Life as Me

"Yearly Update"

2010-01-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

So now that I have sent out my Christmas Cards. I thought for those REALLY interested in hearing about our jam packed year can read on...

At this time last year we were snowed in for 2-3 weeks. It was chillaxiful. Everything was canceled and we had fun playing with friends that lived close, neighbors, and even had fun just hanging out at home with each other. Jeff would take us four-wheeling in the jeep around the neighborhood. We spent some of our down time preparing for Blake's Eagle Court of Honor. He had earned it the year before but was waiting for his BBF, Mitch to finish his project, and get a time for all of us to get together. We had fun celebrating their accomplishments.
At the beginning of the year, Jeff and I took advantage of our "adult" and left the kids and spent a weekend in UT for "The Brother's Ski Trip". Wives were invited along this year. We enjoyed the great ski conditions and the great company. We also had a wonderful hostess! Thanks Amanda!!

Last winter Blake and Cason were both involved in wrestling once more. Blake worked really hard and made it to state, wrestling the National Champion during his first round. His team took districts which hadn't happened since the 70's. It was an exciting night! Cason wrestled hard as well but was kept from competing at state because of a medical issue.

While the boys were on the mat, the girls were on the court. Samantha played on the freshman team and improved a lot. Carissa played on a great 4th grade team. She is improving as well every year.
The moment State wrestling was over for Blake I scheduled his wisdom teeth to be pulled. Not such a great idea, to have him miss so many days right before finals, but we had a small window of opportunity because, after winter sports were over Blake decided to take up Lacrosse for the first time. He promised Mitch, if Mitch went out for wrestling, he would go out for Lacrosse. He really enjoyed the sport and had fun. He was pretty decent for not knowing what he was doing. Jeff and I enjoyed learning about the game and watching Blake have so much fun.

Since Samantha had done so well in cross country the previous fall she thought she would go out for track. She excelled in the long distances and really pushed herself. We cheered her on at many meets and loved watching her confidence grow.
The end of the school approached quickly. Blake survived his senioritice and graduated from Aloha High School. He was accepted to BYU and BYUI. Around the same time, he submitted papers to go on an LDS mission. After the first week of summer, while Samantha and I were at girls camp, Blake got his call in the mail. He waited until we came home and invited friends and family to be there while he opened it. He was called to the Moscow Russia Mission. Wow. We were all floored. The next few days were filled with preparation. He wasn't to report to the MTC until Oct 7th, but we were going to be gone all summer on sabbatical. We didn't waste time, and bought all the his missionary supplies and submitted his paperwork for his visa.
Then off we were on sabbatical. Our first three weeks was a National Park Tour that included a tour of all the major and some minor National Parks in the west. We saw so many diverse and beautiful places. It will be a summer never forgotten. We also squeezed in a family Reunion with the Carter side of the family in Park City. We made some great memories of tennis matches, skits, and pool parties.
I have to mention that at the beginning of the summer Samantha had made a goal to be in the 300 mile club for cross country. She ran almost everyday. She did a million loops around some of the campgrounds we stayed in. She was the epitome of dedication. I really was proud of her.

Anyway, after seeing Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon, Half Dome (which Blake and Jeff hiked up) we finally made it home. The kids happy to see friends and play for a couple of days before we went on our annual white water rafting trip. We enjoyed a float down the Lower Salmon in ID. This year we took Mitch with us and had a great time relaxing with our friends. We all made it though, though Blake fell out of the raft once trying to get a little more bounce out of the rapid, more funny than life threatening. We zipped home from that trip to trade our raft for our, new to us, half motor boat. Some dear friends of ours needed a new boat partner and we jumped on the offer. We took the boat up to the Sawtooth Mountains in ID to Alturus Lake for the Wight Family Reunion. Yep, we stayed in the the same cabins I had girls camp at when I was a youth. It brought back so many memories of kangaroo court, and couches, and snipes. Everyone enjoyed doing something fun, from motorcycles, and fishing, to water skiing and truck repairs, (sorry Grandpa, maybe that wasn't so fun). Anyway, Blake said his last goodbyes to some of the family there, and again we headed home. This time we dropped off the kids and Jeff and I enjoyed a quiet few days up at Whidbey Island, (thanks LaFawn!) We went fishing, hiking, sight seeing, to movies, and ate out. It was wonderful. We came home to put on Samantha's 15th birthday party.

The next week Jeff was so excited for, he had prepared all year.... the "pack in" bow hunt with Blake. They left the truck at the beginning of the week and just took off with the stuff on their backs. Jeff loves the outdoors and was only disappointed that he didn't get Blake in a position to bring home the big one. He was really hoping to give Blake a fun story to talk about. They still LOVED it. Jeff had one last week before he was to go back to work. He enjoyed it fishing with friends and playing around. He bragged that he didn't wear a pair on pants all summer except for church. He hung out in his shorts everyday enjoying mother nature as best as he could.
The first week of school had started by then and we were all back into the routine of things, except Blake. He was still working for American Tire Co (which had been so awesome to schedule around wrestling, Lacross, and the sabbatical.) He was now counting down the days. We finished the last shots, and paperwork that had been asked for. He gave a great talk before he left and before I knew it we were in the airport giving our last hugs. Boy, that moment still tugs at my heart strings.
Not more than a week or so after Blake left, our dog of 15 years, Blaze, died. She was old and feeble, and it was a relief to have her go. Thunder still is around keeping me company. I think she is the one that Blake misses the most.
Samantha earned her 300 mile club teeshirt in cross country and excelled again. She ran her personal best at districts this year at 19:47. That is pretty dang fast for a 5K. Cason opted not to do football, but practice wrestling on the the off season. Carissa started something new this year and enrolled in Dance class. She put on a great Christmas performance and showed grace and beauty. She and Samantha also had their piano recitals this fall and both did a great job. Cason planning on finishing earning his eagle this next year, earned his life scout award this last year. He is constantly striving, setting goals, and finishing projects, when Jeff isn't distracting him with fishing and hunting. (Just kidding honey!) I couldn't skip over the fact that Cason shot his first deer this year!
We loved being with family at Thanksgiving and all crashing at my sister's place in Boise. My kids always look forward to it. The last few days this year have been spent sending Blake his last few packages to the MTC and preparing for Christmas. On the 21st of Dec Blake was able to call us from the SLC airport and let us know he was really flying out. We enjoyed asking him questions about his MTC experience and how he felt about going to Russia and even heard him speak the little Russian that he knew. We were lucky to be able to call him back again on Christmas and know that he was happy and excited about being in Russia and doing the Lords work. He continues to grow up, but I believe the next 2 years it will be accelerated a bit. What a wonderful experience, for all of us.
I look back on this year and say WHEWWW!!!
We did it. I knew it was going to be a non stop year and really tried to soak up the last moments of our little family being together. It just goes by so fast. I would have to say this year was STUPENDOUS. In more ways than one. I am so grateful for so many things, my healthy body, my loving family, Jeff's job, for the gospel that guides my path, for this beautiful earth, and the loving Father that created it all for us. My cup has overflowed this year and I am in awe of the bounty that is my life.

Gift to the Christchild

2009-12-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

Every year the youth in our ward have a fireside called "The gift of the Christchild". When I read this poem earlier this year, I knew that this is what I was giving. My feelings are close to the surface in anticipation of Blake leaving the MTC tomorrow and heading out to Russia. This sure sums up how I feel.

This Year for Christmas
By Connie Warner from Centerville, Utah
I skipped the sales after Thanksgiving.
The thrill just wasn't there.
No pictures taken with Santa Clause,
my decorating has no flair.
His presents are shoes, shirts, and ties,
two suits and socks...no fun.
I've bought him all white clothes because...
This year I'm giving Christ my son.
I've spent more time in the temple,
felt strength come from His words.
I've reread November's Ensign,
and my testimony stirred.
Our family prays more frequently
My tears are quick to run.
Abraham seems closer because,
This year I'm giving Christ my son.
I wonder how those Lamanite mothers,
gave their sons to war?
Or how the pioneers choose Zion,
their sacrifice was so much more.
My loss will be his presence,
I'll miss his smile a ton
For two years we will pray for him,
I'm giving Christ my son.
I stare at his face when he's not looking.
I memorize his eyes, their shine.
He's always hungered for the part of him,
that makes his soul divine.
The stories and lessons he always heard,
His choice and mine are one.
I'll put my faith in God's hand,
This year, I'm giving Him my son.
Past gifts have lost their glitter,
I think I finally understand
Christ's birth should be celebrated by giving Him a hand.
It's because I know Christ lives and reigns
that all his packings done.
My gift has taken years to make,
This year...
I'm giving Christ my son.

Imagine me trying to read this to the youth. I was prepared with a box of tissues. Hopefully we will hear from him tomorrow!!!!

Update on life in OR

2009-11-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

We are all anxious around here because "no e-mail" from Blake this week. We hope to receive a snail mail letter today. Anyway, this week the kids didn't have school on Wed. (Veterans Day) They all had sleepovers and then did homework and jobs all day. We finally got all of the sand dropped off the back deck to the patio I am making below. I have leveled half of it already and started to put the checker board cement blocks in place. I should be able to finish that on Sat. Yeah, it only took 2 years.
I don't know if I wrote about this, but we picked up the "grass" Saturday. Jeff cut it and laid it all out, so all we have to do is to cut it to the exact shape, tape it, and nail it down. Yes it is fake grass!!! I am really excited. Thunder likes it and I like that she doesn't get all muddy. Yeah!
Cason has been working really hard on his science fair project. He is doing the rocket project like Blake did his Senior year. We bought a rocket and 12 engines on Monday. He built it on Tues and wants to test it out. He has different cone heads for it too. We plan on doing the "Real" launching during Thanksgiving at the Sants.
Samantha made the JV basketball team. I was so proud of her. I had no idea what her chances were for staying on JV2. She has new coaches this year and who new how good the incoming freshman would be? She is bummed that she has practice tonight and is going to miss the Aloha playoff football game.
Also in the realm of sports, Cason starts up wrestling season. So we are rolling into the busy time of year with everyone in a sport. Carissa will start basketball at the end of the month.
I kind of messed up the kitchen faucet on Monday and we have been going without water in the kitchen for a few days. I think I found a new faucet that I like. We will see what Jeff says. I hope to make a decision today, because it might take a couple of weeks to get it in. Life is great!

2009-10-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

What a week. I have been preparing Blake's Christmas present this week as well as subbing in seminary most of the week. (Not much got done around the house.) I will be sending a SMALL present, (a CTR Ring) to him in the MTC just in case the other (a digital photo frame loaded with 1000 pictures), is late arriving in Moscow. The other missionary mothers in the e-mail group that I am apart of, advises us to send them off now. In fact I found out a few things, from their e-mails. The Moscow mission will have 45 missionaries there by the time he arrives. I think it was 13, that are native. I also read this wonderful e-mail that talked about how the work has progressed in the last 2 years. One mother's missionary that will be coming home in April, said that when he first got out there, the missionaries were being arrested and even had their building that they met in, burned to the ground. She said no one ever wanted to talk to them. She said that NOW things are so much better, they have had people come up and WANT to talk to the missionaries. She is very excited to see the work progress so much and wants to stay apart of the e- mail group even after he comes home, so she can see he work progress.

There was also talk of one of the Russian missionaries getting sick, there at the MTC. I learned that you shouldn't drink the orange juice in the MTC. So DON'T drink it.
We received Blake's letter Saturday! As always it is great to hear from him. He wrote Cason his own letter about getting his first deer, and another to Mitch, as well as the one to the family. I immediately called my mom, which I knew was in Provo watching the homecoming game, and had her pick Blake up a new alarm clock (which he explains in his letter that he broke already). I thought he would be impressed by the promptness. Jeff said he wouldn't even realize it was fast because time doesn't exists in the MTC. By now he should have gotten his JACKET too. I mailed him a couple of pumpkins to decorate, a box of oreo cookies, dried mango's and a beany baby puppy (a substitute for missing Thunder haha). I hope it puts a smile on his face.
Samantha went to the "80's dance this Sat. She had a great time and admitted that she thought a boy was cute. "He" had even asked her to dance. She also performed in a music concert put on by the youth of the stake. She played the flute and Isaac, Whitney, Nicole, and Steven sang, and another boy from the stake played the piano. It was a great concert, but it set me off, and I had overwhelming mothering feelings that gushed out as tears. I was thinking Blake and just couldn't keep it all in. Of course Jeff and the kids think it is funny. I think it is too, I've become my mother in that regard!!! Dang it! (Sorry mom, you know that I love you! I just hate crying!!)

Jeff and I went to a Halloween Party at the Woodhouses. Jeff dressed up as the hulk and I went as Super/wonder Woman. I had gold pants and everything. It was fun. I'll see if I can get some pictures posted of us.

Today was the Primary Program. Blake would have LOVED it. Brandon Johnson was so funny when he did his part. It was priceless how he talked about having peace and love in his home, with his head swaying, like, yada yada yada. The kids all did a great job! Carissa has one more left. Unbelievable.

One last thing. I was getting ready the other day and for some reason felt my fore arm, and guess what? I'm buff. I have never had my arms this strong. I have been really good about waking up in the morning and working out before scriptures. But I have been doing that for years. I think it is LaFawn's class. She kills me every time.

By the way. Mitch (Blake's BF) leaves this week. I bought his countdown this week and it is up on the other cupboard opposite of Blake's. We will go over to his open house tomorrow night. Tuesday I'm going to the airport. I thought that was pretty cool of them to come see Blake off. He is so ready to go.

That's it for this week!

Friday!!!!

2009-10-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was fun. Carissa and I went to the zoo with the Smith's (Sarah) and her kids. Beceausethe kids didn't have school it was crazy busy, and the parking was unbelievable. There is a new exhibit for lions. It was pretty cool. We got to see the baby elephant too. It wasn't really cold but cool enough that the animals were all moving around. The lorakeets bombed Roz. It was quite funny. They all went ballistic, probably because of a hawk, and flew right past Sarah, who ducked and moved, just in time for the dodo to hit Roz. The polar bear was in the water swimming and the tiger pacing around his cage. Pretty fun day. We got home late in the afternoon. We cleaned up a bit and then started to clean out Blake's room. It is totally empty now. I was going to start putting Cason's things in there and have changed my mind. I now think Samantha should move upstairs. She could have her own bathroom and wouldn't be in mine so much. I wouldn't have to repaint anyone's room. I would just move up the top bunk bed and still let Cason have Blake's big bed downstairs. His bed would still go. I texted Jeff and he wanted me to wait until they got home. It will take a lot of will power to just wait. I want it done now. I don't want to have it in limbo all weekend. BUT, I'll wait. SIGH!
Wednesday when Blake went into the MTC, Jeff and Cason took off for Cason's hunting trip. I heard the good news yesterday, Cason got a buck. It is a spike but Jeff said it was funnest day hunting he has ever hard. They are staying today to see if Addison can get something.
On the dog front, Blaze is still alive and kicking. (We thought she would be dead before Blake left.) She wandered off to our neighbors back yard yesterday, that stinker. I wonder how long she will hold on.
I sent the first package to Blake 2 days ago, so today he should be getting it today. I have a calendar already set up for sending packages. One every four days, and I have them almost all ready to go. I left most of them open so that if I want to add something I can just stick it in. Everything I am sending is either consumable, or he can just throw away. I hope he shares everything he gets with his district and companion. It should make life a little more fun. Nothing really important or expensive, just fun and goofy. I hope they put a smile on his face.He is getting crazy straws and thank you notes today. I was amazed by so many people's generosity. I new we had great friends but really didn't expect so much support. I hope he sends you all thank you notes, but I also want to say THANK YOU, and that I seriously have the BEST friends. THANK YOU for supporting my family!!! I have also put together an MTC countdown package that I will be sending to his companion, I have a VERY LITTLE plastic container, labeled of course (I thought that would make him laugh), for everyday. I still have 17 left to fill and then I will send it off. I hope that his companion will have fun giving Blake his little prize for the day and enjoy it with him. If you have any ideas please tell me!! The containers are only 1"x2", so think really small. A lot of them have candy, but I have balloons, a home depot tie tack (Orange and black for Halloween), pistachios (we have those here all of the time), big rubberbands, a really small puzzle, jingle bells, bouncy balls, punching balloon things, etc. I can't wait to hear from him. It is driving me crazy not knowing when his e-mail will show up.
So before we went to get Blake set apart Jeff gathered everyone in the living room and we sang a hymn and then he said Blake wanted to do something before he left. Blake solumly walked over to Samantha and got down on one knee in front of her and opened up the phone and gave it to her. It was quite funny. The passing of the kids phone. The joke goes on though, because he put a code on it, which he hadn't done before. We can't crack the code and we may not hear from him for a week. In the mean time, Samantha left for SanFransico early yesterday morning with the cross country varsity team. She took the phone with her just in case Blake wrote me on Fri or Sat, and I would text the code to her friends phone. So I hope Blake remembers to send me the CODE for the phone.
I have gotten on an e-mail list for Russian missionary moms and met Elder Miller's mom. Everyone else's missionary, so far, is in the field already. Elder Miller went in the MTC in Aug. It is great to ask questions and have them give me advise about mailing packages and the pouch.
Well I better get up and take care of the dogs. I still have a lot to do today. I think I am going to order the rest of that gravel so I can finish the front yard, since I can't work on the room changes. Life is wonderful!

Horrah for Israel!

2009-10-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well I have joined the ranks of missionary mom's across the world. What an experience. The last week IS hard. The last day about killed me just thinkin about it. Now that it is over, and he is gone, it is a little easier. Blake was so cool. He surprised each of the kids at school and brought them lunch from their favorite fast food restaurant and ate lunch with them. He put up with me taking pictures of him and Mitch for his 19th birthday/mission portraits. I bribed them with lunch at Olive Garden. Yesterday he finished packing, played some football video game with Cason, and went to one last movie with Mitch. We had such a wonderful night participating in him getting set apart. Our stake President is really inspired. I held it together the whole time (YAY ME), and didn't shed a tear. Then we went out to dinner at Ramano's Macaroni Grill. Unfortunately for Cason, who was begging, we passed on going to Cold Stone and decided we better get to bed because each of us had a big day ahead of us. We all got up at 4:00 and left at 4:30. The line was long for Delta so we just did the curb side service for $4 instead. Blake looked totally together as he check in. I tried to get a couple of pictures. Then we headed straight for the security check in, which was really busy too. We got a couple of pictures with Mitch and one with our whole family and then had to hurry and say goodbye before he hit the check in part of security. Boy it came fast!! Then I couldn't contain the swelling in my heart and it broke and I started leaking. Boy I love that kid. I'm so happy for him, and wouldn't want him anywhere else. But he will be missed. I guess it was good that it was fast. I teared up off and on, on the way home. The kids slept, and Jeff and I just drove home in quiet. I was fine before we hit Beaverton and am so happy that I have such a great son. I hit the bed and slept for a while before getting up and hitting the day. I have already written him and sent him some cinnamon rolls. He should be dropped off anytime now by my parents who met him in SLC and are the ones taking him to the MTC. What an experience. He does have his own blog where I will be posting his letters, if I can just figure out how to put a link to it... I will also be managing a facebook group. You can look at his other pictures there too. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=288106450625
Thanks out to everyone that has helped me raise my family. We just can't do it alone, and I thank you, thank you, thank you, for all that you have done!!!

SUMMER!!!!

2009-09-27T16:44:00.001-07:00

Okay, Okay, The thing I have learned is... I either have time to post and nothing to write about, or have no time to post and tons to write. As you can tell, since I haven't posted anything, life has been a whirlwind around here. Blake graduated from high school. Samantha and I went to girls camp, came home to a party to watch Blake open his mission call. RUSSIA!!! Bought Blake ALL of his mission supplies, (Thanks, Remmingtons!!!!), left on sabbatical for 3 straight weeks... Glacier, Yellowstone, Park City for family reunion, Moab, Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Zions, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Sequoia, and Yosemite) More on that later. Then we were home for one week where we bought 1/2 of a boat, went waterskiing with friends, and prepared for our whitewater rafting trip with friends. We went on a week long trip down the Lower Salmon River starting in Idaho and ending in Oregon. More on that later... Then back for less than 24 hours to drop off rafting boat for waterski boat, and off to Boise. We went to a big water park there, with my sister Melinda and her kids. Then Tuesday we zipped over to Twin Falls where much of our family had gathered to attend the temple with Blake. It was his first time, and that is the most special time. Then we boogied over to the Sawtooth Mountians and stayed in a cabin that was the place that I had gone to girls camp growing up. We had the Wightfest there, playing games, waterskiing on Alturus Lake, fishing, dirt biking, and just haning out by the fire. More on that later too...We left Sat again so we could make it home for church. Once again, when Jeff could get away we left for Whidbey Island (near Seattle), but this time just Jeff and I, (THANKS LAFAWN!!) We went bike riding and got lost, (thank goodness for google maps), fished, read, went to the movies, watched boats float by, and over all just lazed around. When we got back, Samantha had a birthday party, with tons of giggling girls. Then Jeff again took off after church, but this time with Blake. They had been looking forward to a backpacking bow hunt. No luck this time. He still had one week left and spent it fishing and bow hunting on the Deschutes River. Cross country started for Samantha. She earned her 200 mile teeshirt, running almost everyday, even with the sabbatical. Blake had his birthday, his last speaking assignment in church, and is now down to a week and 3 days before he reports to the MTC. School has started and everyone is back to a routine, but Blake and I. Blake put in his last day at American Tires on Friday. This week we will pack up all of his stuff, get him his flu shot, and Typhoid pills, and take Mitch and him to lunch. Last week I took their pictures. What a fun time to spend with two great boys. Today was Blake's last day at church and we had a great time playing Settlers of Catan together this afternoon. I am so glad that this summer went so well. I am so grateful to those that drove many miles, or flew, to be with us while we celebrated so many wonderful moments. What an AWESOME summer!!!

(This was suppose to have more pics, but I am having trouble posting more than one. I'll keep trying...)

Being Good and Doing Good: My Dad

2009-02-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

When I was little I remember my dad's big hands. I remember trying to open his big hands during church. I am so grateful to have had a dad that made me feel secure and loved. We have had so many great memories together. I remember playing basketball with him and my brothers. Playing games on Sunday nights. But more importantly I remember him forgiving me when I broke the master key to the mobile homes while locking up, and him not getting mad when I ran out of gas while driving the family to Utah. I remember him teaching me to use elbow grease to clean an over from one of the mobile homes. (I couldn't have been 7 years old at the time.) I remember having waterfights in the back yard with him and my family. But one of the greatest things that he has given me is the gift of loving my mom. Knowing that my parents love each other gave me something I didn't even know I wanted or needed. I am thankful for the work and love he shows so many strangers by giving so much of himself to Charity Anywhere, but seeing him love someone he knows so well and deeply says even more. Dad thank you so much for being MY dad. I love you and hope you have a great birthday!!

(If you don't know my dad... read Three Cups of Tea, that pretty much describes his heart, and check out Charity Anywhere Foundation. An expedition with him would change your perspective on recession.)

Summie Awards

2009-01-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

This week Cason and I attended the Summie awards. Cason's curriculum this year includs making a film about a supreme court case. His group worked on it for hours. I was able to be one of the volunteers to walk around the school with the kids while they filmed. I was actually in Cason's movie, as the driver of the truck. You can't see me, but I was the driver! Tuesday night they had the "Summie Awards". Kids and parents dressed up really fancy and Mrs. R. gave out awards and we watched a few trailers and movies the kids made. Cason did a lot of the work on his group's film. He stayed after school many nights to finish it up. I was happy he was given so many awards that night. His group got 6 awards: Best Soundtrack, Best voiceover, Best Slogan "Don't get caught", Best Trailer, Best Cutaway, and Cason got Best Boring Teacher in the acting awards. It was great to see his hard work pay off. What a fun night!! When he gets the DVD of the film I'll see if I can figure out how to put it on Utube so you can see it.

Aunt Nola

2009-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Nola passed away 2 weeks ago. My parents and my cousin Gary came and stayed with us. It was fun to see all of the family there and see the fruits of Nola's life. She has a husband that truly loved her, kids that admired her and praised her name, and friends. The disease that she had had slowly taken over her body and she was blessed to die from a stroke. When we first moved to Oregon she invited me to come to her "daughters weekend". She paid for the whole thing. We went to Victoria Island and stayed at a B&B. We went touring and saw beautiful gardens and fun shops. We had a great time. I got to know all of these great women that had experienced so much more than I had, at the time. Every time my dad would come visit, we would go over and visit with Aunt Nola. I'm glad that I lived close enough to get to know her better.

What a wonderful Christmas

2009-01-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

I had a great Christmas. With all of the snow we had, it really changed everything. The kids got out of school the whole week before Christmas break. Every morning there was a squeal of joy coming from our house. Everything was cancelled, Church was canceled for 2 weeks in a row, wrestling practice, dual, and meets, basketball practice, and tournaments, and running treats to friends. It was SO nice to not have all of those pressures. Jeff still had tithing settlement to finish up, because we had gone to Mads' baptism the week before, and Thanksgiving the week before that, he had 4 weeks worth of appointments to attend to. Jeff had a ball four wheeling around in the jeep with chains. He had such a blast in the jeep that he missed it when he roads cleared up. There also was the flip side of the snow, I saw Christmas barreling in on me without a chance to leave the house and do anything about it. But. I patiently waited it out at home and worked on the Court of Honor for Blake being held the Sunday after Christmas. It all worked out though, on Christmas Eve the roads were clear enough to feel safe and I found everything that I needed. The only hickup was that Jeff's presents didn't arrive on time, (but they were all white water rafting items).

The court of honor was a bit stressful for a second or two when LaFawn and I realized that we didn't have the actual awards on Christmas Eve. We weren't even sure we could get them (we didn't have the paperwork). I called on Friday and the Scout office and shop were closed. We then started to think about a back up plan, getting the awards from Boise and have my mom bring them, or use someone elses. But all ended well, the scout shop was open on Sat. The funniest part is that I didn't have to prove anything. I just went up and asked for 2 eagle kits and the girl pulled them out lickedy split, and I was happy as a clam. The Court of Honor went really well. We did miss Grandma and Grandpa Wight, and my dad. My dad had an expedition to Mexico with 80 people with Charity Anywhere and Bill and Judy were just snowed out. The roads were just to bad. But my mom was able to fly in. She was so helpful. I picked her up from the airport that afternoon and we both were busy the rest of the day. She just stepped right up and helped where I needed it. It is like cloning myself. I would turn around and the dishes would be done, the bows put up, the car is loaded. It was SOOOOO nice. Jeff was wonderful and put the pictures I had worked so long on, to music. The slide show turned out nice and the whole thing went off wonderfully. I have had so many wonderful people follow through and do such a great job. I had bought a book that took me step by step of what to do for it. The best $15 I spent all month. I just gave out assignments, and it all came together. I think the best part was watching those two (Blake and Mitch) while their scout leaders and coach talked about them. I hope they know how proud I am of both of them.

Blake @ Glencoe

2008-12-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

Blake is 5-2 so far this wrestling season at 160# and looking really good. He won his match last night in a dual against Forest Grove, and he went 2-1 and won third place at the Glencoe tournament today. He did well in the match he lost, but he was leg riding and got caught in a bad position and was pinned.

Blake is the one in the green/yellow singlet. He wears the mask to keep from getting bloody noses.

Weekend with Mads

2008-12-08T14:10:00.001-08:00

Rachael and I traveled to Salt Lake this weekend for the baptism of our niece, Madalynn. Mads is the oldest daughter of my brother Gary, the closet rock-star. Gary is a trial attorney by day, closet rock-star by night. I call him a closet rock-star because he actually records music in his closet. You can download his album here (seriously, give it a try, you'll be amazed at what one guy can accomplish with a computer, a drum set, a very good-natured wife, and a closet with good accoustics).

We started the weekend with a trip to Famous Dave's, where my brother who professes to not enjoy meat that much consumed an ultimate burger (A juicy ground beef patty beneath a pile of Georgia chopped pork, two strips of jalapeño bacon, melted Cheddar cheese, and Dave's signature Beam & Cola sauce). I definitely fall on the carnivore side of the line, but I wasn't man enough for the ultimate burger and opted for bbq pork. We won't discuss what Rachael ordered in a place famous for its bbq because that of course would lead to a fiery debate in the comments section, so please, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ASKING.

I only took one picture of Gary's wife, Amanda, on this trip. This excellent shot of her eyebrow is all I could manage, along with a big hint for those still wondering what to get their husbands for Christmas.

After we returned from Famous Dave's, Gary (the one who doesn't really like meat) and I set about solving this problem:

In case you can't tell, that is 15 pounds of brisket that is supposed to cook in a 4 quart crock pot. We went over to Gary's friend's place to borrow theirs, and they produced what may actually be the smallest crock pot I have ever seen. It would have been perfect if we wanted to spend 18 hours slow cooking a single mug of hot chocolate. We passed it over and found another 4 quart version. By the way, the cutey in the background is my Mother. The other cutey in the background is my niece, Brooke. Can you see why I like to visit my brother the closet rock-star?

After we found and borrowed enough crock pots to cook the brisket, we played guitar hero. What else do you do when visiting closet rock-stars? Mads and Brooke thrashed grandpa and I on guitar hero. Here is a shot of Brooke showing off her winning form:

You can see how much effort she had to put into thrashing grandpa and I.

We spent the next morning with Rach's parents. We went over to temple square and saw the movie about Joseph Smith. I've seen it twice now and it is fantastic. If you are in SLC you should definitely make a hole in your schedule so you can go see this movie. We made another trip to temple square at night to see the lights and it was wonderful.

We wandered around SLC for a bit, then headed to Layton for the baptism. Everything went very well at the baptismal service. I don't have any pictures of Mads, Rachael will have to fill in the gaps. I guess I was overwhelmed by the brisket and used all of my phone memory taking pictures of a piece of beef.

We retired to Gary's house for a party, and of course, the brisket. It was a good thing we had 15 pounds of brisket because I think Gary and I ate 7 pounds all by ourselves.

We went to church the next day with Rachael's folks. We visited a ward in Kaysville that had just gone on an excursion to Tijuana with the service organization that Rachael's dad runs, Charity Anywhere. It was great to hear the testimonies from the kids and adults that had the chance to go give service. We really enjoyed spending some time with Rachael's parents and appreciate them feeding us, touring us around Salt Lake, giving us a place to stay, and letting us use their car.

TAGGED

2008-11-19T22:11:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by my sister Melinda to reveal 6 quirks about myself.

1: I shave my legs every day. I think it goes back to my childhood.

2: I hate gum as well (my sister hates gum). I use to love to chew it as a kid, but always hated seeing a chewed piece of gum. Gross!

3: I hate teeth, esp loose teeth. My sister has pulled more of my kids teeth than I have. That said, I have performed my fairy duties and have a baggy full of envelopes with kids teeth in my closet. What am I to do with all of these????

4: I love containers.

5: I love labeling things.

6: My dogs love my feet and often lick them, (and I like it.)

I tag Jeff

Witches and candy

2008-11-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

I know I posted a little about Halloween. But I hadn't posted any pictures of the kids all dressed up. I think I told you about the ward Halloween party. These pictures are taken at the party. Cason is Ironman but couldn't wear his mask. Carissa was a witch and Samantha a cowgirl. You saw a little of that in the pumpkin patch pictures. Carissa and her friends won the mummy contest. I won the best adult costume contest. I was a marathon runner with an Afro. I know... you want a picture of that. Sorry, I was the photographer. Anyway I told Samantha and Cason they won the pumpkin carving contest (theirs was a combined effort), becuase we were about the only ones that brought them, and all of the kids didn't want to wait to go trick or treating. So I gave them my candybar that I had won and all of the friends piled in cars and met back at our house to start the candy fest. It was a great evening!

Enjoy.

2008-11-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin hunt

2008-11-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

I had promised my kids I would take them out to Lake View Farms on Halloween day. They had it off of school and every Sat before that had a soccer game in the morning and a football game in the afternoon, leaving little time for pumpkin hunting at our favorite farm. We had something come up in the morning and rushed out to the farm in the afternoon. Lake View Farms is at least 1/2 hour away. When we drove around the bend we saw no cars and things started looking suspicious. When we drove up to the lane, a sign was posted "closed for the season". After our shock that a Halloween place would close on Halloween we turned the jeep around and headed home to catch a party, and pick up pumpkins at Albertsons AND carve them. On the way home we spotted a country store on the side of the road that was selling pumpkins and pulled in. It had a little field full of pumpkins. Of course the kids went straight for the biggest ones. Everyone was happy and we got the carving done and kids to the party. Later we went to the ward Halloween party where everyone got together with friends. They all came over to our house where I took them around trick or treating. Afterward there was the candy trade phenonom that happens in every house like the stock market. It was great fun!!!

Brace yourself...

2008-10-29T11:13:00.001-07:00

Samantha got braces yesterday! She was so excited! She looked in the mirror of the car visor and took pictures with my phone all the way home.

For some reason she loves the curled lip pose. She chose pink and turquoise bands. Her teeth didn't start to hurt until the end of Young Womens around 9.

Last gasp of summer

2008-10-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Jeff wrote this a few weeks ago and didn't post it. I thought you might enjoy it.

On September 1, Blake, Samantha, Casey and I took the Jeep out to Tillamook State Forest with Nathan Smith and one of his buddies. The only problem with Jeeping is that the Jeep isn't big enough so that everyone in the family can go. I guess this means we'll have to buy another one (just checking reading comprehension at home).

We bought the Jeep in the spring and Blake and I have been doing some work on it since then. He and I installed a lift kit. Then we found a stronger rear differential and had that put in and had both axles re-geared. We found a heavier duty bumper and some 33" tires on Craigslist.

Casey and I took it to the shop to have the new(er) rear axle installed. My timing was bad and I had my appointment for the day that Blake left for EFY and Rachael was at girls camp with the truck. I needed to get the Jeep and the new axle downtown and only had Casey to help with no other vehicle available to haul the axle in. I hurried home from work and only had a few minutes to figure out what to do, and I didn't know anyone that was home that had a truck. We stared at the problem for a minute and then he and I ratchet strapped the new axle to the rear bumper and headed down the road. I noticed nobody was following me very closely on that ride. When we got to the shop, the guy came out and looked a little confused. He said "I thought you were bringing an axle with you". We all had a good laugh when he saw how I got it there.

This was finally our first time takin it out. Nathan's friend Glenn captured some video and photos of a very fun day. Blake tried his hand at driving for a while and did great. I was a little worried he was going to leave paint and body parts on a few tight points on the trail, but he came through like a pro. In spite of our best efforts, we didn't break anything.

Jeff still needs to hook up to the video.

Nike prenational

2008-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

For cross country Samantha participated in the Nike prenationals. It is the only fund raiser Aloha High School XC does all year. It was held out at Portland Meadows. They don't actually race on the track they race on the inside field of the track. Schools from as far away as California come to this event. I volunteered in the morning to hand out the packets to the coaches. As soon as I was done Samantha's race started. She did a great job and got 59th out of 200 in her event. She ran it in 23:41. If you go to this website http://www.runnerspace.com
NikePreNationals and look at the videos she is in the main slideshow around 1:13 and then you can see her event by going to the videos and watching the "Girls Frosh/Soph - Nike Pre Nationals 2008" video. I was standing right under the video camera and didn't know it. You can't miss when Samantha finishes because you can hear me several times cheering her on. Earlier I ask the guy videoing for the time, (how embarassing) When they are running over the hills, Samantha comes right after the girl that falls and runs right in front of the camera. It was a fun event. Hope you enjoy!

Run Forrest Run!

2008-09-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

100+ teenage girls stretch, do practice sprints and get ready on the sideline of a soccer field. Meanwhile, one lonely guy on a bike gets ready in the middle of the same field. After some brief instructions to the girls, a starter pistol fires, and all 100+ girls start chasing the guy on the bike, Samantha being one of them.

It sounds like a scene from EFY.

Samantha surprised me this year by deciding that she wanted to join the cross country team instead of being in marching band. Rachael thinks there must be some ulterior motive (read: cute guy on the cross country team). Samantha assures me that this is not the case, but won't admit that there is one single cute guy on the face of the planet.

We went to watch her run this past Friday at the Tigard invitational. I talked to Samantha a little bit before she ran and asked here what her goal for the day was. She said she wanted to to the 3-mile course in less than 26 minutes. That didn't seem too aggressive, since the last time I watched her compete she did better than that.

Cross country isn't much of a spectator sport. You have to do a little running yourself to get from one part of the course to another to catch a glimpse of the racers. During the course of a 3-mile race, you may get to witness all of about 1-minute of the action, and that only if you're willing to break a sweat.

At the start of the junior varsity race, we watched Samantha run out of sight very near the head of the pack, around number 10. At the first subsequent point where we watched her go by, she had dropped back to around number 20. I was a little concerned that she had been to aggressive in the beginning and gassed. At the next spot, she had moved up one or two spots and was still looking good. The last place I saw her was about 2/3 into the race. She was holding her own at number 17, with a pretty big pack of girls right behind her.

We moved over to the finish area, and before long, the girls in the lead started to trickle in. Then there was Samantha. She had managed to move to number 16 and had a very good kick to the end, not allowing anyone to pass her. She finished with a time of 23:10, about two minutes better than her previous best. To put that in context, the girl's varsity winner ran the course in 18:45.

Number 16 on the JV race may not sound that impressive, but I was amazed. Six weeks ago, I didn't even know she liked to run. I'm really proud of this girl. She's got a little motor in her that just doesn't quit, whether it be cross country, basketball, flute, school, etc.

As for the guy on the bike, he made it through unscathed. He'd better watch out next time, I saw some girls messing with his bike.

2008-09-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Samantha had a cross country meet on Friday (I like to call them track meets because it bothers her). This whole cross country thing seems a little out-of-character for Samantha, but we never thought she would latch on to basketball either. Anyway, I asked her before the meet what her goal was for the 3-mile run. She told me "26 minutes", which was slower than the last time I watched her run. When I gave her a hard time about it, she just smiled.

I've never watched a cross country meet before. It's kind of like watching a golf tournament, in that you have to move around the course. The difference is that sometimes you have to run if you want to catch a glimpse of the racers as they go by. The course at Tigard made several loops around an through a park. There were lots of trees, so most of the time you couldn't see them, then all of the sudden they would come out of the trees and go running by.

At the start, Samantha ran up to the front and was in about 10th place when we lost sight of her. Here is a photo of the start, good luck spotting Samantha in the crowd.

At the first spectator point where we could see her, she had dropped back to about 20th, but she was looking good and running strong. I was worried that she was going to gas, and kind of surprised that she was being so aggressive.

At the second point, she had moved up a little bit and was still looking good.

As she came around for the finish, she was in 16th place. She finished very strong and didn't let anyone pass her. I was amazed that she did so well. She ended up with a time of about 23:10 for 3 miles.

Purseless

2008-09-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

For some reason the rest to my family has come to HATE my planner.
I'm not sure why. I never asked them to carry it around for me. Great fun things came from the planner... what was for dinner, money, a knife, fingernail clippers, stamps, the time their game starts....
Anyway, since Jeff started to use an iphone last year I have been quite impressed by the ease he can find places, call people, and check his e-mail. My planner started on its way to the grave last November when the magnet snap, and arm strap broke. I went into the Franklin Planner store and my same planner purse cost $150, so I decided to just fix the magnet and buy a new strap. I took my purse to some luggage company downtown and they fixed it for $20. (I even did the trip downtown in my big truck with 0 turning radius. I am amazing.) One week later it was fixed and I was happy again. I still looked around for a new purse that my planner would fit into perfectly. Nothing.... nothing.... nothing, for a year I have looked. So I was starting to think of going back to Franklin and buying the dang purse. But this whole time I kept thinking I would love an iphone. It would be awesome to have the internet where ever I went. I wouldn't have to manually update my planner anymore. I could check game schedules from my e-mail away from home. So 3 months ago my planner zipper broke and 2 weeks ago the magnet that I had fixed broke again. (I'll give it to the luggage place, it broke on the other side of the magnet this time.) It is dead....completely utterly dead. I loved this planner purse, it really did keep me on top of most things. So over the last 2 weeks I have had a debate going within me, planner or iphone. The iphone won out and now I carry in a little rubber protector with my license, debit and credit card and a set of keys on a lanyard. I'll have to say it has been hard to go out with out my planner. I feel ill prepared for what might come my way. I do have a billfold to hold all of the silly cards that I need like the library, health insurance, THPRD, Albertsons, RV Road help. I only bring that when I know I need it. I'm purseless and lovin it!

Up a Creek

2008-08-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, we had a paddle. We took the crew on a 6-day 73-mile float down the Lower Salmon River in Western Idaho. We accompanied the Mechams, Riggs, and Johnsens on this trip, they are all veterans of the Lower Salmon and showed us greenhorns how it was done.

We departed for White Bird, Idaho on Sunday afternoon and arrived in the wee hours of the morning. We threw out a tarp, blew up our air mattress, and proceeded to freeze our tails off for the rest of the night. It was a little colder than I expected. Actually, I think Rachael was quite warm as she slept in her winter parka. Two coyotes came into the camp during the night and then hightailed it back out when one of the dogs from another group started barking at them.

We assembled our boat the next morning, and into the river we went for 5 1/2 days of floating, swimming, fishing, and camping on white sandy beaches. It's amazing how the events of a full week blur together and compress into a few memories.

Alec was kind enough to capture a few pieces of photographic evidence. Rachael took a bunch of pictures which I am sure will be forthcoming, but she is busy perfecting them with photoshop.

Here are a few action shots from the class IV rapid on the river, Snow Hole.

The trip was not without its exciting moments. Just a few hours before the above pictures were taken, we came across another group on the river. They were administering CPR to a woman that had been trapped under her boat for 4 minutes when it flipped after hitting a rock wall. The Riggs assisted with giving her medical attention and helped get her down the river to a large camping area. There they found a forest service employee with a radio who was helping coordinate fire fighting efforts for a forest fire in the immediate area. They arranged a jet boat to come pick her up so she could be evacuated to a hospital. We later learned that she made a full recovery. That incident cast a pall over the trip for a few hours. The kicker for Rachael was that I moved to another boat to help with some non-experienced rafters that had been left on their own when their boatsman went to help with the lady who almost drowned. I had Blake pilot our boat and follow me through a little class II rapid so we could get down to the camping area. After just witnessing a near-drowning, Rachael was a little on edge with Blake driving the boat.

We enjoyed getting into the water on the calm spots on the river, cooling off and "checking the prop". I amazed the kids with my acrobatic talents (don't they look amazed?). Seeing me launch into the air like this must be kind of like watching the Spruce Goose take flight.

We floated through a canyon that was on fire, as I noted before. The firefighters were out in force, with planes and helicopters working to put the fire out. At one of our camp sites, we watched all afternoon as a helicopter went back and forth to the river to suck up water to dump on the fire. At first it looked like he was going to draw water from right in front of our camp, but then he saw the kids out swimming in the river and moved downstream. In this picture, you can see the hose hanging underneath the helicopter that he uses for sucking up water. You can also see the smoke from the fire in the canyon.

All of the camping was on white, sandy beaches. It was very nice, but kind of hard on the feet. By the end of the trip, my feet were so dried out that they were starting to crack, and they were raw from the wet sand rubbing between my sandals and my feet. I guess that is the price to be paid for paradise. The Rigg's tent (show in this picture) blew into the river when a sudden gust of wind came up. Casey and Branden happened to be close by and jumped into the river to save it.

We had a great cliff jumping spot at our last campsite. We entertained ourselves for a couple of hours jumping off of this cliff. This was also the campsite where we caught the most fish. Alec and the kids dug a hole in the beach and lined it with a tarp. We then filled it with water and created a little holding tank for a bunch of little bass that we caught.

Sea Fair, See well, See fantastic

2008-08-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't figured out Mahina's new blog writer yet, but will post anyway, boring font and all.

A few weeks ago Jeff, Cason, Carissa, and I went up to Seattle to visit my sister's family. They were up from Kentucky to visit Ryan's family. They are always so sweet and invite us for the fun. We got up there on Friday night and met Cassidy for the first time. What an adorable baby!!! She smiled the whole time and has got the cutest eyes. Tiffany knows the gift she was given and is willing to share. She let me hold her and put her to sleep. Just that was worth the trip. Sat morning we enjoyed a feast of a breakfast and then headed off to Sea Fair. We found a grassy spot right on Lake Washington and relaxed while we watched the Blue Angles perform and afterward some jet boats. We had some ice cream from the ice cream man and part of an orange for lunch. Dinner was at Karens, Tiffany's sister-in-law, where we had our choice of steak, fresh caught crab, chicken, and hamburgers. She also had out her candy popcorn. It is so good she actually started a business selling it. DElish!!! It was such a great time. Short and sweet. I can't wait for Tiffany and Ryan to finally settle here in the west. I sure miss them.

The Rodeo, An American Celebration

2008-08-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Several years ago the Johnsons and the Hills invited us to go to the St. Paul Rodeo for the 4th of July. Ever since, if we are in Oregon, we go. This year was no exception. The bulls were wilder than ever but we missed the clown from other years.

I teared up AGAIN during the National Anthem. It always makes me feel such pride and love for our country. St. Paul just makes me feel like I am in "home town" America.

Spending our 4th of July's in St. Paul has been a great tradition. I remember the year that we planned a picnic with the Johnsons to a park. I had spent a lot of time on a jello salad in the shape of a flag with the whipped cream, blueberry stars and everything. Jeff decided to have Blaze, our dog, drag the cooler to the picnic table. She took off running and needless to say the jello didn't survive. I believe we started the St. Paul tradition the next year.

During the rodeo a bull tried to jump the gates, and a cowboy got his hand stuck in the rope.
It is quite entertaining, no jello gets hurt in the process either. It always ends in fireworks and elephant ears. What a great day.

Soaring Eagles

2008-05-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday for the YM's activity the priests made dinner for their mothers. I had some running around to do but eventually joined the dinner. (It was at our house.) Jeff was getting into town that night too. It was very nice. Blake made jello, others made chicken and rice and beans (I think). We played Celestial partners, with some of the questions tweeked so that we could see how well we knew each other. We didn't win but were a close 2nd place. Blake is a great son.

Speaking of... Wed we went to Blake's eagle Board of Review. Mitch Mason was his advicate and Russ Allen and Brian Merritt were on the board. Jeff and Cason's opthomologist was the head on the board. I new I had met him before. It went well and BLAKE IS NOW AN EAGLE SCOUT!!!! I can't tell you how happy I am that he is done, and with months to spare. For his eagle project he built a fence for the ACR here in Aloha. Once he tore down the other fence it was easy to see that they were not utilizing all that was available, so they changed things right on the spot. Blake arrange for a CAT to come in and flatten all of the dirt inside and outside the new fence line. Jerry Janeck had a great contact that came and did it for free. It took at good portion of a Sat. There were many great men that helped make this all happen. I sure appreciate all that each of the leaders have done to teach and help Blake become a man, especially Jeff. I sure have a great husband.

mother's day

2008-05-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

tha

Okay, so I saw this draft that was never posted. So here it is. Maybe I can get caught up...

Sunday was a wonderful mother's day. Jeff mad a great breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, and waffles. He bought me some plants and a fucia hanging basket. Carissa made me a clip all decorated, and Samantha gave me a great card with fruit and vegetable stickers on it. (I have a pep peeve about fruit stickers). What a sass! We played Scum (a fun card game) while Jeff prepared a great pork roast dinner. It was a wonderful day. Cason sang to me the last time for mother's day in primary. I cried. Dumb I know. We played a fun game called scum while Jeff cooked. The game is great because if you are the winner that round you are the Queen or the King. I love being the Queen. But the best part of the whole day was that my family let me take a family photo without shenanigans. I take every photo, so it is push the button and run. Last year they kept making goofy poses while I was posing so great up front. So this year, they were great. We had a hard time finding something that matched, so we decided to wear our favorite outfits. No matching at all. I just love them though. I think they turned out great for my push and run method. One of these days I will ask one of my great friends to do it, but for now, this worked. Samantha got a great picture of Jeff and me too.

2008-05-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday Cason stressed way out about giving a talk in primary. He is so funny. It was like he was addressing the Supreme Court the way he worried. He ended up doing a great job. Monday we bought a cake and ice cream and had some friends over so I wouldn't eat my for birthday cake. It was fun. Blake had bought me the movie the Italian job. Cason gave me a new set of head phones for my ipod that I could run with. Jeff rebought me photoshop and a new MAC computer for upstairs. I now have a computer all of my own. I am so excited! I still haven't figured everything out yet. I am still learning mac talk and I am just learning Bridge (the organizing program that comes with photoshop) from tutoring video's off of the web that comes free for a month. I am learning so much, mostly how to see my day fly by. The last couple of days I have learned a lot, but not accomplished a lot. It is a good thing Jeff has been out of town, because I'm not very good company.

recent activities

2008-05-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

The last couple have weeks have been great. First, it was my 38th birthday on Friday May 2nd. I really meant to play it up like some of my blogging friends and announce it to the world, but I just got too busy. I did call up Jeff and took him to lunch at Izzy's. We had a great time and I was able to get a couple of pictures. I still don't know how to do that without having a double chin. We knew that he had to help someone move that night and the next morning, so we enjoyed lunch together. Don't we just look great, like two crazies right out of the farm. Sat morning was a busy day. Carissa spent the night at the Lloyds so she could ride over to the Stake Activity day the next morning. Blake helped Jeff move someone and I think Samantha had Becca spending the night. Blake went to bed fairly early so he could wake up early for his SAT test. He has been studying for a couple of months now. I hope he does well. I woke up early to get ready for my triathlon. Bridget picked me up and we set off to set up our running and biking gear at the transitions locations. We went to the bathroom a couple of times. For some reason, as calm as I feel, my body rebels and takes it's own opinion and gets nervous. I didn't feel jittery or anything, just a few potty breaks. Bridget and I were fortunate enough to be not only placed in the same wave, but the same lane. That was the best. We sat there and got nervous together. She is such a wonderful friend. I am so glad she is apart of my life. The other fortunate thing is that one of the four people in our lane didn't show, so it was another lady, 5 seconds, then ANOTHER 5 secs, then me, and then Bridget. It was so nice! I was just fast enough to tail the 1st lady and drafted in here bubbles. It was so awesome. I did it in less than 10 minutes. A new record for me. Bridget wasn't far behind me. I forgot my big running number when I took off on the bike. Oh well, it didn't matter at all. I was pumping myself up to make this hill in the middle of the bike course. There is a steady incline for a while and then a hill. Right as I was going up the hill some random non competitive bikers passed me, but all in all, when I got to the top, I realized that the hill wasn't near as hard as I had thought. I raced it as fast as I could to the stadium. A fellow competitor tried to catch me the whole time, but didn't. We dismounted at the same time. When we took off running we talked for a bit, but his pace was too much for me. I had maybe 2-4 people pass me the whole race. That was awesome. When all was said and done I had done my best race ever. The best part is that I felt so good the whole race. I was positive and happy and felt strong the whole way. When I finished I stretched for a few minutes and waited for Bridget. I didn't cramp or hurt like I had other times. It made me feel great about getting older. The rest of the day was nice. Jeff came home form moving people, I got in a nap and then I went and watched Carissa play a couple of games of basketball, and later that night Samantha play in a couple of games. They both did well and it was fun to watch them. Carissa has a wedgy problem. I have bought her a few pairs of different undies. I hope to find one that will help her. I recorded some of her games, and she is going to be embarrassed.

Forts

2008-04-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Cason and Carissa made a huge fort downstairs. Cason was so excited he even took pictures from inside the fort. What fun kids.

Blake's Prom pictures

2008-04-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Blake had a great time at prom. Monica was totally cute. We let Blake take the jeep so he was stoked.

Here is my prom picture with the big hair. I went on a blind date with my brother's roommate. We had a GREAT time together. He showed up in a wig that looked like he was the lead singer for VanHalen. It was a riot. What great memories. The green shiny walpaper. The old gold couch.

Spirit Week

2008-04-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

If you have kids in school, you will know what spirit week is, there is a theme for everyday The kids love it. Both Samantha and Cason have spirit week this week. They have had pajama day, superhero day, sports day, and mismatched day. Here is Cason as Elvisman...
Cason wore this great outfit to school, come to find out you aren't allowed to wear any of it but the cape. Funny rules. No hats, no masks, no gloves, and absolutely no clothes on the outside of other clothes, (not even real shorts). Poor kid was left only with the cape. You know, soon capes will be banned too. I heard it on the Incredibles "No capes". He is such a funny kid.

Wanna be a cowboy?

2008-04-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

The other day Carissa and Samantha dressed up as cowboys and started singing, "I wanna be a cowboy" song. I love that they know the songs of my youth and love them too. I took a couple cute shots of them, but none with the cowboy boots. Imagine that they both are wearing size 12 mens cowboy boots. They were hilarious.

Braces and Prom

2008-04-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Friday, I taught seminary at Aloha then dropped off some 3x5 cards and ziplock baggies at Mountain View for Samantha, then I met Blake down at OHSU for his LAST ortho appointment. (Actually he has a few checkup appointments) , but he no longer has braces. YEAH!
Blake has had them on for four years. He was really one appointment away from getting them off in the fall when he got bonked in the mouth at school and nearly lost his bottom row of teeth. His braces saved the day, but they needed to stay on another 6 months. He looks so good now. He immediately had girls flocking the house and has been asked to the Southridge prom. I will post a picture as soon as blogger has worked out some kink.

Do you remember the day you got your braces off? Do you remember a favorite prom?
I'll have to post about that one. I have pictures that will blow your mind. I'm not sure a blog can contain the amount of hair that was going on. MMMMM....Memories.

2008-04-13T23:38:00.001-07:00

Friday night we had 4 11 year olds over for a sleepover. Brother Merrit and Brother Whitnah took these boys to the older scouts snow caving trip the next morning at 6:30. Cason wore his Sunday socks instead of his nice ski socks and suffered the consequences. It was good for him to learn that lesson this time instead of next year when he will actually spend the night in the snowcave. Big thanks to all of the scout leaders that make these experiences happen and take the great pictures to post!!

Also I have to mention on my blog that Samantha finally bought a flute. She has been saving all of her babysitting money for a flute. Actually she only used her spending money for this, which is only 40% of what she has actually earned. She had a couple of anonymous donations that added up to about $300 for her to actually buy the $1400 flute that she wanted. Believe it or not, most flutes were $5,000 or more. Holy Bonanza. I'm not sure I would trust a 13 year old with something that cost more than the car I drive. Her recital was last night. She did a wonderful job. I hope to be able to download a audio clip to the blog so you can hear her play. I'll be getting a copy of it from her teacher. Thanks to all that have donated to her flute though hiring her for babysitting. Now she doesn't know what she wants to save for. She still doesn't understand why she had to buy it instead of Jeff and I . She will be so proud of herself when she is older. This will be one of those stories she will tell her children.

1st ride of the year!

2008-04-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Bridget and I actually went on our first bike ride of the year. We have planned this at least a dozen times, but yesterday was worth waiting for. It was a beautiful day! We did a short run afterward as well. As much as I love biking, Bridget makes it even better with intriguing conversation and active listening skills. Speaking of that, we also had a girls night out a few weeks ago. All of them asked me about my trip and listened to my stories about loosing tickets and crossing the border. I also got a great tip from Hiedi about Restaurant.com. Check it out! Becky brought her little baby and let me snuggle him to sleep. It was great to remember what that was like without experiencing the whole thing. What great friends I have. Every single one of them are a truly unique jewel. For those of you who couldn't make it, we missed you.

Mexico

2008-04-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

So of the highlights of the Mexico trip were Blake yelling at the top of his lungs every 5 minutes how much he hates tar. All of the locals looked at us like we were crazy.

I also remember all of the big muscular manly boys running out of their room in the "hospital" screaming like little girls at a haunted house. Will said there was a "black widow" in his suitcase. It took a good hour to get them to go back in the room and hunt it down. At lunchtime we would eat with the locals in their home. It was great to see my kids eat anything. I even think we were fed cactus with our tortillas one afternoon. Monday we spent most of the day at a roof putting up insulation strips, finishing a bathroom shower (and I mean all in one), and finishing off the siding to and old barn that we were preparing to become a real room. The area we were working, you can see that they are really bad. I have never seen such good use our of old tires. Even amongst these very poor you find that they plant flowers.

Samantha also go sunburned really bad that first day but was a trooper and really didn't complain. I thought she would be up all night and pretty much done for the rest of the week, but she stayed with it and put in a hard days work each day.

Almost everyday the ice cream man would come by and sell us his treats. The first day way a crap shoot and some of us ended up with some real funky Popsicles. They were described as jalepeÑo, and another as shampoo grass. Almost everyone tried them, but the next day most of us ended up getting a tried and true vanilla, eggnog flavor that we knew to be good. The first day as I cam back to the truck, just up the street from where we were working there was a stray horse just eating along side of the road. We really don't even have stray cats or dogs anymore. Can you imagine a stray horse? Bizarre.

One of the other of my favorite parts about this trip was working along side Will. I don't know how we got paired up together, but for at least two days straight we ended up on top of a roof together.

I know that I am not the favorite Aunt in my family, ( I became the first mom and last aunt, so I have way more mothering skills than aunting skills), even that said, I really had a great time with him. All of the kids were such great workers. Working together as a big family really does unify everyone.

I suspect this is one of the reasons this trip really was so wonderful. We were unified doing something that was good and beneficial to someone else. Service. On Friday when we went back to say goodbye tears of gratitude were shed, and it wasn't just from these wonderful ladies we helped but from our family. I am so grateful for the opportunity for my family to help them. I had a "sisters in Zion" moment, when I knew these sweet women knew that they were loved not only by me but by God. It was very taxing emotionally to leave them knowing how there next day would be and what our next day would be. It was hard not to feel spoiled especially when it is the truth.

If you want to hear another version of this trip check out my sister Melinda's blog. She had a great recap of the trip.

Mt. Shasta

2008-04-06T02:05:00.001-07:00

Samantha was as excited as I was.
Mt. Shasta is very hard to see here but quite beautiful.

She is also my only photographer on this part of the trip. I don't have many pictures of myself and I actually like this one. She did a great job. Mt. Shasta is actually too bright to actually see in this one.

Mt. Shasta

2008-04-06T00:57:00.001-07:00

This was the first shot of the trip. Mt. Shasta is beautiful and reminds me of my own Mt. Hood. Samantha was the only one to get out of the car and this point, must have been a good movie on.

Spring Break

2008-04-06T00:36:00.000-07:00

Because we had 2 extra days for spring break this year, (parent teacher conferences), I decided it was the perfect time to take the kids down to Mexico and participate in one of my dad's Charity Anywhere Expeditions. I also thought I would kill two birds with one stone and finally take my kids to Disneyland on the way down. We had a couple extra bonuses, my sister, Melinda, and her family, and my mom were all able to come. My dad had already been down there a week and crossed back over the border to pick up my mom from the airport and meet us for Disneyland. We had a great time. We stayed at the Hilton, thanks Priceline, and lived it up before crossing the border on Sunday morning for church. Everyone worked really hard the rest of the week. We couldn't have done it without Mike. My Dad also had everything arrange so well. Our sleeping arrangements were way too nice and I wondered why I had paid so much money without my kids sleeping among scorpions, going without running water and toilets, and learning to shower with a bucket of cold water while mosquitoes ate them alive. That was all a disappointment, to come back to the "hospital" where we were staying to a bed, a warm shower, and toilets. Actually I thought it couldn't have worked our nicer. I have awesome parents that are great examples to my children and I appreciate how much they did to make this happen, not only for me, but many people for over a decade. We were able to cross back over the border on Friday and go to an evening at California Adventure before pulling in really late to Bakersfield. We were able to have lunch with Jeff's Grandpa on Sat and then head home. Melinda's family split off at Sacramento and we hauled it all the way in on Sunday. Over the next few days I will add some pictures and comments of the trip, probably not in order. Thanks to all that welcomed me back. It was great to feel missed. I would have to say how much I love the USA. What a wonderful beautiful place I am blessed to live.

Spring Break

2008-04-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Carissa- "Disneyland was awesome! My favorite ride was the Matterhorn. In Californiz Acventure it was the California Screamin'. On Monday nailing the red nails was fun and easy. Lola and Sarie were the only friends I made there. Lola was really nice."

Cason joins the club

2008-01-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Cason joined the buzz club last night and loves it.

Christmas pictures

2008-01-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Every year, since last year, (you like that) I have taken a cute Christmas picture of my kids. Last year I didn't get one of Jeff or me, but this year I got them all. We have trouble getting a family portrait for some reason so this is as close to a family picture as I can get. I actually take these pictures to put in little frame ornaments on the tree. I want to keep a theme going of holding something new in front of my front door. Last year I did aspen firewood. What should I do next year. I want it fairly big. Maybe a big snowball.

Merry Christmas to All!!

2007-12-22T15:10:00.000-08:00

Remembering 2007...

Carissa is growing up. Somehow that happens even to the baby of the family. She is as tall as Samantha was at 10, and continues to grow. She and Samantha share a lot of their clothes already. I think she is the only one that got the Bill Wight height. She played soccer this year and really enjoys being the goalie. She is signed up for basketball for the first time and will start in January. All of her teachers tell me how much they enjoy Carissa being in their class. She and Samantha both got brave, ok, it was mostly me, and cut their hair. She is still just as cute as ever, what was I worried about? The most exiting thing this year for Carissa was that she was baptized. She and her cousin Tara were baptized the same day in Boise ID. Tons of family came and we had a great time together celebrating.

Cason enjoyed playing football and is onto wrestling now. He conquered Elementary school during this year and is now battling it out in middle school. He is going to a charter T.A.G. middle school that is very challenging for him. He is getting the hang of it though. He has had more homework than all the rest of the kids put together. Needless to say he was very excited for Christmas break. Cason loves legos, snap circuits, and bionicles. He earned his arrow of light award in Cub scouts and is on his way to 1st class.

Samantha is still a mini Jeff, they think so much alike it is astonishing. She is focused and ambitious. She has been asked to play her flute by several different groups and just loves it. If she could only bring one thing on a deserted island it would be a toss up between candy, mac and cheese, and her flute. Samantha's greatest accomplishment this year was finishing her Young Womens Personal Progress award. She has been amazing to watch. Some of her 10 hour projects consisted of teaching someone else how to play the flute, organizing my storage room, cooking dinner for a week, learning how to paint, and painting her room. Yes, I am very sad it is over and hope the church comes out with another program that will motivate her to do all of the things on my to do list. I guess there is still Carissa... Samantha also plays one sport, basketball. This last year her team won the Championship game and had an awesome season. Some other things Samantha enjoyed this year was girls camp, the ropes course at the Carter family Reunion, and waterskiing. What a brave girl!

Blake is now a Junior and I am starting to feel the time crunch, knowing our days with him our numbered. I enjoy having him around to lift heavy things and help me out when Jeff is busy. He has been a great teenager that gets good grades, drives decently, and is not obsessed with girls. He has a great crowd of friends. Blake's biggest accomplishment this year was finishing his Eagle Project. He built a fence for the ARC. He did a great job and really changed the whole backyard of this place. He was even able to get a CAT to level off the ground. Nothing puts a smile on a young man's face than big toys. He should have his eagle board of review in the next few weeks and be on his way. YEAH for Blake!!! Because of last years finger surgery, Blake opted not to play football this year and save his body for wrestling. It is a good thing, because wrestling is taking its toll on Blake. He has bruises and aches and pains everywhere. He is on the Varisty team but struggles a bit because of his inexperience. He does well for only having wrestled his freshman year and the last 3 weeks of his sophomore year. Blake enjoyed EFY in Boise, waterskiing at the Carter Family Reunion and deer hunting with Jeff this year.

Jeff has had a great year this year: he shot a deer, helped his buddy Alex, who shot an Elk, continues to solve INTEL's problems, helps Cason with his science fair project, finished putting in travertine tile in the entryway and down the hall and bathroom. He continues to be the family Tech guy, fixing every electronic gadget that breaks down. He has been able to take the two dogs out hunting a few times too. Jeff biggest, what should I call it ummmm, opportunity, came when he became our wards bishop. He was pretty busy serving in the High Council most of the year, but is now back heavily involved in our ward. I sure appreciate what a good example he is to our children and the sacrifices he make in serving the Lord.

My biggest accomplishment is everything you just read about, my family. I hope you have enjoyed catching up with us and enjoyed hearing a little more about our family. I hope your Christmas brings you joy and relaxation. Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Thanksgiving was spent at the Sants, my sister Melinda's

The Buzz club

2007-12-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Many of you have heard rumors that Blake has shaved his head. Yes, they are true. A dear friend of mine, LaFawn, had been diagnosed with cancer a month or so ago. She is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. She teaches many different classes at 24 hour fitness. Last week I was taking her strength training class I was thinking, if LaFawn can do it I certainly should be able to. Wow is she amazingly strong. Blake is great friends with Mitch her son and so her oldest sons started the club buy buzzing their hair. Mitch and a bunch of other friends have buzzed theirs as well. Even her husband did. She has such a great support system. She somehow has the knack of staying in close contact with all of her friends, some from years and years ago. Anyway one of my hard drives are down and so the only picture I have of Blake right now is after a wrestling meet where he got a bloody nose. So here you go....

2007-11-10T11:52:00.001-08:00

This month I listened to Dave Ramsey's book on CD called The Complete Money Makeover. I would suggest that to everyone, and to have their children read it before they head off to college. So this month I have really tried to tighten the budget strings and start squeezing more of it into savings. Not such an easy task, but in the process I have found that I have always said "yes " to my kids when they want things. I don't think I have spoiled them, but I don't think they ever gave a second thought to how we spend our money. I have used money to solve a lot of my problems. I am learning not to say "no", but "next month" or "maybe something cheaper". I think it will teach them to be use to a budget and not use to getting what they want right then. That is a valuable character trait that I want my kids to have. Anyway, love the book.

2007-11-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

The last thing that has happened in the last month or so has been Jeff being called as our ward's bishop. WILD HUH. He had been REALLY busy at work for a month already, but if you know Jeff he is always busy. So, not much has really changed. I know he will do a great job.

As for me it has been a wild ride lately. I have had some real life changing things happen to dear people around me, (people dying, getting cancer, getting in big trouble.) It has been hard to stand by and not be able to do anything. I guess it has made me grateful for where I am and the family and friends that I have.

I have been busy too. I got the "matching" bunk beds in the girls room and the loft bed in Cason's up. The rooms are all done now. I even got the shelving up in Cason's closet. The girls love the new bunk beds and Cason thinks his loft bed is awesome. The storage room has all of the shelving up too and now I just have to continue to fill it with food.

2007-11-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Samantha had a band concert and performed a couple of duets and was a solo flutist in some of the songs the whole band played. She will be playing with the ward choir in a couple of weeks too. She continues to amaze me with all her music abilities.

Carissa has continued to be a delight in our home and tries to keep up with Samantha which makes me amazed that my baby is so grown up. For instance, just the girls and I went to the pumpkin patch this year with some friends. The childhood wonderment was gone. We had a fun time. We really enjoyed the great weather, friends, kettle corn, (thanks Sarah), but not the same as taking a three year old. She just finished her soccer season and is going to start her 1st year of basketball.

Cason

2007-11-10T11:23:00.001-08:00

Cason just finished his football season. They won one game, tied the last game in overtime, and lost 5 other games. Even with the loosing season Cason was awesome this year. He played both offense and defense and stayed in almost the season. He played receiver, and corner back, if that means anything to you. He made a touchdown catch one game and made lots of great tackles for being such a small guy.

Blake's Eagle Project

2007-11-09T21:36:00.001-08:00

Well it has been a little over a month since I have added anything. Let me make a quick life update...

Blake has finished his Eagle project!!! Way to go Blake! A big "THANK YOU goes out to Jerry, Tony, Sarah, Mark, and Jeff, that stuck it out with Blake through the whole thing, mud and all. He built a fence for the ARC, and had the ground all leveled off with a bulldozer so that they could plant more grass and make the area usable. He couldn't have don't it without the help of so many people. He has finished writing it up and needs to make an appointment for his Eagle Board of Review. I am so happy for him!

Week of Sept 18th

2007-09-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

This last week I decided that I am certainly going to make it to old age, but I am starting to think that if I am to stay in shape I am going to act like I am old all of the time with all of the aches and pains I get from trying to stay in shape just so that I can get to "old age". I was hobbling around all week, it is quite ridiculous. After going to an abs class, strength training class, a bike ride and a four mile run, my body is calling "uncle."

Blake, with one of his good friends, Mitchell had a Happenin Hippy Party. They had 30 or so kids over dressed up in hippy attire. Blake and Mitch had afro and headbands. It brought me back to my childhood. They played games, had tacos, a foosball tournament, and then watched a movie. All said and done we only had the neighbors say they were going to call the cops once. (Keep in mind that they were the ones having an alcohol induced party. ) Actually my neighbors are awesome. Anyway I think they all had a great time.

Blake also had the ARC call and say they have the funding for the fend , and that they want the fence built this next week. He had been tracking down some funding so this has sped things up considerable for him. He has been organizing food, advertising, tools, and supplies. I am so excited that he is finishing this all up.

Cason had a football game Sat night during the Blake's party. Jeff went and took Carissa and her little friend. They lost and even had a kid break his leg which made the game even longer. He really played his heart out and was just exhausted. He has had a really hard schedule to keep up with.

Carissa had a soccer game Sat morning too. She is doing so well and really loves being the goalie. She likes kicking it really hard. She needs to practice dribbling the ball more.

Jeff has still been pretty busy at work. I love seeing him. I feel like we are back to dating, because we don't see each other but on the weekends. It will get back to normal soon.

Oh I totally forgot to tell you what happened Friday. I was out running errands when I decided to take my phone off of mute and check my messages. The last message was just 2 minutes beforehand and was from the high school. I listened to the message and it was Blake's weight lifting teacher (the football coach) saying that Blake might have knocked out 3 of his lower front teeth. I sped as fast as I could to the school and took him to the dentist. He was there but his assistant and good friend of ours took x rays. She said that he needed to go to the orthodontist. So we hopped back in the car and ran downtown to his orthodontist. They go him fixed up and looking close to new again. The teeth didn't come out but were pushed back into his mouth. They say he was lucky he was still wearing braces otherwise the teeth probably would have come out. he may need root canals later but so far everything looks good still. He was very calm and was more upset that he was going to have braces for 6 more months than getting hurt.
He even went to the football game that night.

That was my life this week...

2007-09-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

This week was a tough one. But ended up on a great note. Monday I did the normal running around. I took the Honda in to get fixed. $1600 later it works great. I have been to the plumbing store 3 times to get the right drain for our tub and top to our toilet. One of the kids broke it several years ago and just chipped the edge of it off, and I have never replaced it. I still don't have one that fits. Tuesday I went on a bike ride with Bridget and Mahina, which was great until I decided that my tire needed to be pumped up more and broke off the piece that keeps the air in the tube. I changed it fairly quickly. I'm pretty proud of that. When I got back I went to a luncheon at Juliana's which was great fun. I stayed after and made Juliana and Sarah S. help me figure out treasure hunt clues for the Young Womens activity that night. It went off really well. Thanks gals! We had YW Board meeting afterward. We were out until 11 or so. Jeff has been working crazy long hours so I tried to stay up and wait for him but just ran out of gas. Samantha had a rash on her face for a couple of days and Wed I took her into the doctor. It healed up in 2 days. Wed night after taking Thunder for a walk I found out my neighbor had died. It was not good at all. This kind of took up my day the next couple of days and has really made me think a lot. I still went Thursday morning to site counsel at Mountain View. (We are looking for other parents to be on the board with me, so if you have a child going there, you should apply to be on the counsel. It is a great way to have an influence on the school and to be informed. ) I met up with Mahina for an abs class and lifted weights and swam a bit too. Saturday I missed half of Carissa's soccer game because the soccer league hadn't changed the schedule from the previous year. Her coach coached last year and his name was on there and everything. The amazing thing is that I even ended up at the right field and even close to the time of her game. I think we were at the coast when they handed out schedules. I felt SO dumb. The day ended with Cason's football game. They pulled out of a clincher. It was 18 to 12 and the other team was on the 3rd yard line with about 2 minutes left. Wow what an exciting game. Cason played a lot. He had a couple of great plays too. We took him to dinner to celebrate. It is great to have Jeff back in our lives again, even if it is only on the weekend. It was great to talk to so many family members this week too. I even found out my dad has started a blog!!! Cool huh? I had lots to think about this week and am glad I have so many people willing to listen to me. I have awesome friends and caring family!!!

I

Rockaway Beach

2007-09-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

I was given a weekend at a friends beach house. I took Jeff for a couple of night and then the two girls for a couple more. It was so relaxing. I think the only thing I did was eat, sleep, watch TV and take pictures. It was our 18th anniversary and it was great to know we still love being together. Here are a few of my favorite pictures. I took some of my friend's family one of the nights. They are so cute!

Cason's Room NOT PINK

2007-09-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Cason's room

2007-09-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last couple of weeks painting several rooms. Carissa and Samantha switched rooms with Cason LAST YEAR and have finally painted their rooms. Cason was such a trooper putting up with a pink room for that long. He wasn't picky at all about how it was going to be painted. He left it up to me and had resigned himself to being polite to me when it was done. He was so surprised that he loved it. It was great to know all of my hard work was appreciated. The girls spent days deciding how to do their room. I thought we might have to call in a negotiator. Samantha wanted pink, Carissa blue. Samantha wanted stripes, Carissa wanted blocks with patterns in them. This was the compromise... I think it turned out great and the girls think their room looks like a magazine, (except for the bunk bed). They want a different bunk bed that isn't so dark of a wood. I keep reminding them we are in the "money saving mode". We just spent a bunch on the living room carpet. All in good time. They should have them in time for their kids to use. I still have to put up Cason's closet shelving and paint the girls closet too but, again all in good time.

This week...

2007-08-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

So I haven't added a lot lately. We went on a family reunion, a family vacation and, I was also in charge of part of the trek for the youth in our stake. But now it's all over I can finish catching up on the blog

This week I was in my grungies all week and painted. The week before the trek I repainted our living room, a this week finished the kids room swap. Cason has put up with pink for about a year now. It looks wonderful now and our home feels put back together. We still have some detail work left like baseboards and doors hung, but overall it is no longer embarrassing to open the door. I'll post some pictures of the living room and kids rooms. They turned out so great. The kids are all really happy. I am too.

Cason is now back into football full force with pads, and found out he is on the Green 5-6 team, not with Stevie or even Dillon Smith, his good buddies. Oh well. He is 1st team Corner back on D and receiver on offense. He really loves it. He also went on his first official Boy Scout campout. He had a great time and came back with a lot of itchy bug bites.

Samantha has been raking in the dough with babysitting this summer. She has a job with a lady in our ward that uses her about 4 days a week. She had a couple of birthday parties this week including one where they watched High School Musical 2. They stayed up until 6:30AM. She has also been going to extra basketball practices and is 2 hours away from getting her YW madallion. That should be done this week. YAY!!!

The big news this week is that Blake got his Eagle project approved. I am very excited to see progress. He is now working out the details of money, dates, and committees. I hope he finishes it in Sept. I am very proud of him.

Carissa went to goalie camp last week and a soccer jamboree on Sat. She loves it, and loves excelling. She beat a boy in the goalie tournament at the camp. People chanted her name and everything. She was very cute and tried not to act too proud.

Jeff went on a motorcycle trip with his dad into Washington on Wed and came back Sat. He had a great time and saw some beautiful places. I am glad he is back. Last night we found an empty torn up wrapper of mice poison on our bed. We spent the night at the animal hospital with Thunder. She is now confined to her kennal for 4 weeks. She can't get a bruise or cut because her blood with not clot. It will be like trying to keep a 3 year old in bed that feels fine.

I can see school sneaking up on my calendar and I see life slipping away again. I have accomplished some of my goals this summer and others have been put on the shelf for another year, or life. My best moment this week would have to be the smile on the girls faces when they woke up Friday morning and walked into the room. They just beamed. I sure love making them happy.

2007-07-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July we went to the Saint Paul Rodeo. I was in a funk all day. The rodeo cheered me up a bit. We had a great time watching the bull and bronco riding. They had a huge jumbo tron this year which made it even more exciting because you could watch the riders while they were preparing in the chutes. What crazy men. You would have to pay me a whole lot more than $10,000 to get on one of those bulls. The clown again made the whole show. They always have a girl come in and pretend to be the "wild child" that is going to jump a truck and trailer on a motorcycle and he always ends up acting like he doesn't know what he is doing and ends up making the jump. Pretty exciting stuff. Not as exciting as the X games though. Blake and I were watching the highlights from that and WOW what incredible jumps they were making, upside down hands free layouts and then land them. Totally amazing stuff. I feel like I am riding the edge when I ride down a hill on my bike going 35, and I am actually on solid ground.

2007-07-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

So here is Cason. He is such a ham. He didn't want to take pictures. I'm so glad I've started this tradition. We all love the ice cream but the pictures I treasure.

Birthday Portraits

2007-06-25T08:59:00.001-07:00

Last year I decided that I was taking pictures of all of these other families but my own children didn't have any real pictures taken of then every year but the ones at school, which I don't think are the best anyway. So I took it upon myself to take pictures of them on or around their birthday. The key is that I take them out for ice cream afterward. The girls love it the boys will do it for their mom and the ice cream. I have a great time with them and enjoy the pictures and see how cute my kids really are. This last week I had Carissa dress up in her baptism dress again and took her a Cason for a photo shoot. I have only edited Carissa's so far. But WOW is she beautiful. This is at 8. I think I need to start to worry. Or maybe every mother thinks her children are that gorgeous. Either way they turned out nice. Here are my favorites. Cason's will come soon.

Father in Law and Lobster

2007-06-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

Every year, it comes and I never know what to do.....Father's Day. Well this year I had know idea of what to get my Father in Law for Father's Day, like that is a big change from previous years. Anyway, somewhere tucked way back in the recesses of my mind was the idea of sending him a live lobster. Now, I don't even know that he likes lobster. My thinking was, he would get such a hoot out of watching his lovely wife open this pakackage and try and cook this live lobster. I thought he would have a story to tell for years to come. So he called me today. I now have the story...
Judy,MIL, left town sometime, not sure when, to visit Jeff's brother Paul back in Virginia. As she was leaving, or maybe she called and told FIL, Bill she would be having a couple of skirts arrive in the mail. So, the lobster arrived on Friday I guess along with another package. He put them both on the from room table. She had called and asked if her skirts had come. FIL replied yes, one from Dillard's and another from the "Lobster House". No clue yet. All is well at the Wight House. He enjoys his Father's Day alone. Jeff called and talked with him a bit and did all of the well wishing but didn't ever bring up the lobster. I guess not wanting to blow the surprise, or thinking it never showed. Today at 5:00 he calls me and starts by apologizing. He has been going through the whole house trying to find what was stinking so bad. He had taken out all of the garbage and taken several showers, done the laundry, cleaned the fridge, to no avail. Then he finally took a second sniff to the package from the "Lobster House". So for fathers day I gave my FIL a stink bomb. Not quite what I was shooting for....but I did get a funny story that I'm sure he will be able to tell for years to come.

"WW" Wonderful women the jewels of my life

2007-06-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

I am at a great stage in my life. I no longer have small children. Though I am very lucky, and I'm not sure quite how, but I have a bunch a friends that are still in that stage of life. Getting pregnant, nursing, preschool, car seats, I remember that life. It wasn't that far away. But then I have another set of friends that are in the stage after mine, sending their children out the door and becoming empty nesters. I'm not sure how I have gotten to be their friends either. I feel like I am the link between these two great groups of women. The one has pulled me through my tough times, given me advise, hope, and care when I really needed it. The other is letting me enjoy their youthfulness and joy. I was able to go on a girls weekend getaway with this younger group last week. It was so wonderful. Half of the group still had little babies, so it wasn't nearly as long as we all wanted, but good enough. We talked and laughed and had the best time.

There is something so comforting knowing that these women are doing basically the same thing you are...trying to be good mothers and wives. Then today I was invited to a luncheon with this older group of women. Boy are they fantastic. They are wise and happy and a boost to my soul as well. I love to learn from their experiences. I just had a good youth challenged friend move. Lois left last week. I will miss her smile and friendship. I have been so blessed to have all of these wonderful women in my life. Thank goodness for friends!!

My first Blog

2007-04-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

This will be my first attempt. I actually need to finish my budget and make a cheese cake. I have started something new this week in trying to keep the house clean and do a better job at being a homemaker. I have a list of items to do everyday and I stick with the items and ignore everything else until that list is done. It has helped me a lot. I usually and randomly do things that catch my attention.

I start with getting up and making breakfast for the kids.
Then I go work out and come back.
I wake the kids and we read scriptures.
I get the kids off to school and then I eat my wheat cereal for breakfast.
I clean up the kitchen, and that means doing all of the daily stuff and some of the weekly and monthly stuff. I am still trying to decide how often each thing needs to be done to keep it clean without doing busywork.
Next I check my e-mail. I like that part. I start to understand what I need to accomplish and add items to my to do lists.
Then I take a water bottle into the bathroom and take my vitamins.
By the time I reach vitamins I am really tired and want to take my nap, BUT I don't mind showering. A good hot shower is seriously one of my all time favorite things. But before I get in the shower I floss my teeth.
I know this must seem ridiculous to most people but I have a horrible time remembering to floss. I really put it off all day, every day. If it is on the schedule though, I do it.
After the shower I wipe the shower down with a towel and clean up the sink and toilet.
I have a bad time with my feet cracking and so I put that lotion on then too.
Then I finally take a nap. Yey!! It usually is about 1/2 hour.
When my nap is over I put on my makeup and make the bed.
I have trouble with getting dinner ready on time. I am really trying to work on this. So next I start fixing dinner.
Next I enter items into microsoft money and keep the checkbook up to date. I now have a budget and am going to stick to keeping all money accounted for.
Last on my list is paperwork. This is when I make calls, lists, and check my calendar for things I need to do.

After all of this is done it is about 12:30-1:00. I need to make up a schedule for the days the kids are home from school and Friday's. I don't workout on Friday. This worked really well this last week BUT I didn't have anything out of the ordinary scheduled. This week I need to get the jeep in to get the oil changed and VT and I think Blake has a Ortho appointment. I have a tendency to go overboard after I feel like I have failed. I hope I am not doing that. We will see if this takes. I do have to say I didn't feel out of control this week. Time will tell.