A little Treat

Friday afternoon my dear husband and I took our first trip to the Chicago temple. It never fails that anything we do winds up being more difficult than it's supposed to be. Knowing that it took 2 hours to get there we planned plenty of time (we left at 2 in the afternoon) for our little excursion. Knowing that traffic would start building up the closer we got to Chicago and also hearing reports that there was a big accident on the freeway we opted to take the more scenic route, and scenic it was indeed. I have never felt more like I was on a wild goose chase then I did that day. I think we probably took 20 different roads and dealt with everything from closed roads and road construction to just plain ol' nasty traffic. The strangest thing was the difference that ensued upon crossing the border to Illinois. As soon as we crossed that line it was like mayhem. Thank goodness I do not live there. I think I would go insane with all the craziness and traffic.

Three hours later we finally arrived at the temple. I was already exhausted from all the driving and was not looking forward to the drive back. Is going to the temple supposed to be this stressful? I don't think it is. I have certainly been spoiled my whole life never living more than an hour from the temple. This is going to take some getting used to. Being in the temple was wonderful but as soon as it was over I started to feel stressed out about getting back especially since I realized we told our babysitter we'd be back around 10 and I had forgotten to leave her with a phone (doh!). At the rate we were going we were going to be at least an hour later and we were starving so that would take more time.

We decided to take the freeway on the way home in hopes of it taking less time. We knew that the freeway was a toll road all the way to the Wisconsin border. We did not however know how the tollway system in Chicago works. So we take the ramp onto the freeway and notice that we have to stop to pay the toll BEFORE we get on, OK, fine, we've got cash. Nope, you have to pay with coins since it is not a manned toll booth. What the??? So there we are scrambling to find some change and cars behind us honking and finally we give up and just go knowing that we have just been the stars of a photo session courtesy of the Illinois highway patrol. Needless to say that we were stressed out even more from that moment on. I started frantically calling people I knew would know the Chicago freeway system and luckily found out that we could just pay the toll online. Phew! Like seriously, how is anyone who has never driven in Chicago supposed to know that?

Thankfully we made it home in one peace even though we were both a little on the tense side. (We drove home through road construction, rain and some serious fog) After I got back from taking our babysitter home I went upstairs to bed. I went to lay down but noticed a piece of paper in my spot. It was a sweet note from my even sweeter husband and under my pillow was this:





What a sweet little surprise that made all the stresses of the day seem to melt away. My dear husband who I love more than anything was so thoughtful and did something so sweet (no pun intended ) for me. Thank you my dear Ivan for thinking of me and for being so thoughtful.

Missionary for an hour

So last night I get a phone call from the missionaries in our ward. They wanted to me help them teach a discussion (or I guess they call them lessons now) today. I hesitated. I thought of all the things I was planning on doing today and this just cut right into those plans. I thought about it for a few seconds and reluctantly agreed. I am so glad I did.

Honestly, I didn't think this lesson would happen. The family was supposed to come to the church for the lesson and they live a good 25 minutes away. When I got there a few minutes late and they weren't there I just knew they weren't going to show. To my surprise however they did show (45 minutes late but they showed). We had a wonderful lesson and this family is amazing. It was so wonderful to participate in missionary work again after so long. I was able to share my testimony with them, in Spanish mind you, and it was awesome. Who knows what will happen with this family but one thing is for sure, the spirit was there and it was testifying to all of us of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am so thankful that I didn't let the mundane things of the world prevent me from having one of the best experiences I've had in a long time. I love missionary work. I miss being a missionary and I had forgotten really how much I love the Latino people. I'm just wondering....what was your last missionary experience?

To be 5 again.

Sometimes I really wish I was five again. Life was pretty simple then and making friends was so much easier. I watch my little five year old show up at the park and make an instant best friend with a random kid on the playground. How does she do that? There are no clicks or circles to break into. Just a simple hi and a "do you want to play" and that's it, they are buddies, at least for an hour or 2 at the park. I'm really envious that little kids can do that.

I don't know why it has been so hard for me to make friends here. At first it seemed like I would make some good friends and that life would be great but lately I've been feeling, well, friendless. Maybe I ask too much in a friend or maybe I am over analyzing everything that is done by said "would be" friends. All I know is that it really stinks to be the new person.

I still feel like that new person, no, actually, I feel worse than the new person because I have been here 8 months and technically I'm not new anymore. When I was the "new" person everyone was nice and tried to include me and talk to me. Now, I have just been forgotten about.
And now I definitely see and feel the friend groups and the exclusivity of them.

I wonder about people who make friends so easily. What's their secret? I thought that I made friends easily but I think I am mistaken. It used to be easy in college anyway. I think it's that I long for friends who love me for who I am and who accept me as is. For friends that I have things in common with, things that are important to me. So far I have yet to find anyone who is into homeschooling, home birthing, healthy eating and alternative medicine. That's not to say I couldn't be friends with someone who wasn't into any of that stuff, just that all of that is a big part of who I am and I don't feel like anyone accepts that about me.

I suppose a five year old is not as complicated as us adults are and perhaps that is their secret to making friends in an instant. That, and they are OK with making a friend for an hour and then saying goodbye. I am not. When I make a friend, a true friend, I want that friend for life.

The first day......

Today marks the beginning. The beginning of a new chapter in my life. No excuses anymore, I have to start what I've been putting off. Yes, this is definitely the first day of the rest of my life. Sure it's an old cliche but it is one that fits me right now.

For as long as I can remember I've had a love hate relationship with food. I love it, everything about it. OK, I don't love liver but most everything else yes. Who doesn't? Food is something that makes me feel good. It's something to drown sorrows in and something to celebrate with. Ahhh...yes...glorious yummy food. I hate it because well...not all of it makes me feel good and even worse, it's making me fat. So it's time now for me to take control of what has been controlling me for the past few years. Of course I'd like to think that it was me who has been doing the controlling but no, it's definitely the other way around.

So today marks the day. My new regimen. My new way of looking at and thinking of food. I've done it before and can do it again however difficult it will be. This is not all about food though. It's about me feeling good. Feeling good about myself on the inside and out. I truly believe the old adage "you are what you eat". Right now I am a pint of ice cream and a Hershey bar. I hope to turn into a nice head of broccoli instead.

Thus far I have embarked on my daily doses of supplements and my lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs (mmm....protein!) This also includes my daily helping of green drink which I have yet to muster up enough courage to take. The only sad part will be not being able to eat all the yummy melons I've planted in my garden (I can't have sugar...of any kind, long story for another blog entry).

So I'm off. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it. Now, to go down that spectacular green drink.

Apology

I have been hearing complaints about me not writing anything in a while. All I can say is I'm sorry. I've been in a little bit of a funk lately but I have resolved to come up with something decent to write about at least once a week. I guess I just get to feeling inadequate about my blogging skills. It's much easier to blog when there is something to blog about. Somehow I don't feel that writing about being stuck inside when it's minus 30 is a very exciting blog post. I guess it could be though if I made it that way.

Anyway, I will try to get this thing updated as soon as I can because well, life is what it is and even though I may not find it exciting I'm sure some of you might. Hmm.. that didn't come out right. See what I mean, definite lack of blogging skills.

Pictures of the House

I finally have a minute to post some pictures of our new place. We love it out here.






The Barn





Grandpa came to visit!


Lili calls this her park!

And We're Back!

Hip Hip hooray! We finally have a computer up and running and connected so I can actually tell you all what we've been up to the last month. I can hardly believe it has been that long since we left our beloved Utah. Maybe that's because we were pretty much homeless for the first 3 weeks. Now we are safe and sound in the place we will call home for a while.

Ivan is loving his new job and I couldn't be happier for him. Today the girls and I finally visited his place of employment to check out the studio and meet some of his coworkers. I have to say that it was pretty cool. The girls had a blast riding some prototype bikes around. I enjoyed the "museum" of all the bikes Lance Armstrong rode during his wins at the Tour de France. Speaking of the Tour de France, Ivan's first real design is going to debut at the next one. So look for Lance's really cool bottle cage =) designed by my dh.

As for me, I'm so beat after just one day of unpacking. The movers finally came with our things yesterday. We had been camping in our house for about a week. I learned though in that time that life is so much simpler without all that stuff. I have to admit though that I missed my bed, my couch and my computer the most.

I feel so blessed to be where I am. I have felt homesick a few times but for the most part I love being here. It is beautiful and the Lord has seen fit to bless me with all that I ever wanted and more. Sometimes I am brought to tears just wondering what I did to be given all of this. I truly see His wisdom now and waiting as long as we did was just so He had time to prepare the perfect place for us.

I do have to tell you all about where we are living. I will have to post some pictures later since I don't have any yet but this place is amazing. The town of Lake Mills Wisconsin is like something out of a movie. What every small town wants to be. It's like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting. And the house that we live in, perfect, for me anyway. We found a farmhouse on 3 acres with a treehouse/playhouse. It is quiet here and there is so much room to run and play. I can't wait until the spring when I can plant my garden and get my chickens. The best part is that we are only 9 miles from work so Ivan's commute is about 12 minutes. We are making friends and enjoying missionary opportunities already.

I have so much to blog about but very little time since I still need to go vote and unpack and make dinner. I will try to update again very soon, and there will be pictures.

I Knew It

Six months ago I would have been feeling overwhelming joy at the thought of leaving Utah. I had come to a place in my life where I was "done" with Utah. Or in particular, Utah County. Don't get me wrong, it had it's moments. I met my husband there, my babies were born there, I had great friends there and many other wonderful memories from my college days. It's just that I had out grown it in a sense. Provo is the youngest city in the US and with me being the 30 something that I am I felt like an old woman. There is a certain sense of immaturity that goes along with the young age base there as well and that was what annoyed me the most. Yes, I would have thrown a party six months ago, danced in the streets and shouted for joy from my roof top had we gotten this job then.

I knew though that the Lord wanted to teach me to love Utah. I knew he would wait until I would be sad to leave before he would let me leave. He would wait for me to not want to leave and then He would make me leave. That is exactly what has happened. When we moved to Grantsville 6 months ago I came kicking and screaming. I did not want to move here, nope, not one bit. I wanted what I wanted and that was a great job in some great place far a way from Utah. Instead I was getting Grantsville. I didn't understand it at the time but now I do. There were reasons I had to come to this place. Things I had to learn and relationships I had to develop. My children needed to get to know their cousins and my husband and I needed all the free babysitting they provided. We all needed this place. So now, yes, I am sad to leave. I have made great friends, been in a great ward with a wonderful bishop and grown to love my dear sweet sister even more. I had to learn all the things I was taught in our "Monday" group and I had to learn to love myself again.

Turns out that I am indeed grateful I came to this place. I hate to go. I hate to leave the wonderful friends I've made here. I am sad that I have to leave Utah. I feel though that all of my time here was for an even greater purpose. I feel I was being prepared to go out into the world to be an influence for good. Perhaps I was learning what I have learned so I can teach my sisters in Wisconsin. Who knows, but I do know that the Lord knows best. He sees the big picture and he is in control. I know that he pours out blessings on us even when we don't recognize them as such. How blessed I feel that He saw fit to have us wait so long for that "dream" job because in all that time He was teaching and preparing us and blessing us immensely. And in the end He did give us just was we wanted. Perhaps even more.

The Decision

Well, I'm sure most of you know by now that we have decided to move to Wisconsin. The decision did not come easy. Nope, not in the least. Here we had an offer sitting on the table for 3 weeks. We actually accepted that offer even though we knew we had things on the horizon still. We figured that the first offer would be our last anyway so we went ahead and took it. After much council with friends and family members we were advised that even if we took the offer, we weren't bound to anything until they gave us money. So, when Trek bicycles wanted to fly Ivan out for an interview we were all over it.

How could we turn it down? It just sounded cool and Wisconsin seems a much more desirable place to live than Kansas. After his interview Ivan called me to tell me it went terrible. I couldn't believe it. I felt bad for him. I asked him what went wrong and he told me that it was so bad that they offered him a job before he left. WHAT? His plan in all of this was just to go to the interview, network and get to know some people and be headed off to his new job in Wichita. He figured Trek would take a couple of weeks to get back to him anyway and that by that time we'd be on our way to living in Kansas. So things didn't go as planned. The next day we received the official offer and the day after that another offer from a company in Texas. Three good job offers sitting in front of us. Wow. We would have never dreamed of it. Deciding was a difficult task but we finally felt best about going to Trek. I am so glad that Wisconsin was the answer. I would have accepted it if Kansas or Texas was the answer but truth be told, Wisconsin was at the top of my list for where I would most like to live. Ivan had a really hard time turning down our first offer though. He felt like he was going back on his word and burning bridges. Hopefully they will forgive us.

So now things are happening fast and we'll be leaving in 11 days. I am excited for the new adventure that awaits us and am really excited to live where it is green. I am sad though to leave Utah. Funny thing is that 6 months ago I would have been jumping for joy at the thought of leaving this state but I have grown to love it here. OK, I've grown to love Grantsville and the people here, I still have my issues with UT county. It may have taken us 18 months but we finally did it. We got a real job. I feel so blessed.

What would you do?

First of all I have to say HALLELUJAH! A long awaited job offer has finally arrived and we are ecstatic to say the least. It's been a grueling 16 months of emotional turmoil. So many almosts and so much disappointment. Yes, finally, the day has arrived! However, there is one small problem.

Don't get me wrong, the offer we got was good, better than expected, definitely a step up for us but they want to know what our answer is right away. That would be fine and good but "I" is scheduled to fly out to another interview next week. We're not sure what we would prefer as far as job is concerned but as far as location, the yet to be interview place wins out hands down. We also have no idea what kind of offer this other place would give us or if they will give us one period. So what would you do? I know nothing would be set in stone yet but would you say yest to the first offer or wait to see what is behind door number 2? If you say yes and then get a better offer from company #2 and decided to go there instead would it totally burn bridges and be a bad move career wise? Keep in mind that company #1 wants an answer uh....by tomorrow. We really don't know what to do. We don't want to burn bridges in either direction.

Feeling a bit sad

I've been feeling a little depressed lately. I've been trying not to dwell on it but I just keep being reminded of why I'm depressed. Why was that...oh yeah, because I am so baby hungry. Seriously folks, I want a baby so bad right now and every time I turn around I find out someone else is pregnant. It seems everyone I know is pregnant or has already passed me up in the baby category. I am happy for all of you but I am sad for me. I wish it were as easy for me to decide.."ok, let's have a baby" and wa la I can go ahead and get pregnant. Not so easy for me. I won't go into details but it's just not so easy for me to get pregnant. There are a lot of factors involved. Unfortunately I've been so busy taking care of the kids I do have that I haven't taken care of myself the way I should and that means no baby right now. We also have other issues such as our current living situation, no insurance etc...that are factoring into the baby equation.

I just want all of you who are my friends who are with child (so that would be just about everyone I know)to never take for granted what you have. Be grateful for the sickness, be grateful for exhaustion. Be grateful for a big belly and all the comments that come along with it. Be grateful for the pain that is to come and the sleepless nights that are inevitable. I would give anything for any of that right now.

Archie's #1

I just couldn't resist putting a link to David Archuleta's new single on my blog. I love this kid and his first single does not disappoint.

Nostalgia

I took a walk down memory lane last Friday while on a trip to Idaho for my niece's graduation. I love Rexburg. I am so glad that my niece decided to go to school there just so I could have the excuse of visiting and reliving my glory days. Even though in my time it was just the 2 year Ricks College and now it is a blossoming University campus the spirit of Ricks still lives on. In my day we used to say that BYU was the church's university but that Ricks was the Lord's school. I still think that statement rings true. BYU has its great quailities but it will never outdo BYU-I where feeling the spirit is concerned. I think that is the biggest reason that I have such deep feelings for my Alma Mater.

Ricks was the place where I essentially "grew up". Where I learned about the ups and downs of life and how to handle them. Not only was my education secular but it was an education in life. It was where I learned how to study the scriptures and where I gained a true testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was where I learned how to deal with terrible room mates and how to nurture lasting friendships that I still hold dear. I will forever look back at my time there with great fondness.

I don't remember much of the Commencement address because I was too busy thinking about all the wonderful times I had spent in the Hart Auditorium. All the devotionals , firesides and performances I had attended and participated in. Same goes for the Barrus concert hall where the Convocation was held. That is a special place for me and I couldn't help but remember all the times I had been on that very stage performing. My very last concert at Ricks was held there and that in itself is one of the most cherished memories of my life.

So to my Alma Mater I say thank you. Thanks for all the wonderful memories and all the knowledge I gained. Thank you for all the wonderful friendships I made and all the life lessons I learned. I will always think of that time in my life as the most important because it is essentially the time that shaped me into who I am today. I only hope that one day my own children will have the opportunity to experience what I did (well, the good stuff anyway) and attend that great university.

And the Stars Aligned

There are few times in life (at least my life) when the stars align and things work out more perfect than you could have imagined. Monday night was one of those nights for me. It may not seem like much to most but for my honey and I it was marvelous.

Two months ago I bought a single ticket to the American Idols concert. (You all know how much I LOVE AI!) The main reason for the single ticket was my husbands selflessness in wanting me to have a great seat and at $68 a pop that meant we could only afford one ticket. Even though he himself is a fan of the show, he was willing to let me go by myself and have a great seat.

So Monday night the plan was this: meet at Chili's by the E-Center for a birthday dinner for Lili (don't worry, her birthday was the next day, I would never skip out on my baby's birthday to go to a concert)after picking my dad up from the airport and then "I" would take the girls and my dad home and I would head off to the concert. Lucky for us we had my ever friendly father with us who struck up a conversation with some lady who just happened to have 2 extra tickets...and....she wanted to GIVE them to us. FREE! OK...so what to do...Again, my dad stepped up to the plate offering to take the girls with him to my sister's house so that we could go to the concert.

I was so excited that my honey was going to get to come with me only, I was not so willing to give up my very good seat to go sit in the back corner with him. (I know, I'm so selfish aren't I?) So again with the star alignment thing, it just so happens that whoever was supposed to sit next to me didn't show up so by the time Carly sang Ivan was able to come sit by me and there he stayed. It was so fun to have such a wonderful time with my honey there with me. We haven't been on a date in so long and to get to go to a concert together, well, pretty much unheard of. It was a wonderful night and we both had a great time. My favorite part was when David A cried because he was so moved by all the love he felt from the crowd (seriously, it was crazy loud for him).

So here are a few pics from the concert. I may upload a video later but it takes so long and I am very tired so it will have to wait.

Proud Aunt

I just had to post this little video of my niece Heidi performing at the "Little Miss Grantsville" pageant. I had never heard her really sing before and was just blown away by her talent. She is only 10. I know, I could be a little biased because she's me niece so you'll have to judge for yourself. By the way, she came in second. (We all think it was because her older sister had just won the Miss Grantsville title) =) Anyway, enjoy!

Too long

I just noticed that it has been over a month since I blogged. How pathetic. There really has just been nothing to blog about in my opinion. We have had nothing exciting happening which I guess can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. I guess I should stop waiting to blog about our ever elusive family vacation which by the way will never happen. Every time we start thinking about going somewhere we remember that we don't have any money for a vacation. I have tried to come up with something cheap we could do like camping but it winds up it wouldn't be cheap since we have no camping gear to speak of. (Unless you count a 2'x 2' kids tent as camping gear)Then there is always the thought of the generic trip to California in the back of my mind. There is so much to do there and a free place to stay at my sisters, but oh yeah, it would cost us gazillions of dollars in gas just to get there. So anyway, there will most likely be no family vacation blog this summer. Blogs about being stuck at home (mostly because I'm too cheap to spend the gas to go anywhere) or an occasional trip to the pool will have to do unless by some miracle something exciting happens for us.

So this is what we've been up to the last little while. My niece was crowned Miss Grantsville. I'm not quite sure what it means since she doesn't get to go to the Miss Utah pageant but none the less, kind of exciting to have a local celebrity in the family. "I" gets to work from home on Fridays. He works 4 9 hour days and then 4 hours on Fridays. We love it because it saves us about 20 bucks in gas a week and we get to hang out together an extra day. Lili started gymnastics and not that I'm a proud mom or anything, but she is a prodigy. =) OK, maybe not a prodigy but she loves it and she is actually very good. All that jumping on my bed has really helped her have a step up on the trampoline skills.

I have 4 baby tomatoes on my tomato plant(and a baby pepper too). I am so excited because I have never grown anything before. Also, in addition to my Monday group (which is now on Wednesdays) I'm part of a scrap booking group that meets every week and a walking group that goes walking at the High School track every evening.(Side note: thanks to the walking and eating really healthy the last couple of months I have lost 20 pounds, yeah!!)

We also recently acquired a Wii. I know, you're probably thinking we could've gone on that vacation with the money we spent on the Wii, but actually, I'm pretty sure the Wii was cheaper, a lot cheaper. Anyway, we have had great fun with the games and the girls even get into them. Lili is actually quite a pro at boxing (neither Ivan nor I can beat her) and she's not bad at tennis either. Guitar Hero is my game of choice and I'm not too bad at it. I have even mastered a few songs in the "Hard" category.

So folks, that is about all that has been going on with us. I know, boring. I really am hoping for something more exciting to blog about in the next little while. Until then this will have to do.

The Monday Ladies

I wish I had a picture of my group of ladies here in Grantsville to show all of you but it is nearly impossible to get us all together at the same time. Too many of us have to chase after kids, etc. So my one measly picture will have to do.



This picture is from cheese making day.

Since I moved to Grantsville I have been lucky enough to have a group of ladies to hang with once a week. My sister started a group that meets on Mondays and we have learned everything from gardening and herbs to how to make our own soap and lotion. I have loved being a part of this. Not only do I get to learn more about being a true granola (although I doubt I will ever get there since I refuse to give up wearing a bra!)but I have made some great friends as well. These ladies are wonderful and I love having some women who are a little older and wiser to learn from. Some of the other things we've done:

1.Planned our gardens and ordered seeds together in bulk to split up.

2.Made our own soap, lotion, lip balm, salt scrub, and tried shampoo although that one didn't turn out so great.

3. Made an herbal salve for burns/ diaper rash and other skin irritations.

4. Grafted a whole homeopathic kit.

5.As I mentioned, we made cheese. Now I know why cheese is so expensive. It takes a gallon of milk to make about a pound of cheese plus it takes a lot of time. This is not something I plan on doing by myself unless someday I have my own cow (which is not totally out of the question, I would like my own cow or at least one to share)

6. Some of the ladies got chickens and one even hatched some in an incubator. That was a fun educational experience for my girls and I. I had never seen a chicken hatch before. (I wish I could have gotten chickens, I really want some)

We also have some great things planned like going for a hike in the canyon to identify the herbs that are growing wild up there. We can also suggest things we want to learn or do. The best part is that my kids are usually so entertained. Most of these women home school so their kids are there and the older ones help take care of the younger ones. It is so nice.

I really am so glad that this has been a part of my life. I love being around like minded people who don't think all of my "natural" ways are weird and I like knowing that there are some people out there who are more quirky than I am. (although sometimes I revel in being the "different" one)

What's wrong with America?

A few days ago I was listening to Glen Beck. I really like this guy, he just makes sense. I wish I were able to listen to him more but since my kids never let me listen to anything but the likes of Raffi it is a rare occasion that I get to tune in. This particular evening Glen was talking about how much little things add up to define who we are. Take for instance people who wind up getting fat, he said it wasn't because they pig out (although I'm sure some do) but rather it was the one little cookie here, the donut there, the soda pop at the party, whatever it is it is all the little things that add up. HE talked about kids growing up and parents allowing them to watch inappropriate things or play video games that they shouldn't. That parents rationalize that it's just one TV show or just one movie or just a magazine, what harm could it do? Well, by themselves perhaps not much but over time all the little things wear at a person and break down their morals and self esteem. I was in total agreement with Mr. Beck on this. It is so true.

So time for me to get on my soapbox. Last night my honey and I got the rare chance to go to the movies. It has been a very long time since we've gone to the movies and since we were celebrating my birthday we got my niece to babysit and headed out to see Ironman.



(a great movie might I add) I had only seen perhaps one preview on this movie but just from seeing that I knew this movie would have the typical super hero good versus bad violence that they all do. And, just from the movie marquee it also looked a bit scary (Ironman's suit is definitely a bit creepy). Just before the movie starts a family with 3 small children come in and sit in the row behind us. The youngest was about Lili's age, I'd guess 4 and the other 2 were not that much older. To see IRONMAN! A 4 year old! Ok, am I bit off or is it not obvious to any person with some intelligence to not that this movie would be inappropriate for a 4 year old? I know as a parent that there is no way in you know where that I would ever take my kids to see this movie. It was violent and scary (any 4 year old would be scared seeing a scene of a kid crying for his father who was about to be shot point blank by bad guys) Kids this age do not know that what they are watching is not real. AS much an any parent might think that they aren't paying attention or just won't get it they are wrong. I am sure that this movie would have an affect on any kid.

So Glen, I have to agree, it's all the little things that add up and most of it has to do with stupid parents. That is what I see as the problem with America. Parents who don't parent. Parents who want to be their kid's friend instead of teaching them the difference between right and wrong. Parents who don't care what their kids watch on TV or what they do while on the internet or playing video games. That all they care about is whether or not their kids will leave them alone. I wish that parents would wake up and do what's best for their kids instead of what is best for them.

p.s. My husband, trying to give these people the benefit of the doubt said: "Maybe they couldn't find a babysitter." To which I said: "well then they should have just stayed home (or at least gone to see Horton Hears a Who or something)."

Editing

I have finally tried my hand at photo editing in Photo Shop. My hubby is a master with this program but I have been intimidated by it for a long time. I have just never felt like I had the time to sit down and learn how to use it. Last night my sweetie took the time to show me a few things and this is my first attempt at making my pictures look cool. I'm afraid though this may become an addiction since I love scrap booking but had pretty much given it up because I could never make my pictures look as great as the ones in magazines. I still have a lot of things to learn and a lot of practicing to do but at least I'm not so scared to give it a try.




By the way, the picture was taken yesterday in front of our house. We had gotten a fun sprinkler for the girls to play in this weekend since its going to get hot. They couldn't wait to play in it so we donned the swim suits and spent most of the day outside. Sofi was a little hesitant to run through it but loved splashing in the water.

Groupie for a Day

Since my life is pretty much like "Groundhog Day" I decided to create a little excitement for myself today. I took a little trip....a trip back in time. Back to the time of pimply faced prepubescent boys, braces and bottle cap glasses. A time when hanging pictures of New Kids on the Block all over my room was a very cool thing. A time when the biggest worry I had was whether I would happen to see my "true love" that day AND if he would say anything to me or not. Boy oh boy, those were the days. Yes indeed, 13 was such a great age....NOT!

So back to today, if you know me well enough you will know that I am a HUGE fan of American Idol. I love it. I've watched it faithfully since ...about the middle of the first season, when I discovered it. I seriously can't get enough of it and I go through withdrawals throughout the week just waiting for Tuesday to arrive so I can get another fix. Nothing can be planned on Tuesday nights because AI is on. (I can't tell you how many times I have chosen AI over enrichment...is that bad??) Wednesday nights...same thing. I love love love American Idol. I even love Simon.

This season of course has been no different. I have taken a particular liking to little David Archuleta. I fell in love with his voice during his first audition and have been routing for him since. Maybe it's because he's a Utah boy and who doesn't want to route for the home town kid? Maybe it's just that he puts a smile on my face when I hear him sing (do I sound 13 yet?). Who knows what it is. I just like him. So of course when I heard he was coming home for a big celebration I just had to be a part of it. That's right, I dragged my sorry 30-something self (and my 2 little kids) to the Gateway mall today to see the child prodigy in person. I was not prepared for what I would experience. There I was, and old lady (practically old enough to be his mother...ok..aunt)amongst a multitude of screaming teeny-boppers (do they still call them that?))just to catch a glimpse of good ol' Archie. And you know what? It was so fun! I loved it! I felt young again and for a brief moment there was something to be exited about. I didn't scream but I did laugh (mostly because I couldn't believe all the mayhem over this kid) and I took a few pictures. I hope you enjoy....and I hope you vote for him because I really really do want him to win. (just a note, I want Archie to win but I still do like the other David very much and will vote for him too...at least this week). Anyway, if you're a David Archuleta fan enjoy the pics.