f r i e n d s

Most of you know that I am the only girl in my family. I've wanted a sister as long as I can remember. More than anything, I just wanted to do sisterly things, talk, shop, share clothes, & have someone always in my corner. (My brothers are always in my corner but the talking, shopping & clothes sharing is just different) When we were just starting out, career wise, Dale moved our little family to Pahrump, Nevada. I cried after spending a day there and thought that I would never be able to survive. (Google Earth and see what I am talking about)....desolation. Four years later, I cried when I left. To this day, some of my dearest friends & memories are from there. One of those friends is coming to visit this week, to do sisterly things, shop, talk & just hang out. It has been 10 years since we moved from Pahrump..how grateful I am to still have my friend Shanda in my life. She has been like a sister to me, someone I can always turn to (especially when I am annoyed), someone that listens & shares & relates to how I feel about nearly everything. And how grateful I am to, my other best friend, her husband Jeff, for allowing her time to play with me and even still, to my best, best friend Dale who will be taking the kids & the dog on a camping trip so that I can TRULY enjoy her visit. I love you guys.

disclaimer

Just so everyone knows, I will be reading the conference talk about being SLOW TO ANGER. I was also asked to substitute Tanner's class next week in church, the lesson is, you guessed it, entitled, Controlling your Anger. Mmm...maybe I need to work on some things...

annoy-o-rama

I see these moms, you know the ones that can completely block out their children misbehaving while they carry on a conversation....yeah, that annoys me.
Or the moms that drop their children in the nursery during enrichment meeting & then vacate the building....that really annoys me.
Oh, & now lets talk about another subject that gets me riled up...
My house.
I mopped the floor yesterday & today it looks as if I don't even OWN a mop....that annoys me.
No one knows how to turn the lights out when they leave a room....yep, you guessed it....annoying.
And the things that can't seem to get picked up?
(shoes, goggles, bags, books, towels, clothes.....) A...nno...ying
People thinking that the kitchen is open 24/7 & an empty pantry...yesiree, annoys me.
And do you want to know what annoys me the most?
People who can go through life NOT being annoyed.
I mean, really, some people just never seem to lose their cool, they are always seeming to be patient & kind, happy & nonplussed. They (whoever 'they' is) say that it is a state of mind, that if I really wanted to, I could just talk myself into calm.....I don't buy it.
Sometimes, my blood just boils and I want to scream!!!
I should have just kept running around in my cave, drinking Diet Coke because, the moment I left those 4 walls.....well, you get the picture.
Unfortunately, my family was the ones who got to witness the come apart & fortunately....they seem to still like me & want to keep me around. At least that is how it seems because I can't leave the house without one million calls to my cell phone....ok, that annoys me too.
And just because I am in the mood, I will say this.....the scouting program annoys me.
Granted, the program is a good thing. But this guilt thing, & maybe it is only because I live in Utah, come on, GIVE ME A BREAK!!
"Statistics say that those boys that get their eagle scout are the ones that serve a mission" "Look around the room girls, you can't go wrong with an eagle scout" (yes, somebody actually said that at an eagle court of honor.) My reply to it all...."Just because they have the feather, doesn't make them a good or a bad person, statistics show that most boys who get their eagle scout didn't actually get it....their mom did"
But what really annoys me is that somehow, deep down, I let it bother me-
I am affected by the guilt.
Yes, as you can tell, I annoy easily.
This isn't a character flaw that I am proud of, it really annoys me that I have it.
On the upside....enrichment is over, my house has been semi-clean for most of the day, my family has forgiven me, I am making my boys go to scout camp, and for the time being, my only complaint is how annoyed I will be when I fall asleep during the movie that I am about to put in...yes, I know that it is 11:26 pm, please don't annoy me by pointing that out!!

A few hours in my cave, endorphins & a big Diet Coke!

I don't know why I keep forgetting. There are a few things that 'fill' my cup ,I know this, but when I am tired & awnry I also suffer from memory loss. The things 'TO' do overwhelm the list of 'WANT' to do's. Evidently, deadlines work for me. Our family round robin quilt extravaganza is underway & the 1st deadline is July 1st, so I buried myself in my craft room, put on a extremely watched movie & began to sew, pretty much heaven as far as I'm concerned...
Sunday came and alas, I was just plain exhausted. We had no Diet Coke in the house. So I opted for a power nap....it lasted 3-1/2 hours, I woke up feeling like I had been sucker punched. The only remedy (in my mind) was a soda. It really is disgusting how addicted I am. Long story short, I never found one. I fell asleep at 11 pm, which is so not me especially since I had slept so long in the afternoon. I was depressed and having a pity party.
The next morning, I woke up not wanting to run ONE little step, but I went anyway. (It is just not right to get up & move 2 hours before any of the children do). I felt like a slug & was not looking forward to the day...memory loss, I tell you...

Later, as I was driving home from dropping kids off, I stopped & got a Diet Coke. Even later that day I had the nice euphoric thought that I LOVED my life. Was it the quilting, the running or the Diet Coke????? Mmmm....I better not stop doing any of them....

For all those thinking of being a dog owner.....

At what point do I get to throw in the towel? The dog just had another accident on the carpet....argh!! I told Dale tonight that I was just about done & he said that he was too. The only thing that keeps me from finding him another home is Baylee. She would be completely heart broken and she really has been pulling her own weight.
Dale said that we needed to have the kids do everything....including getting up early to play with him when he is hyper. The only reason I have been so obsessed with keeping watch over him is because I am in constant fear of what he will ruin if I let him out of my sight.
Getting everyday tasks done has become impossible.
My kitchen and the backyard (where the dog is allowed to be) are REALLY clean because that is were I spend most of my time. When he goes in his kennel, I breathe a sigh of relief because I can escape to my bedroom or craft room & get something else done.
To his credit, he is very cute and really is a good puppy but he is just that, a puppy. And puppies are hard to raise. If I were an animal person, this wouldn't be so bad. But alas, I believe that I am a people person, or at the very least, an 'outside' animal person. The CLEAN Spencer genes are just too strong to sit back & watch the dog lick my barstools.

Wait just a second....

Somebody pushed the fast forward button. Yesterday, I was at Costco & saw Shay & Dale walking in front of me. Shay is almost 6 inches taller than Dale.
When did that happen?
Shay also has a job, one where he pays taxes & collects a REAL check.
Is he old enough for that?
Last month, he returned home from EFY and stated that he had met some 'Hot' girls & that he had been someone's COW (Crush Of the Week).


I mean really, what are they teaching at BYU?
Tanner had a movie party the other day & wondered if I could distract the little ones.
Isn't he one of the little ones?
Today, Baylee gathered up her bag of goodies & headed off to her 3rd official babysitting job.
Doesn't she still require a babysitter herself?
Yikes!!! Someone needs to slow this train down!!

The fog is lifting...

Today is the first day that I have felt like myself again. We are getting a routine & sort of figuring out this dog thing. It really is all consuming. I was in tears on Saturday night about it, Dale kindly took me away from the house & out to dinner, where he thanked me profusely for doing this for the kids....just what I needed. In some ways it is nice because my kids are happily doing anything I ask, they know that if they don't pull their weight, Tiger will find a new home. We'll see how long it lasts. In my 'coming out of the fog' celebration, I have invited a friend over & we are going to sit by the pool all day. I am determined to enjoy this summer!!!

Dog days of summer

I caved!! Yes, we are officially dog owners. This is so NOT me, I have been putting this off for a year. Dale said that I needed to stop wishy-washing & just pick one. (Little did he know that the wishy-washing was my way of putting it off) Tanner said "Baylee, it's a good thing that I am afraid of dogs or else we wouldn't have one." He is soooooo right, that is my only reason for doing this. Yesterday I felt like I had postpartum depression. The dog yelped, whined & barked ALL night. I don't think that I slept at all, but when it seemed like morning....there was poop on the floor.
Baylee is in heaven & 'Tiger' has taken to her as well. It is a cute little thing, at least, & from what I hear, this process gets a lot easier with time. For now, I am thinking that we just had our 5th child.