5 Reasons I'm glad to be back!

Recently I've been having friend withdrawals, I'm getting to know some people here in Utah, but don't really have that friendship connection with anyone here yet... my own fault for sure. I know it will happen eventually but developing a social life when you have four kids is a slow process.

My friend Shannon, from Texas came out to take some engagement photos for her brother... and I got to spend an afternoon with her and her cute little daughter. It felt like no time had passed at all. She's one of those go-to friends that's there whenever, and I can say whatever, and she likes me anyway. It was so great to see her.

(Yes that is a monster zit on my chin... I got a legit case acne when I turned 35, lucky me.)

It's hard moving to a new place after feeling so comfortable with life somewhere else. But I'm getting there, and I do LOVE being close to family. This Autumn I've really come to appreciate the new digs, in SLC.

5 Reasons I'm happy to be back in Utah:

1. When the sink falls out from under you... at least your dad is there to catch it.

One night we had my parents over for dinner and my dad was doing dishes... suddenly he was yelling in a panic, I can't remember what he was yelling, only that he was underneath the sink holding it up. Completely full of dishes and water. Darn subcontractors, for $120 we paid them to fix their mistake. But whatever.

2. The mountains.

Is there anything more beautiful and peaceful than the Rocky mountains? I can't think of any. One afternoon Shane and I decided to take the kids on a mountain drive and a little hike. They loved it... it was like we had taken them to Disney Land, only better. Now that the leaves are turning I'm even more thankful to be here. I haven't experienced autumn in about 5 years. It really is incredible.

3. Cousins!!!

Mason and Jackson were able to play on their cousins' fall baseball team. They absolutely loved being able spend so much time with their cousin and it was nice being able to help each other shuttle kids around. Some great kiddos.

4. Being back in the land of the knee length skirts, shorts and dresses with sleeves!

My mom and I went to women's conference together! It was so fun to be in downtown Salt Lake, walking along with thousands of other ladies in their knee length skirts, what an unforgettable sight. The messages were so powerful and uplifting and the view of the Temple was stunning.

On our way home, we drove through a mob of people in their undies (I use that term loosely, we weren't looking, of course)---Apparently they were protesting Salt Lake's uptight attitude. My mom and I burst out laughing... oh the dichotomy of Salt Lake City.

5. Being able to be there during hard times...

Over the summer my sister in law started getting really sick. While she and my brother were on vacation in Utah , they found out she was in Liver failure. She has since been put on the transplant list and is waiting for a liver.

My sister and I decided to organize a yard sale and bake sale to raise funds for her transplant and medications. Having a chronic illness is devastating enough without the pain of medical costs. It's incredibly expensive to be sick.

I couldn't believe the outpouring of love and generosity that was set in motion. My uncle let us use his business garage and parking lot to stage the sale.

My awesome aunt Rose, painted some incredible signs for us and also held another yard sale the next weekend with my Grandmother.

A childhood friend donated 200 donuts for the bake sale and another friend donated cupcakes.

My sister in law's donated such cute halloween cookies that I know they spent all day decorating and preparing.

Many other friends and family donated great items to the yard sale, and many made significant money donations.

My sons went digging through their toys, clothes and games to find things they could donate.

Shane stood out on the street with a sombrero on his head and waved a sign, so shameless, it was great... if only I had taken a picture. His wheeling and dealing with people brought in the majority of the money. It was awesome and entertaining.

My aunt Debbie stood out on the street waving signs and directing traffic for hours because at several points in the day the yard sale caused a traffic jam. It was crazy.

Something amazing happened when people came together with their time, talents, resources, and love. Thanks to all who reached out and offered a part of themselves... we are so thankful.

A Sad Ending For Our Trusty Old Friend

Amazing how easy it is to become so attached to a hunk of metal. It's kind of like the scene in "Cast Away" where Wilson the volleyball drifts away and you cry for Tom Hanks character who's become attached to this inanimate object-- that has become a very real friend.

Shane was in an accident on Saturday -- he's alright and the people he hit were all just fine... the other car barely had a ding. Thank goodness. More than anything, both of us were crushed by the loss of our trusty little car that had taken us over so many miles in our life together. Shane's eyes teared up as the tow truck pulled away. $3000 worth of repairs is more than the car is worth all together, sadly, it's time to lay it to rest.

Our 99' Nissan Altima was our first major purchase as newlyweds after our first car broke down in college and was our only car for 7 years. This car drove us around the University of Utah as undergraduates and brought our babies home from the hospital. It took the long journey from Salt Lake City to Washington D.C., to Texas, and back to Salt Lake City. It had 160,000 miles and at least 160,000 memories.

Shane's true attachment to this car only came in the past 5 years when he relied on it more and more, but was too poor to really fix it like it needed fixing. The most endearing part of the Nissan story was the bond that was formed between the raggedy, sleep deprived, resident, and an honest, good-ol-down-home- mechanic named Clint.

Shane and Clint forged their friendship when the rack and pinion in my car broke down... (I have no clue what a rack and pinion is) and the dealership wanted to charge us $1200 for it.

I called around until I found Clint, he charged $600... perfect. We pulled up to a run down garage with a few broken down cars in front, some very humble digs. It was a place, where, quite frankly I was a little nervous about leaving my car. But we were desperate and took a chance on a guy who we knew nothing about. Turns out, he was a great guy and a great mechanic.

Clint soon learned how cheap we were and was a master at coming up with creative ways to fix car trouble... After Shane hit a raccoon Clint stapled the bumper together and tied it on with wire. Bada bing-- just like new. The red-neck fixit jobs gave this car it's endearing quality.

On the coldest day in Texas (it really does get freezing cold in Texas once in a while) the window was stuck in the down position and our buddy Clint, jerry-rigged it back up in place and told us where we could find a cheap part online. We brought the part to Clint and he installed it for no charge. Everyone needs a Clint.

On the lonely long drives to small town E.R.'s in the middle of the night, the Nissan was Shane's trusted friend. It survived many harrowing experiences as Shane drifted off to sleep from time to time in his constant sleep deprived state. While the rest of us slept comfortably in our beds, the Nissan was keeping Shane company at the crack of dawn...and brought him home safely at all hours of the night, for many years. That car was a trooper, that car was a friend.

Goodbye Wilson.

Trust Me, I Know My Parents

It's happening, my boys are growing up. This was their back to school picture this year and I swear they didn't look this grown up when I was taking the picture, they almost look like teenagers. Frightening. It's all about the friends now, and Mom and Dad are an inconvenience beyond shelling out money for activities. So I'm hanging on as much as I can... darn it.

Isaac isn't far behind. This boy is not afraid to tell it like it is.

The first day of school the teachers handed out these huge coupon books for parents to buy as a fundraiser... You know the ones that seem like such a great deal until you realize a year later that you totally forgot you had it and only used one coupon out of the entire thing. The twins came home, each with a book and Isaac didn't.

"Where's your coupon book Isaac?"

"I told the teacher I didn't want one, I said, 'look, I know my parents, and they are NEVER going to buy that thing."

I laughed, hard...

Isaac- "What? it costed $25 dollars!! That's a rip-off!"

I think I''m going to have him answer the phone from now on to head off solicitors. I can just hear him now...

"Hello? Hey--listen buddy, I know my parents and they aren't interested so just save your breath."

Top Ten of 2011 Summer

The kids have been up until nearly 10:00 every night for the last 3 months. Yes, I tend to be a little liberal with bed time in the summer. Tonight they're going to bed at 8:30 and tomorrow they'll be the new kids in school. The summer has flown by and I can hardly believe it's been two months since we moved. Isaac said yesterday, "I'm starting to forget our house in Texas." That made me sad. I refuse to forget.

Before we moved we had a little movie party in the back yard for the boys to say goodbye to their friends.

Goodbye Temple, Texas... Hello Salt Lake City...

10. Saying goodbye... my least favorite part about this summer. Too many darn goodbyes.

9. Even more goodbyes... Shane's parents left for the Sacramento Mission. We miss them!

8. The big girl goes to her first dance/ tumbling class...I cried after taking this picture. Man this girl is making me soft.

7. Catching some waves at Lake Powell

6. Catching up with old friends from George Washington. Was so great to see these ladies!!

5. Catching some zzzz's...

4. Canoeing with cousins and spending good times with family.

3--Striving for the perfectly roasted marshmallow.

2--Slip-n-and a slidin'!

1--My all time favorite summer picture... no this is not a hillbilly child living in the Appalachian woods. This is my child, at the Father-Son Campout. He "bit the dust" and decided to keep most of it on his face.

I hope your summer was fantastic-- let the busy begin!

A Thousand Wolverines

On Sunday Morning I woke up with Isaac looking at me laughing hysterically, "Mom you look like you've been attacked by a thousand wolverines!!" Sadly, his assessment is painfully accurate, I FEEL like I've been attacked by a thousand wolverines.

Selling a house is a test in patience, humility and creativity (how many dirty dishes can you fit in a laundry sack to take with you in the car?) I've had to learn the tricks to taking my house from disaster to pristine in 20 minutes because someone is coming to see it right now!!! Scrubbing bubbles don't fail me now!!! I can attest that this kind of house cleaning is one hellish aerobic workout -- all I'm missing is Jillian Michaels screaming in my face.

Selling a house with 4 kids living in it, will help you lose weight, and sleep-- and your ever-

loving mind. I'm in a constant state of panic, and I'm ready for this to be over. On the bright side we finally have an offer! Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.

This spring we've been saying our little goodbyes to Texas.

We said goodbyes at the crawfish boil the annual event for the surgery department. Although I'm not a big fan of crawfish myself, my boys are, and I'll miss how enthusiastic they get about ripping the heads off crawfish and slurping out the insides. Gross.

This year Dr. Larimore's blue grass band played for us at the crawfish boil and talk about the real deal, they're it. ZZtop beard and stogy, doesn't get better than that! They were fantastic!

We went to Dallas a few weekends ago. I wanted to see the Rangers play for my birthday and my Shane surprised me with tickets!! It was everything I had hoped for... great weather, great hot dogs and a the Yankees got wooped! Happy Birthday to Me!

Some people wonder why I have this obsession, I mean, appreciation of the Rangers. I spent the last five years of residency folding laundry late at night and watching the Rangers play. It started out as something the boys and I could watch together in prime time without me worrying. We cheered them on-- and we all shared in our excitement and disappointment together. We got to know the players and their personalities, strengths and weaknesses. They became our team and our entire family became big fans. They kept me company while Shane was working so much. I'll miss seeing my Rangers play every night but I'll be happy to have Shane home more, so it's a great trade off.

Do I look happy in this picture? I think so!

Feliz... the unbelievable talent.

Michael Young, my favorite :)

Driving into Temple for the first time, I really didn't think our 5 years here could go fast enough. Temple, is beautiful in its own way, eh- hum... and it's grown on me. I'm having a really hard time parting with my life here. We've hit many milestones while we've been here. Mason and Jackson started Kindergarten here and now in Utah they will be starting 5th grade. They've grown from little boys to Tweens. Isaac was a toddler and will now be starting 2nd grade. Our precious Isabella was born here and is now a sassy three year old.

This is the yard where they learned to throw and catch a ball, playing hide-and-go seek, tag and flag football... the house where we spent half our lives in the back yard playing around. I'll miss the trees and the wildlife, especially the little baby deer that pop up every summer. This yard was my saving grace during those miserable hot summer months and pure joy on beautiful balmy days.

Just to be clear, I will NOT NOT NOT miss the scorpions, fire ants or SNAKES. I won't miss tornado sirens or middle of the night bombing drills at Fort Hood. Oh, and I'll definitely not miss being attacked by wolverines. :)

It's my friends and the good people I'll miss the most. They're genuine. They're the kind of people who don't put on pretenses or put on a show. They're the kind of people who lay it out there for all to see-- good, bad or ugly. I'll miss my closest friends that always give me a good belly laugh every time I see them. I'll miss them. I really will.

In the next month we'll be packing up and moving on... everyone tells me Texas will have it's arms open when we're ready to come back. Maybe we will, maybe we won't. But we'll always be thankful we were blessed to live here for a time.

Texas, my Texas, I will miss you.

Derby!!!!

The Track....

The loyal race fans..

The anxious racers...

The stiff competition, almost 30 cars.

Those nail biting moments...

The wild and crazy M.C.... Shane was loving that microphone :)

Shane, Jackson, Mason and Isaac with their awesome cars ..."The Speed Demon", "The Green Hornet" and "The Black Widow"

And the winner is.....Jackson!!!! We were so happy for Jackson because last year his car didn't even make it across the finish line. Way to go Jackson!!

I was also REALLY proud of Mason for cheering for his brother in the finals and being excited for him when he won. Mason and Isaac both showed great sportsmanship.

I Really Want Paula Deen to be my Best Friend

The one magazine that ALWAYS catches my eye every time I go through the checkout stand is the silver haired, bright eyed, smiling face of Paula Deen, and the delicious plate of triple layer red velvet cake she is holding. I love Paula. She's the quintessential southern Mama --the kind of lady you want to come home to after school because you know she'll be standing at the door with a big smile and warm hug to welcome you. If you're having a trial in your life, she's the kind of lady you can imagine showing up with a big ol' cheesy casserole at your front door. She's the kind of lady who makes living in the south a great experience, the kind who's always always saying "Hi y'all" and blessing your heart.

So I bought my first "Cooking with Paula" magazine and I made the ultimate chicken pot pie ... it was a big hit. I've made several different variations of chicken pot pie and this is the best one yet... plus, it's pretty. When I have time I'll post the recipe if anyone is interested.

I also had a really touching experience this week...

The other day I dropped Isabella at preschool and as I was walking through the parking lot I saw two of the moms talking. One of the ladies has muscular dystrophy and was very upset and crying. I was so touched when I saw this young mother take her by the hand and begin praying for her. It nearly brought me to tears to see this young lady take a break from her busy life and stop to listen to and pray for a friend in the middle of the parking lot.

We get busy, we get distracted and caught up. That morning I was reminded, never be too busy to stop and listen and pray for a friend, family member or stranger.

Keep out of Reach of Children

Mommy blogs are notorious for always putting a shiny, happy glow on day to day life. It's tempting to leave out all of our not-so-proud moments and let people think we are great mothers at all times. Maybe we worry that people will know we aren't perfect. So here I go... I'm not perfect-- far from it.

This week I got distracted. Shane and I were cleaning out cars and I was in and out of the house. Bella wasn't feeling well and I got out the ibuprofen. I took a dose to her in the bathroom and left the bottle open on the counter. I went outside and brought some more items in from the garage. I saw the medicine bottle on the counter and went to put it away when I realized all of the medicine about 4000 milligrams was gone and Bella was standing in the kitchen. Panicked, I questioned her,

"Did you drink this?"

"Yes Mama, but don't cry Mama, I'm sorry."

My heart sank, Shane walked in the room and we called Poison control. Poison Control called the hospital and told us to get her there as fast as we could. We were both terrified.

I could barely get the words out, but I called my friend Tawni to pick up my poor boys who were completely distraught... moments after arriving at the hospital, two more friends, Allison and Shannon showed up. A member of the Stake Presidency also came only 10 minutes after we got there to help give Bella a blessing. It was a HUGE comfort to have the support of so many friends.

They gave her an IV and she didn't even cry, she also had to drink charcoal. It was black and gritty and terrible. They mixed it with chocolate milk, and she did a fantastic job drinking it. But by the end she was saying, "No, stop it. I hate chocolate milk" Our friend Dr. Wild, bribed her with a barbie princess and got her to drink the rest. His wife and my friend Allison delivered BIG TIME on the barbie promise.

Here she is after drinking her charcoal like a big girl with her barbie doll princess as promised.

She had to stay the night at the hospital, they were watching for kidney function and electrolyte imbalance. Isabella did fantastic and we came home the next day with no serious side effects.

I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who is merciful to us, who knows our hearts and our intentions.

I'm thankful for priesthood blessings.

I'm thankful for loving friends who drop everything in a time of need to just to hug you and sit with you, and tell you it's going to be alright and that you're not a terrible mother.

I'm thankful for friends who are there in a moments notice to hug your kids when you can't, and feed them pizza, and make them laugh.

I'm thankful for the phone calls and texts and prayers of family members far away.

I'm thankful for the power of prayer and especially for forgiveness.

Isaac's Mad Science Seventh Birthday

Seven? Did I really just type that?!!! Can't believe my Ike is seven. When we moved to Texas he was two and I remember thinking that when it was time to leave, he would be seven. Seemed impossibly far away then, yet here we are.

For Isaac's birthday he kept asking for "Science stuff" so we decided to throw a Mad Science Birthday Party. We usually aren't the most exciting parents to have when it comes to birthdays, but the theme was nerdy enough to be right up our alley. So Shane and I went to educational outfitters and went a little crazy coming up with experiments and ideas.

Shane dressed up like a Mad Scientist and looked hilarious.

Biohazard goodie bags...

We dressed up the kids in safety goggles and "lab coats" (adult white tee shirts, cut down the middle).

Then the geekiness ensued:

The mad science lab... can't really see the water vapor from the dry ice in the pictures but it looked cool! Shane was the proud creator of the molecules.

The tornado tube

The balloon blow up-- achieved by mixing vinegar and baking soda

We also had a science scavenger hunt around the yard which ended in finding the treasure which was test tubes filled with Mike and Ikes.

Then time for "Mad Science" cupcakes... or white cupcakes with blue sprinkles.

Soda Geyser Finale ... or as my friend Allison said, "a waste of perfectly good diet coke!"

Happy Birthday Isaac! I hope you have happy memories of this special birthday we celebrated together. We love you!