Walking History

As a part of the Provo City Freedom Festival, the city advertised a "self-guided historic walking tour" with free brochures available to anyone who wanted them. Although I missed doing it during the month of June when they were sponsoring the tour, I did manage to find a friend who was as excited about it as I was. To our great fortune, the library still had copies of the tour so I didn't have to use my personal printer! So off we went. 

The tour was beyond delightful. I am such a fan of history and couldn't help but imagine who lived in these houses and what their lives were like then. It was fascinating to me. The blurbs in the tour book didn't seem to provide nearly enough information for my curiosity of their lives, but it did give a good bit about the time period in which the buildings were built. 

This one was one of my favorites. It is in the process of being refurbished so it looks really old and lived in. Sadly, as with most of the homes we saw, this one has been turned into 3 different apartment units. What was once a grand estate in the early 1900's is now 3 very small apartments. boo. Despite it's dilapidated state, Elizabeth and I peeked through the windows and walked around the weeds to peer in for better understanding of the possible past. Oh my historical heart.

 The evening caught up to us far too quickly, so we had to cut our tour shorter than it probably could have turned out to be (which was probably for the better). It filled my head with stories and thoughts of what this town use to look like.

 It's really fun to take a few days out of the month to try and find things to do that I wouldn't usually think of. I realized, when we moved away from California, that there was so much that I wished I had taken Mark to. So, now that we are here, I want to make sure that I take advantage of what is right here in my backyard before we surprise ourselves and move away again.

Self - great day!

YW all afternoon

I have been doing YW stuff all afternoon, and I am loving it. There is so much good stuff created by so many creative people out there, I can't even begin to compare myself to that kind of creativity and ability! I've been taking and using so many ideas from other generous leaders out there, I thought I'd share a little of what I did put together. You know, give back to the universe mentality. Maybe some stranger somewhere might find it useful or interesting or time saving on their part. Thus, I share with y'all.

First off, we have just called a brand new class presidency and this give me the new found determination to be more organized than I was the last presidency. I tend to get lazy and "don't fix what isn't broken" mentality when in actuality, there are improvements that can be made everywhere. First stop was my class presidency meetings. It's been far too long since we've had a productive meeting. I have been trying to get the girls more involved in the leadership part of the meetings, and have been failing miserably at directing them how this is done. I looked everywhere I knew on the internet for cute agendas already made by the crafty ladies out there - but couldn't find what I liked. So - I made one myself. It fits my needs and will give the girls direction for our short, productive future meetings. :)

YW Agenda here

Secondly, the girls in my Mia Maid class are struggling with activity ideas. We have a very small group, and seem to be repeating the same activities every week! So - I did some research and compiled a list of 100+ things to do for Mutual night. I realize this list is all in my jargon, but most of them are easy to understand and adaptable for any geographic location or class size.  By putting it onto one sheet of paper, I can now give the girls a copy and we can go down the list; filling in the weeks that need Class Activities planned. This should help us meet the "3 month's ahead" request from the Bishop.

YW Activity Idea list PDF here

It isn't much, and it isn't as creative and cute as some of those other things, but I am excited for what help it could bring for me. If you find it helpful, let me know in a comment and I'll be more apt to post other things that I am doing for my class.

One Year

I've had my sweet little boy in my family for one year now and I couldn't be more pleased with how the days have passed. Many will say, "it is so weird, how fast it goes and that my baby is 1". However, I don't really feel that way. I feel like he should be 1. Perhaps because our family has had such a busy year; or perhaps because his scrapbook is already going to be over 100 pages. Whatever it is, I feel like this little boy is definitely 1 year old.

Before we get into the birthday events, here are a few of his One year shots that I took. I am really so very proud of them. I am by no means a photographer, but my camera is amazing and does all the work for me. Throw in his favorite stuffed animal "lamby" and we have some pretty rock star shots.

 So - the Birthday. We all got together at Mark's parents house, and invited those sibilings who lived close (and Cameron's cousins) to join us in some food, gifts, and cake. Fairly standard and low key; but still memorable. I wanted to make an effort to not combine his birthday with the 4th of July get togethers mostly because I knew that if I did it this year, then every year for the rest of his life, he'll have a 4th of July birthday. At least I tried to make it more of a birthday party for him.

The gift opening wasn't too eventful. I do think that Cameron enjoyed ripping the paper off more than those christmas packages 6 months ago. Naturally. So that was fun to watch. The cousins were bored after the first box, but the uncles and granny and gramps were kind enough to stick it out to the end. We had accumulated several gifts over the year, and when they were all compiled together, I was shocked at how many Disney items we had gravitated toward without intention. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it was pretty funny.

The cake show down was a fun moment to capture as well. I had made an effort to decorate my own little cake like my mother had done for all us kids our entire growing up lives. She was an expert, I am a first time novice. And - I was pretty proud of how it all turned out. (I should really have more confidence in myself considering I am usually really proud of the outcomes)

Like most kids, Cameron was really timid at first, but seemed to start diving in once he knew that it was tasty. I'm not sure it was really worth it having to do the clean up afterwards. It was everywhere! Well, at least we have the pictures.

Happy birthday to my little dude. Love having you around.

A few tidbits about you at this moment in time:

• You're crawling everywhere. Mostly it's fun to have you mobile, until I see how dirty my floor is based on the condition of your feet. That, and you are very curious about the kitchen cuboards and drawers when I'm cooking dinner. That makes things a little hard.
• Your favorite foods are pickles, watermelon - right off the rind, crackers, yogurt, and ice cream. You'll eat melons without complaint, oatmeal if it has applesauce and cinnamon in it, and jelly sandwiches most days.
• Your favorite toys are your walker, Lamby and Monkey, and your new Woody doll.
• You are wonderful company to take on errands. All smiles and laughs when we're out and about. It helps break up the day when you've been cranky at home. Sit you in your carseat and you're pleased as punch.
• We dropped the Binky at your birthday and haven't looked back. You didn't seem to even notice it was gone. 
• You know peek-a-boo and when daddy asks "what does the lion say?" you give him a quite, mouse like "roar". You're wave is always late; usually when people stop waiting around for it. Your sign language for "all done" is mixed up with "more". So that's super confusing! Boppy is still your most frequent word.
• Since the walker came into the house, you have been a walking fool. You've even taken a few tiny wobbles on your own since it's been around. 
• You're far more aware of strangers. Won't go to anybody but a few tried and true faces. Even Granny and Gramps make you a little nervous when we leave the room.

Our own Fireworks

 This is the promised post of the second half of our Fourth of July celebrations. Boy oh boy did we have a good time. This would have to go down in the books as one of the best Fourth's in a while. I loved being with family! Cousins everywhere, Mark's brothers are two of my favorite people ever, Granny and Gramps...and Granny's homemade Ice Cream. I felt like I was in Mayberry, USA. 'sigh'. So great.

We got all got together in the early evening for food and dinner and games. Uncle Tom made homemade Root Beer, which I have never seen done before! It was so .. scientific. The boys just ate it right up; all that dry ice billowing out of the cooler. Very festive. Our family provided the chips and dip; and a big thanks to Costco, we did really well. I give high points to Wholly Salsa's party pack - on sale for 8.99. It was a smashing hit. Cameron was enthraled with all the cousins. Again, a major perk to moving here - Cameron has so many cousins that he gets to hang out with. Sadly, they are all in the same family, so they probably don't see it that way.

 As dusk approached, we all headed outside for the fireworks party. Being from California, this was entirely new territory for me. Mark started setting out the blankets and chairs on the lawn; a part of the holiday I did not expect. Then, the whole family came out and we laughed, and set off fireworks and sparklers, and watched the neighbors do the same. It was total Mayberry, USA! I tell you, it was hallmark! I loved every second of it.

Mark and I had contributed a box of fireworks that WalMart was selling. Being total ammetures, I had no idea that we just got several of the rocket kind that just shoot from the ground. I expected something more. Luckyily, the Bouche's were experienced and got a few real ones that shot up into the sky; and the neighbors had invested some serious dollars in the Wyoming kind. So we had a great show.

As the evening progressed, we got more creative with our photography and our sparklers. I really wanted the cute photo Pinterest shows of the couple in the middle of the Cinderella sparklers. Hard to explain but looks great in my head. The boys weren't as excited to try it; so instead I got my name. But I did a pretty good job if you ask me.

No holiday beats the 4th of July. I love being an American. I love this country. I am sure that if I were from another country, I'd have patriotism for where I lived, but as it stands, I am proud to be an American. I am grateful for those Founding Fathers who made a government that allowed us the freedoms we share. God bless the USA. And the best part about moving to Utah? We get to have the same kind of celebration on the 24th for Pioneer Day! Bring it.

Wardrobe Woes

I have reached the point in every girls life in which I've realize that my wardrobe is in dire need of a makeover. I can't really say this is a sudden and new realization I've had - but it's become very apparent to me when the laundry that I do includes the same shirts over and over again; while the bulk of my collection remains untouched in the closet. Why this is? Well, those are all my pre-everything clothes that I knew I looked cute in then and want to look cute in again. In addition to this rather tragic reality, the shirts that I do wear are all the same tee shirt; just in different colors and a little variety in the neckline. But all basically the exact same shirt. Heavens, they were even purchased at the same establishment. It is a problem that needs to be addressed. So off to the mall I went.

I haven't gone clothes shopping in over a decade. Long. Time. Sure I've been onsie - twosy-ing it here and there, (hence the same shirt in different colors) but I haven't really done a good shopping project. You know, the kind your mom took you on before school started. So - I rolled up my sleeves, and my pocketbook, and ventured into the world. And what I found was not pretty.

Y'all have seen it, of this I am sure. Everything in every store was backless, sleeveless, strapless, legless, or lace. And Maxi skirts; an overwhelming part of the culture here that I can't quite get myself to buy into. I would have to add an entire collection of camisole and cap sleeve undershirts to ensure my personal dress standards are met. And the sad thing is? I would wear this very cute, very IN summer style if my standards and my body type would allow it. And so there I sit; in any given store gazing at the mannequins with wanting eyes. Wanting their thin fake waists, their perfectly draped scarfs, flatter chests, and cut off shorts that I know I have the legs for. 

But I didn't indulge. I did find several new items, being careful to NOT buy the same kind of tee-shirt move, and I think it will work for the next 12 years or so. Who knows what the world's standard will bring by then. 

Picnic Out

On my Summer Calendar, I had the plans to take my little family on a BBQ picnic up Provo Canyon. I love BBQ food, and I love picnic's, so it was a perfect combination. My mom and Joe just happened to be in town that day, so it was an extra delight that they were able to join us. 

I could not have picked a better day! The weather was perfect, the crowds were minimal, and we found the most perfect little spot with shade and grass with a view of the mountain behind us. As soon as we arrived, I threw Mark on the BBQ to get the coals warming up. Why can't I ever remember that coals take forever to warm up and then another forever to cook the meat! Alas, the chicken was juicy and delicious. The fruit was crunch and - sigh - it was wonderful.

It must be mentioned that Cameron is a huge fan of Watermelon. What kid isn't, right? If only it wasn't so juicy! But I love how I can give this kid a quarter and just let him have at it. He is occupied, quiet, and eating. Trifecta!

After the food, we took the walk up to Bridal Veil falls. An easy little paved jaunt from where we were, and I even had hired help in Grandma to push the stroller. So my Love and I got to walk hand in hand up the canyon. Romantic I must say. When we got there, we took ample pictures to suit my scrapbooking needs and showed Cameron the little fish area that they had there. We spent the quarter to feed them, and Cameron loved watching them squirm over each other to get to the food pellets first. His little squeals of delight are almost too my for my little heart to handle. Love that little boy of mine.

The event was so great, I made plans to go up again for another little BBQ out. I love every season for different reasons. Summer: I love being able to enjoy the great outdoors with BBQ's, Picnic's, family, and watermelon. Nothing says summer better than that!

Mother Nature

 I have so many great memories of camping from my youth. My rock-star mother took us camping at least twice each summer for as long as I can remember. So, naturally, I've been wanting to go on a family campout since Mark and I were married 4 years ago. And, I'm happy to report, we finally made it! And it was - not exactly what my childhood memories made it out to be. But it was still fun.

We went to a campsite that was not too far from our home. A great part of where we live, the mountains and good camping are not more than a 20 minute drive. Also advantageous when trying it out with your not-quite-one year old son. The campground we chose we delightful; each spot was not too close to another so you didn't feel like your neighbors were all up in your business. Except, that is, for our site. The one we managed to reserve was the only on that was RIGHT on the street. No dirt or parking space or anything to separate us from the rest of the world. And, to make it better, there was a little stream that ran right past our site. Lovely, or so we thought. Until we realized this was the community swimming hole. So-privicy was not something that we had, but we made the best of it anyway.

I got all camping girl on myself and made some hobo-dinners. Not the meat and potato kind but sausage and veggies. They turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. After putting Cameron down for the night, Mark and I played games by lantern-light. Ahhh-my favorite part. I would have loved to roast some s'mores but I don't like roasted marshmallows so it seems rather pointless to go to the effort. Instead, we just sat and watched the embers burn out before we hit the sack.

We were up and at them pretty early the next morning. I guess Cameron doesn't like Mother Nature as much as we had hoped. So - to take advantage of the cooler air, we headed out for our hike. Because, what is camping without a hike! And it was beautiful. By far the best part of the whole trip. I loved every it of it. It was green, and fresh, and clean. It was just great! We saw beaver dams' and red ants. I just felt like a kid again as we wondered through that trail. 

We made it back to camp just before lunch with enough time to check out the stream and teach Cameron to throw the rocks in rather than eat them. Success! We also made friends with the manager of the camp who came by every so often to show Cameron whatever tid-bits he found on his rounds. A bit of robbin's egg, some bits of a bird's nest, different leaves changing colors; but the best treat was when he brought over 3 orphaned chipmunks. They still had not quite yet opened their eyes. Cameron really gets a kick out of wild life, so the chipmunks were a big hit for him. And what do you suppose the Manager named them? Alvin, Simon & Theodore. Perfect.

It was about this time that we felt a nap was in order for everyone. Sadly, our tent was more like an oven and trying to fall asleep felt like you were being cooked in a crockpot! No naps were had. Instead, we just tried to cool off in the shade as much as possible. It only took 2 hours of this before Mark and I admitted defeat and headed home a day early. It was too hot, Cameron was a smidgen too young, and my patience was long gone. So-we packed up and headed out. I still love camping and the great outdoors. It's memories are near and dear to my heart - and by george, my son is going to have the same experience I did; even if it kills me!

Independence Day

The 4th of July

Parades. Food. Sunshine. 

Red, White & Blue. Families. Flags. 

History. Grill outs. Fireworks. Swimming pool. 

Snow Cones. Homemade Ice Cream. 

What is not to love about this fabulous holiday. It is by far my all time favorite holiday of the year. The history buff in me loves all the history behind it. The American in me loves the patriotism that comes out  of all of us. I love the city we live in and how many flags the residents have out in front of their homes. This year, I vowed to do something smashing - to make up for all my years of talking about it and then doing nothing. Well, sadly, I did nothing again this year! But thankfully, the city came through with plans for me that I just had to show up for. 

My fantastic BIL just moved to a place that was literally right on the parade route. Being that the culture here is to camp out on the parade route to secure your spot in the morning, I was really grateful for Mike's location advantage; saving me the horror of having to sleep on the sidewalk. (which I would never do). Not only did we not have to sleep out, we got some prime real estate right under a huge tree which provided shade for the entire parade! Awesome.

We started the morning right, meeting up with the cousins with donuts, fruit, and OJ. Mark gave Cam his first donut - powdered of course. So although the shirt is ruined, the pictures were worth every bite. I was shocked at how long the parade actually was. I was expecting a little hometown parade of 30 minutes or so. But the Freedom Festival really pulled out all the stops with a whopping 2 hour shin-dig. Again, so grateful for the shaded seats. 

After the parade, we headed over to the booths again. We were there last night, and in retrospect, that was a fantastic idea. Because today, it was so packed you couldn't even enjoy it if you had all the patience in the world. I snagged my funnel cake that I was craving yesterday, which was sadly a disappointing purchase, and then we scooted out to save ourselves from the chaos that it all was. 

After a quick nap this afternoon, we're off the parents' to enjoy more food, family, and the finale fireworks. I have never manned fireworks before, being from California where it is illegal. So - there will most likely be a post to follow for that.

I couldn't post something not 4th-y today. I am so grateful to be an American and all the freedoms and blessings that this country enjoys. And an entire day to celebrate couldn't be more grand for my little American heart. 

Happy 4th of July. God Bless America, land that I love!

Typical Life

Life moves fast! So quickly in fact that I am astonished that the year is half gone and my little baby is very much a little boy now. It is so fun; full of adventures and memories and laughs to sustain the monotony of life. And yet, it is that monotony that I want to record. What is it that I do on a daily basis? Of course not every day is exactly the same, but a little snapshot into my life as it is right now.

So here you go; here was my Tuesday, July 2, 2013

5:30am - alarm. It has been going off at this hour for the last 3 weeks. Mostly to beat the heat and get my butt out the door to workout. It isn't fun. I don't like it. But I have been consistent for 3 whole weeks and I'm pretty proud of that.

6 - 7am - workout. This morning was bootcamp and he kicked my butt. The trainer's name is Scott and I wish so badly his last name was Smalls. So I could say "you're killing me Smalls." If you don't get it, I am sorry you missed that goodness of the 80s.

7-8:30am - shower up, start load 1 of Cameron's laundry, Breakfast for myself and the lad, more dishes. My Laundry Day is tuesday. Well, that's not entirely true. Laundry day is Monday - Thursday because I can't seem to get an entire load washed, dried, and folded in one day. Let alone the whole family's, the sheets, the towels, and the second load of workout clothes 'cuz I don't have enough for a whole week of sweat. By Friday, I'm so sick of doing laundry that the rest of everything just has to wait until Monday again. It is what it is!

8:30 - 9 - Spend an absurd amount of time on a new hair style that I saw on Pinterest. It turned out cute, if you like the Pioneer braids look. Which I don't. But I kept the hair style anyway because it took so blasted long. I need a hair cut.

9 - 10:30. Change Laundry. Cameron's morning nap time. I think he's past the morning nap stage, but I won't give it up until after his 1st birthday. It's my sanity. I work during this time. At my job - not at house chores.

10:30-11:45. Play with Cam, Budgets. This was a multi-task, I-have-to-do-this-today activity. I haven't looked at our budgets for 3 weeks. This isn't like me and I was feeling uncomfortable. So I tried to do both.

11:45 - 12:45. Lunch time. Tired of Cameron being bored of the office, we had lunch. I made delicious Shrimp tacos, of which I ate too many. Cameron had a jam sandwich, yogurt and watermelon. Mostly because he didn't like the new bread I bought and I knew he would eat the yogurt and watermelon without complaint.

1 - 3:45. Naps for Cam. I blog, work, edit photos, and take a phone call from the sista. It's always over too quickly.

4 - 4:30.  Swim. It is horridly hot, like it is most places. We pulled out the kiddy pool and filled it up this morning to make sure the water was comfortable in the afternoon. The water was more like bath water. Not refreshing at all. I was glad I wasn't getting in it. But Cameron loved it and that was the purpose.

4:30-5. Clean up the kid, Fold load 1 of laundry. Start load 2. (see what I mean? I didn't get to folding the laundry until 5!) Start Dinner.

5 - 6. Dinner time. Tonight we had my sister's Lime Grilled Chicken recipe which I love and don't make often enough. We had zucchini and Cilantro Lime Quinoa which I make all the time because I love it! The Quinoa that is. Not the zucchini. That was just my touch to get veggies on the plate.

6 - 8:30. Scrapbook. My hubs was awesome and took Cameron for the evening so that I could hide behind my computer and scrapbook our months. I did about 8 pages! I felt so accomplished.

8:30 - 9:30. TV Cuddle time. Tonights fancy, So You Think You Can Dance. I have no thoughts on any of the dancers but apparently we have 3 (now 2) from Utah. There's a big sign in town reminding us to vote for our local lady on the show.

9:30 - 10. Tidy-ish up. I'll be honest, I don't do a good job tidying up. Sit in bed and catch up on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. You know, what did-j'all do today?

10:00pm - lights out.

That's it. I usually have an errand or two thrown into the mix, but for the most part, that is pretty typical. So there you go, for journaling's sake.

June Bride

"Oh they say when you marry in June, 

you're a bride, all your life."

I can't lie, I love weddings. I would be perfectly content sitting in front of any temple and watching the couples come out to celebrate. My husbands suggests I do this at the SLC temple to increase my bride sightings. I just love them. What's even better is when it is the wedding of my dear cousin TeNeal and her beau Dakota. They were married in the Rexburg, ID temple - I couldn't be more happy for them.

 The wedding itself was beautiful. I cried as I thought of my own wedding and the wonderful relationship that I have with my hubby. The wedding reception was delightful as I got to spend some quality time with my best cousins ever. Not because they are better than any of my other cousins, but these are the cousins that I grew up with and we've been friends for our whole lives. I love them all dearly and wanted to make plans to get together many times more before the summer was out.

My cousin Keisha made TeNeal's beautiful wedding cake. It seriously looked like a million bucks. And they all looked brillant. I've always dreamed of being as good looking as these girls - their hair is always perfectly beautiful and I covet it. But, Brynn let me know she coveted my teeth so I guess we're even. I must give a shout out to my Step-dad and Mom and our roundevous there. It's always a good time to be with Joe and Mom.

After the wedding we hung out with the family at the house, of course with food and laughs. These are the moments that my dad loved the best, so I missed him dearly here. It was great to see Grandma and Grandpa Wright. They looked good despite Grandma's health struggles. She still has a funny whit when you get her comfortable and in a moment. I almost couldn't look at her during the sealing because I just was overwhelmed with thinking about my dad and the beautiful blessing of eternal families. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I love weddings. Aside from their glamour and beauty and food, it's a celebration of two people creating a family. The promises, hope, joy, pain, struggle, laughter, stress, and fun that comes with having a companion and a witness to life. It's an awesome institution. I mean, look at them. It's a great thing to celebrate.

It really was a quick trip for Cameron and I. Mark stayed behind for work, so I drove up one day and then back the next. The drive up was mostly a piece of cake, with only 2 stops to let Cameron out of the seat and move around. The drive home however was less smooth. All out screams for at least an hour strait until Grandma started singing Primary songs to him. phew for grandmas! Then we hit some nasty traffic that delayed us for another hour! Needless to say, the little lad was glad to be home and gave dad the cutest snuggle!

 Loved seeing my Wright family and all their goodness. I really do hope that we all get together more often now that I don't live 12 hours away. And super happy hugs to my lovely TeNeal Elliott. So happy for your joy.