting at camp. If you didn't, here is the abbreviated version...Taylor spoke for about 30 minutes about her family and friends, she didn't get a chance to finish since she was asked to wrap it up by one of the leaders to leave time for others, she felt REALLY bad about taking so much time and then not even bearing witness of her true feelings about the gospel and the Savior, she stayed up most of the night crying & beating herself up about it and had been moping whenever anyone mentioned it since we've come home. My prayer for her was that she could feel good about the things she said that night and only have good memories of camp in the years to come. Whenever I mentioned it, she would get all funky so I decided to not say anything about it, hoping that time would pass and she would move on and only remember the good stuff.

At any rate, my mom was visiting for the weekend and Taylor talked Grandma into taking her back to Holden, when she left on Sunday, until we would join them on Pioneer Day. She got packed & loaded up Sunday morning as we were all getting ready for church. Taylor kept saying to me, "I feel like I'm forgetting something." "What am I missing?" "Can you think of anything?" I told her we'd bring anything that she might forget and sent them on their way.

About half an hour before church started, I got a phone call. It was Taylor calling from my mom's cell phone. "We're coming back," she says, "I just have a feeling I need to go to church today." And so they came back, Mom dropped Taylor off and she went upstairs to get ready. My mom said she would wait at my sister's until we got back. I was just thrilled that Taylor was coming with us. Like most teenagers, she keeps her eyes open for any excuse not to come to church and being in the car on the way out of town was one of the best excuses ever. I wasn't about to question it. :)

We went to church and I didn't really think about why Taylor might have been meant to be at church until we went to the Young Women's class and Brother Massey got up to speak, a very unusual occurance since he doesn't regularly attend with us. He started to say how he'd been having very strong feelings about saying a few words to the Young Women. He talked to them about the camp testimony meeting and about how the things that Taylor said that night were completely appropriate and that she shouldn't feel bad about anything that happened that night. He spoke to the leaders and said that it was completely appropriate that time was a concern and that no one should feel badly for what happened. He talked about how all the girls bonded that night and that we all needed the words that were said.

I was watching Taylor as this speech took place and as soon as the testimony meeting was mentioned I could see all the feelings of shame and embarassment that she'd had since we'd come home return to her face. However, the more she listened to Brother Massey, I could see her sitting up taller, starting to smile. I saw those bad feelings lifted from her, and I was in awe!! As far as I knew, Brother Massey didn't even know that Taylor had been feeling so badly about it. But to see the change that came over her was so amazing. By the end, she was practically glowing.

Afterwards, I went up to Brother Massey and told him that Taylor had been on her way out of town and was called back to come to church. I was so proud of her for listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. She needed to hear his words, she needed to be there for that. It would have been so easy to keep going, to ignore her feelings, but she didn't.

I truly feel like this was an answer to our prayers. I feel so strongly that the Lord loves his children individually...He knows Taylor and felt her pain and knew exactly what she needed to feel better. How blessed we are as children of a loving Heavenly Father! I'm so grateful to Brother Massey, too, for listening to the promptings he felt to come and say what he did. I just know that Taylor will always look at this whole experience as a miracle in her life. When things like this happen, I just don't know how anyone can doubt the power of God in our lives. He lives, He loves us, He wants us to be happy!

Camp Day Three...The End & The Beginning

2009-07-19T16:58:00.006-06:00

It was a little harder to get girls up on the last day because of the lateness of the activities the night before. As I returned from my morning ablutions, I went to each tent singing a wake up song "Good Morning To You!"....most of the girls stirred but Lauren H. was the sleepiest. We finally all gathered in her tent and Janna Adams sang "Up, up in the sky"which she told Lauren was always followed by cold water. Lauren was up pretty quick after that and with a smile. :) The girls all got a head start on getting bags and bedding packed up.

Breakfast was a yummy dutch oven hash but had to be pushed back a little bit for cook time. We went to the morning Flag Ceremony and then back to camp to eat. I think most of the girls really enjoyed this breakfast. Sister Miguel and Sister Dewey surprised us with a morning devotional.

After cleanup, which again went so quickly thanks to many helpful hands, we had our 4th year girls take charge of some fun activities. Lauren taught the girls a fun game called "Dippity, Dippity, Dip" and Aspen had a fun gift exchange game. She brought each girl and leader a bandana filled with fun prizes like sunglasses, nail polish, and other fun cute stuff and as she read a story with the girls name in it the gifts had to be passed around the circle, one space for each year of camp attended. So cute and fun! Yay Aspen for taking the time to prepare for this great activity! Finally, Tori taught all of us the Cup Clap game. She was a terrific teacher. It was a little complex and she was teaching a large group, but she broke it down and took it slow and eventually we all got the rhythm and had a great time! These girls were great examples of 4th year campers!!

Next up was Friendship Bracelets. We had cording, beads and an easy pattern to follow from Annette's younger years and the girls picked these up so quickly. The bracelets turned out super cute too. We had some fun lampwork beads that I ordered ahead of time--bugs, snakes, frogs, flowers, and pony beads. Many girls made more than one to give to friends, moms, sisters, etc. (I actually wanted to make one for my Shaylie, but then decided that they were so easy that I would let her make her own once we got home. She picked it up so quickly that she has decided that she wants to sell them at an upcoming yard sale...she's my entrepreneur...always looking for something to sell. I bought her some supplies and she's already made about 4 of them and sold one! You go, girl!!!) An exciting moment came during this activity when someone noticed that Ashlea had a bug in her hair and the more girls that noticed and made scared noises, the more Ashlea started to panic. I hurried over and saw that she had a big (quite big) beetle in with long antennae kind of tucked under her hair. I just grabbed it and threw it as far as I could. Poor Ashlea...the first rule in this situation is Do Not Freak Out The Girl With The Bug In Her Hair...but these are teenage girls we're talking about, not to mention a few leaders!! ;)

Because we had a later breakfast, we also pushed lunch back until after the closing flag ceremony. Brother Staheli was already heading up the effort to break camp! Boy did we love having Brother Staheli with us this week! He was so enthusiastic about everything, even doing the Toot-a-tot dance, and he got us packed up and ready to go in record time!

We were heading down the mountain by about 3:30. Kasey had asked if I could drop her off at her grandparents in Cedar City and I was happy to do that. All the girls piled in and we said goodbye to camp!

By the time I caught up to everyone else at the church in St. George, parents had already arrived to pick up girls. We had a few forget stuff and some things with unidentified owners, but I'm sure we'll get that all sorted out by the next activity we have at the church.

Well, I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of the details...but it was an amazing few days at camp! Better than I dreamed it would be! I'm sure this will be an experience that will stay in my heart and mind forever!

A FEW MISCELLANEOUS CAMP THOUGHTS

I want to express my deep, undying gratitude for all the help, support, great ideas, leadership, and laughter that I received from my official camp helpers: Annette Belnap and Janna Adams. Both of these ladies made my job so much easier and so much more fun! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My thanks, again, to the YW leadership! What beautiful, amazing women you are!!! I am so glad my daughter has you in her life to help guide her and help her learn what kind of woman to be when she is grown.

Another heartfelt thanks to our Bishopric! You all helped make our Testimony night so special! Thank you for letting yourselves be guided by the Spirit and for touching us all with your wisdom and wonderfulness.

My apologies to Josie Robison!!! We didn't get to do your bedtime story on Thursday night and I was so looking forward to it! Please let's do it at some activity...maybe Camp Awards night! I am sorry we ran out of time and I forgot to remember it on Friday! Thanks for your willingness to help with it! Thanks to Sister Reid for her story, as well!!!

Extra special thanks to all the Stake leaders from our ward! Brother Neil Bennett, who spent a lot of time in our camp and really added something with his experience and great advice! Sister Cheryl Cozzens, who was so encouraging and supportive to me! And Sister Rosie Miguel, who is always so wonderful, and who delivered a wonderful devotional to us on Friday morning. I saw a plaque with the Mother Teresa poem you read to us at the mall this weekend and I was so tempted to buy it...I loved it so much!

Thanks to our YCLs, especially Katelynn Neumeier! We were very well looked after thanks to their planning and good efforts. We loved the morning devotionals and handouts.

To all the wonderful Young Women of the Washington Fields 5th Ward...you are incredible, amazing, talented, fun, beautiful, kind, generous, clever, creative, responsible, and all things superlative!!! Thanks for letting me be a part of your Camp experience! Know that you were in exactly the right place, for exactly the right time! Thanks for giving so much of yourselves to all of us! I love you all!!!!

And, I'm happy to say that the Camp Experience has not quite yet come to an end. We will have our awards night in a week from Tuesday at which time the girls will get a DVD with all our camp pictures and memories on it....provided I can get it done by then. Which I'm sure I will!

So though it's the end, I hope it will just be the beginning of great friendships, many more new memories, and great faith and testimonies for everyone who participated!!!

Camp Day Two--Highs and Lows

2009-07-18T22:21:00.005-06:00

(Again, fair warning that this is a very long post...and my apologies for no pics...I was very busy at camp and didn't have time to snap many pictures. I will have to get some from Annette who was very good to be our camp photographer, as well as all-around super woman ACD.)

Thursday morning the girls woke up bright and early, about an hour earlier than our 7:30 am wake up time...I think they were excited to get things going on the first full day at camp and I admit I was too.

For breakfast, the girls and Janna made us pancakes and Omelets in a Bag. Each girl mixed two eggs with toppings of their choice in a ziploc freezer bag and we dropped them into boiling water for about 15 minutes. I thought it was pretty good and I think the girls did too. I would definitely try these again.

At the morning flag ceremony, Taylor and Kaitlan helped with the theme and the patriotic thought. Then after some announcements and songs & silliness from the Stake, we performed our skit. Before camp, the girls and leaders brainstormed some ideas for our skit and the one we ended up doing was a Star Trek skit where Kirk and Spock visit different planets looking for good examples or "shining stars" to take back to Starfleet. The girls really made this fun and they were so excited to show it to everyone. Taylor played Kirk and she really hammed it up and Jessie was perfect as Spock. Everyone did such a great job!

Katelynn N. was a YCL and offered to record the skit for us while we performed. Unfortunately, my camera is kind of tricky and she thought she was recording when it was paused. But then, fortunately, we got a chance later in the day to perform it again for the bishop, and we got a video then (to be posted when I can figure out what I'm doing wrong!!)

After flag, we went back to our camp to begin our day of fun. The first activity we had planned was to make scrapbooks and rubber stamps to use for our Letterboxing activity later in the afternoon. In our pre-camp meetings, the leaders had expressed some concern about letting the girls use Xacto knives to carve stamps our of rubber erasers, but I was sure that they would be fine. After all, my 8 year old had carved her own stamp a while back and I was sure that we could supervise the girls and it would be fine.

Well, I learned a valuable lesson about listening to the leaders from now on because it wasn't 5 minutes in and we had our first casualty....Sister Belnap cut herself while she was carving. She was trying to keep it quiet, but we noticed and gave her a hard time. Then, not even 5 more minutes in Shyanne M. sliced her thumb too. I took her up to my car and used my first aid skills to patch her up and before I even finished, lo and behold, my own Taylor came hiking up to the car with a bleeding hand. She had sliced her thumb too!!!! Well, that was enough!

I didn't even put a bandaid on Tay before I marched back down to the table and banned the Xacto knives. The girls were not very happy with me, but I told them they let me down....I had higher hopes for them and they proved me wrong. ;) (All in fun, of course.) They did want to have stamps though, so I told them that if they designed their stamps, I would carve them out, after I patched up Taylor, of course. I was pretty proficient at the carving since I had carved a bunch for the letterboxes earlier in the week, so it went pretty fast. I had also planned for an alternative method of making stamps and some of the girls chose to make those too.

The scrapbooks were a huge hit, and not even a papercut in the process. We made them out of paperbags and the girls all decorated them with a page for each of the Values. The paper bags make them fun because you can use the bag openings and flaps for fun popouts and cards. Every single one turned out to be so cute!

Lunch was fabulous again and another birthday surprise for me...Sister Josie Robison brought cupcakes from 25 Main!! They are so delish! This was a special treat. I had a hard time deciding which were better though...Annette's from the day before or these...I loved, loved, loved Annette's strawberry frosting, so they actually might have the edge...but I digress. Thanks Josie for the awesome treat!

After lunch, it was time for our (drumroll, please)....LETTERBOXING activity!!!! Yay!!! I had been planning this for so long and now it was finally here. I had been hoping and praying that it would go well and that the girls would enjoy it. I started by telling them how my family had been Letterboxing for a while and that this was a special version for camp. I asked them to be reflective and reverent as they visited each box in preparation for our testimony meeting that night. We divided into teams and sent a leader with each group of two girls...Sister Cozzens from the Stake came with us too and went with Tori and Shelby. Unfortunately, Sister Reid and Sister Pratt weren't feeling very well this day so they stayed behind to rest too. I felt badly that so many of our leaders seemed to be suffering, but it didn't last too long, thank goodness.

As soon as each team knew what they were looking for and they had their instructions, they were off. Because of my illness the day before, I thought it would be better if I stayed in camp and while I was waiting, I felt inspired to write down some thoughts about how this activity relates to our lives. The word Treasure kept popping into my mind and I found a couple of great scriptures that were so perfect. I know the things that came to me were inspired of God and what He wanted these girls to know. I planned to process the activity later that night.

As the activity progressed, I was able to watch the different teams come through our camp. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves and Bro. Staheli especially seemed to be having an awesome time. He was partnered with Taylor and Aspen and he was so impressed with their thoughtfulness and spirituality. He told me so as they passed through. Each box was designed to help the girls pass off a requirement in their Personal Progress book. The requirements ask the girls to read certain scriptures and think about how they apply to our lives. One box had the girls writing down all the qualities they would wish for in a husband, then they looked at the list and crossed off the things that weren't really important to them. Another box asked them to list 5 qualities they admire in another girl at camp, and 5 things they liked about themselves. One asked them to guide each other through a maze, practicing faith in each other to lead them safely through. Another asked them to commit to providing an act of service for 3 people within the upcoming weeks. The others were equally fun and amazing!

Just before the girls finished, I went up to the amphitheater for some reason, and as I returned several of the teams had finished and were back at camp. When Tori Larkin saw me, she ran up to me and said, "Can I give you a hug? This was so awesome." I almost started to cry...well, who am I kidding, I did start to cry but I held it together. It meant so much to me that they had a good time. All the girls had positive comments and even though it was super hot they seemed to enjoy themselves. I really hope that it made a lasting impression.

By the time this was finished, it was time for the evening flag ceremony and for the bishopric to arrive for our Bishop's night. We enjoyed this so much. Though the girls might have been tired from hiking around camp all day, as soon as Brother Massey and Bishop Brooks arrived our girls came to life! They were so excited to sing all their songs for them and show them the skit. The dutch oven dinner we had tasted so good and it was fun to see the girls telling Brother Massey scary camp stories or trying to outwit the Bishop...as if. How I admire these men for their service and love of the girls!

About 7:30 we settled in for our Fireside and Testimony Meeting. This is always my favorite part of camp. We started with processing the LB activity. We talked about how the girls would easily find the treasure they were looking for if they followed the instructions exactly and about how that is so like following the instructions the Lord has given us to find His treasure for us...eternal life. That if we make a mistake or miss a critical turn we can back up--repent, retrace our steps and find the right path. We talked about how the opportunities we have to serve others and to attend camp and church are like the landmarks we look for to make sure we are following the right course. We talked about the treasures that are important in life...having a testimony of Jesus Christ, seeking to build His kingdom...and how they can follow the examples of their leaders who are such amazing women and pattern their lives after those who are following the Lord's path.

Brother Staheli then told us about a trip he took to Washington DC with some students who radiated virtue and goodness and how everywhere they went people were so kind and nice. The girls he took on the trip said that is what they would remember most about the whole trip. Bro. S told the girls that one of the "rules of life" is this: Others are a reflection of you. That people will give back to you what you put out into the world. He passed a mirror around the circle and asked the girls to observe that if they smile into the mirror there is someone smiling back! What a great message.

Brother Massey and Bishop each bore inspired testimony as well and then each of the girls took their turn around the circle. I had given everyone a packet of Fire Crystals with a quote by Elder Boyd K Packer that said, "Oh that I could teach you this one principle: A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it! In the quest for spiritual knowledge their comes a "leap of faith" when one steps out of the light and into the darkness only to realize that the way is lighted ahead for a footstep or two." Something like that, anyway. And then I wrote, "If you choose to take the "leap of faith" tonight and bear your testimony, step out of the darkness and into the firelight. Place this packet on the flames and see what the light holds for you. We love you and are proud of you!" After each testimony, the girls poured the crystals on the fire and the flames would change colors. I kept thinking of the YW value colors and felt like this was a nice touch to the meeting.

My favorite part of the whole night was my beautiful daughter's testimony. She was so touched by the testimonies that she heard and when it was her turn to speak, she was moved to speak about each of her family members and friends in turn. She talked about me, her dad and Shaylie and how much she loves each of us. It was so wonderful to hear these innermost thoughts that she rarely shares and how funny and entertaining she was too. I was proud that she has inherited a portion of her mother's gift of gab. She also went around the circle of girls and said what she loved most about each of these friends. I feel like this was so important to each girl and really built up the unity in our group. One girl even ran up to Tay after her comment about her and hugged her and said, "You're my new best friend." Taylor has felt so apart from these girls for so long and I really felt like she was inspired to say these things. I couldnt' have been prouder of her! After she had been speaking for probably about 30 minutes, Sister Robison came up and put an arm around her and told her to wrap it up. I could have listened to her all night, but I know we were all thinking about the lateness of the hour.

I bore testimony shortly after Tay did and I feel badly that I made a stupid joke about her talking for "an hour" and I heard her gasp behind me saying that she had no idea she had taken so long. The rest of the testimonies went quickly and after the meeting I found Taylor crying in my car. She felt so badly that she had taken so much time, and I felt badly that one flip comment from me had pretty much ruined the effect of her beautiful words--another lesson learned. I tried to convince her that her testimony wasn't "pointless and stupid" as she put it. She was upset that she hadn't had a chance to bear testimony of the most important parts--her love of Jesus and the gospel. She felt like the testimonies that followed her had to be cut short because she took up all the time. I couldnt' convince her that what she had said was inspired and needed to be heard. She was beating herself up so badly over this that I needed to get reinforcements. I collected some of the other leaders to help me to encourage and support her and, for the most part I think this worked, but it did take me quite a while to get her settled down and into bed. I really do feel that sometimes the Spirit moves us to speak and we should all listen to that no matter how much time it takes. Taylor knows that what she did wasn't what was supposed to happen, but I'm convinced that it was what needed to happen, not only for her sake, but for who knows what other purpose. I love that girl so much and I pray that she will only have good memories of this night and know how much her words meant to me and others I'm sure, as well.

We did have a sweet mother/daughter moment about 1:00am. I thought I left her tucked in bed and went up to the bathroom, but when I got back she was out of her tent and sitting next to the dying fire. I sat with her and we looked at the stars and talked quietly until I convinced her that she really needed to get to bed.

The leader tent was a little less crowded this night, thanks to the heroic efforts of Annette Belnap and Jennifer Riddle who both bit the bullet and decided to sleep in their cars, so I was able to sneak into the tent without stepping on any bodies. We all slept like logs and I promise you no one was up early the next morning.

Again, a great and spiritual day at camp. I rarely feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit as strongly as I have at Girls Camp. I believe this is because these girls are so precious to the Lord and He wants them to know that they are in the right place and learning correct principles that will guide them to true happiness in their lives. I am so glad that I got the chance to be a part of this experience.

More about Day 3 and hopefully some pics...I did shoot a couple...to come!

Camp Day One: We ARE the Shining Stars!

2009-07-18T10:18:00.012-06:00

Back from camp and, oh, what a trip it was! I fear this will be a lengthy post, so consider yourself forewarned!

The first thing I have to say is that we have the most amazing girls in our ward! They were so great at helping and doing everything Annette, who was my assistant Camp Director, and I asked of them. It made the work seem like half the effort because we always had willing hands. We met on Tuesday night to pack up the trailer and to get our personal gear loaded up so we could leave bright and early on Wednesday morn. The girls were so efficient that the effort took only about 20 minutes!!! That gave us extra time to practice our skit and have a huge birthday cake for Sister Jana Stapley!

On Wednesday morning, I came out of the house to find Taylor surprised me with this fun idea! She is so cute and creative! Anyway, when Brother Staheli came to the house with the camp trailer to pick up some equipment, he saw our car and said hurriedly, "I'll be to the church in a bit, I just thought of something I need to do." and off he went. About 25 minutes later, he came pulling up to the church towing our big, white trailer. He got out of the car with a couple more paint markers, yelling, "Who wants to sign the trailer?" Wow. The girls went crazy signing their names, polka dots, and stars all over the trailer. All the cars got decorated and it was an amazing way to start off our trip. Thanks Taylor and Bro. Staheli for your excitement and enthusiasm!

The trip up Cedar Mountain only took about an hour and a half or so. We pulled in to find that we were assigned a VERY SMALL campground, but we all had a great can-do attitude and decided that we would make it work. It ended up being a very cozy, and well designed setup for us, even though all the leaders (about 8 of us) ended up crammed into one tent!! I know Annette got a picture of this, but I'll have to get it from her to post. It was pretty hilarious. We enjoyed a tasty lunch from our camp chef, the marvelous Janna Adams, who fed us beautifully throughout and some yummy birthday cupcakes that Annette made for me.

The first day was led by the Stake and our first meeting was the Opening Flag Ceremony. We met and went over the rules for camp, sang some songs and got to know each other a little bit. Immediately after this the girls went on their hike. This was a departure from the norm, as they usually go hiking on the second day of camp, but the leaders thought it would be good to get up hiking when the girls are fresh, before allergies kick in, and before anyone has a chance to hurt themselves. I think it worked...all our girls went on the hikes and loved it. It also gave Annette and me a chance to set up for our big activity the next day.

My family discovered a fun activity about a year ago called Letterboxing. If you know geocacheing (sp?) it's a bit like that, except that instead of following GPS coordinates to find your destination you use clues like in a treasure hunt. With Letterboxing, people carve rubber stamps and leave them in a box with a notepad and ink. If you find a box, you are to take your own hand-carved rubber stamp and exchange stamp imprints in the notebook you find and in the one you bring. There are boxes like this hidden all over America and it's so neat to see the stamp designs and who has been there before you. So....having explained that...I thought it would be neat to modify this activity for camp.

I enlisted the leaders to help me and we created 8 letterboxes, one for each of the values we teach the Young Women in our ward: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue. Each box had a hand carved rubber stamp, a scrapbook page, and an activity that the girls completed as they made the circuit. We had everything ready to go up and the challenge was going to be hiding all the boxes and creating the clues to find them once we got to camp. I even took my computer and a printer up to camp so that I could type the clues quickly, change them up for the different groups and print them out to give to the girls. (I must have looked pretty silly sitting in my car, printing papers from my laptop at camp. And I had a scary moment when the computer wouldn't turn on--it was hot from being in my car all day...but it worked out in the end!) Annette and I hiked all over the mountain finding stumps, and hollowed out trees and rocks where we could hide our boxes. I felt such relief when it was all taken care of.

At the end of the hike, we also had set up a Camp Spa for the girls. We filled a small swimming pool with cold water for a foot soak and had lotions and foot spray, nail polish and lipgloss, hair bands and barrettes. I think the girls had much fun getting their hair done by Sister Stapley and Sister Riddle. We hardly looked like we'd been hiking in the mountains at all.

By dinnertime, it was starting to cool off a bit. It was so hot while we were up there! I didn't expect the heat, so the cool was very welcome. After our delicious tinfoil dinners, we went down to the amphitheater for a fireside by the Stake Leaders. Our Stake President talked to the girls about our newest value, Virtue. He was awesome! He spoke to the YW about what it means to be virtuous...how "virtue seeketh virtue." He told the story of Joseph, sold into Egypt, and Potipher's wife...how she was attracted to him because he was righteous and how when he saw the "red flags" appear, he ran even though it meant his imprisonment and probable death. He encouraged the girls to look for "red flags" and to protect their virtue always. We were all touched by the Spirit and the truth of what he was telling us.

About halfway through the fireside, though, I started to feel sick. I was already crying because of the talk, but then I started crying because of my headache and nausea and by the time it was over, I could barely function. My sweet Taylor saw my pain and ran off to the priesthood camp to get a couple of the men to give me a blessing. I was so grateful for that! It was a powerful blessing and I felt immediate relief. I quit shaking and was able to relax and feel better within the hour. I also feel like it was a great for the girls to witness the priesthood in action. My thanks to Brother Mayfield and Brother Taylor from the Stake!!

After the fireside, we went back to camp...practiced our skit...and Taylor led everyone in songs...we roasted starbursts and marshmallows for s'mores (by the way, if you've never tried s'mores with Reeses PB cups, you MUST!!! I can't believe I've never tried or thought of this before. Janna A. brought them and it was amazing!) The starbursts were not Bro. Staheli's favorite...but the girls loved it.

We had a great first day! It took a while for the girls to settle in, there were noises and crazy birds...I had to climb out over everyone in the middle of the night to go to the restroom (sorry again, girls!)...so basically a perfect first day at camp!

In Absentia

2009-07-13T18:34:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed that I have been absent from the blogosphere lately. In fact, I have been absent from most of my life of late. CAMP has been the only thing on my mind. Thank goodness I have such an amazing family that only barely shows their annoyance with me at their lack of clean laundry, the empty fridge, and the unvacuumed floors. I have been so focused on camp that there has been little time for much else.

I am excited to put all my planning into action and like any big event that takes months to plan, it will be over way too soon. I just hope the girls have a good experience up there. I have tried faithfully to make it a memorable and spiritual uplifting experience like I remember having as a Young Woman. My biggest fear is that the girls will be bored or think all the things we have planned are lame. I truly don't think that will be the case...our girls are awesome!

I will be sure to post the fun adventures we have as I'm sure I will have nothing but free time once we get back. Whatever will I do with myself? Now, onto packing...I haven't even begun to think of personally preparing...and I know I don't have jeans (since I've lost 45 lbs, nothing fits) so I'll have to go shopping. Again. Or wear big baggy pants.

Strong Family Reunion

2009-07-08T12:20:00.001-06:00

We were so glad to get up to my Dad's house for our family reunion. Traditionally, we have held these reunions over New Years' but with everyone being so spread out, we all concurred that summer would be better. We gathered for some good old fashioned relaxing and chit-chat...catching up was fun! We missed my brother Bryan and his family, who couldn't make it from Colorado Springs. The girls especially missed the only boy cousins in the family!

Here are all the girls! We had Chad's girlfriend, Lynn and her daughter, Kaiah, too and it was fun to get to know them as well. This picture was actually taken at my grandparents in Holden, but it is a nice one!

Here's my dad, trying to get a smile out of baby Myka...got one out of Erin...but I think Myka just hid!

Can't make a trip up north without stopping at Scott's favorite store...the Hobby Hut...he found some good bargains on train cars.

Our Baker Fishing Trip

2009-07-08T11:59:00.000-06:00

We have been a busy family over the past couple weeks! We had a great time up at the Baker Dam Campground with our friends, the Terry's and the Sabaitis's. We had never been fishing as a family, though I had gone several times as a kid with my Grandpa Heath, and the girls were dying to try it. So we bought some poles and a tackle box...forgot bait though...and headed up to the lake. Dallin brought a boat for us to ride in but most of the time was spent swimming, rolling on logs, catching weeds and rocks, and having a great time!

We barbecued, built a fire and roasted marshmallows...only later to find that the lake closes at dusk and no fires allowed...oh well, who knew? We had such fun we didn't even mind getting in trouble.

Kaitlan caught the only fish...she waited patiently in the middle of the lake floating in her life jacket....a nice little rainbow trout and the kids all gathered around to watch Dallin clean it. I never heard such screams of delight and disgust. What a riot!

Thanks to our great friends for making this outing so memorable!

2009-06-27T16:13:00.003-06:00

I have always loved AVATAR: The Last Airbender on Nickelodeon...I was so sad when the show ended...and don't even get me started about Aang and Katara!!! But I'm so excited about the live action movie coming out next summer...this is the first trailer out! It looks VERY promising! M. Night Shymalan is the director and Jasper from Twilight is playing Sokka...so those are two great reasons to be excited!!!

Playing in the Sprinklers

2009-06-27T13:16:00.002-06:00

Scott decided to turn on the sprinklers today and about a dozen little birds decided to come play. They were zooming in and out of the spray and taking little baths in the gutter at the front of the house. It was fun to watch!

A Work in Progress

2009-06-24T15:33:00.006-06:00

I am proud of myself and the changes I've made over the past few months. I've lost over 40 lbs., new glasses, new hair...I'm working on getting my outer-self to match the person I feel I am on the inside. I think I'm getting closer.

When this Christmas photo was taken in December, I thought it was pretty good, but my pictures always surprise me, because I never look "familiar" to myself. Does that make sense? By March, I had had enough...time to make some changes.

It's only been recently that photos I see have started to look like ME! So, Yay Me! I'm not finished yet. I still have about a hundred pounds to go and I might be blonde before I'm done...but I'm totally happy with my progress! Maybe by the time I'm 40, I'll have my stuff together. You gotta have a goal right?

Our 2009 Lagoon Trip

2009-06-20T14:56:00.002-06:00

We had such a great time at Lagoon this year! We knew it would be rainy before we went, but we stayed pretty dry...a little damp and muddy at times, but it didn't take away from any of the fun we had. The slide show below shows most of our fun adventures. You can definitely see the changeable weather in the pics...some are full sun and others are dark and stormy.

We went with two of Taylor's bffs Shaylee Sabaitis & Kaitlan Terry. I'm so glad their families let us "borrow" them for a couple days. They were so much fun to have along and we love them lots! My brother Chad and his daughter, Bella, and my sister Anissa and her daughter, Anje-looby-nette Noel Olivas de Fuerte ;) and my mom, Grandma Dawn came along as well. We had a regular tent city set up and it kept us pretty dry throughout. While we were at Lagoon, the girls bedding got pretty wet though, which sent Chad and I on a GPS driven Laundromat search all over the Salt Lake valley in the middle of the night...unfortunately, each place we found had just closed minutes before we arrived...but it worked out all right. By the time we got back, the girls were all tucked up asleep in scrounged blankets and all was well. Chad and I had fun in the dry, warm car for a few hours. We were all glad to pack up camp and head home to the dry, sunny, warm south.

Lagoon was fun as ever...hope you enjoy sharing our adventure with us!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Taylor's Flight

2009-06-19T23:18:00.006-06:00

One of the highlights of our Lagoon trip was seeing Taylor ride on the SkyCoaster. If you've been to Lagoon or driven past, you've no doubt seen this ride. Flyers are hooked to a cable and hoisted 150 feet in the air where they pull a rip cord and free fall into a huge swinging arc over the park. We have often marvelled at the people who dared to ride it and the last time we went, Taylor begged us to let her try but there was no way I could let her. I guess it took a couple of years for me to get used to the idea! She said she wasn't even nervous and I believe her. She is such a DareDevil...I'm sure this is just the first of many extreme moments in Taylor's life. I'm so proud of her!

Here she is getting rigged out.

I LOVE the determined look on her face in this picture! This is SO Taylor.

Getting some last minute instructions on the rip cord.

She said the scariest part was walking out to this platform. It dropped out from under her and she was hanging in midair, waiting to be hauled high into the sky.

Here is the video of the Lift Off and Drop...it's not as good as I hoped. I lost her for a minute, but you can get the idea. We were all very excited!

This is the video of Taylor walking back after her flight. I love her swagger....she deserves to be proud.

Can't help myself!

2009-06-14T18:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/06/75251/index.html

Click this link for a fun update!

Summer Read-a-thon

2009-06-10T18:02:00.003-06:00

I lost my computer when I quit my job. So I've been spending less time blogging and more time reading. I've read some good stuff over the past few weeks: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Harry Potter 6, 7, & 3, Dead & Gone, City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass. Aunt Dimity Vampire Hunter & we'll start Harry Potter 4 tomorrow. I love to read and I love summer because I always have more time for it.

If any of you are reading good books, I'd love to know about it. I always run out of things to read.

Another Dose of New Moon

2009-06-08T12:53:00.003-06:00

I was up at the Jordan Commons Megaplex to see UP (loved that, btw) and saw the New Moon Movie Poster. I had to come home and find it to share. I'm so excited...but I'm actually more excited right now to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! It comes out on my birthday and I will be at camp on that day, but as soon as I get back home, I'm there. I just re-read both Year 6 & Year 7 and they were so much better than I remembered. Yay. And by the time it is out, New Moon will be that much closer.

Oh Yeah!

2009-06-01T22:26:00.002-06:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

New Job!

2009-05-20T15:38:00.004-06:00

I am happy to announce that I am changing jobs for the upcoming school year. I had applied for two separate positions-one at Washington Elementary and one at Fossil Ridge Intermediate--both in the media center. I interviewed on Monday for both jobs and I was really, really excited about the Washington one, but alas, the principal hired someone with 7 years experience as a librarian. (I actually know her and she'll be fine, but I would have been a much better choice, but that's just between us! Shh.) BUT, the good news is that I was offered the Fossil Ridge position.

I am excited because it is a school where I know a lot of families from when I was PTA president and taught computers at Panorama and, best of all, Shaylie will be going to that school in two years...so that will be great!

I have loved working with the kids at Millcreek! They are so amazing. I am just finishing up the school year and just about every student I worked with this year is receiving some kind of scholarship and is registered for college next year. It's been very rewarding. I just wish I could have been more content with the circumstancial details. It's hard when you are really happy with the work, but not very happy with everything else. So...I think this will be a good change for me.

If the truth is known, I really would like to get my teaching credentials. I've looked into the ARL option (Alternative Route to Licensure) and was just about to apply for the program when the district posted that they are only taking applications from licensed teachers this year. I was pretty bummed. So maybe I can work on this over the next year or so and see what comes up. The principal at Washington Elementary, Burke Staheli, was really encouraging and had nothing but nice things to say to me. He said he would support me in this if I decide to do it. I appreciate that. I'd need all the help I can get. :)

So, wish me luck! It's always nerve-wracking to start a new job...but I've worked for the district before and had a good experience. I always love working in the schools and especially with kids. I hope this will be just what I'm needing right now!

Momma, We Love You!

2009-05-11T16:36:00.004-06:00

I felt so spoiled over the past weekend! My mom was here, which made the weekend extra nice, but my hubby and kids really made the day special for me.

Friday, while I was taking my mom to lunch for her Mother's Day treat, Scott went out and got me these beautiful roses. They have been beautiful and are opening so wide! What a sweetie!

Later that day, we went to see STAR TREK which was awesome!!! I've always been a trekkie...or trekker, as we say...but this one is my favorite, by far! I love that we can have completely new stories now. Bones and Scotty were the best...well they all were!

I loved it so much that Mom decided to take Anissa and me the next day. After she gave me a cute new haircut! I feel like a whole new momma! (I think I just woke up from a nap in this picture so it's a little scary,!)

I've also lost about 32 lbs so far on my diet...which I think you can really tell in this picture. Yay!

Sunday, I awoke to armfuls of presents. Shaylie made me a coupon book at school including my favorite coupon (Back Massage) which is good for an entire year. Although, she told me today that the coupons were for $9 off of $10...so I have to pay her a dollar everytime I use one! What a deal! She also made me some bath salts, and gave me some Halle Berry perfume...love it!

Taylor got me an infuser--pineapple orchid--from Bath & Body. And Scott got me some candle flicker lights. I love those too! All the flicker, none of the danger or smoke damage!

To top it off, in church, we got chocolate instead of the traditional flowers. Let's hear it for the right word dropped in the right ear! Not that I had anything to do with it! Can't wait until I can eat it again!

I hope all you wonderful mothers and friends had an AMAZING day, too!

Spring Recital

2009-05-10T17:29:00.010-06:00

We love Melanie!

Shaylie played The Trumpet Song!

Taylor played Sonatina and The Spinning Song

Hard to believe she's only been in lessons since October...about 7 months!!!

Aunt Anissa, Grandma Dawn, Anje, Taylor, Shaylie, Dad & Mom

Not So Bloggish!

2009-05-07T14:24:00.003-06:00

I really haven't felt like blogging lately, even though I'm sure I can always come up with something to say. I've been on a diet lately and I think it makes me SUPER GROUCHY. And...since I don't like to get too negative on my blog, I've been running on the "IF you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" theory.

The most positive thing I can think to say today is that School is OUT in 2 weeks!!!! YAY!!! I am really looking forward to summer vacation this year. We don't really have anything planned. I am just so happy to have NO PLANS and nothing to do except what we want.

I am also looking forward to some changes that may come about, not the least of which is that I've lost 30 lbs on this HCG diet!!! Yay! Double Yay! Totally worth a little grouchiness. Next week I start the Grace Period phase of the diet which means I get to eat more food while my body stablizes and then I'll start all over again at the end of July. I'm really glad that I've done this. It was hard and the food is BORING, but for someone like me who has struggled with being SO overweight for SO long...it has really been a miracle. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is SERIOUS about losing weight.

We do have some fun events coming up, so I'll try to post more pics and fun stuff SOON!

Birthday Highlights

2009-04-26T22:33:00.001-06:00

Click on the picture above to enlarge it!

We had a blast this weekend celebrating Taylor's 13th birthday! We had a party with her friends on Friday...a Mall Scavenger Hunt and 17 again...the girls were in heaven! After the movie, we came home and had brownie sundaes and opened presents. Thanks for all the cute fun gifts! I'm glad Taylor has such good friends.

Saturday, both girls won their soccer games...and Taylor took this as another Birthday Treat! Later that night, Scott took the girls out for a Daddy/Daughter birthday dinner at Red Robin.

Sunday morning, Taylor woke to traditional decorations and more birthday surprises...a birthday cake, new clothes, gifts from grandparents, and birthday greetings from church friends. Her YW leaders gave her a cute placque and everyone sang to her!

Spoiled and sweet! Love you Taylor, girl...you deserve all the happiness in the world!

Mommy/Daughter

2009-04-23T17:29:00.003-06:00

I had to post this cute picture of Shaylie and me on our Mommy/Daughter hike to Red Cliffs. Thanks for making us look so good, Annette!

Easter Week 2009

2009-04-22T16:11:00.003-06:00

Here are some fun pictures of our Easter Week festivities, which included YW Missionary Week, a Mommy Daughter hike to Red Cliffs, and the Kite Festival.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T15:59:00.003-06:00

I'm posting my Easter greetings a bit early, because I am anticipating a very busy weekend ahead. First, and foremost, we are having family visit. My mom is coming down and so are my brother Chad and niece Bella. My sister, Anissa and niece Anje will assuredly come over too. So nice to have my house full of family!

Also, I am wearing many hats this weekend...I have been asked to sing in Sacrament Meeting and Taylor will be accompanying me on her flute, along with my great friend, Melanie! I'm a bit nervous since I've only sung a solo twice before and neither were very momentous. I'm glad to have my darling with me and Melanie always is a pleasure to listen to. I am also teaching RS this weekend as a substitute. I haven't done this in so long, but I am excited to teach adults again. I am also doing my usual job of printing the bulletin for the week. I am not complaining at all...but it does take time!!! And, of course, with my nieces and my daughters....we will have no end of Easter activities. We are planning to do eggs, treasure hunts, and Easter dresses--a fun tradition at our house.

With all of this, it might be easy to forget the real cause for celebration! But we do our very best to remember the "reason for the season." I am so grateful for my Savior! I am so glad for the opportunities I have to serve Him in everything that I do. I am grateful for family and friends that make this life worth living! I wish you all the very best of days and that you may feel the love of Him whose life, death and rebirth we celebrate this weekend! Happy Easter!

What a Sweetheart!

2009-04-07T14:10:00.003-06:00

At the risk of being forced to rename my blog, Random Bits of Twilight, I have to post the treat that my wonderful friend Annette brought over last night!

Totally Awesome, right?! Anyway, thanks for thinking of me Annette. I will enjoy my treat as soon as I can! (I wonder if there's a way to frame a box? Hmmm....) :)

New Moon Trailer!!!!

2009-04-06T15:57:00.001-06:00

New Moon Trailer Summit November 2009 - Funny video clips are a click away

Okay..Now I'm Excited!

2009-03-31T16:27:00.000-06:00

Creativity Alert

2009-03-29T23:08:00.004-06:00

Kathryn's post reminded me that I haven't yet reported on my Creative Project #4 for the month of March. I am trying to keep up with my goal to do at least one creative project a month for the entire year. This latest was a favor to my hubby....he is a model railroader and he's been working on these smaller t-trak modules, so I have been painting skyboards for him to match the scenery on the layout. Don't tell him, but I kind of enjoy it....it's been so long since I painted. And these little projects are not too long, so I can do them in my spare moments.

My Famous Hubby

2009-03-28T21:23:00.003-06:00

Scott was featured in an article in the Friday Spectrum...in the "St. George Neighborhoods" section. We almost missed it since we don't get the paper and it wasn't in the online version. Luckily, a friend of ours (who got it in his mailbox??) let us know and Scott was able to pick up a copy! I'm going to try to post the link if it is ever published on the web...or I will scan the article and post it here! (Scanned & Posted on TheTechfamily.com)

We are pretty proud of Scott! He deserves the kudos!

This Is For The Birds

2009-03-28T15:28:00.005-06:00

The past two days we have had some migrating birds swarming the skies above our house. I don't know what kind of birds they are and this video is not easy to see, but it has been fun to watch...just don't stand with your mouth open! The streets and driveway are getting very spotted. (They are little blackish birds with white under their wings and they look like a boomerang shape when they soar....if anyone has a clue...let us know!)

Twilight Party

2009-03-28T15:12:00.002-06:00

Well, unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the Twilight DVD Release happened last week! I pre-ordered my DVD from Amazon. They were offering a free Online Rental code to watch Twilight immediately, just in case the mail was delayed. (It's a good thing I did too, since I didn't get my DVD until Tuesday....4 days waiting...so tragic!) But, the wait was worth it and now I can get my Forks Fix anytime I want...and to make it even sweeter...Scott ripped the DVD and converted it to a file I can watch on my phone...anytime, anywhere! Nice.

I'm also grateful for my friend Josie, who hosted a party for all our fellow Twilight Buddies at her house Saturday night! It was so much fun. There was lots of yummy treats...I dubbed my Bugle treats "Fang Faddle" in honor of the occasion since the Bugles were kind of fang shaped...and much laughing and loving Twilight!

In no particular order, the party attendees included: Me, Josie, Annette, Melanie, Katie, Stacie D., Staci S., Trit, Ashley, Kathryn, and Lyndsi....hope I didn't forget anyone!
Pre-party festivities...we sat around, ate and chatted for almost an hour and a half, before we started the movie...I'm surprised we could all wait that long! It's a good thing I watched it earlier that day! So much fun...can't wait for next time!