The Barber Buzz

Oliver's Birth Story

2011-04-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

(WARNING....very long! If I don't record all the little details, I will probably forget them. And that just wouldn't do. So to help break up the text, I put random pictures of newborn Oliver throughout the post that don't necessarily coincide with the story. Sorry. It's ok though, because he's really cute to look at.)

Almost the whole pregnancy we had been worried about pre-term labor because Paul was born at 32 1/2 weeks, and needed 10 days in the NICU. Most of those days are a blur for me now because we were so scared and worried about his health. Let me just say, having to leave the hospital without your sweet new baby is one of the worst feelings, and we didn't want to have it happen again! This time around, my doctor recommended I get weekly progesterone shots from 18 - 35 weeks to help this little guy get to full term. I won't lie, they REALLY weren't fun. By the end my hip muscles were sore, bruised, and had red lumps where the thick medicine was injected each week. After leaving the doctors office the day of my last shot I totally had a little celebration in my head. BUT, I am so glad I did them because I really believe they worked!

36 weeks came and went. 37 weeks came and went. My whole family had been predicting that I would go into labor soon after I had my last shot, and even made bets on which day baby Barber would be born (with a candy bar prize for the winner). I outlasted them all. Go go baking baby! After we reached full term when the baby could safely come anytime, the most anxious one to meet this little dude was Ryan. He encouraged me every day to do jumping jacks, run around, climb stairs, and even jump on the trampoline to get things going! He suggested that last one just about every day. Ha! No thanks. I could just envision the spectacle I would make of myself, a hugely pregnant woman jumping outside on my parents' trampoline in the middle of a freezing winter day, trying to keep control of her bladder......nope. I declined. I was excited too, but more willing to let him cook, and attempt to be patient. Attempt being the key word, I didn't always succeed.

On Sunday night Feb 6th, I started having mild contractions around 5-6 minutes apart. They weren't really painful, just uncomfortable....but they were consistent. I drank lots of water, took a bath, and changed positions often to try and determine if they were the real deal or if they were going to end up being nothing. They continued all through the night but didn't get more intense or closer together, and then went away completely by the morning. I was frustrated and tired! This whole "fake-out" business was driving me crazy!

Tuesday afternoon Feb 8th about 3 pm they started up again. I was wary of getting my hopes up since they still weren't painful, but they lasted the whole day and night, and were still there in the morning! I remember thinking to myself, "If this is all for NOTHING I am going to sit down and have myself a good cry." In the morning I was so exhausted. My wonderful mom came to take the kids to school for me, and Ryan had me promise to call him at work if I decided I was in labor so he could come home and be with me. I spent the morning doing some cleaning and packing, and around noon my water broke! No question now!

Almost immediately the contractions became painful. I called Ryan at work, and then my mom to let them know it was finally the big day. Ryan was super excited to say the least, and came home to help me finish getting ready and off we went the hospital.

When we got to the hospital Ryan asked me if I wanted to be dropped off at the entrance but I said I was fine to walk. The only trouble was, since my water had broken it was kind of awkward. For example...as we made our way to the elevators I had to stop every couple of minutes for contractions, and....I was leaking. We passed by a dad with his two young kids who stared at me with horrified looks on their faces as I was standing in the middle of the parking lot, leaning on Ryan for support, breathing heavily, and a puddle was forming on the floor underneath me. Embarrassing? Yes. But I didn't really register it at that point. :)

Once we got to labor and delivery the nurses could plainly see I was in labor so they checked me in right away. That was nice. I got settled on the bed and nurse in charge of me during her shift came in to check my progress, and I was 5 centimeters. Yay! She looked at me and said: "Wow you are looking pretty relaxed for being a 5!" That made me feel pretty good, I must admit. I just have to say....the labor and delivery nurses have a huge effect on the whole birth experience, and I had a fabulous one. She was a sweet older woman who was extremely complimentary and accommodating, and even a little protective. When my mom texted Ryan to see how I was doing, my nurse saw Ryan with his phone and shook her finger at him and chastised him for texting, and then ordered him to put it down and come hold my hand. Haha! Yes Maam!

I asked for an epidural right away, and luckily the anesthesiologist came quickly. That part does scare me a bit, the size of that needle is no joke! But everything went smoothly, and Ryan held me steady and close while the needle went in. One or two contractions later and I was feeling numb and blissful and from then on out it was smooth sailing. I have had great experiences with all three of my epidurals. I love them so much, I can't even tell you. I experience zero pain, but still can feel enough pressure and sensation to be aware of my legs and the progress of my contractions. It makes the whole process so much more enjoyable.

In between naps while we waited for me to dilate, the nurse entertained Ryan and I with stories of some of her more "interesting" patients. We heard about mothers who wanted all 30 of their extended family members in the room during the birth, babies born in the hospital elevator, drunken husbands who tried to punch out the doctor, crazy mothers-in-law.... basically her job rarely gets boring! It was great fun, she had us laughing pretty hard at times. (How many women can say that about their labor?) Other distractions I brought for myself included an electronic yahtzee game (love that thing), my iPod, episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, a few novels.....ok this is starting to sound like a mini-vacation.

I also have to make mention of my doctor, Dr. West. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for an Obgyn in the Boise area. He is fantastic. Highly supportive, always ready to answer any and all questions, and really spends time trying to make sure you feel comfortable. From the moment I checked into the hospital he stopped in to check on me about every hour in between seeing his other patients in his office. I was surprised, since during my other two deliveries in Rexburg I only saw the doctor at the very end when he caught the baby and then BAM he was gone. Dr. West didn't seem rushed in any way, he didn't try to push my labor along so he could get home sooner, and seemed content to make sure I was feeling ok and would pop in to have casual conversations with Ryan and I throughout the afternoon.

After a few hours I got stuck at 9 centimeters and Dr. West discovered that the baby was sunny side up. He was pressing against my pelvic bone and couldn't descend any further down the birthing canal. Dr. West tried to manually turn him, but that didn't work so he turned me on my left side for awhile in hopes that he would naturally turn. He warned me that the baby might come out with bruises on his face because of this, and I started to get a little worried that he would never turn and I would have to consider forceps, or perhaps even a c-section. Luckily everything turned out ok, and turning me on my left side worked marvelously.

At this point it was well past dinner time, and I knew Ryan hadn't had anything to eat all day. He had been so supportive and diligent by my side the entire time, so I knew he would never ask to go feed himself unless I ordered him to the cafeteria myself. He was concerned that I would progress really fast while he was gone, but I assured him there was still plenty of time and he would be fine to go eat.

Of course RIGHT after he left I began feeling pressure, and realized that I was ready to push! Ahh! My husband wasn't there and it was TIME. The nurse checked me, and sure enough I was at a 10, so she said: "Well....did he take his cell phone?" When I tried to call it didn't go through since the cafeteria is in the hospital basement with no reception. So the nurse said: "Ok....well here's the part where I tell you just to breathe through it, and don't push till both the doctor AND your husband get back!"

Turns out I am good at holding babies in *pat myself on the back for that one* and when Ryan came rushing back the doc was there and everything was ready to go. Four painless pushes later Oliver Mason Barber made his entrance into the world with his tongue sticking out. I immediately burst into tears of joy when I saw our beautiful boy. Our BIG boy. He was two weeks early, but still 8 lbs 6 oz. And he had gigantic kissable cheeks. Dr. West then announced that it was a good thing he came early, otherwise I might have had a 10 pounder on my hands. THANK YOU OLIVER. For sparing me that....largeness.

As each mother knows, those first moments when you meet your new son or daughter are so emotionally overwhelming. I just wanted to stare at him, study his every feature, bask in his newborn sweetness. I was truly in love with every bit of him, and I know Ryan felt the same. My immediate first impression of Oliver was that he kind of looked Asian. He didn't really resemble Kaylie OR Paul, he had his own look. Ryan jokingly asked if I had an Asian milkman in my life. Haha! He just really didn't look anything like we expected, but then again...he WAS purple, crying, and swollen...so...there you go. After he was cleaned up, examined, and weighed, Ryan and I got to spend a little more time snuggling him and examining him. We decided that he looked a lot like I did as a baby. So cute and round, with dark hair and the funniest little concerned expression. He liked to furrow his wee little eyebrows and "glare" at everyone in the room.

One of the funniest parts was the day he chose to come into the world - the day before Kaylie's 7th Birthday. From the very beginning when I found out my due date I told everyone I really hoped he didn't come on Kaylie's Birthday, because I knew that would be tricky. Kaylie kept telling me she would LOVE to share a Birthday with her new baby brother, but I assured her that when she got older the novelty would wear off and she would probably wish she had her own special day. Well Oliver has a sense of humor AND a competitive streak already, he just had to have his Birthday the day before his sister. :) And that's ok. We are so in love with this new member of our family. He brings such a happy special spirit into our home, and we are so excited to watch him grow and develop and to have the privilege of being his parents.

Scripture study tonight

2008-11-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Dad: "Guess what we're going to read about tonight in the scriptures?"
Paul: "Is it blood?"
Dad: "Um....no....we're going to learn about serving others."
Paul: "And blood??"
Dad: "No."

Later...

Dad: "If you had a lot of food to eat, and I was really really hungry - what would you do?"
Kaylie: "Share my food."
Paul: "Pray for you."

Even Later....

Dad: (reading Mosiah 4:16) "And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor...."
Paul: (interrupting excitedly) "Suckers? I LOVE suckers! Can I have a sucker Dad?"

My future missionary.

Halloween

2008-11-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hurrah for Halloween!
Kaylie the clown, Me the conehead, Paul is Thomas the Train, Dad the.....oh wait. Where is your costume Ryan? That's right, you didn't dress up. (Give him grief people!) :)

A little late (it's nearly Thanksgiving) but here is our Halloween post. My parents have never understood why I have always loved this Holiday so much. They always tease me that I went out trick or treating until my junior year in high school, was married and had Kaylie three years later and had an excuse to go back out again. I will neither confirm nor deny this statement. (But it's true.)

Nobody can convince me that Halloween isn't a sweet deal. What other time of year can you dress up in ridiculous outfits, act a little crazy, and go around knocking on strangers' doors collecting candy? It's even better now than I remember it being when I grew up because Kaylie and Paul have so much fun. Watching their excitement is great.

Here's Paul trying on Grandpa's gorilla outfit.

My dad used to really get into Halloween too, and scare the trick-or-treaters that came up to our door. One year when he was the bishop of our ward, he dressed up like a scarecrow, stuffed himself with newspaper, put on a convincing mask, and sat limply on a chair right next to our doorstep. Kids would hesitantly creep up to our door and poke him to make sure he was just a decoration. Once they felt the newspaper crinkle they would relax and go for the doorbell. Then dad would jump out at them. Ohhh the screaming. :)

One darling little kid from our ward was pretty frightened by him and ran screaming back to her parents saying "I HATE Halloween!" Dad felt bad and tried to assure her it was just the bishop, but to no avail. The parents called out to him sarcastically "Thaanks Bishoop....."

The gorilla suit is one of my dad's famous costumes. One of the missionaries that hung out with us that night is wearing it here, for some reason. Bigfoot reading scriptures? Genius!

Keeping with tradition, we all went over to my parent's house that evening and had a great dinner. The missionaries in their ward didn't have anywhere to go (people might not appreciate proselyting on Halloween) so they came over to my mom's to spend the night with us. Even my brother Nate who is in the army reserves stopped by. To sew a carrot costume for himself? It's true, and we all laughed and laughed, but were actually impressed he knew how to sew when even my mom can't get her machine to cooperate. I should have snapped a picture! My stud brother the carrot.

The kid's costumes turned out so cute. Paul really wanted to be a cow, but I couldn't find one in any of the stores, so when we found this he was happy. Paul made it about an hour before he pooped out and wanted to go inside to eat his candy, but Kaylie was a maniac! After daddy took Paul back inside, Kaylie ran from door to door around the neighborhood for another hour and brought back a ton of loot. She was so proud of herself!

My costume was SO good that he must not have recognized me. That's the only explanation for this picture.

And now, we get to eat the spoils. (If there was any left.)

Kaylie's "short cut"

2008-11-09T21:41:00.000-08:00

They say that every mother goes through this at least once with one of their kids. Buuut how about three years in a row? And on Picture Day? Here's how it went down.

That morning Kaylie's hair looked like this.

I'm sure it's fashionable in some far dark region of the world, but for preschool class pictures I was going more for....NOT rat's nest. I know! Kaylie thought I was being unreasonable too, as you can tell by the look on her face above when I told her she was going to be primped and preened.

So, when I slipped out of the room for a moment Kaylie took the situation into her own hands with a pair of scissors, and obviously no inhibitions with them. Documented below are the results.

How do you like Kaylie's new "short cut?" (That's her term for hair cut. Our front lawn gets regular "short cuts" too.) I wasn't wildly fond of it either. In fact I was so unfond when I walked into the crime scene that I had to give myself a time out, eat some blue M&Ms, and call Ryan for support before ANY humor about the situation was apparent.

Of course, NOW I think the picture below is hilarious, while Ryan's first reaction when seeing this one was: "She looks like a addict." Which of course made me laugh even harder, and now it's a keeper. Preferably for her future wedding video.

Luckily, mom was able to save the day with some tricksy curling and styling to hide the random rooster tails, and she was sent off on the bus like so.

Doesn't she look so remorseful and repentant?

I have to say I was pretty proud of my quick fix-it, however she had cut off some pretty sizable chunks of hair on one side, and it just wasn't salvageable long term. So after school, off to the salon we go, hi-ho, hi-ho.

I was a little sad about having to chop so much off because it had been getting long enough to pull back into a pony-tail, and there is just something about long blond wavy hair, but this turned out SO cute. So I am pacified.

She is WAY too cute to be upset at for long! Lucky , cause WOO, the mischief she finds.

Oh. And now all the scissors in house are hidden.

My leave of absence

2008-10-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

I know I have been out of commission on the blogging world for awhile. It has been the same way in real life for a few months too. Some of you may already know that I have suffered with clinical depression ever since I was young, and it has been a struggle I have learned to accept and deal with more effectively through the years as I learn more about myself and about the illness. Some of you probably had no idea. I kinda just want to be out with it, and explain. Sometimes it just gets too hard to constantly put on the happy face for extended periods of time.

Like anyone with mental health problems, there have been some difficult lows, but in general I have been able to keep a pretty good handle on my emotional and mental stability. My "crashes" (my nickname for depressive episodes) usually only last a few days or at most a week. This time for some reason, I have not been able to pull myself out of that dark and discouraging place.

Part of my reluctance to admit to having depression comes from the stigma that it still carries with it. I have encountered many through the years who misunderstand the nature of this illness, and who view those who suffer from it with skepticism. This saddens me, because many of those who are inflicted with mood disorders do not seek treatment because of the fear of being branded mentally ill, fake, or crazy. There is so much help out there now in the form of therapy, support groups, literature, online communities, diet and exercise programs, and medication depending on your needs and circumstances. Understanding and compassionate friends and family can be the most important source of support and comfort during the difficult trials that inevitably will come.

These past few months have been incredibly frustrating, and even though I have been told again and again there is no reason to be ashamed, I still feel so guilty for not being able to snap myself out of it through sheer will. Comparing myself with other amazing women has been one of my biggest mistakes because it brings so much discouragment about my own abilities as a mother, wife, friend, daughter etc.... but sigh....it's so hard not to. I mean let's face it, not being able to take a shower or even get out of bed some days is just embarrassing, and would make anybody feel weak. I am just grateful that I have many willing friends and family who have been more than happy to babysit and help me out so much with little things without requiring a full explanation, and they do it with a smile. Even the tiniest expressions of encouragement have a monumental affect on the way I feel. I know they will be blessed so much for their service and wonderful attitudes. I can't express my love and gratitude enough.

Now, the reason I am back to blogging today is because I feel like I may be slowly coming back up from the dark fog that has defined my daily existence most days for - ugh it feels like forever. I have started some new medication (for me, this has always been essential for me to function)which takes patience and time before it really starts to kick in. I have also started seeing a counselor, which I cannot recommend enough if you find the right person. I will never underestimate the power of "talk therapy" again. The most essential thing that contributes to my happiness and spiritual well-being is maintaining a relationship with the Lord. Endless prayers to my Father in Heaven have kept me going on the worst of days, and keep a glimmer of hope in sight so that I can be confident that things will improve and get better. I know I am loved, and that the Lord is the only one who knows everything that I feel.

The Spirit's presence is something I do not always feel when I am consumed with darkness, but I have confidence that it is always there. And when I do feel the sweet and tender reassurances of the Spirit, I appreciate it tenfold, and it strengthens my testimony of the gospel even more. The Lord's great love for me and my family is manifested in many ways, and often through the service of other people - which I am eternally grateful for. I only hope that on my own road to recovery I will have more compassion and mercy on those who are struggling with their own challenges - and that I can discern others needs and serve them as I have been served during my own time of need. I am continually amazed and humbled by the strength and courage of others as they battle far greater trials than the ones I am asked to endure.

So, thank-you to everyone for your love, service, support, and examples. I am doing better, and someday soon will get back into the cooking, cleaning, teaching, socializing, hosting, reading, serving, potty-training, chauffeuring, blogging super groove!! ;)

California Summer Vacation!

2008-10-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the pathetically over-due recap of our vacation to California! Ryan grew up in the Sacramento area, and almost the whole Brady Bunch of Barbers and Russells (and other extended family) are within a 30 mile radius of each other. Yay for proximity! It actually ideal to get to see everyone during our visits, and everyone is so kind, fun, and generous. We LOVE visiting family.

We knew about a year ahead of time that it was Great Grandma Betty and Grandpa Norm's diamond wedding anniversary this summer, because the family was planning a huge surprise party for them. So we drove down a week before the actual day of the party and turned it into a wonderful vacation to play with everyone that we miss so much. The whole week was fantastic, and we loved staying with the Russells, and then with Nicole and Grandpa Jan. The kids couldn't have asked for a more exciting and fun-filled vacation - the proof being; when we got home they were going through withdrawals! Man, did they take advantage of being the center of attention all the time.

Plus, the party for Betty and Norm was a BLAST. All the 60+ family and friends that drove and flew in from around the country were eager to make the day really special. I have to give some major props to Diane, David, Tammy, and Grandpa Jan and the others who planned and worked so hard for making it such a fun and successful day. I was happy that I was able to contribute a little in my own way by drawing a pencil portrait of the two of them that turned out really nice. Jan paid to have it matted and framed, and then it was on display when they walked into the church we were all hiding in to surprise them. There was a hilarious photographer, a touching slide-show, a catered lunch, cake, toasts...and all manner of cheerful socializing. Happy anniversary Norm and Betty! We miss everyone already.

Now if only we could get people to invest in Idaho winters......oh COME ON! You know potato land is appealing! Ok, not everyone who lives in Boise is a potato farmer. Whenever I venture outside state lines, it seems like I am asked at least once by strangers who hear of my origins if I have acres of potatoes and rows of corn to tend. In fact I don't personally know any farmers at all - unless you count several resourceful ladies in our Relief Society who have thriving gardens in their back yards. My backyard....well....I heard that dandelions have quite a bit of nutritious value. If you get hungry enough.

*Note to self: Economy is bad.....make thumb turn green before next summer*

I was originally going to give a smashing breakdown of each day...hour...minute of our vacation (much like my intentions for my Utah trip)but seeing as it has been an eternity since then, um YEAH...my memory pooped out. Sooo if you can be content with tiny little captions over each picture - then please to enjoy this rockin slide-show of photographic excellence! Seacrest out.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Paul is 3 years old!

2008-07-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Well this smilebox thingy is the new cool blogger thing. I'm just following the crowd. So Paul's 3rd Birthday was yesterday. WHAT?? I can't believe my itty bitty schmootzy poo is so big! (We have to throw nicknames like that out there to embarrass him later. Or maybe he will never care and his future wife will pick it up and run with it.)

He was so excited for his party. I made the mistake of telling him about his birthday way too soon, so for about 3 weeks before the actual date he told everybody who would listen: "I'm going to be a big boy! I'm gonna have a BIRTHDAY party!" It was awesome. Here is a random list of 40 things that make Paul such a special boy.

1 He is very sensitive. If someone looks at him wrong he will burst into tears.
2 He loves to draw and build things with his hands.
3 He will keep himself entertained for HOURS figuring out how things work.
4 Paul is very intelligent, and loves learning new things.
5 He is especially good at his numbers, letters, shapes, and colors.
6 He has an infectious laugh.
7 He really enjoys attention, but doesn't need it all the time.
8 His favorite color is DARK blue. Not light blue, forget about it!
9 He gets along with other kids very well, and has an uncanny knack for sharing....unless it is with his sister.
10 He loves to eat, and does it sloooooowly. To enjoy every last morsel.
11 He does NOT like to exert himself. If he has to walk under his own power for more than a block he will start to whine, and soon after throw himself prostrate on the ground and refuse to go any further. We are working on this.
12 He was nearly 7 weeks premature, but only had to stay in the NICU for 10 days. With no complications.
13 He had torticollis (one neck muscle shorter than the other)and could only turn his head one direction for awhile.
14 Because of this he developed a MAJOR flat spot. Like - he looked like an alien.
15 Due to his misshapen skull, he had to wear a helmet 23 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months. We are happy to report that his head now looks normal.
14 When he is tired he will position himself flat on the step between our kitchen and family room so that someone will see him and put him to bed
15 He is really cautious. He has to "test the waters" with anything new, or potentially scary
16 He has blocked tear ducts
17 He can't climb out of his crib yet. No, that's a GOOD thing.
18 He is not yet potty trained. That's a BAD thing.
19 He is a little physically delayed, but is getting stronger all the time.
20 He loves to read books, and be read to
21 He still likes to give hugs and kisses
22 He is a mommas boy
23 He likes his naps ALMOST as much as his mom
24 He needs validation. All the time. ALSO like his mom.
25 If he doesn't believe you are REALLY paying attention to him, he will repeat his question 10 million times until you are.
26 He doesn't like cake
27 But he will inhale bananas. By the bunch if we let him.
28 Shoes make him uncomfortable.
29 He gets frustrated with his tricycle, but keeps at it anyway
30 Singing is one of his favorite activities. He is humming and singing to himself constantly.
31 He looks like a miniature of Ryan, with my cheeks.
32 He has very pale skin, and burns in T minus 2 seconds in the sun.
33 There is nothing he s more, than getting a haircut. If you ever want to hear screams of anguish, bust out the buzzer. It's not a pleasant experience for anyone within hearing distance.
34 His sister can make him laugh harder than anyone else
35 He is really sweet, and likes to give random things to people
36 He is shy at first, but warms up quickly
37 He loves Elmo
38 He doesn't like cold water
39 Every time dad tries to hold his hand in public he squirms away and runs to mom
40 He is VERY ticklish

Paul we love ya buddy.

Darn that Digi Cam!

2008-07-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

These next few posts will be made up entirely of text. No pictures. *makes a disgruntled face.* We spent the last week on a mini vacation to Utah and I was so anxious to get out of the house finally (you know how it is when you are frantically cleaning and packing before a trip) that I forgot my rusty old digital camera. Grrr.... I left the diaper bag as well, but wasn't nearly so disappointed over that once since it is almost a daily occurrence. Plastic grocery bags work just as well.

On that note, does anyone have any suggestions for us digital camera-wise? I have had a love-hate relationship with our digi cam for awhile now. It works just fine, except for the fact that brand new batteries go completely dead after about 20 minutes of taking pictures, or even just leaving it on. Our current system is as follows: we take a few pictures oober quick, then immediately afterward we are forced to pop out the batteries until the next photo session so they will last until the end of the day. I don't know about anyone else, but I just don't think this is normal. It's really aggravating to say the least! Beyond that it meets our needs, but the battery problem is way too annoying so we are now on the search for a new one. It has served it's purpose well, but now it is time to put it to rest, humanely of course.

Utah Trip: TUESDAY

2008-07-14T12:45:00.004-07:00

Even though this wasn't any major kind of vacation (I mean it's just Utah.... haha.......loyal fans don't hurt me) I think I will write the posts day by day to make it easier. Also it might save your eyeballs from exploding while trying to read massive blocks of text without any supplementary photos to break things up!

So Ryan and fellow auditor/friend McClean had scheduled an audit down in Salt Lake City this week at an undisclosed location and with a mystery company. They aren't allowed to tell anyone including the wives about specifically where or who they audit for privacy reasons. I was originally excited to head down this week too because my grandma had a condo that she let anybody use who had need of it. Sadly, this condo was sold a few weeks before the trip because it lay empty and stale more often than not. If I had only known it needed more traffic my family would have been happy to comply! It was in the middle of downtown Salt Lake, and even in the Prophet's ward boundaries, which in the past afforded me the opportunity as a peppy youngster to meet President Hinckley and shake his hand, which was wonderfully squishy and soft by the way. Oh well, what's done is done. We appreciated it while we had it.

Generously, my wonderful mom stepped in and surprised us by paying for a hotel for the kids and I. She is so amazing! I am so grateful that we live so close to my family.

Tuesday, as mentioned earlier, was the day we were supposed to leave. The plan was to leave by noon. We walked out the door at 5 pm. How that even happened is still confusing. At some point in the morning Paul peed all over our green couch, and I mean it was SOAKED. The smell alone was gagging us, and quickly wafted throughout the whole house. Feeble attempts to scrub and soak up the mess that had already seeped deep into the material weren't working very well. I used a vinegar concoction that people online swore by, but to no avail. I used half a bottle of "Wonder Pet" super odor neutralizer(the testimonials raved about it's miraculous power), but then our couch smelled like a very strange combination of urine, cleaner, and vinegar. Finally we had to abandon the thing because my efforts were proving futile. I did at least leave the window open to give the place some "air flow." It seemed like a good thing to do. This tale of suspense and intrigue has a happy ending. Luckily my mom was able to meet a carpet cleaner guy at our house while we were away, and now our couch once again smells like fresh......couch.

Our trip started out uneventful, and the kids were happily occupied watching their movies (bless that dvd player!) After a few hours on the road, we were faced with the option to go straight through to Pocatello, or take the connection toward Ogden. For SOME unknown reason I thought that getting to Salt Lake was faster going through Pocatello, so I missed the Ogden turn. A little voice in my head though was whispering: "You're wrooooooong." So I called both Ryan and my mom (I wanted a second opinion) and confirmed my suspicions. Well, easy enough right? Just take the next exit and turn around. WRONG AGAIN. There were no other exits for half an hour! And my gas gauge was almost on E. E is for empty. Blast. When I finally turned around and was heading back toward the Ogden connection I realized that I just might not make it to a gas station if there was nothing for awhile once I turned down that way. So, yep, I decided to play it safe and pass the Ogden turn AGAIN going the other direction until we (barely) rolled in to the first gas station in sight. The car was probably running on fumes and prayers! And there was an extra hour needlessly added onto our trip. Bah humbug!

Well we finally got going the right way when it started getting dark. Then the realization of my other big mistake hit me- our car recently had one of it's headlights burn out. Getting pulled over for having a "padiddle" by a highway cop was not exactly the most pleasant thought. Did you ever play that game as a kid? If you see a padiddle the first one to yell it out and slap the ceiling wins a point. Oh the hours of entertainment games like that provided for us when we were younguns on a family road trip. In between all the fun conversations I'm sure my parents loved: "Are we there YET?" "Mooooom, he's touching me!" "I have to go to the bathroom!"

Anyway, I debated which would be worse: having only one headlight, or keeping my brights on the rest of the way. I chose brights. I know....I know...... I can feel you shaking your heads in disapproval. But I really did try to play it as safe as possible. I found a humongous monster semi-truck and positioned the car a close but safe distance behind it so that his side mirrors were hidden from view. This way I knew that he (I assume it was a he, but let's provide for the possibility that there was a she behind the wheel) wasn't bothered by my lights, and then the few remaining hours of our commute into Salt Lake were spent trailing behind the slooooow truck. We passed several cops and each time my heart flew into my neck, but none of them even gave us a second glance! Success.

The only other problem with having my brights on, was that I still didn't know how to get them to turn on and STAY on without having to use my left hand to hold the lever the ENTIRE time. After about a half hour of this my hand began to twitch and seize up, but I didn't dare let go for even a second in case a cop out to get padiddles was lurking in the dark somewhere. It was so ridiculous, and by the time (hours later) I got into Salt Lake my whole body was shaking from the strain of holding that stupid level. Ryan had quite a few laughs at my expense when I told him that story, and then went on to let me know that if I had only pushed the lever away from me instead of holding it towards me the brights would have turned on, stayed on, and that would have been that.

We finally rolled into our hotel around 11 pm, got checked in, called Ryan to report our safe arrival and travel adventures, then collapsed into a deep slumber. The best part of the whole thing was that the kids were AWESOME. No whining or complaining the whole time! Kaylie and Paul both just watched their dvds, and occasionally chatted with each other and with me, then fell asleep for that last hour on the road. My gratitude for that tender mercy cannot be expressed. End of night #1.

Utah Trip: WEDNESDAY

2008-07-14T12:45:00.003-07:00

Coming soon.....

Utah trip: THURSDAY

2008-07-14T12:45:00.001-07:00

Coming soon......

Utah Trip: FRIDAY

2008-07-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Coming soon.....

Utah Trip: SATURDAY

2008-07-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Coming soon......

4th of July festivities

2008-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Coming soon........

Grandpa Jan comes to visit!

2008-07-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Coming soon......

Terrible twos, you're late. He's nearly three!

2008-07-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Coming soon.......

Grieving

2008-06-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ryan called me from work and told me with a somber tone in his voice: "I called so that you can comfort me." I was a little alarmed and braced myself for some sad news. He then said: "All the Round Table Pizza chains in Boise have shut down. I'm in mourning."

After I breathed a quick sigh of relief, I then put my comfort bone to good use. You have to understand, Ryan loves pizza. No, seriously, he LOVES it. He has deemed it the food group that trumps all others. He loved it before he loved me. I think he may have even come out of his mom gnawing on a hunk of pepperoni.

Round Table has always been his favorite pizza chain, which is saying a lot considering his level of devotion to the stuff. At times I have made the mistake of doubting Round Table's top dog status (I prefer Papa Johns) and subsequently had to face stern reproof: "Round Table is best. End of discussion!"

However, even being as tasty as (he thinks) it is, we don't frequent the place very often because of their outrageous prices. Ryan was trying to convince a co-worker (you know who you are) =) to go out to lunch at Round Table for a few weeks, but it kept getting put off. Suddenly Round Table just decided that doing business in Boise was "no longer economically viable" and shut down all their Boise chains on Friday without any warning.

The workers showed up in the morning to find signs taped to the front doors informing them that their employment was terminated and they could pick up their pay-check later. Isn't that kind of insane? Why wouldn't they give some kind of notice to their employees, and to the public? At the very least they should have stayed open a few more days to give their loyal fans a chance to have one last meal before they are gone forever. Rude.

Now poor Ryan will never again taste the wonder of a Round Table pizza. Until we visit California that is. So, we have been mourning. Well, I actually could care less about Round Table vanishing from the greater Boise area - but the scriptures say: "Mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort." So I'm just doing my duty. Maybe we should wear black for a week. Or we could sit outside the front of the empty store down the street and spend a good half hour wailing and gnashing our teeth. Who's with me?! An outrage such as this merits an outrageous response!

R.I.P. Round Table Pizza.

Friday Fun

2008-06-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Friday was perfect! No work and all play. Actually Ryan mowed the lawn, and I delivered the ice water to keep him hydrated. It was a totally rough morning. After that we all decided to head down to Eagle Island State Park for an afternoon of wholesome recreation. First of all, Eagle Island is great because it's cheap; $4 per car to get inside. When I was a teen some of us would take our mom's minivans and pack ourselves in. That was the only time driving mini-vans was really cool.

Once inside there are plethora of things to do for all shapes sizes and personalities.

*Swimming beach (it's actually a murky lake)
*Waterslide
*Picnic areas
*Playground equipment
*Hiking/walking trails
*Disc golf
*Fishing
*Volleyball
*Etc...

Our kids were most excited to "go to the beach" of course. Kaylie is a fish. Any body of water she sees, she is in it! Or at least moving at a very fast rate toward it until I can her away before she ruins a new outfit. I don't always succeed.

One of Paul's water-wings was missing, and even though I turned our house upside down-ish looking for it - no such luck. It's gone AWOL with the socks. So I zipped into Walmart on the way over and found this fancy little number for him. He was so proud to wear the frog. In fact it was so popular that Kaylie tried to convince him that her boring neon orange floaties were much cooler than the frog, but to no avail. By the way, Paul looks like a sweet well-mannered boy in this picture, but he was throwing some impressive tantrums up until this moment. Falling asleep in the car 5 minutes before we arrive at the park, and being woken up and dragged to an afternoon of fun = grumpy Paul. Luckily the frog thing boosted his spirits.

After awhile of playing by the beach (I forgot to take pictures of that....again) I thought it would be fun to see if Kaylie was tall enough to go on the waterslide this year. The height requirement was 42 inches and she just made it. She was SO excited. This child has no fear!
All the life-guards were very impressed with her, since she didn't even hesitate at the top. That water is COLD, and for a little kid that slide is TALL. Everyone had a good laugh because you could hear her squeals of delight all the way down to the end. She was so proud of herself and walked all the way up the hill each time on her own. I love watching her walk when she is determined. She swings her rear end back and forth like a waddling duck.

Haha, this expression is great.
Here's Paul in his Dora the Explorer swim diaper. Pink is his second favorite color. That's not why he is wearing these though, it's actually because we have a ton of these left over from Kaylie and I don't want them to go to waste. But pink being Paul's second favorite color is a good excuse. He kept asking: "Can I go on the big slide myself?" No Paul, you would have a conniption. (He's much more "cautious" about those things.)
Ryan has been absorbed in "The Hobbit" lately, and has been bringing it everywhere, and I am glad of it. He has never been very interested in reading novels. He only did it when forced to growing up. But more and more I am seeing bright glimmers of hope because he is voluntarily picking up good books, and actually enjoying them too! I hold out high hopes that soon we will be able to have deep and meaningful conversations about one of my favorite hobbies - reading. He has even read Twilight.......and loved it. Whoa.
Aaaaand, this picture just looks awkward.
Well the afternoon was so relaxing and fun. We ate the picnic lunch I packed, and played frisbee, and kids were free to run wild. After Eagle Island we rushed home to change because the Peterson's were going to babysit for us while Ryan and I had our date night. This time to a Boise Hawks game. We arrived a little late, and were dismayed because all the seats were sold out. As we turned away to leave a fellow stopped us and gave us his tickets because he needed four and only had been able to get two. We tried to pay him, but he said they were given to him for free, and to enjoy. What a kind person!
It was even more enjoyable than I anticipated, even though I didn't know very much about what was going on. Ryan enlightened me along the way. During the slow spots I read a little from a book I brought along, but the majority of the game was pretty interesting and fun. We won 7 to 6! If only the Hawks had made 8 home runs, Wendy's was going to give all the fans free frosties. Darn! The only thing that bothered me was how much people were drinking, and then obviously planning to get in their cars and drive home after the game. I mean guys were guzzling down 5+ jumbo-sized cups of beer. Come on now people, be responsible.

Great day with the family, great night with the hubby.

Procrastination

2008-06-12T12:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm just going to out and say it, I am a procrastinator. It is one of my worst habits, and it sneaks into every part of my life, including blogging now. I've put off all the posts that I had every intention of writing, but now there are so many of them that I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I do this type of thing to myself a lot. Cleaning? Bah, lets wait until the very end of the day (or sometimes week as circumstances dictate.) Just glancing at the dishes, laundry, toilets, and clutter that NEVER ENDS makes my patience glands sigh in defeat. During school, homework was definitely put off until that little guilty voice in the back of my head went from an annoying tickle to full out "Get to work!!" attacks. Lessons for nursery? Night before. Visiting teaching? Yep, I'm usually an "end of the month-er."

Some of it comes down to prioritizing, and I really stink at it. I fill up my day with a lot of things, and taking care of the kids takes up most of the hours, but what constructive things do I get accomplished with my time? I'm all over the place! The other day I was trying to cook dinner, and help Kaylie with writing her letters, and have a conversation with Ryan at the same time. I failed miserably.

Ryan was amused, and pointed out: "You know, you aren't very good at multi-tasking."

My initial reaction was to give him "the look" and retort that I was too.......but then I just had to laugh at myself. It was so true. I always figured because of the mere fact that I was a woman I would be really good at doing a million things at once. But no.... my brain evidently works more like the male species - I only get things done well when I'm doing one thing at a time. This contributes greatly to my frustrations throughout the day. I can't seem to stick with one thing for very long. Cleaning takes me foreeeeever because I bounce from one room to the next, until after hours of "working" I pause to evaluate my progress. And want to collapse in a heap of despair! (Plus the kids never let one room stay pristine for long.)

It all seems so overwhelming, so....I procrastinate. You would think that after all these years of living with myself I would have figured out that I can't multi-task well, but Ryan's simple observation was a shocker. Why can't I be the kind of woman I read about in "Good Housekeeper" that can get everything done on the list and still have time for sleep, friends, hobbies, knitting....bathroom breaks? =)

I think I just need to accept this particular man-like quality of mine, and really focus on just ONE thing at a time. And I also think I need to start writing things down and making lists. It might help with my jumbled thoughts, and allow me to start working on the most important things at the top of the list, and then work my way down.

Anyone else have thoughts and suggestions? How do you get things done and keep sane at the same time?

New Template

2008-06-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Salutations! It's been quite awhile I know, so I took some time today to customize my blog layout. I have to say that I am pleased with my efforts since I usually have no talent for making things look pretty. Cute no? Well, more pictures and stories are forthcoming. I won't disclose how much time it took me to change my template, but suffice it to say, I now have no time to write anything of substance.

Stay tuned for substance.......

Boost your confidence!

2008-05-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Not feelin so bright eyed and bushy-tailed? Have you been "a grumpykins?" Are your eyebrows so furrowed that "unibrow" comes to mind?

Did your child just spill dark purple grape juice which should be re-named "I'm just waiting to stain your most favorite shirt " all over your kitchen floor and it went under the stove top which is ridiculously heavy, and then you slipped in the mess and fell flat on your bum which luckily has plenty of cushioning but when you really stop to think about that it doesn't really make you feel much better?" (No this didn't happen to me, what are you talking about?! It was purely hypothetical.)

Don't panic. I know how to help. Nope, I'm not giving out free hugs. See, everyone needs the occasional self-esteem boost from your computer, because everyone knows real people can only do so much.

I found this on a friend of a friend's blog (I lurked. I admit it.) and it really works.

Type your name into the address bar, and then .youaremighty.com. For example, I would type lanelle.youaremighty.com

Go ahead, you know you want to.

The Twilight Series

2008-05-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Practically every woman book-reader in the blogosphere has already made a post about this, and I figured it was time for me to join the ranks. If you by some chance you have not yet heard of Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight series, then........do you live in a hole? Hey, I'm just kidding. I like holes too.

Actually, I hadn't heard of the books either until a friend told me about them last year with a sort of glazed look in her eyes. She gushed about a guy named Edward who was "perfection personified." Naturally this sparked my curiosity, but when I heard "vampire" I got really excited. That same weekend my mom called me with even more happy enthusiasm than usual to rave about a fantastic new book she was absorbed in. What was it? You guessed it: War and Peace. Whoa, typo. I meant Twilight. Soon the recommendations began pouring in from all fronts: time to visit ze bookstore! (say this with an accent, it sounds better.)

After a marathon Saturday with only food (portable) and potty breaks (never waited so long, or gone so fast) I was caught hook, line, and sinker. Is that how the idiom goes? Anyway, I was addicted. Stephanie Meyers is a stay at home mom, and a first time author, which is impressive since her books are so well written, and will suck you into the story from the first page until the last.

I must warn however, that this is very much a book for the females. There *may* be some men out there that enjoy it as much as we ladies do, but the majority of those I have spoken with are slightly bitter. This is because after reading said novel, we all have extremely unrealistic expectations of how our men should act, speak, treat us, kiss, and just BE. I mean come on, Edward the Vampire is every young girl's dream for her future mate. Wildly romantic, mysterious, insanely handsome (and yet he loves only YOU), passionate, sensitive, mischievious, loyal, courageous, .......the list just goes on. His undying love for plain ordinary Bella is unconditional and even obsessive. But come on ladies - growing up, who didn't secretly want a guy to be obsessed over you? Well, not the creepy kind. No we didn't want weird stalkers. But vampires? Yes. The ones with chiseled jaw lines who only hunt animals instead of feasting on human blood because their conscience would torment them...... THOSE kinds.

Well, luckily I married my own special version of perfection for me, so it's all good. Awwwww..... yeah, now he better do the dishes tonight for that one. :) But seriously girls, if you want some good entertainment, these are highly recommended. And don't be too hard on your husbands (or future mates) afterwards.

I am now counting down the days until the official release date of Breaking Dawn, the 4th book in the twilight series. August 2nd will be a good day. I might just get a babysitter and hole up in my room. (I told you I liked holes) Also, they are making Twilight the Movie. I'm really worried that they will butcher the story, and I am not thrilled about the actors they picked, but we will see.

Now my question to you, if you have already devoured these books, what did you think?

Discovery Center and the Zoo

2008-05-05T07:27:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago we attended Boise's annual Celebration of Children and Families at the Discovery center. The admission was free all day plus they had food, music, face painting, and many other great activities for families to participate together in. I am always looking for new fun things to do around town (and within our budget) so this was perfect.

Kaylie loved this ball-blower exhibit. Paul was mostly afraid of it. He pressed his face into my hip, perhaps thinking that if he refused to look at it it would go away. I love the logic!
He was much happier here inside the real live firetruck. As soon as he was lifted inside he promptly buckled himself into one of the seats and looked at me expectantly. "Lets drive!"
We spent most of our time looking at the outside exhibits. Although the Discovery Center was free, predictably, it was also packed full, and Ryan quickly became uncomfortable with the masses of excitable people pressing in on him. The firetruck was our favorite thing to explore.
Face-painting! Kaylie took a considerable amount of time deciding what she wanted on her cheek, but finally settled on an orange flower. I was sort of pleased that it wasn't a monster or snake, which is what she would typically choose. I love my sweet tomboy.
Paul however knew exactly what he wanted. "I wants a dark blue spider on my face." Dark blue is his favorite color, and he asks for it with everything. I was equally surprised that he didn't ask for a dark blue flower or butterfly. He LOVES all things girly. I love my sensitive buddy. ;)

After the discovery center we visited the zoo. Ryan bought us a family pass, so we have been almost every weekend so far. You have to get your money's worth right?

Here is Paul on the life-sized giraffe slide

Kaylie's turn!

Penguin exhilaration!

I packed a picnic lunch, but forgot they were serving free food at the discovery center. So we had hotdogs AND my picnic food. I couldn't let it go to waste! Paul described it well: "My tummy is so so very full!"
The end result after an exciting day. ;)

The next weekend my friend Caroline and her family drove down from Utah for Kristen's wedding, so we met up with them Saturday morning at the zoo again. Zoo zoo zoo! We love the zoo. That camouflaged bundle she is carrying is her 10 day old baby son Calvin! He is adorable and she is amazing. It was so fun to see her again.

Kaylie and Paul pretending to be a turtle. I almost squished in there with them, but then I thought, no. I won't do that.

Smiling atop an elephant.

This is Mr. Goose. Moocher Goose.

Sizing each other up. Both parties want to eat the hot dog.

Guess who won?

Kaylie thought it was hilarious. And she graciously accepted my hot dog as a replacement. =) Anyone want to go to the zoo with us? We might just be there again next weekend!

My best friend's wedding

2008-05-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Kristen Green and Mark Valentine were married in the Boise Idaho Temple for time and all eternity May 2nd 2008

Look at the man blushing!

Kristen Green (now Valentine) got hitched!!!! Isn't she gorgeous? I'm so incredibly happy for her that I don't know how to express it in words. She took the plunge on our 5th anniversary, which wasn't even planned. I can't think of a better way I'd want to celebrate than by taking part in her special day. Her ring, too, is almost an exact replica of mine. I guess great minds think alike! =)

This post is dedicated to her and her happiness, and there is nobody who deserves it more. She is the kindest, funniest, most compassionate, trustworthy, loyal, intelligent, patient, and talented person. For those of you who don't know her, you should! This may be cliche, but it's absolutely true. I don't know what I would have done without her. My biggest regret now, is not keeping in better touch with her since I got married years ago. We have our separate lives now and new friends but the memories are still so precious, and when we do get together it's almost like nothing has changed, and I feel at home.

Bridal Shower time! Here's Kristen opening her presents. So cute, she is always smiling. Megan, my mom and I put on a kitchen/groceries themed shower for her. Hopefully Kristen and everyone had fun. I do know that the food was AMAZING courtesy of my mom.

Are you impressed at how many chairs we came up with to seat everyone? We had about 30 women show up. We asked Mark 15 questions about himself and then asked Kristen the same questions to see how well she knew him. For each wrong answer she had to eat a piece of bubble gum. I made sure to get the jumbo sized kind.

Kristen in her toilet paper wedding dress. She told me make sure to let people know that I did her hair. Why would she want people to know that? I think it looks beautiful. ;)

Zoom out. What the adorable??

Karen, Me, Kristen, Megan

Her sealing was at 9:30 am at the Boise temple. It was so nice for Ryan and I to attend and be reminded of the promises we made to each other in that very room 5 years ago to the date. It was touching and beautiful. We both felt an overwhelming feeling of love for both Kristen and Mark as we sat in that room watching them begin their new lives together.

Afterwards all of us filtered outside to await the exit of the newly married couple! How exciting! This is one of only two pictures I got to take at the temple because my camera sucks down batteries like a hungry vortex.

Doesn't she look gorgeous?

This is during the picture taking for family, bridesmaids, groomsmen ect. in the Goates backyard. Luckily the weather was great for an outside reception.

Hmm.

Her dress was so beautiful

FLASHBACK! This was Kristen and I exactly five years ago at my wedding reception. Granted, I was much thinner then. The picture below nicely demonstrates our maturity level. Can't say I've improved much.

See our massive neck muscles bulging? After this photo we started biting and tearing up pieces of fabric....growling.....no wait. It wasn't a full moon that night.

I just love her. The end.

Well, yesterday was such a wonderful day. I don't know Mark very well, but from what I can tell, and from what I am told she has picked the absolute perfect match. Throughout the whole (very long) day they were so gracious to everyone who wanted to give their congratulations and celebrate the happy occasion with them. Plus the newlyweds were positively BEAMING and smooching and all of that mushy stuff.

Kristen you are married. Yay! I love you.

Our Cruise on the Carnival Paradise

2008-04-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

WARNING! THIS IS A VERY VERY VERY LONG POST!

Well here we are back from our cruise! *Sniff Sniff* (You feel really sorry for me right?) Ryan said towards the end of our vacay that he thought 4 days was a perfect amount of time, but I could have gone another week at least. Needless to say we had an EXCELLENT time! (By the way, I can't figure out why everything I'm writing is underlined. Anyone know how to fix? I don't see a fix button.)

And so begins the travelogue, while I neglect the dirty dishes in my sink. It's a win win!

I think I mentioned this before, but one of my favorite things to do is fly in an airplane. It's only the coolest thing ever! The best part is when the plane turns the corner onto the runway and you see those fat white lines on the road that signify the plane is about ready to go really really fast. I love it when the engine suddenly roars to life and everyone is pressed against the back of their seats as we take off. What a RUSH! My heart pitter patters just thinking about it. I looked over at Ryan with a look of pure delight and he patted me on the hand and said "You're cute." Where is his sense of adventure?

Once we got to LAX airport we had to (hey, no more underlining?) get to Long beach Port where the Carnival Paradise was embarking. We wanted to go as cheap as possible which meant no taxis, or limos (dangit), or even buses - you'd be surprised at how spendy they are in Los Angeles. Our best option was a shared ride shuttle service. Our seat mates were, well, interesting people, but the guy sitting in the front passenger seat had the most dramatic story. Turns out he was a staff member for one of the cruise lines and he had met and fallen for a lady passenger. This is a MAJOR NO-NO. All of the crew people have to sign an agreement that they wont ever get involved in a relationship with any of the passengers. They had to sneak around the ship to talk to each other, in order to avoid getting caught and him getting fired. He was in a big hurry because he was supposed to be on the next ship hours ago for work, but he was late because.....? You guessed it, he was with the lady-friend. She lived in New York, but had canceled her plane flight home and paid a bunch of extra money to get on his next cruise at the last minute to be with him again. Whew! In my mind I was going back and forth between two thoughts: they were being incredibly un-wise, and that the whole story sounded like it could make for a blockbuster hit at the theatres.

Well, we arrived at port and waited our way through several long lines until we finally got to board the ship. Here is a shot of the "Lido Deck" where everyone swims and frolics and sun-bathes. The temperature was only in the high 60s the whole week - so Ryan and I skipped the chilly pool-side fun.
Months ago when I was making the reservations online I decided to try and save money for the shore excursions, so I booked the cheapest stateroom possible. We walked in and yes, it was small, and yes it did have a strange orange glow, but we had two port hole windows, an unexpectedly comfy bed, a large T.V. (which we didn't use much), room service, and these awesome towel animals - a new one every evening! What more could one ask for? Well, we were directly above the anchor, which woke us up early one morning with it's loud clanking and vibrating. I chose to think of it as soothing. I'm not sure if Ryan agreed with me though.
When we boarded the ship we were issued a "sail and sign card" which was used for any charges or purchases made during the cruise. You had to pay extra for things like drinks (alcoholic), use of the slot machines, bingo cards, raffle tickets etc.....so obviously we figured we wouldn't be using that card much.

We did however have to bring it with us to the restaurant we were assigned for dinner. Our time slot was 8:30pm - double take - what? That seemed awfully late to have supper to me, so we stood in line with several other passengers to change to an earlier time. The first night they weren't able to make the switch, so here we are in the Elation Dining Room for our first sit-down meal. And may I just say, it was positively delicious.
The menus were full of luxurious choices - ones that we would never be able to afford if the meals hadn't been included in the price of the cruise. So, I will admit we went a little crazy. We ordered enough entrees each night to feed a small country. Let me assure you that we were not the only ones doing this, and that the waiters even encouraged it. No, I'm not being defensive! Salmon, pork chops, steak, shrimp, lobster, duck......oh...... And the desserts? Heaven! I ordered the chocolate melting cake every single night and it was amazing every time.

This is the pork loin.
The second day we had a note slipped under our door to let us know we had our time slot changed to 6:15 pm for the duration of the cruise. Here we are at our new table, and with new table mates which you can't see. A sweet Korean couple, and a large and in charge black woman with her equally large and in charge white husband. I wish I had taken a picture of them because they were such an entertaining couple with witty, sarcastic, and slightly cynical senses of humor.
Here we are at dinner again. We really liked dinner time.
Our first shore excursion was Catalina Island. This is me looking touristy with a view of Catalina behind me. It was taken from behind a window, thus the reflections.
At this point Ryan asked me: "Are you going to be taking pictures all the time?" I said yes and then demanded a big smile from him. Apparently here I am trying to kiss his chin, but underestimating the distance.
We heard from a couple different people that we should never book any tours or activities through the cruise line because they would way overcharge us. So, we decided to just get off and see what was available once we got there. We wanted to go parasailing, but it was $75 per person, and that was going to take up most of our budget for shore excursions. While strolling through the cute little beach town we spotted some golf carts for rent. You had to be at least 25 years old to drive them, and Ryan took great pleasure as he took the driver's seat in saying: "Hey hon, do you want to drive for awhile......oh WAIT. You can't. You're still just 24 aren't you?" It may or may not have been funny. And I may or may not have pinched him.

But the golf cart turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the whole vacation. We zipped around at a lighting fast speed of 20 mph around the whole island. It was gorgeous! If we had the kind of money to buy some kind of timeshare or summer condo, Catalina Island would be on the top of the list.

Here we are riding in the golf cart, Ryan is calm and collected as usual, and I am......just......?
This was one of the cutest houses right off of the beach. I pretended it was mine, and Ryan took a picture of me pretending it was mine.
Here are some scenic views. Not from my camera, but this is really what it looked like.
After our golf cart adventure we hopped on the last glass-bottom boat ride of the day. We didn't have time to do very many things since we were late getting on shore. This is because 1) We slept in. We don't feel bad about it. 2) The line to get off the boat wrapped around several corners and took 45 minutes to get to the end of.

The glass-bottom boat was pleasant enough for me and we saw a bunch of interesting fish (and seaweed) but Ryan turned a little bit green and was glad to step onto solid ground again.
The next day I was determined to get up bright and early so we could have a full day at our next destination: Ensenada Mexico! Well that lasted until our alarm went off at 7 am and we both grunted, rolled over, and went back to sleep until 9:30 am. Oh well. It's our vacation right? So by the time we showered, got ready, and ate our delicious buffet breakfast it was nearly noon when we got off the boat. One of the tours we wanted to go on was called La Bufadora. Onto a Mexican tour bus we go!

This picture is to demonstrate how much leg room we had. It doesn't do it justice. We had sort of pull our knees up toward our chest in order to fit, and Ryan's feet were asleep by the time we got off. Ah...those short legged little Mexicans. Either that or they wanted to stuff as many people as possible into their shuttle buses. Probably both.
Our tour guide was a happy feisty guy named David. He came up to Ryan with a huge grin and started a lively conversation, and suddenly asked: "Are you LDS?" Ryan was a bit taken aback, wondering how he could tell, and said yes. David then said: "I could tell because of the celestial smile!" I later found out that Ryan originally thought he meant that he just had a really glowing countenance, and we laughed together at that absurdity. I'm just kidding. Of course my husband glows.

We rode for about an hour to get to La Bufadora. It features a blowhole that spouts ocean water dozens of feet in the air when ocean waves and air are drawn into an underwater cave located in the cliffside. After the pressure builds for long enough, the trapped air and water then explode upwards.

This is the extent of the exploding water that we saw. It was low tide.
This is what we would have seen if it had been high tide. It's ok - we looked at the post cards and visualized what it would have been like.
The other part of La Bufadora is the flea market that stretches on for about 3 blocks. IF you have ever been annoying by a used car salesman's pressure tactics then this is NOT the place for you. Jana - you would be in bargaining paradise! These guys aren't just aggressive, they act desperate for your business. I mostly found it amusing, but I could see how it might cause others to get super uncomfortable. We were practically yanked from one store to the next with everyone saying "Now it's my turn, now it's my turn." Each of them had the BEST deal and each of them could give us the bargain of a LIFETIME for leather purses, plastic toys, and lots of silver jewelry that would probably turn my skin green after a week.

They were thrown off guard a bit by Ryan since he could speak fluent Spanish and was a firm bargainer. He would tell them the price that he was willing to pay, and they would try everything under the sun to get a few extra dollars from him....until he started to walk away and then they would act really angry at him and say: "Fine!" Then take his money and storm away as if he had just done them a great injustice. What really happens is they all have a bottom line price that they will not go below, and if they are still trying to finagle with you then you then all is fair bargaining. It really is pretty manipulative.

I ended up getting some bracelets, some churros (YUMMY), and a doll for Kaylie. Ryan got a baseball hat, a nice leather belt, a weird statue, and something else that I can't remember. All in all it was fun.

One of the other things I had really been excited for was horseback riding in the mountains, but we learned that it was one of the few things that really did have to be purchased through the cruise, and that it was completely booked. I felt a bit sorry for myself up until I looked out the window on our bus ride home and spied a sign by the side of the road: "Horses. Cheap. For Rent." Sweet! I could go horseback riding after all......at a Mexican horse stand by the side of the road? Hmm.....did I hesitate? Heavens no.

Look how professional the place looks. No reason for trepidation.
Well this turned out to be my most favorite memory of our trip BY FAR. We arrived and surprise surprise, the Mexican horse renters didn't speak a lick of English. I knew I had brought Ryan along for a good reason. One fellow spanishly told us that it was $15 per hour per person, and waved us forward to pick out a horse. Then we were aboard and settled they slapped our horses on the bum and waved goodbye. What? No guide? No trail? No basic lessons? Heck no, and we were off to ride along the beach front. I was pretty excited about this unexpected development, but Ryan? "Umm........I'm kinda nervous." Understatement of the year.

He yelled back over his shoulder that he was completely unexperienced and needed someone to help him steer this large beast. (At least that's what I imagined he said, since one of the Mexicans hopped on a horse and started to follow us.)

Party pooper.

Well, the so called "guide" was absolutely no help, and enjoyed watching us (especially Ryan) struggle with controlling our animals. The whole situation was absolutely hilarious to me. Ryan's horse was super stubborn, and at random moments would take off in a full gallop heading nowhere, or would trot over to some stray grass (or garbage - this beach was not exactly pristine). Consequently Ryan would switch back and forth between soothing and yelping at his horse - which paid him no attention anyway. Every time his horse would start to run for no apparent reason, his yells of "Pare! Pare! Pare Pare Pare PARE! (Spanish word for STOP)" just about made me fall off my own (more obedient) horse in laughter. He must have said that over a hundred times before our ride was over. The other hilarious thing to watch was the way Ryan rode. Afterwards he told me he was terrified of falling off, so his posture was constantly hunched, and so stiff and intense even when walking at a leisurely pace. But oh buddy, when that horse started to trot Ryan's bottom flew up and down on that saddle like he was sitting on the top of a pogo stick on turbo speed. *Ouch!*

This is us post-horse. It is supposed to show our windswept hair - but I guess you can't even see the top of Ryan's head. His hair was standing straight up. He looks like he's in recovery from a really traumatic event. Let me assure you that he was totally ok with me laughing at him. He told me: "I'm so glad you were amused at my expense." See? Totally fine.

The next day we were out at sea, so we had many hours to explore all the things on board we had missed the previous two days. I decided to try and get some sun - which didn't work by the way. Still oh so white and pasty. Ryan didn't want to lounge, but he does like to play basketball, so here he is shooting hoops. I thought it was cute that another guy came up to play with him. Aww, he has a basketball buddy. Ryan was better than the other guy.
This is me in the hot tub. It was really difficult to get out of because it was only 63 degrees outside and windy, so we just stayed in until we shriveled up.

This was the only time I got seasick. The boat had been rocking like crazy all morning. I imagine I looked pretty tipsy stumbling around trying to balance on my high heels. And wearing this expression.
There was an awesome ice-carving demonstration, and this was the result. Immediately following we watched the men's hairy chest contest, which was equally entertaining, but sadly I do not have any photos of that one. Sorry for the disappointment people.
And here we are looking all happy and full of marital bliss.

So, at the beginning of our cruise Ryan told me if I would get up and sing Karaoke that he would do the same. I think he was sure that I would never do it. But guess what.
Oh.....it was terrifying! Every night after dinner we would head down to the Queen Mary lounge and listen to all the brave people get up and sing in front of a good sized audience. All types of people, all types of songs, and all degrees of talent. There were some amazing performances, and some really dismal ones. Of course, when you're considering getting up in front of a bunch of people you hope and pray that you are not one of the dismal ones. It took me until the very last night to gather up the courage. I sang "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole, you know......L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see, V is very very extraordinary, and E is even more than anyone that you adore.... Heard of it? It's ok, I'm a jazz geek.

The Queen Mary Lounge
Well, I reminded Ryan of his original deal with me, so he sang "Sweet baby James" by James Taylor. He was awesome! The audience was great and supportive and gave us lots of applause, so we came away feeling pretty good about ourselves. Triumphant over our fears! That was another great highlight of our trip.

Isn't he dreamy?
Well that was the jist of our trip, and I promise I left out a lot of details. Boy this is a huge post. Sorry. Basically we had a fantastic time and we want to go again next month. Maybe every month. For the rest of our lives. Here is one last picture - us going home.

I've been tagged

2008-04-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Melanie are you impressed with the quick response? Man, I'm so impressive. Well I thought I'd get one last post in before our trip to paradise since it's a quicky. Quickie? Quickee.......whatever. It's been awhile since I was in school.

a - attached or single? - Attached (in the words of Nathan Frederickson) FOREEEEEEVEEER =)
b - best friend - Kristen Green, and Ryan of course
c - cake or pie - Pie. Razzleberry, blackberry, apple...... I'm going to start drooling!
d - day of choice - Monday. Just kidding. Friday.
e - essential item - Computer. I'm on too much though.
f - favorite color - Green
g - gummi worms or bears - Bears I guess
h - hometown - Boise, ID
i - indulgences - Chocolate, and just about anything sweet
j - january or july - July
k - kids - Two beautiful kids age 4 and age 2 1/2
l - life is incomplete without... the church, my family, friends
m - marriage date. - May 2nd 2003. Coming up on 5 years! Let's shoot for 10.
n - number of siblings - one sweet sister, two interesting (and I mean that in the best possible way) brothers
o - oranges or apples - Apples
p - phobias or fears - Balloons. Seriously, don't pop one around me if you know what's good for you.
q - quote - “I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in my brain, because later you might think you're having a good idea but it's just eggs hatching.” Oh buddy. Just google Jack Handey quotes and get ready.
r - reason to smile - Countdown to cruise = 2 days! I just bought a bright pink swimsuit for the occasion.
s - season - Summer
t - tags - Pat, Jana, Sharesa, Ashleigh, Angela
u - unknown fact about me - I was nearly mauled by an alligator at age 2
v - vegetable - Corn on the cob and Idaho potatoes
w - worst habit - Not folding the laundry until it sits in piles on my bedroom floor and stares me down. There are many others, but laundry is the bane of my existence.
y - your favorite food - Taco Bell Beef Supreme Chalupa. MMMM. Also chocolate.
z - zodiac - Pisces

Leavin...on a jet plane

2008-04-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

Actually he will be driving in a car, because the State can't afford to fly him. Especially when it's just to Logan Utah. Ryan is leaving early tomorrow morning to audit a business out in Utah, and then in Idaho Falls. Leaving joy and happiness in his wake! =) Actually he says it's great because people are generally VERY nice to him. I suppose I would be too if my company was being audited! He has even been offered bribes before...... dinner, gift certificates, petty cash.....of course it would be illegal to accept them. Dangit.

So he will be gone this whole week, and I find myself unsettled. I mean, I feel pretty safe, and I'm confident in my ability to wield a baseball bat if needed, but I will really miss his company. Ryan and I are quite different in many ways, but luckily our differences are complimentary. Well, mostly. ;)

For instance, I am pretty laid back and relaxed about most things, and he is extremely motivated, and likes to keep things organized and scheduled. So when I need an extra boost to get started on something, he helps motivate me and support my efforts. And when he is getting too stressed out about those not so perfect days, I (hopefully) help him to relax and see the humor. He is such a wonderful dad and husband. I appreciate him so much and all he does for our family. The thing he wants most is to make all of us happy.

I am REALLY looking forward to next week because we will be celebrating our 5th anniversary of marital bliss =)..... by embarking on a MEXICAN CRUISE! This time we really will be leaving on a jet plane since we board from the port at Los Angeles. I'm really happy about it because I love flying. I don't exactly know why, but I still get giddy about like a little kid. The whole vacation was supposed to be a surprise, but Ryan is horrible at surprising me because he gets too excited about it and then tells me. He always wants me to open my Birthday and Christmas presents early because he can't stand to wait. It's pretty funny.

Our cruise will be a 5 day 4 night trip on the Carnival Paradise, with day excursions at Catalina Island and Ensenada Mexico. My parents will be taking care of the kids for the week, so I know Kaylie and Paul will be in their own bit of paradise. They LOVE spending time with Nana and Gramma (Paul calls my dad Gramma). Ryan is most excited for the food. Of course. I am excited for everything! It'll be a blast, and we will take lots of pictures. Okay, no bathing suit pictures will be posted.

Well, distance makes a fonder heart, so after this week of absence it will be great to spend some quality time together just the two of us. Let the countdown begin!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2008-04-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Familiar title? Yes, it was that kind of a day yesterday. It was one of those days where it would be an injustice not to record because:

1 - I need some reassurance that I'm not always a space head.
2 - I was such an space head.
3 - I think I might laugh about it later.....10 years later.
4 - Sometimes it's good to let other people have a good laugh at my expense.
5 - Sigh.......

Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence to accompany this story, so I'll substitute them with other images that portray our situation.

The day started off pretty normal actually. I love Fridays because Ryan gets home early from work. He works for the Idaho State Tax Commission, which means we aren't rolling in the dough BUT our benefits are great, and his schedule is very flexible.

*side note* I just looked up and saw a steady trail of ants walking up my wall. Where are they even going? There is no food on the ceiling guys. Ew. They smell like coconuts if you squish them. Be back shortly, I'm going to go get the Raid.

Back. Anyway, so Ryan works four 9 hour days and then gets home around lunch time on Fridays. Normally we use that extra time to alternate going to the temple, he goes one week and I go the other, and then once a month we try to get a babysitter so we can go together. It has been so wonderful! The remaining Friday in the month we've decided to use as a date day. Yesterday was that day, so we mulled over our options at home before deciding on shopping. No not grocery shopping. REAL shopping. Yay! Ryan's only pair of gray (originally white) tennis shoes had massive holes in the soles, and I.......... I just wanted to buy new clothes.

I promise I really don't ever get to shop for myself much. Honestly, the only places I ever go for things like that are Walmart and a few choice thrift stores (which canNOT be underestimated by the way). And even then, I only go when my t-shirts would serve a better purpose as cleaning rags. Alright that's an exaggeration. Well, maybe.

There is a store down in Nampa called Steve and Barry's (similar to an Old Navy's), and they were having their grand opening sale. EVERYTHING in the store is $8.98. That includes coats, shoes, jeans, dresses.......everything. Even though the drive to Nampa is 40 minutes without traffic we decided the sale was worth it. So we made our trek out there, Ryan for shoes, me - well I left my options open.

The shopping was fun and uneventful, and kind of amusing for me. Ryan took almost three hours to choose one pair of tennis shoes, and wanted me next to him for almost the entire time. for my opinion I guess. Tee hee. He did a lot of walking up and down the aisle. Maybe strutted a little bit. Now, normally I enjoy the whole process of deciding what to buy and what to leave on the shelf, but whoa. Aren't the hubby's usually in and out? You know, they grab the first thing they see that fits and then *BAM* they are outta there? Apparently not my Mr. Shoe Man. Beyond some harmless (or merciless?) teasing, I opted not to seriously grumble, because later I can make him sit outside the ladies dressing room and tell me everything I try on makes me look amazing.

Here's where the terrible day begins. Our friend's Mandy and Carston Peterson were babysitting the kids for the afternoon, and had asked us to be back by 5:30 p.m. so that they could leave for a Steelheads hockey game they got box tickets for. Ryan and I had finished picking out our purchases and were headed toward the check-out booth thingy when husband glanced down at his watch.

"5:22."

"What time did you say?" I asked squinting up at him, thinking he made a mistake. When we had last checked it in the men's shoe section it had been 4:08. Plenty of time. It couldn't be 5:22.

Ryan (still clueless): "Yeah it's 5:22. Why?"

Me: "What?? Aggghhh! We are supposed to pick up our kids in 8 minutes! Mandy and Carston needed to leave for their game at 5:30! With rush hour traffic it's going to take us over an hour to get home! We don't have a cell phone! They are going to hate us forever!"

At this point I remember that we aren't just going to make one huge mistake. Our royal blunder count was now bumped up to two. We had also invited our friends the Russells over to our house for a game night at 6:00 pm. As mentioned before, it was nearly 5:30 - and traffic was going keep us on the road at least an hour. Noooooooooooooooooooo!

I threw my stuff in Ryan's arms and yelled over my shoulder that I was going to go get the car and be waiting for him out front. I ended up impatiently waiting for 5 veeeery long minutes until Ryan finally came out with our bags. The cashier was new and didn't know how to work the register very well. Great. Ryan took one look at my highly agitated state and gently asked me not to kill both of us on the road. I will admit, I was contemplating some reckless driving.

After about an hour of responsible and considerate behavior on the freeway at rush hour, we finally got back into Boise. The Russell's apartment happened to be right on the way back to our house, so we stopped by in the desperate hope that they hadn't left yet, and also hoping to use their phone. No luck. We stopped at the next gas station we came to and ran up to the pay phone. It was 6:20. Did we have quarters? No. Did we have the Peterson's number, or the Russell's number? No. While I ran into the store to exchange a $5 bill for quarter rolls, Ryan searched through his wallet for anyone we could call to go pick up our kids for us. We called about 5 random people from our ward until we finally got a hold of a very gracious (and a bit bewildered since I was blabbering at the speed of light) Charity Blaine, who agreed to go pick up our kids from the Petersons.

15 minutes later we finally turned the last corner onto our culdesac and searched in vain for the Russell's cute little Ford Focus. We had hoped that maybe they had waited, or that perhaps they were late themselves. Instead we discovered a note taped to our garbage can that read:

"Hello - We were here. We get the hint. : ) Signed, Jana Mister Benson and Cougs."

Maybe I should keep that note forever and put it in my scrapbook.

So...... mortified and thoroughly defeated, Ryan and I slunk into our house and flopped ourselves on the carpet. We stared at the ceiling in silence for over a minute, considering the fact that we had managed to ruin the evening for two separate families who we happened to really like, admire, and enjoy. Needless to say, we felt like poo.

Well, luckily this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day has a happy ending. Both the Russells and the Petersons were sweeter than pie, and very forgiving. (Although I think McClean enjoyed giving us a bit of a hard time). We didn't deserve our burden of guilt being lifted so kindly, but they did anyway. We subsequently made large "don't hate us forever" goodie plates which we plan to deliver in person tomorrow. Perhaps laying prostrate on the ground begging for mercy, and using our children as shields from their fierce wrath. =)

At least I bought some really cute jackets. Right?

My favorite funny videos

2008-04-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I know I'm cheating a bit by posting videos, but they are just too weird and funny not to be shared. And since you all know now that I have a "goofy" sense of humor, all of these fit perfectly. Some of them are longer, but if you need a good laugh, I promise you they are worth it. Enjoy! (P.S. The Japanese pranks are my favorite.)

Apparently I like poop jokes more than wit. Apparently.

2008-04-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

What's Your Sense of Humor?

My Result: Goofy Humor

You have your standards: They may be low, but at least you have them. Sure, subtle wit makes some people grin and say, "Now that's funny." But you know the Three Stooges makes people howl with laughter. It's the physical stuff, the poop jokes and funny voices, that get you going because you have a goofy sense of humor. You have no problem making a fool of yourself as long as your moves to "fake" a fall break the ice and make people feel comfortable.

Wit, sarcasm, and satire can get lost in the translation, but a whoopee cushion is universal. Yes, it may be lowbrow — heck, it may even be nobrow, but getting laughs is what matters to you. From ye old court jesters to the kids of South Park, you and your goofy sense of humor are in good company.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=humorogt&c=50652

I love my mom

2008-03-31T09:56:00.001-07:00

I love my mom and she loves me. Especially after posting these flattering photos on the internet.

Her personality is so colorful, as demonstrated above. Be kind folks, she wasn't having the best hair day. Or chin day, apparently. But seriously, she can always make me laugh, and whenever I need a pick me up for whatever reason my very first instinct is to high-tail it over to her house. She knows how to turn any situation or circumstance into a positive thing, or a learning experience. She also cooks good food and cleans good house (which I have yet to inherit from her gene pool.) =) She is service-minded and extremely generous with her time and talents, and everyone can't help but just love her. I just had to give a shout out to the best mom I could ask for. And I know she will someday forgive me for these pictures. Right mom? Mom?

Kaylie's 4th Birthday

2008-03-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is over a month late since Kaylie's actual Birthday was February 10th, but I didn't have this handy blog then to record a bit of Luau party fun. I think this justification justifies me.

At first I was only up for a nice quiet family party with a cake and a few presents. Then I became motivated by a friend who throws magnificent parties that are always full of food, glee, and much rejoicing. Also, for Christmas my generous dad's present to me was an afternoon of lunch and shopping out on the town. He specified that it had to be something I wouldn't normally spend on myself. (He knew me too well....I was thinking - Ooh! Groceries! Diapers!) So in the beginning of February (when we both finally had a free Saturday) we set off on a mission to.....buy me stuff. I had NO clue what to get because our family shoestring budget usually strangulates any idea of personal luxuries and then kicks it in the bum.

After a couple minutes of consideration, we thought of throwing a themed party in honor of Kaylie's 4th Birthday. Perfect! So we set off in fevered anticipation to the daddy of all party stores (at least in Boise) ZURCHERS. Man, that place is better than Chuck E Cheese! They have everything celebration-oriented under the sun and then some. We stood in awe for a few seconds before deciding the only logical thing to do next was go up and down every single aisle to find the perfect theme. We were looking specifically for something - , since there would be an equal sprinkling of boys and s to this thing, so we began the search. Pirate.....Princess.....Spongebob Squarefish (this is what my daughter calls it)..... Dora the Explorer..... Winnie the Pooh......

HAWAIIAN LUAU! I instantly loved it. We opted to stuff just about everything they had except for the coconut tops into our shopping carts. (Yes we had two carts) Feeling triumphant we ate a delicious lunch at I forget where, and returned home.

Here we have some snap action of the big event:

I always catch her in her best moments. He he.

Looking incredibly enthused!

Kaylie opening presents (the best part)

Wearing the party favors

Gathering the balloons close about her. I am just praying they will not pop.

Cupcake decorating, and our ward's F.H.E. treat flamingo as a centerpiece

Inncoent bystanders. We love them. Well, Ashleigh at least (kidding Nate!)

Our very own Hula dancers!

Somehow I didn't get any pictures of half of the other little guests at the party, which made me feel like a loser. But I think the festivities went well and a good time was had by all! I way over-estimated the time needed for the eating, drinking, and general merriness. 2 hours was too long, I should have just kept it to an hour or and hour and a half. That would have been plenty plenty, but oh well. Lesson learned. We all recovered nicely with games like duck duck goose and the limbo - we found a make-shift limbo stick (a stray curtain rod).

All in all it was a success and I am a bit wiser for the next party. Thanks Dad! Great memories!

Brain Food

2008-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Already I have slunk lazily back into my old habits. I will be forthright and admit that I enjoy commenting on other people's blogs much more than posting a blog entry of my own. Why is this? Let’s ponder this mystery together for a bit. Well to be bluntly honest, I am afraid of being bluntly honest. In my blog, that is. There have been several times during the course of the past week that my mind was full and ready to burst with various musings....and then I thought: "Hey, I have a blog now. I really should write this down in my blog. You know....for posterity's sake."

And then came the ........... ( symbol for hesitation.)

My brain then said: "Whoa."
Me: "Hello, my brain. What?"
Brain: "Are you really thinking of recording that for other people to read?"
Me: "Well....why not?"
Brain: "That's pretty opinionated stuff there."
Me: "Yes. Unlike robots and some forms of plant life, I do have an opinion."
Brain: "Of course, but you nearly always keep those thoughts to yourself."
Me (slightly miffed): "I do not!"
Brain: "My dear sweet child. I've lived in the mushy confines of your head for quite some time. Yes you do."
Me: "Explain. Expound upon."
Brain: "Well, you express your opinions quite well as long as you are sure they are shared by the party you are presently conversing with. Or at least when you know they would not be offended by them.
Me (protesting): "But that makes me sound so fake!"
Brain: "Perhaps. You are too bothered by how you may appear to others by what you say and how you say it. Except for your husband, of course. Different story there."
Me (mumbling dismissively): "Well, Ryan yeah. Already hooked him for life."
Brain: "What was that?"
Me: "Nothing."
Brain: "Anyway, all these thoughts you are considering post-worthy may be construed differently than you had originally intended. You may not be witty enough. Or too mushy and sensitive. Or it may look like you are trying too hard. That one thought was fairly bold. Maybe too bold. That purple thought could be viewed too pinkish. This potential post would reveal that you are almost entirely right-brained. By the way, speaking of my left side....I really could use some exercise...... I think those muscles may be beginning to atrophy an-"
Me (interrupting): "Pffft. Who needs the left side of the brain? Being reasonable is overrated . Emotionally unstable people don't get enough credit. Who would we write comedies and dramas about? Besides, who wants to logically work your way through life when crying at dog food commercials and those cute little Cinderella mice who sing-"
Brain: "Ok enough! I'll just have to find some other way to get my nutrients over there..."
Me: "Ooh. OOH! Would bananas help? I like bananas!"

Ok, I'm thinking we'll stop there. I can only let you so far into the recesses of my mind before it will start to overwhelm you with all the….deep stuff.

Well, the point of the riveting conversation above was to point out something I am quite aware of about myself and am determined to overcome. I am and always have been pretty darn self-conscious. Which I will admit, ultimately comes from pride. That may sound strange, it did to me at first when I put it side-by-side with some of my other “describatories” as I call them: timid, quiet, anxious, shy, ...... Then I delve a little deeper into what pride really is, and find there is no better way to describe myself in those moments when I worry so much about what others are thinking of me that I pass by all the things that are really important.

Anyway, I expend a huge amount of energy trying to hide it, and ironically, I am painfully aware that I am much too self-aware, and that too becomes a burden that I try to rid myself of. All this nonsense. Much ado about nothing. Foolishness.

SO. I've decided that among the other noble reasons for blogging, one of mine will be a step in the right direction toward overcoming these fears. I am going to attempt the occasional blunt honesty (not too blunt of course), posting my genuine opinions (don't worry, I don't think any of them are shocking), and sometimes just trying to reveal my mind a little bit without the overshadowing fear of judgment slamming down upon me. (And really, there is always that handy little backspace key to give me some leeway as I venture into uncharted territory.)

This will not be a constant barrage of soul-bearing mind you. I’ll leave that until another stage in my life. Or another blog. “The Passionate Pleas and Viscous Rants and Raves” blog. ;) I am mostly excited to share pictures and experiences of regular old daily life with our wonderful friends and family. And as a side note, I am also going to really try to dive headfirst into selfless service this week. This is a never-fail formula for lifting spirits and re-directing thoughts outside oneself and onto others. Increasing love and compassion for those around us.

And yes. I really do enjoy a good banana.

Words Per Minute?

2008-03-24T21:58:00.049-07:00

60 words

Speedtest

Alright, so I saw this on another blog and decided to try it out. Luckily for me there wasn't too much punctuation or capitalization. I remember the typing class I had in Lowell Scott Middle School where the teacher made all of us cover the entire keyboard with a cloth so we couldn't see the keys......... I don't think I'd do very well with that now!

The Look-Alike Meter

2008-03-24T21:58:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Dynasty - Trace family tree

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Historical pictures

This was so fun! Apparently both Kaylie and Paul inherited my looks - especially my cheeks! Poor things, Daddy exploits this shared trait by attacking us daily with wet and unnaturally noisy cheek kisses. Kaylie happens to enjoy these attacks immensely, but Paul is just as tortured as I am. When Ryan gets that evil gleam in his eye we all know what's coming and you can hear "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" and "YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!" simultaneously. Much screaming and chaos ensues.

My venture into the blogging world

2008-03-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well, after months of lurking around many other friend's blogs, I decided it was high time I captivate everyone else with our family's tales of adventure, intrigue, danger........or maybe just pictures of blowing milk bubbles and the like. =) A few months ago I discovered Facebook, which I think is a wonderful way to keep in touch with friends past and present in all the different stages of life. Blogging seems to be taking it one step further, and I have really enjoyed seeing all the pictures and reading all the entries that capture everyday happenings . Since I am TERRIBLE (emphasis on terrible) at scrapbooking for my family, maybe I can redeem myself a little bit now in the online world. Eh? Maybe? Here we go, but be kind....I am still a greenie. =)