Check Mate.

We went to WinCo this morning for donuts. It was 8:30am on New Year's eve so I wasn't entirely surprised there was a tremendous line for checkout. We grab our dozens and headed for the registers, which of course were crammed packed. We end up behind a few peeps who look like they have a few belongings, paying particular attention to slide behind the girl buying only lotion. (really, you came to WinCo at 8:30am for lotion? talk about your essential purchases.) Time ticks by slowly as does our patience. Not soon enough, it is finally the lotion girl's turn. Checker scans the item. Girl pulls out her CHECK BOOK!

Really 18 year old? Really? Who buys stuff with checks anymore? I hate that! And more then that, who uses a check to buy ONE BOTTLE OF LOTION. Are you kidding me. Oh no- it doesn't end there. The cashier needs to get something verified by the super so we wait as her light blinks to signal her need. In the meantime - another lane opens up and we dash over to pay and leave. As we are walking out the door, we see the lotion girl - get this - at the ATM, getting cash, to pay for her lotion. I figure her check didn't work so she went to the atm, used her CARD to get cash. Why didn't you just give your card to the lady? Ok - maybe it was an ATM only card, but oh my word! Seriously!

Kind of a big deal

I know I have said it before; my lack in reading anything is embarrassing. So the fact that I have finished 4 books in the last 3 months is kind of a big deal. I finished reading the Wizard's First Rule - an 820 page fantasy novel suggested by one of my Laurel girls. Pretty gnarly; especially the chapters (plural) where they torture him, but being that I finished it must mean it wasn't that bad. Then I read 3 Hunger Game series in the past 3 weeks. Really interesting story line. Easy to follow and create the images in your head. I liked it.

So there you have it. I guess I can read.

Thanksgiving

I realize our Thanksgiving festivities was somehow overlooked on the blog, which really is a shame because i really like to blog about our lives, But things have been busy and truth be told, I couldn't find the camera for a jaunt of time; hence the delay. (Is that considered a run-on sentence?) So without further ado - Thanksgiving:

We have been especially excited about living close to Mark's brother and family since moving up north. Thus we were thrilled when they invited us to join them for Thanksgiving. We started the morning with some ritualistic physical activity of which I was more of a space filler then the MVP but, fun was certainly had. The air was might chilly - I guess that was to be expected.
We enjoyed the majority of our afternoon with the Orchards at their home where 30+ loved ones gathered and the food of the season. Amber had prepared a turkey craft for all the kids, of which Mark and I participated just because it looked fun. And lets be honest, they were dang cute.

A Thanksgiving post would not be complete without a small list of a few of the generous blessing our Heavenly Father has blessed us with this year. Our dear family and friends have been so wonderful to know and socialize with. Our home that fits our needs perfectly. Food on our table, health in our bones, and money in our bank account keep our temporal needs and wants satisfied. Membership in the Church brings comfort, understanding, direction, peace, and true joy in knowing our eternal purpose. And lastly, a marvelous companion to walk this life with who just gets me.

Twas the Month of December, in two thousand ten.

When bloggers start wondering, "where have they been?"

We did have Thanksgiving, a blog yet to come,

up north with some family and other loved ones.

Came home to more work, not much to share there.

Church callings and "just life" with no time to spare.

The house is all Christmas-sy, smelling of spice.

It's been raining a lot, and that makes it nice.

Our holiday plans are right here at home.

As we send out our love through webmail and the phone.

You're welcome to join us, you're all our dear friends.

And I'll update my blog when I find my camera again.

Merry Christmas!

Just Because

i am disappointed that disney raised the prices of their caramel apples. i feel it was sort of a stab against humanity. as if disney isn't expensive enough already. ten dollars for a big of goodness is overpriced. i enjoy cooking. i havn't been doing a lot of it lately, but i do like to do it and feel a sence of accomplishment when i put a well rounded meal on the table; slightly sad that there are not more people to show off my balanced meal to. flash mobs make me cry. don't ask me why, but when i watch them on youtube, i get a little misty. somthing about humanity coming together. tender. i've used the word humanity twice now. odd. i am on a serious sour patch kid crave. it is so bizzare. it has been extremely cold here recently. i realize it's not as cold as many parts of the world but 28 F this morning is too cold for me. i sometimes think about opening my own preschool. you know, be a teacher at home. ideal. then i think of the kids and realize it is probably not for me. i desperatly miss teaching. last night i dreamed about how much i missed it. i can't imagine this economy ever turning and there ever being a demand for my profession again. we're going christmas decor shopping tonite. with a new house and only apartment size decorations, no better time then now eh?

.the end.

A weekend Trip

Oh Disney how we have missed you. After a very spontaneous phone call from some delightful people, Mark and I were on our way to enjoy a little magic by the company who does magic best. And truly delightful it was. Stephanie and Brandon met us at a glamorous hotel establishment just a stone throw from the park where we enjoyed a very eco-friendly restroom policy. Let it be known that none of us followed the request posted near the toilet to dispose of our paper in the trash. Yes, we only stay in high quality.

Off to the parks we went along with 65,000 other magic seeking guests. Whew! I think working with the crowds was more exhausting then trying to make it the whole day. Our first day felt like the longest day of our lives. All starting with Mark jumping on the bed at an early hour questioning "why are we all still in bed, let's go!".


Needless to say, we were quite content riding the "easy" rides despite having a pregnant lady with us. *side note: not me*. The Mark Twain ferry boat has no line. That is right up our ally. I was lucky enough to hang out with Stephanie most of the day - which made the day turn more into a man-date, girls-day-out so it worked out well.

We made a point to wait in the 45 minute line to visit with Rapunzel; the newest addition to the Disney peeps. The entire line Stephanie indulged me in the true life behind the princesses which of course I was fascinated with. Sadly, the moment we left, the gentleman of the movie whose name I couldn't tell you if my life depended on it showed up and of course I was mad because I HAD to have my picture with "what's his name". Vital. Did we wait in line? No-we headed over to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride instead. Again, short line and Stephanie can ride. Double Bonus.

A few things we laughed at this time around were:

-"I don't like cotton candy. whew - glad that is out there"

-Brandon's amazing food consumption at Ruby's. Sidenote, that place was Delish!

-Indrillgestion

-Toy Story Mania and the new level. (what?)

-Pregnant wife = he-date, she-date

For a bunch of people who love the Disney, I think it was a very successful trip. Sadly, our trips to the parks are numbered as our connections dwindle. We still hold our hopes out that Cam will never leave and we'll get in on his dime next time around. A BIG shout out to our dear friends who thought of us to invite. We sure loved spending time with you. And Disney of course, we loved you too.

Sadly my picture taking efforts were less then par. I have so many pictures from Disneyland; how many times can you get a picture in front of the castle, or with the mouse, or standing in line before it is just all the same photo? Exactly.

Hoping to return in February.

Day ?: Fave photos of my best friends

I realize I've been more then behind in this challenge of posts. So here is another one - way behind. My favorite photos of my favorite ladies.





This little gem of a lady I met while at BYU. She was my first neighbor and ended up being my dearest friend. She and I share a love of travelling, celeb gossip, theater, Walmart, and eating out. Since we've left BYU, our girls weekends have been sparce but she never fails to make me laugh or give me good boost when I'm in need of one. A true friend.




This woman is like no other. She and I met while working in Florida in the Disney College Program. She from Oklahoma, I from California. She lived in the building next to mine and we worked totally opposite schedules. Proof that our friendship was meant to be. She is my favorite cruising buddy, has taugh me endless lessons on faith and trust in the Lord, is full of spirit and spunk, and my perfect example of living life with vigor. I love this woman and am forever greatful for our friendship.

This is my favorite picture of this lady. She is probably going to hate me for posting it. But she is by far my favorite friend. She has been with me through it all. Through messy bedrooms, akward friends, horrible fashion sence, terrible boyfriends, drastic haircuts, and everything in between. I couldn't imagine life with another sister and, quite frankly, am perfectly content with just this one. She is my makup artist, style guru, story teller, motivational speaker, laugh a minute, perfect friend.

I am truely blessed.

Slightly Funny

Today I took a walk during my lunch break. Jillian Michaels would be proud. At a particular intersection a small congregation of people waited for the light to change. I joined the crowd and positioned myself slightly to the side so I could get a clean break (being that I naturally walk faster then most). As the light changed and the crowd moved as expected, I quickly found myself in front of the pack; just moving right along. Now none of this is too unusual so I wasn't really thinking about anything around me until a man not much older then myself approached my side. Our conversation went like this:

Man: "Excuse me Miss, can I pay you a compliment?"
Me: Sure?
Man: For an older woman, you are really quite attractive.
Me: Oh, thank you. *must walk faster!*
Man: Your welcome, do you not hear that very often.
Me: Um..well, I'm not sure. But thank you anyway.

*by now we have gone down the street just enough to realize he wasn't turning off my course and the next block was...too far away. *

Man: So you can't be that old. what are you...36?
Me: Um...something like that yes.
Man: (quite proud of himself) I'm close right. You're surprised how close I am huh?
Me: Well, not really close, but I guess sort of? *by now I'm just trying to walk faster, but he is keeping pace well*
Man: You're not younger are you?
Me: Yes
Man: Oh S***, it must be the clothes you're wearing.
Me: maybe. *so I dress old? I like this skirt*
Man: So are you off to lunch.
Me: yes, I'm meeting a friend.
Man: a FRIEND? Is it a Man friend?
Me: Um..no. I am married.
Man: Would you ever consider cheating on him?
Me: Never.
*Thankfully we hit an intersection right then so I split off course*

Weird right! Love it.

Day 4: List of faves

So-obviously I've failed at the consecutive thing - but what can I say. Its not like the public is dying for posts anyway. So here it is - current faves.

--Fall: gosh I love this season. Never gets old.
--That pair of black pants: They're not to small, but not to big. Work for "business casual" and comfortable to boot.
--Those big hoop earrings: belong to Tessa. I'm holding them ransom and will only return when I see her again.
--Weekend Trips: for obvious reasons
--Spaghetti: with Ragu original or mushroom sauce. in college I ate this everyday. Thus resulting in the added pounds. Still love it to this day.
--New Recipes: I love trying out new things. Kraftfoods.com has a plethora of new things to try and I love that.
--Birthdays: Specifically mine. I love getting messages and phone calls from distant friends. A perfect excuse for a hello.
--WinCo: reason #2 for moving here. WinCo is just a drive away.
--Safeway's "Just 4 U" program: Seriously genius. I suspect Vons is doing it too. Now I can get the benefit of clipping coupons without having to actually clip them. Bonus.
--Mom's piano. While we wait for the new house to close, we get to keep mom's piano. I've always loved it so now that it is in my home; life is good.
--Disneyland: no list is true or complete without it.
--Ruby's diner: Two words-fish tacos. Wow!
--The Oakland Temple: (see: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) I love how I feel when I attend, and the joy that comes the whole week after. Such a blessing to have one so close to our home.
--Our home: a definite work in progress, but it is ours.
--Digi Scrapbooking: my sister-in-law Julie got me started on this and I haven't turned back. I wish I took fancy pictures like so many bloggers out there, and I wish I was more creative like those artists who make the kits; but I'm not. But I do love what my point-and-shoot gets and the pages I create.
--And on that note: i love Free Scrapbooking Kits. A blessing in my life.
--Flavored Tootsie rolls: I like tootsie rolls in general, but the flavored ones are just so good. I can have 20 of them in one sitting and not even blink. (for mark: "Twenty. 20?...Fifty! 50?!!!)
--My sister: Obviously. she is just an amazing support in all my life. She has the perfect advise, the best laugh, the funniest stories, the deepest concern, and the truest sympathy - exactly when I need it. Love her.
--Spell check button: Saves. My. Life.

Day Three: Picture of me and description of my day

A day late, but this is for Saturday and I wanted to make sure I got my whole day.

Today was a good day. One of the best. I love Saturday's with no real plans. Days I can spend with my sweets and nobody else prying for our time. I was secretly hoping it would rain today so I could snuggle in my sweats and watch movies and read all day, but in hindsight, I am glad it didn't.

We woke up late and enjoyed a perfect breakfast of crapes with strawberries and cream and nutella! Yes, we splurged on our diets (not like thats unusual or anything) and dived into the jar head first. Like the commercial says, its part of a balanced breakfast.

With a start like that, we were bound for nothing but goodness. We ran several errands, some which included a Home Depot run to pick up (drum roll please) TILE! Yes ladies and gentlemen, we just purchased the tile for our evolving bathroom. And let me tell you, it is a hard thing to buy tile knowing that you can't go back! Bonus purchases were the new lights that Mark later installed in our kitchen and hallway. Goodbye 1923, hello 2010. Love it.

We then stopped by the Safeway to get some goods for the missionaries who were coming for dinner. Mark made up a mean short rib which was delightfully received. And it must be said that we had purchased 2 boxes of ice cream to share for dessert and those missionaries ate it all! I was a little disappointed when the last scoop was dolloped into his bowl thinking - what a shame, now I have to find another excuse to have ice cream in my house.

Our evening ended when I decided to practice the hymns for the following day's meetings...which then turned into a singing fest as Mark and I sang all the songs I could pretend to play. We don't have a lot of music but we sure had fun belting out what we had. And I'm sure the neighbors will be willing to pay for some additional lessons for both the pianist and vocalist in me. Not good.

A most fabulous Saturday filled with the perfect blend of relaxation, productivity, shopping, service, and play. Self, great day!

Day Two: 15 Things about me

It may seem like I skipped on day 1 of the 30 day challenge but alas my friends, I did not. I used my mother's move and the bathroom story as my first post. However, i created it on Wednesday night and finished it Thursday - thus the skipped day. Anyway, I have done this type of blog post several times so to come up with new things might be a bit of a challenge. But I like the lists and reading back on them later in life usually is nice too.

1-All of the grandchildren on both sides are boys (except the first who is now 16). A total of 11 of 12 grand kids are boys. So-there is definitely an unspoken race to get the first girl in the family. I am pretty sure we won't win but I am a part of the "race" none the less. Sort of like when I register for a marathon. I know I'm not going to win per say, but I eventually do finish. Maybe way behind the rest, but I do finish.

2-I first heard my dad had died from my uncle. Who I hadn't spoken to in years. Who called to confirm we could still get he and his daughter into Disneyland the next day despite the event. It was weird.

3-Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Except when it's oatmeal for days on end. But I certainly love me a good french toast, or crepes, or bagels and schmere, or waffles with strawberries and whipped cream with a smoothie on the side. Delish.

4-I never planned on being a teacher. Teaching just sort of happened to me. In college I majored in history; planning on marrying rich and inheriting a vacation home in Bora Bora. When I hit the end of my Junior year, I figured I needed a back up plan. Hence teaching; cuz what else do you do with History right? So I enrolled in the program and finished with the internship and vowed I'd never teach again. 4 years later, I cried when I left and I miss it terribly. Not to mention my blog was so much more interesting when I was teaching.

5-I have had 37 different roommates before my husband. That's a lot of girls! Most of them I've lost touch with but a few have blogs I enjoy following, others I talk to still on a regular basis, and some are life long friends despite how brief our living together was.

6-I. love. sweets. To a fault. This isn't new information but a stark reality that I must get control of. The only reason I work out is so I can enjoy all kinds of sugary goodness. I wish I was one of those people that didn't care for the taste of it. Like red vines or black licorice. I wish all desserts tasted like red vines or black licorice. Then I would never feel the need to eat it. But clearly it doesn't and so my situation stands. I. love. sweets.

7-I think about taking trips constantly. Literally all. the. time. Some people are perfectly content homebodies and find little need for seeing anything outside their 15 mile radius. My dad was one of these people. Very strange. This tendency of mine can be very expensive considering all the places I want to go. If I could take a trip once a month; that would be splendid.

8-I am reading again. Thanks to my Laurel. I AM NOT a reader. It took me 2 years to finish Harry Potter 7. I don't remember ever reading an assigned book in ALL my schooling. (except Night which is about the Holocaust so it doesn't count cuz it was history goodness and I was sucked into it by default) I can probably count on one hand the books I have read all the way through. Ok-you get the point. So you can imagine my reaction when Miss M hands me this hunk of a book and tells me to read it. So, I started, and I liked it. So I'm now reading an 11 book series called Wizard's First Rule. Not to say I'll get through all 11 books; being they are over 800 pages each; but I'm half way through #1 and it seems to be going good.

9-I am not a speller. If I joined the spelling bee I'd be out on round 1. I inherit this trait from my dad. If spelling is a trait you can inherit. Which it probably isn't but I use it as an excuse. I can hear in my head my dad yelling out "Di-how do you spell..." That is me. I am pretty amazed that I spelled licorice right the first try.

10-I play the organ for my ward. More as a sub then a calling. But my sub job has been going on for several months now. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be a ward organist. And I AM NOT good at it. Some are born musicians and their music is beautiful all the time. I have to practice all week and then fake it on Sunday. I do pretty well some days and really terribly on others. But they haven't asked me to stop yet, so I keep showing up.

11-I like to think of myself as a good decision maker. Not that I make good decisions, but that I can make a decision in a fairly quick amount of time. As my cruise buddy once said, if you see it and you like it; buy it. No-I'm kidding. I threw that in for my cruising ladies. Not that they read my blog but...anyway. I digress.

12-I use YNAB-Personal Budget Software. And I seriously love it. If they needed a spokeswoman I would volunteer. And I feel sort of special because I knew the guy who invented it (his sister was a roommate) and got it when it was a mere excel file for 10 bucks (its now a windows program for $60). I could spend hours every day starring at it and re figuring it all and watching it all fit. Is that weird? It totally is. But at least I can say I know where all my money is being spent. #1 category-housing. #2-restaurants. ok-so I exaggerate, but it is interesting to see how much money we spend eating out.

13-My office is in a very business savvy part of town. This means there is no street parking and most everybody parks in the parking garage down the street and then walks in. Which is a bummer when it is windy/rainy. Except-there are about 8 street spots right outside the building that are not metered or timed or anything. On a very rare occasion, I get here early enough to snag one of these coveted spots. Not to mention it makes going home 5 minutes faster too because I don't have to wind around all the one way streets and traffic lights to get headed in the right direction. Today was one of those days. Happy Friday.

14-I have only recently acquired a taste for avocados. All my life I didn't want anything to do with avocados. Which in hindsight is really quite a shame because they are really quite good. And pomegranates; and mangoes. Didn't like them before. Now I do.

15-I type way faster then average. Pat on the back to me. (according to one typing website). The average is about 34 or so. I tested above 70WPM each time I tested. One time even as fast as 94WPM (but that was on my 3rd test of the same text so I sort of knew what words to expect) So I guess 4 years in computer class with Mrs. McClure wasn't such a bad idea eh? I may not be the fastest texter, or very iPhone savvy, but I've got the typing thing down!

Step 2: Install Drywall

I have walls! To a regular person this may not seem like a reason for celebration. However, regular people get professional installers to redo their bathrooms so there really is no comparision. For us Do-it-yourself-ers, drywall is a huge step from the looking-at-insullation-and-frame step into a world of home-dom. I am so excited!

Joe and Mark went all manly on the drywall cutting and did a rather good job if you ask me. Thankfully we have a spa that has doubled as a cutting board for many projects. (You too can have this very spa for the low low price of haul-it-yourself...hence why we still have it. I'm sorry, I digress.) Once the walls were up and secured, I mudded in all the seams for a very nice finished look. I am thrilled as we move onto the backerboard step and then the tile. Maybe someday my dream of having a bathroom will become a reality.

One Three Four

My mom sold her house today. It is officially been passed over to new owners. This is the house I grew up in so to be passing it on just seems...unreal. Packing up the 24 years of belongings was no easy task that is for sure. Mom did most the work herself; finishing up with a remarkable showing from the CV2 ward (many thanks). We've successfully packed 2 storage rooms full to the brim and Mom is now residing at our house until the new house is found and purchased.

I sure love this house. I will definatly miss the backyard; where my childhood years are filled with hiking and exploring and building tree forts and grass forts and running from the cows. I will miss the old burned down house back in the park; and the bathtub in the creek from years long past. I will miss the frogs at night in the summertime. I will surely miss the smell of home. Although I haven't lived there in so long, the memories are still strong and to be leaving it behind is like the ending of an era.

So goodbye house. You've been good to us Wrights.

A Challenge Miss Sara? I accept!

30 Days of Blogging. As presented by this blogger. To help with my bloggers block - I am embarking on the challange with a few other fellow bloggers. Scattered with some other updates I've been meaning to post. A few topics may include; but are not limited to:


- 15 Facts about me.
- A photo of me and a description of how your day was.
- Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
- 20 of my favorite things
- A photo of me two years ago.
- A song to match my mood, and why.
- A recipe
- A photo of the item I last purchased.
- A photo and description of what's in your makeup bag?
- A photograph of the town you live in.
- A TV show you're currently addicted to.
- Something you don't leave the house without.
- A photo of something that makes you happy.
- Something you crave a lot.
- What's in your purse?
- A photo of something that means a lot to you.
- A photo of somewhere you've been to.
- A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
- Your worst habit
- 5 of your biggest pet peeves
- Your celebrity crush.
- Something you could never get tired of doing.
- Your favourite book
- A photo that makes you happy
- A photo that makes you angry/sad
- Your dream house
- A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

Seriously MIA

It's not that I don't have anything to post, but I ... am having bloggers block. So just be patient. And continue to enjoy the cruise post. Cuz really I just want to pretend I am still there with those delightful people. Seriously.

On the Seas

Oh how I love cruising. Ever since I was first introduced; I've been hooked. So when the chance came for us to take a cruise with some dear friends, we couldn't get there fast enough. This time around we ventured to Port Everglades, FL for a 5 night cruise in the Caribbean waters. And what a delightful trip it was.

I couldn't possibly write about the entire trip here - but I'll mention a few highlights:

Fort Lauderdale: after arriving at 6am - we were certainly hoping our hotel would have an open room for us to at least shower and rest up a bit. Sadly, this was not the case and we found ourselves living our of our rental van. (which should have been a Swagger Wagon - but wasn't; you can imagine my disappointment). And it must be said we make four really attractive people who haven't slept for 2 days.

• Sir, how many bags do you have? Is he trying to get us to change cars? Nope, we really did forget our bag.
• 84 Thai Food vs McDonald's. Is there a competition? If you only knew.
• Swimming in the ocean. Perhaps a bad idea when there is no shower to clean up.
• How many gas stations do we have to visit to get the right snack? Three.
• Sawgrass Recreation Park. Those are real crocodiles. And Real Close! Then we got to hold one...I think my hesitation is justified.
• Third time to the hotel - yet the lady didn't recognize Mark. Weird.

We make pretty good "Homeless" tourists if you ask me. With naps on the beach and fast food restaurants to wash up in, how could you go wrong?
Key West: First stop on the boat. We walked, and walked, and walked all around this southern most part of the US. Theron challenged the landmark to find something a little more "south". And the ladies found all the free jewelry our friend Ben told us about the day before. The Butterfly garden was incredible and it turns out all our men are "lucky" since the butterflies landed on them. Not real effective as none of us won the emerald and diamond necklace raffle just a few hours later. Boo.

• "Twenty!" , "Twenty?" "Fifty!" , "FIFTY?"
• Ugly shirt contest? I don't want to spend the money!

The vibrant and diversity of the butterflies here was so intense. It was such a sight to see such unique and fragile animals.
If this picture had a sound - it would be a deep sigh straight from the gut. Cuz that is the sound each of us made as our seats found this comfortable break from our day long walk.
Cozumel: Second Stop found us in the depths of tourist country. We didn't waste any time finding a large grocery store where we could stock up on some cheap snacks before our ATV tour began. (because we could NOT stop eating) And I must say - kudos to the HUGE Walmart-like store that tickled my fancy. Very nice. We then met up with our tour guide - and were surprised to be the only ones on the tour! Fancy! An adventure in ATV's around the Mexican jungle, followed by a snorkel trip on the beaches of Cozumel resulted in a very tiring day.

• Fertility Rock anyone?
• Huge Mud Puddles!
• Rrrrroberto - 5 R's
• Pee your pants fun

Day at Sea: Agenda - rest, eat, rest, eat, rest, play games, climb rock wall, eat. Done and done.

• Andi - bless his heart. and Jose, and George Albert. Yes 5 stars to George Albert.
• Strawberry Bisque = Dessert to start. Just how I like it.
• I'll have one of everything.
• Is the ice cream open yet?
• Sexy leg competition
• Karaoke till dawn.

Cococay: We decided last minute to forgo the Aquapark and spent the entire day snorkeling. To our delight, we came across three huge stingray, jellyfish, a sunken airplane, and mighty sunburns. Perfect. All too soon, the captain called for an Evacuation of the island; which sounds a bit too dramatic. As the wall of rain came in, it didn't take but a moment to have us all soaked to the bone. The ride on the top of the ferry back to the boat was a memorable adventure I wouldn't have missed. Nothing beats a hot shower after a rain like that.
An absolutely perfect trip with absolutely perfect company. We are already talking about our next trip together. I was a little nervous having never met Mark's friends before, but we all got along splendidly. Is it too soon to already start counting down until our next one? I. think. not.

The Man with a Stick

Every morning as we drive out to work, we pass the man with a stick on his morning walk. He is an older gentleman, nothing out of the ordinary really. The great thing about this man is his wave. He waves his stick, as a friendly hello, to EVERY CAR passing by. Today we caught him at the stoplight. While waiting for our light to change, we watched as he waved at each and every car. He would raise his stick high in the air, wave it back and forth a few times, and then point the stick at the car to let them know that wave was for them.

I love this man. I love how he cheered my morning as I accepted my hello. I love how he does this every morning. His little act of kindness makes me want to give a little something back as well. I ride the elevator at work with strangers every morning and I am always grateful I get off at the second floor so I don't feel obligated to make conversation. And so, dear man with a stick, thank you for your kind hello which brightened my day enough to wish a good day to the people in the elevator this morning.

Monterey PIE show

This is what I spent my weekend looking at

As a part of the company training program, Wright's Pools Service attends the annual Pool Industries Expo held in Monterey, California. Although not entirely relaxing, it was great to enjoy a bit of the seaside. Mark attended most of the classes from Basic Chemistry to Automated Pool equipment. Whew - more then I could possibly know. While he was in classes, I spent the days walking around downtown Monterey. I spent a little over an hour in the city's cemetery. Weird that I like these places, but I really do. Some had death dates as far back as 1870. Others still had fresh floral arrangements near their stones. This little row reminded me of the cemetery we passed through in Paris. Weird to see so many graves above ground.

And I think this one was by far my favorite. Nothing like a good ol' RIP and cross bones to say what is needed. Way to go Filyau.
After meandering the cemetery, I headed down a little further to an Antique Mall. 2 stories of old stuff; my kind of past time. Secretly looking for items similar to those we got from Grandpa's farm in Utah so I could see a price tag, I enjoyed looking at a few great items and a lot of junk.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. Most of the day was cloudy and overcast, but usually by about 1pm; the clouds burned off and the temperature warmed up making for a beautiful day. And when I wasn't walking around the city, the view wasn't too bad all on its own. So cheers to a delightful city, delightful weather, and a delightful hotel room.

Self Reflection

Yes, Mark is still alive and able to type.

I have spent a lot of the last couple of days pondering my life and how it has gotten me to the point that I am right now. I feel that I have been a devoted member of my church and that I have done my best to become the best person that I can. Over the last year, however, I have been finding myself losing touch of, well, me. Who I was. What I wanted to be. I find myself looking at other people and judging them for their potential mishaps, things of which I will never know to be of certainty. I find myself complaining about the "struggles" in my life and wondering if I will be able to cope with them. I find myself without the desire to "feast upon the words of Christ" which once consumed my every thought. What was happening to me? I was looking at myself and was sickened by what was transpiring. What happened to the happy-go-lucky Mark that defined who I was?

Recently, I have had a couple of very dear friends and family presented with some very difficult hardships. A dear friend of mine in particular who was such a rock in my life, has left what he has known and always known to be true. Another friend of mine had her heart, not just broken, but absolutely demolished by one I would have never expected. Family members going through unspeakable hardships due to the economic downfall, my wife working through some difficult times....and here I sit, in a comfortable home complaining that the bathroom might never be done, about a job that is difficult and so out of my realm, but so stable and able to provide.

It was my week to teach the lesson in Priesthood to the youth, and being annoyed with that fact found myself online preparing for a lesson. I came across this talk by Elder David A. Bednar (http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/EducationWeek/2010_07_30_Bednar.htm). It had nothing to do with what my lesson was on, but the title hit me like ice water....jolting me into a sense of my nothingness. "Who's on the Lord's side Who? Now is the time to show."

I had intended to read it after I got home from church, but Kaylinn had grabbed it thinking it was part of my lesson. I started to read it in Sacrament Meeting and couldn't take my eyes off of it.....it was a talk given for me, and I knew it. This is a quote from the talk that I hope to never forget:

“Every generation has its tests and its chance to stand and prove itself. Would you like to know of one of our toughest tests? Hear the warning words of President Brigham Young, ‘The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear is that they cannot stand wealth.

Ours then seems to be the toughest test of all for the evils are more subtle, more clever. It all seems less menacing and it is harder to detect. While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle and so could be the most deceiving of all tests.

Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people—It can put them to sleep. The Book of Mormon warned us of how [Satan], in the last days, would lead us away carefully down to hell. The Lord has on the earth some potential spiritual giants whom He saved for some six thousand years to help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly, and the devil is trying to put them to sleep. The [adversary] knows that he probably won’t be too successful in getting them to commit many great and malignant sins of commission. So he puts them into a deep sleep, like Gulliver, while he strands them with little sins of omission. And what good is a sleepy, neutralized, lukewarm giant as a leader?

We have too many potential spiritual giants who should be more vigorously lifting their homes, the kingdom, and the country. We have many who feel they are good men [and women], but they need to be good for something—stronger patriarchs, courageous missionaries, valiant [family history and] temple workers, dedicated patriots, devoted quorum members. In short, we must be shaken and awakened from a spiritual snooze”

A message by Brigham Young given over a century ago! At that moment, I realized that I was being lulled away into a spiritual slumber. I looked over at my wife...mesmerized by the beautiful, strong, and worthy woman who sat next to me....and made a commitment right then and there that I would do all in my power to not be a lukewarm husband, friend, and leader. I knew that having potential was not enough. I knew that the Lord has truly blessed me throughout my life, and I didn't want those blessings to be a waste. I encourage all of us to take a good look at who we are and then look at what we need to become. This weekend is the perfect opportunity for all of us to listen carefully to the words of the brethren and begin the journey of fulfilling our true potential.

Delish

Lets talk about food. I am seriuosly IN LOVE with these Pork Taco's. We eat them at least once a week. I share this goodness with you! Do what you will with this fabulous piece of information! (P.S. Not my picture but this is what they look like)



PORK AND PINEAPPLE:
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or not...I don't like the spice so I leave it out)
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 fresh pineapple, cored and sliced crosswise (I use canned...it's cheaper)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
12 corn tortillas (6" diameter), warmed per package directions
AVOCADO CREMA:
1 avocado, mashed
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. To prepare the pork and pineapple: In a cup, mix the sugar, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Mix half of the spices with the pork, then toss with the oil. Mix the remaining spices with the pineapple. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes while preparing the avocado crema.
2. To prepare the avocado crema: Whisk the avocado with the sour cream, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to keep the crema fresh looking. (Or don't...it won't be there long enough to make a difference)
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil spray. Warm over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the pork and cook, turning once or twice, for 8 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Add the cilantro and toss to combine. Transfer to a clean plate and cover loosely to keep warm. (I don't...I just add the pineapple and cilantro at the same time, stir a bit, turn off the heat and then heat my tortillas-one less plate to wash)
4. Add the pineapple to the pan and cook, turning once or twice, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat.
5. To assemble each serving, place 3 (or SEVEN) tortillas on a plate. Divide 1/4 of the pork and pineapple between each tortilla. Top with the crema and roll up.

Seriously Amazing! We had this delightful meal with Lime Tortilla chips and strawberris last night. There were no leftovers. So good!

I've been thinking

-- Why is it that whenever I get a little bit of money, I start planning what vacation I'm going to take?

-- I think I should just accept that my bathroom will never be done. We may never have blinds on our windows, the screen door will always be too expensive, the smell from under the sink will always be there, and the toilets will never flush properly.

-- How does one get the motivation to continually get to the gym? I am good for about a week, then go 10 days with nothing. Back again for 3 days then another week with nothing. Where does that constant stamina to "get out there" come from?

-- My love of Ice Cream is overwhelming. It will never fade. I have tried to supress it but to no avail.

-- Drinking enough water in a day is like another project. I have to make an effort to think about getting a glass and stay hydrated.

-- My commute to work is typically 1 hour. Freeway or side street. Doesn't matter. And I've found that taking the side street that parallel's the freeway is slower then the stop & go freeway.

-- I finally brought home my wedding dress from my inlaws. I reminds me how beautiful it is. I don't have it preserved in any special way, so to just hang it in the back of the closet seems a waste. I'm contemplating selling it...but the going rate for used dresses is insulting. I'd rather keep it; even if it does turn yellow.

-- Remember that time in your life when "everyone" was getting married. Why is it that "everyone" has stopped getting married and now "everyone" is having babies?

-- I have this pesky -- pounds that I have been trying to loose for a year now. Grr.

-- Our office desk was installed last week. It looks beautiful. I've repainted the wall from the light not so nice green to a bright (maybe too bright) green. Will I ever be happy? But the desk is AWESOME and I am excited to put it to use. And can't wait to get the pictures/shelves on the wall.

did you think this was going somewhere interesting? sorry!

5 Cookie Day

Today has been a 5 cookie Day.

It started out pretty normal. Alarm clock rings at 5:15 alerting me to get up and hit the road on my morning run. Followed quickly by 5 slaps on the snooze bar for a 45 minute extended sleep. Drat.

Then the oatmeal wasn't very tasty and before I knew it-it was miss-a-shower-and scrunch-your-hair-so-the-grease-doesn't-show. This method is suppose to take less time but doesn't. Threw on a new shirt to save the grungy Monday blues, and off to work.

Work was a whirlwind with my Associate being in Hawaii (wish it were me). Slammed with projects until 12:15pm. A short break to the lunch room rewards me with leftover cookies from the staff meeting I didn't attend. 2 cookies should suffice.

A mass rush needed for 2 new hires who don't have enough of their certificates in; resulting in several additional phone calls and "URGENT" needs. Another cookie should help that out.

Take a personal call to clear up questions about an appointment from Saturday. Mostly good news means another cookie.

Get yet another assignment that bumps me up into the 2 screens club. Yes, I now have two wide-screen computer monitors on my desk. It is a little weird to get use to and truthfully I think it makes things a little more blurry then I like. Grr. Cookie.

And might I add these were dang good cookies. Dear office worker who made these cookies. You are my Betty Crocker. And your cookies are divine!

**Update: I now feel I had had 2 too many cookies. Bleh!**

Rise and Shout Indeed!

(Please note: I left my camera in Utah so this post is pictureless for now. I want to get this post up before I forget everything so, hopefully on some future date, this post will include the pictures I was so diligent in taking)

It has been a few years since Mark has been able to step foot into the hallowed Cougar stadium. Growing up with season tickets, this makes for a rather uncomfortable adjustment. So when the first game of the season was announced, we had already made plans on attending.

The 11 hour car ride wasn't as bad as one would expect. Due to the car robbery that happened a few weeks back, we were forced to rely on the Compact Disk! Mark busted out his old school CD binder and we were off with a few ready made mixes. Funny to go through our old mixes from years now gone and listen to the music we loved. Mark even had some EFY dances tucked away that made for some fancy entertainment.

Friday was packed full of "go-sees". First stopping in the Salt Lake Cemetery to pay a visit to my Dad's grave. I brought a small framed picture to place near the stone which I thought was a nice touch. It was a little strange being there; I wasn't quite sure what to do. I talk to my dad all the time so doing it there just felt...forced. It was a nice brief moment.

We then spent the next few hours at the Salt Lake Temple. My first time doing service there so that was a neat experience. I was fixated on the brides of the day which goes to show me that getting married didn't take the infatuation of being a bride away. The temple itself is of course a beautiful structure; with the inside being just as ornate. The history behind the building adds to my interest so it made for a great afternoon.

Jumping in the care with just enough time to drive north and meet the parents and Bro at Maddox which is considered a staple luxury of Northern Utah. I must admit, their bread rolls were amazing. Lets just say I lost count at 7. The waitress just kept putting them in front of me! To our great luck they were also celebrating Peach Days which made for a splendid piece of pie to wrap up that goodness.

Another key highlight to the trip was our stop at Grandpa's farm. Mark spent many a summer here; so it hold a lot of really dear memories. The farm itself has been mostly untouched since Grandpa died in 2002 so you can image my excitement in searching through an old house that was full of historical collectibles. We managed to take home several really neat relics like first edition camera's, a typewriter, and a 1902 Edison player. Mark was the only one attacked by the massive grasshoppers, and I managed to get the monstro-bee into the spiderweb long enough to let us finish up and vacate. It was sad to see the farm in such bad shape; but I can't lie; it was like walking through a deserted old house from the early 1900s. I loved it!

On our drive back, we made a much anticipated stop at the home of my oldest roommate Lesli John. (Oldest as in the first one I've ever had, not in age). Lucky me! She was such a gem to visit with us for a few moments. It has been 7 years since our last get-together so it was sure a delight to reconnect. A true friend!

--this is where we left the camera so all other events were photographed with the Bouche's camera. Bless them!--

Saturday Morning! A perfect breakfast with the Anderson's and Sullivan's at Kneaders as we planned our joint vacation get away. That right folks-we are going on a reunion-of-sorts cruise with Mark's greatest High School buddies and their wives. And we're all travelling with the MVP's. (Morrell Vacation Planners). I jumped right on the train of research and booking the trip and even made an elaborate reference booklet for everyone. Despite that, it was great to see some old friends and laugh about their lives now.

And then-the moment we had all been waiting for! I mean; lets be honest here, the whole reason we went to Utah wasn't for the friends, family, or food. Those were just bonus items to the glorious BYU Football game. Dan and Krista, & Julie and Ryan joined us at the Stadium for some "rise and shouting" good times. A pre-game stop at the college Bookstore resulted in some much needed fan attire for all. Followed by a fabulous display of athleticism and sportsmanship by our cougars. Our seats were on the west-facing side of the field so we felt happier when the clock read 7 minutes in the 3rd quarter. Why you ask? Because it was then that the sun had set just enough to put us in the shade. Nice! To those who didn't watch, shame on you, the cougars won. But only because "U-dub" made more mistakes then we did. (in my opinion) Thanks to Dan's mad driving skills, we were home in no time to enjoy Chef Tom's delightful Mediterranean Burgers. Delish.

A shout out to Mike who came out to part-ay with us each night we were there. And to mums and pops for putting us up free of charge. 'Preciate ya.

And to my blog readers - hopefully there will be pictures to make this incredibly long post less boring. :)

In-Famous

Since the first day I started teaching I thought about when my students would make-it in life. You know, become rich and famous fashion designers, or movie stars, or rock band peeps; and I'd look back and say, I had them as a student. I've been in their presence.

Well my fine readers, it has happened...although not like I had envisioned. Way to go Terrence Harris, you've done your family proud. (Being that he is in the newspaper, I don't feel bad calling him out.)
Read story here if your interested. (Which, with that introduction, how could you not be?)

And a special thanks to another former student who brought this story to my attention. I always counted on them to keep me informed. :) 1 student down; 1054 hopefuls to go

Current Favorite

I am currently working on our wedding photo album. It's been a constant project forever! There are just so many pictures, I can't choose which ones to include and which to toss.

Anyway-my point is, this is my current favorite. The tulips were beautiful; I couldn't have ordered a better flower to be planted. And I think it just encompases what I was feeling perfectly. Such joy.

Lunch

I feel like Lunch is the worst meal of the day. At home I usually want to skip the meal entirely and go straight to snack. Why you ask-No good food. I have never been real good at the packing lunch bit either. Ever. At work, I'm sort of afraid to use the community fridge for weird reasons, and not too keen on using the microwave in the kitchen. Nothing germ-aphobe like; more like don't-talk-to-me-I-want-to-still-be-in-my-cubical like. Don't ask.

Consequently, I pack fairly boring lunches in an effort to be healthy and yet satisfied yet not re-heating or having to be chilled. Then, lunch time hits and what I've packed sounds not so good anymore or isn't enough to fill up a fly.

This usually results in my craving kicking in. This is another weird thing about me. I'll go through craving phases. I remember each of them so distinctly. When I was a teacher I went through the Jack in the Box phase, the Vons Bagel phase, the Taco Bell phase followed shortly by the Sweet n' Salty Almond bars. Recently it has been the Baskin Robin phase and now the BofA cafe Panini phase.

Then the worst thing happens. The crave stops tasting good and I'm back to boring useless lunches; like oatmeal; or a yogurt and a piece of fruit. Sure it fills me up but I wish something better was sitting in my stomach. Sadly I am at that junction now. I need to be excited about my lunch. I need something delicious yet convenient. What I need is a lunch revolution where there is good healthy packing food for lunches only.

The End.

And for the record, have I mentioned I miss teaching yet. Because I really do. I think about it everyday. I loved my job. And I miss it terribly.

The End. For Real.

My Bad!

I went to AAA to get my registration stickers replaced. Surprisingly it was a VERY long line. I was surprised because last time I was the only one in there. Whatever, I was going to get this taken care of today so I waited. When I finally made it to the desk 45 minutes later, I informed the lady of my situation and she gave me the form to fill out and the fee that needed to be paid. To my relief, it was only $18.00. I whipped out the checkbook to pay the fee and can you guess what dropped out?

Yes-eriee folks, my registration sticker. Apparently I stuck it in my checkbook after I paid the fee last time and thought I had put it in the glove box with the registration paperwork. So -just kidding. They weren't actually stolen. Now I'm just waiting for the items taken from Mark's car to drop out of my purse.

Silly me!

Next Blog>>

Have you ever found yourself sitting at your computer reading every blog link you have? Then clicking on the blog links of friends friends' thinking maybe you ran into them once and now you want to follow up with their lives too. AND THEN finding you still have time to kill so you resort to reading friends of your friends blogs that you have no relation or connection to but really don't care. AND THEN...reaching an all time low, you start clicking the Next Blog>> button found at the top of each blog which randomly throws you into cyberspace? Which then makes you wish you had cool things to blog about too; so you end up blogging about what you've just done?

...yeah...me neither. I'm far to busy for that.

Agency

One of the greatest blessings of mortality is the right to choose for ourselves what kind of people we want to be. So I wonder where in the spectrum of life do thieves find their actions justifiable. Last night we had our garage broken into. Both cars were searched and everything inside was taken from them. Thankfully the items taken were all replaceable so no real physical damage is done. Just the inconvenience of replacing the new Registration tags I just got yesterday for my car, the iPod, an empty purse that I really liked, sunglasses that were from Target I'm sure, and the garage door opener. The opener is a cause for great concern as now we have to get everything re-programed so whoever has our opener doesn't have access to the house when we are away.

Anyway-it is such a disturbing thing; having your belongings taken from you. It leaves you feeling so violated and unsafe. I am such a different person because I would feel sick every time I used that iPod, or put those registration stickers on my car. Hey, where did you get those neat sunglasses...I STOLE them right out of someone's car that was parked in their garage in the middle of the night. Really people? So ten points to us for not being thieves and having a conscience.

Roadshow 2010

What a BUSY weekend. Every 4 years our stake gets the youth together for the the infamous Roadshow experience. I remember doing this when I was a kid and Sister Miller put together this genius of a production with music and dance and all. Strangely enough I still remember many of those songs. I digress; this year Mark and I were selected to be the specialists for tour ward's Roadshow. What? Moi? They do things quite different from when I was a kid. Rather then weeks on end with practices and rehearsals, it is now a 24 Hour production from start to finish. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Mark and I developed, wrote, choreographed, and preformed a 6 minute skit with 10 youth. Pretty sure I am not cut out for the all-nighter fan fare. We wrote half our script Friday night until about 2am. Then gathered again at 8am for breakfast and ... everything else that followed. I was quite proud of our finished product. We did a spoof of Disney Pixar UP! and the temptations taking us away from Paradise falls. An overall great success. A few highlights included:

-- The band of temptation entered the stage singing "We're going to Lake Taho-ho-ho." (Like in Finding Nemo) and then responded "Tahoe-mu-ha-ha" every time Tahoe was said.

-- The invitation to a "mildly inappropriate party in Lake Tahoe". Very funny.

-- The song we re-wrote to "In the Jungle" and the a-weema-way's were changed to "Let's go this way, Let's go this way." (the other side chants) "No Come our Way, No Come our way..."

-- Dance Battle! Russell was getting his interpretive dance merit badge and stormed the Alpha.

-- Jason says playing Kevin made his wrists hurt. We thought about claiming workers comp.

And I hate to boast but we were the best performance of the night. With 9 other wards competing, we heard from many sources that we were the most put together and entertaining. I hope this means we're not up for another assignment! :) We were absolutely exhausted by the end of the night. So much so that we both took 3 hour naps Sunday afternoon. Nice.

School Days

Today is the first day of school at La Sierra High School...and I'm not there. Weird. This is actually the first time IN MY LIFE that I have not had a 1st day of school. And I miss it. Not in a can-I-go-back kind of way but a that-was-a-good-time kind of way. And I did look in the school website to see the name of the individual who replaced me but they haven't updated their site so...my name has not yet been replaced; which is nice.

I guess this is a cheers to me for finally getting beyond the "first day of school" phase. I feel kinda bad for the future kiddos, I'll be "schooling" them from birth. :)

As a completely unrelated side note: today is also my Dad's birthday. I wonder if birthday's are celebrated in Heaven. You know, like hey-you got your mortal body day? I don't know. But mom's made his favorite cheesecake dessert and Mark and I are headed to the temple. So I feel its a good celebration here. 'sigh' - I miss that man!

America's Past Time

Take me out to a Ballgame! Especially if it is in the city! Giants vs the Cubs. Mike and Spencer invited us to join them in the action down at the AT&T Park in San Francisco. We always seem to have a riotous time with these guys and are thrilled Mike lives so close (for now).Parking was a bit of a challenge. Mark already doesn't like driving in the city; too many cars and people - and the bikers! Seriously they feel they own the road which can be annoying when there is no room for them! We ended up passing up the THIRTY DOLLAR lot (what?) and opted for a more affordable free 2 hour parking just across the street. 2 hours seems like plenty of time being the weather was cold and it was baseball-lets be honest. After meeting up with the boys, we headed up to our glamorous seats; just barely missing the last row by a hair.

The game went really well. The boys enjoyed their garlic fries and hot dogs like any good fan would. I was enamored with the game the young girl in front of us was playing - something really weird with cooking. When they weren't eating, the boys checked their facebook status and other features on their phones. And every once in a while we'd look up from our electronic/ediable distractions to this view:

We left on a great note with 2 runs back to back by the Giants in the 4th inning. A splendid evening in the ballpark. Splendid company to boot. And I must add, my sister forgot her giant hoop earrings at my house and I keep *forgetting* to send them back...as seen in this photo. :) Nice.

Big Trees

I know my previous post on the family reunion was a little sparse. Such is the result of a very busy life. I apologize. To try to make up for it I've added a few more pictures of Mark and I and our little walk through the North Grove.I have been to the Giant redwoods a few times so was excited when mom said we were going to go again. I have vivid memories of the Banana Slug band and making necklaces in the little campers activity days. Not to mention the giant tree stump that has been made into a dance floor and the tree that was carved years ago to drive through. I have always loved camping here and this weekend was no different!


It must be mentioned that the above picture is a copy of what Trent and Jennifer did. I thought it was so clever and cute that I made Mark pose with me near the small shrub as I pointed to the Giant sequoia.


Check out this root system! CRAZY! Many of the trees had been hollowed out from fires and such so there were tunnels and pockets of hiding places everywhere. We climbed and ran through and enjoyed these majestic beauties for hours!


We had such a great time relaxing with the family and each other. Now I just need to find some time to scrapbook all these memories!

A touch of Wright

Oh how I love my family. They are just the roots of me and all that is good. I love how when we get together we laugh at just about everything and mom is in bliss. It is fabulous. We went to the Calavaras Redwood trees to camp for a few days and had a lovely time. I had forgotten how huge these trees are. The kids especially had a great time running through the hollowed out trunks and the around the huge trees.

Please don't forget:

-The Amazing Race-Season 2: Mom and I did it for the second time. Some things were a little different with larger teams and more stops. We had them swimming for puzzle pieces, eating ice cream, searching the stadium seats, and collecting cans to name a few. The boys won but only by a hair. Another great memory maker.

-The camping trip detour to Walgreens/Target: we realized fairly quickly that we needed to purchase water and a few forgotten items before we headed into the forrest; therefore a quick stop to Walmart was planned while passing through Stockton. If we had only known this little detour would have taken an hour! We were all a little uptight (except for mom who was in vacation mode) when we finally settled down to Chiptole for dinner - 1.5 hours later we were back on the right road toward the campground. The VERY NEXT TURN, we passed a Kmart. Nice!

-Chipotle eventually turned into Chipootle - for the rest of the trip.

-Charades: what a riot. we couldn't get what everyone was doing. My favorites was when Dave drew washing a fliter and Lesley and I could not get it. The Dennis Rodman choice probably created the most laughs-I was chewing gum and slapping my arms and chest to show the tattoos intermitted with spikey hair motions-back to the bouncing ball gum chewing motions. Lesley got it really quick-because naturally it was Dennis Rodman. Dave still thinks I was trying to dance.

-The kids in the dirt - DIRTY! There was no hope.

-The river-we swam upstreem to the giant boulders that we use to jump off as kids. Dad showed us how so we knew we could do it. Tessa and I started and a few of the onlookers soon joined in. I can't lie, it made me smile that we had started it. A very fun trip floating down was probably the best part.

-Rice Krispie Treats-amazingly delicious. Probably ate too many.

-Thrifty Ice cream cones-3 stories high. A definate tradition. And why stop at 2 scoops when you can have 3!

-Mercer Caves-we were a little timid to take those little kids down so many steep steps. And they were steep! But the stalagites and stalagmites were amazing. Mark said Mt. Timps were better but I was quite impressed. Plus this one comes with Gold Mining history...bonus!

I so love my family. And we're quite a good looking bunch if I do say so myself.

Running...again

I've been inspired.

I get the Runner's magazine every month and love reading it and pretending I'm all hard-core like the runners they talk about. I know I'm not, but I like to be.

So I am back into my good running patterns. Thanks to a visit from my sister, we're up and jogging before work. It's a good day.

I am even seriously considering the marathon in Sacramento...perhaps.

Pool Man

This is the kind of stuff Mark is into these days.
We've had several big jobs with plumbing, mastic, and electrical panneling. Mark is learning a lot! We appreciate Dave and his efforts in coming out to teach us so much! What a giant learning curve this business has been. But things are going great. Being your own boss is such a different life then what Disney was providing.

Cook Book Craze

I made a goal at the beginning of the year to cook every recipe out of a cookbook. I've struggled finding the perfect book to do this out of mostly because all the books I had weren't exactly what I was looking for.

Then came this. With the suggestion of my Brother-In-Law; we purchased the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook to try some of their ideas. And what do you know - it is amazing. We've made about a dozen different random recipes (even some that didn't have pictures) and we LOVE them. I couldn't choose a favorite but I just love the Mango Smoothie Surprise and the Pork-Pineapple Tacos.

D'lish. Pretty sure we will be fixin' out of this book for a while.

Favorites

I love the laugh of my little nephews. I love these summer evenings with my husband at home. I love my little car Edna. I love living close to my mom. I love living close to Winco. I love that my friends want to visit me. I love that my new friends have the last name of Wright. I love my new calling. I love my husbands new calling. I love planning vacations we might be taking this fall. I love road trips. I love talking on the phone to distant friends. I love babies. I love family reunions. I love playing the Amazing Race at family reunions. I love fine tip pens. I love ice cream. I still love grocery shopping. I love trying new recipes. I love my husband. I love being his wife. I love reading "self help" books with great ideas to organize your life. I love the Food Network and HGTV. I love unpacking my boxes that have been in storage for months to find goodies I've lost inside. I love fancy cameras with effortlessly splendid photography. I love the word Splendid.

Look at my Baseboards!

Who knew that baseboards were such a project. I can not say I have ever really paid attention to baseboards in my life. Well, now I will. After having our floors installed, the next step was to do our baseboards. To save us some money, we opted to install them ourselves. Now it is just another on going project that may take us the rest of the year to complete. Although my mom was a trooper and cut almost the entire house, and they are all nailed in, I still have to go around and putty the tops and nail holes as well as touch up with paint.

They do look nice though, don't you think?