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!!