Christmas Time in NYC!

As I look back at a lot of my blogs, I realize that Pete and I have been blessed with many great travel experiences this year! This has not been typical of our past existence . . . it is a new thing for us, and I hope that by describing our adventures, it doesn't come across as too pretentious or extravagant! I feel really blessed at this time of year, not just for the material things we have, but mostly for my family. I will describe my trip to NYC momentarily, but first, I want to share Mitchell's Christmas letter to Santa, then maybe you too will understand why I have such great feelings of joy about my life and family. The spelling has not been changed, although I wish you could see his cute, much improved handwriting.

Dear, Santa
My mom needs a purse that's in order so she can find stuff a lot faster. And how do you now what we want four Chismas? My mom is named Nickel Fisher. Fisher is are last name.
Yours truly,
Mitchell Fisher

I would also copy Jake's, but I don't want to embarrass him by a comparison to his saintly brother . . . ! My Mitch is such a sweet kid! I suppose I need to stop losing my keys at the bottom of my gargantuan purse very day before school, and stop asking the kids to find my cell phone amongst all my receipts and spare diapers. But what a cutie to think of me and my needs as he writes his letter to Santa. I could learn a lesson or two from that kid!


Anyhow, I had a long weekend of very special mother/daughter time with my Madeline in New York City. It has been a dream of mine, since I was 17 and first saw "When Harry Met Sally" to visit New York at Christmas time. Pete was kind enough to arrange his schedule to watch the boys and help make our trip possible. We were lucky to get a great deal on flights and a hotel right in Times Square, so getting around was very simple. We left very early on Thursday morning for a 5:45am flight. After a stop-over in Minneapolis, we reached NYC around 2pm. We cabbed it to our hotel, the Sheraton Manhattan on 7th Ave. and 51st. My biggest concern about taking Madeline was all the walking we'd be doing, and the location of our hotel really aided us in that matter.


Thursday evening, we had ballet tickets to the NYC Ballet Nutcracker. It was a beautiful ballet, although a bit different from the Ballet West Nutcracker that I'm use to. For instance, the little girl's name is Marie instead of Clara and the 2nd half of the show only slightly resembled Ballet West. The Sugar Plum Fairy was an amazing dancer and the Christmas tree from the Party scene was spectacular. We walked the 16 short blocks home from the Lincoln center, enjoying the lights and all the people. Madeline made a very funny observation that night. As we were walking she asked, "Why does everyone in New York were black?" And sure enough, everyone around us, including myself, were dressed in black with black coats. Earlier we had eaten pizza at Angelo's above the David Letterman show, and afterwards, had dessert at the Brooklyn Diner.


Each night, we read from The Little Princess together, and then got Madeline's American Girl dolls (Samantha and Nicki) ready for bed in their pajamas. Madeline chose a different spot for them each night. When we woke, we changed them into outfits to hit the Radio City Music Hall's Christmas spectacular, featuring the Rockettes. I couldn't believe how many people were crammed into that theatre, but it was a very fun show. Lots of tap dancing and kick lines. They also had a 3-D number were an animated Santa flew through the audience--Madeline thought that was very cool. My favorite part, aside from picturing my former life as a Rockette, was the live Nativity scene. There were real camels and sheep on stage. I loved that in all of that glitz and commercial glam, the true meaning of Christmas was represented to the thousands of audience members.


After the show, we headed to the American Girl Place. We first headed to the doll hospital since Nicki had need of a hair replacement surgery. After dressing her in a hospital gown and placing her in a doll wheel chair, Madeline took a picture and said her goodbyes. We then headed to the cafe, where Samantha had her own booster seat and tea cup along with our meals. We started on the 3rd floor and looked at everything, going all the way to the lower level, where Samantha got her hair done. Then we went back to the top and picked out the items Madeline liked the most. It was so fun!


Saturday, we did Christmas shopping for the boys and Pete, ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, and saw the matinee of Mary Poppins. A friend who lives in NY, got us great orchestra seats just a few rows from the stage--it was amazing! The show was great, the chimney sweeps song was definitely my favorite number, and I loved the house--it looked like a huge dollhouse on stage.
Probably, my favorite moments were watching Madeline's enthusiastic claps after each number, especially when Bert walked along the frame of the stage and tap danced on the ceiling, and when Mary Poppins flew away into the audience.

When we picked up our tickets from will call, Madeline had seen the poster for The Little Mermaid, and me, lover of all things theatrical decided we ought to go see that show too. Our seats were nosebleeders, but it was a fabulous show--who doesn't love The Little Mermaid?

Our last day in New York, we took it easy in the morning, then walked down 5th Avenue to see all the window displays. We walked all the way to Madison Ave. and 62nd street, where we found a quiet little deli & cafe for lunch. The food was served buffet style ranging from Chinese to Italian and a little bit of everything inbetween. It was kindof a nice place for contrast--outside, the streets sophisticated upper-east side, inside was a place struggling for identity with kitschy decor and cheesy plastic flower pots. I loved it! We walked around Central Park and FAO-Schwartz, the walked Central Park Ave. to Columbus Circle--just so Madeline could take the subway one more time before we went home.

A few other highlights were the seals at the Central Park Zoo, snow falling in the city, the huge Christmas tree at the Rockefellar center and for Madeline, the white hot chocolate at the local Dunkin Donuts after the Little Mermaid. It was a dream come true for me, exactly what I had always wanted and even better because I got to share it with my adorable daughter!

We are happy to be home--with snow for Christmas. I loved getting so many Christmas cards from friends, it's one of my favorite things about the holiday season. Plus I get to hang out in my warm house with all the Christmas lights on, all the people I love most around me, recognizing how blessed and happy I am! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May you feel the magic of Christmas in your hearts!

Mitchell's Big Day!

Last Saturday, Mitchell met a mile stone in his young life, that of being baptized a member of our church. It was a great day--he was so excited. There were two other girls being baptized the same day, but the stake Primary presidency did a cute spot light on each of the kids--Mitchell's focused on prayer and the story of Enos. Maybe I'll copy it and post it--it was really cute. Anyhow, he was shaking hands and smiling, a big feat for my shy, reserved son. After the baptism and confirmation, we had a little family and friends get together at our house. We started a tradition with Jake of letting the kids choose the menu for lunch. Jake chose BBQ beef sandwiches and brownies, Mitch chose pizza and Brownie Sundaes. Pete also made a "Mitchell movie" similar to one made for Jake on his big day, a photo montage set to music. It has been a fun highlight for both boys and good entertainment while I got the food ready. We missed having Janae's family and my sister Heather there, but we were happy to have Misty, Brent and Gabe in town from Vancouver, WA. Misty announced that she's having baby #4 (another boy) in April. That makes 13 grandkids on my side, since Chantel is due with a baby girl in January. We are proud of Mitch for being such a great kid and for choosing to be baptized!

Anyhow, Mitchell had a great day! After the baptism and party, he, along with Pete, Jake and Grandpa Byron attended the BYU basketball game. Meanwhile, I took Madeline and Tyler to our ward Christmas party. It was a lot of fun, although once again, I've exposed myself for the goof-ball I really am. After a nice dinner, the kids could watch a Christmas movie or make gingerbread houses. The adults divided into groups to dress in props and plan a karaoke number to a Christmas song. I had my good friend Emilie in my group, so after donning a pilgrims bonnet and a scarf, we tap danced, sang and basically made fools of ourselves that were captured on film. During the moment, I was having a good time, but I wasn't happy about the photos on the bulletin board in the church foyer the next day. Why? Why do I do these silly things? One man said, "Great, we make fools of ourselves and we can't even blame it on alcohol." So what's my excuse?

Attended another musical at PMT tonight--A Light in the Piazza. I have to say, although the acting, singing, sets, costumes, etc. were good, the story line was not a favorite. I was lost after finding out one of the leads got kicked in the head by a horse. The music got very dramatic describing the incident. Granted, it would be sad to get kicked in the head by a horse, but come on . . . it's not an incident worthy of a central plot and two songs. I would give the show a solid B.

Today, I hosted a visiting teaching brunch at our house that turned out to be really fun and watched Madeline's dance performance. Tomorrow we're off to a family party, niece's dance performance at the zoo, and Pete and Mitch to a Jazz game with their Jr. Jazz team (Pete's the coach). Although, we're supposed to get a snow storm tonight and I'm not sure I want to traipse through the snow with my kids tomorrow night to see the zoo lights and a show, I guess we'll see how it all pans out. Happy Holidays to all!

P.S. I finally gave up the notion of writing Christmas cards this year and boy does it feel good! Maybe next year! Or maybe, I'll just abandon that project all together. I love receiving everyone else's, I even display them in my house--but I'm feeling so good right now . . . simplify, right?

Thanksgiving Weekend

I think this may be my longest blogging delay, but I am finding that the holiday season is packed with activities. I did want to take a few minutes to describe our great Thanksgiving weekend to Springdale with Pete's family.

Unfortunately, our trip was delayed a day due to a bout of stomach flu on my part, but Thursday morning, we hopped in the car and drove the 4 1/2 hour drive to Springdale, a quaint little town at the mouth of Zions Canyon. We arrived just in time to enjoy a fabulous traditional turkey dinner with Pete's parents, sister Janae's family, a teenage girl visiting from Brazil and our brood. In Pete's family, it's a tradition to go around the table and express words of thanksgiving. I have to say, though I think it's a good exercise, it always makes me a little nervous and uncomfortable since I'm horrible at verbally expressing myself. Anyhow, my favorite part of the trip, aside from just hanging out and enjoying family, was a bike ride down Zion Canyon, back to Pete's parents home. We were driven to the top of the canyon, where we discovered that one of the bike's Pete had worked on all morning, had a flat tire, so he drove back down the canyon, while I rode with Jake and my nephew Spencer. We stopped at a small, roadside waterfall and admired the beauty of that amazing national park. Sheer rock cliffs with old growth Cottonwood trees, still shedding their foliage. It was a gorgeous blue sky, cool morning with golden leaves falling slowly on the road and surrounding landscape. Pete caught up with us just as we left the road for a trail. I loved the trail best of all because my stress level with two ten-year old boys was alleviated and we could just enjoy the ride.


Saturday, we spent the day in St. George. Pete golfed with his dad, uncle and brother-in-law, while I took 6 kids to Fiesta Fun, a mini amusement park of sorts. The kids played video games and drove the go-carts. I thought I was going to lose my lunch when Spence had Mitchell on his go-cart and decided to try and spin it. They crashed into a side wall, luckily with no one behind them, and were okay. Tyler rode with Jake, the first lap clinging tightly to Jake's forceps, but as the ride continued, was prodding Jake on to go even faster. Thankfully, my niece Anne was very cautious with my Madeline.

After Fiesta Fun, I took the big kids to a movie. Jake saw Twilight, and was disappointed it was a romance instead of an action packed vampire movie. I took my 3 youngest to lunch at The Pizza Factory, one of my favorite places to eat in St. George, where I ordered my favorite pizza--fresh tomato and black olive. I had to order a mini size since there was no way my kids would even try it. Then we hit the TJMaxx mega store, where I loaded up on Christmas gifts and decor. Later that evening, we met up with Pete and our good friends, the Harmsen's. We ate at Cafe Rio and got Nelsen's frozen custard before heading back to Springdale. It was a fun, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. We had such a good time, we're thinking about doing that every year and making the day after Thanksgiving bike ride a family tradition. I'm not so sure my mom would like that though, so maybe every other year!

Pete's Big Day!

I realized, in looking back at my last few posts, that I failed to mention Pete's big day--he finally caught up to me after 8 agonizing days of being the "older woman". Of course, this happens every year, and this year he was extremely gracious about my age, in the past, he has jokingly thrown in a few "old hag" comments (I know, we have a weird sense of humor). Since our birthdays are so close, we often plan a joint gift, sometimes an overnighter or a nice dinner. This year, Pete arranged for us to stay up at Sundance Resort, a place we both really love. Our last year at BYU, Pete worked at the Sundance Ski Shop, and we, especially Pete, got in a lot of skiing. That's also when we decided that the Sundance Grill Room is our favorite restaurant. But for the special occasion of Pete's birthday, we made reservations at the Tree Room. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed our dinner, but it confirmed why we like the Grill Room better. You pay an awful lot of money for very small portions with great "presentation." I prefer the more laid back, rustic elegance of the Grill Room. Another notable observation about Sundance, is that our room/cabin looked like it was designed by the same architect that designed Pete's family cabin. It was uncanny how similar the style was, down to rough pine planks on the cabinets with ceramic white handles. *Note to self, ask my mother-in-law if this was coincidence or the same architect.

Anyhow, we had a great time, very relaxing. We didn't get to spend a lot of time, since I had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting the next day, but it was great to spend time alone with Pete. We really appreciated Shari and Brian taking our little monsters over night, so that we could enjoy our little retreat!

Pete also took a "boy's weekend" in Seattle last week with my dad, brother, and brother-in-law, where they played lots of golf, ate lots of "guy food", which I'm assuming is wings and ribs, and watched lots of football. They attended a high school football game, a UW football game (apparently the tickets were the same price as the high school game, since the team's had such a bad year), and a Seattle Sea-Hawks game. I got the impression much of their free time was spent at sports bars watching more games and eating that manly food. Sounds like a great weekend for Pete . . . I'm glad he gets along so well with my family. So, Happy 36th Birthday to Peter!

Coldplay Concert

Okay, so since we lived in Michigan and were given a copy of Coldplay's "A Rush of Blood to the Head", they have become my favorite band. I love them, not in crazy fan sort of way, just a "the music speaks to my soul" way. So I was pysched this summer to find out they were coming to concert in Salt Lake City. I think I bought my tickets in August for a November concert and then gave them to Pete for his birthday (a bit of a selfish gift, since it mostly benefits me, but we won't go there!) Anyhow, the concert was last night and we attended with two of our favorite people, Jeremy and Talli. Jeremy was Pete's mission companion in Japan. After we were married, we attended the University of Utah (dang, they beat the Cougars) together and then ended up at the University of Michigan for several years. We love hanging out with them, because it doesn't matter how much time has passed since we last saw them, it's like we just start from were we left off, laugh and have a great time! Anyhow, when we first walked into the Energy Solutions Arena (stupid name), I'll admit disappointment at how high are seats were for the ridiculous sum we paid for tickets. Then we waited for a long time for the performance to start, but I'm happy to report, it was worth it. I think it was the best concert I've ever been too. Not only was it great to recognize all the music, but they put on a great show, with huge television screens and rotating spheres that projected live videos with special effects. For example, they're being recorded on stage, but the film is in black and white or with funky colors splashed on screen. I loved that, but my favorite part was when they ran through the crowd to a section of the auditorium not far from where we sat and performed two numbers--right there in the audience with us, we commoners! It was such a great concert!

Now for a brief comment on the Utah vs. BYU football game yesterday. Dang it! Utah won, by a lot! I'll admit, I use to be a Utah fan as a kid, before I randomly ended up at BYU (another story for another day). But, as a student of BYU, I have to support the Cougs and I was really hoping they'd make it a game, if only to avoid the harassment from the rabid Utah fans! That may seem a bit harsh, but unfortunately, there are some crazy Utah fans that give the lot a bad reputation.

Final thoughts! Talli and I discussed the controversy over Prop. 8 in California and it was a really interesting conversation. It's been very disconcerting to see protest rallies around the L.A. temple and the anger invoked by Prop.8 being passed. In a deviation from the Church in the past, where we were encouraged to vote, but not told how to do so, the Church really encouraged the members to get out and actively educate the people of California about the issues. Talli and I talked about how difficult it is to take a stand on these issues, knowing how important family is to the Church, but also knowing how differently our society feels about these matters. Prop. 8 passed because a majority of the people voted for it to pass, yet the Mormon's have become the scapegoats because they took a stand and actively got involved. We talked about the backlash and how it's scary to see how much hate people have for Mormon's, yet standing up for what you believe shows our faith and obedience. Anyway, it made for a really interesting conversation.

Follow up to Braces Post

So . . . I don't know yet if we won the contest for free braces! I hope we do. After getting a quote for what it would cost me to get braces, I won't be getting them unless it's free or I can save for the next five years. If I forgo the braces, for the same price, I could buy a new couch, an entire new wardrobe, refinish my deck that's about to fall off my house, or any number of other great things! Now, the thing is, I'm a bit vain about teeth. I've never had braces and always had fairly straight teeth, but my bottom teeth are a bit crowded and I have a small gap between my front teeth that often resembles a small raspberry seed stuck between the teeth. The question is . . . what's more important? My vanity or developing a sense of practicality? I may still opt to be vain in the long run, but for now, I think I'll save the cash, and cross my fingers and hope to win the contest. I suppose for now, I'll have to appease my vain side with a pedicure/manicure! Just yesterday, I chose a great red, and had them paint the cutest Christmas wreaths on my big toes . . . very satisfying and much cheaper than braces!

P.S. I finished a really fun book . . . "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale. The author was born and raised in Utah (U of U grad) and weaves a great tale based on the Brothers Grimm The Goose Girl (not a fairy tale I was familiar with). I thoroughly enjoyed it, as evidenced by my messy house, since I've done little else but read for the last 24 hours in an attempt to finish it for my book club tonight.

Orthodontist Consult

So . . . today I'm pulling my two boys out early from school for a first orthodontic consult! The three of us will find out if we need braces and at the same time, guess on the weight of a giant pumpkin for the chance to win free braces. Mitch is probably a bit young for a consult, but I figured someone in our family is due to need braces and it would be great to not have to pay for them! Three guesses has to give us better odds than two, right? Wish me luck!

I've tagged myself!

I'm sure there are those of you out there who hate doing these types of things! Me, I kind of like to fill them out periodically! Before I ditched facebook I took all sorts of interesting quizzes and found out some pretty interesting things about myself. I know all the old 80's movies, especially Say Anything, I would have been Marilyn Monroe in a past life, and if I had another name, it should be Amanda! I also took an I.Q. test and found out I'm pretty smart--all useful info, right? So here's more random info. about me! I found this one on my friend Jami's page and she said tag to anyone Michelle missed, so here goes!

4 Random things about my husband: He, like Kolby, can quote lines from random movies, some he hasn't even seen other than the preview; he sings, plays guitar and the piano; he has an amazing memory; and he totally zones out when he's watching television . . . can't hear a word I say (or so he says!)

4 movies I could watch more than once: When Harry Met Sally, Once, She's Having a Baby, Fool's Rush In (totally stupid, but it reminded me of warmth when I was living in freezing cold Michigan)

4 TV shows I watch: Desperate Housewives, Extreme Home Makeover, Re-runs of Friends and Cosby Show

4 Places I have been: Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil and Germany

4 Places I would like to visit: France, Switzerland, England, Denmark

4 things I am looking forward to this year: NYC with Madeline, Newport Beach, skiing, Christmas

People I tag: Anyone who likes filling out dumb questionaires like I do!

I've been tagged!

Thanks for the tag Heather!

Question and Answer Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others. Here are the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? home
3. Your hair color? highlighted
4. Your mother? optimist
5. Your father? honest
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? write
9. The room you’re in? lively
10. Your hobby? decorating
11. Your fear? accidents
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Holladay
13. Where were you last night? play
14. What you’re not? mean
15. One of your wish-list items? thin
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? read
18. What are you wearing? nightgown
19. Your TV? cartoons
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? distracting
22. Your mood? excellent
23. Missing someone? sister
24. Your car? Armada
25. Something you’re not wearing? earrings
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? awesome
28. Love someone? family
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Thursday

Now I have to tag 7 people and they are Kim, Steph, Barb, Heather McVey, Dani, Jodi and Janie.

Birthday Photos of Mitch

Mitch had a great birthday celebration at Bounce U, so I thought I'd post some photos. There were lots of sweating, loud, energetic 2nd grade boys running around having a great time! Happy Birthday to Mitch! Next up, Peter's big day on Sunday!





P.S. We saw a very entertaining, funny show at Pioneer Memorial Theatre last night--Noises Off. If you get the chance to go, it's worth it! A bit of language and an adult theme, so don't take the kids, but very fun!

Closer to 40 than 30 and the Age of Accountability!

So I am officially a year older as of Saturday! Although I refused to accept being 36 until 10:21pm on the first, my official birth time! Pete treated me to a spectacular birthday surprise--verging on extravagant, okay . . . totally over the top, but it was very fun. When I woke I was presented with tickets to the Ballet West Gala performance and a shopping trip to buy an outfit for the event. Pete's birthday is next Sunday, so he got a new suit as well. I also got plane tickets for a girl's trip to NYC with my daughter Madeline, and an over-nighter next weekend with Pete at Sundance. Granted, these gifts are combined gifts--for both Pete and I, but still, I think he over did this year!

Before all the excitement began, we attended Jake's playoff football game against Bingham who beat us 24 to zip! The first half was well played, we just couldn't score. The second half, they trounced us! Jake had some great tackles the first half that made it all worth it though.

After the game, we took the family to see High School Musical-Senior Year, which I loved, cheesiness and all, and stopped for frozen yogurt. That evening, we attended the ballet and ate dinner at Benihana's Japanese steakhouse. I've never eaten there, but always wanted to because it was my friend Suzanne's favorite place in high school. Fun to finally go after all these years!

Sunday we had a nice relaxing day at home. I, along with the rest of the Primary presidency, were released on Sunday. It's been such a great calling, I was a bit sad, but I have started feeling like I've lost my touch, so it's probably a good thing.

Monday was Mitch's birthday--a big year since he's old enough to be baptized. We had a nice family dinner and tonight is his big party at a "bounce center". Should be fun!

Anyhow, we had an incredible snow storm today--I loved waking up to 2 inches of snow, and it's continued to snow all day. It's beautiful outside! Sorry to those of you who hate snow, but I really do love it! I'll admit though, that I hope it melts in a few days. Happy snow day!

Halloween Part II

We have really had a busy, but fabulous last couple of days around the Fisher household. In my last post, I alluded to the end of my week--Halloween Parade, Halloween, etc. The following are the all the details!




Thursday the kids had school parade at 9:15am. Since our school does a Storybook Parade and the children are encouraged to bring the book their costume is based upon, we did a late night run to Barnes and Nobles to get books for Thursday. Jake decided to be Bobby Pendragon, although Thursday he changed his mind and was Steve Nash from some basketball team in Arizona. Mitch had decided early on to be the werewolf from one of the Goosebumps series books. Madeline had picked a cute, sparkly army girl costume, so we decided she looked most like Hannah Montana and went with that idea (kind of defeats the idea of using books as inspiration when you do it backwards, but hey! I tried!) In the audience, I had Bumblebee the Transformer. It was an early day out for the kids so we headed to Gardner Village to see the witches display and buy a birthday gift for a friend of Madeline's. Pete took Jake and Mitch to the Haunted Village haunted woods that evening, while I hung out with Tyler and shopped, and Madeline went to a "Ghoul-friends" spa party.






Friday morning we headed to the Hogle Zoo. We hadn't been there for awhile and the kids had a great time. They've made some nice improvements at the zoo and it was a beautiful warm fall day here in Salt Lake. I have to admit, I really miss living in that part of the city. Maybe someday . . .



Jake had football practice at 1pm, so we headed home, the kids to play, me to cook. I made Vermont Cheddar Cheese soup, homemade apple pie with apples from my backyard tree and mummy dogs for the party at our neighbors house. I think I stood in my kitchen from 2pm to 6:15pm cooking, but it's fun to do that sometimes (not all the time mind you.)



Our neighborhood party was very fun. We ate out on our friends front patio, then trick-or-treated, returning to our friend's home to dance and visit. I hope it turns into a neighborhood tradition because it was great seeing so many neighbors and friends. Our street doesn't get many trick-or-treaters, so we enjoyed being in the midst of all the action. Some classic Tyler stories. We got to his church teacher's home and he was very tired, so when a Kit Kat was dropped into his wet, dragged on the ground pillowcase, Tyler asked "What was that red thing you put in my bag?" Pete dug out the candy bar, to which Tyler said that he didn't want it. When asked if he wanted another treat, he looked in the basket and said "No thanks, I don't want nothing." At the next house, he did the same thing. Since when do kids refuse free candy? We figured it was time to strap him in the stroller to give him a break. A bit later, he was running to a door, and Mitch beat him to it, so he sat down on the door step and started to cry. It happened to be another family who knew him, so they appeased him with a sucker, but that's when he was relegated to the stroller for the rest of the evening.



I hope you all had an enjoyable Halloween as we did!

Halloween and Lunch with Friends

I just got back from having lunch with five of my favorite people! I am so glad to have made such great friends in junior high and high school. We may not get together often, but it's always so fun when we do! It's nice to have friends like that . . . people you know are true friends even though you may not see each other as much as you'd like. It was also nice to have Tyler entertained so I could get some grown-up conversation! Looking forward to next month ladies!

It's also been a busy month for Halloween Party's. At the first of the month, we invited several families over for a costume party. Sunday, we had a family night at my parents home, and then Monday hosted a party for Pete's family at our house. Yesterday was our ward Primary/Neighborhood party that's always a blast. Tomorrow we have school parade and then Friday we get to dress up again to trick-or-treat and attend another neighborhood party. I love this time of year, but let me tell you . . . I'm exhausted!

Maybe part of it is that Pete was out of town last weekend and has been busy this week! Acting as a single mom is not an easy task--hat's off to those women out there who have to do it all the time! Saturday I dragged 3 kids to a 9am football game, then to a birthday party. The kids had wanted to eat lunch at Panda Express, but when we pulled up, they were fighting. I said, "That's it, get back in the car. I can't do this today." Do you ever have days like that? Well, I knew that I was barely staying awake behind the wheel, and fighting kids in Panda Express would take me over the edge. So we spent a nice Saturday afternoon at home. I almost said quiet, but Maddy had 2 friends, Jake had 2 more and had kindly invited Mitch to play football with them. At one point, Tyler even had a friend over. Quiet would be the absolute wrong word to describe the day, but it was great. I tried to make up for our earlier botched lunch by bring Panda Express take-out home for dinner. We watched a scary movie and stayed up a little later than usual. I think I made up for my lack of energy earlier in the day.

I also wanted to describe our family party with the Fisher's. The last couple of Halloween's, we've had a family costume party, complete with bobbing for apples, a pinata, pumpkin carving, and donut eating with hands behind the back and the donuts hanging from a string. This year we added dry ice to the rootbeer and mummy dogs to the menu (hot dogs wrapped in breadsticks with dots of mustard for the eyes)! Some of the best costume's were Jared and Parker dressed as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World, Ryan and Anne as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss, and Debbie dressed as her husband Tom, front hair swoop with some graying and all! Did I mention Nate was dressed as a giant chicken. Classic! I might also mention that I'm not a big costume person--I was a half-hearted attempt at Elizabeth Shue as Ali in the Karate Kid. Only, I didn't have time to krimp my hair, and the tip of my blue eye-liner broke, so once again . . . nobody got it! Hey, the food was good and that's more important.

Our neighborhood party was also a lot of fun. We hold it at the church building with a hot dog dinner, then the youth provide booths for the kids to do activities and trick-or-treat. There was face painting, a spook alley, cotton candy machine and lots of other fun games to entertain the kids. We've lived in the area for 3 years now, and it's been a great way to celebrate Halloween with our neighbors.

Well, I'll cross my fingers that we get more trick-or-treaters this year. I may have to revert to full-size candy bars to draw in the crowds! Happy Halloween to all!

UEA Weekend!

It's midnight, and I suppose the restless leg syndrome is preventing me from sleeping again, or could it be that Diet Dr. Pepper I had in the tub while reading after 5pm? Regardless, I can't sleep, so I thought I'd fill you in on our UEA (Utah Educators Association, or something like that) weekend, so far.

The kids have Thursday, Friday and Monday off from school. Pete is working, so we weren't able to go anywhere elaborate, but we've had a nice break . . . and grateful for one more day off tomorrow. Thursday the kids were able to play with friends and then we watched a very disappointing BYU vs. TCU football game at Janae and Brian's house. It's always fun to go to Janae's, it brings back so many memories of junior high and high school hanging out at the Fisher's. Janae bought the house Pete grew up in, and though it definitely feels like their house, it's nice that it carries some nostalgia as well.

Friday, I met my friend Kim at the gym to do a "bootcamp" workout, and sadly, I am still so sore today that it hurts to walk. Kim has a 6 week old baby and she totally puts me to shame, but I'm glad she'll put up with me! It's good incentive to have a friend to work out with. Earlier in the week, we took a 3 mile walk, and on my own, I did a Nia class. So far, it's been a good week for working out, now I need to start eating healthier. Anyhow, another good friend let my kids come play so I could get our house cleaned up. We had a Halloween party with 12 adults and 26 kids under the age of 11. I love Halloween, although I'm not a big costume person. Pete decided to be the Karate kid, so I decided to be his girlfriend from the movie played by Elizabeth Shoe. My kids totally didn't get it--they kept asking if I was going to dress up for Halloween, even with my ratted bangs, blue eyeshadow, collar up and leggings! I think my daughter even said I looked good with my hair like that! Oh well, at least I tried. In elementary school, I was a witch every single year! How's that for a lack of originality. Anyhow, it was a fun party!

We awoke bright and early for football on Saturday. Unfortunately, Jake's team was beaten by Riverton. They played a good game though, so we're hoping they'll have better luck next week against Bingham. They've done well enough to make it to the play-offs, so it looks like we'll still be doing football into November. After the game, we drove to Pleasant Grove on an errand for Pete and then drove the Alpine Loop, starting at Provo Canyon. I absolutely love that drive in the fall--one of the things that makes me so happy to be back in Utah. The aspen groves are spectacular! We pulled off at a trailhead, so the kids could stretch their legs, and they had a ball throwing rocks in the creek and crunching fall leaves. I am always amazed at the rugged beauty of the mountains. There's nothing quite as nice as being with my family in nature--helps me to realize how the simple things are often the most important.

We got home and decided to head up to Pete's family cabin at Alta. We all slept on the floor next to a roaring fire, and spent the following day relaxing and playing. It's a fairly remote cabin--you need 4 wheel drive in summer and have to ski or walk in during the winter months--so we were glad to make it up there once more before ski season! Highlights included long games of "War" with Madeline, "Memory" games with Mitch, Madeline and Jake, football games, and pancakes for breakfast. I also finished a good book called "America America" by Ethan Canin-one I'd recommend. The kids also got to work on the tree house before the snows completely cover it. It's very fun to have a place not too far away that feels very separate from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. It was a short but rejuvenating overnighter.

Tomorrow we look forward to Cornbelly's cornmaze and the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point before we segue back into our regular schedules. Hope those of you in Utah are also feeling rejuvenated after a 5 day weekend.

Sleep Test Results . . . so far!

Since I posted the very unattractive photos of my sleep test, I thought I'd share the results. No, I do not have sleep apnea, but it is feared that I have "restless leg syndrome". My conversation with my doctor went something like this:

Doctor: I have your sleep results and you don't appear to have sleep apnea.
Me: That's good, so does that mean I'm fine.
Doctor: Well, actually, you sleep terribly. The test results show that less than 18% of your sleep is in deep sleep, and you toss and turn most of the night.
Me: Yes, I know that. Any reasons for my poor sleep?
Doctor: The results all indicate that you have "restless leg syndrome." Do you feel like that could be a possibility?
Me: Yep, probably! Blah, blah, blah!

So I have to go in for more blood tests and another doctor appointment! I looked up restless leg syndrome and it kind of seems like one of those diagnosis they give to crazy people so that they don't have to tell them they're crazy! Granted, I do have restless legs that cause me to toss and turn most of the night, but I'm tired of doctor's offices. In the past couple of months I've seen an OB-Gyn doc for a consult on a hysterectomy, a cervical polyp, and funky ovaries; a breast specialist because my grandmother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and I think they were trying to console me, and two sleep studies. Now I'm headed back to the original doc! I think I'd rather get a babysitter to go get a pedicure, rather than to see another doc! Oh well . . . it's better to be safe than sorry!

Snow in October

Two points of interest: first, I cancelled my facebook account, and second, I really love fall. Now those things said, I will make my explanations.

First, I cancelled my facebook account because it's too easy to get pulled into it and distract from the stuff I should be doing. For example, rather than look at facebook, I could exercise, clean my house, spend time with my family, finally finish the quilting projects I started a very long time ago. I had a great time reconnecting with old friends, but it's time to be done with that in my life.

Second, I really do love fall, but the snow storm in October was extremely beautiful. I just hope we're not set for winter yet. We woke up to a beautiful snow storm with several inches of snow. I love the snow--it's so beautiful, and blankets the earth in such peacefulness. Our kids were so excited, that they put on their snow clothes and made a snowman. It was still warm enough that the snowman melted within a half hour, but then we were hit with another snowstorm during church. I really hope it doesn't mean winter's begun because I still want to get more bike rides in this fall, but it was a gorgeous way to spend Sunday at home. I thought I'd share some pictures of my flowers, still in bloom, covered in snow, and the gorgeous view from our bedroom.


Yesterday, after another football win for Jake, and a cancelled soccer game for Mitch, Pete and I attended the BYU vs. New Mexico game. Pete's sister and parents also attended, so it was fun to visit with them. We were able to go down on the field before the game and see the players warm up and do the "hukka". Then we spent the next few hours watching a fun, but down right chilly game. Thankfully the Cougars were victorious!

Sister's Day and Simplicity

My sister-in-laws are kind to include me in a monthly "sisters day". I am lucky that way--I feel like Pete's sisters are my older sisters, since I'm the oldest and didn't have that experience growing up. Pete also has a great big brother and wife who I adore as well, although they live in Texas, so we don't get to see them nearly enough!

Anyhow, today we drove to Ogden to Aunt Renon's to carry on the Fisher family tradition of making homemade applesauce. What a great experience--cutting, cooking and canning applesauce, with a pleasant interlude for lunch (quiche made with garden fresh zucchini and yellow squash, lemon bars, homemade zucchini bread, oh dreamy!) In some ways, it felt like going back to simpler times, when women (and Byron) worked together in the kitchen and when that work directly impacted the family's food supply. I think that kind of connection to our food is important! It would have been a lot easier to go to Costco and buy applesauce in bulk, but you should taste this applesauce! It has inspired me to plant a garden next year--garden tomatoes are my favorite--and to really use the fruit of my apple tree's for more than just apple pie! Plus Tyler got to play with his cousin John and Renon's darling grandkids, independently, no TV. I think that's good for kids too. Anyway, I'm grateful for this great learning opportunity and to spend time with people I love.

We also had a family experience that has caused me to contemplate a bit about how we plan to live our lives and the reality of how we actually end up living. Wouldn't it be nice if life went according to our plans? I use to have what I called my 12 year plan, for those years that Pete and I were going through school, including a child-bearing schedule of 3 to 4 children born 3 years apart. Yeah, so much for planning! Life tends to throw us curve balls that tend to ruin our plans. But when do we learn the most important life lessons? When I coached drill team several years back, I had a fairly successful first year as coach. It started out pretty rough, but my team ended up winning first in novelty and qualifying for state, something that hadn't happened in several years for that team. The next year, I made all the right plans and hired choreographers, trying to do all the right things to keep us on that winning path. It was a big disappoint to not qualify the next year--completely deflated my ego and was really hard on the girls. I felt like I'd let them down. But in so many ways, it built better character in those girls and helped me focus on what was important. In the long run, qualifying for state would have been nice, but it didn't necessarily help build character for those girls. That's kind of a lame example, but I think that applies to bigger things as well. Maybe life doesn't go according to plan, but it's how we get through it that matters! I strongly believe that! I have a quote on my wall (hand-stitched, though not by me, probably from someone in Indonesia) that says, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel." To me that says that all the successes and things we acquire in this life may be nice, but the most important thing of all is the kind of people we are. I hope that I can be a good person who cares about other people. I hope that as hard things happen in life, I will be able to have empathy and compassion for others, that I will be able to see the good for what it is and learn from my trials. I hope to be patient with my children and help them to learn and appreciate those things that really matter in life, which is the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father and the people we love.

I've Been Tagged!

I've never been tagged before . . . thanks Barb! I hope I'm doing this right!

8 Favorite TV Shows (I don't watch much TV, but here goes):

1. Desperate Housewives
2. Re-runs of the Cosby Show
3. Re-runs of Seinfeld
4. Re-runs of Friends
5. Dancing with the Stars (though I've only watched a few times)
6. The House Make-over Show on ABC
7. Ellen DeGeneres (once again, I rarely watch, but it can be funny)
8. Movies on Cable TV like "You've Got Mail" or "Housesitter".

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Slept in until 9:20am (Tyler woke up early, so I fell back asleep--Thanks Pete!)
2. Fixed orange rolls, bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.
3. Watch LDS conference with my family.
4. Listened to Pete play the piano while I read a book.
5. Took a drive in the new car--by myself--no one else wanted to go and I wanted to see fall foliage.
6. Made Salmon, rice, carrots and breadsticks for dinner.
7. Watched Desperate Housewives.
8. Watched Vantage Point with Pete by candelight (we couldn't get our pilot light to stay on in the fireplace, so we made do with candles).

8 Things to Look Forward to:

1. Going back to school when Tyler's in school.
2. A family trip to Newport and Disneyland in January.
3. My 36th Birthday . . . just around the corner.
4. Halloween, Thanksgiving, then Christmas, plus family birthdays inbetween and afterwards--I love this time of year.
5. Ski season!
6. More home remodeling--but not for 2 more years Pete says!
7. A long, happy life with my kids and best friend, Pete.
8. Hopefully, more travels in the future, like to Europe!

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. The Foundry Grill at Sundance
2. Chili's
3. Winger's
4. Training Table
5. Italian Village--love a good pizza bender--olive and pineapple is my favorite!
6. Gepetto's
7. Zuppa's
8. Normandie Bakery and Cafe

8 Things on My Wish List:

1. That I could find a hairdresser that could get my highlights right--I have some burgundy right now, not natural!
2. That I would take off many pounds.
3. That I would be more self-motivated to eat better and exercise more regularly.
4. That our deck could be restained.
5. I wish we could refinish our basement with more storage in it--a Mormon definitely didn't built this house! No food storage, but we did have a wet bar!
6. That Pete and I could take a trip to France together.
7. That my house would clean itself miraculously.
8. That my yard would take care of itself miraculously as well.

8 People I Tag:

1. Kim P.
2. Talli
3. Marinda
4. Margo
5. Dani
6. Steph S.
7. Janie
8. Andrea . . . any and all who'd like to participate!

Sleep Tests and Stitches

It's been an eventful last few days and I'm finding it harder to blog on a regular basis now that school's back in session. I thought it would be easier, but I'm taking advantage of my time with Tyler to get more exercise in and more errands done. Good trade off, I suppose.

Well, tonight we had a great dinner with some of our friends from high school and their families. Between the 3 families, there were 12 kids under the age of 11. All the kids arrived and ran out back to play in the yard. I don't think it had even been 5 minutes (maybe, I was busy cooking and I'm not good at noticing time when cooking), when Pete and Cory brought in two bleeding boys. There were too many kids on the trampoline, and Jake took a chin to the top of his head, the chin belonging to McLain, who ended up with a big gauge on his chin. Both boys bleeding, both boys needed stitches. We hadn't even eaten yet, so we got the bleeding under control, ate and spend the evening with our friends, and then Pete headed to the office to do stitch repairs. I'm afraid the Brighton PeeWee's will be less one lineman tomorrow, but Jake had a pretty bad cut that was bleeding profusely. That makes deux stitches for Jake. Madeline has had stitches once, also sewn up by her father in our bedroom, and Mitchell should have had stitches twice, but Pete decided the cuts were clean enough that they'd heal up fine on their own (contrary to what our other physician friends thought, but that's a different story). Unless you count stitches from surgery, then Jake's had two surgeries, Mitchell, one. So far, no stitches for Tyler and no broken bones yet, so I think we're doing pretty good . . .

Look at all those wires! I didn't post this because it was pretty--more humorous than anything else.

I also had another sleep test. I'm including a photo because it struck me as very funny that to have a sleep test, they basically attach so many wires to your head and body, that actually getting any sleep is nearly impossible. I've had a problem with being overly tired and some insomnia, so my doc had me do an at home sleep test, which was the worst night of sleep I'd had in a long time. Unfortunately, that test showed that my oxygen levels were somewhat low during some phases of sleep, so they wanted me to do a follow up study in their sleep lab. I'm pretty kick-back, I had an "hey, why not attitude about it." So Wednesday evening, after a fun day of golf with Pete I might add, I headed to the sleep lab. I had 12 wires hooked to my head, 2 to my chin, 2 to my chest, several to my legs, 1 on my neck, plus three bands of wires around my middle. They used tape and some adhesive to afix the wires to my hair that took 4 shampoo's to remove. Surprisingly, I did fall asleep initially, but then woke up in middle of the night and never got back to sleep again. The next day, I felt so tired, I got a terrible headache that made the room spin. Nauseating! Anyhow, it's Friday, and I finally think I've recovered from my sleep test. Would I do it again? No way! The funniest part was the girl who helped me get hooked up said "You look healthy. What are you doing in here?" To which, I responded, "I don't really know." Hey . . . it was an adventure and it's that what life's all about?

This picture was at 6:30am when I got home. I still had a bunch of tape and goop in my hair to clean out.


So Pete and Jake are not back yet from getting stitches, but I'm feeling tired, so off to bed I go!

**Update on Jake--Pete just called and said all was well. Typical of Pete, he thinks that if Jake's up to it, he could play football tomorrow . . . if only they had some special cap to help protect his head. Oh my . . . he's 10 and he'll have plenty of football games in his lifetime. I say, avoid doing stitches twice in two days, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what we end up doing tomorrow. MEN!!

Random Thoughts

I love the fall! It's probably my favorite time of year. I love seeing the colors change on the mountains, the perfect weather with blue skies and mild temperatures. I love watching my kids play football and soccer. I love that we're just around the corner from soup and sweater weather. We have 2 apple trees in our backyard, and this time of year we make every thing apple and play applesauce baseball--a game invented by Pete's Grandpa Petersen, where you swing a tennis racket at rotten apples and basically make applesauce. It's becoming a favorite family tradition. Mitchell asked when we could play, but I think someone might get hurt if we played with the apples now, they're still hard as rocks.

Today, Tyler and I took a bike ride on the Porter Rockwell Trail. I loaded my bike and Ty's seat in the back of the car, we drove to the trail and then played at Draper City Park afterwards. I am really enjoying my time with Tyler, but I have to admit that lately I've been thinking about wanting another baby. Unfortunately, I can't have one myself, but I've been thinking about adopting a little girl. I would love any input from friends who might know how to go about this, pro's and con's, etc. I haven't decided for sure, but it continues to be in my thoughts on a regular basis, so I decided it's time to look into it.

We also spent Saturday at Lagoon again. We first went on Labor Day and got a rain check because of the weather. We really had a great time, my favorite ride being the Rattlesnake Rapids. The last time we went, we didn't really hang out in the Pioneer Village part of Lagoon, but it was very enjoyable this time around.

On Sunday, we had a special stake meeting at church to change the boundaries of our ward. This has been an ongoing process for the last year, but to know that it was finally going to happen made me a little nervous. I'm glad to report that the change had little impact on my family, but we are really sad to be loosing two of our favorite families. Unlike in Ann Arbor though, at least we still live close to the friends that we won't see every Sunday, but that we're sure to see around the school and neighborhood.

Pete and I also attended our first play at Pioneer Theatre Company, up at the U of U. We have bought season tickets the past two years and really enjoyed attending the shows. The opening show was My Fair Lady, and although I think they did a good job, Pete and I had stayed up too late the night before and both fell asleep. That's a first for me--I love the theatre, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. It might have had something to do with the Bleu Ribbon Burger from Red Robin right before the show. Pete and I split one, and it was delicious. Full stomach, tired body, not a good combo for play watching I suppose.

One last random thought, about my friend Suzanne with cancer. She has been in my thoughts all weekend. It really saddens me to think about her situation--she just turned 50 this past spring and has her youngest son on a mission. I am still hopeful that she will make it through this, but it has reminded me of another friend whose mother died of cancer a few years back. I remember thinking then, that it was such a sad situation, but in a way, looking death in the face gives you an opportunity to say your goodbyes and to live life to the fullest for the little bit left that you have. Both of these women are like that--great examples of living life to the fullest. What a great example to me--to take advantage of what time we have because we never know when we might wake up and have our lives take a completely different course.

Anyhow, I have children to take home and other kids to pick up, so I'll leave you with those random thoughts.

Sad News

I am very sad to hear today that a friend of mine has a rare form of liver cancer. This is a friend from my street, one of my favorite of the many great people on my street, who moved in January. We served in the ward Primary together for the last few years until she moved. I love chatting with her, she would often stop on her way to her house and we'd talk sports and house decorating. Anyway, she is very enthusiastic about starting chemo and radiation next week and kickin' this illness. My prayers go out to her and her family. She is so healthy and athletic, she didn't even know she was sick until she'd lost 20 lbs. and her husband started to worry about her. She is an amazing mother and person--if anyone can get through this, I know she can and will. The crazy thing is that she feels great and other than weight loss and loss of appetite, her life has been completely normal. It's a good reminder to have regular health check-ups, and to ask questions if all isn't well. I wish my friend luck in beginning chemo and pray that she can be made well.

I also have another friend whose husband's job is in peril due to the failing of Lehman's Bank. She is due with her third baby in January and also facing a great chance of moving. I know this affects a lot of individuals and families, and my heart goes out to you as well.

Ode Unto Peter

Okay, so maybe "ode" isn't the proper word, since I'm not much of a poet, but I thought I'd share some nice thoughts about Pete. Unfortunately, I'm not always great at expressing words of sentiment, but I've been inspired by many of you, my friends, who've written great tribute to your husbands. So, thanks.

You know those times when you fall in love with your spouse all over again? I've had a few of those experiences lately. That's not to say that my usual feelings aren't full of love and respect. It's just that over time, I think it's easy to sink into a comfortable relationship, maybe not a lot of fireworks, but a peaceful, easy feeling type deal. I definitely married my best friend, we have a lot in common and enjoy doing a lot of activities together, like skiing or golfing. But on the way to and from Lake Powell, Pete and I had 14 hours to spend together, without kids in the background demanding a movie change or treats. It's in those moments when you know you have a great relationship. Pete and I laughed and talked the entire way. We listened to great music, another taste we share, and laughed about old boyfriends and girlfriends. It's nice to know after 13 years that we still like each other.

Another such experience was when we got our new piano. Many of you who know Pete know that he's amazingly bright, with an incredible memory, plus extremely talented in the music department. He sings and plays guitar and the piano. Yet, in all the years we've been married, we've never owned a piano. We have a keyboard, but it's not the same thing. Anyhow, the first night we had the piano, I was sitting on the couch, reading and listening, when I happened to look up and see Pete, resting his head on his left hand, playing with his right, eyes closed, figuring out a song that he hadn't played in years. I'm not sure what it was about that moment, but I felt this amazing surge of admiration and devotion to this guy I married. After all of these years, he still amazes me with his abilities and talents. And the great thing is, he's not arrogant about it, he just has a sincere love of music. I am really grateful to have that type of renewal of my feelings every once in awhile. I don't think it changes things on a day to day basis, but it definitely makes me appreciate him more fully.

We also had a great opportunity, on a day when Pete's surgeries were canceled, to head up Big Cottonwood Canyon and hike together. We put Tyler in the backpack and headed up the trail to Blanchard Lake. We hiked about 5 miles round trip, although we didn't make it to the lake because of lightening, thunder and rain. The weather was cool, the leaves were turning shades of crimson, gold and orange, and we were far enough away to escape car noises emanating from the road. Recognizing a mutual love of nature has brought great joy into our relationship. At the end of the hike, we both held Tyler's hands, counting to 3 and swinging him up into the air. Another moment for us to appreciate our lives--kids growing older, our baby 3 years old, but great opportunity for one on one interaction with our children. Difficult not to feel blessed with all we have around us.

I am glad that it's often the simple things that bring us closest to God and to each other--whether it be beautiful music or scenery, time with each other to talk and laugh, or recognition of our great life and family. I am happy to be married to a great guy and to have the blessing of such great kids.

Tyler's 3rd Birthday and a New Car

Thank you, thank you, for the ultimate mom award! It was Tyler's birthday yesterday and once again, I've outdone myself. No theme party or homemade cake is good enough for my boy. No . . . we had store bought, all the way. Let me slow down and give you the magnificent details of Tyler's raging Birthday party.

We've decided to only do party's on the even birthdays, so Ty got a family party this year. We spent a quiet morning together, cleaning the house, and then met Pete to look at buying a new car. Unfortunately, that process took to long, so we had to leave mid-negotations, and pick up Maddy from school to get her to dance on time, then drop Jake off at football. We headed back to the dealership, where I dropped Pete off, and took Mitch and Tyler to buy presents for Ty's birthday. As we hit the toy aisles of Walmart, Mitchell became distraught that the surprise of opening gifts would be ruined, since Tyler could see what we were getting him. So we headed to the towel aisle, picked up a few towels (I needed new ones anyway), and headed back to the toy's. I gave Mitch a towel, let him choose a toy, wrap it in the towel, and hide it in the grocery cart. We did this for a few more gifts--pretty good adapting if I do say so myself. Pete walked to the Walmart from the dealership, unhappy with the price, and took Ty to the car while Mitch and I paid for the gifts. Then I dropped Pete, Mitch and Tyler at Chuck-E-Cheese, so I could run home, wrap the gifts (which ended up in gift bags), grab the cake (store bought) and ice cream, and pick up Madeline and Jake from their respective practices. While we were on our way back to Chuck-E-Cheese, Pete called and said it was a totally lame place (only a few games were working) and that we should go somewhere else. We decided to hit Nickel Mania, except it was 8pm by now, they didn't serve food, but they did have some party tables in the back. We ordered Domino's pizza to be delivered to the arcade, and began spending nickels like crazy. The pizza came, when we realized that we didn't have drinks, paper goods or utensils, so once again we improvised. Luckily, the arcade had a pop vending machine, and we found 2 spoons and 3 plastic knives in the mini-van. We ate pizza, Tyler with a disguise on that he'd won at Chuck-e-Cheese and let the kids play games. Meantime, the car dealership had called and said they could come down to the price we wanted, but we had to get back to the dealership by 9pm. By now, it was 8:45pm, late for a school night, and we had to book it to get all of our kids and stuff in car and back to the dealership in time.

The good news was that we got a new car and the kids had a good time. The bad news was that it was too late to eat cake and ice cream, so this morning the party continued for breakfast! Not healthy, I know, but sometimes we have to find compromises. So I send my kids off to school all sugared up, Pete drove his sweet new car to work, and Tyler and I have another day to ourselves to do whatever we like! All in all, not a bad birthday for Ty! I may not get the Martha Stewart award, but I do know how to improvise!

Finally, a note of farewell to the mini-van! We had lots of good memories and long, cross country drives to and from Ann Arbor to Salt Lake in that car. We also drove to San Antonio Texas and back to Michigan, several trips to southern Utah, and lots of short trips around town to and from my kids various activities. It was a good car that served us well, although, I'll admit I'm happy to be moving on!

Adults only trip to Powell

I've been waiting to update my blog until I had some pictures, since I didn't take a single one on the trip. Thanks to Marinda for sending me some! I also posted pictures on my facebook album for anyone who might have access or interest.

Anyhow, we left bright and early on Sunday morning. Actually, not even bright since it was still dark outside at 3am. My sister Chantel and her husband Charlie kindly agreed to watch our kids for the entire week. I still feel bad since Chantel is pregnant and has a two year old and had to take care of Tyler all day. Hopefully I can return the favor soon. Off on another tangent, back to Powell. We rented a houseboat from Wahweep, so we didn't arrive until around 9am. I couldn't believe the boat--5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a big kitchen (by houseboat standards) and a hot tub on top of the boat. We found a beautiful camp spot with afternoon shade, and then basically played for the rest of the week!

Some of the trip highlights were tubing and wake-boarding. Pete also skiied slolam and jumped off a 75 foot cliff (see photo above)! I need an easy-up rope, it's been too long and I've got too much to drag, but I was able to get up on the wake-board. Most of the group also surfed behind the boat, something I really wanted to succeed at but didn't end up trying on this trip. We happened upon a great hike up Face Canyon. I will try to upload some photos from Marinda because it really was spectacular. We took the boat down another narrow canyon until we couldn't go any further. Although the end result was a disappointment (disgusting water and dead, floating animals), the swim through the narrows was a blast. There were only a few spots wide enough that I couldn't reach across the canyon with my hands and feet and scoot along the walls. At night we played Sing Star, Rock Band and Guitar Hero, ate fabulous meals, and had great laughs. Pete brought his guitar and Steve his bass, so we had several nights of singing and listening to the guitar. One night, we had a gasoline produced bonfire that shot up the hill and burned a Z in the sand. Regan and I did some modern dance interpretations, along with some other moonlit entertainment that's best left unsaid!

It's been hard getting back to normal life! I love Powell! There's nothing quite like the solitude and beauty experienced there! Can't wait to go again!!

Jake's First Day of School

FINALLY! Jake has begun school after a great hiatus in Alaska. He rode his bike to school . . . I walked today with Maddy and Mitch since I didn't reach my goal of teaching them to ride their bikes without training wheels this summer. When asked what Jake's favorite part of school was, I got this, "Recess, no . . . lunch." When I told him to tell me something that was part of school, not the breaks from school, he said "P.E. was awesome because we played dodgeball." Do you get the idea he's not back in school mode yet? He also had football practice tonight, so it's going to be a busy week of catch-up. Madeline also started dance today, tap and jazz. On Thursday's she'll take ballet and hip-hop. Should be fun, although her tap shoes are too small, so we need to buy the third pair in three years! Why does she have to grow-up so fast.

Poor Pete got home and back to work too. After a busy day at the office, he came home to edge and mow the lawn, take out the garbage and spend an hour at Young Men's. I feel bad, but it's kind of our life. My niece asked me if I said I missed him everyday because her mom said it everyday, many times. At first I felt bad that I hadn't said it that often, I definitely missed him, but aside from the weekends and at night, it wasn't that much different than a normal day! I guess that's the life of a doctor's wife! The good part is that when he is home, we always have a great time, I just wish he was around more often!

Oh yes! I got another great buy today! A wing chair for $40. Granted, it's not the best fabric, but it has a good shape and will look fabulous re-upholstered! Now I have 5 chairs that look old and ratty but have great shape and would look great re-upholstered. Either I need to take an upholstery class or stop buying these chairs. I suppose we all have our weaknesses.