5 reasons to smile...

1. One of the things that sealed the deal for me in choosing to marry my husband, was his hidden creativity. Long story, super short....when he asked me to marry him it involved a policeman, a drunk driving test and a superb acting job on Dale's part.
This past weekend we were asked to go undercover at a local 5 star spa resort & be secret shoppers. (It was really tough, I barely made it through the hot stone massage)
We had to pretend to be from out of state, so the whole weekend Dale played it up. My favorite was when we were in the van going to our early morning hike, he said to the guide "So, tell me about this Too-a-can.." (Tuachan-- a local, world famous summer theater) The way he pronounced it made me have to turn away, and smile. Yep, that's my husband!



2. Last night, we took our boys to a missionary fireside, where they were teaching the kids how to teach the first discussion. At one point, one of the teachers had Shay come up to the front (because he was the closest kid to age 14 in our group), being the smart person I am, I didn't get that the teacher was trying to compare a typical 14 year old to a 14 year old Joseph Smith, so when he asked me to give some characteristics of Shay, I said
"Well, he's obedient and he knows how to tell between wrong & right."
The teacher said "Pretty typical, right?" (I don't think he was paying attention either)
To which, several other mother's said things like, "No...not really"
So...that made me smile. Because, as a mother, I'm aware that he's still pretty typical, and yet pretty special too!!

3. I have been getting a lot of comments about Tanner lately. About how he is growing up & how handsome he is getting. It's true, he is starting THE stretch and will soon be taller than Dale.
Tanner is noticing the changes too and came to me the other day, disgusted by the hair under his arms. I had to smile and think to myself "This is nothing my friend, just wait till you start losing it on your head!" (He is so going to hate me that I shared this on my blog)


4. Baylee came home from school the other day very excited because she had been awarded the Star Student of the Month, for exemplifying September's theme of....

wait for it...

FRIENDSHIP.

This was a huge shock. I just had to smile and think, "WOW, the principal noticed too!!"


5. We are in soccer season here. Keaton lives to play. Everyday, I get questions like,
"Can I wear my uniform today?","Is it Saturday?"& "How many days till Saturday?"
Two Saturday mornings ago, he climbed into bed with me and said "Is it Saturday?"
When I replied that it was, he giggled from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes.
All I could do was smile.

Seventeen years...

Time flies and time stands still. When I say that we have been married for seventeen years, it feels like that is too short of a time....haven't I always known Dale? And yet, I am also amazed that we have been married seventeen years...has it really been that long?
But alas, it has.
Seventeen years ago, today, Dale picked me up in the early morning hours & we drove together to the St. George temple.
The other night, we were sharing the details about our wedding day with Tanner, when he said "Wow! One day you're single & living alone & then the next day you go home together!" Yes....Tanner, it is crazy and very nearly the most important decision you can ever make.
I look back on how young & naive I was as I made that choice & feel so grateful that I was being watched over....that I ended up with one of the good guys!!

On paper, Dale & would never work out.
We are complete opposites:

He goes to bed early, I am a night owl
He saves, I spend
He shows little emotion, I can't contain mine
He has few hobbies, I have too many
He doesn't need to be social, I do
He could care less about movies, I love them
and the list could go on....

But in reality, we are perfect for each other... he completes me (just had to throw that one in for a gag & a laugh!!) No, seriously...we balance one another out...

I have taught him the fine art of spending money, enjoying a movie, and showing some emotion. He has taught me to live on a budget, mellow out & encourages me to go to bed earlier rather than fall asleep on the sofa.

Even though we differ in so many ways, we are similar in all the right areas & I am so glad to call him my husband & friend. So happy 17th Dale.....I love you!

Dance dance EVOLUTION...

It is no surprise that I am a bit freaked out about the changes happening in my children. It seems like it was yesterday when I was in High School, the memories are still fresh & have had a far reaching effect on my psyche, self-esteem and view about the world.
However, I have made up my mind to embrace these changes & celebrate them rather than live in fear for what lies ahead. (It also dawned on me the other day that fear was not necessary because we have the knowledge & tools to correct any mistake)
I am told with teenagers you are to trust, but verify. So with renewed faith, I am now volunteering for events at the High School, my sly little way of verification.
I signed up to help with the Homecoming Dance & then somehow found myself roped into taking the pictures. How? I still can't figure it out but I think it was because I had a good camera & I was cheap....by that I mean free. My good friend, bless her heart, literally dropped everything & came to help. She had recently purchased some lights & wanted to put them to work and thought that it would be a good opportunity to learn some new things.

Here is what we learned...

1. High School students suck the life out of you!! By nights end, we were beyond exhausted.
2. Photographers should wear comfortable shoes & sweats.
3. Charge money and charge for every shot that they want you to take, because if you let them,
they will stay forever posing & posing....
4. Despite the fact that Shay looks like a gigolo in the pictures, he did behave himself.

Here are a few of the pix... (Keep in mind, we were not in charge of the backdrop)

Shay, his friends & Judy's daughter & neices

I am pretty sure that there were some kids on drugs (some couldn't hold still long enough to snap a picture), definitely some kids making out on the dance floor (Shay told me all about it), and only a few girls scantily clad, but what can you expect with Kid Rock in the house...

Yeah, they're adults, not students. That's Shays boss in the middle.

Before the dance, when Judy's girls were getting ready, Baylee followed them around watching their every move.
She came up to me later & said,
"Do you know why I was following them around? It's because I want a sister!!"
It broke my heart...like I said before, some memories are still fresh on my mind.

some things you should know, peaches & a really big spider...

Some things you should know...

1. I am going to fix my blog, I don't know when, but I am aware that the top is messed up.

2. The other night I set up a blog for Baylee. The next day I went on to see if anyone had commented and found out that a bachelor who confesses that he looks at porn had said hello. This freaked me out. Her blog is now private.


Peaches...

Last week my mom went out to the church orchard, she was there when they opened it up for free picking & she came back with a lot of peaches. Consequently, she spent her week canning. Last week was crazy for me.
As I ran in & out of her house borrowing items for my crazy life, I watched her can & thought..."I really should be doing that".
My natural born instinct (because that's what all children do) was to ask her to make me some for me while she was at it. Not unreasonable of me right?
Well, now that I am mom myself, I realized before I spoke up, that that would have been a bit 'friends of the little red hen' -ish of me.
So, imagine my joy when my mom walked in with these beauties ( she brought freezer jam & frozen peach cocktail too!!)...


Yeah, I know she is pretty great!! Thanks Mom!!
I don't know what it is about having peaches on my shelf in my pantry that makes me feel like I have a years supply of food, but those 12 jars have worked magic on my imagination.
As Dale was admiring the bounty, he asked me if I knew how to do this?
Translation: You should learn. (He feels this way about my mom's ability to make rolls as well). Little does he know that I am hiding my talents under a bushel....literally!!
It was evident tonight just exactly why I don't put my talents to better use. After dinner (did you notice I said after dinner?) Dale opened a jar of peaches......2 seconds later....he & Shay had eaten the whole jar. Before long I heard rumblings of their grand plans for the next one & tomorrow they were going to make peach cobbler & then peaches & cream...
My only reply, "Are you kidding me?" This is my year supply of food that your messing with here....at least let me look at them for one day!! Dale thinks I am crazy, he thinks that they were made to be eaten.
He has no idea about the work that goes into the making of one jar!
I think we should respect them, take pictures of them, blog about them & eat them slowly.
But who am I kidding, they will be gone in a week.


& a really big spider....

I used to say that I was not afraid of spiders, that is no longer the case.....

This one has been haunting me for days. Dale stomped on it just outside my garage...
and where there is one.....?
So now I keep thinking that if I walk around the house in the dark, like I used to, am I going to step on one? Or...Is one going to be in my sheets when I get in bed? eeeewwww, nightmares I say!!

update...

You might find it interesting to note that one week later....my ears are finally popping & I am starting to be able to hear again. Whew. Also...
Since the City & the Transportation department were so complacent about following the rules, I decided to fight fire with fire and sent Shay on the bus today....he sent me a text message that read, "I got on!". Music to my hears. Man, I am such a rebel, sometimes I shock myself.

I take it back....

Ok....there was no 'deer in the headlights' there. Wow!!! I think I am a fan. Finally.

Strange things happen in the dead of night....

I have been sick for the past few days. Down. And. Out. I am so congested that the voice in my head is getting louder, & quite frankly driving me nuts. It's not pretty. Case in point, the other night I went to bed at 8:30 (unheard of for me), this felt like a good idea at the time, however, at 1:30 am, not so good. I was awake & so was my mind, here are some things that were on it...(be kind, and remember the hour)...

*Is is just me or does Governor Palin's family look like they could be my neighbors? No fake smiles or thick skin there? Doesn't her husband look like a deer in the headlights? I don't think they are ready for this....poor souls.

*Why, why, why did they cancel Moonlight? Come on CBS, give it time. (Yes, I admit it, I have a secret crush on a vampire....and his name is not Edward)

*Did my ear just pop (please, please, please)? Nope...false alarm.

*I wish I could rewind & raise my children in the 80's. Good times. Good times.

*Are my legs getting softer? Man, I really need to get exercising again!!

*I wish that I had better health coverage so that Dale would go to the allergy doctor....he is keeping me up & I am starting to only recognize him by his cough. (And no, this does not mean that I want socialized medicine)

*Please pop ear....please pop!!

*To do list....... shop for food group, cook for food group. PTA meeting, how many do I go to this week? call about soccer practice, oh yeah....new cleats. pay bills....ugh. I probably should scrub some bathrooms. Pick up vacuum from the repair shop....maybe they will need to keep it another week, that would be nice. Laundry. Set up car pool for preschool. Drive carpool. Finish my round robin, my too cool round robin I might add. Get Baylee to practice the violin at least twice this week. Pick up Shay's tux.....

*ugh....maybe I need to call in sick one more day. GO. TO. SLEEP!!!!!

See what I mean....not pretty, not pretty at all.

Are you ready for some football?

Some husbands hunt, read, play video games, run......my husband lives for football season. Mid summer, I start to notice the changes, conversations between Shay & Dale turn to who's playing this position, who drafted whom. Statistical football magazines are purchased, hours are spent on Rivals.com and the purple & gold take over.
This year I made the comment "Wow, it's like you're dead all year & then football season hits and you come back to life." He had to agree with me.
He was even getting upset that there was a possibility that the 1st game would be postponed because of the hurricane, he had been waiting 265 days for this, after all.
I have tried to fight it, but to no avail, so this year I decided to be a supportive wife & came up with the idea to have a big neighborhood tailgate party to open the season off right.
Needless to say, it was a success, about 100 of our friends came in football attire, decorated their tailgates & we had a big BBQ.
It really is easy to make him happy....Just imagine how pleased he would be if I finally agreed to sell the house, buy an RV and follow the Tigers around the country!!!