Random Twitterings

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T00:17:00.001-07:00

This is a holiday that I have only recently begun to celebrate. As far as I am concerned, there can't be too many holidays! I have some items on display that were gifts. I love this red box and the horse it protects.

Here are some things that we will do to celebrate-

Wear red! It is the color of good luck!

Make lanterns. There are all sorts of ways to make them, but this technique is really easy. Just fold your paper in half and cut 1/2 inch strips beginning on the folded side, leaving about two inches intact at the top. Unfold, glue or tape together, and add some light on the inside.

Eat Chinese food. Yup. Panda Express is ok if you aren't adventurous!

Have Ming Kung Cakes. These little cookies are individually wrapped and are like a shortbread. They are very dry and crumbly, but a fun addition to a celebration.

Attend a festival. Lehi High School has a great Chinese program and they do a festival every year. We are planning to attend.

Give red envelopes. Any red envelope will do, although you can get special ones that are red with gold imprint at any Chinese market. Put some money in them and give them to children.

from about.com

"Red envelopes are handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year. At some companies, workers may also receive a year-end cash bonus tucked inside a red envelope. Red envelopes are also popular gifts for weddings and birthdays. When giving someone a red envelope, use both hands to present the red envelope to the recipient. Giving and receiving red envelopes, gifts, and even business cards is a solemn act. Therefore, red envelopes, gifts and name cards are always presented with both hands and also received with both hands.

The recipient of a red envelope at Chinese New Year or on his or her birthday should not open it in front of the giver."

And if you need a little laugh, I found these on Pinterest, but they were a little raunchy, so here is the cleaned up version.

printable term list

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!

Success! and Hard Work. . .

2012-01-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the Success part:

I have been writing this blog for almost four years now. It's not flashy or exciting but it the story of us. I kind of consider it to be my journal or at least my personal history. It's always been my hope that someday one of my kids or grandkids will read it and think it's cool to have the stories and the pictures.

Every two years I have enough posts to print a book. I use www.blog2print.com because it is so amazingly easy. This year I decided to print two copies of the book. I ordered it on January 1 and the books just arrived.

Colby found the box and I let him and Parker open it. They each grabbed one and have been reading them for the last half hour! Clearly they know that I have a blog, but apparently they didn't realize that they were a huge part of it. So, success. The purpose is a good one.

Here's the Hard Work part:

Yup. I actually need these stylin' reading glasses. I have them everywhere!

I am taking a lit class from BYU Online. You know those reports that say brain function starts to decrease in your forties? Well, they are true. Holy heck. I was having a really hard time getting back into the swing of critiquing and writing. The first lesson took me about 40 hours to complete. There are 21 lessons and I have to be done by February 28! Here's the good news. . . I have finished 7 lessons now so in about 2 weeks I have done 7 lessons. And I am reading my two novels for lesson 8. It's getting easier so that must mean that I am getting smarter again. Hey! Another success!

Why did I wait???

2012-01-03T20:45:00.001-07:00

Why do I wait so long? It's not like it's hard!!! I can't even remember the last time I had it done. . .

I am talking about having my carpets cleaned, of course.

Every 6 months or so I see the ZEROREZ truck at my neighbor Laura's house and I feel guilty that I am so neglectful of my carpets. That all changed on Christmas day when my silly pups opened and ate a box of brownie mix on my beautiful purple carpet. What a mess. I was able to vacuum most of it out once it dried from the licking, but it clearly needed to be cleaned.

I used to have a Bissell carpet cleaner. It was handy to have when the kids were younger. I was never sure that it really worked all that well, but it at least spread the stains out. After watching my cleaning guy today, I am not going to buy a new one.

For $114 I got my Family Room, Living/Dining Rooms and Master Bedroom cleaned. Honestly, I don't think the MB had EVER been cleaned. What an amazing difference! In addition to the carpets being clean, I washed down the walls and the baseboards, so everything is super clean and shiny. Ahhhh. . . I can breathe!

Since it was about 50 degrees out today, can I count this as spring cleaning?

* (not a paid advertisement) My cleaning guy, Dallin, did a great job and was polite and professional. I highly recommend Zerorez.

The W's and the L's

2012-01-02T22:21:00.001-07:00

I just had a heartbreaking conversation with my middle son. He's been a little "off" all day. Probably tired because he has 6am practices for his sport. But not like most days. Ed and I both noticed it and were walking on eggshells.

Tonight the bomb detonated. It was 7:30pm and I announced that it was time for FHE. One of my goals for 2012 is to make sure that I am teaching my children the things they need to survive happily in this world. One of those things is to have a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that sticks in good times or bad. I want my children to know that I have a testimony of the Gospel and I hope that I can help them along the path of gaining their own.

Anyway, long story short, I was ready for FHE. Handouts and everything. One son was gone at his FHE group, and the other three our of four of us were ready to dig in. But first we had a battle. It was ugly. It was hurtful. It was frustrating. For all of us. Finally things calmed down and the three of us discussed prayer while the one listened.

There was still some storming after our discussion was over, but once it settled, I was able to stand quietly in my son's room and ask if there was anything I could do to help. The answers were not all that welcoming, but I stayed.

Finally, a discussion. My son was injured in his first match in December. Despite his pain, he has not missed one practice. He has had a great attitude. He's worked hard. But now he wants to quit. He is frustrated that he isn't getting any better and that time is running out and that he is a liability to the team and it's not really woth continuing and what does it matter if you are an Iron Man if you can't win a mthc. That's about how the concerns tumbled out. The thing he said that really bothered me was that nothing matters except the W's and L's. (Wins and Losses, for those of you who are not immersed in sports like I am. . .) I HATE that whole sports mentality. It is so NOT true. But how do you explain that to a teenager who is hurting physically and mentally?

I tried to explain that there are all sorts of circumstances that hinder athletes and teams from reaching their full potentials. Injuries, bad coaching, bad draws, physical size and many other factors all have part in winning and losing. The one thing that can give you an advantage is a good attitude. My examples were lost because he was just too upset to listen and think.

I didn't talk much, but I hung around for a long time. I guess I did OK because while I was writing this he came out of his room. I made some Muddy Buddies and we hung out for a little while. Later, when this day is behind us, we will revisit this topic. With a Gospel twist.

I am so grateful that life is NOT all about the W's and the L's. If it really was that way, I think we would all give up. What a blessing that we only have to do our best and give our all- and the Savior makes up the difference. I hope I can help my son understand that blessing. . .

Year End Wrap Up

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

2011 was a pretty good year for us. Today we reflected on some of the highlights of 2011 and some of our plans for 2012. Tonight I'll just post the retrospective!

Ed

Favorite Colors: Orange, Brown, Purple
Favorite Food: "Ed's Burrito" at Winger's
Hobbies: Fairview! and LHS Boosters

Best Event of the Year: Our summer trip to Illinois and Indy

Kaye

Favorite Colors: Bright Apple Green, Orange
Hobbies: Photoshop, Blogging

Best Events of the Year: Watching Colby march in Lucas Oil Stadium, Parker earning his Eagle, the LHS Band getting picked to go to Washington, DC, Getting a new Dodge Challenger

Worst Event of the Year: Losing my wedding and engagement rings

Colby

Age- 18
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Mexican
Best Friends: Danaca Moore, Paul Struthers, Brayden Roberts
Hobbies: Band!

Best Event of the Year: Marching with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps

Parker

Age: 15
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Cinnamon Rolls
Favorite Movie: Warrior
Best Friends: Max Inman, Chandler, Dalton Rice
Hobbies: Hunting, Wrestling

Best Event of the Year: Trip to Pecatonica, IL, Earning my Eagle, Getting my Driver's Permit

Worst Event of the Year: Separated Shoulder

Reed

Age: 14
Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Food: Tepanyaki Noodles
Favorite Movie: War Horse
Favorite Book: Hunger Games
Best Friend: Spencer Yates
Hobbies: Baseball and Gaming

Best Events of the Year: Being on the Red Sox for Baseball Season, Mom being at home

Worst Event of the Year: My team was pretty crappy

I Want to Remember: Turning 14 and getting ordained as a Teacher on Christmas Day

A Toaster?

2011-12-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas Lists.

Some people love them. It gives the buyer an idea of what to buy with minimal brainpower involved. This is good in my book around the holidays. If I am going to spend money, I'd like to spend it on items that are needed/wanted.

Some people hate them. Considered crass to be so presumptive that people care to know what you want. I know people who are so passive aggressive that they deliberately avoid any items that they know a person wants.

I guess I am in the middle. I appreciate knowing that he bride and groom are registered at some local store, but I might want to give them something that I think they will need and they haven't even thought about yet. Just because they are registered is not a mandate for me.

But it sure is nice to have some ideas when you enter the somewhat frightening world of retail sales. It was with this thought in mind that I asked my children to produce Christmas lists this year. Parker's lists usally include many items with caliber numbers that I can't remember. Colby loves games, but when I get to the store I get overwhelmed by all the shiny covers and titles dribble out of my brain.

And then there is Reed. This year he asked for a toaster. How many 14 year olds do you know who want a toaster? Of course it was not just any toaster. It was a special toaster from MLB that burns a team logo into the side of the toast. Can you imagine? I have been expecting this rabid sports fanatic to eat plain toast his whole life? What a bad mom.

So, like any other mother of a toast-loving Boston Red Sox fan, I ordered the toaster. Reed was thrilled on Christmas morning. That is not an exaggeration. He was stoked and he had it out of the box and was making toast on the next "break".

We had a great Christmas. And now we have two toasters. What more can we ask?

And pondered them. . .

2011-12-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart. ...

I love this verse about Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was a woman who had found favor with God and he had blessed her to be the mother of the Savior. What a mind boggling thought. I bet there were days when she didn't feel like it was such a blessing. I imagine she was a bit put out when her 12 year old wasn't where she thought he was supposed to be. And it probably was hard when he was out teaching the Gospel. I imagine the neighbors had plenty to say that she had to hear and defend. I cannot imagine her grief when her perfect son, The Perfect Son, was crucified. How could she have understood in her immense grief the gift that he would be to us. . . to me. . . more than 2000 years later.

I am so grateful for Jesus Christ. I feel joy at the thought that he was born and died that I might return to my Heavenly Father. What an amazing plan. I am grateful for his sacrifice for me- especially since I am often so unworthy of his great love. It is such a blessing to have the love of Christ and Heavenly Father in my life on a daily basis.

As I ponder these things in my heart throughout the coming year, I hope that I will be a better wife, mother, friend, and follower of Christ. That is my gift to him.

Party Planning

2011-12-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

It was a party. Daniel and Tanika decided just a couple of weeks before Christmas that they wanted to get married on the 23rd. On the 15th a location was booked and the race was on! DiAnna, Ed and I are a force to be reckoned with once we are all headed in the same direction. The menu was planned, food purchased, and decorations gathered. It was a beautiful event and the food was yummy. Here's a few helpful hints that we learned. I am putting them here so that I will always be able to find them! They are useful for any large gathering.

1. Have a meeting up front with everyone so that you are all on the same page.

2. Find the inspiration piece. DiAnna and I found one stem of absolutely gorgeous silk flowers at Michael's that gave us the look. There was only one stem, so we had to use it carefully and build everything else around it.

3. Use what you have. DiAnna's mom collects old-looking clocks. I had lots of glass containers and candle holders. DiAnna's mom also has a treasure trove of ribbon, silk flowers, and other odd craft items. We had some old picture frames and baskets. I had pieces from an old Christmas tree. All these things combined with some photos of the couple, a few quotes about love and time, a can of champagne spray paint and a few cans of spray snow added up to some beautiful decorations.

4. Figure out how much food you need for your particular army and then reduce by about 1/3. Ed and I always worry about running out of food because we didn't get any food at our wedding, but we had way too many leftovers at this event. (And most events we do!!!)

5. Borrow what you can. We borrowed some beautiful serving platters from a friend.

6. Buy what you will use again. We bought some chafing dishes for a great price. It made the table look professional, we didn't have to worry about the meat cooling off, and we get to use them at the next party. Now we need to plan a party!

7. Be careful about using real candles. All containers must have bottoms to catch the melted wax. Them, leave everything in the car on a cold winter's night and the wax will pop right off the glass in the morning. I used a scrubby sponge to get the wax residue off and all is well.

8. Glitter is beautiful, but hard to clean up. Our ribbon had glitter on it. But mostly off it. Maybe I wouldn't do that again. But I do love glitter. . .

9. Get kitchen helpers. DiAnna's neighbors came and made sure that platters and punch bowls were full. It was nice to sit and enjoy the event without worrying about what was happening in the kitchen. Colby was a big help. . .in my apron.

10. If you are doing the cooking, keep it simple. Do a meat that has built in portion control- like a chicken breast or pork medallion. Buy the rolls. Don't worry about fancy toppings and such because they worry people. Simple, clean food. Easy. (And 1/3 less of it! Remember that!)

11. Why not cupcakes for a wedding? It was awesome! Everyone had their choice of flavors, they were easy for the bride and groom to handle, and it was an impressive display.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Rice!

People-sick

2011-12-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

"I miss Mayberry. . .
Sittin' on the porch drinkin'
ice cold Cherry Coke
where everything was black and white.
Picking on a Six String
Where people pass by
and you call them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by. . .
bye bye. . ."

I woke up this morning feeling a little blue. And then I clicked on my blog so that I could follow my bloglist to check up on some friends and family. The song that played from my playlist was "Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts. And then I felt more blue. It's a feeling that comes over me once in a while. Almost always at Christmas. And then comes the guilt of "Why should I feel blue? I have a great life." But the fact of the matter is that this feeling has nothing to do with my life now. It has everything to do with the memories of my life as I was growing up. And the people who sourrounded me in my youth.

Kaye with Santa c. 1972

Well, I didn't grow up in Mayberry. But it could have been.

Skowhegan, Maine was not a fancy place to live in the early 1970's. Lots of people worked at the shoe factories and at small Mom and Pop type stores. K-Mart didn't open until the early 80's. We lived in a large, old house with a huge attached barn. In the shed that attached the house to the barn was a 4 holer! I always wondered about 4 people actually using it at the same time. . . The basement had a dirt floor and was pretty scary. My dad and I turned it into a spooky Halloween maze when I was in 5th grade. We had a formal living room that was called "The Blue Room." We really only ever went in that room at Christmas!

This was Bruce's graduation in 1972. You can see the house, the connecting shed which was two stories high, and the barn. L to R Jim Foster, Marguerite Martin, Ernie Hunter, Vesta Horr, Amanda Martin, Steve Hunter, Bruce Foster, Ginny Foster, Kaye, Ralph Fullerton (This means that Herky and Thelma were taking pictures!)

My parents were both teachers. Mom taught Special Ed. Some years she had Resource students and some years she had the more profoundly handicapped students. She was very patient with them and helped me learn to not be afraid of people who were different, Dad taught junior high metals shop. He didn't really believe in limits and he had those kids doing all sorts of projects that JH aged students would not be allowed to do now.

My parents were active in the community. They were on every committee and helped with every celebration. My mom was very active in BPW (Business and Professional Women's Club). My dad took photos of every event for the little community newspaper. They served the Centenary United Methodist Church in many ways. And better yet. . . they taught me to do the same.

This is my Dad, Herky Foster, playing Santa and passing out candy canes at the end of one of my dance recitals for the Bradley Adams School of Dance.

Our home was open to whoever needed a place to be. I remember holidays with lots of family members around. My favorite Christmas memories are from when I was about 5-9 years old. Aunt Thelma and Uncle Ralph always stayed up at the Towne Motel, which I thought was very fancy. Some years there were random people at our house on holidays who just needed a place to be. I remember the excitement of going to the tiny little airport in Waterville, Maine to pick up Steve as he came home on leave from the Army or to pick up my other dad, Rod, who was flying in from somewhere exotic like Minneapolis or Los Angeles. Jim came home from New York, looking a lot different than the clean cut young man who had graduated from Kents Hill. As my brothers got married and started having children, it was a celebration when they came for Christmas. Their wives helped incorporate new traditions into our family. Those were years of transition though, as some of the older members of the family were no longer with us.

Jim Foster

Christmas was always fun. The tree was set up in the Blue Room. It usually had blue lights and ornaments and LOTS of tinsel. I have always loved shiny things!

Kaye in the Blue Room before a recital

On Christmas Eve we would have our feast. It was usually roast beef and it was one of the few times during the year that we ate in the Dining Room.

From front left, around the table- Ralph Fullerton, Ginny Foster, Kaye Hunter, Rod Hunter, Steve Hunter, Amanda Martin, Herky Foster, Jim Foster, Marguerite Martin, Bruce Foster

Dad (Herman Foster), Nana (Amanda Martin), Mrs. Rogers, Mary Rogers

After dinner there was lots of visiting. I am sure that the ladies washed the dishes. I remember watching Christmas specials. Around 11:00pm we would head to Centenary United Methodist Church on the Dr. Mann Road to attend the Christmas Eve Service. My favorite part of that service was that the last candle of the advent candles was lit that night. Then, that symbolic light of Christ was passed throughout the congregation until everyone in the congregation had a lit candle. This was done while singing "Silent Night." Then the challenge was to see if we could make it all the way home with at least one lit candle. Can you imagine?

We would get home, light another candle, and put out treats for Santa. By that time it was so late that I didn't have too much trouble falling asleep!

Christmas Morning began with me running through the house with bells to wake everyone up. No matter when I got up, my mom always seemed to be up before me. I wonder now if she ever went to bed? I know that she and Aunt Thelma stayed up and wrapped the stocking stuffers and such. . .

In our family, someone always played Santa. There was no rush for the tree- it was a measured event. Santa would choose a present, being careful to try to evenly distribute each person's gifts, and give it to the person to unwrap. Everyone watched the present being unwrapped. This was sometimes torturous because Aunt Thelma the Thrifty saved every bow and every piece of tissue paper. She saved the big pieces of wrapping paper, too, so I liked getting small gifts because we didn't have to wait for her to fold everything! Christmas morning went on for hours and hours. It was truly an event. We would stop for treats and sometimes meals, but it was all about presents!

Marguerite Martin, Kaye, Ginny Foster, Jim Foster, Amanda Martin, Steve Hunter, Ralph Fullerton

Late afternoon on Christmas Day was the time for phone calls to those family members who were not with us that year. There was an informal line by the phone (and I do mean THE phone which was wired into the wall. . .) of all the people who wanted to say hello to the missing family member.

Time marches on and things continue to change. Most of the people in these photos and in my memories have passed away. Although Jim lives here in Lehi, my other brothers are spread across the country. We are not a close family, but I think about them every day.

I wonder what my children will remember about their childhood Christmases? Will they remember the year that Santa's footprints were all through our house? Will they remember the year we got caught in the blizzard in Chicago? Their memories will be very different from mine because the world and our traditions have changed so much, but I hope they will be as precious as mine.

I feel better after walking down memory lane. These people may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten. I think I'll go call Aunt Thelma and maybe do some cooking like Nana and Aunt Vesta would have!

Merry Christmas!

Eagle with a Broken Wing*

2011-12-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

My son Parker finished his Eagle. This is a major accomplishment and we are very proud of him. Each young man who sets the goal for Eagle Rank has a different challenge. There is always some part of the process that becomes a stumbling block. For some it is a certain merit badge or the daunting 100+ hour project. For Parker the biggest challenge has been in completing all the paperwork- otherwise he could have been done a year ago!!! But, it finally got done. Phew.

Parker's project was to build a fire ring and seating area in one of the city parks. He had a car wash to raise the money for the project and then worked with the Fire Marshall and the Parks Department to get the project rolling. It was a good project and he did a good job getting it organized.

Last Thursday night he passed his Board of Review. It is an interview with seasoned Scout Leaders to determine if the young man possesses the qualities that BSA expects from an Eagle Scout and if they understand the values and principles of the BSA and have incorporated them into daily life. Parker passed with flying colors.

*His wing isn't really broken- but he's been in a sling for two weeks. Parker has a "separated shoulder" from a questionable move in his last wrestling meet. Hopefully it wasn't his last wrestling meet! It is healing and now we are moving into physical therapy.

Shoes

2011-12-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

I just don't get the whole shoe thing.

There. It's out.

I know that there are women out there who absolutely love shoes.

They cannot resist a great sale and they know all the designers.

They long for shoes in every color and style.

They have shoes in many heights that go with certain outfits.

And shoes that change heights!

I see these women.

Some of them are even my friends.

And I must horrify them.

Because not only do I not love shoes. I hate them. I have a few pairs of "dressy" shoes, but I NEVER wear them longer than the three hour block of meetings at Church.

I have two pairs of shoes that I wear 99% of the time. Well, at least in the winter. Here they are.

Yup. Birkenstock clogs. Brown and black. That's it. I wear them with jeans, cords, and skirts. Now. . . I will admit that I wouldn't mind having more colors. I have several pairs of Birkenstock sandals in various hues. But these shoes are about pain. And the fact that I don't have any when I wear them!

So girls, you won't have to fight me at the big sales. They hardly ever have 11's anyway!

Real Life Day at the Collins' House

2011-12-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Last night Reed decided that he needed a chocolate snack. He couldn't eat a bowl of M&M's because they have caffeine and he is trying to lower his caffeine intake. . . So, he decided to make a cake. He did it all by himself and it came out great. . .at about 9:00pm. He was all ready to make frosting when I suggested that he just spinkle some chocolate chips on top.

After we all gorged on a couple of pieces of chocolatey goodness, warm from the oven, I asked him to make sure that he put all the ingredients away. I glanced around and thought he had. . . a thought that haunts me now.

I had to take Parker to the doctor this morning. After x rays it was determined that he has a separated shoulder from the wrestling meet on Friday. He's out of commission for a few weeks- in a sling which is designed to produce sympathy from Mom and possibly girls at school.

I dropped him back at school, ran to WalMart to buy him pants for tonight's choir concert, and headed to the JH to pick up Reed. When we got home I realized that the dogs had gotten into the trash. . .again. Totally my fault. I know they can open the cabinet and I usually put the bin on the counter before I leave. Then Reed found it in the living room. The bag of chocolate chips. Or should I say, the empty bag that once held the chocolate chips? Not some namby pamby 12 oz bag. . . not for our family! The massive bag from Costco. It had been 1/3 to 1/2 full. Now it was empty.

I have two dogs that are twins. Lewis is slightly larger than Clark, but they are both over 50 lbs and Lew is probably pushing 60lbs. He's a real Collins. Anyway, how do you know which dog ate the chips? I smelled their breath. Oh, yes I did. I could smell the chocolate on Lew, but I wasn't sure about Clark. Reed thought we should make them throw up. He has never actually seen this happen so he didn't really know what he was getting into. A tablespoon of salt down the throat usually makes a dog regurgitate whatever is in his stomach. It worked for Lewis. And there was chocolate. Quite a bit of it. I was starting to think that maybe Clark hadn't gotten into it, but I felt like I should make him throw up. Salt again? No. This time I went to the big gun- hydrogen peroxide. That produced an effect in about 5 seconds. Quicker than we could get him outside! It was wildly effective and he had eaten a LOT of chocolate. . .

Then comes the panic. Do I take them to the vet? What if they puke in the car? How much is that going to cost? Can I get charcoal slurry at Petsmart? (No- I checked) So I did what anyone in my situation would do. I called my husband. He thought they would be fine. I agreed and we hung up. About two minutes later I was fretting when I got the text asking if they ate all the chips from the bag on the counter. Yes. Maybe you had better call the vet. Ok, I think so, too.

After I checked my bank account I called the vet. She was concerned about the amount of chocolate until she heard that they were Irish Water Spaniels. (As in biggish.) She was glad that I had induced vomiting and she thought they would be fine. I should expect diahreah and hyper activity.

So, all in all just a regular day.

Why Can't It Be Easy?

2011-11-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is over already. Isn't it amazing how a meal that takes a good three days to prepare turns into leftovers in about 20 minutes? We cleaned up and got out of dodge.

We went to the cabin for the weekend, and had a wonderful time. Ed and I discussed it this afternoon and we could not get over how well the boys got along and how helpful they were. It is entirely possible that they are aliens. Or that the turkey was drugged. What ever happened, I hope it sticks. It was a lot of fun. We had beautiful weather and it was quiet. What a blessing it is to have a great place to get away from "life" for a few days.

Since the Fairview/Mt. Pleasant area isn't exactly a shopping mecca, I didn't do ANY shopping. OK. . . we did buy 4 3/8" wooden pegs for a total $.60 but that is not what I think of shen I think of Black Friday. I have not bought one thing for any of my children. Or my husband. I have been teasing the boys that we are having a homemade Christmas and that if I can't make it, they aren't going to get it! Parker immediately directed me to a kit that allows you to build a muzzle loader. Very creative for a 15 year old! Can you imagine me building a muzzle loader? I'd have to tole paint it or something.

This afternoon I packed away all the Thanksgiving decorations. I have been editing my decorations, so anything that I don't absolutely love is being donated to the DI. That made it a lot easier to pack away the decorations because everything fit in the tubs. "Editing" is such a refined word for "chuckin' stuff."

Then it was time to start thinking about Christmas decorations. Last year we bought a 12' pre-lit tree. We have a 16' peak in our family room area, but in the only place we can put a large tree, the height is apparently 12'! The tree touched the ceiling and we couldn't even put the angel on!!! I don't know what the heck we were thinking. Maybe we were suckered into the whole "he who has the biggest tree, wins" thing. I just don't know.

Anyway, I wasn't happy with the tree, but I didn't say anything since we had just bought it. Today though, I fessed up. Ed suggested that I put it on KSL classifieds and in 2 hours and 22 minutes it was sold! Ed thinks I sold it for more than we paid, but I can't really remember. I hope I did! We bought it so late in the season last year that it was on clearance. For those of you who don't remember last year's Palm Tree, you may need a refresher. Anyway, I had the tree packed up nicely in two rolling garbage cans so that no dust or spiders could get in- I think that helped the sale.

I still have our 10' tree that we used for 6-7 years. It is not pre-lit, which is why we bought the new one. I put it on KSL, too, but if it doesn't sell I might put it up again. I have found about a zillion strings of lights in the garage during my editing, so if I have to go back to my old tree, I'll have lots of lights to choose from! I wish Christmas trees were easier to deal with. I love the beauty, but hate the hassle!

"Chinese" Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

So, we kind of like to live life on the edge here. This Thanksgiving was no different.

We were all a little "blah" about Thanksgiving because it was going to be just the six of us. Usually Aunt Judy comes and spices things up. Last year we added the Tuckers and Mr. D. Anyway, it was looking to be a dull year. On Tuesday I went shopping and had everything that wasn't perishable packed in a laundry basket to go to the cabin. . .

On Tuesday at about 5:30pm Ed called from work. It had been a rough day. The Chinese delegation that they were working with had some concerns that came out at the last minute and were causing issues. Things were back on track, but. . . the delegation had decided that they had too much work to do to go to Las Vegas for the holiday weekend. That's about when I started laughing hysterically because I KNEW what was going to come out of my husband's mouth next. We had talked about it at the beginning of October, but then the plan was nixxed. Yup. Could we have Thanksgiving at our house? For 30 people?

Of course! I didn't even hesitate once I stopped laughing!

The furniture was cleaned out of the family room and packed wherever it would fit. Our original plan was to have the children eat in the dining room and the adults would eat in the family room area. Rob Stapleton and Colby showed up with tables, chairs, and a map of the layout. The engineers even map out Thanksgiving! Anyway. . . once the table and chairs were situated, I talked to Janene and we made food arrangements. By the time I went to bed yesterday, the table was decorated and all my preliminary chopping was done.

This morning was really easy because everything was so well planned. I am a list maker for a reason! And yup. . . I even labeled the serving bowls with post-its because when it came time to serve everything up it was easy for people to help.

This was potato time. Reed was cutting up the potatoes while I was filling the big pot that is sitting on the floor. I was not randomly spraying water!

This was just before Reed cut himself. Not badly, but Colby took over cutting after that. Let me just tell you that Cutco knives are SHARP!!!!

Ed was peeling the potatoes.

Cooking potatoes for 30 is quite the undertaking. We used our turkey fryer. It is a wonderful cooking device, but we have NEVER used it to fry a turkey! Maybe someday. . .

And this is Colby cleaning up after the great lentil spill of 2011. We did a quick vacuum through and cleaned the bathrooms. That's all the cleaning I had time to do for this event.

This is our impromptu table for 30. I had to use paper tableclothes from Costco because I couldn't find enough flat sheets in the right sizes. The 7 yards of burlap camoflage the joints of the six folding tables and make it look more cohesive.

Here's the mantle. I love my new circle mirror. I got it for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. After 8 years of having the same art up, I needed a change.

When we decided to have everyone at one table, I didn't have enough silverware. I rolled plastic utensils up in turkey napkins with a ribbon tie. It looked fine. I'm not Martha Stewart.

I bought flowers at Costco and arranged low bouquets for the table.

Split peas and lentils. Colby was in charge of this project. When he broke the second bag of lentils on the stairs, that layer got really wide. And that's why he had to vacuum!

Here's the crowd as they were passing the food. Some things vere even got passed! It was such a zoo that I couldn't control it. I would do that part differently in the future- couldn't do a buffet because there wasn't room for people to move in and out.

Say cheese! According to this picture we had 31.

This is about two seconds after the last photo. Apparently everyone wanted to eat!

Chatting in the living room.

Part of the crowd hanging out at the big table.

Stan holding court in the living room. Explaining the 60/20/20 Theory.

Nelson, Henry, and Gary.

Regina and Wendy were great company.

Becky. I'll leave off her last name 'cause she's famous!!!

Blaine. That IS a smile by the way.

Cameron and Colby. The college boys.

Little Eddie. The funny of the day was "When he gets bigger we will call him Ed."

For those of you who know my Ed, this will probably be funny to you, too.

We never got a smile out of him all day!

Jill and Janene. Sisters who saved the day in the kitchen!

Craven came for dessert and chatting. He always looks like he is up to something.

I had to put this in because I think it's the only picture I took of anyone eating dessert! This little guy had his tonsils out last week, so he didn't eat much.

We received some lovely gifts from our guests.

This is a glass horse that is a replica from the Yang Dynasty. I think it is pretty cool and probably pretty expensive!

I absolutely love this home decoration. It is a piece of silk embroidered with plants and ducks. The craftsmanship is excellent and the silk is so fine that it is translucent. What lovely reminders of a special Thanksgiving.

It was a fabulous day and a Thanksgiving to remember. My boys all three said that they thought it was fun to have so many people over for the feast. The thing that I will remember most is a comment from one of the Chinese men who has actually lived in the United States for 20 years. In all that time, this is the first Thanksgiving feast he has eaten. I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve him, his family, and his colleagues. It was truly a special occasion, but it made me realize how much we need to reach out to those around us.

I am so grateful for my many blessings, but today I am especially grateful for my new friends.

Gratitude 2011

2011-11-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the month I was surfing on Pinterest and I saw a quote that literally stopped me in my tracks. It said,

"What if today you woke up with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday."

It was about 11:00pm and I sat for about five minutes just pondering that thought. I realized in that moment just how ungrateful I am to my Heavenly Father. I feel gratitude, but don't express it often enough. I have been richly blessed and I take it for granted. I am so grateful that someone posted a simple thought that I can honestly say has changed my life over the past three weeks. I know that it has made an impact on my family, too- mostly because I am hearing more gratitude reflected in their prayers.

The only thing that bothered me about the quote was that the chance for action was past. As I presented the quote to my family I changed it up a bit:

I printed this and put it in a frame in our mud room where we see it several times a day. (If you would like the printable version, please go to my creative blog.) It reminds me to be grateful in all my thoughts.

Here are my top five things that I am grateful for in 2011.

My family. I am married to a truly wonderful man who treats me like a queen. Ihave been blessed with three strong, smart sons who are kind and loving. They are good to me, too! I love that I never have to open a door for myself. I enjoy watching them grow and change.

My faith. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about the impact that the Gospel has on my life. I am not perfect- far from it. I know that Christ died that we might be saved and I know that families can be forever. This is the rock of my faith.

My parents, brothers and ancestors. I have been loved, taught, and protected by a wonderful family. I had traumatic events in my childhood that could have ruined me, but thanks to the people in my life, I grew up to be strong and confident. (Maybe too strong and confident. . . but that's a post for another day!) These people helped me turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

My education. My parents demanded good grades. They knew I was capable and pushed me. That is. . . until I learned to push myself. I still regret that one A- I got in my Masters Degree! What a blessing it is to have a good education. It has opened so many doors in my life and allowed me to be involved with such fulfilling activities.

My home. I love my home. It represents safety and security. It is a haven from the physical elements, but also from spiritual buffering. Although we are blessed to live in a very beautiful house, I know that I can be happy in much more humble circumstances. When we moved to Utah we moved from a large, beautiful home to a shabby 4-plex. Guess what? It was still home. I hope I don't have to do that again, but I know we would survive and thrive.

And you. . . thanks for reading this blog and supporting me.

Oh, Dear

2011-11-04T21:36:00.000-06:00

I love to look at other people's photos of their children. I love the sweet faces, wispy hair, and total absorption in whatever they are doing. I even love it when they are pouting or crying. I don't really have photos like that of my children because I was trying so hard to survive that I didn't get the great shots. I got a lot of shots. . .just not great ones. I can't beat myself up, though because that wasn't really the "thing" when they were younger.

Today is a big day at our house. Parker passed the test to get his driver's permit. I truly wasn't sure whether to be happy or to break down in tears and to ask the nice man at the DMV to rip it up. Tomorrow I will take him driving, but not in my car. But that is another post.

Anyway, we should document these big events. So here goes.

Parker at 15-and-a-half. Addicted to YouTube videos. Learns all sorts of delightful things from them such as how to build a bomb with aluminum foil and toilet cleaner and how to maim himself with bike tricks. Parker likes to sit in his dad's chair and surf the internet. He even sits like dad. Scary.

This is the patronizing smile. Available at almost any age, but particularly popular with teenage boys.

Check out that hairy leg. Not to mention the plaid jammie pants and the lovely old man slipper. Take note of the small cut on the ankle. I bet he has no idea how he got it.

He remembers how his toe got looking like this, though. After his THIRD ingrown toenail procedure the doctor may have been a little heavy handed with the liquid that kills the nailbed. Parker got an infection that was unbelievable- it took twice daily soaks and prescription strength anti-bacterial ointment to put it down. Still icky, three weeks later. FYI- that ugly toe is part of a size 14 foot.

Big hands, too. Notice the small scar. He has them all over. They are from knives and other tools as well as bikes and wrestling matches.

The doctor says we are going to have a big boy. He's 5'9" and still growing. Those size 14 feet are providing a firm foundation for growth.In case you were not aware, the slippers your grandpa used to wear are now daily footwear at the high school. I don't get it.

One of my favorite "things" about Parker is his voice. It is very low. I get the gigs every time I listen to the message on his cell phone because he made it about 2 years ago and he sounds like a little kid! He definitely has a man voice now and he sings bass in one of the choirs at school.

OK. So pictures of baby feet are way more adorable, but the fact is that babies grow up and that is definitely what has happened at my house. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. Parker's wry sense of humor, ability to do difficult tasks, and growing sense of responsibility are way better than baby toes. And diapers.

Love ya, Parks!

A New Venture

2011-09-15T14:58:00.000-06:00

I am feeling guilty because I haven't posted here for so long! I've wanted to, but I feel like I need to complete Part II. . . maybe today.

Anyway. . . I have wanted to have a blog with easy recipes, craft projects and DIY projects. I love doing projects and people are often asking me how to do things, so the plan is to show the projects with detailed instruction sheets. I will also have free printables on a regular basis.

If you have a great project, let me know. I'd love to have a couple of collaborators to work with!

Please go check it out at http://eveningbirdsong.blogspot.com.

The Academy- Part 1

2011-07-09T07:26:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday morning at about 2:00am The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps arrived at Lehi High School. They travel around the country sleeping in gyms and rehearsing on any field they can book. It is quite an impressive sight to see a caravan of 3 buses, 2 semi trailers, three trucks pulling trailers, 2 motor homes, and assorted other vehicles all show up at once. There are 150 members of the Corps and they have a large staff and an even larger group of volunteers that help feed, water and take care of the members.

One of the members of this awesome group is my son, Colby. He auditioned in December 2010 and started going to Camp Weekends in January. He had to fly to Phoenix seven times between December and May! On June 5 he arrived there for the last time. . . The Academy practices or performs nearly every day, so he is busy. They have two tours- a regional tour that will end tomorrow and a national tour that will begin on July 21.

Each member is allowed to have one bag, so as you can imagine, they are fairly large and packed tightly. Most of the kids use a bag like this:

These bags are great because they have two compartments. I'm not sure where Colby has all his stuff at this point, but he has to keep his clothes and his air mattress and air pump and toiletries and everything else in there. The kids had to sleep in the gym mezzanines at the school because the gym floor wasn't fully cured from its new coat of shellac. Most of the girls left their bags in the hallway or got a guy to carry it up the stairs for them because the bags get so heavy!

Arriving at a school in the middle of the night is pretty standard. The bus rides double as sleep time (although Colby says it is pretty loud on the bus most of the time) and then they get to "hit the floor" for a few hours on their air mattresses. The drum majors are in charge of waking everyone up and they have an hour to eat, dress, fill their water bottles and try to get awake. Then rehearsal starts.

The parents and other volunteers who run the day-to-day details of the Corps are amazing. It takes a strong group to feed about 190 people four meals a day. Yup. Four. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack that looks like another meal. It's estimated that the members burn 5000-6000 calories a day, so they tend to be hungry! Most of them lose weight during the summer because they just can't eat enough to maintain. (And no. . . I will not be going on this weight loss plan- I am WAY too old for this level of physical activity!!!)

Lessons from Garrett's Life

2011-07-05T13:22:00.000-06:00

I just returned home from a funeral. . . for a 2 year old. I am not sure that I have ever attended a child's funeral before- it was very difficult. But at the same time, my heart is lifted up in praise for a Heavenly Father who really does love us and has a plan in place for us to come back to him.

I didn't know Garrett. My only knowledge of him was seeing him at band events. The last time I saw him was the Saturday before he died. His mom had him and Hunter in a double stroller and had Connor straped on in a baby carrier. The boys were excited to be at the parade. I wish I had given him a big bag of candy out of my golf cart! (That makes more sense after reading the obituary.) Garrett's dad, Brek Mangelson, used to be the band director at Lehi High School and is now the band director at a neighboring school. He is the person responsible for putting a baritone horn in Colby's hand and getting him excited about marching band. He changed Colby's life and ours, too.

So, this is what I learned today. Or at least remembered.

Enjoy every little detail about every day. Tomorrow will be different.
Take lots of pictures and videos. Even of the stuff that "doesn't matter." It all matters.
Listen when prompted. Garrett's parents had impressions that he might not be with them for long. They discussed and prepared- whether they realized it or not. They both absolutely shone today with the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Faith isn't a sure thing. We just need to have faith that Heavenly Father is in charge. If we have that, everything else falls into place eventually.
The sun comes out again. . . just like it did for the itsy, bitsy spider. We have to weather the rain and dark, but it will come out again.
Giggle, laugh, and have fun. Everyone likes to, but it seems easier for children.
Always carry tissues. They are great for chocolately mouths, sticky fingers, and tears.
Boys do like girls like their mothers. Brittany sat near me and cried through the whole funeral, too.

At the funeral both Brek and Brooke spoke about their beautiful little boy. They were both composed and happy about the blessing they had to be Garrett's parents. I was stunned by their strength and that of their families. Here is the beautiful obituary that Brek wrote.

Garrett Kenton Mangelson was born January 17th, 2009 in American Fork, UT. He died Wednesday June 29, 2011 in a fluke accident in the afternoon at his Lehi home. The son of Lehi residents Brek and Brooke Mangelson, Garrett was named after his grandpa (Pa) G. Kent Mangelson. He had a passion for life and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

On a regular basis he could be seen with one thumb in his mouth and the other hand toting behind him his little blue blanket much like a scene from a Charlie Brown cartoon or movie. He loved his blanket! He couldn’t go anywhere without it and couldn’t sleep without it.

Being the second of three boys in the family, much of his time was spent playing alongside his two other brothers, Hunter and Connor. He loved his brothers with all his heart and loved his Mommy too. He had his daddy’s nose, had blue eyes and long eye lashes that most girls commented on and were envious of. His smile and laugh was infectious. He loved to get tickled and asked often for you to tickle and play with him. His passions in life were anything involving pirates, swords, cookies, gummy bears, trains, busses and chocolate milk.

His mother works at Costco and he knew the sign well and whenever he saw it he would yell out “Costco” and wanted to go there.

Garrett also loved the outdoors. He father owns several four wheelers and a ranger. He loved to go on ranger rides! He would always sit next to his daddy, often with his blanket right beside him. Even if it was just to move it a couple of feet or only to move it in the garage he would always want to go on rides. He would break down into tears if he thought you were going to leave without him. Without fail we would ask for the key at the conclusion of a ride.

Garrett loved his daddy’s marching band and parades. He loved candy and during his last days in life he was seen toting around his candy bag from the Lehi parade. His infant Westlake band hat and his blue t-shirt which indicated “Future [Westlake Thunder] Band” member is a cherished item that he loved and insisted on wearing at each band event.

His favorite songs were “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and the “ABC” song. He sang these often and had the sweetest voice. He loved camping, fires and was very excited to see and do fireworks on the 4th of July. He loved his grandma and Papa and his Nana and Pa and was so excited to see them soon. Most evenings during his last days of life he could be seen sitting next to his daddy cuddling while watching a TV show or movie in the basement. This is a cherished memory that his father will always remember.

We will all miss our little “Gare Bear”

Pickle Explosion

2011-06-14T15:39:00.000-06:00

I do not really enjoy cooking. It takes time and is messy. And only half of the family will like any given meal, so there's always a complainer.

Today, I decided to be a good wife and mother and make a casserole for dinner so that it would be ready for the boys after Reed's baseball game and so that I could have leftovers after City Council. I even used leftovers, so I should just about be translated. The grand finale was a sprinkling of cheese on top. I reached into the refrigerator to get the cheese and the Half-and-Half container jumped off the shelf. When I went to grab it, I apparently nudged the gigantic Costco-sized jar of dill pickles. They plunged to their death on the unforgiving slate floor.

So, then I had to clean up the regular cooking mess PLUS the evil pickle disaster.

Did I mention that I don't even like dill pickles?

Currently. . .

2011-06-13T22:42:00.000-06:00

I am:

enjoying summer vacation.
working on getting my home decluttered.
eating no-bake cookies that are totally delish.
drinking water and strawberry limeade. ( Haven't had a DC all day!)
hoping that it doesn't really take three weeks for my camera to get fixed.
wishing that a bag of money would fall out of the sky!
worrying about what direction my life should be headed.
wanting to know. Now.
trying to relax and enjoy the journey.
praying that my children will be strong and make correct choices.
feeling happy.

Four Outs???

2011-06-09T23:08:00.000-06:00

I love baseball.

Memories of my childhood include laying in my bed listening to the Red Sox play as I drifted of to sleep on warm summer nights. My whole childhood and youth were filled with seasons of Red Sox games because my parents were fans. Ok. . . my mom was more of a fanatic. She was normally quite mild mannered, so hearing her call the pitcher a bum and ranting about the manager-du-jour was pretty amusing. During those years I was a fair weather fan who mostly watched the games because they were on- not because I was interested.

Then there were the dark years. . . I never watched a game during college or in my early years of marriage. Colby and Parker had no effect on my tv viewing habits, but then came Reed. I swear the child was born with a baseball in his hand! He would watch games when he was just a little guy, but the whole thing got out of hand when we moved my mom to Utah. The Alzheimer's was getting bad and one of the only things that settled her down was watching a game. We immediately signed up for DirecTV's Extra Innings so that we would have games. we also started recording games as a hedge against winter. Little did we know we were creating a monster.

So. . . Reed finally got to play on the Red Sox this year. He loves putting on the uniform- I think he thinks that he is heading off to play with Papelbon and Big Papi. I got to the game late tonight, but just in time to see Reed snag this grounder and throw the runner out at first. The thing that made me laugh was the wad of bubble gum he had going. That reminded me of my brother Bruce. He ALWAYS chewed bubble gum.

Any way. . .

About the four outs. Our pitching was in the toilet. We had walked the first three batters up, so the bases were loaded. At this point we were ahead 7-3, but the parents were thinking that we were in big trouble. The batter hit an in-field pop fly which was caught (out 1) and the ball was thrown to home plate where the catcher tagged the incoming runner. (out 2) Then the ball was thrown to third where the incoming runner was tagged (out 3) but he had actually been on 1st base and had passed the kid on second, so they were out anyway (out 4?). It was crazy, but the game was saved! We went on to win after the next inning.

Little League baseball just about kills you to watch. There is not enough time spent on the basic rules and since the rules "change" every two years as the kids progress to a new age group, there is always plenty to learn. But, there is never any lack of excitement!

I Finally Achieved the Perfect Weight!

2011-06-05T20:36:00.000-06:00

It's not what you think, though.

It has been a weekend of endings and beginnings. Culminations and commencements. (That sounds a little Jane Austen, doesn't it?)

Colby graduated on Friday from Lehi High School. He had a rough start and still has horrendous handwriting, but he made it. In fact, he was never in peril of NOT graduating (we had several of those students) so I was very happy. He even has a half scholarship to UVU for next year, so things are looking good.

Friday night we had a graduation party for Colby. (Thanks to all who came! We love that our friends support us since we have no family nearby!) It's funny how one minute you have the party under control and the next you can't scoop ice cream fast enough! What a blast. Thanks to Scott and Cathrine for all their help!!! (Ice cream has NOTHING to do with the weight issue, by the ~~weigh~~ way!)

Saturday was family portraits. Close your eyes and imagine it. We all go through it. Why? Because we are crazy. I haven't seen the proofs yet, but I will share!

This morning Colby was ordained to the office of an elder. We were all bawling by the end of the blessing. Bad enough that it would have been embarrassing to go to class, so we went home to get him ready for his flight to Arizona where he will march with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps.

Time flew. We managed to get everything done and stuff his duffel bag full. As I looked down at the monstrosity sitting in my kitchen I mused that it was pretty darn heavy (probably over the 50 lb limit) but there was really nothing we could do about it. Ed said that we would just pay the charge for it being too heavy and off we went. We went through a LOT of tissues on the way to the airport. I am pretty sure that Colby was dehydrated by the time we got there. He hates goodbyes. So do I. I am always dehydrated from crying, so nobody thinks that is weird!

We stopped at the Sky Cap and wrangled the duffel out of the back of the Suburban. Ed swung it up onto the scale and I said, "How far over are we?" The Sky Cap said, "You're OK." with disbelief we all looked at the scale. This is what it showed! Finally, the perfect weight!

Guest Post- They Fought For Me

2011-05-30T23:03:00.000-06:00

Ed posted this as a note on Facebook today. I thought it was great and wanted to share and maintain it here on my blog.

Kaye and I are a bit unusual among our peer group. Our parents were older than our friends parents. They were WWII era men and women who knew personally the great sacrifice of war. My mother's father was killed in action in Bari, Italy while serving as as the First Officer on a cargo ship that was loaded with Mustard Gas Bombs. The last of these horrible weapons was recently incinerated at a facility on the edge of the west desert, just 30 miles or so from our home in Utah. Kaye's father was a Scout with an Army Calvary Division. We know very little of his war time service. Like many of his generation, he would not allow himself to be defined by his military service. He was a great man. He was wounded during the war but rarely spoke of the pain those wounds caused. He was part of an Army unit that arrived first on the scene at one of the horrific death camps established to eliminate the Jews. He returned home, completed an education and spent a career with the Boy Scouts and then a second career as a Junior High School shop teacher. Many spoke during his funeral but none remembered him for his service to our country. Those who spoke of his life spoke of more current acts of service. He committed his entire life to doing good.

My father was a radio operator and spent most of his time during WWII stationed in Souix Falls, S.D. training other young men to do the same. He was stationed for a time on Tinian Island in the South Pacific. An island that would remain unknown but for one event that guaranteed it a place in written history. Like Kaye's dad, WWII was a distant memory and he didn't discuss it ever. I can't ever recall him telling even a single anecdote from his years of service. He returned from the war and settled down to become a businessman, friend, volunteer, and father. He was a Mason and a Shriner. Like Kaye's parents, my Mom and Dad spent many hours involved in numerous service organizations. My Father worked tirelessly to support the cause of Shriner's Hospitals and the other charities of the Masonic Lodge that he was a member of. When he died, it was his Masonic friends who came in a seemingly endless procession to express to my Mother the help he had been to them personally.

These men fought for honor, for duty and for me. Like most of my generation, the sights and sounds of war are the ones we see on television newscasts. I took Kaye's Dad to see Saving Private Ryan many years ago. He remarked as we were leaving that he had crossed the beach about 14 days after the invasion first began. It was total chaos he said. And while the movie captured some visual imagery that provoked long forgotten memories, he said it was the sounds and smells that he could never explain. No one could.

Today we remember them. They fought for us.

An Evening of Excellence

2011-05-26T22:08:00.000-06:00

When I was in high school, back in the days when the stars shone brighter because they were new, it was a big deal to get a scholarship. Most students did not get scholarships to go to school and if you did get a scholarship it was probably a fairly small one. I think that I got one scholarship for $500.00. And I graduated 6th out of about 500 seniors in my class.

Tonight we attended the Evening of Excellence at Lehi High School where we witnessed over 2.5 MILLION dollars of scholarships being given out to the senior class. I was just happy to be there because it wasn't that long ago that I wondered if Colby would make it through school- nevermind continue on to college. But because of his involvement and excellence in music, he has been awarded two half scholarships for next year. . . one at Weber State University and one at Utah Valley University. He also received the Semper Fidelis Award from the US Marine Corps for musical excellence. (And I had absolutely nothing to do with any of these awards!)

After the ceremony Ed and I took Colby out to Winger's for a late dinner. While we were there he thanked me for making his senior year so great. he said that he had loved having me as a teacher. I managed to not bawl, although I could not talk for a while. So, what I am tonight is one proud mama.

Not Perfect

2011-05-25T22:34:00.000-06:00

The secret is out. I am not perfect. And I can say that I don't want to be, but I do! I HATE making mistakes. I hate getting upset. I REALLY hate making mistakes.

In my book one of the worst mistakes you can make when working with kids is forgetting someone's award at a awards event. I know how much it hurts the kids and it hurts me just as much because I beat myself up about it.

Tonight I missed a jazz band student and a percussion student. Aaaarrrrggghhhh! That drives me absolutely crazy. And then I got chided by a mother who thought that I had forgotten her child as well. Unfortunately that child did not qualify, but I still feel badly. Aaaaarrrgggghhhh!!!!!!!

And I am also mad that I let things get to me. Another mistake. That mom got to me, but not as much as the people who I have worked with for the last 10 months who now don't even bother to say "hi" to me because I am no longer part of the group. What I have to say to them should not be in print. Too rude. I hope they don't need anything in the near future. I'll forget in a couple of months because that is just how I am. But I am ticked off tonight.

So. . . I guess I am perfect. Perfectly disgusted. With them. And myself.

Jazzed about Jazz

2011-05-24T18:34:00.000-06:00

Last night we had "Jazz Nite" at good old Lehi High. It was a tradition when I was at Lehi before, but it hasn't happened in several years. We held it in the Commons Area on the little stage and we sold some snacks and desserts. Some of the desserts looked amazing. . . but I didn't get any!

Karrie Green was in charge of the decorations and little did I know what an over achiever she is!!! (She reminds me of someone. . . hmmm. . . who is it. . . Oh, yeah. Me!) The open space between the commons and the hall was filled in with a wall of black paper glittered with stars and swirls. A mirrored disco ball hung from the rafters while decorations hung on fishline waved over the dance floor. Just plain amazing. I SO wish that I had photos!!! (If you are reading this and you have some, please send them to me! These pics don't show the "wall"!)

My two jazz bands played 3 sets of music for the audience's pleasure. OK. . . some of the tunes had slight issues. . . and one was a total crash and burn. . . but no one seemed to mind. By the time we wrapped things up with Earth, Wind and Fire's September, the dance floor was packed! It was a night of fun- which was the whole point, so I will call that a success.

Seminary Graduation

2011-05-22T20:11:00.000-06:00

It still amazes me that LDS teenagers attend a religious class as aprt of their school schedule. And it amazes me even more that they GO and for the most part they ENJOY the class. The church hires some great teachers who are energetic and spiritual. Colby has been blessed with several great teachers and tonight he, and hundreds of his classmates, were awarded a diploma for finishing four years of seminary. It's a good thing we took pictures before the meeting, because afterwards we had an outrageous downpour complete with lightnigh, thunder, and hail. Hmmmm. . . maybe they all didn't deserve those diplomas. . .

An Unwanted Show of Affection

2011-05-22T19:43:00.000-06:00

It seems to be a rite of passage for adolescents. . . since they are uncomfortable with their changing minds and bodies, they often engage in inappropriate activities in an effort to impress others or to show affection. For adolescent boys (and apprently adolescent girls as well. . .) the "Doorbell Ditch" and "Toilet Papering" are popular stops on the road to adulthood.

In the past month we have had the dubious honor of being the recipients of these displays of affection not just once, but twice. These visits appear to coincide with the birthdays of Colby and Parker. The first clue was the doorbell ringing at 12:30am. When I looked outside I was met with a vision of white strips of paper fluttering in the breeze. I know it is hard to believe, but my first inclination was to feel anger and frustration, not love and acceptance. I stand chastened. Maybe the frustration comes from the fact that the perpetrators went all the way around my house and not once did the dogs give any indication that there was something unusual going on outside! No treats for Lewis and Clark today. I went back to bed while Ed watched for sometime, hoping that the delinquents would come by again, but to no avail.

At about 7:30 this morning, after taking these beautiful photos, Colby, Parker, Reed and I spent the better part of an hour pulling toilet paper out of our trees and bushes, cleaning it off all the vehicles, and stuffing it into four large garbage bags. Since we found the wrappers, I am confident that the paperers used 48 double rolls of toilet paper in their quest for decorative domination. At least we can be comforted by the fact that they did not scrimp. I thought the draping of the fence was really quite well done and the paper that is stuck on the roof attests to a strong throwing arm, so I think they should get an A for effort.

Prom 2011

2011-05-15T23:00:00.000-06:00

I am a little behind in posting prom photos. Colby's senior has come and gone so quickly that I can hardly believe it! I had all sorts of big plans, but mostly we are in survival mode.

Colby, being the good son that he is, decided he should mow the lawn on May 6th. We appreciated his efforts, but he paid dearly. Apparently his Allegra wasn't really up to the additional allergens. His allergies took a hit that took some of the joy out of the prom. He went through a whole box of tissues in a 24 hour period. . .

He did put up with a few photos before heading out to pick up the other members of his group, but you can see by the look on his face that he just wasn't that into the photo session. This was by far the best shot. . .

I was quite impressed this time around that the guys actually had something planned before the event began. Usually I am prodding Colby to come up with a plan a day or two before the dance. The hardest part for this event was finding accessories for Colby's tux that would match Brittany's dress. I printed out color samples to match against that sash and I even visited the dress to make sure that I had a good mental image of the color. Clash would have been bad. From now on I will begin my searches for similar items at Men's Wearhouse. They easily have 3x more choices than the competitors.

Colby picked up Nick, Heather and Brittany before heading over to Quail Park (which is the revised, somewhat snooty name of the American Fork Amphitheatre.) They were running late because Nick forgot Heather's corsage and they had to go back for it. When they finally did make it to the park, I whipped out the camera only to realize that I had left the memory card in the computer. Luckily there was a Wal-Mart nearby, so Papa C went on a tear for a new CF card.

It was fun to watch all the prom kids with their photographers. There were some stunning gowns, some 70's tuxes, and lots of giggling. What fun! This foursome met up with Garrett and Kayla for dinner and then they drove up to the Prom in the mighty Suburban. The Prom was actually held in a room at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. All Colby had to say about it was that it was way too hot. He is such a talker.

So, here is Colby with his special lady, Brittany. She may look familiar because they have gone to every formal together. That is SO against our family rules, but she is such as sweetheart that it is hard to argue that he should be dating other girls. We met some of the other girls. . . and Brittany is an excellent choice.

Band On The Run

2011-05-14T15:31:00.000-06:00

As part of the massive fundraising effort that has been kicked off at Lehi High School to allow the band to get to Washington, DC for the 2012 National Independence Day Parade, today we had a race. I have been imagining this event in my free time (from approximately 2:17am-2:54am) for almost three months. I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to stage the event and how it would all flow. But reality hit this week.

Reality in event planning is when when you have to try to get people to do a specific job in a specific way so that the outcome looks like what is your head- only no one else has the whole picture, so it may or may not come together. Reality is understanding that you cannot do it all. . . you must have help. And reality is also standing back and letting it happen.

I am happy to say that reality was wonderful today. Not exactly what I had in mind, but great in its own way. There were so many happy moments: like Home Depot actually being open at 6am, my first helper arriving at 7am, chairs on rolling carts so that I could put them where I wanted before I had to explain anything, a warm creamcheese and strawberry donut, more helpers than I had jobs, more runners than I was expecting, students who were on time, perfect weather, and parents who truly are willing to do anything I ask them to do. I am actually feeling overwhelmed by how so many puzzle pieces where on the right place on the table today.

The most exciting moment for me was seeing a huge crowd of people leave the starting line and head down 1st North in the 5K. It was one of those moments when you realize that all your thoughts actually came to life! Not only had I never planned a race before, I have never BEEN to a race before, so I wasn't ready for the excitement of the starting line! I am not sure how many people raced or how much money we actually cleared, but I know that everyone had fun (with the exception of the gentleman who got talked into walking the 10K. . .not happy), and that was half the battle.

Next week we will get back to the administrative tasks, but for today, it was fun to be a party planner.

The Best Mother's Day Yet!

2011-05-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely hate Mother's Day. First off, my mom is gone, so I just get sad thinking about how she isn't here. And then there is church. Although I know that the purpose of talks about moms is to be encouraging, it just backfires every year. I usually come away from the Sunday Services feeling like a total and complete failure as a mom. This general feeling is compounded by discussions of great stay-at-home moms (Hey! I LIKE working!!!) and quotes about how no success compensates for failure in the home. (Hey! I am not solely responsible for failures in the home!!!)

So. . . this year we may have found a solution.

This Mother's Day was also our Stake Conference. For those of you who are not LDS, this is a twice-a-year two hour service where we take 6-7 congregations and shove them into one building so that our regional leaders can speak to us. They are usually wonderful meetings. . . if you get there at least an hour early to get a soft seat in the chapel so that you can hear what is going on. Clearly we could not have 100% attendance or there would not be enough seats for everyone, so this year we decided to serve others by staying home. (How is THAT for justification???)

I slept until 9:20am. I got up and laid around in my jammies until the middle of the afternoon- well after I had eaten Ed's wonderful "Big Breakfast." I was presented with a new office chair for my desktop computer that Parker put together. I hardly know what to do with a chair that sports two arms! I've only had one for so long that this is a real treat. By the time I showered, dressed, and played a couple of games of Scrabble with Norm (the computer's name on my iPad) it was time for a very nice dinner. Very yummy. The day ended with a reception for Nate Seamons at the school. That was great, too. Except for the cupcake crumbs that I had to scrape out of the carpet.

All in all, it was a lovely Mother's Day. I got lots of hugs and snugs and I relaxed. I think I'll be skipping church next year, too. . . whether or not it is Stake Conference! But don't tell the Bishop. . . we will let it be a surprise!

Fashion Sense?

2011-04-30T17:34:00.000-06:00

Although I love watching the pomp and ceremony of anything that the Royal Family of Britain does, I was not really planning to watch William and Catherine's wedding yesterday. But it is not unusual for me to wake up in the middle of the night, so it worked out that I tuned in just in time to see two horribly dressed young women getting out of a car and entering the church. Turns out that they were Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. I know the Brits are crazy about head gear, but these were unfortunate choices in my opinion!

Luckily, Catherine had MUCH better taste and looked beautiful. She probably would have looked good in anything, but I am glad that she didn't go with some slinky, "Hollywood-looking" dress. Not that she cares what I think. . .

So, back to fashion. Apparently I have none. I look at fashion magazines and designer collections and mostly I just want to laugh. I think about The Devil Wears Prada and I wonder how much of what I wear is actually affected by these horrific trends. I have a few "trendy" items in my closet, but mostly it boils down to jeans with a loose bottom hem, straight easy-to-wear skirts, round neck t-shirts, turtleneck sweaters, and lots of cardigans and jackets. So. . . maybe the colors are affected season to season, but truthfully, not much else!

And that's ok by me. . .

My New Look

2010-11-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, my hair is purple. I have been getting some very interesting looks in the halls at school. And I even had a young "gentleman" make some suggestive gestures toward me yesterday- which hasn't happened for years, so here's the story. . .

Last May or June a bunch of the marching band students were hanging around and fantasizing about how cool it would be to win state and how teams sometimes shave their heads or bleach out their hair. After they suggested that I could shave my head if they won, I said there was no way I would shave my head but I would dye my hair purple if they won at the Red Rocks Competition in St. George, which is the closest thing we have to a state championship. At that moment in time I was looking at a rag-tag bunch of musicians who were having a hard time marching- even without their instruments. I didn't think they could do it and I never really thought about it again, but apparently the band did.

A few weeks ago they started teasing me that they were going to win Red Rocks and I would have to dye my hair. I was still pretty unconcerned because our show had not totally clicked and the judges were not seeming to love us. We continued to work hard and make changes to our show that we hoped would please the judges. . . So, imagine my surprise last Friday night when the band stepped onto the field at Dixie College and delivered the best performance I have ever seen from them! It was almost magical! When they announced that we had won the music caption, the visual caption, and the Color Guard caption, I knew we were going to win. About 20 seconds after they announced our first place win and I let the band break attention, the chant began. . . "Pur-ple hair, pur-ple hair!"

We got the band back to the hotel and Ed drove me back to Sally Beauty Supply in St. George. A very helpful salesperson helped me find the products that she felt would work the best to produce a luxurious, purple coif. I was armed with items that brought a look of wonder to the cashier's face and was out of the store in under ten minutes. Later that evening I donned my rubber gloves and got to work. First I had to bleach my hair for about 30 minutes. It was a good thing that the salesperson had given a warning about the results AND that Ed was asleep when that process finished. My hair was a terrible shade of bright orange and felt like straw. Then I applied the semi-permanent "Vicious Violet" tint and left that on for 20 minutes. I was not happy with the results at the end of that process, so I had to repeat it. By then, I felt that I was sufficiently purple.

It was hilarious to watch my students' reactions as they came to breakfast on Saturday morning at 6am and realized that I had kept my word. The real fun began at about 8:30am when the sun topped the mountains and my hair began to glow with color. I lost track of how many people stopped me at the competition to tell me that they liked my hair and that I looked good with my lavender locks. A lot of people wanted to touch it to see what it felt like. Too funny. I am sure that most of the male band directors with whom I work and compete thought it rather silly and unprofessional, but that didn't bother me at all. I said I would do it and I did.

I will probably be back to normal this weekend although Colby thinks I should have it purple at church. I think I will let the professionals handle the next round of color treatment. Hopefully my hair doesn't fall out.

UPDATE- It seems that purple hair dye appears somewhat bluish under flourescent lighting, so you may want to go on the pinkish side. Just a tip for all you crazy people who may want to dye your hair purple, too!

And no. . . I am not hiding out while sporting my school pride. . . last night I attended a City Council meeting and a joint meeting with the Alpine School District Board of Education. Most people think it is cool. Some people are too afraid to ask. . .

Our Cabin

2010-07-19T22:38:00.000-06:00

We love to go to Sanpete County to our cabin. We looked for a long time (4 years!) before we finally found the right place for us. We ended up doing a LOT more renovation than we originally planned, but we are almost done. Now we are getting down to actually getting some art up and building a shed for the 4-wheelers. My "Soda Spot" is on a deck that got built last fall. It has a great view of the woods, some bird feeders, and the hot tub.

Ed's favorite spot is the front deck. I was standing right in front of the hot tub, but I forgot to take a picture of it!

This is a view of the cabin from the kitchen.

We love the rocking chairs- both inside and out.

Here's the kitchen. The wood stove is our main heat source in the colder months. We didn't plan to totally re-do the kitchen, but the original cabinets were so nasty that I couldn't clean them. When we started tearing them out we found mouse nests, so we are really glad that we tore them out. All the holes got plugged up and now I know that things are clean!

And this is the back deck/playground area. The firepit area is behind the playground. I am pretty sure that one of these days I will get to the cabin only to find that this area is torn apart. The deck is in a great spot, but not in the best shape, so I know that this project is rising to the top of Ed's list. I imagine that a re-make will include a bigger deck, a bigger sand box, and the swingset in a new place if it sticks around. . .

It is a wonderful place to relax and just be. . .

National Ice Cream Day!!!

2010-07-14T09:16:00.000-06:00

Does it get any better than this?

It's going to be a nice hot day in Utah and it is National Ice Cream Day! For some of you, that may mean that you have an ice cream treat, but as for me and my house, we will have a smorgasbord!

We have several favorite ice cream places. The BYU Creamery in Provo has the best "traditional" ice cream, but a new favorite is Sub Zero in American Fork. They mix the milk and the mix ins and then pour in some liquid nitrogen to freeze it into ice cream. It's pretty fun and tasty, too!

So. . . here are our favorite flavors.

Reed- Vanilla, Strawberry

Parker- Mint Chocolate Chip, Vanilla

Colby- Chunky Monkey, Cinnamon Bun, Mountain Dew

Kaye- Chocolate, Butter Pecan, Black Raspberry

Ed- Pistachio, Vanilla, Strawberry

Leave a comment with your favorite flavor!!

Check out Joan's Blog. . . she will analyze your ice cream choices!

Siesta

2010-07-13T16:00:00.000-06:00

I have truly begun to see the value of the siesta lately. I think the Spaniards are on to something.

About 17 years ago, Ed and I traveled to Spain with a group of 21 students from Calais High School in Calais, Maine. Calais is a small city on the eastern border of Maine. Although most of the students were comfortable passing through customs to go into St. Stephen, New Brunswick, many of them had never made it to New Hampshire.

To those of you who think Ed and I are brash and pushy now, imagine how much we have probably mellowed in those 17 years! One of my favorite memories of that trip was from Malaga- a resort town in Costa del Sol. On the tour bus our tour guide was regaling the students with tales of this beautiful hotel where we would have the honor to stay. She made sure that we understood that it was a four-star hotel and that we should act with utmost respect. Soon thereafter we walked into the lobby of a once-beautiful but quite run-down establishment. While the students were oohing and aahing with a fervor that would have made Franco proud, Ed plants his feet in the middle of the lobby and questions with a loud voice, "Was that four stars out of one hundred?"

Alas, I digress.

The point of my story was that it drove Ed and I crazy that the whole country shut down for a couple of hours each afternoon. Sure it was hot, but we had paid good money to see Spain and were not happy about our sightseeing efforts being thwarted. Methinks we may be a little too Type A. It amazes me every day how well we get along. . .

But now, in my middle-aged years I am beginning to understand the value of having the noonday meal be the big meal of the day and then taking a nap afterward. I am way more productive with the rest of my hours and I only need 5-6 hours of sleep at night. This is especially useful on days when I know that the Lehi City Council meeting will easily go from 5:30pm to midnight.

Hey! Maybe we need a "siesta ordinance." Long live the siesta.

The Real Bat Girl

2010-07-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

Note: If you are a devout environmentalist, squeamish, or you accidentally pee when you laugh, please stop reading now.

OK. You are still here.

On Friday Ed and I were at the cabin. . . alone. All the kids were on Scout adventures, so we took the opportunity to go build the new railing on the deck and stain it. We worked hard and didn't bother to eat anything except a couple of leftover Krispy Kreme donuts. This could account for our behavior later in this tale.

Our friends Ron and Julie FOggin came down to unwind and go out to dinner with us. This sounds relaxing and uneventful, huh. But no. We had a lovely chat about our kids and dogs and parades and obnoxious bands with the initals of W.J. and then we dove into a fierce game of hand and foot. When you are sitting at the table in the cabin, there is a lovely view of our bird feeder. Unfortunately, the chipmunks have found the feeder. Ron tapped the window to scare the little guy off and he just looked at Ron and went right back to eating. We were all stunned by the critter's brazen attitude, but it was too much for Ron. He grabbed Parker's pump action BB gun, opened the window a crack and continued playing. After about 20 minutes Chippy showed up at the feeder. Ron picked up the gun, took aim (all the while sitting in his chair) and beaned the critter.

By this time we were all laughing hysterically. . . especially when Ron buried Chippy. . . complete with a cross grave marker. For those of you who enjoy gore. . . we were amazed at the clean shot and how the little intestines came right out. Wow. I guess that qualified us all as rednecks!

Not too long later we had moved back into the living room area when Ed noticed something moving up in the top of the cabin. At first we thought it must be a mouse, but then we realized it was a bat. Three out of four of us were standing, staring up at the roof with binoculars. They don't work super well inside at fairly close range, but it must have been a funny sight.

Since Ron was all warmed up, he loaded the BB Gun and went up to the loft to get a close range shot.

He shot the bat and all of a sudden it came flying out. Julie and I screamed as it swooped down. It was quite a scene. The bat landed on the top window sill in the front of the cabin. There are pretty large cracks and crevices in the sill and the bat went down into one of them. We figured he was dead, but then we started seeing movement. While surveying the scene, Lewis licked my foot and I screamed again like a little girl. Then everyone was laughing at me. Once I got my breath back, I was OK.

Julie just could not imagine leaving the bat up there, so Ed and Ron got the ladder while I kept watch on the flying critter. Julie donned a surgical mask and two layers of procedural gloves. I just about peed my pants when she announced that she was doing that because "Hey, I've read The Hot Zone and I know the importance of double gloving." I, too, have read The Hot Zone, so I knew what she was talking about.

If you haven't scared yourself silly worrying about Ebola, you should. Here's the link: The Hot Zone

Here she is gloved, masked, and heading up the ladder to do battle.

The tools of choice at the beginning of the adventure were two pairs of tongs. About the time that this photo was taken, Julie started screaming "He's alive! He has his mouth open and he's hissing at me!" We were all laughing like fools by this time. It was clear that more lethal tools were needed, so Ed put the dogs out and Ron handed her a BBQ fork. After a few more exclamations an hisses, Julie stabbed the bat.

"I got him! I stabbed him right through the mouth!"

We were all terrified that she was going to fall off the ladder if the bat flew out at her, so we were glad it had been stabbed. Dead. But Ed was laughing so hard that he couldn't breath and he had to go outside.

She hauled the bat out of it's death hole using the tongs and climbed down until she could drop the little rat with wings into a cup. BTW, what do you think of this stunning chandelier? When it is on it makes the cabin look like it is on fire to the casual observer. I will replace it one of these days and then I'l either sell it on ebay or host a blog give-away!!!

After the bat was hastily done away with, we all washed thoroughly while we were still laughing uproariously. My stomach hurt from laughing so much, but finally hunger had set in, so we headed to Mt. Pleasant to eat at Rodger's. We laughed all the way there and halfway through dinner. It was just a confluence of crazy occurences that set us off.

What a fun afternoon! We hardly ever see the Foggins, so it was great to catch up. Next time we get together, I am sure that we'll have another good laugh!

Boys and Engines

2010-07-06T09:42:00.000-06:00

My boys must be unusual.

I keep hearing about how men and boys are just addicted to anything that goes.

They love hearing the rev of the engine. The shimmer of the candy apple red paint. The maneuverability.

I just don't understand why no one wants to take this baby out for a spin???

Celebrating Collins Style

2010-07-04T08:44:00.000-06:00

Although today is the Fourth of July, our celebrations began yesterday and will continue until tomorrow. Since we don't have any family living in the area, we are not beholden to any traditions- we have the opportunity to make our own. Since buying the cabin, we tend to come here for the holiday and invite anyone who wants to come eat, relax, and be. Yesterday we were happy to have the Rice and Lockhart families come join us.

The day began with Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches (celebrating the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence) and moved through 9 holes of golf, ATV/ golf cart rides around the mountain, time in the hot tub, naps, a few small projects and lots of fun conversation. Dinner was the most delicious ribs. . . Ed did a fabulous job on those and several side dishes. The main topic of conversation during dinner was the Twilight series of books and movies. (I have read the books and I haven't seen any of the movies.)

I bought a birthday cake for Daniel's 19th birthday, but when it sat there next to the strawberry shortcake, it got no attention at all. I just have to have strawberry shortcake for the 4th of July. . . mostly because my mom always made it. I just buy pound cake at Costco and everyone thinks it is amazing.

At about 9:15 we all left for Mt. Pleasant to see the fireworks. We have never seen them before, so we didn't know where to go to watch. Last year we planned to watch the fireworks with all the same friends, but God had other plans and sent the most amazing lightning storm that most of us had ever seen. Anyway, we lucked into a great spot and were pleasantly surprised by the fireworks.

Daniel Rice- 19, Dallin Rice- 17, Colby Collins-17, Dania Rice- 15, Stephen Lockhart-14, Parker Collins-14, Dalton Rice-13, Reed Collins-12

After all the oohs and aahs, the Lockharts headed back to Provo and the Rices came back to the cabin. We ate some more. . . (that's the "Collins Style" part) and headed to bed around 12:30. What a wonderful day!

Quartz VS Pot

2010-06-28T16:00:00.000-06:00

Someday, I am going to be a great cook. Maybe.

My Nana was a great cook- everything that she made was delicious and the epitome of comfort food. Her bread was fabulous and she was just about famous for it. She died one morning of a burst aneurysm in her brain. . . while she was making bread. I always have loved that she died doing what she loved.

My Mom on the other hand, was not much of a cook. Probably because she never had to when she was growing up. She was good at no-bake butterscotch cookies and raspberry squares, but she didn't like cooking and just wasn't that great at it. The good news was that my dad was decent in the kitchen and he made dinner at least 75% of the time. I must admit that Friday was my favorite day, though. We ALWAYS went out for dinner on Friday night. I loved it.

Now there's me. I can bake bread and I can cook, but I don't really enjoy it most of the time. I am LOUSY at following a recipe (or a pattern or any other instructions, for that matter) and so my favorite celebrity cook is Rachel Ray. I have learned a lot from her and I really appreciate her "go for it" method of cooking. When I cook RR Style, it is usually a hit with my family.

So. . . today I got the urge to cook and to use up some left overs that we had. I didn't have any incidents while making the pasta salad although the dogs were awfully interested in the bacon. Then I made Sampson beans which is a bunch of different cans of beans, some hamburger, and some seasonings. Shouldn't be hard, huh. All was well until I sat down in Ed's chair after carrying a basket into our bedroom. I swear his chair has a dopamine injector in it. I promptly fell asleep. . . but only for about 10-15 minutes. I woke up and darted for the kitchen because I knew the beans were on high. (Ed says that I only cook on high, but it's not true. I also use off.) I was afraid they were burned, so I pulled them off onto the counter which is made of quartz and which we were told when it was purchased that I could put hot stuff on it. I turned around to put the pasta salad in a bowl and I jumped a mile when I heard a large "crack". Parker heard it and came running, too. I knew instantly that the &8%* counter had cracked. Luckily it is a small crack and is hard to find.

Next time I am getting concrete countertops. And cooking lessons.

Ahhh. . . summer!

2010-06-21T07:17:00.000-06:00

Summer has finally arrived. It is going to be in the 80's and 90's all week. That is welcome news to those of us who don't really enjoy the snow! It has been a cool spring, but there is a benefit- Utah is beautiful and green. Quite possibly the greenest I have seen over the past 16 years of living here. That probably means we will have a lot of fires later in the summer, but I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

The weird thing is that I haven't planted any flowers this year. Not one. I usually get flower baskets and seedlings for Mother's Day, but it was so darn cold that Ed didn't buy any. I think that was wise as some people have planted two or three times! My backyard is a jumble of color with my roses and perennials and the front yard looks awful. I am not pleased with how the landscaping has evolved, but am too lazy to want to do much about it.

We spent the weekend at the cabin where the scrub oaks are gorgeous. We managed to get two sides of the cabin stained a very dark brown that I love!!!! Murphy's Law was at work, but we triumphed. Now we just have to schedule the other two sides. . . Ed had a load of gravel dropped off as well and I cannot believe what a difference that has made in the look of the front of the cabin. I will post photos when we are all done. Right now we still have two sides and a mountain of gravel to deal with.

Hmm. . .

2010-05-18T22:28:00.000-06:00

I love being a mom.

I love that I never open a door. There is always a handsome young man opening doors at church, school, stores, and even the car! How pampered am I?
I love watching my kids do karate, play baseball, play euphonium, and the dozens of other things they do. I am WAY more proud and excited about their accomplishments than I am about the crazy things I do.
I love hearing my kids laugh. I think my kids are generally witty and hilarious. Sure, we border on the crude and socially unacceptable. . . but these are BOYS I am dealing with!
I love being loved. There is absolutely nothing better than a big bear hug from your son. Especially when they are 17 and still give hugs- even in front of their friends.

But being a mom is scary, too.

What if I haven't taught them everything they need to know?
What if they aren't happy?
What if they get sick?
What if they end up just like me?
What if they end up hating me?

I can't dwell on the "What ifs," because they will drive me CRAZY! I will just be happy with my awesome kids today. Now.

Deja Vu. . . All over again. . .

2010-04-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

In the summer of 1997 I was hired to be the Band Director at Lehi High School. It wasn't much of a job- since there were only 15 students on the first day of class. Eight of those students were horrified to find out that they actually had to bring (and play) their instruments, so I sent them to drop the class. One moved away in November, so for most of the year the band consisted of 6 students. I had no real idea how to be successful
with that group, so I decided to make them successful as individuals. Three of the six made All State that year.

Since the JH was in much the same condition it took a while to grow. Pete Swiderski was a brand new teacher that year and as his program grew, we added students at the high school. I was a half time teacher and the seams were starting to stretch by 2003. We added some classes, did some additional recruiting, and made the position full time beginning in the 2004 school year. I was excited for the new challenge. . . until my mom broke both hips. The stress level in my life had exceeded my ability to handle it, and I ended up quitting my job.

During the last six years, I have had very little to do with music. The stress of dealing with my mom clouded my memory and made me think that I was done teaching forever. I watched what was happening at the high school, but stayed away through three teachers in 5 years. This became increasingly more difficult as Colby became more and more of a band geek!

Everything changed in December. Our band director, who is also a member of the Army National Guard, was activated. He announced the news to the students and sent out an e-mail to the parents. I was blissfully shopping and ignoring my Blackberry's message features when I got a call from Ed asking if I was ready to teach. After he read me the e-mail, I called Mr. Seamons and offered to substitute whenever he needed me. Little did I know what that would mean! I taught most of January, most of March and I will be back at the school on May 6 until the end of the year.

I was pretty nervous about subbing so much, but it has been a joy. I re-discovered the love of music and I remembered why I became a teacher in the first place. What a great group of teenagers! After much talk and discussion, I decided to apply for the one year position to cover for Nate while he is in the Middle East. There were 14 applicants for the one-year position! I got the news this afternoon that I was chosen to get the job.

So, deja vu. Same classroom, same office, new students, more classes. A little like 1997, but it's going to be a whole lot more work! Watch out Lehi High- I'm coming back!

Spring?????

2010-04-04T22:49:00.000-06:00

I am really sick of snow. I grew up in Maine, live in Utah, and plan to retire somewhere WARM. . . and alone. Ed is one of those crazy people who enjoys the snow, but I am planning on going anyway. There are some sure signs that spring is coming. . . or could possibly be here already.

The snow isn't sticking.
My crocuses (or is that crocii?) are blooming.
My furry boys have new short hair-dos.
It's spring break. Aptly named? We shall see.
It is baseball season.

This last one warms my heart in a big way tonight. There is nothing better than having the whole family snugged up on the bed while we cheer for the Red SOx. Colby really does not enjoy baseball, but he humors us once in a while. Tonight he called it quits at the beginning of the 9th inning. Heelllooooo!!!! Three outs to VICTORY????? Oh well, at least he was with us for a while!

For those of you who aren't baseball fans,

The Red Sox kicked the Yankees butts!!!

Oh, yeah, baby! It's spring all right!!!!!

My Speed Machine

2010-03-28T19:58:00.000-06:00

At first I wasn't sure. Which model? Which color? It was bigger than I was used to and had a lot more power. The features were amazing, but how would I ever figure out all those buttons? And the cost. . . was I really ready for that monthly payment? Would it be worth it?

After almost a year. . .Oh, yeah. Definitely. :)

Caucus

2010-03-23T21:17:00.000-06:00

It was an absolutely crazy day, but there was no way that I could miss the caucus. We adjourned the City Council meeting at 6:24 and I was out of there in just a couple of minutes. I ran to McDonalds because I was totally starving. After bolting down several hundred calories, I headed into the high school. I didn't pick up any information about the candidates because it all looked like the pamphlets that I already have, so I just found Precinct 16. I was surprised and pleased to see the room fill up with lots of people I know, several I recognized but couldn't place, and a bunch of people that I had never seen before. We had a good turnout.

The business of the precinct was taken care of in fairly short order. That occurred because there were lots of people who were willing to serve. I am the Treasurer. That is a job I can probably handle! I want to be involved, but my City Council duties have to come first. After the meeting there was a little paperwork to do and, of course, some chatting. I was stunned when I was leaving to see how many people were at some of the meetings! Some precincts had to be moved to the commons and cafeteria because there were so many people!!!

I am really happy that so many people came out to the caucus meetings tonight to get involved at a grassroots level. It's too bad that they had to be there, though. What I mean by that is it is too bad that our country is in such a state of confusion and mess that people are willing to get involved. What a change!

My predictions based on tonight's observations:

Bennett loses his seat.
Sumsion re-elected.
Steve White is not going to be re-elected.

We'll know how I did in a few months!

10 Happinesses for Today

2010-03-20T11:19:00.000-06:00

1. It's SPRING!!!!! (the calendar says so. . .)
2. My guys
3. Lehi High School Band (most awesome students. . .)
4. Philosophy Products- especially Amazing Grace
5. Short hair-dos
6. My Blackberry keeps me in touch with loved ones
7. Irish Water Spaniels (my furry children, Lewis and Clark)
8. The amazingness of digital photography and editing
9. Cold medicine
10. Pens with colored ink- especially purple!

A Bossy Mom????

2010-02-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

I took this quiz today to find out more about me. I am almost as fascinating as you! I am pretty sure that the EITJ is the same way I came out when I took this big personality profile during a teacher's workshop. So, basically this means that I like to be in control (big surprise there. . .) and keep everyone moving in the same direction. Hmmm. . . I think this trait came out at City Council the other night.

I'm an "Executive" Mother!

(Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging)

Competent and confident in a management role, I organize the needs and schedules of family members into a workable family system.
What's your mothering personality type? Take the MotherStyles quiz at FamilyEducation.com!

Cake!

2010-02-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last night at Pack Meeting we had three gorgeous cakes that my friend Laura made. I tried two of them and I don't even feel guilty! Trust me. . . yesterday I NEEDED cake! I got thinking that it had been so long since I had made a layer cake that I couldn't even remember doing it. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been since we lived in this house, which is 6 years! Anyway, today I baked. Today we will celebrate the Olympics Opening Ceremony!! I absolutely LOVE the Olympics. We will also celebrate love and Valentine's Day. And we will celebrate that Colby made the Wind Symphony and will be the Baritone Section Leader for Marching Band!!! That is BIG news and he is very excited. I am so happy that I have at least one child who loves band as much as his dad and I do!

Mystery Device

2010-01-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

This morning I had an epiphany moment as I walked through my home. I realized that there is a mystery device in our home that is meant for women alone. Apparently, these devices are completely invisible to the male species until they reach approximately middle age. I know this because these devices are almost never engaged by the three young males who reside in this house.

If you are a man, stop reading now.

This is classified information.

This is on a need-to-know-basis only. You may already be able to see these devices, but you must learn about them on your own.

Below is a photo of the mystery device. Please remember that these are invisible to young males and plan accordingly.

Please note the three-letter word written on the mystery device. This denotes the appropriate position for most daylight hours. Oh, how I wish my sons could see and read these devices! Maybe someday. . .

Romance. . . or Nightmare???

2010-01-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

It's that romantic time of year when young ladies at Lehi High are asking the young men of their dreams to the Sweetheart Dance. You have to ask early, or some other young lady might ask first!

Brittany made plans with me this week to come over on Saturday afternoon while Colby was playing basketball at the church. I managed to get him to clean his room under the guise that we had to take down his little Christmas tree. All seemed well. . . until I took Colby to Barnes and Noble and he decided that he would rather stay at home and read than go play basketball. At that point, I called in the troops. A quick call to Becky Struthers and in just a few minutes Paul was calling Colby and getting him revved up for the game. The minute he walked out of the house I called Brittany and she came right over.

The torn sheet says "It would be a nightmare if you don't go to Sweethearts with me." There were little candies all over the bed. . . but inside the bed were rubber spiders and snakes! He didn't fond those until later and it was pretty funny. . .

So, now he has to decide how to answer. . . Of course it will be YES! But it has to be creative. . . I told him that he should give her a sweet dreams pack with a mask and stuff since the nightmare is over. But what do I know?

Lock Down!

2010-01-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

My life has become much busier in the last couple of weeks- not only because of my City Council duties, but because I am substituting a LOT at the high school. Our most wonderful new band director, Mr. Seamons, just happens to be in the Army Reserve and he will be deployed to the Middle East on May 3. He has training for most of January and March, so I will be subbing for him while he's gone. I will actually be at the school more than he will be there this spring!

It is a little weird substituting in the same classroom where I taught for 6 years. . . but I am having a blast. The kids are great and I already knew many of them because of their associations with Colby. I was pretty burned out after 15 years of teaching, but now that I have had 5 years off, I am enjoying it again.

Except for Friday.

Some dumb kid decided to call in a bomb scare, so the school went into lock down. I had the percussion ensemble, so we kept right on rehearsing for a while. I figured it was just a drug bust. But after a couple of announcements, it was clear that there was something going on and we needed to be able to actually HEAR the announcements, so we packed up. Not long after that, the school psychologist came to the room to help me check for out-of-place items or articles that did not belong to one of the students in the classroom. Hello! This is a band room! There are hundreds of cases and bags!!! But, there were a couple of items that looked a little suspicious, so she decided that the dog should come in.

At that point I decided to tell the kids what was going on and that the dog was coming- just in case I had someone who was going to freak out. There were a couple of kids who were a little nervous, but the big surprise came when one of the kids said, "Uh, you should probably know that I think I have firecrackers in my backpack." Oh my heck!!! Duh!!!

I thanked him for being honest right up front, stopped him from retrieving the firecrackers out of the backpack, and reported the problem. When the dogs came in all was well because the handlers already had a heads up. The suspicious items turned out to be fine and the perpetrators were arrested.

After about 1.5 hours the lock down ended. The students gratefully headed to lunch and the restrooms. I headed for the young man with the firecrackers and used a little teacher voice on him. If he doesn't clean out his backpack this weekend, I'm gonna bust him.

Snowboarding Lessons

2010-01-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT idea for a Christmas gift this year- snowboarding lessons at Sundance Resort. They have a great starter package for Scouts that includes 4 hours of lessons, 4 hours of free ski time, and gear for under $100 AND you get the Snow Sports Merit Badge. On top of all that, Reed says that it was, "The most fun I have ever had in my whole life!"

DISCLAIMER: We have had injuries. Despite the helmets and lessons, stuff happens. Parker's very first fall last week landed him flat on his back. This dislocated his rib, both in back and in front. He had a hard time breathing and was in pain. That didn't stop him! Yesterday he had the rib adjusted in the afternoon, had it knocked back out at Scouts last night, and had it re-adjusted late last night. (Ron Anderson is an AWESOME chiropractor and a good friend- who else would meet us at 9:30 at night???) We will probably be back there tomorrow since there were some issues when Parker fell tonight, but he's hanging in there. The ligaments are so stretched out that they are not holding the rib. . .

Today was their second lesson. They were excited to go and everything was simple and easy. The board shop had all their equipment ready when we arrived, so there was no fuss. Tonight they learned about waxing a board and they mastered S turns. From what they say, they are doing really well. I must say that we were pretty surprised at how much better they were today. Colby stunned us with his smooth descent to the lift- he looked awesome! Reed and Parker show less finesse, but are more daring. . . I think I am glad that I can only see a small part of the mountain.

This is the lodge/snack area that is right at the bottom of the slopes. This is where Ed and I have spent HOURS drinking cocoa and playing rummy. We actually even met a couple of new acquaintances who were also hanging out. We enjoyed watching the parade of people in their various "outfits" as they warmed up and had a snack. We are sedate people.

Sundance has just begun having night skiing again after many many years of darkness. This has worked out really well for us since it is so close. I want to take the boys snowboarding during the day so that I might have a prayer of catching some action shots!

A Scary Task. . .

2010-01-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

We have some wonderful friends- the Sampsons. We have been camping and eating out with them for years- ever since all of our children were just little. Here's the scary thing. . . their eldest daughter is engaged. Now of course we think that she's WAY too young to get married (heck I was 24), but that's far from being relevant. Miss Jamilyn asked me to take her engagement photos. Whoa! I am no professional photographer, but I figured that if they came out bad and she wanted someone else to do it, I would not be offended.

Today was about the clearest day that we have had in three weeks. The inversion is icky, but we made it work. Because it was pretty cold and we were losing sunlight at an alarming rate, we did this three-location shoot in about 20 minutes! I didn't want poor Jamie to have a red nose!!! I was worried that the shoot would be a disaster, be we got some good shots. I did it all in manual mode- and shot them using RAW. Although the results are not in the realm of professional, here are a few of my faves!

Congratulations Jamilyn and Kendall!

It's Official!

2010-01-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

I am now an official member of the Lehi City Council. We had the swearing in ceremony this evening in the Council Chambers. Once I sat down in the big chair, reality struck! Oh my heck! I am actually on the City Council!!!!

I am really excited to have this opportunity to serve my community. I hope that I will be an effective decision maker. Everyone that I talk to gives me advice, and from 75% of them it is, "Give 'em hell." The other 25% say something a little gentler, like, "Go get 'em!" I am still not totally sure who the 'em is, but I am on it!

A Milestone Reached

2010-01-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Ed and I had an interesting experience in church on Sunday- we found ourselves sitting alone. Reed turned 12 on the 19th and was ordained as a Deacon. This past Sunday, December 27, was his first day passing the Sacrament. It was an amazing experience to hear Colby bless the Sacrament and then to watch Parker and Reed pass the Sacrament to the congregation.

This is the first time ever that we have had two children in the same "group" at church with both Parker and Reed being in the Deacon's Quorum. It won't last too long because Parker will turn 14 in May, but I think they are enjoying it! This morning they had to be at Brother Lemon's house at 7:15 to go to the Temple to do Baptisms for the Dead. This was Reed's first time at the Temple.

Finally. . . a cougar!

2010-01-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend the past few days at our cabin in Fairview. Just after we entered SMR, I noticed an unusual bird soaring through the light snowflakes- I was stunned to realize that it was a Bald Eagle! That is the first time we have seen our national bird in Fairview, so it seemed like a good omen. I had a feeling that it was going to be my weekend to finally see a cougar. . .

This morning I was out taking photographs of the birds around the cabin when Parker came screaming into the driveway on the ATV. He wanted me to jump on, but I protested saying that I wasn't wearing socks or a coat. When he responded that there was a cougar treed on Birch Creek Road, I was on that ATV so fast it would have surprised any bystanders! We tore down the hill and around the corner onto Birch Creek Road. We had only gone about 1/2 a mile when we came upon a clump of cars. We jumped off and headed to where Ed was standing. I couldn't believe my eyes! A real live cougar! I only had time to take four shots before the big cat turned and ran down the tree and along the creek with the yowling hounds headed after him.

The crowd dispersed and on our way back down the road, we stopped to talk to the people who treed the cougar. They are the Adamsons of Lehi and Jake is their lead dog. He's a handsome critter.

As we left them and headed down the road, the cougar ran across the road right in front of us. I missed it, but Ed and Parker said it was cool to see him run. He headed up the hill towards C loop, so we alerted the Adamsons and the dogs immediately picked up the trail and were tracking. We headed back up to the cabin and ran into the Adamsons on the middle road. . . they said that the dogs had just gone through towards the north. (The dogs wear special GPS collars so that they can be tracked.) I exclaimed that they wear heading right for our cabin! By the time we made it around the corner, the dogs were headed on the other side of the road. . . and I needed socks on, so I went back to the cabin.

The first thing that I heard when I got off the ATV was Colby yelling at Lewis and Clark to be quiet. He was quite frustrated with them and said that there had been a couple of dogs running by the cabin that got the boys all wound up. Apparently one of the hounds even went under the deck! I have to wonder if the cougar did. . . After a few minutes we let Lewis out and he immediately headed north- up by our water wagon. Parker chased him and found cougar tracks. All I can say is that it was a very exciting morning! A little too close to home, but exciting none the less!

I guess that it is a good thing that we have Ice Sword Reed around to keep us safe!

The Bests and Worsts of 2009

2009-12-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Reed

Bests

The Cruise- especially having as much CocaCola as I wanted, Hanging out at cabin, Turning 12 and going to the temple for the first time

Worsts

Being sick for so long

Parker

Bests

Killing my first varmint, Getting a shotgun for Christmas, Cruise

Worsts

Crashing on the 4 wheeler (I was not driving)

Colby

Bests

Cruise, Getting my Driver’s License, Turning 16 and getting to date, Being in the Marching Band

Worsts

None. . .

Ed

Bests

Cabo San Lucas, Colby getting driver’s license, Kaye winning City Council election, New water system at cabin

Worsts

Driving to LA to go on the cruise (major snowstorm), New water system at cabin

Kaye

Bests

Cruise, Winning the election, Watching Colby perform with the Lehi Marching Band, New deck at the cabin

Worsts

Having Swine Flu, Weeding the Dugout, Having a snake in the kitchen

Ut Oh.

2009-12-29T15:51:00.001-07:00

Found a new blog background site that I now love. . .
http://www.shabbyblogs.com
Join me in my addiction.

Shoot!

2009-12-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have never really liked guns. I didn't grow up around guns, so they seem somewhat foreign to me. My only childhood memory of shooting a gun was at Bryant Pond Camp and I may have made that up. Ed got in a lot of trouble several years ago for giving me a gun for Christmas. I was not happy about that.

On the other hand, I am the mother of three boys, two of which have severe red neck tendencies. I have gotten quite used to buying Air Soft guns and I don't even have a problem with BB Guns. When you have Parker wandering around the cabin with a BB Gun shooting any rodent who dares to show itself, you kind of get used to it.But. . . Parker wanted a shot gun this year. That gave me some heartburn, but he is 13. The one rule is that it is locked up at all times in Dad's gun safe. Since none of us know the combination, it should be safe there. He was anxious to go give it a try, so we headed out towards West Canyon on the 26th. It was about 12 degrees. Fools. . . that's us.

We went to Wasatch Wing and Clay which is out in the middle of the wheat fields in Eagle Mountain and we used their throwers to shoot clay pigeons. What a blast. It is a cool set up and it was south facing so we didn't even freeze to death.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Our festivities began on the 23rd with our annual Open House. We had a more manageable crowd this year because we didn't feel the need to invite the whole neighborhood. I think we only had about 50 people this year, but we had more opportunity to visit with our guests so it was nice.

On Christmas Eve we had a yummy, but simple ham dinner. I thought it was perfect because I didn't have to work so hard! At 9pm we had our Family Program and then we had dessert. Pumpkin Pie and Cheesecake from Costco were the choices. I am SO glad that Mrs. Costco is a friend!!!

Then the boys opened their early present and got their Christmas jammies. This is a picture of them all decked out.

Christmas morning we opened our stockings and a few presents before breakfast. Unfortunately, one of the breakfast casseroles that I made was disgusting, so we did a little foraging. Then. . . back to the presents.

Jim had so much fun traveling this fall that we bought him a new set of luggage.
Parker got the .12 gauge shotgun that he has wanted forever.
Ed got mostly clothes and gift cards.
Reed got a cool hat and a trumpet.
Colby got a euphonium case. . . but his favorite gift was the Magformers that each of the boys received. He has been making lots of creations and then takes pictures of them with his handheld video camera. I think it is funny that a 16 year old is having such a blast with magnets!

I got a new TV for the kitchen, some Philosophy perfume and a new bathrobe and slippers. It was a relaxed day, complete with naps, and we all enjoyed it.

But next year I am hoping for some palm trees!

Thanksgiving at the Cabin

2009-12-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

There is nowhere that makes Parker as happy as Sanpete County. He lives to go to the cabin. . . and he loves turkey. . . so Thanksgiving was a hit this year! It was nice to have a few days to relax and enjoy each others' company.

Big Lew was quite photogenic this weekend. His new short hairdo is my favorite because I don't have to deal with picking a million stickers out of his coat. This is a rare photo because he doesn't have a tennis ball stuffed in his mouth.

We had a lovely feast with all the traditional family favorites. Basically we ate. . . and ate. . . and ate!
It was great having Judy here for Thanksgiving again this year. She had a lot of fun shooting at targets with Parker and Reed. I think they may have been surprised that she is a good shot!

On Friday, Ed cooked his traditional Prime Rib and a crowd showed up! We had enough people that we were able to move the hot tub from the trailer to the new deck. Now we will be able to get it working when we have some time to spare.

Clark loved snuggling with Aunt Judy. He was happy to sit with her anytime that she found her way to the couch!
Love these photos of Ed and Parker out on the deck. The sun was just setting and we were enjoying its warmth. It had been a lovely day, but as soon as the sun went down it got cold in a hurry. One cool thing that we saw this year was the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station orbit overhead. It was amazing how fast they moved across the sky.

I Hate Snakes

2009-10-21T21:31:00.000-06:00

The title of this blog really says it all. I hate them. Big ones, little ones, poisonous and non-poisonous. I hate them all. In fact, I hate them so much that I am happy to kill them. Yup. Me. The quintessential Mormon Mom, complete with Chevy Suburban, has a killer's heart.

I don't remember how it started. I don't remember ever being tormented with a snake or being frightened by one. I grew up in Maine where there were plenty of garter snakes, but apparently we didn't often cross paths. I think that the real hatred began about 11 years ago, right here in Lehi.

When we first moved to town, we lived in a house down on the south end of town. Jay and Jolene Richins' pasture was our neighbor and there were springs in that pasture. Consequently, there were little water snakes all over the place. (If I had realized THAT, we NEVER would have bought that house.) Whenever I went out to weed the garden, I would find at least one snake, so I took to wearing gloves and carrying scissors. Whenever I would find one of Satan's little buddies I would calmly grab it, carry it over to the trash can, and snip its head off with the scissors.

Remember. I did not say I was afraid of snakes. I HATE them.

I am still famous for the day I happened to grab three snakes and once and SNIP, SNIP, SNIP took care of the problem. When Parker introduced me to his 1st grade class many moons ago, he told the class that I cut snakes heads off with scissors. They were impressed. One day after that I was in Albertson's when I heard a little boy saying to his mother, "MOM! That's the snake killing lady!" I was proud.

But, no more. In the five years since we moved away from that house, I have gone soft. Monday was a lovely day and I was airing out the house and puttering in the backyard. As we ate dinner (yes. . . all five of us at the table at the sme time!) Colby got up for seconds. When he came back to sit down he startled and said, "There's a snake." Just like that. I, somewhat trepidaciously asked, "Where?" I assumed it was out on the patio- I sit with my back to the patio. "On the floor! It just came out from under my chair!"

(This is the part where I lost all my pride.)

I totally freaked out. I had my feet in the air and I was screaming. I screamed until I ran out of air. By that time, Ed was out of his chair and telling me to get up. I kept screaming that I didn';t know where to put my feet, to which he very unsympathetically answered, "On the floor!" By this time the snake, apparently frightened by the vibrations of my hysterical screaming, had gone down the grate into the duct. I was able to force my feet ontpo the floor long enough to climb on top of Ed's chair. I was no longer screaming, but suddenly I realized I wasn't breathing either. A few gasps took care of that issue.

Parker took the grate off the duct (in the floor by the sliding glass door) and pronounced that he could not see the snake. I just knew that snake was going to be happily gliding through my house using the duct system as it's own personal thruway. I had visions of Harry Potter's basilisk hanging out in there. I was on the verge of screaming again when I was sent to my room- and ordered to take the dogs with me. (As if I could go anywhere in the house without Lewis and Clark following me. . .) It only took about 5 minutes before the all clear was sounded. Parker had used a plastic sword to fling the offender outside.

What surprises and dismays me the most is that he and Ed LET IT LIVE! All snakes should be killed. Period.

I had gotten out of the habit of always wearing gloves outside and carrying scissors, but I promise I will be properly prepared before my next weeding session! And I don't go barefoot in my house anymore. It is no longer the sanctuary I once imagined it to be.

Capturing the Moment

2009-10-16T15:21:00.000-06:00

We went to take Jim to the airport in Salt Lake this morning, so we decided to play around for a little while. I absolutely love to watch these fountains at the Gateway Plaza. We lucked out and were there for when they sync up with the music "Citius, Altius, Fortius" from the 2002 Olympics. Very cool, to say the least.

I bought myself a new book this week that was highly recommended at the Scrap Girls conference. It is called Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I use AUTO mode about 80% of the time on my fancy dancy Canon xTi, because I am terrified that I will miss the shot by being in manual mode. After reading only the first section of the book, I dared to give it a whirl today. I am pleased with the feathery water I got by using a slower shutter speed. I had no idea what I was getting until I uploaded them on the computer!
I love this shot of Reed running through the fountain. I panned with him which is how I got the feeling of movement. I feel like a little kid with a new toy! I have had this camera for two years- and I absolutely LOVE it- but I feel like I am just now figuring out how to use it! Luckily, I have Photoshop skills, too. The picture below would have been trash, with Reed terribly underexposed, but a few clicks and I can see my sweetie's face! BTW, I did not Photoshop the dark blue sky. . . that was a happy accident thanks to my polarized filter and the settings!

We also went to see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" in 3-D. That was a cute movie, but most of the 3-D effects were lost on Ed and Reed, since they are both nearly blind in one eye!!!!

Paranormal?

2009-10-15T11:02:00.000-06:00

They are currently doing a little survey on KSL to see if people believe in paranormal activity. I love how this stuff rolls around every October! My definite response is yes. I point first to the famous quote by Brigham Young in response to the question about where the Spirit World is. . .

Brigham Young answered this question simply when he said: "Where is the spirit world? It is right here."Prophets have told us that the spirit world is not far from us and if we could rend the veil of forgetfulness (see Mortality) we would see the spirits of righteous people who have gone on before us. They know our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Speaking of these spirits, President Joseph F. Smith said, "They are as deeply interested in our welfare today, if not with greater capacity, with far more interest behind the veil, than they were in the flesh."

When Ed and I bought our first house on 14 Spring Street in Calais, the first thing that stuck us was the happy, comforting "spirit' that struck us when we first walked into the home. Everyone who visited us felt the same way. . .

Then one day in March of 1992 or 1993 we decided that we needed to re-decorate the guest room. We moved all the furniture into the middle of the room and started removing the wall paper. We got it all down that first day and the room looked sad and empty. Late that afternoon our dogs went beserk and were standing at the door of that room looking in and barking. We thought there must be an animal in there, but they would not go into the room. Wierd, but no big deal. That night we were laying in bed when they started growling and suddenly the lights in the hallway went on. (I am getting the shivers just typing this.) Ed got up and turned the lights off, muttering about the wiring. A few minutes later, the lights went on again. Every morning we would get up to every single light in the house being on. Our neighbors teased us about leaving the lights on, but it wasn't us.

We completed the renovation in 2-3 weeks. When we finished making up the bed of the newly done room and putting the last touches on the decor, I said, "OK. We are done. Sorry about the disturbance, but we hope you like the new room."

We never had another incident with the lights or the dogs. Until we re-decorated the family room!

To be popular.

2009-10-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

I was never one of the popular girls in school. I longed to be like those graceful, nymph-like creatures who always looked good in their clothes, had every hair in place, and had boys following them around- happy to be at their beck and call. I on the other hand, was always overweight and could not look good in the latest fashions. (That is a blessing in retrospect. . . not too many pictures of me in the traditional garb of the 1980's!) My hair was a disaster. It had enough curl so that I could not wear straight styles and it wasn't curly enough to be pretty. On top of that, it was so thin that when I put it in a pony tail it had a diameter of about 1/2 inch. It always was a mess. No guys were following me around, carrying my books. I was a teen age failure in my warped mind.

What I was, I can now see in retrospect, was a geek. Yup. I loved playing the clarinet. That's pretty geeky all by itself, but I took it to the extreme and practiced a couple of hours a day. I got straight A's without trying too hard. Except in Algebra and I don't want to discuss THAT. I sang in the chorus and actually liked wearing all white and singing "We are the World." I was on the Hi-Q team, which is fairly similar to the Academic Decathlon program. I really enjoyed having a wide range of knowledge about a lot of odd subjects. I left the math to Kyle. That was his gig. To top it all off, I found the Drama Club my Junior year and acted in several plays. Since all my friends were apparently geeks, too, we had a lot of fun and never criticized each other.

Although I wasn't popular like I wanted to be, I was respected and I had a lot of friends. I even got elected Class President my Sophomore year.

If I had to sit down and list my friends, it would be a difficult task because I have lived in different places and been involved in different sub-cultures. (Don't worry- nothing too radical- just dog shows, karate, digi scrapping, and the like!) So imagine my surprise when I noticed today on Facebook that I have 350 friends. A lot of the people I would have on my friend list don't even have a Facebook page so it mde me wonder who these people really are. Luckily there was an application to assist me in figuring this out.

Here are the results:

34 friends are under the zodiac sign of Taurus (including my DH. . . I can put up with a lot of bull)
22 friends like country music best (not much clarinet in country music)
14 friends enjoy hiking (sick puppies)
73% female friends, 27% male friends (that actually surprises me since I hang out in a Scout uniform so much)
34% single, 66%taken (apparently I need to brush up on those matchmaking skills)
21% democrats/ 79% republicans (duh. I live in Utah!)

For some strange reason I just analyzed my friend list and came up with the following information. Please be aware that the percentages do no add up to 100% because I did not round anything and just used whole numbers.

Scrap Girls 22%
Ward Friends 16%
Family Friends 16%
Heritage Makers Friends 12%
Former Students 11%
School Buds (any grade) 10%
Scouting Friends 5%
Friends of my Children 3%
Family 3%
My Teachers 1%
People I Worked With 2%
Other 3%
People who need to NOT be my friends for various reasons 2% (like I have no idea who you are or how you got to be my friend)

I'm feeling pretty popular right now! Not because I'm thin and beautiful and have perfect hair (although it is a lot better now that it is short and I have learned to use gel) but because I have been blessed to cross paths with many people throughout my journey who like me enough to consider me a "friend." I am still a geek- well proved by the fact that 34% of my friends are digital divas like myself and think that Photoshop and Studio are the computer hotspots! But I must be a cool geek since about 14% of my friends are young whippersnappers.

Luckily I only have a couple of "friends" who are around because I am running for public office and I hope it stays that way. Although it would be nice to be popular on November 3rd. . .

2009-09-27T22:58:00.000-06:00

This is Colby and his beautiful Homecoming date, Brittany. Sounds like they had a great date. . . I know the restaurant was excellent since they ate at Big Ed's Steakhouse (aka our house!) There were five couples in the group and they had smoothies at Roxberry and went bowling for the day date. Photos were done by Phil Struthers and then we hosted dinner- prime rib, smashers, green beans, rolls, and a Ceasar salad. Cindie Roberts and I were the "waitresses". And yes. . . they left us tips!!!! After the dance we cooked up a bunch of Belgian waffles for dessert. I think they were all tired. I know we were!

STRESSED???? Could this be why?????

2009-09-21T15:24:00.000-06:00

One of my good friends forwarded this to me today. I think it is a hysterically funny rendering of our beloved LDS hymns. And we wonder why we get stressed out and depressed that we aren't doing enough?

"Glancing through the hymnal last Sunday I noted that: As sisters in Zion, we, who are called to serve are all enlisted to go marching, marching forward because the world has need of willing men to all press on scattering sunshine. We wonder if we have done any good in the world today because we have been given much and want to do what is right, keep the commandments, press forward with the Saints, choose the right, and put our shoulders to the wheel going where He wants us to go. However, as the morning breaks high on the mountain top, truth reflects upon our senses, and while we still believe that sweet is the work, we also realize that we have work enough to do ere the sun goes down. And thus we ask Thee ere we part, where can we turn for peace?"

Thanks, Joan. Now I have to go scatter some sunshine!

Darn Camera!

2009-09-19T23:33:00.000-06:00

I am happy to be the owner of a Canon Xti Rebel Digital SLR camera. Over the past two years I have taken some amazing photographs and it is the main piece of equipment in my memory keeping efforts. This spring I began to notice dust in my photos, so I had it professionally cleaned by a gentleman who came with high recommendations. He thought that it might be a great idea if I didn't take so many photos at baseball games when it is windy. Hmmph.

Two weeks ago I became quite distressed when I was trying to take pictures of Colby in his room after Brittany filled it with balloons and candy as a "yes" t0 his Homecoming invitation. The image looked very blurry and I could not get it to focus, but once I clicked the photo and oit came up on the display screen, it looked OK. I just kept shooting, thinking that the problem would shake out.

Then I took the matter and did what just about any wife would do. I complained to Ed that my camera was broken. He bought it for me, after all, so he should take some care in the maintenance and repair of said item. Right? Well, he did what just about any husband would do in the same situation- he totally ignored me. Ah, frustration.

So, here I am in Las Vegas with no camera because I wasn't about to bring that broken thing and lug it around for several days. Since I wasn't taking photos myself, I was conscripted into taking them with other people's cameras as an impromtu photographer. The first camera that I used was just like mine. I was stunned that it was having the same focus issues, but I didn't have time to talk to the owner about it because another camera was being shoved into my hands. I figured that I would have to Google it and find out what glitch was affecting the Canon xTi. That thought slipped away as I lifted the next camera, which was a different brand and make, to my eye and realized that it had the same problem! For a split second I thought that was really odd. . . and then the trut began to settle in:

There was nothing wrong with my camera. The problem had to be my right eye and how it was focusing (or failing to focus!) What the heck?????????????? How awful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now what? The optometrist already told me that I am getting old and that I should just plan on needing readng glasses. Do they make photography glasses or am I doomed to a lifetime of guessing? Dang. Getting older stinks.

And I thought I was safe!

2009-09-08T22:43:00.000-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I looked at my blog tonight and found out that I had been hacked. . . by my husband! He is very supportive of my endeavors and thank you to all of you who are supporting my run for city council. So far it has been mostly fun. . . except for the one bully I ran into last week. After listening to him rant and rave about EVERYTHING for about 20 minutes I decided to push back a little. My daddy taught me how to deal with bullies! He calmed right down and by the end of the discussion we were almost friends. Scary.

I have been so busy that I don't have any coherent thoughts in my head, so here are some short ramblings.

So, how about BYU beating Oklahoma? Time for the west to gain a little respect from the BCS.
And why do we always find work projects to do on Labor Day? This year we stained the decks at the cabin.
I watched Camp Rock on the Disney Channel. . . and enjoyed it.
At what point do you stop having brown hair and have gray hair instead? Is it at the 50% mark or where? Ed needs to know.

Sad, huh?

THIS IS KAYE COUNTRY!

2009-09-02T08:27:00.000-06:00

So I hacked into Kaye's blog. This is a bad thing for me in the long run. . .it may prompt her to change her password protocol. I'm willing to risk it. Any of you who are local know that there are Kaye Country signs spread all over Lehi. However, there aren't nearly enough of them out and the Primary is on September 15th. If you can take a few signs and place them around town that would be great. You can contact me directly by email at emcollins@civilscience.com. I will bring you the signs and stakes. If you're thinking you don't know anyone in a good location, please understand there are no bad sign locations. We have about 100 signs that I would like to see out in the next few days. Please help us if you can.

2009-08-30T22:12:00.000-06:00

The boys went back to school on August 20th. It seemed to really creep up on us this year and I am not sure why. The evening of the 19th found us packing up the backpacks with all the "stuff" which I usually have done at least a week in advance. Ed was at a meeting in Vernal and wasn't even around to give the boys their "Back-to-School Blessings."

Reed is in the 6th Grade at Freedom Elementary. He has Mr. Shumaker- just like Parker did. In fact, Mr. Shumaker keeps calling him "Parker!" He is in the same classroom that both Parker and Colby had 6th grade in which is a little crazy!
Parker is an 8th Grader at Lehi Junior High School. He thinks that 8th grade will be a lot better than 7th. . . but 7th didn't seem that bad for him. Hopefully his favorite teacher will be his PE Teacher- me! I have to homeschool him for that class because it just did not fit into his schedule. We will be counting karate as his activity.

Colby is a Junior at Lehi High School. This was a big thing- he drove himself to school! He is really excited about this year's schedule because there are more classes that he thinks are interesting. Not excited about Algebra II, though. Oh well. Marching Band will make up for it!

I am a diva. Of sorts.

2009-08-24T09:33:00.000-06:00

My smarty pants niece, writer of the "Red Bulletin Board Blog," commented that she would like to see me in the 1960's Diva outfit. So here I am. This is probably 1972, but I lived in Maine and we were a little behind on fashion trends. Was I hot or what????

I promise to never, never, never wear a bikini again. Really.

60's Diva???

2009-08-21T18:17:00.001-06:00

This scares me!

You Are a 1960s Diva

Bold dresses, funky boots, bright patterns.

You have an eye for fashion - and make trends timeless!

What Decade Diva Are You?

God is my Co-Pilot

2009-08-19T23:57:00.001-06:00

I'm just guessing that the Pilot should have been paying more attention to the co-pilot. Hmmm. . .

UPDATE

This is NOT our vehicle. We just saw it sitting in a parking lot and thought it was funny!!!

Our "Day"Cation

2009-08-19T23:21:00.000-06:00

We have not gone on a vacation this summer. Mostly that has been for financial reasons, but finding a chunk of time when your kids are teenagers is a feat in itself. So, we really stretched and went to Park City for the day. Reed was convinced that he had never been there before, so he was excited. He doesn't remember most of the places that we have been, but when we look back at the photos we realize that he was pretty young!

Our day in Park City began at the Outlets. I really can't complain about shopping with my kids because they are pretty easy. Colby knows all his own sizes and has his own taste. If there is something I like, I keep my mouth shut because if he knows that I like it, he will immediately dismiss it as a possibility. Parker is all about comfort. In general, his clothes must stretch and be sports oriented. Sticking to stores like Nike and Adidas works well because he can match the swishes or stripes on the tops and bottoms and look decent. This is like the middle school version of Garanimals. Reed tends towards the preppy, but also loves the sporty look. I usually help him find two or three good options and then he picks.

For those of you with girls, my apologies. I saw some of that trauma first hand. For the record, boys don't usually try on clothes and never worry about if some article makes them look fat. The whole process of looking, choosing, deciding, and purchasing is generally under 15 minutes per store. We can cruise a store in 2 minutes- no problem. They have learned this technique from their mother. I HATE trying on clothes and I do not labor over such insignificant decisions. If I love it, I buy it. If not, it stays at the store. It is a rare occasion lately that I would fall into the "it's-so-cheap-that-I-really-have-to-buy-it" trap. This trip I did try on a gown that I had seen in June. A strap was broken, so I asked and got 40% off! $60.16 for a sequined, jacketed gown is a great deal. Now I have two occasions to wear it, so within 20 minutes it was in a bag and out the door.

We packed up the cooler and had a picnic lunch at the Outlets. This struck Ed as quite funny- all of a sudden I was worried about thrift. But the real point was that Parker was in charge of cooking for the family for three days (Cooking Merit Badge) so he packed the cooler. Hey, it was cheap!

After we finished shopping, we headed to the Olympic Sports Park. It is such a cool thing to watch the kids practice their freestyle jumps into the pool. I think I may have the boys do a camp session next summer.

Then we headed into Park City proper to the Park City Mountain Resort. The kids went on the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster. Loved the coaster. It was kind of a long wait, but Ed and I enjoyed talking to a couple from Los Angeles while they waited for their kids to come down the zip line. I wasn't wearing nearly enough jewelry to feel comfortable walking down Main Street in Park City, so we went back out to the Newpark area and had a wonderful dinner at Good Thymes. Reed was quite disgusted that they couldn't even spell "times" correctly. A bit of explanation was required!

It was a fun day. Park City is so different from most Utah towns and cities that it is a breath of fresh (very expensive) air. I could never live up there, but it is fun to visit!

50 Miler

2009-08-15T16:10:00.000-06:00

This morning the Scouts of Troop 1042 were up and moving early. They dressed in layers because the wind was whipping through the neighborhood at about 20mph. One of those layers was the ever popular pink t-shirt that denotes the "Pink Mammoths of Fury" Patrol. The hydration packs were filled and pockets stuffed with granola bars. No need for sunscreen today- the forecast was for wind and rain all morning. That dismal information didn't dampen the spirits of the 9 boys, 6 adult riders, and 4 support team members who were well prepared for a 50 mile bike ride.

The riders left Scoutmaster Lemon's house at about 7:00am and headed to Alpine. One rider was lost in the first few miles because his small stature was no match for the wind gusts. The other eight Scouts looked strong and finished the first 12.2 mile leg in under an hour. They left the "refueling" station at Wine's Park on the next leg of the route which took them down Center Street and around south Lehi over to Lindon to the Bus Garage and back. This leg was about 12.8 miles long and became difficult as the boys headed back to Wine's Park. The grade is slightly uphill, the wind was strong and against them, and by the time the last boy got back to the park there was a steady rain.

Since the Cycling Merit Badge requires two 25-mile rides, we all thought that the boys would call it a day and count this ride for a 25-miler, but they surprised us. They were halfway to an amazing accomplishment and they were prepared and excited to continue. One Scout called it a day because his gears were not functioning correctly, but the other 7 headed out on a revised route. Instead of the planned route that included shorter rides that all circled back to the park, the boys headed south towards the Bus Garage, the Lindon Boat Harbor, and on to Vineyard Elementary. At that point we were at about 40 miles completed and the Orem Sports Park has a trail that is 1.16 miles long. The boys all took 9 laps around the park to complete the 50 mile ride.

They were exhausted, but exhilarated! To complete a 50 mile ride in about 6 hours with all the elements against you is a feat to be proud of! What impressed me the most was the positive, encouraging attitude that each of the boys and leaders showed. I loved seeing them riding next to each other and chatting as they rode along. I loved handing out the sandwiches that Sis. Lemon was cranking out as the boys rode by finishing those last 10 miles. I loved taking pictures of them all along the way and handing out the 50-miler buttons when they finished the last lap.

I hope that as these boys continue to grow and turn into men, that they will take the lessons they learned today forward with them. These are some of the lessons that the boys taught me today:

There are hard things that are worth doing, just for the experience. There were no rewards planned, no immediate recognition, just the satisfaction of knowing that we completed something that we set out to do.
Life is not about competition. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses (and different equipment), but what really matters is that we all make it together. This is a Gospel lesson in action.
We can be encouraging to others and be happy in their success.
We can share what we have to help others. Brother Price gave up his bike to Parker when Parker got a flat so that he could keep going. Brother Price was able to fix the flat so that it was ready for Parker's last two laps. Then he jumped on his bike and continued. He had to ride three more laps after everyone else was finished, but he didn't mind. And guess who got the biggest cheer when he crossed the finish line? Brother Price!
We all need a support team. We just can't do it all by ourselves- we need to learn to trust others to help us reach our goals.
We need to dream and have a vision of where we want to be. Scoutmaster Lemon planned these cycling activities about a year ago. The practice rides began in April with that first downhill 6 mile ride to Willow Park. Little steps get us to big goals.
There should always be a "what's next." Today Lance should be feeling very happy that seven Scouts met the challenge. But, I bet he is at home wondering what else he needs to do to get the other boys ready for the second attempt that is planned for September 5.

It was a great day.

A New Director

2009-08-14T23:06:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I didn't post this when it actually happened. . . but I am now a Director in Heritage Makers! I am very excited to have my own team and to start pushing towards my goal of Silver Director by next summer. Heritage Makers is a great company with fabulous products! I love helping people save their stories and preserve their heritage.

If you haven't seen Heritage Makers recently, you will love it! We added even more features in August, so we are HOT! And we are #137 on the list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the world. Wowwee!

Let me show you our system today! I can set you up for a free account and get you started in just a few minutes. And I can do it in my pajamas- I can meet with you via webinar. So easy, so fun!

Cruising

2009-08-04T17:59:00.000-06:00

I try to be a careful driver. I actually stop at stop signs and I rarely go more than 5 over the speed limit. In fact, I try really had to be right on the speed limit since I have a 16-year-old driver paying attention to what I do. I limit phone conversations and never text. You would think that these would be good things, but apparently not!

At least once a week I have some car (usually a minivan complete with frazzled mom and a zillion kids) come speeding up behind me and ride my bumper. This is often accompanied by various gestures intended to alert me to their displeasure with my driving. Often they will pass me and send visual daggers at me. You would think that this was NASCAR or something, but it is just 12th East- with its 25MPH speed limit.

I have tried of late to avoid becoming annoyed with these drivers by enjoying their antics. I think the fact that I have scrapfast.com on the back of my vehicle enrages them. I am thinking about adding driveslow.com just for fun. So next time you see me in the mighty Prius cruising down 12th East, know that I am going 25. And loving it.

Family Portraits

2009-07-26T22:30:00.000-06:00

Don't those two words just strike fear into a mom's heart? First you have to decide what to wear. Do you go matchy-matchy, coordinated, or anything goes? Unless you go with the last option, at least one person in the family doesn't have the right thing to wear. That means you have to go shopping! I decided on the coordinated look, but of course, I didn't own one thing that was blue! And I didn't want to go with a neutral color. Now, I like shopping, but there aren't many choices for men and women "of substance" and the teen set has their own ideas about what is hip. So, we ended up at the mall where C. J. Banks became my favorite store. I got two jackets for $34! Wooo hooo! Colby's friends helped me convince him that this Aeropostale shirt made him look extra handsome. So, once you get the clothes and they are all ironed and ready to go. . . that's when the hard part begins!

Every family has at least one member who does not enjoy being in front of the camera. With little children this is a nightmare, but as they get older you can reason with them a bit more. Bribes seem to work better asthey get older, too! (Especially when witholding the car keys is a true threat!) For this event I warned the kids what we were going to do and why, and they were pretty easy going about the whole thing. I needed a good photo of me and one of the family for the campaign materials, and once I explained that this family photo was going to be mailed to every single house in Lehi, cooperation soared.

It's nice to have a photographer in the family and I consider Dan Rice's sister Deana as an extended sister! She met us down by the railroad tracks behind the old Peck's Lumber. It was easier to be relaxed with someone you know and trust- and who understands your paranoia about double and triple chins!!!

Here are some of the photos she took last Monday- I am really excited to use these not only in my campaign materials, but in many Heritage Makers projects! Thanks, Deana!

All photography by Deana Phlegar. Contact me for her information!

Here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday I submitted the paperwork to run for a seat on the Lehi City Council. It was decision that I had been pondering for several weeks, but of course, I waited until the very last day to file. It will be a tough race with eight candidates vying for two seats- with both incumbents running- but I am going to give it my best. I hope that I will be elected and that I will have a wonderful opportunity to serve the city. I am stunned by the support that I am receiving . It will be wierd in the next couple of weeks when these signs are printed and begin showing up all over the city. Let the craziness begin!!!

I am a dreamer.

2009-06-25T22:29:00.000-06:00

I have never considered myself a dreamer. I thought dreaming was a fanciful notion, not based in reality. Oh, how wrong I was!

A couple of weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity of attending Dream Team 13. This is an event put on by Heritage Makers for it's up and coming consultants. It's purpose is to remind us of the power of dreaming and how it can change our lives. I didn't really want to attend, but when your oldest friend and your top team member wants you to go, you go. Although I enjoyed the classes and exercises, I went through at least 2/3 of the class before I had an AHA moment!

It was only when I remembered what my dreams were as a 4th grader, that it occured to me that they had all come true. And then I realized that all of my dreams from just a few years ago had come true, too. There's only one dream- becoming a college professor of music education- that has not come to fruition. Lately I had begun to beat myself up over that, but I realize that although I have been telling myself that it was a failed dream, I gave up that dream because I changed paths. . . and that is OK! I think I am in a much better place now- where I actually want to be.

So, now I am a dreamer again. I can imagine my life as I want it to be and I now have the energy and the focus to work on making those dreams come true. I feel re-energized and re-centered. I am no longer afraid to fail. . . or succeed! The vehicle to my dreams is Heritage Makers- a company that has a fabulous product that I love and feel good about sharing. What a blessing!

Do you need to start dreaming again? I can give you some pointers to get you started on the path, but the best thing you can do is get involved with Heritage Makers and qualify for the next session. It will change your life. It changed ours!

Dream Team 13-2 (Kelly's Group)

Back L-R Melodie Jones, Kaye Collins, Janice Constantine, Kelly Barquin, Chona Villegas

Front L-R Holly McClelland, LaCee Clayburn, Darby Stapelman, Anissa Vegh, Michelle Bell, Cherie Schell

Back, at Last

2009-06-25T22:15:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day 2009

I stopped posting in April because all I had to say was, "Reed is still sick." But, I am happy to report that yesterday he told me that he finally felt good again- like before he got sick. That only took 14 WEEKS. That is a VERY long time- especially when you are only 11. He is now lactose intolerant, which had not been an issue before, but we can handle that problem with Lactaid.

So, here's a quick synopsis of life.

Baseball season is over for Reed, but Parker's team took third in the city and is headed to state tourneys.

Parker, Ed and I all had the Swine Flu. Check out our snouts on Facebook.

We survived the end of school and everybody passed everything. This is a triumph.

Colby is back in Marching Band, although the new teacher just quit. . .after only a month.

Reed and Parker are purple belts in karate.

Colby turned 16.

Parker turned 13.

Reed turned 11.5.

Ed still feels crappy and is going back to the doctor tomorrow.

Kaye went to Heritage Maker's Dream Team last week and got re-centered. She is on fire.

That's us in a tiny nutshell. We are busy, happy, and trying to stop catching every bacteria and virus that enters the neighborhood.

18 and counting!

2009-04-14T13:23:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was our 18th anniversary. I laugh every time I look at this photo now, because we both looked so young. I guess that is just because we are "old" now. We were hugging in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon and Colby groaned and said, "Gross. Old people in love!" I would have thought that the 40's were old when I was 15, too!

People always talk about the good and bad times that they have gone through together over their years of marriage. We have had a few difficult patches (with life. . .not each other) but, to be honest, even those patches were pretty good! We always have fun together- no matter what we are doing. Although Ed is a lot smarter than me, I keep him around with my beauty and excellent cooking! *rolling eyes*

I have thoroughly enjoyed our first 18 years together and I hope we have at least 18 more! It is great being married to your best friend.

Finally a Diagnosis

2009-04-02T22:04:00.000-06:00

Day 14 of Feeling Crappy.

Reed has been diagnosed with Pseudomembranous Colitis caused by Clostridium Difficile. He is taking Metronidazole. What a mouthful!

Basically, the good bacteria in the colon have been overthrown by the bad. Presumably with the help of the antibiotic that he was on for his Strep Throat. He has diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. He is exhausted and basically feels lousy. We have been pretty agressive in trying to find out what is wrong with him because he is SO sick! We just found all this out today. We still don't have the results of the ultrasound, but probably will in a couple of days. Hopefully he will be starting to feel better by then.

Urban {romantic} Getaway

2009-03-24T22:39:00.000-06:00

Well, Ed and I had the opportunity to go to San Francisco this past weekend with some friends. Our main objective was to see "Wicked" and all I can say is that it was wicked good! It is my favorite Broadway show now. "Les Miserables" is #2 and "Mamma Mia" is #3. I need to add some more shows to my list!

On Saturday morning after having a yummy pastry at Eppler's, we walked around Chinatown. What an amazing experience! I hve traveled quite a bit, but never seen anything like Chinatown. We had a yummy lunch at the Potsticker Restaurant and we shopped heartily in the many tiny stores.

After taking our purchases back to the Westin, we took a taxi to Pier 39. We took a ferry ride out under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. It wasn't raining, exactly. . .more like a heavy mist. Ro and I got curly hair.

We ate dinner at the Sea Lion Cafe (where they have cheap straws. . .LOL) and then had a bucket of mini donuts in the taxi on the way back to the hotel. Then we had about an hour to get ready to see "Wicked." I really can't say enough good about the show even though we had the standbys performing. The woman who sang Galinda went flat a few times, but Elphaba was excellent.

On Sunday we toured the city on a double decker bus with an open top. We had to sit up top, of course! It was chilly driving around the city, but we just about froze to death and got blown away crossing the Golden Gate Bridge! That was crazy!!! After a wonderful lunch at Boudin in the Fisherman's Pier area, we had to head to the airport.

I really enjoyed the urban feel of the city. I can only really compare it to NYC. Every other city that I have been to seems tame in comparison. I was surprised how many people were out walking their dogs and how much green space there was in the urban parks. I think I could be an urban dweller for a year or so. . . Anyway, it was nice to get away without the kids for a couple of days- even though we missed having them share the excitement with us! It was a wonderful adventure.

Our Mexico Book

2009-03-24T22:35:00.000-06:00

If any of you are interested in seeing more of our wonderful trip to Mexico, here's a link to our book. We have it printed and it's on our family room table so that we can remember often! If you would like to make a beautiful Heritage Makers book (it is SO easy!) just let me know and I will teach you!
http://www.heritagemakers.com/index.cfm?event=projectBrowse&projectID=834f34e0-e56c-4a5d-b5ee-17b5537378f5&productId=9

Irony

2009-03-22T22:51:00.000-06:00

Leaving San Francisco

i⋅ro⋅ny [ahy-ruh-nee]
–noun, plural -nies.
1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.
2.an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.
3.an objectively sardonic style of speech or writing.
4.an objectively or humorously sardonic utterance, disposition, quality, etc.

EXAMPLE: When the weatherman in San Francisco predicted rain, we bought umbrellas. We had quite lovely weather. . . until we returned to Salt Lake City in a driving rainstorm. By the time we got home it was a blizzard. How ironic.

Returning to Salt Lake City

A Lucky Break

2009-03-19T21:45:00.000-06:00

Dalton, after he was moved to a regular room, with a worried-looking Parker

This photo was taken one week ago. Parker's best friend, Dalton, fell off a rolled-up practice mat that had been stood on it's end. He hit his head and shoulder and suffered a skull fracture and a severe concussion. Although he did have bleeding in the brain, it stopped on its own and the swelling he suffered was minimal. He really has no idea how lucky he is that he is able to walk and talk and function!

That point was really brought home this week as actress Natasha Richardson fell during a ski lesson, hit her head, and died of her head trauma last night. How quickly these tragedies can occur! How fragile is life!

How lucky we are to still have our D!

A New Attitude

2009-03-19T21:40:00.001-06:00

It is amazing what a new hair style can do for your attitude. I was fed up with my too long, bleached out hair. I went to see Ashley at Dollar Cuts and now I've got a new look!

A Difficult Week

2009-03-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just have to wonder why difficult life moments all seem to come at once. Maybe it is similar to the fact that once you have a cold and your defenses are low, you tend to pick up every bug that comes around. It just seems that there is an awful lot of trouble swirling around right now. Here's a representation of this week's tough events:

a good friend's mom is battling for her life, and seems to be losing
that same friend's sister may have cancer
my son's friend's little sister died
my "fourth" son fell and fractured his skull and will have a very quiet spring
my brother had some polyps removed
my sister-in-law's cancer is back for the third time
a good friend found a lump in her breast- hopefully a benign cyst

I guess the old saying of "When it rains, it pours" has been proven right this week. But, I live in Utah where it hardly ever rains or pours, so I am determined to look on the bright side of things.

Dalton may have to be still, but he's OK and now we will have time to have P,R, and D crank through some merit badges.
There are worse things than death. It is hard for those left behind, but a sweet release for those who return to their maker.
Medical science has made dramatic strides and our lives are generally enhanced by the treatments available and the early detection of illnesses.
Spring is spinging and the crocuses are blooming. The robins are taking over my back yard and the breezes are getting warmer.
Having the Gospel in my life certainly helps keep things in perspective. I am so grateful about that!

So, despite the week that has been, I am looking forward to the week to come with excitement and anticipation. I hope you are, too.

Our Mexican Riviera Cruise

2009-02-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on our Mexican Riviera cruise! It was probably the most relaxing vacation that we have ever taken. Especially for Ed since his electronic devices were out of range!!!

Our first port of call was Cabo San Lucas. We took a glass bottom boat ride out to Los Arcos which was beautiful. It was so cool to see all the fish under the boat. We swam and learned to snorkel in one of the coves adjacent to Lover's Beach. The fish were amazing! I wish I had had an underwater camera with me.

Parker has a love affair with coats and sweatshirts, so he had to have one of these traditional Mexican jackets. We laughed about him wearing it around since it was about 85 degrees out!

Our nxt stop was Mazatlan. We took a cab to the El Cid resort where we relaxed on the beach. Or tried to relax- the vendors are quite persistent. Reed and Parker went parasailing. It is wild to see your child flying so high above the water (about 150 feet) but they loved it.

We didn't get to see much of Puerto Vallarta because we took a long excursion, but it was a beautiful city and I would love to go back.

As part of our day in Puerto Vallarta, we boarded this pirate ship and for about 7 hours we were treated to pirate shows and great food. We were tendered into a lovely beach in a private cove. It was a slice of paradise. Our only complaint? We wanted to stay longer.
Colby met a couple of lovely ladies named Katie and Courtney and they had a great time hanging out and talking. All the kids had a great time.

Adios, Mexico! We hope to return someday soon!

Colby's New Look

2009-02-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

After 2 1/2 years of torment, Colby got his braces off this week! I couldn't believe how quickly they had them off, buffed the teeth, took impressions, and had us on our way! Colby looks so handsome with his bright new smile- maybe we will get to see it more often. He's been a little self-conscious in that department. BTW, can you guess what Colby's favorite color is from these photos????

Oh, Deer!

2009-01-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday/ Monday we were down at the cabin. It was absolutely gorgeous down there because there was no nasty inversion. Ed, Colby, and Brayden R. were hanging out on the deck with no jackets. We noticed that we had some deer that kept appearing in the back driveway, so I started watching for them. It turns out that there was a four point buck and two does. I noticed one of the does eating some of the spilled birdseed off the surface of the snow. Then the buck climbed the two or three stairs to get on the other side of the feeder. He started nudging the feeder so that he could eat the bird seed. He even spilled some for the ladies! I took this picture from inside the kitchen, but it tell the tale. No wonder we are going through so much bird seed!!!

Reed was really excited that he got to have a friend at the cabin. This is Reed with Brayden C. hanging out watching TV!

Hope and Fear

2009-01-20T12:27:00.001-07:00

This morning I had to do something that I have been putting off for several weeks. I needed to go to WalMart. I used to love WalMart, but it is so crowded and I buy so much stuff that I don't really need that I have been practicing avoidance. Today the streak had to end. I drove through the fog of the inversion to WalMart where the parking lot was surprisingly empty. As I easily navigated the store, I was struck by the fact that there was almost no one shopping. One lady commented to me about how quiet it was and I remarked that it was "scary quiet."

Our family is suffering the effects of a slow economy- complete with a pay cut. I know that many families across the country and in my own neighborhood are being affected by job loss. As a news junkie, I realize that the economy is in bad shape. But fear overcame me this morning when I realized the scope of the problem- as evidenced by a WalMart that was eerily empty. If the daddy of all big box stores is suffering to that extent, how will the smaller stores survive? How can it be turned around?

As I am generally a positive-minded person, hope resurfaced in short order. What a wonderful thing it was to watch as the Presidency of our great nation was handed over with grace and peace. This was the 44th time that we have had a peaceful transfer of power. How amazing! And how much more amazing that this time, the new President is African-American? It was not that long ago that blacks were enslaved as property and even more recent that they were harrassed and terrorized for wanting equal rights. I have hope that if we can change that much as a nation, we can do what it takes to come out of this recession. It is a new day and I hope that America is ready for change. I know that I am.

The Lost Years

2009-01-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Edward M. Collins (Ed's dad) in the mid 1940's

As an avid digital scrapbooker who is pretty much caught up with present photos, I have been looking for heritage projects to do. Ed thinks I should make book about the boys' grandparents- especially since they have all died and that's a little hard on our kids. We were talking about how to format the project when I realized that we have no photographs of Ed's dad before he was 27 or so. This is one of those times when a simple project turns into a nightmare.

I started looking for some of Ed's relatives (not a close family) in hopes that they might have boxes of old photographs tucked away somewhere. Genealogical research is tricky anyway, but it is really hard when the people are living or have died in the fairly recent past. There are laws that protect our information, so I haven't been too successful. But, I will keep looking. In the mean time, I guess that I will just have to start from the end and work backwards!

So, if anyone has earlier photos of Edward Michael Collins (1913-1994), please let me know!

Pet Peeve for Today: Almost every piece of information has a price tag attached to it! Aarrrggh. I remember the good old days when you could join Ancestry.com for three months at a time.

A Pretty Fair View

2009-01-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day at the cabin. It was relatively warm and a good day to have fun in the snow! Just before the snowstorm blew in we were treated to this beautiful sunset. I took the picture from the deck of the cabin in Fairview. Aptly named, eh?

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve 2007

I am really lousy about making resolutions and keeping them. I think it is mainly because I am a little ADD and can't maintain my focus. . . I get bored! But, I just love feeling like it is a fresh start. So here's a little list of my hopes and dreams for the new year.

I am going to work on planning for the future, but living in the moment.

I want to eat less sugar. It gives me headaches.

I am going to help at least 30 people write/scrap their important stories.

I will not complain about sorting socks. I will rejoice that we have socks.

I will practice being thrifty in order to survive the pay cut that we will take for the next several months.

I am going to be happy at least 95% of the time! (This will be easy!)

Hope that you have a Happy New Year, too!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T00:42:00.001-07:00

I have always loved Christmas. I love the decorations and the special baking. I love attending church and reading the story of the first Christmas. I love the stories of Santa Claus and serving others. I even enjoy shopping and wrapping presents!

I thought that the best Christmases would be those when my children were small and the excitement levels were high. They were certainly fun, but small children also get tired and cranky! I think that this was our best Christmas ever. The boys, all three, came barrelling into our room at about 7:30. Between the boys and the dogs, our bed was full!!!! We spent the morning slowly opening our gifts and having cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy. It was amazing to look outside and see the snow falling and piling up. Everyone knows that Christmas snow is the very best snow of all!

After shoveling, plowing and sliding at Mitchell Hollow, we enjoyed naps (mine with Lewis and Clark laying on top of me!) and we watched Mamma Mia. It was just a pleasant day.

Our Christmas Eve was just as wonderful! We had a feast of ham and all the fixings. The boys all voted on ham. At 7:30 we had our family Christmas Program. I read a story about Huckleberry Hound that was mine as a little girl. My sister-in-law, Susie, found it when they were moving and sent it to me. It was fun to share it with the boys. Colby played guitar and Reed sang Silent Night. Jim did a little schtick of carols with altered lyrics. He was absolutely hysterically funny! Parker and Ed read "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus." Then we read the Christmas story out of the New Testament and sang several carols. It was a lovely evening and all the kids fell asleep early since they had been up very late the night before.

All in all. . . I couldn't have asked for a better celebration with my family. It was a Merry Christmas, indeed.