Feel Neglected?

May 3, 2009
I have neglected my blog in the last couple months. There's no real reason other than it has not been a priority. It should have been but... So, I've decided to give a recap of the last couple months. So much has happened and I'm not sure how long this post will be but I will TRY to keep it short. HA HA!!!

It says that the last time I wrote was the end of January. (I really can't believe it has been that long). It is now the beginning of May. Where did the time go? Hmmm. I think I'll ponder on that for a minute....Oh, I almost forgot what I was doing.

The February calendar starts to get really busy. I had lots of sub jobs. I started my 2 1/2 week stint (February 25-March 13th) in kindergarten while the teacher went to Israel and Egypt. I had a good time with some really cute kids. I can't think of anything better than singing, learning and playing with the kindergarteners!!! There was one little boy who spent more days in the office than in class but, other than that, we had a great time.

We had some fun activities with the Young Women. We went to the local Family History Library so they could look up their ancestors. We are prepping for the Pioneer Trek and each of the participants will be walking as if they are a pioneer ancestor. (Eric and I were asked to be a Ma and Pa of a family for the trek, so we are involved too.) I have been excited about learning about the people of my past. I was really surprised that there are about 25 to 30 individuals on both Mom and Dad's sides who were pioneers. I would love to find biographies and journals and learn a bit more about them. For other activites: We had a Valentine's activity where we watched "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". We went to the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake. Oh...we went skiing!!! I actually tried it!!! It was fun. Unfortunately, I was the entertainment of the night. The girls had a good time laughing at Me!!!

Eric shared his "karate" talents in our Ward Talent Show. The theme was Talent through the Decades. Each auxiliary was assigned a decade. The Relief Society did an awesome rendition of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". The Primary "Rocked Around the Clock". The Bishopric had fun with "Surfin' USA". Eric and the High Priests did a "karate demonstration" to "Kung Fu Fighting". The Elder's Quorum had some fun break dancing moves and the Young Men did a couple of cute skits and did the "Mormon Rap". The Young Women did not perform because none of the girls were able to be there. That's okay because I did my part taking videos to post on Facebook!! (Somebody needs to be the audience, right?!)

The March calendar is even more full. Of course, I finished up my subbing job in Kindergarten. By the time that was done my house had been sorely neglected. The laundry was piled high and we were in survival mode. I am still learning to adjust to working and trying to balance everything else.

Jared and Tyler were both involved heavily in their respective plays. Jared did "Showboat" at the High School and Tyler was in "The Music Man" at the Jr. High. Both productions were great. It is so fun to see my kids on stage. They have so much personality. It's great!

Other than trying to keep up with his normal workload, Eric spent a week in Denver for an Elder Law Seminar. He is constantly studying and learning more and more about that area of the law. He has also spent lots of time preparing to take the CELA (Certified Elder Law) exam. He just took it at the end of April. There is only a 30-40 percent pass rate. (That translates to HARD test.) If he passes he will be one of three?? attorneys in the state of Utah with that distinction. He has really made a name for himself in the Senior community and continues to stay busy with new clients. I'm so proud of him. We are truly blessed, in this economy, to have a job and actually be growing in the business.

I held my spring Creative Memories Retreat in March also. We had group of about 12. It is always great to get away to scrapbook with my friends. I was able to move a lot of old product and felt really good about my weekend.

On to April, I taught for a week in Mikaela's 4th Grade class while her teacher had surgery. I really love Mrs. Carter as a teacher and a friend. The class did a really good job. Sometimes it has been hard to teach in Mikaela's class because she wants me to give her special privileges. I warned her sternly that if I had any problem I would send her to work in a 3rd grade classroom. That was the trick because she did great. She continues to improve in her reading. The teacher told me she has especially done well in Math. She was at the top of her class on an assessment she took the other day. Yeah Mikaela!

Spring Break!!!! We had spring break between April 6th through the 10th. The choirs at Layton High, Laytones, Lyrics and Lace, go on a California Tour during spring break every year. I went along as a chaperone. We had a fun-filled, packed week. We slept on the bus on the way down, went to Disneyland, Six Flags and did an exchange with John Burroughs High School. (They are amazing! They have some stuff up on YouTube that is just incredible, if you are interested in seeing what they do.) We then went down to San Diego where they performed at Sea Port Village, spent a day performing at Live Oak Elementary School in Fallbrook, had a free day to play at the beach, performed at Horton Plaza (an outdoor 4-story mall much like the Gateway in Salt Lake) and then slept on the bus on the way home. There were many late nights and early mornings. It took me about a week to recover from the lost sleep.

The return to life was an adjustment because I jumped right back into sub jobs and driving kids to their activities. Tyler has been busy auditioning for choir and the big musical at the high school. He is proudly a member of Lyrics (the all-male show choir) for next year. He will also be in "The Wedding Singer" next March. The productions at Layton High are incredible. They will rehearse and prepare starting in September.

I think I mentioned everybody but Zach and Parker. Zach has really been enjoying being part of the 11-year old Scout group. There is only two of them in the group right now. Their leaders are fun and bring donuts almost every week!!! Zach is a social butterfly who flits between friends frequently. We are a little worried about some of his choices of friends, but overall, he's doing pretty good. Poor Parker gets lost in the shuffle of everyone's activities. He spends lots of time at his friend Kaden's house. I feel bad that he's over there so much but Kaden's mom insists that they have a great time and she loves having a buddy for her kids to play with.

We are going through quite the transition with Jared. He's getting ready to graduate at the beginning of June. We have many worries with him and hope he will choose the right. I can't go into a lot of details but please pray for him and us that things will work out for the best.

I guess that's all for now. That wasn't too bad, I guess. Hopefully I will be able to be more consistent now that this is out of the way.

Celebration Time!!!! Small and Simple Things...

Today has been productive...

I'm so excited to report that I have finally completed all my laundry and put it away!!! I feel like celebrating!!! I came so close last week but it didn't take long to get away from me again. I wish it would stay this way but I know, all too well, that there will be more where that came from --- UGH!!!

I finally filed a pile of things that have been sitting here for a while. It wasn't too hard, just had to get the motivation to get it done. I've been working on getting our medical expenses for 2008 together in the last couple days. To do that I had to go through those files so I filed while I was at it. Eric will be happy to know that I completed the medical forms he has been nagging me about!!! It would be nice to get our taxes done before October this year -- I won't hold my breath!!!!

Last week I went through all my scrapbooking/card magazines and tore out ideas I want to keep. My next project will be to organize them so they will be useful.

On another note, I just got a call from Zach who is at school. He called to tell me that he got in trouble today because he was sliding down the hill. I guess he had been warned a couple times and didn't heed to the instruction. Yesterday he got in trouble because he wasn't respectful with his substitute. (He told me last night that he did a -- "da da dum" when other kids got in trouble for something.) So...today he had to talk to the Asst. Principal. She gave him a warning, had him call me and he has to miss a recess. What a stinker!

I've been tagged!

I was tagged two times in the last couple days and found the time to post them today. In the first one I was told to list 25 things about me.

1. I am a substitute teacher at the Elementary school my kids attend.
2. I am a Creative Memories Consultant.
3. I hate housework, especially laundry and toilets.
4. I love to create things....scrapbooking, cards, crafts, etc. I used to love to sew but haven't for a long time.
5. I have 5 children - Jared (18), Tyler (15), Zachary (11), Mikaela (9) and Parker (7).
6. I've been married for 19 1/2 years to Eric, who is an attorney.
7. I love working with the Young Women in my ward.
8. I love to sleep!!!
9. I love to save money when I go grocery shopping.
10. I play around (waste time) on the computer way too much.
11. I need to lose weight.
12. I've participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk for the past two years and am signed up to do it again this year!!!
13. I can't believe how time flies. I still feel like a 20 year old, but....I'm NOT!
14. I'm thankful for loving friends and family.
15. I know my Savior loves me. I'm thankful for the peace this brings.
15. I love to eat out. I cook at home only because I have to feed my kids, not because I necessarily enjoy it.
16. I love to read.
17. I'm interested in people and the human experience.
18. I want to go on a cruise with my hubby this year.
19. I love to travel, to explore new places.
20. I love to laugh.
21. I've lived in California, Texas and Utah.
22. I've officially lived in Utah longer than any other place.
23. I have a bachelor's degree from BYU in Family Science.
24. When I graduated from BYU I participated in the Law School graduation ceremonies so I could walk with my hubby.
25. Life is good!

This one came through my email. I was told to add two things to each category.

Two names you go by:
1. Carolyn
2. Mom and Honey

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Slippers
2. My 3-Day shirt

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. something to eat
2. motivation to go out in the cold --- BRRRRRRR!

Two people who will most likely send this back:
1. Sheri
2. Mary

Two things you did last night:
1. Went grocery shopping
2. Had Family Home Evening

Two things you ate yesterday:
1. chicken
2. corn & rice

Two people you last spoke to:
1. Lorna
2. Eric

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Playing taxi driver for my kids
2. cleaning house & laundry --BORING!!!

Two states you'd like to visit:
1. Florida
2. Massachusetts

Two favorite beverages:
1. Pina Colada (virgin)
2. Stephen’s Vanilla Hot Chocolate

So....if you are reading this, you are officially tagged. Send your lists to cb1101@barneslawoffices.com. There might be a little prize if you comply!!!!

I'm BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!

Although, I am being more consistent about posting, I haven't been able to post everyday like I would have liked. I will cut myself some slack and just do the best I can.

In the last post I promised to post pictures we had taken of the kids. We decided we needed updated pictures of the kids to go on the walls. I also decided I didn't want to worry about the hassle of school pictures because they never turn out great and there is no choice. So, these were taken instead of school pictures:
Here's Tyler in his Rhapsody Show Choir outfit.

Tyler 9th Grade - 15 years old

Zachary 5th Grade - 11 years old On the day we had this picture taken we also had a visit with the doctor. Zach was diagnosed with strep and we went straight from there to this photo appointment. This picture was the best of the bunch. (He just didn't feel like smiling. I don't blame him, but what's a mom to do????)

Mikaela 4th Grade - 9 years old

Parker 1st Grade - 7 years old



Jared is waiting to get his Senior pictures taken until after his braces come off. They should come off in February or March. These were taken this summer. He took some (expensive) acting classes with a talent agency and these are his headshots.

Remember Katrina from my last post? This is classic. I just couldn't help but giggle at this photo her Mom sent the day after we had lunch.
I couldn't help but comment that she at least matched her outfit!! Isn't she the cutest little thing!!! I can laugh because she's not my child...tee hee hee...I'm so evil!!!

Okay, since my last post I've been working on keeping busy and actually accomplishing something. Thursday was spent substituting the same class I had on Wednesday. They were great and things went so much more smoothly. (Wednesday was full of frustrations because the teacher forgot to leave me some stuff and didn't explain very well where to find things so I jumbled around a lot. That's probably why the kids were a bit restless too.)

Mikaela is in an after-school program where she works on a computer program to help improve her reading 3 days a week. (She just started last week.) Each day she came home with reports of great progress. I'm so pleased and hope she continues to progress. She went to this on Thursday and then to Activity Days. I, of course, was taxi-driver! The rest of the night is a blur at this point.

Mikeala has also been on a kick to earn some money. On Friday after school, she asked if there was anything she could do around the house because they can't work in the garden in the winter. What Mom is going to pass up a willing worker and a chance to get some things done? She started by shovelling off the driveway. I then had her go downstairs with me to put together some goodie bags for a Down's Syndrome Benefit Scrapbooking Crop one of my customers is putting on. (I was asked to donate a door prize and some goodie bag items along with info about my business). Mikaela worked so hard and was right next to me through the whole process. We even made some cute tags to include in the bag. So, here are two joys for that day. One, a child who is willing to work and do it happily. Two, a chance to help in my community, to give, to serve. (Of course, a fringe benefit is to promote my business, but I'm not expecting much will come of it.)

Eric and I went to Stake Temple Night on Friday night. It was a series of unfortunate events. Eric was already in Ogden so I drove by myself to meet him. I started off by spilling some soda on my skirt as I was on my way. I didn't have time to turn around to change so I dried it off as best I could and continued. When I got to where I wanted to get on the freeway, it was crazy blocked up so I continued on the streets to the next entrance. It seemed like it took forever. The drive up there was uneventful, but when I arrived at the temple the parking lot was FULL! I drove around and around trying to find a place to park. I finally followed a couple who was leaving so I could take their spot. I got there in enough time to get dressed and meet Eric. (Nothing like cutting it close!) Being there was nice. Our session was overflowing with people, as I'm sure the whole temple was. True to the luck I was having, I struggled lots with dressing. My hair comb fell out, I didn't get everything tied right, etc. At one point I was the last one standing. Ugh, how embarrassing!!! All in all, I enjoyed the night but had to laugh at my unfortunate luck!!! When we were done, we went to dinner at a favorite little Italian restaurant on 25th Street in Ogden, La Ferrovia. They have the BEST spinach calzones! Mmmmmm Yummm! JOY #3 for that day!! (Sorry I don't have any pictures today but, trust me, it's good!!!!)

Saturday was productive. We all worked on our chores. The kids participated more willingly because they wanted to play Xbox! (Hey, a Mom's gotta use every tool in the toolbox to get kids to work!!!) I worked extra hard on laundry and only have about 3 loads to finish tomorrow (Of course, there will be more so I can probably count on at least 5. Ugh....the never-ending battle). I am proud to say that I folded and put away as I went so progress is being made. Hopefully I can post a "JOY" in the next couple days that I've finally caught up! Now THAT would be a JOY!!!

I also took Mikaela to run errands with me. We got lots accomplished. (We even went to the mall so Mikaela could buy a couple Webkinz with her earned money!) While we were out I talked to Eric several times. On one call he asked what he should do if the carbon monoxide detector alarm is going off. I told him to call the fire department. Well, of course, the fire department is going to come out so we caused quite a stir in the neighborhood with everyone wondering what was going on. Everything turned out okay. They got a reading of 10 on their probes, which is pretty inconsequential. They originally thought the water heater was having problems so they shut it off and called the gas company to come check it out. When the gas man came he couldn't find a problem. He did find that our oven isn't igniting. (We'll have to have it repaired.)

In all the hubbub of our problem our next door neighbor came out to find out if we were okay. She also offered us two tickets to a play at the high school, "Around the World in 80 Shows" because her in-laws were not able to attend. I would much rather attend a play than a movie anyday so, of course, I said we would take them. This gave us one hour's notice. We were able to finish up with the gas man just in time to get ourselves to the play on time. Yeah! The show was great. The theater department at the high school is incredible. I just knew they would do a great job.

So, my joys for Saturday are:
#1 - Gettting lots accomplished
#2 - It is truly a joy to have the comforts of life, like heat and hot water. I was so happy I didn't have to have a cold shower this morning and, more importantly, that we are all safe!
#3 - Great neighbors who shared tickets to the play with us. I LOVE plays!!!

Today was busy. We have 9 am church. After church, I went visiting teaching, then to a YW presidency meeting. (We haven't met in a while and had lots to talk about so it was a 2 1/2 hour meeting!!!) I finally got home around 4:00 pm. Exhausting! I had a nap and then went to "Eight is Great!" for Parker, since he will be turning 8 this year. (His birthday is in December so he will actually be baptized in January next year.) He was so excited for this special program just for his class. He had his eye on the clock and reminded us constantly how much time we had before we needed to leave. When we got home I was a little mixed up time-wise so we read scriptures, said prayers and I sent the kids off to bed at 7:30 pm!!!! I realized my mistake later and was surprised no one said anything or complained! Tee Hee! (I should try that again!!!)

This was quite the post. I'm proud of you, if you've read this far!!!! If you haven't, well, you are not reading this..... I better go for now before you get bored!

More Joys!

I have to admit it's hard to think of 3 joys a day when not much is happening in my life these days. (I guess I could count that as a joy, since you should see my calendar for November and December. Can you say BUSY?)

It was nice to have a day off on Monday to celebrate getting back to a normal schedule again. I slept in, got some things picked up around the house, watched some TV, played on the computer, mostly just took a day for myself. It helped that it snowed like crazy, and the roads were awful, that I was able to stay home as long as possible. I did have to take Tyler to an ortho appointment in the afternoon. It took me 45 minutes to go 3 miles in the car. (If I was walking that would be about right, probably slightly faster!) Tyler even commented that he could have gotten there quicker if he walked, but it was oh so cold...BRRRR...

On Tuesday I was able to go to lunch in Bountiful with a couple of good friends I met on a yahoo group a few years ago. We get together once in a while to catch up. It was still snowing and I was afraid the roads would be terrible but once I got out of my neighborhood it wasn't too bad.
This is me, Sheri and Bridgette. They are sisters. I met Sheri first and then found out that Bridgette lives closer to me so I end up seeing Bridgette more often. They are scrapbooking junkies and have all the cool toys. They've been to my overnight retreats, too.


These kids belong to Bridgette and Sheri. Kyle is the baby in the carseat (he's about 4 months old and Bridgette's baby), Owen is Sheri's (he was our photographer. He did a pretty good job, I must say!), Sadie is also Sheri's and then there's Katrina who belongs to Bridgette. (This little girl is a spitfire. She is so cute, those cheeks...I could just eat her! But...she was running around the restaurant and out of our sight most of the time. As soon as she was corralled near us she would take off again. With a face like that who could get mad! Oh...she is trouble!) I was so glad I was not the mom and could just laugh at her antics!!! Hee hee!

When I got home from lunch I went downstairs to my scraproom. (It's been a while since I've been down there to work on a project! I ended up scanning and uploading our most recent family pictures to the computer. Here they are...
The Barnes Family. We had a big one printed to hang over our fireplace.

Group Hug! This one would have been perfect if we could see Tyler's face better. I love Jared's expression in this one!

Eric and Carolyn Can you believe we've been married over 19 years? Unbelievable!

The kiddos!

I am so happy with the way these turned out. The photographer did a great job. I'll post the ones we had done of the kids, maybe tomorrow.

I also made some cute "Thank You" cards for my 3-Day Walk donors. (I'm slow getting these out because I was so crazy busy during the holidays.) It was so fun to get creative again. I count that as one of my joys in life. Here's a picture...


Today I had the joy of going back to work! It really is a joy! I taught a 3rd grade class and it went pretty well. We had a conversation in the teacher's lounge at lunch that all the kids seem to be wound up, which is a surprise because that was all supposed to be over after Christmas. There were times today that my kids were a little out of control but not too bad. I will teach them again tomorrow so I hope everything goes well. The school had a pretty cool assembly in the afternoon with a magician who encouraged/reminded the kids to keep reading for the school-wide goal to read over 2 million minutes this school year. I think they are about 1/2 way there. Zach was called up to the stage to be a helper. They did a trick with toilet paper (of all things), so Zachary can proudly say he ate toilet paper!!!

Well, that about catches me up to today. I'm sure I'll be back with some more, hopefully tomorrow...

The last day of winter break....

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. I was busy running around all day and then fell asleep early last night. It was good too, since we now have 9 am church. It was a little weird to have the whole day left after church but it was great for a good nap!!!

My first joy for today is:
This is a picture of what Layton High School will look like when they are finished with their construction (who knows when it will be done). I am including this as a joy today because it will be a joy to send Jared there tomorrow! He is in his senior year so he has just one more semester left until graduation. We hope he will choose well and get himself off on his mission in September. He is planning to go to Seattle to sell security systems this summer. He finally got a job the other day. He is working for Vector Marketing selling Cutco knives. He had his first 4 appointments yesterday and sold to 3 out of 4 of them. He is excited. I'm thinking that kind of sales is the last thing I would want to do but he seems cut out for it.

My second joy today is:
This is a picture of Fairfield Jr. High. This is where I will joyfully send Tyler tomorrow. Tyler has had a great time playing the new XBox since Christmas. He's also been motivated to comply with our wishes so he can have as much time as possible on this new toy. It's a win/win for all involved. Tyler is a "teenage boy dancer" in the school musical "Music Man" being held in March. He will spend most of the days leading up to then attending after school practices. He also loves to stay after to hang out with the science teacher he is a teacher's assistant for. So, when school is in Tyler's social schedule takes over.

My third joy for today is:
Can you see a pattern here? This is Layton Elementary School. This is where I will find joy in sending Zachary, Mikaela and Parker tomorrow. Yeah!

Zachary is in 5th grade with Mr. Peterson. He seems to be doing well there. Tonight he is supposed to be doing the dishes. It has taken him 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher. Looks like he will be doing dishes for another day since I told him he needed to be completely done by now. It would help if he actually focused on the task and got it done. This is the story of our lives with Zach and chores. Ugh!

Mikaela is in 4th grade with Mrs. Carter. We love Mrs. Carter! Mikaela got some new clothes yesterday. She has gone from size 7 to size 12 in the last year. I've been throwing away her small clothes as I come across them and she didn't have much left. Mikaela is the fashionista and is all about the bling. If a pair of pants has a cute sparkly belt, that's what she chooses, even though the pants may not look that great. It is so funny. She did get a cute pair of silver "heels" that she wore to church today. She said she got lots of compliments.

Parker is in 1st grade with Ms. Huillet. I've already talked lots about Parker the last few days so I won't indulge you with any more.

Layton Elementary is also the place I find joy as I work as a substitute teacher there. I have two days of work scheduled for this week but I'm sure I will be there more. I can just feel it.

So...I will find joy in getting back to a normal schedule, sending the kids to school and having a break from them for a few hours. These last couple weeks have been hard. Maybe its the weather and the fact that they don't go outside much. A good thing is that I have been able to catch up on housework, laundry and such during the break. My house is in much better shape. We also got Christmas decorations taken down yesterday. I love the feeling when all the clutter is gone. I know, bah humbug!!!

Snow Joys!

It snowed today and tonight. It started as a wet rain that made lots of puddles everywhere. Of course, true to my luck, I happened to be running errands while it rained. I walked out of the Smith's grocery store, where my bank is, and got soaked on the way to the car. I then went to Wal-Mart and the only available parking spot was way out in the north forty. When I was done at Wal-Mart I was soaked to the bone (and cold). Ick! I can't explain my joy when it actually started to snow! Why do I love snow? Because it doesn't leave me wet and miserable. I can usually brush it off and all's good! Yeah!!! When all was said and done we only got a couple inches but I'm sure underneath it all is ice from all the rain. So, my joy #1 for today is SNOW!

This brings me to my next joy. I absolutely love having snow outside and being inside in the warmth of my home. A plus is sitting in front of a warm fireplace. Yum!

This has nothing to do with my other joys for today but....Oh the joy of contacts! I love being able to see. Actually, my previous glasses were stepped on and broken early in the spring and I put off going to the doctor to get new ones until the beginning of December. My driver's license expired this year on my birthday (November 1st). When I went to get it renewed I failed the eye test! I was shocked! I've never had a problem with that before, even when I wore glasses. Because of this, it became important that I not put it off any longer. I had tried contacts a few years ago with not much luck. They dried out my eyes and made me feel tired all the time. I talked to the doctor about it and he told me contacts have come a long way in the last few years and encouraged me to try them again. I love them! I'm happy to be able to see and not have to fiddle with glasses, if I don't want to. (I did get a pair of glasses so I have that option when I want.)

Tonight Eric and I went to Jason & Kristi's house and played a fun game of Rail Baron. It's been so long since we've played that game. It's also been a long time since we've played games with Jason & Kristi. When Jared and Tyler were small we played frequently but our lives changed and we just didn't do it anymore. It was nice to do it again tonight.

I hate to say this but I am actually looking forward to getting back to our regular lives. I have struggled through this Christmas break, having the kids home, feeling stuck at home because they all had things they wanted to do, mostly play Xbox! I tried to take them all to a movie the other day and the older boys didn't want to go. I was shocked. They complain we never do anything fun but then won't go when I try. Ugh! I'm actually looking forward to going back to work. (I can't believe I said that!!!)

Choose JOY!

I've been a Creative Memories Consultant since January 2003. Since that time I've networked with consultants and people who love Creative Memories products through a message board called Scrapshare. There are many great people who share ideas for scrapbooking, ideas for business and, most of all, their lives. I am impressed with the kindness of these good people. They share humor and challenges, we laugh, we cry. These people have faith. There is a prayer board where people ask for prayers for challenges they are facing. It is amazing the miracles that happen daily because of the faith of all who frequent.

Why do I share this? Well, a couple years ago a girl on there posted a link to her blog. It was called "Choose JOY". I love it! It is a good reminder that each day we need to find joy, choose it. Well, I saw a challenge this week that I couldn't pass up. The challenge is to post three things each day, including pictures, of things that bring joy to our lives. It is supposed to last for a full month. Now, I'm not very good about posting daily but I'm going to make a good effort at it. Since this is the beginning of a new year, and a new month, I will start today.

Today I am thankful for the start of a new year. It is always good to have a new start. Change is good. Sometimes we don't like change but it is so good for us. So, one thing that brings me joy today is change - a new year.


Joy - there can't be more joy in children who show love. Parker has come to me several times in the last couple days to give hugs and kisses and say "I Love You, Mommy". These past few days have been hard. I've not been the best Mom, wife, etc. It brings me joy that my child continues to love me even when I'm not being the best mommy.


The third thing that brings me joy is sleep! I've been staying up way too late these last couple weeks and I have been so tired. I know, DUH!, go to sleep! I am such a night person, never been a morning person. Last night I was up 'til 3 am waiting for children to come home from their various parties. (Jared came in at 2:30 am). I think I have some insomnia too, so I really like my cozy blankets and a good sleep. It brings me joy to feel better after a good sleep.


Phew! I'm still learning all about posting pictures. Finding the right one is also a challenge. Hopefully this month I will get some good practice!!!

Parker

In all the hustle and bustle of holiday activities, that I included on my last post, I forgot to include one of the most important occasions......Parker's 7th Birthday!!! Parker makes sure we don't forget his birthday by reminding us of it all through the year! When we got our first snowstorm in October he was so excited because it was "almost Christmas!" (which, to him, means "almost his birthday!!!)

On Wednesday (the 17th) Parker and I celebrated his birthday at the "Birthday Tables" at school. The PTA has one day a month that they set up tables to celebrate all the birthdays for the month. Parker has been looking forward to this all month! He made a specific request for me to come eat lunch with him and put in his order for a Happy Meal from McDonald's - chicken nuggets with sweet n' sour sauce (don't forget this, very important!!!), fries and a root beer to drink. (Secretly I know he he wanted the toy most of all!!!) I was working that day so it was tricky getting my class off to lunch, running to McDonald's and getting back in time to eat it before Parker had to go back to class.

Thursday, (the 18th) Parker's actual birthday, was a crazy day for me. Tyler's Show Choir, Rhapsody in Blue, performed at an assembly at his school. Tyler was so excited, especially for one song they would perform, that he wanted me to be there. (I'll talk about that later.) Anyways, I had to get up early and take Tyler to school, because his assembly started at the beginning of the school day, so I missed seeing Parker in the morning. Eric made the traditional birthday breakfast with the three youngest kids and then took them to school. I was sad :( that I missed it and didn't even get to see him when he woke up. The rest of the day was crazy busy running errands and going back to Tyler's school to drive choir kids up to an elementary school where they performed. I also had a parent meeting for the play Tyler will be in at the school. By the time that was over it was dinner time. We decided to take the family to Golden Corral for Parker's birthday dinner. (He was happy about that. He loves that place!) After dinner we all went to Toys R Us to pick out birthday gifts and then came back to wrap and open them. Parker was so patient with it all and happy to finally have his day, even though this is such a busy time of the year. Here are a few pictures of his gifts:

He got this cool Transformers truck that converts into a Nerf gun. He loves it and, unfortunately for him, the other boys do too!

It's pretty cool because you can transform it with one hand and be ready to shoot in no time flat!





Most of Parker's birthday wish list consisted of Transformers. He had about five different ones on his list - the yellow Bumblebee, the red Optimus Prime....(I can't remember the rest of them). Of course, it is a week before Christmas and all the "cool" transformers have left the shelves, but we were able to find this great silver and black one. (I can't remember what it is called.)

Parker is my sweet, lovable guy who also LOVES Webkinz. He got this way cute frog to add to his growning collection. He is excited to get on the computer and play with his new friend! It doesn't hurt that he has a soft version to cuddle!







This last gift wasn't something he asked for but he loves it! It's a mini skeeball game. Huge hit! All the kids have enjoyed playing.

As Parker's Mommy I am so happy, blessed and glad Parker is a part of my life. I don't know what I would do without this little guy. I remember when he was born, I had all kinds of anxiety at the thought of having another baby. All that was quashed when I was able to hold him for the first time. It was love at first sight! Really! He was fussing when they brought him to me but when they laid him on me for that first time he calmed down, cuddled in and just cooed. It warmed my heart. It was a tender mercy to feel those emotions at that time and they have grown tenfold since.

Parker will always be my baby. It is great that everyday he comes to me several times a day to give me loves and say, "I love you, Mom!" My heart melts every time! When all the other kids are not happy with me for one reason or another, Parker never denies his love for me. I can always count on that. What a special spirit! There is so much more I could write about my little guy. He is happy. He's a good friend. He's well-behaved. He's a helper. He is SO smart. (He got all 4's -our school's A's - on all his kindergarten, and so far in 1st grade, report cards.) He is picking up reading so well. I'm SO proud of him. (Can you tell?)

Saturday

Saturday was an interesting day. I started the day at my computer, needing to print some material for my Young Women lesson. I turned on and booted up and what did I find? Ugh! My profile settings were erased. I opened up email and it wanted me to format for a new account. (All the old stuff was gone!) I checked for my program with all my pictures and all my family pictures were gone! I also checked the program I keep all my business transactions for Creative Memories and I couldn't even find it. Do you know what kind of sick feeling I had? I wanted to cry. Before fretting too much I decided I needed to see if Eric could help me. I explained everything and he said he would look at it.

We had a Blake Family Christmas Party in Provo at 1 pm, so we jumped in the car. I drove while Eric worked on my computer. The drive was eventful with snow flying. It was a little intense in some parts but cleared up when we got past North Salt Lake. Phew! The good part is Eric was able to find all my important things and reinstate them into my settings. The only thing I did lose was my old emails and address book. In the next few months I'll be collecting addresses from the people who send me stuff and I will be back where I started. (Hopefully!) I'm so happy we were able to find my pictures and the data for my business. Of course, pictures are priceless and no business data would have been hard to do taxes with. As soon as we got it all up and going I promptly backed everything up to my external hard drive. I now feel at peace that if it happens again at least I have a back-up. (I had my external hard drive replaced a couple months ago and had it on my to-do list to back everything up but never got to it. I won't be so careless now. I think I've learned my lesson!)

We arrived in Provo for the Christmas Party and enjoyed seeing the Blake and Christensen clans. We didn't have a summer get-together this year so we haven't seen most of them for a year, since last Christmas. Grandpa Blake is hanging in there but is battling bladder cancer. He didn't look as perky as he has been. He's not too excited to endure a lot of pain. We hope he can be taken care of quickly or that he can pass on quickly so he doesn't have to suffer. It hit Eric hard that things could change very quickly. Was that our last Blake Christmas Party with Grandpa? Will we have our big Christmas parties still? Will we see the Christensens anymore? Will we get together in the summer? We'll see what happens....

Parker was so cute during the party. We usually eat, clean up tables and have a program. In years past we've also had a visit from Santa. When we sat down for the program (we sang Christmas Carols), Parker got really sad and grumpy and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. I guess he figured that if we were singing songs that Santa was not going to come. Well, he was right. Santa didn't visit this year. Eric had a conversation with him later, where Parker said he was sad Santa didn't come. Eric told him, "Well, Santa doesn't always come." Parker then replied, "Well, he's come every year of my lifetime!!!" As we thought about it, yes, in the lifetime of his remembrance (about 3 or 4 years) Santa has come. What a bummer for him!

We had an uneventful trip back. The snow had stopped and the roads were clear. Yeah! We got home just in time to get the kids settled and Eric and I went out. We went to Jon Schmidt's Christmas Concert at Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake. Jon Schmidt is an awesome piano player who is very entertaining. He included 3 of his kids, his Mom, Dad and many other talented musicians. He cracked jokes, played the piano upside down, backwards and every which way. It was a great concert that was much more than we expected. It would be fun to see him again.

We got home late. After all that, I didn't print the stuff I needed for my lesson, the thing I started to do at the beginning of the day. That's the story of my life! We woke up this morning to about 6 inches of snow on the ground. I was able to prepare my lesson this morning and felt very good about the outcome.

Life has been very busy this past week. Here's a bit of what I did: I worked 4 out of 5 days. The one day I didn't work I was at the school volunteering for Fun Friday. We had Tyler's Christmas Choir concert, Tyler's SEP's, Young Women Christmas Party, Relief Society Christmas Party, Tyler's photo appointment, an ortho appointment and I can't remember what else. This week I will work 2 1/2 days (so far), go to Jared's Choir Concert tomorrow night, go visiting teaching and have visiting teachers come, watch Mikaela's class keyboard recital, go on a hayride and food drive with the YM/YW, go to an assembly Tyler's choir will perform at and take them to an Elementary School for a performance, go to a choir practice for Sunday's program, have dinner with Jason & Kristi and have a neighborhood (our street) Christmas dinner for the adults. I'm still not recovered from last week so I guess I better gear up for what is to come.

Elder Wirthlin

I got an email yesterday that Elder Wirthlin died yesterday. It was confirmed in our local newspaper today. What a great (and funny) man and apostle he has been all these years. I will miss him. I wonder who the newest apostle will be?

November

It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything. I've been so busy. Yes, I did pick up my ring and it is on my finger!!! Yes! I love it.

I worked many days in November, more on than off. (That paycheck was great!!!) I even did my first full 6th grade class for the male teacher at our school. Because he is male, he got more boys than girls in his class; rambunctious boys at that. I can tell he has a challenge on his hands. I was prepared with my discipline plan, explained at the beginning of the day and, miracles of miracles, we had an awesome day!

My discipline plan is simple. I give out three little "star cards" (a piece of cardstock with a star on it) at the beginning of the day. I tell them I will be very picky about their behavior. Any little thing (speaking out in class, telling me what to do, out of seat when inappropriate, etc.) will lose a card. If they still have 3 left at the end of the day they can have 2 treats out of my stash. These treats are small laffy taffy, bite size chocolate, dum dums, etc. If they have 1 or 2 left, they get 1 treat and zero cards get nothing. Back to the 6th grade class, I only took one star card the whole day! I almost thought the teacher wouldn't believe me when I reported we had a great day!!!

In the time I've been doing this there has only been one child lose all three cards. Luckily I subbed the same class the next day and told this child if he had all three at the end of the day he would get a bonus treat. I was shocked that he was perfect that second day and I gladly gave him 3 treats!!! I am amazed what kids will do for a little treat! This is such a blessing and makes life so much easier for me and helps me be able to teach without frustration. Anyway, enough of that.

I walked 60 miles!!!!! Yes, I did the Breast Cancer 3-Day again this year. I left for San Diego on The 20th of November. We walked the 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Again, I had a great experience and I'm already signed up for next year! On the first day we had opening ceremonies and hit the pavement around 7:30 am. We had 8 people on our team. It was a little frustrating trying to keep track of everybody and walk together. We stopped at every pit stop and it was painfully slow getting back on track. We ended up finishing the 20 miles around 5:00 pm. Too long! We ate dinner in camp and had some problems with having the cars there to take everyone back to the hotel so 4 of us sat at the curb for quite a while waiting for our ride. By the time we got back it was very late (around 8:30 pm). I was a bit grumpy (to say the least).

Aunt Terri and I decided that night that we were not going to walk as a group the next day and that the two of us would stay together and cruise. We got a good start right at 6:30 am. We walk at the same pace and know how to do our duty (eat, drink, stretch and pee) at the pit stops and get going as quickly as possible. At the beginning of the day we hit the pit stops being in the top 250's out of 5500 walkers. We ended the day at 347 and 348 of 5500 walkers and finished at 2 pm!!! We were so proud of ourselves!!!

The third day was similar where we started around 6:30 am and hit the holding area for closing ceremonies around 2 pm. There was hardly anyone there when we arrived. (We didn't find out our place, like the day before.) It was nice to relax and wait while the rest of the walkers finished. We wait at the holding area and assemble ourselves to walk through the street with fans on either side cheering us to closing ceremonies. It is the coolest feeling. I felt like an Olympic champion! Closing ceremonies were again touching and inspiring. Terri got to carry in a flag and be in the "survivor circle" on the platform. Our team was so proud of her.

My body held up pretty good through the whole thing. I got a blister on the end of a toe and one on the heel of my left foot. Neither were very painful. (Nothing to hold me back at all.) My calves were sore but nothing a couple days of relaxation didn't take care of. I got a bit of a sunburn/tan (not too bad) and a mean cold sore popped up the day I returned. I think I will be losing a toenail on the blistered toe soon. I think I need to get some bigger shoes (I already have shoes that are 1 1/2 sizes bigger than what I usually wear) because my second toe is longer than the big toe and hits the top of my shoe when I walk. I thought I took care of the problem (I lost both of those toenails last year) but I guess not.

Overall it was an awesome experience. Nothing can beat walking 60 miles along the beaches of San Diego!!!

I got home the Monday before Thanksgiving. I took a couple days to recouperate and was back to the grindstone. We went to Norma's house for Thanksgiving. She asked me to bring a couple of my famous razzleberry pie so I had to shop and prepare those on Wednesday night. I spent the weekend cleaning house and trying to catch up on laundry (I'm still working on that!) I deep cleaned my bedroom, the TV room and my bathroom. It is so nice to have that done. Eric even shampooed some stains in the carpet. I'm still trying to adjust to working and trying to keep up with everything in my life so my house has gone to pot these last few months. I don't know how working people keep up with it all. (I guess most of them don't have 5 kids!) I still have lots to do but it feels good to make some progress.

The kids are back in school after the Thanksgiving break. I worked all day yesterday and a half day today, so I guess I'm back to school too!!!

Christmas is upon us. We spent Family Home Evening last night putting up the tree and decorating. The kids are excited. Eric and I did lots of our shopping on Black Friday. (He got up early and I went later.) It looks like Santa is going to be good to us this year!

Well, that's life up to now. It seems like November flew by. We'll see what December holds.

Birthday Gifts

I'm learning new things tonight. Namely how to include pictures in my post. Hopefully this will work without too much frustration.

When I finished my post about my birthday yesterday I hadn't received my gifts. So, I wanted to post what I received. Let's see if I can get this to work......

Let's start with Jared. Jared had to work so before he left he came skipping into my room, waving this flag and singing "Rise and Shout the Cougars are out...." My first thought was "Where'd you get that? I want one!" Before I could voice my thoughts he gave me the flag and said "Happy Birthday!" I am a happy camper. Just wait 'til game day. I'll be the dork flying the flag on my van all around town!!!
Next there's Tyler. He gave me these pink fuzzy cozy socks. They are yummy. Gotta love some yummy socks for cold feet. (Tyler was not a happy camper because he got in trouble with his dad right before this. He was trying really hard not to smile!)

Parker was so cute. At the beginning of the day Parker brought me this vase of red roses to start me off. Eric said when they were shopping he insisted that Mommy needs some flowers for her birthday. It was totally his idea. (He's going to be such a great romantic when he grows up!!!) He also gave me a pink pen because he knows Mommy loves pink!

Zachary gave me a comfy microfiber fleece blanket. Can you tell I'm into comfy cozy stuff? I'm in love!

Mikaela took Eric all over town to find chocolate covered gummy bears because she just knew I would love them. She was right! What a cutie! (I look like a total dork in this picture. You are welcome to ignore!) And last but not least.....Eric took me to dinner at LoneStar because I had a coupon for a free birthday meal. Can't beat that! He was worried through dinner that it was taking too long. (I didn't really think so. I was enjoying the meal and the company). I knew he had something up his sleeve but wasn't quite sure so I just went along with it. After dinner we went to the mall. It was 8:50 pm and the mall closes at 9:00 pm. He took me straight to the jewelry store and asked me if we should buy my new wedding ring. (We had looked last year and he knew what I wanted and exactly where to go.) The saleslady was closing up shop when we walked in but was very willing to help us. She showed us the ring but I didn't like the diamond that was already set in it. She showed me a different diamond and told me she could set it in that ring for the same price. It is a better diamond and a bit bigger. SOLD! The transaction went very smooth. She gave us all kinds of discounts that we couldn't resist. She was the best saleslady we had encountered in a long time!

I am a happy camper that I get to finally have a real ring on my finger again. (My original ring was about to lose the diamond so we decided a couple years ago that I would get an upgrade instead of fixing the old. It's been in the jewelry box since then.) The only disappointment is that I had to leave the ring there to get sized and have the diamond switched out. I get to pick it up on Friday. I can't wait!!!! Here's a picture of it. I'll be taking a picture of it on my finger when it is actually there.

All in all I had a great day. No complaints here!

Halloween

I have never liked Halloween much. It is so spooky and dark. As a child was so scared. I still don't like all that dark stuff but I'm starting to appreciate the holiday a bit.

The kids didn't have school because it was "end of term" teacher prep day. We ended up staying home, cleaning up and taking it easy most of the day. It was really nice. I tried to have dinner ready before the festivities began but didn't quite get done in time so I worked in the kitchen while running back and forth to the door. I made Broccoli Cheese Soup and Pumpkin Crunch for dessert, yummy festive food!!!

We had lots of fun trick or treaters. They were all dressed up so cute. I have found that I really love greeting them all. I actually told Eric and the kids they weren't allowed to hand out candy because I wanted to see them all!!! Hee hee!!!

Here's how we celebrated:

*Eric took Mikaela, Parker and Mitzi (the dog) trick or treating.

*Zachary still didn't feel well so he stayed home. I was so sad for him. He had so many fun plans for the day!

*Tyler went to a party with kids from Rhapsody (his show choir group).

*Jared had his friend Amber come down from Brigham City. They took Tyler to his party and dropped by Mrs. Nelson's (the science teacher at the Jr. High) to say Hi. (She loves it when her students and previous students stop in to visit her.) They then came home to watch a movie while I did trick or treat duty.

*I enjoyed greeting everyone who came to the door!!!

It's time to be done with this post now. Eric is taking me out to dinner!!! Yeah!!!

My Birthday!!

Today marks 41 years since my birth. I am starting to feel old as I watch my kids grow. I can't believe Jared is 18 years old. I remember when I was 18. It was just a little while ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a fun time of my life. There's so much that has happened since then, including getting married, going to school and graduating from BYU, being pregnant and giving birth to 5 children, getting through each of their 1st years (those were some hard years), moving into our home, and now having them all in full-time school and working. I'm feeling so much happier and content now but am struggling to adjust to the changes. I guess life is no more busy than it has always been, just different.

Everyone has been great today. I was able to sleep in a bit this morning and Eric made french toast for breakfast along with the traditional candle in each. Since we had such a busy week, our house was a mess. We had a huge mountain of clothes that needed folding in our room and another huge mountain waiting to be cleaned along with stuff strewn everywhere, dishes that needed to be done, dirty floors, etc. Usually our tradition is that the birthday person gets a day off. Well, that was not a very good expectation since my greatest wish is a clean house. So, I told everyone this morning that I would really like to have peace today and everyone's help getting things cleaned up. We worked hard this morning. I folded all the laundry and helped pick up while the rest of them did their parts. The house looks so much better. Now Eric and the kids are outside doing yard clean-up (mowing for the last time, cleaning out the garden, etc.) while I continue to keep the laundry going and resting in-between. I'm a happy camper.

We haven't done any gifts or the like yet. I'll have to report on that later, I guess.

I'm here

I would really like to be more consistent about writing. So, maybe if I do a short one I won't feel so overwhelmed about writing more.

I've spent the last week working everyday. I am so not used to working so much. My house is a mess, the laundry piled high...you get the picture. I guess tomorrow will be spent trying to dig out of this hole!

On top of that after school has been booked solid. Monday I was able to get in a 5 mile walk but was called on my cell phone by Jared telling me I was supposed to be home because he needed stuff for his choir concert which was held that night. (A little notice would have been nice!). I had to run to the store, take Christine home (she walked with me) and then make it to the concert just in time.

Tuesday I went straight from school to a dentist appointment for Me, Tyler and Parker, dropped the kids off and went to a Craft Bash for Relief Society Enrichment from 5-8pm. Around 6 pm I got a call from Tyler. He was crying saying Jared was causing problems. So, I didn't get to work on my projects. I grabbed them and came home to survey the damage. FUN!!! I was a little relieved to have to come home so I could rest a little after being gone all day.

Wednesday was spent getting ready for our Young Women's activity. I shopped, made copies, printed pictures, etc. That was completed about 5 minutes to 7 pm, just enough time to come home, change into a costume (I went as a frazzled mom!!!) and run to the party!!!

Today I thought I would get a break and be able to come home. Not so. We had a 4 pm haircut appointment. We got 6 haircuts for $40! Nothing like doing it all at once!!!! The girl that cuts our hair is a friend who has a salon in her home. She does a great job and you can't beat the price. When we were done there we had to take a trip to the after-hours doctor because Tyler stayed home from school and Zach got sick at school (I had to have Eric check him out and bring him home while I taught class!) Turns out they both have strep. (I hope the rest of us don't get it but the doctor assured us he would call in prescriptions for any of us if we just called him. Love him!!!) I then brought the kids home and high-tailed it over to Sam's to get the RXs filled. I walked in the door after 7 pm. Luckily Eric came home around 6:30 and I was able to have him cook some rice, make gravy, warm up roast that was cooked in the crock pot yesterday and warm up some peas. Dinner was ready! We ate and cleaned up a bit so Eric and the kids could carve pumpkins while I was able to sit down and take a breather.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be more relaxing since there is no school. We do have a couple things planned but not nearly as crazy. Of course, it's Halloween!!!! I love to stay home to greet the cute trick or treaters while Eric takes our kids out.

I was really trying to be brief but here's a long one again. I can't win!!!

Zachary

Since Zachary had his birthday, it's time to tell about him. Zachary is a happy child. He has always had the most beautiful smile. He loves life; he really enjoys himself! He loves to help. Whenever I need something he is my "go to guy". When Eric is going to help someone move or the like, he is the first to volunteer. He loves to build stuff and work with tools. He can't stand to have an unopened package sitting around. He's gotta get his hands on it and open it. I can't tell you how many times he has fixed things, built furniture from the box and various other tasks. It makes my heart proud to have a child like this. I know we didn't teach him this, he came that way.

Zachary turned 11 years old. He is in the 5th grade. He is involved in scouts and is very excited to be a real 11 year old Scout. He was just awarded his Arrow of Light on Wednesday night. He also earned all 20 Webelos badges. His Webelos leaders work very hard and love to help the kids earn all they can. It is such a blessing to have such dedicated leaders.

He is in the drama club at the school. They meet every Friday after school. Eventually they will perform a play of some kind. They've just started so they are learning to work together, etc.

Zach has decided football is his favorite sport. I flubbed up this year and didn't get him signed up to play on a city team. We will definitely do it next year. If we don't, I'm sure he wouldn't forgive me. Everyday at school recess he plays football with his buddies. I'm not sure how good he is but he sure enjoys it.

I think that's all I have to say right now. I'm just glad Zach is part of our family. I love him lots. He makes me smile!!!

My weekend and SNOW on October 11th!!!!!!

I have had quite the weekend. It started Thursday when Eric and I went to lunch to shop for Zachary's birthday. I sent Eric back to work and continued running around, to Wal-Mart, Shopko, Scout office in Ogden, bank, Sam's Club, Baskin Robbins, etc.

Since I was going to be gone the rest of the week we decided that Zach's birthday celebration would take place on Thursday night (his birthday was officially on Friday). Eric came home early (at 5 pm) to have dinner and open gifts. We did all that while I was in the process of packing my Creative Memories stuff into the van. We had a lovely dinner of steak, baked potatoes and spaghetti squash. Zach opened his presents-- a cell phone, MP3 player (2 GB), his new Scout uniform and all the belt loops he earned while in Cub Scouts (The ward doesn't pay for these so the boys are given the cards and the parents choose whether they want to purchase them. He had a few on his belt already but needed 23 more!) Zach chose to have a Baskin Robbins Fudge Nut cake. We sang and had yummy ice cream cake. By that time all I needed was packed in the van and I took off.

Usually the first night of my retreat (Thursday night) is my prep/set up night. I give my customers the the option of being there for the extra night. I had two others there with me. The rest of the retreat started Friday morning. We had a great time. Many wonderful scrapbook pages were completed. At least two people completed the pictures they had brought with them. I was amazed at how productive everybody was. We officially ended around 5 pm but had the conference room until midnight on Saturday night. A few people chose to stay while I packed up and wrapped things up. When I was done packing up I sat down with them and ended up not leaving until after midnight. I hit the sack around 1 am this morning. I am exhausted because I didn't get much more than 6 hours of sleep each night along with being busy the whole time.

I can't believe we got SNOW! Yesterday's forecast was rain and possibly snow. Well, it rained slush most of the day. I was inside all day so when I went out to my van imagine my surprise when I found at least an inch on the van. I drove home in the snow and when we woke up this morning there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. The kids were so excited!!! They spent most of their day outside playing in it. I am just so surprised that our first snowfall is so early in the season!!! I sure hope this isn't a sign of what is to come. It could be a very long winter.

General Conference

Wow! I really enjoyed General Conference this time. I am usually able to pick a couple talks that stand out to me but this time I felt like all of them were so good. I am really excited about the announcement of the new temples. Rome, Italy!!!! Who would've thunk? Right in the middle of Catholic headquarters! So exciting!!! It's amazing how many temples there are now compared to when I was a little girl. I think there were only about 12 then.

I love President Monson. He is such a loving, caring man. Our claim to fame is that Leonard (Eric's step-dad) cuts his hair. We've talked about stopping in at the barber shop one of these times he is supposed to be there. It hasn't happened yet. The way Leonard talks, President Monson lives up to everything they say about him. Once you are President Monson's friend, you are always his friend. Leonard enjoys his friendship.

On a side note, did you catch the "Nacho Libre" lady? I had to chuckle as she spoke with the perfect accent, "baptized", "salvation", "everyday", "duty"..... Her talk was excellent but I just
couldn't help myself... I've been hanging out with Christine (my neice) all summer. When I first saw "Nacho Libre" I thought it was really stupid. Well, Christine helps me see the humor in it. We've spent the whole summer laughing over all the funny quotes from the movie.

I wrote down quotes I loved from the talks. Here are a few:

L. Tom Perry - Be positive. "The best is yet to be." Simplify our lives to basic needs.

Elder Anderson - "You don't know everything, but you know enough".

President Uchtdorf - Despair vs. Hope. "Hope is a confidence in God, patient perseverance. In the midst of winter we find an invincible summer."

Elder Wirthlin - "Come what may and love it."

Elder Holland - "Angels are among us through our lives and trials."

President Eyring - "A great day of unity is coming."

Elaine Dalton (YW General President) - "The temple is the reason for everything we do in the church. Young Women (all of us) should point toward the temple. Be clean. The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."

President Monson - "Find joy in the journey - NOW! If you pile up a lot of tomorrows you, you will find a lot of empty yesterdays. People around us are most important. Gratitude for our blessings goes hand in hand with finding joy."

I need to watch Sunday afternoon since I fell asleep :(. I'll add those later.

Jared is 18 years old!!!

Okay, so, life is really getting in my way!!! Jared's birthday was a week and a half ago and I still haven't written. Since I just started this blog and I'm still trying to introduce everybody I thought birthdays were a great time to focus on each person. It just didn't happen this time so... here I go......

Jared's birthday was great for him. He has been wanting a "Zune" (MP3 player) for quite a while since his "Creative" broke early this year. The "poor" guy has had to deal with a broken screen. (Can you tell I don't have much sympathy?) This zune is 80 GB and he is so glad he got it. This gift was a bit weird to give because it is an expensive item. We don't spend that much on gifts so we told him we would pay $100 and he could pay the rest of the $185. That meant we were off the hook for other gifts. He found a brand-new-in-the-box one on KSL.com and picked it up in Woods Cross that afternoon. As soon as he hit the door he was hooking it to the computer downloading all his music. So, he got his birthday gift but we didn't even have the chance to wrap it!!! I guess it doesn't matter because he was happy!!!! The kids gave him a 3 foot long gummy snake and a big container of protein powder. (Don't ask, he wanted it!!!)

Eric actually got up early that morning and made pancakes but didn't wake the rest of the family since we would have been up eating breakfast at 6:30 am. (We DON'T get up that early!!!) Eric and Jared had a birthday breakfast and the rest of us ate when we woke. We have a tradition to make a special dinner of the birthday person's choice. Of course, true to Jared's expensive pleasures he asked for prime rib! NOT! He settled for steak, baked potatoes, veggies, etc. As I was purchasing the steak I checked out the price of prime rib. A roast to feed our family would have cost $60. Wow! (I'm not used to buying beef since we usually have 1/2 beef in our freezer but we are running way low right now.) We ended the day with a yummy ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. They make the BEST fudge nut cakes!!!

I can't believe Jared is 18 years old. I remember when I was 17 and a senior in high school. It was just yesterday. My parents were "old" then . I remember going to my mom's surprise 40th birthday party and thinking she was "old". Now I'm there and UGH I don't feel old!!!! I refuse to get old!!!

So...a little about Jared... He is a senior at Layton High. He is in his 3rd year of participation in the show choir. Choir at Layton High is where it's at. They sing and dance and have a great time. The instructor is a bit crazy but they mostly have a great time in spite of him.

He is also on the LITE (Lancer Improvisational Teenage Educators) team this year. They are a group who put together skits for different issues (drugs, bullying, friendship, etc.) kids face. They go around to local schools (elementary and junior highs) performing these skits to help kids to deal with issues the school feels need to be addressed. It's a peer-tutoring program. He is enjoying being associated with this team of kids.

His classes this year are pretty easy. His hardest ones are Creative Writing and CE English. CE stands for Concurrent Enrollment, which means it is a college class through Weber State University, that he is getting college credit for. His other classes are choir, LITE team, Social dance (ballroom), Gold's Gym (PE at Gold's Gym), Seminary and Auto tech (learning how to work on cars). Looks like a cake walk to me.

Jared is still working at Lagoon (Frightmares) on weekends until the end of October. He really needs to get another job to pay his bills. He's currently working with a neighbor kid with a new sales thing. We'll see how that goes.

Other than that, he is a typical teenager....always on the phone or computer or out being social with his friends (most of them are girls!) He says he is single right now and that he is preparing for his mission but he seems to have at least one girl he really likes. Fortunately for us, she lives in Brigham City. He doesn't have wheels so he doesn't see her much.

We are proud of Jared and his accomplishments. He has goals and aspirations and seems to be headed in the right direction. He has always been determined to get what he wants. It hasn't always been fun being his parents over the years but this determination will take him far as he goes on his mission and works towards his career. He has a great testimony of the gospel. He really "gets" it. We hope he will continue to make good choices. It will be great to see the consequences of those good choices.