Happy Anniversary! -

This morning I looked at my calendar to see what was on the menu for dinner, and saw that today is our anniversary. Before you think I am absolutely terrible to have not already KNOWN... we considered our trip to Logan for Charlotte's wedding as our anniversary, so to be honest, it was completely off my radar. When I saw it on my calendar, I called Tim to wish him Happy Anniversary, got excited that I wouldn't have to make dinner - we'll just go out, then thought I'd fill out this wedding meme that Melissa had on her blog last month. (Hers was TONS better because it had lots of beautiful pictures, but I don't know yet how to scan photos on our new machine... Maybe I'll add some later if I ever get around to asking Tim how to do it.)


1. Where/How did you meet? We were set up on a blind date by one of Tim's former girlfriends. She got married while he was on his mission, and she told me one that if she couldn't marry him, she wanted to pick his wife...

2. How long have you known each other? 11 years

3. How long after you met did you start dating? hard to answer. our first meeting was an informal dat'ish kind of thing. I was living in SLC and Tim went down to school at BYU a couple weeks after we met, but he worked Friday nights/Sat mornings in South Jordan so He and I would go out on Friday nights, and he was dating up a storm at school the rest of the time. We dated more seriously after about 6 months or so.

4. How long did you date before you were engaged? 1 1/2 years

5. How long was your engagement? 4 months

6. How long have you been married? 9 years today

7. What is your anniversary? April 27

8. How many people came to your wedding reception? a lot

9. What kind of cake did you serve? I think it was white with raspberry filling.

10. Where was your wedding? Salt Lake Temple - Reception at church house in AF.

11. What did you serve for your meal? Light refreshments at reception included chicken salad sandwiches, chocolate mints, beverage, and I think something else, but I can't remember exactly what...

12. How many people were in your wedding party? Tim's brother Brent was best man and Charlotte was maid of honor.

13. Are you still friends with them all? of course

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? I don't recall. I don't think so.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day? the whole thing was wonderful.

16. Any funny moments? not that I can think of.

17. Any big disasters? nope

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? We took a week long driving trip up into Montana, and Canada. We to fairmont hot springs, horseback riding, played tennis, hiking, river rafting, Banff, camping in the snow at Lake Louise, Calgary Zoo, Cardston Temple... and more!

20. If you were to do your wedding over... I would change NOTHING! It was perfectly perfect!

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Whichever side is closer to the bedroom door so that I have less distance to travel (and less things to trip over in the dark) when the the kids wake up in the middle of the night. Currently it is the right side.

22. What size is your bed? KING

23. Greatest strength as a couple? Both very easy going - neither of us are fighters or yellers, so it is a very calm and peaceful marriage. We've honestly never really fought about anything, because we have never had any issue come up, that we disagreed about, that either of us have felt strongly enough about to make an issue of it.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple? Both easy going - so decision making can be a challenge since we both like to let the other person chose what they want...

25. Who literally pays the bills? Tim

26. What is your song? As far as I know, we don't have one.

27. What did you dance your first dance to? We didn't do the dance at the reception thing.

28. Describe your wedding dress: Beautiful - short sleeves, long train that bustled up in back. Roses on the back, scalloped around the bottom. Don't really know how to describe it, but I thought it was beautiful.

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? silk roses, white and red. My bouquet is on my piano as we speak.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved? no

31. How old were you when you got married? 27, Tim was 25

I consider myself very blessed to be married to such a good man. It has been 9 wonderful years and I am looking forward to many many many more! It just keeps getting better and better!

I'm still here

Hi all, sorry it's been so long. I'm afraid I've gone into another little 'slump.' Sometimes I think I need to be on some kind of medication or something. I just really can't control my moods sometimes. I will be going along fine, then whamo! all of the sudden I feel like I'm the worst mom, worst wife, failing at everything in life, can't motivate myself to do anything, house falls apart, etc...

For a time (pre-children) I was using the herb St. Johns Wort, and I really felt like it helped me, but it has abortive qualities so I stopped taking it once we decided to start our family. I just keep telling myself that this is all necessary, you know the "opposition in all things" kind of thing. I can't feel joy and happiness if I don't experience the sorrow and all that. Call me crazy, but I think I'd like to volunteer for the "joy and happiness only" club. I do have faith that my Heavenly Father knows what He's doing and that there will come a day when I will understand why things need to be the way they are, but some days it is a little harder to hang on to that faith and hope.

I'm going to try to throw myself into getting some good work done today. That usually helps me get going uphill again...

Later -

beautiful bride and best of friends

These are some pictures from the wedding weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of Amy. (Tim and I had talked about the fact that I was going to want to stay and visit to the very end... and that he would be VERY bored listening to me reminiscing about my college days and all about people he's never met... so we predetermined that whenever he was ready he could head back to the hotel. When Amy got there - I arranged to catch a ride with her and Tim left - with the camera.) Oh well. Not anything I can do about it now. Now that I'm looking at this - I'm wishing I knew how to scan in some old pictures from our college days, it would be fun to see the then and now pictures. Maybe I'll try to figure it out.

Well - I tried, but couldn't figure it out. I'll ask Tim to help me and maybe tomorrow will be a walk down memory lane post...

I love America -

but I do NOT love politics. I went to yet another county commisioners meeting this morning - dragging along 2 children, in order to once again voice my opinion regarding some illegal mining that is happening directly behind my home. In summary - since most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about, there is a mining compnay that owns land up behind my house. The land is zoned CE-1 which is critical environment/agricultural watershed area. It is protected land and cannot be built on, mined, etc...
14 years ago, the mining comany (whom I am not naming on purpose, so that I can't be held liable for defamation or anything crazy like that) crossed over into the CE-1 zone. The county ordered them to cease mining, and issued a $7000 bond to insure the land would be relaimed. Nothing was ever enforced, and in the past 2 years, mining operations started up again.

As homeowners, we knew when we purchased our homes that there were gravel pits to the south of us, but were we assured that there was a large buffer zone that would keep the mining from encroaching to close to the neighborhood. We watched as the mining came closer and closer. we wondered at what point they would hit the imaginary line over which they couldn't cross (Little did we know that ALL of what we were seeing was in direct violation of the zoning ordinance.)

When we finally realized that they HAD to be over the line, we started contacting people in the city and county. In short, after and year and half of attending meeting after meeting - NOTHING is happening. Today they once again announced that they are going to 'continue' for 3 more weeks, meet in a closed session to discuss the matter, and then hopefully make a decision.

I am so sick and tired of this process. I am so frustrated and I want to blurt out all the mean and nasty things I want to say about one particular commissioner, and at the same time, I want to just forget all about it and wash my hands of the whole debacle. It just makes my blood boil. What is point of having all these laws if they aren't going to enforce them? What is the point of paying our elected officials to make and enforce the laws if they won't do it? ARRGGGHHHH!!! (can you tell what kind of mood I'M in right now???)

I suppose I should go work on something that I have some control over - namely my house that looks like a war zone... Thanks for listening. I'll let you know what happen in 3 weeks.

What a weekend

I had a mostly wonderful weekend. Tim and I dropped the kids off at my parents on Friday afternoon and we drove up north to attend the wedding festivities of my best friend (Charlotte) from my college days. It was wonderful! (Our anniversary is April 27th, so Tim and I took this as our anniversary celebration as well) Charlotte looked beautiful! Eric (the groom) seems to be very nice. And most importantly, they LOOKED so happy and content and in love. It was just perfect! It was great to see all of Charlotte's family again, I can't believe how time flies.

I got to visit with two of my former roommates - Melissa and Amy- and it was so great to catch up with them! I believe the TRUE test of friendship is when you can go SO many years with ZERO contact, and then you just seem to pick up right where you left off. It was so great to see them again and talk about the good old days.

We took a couple pictures while we were there, but since I am technologically challenged, I don't know how to get them from my camera to the computer. I'll have to have Tim do it for me, then if I get permission from Melissa and Charlotte, I'll post a few...

the not so wonderful parts of the weekend???

- Charlotte sang a couple songs at her wedding, and they were great! - except that two of them have been stuck in my head for 3 days now!!! It is really annoying, especially when I only know tiny catches of the songs, so I can't sing them and be done with it...

- Saturday night, I was already really tired from the trip north and not sleeping too well in a strange bed, and I ended up in the ER with my little Bryan until 3:00 in the morning. He had bronchiolitis (AKA croup) I've had kids with croup before, but never like this. He couldn't breathe. He'd fall asleep for a few minutes (15 minutes max), then wake up screaming and crying and wheezing and unable to get a breath. I was worrying that perhaps he had eaten something and was having an allergic reaction or something. At the hospital they ran a number of tests and after a breathing treatment and a oral coritsone steroid treatment thing, he was finally breathe and could sleep. Needless to say - I was very tired at church on Sunday, and as soon as we got home, I crashed for like 3 hours! (Thank goodness for good husbands who pick up the slack.)

That's about it. Not too exciting I know, but it my life and I like it. OH - you know my little scuttelaria that I planted a week or so ago. It has 3 tiny little blooms on it!!! HOORAY

Later -

Not much to say...

I don't really have much of anything to say today, but I want to post something, so here goes a not very exciting weekend report.

Easter weekend went well. Tim was gone Friday night on a scout campout. I never sleep well when he's gone. This time I had a strange dream (one of many in a long sleepless night) in which I came home to find that I had left the garage door open and the house was filled with people ransacking the place. They all ran away when I came in, and I tried to call 911 but the operator kept putting me on hold.

Saturday was filled with 'weekend' projects. I built a new rabbit run for Aaron's rabbit, Jack. (He (the rabbit) was SO stinky, I had to get him outside!) I did more planting and gardening. Did a bit of tree and rose pruning. (I really don't 'get' pruning roses, so I just hack them down pretty brutally then wish them luck recuperating.) We had a little hot dog roast in our backyard for the kids - they loved that.

Sunday we did a little hunting for candy filled eggs around the house (it was raining outside) and went to church where all the sugared up kids were WILD. It was one of the noisiest sacrament meetings I can remember, and with our YOUNG ward (over 90 kids between age of 3-12, and like 50 + newborn -3 (we have 4 nursery classes)) it's usually pretty noisy, so that's saying something. I am the music chorister in Primary, and it was a nightmare trying to get and keep their attention. WILD WILD WILD! I was way ready for a nap by the time we got home. Instead of napping, we went to visit my grandparents. My Grandpa is 3 months away from celebrating his 90th birthday. He and Gram still live independently at home, but as I see how frail they are getting, I wonder how much longer they will be able to do this. We sang a few Easter songs for them, then just visited. It was nice. I feel badly that I don't get over there more often. I know that after they are gone I am going to wish that I had spent more time there - letting my kids get to know their "great-grandparents." It's just hard, because their house is definitely not child proof, and grandpa's hearing is not good, so he can't hear anything the kids try to tell him, and I usually have a headache after being there from talking so loud... I know, excuses...excuses....

It is a cold and drizzly day at my house today. I am going to try to get some housecleaning done while I watch my friend's little boy. (She had her gall bladder removed yesterday and needs some R&R.) I'm not exactly sure that cleaning and babysitting are really very compatible, but we'll see what we can get done.

Planting away

I recieved my new plants yesterday that I ordered from High Country Gardens. I got four of them planted yesterday, but haven't got the rest in the ground yet. I'm working at it, but I wasn't quite ready for them. (I'm building rock wall terraces in our backyard, and hauling the dirt (one bucket at a time) to backfill them. I getting close to being done, but it is hard work and I needed a break - so here I am...

Not that ya'll are really interested in my plant selection, but I am very excited about them so here are some highlights of the things I'll be planting today. (They are all xeric/waterwise plants)

The yellow flower is a Hymenoxys (sundancer daisy) , the pink one is Mirabilis multiflora (wild four-o-clock), the small purple one is Scutellaria (Prairie skullcap), and the bush is a Rhus trilobata (three leaf sumac) with edible (tart) berries that the birds love to eat. (and I love the color it turns in the fall.

Well, enough of this - I'd better get back to work or my little plants will never get into their new homes.

I think I'm more Daffodil

I went back and re-took the test changing the 2 or 3 answers that I really could go either way on, and this was the response I got. (It wasn't so much a matter of being honest - I could honestly answer either way) I think the daffodil description may be a bit closer to the "real" flower me. In fact, I read both flower descriptions to Tim, and he agreed that he thought I was a bit more daffodil'ish. Maybe I just want to be a daffodil because it is a spring flower that I think looks so cheery, friendly, and happy.

You Are a Daffodil
"You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard."


A a side note - Tim took the test, (only because I wanted him to) and while he had trouble with a few questions that were aimed more to women, he came out as a daisy - sweet, kind, and thoughtful. It fit him perfectly.

Today my goal is to have a "good wife day" and "good mommy day". (yesterday was quite the opposite) So far so good; but now my computer time is up and I need to get crackin' on my job list.

Charlotte - it was nice to think I was like you (a snapdragon) for a little while... Man - I'm realizing how silly this is that I've spent so much time and thought into "what flower I am." I'm a human, for crying out loud! Oh well - we gotta have some fun and silliness in our lives right? Speaking of Daffodils, mine are in need of being deadheaded - I think I'll put that on my list of things to get done today. Later...

You Are a Snapdragon

You Are a Snapdragon

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh." I'm not sure how accurate this is... but it was fun to do. I got it from Melissa - who got it from Yolanda. I don't know how to put the direct link on my blog, so you can go to Melissa's sight if you want the link. Is Mischief really my middle name? Well - I do like to make people laugh/smile, so maybe... I like that it says that friend is my first name. I hope that part is accurate - I do try to be a good friend, and I do like snap dragons. So there you go.

SPRING

I just love spring! It is my favorite season. I love the spring bulbs that pop their heads out of the cold ground and look so happy and cheerful. I love the blossoms on the trees. I love the greenish haze that trees develop, and then POOF!!!! suddenly the leaves are out and the world is green again. I love the warm sun on my arms and face. I love the smell of the dirt as I prepare my gardens. I love planting seeds and checking anxiously until I start to see the seedings pushing up through the dirt into the light. I love the moderate temperatures that beckon me to come outside. I love the promise of new life all around me. I love the feeling of rebirth in everything I see. I love the hope and love and beauty that I see and feel all around me. I LOVE SPRING!!!!!

GIGO

You know what they say - Garbage In Garbage Out...

While my spirit was being beautifully fed over Conference weekend, I wasn't being so kind to my body. I don't know why it is I have the mental idea that junk food is so great. I know it isn't good for my body, and oh boy - am I regretting my eating actions of yesterday. I feel YUCKY! Bryan doesn't feel well either - his stomach is very unsettled. He kept me up for several hours last night. Aaron is staying home from school today with similar complaints. Do you think I'll learn my lesson this time and learn to exercise a little bit of impulse control and will power?

On the happier side - I really enjoyed LDS general conference. I am dreading the day when President Hinckley dies. Every time he speaks now I worry that it might be his last talk. I was doing fine this time, until he closed his final remarks with the word "goodbye." I was vividly reminded of the prophets in the Book of Mormon who end their books with "farewell." I know he has lived a long and good life, and that he is anxious to see his beloved Marjorie again, but I have loved him as a prophet (and apostle) and I will really miss him...
(okay - that wasn't much happier, was it? Let me try again)

For Sunday conference we spent the day at my mom's. We don't have TV reception at my house so we can only listen on the radio. My brothers Mike and Shayne (and their families) came, and after conference was over we had a big old meal and lots of munchies (left over "conference treats") and played a rousing game of dice. It was really fun. We've started a new tradition just this year that we are getting together once a month to eat and play games - just to keep the relationships strong. It's WONDERFUL!

Well, - I think I'm going to go eat some antacids for breakfast and then rest some more. YUCK!