Vertigo

I have experienced a little bout of vertigo today. It's an interesting feeling to be standing or sitting down and see the floor move out from underneath you. Have any of you ever experienced this and if so what turned out to be the problem, how long did it last and what did you do to make it go away?

I am going to bed and I hope it is gone in the morning. It had better be gone by Monday for the Miller Family Classic!

Rock-a-Buy Maytag

I had the wonderful opportunity to rock Jace to sleep tonight. In doing so, I nodded off a couple of times and even went into dream mode. That being said, tonight's post will be brief...

For about a week now, the freezer on our side by side refrigerator was not keeping our food frozen. The middle bar inside the fridge was abnormally hot to touch and when we pulled it out from the wall we also found a large burn mark in our linoleum. SCARY! Yesterday we bought a new fridge and today we had ARS come out and bid what it would cost to redo our kitchen floors... home insurance might even cover the cost of both. Right on...

So far, I love my new fridge and I was able to enjoy a couple of frozen otter pops today.

My Aunt Margo

I have been promising my Aunt Margo, who lives in Amalga (like 10 minutes away), that I would visit her this summer. Finally, I was able to take my boys over to her house.

Today she introduced me to her 9 dogs (yes, you read it right), a couple of cats, some fish and a very fowl-mouthed (pun intended) bird. She also let me read her latest children book and raid her beautiful garden. It was fun and my kids had a great time petting the kitty and running amok outside.

Margo is a really neat lady. She is creative and artistic, she loves animals, she loves her kids and grandkids and she is not at all a judgmental person. I love her for many different reasons and I have some pretty fun memories of time that I have been able to spend with her.

Here are a few things I'll share:

Margo makes everyone's birthday cards and you can always be sure to receive one from her in the mail a few days before your birthday. She has even remembered my anniversary and will often send things for my kids to do around the holidays.

Just a few I had handy...

Margo also makes a family calendar every year with every relative's birthday and anniversary marked. It is so nice to have these dates at my fingertips every year. The BEST thing about the calendar is the artwork. My kids LOVE getting this in December and it is fun family time to sit down and look for cousins, mom, dad, grandparents, and especially yourself pictured in the calendar. I am so grateful for the time, effort and appreciate the money she spends to put this together.

In 2008 I was a large breasted devil!

When Margo lived on the ranch in Deweyville, it was always a treat for my brother and I to go and spend the day there. Once, we drove a HUGE wolf spider (it barely fit in the mayonaise jar) back to Logan for my Uncle Kurt. Aunt Margo had caught this thing herself - scooped it right into the jar and everything. I was so amazed as a little girl that spiders and snakes never grossed or creeped my aunt out. Now as an adult, I know it is her love of all animals that allows her to do that.

Another time on the ranch, I remember my cousin Blake and I were playing with a dodge ball down in their basement. Well, Blake threw it at me rather hard and hit me square in the face. I came upstairs crying and Margo took me into the bathroom to "doctor" me up. What she really did was create a huge black, blue and yellow bruise on the side of my face with her make-up. She then called Blake upstairs to see what he had done to his sweet cousin! Awesome or what?

When I got home this afternoon, I wondered why the hell I don't visit my relatives (especially the ones that live so close) more often. Why, why, why? I'll leave it at that and hopefully can make a change in the next year.

I love you Aunt Margo.

Happy Birthday Justin!

Justin, Dave & Jason

Happy Birthday sweetie. It was fun to spend the morning/afternoon on the golf course with you! Since I have already blogged about you here, I thought it would be fun to ask Dax a bunch of questions about you and record his responses... I hope you enjoy!

How old did your dad turn today?
31 or is it 36? OK type 37... or 38

What is his favorite hobby?
Computer

What is your favorite thing you do with your dad?
He throws the football at me.

Where does you dad work and what does he do?
Jail. He does some lunch, he feeds them lunch and dinner and (shrugs shoulders), lunch and breakfast. The people in jail.

If you could buy your dad anything for his birthday, what would it be?
The watch that he has.

What is your dad's favorite car?
A bumblebee.

What does your dad say all the time?
Shhhh, be quiet.

What is his favorite color?
Ummm, green or blue, green or blue, I don't know. One of them has to be right.

What is the best thing about your dad?
He loves on me.

Who do you think your dad looks like?
He looks like, I'll tell you what he looks like... he looks like Jace.

Who is your dad's favorite actor?
I don't know.

What is your dad's favorite movie?
How to Train Your Dragon.

What is his favorite song?
Whatever Jason Aldean sings.

What does your dad tell you all the time?
Clean your room.

Tell me something about your dad that no one else knows.
He is cool.

What is your dad's favorite holiday.
Uhhh, Spring.

What is his favorite hat?
A golf hat.

What is your dad's favorite animal?
Dog

What is something your dad hates doing?
Cleaning

If your dad were a super hero, who would he be?
Bat... no... Superman

The Fool Who Ripped His (Her) Pants

This happens to be one of my favorite Sponge Bob episodes. Who knew it would ring so true in my own life?

Today I ripped my pants on hole #8 at Logan River... Not just a tiny rip either, but the mother of all top to bottom rips. The kind of rip that leaves nothing to the imagination and rings out like some huge explosion. You should have been there, it was pretty dang funny. Thanks Stacey, Holly and Leslee for watching my back on the way into the clubhouse.

At least today I have a reason for golfing in the sixties. Where or where have my putting skills gone, oh where oh where can they be?

Beans & Wieners

OVER BEANS & WIENERS




My 2 year old, Jace, has learned a couple of new one liners...

"Oh yeah, baby."

and

"Right, right."

Where does he hear this stuff and how does know when to use them?

Our House - In the Middle of the Street

I love my home. This was the first home that I owned and actually, the first home I had ever lived in... Now don't get me wrong, sure I would love a bigger home, a newer home, a home with updated styles and the latest features but for the 5 of us, it is just right.

What's neat about this home is that it was never lived in before I bought it. When the Realtor pulled up the driveway, I remember thinking, ya right... new neighborhood, new home, way bigger than my apartment... there is no way I would be approved let alone afford to make the payments. Then there was the yard... I didn't have one. What about a garage and would I ever have enough money to finish the basement?

Well, here I am 9 years later, married with 2 more kids and the house is basically finished... who knew?

July 2003 - right after laying sod

July 2010

Bits & Pieces

• Happy Pioneer Day... even though Utah is a little quirky and backwards on a number of levels, I still think it is beautiful and I am happy to be raising my kids here

• I have never seen my sister-in-law Kristy so mad and frustrated as I did today
  

• Parades are fun and I think Jace and Dax has a good time on the float this year. This is Dax's 5th time and Jace's first

• Can't throw candy from the floats, are you kidding me? Who made up that rule?

• I hope I am more productive tomorrow... oh wait, it's Sunday

• Watching fireworks from your front porch is nice, I wish my kids hadn't HAD to go to bed so early
  

• I can't believe I only have one more week before I go back to work

• Looking forward to the Miller Classic on 8/2

• I am thinking about having my blog published when my 365 days are up

• I am also thinking that I am going to take all my blog slide shows and turn them into collages so that if and when I publish, I will have all my pictures in the book
  

Book Review - MONSTER: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member

I am pretty intrigued by the gangster lifestyle. Coming from a functional family and being a pretty easy-going and peaceful person, I can't relate to the feelings of loneliness, anger, dysfunction, and the hunger for power that leads many of these kids (sometimes as young as 8) into the loving arms of a gang.

This book is not light reading; it doesn't have a happy, feel-good ending and the story is just plain and simply difficult to process. Follow it up with a nice "interview" with the author on You Tube and you are in for a shocking revelation - war is going on right here in our own country... that is when I look for my rose colored glasses... where are those damn things?

Stoke's Nature Center - Logan Canyon

Today, we (the kids, my dad and brother) went up Logan Canyon and visited the Stoke's Nature Center. We stopped by First Dam, ate a nice lunch and fed the ducks the remainder of our fries before heading farther up the canyon to the Nature Center.

It was so hot outside and the walk made my calves burn like crazy, but once we got up there the kids had fun playing in the river and skipping rocks and I was able to cool down in the shade. My dad can skip rocks like no other. Seriously, he can skip any kind of rock but the small flat ones would skip like 15 times.

The center was open and we were able to see the tarantula (yuck), the snakes and a new turtle that was eating his lunch. We also checked out the fossils, the little "bug" museum and we did a few of the fun activities the center offers. It's a pretty cool place to visit and Dax was happy to say hi to a couple of teachers he met at the summer camp he attended a couple of weeks ago.

Peanut, Peanut Butter... and Ketchup?

I love ketchup. I like it on fries, on baked potatoes, on mac and cheese and I am proud to say that all my kids like ketchup too. I however have my limits, while Jace does not...

Going Pro?

Dax had his first golf lesson today and Justin and I are already planning our retirement. The kid has skills, balance, patience and follow through... nice. Check out his new clubs!

MORE ON GOLF...
I shot a 63 this afternoon.
Holly lost her golf club... and then promptly found it.
Stacey took a -- on hole #7, and beat me anyway!

First Day of School

September 1974

I have no memories of my first day of school. I don't look afraid or nervous. My mom told me that I cannot blame her for my outfit because I picked that dress out all on my own. Nice primary colors...

Midnite

My first pet was a hamster named Midnite. I woke up Christmas morning and he was one of my presents from Santa. He was in this really cool, red round cage. How did Santa know my favorite color was red?

I named him Midnite because that was his favorite time of the day.

I remember letting Midnite run around my room in the evenings. Once I found him nestled in one of my favorite stuffed animals. Midnite almost got bounced off the wall that night, I was so mad.

Black Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Well folks, I am going to say it again... I love living in Logan, Utah and having such wonderful adventures and beautiful scenery right out my front door!

I woke up this morning with plans to 4-wheel and golf and then I looked outside to find it overcast and windy. I was sad but quickly made other (way more fun) plans to clean out my bedroom. Not even 2 seconds into it, Justin's friend Tony called and invited us to go on a wheeler ride up the CC camp near Tony Grove . The weatherman didn't say anything about rain today and the chances of it really being miserable out were slim to none. Let's see, get outside and have fun or clean out my bedroom?

CC Camp

I won't post all my pictures because I think Justin and I are going to take Matt and Kristy on this trail next weekend and I don't want to completely blow the awesomeness of it. I will tell you a little story...

We had the boys with us and Tony promised the terrain would not be that bad. It was about 40 minutes up the canyon where we unloaded our toys. The first 10 minutes or so were not so bad, maybe just a little bumpier than Jace likes, but pretty easy maneuvering. Well we were traveling at a slight incline and typically, where there is incline, there is eventual DECLINE. Well, this was decline like I had never been on. Down, down, down and rocky. I was a bit hesitant, but I didn't want to look like a total wuss in front of my guys, so down I went... s-l-o-w-l-y. When I looked back, I was shocked at how steep the hill was.

At the bottom, watching Justin come down with Jace.

Now it's way, way behind us.

Thankfully it wasn't until the end of the trip that Justin informed me we had just completed our first "black diamond" ride. It was spectacular and even though I can feel my muscles get stiffer by the minute, that is my kind of ride. I don't know that I will do another "BD" again with my boys, but I certainly look forward to taking my friends and family.

It was nice to go with another couple... I got to be in a family picture.

Tony and Camie

Thanks Tony and Camie for sharing and for your patience with a newbie rider and her precious cargo!

Old Ephraim's Grave

For those of you that are not familiar with the great grizzly, Ephraim...

"Old Ephraim," the last known grizzly bear in Utah, was a gigantic grizzly bear who roamed the Cache National Forest from about 1911 to his death on August 22, 1923. He caused tremendous damage to the sheep and cattle grazing this area. His private domain included the Right Fork of Logan Canyon, Elk Valley and Temple Fork. Today, his grave is marked by an 11-foot stone monument, representing his actual height.
-Taken from www.byways.org

This was an amazing ride for many different reasons:

• it is just beautiful. You have no idea just how high you are climbing until you look back. It is just spectacular. I took a ton of pictures, but they seriously don't do it justice. You have to see it with your own eyes
• the air was so fresh and clean. It smelled a little like freshly mowed lawn with a hint of honey. I couldn't believe how green it was either
• the trail we were on was well kept and smooth. Jace's head wasn't bobbing around and he even managed to get a little nap in

Freckles

I love Dax's freckles. He has them all year long, but they are most prominent in the summer. This afternoon I counted 50 on his nose alone!

Team Olsen

Bits & Pieces

I learned a few things today...

1. jumping on the trampoline is way more fun with the sprinkler going full blast underneath it
2. Justin married me because I am a high shifter
3. I fight with words, not my fists... my son, Dax, totally saw the humor in that
4. I should have bought the squeaky pig for Jace, not Frodo
5. 3 trips to Walmart in one day is TOO much
6. Prague is in the Czech Republic
   

Me and My Bro

These are a couple of my favorite pictures...

Matt and I were so adorable, don't you think? I love the look on Matt's face. Was he scared or was I squeezing the life out of him? Maybe he was embarrassed that we had matching outfits? I also want to know what dad said that made me all serious?

Ka-ka... Silly Addiction

I love to play the BOBBLE game. I don't remember how I discovered this game, but I am sure my brother had something to do with it because I would borrow it from him. I remember sneaking into Jill's room at night so that I could play it uninterrupted... I think Jill was around 6 years old. I finally beat the game and promptly gave it back to Matt.

After I moved into this house and had the basement finished, I thought it would be fun to play it on the big screen. Again, I stayed up way too late to play this game. I beat it again... and promptly gave it back to Matt.

The other night, I was looking through the games on bored.com and guess what I found? Oh dear... I am already up too late working on my blog.

Reunion and Derby

Today was a fun Saturday...

This afternoon we headed over to Willow Park for some more dutch oven cooking with Justin's grandparents and extended family. The weather was just beautiful, thankfully we were in the shade, and it was nice to hang out with some family.

Pam, Grandma & Grandpa Olsen

Dax had a good time playing with the other kids by the creek and Jace ran around playing shy with all the old guys. Hyrum's brother, Marv, came up and asked me how I was related to Theron Anhder. I told him that he was my grandpa. Apparently he was taught by my grandpa at Skyview... Such the small world.

Marv

Later in the evening, I took the boys to the Demolition Derby. Justin volunteered to work it, so we were able to get in for free. We had great front row seats and there was a ton of action. Both the boys were hollering and clapping and seemed to be having a great time.

They had 3 sets of car demolitions, 1 truck demo and there were even lawnmower races! Dax and I would pick which car we thought would win... my pink and black car, driven by a chick, won the whole thing. If you were to ask Dax though, he would tell you he picked that car from the beginning. Yah, right. I have learned to pick my battles with that boy very carefully.

In between one of the "heats" , all the kids that wanted to got out in the dirt and horsed around. Next time, I will make sure Dax has running shoes on and maybe I'll let him bring a friend that he can go hang out on the track with.

Match Play

Well, I played my first match today and as I predicted; I hacked at the ball, got wet, got sand in my hair, got my butt handed to me after the 6th hole (it took longer than I expected)... but I had a good time doing it. Even though I lost and won't go into the second round, I got to know a very sweet fellow golfer, Tiana, and had fun playing in the beautiful weather.

It was also neat to have my hubby play caddy by driving me around, picking up my clubs and cleaning my ball. He even gave me some good advice like, "Keep your head down, I will watch where your ball goes" and "A little to the right but nice and gentle, don't scone it". He didn't have to console me, but he did take me out for a nice dinner!

Hopefully the other women enjoyed it as much as I did and we can try it again next year.

It's not like I have nothing to blog about...

I am just really, really tired tonight...

I play my first ever (and probably last of the season) match tomorrow afternoon. What am I talking about? Golf, of course.

Tomorrow I will be paired up against another player in my flight; we will hack at the little white ball, I will get wet, I will get sand in my hair, I will get my butt handed to me, let's say, at the end of the 5th hole, we will continue to play (now just for the fun of it), where I will find my swing and wonder where the hell it was 5 holes ago, my sweet husband will try and console me, we will go have a nice dinner and I'll get over it!

Now I must sleep.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

MY DREAM

MY REALITY

Justin and I decided to give up on the garden this year. I don't know if we have a grub and slug problem, but the only thing growing in our garden this year is grass. I feel bad because I love to pick fresh peas and cherry tomatoes... I guess I will just have to rely on the weekly baskets full of goodies this year and get some tips from my sister-in-law next year.

I am sad.

Bits & Pieces

• Worked at the district office today. Thankfully, I didn't have to go in until noon. Will be working full days, Wednesday and Thursday and then again on Monday. Dax told me I looked nice today... probably because I actually "got ready"

• Took first in my flight this afternoon. Red, White and Blue tournament usually kicks my butt because we tee off from different tee boxes (hence the title). It was nice to hang out with my girlfriends

• Miss Jill. She will be back next Monday... with treats

• Getting used to having her dog, Sheba, wet nosing me every chance she gets

• Speaking of dogs, I accidentally whacked Frodo right between the eyes with a hot wheels car. Kind of felt bad because he walked off like he'd been drinking. I am sure he was seeing stars

• Jace told me he loved me for no particular reason... ahhhh sweetness

• Came home after work to find my mom and kids having water fights in the backyard. That was shocking because I can remember a water fight my brother had with my mom when he was Dax's age and it didn't turn out very pretty
  

4th of July Weekend in Review

The pool, fireworks, BBQ, parade and more fireworks.

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Happy Birthday America!

I read the Declaration tonight for the very first time... yes, that's right. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness... to EVERY American.

I am thankful I was born in this country and I have the freedom to think, speak, worship and raise my children the way I want to and I am thankful to those that made and make that happen.

Over Beans & Wieners / Bits and Pieces

OVER BEANS & WIENERS




After spending a long day together (activities below), I took the kids to Walmart to pick up a few items for tomorrow's picnic. While we were there, I also picked up a package of fireworks. Dax has been talking about the little rocks you throw down at people's feet, that make popping noises. I told him we would get a few boxes and if he was good for the rest of the evening, he and I would put Jace to bed and go outside and throw some. Well, I wasn't reading the boxes very well and ended up buying the wrong ones. Instead of being disappointed, he told me it was alright and "it's not about the fireworks mom, it's about family". How sweet was that?

Even though it was a long day (I picked up a Bountiful Basket at 7am), it was fun. First, we went to Justin's grandpa, Hyrum's, 75th birthday celebration. Dutch oven cooking, a nice playground for the kids to play in, and some good old fashion roasting... of grandpa. I am way too shy to get up in front of a lot of people I don't know (or people I do know for that matter), so I will tell you a memory that I have of his grandpa here...

While Justin and I were dating, he took me to "The Ranch". I have written about "The Ranch" before, you can read about it here. Anyway, the bathroom is kind of the central room in the house and I remember getting up in the middle of the night (remember, I was sleeping upstairs with his mom, dad and sisters) to go to the bathroom. As I was rounding the corner, someone was also up and coming out of the bathroom... Vader! Actually it was grandpa all decked out in his "no snore" gear. It surely surprised me... so bad I didn't need to go after all!

April 2008

Hyrum has always, always made me feel like family, he treats my husband with love and respect and he likes to spend time with my boys... I so appreciate all that.

Later in the evening, the boys and I met up with Dave and Marie to watch the Cruise-In. I think Dax enjoyed seeing all the "Bumblebees" and I sure enjoyed watching the people. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me or I would have posted a big-man-on-a-little-bike picture that would have certainly made you laugh... Then it was off to Walmart for fireworks and pizza at 10!