MY TOTALLY GORGEOUSLY AWESOME NEW COUCH!

We have been couch poor since we first moved into this house 4 1/2 years ago.  We have this great big entry room and no furniture to put in it.  It sat completely empty for the first few years we lived here.  Then about a year and a half ago we bought a sectional from a neighbor who was moving out of the country.  That filled the room for less than a year until we moved it last August into the kitchen.  We were having a bunch of people over to watch a movie and we needed more seating.  It doesn't match our other couches that are in there, but we have loved having all the seating in the kitchen so much that we have kept them in there for almost a year now. 

Which means our entry room sat empty again.  Except for the chaise lounge from the sectional that sat all by its lonesome.

We weren't even in the  market for a new couch but for some reason last night around 10:00, I got a hankerin' for a new couch.  I starting looking at furniture stores online.  I didn't really see anything I liked.  Anything that I bought, I would have been settling for.  Plus they were all out of my price range, being that I wasn't even planning on buying a couch in the first place.  Then I thought, why don't I take a look on KSL classifieds and see what there is.  I didn't really see anything great.  I was looking at a kind of OK brown leather sectional when Zac, who was looking over my shoulder, said "MOM!  LOOK AT THAT COUCH!"  And I said, "Just a minute, I'm looking at this one."  And he said, "No really, LOOK AT THAT COUCH!!!"   

HELLO!

I about died.  I couldn't imagine a more perfect couch for our house.  For that room.  For that price.  It was the same price I would have paid for a used plain old regular brown sectional that wouldn't have even matched my house.  It was 10:30 at night and I texted the guy selling it asking if I could come look at it in the morning.  It was hard for me to wait until morning.  I tried to talk Steve into getting out of bed and going to pick it up right then.  He hadn't even seen it at that point.  He was like, "Aren't you even going to show it to me to see if I like it before you go and make arrangements to go over there?"  And I was like, "Uh, you don't understand.  This is our couch.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is our couch.  And there is no doubt in my mind that you are absolutely agree with me."  It is absolutely gorgeous and I love it!  I texted my neighbors to come over and see it and we all broke it in as you can see above.  Now I just need to get a new rug!

Happy Birthday Baron

Today is my Nephew Baron's Birthday.  He is the cutest kid.  He is always smiling the cutest, biggest smile. Care Bear, I hope you have a very Happy Birthday!  I will miss seeing your smile this summer.  I love you!  Here is your Birthday Video you have been waiting for

Can't see the video?  Click here.

Happy Birthday Sue

So at the beginning of the year, I decided to make a Birthday Video for each of our family members on their Birthday.  I've said before, when I made that decision I didn't fully think that through.  We have a lot of family!  And for some reason our Birthdays to cluster together.  I have enjoyed it though.  If you know me, you know I love pictures.  I have loved going back on a very regular basis and looking at old pictures and reliving fun memories.

Throughout this whole process, I have had a #1 Birthday Video Fan.  She has cheered me on at times when I didn't feel like videoing on.  I think she loves my videos just as much as I do (I do thoroughly enjoy them once they are made).  Here is an excerpt from an email she sent me recently with some pictures of her grandson (my nephew) attached: 

                                 "Thanks so much for doing these movies.  I love all of them!!!!!!!!!!!"

So I decided that someone like that deserves their own Birthday Video, even though she is not my immediate family.  She is my sister Kristy's Mother-in-Law.  Sue, you don't know how much you comments have meant to  me throughout this whole process.  I hope you have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

                                                   Can't see the video?  Click here.

Flashback/Flashforward Friday - Rynearson

Flashback: April 2008

Above: Our friend Greg Rynearson, working on the electrical in our new house.

Below: Taking a lunch break in Addy's room.  Addy's room was always the dining room during construction.

Flashforward: June 2013

Greg, Marci, Skip and Jeff Rynearson

The Rynearson's were in our ward when we lived in our old house.  I guess technically they are still in that ward, we are not.  Greg and his sons did all the electrical work in our house.  Skip and Jeff were Steve's scouts and I used to be Jeff's Sunday School teacher.  He just left a few weeks ago to serve a Mission in Ft. Worth Texas, practically my home town.  So if anyone in Texas sees this kid in the red shirt in a few weeks, riding a bike and wearing a white shirt and tie, stop him and say hi!  We had their family over for dinner before Jeff left for the MTC.

Our kitchen is really bright at that time of day.  They should have seen what it was like before we had curtains.

I'm not sure, but I think Skip and Steve are about to hold hands in this picture.

The Saturday before they came for dinner we were able to go to Jeff's farewell party.

Look who I found there.  Can you believe I used to teach this return missionary when he was a Sunbeam? (Sunbeams is a church class for 3 year olds)  I'm pretty sure I was taller than John when he was in my class.  I think.  Either I am abnormally short, or he is abnormally tall.  Or maybe a little bit of both.

We enjoyed spending time with the Rynearson family and we wish Jeff all the luck on his mission in my home state!  He is getting baptized by fire by going there in the middle of summer.  Hint: Keep cool by eating lots of Blue Bell Ice Cream!

Last Day Of School 2013

Our last day of School was June 7th.  By the time it came around, we were ready for it!  Here is Addy with her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Lindeman.  Addy finished her first year in Spanish Immersion and she is now a first grader!

Here is Aubrey with her Spanish and English teachers, Mrs. Alonso and Mrs. Boyles.  She finished her 5th year in Spanish Immersion and is pretty fluent now, if I do say so myself.  Although I have no idea what she is saying so for all I know she is just making it up.  She will be in 5th grade next year!

The school closing flag ceremony.

My older kids were all off with friends and Addy had a little sprinkler party with her friends.

We had a little spaghetti party that night.

We are so glad summer is here.  Although this summer has started off CRAZY!  I think last week was one of the busiest weeks we have had all year.  This week has not been as bad, but it is still pretty busy.  Life is moving at a whirlwind pace but life is good!

Special Olympics

Last Friday, June 14th, the kids and I were able to go spend the day at the Utah Special Olympics.  My sister Lauren was competing in several events over a three day period.  She did a great job and came home with several medals.  Way to go Lauren!

 Zac and Em trying to catch some shade and some sleep while waiting for Lauren's event.

This picture was taken back in May after she competed in the Regional Special Olympics.  

She cleaned up in the medal department then too.

Happy Birthday Granny

Today is my Granny Snow's Birthday.  Happy Birthday Granny!  My Granny is unlike any other Granny I know.  This is a woman who has traveled the whole world over.  She did competition Ball Room dancing when she was an actual Granny.  And she can out work the strongest man out there.  I will never forget the day when our friends came over and wanted us to hang out and my sisters and I said that we couldn't because our granny was up on our roof tearing the shingles off and we had to help her.  The were like, "YOUR GRANDMA IS ON YOUR ROOF?!?!?  Why are you making your grandma tear off your roof???"  And we said that we weren't making her tear off our roof, she was making us tear off our roof.  She can do and fix just about anything and has renovated her many rent houses herself.  She is a one of a kind!  Happy Birthday Granny!  Here's a little Birthday Video I whipped up for your special day:

                                                   Can't see the video?  Click here.

Happy 17th Birthday Sierra!

Yesterday, my niece Sierra turned 17!  Happy Birthday Sierra.  You have grown into a beautiful young woman.  I love you!  I made you a Birthday Video 'cause that's just what I do.

                                                   Can't see the video?  Click here.

Happy Father's Day

Better late than never, right?  I still have 10 more minutes left before Father's Day is over.  Just wanted to take a minute to honor my 3 most favorite Fathers in the whole wide world.  First, my husband Steve, the father of my children.  Thank you for all you do for our family.  Thank you for working night and day to give us the life we have.  Thank you for being an honorable Priesthood holder.  Thank you for being such a good example to our children.  Thank you for helping me to become a better person.  And most of all, thank you for loving me unconditionally.

To my dad.  I miss you terribly.  This is the part where I cheat and use a little copy and paste action and plagiarize my sister's words.  She posted this on Facebook today and it sums up everything I would say perfectly and I now have less than 10 minutes before the clock strikes 12, so here it goes: 

Goodness. I miss my dad today. He was the best father. Always the funniest person in the room. He was the funniest person I know. He knew everyone. I never forget being on vacation and standing in line with him 1,000 miles from home and he starting talking to the person behind us. Come to find out he knew them. That always happened wherever we went. I always introduced myself as "Earl's daughter" because I was proud to be his daughter and I knew that the person would instantly know who I was. When I found my wedding dress I wouldn't buy it until he approved. Which he did. He told me the dress should show off the bride and not the other way around. He always took me shopping for clothes. He scared my boyfriends. He was friends with my friends. He loved my sons. He gave the best advice. He taught me to work hard. Some of my best memories are of working next to him. He taught me the joy of spontaneity. He knew everything. I miss calling him to get him to verify where something used to be in Dallas. He never needed a map. Once he went somewhere once he could always get back. Even all the way to California. Or somewhere in remote Montana. He knew the most random details about movies and music and life. He took us cool places. He was always interested in what was happening in my life. Always at my games, school functions, important events. He was proud of me and he told me. I was convinced I was his favorite but am pretty positive my other siblings would say the same thing. He expected great things from me. He was a wonderful leader and example. He was compassionate and giving. He taught me that you are never poor when you are generous. I am sad he isn't here any more. I am sad my kids don't get to be around him. But his legacy lives on in me and them. I am looking forward to a sweet reunion someday in heaven where I am sure he is the life of the party and where he will introduce me to everyone he knows.

And Happy Father's Day to my Father-in-Law.  Thank you for raising up a fine young man who became my husband.  Thank you for all the love you show to me and my children.  Thank you for the choice you made many years ago to leave all that you knew and embrace a new religion that you would later raise your family in.  Thank you for choosing their mother wisely.  Thank you for the legacy you have passed on to my children.

1,020 To Be Exact, Thank You Very Much

So, I don't want to alarm anyone, but this post- the one you are reading right now- just so happens to be my 1,020th post!  Get outta town Charlie Brown!  I know.  That is a lot of me talking, I mean typing.  Blogging. Six and a half years worth.  I am a totally different person today than I was when I started this blog.  I go back and read some of my old posts and think, WOW!  I was so ridiculous back then!  I really should delete that.  But I don't.  Because I am the person I am today because of the person I was yesterday.  And if I take the yesterday person away, who knows what would happen to the person of today.

OK, so that was like way super much deeper than I meant to be on this post.

When I was approaching my 1,000th post, I wanted to do a special post.  But I was right in the middle of blogging about our Spring Break trip to Missouri and life was busy and crazy and I said oh, I'll do something for the 1,010th post.  But my 1,010th post was right in the middle of me making 3 birthday videos in like 2 days.  So, like, that wasn't gonna happen.  And now here I am!  1,020.  And I don't have a very good excuse for letting this one pass me by.

Except that I'm too lazy to come up with something fabulous.  So what I did was I googled 1,000 blog posts and it took me like 3.5 seconds to find this picture.  And I thought...well, that's still kinda lameish.  So I tried to think of something else I could do with a thousand.  And like always, song lyrics popped into my head.  I started singing this in me noggin....

♫  But I would walk 500 hundred miles, and I would walk 500 hundred more.  Just to be the man who walks a 1,000 miles then falls down at your door.  Dah dahalat da.  Dah dahalat da.  Dah dahalat dahalat dahalat dahalat da da. ♫

Then that made me think about my teenage years back in the AWESOME Dallas East Stake.  My sister Farrah and I made up a dance to that song (back in the early 1990's)  that we did at our Stake Dances.  8 years ago, when my parents moved from Dallas to Utah, my brother Sam said they were still doing the same dance to that song.  Right on sista!  Right on.

So then I watched the video of the song on youtube.  And I totally want to see Benny and Joon now!  I forgot all about that movie.  I can't remember a thing about it, but something tells me that if I were to sit and watch it, I would somehow know all the lines.

Alright.  Well, I think that's about enough for my 1,020th post!  I leave you this morning with this:

OK, well, apparently I won't leave you with that.  But I will leave you with this.  Click here.
OK again.  I didn't think the video was gonna work but I published it and it did.  If it stops working, you can click "here" above.


♫  Wella I would a blog 500 posts.  Thena I would blog 500 more.  Just to be the girl who blogs 1,000 posts then leaves them at your do-o-or ♫

San Rafael Swell, Memorial Weekend: Days 3 & 4

Day 3 started out with the kids heading straight for their abode atop the cliff by our camp.  They each had their own "couches" up there.  They spent a good portion of the day playing there. 

Here are a couple of videos I took of them in their "house":

Here they are showing me the stairway to the underground.  This is where they fight zombies and dragons.

Steve and Zac and I spent the morning reading in the shade.

We had our own worship service in the wild.

Then we went for a very loooooong drive to find this cabin called "Swaseys Cabin" named for the brothers who herded cattle there.  The cabin was built in 1921.

We explored the area around the cabin for a while.

Zac found this awesome plant and wanted me to climb up to where he was so I could see it.  I kept telling him I was good down where I was.  But he said it looked like it was painted there.  So I climbed up to see.  And it was pretty awesome and it did look like a painting.  This picture of it below is not out of focus.  That is what it really looked like.

 My silly girls posing by the plant.

Down the road a little ways we were able to see some rock art.  If you look right above Aubrey's head you can see it too.

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It was about that time that Steve decided that if we didn't head for the nearest gas station (almost another hour away) we would not have enough gas to drive back to our campsite and then pull the camper out and make it to a gas station the next day.  So we made the long drive into town.  We needed a little refreshment as well so Steve bought us all some ice cream.

Back at camp we had dinner and then Zac made a mallowdog.  What is a mallowdog?  It is a hot dog bun full of roasted marshmallows, made famous by the Robertson boys.

Aside from the mallowdogs, we also roasted hot dogs and starbursts.  Haven't tried a roasted starburst?  What are you waiting for?  It's delicious!

It was absolutely beautiful sitting around the fire without another soul in sight.  The sky was gorgeous.  I took a video as proof:

Once again, everyone wanted to go to bed earlier than I did.  They all abandoned me and went into the camper.  Steve read his book.  Addy and Aubrey were asleep instantly.  Emily did stay up and play a game of Skip-Bo with me, bless her.

The next morning we woke up and packed up camp.  Do you remember the gnats I spoke of in my post of days 1 & 2?  Oh my!  Gnatty Batty.  That's what it was.  Those evil, nasty, horrible, awful gnats.  Trying to pack up camp with those things attacking your entire person.  While they were trying to gain access into your body through your ears, eyes, nose and mouth.  Seriously.  I'm not kidding.  It really was enough to make you go insane.  In the membrane.  

More rock art.  It is so sad that it is crumbling and this is all that is left.

We drove to Goblin Valley.  At the beginning of our trip, Steve told Addy that it is called Goblin Valley because it is full of goblins that turn into statues in the day time.  As soon as we got there everyone was ready to run off and play but I made them stop for a picture.  Then they were off.  And so were Zac's shoes.

 Then we stumbled upon an awesome spot we name "The Arena".  Steve came up with a fun game of tag.

A video of our game:

It was HOT.  H.O.T.  We found solace in the little tiny bit of shade we could find.  We were shocked when we got back in the truck and it said it was only 81 degrees.  I honestly would have guessed upper 90's. 

And at last it was time to begin the journey home.  To keep themselves entertained, the kids (and I) made stuff out of  twizzlers.

We stopped for a bite to eat at Taco Bell.

Zac needed to get out of the booth to show us his dance.  The girls wouldn't let him out so he pushed his way out.  Half of Aubrey's taco insides ended up on the floor.

And here is his dance:

As we were getting closer to home we hit this.  Looks like everyone else was on their way home too.

It was a fun trip.  I am so thankful we had the opportunity to go.  We had a great time and made some fabulous memories.

Click here to see Days 1&2