We Highly Recommend It

On Jason and Melanie's recommendation, we rented this movie, Fireproof, last weekend. It is a Christian-based story about the marriage of a firefighter and his wife. Both Dave and I were impressed by the message of this story. Actually, I can't remember the last time I was this "moved" by a movie. The story is so touching and the message so applicable to really every marriage. We highly recommend it. Everyone should see it. It is made by the same people who did Facing the Giants which is another Christian-based movie. That one is about a football coach and his wife. That movie is also really good and definitely worth watching. Neither movie has any garbage in it which is so refreshing.

Thank You

It is only 10:00 a.m. and I've already been moved to tears twice this morning (which is a good thing) and the responsible people are ... Kelly and Cassie. Kelly reminded me who I am and what that means and also to have perspective and be able to let go and move on. Thanks Kelly. Cassie posted this amazing slide show accompanied by a beautiful song that we heard at our Relief Society Enrichment last night, and I just flat out copied her and posted it below (thanks Cassie!). We had a guest speaker who was fabulous (Justin Harper, a seminary teacher from Rockwell), and he talked about living a life centered on the Savior. He played this song with a different slide show, but the effect is the same ... tears, gratitude, humility, and a renewed determination to look to Him.

Look at me go

Let's just make a note here that this is my second post in five days. Okay, moving on. The kids had the day off of school today (I have no idea why, I'm just glad I remembered!), and we were hoping for a fun day outside (on bikes, at the park, at the zoo, etc.), but alas, it was snowing .... again. We remembered Austin had a free pass to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, and off we went. It was pretty cool. We had a lot of fun looking at all the sea creatures, driving the boat, and eating lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. What it really did was get us all totally excited for Sea World in the fall! I actually do like planning vacations pretty far in advance, but I think I might be torturing myself with this one - we're not going until OCTOBER!!! I know, I know ... I'm as bad as the kids! At least I have something to look forward to I suppose.

Poor neglected blog

It has been a while since I've blogged. I've been busy I suppose. We've had a nice month despite my persistent crankiness about winter in general. So here's what we've been up to:

The boys just finished up another Jr. Jazz basketball season. This year was a little different. As you'll notice from the pictures ... THEY WERE ON THE SAME TEAM!!! It turns out the Jr. Jazz teams are divided up by grade, and third and fourth graders are together. The recreation director called me to see if it was okay that he had put Austin and Jackson on the same team. What?!!! It is a good thing he didn't ask me in person since there is a good chance I would have hugged him (and honestly I don't really even know the man). He saved me time and energy and hassle and all of that, and he thought I'd be upset. Funny. One practice and one game each week and two brothers playing together - that's my kind of basketball season. They had a great time, and we had a lot of fun watching them. They've improved a lot since last year and seem to be getting the hang of it. It was fun to watch them play together as teammates.


Dave got a new job this past month. He is now working for Stonehendge of Utah (see picture below). It is a transitional care facility, and he mostly works with high-level patients who have had surgery or have fallen or been injured somehow and are in need of a short stint in rehab. They just completed this brand new beautiful building on Center Street in Orem (jus east of Mountain View High School) in December, and he started in February as a Physical Therapist Assistant. He loves it there! He talks all the time about how nice it is to be in such a nice, new, beautiful place. He has good friends there and works around good people. I like that. The kids and I went over for their open house a few weeks ago, and I must say, if I needed to go to a transitional care facility, I'd pick this one. It is beautiful and so nice. The Stonehendge out front is really cool, so if you get a chance to drive by, it is worth seeing. We are so glad Dave has been able to work consistently as a PTA. He graduated with this two-year degree in 1999 and has always had work (sometimes more than we want!). He is really good at what he does, and we are all grateful for how hard he works for us. His training comes in handy when I get hurt (it happens) or need (or want) a massage. Thanks hon!

We had a couples' Valentine's Dance with our ward a few weeks ago, and it turns out, some of our friends can really "bust a move." Dave and I are not big dancers, so we usually avoid such events, but honestly, we had a great time. I happened to have my camera in my jacket pocket, so if you need any incriminating "dancing" or "karaoke" evidence on several individuals (who shall remain nameless), see me. I can be bribed.

I am enjoying my spinning class and occasionally riding outside. My friend, Paula, and I are registering for the "Little Red Riding Hood" Women's only ride in Cache County in June. We are going to try for 67 miles (wish us luck!). Thanks to a fun day in Park City, we are now both the proud owners of some styling gel padded cycling shorts and claustophobic clip-in cycling shoes that are sure to result in me injuring myself (not to mention humiliating myself). Stay tuned for updates ...

We are looking forward to spring and summer and some fun vacations coming up this year (Bear Lake, Duck Creek, Disneyland - yeah!). The boys are not looking forward to getting their braces on which will be in the next couple of months. They are both wearing jaw expanding appliances right now, and after all that junk in their mouth, braces will probably be a relief. My poor kids. They got my awful teeth. They are missing teeth on the bottom and have no room on the top and all of that. Good times. They are looking forward to school getting out for the year and spending another summer in the pool. I say "ditto" to that.

How's that for lazy?

I did this "random 25 things about me" for a tag on Facebook, but anytime I do that much thinking and writing ... it's going on here too. I believe that is what is known as laziness. Maybe I'll add a number #26 and admit that I have some laziness going on.

1. I am a bit accident prone and have broken several bones, had stitches several times, and had one ride in an ambulance. I started kindergarten on crutches with a broken ankle. My middle finger on my right hand was nearly cut off after being slammed in a door at church when I was in the first grade. I am proud to say I have been injury free for almost two years. The last incident involved a cheese grater (very sharp), my thumb, and six stitches.

2. I am a really picky eater. I don't drink milk, eat any kind of seafood, or eat any meat right off the bone. I hardly eat any meat or dairy at all, and I don't like anything reheated. I very rarely eat eggs, and honestly it is mostly becuase of the way they look (gross). I mostly eat fruits and vegetables, and of course, I have no problem with things like brownies, cookies, or candy. I would eat cantaloupe every day if I could.

3. I love to sit on my front porch swing and read a book, chat with friends, or watch the sun go down. And yes, I know how "small town" that sounds.

4. I don't like animals. I'm not prejudice against any type of animal in particular, just animals in general. I don't like to touch any of them, and I definitely don't like them to touch me! I don't mind zoos, but that is about as close as I get.

5. I love to type. I have worked in medical transcription for years, and I don't mind it at all. I type so much that I almost hate to write, and my handwriting is actually deteriorating pretty badly. I have no idea how fast I type. The last time I was tested, it was well over 100 wpm. Apparently that's what happens when you type as much as I do. I am grateful that some smart person invented blogging because that is the only way my posterity is getting a "journal" out of me.

6. Dave can beat me at pretty much any sport, except for tennis. We are pretty evenly matched there. I once beat him in a tennis match when I was eight months pregnant with Austin.

7. When I was 5, I cracked my parents' bathroom window with a plastic ball that I hit with a plastic bat. My dad was so proud that he didn't have the window fixed for years and has told the story more times than I can recall. He still calls me "slugger" every time I pick up a bat. I do love softball and baseball (both watching and playing). I will sometimes stop at a random baseball park on a summer evening and watch a game for a bit. I also love the batting cages.

8. I love to read, especially right before bed. I am not a big fan of fiction though. It usually has to be either historical fiction or at least plausible fiction (sorry people, vampire love stories are out!). I mostly read nonfiction and humorous stuff.

9. I am the first counselor in a primary with over 270 kids in it, and I love it. I love having little friends all around me. I love all the little waves and hugs and smiles I get wherever I go.

10. I got married on Friday the 13th. Apparently I'm not superstitious.

11. I think is fair to say that I am a bit of a fainter. I fainted once in senior hall in high school in front of about a million people and once during stake conference in front of about a million other people. I fainted once with my eyes open and really scared the poor nurse who was putting my IV in. Apparently that was pretty creepy. I have actually fainted more times that I can even count, but it seems to have slowed down over the last few years, and I think we can all be happy about that.

12. I love Eagle Mountain. I never thought I would, but I do. It is so quiet here. I can see the stars at night like I've never seen them before. The drive into town doesn't even bother me anymore. The people here are amazing, and I can't imagine ever leaving our friends here.

13. I have been selected for jury duty five times over the last eight years. I have sat through jury selection three times and am currently fulfilling a long-term jury assignment. So it turns out that maybe jury selection is not quite as random as we thought ...

14. I only own one pair of flats (my tennis shoes). All of my other shoes are heels. Even my flip flops have a heel on them. I just like the look of heels. They aren't all really high heels, but some of them are pretty high. Honestly, part of it is height motivated. I buy pants in the shortest length I can find and still need 3 inch heels to keep my pants from dragging. I have really short legs.

15. My kids are all named after capital cities (Austin, Jackson, London, and Trenton). The funny thing is, we didn't realize it until after we had Austin and Jackson and my friend (Greg Danklef) pointed out that they were both named after capital cities. I remember doing well on my U.S. capital cities test in the fifth grade, but apparently they didn't stick because I couldn't remember what Jackson was the capital of. How embarrassing. I realize that is sort of goofy, but the kids think it is cool that they are named after cities. We did tell them that we'd visit all of their "cities" someday.

16. I love everything about summer. I love the heat, the swimming pools, the boats and water sports, the green grass, the sun shining until 9:30 at night, the flowers, and even the smell of sunscreen.

17. I love sports movies (Rudy, Remember the Titans, Forever Strong, etc.).

18. At the prompting of my friend Toni, I once duct taped the zipper of a tent closed while my stake Young Women leaders were sleeping inside and then threw a long string of firecrackers into their fire pit nearby. Since their fire was not properly extinguished, the firecrackers of course ignited. I'm not really sure why I don't feel bad about that. Probably becuase it was hilarious.

19. I have no idea how many times I've seen Tommy Boy ... but it is a lot. I love it. I laugh every time. No, it never gets old. I love the King of Queens, Seinfeld, and The Office, and I never miss Lost, Prison Break, or my personal favorite, The Biggest Loser. How can you not be inspired by that show?

20. I like a wide variety of music. My iPod has a little of everything, including Rascal Flats, Pink, Anne Murray, Celine Dion, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, and Carrie Underwood. I don't like rap.

21. I wish that I loved to run. I don't. I hate it. I can even say I've given it a fair shot. I'm just not a runner. I did run one 5K a few years ago, and I survived. I just hated it.

22. I love to edit things. I worked as an editor for several years and loved it. I just like looking for grammatical errors and moving around words for a better fit. I might be a nerd. I'm willing to admit that. I'm anxious to go back to school and am thinking of pursuing a degree in English to teach on a secondary or post-secondary level. We'll see ...

23. I have really acute hearing in general, but I absolutely cannot stand ticking noises (i.e., clocks, watches, Rainbird sprinklers), especially when I'm trying to go to sleep. I have been known to take clocks off walls (and stash them in drawers or far away rooms) in hospital rooms, at hotels, and at other people's houses becuase I cannot fall asleep with ticking! Neurotic I know.

24. I love biking! When the weather is nice, I ride several times a week (10 to 12 miles each time). I miss it when the weather is crappy. I take a spinning class at the gym twice a week with two of my friends, and I really love that. It kicks my butt every time, but it is awesome.

25. I hate feet. I hate touching feet. I don't like my feet touched. I don't even really like looking at feet.

Something to look forward to

When I got in the car to take T.J. to prechool this morning, the thermometer said 5 degrees, so I thought this would be an appropriate post for today. I am not allowed to complain about the weather on this blog becuase two of my brothers and their families live in Wisconsin where the high temperature today is going to be -5 degrees with a wind chill well below that. So, I won't complain, but ... it seems we are probably about halfway through Winter which is a good time to start looking forward to summer if you ask me.

This past summer, Melanie had the great idea to set aside one day each week for swimming. We chose Wednesday and off we went. Every week we went swimming and we didn't get a pass anywhere, so we tried out a bunch of different pools (American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Scera). If you remember gas prices last summer and the cost of admitting 11 people to the pool every week, it started to get a little pricey, but we had a great time. It turns out my kids will actually swim for four or five hours and then I still have to drag them out of the pool kicking and screaming.

About halfway through the summer, we started going to the Camp Williams Pool (thanks Monica!) and I think my kids liked this pool the best. It was almost never crowded and some weeks, we had the pool all to ourselves. It was so much fun, and my kids have been asking for a few month when we are going back, and I find myself thinking of a nice relaxing day at the pool. I'm just a summer sort of girl I guess. I really probably belong in St. George or Arizona or some other deathly warm place. I just love the heat and the sun.

We had an end-of-summer family party Labor Day Weekend and the dads got to come. So these pictures are of James and Dave playing a little game they like to call "Kid Basketball." They started off by finding the two most willing kids who also have to be light-weights (in this case, London and Jared) and started throwing them up in the air and tossing them around in the pool. Then they had to make it more challenging by creating obstacles to their little game. They put out water noodles to see if they could throw the kids past them. And then of course, they got out the tubes and started trying to land the kids in (or through) the tubes, hence the name, Kid Basketball.

I know what you are thinking, and no they (James and Dave) were not unattended and left to their own devices at the time. Monica, Lisa, Melanie, and I were all standing nearby, and in fact, I believe we were the ones taking pictures. I remember being surprised at how high the kids were going, but I might have not realized they were going this high.

The kids loved it of course. The older kids all stood around and egged them on, and London and Jared kept coming back for more. If you look closely, you can see the big smiles on James and Dave, and I think we know who was having the real fun here ... they were pretty proud of themselves if I recall.

I suppose I can survive a little more winter if I know I have this to look forward to.

Christmas 2008

So Christmas came and went, and I've been way too busy to even blog about it, but it has been a fun sort of busy. With birthdays, our anniversary, family in town, Christmas, New Years, bowl games, and tons of fun parties, we had a great holiday season ... and now we're ready to get back on schedule!

On Christmas Eve, we went and saw Madagascar 2 (the kids idea), had dinner at Denny's (not my idea), and went and saw the lights at Thanksgiving point (my idea). In between dinner and the lights, I ran into the Verizon store and picked up my new phone - yeah! I love it! Anyway, it was a nice evening, and the kids had a great time. However, just last week we discovered that the lights at the Spanish Fork Light Festival kick the pants off of those at Thanksgiving Point, so I think we'll be going there on our Christmas Eve's in the future. It is definitely worth the drive!

We opened up their pajamas once we got home and then sat down to watch It's a Wonderful Life. Believe it or not, that is the first time I have ever sat down and watched that movie all the way through. It does have a good message, and it definitely put the kids to sleep, so off they went to bed. We had already wrapped the night before, so we just finished up getting everything out and then watched Dumb and Dumber. I know, it is not exactly a Christmas Eve kind of movie. In fact, I'm not sure its much of a movie at all, but I did survive watching it. I wanted to watch A Christmas Story, but Dave refused. Apparently there was an incident in his childhood with an ice-covered pole in the winter .... we won't get into that.

After opening presents Christmas morning, we hosted breakfast for my family at our house and then spent the rest of the day with Dave's family. It was actually a pretty relaxing day which was nice. Dave surprised me with a couple of things (a gift certificate to Downeast Outfitters and a new air popcorn popper because mine is broken - yeah!). It is pretty hard to surprise me (I'm apparently picky and definitely sneaky), so I'm impressed with that. He "bought" me two new fabulous sweaters that made it all the way home from the store, wrapped, and under the tree without Dave having any idea about them. When I opened them and everyone said how cute they were, he said it was a Christmas miracle. He also got me the heart rate monitor I've been wanting for my spinning class. We'll see if I'm really working as hard as I feel like I am! The kids were all happy with their new stuff, and it is definitely keeping them busy, so mission accomplished.

I am always sad to see the holiday season go. The craziness I could do without, but I love the memories and the spirit that is around during the Christmas season. I've already found myself looking forward to next year ... but I'll definitely being enjoying the summer first (I could do with a nice long day in the sun by the pool about now!)