Megan Goldie

My 4 Year Old

2011-12-07T14:21:00.001-08:00

I needed something to do (you know, besides clean) and then I read Mrs. Priss' blog post about her little girl turning 3, wherein she interviewed her. I've seen these types of interviews before, but never tried it out on Griffin. So that's just what I did today. He's cute. Here's proof:

What's your favorite color? Pink.

What's your favorite toy? My train set.

What's your favorite fruit? Oranges.

What's your favorite TV show? Alfred Hedgehog. (The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog on ION)

What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac and cheese.

What's your favorite outfit? T-Rex shirt.

What's your favorite game? Board games.

What's your favorite snack? Snacky plate (he asks for this often, which is a kid's section plate with various snacks usually fresh fruit, pickles, hot dog, and crackers).

What's your favorite animal? Baby monkey (his stuffed animal).

What's your favorite song? The How It's Made song (hehe).

What's your favorite book? The puppy book, Dalmatians.

What's your favorite cereal? Cars 2 cereal (chocolate Rice Krispies)

Who's your best friend? Rio and Grandma (Rio is a little girl who used to live across the street, and we still try to hang out with her often).

What's your favorite thing to do outside? Pet Smokey (dog) with Daddy.

What's your favorite drink? The one you just gave me (cranberry juice with lime).

What's your favorite holiday? Halloween.

What do you like to take to bed with you? Baby monkey.

What's your favorite breakfast? Cereal.

What's your favorite dinner? Pizza.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know.

Griffin Joel , age 4 and 5 months

You win some, You lose some

2011-10-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

I always say, you need to blog, to myself. I say it everyday. I am writing this on the laptop and I keep doing little iPhone-related things on here that don't work the same and it shows that I have now taken a break from the computer, but I need it back so I can pay the bills. More writing about us, my memories, our wonderful son, and less looking at Pinterest (Friday night activity-wooo!) And more recipes and less Facebook. More scrapbooking and less saving millions of pictures that take up space on my hard drive.

This month we've and will:

~Spent time in Utah

~Frantically tried to clean every surface in the house while unpacking/taking care of a sick child and now having a car to use and not even using it... sigh... anyway that's because!:

~My little (23) brother Jay, is coming to stay with us tonight through Sunday. He is driving down from Utah. We are very excited. My sister and her children are on vacation till Saturday, so my son will get Uncle Jay all to himself for one whole day.

~The next weekend is my 10 year high school reunion. I still have not purchased my tickets..

~Then of course my mom's annual Halloween party and then Halloween, which is also Jason's sister Jessica's birthday. And Jason's older brother's birthday is thi

s week. I wish I had sent cards but instead they'll get iPhone greetings.

~After all this of course I will be starting a huge clean since it will be finally cooling down and I will need to sanitize everything in the house so that we don't get sick again around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

And with that I'll end. Happy Autumn!

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

1. My boys-my little family-Jason and Griffin

They mean the world to me. We have so much fun.

2. My Sister-in-Law, Jesica

She's an awesome auntie and a great friend to have around.

3. Griffin (3.5) and Jaxon (7mo)

These two have a brother-like bond that is undeniable. I love that Griffin is learning more about babies and it's clear that Jaxon idolizes Griffin. He just watches Griffin play happily.

4. Jaxon Asay

Everyone in our house loves the baby. As you may know, I want another baby so badly! But, right now I get to watch Jaxon 4 or 5 nights a week whole his Mama works. It wears me out sometimes, but I love love it.

5. Recycling, extra money

Well, I wasn't feeling very thankful when my recycling can disappeared because I had recycling coming out my ears for a week. But, my trash reveals that we live nicely. Bottled water, Sprite, Pasta Roni, beer-I should be more thankful. ..........

... And these everyday type messes--love em too. It reminds me I'm surrounded by love.

Observation

2011-01-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

What do all these (famous) men have in common?

Christian Bale

Brad Pitt (and btw lose the scarf)

Tom Brady

Keith Urban

Tom Cruise

They're all trying and succeeding to look like 'The Beast'. Don't you agree?

Classic Disney

New

2011-01-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

I'm a horrible blogger. Maybe that should be part of my resolutions. I think I will try to blog more often. I will even maybe post pictures! I will, I promise.

I only made two-ish resolutions this year. I normally don't do resolutions, but this year I decided to and only because I intend on keeping them. I, obviously, would like to say something like "only drink water, no carbonation, lose weight" etc but that's just not feasible for me. I like carbonation, therefore I will keep it in my life. What I did do is just picked one real rule and the other is something that always is with me, but I'm not going to make a big deal of it.

So, I have this thing with even numbers. I like even numbers. I like the volume on the TV or radio, to be an even number. I don't take 3 things at a time, I take 2. Everything in my house-my decorations, etc-is symmetrical. I DON'T like odd numbers. They feel wrong to me. They make me feel like I am doing something horrible. Weird? Yes. But now is the time for me to throw that out. It's an odd year. I'm not fond of the number 11. Why? Two odds in a row. But 11 never did anything to me, so I need to be easier on it. I am trying odd numbers now. Last night I took leftovers home from my mom's house. I took 5 baked potatoes and 7 rolls. I put broccoli in the same bag as the corn. Nobody died. We are all fine. That is my rule. I am starting slowly, but I am going to be able to kick this anxiety without quadrupling the amount of medicine I take. My sister told me last night, if you take your antidepressants x 4, you could stop with OCD stuff. But I think I just need to do it. I can't live my life with all this superstition. My husband is helping me. Instead of making fun of me, he congratulated me in a very genuine way last night.

My next thing is that I am going to organize my home more efficiently and (try) to complete my to do list for every room. There is a lot of things you don't think about. For example, I'd really love to get the towel/linen closet organized and some things thrown out. I really don't need more than 2 sheet sets for the guest room, especially ugly ones that were cheap and free when we were young. My closet looks like hell right now. I pulled out a shirt for Jason to wear, he said he'd never wear it again because it didn't fit him the same way as it did when he got it-back in high school! I said, then we're giving it away! He said nothing so I must do it. I have wasted space. There is SO much wasted space in the kitchen. Which reminds me, I should really clean the bottoms of my dishwasher and stove and fridge. I don't do it enough. I need to also wash my baseboards. This is the stuff I need to do this year. One day at a time.

And I guess thirdly, I am going to be a better blogger. I don't blog to gain a following or to make money, I blog to get things out of my head. I'm not gonna feel bad if I don't blog and post pictures of every single fun thing our family did this year, but I would really like to get my thoughts out.

That's it for now. Tonight Jason's brother, Nick, will be joining us for dinner. He is moving the bulk of his belongings into our garage until he permanently moves back to Utah-after the snow melts. His job is with a roofing company and they are going to focus on Phoenix for the time being. Oh, and also, if all goes well, Jason's little sister, Jessica and her 5 month old son, Jaxon, will be moving in a week from today. You guys have no clue how excited I am. I love Jason's family and Jessica and I are the same, yet different but I am so so so so excited to have a baby in my house. I plan on making baby food and trying a cloth diaper on him.

Ok ok, I must shower now. Adios.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T15:31:00.001-08:00

Hey

2010-11-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving today for Utah. I won't have my lap top. I will have my phone, so I'll still be on facebook of course. I won't be blogging for a while. I know I am far behind but I have been really busy. My sister-in-law, Jessica, and her newborn baby, Jaxon, are moving in with us soon and I have been trying to get our house in more order for them. It should be super fun but interesting.

Griffin and I are going to fly to Salt Lake today without Jason. He is leaving Tuesday after work and driving up to Utah, then we will all drive home together some time after Thanksgiving. We will be spending Thanksgiving Day in Pocatello, ID. Jason's parents have been working up there, it's a long story, but I'm just thrilled to run away from home for a while.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Atherton-California

2010-11-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

I love this song. And I love California. You can listen to the whole song on YouTube. I didn't include it here because I don't have time. Enjoy. Happy Friday.

Hello hello hello
I'm glad I've found you
Been away a long long time
The sun will rise
And the sun will set tomorrow
And it's been rough on this old heart

You are, you are the only reason I have found
Come down, come down, come get me off the ground
I waited for you yesterday
To come on back and say you'll always stay

Come back home to California
Find a better way to make it through today
Come back home to California
The lights they shine so bright
They shine for you tonight
So come on baby
Come home to California

We can drive the coast of San Fransisco
Head on down to Hollywood
Hurry please
Summer's almost over
You know I'm fading and I wish you would

You are, you are the only reason I have found
Come down, come down, come get me off the ground
I waited for you yesterday
To come on back and say you'll always stay

Come on home to California
Find a better way to make it through today
Come back home to California
The lights they shine so bright
They shine for you tonight
So come on baby
Come home to California

Come home to California
California
California
California
California
California
California

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

'TIS THE SEASON FOR AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

1. Pesto

Oh I could sing your praises to everyone. There are cons, however. Greasy, oily and probably fattening. Heartburn-inducing. Wanting to eat it all the time. I stuff pork chops with this pesto and feta cheese and Jason loves it. All I need is a dollop on cooked pasta or pizza crust. Mmm..

2. Babies

Babies make the world go round. I love 'em.

(Photo from C Jane Enjoy It)

3. Halloween

Halloween was great this year. It's always a good reason to party but when you have kids and I mean kids who get it, then it's a bigger party.

4. Elections

Look, I hate the signs, the phone calls and the arguing/bashing as much as the next person BUT we have to appreciate our privilege that is the right to vote and stand up for our beliefs.

5. GOOD neighbors

My friend, Deborah, is also my good neighbor. She helps me a lot. She has taken care of Griffin for me while I have gone on job interviews. She has car-pooled with me to Chandler. She helped me this week enormously by taking Griffin and I to the grocery store since my car is STILL not working. And she has 2 kids. She is generous, nice and a good Mom too. My other neighbors are good and some have the potential I'm sure, but this week I am thankful for Deb.

Tais-Toi

2010-11-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

SO yesterday or the day before I was hanging with Courtney, Jason, and Griffin.

I said to Griffin, "Hey did you tell Coco that you went to Disneyland?"

Griffin: "No."

Courtney: "Tell me about it Griff."

Griffin: "No."

Me: "Come one Griffin, tell Courtney about Disneyland."

He looks at me. Straight face.

Griffin: "Shut up."

Me: "WHAT?!"

Griffin: "Shut up Mommy."

Me and Jason: "Griffin! Don't tell Mommy that!"

Griffin: "Shut up."

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

We had a long talk. I think he gets it. It was weird, since I never tell him to shut up, so I guess I don't notice when Jason and I say it. NOT funny but sort of. Don't worry we did NOT laugh when he said it. but we did laugh later in private (:

Thankful Thursday

2010-10-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

Disneyland

It really is The Happiest Place on Earth

October brings all things fall

Even cooler temps and a fun Holiday

Twitter

I know some people don't get it, but until you get it then you just don't get it. Make sense? Well anyway, I have been successful navigating twitter, making internet friends and helping my impatient butt be more entertained whenever possible (:

Lip gloss

Just bought this Philosophy lip gloss last month. I wanted something clear but not flavored mint since Jason said he doesn't like it (?!) so I got bubble gum and I must say I LOVE it.

PBS Kids

We only have basic cable so this is the only channel we have that shows kid's shows on a daily basis and I must say it's highly tolerable. With the exception of Sid the Science Kid, Griffin and I pretty much adore all the shows on this channel. They air kids shows from 6:30am-1pm. It's quite nice. We especially love Curious George, Peep, Caillou, and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Need I say more?

Ok, I will. I love pizza and we all know it's pretty hard to screw up but it can be done. I've been making it at home lately using Boboli crusts. Jason LOVES the pizza I make for him. His toppings include cheese, sausage, green pepper, onion, mushroom and olives. Mine? Cheese. And sometimes I do a pesto sauce. Well he says I make great sausage and he loves it. So guess what? I make pizza a lot now yay! I want to learn to make a crust on my own and also a sauce on my own one day.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T10:47:00.001-07:00

That's What He Said

2010-10-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

I guess I need to actually write this stuff down instead of saying that I will and then eventually forget to and forget what I wanted to write. These are some funny things (funny to me) that Griffin has said to me recently:

"Oh, goodness." When I cautioned the skateboarders in the road to move or else I was going to run them over.

"Oh, god." When my mom couldn't find her car keys once. (gotta work on saying gosh!)

So..this one is kind of inappropriate but I must include it. Usually, everyone knows that I don't swear or cuss. BUT I have a tendency to do so when I'm driving. I said "Move, you dumb bitch!" Griffin says to me "Mommy, is that truck a dumb bitch?" My reply: "Yes." Woopsies!

Also when Griffin says the word bridge, which is actually a lot since he is kind of obsessed with them, it sounds an awfully lot like bitch. Too much so. Daddy told him not to say that word and Griffin was so confused. Jason didn't know he was saying bridge.

One day Griffin was climbing into bed to take a nap and my mom and I were about to read him a story. He looked at my mom and said: "Will you join me Grandma?"

Then one day Jason was making himself a drink or a snack or something and Griffin said to him, "Enjoy Daddy!"

Today when we were watching PBS, an ad came on that comes on every time before Curious George and Griffin turned to me and said, "Mommy, Monkey George is coming on next." then it came on and he said "I told you so, Mommy." All matter-of-factly.

I don't quite know how to word this one, but Griffin found a certain boy body part under his weenie and said "Look Mommy, my pee pee has his own little belly! Cute little belly!" Personal for him I know, but too cute not to share.

He talks A LOT ALL DAY LONG and some of the things he says to me are just so funny and polite and weird. I love how he says no thank you when I ask him a rhetorical question, or how he is always curious as to what I am doing and says "Oh." after I tell him. Just today I was vacuuming upstairs while he was "helping" Jason clean the guest bath and he yells up to me "Keep it down up there!" and when we're at the grocery store, I say something like "One last thing..." then he says "Let's get out of here Mommy."

He is still so busy and hardly sits down except for when he is really into a show or book. He LOVES going to the Cub House at Basha's-one of our local grocery stores that has a child watching area in the store where you can leave your children ages 2 1/2-11 for up to 90 minutes. He asks to go there every day. I wish there was one in the Fry's too-since they have a better selection there and he just adores one of the ladies that works there. He is very much all boy and I know I should get him in a preschool soon. Anyway... we went to Disneyland last week, so I will have to do a post dedicated to that. I'll try and remember some of the other things he said/says, it's really very important to me.

I forgot to add that he calls everyone honey. It's so cute! I call him honey all the time, so obviously that's where he gets it but it's so funny to hear him call the most random people honey. I love it!

All I got to say today.

2010-10-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

1. Where is your cell phone? Right here next to me.

2. Your Vehicle? Silver 97 Nissan Altima that is currently covered in shattered glass.

3. Your hair? Dark brown, up in a pony right now.

4. Your father? At work I guess (in Utah)

5. Your favorite thing? Family

6. Your dream last night? Something about traveling in a RV-type bus with strangers and Jason and Grif

7. Your favorite drink? Pepsi, Perrier, Pinot Grigio, seriously.

8. The room you’re in? My old room at my mom's house which is now my nephews' room.

9. Your ex? I don't know.

10. You are? Trying NOT to nap.

11. What do you want to be in 10 years? A happy teacher.

12. Who did you hang out with today? Just Griffin as of yet, but it's 3:30. And if I hang out with anyone, it's gonna be family.

13. What you’re not? Hungry.

14. Muffin? Poppyseed.

15. One of your wish list items? Anything for the Cuttlebug.

16. Where is the ______ ? The person who killed JonBenet Ramsey? I must know this, I hope God tells me when I die.

17. The last thing you did? Ate an apple with cheddar cheese.

18. What are you wearing? A pink t-shirt and pink sweat shorts.

19. Your favorite TV show? Saturday Night Live

20. Your pet(s)? None.

21. Your computer? White, and on my lap.

22. Your life? As it should be.

23. Your mood? Fine.

24. Missing? Baby Jaxon.

25. What are you thinking about right now? Wondering what time Grif will wake up from nap.

26. Your Shoes? Are on the floor.

27. Your work? A 3 year old boy and a 27 year old man and a 5 year old house.

28. Your summer? Hot, fun and busy.

29. Your favorite color? Blue and Pink

I tag: Audrey, Lyssa, Tanika, Heather and April

Baby Talk

2010-09-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a girl wonders if she is pregnant. If you are having sex, then perhaps this thought runs through your mind at times. Before I got pregnant, I took many a pregnancy test, I was positive that all the heartburn and fatigue meant I was pregnant. I was not. I did not have a regular cycle, so that could not be depended upon. But I did not get pregnant until after I was married, thankgoodness. And after that, my whole life changed. Of course, right? But what I mean by this was that everything I did, everything I ate, how I slept, where I went...I handled with care. I didn't hang around bars anymore or hang very often with friends who smoked, I quit drinking alcohol and eating sprouts and feta cheese. I went to bed early, I drank more water than ever and I tried to sleep on my left side. I was cautious about what medicine I took, how much caffeine I drank and I drank more milk than I ever have.

When I had the baby, life resumed. I didn't breast feed for long, so I ate all the chocolate my stomach could devour, I drank alcohol, I ate exotic cheese and I slept whenever possible...but I drank coffee and Red Bull religiously. So what I'm getting at is that sometimes I feel pregnant again. I can't help but feel this way sometimes, after all excessive gagging is what drove me to take that positive pregnancy test, and sometimes when I gag a little too much that day I just wonder. I wonder when I am so tired I can barely keep up, I wonder when I feel a little nauseated after one glass of wine, I wonder when everything makes me cry, when I am craving food like a starving mouse and when I feel a weird sensation in my stomach, like some living thing is moving around inside of me. I swear sometimes, I feel like I am feeling flutters and I think to myself "Well surely would know if I were this pregnant to feel movement." What would I do differently? I would have to justify the 3 cups of coffee I drank today but I wouldn't have to justify the overwhelming laziness I still feel. I would not feel as bad about gaining weight, but I would still be careful about it. I could have better excuses as to why I am just not up to going out with friends or even leaving the dang house at all. I would take more naps and not feel guilty about it. I could pull out the old baby clothes without feeling like I am making a huge mess. People would ask me how I feel and really mean it. I could do a lot more research on cloth diapers without feeling like I am wasting time. But if I am not pregnant, then none of things matter and I will still feel guilty, lazy and probably still eat as much.

But I guess sometimes you just don't know. There is after all a TV show called "I didn't know I was pregnant." I look at that title in 2 ways though. 1, I think aww come on! How did you NOT know?!?!?! But then there are other times such as now. I have been pregnant before, but each pregnancy is different, and if you were not careful or not trying, you could possibly not know you are pregnant. Without divulging too many personal details, I use a certain birth control device that conceals my cycle and is pretty much 99% effective, and so I technically can still get pregnant. Sometimes I want to take a pregnancy test, when I feel the urge but I tell myself it's a dumb idea. When I was actually pregnant, I bought a test and my husband told me it was a waste of money. It was not. He was overjoyed and I was confused, upset, overwhelmed and a little excited. What would I be this time around? The same way but more excited. If I were pregnant-don't worry I'm sure I am not-I would be scared. Because we don't have health insurance, this would be one expensive baby. I'm sure babies are priceless to some people but we already have debt, too many bills and enough money-related stress to fill a million cribs. And, we already have a baby (3 year old). I want to be pregnant, but I don't. The life of an adult is a roller coaster.

I don't know what triggered me to write this, but I do know that today is our 4th anniversary, and I thought I would have two babies by now. I am thankful for my two babies-Griffin and Jason. I'm sure others have felt this way. Pregnant? Not pregnant? I hope I am NOT pregnant? I hope I am?! I hope I am not pregnant but I hope I will be again one day.

Mid-August

2010-09-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

These next few images could only mean one thing.

Individual soy milks in the fridge...

Bottles with handles and reusable sippy cups...

Bottle rack with freshly washed bottles...

Cadbury Chocolate!...

Neocate formula, for babies with allergies...

Have you guessed yet?

Okay, Ill give you a hint ^

.........................

My best friend!! At my house!!

Yep. My best friend Lyssa, her husband Dave and their son Christian at my house for three full days. I was so excited. Sure, it had only been 2 months since I saw them (Qatar-remember?!) but I am so happy they decided to take a small detour to our house in Arizona after spending a week in California, before heading back to Utah and eventually back to Qatar (they are back now). Lyssa and Christian visited last year in September, but this was Dave's first time coming to our house. Unfortunately, it was quite hot outside and Jason had to work a lot, but we had fun. It's always fun having your best friend around, no?

Christian and Griffin got along good. Christian will be 2 in November, so there is a year and four months between them, but Griffin is in a playful stage right now where he is really learning to share and have a good time. I could not wait for Griffin to meet him. They were pretty cute, of course.

My mom has 2 toddler beds from when my nephews were little and we have this same one upstairs in Griffin's room and the other at my mom's house for when he sleeps there. I had Jason pick it up before Lyssa got here and put the bed in the guest room so (hopefully) Christian would sleep in it and give Dave and Lyssa a bed to themselves, since they had been on vacation. I think it worked well.

Griffin and Christian hugging before we went swimming at the community pool

While they were here, we tried to think of fun things to do indoor since it was so hot, but I swear I could only think of free/cheap/cool things to do outdoors. Dave suggested we go to the State Capital Museum one day since it was free and so we did. It was pretty cool, I learned many things about this state that I did not know before (sadly). Here is Griffin at the podium in one of the set up rooms.

Griffin and Christian

One night, we decided to go to a Diamondbacks game. I was really excited because we love going to baseball games, especially with other people, and my mom came over to our house to babysit the boys and it was raining outside. Well, it was REALLY raining. I mean, we don't see rain coming down like this that often, but it was monsoon season, so not totally random. The visibility was awful. I was glad Jason was driving his truck since it's very reliable, and he is a good rain driver. MmmHmm. Well, once we got onto the I-10, we noticed some cars in front of us swerving around an item in the middle of the road. It was a large, metal ladder and Jason got over as fast as he could, but his back tire hit the ladder and it blew out. The bad part was that he had just gotten a flat tire 2 days prior and had used the spare already, so were without a change. We were on the side of the road, near an exit, it was raining and VERY windy. It was a tense situation. We called my step-dad and he came to pick us up. While we waited, Jason took the tire off, which happened to be on the freeway side of the road. I was very anxious, and mad and sad. My step-dad took us home and Jason put air in the spare, drove back with Chris, and put the spare on and drove home. Our perfect night turned out kinda lame, but at least we did not get hurt. Here is the view from where we sat on the road:

The next day, the Sallays drove back to Utah and a week later left for their journey back to Qatar. It was sad to say goodbye, but again I am so glad they came. Look how cute they are, Lyssa, Dave and Christian.

'Till next time!

Wooo Wednesday!

2010-09-22T17:04:00.001-07:00

THIS is the forecast for today. RAIN! Probably, most likely. It did rain last night around 3:30am, it woke me up. I enjoyed it for 5 min then went back to sleep. But at least it's been cloudy today.

Also, thanks Audrey for reminding me that Modern Family returns tonight. I think it's pretty entertaining.

Also, who's lovin the new Family Feud? I am. I love Family Feud though.

That's it for now. New posts coming soon.

Pacific Beach

2010-08-31T23:25:00.000-07:00

The first part of August, we went to San Diego with my mom. Pacific Beach, to be exact. When we go, we don't really ever leave the hotel or surrounding areas. We go to the beach, we eat, we sleep and we go to the beach some more. Once the car is parked, that's that, unless we need to run to Ralph's for diapers or something. I went a day early in the car with my mom, my sister, Griffin and my nephews. My step-dad also came, and my sister's fiance and his son. Jason came the next day. Since we were not really planning on going then just decided to, we knew we would probably have to share a hotel room with my parents. But we lucked out and got our own (on my mom's dime). That was super nice, since Griffin still naps 2-3 hours in the afternoon. And, just super nice in general. I had a really really great time with my family, especially my mom. She is so good to us. She spoils the kids, AND the adults. Here are some snap shots of this weekend trip.

Griffin staring out onto the beach during one of our nightly beach walks before bedtime

Okay, so it wasn't that cold, but it was chilly enough at night to throw on a hoodie. We love it.

This is my California beach hair. Because it just does nothing! It doesn't stay quite straight, it doesn't stay curly, it just goes however it wants and frizzes all over. My whole outlook is "who cares!" I have been able to get over it a little bit, to just have fun.

My mom bought all 3 little boys Pacific Beach Lifeguard hoodies. The twins got red and we wanted a red one for Griff, but they only had his size in blue. I actually really like it, even though the Lifeguard hoodies are pretty trendy down there.

This is what the restaurant called "herb and nut encrusted brie with mango salsa" BUT I think it looks like bird seed encrusted brie and it tasted like it too. (:

Me and my little man at dinner.

Boys playing in the sand the first minute we arrived.

This old, worn, vandalized, tin-looking dinosaur in front of a gas station in Gila Bend, AZ. Griffin is really into dinosaurs right now, so he loved it. There was also a bad looking rattle snake too, but it didn't fit in the pic. What do you know? Griffin likes snakes too. 'Twas cute.

And that's that. I had to get out the first San Diego trip before I blogged about the longer, more eventful San Diego trip we just got back from. And I was in the mood to blog (ya know, instead of sleep) so I just had to. Have a good Wednesday!

Laundry Bonanza Monday

2010-08-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well, last night we got back from San Diego. Griffin and I were there for eight days. It sure was nice. I will have a blog post about it soon but until then:

Yeah...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

What's up?

2010-08-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Relaxing pool side

Playing with our friend Austin at Chandler Mall

My big boy

The three amigos! Griffin, Cody and Conner

Jaxon Asay Golding 07/26

It seems like this summer, we have been really busy, in a good way. I've really become good friends with the gals that live in our cul-de-sac. We have a play date once a week, which is really nice. One nice couple and their kiddos recently moved from Maricopa to Chandler and we have been missing them, but luckily I go to Chandler enough that I still feel like we will be close friends. Over the summer, I babysat my nephews Cody and Conner every Monday all day and a couple of Tuesdays too. It was good to be able to spend some alone time with them, I am very close with them and like to know what is their favorite shows, toys, food, etc and keep up to date with them. They just started 2nd grade at a new school this year in Tempe. I really can't believe they are going to Elementary school sometimes, it blows my mind that they can read and write. They are really into playing video games on their Nintendo DSi, and on the Wii. They love Sonic a lot and watch the cartoon. They are excellent swimmers now and you don't have to get in with them. Cody LOVES garlic bread and eats it every day. Conner LOVES V8 juice and he downs it! They are pretty good with Griffin, and he loves to see them. We went to San Diego last weekend with my whole family and that was QUITE nice. Pics to come. Today, my friend Lyssa is driving from California with her husband and son to stay with us for a couple of days. They go back to Qatar this month, so I am SO happy that I will be able to see them again. I can't wait for Christian and Griffin to play together. Then next weekend we are going back to San Diego to stay in the beach house with Jason's family and I couldn't be more excited because I get to meet our NEW nephew! Jason's little sister Jessica had her baby boy on July 26th. His name is Jaxon (pronounced Jackson). She sends me cell phone pictures all the time, but I want to HOLD him!! I am so excited. I'm also baby hungry, if you couldn't tell. But anyway... next month is my birthday, and I can't figure out what I want exactly. But I think I want printer ink so that I can print coupons off the internet! Funny huh. Yeah...well that's what old, boring, married people do...think about more ways to save money. Hehe. I hope you all are having a great summer/back to school time. One day, I'll finish my Qatar trip story. Just gotta get it out on paper first.

Griffin

2010-07-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

This little stink butt turned 3 on July 12th. His nicknames are stink butt, Griff, little, and little guy. We were going to have a party for him on the 10th, but he got pink eye so we switched it to the next Saturday. We invited a lot of his little friends and 4 kids showed up. We did kiddie pools and a water slide in the backyard, with pizza, bubbles, cake, presents and music. He had a lot of fun, but it pretty much wore him and his friends out, and then he got more sick but I think he is finally getting over it. Since he is three now, we have started to try and treat him more like a big boy. First thing to go was the crib. Now he gets to sleep in his new big boy room with his new big boy bed (which is actually a hand-me-down from my sister).

First night in the big boy bed. It has been about 2 weeks now of sleeping in his new room and I'd say he is doing pretty good. He sleeps all night and all nap. He doesn't come out until he wakes up in the morning. He has fallen off once, but he just fell asleep on the floor. Even though I moved the glider in there, he hardly ever lets me rock him, he usually wants to drink his bottle in bed then fall asleep. So, yes, the next thing to go is the bahbah. Then hopefully we can reprise potty training again, but I'm giving him a break since he hasn't been taking to it. A lot of changes going down for him, but he'll be all grown up by the time we have another!

We haven't gone to the doctor yet for his well-child visit but I know that he weighs 42 lbs and is about 41 inches. He is a big boy. He eats good, is not picky like his mama, but isn't so sure about the texture of some meat yet. His favorite foods are chicken nuggets, hot dogs, spaghetti, cheese enchiladas, cereal, CAKE, and popsicles (he calls popsicles snacks). He is a juice head like me and prefers milk a lot of the time also.

He loves baseball like his daddy, and is obsessed with trucks to dig in dirt with and dinosaurs. He likes all things boy-related. Cars, trains, airplanes, snakes, and dirt but he also LOVES cooking, babies and vacuuming.

His favorite shows are Diego, "Monkey George", Dora, Clifford, Caillou and Peep. We like to rent Disney movies and watch them with him too. But most of the time, he wants to be outside. He plays in our backyard every day, despite the extremely hot temps.

He talks a lot all day long. We have conversations all day long about our family, friends, what he's doing, and I'm constantly telling him to say excuse me and bless you and stuff like that. He often likes to call himself Griffin Dinosaur and me, Mommy Dinosaur.

He likes us to read a story before bedtime, watch TV in the morning in bed with Mommy, and 'help' Daddy with whatever he can. Going to grandmas, playing with his cousins, going to the park and drawing are at the top of his list too.

He has his moments of tantrums and hitting and stuff like that but he is really adaptable and listens most of the time.

I really don't know what I do without him.

He is the apple of our eyes.

Foreshadowing

2010-07-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

I spy with my blind eyes, 4 sippy cups, gracing the same area on the same day.

And to think, we only have 1 kid!

This scares the future me with more kiddies and babies and what not. I can barely keep this house clean as it is! EEK!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

4th of July in Pictures

2010-07-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

For the fourth, our whole AZ family (My mom, Chris, CJ, Helyn, Kelly, Mike, Cody, Conner, Jason, Griffin and me) spent the day at my mom's house eating and hanging out. We watched the fireworks from Tumbleweed Park in Chandler. It was a great day. Only about 93 degrees too! Usually, it's very hot and then it rains a hot rain, making it humid. It was good this time.

I made these star shaped watermelon pieces. Thanks to Kami at No Biggie for the idea.

Of course I had to make a treat so I went with sugar cookies. Here I am with my creations.

The best part was they were very soft. And festive!

My beautiful sister Kelly brought some awesome head wear for the festivities.

My mom got in on it too.

And CJ, my step-sister and her Grandma, Helyn.

There was some lounging by Cody.

Some slurping by Conner.

Helyn whipped out her iPad for some jealousy induced moments. I didn't get to play with it :(

There was some sitting in the sun in the backyard

Lots of swimming in my mom's pool

My mom brought out her newest baby, Vincent, out for some fun in the sun

And then there were some waiting for fireworks. This is when we all pulled out our fancy devices (Blackberries, iTouch, Droid, Android, whatever CJ has) and played games and showed off our devices to each other... And blew bubbles with the kiddos.

And of course a firework show! We hope everyone else had a great 4th of July!

Qatar Part 1

2010-07-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to write about my trip to Qatar. I should written more things down while I was actually there so I wouldn't forget what days I did what, but I didn't so I'm trying to figure out how all my posts will go, and there will be a few different posts. This first one is easy for me because it's about the beginning of my journey.

When deciding if I could actually pull this little trip off, I had 3 major areas to think about.

1. Money. Lyssa did pay for a significant amount of my ticket, but I had to pay around $500 more and then spending money, and it's not that easy for our family to do that. But my 401k from Bank of America had just been distributed to me without penalty (since it was just a "trivial" amount) and we decided that since we didn't know that money was coming to us, we could use it for this once in a life time opportunity!

2. Babysitter/nanny/temporary Mommy! How was I going to be able to find someone to watch Griffin for two whole weeks? I was able to work with my sister, my mom, my wonderful neighbors, my sister's ex-mother-in-law, and of course my husband, Jason. I had it all figured out. Then along came a different idea, and it worked out better. Since I had to fly out of Salt Lake City to Qatar, we decided I should go a couple days earlier so I could attend my sister-in-law's baby shower. Then we also decided that I would take Griffin, and he could stay with my in-laws for a week or so. Then they drove down to California to attend Jason's older brother's college graduation. Jason took 3 days off of work and flew to Long Beach to meet up with the rest of his family and go to the ceremony. Then, Jason's parent's drove Jason and Griffin back to Arizona and stayed at our house for a few days. Then after they left, the last 4 days of my trip, my mom took time off work and had Griffin at her house. The Saturday night before I got home, Jason was able to take Griffin home and have him to himself.

3. Leaving home for TWO WEEKS. I am really appreciative that Jason let me do this. Overall, it wasn't as pricey as it could have been, and usually money is what dictates what we get to do. But I was also worried about how Griffin was going to react without me around, since I am with him 24/7 and I felt bad for Jason being at home all week alone. Jason doesn't like being alone, he doesn't like being without me and Griffin, and he has a tendency to get jealous. He said he was going to clean and work the whole time, but he ended up getting injured at work (a steel beam fell on his leg! But it just bruised) so he did not get anything done. Poor guy. Anyway, I heard Griffin did awesome staying with my in-laws in Utah and he was very adaptable to every situation that they put him in. (They don't really ever stay put, they are always traveling, going to baseball games, etc and are spontaneous, which is actually quite cool).

So, all in all, I was very surprised and happy that this was going to work out so well. I didn't feel that guilty. And it was a great trip. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. Here's how the first couple of days went down:

Griffin and I flew to Salt Lake on May 19th and we didn't get in till 11pm. The next day we threw Jason's little sister a baby shower. A lot of family came and it was great. Griffin was SO excited to fly on an airplane. The only thing I thought sucked was since we went at night, he wasn't able to see anything out the window. The next day Jason's parents and sister, and Griffin, drove me to the airport. I was late. Not for my flight exactly, but Lyssa had warned me to get to the airport 2 hours in advance since it was technically an International flight and I barely made it 1 and a half hours early. It was fine, except since I was in a rush, I didn't have time for a shower, so I felt yucky ya know. It even turned out that my flight was delayed and it freaked me out that I might not make my connecting flight. But it turned out just fine. I hopped on a plane and flew 3 and half hours to Chicago.

This toilet is from the bathroom at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. I was able to freshen up a bit during my time there. I thought this toilet was awesome! At the push of a button, the plastic on top moved into the inside of the machine and fresh layer of plastic revealed. No finicky paper liners = awesome to me.

While in Chicago I had to wait about an hour for my next flight to PARIS. I ate a bagel and read and talked to the older couple sitting next to me about our travel plans. I was getting really excited. I loved telling people that I was going all the way to Doha. It was a great conversation starter, (I love talking to new people) and I also got to hear about the adventures they were going to have in France.

The flight to Paris was 7 hours. The plane was huge. It had 2 seats on either end and 4 seats in the middle. I was able to sit on the side in one of the two seats, on the aisle. I was slightly worried about whom I was going to sit next to. But I ended up sitting with a delightful lady named Betsy. She and I talked a lot. She was traveling with a couple to spend 2 weeks in Paris. She was from Nashville and was telling me some really astonishing stories about the awful flooding that was happening there. Luckily, she was not affected by it. She had flown overseas before and was able to comfort me during the turbulence and tell me about what the plane was doing, and guide me about certain things like when to hit up the bathroom, etc. and when she slept, she barely moved or made a sound. I loved sitting next to her. I never got to give her a proper goodbye though.

When I got to the Paris airport, I only had time to walk to my connecting flight to Doha. I followed some signs that I thought might take me to my gate, but I ended up having to ask someone for help. It was a really, really far walk to my gate and I didn't have any time to even use the restroom.

Here's what my meal looked like on my flight to Doha. Some sort of rice and veggies, a weird salad and some weird fruit! It was good, but different. Lyssa had called in advance to order me a vegetarian meal, so I was grateful for that. The flight to Doha was probably my ickiest flight. I mean, it was fine, of course, but I started getting really anxious, tired of sitting, and achy during it. And I felt like a foreigner. That sounds stupid, but I was really out of my element ya know. Everyone including the flight attendants had really thick accents. I sat next to the window seat and an Indian man. I sat down most of the time, since I was in the window seat. The man fell asleep once, and I mean into a deeeep sleep, and it just so happened I was gonna pee my pants. I had to nearly shake him to wake him up. I felt bad. Also, I was really tired due to my lack of sleep on the flight to Paris. I had a bruised tailbone that was preventing me from getting comfortable whatsoever (luckily it healed in Qatar and I didn't have the same problem coming home). I took an Ambien and had 2 glasses of wine on that flight to Paris and still could not sleep. But I didn't wanna sleep on my way to Doha, since it would be about 7pm when I arrived and wanted to go to bed at a normal time. I slept anyway, in and out of course. Sleeping on a plane is apparently not one of my talents. I can't hold still for one, I'm nervous that I am going to touch the person next to me, so that makes me tense up, and I'm also worried about what I look like, like is my mouth wide open? I don't sleep well at home anyway, so I knew this would be tricky. And for some reason a lot of stuff wasn't working on my screen in front of me and my phone aka music player was dead. I was BORED. I ended up only talking to the man next to me just as we were landing of course. I wish I would have struck up a conversation with him earlier in the flight, but I was too timid.

Before we landed, I was able to change my clothes and freshen up. Lyssa had warned me what the airport was gonna be like when I landed. She did well. It was strange, compared to other airports, but I did not feel uncomfortable. You had to walk down a really tall flight of stairs from the airplane on the cement then they bused all of us to the actual airport. I had to go through immigration and that took a while. Then it was off to fetch my bags. I did know that Qatari people covered up, but I didn't know exactly what they looked like and I got an eyeful at the airport. Strange as it was, I still felt fine. Something did startle me though as I was walking away from the baggage claim. Something touched my leg and it tickled. I jumped around and looked down. I had a dryer sheet fall from my sweat capris. haha! I went through these opaque sliding glass doors that opened up to be somewhat of a red carpet. There were lots of people standing behind a rope watching everyone come out of the doors. They were there to pick up their arrivals, of course. I spotted Lyssa right away and squealed with excitement. There she was standing in the middle, shoulder to shoulder among all the Qataris. Little white girl in short sleeves and glasses. She drove me to their apartment and told me they had gotten me a cheese pizza from Papa John's in case I was hungry. It looked and tasted exactly the same as Papa John's pizza. Even the logo was the same, but in Arabic. I stayed awake with them for a bit, then took a shower then passed out.

This is an Arabic version of Scrabble that was set up in my room for me. Dave said it says "Ahlan w Sahlan li-Qatar" or "Welcome to Qatar" in Arabic.

Here is my room. Note the stuffed camel. Lyssa had received it as a gift when she had her son Christian and she put it on my bed for funsies. I ended up loving it and wanted to get one for Griffin. That's another story. But wasn't my room nice? The best part was that it had it's own air conditioner, so I could choose my temp. She said they mostly did not go under 22 degrees Celsius, which is 71 degrees Fahrenheit. If you know me, then you know how happy this makes me. I would LOVE to be able to keep my room at 71 especially at night!

The next day, in an effort to get on a more regular schedule and trick my body into not having jet lag, Lyssa and Christian woke me up around 8:30am (which wasn't really a problem since I had slept all night). We watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune before taking Dave to work. Then we decided to hit up City Center, a mall in downtown Doha. We looked around a bit then went to the food court. Here is a pic of Christian and Lyssa eating in the food court. Below is Magic Corn. What is Magic Corn you ask? It's just steamed corn with your choice of flavorings. I love corn, so this was neat for me. And it was just a little kiosk in the food court. Lyssa had Burger King.

My Pepsi from Burger King

After we left the mall, Christian fell asleep in the car and since it was his nap time, and we still had 2 hours before we had to pick up Dave, we just decided to drive around and see some sights from the car. In Qatar, they use great big scary looking roundabouts in lieu of traditional stop lights. The roundabouts have 3 lanes, one for straight, one for right hand turns and one for left. Some of the roundabouts had lights in the middle of them, I don't really know how to explain it. Lyssa had mastered them pretty well. I felt completely safe driving with them, but it was the other crazy drivers that were scaring me. They drive fast there and cocky, if you ask me.

View of downtown Doha

They have amazing architecture there. New buildings are going up everywhere and they are all very creative. Here is a picture of the zig zag buildings.

Carrefour is a store that is the French equivalent of Wal*Mart. We went there a lot. They have groceries and other household items. It was neat for me.

More neat buildings...

See what I mean by the architecture?

After we picked up Dave, we went to Souq Waqif to grab a bite to eat for dinner and also do some sight seeing. Souq Waqif is:

Souq Waqif (Arabic: سوق واقف)is an important souq in Doha, in the state of Qatar. Literally translated to "the standing market," this shopping destination is renowned for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to tens of restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world, as well as Shisha lounges. Although this market dates back at least a hundred years, it has been recently restored back to its original glory. It is now considered one of the top tourist destinations within Doha. Thousands of people from across the region frequent this market to purchase traditional goods such as wool, traditional thobes, jewelry, and perfumes.

At the Souq, the security ride around on camels.

It was really cool to see them all lined up.

We walked all around and checked out neat shops. Dave and Lyssa bought some dried figs, dried kiwi and lemon flavored almonds there. Then we bought some yummy food froma couple of ladies selling food and drinks from a small stand. I had a dish called Kushari. It was made up of pasta, lentils, and rice with a tomato sauce and fried onions on top. It was sooo good. I wish I could re-create it. We took the food to the boardwalk and ate it there. It was really nice.

At home we played around a bit and watched some TV before going to bed. I really liked playing with Christian. He is 19 months and really cute and active. It made me miss Griffin, but I was also really glad to spend time with Christian, he entertained me and kept us busy. I still got to snuggle with a little boy, even though he wasn't mine. I called Griffin nearly twice a day when I was staying in Qatar. It sounded like he was having an awesome time and Grandpa and Grandma Golding were absolutely loving it.

Well, that's it for now. I still have lots more to write about. I hope I covered everything, but if you have any questions, let me know!

Thankful Thursday

2010-06-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

These are in no particular order because I just upload my pics as they come. But today is Thankful Thursday and it's been a while, so I have a lot to be thankful for.

Grass. Although my son, and Christian, above, seem to have an allergy to grass, it makes them so happy (for a moment). Well, it makes me happy. We have grass in our backyard now, and it just makes it look so much lovelier and home-y. I took this picture when we go to Utah from Qatar. Christian, my friend's son, has not played on the grass in a long time, and he was SO excited to run around in it. Summer in Utah always reminds me of well, green grass.

Family. My immediate family, my MOM, my in-laws, my Grandma, my relatives by marriage, they have all made me happy recently. Thank you family.

Curious George. Grffin loves it and I love it too. Yeah, I know George is somewhat mischievous and the Man in the Yellow Hat is somewhat naive, but we love this show and it makes me smile.

Living in MY cul-de-sac. In my cul-de-sac, almost every family has children. 4 of the children are close in age to Griffin and we have a weekly play date. It's as exciting for me as it is for Griffin. And I love that in our cul-de-sac there is no traffic. That way if Griffin runs out into the yard and freaks me out, I know that he most likely will not get hurt, because I would be able to see in anyone was coming anyway. We live in the very middle of ours, and I like it that way. I love it.

Flowers. Let's face it, everyone loves a good flower. Whether they like the smell, the look, or the ambiance they bring to a room or a yard, most people like flowers. These Irises are growing in my grandparent's back yard in Utah. I love them. They bring back good memories, and are lovely. Breathtaking to me, since we can't grow them in Arizona.

This view. This is from my friend (and cousin-in-law)'s yard in Pleasant Grove, UT. She can just walk out her front door and see this (I took this pic the same time as the one of Christian running through the grass). I must admit that it's this view that keeps bringing me back to Utah and falling in love all over again.

My boys. Griffin and Jason. I missed them so much when I went to Qatar for two weeks. They mean so much to me and together we have a great time. Griffin has shown that he is still very much a Mama's boy and Jason has come to appreciate all the little things I do for him. It's great to be missed, and it's great to come home to love.

Lyssa Kiri Knudsen Sallay. My best friend. My cousin-in-law. The girl who introduced me to Jason (her cousin). The girl who I have been friends with since forever and I mean forever. Since we were too young to even talk. The reason why I even got to go Qatar. One of the best people to be around and have a laugh with, and fly 22 hours with, and to calm me down when I am scared for no reason and to be logical and to just be. Love you.

Social Networking! I love Facebook because I have friends from each part of my life on there. From childhood friends, junior high friends, work friends, Mom friends, relatives, my friend's moms, peeps from high school and college, and even friends of friends. I recently asked for suggestions concerning my son's skin condition and I got a lot of really good answers. I also ask questions on BabyCenter and Twitter and even Blogger. I like making friends, and I love being in contact with them no matter where they live.

SO, I have a TON to write about my trip. I have been editing my pictures and I'm almost ready to start writing. I am excited to share with everyone my experience in Qatar. It was definitely

I'm Home

2010-06-07T06:14:00.001-07:00

So, I am back from my little trip.

It feels amazing to walk into my house, messy or not. It feels amazing to hold my son, although I feel like he has gained weight and grew two inches. He is now a little boy. It feels amazing to hug my husband and it does feel amazing to be missed.

My mom, step-dad, husband and son came to the airport to retrieve me. Griffin ran up to me bearing a half dozen roses. He was so excited. He clung right to me and started stroking my hair. He kept saying "I'm with Mommy now." We went to Macayo's for dinner. Then to my sister's house to give her a hug. She gave me flowers too.

I couldn't resist showing Jason most of my souvenirs, and we stayed up talking till midnight, even though he had to get up at 4 for work this morning. I woke up at 4 too. I have been getting in my computer time before Griffin wakes up, when a snugglefest is planned.

I'm gonna be so busy for a while. I will be babysitting my nephews on Monday and Tuesdays during the summer. I have to start tomorrow. And tomorrow is busy. I am supposed to be attending a funeral for a friend who died in a car accident last Sunday. I don't know if I can though, now, with all of the little boys in tow. I really want to be there for her, even though we weren't incredibly close, I feel it's the right thing to do. Also tomorrow is the neighborhood meet and greet, and I would like to attend. They are starting a women's Bunco group and I would like to check it out. I have no clue how to play Bunco, but I always hear about how much fun it is, plus I would really like to meet some new girls in the neighborhood.

Do you think I could bring 3 boys to the reception of a funeral? I am going to try. My heart is already broken for her and her family, and I feel a strong pull to attend the event, that the family has dubbed a 'Celebration.'

I do realize this post is very random, but that's the way it is at 6am, so oh well. I must end this saying that I had a really great time with some great friends in Doha, Qatar, and have re-awakened the fire in my friendship with my best friend, Lyssa. That sounded incredibly corny I know, but that's how it came to me just now. And I'm not in the mood for re-thinking my sentences and being a good writer. I apologize. But hey!! LOTS of posts coming soon about my trip. It was a good experience for me.

'Till Tuesday... (And I just share that I cannot say till Tuesday unless I also add, "Hush, hush, shut up now, voices carry...") Okay I'm done now (:

I'm Alive!

2010-05-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am in Doha, Qatar right now (Google it) and having a wonderful time with my bestie Lyssa and her husband and adorable son. I will have A LOT to write about when I get home and I am very much looking forward to writing it because I am having a great time and I want everyone to know it!! And all of the interesting things I have seen and done and eaten! I am not keeping up with anything internet related. I have read maybe 2 blog posts from other bloggers, and I do try to read facebook daily, but I am not bored enough to sit and read and comment on it all. I will be home (in Phoenix) around June 7th, but until then I am on a break!
And yes, I miss my son and my husband terribly. I try to talk to them every day. I am constantly calling my friend's son Griffin, instead of Christian and I must say that I miss him soo bad, but I think this kind of break is good for the both of us. He is in good hands, and so am I.
Also, I turned back on my comment word verification because almost the moment that I turned it off, I got Chinese spam. If you don't like, I apologize.
Till next time!

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T22:27:00.001-07:00

Griffin in our getting-green backyard

Mother's Day was nice this year. Jason is so sweet to me (on this day :) We went out the night before with one of my good friends Courtney. This was part of the Mother's Day package because Jason doesn't really care for going out. He's a stay-in kind of guy, unless it's going to a movie or a baseball game. He doesn't really like clubs. Every once in a while he will want to go to a bar to hang out, but he prefers that the music be low enough that we can hear each other talk. I must admit that I am growing out of this club thing too. But my friend Courtney really likes to go out and she REALLY likes to dance, so to be a good friend to her, I oblige and get fancied up and let my Mom take Griffin for the night (since that is what she really wants anyway). I'm not keen on cover charges (ugh) and I'm really annoyed with how far away everything is from us usually because no one likes being the DD and it just sucks. So we decided to try out a new-ish club called Airia at a hotel and casino called Wild Horse Pass that is near our home. The cover charge was $10 (!!!) and the place was rather small. And the music was rather...just okay. But we danced the night away and got a cab home for $40. Not bad, but I would have rather just gone to the local watering hole, but hey at least we know now. Courtney spent the night, but she left before I could wish her a happy Mother's Day, alas she was eager to get home to her little boy. But since we had gone to bed at about 4am (that was rough for Jason, poor guy) I ended up sleeping in till 12:30!!! It was wonderful. I felt a little guilty but Griffin was not home yet, so it seemed okay to me.

My brunch that Jason made

Griffin got home shortly after I woke up and he immediately went down for a nap. Jason asked me what I wanted for breakfast (brunch) and I requested cheesy hashbrowns, a grapefruit, and a Mimosa. He did not disappoint. In fact when he was at the store picking up the ingredients, he also picked me up a Starbucks coffee and some donuts for us. Mmmmm! After brunch, Jason had to go into work for a little bit, so I just vegged while Grif was napping. When he woke up we played in the backyard. We recently planted grass, and it has been getting very long. The sprinklers had just gone off, so Griffin and I walked around in the grass barefoot. It was a tad bit windy, but that made it sooo nice outside. Jason came home with paint brushes for us so we could paint the bird house he recently made for Griffin. I requested a bright red to paint it, and it turned out really cute. Still not finished, but coming along awesome for a spontaneous project.

Griffin and I frolicking in the muddy grass

Griffin eagerly jumping out of Jason's arm with a paintbrush

Then that night Jason took me out to dinner. I was not expecting this treat, so I was delighted when he said he wanted to go where ever I wanted (within budget of course). I wanted to try out a restaurant in our small town that we have never been to, but they were closed, so since we had to drive to pick up our truck anyway (at the casino from the previous night), we decided to go into the city and eat at Carraba's. I must say that the food was just okay. But Griffin was an angel and he ate all of his cheese ravioli and it was a great end to the evening.

There was a few traditional things missing from my day. Jason did not get me flowers or a card. This doesn't really bother me at all though. He is very thoughtful in other areas (food, go figure) and I understand that he would rather spend money on a nice dinner. That is perfectly fine with me. Plus, my step-dad got me a really awesome card and an iTunes gift card too! I also did not get to spend the day with my own mom, or my sister, like I originally thought was going to happen. But we had a really quiet day, filled with lots of love and appreciation, so I am very content with it. I hope you had a good Mother's Day too. Mamas (and Daddies too) really deserve the recognition.

I took this picture around midnight before I went to bed. My sweet baby who makes me a Mother.

Work in Progress

2010-05-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my blog for a little bit. I am *trying* to work on it and make it more pretty. But I am not experienced in this area and still learning, so it will probably be funky for a bit. Hopefully, one day, it will look real good and I can keep it that way for a long time. Hope your Thursday is fabulous, maybe I shall do a thankful post later. You know, after I go to bed that is.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Thursday

2010-04-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Soooo Thankful Thursday for me always seems to land after a Wacky Wednesday because, I'm never keen on being thankful when it's time to write my list. Last night was no different, I fought with Jason all afternoon (little fights that is) then he turned his nose up at what I made for dinner and the lunch meat I bought, I burned my thumb on the oven, and broke the top of my cake stand. I was sad. After I put the little to bed, I took 2 Benadryls and lay in bed. Finally able to cry quietly, glad that day was over and I could forget it all. That said, I do always, always have something to be thankful for. I am thankful for food to cook in the oven, my husband for picking fights with me because he is near me and if I ever lost him, I would be more sad than about arguing over toilet paper and diapers (for reals). I am thankful that, after a neat twist of fate, we had enough money to pay our bills despite turn-off warnings AND we were able to send a cashiers check to Arizona for taxes. As I sit here typing this, I am sitting under the most wonderful ceiling fan, drinking a cold Diet Pepsi, and listening to my son slumber on the baby monitor. My life, is far from perfect. This month, next month, they're all going to be tight and maybe rocky, but that's our life. And I'm thankful for the little things.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

SHE in China

2010-04-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a few moments to tell you about this girl who writes an awesome blog. Her blog is called SHE in China and the SHE stands for Seen, Heard, and Experienced. Her name is Jonna Wibelius and is originally from Sweden but has been living in other countries since she moved out, and most recently and the longest, in China. She speaks Mandarin pretty fluently. I love reading about her experiences living there. She talks about everything from her boyfriend to moving from city to city, going to the gym, and everything in between. She does use the term Laowai quite often, that I must admit I had to look up to better my understanding of it, but you pretty much get the gist of what she is talking about. And it's always neat, in my opinion, to hear other people talk and the way they say things especially since English is not her first language. And I also love how she talks about her family's Holiday and special event traditions back in Sweden. AND of course, she loves to travel. Just recently she took a trip to Mongolia. I highly suggest that you check out her blog, even if you don't care for traveling, or Chinese culture or stuff like that, I think she is quite relatable as girl that is, same stuff most girls go through, extremely different scenery. And she has quite a few posts, still don't think I've read them all, so if you find yourself bored and want to read something, I find most of her posts pretty entertaining. Anyway, just thought I would share, I just randomly came across her blog and I'm so glad!

Just A Little, Tiny, Reminder...

2010-04-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's not that I don't think you have the right to complain, I'm not trying to be rude or snarky, but it's just that I don't really get why it's such a big deal. The weather is pretty much the same every year. There is very little variance. I just think that, as long as you live in Northern Utah, that you should pretty much know that there are going to be some weeks where Mother Nature messes with your head. And that is all, friends. (click the pics to enlarge).

P.S. Maybe it's hard for me to understand, because in Arizona there is not a whole lot of change going on. It's pretty much the same. I understand if you're cold and you want to say "I'm cold! Please stop being cold!" Because I know very well that come one or two months from now I will be yelling up to the sky "I'm hot! I'm melting! Please, please stop being so hot!" But I have no control over the weather Gods, and it will continue to be hot.

And I will just have to get over it.

102 Things About Regan Lynn

2010-03-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

1. I was NOT named after Ronald Reagan.

2. My mom did choose my name from The Exorcist.

3. I placed in a state competition for DECA when I was a Junior in high school. I think that's one of the only awards I ever received besides a few in elementary school.

4. I have never played sports. I was not on any teams. I did not dance. Nor play an instrument. That being said, I have no real hobby. I am still looking for something I am good at, that people want to recognize me for and support me in.

5. I spent my childhood living in Utah County.

6. I grew into an adult in Arizona, and I plan on staying here for a very long time.

7. The summers here are brutal, but I think you have to really embrace them. And I have learned to do so.

8. The winters here are beautiful but it is really weird to me when it is not cold on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

9. When I was little, I wanted to change my name to Gabriella.

10. I never lived with my Dad. That's ok with me, and I have a normal relationship with him.

11. I don't like cooking but I like trying new recipes because I am lucky enough to have a husband that will eat almost anything.

12. I don't like cleaning, but I love having my own house to clean.

13. I am a stay-at-home mama and sometimes I feel very guilty about it but mostly I am just grateful.

14. I plan on having more children, but I don't know when. Lately, I have been having baby fever but I know that is not the right time to have another. (no health insurance)

15. My favorite food is watermelon. Other than that, I mainly live off of cheese, bread, and pasta. It's a bad diet, but being a vegetarian, I never feel full unless one of these foods is present.

16. I love veggies but I don't eat nearly enough. Lately, my husband and I have been drastically changing our diets for the better.

17. I drink alcohol. And I like it. But we have been cutting back on it. It's bad for you, not to mention expensive. I know this. But I am still going to drink on special occasions.

18. I have many, many LDS friends and family. I can be friends with them because I respect them (and I know A LOT about their religion, so it is not foreign to me at all). They can be friends with me because they respect me. In my house, I do what I want. In your house, I do what you want. Simple as that. (Obviously there are times, when, I don't imbibe because it is not appropriate. I am not that kind of a person to rebel, even on a special occasion :).

19. I love Utah, but I do not wish to live there. However, if I could afford it, I would fly there ALL the time and purchase a home there for my visits. That would be divine. So I guess you could say that I do wish to live there...sometimes.

20. I live 30-45 minutes away from my gym, depending on what location I go to. That is one of my biggest pet peeves about living outside of Phoenix.

21. I didn't drive till I was 19. It worked out for me.

22. I didn't move out until I was 23 and I moved in with my friend and my boyfriend (who later became my husband).

23. I never finished college. One day, I will.

24. I only ditched school two days during my 4 years at high school.

25. I did, however, fail three classes and had to take summer school.

26. I originally met my husband when we were both 16.

27. I HATED my husband's longtime girlfriend. I kind of hated him too for a bit, but I quickly got over it when said girlfriend cheated on him and I swooped in for the save (;

28. I met my husband's family before him. His little sister when we were children, his older brother when we were teenagers. It does help that my bff is his cousin.

29. I have had some of the best times of my life hanging out with said bff and my husband pre-dating, dating, etc.

30. I would NEVER live anywhere that didn't have a dishwasher, washer and dryer. I don't care what you think of this, but that sounds like pure torture to me.

31. We didn't get a dishwasher until I was 11 and that was pure joy for me, even though I'm sure my mom did more dishes than I did.

32. I wash anything and everything that can go into the washing machine often. Including but not limited to the cover that goes on the high chair, pillows, cloth shower curtains, plastic bibs, the couch slip cover, soft toys and stuffed animals, shoes, and so on.

33. I am known to be late. All the time. To everything. (except job interviews and the likes) I am very ashamed of this and even though I am working on it, people will never forget unless it never happens again and I am not that good of a person yet.

34. I love taking vitamins, eating really healthy Kashi cereal, drinking soy milk and all that expensive Vegetarian crap.

35. I will never, ever eat meat again so long as I live and I don't feel like I am missing out one teensy, tiny bit.

36. Speaking of not eating meat, this includes all fish, gelatin, rennet, broth and certain other things. And I will not eat a veggie burger that has been grilled on the same grill as the hamburger and I will not let my hash brown spatula share with your sausage spatula. I guess you could say I am very picky. (My husband and my son eat meat).

37. I love sleeping in. Always have, always will. BUT I gotta get up with my son, so I don't ever really get to. But every chance I get, I do it.

38. I got pregnant exactly one month after I got married. I was really surprised. Obviously, I was not doing my best to prevent it, but I had been having certain medical issues, and I did not think I would be able to get pregnant. I was wrong.

39. I didn't feel like I was ready when I found out I was expecting and I was sad that I did not get to "plan" it. But I had a good pregnancy, a great labor, and I do not know what I would do without my little guy. I truly look at him as giving me a reason to be here.

40. When I found out I was pregnant, I was too scared to tell my mom, so I had my sister do it.

41. I got married in Draper, Utah. Even though not all of my Arizona friends got to be a part of it, I am so so glad that we married there. It was perfect.

42. I get along really well with my in-laws. They are such a fun group, very caring, and spoil me and my family.

43. My mom is an awesome grandma. SHE is the one that asks to babysit, not always the other way around. My son and my nephews both have rooms at her house. Her house is VERY kid-friendly and we all love it that way. She would do anything for her grandchildren.

44. I like Disneyland, and I have been to Disneyworld once and Disneyland three times. I do not see a point to go there more than once a year though, and I haven't been in three years and do not plan on taking Griffin until he is old enough to remember it.

45. I do want to take him to Sea World though. I went there for the first time on my honeymoon and I loved it.

46. We had a very eventful California-style honeymoon. We went to Disneyland, a 3-day cruise, Huntington Beach, and San Diego.

47. I worked at Bank of America for three years and I now I am trying to go back. I worked there and I bank there, but I don't think very much of that company sorry to say.

48. I hate the feel of anything soft. Velvet, velour, silk, satin....ew!!

49. I always wear my hair down, unless I feel very comfortable in front of you, or I am working out.

50. I don't really know how to swim and that's okay with me.

51. I'm not a water person. I rarely get in the pool and I barely walk into the ocean.

52. I do love laying out by the pool though and walking on the beach. My mom and my sister both have pools and we have a community pool. Also, we go to San Diego at least twice a year.

53. We don't follow any TV shows at our house and we only have 22 channels. The most watched channel is probably PBS then NBC.

54. I try to make dinner every night and a lunch for my husband every day. At home during the day, Griffin and I eat pretty much whatever we want for breakfast-be it pasta or oatmeal, Coke or coffee.

55. My son still drinks out of bottles. He will be 3 in July. That's ok with me because it helps to keep me calm and collected too. Call me selfish, but I need my zzzzs just as much as the next person.

56. I could eat pizza every day of my life.

57. I sort of really really love tomato based anything. Sauce, salsa, soup....mmmmm.

58. I love Disney movies....the animated ones that is. But I still have not seen them all.

59. My husband hates watching movies more than once. So, we don't own many movies and we still have a VHS in our master bedroom and no DVD player. I am not like this, I do like to watch movies more than once, but only a select few and hardly ever.

60. I'm a very traditional person on many levels, but sometimes I really like a lot of different styles and stuff too.

61. I have many bffs and they are not really friends with each other. But they get together for my birthday, parties, etc. and they are ALL girls except Jason.

62. I would be bothered if Jason had a good girl friend and he would extremely bothered if I had any male friends. Well, I do have one male friend, but we don't really hang out more than once a year and never alone. (this does not include family of course).

63. I love reading gossip magazine such as People and Us Weekly. Luckily, my mom buys them almost every week so I don't have to.

64. If I had more channels, I would probably watch a lot more trendier TV like Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kendra, Jersey Shore, etc. But I would really love to watch more of is HGTV.

65. My husband is a big baseball fan, so that makes me one by association. Our favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by other California teams and of the course the Arizona Diamondbacks, since it's always fun to root for the home team.

66. Since I've been married, I rarely get my nails done, get regular hair cuts, buy much make-up, or shop for clothes. It's not really that I don't care now that I am not looking for anyone, although that is part of it, but I am still VERY girly, it's just that now that I don't work, I really don't feel entitled to that kind of stuff anymore.

67. Almost every shirt that I wear right now was given to me by mom or my sister. I go through stages where I rotate a smallish number of shirts that I wear each week. In the next 6 months, these shirts will probably be different. The bottoms always stay the same.

68. Even though I am a girly girl, I have very little girly accessories. I have one pair of heels, and they are barely heels. I don't have any real fancy dresses, and most of my purses are casual. You will almost always find me in a t-shirt, jeans, and flip flops. Always. And the only jewelry I wear is my rings.

69. I am trying to find a part time job right now, but only if it offers benefits. So you might understand why the new healthcare bill is important to me and my family. We have not had health insurance for a while, and it's very stressful.

70. I am trying to potty train this month. The toilet sings a song when a piddle has been piddled. And any day now I am to receive an Elmo potty DVD from Netflix. Wish me luck.

71. I lived in Utah for 7 months in 2008. My mother and step-father bought us a MacBook so we could stay in touch via webcam calls. It was a lifesaver then and still now, as I love this Mac and I probably won't ever go back to PC.

72. I consider myself to be spoiled in many ways, but we are almost always broke.

73. I've never been abroad and I have only been to Mexico as far as traveling outside of the U.S. goes, but since I have been to Maui, I like to think of that as a major trip I have taken too.

74. My sister and I are really close. We are a lot alike and then we are also very different. She is my only biological sibling, and sometimes when people ask me how many brothers and sisters I have, I immediately think only 1, even though it's not true since I have a half brother, a step-brother and a step-sister.

75. I really love spelling. My grammar has taken a downward slide since I stopped going to school, but I still really love spelling and as nerdy as it sounds, I'm kinda into it way too much.

76. When I was little, my mom took me and my sister to my great grandparent's house in Orem everyday before she went to work, so always early in the morning. From there we went to school and came home from school. My Grandma fed us, did our hair, helped us with our homework, played with us, and her and my Grandpa basically doted on us all day until our mom came to pick us up around dinner time. They were both extremely patient, but still strict in their beliefs, they were creative and loved their home, and they taught me some many of the values that I still look to today. So, naturally, they hold a very special place in my heart and I'm sad that Griffin never got to meet them. They were my second set of parents and my Grandpa was my father figure. Every time I see a hummingbird (and other things that are usually outside since that's where they liked to spend their time), I like to think it's one of them, checking in on me.

77. I am close to my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side of the family. Not so much on my dad's side, in fact if I saw any of them walking down the street, I'm not sure that I would immediately recognize them, if at all. But as I have gotten older, I have been trying to have more of a relationship with them. I still see my dad's parents every once in a while though, and they treat me like any other grandparents would.

78. I'm a scaredy cat. BIG time. I'm scared of most everything, so I won't embarrass myself too much, but ya know the basics: roller coasters, airplanes, driving in bad weather, the dark, being home alone at night or early morning, water sports, and basically any spider. BUT I still like to see scary movies, I LOVE haunted houses and go camping and stuff like that.

79. I don't drink enough water. I'm a huge juice person, and I love Pepsi and Sprite. I love most sugary drinks, like Snapple, and energy drinks. Smoothies, shakes, and Slurpees. I love sugar in general. Candy too but not so much dessert.

80. My husband and I find ways to save money on everything that we do: eat, go out, go to movies/anything extra-curricular, but we both have really nice cell phones.

81. I love taking pictures but I have no desire to buy a really nice camera, take a photography class or learn Photoshop. I'll stick to crop, red-eye reduction and all the tools that my iPhoto has thankyouverymuch.

82. I wish I could be really crafty, sew-y, decorate-y, and so on...but honestly when I have free time these days I spend more time on the internet looking at cool stuff that other people have done than actually doing it myself.

83. I like to take baths. Every night. I don't like to take them for cleaning purposes though. I absolutely hate washing my hair in a bath, and I really doubt that it does anything. But I love soaking and reading a magazine or a book. Or shaving my legs.

84. I'm really horrible at math. I'm so horrible that when I even think about doing even the tiniest of math, I clam up and I do worse than ever. I am highly embarrassed about it too. It makes me think that I might have a learning disorder in that area because I really am that bad at it.

85. I'd rather take Griffin to the play area inside the mall than a park because I am paranoid and the indoor play area seems so much softer and safer. However, I do not live close to the mall, so this is obviously something that is not feasible.

86. I am very paranoid about Griffin in all areas of his life. I still sleep with the baby monitor inches away from my head, and when we have a new baby, I'll probably just get another camera for the monitor, so that I can keep one on Griffin as well. I don't leave him alone for longer than 5 minutes at a time, even in our house, and it makes me cringe whenever he is around any body of water, small or big. I know most Moms are like this, but for me I feel like it really is my whole life sometimes.

87. Even though we did not originally plan on waiting so long in between children, secretly (a secret from my husband that is) I am happy about it because I feel like Griffin will be more independent when our second child is born and I got a lot of bonding time with Griffin that I will cherish forever.

88. I have a real fear of not being able to conceive again. I really want another baby, but it scares me that for some reason, I will not be able to attain this. I am really happy with the baby that I have, but Jason has assured me that he is NOT comfortable with adoption and he would never do that for me. I respect that, but it does make me sad sometimes, because I would be open to adoption.

89. I think I have built up an immunity to ibuprofen and acetaminophen because I take them both so often. I take a pill for everything. Well, there IS a pill out there for everything, so that's what I do. I am trying to cut down on this.

90. I reallllllly want a boob job and it may be for reasons that you would never understand. I almost got one when I was 19 and I chickened out. ):

91. I feel like the quality of my life would be so much better if I lost like 80 el bees. No joke. But, as it turns out, I have terrible self control and discipline and THAT is something I am ALWAYS working on. I would never allow myself to get surgery until I had a healthy body. It's my number one rule. Be healthy, before you get what you want.

92. Sometimes I have an urge to go running but I never do because the one time I did, I felt like I was gonna die after only running for maybe 5 minutes. And my legs, they itched so bad! One of these days, hopefully I can get to a more comfortable pace and enjoy working out, since my body is practically begging me to do it.

93. I am not religious. I am not anti-religion, it is just not for me. My husband and I are alike in our beliefs, but I think I might be more exploratory than him. If I had to choose anything though, to help me be more spiritual, I would probably go with Buddhism, no joke. I am looking into different things, but for the most part I am just not religious.

94. I do, however, have very good morals, I would say. I know the difference between right and wrong, I know what I want for me and my children, and I consider myself a very safe and cautious person.

95. I think I am a cheese-a-holic.

96. I love taking road trips, especially with my husband.

97. I wish I could buy a huge RV and travel the U.S. with my family one day. Sigh.

98. If money were no object, me and Griffin would do something cool every day, and every weekend, or whenever, I would drag Jason along too. Ya know, to like a museum, or an arboretum, or the zoo, or a concert, or a fundraiser or what have you. Anything family friendly-I'm on it!

99. I love meeting new people, I like having a lot of different friends, and for the most part, I will often try new things, if I am not having an anxiety attack that day.

100. I grew up in a household of just my mom and my sister and we are very close still to this day. So sometimes, when I am around a lot of men, or maybe at my in-law's house, I feel like the odd one out, because I just don't even know how to act sometimes!

101. I have a million things in my head I want to blog about, but I don't think I have an audience number one and number two, I get a little lazy, so to finish this list is a good start!

102. I like even numbers and rock music (:

Wordless Wednesday (it is what it is and that's it)

2010-03-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

I heart it

2010-03-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

I'm busy. Lately. I have many Birthdays in my family. I have been having a lot on my mind. I have been perusing a website recently that is filled with photos. They, whoever they are, add like 400 day so there is always something to look at. At the end of the day, before I lay down, I look at photos on there. Some catch my eye and I want to share them because they are a part of how I am. Some catch my eye and I want to not share them. But anyways, here are some that I wanted to share and remember. All of these photos are from we♥it . Thanks for looking. (:

The Little Prince

I'm a sucker for funny/clever

Sparkly heels what's not to like?

Weird but cool

I like free stuff

pretty

Oh Rachel Zoe (pronounced ZO) you spoiled, fashionable, skinny girl

True.

They tell you it's better to have loved and lost than to not love at all. I have mixed emotions about that and this above. I did that once. I let it all out. And I got dumped HARD. And it hurt. A lot. Some Heartbreak is real, really rough stuff. I do not recommend this all of the time.

This is what I have. I don't have insomnia. But it's hard to explain, because I want to sleep but..I don't.

I would have zero anywhere to wear these

I picture something quite similar to this every time I hear the phrase thinking outside the box.

I feel like this sometimes and sometimes I feel like I have to let it be known instead of a certain someone already knowing it. Then when I say it out loud, I feel foolish.

Cutest bus stop evah!

We are listening

Bubbles. Anyone but her would look awkward. I like it..a little.

True.

Poor rats.

Or try to anyway.

Butterflies.

Just plain CUTE!

peace out.

Thankful Thursday

2010-03-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

I'll be most thankful if anyone still reads my blog! Promise to be better!

1. TODAY is the day my nephews were born in 2003. When they were born, my life was simple. I was going to college and I didn't have a job. My sister and I are very close, so when she found out she was expecting, it was very exciting for me too. I spent a lot of time with her and I tried to help at nighttime too. When the boys were little everyone in the family called them "the babies" because they were the only babies. Now they have graduated to "the boys". They're in first grade now and each have a unique personality. Conner loves all things Egypt. Cody loves all things cars and trains. They both love Legos, Transformers and McDonald's. I love them like they are my own. Cody June and Conner Joseph- I am thankful for you!

2. March weather in AZ. Sunshine, rain, cold, warm-all in one week-what's not to love? There's zero snow and plenty of sunshiney days.

3. Spring Training is here! Dodgers are in town!

4. FAMILY. Mom, Kelly, you know what you have done. SAVED my life. And I don't mean just by lending money here and there, I mean helping me make adult decisions and guiding me through this life knowing I have back-up. My in-laws came to visit and they are saints. I am one lucky girl. I have a wonderful mother and mother-in-law. No complaints.

Happy New Year

2010-01-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

I going to try and re-vamp my blog soon. I'm still alive. I have had a lot going on lately. Getting over the Holidays is almost as much work as the Holidays themselves. Hope everyone is being happy and healthy this New Year. I don't like 20-10, I like two thousand ten, but I'm open minded to the peeps who say twenty-ten. Hope to spruce this place up soon..for now, I nap.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-12-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

My mom, Michele (yes with 1 L)

Showing my son how to roast a marshmallow

Me and My Mom

My sisters CJ, Kelly and my Mom with Conner

My Mom with Cody and Conner-her first Grand Babies

Smiling

A small one on the Heber Creeper in Utah

Holding my son (her tiniest Grand Baby) and below on the sail boat in San Diego

My momma. She hates watermelon, but likes cantaloupe. She loves her grandchildren and would literally do anything for them. She likes Perrier, Diet Coke and Chai Tea Lattes. She TiVos Intervention and Dancing with the Stars. She works really hard at a job she's had for a long long time. She makes elaborate dinners for her husband and anyone else who is at her house but she only has a salad. She can't sit down for longer than 5 minutes. She has a healthy obsession with The Wizard of Oz. I think she should be Glinda the Good Witch for Halloween one day. Forever she only used Aveda hair products and their smell always makes me think of her. She wears Armani perfume and has many different colors/styles of her favorite flip flop style slippers and wears them daily. She takes care of me and my family still to this day. I go to her for everything from advice to recipes to remedies and yes even money. What I think is most fascinating about her is her over abundance of love for her family including her Grandsons. You can see it in everything she does. Today is my Mom's birthday and I wish I could give her everything she wants (including a new over-the-stove Microwave-her wish list item) but all I can give her is a giant THANK YOU for being born! I love you Mommy!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!!

Thankful Thursday

2009-12-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

1. The gym

I've never been an avid exerciser. But now I go to the gym with my mom and I actually look forward to it. I'm not always crazy about it and I wish it were closer (like everything else it seems) but I do go and I always try my best.

2. Living close to family

I don't really know how anyone does it. I mean sure, it would be fun to venture out and live somewhere like New York or Colorado or something, but I'm just not sure I can do that. I love living close to family and I complain that it takes at least 30 minutes to get to their houses. I need them around me, they make me a better person and they (my mom and sister and their respective families) LOVE my son and make him feel loved and he likes to be around them so I'm so glad for them.

3. Jet Dry

Used it for the first time 2 weeks ago and my dishwasher gobbled it up for it's own Thanksgiving feast and now he (the dishwasher) feels better than ever and our dishes are shiny once again. Thanks Mom!

4. Soaking Bath Tubs

It's been about 9 months since we have lived here and 2 weeks ago Jason fixed my tub in the master bathroom and for the first time, I have been using it. I have been taking a bath nearly every night. It really relaxes me before bedtime and I need help falling asleep. Also, my tub is a soaking tub-meaning it's more of an oval shape and therefore roomier. I was taking baths in the hall bathroom but it's so tiny that my legs hardly fit. It' s the perfect size for kids not adults. Anyway, I love my tub! And I love bubble bath and all that kind of stuff too. Now, I just need a tub pillow. (:

5. Diet Coke

This is going to sound weird coming from me (I DON'T like diet soda) but my in-laws left a 12 pack of Diet Coke in our house so I have been drinking it. Don't get me wrong, every couple of sips, I still think to myself "This stuff is so gross!" but I will admit that it did give me a decent amount of energy that I am usually lacking. And with my addiction to soda, it may not be a bad idea to start consuming the diet variety. Also, Diet Coke makes my family happy. My sister, my mom, and my step-father are all addicted to it.

6. Movies (such as)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Christmas Vacation, Christmas with the Kranks, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, Small One, A Christmas Story, The Muppet Family Christmas..... I could go on....but these are some that make MY Holiday season a little brighter.

A Tiny Thankful Thursday Post

2009-12-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

Short and sweet this week.

1. Family

2. Griffin

3. Cool air

4. Modern Medicine

Happy Birthday!

2009-12-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to some wonderful people of note:

My Grandma Norma (my Dad's mom). She lives in Orem, in the same house she has lived at for probably like 40 years or so. I am not so close with my Dad's side of the family, but I love dearly my Grandma Norma. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Tiburon of Shark Bait fame! I don't personally know her, but I read her blog faithfully. Above she is on the right, my sister is on the left. Happy Birthday Tib!!

My good childhood (and adulthood) friend Karina. I've known her since forever. And I will know her forever and ever. She is Jason's cousin, so my cousin by marriage!

Happy Birthday Lala!

And a very Happy Birthday to Britney Spears! I did pick a pic then forgot to upload it and instead of going through that, I figure you guys know what she looks like so oh well.

T-Day

2009-12-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

(Ryan, Joel, Jason, Nick, Griffin, Jessica, Me, Raeleen and Blake with our crowns on at dinner)

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was good this year...for everyone else. I was terribly sick on Turkey Day and the whole week, so I pretty much just wanted to die the whole time. It was horrible. I was feeling so nauseous, that was the worst part. I was nauseous, had a headache, sore throat, body aches and pains, a fever, a horrible cough, throwing up, other potty issues and every day I woke up with a new symptom. Finally Thanksgiving night, I gave up and called the doctor. Of course she said I needed to come in the next day. It wouldn't have been a problem except we don't have any health insurance till mid-December. I went anyway. She told me I had Bronchitis. She gave me cough syrup with an ingredient to ease my nausea..success! She also gave me an inhaler and antibiotics. I am feeling back to normal now. The only problem is that I still have zero appetite, which makes me feel really lethargic since I literally have not been eating at all. I am SO SO glad to be almost over it though. It was the worst sick I have been as an adult.

So all that being said, I am actually pretty glad that I got sick over Thanksgiving. My mom helped me out ginormously in the days before my in-laws got here. My mom cleaned my whole house for me. I could not lift a finger. I spent most of the week in bed, so luckily Jason's siblings were here to keep Griffin busy and entertained. I was able to come downstairs for about an hour on Thanksgiving to greet my family and try to eat. My family came over to my house and I could barely stay in the room. We had 18 people here in all for a couple of hours. I am so happy that they came, even though I didn't get to see them a whole lot. The food looked great. The dining room looked awesome. And I thought it turned out nicely. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving too.

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-19T18:34:00.001-08:00

This week I am thankful for:

1. My Car

Okay, so my car is pretty ghetto right now. It needs some minor work done and it just hasn't been a priority around here what with bills piling up and all. But it is seriously in need of help. Firstly, I have to disconnect the battery whenever I stop the car and re-connect when I plan on driving it, otherwise the battery drains and I have to jump it. That isn't so bad since I don't have one of those fancy key fobs that locks your car from a distance, so I have to manually do it anyway, but it still kind of sucks. Then the squeal. Oh, the squeal. The squeal happens when I turn my car on or when I am turning. It is REALLY loud, so watch out. It's VERY embarrassing also. My whole cul-de-sac knows when I am leaving my house and they stare. The stares are the worst. The grocery store is a freakin free for all. There is always people everywhere and I have to do a lot of turning to get out of the parking lot, so there is a lot of staring going down. I nearly knocked a lady right off of her bike as I was turning the corner today in the neighborhood. But it was because she had to hurriedly look behind her to see where that awful squeal was coming from. Little kids and adults alike feel the need to cover their ears and scrunch their faces. However, I am thankful for it. It's not the prettiest, it could use a good detailing, but it gets great gas mileage and the a.c. is divine! Living in Phoenix, you need a good a.c. and this one is awesome. It blows hard when it's on high and when it's on low, it blows softly. Perfect. We live far from the city and gas goes goes goes when we travel back and forth. Jason's truck has nothing on my Altima. It's a '97 and I love it! Plus, it's PAID OFF!

2. Fruit

My son is a fruit head. "Orens, Appos, and Nanas" have Griffin's heart. And he chooses them over donuts (for now). My husband and I also happen to love fruit. I make Jason a lunch everyday and he HAS to have his fruit. And I think it's a good alternative to candy-which really helps my diet for sure!

oKay, well, my list is being cut short..I suddenly am very busy, but mostly I am thankful for family and all the love that comes with it! Next week all of my in-laws will be here and I am very excited! But that also means I need to clean this house from top to bottom and everything in between, worth it though!

Wordless Wednesday

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

Halloween Cuties

2009-11-06T12:36:00.001-08:00

From the wonderful website of dooce, I bring you the cutest (immobile) baby I saw in a Halloween costume:

I didn't see a lot of babies this year. I saw toddlers (in

cluding my own) and some of them I must say were absolutely adorable too. However, the neighbors came by real quick and they have a new one, a little boy about 4 months old, and he was strapped to the front of his Dad. He was wearing a costume similar to the one Marlo wears above, but it was in pastel colors. He looked pretty darn cute too, but his mood wasn't matching the cuteness and we only saw them for like 2 minutes and I was on the phone at the same time with my sister-in-law wishing her a Happy Birthday. So, I'm not counting out all of the cute babies out there, but when I saw this picture today, I was delighted. Hate dooce if you want, but how is that not one of the cutest things you have ever seen?!

Almost as cute as Griffin as a Tootsie Roll in 2007.

Honorable mentions in the toddler category are:

(well this first one is mine, Griffin this year as Buzz Lightyear or in his words Robot Airplane)

Stella from The Sallay Daily

Ashelyn from The Doan Gang

The Chief from C Jane

And this is Griffin from last year as a bumblebee
Hope you all had a happy Halloween

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

I need a good thankful list, because I have been feeling less than thankful this week.

1. Thankful for my Mac laptop. I love this thing.

2. Thankful for Tillamook pepper jack cheese, even though it's quite pricey (and Triscuits to pair it with).

3. Thankful that even though it's way too hot for November, I don't have to worry about myself or others driving in snow.

4. Thankful for the jobs my husband has even though he is gone 70 hours a week and we still have a hard time making ends meet.

5. Thankful for certain friends who don't expect much from me, since lately I have felt like I am doing everything wrong.

6. Thankful that my in-laws will be here for Thanksgiving and they are fun to be around.

7. Thankful that my toddler still takes 3 hour long naps so I can get stuff done at a decent pace.

8. Thankful for Zero Carb Rockstar.

What is the World Coming to??

2009-10-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

I found this picture, above, from word to your mother and had to grab it. Um, excuse me? Did I miss out on something? Since when is your ex-husband responsible for your monthly beauty and shopping expense? If this is the case, then I know some ladies out there that are seriously getting ripped off from their divorce. My sister, who recently (2 years ago) went through a divorce, had to hire a lawyer for missing child support, and her ex recently came into a large sum of money from selling the house they both lived in together, and the LAST thing on her mind is "Gee, I wish I were getting paid to get my eyebrows waxed or my spray tan." DISGUSTING!

You're one lucky bitch Khloe Kardashian, I hope you don't take it for GRANTED!

Just to let you know, I am not against their union. They are not divorced (yet) but their quickie wedding proves to be a subject of much ridicule. It doesn't mean that they will get divorced, sometimes that does last, but people are already predicting what will happen and who will get what if it does happen. I do think our society is much to focused on materialism and not about the good things. It's a good thing when people get married. It's a celebration! Who cares if it didn't happen the way you did yours or would do yours, let them be young and be happy!

Oh and btw, love the Chanel bag on that pic, but for me it would probably still say Target.

More Wordfull Wednesday!

2009-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today is also my beautiful Aunt Lori's Birthday. She has always been very close with my family. Her boys and us girls were always playing together. When I was nearing the end of my pregnancy two years ago, she moved to Arizona from Utah. It has been like she belonged here all along. Right now, she lives in Honolulu, Hawaii! She is living there for three months working for her company, Grace Hospice. As you might have guessed, she is a nurse and is great one at that. Everyone who meets her calls her Aunt Lori, and that's how she likes it. She doesn't have a blog, but I still wanted to wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

This was taken the night before she moved to Hawaii. We had a little going away dinner at my mom's house. That's my mom, Aunt Lori, and my sister Kelly (the blondies) doing their best Hula dance interpretation.

And here is Aunt Lori with my little in San Diego on the sail boat last summer. She calls him Fifi. So cute.

And last but not least, here she is with her boys, Jake, Joshua, and Jesse. The loves of her life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT LORI!!

I love you!

Wordfull Wednesday!

2009-10-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'd like to give a Birthday shout out to my good friend Jamilyn. We have known each other since we attended Cherry Hill Elementary School in Orem, Utah. I don't remember the exact grade we met but I remember giggling a lot with her and talking about our crushes. I crushed on a boy at school, Bobby Stone, and she crushed on JTT..ya know Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Hehe. I moved away to Arizona after 6th grade, but we became MySpace friends in 2006 and since then I've considered her to be a great friend, even though we live far apart and do not get to see each other. Well, today is her Birthday, and I hope she has a great day. I know she already had her party, but I hope she gets great presents, hugs and maybe kisses too from her friends, family and co-workers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMILYN ASHTON WRAY!!

Here we are in our 4th grade picture. We are standing next to each other on the top row from the left. I am lucky to be Facebook friends with a lot of these people still today. That makes me happy because I loved that school and those years.

I freakin love this picture of Jami and her daughter, Bailee.

And here is Jami, Bailee, and Griffin back in 2007 when we met up at Temple Square to see the lights. Sadly, I think that's the last time I have seen her in person.

Now, everyone, jump on over to Jamilyn's blog and wish her a Happy Birthday! Now!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Monster Mash

2009-10-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Goodies

2009-10-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

I Finished! Now I have to decide if I want to give them away or keep them for us and our friends and family. I think maybe the neighbors won't eat them because they're homemade? IDK. But they look good huh!

Projects

2009-10-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have kids. Truth=I have one kid. He is 2. He doesn't really care if I bake, so mostly I do it for my husband. My son does not help me bake, usually. I'm a little snotty in the way, that if I'm going to be giving something away, I like to decorate it myself. I figure since Griffin doesn't quite get it yet, I still have a couple more months to get away with this until I feel guilty.

Jason's mom hangs up all of her children's artwork for Holiday decorations. These pieces are old. She has 5 kids and her youngest is 18. I never thought about hanging up the pumpkin paper bag puppet in the window for other's to see, probably because I like to hang up store-bought decor. But I thought that was a great idea. I can't wait to do that with Griffin and my future children. You know most people probably smile when they see that. I would mix old in with new, and I will, but since I don't have any kiddie artwork yet, this year I have been making my own. I found a lot of ideas at Martha Stewart. And I'm going to try to do what I saw. I may wing it, but hopefully I just get it done before Halloween. I've been saving bottles, tin cans, egg cartons and other things to make into Halloween decorations. I'm excited.

I love saving cool bottles. Lately I have been saving things that I normally would not. Perrier bottles are very pretty. Skyy vodka bottles are a beautiful deep shade of blue. I used up the last little bit of Bertolli olive oil at my mom's house and noticed that the glass bottle has a really cute little design on the top. I wanted to keep it. And today, I used up the last little bit of a tiny, plastic Vanilla bottle. I kept it. You just never know! I could keep something in it, or Griffin could use it in the tub to serve his fish and frogs some bubble potion.

Well, I'm off to frost more cupcakes. I plan on using some for my Phantom Ghost neighborhood project. I'm a nerd like that. But sometimes I have lots of good ideas, and then I never get around to doing them. SO hopefully I finish those cupcakes. I've done like 5 and I'm ready for a nap. (:

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

1. My own little family

I love spending evenings with Jason and Griffin. We eat dinner, watch a little TV, then end up playing together..mostly in our king bed. And the playing usually lasts past bedtime, so bath time ends up being short and somewhat ornery, but I think it's worth it. Griffin nearly passes out in the rocking chair and I am left with warm fuzzies. Jason plays really really great with Griffin and he does bath every night. I love them.

2. Fall Weather

Okay so technically it isn't all that cool yet-in the daytime. It still gets up to the high 90's and I still have to have my a.c. on. But our downstairs a.c. doesn't work very well, so we have just turned it off for about a month now. It gets warm down there sure, but it's not like in the summer. When the sun goes down, we open the windows and it feels awesome. After Griff goes down, Jason and I sit out on the back patio and talk. It's getting

there... to the perfect winter weather Phoenix is known for.

3. Oh, Griffin

I wasn't originally going to do a number separate just for him...but after what JUST happened, I have to. Today has been hilly. I mean that Griffin has given me some obstacles but just little hills..that mostly make me happy for him. He woke up early, after going to bed late. He only wanted 2 bottles of milk for breakfast. He finally ate some fruit cocktail, but threw the rest of it on the ground on the cat (we are babysitting my sister's kitten Harper for the week). He never does that. Then I gave him a bleach bath. I know it sounds weird but two pediatricians recommended this to me to treat my son's red sores and prevent staph infection which he has had previously 3 times. Anyway, he threw a huge fit in there because I wouldn't let him drink the water and splashed water everywhere. Bleachy water. Then he asked for a cookie, which was really just a muffin, that I made yesterday. He finished off two and said "All done." I go to grab the rag and there he goes stuffing crumbs into seat in the high chair. Did I mention he was also naked? Crumbs in ALL places. So I sprayed him down in the kitchen sink. Later I decided to sit on the couch with him while he was watching a Little Einstein DVD and do this list. It was so sweet. See picture I took with my cell phone below:

He was just curled up next to me, I was waiting for the show to get over so I could put him down for nap. Then something startled me! A fountain of liquid shooting in the air and all over my keyboard! I forgot he was still naked.

But, he went down great just now which makes for a good nap I think. Silly little thing.

4. Aveeno lotion

Aveeno brand is my favorite thing. All week I have been battling dry hands-something I CANNOT stand- and I have been out of my Aveeno lotion and was using a different kind because I had it and didn't want to buy Aveeno because it can be pricey. I went to my mom's to feed her animals while she is away and she had some there. My hands feel loved again.

And yes it did take me over an hour to write this list due to a potty mishap and nap time tucking in, but I still think it was worth it.

Wordless Wednesday-Yosemite

2009-10-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

I always hated tag when I was a kid, but now I like it.

2009-10-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Tiburon had this on her blog and I considered myself tagged. So here goes.

A: Addiction: Soda. Cola and not of the diet variety. I just cannot let go.
B: Breakfast: Varies. Leftovers or cheese crisp or oatmeal.
C: Chocolate or Chips: Chips. But only with soda, otherwise chocolate.
D: Dessert or Appetizers: Appetizers. Dessert is much too rich for me.
E: Essential Items: cell phone, camera, chapstick and Aveeno lotion.
F: Favorite Color: Blue is my go-to color but I'm also a sucker for pink.
G: Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: I don't eat anything gummy.
H: Hometown: Orem, Utah
I: Indulgence: Vodka...there I said it! I told the truth. It's my indulgence, along with fruit juice.
J: January or July: January. Have you ever been to Arizona in July??
K: Kids: I have one 2 year old. We will have more, but I cannot say when.
L: Life isn't complete without: daily chats with my mom. (that would be MY life, for everyone's life I would have to say good friends like Tib said).
M: Most exciting memory: Having my son. I was sooooooooo excited but it hurt like hell, but I knew there was a good reason behind it.
N: Number of Brothers and Sisters: 1 full blooded sister Kelly, 1 step-sister CJ, 1 step-brother Kaylum and one half brother Jay. Also my step-brother has a wife Tiffany who is my step-sister-in-law?
O: Oranges or Apples: Too hard to choose! Apples are less messy so I like that, but I love them both.
P: Phobias or Fears: getting attacked randomly, earthquakes and water.
Q: Quote: Imagination is more important than knowledge.-Albert Einstein
R: Reading: I still have YET to finish Breaking Dawn. I saw the movie but I haven't finished My Sister's Keeper and very recently I started reading LA Candy by Lauren Conrad.
S: Summer or Spring: Spring! I love in Utah when the crocuses come up.
T: Tag 6 people: Tanika (if she can find time in her busy bulldog life) Kelly, Lyssa, Kathy, Ashley (I know you're reading this Ashley) and Audrey.
U: Unknown Fact About Me: I LOATHE olives.
V: Vacation I want to go on: Alaskan cruise
W: Walking or Running: Walking.I had a dream last night that someone dared me to run up this steep hill and I couldn't do it. It was worse than a nightmare!
X: X-Ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound-less weird positions.
Y: Your favorite food: Cheese
Z: Zoo or Bowling: Bowling.

Consider yourself tagged if you want but I do expect to see updates from the six people mentioned above!

Laugh

2009-09-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have posted this before, but that was before I had many readers. I just want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to view it, especially if they are feeling blue. Today is my 3rd anniversary, and truth be told, I was feeling blue. But I talked it over with my husband and then I found this video ant watched it again and again and it made me smile. I am trying to feel great. And I will succeed. I hope everyone has a great day and a great month ahead of them.

Break

2009-09-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'm on hiatus. I know I don't really blog enough to use that word but I like saying for some reason. (;

My life right now is all sorts of complicated. My problems are piling up and growing as we speak. I am an emotional wreck, I have enough anxiety for three other ladies, and my checking account is vast approaching zero. Do you know what day it is? The day after my electric bill was due, 3 days before my car insurance goes through, 5 days before the car payment, and just 7 days till mortgage is due and my husband's paycheck will be around zero on Friday. Oh and don't forget the water bill and diapers..milk...stuff like that. I'm.Going.Nuts.

I don't need anyone telling me I am doing it wrong, or that I haven't tried hard enough. I am not looking for your sympathy, your money, sure, but not your sympathy. Haha! I'm just kidding. I'm just in a place right now, where I don't know what.to.do. I have borrowed more than I'll ever be able to repay. I am fighting with my husband more than ever, I am more tired and stress-ridden than ever before...but my son keeps me going. He makes me smile. I am not going to sit around and cry all day. I apply for jobs at every chance I get. It's the daycare that gets me. If I could go back just 6 months ago...I so would. I would in a heart beat.

SO maybe one day soon, I'll regain my need to blog. I'll let my creative side shine again. But not today. Not for a long while I'm afraid.

You Say It's Your Birthday...

2009-09-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Dunna nunna nunna nunna.... Today is my birthday. Number 27. But we need not go there. I am very excited, it's been a good day. It's been a good week! I'm going to the Dodgers game tonight, hopefully Manny can pull some 99 magic to help us win. I'm going in Dodger gear and it's my Bday so of course I want them to win! Anyway-a full, better post coming later.

Hot, Humid and Heaven

2009-08-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

The beach house in all it's glory

Griff and Papa on the beach, just moments from the beach house

You know what that is, a beee-uuuu-ti-full sunset

Emily and her Connor last year in San Diego

Well tomorrow we embark on another family trip to San Diego. It's a tradition now. We almost missed it, but we just can't! I just wish that I had already been there all week. I know it's rude to go to the beach with your husband's family without your actual husband there because he has to work....but I do not have to work! Haha! Anyway, I am happy to be coming this weekend when there won't be a lot of people around, but I was looking forward to seeing the Barham's a.k.a Emily's family and her husband Wes and their darling children. Last weekend, her family came to San Diego to spread her ashes. I thought it was most proper, seeing as though she loved the place, and very bittersweet, I bet.

Tomorrow Griffin and I are going to drive to Bullhead City first and meet up with Jason, then on to Mission Beach. That means we'll be going a different way, which is exciting. Also, I am lame, and I have never driven that far before by myself. It's about 4 hours to Bullhead, but I'll probably make it in around 5 or so. (; I'm just happy that we'll probably make it to the beach house before the sun sets. It's the best to watch the sun set on the beach. It will probably be very humid and sticky and sweaty and hot like it usually is in August, so that's another reason why I'll be happy there won't be a lot of people around since I won't want to make myself look good since it's pretty much a waste of time what with all that damn humidity. I'll probably spend the whole entire time besides nap time at the beach, where I can feel the cool breeze. It doesn't hurt that the beach is heavenly: Griffin playing in the sand, the waves right there and the laid back atmosphere. It's safe to say I'm excited. And I'm also very happy to see my in-laws and for them to see Griffin. It will probably be like it always is which is grand.

Happy Weekend!

!!

2009-08-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my first ever step aerobics class with my mom. My mom has been doing it for years, but I have never shown interest. Well, truth be told, I need to get my butt to the gym and work out (who doesn't?) and one day last week my mom invited me to try out a Zumba class with her. I went and to my surprise, I really liked it! So my sweet mother added me to her account and now I can go to the gym whenever I please and they have child care! I was hesitant to leave Griffin at first, but I warmed up to the idea. I like going to the classes best because it makes it easier for me to want to go to the gym if I have to be there at a certain time and someone is telling me what to do so I don't get bored. I guess the group thing does bother some people, but I realized that I don't really notice anyone around me, I am just trying to focus on the movements, so I doubt anyone notices me and if they do think badly of me, then that's just dumb! I don't really know what I am doing, but I am trying my best!!

I am excited to go to Zumba again tonight. My mom says this teacher is her fave. Griffin did seem to like the play area, so that's a plus. LA Fitness, here I come!

Chinese Symbol Comments

2009-08-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

QUIT LEAVING ME COMMENTS IN CHINESE. I HATE IT!!!! I DON'T WANT YOUR CHINESE SYMBOL COMMENTS.

And that is all.

I lied! That's not all. Who else receives these ridonkulous comments? And what do you do about it?

My Favorite Monday

2009-08-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Well, today's post is inspired by my appetite. I love food. It's no secret. One of the foods on my love radar of course is cheese. I heart cheese. Lately, I have been addicted to pepper jack cheese. But I must say that Tillamook pepper jack cheese is the best! It's so pricey, yet SO worth it. My mom buys it sliced, which I think is better, but it's cheaper in a block. And I like to pair with Triscuits, preferably rosemary and olive oil Tricsuits, but whatever. I love it. And I will probably eat all week, so hurry, someone tell me it's good for me, at least a little bit!

P.S. I got the My Favorite Monday idea and pic from Tiburon. She actually hasn't done it in a while, but I assume it's because she has way more interesting things to blog about and I do not. (:

Dooce

2009-08-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Heather Armstrong look so pretty in this picture? I've never looked that pretty at an airport I'm sure. I just finished reading her book (It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, A Breakdown and a Much Needed Margarita) not too long ago. I really liked it. I know it's not technically about pregnancy, but she does an awesome job at describing some of things that can change your body during pregnancy. And her story is good. It reminded me a few times of myself. I never went off of anti-depressants when I was pregnant. My doctor and I teamed up against my anxiety. However, sometimes it just takes more than a prescription. My anxiety level has quadrupled since my son was born. I read dooce because she is funny. I read dooce because she is real. REAL honest!!

Happy Weeekend!

Motherhood

2009-08-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Everyone that reads my blog, hop on over to Lyndsay and the Jonhsons and read this post. She writes a lot of really good stuff, but this one I love.

http://lyndsayj.blogspot.com/2009/08/motherhood.html

I a right there with you Lyndsay! I like "playing" every once in a while, but I'd rather play with my baby boy instead. And you know what? It's people like you that make me not as scared to have another child, because I am going to have another one. No I am not pregnant, but be warned, I am planning on planning another one soon!

More to come on motherhood later. I will give you my 2 cents.

Dumbest promotion ever, but still clever at the same time

2009-08-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

He wasn't kidding. My friend Lyssa's husband Dave, posted on his facebook about how the Orem Owlz are promoting Halitosis Night. Everyone who comes to the game gets a free mint. I thought, seriously? So I looked it up. It's true! Weird.

Wednesday, August 19

August 19 vs. Missoula - 7:05 PM

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Rock N' Roll Halitosis Night
In an attempt to thwart bad breath from the ballpark, every fan who comes to the game will receive a free mint when entering the stadium. The Owlz will have other fun promotions throughout the game revolving around eliminating stinky breath.
Presented by Rockers Mints

NAPA Family Feast Night
Enjoy hot dogs, popcorn, drinks for $1 each. Get Reserved tickets for a discount with coupons available at local NAPA stores.
Presented by NAPA Auto Parts

Thankful Thursday

2009-08-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

1. My Family

While we stayed in Emery County last weekend, Jason and I were deciding on where to stay. We didn't really have the money for a hotel room, so my mom bought us not one but two nights at the hotel in Price. We could stayed in my uncle and aunt's camper, but let me tell ya it sure was nice to stay in that room. And my mom, Chris, my sister and her family stayed there too, so it was great to share curling irons and hairspray and that kind of stuff. My sister and Mike are usually very generous to us and last weekend was no exception. And my family who lives in that part of Utah were great and hospitable. We got to hang out with my Dad and his family and lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was awesome. Also I have been staying with my mom this week, and as always, she has been spoiling me.

2. My Husband

My husband is a "do-er." I may have mentioned that before on my blog. Two days before we arrived in Price, we camped in Flagstaff, AZ and Moab, UT. My husband put up the tent, took it down, cooked breakfast and dinner each night and pretty much just ruled at camping and hiking all together. I'm not always crazy about camping, but with Jason, it's just so easy and relaxed...most of the time.

3. TiVo

While staying with my mom this week, I have been watching all kinds of TV! I don't watch a lot at home because don't have many channels and my mom has Tivo, which is wonderful. I have been able to watch John&Kate+8, Intervention, and Design Star and I have access to all the kid shows on Noggin for Griffin such as Oswald and Yo Gabba Gabba!

4. Friends

On September 10th (the day after my B-Day), my friends Lyssa and Karina are coming to visit for 5 days!! Lyssa and Karina are sisters, they're my oldest friends, I love them to death and they are bringing their boys! Karina's son Davian will be 2 in November and Lyssa's son Christian is 8 months. I am beyond excited. Now I have to come up with fun things for us and the littles to do.

Utah July 2009

2009-08-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

July 22nd through the 26th we flew up to Utah for the Golding Family Reunion. I was super excited because we were going to be camping and because I had never been to one as a married Golding (I went to one for about two hours once when Jason and I were dating but I hardly count that). Well, I thought that it would be a lot cooler because we were camping. Boy was I wrong! We camped near the small town of Tremonton and it was ridiculously hot and humid! But it was still a lot of fun. My best friend since I was a baby is Jason's cousin and I grew up around her family a lot, so seeing most of them and all their kids was great for me. Each day they had something planned out for us and each day they provided breakfast, lunch and dinner. And of course they had lots of Otter Pops readily available for the kids, and adults too. The area where we camped was really green and lush. It had a couple of nice trails and a river too. Jason, Griffin, and I stayed in our own tent near his parents and little brothers. Our camp was a little down the road from the main camp, making it easier for us to get Griffin to sleep at night and nap. The reunion started on Wednesday, but we came up on Thursday so Jason, Grif, and I could spend some time with his immediate family. We left on Saturday and spent one more night with his family and our Grandparents before we left for Phoenix on Sunday evening.

The first day we got to the reunion, the group went to Crystal Hot Springs. It had two pools, one cold and one warm, a hot tub, and two giant enclosed water slides. When we got there Jason took Griffin on the water slide and he really liked it. We rented a life jacket for him and then he proceeded to go down the water slide with either Jason, his little brothers or his Dad the ENTIRE time. He would not sway from the water slide. He must have gone down at least 30 times. It was adorable, of course.

Griffin with Uncle Ryan and Jason coming out of the water slide.

I took this picture of the mountains out of the car window and I really like it. I adjusted the color a bit on my computer. I am definitely an amateur at best when it comes to that kind of stuff, but I just had to have me a pic of the beautiful mountains.

This nest was outside Jason's parent's garage and I though that it was really neat looking.

Griffin with Jason's parents, Grandma Raeleen and Papa Joel. Griffin is the only grandchild so he gets a lot of attention from these two. I love Jason's parents, they are also very good to us. They paid for our plane tickets using their Frequent Flyer miles.

Here is Griffin and all of Jason's siblings. From left, Blake 20, Jason, 26, Nick 28, Ryan 19, and Jessica 23. They are so fun to be around and of course they love their nephew to pieces.

And this one I just threw in because Kim is in it. She is Blake's girlfriend and she is so sweet. Also I think they all look super cute.

My Grandma LeeAnn's beautiful backyard in Orem.

When we went to my Grandma's house, she was outside watering. Griffin absolutely adores being outside and so of course he wanted to help. My Grandma is so good and patient with the little ones. She let Griffin help her do everything around the backyard. He was in heaven.

This is at the reunion when they were all playing a game of softball. This is Lyssa, my bestie, being the catcher. I just love this picture. Doesn't she look so excited?? (:

This is Lyssa's baby Christian. He is 8 months old and I just got to meet him for the the first time! He was born in Doha, Qatar, where Lyssa and her husband Dave live. They have come back to Utah for the summer and I'm so happy! I got to hold him a lot, though he is quite attached to his mama.

This is Griffin holding the Golden Spike at the reenactment we saw.

The reenactment was interesting, but for the most part it was boring for the littles. Since there was plenty of dirt and gravel, Griffin took right to it and played and got dirty to his heart's content.

The actors in the Golden Spike reenactment. The guy in the maroon coat is Jason's uncle Jim. He and his wife were the hosts of the reunion this year (he also married us) and so they picked him to be part of the cast. I linked the Golden Spike because if you did not go to school in Utah, you may not know what I am talking about. (;

Papa Joel, Grif and Jason waiting for the show to start. At the beginning and the end (when Griffin wasn't forced to be quiet) Griffin loved being there because of the Toot Toots! He loves trains and so that was pretty awesome.

Griffin always wants to help, especially the men. Here he is biting off more than he can chew with the tent rods.

And here is just a cute pic of Griffin and Jason at Promontory Point. Griffin was having a blast pulling his dad's hair. Jason said it really did hurt!

And here is a pic out the window of the plane. It was the first time we had to pay for a ticket for Griffin since he had just turned two, 2 weeks prior. On the way there we sat him in the middle of Jason and I but on the way home we let him sit by the window. He did great for the most part. Around 45 minutes in though, he wanted to get out of his seat and he kept messing with the seat belt. The plane seat belts are really easy to unbuckle so, keeping him occupied was a must. We are lucky that the flight to SLC is only about an hour and and half. We had a great time in Utah, and later I can blog about how we went back just two weeks later, but to a whole different county and we drove...

P.S. I LOVE Utah but I HATE the mosquitoes!!!! Yes, that requires mucho explanation points!!! I got around 14 bites even after bug spray and four of them got infected. They were on my legs and boy were they attractive!

Blahg

2009-08-10T14:33:00.001-07:00

Oh blog, for I have failed you. Every time I log in, I see that post about Emily, and I lose my desire to blog. I have a lot to say, but I don't even know how to articulate it all. So I might just have to resort to lists. I do plan on blogging about my recent trip through Southern Utah, but for now, I am going to just let you know what I have been up to. Hopefully, some people still read my blog!

* In late July, Jason, Griffin and I flew to Utah to spend a weekend camping in Tremonton for the Golding Family Reunion.

* July 12th, Griffin turned two and the day before we had a successful Birthday party for him at our house.

* The summer heat has been brutal, as always, but this year I have embraced it and I'm happy to say it's the first time summer has not snuck up on me.

*Last Wednesday, we packed up the car for a trip to Price, Utah for my cousin Jake's wedding. On the way there we camped in Flagstaff and Arches, which was wonderful. Seeing all of my family in Emery and Carbon County was also a plus.

*Jason only has two more weeks working out of town, but unfortunately he also had two whole weeks without work so it's been a little hectic, but we are making do.

*Jason fixed my car which has been dead for two months but it still has some progress to make, other than a bit of a dead battery, I'm happy to have my own vehicle back.

*We have been having a lot of fun this summer by going places with my nephews in tow, such as Jeepers! and Rainforest Cafe and of course swimming.

I hope to have pictures up soon, but I am without my camera cord, so it might have to wait till tomorrow.

Happy Monday!

For Emily Part Deux

2009-07-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Do you live in Washington? Are you visiting Washington? Are you in the Vancouver area? If you are, you should really check this out. I can't be there, but I know if someone from my (practically unknown but still read) blog reads this, they just might do me a favor. Actually, it's a really good cause. If you can do it, you should.

Applebee's Fundraiser for Emily Buck

Applebee's Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for Emily Buck

Saturday, July 18th 8-10am

13006 NE Hwy 99 Vancouver/Salmon Creek

$5 per ticket for a pancake breakfast.

There is a fund at IQ Credit Union for Emily. For locations please visit their website. The account is for Emily Buck, but you may have to mention her kids' names Connor and Caitlyn, or her husband Wes.

Although Emily is no longer suffering and is now free from pain and watching over her family and resting in the arms of her beloved Savior, we still need your continued love,support and united prayers for her husband Wes, her beautiful children--Connor and Caitlyn, her Mom--Debbie and Dad--Jeff and her sister Sara and brothers Cody and Robby...who are now starting a whole new journey.

2

2009-07-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

I could have gone on and on...but I am getting too busy to post all of his pictures that I love. Griffin turned two yesterday. I enjoyed rocking him to bed last night. He and I are best buds.

Thankful Thursday

2009-07-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

1. I am thankful for:

My mom, Kelly, Jason, Griffin, Cody, Conner, Chris, CJ, Jay, Kaylum, Courtney, Aunt Lori, Grandma LeeAnn, Lyssa, Raeleen and Joel, my dad, Brittany, Mike, Afton, Jake, Karina, Lindsay, Rod, Shandi, Shelli, Tanika, Stacy, Jason's siblings, Jason's whole extended family and mine too. All of my friends, even the ones I never talk to and family friends too. And of course even my Facebook friends! I may have told you before, I may have never told you, but I am thankful for you. Without you, I would lead a boring and lonely life. I have a good life, full of love and good people.

2. I am thankful for the house in which I live. It's a mess, but it's a loved mess. I'd clean anywhere I've made a mess, but I scrub mine a little harder. (;

3. I am thankful for my son. He is my whole world.

4. I am thankful for coupons, even though they're a pain in the butt.

5. I am thankful for this blog. I don't treat it as a journal because for one thing, a journal is private and another thing is, sometimes all my thoughts aren't so sugary. But I love that people I know read what's on my mind because I tell ya what, you can't live a life all alone, I sure can't. I rely on blogs and other social networks to get me out of a I-talk-to-a-two-year-old-all-day-or-about-bills rut. I need some interaction, but it doesn't have to be live. I thrive on suggestions and compliments.

Happy Thankful Thursday, to the best of your ability..

Closure

2009-07-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

If you would like to, I encourage you to read Emily's obituary here. I have recently joined a Facebook page for Emily celebrating her life. Someone (Leah Olinger) had posted a link on her page and she wrote a paragraph expressing her thoughts on the situation. She articulated it quite well and expressed everything that I have to say and have said.

Wishes there were something I could do for Emily’s family and/or children to minimize some of the intense agony & weight they are under. Despite the fact that Emily & I were only acquaintances, I cannot suppress my own emotions of heartache & dismay over such a horrendous catastrophe that claimed the life of such a beautiful person. I continue to pray that Emily’s family be blessed with serenity, courageousness, and peace of mind as they ease back into the hustle of their lives without the one they call their wife, daughter, mommy, sister, or friend.

Please don't drink & drive or get into the car with anyone who has been drinking. 6,689 people have died from alcohol related car accidents THIS YEAR. Let's stop these appalling numbers & not let another friend become a statastic!! Please click this link & take this info to heart.....

MADD website

In lieu of flowers, Emily's family has asked for donations to the group MADD or Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It's an obvious thing to not drink and drive, but please make sure that you have that talk with your loved one, no one ever thinks it will happen to them. Drinking and driving is not only illegal, it is deadly.

I found these two quotes and posted them on my Facebook. They speak the awful truth, but it's a way of coping.

Although it's difficult today to see beyond the sorrow,
May looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

Now that an obituary has been posted for Emily, I feel as if it is closure on my part. Now it's real. I thought maybe still, please, that she would start breathing again, a miracle! But, I know in my heart that Emily is in Heaven. I still think of her at any given moment, and I am trying to live my life to the fullest for her. But, now, for now, it's over. Her battle is over and she can succumb to her Father in Heaven.

Rest in peace Emily Anne Barham Buck. May 9th, 1984~July 3rd, 2009

*I am pleased to know that my in-laws Joel and Raeleen and their daughter Jessica will be attending the memorial on Monday. After all, they have known Emily practically all her life. They're the ones who introduced me to Emily and her wonderful siblings and children and I hope they can bring some comfort to the family at this very difficult time.

Just Some Stuff

2009-07-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

Happenings:

~ For the 4th of July we stayed in Chandler with my parents. My step-sister CJ was there too. We barbecued and swam. We watched the fireworks from a business parking lot a couple miles away from where they were being held. It was SO humid though, I was ready for the fireworks to be over many times, but they seemed extra long this year.

~The day after tomorrow is Griffin's birthday party. His actual Birthday is on Sunday. I'm a little scared because I don't really have any games planned except for one Thomas-themed pin the tail on the donkey sort of thing. There's going to be a range of kids there-the youngest being 1 and the eldest 6 and I'm not good at these things so hopefully it goes well. I just envision eating, chatting and watching the kids play. Wish we could have something outside but in this heat, I don't think so. I heard a couple of rumors that it might reach 116 this weekend. Eek!

~ Jason is still working out of town at Bullhead City/Laughlin. That has been interesting. But I suspect that he won't be there much longer as, sadly, business is slow. NOT a good thing.

~Everyday, all day, I am thinking of my beautiful friend Emily who passed away last week. I'm angry mostly. I know that soon my anger will fade and I'll have to get over it. But the memory I have of her will never fade and I want to model my life after the way she lived hers: always positive.

Nap Schmap!

2009-07-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

It's 3:23 p.m. Griffin slept like maybe 20 minutes in the car. Now he sits in his crib and squeals, talks and rolls around. IT'S NAP TIME. NAP. NAP. NAP. Doesn't he realize this is precious time for me?? But then...

I hear him. "Achh schhooo achh schooo." He is pretend snoring. SO adorable.

Rest in Peace

2009-07-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Our beloved, sweet and beautiful Emily is resting in the arms of her Savior.

Posted 4 hours ago

Our beloved, sweet and beautiful Emily is resting in the arms of her Savior.

Here is a post she made several months ago;
“Who I'd like to meet:
I can’t wait to meet my awesome creator!! I love you Jesus”
It is a great comfort for all who love Emily, to know that she has now met her awesome creator, and is resting in his arms.
I wanted to also repost the incredible message that Emily posted over 2 years ago….which are definitely words for us to take in and apply to our lives;

"To all my family and friends. I have learned something today. Never take anyone for granite!!! You never know if you will see them tomorrow. Life is soo short, and we don’t spend enough time telling the ones we love how we feel!! Please everyone call your parents everyday and tell them how much you love them and how much you NEED them. Call your friends, family and siblings and tell them the same. I know life is busy but we need to not look over the little things that matter the most, and that is the ones we love!!! God has mysterious timing and you never know what tomorrow will bring!!"
Xoxoxoxoxo

We Love you Emily

To Emily's family: You are all in my thoughts. I am crushed by your loss. Love, Jason, Regan and Griffin Golding

Sandy Eggo

2009-06-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

Thankful Thursday

2009-06-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

For this post I'm going to mesh in what I am thankful for with what I have been up to.

1. Family and Friends

That's a vague title, so what I really mean by that is for the past two weeks I have been crashing anywhere but my own place. Kind of. Jason has been working out of town for the past 4 weeks. He leaves on Sunday night and comes home Thursday afternoon. During this time, I have been sleeping at either: my mom's, my sister's, or once I slept at my friend's house. The reason for this is because I'm too scared to sleep at home alone. I know, it's terribly immature, but I just can't do it. I'm too paranoid. I'm convinced that someone will know I'm there alone and will attack me just because of how vulnerable I am. You know, bad things happen in this world, and I won't risk them happening to me or (gasp!) my son. I know, it's pathetic. ANY TIPS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

2. Technology

I'm often thankful for this. See, right now, my mom is in Malaysia. She has been gone for 9 days. First she flew to Philippines for a couple of days and then to Malaysia. I miss her terribly. I think most of the reason why I am so sad she is gone is because A.) She is on the other side of the world and that makes me quite nervous and B.) Jason is gone too. Her company made her Blackberry compatible for international use, but she knows it's pretty expensive and doesn't take too much advantage of it. So this whole time she has been gone I have talked to her maybe 4 times. That's saying a lot for someone like me who talks to my mom at least once a day and when a day comes that we don't talk, she calls me a stranger. She comes home tomorrow!!!!!!

3. Weather

Today is a cloudy day in Phoenix. It probably won't last, but I'm enjoying it while it's here. The weather has been somewhat mild so far (comparatively speaking) and this is the calm before the storm and by storm I mean extreme heat wave. If not for cloudy days, I would be miserable. After all, I won't leave Arizona, because of number one.

4. Being positive

Lately I have been feeling less than stellar. I have switched anxiety medications and it's been different, my feet have been killing me, I'm an emotional wreck at times, and I feel like I'm constantly battling some pain or condition on my body. But I would like to say that I do look on the bright side. I realize I am lucky because I have a doctor who has prescribed me medication to help me not panic, I have feet and therefore I can walk and run and play, being emotional means that I am not numb, and battling a pain means that I am able to feel what's going on inside my body all by myself. Even though at times I feel like I do- I don't need a team of doctors telling me if I am going to live today, or what I can't do. {I'm trying.}

This list was kind of lame this week. But I am feeling a bit blue. Seriously though, if you have any tips on staying home alone, it would be much appreciated. I miss my house terribly.

For Emily Buck

2009-06-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

Well, every day or so, I check my blog out to see the FEEDJIT thingy that tracks who comes to see my blog, where they came from and what they searched. It has occurred to me that almost every day, at least one person is directed to my blog after doing a search for Emily. And the post they get directed to is For Emily, that I wrote right after her accident. And I think it just doesn't do her justice. That post isn't about her really. I don't even know her that well, but I think if anyone is going to come to my blog to read about her, after Googling her, then they should see a lot more. I don't want to call this a tribute, but it is. She is still fighting. Here is the latest update on her:

Wes, Mom and I went a saw Em together today and she is still fighting so hard! She was moving alot when the bed would move, or when Mom would touch her feet. Her whole body. The nurse also said she is getting reflex movements from her hands now too. She is still breathing on the ventilator and is not over breathing it anymore like she was last week. They are going to start weening her off again soon, as much as she can tolerate.

Still no positive neuro signs though. Dammit! Her eyes will open but not focus on anything, or look at you when you tell her too. We all really need to pray for a miracle for Emily. For her to become more alert, aware and responsive. To give us some kind sign that she is still there. This is the most horrible thing that could ever happen and I cant believe how much harder it keeps getting. Please continue to pray for her recovery....for that miracle......thank you and I love you all so much.

So for those of you out there who need another glimpse into her life, I am doing my best to showcase her to the best of my knowledge. I think about her and her family each and every day. All I can do is keep her in my thoughts and ask for prayers from people who really believe in the power of prayer. There are many people out there who care for their kids and their family and friends like none other and live life to the fullest each day, and Emily is one of those people. Upon meeting her, you'll never forget how kind she was.

Here is some quotes and blogs from her MySpace (she loves updating her MySpace)

"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life" John 3:1

"There is nothing better than keeping in touch with freinds and family. Life is so busy and it can be hard to keep in contact but it is so important! Love you all!!"

Life is what you make it. When you wake up each morning and have a negative outlook, your day is going to end up negative. You need to look around you and see that you have many people that love you. Most importantly you have GOD who loves you!! =) When you have a positive outlook on life, your life will become more and more fullfilling!!!! Thats all, just wanted to share some thoughts!!!

To all my freinds... Be thankfull, and Be Happy!!! =) LUVS YA!!!"

"To all my family and freinds. I have learned something today. Never take anyone for granite!!! You never know if you will see them tommorrow. Life is soo short, and we dont spend enough time telling the ones we love how we feel!! Please everyone call your parents everyday and tell them how much you love them and how much you NEED them. Call your freinds, family and siblings and tell them the same. I know life is busy but we need to not look over the little things that matter the most, and that is the ones we love!!! God has mysterious timing and you never know what tommorrow will bring!!"

xoxoxoxoxo

And now some pictures of Emily

I took this one last summer in San Diego. I love how happy they all look.

Super mom!

We dropped her off at the airport and she had to sit on the floor of the minivan, but she was all smiles!

Emily and her sister, Sara

Emily and her siblings, Cody, Robby and Sara

Emily and her husband Wes

Em and her kids, Connor and Caitlyn

Family pictures

They are both so cute

I don't even know of that is her dog, but I like this picture

Emily as a child

Emily and Wes

Sara and Emily

Giving kisses to Connor

Robby and Emily, I know they are best buds

Emily, if you ever read this, I hope you know that you put a smile on everyone's face. And if members of her family or friends are reading this, I hope I did a good job representing her, for I only want to make people smile too.

I need, I want, I need

2009-06-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

I need to do a post on San Diego.

I need to do a post on Emily.

I also would like to take a shower.

So, shower wins. I'm sure you'll be okay with that idea.

San Diego was good.

Emily is so-so.

I really need you, your mom, your sister, your brother, your friend, your kids, and whomever you can get..... to keep those prayers for Emily coming. She really, really needs and deserves it.

Our clan is apart most of the time, but we are striving to make ends meet and that is what matters. Griffin is almost 2!!

Bye for now.

Jamaica Ct Style

2009-06-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

On a much happier note, I'm pleased to announce we are going to San Diego for sure this week. It was only going to be the weekend, but then my sister and my mom got their act together and are going too, so we are leaving on Thursday morning. My step-dad, Chris, left this morning and is staying in a hotel till Friday for business. Then on Thursday I'm leaving with my sister, Kelly, my mom, my two nephews and my son. Jason is currently working in Bullhead City/Laughlin, so he will leave Thursday after work and go straight to San Diego. I'm so excited! We are staying in the infamous beach house that my in-law's own and rent out and I am so excited to see them again. We are so lucky that we get to see my husband's family quite often and the main reason is because they love to travel and they love being around their kids, and it does help that we have their only grand baby.

I am just going to take a moment to brag about the beach house. It's in Mission Beach, a block away from Belmont Park (the roller coaster, etc). It is not located directly on the boardwalk, but about 4 or 5 houses down, still only about 3 minute walk to the beach depending on the person walking. I prefer it this way because the beach can get quite loud, both day and night, and you can either walk one way across to to the bay-which is great for quiet walks and watching the fireworks from Sea World-or just walk down to the beach or you can walk to many great restaurants, cafes, and the corner market.

The house is a two story and each level has it's own kitchen and living room. The top level has a huge master bedroom where they keep two queen beds and they even have a small room inside of the master with a twin bed and two walk -in closets and of course a bath. Also on the top level is two other rooms and a bathroom and it's own exit in the front and the back, so you can go out the front way without disturbing the peeps down below. The bottom level has two rooms, one with it's own bath and entry, and a full bath. Also there is a garage with a washer and dryer which is the best. The house also has a decent front yard where everyone hangs out.

So anyway, I hope you guys have a great weekend, I fully intend to!