Awesome.

I don't take a whole lot of stock in horoscopes but I'll take this one. :) This last year has been a tough one, I'm ready for some good!

Year 2011 Overview

Just when you thought that life couldn't possibly throw any more twists or turns along life's once tedious path, along comes the unpredictable but exhilarating energy of 2011 (operative word being 'exhilarating'). Partnerships continue to confront you with your deepest needs and fears but your career shows incredible promise and renewal. You receive the lucky touch of Jupiter from January to June. Expect major expansion and recognition on all fronts.

Promotions, opportunities to expand your social world and work-related travel are all potential gifts when the wheel of fortune spins in your favor for the first half of the year. The second half of 2011 brings a spectacular slew of new friends, alliances and networking opportunities when Jupiter moves into your house of dreams, goals and community. Venus showers you with extra doses of love and cash for the month of July, just in time for your birthday. And Mars brings the action, energy and work in August and early September.

Get ready to jet set this spring and/or summer when the planet of glamour enters your long-distance travel sector this April. Your homebody instincts give way to the lure of travel and adventure in 2011. Fall and winter bring the return of dreamy Neptune to your sector of transformation for one last jaunt between August and 2012.


Sushi's horoscope, another good one. lol. ;)


Year 2011 Overview

Your legendary tenacity and patience is truly about to pay off in spades this year Taurus. After a long and arduous 12 years, your luck is returning with a fabulous vengeance. Jupiter, the planet of large-scale fortune enters your sturdy stars this June for an extended stint taking you right into 2012 in excellent standing. Never has it felt so easy to let go of comfort zones and move into unknown territory with such confidence and gusto. Even the most cautious and conservative of bulls can easily see that the rewards far outweigh the risk this year. Push the envelope, raise the bar and go for the biggest stakes your loyal heart can fathom.

You're a florid channel of original ideas this spring when six planets line up in your unconscious sector of dreams and inspiration right around your birthday. Ready yourself for what becomes a turbo-charged imagination to keep you up at night with more genius schemes than there is time to humanly handle. Your brain will feel like a non-stop idea factory that refuses to rest, so you'll need extra time in nature or at the gym to remain relatively grounded.

Unexpected social encounters and fabulous new friendships flourish throughout the year with special highlights occurring in March and April when Mars powers up your friendship sector. May and June are stellar months for dating and mating with all around good times to be had in general compliments of Venus in Taurus. You've got your mind on your money and your money on your mind all summer with Venus and Mars emphasizing your financial sector. Make your money in June and July while the getting is good and save the leisure rewards for August when you can kick back guilt-free.

Terrible nightmare.

It's 4:45am. I just woke up from a terrible, vivid nightmare. My kids and I were on our way home from a visit to Mexico, Sushi wasn't with us. We stopped at the border, there was a terrible border agent who was ripping my car apart and generally causing problems. I was forced to go inside the agents building and when I came out, my van and my kids were gone. Gone. From there on out it just got more terrifying. The kidnappers kept taunting me with 2 dozen red roses and notes where they were obviously tracking down the rest of my family. The local help wouldn't do anything and I was stuck on the mexico side because now I didn't have any of my paperwork. I couldn't even get to the US side to ask for their help. It was horrible. It was vivid. I remember the buildings, the freeway, the color of the red, red roses, the green grass. I now know two things. One, I will never, ever go to mexico and Two, I never should have read that terrible article about Juarez Mexico and how it is a dying town.

Merry Christmas!!!

Well, this is probably it. The next few days are madness. Madness I tell ya! So, from the sushiboy household to yours, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! And safe travels for you all. :)

Running away. . . . .

Am I the only one who wants to just run away sometimes? You know. Run away from the stress, run away from sticky fingers and the mayhem that ensues. Run away from bills. Run away from responsibility. Run away from making dinner. You get the idea.


Right now I need my own little mini vaca. One that I don't have to do laundry before and after for. One that I don't have to pack 5 people for. One that I have endless money for. sigh.

I think I'm a little worn out. I have been sick now for two straight weeks. The rub? It's not going to get better. Yep, finals are over for Sushi. Does that mean a break for me? NOPE. Sushi is even more exhausted than me. I honestly don't know how he is still moving. So, now he gets to sleep and take it easy. But me, nope. I still get to wrap presents. Plan going to the lights on Temple Square. Plan the insane Christmas weekend. And I am tired. I don't care anymore. But, if I don't do it, no one will.

I know what I need. I need a wife.

Updated- I feel much better now after a good nights sleep last night. I actually got my house clean. The only thing left is to mop the floors and to clean the downstairs bathroom. I still have too much to do but it's amazing what a good nights sleep will do. That and I finally am starting to feel better from this stupid cold/flu? Anywho. Thanks for being such a good sounding board! It's nice to know I'm not alone in my feelings of desperation this time of year. :)

Sushi's work party

What a great party! We had so much fun. It has been so long since we went on an actual date. No kids, we got dressed up, enjoyed great food and great company. His work party this year was at the Zermatt Resort in Midway. What a beautiful place! I was telling him this would be a fun place to live and spend lots of money. ;) We had an awesome dinner then his work had made teams from all the departments and they played minute to win it and it was hilarious. Sushi's dept won and Sushi won his event so we made off like bandits. He won a gift basket that had tickets to the Hale Centre Theatre and a gift card to a new restaurant and a whole lot of candy. Stocking stuffers are now done. He also won a $40 GC to Texas roadhouse. So, the way we see it is that we won two more dates!
The greatest part of this weekend though is that the kids ended up staying the night with family because we knew it was going to be such a late night and I have my Pampered Chef Team Party tonight. So, I slept in until. . . . are you ready for this. . . . . haven't done this since I was single. . . . . 11am. Yes. 11AM. I'm always up by 7am at the latest. I really needed the sleep though. I have been battling a terrible cold all week. For the first time in 9 days I woke up with out a sore throat today. I'm a little stuffy and congested but I feel a whole lot better than I did.
The rest of the afternoon is kind of a bummer. Because I have been sitting in bed for the last three days my house is trashed. filthy. disgusting. I would say I can't believe I let it get this bad but that is not true. Letting an 8,6 and 2 year old run wild for 3 days will do this to anyones house. So, while I had plans originally of working on Cake's stocking, looks like those plans have changed to clean the freakin' pig pen. I'll work on the stocking after church tomorrow. :)
This evening ought to be fun though. We are going to take some product to a customer, go to costco and get nuts and a bag of candy for stockings, and then go to my Pampered Chef Team Party. More good food and great company! After that the fairy tale ends and we have to go pick up our kids.
How was your weekend?

Gravity

Poor Tank learned about gravity today when he fell down into a window well and landed on his head. Right in time for his second birthday tomorrow. :( Poor kid.

woot! Christmas shopping is basically done.

Yep, you read right. I just pushed the button on Amazon today. Almost everything is bought.
I'm a bit of a freak. I start shopping in September and try to be done by the beginning of December. I HATE crowds. I avoid all busy places in December. I avoid Walmart, and even the grocery store if I can. There are a few stocking stuffer things to get and Sushi has got some Black Friday shopping to do for me but, pretty much done.
And it feels great. :)

Asthmatic

ugh, I have been feeling asthmatic for the last week and a half. Do I go to the doctors or just use Cookie's inhaler? It sure would be nice to be able to breath and not cough and feel like my lungs actually got full.

Fall wedding

Tomorrow is my beautiful younger sisters wedding. What does this mean for us? A VERY EARLY morning. I have to be up by about 5:30 so we can all leave my 7:30 at the latest so we can be to the Salt Lake Temple by 9:00am. Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there friends. Then we get to wrestle with three kids through pictures, a luncheon, and a reception. All together now. yeah. I am happy for her, she is truly marrying a very nice guy and she seems very happy. It's just not nearly as fun to go to weddings when you have kids. I dread taking my kids to wedding receptions. But a whole day with expecting my kids to behave well? Nearly impossible. Add to this that my brother already thinks my kids are devil spawn and that I'm "just not tough enough on them" and we are sure to have a super time. Oh well, I love her I'm excited for her. I'm so glad she found a nice guy and will be able to be sealed for all eternity to him. I just need a better attitude STAT. Hopefully a good nights sleep will solve that problem! Off to bed I go.


Update: The wedding was great. The weather was beautiful, my children were not devil spawn, just a little naughty from time to time. The reception was CRAZY, I got put in charge of food so I was running like a crazy lady. I am so thankful for my awesome brothers and sisters who jumped in wherever they were needed. My brother was in good spirits and we actually had some positive interaction with him. The low point of the evening was when I got asked when I was due. I guess all my hard work at the gym isn't really paying off. :( But, it was a beautiful day, beautiful reception, and good family times.

six months and counting. . . .

Sushi informed me the other day that he only has six months left of school! Woot! It has seemed like such a long journey. But, at this point, after him going to school for the last three and a half years we can handle almost anything for six months! lol. He is walking on his birthday which is about the best birthday present ever. I am so proud of him and how well he has done while working full time, being a father to our children, holding a church calling and going to school part time. I truly don't know how he does it. I would collapse from exhaustion if I was him. I am so glad he has done it. We will be in so much a better place with the current economy once he graduates. When we started we told ourselves no matter what in four years four years will have passed. We may as well get this done and be in a better place. It's looking like that is the way it's going to be. I am so proud of Sushiboy. What a great husband he is!

The beginning/end of the month crunch

sigh, just looked at our account. So much is due the beginning/end of the month. I hate that. Good thing Sushi's paycheck comes in tomorrow. That is all.

Clean clothes

why is it that no matter what, mothers are not allowed to have clean clothes? Here's a prime example. I was supposed to have a show this afternoon. I do some things around the house in my grubby clothes. They stayed clean. About an hour before I need to leave for my show I hop in the shower, and get my clothes on I was going to wear to the show. I finally get a hold of my host and we reschedule. (Not a huge surprise, I hadn't been able to get a hold of her all week, a very bad sign when the host doesn't call you back) Tank comes down, while I am on the phone he informs me he wants to sit on my lap. I pick him up. He has a sippy cup. . . . with grape soda. (The kid is sick and I just want him drinking all the fluids I can) He proceedes to tip the sippy cup over and pour grape soda all over my newly put on, one of three or four nice outfits. Sigh. I take it off, I'm doing laundry anyways so I just add the shirt to the laundry pile. I was able to salvage the pants I was wearing. Until I went to wash the sheets on our bed. As I am putting bleach in the washer the bleach drips down the side of the bottle and onto my one of two pairs of nice slacks. Sigh. I hurridly strip them off of me and put them in the running washer water. I think the disaster has been averted. I don't see a huge bleach stain on my gray pants yet so I think they'll be fine. But, here I am on outfit #3 (grubbys again) and I haven't left the house. No wonder I don't own nice clothes. The ones I do have seem to have a "ruin me" magnet on them. :)

My not so proud moment

Sooo, my ward did it's primary program today. I am the primary chorister. It's also fall break. Our normally small primary (mabey 25 kids come every week, if we're lucky) had about 15 kids there. The kids got up to sing and . . . . . . . even though I was in the second row of the chapel I could NOT hear them. I put my hand to my ear to indicate the kids need to sing louder. I still could barely hear them. Enter my proud moment. I look over at Cookie. You know the oldest of my darling children. He is pulling faces and obviously NOT singing. This is in front of the entire ward. ugh. Top this off with the fact that Sushi had to take Tank out to the foyer because he was being such a monster. I look at cookie and give him "the look". You know, the one that should strike fear into your childrens hearts. He looks at me. . . . . and grins. . . . then continues to pull faces. My blood pressure went up about 20 points. We get through the program and Sushi comes back in and says to cookie "good job buddy" and gives him knuckles. Granted, sushi was not there, he didn't see the faces. I look at him and say "actually, he was quite terrible. I think he may have lost privileges for the day". That time the look worked. Poor sushi says "oh, I'm sorry, I thought I could hear him singing." "Nope, I reply, he was awful". So, the rest of church happens and cookie and cakes rode home with Sushi from church. Sushi gets out of his car when we get home trying his hardest not to laugh. I ask him what happened. He says "I asked cookie about the program. He said he didn't like some of the songs and didn't want to sing them and he couldn't help himself." Heh, I waited to calm down, talked to cookie about it and he has indeed lost video game privileges for the day. He appears to have learned a lesson. Lets see if he can "help himself" next time.

Cookie's baptism

I need to write down my feelings from yesterday before I forget them. My darling oldest son Cookie was baptised yesterday. What an amazing day and what an amazing kid. We have been teaching him and looking forward to this day for the last eight years. I am so proud of his decision to be baptised. He planned his program and told me who he wanted to speak and who he wanted to have say prayers, and what songs he wanted us to sing for the program. Here was the program

Opening song- When I am baptised
Opening prayer- Grandma F
Talk on baptism- Superwoman

Cookie is baptised by Sushiboy

Talk on the Holy Ghost- Uncle S

Cookie is confirmed by Sushiboy

Closing song- The Holy Ghost
Closing Prayer- Grandpa H

I was so proud of Sushiboy being worthy to be able to baptise and confirm Cookie. I was so impressed by my brother (Uncle S) and his talk on the Holy Ghost. I have always had faith in Uncle S, even through the difficult times he has gone through with substance abuse and some of the decisions he has made when he knows better. I have always seen what an amazing person he is in spite of some of his decisions. His talk on the Holy Ghost brought tears to everyone's eyes. It was so heartfelt and sincere. He warned Cookie that there have been times that he has not been able to feel the Holy Ghost and those were the worst times of his life. He urged Cookie to always strive to be worthy to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. He jokingly said there are not too many things he can remember because he has been hit in the head too many times but he clearly remembers his baptism. I love my brother. I think he is such an amazing person. When he gets married he is going to be an amazing father and husband. His next step is to be an amazing missionary. He is getting closer. Today he is going to be ordained an Elder. I am so proud of him.

I am also so proud of Cookie. What a great boy he is and what a great man he will be. What a wonderful day.

Tank

For those of you who are my facebook friends, I posted two video's of Tank talking. I'm not going to post them here as I use real names on the video. So, if you're my friend and you want to see and hear Tank talking, head on over to facesbook.

Ghossts

heh, ghosts from my past that is. On facebook I had some drama a few months ago. Not sure if you remember it so I'll refresh your memory. ;) Here's the background. Before Sushiboy I dated a lot of boys. Thankfully I chose the right one. This is a story about one of the wrong ones. humm, we'll call him running man. Here's the long and short, we were in college, we met at a college dance, and started dating. He was really handsome, short, but handsome. But, a few months into our relationship he suddenly didn't want to sit by me or touch me, or anything like that. We broke up. I moved on. Got engaged to a total idiot who I thankfully didn't marry and when idiot and I got unengaged running man almost immediately got back in touch with me. Apparently, he had been keeping tabs on me. We got back together, but after just a few weeks of dating, he brought up marriage to me. I was not at all looking to get married. I had just ended an engagement for heavens sake. Not at all in my radar. So, this time I broke up with him and I moved on. Met Sushiboy eventually and we have been happily together now for the last eleven years.

About a year or so ago I got a friend request from running man. I hesitated, I thought over it for a few weeks. I'm a little old fashioned in that I believe it's best to be very guarded with members of the opposite sex. You can be friends with them, it's just best not to be "BFF's". I think that is the way a lot of affairs start. Some things you don't share with the opposite sex. I checked his profile and saw he was married which helped me make my decision to allow him to be my friend. I figured if he tried to strike up some kind of close friendship I would just unfriend him. I really had no interest in him or in his life. But, I didn't want to be a jerk either so I accepted his friendship.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago. One day, I go to check my facebook page. I see a message from someone I don't know. Cautiously, I opened it. It was some woman chewing me out for being "rude". Confused, I replied. "I'm not really sure who you are and how I was rude but whatever I did I apologize." She then told me she had told her husband (running man) to talk to me and that I had told him to leave me alone. I told her that I had never talked to her husband and perhaps she had me confused with someone else. She then told me I needed to get over myself because I was not all that and that I lost a great man and I was a total loser. Confused again I told her I promise I never chatted with your husband, I've never said I was all that and mabey one of my kids was on my profile. I tell them not to talk to people if chat's come up. She then told me "whatever, you know what you did and don't worry he "unfriended" you anyways, you're not worth his time." Of course I was HEARTBROKEN (sarcasm) over him unfriending me. But, to avoid future chewing out I thought I better ask my kids if something had happened. hee hee. Here's what happened. Running man tried to chat with me. Cookie replied "can't I be alone?". And running man and his wife went into a tissy. I told her what had happened, told him what had happened because I figured with a wife like that she wouldn't tell him what had happened. And that has become my cautionary tale about facebook.

Today, he again asked to be my friend. I think this falls into the "not only no, but hell no" category. I don't need the drama, I don't need to be abused and called names by his wife if I accidently "hurt his feelbads", and I really want nothing to do with him.

Here's my question to you, what do you think? Am I making the right decision? Because I think some ghosts are better left buried.

I'm crazy. . . . .

well, it's official, I'm crazy. "Why now" do you ask???? I'm attempting something I've never attempted before. Starting tomorrow I am going to. . . . . . .




bum, bum, bum, bum. . . .




start potty training Tank. The reason I'm crazy???? I've never potty trained a kid so young. But, the kid is showing all the signs, so, what do ya do??? He's 21 1/2 months but asking me to put him on the toilet already and telling me when he is stinky and asking me to change him. So, we'll see what happens.


I really hate potty training. I think it's the worst job for a parent. It requires all the patience I have. But, this is a slow week for Pampered Chef so I'm canceling all my appointments at the gym for the week, buying the boy some tiny little underwear and giving it a try. Wish me luck! Wouldn't it be wonderful if it worked? No more diapers!

Newfound independence. . .

I suddenly have two very independent children. Cookie decided he didn't need me on the first day of school, and Cakes today stopped me at the doors of her school. "Stop, Mommy" she said, standing at the door. "I can go from here all by myself." Of course I know as soon as she gets home from school today she will need me to do about 5000 things for her but my question is this. When did I get such great, independent kids! I have been working on it for the last 8 years and I suppose it's finally paid off. But it is amazing to me that it has all happened within a few weeks.

In other news, Cookie turns 8 today!!!!! 8 years ago today I was in labor ***still***, and I was exhausted. I was in induced labor with that kid for 24 hours, no epidural, just pain. I never dilated past a 1. So, thankfully, they decided to do a C-section that evening. I am so proud of the great kid he is. He is kind and fun, and very, very smart. Today is his first day at scouts. He is so excited for that he almost can't stand it. His actual birthday party is on Friday and we had our family going out to dinner tradition on Saturday so today is basically a "happy birthday, we love you day". The fun will follow.

Today. . . He didn't need me

Today was cookies first day of second grade. Other than getting him TO school, he really didn't need me. We walked him to his class, he said bye and he was gone. I have to admit for a few seconds I was sad that he didn't need me anymore. And then it was over. How proud I am that I have taught him to be so independent! I just hope he remembers from time to time that it is nice to have other people around. ;)

Hug your kids a little tighter today

For those of you who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you may or may not be aware that during our main church meeting (sacrament meeting) we don't hear from a Preacher, we hear from other members who prepare talks on specific topics. Today was a hard one to hear. We had a couple come from another ward (a group of members who meet together) and they gave such a heart wrenching talk. Their point was that our trials will become sacred as they lead us closer to God. Their message, unimaginable. The spoke about how three years ago they lost their sweet three year old daughter to drowning at Lake Powell. My heart broke to hear them speak, I wanted to grab my children and hug them tighter and tighter. However, through the atonement of Jesus Christ they were/are able to come through the darkness and pain of losing their daughter at such a young age. They have been able to draw closer to God by trusting in Him. They appear to be the "perfect family", they are both thin, attractive people, they seem to have plenty of money, they have a beautiful family. I have to admit that when I saw them on the stand before I heard them speak I had some unkind thoughts. (I do have a little jealous green monster in here, I just try to hide him away) How humbled I was. What amazing people, how well they are handling such a difficult trial. I can not imagine losing one of my children, I only hope I would handle it in such a way if the unimaginable happened. If you want to read their blog it is www.binksfamilyblog.com. If you want to read their story click on the link at the top of the page titled nightmare/miracle/blessing (Kamberlie). I must warn you though, be prepared with a few tissues. I think the lesson I learned (again) today is you can never judge a book by it's cover. What an amazing family.

Aaaand, we're back

well, I'm back. One day we figured out the mileage and it was closer to 35 miles than 50 miles but I figure with all the backtracking and such, we're closer to 40 miles in 6 days. After a good nights sleep and a long hot shower my feet still hurt but most everything else is fine. Other than I'm really, really hungry, huh, you would think we burned tons of calories. ;) So, here we go, a quick recap of the 6 days, even with a quick recap it may get a little long. .
Day 1- We arrive at Grand Teton National Park, get our packs ready, finish the lunch my parents had prepared of apples and cheese, get one car at the beginning of the hike and one car at the end of the hike, and go. We started at a place called Death Canyon Trailhead. Gives you lots of confidence, eigh???! We hiked into Death Canyon and it was gorgeous! It was filled with wildflowers. It was also raining while we set up camp and were hiking, so we were wet when we got to camp. We camped that night in Death canyon, it was about a 7 mile hike that was pretty hard, a lot of uphill. That night I got sick. I think I may have gotten food poisoning. I'll spare you the ugly details but I was up all night sick. When I woke up the next morning I was wondering if I should even continue. At this point, I only have a 7 mile hike down and I could go home. I felt weak, sick and dehydrated. So, I prayed about it and felt that whatever I chose I would be fine, if I went home, I would be fine, if I kept going I would be fine. But, I knew that being up high in the mountains, without any medical help available in my condition was NOT a good idea. So, I asked my Dad and my brother for a priesthood blessing of healing. My Dad told me in the blessing what I had been told in my prayer. That whatever I choose I would be fine, if I went home I would recover, if I stayed I would recover and have a great time. I would make it home with no injuries and I would be fine and have a great time. So, I decided to stay.
Day 2- during the night while I was sick, some guys missed the campsites and asked if they could stay in our camp. We told them sure, just use the bear box for their food. So, in the morning, after my blessing we were getting ready to go and a black bear wandered into our camp. He just headed straight for the bear box, found no food, and unfortunately, the guys who had joined us last night had just taken their food down from their bear tree. The bear headed into their camp, the guys backed out the camp, and the bear had a great breakfast and then proceeded to have a nap in their camp. The poor guys just sat up on the hill above camp and waited for the bear to wake up. As we were leaving, my Mom told the guys to be careful, she had seen a moose by the rock they were on. . . more on that later. So, we continue to hike along, I hiked very slowly that day because I couldn't handle any food in my stomach yet and I felt very weak. We headed out of Death canyon, and while we were resting one of the times, we ran into the guys. We asked them how things went, they told us a Ranger had come along, scared the bear away but while they were waiting, a moose charged them on their rock! The poor guys! They were young though and excited, they told us they had been working all summer in Idaho cutting trails and hadn't seen any wildlife so they were sooo excited to be seeing some wildlife. :) We then proceeded to head up fox creek pass, a pretty hard climb. My sweet brother came and carried my pack up the pass for me because I wasn't feeling well and he was bored because he had been there for hours. That night we headed up to Death Canyon shelf which was beautiful again and camped. I had a much better night, I went to bed around 7 pm and slept until about 8am.
Day 3- This day we headed up to a place called Alaska Basin, the kicker of this day was that we were staying at a place called sunset lake and right before we got to Sunset lake we got to hike up and down about 500 ft in elevation in about a mile. It was freaking hard. This was probably about our fastest day, we got into camp about 3pm and just had fun talking, my brothers made a sling shot and practiced, and practiced, and practiced. They got pretty good by the end of the night. It was a nice relaxing day. That was good because we still had to pass over hurricane pass the next day.
Day 4- Today we started hiking and almost immediatly went up and over Hurricane pass. That was about 900 feet in about a mile. It was rough, and cold!!! Today was supposed to be our hardest day, about 8-9 miles. We were at 10,500 ft at the top. Here's the kicker, it was SNOWING on the top of the pass, and soooo windy. We took a picture and hurried over the pass and continued on Cascade canyon trail. The day was pretty much without incident, we just headed on to our campsite in Cascade Canyon. And we quickly fell asleep.
Day 5- This day was new, my Parents had not hiked this part of the trail before and did not know what to expect. It was only going to be about 6-7 miles though so we thought we would be fine. Bwhaaaaa! How wrong we were. This was probably about the hardest freaking day of my life. We had to go over a pass called Paintbrush Divide. I hope to NEVER do this again. EVER. We were at the bottom of cascade canyon so we had to hike about a mile until we got to solitude lake. We stopped, had lunch, and cringed. We had about 1100 ft to go up in about 2.4 miles. So, after eating, we started hiking, and hiking, and hiking. There weren't a whole lot of switchbacks, just a slow, steady climb up, and up, and up. And we kept going up, and we kept going. It was so hard! We did have fun at one point while my Mom and I were waiting for my Dad to catch up watching the funny marmot creatures. They were so fat they just waddled. It cracked me up! So, eventually, the trail stopped going up and we were at the top. It made Hurricane pass look like a sissy hike (and Hurricane pass wasn't a sissy hike). We were at 10,700 ft. We got to the top and groaned. What we had just climbed UP in 2.4 miles, we got to climb DOWN in about a mile on what can hardly be called a trail, it was just loose rocks all the way down with a loose interpretation of a trail among the rocks. As well as having to climb over snow fields. It was really hard, we were so worried about my Dad coming down, we took it slow and tried to keep an eye on him. We continued to hike down Cascade Canyon until we got to a fork in the trail. We were supposed to hike into a lake called Holly Lake and our campsite was supposed to be somewhere around Holly Lake. We were not sure wether to take the lower trail or the higher trail. Someone told us the higher trail was best so we (foolishly) took the higher trail. Instead of only taking about 1/2 mile to our site, it took about a mile and a half, and we had to hike down, then back up, and we got lost at another fork of the trail and went down the wrong trail for about 1/2 mile and had to hike back up that extra 1/2 mile back to the fork. Sooo, we finally find our campsite, but, my brothers and sisters were not there, their stuff was there, but they were not. We knew they had gotten worried and gone back to look for us. And they had gone the opposite way we had. It was 8 pm, it was starting to rain and get dark and as far as we could tell, they had taken light jackets and 1 flashlight. We were worried. We knew the last thing we should do is go looking for them, so, we said a prayer and asked the spirit to tell them we were fine, we were back at camp, and they needed to head back asap. My sister says they all suddenly said, "we need to go back, they are fine, but we need to go back". I'm so glad for that answer to prayers. Just before they made it back to camp a cloud literally came and settled over our camp. It was a long, cold night, it rained, it thundered, it SNOWED. We all were so cold! I knew I had obligations I had to get back for on Saturday, so we tried to sleep.
Day 6- We got up from our cold night, packed our packs and were heading down the trail by 7am. We only had 6 miles this day and it was ALL DOWNHILL!!!! Yippee! I have to admit, after the day before, I was done, ready to be home. As I told my dad, well, up until yesterday it was fun, after yesterday it was just real. ;) My sisters and I headed down the trail because we knew my brothers would catch us just fine. It was nice, cool, quiet, we weren't climbing. On our way down we saw two black bears. Both were very intent on their huckleberries, but one was right on the trail, about 5 ft away from us. We just let him eat his huckleberries and move off the trail at his own leisure. About this time my brothers caught up with us and we just kept going on down. We made it to my car, I took my wetwipes and toothbrush into a real flushing toilet and running water sink! I cleaned up a little, changed my clothes, and scared some woman who I'm sure thought I was a homeless person living in the park from the looks she was giving me and the way she hurried her daughter out the restroom. :0 Then my brothers and sisters and I hopped in my car, went back to Death Canyon trailhead and had my brothers pick up my Parent's car and take it back to the end of Paintbrush canyon trailhead to wait for my parents. The girls and I headed back home. We made a quick stop at Jackson Hole. (too many people, especially after our nice week with very few people) Got some lunch, and drove and drove home. I dropped them off at my parents, picked my kids up from my awesome sister in law's home, and made it home my 9pm. Then I ate dinner, put kids in bed, went to the grocery store, took a shower and slept and slept and slept. My bed has never felt so nice!
So, there ya have it, my long 40 mile trek in 6 days. No wonder we only do it only every 10 years or so!

Leeavin' on a jet plane. . .

Ok, not really. But I am leaving on Sunday to hike the Tetons in Idaho for a week with my parents and siblings. We'll be hiking 50 miles total and carrying everything we need on our backs. I have been training all summer for this. Taking Tank and going hiking twice a week with him on my back. I figure he weighs about as much as my pack will weigh. Of course, that was for about 3 hours at a time, not all day, and I got to go home and take a nice long hot shower at the end of it and sleep in my nice soft bed that night, not on the ground. . . I hope I don't die! Lol, in all seriousness, I am looking forward to it. It should be a fun adventure and I do feel fairly prepared for it. I have done this one other time before, about 20 (eeps!) years ago when I was still in High School and in awesome shape. Now, I'm fat, tired but still in pretty good shape, albeit a round one! ;) Should be fun. Wish me luck!

Plastic Surgery

If you could have any plastic surgery in the world, what would you choose? I would get a tummy tuck. As much as I love my children and I am so glad I have them, three C-sections has NOT been nice to my stomach. I used to have a six pack people! Now I have a pouch. A pouch that no amount of working out will get rid of. I did not inherit the gene where you have a tiny tummy, walk into the hospital, have a darling 7 lb baby, and walk out in your prepregnancy jeans. I inherited the genes where I gain 45 lbs and look like I have a giant protuberance sticking out of my stomach, have a 9-9.10 lb baby, and have to work like a crazy lady for the next 2-3 years to lose the 45 lbs I gained. So, if we had enough money and I didn't feel bad about the complete waste that it was, I would get a tummy tuck. How about you?

Camping

Guess what we decided to to last night around 7 pm? We're going camping today. Guess I know what I'll be doing today. Yep, you guessed it, getting ready to go camping in a tent with three small children. Ought to be fun.

Pandora's box

Well, now we've done it, we've opened Pandora's box, otherwise known as build a bear workshop. It all started when Cakes was watching saturday morning cartoons this morning. Her birthday is coming up next week and she had gotten $20.00 from Grandma and Grandpa. Que the commercial to prove that marketing DOES work with kids. Build a bear had a commercial about a special they were running, $29.99 for any bear, any outfit and any pair of shoes. Cakes told me that was what she wanted for her birthday present. I thought "holy crap, $30 bucks for a bear?" But, upon asking my friends on facesbook what they thought of the place, I decided that it would only actually cost us $10 because we had the $20 from the grandparents. We also have a tradition of taking the kids to lunch/dinner as a family at the place they choose. She wanted to go to surprise! McDonalds(again, due to a saturday morning cartoon commercial, apparently, they had littlest pet shop toys). So, we decided to make an afternoon of it. We hopped in the car, headed to the mall and entered build a bear. The girl quickly picked a yorkshire terrier and the pinkest, sparkliest outfit and shoes in the place. We got the silly thing stuffed, dressed, and named and as we were naming it, Cookie asked if he could have one too. Sushi and I gulped, looked at the regular price and told him he could have one as long as we put it away for a month until his birthday. He chose a camoflouge bear with a batman costume and soccer cleats. Not sure why the soccer cleats, mabey because he's a 7 year old boy and he thought it was funny, anywho, they would probably be great to fight crime in, they are sharp. So, we walk out of build a bear spending not $10 but $40. But, on the bright side, Cookie's birthday is taken care of already. After that we went to Carls Jr for sushi and I and took the kids to McD's. I always feel a little silly walking into the play place with another places food, but I really, really hate McD's and we do order kids meals for the kids. So, to sum things up, Cakes is thrilled and has not let "fluffy" out of her sight, and Cookie has to wait a month to see "batbear" again but I think they both love their bears. They better for $30! ;)

Chinese spammers

Does anyone know how to get rid of Chinese spamers? I already have it so you have an antispam word, but they keep coming!!! How do I stop the maddness????

I LOVE Chicago!!!

I'm baaack!!! And I had a fabulous time, I love Chicago. What a fun city, I can definetly see that you need to be in the "right" parts of Chicago but it was awesome. All in all, I ate too much, and slept too little and had a great time. Pictures are coming. . . .

Just a few more hours. . . . .

I'm almost off, I have to leave at 6:15 to get to the airport in time. So that means I have to be up at 5:30 at the latest, so, I'm off to bed. I'll be back on come Friday.

Chicago

I am going to Chicago on sunday! Yippee! 5 days with just my awesome Pampered Chef friends. It's time for National Conference and I'm going this year. Even though I have been doing Pampered Chef for three years this will be the first time I will go. I had really wanted to walk accross the stage as a new Director, but, alas, it is not to be. Not too much longer though! I'll just walk next year as a more experienced new director. I have to tell you though, getting ready to leave has been soooo difficult, I am a bit of a freak and think my house has to be spotless before I can go anywhere so I have been working myself into the ground this week. The good news? My yard looks better than it has in a long time, the bad news, the inside of my house is still awful. I never got to the van, it still needs an oil change and it looks like I have three kids ;). Who knows, perhaps what is left will be finished by tomorrow evening. But, I'm not holding my breath. However, I will have an awesome time in Chicago one way or another so I just need to relax and realize that the mess will wait until I get home. . . sadly.

Summer

Humm, lots going on here and not a lot going on there. When there isn't a lot going on I usually just collapse and enjoy the moment! Lets see.
We got a new furnace and air conditioning because we wanted to take advantage of the rebates and incentives before they were gone.
We just picked all the cherries off my tree, thank goodness this year was a small crop, that was enough!
Cakes and I just got our haircut yesterday and it was so fun! It was the first time I've ever taken her to a salon to get her hair cut, usually I just cut it straight across. The hairstylest gave her an A-line bob and it looks adorable. I love it.
I am going to Chicago in a week for National Conference for Pampered Chef. I'm excited and nervous about that, a whole week with no kids!!! woot!!! Flying to a city I'm unfamiliar with makes a nervous but I'll have friends with me. Flying in general makes me nervous. I don't necessarily have a "fear" of flying but it does make me a little nervous and I really don't like doing it.
I have been hiking at least twice a week this summer because I am getting ready for a 50 mile hike I'll be going on with my family in August. Again, a week with no kids! woot! Just me, my parents and my siblings. I'm really looking forward to it. We'll hike for about a week in the Tetons, we'll carry all our own supplies and I'm fairly sure we're all going to die. ;) Tee hee, just kidding but I'm sure it's going to be much harder than what I remember it being like last time I went.
We haven't gone to the pool yet this year, gone camping with just my family, or spent much time in the garden, it's planted, then forgotten. I need to work on that.
So, things are trudging along here at the Sushiboy household, we just take things one day at a time. And sadly, summer is 1/3 of the way over. Time to work on what we've been missing.

Eclipse

A friend of mine asked me to post this to spread the word. So, if you want more info let me know. And no, I wont be going. I kind of feel like "meh, Eclipse".


Eclipse Midnight Show!
Front Two Rows - $11
Main Section - $18

RESERVED SEATING!!!

Popcorn and Drink Included in Price

Each ticket comes with one raffle ticket -
we will be raffling off TONS of cool things!
Last year we had teeth whitening, massages, haircuts, photography sessions and lots more!

No Trailers before the Movie - JUST STRAIGHT TO ECLIPSE!!!

June 29th Midnight (enter the theater on the 29th leave the 30th - make sense?) @Thanksgiving Point Theater

Woot!

I just got our tax return (I know, yes, we did file an extension)and I just PAID OFF OUR VAN!!!! I also paid off the $900 hospital bill we had, put a dent in some credit card debt and saved some for a rainy day (Sushi's tuition is coming due soon, again). Woot! What a great feeling, NO more car payments for us!!! I really, really, really hate car payments, I feel like they are the biggest waste of money ever! Remember my New Years resolutions????? Yippee! Getting closer every day! We're paying off debt and I'm almost a Director. What a great day. Now onto the regular boring parts of my day, laundry, bathrooms, cleaning clutter, etc.

Tank's 18 month pics.

yeah! You finally get to see some pictures of my adorable little boy! Enjoy, I can't believe 18 months have passed already! I thought I would be skinnier by now ;). We're so glad to have our Tank in our family.

long week.

this picture pretty much sums up last week. Tank turned 18 months and we spent the week with strep. :( It was very sad. Monday tank was running a fever of 102.7 so I took him into the Doctors at the instacare. Sure, enough, he had strep. Because it was Memorial Day we had to go to the instacare, and I got to drive all over town looking for a pharmacy that was open. Wednesday morning Cookie woke up with a fever of 103 I woke up with a sore throat. Because our regular pediatrician was not in the office last week we ended up in the instacare waiting for 2 1/2 hours. It was delightful, 2 1/2 hours with three small children. In a boring waiting room. We got in, they swabbed his throat and gave him and antibiotic. All that waiting for 10 minutes with the Doc. I was lucky enough to walk into my Doctors office, tell them I had a sore throat and all the symptoms plus two sick kids and they called in an antibiotic. I know, I have the coolest Doctors office ever! I did have a Pampered Chef show on Thursday but I was still feeling sooo sick on Thursday afternoon so I called one of my consultants and had her take the show. Friday was crazy because not only was I just beginning to feel human again but it was also the annual Father's and Son's campout with our church. Soooo, lucky me, I got to pack Sushi and the boy for camping, do laundry, and pack my kids to go have a sleepover at Grandma's. Then sushi came home, we switched cars, I drove to Salt Lake, dropped the kids off and spent some time with my mom and when it was time to come home, the freeway was closed so what normally takes me an hour to drive home took me two hours. I got to bed at 1:30am. Then I had team meeting in the morning, a Pampered Chef show in the afternoon and when Sushi and Cookie got home we went to dinner as a family (sans Cakes and Tank who were still at grandma's). Sunday morning we got up and headed to Salt Lake again for my little sister's new baby blessing. But, someone got stabbed in the parking lot of the church that morning so church was canceled because the police were doing their investigation. So, we just did the blessing at my brother-in-law's parents home and had lunch at my Parent's house. It was actually nice to just visit and not be in a hurry. I stayed up at my Parent's on Sunday night and Sushi headed home. Monday I had lunch with some of my friends from high school and then my sisters, mom and my family all went on a hike. It was nice to be out in nature! I ended up just staying at my Mom's house because it was so late by the time we were done, then I headed home tuesday morning. All of this made it so my lawn was waaayyy overdue to be cut, my house was a disaster and I was exhausted. So on Wednesday my awesome mom and little sister came to me and helped me get caught up. My sister mowed my lawn (poor sister, it was very, very, long), my mom helped me thoroughly mop my floor and clean my workshop which was a disaster because I just kept throwing things in there instead of putting them where they belong. Today? I haven't done anything of consequence. I NEED to clean my office, it's a disaster, but, I really don't want to. We have a Doctors appointment for Cookie later today, I'll have to blog about that another time. And now you know why I feel frazzled! Not the easiest week of my life! Tank does have an appointment for pictures on Monday, that will be nice to have some good pictures of him. He's so cute and just the light of my life! I can't believe that 18 months have already passed! It has happened WAY too fast!

Our new toy

Taaa Daaaa!!!!! Here is our new toy.





I am so excited. We have been married for 10 years and are on kiddo number 3 and we are finally getting one of these, in the past, we had to call my mom and ask to borrow hers which is 25 years old, yep, 25. The waist strap for the child on hers is broken so I have these horrific visions of my child falling out headfirst everytime I put my child in it. Yeah! Now I don't have to worry about that! Now I'm trying to figure out where to hike first.

Because I'm so awesome. . .

tee hee! Because I am so freaking awesome I just fixed our diswasher myself and saved us about $120.00. It wasn't filling with water at all. Everything else was working, just no water. So, I called around and got told the fix was the inlet valve, the stupid man at the shop didn't think I could fix it. I fix everything around here. I am the plumber. So, I looked it up online and the instructions said it was an easy fix that should take less than an hour. I called the shop guy back and told him to order the part for $35.00. He had suggested I call a diswasher repair man and the rates go as follow: $60.00 just to come out, $60.00/hr, plus the cost of the part $35.00. It was so easy to fix. The hardest part was waiting the two days for the part. So, I got it changed out and water still wasn't getting in the diswasher. So, I looked online again and decided to check the float valve. It was soooo dirty, I cleaned it out and it started working. Now, the question is, did I waste $35.00 on a new inlet valve? Or were both things stopping my dishwasher from filling with water, I guess we'll never know, but, I feel pretty awesome that I just saved us $120.00 from the stupid dishwasher repair man. Pfff, who needs a dishwasher repair man when I'm around??? :)

Monkey

Sigh, I just found Tank sitting on top of the table, puting cherrios into the gallon of milk one by one. I was only gone (downstairs) for about 5 minutes. This kid is a climber and a busy one. BTW, he's also emptied a sleeve of ritz crackers all over the floor today. I suppose I should be glad he's curious and active but I'm sure tired of the messes!

Mother's Day

I just got my Mother's Day present from Cookie and I don't mean to brag or anything, but I have got the best 7 year old on the planet for a son! ;)

Budget blues. . . .

ugh, so, we knew that Sushi's layoff would effect us for a while afterwards negatively. I did the budget the other day for the rest of the year and I gotta say, it's not pretty people. Oh, we'll be fine, we'll make it through, but it's gonna be tight. Like, I'm so glad we have good food storage so our grocery bill can be small for a while tight. Or, looks like it'll be a smaller Christmas this year. . . again. This time not by choice. But, we're doing this because we want to get serious about paying off our debt and a big part of that is putting away the credit cards and living within our set monthly budget. Within a year things will look dramatically better. And really, a year is such a short period of time. . . right?

A new to us car.

Sushi has been borrowing a car from his wonderful sister and brother in law. We were greatful but we needed something that was ours. When Sushi and I met he was driving a lincoln continental. It cracked me up. His dream car? A Lincoln Towncar.



I kid you not. I always tease him and tell him he's such and old man! But, I can't argue that those are comfortable cars. And I do like the leather seats, easy cleanup with kids. woot!

So, Sushi has been browsing our local classifieds for a while and there was one listed that was just outside of our budget. But, Sushi was hopeful because the listing said the seller was finishing his studies and returning to "his country" and that was why he was selling it. It was already a good price, just a bit too much for us. We figured it would either sell or the seller would drop the price. He dropped the price! So, Sushi called him and yesterday we headed up to have a look. It's far from a perfect car but it's awfully nice. Plus, Sushi talked him down a little but more! :) So, now were broke but we have a new to us car and Sushi is thrilled that he can drive to work with a stereo that works and cup holders! I'm just thrilled that I think he's safer in this car! :) I would put up pictures of the car but it looks like it has already been taken down. It's a 2000 Lincoln Continental, it's maroon, and it seems to be a very nice car. Now onto inspections, emmisions, insurance, and all that jazz.

OUCH!!!!

ugh, I had another cortizone shot in my foot today. I'm supposed to be taking it easy today but of course, 500 things have come up and I haven't been able to. The doc wanted to do an ultrasound to see what was going on but because I don't have insurance, we held off. He mentioned that if this kept up we were going to need to do another ultrasound and see what has changed. I afraid what has changed is that the bone spur is getting bigger and I'm going to need surgery. I really don't want surgery. It's a horrible, painful, sit in bed for 6 weeks and stay off your feet kind of surgery. Did I mention painful? Sooo, another cortizone shot it is. Until he tells me that won't cut it anymore. :(

I'm a sucker. . . .

Well, the boy talked me into it again. I'm a total sucker, especially if he's using his own money. He got another dwarf hampster. This one is albino and actually very nice. He swears this time he'll take care of it. BWHAAAAAAA!!!!! I mean, of course he'll take care of it. He's so excited he can't stand it. He still hasn't thought of a name, suggestions????

Tank finally walks

Tank has finally decided it's worth walking, if he's bribed in some way! Head on over to Sushiboy's blog to see a video.

two extra spring break days. . . .

I am going to be naughty and I'm taking the kids out of school tomorrow and friday. The original plan was that we were going to go on our annual camping trip down to capital reef. Now, because there is snow in capital reef, we will be spending our days up in Salt Lake at the fitness center, the planetarium, and the aquarium. And I don't feel one bit bad about it! :)

A trip to the ER

There is a reason that we won't go without insurance for our kids. You never know when you will need to go to the doctors or the ER. They can be fine and the next day need to be right in to the doctors. This last week was a perfect example of that with little Tank.

We went into a follow up appointment for all the kids and Cookie and Tank were fine. Cakes was still sick but the other two were *finally* well. We've been into the doctors almost every week for the last month. Tuesday, Tank started having diarreah, by thursday I called the nurse in our doctors office and she suggested we come right in. So we *sigh* went into the doctors and sure enough, the poor kid was sick again. Antibiotics, here we come. Friday we went and had a really fun family day and that night Tank started puking. And puking, and puking. Saturday night/Sunday morning 3:30am, he puked again. We decided he was starting to look a little dehydrated. So, wonderful Sushi took him in as I had a crazy busy Sunday and I needed a few hours of sleep so I could tackle the day. Sushi arrived home at 7am, went to bed, we got to church an hour late so he could sleep an extra hour, I did singing time in primary, came home. Sushi headed to a meeting he had to be at. Came home. Tried to sleep, gave up because it's nearly impossible to sleep with children awake. I went to choir practice, visiting teaching. Came home. Finished making dinner for my little brother and sisters who were coming. They came, had dinner, and Sushi took Tank back to the ER to see if they will remove the IV or give him more fluids in the IV. I am exhausted. I'm sure I'm not as exhausted as Sushi but my head hurts. Early bedtime for all! And that, my friends, is why you should never, ever, go without insurance for your kids! You never know when you will end up in the ER at 3am. :(



***** updated *****


The IV is out, the boy is sleeping soundly. The humidifier is on in his room and as long as he doesn't start coughing too hard, he seems to be alright. I hope I can sleep tonight.

Thinking. . . .

I have a few ideas percolating in my brain. I have an idea for a post to write the blessings that have come out of Sushi's layoff but I need to be careful just in case some of Sushi's former co-workers read it. I may just write them down and put them somewhere in my house so I don't forget that in spite of the difficulty of his layoff we have received some awesome blessings. He starts his new job on the 25th and I am so happy for him, he is a little excited! I also have been thinking and pondering about going back to school when Sushi graduates next spring. It would be a life changing decision. I'm just not sure where it stands. So, I have not forgotten my blogging friends, I have just decided to "ponder these things in my heart" as opposed to with all of you. I'll keep you updated if any decisions are made.

Tank

Tank is getting tubes tomorrow. The poor kid can't seem to stay well, so, tubes should solve the problem. I also noticed today he has four molars poking through his little gums! So, the poor kid has had five teeth coming through (4 molars, one I tooth)and an ear infection that won't go away. No wonder he has been grumpy and yelling and pinching! Hopefully we get our happy Tank back after tomorrow.

Ready for winter to be done

I'm reaching the point where I am ready for winter to be over. Every year around the beginning of February I reach this point. I feel the days getting a little warmer (barely, but still a little warmer), and I start looking, searching really, for the little green shoots that come up proving that spring is indeed on the way.

I love LOVE spring flowers, especially crocus, they are the first flowers of spring, there can be snow on the ground and the happy bright crocus is peeking through the ground.

While I am glad for the snow and thankful for 4 distinct seasons, I am ready for winter to end, bring on spring! So, for my friends and neighbors who see me out seaching my flowerbeds for the next six weeks, know this is normal, and I am aware it will be another six weeks, but I just can't help myself!

Rough three weeks

It has been a rough three weeks. Sushi got layed off the beginning of this month and things have been stressful. I have tried to increase my Pampered Chef but apparently, everyone else is tight right now because most people are telling me that they want to wait until March or so to do a show. We're hanging in there but this is definitely not my favorite time of life right now. We are fortunate to have a fantastic support system with our church but I only want to ask for whatever we absolutely need. I have considered briefly many things. Should I look for a part time job, will that actually help because I'm afraid all my money will go to daycare with three small children. Should I look for a part time job at night when Sushi is done with school? But then I have to drop Pampered Chef which I really don't want to do. I really like doing Pampered Chef. Should I do shudder daycare. But that opens a whole new can of worms. Liability issues, I'll always be the last one payed, my house will be trashed, who knows what these other kids are bringing into my home (not only sicknesses but also home problems they may have), I lose all my freedom because I'm on someone elses schedule. You get the idea. Sigh, it's only been three weeks but it seems like it has been a year. I know we'll get through this and be better in some way for it but right now I just want it to be over and for Sushi to find some awesome job that will solve all these problems.

THINK people before you repost!

So, this silly little blurb has been going around and getting posted on peoples status' on Facebook.


Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and repost this post


Really? Do you really believe that? That we're the ONLY country with homeless, hungry, elderly without meds and mentally ill without treatment? WOW, time to wake up and look around the world people.

We're one of the few contries with these people getting care. Most of the world has these problems. And I respectfully say that with a few exceptions, there are programs out there to help these people in these situations. We can provide a better life and opportunities to escape these problems.

Think before you repost something. That is all, rant is done.

We're getting a Temple!!!!!

We here in our little town are getting an LDS Temple!!!! As a temple going member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this excites me like you wouldn't believe! It'll be just down the road from our house. WOW! Now it will be so much easier to go to the temple. :) I'm very excited! Our temple will bring the number of operating LDS temples to 152 in the world.

Measurements

I have been working SOOO hard this last month at the gym and trying to be good with my eating habits. Unfortunately, the scale says nothing has changed. I have, however, noticed that my pants are getting looser. So, I did measurements yesterday and I have lost 7 inches in the last month! Not all in one place, it's 2 inches here, 2 inches there, an inch here and there but 7 inches overall. And now that I am able to start working my core I hope I lose a lot more by next month! Yeah for me!

You can't get away!!!!!

So, yesterday, Cookie and Cakes were playing together because I told them the had to turn off the tv and do something else. Cakes started running away from Cookie and cookie yelled "Cakes, you have to come back, you're stuck in a vortex!" Hee hee. Yes, we are raising a geek, and what a cute, smart geek he is!

I can't believe I did that. . . .

Well, I did it, I can't believe I did but, well, I did. I entered the Golds Gym challenge and I let them take a before picture of me. With my fat gut. In my tankini bottoms and a sports bra because I have never and never will own a bikini. I wasn't even comfortable in one back in High School. So, if I win you will get to see my fat gut on TV and at your local golds gym. Aren't you lucky.

It's a Proud Day. . . .

Utah has the worst air in the country. Yeah us.

Yes or No

After today, I need something FUN. . .
1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and Asks!

Now, here’s what you’re supposed to do… And please do not spoil the Fun. Copy and paste this into your blog, delete my answers and type in your answers. Then see what happens.

1.Kissed any one of your facebook friends?..Yes
2.Been arrested? …no
3.Kissed someone you didn’t like? …no
4.Slept in until 5 PM? …no
5.Fallen asleep at work/school? …Yes
6.Held a snake? …Yes
7.Ran a red light? …Yes
8.Been suspended from school? …No
9.Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? …yes
10.Been fired from a job? …no
11. Sang karaoke? … Yes
12. Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? …Yes
13. Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? …no
14.Caught a snowflake on your tongue? …Yes
15 Kissed in the rain? . . .yes

16 Sang in the shower? …Yes
17 Sat on a rooftop? …Yes
18 Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? …no
19 Broken a bone? …No
20 Shaved your head? …No
21 Blacked out from drinking? …No
22 Played a prank on someone? …Yes
23 Felt like killing someone? …YES
24 Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? …Yes
25 Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? …No
26 Been in a band? …no
27 Shot a gun? …Yes

28 Donated Blood? …yes
29 Eaten alligator meat? …No
30 Eaten cheesecake? …Yes
31 Still love someone you shouldn’t? …no
32 Think about the future? …Yes
33 Believe in Love ? …Yes
34 Sleep on a certain side of the bed? …Yes♦

WOW

I haven't written about this much on my blog but wow. The man continues to defy logic. If any of you live in Utah you know this story is on the news constantly.

The man's wife disappears a month ago on a night when he says he took his two young boys camping in the middle of a snowstorm and he has been completely uncooperative. He hasn't been looking for her, and now he is just going to move? WOW, I hope the police can prove this guy did this. This all sounds a little too much like the Drew Peterson case.