Welcome to my World!

The Holiday Season . . .

2011-12-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

is here, and I'm trying to simplify this year. It's easy to get carried away and I'm trying to avoid that this year. The kids each chose a gift to donate to the Christmas Box, and I think that has helped the kids focus on the giving aspect of Christmas, not so much the receiving. I overheard Tyler telling is friend Estee that "everyone knows Christmas is about giving." For a six year old, that's pretty good (at least in words, we'll see in actions). Anyhow, the kids are off for Christmas break on Friday and I realized I have three afternoons to finish their shopping before they're home. So far, pretty good. I mostly just have neighbor and friend gifts to put together.

I did decide that I wasn't going to do Christmas cards this year, although Pete put together a little Jibjab video of the kids and emailed it around. Next year. I love receiving Christmas cards, so keep sending them, I just haven't had a chance to put any together this year, and in the spirit of simplifying, I decided to avoid that stress altogether!

Anyhow, happy holidays!

Autumn, 2011

2011-10-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Peter and I just returned from a 12 days river cruise in Europe. We began our journey Prague, Czech Republic, where we stayed the first 3 days. We drove to Nuremberg, Germany, where we began our river cruise. We stopped in Nuremberg, Regensberg (probably my favorite place we visited), Passau, Germany then into Linz and Vienna in Austria. Our last visit was to Budapast, Hungary. As soon as I can get Pete to download the pictures, I'll post them and give more details descriptions. We traveled with Peter's parents, and his three sisters and their spouses. We really had an incredible time. My only complaint is that its so tough to fly home--such a long flight and hard to get back into the swing of things. It was also a long time to leave our kids and I am grateful to my parents and good friends who helped take care of my kids so that we could have this adventure. Needless to say, I am thrilled to be home and have no plans to travel anywhere soon. I am just happy to be home to enjoy this incredible fall weather we're experiencing in Salt Lake. Today Tyler and I drove from American Fork Canyon through Provo Canyon with a stop at Sundance Resort. So incredibly beautiful!! I'm glad I didn't miss the peak of the fall colors while we were gone.

Jake has just a few football games left, Mitch is finishing up fall tennis and continuing with his piano, Madeline is dancing 3 days a week and taking piano, and Tyler is thrilled to be in a play, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." He is Thing #3 (I know there's only 2 things in Dr. Seuss, but that's what happens when you have a lot of kids to give parts to.) We may have found his niche in acting!! I am thrilled that our garden is growing pumpkins, tomatoes and green beans. I planted from seed in mid-July, so I'm thrilled to have any harvest at all. Pete is busy with work and just was called to the Stake Young Men's Presidency as First Counselor. We are loving our newly completed yard, and grateful for great weather to enjoy it!!

There was a time . . .

2011-09-15T16:02:00.001-07:00

when I thought I would have more time to write in my blog. So far, not so good.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

2011-06-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today I finished reading the classic novel, A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I think old Oscar was very ahead of his time in his thinking. The book is about an artist, Basil Hallward, who paints a portrait of Mr. Gray that he thinks is his best work of art, and holds a bit of himself in the painting. He is also obsessed with Dorian Gray, a young, innocent, good looking man, his muse of sorts, who inspires his best art. The other main character, Lord Henry Wotton or Harry, is a bit of a pessimist who corrupts Dorian Gray's innocence with his cynical views on life and relationships. Dorian Gray destroys his soul in his quest for pleasure for the sake of pleasure only. The painting shows the decay of his soul, while Dorian stays perpetually young.

Though I don't agree with many of the thoughts expressed by Oscar Wilde, there are some classic quotes in the book that really represent how people of 2011 feel today. Here is a smattering of quotes from throughout the book.

Lord Henry, p. 45, "Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cavemen had known how to laugh, History would have been different."

Lord Henry, p. 46, "To get back one's youth, one has merely to repeat one's follies."

p. 49, "Lord Henry had not yet come in. He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time."

Lord Henry, p. 52, "Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed."

Lord Henry (to Dorian Gray), p. 54, "My dear boy, the people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect--simply a confession of failure. Faithfulness! I must analyze it someday. The passion for property is in it. There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up."

Dorian Gray (to Lord Henry), p. 60, "How horrid you are! She (Sibyl Vane, Dorian's first love) is all the greatest heroines of the world in one. She is more than an individual (she is an actress). You laugh, but I tell you she has genius. I love her, and I must make her love me. You, who know all the secrets of life, tell me how to charm Sibyl vane to love me! I want to make Romeo jealous. I want the dead lovers of the world to hear our laughter and grow sad. I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain . . . how I worship her!"

p. 85, Dorian Gray laughed, and tossed his head. "You are quite incorrigible, Harry; but I don't mind. It is impossible to be angry with you. When you see Sibyl Vane, you will feel that the man who could wrong her would be a beast, a beast without a heart. I cannot understand how anyone can wish to shame the thing he loves. I love Sybil Vane. I want to place her on a pedestal of gold, and to see the world worship the woman who is mine. What is marriage? An irrevocable vow. You mock at it for that. Ah! don't mock. It is an irrevocable vow that I want to take. Her trust makes me faithful, her belief makes me good. When I am with ehr, I regret all that you have taught me. I become different from what you have known me to be. I am changed, and the mere touch of Sibyl Vane's hand makes me forget you and all your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories. . . your theories about life, your theories about love, your theories about pleasure. All your theories, in fact, Harry."

Lord Henry, p. 87, "Being adored is a nuisance. Women treat us just as Humanity treats its gods. They worship us, and are always bothering us do something for them." (Say What? That's from me. How sexist is that?)

Dorian Gray (to Sybil Vane, a day after he declared his undying love), p. 97, "Yes, he cried, "you have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don't even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid (OUCH!! Me again.) My God! how mad I was to love you! What a fool I have been! You are nothing to me now. I will never see you again. I will never think of you. I will never mention your name. You don't know what you were to me, once. Why, once. . . Oh, I can't bear to think of it! I wish I had never laid eyes upon you! You have spoiled the romance of my life. How little you can know of love, if you say it mars art! Without your art (acting), you are nothing. I would have made you famous, splendid, magnificent. The world would have worshipped you, and you would have borne my name. What are you now? A third-rate actress with a pretty face." (Talk about rough break-up speeches. No wonder the poor girl committed suicide).

Yesterday, I had actually added several other quotes from the book, but somehow, they were not saved and honestly, I don't feel like looking through the book again to find them. I will say, I'm glad I read the book. There was one chapter that was really hard to get through, but I thought it was an interesting read. Happy reading!

Coming To An End

2011-05-27T13:36:00.001-07:00

I have spent the last three days with my kids, volunteering for field trips and school activities. I am grateful to be in a situation where I can do that, though I must say, I am tired and looking forward to a relaxed Memorial Day weekend. The countdown to summer is on . . . one more school activity, field day and one more week of school. I think I may be looking forward to it more than my kids--the chance to not have to wake up to get kids out the door for school. Then again, when you add in swimming, golf and tennis lessons, plus the end of lacrosse, soccer, baseball and dance, we still have a lot to do. Its a good thing I love my kids, cause they sure keep me busy.

Tyler "graduated" from preschool today. I was a bit sad, realizing that my baby is going to kindergarten. He, on the other hand, is very excited to go to "Mitch's school." In some ways, I dread the 1/2 days of kindergarten. You barely get grocery shopping in, or a gym class, before your back to school for pick up. I'm not ready to have Tyler gone all day though, so I suppose I can deal with it.

Here are a few "kid" updates.

1. Jake was elected as an 8th grade SBO. He has also played some of his finest lacrosse games in the last week. On Saturday, he scored 4 goals, and made 2 assists of his teams 7 points. On Tuesday night, he scored 3 goals and had 1 assist of his team's 6 points. The other team, seeing that he was doing so well, called a stick check, where the ref said his stick was 1/8 of an inch too stretched out and therefore, illegal. Pete and I were not very happy with the ref, to say the least, but it was a compliment to Jake that they considered him such a threat that they'd have his stick checked. (I still get a little angry just thinking about it!)

2. Mitch is playing baseball and is a great batter. He's an easy-going kid, such a pleasure to have around. He just finished making a "Mercedes-Benz" boat for the Raingutter Regatta, but was disappointed when his boat didn't win. He is a reading machine, he may even put me to shame. At night, I always have to double check before I go to bed to be sure he's not still up reading. Barnes and Noble may be his favorite place, as long as he's got cash for a new purchase. (I know, try the library, but he's not nearly as psyched about that.) He's also a fabulous piano player.

3. Madeline is my busy social girl. She's currently playing soccer, taking dance and piano, and has a dance concert coming up in June. The concert theme is Mary Poppins, so Madeline was anxious and excited to get her costumes (since she's wanted to be Mary Poppins for Halloween the last two years, but I don't have the skills to make the white and red dress from the chaulk scene in the park). Unfortunately, the costumes weren't what she hoped, so the search is still on. Her teacher told me that after struggling with a math at the beginning of the year, she has worked her way up to being one of the top math students in her class. She also learned how to crochet this spring and thinks its awesome. She and I spent last Sunday cooking together, making homemade pizza and other delicious food for Sunday dinner. She is also taking piano lessons and doing a great job.

4. Tyler is my funny boy. Last summer, he fell in love with an older woman (she's 8 to his 5). Though he hasn't seen her but once, he hasn't forgotten her and her awesome toys. He finally had the chance to see her again. I asked if she was like he remembered (we've all built someone up in our minds, only to realize that the dream was better than reality, I won't site any examples to protect the guilty) and he smiled for ear to ear and said yes, she was, even if she was 8, she was still his girlfriend. I asked if she knew that she was his girlfriend, to which he replied, "Of course she knows, I gave her the love look." What, pray tell is the love look, you might ask? Well, apparently she knows because she saw it and everyone knows what the love look is. He makes me laugh. He's also decided to change career paths from being a person who builds Lego sets on video to teach kids how to do it, to being a person who creates Lego sets. He is the Lego master. I have felt bad that his bedroom is our old office room, full of old oak bookshelves. I told Ty he could switch rooms, but he said that he has the best room ever because its not just a bedroom, its an office with lots of shelves for his lego's. He even has two empty shelves set aside for his next Christmas presents--I know, its only May. What can I say, the kid thinks ahead.

Pete and I are great. We are grappling with the finances and design of landscaping our yard. Pete's big request is that it be lawnmower friendly. That means that he wants cement curbing anywhere that grass meets dirt, so he can have one wheel on the cement curb and avoid edging all together. I think for the price of the cement curbing, he can hire someone to edge, or better yet, teach me and then pay me! He also wants a circular drive in the front yard so that we have as little grass as possible to mow. Pretty soon we're going to look like a playground in the Bronx! Ah well, I'll do my best to blend both of our ideas.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me . . .

2011-05-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

And who am I kidding, probably don't care to know. But this is my blog, so here it goes!

1. I was a witch for Halloween every year through elementary school. I'm not talking about cute Glinda (Wizard of Oz) either, I mean a plain, green faced, pointed hat, clad in black witch . . . every year. Talk about lack of creativity!

2. My ideal weight, in my very unhealthy mind, is the weight I achieved in college, when a Giardia parasite deprived me of all food and nutrients that entered my body. It also helped that I dropped all academic classes that semester and took all dance classes. It was the one time in my life when my parents were worried that I might be anorexic. Now, four children later, I still lament that I can't get down to that weight or wear those really tiny, light blue denim Guess jeans that I saved, just so I can remind myself that at one time, I could wear them.

3. I never rode on an airplane until I was 20 years old, and took a flight to Portland with my roommate Amy. I've flown many times since, but I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of flying.

4. I love to change the furniture around and have since my father built my sister and I a Barbie house as kids. If only it was as easy to rearrange full-size furniture.

5. Before I married my husband, I dated many and kissed two of his good friends. He took my sister to Junior Prom. In my defense, he wasn't taller than me until he was a junior in high school, so I really didn't think about him in that way. In his defense, my sister was shorter than me.

6. If it were socially acceptable, I would make my life a musical. Happy . . . I'd break into song and dance. Sad . . . I'd let the tears flow and ad-lib a really touching monologue about the woes of life. As it is, I will continue to dream about writing a Tony Award winning musical some day. (I've got it all outlined in my mind, I just haven't gotten it down on paper yet.)

7. I'm a dreamer in general. Here are a few of my other dreams: own a Country French style furniture/decorating store, go back to school to become an interior designer/architect, write the novels I've thought about writing for the last 10 years, and last, but not least, move to the south of France, where I will become fluent in French and buy baguettes from street vendors just like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

8. I have decorators ADHD--self-diagnosed, but I'm sure its a real thing. That explains the constant state of flux in my house and yard.

9. I really love the idea of having a garden where I can provide fresh veggies while I cook incredible, simple healthy meals. So far, I have a rhubarb plant that doesn't produce very good rhubarb, or I just don't like it. But one day I hope to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, pumpkins, peas, beans, strawberries, and water melons, in addition to apple and peach trees. I just tore out the two apple trees I had, but I'm hoping to create my own little mini orchard by summer's end.

10. I'm a bathtub person. Why, you may ask, when you lie in your own filth? I'll tell you. Its the one time, other than bedtime, when I've justified "reading time." I think that is explanation enough.

Crazy. Busy Saturday

2011-04-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

This has been an incredibly crazy day for us. Let me just rehash the schedule to give you an idea, though I'm sure, you too have days like this on occasion.

4:30am-Wake up to get ready for Salt Lake Marathon bike tour.
5:00am-Leave to pick up friends for bike tour.
7:00am-Pete train with personal trainer then hospital rounds.
6:00-7:35am-Ride my bike along with over a 1,000 others, beginning at the University of Utah and ending at Gateway. Always a fun ride.
8:15am-Back home, help get kids breakfast.
9:00am-Madeline's soccer game, Pete was the chauffeur today.
9:30am-Personal trainer for 30 minutes, although I skipped cardio. Figured 25 miles on a bike should suffice.
11:00am-Jake's first game in a basketball tournament in Murray.
12:30pm-Grocery shop for dinner Saturday and Sunday.
1:00pm-Jake's second game in his basketball tournament in Murray.
2:00pm-Jake has to be at Juan Diego high school in Draper for a Lacrosse tournament.
3:00pm-Jake's first lacrosse game.
5:00pm-Jake's second game and the start to our Easter Egg Hunt with Families at a friends house. (I prepared salad between games).
7:00pm-Elder's Quorum Date Night: Square Dancing. We had to attend, and it was fun, because Pete's in the presidency. We left early because . . .
8:45pm-Jake's 3rd lacrosse game of the day, the Championship game against Alta. Unfortunately, they lost, but they did get to play under the lights at the Juan Diego stadium.
10:00pm-Finish final touches and print the Bulletin for relief society. I didn't get to make copies this evening, which means I'll need to get to church a little early, or scramble during church.

AAAHHH! This day is finally over. So many good things, just too much for one day. I'm happy to have good, accommodating kids and a very helpful husband. Luckily he wasn't on call this weekend, or I'm not sure we could have pulled it off. I'm also grateful for wonderful friends who help with carpools and taking kids when I have more on my plate than I can manage (that refers to Friday night when Pete was operating late, so I was working solo!) Thank goodness for spring break and hopefully, a little more relaxation!

Winter Walk in Springtime

2011-03-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

This morning, I dropped off my car to have the interior detailed. I found out, to my chagrin, that it would take 4 hours. Since Tyler comes home from preschool at noon, and I have to drive middle school carpool at 3pm, I decided I'd walk home, in hopes that the car would be done inbetween those times. Anyhow, this morning it started to snow, so after a delicious breakfast at "The Black Bear" cafe, I bought some gloves and a hat at the ski store and began my walk home. I was lucky to have my iPod with me, so I walked from 9400 South and Highland Drive, to my home on 8200 South. Walking home, I thought about all of the times I've visited New York, and walked miles and miles around the city. Yet, at home, I've never walked from The Firehouse Car Wash home (I've ridden my bike though). I decided that I would like to walk more. I live in suburbia, so its not as ideal for walking as New York City, but its such a healthier lifestyle and doesn't have to be just for exercise. I'd like to make it more a part of my everyday life. I've started walking with the kids to school on nice days, rather than taking the bus. I think I'd like to take my bike to the grocery store for small purchases and try to not be so dependent on my car. I figure less driving will equate to less fast food and Diet Coke runs. All good things.

Now, I had a good experience walking today, but it is March 25th and it is snowing outside. My lawn is a blanket of white. I love it and find it beautiful, but I hope its the last winter walk I take until 2012. Here's hoping!

Good news and Bad news

2011-03-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Last week was a hard week in many ways. I spent a lot of time worrying about my friend Lesa, and her upcoming surgery to remove a brain tumor last Thursday. So far, the news is really good for Lesa. They were able to remove almost all of the tumor and her neurological tests have been positive. I know she's in for a long haul, but I am happy for her and her family that all has gone so well.

The same day as Lesa's surgery, Peter and I found out that a good friend of ours from BYU, and even earlier, Pete's mission companion, had his younger brother die very unexpectedly. He was only 35 years old, very healthy, a young father of 3 with a baby on the way. His wife woke up to a snoring sound and tried to rouse him unsuccessfully, and later, paramedics could do nothing for him. His death is explained as Sudden Cardiac Arrest. He had a healthy heart upon autopsy, so it was just a freak thing. So very sad! Our friend Jared and his brother Justin were close in age and the best of friends, two of the funniest guys I've ever met. I am heart broken for Jared, his family, and especially Justin's wife and kids. Its crazy how you can wake up one night and have your entire life changed in a few short moments. A tragic reminder that we never know what will happen in life, so we need to make the best of life and enjoy it.

The good news is that Jake had a great, fun weekend in Twin Falls playing in a basketball tournament. His team won the championships, and though he didn't get as much playing time as on his old team, he had a great experience. There was another boy on the team whose father was one of Pete's college roommates (along with our friend Jared) and it was so great reconnecting with him. I lived across the hall from Pete at BYU, so we share a lot of past friendships and memories, which is nice. The whole family tagged along to support Jake. It was a great way to end a tough week.

Crazy Twists

2011-03-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

I feel compelled to blog about how grateful I am for amazing friendships. I feel really blessed by these incredible associations I have whether in my neighborhood, my high school and college friends, through church and school and family. Technology is such a great way to stay in touch with friends . . . (thanks Steph for reading my blog, I think about you often, especially since your relatives live in my neighborhood . . . do you remember taking your parents Taurus for a cruise one sleepover?) I had a chance to spend time with friends from high school today, discussing books, kids and our lives. I love these friends. Its so nice to know that there are people who know you so well that it doesn't matter how different you are or if you're not wearing your make-up, or if you've put on noticeable pounds due to a steady diet of Girl Scout cookies, they accept you for who you are. I love that and look forward to laughing and relaxing and just catching up.

I also have great associations and friendships in my neighborhood and ward. This winter I've had the chance to ski on several occasions with ladies from my ward. We've danced Thriller and played tennis. I've also seen several of these women end up sick and its been amazing to watch others gather round and help them. One neighbor has a rare liver cancer, another breast cancer and most recently a brain tumor. As a ward, we have knelt on our knees after sacrament and asked prayers in their behalf. We've also had ward fasts. They are sad situations, but its such a strength to see how faith can build us and guide us. On a much lesser note, I have been the recipient of this service. Women reaching out and showing concern. Blessings from home teachers and ward leadership. Its nice to feel that type of love and concern. I hope in some small measure, that I can stretch myself and be less selfish.

In particular, one friend, who will have surgery on her brain tumor this Thursday, has been so incredible to me when I had my surgeries the last couple of years. She brought me movies, did my dishes, swept my floor, make incredible enchiladas Cafe Rio style, called to talk and check up on me. I really cherish her friendship. Its so hard to hear that someone you love has to go through these difficulties in life. I've slowly begun to learn that the people we meet and the relationships we build are the most important experiences we have in our lifetime. I think we come to know and become like God as we learn to love and serve others. I'm sure for others that's an obvious statement, but its really become apparent to me as I grow older.

Anyhow, my thoughts and prayers are with this friend and her family right now. I pray that her surgery will be successful and that somehow, in some small way, I can help her feel as loved and appreciated as she has made me feel.

Sick of Being Sick

2011-03-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

We are having a hard winter at our home. It seems like someone or a multitude of family members have been sick since school started with very few healthy breaks. Just a few weeks ago, we had stomach flu, thankfully short lived, which compelled me to lysol the entire house and dry clean all of the quilts in the family room. A few weeks later, we took a trip to the pediatricians to find that the kids had strep. I was so relieved that antibiotics might actually help the kids feel better, but no, that's been followed with terrible colds that won't seem to go away. I've actually gotten embarrassed about saying I'm or anyone else is sick, since it seems like we've been sick all winter. Please bring on the good weather and health to our home. It makes me sad to hear kids with barking coughs, red, chapped noses, and watery eyes. Plus I'm tired of being sick myself. Hopefully, next year will be a better one for us.

When I tend to have sickness, I do a lot more reading. I've added up my number of pages read so far this year, and so far its 4,763 pages. I don't know whether to be proud or think about myself as pathetic. I just finished a good one by Jodi Picoult called The Pact, very compelling, actually hard to put down. I got it yesterday when I was buying decongestant at the pharmacy and I finished tonight. I also read the Forgotten Garden and Winter Garden, both were excellent books, some of my favorite that I've read recently. Just a few reading suggestions.

Since I started by complaining about my life, I better end with a few simple things that make me happy.

1. A warm house on a cold, snowy day. We had an incredibly beautiful snow storm last night that dumped about a foot of snow. Despite a lot of broken tree limbs, we woke to a glittering, beautiful, sun shiny snow day in the Salt Lake Valley. Its hard to beat the beauty of snow-capped mountain peaks against a vivid blue sky.

2. Grateful that Jake was the student of the day at Albion yesterday. He was nominated by his health teacher who says his enthusiasm is contagious, that he's a great kid, and she loves his updates on the Jimmer (BYU basketball player for those who don't know). I'm proud of him! We don't always see eye to eye, but I'm grateful for a teacher who celebrates his unique, great, confident personality.

3. I love that Tyler still loves to crawl in bed with me to cuddle in the mornings. Its become a bit of a ritual and the day doesn't feel quite right if he doesn't cuddle with me. Today, since I had a horrible, sleepless night, he didn't come in first thing in the morning, but later in the afternoon, we got to cuddle and read our favorite storybook, Skippyjon Jones. Its hard to have your kids grow up. Its nice to cling to those simple, kind moments--I recognize they're fleeting!

Life is good!

2011-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been trying to simplify my life a bit. Life can be so busy and hectic, its nice to pause and appreciate the great things that uplift our spirits. So here are a few things that have made me happy as of late.

1. Finishing a good book. I just finished The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, a novel about the life of the Henry III. I also finished a book called Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, a novel about a woman and her daughters, coming to have a relationship as they learn about their mother's past. A good book is a like a cheap vacation. So nice to get away from the everyday, for a fraction of cost and headache!

2. NPR, National Public Ratio. I have felt very current in the last few weeks, especially with the situation in Egypt. My wonderful neighbors are originally from Egypt and so I was elated to hear that the peaceful protests were paying off. Unfortunate that so many were killed, but nice to see that people can make a difference in their lives. I also got some great book recommendations: The Good Daughter by Jasmin Darznik and a teen novel for my son, entitled something like "When my name was Joe." NPR can be addicting!

3. Skiing, Zumba and Pilates on a Ball. I have finally felt up to getting exercise other than walking or swimming, post-surgery. I've been down on myself for putting on some of the weight I worked so hard to loose last year, but you can't help but feel better when you get up and start to exercise. My friend Janie and I have been doing Zumba (BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM is stuck in my head) and Pilates, even a yoga class at Cottonwood Heights. Its been great to have an exercise partner--makes me accountable. Plus I've been able to go skiing during the week with some of my girlfriends. So fun and extremely beautiful on sunny, clear days. I'm grateful to have some many great outlets for exercise and friendship.

4. Experimenting with recipes.

5. Cleaning my closet.

6. Switching up the furniture. This is always a good way for me to create change, which I thrive on, without drastically upsetting the rest of my family by moving or another remodel!

7. The lesson today in Relief Society. We had a lesson on work and finding balance in our lives between work and rest. Always nice to feel rejuvenated spiritually before another busy week, and a nice reminder that to work is great, but that rest is also necessary.

Reading for 2010

2011-01-11T11:47:00.001-08:00

Wow, just added up my list of books for 2010 . . . I read 62 books last year. That's a little over 5 a month. I'm surprised, I didn't think I read that much in a month. Maybe this year I'll keep track of page numbers too. Its interesting to record how you spend your time. I really do other things! (Correction, just found another book I forgot to record, so 63 books for 2010.)

I have to share this . . .

2010-12-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

Jake may not like my doing so, but this is such a classic plea from Jake. Since when is 12 all grown up? And believe me, though I'd like to give in because of this letter, I think Jake's going to have to wait one more year until he's 14 like we discussed before. I know some of you may think I'm mean . . . maybe I am, but I get to be the parent and make those "tough" decisions. Anyway, this letter is hilarious and gives you such insight into my son.

A little background. Pete and I spent the weekend in New York . . . had a fabulous time, but that's another blog post, and came home to this letter.

Why Jacob Peter Fisher, Should be Able to get a Cell-Phone for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear, mom and dad
This Christmas all I want is a cell-phone. I know you told me I couldn’t have one but while you were in New York, for days and nights I thought long and hard. I am in middle school and there are so many things that could happen. Now get ready for some real action. (I really, really, really love you and I hope you choose the best for me)
Mom, remember that day I had to get you to sign my gym note. Well, that day I had to go to the office to call you. See I was late to gym class and luckily coach and I are way tight so I wasn’t marked tardy. Now if you give me a bad gym I get marked tardy and say goodbye to my No Tardies Award. Although that didn’t happen it could of and that would of stank.
That story was nonfiction and I luckily got through it but, now what if these coming up things happen and I have no cell-phone then, you can think of what will happen.
Let’s say I have to take a test after school, a really long one. When I’m done I can call you and have you come pick me up. Without a cell-phone you’ll get really worried then call the school and then they will start searching for me and it will be a big catastrophe. Also I may start walking home, but I have basketball practice. I would be late, plus I might get hypothermia because I didn’t bring a jacket to school and had to walk in the cold.
Now let’s say after school I don’t have any homework, but I want to hang out with my buddies. I always forget to call you when I get to their house. If I have a cell-phone I call you and you will know where I am and that I will be back at this time and all that good stuff.
These days when I go to parties we usually hang out on the street or outside. If I have to go home, how are you going to get a hold of me? If I have a cell-phone dial it up, tell me, and straight home I will go. Also we usually switch houses now and then and you know that I don’t have the best short-term memory. How are you going to know where I am? With that handy-dandy cell-phone you will always know where I am.
Now that we got this new remodel, everyone will want to come over here. With a cell-phone I can call you and see if it’s okay. Let’s say I don’t have a cell-phone, all my friends and I come over and you’re having one of those hip-hop adult parties and we have to leave.
Now days I’ve been getting really hungry. So I may want to walk up to Mandarin Garden and get some grub. While I’m up there you may need some eggs, milk, syrup, etc. You can call me and tell me to grab it. When I own no cell-phone you’ll have to do it some other time when you don’t feel like it.
Now if you’re not pursued by this incredible novel. I will be very surprised. But if you don’t get me a phone I will not cry and weep for the rest of my life but I will be very sad. Now mom, dad I want you to choose the best for me, but do realize that I will become much more mature with a phone, like Aunt Debbie said, “I’m not a little kid any more, even though you want me to be.” I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. You know dad, when you talk about how Andy doesn’t tease any more. I think that happened when he got a phone because he felt mature so he stopped teasing. I love you and I know you do to me.

Sincerely, Your loving son
Jake

Ya gotta love this kid!!

Gotta love clean teeth!

2010-10-04T20:54:00.001-07:00

After another five year interval between teeth cleaning (my last appointment was in Ann Arbor) I am happy to report, no fillings needed. I have learned that my obsessive teeth-brushing, is doing me more harm than good. Yes, my teeth looked good for such a long time, but I've brushed them to the point that I've worn down my gums and have so "receded" gums that are extremely sensitive to cold. Here's a nice quote from my dentist, "You're not scrubbing floors here, you're polishing fine furniture." The hygenist said, "I have a friend who brushed her teeth way too much, like four times a day." I thought to myself, that's nothing . . . once when I wake up, once after breakfast, again if I go somewhere, after lunch again, after dinner and before bed. That's 6 times a day which apparently is not a good idea. But hey, it did save me from cavities.

Other news, the kids are back in school and the house is just about finished. I have really been a slacker in the blogging department. I've taken a bunch of pictures, but haven't posted anything yet.

Some of my favorite moments this fall have been spent in Millcreek Canyon, hiking. I went up there by myself on Wednesday and hiked for about an hour and a half, and then read, with the windows down and the gorgeous fall leaves surrounding me. It was good for the soul. Yesterday, I convinced the family to head up for a picnic and a hike. We hiked 3 miles and roasted hot dogs. Reminds me so much of my own childhood. Made me really grateful to live in such an incredibly beautiful place.

Other news, I'm starting a 30 day cleanse diet. Will be fun to report the results. Post-surgery, I can't lift anything over 15 pounds for the next year and I have to really limit my exericise to low impact. After six weeks of not doing much physical activity, I put on a few of the pounds I've worked so hard to loose this past year. I started feeling a bit depressed, so this diet will hopefully give me a boost in my weight loss. This past year I lost 30 pounds, and I really never want to go back to being that overweight. I'd still like to lose another 25 pounds, but if I could maintain, or slowly lose another 10, at least I'd be working in the right direction. I'll report how that goes.

Long, lonesome days!

2010-08-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

So, I'm recovering from another embarrassing surgery due to my baby making parts not holding up properly. Once again, I am very grateful for all the wonderful help from friends and family. Food, kids covered, attentive husband. A friend even hunted down an old movie I wanted to watch. I also have lots of time to sit down and read, since I'm only supposed to rest and take a few short walks each day. I'm currently reading another history by David McCullough about the Panama Canal (refer to booklist for full title). I love his books. He takes what may seem rather boring, and researches all about the people and time period, making the event come alive. He wrote one about the Brooklyn Bridge, "The Great Bridge" I belief, that was fantastic. Its this kind of book that makes me excited to learn about individuals who go beyond the comforts of a good live, stretching their minds and ideas to create impressive monuments to society. I'll admit I'm not quite done--its a long book, 615 pages--but I'm completely fascinated. The book was also a very thoughtful, post-surgery gift from my husband and kids.

One good thing about not being able to do anything is that I've had some fun down time with my kids. Sometimes its nice to justify cuddling and watching a movie in the middle of the day or playing American Girl dolls with my daughter (we did all of their hair and dressed them in party clothes). I also love listening to Mitch and Maddy practice the piano. Sometimes life is so hectic, I tell them to practice, but I don't pay that much attention. Sitting in bed and recognizing that your son or daughter is playing a tune you recognize is pretty fun. The other great thing is eating good dinners without all the prep work. People are so nice!

Anyhow, we're getting closer to being done with our remodel. I haven't posted any new pictures or anything, but I will soon. Other fun family events, we took a family trip to Cape Cod, Boston and New York City in early July and had a fabulous time. Cape Cod was a very relaxing, dream come true for me. I loved the non-crowded beaches (unlike California) and all of the quaint villages and shaker shingle cottages. My favorite day was probably the day we rented bikes and biked the Cape Cod Rail Trail. We biked 21 miles to and from, and stopped to swim in a lake on the way back. I would have loved to do the whole trail, but I am so impressed that my kids did that. What troopers! I could so live there!

We spent a fun, rainy day reminiscing in Boston, where we'd lived and worked for a summer 14 years earlier. We saw our old apartment complex, walked the Freedom Trail, ate lunch at Fanueill Hall at the Durgon Park Restaurant, munched on canoli from Mike's in Little Italy, rode the T over the Charles River to Cambridge, where we stopped and bought books at the Harvard Co-op. Then we hopped back on the T, rode to Boston Common, then to Fenway Park, where we ate a late dinner at UNO Pizzeria. I have such great memories of being newly married, recently graduated, without children, living and exploring in a new place. Boston is such a great city, I definitely need to return soon. Though I do have to say, my kids were funny when we walked the Freedom Trail, they kept asking when we were going to get where we were going. The walking tour thing without a big final destination was apparently a bit confusing.

After a week in New England, we drove back to NYC (where we'd flown in and rented a car), returned the mini van and spent a great couple of days. The great thing about New York is that you can do so many different things, no matter how many times you go. Pete and I have stayed in different parts of the city every time we've gone and its so much fun to get a feel of the different areas. This time we stayed at the Embassy Suites by Ground Zero. For Peter and I, it was humbling to be there, and remember watching the events unfold on the television. Here I was with my family thinking about how it seemed like it happened just yesterday, yet I was 6 months pregnant with Madeline, Mitch was not quite a year old, not even walking yet and Jake was 3 1/2. I remember wondering if I'd be able to fly home to see my family and attend my 10 year reunion in October. I felt fearful of bringing another baby into this scary world. I was also amazed at how sad I could be about 911, and yet, where I lived, it was a beautiful, sunny fall day in Ann Arbor. Neighbors were walking there dogs--it seemed crazy to think how that event would change life. Anyhow, we walked around and saw Trinity Church and then headed back to our hotel. The next morning, we walked the esplanade to Battery Park, to catch the earliest boat to the Statue of Liberty. We weren't able to get passes to the crown, but we did climb all the stairs to the base of the statue. Then we took another ferry to Ellis Island, where we watched a movie about the immigration to the U.S. through Ellis Island. After a great tour (self-guided, thank you very much) we ferried back to Battery Park where the kids played in the fountain and we ate a lunch of side-walk vender hot-dogs and pretzels. We took a little break, and then subwayed to Central Park (Jake's favorite thing about NYC--he's told me many times how he prefers suburbs to cities), then to FAO Schwartz. Back on the subway to Time's Square, then we had dinner at Dave and Buster's, a loud, busy, full of video games type of place. Afterwards we went to the Toy's R Us on time square where my boys were not nearly impressed enough with the big T-rex. Our last morning, we headed to the Empire State Building and took an elevator to the top. I'm glad we did it, but we were pressed for time, so we were up and down as fast as we could so we could make our flight on time. Another great city and we had a fabulous time.

So that's been our summer. Its nice to slow down a bit and enjoy my kids, especially since school starts Aug. 20th for Jake, who officially starts middle school, and Aug. 23 for Mitch and Madeline. Thankfully, Tyler and I have a few more days to relax before his preschool begins in September. Happy back to school to all and to all, a good night!!

Last Day of School!

2010-06-03T21:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Day! The kids are finally out of school. I ran into a teacher today that said, "I know we are looking forward to school being out, although you parent's probably are not!" I thought, "No . . . I am happy to be done too. I'm tired of reminding kids to do homework and to go to bed early. I am excited for lazy days at the pool and more leisure to time for my kids. We have our last lacrosse game Saturday, last season baseball game tomorrow and dance recital on June 23rd. Tyler played his last game on Tuesday evening. Mitchell will still have play-off games for baseball, but at least there won't be all of the running around between events. I am also looking forward to nice, warm weather. We've had a cold, rainy spring in Salt Lake this year.

In other news, our home remodel is progressing, slowly, but after today, I think it should go faster. All of the rain really slowed things down. Then my front door took forever to come, but today it came and it looks fabulous! I have been painting swatches of color on my house, trying to decide what color to paint it. Ughh! Its one thing to look at a small dab of color versus painting an entire house. Anyway, its been fun. If you'd like to see pictures, you can click on my other blog, fontainedebienvenu.blogspot.com.

We are also excited for summer vacations this year! We're taking a quick trip to St. George and Springdale, and then Jake and Pete are headed to Coyote Gulch for a Scouting camp. Our big family trip is to Cape Cod and I'm so excited to be there with my kids. I hope they like it as much as I do! I'm also hoping to make it to Colorado this summer to visit my sister Chantel and her family. They moved a year ago and I haven't made it for a visit yet. We were grateful to see them here for Memorial Day weekend!

Other big news . . . my in-laws, Joan and Byron, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Pete has been scanning pictures and interviewing them for a presentation. We are throwing a big bash at Janae's house Saturday, June 5th. I am in charge of the dance floor, and I'll admit, I am wishing I had just rented one. It might not be too late . . . otherwise we're putting one together on Saturday morning, hoping it'll work. I think I'll make some calls tomorrow.

Sunday I have to teach the Relief Society lesson. I have been able to avoid it since September, but now its only a week away and I'm admittedly nervous. I'm not sure why, my previous profession was teaching, but for some reason, this is much more nerve racking. Oh well . . . wish me luck! As long as we can have a good discussion, I will feel okay about it. I am using Sister Julie B. Beck's conference talk as a reference, lots of great information there, so should be okay.

Well, I think I'll get back to my book . . . The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan . . . its so good!

Freaky Bunny!

2010-05-15T22:35:00.001-07:00

I just looked at my blog for the first time in a long time and thought to myself, "Wow, that is one scary looking Easter bunny!" The photo was taken during our spring break trip in Las Vegas and southern Utah. I have lots more photos, but not as much time as I'd like to post them. We did have a great trip--learned that Vegas is a hard place to take kids. We just wanted to be somewhere warm and not too far away. But its hard to avoid sin in the sin city--even the streets are littered with photos you don't want your 12 year old looking at. As we walked down the strip, Pete reminded the boys to keep their eyes up off the road. Mitch said, "its so hard!" Jake was just plain mad at us. I commented that it wasn't like Disneyland and Mitch said, "Its nothing like Disneyland." We did have some great times though. We went to the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay. Jake did all of the scary rides at the top of the Stratosphere, while the rest of us looked on in sheer admiration (also glad that it wasn't us looking so green). We stayed at an amazing Marriott resort--The Grand Chateau, just a block off the strip. We also saw the Cirque de Soleil show called Mystere. Pete's parents were able to come and stay with us, so it was fun for the kids to spend some time with their grandparents. I think the biggest highlight of all was visiting Byron and Joan in Springdale, where the kids got to buy an ostrich egg and then blow the insides out to make scrambled eggs. I couldn't stomach it, but the kids thought they were great! They all took turns taking the ostrich egg and feathers for show-n-tell at school. Pete had to fly home a day early, so I drove back with the kids the next afternoon. On the way home, I stopped to visit my good friend Amy, who recently relocated to Fillmore, Utah. As I was talking to her on my cell phone, getting directions to her farm, I hit a skunk--a rather large, extremely smelly skunk! It is now mid-May, and 10 car washes later, you can still smell a faint whiff of skunk. At least I can laugh at that.

Brief Update

2010-03-19T14:07:00.001-07:00

Wow! I just updated my reading list, and so far, in 2010, I've read 13 books. My friend recommended keeping track of the number of pages I've written. Maybe next year I'll add that to my list.

Biggest news. My oldest is getting braces on Monday morning. He has threatened to move out if they're on longer than a year, but he seems to handle it okay once he's in the Dr.'s office. I was thinking I'd let him get clear braces on top to help with his self-consciousness, but several people are telling me that they tend to stain easily. I don't think a 12 year old boy would keep them clear for very long. Anyhow, Monday morning, he'll officially become a metal mouth!

I had one of those days yesterday. I actually had so much on my mind, that after filling up with a Caffeine-free Diet Coke at the gas station, I hopped in my hard with the gas pump still in the gas tank and drove away. Thankfully they have emergency release on the pumps, so it snapped off without causing an explosion. Most pathetic of all, I burst into tears. That may have helped me a little bit--the gas station attendant was very kind. I think I'll avoid that Chevron for awhile . . .

Tonight we have tickets to Our Town at Pioneer Theatre. Tomorrow we are watching BYU beat Kansas State, and skiing with Pete's brother Mike and son, Kyle who are in town visiting from Dallas, Texas. Jake is also going to accompany Pete and I to our personal trainers tomorrow morning. It'll be interesting to see if he likes it or not.

Spring craziness begins next week. Jake with lacrosse, Mitch baseball and piano, Madeline with dance, acting, piano and art, and Tyler with T-ball. It was nice to have a little simpler life through the winter.

Home Remodel Begins and 6th Grade Dance

2010-02-25T14:58:00.000-08:00

When Pete and I were in Cancun, Jake had his 6th grade dance during school. Our very talented friend, Katherine Turley, took photos so we were able to see a little bit of what he got to experience. Here are a few pictures. The blond he's dancing with is Brett and Sarah Hopkins daughter, Abby. I think you can tell that Jake isn't shy! We talked to him after the dance and he said, "Mom, I think I inherited your awesome moves!" He's not very humble either.

Tyler and I are beginning to feel better and its a good thing, because after lots of time in the planning phase, we have officially begun an extensive home remodel. I created a blog just to write about my interest in homes and gardening, one that I haven't written about much, but figured would be a great place to document, with photos, our home remodel. The blog address for that site is fontainedebienvenu.blogspot.com. I know its a long name, its my maiden name before it was americanized--Fontaine de Bienvenu, which means fountain of welcome in French. Anyhow, check out that site to see pictures of all of the remodeling we're beginning.

I had a great day with Madeline's school class today. We went on a fieldtrip to see The Tortoise and the Hare performed by the Salt Lake Children's Theatre. The show covered the story of Aesop and his fables, with a cast of 5 actors who had an amazing number of parts to memorize. My favorite actress was a girl named Amanda. Anyhow, I loaded up on cough drops and spent a fun day with my daughter.

Hard Night!

2010-02-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

We had a hard night last night. Tyler and I haven't been feeling well with a bad chest cold. Yesterday, Tyler went from bad to worse, he wouldn't even walk, he said his legs were too sore. His cough sounded terrible and by afternoon he was burning up with fever. We took him to After Hours where his oxygen levels were low and his fever high (103.7), so they did chest x-rays, gave him a breathing treatment and steroids and sent us up to Primary Children's Hospital, telling us he had a bacterial pneumonia. Since I haven't been feeling well, Pete thought it was best that he spend the night with Tyler. They waited until almost midnight to see a doctor who then told them that he thought that it wasn't pneumonia, but RSV, a viral infection. In other words, go home and watch. So at midnight, home they came. Granted, Tyler is definitely better than yesterday, the oxygen and steroids definitely helped his breathing, but then, instead of being home in bed earlier, he's up late at the hospital. Our health care system is so flawed. One doc says one thing, then another says another. I know they were trying to be extra careful at after hours since they saw Tyler at his worst, but how can two docs look at x-rays and say two different diagnoses. Anyway, he is still a sick little boy, but seems to be in much better spirits than yesterday.

Tropical Paradise

2010-02-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Peter and I just spent an amazing, relaxing 5 days in Cancun with some of our friends from the ward. We had such a great time. We stayed at a Blue Bay all inclusive resort, which meant that we ate way too much, but it was heaven not having to worry about cooking or finding meals. We spent our days sunning and reading on the beach. Pete had a conference that he attended the first two days of the trip, so I hung out on the beach with my friends. We did yoga on the beach in the morning and that was about it as far as plans were concerned. Pete and I got couples massages at the spa after dinner--it was heaven. The next day, I got a manicure and then caught up on sleep and reading. In the afternoon, we worked out at the gym and hung out in the spa saunas. We attempted to play tennis, but my tennis elbow is still giving me grief, so that didn't go over so well. We spent Valentine's day on excursions to Coba and Tulum to see the Mayan ruins. I loved riding rickety, old bikes through the jungle and stopping to climb the tallest temple in the area. Half way down, we saw a black iguana sunning on the rocks. On the drive out, we got pictures of the crocodiles living in the lagoon. Tulum was an incredibly beautiful ruin, built on the cliffs overlooking the turquoise ocean. We spent about an hour in Playa Del Carmen shopping for the kids, where we spied wild boars behind the shopping center, rooting in garbage. Such a different world. I am always struck by the local houses, so humble, with thatched roofs and small, wooden shacks. I feel a bit guilty living the high life when down the road, poverty is so rampant. As a former sociology teacher, its very interesting to me to think about what life is like for other cultures and how they must think of Americans. I'll save that for another post.

We spent Valentine's evening dining at the French restaurant, dressed up in our finery. Pete was very thoughtful, as always, and had planned to give me little gifts each day of the trip for Valentine's. Have I mentioned that I act like the man in our relationship--the one who forgets anniversaries and all the thoughtful actions? I hate to admit it, but its true. Anyhow, it was fun night, that we spent talking about how each of us had met our spouses. Great stories.

Monday, we did yoga in the rain, and then spent the day lounging in the sun. We took canoes out on the ocean and sailed on a hobbecat. In the evening, we dined at the Italian restaurant, and ate far too much . . . again, but the conversation was great. That evening, we watched a circus show that was very entertaining, sort of Cirque de Soleil on a small scale. Tuesday, Pete snorkeled off the back of the hobbecat, and I tried to go parasailing, but the winds were too strong, so instead, I got to relax before our afternoon flight home.

We were grateful to Erin and Jared for watching our kids while we were gone. Couldn't have done the trip without their willingness to help us out. We were happy to come home to the kids and get back into the swing of things, although I'll admit to missing the solitude and ease of our vacation life!

Winter Heaven

2010-01-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

There is no place like the family cabin at Alta during a snow storm. The storm was so bad, it took us 2 hours to drive down the canyon. Had we stayed an extra night, we would have been snowed in for the full next day. Here are some photos from our overnighter up at the cabin.

Important January Birthday's

2010-01-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

Madeline and Jake had important birthday's this year. Madeline turned 8 and will be baptized on February 6th. Jake turned 12 and will be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood tomorrow during church. I am proud of my kids for the great people they are now and will become in the future!

Here are a few pictures from Madeline's birthday party. We turned our dining room into "Cafe de Madeline" and Mitch, Jake and Pete were the waiters for the girls. The girls were asked to wear their favorite dress-ups to the party. The menu consisted of Madeline's favorite foods and the girls could order 1 of 3 entres, plus dessert and drinks. They each had enough Monopoly money to cover their meal and a tip. Then we played the "Freeze dance" game and musical chairs. It turned out to be a great party.

Jake didn't have a big party this year, instead, he attended his first Klondike Camp with the Boy Scouts. He also got to spend half a school day skiing with his dad and eating lunch up at Collins Grill at Alta Ski Resort. We also had a family dinner at Outback Steak House.

Snapshots of Christmas

2010-01-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from the Holiday's. I have more, but my new photo program is really hard to use, so this is as much as I have time and patience to do now. The photos are of our kids and Pete and I in New York.

That's my Girl!

2010-01-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Peter's family celebrates Santa Lucia because of their Swedish heritage. This was Madeline's first year to dress up and deliver the Christmas sweets. She was so excited. She's growing up too fast--that's my only complaint!

Its been awhile!

2009-12-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

Wow! I haven't blogged forever! Life has been very busy, so here's a very brief update on our goings ons!

1. We spent a great Thanksgiving with my family. Both of my sisters, Chantel and Misty, who live out of state, were able to come to town for the holiday. We had Misty's family stay here and it was great!
2. The day after Thanksgiving, Pete and I took the kids on our final Disney Trip of 2009. We broke down and bought year passes last January, and were very grateful to spend another fun few days at Disneyland. Admittedly, I am a little sad that we won't be going again for awhile.
3. Both of my boys started basketball. Pete is the head coach for Mitchell's team and the assistant coach for Jake. I really appreciate his willingness to be part of that with his busy schedule.
4. I have continued working with my personal trainer and convinced Pete to work out with me 2 days of the week. Since I started personal training, I have lost about 20 lbs. I feel great! I still want to lose a lot more, but what a great start toward my goal (especially during the holiday season--feels good to be losing instead of gaining!)
5. Pete and I had a fun opportunity to return to New York City! Have I mentioned I love that city? Pete had a conference, so during the day, I entertained myself by taking dance classes at the Broadway Dance Center. It was a humbling, fun dream come true for me and I would do it again! Pete and I also saw 4 Broadway shows--Billy Eliot, Hair, Fela and Westside Story. We also loved being in New York during the holidays. We were able to meet up with Pete's sister and her family one night for burgers in a greasy hole-in-the-wall (well, more of a curtain in the wall of the Parker Meridian Hotel) and see our friend Will as a lead on Broadway.
6. We are enjoying a wonderful Christmas and school break with our kids. We had lots of family party's and a great Christmas party with our friend's from medical school. We are still looking forward to spending more time with my sister Chantel and her family, a tennis round-robin with our neighborhood friends, and skiing at Alta as a family. We are very mindful of how blessed we are with wonderful friends, family and opportunity to enjoy this amazing world that we live in!
Well, that was a little longer that brief so I'll stop! But I wish all of my friends a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

One of those days!

2009-11-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those days when you just feel like staying in bed, but you can't because life goes on? That's kind of how I feel today. I'm not sure why. Who wants to stay in bed when you've been sick and in bed the last couple of weeks? Not anyone sane. That said, I am feeling much better, still just a little worn down. I've gotten back into my work outs and most of my normal life routine, but by the afternoon, I really just need a nap. I'm still hopeful that the rest of my family won't get sick. Tyler has definitely gotten it, and I'm afraid Madeline is getting sick, but I'm hoping its just a cold and not swine flu.

This has been a good week for our family. We are done with football, lacrosse and soccer season and starting into basketball season. Thankfully, basketball is not quite as intense as football or lacrosse. Plus, the kids piano teacher had a baby, so we have a little break there as well. I am making the kids practice, but its one less lesson to attend. The best thing about the week was that it was Mitchell's 9th birthday. We only do friend parties on even birthdays, so for Mitch's birthday Tuesday, he wanted to eat at Panda Express and go see Astro Boy. The next night, we met at Rocky Mountain Pizza with my family and went bowling afterwards at Olympus Hills Bowling. I laughed when my sister-in-law Jodi pointed out that we were in the world's worst places for avoiding the flu--pizza and salad bar followed by putting our little fingers in sweating bowling ball holes. Thankfully she stopped at Dan's for hand sanitizer. I think Mitch had a good time. Its crazy to think that my kids are getting so old! My baby is 4, and in January, 3 of my 4 will be baptized. Anyhow, we are grateful to have Mitch in our family. I loved what his school teacher said about him, that he's a thoughtful, deep thinking little boy. We love and appreciate Mitch for all that he adds to our family.

The kids had Friday off from school, all except Tyler, who still had preschool. I tried to make up for sick days at the gym and worked out Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I love it while I'm there, but man have I been tired in the afternoons. Pete and I attended "Is He Dead?" at Pioneer Memorial Theatre and really enjoyed it. The theatre has a program where they present one new show each year. This year's was a Mark Twain play written late in his life, very slap-stick, but entertaining. Saturday morning, Pete left for Arizona for a golf Birthday weekend with friends. His big day is Monday, when he'll finally join the ranks of being 37.

As you can see, I have no reason to feel down. Life is good! I must still be recovering a bit--that might explain my lethargic nature as of late. Or maybe its this crazy diet--only one more week in the weight loss challenge. Last week I was in 4th place in the competition, but I think the scale at the gym was off. I was 4 lbs. heavier at home. I think I really lost 2 lbs, but their scale showed me as losing 6 lbs. That would be nice, except I haven't weighed that little since last Monday, and then it makes it look like I've gained weight, when I've actually lost another pound this week. I know . . . I'm a little obsessed. Its nice to finally make some head way in losing weight, but I don't want it to take away from my family or other responsibilities.

I'm rambling again . . . time to go each some raw broccoli.

37 and laying in bed!

2009-11-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

I must have over done Thursday night and Friday at the gym, because Saturday, Halloween, I ended up laying in bed all day with chills, a terrible sore throat, the works. Is it H1N1? I don't know, but today, though I'm feeling a little better, I'm going to take it easy. I have been sick Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and now Sunday. I don't count Friday, because though I didn't feel 100%, I felt well enough to get a few things accomplished.

My family is treating me well though. I got breakfast in bed this morning, as well as gifts and homemade cards from the kids. I have a bunch of church responsibilities, but Pete is very capable and helping me out today. So, though its not the most exciting way to spend my 37th birthday, it could be worse!

The kids had a great Halloween without me. Jake played his last football game, then Pete took the kids shopping and to watch my nephew's football game. That evening, the kids trick-or-treated, while Jake and his buddies set up a "haunted house" around our backyard. Surprise, surprise, we ran out of candy this year. In the past 3 years we've lived here, we have had very few tricker treaters, so we didn't buy very much candy (plus I was trying to avoid temptation while I'm on my diet). This year, we had to break into our kids snack packs and ran out of everything! Yeah! That's one of the things that has been different about living on our street. Its very private, which is great, but then you don't get trick-or-treaters! Sometimes I miss living in a neighborhood, but I'm having a hard time convincing any members of my family to want to move. That's okay! We have a great house, schools, ward, and nice neighborhoods near us. Plus, we really have great neighbors on our street--I definitely can't complain!! I just have a "boredom" virus that likes to mix things up a bit, and moving sounds like a good way to do that!

I'm starting to ramble, I think I'll take a nap. Here's hoping that I'll finally be well tomorrow!

A Good New Author and a Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have not been well this week, and so finished a book I've been reading. This is my second book by this author, Ethan Canin, whose writing is classic and beautifully descriptive. This book, Carry Me Across the Water, was not as good as the first book I read by Canin, America America, but both demonstrate his ability to convey characters and stories in a fluid, soothing manner. They are not the most compelling reads, but if you love classic literature and descriptive writing, this is an author you ought to read.

As for being sick--I'm starting to wonder why it is that when I get motivated and pumped to get in shape, my body responds by getting shin splints or the flu? The good news is, I haven't had an appetite, so I haven't gained any weight, but I don't think I've lost any either, and I want to for this weight loss challenge with my personal trainer. So far, in three weeks, I've lost 7 lbs. I still have a long way to go, but I can tell that I'm getting fit and I feel great. I think that's the most important aspect of all.

My little dance troupe and I performed Thriller twice more this week. Once for the ward Primary party and again tonight for the Special Needs Mutual Halloween Party. Yesterday, I about passed out--I probably should have stayed home in bed. Tonight I felt a little better, which was good because after our performance, we taught a simplified version to the kids. It was so fun! Then we all did it together twice. So fun to see those cute kids smiling and walking like zombies with their "monster hands." I'm glad I felt better because it was worth it. Nice to have friends who'll participate in this fun events.

As for Halloween, this year I have an "awesome" blue power ranger (Tyler), Cleopatra (Madeline), and Harry Potter (Mitchell). As for Jake, I think he takes after me in the not good at costume department. This morning he came upstairs in tights, a pink ballet tutu, a hot-pink furry coat, a basketball jersey and a batman cape. He threw on my orange Daphne wig and we called him Fancy Nancy for his school story book parade. I still don't know what he'll dress up like on Halloween, I just know he wants to pretend to be dead on the lawn and scare people. At least he's creative. Pete and I went as Fred and Daphne from the Scooby Doo gang. Pete looked classic in his blond wig. Mine was a bit too orange, and I'm not as svelte as Daphne, so I didn't pull it off too well, but it was a fun idea. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Happy Halloween!!

Thriller was a hit!

2009-10-16T21:03:00.001-07:00

We performed Thriller for our October Enrichment meeting and it was a hit! We booked two gigs afterwards, the ward Primary Party and the Young Men and Women's special needs party. The photo was taken by a very talented friend of mine, Katherine Turley. I choreographed the dance, but it was fun to see the talents of everyone involved influence the final product. Tori Ashby and Nicole Berry really helped the performance with make-up, wigs and costuming. Deborah Wunderli cut the music. Everyone spent countless hours practicing. It was so fun. Here's a picture they took to make a poster for a prize give-a-way the night of the party. I think we'll tone down the make-up for the next two performances--might scare the kids! Tyler said I looked really creepy and he's right. Can you tell which one I am?

In other news, I started working out with a personal trainer two weeks ago. I work out three times a week for an hour and follow a strict diet. So far, its working. After the first week, I lost 5 lbs. Its been more difficult to follow the diet this week, but I'm done pretty well. Tonight I broke down and ate a garden burger and a few fries at Red Robin. I couldn't help it!! Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my weight loss on Monday. I hope I've lost at least a couple of pounds, but if not, I can tell that I'm tightening up, so it'll come!!

Thriller Inspiration

2009-10-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, some of you may be wondering why I posted dance steps to Thriller. My cute friend Talli from California told me about how she and some ladies in her stake performed Thriller, so when we decided to do an October Enrichment night called Good Things Willow Creek, I decided Thriller might be a fun entertainment segment (Good Things Utah is a morning show here in Utah, that often has groups perform). Anyhow, we have 10 ladies willing to join in the fun and perform Thriller. My friend Talli posted her video on her blog--you can find her on my friends page, if you want to watch her video. Great inspiration for "zombie character and costumes"! Maybe I'll post our video if one is made that evening!! So that's what I've been doing in my spare time--choreographing and practicing Thriller! Love it! Erin, I loved Thriller as a kid too. I had the opportunity a year ago to teach Thriller to the 4th Grade at Ridgeline Elementary School, which they performed for their Spring Dance concert. As my son's 6th grade P.E. (volunteer) teacher, I thought it would be a fun October gym class to teach them a simplified version of Thriller too. Maybe I'll attend Odyssey's Thriller this month and make it complete. Anyhow, thanks to all the cute ladies in my ward who are helping me out and making my original ideas even better. Now we have a fog machine and black lights--should be awesome!

Thriller Dance Steps

2009-09-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

This post is for the ladies in my ward helping me out with Thriller. Here is a written version of the dance steps. I'm sure they're confusing--Hopefully it'll be more clear the more we practice.

THRILLER DANCE STEPS (from Sept. 16th)

*Step Right, Left 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Shoulder shrugs
*Step right left, shoulder shrug right, head drop to shoulder 1 2 3 4 shoulder shrug 5 6 shoulder shrug 7 and 8.

Monster Walks Left and Right
*Step right, facing right, arms teed, hand flick 1 2 step together flick 3 4, repeat 5 6 7 8.
Step right side, together with monster arms, head thrown back 1 2, repeat 3 4.
Repeat on left side, step left side, together with monsters arms head thrown back 5 6, repeat 7 8.

Slide Right, Pivot Sequence
*Right step, left together right, throw back head 1 and 2, right step left together chest rests on knee 3 and 4, pivot to left 5, plie 6, snap up 7, snap down 8.

The Egyptian
*Clap overhead (feet come together) 1, slap sides 2, slide right with Egyptian head 3 4 5, left step in 6, shoulders up 7, shoulders down on And, head flip right 8, head flip front on And . . .
Repeat The Egyptian Left
*Clap overhead 1, slap sides 2, slide left with Egyptian head 3 4 5, right step in 6, shoulders up 7, shoulders down on And, head flip left 8, head flip front on And . . .

Monster Walk with Swing
*Monster hands up, walk right crossover left, repeat 1 2 3 monster hands swing left 4 swing right 5 swing left 6, crossover right 7, step left 8 swing right 1 left 2 right 3 crossover left 4, step right 5 swing left 6, swing right 7, swing right 8.
Right arm up 1, down to side with plie 2, swing around with left foot and left shoulder shrug forward 3 4 5 6 until facing back, head flip over left shoulder 7, head flip back 8.

Monster Lunges
With hands on bent knees, step (toward back of stage) starting with left foot, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.

Good thing we're practicing for the next month! Thanks for helping me out. Nicole

Labor Day Adventure

2009-09-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, being Labor Day and Pete having the day off (yeah!!), but feeling sick after his fun trip to Texas, made our possibilities for adventure a little more limited. We couldn't really do an overnighter since my boys were pretty worn out after their trip, and Mitch and Madeline had piano lessons Monday morning. But we did have a neighbor (thank you Anne) give us 14 tickets to the Bee's baseball game. After trying unsuccessfully to get another family to join us, we decided to let our kids ask friends. Jake invited 2 friends, and Mitch and Madeline each had a friend. Tyler was very sad that he didn't get to invite "someone his size" but decided that Mitch was his friend too. We had to take 2 cars to accommodate all of the seat-belt needs, more expense but definitely safer and cheaper than a ticket. Anyhow 7 kids, 11 pizzas and sodas, 4 ice cream cones, 11 snow-cones, and 7 innings of sitting in the hot sun, we carried a sleepy, sweaty Tyler home. The Bee's were being beaten, I have no idea who won, but I'm assuming it was Sacramento. I could tell Pete was done. So the kids spent the rest of the afternoon playing Statues in our shady backyard, something I have grown to love about our house--afternoon shade on a hot day, while Pete and I watched the US Open Tennis match between Wacniacky and the Russian girl (whose name I've forgotten, something like Slovenka). Then we feasted on a take home Wingers meal and sent our kids to bed. Yes, I did get in two more chapters of the Boxcar Children and succeeded in scaring Tyler. This morning, as we drove down Walker Lane, a wooded part of Salt Lake, I asked Tyler if he wouldn't want to live in this beautiful area. He replied, "mom, don't you remember last night in the Boxcar children, how you said children shouldn't be alone in the woods? If we lived here, I would be alone in the woods and I need to have a mommy." Oops! At least he's remembering what I read. Anyhow, its nice to spend time with my cute kids and my fabulous husband. We are very blessed.

Confessions of a Lonely Wife

2009-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I can finally write about my weekend now that Pete and the boys will be home tomorrow. I am wary of posting anything while my hubby is gone since my cousin, who lives in Arizona, was robbed after posting about a vacation on fb or a blog, I can never remember which. Isn't that terrible . . . they even did a news story on it. So, since that time, I really try not to talk about a vacation until its over, or to say I'm home alone, until I'm not anymore. But I have found that I post a lot less because by the time I get around to writing about my experiences, I've forgotten half of what happened. I'm rambling--back to the point.

Pete, Jake and Mitch had a fun . . . LONG . . . boy's weekend to Texas for the BYU vs. Oklahoma game (which BYU won tonight, in a very close game, 14-13). They left Wednesday evening, so they spent Thursday touring the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, eating lots of delicious Texas food, and watching the Utes beat the Aggies (no surprise there). Friday, they went to an aquarium and then spent the afternoon boating with Pete's brother Mike's family. Jake got up on two ski's and Mitch was the tubing champ. Saturday, they attended my nephew Kyle's game, then headed to Six Flags until it was time to attend the football game. Have I mentioned how crazy, busy my life is? Can you see why, when my husband lives like this even when he's on vacation? Don't get me wrong, I think its great--its just exhausting at times.

I, on the other hand, have realized a few things about myself while Pete has been gone.

1. I don't sleep well when Pete's gone. I didn't get to sleep until 2am Thursday night, and woke up at 4am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.
2. I read a lot (finished 2 books) and watch a lot of movies (3 and a half) when Pete is gone.
3. Life is less chaotic with two children (especially when I have no activities to attend since its a holiday weekend).
4. I eat out a lot more when Pete is gone. (Tyler actually talked me into eating at McDonald's twice. We spent 2 hours at McDonald's play land on Friday night and then had it again for breakfast today. YUCK!).
5. I don't get a lot done while Pete is gone because I get so little sleep, watch too many movies and read too many books. This is opposite of my spouse who painted my laundry room for me while I was gone to Germany and had the house in tiptop shape upon my return.

I have concluded from this experience that Peter is better for me than I am for him. When he's around, I am a productive, efficient, mothering machine. When he's gone, let's just say . . . not so much! As for Pete, you take me out of the picture and our house is run like a well oiled machine. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but its the truth. Maybe my biggest purpose in life is to show other husband's how great their wives are, help them really appreciate how great they really are, when they can compare them to my laid-back, slovenly ways! And women gain more confidence in my presence, as they realize they're not the only ones who don't fold their laundry often enough, or sweep, or organize disorganized closets, or do the dishes or weed the yard. Okay, I'm revealing too much, but on a positive note, Tyler and Madeline have both bathed this weekend (especially after playing at the FILTHY McDonald's playland for two hours). Madeline played "Yankee Doodle" on the Big-esque (think Tom Hanks movie) piano at the Golden arches thanks to my insistence on her practicing the piano. I learned that Ronald McDonald and the Joker are brothers, a valuable piece of information passed on from Mitchell to Tyler and then to all of the customers at the above named fast food joint (I think all that creative, imagination is inherited from me). We've read 5 chapters in The Boxcar Children at bedtime, so I can't be too horrible! It just goes to show how loneliness affects people differently, or maybe I just need Pete more than he needs me!

Funny Tyler story. Thursday I took Tyler to the library. As we were pulling into the parking lot, I was reminding Tyler that we need to be quiet in the library, speak with a whisper, that sort of thing. If you know my little guy, you know he talks non-stop in a rather loud manner, all day long. A reminder was a necessity. After my 2nd reminder, Tyler yells at me "Mom, I always talk with a quiet voice." Enough said.

Today, after my lazy weekend, I took my daughter and niece to see a show at Hale Center Theatre in Orem. The show was Over the River and Through the Woods and it was a funny, surprisingly moving show. I have a lot of fun memories hanging out in that theatre (never acting in a production, mind you) during high school and college. When Pete and I were first engaged, he did a show with our friends, Will, Amy and Kolby entitled The Nerd. Will is now a Tony nominated actor starring in Hair on Broadway. I could say, who wudda thunk, but I always figured Will would make it big one day! Pete hasn't had much opportunity to act in community theatre, but I think he should. As a matter of fact, I've decided that one of these days, I'm going to tackle my fear of acting and take a class somewhere. It's something I've always wanted to do, but been too petrified and self-conscious to pursue. Why not? If I can ride my bike for 111 miles, I think I could take an acting class. I know, I know . . . it doesn't mean I'd be any good, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be good at all, but it would be good for me and fun! I'll have to see what I can find . . . maybe I'll take a refresher tap course, voice lessons, and an acting class this fall and audition for 42nd Street in the Spring . . . I can always dream, right?

Well, one more night of tossing and turning, then Pete will be home. Craziness will ensue, and hopefully, I'll read a little less, and get a little more done!

Fond Memories

2009-09-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, as I was reading The Boxcar Children to my kids, I had such great memories of my first time reading that book. I was in 2nd grade, like my daughter, and my teacher was Mrs. Osborne, my favorite teacher of all time. Mrs. Osborne was married to a professional tennis player, and had a daughter named Olivia (I remember, it became my favorite Barbie doll name for awhile), though I can't remember her other daughter's name. She was very cautious about playing on the jungle gym because the above named daughter, who had waist length hair, had lost a chunk of hair when it was stepped on by a fellow student while she was hanging upside down from the jungle gym. If my memory serves correctly, my teacher looked a bit like Grace Farrel from the movie Annie. Anyhow, I associate Mrs. Osborne with reading that book, because after lunch recess, as we came into the classroom, she would turn out the lights, have us lay our heads down on our desks, then read to us by candle light. The Boxcar Children became one of my favorite books. I love that memory! I'm sure it was against school rules and fire codes, but it was the best way to listen to a story. So last night, though we didn't have a candle, we did read the Boxcar Children by "camping lantern" light--I think that's a pretty good substitute. Aaaahhh! The good old days.

Ughhh! Girl fights!

2009-08-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am not prepared to help my daughter deal with the often cruel world of being a girl. She's only a second grader for heaven's sake--can't it wait until she's in Jr. High? I was a shy, quiet little girl, who usually had a few close friends, rather than big groups of friends. I remember girls being mean, my reaction usually to just kind of fade out of the picture. But my Maddy is a social child, and though I'm sure the problem is in part of her own making, its really hard to witness. When we first moved to this house, I was so happy that we had two little girls Madeline's age living next door, but now I'm realizing that having a little distance from friends can be a good, though less convenient, thing. I'd love some suggestions on how to deal with this not very fun problem.

Back to School tomorrow!

2009-08-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe today's our official last day of summer. We had a busy day meeting new teachers, last minute school shopping, and later going out to dinner and home for Father's Blessings. Its also our last day with our nephew Blake staying with us. Its been so pleasant, he fit right into the family, we'll miss having him around. I've already begun to dread my crazy new, after 3pm schedule. I need to train myself to efficiently use my time while the kids are at school so the after school time doesn't seem so impossible. Here's a brief overview of my weeks to come.

Monday: Piano lessons, FHE
Tuesday: Football, Lacrosse, 11 yr. old scouts, YM for Pete
Wednesday: Dance, Football, Activity Days, Scouts
Thursday: Football, Soccer, Lacrosse
Friday: Hopefully lots of fun playing with friends!
Saturday: Soccer, Lacrosse and Football games
Sunday: A welcome respite from the rest of the week's busyness!

Tyler starts preschool this year, 2 days a week, so I figure I can get in some good bike rides on those days, and skiing in the winter. I am also volunteering with 2 other moms as the 6th grade P.E. teachers, which should be fun but busy. Aaahhh well. Another summer down, another school year to begin.

News Headlines

2009-08-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

I've been very fascinated and saddened by a news headline on Yahoo (I know, hardly reliable news, but all that I look at currently) about a female athlete who won the 800, but is being questioned about her genetic make-up. Why this is fascinating to me, I don't know, except that it targets a conundrum of science that I don't understand. To look at this girl physically, you can understand, to some degree, why her femaleness would be called into question. She is very muscular, masculine looking, flat as a board, and apparently, has a deep, gruff voice. She is not being questioned for cheating, there is just concern that she is not truly genetically a girl. The poor girl has dealt with this her whole life, calmly, aside from one time when an individual was trying to ban her from using the women's restroom. To this, she threatened to pull down her pants to prove her femaleness, thankfully, not having to resort to such actions. My question is, so what if she isn't genetically a girl? Her whole life, that is what she has thought she was. Is it fair to take away her chance to compete because her physical body doesn't fit into the definitions of male and female that our society has defined? Especially since I've been married to Pete, a urologist, I've learned of some genetic defects at birth that may leave some individuals androgynous. I wonder how our society will learn to deal with these types of issues as they become more apparent and as science progresses. Anyhow, that's the thought that's been on my mind tonight, preventing me from sleeping. The injustices done to those who have no control over their situation. I think I'd better sleep on it, though I doubt I'll have an answer tomorrow, or anytime soon.

I did it!!

2009-08-10T08:14:00.001-07:00

I am so happy! I actually rode all 111 miles, the last 40 were killer with headwinds and hills, but it felt so good to complete the ride!! I could not have done it without my good friends Brook and Kim. Brook and I started the race together, and we were both determined to do it!! We knew we might be slow and that it might kill us, but we were determined to see it through. We met up with Kim at lunch and she was great to stay with us for the rest of the race. She has done several of these races and I'm sure she could have gone ahead of us, but it was fun to have her along to help us!!

I felt great until about 86.5 miles, then I started wondering what I was trying to prove to myself!! We were riding against the wind, and though they weren't big hills, when you've already ridden that far, they were tough. But how can you quit when you've come that far. By the time we hit 100 miles, I was starting to feel a little loopy and giddy! When we finished, I was so euphoric, I decided I was totally up for the fundraising dinner at LaCaille. So we hurried home so I could shower and change into my "fancy get-up" and headed to LaCaille. I felt great until after I'd eaten dinner, when my tiredness hit me like a wall. I told Pete that we needed to find a nice time to leave or I might fall asleep, face down in my dessert. Yesterday, Sunday, I felt the effects of my LONG ride more keenly, but considering that I was on my bike actually riding for 7 1/2 hours, and out for about 9, I think I'm feeling pretty good.

I am really grateful for all of my wonderful friends and family who gave me confidence and encouragement! I entered the ride as incentive to work-out, but was so nervous the week before the ride!! I really started to doubt my sanity and abilities. It was nice to have so many "you can do its" from friends. It feels so great to complete an accomplishment like that!! I had seriously considered doing another ride in September in Park City--I'm not sure yet if I'll do that, but I know that I'll try and ride another century next summer. Thank you, thank you to Brook and Kim!! What a fun adventure, and even better for having done it with friends!!

The ULCER is tomorrow!

2009-08-07T09:28:00.001-07:00

I am so nervous . . . my big bike ride is tomorrow. When I get nervous, I get tired. Not a good combination for a 111 mile bike ride. At least my air conditioning is fixed so I can sleep well today. I really, really want to finish the ride and do the full 111 miles, but I'm not confident that I'm physically up for it. I've been training hard, but I'm not sure its enough. Oh well, what can I do but try my best! I have to keep thinking, I can do it, I can do it. Unfortunately, I have this nagging little voice in the back of my head saying, "are you sure? Maybe you can't!" Oh well . . . wish me luck.

On Wednesday, my friend Nicole and I went for a ride, trying to attempt finding the trail for this ride. We had a hilarious experience. The first part was fine, just funny because we couldn't read the map well enough to know if we were on the right path. We kept taking little dead end roads and then turning around and looking for a new trail. We turned around at about 13 miles, figuring we could get in a 25 to 30 mile ride, and a little more confident because the path was very flat. Somehow, instead of ending up at Thanksgiving Point, we ended up in Saratoga Springs at Redwood Road. Meanwhile, my kids keep calling . . . can Mitch play with this friend or this friend? Do I know where Maddy's tennis racket is? Can Maddy play with Alyssa? I'm starting to feel a little stressed about my kids and have no idea how to get home. A somewhat helpful girl at the Rite Aid said she thought there was a back road to Thanksgiving Point. Of course I chose the wrong one (my poor friend Nicole). Anyhow, it looked like it was going in the right direction, until it took a sharp turn back in the opposite way in which we wanted to go. That's when I saw the dirt road with a "Keep out" sign posted. Nicole and I decided we could plead our case--being mother's in a hurry to get back to our children. So we walked across this field, on a gravel path, that I didn't realize was chewing up my new toe clips. I've yet to decide whether I ought to just go buy new ones, but that's a separate matter. We finally reached a berm of trees and plantings. I thought the Thanksgiving Point Golf Course might be on the other side, and I knew it had a bridge over the Jordan River, a major obstacle to reaching our destination. Nicole saw the golf path on the other side, so we decided to go for it. We rode our bikes on the golf cart trails, until we came to a lawnmower, who told us we couldn't go any further until the Jr. Golf Championship golfers took their turns on the tee-box. Then he kindly showed us which way to go to get to the bridge and back into a neighborhood, so we could make our way back to Thanksgiving Point. One wrong right turn later, my fault again, we finally found the way back to Nicole's car!! It was a fun ride, 28 miles, and a memorable adventure. Nicole's a good sport and in great shape!! Good inspiration for an old lady like myself!!

The Briefest of Updates

2009-08-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jake decided to play football after all . . . summer is officially over!

I have a second post on my decorating blog-www.fontainedebienvenu.blogspot.com so check it out!

I am tired! I've done 75 miles on my bike this week and I can feel it today!!

Like I said, it'll be brief, so I'm done!!

Summer Highlights

2009-07-27T14:29:00.001-07:00

I keep thinking I'll have time to blog about our fun summer, but time keeps slipping away. So, here is an abbreviated "highlights" of our summer so far!

June:

End of baseball (Mitch), soccer (Madeline) and Lacrosse (Jake) seasons
Lacrosse tournament in Park City
Pete's big Tribal Golf Tournament in St. George

July:

Trip to Vancouver, WA with all of my family (except Pete and Jake, all extended family that is) for Cohen's baby blessing. While we were there, we had a great time playing in the fountains, picnicking in the park and listening to the Jazz Festival in downtown Portland. We had a great cave hike adventure at the Ape Caves in Mt. St. Helen's recreation area, the longest lava shoot in North America. Since all of the girls were together, we had a pedicure/manicure shower for my sister Heather, whose getting married in September. Great times--always fun hanging out with the family--25 of us, all staying in Misty's house!

Trip to Moab, Utah with the Boy Scouts. I got home from Washington Monday night (I drove with my parents) and turned around and let on Wednesday morning to go to Moab. I haven't been back since Pete and I lived there the first summer we were married, working as river guides on the mighty Colorado River. Such great memories. We scoped out camp and hiking spots for Pete's Boy Scout Adventure. We ate pizza at Eddie McStiff's, swam at the Moab public pool, bought some art from a Main Street Gallery and generally enjoyed reliving my younger days when I lived in a swimsuit all day and it wasn't torture (unlike now)! Pete, Jake and Mitch camped with the Boy Scouts and then did a daily river run on Friday and a 10 mile hike on Saturday.

Mitchell's Field of Dreams at with the Bee's. This was a fun event for Mitch and the Alta Canyon Phillies. They were invited to go down onto the field with the players, play some catch in their positions after telling the audience their name, and then tour the facilities. We had a great time and were proud of our Mitch!

Fisher family trip to Laguna Beach, California. Pete's parents rented a beach house, a mere 62 steps from the beach, for a week. We had a fabulous time, playing at the beach, taking two days at Disneyland, attending the Pageant of the Masters, and renting a Surrey bike for 6 in Balboa Island. I loved the the Pageant of the Masters, a Laguna tradition since 1932, that recreates works of art using live models. The sculptures were amazing, but I especially loved the paintings and how they came to life on stage. All in all, a great family vacation.

Jake and friends Supermen and Women basketball camp. Jake and his buddies made fliers and organized a sports camp for kids 4 to 8. We are in the midst of it this week, and though its a bit crazy, I'm proud of Jake for following through.

Tennis lessons. The kids and I are all taking lessons this summer and its been great. I've also had the chance to meet with some friends in the mornings and play. I feel like I'm getting a little better bit by bit, but mostly I'm just having fun.

Looking forward to:

A relaxing August. Jake decided not to play football this year, so I feel like I have much more time on my hands. We don't have any big plans for vacations, just enjoying the great recreation around us.

The ULCER. This is a 111-mile bike ride I have been trying to train for this summer. I'm not sure I'm ready for that long of a ride, but I'm grateful for the motivation its given me to get out and ride my bike. Wish me luck on finishing on Aug. 8th!!

A Second Blog

2009-07-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am starting a second blog as an outlet for my interest in home decorating and gardening. It is in the beginning phases, but if any of you have ideas and pictures you'd like to contribute, email them to me at www.fontainedebienvenu@gmail.com. The site is called Fontaine de Bienvenu Home and Garden, the name taken from my maiden name before it was Americanized. Bienvenu means welcome, and a little side note, my grandfather and great grandfather had the middle initial W. which stood for Welcome. Anyhow, check out the blog at fontainedebienvenu.blogspot.com and send me all of your great ideas. I am especially interested in gardening tips, easy summer recipes and home improvement upgrades using spray paint or other paints. I'd also be happy to advertise for any related businesses, so let me know! Happy decorating!

Motivation

2009-07-08T09:13:00.001-07:00

I am happy to report that I am finally motivated to start training for the ULCER bike ride I'm doing on Aug. 8th. I signed up for the 111 miles--I may or may not make that, but I've been out for a few rides and I'm feeling much better. Last night I rode with my friend Kim, whose also doing the ride. Today I rode alone. I've also been playing tennis in the mornings with some friends. I may not have reached my weight loss and healthy living goals yet, but it feels good to be working toward it!

I had a great trip with my family to Vancouver, Washington to visit Misty and her family, and to participate in the blessing of adorable baby Cohen. I am off on another adventure in an hour, so I don't have time for details now, but I am grateful to have such a great family!

Summer Reading Recommendations:

A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair (this was a really fun, light, mystery read--definitely chic-lit, but great!)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter
My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young
I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Plain Truth by Jodi Piccoult
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Something Borrowed; Something Blue; Baby Proof; Love the one your with all by Emily Giffin
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Cold Sassy Tree
The Book Thief
The Red Tent
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Happy Reading!!

It's been a great week . . .

2009-06-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

having my sister Misty, and her cute family staying with us! Our house has been very busy with 10 kids running around, and 1 baby. Today we went to a splash zone, last night we had 9 kids sleeping over, and had a big Father's Day BBQ. We have 4 more days of fun to look forward too.

I also finished another book and wanted to share some quotes. The book is "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant, an interesting read that inspired me to read the story of Jacob and Dinah from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. This book is written by a Jewish author, therefore written from a different perspective than that which I was used to. But I loved a few quotes from the end of the book, attributed to Dinah.

"Death is no enemy, but the foundation of gratitude, sympathy, and art. Of all life's pleasures, only love owes no debt to death." (p. 320)

"In Egypt, I loved the perfume of the lotus. A flower would bloom in the pool at dawn, filling the entire garden with a blue musk so powerful it seemed that even the fish and ducks would swoon. By night, the flower might wither but the perfume lasted. Fainter and fainter, but never gone. Even many days later, the lotus remained in the garden. Months would pass and a bee would alight near the spot where the lotus had blossomed, and its essence was released again, momentarily but undeniable."
"Egypt loved the lotus because it never dies. It is the same for people who are loved. Thus can something as insignificant as a name-two syllables, one high, one sweet-summon up the innumerable smiles and tears, sighs and dreams of a human life."
(p. 321)

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:41:00.001-07:00

It's been a great day spent with the father of my four great kids, and my father-in-law. We had a dinner at Debbie's house, with all of Pete's family. Debbie asked each of the in-laws to say something that they love about Byron. A little unusual, in that we are the in-laws (or out-laws as some like to say), but it turned out to be a nice idea. Since I'm the only woman, and admittedly, not the best public speaker, the task seemed a bit daunting. On the way to Debbie's house, I joked about doing an interpretive dance entitled "Ode to Byron". I may joke, but I'm lucky to have a great father-in-law. One of the things I like best about Byron is his joie de vivre, as the French say. He has a great enthusiasm and love of live that is both contagious and inspirational. Byron is always quick with a smile and a joke. Those are qualities he has passed down to Pete, my husband, some of the qualities that first attracted me to Pete.

Speaking of Pete . . . what can I say about Pete? He's an incredible husband and father, my best friend. He makes me feel like the coolest, sexiest woman in the world ( and I know that's not true), but still . . . I trust him, I laugh with him, we share many things in common and appreciate each others differences. I'm lucky to have ended up with such a great man. So Happy Father's Day!

Now you may wonder, why I haven't mentioned my own dad. I was just saving him for last. I think ending up with such a great guy was in part because I have such a great dad. With an example of a loving marriage in my own parents, the expectations in my own marriage were set high. My dad is the greatest! He is such an example of honesty and integrity. He also helped me to appreciate the gift of feeling emotions deeply. I have a hard time expressing myself, especially verbally, but I'm grateful to recognize and appreciate the simple things in life that make us happy. I learned that from my dad. Like, noticing the beauty of nature. Another thing I learned from my dad, was not to be a quitter, to endure. My natural weakness is to give up when things get hard, but dad wouldn't let me do that. When I was a freshman at BYU and really hating it, I remember calling my dad and saying that I was through. I wanted to transfer to the University of Utah and be done with the "weirdness" at BYU. My dad said, "You committed to BYU for a year, and you need to see it through for the year. At the end of the first year if you want to transfer, then fine. But see it through." At the time, I was a little mad. I had a crazy roommate (that's another story, probably not a good blog one) and culturally, BYU was very different than my upbringing. But my dad was right. By not quitting, I was able to look at the courses at the U of U, and really think through what I wanted from my education and what each university had to offer. It turned out that although most of my friends were at the U, the class courses were more science oriented than what I wanted. At BYU, I was able to take dance classes, theatre, art, the liberal arts courses that I loved and were more suited to my talents and interests. That is just one example of the many life experiences and which my dad has taught me to be a better person by evaluating my goals and personal convictions. I love my dad. He always let me know that I could be anything I put my mind and effort to. I'm grateful for the confidence he had in me and the hard work and sacrifices he made for me and my siblings so that we could be where we are today. I'm also grateful for the importance he placed on being a good person that people can count on, and on the importance of relationships with others. I'm a better person for the love and care that I receive from my husband, my father and my father-in-law. Happy Father's Day!

I Love Park City!

2009-06-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

This past week, my family has spent part or most of 5 days in (or nearby) Park City. First, we spent the day with my family at East Canyon. On Tuesday evening, I drove up with the kids to meet Pete for dinner after he golfed in Park City and then we shopped at the outlets for our kids shoes. Yesterday, today and tomorrow have been spent at the Park City Shoot Out Lacrosse Tournament for my oldest son, Jake. I love Lacrosse, so its been a fun week even though the boys have been beaten pretty mercilessly by these teams from California, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona and Texas. At least they beat the Nevada team and we still have 2 games to go tomorrow. Anyhow, its been so much fun, I tried to convince Pete that we should just move to Park City. He didn't buy it! I guess I still need to work on how to persuade him. So far, he's only agreed to a "possible" retirement address in Park City. Man--its hard never getting my way!!

Funny Kid Stories and other happenings

2009-06-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

Mitchell: The other day, driving in the car, somehow the kids and I started talking about how we have to be careful what kinds of things we look at, you know, the watch out for pornography talks you have with your kids. Anyhow, Mitch says, "Mom, I know what you mean. The other day when I was playing on the computer, I saw some pictures of girls in bikinis . . ." I pause here because as a mom, you know what your heart does when you hear your child say this. Did they see more than bikinis? I'm glad he's telling me now, but why not then? Anyhow, you get the idea of how my mind is running . . . So I say, "Mitch, did you see anything more than bikinis? You know to shut the computer if anything like that comes up, and then come and get me." To my utter dismay and astonishment he says, "No, it was just bikinis. They were pictures of you and your friends." Oh yes, those high school pictures from my senior year trip to St. George. The ones I left on the shelf by the computer so I could re-scrapbook them since I originally used masking tape. Nice . . . the "pornography" I was concerned with was caused by my own lack of modesty as a girl! Hmmm! At least that's all it was.

Madeline: Right before Christmas, I took Madeline on a mother/daughter trip to New York City. We had a fabulous time, and though she's only 6, I can tell its had a real impression on her. When we watch movies, she always recognizes when its set in New York City, and she gets really excited about the fact that she's been there. The other night when we watched the Tony awards, she said, "I've been to that theatre!" because it took place at Radio City Music Hall where we saw the Christmas Spectacular. We also saw 2 musicals, so she has become more interested in the theatre. Anyhow, the other day we were listening to the soundtrack from "Wicked" in the car. Madeline asked questions about what was going on in the musical and which characters were singing. When we got home, Madeline asked if she could take the CD to listen to in her room. I told her to be careful and then went back to unloading sleeping Tyler and groceries, and all those other tasks that keep mom's busy. About an hour later, I went upstairs to check on her. She was laying on her stomach, legs swaying, listening to the CD and looking at pictures from our coffee table book of Wicked, a Christmas gift from the couple whom we saw it with in NYC. Such a cute sight! And I can say, it was worth every penny to have a fellow family member grow to love the theatre as much as I do. I have a feeling we have lots of fun adventures ahead of us.

Tyler to Pete this morning: "Dad, I totally saw you on TV." (In regards to watching Pete's news interview last night).
Tyler to me several days ago: "Mom, can you fix Mr. Potato Head's junk?" I think I must have been caught a little off guard, because when I didn't answer immediately, Tyler said, "You know, his bum." Where does he get this stuff? Well, that evening, I got my answer when I heard Pete say "Tyler, stop messin' with your junk." I'm sure you know what Pete was referring to and now I know where Tyler learns most of his funny phrases. I can't blame Jake and Mitch any longer.

Funny things my kids like to say:

Madeline: "Oh snap!"
Tyler: "Oh, pickle sauce!"

All of my kids favorite restaurant, as of last night: The Sizzler. Yep, I have no idea what possessed me to agree to take them to dinner at the Sizzler. I haven't been back there since I briefly dated Rich Marstella in college, and we used to meet his parents there on Friday evenings. That's been many, many years ago, and never have I craved going back. Well, I gave in. My kids were very grateful though (a good thing because it was expensive). I kept hearing from my 3 oldest, "This is the best restaurant. This is my new favorite place to eat. Thanks mom, you're the best. This is the best food." Sheer appreciation from my not always grateful children. They ate till their stomachs hurt. Meanwhile, I made 3 trips to the bathroom with a very upset stomach! Sizzler did NOT agree with me. So kids, I'm glad you thought it was so great, but I have no intention of going back!

My sister Misty and her family are coming in town this week. Jake has a lacrosse tournament for the next three days. And I had a fabulous lunch date with my amazing friends from high school. I've been friends with Liz since kindergarten, and with Julie, Kim and Francie since junior high school. Always fun to spend time with them. So if we could just get it to warm up around her, summer is off to a nice start!

Hike to Deseret Peak

2009-06-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening, Pete and Jake, hiked with Janae, Pete's sister and her son Spencer, to Deseret Peak. Janae sent some cute pictures, so I thought I'd post them.

Its all happening at the Zoo!

2009-06-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for a sunny, mild temperature day to enjoy the zoo with my kids. We had a great time!! I'll post photos later.

Another rainy day in Salt Lake

2009-06-11T12:37:00.001-07:00

Wow! This weather has been incredibly wet and cold. Day after day of rain and big thunderstorms is unusual weather here in Salt Lake. Its amazing the effect weather can have on your psyche and on your schedule.

This morning, Mitch and Madeline began piano lessons. I stayed for the first part, took a walk, and then came back for the last part of the lesson. There's a lot to learn about reading notes and keys for little ones on the first day, but it was fun for me to come home and pick out some simple notes after listening to their lesson. I think that will give me greater ability to help them practice and I may actually learn to read music and play the piano myself.

After piano, Pete had a surgery cancel, so he came home for a few hours. When he was headed back to work, I asked if he would drop me and my bike at the post office, so I could mail the bills and ride my bike home. I'm trying to get myself in shape for a bike ride in August and this weather has not helped my cause. Anyhow, he kindly consented. As I was riding home, the clouds rolled in dark and ominous. I high-tailed it home, hoping to avoid the rain. Jake and his buddies wanted to play basketball at Cottonwood Heights, so we jumped in the car to drop them off. As I waited outside to be sure they made it to the gym, the storm hit. Unbelievable the power of the elements. Within minutes, the rain gutters and storm drains turned into miniature rivers, swelling and overflowing with water. At street corners where two intersections met, small lakes had formed in the streets. As you can imagine, driving in this type of weather is a bit stressful, so with a white-knuckles clutching the steering wheel, we headed for home.

As I'm driving, shoulders clenched and neck tight, I noticed that Madeline is humming. I look over at her seat and she's tracing the rain drops with her finger, humming to herself. I glanced in my rear-view mirror and see Tyler, peacefully asleep, mouth wide open, slack-jawed (he inherited that from his father). It made me think about the level of security we give our children. Thankfully my stress in driving wasn't translating into Madeline's observation of the storm. Lightning cracking, thunder booming, ground shaking, hail pounding the windshield didn't seem to phase her. Instead, she's humming pleasantly to herself, actually enjoying the storm. I think that's the beauty and innocence of childhood. The confidence and security to know that people love you and will take care of you when the storms come. I'm grateful to observe these moments periodically, to give me better insight into the simple pleasures of life. I think the tension shrank from my shoulders, a little bit anyway.

We decided to drive down a road where you cross a bridge over Little Cottonwood Creek, a river that meanders through the area where we live. The bridge dips fairly low, and the water level was just below the bridge, rushing and muddy with debris. I think that was the first time during the storm that I heard a little gasp from Madeline. Thankfully we're home now, safe and snug in our house. I guess it's another movie day here.

Fun Date Night

2009-06-06T21:37:00.001-07:00

Pete and I had a fun date night tonight with our friends the Buckwalters. First we met for a 9 holes of golf at the Old Mill Golf Course, and then had an excellent dinner at Porcupine Grill. I ordered a vegetarian pizza, minus the eggplant, and it was delicious. Though I am not a great golfer, I do enjoy it and I'm happy to report I hit my first par 3. I know . . . its not saying much, but still, an accomplishment for me.

We also had a fun first Saturday of summer vacation today. Jake was involved in the second day of a lacrosse tournament, so we left bright and early this morning to watch his team defeat Bingham 3-2 in a very exciting, close game. Jake's team won their second game 7-0, although the night before they didn't have the same luck, losing the first game 5-13, and the second 5-6. I was unable to watch the second game since I had to chauffeur Madeline to her last soccer game of the season. She had a great game and steadily improved through the season. Her team had a soccer party in the afternoon, and Jake was invited to a boy/girl swim party. I'm still not sure what I think of these boy/girl parties before junior high school. Seems a bit young to me, although there's nothing wrong with having girls for friends. Mitch and Tyler, again, played great supportive roles, being shuttled to and from games and cheering on their siblings. Mitch finished a great baseball season earlier this spring, with 2 extra tournament games. He also really improved over the season, playing catcher and first base, the boy is a natural slugger! Most importantly, all three big kids had great grades to finish out the school year. That always helps me to know we're on the right track.

Tyler isn't complaining of broken bones any longer and he's memorized the chorus of Wheezer's "Troublemaker". Ya know "I'm a troublemaker, never been a faker. Doing things my own way, never giving up." This is the song, when asked to sing a song after being complimented on his cute voice, that Tyler first thought to sing. To our friend who also happens to be the Bishop's wife. That's when I wonder what improvements I could make in my parenting skills. My kids don't sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or the ABC's, they're singing Wheezer's "Do you want to destroy my sweater?" Hmmm?

The only thing I wish were different in my life right now? Yard work! I wish I didn't have to do it. I just don't feel like planting flowers and I really don't want to water the few flowers I have. And mowing the lawn . . . yeah, pretty much sick of that and its early in June!! It doesn't help that our lawn mower is broken, so we've borrowed our neighbors ride on mower. So much quicker than our little mower, but it wouldn't help my kids learn how to work. I mean, I have 3 boys, we can't hire someone to do our lawn or buy a riding mower, that's just not right! Not to mention, I mowed the lawn as a kid (still do), Madeline can definitely help as well. Maybe when we have less obligations in other areas, I'll find some motivation, deep within me to work on my yard! I hope so.

Today . . .

2009-06-04T07:35:00.001-07:00

Then tomorrow, and we're officially done with school this year! Hurray!! I think I am more tired of homework than my kids.

Poor Tyler

2009-06-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

My little Tyler is not feeling well today, and in classic form, he makes the funniest comments. Sadly, he's feverish and laying around. He woke up in the middle of the night, went back to sleep, woke again and crawled on the bench at the foot of my bed and fell asleep again. He was awakened by his siblings getting ready for school, so he walked 10 steps down the hall and layed down on the wood floors and fell asleep again. You know your kids don't feel well when they fall asleep on wood floors. When I picked him up to move him to a bed, he said "I need a bandage. All my bones in my body are broken. Please give me a vitamin." The kid cracks me up! As far as I know, bandages and vitamins don't fix fevers, but when I feel feverish and sore, it does kind
of feel like all my bones are broken. I hope the Tylenol kicks in soon and that he starts feeling better.

Little Girls and Baby Dolls

2009-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I watched my friend's darling almost two year old daughter, Charlie. We had such a good time. She is in that adorable still little baby, but starting to talk stage. She walked in the door and wanted to go straight up to Madeline's bedroom--Charlie knew exactly where all the baby dolls were. We changed all of the dolls clothes, did their hair, fed them, walked them in the grocery cart, put them in the high chair, etc., etc. It was pure bliss! And she called me mom . . . oh it makes me sad to be out of that stage of life! Tyler is still an adorable 3 1/2 year old and we have a lot of fun together. My other kids are also in great stages--we can finally go on family bike rides together, with only Tyler in a bike seat. But still, there is something about babies! Will this ever go away? Maybe this is why grandma's are so crazy about their grandkids. Anyhow, I am glad to have little nieces and nephews that I can cuddle with, and thankfully, Tyler has a little bit of a Peter Pan Complex, and doesn't want to grow up, so I can still cuddle and squeeze his cute, chubby cheeks! I'm so grateful to be a mom!

I'm reading the best book!

2009-05-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Now, keep in mind that I love history, so before you go out and buy this book, Desert Queen, realize it is a historical biography of a woman named Gertrude Bell. I had never heard of her, but as I read this book, I have this growing desire to go back to teaching history. Miss Bell would have been a great addition to my Women Studies class, or to help my understanding of the Middle East. Just as when I read Three Cups of Tea, I find this book fascinating, especially since I have so little background on public relations in the Middle East. Three Cups of Tea was very inspiring, seeing what an individual's determination and hard work can accomplish. The same is true of Gertrude Bell, only her story was pre-World War I, a Victorian English woman, who didn't have the right to vote, let alone the gumption to travel alone to the Middle East and help create the Iraq of today. There are photos in the book of Miss Bell, with her feather clad hats, sitting amongst fifty men, she being the only woman. In an Arab world were women were considered far below men, she was given an audience with sheiks and holy men who had never even seen an English woman before.

I often wonder, when Tyler is in full day school, what type of work I would like to pursue. Usually I think about interior design or owning a shop, but when I read books like this, I get so excited about the possibility of teaching again. If only I'd had some of the experiences and knowledge I have now, when I taught 11 years ago. Our trip to Chicago and the art institute there also made me think about going back to teaching. To teach AP Art History now would be bliss compared to my experience when I was 23 years old and learning as I went along. Anyhow--after I finish the book, I will write more. There are some fascinating quotes and insights from 1919 about Iraq that shed a lot of understanding on current day circumstances.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic, relaxing weekend for Memorial Day. Lately, I have felt overwhelmed with all of the "stuff" I seem to fill my life with. It was really nice to have a weekend with no practices or ball games and only a few obligations. Pete had Monday off, which is always nice. We started the day with breakfast at IHOP--Jake's request. Pete and I shared crepes and they were delicious. Then, we loaded up our bikes (it took two cars, I think we need to invest in a bike rack) and headed to the Porter Rockwell Trail in Draper. I love this trail for family bike riding. It's mostly flat, quiet, and stress-free since there are no cars to worry about. I tried out my new road bike, and it was amazing how much less effort is required to ride a road bike compared to a mountain bike with a baby seat! Pete was kind to take Tyler this time. We got snow cones and Subway sandwiches for lunch and then headed to the driving range to hit some golf balls. Tyler may be a little young for this activity, but it was very fun. The only thing missing was Mitch, who got to spend the night at his cousins house. We picked him up at 5pm, then hit the local wings joint for dinner. Afterwards, we went and saw Night at the Museum Part II. I really liked it, although I never saw the first one. Pete and Jake thought it was just okay. What a fun day spent as a family, well mostly. Cute Mitch had two sleepover this weekend. He now thinks Memorial Day is the coolest holiday ever. Even though we missed him, I think he had a great time.

I'm not sure what it is lately, but Salt Lake is beautiful right now! The mountains are green, yet still snow-capped. The skies are blue with billowy white, clouds. There are still flowers and trees in bloom everywhere--its spectacular! We have these poppy plants in my front yard, and the greenery is kind of ugly, but they are so gorgeous in bloom. My favorite plant is my bleeding heart, although I just planted 2 lilac bushes and they may become my favorite. I am also happy to report that the tulips I planted in December (oops, I forgot to plant them in the fall) all bloomed and were beautiful. Now I need to get busy and plant the rest of my flower beds. I'm not as excited about that, plus our lawnmower broke. Its only 2 years old--aren't lawnmowers supposed to last for at least 5 years?

From Chicago to Las Vegas and Back Home Again!

2009-05-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd take a minute to post about my two most recent trips with Pete. Pete is fortunate in his job to have lots of opportunity to travel for conferences. Every once in awhile, if our kids schedules allow, I get to follow along. I had the opportunity to travel with Pete to Chicago. We stayed at a great old hotel, The Knickerbocker. It was in a great location for shopping on Michigan Avenue. We didn't arrive until quite late, due to a delayed plane flight, so we sauntered over to the hotel across the street for a very late night snack! I won't mention the time, but man, we shared the best cheeseburger I've had in a long time! The next morning, Pete had conference, so I was able to sleep in. Then we wandered around the Magnificent Mile and admired the great architecture that Chicago is known for. We stopped for chicago style pizza, and later, cheese popcorn from Garrett's. I think we walked around for about 5 hours.

That evening, Pete attended a dinner with some friends from Michigan, then we headed to the Chicago Field Museum for a conference event. As we walked, a brilliant red Chinese dragon was winding its way between the tables, as traditional Chinese music played. There was a strangely costumed woman, wearing wings and stilts, that wandered through the crowds, a little unsettling, honestly. Sue, the big fossil of a T-Rex, and the big Mammoths in the central hall, were fun to see, as was the exhibit on a real pirate ship dredged from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, it's the only ship ever found with its "pirate booty" in tact. We also enjoyed reconnecting with old friends from Michigan.

The following day, Pete and I spent the majority of the day at the Chicago Institute of Art. What a fantastic fine arts museum! We concentrated on the European artists on the upper floor, so we could be sure to see the famous Seurat. I think we spent another 5 hours wandering around the museum, something we definitely couldn't have done with our kids in tow. My favorites are the Impressionist paintings, especially those by Renoir and Monet.

That evening, we met up with some of our old friends from BYU and an old mission companion of Pete's, Jared and Matia Marcucci, for dinner at a restaurant with a hip, 1920's vibe. We had such a great time, laughing and reminiscing about the past. It's always fun to hang out with friends, and few people can make us laugh like Jared Marcucci.

The next day, I had to return home to kids and mom responsibilities, while Pete had 2 more days at the conference. But, before I left for the airport, we had brunch at the Four Seasons hotel. Great times!

View of the Bellagio Fountains from the Eiffel Tower, Las Vegas

To my surprise, a few short weeks later, Pete surprised me for our 14th Anniversary with an overnighter to Las Vegas. I didn't know where were going until we boarded the plane. Pete didn't pack clothes so that we could shop at the Caesar Palace Forum Shops for a show that night. We didn't go too overboard, but it was fun to be that spontaneous, and much quicker to not wait for luggage. We ate at a great Italian restaurant and then saw a cirque du soleil show. We stayed at the Paris Hotel, since I've always wanted to go to Paris (you can't really do Paris, France justice in an overnight trip). We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the Bellagio Fountains below us. We had an incredible room with views of the Strip and the Bellagio Fountains. The following morning, we grabbed breakfast at Mon Ami Gabbi, out on the patio, before heading back to the airport. I loved not knowing what we were doing or where we were going. I have so much scheduling to do on a regular basis, its nice not to worry about the details. It was especially nice not to have to organize childcare--Pete took care of everything. I am lucky to married to such a great guy! Pete, you are the best thing! Thanks for 14 fabulous, exciting, adventurous years!

Now that I'm back to reality--last night I was cleaning up vomit at 3:00am--its nice to look back on Pete and my mini-vacations! It's great to be married to my best friend. We have many more years of adventures to look forward too.

The Paris Hotel

New Developments and Additions

2009-05-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Big news on the Fountaine side of the family, all regarding my sisters.
1. Heather, the baby of the family, is finally getting married! She got engaged Easter weekend and will get married in September.
2. Chantel, the middle sister, moved with her family to Denver. I'm not as happy about this as the other two developments, but what can I do? We will miss them living nearby, but wish them the best!
3. Misty, just 18 months younger than me, had a baby boy, Cohen Neils Tobiasson (I may have spelled that wrong). Here are some photos of the adorable baby!

In other news, Pete and I celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary in grand style. I think it warrants its own post, so more details later.
I hope all my favorite mother's had a fabulous day on Mother's Day! I had a great, relaxing day that I'll write about at length later.

Lap of Luxury

2009-05-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

A friend told me prior to surgery, that the best thing about her recovery from a similar surgery was her beautiful, long fingernails. This was the positive, luxurious side of recovery--the inability to do a lot of work--resulting in gorgeous nails. Granted, I chose an obnoxious color to highlight my nails (orange-what was I thinking?), but I thought it would be fun to post a "during" recovery photo and a "back to reality" photo.

Busy Days!

2009-04-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, despite the fact that spring refuses to come around here, our schedule hasn't let up much. Mitch is playing baseball, Jake is playing Lacrosse, and Madeline is playing soccer--that equals 5 practices and 4 games a week. This Saturday, we have soccer at 10:15am, baseball at 11:00, and Lacrosse at 11:00am, all at different places. I'm not sure what we'll do when Tyler is old enough to be added to the mix! Anyway, it's all fun.

We've had crazy weather in this part of the country. Tulips are blooming, trees are blossoming, but we have snow on the ground. I'll admit, it's a bit depressing. I've got to figure out some way of not letting it get to me--I'm willing to mow the lawn and weed again, if we could just have some sunshine.

We had a fun Easter weekend. Pete was on call for most of it, so we stayed home until Sunday after church, when we headed up to the cabin to catch the last lift so that we could stay over at the cabin with our friends the Harmsen's. You may recall my struggles skiing in to the cabin last weekend. For our family to ski into the cabin, Mitch, Madeline and Jake are all on their own (and they are great little skiers), although Jake was loaded down with a backpack. I also carried a backpack with food in it, we all wore pajamas under our ski gear so that we wouldn't have to pack much, and then Pete carried Tyler in the Kelty backpack. He dropped us off at the cabin (much easier this time around, and sunny), then he headed back down the mountain to help our friends. Amy, the wife, had only skied one time before, they had two little ones to ski on their own and twins to carry in backpacks, plus their backpack full of clothes. Pete ended up carrying one twin on his back and the backpack on his front. They all had a good laugh about it and we had a fabulous time hanging out in the evening and then skiing all day on Monday. Thankfully Jake remembered that he and Mitch had practice Monday night, so I headed out at 2pm with my boys. Pete got the cabin cleaned out and helped our friends down from the cabin. It was quite an adventure!

We also had a fun Easter egg hunt and brunch on Saturday afternoon with the Wolfenbarger's and Hopkin's, some of our friends from high school. It's fun to see our kids playing so well with our friend's children, plus they got all sugared up and that's always fun. Sarah is the cookie master, she made these delicious sugar cookies that were decorated so cute, my cookies never look or taste like that!

As for the more important aspect of Easter, the focus on Jesus Christ, we had a great sacrament meeting/testimony meeting in our ward. Pete bore his testimony about the inspiration of his Uncle Lowell, diagnosed with MS 25 years ago, but who managed to stay positive and teach anatomy to med. students at the University of Michigan, despite being a quadriplegic. When we lived in the same ward, Pete's uncle and aunt spoke on Easter Sunday one year, and we were both extremely moved by his uncle referring to a scripture in which we, after this life, will stand to be judged. That may seem a strange scripture for Easter, but Lowell described how grateful he was that he would one day "stand" before God. Something I take for granted sometimes, but such an amazing promise. Anyhow, another dear friend, who recently lost a second baby during her second trimester also bore her testimony of the comfort of knowing about eternal life and the strength of community we have in helping one another with our burdens. I have felt that so keenly, with all of the kindness extended to my family as I recovered from my surgery, the blessings of friendship and family in my life. It was a nice way to focus on the spiritual aspect of Easter.

One last thing to report--Jake was a smashing hit as Paul Bunyon in his school play! He even got to sing a solo. He has a great little voice and turns out he's a pretty good dancer too! The whole class did a great job!

Well, it's 2:30pm and I'm still in my pajamas--it's always better to clean in pajamas, plus, I kept thinking if I didn't get ready for the day, I might actually exercise. I think I'll give up on that idea for today!

Finally figured it out!

2009-04-07T20:17:00.001-07:00

So I finally downloaded a playlist and checked to see if I have a pulse! I've realized most of my favorite songs are ultra mellow! Check out the KT Tunstall song--one of my new favorites from The Women soundtrack. If anyone has any tips on how to download music from iTunes onto my playlist--let me know. There's another great, happy song by Lucy Schwartz called Count on Me that I would love to put on my list that's also from that soundtrack.

Turning the Corner

2009-04-06T15:29:00.001-07:00

I am happy to say that I am finally feeling like my old self after surgery, almost that is! During my recovery, I have had ample opportunity to exercise my mind. My body? Not so much. I've read lots of books, amongst them a biography of Abigail Adams and a page turner by Wally Lamb. I also read Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (I'll double check the title) and a Bobby Pendragon book, as well as a murder mystery by Patricia Cornwell. Total of books read since surgery equals 8 (refer to book list for other titles)! I've also had lots of time to think about how I'd like my yard and house to look. I've had lots of time to imagine myself looking healthy and hot--now I get to move on it!

Saturday, I let Pete talk me into going up to our cabin at Alta. That may not seem like such a big thing, but you have to take two ski lifts up the mountain and then ski down into the cabin. Like I said, I haven't had a lot of exercise lately, and after a huge snowstorm with lots of powder, getting into the cabin was a real challenge. I fell more than I have since I first learned to ski at 15. At one point, I thought I'd just lay in the snow and take a nap, I was so exhausted. Thankfully, a skier almost hit me, motivating me to get up and into the cabin. We had a great time, even if I was a bit frustrated by my trembling, muscle atrophied legs. My weakness motivated me to try and get going again. I had really wanted to bike the marathon this year--I'm not sure I'm up to that yet (I haven't completely given up hope though). I have decided that I need to start moving, so this morning, I put in a new favorite movie, The Women with Meg Ryan, and rode my bike and then walked on the treadmill. My goal is to finally shed all of this extra weight I've accumulated and get healthy! I am going to start training for the Century Ride in Logan in June, even if I can't do the marathon bike ride in a couple weeks. It's nice to feel like I can do these types of things again. It's frustrating to feel tired after making a grocery store run. The other plus is that I think my surgery has accomplished the goal of making exercise easier for me. My post children body necessitated many trips to the restroom and made exercising in public a bit embarrassing. It was nice to notice the difference in my physicality as I've been skiing, biking and running. That makes it worth 6 weeks of inactivity!

A new tag!

2009-03-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the tag Talli! I hope Pete runs into you and Jeremy while he's in L.A. He said you were running in a marathon--good for you! So this was the picture I came up with based on the tagging instructions I'll post below. It's a photo (a blurry one) of Madeline in 2005 on our trip to San Antonio. Madeline would have been 3, around the same age as Tyler now. Only then, Tyler was a large basketball in my belly (I'm so glad it wasn't one of the pregnant photos of me because I was huge and fat, even more so than now, although I had a better excuse then!) These were the days when Madeline would only wear dresses, but apparently she was tired of touring the Spanish missions in this photo. Despite this photo, it was one of my favorite family trips that we've taken. The river walk in San Antonio is a really fun place to be. I'll post a few of all the kids from the same trip just for fun!

It's photo tag; here are the rules:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same
I tag Janie, Heather W., Andrea and Jami.

Photo taken on the bridge above the river walk.

Kids dancing at a restaurant on the river walk.

Kids swimming at the resort hotel we stayed in . . . if I could remember the name, I'd totally recommend it!

My kids were so little! Fun to reminisce.

Another funny Tyler moment!

2009-03-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

This morning, my kids were running late, which necessitated me driving them to school. Since I get out the house so little these days, Tyler and I went on a short drive. I was listening to a mixed CD I made, and a song by Madeleine Peyroux came on. Tyler said, "Mom, can we please listen to a boy song now." To which I replied, "Yeah, after this song is over . . . I like it." Then Tyler said, "But mom, this song is inappropriate (in his own pronunciation--it's a hard word)." I laughed, saying "Really, why?" To which Tyler said "It says a bad word. It says . . . (pause as he tries to think of a really bad word) FART. You know, I tooted, I farted, I got electrocuted." Though I'm thankful that's as bad of a word as he could come up with, I couldn't help but think, "Why does my 3 year old say those kind of things and when did he learn to manipulate so well?" Thankfully, by the time we finished our conversation, a "boy song" came on (Pink Floyd), which apparently was appropriate. Good thing he didn't notice the one bad word in that song!

Tyler's Talk

2009-03-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today I ventured to church for all of 15 minutes to hear Tyler's first primary talk. He had been given the assignment to talk about family, so Pete helped prepare a talk and they practiced several times. Tyler was adorable--he's only 3 1/2, but has an amazing vocabulary and a cute little voice. Unfortunately, with all the primary kids oohing and aahing, Tyler only got in . . . "My name is Tyler Fisher" and "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." That microphone can be so distracting and makes such funny noises. When the kids starting giggling (because he's so cute, of course), Tyler clammed up. Pete had the bright idea of asking Madeline to come up to the stand and help him finish. She did a great job! After the kids came home from church (since I ducked out after the "talk"), I asked Tyler why he didn't say his talk like we practiced and he said "because I was too embarrassed." Poor kid. We sure start them early in the church . . . first public speaking assignment, age 3! Maybe next time, at age 4, he won't be so embarrassed!

Latest News Brief

2009-03-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

*Pete has been Superdad for the last few weeks. He stayed home to help with the kids and house while I am recovering from surgery. He's back to work this week and looking forward to performing "Irish tunes" with some friends from work at a St. Patrick's day party. They are singing several songs from "Once" and one from U2, plus some of Pete's funny Irish songs. It's gonna be awesome with guitar, base and a violin, plus female background vocalists--I hope I can make it to the party!
*I have been feeling better and better every day. My biggest issue now is just being tired! I had a doctor appointment Tuesday, sat in the car while Pete ran errands (first time I've been out in two weeks), and stayed up later to listen to Pete's "band" practice. Wednesday, I woke up, then went back to sleep for 4 hours--deep sleep! That's a little scary with a 3 year old running about!
*Jake was just cast as Paul Bunyon in his 5th grade "opera". His big singing solo is "Missing one blue ox . . . " Should be stellar. He's also chosen to play Lacrosse this spring.
*Mitch is Mr. Cub Scout and continues to be the peacemaker in our family. He's been a great help with Tyler while I've been recovering. Plus baseball starts soon.
*Madeline had to give up her dance class since the studio changed locations and I can't drive yet! She's still dancing around the house and excited to play soccer and with friends more often.
*Tyler has gotten to do all sorts of fun activities with many of my friends and family who've been helping out. He's played 'inside' at McDonald's, a real treat apparently! We've also watched lots of Scoobie Doo--pretty awesome!

Post-Surgery Post!

2009-03-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am one week and 2 days past my surgery and feeling pretty good. I have really appreciated all of the friends and family, both near and far, wishing me well and helping in all manner of ways. I did really well in the first few days after surgery, to the point where I started to wonder how I could possibly rest for two whole weeks. Sunday, all of that changed. We're (meaning me and my doc) not quite sure why, but Sunday afternoon I ended up in the ER with excruciating bladder spasms! I felt like I was in labor, only without the minutes of rest between contractions. After a shot of morphine, a CT scan, etc., it was decided that I should stay overnight for observation, since there was no internal bleeding or problems that they could see. I did great the rest of the night, but the following morning, after the nurse removed the catheter and IV, the bladder spasms started again and wouldn't dissipate. All the meds used to stop the bladder spasms stopped all other systems and I ended up leaving the hospital with my stomach as swollen as an 8 month pregnant belly. I don't think I could have left the hospital if I weren't married to a Urologist, since my problems are Pete's area of expertise. Anyhow, at home, I was still in pain, so Pete and my doc decided I was doing better with a catheter. That catheter stayed in until Thursday morning--that day I finally started feeling better. But Friday morning, I awoke with more bladder spasms, which we quickly shot down with Lortab and muscle relaxants. You can imagine how doped up I was--I was not very functional, but by Friday afternoon, I was feeling better again, and I've been doing well today. CRAZINESS!! I'll never take good health for granted! I really appreciate friends and family who stepped in to help me with my kids and me. I'll always appreciate the many kindnesses directed toward myself and my family in the last week. Wow!

Anyhow, I have my almost 2 week appointment on Tuesday, and if all goes well, I can start driving again then. The way I feel now, it's hard to imagine that I'm ready to drive yet, but I'm hoping the fog I'm in will lift soon. It's kind of funny at times--I'll start to say something, or even try to think of something to write, but the words don't come or my mind drifts elsewhere. I have felt very blessed and loved and that makes this situation much easier to get through. I will admit, this may be my first and last surgery. At least if I can help it!

Big Day!

2009-02-24T20:10:00.001-08:00

So tomorrow's the big day! My surgery is the first one in the morning--a nice perk of being married to a doc. I have to be there at 6 am. I think I'm fairly well prepared, I've got new pajamas, most of the house clean, helped in my kids classes, received a blessing from Pete, many offers of service for food and family--I think I'm good! I'm sure all will go well, though, after reading the release form from anesthesia, you can't help but feel a little anxious! Anyway, I've given my kids big hugs and kisses and I guess we'll see how it goes! Thanks for all the support and friendship I've felt from so many friends and family members. I happen to be one of those people who tends to get a bit emotional, especially when I don't know what to expect. I feel very comforted after hearing from so many of you!

I definitely won't be sending pictures of my surgery, but I thought it would be fun to post a few from Pete's recent ski trip to Canada.

Our camera is not the best for action shots, so I'll post those when Pete receives them from fellow skiers. Pete had an amazing experience! I'm happy for him! Living the dream!! Life doesn't get much better!

A Much Happier Monday!

2009-02-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that after a somewhat emotional last few days, today has been great! I'm feeling ready for my surgery (mostly) and had a great day spent with friends and my kids.

This afternoon, I had an early lunch with some of my best and oldest friends, Julie, Liz, Francie and Kim. I have been friends with these girls since I was in junior high, and Liz and I have been friends since kindergarten. How nice to have friends like that--you know the kind that you don't care if you forgot to put on make-up or look kindof of frumpy, cause you know they love you anyway! I am grateful to have such great friends--thank you, thank you. Sometimes that's all you need to set things in perspective! A good lunch at Zuppas with friends.

Another great part of my day was helping in Mitchell's class. Part of our school curriculum is an art program centered around teaching the children about art and great artists. This time we taught about Monet. I love Monet--the colors make me happy! It was fun to pull out my prints and Impressionist art books from my honeymoon in NYC. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on our honeymoon and I brought a book full of all the Impressionist paintings in that museum. It was fun to show the children the pictures and have them guess what season, based on the light and colors. Tomorrow I get to do it in Madeline's class, and hopefully it'll go even better (I could have focused more on warm and cool colors). Mitch was cute. I asked if it went all right and he said "Yes, mom! You are the best teacher ever!!" I'm sure he's a little biased and I may have been waving a piece of chocolate cake in front of his nose, but it still made me feel good!

I still have more to look forward to this evening. One of my very best friends, and the best neighbor I've ever had, is coming to visit from Michigan with her family. We're all meeting at the Mayan tonight for dinner. I always feel better when I look around and realize how lucky I am to have been blessed with so many great friends in my lifetime! Those types of associations have made me a better person.

Well, I best get back to the laundry so my kids will have clean socks and underwear when Pete's in charge!

An interesting day!

2009-02-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

I've had a really strange day, some really great things have been part of my day, but it's also been a hard day emotionally. I am really grateful for friends and being able to connect through blogging, talking, emailing, all those great avenues of communication available to us. I thought it might be helpful to list all the great things that happened today to help remind myself how blessed I really am, even when I've had a hard day, so here goes!

1. I finally went grocery shopping so we have choices to eat! That's always a good thing for two reasons. Everyone is happier with the eating selection, and I don't have to hear all the complaints about how we never have anything good to eat.
2. I got to see and hear my cute Jake dressed as Andrew Jackson, deliver a very well prepared and LONG speech.
3. A very kind friend watched Tyler and then the rest of my kids after school so that I could do volunteer work at the school. It's so nice to have friends who help us in moments of need. It was especially nice just to chat for a few minutes and vent some of the hard things I've dealt with today.
4. I am now a Great Aunt. Jared and Erin had a baby boy, Sawyer, a little after midnight last night. It was nice to hear from a very excited Grandma Debbie.
5. I had Cafe Rio soup for dinner.
6. I had a very fun hour in Jake's class teaching music and movement for the 5th grade "Opera". It's called "America's Tallest Tales" and I've had a great time singing and dancing with the kids.
7. After laying lots of ground work, I will get to help Mitchell and Madeline's classes do a "Meet the Masters" art project next week. Once again, this is made possible by another cute friend who is willing to help with Tyler so I can teach about Monet in my other children's classes. This is my contribution to my kids classes--I'm not PTA President, I don't get to help on a weekly basis in my kids classes, but 3 times a year, I get to help teach about master artists which I really love.
8. There was a cute note left on my door that said, "Sorry I missed you. Consider this a big hug." How do people know when you just need a little something to help you through the day? I'm really grateful for little kindnesses that help me recognize my blessings.
9. I received two comments on my blog from two friends that were so well timed! When you need someone to talk to, it's nice to know you have friends who care. I also received an email from another great friend whose coming all the way from Michigan to visit.
10. This is my last night alone--Pete comes home tomorrow morning and I'm so happy he'll be home. I know he's had a fantastic, out of this world time, but I sure like when he's around. I'm really grateful for a cell phone when you've had a bad day and you can call your husband all the way in Canada to get a little encouragement!

I realize I have much to be thankful for--I'm even grateful for tears sometimes! I think it's nice to feel deeply, even if it's sadness. Then, when you feel extreme happiness, it's much more recognizable.

I liked ending on 10 things, but I really ought to add a kindness from yesterday evening. One of the things I enjoy most is being part of a book club. I am a ridiculously nerdy gal when it comes to my love of literature, fine and otherwise. Books make me very happy. With Pete being gone, getting to bookclub was not going to be an easy ordeal. My brother and sister-in-law offered to watch my kids so I could go. My brother came after work and picked up the kids so I'd only have to drive out to get them one way. I stayed much too long, and I didn't feel any sense of hostility about it from Don or Jodi. It's a blessing to have family so near to help me out! I'm just sorry I stayed so late--I'm still feeling bad about that!

And since I've gone to yesterday . . . did I mention the fabulous sales at the Park City Outlet Stores? Yesterday morning, my mother-in-law and I took a quick trip to Gymboree and Children's Place to buy a baby gift for my niece, Eva. It happened to be a great day to shop, both stores had racks of clothes, very cute clothes, all $4.99 and under. See how that works? I acknowledge a few blessings and more and more make themselves manifest. I guess it hasn't been such a hard day after all!

On my mind . . .

2009-02-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

I think this is the most I've blogged in a long while. Must be that Pete's out of town again--lonely nights equal lots of writing and reading for me!

Jake and I just finished his President's project. He had to make a "President's box", write a speech, draw a sketch, and come up with a costume. There were a few other assignments, but those are the ones I helped with. I am amazed at Jake's ability to memorize. His President is Andrew Jackson, a perfect one for Jake. For his costume, he wanted me to buy a parrot to put on his shoulder, because apparently Andrew Jackson had a pet parrot that swore too much, and therefore, was not allowed into the White House. Anyhow, this type of assignment is right up my alley!

I've also had a couple of things on my mind lately. First, the state of our economy. I watched some yahoo video about how Americans are shifting from a society that spends 6% over what they earn, to a saving society. The discussion centered around what consumers will buy, such as food, since we're in survival mode, as opposed to luxury items in a mall. They also discussed the difficulty in borrowing, changing how we will live. For instance, more people may become renters or save to send kids to state colleges, rather than out of state schools. Pete is lucky to work in a field that isn't too heavily impacted by the economy. I think it trickles down to everyone eventually, but seeing what is happening around the nation has made me stop and reflect on some habits I've gotten into. We were so poor during residency (monetarily, not in blessings) that often times I'd call Pete around the 20th of the month and say, "Don't write any checks, we only have $20 left in our account." I got really creative with cooking--using what we had and improvising with different ingredients. Yet, we always had a light at the end of the tunnel. Now matter how bad it got, we knew it was only going to be until we were done with residency. I've learned since then, that you spend what you earn. With med. school debt, a larger home, newer cars, although we make more, we spend more. I've been trying to think of ways that I can take better stock of our budget. I definitely think our entire family will benefit from this, and maybe then, we'll have some savings put away for a "rainy day".

The other thing that has weighed heavily on my mind, and is a bit embarrassing to discuss, is my surgery next Wednesday. Part of me doesn't want to write about it on my blog, but then again, it's kind of a journal of sorts, so what the heck! I'm getting a hysterectomy next week. I've thought long and hard about it, and it's the best option for me and my circumstances, but it's also an emotional thing for me. It's one thing to decide not to have more children, it's another thing not to be able to any longer. I think I've worked through that enough to feel like the benefits to my lifestyle outweigh the emotional side of moving out of that stage of life. I really couldn't carry another baby--but there's something about having possibilities. I think it's funny that I even think about that considering Pete had no problem deciding to end that phase of his life. So, unless he got a reversal or I found a sperm donor, nothing was going to happen in that department anyway! Still, I do worry a little about how that might affect me after the surgery. I'm starting to feel like I'm revealing way too much personal information about myself. I might as well tell everyone what brand of deodorant I use! Anyhow, it's been interesting trying to talk around it. If I say I'm having "surgery" I get those, "hmmmm, boob job or tummy tuck" looks. So I finally decided to just throw it out there! Too much information, I know, so I'll stop. I hope you all have better things to do with your time than worry about the stuff I do!

That's Better!

2009-02-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

As much as I loved the black and cream toile background, it was driving me crazy trying to read my own blog. So I did myself . . . and you . . . a favor and changed to another free background! Aahh . . . that's better!

Several months ago I wrote about redoing Madeline's bedroom. Have I mentioned that I have decorators ADHD? I can admit it because it's very true! Jake has moved bedrooms 4 times since we moved into this house and we haven't even been here 3 years yet. This is Madeline's first switch and although I've already changed her bedroom around again, this gives you an idea of how her bed (I made the slipcovers) turned out!

Tyler and I are off to Little Gym today so au revoir!

Toile Fiasco

2009-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

So I love toile (that's the black and cream background now showing on my blog page). But what's up with all the pictures and writing extending over the edges? It took me so long to figure out how to change it--actually I changed it on accident--but still, I think I'll stick with it for awhile, but does anyone have suggestions as to how to make my writings fit on the page? I'd appreciate it!

Pete's off on another adventure, this time to Canada to heli-ski!. That means that a helicopter will drop him in the high, impossible to reach places to ski. He had to take an avalung incase he's caught in an avalanche, and some special beeper. I'm sure he'll have the time of his life--I just hope he comes home alive! Here's to being a single mom for the week! I think we're getting take out for dinner--pizza? chinese? maybe a movie and popcorn? We'll see . . .

Classic Jake story to relay. Since it's President's Day, all the kids are home, and social Jake wanted to play with a friend. I hear the phone ring, then Jake comes upstairs and says, "Hey mom, some kid named Timmy just called and wanted to play, so I told him to come over. Can you think of any of my friends that have the name Timmy or that sounds like Timmy?" So I say, "Seriously, you just invited some kid over and you don't even know who it is? What if it's someone you don't even know, or worse yet, a girl?" (Jake thinks girls are pretty lame right now, but girls keep calling him). Thankfully, when the friend showed up, he did know him, his name is Simi not Timmy. It's just such a classic Jake move--he'd rather take his chances on playing with someone he doesn't even know that go a day without hanging out with friends. So now I have Rami, Simi, Taylor and Jake playing basketball on the driveway. Happy President's Day!

More family pictures!

2009-02-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

I finally uploaded my pictures from our California trip (others were from my friend Talli) and from kid's birthday's, so here they are!
Travels to Cali--thank goodness for modern technology!

All 14 of us at Red Robins. I'd hate to wait on this table! Megan and Tyler are just 3 days apart, so we love taking pictures as they grow up.

Our first day at Disneyland--all decked out with Christmas decorations. Can you tell we don't see the sun much?
Madeline's 8th Birthday!

Check out the sunset from our room!

Family birthday party for Grandpa Fountaine, Madeline and Jake

Happy Reading . . . and Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading a great book that I'd highly recommend . . . "The Guernsey LIterary and Potato Peel Pie Society." It was recommended to me by my mother-in-law and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's set before and during the German Occupation of the Channel Islands in WWII. The authors present the story in letters, a writing style I typically don't like, but that worked for this book. The characters are very endearing, plus it's an interesting look at what life was like for these people during WWII. It has all the great components of a good book-humor, romance, tragedy-plus it's a quick read. Read it and then tell me what you think! Happy Reading!!

P.S. I also finished reading my second Christopher Paul Curtis, my niece's favorite author, "Bud, not Buddy." Also a great book, great to recommend to 5th/6th grade kids to learn about black history.

Friday Nights

2009-02-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening I took my kids to the movie theater to see Coraline in 3D. That, in and of itself, was fun, but not what I'm choosing to focus on here. Instead, I'd like to figure out what the heck was going on 4 rows in front of me. We bought our tickets early, went to dinner and still were 40 minutes before our show. So early, in fact, that they hadn't cleaned up after the previous show. This gave me ample people watching time, so here's the scene I witnessed . . .

Two teenage girls, a teenage boy, sitting between the girls, and what appeared to be parents. The mom and dad left the theater to buy popcorn. The girl on the right of the boy, leans over and gives the boy a kiss. He immediately recoils, starts to cry (I can tell because he keeps wiping his cheeks with the back of his fist) and leans over toward the other girl, who quite possessively wraps her arms around the boy and comforts him. The poor girl on the right, speechlessly watches the couple as girl #2 hugs and pats his head, and gives him a kiss on the forehead. This girl on the right continues to watch the couple, still without talking, for about 5 minutes, when she gets up and leaves the theater, later coming back with the mom and the dad and acts as if nothing has happened. It was so strange, none of my business, but strange. I keep trying to figure out the relationships of the teenagers. I'm thinking the girl on the right might have been the boy's sister, but I don't kiss my brother like that!

Anyhow, as I'm watching this, it occurred to me that there may have been moments in my life when a situation was misinterpreted by an observer. Without all the pieces to the puzzle, I could draw any number of conclusions, but I'll never know the real story without the facts. When Pete and I were first dating, he used to tease me because I'd eaves drop on the conversations going on around us, at a restaurant, etc. He'd be talking to me and I'd be listening and half-participating in the conversation while I picked up tidbits of conversations around me. I found it very entertaining to try and figure out people's relationship to one another, etc. I haven't done that for years and I figured out why. It's because I have my own kids who I'm busily trying to make behave appropriately in public and I don't have time to worry about what's going on around me. It's good to know that my curiosity hasn't completely left me, although I should stay out of other people's business!

As for Coraline, what a strange children's movie. I liked it, but it was rather dark. By the end of the movie, Tyler took off his 3D glasses because he said they made the movie "all gray". He was right, the colors were more vibrant without the glasses, but I'm sure the film maker wanted it gray! Anyhow, I was concerned about my kids having nightmares last night, but thankfully, they all slept peacefully.

Pete is in Bryce Canyon with the Boy Scouts, snowshoeing. I think that sounds really fun. Anyway, I'm hoping he'll make it home by 6pm because we're signed up to play in a tennis competition. I'm planning on playing on my own, but it would be nice if he could make it.

I just realized I've rambled on about a whole lot of nothing so I'm going to sign off and try to do something productive today!

Guilty Pleasures

2009-02-04T19:24:00.001-08:00

I have a confession to make . . . I love watching Desperate Housewives, but I rarely get to watch because it's on Sunday night and we typically have dinner with our families then. So I've come up with a fun way to get in my viewing. I've been renting the DVD's from the past seasons, then watching them as I ride my bike (I have one of those cool stands so I can ride my road bike inside) and as I do laundry. So far this week, I've done more laundry folding then I have in the past previous two weeks, and I rode my bike every day this week! I think that justifies my guilty pleasure!

I've also read a few interesting books this past few weeks--Mrs. Perfect (2nd time), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Alchemist. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn reminds me of my Grandpa Fountaine, who grew up in Albany, New York during the same time period before he jumped on a train and headed West. Apparently, he had quite the colorful past. He was a soft-shoe tap dancer, a bridge jumper and a bag boy for the mafia. It's believed in our family that he came West to avoid trouble. I know he enlisted and served in the military during WWI and then met my Grandma at a dance at Fort Douglas. He was 21 at the time, she was 16. My Grandma was swept off her feet and married him. I would love to do more research on what life was like during their lifetime together. I can't even imagine being married at 16 and having a child soon after. I was hardly ready to get married at 22 1/2! Anyhow, it's always fun to read a good book that you can relate to your personal life.

Oh yeah! I have a new favorite CD-Trouble by Ray LaMontagne. You'll have to check it out--very mellow, very retro 70's, very me! I totally dig it! If I can ever figure out how to upload music, I'll put some on--it's awesome! It's inspired me to compile a bunch of songs with Trouble in the title--there are some great ones! Trouble by Cat Stevens, Ray LaMontagne and Coldplay. Plus Trouble Me by Ten Thousand Maniacs. I've found several others and made a mixed CD. Pete thinks it's funny since I'm kind of the antithesis to trouble!

News Brief

2009-01-28T14:29:00.001-08:00

I'll make it brief, but here's what's happening at our house:

*Jake turned 11 years old yesterday and celebrated by attending the Utah vs. BYU basketball game. Happy Birthday Jake!
*Mitch played his last season basketball game, coached by his dad.
*Madeline has cut down from 4 hrs. to 2 hrs. of dance a week and is going to play her first season of soccer this spring.
*Tyler is officially potty-trained! Even dry through the night, plus he's taking a "big boy" class at the Little Gym, meaning I'm no longer in class with him.
*Pete returned from a guys weekend in Vegas with his resident buddies from the U of Michigan.
*I have made a mess of the house trying to organize it!

A new baby in the family!

2009-01-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post the darling pictures of my newest niece, Eva Chantel, born last Wednesday to my sister Chantel and her husband Charlie. They already have one darling little girl, Soraya, and now a second daughter. I hope they don't mind me posting the pics because they're adorable.

I'm posting this picture of myself after Tyler's birth. I always liked it because I thought I looked a little bit like my sister Chantel. Now you can see why I'd want to look like Chantel, she's a beauty!

Christmas Photos!

2009-01-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the Fisher's! We had a wonderful Christmas spent with many of the people we love most! We send best wishes to all of our friends and family who live far away! We love you and miss you all, but hope you're all happy and well. Happy New Year 2009!

Chantel and Charlie, due with a baby girl Jan. 10th!
Matt and Heather
Pete and Jake
Brielle and Soraya

Brielle figured out where all the good food came from!
Tyler, Don and Jodi
Mom and Dad passing out the Christmas bounty!

These are the photos from Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas morning with Pete's parents. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we went to Pete's sister's home on Christmas day.
Tyler and Grandpa Fountaine

Christmas morning with Grandma and Grandpa Fisher. Thankfully, Pete taped the event, since I wasn't very diligent with the camera.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

Is it possible that it's New Year's day and I still haven't written about our Christmas? Our winter break has flown by with many family parties, ski days with dad, movies and lots of relaxation.

Our movie list:

Bedtimes Stories: Great for the whole family.
Marley and Me: A little slow for young kids, but a cute show.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I really like it, Pete thought it was good, although I'm not sure Brad Pitt should win an Oscar (Pete would say absolutely not), but a unique, well made movie.
Yes Man: Funny, definitely not for kids; the humor was on the crude side.

Our party list:
At our house, we celebrated Mitchell's baptism, a women's brunch, Pete's work party (small, just partners and PA's), Christmas Eve with my family.
Elsewhere, we celebrated Pete's Peterson cousin party, Christmas day at Debbie's, although we missed the Fisher party since Pete was on call, and another birthday party at Tiburon with the Shumway's, Brown's and Harmen's for Steve.
New Year's Eve we spent a great night at Litza's Pizza with our friend's the Harmen's, and later hung out at their home with all of our kids. The Brown's met us there too. That made 10 little children who all stayed up past midnight, playing Wii and watching movies, while the adults talked and laughed. After 3 years (almost) in Salt Lake, I feel like we're beginning to make the kind of friends we miss so much in Michigan! It was a great way to start the New Year--with friends and family.

We also had a great Christmas at our house! The kids did well in the gift department. Santa surprised me with a new, orderly purse (thanks Mitch for the request) and a new road bike. So to all my biking friends (Heather, Kim, Steph, Wendy and Amy), I'm in for the SL marathon ride and the Little Red Riding Hood ride in Logan, and any others we can do. We put the bike in front of the TV in my room and I have one of those cool stands so I can ride in place. I am determined to get in good shape, maybe even do a mini triathalon this summer!

One of the things I have loved most about this holiday season, is the amazing, beautiful snow storms. Starting Christmas night, we got pounded with snow, and for many days afterwards. I love it! It is a pain to plow the driveway and walks, and driving can be scary, but I love how it transforms the gray, deadness into a wonderland. Can't say enough good about the white stuff!

I've decided there's only one thing I don't like about Christmas--the clean up. Here it is New Year's and I still feel like I'm trying to get organized and clean up all of the Christmas decorations and kids new stuff. Tyler likes his toys in the middle of the floor between the kitchen and family room, so even after I round things up and put them away, I keep stepping on matchbox cars and a huge dinosaur puzzle. We had a real tree in our living room, one Pete and I have both lamented has been the worst tree we've picked our entire marriage. Taking the ornaments off was painful since the tree had become so dried out and brittle. I'm just glad we avoided a fire. Anyhow, I sweep and sweep, and mop, then I find more pine needs, so I repeat the process over and over again. Don't get me wrong, it's worth it, but it's my least favorite part of the holidays. Plus, I love my house decorated for Christmas and it makes me a little sad to take down all the decorations! I think this year I'll keep some of the sparkling red candles and things for Valentine's Day!

I hope the season has brought great happiness to each of you! I am looking forward to a fantastic 2009! Peace out!

P.S. My sister Chantel is due with a baby girl any day now! I hope she has her before we leave for California!
P.S.S. I still haven't downloaded my pictures from Christmas that actually have people in them . . . oops, I forget to take pictures when I have people around, but those will come soon. These are pictures before Pete's work party of the table setting, etc.

Christmas Time in NYC!

2008-12-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T13:22:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-11-09T21:12:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-11-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-03T21:32:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-02T18:46:00.001-08:00

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

2008-10-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-19T23:00:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-10-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

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.