Happy Birthday JLowe!

Meet my new golf partner...

So much to say, so little time... Jill will have to forgive me for this less than adequate post. I was VERY busy tonight (thanks for nothing) and did not get home until a little after 11 and still had to farm. At least she will know where she ranks!

Our story: Jill was hired last year to be our school counselor. I was part of the interview process and voted her as #2. I really, really wanted them to hire someone else; someone I knew I could boss around and wouldn't have to "train" because they already knew the job. The principal of LHS asked me if I would have any problems working so closely with a female (sometimes girls that work together get "catty") since I was used to being surrounded by boys. I told her that as long as "this person" didn't try and do my job or take over any of my responsibilities, I would be OK with it. Of course I was lying... I did not want my throne taken from me! Ha...

I am so happy they made the decision they did. Not only did I now have someone to sincerely and seriously help me out, someone to roll my eyes at (or with), and someone to support me, I met someone that would become one of my great friends, and in such a short amount of time.

Jill is an awesome woman. She is fun, level-headed, professional (mostly), and gives me free counseling! Ha... She has a couple of kids that she adores and we have a lot of things in common. Some days, I am just amazed... Everyday I am thankful...


This is what she does most of the day...
Yes, her feet are on the desk and yes, it is very dark in her office...

Holding our favorite staple in front of our favorite appliance in our favorite room.


Here we are being "catty".

Jill has many wonderful qualities but MY favorite is her ability to bring out the best in a person. I watch her work with difficult kids (and teachers) all day and she almost always stays positive and sunshiny. In the short time I have known her, she has changed my outlook on myself and my little world.
I can't thank her enough for this...

I look forward to many years of working together
and a lifetime friendship.

-Hey Jill, it's 12:22 AM and guess what? You've been sleeping for nearly 3 1/2 hours! :)

Uncle Ben

Who knew Uncle Ben was an old black dude?

Apparently, everyone but me...
Ahhh, 41 years old and still learning!

Happy Birthday Holly!

I met Holly a few years back through my sister-in-law, Leslee. We became instant friends... We see each other at least once a week during the summer and not much at all during the winter, but that is OK. Hopefully this year we get to spend more time together camping and four-wheeling!? Holly and I have a few things in common, mostly our love of golf and our love for our family. She has a couple of kids, Brayden and Karson, so she knows what it is like to be a mom of boys...

These are some things I like about Holly:

• she's fun to hang out with
• I can count on her to watch my back
  
• she can't count either!
  
• she isn't snooty
• she is an amazing mother
• she is creative and crafty
• she likes to blog
• she is down to earth
• she understands when I am having a bad round and doesn't try to make it better
• she is patient, in more ways than one

Cute family!

I hope Holly is having a great birthday and enjoying her trip to Disneyland... lucky!

Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave is an amazing friend, grandpa and husband; truly a family man.

Dave loves to golf. He makes the game look easy and fun and I have never met someone that can even throw his clubs like a professional!

Here are a couple of memories:

Dave and I were lucky enough one year to help out the Police Academy at BATC. We went in to do scenarios which allowed us to play crazy people the cops-in-training might someday have to deal with. I remember that in one scene, Dave was driving a car (fake) and I was banging on his window (fake). We were really hamming it up and having a good time. At the end of it, Dave came over and kissed me on the cheek and told me what an awesome "crazy" person I was.

When I first moved into my house, Dave made me a table to go in my back entrance way. He is an awesome woodworker and has made his wife a curio cabinet and headboard. They are beautiful!

Tonight, at his b-day party, I was helping his granddaughter, Zoe, look for her shoes. Marie thought they were in their bedroom. Silly me, I had forgotten he was getting ready for a meeting AND even though the bedroom door was shut, I walked in on him changing... Thankfully, he still had his shorts on! I was so embarrassed.

I couldn't have asked for a better dad-in-law. I love ya man...

Book Review - Black and Blue

This book is about a woman, who suffers from domestic violence, decides she has had enough and takes her son and vanishes.

Fran Benedetto is a nurse who lives in NYC and seems to be happily married to her husband Bobby. In reality, she is a victim of domestic violence. The book describes Fran escaping her situation by going underground and assuming a new identity. She takes her 11 year old son Robert with her and they try to start a new life.

I was able to feel the suspense on every page wondering if or when her husband would catch up with her and had a hard time putting it down until it was finished.

I look forward to reading another one of Anna's novels.

Drama King

Jace is a pouter. If something doesn't go his way, he doesn't throw a fit, he pouts. This is usually followed by putting his hands over his eyes and dropping his head to the floor. It's hard to feel bad when you are laughing...

The Indian Oven

My in-laws were kind enough to take my boys for the evening so Jill and I decided to eat at the Indian Oven. We ordered the snack sampler as an appetizer, some spinach soup, chicken tikka masala and garlic flat bread. It was delicious and I suggest everyone just try it at least once. I think you might have a good experience with their lunch buffet because you can try pretty much everything. The spinach soup was my favorite.

It was weird to sit across the table from Jill. I was looking at her and thinking that I don't really see her as much as my little girl, but one of my close friends. She's really a neat person and I am proud of her. She's smart, funny, and beautiful. I also think and feel that I am way to young to have a kid her age and so I must just block out the fact that she is indeed, my kid! It makes me wonder if I'll ever get over the fact that she is not my sweet, dependent, little baby girl, but an adult that doesn't need the same kind of care I have been used to giving her... Did my mom feel the same way and how long was it before she accepted that I no longer needed her the same way I did when I was young? I guess I accept it, it's just strange, different, scary, nice... it's hard to explain.

Beans & Wieners

OVER BEANS & WIENERS





Me (listening to some Vangelis): Ah, I love this music. It moves me.

Jill (rolls her eyes)

Dax: From one place to another, Mom?

Fever

Well, my whole family has it. Spring fever...

Book Review - NOT!

OK, a couple of nights ago, I picked up a book and I can't put the thing down. It's called Black and Blue and was written by Anna Quindlen. I have been reading it since about 9 tonight in hopes of finishing it and then doing a review for tonight's post. Well, it's 11 and I haven't finished and I don't want to put it down, not to farm, not to blog...

Look for the review tomorrow!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This is one of my all time favorite movies. Seriously... 161 minutes of entertainment, with one of my all time favorite actors, Clint Eastwood. The music (by Ennio Morricone) is also a favorite, with the main theme becoming a #2 Billboard pop single in 1968 (my birth year) for Hugh Montenegro. Was this playing in the background during my crucial days of bonding with loved ones?



A couple of my favorite lines:

Tuco: (trying to read a note) ‘See you soon, id…’ ‘id…’ ‘ids…’
Blondie: (Taking the note) ‘Idiots’. It’s for you.

Tuco: You pig! You wanted to get me killed. When d'ya unload it?
Blondie: Last night. You see in this world there's two kinds of people my friend - those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.



While the finale is awesome, I would have to say that Tuco running around the Sad Hill Cemetery frantically looking for Arch Stanton's grave is my favorite scene and the music is fantastic!

Sick or not?

Don't you hate the cold that just won't become anything? It lingers for weeks, leaving you with body aches one day, sneezing the next, then nothing. Then a headache, more aches, your eye sockets are tight, you are tired, but not all at once...

I have had this impending cold for about 2 weeks now. Everyone in my family, except me, has been sick and gotten over it.

Jill (at work) brought me one of her mom's home remedies on Thursday. DayQuil gel tabs, 2 vitamin c's and 2 tabs of vinegar. You take this once in the morning and once in the evening. I thought on Friday that it worked and I was finally over it, whatever "it" was. Nope, today I feel like crap and I can't seem to get enough sleep. What is up with that?

So I was looking for a picture or comic to post with this blog and I came across this after googling images for "the common cold". Underneath the picture was the caption: the cure for.
Alrighty then...

Photo Friday #10 - Gotta Love 'Em

This is Justin and I with his brother, Jason, & Leslee, my wonderful sister-in-law. I just love spending time with these two. It is always fun and often highly entertaining, where we can be ourselves and simply enjoy each others company. I appreciate them for so many things but first and foremost, their friendship. Thanks guys for an awesome night out!

Due to technical difficulties...

Well, I think I must have irritated the computer Gods... I told you that my computer ended up having a really bad virus and was at the doctor. A very nice computer guy from school was kind enough to fix my problem by totally dumping everything on my computer (he backed up my important stuff, pictures, etc) and reinstalling windows. I was so excited to get it back today and get it up and running. Guess what? My monitor blew something and now I can only see the bottom half of its screen! Honestly...

Moron Feet - get it? More on feet...

OK, shortly after my wrinkly feet blog, my friend/co-worker Jill told me that she had scheduled us both to have our toes painted. I was pretty excited and nervous because I am really, really self-conscious about my feet. Jill has these long slender feet and toes and she went first and seemed to be in pain and oh, the disgusting things the gal scraped off of and underneath her toenails... I thought I was really going to be embarrassed, almost to the point of just packing it in and leaving. *breath* Seriously, I almost ran out the backdoor... Anyway, Jill is such a good friend and kept reassuring me that things would be OK and that they certainly couldn't be as disgusting as her mother's feet, but I always saw this little look of uncertainty in her eyes and I kept thinking that I wouldn't want to embarrass her in front of her friend (who was doing our toes) and maybe her friend would call her later and they would get a good laugh about my feet and how gross and deformed they are. *breath*

Well, it wasn't so bad after all. My feet actually look kind of "cute" and "cuddly"... and even though I love the polish, I can't wait until next time, 'cause it's so relaxing and it really perked up my week. The gal (I don't know what to call her) Ashley, even told me that I should be grateful that I have such nice, big nails to paint and not some silly, teeny-tiny ones that you can't even tell they are painted... *breath*

AND, I can't even believe that I dare to take a picture, just of my big toe and friend because I am just taking baby steps for now AND my camera worked!

Aren't they sweet?

In Honor of St. Patrick's Day!

Since I was unable to find Dax a leprechaun/gnome yesterday,
I give you...

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Pet Peeve #10 - Gnome Sweet Gnome

Thanks to a friend of mine, I took Jill, Dax, and Jace to dinner tonight at Angie's. It was quite enjoyable and I am so lucky to have the wonderful kids that I do that make dinner out fun and entertaining. On our way home, Dax was talking about the leprechaun he caught in school today. I asked him what it looked like and told me it was about 2 feet tall and green. I asked him if it looked like a garden gnome and he told me that he didn't know what a gnome was... which leads me to...

Pet Peeve #10 - Where are all the gnomes?

For a little adventure tonight, I decided that I would take the kids on a gnome search. We traveled up and down the western streets of Logan between 400 N and Golf Course Road until sundown. No gnomes in sight. Jill decided to google gnome etiquette in hopes of finding out what happens to them in the winter and we found the following information quite funny:

• gnomes eat jelly and like to drink gin from a thimble
• they don't wear leather
• their shoes are made of felt or wood
• they care for wounded animals
• girl gnomes braid their hair until they get older then they tuck in under a scarf
• they are our friends
  

Still, we don't understand where our little "friends" were hiding out tonight. Perhaps they are all underground guarding their precious treasures in anticipation of once again frolicking in the sun or perhaps they are on strike. Whatever the reason, I am getting a garden gnome this summer and I am going to leave it out all winter...

Beans & Wieners

OVER BEANS & WIENERS




I heard a big crash in my basement this afternoon. Dax was down there by himself and I had a feeling he had had something to do with it. I called down and asked him what had happened and he said, "Oh nothing mom". He then quickly followed it up with, "Love you". This is when I knew without a doubt he had something to do with it.

Another BOUNTIFUL experience!

Here's another post dedicated to my new addiction... Bountiful Baskets. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this is. I haven't ordered for over 2 weeks because I added the 20# fruit basket last time and it was way too much fruit for my little family to eat in a week! Unless I find someone willing to 1/2 it with me, I don't think I'll do that again. The 1st basket has plenty of fruit in it for the 5 of us.

Today I picked it up in Mendon which is much closer to my house and very easy to get to. Here's what we got for $16.50:

9 bananas
1 bag of apples
1 pkg strawberries
1 pkg blueberries
7 kiwis

1 head cabbage
1 acorn squash
2 bunches of celery
2 pkgs radishes
2 bunches of asparagus
1 lg & 5 sm cucumbers
2 heads of spinach

I have never cooked asparagus before, so I am looking for some advice. I am thinking some cabbage rolls and a salad sound good this week. Honestly, try it out... you won't be disappointed, you'll save money at the grocery store and you can plan your meals around fruits and veggies instead of meat!

Photo Friday #9 - Art

Seriously, how cute is this? This was a self portrait drawn by Dax in '08. I think he must have been having a great day.

Foot Fetish

One of my favorite nightly rituals is to get my boys out of the tub and inspect their wrinkly feet. I love the wrinkly feet! I love putting lotion on them and kissing them and tickling them...

I think I have foot envy. My feet are U-G-L-Y, but they are mine and we have seen a lot of things together. When Jill was young, she used to think my feet were animals of some sort. I wish I had kept a journal back then because I can't remember what she called them, but they both had names and she would talk to them and love them. I remember being a little disturbed by it, but hey... she must have known they needed the love and attention. Justin tells people I have gorilla feet and that I can climb trees and swing from things with them. I know he is only joking, but it hurts... it hurts real bad. :(

Tonight, I was going to take a picture of my feet, but my camera wouldn't turn on. Either, it knew better and didn't want to have record of such disgusting creatures or my batteries died. I guess you can thank your lucky stars.

Life's a Bish

My co-worker/friend, Jill, gave my daughter, Jill, a pair of beta fish to her for her birthday (long, dull story).

Anyway, Jace was obsessed with watching them and I took this cute picture. Later that evening, Jill (my daughter) was talking about what she wanted to name them. Jace was at the table talking about the "bish". It kind of sounds like b***h when he says it, and we were laughing because he was saying, "Look at the bish, see the bish" etc. Dax was rattling off some names and said, "How about Fishsticks?"

So Jill named her fish... Bish & Fishsticks...

Happy Birthday Jill!

To get the full effect of this post, you will want to listen to "Like a Rolling Stone" to the right. This is Jill's favorite song and this post is just for her. Love you sweetie!

Like An Eighteen Year Old
(to the tune of Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan)

Once upon a time I had a huge waistline
It was almost springtime, feeling fine... waiting for you.
People'd call, say, "Girl or boy", there was so much joy
House full of blankets and toys... waiting for you.
And I didn't shout even though
You took your time coming out
Now I was so dang happy and proud
And ever since then, I've been on a cloud
All these years my love for you I have not concealed.

How does it feel
How does it feel
No longer controlled
Your future is about to unfold
Like an eighteen year old?

You've always been the sweetest girl, Miss Jillie Jay
You got your dad's blue eyes and your mother's wit
And nobody had to tell you how to dress or how to behave
Always your own person and everybody just had to get used to it
You said you'd never go and conform
With the others your age, considered the norm
You've never been in to telling lies
You've been low maintenance and pretty wise
Sometimes I ask myself, are you for real?

How does it feel
How does it feel
No longer controlled
Maturity is taking hold
Your future is about to unfold
Like an eighteen year old?

You never put people down and you don't frown or wear gowns
You really don't mind this town or picking up doggy do
I never understood why you've been so good
There is a hundred other people wishing they had a kid like you
You used to pretend that you were a horse, a dog or a cat
You carried on your shoulder - Skippy the rat
It ain't hard for people to discover that
You love your fam, but your pets are where it's at
Here's hoping you know just how we feel...

How does it feel
How does it feel
No longer controlled
Maturity has taken hold
Your future is about to unfold
Like an eighteen year old?

Being a Tom Boy had me all worried, now I wish you hadn't hurried
Never drinkin', always thinkin'... of future days
Talented in art, many other gifts
You'll always be making me proud, you'd better flaunt it babe
You're always so easily amused
From the dino in purple, to Chapelle and the language that he used
Gaming, texting, being loud, you can't refuse
You got everything and you don't have to choose
You're finally an adult now, and that's a big deal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
No longer controlled
Maturity is taking hold
Your future is about to unfold
Like an eighteen year old?

Pet Peeve #9 - Thanks for turning...

Don't you just love sitting at a stop sign and watching people go by? These are some of the things that typically make my day.

• drivers that totally lean into their turn
• drivers that are either talking to themselves or talking to the little people in the backseat that your can't see
• people that let their pets sit on their laps while they drive
• couples that aren't talking to each other
• families that are clearly having a great time together, even in the car
  
• older men that are wearing their "grandpa" hats and can barely see above the dashboard
• women that talk with their hands
• kids making faces at you from the backseat
• any amount of singing
• mom passengers that have their seat-belts off and are completely turned around attending to their kids

For the most part, I like driving and being in the car. Some of my best conversations have been from behind the wheel. Truly, I have only one peeve and it really only bugs me when I am in a hurry.

Pet Peeve # 9

I'll bet many of you can relate to this peeve. You are at a 2-way stop and are about to cross through the intersection or make a left hand turn. You have to wait for the perfect break in traffic because most drivers do not give fair warning (or warning at all) as to whether or not they are going to turn or go straight. Sometimes it's car, after car, after car, especially in the morning. It really makes me crazy when they get right up to the intersection and look like they are going to go straight but then turn their signal on last minute, usually while they are making the turn. This typically happens seconds before you could have made it through the intersection and then the whole thing starts all over again.

Eggtremely Delightful, Potentially Painful

Like my brother Matt, I love the Cadbury Creme Egg. Unlike Matt, I am very grateful that they are not available all year or my body would look just like one!

I did a little research (Wikipedia) on the birth of this little Easter pleasure and here are a few interesting facts...

• originally released in 1971
  
• the eggs are manufactured at a rate of 1.5 per day and that is just at one location
• in the UK, over 200 million are sold during "egg" season, that's 3 per every person living there
  
• the original, released in the UK, weighed in at 40 grams and had 171.6 calories
• today's egg weighs 39 grams, with a calorie count of 170
• you can get them in a 48 pack!
• advertising on TV used a bunny that clucked like a chicken... remember?
  
• 53% of people bite the top off, lick out the "creme", then eat the chocolate (that is me)
• 20% just bite straight through
• 16% scoop out the middle with their finger

The last fact and the one that I intended to blog about, is the lovely little foil wrapping it comes in. There are at least 3 known ways to unwrap a Cadbury Creme Egg.

1. Delicate Peelers - to achieve a considered, methodical, & subtle eat
2. Stage Peelers - they unwrap just enough to keep the "creme" off their fingers
3. Quick Discarders - carelessly rip off the foil because they just can't wait to eat the egg

I have to say that I was #3, and just this morning. However, I didn't get all the foil off and found out the hard way. Apparently the Cadbury Brothers did not have metal fillings because if they had, these little bits of heaven WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN WRAPPED IN FOIL!

Ouch... How could something I love so much, hurt my "fillings" so badly?

It won't keep me from eating them, but I will definitely have to learn to become a "delicate peeler".

Guitar Hero

Jill has always been interested in learning the guitar. Just this morning I asked her if she had looked through the "Guitar for Dummies" book I got her for Christmas. She told me she had and it was pretty confusing.

Tonight at the store "Why? Sound", there was a benefit concert to "Build a Home in Mexico" put on by the Interact Club at Logan High. Jill decided to go and meet up with some friends. There was a $5 cover charge and then raffle tickets for $1 a piece. Jill bought 5 tickets. Between sets (amateur musicians playing folk and rap music) there was a drawing for cupcakes, Costa Vida and Jamba Juice gift-cards, etc.

It must be a sign... Jill won a guitar!

On a side note: It would appear that Frodo likes to have his picture taken.

Photo Friday #8 - Silly Dax Underpants

My son Dax is a nut. After getting out of the tub tonight, he asked if he could wear part of his ninja costume as underwear. I laughed and laughed when he came out of the bathroom and asked him if I could take a picture. He said, "What are you going to do, put it on your blog?" The kid knows me all too well! There were a few better pictures (one without the towel, one from behind with the string you-know-where, and another with Jace slapping his butt ) but he told me I couldn't use those...

I think Frodo in the background adds a nice touch, don't you?

Broken Bones

The apartment complex I lived in when I was in Elementary school had a neat little playground. It was where I spent most of my summer playing. It had big tires to climb on, these really cool wood towers that looked like totem poles and 4 swings. One week into summer vacation, I had a little accident.

Now summers do not get really, really hot in Edmonton however, this day must have been a little different. I was at the playground and I was swinging. There were 2 cool things about the swing-set. First, the seat was not the black rubber you typically see, but was about 2 feet long and metal. Second, there was a little hill behind the swing that was really fun to jump on to. If you got swinging high enough, you could even jump and hit one of the apartment walls. Anyway, I was swinging away and got ready to jump... because it was hot outside and I was wearing shorts, my butt stuck to the swing and instead of going forward, I went straight down. Naturally, I braced my fall with my arms, then lifted my head only to have the swing knock me from behind. Ouch, right? I cried all the way home and my mom tells me that even though our apartment was a ways away, she could hear me screaming. She also said that I was holding out both my arms like Frankenstein. If you don't get the picture...

I don't remember much after that, except my mom telling me to "get over it" and "it can't be that bad". She warned me that if I didn't shut up, she would really give me something to cry about! Kidding mom...

That night, I woke up around midnight and told my parents that my arms really hurt. They decided to take me to the emergency room. X-rays showed that I had broken my right arm and
had a hairline fracture in my left. I came home much later with a cast on one and a bandage on the other... To this day, my mom feels pretty guilty for not getting me to a doctor sooner. Makes me wonder then, how sympathetic were you mom?

Cousin Jaimee & Family

I moved to Canada when I was 4 years old and I did not have the opportunity to build solid relationships with my cousins in the U.S. I saw them for short periods of time once a year and because it was my vacation I think I probably have more memory burns of them than they do of me.

My cousin Jaimee accepted my brother's 365 day blog challenge and I have learned more about her and her family in the last 93 days than I have in the previous 25 years! For that reason, I am so happy that I accepted Matt's challenge. It is good to be able to get to know your extended family; to see what traits and quirks have been passed down through the generations and to enjoy each others differences.

Blog Family - Me, Jaimee, Matt & Kristy

Tonight, Jaimee and her husband, Daniel, and their kids, Matteah and Casey came for a visit all the way from Colorado Springs, CO! They have spent the last few days in Utah catching up with friends and family and we were blessed to have them to ourselves for a few hours. Matt, Kristy, Logan and my mom were all here ,and honestly, it was like we were all old friends. I have often commented on Jaimee's blog that I wished they lived closer so that we could hang out and have more time together and tonight just magnified that. It was fun, fun, fun. Our kids are almost the same age and got along wonderfully.

Matteah, Logan, Dax & Jace

Blurry, but cute!

Casey

We laughed and talked non-stop. Jaimee and Daniel are the cutest couple and obviously love and respect each other. Their kids are adorable and after just a few minutes made themselves right at home. I want to thank them for making a special trip to Logan and I look forward to continuing to build this relationship. I also want to say that when she called me this morning to make plans, I was a little taken back by the fact she sounded like an adult, I seriously was expecting her to sound like she was 13 because that is how I remember her!!!!

Daniel, Jaimee & Casey

One quick memory burn about my cousin Jaimee... Every year on vacation we would spend a few days with my Aunt Julie and Uncle Jerry and cousins, Jeremy, Josh, Jaimee and Jordan (yes, that is a lot of "J" names, much like my own family). I remember visiting them in Orem, Utah and Greeley, Idaho and I remember that Jaimee, the only girl, liked to follow me around. Everywhere I turned, there was this little girl. Now, I don't remember minding at all because I didn't have a little sister of my own and I imagine that she liked the idea of having an older sister. Anyway, Jaimee has these amazing, beautiful, large, brown eyes (and still does) and I remember when I was 15 or 16 (she would have been 7 or 8) she wanted me to do her hair. So I would get out my curly iron and sit and do her hair. I don't know what we talked about but I remember thinking it was cool.

Being the social person that I am, I would love to be able to get to know and spend time with all my cousins. I think that I will make this another one of my "before I die" goals.

YMCA

We spent a week of July in Lake Powell this year with Justin's family. On one of the nights we had a lip-sync competition on top of the houseboat. Let me tell you, it is no easy task to find a song that involves 5 people, especially little people.

We were up against some steep competition but I think the fact we looked so much like the Village People must have sealed our victory... or maybe it was Jill's killer Napoleon Dynamite dance moves... or Dax's "this is some serious business" attitude... or was it Jace covering his head with his construction hat... maybe the mustaches? Whatever it was, we won and had a fun time doing it! Dax still likes to sing the song and Jace will start head bobbing and chime in with a little, "A, B, U, C".