Jeanna's Little Page of Adventures

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year

2011-01-08T10:36:00.002-07:00

Oh the holidays!! They were the best. I was able to spend lots of time with friends and family. It seems that every weekend and most weekdays were booked with dinners and parties. Here are few pictures from Christmas day............

The Tree

Matt

The boys playing a very old Nintendo.
Our family has a weird tradition of breaking out the old Nintendo on Christmas.

Some of the nieces and nephews. Oh, and Trevor too.

April and Ava

Brad and Jess holding the newest additions- Ava, Ben and Matt

We play lots of games.

Then came New Years Eve. The plan was to spend it with my family but at the last minute plans changed and I ended up going to a fabulous dinner party hosted by Brooke and Gina. It was so much fun to visit and play games before we headed to the dance party put on by our friends Jeff and Jess. I have a few pics from the dinner party but none from the dance. I guess I was having to much fun dancing the night away.

I'm ready to go!

Brooker, Gina, and Lisa

Jami, Jen, Kari, Janae, Brooker and Me

Back row: Jami, Kari, Jen
Middle: Me, Brooke, Gina, Keri, Alison
Front: Lisa, Beth, Janae and Brooke

A wonderful thing about Christmas is that my friends come back to visit their families and so we were able to get together for a dinner with Jenn and Taletha.

It was a whirlwind of fun and crazy busyness!! Things finally calmed down this past week. I was finally able to get some sleep but not enough to ward off a bad cold. These past couple days I've been sleeping and recouping but it's been totally worth all the fun and late nights!!

Another Example of Not Thinking Before Posting....

2010-12-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

Gift Buying Guide

2010-12-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Provided by Mint.com

Running In a Winter Wonderland

2010-12-09T10:58:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, we participated in the Elf Run. We had a fun time. We dressed up like this:

I think we may be a little crazy.
We not only ran a 5k but we did it in 20 degree temperatures in skirts and leggings.
Yeah, we're crazy.

Hope you're having a very happy and festive Christmas Season!!!

Kid History

2010-12-06T16:05:00.001-07:00

These were hilarious. I was pretty much crying by the time I was done watching.

Reporting In.....

2010-11-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Not much to report on around here lately.

Thanksgiving was ushered in with a snow storm that keeps starting and stopping and I've been building my snow shoveling muscles. It's been a blast. Let me tell you. The bank even closed early on Tuesday. That was nice. I've also been working on my slick, ice covered road driving skills and my snow covered, drift busting driving skills. That's also been a blast.

Thanksgiving found me with my parents going to my grandparents' house. None of my siblings were there and almost all the married cousins couldn't make it. However, all of my mom's siblings, spouses and the unmarried cousins showed up; so we still had a pretty large group with 28 of us. The meal was awesome and the desserts were even awesomer. I renewed my love of and commitment to pie. I love this time of year!

Friday I had to work. It wasn't fun but I'm just grateful for my job (and the fact that it got me out of Black Friday shopping). That night Jarom and Taletha, who'd come home for the holiday, came over and we had a very fun game night. It was so good to see and talk with T.

Saturday was the BYU v. Utah game. I watched. I cheered. I groaned. I hoped. I was disappointed. Nuff said.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's filled with family and food. Two of my favorite things. But more than that, it's a day to think about my life and all the blessings I have. It makes me feel happy, hopeful and, well, thankful. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

The Trip to Twin

2010-11-22T07:08:00.001-07:00

Last Friday night Jen, Janae and I hit the road to Twin Falls to visit Jenn. Did you know that Jenn moved? Yep, she did. And we are very, very sad. So we took advantage of the weekend and went for a visit.

The weather here has been crappy, to say the least, but, thankfully, we left on Friday night and arrived at Jenn's just as the snow started. Then we left Sunday morning and made it back before the flurries started to fly again. The roads were dry and the weather mild. We were lucky.

Anyway, we had a great weekend. It was one of those lazy Saturday mornings complete with sleeping in, biscuits and gravy, and long warm showers. We just really enjoyed the heck out of it. Then we headed out to see Shoshone Falls. They were very pretty---

Did you know that they are 212 feet high? Higher than Niagara Falls. Now that's high! It was beautiful.

Jenn, me, Jen, and Naez

Then we took a drive around the temple and headed home for lunch. During lunch we decided we'd hit up a matinee movie. We saw Megamind in 3D. Very entertaining.

Then, of course, we did some shopping. We kinda got stuck at one store for about 3 hours. I don't really know what happened there. I just know that I can't be held responsible. None of us can. :-)

When we were all tired and hungry we stopped for dinner. The food was yummy and they had very good live entertainment.

It turned out to be a very fun, relaxing, secret revealing weekend- just what we've been needing.

Last Week...

2010-11-15T19:42:00.004-07:00

my house went from this.......

White walls

More white walls

Even more white walls

to this....

Beige and Green Walls

Thanks everyone (Kari, Jen, Janae, Jeff and Willie) who came and helped me! But especially my parents. They were troopers. It was a lot of work to do in 3 days and I couldn't have done it without them.

It's what? November? Awesome!!!

2010-11-06T17:23:00.001-06:00

October was a crazy, busy month. The weather was so beautiful I was able to get out and live it up. Thank you, Mother Nature, for a 70-80 degree October. I LOVED it!

On my way back from Charlotte, I got a phone call in the middle of the airport from Kari, Jen's roomy. It was Jen's b-day the next Wednesday and Kari had the stellar idea of a surprise party for Jen. I love surprises so I was all for it. After much deciding on a plan and changing of the plan and deciding on a plan, we finally figured out how to get Jen out of the house and back to the house without her suspecting anything. Janae and I took Jen to dinner and everyone else showed up to decorate and surprise her. It turned out awesome!! Jen was so surprised.

Thanks everyone for coming!!!

That next weekend we headed down to Provo to watch BYU trample all over Wyoming. It was rainy all the way to Provo and even while we walked around campus. But when the game started the clouds parted and the sun shone and it was an absolutely beautiful day for football.

Skyler, Gina, Keri and Brooke

Jess, Me and Carl

After the game. I was pretty excited they won.

(Thanks to Gina for letting me steal these pics from her. My camera's still lost...and probably will be forever.)

Then, of course, last weekend was Halloween. I love Halloween. My work allows us to dress up. It's so fun to see all my coworkers in costume. This year everyone was so great. I laughed and laughed at a few of the costumes.

We had a rockin' party that night at Jess's. We dressed up as cops and tried to keep the party under control.

Here we are before we went to the party:

Naez, Kari, Jen, and Me

I'd Rather Travel with Friends

2010-10-18T22:34:00.002-06:00

I traveled across the country and back again last week. I flew on two flights going and three coming back. It got me thinking about the weirdness of it all. Because I was by myself, I ended up sitting inches away from strangers. In fact, on one of the flights, the guy's arm next to me kept crossing the invisible line to my side. Yet, through that whole flight- about 2 1/2 hours- we didn't say one word to one another. I tried to smile and seem pleasant but not one single word. No acknowledgement that I even existed. This happened on most of my flights.

Does anyone else think this is strange?

On my last connection out of Denver, I decided to say something to the guy next to me- even though he seemed like he wasn't going to talk to me and even tried to get moved to a row that wasn't occupied. Finally, I said something like, "Hi. How are you?" And it turned out that he was the nicest guy. We ended up having a lot in common and having a fun conversation. By the end of the plane ride, he was even trying to give me relationship advice (just what I need more of!).

So it made me wonder......Is it just my small town upbringing that makes me think this is strange? How many of you talk to or at least acknowledge the person next to you if you are on a plane, bus, train, etc.?

I've Been Out of Town On Business

2010-10-18T12:27:00.000-06:00

Wow. I sound old and businessy.

Anyway, here's something fun to do to celebrate Halloween if you're in my town and single.

So Blue

2010-10-06T17:38:00.045-06:00

I went with Trev and Shan to the BYU v. USU game last weekend.

We sat in the middle of a bunch of USU fans.

I couldn't understand the song they would sing-- something about sagebrush and being a true blooded Aggie.

(Btw- I was wondering what in the heck is an Aggie anyway? So I looked it up. Turns out, it's short for Agriculturalist.)

We listened to a couple of big mouthed USU fans talking about how they could coach better than either of the coaches on the field.

Drove me crazy!

Then BYU lost.

I almost cried but was amazed with the elation of the USU fans.

They rushed the field and celebrated with such jubilation that I was happy for them.

It had been 17 years since they'd won.

I was just sad I was there to witness it.

Distracted

2010-09-30T13:23:00.009-06:00

I've been very distracted lately.

Here are a few examples of my forgetfulness:

1- Did you know that today is the last day of the month? No? Well it is. Yes? Well, you should have reminded me it was coming up because I didn't get my vting done. After a busy month causing us not to connect, I had planned to call my sister Monday and set up an appointment for yesterday because that was her only open day this week. I didn't even think of it till this morning.

2- I tried making this cake the other evening. I was pouring the batter into the pan when I realized there wasn't any pumpkin in the batter. How did I forget to put pumpkin in a pumpkin cake? I had to scrape out the pan, add the pumpkin and remix the batter. Then I had to clean and reapply the grease and flour to the pan. And I was doing this all at 10:30 at night. What a mess!

3- Made myself lunch the other morning. When I got home, I found half of my sandwich fixin's on the counter. Mustard's still okay after spending the day on the counter, right? I had to throw the meat out.

4- Then I had dinner last night and put the leftovers in a bowl, excited to have something to eat today. I found the bowl this morning on the kitchen counter. How did I forget to put it in the fridge? Ruined my yummy chicken dinner.

I'm usually a little forgetful but I've been extra distracted this week. I think it's a good thing I don't have children- I probably would have forgot and left them on the counter.

Fresh Air

2010-09-28T11:52:00.002-06:00

Yesterday didn't feel like fall. The sun was out, the temp was in the 80's and the wind wasn't blowing. Miracles!

These days the sunny hours are getting shorter and the nights are longer and colder. The urgency to get out and use up all the warmth and sunshine was overwhelming. So we hooked the bike rack to the car, loaded up the bikes and headed for the park. It was wonderful-- even if I ate a few bugs along the way.

As we leisurely pedaled along the path, I couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for where I live, what I do, the people in my life and my knowledge of the gospel. My situation isn't the ideal, the norm, and not even close to how I thought I would be living at this point in my life. Disappointments and heartbreak aren't singular to me, I know, but, thankfully, I have friendship, family, comfort and the Savior's love.

I'm happy we made the choice to go on a ride last night. I needed the fresh air and some perspective.

Stampin' Up Saturday

2010-09-27T09:37:00.001-06:00

Saturday, the woman who has been one of my best friends and put up with me since 6th grade, Amy, came to visit. Then a bunch of friends came over. We made a stack of these:

It was so much fun!! I really enjoy feeling creative and making things. Especially when I don't have to come up with the idea.

Thanks Amy for the super fun Saturday. It was soooo great to see you!

Running for Spuds

2010-09-23T07:30:00.001-06:00

I've kind of taken this summer off from running. I think I might have a little PTSD from training for and running the Mesa Falls 1/2 Marathon last year. I haven't wanted to run this summer. At All.

So when Janae wanted to run the Spud Run I wasn't really excited about it. But she talked me into it and signed me up.

Saturday morning my alarm went off and I was still grumbling about going. I pulled on my running gear, ate a little something, drove to Shelley, met up with Janae and her brother Quinn and made it to the start line seconds before the race started. It was a beautiful morning and I was feeling fantastic. I admit it, I didn't push it; I went slow and enjoyed myself. At one point, I actually said to Janae how great it felt to be jogging again.

It really was a great time and, who knows, it may have been what I needed to get jogging again. I guess we'll see. I'm not making any promises here.

Going To the Fair

2010-09-22T07:36:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks, as it happens every year at this time, the Eastern Idaho State Fair came to town. Jen, Naez and I loaded up and headed for the fair (read: food). We had a great time walking through some of the buildings looking at all of the exhibits. But the real fun came when we hit the food vendors.

It's too bad that I don't have a camera because I didn't get any pictures of the Navajo taco, funnel cake, or torntato that we ate. But then Jen pulled out her camera and got some shots of us chowing down on a tiger ear. YUM!!!

Janae, Jen and the Tiger Ear

A Tiger Ear is just slightly larger than a regular ear

Culligan water! So refreshing!

Inspiring

2010-09-20T18:12:00.002-06:00

Over the Edge

2010-09-14T17:46:00.007-06:00

Me, Janae, Bryan, Brooke and Gina

Jen sent me this picture of us on a trestle in CDA the other day. Every time I look at it my stomach does a flip-flop.

How was I so brave that I volunteered- yes, volunteered- to lean out over the protective metal wires?

Maybe it was because I was wearing my very attractive bike helmet.

Have You Ever.........?

2010-09-13T18:00:00.013-06:00

Have you ever ridden in the back seat with your little, blonde headed 4 year old niece for approx 8 hours?

Have you ever sang Bar J songs with her and heard her get most of the words right?

Have you ever laughed when she changed some words to the most ridiculous words ever?

Have you ever played a 20 Questions game with her and tried to guess what she was thinking when she wasn't even thinking of anything?

Have you fed her champagne grapes and had her exclaim that they were "so very, very good"?

Have you ever taught a 4 year old what it means when two words rhyme and then have her pop up with a rhyme, out of the blue, every so often?

Have you ever colored a picture and had it commandeered to be given to her daddy?

Have you ever tried to share a water bottle with her but found out she has to have her own because she's a germaphobe?

Have you ever heard her talk about her parents and end with "my mommy and daddy are such good parents"?

Have you ever watched a bunch of 4 year old girls "play" soccer?

If you haven't, you really should because I have and my weekend was AWESOME!!

Are You Ready for Some Football!?!?!

2010-09-09T17:22:00.004-06:00

I am!!

I love football. I love the weather during football season. I love the game. I love the excitement. I love yelling at the television. I love the food. I love the camaraderie with friends and family. I love the rivalries. I love going to the games.

I'm a BYU fan. This is basically my old college roommate's fault. When I first arrived in Provo, I liked BYU football but Lori adored BYU football. She had a team poster, blanket, and sweatshirt. And she even knew some player's names!! Okay, so there are definitely more hardcore fans, but to me, she was pretty hardcore. As roommates, we decided to get season tickets to the games and I grew to love football.

This past weekend was the start of the BYU football season and, living where I live, I can't get the game on tv but I listened, by myself, to the radio as the Cougars beat Washington. And I may or may not have cheered so loud I embarrassed myself.

What'd You Do This Weekend?

2010-08-30T21:30:00.000-06:00

Friday night was Panda Express and Wings. It was a night about Jenn. Too bad she missed most of it. See ya, Jenn. I'll miss you like crazy!! Love you.

Saturday morning, Naez and I picked up a basket. I got excited about the champagne grapes. So yummy! Then I headed to my mom's house where this awaited me:

Pints and pints of applesauce later and I finally got to go home where I ate a salad, tried to save the world, and fell asleep.

Sunday was church, Coloretto, dinner, and being dominated.

Uber exciting huh?

What'd you do?

The Century Ride

2010-08-23T08:03:00.004-06:00

Saturday Janae and I rode our bicycles in the Art Museum's Century Ride. The route took us 25 miles from Idaho Falls to Shelley and back.

Taletha and I had signed up for the ride before we knew that T would be moving to Colorado. I had been thinking about doing the ride alone but I'm very glad that Janae decided to take T's place and come with me.

We got an early start and avoided the hot temperatures. We could not, however, avoid the wind. It was a breezy day and we road against the wind going south. We were happy to make it to Shelley, turn around and come back with the wind behind us. It was a fun ride and really good exercise.

It was also for a great cause. The Museum is small but does great things for the community. Check it out here.

Riding and Playing in Coeur d'Alene

2010-08-20T12:00:00.005-06:00

August 11-15th we took an AWESOME trip to Coeur d'Alene. I had never been up to northern Idaho and now I'm wondering why. It was so beautiful and so much fun.

We took our bikes and the first day we road the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. 35 MILES of peddle pushing and beautiful scenery. By the end, our bums hurt and we were exhausted but it was worth it.

Here's the map:

Here's the actual trail:

Here are a few of us ready to go:

Brooke, Kelly, Jami and April

Here we are on the trail:

Me and Janae


Naez

We split into two groups and started at opposite ends. When we met in the middle we exchanged keys and kept riding. It was a good plan, as we didn't have to back track and it worked out smashingly well! Thanks Gina for the stellar idea!

Here we are meeting up with the other group:

Jeff, Jami, Kelly, Brooke, Gina and Bryan

The next day we rode the Hiawatha Trail. It was also beautiful and scenic. We rode through train tunnels and over sky high trestles. It was awesome and all downhill!!

The first tunnel was 1.7 miles long. We had to have helmets and lights. It was a little scary but we all made it through without any problems.

The first tunnel:


The Taft Tunnel


The view of a trestle

Janae

Gina

Jen and Janae coming out of one of the 9 tunnels

Looking down from a trestle

Me- what in the world am I doing?

When we got to the bottom, they shuttled us back to the top and we rode through the Taft Tunnel one more time. Here we are at the end of our ride at the top of the trail:


Jeff, Jami, Brooke, Gina, Janae, Bryan, Jen, and Me

Unfortunately, April's bike got a flat and so Kelly and April missed our picture. Thank goodness it happened at the end of the ride and they didn't have to walk far. We were lucky that she was only one who got a flat tire and it happened on the last day of riding at the end of the ride.

Friday was Janae's birthday and for one of her "One Birthday Wish"es we went to dinner at the White House Grill. It was sloooow service and we were all a bit starved and loopy by the time we finally ate. But it was good and garlicky.

Janae outside the White House Grill


Me, Janae, Brooke, Gina, Jami, Jen, April, Jeff, and Kelly

Crazy things happen when you're starving.

Saturday we headed to Coeur d'Alene Lake. It was so pretty.

Some people swam:

Jami, Bryan, Gina

Some cliff jumped:

Bryan, Jeff and Kelly

Then we went to Gooey's located inside the Cd'A Resort. We got dessert that looked like this:

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae

And this:

Huckleberry Cheesecake

Jeff really enjoyed it!

So did Jami and Brooke

What a super fun trip!! I'm so happy that PBS did a special on biking trails right after Janae bought her bike and that Janae watched it and convinced us to go. It was so such a fun trip. I hope we get back there soon!!

Check out Gina's blog post, if you have the uncontrollable desire to see more pictures of us in CDA. =)

I Can't Believe Summer's Almost Over!

2010-08-05T17:30:00.010-06:00

So it's been an AWESOME summer!!

- Bike Rides
- Girlfriends at the cabin
- Mack's Inn Dinner Show- Pirates of the CAR-RIB-EEE-AN
- Learning to play poker
- Sleeping out with the WHOLE family
- Sleeping out with just a few nieces and nephew
- 4th of July BBQ and Games
- Idaho Falls fireworks
- My birthday
- Homemade root beer
- Homemade ice cream
- 24th of July pioneers
- About a zillion games of Settlers
- One fun, long trip to Cortez, CO with T
- Not believing the Garmin
- Ultimate Frisbee Tuesdays
- Movie on the house
- BBQ at Janae's
- Family at the Cabin
- Swimming in the freezing cold lake
- Picking millions of peas, raspberries and beans
- Visiting Stacey and getting caught in Ragnar traffic
- Learning how to use fingerpaint
- Walks in the cool evening
- Long talks with good friends
- Short phone calls with the world's cutest nieces and nephews
- Baby blessings
- Almost going on a hike
- Bridal showers

Aren't you happy I've summed it up for you in one easy-to-read list?

(My camera has been MIA most of the summer.)

More adventures ahead! (I hope I'll be better at blogging but I make no promises.)

A Couple of Funny Videos.....

2010-07-21T16:22:00.000-06:00

I've seen lately:

Stuff's Been Happening....

2010-06-15T21:30:00.006-06:00

.....and I've been very bad at blogging about it.

Memorial Day weekend I went camping with Taletha and her family. I had told T that I didn't want to go because I HATE to be cold when I'm camping. So she told her family and her brother Bryce set us up a perfectly warm and cozy tent with a heater:

Nice huh? It really was a sweet setup. We even had a Camp Chef to cook on. I didn't get cold at all and it was rainy/snowy. I had a great time!! It was a very fun camping trip.

Then it was Brooke's birthday. We headed up to Palisades and stayed in a cabin in Irwin. It was so much fun! We had a bbq and played games. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of those events but I did get a couple of us on the hike the next morning.

It's been such a wet spring here that we didn't even make it a mile up the trail and we ran into major flooding. The trail was under about a foot of water. So, we ended up turning around. But we had a great time anyway with all the fun people!!

The first Sunday in June, we blessed Brad and Jess's baby Benjamin. And I don't know what my problem is but I didn't get any pictures from that fun event. It's always fun to hang out with my family and all my nieces and nephews.

However, last Sunday Jason and Kerri blessed their baby Matthew and I got a few pictures.

Jason, Kerri and Matthew

Grant-- the only kid I could get to stand still

McKell, Morgan, Annie, Kait, and Claire

Colton

Dad, Mom and all the grandkids
Dad is holding Matthew and Ben, Mom is holding Brecklyn and Ava
Colton, Owen, McKell, Annie, Morgan, Kaitlin, Grant and Claire

It was a really fun day. Stacey and Chad decided Sunday morning to come up and so that was a surprise. Church was hilarious with all the kids and babies. They are just so busy and 70 min is a loooooong time to sit still and be quiet when your cousins are sitting right next to you. It was fun!!

My dad has been working on his swing. He's been reinforcing it so that everyone can ride. He still wants to get it to go faster and go different speeds. I was the only adult "brave" enough to get on and try.

Mesa Falls Adventure

2010-05-25T22:44:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, a bunch of us headed up to Mesa Falls for a little hike from the upper to lower falls to celebrate Gina's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Gina!!

The weather forecast wasn't very promising but we still went. Who cares about the wind and threatening rain/snow? Not us. And it was actually quite pleasant.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find my camera in my bag and thought I had left it home. It wasn't until we were done hiking and eating our lunch that I found my camera in the bottom of my bag- where I had checked....twice. So, I only have pictures of us eating and a couple of the falls that I had taken with my phone.

This is everyone- minus Chris and Bryan. Where were they?

We look cold but really it wasn't too bad until we all sat down to eat.

It was a fun day with fun people!

Also, lately, I've been playing a lot of this:

LOVE IT!!!

I can't believe how many times I've played Settlers over the past month. I think there's something wrong with me/us.

Little Ava

2010-05-21T22:52:00.001-06:00

My newest little niece, Ava, was born today at 12:18 pm. She took us all by surprise-- we weren't expecting her for 5 more days. We're all just happy she's here and everyone is healthy. She weighs 7 lb 10 oz and is 21 inches long. Congrats to Chad and April! She's beautiful.

Baby Benjamin

2010-05-06T09:06:00.000-06:00

We have another baby!!! This morning at 1:11 am little Benjamin was born. He weighs 8 lb 4 oz and is 21 inches long. Congrats to Brad and Jess---

Dear Messrs Wind, Rain, Snow and Sleet,

2010-04-30T12:12:00.014-06:00

You're breaking my heart. Truly you are. Can you not imagine how heartbreaking it must be to have just purchased a very lovely, new bike and to not be able to enjoy the heck out of it because of you?

I guess it is true that I did venture out and go for a short ride but my ride was lacking the sun on my face and the warm breeze in my hair. Instead, I had to zip up my jacket and pull my hands up my sleeves.

Brrrrr!

You've been here for a few days now. Couldn't you possibly just move on?

Yours very sincerely,
An Impatient Fair-Weathered Bicyclist

FYI

2010-04-26T13:10:00.006-06:00

In the past few months, I have either heard the story multiple times or received multiple emails regarding the following two things:

Captured Midget
Doritos Coupons

So, everyone- no one captured a small person and held them hostage and you can't get free Doritos for a year.

Sorry to ruin your day.

Gone Granola

2010-04-23T08:30:00.002-06:00

Well, okay not completely granola.

But for the past two weeks, I haven't worn makeup. Not one smidgen. I did wear chapstick but no foundation, no blush, no mascara, no eyeshadow or eyeliner. Nothing.

At the beginning of March, I noticed red, dry, itchy patches on my left eyelid and attributed it to the dry weather. I tried a lot of things- running a humidifier, using a thick moisturizing lotion, consistent face washing. I even hoped that by going to a more humid environment, San Diego, I would get some relief. Nothing seemed to help. One night my eyelid actually cracked and started to bleed.

Then my right eyelid got in on the act and the redness moved to under my eyes as well. Both my eyes were red, dry, and very sore. I went to the doctor. He said it was an allergy to something I was putting on my face around my eyes. He told me to not use makeup for a few days until my face went back to normal and then slowly introduce my face to makeup again.

I was a little worried about the world seeing my face in all it's nakedness. The first few days I was so self-conscious. Then I started to love it! My eyelids stopped hurting, I didn't have to take time putting it on, and I didn't have to worry about what it looked like at the end of the day. The best part was that when I was having an emotional day I could cry my eyes out and not worry that I had melted my face off.

In the mean time, I've narrowed my allergy to the makeup remover I had been using. So, I've felt pretty confident that I can start wearing makeup again without allergy worries. But I've been avoiding it. Finally this morning, I schmeared, brushed, and applied. I felt back to my old self.

Then I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror at work-- I look like a 6 year old who had found her mother's makeup bag.

Now I'm wondering-- have I looked at my plain old face for so long that now I look like a freak clown just to myself or to everyone that sees me? Geez. This is more traumatical than when I went granola.

And Today It's Raining

2010-04-22T11:08:00.005-06:00

So I was just wondering- do I have to ♫ "work with a will"♫?

Today I'm Just Happy...

2010-04-20T14:36:00.001-06:00

...the sun is shining.

Hope everyone is having a lovely, sunshiny day.

Talk about Talent

2010-04-14T19:01:00.005-06:00

Check these sisters out:
(at least watch for 60 sec.)

A New Baby and Rodeo Fun!

2010-04-10T18:44:00.000-06:00

On April 6th, Kerri and Jason had a little boy. His name is Matthew and he's so CUTE!!

Poor Matthew kind of got off to a bad start. Turns out, he had pneumonia when he was born and it caused him to tear his little lungs. So he's just been hanging out in the hospital waiting for them to heal up, while chugging down antibiotic. I've been one of the lucky ones who showed up when he was the only baby in the nursery; so I've been able to see him and hold him. He should get to go home next Tuesday. We hope!

Kerri's taking it like a champ. The delivery went good and she's just been trying to recover. But she's stuck in the hospital too...but it's all going good. We're just happy this story has a happy ending.

Friday night Taletha and I went to the DNCFR. (That's the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo for anyone not in the know.) It was really fun. Here are some super fuzzy pictures for your enjoyment. ;-)

Run! Forrest, Run!

2010-04-07T09:14:00.010-06:00

So it's that time of year again...time to start jogging or walking outside around the city streets, parks, and greenbelt. I'm really so excited. Except I rolled my ankle about a month ago and it will not get better. I'm trying to be a good girl and ice it and heat it and stay off of it. But how can you when the weather outside is sunshiny? (Well, except for yesterday, when we had a snow day. Weird Idaho weather.) I think maybe I'm just old and it's just gonna take a while.

But in the mean time, the rest of you can get outside and jog off those few winter pounds that may have slowly showed up. Here are a few early summer runs you can do....

Willie's Free 5K -It's FREE! It's on May 8th in Ammon-- a great time to just get out and see what your 5k time is. Or just a way to jump start your summer workouts. And if you don't want to run- VOLUNTEER! Because it's free, volunteers are always needed and appreciated.
Agape' Celebration and Community Run - May 15th at the Idaho Falls greenbelt. Registration is $22.50.
Endurance Festival - Also May 15 in Pocatello. It's a 5k, 10k, 30k bike, duathlon and kids run/bike. Check out the website for registration costs and information. The kids events are FREE! Thanks to The Bank of Commerce. ;-)

So get out and get moving!! Life is always better after I've jogged a mile or two.

Game Night and Colbie Caillat

2010-03-20T14:35:00.002-06:00

It's been a while but I really have done a some fun things in the past couple of months that I should have posted here. However, I've been a slacker and left my camera home for most of them.

Well, we did have a really fun game night a few weeks ago and I remembered my camera. Here a few pics from the night:

Jeff, Brooke, Aaron and Taletha getting ready to play

Skyler and Wade are ready to play too

Along with me, Jarom and Gina

Then we took a small break to watch some Olympic speed skating:

Then we played a new-to-us game called The Name Game. It is a fun fast moving game and part of the game is charades.

The next night we went to see Colbie Callait. She's fabulous!! If you don't know who she is check her out here:

Here we are waiting for her show to start:

Janae, Jenn, Jen, Taletha and me

Kim and Jordyn came with us

Still waiting!

Then as I was scanning the crowd I saw Chad and April...

It was fun to see them. I always forget that April works for the ISU ticket office and so she was able to get tickets too. I should have just called her- it would have been easier than calling in and being placed on hold and hoping that the show wasn't already sold out. Next time I need tickets, I'll remember who to call!

Beautiful Colbie

She was so great. She sang all our favorite songs and even added a few new ones that we just loved. She puts on a fun show.

Ya Know What I Really Wanna Do?

2010-02-17T17:45:00.018-07:00

Here are just 10 things I would love to do-- if only my time, money, principles or physical body would let me:

1- Be able to cook really cool stuff, have all the appropriate kitchen tools and know all about it
2- Eat. Yeah, eat pretty much anything I wanted to, whenever I wanted.
3- Own an SUV
4- Run a marathon- fast
5- Write awesome fictional stories
6- Buy a big screen TV
7- Vacation to Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, D.C., and the Caribbean- this year
8- Buy $150 jeans
9- Go rock climbing/bungee jumping/sledding/skiing/rappelling/skydiving/amusement park ride riding and actually like it
10- Read entertaining, thought provoking books all day long

Now, I'm fully aware that some of these things seem like things I could do if I worked at it or if I just tried it or if I managed my money better but.........well, actually, not gonna happen. I'm sorry to disappoint but it's highly unlikely I will be doing any of these things- ever.

Unless, of course, I end up with a whole gaggle of kids and need a way to cart them around or I end up living way off the beaten path and need that 4 wheel drive......Then I might need that SUV.

Like I said-- highly unlikely.

Love One Another

2010-02-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Love One Another

Blindsided

2010-02-12T11:59:00.004-07:00

I've Been Analyzed

2010-02-10T07:14:00.002-07:00

Here is a web site that analyzes blogs and tells you the author's psychological profile. I entered my blog and I am:

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

(Kind of interesting but not exactly accurate. Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I'm a planner and if things aren't planned ahead I get a little out of sorts. I'm pretty sure that it thinks I love to entertain and be busy because that's all I really blog about. Truth is, I love to have fun but downtime is also a very favorite thing of mine.)

T'was a Fort Night

2010-01-30T17:32:00.004-07:00

Okay, I know, I'm old. I'm an adult. And even though it's hard to admit and kind of hard to remember, I am over 30. Usually, I'm very adult. I have a job, a retirement fund and a mortgage. But sometimes, I forget and my friends and I revert to our childhood. Last night was one of those nights.

So, I got new furniture today and we kind of wanted to have a farewell party to the old stuff and Taletha came up with the best idea ever--- Let's build a fort with it!! So we did:

Taletha, Jenn and the old gray couch

Jen supervising the construction process

The Fort

No boys allowed!!

Jen, Taletha, broom, me, Jenn

We had such a great time. We watched 2 movies and then decided we love it so much T and I slept all night in it:

You wish you had a rockin' fort don't you?

Makes ya kinda jealous, huh?

And here's a pic of the new furniture....I love it:

The Power to Succeed

2010-01-22T07:30:00.003-07:00

I know, I know. It's been a while. I totally forgot to take my camera home for Christmas. So I've been meaning to steal pictures from my mom and sister-in-law but I haven't. I'm a slacker.

But Christmas was good and New Years was great. I'm so, so blessed. Family and friends were all around me and I felt so loved. Christmas time was good, real good.

I did finish the Book of Mormon. But maybe not exactly by the last day of the year. I was just a couple days over. Even though I missed my goal by a couple of days, I'm so glad I made the goal in the first place. The increased spirit in my life has been awesome.

I've gone through some hard things in the past few months and I needed the spirit. Oh soo much. I loved reading about the faith of the BofM people....it's inspiring. I can't really explain it but it wasn't like it was anything particular that was so inspiring but it was just the spirit of the book. I felt stronger, less scared, and more determined to keep my head up and keep on keeping on.

Through this hard time, I learned I can't do it by myself. Sometimes I feel that if I can't be perfect on my own then I don't deserve blessings let alone exaltation. I've known this wasn't true but it's like I've learned again that there is NO possible way to do it by myself. No possible way. No need to even try. I need prayer and the BofM and the temple and good people in my life. I need repentance and the atonement and the spirit's guidance. Heavenly Father must really love me to give me all those things. He blesses everyone who comes to Him.

So, life is good and keeps getting better. Now the goal is to not quit but to keep on reading. Everyday.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-23T08:29:00.002-07:00

Family Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-20T22:25:00.006-07:00

This year we had the family Christmas party Saturday night at my parent's house. Everyone was able to be there except for Stacey's husband Chad. :-( We miss ya Chad. Even without Chad we had a house full.

Here are all the kids getting ready for dinner:

Aren't they cute? I love how all the little girl's have to be in their princess dresses.

Shan and Trev

Kerri and Jason

The youngest-- I love the blond curls.
(Wish you could see them)
Precious!

Then we watched the Night Before Christmas and waited for Santa:

Then Santa showed up:

Some of the little ones were less than excited about the pictures--
but the older kids were adorable as they talked to Santa.

P.S. Jess, how did you not make it into any of the pictures, AGAIN?

Love This!!

2009-12-13T12:31:00.005-07:00

Friday Funny

2009-12-11T08:00:00.005-07:00

Because I'm Bored......

2009-12-08T20:37:00.040-07:00

If you ever get bored you can do this survey too......

Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced?
-Nope

Does a kiss make you feel better?
-Most of the time.

Have you ever passed out on the bathroom floor?
-Not the I can remember :-)

Do you start the water before you get in the shower or when you get in?
-Before, shesh, it has to be warm.

What did you do today?
-Work, meetings, lunch, visiting teaching

Have you ever brushed your teeth while in the shower?
-Yeah, but it's weird

Have you had more than 3 boyfriends/girlfriends at the same time?
-I'm not a player

Have you ever thought about your death?
-Please let me just fall asleep.

Ever been in love?
-Yes

Would you rather be in a permanent relationship or play the field?
-Permanent but I'm just taking whatever is handed to me.

What is your favorite sport?
- Football

What color is your shower curtain?
-Cheery yellow with blue flowers

Have you ever had stitches?
-Nope, probably should've though

Did you believe that boys/girls had cooties?
-No, I was boy crazy from the beginning of time

Do you know how to use chop sticks?
-No way, I'm a horrible chop stick user

Lyrics stuck in your head?
-On Vacation by Aimee Allen

Do you like the Red Sox or Yankeess?
-Baseball isn't really my sport.

What are you doing tomorrow?
-Work and a movie

Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of?
-Well, wouldn't you like to know.

Have you ever given money to a homeless person?
-Yes.

Have you ever run over an animal?
-Yes a dog and I've hit a couple of birds in my time.

What is your favorite cereal?
-Peanut Butter Crunch

Have you ever had an Oreo with peanut butter?
-Nope, is it good?

What are you doing right at this moment?
-Obviously answering this survey.

Where's your favorite place to be?
-My bed. It is where I don't have to worry about anything and I get to live my dreams.

What's your favorite song?
- There are too many.

Are you more of a coffee or alcohol drinker?
-Neither.

Have you ever thrown shoes on a telephone wire?
-No

Have you ever been skinny dipping?
-Yes. Don't ask.

Have you ever been arrested?
-No. Thank heavens, I'd probably have a breakdown.

Do you dream in black and white?
-No. I dream in color. Living color.

Do you talk in your sleep?
-I have before.

Do you snore?
-I've been told I do but it's probably only when I'm sick.

Are you a redneck?
-No. Possibly. No.

Funniest thing you heard all day?
-"I have to work harder because I get paid less." Wait, what?

Have you ever gotten a mosquito bite on your face?
-Not that I remember

What are you afraid of?
-Roller coasters, caves, and being touched by fish

Thank You, Mr. Officer, Sir

2009-12-07T11:51:00.003-07:00

You know how there are things you do every day? You don't even think about it. It's an automatic thing. Kind of like washing your hair in the shower. Sometimes I get out of the shower and wonder if I washed my hair, it's such a habit I just do it.

Well, this morning I was driving to work, like I do everyday- north on Ammon, left onto 1st street, past Tiebreaker and stopped at the light at Hitt. I glanced into my rear view mirror and noticed a big black police truck behind me. I didn't even think twice about it. The light turned green and I proceeded through the light. At this point, I have no idea what I was thinking. I was just habitually driving down 1st toward Woodruff...like I do every single day. I drove about 100 yards and just happened to glance in my rear view again and notice he has his lights on. My stomach hits the floor.

I immediately take a quick glance around me and pull over to the side, right by the school crosswalk. I was speeding in a school zone with a cop behind me!?!?! A school zone I drive through every day- sometimes twice a day. WHAT THE WHAT!?!?!

I have a thing about school zones. I try my hardest to observe speed limits in school zones. If someone is behind me and tailgating me because I'm actually going 20, I will go even slower. School zones are not a place to push the speed limit. Kids die because people are stupid and speed through school zones.

So, I have no idea what I was doing/thinking this morning.

I pull out my license and put down my window as the cop comes up to the side of my car. "Did you know this is a school zone?" he asks as he takes my license.

"Yes," I answer, "I have no idea what I was thinking. I drive through here everyday and I never speed. I know better. I'm so sorry." I was so shocked that everything I was thinking was coming out of my mouth. Then I thought I might even cry.

"I kept thinking you were going to slow down because I was right behind you-- and then you just kept going. Where are you headed?"

"To work downtown." I'm on the verge of tears now.

"Well, I won't give you the $140 ticket this morning for speeding in a school zone. Just slow down." He hands me back my license.

"I will. Thank you officer." I roll up my window and he walks back to his pickup truck.

I have no idea why he didn't give me the ticket. I deserved it but I am so grateful he didn't. I certainly don't have $140 I don't know what to do with.

So- I just wanna say a big Thank You to the Mr. Policeman who pulled me over this morning.

A Walk Around

2009-12-05T00:09:00.001-07:00

I went for a walk around downtown today on my lunch hour. I had to. I need all the points I can get and I knew I would be busy tonight. So, I ate my lunch, read my 2 chapters, put on my coat and headed out into the sunshine.

It started out almost perfect, as I headed toward the river, walking beside the buildings that were reflecting the sunshine back onto me. It was just a little cold and it felt great to have the sun on my face. Then I rounded the corner to walk toward the temple and a blast of fridged cold air stung my nose and ears. But I didn't mind, it was going to be a short walk.

I walked around downtown for about 20 minutes, wandering up and down streets and taking random left and right turns. I was getting colder and colder. Finally, I headed back.

I started thinking about winters as a kid. Sometimes my brothers, sisters and I would bundle up and take the sleds out into the freezing snow. We would use the dry canal banks by our house as our sledding hills and spend time creating the perfect place for winter fun. When we got older, we would get out the four wheeler or snowmobile, whichever was handy, and hook sleds or tubes onto the back and go for rides out in the hay field beside our house. Then when we'd get cold, so cold that our fingers froze and it felt like our ears would fall off, we'd head back to the house for some hot chocolate or warm cookies.

It's been cold here lately, so cold that by the time I finished my walk I felt like I did back then and the nostalgia almost did me in. But this time there was no hot chocolate or warm cookies, sometimes growing up is a hard thing to swallow.

Friday Funny

2009-12-04T13:03:00.001-07:00

Does Bacon Really Make Everything Taste Better?

2009-12-02T09:07:00.003-07:00

I saw this article on the NPR website this morning. I like chocolate and I like bacon-- but together?

I'm not convinced-- even though the picture looks kind of yummy.

Does anyone want to choose a recipe, try it and let me know how it is? I'm skeptical.

"But I Can't Stand Aunt Edna's Gravy......

2009-11-20T16:05:00.003-07:00

So I thought I'd bring my own."

Not if you're flying, you're not.

TSA Helpful Hints for Holiday Travelers--

Traveling with Food

Everyone has favorite foods from home that they want to bring to holiday dinners, or items from their destination that they want to bring back home. Travelers should know that while pies are permitted through the security checkpoint, here is a list of liquids, gels and aerosol items that you should put in your checked bag, ship ahead, or leave at home.

Cranberry sauce
Creamy dips and spreads
(cheeses, peanut butter, etc.)
Gift baskets with food items
(salsa, jams and salad dressings)
Gravy
Jams
Jellies

Maple syrup
Oils and vinegars
Salad dressing
Salsa
Sauces
Soups
Wine, liquor and beer

Really? Do people try to carry on all these items? Well, maybe.

But the image of a cute little grandma bringing a crock pot of soup on board a plane just cracked me up.

Don't ask my why....sometimes I'm easily amused.

I Just Keep on Reading

2009-11-17T00:16:00.004-07:00

I confess-- it hasn't been easy but I've been reading and reading the BofM. I've tried very hard to get in my 2 chapters everyday. I must confess that sometimes I don't get it done and then I have to do double the next day or one extra chapter for a couple days.

Somehow I made it through 2nd Nephi and all of those Isaiah chapters. I hope I got something out of them. Every once in a while a wee little verse would stick out to me that I felt applied to my life---then I'd wonder if that verse really meant what I thought it meant because I didn't get half of the other verses in the chapter and totally took it out of context. Oh well, as long as I got something out of it. Right?

Nephi finished writing and handed the plates over to his brother Jacob. Jacob wrote some awesome stuff and passed the plates to his son, Enos, who passed the plates to his son, Jarom, who passed the plates to his son, Omni (He was wicked. He says so himself. I'm not making this stuff up.), who passed the plates to his son, Amaron, who passed the plates to his brother, Chemish, who passed the plates to Abinadom, who passed the plates to his son, Amaleki. Then Mormon steps in--- and this is where everything starts to get CONFUSING.

And its confusing from here into Alma. It's confusing because-- people leave places and go other places and find other people and then some Nephites join some Lamanites and some Lamanites join some Nephites and some are righteous and some are wicked and then people fight people and take over people and join people and become righteous again or become more wicked........ And I'm not good with details. So, it's just confusing.

But amidst all that confusing are Alma and Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah and Amulek and Lamoni and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and their wonderful, sweet, powerful testimonies of the Gospel. And they testify of the love of the Lord for his people...for the people who choose to be righteous.

I love that.

I know that it's true and so I just keep on reading.

NYC 2009!!!

2009-11-11T17:18:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, Jen, Jenn, Lisa and I ventured to the other side of the country and visited NYC from October 14th to the 20th. It was FANTASTIC. This post is going to be full of a LOT of pictures and I've tried to keep them organized and in order but there are just too many of them. I'm hoping they may at least show you a bit of what we experienced.

First off, we stayed in New Canaan, CT with Lisa's Uncle and Aunt. This is the awesome house we stayed in:

Here is Jenn, Jen and Lisa in Grand Central Station.

Thank heaven for Jenn and Lisa, they had both used a subway system before and knew where we needed to go and how to get there. I eventually figured it out too but I am soo grateful they already knew what to do.

The first thing we did was take the subway to ground zero. I couldn't find any pictures of ground zero-- weird, I swear we took some. Well, it just looks like a big construction zone. There wasn't any sort of monument or anything there- we all thought that was kinda strange.But it really made it real for me to actually see where the towers stood.

Next we headed to the Statue of Liberty:

Here I am on the ferry boat on the way to the island.

It had started raining and was a little bit cold. We bought beanies and umbrellas to help us keep dry but by the time we got onto the island it was like this:

It was so windy and rainy, we were huddled under my broken umbrella just to block that cold wind coming off of the ocean.

Then we headed over to Ellis Island:

That was an awesome place. We took the free guided tour and watched a movie there...so cool! (and warm) ;-)

After we finished our tour, we found Wall Street:

Of course, I had to see that famous street.

Next, we headed up town to get something to eat and go to the first of three Broadway shows we went too.

We found a cute little Italian restaurant. It was really yummy.

After we finished eating we had a few minutes, so we found Times Square:

It seemed like a really busy place but we found out later that because it was raining there weren't as many people out as usual. There were just so many lights, billboards, and tall buildings. We found were they drop the ball on New Years Eve and I could just imagine how packed that area could get with all the people.

Then we went to Phantom:

Jen, Me, Lisa, and Jenn

Beautiful music and fantastic performers...it was absolutely wonderful!

The next day we started out by heading to the Manhattan temple.

It's so cool how it's just there, in the middle of all those big buildings. There is the Angle Moroni blowing his trumpet...so cool! Unfortunately, I had got a cold right before we left and I still wasn't feel 100% better, so I decided not to infect everyone in a session and didn't go in; however, Jen and Jenn, the lucky ducks, got to go do a session. Lisa and I checked out Julliard, an H&H bagel place, had some hot chocolate at a Starbucks and browsed a Barnes and Noble. Good times.

When Jen and Jenn were done with their session, we headed to Central Park:

The Plaza Hotel:

Jen, me, Jenn, and Lisa

The Plaza Hotel is no longer a hotel but has been sold/rented as apartments. They still allow people to walk around and see the old lobby area. It's a very beautiful building.

Then FAO Schwarze:

The only hottie we found in NYC.

That night we decided to try to get tickets to see Wicked. When Wicked is sold out they give away front row seats through a lottery system. You go to the box office by a certain time and put your name in the drawing. If your name is drawn you get 2 front row tickets for cheap-- like $25 or something. We decided before the show that if I was chose then Jenn and I would go or vice versa and if Jen was chose then Lisa would go. So we put our names in and waited for the drawing. I was soo nervous. It's kinda funny because we hadn't even planned on going to Wicked-- but now that there was a chance we all wanted to go. They started drawing and drew Lisa's name!!! Jenn and I were disappointed but Lisa and Jen were the lucky winners. It's so cool they got to go.

LUCKIES!!

Jenn and I decided to just pick another show and see if we could get in. We chose Mary Poppins. I LOVED, LOVED it!!! It was so fun and very entertaining.

Saturday was really low key- we didn't go into the city but stayed in Connecticut with Lisa's aunt and uncle. They took us out on their yacht. Here it is:

Compared to the boat next to it, it doesn't look really big but I promise you, it was.

Lisa, me, Jenn just enjoying the boat ride.

Jen, Jenn and Lisa

It was a pretty sweet boat. It was big enough to go down under the bow and walk around in the kitchen area. There was also a bedroom with a queen bed and another bedroom with a couple single beds. Nice!

We stopped somewhere along our ride and had lunch at a little French restaurant. It was pretty good food and a very nice place. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, making dinner and watching a movie. It was really good for me, because I'd been sick, to have a low key day.

Sunday we headed to church, saw Glen Beck- he's in Lisa's relative's ward- and then drove up through CT to look at the beautiful leaves. And it was gorgeous! Here are just a few of the pic's we took:

Monday was back to the city to do some more site seeing and shopping. First we went to see the Brooklyn Bridge:

And then shopping here:

If you have ever been here shopping, you know it's quite the experience. After shopping we got some lunch-- an authentic New York pretzel-- no picture of the pretzels though. Next Jen, Jenn and I headed up the Empire State building while Lisa went back to New Canaan to spend time with her family.

Us at the top of the Empire State Building

A view from the top....you can barely see the Statue of Liberty if you look closely.

Then we headed to Central Park to rest (we were tired after running around the city and waiting in that long line to get to the top of the Empire State Building) and then we had dinner.

We ate at this diner feeling restaurant right next to the theater. All the waiters and waitresses were aspiring actors and so they would sing and dance around. It was entertaining.

Finally we saw Mama Mia...

It was very good. The actors all had such awesome voices and did a great job. After the show we headed back to New Canaan for the last time......we were so tired but we made it home and still had to get ready to make to the airport early the next morning.

It was a fantastic time!!!

Thanks to Lisa for putting it all together...we couldn't have done it without her.

Can't wait to go again....where to next?

Coming Soon......!

2009-10-26T23:10:00.002-06:00

I promise, I'm gonna blog about NYC soon. I just got all the pictures from everyone. So, it's coming. I promise.

Pay It Forward 5k

2009-10-10T12:31:00.004-06:00

This morning Taletha, Jen and I ran in the Pay It Forward 5k fun run. It was FREEZING!! It was about 24 degrees right before the race. Don't worry, we all dressed warm in our hats sweatshirts and gloves. It was a pretty small race that was put together to benefit a couple of families in our area. One of the families is in our ward and the dad has leukemia. So it was for a good cause.

Me, Jen and Taletha

Me and Taletha

Jen and Taletha

Taletha, her nephew- Zach, and sister- Marinda

Check out that time!

.......and that time! Amazing!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2009-10-08T09:05:00.005-06:00

I've had a jam-packed summer of fun and it's been fabulous!!!! Now it's over and I can deal.

But............ and I hope I'm wrong........... but I'm almost positive that fall is already over too and winter is setting in. It snowed last week. I checked the 10 day forecast and there isn't even one day in which the high for the day will over 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Blech!!

But to be fair--

I'm looking forward to:

1- Sweaters and layers
2- Hot chocolate
3- The holiday season
4- Sledding behind the 4 wheeler

I just wish we could have had more than 4.2875 beautiful days of fall.

A Hike, a Party and Paintball

2009-10-05T22:20:00.011-06:00

The last weekend of August we hiked up the Monument hike (aka the Wind Cave hike) in Darby Canyon. It was beautiful. Even though I had spent plenty of girl's camp days up at Darby, I had never gone on the Monument hike. It was a great hike. We had a very fun group and the weather was so perfect. When we reached the "monument", Nancy read the story of the young women and the leaders that had gotten hit by lightning up by the wind caves (I'll copy the story to the bottom of this post.) It was good to learn of the history of the monument. All in all it was a great hike!
p.s. Thanks to Kylee & Brooke for some of the pics- I stole them from Facebook.

Willie, Jason, Nancy and Cameron

Taletha, Jen, Lisa B and Lisa H

Willie, Kylee and Jason

The mouth of the wind cave

Getting ready to explore the cave.
Janae, Jeff, Taletha, Cameron

Taletha, Brooke and Jen

Brooke and Taletha

Willie and me

Willie, Taletha, Brooke, Janae, Jen and me

Hiking Out

After the hike, we came home, rested a bit then we had the JUMBO party. We have been planning the JUMBO party ever since we had the Mini party last year. It was a great time. We had jumbo franks, jumbo rice krispie treats, jumbo mac and cheese, jumbo cookies...etc. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the food. There was jumbo volleyball and a few other games (Thanks Brooke and Lisa!). Here are a few pics from the jumbo candy bar game:

Janae better watch out- T really wants some of that chocolate!

Jonathan goes in for a few bites.

Brooke and her jumbo snake eyes!

After the food and games, we watched a movie outside on the jumbo screen. Fun, fun, fun!!! Thanks to everyone who came, played and donated their yummy food, game equipment, or backyard and bbq grill- love ya, Jeff.

And finally, a couple pics from my paintballing experience:

All I can say is, "Watch out for Waders!!"

Lisa and me

THE STORY 0F THE LIGHTNING ACCIDENT AT DARBY, 1 August, 1951

By Bethene Richmond

I have been requested by Pres. William J O’Bryant, the President of the Idaho Falls Stake of the L.D.S. Church, to write an account of the experience I had this summer while at Darby Girls’ Camp; at which time four girls and one leader lost their lives when a bolt of lightening struck a group while on a hike. Following is the account….

It was Wednesday, August 1, 1951, the second day of Girls’ Camp for the Idaho Falls Stake. The hike, which was open to all girls except the first year Bee Hive girls, was scheduled to leave at 6:30 a.m.. However, it was nearer 7:00 a.m. before we got underway. It was a beautiful morning as we assembled. The sky had been overcast earlier in the morning and there had been a wind storm that lasted for about fifteen minutes between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m.. Everyone was filled with anticipation for a lovely day to be spent among the beauties of nature. We each had our lunch and were prepared for an all day hike, first to the Wind Caves, and then after eating our lunch, on to the Ice Caves and then back to camp. As we were waiting for all the girls to assemble, Brother Fred Miller, the scouter who was to be our guide, told us about various types of trees we would see along the way and how we could identify them. He also instructed us about the care of our feet, advising that if anyone felt a tender spot developing to let him know, so that tape could be applied and thus avoid a blister. He also told many other things to add to our enjoyment of the hike.

There were 42 girls from the five wards, Lincoln, Iona, Second, Fifth and Ninth, and three leaders: Sister Rosalie Arave, from Second Ward (Sister Arave had very recently returned from a mission), Ora Holst and myself from Fifth Ward. The girls from the Fifth Ward were Carol Engstrom, Bernice Malone, Merry Dee Severson, Lola Mae Ovard, Carma Rasband, Geraldine Watson, and Rose Marie Jolly. As we left, Brother Miller asked that one of the leaders take the lead, to “set the pace”. Sister Arave did this. Brother Miller spent his time going from the head of the line to the rear to keep a constant watch on the entire group. After twenty minutes we would stop for a rest period, during which time Brother Miller would point out things of interest such as: how the valley was formed, the different rock formations, names of the wild flowers, which grew profusely along the way, the names of birds common to the area and types of moss and lichen.

When we were about half way up to the Wind Cave, one of the girls in the Lincoln Ward became ill and decided to return to camp. The four other girls from Lincoln Ward returned with her. This left thirty-seven girls to continue the hike. As we progressed, Carol Engstrom assumed the position of leader at the head of the line. At one rest period she asked Brother Miller if she could carry his pack (he carries a fifty pound pack, with extra shoes, stockings, first aid equipment, candy, etc.). He jokingly answered, “Sure you can carry it. Maybe it will slow you down a bit.” Carol carried the pack the rest of the way. We three leaders were scattered among the group to help some of the girls who seemed to need a bit of encouragement as the way got steeper. I think they all helped us the most, however.

When we reached the bottom of the falls which comes from the opening of the Wind Caves, we stopped to rest and Brother Miller told us to leave our lunch sacks there, that we would return there to eat our lunch. The climb from there to the cave was almost perpendicular. It was a beautiful sight, the water coming out of the rocks and plunging over the edge to form the beautiful falls. The Wind Cave consists of three rooms, formed in the rock, with the only entrance being a small opening, which we crawled through on our hands and knees. Ora Holst and I were the last ones to enter the rooms of the caves, so as we turned around to come out, we were the first. As we came out, we noted the clouds gathering and remarked that it looked as though we were going to have a shower, but that it was well timed, because by the time we had finished our lunch, we would be able to continue on to the Ice Caves. The girls from the Fifth Ward soon joined us and as we reached the spot where we had left our lunches it started to rain, so we scrambled under the trees for protection from the rain. Our group, Fifth Ward, was under one tree, sitting on the ground and leaning against a fallen tree that was leaning against a standing tree. The rest of the girls were sitting around our group and up the path. Some of the girls were still coming down from the cave and ducked under shelter wherever they could. It rained hard for a few minutes and then it started to hail. About 10 minutes after the storm started, we heard a very loud clap of thunder which sounded like it must have hit above us on the rim. We realized it was too close for comfort, and some suggested that we move. Others said, “No, we’re alright, because all the trees around us are taller than this one”. Some of the girls were frightened and we tried to reassure them and calm their fears. At this time Brother Miller came running down the hill, (he was the last one out of the cave, being certain everyone got out safely) shouting for us to move out into the open space below us. Several started moving. I remember getting up and bending over to pick up my knap sack ---- then it hit!!

The next thing I knew I was down the hill about three yards from the group, all drawn up in a knot, unable to move! The thought went through my head, “I’ve had a stroke!”. Then I heard girls screaming, and heard one say, “Look! That girl is on fire!” I looked back up the hill and beheld a picture of horror! It was then that the realization came to me, that we must have been hit by lightening. There was still a glow emitting from the group directly under the tree, that reminded me of the halo that is shown around the head of Christ in so many pictures of him. Other girls further up the trail were getting up. About this time Brother Miller, who had been knocked part way down the hill, so that he was nearer to me than to the group under the tree, came up to where I was and asked me what happened. I answered, “I think we’ve been struck by lightening” – he then asked me if I was alright – I said, “Yes, but I’m sure many of the girls are injured. Please help them if you can.”

He immediately went to the girls and started artificial respiration on girls as fast as he could get to them. He also started other girls who were not severely injured, in giving artificial respiration – and sent two who were not injured back to camp for help.

I could not move my right arm or my legs from the knees down, but I pulled myself back up the hill by grasping tall grass and weeds with my left hand and pulled my knees up under me. When I reached the group, I found I could not do artificial respiration, because I did not have the use of my right hand and arm, which were paralyzed for about two hours. I could instruct some of the girls and help in supervision of first aid care. All of the girls were helping in whatever way they could – they were wonderful. It was really a testimony to me to see how they responded in the face of tragedy. Everyone was praying, some aloud and the rest silently.

While preparing to leave for the hike that morning, we had not prayed as a group. Sister Holst and I had noticed this and had wondered if we should mention it to Brother Miller before we left, but decided against it. That was my first thought after the accident and I expressed it to Sister Arave. She replied “As I was coming down the trail at the rear of the group, I felt the Spirit of the Lord so strongly that I went behind a tree by myself and prayed as I have never before, and I have never felt the Spirit of the Lord in so great abundance as then.”

We checked all the girls and tried to revive all of them even though we felt there was no hope for three of them. These were Bernice Malone, Merry Dee Severson, and Sister Holst. We worked with Carol Engstrom and Betty Kearney for some time before we finally gave up – these two were not burned as severely as the others and we felt perhaps they had a chance, but we could get no response.

About this time another group of four or five girls left for camp and help. After we had all the girls breathing, for whom there was any hope, we began checking them for burns, and dressed them until we ran out of first aid supplies. Then Brother Miller moved all the girls down the hill to an open spot where the sun could hit us and give some warmth. Everyone was thoroughly wet and we had nothing to use for extra warmth. Brother Miller built a fire, which helped, but we could not get the girls very close to it because of their burns. Many girls were suffering from shock, but it was necessary to keep them awake, for as soon as they dozed off they would stop breathing again. The next two hours were spent trying to keep everyone awake and breathing and as comfortable as possible – also praying, joking and waiting!

About three o’clock we saw three women coming over the hill toward us. They were a most welcome sight. I’ll never be able to understand how we were able to receive help so quickly. It was about noon when the bolt hit, so it took about three hours for the girls to get back to camp and the three sisters to get back up. They were Sister Eva Ovard, Marie Martin and LeOra Moore. They brought blankets, which we needed badly.

About forty-five minutes later, another group arrived, including Dr. Gordon Jensen, Sheriff Looslie, President Fullmer and several others. They brought stretchers, blankets, and medical supplies. Dr. Jensen checked all the girls again and thought it best for some, the least hurt, to start walking back to camp. Another black cloud had appeared and it looked as though we would all be drenched again. The men left with three girls on stretchers. Very shortly, more men came and they left with two more girls on stretchers. This left just two injured girls. Brother Miller and I stayed with them. We had several blankets now and were able to keep them warm until more help arrived. It was about 6:00 p.m. when we started down with the last two girls on stretchers. President Leigh Fullmer, President of the Teton Stake, remained with the girls whose lives had been taken. We shortly met several men on horseback who continued on, to assist in bringing down the bodies. All along the trail we met more men on horseback, who had come to assist. Again, I’ll never be able to understand how so many could come so quickly to help us.

We were met part way down the hill by a group in a jeep and we rode in the jeep to the ambulance which came as far as it could and was waiting for us. I went to the hospital in Driggs with these last two girls. All of the injured girls had been taken to the hospital in Driggs, where they were checked again carefully by Dr. Jensen. Then some were admitted to the hospital and kept overnight for observation and released the following day. Some required medical care and further hospitalization later, however.

The camp had been evacuated and all the girls were taken to the church house in Driggs. While they were waiting there for transportation home, members of the Driggs M.I.A. and others brought soup and sandwiches and warm, dry clothing to keep everyone comfortable.

It was a very trying experience, made more difficult for me because four of the five who were killed were members of my ward – the Fifth. They were Carol Engstrom, Merry Dee Severson, Bernice Malone and Sister Ora Holst. I knew all of them intimately, and knew their families and home situations. I knew that each family would have added burdens, greater than usual, brought to them by the loss of that member. My greatest concern was for these families, and I had to force thoughts from my mind, so I could continue with those who needed care. I prayed constantly that these families would be blessed with comfort, peace and understanding.

So many wonderful people helped in the rescue, it is impossible to name them all. The sisters who were at camp are to be highly praised for the manner in which the handled this most difficult situation. The Stake leaders in charge of camp were Virgie Prestgard, Lucille Olson, Eva Ovard, Norma Hammond, Jennie Jermanand, and Bessie Bitter. Dr. Jensen, President Fullmer and the many men from the Driggs area, who came to offer assistance, the Teton Stake MIA and so many others who helped were so kind and I shall be forever grateful to all of them for their kindness and help.

This was my first experience in a girls camp. I had worked in M.I.A. for many years, but had never had the opportunity to camp. I felt that I would never again be able to enjoy the out-of-doors or be able to accept the responsibility of a group of young people in any activity. However, as days went by, I realized I could never be happy again if I continued to live with this fear! I knew I had to conquer it! I also knew that best way to conquer fear was to face it – so I became very anxious to return again to the scene of the accident. This opportunity came to me on September 10, 1951, when I accompanied a group to the spot to erect a monument. Through the efforts of Cat Thompson and others in the Fifth Ward and with much help from the people of Darby and Driggs, the monument was erected. Bags of cement were carried up the mountain by pack horses – rocks were carried down stream and the plaque was made by Rasmus Holst, whose wife was one of the victims.

I am grateful I was able to meet this fear and conquer it. I felt the spirit of our Heavenly Father very close, and I now feel a great reverence for this spot instead of the dread I had. I pray that our beautiful Girls Camp will not be abandoned because of this incident. It is my desire to see the camp continue to be developed. I hope that every group of hikers will be taken to that spot and there be told the story of what happened and have the opportunity to feel the Spirit which prevails there. If every girl can have the lesson “LIVE EACH DAY AS THOUGH IT WERE YOUR LAST” impressed upon her at this sacred spot --- it will not have been in vain.

Tragic as this experience was, I can even now see how my life has been enriched by it.

FIRST: I have gained many friendships which I shall always treasure. Among these is Brother Fred Miller, to whom I would like to pay tribute. I know that the knowledge of first aid which Fred possessed, his ability to carry it out in the face of tragedy, and his utter disregard for his own well-being, are directly responsible for the saving of the lives of at least five of the injured girls. He was injured severely and remembers very little of the first few hours. Brother Miller is a most noble leader of youth! I hope I can carry out the lessons in youth leadership which I have learned from him.

SECOND: My testimony in the youth of the church has been greatly strengthened. In working with youth, I have on occasion wondered if out efforts were being wasted --- but never again will I doubt the basic strength and goodness of youth! Their unselfish response – their willingness to serve in whatever way they could – their concern for each other – their faith and their prayers shall forever be a shining example of their goodness.

Bethene Richmond

Hi! I see you are one of the few who will actually scroll or read to the bottom of this very, long post....

This video is kinda like the little extra you get at the end of a movie- or a very long blog post, in this case- if you stay all the way to the end of the credits. It's not really anything too interesting but you just had to stay and see if it is anything good, cuz maybe, just maybe, it would be worth it. Sorry to disappoint.)

Here is a video of a bunch of girls, who NEVER EVER play video games, playing Halo. Yes, Halo.

So, I've been reading....

2009-09-23T08:25:00.001-06:00

...Yes, I've actually been reading. Everyday. I have to admit that a couple of days I only read 1 chapter but the next day I read 3 to catch up.

Just so you know-- Nephi was born of goodly parents, he got the plates from Laban, and Laman and Lemuel murmured. Lehi has a vision about a tree. They received the Liahona and wondered around the wilderness for a while, Laman and Lemuel murmured. Nephi built a ship, they sailed across the ocean, Laman and Lemuel murmured. Lehi gave council to all of his children, Laman and Lemuel murmured. Lehi passed away. Nephi, Sam and all the good, righteous people took off and got away from the unrighteous Lamanites. Nephi makes swords after the manner of the sword of Laban to defend his people against the Lamanites. The Lord puts the curse of dark skin on the Lamanites. I'm sure they murmured.

A New Day, An Old Challenge

2009-09-09T17:30:00.003-06:00

I was just sitting here thinking the other day and I remembered a time back when I was a kid, I'm thinking it was when Pres. Benson was the president of the Church and I was probably in junior high, a time when we were challenged to read the Book of Mormon by a certain date. I don't remember if the prophet had challenged us or if it was my parent's idea but I remember sitting down one night and my dad challenging all of us to read the Book of Mormon. I remember we had to read 4 pages a day in order to complete it by the desired date. When Dad gave us the challenge it seemed like it should be easy...only 4 pages. Not too tough.

Then I remember the struggle. I remember we read some as a family but sometimes I was on my own. And I remember my dad checking up on us.....But, I was busy, right? I had school and homework and friends and family stuff and tv to watch and other fun books to read--- I remember being surprised at how hard it was to get in just those 4 pages. I'm pretty sure I completed the reading, yeah....I'm pretty sure, I think.

Well, I'ma gonna do it again. I figure there are 113 days until the end of the year and there are 531 pages to be read. That calculates to 4.7 pages a day. Or there are 239 chapters-- and that divides up to be 2.12 chapters a day.

So, there's my goal: finish the Book of Mormon by December 31, 2009. I think I'm going to read 2 chapters a day and 3 on days that the chapters are short.

Maybe I should tell my dad so he can check up on me............ :-)

More Summer Fun

2009-09-01T22:25:00.004-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Aug 15-16 to be exact, we headed down to Utah. First we went to the Martin Harris Pageant in Clarkston, Utah. Here are a bunch of people I sat with:

Jen, Janae, Jenn's nieces, Jenn and Kevin
Check out the little cutie next to Naez...hilarious!

Here are some people I didn't sit with but still love:
This is a horrible picture but that's Kimberly. She was in the pageant:

Then I went down for the happ, happ, happy occasion of Amy having her sweet little Olivia sealed and blessed:Love you, Amy and Olivia!

Then one night, we taught Naez how to eat cake right out of the pan. Delish!

Hiking to Lower Palisades Lake

2009-08-31T17:55:00.006-06:00

On July 27th, a bunch of us hiked up to the lower Palisades lake. We had great weather and were with wonderful friends....it made for a really fun hike!

Everyone look at the camera and say "cheese":

Brooke, Skyler, Lisa
Me, Keri, Taletha, Jarom

We better try one more just in case--

Do you think they were conspiring while I was setting the timer?

Very Pretty!

Stopping for a rest.

Water break.
This pic cracks me up. :-)

Brooke, Keri and Taletha

Skyler

Our Little Chipmunk Friend

Me and Lisa

Island Park Family Reunion

2009-08-24T21:48:00.011-06:00

Once again our family reunion was at the cabin in Island Park July 16-18. We were really lucky and had wonderful weather. We were able to swim, ski and soak up the sun. It was super fun!!!

My sister-in-law Jess, who has been taking photography classes, took this amazing picture from the dock early one morning.

Friday we didn't have the jet ski to play around with, but no worries, we are good at making our own fun. I think we may have had a little to much fun playing with the paddle boat and canoe.

My nephew Colton. His smile was so contagious. He LOVED being there.

Brad acting like he was the mast of the boat and almost sinking the whole operation.

Colton

Brad diving. He tried to teach me but I think I'm unteachable.
Too bad there are no pictures of my many belly flops from my lessons.

Dad and Mom enjoying sitting on the deck.

McKell didn't like anyone but Grandma and her momma.

This pic makes me smile. I get this look often. Love ya, Stace

Owen

Stace and Mom working away in the kitchen.

Grant

Chad, Stacey and McKell

Jess was a super-trooper....she played all day with the kids in the water.
What a great mom/aunt! The kids LOVE her.

Morgan

Jess once again surrounded by all the kids.

Chad, April and Claire

Trev and Shan

Claire

Kate and Morgan

Trev, Brad, and Chad

Me getting ready to ski. I was nervous.

Sorry no pics of me actually skiing this year.

Brad and I went for spin out on the jet ski:

This is my favorite part---a little bit of power. I never did throw us off.

I think Jason's concerned. What do you think?

Jess skiing.

The little kids just wanted to ride around slowly in the tube....very, very slowly.

And of course there was food....much food:

It was fabulous!!! See ya next year!

The Power of YouTube

2009-07-14T10:23:00.008-06:00

The singing group Son's of Maxwell flew United Airlines for a tour. This is what happened.

So they made a music video to share with the world their experience:

It's had over 2 million views on YouTube and I've seen it on Facebook. Kind of amazing how YouTube works.

I Can Relate

2009-07-13T14:52:00.005-06:00

Validation

2009-07-11T16:36:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to post something to smile about.......

The 4th of July

2009-07-08T08:50:00.010-06:00

Sorry this post has no pictures.....I took my camera but never got it out. Oops!

This year for the 4th, we, Willie and I, decided to head down to Provo for the Freedom Festival and run in the 10k Freedom Run. We left IF around 3:30 and hit Orem just in time to get something to eat and head up the canyon for a fire and games with Willie's sister, Suzy and her friends. We had a great time and it was a beautiful night but we didn't get home and into bed until after 1........not a good idea when you have to be up by 5:30 am just to make it to the starting line by 7. However, when my alarm went off at 5:25, I hopped right out of bed and hurried to get dressed and made it to Willie's house by 6 am. There was a group of us going- Willie, Willie's dad, his friend, Kirk, and Suzy. We all piled into the car and headed to Provo.

By the time we made it to the starting line, my stomach was nervous and I was hoping that I could just finish the 6.2 mile race without any problems. All around me, my competitors were preparing for the race. Some were jogging around the park to warm up, some were stretching, some were nervously bouncing up and down, others were busy finding the right playlist on their iPod's and still others were having friendly, relaxed conversations. Everyone was full of energy and there was a positive feeling--- that's what I love about running a friendly race-- everyone's optimistic and encouraging attitudes.

Finally, it was time for the race to start. Because there were so many runners and we were a ways away from the starting line and because I'm short, I didn't know the exact moment when the race started but everyone started moving forward so we followed. After what seemed like minutes, we finally crossed the start line and started the race. I started out running with Willie and Suzy. Their pace was perfect for me and we jogged together for the first 1/2 mile or so before they picked up their pace and took off without me. I had been planning on jogging alone and wasn't surprised when they left me to run the race alone- they are marathon runners, for heaven's sake.

After they left me, I concentrated on getting up the hill and smiled as I passed the conference center where I used to work. Back then I would never had guessed I would be running up the hill on 900 East, let alone running in a 10K. When I finally made it to the top of the hill and turned the corner the pace picked up as we ran down University Pkwy. At this point, I was feeling great, going down hill always does that for me. Turning the corner onto Canyon Road, I thought about the many times I had walked up and down this very road to the BYU football games and class. I had loved living so close to the stadium and to campus. About the time I passed my old home and cross Bulldog, we hit our first water station and I started looking for the 2 mile sign. I never did see it but overheard some other runners asking about it and someone saying the sign was by the water.

I knew that we would be running the parade route and had expected to run in front of all the parade goers but I didn't expect everyone to pick up their pace. Funny how running in front of people can give you extra energy. I knew that I needed to keep my pace consistant and forced myself not to speed up, even though I was being passed and I was feeling good. This turned out to be a good move as we passed the 3 mile sign I started passing some of those who had passed me.

Through mile 4 and 5, it was getting warm and I was starting to really sweat but I was almost there and heading up Center Street toward the hospital........who put that hill there? This is where I saw Willie and Suzy again. They were going the other way and I was really wishing I was with them. Finally, I reached the turn around point and headed back down toward 900 east for the final stretch back to the park. By this time, I knew I could do it without walking or laying down on the side of the road and dying. I chugged up the hill passing some 5k walkers but still getting passed by dads jogging and pushing their toddlers in strollers. How do they do that?

Turning onto 820 North, I could see the 6 mile sign and then I saw Willie, who had finished who knows how far ahead of me?, cheering me on. I knew the end was near and decided to really push it and wear myself out. It felt great to actually feel great enough to sprint to the end. I crossed the finish line so proud of myself. Yay! I had completed my first 10k.

This is getting kinda long, huh? Here's the condensed version of the rest of the day......

Well, we then went to a 4th of July breakfast, tossed a frisbee around, had a bbq with Willie's family, tried to go shooting with Kirk and his wife- but there are a ton of restrictions so we couldn't. Went to another of Willie's friends to watch fireworks, stayed there for a while and then found a lookout to see the end of the Thanksgiving Point firework display. I finally crashed into bed around midnight. I was a tired girl. What a fun day!

To Bone and Back 2009

2009-06-29T08:41:00.007-06:00

For the second summer in a row, I joined a team and ran in the To Bone and Back relay race. It's a 40 mile round trip from Idaho Falls to Bone and back. Each team has 8 members and each member runs 5 miles. I ran the first leg.................(thanks to Melissa for the pics)

I guess I thought it was funny that I was being passed.

Calvin and Keri enjoying the ride

Trent rocks!!
He had no problem with the huge 1200 ft elevation gain during his leg.

After Trent finished his leg, I had to leave and go to work for a few hours. =( Here are some pictures from while I was gone:

Jen - she's so awesome!
She's the one that put our team together--- not an easy thing to do. Thanks Jen!

Melissa- did an awesome job!

Sitting on the bone in Bone

Nate the Great!

Keri's leg, though all down hill, was very, very HOT!!
Way to push through the heat, Keri!

Heidi- Our last minute substitute runner.
She did a fantastic job running our last leg!

Jen, me, Keri, Melissa, Calvin, Nate and Heidi

We finished in 6 hrs 11 min....not to shabby!

2009-06-25T11:16:00.002-06:00

Easy, brah! - Day 8

2009-06-14T09:37:00.005-06:00

Thursday, May 28th. We started the day out site seeing and finding waterfalls. First we checked out this one.

Janae, Jenn, Me, and Jen

Then we found the Wailua Falls. Apparently, these falls were made famous by the tv series, Fantasy Island.

Me, Jen, Naez and Jenn

We then went back to hotel and had a few minutes to kill before we had to leave- so we went swimming in the rain. Kauai is known as the garden state because of all the vegetation that grows on the island. It rains A LOT on Kauai. It rained everyday we were there but it was so warm that most of the time it didn't matter.

Finally we headed out for our tubing adventure. We went tubing down an old irrigation canal that was made about 140 years ago by the Asian immigrants to water the taro and sugar farms. Part of the canal had to be tunneled through the mountains. The immigrants did this without any explosives or modern tunneling equipment, they just used picks and axes. As you float through the tunnels, you can see the actual pick marks in the walls. It was pretty amazing.

We had to gear-up in helmets, headlamps, and heavy gloves:

Aren't we cute?

On our way to go tubing, we stopped at a lookout of the "rainiest place on earth", Mount Waialeale. It rains almost everyday here and on average rains 470 in a year. It was so green and so beautiful there.

Then we went tubing:

Jen

Jenn

Jenn, Jen and Me

Naez, Me and Jen

We made it through! Fun times!

Just so you know.........

2009-06-08T10:59:00.004-06:00

I'm actually not done with my Hawaii posts.

Sorry. I promise I'll move on with my life soon.

I just need to gather some pictures together we had to have developed from the water camera.

Remember cameras that used actual film? I'd almost forgotten. First, it was weird to not be able to immediately review the pictures we took to see if we needed to take another one and then it was a weird experience to drop off a film camera to get it developed. Now I gotta go pick them up. Actually, I'm excited to see the pictures--its like a little surprise waiting for me at the WalMart. :-)

Oh, Was Good Fun!- Day 7

2009-05-29T02:19:00.015-06:00

Wednesday, May 27th. We jumped in the Versa and headed to south shore to see the Spouting Horn and go to Po'ipu beach.

Kauai is a very humid and rainy island...even the speed limit signs are growing:

There are a lot of different wildlife on the island- the most common is the chicken. Here they are crossing the road.......

...we're not sure why. :-)

We found Spouting Horn (see video below). It was pretty cool and I hope you can hear it. It made some pretty cool sounds.

Then we had lunch: Took in some local scenery:

Saw this awesome Hawaiian Monk Seal up close and personal:

Apparently, these seals are endangered and dangerous. There were a bunch of people there telling people to keep away from the seal...he seemed harmless but they actually attack people. He was pretty cool to watch swimming around and coming up on the beach.

We headed back to the hotel and got ourselves fixed up for the river boat ride and luau. We took a river boat ride down the Wailua River to see the Fern Grotto.

Here we are on the boat:

Beautiful scenery along the way:

Our river boat

The Fern Grotto is a big cave covered with ferns. It is very beautiful. About 18 years ago, before a big hurricane (we can't remember the name), the ferns were about 20 feet long. Still, after so many years, they aren't quite that long. It's still a beautiful place.

Did you know that banana trees flowers? Yep, they sure do- big purple flowers. Look close you can see the baby bananas.

Pretty flowers

We then went to the Smith Family Luau (yeah, real Hawaiian name, huh?).. it was yummy. We ate a lot of different things..... kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, mahi mahi, poi, green salad, macaroni salad, chinese fried rice, hawaiian sweet potato, sweet bread and for dessert- rice pudding, haupia, coconut cake, papaya, strawberry guava, more fruits and the list goes on.....

Here we are before we ate:Janae, Jen, Me and Jenn

We also had a lot to drink- water, hawaiian punch, mai tai's, chi chi's, pink pina colada's......

I was pretty sloshed by the end of the night. Check out my collection of empty cups:

Just kidding...those were all the cups from all of us. And, of course, all of our drinks were non-alcoholic. :-)

Then they put on a show of hawaiian style dancing and music. The lighting wasn't good for picture taking- so here's the best I could do:

By the time we made it back to the condo, we were super tired but all in all, it was a pretty cool day.

I Owe You Money O' Wot? - Day 6

2009-05-27T18:03:00.010-06:00

Tuesday, May 26th was the day we island hopped to Kauai. We had to get up at 2:45 am...yeah that's in the morning. Who made these reservations anyway? ;-) Before we left Oahu, Naes got a pic with the little waterfall in front of the our hotel's sign.

Our plane ride was probably the shortest plane ride ever taken. We honestly took off, had beverage service of passion fruit juice and landed. It was awesome. When we finally got the rental car, we had about 7 hours before we could check into our hotel. So, we decided to do a little sightseeing. Then we spotted this little restaurant- did some one say pancakes?

We loved the pancakes and the variety of syrups. The coconut syrup was a good one but the Jens liked the strawberry the best.

Then we headed around the island and up Waimea Canyon and saw some beautiful scenery.

Jen, Jenn and Janae just hanging loose at the Waimea Canyon lookout.

Gorgeous Canyon

Luckily we found these bathrooms.....we just liked the signs:

Wahine

Kane

Finally, we checked into our hotel-- the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort. Here is our backyard:

Kauai is a beautiful island and we can't wait to get out and discover it.

Jus' Coasting- Day 5

2009-05-27T13:14:00.007-06:00

Monday, May 25 was swimming at the pool, bbq with Jen's fam, and shave ice day. We were basically ready for a lazy day by the pool and took full advantage of the sunny warm day. It was a beautiful Memorial Day morning causing the pool side and beaches to be pretty busy. By the time we arrived at the pool most of the lounge chairs were taken. Luckily, we walked up right when a little family of three were gathering up their things to leave. Perfect!!! We had a great spot right by the pool.

The pool area consisted of a large regular pool, a kiddie pool, two hot tubs and a pool with a slide. We had been watching the people go down the slide all weekend and thought it looked like a ton of fun. And we were right- over and over and over again. :-)

After we got kicked off the slide- just kidding- we headed to Jen's to eat yummy teriyaki beef, kalua (shredded pork), laulau and mochi ice cream. Yummy!!

Then we took a drive and got some cool, delicious shave ice....with vanilla ice cream, of course!

Brothahs and Sistahs, Aloha!- Day 4

2009-05-26T00:58:00.012-06:00

Sunday, May 24.... First we went to church. It was a great meeting because it was senior Sunday. All the graduating seniors spoke on how their families have influenced them. It was really fun to hear their stories and see all the different personalities. After church, we checked out the currently-being-renovated Laie Temple.

Then we checked out the Byodo Temple- which is a replica of a Japanese Buddish Temple.

The temple is located among other Japanese temples in the Valley of the Temples cemetery. It was really interesting to drive through the cemetery and see all the people decorating graves for Memorial Day.

Me, Janae, and Jenn in front of the temple

We found some birds to feed:

Me, Jenn and Janae

Naes and Jenn in a little gazebo

After visiting the Valley of the Temples, we headed back up to North Shore....with the top down! It was a gorgeous ride....

and hit the beach right at sunset:

Some plenty ono, yeah? - Day 3

2009-05-24T02:04:00.009-06:00

Today Saturday, May 23, was a shopping, eating, and exploring day. This morning we headed out to go to the swap meet down at the Aloha Stadium outside of Honolulu. We had a great time exploring through all of the little shops set up around the outside of the stadium. It was a warm day but overcast so it wasn't too bad. We found some cute things, ate some li hing mui pineapple, and tried some malasadas.

Li Hing Pineapple

Malasada

After the swap meet, we planned to go to the Ala Moana mall to kill some time before we met up with Jen and her family for dinner. However, when we got to the mall we walked around for just a few minutes before we realized we were tired of shopping and decided to find Diamond Head and go for a hike. Unfortunately, when we got there they had closed the hike and so we just took some pictures and went for a drive around Waikiki.

Just hanging out at a lookout on the way to Diamond Head.

View from lookout before Diamond Head.

Then we drove around and looked at the beautiful houses in Waikiki. Then we found a cool park with beach access and we took off our shoes and walked up and down the beach.

Me driving

On our walk we found this cool little outcove with rocks and a pretty little island out in the ocean. We decided to take pictures and Jenn accidentally kicked her camera into the ocean. It was down between some rocks and Jenn couldn't reach it. Luckily, Janae has longer arms and could barely reach it.

Poor Naes was so dirty after her heroic rescue efforts. Thank goodness for good friends- who are willing to sacrifice their cleaniness for a precious camera.

Finally we were able to get the shot with the pretty little island......

..........and a tall palm tree.

Then we drove around looking at more houses. We found this gorgeous one for rent...we prolly only need 15 people to chip in a thousand a month.....anyone interested?

Finally we met up with Jen and her family at Shokudo Japanese Restaurant.

Jen, Me, Janae, and Jenn

This was my meal....the assorted tempura bento. It was tempura veggies and shrimp with potstickers and rice. YUMMY!!!!

The girls ordered lobster sushi....I tried one and actually liked it.

Jenn and Janae enjoying their meals.

This was an awesome dessert....the chocolate covered honey toast. AMAZING!!!!

Why, Boddah You? - day 2

2009-05-23T00:55:00.000-06:00

Day 2-- When we got to our hotel room last night it was pretty dark. We checked out our balcony and it was pretty cool...but we didn't know how beautiful our view was until this morning. Check this out:

After hanging out on the balcony listing to the waves crash against the beach, we finally got ourselves going and went for a jog and hit the showers. We then headed out to find some lunch. I can't get the laptop to work for me so these pictures are in no particular order. So first we have a picture of Janae and Jenn in our sweet ride.

Here is a picture of our lunch. We got brave and tried one of those shrimp shacks on the side of the road....yummy!!!

Now here's a picture of Jenn and me in the 'stang:

Oh yeah, and we visited BYU-H and got a few things at the bookstore.

Look what I found in the parking lot, my own personalized plates.....

The weather has been sooo nice. In fact, if you don't believe me just ask Naes.

Logic Problem

2009-05-22T20:53:00.002-06:00

While on the plane for 6 and 1/2 hours, I worked on the following logic problem. Of course, I couldn't handle all the thinking and didn't quite get it figured out- yet! I still have a 6 hour plane ride back. So while Jenn is reading and Nae's is writing postcards, I'm gonna give you the problem to drive your brain crazy. Don't send me the answer until I let you know that I've figured it out....it will probably be a few days because right after this I've gotta go do some beach bathing.

Between five and six o'clock this evening, five customers (including Chuck) walked into the Cookie Jar at the corner of 51st Street and Lexington Avenue to place an order for a monster cookie -- a decorated, 12 inch-diameter cookie. Each person ordered a different type of cookie (one was a sugar cookie) to serve at a different event. Each person will be picking up his or her cookie on a different day next week. From the information provided, determine the type of cookie each person ordered, the day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday) he or she will pick it up, and the event (one is a dinner party) at which he or she intends to serve it.

1. Daisy (who isn't throwing the victory celebration) will pick up her order on Monday. Sandy isn't the person who will pick up the peanut-butter cookie on Friday.

2. Phil will collect his order exactly two days after the person who ordered a cookie for a club meeting.

3. The oatmeal-raisin cookie will be picked up at some point after the one ordered for the victory celebration.

4. Sandy won't be picking up her order on Tuesday. Phil isn't the one hosting the housewarming (who isn't the one who ordered the pecan cookie).

5. Mac (who ordered a cookie for a birthday party) will pick up his cookie at least two days before the person who placed an order for a chocolate chip cookie.

Hawaii - Day One

2009-05-22T01:53:00.004-06:00

We made it!!!! We made it to Hawaii!! We've been up for over 21 hours and already had some fun adventures.

First, I didn't wake up until 6 when Jenn was planning on picking me up at 6:15. I thought I had set my alarm for 5 am but I actually set it for 5 pm. But no worries, I was ready by 6:20- showered and everything!

We then picked up Janae and we were off to the SLC International Airport. We were having a great time..just cruising along until we got right out of Blackfoot. Unfortunately, Jenn's car doesn't have cruise control and maybe we were chatting just a little and maybe, Jenn got a little distracted and maybe, just maybe, we passed a state trooper going 82ish. Well, he did pull us over and asked for Jenn's license and registration. As the officer was checking out Jenn's info, Janae, sitting in the back seat, realized that she recognized the officer. So, she rolled down her window and said, "I think I know you." They proceed to have a little chat and it turns out that they did know each other. Then he turns to Jenn and I and asked us where we were headed. I excitedly tell him "Hawaii!" He got all excited and said that he was from there. He then proceeded to tell us all the cool things we should do while we are here. We seriously chatted with him for 10-15 min. He then handed Jenn her license and registration and told us to have a safe trip. Then right as he walks away Janae calls out "Hey, it was nice to run into you!" He laughed and told us that he doesn't hear that very much. :-) We had a good giggle and drove away.

Well, those are a few adventures from today's full day of travel. We are hanging out in our beautiful hotel and going to bed very soon. Until next time.........Aloha!!!!

Community Care 5k

2009-05-19T19:00:00.003-06:00

Last October or November, my family was sitting around chatting and Trev mentioned he had started jogging to get into shape. We chatted about how far and how fast he could go and eventually ended up decided to "train" for a 5k sometime in the spring.

Well that day was Saturday, May 16th. We decided to run in the annual Community Care 5k run around the greenbelt. We even got Shan, Brad and Jessica to join us. It was a beautiful morning and perfect for a nice run. Here's a great picture of us, sans Brad, he had run off to work. :-)

The Willie Free 5k

2009-05-16T13:23:00.007-06:00

Last weekend was the Willie Free 5k run that Willie put on at McCowin Park in Ammon. The idea behind the race was to have a fun 5k race that had no entry fee and I think it turned out really well.

There were almost 100 runners and a bunch of fabulous volunteers. It was a lot of fun and went really smoothly. I was going to run but ended up helping out by writing down times at the finish. I liked being on the other side of things instead of running for a change. Here are a bunch of pics........

Registration:

Willie, Ally, Suzy, Willie's Mom and Dad and some participants

And they're off:

Willie and I at our post at the finish line.
The woman crossing the line was the 1st place female finisher.

Here are some shots of people I know crossing the finish:Jen

Keri

Lisa and Taletha

Brooke

Jen, Lisa, Keri and Taletha
Good job ladies!!!

Brooke and Lisa

Willie handing out awards.

Jen, Me, Janae, Kylee and Nicole

A shot of some who either ran or volunteered--
Back row: Willie, Jeff, Lisa, Taletha, Kylee
Middle: Alicia, Keri, Nicole, Carl, Lisa
Front row: Jen, Deatra, Lisa, Gina, Brooke, Me

For race results go here . See ya next year!!! (Right, Willie?)

For Janae

2009-05-13T08:39:00.006-06:00

This makes me giggle everytime I watch it...

Removal From Office

2009-05-08T11:02:00.008-06:00

It's been a joke among my friends that I have the longest title---

Jeanna
Assistant Vice President (AVP)
Trust Officer
Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA)
Notary Public

Well, today I lose one of those distinguishing distinctions--- the office of Notary Public. That's right, after today I will no longer be able to verify you and your signature by affixing my stamp and signature to your very important documents.

My six year term has ended. It's been a pleasure serving you.

Family, Food and Flying Kites

2009-05-02T10:39:00.007-06:00

A couple weekends ago, Chad and Stacey came to visit. Because it was a nice weekend, the whole family went to Firth for a cookout. We played volleyball, flew kites, roasted hotdogs, and jumped on the trampoline. It was a lot of fun.

It was a little breezy so we got out the kites.

Dad holding Brecklyn

Owen and Colton

Colton flying his kite

Hold on to that kite, Morgan

Jessica and Brad were the ones with all the kites.

Claire

Chad and Claire

Jessica, Claire and Kaitlin

Stacey with Morgan and McKell

Willie was nice enough to go with me.

The fire and picnic area

Roasting hot dogs

Trevor and Colton had birthdays in April. We sang and had cupcakes.

May 9th is Coming Fast!

2009-04-24T10:08:00.007-06:00

Top 10 reasons to sign up for the Willie Free 5k.

#10- It's great exercise.
#9- You'll get some fresh air.
#8- You can put off doing Saturday chores.
#7- Cool t-shirt for $5.
#6- I'm going to run it.
#5- Beating me will boost your self-confidence.
#4- It's the right thing to do.
#3- It's the only race held in Ammon.
#2- The volunteers and supporters need someone to cheer on.
#1- It's FREE!

Of course, you don't have to run- just volunteer to help out and come have some fun.

Craving!!!

2009-04-22T11:36:00.002-06:00

Today has been insane and it's only 11:30 am......I know I prolly shouldn't blog but I need a tiny break. If I could go to a candy store right now, I would buy myself a box of these:

Then I would prolly end up eating the whole thing and yesterday's workout would be for nothing. Good thing I'm stuck here.

Beautiful

2009-04-20T08:40:00.001-06:00