Dog The Bounty Hunter

I watched this show while I was in Texas visiting my brother. Oh my stars! I laughed so hard. I know, it is totally white trash, but he really is very religious....in his own way, and prays before every hunt. Dog says the funniest things like, "at the end of the criminal rainbow, there is no pot of gold.....only a 6X6 cell." We couldn't stop watching episode after episode. It is like a really great version of COPS. Only funny, and mullet-like. Love it!

Adventures in Austin

What is worse than wearing the same thing as the person sitting in front of you on an airplane? How about having the person be PREGNANT! Yes, it is true. The darling little young thing was prego, and a good sport to let me take our picture together. Really we laughed super hard. Off to Austin TX on a girls trip. Here are a few of our hot spots from our trip.

We arrived in Austin 4hrs. after the crazy man crashed into the IRS building. We were hearing about it as we happened upon it on our way to my brothers house. I had my camera handy and was able to snap a few quick shots. Pretty crazy and some serious big news in Austin.

Day1: Barbecue dinner at "The Salt Lick." Yep, it was as good as it looks. We had all you can eat brisket, ribs, and sausage, all cooked Texas BBQ style. Yummo!


The house that John would buy if he really loved me! Okay, seriously though.....who needs all this? It was beautiful.

Can't remember the name of this little peak we climbed and looked out over the token body of water in Austin. All I could think of was how big the homes were and who in the world would own them?

Self explanatory.



The tacos really were good. My taco was a beef one with lime and avocado in a corn tortilla. Really yum. The chips and salsa were also delicious.

On SOCO. Loved all the cool little antique and vintage shops. I felt like I was in my favorite indie music album as I strolled down SOCO perusing the little flea market.

As annoying as it is to listen to people blab about how much better the church is outside of Utah and all the Utah hypocrites, I must admit that I really did enjoy going to church in Texas. It does have a different feel, I wouldn't say that it is so much better, but I think as members you definitely need each other more. Pretty cool.

Mom, me, brother, new SIL Shannon, and Great. Loved their "Mansion House" as Great calls it. You really can get a lot of real-estate for your buck in Texas. Their home was beautiful and backed up to the green belt. The weather was super nice and warm and clear. I could breathe. And bathe in the sunlight. Loved it.

I was beyond elated to see my darling niece and nephews, my amazing SIL whom I miss a ton, and my awesome brother. Sherri was so cute, she had treats that she had made and placed on our pillows each night. What an amazing woman! I will miss them, but I now have an excuse to return to visit a really cool place. Thanks Pearson's, I love you all.

13 years....to the Valentines Day!

I know, let the laughter begin. I bet you never knew that John had a long neck did you? He does. It just looked a little different 13yrs. ago. I am sure that this will be among the many gushy Valentine tributes that are read on peoples blogs. I will keep the gush to a minimum. When I met John he was kind, fun, fearless, gentle, and soooooo easy going. Much different than the first boyfriend (who is now a lawyer), MUCH different. John was so refreshing; he laughed when I spun and tapped through the grocery store, didn't blush if I wanted to wear a wig or costume out and about, came to dance concerts with flowers, and thought that it was perfectly normal that I would wear a red pants suit to the Valentines Dance at the High School. I was the only girl in a pant suit. John was perfectly okay with me being me, and I was mesmerized by his talents. Many of you don't know this, but, John is the most beautiful skier I have ever seen. He takes giant cliffs on the slopes like they were mere bumps and was thrilled to help me pick out my first pair of K2 Ski's. John has millions of gifts and talents but you don't always know what they are because he doesn't talk about himself. He likes to let other people brag about themselves. In fact, most of you probably couldn't say what his hobbies and interests are because he rarely turns the conversation to him. John is an amazing cook, photographer, skier, he bikes, blades, has a huge baseball and basketball card collection, loves to read Biographies of Prophets, is passionate about the Gospel, and economics. John has worked a job since he was 13 where he was a bus boy at a restaurant in Ogden, John has never asked his family for help with anything, and has always put me and the kids first. Gentle, kind, and good, oh and did I mention loyal? Pretty freaking amazing eh!

I can't imagine my life with anyone else. Would anyone else let me buy a house while they were out of town, start refinishing a kitchen and painting while they were gone, speak to me after wearing a wig off the airplane from NY to see if he would recognize me, wear matching 4th of July t-shirts, not kill me for bringing home a dog, go along to dance concerts, after concert Leatherby's nights, theater after theater, project after project, craft after craft, arts festivals, tattoo conventions, marathons, you name it. John is always willing to support me in whatever endeavor I pursue, Gatorade in hand, and a big smile on his face. I really didn't deserve this. Don't think he is perfect, he isn't. Really he is VERY messy, totally untidy. But..... I would take the messy for all the wig wearing in the world. John and I went to the Valentines dance together in 1997. For our Valentines date he made me cheese ravioli, with candles on the table, and he gave me a Fossil Watch. I still have it. My kids will inherit it and probably throw it away with all of the other junk that I find to be treasures. Thank you Johnny for not binding my wings, for letting me soar for 13 years, and for loving me unconditionally. You really are the best!

Happy Valentines.

This is why I am....

going crazy!

Yep, he is all over the place. Even climbing the stairs. The funny thing is that he is so little that it looks really funny to see him crawling. Willie is 9months but still looks about 7months old. I really love this boy. On Friday I lowered Willies crib and on Sunday he was standing holding the railing when I went to get him. He is super strong. I know that I have laughed about his general aesthetics, but he really is a cute little stinker. I have a feeling that he is going to keep my hands full for a very long time! Squish.

Feeling Valentine-y?

Are you feeling Valentine-y yet? I am. Let's face it, when you have kids you have a lot more Valentines to distribute to: School teachers, classmates, dance peers, friends, grandparents, and parents. This is where doing the boutique circuit comes in handy. I have found all sorts of amazing things at boutiques, but I really thought that this idea was super cute and easy breezy to make. All you need to do is go to local D.I.'s and dollar stores and find some candle sticks, plates, and glass glue. I found some pretty basic dish ware, that I easily jazzed up with some red and pink ribbon or tule. Next time I think I will splurge and go to antique stores and get some neat old pieces to put together. But for now, this will do. Wallah, you have cute and easy candy or cookie dishes that are fun to display year round or for the holiday. Happy Valentining to you!

On a Clear Day

I love movies. Not just a little, but a lot. Since I have been training again, I have been searching deep within my soul trying to work out some kinks. Life catches up with you and you begin to stare reality in the face. Marriages aren't all happy, families aren't perfect, some friends aren't really friends they are Salieri's from Amadeus, not everyone likes you, your kids drive you crazy, your testimony wavers, disappointment becomes more powerful than death, but.....this happens to everyone. Reality, demons, struggles, and figuring ourselves out is universal. I loved this movie "On a Clear Day." Truth be told I cried from beginning to end. It spoke to me on MANY levels, and I honestly believe that it speaks to everyone. I want to watch it again to gain a little perspective. Among all the struggles and confusion, I know that I am super blessed. I live in a wonderful country, I have a healthy family, a doting husband, and love working with kids teaching dance. If you are in a funk or don't know what to do now with your life, I think this movie is great. One of the things that touched me in this film was the loyalty of the main characters friends as he tries to accomplish his goal. It reminded me of my Marathon and the awesome package Maren sent me from Texas, and the peanut butter cup cheesecake Rashawn made for me, and the beautiful flowers and goodies sent to me by friends in the ward. In life you have so many people who tell you that you can't or try to bully and intimidate you into failure, but when you have an awesome support group around you the blessings and possibilities are endless. Thanks friends for being there. Watch this movie. Tell me how you like it and if it touched you as much as it touched me.

BTW, it is a British film, so you may have to listen carefully to understand what they are saying :)

The Ash Kicker

I figured that since it was my second year with "The Pin Pushers" I would invest in my future as a bowling virtuoso. Oh yes, I have become a bowler extraordinaire. This does not mean that you have to be good at bowling, oh no, you simply have to meet these requirements: #1. Professional chit chatter who likes to bowl, #2. Lover of greasy delicious artery clogging bowling alley food, #3. Chuck the ball and hit the pins most of the time, #4. Laugh really hard. Simple. Honestly, I love these awesome women who I bowl with. I learn so much from each of them and I have fun "working out" on the lane. Bowling has become my physical, emotional, and social outlet. I love it. A long time ago I blogged that I wanted to be buried with my Dyson. Well.....my Dyson will have company, yep, "The Ash Kicker" my new bowling ball spectacular will be there as well. I know, I know, I named my bowling ball. A gal we were bowling against today looked at me like I was pond scum when I told her my elation at getting "The Ash Kicker." Apparently in some circles it isn't cool to name your ball, but lets face it, we name the things we love. My first car was the "Silver Sliver" a 1985 Ford Taurus. Loved the thing until it practically blew up 6 months later. At any rate, if you are hanging out at Davis Lanes on a Wednesday afternoon you will see The Pin Pushers and "The Ash Kicker," we aren't hard to find, look for the team having the most fun.

The Blue One vs. The Pink One

The Blue One

The Pink One

The pink one is definitely different than the blue one. People wished a boy on me. It was as if I hadn't had to know what it was like to parent until I had a boy (according to the boy wishers). It is true, they are not the same. Not the impending doom of boyness spoken in a Darth Vader like voice of the boy wishers, just different. For example: Adessa has to wear a dress to church that she can twirl in, she eats like a bird, begs to apply make-up on anyone she sees, dreams in pink and glitter, plays Peter Pan, dances rather than walks, and begs to wear frou frou's. I personally would love to ski down that perfect jump of a nose. She is beautiful. The blue one: eats like a lion, poops like crazy, super strong, super happy, is crawling much earlier than his pink counterpart, loves noise, wrestling, and doesn't cry when he cracks his head or is told "no." He is NOT beautiful. I don't even know if I could say he is good looking, but he definitely melts my heart. When he smiles his little Yoda Troll face I just have to laugh. It is obvious that the two of them are just as different in personality as they are in looks. I am glad that I have one of each to exhaust me in different ways, one emotional, the other physical. Love em', Love em'.

Couldn't Help Myself

I am sure you all have opinions about what kind of mother I am, but I just couldn't resist! The similarities are freaky.

It's a Birthday Tea

All year long Adessa has been obsessed with having Tea Parties. Everywhere she goes she wants to have a tea party. When it came time to think of an idea for her 1st friend party, one could only go with the tea party theme. Knowing that she wanted a friend party this year, at Easter time I bought all of these great hats at the dollar store to embellish in the future for her party. The party was a lot of fun to plan and prepare for. I was able to find everything I needed at the DI. I found the tea cups, saucers, and enough tea pots for each pair of girls to share one. The teapots were awful so I went to the craft store and bought an acrylic paint that can be used on ceramics and fired in your oven. I painted over the hideous prancing deer and other nasty murals with a white and then turned them into lovely little floral pots. We had hot cocoa with mini marshmallows, colorful ribbon sandwiches, and of course floral decorated cupcakes with ice cream. I simplified with basic tea party games of button button, and pin the tea pot on the tea pot. The girls were darling. We were able to invite the girls in Adessa's primary class as well as the girls that will be in her school grade, plus her friend Leah from dance. At the end of the day, Addie had a fun time and I had a blast watching these darling little Muppet's prattle around the backyard for a couple hours acting the way girls do.

Soccer...to play or not to play, that is the question!

There is no question that I love frou frou and that I am very "pink" and "sparkly", however, I also am quite athletic and can throw down a butch (not to be confused with another B word) attitude if necessary. For crying out loud, I ran the gamut of piano, violin, gymnastics, dance, softball, basketball, I could out run any boy at recess, and then come home and direct my siblings in plays for hours. I think as parents we all expect our children to resemble ourselves in various ways. Soooo, when placed in a situation where you have a child that looks just like your spouse and acts just like his mother.....things can get a wee bit frustrating. That is not to say that I don't love my hubby or his mom, they are both swell, but what happened to my mini me? I was looking for the Xena of the soccer field, the ruthless, cut throat, boy hating, demon. What I got was a forest sprite that flitted and sauntered around the soccer field yawning. Yawning? She is supposed to be anxiously engaged in the game and looking at her coach with intent and eagerness. Yawning? I love this child, but it is evident that I cannot have certain expectations as to her extracurricular activities or even for her school work. I will just have to embrace her love of arts and crafts, a love that I can relate to very well. If she decides she wants to become a dancer, or an athlete, I will support her. In the meantime, I am going to laugh about just how dainty and frou frou she definitely is out there on the field.

She has definitely got the look!

1st day of School

I guess this means I am an old parent. Adessa officially started school with Miss Char on September 1st. Class is 3 days a week, Tues., Weds., and Thurs., for 2 1/2 hours. I did cry the first day, not because I am one of those separation anxiety parents, but because she seemed so happy. Nothing makes a parent happier than seeing their kids happy. I must confess that pre-school is a luxury I have come to believe I cannot live without. It is so nice to have time with just William without big sister stealing the spot light. Kisses to Miss Char for taking my 3 yr. old with her 4yr. old pre-school!

Big Girl!