Who would believe it?

Last week when I filled up with gas, I was so excited to see $3.89. Isn't that sad? Who would believe that we could get so excited about gas being at that price. I was just excited to see it under $4.00. I checked; I paid $2.69 a gallon this time last year. (I'm married to an accountant.) And I remember being mad about those prices. I would love it if I could pay $2.69 a gallon now. (sigh)

p.s. My in-laws--ALL OF THEM--always monitor and check gas prices all the time. Seriously, it's like a hobby for them. If you ever need to know gas prices, they can tell you and where the cheapest ones are. One time I mentioned the price of gas and Megi said something like, "Mille, you know what the gas prices are? Wow." Now I totally feel like one of them. :)

Words of Wisdom

I came across this great quote today and wanted to share. I decided that I might post more from time to time as I see quotes/ideas that I like. So I asked Jerel what I should title my posts for my quotes--I came up with Thought of the Day, Quotable Quotes, etc. He came up with Inspirational Crap. I settled on Words of Wisdom. So as I come across inspirational crap from time to time, I'll be sharing my words of wisdom with you. Hope you enjoy!

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Abraham Lincoln

8 is great

I have been working out with a trainer for about 2 1/2 months. I was having a hard time pushing myself as I lifted weights, so Jerel was SOOO amazingly nice and got me a trainer. Isn't he great! Anyways, I lost about 8 pounds since I've been working out with Kelli, my trainer. But I have been kind of frustrated lately because I have been on a plateau for my weight for about 4 weeks. So today Kelli did my measurements . . . I lost 8 inches in the last 2 1/2 months. Woo Hoo!!!! So I love the number 8 today--8 pounds, 8 inches. Isn't 8 great!

Would you call this addiction?

Trevor really, really, really likes to play x-box and wii. He asks me all day long to play, and the 30 minutes I allow him to play each day usually stretches into an hour. Today he informed me he was "addicted." I asked him, "Do you know what addicted means?" He replied, "You are really addicted and want to play ALL the time." He might be right--he could be addicted. Look at this picture we took yesterday--he couldn't even look at the camera. (I love the tongue sticking out as he concentrates on playing.)

Something funny happened on the way to the . . .

. . . museum. I helped out with the Webelos last week and took them on a field trip to the Natural History Museum. But that's not the funny part. As I was making my rounds to pick up boys, this is what I saw. This boy's neighbor had a horse and goat grazing in their front yard. I just had to take a picture. My phone is all I had, so sorry for the poor quality. After we picked up the boy, I called his mom and said, "Do you know that your neighbor 3 houses up has a horse and goat grazing in her front yard?" She replied, "Yeah, sometimes we have neighbors that are a little white trash." I just thought this was the funniest ever--and so did the 3 boys in my car.

The eyes have it

We thought that Jordan would like to wear contacts since football with glasses is a big pain. Even when he wears his sports goggles, they fog up and he has to use a towel all the time because his sweat drips all over them. It really is a BIG, BIG pain. Well, Jordan went to the eye doc last week and they gave him a trial pair for the week. After the first initial "drama" of trying to get them in and out the first time, he's quite the pro at it now. (When I say "drama," nothing could touch the drama that I gave my mom when I first wore contacts. Let's just say I was VERY emotional and was convinced that it had gone into the back of my head. Actually, it had just rolled up under my eye lid. No one I'm sure has had drama like I did at that age.) Jordan just had a little phobia about putting something in his eye and touching his eye--like everyone does. After the first couple days he could get them in and out in just minutes. I think it helped that Chase and I both wear them. BUT, he's so funny--he doesn't want to wear contacts. Go figure. So now I'm trying to decide whether to "make" him wear them because it really will be easier for sports. Ahh, the joy of kids and agency.

Look how nice he looks.

Hey Rocky!

Chase decided to play football for his junior high (9th grade) this year instead of playing soccer for one of the local soccer clubs. It's his first time playing football, but he seems to enjoy it so far. He went to the local high school's football camp a couple weeks ago. It's a week long and they go someplace a lot cooler than here. From what I hear, it's pretty tough and they have 4 practices a day. Yep, that's right FOUR!! Chase texted me the first day that he was "tired, but he would be able to work through it." Good job Chase.

Then a couple days later, Chase texts me and asks, "Did you get the pictures?" I called him back and asked what pictures he was talking about. He proceeds to tell me that they were doing a "brutal" towel fighting drill where two kids hold on to each end of a towel and the goal is to get the other person to let go by doing anything you want (except headbutt and groin shots.) Oh, good, I'm glad there's safety rules. lol Yeah right. Apparently Chase beat this one kid in like two seconds, and so they did a rematch. The second time the kid accidentally headbutted Chase in the face and gave him a HUGE black eye. (Chase made a point to tell me that he beat the kid the second time too.) My friend Cyndi was up there visiting for the day and saw this happen and took pictures with her phone. A few hours later I get a phone call from her. She says, "If I send you a picture on your phone, you have to promise not to whack out." I told her that I had heard from Chase about it and that he said it wasn't too bad. She then told me that his eye was swollen shut, AND that his cheek swelled up so big that they thought he might have broken his cheek bone. Here's the picture she sent; you can kind of see how big his cheek is.

After hearing how bad it was from Cyndi, I called Chase and told him that we thought he was a pretty tough kid to feel and look like that and not really complain. This is how he looked when he got home. Not so bad anymore. It sure got a lot of comments when we showed up at church. I told him that every time someone asked "What happened?" that he should make up a different story. He could say he fell down the stairs during an earthquake, got in a fight with circus clowns, was capturing a wild cougar and got hit by a tree branch, you know, stuff like that.

Spy kids

A couple days ago Jerel and I were in the living room. Suddenly, Jerel knelt down by the entertainment center and said, "Hey, let's go get the rest of the ice cream out of the freezer and eat it before Tanner comes back in here." I'm like "What?! Where did that come from? And why are you kneeling down on the floor?" Then I noticed that he was talking into one of Tanner's spy "bugs." Next thing you know, Tanner comes walking in all suited up in his "spy wear" and says, "Hey, you can't eat the ice cream without me!" We all had a good laugh. I snuck a picture of Tanner as he was listening in to another conversation with his earpiece. Oh Tanner, what a cutie, he loves to invent things and is usually up to something creative. He always keeps us laughing.

Here's the "listening bug." (Jerel wouldn't kneel down and restage the event for a picture, so you'll have to use your imagination.)

I guess I'm Superior! Not sure if that's good or bad?

62 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

lol

Not going so well

Well, I'm not doing so well on goal #3 (as you can see the time that I am posting this). I did make it to bed 2 times last week before 10:30. (sigh) Well, I guess I can try again this week. Although I'll have to start the week tomorrow. :) I figured I better fes up since Jerel told me a couple nights ago that he was going to "out" me on my blog for staying up for forever still. Obviously it's going to take me a LOOOONNNNGGG time to reach this goal.

Skadoosh!

I was talking to someone this morning who just saw "Kung Fu Panda." I was reminded of my favorite line. "There is no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness." So funny! I loved the movie and would highly recommend it to anyone. Click here for more awesome quote from the movie.

WHY Dad?!?!

Last night Tanner asked Jerel if he could go running with him in the mornings. Jerel replied that he probably couldn't because he goes a lot of miles each day and, in fact, just on Saturday he ran like 12 miles or something. (Many of you have probably seen him training/running.)Tanner asked why he was running so much. Jerel responded, "Don't you remember? I'm training to run in the St. George marathon in October. It's a race that's 26.2 miles long and so I have to practise running longer and longer distances." Trevor, my six year old, then asked, "WHY Dad???!!!" (Imagine him using a total "What are you. . . crazy or something?" voice.) It was so funny. Jerel then paused for a minute and then tried to explain the origin of the marathon race. Some story about how a guy named Marathon who had to run from Rome to some place (maybe the city was named Marathon) to warn them about a battle coming up. (Maybe I should look up the story again. lol) He had to run 26.2 miles to the next city and when he got there he died. Then one of the kids asked, "So WHY are you running in this race? The race that some guy died in?" I'm thinkin' "Good question!" Jerel then tried to explain about how he just wants to be able to work towards something and accomplish it. I think that's awesome, and anyone who runs a marathon is amazing to me. But I have to admit "Why?"

Happy birthday Randy!

Today is Randy's birthday. I can't let this day go by without paying a little tribute to a man who made such an impact in my life. I can't believe he's gone. My step-dad Randy was the greatest guy. He always treated me like he was my real dad, and I was his real daughter. He filled holes in my life and heart. He always showed such love and concern for me, for my whole family—and actually for everyone. He was just a real genuine person.

I know he was only in my life for a short time, but he changed me for the better. He just had a loving way about him and EVERYONE who met him, loved him. My entire family loved him. My kids LOVE their Grandpa Randy. He always had time for my children, and I can't remember a time when he was impatient with them. He showed a sincere interest in their lives and was always ready with a funny joke or story or cartoon that he had just drawn (like a dinosaur riding a skateboard). That's why this is a great picture, because it shows his "full of life laugh," where he would tip his head back and laugh so jovially. It shows his fun personality. He had a great smile and sense of humor. We had so much fun telling stories about him at his funeral that many people came up to me afterwards and said they had never laughed(and cried) so hard at a funeral.

He brought so much happiness to us and especially my mom. And that's what makes this day even harder, because today is their anniversary too. He was the perfect husband to my mom. He was the man of her dreams and treated her like a queen. I know he loved you so much mom. I love you mom! Know that I am thinking about you all day today. (It feels weird to be writing in the past tense.)

I miss him!

p.s. I think I will watch cartoons all day in honor of him!
Or I was thinking I might make a cartoon character cake
for my family each year on his birthday--bugs, popeye, etc.

Good times with great friends!

Today is Laura's birthday, one of my favorite and great friends. Happy birthday Laura! I got all reflective today and a little emotional as I thought about how blessed I am to have such great friends in my life. I have friends that I can be upset, crazy, insecure, happy, sad, spiritual, mad, fun, excited, and bored with. They have hung in there with me through tough times and great times. If I need a sounding board because I am feeling like I had a "Wal-mart mom" experience, they are there with a listening ear (and a good laugh). If I had a "triumphant shopping experience," they are excited about the great deals I found. When I had my miscarriages and when Randy died, they were the first ones I called. We have SO MUCH FUN together too. We will laugh, and laugh sometimes. Whether we are shopping, going to lunch, playing games, going to cooking classes, losing weight, reading books, camping, watching movies, traveling, helping me with my blog, talking on the phone . . . the list could go on and on . . . it's always fun! I love that they all have strong testimonies of the gospel and are willing to share them if I need it. I love that I can call them anytime for any reason. They have been my help and saving grace in all of my sick pregnancy moments, bad parenting moments, losing Randy moments, Shannon health watch moments . . . they have fasted and prayed with me and for me.

Some of my greatest, greatest friends don't live nearby anymore, but every time we talk, we pick right up where we left off. My friends don't judge and just console, or laugh right along with me or cry with me. They know a lot about me and still love me despite it all. They don't always know the right answers, but they still know the exact right thing to say. They will have places in my heart for forever. (See, I told you I was all emotional and reflective.) They all have attributes that I want to emulate and help me become a better person. I'm going to do a little tribute to some of them, because they are great and deserve to be thanked.

I have many great friends in my ward. A few of them LOVE to play games--just like me--and so I love that about them. Some of them are FABULOUS cooks (or should I say chefs). I love it when I benefit from those talents. We have so much fun together too as I see them the most often. I have had many spiritual moments with these guys and appreciate that. They are the greatest. (And hey, thanks for helping me raise my kids, as they are at your houses a lot too.)

My Bunko friends are the best. We discuss everything and have so much fun together. Sometimes we get talking and talking and never play the game. There are times we just can't stop laughing. I love my Bookclub gals. These are some women that are older than me and so we never would have crossed paths otherwise--we don't sit together watching our kids at school events or ball games, etc. I'm so glad I found them and I always think "what would I do without them?"

I have always wished I had sisters and so I am grateful for my sisters-in-law. They are the greatest. Some of them I have known since they were 7 years old, and I have seen them grow up. Others are just new to the family. But I love, love, love how you have made me feel like I was a "real sister."

Julie is one of the greatest friends ever! I don't get to see her very often since she moved to Utah, but I love that we can still talk all the time. She has been my friend for a long time and we just never have lost touch. She's known me since my kids were tiny and has helped me raise my kids as they are growing up. Every thing I mentioned above about my great friends, and things we have done together or they have done for me--well, she's been a part of it all. She is one of the most true, genuine and best people I know.

Allyson has been my friend for forever! We've been friends since 5th grade--so that's 28 years!! She's the friend who ALWAYS calls at just the right time. She will just "get a feeling" that I need to talk, and she'll call. She now lives in Glendale, and even though she's semi-close, we don't get together enough. She's the one who took me to the temple after my first miscarriage. Her mom is like a second mom to me. She is one of the most caring and selfless people I know.

Last month I had a great day. Julie and Allyson both came to visit. I went to lunch with Julie and dinner with Allyson. It was just the best time ever. I love having good times with great friends. My friends are truly blessings in my life. You all are amazing.

Here I am with Julie . . .

and here I am with Allyson.

Fun, food and fireworks--part 1

Since we didn't get to see some of Jerel's family at our family reunion last week (I'll blog about that later), we decided to go visit them in Bakersfield for the 4th of July. (Jerel's parents and his sister, Shannon and her husband Paul, live in Bakersfield.) Our main reason to go was to see Shannon. But we were happy to find out that his sister Lindy and family, his brother Boyce and his fiance (Suzanne), and his sister Janel and fam were also there. We had a great time. We mainly swam, talked and ate a ton of food that was bad for us and consequently extremely delicious. It was good to see Shannon. After seeing Randy look so not himself, and completely not expect it when I went up there, I didn't know what to expect when we saw Shannon. She looked better than I anticipated. She has a long road to recovery and is still very weak, but we are trying to be faithful and trust in our Heavenly Father's plan. Her sweet husband was so attentive to her while we were there. In fact, several members of the family served her in so many ways. It was very tender to watch Lindy, her sister, give her a pedicure and manicure one night. Now you need to understand, Lindy hates feet (I am the same way). So to me, this showed a great outpouring of love for her to serve her sister in such a sweet way.

Jerel's family has a few traditions that they do every 4th of July and so it was fun for our kids to see what Jerel did while he was growing up. They start out the morning with a HUGE breakfast that the Young Men's organization in the ward does as a fundraiser. They had pancakes, biscuits and gravy, aebleskivers (a danish food that I was super excited to eat because my mom made these for me growing up), eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, milk and juice. It was quite the spread and lots of good food ended up becoming a theme for the weekend. Later on that day we went to a family friend's house (the Faulkners) with several other families and had a great celebration. When I walked in there was quite the spread of food set out--and I mean A LOT of food! I ate probably more than I should have, and then when I realized that this was just the "appetizers," and that we were having "dinner" in a little bit--I knew I was in big trouble. How was I going to pass up ribs, pasta and everything else?! lol And we can't forget the 7 containers of homemade ice cream, Texas sheet cake, homemade pies, and sugar cookies for dessert. We spent the night playing volleyball, singing karaoke, playing guitar hero, talking, laughing, eating, and setting off our own fireworks. I lost track of how many boxes of sparklers we went through. In California, you can buy and set off your own mini fireworks. My kids thought this was VERY cool. We ended up buying some of our own and setting them off later that night at Grandma's house too. Granted, they aren't as big and amazing as the ones you see in the sky, but it's cool for a bunch of boys to set their own fireworks off. I mean what boy isn't entranced by fire and things that blow up!

On Saturday we just lounged around, watched movies with Grandpa, talked, swam, sang karaoke, watched home movies (Did you know Jerel had a perm when he was like 12? lol) and of course, went out for ice cream. This is one thing that I LOVE about Bakersfield--they have a great little ice cream parlor that reminds me of Leatherby's in Utah. They make all their own toppings and the servings are HUGE. It's worth every penny. Their caramel sauce is just the best ever. Grandpa grilled steaks for us that night, and it was very delicious! My boys LOVED swimming with their cousins and uncles; it was like wrestle-mania in the pool. And we all figured out, a little too late, that Uncle Paul, is a "pot-stirrer." That means that whenever he would start to get attacked and splashed, he would start the charge for somebody else. If you paid attention, you would hear "Get Uncle Boyce" or "Get Uncle Jonathan." At one point I noticed that some of the kids were biting. I got after them and then they called out, "Uncle Paul just bit me!" Too funny!

Sunday and church in Bakersfield is always entertaining. I will have to blog about that later since this post is getting a little long. After church we left for home. A quick trip, but a good one where we got to see family, share love and make good memories.

p.s. I made a slideshow of some of the pictures of our little trip. There's some real good ones in there--I'm surprised I actually was able to get some good action shots.

Fun, food and fireworks--part 2

Goal #3

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this "goal-setting" business. It's been a while since I sat down and set some goals, and I'm kind of enjoying it. (When I was 1st counselor in Young Womens many years ago, I did all the personal progress goals with my Mia Maids and received my jewelry for that, but now I am badly out of practise with setting goals.) I decided last week to try to go to bed by 10:30 pm every night. I am up until at least midnight or 1:00 every night, and for various reasons decided I really should get more sleep. So I set my goal and, . . . yeah, I think the earliest I went to bed was 11:15 ONE night. Complete failure. I hesitated to put my goal on the blog, for fear of not being able to accomplish it and then having to own up to it to everyone. But then I thought to myself, "What's the point of setting a goal if I don't really believe I'm going to accomplish it?" So as boring as this post probably is, I'm just trying to make myself accountable. I'm going to be realistic and just see if I can do it for two weeks starting tomorrow . . . OKAY, I'll start tonight!

So You Think You Can Dance . . . audition?

(Another diversion) I have loved, no LOVED, watching "So You Think You Can Dance" this year. This is the first time I haven't voted. I like so many of the dancers that I can't pick my "one favorite" to vote for. I look forward all week to see the next show. A couple years ago, I wanted to see the top 10 tour, but they came on a Sunday--I was so sad. Maybe I can talk Jerel into going to it with me this year? Yeah, who am I kidding? He will never go. Anyone want to go with me?

I know some of you have seen this video, but last night when I was working on the blog and after I had seen SYTYCD, this clip came to mind. It made me laugh so hard that I knew I had to put it on again. Sorry if you've seen it before--but you have to admit, it's funny. My brother-in-law, Shad, was looking at past audition clips from "So You Think You Can Dance" and found this. I'm so glad he found it--and you KNOW I'm such a fan of the show! Shad, thanks so much for just being you! To see, click HERE !

A fun distraction

As I have become easily distracted from doing what I am supposed to be doing today, I have found some little diversions that have become quite entertaining. (Sorry about the laundry Jerel.) A friend of mine took this personality test today. I too am nervous about taking tests like these. I'm not sure of what they will say. The truth does hurt sometimes. You can take the test here. Here are my results. You guys can be the judge if you think they match me:

Your personality type:
Warm-hearted, popular and conscientious. Tend to put the needs of others over their own needs. Feel strong sense of responsibility and duty. Value traditions and security. Interested in serving others. Need positive reinforcement to feel good about themselves. Well-developed sense of space and function.

Careers that could fit you includes: Home economics, nursing, teaching, administrators, child care, family practice physician, clergy, office managers, counselors, social workers, bookkeeping, accounting, secretaries, organization leaders, dental assistants, homemakers, radiological technologists, receptionists, religious educators, speech pathologists.

p.s. I was just wondering, isn't a homemaker pretty much already all of the other things listed? (home economics, nursing, teaching, child care, physician, counselor, secretary, etc.)

Family Scripture

Last month I was at Enrichment meeting at the church and my friend, Mary, was discussing her family's scripture. She said she had been to someone else's house and saw that they had a "family scripture" but it was kind of long, and she thinks just posted on the fridge. Well, Mary decided that her family needed to choose a scripture. She of course, put it on her wall with vinyl letters and it looks fabulous--just like the rest of her house. (She is great at decorating!) Her scripture is "O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12). Great scripture. Anyways, to make a short story long, I wondered out loud "I need a family scripture." Cyndi, another friend, pipes up behind us and says "We have a family scripture. It's 'Thou shalt not kill.'" She has 6 sons, plus some step-kids too. I totally laughed; she is so funny. But after the last couple days . . . I'm thinkin' that her scripture suggestion may not be that far off. Maybe that needs to be our family scripture too. Sometimes too much together time is NOT a good thing during the summer. So now I need to do some cool decorating to display my new family scripture. Any good ideas Mary?

Love my American Idols

A couple months back I REALLY, REALLY wanted to buy tickets to the American Idol concert that is touring with the top 10 finalists. I asked Jerel if he wanted to go. He said "no" in his typical flatliner voice that kind of sounds like "I don't care." I said, "Please, it could be your anniversary present to me." He said, "Do whatever you want." I was like SWEET!! I bought the tickets promptly. He then never said a word about it again. Two days before the concert I reminded him about our BIG DATE! He again didn't say a word. The night of the concert we get in the car and again he doesn't say a word about going to the concert. Then after we were driving for about 15 minutes he starts to tell me that he really doesn't want to go. I'm like "Are you serious?! I could have invited a friend. Why didn't you say something earlier?" He said, "I did." I was like, "Yeah, forever ago, and then you didn't say a word about it again. I thought you had warmed up to the idea." Jerel asks, "What made you think I had warmed up to it? Did I ever sound excited to go?" I then explained, "You NEVER sound excited about anything. Even when I told you I was pregnant you said 'cool' in your typical flatliner voice. How was I supposed to know?" Jerel responds, in his flatliner voice, "That's true." VINDICATION! Anyways, we went, we had pretty good seats, and it was AWESOME! I know that Jerel enjoyed it too. He even took pictures with his cell phone. Well, I have to admit, he probably didn't like the 12 year old girl that was sitting behind him, and was screaming--and I mean SCREAMING not singing--the entire time that David Cook sang.

First day of summer . . . are you kidding me?

We just got back from a quick trip to Bakersfield for the 4th of July weekend. It was kind of hot there, but not like it can get in Arizona. And then it reminded me of a few weeks back. It was June 20th, I was sitting outside trying to work on a project and watch the kids in the pool. I was sweating to death--I think it was 111 degrees that day. I don't know why I didn't get in the pool with them. Anyways, later on I had to check my calendar and it said "First day of summer." I just thought, "Are you kidding me? I think we've been there for a while now."

Goal # 2

Wow, I set one goal and now my mind is racing with all sorts of goals I want to accomplish. I was reading in the June New Era this weekend and read a little article about a girl who was challenged by her YW leaders to read the Book of Mormon in 65 days. The 65 days was significant because it is the approximate time it took Joseph Smith to translate it. I decided to do it too! I read all the time, and decided I have been doing more "frivolous" reading instead of "uplifting" reading lately. So this is my goal to help me with more "uplifting" reading in my life. I will be done with the Book of Mormon on September 9th.

A glimmer of hope

Many of you have asked how Shannon is doing. I felt like I needed to let you know a little update on her. She is now HOME!! Yeah!! We have had a LONG month of emotional roller coasters and questions, and so it's good to have a celebration moment. The last week in the hospital was rough as the doctors kept changing their minds about things--the infection may have spread to the right side of the brain, you can go home, no you can't go home, no the infection may even be getting better, you need another surgery, etc. It was tough to say the least. The infection has not gotten worse, but is about the same. We are not out of the woods by a long shot, but we are seeing answers to many of the prayers that have been extended to her and Paul. She still needs our prayers, but I am hopeful that this is a start of her to finally have some relief and just . . . be!

My First Goal

My cute sister-in-law made a list of 56 goals to get done in 560 days. I have MANY goals that I need to work on, but I think I'm going to start with ONE. (I know my limitations.) I'm going to try to update my blog more often. I decided that there's stuff I should have posted--wanted to post--and never did. I never was good at journaling and here's my chance to finally do it a little bit in a fun way. Well, I'm going to try to catch up a little and, well, reach my goal. So we'll see how we do on this goal. Maybe then I can do say, 10 goals in 100 days?! I'm not as organized and amazing as cute Megi. It was fun to read her list and see what ideas I could borrow to better myself too. Thanks Meg for the motivation!

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